《He Who Fights With Monsters》


 Chapter 5: Wizard

    ¡°G¡¯day mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°Looks like you¡¯ve had a spill. Need a hand up?¡±


    Jason offered his hand and helped the wizard-looking man to his feet. Despite a frame as slender as Jason¡¯s own, the wizard was surprisingly heavy. Standing unsteadily of his feet, the wizard looked around at the room in disarray, then at Jason, his expression confused.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the wizard asked. ¡°How did you get here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Jason, and I have no idea. I went to bed what I think was last night and woke up in some kind of alternate universe.¡±


    The wizard narrowed his eyes as he peered at Jason.


    ¡°There¡¯s something off about your aura,¡± the wizard said. ¡°You¡¯re not human.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hurtful. Wait, auras are really a thing?¡±


    ¡°You said something about an alternate universe?¡± The wizard asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s just a guess,¡± Jason said. ¡°I mean, the continents are different. Could be a crazy-far, time travel thing. Do you know anything about continental drift?¡±


    The wizard¡¯s gaze moved to the magic circle on the floor, then back at Jason.


    ¡°It was you,¡± he said angrily. ¡°You¡¯re what went wrong with the summoning.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, at least you did summon something. Do you have any idea how wrong your summon made my night¡¯s sleep go? One of us has a lot more to be grouchy about than the other.¡±


    The wizard looked a combination of confused and angry, but as he was about to retort he went pale and stumbled in place.


    ¡°Crap, sorry,¡± Jason said, moving to support him.


    ¡°GET OFF ME!¡±


    The wizard staggered in the direction of a heavy writing desk. It seemed to have escaped major displacement by being the heaviest piece of furniture in the room. He almost tripped, still weak from whatever happened prior to Jason¡¯s arrival. The wizard opened a drawer, took out a small bottle and drained the contents.


    ¡°I could use a stiff drink myself, if you¡¯re offering,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It was a recovery potion, fool,¡± the wizard said, then winced with pain. ¡°It seems the backlash will take more than a potion to fix.¡±


    He gave Jason a smile that Jason did not like.


    ¡°Since I can¡¯t recover mana right now, I¡¯ll have to do things the old fashioned way. I¡¯ve never tasted an outworlder before.¡±


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Jason said, shoulders slumping. ¡°You¡¯re one of the cannibals.¡±


    As the wizard pulled a knife out of the drawer, Jason looked around the room. There was a set of wooden double doors that were presumably an exit, but the wizard was a lot closer than Jason. Remembering how weakly the wizard staggered over to the table, Jason took a risk and tried barrelling past him. It worked, but when he pulled on the door handles they were locked. He spun around to make back for the cave, only to find the wizard lunging at him.


    Jason grabbed at the arm holding the knife. Wrestling back and forth, they tripped on a piece of the overturned furniture and fell to the floor, still struggling. The lamp was lost somewhere along the way and they battled in shadows, each trying to seize control of the weapon. Jason had a grip on the wizard¡¯s arm, trying to keep the knife from digging into him. In spite of his small frame and apparent weakness after being knocked out, the wizard was much stronger than Jason. Taking a lesson from the small, aggressive monsters he had been fighting, Jason bit into the wizard¡¯s hand.


    The wizard yelped in surprise more than pain, but it gave Jason a chance to seize the advantage, yanking the knife from the wizard¡¯s grip. Still scrambling on the floor, he shoved the knife out blindly and suddenly the wizard went limp. The knife was sticking out of the wizard¡¯s throat, but the wizard was still alive, looking at Jason with disbelieving eyes. Jason snatched the knife back and blood sprayed over Jason, getting into his eyes and mouth. Recoiling, he spat out blood as he rubbed at his eyes. By the time his panicked flailing came to a halt, the wizard¡¯s body was still.


    You have defeated [Builder Cultist].


    Jason pushed himself up with bloody hands, tripped on debris and fell back over. His breath came in ragged starts as he just lay where he fell. Eventually he sat up, looking over at where the body had fallen directly into the light beam from the lamp. He pulled his legs up and hugged his knees, rocking slightly as he stared at the body.


    He had no sense of how long he stayed like that, but eventually he pushed himself unsteadily to his feet. He walked over to the bloody knife and picked it up.


    Item: [Seal Knife] (bronze rank, common)


    A dagger with the Vane family seal on the pommel. (weapon, tool).


    Requirements: Bronze rank [Speed], bronze rank [Spirit].Effect: When used to imprint a wax seal on a letter, the letter will be destroyed if opened by anyone other than the addressee.


    Jason stared at the bloody knife in his equally bloody hand. After a few moments there was an unusual tingling, slowly rising to become pain. He tightened his grip until the pain became too much and the dagger clattered to the floor.


    You do not meet the requirements to use this item.


    Finally, he turned to the body. Its eyes were open, face frozen in a final expression of surprise.


    The room was still and silent, Jason¡¯s eyes locked on the corpse.


    ¡°You did this,¡± he accused it. ¡°You did this.¡±


    He didn¡¯t sound convincing, even to himself.


    Jason¡¯s mind was nothing but white noise as he stood standing over the body. When a new sound broke him out of his trance he didn¡¯t know if it had been seconds, minutes or hours. The sound came from above, a metal ventilation pipe in the ceiling. There was a hollow, echoing timbre to the sound and it took Jason a moment to recognise it as a hissing noise. It was coming from the hole.


    He watched the hole, eyes unfocused and disoriented. He watched absently but his mind was still on the knife, He could feel it, even after it fell back to the floor. He could taste the hot blood spilling out of the wizard¡¯s neck. His gaze sharpened when something came out of the hole in the ceiling. It was an enormous, pitch-black snake, head barely small enough to pass through the aperture.


    Jason and the snake looked at each other, frozen for a moment. Jason could see intelligence in its eyes, although he may well have been imagining it. Then the snake hissed at Jason and continued emerging from the vent shaft, body dangling down from the ceiling. Jason sprinted for the door back to the cave, snatching up the lamp as he moved.


    New Quest: [Time to Run]


    The familiar of the Builder cultist sensed its master¡¯s death and has come to investigate.


    Objective: Escape [Umbral Mountain Snake] 0/1.Reward: Iron-rank (rare) magical dagger.


    Jason almost stumbled as the window popped up, flailing wildly at it as he willed it closed. He bolted through the metal door, dropped his lamp and grabbed onto the wheeled handle, hauling back with adrenaline-fuelled strength. The rusty hinges groaned shut and Jason yanked on the wheel to latch the door. There was another wheel on the other side, but snakes didn¡¯t have thumbs.


    Jason let out a breath he didn¡¯t realise he¡¯d been holding and reached down to pick up the lamp. He would need to go back up the well, but he¡¯d rather dodge cannibals than fight a giant snake. The danger at least snapped him out of the daze he was left in after killing a man. He was making his way along the pathway when he heard the grinding of metal behind him and had a horrifying thought.


    What if monster snakes do have thumbs?


    Running along the pathway, forgetting his previous caution turned out to be a mistake. His sandalled foot slipped on a slick section of plank and he tumbled over. He landed hard on the walkway, the sand coating scraping on his naked torso. Lamp still clutched in a death-grip, he ignored the pain to get up and keep moving. Going as quickly as he dared, he reached the end of the walkway and ducked straight into the tunnel, dropping the lamp that would slow his crawl.


    His hands and knees hammered into the hard surface of the narrow passage, shoulders and head banging against the side and top. He didn¡¯t let it slow him down, scrambling forward until he saw the dim light at the bottom of the well. Crawling out, he fumbled straight for the rungs set into the side. Hand over hand, he yanked himself upwards. Only after he was a good way up the inside of the well did he let himself pause to look down. The snake shouldn¡¯t be able to climb up, but it shouldn¡¯t have been able to open a door, either.


    He was just turning back to resume climbing when he heard the hiss from below. He saw the snake emerged from the tunnel, pausing to look up at Jason before sliding more of its body into the space at the bottom of the well. Jason watched in horror as its body started climbing up and around the outside of the well like the thread of a screw. Despite the wet and slippery surface of the well, the snake started winding its way up, as if adhered to the sides.


    Jason resumed his climb, more energetic than ever. The snake was fast, but its circuitous path around the sides was long. Jason clambered up as fast as he could, but panic made him rush and more than once a foot slipped before getting proper purchase. He kept pushing upwards, every hand and foothold a step closer to the outside.


    The final rung was set into the brickwork that sat above ground, but just as Jason¡¯s hand gripped it, he felt something slip around his leg. The snake was as thick as Jason¡¯s thigh and he hadn¡¯t even seen the full length of it. The weight of it prevented him from pulling himself any higher and it only got worse as the creature wrapped around his torso.


    He couldn¡¯t pull himself any further up but he clenched onto the top rung. Hands clammy and quickly tiring, his fingers threatened to give out at any moment. But in the end it wasn¡¯t his fingers that crumbled. The mortar in the bricks gave out, the whole side of the well collapsing. Jason, the snake and a rain of masonry fell backwards into the dark.

 Chapter 21: I Have the Power

    When Jason used the dark essence it had turned into smoke, painfully invading his body until he passed out. The blood essence instead melted over his hand, becoming a viscous liquid that crawled up his arm and started coating his torso as it seeped through his pores and into his skin. It savagely burned its way into his flesh, leaving him sprawled on the ground as he fought to endure the pain. Gritting his teeth, he barely managed to stave off unconsciousness. By the time the pain subsided he was on all fours, rapidly panting. His clothes were wet with perspiration.


    You have absorbed [Blood Essence]. You have absorbed 2 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 50% (2/4 essences ).[Blood Essence] has bonded to your [Power] attribute, changing your [Power] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all blood essence abilities to increase your [Power] attribute.You have awakened the blood essence ability [Blood Harvest]. You have awakened 1 of 5 blood essence abilities.


    ¡°That was interesting,¡± Farrah said, voice clinical. ¡°Functionally it appears similar to how a confluence essence is absorbed, although the strain on the subject is clearly increased. Too many unanswered questions for one subject. I wish I had more of you.¡±


    ¡°The subject has a name,¡± Jason groaned painfully.


    ¡°I wonder if the type of essence affects the process,¡± Farrah mused. ¡°You said you passed out last time, yes? Perhaps subjects adapt with each event.¡±


    ¡°The first one was definitely worse,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not that this one was a lot of fun. I¡¯m still going to need a moment.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your new ability?¡± Gary asked. ¡°You should be able to feel it, right?¡±


    As Gary suggested, the new power had engraved itself into Jason, making itself a part of him.


    Ability: [Blood Harvest] (Blood)


    Spell (drain).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Iron: Drain the remnant life force of a recently deceased body, replenishing health, stamina and mana. Only affects targets with blood.


    ¡°Looks like it¡¯s for healing up after a fight,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Sounds like a good one,¡± Gary said. ¡°Abilities with restrictions are usually more powerful. Especially if it makes them hard to use in the middle of a fight.¡±


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t love a balanced ability,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°A healing ability, too,¡± Gary said. ¡°That¡¯s especially good when you don¡¯t have a healer with you. We go through a lot of potions.¡±


    ¡°Yes we do,¡± Farrah agreed.


    ¡°But you have a healer,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Anisa isn¡¯t a permanent part of the team, remember?¡± Rufus said. ¡°This contract is for her church. They asked us to take her along, give her some field experience. Seemed like a good deal for both sides.¡±


    ¡°Seemed?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°She can be a little judgemental,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°A lot judgemental,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Also cold,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you just calling me ¡®the subject¡¯ a minute ago?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk behind her back,¡± Rufus scolded. ¡°If you can¡¯t say it to her face, then don¡¯t say it.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re being judgemental,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Gary¡­¡±


    ¡°Should I use my other essence next?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Or should I use some of these awakening stones to get more abilities?¡±


    ¡°Essences first,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Your abilities are based on the essence and stone you got them from, obviously, but also on the essences and abilities you already have. Using all your essences first means your abilities will better complement one another.¡±


    ¡°If you awaken too many abilities before you have all your essences,¡± Rufus said, ¡°your abilities will lack focus. There will be more random powers that don¡¯t work as well together.¡±


    ¡°Synergy,¡± Jason said. ¡°Makes sense. Another essence it is. Not quite back in shape for the next one, though. I might just lay here for a little bit.¡±


    Jason lay back on the grass while he recovered his strength. He took the chance to ask the others where they were going once they left the manor. They told him about a city on the coast, the only city in the entire desert region.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said, sitting up. ¡°I think I¡¯m good to go again.¡±


    He sat cross-legged on the grass, the sin essence in his hands.


    > You are able to absorb [Sin Essence]. Absorb Y/N?


    The white and gold cube started to shrink as motes of light emerged from it to float around Jason. By the time the entire cube vanished, the lights swirling around Jason had become a bright corona.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s a sin essence?¡± Gary asked, only to by shushed by Farrah.


    The lights began sinking into Jason¡¯s skin, a feeling of internal pressure building as they filled his body. More of the lights pushed their way inside and discomfort became pain as he felt like someone was trying to inflate him. Eventually the sensation passed, the pressure giving way to relief. It felt like finally taking a wee after needing one really badly.


    You have absorbed [Sin Essence]. You have absorbed 3 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 75% (3/4 essences).[Sin Essence] has bonded to your [Recovery] attribute, changing your [Recovery] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all sin essence abilities to increase your [Recovery] attribute.You have awakened the sin essence ability [Punish]. You have awakened 1 of 5 sin essence abilities.


    ¡°That one wasn¡¯t so bad,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think I¡¯m getting used to it.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Rufus said, ¡°because you need to do it again.¡±


    As if to punctuate Rufus¡¯s words, three shimmering, incorporeal cubes emerged from Jason¡¯s torso and started spinning around him in the air. The cubes were images of the essences he had absorbed, plainly lacking in substance. The images converged in front of Jason, interposing themselves over one another. Once the three cubes merged into one, the result was a new cube, swirling with light and shadow. The patterns shifted like thick oils mixed together.


    The confluence of your essences has produced the [Doom Essence]. This is a confluence essence that you may claim or reject. If you choose not to claim this confluence essence it will not be available to you again.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a yin-yang lava lamp,¡± Jason said. ¡°What happens if I don¡¯t take it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Then I slap you over the back of the head,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°If you refuse your confluence essence,¡± Rufus said, ¡°you can only replace it with a normal essence. I promise you that is not the way to go. Only the clergy reject the confluence essence, because their gods give them divine versions of regular essences.¡±


    Jason nodded, reaching out with both hands to grab the essence. The immaterial image become solid the moment Jason touched it. Light and shadow started streaming out, wreathing Jason in a strange mix of light and darkness. It then moved in on Jason, sinking into his body. Compared to the previous essences it was uncomfortable at worst.


    You have absorbed [Doom Essence]. You have absorbed 4 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 100% (4/4 essences ).[Doom Essence] has bonded to your [Spirit] attribute, changing your [Spirit] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all doom essence abilities to increase your [Spirit] attribute.You have awakened the doom essence ability [Inexorable Doom]. You have awakened 1 of 5 doom essence abilities.


    Once the essence was completely subsumed into Jason, a light started emerging from within his body. It was a strange, grey light, washing out the colours of everything it touched, from the grass to the adventurers sitting around him. They were unconcerned, Rufus smiling broadly while Farrah laughed and Gary clapped enthusiastically.


    You have absorbed 4/4 essences.All your attributes have reached iron rank.You have reached iron rank.You have gained damage reduction against normal-rank damage sources.You have gained increased resistance to normal-rank effects.You have gained the ability to sense auras.You have gained the ability to sustain yourself using sources of concentrated magic.


    Jason leapt to his feet. He felt like he¡¯d just been stabbed with a huge adrenaline needle, bursting with energy. He laughed out loud, looking down at his own arms. The light was shining right through his skin.


    ¡°This feels amazing!¡±


    The others also got to their feet.


    ¡°I feel like I need to go climb a mountain or something,¡± Jason said. He was too caught up in the sensation of power surging through him to notice the others giving him sympathetic looks.


    ¡°Yeah, well,¡± Gary said, ¡°just give it a moment.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Why are you all backing away?¡±


    The light started to diminish, drawing back inside Jason¡¯s body. As it did he experienced a rising nausea, the sensation growing and growing as he resisted the urge to throw up. He collapsed to his hands and knees, vomit spraying out of him. Red-brown pus started oozing from his pores, staining his clothes and coating his skin in oily filth. He kept vomiting and vomiting, bloody tears pouring from his eyes.


    Finally, he fell unconscious, dropping into a pool of his own body fluids. A terrifying stench was coming off of him and the others backed even further away. Even in unconsciousness, pus and vomit fought their way free of his body. The others looked on until it finally subsided.


    ¡°That was a lot,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done a lot of essence rituals,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but I¡¯ve never seen anyone purge that many impurities before.¡±


    ¡°What do you think he¡¯s been eating?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s from another world, so there¡¯s no telling,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Do you think we should have told him about this part?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Gary said. ¡°Did you see the look on his face? Completely worth it.¡±


    ¡°I kind of feel bad, though,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like it would have been any different if he knew,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We all went through it.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s an outworlder,¡± Gary said. ¡°He didn¡¯t absorb his essences the same way we did. We couldn¡¯t be sure this would happen.¡±


    ¡°Probably should have told him to strip down first, though,¡± Farrah said. ¡°There¡¯ll be no getting the stink out of those clothes.¡±


    ¡°Gary,¡± Rufus said, ¡°at least go drag him out of his own filth.¡±


    ¡°You can do it, if you want,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯m not going over there.¡±


    ¡°Farrah?¡± Rufus asked, but she shook her head.


    ¡°If you¡¯re so concerned,¡± Farrah said, ¡°then you go move him.¡±


    Rufus looked over at Jason, splayed out in the stinking puddle.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll be fine.¡±

 Chapter 22: Apocalypse Stone

    ¡°I need a shower,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You just had a shower,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I need another shower. The stink won¡¯t go away.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re aware,¡± Farrah said.


    After waking up Jason had been fed a stamina potion and pointed in the direction of one of the manor¡¯s bathrooms. After washing away the gunk that had oozed out of the very pores of his skin, he had changed into fresh clothes.


    ¡°What was that stuff all over me?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We told you,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Reaching iron rank made your body advance closer to a state of perfection, which included purging your body of impurities.¡±


    ¡°There is no way I was that impure.¡±


    ¡°It did seem like a lot,¡± Gary said, wrinkling his nose. ¡°Maybe he should have another shower.¡±


    ¡°He still has awakening stones to use,¡± Rufus said, ¡°and I want us out of here and on the trail by noon.¡±


    Jason frowned as Rufus took out a pocket watch to look at.


    ¡°You have noon in this world?¡±


    They explained timekeeping in their world to Jason as they went back outside. To his surprise, it seemed exactly the same as in his own. He couldn¡¯t be sure how close their hours, minutes and seconds hewed to the ones he knew without a clock from his own world, but the were at least close.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird they¡¯re the same,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Suspiciously weird,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What about the calendar?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is that the same too?¡±


    The local calendar, as it turned out, was similar, but not the same. although not as close as the time. There were twelve months of thirty days, divided up into early, mid and late stages of each season. There were five additional days that didn¡¯t count as days of the month, for the solstices, the equinoxes and the new year, which was at the beginning of spring.


    ¡°It still seems strange that we keep time the exact same way across two worlds,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Well, maybe someone from your world came here,¡± Gary said, ¡°saw how we do it and took it back to yours.¡±


    ¡°Or someone brought our system here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Nah, that doesn¡¯t sound right,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Are you saying your world¡¯s better than mine?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We have magic,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°We have internet porn,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Will you two please stop?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°Gary, go check on Anisa. Tell her she needs to finish up in the next couple of hours.¡±


    Rufus, Farrah and Jason went back outside, the others giving Jason and his lingering smell some distance.


    ¡°Did something happen to you?¡± Jason asked the others.


    ¡°Like what?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m getting a weird vibe from the two of you. From Gary as well. It feels¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to describe it. Dangerous, maybe?¡±


    Rufus laughed.


    ¡°That feeling is our auras,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Now that you¡¯re iron rank, you can sense them. We¡¯re both bronze rank, and not that far off silver, so we¡¯re a lot more powerful than you. That¡¯s the danger you¡¯re sensing. You¡¯ll soon learn to differentiate strength, and tell a monster from an essence user from a regular person.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s like a warning,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but it isn¡¯t completely reliable. Some monsters can hide their auras. People can too, if they have an aura power.¡±


    They arrived back on the lawn outside, staying upwind of where all the Jason goo was still laying in a puddle.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already used an awakening stone, right?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°Was it much different to using an essence?¡±


    ¡°It was easier,¡± Jason said. ¡°You need a ritual for those as well, right?¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Well, not you, apparently, but everyone else. How many stones do you have?¡±


    ¡°Six,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Good thing you can just use them, then,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Going through a half-dozen rituals would take hours.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be that bad,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ve done a bunch of them, so I can knock them out fast.¡±


    They sat down on the soft grass and Jason took out his awakening stones, laying them out in a row.


    ¡°Where did you get all these?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°The feast stones were on those cages they had us in.¡±


    ¡°In those ritual bowls wired into the top?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I snagged them up as we went.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes awakening stones get used as part of a large-scale ritual,¡± Farrah explained. ¡°Even essences, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°They did make an apocalypse monster,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Could that thing have really wiped out the world?¡± Jason said. ¡°Not to say it wasn¡¯t scary, but it didn¡¯t seem up to the task of global annihilation.¡±


    ¡°They would have had to feed it for a long time before it became a genuine threat,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They people probably intended to keep it somewhere isolated and supply it with a steady stream of victims. Killing it as soon as it emerged was like smashing an egg before it could hatch into a dangerous animal.¡±


    ¡°Even if we hadn¡¯t,¡± Rufus said, ¡°there are people far stronger than us that could deal with it. Even if it became truly powerful, there are diamond-rank adventurers out there.¡±


    ¡°Is that the highest rank?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but you don¡¯t see them very often.¡±


    ¡°Or at all, if you¡¯re most people,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ve only met one because of Mr. Fancy Britches, here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wear britches,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Rufus¡¯ grandfather is diamond rank,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He¡¯s chancellor of the academy his family operates.¡±


    ¡°Diamond rank essence users are the peak of mortal power,¡± Rufus explained. ¡°The Adventure Society likes to keep two or three in the biggest cities, in case a diamond rank monster shows up. That rarely happens, though, so they largely go unseen. When you¡¯re that powerful, the idea of a higher authority is laughable. Mostly, diamond rank adventurers are mysterious figures pursuing goals known only to them.¡±


    ¡°And there aren¡¯t that many diamond-rankers in any case,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The only reason they exist in the numbers they do is because they live so long.¡±


    ¡°They live longer?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°All essence users age slower,¡± Rufus said. ¡°At iron rank you wouldn¡¯t notice the difference, but bronze rankers can live well past a hundred. Silvers can double that; reach silver rank young enough and you¡¯ll look young for decades. Gold rankers live for centuries, and I¡¯m not even sure diamond rankers can die of old age.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re immortal?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a rumour,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but a persistent one. There¡¯s kind of an unwritten rule that diamond rankers don¡¯t tell the rest of us the limits of their abilities.¡±


    ¡°So, am I going to get super old now?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Keep raising your rank, and yes,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Wow, that¡¯s actually quite the bombshell,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What¡¯s a bombshell?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a weapon that causes a great big explosion. Imagine shooting Farrah at people.¡±


    ¡°We kind of do that already,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°So how do I raise my rank?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I want some of that sweet immortality action.¡±


    ¡°How about we walk before we run,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You can¡¯t even properly progress toward bronze rank until you awaken every essence ability you have. That¡¯s all twenty. The first step is using those awakening stones.¡±


    Jason nodded, picked up the first stone and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Here we go.¡±


    The stone melted in his hand, sinking into his skin with little fanfare.


    > You have awakened the blood essence ability [Leech Bite]. You have awakened 2 of 5 blood essence abilities.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Farrah asked.


    Jason¡¯s stomach made a large rumbling sound.


    ¡°I was pretty hungry already,¡± he said. ¡°I think the stone of the feast made it worse.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an essence user now,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Eat a spirit coin.¡±


    Jason took an iron-rank coin from his inventory. It had the metal-grey colour of iron but was actually made of crystal. Hesitantly he placed it into his mouth, where it immediately dissolved with an intense fizzing sensation. It tasted like he¡¯d touched his tongue to a battery, tangy and energetic. He felt power flood through his body, washing away the hunger of moments before. Rufus and Farrah laughed as they watched his expressions, wide-eyed and panting.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with him?¡± Gary asked. He had left the manor through the terrace doors and approached to sit with them on the lawn.


    ¡°He just ate his first spirit coin,¡± Rufus said, causing Gary to chortle.


    Jason shook his head to clear it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever been this awake,¡± he said.


    Rufus picked up another awakening stone and handed it to him. Jason nodded and took it. He went through the remaining awakening stones of the feast in quick succession.


    You have awakened the blood essence ability [Feast of Blood]. You have awakened 3 of 5 blood essence abilities.You have awakened the sin essence ability [Feast of Absolution]. You have awakened 2 of 5 sin essence abilities.You have awakened the sin essence ability [Sin Eater]. You have awakened 3 of 5 sin essence abilities.


    Jason had abilities before he reached iron rank, but now he could feel them within himself much more clearly. They were like hunting dogs, waiting to be unleashed at his command. Even without the descriptions Jason clearly understood the abilities he had just awoken. Two came from the blood essence and were different ways of draining health. The other two came from the sin essence, letting him resist afflictions on himself or remove afflictions from others.


    ¡°My abilities feel incomplete,¡± Jason said. ¡°Like a puzzle where I don¡¯t have all the pieces.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a scale,¡± Farrah said. ¡°At one end of the scale is people whose abilities are individually strong. Those people don¡¯t tend to feel what you¡¯re feeling, because their powers might work together, but aren¡¯t reliant on one another.¡±


    ¡°Those kind of abilities are strong, but simple,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Farrah¡¯s abilities are like that.¡±


    ¡°Of course, simple doesn¡¯t mean bad,¡± Farrah, said. ¡°Straightforward power is the usually most effective solution to a problem. It¡¯s when you try to get complicated that things go wrong.¡±


    ¡°According to people with simple powers,¡± Gary said.


    Farrah stuck her tongue out at Gary.


    ¡°At the other end of the scale,¡± Rufus said, ¡°are abilities that underwhelm in isolation, but used together become very dangerous. Affliction specialists tend to fall at that end of the scale, so expect your powers to feel awkward until you get the full set.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that dagger of yours poison people?¡± Gary said.


    Jason¡¯s dagger had been stored away along with the gear of his new companions. He had gotten it back at the same time Rufus reclaimed a pair of ostentatious blue boots. Despite the garish colour, he was demonstrably quite fond of them.


    ¡°You can rely on your dagger for an extra source of afflictions until you¡¯ve awakened all your powers,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Rufus said, ¡°you have two more awakening stones to get through before we leave.¡±


    Jason nodded, picking up the next stone. Unlike the awakening stones of the feast, his next awakening stone was higher rated.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of Adventure] (unranked, rare)


    An awakening stone filled with the spirit of adventure. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 11 unawakened essence abilities.You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of Adventure]. Absorb Y/N?


    ¡°With awakening stones,¡± Jason said, ¡°you said rarity doesn¡¯t make stones better, right?¡±


    ¡°No, just more specialised,¡± Farrah said. ¡°And harder to find, obviously. All stones have some amount of focus, but there¡¯s no telling exactly what they¡¯ll give you. Those feast stones, for example, could have given you anything from mana-draining special attacks to conjuring food to summoning flesh-eating fish. People like to have some control, so stones with desirable specialties tend to be the most expensive.¡±


    She patted Rufus on the knee.


    ¡°Although when you come from a big important family like Rufus here, they ship you high-rarity stones by the crate.¡±


    ¡°There are no guarantees when it comes to awakening powers, though,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Not even with the rarest of stones. What kind of awakening stone is that one?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Awakening stone of adventure,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Farrah said, surprised.


    ¡°Those are highly sought-after,¡± Rufus said. ¡°As a mid-rarity stone it¡¯s hard to pin down what it will give out, but it¡¯s almost always a useful utility power.¡±


    ¡°Just having a bunch of destructive combat powers makes you less useful to a team,¡± Gary said. ¡°Even Farrah knows that. A few good utility powers can really help you when it comes to getting the better jobs. Groups will be happy to take you along when it makes things easier for them.¡±


    ¡°Here we go, then,¡± Jason said as the stone melted into his hand. His whole forearm went numb, and for a moment he could see right through it before it returned to normal.


    ¡°That was weird.¡±


    You have awakened the dark essence ability [Path of Shadows]. You have awakened 3 of 5 dark essence abilities.


    Ability: [Path of Shadows] (Dark)


    Special ability (dimension, teleport)Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Teleport between shadows. You must be able to see the destination shadow.


    ¡°Shadow teleport,¡± Jason said with a laugh. ¡°Now that¡¯s a proper magic power.¡±


    He looked around for a shadow to try it out on, then stopped.


    ¡°Aside from this weird country estate thing here,¡± Jason said, ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of the desert, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall seeing a lot of shadowy nooks in the barren desert wasteland,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It is a lot of open country,¡± Rufus acknowledged.


    A little disheartened, Jason turned to his final awakening stone.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of the Apocalypse] (unranked, legendary)


    An awakening stone containing a seed of annihilation. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 10 unawakened essence abilities.You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of the Apocalypse]. Absorb Y/N?


    ¡°I¡¯m a little wary of this one,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What kind of stone is it?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s, uh¡­ an awakening stone,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Of what?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Of¡­ well¡­ the apocalypse.¡±


    Gary erupted into laughter, falling back on the grass. Rufus raised an eyebrow while Farrah¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°Really?¡± Rufus asked over the top of Gary¡¯s laughter.


    ¡°Should I actually use it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯ve never actually heard of that one before. It does sound like trouble.¡±


    ¡°You should consider selling it,¡± Farrah said. ¡°An awakening stone like that would get you enough to buy all the awakening stones you¡¯re going to need.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare!¡± Gary yelled, sitting back up. ¡°You¡¯re going to use that stone!¡±


    ¡°Gary,¡± Rufus said, ¡°He needs to be careful with his choices. We don¡¯t know what kind of ability that stone could produce.¡±


    ¡°A powerful one,¡± Gary said. ¡°Jason, you need to grab all the power you can.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already using a rare essence combination,¡± Rufus said. ¡°What if that stone unlocks some power that gets his combination on the restricted list?¡±


    ¡°You know they¡¯re lenient on people who discover new things,¡± Gary said. ¡°They can¡¯t blame him if even they didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an awakening stone of apocalypse,¡± Rufus said, ¡°that¡¯s a pretty big hint.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter either way,¡± Farrah cut in. ¡°Look.¡±


    Jason¡¯s arm was blood red from where the awakening stone had sunken into it, before returning to a normal colour.


    ¡°That was rash,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Before everything else, adventurers are strong,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your words. These abilities I¡¯ve been getting are fine, but I saw Farrah spray lava like it was shooting out of a hose. I want that kind of power.¡±


    ¡°Yeah you do,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Not helping, Gary,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°No, Rufus,¡± Gary said. ¡°He¡¯s right. He needs all the power he can get, and you know it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point arguing about what¡¯s done,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Jason, you might as well tell us what power you got.¡±

 Chapter 23: I May Have Made a Huge Mistake

    ¡°Uh oh,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Uh oh?¡± Farrah repeated. ¡°What power did you get exactly?¡±


    ¡°I may have made a huge mistake,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Where was that sensibility a minute ago?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°What were you thinking?¡±


    ¡°He was thinking,¡± Gary said, ¡°that if you don¡¯t want to be a pawn of fate, you need the strength to kick fate square in the beans.¡±


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s pretty close,¡± Jason said, nodding at Gary who grinned back.


    ¡°Would you please just tell us what the power was?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a familiar power,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s like a magical companion that follows you around, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said. ¡°What kind of familiar do you get from an awakening stone of the apocalypse?¡±


    ¡°Funny story¡­¡± Jason said weakly.


    An hour later, Jason was drawing a complex magical diagram in chalk on the floor of one of the manor¡¯s many rooms. They had taken out the furniture and the rugs, leaving a smooth, polished floor. Jason had been working on the diagram for some time, guided by the ritual magic knowledge inserted into his head as well as Farrah¡¯s expertise. He stopped drawing for a moment to take some powder from a nearby pouch on the floor. He sprinkled a pinch over the part of the circle he had just drawn, most of which started glowing. He rubbed out the parts that didn¡¯t glow and redrew them.


    The powder was ground-down monster cores from lesser monsters. Jason had several but they were all intact, so the powder had been provided by Farrah. She was guiding him through his first magical ritual.


    ¡°Putting together a magic circle isn¡¯t as simple as knowing the right design,¡± Farrah explained. Any time she wasn¡¯t pointing out something specific she was lecturing. ¡°If it were that easy I could just carry around a bunch of boards with different magic circles on them. Every time you draw a magic diagram you need to adjust for the ambient magic conditions. A weak source of congealed magic like the core of a lesser monster is a perfect way to check your work.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a ritual room under the manor with a permanent circle,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That must have been expensive,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You have to design the whole room around something like that to regulate the ambient magic. Did we loot that room?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t much in there,¡± Gary said. ¡°The most valuable stuff was set behind the walls and into the floor, so Anisa wouldn¡¯t let us touch it. It was all pretty trashed, anyway.¡±


    Jason got to his feet.


    ¡°I¡¯m done,¡± he said. ¡°So, am I able to do a magic ritual like this because I already have essence magic?¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything about magic,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Was that not clear at any point?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You understand essence magic already. Simple, instinctive, usually doesn¡¯t cost anything but your own internal reserves. External magic is the opposite. Complicated, requires extensive training¡­¡±


    ¡°Or a skill book,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°¡­or a skill book,¡± Farrah acknowledged through gritted teeth. ¡°If you¡¯re satisfied with quick and dirty knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t knock quick and dirty,¡± Gary said. ¡°All my favourite things are better quick and dirty. Or slow and dirty.¡±


    Farrah shot Gary a look as Rufus shook his head.


    ¡°Ritual magic,¡± Farrah continued, ¡°relies on external sources of magic. That¡¯s ambient magic, plus more concentrated sources, like quintessence or spirit coins.¡±


    Scattered all through the magic diagram Jason had drawn were small piles of blood quintessence, looking like uncut rubies. There were also stacks of iron-rank spirit coins. There were a few other materials, but the largest requirement by far was the blood quintessence.


    Fortunately for Jason, and rather unsurprisingly, the manor¡¯s magical supply room had more blood quintessence than anything else. The lord of the manor had taken all the bronze-rank materials when he fled, but most of the iron-rank materials were left behind. It was more than enough for Jason¡¯s ritual.


    ¡°External magic doesn¡¯t require you to have an essence,¡± Farrah explained. ¡°There are people who make careers out of learning a specialised slice of external magic.¡±


    ¡°Like plumbers,¡± Gary said. ¡°They know the magic to set up running water in a building. That shower you like so much.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They know just enough to do a specific job. Most of those people don¡¯t have essences and lack the proper grounding in theory. The fundamental theory is the same, whether you specialise in rituals like me, magical craftsmanship like Gary, or something like alchemy. Same basis, different applications.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Jason asked Rufus.


    ¡°I¡¯m good at stabbing.¡±


    ¡°Rufus doesn¡¯t know external magic,¡± Farrah said. ¡°His obsession is swordsmanship.¡±


    ¡°Your skill book gave you the minimum to be considered a proper ritual magician,¡± Farrah told Jason. ¡°The bare minimum. That¡¯s how you awakened a familiar summoning power.¡±


    ¡°You can only awaken that kind of essence ability if you already understand ritual magic,¡± Gary said. ¡°That¡¯s why me and Farrah have summoning powers and Rufus doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Gary and myself call up short-lived monsters,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Rituals that are also essence powers tend to be¡­¡±


    ¡°Quick and dirty,¡± Gary said with a grin.


    ¡°Please stop,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I remember when you summoned those things,¡± Jason said. ¡°You just kind of knocked out a circle and out they came.¡±


    ¡°Summoning a familiar is a more elaborate ritual,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Unlike a regular summoning, you should only need it each time you go up a rank. Unless your familiar gets killed, in which case you¡¯ll have to summon it back.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone summons their familiar,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Some familiar powers act like a call, and a creature that has an affinity to that call will come and form a bond with the person. Less costly than summoning, but if that kind of familiar dies, you can¡¯t just summon it again. You need to find a whole new creature to be your familiar, which may or may not be like the one you lost.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get this thing going,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You don¡¯t want Anisa to walk in on us.¡±


    ¡°You definitely don¡¯t,¡± Gary said.


    Jason stood in front of the diagram. He could feel the power inside him aching to trigger the ritual. He knew the incantation; he had since the moment he used the stone. He held a hand out over the magic diagram. In his other hand was a knife. He hesitantly cut the palm of his outstretched hand, letting blood drop into the circle as he chanted.


    ¡°Let this mortal blood beckon the all-devouring power of the final threshold. Answer the call and claim the offering. Heed my command and bring forth the avatar of life¡¯s annihilation.¡±


    ¡°Oh, using that stone was a terrific idea,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Shush,¡± Farrah told him.


    Red liquid started oozing out of the floor where Jason¡¯s blood had fallen. Dark, thick and viscous, it spread out over the entirety of the magic diagram, obscuring the lines and only stopping when it reached the edges.


    ¡°Does that remind anyone else of something we saw recently?¡± Gary asked.


    Jason felt a prickling sensation spreading throughout his body. It became sharper and sharper, turning into pain as it focused on points on his arms, legs and chest. He gritted his teeth, but yelled out as blood burst out of a dozen pain points, spraying over the circle.


    Rufus moved to intervene, but Farrah grabbed his arm.


    ¡°Interfering now would be more dangerous than letting it happen,¡± she said. Rufus turned a frustrated face to look at her, but stepped back on seeing her resolute expression.


    Blood sprayed out of Jason like a fountain, ripping right through his clothes. He staggered, struggling to stay upright as the blood kept spurting out of him. As the blood mixed with the pooled liquid on the floor, the obscured lines of the diagram underneath started to light up, shining red light through the liquid. The other three looked at each other as the room was filled with the same red light that had suffused the ritual chamber they escaped together.


    Jason stumbled as the blood finally stopped pouring out of his body. He was pale and sweaty, swaying as he struggled to avoid toppling over, but remained on his feet. His eyes were locked on the glowing red pool in front of him.


    Rufus and Gary flinched as a leech with a horrifying ring of lamprey teeth emerged from the pool, mirroring the scenario of the day before.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that¡­?¡±


    Ability: [Sanguine Horror] (Blood)


    Familiar (ritual, summon)Cost: Extreme mana, extreme stamina, extreme health.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Summon a [Sanguine Horror] to serve as a familiar.


    A second leech crawled up through the red liquid, then a third and fourth as their rate of appearance accelerated. Soon leeches were tumbling out until they formed a waist high pile on the floor. Unlike their experience the previous day, no bloodied rags appeared to push the pile into a humanoid shape. The pile remaining as a pile.


    The red pool started slowly soaking into the floor, which absorbed it as if it were disappearing down a drain. Jason¡¯s blood, the circle he drew and all the magical materials within it, vanishing into the floor as if they had never existed. Jason watched the process with eyes foggy, standing unsteadily.


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to drip downstairs, is it?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Its all being drawn back through the astral channel created by the summoning.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be funny if Jason summoned another outworlder.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be fantastic,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The paper I could write on that would be the talk of the Magic Society.¡±


    As the final traces of the blood pool drained away into nothingness, Jason collapsed to the floor.


    ¡°He really does pass out a lot,¡± Gary said. ¡°And he really goes through clothes. Wait, is that thing going to eat him?¡±


    The mound of leeches was undulating its way toward Jason¡¯s unconscious body. It wasn¡¯t far, but the pile moved slowly.


    ¡°It¡¯s his familiar,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s not going to eat him.¡±


    They watched the slow-moving pile undulate closer to Jason¡¯s unconscious form.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Gary asked.


    The pile crawled over Jason¡¯s limp body, seeking out the wounds where the blood had sprayed out. The leeches started disappearing as they buried themselves into the wounds.


    ¡°Uh, I¡¯m pretty sure,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Are they crawling inside him?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a summoned familiar,¡± Farrah said. ¡°A summoned familiar can temporarily disperse its body and place its spirit inside the summoner.¡±


    ¡°Does it usually look that disturbing?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who wanted this,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Farrah, what do we do with him?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± she said uncertainly, ¡°he should be fine.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s covered in wounds,¡± Gary said. ¡°With leeches crawling into them.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t hurt him,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They¡¯re not even really crawling inside him. Look closely and you¡¯ll see they¡¯re actually merging into his blood. See how they¡¯re kind of melting as they push their way in?¡±


    ¡°I think that might be worse.¡± Gary said. ¡°I mean, melted leech can¡¯t be something you want in your blood, right?


    ¡°He¡¯ll be fine,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Probably. Every familiar gives different benefits when it subsumes itself into the summoner,¡± she said. ¡°They can merge themselves into the hair, the skin, even the aura. If I remember rightly, the ones who enter the blood usually induce rapid healing. So really, he should be better than fine.¡±


    They watched as the last of the leeches vanished in Jason¡¯s blood. The three adventurers stood over Jason, laying unconscious and undignified on the floor.


    ¡°Is he healing?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell,¡± Rufus said. ¡°There¡¯s blood over all the wounds.¡±


    ¡°Well, wipe some off,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who wanted him to use that stone,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You wipe some off.¡±


    ¡°I have fur,¡± Gary said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get blood in it.¡±


    ¡°Since when has that been a concern?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a new thing,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯m growing as a person, and I think you should support that. By being the one who wipes the blood off.¡±


    Farrah shook her head, pulling a handkerchief out of her pocket.


    ¡°You two are children,¡± she said, wiping carefully at a blood patches on Jason¡¯s arm. Underneath was clear, unbroken skin.


    ¡°See?¡± she said to the others. ¡°I told you he¡¯d be fine. I had total confidence.¡±


    Jason regained consciousness while being rattled around in the back of a wagon. He was on a blanket but it barely softened the hard wood he was laying on. It was an open wagon, giving him a wide view of the rocky desert as he looked blearily around. In the wagon with him were Farrah and Anisa, while Gary was on a seat at the front holding reins. Rufus wasn¡¯t in the wagon, instead riding alongside. He was in the saddle on one of the two-headed horse-lizards called heidels, leading a string of them all tied together.


    ¡°Why would you bring those horrifying things?¡± Jason called out to him.


    ¡°You¡¯re hardly in a position to talk,¡± Rufus called back with a laugh.


    Jason could feel the blood monster flowing though his veins. It was unnerving, but he couldn¡¯t help but grin at the sensation of power.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Tired,¡± Jason said, ¡°but strong.¡±


    ¡°Are you still not going to tell me what happened to him?¡± Anisa asked Farrah, not even looking at Jason.


    ¡°Him is right here,¡± Jason said, ¡°and you could ask him yourself.¡±


    Anisa turned her gaze to Jason.


    ¡°Then what happened to you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I said you could ask,¡± Jason said. ¡°Didn¡¯t say I¡¯d tell you.¡±


    Gary burst out laughing from the front, Farrah stifling a chortle behind her hand. Anisa schooled her fury into a look of blank disdain and turned away, staring out at the desert horizon.

 Chapter 24: Astral Space

    ¡°So how long are we going to be trekking through the desert?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯m not saying there isn¡¯t a stark beauty to it, but I¡¯d like to go someplace where even the sunshine isn¡¯t actively trying to kill me.¡±


    They¡¯d left the manor at noon while Jason was still unconscious after his summoning ritual. By the time they stopped for the evening Jason was feeling battered by half a day of riding the wagon over rocky desert terrain. They camped in tents taken from Farrah¡¯s magic chest and set off again in the morning.


    The wagon¡¯s progress along the little-used trail was slow but steady, only pausing occasionally to water the heidels from a barrel in the wagon. The creatures could handle the arid conditions well enough, but couldn¡¯t forego water entirely. There were a dozen of them between Rufus¡¯ string and the four pulling the wagon. Rufus had insisted on taking them over Anisa¡¯s objection, refusing to leave them to starve in the stables of the abandoned manor.


    They had taken a wagon because the lord of the manor had taken the more comfortable carriages when he fled, only leaving a few uncovered wagons behind. After waking up in the back one, Jason had joined Gary on the driver¡¯s bench so he could take in the landscape. Luckily Jason¡¯s slight build required little room, as Gary¡¯s huge frame occupied most of it.


    ¡°It kind of looks like parts of my homeland,¡± Jason said. ¡°We call it the Outback.¡±


    ¡°Out back of what?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Out back of everything,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll reach a village this afternoon,¡± Gary said. ¡°Not sure how long we¡¯ll stay. The guy that set us up lives there.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to pay him a little visit,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°After that, we¡¯re about two days from the river valley. From there, it¡¯ll be a nice boat ride down to the coast. That¡¯ll take a couple of days and bring us right into the city.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to take a couple of days with the prick that served us up to those cannibals,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°We should be leaving that man to my church,¡± Anisa said. ¡°His betrayal to my god was greater than his betrayal to you.¡±


    ¡°No one was going to eat your god,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We¡¯re going to peel this prick like an apple.¡±


    ¡°You have apples in this world?¡± Jason asked brightly. ¡°I love apples.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Gary said brightly.


    ¡°Remember not to kill him,¡± Rufus called over from where he was riding alongside the wagon. ¡°He has questions to answer.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯m going to take it nice and slow.¡±


    ¡°Is the heat getting to me?¡± Jason asked, ¡°or is that mountain green?¡±


    The hills and mountains they had seen were largely barren, with a few scraggly trees at best. The trail was leading them in the direction of a dark green mountain. On the lower reaches it was largely plant life, more verdant than elsewhere in the desert. Toward the peak it was bare stone, which was also a deep green colour.


    ¡°Green marble is a regional specialty,¡± Farrah explained. ¡°They export a lot of it through the city on the coast, which is where we¡¯re going. They even named the city Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a village on the other side of the mountain,¡± Gary said. ¡°That¡¯s where we¡¯re heading now.¡±


    ¡°The village is based around quarrying,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We¡¯ll see more traffic from here on as they cart the stone to the river and boat it down to the coast.¡±


    The trail improved as it curved around the base of the mountain. It became wider and smoother, making the wagon ride less bumpy. As they made their way around the mountain Jason spotted rapidly increasing signs of life. The occasional patches of yellow grass became thicker, with more of the rare, scrubby trees.


    They passed several quarry faces before the village came into sight. The trail had become a proper road at that point and their wagon become one of many. Jason noticed magic was being combined with manual labour, resulting in a more modern operation than he would have expected. There were even huge slabs of stone floating over the ground, along mine-cart style rails that glowed with magic.


    When the village itself came into view, Jason was agog. From high on the mountain water sprayed out from a hole in the mountain itself, catching the light in a gorgeous waterfall that spilled hundreds of metres to a pool below. The pool fed a wide channel, stretching the better part of a kilometre into a small lake. There was a village built up around the shore of the lake. The lake was ringed with green, rich grass and some kind of palm tree. The village buildings were nestled amidst the lush greenery, buildings of stone, white plaster and occasionally vibrant green marble.


    ¡°You could make some real tourist money here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Pretty, isn¡¯t it?¡± Farrah said. She had got up on her knees behind Jason and Gary to look out.


    Jason¡¯s gaze drifted up to the waterfall spraying out of the mountain.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t they worried about digging into the water source?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Almost every oasis in this desert has a magical water source,¡± Gary said. ¡°They could tear this mountain down to the ground and the water would just fall from the sky.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s an astral space connected to this desert,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you have no idea what that is.¡±


    ¡°From the name, I¡¯d guess some kind of interdimensional pocket,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Um, yeah, actually,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s connected to various places around the desert and produces a bunch of water, therefore, oases.¡±


    ¡°That sounds awesome,¡± Jason said. ¡°Wonder if I could get up there for a closer look.¡±


    ¡°Astral spaces are actually pretty common,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but normally they¡¯re sealed off and you need magic to track one down and break in. Being naturally open like this is rare, especially with so many apertures. The river we¡¯ll be going down comes out of the biggest one.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just constantly introduce new water,¡± Jason said. ¡°Even if it takes a long time, it¡¯ll eventually start messing with the climate.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said, ¡°the water coming out of the astral space has a high level of magic. When too much accumulates it turns into water quintessence. When it forms, it condenses huge quantities of magically-imbued water into a little crystal.¡±


    ¡°Is the crystal super-heavy?¡± Jason asked.¡¯


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Why would it be?¡±


    ¡°Conservation of mass,¡± Jason said. ¡°Or energy, or something. Physics isn¡¯t my thing.¡±


    Gary and Farrah glanced at each other and shrugged. They were quickly getting used to not knowing what Jason was talking about.


    Farrah pointed out boats on the small lake that looked like fishing boats.


    ¡°Those are all people scouring the bottom of the lake for it,¡± she explained. ¡°As forms of quintessence go, water is a common one. It¡¯s one of the most useful, though.¡±


    ¡°Especially in the desert,¡± Gary added. ¡°Being able to find it reliably means there¡¯s real money to be made.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Farrah agreed. ¡°There¡¯s whole villages along the coast dedicated to hunting up water quintessence that forms after the river water washes out to sea. Funnily enough, this desert is one of the best sources of water quintessence in the world.¡±


    The wagon was drawing closer to the  village. They passed by what looked to be a staging area for exporting the marble before reaching the village itself. Rufus separated himself from the group to find somewhere to stable the string of heidels for the night. An inn would have livery room enough for the ones pulling the wagons, but not the extras ones as well.


    The village was made up of a single, circular street running around the entirety of the lake, paved in tan-coloured brick. It looked like sandstone, but for all Jason knew, it could be some weird magic rock. It was close enough to yellow that if it didn¡¯t loop in a circle he¡¯d expect to find a shady fake wizard at the end.


    ¡°Or a real one,¡± he said to himself. ¡°I wonder if I count?¡±


    There were buildings on either side of the ring-road, the ones fronting onto the lake being larger and nicer. The smaller buildings were made from the same brick as the road. The larger ones were coated in a white plaster, with green marble embellishments.


    The buildings were pleasantly placed among the trees and bushes growing around the lake. It was a stark contrast desert, with its dry dirt and spiky scrub. The smaller buildings had their own appeal, with an inviting homeliness to them. The street was busy with people, but more than broad enough that neither wagons nor pedestrians were inconvenienced. Looking around, everyone seemed happy.


    Gary pulled the wagon to a halt in front of an inn and everyone climbed off. After hours of riding the wagon over bumpy ground, Jason¡¯s body was creaky and sore. He took in a luxurious breath, heavy with moisture from the lake. Compared to the dust and heat of the open desert, it was like drinking in nectar.


    ¡°Think I might walk off the stiffness of bumping along in this wagon,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is my first piece of civilisation not full of cannibals. Hopefully.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not cannibals that we know of,¡± Farrah said with a laugh.


    ¡°Good,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think I¡¯ll have a look around.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯m going to get us some rooms and get these heidels unhitched.¡±


    ¡°Then Anisa and I will go track down our little friend,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Don¡¯t want him spotting us and running off.¡±


    Anisa nodded her assent.


    ¡°Will he still be in town after selling you out?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Should be,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He wasn¡¯t expecting us to ever come back.¡±


    ¡°Do you need any money?¡± Gary asked Jason.


    ¡°I have some gold spirit coins left,¡± Jason said. ¡°The rest are lower ranked, but I have a lot of them. Will that be enough?¡±


    Gary and Farrah started laughing, even Anisa had an amused look on her face.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Gary said, ¡°A gold spirit coin would buy the nicest building in this village, and I doubt there¡¯s enough currency in it to give you the change. Unless you¡¯re buying magic items or bulk trade goods, most people use lesser spirit coins, iron-rank at the most.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the exchange rate between coins?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Actually, I¡¯ll figure it out myself. That¡¯s part of the fun in coming to a new place, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the spirit,¡± Gary said.

 Chapter 25: Blasphemy is Kind of My Thing

    After handling the string of heidels, Rufus made his way into the village. He knew from their previous visit that the inns were all clustered together, so he had no concerns about finding the rest of the group. The sky was turning a rich blue, with orange and gold encroaching as twilight came over the desert. Along the ring road of the village, magic lamps were lighting up and some kind of night market was setting up. He came into the village along with a good many quarry workers who had finished up as they lost the light. Moving amongst the gathering people, he saw a familiar face.


    ¡°Jason?¡±


    ¡°Oh, g¡¯day, Rufus,¡± Jason said with a wave. He was behind a stall selling skewered meat, helping what Rufus assumed was the stall owner to fry meat.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Dan here is teaching me to cook¡­ what was it called again?¡±


    ¡°Bruschard,¡± Dan said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a giant worm!¡± Jason said. ¡°Luckily I tried it before I found that out.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be adjusting well,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Yeah, no worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°You go get your revenge, or whatever. I¡¯m good here. Gary picked the inn on the end with the big livery, by the way. There¡¯s a sign with a little house and a cart on it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Now,¡± Jason said, turning back to Dan. ¡°Give me those sauce ingredients again. I haven¡¯t heard of any of them, so I¡¯ll have to write them all down. Which means I¡¯m going to need some paper¡­¡±


    Hours previously, Jason was happily meandering around the circle road, frequently pausing to take in the village. He¡¯d stop and talk with villagers who proved more than ready for a conversation. They were proud of their village and rightly so, Jason was happy to acknowledge. The colourful houses looked inviting, everywhere was lush with greenery, so removed from the desert around it. The air was fresh, cool and clean. Jason thought back to Gary¡¯s claim about a gold coin buying whole buildings and found himself tempted.


    He came across something that looked like a covered bus stop, but instead of a timetable there was a bulletin board with various pieces of paper pinned to it. Looking over them he saw they were all descriptions of monsters, along with when and where they were last seen. He asked a passer-by about it and, true to form for the village, she was happy to explain. According to the villager, Doris, any time someone discovered a monster around the village they would write down the details and put it up on the board. Every month some adventurers would pass through and clear out all the monsters on the board.


    Doris was surprised at Jason¡¯s lack of knowledge about something so basic. As he had done a number of times that afternoon he explained that he had recently come from an isolated area with little knowledge of the outside world. It was more-or-less true.


    Jason himself was as interesting to the locals as they were to him, as visitors were mostly the same selection of stone traders. Adventurers didn¡¯t often appear outside of the monthly patrol, and by all accounts were a surly bunch. Roaming the remote villages was apparently a punishment duty, so their visit wasn¡¯t often friendly.


    A group of higher-ranked adventurers passing through was the talk of the village. Jason was travelling with them, but wasn¡¯t an adventurer himself, making him more approachable. This was the perfect combination for villagers looking for gossip. Jason obliged with harrowing tales of blood cults and ritual sacrifice.


    The locals showed Jason the best place to get a drink and where to avoid because it was full of drunken quarry workers. He met people who made a career out of diving the lake for water quintessence, the village mayor and the man in charge of guarding the waterfall. People were allowed to go up for a look, but there were guards at all hours to keep people out of the astral space aperture that was the water¡¯s source.


    When the sun started to set, Jason watched the sky turn into red gold from the bridge over the channel that flowed from the waterfall into the village lake. He knew from the locals that there would be a night market and he slowly wandered in that direction. One of the earliest booths to set up was a man frying skewers of meat. The smell of the meat and the sauce he had on them was incredibly enticing.


    ¡°That smells amazing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have to try one. I¡¯m Jason, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Dan,¡± the man introduced himself.


    Gary blearily stumbled downstairs, his huge feet thundering on the wooden steps. Downstairs was a common area with a number of tables and a bar that saw use in the evenings. Gary wandered into an adjoining courtyard with more tables, Sitting with Anisa, Rufus and Farrah at theirs.


    ¡°Jason not up?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°I tried his room, but no answer,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Heavy sleeper?¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°He was knocked out how many times in two days?¡± Gary said. ¡°He probably needs it.¡±


    A serving girl walked up to their table.


    ¡°Are you looking for your friend?¡± she asked. ¡°He¡¯s in the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing in the kitchen?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Performing miracles!¡± Jason announced, walking into the courtyard. He was carrying a huge tray in front of him with four plates. He sat it down on the table, distributing the plates and attendant cutlery.


    ¡°Turns out they have tamarind, and some kind of little onion,¡± Jason said, ¡°so I made son-in-law eggs. No idea why they¡¯re called that, by the way. Or what kind of animal these eggs are from. Delicious, though.¡±


    The dish was eggs that had been boiled then deep-fried, served in halves with a sauce, fried onions and generous garnish. Jason handed the tray off to the serving girl before taking a place at the table.


    ¡°I had to play trial and error with some of the other ingredients,¡± he confessed, ¡°but it worked out pretty well. Martha is an absolute treat.¡±


    ¡°Martha?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°These are fantastic,¡± Gary mumbled around a forkful of egg.


    ¡°Martha¡¯s the landlady,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You really seem to have settled in,¡± Rufus said.


    Jason nodded, but didn¡¯t speak with his mouth full.


    ¡°These are good,¡± Farrah said between bites.


    ¡°I¡¯m quite satisfied sustaining myself with spirit coins,¡± Anisa said.


    ¡°Great,¡± Gary said, yanking her plate in front of himself.


    ¡°The way I look at things,¡± Jason said to Rufus, gesturing with an impaled egg, ¡°is that coming here is like a fresh start. I can do the things I regretted never doing. I¡¯m only twenty-three but I¡¯ve been pretty efficient about squandering my opportunities.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a surprise,¡± Anisa said flatly.


    ¡°Apparently being mean isn¡¯t impure,¡± Jason said, prompting Anisa to jump to her feet.


    ¡°You dare blaspheme?¡±


    ¡°Frequently,¡± Jason said with a laugh. ¡°It¡¯s kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°I think cooking might be your thing,¡± Gary said around another mouthful of eggs.


    ¡°I can have more than one thing.¡±


    Anisa was clearly about to erupt, but Rufus forestalled her.


    ¡°Anisa,¡± he said firmly. ¡°If you¡¯re not having breakfast, then go get ready to start out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already prepared,¡± she said stiffly.


    ¡°Then take a walk,¡± Rufus said.


    Anisa glowered at Jason but walked away without speaking further. Rufus turned a weary gaze on Jason.


    ¡°Is there any chance you could maybe not poke at her so much?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Honestly?¡± Jason said. ¡°Probably not.¡±


    Gary snorted a laugh.


    ¡°Could you at least try?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°We both know she¡¯s never going to bend, so I need you to be the bigger person. For the unity of the team.¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°I guess I have been a bit childish,¡± Jason said. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll do my best. Fair warning, though; my best may not be that good. She just gets under my skin, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we know,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I¡¯m amazed she doesn¡¯t bump into things,¡± Jason said, ¡°always looking down her nose like that.¡±


    ¡°Think of it this way,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You were just talking about getting a fresh start. Try and see this as an opportunity to be a better person.¡±


    Jason thought it over.


    ¡°I like it,¡± he said. ¡°I can be the person I choose to be, without all the baggage of my old life.¡±


    ¡°And if you find your way back to that life?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll return better than I left,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s admirable,¡± Rufus said, then popped his fork into his mouth. ¡°These really are good.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk with your mouth full,¡± Farrah told him. ¡°You¡¯re not Gary.¡±


    ¡°Was that a compliment or an insult?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°So how did your roaring rampage of revenge go?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You did say you weren¡¯t going to kill him, right? Farrah seemed a bit keen on torturing him, though.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t find him, but we have a trail to follow,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We¡¯ll track him down, ask our questions, then hand him over to Anisa¡¯s church.¡±


    ¡°Assuming we can run him down at all,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Seems our boy left town in a hurry yesterday morning.¡±


    ¡°You think the people who ran from the manor warned him?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We¡¯ll do some digging around town today, see what we can find. If we come up dry, we¡¯ll move on and leave it to Anisa¡¯s church.¡±


    ¡°Well, you should start with Old Murph down at the general store,¡± Jason said. ¡°He knows all the village secrets.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Farrah asked, ¡°was the world you were summoned from this village?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I met him last night.¡±


    ¡°So, will you be coming with us?¡± Rufus asked Jason.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had quite enough blood-cult shenanigans, thank you very much, and want no part of whatever you do to that man. I found a guy who¡¯ll take me to the top of the waterfall. Apparently there¡¯s a mountain path that leads all the way up.¡±


    ¡°Surely they wouldn¡¯t let you go into the astral space,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Sadly no,¡± Jason said. ¡°They keep a guard up there to make sure no one mucks about with it. They¡¯ll let you get right up close for a look, though. I was going to invite you, but you¡¯ve got your whole revenge thing going on.¡±


    ¡°I bet the view is good up there,¡± Gary said. ¡°I kind of want to go with you.¡±


    ¡°Focus, Gary,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°If the guy¡¯s gone, he¡¯s gone,¡± Gary said. ¡°If we¡¯re handing him over to Anisa¡¯s church anyway, just let them deal with it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I have questions that need answering. We¡¯re going after him.¡±


    Rufus skewered his fork into another halved egg.


    ¡°After breakfast.¡±


    Shirtaloon


    I have settled on a fixed release time, which will begin with next week''s chapters. It will be 9am my local time (GMT+10), Monday to Friday. That should be 7pm US Eastern, Sunday night through Thursday night, at least at this time of year.

 Chapter 26: Waterfall

    Jason was only an occasional bushwalker, so as he climbed the steep mountain trail, he appreciated his new iron-rank attributes. He hadn¡¯t become a sculpture of perfection like Farrah and Rufus, but it was still a solid step up.


    Jason¡¯s guide on the waterfall track was a man of late-middle years named Hiram. Hiram¡¯s job was to watch over the aperture that was the source of the waterfall. Jason had met him the night before, with Hiram agreeing to take Jason along when he started his shift in the morning.


    Hiram was shorter than Jason, who was not tall, but with a barrel chest and limbs of thick, ropy muscle. He guessed the shorter man outweighed him by a good margin, and that compact power didn¡¯t go to waste. He was hauling a backpack half his own size up the mountain, yet barely seemed to notice the weight.


    Moisture from the huge waterfall scattered over the mountainside. Farrah had told him that the water had a strong power of vitality, allowing the mountain¡¯s thick tree cover to grow up, even under the desert sun. The dense canopy gave the trail blessed shade, but the heat still made its presence felt. The heat of the desert and the moisture from the waterfall made the air thick and heavy, almost a chore to breathe. Jason reflected that this small patch of desert felt more like a jungle.


    There were regular stopping points along the trail, with benches to pause and rest. Hiram didn¡¯t seem to need them, but didn¡¯t begrudge Jason. Each resting spot was placed close to where the tree line met the waterfall, where the air was cooler and anyone resting could look out over the village. With every stop on the ascent, each being higher than the last, the view became more and more magnificent. Jason grew up in a little tourist town and knew the kind of money a place like this could make. He suspected his new world didn¡¯t see a lot of tourism.


    ¡°The flesh-eating monsters wouldn¡¯t help.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Hiram asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Jason said. ¡°Best get going again, I guess.¡±


    The roar of the waterfall grew louder as they closed in on the point where it erupted from the side of the mountain. The trees became smaller and thinner as they approached the upper tree line.


    ¡°Getting close, now,¡± Hiram said loudly over the noise of rushing water. ¡°These trees are around the same height as the fall, so only the closest ones see a lot of moisture.¡±


    The sound of the waterfall grew to a cacophony where they had to shout to hear each other. The final stretch of the trail was actually a cave that led into the mountain. There was a wooden walkway with grit glued on for purchase and a magic lamp to light the way. Jason was unpleasantly reminded of the cavern he had navigated below the Vane estate hedge maze.


    It was the first time he had seen wood used in construction since arriving in the village. Even the doors were made of woven reeds, suggesting the village didn¡¯t have much of a crime problem.


    Once they entered the cave, the thundering sound of the waterfall was amplified in echo, making even shouts a futile effort. The cave was filled with wet air and they moved forward carefully. Hiram had the respect for the slippery boards that Jason had learned the hard way.


    When lit up by lamplight on glistening stone walls, the cave was actually quite pretty, with much of the stone being marbled green. Compared to the humid exterior, cold, clean air blew over them from the tunnel. Jason enjoyed the refreshing feeling as they made their way toward the light he could see at the far end.


    As they closed on the end of the tunnel, a cool mist started wafting towards them. They reached the end of the tunnel and stepped out into a stone chamber. The first thing he noticed was the light, blue and shimmering, glinting off the mist. It gave the whole chamber the feel of being underwater.


    The chamber looked like it had once been a natural cavern, later carved into more practical dimensions. The ceiling was untouched from the original cave, but the floor had been worked flat, with grooves cut into it for traction in the wet.


    The chamber¡¯s most arresting feature was the back wall, which wasn¡¯t a wall at all. A torrent of water, blasted in one side of the room and out the other, through a tunnel taller and deeper than the chamber itself. The whole chamber looked oddly like a subway station, with the rushing water in place of a train.


    There was a fence of vertical bars in front of the water, like a safety rail going floor to ceiling. There was a gate in the middle of the fence, although Jason could imagine no reason to go through it. The water looked like it would rip off any limb someone was foolish enough to shove into it.


    Velocity kept the water on course instead of spilling into the room; gravity wouldn¡¯t win out until the water escaped the mountain. More than a little spray still escaped, filling the chamber with wet mist. It left the walls and floor slick with water, quickly making Jason and Hiram the same.


    The water was also the source of the blue light. Either there were powerful magic lamps behind it, or the water had its own luminescence. Jason would have asked Hiram, but any attempt to talk would be futile over the sound of water.


    Hiram went to the side of the chamber, where Jason noticed a glazed window set into the wall. Through the window was a second chamber, cut deeper into the mountain. Inside, a young man in a comfortable chair was giving them a wave.


    There was a metal door along from the window, which Hiram opened and led Jason though. Beyond was a small antechamber, barely big enough to hold both men. A lamp was set firmly into the wall for light, next to another metal door, but Hiram didn¡¯t open it. With a door between them and the main chamber, the din from the water was greatly reduced. Jason noticed that there seemed to some kind of seal around the door to keep the moisture out.


    ¡°Just wait a moment,¡± Hiram said.


    Jason looked about the tiny room, but there wasn¡¯t much to see. He did spot neat arrays of fingernail-sized holes in the floor and ceiling. As he was looking at them, hot, dry air blasted from them like a giant blow dryer.


    ¡°Close your eyes,¡± Hiram shouted over the rushing air. ¡°The air will dry them out.¡±


    Jason did as instructed, waiting around half a minute as the air dried out his clothes and hair.


    ¡°It draws the dry desert air from the other side of the mountain,¡± Hiram explained, ¡°with a little bit of magic to help it dry faster.¡±


    When the air stopped, They were both nice and dry. Hiram open the next door and took them inside. There was a comfortable-looking chair in front of the window, a number of cupboards, and an overstuffed bookshelf.


    ¡°Morning, boss,¡± the young man said. ¡°Who¡¯s your friend?¡±


    ¡°This is Jason,¡± Hiram said, dropping the backpack with a loud thud. ¡°He¡¯s passing through with a group of adventurers and wanted to see the aperture. Jason, this is Griff.¡±


    ¡°Travelling with adventurers,¡± Griff said enviously. ¡°That must be exciting.¡±


    ¡°It has its moments,¡± Jason said.


    They exchanged greetings and Griff made to leave.


    ¡°Any idea when Duggan will be back, boss?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m really looking forward to sleeping during the night time again.¡±


    ¡°His wife is still on the mend,¡± Hiram said. ¡°Probably another month.¡±


    Griff¡¯s shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Make it to the end of the week and I¡¯ll switch with you,¡± Hiram said.


    ¡°Thanks, boss.¡±


    Griff gave a weary smile and left. Jason looked out through the window as Hiram unloaded his backpack, stowing its contents in the cupboards.


    ¡°Ready for a closer look?¡± Hiram asked when he was done.


    Jason grinned and Hiram led them back out. Leaving didn¡¯t trigger the drying mechanism again.


    ¡°It¡¯s set to go off when the outer door is opened first,¡± Hiram explained.


    Back out in the loud, wet chamber, they walked carefully over wet stone to reach the fence. They both grabbed a hold of the wet bars, which Jason noticed were engraved with magic symbols.


    Being close to the torrent, water sprayed over them both, but Jason didn¡¯t mind. There was a feeling of refreshment that was more than just cool water on a hot morning. He felt like a child running under a lawn sprinkler on a hot day. Farrah had told him there was magic in the water. Was it the cause of the strange reminiscence, or was he just homesick in a strange land?


    He craned his head to try and see the actual source of the water, but it came from somewhere deeper in the mountain where he couldn¡¯t see. As there was no way to talk over the noise, Hiram grabbed his shoulder to get his attention. Hiram pointed in the direction the water was flowing and Jason spotted a tunnel on their side of the fence. It ran alongside the water, through which Jason could see daylight. He nodded at Hiram and they started off in that direction.


    The tunnel went all the way to the outside of the mountain, where the water broke free to tumble down through the air. There was a chest high railing to keep people from falling off. The view was breathtaking. Below them was the pool where the waterfall landed and the channel flowing into the village lake. Beyond that, the vast expanse of the desert.


    Jason was taking in the view when he noticed the noise of the water seemed to be dimming. At first he thought it was his imagination, but then he saw Hiram looking at the water stream with a confused expression. They watched the avalanche of water rapidly diminish, as if someone was turning off a giant tap. The flow dropped down to nothing, leaving an empty tunnel carved out by the water as smooth as machine-made pipe.


    ¡°Is that meant to happen?¡± Jason asked, in the sudden silence.


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t,¡± Hiram said, concern plain on his face.


    ¡°Has it ever done this before?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, it hasn¡¯t,¡± Hiram said.


    ¡°Should we tell someone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a waterfall, son. I¡¯m pretty sure everyone noticed.¡±


    Hiram went over to the room, ignoring the blast of warm air to rush inside, still wet. He came back out with a large key, unlocked the gate and dropped down into the curved floor of the water tunnel. Jason hesitated a moment before following. Hiram glanced at Jason, but didn¡¯t comment.


    Jason immediately spotted the aperture, some twenty metres down the pipe. It was a huge circle with a surface that shimmered with the same blue light the water had produced. Through the circle he could make out what looked like a rainforest, but the distortion of the circle made it blurry and indistinct.


    ¡°Is that sky?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is there a whole world through there?¡±


    ¡°Never actually been through to see,¡± Hiram said.


    A large shape crawled into view through the aperture. It lumbered through the aperture and into the tunnel, like passing through a sheet of water. It had the body and head of a shark, but instead of skin it had a plated shell in hues of dark purple and red. Emerging from its sides were eight crab legs and a huge pair of pincers. The creature was three metres long and the pincers were bigger than Jason¡¯s head.


    ¡°Do you see a lot of those?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Hiram said. ¡°That¡¯s new.¡±


    New Quest: [Waterfall Monster]


    A monster has unexpectedly emerged from the local astral space. It has already entered the blind aggression stage and will attack anyone it encounters. Defeat it before it causes any harm.


    Objective: Defeat the [Shab] 0/1.Reward: Quintessence.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know what that thing is?¡± Hiram asked, drawing the knife on his belt.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s called a shab,¡± Jason said.


    Jason drew the snake tooth dagger at his own waist.


    ¡°You any good with that?¡± Hiram asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°No I¡¯m not.¡±

 Chapter 27: Water, Fall

    ¡°It¡¯s pretty slow,¡± Jason said. ¡°If we get back behind the fence, is it strong enough to hold it?¡±


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Hiram said. ¡°It¡¯s mostly to keep out people. The magic is just to stop the water from ruining it, not make it any stronger.¡±


    ¡°I guess we fight, then,¡± Jason said reluctantly.


    ¡°I guess so,¡± Hiram said, equally lacking in enthusiasm.


    The creature was moving up the tunnel, but at a lethargic pace. Its crab legs were better suited to sideways movement than forwards, so it was shuffling side to side as it approached. The back and forth motion was hampered by the curved sides of the pipe-like tunnel.


    ¡°You have any essences?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is that what I¡¯ve been feeling in your aura, there?¡±


    ¡°One,¡± Hiram said. ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer? I thought the people with you were the adventurers.¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have the essences, but they¡¯re very new.¡±


    ¡°You can try them out here then,¡± Hiram said. ¡°I guess you¡¯re in luck.¡± Hiram said, causing Jason to chuckle.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I was thinking,¡± Jason said. ¡°How lucky I am to be here.¡±


    The creature continued moving closer, its legs tapping on the stone as it slowly zigzagged up the tunnel.


    ¡°Any idea on how we should do it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I have a might essence,¡± Hiram said. ¡°It makes me strong. If I tie up those pincers, think you can get around them and kill it?¡±


    Jason looked at the creature. His knife wouldn¡¯t do much to the hard shell, but was just right for digging into the segmented joints.


    ¡°Yeah, I think I can do that.¡±


    Hiram looked at the knife in his hand and shoved it back into it¡¯s sheath before striding down the tunnel. Jason followed behind, his own knife at the ready.


    As they drew closer, one of the pincers shot out and Hiram caught it in one hand. The stocky man and the creature struggled back and forth, but Hiram didn¡¯t employ his second hand. He waited for the second pincer and grabbed that one too.


    Hiram stood with hands over his head, a pincer gripped in each one. His arms swayed like branches in a storm, but his body was the tree¡¯s unmoving trunk.


    Seeing Hiram and the monster in a stand-off, Jason knew it was time to act. The sides of the round tunnel curved up, wet and smooth. Closest to flat was the middle of the tunnel, which was unfortunately full of monster.


    Jason had two options for getting behind it. One was trying to slip past on the outside, risking the slippery walls. The other, more terrifying option was to crawl underneath the monster¡¯s body. It¡¯s crab legs emerged from either side of the body, leaving the a large open space underneath.


    He ruled out crawling under the monster because it would involve crawling under a monster. Instead he rushed forward, trying to half-slide along the pipe to get past the creature¡¯s legs.


    He failed immediately. His feet slipped out from under him and he slid down into the creature¡¯s legs. It raised one of them, which Jason realised tapered into a point as it came down and stabbed into him.


    Jason cried out with pain, but he still held a death-grip on his dagger. He slid the blade across the monster¡¯s leg, skittering over the hard shell until it found a vulnerable joint. The knife slotted right in between the plates of shell and he sliced the edge across the cartilage.


    As the dagger cut into flesh, he used one of his abilities. He felt power surge out from deep inside his body, electric and exhilarating. It passed through his arm and into the dagger, filling the weapon with magic.


    Ability: [Leech Bite] (Blood)


    Special attack (melee, drain, wounding, blood)Cost: Low stamina.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Inflicts or refreshes the [Bleeding] condition. Drains a small amount of health and stamina when refreshing the [Bleeding] condition.[Bleeding] (affliction, wounding, blood): Deals ongoing damage by causing or increasing blood loss. As a wounding effect, this condition absorbs and negates an amount of incoming healing, after which this affliction immediately ends.


    As Jason yanked the knife free, blood sprayed out of the joint. The monster raised its leg sharply, pulling it free of Jason while releasing a high-pitched, alien shriek. Along with Jason¡¯s power, the magic of his snake-tooth dagger did its own work.


    Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on [Shab].


    Jason scrambled to escape its legs as one of them rose up, poised to stab him again. He found himself directly underneath the creature, laying on his back. In front of him was the creature¡¯s underbelly, which turned out to be fleshy and unprotected by shell. Jason called up the power within him again, raking the vulnerable underside with his dagger.


    Ability: [Punish] (Sin)


    Special attack (melee, curse)Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Inflicts necrotic damage and the [Sin] affliction.[Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Blood and other fluids splashed over Jason from long wound, leaving him spluttering salty fluid as he shimmied on his back out behind the creature. The monster itself went wild at the wound to its underside, breaking it¡¯s pincers out of Hiram¡¯s grip and flailing about with more high-pitched shrieking.


    One of the monster¡¯s legs impaled one of Jason¡¯s by accident as the creature thrashed about. It didn¡¯t seem to notice, yanking its leg back out again. Jason turned himself over and crawled painfully away, still spitting out monster juice.


    After getting free of the maddened monster, Jason looked back to see Hiram doing his best to hold the creature¡¯s attention, both arms wrapped around one of the pincers. Without getting up Jason held a hand out toward the creature and chanted out a spell.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    There was no visible effect, but Jason felt the power surge out of him to enact itself upon the creature.


    Ability: [Inexorable Doom] (Doom)


    Spell (curse)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Periodically applies an additional instance of each stacking curse, disease, poison or unholy affliction the target is suffering from. This is a curse effect. This effect cannot be cleansed while any other curse or any disease, poison or unholy affliction is in effect.


    Jason forced himself to his feet, ignoring the pain from his stabbed leg and abdomen as he limped further from the creature.


    ¡°Hiram!¡± Jason yelled past the creature. ¡°Let it go and back off. It¡¯ll die on its own.¡±


    On the long wagon ride through the desert, Jason had spent hours going over his abilities, discussing with the others how to use them. Except Anisa, who refused to help him use his ¡®unclean powers.¡¯ The time spent strategising proved its worth now as he knew to withdraw and let the afflictions to do their work. It was obvious when considering things calmly beforehand, but in the heat of the moment he may well have kept attacking, putting himself and Hiram at unnecessary risk.


    Jason¡¯s first special attack had inflicted the bleeding affliction. This was effectively a powerful anticoagulant, making blood loss all the worse. The second special attack inflicted a curse called sin that increased any necrotic damage that was suffered. The dagger inflicted a necrotic poison, which was amplified by the curse. Finally, Jason¡¯s spell would continually stack up both the poison and curse, increasing their effect. The result of all this was an exponentially escalating necrosis that would inevitably overcome the creature. All they had to do was wait.


    Jason and Hiram backed off while the monster between them thrashed about. Dark fluids started oozing from its joints as it staggered forward toward Hiram, but soon it collapsed, the dying flesh in its legs unable to hold the creature¡¯s weight. The pincer¡¯s lifted up weakly in a last gesture of defiance before falling still.


    You have defeated [Shab].


    Quest: [Waterfall Monster]


    Objective complete: Defeat shab 1/1.50 [Water Quintessence Gems] have been added to your inventory.Quest complete.100 [Iron Rank Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason was happy with how his abilities worked out, although he had one major concern. He was reliant on necrotic damage for his abilities to take full effect and his only current source of that damage was not his abilities, but his magic dagger. The others assured him that he would get such a power, but until then he would be reliant on an external tool.


    Hiram and Jason cautiously approached the creature from either side. Jason had two painful wounds and he could see an injury on Hiram¡¯s arm. Hiram stood over the creature, cradling his bleeding arm.


    ¡°What did you do to it?¡± Hiram asked.


    The monster was oozing black fluid from under its shell, which gave off a horrifying stench.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t confident about cracking that shell, ¡° Jason said, ¡°so I killed it from the inside out.¡±


    Jason held hand over the creature and chanted a spell.


    ¡°As your life was mine to reap, your death is mine to harvest.¡±


    Ability: [Blood Harvest] (Blood)


    Spell (drain).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Iron: Drain the remnant life force of a recently deceased body, replenishing health, stamina and mana. Only affects targets with blood.


    Dark red light rose up from within the creature. Jason¡¯s aura sense told him it was the monster¡¯s remnant life force made visible. It siphoned up into Jason¡¯s hand, draining away from the dead monster. As it did, Jason felt the sting of healing flesh as his wounds closed over. His body was reinvigorated as his stamina and mana were replenished. As he consumed the red light, the flesh inside the shell withered, the shell itself growing brittle and crumbling. By the time the red light was fully devoured, the monster was little more than a withered husk.


    Hiram had been looking askance at Jason as he recited sinister spells and drained the residual life force from the monster.


    ¡°Did you just say you were harvesting death?¡± Hiram asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just the incantation for a spell,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You sound like an evil farmer.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even see my evil trowel.¡±


    Jason pulled a rag and a bottle of water from his inventory, cleaning his dagger before slipping it back into its sheath. He then tapped a finger on the gutted shell of the monster.


    Would you like to loot [Shab]?


    ¡°You might want to stand back for this,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a smell.¡±


    ¡°Worse than the one that¡¯s there already?¡± Hiram asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°it¡¯s worse.¡±


    They backed off and Jason gave his mental assent to loot the body. What was left of the monster rapidly dissolved into rainbow coloured smoke before vanishing.


    Tragically, Jason had forgotten the monster fluids that had splattered onto him while he was underneath it. They too dissolved, the rainbow smoke coming from his nose and mouth where the fluids had splashed into them. He fell to the ground, heaving his breakfast onto the base of the tunnel.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Hiram asked.


    Eventually Jason gave a coughing nod.


    [Monster Core (Iron Rank)] has been added to your inventory.[Shell-Skin Potion] has been added to your inventory.10 [Iron Rank Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    ¡°Not worth it.¡±


    Jason took a tin of healing unguent from his inventory and handed it over to Hiram.


    ¡°You know what that is?¡± Jason asked.


    Hiram pulled the lid off the tin, sniffing at the contents. He nodded and immediately started rubbing ointment into his bloody arm.


    ¡°Boss!¡±


    Griff called out from the other side of the fence.


    ¡°I came back when I couldn¡¯t see or hear the waterfall. What happened?¡±


    ¡°No idea,¡± Hiram said, still rubbing ointment on his arm. ¡°I imagine people are coming up here to check on things, but I¡¯m not sure what they¡¯ll accomplish. I think we might need to bring in those adventurers of yours, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Jason said, without turning to face the others. His gaze was focused on where the tunnel went deeper into the mountain.


    ¡°Is it just me,¡± he asked, ¡°or is the aperture more blue than it was before?¡±


    Hiram followed Jason¡¯s gaze down the tunnel. The blue shimmer of the aperture was definitely brighter than it had been before.


    ¡°I think,¡± Hiram said, ¡°It might be time to get out of¡­¡±


    He was cut off by a wall of water erupting through the aperture and down on top of them. It smashed them together in a tangle of arms and legs. Together they were blasted down the tunnel and hurled into the air, hundreds of metres above the ground.

 Chapter 28: How Did You All Fit in There?

    Water crashed into Jason like a derailed train, ploughing him straight into Hiram and blasting them both out the end of the tunnel. Sensations came faster than he could process; pain, wet, disorientation. He couldn¡¯t breathe, or even tell which way was up.


    Jason and Hiram had clutched onto each other reflexively, their limbs tangled together. Landscape blurred past as they span through the air, tumbling like the now-resumed waterfall. Jason¡¯s first coherent thought was Hiram slipping away and he reasserted his grip. Darkness emerged from Jason, enveloping both men.


    Extending the weight-reducing function of [Cloak of Night] increases the cost from low mana-per-second to moderate mana-per-second.


    Their downward plunge was reduced to a drift, floating out and away from the waterfall. Their wild spinning was arrested, and they were able to orient themselves as they descended. Jason was grateful that his cloak could be conjured at a thought. If it had required an incantation like a spell, he doubted he would have been able to get the words out. Only now they were free of the water and gently drifting could they even speak intelligibly.


    ¡°What in the Gods¡¯ merry garden is going on?¡± Hiram asked, voice tinged with panic. He was half-hugging Jason from the side,


    ¡°The first thing you should know,¡± Jason said, ¡°is to not let go.¡±


    Hiram lurched as he looked down, almost letting go.


    ¡°What did I just say?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the sky!¡±


    ¡°Awesome, right?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°ARE YOU INSANE?¡±


    ¡°That was right in my ear!¡±


    Jason started laughing madly as they drifted down to the ground.


    ¡°This is fantastic,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯re crazy!¡±


    Between the force with which they were ejected from the mountain and the lightness of their reduced weight, they had drifted some way from the mountain before they lightly touched down. They landed close to the channel leading from the pool under the mountain to the village lake. Hiram immediately fell to the grass and hugged the ground, tension escaping his body in sobbing laughs.


    Jason took a look around. They were about halfway between the mountain and the village, in an expanse of shin-high grass. The channel ran dead-straight through the grass from the base of the waterfall to the village. He could see people heading for the mountain trail he and Hiram had taken earlier. None of them seemed to have noticed his and Hiram¡¯s descent.


    On the other side of the channel were a bunch of children who had been looking up at the absent waterfall until they spotted Jason and Hiram fall from the sky. Jason gave them a wave. He then looked back up at the mountain and saw how far he had just fallen. A grin spread across his face.


    ¡°If this is the adventuring life,¡± he mused, ¡°I think I want some more.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a crazy person,¡± Hiram said, getting unsteadily to his feet. He looked uncertainly at Jason, still shrouded in the cloak of stars. Under the desert sun, the void black stood out more than the starlight.


    ¡°Hiram,¡± Jason said, still looking up at the mountain. ¡°Are they what I think they are?¡±


    Hiram followed Jason¡¯s line of sight to the top of the waterfall. He spotted objects being tossed out the same way he and Hiram had been, at least a dozen of them.


    ¡°People?¡± Hiram asked. They were distant and hard to make out as they fell.


    ¡°Those aren¡¯t people,¡± Jason said.


    As they fell from the sky, the objects grew larger in their vision. Horror crossed Hiram¡¯s face as he recognised the shape of the creatures.


    ¡°More of those things!¡± Hiram said with horror.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too worried,¡± Jason said. ¡°A shab is a half-shark, half crab. Neither of which have wings.¡±


    The large creatures lacked Jason¡¯s weight-reducing power and fell well short of the distance Jason and Hiram had reached. The first one hit the ground with a sickening crunch, with others soon following. Jason counted seventeen by the time they finished falling, most of which died on impact. Those that fell either side of the water channel hit the ground and didn¡¯t get up. Of the six that landed in the water, two struck the surface at a bad angle. Hitting water flat from that height was as good at hitting solid concrete, with similar results. The other four survived, but were clearly injured as they staggered out of the water.


    New Quest: [Protect the Village]


    A number of shabs have emerged from the astral space. Intercept them before they wreak havoc in the village.


    Objective: Defeat [Shab] 0/4.Reward: Iron-rank (uncommon) magic bracelet.


    One of the monsters had emerged on Jason and Hiram¡¯s side of the channel, the others on the far side. They all looked about, disoriented, then made a straight line for the village. The sideways walk of the creatures wasn¡¯t a breakneck pace, but was at least faster than what Jason had seen from the one in the tunnel.


    ¡°What do you think, Hiram?¡± Jason asked.


    Hiram¡¯s face was stern as he stared at the creature on their side of the channel. It looked to have at least two broken legs and the shell around its body was cracked and oozing.


    ¡°I think I can take one,¡± he said. ¡°If it¡¯s injured. But what about those kids on the other side?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get the kids away,¡± Jason said. ¡°Then I¡¯ll deal with the other shabs.¡±


    ¡°Are you up for that?¡± Hiram asked.


    ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to be,¡± Jason said, flashing Hiram a grin. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I¡¯ve still got a gimmick or two.¡±


    Jason started sprinting toward the channel. It was a natural waterway, thirty or so metres across. Jason leapt off the short embankment, landing on the gently flowing surface of the water as if it were solid ground. He laughed with delight as he sprinted over the surface to the other side. He ducked down briefly as one of the dead shabs floated past, long enough to brush his fingers over its shell.


    This monster corpse is unclaimed.Would you like to loot [Shab]?


    Jason kept moving as he looted the body, rainbow smoke rising behind him.


    [Monster Core (Iron Rank)] has been added to your inventory.10 [Water Quintessence] have been added to your inventory.10 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason recalled an odd potion he had looted from the first shab. After climbing onto the grass on the opposite embankment he pulled it out of his inventory.


    Item: [Shell-Skin Potion] (iron rank, uncommon)


    Potion that increases the hardness of skin at the cost of agility (consumable, natural).


    Effect: Skin is hardened against physical attack and [Speed] attribute is decreased for 10 minutes.Uses remaining: 1/1.


    The kids, five of them, came running up to Jason with the fearlessness of children.


    ¡°Are those things monsters?¡± they asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason told them. ¡°You need to run back to the village.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to fight them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. You need to run back to the village.¡±


    ¡°Can we watch?¡±


    Jason sighed, and dropped down to one knee.


    ¡°Look, everyone,¡± he told them. ¡°I have an important mission for you. I need you to go back to the village and warn everyone about the monsters.¡±


    He took five iron-rank spirit coins from his inventory, holding them in front of the children.


    ¡°This is a very important job,¡± he told them solemnly, ¡°and I need some brave junior adventurers to help me. Do you think you can help?¡±


    Jason smiled at the five eagerly nodding heads, handing them each a coin.


    ¡°Hurry up now,¡± he told them. ¡°Warn everyone, fast as you can!¡±


    As the kids sprinted away, Jason turned to look at the three shabs that were scurrying alongside the channel in his direction. They had emerged from the water much closer to the mountain than where Jason had landed, placing him comfortably between them and the village.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you stay in the water?¡± he wondered. ¡°Did getting belted down here by water give you a complex?¡±


    Their sideways crabwalk was faster than they could manage moving forwards, but their injuries were slowing them down. Jason looked at the potion in his hand, which would slow him down as well. He wasn¡¯t skilled enough that the extra agility would do him any good, so he drank it.


    You have used a defence potion, hardening your skin and reducing your [Speed] attribute.Until the remnant magic fully dissipates, consuming further defence potions will result in toxic side-effects.


    He could feel his skin tightening, like he¡¯d left it too long in the dryer. It felt like old leather as he flexed, restrictive but tough. He looked at the approaching creatures, wondering about the range of his spell. He could feel his abilities instinctively, realising that anything he could clearly see was a viable target. He fixed his gaze on each monster, chanting a spell for each.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    The inexorable doom spell would add more and more of any stacking effect on the victim. The shabs didn¡¯t have any on them yet, but Jason would change that as soon as they caught up with him. He drew his dagger, he ran the blade across the back of his forearm, but it didn¡¯t draw blood.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    He realised he should have done it before drinking the potion. He gripped the blade tightly in his fist and yanked it out, this time managing to a shallow cut on his palm.


    Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on you.You have resisted [Umbral Snake Venom].[Umbral Snake Venom] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].


    Jason, swore, having forgotten that his dagger was poisonous. Luckily, it didn¡¯t take effect. There was now an icon representing the resistant buff next to his mana and stamina bars.


    ¡°Not that I want to complain, but why didn¡¯t the poison work?¡±


    Combat Log


    You have been afflicted with iron-rank poison [Umbral Snake Venom].Ability [Sin Eater] gives you increased resistance to all afflictions.You have resisted [Umbral Snake Venom].Resisting an affliction has triggered ability [Sin Eater], granting you an instance of [Resistant].


    Sin eater was one of the abilities Jason had awakened from a feast stone. Most of his planning and discussion involved his active abilities, while this passive power went largely overlooked. The sluggish pace of the injured shabs meant they were still some distance from him, so he had time to pull up the description.


    Ability: [Sin Eater] (Sin)


    Special ability (holy)Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Increased resistance to afflictions. Gain an instance of [Resistant] each time you resist an affliction or cleanse an affliction using essence abilities.[Resistant] (boon, holy, stacking): Resistance to afflictions is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Consumed to negate instances of [Vulnerable] on a 1:1 basis.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a holy power, too. From the sin essence, no less.¡±


    Jason glanced down at his hand, which had a line of blood but the wound had closed. The healing his familiar provided couldn¡¯t swiftly regenerate the kind of impaling wounds he took from the shab, although thinking back, it may not have been pure adrenaline that kept him moving. A little cut on the hand, though, it made short work of.


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡±


    He put his dagger in hand and yanked it free again, reopening the wound.


    Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on [Outworlder].You have resisted [Umbral Snake Venom].[Umbral Snake Venom] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].


    ¡°I¡¯m liking this ability,¡± he said as the number two appeared on the resistant icon.


    He held his hand out, wounded palm pointed at the ground. Leeches started pouring out like drops of water from the world¡¯s most terrifying shower. By the time the pile was finished, the total volume of leeches was probably more than his entire body.


    ¡°How did you all fit in there?¡±


    The pile had no way to respond. Jason intrinsically understood the nature of the familiar and knew there wasn¡¯t anything like telepathic communication. He would have to command them verbally, although he wasn¡¯t sure how that worked.


    ¡°Do leeches have ears?¡±


    The pile said nothing.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to work out a system.¡±

 Chapter 29: That’s What Adventurers Do

    The shabs were finally drawing close.


    ¡°Din-dins, Leechy,¡± Jason told the pile, which started undulating slowly in the direction of the shabs. ¡°I¡¯ve got to come up with a better name.¡±


    The approaching shabs hadn¡¯t regrouped after their fall from the sky, so were coming at Jason individually. The first one gave up its side-shuffling as it spotted Jason, turning its shark head to face him. He had time to really take a look at the creature. A shark in a purple and red shell, with legs halfway between a spider and a crab. Above the mouth full of jagged teeth it had tiny crayfish eyes; black orbs waving back and forth on short stalks.


    ¡°You certainly are creepy.¡±


    As the first shab approached, it seemed to lock onto the leech pile in its path. It lunged with both pincers, which dug into the pile with little effect. Instead, the pile slithered over the pincers and up the arms, which it started shaking to get them off. Some were tossed away, others crawling over the shell in search of the gaps hiding vulnerable flesh. The remaining pile made for the creature¡¯s legs, crawling up and all over it. Some leeches were squished between sections of shell, but more and more found something soft to sink their teeth into and the monster started shrieking.


    [Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Shab].[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Leech Toxin] on [Shab].[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Necrotoxin] on [Shab].[Bleeding] already in effect, [Bleeding] is refreshed.[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Leech Toxin] on [Shab].[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Necrotoxin] on [Shab].


    The notifications came thick and fast as every leech that found purchase started delivering the same bleed effect Jason used, plus two different kinds of poison.


    [Leech Toxin] (affliction, poison, blood, stacking): When [Bleeding] is negated, an instance of [Leech Toxin] on the target is consumed to reapply [Bleeding]. Additional instances can be accumulated.


    On top of inflicting damage through blood loss, the strength of the bleeding affliction was that it soaked up healing, negating its effect. The leech toxin would reapply the bleed, requiring even more healing to eliminate it. He didn¡¯t think the shab had any rapid healing ability, but it would be useful against monsters with the power to regenerate. So long as enough of the leech toxin was applied, it would refresh the bleed over and over, leaving any healing stopped cold.


    The other poison the leech inflicted was much the same as Jason¡¯s dagger.


    [Necrotoxin] (affliction, poison, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until poison is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Unlike Jason, the leeches didn¡¯t require an external source of necrotic damage. They were a tiny army of ambulatory poison daggers.


    Jason was going to move in on it, but the shab was already in bad shape. He felt a little pointless compared to his familiar. His inexorable doom spell was already on the shabs, but compared to what the leeches were doing, his spell adding a few more afflictions was barely relevant.


    The second shab was drawing close and Jason went forward to meet it. He tried to move around the pincers to get his knife into one of the leg joints, but met with immediate difficulty. When not restricted by a tunnel, a shab could easily skitter sideways to keep its savage mouth pointed right at its prey. The defensive potion slowing Jason down didn¡¯t help.


    A pincer came at Jason. He avoided it clamping down on him, but took a glancing blow to the head. His skin might have been hardened by a potion, but it still rang his bell, sending him stumbling back. He glanced over at the first shab, which was woozily staggering back and forth, covered in leeches.


    ¡°I think my familiar might be stronger than me,¡± Jason said. ¡°Good job, Leechy; see if you can¡¯t catch that next one.¡±


    Leeches started dropping off the stricken shab, and Jason continued to square off with his own monster. Realising there was no going around the pincers, he tried a new tack, moving straight in.


    A pincer shot out to grab him and he raised his left arm, letting the pincer have it. The sharp pincer broke through even his toughened skin, applying crushing force to his arm and trying to drag it into its mouth.


    For the price of letting the pincer grab his empty-handed left arm, his knife-wielding right was free to strike. With Jason¡¯s arm in its grip, the pincer was no longer jerking about. Jason slammed the point of his dagger into the joint of the pincer.


    Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on [Shab].Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Shab].


    The creature shrieked, releasing Jason¡¯s arm. He stumbled back, the dagger sliding free of the creature. The shab lashed out with its other pincer and Jason gave up the injured arm again. Whether from the previous injury or the rage of the monster, the pincer clamping down was much more agonising. He screamed at the pain, but fighting through it, savagely stabbed withhis knife, again finding the joint of the pincer. It was the monster¡¯s turn to shriek as it once again released Jason¡¯s arm.


    Special attack [Leech Bite] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Shab].


    Jason stumbled away from the shab, his left arm hanging limp and dripping blood. Unlike his familiar, Jason couldn¡¯t pile-on the afflictions rapidly, but now all he needed was time. The inexorable doom spell would live up to its name, escalating the curse and the poison until the monster was overcome.


    So long as he could stay out of the creature¡¯s reach, its defeat was inevitable, but Jason wasn¡¯t done. The shab might be quick side-to-side, but just by jogging backward Jason created distance. Then he stopped, held up his good arm and chanted a spell.


    ¡°Your blood is not yours to keep, but mine on which to feast.¡±


    Ability: [Feast of Blood] (Blood)


    > Spell (drain, blood)> Cost: Moderate mana.> Cooldown: 30 seconds.> Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)> Effect (iron): Drain health and stamina. Only affects targets with bleeding wounds or who are suffering from the [Bleeding] affliction.


    Red life force shone out of the shab. Some of it started streaming out from the wounds Jason had inflicted and into his waiting hand. Jason felt the healing sting in his wounded arm, but the life force drained was limited. Unlike his blood harvest spell, feast of blood didn¡¯t take all the life force, but he could use it on living enemies. Jason¡¯s arm was still far from healed, but at least now he could move it a little.


    The shab let out an ear-piercing shriek, driven to madness by the effect of Jason¡¯s spell. The red glow retracted back into the shab, which seemed frantic at Jason plucking away its life force. It scrambled madly, but was not physiologically designed for pursuit. If anything, its panicked movement was slowing it down. Jason was easily keeping out of reach as his afflictions slowly overtook it.


    You have defeated [Shab].Defeat [Shab] 1/4.


    Jason glanced at the shab the leeches had left behind. It was an emptied-out shell, collapsed on the ground. He looked around for where the leeches had moved to intercept the third shab. Spotting them, he slapped an exasperated hand over his face. The third shab had apparently seen what the sanguine horror did to the first one and was trying to avoid it.


    The leeches moved slowly, but the shab was apparently unwilling to take its eyes off the leeches long enough to crabwalk away. The result was two monsters shuffling around in an awkward circle.


    ¡°When I said ¡®see if you can¡¯t catch it,¡¯ I didn¡¯t actually mean for you to not catch it!¡±


    Jason couldn¡¯t get past his own shab to intervene, being forced to wait out the ridiculous display.


    Defeat [Shab] 1/3.


    The number of monsters he needed to kill dropped by one. Looking back over the channel, he saw a bloody and weary Hiram standing over a fallen shab.


    ¡°Good for you, mate.¡±


    Jason¡¯s own shab finally collapsed and he was able to corral the last one into the sanguine horror, which made short work of it.


    Quest: [Protect the Village]


    Objective complete: Defeat [Shab] 3/3[Oasis Bracelet] has been added to your inventory.Quest complete.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason had noticed that his quests were a lot less lucrative than killing cultists, at least in terms of spirit coins. There was the other item, but he could check that later. On the far side of the channel, Hiram was bloodied but triumphant, standing with one foot on a dead shab. He waved broadly at Jason, who waved back.


    Using his blood harvest spell, Jason drained the remnant life force from the three shabs, healing himself back into pristine condition. He ran a hand over the bloody, but fully intact arm that had not long ago been badly mangled.


    ¡°Not bad. Not bad at all.¡±


    He looted the shabs, reabsorbed the sanguine horror and made his way back across the channel. When he got there, he tried to loot Hiram¡¯s shab.


    This monster kill was not yours. You are unable to loot this monster.


    ¡°Hey Hiram,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can I loot this corpse?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Hiram said.


    Jason tried again.


    [Monster Core (Iron)] has been added to your inventory.[Water Essence] has been added to your inventory.10 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason raised his eyebrows at the loot message. From his adventuring companions Jason had gotten the impression that essences were fairly rare, in spite of his own experiences. He took the essence out of his inventory, a shimmering blue cube reminiscent of the aperture. He held it out to Hiram.


    ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± Hiram asked.


    ¡°Water essence,¡± Jason confirmed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t take that,¡± Hiram said. ¡°Do you know what they¡¯re worth?¡±


    Jason looked at Hiram, then down at the shab. He pointed toward the mountain.


    ¡°The monster came from over there,¡± Jason said.


    He pointed in the opposite direction.


    ¡°The village is over there.¡±


    He pointed at the ground.


    ¡°You stood here, right in between them.¡±


    He shoved the cube into Hiram¡¯s chest.


    As Hiram stared disbelievingly at the cube in his hands, Jason took out another object he looted from the shab. It was a monster core, which he had seen before, but this one was iron rank, compared to the lesser ranked ones already in his possession. It was teardrop-shaped, like a lesser core, but slightly larger and a more vibrant red.


    Item: [Monster Core (Iron)] (iron rank, common)


    The magic core of an iron rank monster (crafting material, magic core).


    Effect: Common component for ritual magic and magic item creation. Can be absorbed directly to advance essence abilities.You are able to absorb [Monster Core (Iron)]. Absorb Y/N?


    Jason¡¯s eyes went wide when he saw it could advance his essence abilities. He was tempted to try it immediately, but decided to ask Rufus and Farrah first. He didn¡¯t want to wind up with any strange side effects.


    Hiram and Jason sat down on the grass for a well-earned rest. Hiram¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t shift from the essence in his hands.


    ¡°I can probably help you out with an essence ritual for that,¡± Jason said. Essence rituals were one of the most fundamental magical practices and the knowledge Jason got from the skill book was more than sufficient to perform one.


    ¡°No thanks,¡± Hiram said. ¡°I¡¯m saving this for when my granddaughter is old enough. An essence makes you an important person in a village, which is why I¡¯m in charge of watching over the aperture.¡±


    ¡°How old do you have to be to use an essence?¡± Jason asked, earning a strange look from Hiram.


    ¡°I¡¯m from a very isolated area,¡± Jason said. ¡°We don¡¯t really know anything about magic there. I¡¯m just starting to learn this stuff for myself.¡±


    ¡°Must be pretty damn isolated,¡± Hiram said. ¡°If you try and absorb an essence too young, there are problems. Never seen it myself, but I¡¯ve heard it''s bad. There¡¯s a simple test to see if your body¡¯s ready. It¡¯s usually at around sixteen or seventeen, but it can go a year or two either way.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said. ¡°I still have a lot to learn.¡±


    ¡°Well, I owe you,¡± Hiram said, getting to his feet. ¡°So does the village. I don¡¯t want to think about what would have happened if four of those things got in there.¡±


    Jason likewise stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it would have been fine,¡± he said. ¡°If they made it to the village my adventurer friends would have seen it and stepped in. That¡¯s what adventurers do, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Hiram said, putting a hand on Jason¡¯s shoulder. ¡°That¡¯s what adventurers do.¡±

 Chapter 30: Closing the Door Too Hard

    In the garden courtyard of the inn, Jason was sitting comfortably in the late afternoon shade, looking down at a single leech on the ground.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve got it, right?¡± he asked. ¡°Left for yes, right for no. That¡¯s my left and right, so your right and left. You have that?¡±


    The leech moved to the left.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a yes. Unless you don¡¯t have it right and you were trying to say no.¡±


    The leech wobbled side to side.


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m confused too. I can¡¯t seem to help overcomplicating things. Alright, let¡¯s just assume you¡¯ve got it. That fine by you?¡±


    The leech moved left.


    ¡°Great. So, do you have a name?¡±


    The leech moved right.


    ¡°No name, okay. Would you like me to give you one?¡±


    The leech moved left.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to keep calling you Leechy. That¡¯d be like Gary calling me Humany. Or Outworldery, I guess. Not being human anymore is bit of a blow.¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Gary asked, walking into the courtyard.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to come up with a name for my familiar,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How do you know it doesn¡¯t have one already?¡± Farrah said, following Gary into the courtyard.


    ¡°I asked,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And it answered?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°We have a system,¡± Jason said. ¡°Where have you all been? There was some excitement here.¡±


    ¡°We found out the guy had a cabin in the desert,¡± Farrah said. ¡°There¡¯s a cave where he¡¯d go searching for earth quintessence. We thought that might be where he''d holed up.¡±


    From inside the inn Jason heard the door slam open. He got up and went into the common room to look, seeing Martha the landlady, doing the same. What they saw was a fuming Rufus stomp loudly up the stairs, followed by the sound of another slamming door.


    ¡°How did he get that reed door to slam so loud?¡± Jason wondered aloud. ¡°They¡¯re really light.¡±


    ¡°A heady combination of finesse and rage,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I take it the guy wasn¡¯t in his cabin, then,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, he was there,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Anisa killed him before he could get a word out.¡±


    Jason winced.


    ¡°I guess she was serious about the guy being her church¡¯s to deal with,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why was Rufus so set on talking to the guy anyway?¡±


    ¡°We can sit down for that,¡± Gary said, ¡°but I could really use a drink first.¡±


    ¡°Just use a spirit coin,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°We can do better than that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Martha, could we get some of that fruit punch?¡±


    ¡°Anything for you, sweetie.¡±


    ¡°What is it with you and the people in this village?¡± Farrah asked as they walked back into the courtyard and sat down at a picnic table. ¡°I could swear I heard people talking about you when we came back into town.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the dashing good looks,¡± Jason said.


    Farrah and Gary shared a look.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Jason said sadly. He knelt down and held his hand out for the leech to crawl onto, then lifted it up to rest on his shoulder.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to put that there?¡± Gary asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d want those teeth that close to my ear.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t hurt me,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s my little guy. I think he¡¯s a guy; I think I read that leeches can switch it around.¡±


    ¡°You are a strange man,¡± Farrah said.


    Martha came in with a huge jug filled with juice and large chunks of ice. Her nephew, Harold, followed with a trio of glasses, getting a swat from Martha when he goggled at the leech on Jason¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Thanks, Martha,¡± Jason said, filling each of the glasses. One was even a Gary-sized mug with a big handle.


    After the landlady and her nephew left, Jason asked again about Rufus.


    ¡°The area we come from,¡± Farrah said, ¡°has a higher density of magic than this region, so the monsters there are stronger, on average. In this region, iron-rank monsters are the norm, with a good smattering of bronze-rank. Silvers can show up, but only very occasionally.¡±


    ¡°But where we come from,¡± Gary added, ¡°you get more silver rank monsters than anything. You see as many golds as you do bronze, and sometimes even diamond rank monsters. And if iron ranks do appear, there¡¯s always about forty of the pricks.¡±


    He chugged half of his giant glass at a go, topping it off from the jug.


    ¡°You¡¯re from one of those big cities?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gary said. ¡°Vitesse.¡±


    ¡°The City of Flowers,¡± Farrah added.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s a language in my world where Vitesse means speed.¡±


    ¡°Not how it works in our city,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Vitesse is as leisurely as any place you¡¯ll find,¡± Farrah explained. ¡°Culture, cuisine. Lots of money floating around, even at the low end. A labourer in Vitesse can make as much as a craftsman here.¡±


    ¡°Not a good craftsman,¡± Gary said, ¡°but still¡­¡±


    ¡°What does any of this have to do with Rufus being angry?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± Gary said, ¡°around here an iron rank adventurer can wander about in relative safety. If some monsters show up then an iron rank adventurer can go after them on their own, or with a small team.¡±


    ¡°But around Vitesse,¡± Farrah said, ¡°that¡¯s just asking for death. Even bronze rankers go out with a silver ranked escort. Coming here was our big chance to strike out on our own.¡±


    ¡°Prove ourselves,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°And then you went and got captured,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rufus is in charge, so he blames himself.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but you don¡¯t understand the level of pressure on him. His family operates the Remore Academy, which is a big deal everywhere, not just Vitesse.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rufus is the living paragon of this academy¡¯s teaching methods, so when he fails it¡¯s a black mark on his family¡¯s reputation.¡±


    ¡°His family isn¡¯t like that,¡± Gary said. ¡°They understand better than most that failure is a valuable lesson. Rufus is the one putting pressure on himself.¡±


    ¡°More than anything, he blames himself for putting us in danger,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He takes responsibility seriously and he thinks he let us down.¡±


    ¡°The reason he was obsessed with catching the guy,¡± Farrah said, ¡°was so he could find out what he did wrong. Rufus works harder than anyone to avoid making a mistake once, let alone twice. In his eyes, Anisa took away his chance to understand what he did wrong. As far as Rufus is concerned, what Anisa did was the same as putting the team in danger.¡±


    ¡°Is anyone else getting a shady feeling from Anisa?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Like she¡¯s quietly on the shonk?¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s going a bit far,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m definitely biased, but think about it. She brought this job to you from her church, right? Then the guy supposedly working for her church sets you up?¡±


    ¡°The shonk?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Anisa was in a cage like the rest of us,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said, ¡°but she didn¡¯t go to the ritual chamber, did she? Who¡¯s to say that if I hadn¡¯t shown up there wouldn¡¯t be some other excuse to leave her behind. Then she breaks out all by herself?¡±


    ¡°So did you.¡±


    ¡°They underestimated me backwards and forwards,¡± Jason said, ¡°and even then I was lucky. Do you think a blood cult is going to underestimate a priestess of purity?¡±


    ¡°She had a collar like the rest of us,¡± Gary said. ¡°They might have thought she couldn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°But did you notice that her escape took just long enough that if she rushed to save us she would have been tragically late?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s thin,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°So we busted ourselves out,¡± Jason continued, ¡°leaving you free to find and question the guy who might have answers. Except he gets silenced before you even start with the questions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not convinced,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You¡¯re jumping a lot of gaps there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying anything definitive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Like I said; I know I¡¯m biased enough to not see things objectively. But a lot of things are coming up funky on the smell test, so maybe keep your eyes open.¡±


    ¡°Always do,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°You were blind-sided and handed over to a blood cult,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°This is really good,¡± Farrah said after emptying her glass of fruit punch, veering off topic.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Jason said, refilling her glass. ¡°I¡¯ll have to ask what¡¯s in it. Most of the local ingredients I¡¯ve never even heard of. Bought a notebook last night at the market to jot down recipes.¡±


    They heard the front door of the inn slam open.


    ¡°That door¡¯s going to get ruined,¡± Jason said.


    Anisa strode out into the courtyard, storming up to Jason.


    ¡°Why is everyone talking about you like you¡¯re the town hero?¡± she asked. Her face filled with fury when she spotted the leech on Jason¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°What is that thing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Colin,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to call him Colin. And his friends. Team Colin.¡±


    Anisa¡¯s hand flashed towards it, her bronze-rank reflexes too fast for Jason to react. Not too fast for Gary, however, who clamped her wrist in his huge, hairy hand. Anisa glared at Gary as she tugged at her arm, but his grip didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Not happening,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°That thing is obviously evil,¡± Anisa said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what it is,¡± Rufus¡¯ said, striding into the courtyard. While the others turned to look, Jason pulled a knife and pricked his finger, letting Colin the apocalypse leech melt back into his bloodstream. He¡¯d bought a small, sharp knife for the purpose after accidentally poisoning himself with the snake-tooth dagger. Looking up after putting the knife away he saw Anisa and Rufus squaring off.


    ¡°You knew he had that thing,¡± Anisa accused.


    ¡°I did,¡± Rufus said calmly.


    ¡°He¡¯s tainted,¡± she said. ¡°We need to burn him.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get a say in what we do anymore, Anisa. Especially when it comes to killing people. You¡¯re out.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°This was always a temporary collaboration,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The collaboration ends here.¡±


    ¡°Over him?¡± she asked, gesturing at Jason.


    ¡°No, Anisa, over you,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You decide for yourself when to listen and when to do whatever you like. You¡¯re willing to place even your slightest ideal over the wellbeing of this team and that is unacceptable. The most important thing in a team is trust, and I don¡¯t trust you.¡±


    ¡°Humans,¡± Anisa said, spitting out the word like a curse. ¡°You¡¯re all filth.¡±


    She turned, marched away, and they heard the door slam as she departed the inn. Rufus was stewing on the spot, Jason, Farrah and Gary sharing wary looks.


    ¡°I think we may be paying for a new door,¡± Gary said.

 Chapter 31: Taming the Beast

    ¡°Mr. Mayor,¡± Rufus said, ¡°are you certain you don¡¯t want us to investigate the astral space?¡±


    ¡°We considered it,¡± the mayor said, ¡°but we are only one of many places with an aperture leading to that astral space. We have no idea if the other locations are having similar issues and the cost of a mistake could be critical.¡±


    ¡°I respect your prudence, Mr. Mayor,¡± Rufus said. ¡°As promised, I¡¯ll deliver your letters to the Adventure Society and the Magic Society when we reach Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    The mayor was meeting them at the inn as they were ready to go. They were travelling on foot as Anisa had claimed the wagon and its animals for her church, which Rufus didn¡¯t bother to argue. Hiram was standing alongside the mayor.


    ¡°Farewell, adventurers,¡± the mayor said, ¡°and thanks again to you, Jason. I don¡¯t like to think what would happen if those creatures had entered the village.¡±


    ¡°No worries, Greg,¡± Jason said, shaking the mayor¡¯s hand, then Hiram¡¯s.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything I can ever do for you,¡± Hiram said.


    ¡°Well, if you find another essence¡­¡± Jason said. ¡°I looted all those monsters and you got the only one.¡±


    ¡°Stuff that,¡± Hiram, said. ¡°If I find another essence I¡¯m keeping it. I have more than one grandchild, you know.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to introduce me next time I come through,¡± he said.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t take long,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The Adventure Society uses patrol contracts as punishment and¡­¡±


    She placed a hand on Jason¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°¡­this one has a mouth on him.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jason said, mock hurt on his face.


    They set out along the road on foot. Jason didn¡¯t mind so much, since the wagon hadn¡¯t been a comfortable ride over the hard desert ground. On their walk out of the village it seemed like everyone gave them a friendly wave or a few words of farewell.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been here two days,¡± Farrah muttered.


    ¡°Not my fault you weren¡¯t here when monsters started raining from the sky,¡± Jason said.


    They set out along the south trail normally used by quarry transports, leaving the lush village behind for the dry wastes of the desert. Jason was much more comfortable than the last time they endured the arid waste. The reward he received from his quest to protect the village was exactly what he needed.


    Item: [Oasis Bracelet] (iron rank, uncommon)


    A bracelet that draws on the power of water quintessence to bestow the blessings of a personal oasis (accessory, bracelet).


    Effect: Keeps the wearer cool and refreshed. Bracelet energy is consumed at a varying rate according to climate.Effect: Reduces incoming fire and heat damage. This rapidly consumes bracelet energy.Effect: Consume a water quintessence gem to completely refill bracelet energy.


    The bracelet was a cord looped with small round stones. When he first touched a sapphire-like water quintessence gem to one of the stones it had vanished. All the stones then turned from sandy yellow to vibrant blue.


    Under the refreshing effect of the bracelet, Jason was happily making his way alongside the others. Now he wasn¡¯t preoccupied with cursing the sun, he had a greater appreciation for the vistas of the barren desert. It wasn¡¯t that different to parts of central Australia.


    They were on an unsealed road, compacted to a hard surface by the scorching sun and heavy wagonloads of quarried stone. Wagons full of green marble rolled along the road in the same direction they were headed, while wagonloads of food came the other way.


    ¡°Did you really name your familiar Colin?¡± Gary asked as they walked.


    ¡°Yeah, I told you that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You should have given it a more intimidating name, like ¡®Devourer¡¯ or something.¡±


    ¡°Gary,¡± Jason said, ¡°it¡¯s a bloodthirsty apocalypse monster. It¡¯s intimidating enough.¡±


    Farrah, Gary and Jason chatted away as they walked. Rufus was still withdrawn after his confrontation with Anisa.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little strange to be so comfortable in such an inhospitable environment,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It gets much worse closer to the coast,¡± Farrah said. ¡°At least here you can see some grass, the occasional tree. There, it¡¯s just endless, lifeless sand. Dry and dead, like the sun scorched all the life out of it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s cheery,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We won¡¯t need to trudge through that,¡± Gary said. ¡°We¡¯re heading south now until we hit the river, then we¡¯ll take a boat west to the coast.¡±


    They encountered a wagon that had been carrying fresh fruit to the village when it threw a wheel. While Gary and Farrah fixed the wagon, Jason and Rufus helped pick up the spilled fruit. Gary used one of his forge essence powers to repair the wheel. Jason was startled as Farrah used superhuman strength to lift the wagon so Gary could slip the wheel back onto the axle. Gary at least looked like he had overpowering strength. Seeing the same kind of power from Farrah was startlingly incongruous.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with you?¡± Farrah asked Jason.


    ¡°I thought you were some kind of spell caster,¡± Jason said. ¡°What¡¯s with that strength?¡±


    ¡°I have some spells,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but humans have an affinity for special attacks. I spend most of my time up close and personal. The spells just give me a little flexibility.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any spells at all,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Farrah having as many as she does is unusual.¡±


    The wagon fixed, the grateful teamster left them walking away eating some kind of juicy melon. Jason, Rufus and Farrah had a slice each, while Gary ate the rest of the melon. Afterward, Rufus seemed a little less broody than he had for most of the day.


    ¡°Where are they getting fresh fruit in the desert?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get to see for yourself soon enough,¡± Rufus told him.


    As they travelled, Jason took Rufus aside.


    ¡°I have kind of a delicate question,¡± Jason said softly.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason hesitated, ¡°being iron rank does things to your body, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°I just¡­ I haven¡¯t needed the toilet in four days. I had a sneaky wee back in the hedge maze, but since then, nothing.¡±


    Rufus erupted into laughter, drawing the attention of the others.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Your body doesn¡¯t waste anything anymore; it can burn almost anything for fuel. I heard about a man that had to live on tree bark for a month.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a myth,¡± Farrah.


    ¡°No, I know a guy who met the guy who did that,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Of course you believe it,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Mr. ¡®I don¡¯t need to check what¡¯s in the box.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Again, with this? How was I meant to know Vivienne would betray us?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Because it was really obvious,¡± Farrah said. ¡°And we told you she would.¡±


    ¡°We did tell you,¡± Rufus agreed.


    ¡°You two have no sense of romance,¡± Gary said.


    Late in the afternoon they came across a town, enclosed in massive walls made of tan-coloured, desert stone. It was laid out in a square with large gates in every wall. Inside was a town mostly built of the same bland bricks as the walls. The town¡¯s layout was based around a huge central square, with wide, straight roads leading from the town gates right into it. The square was a bustle of activity, covered in wagons hauling the local green stone.


    ¡°This is the main distribution point for all the green marble in this region,¡± Farrah explained. ¡°There are villages like the one we stayed in all through the region. From here it all gets taken south and shipped downriver on barges.¡±


    ¡°I figured there were more when they told me the name of the village was North East Quarry Village Four,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No wonder they all just called it the Village,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the huge walls?¡± Jason asked. The walls surrounding the town were at least seven metres high and almost three metres thick.


    ¡°That¡¯s for the monster surge,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°What¡¯s a monster surge?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Every ten years,¡± Rufus explained, ¡°there¡¯s a massive increase in the spawn rate of monsters. All across the world, all at the same time. Whole villages evacuate to fortified towns like his one, which is why most of this town is actually empty. So long as there isn¡¯t anyone left in the villages, the monsters largely leave them alone.¡±


    ¡°So how long has it been since the last monster surge?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Eleven years.¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°It¡¯s never exactly ten years,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s been as little as eight or as many as thirteen. The last few have all come pretty late.¡±


    They didn¡¯t need to find an inn to stay the night. Most of the town was composed of transient shelters that villagers used during the surges, which were available to anyone passing through. Mostly that meant teamsters hauling stone one way or food the other. Rufus led them to register in the square, where they were provided basic accommodation without cost. After they found the simple stone cottage to which they had been assigned, Rufus approached Jason.


    ¡°There¡¯s still a few hours of light,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Come with me for a little bit.¡±


    Rufus led them in silence. They went to the edge of town and up one of many sets of stairs, arriving on the top of the west wall. There he stopped to look out at the horizon, Jason stopping beside him.


    ¡°So you¡¯ve fought your first proper monster,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°The shabs were certainly rougher than the potent hamster,¡± Jason said.


    Rufus turned his head to glance at Jason.


    ¡°Your power to identify things extends to monsters?¡±


    ¡°Just their names,¡± Jason told him.


    Rufus looked back out at the desert landscape.


    ¡°It¡¯s time you learned how to advance your abilities,¡± he said.


    ¡°Actually, that reminds me,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a bunch of monster cores. Apparently they can raise abilities up.¡±


    Rufus¡¯ head snapped sideways.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t use any, did you?¡±


    ¡°No, I was waiting to ask you,¡± Jason said. ¡°I thought there might be side effects. After that reaction, I¡¯m assuming there are.¡±


    Rufus let out a breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. I should have thought to tell you, but I forgot you had an ability to loot monsters. You¡¯re lucky; it¡¯s a rare power.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just me that can do that, then?¡±


    ¡°No, but it¡¯s a highly coveted ability. I¡¯m starting to get envious,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t humans have their abilities go up faster than everyone else?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Everyone else including me, since I¡¯m not human. Which still seems harsh.¡±


    ¡°Being human does have its perks,¡± Rufus acknowledged.


    ¡°Rub it in, why don¡¯t you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°How about you tell me how to raise my abilities so I can start catching up to you three.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re here for,¡± Rufus said. ¡°There are two ways to raise your abilities. One is to use monster cores. Every core increases your abilities a little, but only a little. It takes hundreds of iron-rank cores to reach bronze rank, and that¡¯s for humans. For everyone else, it takes even more. It takes iron-rank cores when you¡¯re iron rank, bronze when you¡¯re bronze, and so forth. But you should never, ever use this method.¡±


    ¡°Do you turn into a monster or something?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I said there were two ways of raising your abilities. Every time you use a monster core to raise your abilities, it makes the other method a little less effective. The impact is minimal, at first, but every core you use eats into your potential. If you used cores to get to where I am, the top end of bronze rank, then cores would the only thing that works anymore. And bronze rank isn¡¯t that high.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just hunt up more monsters for cores?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You could,¡± Rufus said, ¡°and some do. In the city we¡¯re going to, Greenstone, almost everyone uses cores. So long as you have the money to buy them you can reach bronze rank without ever facing a monster. But every rank requires more and more cores. By the time you reach silver rank, things slow right down as the costs go up significantly. Most core users don¡¯t make it to gold.¡±


    ¡°If people know this, why would anyone use cores?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Because its easy and you can buy the cores instead of risking your own neck.¡± Rufus said. ¡°Most aristocratic families only have a few truly powerful adventurers, while the rest use cores. Do you have aristocracy in your world?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re slowly phasing it out in favour of wealth-based oligarchy, but it¡¯s still around.¡±


    ¡°Uh, alright.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s so bad about the second method that people would use these cores?¡±


    ¡°Because it requires danger and hard work.¡±


    ¡°I bet it isn¡¯t the danger that stops them,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s the hard work, right?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Rufus said with a chuckle. ¡°The other path to developing your abilities, the real way, has three elements.¡±


    Rufus raised three fingers, counting them off as he explained.


    ¡°The first element is training. You have to practice pushing your body to its limits, and not just the physical ones. You have to strain against the boundaries of what your four attributes are capable of. Exhaust yourself, body and mind. Pushing yourself to the limits prepares you to go beyond them.¡±


    ¡°So¡­ exercise?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not just physical exercise. You have to train the mind, as well. Perception is part of your spiritual strength, and we will teach you how to exercise it.¡±


    ¡°How¡±


    ¡°Observation training, which is a practical skill as well as a good training technique. Memory games, puzzles. Anything that tests the mind can work.¡±


    ¡°That actually sounds a little fun.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Training, done right, will leave you feeling satisfied and empowered. The second element is also about pushing yourself, but in a much more dangerous way.¡±¡±


    ¡°Fighting monsters?¡± Jason guessed.


    ¡°Fighting monsters,¡± Rufus said. ¡°To truly break through your limits, you must truly push up against them. Only with genuine danger can you go further and do more than you ever thought possible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s simple enough to understand, if mildly terrifying. What¡¯s the third part?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Meditation,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Meditation? As in¡­ just sitting there?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Meditation is crucial. The other two elements are about breaking through your own limits. Meditation is about consolidating that gain. It¡¯s where you take the fleeting moments in which you were better than you¡¯ve ever been before, and making that your new normal.¡±


    ¡°Is there a mantra, or something?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The key is concentrating on the magic flowing inside you. You can feel it, right?¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It feels unruly, doesn¡¯t it? Like some wild creature inside you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it kind of does,¡± Jason said. ¡°Using an ability feels like throwing out a piece of meat for it to run out and devour.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the sensation after you reach a new rank,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You¡¯ll slowly bring that beast under your control as your abilities grow. Then you¡¯ll reach a new rank and have a new beast to contend with, more powerful than the last.¡±


    ¡°How does that work with core users?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°For them it¡¯s like feeding the beast drugged meat to make it compliant. The beast still has its strength, but the owner can¡¯t make use of it properly.¡±


    ¡°So core users aren¡¯t just hampering their future, but also making themselves kind of crappy in the present.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what they¡¯re doing,¡± Rufus said.


    Rufus directed Jason to sit cross-legged, looking out over the landscape. He spent the remaining daylight guiding Jason through his first meditation, until the sunset lit up the sky with orange and gold. Jason opened his eyes to watch.


    ¡°You know,¡± Jason said, ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to like it here.¡±


    That night, as he lay in the small bed in their assigned accommodation, Jason checked his character screen.


    Jason Asano


    Race: Outworlder.Current rank: Iron.Progression to bronze rank: 0% (0/4 essences complete)


    Attributes


    [Power] (Blood): [Iron 0].[Speed] (Dark): [Iron 0].[Spirit] (Doom): [Iron 0].[Recovery] (Sin): [Iron 0].


    Racial Abilities (Outworlder)


    [Interface].[Quest System].[Inventory].[Map].[Astral Affinity].[Mysterious Stranger].


    Essences (4/4)


    Dark [Speed] (3/5)


    [Midnight Eyes] (special ability): [Iron 0] 14%.[Cloak of Night] (conjuration): [Iron 0] 02%.[Path of Shadows] (special ability): [Iron 0] 00%.


    Blood [Power] (4/5)


    [Blood Harvest] (spell): [Iron 0] 01%.[Leech Bite] (special attack): [Iron 0] 01%.[Feast of Blood] (spell): [Iron 0] 01%.[Sanguine Horror] (familiar): [Iron 0] 01%.


    Sin [Recovery] (3/5)


    [Punish] (special attack): [Iron 0] 01%.[Feast of Absolution] (spell): [Iron 0] 00%.[Sin Eater] (special ability): [Iron 0] 02%.


    Doom [Spirit] (1/5)


    [Inexorable Doom] (spell): [Iron 0] 01%.


    Looking over his abilities he saw they had barely increased. Some he hadn¡¯t even used yet.


    ¡°I have to try out that shadow teleport.¡±

 Chapter 32: Monster Hunting For Beginners

    An hour after they left the walled town, Rufus stopped. He took a piece of paper from his pocket, looked it over, then turned his gaze to the desert landscape around them.


    ¡°This is it,¡± he said and walked off, leaving the road behind.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Gary asked as they followed, and Rufus handed him the paper.


    Gary glanced over it.


    ¡°Nice,¡± he said, handing the paper to Jason. It was a monster notification, with details and directions. Jason had seen something similar back in the waterfall village, but there was apparently a noticeboard for them in every town and village.


    ¡°Did you take this from the town we just went through?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Are you allowed to just take them?¡± Jason asked.


    The location was listed by landmarks that Jason spotted by looking around their current location. A series of distinctively shaped rocky outcroppings.


    ¡°You can make copies,¡± Gary said. ¡°When you kill the monster you mark the copy and it gets rid of the original. Then you just have to report next time you¡¯re at an Adventure Society branch.¡±


    ¡°What if someone just makes a copy and destroys it without killing the monster?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Why would anyone do that?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Because people are terrible,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Is that what you think?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°I¡¯m starting to worry about your world.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Because when I came to your world people kept trying to eat and/or kill me.¡±


    ¡°He has a point,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°To make proper copies you need an Adventure Society badge,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The Society can use that to track down who made the copy.¡±


    ¡°The badge also tracks the monsters you¡¯ve killed,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°And they can use it to find your body when you die,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Very comforting,¡± Jason said. ¡°So why are we going after this monster?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You are.¡±


    ¡°I am?¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± Rufus said.


    New Quest: [Adventure Notice: Giant Desert Maw Spider]


    Local townsfolk have spotted a monster in the area that matches the description of a giant desert maw spider. Slay the creature before it becomes aggressive and starts attacking travellers.


    Objective: Defeat [Giant Desert Maw Spider] 0/1.Reward: Quintessence.


    Jason took another look at the sheet of paper, which named the same monster as the quest.


    ¡°Giant desert maw spider,¡± he read. ¡°How giant are we talking?¡±


    ¡°About Gary¡¯s size,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The size isn¡¯t what you need to watch out for, though.¡±


    ¡°They have a huge mouth full of the nastiest teeth you¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It has a barbed tongue that will whip out, grab your limbs and try to drag them into that mouth.¡±


    ¡°Sounds delightful, but why are we doing this?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you fight yet,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I need to see what kind of level you¡¯re at.¡±


    ¡°I can save you some time there,¡± Jason said. ¡°My level is low. Very, very low.¡±


    ¡°You say that,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but it could just be modesty.¡±


    Jason cast his blood harvest spell and the remnant life force of the dead monster flowed into him, healing his wounds. The spell was strong, but not enough to completely recover his injuries. His wounds had closed but he felt carved up like a smallgoods platter. He tapped a finger on the remains.


    Would you like to loot [Giant Desert Maw Spider]?


    He limped in the direction of the adventurers as the monster dissolved into rainbow smoke behind him.


    10 [Spider Quintessence Gems] have been added to your inventory.


    The others had been watching Jason¡¯s fight from a distance. His clothes were in bloody tatters, his body painted red.


    ¡°So,¡± Rufus said as Jason drew close. ¡°Not being modest, then.¡±


    Quest: [Monster Notice: Giant Desert Maw Spider]


    Objective complete: Defeat [Giant Desert Maw Spider] 1/1.10 [Earth Quintessence Gems] have been added to your inventory.


    Quest complete.


    100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    ¡°I¡¯m running out of intact clothes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You do seem to go through them,¡± Gary said.


    Farrah drew her stone chest from the ground and took out a bottle of clear liquid with a glass stopper.


    ¡°It¡¯s called crystal wash,¡± Farrah said, pushing the bottle into Jason¡¯s hands. ¡°Strip down and then pour this over your head. I don¡¯t have a lot, so be appreciative.¡±


    Jason stripped down to his underwear.


    ¡°All the way,¡± Farrah said.


    Jason pulled off the silk boxer shorts he had taken from the Vane manor. Past caring, he didn¡¯t even glance over to see if the others were looking at his naked body. There was enough blood on him anyway that it was effectively body paint. He pulled out the stopper and tipped it over his head. A clear, viscous liquid poured out and rapidly started spreading itself over him, thinning as it worked its way down. It excised the blood and filth from his body, cleaning it with an intimate thoroughness. An odd expression crossed his face as it cleared out the hard-to-reach nooks and crannies. He could smell a fresh fragrance coming off his body as the liquid evaporated into nothingness, its job done. He felt cleaner than he ever had in his life.


    ¡°It¡¯s perfumed?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No, crystal wash is completely odourless and clears off everything,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If there¡¯s any stink left behind, that¡¯s just you.¡±


    Gary walked over and sniffed at Jason.


    ¡°Why do you smell like flowers?¡±


    The other two crowded around Jason and started smelling him.


    ¡°Still naked,¡± Jason said, boxed in by the trio.


    ¡°We¡¯ve seen Rufus naked,¡± Farrah said. ¡°No one cares about your scrawny body.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Rufus and Jason said together.


    ¡°You do smell like flowers,¡± Farrah said. ¡°What¡¯s up with that?¡±


    ¡°I think it might be an outworlder thing,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I knew an outworlder who smelled quite similar.¡±


    ¡°Did you now?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Did someone have a little outworlder fling?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Still naked,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t like that,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I was young and she barely even looked at me.¡±


    ¡°WILL EVERYONE BACK OFF SO I CAN PUT ON SOME CLOTHES?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re right here,¡± Gary said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to shout.¡±


    ¡°If you had that bottle of cleaning stuff the whole time¡­¡±


    ¡°Crystal wash,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Right,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you had the whole time, why didn¡¯t you give me some after I purged all those toxins?¡±


    ¡°Purging your toxins is like a rite of passage,¡± she said.


    ¡°So you didn¡¯t use any when you went through it?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Farrah said, unconvincingly.


    ¡°She had a whole case of bottles on hand,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t learn the value of crystal wash, then you wouldn¡¯t appreciate it,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Meaning you thought it was funny that I smelled so bad,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It was pretty funny,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that much sludge come out of a person. It¡¯s like you were keeping extra in your storage space.¡±


    They passed through another village near the middle of the day. Its astral space aperture was small, producing only a large pond. It had a quarrying operation, but much smaller than the waterfall village.


    ¡°Are apertures the only water sources around here?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but more of the green stone appears around the apertures. The bigger the aperture, the higher grade stone you¡¯ll find.¡±


    They only stopped long enough for Rufus to select another notice from the village¡¯s adventure board.


    ¡°We¡¯re on track to reach the river by nightfall,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We have time for another one. Hand me a blank sheet from that box.¡±


    Jason spotted the box of blank paper under the noticeboard, taking out a single sheet and handing it to Rufus. Rufus took a bronze medallion out of his pocket and touched it to the notice on the board. The medallion started glowing faintly until he touched it to the blank sheet Jason had retrieved. The glow faded and text started appearing on the paper, matching that of the notice.


    ¡°This is the Adventure Society badge,¡± Rufus explained. ¡°You¡¯ll get your own when you join.¡±


    ¡°I would have thought you got enough from the last monster,¡± Jason said. ¡°Wasn¡¯t I underwhelming enough?¡±


    ¡°There are always more lessons to be learned,¡± Rufus said, handing over the paper.


    New Quest: [Monster Notice: Lesser Earth Elemental]


    Local townsfolk have spotted a monster in the area that matches the description of a lesser earth elemental. Slay the creature before it becomes aggressive and starts attacking travellers.


    Objective: Defeat [Lesser Earth Elemental] 0/1.Reward: Crafting material.


    ¡°Earth elemental,¡± Jason read. ¡°That¡¯s like a pile of rocks and dirt that roams around and punches people?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Gary said. ¡°They have those in your world?¡±


    ¡°Just stories,¡± Jason said. ¡°So let me guess. I fight the thing and find out my abilities don¡¯t work on it because you can¡¯t poison or bleed out a pile of rocks. I get the snot kicked out of me, you step in to save me and I learn an important lesson about failure and picking your battles. Is that more or less the idea?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s got your number, Rufus,¡± Gary chortled.


    ¡°Um, yes,¡± Rufus said, reaching to take the paper back. ¡°It¡¯s fine; you don¡¯t have to do it.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m doing it,¡± Jason said, keeping the paper. He marched off in the direction of the village gate.


    ¡°I know you want to teach him to be a proper adventurer,¡± Farrah said to Rufus, ¡°but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s like the spoiled rich kids at your family¡¯s school.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s becoming clear,¡± Rufus said.


    The earth elemental looked like a snowman made of packed earth and sand, but with thick arms instead of frail sticks. It was only around two thirds of Jason¡¯s height, throwing off dust and dirt as it slowly moved. Jason rammed his dagger into its head.


    Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Lesser Earth Elemental].[Lesser Earth Elemental] has no motive spirit and is immune to curses.[Sin] does not take effect.[Lesser Earth Elemental] has no living tissue and is impervious to necrotic damage.Additional necrotic damage from special attack [Punish] does not take effect.


    As expected, Jason¡¯s abilities had no effect. What he hadn¡¯t anticipated was that even the hole from the knife closed up as soon as he pulled it out. He stabbed it again and again, being struck in turn by the elemental¡¯s crude, heavy arms. The elemental showed no signs of waning. For every chunk of earth he dislodged with his knife, more entered the hole to fill it


    Desperate, Jason crouched down and wrapped his arms around the elemental, gripping it tightly as he heaved back with all the might he could muster. His strength may have paled in comparison to Gary, but it was still improved over what it had been just a few days ago. With a wild roar of effort he strained to raise his legs, staggering, but successfully standing up.


    The creature was lifted completely off the ground. He staggered as he leaned back for balance, but managed to stay upright under the weight. He clenched the monster with one and a half arms, stabbing at it with as much force as just his forearm would allow. It wasn¡¯t powerful but he kept stabbing, with the repetition of a sewing machine. As he did, the creature brought its crude limbs down on Jason¡¯s shoulders and back. He tucked his head in, shielding it as best he could.


    Dirt crumbled away under Jason¡¯s knife as he struggled to stay upright under the creature¡¯s weight and the pounding blows it rained down on him. He stumbled, almost collapsing, but more and more of the creature crumbled away in larger and larger chunks. Jason¡¯s breathing was a death rattle as earthen fists hammered force through his back and into his lungs. His arms burned as they barely kept the creature in their air, his shoulders beaten until they felt like pulp. Finally, the creature crumbled away all at once, spilling though Jason¡¯s arms in clumps.


    You have defeated [Lesser earth Elemental].


    Quest: [Adventure Notice: Lesser Earth Elemental]


    Objective complete: Defeat [Lesser Earth Elemental] 1/1.10 portions of [Pure-Heart Sand] have been added to your inventory.Quest complete.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason collapsed onto all fours, air escaping in hacking coughs that spat droplets of blood onto the ground. The others all ran up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get you a potion,¡± Farrah said, but Jason held up a hand to stop her, then put it back down so he wouldn¡¯t fall.


    ¡°No,¡± he croaked. ¡°Familiar¡­ heals.¡±


    ¡°It heals slowly,¡± Rufus said.


    Jason turned to look at him, slowly pushing himself to his feet. He staggered, legs almost giving out again, but he stabilised, defiant. His breathing slowly lost its wheeze, each breath no longer agony. He crouched down and ran his fingers through the dirt.


    Would you like to loot [Lesser Earth Elemental]?


    He walked up to Rufus as the dirt behind him dissolved into smoke with a sizzling hiss.


    [Monster Core (Iron Rank)] has been added to your inventory.10 [Earth Quintessence] have been added to your inventory.10 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    ¡°If the familiar heals me, that ability gets better, faster, right?¡±


    Jason¡¯s voice was still raw and gravely.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rufus said.


    Jason nodded and started a stumbling walk back in the direction of the main road. Gary followed behind Jason as the other two looked at each other.


    ¡°What was all that about?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Jason has a lot of lessons to learn,¡± Rufus said. ¡°This was him pointing out that I do too.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Like determination. That being in a losing position doesn¡¯t mean you lose, so long as you¡¯re willing to pay the price of victory. In that sacrifice chamber, Jason was the weakest of all of us, collars or no. But he was the one who kept beating the odds.¡±


    ¡°He had some luck on his side,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°My grandfather says the great adventurers are the ones who turn luck into fortune. And adventurers don¡¯t come much greater than him, so he¡¯d know.¡±


    Farrah shook her head.


    ¡°The whole thing smells of male posturing, to me,¡± she said. ¡°Why can¡¯t you have a conversation, like normal people?¡±


    ¡°You may be right,¡± Rufus acknowledged, ¡°but I think some things we can only show with our effort.¡±


    Farrah made a distasteful groan.


    ¡°Little boys and their posturing.¡±


    Jason was sorely meandering back toward the road when Gary caught up at a jog.


    ¡°How did you know to get it off the ground?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a myth from my world,¡± Jason said hoarsely. ¡°There was a guy who was invincible while he was touching the ground, so the guy who killed him did it by lifting him into the air. I thought maybe the elemental was healing itself by taking in more earth from the ground, so it seemed worth a try.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Gary said, ¡°once we train you up a bit, you might actually be good at this.¡±

 Chapter 33: Mistrun River

    Back on the road, Rufus explained the local geography to Jason as they travelled. Inland, to the east was the inland veldt; a flat, sprawling scrubland.  The desert they were passing through was similar to parts of the Australian outback, and it sounded like the veldt was as well.


    ¡°Is everywhere in your homeland a dry, desolate waste?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°They call it the sunburnt country,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s very big, and the central region is very dry. Most of the population lives on the coast.¡±


    ¡°This place is the same,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The western region here, which runs along the coast, is a place of contradictions. Most of it is lifeless desert; great dunes that seem to go on forever. But right in the middle is a vast river delta, where dead sand gives way to fertile soil. The delta is full of life and heavily populated. The city of Greenstone is on the coast, at the midpoint of the delta.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know this place pretty well,¡± Jason said, ¡°given that you¡¯re not actually from here.¡±


    ¡°Rufus likes to over-prepare,¡± Gary said. ¡°He was studying everything about this place for weeks before we left.¡±


    ¡°Better too much preparation than not enough,¡± Rufus said.


    As they followed the rough trade road they eventually spotted some green in the distance.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting close to the river,¡± Farrah said.


    The green grew wider in their vision until it covered the horizon. As they moved closer to it, the hard, red earth underfoot gave way to softer, brown dirt. The sporadic, yellow wasteland grass became thicker, even showing hints of green. The packed earth of the road became too soft for the heavy wagons that used it and had been paved over with rough desert brick. The grass became denser until it carpeted each side of the road, with a haze hanging over it that bore the promise of water.


    ¡°There¡¯s magic in that haze,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It comes from the river, bringing the water magic that makes all this growth possible in the desert.¡±


    Dirt gave way to rich, dark soil. The road took them between orchards burgeoning with brightly-coloured fruit and fields of tall crops. The haze thickened to a cool mist in defiance of the burning sun, moisture like sparkling diamonds in the air. Drifting through the fruit-laden trees, the mist created an ethereal fairy playground. A hidden Shangri-La within the unforgiving desert.


    ¡°Welcome to Verdant Fields,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The name really says it all. The farms here and on the other side of the river feed every town and village in the central region.¡±


    They started passing pickers in the trees and farmhands in the fields, shielded from the sun by the ubiquitous mist. Much of the heat still got through, but without the parching dryness that made the desert air so unforgiving.


    Jason and the others followed the road through the rich farmlands before they finally approaching a wide river. There was a town covering the near-side bank, shrouded in fog rolling off the water. The town bustled as they made their way down wide streets built expressly for the passage of wagons.


    ¡°There¡¯s always work for anyone who wants it in a town like this,¡± Gary said.


    The riverside was a mess of docks and warehouses, teeming with people. Boats and barges came in and out, wagons were loaded and unloaded. Magic lamps were in heavy use to cut through the fog, even with hours of daylight left. Jason noticed magic being used in an oddly workman-like fashion, powering cranes or propelling watercraft. He saw rivermen and dockworkers drawing runes that glowed as they took effect. There were two bridges that arched away into the mist on thick columns, high enough that boats could sail comfortably underneath. The fog hid the far bank from sight.


    A busy dockmaster promised them passage downriver in the morning on the condition that they showed up on time. The organised chaos of the docks waited for no-one, even fancy adventurers. They found lodgings for the night; a hostel for teamsters with no more amenities than a barrel of water. A roomful of unhappy wagoners discovered that Gary was a snorer.


    The next day they were on a barge heading down river. Jason was surprised to realise that most of the watercraft were built not from wood or metal, but green stone. Farrah explained that the local stone had a strong water affinity, making it easy to craft a magic-driven boat from.


    Rufus did his best to stay out of the crew¡¯s way, while Gary happily helped out. His overwhelming strength was a more than welcome addition. Farrah took the time to show Jason how the magic propulsion pushed the barge along. There was a dedicated member of the crew whose sole job was to manage the magic. He was happy to find someone taking an interest, letting Jason and Farrah see the various ways magic was used throughout the ship.


    Jason was impressed with the nuance with which magic was integrated into the barge, obviously the result of lengthy design iteration. Like other examples of magic he had seen, from lighting to indoor plumbing, it raised his estimation of the world¡¯s technology level. It seemed this world¡¯s reliance on magic placed it on a completely different technological track to his own.


    ¡°Boating engineer is a profession that uses little bits from various kinds of magic,¡± Farrah explained. ¡°They don¡¯t really understand anything outside of their job. They¡¯re professionals with skill, but a very narrow focus. As adventurers, we¡¯re better off with more breadth than depth when it comes to magic. We never know what we¡¯ll come across.¡±


    As the barge sailed downriver it left Verdant Fields behind. The mist coming from the river was thicker or thinner in various places as they sailed through, the surrounding terrain reflecting its life-giving power. When it was thin, the desert came right up to the river banks. Where it was thick, the river was bounded with life. It might be a patch of wet forest, or a long, gorgeous valley of lush green.


    ¡°This is where they grow Mistrun tea,¡± Rufus said as they passed through the valley. ¡°One of the finest teas in the world. Costs a lot, back home.¡±


    Mistrun was the name of the river they were sailing down, unimaginatively named for its signature mist. According to Rufus, the source of the river was the largest water aperture in the desert.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a natural river?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It depends on what you think of as natural,¡± Rufus said. ¡°There¡¯s an oasis with the aperture at the bottom of a lake. All this water flows from there.¡±


    The most exciting point of the journey came when the river reached a deep gorge. The river should have spilled into the gorge, but instead flowed into a humungous aqueduct that spanned over the lengthy gap. A hundred metres wide and three hundred metres across, the aqueduct carried the river and those who sailed it over the gorge to continue along on the far side. The entire aqueduct was built entirely from green marble.


    ¡°This is crazy,¡± Jason said as they crossed over. Even at a hundred metres wide, the aqueduct was thinner than the river. This noticeably sped up the flow of the river and the speed of their barge. Jason looked out at the gorge, but they weren¡¯t close to the edge and he couldn¡¯t see much over the raised lip of the aqueduct. All that was visible was an unnerving expanse of sky.


    ¡°Sky River Gorge,¡± Gary said enthusiastically. ¡°I tried to get them to go closer to the side so we could look over, but they said no.¡±


    ¡°How deep is this gorge?¡± Jason asked. ¡°The pillars holding this thing up must be huge.¡±


    ¡°Interestingly,¡± Rufus said, ¡°this aqueduct has no structural support other than the two ends.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound safe,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Rufus, I think you were wrong,¡± Gary said. ¡°You did make too much preparation.¡±


    ¡°You do kind of sound like a tour guide,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What¡¯s a tour guide?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Someone who gets paid to stand near interesting things to tell people about them,¡± Jason explained


    Farrah laughed.


    ¡°Rufus, I think you missed your calling,¡± she said.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with teaching people about interesting places?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°It sounds like a noble vocation. If there was one here, for example, they could point out that no one knows who built this aqueduct.¡±


    Gary groaned.


    ¡°Why would you learn that?¡± he asked. ¡°How does it help us with missions?¡±


    ¡°You carry on, Rufus,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d like to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The aqueduct was already here when people first moved to this region, some three and a half centuries ago. At least, that¡¯s when it was permanently settled. There is some evidence of people being in this region before, but no historical record of who or when.¡±


    ¡°Except for that old order of assassins,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Yes, Gary,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Except for that old order of assassins we very specifically aren¡¯t meant to be talking about yet.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    They sailed downriver all day and into the night. Come morning, the predawn light started casting out the dark, revealing four figures sitting perfectly still. Atop the blocks of stone stacked on the barge, Jason and the three adventures were seated in a circle. Eyes closed, they slowly breathed in and out the moist river air. Rufus had stopped guiding Jason¡¯s meditation, leaving him to find his own way forward.


    Ability [Midnight Eyes] (Dark) has reached Iron 0 (100%).Ability [Midnight Eyes] (Dark) has advanced to Iron 1 (00%).


    Jason threw up his hands, letting out a triumphant whoop.


    Rufus opened his eyes to look at the laughing Jason.


    ¡°You seem pleased with yourself,¡± he said.


    ¡°One of my abilities went up,¡± Jason said happily. ¡°Just like you said it would. Makes sense that it was my vision power, since I¡¯m always looking at things.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re certain it improved?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°The strength of your abilities is a nebulous thing, and self-deception is easy.¡±


    ¡°No worries there,¡± Jason said. ¡°One of my outworlder powers lets me track the progress of my abilities.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Farrah said, fascinated. ¡°That sounds like something the Magic Society would be interested in. When we get to the city you should let me examine you with some of their specialised implements.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no thanks,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a strict ¡®no specialised implements¡¯ policy.¡±


    He noticed their surrounding had changed in the time the group was meditating. They had been passing through the desolate sand dunes of the western region when night fell, but now they were surrounded by wetlands. The morning light was still dim, but Jason¡¯s now slightly advanced power to see in the dark made everything clear. He could see a couple of villages in the distance, paddy farmers and herds of some large lizard the size of a cow. The docile creatures seemed perfectly happy wallowing in shallow water. Above everything was the familiar magical haze.


    ¡°The Mistrun Delta,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We should reach the city by late morning or early afternoon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°You three are kind of a big deal there, right?¡±


    The three adventurers all answered at once.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Rufus glared at the other two.


    ¡°Rufus is the big name,¡± Gary said. ¡°We¡¯re just an afterthought.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your concern?¡± Rufus asked, still shooting Gary a look.


    ¡°I was thinking that if I rock up to town with you lot,¡± Jason said, ¡°I¡¯ll be operating under expectations that I¡¯m unlikely to meet.¡±


    ¡°He has a point,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If he arrives under your wing then people will be expecting some kind of highly-trained expert. Not the kind of pressure a freshly-minted adventurer needs to be working under.¡±


    ¡°Pressure¡¯s good,¡± Gary said. ¡°Makes you strong.¡±


    ¡°In moderation,¡± Farrah said. ¡°This time last week he didn¡¯t know magic existed, let alone adventurers.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Also, from the moment I arrived the aristocratic families were trying to foist their scions onto me for training. They¡¯ll realise I¡¯m training Jason sooner or later, but later is definitely better.¡±


    ¡°That settles it, then,¡± Jason said, getting to his feet, the others following suit. ¡°I¡¯ll get off early and we can meet up in the city.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Find the Adventure Society and register; we¡¯ll find you from there. There are plenty of towns and villages here in the delta. You can disembark somewhere closer to the city.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jason said, ¡°I was thinking of having a look around, and there¡¯s no time like the present.¡±


    He ran and leapt into the air, the starlight cloak manifesting around him. He landed on the surface of the river, turned around and gave the adventurers a goodbye wave.


    ¡°See you in a few days!¡±

 Chapter 34: Waving the Flag for Secular Morality

    As best as Jason could tell, the delta was a mixture of natural wetlands and farmland that made the most of the ample water supply. There was a much greater abundance of trees compared to the desert, but they were mangroves or narrow palms; far from enough to sustain a lumber industry.


    Jason wandered along paved roads that were set atop artificial embankments that divided the delta up into segments. Lush shrubbery and staggered brickwork ran down the sides to work against erosion, while small bridges allowed water and the occasional dinghy to float between sections. The roads themselves were the lifeblood of trade between towns and villages.


    The care and time that had gone into the ways the farmland and artificial embankments fit into the natural ecosystem were clearly the product of many years. Jason thought back to what Rufus said about the Vane Estate and how it wastefully violated the existing environment. The delta was the exact opposite; a sustainable arrangement that balanced industry and nature.


    The first town Jason arrived at was a farming community. Wandering into town, he experienced a strange confluence of familiar elements. Between the wide main street, the desert stone buildings and the surrounding terrain, it was like someone recreated a town from the American old west in South-East Asia, using North-African materials. Stone storefronts lined a main street where he half-expected old-timey piano music to come drifting through the swinging saloon doors.


    Jason was actually able to find a saloon, although with disappointingly ordinary doors. They didn¡¯t swing and, wood being a rarity, were made from woven reeds. It was fronted by plenty of windows, none of which had glass, allowing light and air flow inside freely. Walking in, he saw quite a few people eating at scattered tables, as well as a long bar. A short breakfast menu was chalked onto a board, most of which was fried things he didn¡¯t recognise the name of.


    After a pleasant breakfast of rice porridge with nuts and dried fruit, Jason left to meander down the main street. He wanted to look around, and also needed directions to the city. The people were olive-skinned with dark hair, which was normal for the other places Jason had seen. Only Rufus, with his chocolate complexion and Farrah, with her light skin and pixie features had been different amongst the humans Jason had met. As for the aggressively Aryan Anisa, he had no other elves for comparison.


    There were a number of people going about their business in the main street, on foot or using carts and wagons. There were plenty of heidels, either yoked to wagons or tied to hitching posts. Like the wagons Jason had seen before, the carts and wagons here used bamboo for their construction, with a few wooden parts to supplement, like the wheel rims.


    As he made his way down the street he came across two people standing in the middle of it, talking loudly. It was a young man and a middle-aged woman halfway yelling at one another.


    ¡°If you can¡¯t wait until the healer comes through at the end of the month,¡± the man said, ¡°then take him to the city.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to do,¡± the woman said ¡°but money¡¯s tight, now. Ratlings ate half our crop and we can¡¯t afford a healer in the city.¡±


    ¡°No more loans,¡± the man said sharply, then his face softened. ¡°I sympathise with your position, but monster attacks are a part of life. Look, I¡¯ll ask my father about extending your terms, but that¡¯s the best I can do.¡±


    The woman was about to keep pressing her case when they turned to Jason who had walked right up to them.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Jason said. ¡°I, and pretty much everyone couldn¡¯t help but overhear. If you¡¯d like, I can give it a go.¡±


    ¡°Give what a go?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s crook, yeah? I might be able to sort him out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a healer?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go that far,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t heal injuries, but I might be able to knock-off a disease. I¡¯m heading for the city to sign up as an adventurer, and one of my abilities deals with disease. Full disclosure; I haven¡¯t actually tried it out, yet, but I can give it a go.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer?¡± The woman asked.


    ¡°Prospective adventurer,¡± Jason corrected. ¡°I¡¯m Jason.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford to pay you,¡± the woman said. ¡°Monsters tore up our fields, ruined most of our crop.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rough,¡± Jason said. ¡°But no worries; this one¡¯s on the house.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean free?¡±


    ¡°Sure does,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t promise results, though. I¡¯ve never tried this ability before, but I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°This sounds shady,¡± the man said. ¡°Listen to the way he talks. Look at him. He¡¯s clearly not from anywhere near here, and he doesn¡¯t have any eyebrows. Are you going to trust a man with no eyebrows?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of choices,¡± the woman said.


    She moved to a nearby cart, Jason and the other man following. The inside of the cart had been filled with bedding, to give as soft a ride as possible to the sick old man laying in it. His skin was clammy and pale,  beaded with sweat.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have brought him here,¡± the healthy man said.


    ¡°Makes it convenient for me, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°G¡¯day, old bloke. I¡¯m Jason.¡±


    The old man tried to speak, but only managed a wracking cough.


    ¡°No worries, mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°You just hold on a bit.¡±


    Jason held his hand out over the old man and chanted a spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Ability: [Feast of Absolution] (Sin)


    Spell (recovery, cleanse)Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: 20 seconds.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Cleanse all curses, diseases, poisons and unholy afflictions from a single target. Additionally cleanse all holy afflictions if the target is an ally. Recover stamina and mana for each affliction cleansed. This ability circumvents all effects that prevent cleansing. This ability cannot be used on self.


    The blood-red glow of life force light emerged from the old man¡¯s body. It was far less potent that what he had seen from monsters, even dead ones, wavering as if ready to collapse. Inside the red light were flashes of unhealthy green, like algae in a stagnant pool. There were other colours, although not as prominent; a dirty white and a bleak, pale purple. Jason¡¯s aura sense could feel them tainting the life force. The unhealthy colours immediately started moving, rising up and out of the red glow to be absorbed by Jason¡¯s waiting hand.


    You have cleansed all instances of disease [Green Mud Fever] from [Human].You have cleansed all instances of disease [Arthritis] from [Human].You have cleansed all instances of disease [Osteoporosis] from [Human].Your stamina and mana have been replenished.Stamina and mana cannot exceed normal maximum values. Excess stamina and mana are lost.Cleansing afflictions has triggered [Sin Eater]. You have gained an instance of [Resistant] for each instance of affliction cleansed.


    ¡°I can cure arthritis? Is osteoporosis actually a disease?¡±


    The glow of the old man¡¯s life force was still unsteady, but clearly more vibrant after Jason¡¯s efforts. The other colours were gone, leaving only vibrant red. As the spell faded, the glow retracted into the old man¡¯s body.


    ¡°There we go,¡± Jason said. The old man pushed himself down to the end of the cart to get out.


    ¡°Dad, don¡¯t push yourself,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± the old man said in a croaky voice. ¡°It¡¯s like a fresh breeze has blown through me.


    Weak, but smiling he got himself out of the cart with his daughter¡¯s help, then shook Jason¡¯s hand. It was a hard, calloused hand, reminding Jason of his great uncle who worked mines his whole life.


    ¡°No worries, mate,¡± Jason said.


    Although his spell only took moments, it attracted the attention of several people, and a short time later Jason found himself inundated with requests for healing. Soon after, a man wearing a badge pinned to his shirt arrived to see what the commotion was. This turned out to be the solitary town constable, who helped Jason get things in order.


    ¡°Alright,¡± the constable said to the growing crowd. ¡°I¡¯m going to take this man over to my office, where he has agreed to heal everyone that turns up for the rest of the day, just like when a regular healer shows up. So go home, bring in your sick. He says he can get to everyone, but he can¡¯t heal injuries, only sickness.¡±


    ¡°Also poisons and curses,¡± Jason told the constable.


    ¡°And if anyone got bit by something venomous,¡± the constable continued, ¡°you can go ahead and bring them in too.¡±


    The crowd didn¡¯t disperse until the constable took Jason inside his small office, where he took a bottle of juice from a magic cooler box and poured them a glass each.


    ¡°You sure you¡¯re good for everyone?¡± the constable asked.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°I could do this all day.¡±


    ¡°You will,¡± the constable said. ¡°Half of them we¡¯ll be turning away, though. I may have said you don¡¯t do injuries, but they¡¯ll bring them in regardless. You from one of the churches?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Then why are you helping all these folk for nothing?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, ¡°since the gods are apparently real, here, I feel like I should be waving the flag for secular morality.¡±


    ¡°Friend, the gods are real everywhere.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what people keep telling me.¡±

 Chapter 35: Greenstone

    ¡°Anything?¡± Rufus asked as Gary walked in. They were renting a three-bedroom suite for their stay in Greenstone. Rufus and Farrah had been waiting for Jason in the sprawling lounge with the huge glass windows overlooking the ocean. The doors to the balcony outside were open to let in the sea breeze.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Gary said. They had been checking daily to see if Jason had registered with the Adventure Society.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a week,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s time to make some discrete inquiries?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Remember, everything is new to him. He¡¯s probably just taking his time to look around.¡±


    Jason was riding on a wagon along the embankment roads of the delta. The wagon was filled with crates containing all kinds of plants, only a few of which were fruits and vegetables. Jason was riding shotgun next to the driver, a man in his mid-twenties. The driver reached back, grabbing a plant with a celery-like stalk. With one hand on the reins, he snapped the stalk in half with the other, a practised gesture. He offered one half to Jason.


    ¡°Not medicinal, this one,¡± the driver said. ¡°I just picked some up because I like it.¡±


    The driver, Jory, was technically an adventurer, although he was the first to admit he rarely went on adventures. His true calling was alchemy, the brewing of potions and elixirs. He went out to the towns and villages looking for materials he couldn¡¯t find in the local markets.


    ¡°Or at a price I can afford in the local markets anyway,¡± he¡¯d cheerfully explained.


    Jory had found Jason in a village, swamped by people looking for healing. It was something Jason had gotten used to as he slowly closed in on the city, through eight towns and villages in as many days. Jory had offered him a ride for the final leg of the journey.


    Jason was never shy about filling a silence, but that was far from necessary with Jory, who talked so much he kept having to wet his mouth from a canteen, even in the humid delta air. He started telling Jason about his alchemy lab in Old City.


    ¡°Old City?¡± Jason asked.


    "You really must be new to the region. Greenstone is split into two sections. Old City is the original city of Greenstone, situated on the original harbour. The other part of Greenstone is the Island. Originally it was meant to be a massive breakwater when the ports of what is now Old City were expanded. Somewhere along the way, they turned it into a haven for all the rich people to leave the rest of us behind.¡±


    ¡°Alchemy doesn¡¯t rake in the money?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not the way I do it,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°So, they made an island, and called it the Island?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Unimaginative, right?¡± Jory asked. ¡°You do want to live there if you can afford it, though. It is very nice. Old City is where the money is made, but the Island is where the money goes.¡±


    Jory explained that adventurers could afford to live on the island, so long as they were actively working. Most of them had been born rich anyway, which was how they got their essences in the first place. Jory¡¯s own family lived there, but he himself lived in Old City. Everything he earned was sunk back into his alchemy research.


    ¡°Most alchemists drive their work forward by pushing the boundaries of what alchemy can achieve at its strongest,¡± Jory said. ¡°The most elaborate techniques, the rarest and most expensive materials. I go the exact opposite way, trying to make things cheaper and simpler. If I can make alchemical products affordable to everyone, not only can it help a huge number of people, but it will open up huge new markets.¡±


    Jason had seen for himself that medicine in this world was essentially just whoever had the healing magic. Both ritual magic and alchemy had ways to heal, but the cost and expertise required placed both out of the reach for most people.


    Most healing was done through the church of the Healer. From what he''d been told, their god supplied the essences and awakening stones that gave them their healing abilities. They could be sought out for a fee, but also sent people around the delta to heal people at more reasonable prices. It sounded good, but Jason had seen firsthand that there was always more demand for such services than supply. Jory hoped to rectify that with easy and affordable medicines.


    ¡°That¡¯s a noble goal,¡± Jason said. ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°Reasonably well," Jory said. "The advantage of researching cheap and plentiful materials is that they¡¯re cheap and plentiful. I¡¯ve even started a clinic out of my laboratory, selling some of my early successes. It helps pay for my research, although the margins are thin to keep it affordable. That was the whole point, after all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should talk to the church of healing,¡± Jason said. ¡°They might be willing to fund your research.¡±


    "I had the same thought," Jory said. "As it turns out, they see who gets healed and who doesn''t as theirs to choose. The poor, in their uneducated ignorance, don¡¯t get the chances the wealthy do to understand the glory of the gods. As such, they need suffering to wash clean their souls.¡±


    ¡°That sounds familiar,¡± Jason said, shaking his head. ¡°You get that kind of thing where I come from, too.¡±


    Moving closer to the city, the embankment roads that crisscrossed the delta gave way to flat ground. All vegetation had been dug out or cut down, leaving a wide-open space in front of the city wall. The wall itself was red-yellow stone, a dozen metres high. Roads leading from all around the delta led up to the high gates.


    ¡°Those are some big walls.¡±


    "There are only a few secure towns in the delta," Jory said. "Most of the population comes into the city during monster surges."


    ¡°This clear space is to see the monsters coming?¡± Jason asked.


    "That''s right. It''s a lot of work to keep land this fertile clear. Back in the day, they used to try and spoil the ground, stop anything from growing."


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think that would be hard,¡± Jason said. ¡°I mean, magic is a thing, right?¡±


    ¡°That might work somewhere else,¡± Jory said, ¡°but not here. There¡¯s an inherent magic to all the water coming down the Mistrun River. It has a strong life vitality, so you can¡¯t stop the growth here. The best you can do is beat it back. After a surge, they let it go until the next one is due. They¡¯ve been keeping it clear for more than a year now. The last few surges have all taken longer than expected to arrive.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t longer gaps good?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes and no,¡± Jory said. ¡°Think about the logistical costs of a surge. Whole populations shift, herds have to be culled and moved. Being in a state of readiness for years at a time is expensive.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you seen it for yourself? You would have been, what? Ten, twelve when the last surge hit?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have monster surges where I come from,¡± Jason said. ¡°They don¡¯t have monsters at all.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have monsters?¡± Jory asked. ¡°Where are you from, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I was living in a city called Melbourne,¡± Jason said. ¡°A long, long way from here. Very lean on monster activity.¡±


    ¡°It must have an absurdly low magic density,¡± Jory said. ¡°Even compared to here, and that¡¯s saying something.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there''s definitely less magic there,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re pretty isolated from anywhere with real magic.¡±


    ¡°How did you get here, then?


    ¡°Not entirely sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°Some kind of magical accident out in the desert reached out and dragged me right out of my bed.¡±


    ¡°Must have been some accident. I have heard about long-distance teleport experiments with shaky results.¡±


    ¡°It was something like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was lucky enough to run into some adventurers who helped me get my bearings.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention a full set of essences,¡± Jory said.


    Jory was iron rank, like Jason. He could sense the essences in Jason''s aura as easily as Jason could sense his. Jason was still new to aura sensing, but he was getting a handle on it. Ordinary people were faint, barely detectable, while those with essences were much clearer. Most villages had one or two people with an essence, while anyone who had reached iron rank with a full set radiated out like a beacon.


    Monsters had an aura strength similar to those of an essence user, but their auras had a different feel to them. Rufus, Farrah and Gary had powerful, bronze-rank auras, but Jason had only caught glimpses. They could all suppress their auras, hiding them from Jason¡¯s senses. Farrah had told him that higher-ranked essences users were expected to contain their auras.


    ¡°I kind of stumbled into those essences,¡± Jason said. ¡°They came quick, but they didn¡¯t come easy.¡±


    They joined a queue of wagons at one of the city gates. The line moved quickly, the guards barely glancing at the contents of his wagon.


    ¡°You¡¯re not carrying anything restricted are you, Jory?¡± a guard asked.


    ¡°Just the usual, Hugh,¡± Jory said, then turned to Jason. ¡°You¡¯re not restricted, are you?¡±


    ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You have a good day, Jory,¡± the guard said. ¡°I¡¯ll bring my mother to the clinic, now you¡¯re back. Her leg again.¡±


    ¡°Always welcome, Hugh.¡±


    Jory drove the wagon through the gate and into the city proper. Most of Old City was built from the same red and yellow stone Jason had seen in the desert, although many buildings were painted in colourful whites and greens. They were mostly one or two levels high, but three wasn''t uncommon. Over the rooftops, he could see the occasional building that jutted five, six or even seven storeys high. The streets were teeming with people, even right in front of the gate. The air was filled with voices and the smell of spice.


    ¡°What¡¯s that I¡¯m smelling?¡± Jason asked as Jory let the wagon confidently into the street, people flowing around it like water.


    ¡°It¡¯s called chittle,¡± Jory said. ¡°It¡¯s cheap, strong and grows all over the delta, so the street vendors all use it. It can take some getting used to.¡±


    ¡°No, it smells good,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to do some wandering around.¡±


    They reached Jory''s combination home, alchemy lab and medical clinic; a large, three-story building. A sign above the door proclaimed it as the Broad Street Clinic. Although the street was crowded, the building was given a wide berth as two people brazenly vandalised the front of the building in the middle of the day. Rather than hooligans, however, they were wearing bright white robes hemmed with blue, yellow and green They both had ceramic pots of red paint and were writing the word ¡®HERETIC'' across the door. There was a small crowd of passers-by who had stopped to watch the show.


    ¡°Ah, dammit,¡± Jory said wearily, pulling the wagon to a halt.


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re from the church of the Healer,¡± Jory said.


    The two men spotted him on the wagon, putting down their pots and brushed to march over and confront him.


    ¡°So the heretic is back,¡± one of them said. They were both young, around eighteen or nineteen.


    ¡°Is this really necessary?¡± Jory asked, still atop the wagon.


    Jason could sense from their auras that both men were essence users. Iron rank, like Jory and himself.


    One of the two opened his mouth for a sneering remark but was pre-empted by Jason.


    ¡°Who are these pricks?¡± Jason asked loudly as he hopped down off the wagon. Walking around the two men, he picked up one each of the pots and brushes they had put down when Jory arrived. Jory and the two men watched him, unsure of what he was doing.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± one of the men asked.


    ¡°I asked first,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is it a local custom to write what we think of people with paint? I¡¯m not sure I can fit ¡®self-important turd nugget¡¯ on your robes. Do you have a smaller brush?¡±


    Still sitting on his wagon, Jory groaned, running a hand across his face. The two men turned red with fury, lunging at Jason. He threw the contents of the pot over the first one and threw a fist at the other. The paint landed but the punch did not. A short time later Jason was curled up on the ground. He could have tried using abilities, but he knew both men were iron rank. He was afraid pulling out powers would be like pulling a knife in a bar fight, escalating things to the point of genuine danger. The clean one was satisfied with having laid Jason out with a punch, but the one splattered with paint was still getting kicks in.


    ¡°Come on,¡± the other one said. ¡°We came to send a message, and the message is sent.¡±


    The painted man gave Jason a final kick, picked up the other pot of paint and tipped it over Jason.


    "Now it''s sent," he said, and the two started walking off. The crowd of onlookers hurriedly parted to let them through, but the pair stopped when a voice called out to them.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Jason called out. The pair turned to see Jason, barely back on his feet, doubled over, but flashing them a bloody-toothed smile.


    ¡°You guys kicked the crap out of me pretty good,¡± Jason groaned. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can point me to a church of the healer?¡±


    The man covered in paint lit up with fury, his face almost matching the red paint splashed on him. Sprinting back with thundering steps, he brought a fist down on Jason¡¯s head. Barely able to stand, Jason¡¯s only defence was a bloody-toothed grin. The fist came down and he crumbled, out cold before he hit the ground.

 Chapter 14: Worlds Apart

    Jason sat on the bottom stair of the chamber while Farrah removed the collars from Rufus and Gary. His whole body was wracked in pain after using the last of his mana to conjure the cloak and float down from the top of the chamber.


    ¡°Explain something to me,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you can do¡­¡±


    He gestured at the sections of wall and floor melted by lava.


    ¡°¡­that, then how did they catch you in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Ambush,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We were meant to resupply and get information from a local contact. Instead, he set us up for capture.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to go find him,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°And have a sizzling conversation,¡± Farrah added.


    ¡°But first,¡± Rufus said, ¡°we have to get back to the Vane Estate. They still have Anisa and I¡¯m concerned about the cultists that Jason lured away. If they left because they saw the tides turning, they¡¯re probably heading back to the Estate.¡±


    ¡°You think they¡¯ll use Anisa as a hostage?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Possibly,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They might take her for leverage, or worse.¡±


    After the collars were removed, Rufus and Gary started stretching like they¡¯d just woken up. Farrah, in the meantime, held her hand out over the ground and chanted something quietly. It was a short chant, only a few words. When she was done, a large chest made of dark brown stone rose out of the ground. It didn¡¯t break through the floor, instead rising up through it, like a ghost. Farrah pushed open the hinged, heavy lid and took out fresh clothes for herself, Gary and Rufus. They all started changing clothes, having no qualms stripping down to their underwear in front of Jason or each other.


    Jason glanced surreptitiously at the three of them. Rufus and Farrah had the bodies of Olympic athletes; lean muscle filled with the power of coiled springs. Gary was so huge he made bodybuilders look like they were still under construction. His wild mane and leonine features completed his majestic appearance. Jason didn¡¯t know what passed for handsome in Gary¡¯s species, but he suspected Gary was it.


    ¡°Why am I the only one who isn¡¯t super good-looking?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Rufus asked, looking over as he pulled on a shirt.


    Jason thought back to the beautiful Cressida Vane, standing next to the ordinary-looking high priest Darryl, and was struck by an unpleasant revelation.


    ¡°I¡¯m the Darryl,¡± he said disconsolately.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jason said, shoulders slumping gloomily.


    ¡°Clothes are fine,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but we need to get our gear back.¡±


    ¡°I just hope the ones who left didn¡¯t go back to the manor and swipe it all,¡± Gary said.


    Watching the others change clothes reminded Jason that he had completed the quest to get a shirt. He¡¯d forgotten because that was two cages and a shovel to the head ago. He stood up and pulled the shirt from his inventory, discovering it was plain, white T-shirt, complete with what looked like machine stitching. Holding it out in front of him, he read the text printed on the front.


    I WENT TO A MAGICAL ALTERNATE UNIVERSE AND ALL I GOT WAS VAST COSMIC POWER.


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°This must be what insanity feels like.¡±


    ¡°What does it say?¡± Gary asked, moving up to examine the shirt.


    ¡°You can¡¯t read this?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not in any language I know,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Probably for the best,¡± Jason said as he pulled on the shirt.


    You have equipped [Starting Gear] outfit. Outfit tab has been added to your inventory.


    ¡°Outfit tab?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Nothing, never mind.¡± Jason said.


    Jason checked his inventory, which now had a second screen he could access with a tab at the top labelled ¡®outfits¡¯. Jason was now used to navigating the screens with a thought and opened the new section. It showed a silhouette with various slots for equipment, most of which were empty. There was also a column to the left, empty aside from two entries. The first was listed as ¡®starter gear¡¯, the second as ¡®new outfit¡¯.


    ¡°How does that work,¡± he muttered to himself.


    Help: Outfits.


    You can designate sets of gear as outfits, allowing you to quickly switch between them. Outfits can be modified by adding or removing items from item slots. An outfit can only be equipped so long as all items in that outfit are in the inventory or already equipped.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    He noticed the others were all watching him stare into the distance and mumble to himself.


    ¡°You alright there, Jason?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°Actually, now you say it¡­¡±


    He¡¯d been pushing through on a potent mix of panic and adrenaline, but now the immediate threat was gone he was starting to crash. His wooziness came back, his vision going dark and blurry. He stumbled forward, dropping to his hands and knees as his empty stomach again tried to heave out what wasn¡¯t there. The next thing Jason knew, something was being splashed over his face.


    Sputtering awake, he was helped into a sitting position and a glass bottle was shoved into his hands.


    ¡°Drink it,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s just water. You can¡¯t take any potions for at least a couple of hours.¡±


    As Jason slowly sipped at his water, he looked over the icons he could see at the edge of his vision. The health silhouette showed a warning yellow all over, with a more ominous orange on his head and mid-section. The potion cooldown icons were also present, but were completely greyed out. There was an icon for the mana toxin, with more than two hours listed under it.


    While Jason was taking stock of his miserable condition, the others were recovering theirs with stamina potions from the magic chest. After drinking his, Rufus made a sour face.


    ¡°Oh, that was sickly. What happened to the other potions?¡±


    ¡°Gary chose the flavour,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s nice,¡± Gary said defensively.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Rufus only likes things when they¡¯re bitter.¡±


    After letting him rest awhile, Gary pulled Jason easily to his feet. Jason wavered and Gary held him upright until the dizziness passed.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve passed out¡­ three? Four times today? I think my brain might be bleeding.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t use potions on you any time soon,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but once we get Anisa back, she can heal you.¡±


    ¡°What are we waiting for, then?¡± Jason said.


    They left the chamber through the huge stone doors. Jason glanced back at the space he had hidden in behind one of them. The tunnel was surprisingly long, carved directly out of the stone.


    ¡°Who made this tunnel?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It must have been a tough job.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t be that hard,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Construction magic would make it a straightforward process.¡±


    She looked up and down the extensive length of the tunnel.


    ¡°Might have taken a while, though,¡± she acknowledged.


    They emerged from a gap that, at a distance, would have looked like a natural crevice. They were on the gentle slope of the lower portion of a mountain that tapered up to a towering height. The upper reaches were black and lifeless, while the lower portions turned to yellow stone and red earth, with patchy coverage of dry, yellow grass. There was a wagon outside the tunnel, wheels chocked to stop it rolling down the slope. It had a yoke for animals, but the harness was cut and the animals were gone.


    ¡°Did they scatter the horses so we couldn¡¯t use the wagon?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What are horses?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never heard of horses?¡±


    The other three shook their heads.


    ¡°Then what was pulling the wagon?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Heidels,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°What¡¯s a heidel?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a work animal, the kind you see everywhere,¡± Gary said. ¡°They pull wagons, carry packs. You can ride them. I can too, but you can tell they don¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the name is just different,¡± Jason said. ¡°Four legs, hooves?¡±


    ¡°Sounds right,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Long body,¡± Jason continued, ¡°long head.¡±


    ¡°Heads,¡± Gary corrected.


    ¡°Heads?¡± Jason said. ¡°As in more than one?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, two heads, scales, horns¡­¡±


    ¡°That sounds horrifying,¡± Jason said. ¡°We are definitely not talking about the same animal.¡±


    ¡°The animal doesn¡¯t matter if there aren¡¯t any here,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Which means we start walking.¡±


    Jason looked down the slope, getting a panoramic view of the land below. It was a flat, dry landscape of sandy yellows and sober reds, punctuated by withered grass or spiky scrub. Every so often, a low tree with sparse foliage would jut reluctantly up from the barren earth. The sun hammered relentlessly down over all of it, but the arid air was almost pleasant after the cloying humidity of the sacrifice chamber.


    The climate bore no resemblance to the moderate warmth and lush greenery he had experienced in the hedge maze. Even the heat had felt different there, more pleasantly warm than this unforgiving desert air. He remembered looking at the world map, a warped, but not entirely different globe to the one with which he was familiar. It marked his position as being in the Kalahari Desert, which matched the terrain now before him.


    They started down the slope, Gary in the lead. He was wearing loose clothing to let air flow through, along with a hood to shield him from the sun. The others were wearing more fitted clothes but didn¡¯t appear discomforted.


    ¡°They brought us here while I was unconscious, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°How long was I knocked out for? This is very different from the place we were before.¡±


    They all turned to look him with curiosity.


    ¡°The Vane Estate was using climate magic,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you notice when you went there in the first place?¡±


    ¡°Actually, how did you get involved with all this?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°Now that we have time to talk.¡±


    ¡°Um, I think I might have been summoned,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not on purpose, obviously. I mean, who¡¯d summon me? I went to bed, which was last night, as far as I know, and woke up in the middle of the Vane family hedge maze. I sort of stumbled around for a bit until I found one of the residents, and from what I gather he was trying to summon something and got me instead. He called me something that sounded specific. I don¡¯t remember what, exactly. ¡®Other-worlder,¡¯ maybe?¡±


    ¡°Outworlder?¡± Rufus suggested.


    ¡°Sounds right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is that what the name suggests? Is this really a whole different world?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve always been in this one,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You¡¯d have to tell us if it¡¯s different enough from where you came from.¡±


    Jason thought about the flying eels and leech monsters, people throwing around magic chains and streams of lava. Healing potions, reading languages he¡¯d never seen before. The magic powers he¡¯d used for himself. All of it was impossible.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely different enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°My world has its share of strangeness, but this is a whole different kind of strange. Some things are weirdly the same, though. Like hedge mazes, and people named Gary. I have a cousin named Gary. Not as tall as you, Gary, but almost as hairy.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a leonid?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a glandular thing. We don¡¯t have leonids on my world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not well versed in astral magic,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of outworlders, but it isn¡¯t my field of expertise.¡±


    ¡°Alternate realities maybe,¡± Jason said. ¡°Some things are the same, others different. If that¡¯s what this is, then this world diverged from mine a very long time ago. The continents are different, but not completely. The fundamental physical laws here have some interesting addenda. My world doesn¡¯t have magic, at all. Or a second moon. I did see a second moon, right?¡±


    ¡°Your world only has one moon?¡± Gary asked. ¡°That¡¯s weird.¡±

 Chapter 15: Outworlder

    They continued walking through the stony desert. There was a rough trail to follow back to the manor, and Jason¡¯s map ability had apparently been plotting locations, even when he was unconscious. The hard ground was uneven but not too difficult to walk on.


    There was a stash of water bottles in Jason¡¯s inventory, provided from Farrah¡¯s own magical storage space. The pounding heat was not helping Jason¡¯s condition and he emptied one bottle after another.


    Jason was grateful they were walking over dry, hard earth instead of trudging through endless sand dunes. His knowledge of African geography was limited but he¡¯d seen a documentary about Namibia¡¯s Skeleton Coast once. From what he could remember, things got very sandy there. Of course, it could be a completely different in another world.


    The others helped introduce him to their world as they marched on.


    ¡°What I don¡¯t understand,¡± Jason said, ¡°is why I have abilities that I never had before. Is it because my world doesn¡¯t have magic, but this one does?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I don¡¯t know much about outworlders.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d never heard of them before this,¡± Gary said, ¡°so don¡¯t look at me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve met some before,¡± Rufus said, prompting groans from Gary and Farrah.


    ¡°What?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Of course you have.¡± Gary complained.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Rufus asked again.


    ¡°Your childhood friend is the Crown Princess of Vitesse,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°This again?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault who my parents chose to socialise with.¡±


    ¡°So, Rufus is a big deal?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Rufus glared at the other two.


    ¡°I do know a little bit about outworlders,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They¡¯ve been pulled into our world from another one through some magical accident. Usually a summoning spell that''s gone awry.¡±


    ¡°The evil cult lady¡¯s son,¡± Jason said. ¡°He blamed me for ruining his magic thing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it usually works,¡± Rufus said. ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware. I¡¯m no expert.¡±


    ¡°This happens enough that there¡¯s a name for it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°My understanding is that it¡¯s something that happens in high-magic worlds like ours,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I really don¡¯t know any more than that.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way to go back home?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Rufus said. ¡°If there is, it probably involves magic well above our level, let alone yours.¡±


    Jason bowed his head in disappointment.


    ¡°Jason, tell me if this sounds familiar,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Do you have some kind of guide that helps you interact with our world? Something that doesn¡¯t fit our world but does fit yours. Maybe something you¡¯ve heard of from a legend, or a part of your world¡¯s mythic traditions. Something that exists in your world as a story, but here has become real.¡±


    Jason thought about the video game interface he had been experiencing. The quests, the inventory system. The map he had open at that moment, even if the others couldn¡¯t see it.


    ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something all outworlders have,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It works differently for every outworlder, but whatever magic that brought them here changes them. It gives them abilities to help them adapt and survive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I can read languages I¡¯ve never seen?¡±


    ¡°And speak languages you¡¯ve never spoken,¡± Rufus added.


    Jason frowned.


    ¡°Someone say something,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t even realise it, did you?¡± Rufus asked.


    Jason focused on the sounds, rather than the words. It wasn¡¯t English. He didn¡¯t know if it was more disturbing that he could speak some unknown language or that he didn¡¯t notice he was doing it.


    ¡°I have an ability,¡± he said, listening to the sounds he was making. ¡°One of the effects is called language adaptation. Does that mean I can speak any language and not even notice?¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you sound like you learned the language from a skill book,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I do?¡±


    ¡°You do,¡± Farrah said. ¡°There¡¯s a recognisably neutral accent and things sometimes come across as odd because of the difference in language structure. It¡¯s a giveaway, if you¡¯ve seen it enough. Colloquialisms can translate very strangely.¡±


    ¡°Your telling me the old lingo is hard yakka to get the noggin around?¡± Jason asked, leaving them looking at each other in confusion.


    ¡°It seems there¡¯s a limit to the translation,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You might want to stick to plain language.¡±


    ¡°Stuff that for a bag of chips,¡± Jason said, laughing as three brows creased in confusion.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to know how that got translated,¡± he said


    They continued on, answering more of Jason¡¯s questions as they trudged through the desert. At least, Jason trudged. The others looked as comfortable as they would strolling through a park.


    ¡°Outworlders like you might have their advantages,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but we natives have advantages of our own. Take Gary, here. His leonid race are stronger and faster than us, and that¡¯s only the beginning of what leonids can do. Elves are powerful spell casters and their skill with healing magic is unparalleled.¡±


    ¡°I forgot there were elves¡± Jason said. ¡°Some guy said he wanted to eat one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°They¡¯re cannibals, Gary,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Of course it¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°What about dwarves?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Gnomes? Non-copyrighted small people who live inside hillocks?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what any of those things are,¡± Gary said. ¡°Except for hillocks.¡±


    ¡°We have elves,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Leonids like Gary, obviously. We¡¯ll eventually be heading for a port city, so while this region is human-dominated, you¡¯ll see all kinds of people.¡±


    ¡°Each of which have their own special gifts,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Some are there from birth, while others only show themselves once you get essences. Humans like Rufus and I are kind of like you, in a way. Our abilities differ from person to person, based on our essences. Most start out dormant, only awakening as we absorb essences.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only things humans get, though,¡± Gary said. ¡°Humans have their essence abilities increase faster than other races. They¡¯re kind of annoying about it.¡±


    ¡°Do I get that?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯m human, right?¡±


    ¡°Um¡­ I have some bad news,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You¡¯re an outworlder, now. Not a human.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a human?¡±


    ¡°Not strictly, no¡± Rufus said. ¡°You might be kind of human.¡±


    ¡°That somehow sounds worse,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I met an elf outworlder,¡± Rufus said. ¡°She retained some of her race¡¯s abilities, while others were replaced by her outworlder gifts. It¡¯s possible you might still have some human abilities.¡±


    ¡°Every race gets exactly six gifts,¡± Farrah said. ¡°There are ways of examining them with magic.¡±


    ¡°I can do that myself,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You can?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said, pulling up his list of abilities.


    Racial Abilities (Outworlder)


    [Interface].[Quest System].[Inventory].[Map].[Astral Affinity].[Mysterious Stranger].


    ¡°I have a half-dozen already,¡± he said. ¡°I think these might all be outworlder abilities. Do humans normally get astral affinity?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That¡¯s something celestines get.¡±


    ¡°Celestines?¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s not something we have where I¡¯m from.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re similar to elves and humans,¡± Farrah said. ¡°One of the many new kinds of people you get to meet.¡±


    ¡°As long as none of them try to eat me,¡± Jason said.


    As they walked on across rocky desert landscape, the dry heat started to overwhelm Jason. His head started throbbing worse and worse until he was no longer walking in a straight line. They found a rocky outcropping to rest in the shadow of, Rufus helping Jason along.


    The others fetched out bronze spirit coins while Jason sipped at his water, laying back on the warm rock.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need water?¡± Jason asked Gary. The enormous leonid was covered in fur, which can¡¯t have been pleasant in the desert heat.


    ¡°Gary¡¯s people require a lot more exertion than the rest of us to get tired,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Another one of his racial gifts.¡±


    ¡°Also, when you have a full set of essences, you don¡¯t need to eat or drink anymore,¡± Gary said. ¡°You can, of course, but just for pleasure.¡±


    ¡°To actually sustain ourselves,¡± Rufus said, ¡°we need a concentrated source of raw magic.¡±


    He held up the spirit coin he was holding.


    ¡°There are various ways to get it,¡± he continued, ¡°but spirit coins are the easiest, by far.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky I even had that water,¡± Farrah said, ¡°because we don¡¯t need it. I just like to be prepared.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re using coins,¡± Jason said. ¡°What about the after-effects? Using those coins knocked it right out of me.¡±


    Rufus popped the spirit coin into his mouth.


    ¡°It¡¯s about not going over your limit,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We¡¯re bronze-rank adventurers, so a bronze coin will sustain us without stressing our bodies.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What, bronze rank?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Also, adventurer,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is that where you guys hang around in a tavern until someone hires you to kill forty gnolls in a dungeon?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a gnoll?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°And why would there be forty of them in a dungeon?¡± Farrah added. ¡°Are gnolls a kind of criminal?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an organisation,¡± Rufus said, forestalling more unhelpful questions. ¡°It¡¯s called the Adventure Society. They give out jobs to people like us, mostly to deal with monsters that are threatening towns, villages or whatever.¡±


    ¡°But sometimes to investigate a cult full of bloodthirsty cannibals,¡± Gary added.


    ¡°As for bronze rank,¡± Rufus said, ¡°that¡¯s related to your essence powers. Once you have all four essences, you become iron rank, and you can work your way up from there. Bronze is one rank above iron, but you can worry about that later. Reaching iron rank will fundamentally change you. Make you powerful.¡±


    ¡°Not that powerful,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Not straight away. You become partially resistant to attacks that don¡¯t have any magic behind them. You live on magic instead of food and water.¡±


    ¡°But my world doesn¡¯t have any magic,¡± Jason said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean if I became iron rank or whatever and then go back, I¡¯d eventually run out of coins and starve?¡±


    ¡°You can get by on food and water,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It just takes more of it, depending on how powerful you are. Some foods are better than others. Meat, sugar, anything with magical ingredients, obviously.¡±


    Jason was relieved. He could handle living on protein bars and cake. Was he immune to getting fat?


    ¡°We owe you for getting us out of that mess,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We¡¯ll help you find a full set of essences.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do have a couple of extras,¡± Jason said. ¡°On top of the one I used, already.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get those?¡± Gary asked. ¡°I thought you only arrived in this world today.¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just kind of¡­ came across them.¡±


    Rufus raised a sceptical eyebrow.


    ¡°You just came across them?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know; here and there.¡±


    ¡°I can do an essence ritual for you,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Not before we find Anisa, of course. Who did the ritual for your first essence?¡±


    Farrah¡¯s suggestion prompted some of the ritual magic knowledge in Jason¡¯s mind the skill book had put there. Remembering something he never learned in the first place was an odd sensation, like d¨¦j¨¤ vu. The new knowledge in his head told him that an essence ritual was required for a person to absorb an essence. Except, he knew from experience that wasn¡¯t always true.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t actually use a ritual,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just kind of absorbed it. I think it was part of the same power that lets me speak all the languages.¡±


    ¡°What was that like?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Just straight-up absorbing it?¡±


    ¡°Strenuous,¡± Jason said. ¡°I passed out.¡±


    ¡°Can I watch when you do the next one?¡± Farrah asked. She was looking at Jason like a scientist with a lab rat.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t hurt to have someone watching out for you,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We at least owe you that much.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even decided what I want to do,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been too busy trying to not die.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s to think about?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t want power?¡±


    ¡°Hey look,¡± Farrah said, pointing out ahead of them. ¡°I can see it.¡±


    As they crested a rise they could see, in the distance, a strange patch of green in the middle of the desert.


    ¡°Let¡¯s pick up the pace,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can,¡± Jason said. Under the harsh desert sun he was sweating buckets, his skin tingling with the promise of sunburn.


    ¡°Farrah, get him another bottle of water,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Gary, are you alright to carry him?¡±


    ¡°Wait, carry me?¡± Jason said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound very dignified.¡±


    The others turned to look at him and he looked down at himself. The filthy skin and clothes; the stains from blood, muck and sweat. The ridiculous shirt. Then there was the smell that all the sweating had turned from bad to egregious.


    ¡°Never mind,¡± he said.

 Chapter 16: Rescue Party

    Rufus, Farrah and Gary were racing across the desert, feet pounding into the dry earth. Rufus had told Jason they would be running at a sustainable pace. Their unflagging momentum confirmed his words, but they were moving at a pace that, in Jason¡¯s world, would be the equal of world class sprinters.


    Jason had little time to think about such things as they stormed over the rough ground at ten metres a second. He was draped over Gary¡¯s back like a cloak, legs flailing as he desperately clenched his arms around the tree trunk Gary used as a neck. Any concerns over dignity quickly went out the window. His only objective became not getting thrown off.


    The edge of the estate grounds was startlingly apparent; a green line of grass and trees cutting across the barren browns and yellows of the desert. Like stepping into a different world, a single step took them from scorched air and unyielding earth to cool grass and a welcoming breeze.


    They slowed down and stopped just across the line. Rufus and Farrah crouched, hands on knees, panting heavily while Jason poured off Gary¡¯s back to form a puddle on the ground. He groaned miserably as Gary looked down at him.


    ¡°You¡¯ve built up quite a sweat for a guy who didn¡¯t do any running,¡± Gary chuckled. Despite all his fur, body mass and having carried Jason, he wasn¡¯t even breathing heavily like Rufus and Farrah. He looked as comfortable as if he¡¯d been lounging at a pool, rather than sprinting through the desert. Jason, sweating enough for both of them, raised his head to retort.


    ¡°Brshrglkrk.¡±


    He didn¡¯t care that his mouth was too dry for vowels, only regretting the energy he had expended to lift his head. He was happy to let it drop back onto the soft grass.


    Farrah once again pulled her magic chest out of the ground. Retrieving a handful of potion vials, she handed one each to Rufus and Gary.


    ¡°Stamina potions,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Gary said as Rufus knocked his back without hesitation.


    ¡°I think he needs one more than any of us,¡± Farrah said, looking at Jason. ¡°Too bad, really.¡±


    ¡°He has water,¡± Rufus said.


    Jason pushed his unwilling body into a sitting position and pulled a bottle from his inventory. He started chugging it thirstily.


    ¡°Life is hard, outworlder,¡± Rufus said without sympathy. ¡°And you, my friend, are soft. If you want to get by in this world, you¡¯ll need to toughen up.¡±


    Jason struggled to his feet.


    ¡°How did you all handle the desert so well?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I was being carried and it broke me. I think I got sunburn through my clothes.¡±


    ¡°How much do you know about the four attributes?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°I remember that there are attributes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now that you say it. There¡¯s the strength one and¡­ some others.¡±


    ¡°One of the others is recovery,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Our recovery attributes are all in the upper range of bronze tier, so our bodies replenish themselves as fast as the desert can take it out of us.¡±


    ¡°Unless we push ourselves too hard,¡± Rufus said. Jason unhappily compared himself to Rufus, whose glistening sweat and unconscious poise made him look like a model for an athletics calendar. Jason, by contrast, looked like a rag someone had just used to clean up a spill.


    Replenished somewhat by the water and the rest, Jason took a look at the startling border between desert and garden. It was a straight line, like a border betweens worlds. A single step went from scorched, desert earth to springtime in an English country garden. Looking along the border, Jason spotted pillars placed periodically along the edge, white stone columns with magic symbols carved into the surface.


    ¡°Are those things making it like this in the middle of the desert?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re only part of it,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It takes a large and sophisticated system to make something like this work.¡± She handed out spirit coins to Gary and Rufus. All three popped them into their mouths.


    ¡°What now?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Now we get to the manor house,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We find Anisa and kill everyone else.¡±


    ¡°I like this plan,¡± Gary said. Grey light started sparkling around him, growing thicker until it formed a set of metal armour, encasing his entire body. It was thick and heavy, made from dark steel plates held together with large bolts. Engraved into the surface were runes that looked to have been carved out with a blade, rough but radiating strength. Where the engravings dug into the dark metal, red forge light shone from within.


    ¡°That¡¯s impressive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Isn¡¯t it hot in there?¡±


    ¡°Heat I can handle,¡± Gary said. After seeing him sprint through the desert like he was jogging on the beach, Jason believed it.


    Rufus held out a hand, around which motes of golden light were gathering. The light coalesced into a sword in Rufus¡¯ hand, an elegant scimitar that seemed as much a work of art as a weapon. The hilt was a vibrant red gold, as was the edge of the blade. The bulk of the blade was yellow gold that shone like the sun, with red gold inscriptions running down its graceful curve.


    After Gary and Rufus called their impressive equipment, Jason looked over at Farrah.


    ¡°All the stuff I conjure is made of rock,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯m not carrying that lot around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d conjure up my cloak,¡± Jason said, ¡°but even if I had the mana, I think it¡¯d kill me.¡±


    ¡°What can that cloak ability do?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°It gets bright or dark,¡± Jason said unenthusiastically. ¡°It can also make me lighter, so I can jump from high places.¡±


    Suddenly he perked up.


    ¡°Oh, and it lets me walk on water,¡± he said. ¡°I haven¡¯t tried that yet, though.¡±


    ¡°I have some magic boots that let me do that,¡± Rufus said, then frowned. ¡°At least I did, until they were taken from me. We¡¯ll get our equipment back after we¡¯ve freed Anisa.¡±


    Before sending away the stone chest, Farrah took out two belts with heavy pouches. One was grey, which she handed over to Gary, the other red, which she kept for herself.


    ¡°What are those?¡± Jason asked. He watched Farrah loop her belt into her clothes, while Gary tied it around the outside of his armour. The heavy metal suit barely seemed to impede him.


    ¡°Summoning materials,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Summoning?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Let¡¯s not tarry more than we have to.¡±


    They set off through the grounds. The outer areas were manicured woodlands, shaded gravel trails making their way through artfully placed trees and shrubbery. Somewhere he could hear the babbling of a stream.


    ¡°This is nice,¡± Jason said, looking around.


    ¡°Indulgent,¡± Rufus criticised. ¡°They should be working with the surroundings instead of against them. The cost of building and maintaining all this in the middle of the desert is beyond extravagant.¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Gary said. ¡°There¡¯s a desert city not too far from where I grew up. It has a subterranean river, and half the city is built underground around it. They use the natural landscape to their advantage. Hardly any core infrastructure requires magical upkeep.¡±


    ¡°Is that Zartos you¡¯re talking about?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Wait, did you just say Zardoz?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, Zartos,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Is Zardoz a place in your world?¡±


    ¡°No, Zardoz is¡­¡± Jason searched for the best way to describe it. ¡°Lets just say it¡¯s for the best you didn¡¯t say Zardoz.¡±


    ¡°Have you been to Zartos, Rufus?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°No, my brother told me about it,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He said it was definitely worth seeing.¡±


    ¡°Knowing your brother,¡± Farrah said, ¡°he probably meant the women.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not that bad,¡± Rufus said, prompting looks from Gary and Farrah. ¡°He¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°Zartos has a large celestine community,¡± Gary said. ¡°But I suppose your brother didn¡¯t tell you about that.¡±


    ¡°He may have mentioned it,¡± Rufus said evasively. ¡°In passing.¡±


    ¡°Celestines,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s another one of the races in this world, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Like elves they¡¯re famous for being attractive to human sensibilities.¡±


    ¡°We only have humans in my world,¡± Jason said. ¡°The idea of meeting whole new races is exciting.¡±


    He slapped Gary on the back, which was currently encased in metal.


    ¡°But you¡¯ll always be my first, Gary,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I like your attitude,¡± Gary said. ¡°Humans have something of a bad reputation when it comes to other races.¡±


    ¡°I can believe it,¡± Jason said. ¡°My world only has humans and we¡¯re still awful to one another. My Dad¡¯s parents came from a different country from where I grew up, so I look different from most of the people I know. People in my own country look at me like I¡¯m a foreigner. Even the people who do look like me call me a banana.¡±


    ¡°A banana?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Yellow on the outside, white on the inside,¡± Jason said. ¡°My Mum¡¯s name is Cheryl; why can¡¯t I listen to Pat Benatar without people turning it into a thing.¡±


    The other three looked at each other, shaking their heads.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us know what that means,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Probably for the best,¡± Jason said.


    The cultivated woodlands were small, soon giving way to gardens of colourful flowers. The pathway continued out from the woods weaving its way through the garden beds. Beyond lay the manor house, which Jason hadn¡¯t seen from the outside before. Like the grounds, it was very much in the vein of a sprawling English country house. Three storeys of old stone and dozens of windows, in the old money style.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s the hedge maze over there,¡± Jason said, pointing as they made their way through the garden. ¡°I woke up in there with no idea of where I was or what was going on.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where they found you?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°It would be nice if it was that simple,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Quiet,¡± Rufus ordered. ¡°We could meet enemies at any point. We have no idea how many were left behind or if the others came back from the sacrifice chamber.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure I should be going with you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly an asset if combat breaks out.¡±


    ¡°You want to stay by yourself?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Uh, no.  Now that I think about it.¡±


    ¡°Then shut up.¡±


    They moved out from among the flowerbeds and onto the lawn in front of the manor.


    ¡°Seems quiet,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Use our summons now?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°We go quiet as we can until we find Anisa,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We don¡¯t want someone deciding to make her a hostage.¡±


    Suddenly glass shattered as a person crashed through a second storey window. He landed hard on the ground, but immediately scrambled up and into a sprint. He was taken aback to find the four people looking at him, but didn¡¯t pause as he kept running.


    ¡°You think you can run from me?¡± a woman¡¯s voice roared from the broken window, prompting a laugh from Gary.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have to worry about someone taking her hostage,¡± he said.


    Three spheres of bright light erupted from the broken window, spinning around each other as they pursued the fleeing man. He was bleeding from the broken glass and limping from the fall, but still moving faster than Jason could have managed. It still wasn¡¯t enough to escape the accelerating spheres of light, flashing white and gold as they unerringly pursued him.


    When they caught up, the spheres started spinning around him, firing beams of light into his body. He let out a painful cry with every beam that lanced into his flesh, but he kept moving in the drive to escape. The orbs tenaciously followed his every movement, firing over and over until he dropped. His screams gave way to dead silence. The spheres vanished.


    The group looked back to the broken window, in which a pretty blonde woman was now standing. She stepped out into the air, light glowing under her feet as she delicately drifted to the ground. She started walking across the lawn to meet them.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you all say she was the healer?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°This lady here,¡± Jason said. ¡°The one with the death orbs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s her,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Suddenly I''m less enthused about subjecting myself to her ministrations.¡±


    Anisa was slender, almost frail-looking, with platinum-blonde hair and pale skin. She was wearing a practical outfit of fitted pants and top, all in spotless white. Sturdy-looking cloth covered her from neck to boots, with thicker panels over vital areas. There was a belt, also white, with many small pouches and a sword at her hip. Even her boots were white, without so much as a blemishing smear of dirt. Her hair was cinched severely back into a ponytail, revealing ears that gently tapered to a point. She moved with lithe grace and absolute confidence, nodding her head in greeting.


    ¡°You got free as well,¡± she said, as if expecting no less. ¡°Why is there a vagrant following you around?"

 Chapter 17: A Conservative Pillage

    ¡°Aren¡¯t you the person that tried to get us out of the cages but got hit upside the head?¡± Anisa asked, giving Jason a second glance.


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Jason said.


    Jason recognised Anisa¡¯s voice from where they had all been locked up in cages. He recalled she hadn¡¯t thought much of him, even then. She looked him over, her expression suggesting her opinion hadn¡¯t improved.


    ¡°He¡¯s lucky you were there,¡± she said to the others. ¡°I hope you didn¡¯t let him slow you down.¡±


    ¡°Actually, he rescued us,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I find that hard to believe,¡± Anisa said.


    ¡°It was something to see,¡± Gary said. ¡°He¡¯s taken a few too many blows to the head, though. We¡¯ve been dumping potions into him, but only a couple of hours in the desert left him a wreck. Any chance you could throw a healing spell his way?¡±


    Anisa turned her gaze back to Jason. With a reluctant grimace, she held a hand out in front of his face and recited a short chant.


    ¡°Let the life that has withered return to full bloom.¡±


    ¡°I think ¡®withered¡¯ might be a bit harsh,¡± Jason said.


    A soft light started shining from under his skin. The perpetual ache in his head turned sharp, the now-familiar sense of magic healing, although the spell was far gentler than the potions he had consumed.


    You have been affected by [Regenerate]. Your health will be restored over time.


    An icon appeared in his vision relaying the remaining duration of the spell. The injury indicator in Jason¡¯s vision was still yellow and orange, but over the half-minute duration of the spell, the health silhouette all cooled to a healthy green. His head had long been an overfilled balloon threatening to burst, until the healing magic deflated it to his great relief. He fell into a sitting position on the grass, letting out a long, satisfied breath.


    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± he said, letting himself fall back, arms splayed out. ¡°I¡¯m suddenly very sleepy. I don¡¯t think being unconscious is actually very restful.¡±


    ¡°You can sleep after we¡¯ve cleared this place out,¡± Rufus said, moving to stand over Jason. He held out a hand, which Jason gripped reluctantly, letting Rufus pull him to his feet.


    ¡°You found our gear, then,¡± Gary said, looking at Anisa. Rufus, Farrah and Gary had changed clothes, but were still various degrees of sweaty and dirty, while Anisa wasn¡¯t just geared-up but also clean. Jason looked the worst of the lot. His shirt was sweaty and smeared with trail dust, while his pants could only be described as wretched.


    ¡°They have a store room in the cellar complex under the manor,¡± Anisa said. ¡°Most of our equipment was there, but they¡¯d already taken some of it away. Including the dimensional bags, which is why I didn¡¯t bring it with me.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start there, then,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They didn¡¯t take my boots, did they?¡±


    ¡°Your boots are still there,¡± Anisa said, prompting relief on Rufus¡¯ face.


    ¡°Summoning time?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°No,¡± Anisa countermanded. ¡°Your summons are both too destructive. My church is seizing this estate, so I won¡¯t let you destroy it.¡±


    ¡°Let the summons search the grounds,¡± Rufus said. ¡°If that doesn¡¯t flush out any hiding cultists, nothing will.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll ruin the grounds,¡± Anisa said.


    ¡°Priestess,¡± Rufus said to Anisa, ¡°You brought this contract to us, so I¡¯m willing to accommodate you, but only to a degree. After what we¡¯ve already gone through, I am not going to compromise the capabilities of this team to save your church from hiring a landscape gardener. Is that understood?¡±


    Anisa¡¯s face was a picture of unwillingness, but she nodded acquiescence.


    ¡°My dad¡¯s a landscape architect,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we could get him out here, though.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Gary said. ¡°We¡¯ll just whip out the old summons and then pillage the manor.¡±


    ¡°You will not,¡± Anisa commanded.


    ¡°Come on, Rufus,¡± Gary said, not bothering to appeal to the elf. ¡°What¡¯s the point of being an adventurer if we can¡¯t do a little looting?¡±


    Rufus frowned.


    ¡°Any personal possessions you find, you can take,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Anything that is part of the manor stays where it is. That¡¯s furniture, decorations, art, whatever. And no unnecessary damage.¡±


    He waving a finger between Gary and Farrah.


    ¡°This means you two,¡± he said.


    Anisa still looked like she had a mouthful of lemon, but didn¡¯t protest further.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Gary said. ¡°It¡¯ll be a conservative pillage.¡±


    ¡°Not helping,¡± Rufus said through clenched teeth. ¡°Gary, Farrah, you¡¯re staying out here. Use your summons to flush out any loose cultists.¡±


    ¡°But the loot,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Maybe think about that next time you open your big mouth,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°My mouth was closed,¡± Farrah complained, drawing a scolding look from Rufus.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said.


    ¡°Just find any cultists still on the ground and pick up any who make a run for it,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Anisa and I will sweep the manor, so you may get some people running out.¡±


    ¡°What about my gear?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°You can collect it once the place is clear. Do you really need your hammer now that the collar is off?¡±


    Gary held up a fist, now encased in metal by the gauntlet of his armour.


    ¡°No,¡± he acknowledged reluctantly.


    Gary¡¯s chagrin seemed to mollify Anisa somewhat. Gary stepped away from the group and untied from his belt the pouch Farrah had given him earlier. Opening a small flap that served as a nozzle, he started pouring a grey powder from the pouch onto the ground in a circle.


    ¡°Are those iron filings?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They are,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Summons are a little more involved than most essence abilities and require something to act as a medium. Salt circles are the most common, but plenty use other things. For Gary¡¯s ability, it¡¯s iron filings.¡±


    She patted the pouch on her own waist.


    ¡°For me it¡¯s obsidian powder. We keep a good supply of both in my magic chest.¡±


    Gary finished pouring out the iron filings into a circle and returned the pouch to his belt. Then he crouched down and held his hand out, which startled Jason by spontaneously bursting into flame. Unconcerned, Gary reached out and touched the circle. The iron where his finger touched almost immediately turned red and started to melt, smoke coming off the ground where the grass met the burning iron. The flame spread like burning a fuse, making its way around the circle.


    Once it was a complete ring of glowing metal, complex magical patterns started appearing inside the circle. From those patterns something rose up as if emerging from the ground, but the ground remained unbroken. It was a humanoid figure, crudely hewn from ugly black iron. With it came a strong smell of ozone.


    It was huge, around three metres tall. It looked ungainly and menacing, like something hammered together from leftover slabs of pig iron. In between the joints, the glow of molten metal could be seen shining from within. The head was flat and blank. The centre of the torso looked to be two separate pieces of metal pushed together, the edges ridged like interlocking teeth. As he watched, its torso opened like a hideous mouth, revealing a pool of molten metal inside, radiating heat over the group before closing shut again.


    ¡°Impressed?¡± Gary asked Jason, having already cheered up.


    ¡°Very,¡± Jason said. ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a foundry golem,¡± Gary said proudly. A droplet of molten metal dripped from it, sizzling as it hit the ground.


    ¡°I do understand why Anisa doesn¡¯t want it in the house,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You too?¡± Gary asked sadly.


    Anisa was giving Jason an unhappy glare.


    ¡°You,¡± she said, making it sound like a swear word, ¡°may address me as Priestess.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t care for being talked to like he was something scraped off the bottom of a boot.


    ¡°Well you,¡± he said with an insolent grin, ¡°may address me as Rakishly Handsome Jason.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Anisa said, barely believing what she just heard.


    ¡°You¡¯re excused,¡± Jason said pompously, as he looked away. ¡°Just don¡¯t let it happen again.¡±


    Anisa¡¯s eyes went wide and Rufus stepped into her path as she took an angry step forward.


    ¡°Jason, you should probably stick with Gary and Farrah,¡± Rufus said.


    Farrah took her turn to summon a creature. She poured out her own circle next to the ring of scorched earth that had been Gary¡¯s. Farrah¡¯s process was the same, right down to the powder melting into a red-hot ring. Instead of a golem like Gary, Farrah¡¯s summon was a pile of black and red magma with arms.


    ¡°Lava that can punch you with a fist bigger than my head,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why does she get that when I get to see in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Gary said, ¡°what essence did you use?¡±


    ¡°The dark essence.¡±


    ¡°Well, hers came from the volcano essence, so there you go.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a volcano essence? That definitely sounds better than mine.¡±


    ¡°That depends,¡± Gary said. ¡°Farrah¡¯s not great when it comes to sneaking.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because she has volcano powers,¡± Jason said. ¡°Everyone else has to do the sneaking.¡±


    Gary considered for a moment.


    ¡°That¡¯s a pretty good point,¡± he acknowledged.


    Rufus and Anisa made for the house as Gary and Farrah set out though the grounds.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe they made us wait outside,¡± Gary said. As they walked, the two monstrous figures ranged ahead. Both emanated searing heat, so Gary and Farrah didn¡¯t keep them close.


    ¡°I can believe they made you wait outside,¡± Farrah told Gary.


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯ll catch some cultists,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯d be nice,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°How long do these summons last?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Depends on your power level,¡± Farrah said. ¡°A few hours for me and Gary.¡±


    It was around an hour later that Rufus came out to find them. He looked down the row of scorched archways cutting a straight line through the hedge maze.


    ¡°You said flush them out,¡± Gary said defensively.


    ¡°You were unspecific as to how,¡± Farrah added.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, ¡°he did point at you and say, ¡®no unnecessary damage, this means you.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Whose side are you on?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Justice.¡±


    Farrah snorted a laugh.


    ¡°Did you actually find anyone?¡± she asked.


    ¡°There was one guy in some kind of storeroom,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Did you get anything out of him?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°The storeroom kind of burned down with him in it,¡± Gary said.


    Rufus shook his head.


    ¡°We found a carriage shed with a missing carriage,¡± Jason said. ¡°It looked like they left in a hurry. Seems like someone raided the valuables and made a run for it, not even stopping to pick up the stuff they dropped.¡±


    ¡°Cowards,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°They can¡¯t be cowards,¡± Jason said. ¡°They would have needed those horrifying monsters to pull the carriage.¡±


    ¡°Monsters?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re not monsters,¡± Gary said. ¡°Heidels are just normal animals.¡±


    Jason had his first encounter with a heidel when they found the stables. They were the size and shape of a horse, but with scales in instead of hair and two heads, each of which had a horn sticking out of the forehead. To Jason¡¯s eyes it looked like someone had put two unicorns and a lizard in a teleporting machine and they came out blended together.


    ¡°They¡¯re horrifying.¡±


    ¡°If you think they¡¯re bad,¡± Farrah said, ¡°you¡¯re in for it when you see an actual monster.¡±


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Gary asked Rufus.


    ¡°We found a few people squirreled away. After those cultists came back, the lord of the manor cleared out the vault and they all took off, leaving the staff behind.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the lord that high priest guy?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Apparently not,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°What did you do with the cultists you caught?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We questioned them and then we killed them,¡± Rufus said, matter-of-factly.


    ¡°You just executed prisoners?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡± Farrah asked.


    Jason ran a hand over his face, the energy draining out of him.


    ¡°Oh, damn it.¡±

 Chapter 18: One of Us

    With their sweep through the manor house, the group completed their mission. The cultists were dead or running and they found plenty of documentation pointing them to the main cult.


    ¡°So, these people were only a local branch?¡± Jason asked as he rifled through a closet.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said, opening a chest of drawers. ¡°It¡¯s called the Red Table. They¡¯re only weak in remote areas like this. Core membership takes higher-ranked adventurers than us to deal with.¡±


    They decided to remain at the manor overnight before leaving. Jason was able to explore and was surprised at what he found. Rather than the medieval technology he was expecting, magic had been used to replicate amenities from indoor plumbing to lighting to refrigerators. The horrors found in the cannibals¡¯ kitchen were the stuff of nightmares.


    Jason was looking for clothes to replace the filthy rags his current outfit had become. The local fashion was big on loose fits, letting airflow combat the desert heat. That made it easy to find something in his size.


    He put together something suitable and took a hot shower, the water flow and temperature controlled by a pair of crystals. Stepping out feeling refreshed, he put on some of the new clothes. The top was lightweight and breathable, fully covering the arms and with a wrap-around hood to shield the head and face from the sun. Gary had worn something similar for their previous trek across the desert. The rest of the outfit was some loose pants and practical desert boots. Underneath were the silkiest pair of boxer shorts he had ever encountered.


    He hesitated before using purloined underwear, but he decided not to go commando when they headed back into the desert. He wondered if he had killed the person whose clothes he now wore. As for his old clothes, only the t-shirt was salvageable. The pants and sandals were beyond saving and got thrown away.


    You no longer own items belonging to the [Starting Gear] outfit. [Starting Gear] outfit has been removed from the outfit tab of your inventory.


    Remembering the outfit tab, Jason played around with it, creating several outfits from the clothes he had collected. His snake tooth dagger had been retrieved along with the gear from the rest of the group, so it joined the default ensemble, along with the snakeskin belt and sheath. He put together a few extra outfits, creating more sets for them. Conveniently, items in the outfit tab didn¡¯t take up space in his main inventory slots.


    The most interesting part was when he changed outfits. Switching gear-sets shrouded his body in dark mist for a brief moment, during which the old gear was returned to the inventory and the new gear appeared directly on his person. He switched rapidly back and forth between outfits to try it out. The dark smoke lightly tingled his skin.


    Night time found Jason laying in a bed, staring at the ceiling. He was exhausted after the strangest and most dangerous day of his entire life, but his mind refused to retreat into sleep. Shoving off the covers, he opened his inventory to throw on one of his new outfits.


    The group had claimed bedrooms in a row on the top floor. A shared balcony connected all the rooms, each accessible through French doors. Jason opened his set of doors and wandered out. He rested his hands on the balustrade and looked up at the sky. In a massive field of stars, a pair of moons shone bright, one half moon and one crescent.


    ¡°I really am in a different world.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just figuring that out?¡± Rufus¡¯ voice came from behind.


    Jason turned to see Rufus emerging from his own room. He walked over and joined Jason in leaning on the balustrade.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t sleep either?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m on watch,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We don¡¯t think the cultists will come back, but they¡¯ve surprised us before. We¡¯re rotating turns through the night.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t want me to take a turn?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Honestly? No.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°Good call.¡±


    He turned his gaze back to the sky.


    ¡°So why aren¡¯t you sleeping?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°I would have thought you¡¯d be out the moment you hit the sheets.¡±


    ¡°Everything that happened today just keeps running through my head,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was concussed for most of it, so it feels like it wasn¡¯t me, somehow. But it was me. It was my hands I washed the blood from.¡±


    ¡°You were impressive today,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We¡¯d be dead if it wasn¡¯t for you.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t feel impressive,¡± Jason said. ¡°It felt like a perpetual state of desperation and panic. I think all the blows to the head may have helped, strangely enough. My head hurt like hell, but I was too punch drunk to really think about what was happening. Otherwise I would have freaked out and hidden under a table.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of adventurers. Most you can teach, but some will never have what it takes. Others¡­¡±


    He patted Jason in the shoulder


    ¡°¡­ others take to it like it¡¯s what they were born for. You¡¯ve got the stuff, Jason.¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯ve got the stuff,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not the stuff you¡¯re talking about, anyway. When I first woke up here, I had no idea of what was happening or where I was. I didn¡¯t think any of this was real. The best explanation was that I¡¯d gone mad and it was all in my head.¡±


    ¡°You thought I was imaginary?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°By the time I met you,¡± Jason said, ¡°I was past stopping to contemplate. I was too busy scrambling from one deadly situation to the next.¡±


    ¡°You certainly arrived in rough circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Impossible circumstances, from my perspective,¡± Jason said. ¡°Everything in this place is impossible. Where I come from, there¡¯s no magic, no elves. Definitely no awesome lion-men named Gary. Monsters are just myths and metaphors. Stories we tell ourselves about the dark corners of our own nature.¡±


    ¡°But now you believe it? That all this is real?¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Anisa gave me pause, but yeah.¡±


    ¡°Anisa?¡±


    ¡°A haughty, elf girl in tight leather that doesn¡¯t hide how much she dislikes me? That¡¯s exactly the kind of thing my brain would throw out.¡±


    Rufus gave Jason a sideways look.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me like you don¡¯t have hang-ups,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say a thing.¡±


    ¡°Sure, mate. But I get it. She¡¯s real. It¡¯s all real. This experience has been too long and too coherent, even with the concussion. Any explanation that makes sense in my world doesn¡¯t fit. At least, none that I know of. Hallucinations, madness, dreams. The ability to muster even a little bit of logical detachment implies that they aren¡¯t the answer.¡±


    Jason sighed again.


    ¡°If nothing else,¡± he continued, ¡°there¡¯s just too much going on for me to have come up with all of it. I don¡¯t have the imagination to have thought up all this. I mean, broad strokes, maybe, but not all the little details.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Rufus said, ¡°now that you¡¯ve accepted it, what comes next?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Jason laughed. ¡°If I¡¯m really here, then I guess I start looking for a way home.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem too enthusiastic about that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t leave a lot behind,¡± Jason said. ¡°I kind of made a mess of my life.¡±


    ¡°A fresh beginning, then,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You can start by becoming an adventurer, like us.¡±


    Jason looked over at Rufus.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s what I want,¡± Jason said. ¡°This, today, is what you do, right?¡±


    ¡°It normally goes better,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Not so dangerous. Although it¡¯s a dangerous life; I won¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the danger that worries me,¡± Jason said. ¡°Well, it is, but that isn¡¯t what¡¯s keeping me awake.¡±


    ¡°It was the first time you¡¯ve killed someone?¡± Rufus asked softly.


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°This time yesterday,¡± Jason said, ¡°I hadn¡¯t been in a fight in ten years. I don¡¯t remember what it was about. Some nonsense that seemed important when I was thirteen. A child¡¯s fight, for a child¡¯s reasons. But I killed people today. I can tell myself they were evil, but that doesn¡¯t matter. I can say I was defending myself, but I manipulated people in order to bring about their deaths.¡±


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the even worst part,¡± he said. ¡°That came later, when I was laying in bed. A stranger¡¯s bed, maybe even someone I killed. That was when I realised I had to count to remember how many people I murdered today.¡±


    Jason fell quiet and they stood in silence, looking out into the dark for some time.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing your world is a safe one,¡± Rufus said after contemplating Jason¡¯s words.


    ¡°Not all of it,¡± Jason said. ¡°But my part, yeah.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Rufus said. ¡°But you have to accept that you¡¯re not there any more. This world can be hard, and life can be cheap. You said it doesn¡¯t matter that the ones you killed were evil, but you¡¯re wrong. You think we were the first people on their chopping block? You saw what was in that kitchen. There¡¯s a larder downstairs with a cell to keep people in, and it wasn¡¯t a new cell, either. They¡¯ve been doing this for a long time. If we hadn¡¯t stopped them, they¡¯d have killed us too, and plenty more after. I don¡¯t know what justice is like in your world, but in this one, it sometimes comes down to people like us dealing with people like them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can be that hard,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I saw you today,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You can be.¡±


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t want to be?¡±


    Rufus nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s a choice only you can make. I don¡¯t know what kind of person you were before, but this is a chance to leave that person behind. To become whoever you choose to be. That¡¯s a rare chance. Just remember that every choice has its consequences. Even if you choose to do nothing.¡±


    Rufus looked over at Jason, then back out at the night sky.


    ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Being an adventurer can open every door, give you everything you ever wanted. Power, money, respect. Travel the world, see amazing things. Nine days out of ten, being an adventurer is the best thing you could possibly be. But on that tenth day, that¡¯s the one where you earn all the others. Where you make the hard choices, where you walk through fire so no-one else has to.¡±


    Rufus turned to Jason, giving him a weary smile.


    ¡°Has it made me callous?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°Yes it has. Has it cost me sleep? Absolutely. But there¡¯s a whole lot of people sleeping safe and happy tonight because of me and people like me. You can be one of those safe and happy people if you want. Never making the hard choices; never doing the things that need to be done. But think about what happened to you today. You stood up in a horrifying situation and you took control. The safe and happy people don¡¯t get to do that. When fate comes for them, they need people like me to stand in its way. That¡¯s fine; it¡¯s what I¡¯m here for. But if you want to control your own fate instead of people like me doing it for you, then you have to become one of us.¡±


    Rufus took a deep breath, letting it out slowly.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie¡± he continued. ¡°If you become an adventurer like we are, this won¡¯t be the last night of sleep you lose.¡±


    ¡°Is it worth it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Only you can answer that. You saved lives, today, mine included, but you had to stain your hands doing it. If you got to remake those choices, would you do it all again?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Rufus pushed himself off the balustrade.


    ¡°Give it some thought,¡± he said. ¡°When you can answer that question, maybe you¡¯ll know what to do. I¡¯m going to patrol around a little. You¡¯ve got a lot to think about.¡±


    He walked off, but Jason called out to him before he disappeared back into the manor.


    ¡°Rufus.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°If I decide to become an adventurer, what do I need to do?¡±


    ¡°We can teach you,¡± he said, ¡°but you start by absorbing more essences. Before everything else, adventurers are strong.¡±

 Chapter 19: I Want a Lava Cannon

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m comfortable doing it with everyone watching,¡± Jason said.


    It was a clear-skied morning, but the magic affecting the manor¡¯s climate dulled the scathing desert heat to a pleasant warmth. Jason, Rufus, Gary and Farrah had gathered on a terrace, sitting out on some patio furniture. Most of them were gathered around a picnic table in chairs, but Gary was too big for the chairs and went to pick up a low bench.


    ¡°But you said I could watch,¡± Farrah said to Jason.


    ¡°Actually, you asked,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but he didn¡¯t answer either way.¡±


    ¡°I want to watch too,¡± Gary said. He picked up the bench, which turned out to have been affixed to the tiled terrace. Some of the tiles came loose along with the bench. Gary looked at the damage and shrugged.


    ¡°Can you please stop destroying the place?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°Anisa is prickly enough at the best of times.¡±


    ¡°Compared to what we did to the hedge maze, this is nothing,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°And you somehow think that makes it better?¡± Rufus asked.


    Gary walked back to the group and dropped the bench loudly. The legs were uneven after having been torn from the ground, but Gary was happy enough and plonked himself down. The bench loudly scraped the terrace under his weight as Rufus wearily shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m part of the Magic Society,¡± Farrah said to Gary. ¡°My interest in seeing Jason use an essence is academic. What would you get out of it?¡±


    ¡°What else am I going to do?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Help Anisa organise documents? No thanks.¡±


    ¡°That probably wouldn¡¯t go well for anyone,¡± Farrah acknowledged.


    The missing member of the group, Anisa, was in the manor¡¯s main study. They had managed to dig out various letters and other records linking the occupants to the blood cult in other regions. Before they left the manor behind, she was gathering it together for use as evidence.


    ¡°You might as well stick around,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t want anything happening to me if I pass out again. Don¡¯t anticipate a great show of dignity.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a little surprised you got your hands on so many essences,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You did say you only arrived in our world yesterday, right?¡±


    ¡°It was a busy day,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong there,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Should I be doing this on an empty stomach?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯m hungry, but I don¡¯t trust any of the food here. All the kitchen had was every nightmare I¡¯m ever going to have again.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but we didn¡¯t pack food.¡±


    ¡°Right, you all eat money, which definitely isn¡¯t weird. I do have some tyrannical pheasant meat. Maybe we could roast it with your fire powers.¡±


    ¡°I love tyrannical pheasant,¡± Gary said. ¡°How did you stop it from dissolving with the rest of the monster? Do you know monster harvesting magic?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a magic for that? It¡¯s an ability I have.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Outworlders all have different abilities, but they¡¯re usually all focused around giving them the tools to survive.¡±


    Farrah nodded.


    ¡°Looting abilities are rare, and valuable, but far from unique.¡± she said.


    ¡°If you have enough essences to make a full set, you can get to iron rank,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Then you can just eat some coins as well.¡±


    ¡°A full set of essences is four, right?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯ve only got two more, plus the one I already used. I don¡¯t suppose you have another one on you?¡±


    ¡°Three is enough,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I keep forgetting that you really don¡¯t know anything. Once you use your third essence, a fourth one manifests itself on the spot. They¡¯re called confluence essences, because they¡¯re a result of the three essences you already have. In my case, I used the fire, earth and potent essences, which gave me the volcano essence.¡±


    ¡°Confluence essences only manifest after three essences are used,¡± Rufus added. ¡°You can¡¯t find a volcano essence anywhere. Even when essences manifest near a volcano, you¡¯ll usually get essences like fire and earth.¡±


    ¡°Is that where essences come from?¡± Jason asked. ¡°They just appear randomly?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Your world may not have any magic, but this one has it in abundance. To the point where it just starts manifesting all over the place.¡±


    ¡°Most magic manifestations are monsters,¡± Rufus explained. ¡°They just appear, hopefully in the wilderness, but the magic they¡¯re made of isn¡¯t stable. Eventually they break down and dissolve back into magic. Killing them just makes it faster.¡±


    ¡°Just say you killed something that wasn¡¯t a monster but an animal,¡± Jason said. ¡°A giant snake, for example. That wouldn¡¯t dissolve into a stinky cloud?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Monsters frequently aren¡¯t a problem when they first manifest, but as they get closer to breaking down they become highly aggressive. The bulk of our job as adventurers is hunting them down before they reach that stage.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just going places and killing everyone you find?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d have the stomach for that. I definitely wouldn¡¯t care to work with those that did.¡±


    ¡°How long do monsters last before they go berserk?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Depends on the rank of the monster,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Lesser monsters only last a week or two. They start so close to breaking down that they¡¯re aggressive from the moment they appear, but they aren¡¯t really a threat. An old woman with a broom can handle them. Iron rank monsters last about a month, getting aggressive in the final week or so. It goes up from there, but this is a low magic region so mostly you¡¯ll see iron rank with a smattering of bronze.¡±


    ¡°Monsters have ranks, then?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Do they use essences too?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It just means they exist within a certain power threshold. Whether an essence user or a monster, each rank has a suppressive effect on lower ranks. We¡¯re all bronze rank. If you were to fight any of us, your iron-rank abilities would have much less effect.¡±


    ¡°You can overcome that briefly by boosting your attributes with spirit coins,¡± Farrah added. ¡°That only works to a degree, though, and not for very long. You have to pick your moment, because it will leave you weaker once the strength fades.¡±


    ¡°I know all about that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There are other manifestations of magic,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They¡¯re not alive, which makes them more stable and they stick around until you use them.¡±


    ¡°Essences,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the most powerful manifestation,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Also the rarest. Then there¡¯s quintessence, which is kind of like chunks of essence.¡±


    ¡°Could you get a pile of it and use that as an essence?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Afraid not,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°People have been trying to make that work for years,¡± Farrah said. ¡°There¡¯s always some crackpot who claims to have figured it out, but it isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    ¡°Quintessence is still useful, though,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°It may not be as powerful as an essence,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but it gets used a lot more. Ritual magic, alchemy, weapon forging.¡±


    ¡°I make weapons and armour,¡± Gary said. ¡°I go through quintessence by the pile. Literally, piles of it.¡±


    ¡°We found a magic supply storeroom yesterday,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They took all the good stuff when they left, but there was quite a lot of iron-rank quintessence left behind.¡±


    ¡°Nice,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°The last manifestation of magic is awakening stones,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Mostly they¡¯re used to awaken essence abilities, but they can be used in various kinds of magic as well.¡±


    ¡°Like the thing they were trying to sacrifice us to,¡± Jason said. He took out four red crystals from his inventory, laying them on the table in a row.


    ¡°We all had one of these in some kind of ritual bowl, wired into our cages,¡± he said.


    Rufus picked one up.


    ¡°I wonder what kind of stone they are,¡± he mused.


    ¡°Awakening stones of the feast,¡± Jason said. ¡°All four are the same.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re pretty common,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I had one manifest in my kitchen when I was a kid,¡± Gary said, ¡°right into a pot of soup. My dad said that¡¯s why the soup tasted funny, but I think he was just bad at making soup.¡±


    ¡°They can be useful with the right essences,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They¡¯re common, so there¡¯s no telling what kind of ability it can give you. They¡¯ll be related to the concept of a feast, but that can manifest in any of hundreds of powers.¡±


    ¡°Thousands,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The more rare an awakening stone is, the more specific the powers.¡±


    ¡°So, rare stones are better?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not necessarily,¡± Rufus said. ¡°A common as muck awakening stone can give you any ability the rarest could. It just has a much higher pool of potential powers. Rare stones don¡¯t give out better abilities, just more specific ones. So if you want a specific kind of ability, that¡¯s when you need to find yourself the right flavour of rare stone.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any guarantees, though,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Even the rarest stone might not give you what you want. You should always remember, though, that the biggest determinate of what ability you get is the essence it comes from.¡±


    ¡°I have this blood essence,¡± Jason said, pulling a red cube from his inventory. The slick surface looked like it was wet with blood, but it was dry and warm to the touch.


    ¡°Hardly surprising that you found a blood essence around here,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Blood is a fantastic essence,¡± Gary said enthusiastically. ¡°You might get a health-drain power if you use all those feast stones. Then you can be your own healer.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It could be almost anything with common stones, but blood, plus feast? The chances are decent.¡±


    ¡°Self-healing would be useful,¡± Rufus said, ¡°given how hard it can be to get a healer on your team. We¡¯ve struggled with that ourselves.¡±


    ¡°What about Anisa?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Anisa is a temporary addition,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It¡¯s usually just the three of us.¡±


    ¡°Self-healing is very common with the blood essence,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Don¡¯t expect much in the way of powerful attacks, though,¡± Farrah warned. ¡°Blood essence abilities tend to be more insidious. Bleeding, poison, that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°No lava cannon?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Sadly no,¡± Farrah said with a chuckle.


    ¡°But I want a lava cannon.¡±

 Chapter 20: By the Power of Grayskull

    ¡°You probably want your essence abilities to be more well-rounded than Farrah¡¯s,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Farrah complained.


    ¡°In terms of raw power, Farrah is easily the strongest of us,¡± Rufus said. ¡°But that focus comes at the cost of versatility.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s great at blowing things up,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°It¡¯s true,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I am good at blowing things up.¡±


    ¡°Which, admittedly, solves the bulk of our problems,¡± Rufus said. ¡°But when overwhelming, barely-contained annihilation isn¡¯t the answer, it leaves her somewhat at a loss.¡±


    ¡°Power is always the answer,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Mass destruction sounds pretty good to me,¡± Jason said, ¡°but it doesn¡¯t seem like the blood essence would give me that. Should I use it, or hold out for something better?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up to you,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It¡¯s best to consider what other essences you¡¯ll have.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve already used the dark essence,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That could work,¡± Farrah said. ¡°A sneaky assassin type. A bit of poison here, exsanguination there.¡±


    ¡°Just make sure you avoid the death essence,¡± Rufus said, the others nodding in agreement.


    ¡°Death essence?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The death essence has some powerful abilities,¡± Gary said, ¡°but they come with big drawbacks. Very few essences have side-effects, but death can produce some nasty ones.¡±


    ¡°Remember how we explained about confluence essences?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s your buy three, get one free deal on essences, right?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said. ¡°More or less. Some confluence essences are produced by a wide variety of combinations. The death essence has a nasty habit of producing the confluence essence undeath. There are many combinations that produce it, almost all of which involve the death essence.¡±


    ¡°Take the blood essence you have here, for example,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Add in a death essence and pretty much anything else and the undeath essence will pop right out.¡±


    ¡°Undeath is bad,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°The abilities in the undeath essence have a nasty habit of turning you into some kind of unliving monstrosity,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°If it came along with the blood essence,¡± Farrah said, ¡°you¡¯d almost certainly get an ability that turns you into a vampire.¡±


    ¡°Vampires are a thing?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They are,¡± Rufus said, ¡°and they¡¯re bad. For one thing, they can¡¯t sustain themselves with spirit coins or even regular food anymore.¡±


    ¡°They drink blood,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°They do,¡± Rufus confirmed. ¡°Imagine having vast magical powers and an unquenchable thirst for blood.¡±


    ¡°Not a combination good for public safety,¡± Jason said.


    Rufus nodded.


    ¡°People with the undeath essence almost always awaken a power that changes them like that,¡± he said. ¡°Such powers are very strong, but they all bring with them unnatural appetites.¡±


    ¡°If that wasn¡¯t enough,¡± Farrah added, ¡°they can often turn normal people into monsters like them. Not with the essence powers of the original, but dangerous enough.¡±


    ¡°Vampires turning other people into vampires,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can¡¯t beat the classics.¡±


    ¡°Even if the undeath essence doesn¡¯t turn you into a monster,¡± Farrah added, ¡°it tends to give out less than palatable abilities.¡±


    ¡°You already said the blood essence has life-draining powers,¡± Jason said. ¡°Less palatable than that?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gary growled. ¡°No one will mind if you drain some health out of a guy that stabbed you. As long as you don¡¯t drink his blood to do it, anyway. When you raid the local cemetery, though? No one wants their dead family members shambling into town as part of your undead army.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s one of the lesser evils,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We actually all met fighting a zombie plague,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°A proper zombie plague?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Zombies turning other people into zombies, the whole deal?¡±


    ¡°The whole deal,¡± Gary said. ¡°Entire towns were burned out just to contain it. Bad business.¡±


    ¡°None of us want to see something like that again,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If you get the undeath essence we¡¯ll kill you ourselves.¡±


    Jason looked at the expression on the faces of the others and saw they weren¡¯t joking.


    ¡°Avoiding the death essence then,¡± he said.


    ¡°On top of everything else,¡± Rufus said, ¡°the Adventure Society has a list of restricted essences that pose an inherent threat to ordinary people.¡±


    ¡°The death essence sitting at the top of that list,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Mostly it¡¯s combinations of essences,¡± Rufus explained, ¡°since the confluence essence is usually the bad one. The death essence is on the list by itself, through, because it always seems to go wrong. You need to pay attention to the restricted essences. It¡¯s impossible to get membership in the Adventure Society if you have one of them.¡±


    ¡°And I want to be a member of this Adventure Society?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You do,¡± Rufus said emphatically.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, ¡°I don¡¯t have a death essence, but I¡¯m a little wary of the one I do have.¡±


    Jason took a second cube from his inventory. This one looked like white jade flecked with gold.


    Item: [Sin Essence] (unranked, legendary)


    Manifested essence of transgression (consumable, essence).


    Requirements: Less than 4 absorbed essences.Effect: Imbues 1 awakened sin essence ability and 4 unawakened sin essence abilities.You have absorbed 1/4 essences. Once absorbed, an essence cannot be relinquished or replaced.You are able to absorb [Sin Essence]. Absorb Y/N?


    ¡°May I?¡± Farrah asked, reaching for the essence. Jason nodded and she picked it up, turning it over in her hands.


    ¡°Pretty,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t recognise it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a sin essence,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Farrah asked, examining the white and gold cube. ¡°It looks more like the holy type.¡±


    Rufus looked at Jason with a thoughtful expression.


    ¡°You have an ability to identify items, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s one of my outworlder things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it before from other outworlders,¡± Rufus said.


    Farrah placed the cube back on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of the sin essence before,¡± she said. ¡°It must be one of the really rare ones. I would have thought a sin essence would be all dark colours.¡±


    ¡°You have a problem with dark colours?¡± the midnight-skinned Rufus asked.


    ¡°I knew a guy with the sin essence,¡± Gary said. ¡°Back when I was growing up there was this priest in my home town who had it.¡±


    ¡°A priest had the sin essence?¡± Farrah said. ¡°Who was he a priest of?¡±


    ¡°God of Justice,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Seems a little odd,¡± Rufus said. ¡°What kind of powers did he have?¡±


    ¡°I was just a kid and it was a long time ago,¡± Gary said. ¡°He was bit of a hard man, the way those Justice guys can be. I seem to recall a lot of smiting going on.¡±


    ¡°I could get behind some smiting,¡± Jason said. ¡°Hold up; you guys have gods here?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Gary said. ¡°You don¡¯t have gods in your world?¡±


    ¡°We have religions,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the same thing?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°No it is not. Do your gods turn up and do things? Where people can see them?¡±


    ¡°Of course they do,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Anisa¡¯s a priestess. We¡¯ve seen her god show up in person. Spend some time in the worship square of any good sized city. You¡¯ll see one sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°That must forestall a lot of theological debate,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°If you decide to use that sin essence,¡± Gary said, ¡°you might not want to tell Anisa about it.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s a priestess of the God of Purity,¡± Farrah explained.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You have a problem with purity?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°In my world, you have to keep an eye on the ones who talk about purity all the time. Leave them be and they start rounding people up into camps, getting all enthusiastic about purging the unclean.¡±


    ¡°That does sound like something Anisa would get behind,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Her church has this idea that the essences we use change who we are, so they only like the ones they see as holy or pure. They say other essences taint the soul.¡±


    ¡°You say that like you think she¡¯s wrong,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°She is,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Essence abilities aren¡¯t inherently good or bad. Like a sword they can be used to oppress or protect. The accountability isn¡¯t with the tool, but the one wielding it. The only people who advocate that essences guide our actions, instead of the other way around, are religious zealots and people looking to abdicate the responsibility for their actions.¡±


    It was clear Rufus was speaking from experience, and not a good one.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you all just finish explaining that I need to be careful of essences changing me?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That was a warning about rare and extreme cases,¡± Rufus said. ¡°That¡¯s what the restricted list is for. But people try and claim that extends to all essences, when it simply doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Not that Anisa would agree,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Anisa is wrong,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to pull out the restricted list,¡± Farrah said, getting up. ¡°See if the sin essence is on it before Jason decides what he¡¯s going to do.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Rufus said.


    Farrah caused her stone storage chest to rise out of the ground. It rose up through the terrace without breaking through the tiles, like it wasn¡¯t truly substantial until it had completely emerged.


    She took out a stone tablet from inside the chest. It looked to be made of swirling blue and white marble, with script written across it in what looked like actual gold. Farrah touched a finger to the script and it started shifting about, the text changing in front of their eyes.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°This is called a living document,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It stores large amounts of information and is connected to a central record. When the central record is updated, the information in the tablet changes. This one has the full list of every essence and essence combination known to the Magic Society.¡±


    ¡°Is that different to the Adventure Society you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we can explain all that once we get back to civilisation,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°The tablet is lot more expensive than a paper copy of the list,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but it¡¯s smaller and doesn¡¯t have to be replaced when the list is updated.¡±


    ¡°Does it get updated a lot?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There are all kinds of essences,¡± Farrah explained as she kept her eyes on the shifting text of the tablet. ¡°Many of them are extremely rare. Most people go for tried and tested combinations, but there¡¯s always someone trying new things. Ah, here we are.¡±


    She found what she was looking for in the tablet and the text stopped changing about.


    ¡°We can look up an essence and see what combinations are known for it, as well as any restricted combinations,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Looks like your sin essence is in the rarest category. There really aren¡¯t a lot of them going around.¡±


    ¡°Is it restricted?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not by itself,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Not a big list of known combinations. Looks like there is one restricted combination. Never heard of the succubus essence before. Probably because it takes two insanely rare essences.¡±


    ¡°What about the essences Jason has?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Hold on. Dark, blood and sin, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I have,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually here,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It produces the doom essence, another one I¡¯ve never heard of. Not restricted, so good news.¡±


    ¡°Did you say the doom essence?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I did,¡± Farrah said, putting away the tablet. ¡°Sounds imposing, right?¡±


    ¡°Is that something I really want to run around with?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± Gary said. ¡°Who¡¯s going to mess with the guy with the doom essence?¡±


    ¡°Did it say what kind of abilities it produces?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Affliction specialist is what¡¯s listed,¡± she said.


    ¡°Affliction specialist?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is that like a ¡®death by a thousand cuts¡¯ kind of thing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gary said. ¡°Ongoing damage, debuffs.¡±


    ¡°Did you just say debuffs?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yeah that¡¯s where¡­¡±


    ¡°I know what debuffs are,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just wondering how directly my ability translated that word.¡±


    ¡°So what do you think?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°Afflictions are an uncommon specialty, and the exact opposite of what Farrah does. Her damage powers are immediate and explosive, but she exhausts herself quickly. An affliction specialist is weaker in short fights but unparalleled in drawn-out conflict.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°I say go for it,¡± Farrah said. ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of affliction specialists, which will put you in demand.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get called out for all the big fights, too,¡± Gary said. ¡°When it comes to the really tough monsters you want staying power. In a battle like that, someone who burns through all their mana like Farrah is just trashy.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    Jason looked at Rufus.


    ¡°What do you think I should do?¡±


    Rufus gathered his thoughts for a moment before answering.


    ¡°Affliction specialists usually don¡¯t have abilities that will hit hard and fast. That gives them a harder time with what most people consider the easy fights,¡± Rufus said. ¡°As a trade-off, they become more and more dangerous the longer a fight goes on. They have endurance. An enemy others will exhaust themselves fighting, an affliction specialist can fight multiples of at once. It isn¡¯t an easy path, though. It requires good judgement to avoid losing a fight before you really get going.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also the intimidation factor,¡± Gary said. ¡°Smart people don¡¯t mess with affliction specialists. Poisons, curses, setting your insides on fire. Even if you kill them, you might be a dead man walking. No one wants that kind of enemy.¡±


    ¡°There is certainly a social factor,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Affliction masters scare people.¡±


    ¡°Should I do it, then?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Use these essences I have?¡±


    ¡°My advice would be yes, you should,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if the easy fights aren¡¯t quite as easy. The hard fights are what matter. You¡¯re going to need skills to make it work, which you  don¡¯t have right now. But I can teach you.¡±


    ¡°Now there¡¯s an offer not to refuse,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Rufus¡¯ family runs one of the most exclusive prep academies for adventurers in the world. Kings go to that school. If he¡¯s willing to teach you, let him.¡±


    ¡°We all owe you, Jason,¡± Rufus said. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for you, we¡¯d be dead right now, and we aren¡¯t going to forget that. So we¡¯ll do our best to help you find your feet as an adventurer. Maybe you can eventually discover a way home.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said, ¡°although I wouldn¡¯t have gotten out of there without you either. If I¡¯d just ran out of that chamber I¡¯d be in the middle of the desert. No water, no idea where I was or where to go. Even if the cultists hadn¡¯t chased me down, I¡¯d have died out there anyway.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Gary said. ¡°You seem to have a way of turning situations around.¡±


    ¡°I think turning the sun around is a bit beyond me,¡± Jason said.


    He placed a hand on the blood essence sitting on the table.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°I guess we should do this before Anisa comes out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t worry about that,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I left her buried in documents in the study. I think she¡¯s going to read every piece of paper in the whole manor to make sure she doesn¡¯t miss anything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Jason said, ¡°because I have an awakening stone that seems a little questionable as well.¡±


    Jason picked up his two essences and stood up. Jason was concerned about passing out again, so he led them off the terrace and onto the grass where they all sat on the lawn.


    ¡°So how does this work?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I just kind of do it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I want to try something this time, though.¡±


    He held up the blood essence in his hands.


    ¡°Fabulous secret powers were revealed to me when I held aloft my magic cube¡­¡±


    He raised the cube above his head with one hand.


    ¡°What in the world are you doing?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I told you, I¡¯m trying something,¡± Jason said. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to work, but it wouldn¡¯t be the least plausible thing I¡¯ve seen in the last day.¡±


    Jason lowered his arm back own.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to suspect that it isn¡¯t just that you¡¯re an outworlder,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I think you might be strange in any world.¡±

 Chapter 36: The Island

    Jason regained consciousness on a cushioned table, like an examination table in a doctor¡¯s office. He¡¯d been stripped down to his boxer shorts and his skin was covered in healing unguent.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m weirdly getting used to this.¡±


    ¡°To getting knocked out?¡± Jory asked. He was at a sink, washing out empty potion vials and placing them on a drying rack.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a rough couple of weeks,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Two acolytes of the god of healing, beating someone unconscious, though,¡± Jory said. ¡°That¡¯s unusual.¡±


    ¡°Not for me,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s mostly been cultists, but generally religious figures of one stripe or another.¡±


    Jason groaned as he shoved his legs off the table, pushing himself up to a sitting position. He looked around what he assumed was the inside of Jory¡¯s clinic, which was surprisingly similar to a medical exam room from his own world. Tiles and cabinets; clean, white surfaces. There was a plain chair next to the exam table, with his clothes folded neatly on it, along with a towel.


    ¡°Is that for me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I put the ointment on you,¡± Jory said. ¡°You can wipe it off yourself. You know, goading those two into kicking the snot out of you was the single dumbest thing I¡¯ve ever seen. But what really impressed me was that you immediately topped it by standing up and doing it again. They weren¡¯t mucking about that second time, either. The one you dumped paint on kicked you square in the head.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It was kind of a passing shot as they left,¡± Jory said. ¡°I think you were already out.¡±


    ¡°Harsh,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been knocked out a lot this last week.¡±


    ¡°I believe you,¡± Jory told him. ¡°You owe me for the healing potion I tipped down your throat, by the way. And two tins of healing ointment I used for the bruising.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s actually why it wasn¡¯t a stupid thing to do.¡±


    Jory placed the last potion vial on a drying rack.


    ¡°This I want to hear,¡± he said, turning around to face Jason.


    ¡°Well, if someone beats you up, there¡¯s healing potions,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°If you have the money,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Valid point,¡± Jason acknowledged, ¡°but in my case I do. Which means I can take a beating and the repercussions don¡¯t last so long.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about the rest of it,¡± Jory said, ¡°but I will admit you can take a beating.¡±


    ¡°If you stay quiet when you wished you¡¯d said something,¡± Jason said, ¡°that regret builds up. Starts eating you from the inside, and there¡¯s no potion for that.¡±


    ¡°Sure there is,¡± Jory said. ¡°It¡¯s called liquor. Another alchemist friend of mine has a distillery not too far from here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a cure,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s setting yourself on fire to ward off the cold.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you''re the guy I¡¯m going to for advice about consequences,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Probably for the best,¡± Jason said with a laugh. ¡°Are you going to catch any blowback because I took those blokes on?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Jory said. ¡°I¡¯m a member of the Adventure Society and the Alchemist Association. They¡¯re only low-level acolytes making trouble, so there¡¯s only so far they¡¯ll take things. If you¡¯d actually given them a beating instead of the other way around, though, their higher-ups might have gotten involved. I don¡¯t have the influence to push back against that. I¡¯m just glad you weren¡¯t stupid enough to use your essence abilities.¡±


    ¡°I figured it was bar fight rules,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s all fun and games until someone pulls a knife.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been in a bar fight,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Me either,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°I just heard that somewhere.¡±


    Jory shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re a crazy person,¡± he said.


    ¡°The odds are pretty good, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Luckily, they got to stomp you into the ground, which should make them feel like they¡¯ve accomplished something. Hopefully, they won¡¯t be back for a while.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t step in to help me?¡±


    ¡°Help you? I almost stepped in to help them.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°Lovely. Those two both had iron-rank auras. Were they part of the Adventure Society?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Jory said. ¡°The Adventure Society doesn¡¯t put restrictions against membership in any other legitimate organisation.¡±


    ¡°Religions count as legitimate?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What is wrong with your head?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°The bit on the front is too handsome,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could point me in the direction of the Adventure Society? I came here to sign up, after all.¡±


    Jason wandered through the streets of Old City, stopping every now and again to buy something from a street stall.


    Special attack [Chittle Kebab] has inflicted [Food Poisoning] on you.You have resisted [Food Poisoning].[Food Poisoning] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].


    ¡°Food poisoning?¡±


    Combat Log


    You have been afflicted with normal-rank poison [Food Poisoning].Iron rank gives you increased resistance to normal-rank afflictions.Ability [Sin Eater] gives you increased resistance to all afflictions.You have resisted [Food poisoning].Resisting an affliction has triggered ability [Sin Eater], granting you an instance of [Resistant].


    ¡°Sin eater. I¡¯m really starting to like this ability.¡±


    Jason looked at the food in his hand, then at the resistant buff icon, then back at the kebab.


    ¡°You are pretty tasty.¡±


    His gaze drifted back to the resistant buff.


    ¡°Why not? It¡¯s kind of like training the power.¡±


    He bit into the kebab again.


    Special attack [Chittle Kebab] has inflicted [Food Poisoning] on you.You have resisted [Food poisoning].[Food Poisoning] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].


    There was now the number two next to his resistance buff indicator.


    ¡°Loving this power.¡±


    Eventually, he passed through a busy warehouse district that gave way to the city ports and he caught sight of the water. After the desolation of the desert, even the dark green lushness of the delta didn¡¯t compare to a grand stretch of cerulean. It was not the open sea, however, as there was a far shore some two kilometres distant, making it seem more like a lake.


    The ports were a bustle of activity, forcing him to step carefully or get run down by a wagon. He finally reached a bridge that reached up and over the water in a gentle arc. Constructed entirely from green marble, it exuded wealth compared to the sandy yellow stone of Old City.


    There were three lanes across the bridge, managed by an inspection point with armed guards, high metal gates and a large guard station. These guards wore the same uniform as the ones at the city gate, but he could see at a glance these were more fastidious in their duties. There were eight of them, and Jason could feel from their auras that some had essences. Only one had a full set of essences, the one who looked to be in charge.


    Passage to the Island was clearly more regimented than that to Old City. Of the three lanes, the two smaller ones were for goods and service transport to and from the Island. They were intensely busy, with rigorous inspections slowing progress. The wider third lane was for a privileged class, with space to spare. Most of the traffic was wealthy-looking carriages, which caught Jason''s attention by not being drawn by animals. Their wheels had the glow of engraved magical symbols.


    Jory had been kind enough to explain the basics to Jason. Travel to the Island was restricted without a valid reason for entry. Trade and work permits would get someone into the trade lanes. Aristocrats, adventurers and residents were free to come and go using the wide lane. Members of the various guilds, societies and associations headquartered on the Island were likewise free to enter. Anyone else with valid business on the Island could buy a permit for entry for one day''s entry, daylight hours only. What constituted valid business was at the discretion of the guards, who were town constables under the city''s ruler, Duke Greenstone.


    A day¡¯s entry to the Island cost an iron-rank spirit coin. Fortunately, anyone willing to pay up had access to the privilege lane. Jason had been around enough to get a handle on the currency, of which the lesser spirit coin was the basic unit. It was a full hundred lesser coins to one iron-rank coin, after which denominations went up in multiples of ten. It was ten iron to the bronze, ten bronze to the silver and so on, all the way up to diamond. The gold-rank coins in Jason¡¯s possession were each worth a hundred thousand lesser coins.


    At the entry gate, Jason didn¡¯t have to queue for long. There were long lines for the trade lane, where every person and vehicle was thoroughly checked. In the privileged lane, most of the carriages were waved straight through, while others went through after simply showing a permit. Most of the people in front of Jason were given permits after a short chat with the guard and handing over a coin. Jason noticed each person needing to touch their thumb to a stone the guard took from his pocket.


    The bored, but still-diligent guard looked Jason up and down.


    ¡°Reason for permit application?¡±


    ¡°Applying to the Adventure Society,¡± Jason said.


    The constable looked Jason over again, then nodded.


    ¡°Wait here.¡±


    He went to exchange a quiet word with the one Jason pegged as being in charge. That man looked Jason over and gave a brief nod to the guard, who came back.


    ¡°Looks like you¡¯re all good. Just hand over your coin and put your thumb on the tracking stone.¡±


    ¡°Tracking stone?¡± Jason asked.


    The guard raised a suspicious eyebrow.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what a tracking stone is?¡±


    The officer in charge wandered over.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± he asked.


    ¡°This guy doesn¡¯t know what a tracking stone is,¡± the guard said.


    ¡°Where are you from?¡± the officer asked Jason.


    ¡°Casselton Beach, originally,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a small town, a long way from any real magic. Melbourne, the last couple of years, but I doubt you¡¯ve heard of it. I¡¯ve come a long way, and there¡¯s still a lot I don¡¯t know.¡±


    The officer looked Jason over for a few moments, then fished a stone from his pocket. The palm-sized, glassy object looked similar to an awakening stone, except faceted instead of smooth. It had a dark blue-green colouration.


    ¡°This is a tracking stone,¡± the officer said. ¡°This lets us find you, wherever you are on the Island.¡±


    Jason had an ability that prevented him from being tracked. He couldn¡¯t be sure if that would have an affect on the stone, and he decided to not mention it.


    ¡°If you make us come looking,¡± the guard continued, ¡°it won¡¯t be us coming for you, understand?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be someone much worse,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Smart,¡± the officer said. ¡°Smart is good.¡±


    ¡°I think your bar for smart might be a little low,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Too smart is maybe not so good,¡± the officer said. ¡°If you want to stay on the Island past sunset, find lodgings. That¡¯ll qualify you for a temporary residence permit. Find good lodgings and they¡¯ll register it for you, instead of making you come back and do it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said. He handed over his coin and pressed his thumb to the stone. Either the stone was stronger than his ability, or the stone gave no warning that it couldn¡¯t track him. Shortly after, Jason was through the gate and walking across the bridge.


    The main thoroughfare was for carriages, with those on foot like Jason following a path at the edge of the bridge. That was fine by Jason as the rising arc of the bridge gave him an increasingly good view of the city.


    Back the way he had come was the yellow sprawl of Old City. Below the bridge, the sun reflected off the deep blue water, busy with water traffic. The Old City shoreline was a massive port, the full length of the city. The ships were large, crammed into docks that seemed strangely high. He wondered if that was something to do with what two moons did to the tides.


    There were three other bridges like the one Jason was on. Engineering marvels that spanned kilometres of water, they were the equal of anything from his own world.


    Ahead was the Island, seeming opulent even at a distance. Compared to the clustered Old City, it indulged in the luxury of space. Where the Old City ports were occupied with large trade ships, the Island¡¯s widely spaced marinas were occupied entirely by what looked like pleasure craft. Many of them didn¡¯t have sails, presumably being propelled by magic.


    The marina buildings all looked like yacht clubs, and beyond that were large houses with expansive grounds. Trees and grass abounded, and the streets he could see were wide and sealed. The buildings were all combinations of green marble and variously coloured tiles.


    Eagerly heading along the bridge, Jason got a better look at the wide boulevard at the end of the bridge. Colourful plant beds separated carriageways and footpaths. Trees lined the streets, shading them with a leafy canopy.


    The inspection station at the end of the bridge was just a small booth with no gates. The security was fastidious with those entering the Island, while disinterested in those leaving. The security guard looked a lot more relaxed, in his middle years with thinning hair and a paunch his uniform did not flatter. He came out of the booth, giving Jason a friendly smile as he checked his permit.


    Although the guard looked casual, he took his time to check the permit thoroughly. As he did, Jason took a deep satisfying breath. The air was clean and fresh, without the wet mugginess of the delta, the dry aridity of the desert or the crowded scents battling it out in Old City.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to enjoy wealth inequality.¡±

 Chapter 37: A Good Adventurer and a Great One

    After leaving the walls of the city on the back of a heidel, Rufus rode at a casual pace along the embankment roads that divided up the delta. They were busy with traffic, mostly carts and wagons shuttling back and forth from the city. He could have urged his mount to move faster, instead enjoying a leisurely ride that took him to the gates of the Geller family estate. A thick, high wall marked the boundary, spanning off in both directions. The estate beyond was so vast that monsters were as likely to manifest inside the walls as out.


    Approaching the open gate, he was let in by a pair of guards who took his mount. Rufus could sense the iron-rank auras of both men. That might have been normal in his home city, but locally was the exception. To his knowledge, only the Duke of Greenstone¡¯s household guard used iron rank essence users for basic troops. Knowing the Geller family, he expected these guards were family members on some kind of punishment detail or being taught the value of diligence.


    At the guards¡¯ direction, he started walking up the wide, gravel-covered thoroughfare. The main house could be seen in the distance, a series of low buildings whose design seemed more interested in fitting the surroundings than lording over them. Rufus nodded to himself, finding it very much to his taste.


    The grounds on both sides of the central approach were bursting with life. Palm trees, tall shrubbery, and bamboo stands. Paths disappeared through vine-covered archways and behind flowering bushes. The promise of canopy shade and the sound of trickling water enticed strollers to explore.


    Rufus continued up the central path toward the manor house. Moving closer he saw the low buildings were interconnected with open walkways of wood, stone, and bamboo. As he arrived in front of the foremost building, someone emerged to meet him. A beautiful woman with dark olive skin and black hair, she looked around thirty, which Rufus knew to be twenty years shy of the reality. The age-defying power of her silver-rank essences kept her looks just as they were when he first met her as a boy.


    ¡°Lady Geller,¡± Rufus greeted.


    ¡°Little Rufus Remore,¡± Danielle said with a smile. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you would still be so adorable.¡±


    Rufus cleared his throat awkwardly and Danielle laughed.


    ¡°You know, Mr Remore,¡± she said, ¡°many of our family¡¯s young ladies are arriving ahead of the monster surge. Perhaps if I set up a little soiree¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Geller, but I have quite enough to be going on with, without romantic entanglements complicating my affairs.¡±


    ¡°Oh? The young men would be there too.¡±


    ¡°Gracious,¡± he said, ¡°but my answer remains the same.¡±


    ¡°Such a shame,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to compliment you on your home,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It makes one want to wander off and explore.¡±


    ¡°Then shall we?¡± Danielle asked with an inviting gesture. ¡°I imagine we can discuss the reason for your visit just as well amongst the gardens.¡±


    ¡°I would very much like that,¡± Rufus said.


    Danielle picked a path under an archway overgrown with flowering vines, leading him deeper into the grounds. Rufus soon discovered them to be every part the equal of their promise.


    ¡°Your estate grounds truly are a joy to experience,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Thank you. My family came here as the region was first being settled. The walls of our estate are older than the walls of Old City. Last I heard, we even have a member of that generation still around somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°She reached diamond rank a couple of centuries ago. Not so good at keeping in touch, though. You know what diamond-rankers are like.¡±


    ¡°Agelessness engenders an unusual perspective, I imagine,¡± Rufus said.


    Danielle smiled.


    ¡°Let us hope we both go far enough to see for ourselves,¡± she said. ¡°What brings you out here today, Mr Remore?¡±


    ¡°Seeing the ancestral home of the Geller family isn¡¯t reason enough?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised to find you in residence.¡±


    ¡°We call most of our bronze and silver-rankers home when a monster surge is imminent,¡± Danielle said. ¡°The family has placed me in charge of defending the estate, this time, and my husband and daughter will be back sometime in the next few months. Really, though, I¡¯m back to overlook my son¡¯s final training.¡±


    ¡°You really train all of your family members here?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°We do,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Our facilities might not be the Remore Academy, but we¡¯re proud of it, nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°And rightly so, by all accounts,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I have heard my grandfather express his respect on more than one occasion.¡±


    ¡°High praise indeed,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°If I may ask,¡± Rufus said, ¡°why here? I know this is where your family first rose up as a power, but now you¡¯re established in major cities around the world. Why send people born in high magic areas to train here?¡±


    ¡°We send everyone to train here,¡± she said. ¡°Those high magic areas are just the problem. Before you came here, did you ever go out on an expedition without at least a silver-ranker to watch your back?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said darkly, ¡°which led to a recent mistake on my part. Overconfidence led to insufficient caution. It almost cost my people everything.¡±


    ¡°That is precisely the reason we still use this place,¡± Danielle said. ¡°The low magical density makes the monsters weaker. The dangers smaller; the consequences, less severe. Not to say there aren¡¯t real dangers, but we can send out our iron-rankers to face them alone. No-one to rely on but themselves and each other.¡±


    ¡°You let them make their mistakes when those mistakes are less likely to kill them,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°In light of my own hard-learned lesson,¡± Rufus said, ¡°I cannot see that as anything but an excellent practice. There may be a lesson for the way my own family does things.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very flattering,¡± Danielle said. ¡°You really are a Remore, aren¡¯t you? You¡¯re all obsessed with improving your academy¡¯s training methods.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of training,¡± Rufus said, ¡°that is the reason I¡¯ve come today. I¡¯ve heard that your family¡¯s training facility includes a mirage chamber. I was hoping to borrow it from time to time during my stay here.¡±


    Danielle gave him an apologetic smile.


    ¡°Indeed we do have one,¡± she said. ¡°Sadly, as much as I would like to accommodate you, I cannot. As I mentioned, the local magical density is quite low. We can only operate our mirage chamber at a bronze-rank level for limited periods, and I can¡¯t take that valuable training time away from my own family.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it isn¡¯t for me,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯ve found a person in rather desperate need of training and have taken it upon myself to give him a rush-course.¡±


    She gave him a sideways glance, eyebrows arched.


    ¡°From what I hear,¡± she said, ¡°every aristocratic family in the Greenstone has been asking you to guide their young hopefuls. Including ours. I have to wonder how someone managed to catch your eye.¡±


    Rufus let out a self-deprecating laugh.


    ¡°I mentioned my mistake,¡± he said. ¡°It would have gotten me killed if not for a rather unusual man.¡±


    Rufus shook his head.


    ¡°I grew up surrounded by adventurers. I was raised not just to be one of them, but to be so good I could teach others. Everyone around me, as long as I can remember, told me I was going to be a great adventurer. It got to the point that I never even doubted it. The only exception was my grandfather. He said you never learn who you are when everything goes right. It¡¯s in your darkest hour that you understand what it is to be an adventurer.¡±


    They stopped walking at the edge of a pond, Rufus looking down at his own reflection.


    ¡°In my darkest hour,¡± Rufus continued, ¡°I met a man who had never even heard of the Adventure Society. One essence, no combat abilities. He didn¡¯t even know how to use spirit coins. But when all seemed lost, he showed me, like my grandfather said, what it means to be an adventurer. That when all your training and powers fail you, you have to find something inside yourself you never knew was there. Then you can do things you never thought possible. It¡¯s the difference between a good adventurer and a great one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a valuable lesson,¡± Danielle said. ¡°It seems your time here wasn¡¯t wasted.¡±


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t been,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Having received such a valuable lesson, I want to impart what I know, in turn.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Danielle said, ¡°If what you are looking for is some time in our mirage chamber running at iron rank, I can accommodate you. I would appreciate a little reciprocity, however.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I mentioned my son and his final training. The time has come for him to join the Adventure Society, and I¡¯d like you to do his field assessment. I¡¯m sure the Society would be happy to accommodate.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t show your boy any favouritism, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for,¡± Rufus said.


    Danielle laughed.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯d hardly need you for that,¡± she said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not suggesting the Adventure Society is subject to corruption?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°You have to realise, Mr Remore, this isn¡¯t Vitesse. The Adventure Society is a major force in Greenstone, but the isolation means the local branch is more reliant on local powers. Compromises must be made.¡±


    Dark clouds appeared in Rufus¡¯ expression.


    ¡°The neutrality of the Adventure Society is one of its central tenets,¡± he said.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Danielle said. ¡°However, if the core branches want to export their values to remote branches like Greenstone, they need to export sufficient resources along with them. Ideals are well and good in the heart of a kingdom, Mr Remore, but here we are more-often overlooked than not. In the provinces, we all have to deal with the realities.¡±


    Rufus looked rather dumbstruck.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to say to that.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to be said, Mr Remore. Welcome to the wilderness.¡±


    ¡°Surely it can¡¯t be that bad,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Especially with the new branch director. She worked her way up from the bottom, so she knows what it is to fight through the influence of families like mine. Remarkable woman actually, but there is no getting around the fact that the Adventure Society here is reliant on local powers.¡±


    ¡°Is that why the adventurer standards are so low here?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s precisely the reason,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Exceptions have a way of being made for those whose capabilities are not the equal of their connections. Eventually, standards just declined in general. That is why I want my son assessed to your standards, Mr Remore. He doesn¡¯t need help; he needs to be challenged.¡±


    ¡°Then I would be happy to assist you,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Challenge, I can do.¡±


    Jason was standing at the edge of the bridge, having just arrived on the Island. The security guard handed back Jason¡¯s permit after checking it.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s in order, sir,¡± the man said. ¡°First time on the Island?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could point out the quickest way to the Adventure Society?¡±


    The guard gestured down the boulevard that followed straight out from the bridge.


    ¡°Head up this way and you¡¯ll find the transit terminal. Big building; you can¡¯t miss it. That¡¯ll get you where you need to go.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, mate.¡±


    Jason started walking up the street, past houses with gardens and grounds secured behind green brick walls and artfully wrought metal gates.


    ¡°Transit terminal,¡± Jason muttered to himself as he walked along the street. ¡°Do they have magic trams or something?¡±


    Soon Jason came to some kind of local shopping district dominated by eateries and boutique stores. Jason wanted to stop and chase some of the enticing smells, but it was already afternoon. First, he needed to find the Adventure Society, then somewhere to stay before sundown so he could stay on the Island.


    The shopping area was dominated by a large building with a sign declaring it the NORTH MARINA TRANSIT TERMINAL. He went inside, finding it to be set out like a train station. He found a large sign that showed the routes; a pair of loop lines going in opposite directions.


    According to the map, Jason could reach the Adventure Society from platform B. There didn¡¯t seem to be any place to buy tickets, so Jason took the stairwell marked for platform B, descending to a below-ground level. The stairwell was long, around two storeys worth of switchback stairs before coming out on a platform.


    It immediately reminded him of a subway platform in layout. The floor walls and ceiling were combinations of green stone and tile mosaic, with cool, clean light coming from magical stones fixed into the ceiling. There were benches around the walls with people sitting patiently, while others stood.


    The difference from a subway station was that in front of the tunnel was a glass wall, with water behind it like an aquarium. Three circular metal frames in the glass wall had doors that looked like airlocks. Moving closer to take a look, he saw the tunnel extended beyond both sides of the platform, like a subway tunnel. On the other side of the tunnel, he could see another glass wall with the same three doors, with another platform beyond that.


    The lights illuminating the platform started dimming in a gentle strobe. It was apparently some kind of signal; the other people at the platform started getting up from benches and moving toward the glass wall. Shortly thereafter, a bullet-shaped capsule floated down the tunnel and affixed itself to the wall with clamps that gripping the three metal circles and pressed tightly into the doors. With a hiss of air, the doors slid open and people came out. The people on the platform then boarded, Jason among them.


    The interior of the capsule was more like a bus than a subway car, with pairs of seats on each side. The seats were soft and plush, more like a luxury coach than cheap public transport. Jason found a window seat and watched the tunnel go past as the capsule took off. The ride had a floaty feel to it and Jason couldn¡¯t stop himself from grinning like an idiot.


    ¡°Submarine subways,¡± he murmured to himself, shaking his head in disbelief. ¡°I love magical cities.¡±


    The tunnel outside his window was decorated in tile mosaic and lit with different coloured lights. It seemed to be telling some kind of myth, with monsters and heroes locked in epic battle. He became so engrossed in the images going past that he was disappointed to arrive at his destination.


    The Adventure Society terminal was two stops from where he started and turned out to be one of several buildings in the extensive Adventure Society campus. Jason followed a sign labelled ADMINISTRATION out of the building onto what looked like a prestigious old university, all stone buildings and sprawling grounds. Jason took what he guessed was the right path and only had to ask directions once before finding the administration building.


    He found himself in a large lobby fully appointed in wood, from the various sets of double doors to the three separate stairways. In terms of construction materials, Jason had seen plenty of mudbrick, stone, tile, bamboo, even reeds. The sudden preponderance of wood was a sufficiently stark contrast to make clear the importance of the building.


    It was a vast space which fortunately contained what looked like a reception desk, at which Jason presented himself. Behind the desk was what looked like the same paunchy, balding bridge guard who had given him directions. Only the clothes were different, the guard uniform replaced with a more civilian-looking outfit. It had a prominently-stitched emblem of a sword and rod crossed over a shield. Jason had seen that emblem several times since arriving, recognising it from Rufus¡¯ Adventure Society badge.


    The uniform had a loose fit Jason had seen on most of the locals, although the man¡¯s hefty midsection rather minimised the looseness. Jason noted there was a pencil tucked atop of one of the man¡¯s ears.


    ¡°Do you have a brother?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Just come over the bridge, sir?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°That was my brother, Bertram, sir. I¡¯m Albert, but feel free to just call me Bert.¡±


    ¡°No worries, Bert. Is this where I apply to join the Adventure Society?¡±


    ¡°Certainly is, sir,¡± Albert said brightly. ¡°I can get you started right away if you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be great,¡± Jason said.


    He pulled out a form and sat it on the desk, then started fishing through drawers.


    ¡°Not looking for a pencil, are you?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I am, sir. Had it around here somewhere¡­¡±


    Jason tapped his own ear and a look of grateful revelation came over Albert¡¯s face as he plucked the pencil from its resting spot.


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Albert said. ¡°How about we start with a name?¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano.¡±


    Instead of writing it down, Albert gave Jason a curious look.


    ¡°Do you know an adventurer named Gareth Xandier?¡±


    ¡°Gareth Xandier?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Wait, do you mean Gary? Big, leonid bloke.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Albert said. ¡°The good-looking one.¡±


    ¡°I knew it,¡± Jason said, shaking his head in disgust.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± Albert asked.


    ¡°Never mind,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why do you ask about Gary?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been coming in and asking after you for the last couple of days,¡± Albert said. ¡°Is it alright to tell him you¡¯ve registered?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said, ¡°although I¡¯d rather tell him myself. Do you know where he¡¯s staying?¡±

 Chapter 38: Just Another Adventurer

    The guild district was the region of the Island that contained the Adventure Society campus, along with many other guilds and societies. Occupying the north-west region of the island, the guild district also contained the bulk of the Island¡¯s visitor accommodations. Staying on the Island was a relatively expensive prospect, but with price came quality. Rufus, Farrah and Gary had secured a three-room suite in Sailor¡¯s Watch, an inn at the very edge of the island, with exceptional ocean views.


    Having returned from the Geller Estate, Rufus ran into Farrah outside their lodgings as she returned from her own business.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Well enough,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Now we just need Jason to finally arrive.¡±


    Farrah sniffed at the smell of fresh baking wafting out of the inn.


    ¡°Smells good,¡± she said. ¡°Should be just about time to get some supper.¡±


    ¡°It should,¡± Rufus agreed, and they went inside.


    Walking in, they headed in the direction of the dining room. There was a doorway leading directly to the kitchen, from which they heard a familiar voice.


    ¡°Now, it¡¯s equal parts sugar and water, then flavour to discretion, and I do mean discretion. You don¡¯t want the flavour of the syrup to overpower the cake. Once the syrup is soaking in, there¡¯s no getting it back out again. Unless you can extricate the syrup with magic, somehow. I need to get my hands on a cooking magic skill book.¡±


    Farrah snickered at the exasperation suddenly on Rufus¡¯ face.


    ¡°Jason?¡± Rufus called out.


    ¡°Rufus! Excuse me for a moment, ladies.¡±


    Jason wandered out of the kitchen wearing an apron marked with flour.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± he greeted them. ¡°Nice little place you¡¯ve found. A bit exxy, but I picked up a decent bit of coin during our misadventures at the Vane Estate. Fighting cannibals is lucrative. I forgot to loot that woman, Cressida, though. Probably missed out on a good bit of coin, there.¡±


    ¡°I still have your share from looting the manor,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They filched all the really good stuff before running off, but they left enough behind to be worth splitting up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What took you so long?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°I took the scenic route through the delta,¡± Jason said. ¡°I had a good time.¡±


    ¡°There was some talk about someone roaming around healing people,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Did you hear about that?¡±


    ¡°How did you hear about it?¡± Jason asked.


    "What we heard was that he was doing it for free," Farrah said. "The church of the healer wasn''t happy. Did you see the guy?"


    Jason looked about shiftily.


    ¡°Um... yep.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°It was you?¡±


    ¡°I have that cleansing power,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What happened to splitting up to prevent drawing attention?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°What did you want me to say? ¡®Sorry, Miss, but while it may seem that healing your father¡¯s horrifying illness would cost me nothing, someone might notice.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Surely there¡¯s a middle ground between doing nothing and walking the earth, healing the sick and lame,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°And where do I draw the line?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Should it be where people aren¡¯t sick enough, or where they aren¡¯t impoverished enough?¡±


    ¡°He does have a point,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Who looks at the poor and sick and tells them they aren¡¯t poor and sick enough?¡±


    "The church of the healer, from what I''ve heard," Jason said darkly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen this kind of thing before,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The Healer likes to give his worshippers the freedom to make the right choices on their own. The church of the healer is really important in isolated areas like this, though, and more than one church leader has been known to go a bit power mad.¡±


    ¡°The god¡¯s real, right?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he step in?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard they do, if they take it too far,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You always hear stories about churches who lose their way. I¡¯ve never seen it reach the stage where their god intervenes.¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Rufus is a big city boy, but it normally happens places like this, where there¡¯s less to keep them in check.¡±


    ¡°Did you at least go to the Adventure Society before getting to the kitchen?¡± Rufus asked Jason.


    ¡°Yeah, I did the paperwork,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have some kind of assessment tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just to clear you of things like restricted essences,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Once that¡¯s done you¡¯ll need to go through a field assessment,¡± Rufus said, ¡°Which they do at the start of each month. The next one is in nine days, but you can take yours the following month.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with this month?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be ready this month,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Training you up to an acceptable standard by the end of next month will be rushed enough. Nine days from now, you wouldn¡¯t come close to passing.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know for sure,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m administering that field assessment myself,¡± Rufus said. ¡°So I can speak with an amount of confidence.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing it?¡± Jason said. ¡°Fair enough, then. Having you assess me wouldn¡¯t exactly be ethical. Conflict of interest and all that. Well, I¡¯ll see you at dinner; I have to get back to my cake.¡±


    Rufus and Farrah watched Jason retreat into the kitchen.


    ¡°He thinks he¡¯d fail because of ethics?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°He¡¯ll figure it out once the training starts,¡± Rufus said.


    The guild district was different from the north marina district in which Jason had first arrived on the island. Rather than the large private residences, it was occupied by various organisations, with smaller permanent residences serving the people that worked for them. Other than that, there was a large number of storefronts that seemed to be extensions of the various societies and associations headquartered around them.


    Two sprawling campuses dominated the guild district. One was the Adventure Society, and the other was an organisation called the Magic Society. Jason knew Farrah was a member, but only had a vague idea of what they did. From what he could gather, they were something between a magic university and a magic utility company.


    By size and centrality, the Forge Society and the Alchemist Association were clearly second to the Adventure and Magic Societies, but still occupied impressive chunks of real estate. Other organisations in the district ranged from occupying large buildings to being clustered into one space with other groups. Some were trade organisations, while others were adventuring guilds; private organisations of adventurers banded together for varying purposes.


    Rufus had warned Jason against joining any of the local adventuring guilds. According to Rufus, they were all small-time affairs that took more from their members than they offered, although Jason wasn''t entirely convinced. He¡¯d learned enough about Rufus'' background to realise Rufus looked down from a very great height.


    Arriving at the Adventure Society¡¯s administration building, Jason was shown through to a waiting room. There was one other occupant, a young man Jason estimated to be in his mid-to-late teens. He had the usual olive skin and dark hair of the local population, at least the human part of it. The young man was handsome, tall and broad-shouldered. If that wasn¡¯t bad enough, there was a puppy in his lap receiving a scratch on the tummy.


    ¡°G¡¯day, mate,¡± Jason said, sitting down next to him. ¡°I like your dog.¡±


    ¡°His name is Stash,¡± the young man said. ¡°Mine is Humphrey, Humphrey Geller.¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± Jason said, shaking Humphrey¡¯s offered hand. ¡°Nice to meet you, Humphrey. Stash is an unusual name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s short for Velitraxistaasch,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He likes ¡®Stash,¡¯ though.¡±


    ¡°Velitraxistaasch?¡± Jason said. ¡°What is he, a shape-changed dragon or something?¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°How did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Wait, he actually is?¡±


    Jason burst out laughing, then reached over to scratch the puppy¡¯s tummy.


    ¡°Who¡¯s a good little dragon? You are, yes you are. Good boy.¡±


    The puppy transformed into a canary, flying out of Humphrey¡¯s lap to settle on his head, where it twittered away merrily.


    ¡°That¡¯s impressive,¡± Jason said. ¡°I take it he¡¯s still a baby dragon.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Our mothers arranged him becoming my familiar. Or me becoming his person, depending on how you look at it.¡±


    ¡°Your mum knows dragons,¡± Jason said. ¡°I guess mine does too, although it¡¯s more of a metaphor. Great Aunt Margaret doesn¡¯t literally breathe fire.¡±


    Humphrey laughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re here to be assessed for the Adventure Society, I take it?¡± he asked.


    "Yeah, I did all the paperwork yesterday," Jason said. "Any idea of what to expect?"


    "They''ll just check to make sure you don''t have any restricted abilities. There''ll be an official from the Adventure Society, of course, but they''re only there to oversee things. The actual checking will be done by a priest from the church of knowledge. Don''t try to slip anything past them, because there isn''t any point."


    ¡°Because a god¡¯s involved?¡±


    "Exactly. Then there''ll be someone from the Magic Society to record your essences. They''ll imply you have to let them record all your individual abilities, but you actually don''t. I''m told that the trick is to let them know that you know you don''t have to and then do it anyway. Getting on the good side of the Magic Society is always a good idea."


    ¡°Thanks for the advice.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯ve awakened any of your racial gifts, though, keep those to yourself,¡± Humphrey advised. ¡°They¡¯re very big on those at the Magic Society and you can trade the details in exchange for favours down the line.¡±


    Jason recalled Farrah telling him that humans all had dormant racial gifts that awakened unique powers based on their essences. He assumed the same advice would hold true for his outworlder abilities. More so, if anything.


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Jason said. ¡°Much appreciated, mate.¡±


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mind me saying,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but your manner of speech is a little unusual. Are you using a translation power?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not local; I just arrived in town yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Where do you hail from, originally?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Australia.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of it,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Best not tell Mother or she¡¯ll harangue my geography tutor. Does everyone there shave their eyebrows.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t shave them,¡± Jason said. ¡°I lost them.¡±


    ¡°How do you lose your eyebrows?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s been an odd couple of weeks.,¡± Jason said.


    A door opened and the canary on Humphrey''s head morphed back into a puppy, its front paws dangling over his forehead. Humphrey lifted it down as a man entered the room. He was wearing what Jason had come to recognise as local business attire, quite different from the equivalent in his own world. The local fashions all went for loose, hanging designs that were more practical for the hot climate.


    ¡°Young Master Geller,¡± the man said to Humphrey, not so much as glancing at Jason. ¡°This is, of course, a formality for you, but the formalities must be observed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just another adventurer,¡± Humphrey said, getting to his feet. ¡°I only expect the same treatment you would give anyone.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± the man lied transparently. ¡°This way, please.¡±


    Left alone in the waiting room, Jason absently tapped his feet.


    ¡°I need to do some clothes shopping,¡± he said to himself. All his current outfits had been looted, and most of them hadn¡¯t travelled well.


    ¡°Rufus dresses nicely,¡± he mused. ¡°Maybe he knows a place.¡±


    Humphrey wasn''t gone long before coming back with Stash, still a puppy, tucked under one arm. Humphrey looked rather disconcerted and was a full shade redder than when he left.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The priest,¡± Humphrey said breathlessly. ¡°She was a priestess.¡±


    ¡°Pretty?¡± Jason guessed.


    ¡°Oh, gods, yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m sure I made an idiot of myself.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry,¡± Jason said, scratching Stash behind the ear. ¡°You¡¯ve got this little guy.¡±


    ¡°She did seem to like him.¡±


    ¡°Of course she did.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to say.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it was fine.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t even get her name.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said, slapping Humphrey on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll get her name; you hang about in the lobby for a few minutes and we¡¯ll grab an early lunch. Sound good?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d do that for me?¡±


    ¡°Mate, I¡¯m going in there anyway. It¡¯s not exactly out of my way.¡±


    Jason sent the still-flustered Humphrey back in the direction of the main lobby. Shortly after, the man who had come for Humphrey then came out to get Jason.


    "Mr Asano?" he asked, all smiles.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Do you know Young Master Geller well?¡±


    ¡°We just met here.¡±


    Friendliness sank from the man¡¯s face like a torpedo had struck it.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the man said flatly. ¡°Well, come on, then. We haven¡¯t got all day.¡±


    The man marched off, not bothering to look if Jason was following.


    ¡°Wow.¡±


    Jason trailed the man through a small antechamber, then into another room where two people were waiting. The woman was wearing flowing robes of blue and white, with a sigil of a book sewn prominently into them.


    He saw what had gotten Humphrey so bothered as she was quite pretty, although still with the rounded edges of youth. She was around Humphrey''s age, maybe sixteen or seventeen, and Jason guessed Humphrey would have to move quick or in a couple of years, he''d have a small army of rivals.


    Jason hadn''t seen any evidence of cosmetics in this world, but he was beginning to suspect essences were taking up the slack. Except for himself and the blood priest, Darryl, every essence user he''d seen ranged from moderately good-looking to stupidly attractive.


    The man next to the priestess was in his mid-thirties, also in a robe. Where the priestess'' garment draped down her body with grace and elegance, his looked like a sack held in place with a rope belt. He had stubble, not the sexy kind, and his hair was an unruly mess. Even then, Jason recognised the handsome bone structure underneath. He looked like the hapless man who gets a make-over from the love interest in act two.


    The third person was the man who led Jason in. He looked to be around thirty, with the generic handsomeness of a guy who had a supporting role on a teen drama a few years ago, but didn¡¯t break out and is really bitter about going back to his catering job.


    ¡°So you¡¯ll be the Adventure Society guy,¡± Jason said to him. He had the aura of a bronze ranker, although not as strong as Rufus, Gary and Farrah. They were all near the top end of bronze, where he felt more like Anisa, who had only recently moved past iron rank.


    "And you must be the priestess," he greeted the young woman. "Jason Asano, lovely to meet you. May I have your name, or do I just call you ¡®your worship,'' or something. The last priestess I met was bit of a stickler. She did like to keep things formal, but mostly she just didn''t like me."


    She shook Jason''s hand with a laugh. Jason mused over a handshake being common across worlds when it wasn''t even universal to his own.


    ¡°My Name is Gabrielle Pellin,¡± she introduced herself, ¡°and I¡¯m just an acolyte, not a full priestess. You can call me Gabrielle.¡±


    ¡°Is it alright just to have an acolyte?¡± Jason asked. ¡°What if I¡¯m really good at hiding how evil I am?¡±


    ¡°It is unusual,¡± Gabrielle said, ¡°but my Lady directed me specifically to be here today.¡±


    ¡°Your Lady?¡±


    ¡°The goddess, Knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Is that her actual name? Knowledge? I suppose it would be weird if she was called Beryl or something. Especially if your name was Beryl. It¡¯d make church service confusing, although, I imagine quite flattering, as well.¡±


    He turned to the last person as the other three looked at him strangely.


    ¡°You must be from the Magic Society,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not sure what they do, yet, but they seem very important, so well done, there. Jason Asano; nice to meet you, mate.¡±


    ¡°Er, I¡¯m Russell,¡± the man said, warily shaking Jason¡¯s hand. ¡°You don¡¯t know what the Magic Society does?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not local,¡± Jason said.


    He noted that the priestess, Gabrielle, was holding what looked like a crystal ball, while Russell had a clipboard.


    ¡°So how do we do this, then?¡± Jason asked. ¡°She waves the thing at me and you write down what she sees?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more-or-less the process,¡± Russell said.


    ¡°Great,¡± Jason said. ¡°Fair warning, my essences might come across as a bit sinister, but they weren¡¯t on the restricted list. Not when I checked, anyway.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what the Magic Society does,¡± Russell said, ¡°but you know enough to check the restricted list?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been an odd couple of weeks,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m picking things up as I go.¡±


    ¡°Can we please get started?¡± the man from the Adventure Society asked, impatiently.


    ¡°Yes, sorry,¡± Gabrielle said. She held up the crystal orb in front of Jason. She frowned at it, giving it a small shake.


    ¡°Miss Pellin?¡± Russell prompted.


    "It seems Mr Asano is impervious to the aura reader," Gabrielle said.


    ¡°Just call me Jason. Don¡¯t worry, I¡¯m not evil. I¡¯ll cop to naughty, but that¡¯s as far as it goes. Of course, that¡¯s what an evil guy would say, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s what anyone would say,¡± Gabrielle told him. ¡°I think you might be a rather unusual man.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Common as muck, me.¡±


    ¡°That I believe,¡± the Adventure Society official said.


    Gabrielle tilted her head as if distractedly listen to something.


    ¡°After we¡¯re done here,¡± Russell said to Jason, ¡°could I convince you to discuss the power that shields you from the aura reader?¡±


    ¡°Got lunch plans, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Gabrielle said, refocusing on the group. ¡°The essences were dark, blood, sin and doom.¡±


    The other two turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°I said I¡¯m not evil, although that could be part of my cunning ruse. Still, not on the restricted list, yeah? It¡¯s not like I can make zombies or something. Kind of played out, where I come from, zombies. Same with vampires. Not as many werewolves, but they haven¡¯t been done well in a while. Probably need the moon essence if I was going to make werewolves, though. My friend Rufus has the moon essence, but he¡¯s more of the swordsman type.¡±


    ¡°Would you please stop talking for five seconds,¡± the Adventure Society official said.


    ¡°Sorry about that¡­ whatever your name is, I didn¡¯t catch it. Is this your only job, or do you do catering on the side?¡±


    ¡°What? Shut up. Russell, record this idiot¡¯s essences so we can get him out of here.¡±


    ¡°Just a moment,¡± Russell said. He was looking over a blue and white marble tablet of a kind Jason had seen before. Farrah had checked an identical one when they were looking up Jason¡¯s essences.


    "Here we are," Russell said. "Dark, blood, sin and doom. Affliction specialist, no restriction. You''re all good to go, Mr Asano."


    ¡°Thanks, mate.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± the official said, writing on his own clipboard. ¡°You¡¯re cleared for field testing. Should you successfully complete field testing, you will be allowed to take up membership with the Adventure Society, with all privileges and responsibilities that entails. Field testing takes place at the start of every month and you can sign up at the administration desk.¡±


    ¡°There is the matter of registering your individual essence abilities,¡± Russell said.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to give that one a miss, sorry mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°I would, but I have a friend waiting outside. Lovely to meet you Russell, Gabrielle¡­¡±


    He turned to the official.


    ¡°¡­guy.¡±


    ¡°How did you know my name was Guy?¡± the official asked.


    ¡°Seriously? I¡¯m on a roll, today. Bye, all.¡±


    Jason sauntered out of the room.


    ¡°What an unusual man,¡± Russell said.


    ¡°I thought he was fun,¡± Gabrielle said.


    ¡°I thought he was on drugs,¡± Guy said. The other two looked at him, then nodded.


    ¡°That would make sense,¡± Russell said.


    ¡°Will that be a problem for his membership?¡± Gabrielle asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Guy said. ¡°If we banned that kind of thing, we¡¯d have to kick out half the alchemists.¡±

 Chapter 39: Training

    ¡°As you hopefully recall,¡± Rufus said, ¡°there are three elements to improving your abilities.¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure the middle step was to eat a delicious sandwich," Jason said.


    ¡°Could you take this at least a little seriously?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to learn magic kung fu, so¡­ probably not.¡±


    Jason had rented a suite room on the same floor as the others, right across the hall. It was smaller, or more accurately, less large. Being on the other side of the building, it didn''t have the same ocean view, and he spent much of his time in their suite. They were having iced tea out on the balcony, overlooking the ocean.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with having some fun along the way,¡± Gary said. ¡°As long as the work gets done, why be so serious about everything?¡±


    ¡°He says that sipping ice tea on a balcony,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He turns into a slave driver once the training starts.¡±


    ¡°Even I think it¡¯s a bit much,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°No you don¡¯t,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said with a malicious grin. ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s kung fu?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think your ability translated it.¡±


    ¡°It means a skill developed through discipline and hard work," Jason said. "Anything can be kung fu if you''re diligent about it."


    ¡°Actually,¡± Rufus said, ¡°that¡¯s a good attitude.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Gary said. ¡°You¡¯re not at Very Serious Academy now, Rufus. Hard work is easier to get through if you find a way to enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Gary may have fun,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but you probably won¡¯t. Don¡¯t get carried away, Gary.¡±


    ¡°When do I ever get carried away?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Remember Angelina?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Are you ever going to let that go?¡± Gary said. ¡°How was I meant to know she was evil?¡±


    ¡°The first time we met her she tried to sell us poison,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We were in a church. And not one of the bad ones.¡±


    "I think we should keep our attention on the task at hand," Rufus said. "Tomorrow we''ll do everything together, just for the first day. After that. we''ll split up. You won''t be able to keep up with us when we''re pushing ourselves. Gary will be in charge of your basic physical training, I''ll be working on your combat skills, and Farrah will help you with mental training and meditation."


    ¡°We had to go out so you could get more clothes today," Gary said, "but normally we''ll begin bright and early. For the first week, I''m just going to run you until you can''t run anymore."


    ¡°I figured it would be something like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was thinking we could run over the bridge and into the Old City.¡±


    Gary looked over at Rufus, who shrugged.


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Gary said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter where you run to, as long as you run.¡±


    All four of them ran from their lodgings to the bridge in the early light. They weren¡¯t the only ones out, with others also running on the Island¡¯s wide, well-paved streets.


    ¡°Adventurers?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Those are the good ones,¡± Rufus said. ¡°As with most things, the best results come through diligent effort.¡±


    ¡°On the other hand,¡± Farrah said, ¡°If you use magic cores to advance, you get to sleep in.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tempt him into bad habits,¡± Rufus scolded.


    There was very little early-hours traffic on the Island, although some tradesfolk were making their way with carts and wagons. These, like expensive carriages Jason had seen, were propelled by magic rather than pulled by animals.


    ¡°Not allowed to have drawn vehicles on the island,¡± Rufus explained. ¡°Makes it more expensive for working people, but they make up for it in prices. On the Island you¡¯ll pay twice, maybe three times the price you would for the same thing in Old City.¡±


    At the bridge, they had to show their access permits. Jason had taken lodging at the same inn as the other three, which earned him a temporary residence permit for the Island. The guard checking their permits turned out to be a familiar face.


    ¡°Bertram, right?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You can call me Bert,¡± Bertram said. ¡°You meet my brother at the Adventure Society?¡±


    ¡°He helped me with my adventurer registration.¡±


    Crossing the bridge, the streets of Old City were considerably busier. The four stood out, weaving through teamsters and merchants as they maintained a running pace.


    By the time they reached their destination, Jason was exhausted. He leaned against a wall, dragging in heaving breaths. The others looked up at the sign over the door.


    ¡°Broadstreet Clinic,¡± Rufus read out loud. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t Broad Street be two words?¡±


    ¡°One word,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s the actual name of the street.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called Broadstreet Street?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Broadstreet Boulevard,¡± Jason said. ¡°How am I telling you this? You¡¯ve all spent much more time in this city than me.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t spend a lot of time in Old City,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The Island is just nicer.¡±


    ¡°You know someone here?¡± Rufus asked, nodding at the clinic doors.


    ¡°Met him on my way into the city,¡± Jason said. Having recovered his breath a little, he stumbled in through the doors, the others following after. Inside was a waiting room crowded with people and a reception desk with a young woman sitting behind it. Jason leaned onto the desk, using it to keep himself upright.


    ¡°Sir, if you require emergency treatment¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Jason Asano,¡± Jason panted out.


    ¡°Ah, right,¡± the woman said. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I will be.¡±


    The alchemist Jason had entered the city with, Jory, emerged from the back room. He was leading an elderly lady who was carrying a small bag.


    ¡°Now, only take the medicine right before bed,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°So I should take it with dinner?¡± the lady asked.


    ¡°No, you¡¯ll pass out at the table. Right before bed. Seriously, right before you climb into bed.¡±


    ¡°So, when I sit down for my evening wine¡­¡±


    ¡°No, right before bed.¡±


    ¡°Would it be easier if I took it during the day?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to take that, for a moment,¡± Jory said, retrieving the small bag from the lady.


    Jory spotted the bedraggled Jason, giving him an odd look as he passed, leading the woman to a middle-aged man quietly waiting in one of the seats. Jason couldn¡¯t hear them talk, although he did hear the man say something about dinner as Jory¡¯s arm, held rigidly at his side, clenched into a fist. Soon after, the pair were on their way and Jory came over to Jason.


    ¡°You showed up, then,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°These are my friends, by the way. Gary, Farrah, Rufus. Meet Jory.¡±


    ¡°This is a medical clinic?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Just alchemy?¡±


    ¡°So far,¡± Jory said. ¡°I met Jason the other day and he offered to help out.¡±


    Jory led Jason into a back room, then started bringing patients in, one after the other. For each one, Jason chanted out his spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Ability: [Feast of Absolution] (Sin)


    Spell (recovery, cleanse)Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: 20 seconds.Current rank: Iron 1 (19%)Effect (iron): Cleanse all curses, diseases, poisons and unholy afflictions from a single target. Additionally cleanse all holy afflictions if the target is an ally. Recover stamina and mana for each affliction cleansed. This ability ignores any effect that prevents cleansing. Cannot target self.


    Jason used his feast of absolution power to remove their diseases, along with a few other toxins like alcohol, which registered to his ability as a poison.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good cleansing ability,¡± Gary observed between patients. ¡°Good way to practice it, too. It really gives you stamina back?¡±


    ¡°Mana too,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can¡¯t use it on myself, though.¡±


    ¡°I knew there had to be a pretty rough restriction, with a power that good,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I''m surprised people aren''t a bit more wary, with an incantation like that," Rufus said.


    ¡°These people don¡¯t care what you chant,¡± Jory said. ¡°If there¡¯s free healing going, they¡¯ll cheer you on as you praise the god of woe.¡±


    With each patient, Jason¡¯s mana and stamina were replenished, until he was back at full strength.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Gary asked. ¡°You look a lot better, but a bit down.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°My world doesn¡¯t have magic. We don¡¯t have a way to get rid of some of the diseases I¡¯ve just casually taken away from people today. I cured a dozen people of cancer. Do you know what cancer does to a person?¡±


    ¡°Er, no,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Exactly. I think about what I could do if I took this power home with me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get there,¡± Gary said. ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll take a while, but you¡¯ll get there.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°When you have some time, go over to the temple district,¡± Gary said. ¡°Maybe the goddess Knowledge will help you. She probably won¡¯t straight-up tell you how to get home, but she might put you on the right path.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Gary said. ¡°She makes you work for it, but guiding people to knowledge is kind of her whole purpose for being.¡±


    ¡°Not today, though,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Today is for training. You¡¯re ready to get back to running, right?¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re done here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You are,¡± Jory said. ¡°We¡¯ve run out of sick people. There¡¯ll be more tomorrow, once word starts getting around you¡¯re doing this for free.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯ll be dragging him along every morning.¡±


    Rufus and an exhausted Jason were standing on a training field on the Adventure Society campus. At least Rufus was standing, with Jason sprawled out on the grass. Farrah was nearby, leaning against a tree as she read a book. There were other people around, sparring or practising martial arts forms. Gary had wandered off and was sparring against a pair of locals.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s a bunch of sick people around?¡± Jason asked, too weary to stand.


    ¡°Afraid not,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Should I eat a spirit coin?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said, ¡°Replenishing yourself is good when you need to keep pushing, but you also need to let your body restore itself naturally. Your recovery attribute needs training, just as much as your speed, power and spirit.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like I¡¯m ready to learn martial arts right now,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Actual technique you can pick up from a skill book.¡±


    ¡°I can?¡± Jason asked, raising his head. ¡°Great. Let¡¯s do that.¡±


    ¡°Not yet. At my family¡¯s academy¡­¡±


    ¡°Drink,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve come up with a drinking game,¡± Jason said. ¡°Every time you say ¡®my family¡¯s academy,¡¯ everyone has to take a drink.¡±


    Farrah burst out laughing.


    ¡°Is this the ¡®fun¡¯ you were talking about?¡± Rufus asked, disapproval wrinkling his brow.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said as he got to his feet. He dropped to a half-crouch, hands on his knees. ¡°I think I¡¯m going to throw up.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It means you¡¯ve been pushing yourself hard enough. At my family¡¯s academy¡­¡±


    Rufus glared at Farrah, who was looking innocently off into the distance.


    ¡°¡­we have been refining methods of combat training for centuries, including training with skill books.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t the whole point of skill books to just use them and you¡¯re good?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that simple,¡± Rufus said. ¡°For a practice that is knowledge-based, that is more-or-less true.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn''t," Farrah chimed in. "Knowing isn''t the same as understanding. You''ve used a ritual magic skill book, but knowing practical applications isn''t the same as grasping the theory."


    ¡°There¡¯s a similar issue with physical skills,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but even more exaggerated. The mind might know what to do, but the body still has to learn. First, I will teach you to be receptive to the skills you will learn. How to stand, how to move.¡±


    ¡°A solid house needs a solid foundation,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly," Rufus said happily. "I''m glad you understand. Learning to fight through skill books is ultimately faster than training from nothing because you save yourself years of repetition to ingrain the skills. There is a danger, however, of not fully comprehending the techniques. By preparing well before using a skill book, then consolidating well after, you avoid developing flaws in your skillset."


    ¡°Plus, I imagine there¡¯s quite a gap between learning technique and learning to fight,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s good you realise that,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It¡¯s the first thing we have to beat out of skill book users at my family¡¯s academy.¡±


    Rufus pressed his lips thinly together as he heard a snort of choked off laughter. Flashing a glare at Farrah, he let out a weary sigh.


    ¡°Stand up straight,¡± he said to Jason. ¡°We begin with footwork.¡±


    Jason had joined Farrah in reclining against a tree. Gary was still sparring against all comers, currently going one against three. Rufus had sat down to meditate.


    ¡°You did well with Rufus¡¯ training,¡± Farrah told Jason. ¡°I was amazed you didn¡¯t complain when he just had you taking funny steps the whole time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how my translation ability will handle the term ¡®kung-fu movies,¡¯ but we have these stories in my world. About learning to fight. You always start with what seems weird and pointless, but ends up being the most important of fundamentals. There¡¯s usually a life lesson in there somewhere, as well.¡±


    ¡°Rufus is going to hate teaching you. You are nothing like the students at his academy.¡±


    ¡°Is his school actually that big deal?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It really is,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Kings and Queens have studied there. Some of the best adventurers in the world, too.¡±


    ¡°Did you and Gary train there?¡±


    Farrah laughed.


    ¡°Definitely not. Our origins are a bit too humble for that. We all met on the job.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Jason said. ¡°the zombies.¡±


    ¡°We worked together well, and I think Rufus¡¯ grandfather quietly pushed things along. Rufus puts more pressure on himself than anyone else does, and I think his grandfather was hoping we would lighten him up.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that going?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You should have seen Rufus when we first met,¡± she said. ¡°He was like a string, constantly pulled taut. It was only so long until he was going to snap.¡±


    She looked around, with a smile.


    ¡°Coming out here has been good for him,¡± she said. ¡°Getting away from everything.¡±


    ¡°He blames himself for you getting captured, though,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Mistakes are inevitable," Farrah said, "but it was good they happened so far from home. He doesn''t have to feel like people are looking over his shoulder as he makes them."


    Farrah was wearing the loose, draped clothes in the local style, including a long, coat-robe that made her look a bit like a Jedi. She reached into it and pulled out an awakening stone that she tossed casually to Jason. It was like dark glass, shining with a faint radiance of moonlight. It was cool in his hand.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of Omens] (unranked, epic)


    An awakening stone containing the power of destiny (consumable, awakening stone).Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 9 unawakened essence abilities.You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of Omens]. Absorb Y/N?


    ¡°What¡¯s this for?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t forgotten that you saved us back in that ritual chamber,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We¡¯ve each gotten you a gift, something to help you start your adventuring life.¡±


    ¡°You saved me too. Even if I¡¯d gotten away, I probably would have died in that desert.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but saving us took courage and heroics. Saving you took a basic sense of direction. Use the stone; it wasn¡¯t easy to find.¡±


    ¡°High rarity stones tend to be more specialised, right?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°This one is epic. What are you expecting me to get?¡±


    ¡°With luck, an aura ability, although maybe not. That was the rarest stone I could get my hands on that is known for aura powers. Every good adventurer should have a perception power and an aura ability, and the perception power you already have. Once you have an aura ability you can learn to control your aura."


    ¡°And that¡¯s important?¡±


    ¡°Very. Anyone who hits bronze rank and can¡¯t manage their aura is a second rate adventurer, and you can¡¯t do that without an aura ability.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can¡¯t have that,¡± Jason said. The stone sank into his hand.


    You have awakened the sin essence ability [Hegemony]. You have awakened 4 of 5 sin essence abilities.


    Announcement


    Patreon should be up and running with advanced chapters next week.

 Chapter 40: Eyebeams and the Ethics of Adventuring

    After finding out Jory had an unused courtyard behind his clinic, Rufus moved the daily training there. It was really just a walled-in dirt yard, but was sufficient for their needs. The day would begin with Gary, who would run with Jason to Jory¡¯s clinic. After replenishing his stamina by draining the sickness from Jory¡¯s patients, Jason was ready for more physical training.


    The approach to physical training was startling in its familiarity. Farrah had left a set of barbells from her magical chest in Jory¡¯s yard, covered with a tarp. Gary would alternate between strength training with weights and more agility-based training, leading Jason through all kinds of flexibility exercises.


    While instructing Jason, the normally relaxed Gary became a harsh task-master, brooking not even the slightest amount of slack. As he watched Jason¡¯s form during push-ups, sit-ups or lunges, he would lecture on the importance of training.


    ¡°When your speed attribute reaches bronze,¡± Gary said, ¡°you will be faster than you ever were before. If you don¡¯t know how to use that speed, that agility, those reflexes, then you will die to someone that does.¡±


    Sometimes Gary would take Jason out of the clinic¡¯s yard and into streets and alleys of Old City. He taught what Jason was startled to recognise as parkour. Climbing, roof running, acrobatics; in spite of his huge body, Gary was astoundingly proficient.


    Jason voiced concern, given the generally busy state of Old City and his own lack of expertise. Gary insisted on a learn-by-doing approach, telling Jason what he did wrong as he did it. Jason voiced them again after he fell from a rooftop and had to pay for the crushed contents of a fruit cart.


    ¡°Sorry about that Herbert,¡± Jason said as he handed over the coins.


    ¡°I look at it this way,¡± the balding, paunchy fruit seller said. ¡°I just sold a full cartload of fruit and it¡¯s barely daylight. And please; call me Bert.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure this is working out,¡± Jason told Gary.


    ¡°You don¡¯t just start off good at difficult things,¡± Gary said. ¡°You have to begin at bad and work your way up.¡±


    ¡°That I get,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure about the methodology. Maybe I should try somewhere less crowded until I¡¯m better?¡±


    ¡°The ability to move with speed and confidence, always aware of your surroundings is essential to an adventurer,¡± Gary said. ¡°Sometimes you have to run, sometimes you have to chase. You rarely get to choose when or where. You must always be ready always aware. Whatever you¡¯re doing, wherever you¡¯re doing it.¡±


    Once Gary was done with him, Jason would replenish himself again with clinic patients. On the first day, Jason noticed Jory giving him a wary look.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re helping people and all,¡± Jory said, ¡°but you¡¯re literally feeding on the misery of others.¡±


    ¡°You want me to stop coming in?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Gods, no,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you want to help me stich a body together from dismembered corpses and animate it with lightning?¡±


    ¡°That would be disturbing,¡± Jory said, ¡°if you didn¡¯t so obviously know nothing about actual necromancy.¡±


    Word of Jason¡¯s free healing started getting around, so there were always people waiting each time he arrived. By the time he cleared out the patients, Rufus would arrive for more training.


    The training with Rufus was the most tedious part of Jason¡¯s day. Footwork and balance, footwork and balance. Sometimes it was moving around with a forced gait, feeling awkward and inefficient. Other times it was balancing in strange stances on pegs Jory let Rufus hammer into the dirt yard. Whenever Jason¡¯s form was wrong, Rufus would sweep his legs out from under him, or kick him from what he was balancing on.


    ¡°You¡¯re breaking your body line. Anyone with even rudimentary skills would put you on the ground in a moment.¡±


    ¡°It feels awkward to move like that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That is because you don¡¯t walk, run, stand, lean or sit properly. When it stops feeling awkward, you will be ready to use a skill book.¡±


    ¡°So, I could just lie and we move onto the skill book?¡± Jason asked.


    Rufus¡¯ leg swept Jason¡¯s out from under him with such force that Jason went horizontal in the air, followed by a savage downward chop smashing him into the ground. Rufus stood over him as Jason curled up in the dirt, choking and coughing.


    ¡°There will be a test,¡± Rufus said.


    In the afternoons, Farrah would take over. This was the part of his training regimen Jason enjoyed the most. Gary and Rufus¡¯ instruction was classic montage material, while Farrah¡¯s training was something altogether different.


    The spirit attribute, Jason learned, governed not just magic strength, but also perception. Farrah subjected Jason to an array of unusual, but often interesting and fun exercises. They would play memory games with cards, or she would make him taste-test things while blindfolded.


    ¡°I have no idea what you just put in my mouth,¡± Jason said, ¡°but you need to tell me what it was. I want to try baking it in a pie.¡±


    Some perception exercises trained practical observation and memory skills. One of the most common was watching people go past Jory¡¯s clinic, with Jason memorising everything he could as fast as he could. He would then close his eyes as Farrah tested him. Other times she would have him read from the Magic Society¡¯s monster records, collected on a magical tablet. She gave him only a short time to read, testing his comprehension afterwards.


    The second aspect of Farrah¡¯s training was meditation. Jason and his siblings had been spoon-fed meditation techniques by their mother, and while Jason had long-ago rejected them, it at least gave him a grounding to work with. Those techniques were quite different to what Farrah taught him, but there was enough commonality to pick things up quickly. She soon stopped guiding him, leaving him to take it up in his own time.


    The final part of Farrah¡¯s training was aura manipulation. He had gotten lucky, the stone Farrah gifted him awakening an aura ability.


    Ability: [Hegemony] (Sin)


    Aura (holy, unholy)Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Allies within the aura have increased resistance to afflictions, while enemies within the aura have their resistance to afflictions reduced. Enemy resistances are further reduced for each instance of [Sin] they are suffering from.


    Jason was happy with the aura effect, which would make his abilities more reliable while protecting his allies from someone like him. He was also fascinated by it being both a holy and unholy ability at the same time. Sadly, he couldn¡¯t think of a good way to passive-aggressively let Anisa hear about it. He knew she was in the city somewhere, but it was probably for the best they hadn¡¯t run into each other.


    As Farrah instructed Jason on the basics of aura use, he discovered that for training purposes, the specifics of his aura didn¡¯t matter. The fundamental aspects of auras were all the same, which she introduced him to in the clinic yard as they sat on woven mats.


    ¡°By getting your hands on an aura power," Farrah told him, "you''ve gained the capacity to manipulate your aura. Like any other skill, it takes practice to do it right. Controlling your aura is important for many reasons, starting with the fact that as you get stronger, your aura will become increasingly energetic. Eventually, enough to be dangerous to the people around you. If you reach gold rank and can''t control your aura properly, you can hurt normal people just by going near them."


    ¡°So, if you hit gold rank and can¡¯t control your aura,¡± Jason asked, ¡°do you have to hide so you don¡¯t hurt people just by walking down the street?¡±


    ¡°There are magic items you can use to suppress your aura,¡± Farrah said. ¡°People in that situation are required to use them.¡±


    ¡°Do you get a lot of people who get to gold without any aura control?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Usually your chances of getting to gold start with a good foundation, which means aura powers and aura training. It does happen, though. I once saw the aftermath of a gold ranker who forgot to put on an aura suppressor before going to a market. People were passed out, bleeding out their ears.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No it isn¡¯t,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Which is why the training is important. There are other reasons, too. Anyone with a perception power will eventually be able to see auras clearly, so if yours isn¡¯t under control, they¡¯ll read you like you¡¯re holding up signs. Not just your location, either. If you can¡¯t restrain your aura, they¡¯ll read your emotions, know when you lie.¡±


    ¡°Can you see my emotions right now?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but my perception power doesn¡¯t improve my aura sense until silver rank. Neither does yours, by the way. I looked it up.¡±


    ¡°So, what does your perception power do?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It looks good,¡± Farrah said as her eyes turned into glowing embers. ¡°It also lets me see through smoke and mist.¡±


    ¡°Nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°Wait, what about my clothes-changing ability. That hides me in smoke. Can you see through that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting question,¡± Farrah said, not answering it. ¡°You know, if I ever get to diamond rank I can shoot fire out of my eyes.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer my¡­ wait, you¡¯re going to get eyebeams? That¡¯s awesome.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Farrah said. ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of abilities where we know what happens at diamond rank. Rufus thinks that if I actually get there it will be overshadowed by what my other abilities can do.¡±


    ¡°Then Rufus sucks,¡± Jason said. ¡°He thinks eyebeams won¡¯t be useful? The intimidation factor alone would be amazing. Who¡¯s going to meet your eyes when you can shoot heat-beams out of them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± Farrah agreed. ¡°More or less. I didn¡¯t say heat-beams.¡±


    ¡°Eyebeams are sweet,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I think we may be getting off-topic," Farrah said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°So what do I do?¡±


    ¡°Broadly speaking, you can control your aura in three ways, and I¡¯ll teach you them in order.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Jason said.¡±


    ¡°The first two uses are the easiest,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They are, broadly speaking, projecting your aura and restraining it. Which is exactly what it sounds like. Projecting is pushing your aura out to affect people, and restraining it is used drawing it in, whether to hide it, or just not be rude.¡±


    ¡°Or make people¡¯s ears bleed,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°What about the third one?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s using your aura to suppress the auras of other people. It¡¯s harder than the others, and you should leave it alone until you reach a certain level of proficiency with aura manipulation.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We start with projecting, because you¡¯re doing it already.¡±


    ¡°I am?¡±


    ¡°You are. Everyone is, until they learn not to. It''s what makes people with no aura control easy to read. I''ll also be teaching you how to hide your emotions even as you''re projecting your aura to affect people."


    ¡°Can monsters manipulate their aura?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Higher-rank monsters can,¡± Farrah said. ¡°At your level, even mine, really, the most you¡¯ll find is a few stealthy monsters that restrain their auras to hide better.¡±


    ¡°I think stealth is going to be my thing, too,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d best learn to restrain my aura properly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re meant to be learning everything properly,¡± she said. ¡°I''ll teach you all the fundamentals. Expanding your aura, narrowing it down onto some people and not others. Once I''ve taught you, though, it''s your responsibility to keep practising. Diligence makes the difference between crudely tossing around your aura and deft manipulation.¡±


    ¡°Then I won¡¯t make my neighbours bleed out their eyeballs?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a long way from needing to worry about that,¡± Farrah said. ¡°A long way. But eventually, yes. More immediately, the skill with which we control our auras is how adventurers make their first impressions on one another. If you can¡¯t do it properly, people won¡¯t take you seriously. Excellent aura manipulation marks you as an adventurer of training and distinction.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying if I don¡¯t control my aura properly, I won¡¯t get invited to the nice parties,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Something like that," Farrah said. "When the rich and powerful bring contracts to the Adventure Society, they add bonus rewards to entice the best adventurers. At your rank, these contracts are usually first-come, first-serve. Once you go higher, clients start requesting specific adventurers. That''s when your reputation matters, and if your aura control is sloppy, you won''t get a second glance."


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not expected to have the skills at iron rank, of course,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That¡¯s the time you¡¯re meant to be mastering the basics, after all. But if you don¡¯t have a handle on it by the time you reach bronze, you¡¯ll find a lot of doors closing in your face.¡±


    ¡°Rufus told me that just being an adventurer opens every door.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well Rufus may not be the best authority on what life is like for the average adventurer.¡±


    ¡°The ones not born with talent, looks, wealth, privilege and influence?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Exactly. He grew up in one of the most prestigious adventure-preparatory schools in the world, with kings and the children of heroes as friends. He¡¯s a great guy, but he¡¯s oblivious to what the rest of us go through, sometimes.¡±


    ¡°So, to him, adventuring is just a parade of people telling you how great you are and handing you sacks of cash,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯m not saying the rest of us can¡¯t get there, but Rufus never even saw the low rungs of the ladder. The things we¡¯re teaching you now, he was learning from the womb.¡±


    ¡°Then if I¡¯m going to catch up, we should probably get back to the lesson,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I like the ambition," Farrah said. "First, let me take you through the process. As I said, we start with projection to learn the basics, then move on to restraining. Once you can do both of these to an acceptable level, we introduce more sophistication. Things like focusing on one person, or hiding aspects of your aura while projecting. That culminates in projecting and restraining at the same time."


    ¡°How does that work?¡±


    ¡°Well, for example, just say you¡¯ve hidden yourself, but you want to use your aura. So you blanket the area with your aura ability, but hide your presence within it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a good intimidation tactic,¡± Jason said. ¡°They know you¡¯re around, stalking them, but can¡¯t find you.¡±


    ¡°Or you could just blow one of them up,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I find that intimidates the survivors just fine.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a very aggressive person,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with enjoying your work,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°There is when your work is killing people.¡±


    ¡°I was talking about monsters,¡± Farrah said, her tone lowering with disapproval. ¡°They¡¯re just globs of magic.¡±


    ¡°But they can still feel fear and pain,¡± Jason said. ¡°They still suffer.¡±


    ¡°So do the people they kill once they''ve been around too long and gone berserk," Farrah said. Her relaxed mediation pose was becoming rigid.


    "You haven''t seen a truly berserk monster,¡± she said. ¡°It''s like they can feel their inevitable demise and want nothing more than to take as many living things with them as they can. Putting them down before they reach that state is a mercy."


    ¡°But mercy shouldn¡¯t be fun,¡± Jason said.


    Farrah normally kept her feeling hidden behind a veil of amusement, but Jason¡¯s attitude had stripped it away.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to moralise when you aren¡¯t even an adventurer yet,¡± Farrah told him, pointing her finger. ¡°You don¡¯t understand the price of what we do. I want to see how you feel a year from now. How many monsters will you have killed with those powers of yours? How many people? Your abilities are all about slow, horrible death.¡±


    She got up, glaring at Jason as she brushed down her pants with her hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough training for today,¡± she said. ¡°Put away the mats.¡±


    She marched out of the yard through the gate in the wall, leaving Jason sitting alone.


    ¡°That turned heavy, fast,¡± he told himself. ¡°Good job, idiot.¡±


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 Chapter 41: Vulnerable and Exposed

    Jason apologised to Farrah the next day when she arrived at Jory¡¯s clinic for his training.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise until afterwards that I was accusing you of being callous. I can sometimes let my mouth run off on me without thinking it through, or considering the other person¡¯s perspective.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very clear,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You weren¡¯t completely wrong, I guess. Mostly, but not completely. You do have to be a little callous, to do what we do.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I shouldn¡¯t be judging you when I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been through. The one thing I do know about this world is that I¡¯m ignorant about all of it. It¡¯s just that¡­ in my world, I¡¯m not a person of consequence. Being one of the faceless masses isn¡¯t terrific, but there is one luxury the powerful don¡¯t enjoy.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°When you¡¯re just a face in the crowd, then you can hold an ideal without being required to live up to it. But here, my decisions can be life and death. My principles are being put to the test, and I¡¯m forced to confront what it means when they bend, or even break. Like anyone, I liked to think of myself as someone who would stand tall under the pressure. Now I¡¯m really under it, standing up is harder than I thought. I have my own values, from my own world. They¡¯re the only thing I was able to bring with me. And sometimes, most times, it feels like this world wants to eradicate them. But if I let it, then what do I become?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t answer that for you,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Being good is easy when the choices are easy, but adventurers don¡¯t sign up for easy choices. Being a good person means being good when the choices are hard, and there¡¯s a price to that.¡±


    ¡°Rufus told me something very similar.¡±


    ¡°He might have his blind spots,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but his family have never been shirkers. When the time comes to stand, they stand at the front.¡±


    ¡°Again, I¡¯m really sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°You were right that I don¡¯t know the things you¡¯ve seen.¡±


    ¡°I was, wasn¡¯t I?¡± Farrah said. ¡°But sometimes I forget how adrift you must feel, in a world you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Adrift is about right,¡± Jason said. ¡°All I have to anchor myself is who I am. It feels like if I lose that, then I might never find a way home.¡±


    ¡°You realise that doesn¡¯t actually make sense, right?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in this world for three weeks,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been getting by on throwing myself into everything like a maniac, because if I stop moving I¡¯m going to completely lose it. I¡¯m one bad day from cracking like an egg.¡±


    ¡°So you cling to whatever you can,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I can understand that. But the world isn¡¯t going to stop and wait for you to get ready for it.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°For now, concentrate on the training,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Perhaps some routine will help you keep it together.¡±


    Even before Farrah¡¯s prompting, Jason instinctively understood that staying busy would keep him from flying off in every direction. He threw himself into training, from early mornings with Gary to afternoons with Farrah.


    Every afternoon, when his training with the others was done, he would make his way to the balcony of his personal suite. Every day he would practice the one essence ability that he was most excited to master, yet had failed to successfully use. Each power he awakened brought with it the instinctive knowledge of how to employ it, but something about this one ability was holding him back.


    Ability: [Path of Shadows] (Dark)


    Special ability (dimension, teleport)Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Teleport using shadows as a portal. You must be able to see the destination shadow.


    The ability to teleport fired his imagination in ways his other abilities couldn¡¯t match, yet it eluded him, day after day. Every afternoon he would sit under the awning on his balcony, trying to disappear into its shadow. His instincts screamed that it should be easy and natural, but there was something alien about that instinct. That feeling came from his essences, which were part of him now, but a new part. They didn¡¯t entirely feel like a true part of him yet, and every day the sun would set on another failure.


    His personal suite wasn¡¯t on the ocean side of the building, so his balcony instead overlooked one of the guild district¡¯s wide boulevards. Sitting cross-legged in the shadow of the awning, he would try and sink into it, for hours on end. As time went on, he became more frustrated. He could feel success was tantalisingly close, as if it brushed against his fingers, only to slip away.


    As days rolled on, it felt like he was moving in the wrong direction, further from success than when he first started practicing. He pulled out his starlight cloak, letting it wrap itself around him for comfort. That ability had come so easily.


    ¡°Essence abilities should come naturally,¡± Rufus told him, when Jason asked for advice. ¡°This kind of problem you¡¯re having usually appears when people are getting in their own way. In your world, abilities like this aren¡¯t possible, are they?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not.¡±


    ¡°It may be there¡¯s a part of you still thinks it¡¯s impossible,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Your new instincts, conflicting with your old ones. A teleport power affects you more than your other powers; it consumes you, in a way. Perhaps you feel that and instinctively draw back, like flinching from a hot stove.¡±


    ¡°So, what do I do?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Instead of focusing on yourself,¡± Rufus said, ¡°focus on your surroundings. Farrah has been teaching you to project outside of yourself with your aura. Use that. Probe the shadows. Instead of trying to use them, just try and understand them. What they are, what you can do with them. Right now, you have this idea of what shadows are in your head, but a power telling you something different. Until you resolve that conflict, using that power will remain out of reach.¡±


    ¡°You picked the basics of aura manipulation up quickly,¡± Farrah told Jason. ¡°You¡¯re slow and somewhat crude with it, but that¡¯s to be expected. The only way to smooth the rough edges is with experience. There¡¯s no substitute for practice.¡±


    Jason nodded. They were in Jory¡¯s yard, sitting face-to-face on meditation mats.


    ¡°Now you have a grasp of the fundamentals,¡± Farrah said, ¡°it¡¯s time to show you the last aspect of aura manipulation.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would be this quick,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The basics of aura manipulation are exactly that,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Like all essence abilities, there¡¯s an instinctive understanding. The real difference between the capable and the incompetent is keeping up the practice. Practice is the only real secret to mastery.¡±


    ¡°No shortcuts,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No shortcuts,¡± Farrah agreed. ¡°Now we''re moving on to the third aspect of aura manipulation. You can perform projection and restraint to acceptable levels, so next comes suppression. Like the other aspects, the description is right there in the name; you use your aura to suppress the auras of others. It really only works against people weaker than you, but it can be useful when you need to show dominance.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°This is a little trickier to pick up,¡± Farrah explained, ¡°because there isn¡¯t anyone weaker than you to practise on. Even normal people won¡¯t be far below your aura strength until your spirit attribute gets stronger. At this point I¡¯m really just showing you, rather than teaching you. It¡¯s something you need to know about, if only to be prepared when others use it on you.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re going to suppress my aura?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Let me get a feel for it?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It can be a disconcerting experience, so it¡¯s best you learn what you¡¯re in for.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Hit me.¡±


    ¡°Here I go,¡± Farrah warned. She expanded her aura, clamping onto Jason¡¯s and suppressing it, pushing it forcefully into his body. She looked at Jason, watching for reactions. He pulled out a small paper bag, popping a few glazed nuts into his mouth.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Um, yes,¡± she said. ¡°You are feeling that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± he said, holding out the bag. ¡°Want some? I don¡¯t know what they put on these nuts, but it¡¯s really good.¡±


    With a confused expression, Farrah reached out and took a couple of nuts from the bag.


    ¡°They are good,¡± she agreed. She looked at Jason, still under the effect of her aura suppression.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Feels normal,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Most people find having their aura suppressed to be supremely unnerving,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It leaves them feeling vulnerable and exposed.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I noticed that,¡± Jason.


    ¡°I thought you said it feels normal?¡±


    ¡°That is normal,¡± Jason said. ¡°I arrived in this world with no idea where I was, how I got there or why. I was literally trapped in a maze, naked, fighting monsters and dodging cannibals. Compared to how vulnerable and exposed that left me, you think giving me the evil eye will put me off my knitting?¡±


    He let out a low chuckle.


    ¡°Ever since that day,¡± he said, ¡°the more I learn, the more I realise that everything I knew or believed was either woefully incomplete or flat-out wrong. I¡¯ve almost died several times, and there¡¯s no telling when something will come along to finish the job. I¡¯ve been dragged into circumstances before which I am both impotent and insignificant. I have precious-little understanding the world around me, and even less control. I¡¯ve been living with that for every waking moment since I arrived here. So you making me feel vulnerable is like throwing sand on the beach. I only noticed the change because I watched you do it.¡±


    One of luxuries of the suite Farrah shared with Rufus and Gary was the balcony terrace overlooking the ocean. There was enough outdoor furniture to serve as a private dining area, so Farrah carried a large tray of food from the dumbwaiter out to the table where Rufus and Gary were already seated.


    ¡°What about Jason?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Still trying to get his shadow teleport to work,¡± Farrah explained as she sat down.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen this kind of problem before,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He¡¯ll work past it, sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s possible we may have overlooked some of what he¡¯s going through,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Gary asked. ¡°It seems like he¡¯s doing fine.¡±


    ¡°He does throw himself into things like he¡¯s looking for a distraction,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You were going to suppress his aura today, right? Did he react badly?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t react at all,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Working for the Magic Society, I¡¯ve taught a lot of people to use their auras, but I¡¯ve never seen that before.¡±


    ¡°You think there¡¯s something behind it?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°He said it didn¡¯t affect him because that¡¯s how he feels all the time,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He¡¯s isolated and alone to a degree that I¡¯m not sure I can get my head around.¡±


    ¡°He has us,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°But from his perspective,¡± Farrah said, ¡°we¡¯re another part of the strangeness. We can propel his boat, but we can¡¯t be his anchor.¡±


    ¡°Have we been pushing him too hard?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°If anything, I suspect the structure we¡¯ve given him is what¡¯s propped him up for this long.¡±


    ¡°Then what do we do?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°What we have been doing,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The stronger he becomes, the more in control he will feel. You both know what I¡¯m talking about; that feeling of power as your abilities grow. Normally you have to stop people from running off like they¡¯re invincible, but hopefully it makes Jason feel more secure.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should start showing him around a bit,¡± Gary suggested. ¡°Let him see this world isn¡¯t all cultists and monsters. Remember the villages we passed through? He seemed a lot more relaxed around normal people, so maybe a little dose of ordinary is exactly what he needs.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying we aren¡¯t normal?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m normal,¡± Gary said. ¡°You two can be kind of intense.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good idea,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯ll be administering the field testing for next month¡¯s Adventure Society intake. I¡¯ll need to start preparing in a few days, and then I¡¯ll be gone for a week. Relax the training while I¡¯m gone.


    ¡°Done,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Not too much,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but give him time to explore the city. This island is surprisingly impressive for a provincial city.¡±


    ¡°If you have the money,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Which he does,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°You did give him a cut from the blood cult job, right?¡± Gary asked. ¡°If it weren¡¯t for him we would have failed and died.¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The church of purity made some noise about the completion bonus, after how things went with Anisa. The contract was through the Adventure Society, though, and the job did get done. They paid up.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Gary said. ¡°Did I get a cut? I don¡¯t remember getting the money for that.¡±


    ¡±Because I gave it to Farrah,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You know; the person who stores all your money?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡±


    Because they were on the balcony, they were able to hear a sudden commotion from outside the other side of the building. There was a yell of surprised panic, followed by a crashing sound and the shouts of several people.


    Unable to see the source of the commotion, the three left their own suite and entered Jason¡¯s unlocked room across the hall. The balcony he should have been practicing on was empty. Going to the edge and looking down, they saw the outside dining area of the eatery across the street. The evening patrons had been disturbed by Jason landing heavily on a table in their midst, collapsing it to the ground. All the customers had stood up, while Jason still sprawled out in the remains of someone¡¯s supper.


    He groaned, moving feebly to pluck a healing potion out of the air, tipping it into his mouth where he lay. Regaining strength as the potion took effect, he pushed himself off the table, staggering as he found his feet. He looked at the people standing around him.


    ¡°Sorry about your dinner,¡± he said, looking down at the food smeared on his clothes. ¡°Smells good.¡±


    ¡°Jason?¡± Rufus called down.


    Jason looked up at Rufus and gave a sore, but cheerful thumbs up.


    ¡°I got the ability to work!¡±


    Moments earlier, sitting on the roof, Jason had been pushing his senses out and into the shadow of the awning. In defiance of what little he knew of physics, he had come to sense that shadows were more than just an absence, but something that existed in their own right. He could feel something there as he reached out with his aura. There was a depth to the shadow, an ephemeral, but very real substance. He could almost rub it between his fingers.


    He felt a call from the shadow, to something that existed inside him. The power he had tried so hard to use, yet never could. He quieted his excited mind, resisting the urge to push. He relaxed, letting the substance of the shadow and the power inside him intermingle. Gently they connected, becoming one. If felt natural, and right. Then something changed.


    As if dragged by a giant vacuum cleaner, Jason felt himself get sucked through the shadow. As he did, he had the flashing realisation that in all the time he¡¯d been working on the ability, he¡¯s never given much thought to a destination. He emerged from the shadow of the building across the street, reason giving way to panic as he started to fall.


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 Chapter 42: This is the Pits

    As Farrah and Gary walked along, Jason would step into a shadow on one side of the street and reappear on the other.


    ¡°He seems to like that ability quite a lot,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I remember someone who was quite excitable when she got her fire jump power,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Shut up.¡±


    ¡°He can use it in quick succession,¡± Gary observed. ¡°Seems cheap on mana, too; he¡¯s been at it for a while.¡±


    ¡°The benefit of being restricted to shadows,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Regular teleport may use more mana and be available less often, but I still think I¡¯d prefer it. If you get caught without any handy shadows, Jason¡¯s ability is useless.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Gary said. ¡°Normal teleport you have to pick your moment so it isn¡¯t wasted. This shadow-jumping business you could use enough to make it a centrepiece of your combat style.¡±


    ¡°Too reliant on the environment,¡± Farrah said. ¡°How often do you get to pick your battles as you like?¡±


    Jason emerged from a nearby shadow and joined them, wincing with a low mana headache.


    ¡°It¡¯s still taking me too long to activate the ability,¡± he said.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s not just how long it takes?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°It should be almost instantaneous,¡± Jason. ¡°I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°Keep practicing,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You¡¯ll get there.¡±


    ¡°How far can you go?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°As far as I can see, I think,¡± Jason said. ¡°As long as I can spot the shadow and it¡¯s big enough, I can jump through it. I tried going through a small one, but it didn¡¯t work.¡±


    A wagon rumbled past, filled with manure. Farrah turned up her nose at the stench.


    ¡°Remind me why we aren¡¯t shopping on the Island?¡± she asked. ¡°I became an adventurer to get away from the smell of dung.¡±


    ¡°The markets on the Island are just trying to rip off rich people,¡± Jason said. ¡°Besides, I promised Jory I would swing by the clinic.¡±


    In the grimy heart of Old City¡¯s warehouse district was a huge stone building called the Fortress. Older even than the city walls, it had been built to last. In the earliest days of the city it had been where Greenstone¡¯s residents would take shelter during a monster surge, but those days were long past. Now it served as Greenstone¡¯s largest den of iniquity; it¡¯s rooms and halls contained all manner of illicit behaviour, delights and horrors both.


    The city authorities paid little attention to the goings on in Old City so long as the business interests of the city elite remained secure. That made Old City¡¯s three biggest crime lords its de facto rulers, who made sure that the Island elites had no reason to look any closer. So long as the money kept flowing, the Big Three were free to divide Old City between them.


    The Fortress was neutral ground. It was the one place where the Big Three shared operation, dividing both responsibility and profit. It was also the best place in Old City to glimpse the Island elites. Whether to secure their interests or indulge their appetites, they would receive only the best of treatment in the Fortress.


    Of the many itches one could have scratched in the Fortress, the fighting pits offered the greatest spectacle. Some were literal pits, others cages. At night, even adventurers could be found battling it out inside. Some sought challenge, others to pay off debts for their own costly indulgences. Some decided a life fighting monsters wasn¡¯t for them and sought to earn a spot working for the Big Three. The top enforcers of the crime lords were paid in not just coin, but also monster cores.


    Among the seating arrangements at the fighting pits were a number of enclosed viewing rooms with glass fronts. These were more recent additions to the centuries-old building. Some were available to anyone with the coin, while four were permanently reserved. The Big Three each possessed one of the boxes, where they conducted much of their business. The fourth belonged to the Fortress¡¯ most frequent and prestigious patron.


    Lucian Lamprey was an elf whose muscular frame was uncommon for his people. Expensive clothes aside, he would not look out of place in the fighting pits himself. He was not a member of the local elf families, instead having been banished to Greenstone for previous improprieties. He was director of Greenstone¡¯s branch of the Magic Society, a vaunted position within the city, but one for which Lucian held no respect. They could make him king of the isolated desert city and he would still yearn for what he viewed as true civilisation.


    The Fortress was Lucian¡¯s consolation; a paradise to openly indulge the vices for which he was sent to Greenstone in the first place. His viewing box was more of an office to him than the one at the Magic Society campus. He even managed to get work done, as the lower-card fights rarely drew his attention.


    While the pits might operate at all hours, only the essence users of the night fights got Lucian¡¯s blood boiling. Magic displayed any active fights on the giant window of his viewing box, but in the early afternoon he only gave them occasional glance. This time of day had single-essence fighters, only escalating to full-blown, iron-rank fights after sundown. Lucian would have preferred to see bronze-rankers as well, but they were too valuable to risk in the pits under any but the rarest of circumstances.


    Only a precious few bronze-rankers lowered themselves to work for the Big Three, and were their most valuable assets. If they ever appeared in the pits, it was to settle grudges between the Big Three without spilling blood on the streets. Gang war meant drawing the attention of the Island authorities, which all of the Big Three knew to avoid.


    Lucian¡¯s ability to use the Fortress as his office was largely due to his deputy director. Pochard Finn maintained things at the city campus while frequently travelling to the Fortress himself. He was also an elf, in his case, a local. Both elves enjoyed the relationship, as Lucian had his workload lightened, while Pochard was the de facto director of Greenstone¡¯s Magic Society. They had quickly moved from colleagues to friends as Pochard also came to enjoy the pleasures of the Fortress.


    ¡°Standish was looking for you,¡± Pochard said, pouring himself a glass of wine. He gestured with the bottle invitingly, pouring a second glass at a nod from Lucian.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you deal with it?¡± Lucian asked. ¡°He¡¯s always up in arms about something.¡±


    ¡°He insisted on seeing you,¡± Pochard said. ¡°Something about spirit coins, I think.¡±


    ¡°Tell him if he wants to see me, he can come here,¡± Lucian said.


    ¡°I did,¡± Pochard said, drawing a snort of laughter from Lucian.


    ¡°I would love to see that gangly moppet in the Fortress,¡± Lucian said, then stared out the of the window-wall. ¡°And now I have.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Pochard said, following Lucian¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°He actually came,¡± Lucian laughed. ¡°Good for him.¡±


    Pochard groaned.


    ¡°I hope he doesn¡¯t make it a regular occurrence.¡±


    Lucian chuckled at Pochard¡¯s reaction as they watched the long-limbed Clive Standish navigate the fighting pit¡¯s viewing stands. It wasn¡¯t crowded in the early afternoon, yet the awkward man in the wildly out-of-place scholar¡¯s robe seemed to get in the way of every person he passed. Finally he reached the viewing room, opulent in its wooden construction. Lucian and Pochard looked at each other as they heard a polite knock.


    ¡°Shove off!¡± Pochard yelled, prompting a belly-laugh from Lucian.


    ¡°Uh, sir?¡± a voice came through the door.


    ¡°Don¡¯t just stand out there, Standish!¡± Lucian bellowed, and the door was pulled nervously open. Clive Standish was rather tall, but his narrow frame and hunched posture made him seem lanky and awkward. He wore voluminous scholarly robes, possibly to make him seem less narrow, but they dangled off him like they¡¯d been hung out to dry. In the fighting pits of the Fortress, he looked as out of place as any man Lucian had seen. This was good for Clive, as it left Lucian in a better mood than Clive normally found him.


    ¡°Pochard tells me you have some kind of spirit coin problem,¡± Lucian said.


    ¡°Not exactly a problem, sir,¡± Clive said. ¡°More like a curiosity that I believe warrants further inquiry.¡±


    Clive rummaged through his robes to produce an iron-rank spirit coin.


    ¡°This coin, and several other like it have been found in circulation over the last couple of weeks. You¡¯ll note the unusual embossing of a man holding up his thumb,¡± Clive said. Pochard leaned over to peer at the coin in Lucian¡¯s hand.


    ¡°On the back,¡± Clive continued, ¡°there is an inscription. Thus far, we have failed to identify the language.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a translation ability?¡± Pochard said.


    ¡°I do,¡± Clive said, ¡°although that only tells us what it says, not the language in which it says it.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Lucian asked, impatiently. ¡°What does it say?¡±


    ¡°It reads, ¡®product of Jason,¡¯ and ¡®good day, friend.¡¯ The second part is contextualised as a greeting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly odd,¡± Lucian said. ¡°It¡¯s a real coin?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had every coin we¡¯ve found tested, sir,¡± Clive said. ¡°They¡¯re all real.¡±


    ¡°You checked it against the registry?¡±


    Clive nodded.


    ¡°It definitely didn¡¯t come from a registered spirit coin farm,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°You think someone¡¯s set up an unregistered farm?¡± Pochard asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Clive said. ¡°Certainly worth looking into. But we haven¡¯t seen a lot of these coins, and most shady coin farms try to imitate a registered imprint. Given the idiosyncratic nature of these coins, and the fact that we¡¯ve only found a few, I think there is an alternative explanation.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Lucian asked.


    ¡°You are, of course aware, that some essence users develop an ability to loot monsters without the use of the usual harvesting rituals,¡± Clive said. ¡°Usually the prosperity essence is responsible, often in conjunction with a human awakening one of their racial gifts. Such abilities are known to produce spirit coins.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the legality of that?¡± Pochard asked.


    ¡°If it¡¯s an ability, then it¡¯s perfectly legal,¡± Clive said. ¡°Fascinating, but insignificant on an economic scale. That¡¯s just conjecture, however. If it does turn out to be an unregistered spirit coin farm, then it obviously needs to be found and shut down.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Clive,¡± Lucian said. ¡°You came all the way here, dressed like that, so I¡¯ll go along with it.¡±


    ¡°This is how I always dress,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Oh, I know,¡± Lucian said. ¡°Pochard, put up a contract with the Adventure Society to look into an off-the-books farm. Try and get them to put it up as a three-star contract, so we get someone who¡¯ll actually do the work. Adventurers get lazy with open-ended contracts.¡±


    ¡°If it involves the spirit coin farms, the Adventure Society will make it three-star,¡± Pochard said.


    ¡°Good. As for you, Clive, I¡¯ll authorise you to use Magic Society resources to pursue your other idea. If these coins are just some guy with an ability, find him, so we can put the issue to bed.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°You want some wine, Clive?¡± Lucian asked.


    ¡°Ah, no, sir. Thank you. I¡¯d best get back.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d better shove off, then,¡± Lucian said. ¡°Anyone staying here has to drink.¡±

 Chapter 43: Nightingale

    ¡°This is nice,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Certainly better than meditating in a dirty back-lot,¡± Farrah said.


    The Island was divided in various districts, all connected by the subterranean, submarine transit line. The locals called it the loop line, or the loop, but Jason thought it deserved something more impressive. His thinking had gone as far as naming it the sub-sub way when he realised the loop wasn¡¯t so bad a moniker.


    Farrah and Jason had taken the loop to the park district, which as the name suggested, was dominated by parkland. It was like someone had curated the delta, with paths and gardens winding around ponds and streams. Palm trees and vibrant tropical flowers punctuated open spaces of lush grass, while pathways vanished into shady areas of dense bushes.


    Almost everywhere in the park district was open to anyone on the Island. The only private space was the walled-off residence of the city¡¯s ruler, the Duke of Greenstone. Jason and Farrah picked out a pleasant spot for their afternoon training. Farrah had suggested a more tranquil environment for meditation than Jory¡¯s back yard.


    ¡°I still need to go in to the clinic, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°I promised I¡¯d come in again this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°You realise that once you¡¯re an adventurer you won¡¯t have as much time for that,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason acknowledged, ¡°but I¡¯d like to make time, where I can. The idea is to help people, right? Killing some monster can do that, but so can turning a room full of sick people into a room full of healthy ones.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Farrah said, ¡°Maybe there are some things worth holding onto in those values of yours.¡±


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± Jason said. ¡°Does this mean you¡¯re going to stop trying to make me kill people?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not trying to make you kill people,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We just want to prepare you for the inevitable. You make it sound like we¡¯re drugging random strangers, stashing them in a hidden location, handing you a large axe and locking you up with them, promising not to let you out until one of you is dead.¡±


    ¡°That was weirdly specific and detailed.¡±


    ¡°Shut up and meditate.¡±


    Underneath the Old City fight pits in the ancient Fortress were a series of hallways and chambers. Fighters and other interested parties used them to prepare for upcoming fights. This included a large number of enforcers to make sure the enthusiasm of would-be participants didn¡¯t suddenly wane before their match.


    One such chamber contained two women, one of whom was getting ready to fight. Instead of loose, cool clothes, she wore a form-fitting outfit that mixed protective treated leather with tough, but flexible fabric. She had one foot up on a stone bench as she wrapped a cloth around her knuckles.


    Her skin was chocolate, her hair shining silver. Her sharp eyes reflected the colour of her hair exactly, the matching metallics a giveaway trait of the celestine race. Normally shoulder length, her shimmering hair was tied back in a simple and practical ponytail.


    ¡°Do you want me to knot it?¡± the other woman asked, glancing at the hair.


    The fighter shook her head, saying nothing. Her gaze was locked on the wall in front of her as she put herself in the headspace to fight. Her companion looked on with disapproval. She was a human, with short, scraggly hair and cute features. Her mouth pouted as she glanced at the door.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe she¡¯s making you do this,¡± she said.


    ¡°Lindy,¡± the fighter said, her voice firm. ¡°We knew we wouldn¡¯t like it going in. But without her protection, we¡¯d be in a worse situation than this.¡±


    ¡°But putting you back in the pits?¡± Belinda complained. ¡°Soph, you already earned your way out of this place.¡±


    ¡°Under Silva¡¯s father,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Now that he¡¯s gone, the most important thing is staying out of Silva¡¯s hands. This is the price we pay for that.¡±


    ¡°Except that you¡¯re doing all the paying,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Ventress doesn¡¯t care about the fighting,¡± Sophie said. ¡°She just cares about provoking Silva by showing me off. Once that¡¯s done, she has no reason to keep us here.¡±


    ¡°Will Silva even know?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°You still only have the one essence. Does anyone pay attention to these low-card fights?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll know,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Sooner, rather than later.¡±


    The door to the chamber was pushed open by a huge leonid. Coming in behind him was a woman with dark, cascading hair and a walk so sultry she was almost swerving. Clarissa Ventress only looked a few years older than the two women she was walking in on, but command clung to her as tightly as her satin dress.


    ¡°Are we just about ready, ladies?¡± Ventress asked. Belinda opened her mouth to respond, but was silenced by a gesture from Sophie.


    ¡°Good,¡± Ventress said. ¡°I¡¯ve arranged a match up that Silva should hear all about. Put on a good show and we might only need the one.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the match up?¡± Sophie asked.


    Ventress had the smile of a snake who just found a nest full of eggs.


    ¡°Fire Fist,¡± she said.


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Belinda burst out.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Sophie said, voice flat and calm.


    ¡°Do you know what he does to people?¡± Belinda asked, wheeling on her friend.


    ¡°I know,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°He does have a reputation,¡± Ventress said. ¡°That works in our favour. And this is fun; it turns out he always wanted to fight you. You got out of the pits right when he was getting started, and apparently he views it as a missed opportunity. Seeing how enthusiastic he was, I just had to go and arrange a cage match.¡±


    Sophie put a hand on Belinda¡¯s shoulder to stop her from erupting again.


    ¡°You want a show?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°You¡¯ll get one.¡±


    Ventress gave another serpentine smile.


    ¡°Precisely what I wanted to hear. Belinda, dear, why don¡¯t you come and watch from my viewing box?¡±


    ¡°Go with her,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I need to get my head in the right space.¡±


    ¡°Soph¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Sophie said with grim determination. ¡°You just watch.¡±


    Lucian arrived at his viewing room with a contented sigh. Trailing behind him was Cassowary Finn, the son of Lucian¡¯s deputy, Pochard. Cassowary spent much of his days working as a go-between for the two men, a key role in allowing Lucian to work out of the Fortress. Some tasks could only be done in person, however, which forced Lucian from his preferred habitat.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad that¡¯s over with,¡± Lucian said. ¡°Maybe there¡¯ll be a good fight on.¡±


    ¡°I did see them bringing out the cage,¡± Cassowary said. Always lurking near his father and Lucian, Cassowary was picking up on their taste for vicarious violence.


    ¡°Might be something interesting,¡± Lucian said. ¡°Put it up on the window.¡±


    Each private viewing room was fronted with a solid sheet of glass, enchanted to project images from the various fighting pits. It could show several at once, or focus on one, all controlled by touching runes set into the wall. Cassowary did so, bringing up the image of Fortress personnel bolting together the walls of a large metal cage.


    ¡°Any idea what this is about?¡± Lucian asked. One of Cassowary¡¯s tasks was to keep abreast of fights that might interest Lucian.


    ¡°If they¡¯re bringing out the cage at this time of day,¡± Cassowary said, ¡°it¡¯s probably Fire Fist.¡±


    ¡°Fire Fist?¡± Lucian asked.


    Lucian rarely paid attention to the early fights, relying on Cassowary to dig out any worthwhile nuggets.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll like him,¡± Cassowary said. ¡°He usually fights in escape the cage matches, which don¡¯t end until one fighter leaves the cage. Fire Fist likes to toy with his opponents before he leaves.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fun,¡± Lucian said. ¡°Why haven¡¯t I heard of him before?¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t appear very often,¡± Cassowary said. ¡°As you might imagine, they have trouble finding people willing to go up against him. They tried forcing people for a while, but that didn¡¯t make for interesting fights.¡±


    ¡°So, this should be a good one,¡± Lucian said.


    The fighting pits were, as the name suggested, a series of shallow pits in a wide area surrounded by tiered seating. Because the pits were shallow for people to see in, there would occasionally be casualties in the audience. It could be from an essence ability gone astray, or the crowd pleasing spectacle of a competitor trying to escape through the audience. The organisers had taken no steps to redress the issues in the many years the pits had been operating.


    Lucian looked on as an announcer walked into view with a voice-projecting stone in hand. The viewing window picked up sound as well as vision, and those in the viewing rooms could hear the fights better than audience members at the edge of the pit.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen,¡± the announcer proclaimed. ¡°Today we have a very special match. As you may have very well surmised from the cage behind me, we will have the pleasure of welcoming a favourite back to the arena. Please join me in welcoming the savage, all-consuming Fire Fist!¡±


    There were stairwells leading down to the chambers below, placed to allow fighters to emerge and parade before the audience on the way to their chosen fighting stage. Fire Fist was tall and lithe, with red and yellow streaks of hair that was either dyed or the result of some essence power. He wore only a pair of red silk pants with a yellow flame motif, his muscled chest bare. His hands, held leisurely at his side, were wreathed in flames that danced up his arms as he strutted through the open door of the cage.


    ¡°Fire Fist, ladies and gentlemen!¡±


    Fire Fist held up an arm to acknowledge the crowd, which was large for the time of day. Word of the match-up had clearly gotten around. The announcer waited for the audience to quiet down before his next introduction.


    ¡°Ladies and gentlemen,¡± the announcer said. ¡°For those true aficionados among you, there is a yet greater treat in store. Years ago, this arena was graced with the sweet flights of a beautiful bird. Sadly, she winged away from us, but today, ladies and gentlemen, she has returned. I give you the grace and beauty of¡­ THE NIGHTINGALE!¡±


    A dark beauty with silver hair marched up and out of the stairwell, without so much as a glance at the crowd. She stopped by the announcer, looking up and over the crowd to glare at one of the viewing rooms before heading into the cage.


    In his own viewing room, Lucian stood up so fast he knocked over his chair. He walked around his desk and down to the window where he stroked his fingers over her face.


    ¡°Who is she?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure, Mr. Lamprey. ¡°I¡¯ll find out.¡±


    ¡°See that you do.¡±

 Chapter 44: Complimentary Ointment

    ¡°I always wanted to fight you,¡± Fire Fist said to Sophie as they faced one another in the cage. ¡°I was just starting out when you left. You were a legend.¡±


    Sophie knew what he was doing. The audience like some banter before a match. Not the crowds who couldn¡¯t really hear, but the big names in the viewing rooms would. They were the ones he wanted to impress.


    ¡°They don¡¯t schedule legends to fight just after lunch,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re overestimating our value to them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to earn more essences,¡± Fire Fist said. ¡°I¡¯m not a debt-slave like you were.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no-one¡¯s slave,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°No?¡± Fire Fist asked. ¡°Then why are you back here? Two years and no more essences than when you left.¡±


    ¡°Because the guy looking to enslave me doesn¡¯t want me for fighting.¡±


    ¡°I can understand that,¡± Fire Fist, eyes roaming over Sophie¡¯s body. ¡°We have some time together, once I put you on the ground. Until I leave the cage, we can have all the fun we want.¡±


    ¡°I was just going to beat you,¡± Sophie said. ¡°For that, I¡¯m going to hurt you.¡±


    ¡°Think you have the skills, little girl?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen you fight,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It won¡¯t take that much skill.¡±


    Fire Fist lunged forward, leading with the burnings fists from which he took his name. Sophie swayed around his straight punch and grabbed him by the wrist. The flames on his arm seared into her hand but she ignored the pain, yanking his arm and forcing his balance onto his forward leg. He yelled out in pain as her palm smashed into his elbow, trying to bend his arm the wrong way. The yell became a scream as her boot tried the same on the side of his knee. He collapsed to the ground, where a swinging leg smashed him in the face. Disoriented, he rolled with the blow, trying to scramble to his feet. Halfway up he found a hand on either side of his head, pulling it down into a rising knee.


    Sophie dragged Fire Fist to the side of the cage by the hair.


    ¡°You realise they call you Fire Fist because that¡¯s all you have going for you, right?¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re a mediocre fighter with a gimmick that makes people flinch. I don¡¯t know what kind of ambitions you have, but I wouldn¡¯t bother. This is the highest stage you¡¯ll have any real accomplishment, and your reputation is about to take a big hit.¡±


    The cage had both vertical and horizontal bars, like a mesh, with gaps barely large enough to fit a hand or part of a foot. That was to slow down climbing, so a downed opponent had time to recover and prevent an escape. Sophie hoisted Fire Fist up, forcing his hands through a pair of the small gaps before dropping him again. He was left dangling by the wrists as they caught on the bars. She raised an elbow up and smashed it down on one of his forearms, producing a loud crack and horrifying shriek of pain. She did the same to the other arm, then left him hanging as she climbed out of the cage.


    The Adventure Society campus had a marshalling yard where larger groups could assemble. Rufus arrived to find a large group waiting for him. He had two employees of the Adventure Society with him; the paunchy functionary, Albert, and an official who, like Rufus, was bronze rank. Originally Rufus would be administering the field test alone, but the Society had assigned another person to assist. Seeing the almost twenty participants, he now understood why.


    ¡°Are the groups normally this large?¡± Rufus asked Albert.


    ¡°No, sir, they are not,¡± Bert said, handing over a clipboard. ¡°Good luck sir, although I¡¯m sure you won¡¯t need it.¡±


    ¡°Why so many?¡± Rufus asked the Adventure Society official. He was a man in his late twenties, of rather distinctive appearance. He wore practical wear for the delta, tough but loose and breathable fabric. He had a bronze brooch in the shape of the Adventure Society emblem, which was standard for upper-tier officials. His practical clothes were topped with an impractical hat, broad-brimmed with an ostentatiously colourful feather. Overshadowing even that, however, was a moustache unlike anything Rufus had ever seen. Glistening with wax, it twirled its way out past the sides of the man¡¯s head.


    The official¡¯s name was Vincent Trenslow. His appearance gave Rufus pause, but his manner in their short acquaintance had been nothing but professional.


    ¡°It seems there was some manner of grand administrative error,¡± Vincent explained unhappily. ¡°More than half of these people already passed the field assessment and were admitted to the Society, but the records of their assessment were lost. Despite multiple copies of such records having been made and kept separately. It was decided that they should undertake the field assessment again.¡±


    ¡°In my experience, the Adventure Society is meticulous with their records,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Even if they weren¡¯t, what kind of solution is this?¡±


    ¡°The kind of solution you get when the error in question disproportionately affects members of the aristocracy,¡± Vincent said. ¡°The kind of aristocracy looking to make a connection with an important adventurer visiting from distant lands.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Rufus said darkly.


    ¡°The Director asked me personally to extend her apologies,¡± Vincent said. ¡°She is new to the role and has a long way to go when it comes to purging outside influence. She made rather a point of inviting you to assess these applicants with, and I quote, ¡®punishing rigour,¡¯¡±


    Rufus grinned.


    ¡°And what are your thoughts on this, Mr Trenslow?¡±


    ¡°I may have a few suggestions that would interest you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you so much,¡± the woman said, still shaking Jason¡¯s hand.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said, extricating his digits from the woman¡¯s grip.


    ¡°Make sure you drink a lot of water when you go home,¡± Jory told her. ¡°Eating some fruit would be good as well.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll be drinking, alright,¡± she said as she left the clinic.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the kind of drinking I meant,¡± Jory called out. ¡°And she¡¯s gone.¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the last one. How about you and I have a drink?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You have a good night, Janice,¡± Jory said to his teenage receptionist.


    ¡°See you tomorrow, Mr Tillman. Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Goodnight, Janice.¡±


    They wandered into Jory¡¯s office, sitting down on either side of Jory¡¯s desk. He pulled out two bottles, and two glasses. He poured a bright green liquid into a glass and pushed across the desk to Jason.


    ¡°This stuff is a bit more potent,¡± he said, ¡°so it should get past that poison resistance of yours. It¡¯s also horrifyingly sweet , the way you like it.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    He took a sip, nodding appreciatively, at the taste.


    Special attack [Plime Fruit Liqueur] has inflicted [Alcohol] on you.You have resisted [Alcohol].[Alcohol] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°No?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Tastes good, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what booze is for,¡± Jory said, pouring himself something amber from the second bottle.


    ¡°You look kind of tired,¡± Jory said ¡°I thought feeding on the sick freshened you up. Which is still creepy, by the way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not tired,¡± Jason said. ¡°Or creepy. Weary, maybe. That woman had cancer, and I just took it away like it was never there.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a good thing?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Jason said. ¡°But back where I come from we don¡¯t have essences. Or alchemy, for that matter, although we have something similar, I guess. We just call it pharmacology.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t talk about where you¡¯re from, much,¡± Jory said. ¡°I remember you said there wasn¡¯t a lot of magic. No monsters, right?¡±


    ¡°Never even heard of a monster surge until I came here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯d be nice,¡± Jory said. ¡°Like most things, the poor take the brunt of a monster surge. What happens when people get sick in your homeland?¡±


    ¡°We have medicine,¡± Jason said, ¡°but without magic it has limits. Recovery can take a long time, and a lot of the options are bad. Take cancer, for example. Now I can just suck it out of people, but back home it isn¡¯t that easy. They slice people open, try and cut it out of them. Poison them and hope the cancer dies before they do.¡±


    ¡°That sounds barbaric.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have better options,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think about what I could do with the power I have now. All the people I could help.¡±


    ¡°Are you going back?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°If I can,¡± Jason said. ¡°Home is very far away, and I have no idea how to get there.¡±


    ¡°How did you get here?¡± Jory asked. ¡°You said something about a magical accident?¡±


    ¡°A summoning spell went awry,¡± Jason said. ¡°It reached into my magically desolate home and plucked me right out of it. That¡¯s how I met Rufus, Gary and Farrah. I got dumped right into the middle of their mess.¡±


    ¡°Have you tried the goddess of knowledge?¡± Jory asked. ¡°If anyone knows the way home, she does. There¡¯s no guarantee she¡¯ll tell you, but anyone can go to her temple and ask questions.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not really the religious type.¡±


    ¡°Even if there might be a way home?¡± Jory asked. ¡°What will it cost you to try?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the sort of question someone asks right before they bury you in debt.¡±


    Jory laughed.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± he said. ¡°But give it some thought.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you hid it from me,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a big deal,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I had gloves on.¡±


    ¡°Heat goes through gloves. Your hand is the wrong colour.¡±


    ¡°It does feel a bit weird.¡±


    They went through the door of the Broadstreet Clinic to find the receptionist packing up to go.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t this place used to be full of people?¡± Belinda said. ¡°I remember coming in here of an evening and was still packed to the door.¡±


    Janice looked up at the pair.


    ¡°Since Mr Asano started coming we get through everyone quicker,¡± she explained, ¡°even with all extra people.¡±


    ¡°Why are there extra people? Belinda asked.


    ¡°We just need some healing unguent,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem,¡± Janice said. ¡°I¡¯ll go see if Mr. Tillman is available.¡±


    After a few moments they heard a voice loud with drink.


    ¡°Janice, why are you still here?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to finish up the records before I went home,¡± they heard Janice reply as she led Jory out from the back. His unsteady gait and expression of general bewilderment said he was well on his way through a bottle.


    ¡°I should pay you more,¡± Jory told his receptionist.


    ¡°You just started paying me more, Mr. Tillman.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Good on me, then.¡±


    He looked up at the two women.


    ¡°Ladies!¡± Jory greeted. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. Hello, Lindy. What brings you to my door?¡±


    ¡°Sophie¡¯s fighting again,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s no good,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°It is what it is,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Then I suppose I¡¯ll be seeing more of you,¡± Jory said, beaming at Belinda. ¡°That¡¯s nice.¡±


    ¡°We just need some ointment,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Here,¡± a voice said. A tin was sailing through the air, Sophie reaching out to catch it. The man who threw it was human, but neither woman recognised his ethnicity, meaning he was unlikely to be local. His frame was narrow and his features were a little too sharp to be handsome. His dark hair had a silkiness to it, but it was hard to see cropped short as he had it.


    ¡°That¡¯s not one of mine,¡± Jory said to the man. ¡°Where did you get that?¡±


    ¡°From a monster,¡± the man said.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just give random monster goo to two beautiful women.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s healing ointment. I¡¯ve used a lot of it myself.¡±


    ¡°Sounds sketchy to me,¡± Jory said. ¡°Janice, find me a jar of the good ointment.¡±


    Sophie pulled the lid off the tin and sniffed at the contents.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± she said, putting the lid back on. ¡°What do we owe you?¡±


    ¡°On the house,¡± the man said. ¡°It lets Janice go home instead of updating the inventory.¡±


    Sophie nodded and walked out the door.


    ¡°Soph, wait¡­¡± Belinda said. ¡°And she¡¯s gone. Bye Jory. Thanks, person I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Bye Belinda!¡± Jory called out with a wave as the door closed behind them.

 Chapter 45: So Much For Atheism

    Jason had not explored many of the Island¡¯s districts. He took the loop to one he had never visited before; the temple district. His new world had no shortage of gods, which as a long-time atheist was more than a little disconcerting. He had been assured that gods existed, but he¡¯d been hearing much the same from his Great Aunt Marjory for years. He wanted to see for himself.


    Walking out of the loop terminal, he immediately saw a sign with directions to the Divine Square. Following it, he walked down a street where temples lined both sides of the road. Looking at the prominent signs and banners, Jason quickly gained a sense that gods had hierarchies of their own. The Temple of Roads, he saw, was nestled behind the larger and more impressive Temple of Journeys.


    Soon the street opened up onto the square itself. It was a huge, crowded space. Green stone was prominent everywhere in the Island, but in the Divine Square even the flagstones were made from high-grade material. The square was filled with booths and tents, most of which seemed to be hawking religious paraphernalia to the faithful.


    ¡°Kind of the same, wherever you go,¡± Jason mused to himself.


    There were people proselytizing to anyone who would listen, and street thieves cutting purses. Jason had originally kept a small pouch of coins hanging from his waist so he didn¡¯t draw attention by plucking coins out of thin air. After the second time it was stolen in as many days he stopped bothering. Even if using his inventory drew attention, there were enough people with similar abilities around that it wasn¡¯t a lot.


    Jason bought a sandwich from a street vendor, some kind of meat with cheese and a spicy sauce. Food was one of the ways in which Jason was most reminded he was on a different world. While the preparation was often similar, like bread, soup, sandwiches or cake, the ingredients were more often different than the same. Farms raised different animals and grew different crops. Trees sprouted different fruit. The bread was heavier than he was used to, the beer lighter. The meat was all different. Most of it came from the large lizards Jason had seen roaming in the delta. Even the crossovers, like apples, were not varieties he recognised.


    He realised he was stalling, distracting himself with little details instead of following his actual purpose in coming to the temple district. Confronting a challenge to long-held beliefs wasn¡¯t easy. His objective wasn¡¯t the throngs of people in the square, but the temples around the outside. The buildings immediately abutting the square were the most prominent houses of worship in the city, and the effort put into their designs seemed to reflect it. They seemed to be competing in grandiosity, each clearly an achievement in architecture and engineering.


    There was a towering cathedral, a columned temple and other buildings the likes of which Jason had never seen. Oddly, there was one building that forwent the ostentation of the buildings around it, looking more like a public school library. It was a square, grey block, with the only ornamentation a picture of a scroll over the double-doors.


    ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s what I¡¯m looking for.¡±


    While each building competed to catch the eye, in Jason¡¯s opinion there was a clear winner. It was a huge tower in the shape of an arm thrusting into the sky. Most buildings in the city topped out at five storeys, and while it was not the only temple to breach this limit, the giant arm more than doubled it. At the end of the arm was a fist clenching a giant, bearded head. The head gazed down on the square, fiercely glaring at any with the courage to meet its stare.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s only completely horrifying.¡±


    With all the people around it was easy to ask a passer-by about the unusual temple. The man Jason talked to was short and stocky, with skin of such a deep blue it was almost black. He had no hair at all and was covered in what looked like tattoos of various colours, which glowed faintly. Jason knew the markings were actually natural, a feature of the race known as the runic. They were a rarity in Greenstone, and while Jason had seen them around,  this was his first chance to speak with one. Going by his clothes, the man was more likely a local than a visitor.


    ¡°That¡¯s the temple of Dominion,¡± he explained as Jason pointed out the strange temple.


    ¡°Dominion over what?¡± Jason asked.


    The man looked at Jason curiously.


    ¡°Over everything,¡± the man said. ¡°Dominion issues the divine right to kings and nobles. It is he who determines who rules, and who serves.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That explains the creepy, overbearing temple.¡±


    ¡°You seem very easy with blasphemy,¡± the man said warily.


    ¡°I am,¡± Jason said absently. ¡°Mostly to annoy my Aunt Marjory, but also recreationally. Does this world have little cartoon booklets that explain you¡¯re going to hell if you eat between-meal snacks or whatever?¡±


    The man shook his head in wonderment.


    ¡°What do you get out of that?¡± he asked. ¡°Does it make you feel better to disrespect things others find meaningful?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said, feeling like an idiot. ¡°Where I come from, the gods aren¡¯t real.¡±


    ¡°The gods are everywhere in this world.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Jason said. ¡°I find that a bit disturbing, to be honest. I mean, look at Dominion. I don¡¯t like the idea of an infinitely powerful being whose job is to make sure people know their place.¡±


    ¡°Then venerate a different god,¡± the man said. ¡°No deity is absolute. If you dislike the message of Dominion, seek out Liberty. They don¡¯t get along.¡±


    The man flashed Jason a cheeky grin.


    Jason held out his hand and the man shook it.


    ¡°I¡¯m Jason.¡±


    ¡°Arash,¡± the man introduced himself.


    Jason was asking Arash if the plain-looking building was the Temple of Knowledge when a glorious light appeared in front of one of the temples. All through the square people started falling to their knees, Jason¡¯s new friend included. Looking over, Jason saw a towering figure that looked human, but stood twice as tall as Gary. He looked rather like an adventurer, clad in light armour with a sword at his side.


    Up to that point, the strongest aura Jason had encountered was that of a silver-rank adventurer he had seen at the Adventure Society. He had sat next to the man on the loop line and found the presence of his aura overpowering. He realised at the time why Farrah said that containing one¡¯s aura was good manners.


    The aura from the far side of the square made that experience inconsequential; it was comparing a candle to the blazing light of the sun. Jason had no doubt if the aura of that towering figure were truly unleashed, everyone in the square would drop dead.


    ¡°So that¡¯s a god,¡± Jason said. ¡°Honestly, I was hoping to be less impressed, but that is something to see. So much for atheism, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Get down!¡± Arash hissed, kneeling next to Jason. Looking around, Jason certainly stood out as the only person still standing. The god turned to Jason. Not knowing what else to do, Jason gave him a casual wave. It was hard to tell from across the square, but he thought he saw a smile tug at the god¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°What¡¯s he the god of?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s Hero,¡± Arash said. ¡°Get down!¡±


    ¡°I think that ship has sailed my friend,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, the god of heroes is called Hero. They really stick to that straightforward naming convention, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Such a shame,¡± a melodious voice came from behind Jason. ¡°I was hoping to be your first.¡±


    Jason looked around, but didn¡¯t see where the voice came from. He caught a hint of perfume in the air, fresh and clean like a sea breeze. Within it he sensed a fleeting, but potent aura, every bit the equal of the god across the square.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Jason muttered.


    At this point Arash was yanking on Jason¡¯s sleeve, trying to get him to kneel. The other people around them were looking at Jason with disdain.


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Jason said, tugging his shirt free of Arash¡¯s grip. ¡°Did you hear that woman?¡±


    ¡°What woman?¡± Arash said. ¡°Get on your knees and show your respect for the god!¡±


    ¡°Just me, then. Kneeling isn¡¯t how you show respect, Arash. That¡¯s how you show obedience.¡±


    ¡°Obedience to a god is respect!¡±


    ¡°They say that where I come from, too,¡± Jason said. ¡°Never really got onboard with the idea. I think I¡¯m going to head off, Arash. All the people here are giving me the evil eye.¡±


    ¡°You are a fool!¡± Arash hissed after him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that,¡± Jason said with a laugh. He started making his way across the square, but all the people who had dropped to their knees made for something of an obstacle course.


    ¡°Sorry. Pardon me. Excuse I.¡±


    One of the people near Arash leaned over as he watched Jason wander off.


    ¡°Do you know that man?¡± the person asked.


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Arash said.


    As Jason had guessed, the Temple of Knowledge was the plain, blocky building.


    ¡°Is there actually a public library in there?¡± he wondered. ¡°That would make sense.¡±


    The double doors in front of him were pushed open from the inside as he approached, revealing a pretty young woman. It was the same acolyte who had tested his essences during his Adventure Society intake.


    ¡°Good day, Mr. Asano.¡±


    ¡°Gabrielle, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s lovely to meet you again.¡±


    ¡°Likewise.¡±


    Jason thought he should catch up with Humphrey, curious if the young man had made an overture since Jason gave him Gabrielle¡¯s name. Then he remembered Humphrey was off with Rufus for the field assessment.


    ¡°Why does it feel like you were waiting for me?¡± Jason asked Gabrielle.


    ¡°My lady told me you were arriving and sent me to guide you.¡±


    ¡°Your lady?¡±


    ¡°The goddess. Follow me, please.¡±


    She led Jason inside and he felt an aura wash over him. It was unlike the aura of a person, more like an undercurrent that belonged to the building itself. It wasn¡¯t overbearing, but he could feel a vast power behind it. It also had the flavour of the fleeting aura that accompanied the disembodied voice he heard in the square.


    They were walking between row after row of books, occasionally passing someone reading at a table. Some of the shelves, instead of books, held ornate tubes.


    ¡°Scrolls,¡± Gabrielle explained, seeing Jason¡¯s curious glance. ¡°The manuscripts here in the library are all copies. The originals are preserved in the archive.¡±


    ¡°So, does your boss talk to you a lot?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°My boss?¡±


    ¡°The goddess.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°I may be only a junior member of the clergy, but I am a member, nonetheless. I see and hear my lady every day.¡±


    ¡°That must be reaffirming. It doesn¡¯t work that way where I come from.¡±


    ¡°Your world must be very strange. People serving gods that do not exist. How does that work, if I might ask?¡±


    ¡°Not really sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°They seem to lean heavily on metaphor. You know I¡¯m from a different world?¡±


    ¡°The lady has imparted some knowledge. It is her nature.¡±


    ¡°Her nature could use a privacy disclosure agreement. Where are you guiding me to, exactly?¡±


    ¡°The temple has a room for questions. Ask, and the lady will answer or not, as she chooses.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll answer in person?¡±


    ¡°Answers come in many forms.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like she¡¯s leaning heavily on metaphor, too.¡±


    Gabrielle gave Jason a confident smile.


    ¡°You will soon see for yourself,¡± she said.


    She led Jason to a set of double doors. They were larger than the ones that were the entrance to the temple, but just as plain. They were carved from wood, aged and unadorned but for a simple handle on each. Jason had the strange feeling they were older than the building in which they were affixed. Gabrielle pulled open the heavy doors with an ease that belied her small frame.


    ¡°This is as far as I take you,¡± she said, gesturing for Jason to continue on. He passed through the doors and she pushed them closed behind him.


    Announcement


    Due to the amazing Patreon support blasting though my earning goals, Monday will be the start of two double chapter weeks!

 Chapter 46: Blatant Manipulation

    The chamber was large and circular, a single room rising up five storeys to a glass ceiling. Light spilled in from above, reflecting from crystal mosaics that lined the walls to bathe the room in rainbow colours. This innermost chamber was the exact opposite of the temple¡¯s plain exterior.


    ¡°That is certainly impressive.¡±


    Jason walked into the room as Gabrielle closed the doors behind him. He looked at his arms as the light played over them. In the centre of the room there was a life-sized statue of a woman holding an open book. Jason walked around it, looking it over.


    ¡°Ask, and she shall answer or not, was it?¡±


    Jason meandered around the room, looking at the crystal mosaics than ran from the floor, up five storeys to the ceiling. They depicted what he took to be various knowledge keepers; scribes, teachers, librarians. Rendered in colourful crystal and washed with light, they looked vibrant and bathed with glory.


    He remained silent as he examined the artwork on the walls. He had always been prone to talking to himself, but the idea of expecting an answer back was disconcerting. He wondered if it was a little too close to prayer for his liking, then realised it actually was prayer.


    ¡°The idea,¡± a female voice spoke from behind him, ¡°is that I choose whether to answer your questions, not whether you choose to ask them.¡±


    It was the same voice he had heard in the square. He didn¡¯t turn from where he was looking at the wall mosaics.


    ¡°And you¡¯re in charge?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Definitively,¡± the voice said. ¡°It is my temple.¡±


    Her voice was melodious, with a hint of amusement. There was an undercurrent within it, an aura with the force of a tidal wave. It was somehow distant at the same time, like a photograph of a wild storm.


    ¡°Your house, your rules,¡± Jason said. ¡°My mother had a similar attitude.¡±


    ¡°And you left,¡± the voice said. ¡°You have the same option here.¡±


    Jason turned around to find the statue had been replaced with a woman. She looked much the same as the people outside in the square, at least the human ones, with colourful clothes and Mediterranean features. She was beautiful, yet there was something detached and untouchable about her. Jason noticed that, unlike the statue, she wasn¡¯t holding a book.


    ¡°So, were you the woman, or were you the book?¡±


    ¡°Neither.¡±


    ¡°Misdirection,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s a magician¡¯s trick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the Wizard of Oz, Jason.¡±


    ¡°You know my world?¡±


    ¡°I am Knowledge. Everything that is, or ever was known in this world. You brought your knowledge with you when you arrived.¡±


    ¡°What about the other gods?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Knowing everything they know would be a bit overpowered.¡±


    ¡°We deities are of this world, but do not exist within it. Therefore their knowledge is not mine.¡±


    Jason looked the goddess up and down.


    ¡°It looks like you exist within it,¡± he said.


    ¡°If you look at a pond and see a moon,¡± she said, ¡°is that moon within the pond, or is it a reflection of something much greater, very far away?¡±


    ¡°Nice metaphor,¡± Jason said. ¡°Classic religious imagery, but I suppose that¡¯s part of the job. You say you¡¯re not the man behind the curtain, but for all I know, you¡¯re just some pretty lady with several judiciously-placed mirrors.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m pretty?¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s just blatant manipulation,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you already know everything, then asking me questions is just pantomime.¡±


    She laughed, a pleasant, tinkling sound. It gave Jason the sense of a country stream on a warm summer¡¯s day.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite fun,¡± she told him. ¡°You¡¯ve felt my aura. And Hero¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°A month ago I still thought auras were made up,¡± Jason said. ¡°Who knows how many ways there are to trick someone like me.¡±


    ¡°I do, as it happens,¡± she said. ¡°What about all the people outside when Hero appeared? Do you doubt them all? Do you think we hired actors?¡±


    ¡°Argumentum ad populum?¡± Jason said. ¡°If you¡¯re going to convince me you¡¯re a god, you¡¯ll need to do better than a second rate apologist.¡±


    ¡°Have you considered how well the banana fits in the human hand?¡±


    Jason burst into laughter.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got jokes,¡± he said. ¡°I like that.¡±


    ¡°If it makes you feel any better, just think of me as a vastly powerful, immortal entity. No need to use the G word.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the difference between a god and some crazy-powerful super-being?¡±


    ¡°From your perspective? Very little.¡± she said. ¡°The nature of transcendent beings are not bound up in physical reality. God and goddess are mortal words.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter until I hit the level cap, is what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°Can you read my mind?¡±


    ¡°In a way,¡± she said. ¡°My knowledge of this world is absolute. So long as you know what you are thinking, I know what you are thinking.¡±


    ¡°So you know what I¡¯m going to ask?¡±


    ¡°I know that which is, and that which was, but not that which is yet to come.¡±


    ¡°I bet you make some bloody good guesses, though.¡±


    She laughed again, the sound flooding his body with pleasant feelings.


    ¡°I know everything in this world,¡± she said, ¡°yet you mortals are a constant source of surprise. I did not expect, for example, that you would turn back and save the people in that sacrificial chamber.¡±


    ¡°That one surprised me too,¡± Jason confessed. He looked the goddess up and down.


    ¡°Why do you look like a local?¡± he asked.


    ¡°To appear requires an appearance, and this is as good as any. When I show myself to people looking as they do, it helps form a connection.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you look like someone from my world right now?¡±


    ¡°Because you didn¡¯t come here for a connection. You came in wondering what happens when an atheist meets a god, so I met you as I would anyone else here. But now we have met, and the questions you came in with were not about me.¡±


    ¡°Yet I can¡¯t seem to help myself,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why would a goddess even bother to answer any of my questions?¡±


    ¡°I am Knowledge. It is my nature.¡±


    ¡°That feels like a lie.¡±


    The corners of her mouth twitched up in a slight smile.


    ¡°Call it an incomplete truth.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°You have your own agenda,¡± he said


    ¡°Don¡¯t we all?¡± she said. ¡°But whatever my motivations, you still have questions, and I still have answers. If it makes you feel better, know that you are insufficiently consequential to be worth manipulating.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful, but kind of reassuring, I guess. Can you actually smite me down?"


    ¡°We transcendent beings are limited in our ability to affect physical reality. We can affect magic, creating essences and awakening stones. We can also affect our area of influence. I am Knowledge, therefore I can bestow any knowledge I have at will.¡±


    ¡°And you have all the knowledge.¡±


    She smiled.


    ¡°So, can the god of the oceans or whatever create tsunamis and such?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but direct intervention is antithetical to our nature, other than to redress an imbalance. More often we work through our followers.¡±


    ¡°So if you wanted to smite me, you could just find the nearest silver rank on the membership rolls and point in my general direction.¡±


    ¡°More or less,¡± she said. ¡°Of course, another god could send their own agents to intervene. It is something akin to a matter of etiquette to let our followers determine the outcome of a conflict between deities.¡±


    ¡°Who doesn¡¯t love a holy war?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I suppose I should get on with the actual questions I came in here with, shouldn¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Please do,¡± she said.


    ¡°Alright, then. When I was brought to this world, was I chosen?¡±


    ¡°No, it was happenstance. While your world is magically barren, this one is magically rich. That magic builds up over time, finding various forms of release.¡±


    ¡°Is that why the monster surges happen?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Indeed it is,¡± she said. ¡°The magic can also be released by flaring out from this world, sometimes coming into contact with another. If conditions are just right, that contact forms a connection; an inadvertent bridge across which someone can be drawn.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s just random chance, where do my outworlder abilities come from? They feel designed.¡±


    ¡°They are designed,¡± she said. ¡°By you. The journey between worlds altered your body, flooded it with magic. Outworlders like yourself unconsciously shape that magic into a form they can understand, to help them navigate this world using the rules of their own.¡±


    ¡°So, I gave myself powers?¡±


    ¡°It would be more accurate to say that when the power came upon you, you chose its form. A way of framing this world through your own in order to make it comprehensible. As is so often the case when dealing with the dark depths of the mind, the results are more intuitive than practical. But what I am describing isn¡¯t what really happened to you. It is simply the closest I can get to an explanation you could understand. Trying to explain the true forces at play would be like explaining mathematics to a rock. You fundamentally lack the capacity to perceive what I would need to show you.¡±


    The goddess held her hands in a show of helplessness.


    ¡°If you were one of my followers,¡± she said, ¡°I could do better. Imbue the knowledge directly into your mind.¡±


    ¡°No thanks,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m all about that self-determination.¡±


    ¡°Our followers are free to act as they will,¡± she said. ¡°We are not tyrants.¡±


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t think that. To you, being all-powerful seems natural. If you know everything I know, then you know I¡¯ve heard all that ¡®freedom within faith¡¯ nonsense before.¡±


    ¡°But the gods of this world are not remote entities that never show themselves or take action.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°And you think that makes it better?¡± he asked. ¡°I never abdicated my moral responsibility to an absentee sky wizard in my world, and I¡¯m not doing it now that the wizard¡¯s shown up to enforce it.¡±


    The goddess chuckled.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so, but I had to try,¡± she said.


    ¡°I get it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Got to get those bums in pews.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re stalling,¡± she said. ¡°Going off on tangents to avoid the question you¡¯re not sure you want the answer to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a go-to move for me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I know. You won¡¯t find me easy to manipulate.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think so, but I had to try,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We are both beholden to our natures,¡± she said. ¡°Ask your question. The only real question you came in here with.¡±


    ¡°You already know the question,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yet you must ask it. Only then will the responsibility for hearing the answer be yours.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Is there a way for me to go home?¡±


    ¡°Do you want there to be?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I mean, that should be the goal, right? But there isn¡¯t a lot waiting for me back there. Here, I see potential. What I can become. The wonders waiting over the next hill.¡±


    He looked at the goddess.


    ¡°You know everything, right? You tell me if I want to go back.¡±


    ¡°That is a question only you can answer. That is why I asked it.¡±


    ¡°Is it possible?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°You have possessed the means from the beginning, but you are not ready to use it.¡±


    ¡°From the beginning?¡±


    Jason thought back to the day he first arrived. The first time he opened his inventory there was an object inside. An object his ability couldn¡¯t, or wouldn¡¯t identify, and had been sitting in his inventory ever since.


    ¡°The world-phoenix token,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes. I would advise against trying to learn more about it. Anyone who would actually recognise it would be unwilling to leave it in your hands.¡±


    ¡°Why do I have it?¡±


    ¡°I am possessed of every piece of knowledge in this world,¡± she said, ¡°but that is a question to which I do not know the answer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only mildly terrifying,¡± Jason said. ¡°You said I wasn¡¯t ready to use it?¡±


    ¡°Choosing to use it would require an act of faith,¡± she said.


    ¡°And faith is very much not my thing,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Of that, I am very much aware,¡± she said. ¡°When circumstances dictate, the token will use itself.¡±


    ¡°Even if it¡¯s in my magical void storage thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not going to tell me the trigger conditions, are you?¡±


    ¡°You were warned that I would answer or not, as I choose. In this case, I choose not.¡±


    ¡°So I could just be walking along the street and whoosh, back home I go?¡±


    ¡°If you decide that that you do not wish to return to your world, then discard the token.¡±


    ¡°So I have to choose if I want to stay,¡± he said. ¡°Either I throw this thing away, or hang about until these mysterious circumstances to come about. What do I do in the meantime?¡±


    ¡°Get stronger¡± she said. ¡°You will need that strength for what is to come.¡±


    ¡°You told me you couldn¡¯t see the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been known to make some bloody good guesses,¡± she said


    Jason laughed, and the goddess smiled.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to expect from a goddess. I figured, if you were real, that I wouldn¡¯t handle it very well.¡±


    ¡°You could have done worse.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but that¡¯s the thing, though; I should have. When I came to this world, the magic changed me. I¡¯m not even human, now. Did it change the way I think? Is that how I¡¯ve been getting though all this without losing my mind?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Your mind remains your own.¡±


    ¡°Really? I don¡¯t feel like the same person I was before I came here.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t,¡± she told him. ¡°Circumstances change, and people change with them. That is as true in your world as it is in mine. Not everything is a matter of magic.¡±


    Jason nodded to himself.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Then I guess I just have one last question.¡±


    ¡°I do not know if the gods of your world are real,¡± she answered, not waiting for him to ask. ¡°No one from your world who knows that particular truth has ever come to this one, and I only deal in knowledge.¡±


    ¡°No one from my world. Are there other outworlders from my world?¡±


    ¡°There have been, in the past. Not for centuries, now. Those that came before either died or returned home.¡±


    ¡°But essence users can live for centuries,¡± Jason said. ¡°Are there essence users running around my world?¡±


    ¡°I do not know,¡± she said. ¡°Perhaps you should go back and see for yourself.¡±


    Jason took a deep breath.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, ¡°you really dropped some bombs on me, lady.¡±


    ¡°People do not come to the goddess of knowledge for recipes, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Is that an option?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s everything, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do I just go, now? Is there a donation box or something?¡±


    As the goddess laughed, the doors were pulled open from the outside by Gabrielle. The acolyte gave a curious glance at the mirthful deity.


    ¡°My lady,¡± she addressed the goddess.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you can find your own way out, Jason,¡± the goddess told him.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to talk about me behind my back, aren¡¯t you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Gabrielle, try and explain privacy to your boss. I think she might have trouble with it, given her inherent nature.¡±


    ¡°Go away, Jason,¡± the goddess said, and he wandered off with a chuckle and a wave.


    ¡°I think it was this way,¡± they heard him say as he disappeared among the bookshelves.


    ¡°He seems like an unusual man,¡± Gabrielle said.


    ¡°Yes, but also a dangerous one,¡± the goddess warned. ¡°Take care in your future dealings.¡±


    ¡°He never seemed that way,¡± Gabrielle said.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t his powers or his appetites that make him dangerous,¡± the goddess said. ¡°It¡¯s his ideas. He¡¯ll have you question your faith, just because it¡¯s faith. He¡¯ll have you question everything, if you let him.¡±

 Chapter 47: Mirage Chamber

    Rufus looked up as Gary emerged from his room, stretching his long arms and yawning.


    ¡°You¡¯re not breakfast,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°You¡¯re just getting up?¡± Rufus said.


    Farrah emerged from her own room, rubbing her eyes.


    ¡°Oh, welcome back, Rufus. No breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Why would I have bought breakfast? I told you to relax the training, not give it up entirely. Jason needs to develop good habits now.¡±


    ¡°Forget that guy,¡± Gary said.


    Farrah nodded her agreement.


    ¡°He went to see the goddess of knowledge few days ago,¡± she said. ¡°Since then he¡¯s been like a monster. All we wanted was a few relaxing days before you got back, but he won¡¯t stop. The closest he comes to taking a break is having a drink with Jory down at the clinic, and I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s only because it lets him train his resistance ability.¡±


    ¡°Turns out booze is poison,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop drinking it, but it makes you think.¡±


    ¡°Did you at least show him around the city?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Oh, we showed him,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Now he does an evening run each night around the Island,¡± Gary complained.


    The door opened up and Jason pushed in a trolley containing two rows of covered food trays.


    ¡°Rufus, you¡¯re back,¡± Jason said happily. ¡°You can join us for breakfast.¡±


    ¡°From what these two were saying, I thought you¡¯d be training.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I ate a spirit coin this morning, ran into the clinic and did some weight training. Then I ran back and got to work on breakfast. These two have been slacking off while you were away.¡±


    As he talked, Jason transferred food from the tray to the dining table. Gary and Farrah sat down, Gary rubbing his hands together.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to get a handle on the local food,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been checking out the markets when I¡¯m taking a break. But we can crank up the training intensity now that you¡¯re back, yeah?¡±


    Gary¡¯s hands stopped moving.


    ¡°What do you mean by crank up the intensity?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We can stop slacking off. I¡¯ve been slacking off a bit, cooking, making my way through Jory¡¯s liquor cabinet.¡±


    ¡°Rest is an important part of training, too,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Gary mumbled around a mouthful of sausage.


    Gary and Farrah were already tucking in as Jason poured out glasses of juice from a large pitcher.


    ¡°Have something to eat,¡± Jason told Rufus, pushing a laden plate his way. ¡°Tell us how your field assessment thing went.¡±


    Rufus picked up his cutlery.


    ¡°It does smell good.¡±


    ¡°So, I know this guy Humphrey,¡± Jason said to Rufus. ¡°He was part of your group, right?¡±


    ¡°Humphrey Geller?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°You know him?¡±


    ¡°We went in for induction on the same day,¡± Jason said. ¡°Nice guy. How¡¯d he do?¡±


    ¡°He failed,¡± Rufus said. ¡°His skills are solid and he has a good grasp of his abilities. The ones he¡¯s awakened, at least. His problem is one of mindset.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Humphrey¡¯s confluence essence is dragon,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Jason said, thinking of Humphrey¡¯s familiar. ¡°I have to imagine that¡¯s a good one.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all good, if you use them right,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°And there¡¯s the problem,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Humphrey is considerate, thoughtful, cautious and humble. Does any of that sound like a dragon to you? He needs to be confident, bold. He knows how to use his abilities, but he¡¯s too indecisive about doing so.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s a nice guy with the powers of an arrogant prick.¡±


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s exactly it,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He wasn¡¯t alone, though. There were nineteen people and we passed six.¡±


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a big group,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Some of the local aristocrats were looking to make a social connection,¡± Rufus said darkly. ¡°Some of the records of their recently accepted adventurers were mysteriously lost, forcing them to re-take the assessment.¡±


    ¡°That sounds shady,¡± Farrah said ¡°The Adventure Society let them get away with that?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen what it¡¯s like in these outlying branches,¡± Gary said. ¡°They don¡¯t have the same funding, so they have to compromise with local powers.¡±


    ¡°Corruption,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to call it that,¡± Gary said, ¡°but sometimes compromises have to be made. You pay adventurers with money, not principles.¡±


    ¡°Is there going to be any backlash?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The ones who¡¯d passed before their records mysteriously vanished had already been working as adventurers, but after I failed them, their membership was revoked. They won¡¯t get it back until they pass another field assessment.¡±


    ¡°I bet they loved that,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°The Duke of Greenstone¡¯s nephew is part of that group,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°You flunked out the city ruler¡¯s nephew?¡± Gary chortled.


    ¡°I did,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I suspect the people I failed will have an easier time with their next assessor.¡±


    ¡°Have you considered that you might not be the one to take the pain for this?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°You might have dropped the local Adventure Society officials right in it.¡±


    ¡°Actually, the branch director was urging me on. Seems she¡¯s trying to flush out at least some of the external influence.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Farrah said thoughtfully. ¡°Good for her.¡±


    ¡°So, what about Humphrey?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You¡¯re all about training up adventurers, right? I bet you have plenty of ideas to get him on track.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey¡¯s mother is a family acquaintance,¡± Rufus said, ¡°so I¡¯ll help him out a little. I know exactly what he needs.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason prompted.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen almost every kind of would-be adventurer there is,¡± Rufus said, then looked at Jason. ¡°Almost every kind. Back at my family¡¯s academy¡­¡±


    He trailed off as Jason, Gary and Farrah all picked up their glasses of juice, draining them dry simultaneously.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Rufus asked as Gary refilled their glasses from the pitcher.


    ¡°What was what?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Never mind,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Back in my family¡¯s academy¡­¡±


    Again all three picked up their glasses and chugged back the contents.


    ¡°What is happening right now?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°Wait, are you playing that drinking game?¡±


    The other three erupted into laughter.


    ¡°What is wrong with you people?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just juice,¡± Gary said, as he started refilling the glasses again. ¡°It is just juice, right?¡±


    ¡°Fresh-squeezed,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°So, now every time I mention my family¡¯s-¡±


    ¡°Hold up,¡± Gary said, waving his hand at Rufus. ¡°I can only refill these so fast.¡±


    Rufus panning his glare around the table drew fresh peals of laughter.


    ¡°I hate you all.¡±


    ¡°This is where you grew up?¡± Jason asked as they walked through the verdant grounds of the Geller ancestral home. Jason and Rufus were being guided by Humphrey Geller and his mother, Danielle. Jason¡¯s comment came as they walked through a tunnel of leafy vines grown into a tunnel on a bamboo framework. Splashes of sunlight stabbed through the foliage, punctuating the shade with beams of light.


    ¡°I would have loved this when I was a kid,¡± Jason said. ¡°Who am I kidding? I love it now.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr. Asano,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°Jason is fine,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive Mr. Asano,¡± Rufus apologised. ¡°He¡¯s not well-versed in formality, in spite of any quite-thorough explanations he may have received earlier in the day.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said, ¡°I¡¯m not very smart and simple formalities are super-hard to figure out. It¡¯s definitely not that I find them to be a set of arbitrary behavioural norms that serve as a tool of exclusionary tribalism and that eschewing the rituals of cultural performance facilitates the fostering of new relationships by having both sides step out of their preconceived societal modes.¡±


    Danielle laughed while Rufus glared at Jason.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how my translation ability handled that one,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I should have left you in the desert,¡± Rufus muttered.


    ¡°Mr. Remore did mention you were an unusual man,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I¡¯m delighted to discover he was right. Please feel free to call me Danielle.¡±


    Danielle Geller demonstrated that at silver rank, the beautifying effect of essences reached the realms of the supernatural. In addition to looking far too young to be Humphrey¡¯s mother, she was stunningly perfect. Neither women nor men used cosmetics in this world, but Jason realised there was little point. All the people that could have afforded it used essences, which was like air-brushing real life.


    ¡°So, have you spoken to Gabrielle, yet?¡± Jason asked Humphrey, who turned white and started shaking his head to silence Jason.


    ¡°Gabrielle?¡± Danielle asked. She may have looked too young to be Humphrey¡¯s mother, but that tone of having latched onto a weakness was unmistakable.


    ¡°It¡¯s nobody,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Danielle,¡± Jason said, ¡°as Rufus pointed out, my grasp of the local etiquette is limited. How does one go a-courting in local aristocratic circles?¡±


    ¡°Please stop,¡± Humphrey begged.


    ¡°That would depend on the relative status of the parties involved,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°Then let me present a hypothetical, then.¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s take someone of roughly your social standing. A young member of your family, perhaps. How would they approach, say, an acolyte of the church of knowledge? I imagine there would be a raft of social, political and religious entanglements that would make it rather difficult.¡±


    Jason and Danielle were happily walking side-by-side, with Rufus and Humphrey behind. Humphrey had his head buried in his hands, while Rufus just shook his head.


    ¡°Indeed there would be social complexities,¡± Danielle said. ¡°The best approach the young man could take ¨C I assume it is a young man in this example?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The best thing this young man could do,¡± Danielle said, glancing back at her son, ¡°would be to inform his mother. Someone who can arrange things without youthful enthusiasm causing a political incident.¡±


    ¡°Oh, but you know how young people can be,¡± Jason said. ¡°I bet he¡¯d rather cut off his own arm than talk about this with his mother.¡±


    ¡°If only he had a friend to step in for him,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°Jason and I can do some sparring, right?¡± Humphrey asked Rufus.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure to schedule it in,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°That,¡± Danielle said, ¡°is the mirage chamber.¡±


    It was a huge dome rising out from the trees and plants, segmented like the eye of an insect. If the pathways of the estate weren¡¯t mostly shaded by canopy, the bulging edifice would be visible from most of the grounds.


    ¡°So, what is this thing, exactly?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Rufus wasn¡¯t very clear.¡±


    ¡°It creates false images of monsters,¡± Humphrey explained, ¡°and a false image of your body with which to fight them. Everything feels completely real.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fantastic,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do I get a go?¡±


    ¡°Another day,¡± Rufus said. ¡°This time you¡¯re just here for a look. Today we set Humphrey on the path to passing the next field assessment.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say that they¡¯d just wave everyone through next month?¡± Jason asked Rufus.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I was speaking with the branch director yesterday morning, and she¡¯s very happy with how things went. That said, some kind of compromise is probably necessary.¡±


    Getting closer to the dome, Jason saw that there was a complex of buildings adjoining it.


    ¡°That¡¯s the viewing hall over there,¡± Danielle said, pointing out the largest building other than the dome itself. ¡°We try and set up scenarios our family trainees can learn from, then get them all in to watch. Rufus tells me you¡¯re an affliction specialist, which might be interesting to work with.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a long way from any example but bad,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Rufus,¡± Danielle lightly scolded.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I heard you acquitted yourself quite well at the Vane Estate incident,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°Then you might want to check your sources,¡± Jason said. ¡°I got laid out multiple times by a guy with a shovel.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow in Rufus¡¯ direction, who nodded with a wry smile on his face.


    ¡°Rufus was saying you train family members from all around the world here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We have branch families spread far and wide,¡± Danielle said proudly. ¡°They all come here at age fifteen, and stay until they reach bronze rank. We also take in some non-family.¡±


    ¡°Our family members have a habit of picking teams even before they get their essences,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We take the team members in as well.¡±


    Danielle led them into one of the buildings, which turned out to be a large single room. The back wall had a long glass window through which was only darkness, but Jason¡¯s power let his eyes penetrate the gloom. Beyond the glass was the empty interior of the dome. The dome itself was made of segments; irregular metal pentagons carved with magical symbols.


    Underneath the window was a rectangular stone block. Carved into the top were numerous runes and sigils, made up of sophisticated patterns. The last feature of the room were low wooden platforms the size of single beds. They lined the left and right wall, a half-dozen to a side. More mystical symbols were engraved into their surfaces.


    ¡°This is the control room,¡± Danielle explained. ¡°From that panel under the window we can control everything that happens inside the chamber.¡±


    She turned to Rufus.


    ¡°So what do you have for us?¡±

 Chapter 48: An Endless, Inescapable Nightmare

    In the control room of the mirage chamber, all eyes were on Rufus. He walked over to the stone block under the window, which had a dizzying array of runes, sigils and intricate magical diagrams carved into it. He spent a few moments looking it over.


    ¡°Standard arrangement,¡± he observed. ¡°Jason, hand me that crystal.¡±


    Jason took a long, faceted crystal from his inventory, something Farrah had created using Magic Society resources. It looked rather like a long, narrow diamond, the facets catching the light and reflecting out flashes of rainbow colour. He handed it to Rufus, who looked around one side of the stone block, then the other, finding a hole into which he pushed the crystal.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s with the crystal?¡± Jason asked.


    "A mirage chamber projects things from these platforms along the walls," Danielle said. Jason glanced again at the wooden platforms lining both sides of the room.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t have direct access to something through the platforms,¡± Danielle continued, ¡°you need to give it a magical imprint to replicate instead.¡±


    ¡°And the crystal is a storage device for the imprint,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Danielle said.


    Rufus, having inserted the crystal, was now looking over the top of the stone block.


    ¡°This mirage chamber has an impressive array of monster imprints,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but Humphrey needs something a little different to a basic combat scenario. What I¡¯ve just added in should help him climb the next wall in his development. Humphrey, you can go on in, now.¡±


    Humphrey lay down on one of the wooden platforms. The runes under him lit up and he went still as death. Suddenly Jason spotted him through the window, standing under the centre of the dome. He glanced back down at Humphrey¡¯s still body on the platform, then up at his other body inside the dome, which turned to look at the window.


    ¡°That¡¯s an illusionary body?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Danielle said. ¡°It can only affect or be affected by other illusions created by the mirage chamber. To him, though, everything feels completely real.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Right now it feels completely real to him, but nothing he suffers will affect his real body.¡±


    ¡°What if something happens to his body here while he¡¯s out there?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Then he¡¯ll be snapped awake,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The illusion feels completely real, but it¡¯s just a projection. Being unexpectedly taken out is disorienting, but harmless.¡±


    Rufus used a finger to trace out some of the lines of the stone slab in front of him. They lit up under his finger, but the real change was on the other side of the window.


    The inside of the dome went from darkness to bright and wild illumination. Segmented panels blasted the interior with a maelstrom of rainbow lights, moving and flashing from one colour to the next as the interior of the dome became a shifting kaleidoscope. Humphrey''s figure looked tiny In the vast, empty space, like the flood of colour would sweep him away. Rainbow light spilled through the window and over the observers.


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly impressive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Has this ever given someone a seizure?¡±


    ¡°Once,¡± Danielle said. ¡°It turns out they had some kind of brain sickness. We had a healer remove it.¡±


    ¡°Of course you can casually cure epilepsy,¡± Jason muttered.


    ¡°There is nothing casual about maladies of the mind,¡± Danielle said. "You need to remove the sickness, then restore the damaged portions of the brain with healing, like a wound. After that, it often takes them time to recover. Especially if the condition had been with them for a long time. They can lose memories, even physical skills."


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s oddly comforting to know magic isn¡¯t just the instant solution to every problem.¡±


    ¡°Magic is a tool, like any other,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Delicate tasks require care and expertise.¡±


    As Jason and Danielle talked, Rufus'' hands moved over the engravings on the stone block like he was playing a theremin. On the other side of the window, the chaos of light was slowly moving towards order.


    ¡°Is he alright in there?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°He has experienced this many times,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°Sorry this is taking so long to get in place,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I need to get a handle on the nuances of your chamber design.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are you planning for Humphrey?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We need to motivate Humphrey to act boldly. I have an exercise designed to instil that mindset¡±


    ¡°You think this new addition to our mirage chamber will do that?¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°In my family¡¯s academy,¡± Rufus said, ¡°I¡¯ve seen plenty of people with Humphrey¡¯s issue. Good people, heroic, even. You can''t motivate them with glory or power, not if you want to really move them to action. It has to be with consequence."


    The light inside the dome suddenly vanished. Even Jason¡¯s dark sight power couldn¡¯t penetrate the sudden darkness. Then daylight lit up the space beyond the window, which was no longer the inside of the dome. It was a wide desert gorge, with Humphrey standing at the bottom, near a shallow stream. Sunlight came down from a clear blue sky. Humphrey looked around, finding a small, adorable child standing next to him.


    ¡°Holodeck,¡± Jason whispered in awe.


    Rufus tapped a rune on the control table.


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± he said. ¡°Can you hear me?¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Humphrey said, his voice emerging from the control table. ¡°Why is there a little girl, here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Ellie,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You have to protect her from the monsters.¡±


    Rufus¡¯ hands moved over the runes again. A half-dozen monsters appeared from further down the gorge, running toward Humphrey. They looked and moved like leopards, but were the size of full-grown tigers. Behind them, their tails were long and thick, ending in a huge, talon-like claw.


    As Humphrey took a stance in front of little Ellie, armour formed around his body from thin air. It looked to be made of scales, mostly sandy yellow but flecked with other colours, like rainbow droplets. In his hands, a huge sword appeared. Absurdly large and shaped like an extended dragon wing, Jason couldn''t help but question the practicality.


    Staying close the little girl and shielding her with his body, Humphrey awaited the monsters. As they arrived he started swinging his huge sword. Jason was startled at the ease and expertise with which he wielded the massive weapon. It was clearly heavy, but his footwork seamlessly shifted to manage the weight and momentum. Each blow was the end of a monster, but he couldn¡¯t take down all six quickly enough. Two of the nimble monsters skipped around Humphrey as he dealt with the others. By the time he fought past them, Ellie¡¯s corpse was being pulled apart in a tug-of-war between two monsters.


    Even watching from a distance, Jason felt viscerally sick at the sight. Rufus tapped a rune, causing the monsters and the child to vanish. Humphrey looked at the now-empty ground in horror, the huge sword falling from his hands and vanishing.


    Danielle reached over the console and tapped the rune to close communication with Humphrey.


    "Are you trying to traumatise my son?" she asked Rufus, her tone a clear warning that his answer had best be a good one. Rufus calmly turned to face her as she stepped forward to confront him.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I am trying to traumatise your son. During the field assessment, I could see clearly the training he had been through. His skills are exceptional, but it was equally evident you have coddled him to the point of a critical deficiency. The reason I failed him isn''t that he lacks the ability. It''s because he doesn''t understand the duty of being an adventurer. You taught him to handle killing, but not how to handle failure. He hesitates in critical moments because you''ve taught him to be too perfect.¡±


    Jason watched Humphrey¡¯s forlorn figure through the glass. He agreed with Humphrey¡¯s mother that Rufus¡¯ training was essentially emotional abuse, and thought Rufus¡¯ speech sounded suspiciously like a pot critiquing a kettle. From what he could tell, Rufus and Humphrey had similar upbringings. He wondered if Rufus had been through the same exercise himself.


    ¡°He''ll stop to look for the optimal path when what he needs to do is act,¡± Rufus continued. ¡°If you want Humphrey to act quickly and decisively, he needs to understand the price of not doing so. I can let that slide with the other adventures in this city, but you wanted him to meet my standards. These are my standards.¡±


    Danielle was a head shorter than Rufus, but she got right up into his space, tilting her head back to glare at him.


    ¡°Is this how you treat people in your famous academy?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It is.¡±


    Rufus turned back to the control table and reopened communication.


    ¡°Get ready, Humphrey,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We¡¯re going again.¡±


    Jason watched Danielle, seeing she was on the edge of stepping in to stop it. In the end, she took a step back. Inside the dome, a small boy appeared next to Humphrey.


    ¡°What about Ellie?¡± Humphrey¡¯s voice came from the control table.


    ¡°Ellie¡¯s dead,¡± Rufus said coldly. ¡°She was torn apart by monsters. This is Ben.¡±


    Jason winced, looking once again at Danielle. She was looking sternly at Rufus but didn''t say anything.


    Humphrey''s real body stirred on the wooden platform, the runes under him fading. He swung his legs off the side and sat up, face pale, eyes wide and shaking. He had failed to protect every new child Rufus had placed with him.


    ¡°How was that?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°A nightmare,¡± Humphrey said weakly. ¡°An endless, inescapable nightmare.¡±


    ¡°Not inescapable,¡± Rufus said, devoid of sympathy. ¡°You had the power to protect those children. It was your hesitation and doubt that doomed them. You need to understand that sometimes the best action is the immediate one. You¡¯ll do better tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow?¡± he asked weakly.


    ¡°And every day, until you stop getting the children killed.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know if I can do that.¡±


    ¡°Yet you think you¡¯re ready to do it when the people are real?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°Adventurers aren¡¯t hunting monsters recreationally, Humphrey. We are the shield for those who can¡¯t protect themselves. Yes, there are adventurers who only care about money and status. But the real ones, and I know you want to be one of the real ones, care about duty. You have the heart for it, but until you have the mindset to match, all you¡¯re going to do is fail.¡±


    Rufus placed a hand on Humphrey¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Only you can decide how much you¡¯re willing to go through to do the right thing.¡±


    Rufus and Danielle sat in the shade with a pitcher of iced drinks on a picnic table. Danielle had suggested Humphrey lead an enthusiastic Jason in the direction of the orchards.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you feel I went too far,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You¡¯re a good adventurer. You know the things he¡¯ll be facing sooner or later.¡±


    Danielle nodded.


    ¡°My father always said I shield him too much from the realities,¡± Danielle said. ¡°But he was always such a good boy. It¡¯s like there¡¯s something inside him that makes him want to help people. I didn¡¯t want to break that.¡±


    ¡°Did you consider something for him other than adventuring?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°There are other ways to help people.¡±


    ¡°Not in our family, there isn¡¯t. Gellers are adventurers, with all the good and bad that comes with it. And he has talent.¡±


    ¡°He does,¡± Rufus said. ¡°If he can get past this obstacle, he could be one of the greats one day.¡±


    ¡°You have similar hopes for your friend, Jason, yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about him,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He has a habit of saying whatever pops into his head.¡±


    ¡°No he doesn¡¯t,¡± Danielle said. ¡°You should pay more attention.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you noticed the way he seizes control of a conversation? The way he provokes people out of their comfortable patterns? He has a very political mind, but he applies it quite unlike anyone I¡¯ve met. I do hope Humphrey can learn from him, a little.¡±


    ¡°You want Humphrey to be more like Jason?¡± Rufus asked incredulously.


    ¡°Humphrey is too straightforward a thinker for that,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I¡¯d just like him to understand that things are more complicated than he realises. Social survival training, if you will.¡±


    ¡°I think you may be overestimating Jason. You might be conflating unpredictability with cunning.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I will acknowledge he¡¯s hard to predict. You know, I heard an interesting thing while you were off doing the field assessment.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°A god appeared in Divine Square.¡±


    ¡°They do that all the time,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°There were a couple of interesting quirks in this particular instance.¡±


    ¡°Which god?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Hero,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Interesting god. Did you know he¡¯s the only core deity not to have subordinate gods?¡±


    ¡°I did, actually.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Your uncle is a member of Hero¡¯s clergy, isn¡¯t he? How is he doing?¡±


    ¡°Very well. I¡¯ll tell him you asked after him.¡±


    ¡°Please do. What really caught people¡¯s attention about Hero¡¯s appearance, though, was that when everyone kneeled before the god, one man did not.¡±


    Rufus put a hand over his eyes, groaning wearily.


    ¡°Jason has something of an issue with religion,¡± he said.


    ¡°I did hear some rumours about that priestess you were working with,¡± Danielle said. ¡°She has some unkind words about you, by the way. But you can see why I wasn¡¯t startled at Jason¡¯s lack of formality. What is the deference due an aristocrat when you won¡¯t bow to a god?¡±


    Rufus narrowed his eyes at Danielle.


    ¡°You seem to know a lot about Jason for someone who just met him,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It¡¯s hardly a surprise for someone of your influence to hear about the Divine Square incident, but you were certain it was Jason. You¡¯re investigating him, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Danielle said. ¡°At your father¡¯s request.¡±


    Rufus groaned.


    ¡°Thousands of miles away, and he still can¡¯t let me chart my own path.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s concerned about the man arresting so much of his son¡¯s attention,¡± she said. ¡°A man who seemingly fell out of the sky. Imagine my surprise to discover he did almost exactly that.¡±


    ¡°You know he¡¯s an outworlder.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Very exciting.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    "It was a fanciful guess until I met him. He''s so obviously a man out of place. The way he talks, the way he thinks. The way he looks at things. He doesn¡¯t fit.¡±


    ¡°The way he looks at things?¡±


    ¡°Like a man who doesn¡¯t expect to recognise anything.¡±


    ¡°Have you told my father what he is?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Danielle said. ¡°It won¡¯t be hard for anyone to put the pieces together once people start looking for them. Which they will, when they realise you¡¯re training him.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s inevitable, I know,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I wanted him to reach the point where his skills at least weren¡¯t an embarrassment. Jason doesn¡¯t seem to embarrass, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°He can be frustrating to teach,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He¡¯s driven, but whenever I see an opportunity to teach him a lesson, he just figures it out and explains it back to me, like he''d learnt it all before.¡±


    ¡°How do you think he manages that?¡±


    ¡°I advise strongly against ever asking him to explain. Something about an old man making a boy put wax on a carriage, then take it off again, because people were mean to him at his school. I think Jason¡¯s world must be a very strange place.¡±


    ¡°Sounds rather intriguing,¡± she said.


    ¡°Then feel free to ask him about it,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Just do it when I¡¯m somewhere else.¡±


    Danielle laughed.


    ¡°When will he find his way into the mirage chamber?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Sooner, rather than later. I want him to use a martial arts skill-book first. I¡¯ve been holding that off to prepare him as best I can, but he¡¯ll need at least a few weeks to consolidate before his field assessment. So, in a few days, most likely. In the meantime, do you need me to keep coming for Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°No, our family has trainers enough with the stomach for it,¡± Danielle said. ¡°When you bring Jason by, we can have them spar a little.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Rufus said. ¡°But first, I need to have a talk with my father.¡±

 Chapter 49: A Voice From Home

    The Adventure Society offered a limited, if valuable, array of services. The Magic Society, by contrast, provided all manner of magical amenities to anyone with the money to pay for them. The main lobby of the Magic Society services building was quite large, with many comfortable chairs. Those who could afford their services were accustomed to luxury.


    An elven man in expensive clothes approached. Rufus noted a brooch in the shape of hand inside a circle, the Magic Society emblem.


    ¡°Lord Remore,¡± the man said. ¡°Such a pleasure. I¡¯m Pochard Finn, deputy director of the Magic Society here in Greenstone.¡±


    Rufus stood up and shook his hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s just Mr Remore,¡± Rufus said. ¡°One of my ancestors made rather a point about refusing title, and it¡¯s become something of a family stance.¡±


    "Very principled, I''m sure," Pochard said. "Please, allow me to be your guide to our humble branch. Not as magnificent as what you are used to, I''m sure."


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to trouble you,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°No trouble at all,¡± Pochard said. ¡°If the director were not indisposed off-campus, I have no doubt he would greet you himself. He certainly wouldn¡¯t want you waiting out here with the ordinary people. Title or not, I can comfortably assert that you are far from an ordinary visitor.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just here to use a communications channel,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to miss my father because I was socialising.¡±


    ¡°Your father,¡± Pochard said. ¡°Will he be visiting our fair city?¡±


    ¡°He will not,¡± Rufus said firmly.


    ¡°A shame,¡± Pochard said. ¡°At least allow me to guide you to our speaking chambers.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Lead on.¡±


    The speaking chambers were accessed from a long hallway, where a series of doors led into each chamber. Pochard showed no hesitation in explaining how excellent they were.


    "A man of your background is naturally familiar with speaking chambers," Pochard said, "but were you aware the very best chambers are constructed from watergreen marble? We may just be a remote branch, but our speaking chambers are a point of pride."


    ¡°Watergreen marble?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Watergreen marble is one of the higher-grade stones quarried right here in the Greenstone region. It has a strong water affinity, which makes for an excellent connection.¡±


    Rufus thought that Pochard was just talking up his facility, but when he stepped into his assigned speaking chamber, it really was grander than he anticipated. It was larger than others he''d seen, although the layout was normal. Half the room was covered in a pool of water, the dry half with a low, circular platform to stand on. Rather than the usual surfaces, the floor was covered in blue and green tiles, the marble walls had lush plants set into alcoves, while the roof was a colourful mosaic in shades of green and blue. The light in the room was shimmering blue-green, the source of the light being located under the water pool. The air was moist, but fresh and pleasant, with the scent of the sea. Walking into the room felt like stepping onto the ocean floor.


    "Mr Pochard," Rufus said. "I must confess, I didn''t give much credence to your claims about your speaking chambers. Consider this my apology for doubting your words."


    ¡°Gratifying to hear, Mr Remore. I will leave you to your call.¡±


    Rufus turned and shook Pochard¡¯s hand before the elf departed.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said with a smile.


    Pochard left, closing the door to the chamber behind him. Rufus stood on the circular platform on the floor and waited, enjoying the pleasant atmosphere. He¡¯d spent enough time in plain, cramped, humid speaking chambers to genuinely appreciate the difference.


    Finally, the pool of water started stirring, indicating the connection was being made. The light coming through the pool started wildly shimmering. The water rose up from the pool, surging into the shape of Rufus¡¯ father. Colour appeared in the water as if someone had tipped dyes into it, fleshing out the image to a rather excellent facsimile of his father¡¯s features.


    Pochard hadn¡¯t been understating the quality of the connection. The image of Rufus¡¯ father, Gabriel Remore, was startlingly lifelike. When the image shifted from water statue to animation, it replicated his expressions and body language with startling accuracy.


    ¡°Son,¡± the water representation of Gabriel said. ¡°Good to see you.¡±


    ¡°Father,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I know that tone,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°What did I do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been spying on me.¡±


    ¡°Of course I have,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°You almost died out there on some nothing contract.¡±


    ¡°Which you only knew about because you were spying on me!¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t spying,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°I was only having a few updates sent back. Then you almost got yourself killed and I started spying. I¡¯m surprised Danielle told you.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t tell me,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I figured it out.¡±


    ¡°Son, if that woman doesn¡¯t want you to know something, you¡¯ll be as ignorant as a newborn babe. If you figured it out, it¡¯s because she led you to water. You only think it was your idea to drink.¡±


    ¡°Well, you need to stop.¡±


    ¡°Of course, son.¡±


    ¡°Did you just lie to me?¡±


    ¡°Of course, son.¡±


    Rufus let out a weary groan.


    ¡°So,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°Tell me about this outworlder of yours.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a bit odd,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°They¡¯re all odd,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°What¡¯s he actually like?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember the first time you told me about outworlders?¡±


    ¡°Hmmm. Wasn¡¯t it when we had that one stay with us at the academy? The pretty one that you-¡±


    ¡°I remember the one, Dad.¡±


    Gabriel¡¯s water image let out a gleeful chuckle.


    ¡°This is a good connection,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°I can see you scowling.¡±


    ¡°Dad, do you remember when you told me there were two kinds of outworlders?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°The ones that die immediately, and the ones that survive and thrive.¡±


    ¡°Jason is definitely the die immediately type,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but he survives and thrives anyway.¡±


    ¡°That is odd,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°Sounds like trouble.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me to back off?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°Because I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Of course you won¡¯t,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°Heading for trouble is the whole point of being an adventurer. Otherwise, what¡¯s all the training for?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I have a proposal for the academy.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Not having someone looking over my shoulder has been an education,¡± Rufus said. ¡°As an adventurer, I¡¯ve gone from thinking I knew everything to realising how much I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°A few close scrapes, some costly mistakes. It¡¯ll turn you into a real adventurer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly my point,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t until you released me into the wild that I realised how far I have to go. It¡¯s why the Gellers keep training their family here at the south end of nowhere. They can let them loose to make their own mistakes.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re proposing we start sending people there?¡± Gabriel asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We could establish a graduate station here. The Geller family facilities are well developed, and we could arrange an exchange. They help us get off the ground, and we help them refine their training programs.¡±


    ¡°Have you put this to the Gellers, yet.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to reach out before clearing it with Grandad. Not to mention that I¡¯d also need specifics to take to them. I¡¯d never make an approach without knowing what I could and couldn¡¯t offer.¡±


    ¡°Good lad,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll float it to the family. For now, you and I can start having weekly meetings. Being our man on the ground will be a good chance for you to step up in the academy. A project like this won¡¯t be small or quick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how long I¡¯ll be here,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Emir could arrive any day. I suppose could extend my stay; I don¡¯t have to go back with him when he¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Oh, uh¡­,¡±


    Gabriel started sheepishly rubbing his chin.


    ¡°I was meant to tell you,¡± he said. ¡°Emir won¡¯t be there for a little while.¡±


    ¡°How little a while are you talking about?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°And why? We found what he was after.¡±


    ¡°Well, we know you think you found it,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°But can you really be certain? One of his other teams found something really promising in the Godspear Islands, so he¡¯s heading there to check it out. So¡­ two months?¡±


    ¡°Two months!¡±


    ¡°Three, at the absolute most,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°Well, maybe not the absolute most. And that¡¯s from when he leaves here, obviously. Call it four months.¡±


    ¡°Four months,¡± Rufus said incredulously.


    ¡°Well now you have your project, that works out,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know that. Did you say he hadn¡¯t left Vitesse yet? What is he doing?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s been a lot going on,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°It¡¯s a busy time.¡±


    Rufus narrowed his eyes at his father¡¯s projection.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it time for the flower wine festival?¡±


    ¡°Is it?¡± Gabriel asked, innocently. He wouldn¡¯t meet his son¡¯s eyes, even through the projection.


    Rufus ran a hand over his face.


    ¡°Alright, Dad,¡± he said wearily. ¡°Weekly meetings?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send you a message with the times.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll send you a message. You can work around my schedule.¡±


    ¡°Son¡­¡±


    ¡°Give my love to Mum. See you next week, Dad.¡±


    Rufus stepped off the circular platform and the image of his father broke apart, splashing into the pool.


    ¡°Four months,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Alright, then.¡±


    Rufus stormed through the back gate into Jory¡¯s courtyard. Jason was seated in a meditation pose on a mat while Farrah sat on a chair reading. Gary was cooking meat skewers on a grill fuelled by magic fire.


    ¡°Farrah,¡± Rufus said sharply, ¡°get the book out.¡±


    She glanced at the book in her hands.


    ¡°Not that book,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I mean¡­ the book.¡±


    ¡°The book book?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The book book.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the book book?¡± Gary asked.


    Jason opened his eyes.


    ¡°Why is everyone making chicken noises?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to get your hands on a martial art skill book,¡± Rufus told him.


    ¡°Ooh, nice,¡± Jason said, getting up and brushing his legs with his hands.


    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s what you want the book for?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°What book?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°You know,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The book. From under the lake.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we decide to give that to Emir?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°We did decide that, yes,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°The contract from Emir wasn¡¯t to find a book,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Giving it to Emir was your idea,¡± Farrah said to Rufus. ¡°You talked us into it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Gary said, prodding at the cooking meat with a fork. ¡°We wanted to sell it.¡±


    ¡°Well, Emir won¡¯t be here for four months, so he¡¯s missing out,¡± Rufus said.


    Gary, poised to shove a whole skewer in his mouth, stopped to look at Rufus.


    ¡°Four months?¡± he asked.


    ¡°From when he leaves,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t left?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Flower wine festival,¡± Gary mumbled around a mouthful of meat. ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding about this marinade, Jason.¡±


    ¡°One of the others teams has a promising lead,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He¡¯s going there to check it out first.¡±


    ¡°Which team?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Godspear Islands.¡±


    "Are you kidding me?" Farrah asked. "Mirabelle and her army of idiots? Of course, they think they found it."


    She got up from her chair and started pacing.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t the place,¡± she said. ¡°This is the place. We found the place.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°What place?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t like we¡¯re just confident this is the place,¡± Farrah continued. ¡°This is the place.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Then why is Emir sailing off in the wrong direction?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Rufus said, ¡°they know we think we found it, but¡­¡±


    ¡°I hope his boat sinks,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty unlikely,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°So the book?¡± Rufus asked.


    Farrah¡¯s stone chest erupted out of the ground. She opened the lid, reached in and came out with an absurdly large book. It seemed like she should be staggering about, but her small body contained a powerful strength. She slammed the lid of her storage chest down and dropped the book onto it with a resonating thud. It was almost as large and thick itself as the stone chest lid on which it was resting. Bound in thick leather, embossed into the front of the book were the images of two scythes crossed over a skull.


    ¡°That¡¯s a hefty and sinister tome you¡¯ve got there,¡± Jason said, moving to look closer.


    ¡°We each agreed to give you a gift,¡± Rufus said, ¡°as thanks for saving us. Farrah¡¯s you¡¯ve already received. If the others don¡¯t object, I¡¯d like this to be mine.¡±


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Gary mumbled.


    ¡°Well, you were always going to get him a skill book,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I have to assume this one is better than most.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s obviously special,¡± Jason said. ¡°Where did it come from?¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t tell you that yet,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°You¡¯re giving him the book,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but saying where it¡¯s from is where you draw the line?¡±


    ¡°The book wasn¡¯t in the contract,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Keeping our mouths shut was.¡±


    ¡°So, can I use this?¡± Jason asked, reaching a hand towards the book.


    ¡°Not so fast,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Now that we¡¯ll be here for a while, we don¡¯t have to be in such a rush. I can make sure you¡¯re ready before letting you use it.¡±


    ¡°And when will that be?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I told you when we started,¡± Rufus said. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a test.¡±

 Chapter 50: The Full Keanu

    Rufus swung the staff horizontally, Jason swaying back so it passed in front of him. Rufus kept the momentum, bringing the staff up and over into a downward strike. Jason kept control of his balance, shifting to the side without disrupting the centre line of his body. Rufus kept pushing, not too swiftly, but relentlessly. Jason handled the pressure without tripping or stumbling, even as Rufus started ramping up the speed. Just as Jason thought it would be too much, Rufus stopped.


    ¡°Why am I happy?¡± Rufus asked, neither looking or sounding happy.


    ¡°Because you finally got me to learn a lesson the hard way?¡± Jason asked, turning Rufus¡¯ gaze into a glare.


    ¡°What is the lesson?¡± he asked.


    ¡°All the exercises you put me through; the balancing, the handstands, the footwork. They were never about making me faster, or more agile. It¡¯s about being in full control of my body.¡±


    A slight smile forced itself onto Rufus¡¯ lips.


    ¡°Good,¡± he said.


    ¡°Good?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Good,¡± Rufus said.


    Jason¡¯s eyes moved over to the huge book still waiting atop Farrah¡¯s stone chest.


    ¡°Does that mean I get the book?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve clearly been working hard in my absence,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Unlike some people I could mention.¡±


    ¡°I think he means you,¡± Gary mumbled at Farrah from around a meat skewer.


    Jason walked over and reached out for the massive book.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Before you use that book,¡± Rufus said, ¡°you have to understand what it is. By which, I mean, you have to understand what it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said.


    "The thing you need to understand about the skill book," Rufus said, "is that it isn''t going to teach you how to fight."


    ¡°That sounds a bit dodgy,¡± Jason said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that exactly what the book is for?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It will teach you technique, not how to use it. It¡¯s a shortcut that saves you years of repetitive exercise, but that isn¡¯t fighting. Any martial system, at its core, is a method of effectively leveraging strength. That makes it a tool useful for fighting, but the one who does the fighting must still be you. Even the best hammer doesn¡¯t push the nails in itself.¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a magic hammer that does that?¡± Jason asked.


    Rufus gave him a disapproving look.


    ¡°Jason, there¡¯s a time to be clever pedant, and a time to shut your mouth for once and learn something.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°So, martial arts are a tool,¡± Rufus continued. ¡°Your physical attributes and essence abilities will impact how that tool is used, but only experience will teach you how to turn form into function. Only using it against actively resisting opponents will let you make it your own, instead of something a book gave you.¡±


    Rufus walked over to where Jason was standing next to the book and placed a hand on it.


    ¡°The book will give you the techniques,¡± he said. ¡°We will show you how, when and why to use them.¡±


    ¡°By beating it into me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gary said from behind the cooker. ¡°We¡¯re going to beat you like a drum.¡±


    ¡°Suddenly I¡¯m a lot less excited,¡± Jason said. ¡°Couldn¡¯t you just let me have my moment of happiness?¡±


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want you to think learning martial arts from a book will magically make you good at fighting.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a disappointment,¡± Jason said, ¡°given its literal purpose is to magically make me good at fighting.¡±


    ¡°Like I said,¡± Rufus told him. ¡°We¡¯ll teach you to understand the difference.¡±


    ¡°With our fists,¡± Gary added. ¡°And our knees, elbows, and such.¡±


    ¡°Can I just use the book, now, please?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Rufus said.


    Taking a deep breath, Jason reached out and placed a hand on the book.


    Item: [Way of the Reaper: Five Forms I] (iron rank, legendary)


    A magical book detailing the foundational techniques for all five forms of the Way of the Reaper (consumable, skill book).


    Requirements: Ability to use skill books.Effect: Imparts iron-rank techniques of the Way of the Reaper¡¯s five forms.You are able to use skill book [Way of the Reaper: Five Forms I]. Use Y/N?


    Jason stood still, hand on the book, eyes closed. He took another deep breath.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just not rushing this,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a big moment for me. I¡¯ll probably go the full Keanu.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°It means be quiet and let me have my magic kung fu moment.¡±


    ¡°Kung fu is what they call punching people where Jason comes from, right?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Jory asked, wandering out from the clinic¡¯s back door.


    ¡°Jason¡¯s about to use a skill book,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Will everyone please shut up!¡± Jason barked, taking his hand off the book and glaring at the others.


    ¡°Just give him his quiet moment,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He won¡¯t take the book in as well if he¡¯s agitated.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Sorry, Jason. Try clearing your mind, like you¡¯re going to meditate. It might help.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said. He placed his hand back on the book, closing his eyes. He did as Farrah suggested, emptying his mind and calming his emotions.


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯s going to take long?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Gary,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering if I should grill some more meat.¡±


    There was a sizzling sound, followed quickly by a yelp of pain.


    ¡°What did I say about lava in the yard?¡± Jory asked.


    Jason let the sounds drift away, letting only the rhythm of his breathing occupy his mind. He felt his body drift away from the world, floating through nothingness. All sensation left him, except for the leather of the book under his hand.


    You are able to use skill book [Way of the Reaper: Five Forms I]. Use Y/N?


    He mentally assented and the huge book floated up off the chest to hover over Jason¡¯s head. The ponderous cover flipped open and text started rising from the page, disembodied runes turning from black to glowing gold. There was a sizzling sound, like meat on a grill as the text transmuted. The first page of the book turned itself over as the last of its text floated off and the second page began disgorging its contents into the air. With each page, the process grew faster and faster, the glowing jumble of text in the air forming a thick cloud. Even with the increasing pace at which the pages were beginning to turn, it was taking a long time to make it through the massive tome.


    ¡°Do skill books normally take this long?¡± Jory whispered to Farrah.


    ¡°No they don¡¯t,¡± Farrah said, ¡°although I¡¯ve never seen a skill book that big before.¡±


    The cloud of text kept growing, spreading down until Jason was completely obscured. Finally, the sizzling stopped. They couldn¡¯t see the heavy book any more, but they heard it hit the ground with a thud. The cloud of golden text started darting about like a swarm of angry bees. Inside, they could hear Jason grunting in pain.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Rufus called out. ¡°Try and last out the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Is he alright?¡± Jory asked.


    "Using a skill book is strenuous," Farrah explained. "The more it''s trying to teach you, the greater the strain."


    ¡°People often pass out while using them,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but the information isn¡¯t passed on as well once they¡¯re unconscious. It takes them longer to consolidate what they¡¯ve learned afterwards.¡±


    The cloud shrank over time until they could once again see Jason. He was staggering in place, arms out to keep balance. They watched the golden text diving into his body.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing good!¡± Gary cheered him on.


    ¡°Hold on as best you can,¡± Rufus encouraged.


    Finally the last of the text sank into Jason, leaving him standing unsteadily, but still upright. He took in a sharp breath.


    ¡°Whoa,¡± he croaked.


    ¡°Still standing,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You¡¯ve done well.¡±


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Farrah asked.


    Jason stood up straight, eyes gleaming in triumph.


    ¡°I know kung fueeeaaauuugh¡­¡±


    Vomit spewed out of him and he fell to his knees, coughing up more before toppling onto his side, unconscious.


    ¡°Is he alright?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°For Jason,¡± Gary said, ¡°this is actually pretty good.¡±


    In the fighting pits of the fortress, two women were squaring off inside a steel cage. The first was Sophie Wexler, the Nightingale. The other was called the Queen of Thorns, for the thorny whip manifested by her power. It had length enough that no part of the cage was safe, and being a power rather than a weapon, the Queen had devilish control over it. Sophie was cut and bloody from numerous wounds, but the weakness of the whip was its inability to deal critical damage. So long as it failed to ensnare an enemy, it couldn¡¯t deal a finishing blow.


    Sophie¡¯s ability was speed. Not only was she fast, but she could run up walls or even over water. She was boxed in by the cage, but she pushed her reflexes to the limit to avoid being entangled. She had suffered lashes, but the whip had never managed to tie her down.


    Sophie ran up the side of the cage as the whip lashed under her, flipping off and into a kick, but her opponent jumped back out of reach. Having missed the kick, Sophie landed off-balance. Seeing her chance, the Queen flung the whip quickly, wrapping it around Sophie¡¯s forearm. Grinning triumph at Sophie, she only found resolution on her enemy¡¯s face. Too late, she realised she¡¯d been baited.


    Sophie shifted her seemingly-unbalanced stance, bracing her weight and yanking on the whip with both arms. The Queen stumbled forward and Sophie ducked behind, looping the slack whip around the Queen¡¯s neck to choke her with her own power. The Queen dismissed the whip and Sophie acted quickly before the Queen had a chance to conjure it up again.


    Sophie swept the Queen¡¯s unbalanced feet out from under her, grabbed her by the hair and smashed her face into the floor. The hard-earth floor of the Fortress was practically stone and Sophie smashed the Queen¡¯s face into it a second time and a third, over and over until there was a sharp crack and the Queen¡¯s body went limp.


    Skin painted red, silver hair matted with sweat and blood, Sophie left the cage without looking back.


    ¡°Your winner, ladies and gentlemen¡­ the Nightingale!¡±


    Three viewing boxes, normally empty in the early afternoon, all had occupants watching Sophie¡¯s match. In one was Cole Silva, the newest member of the Big Three crime lords of Old City. With his father¡¯s passing, the old man¡¯s protection could no longer keep Sophie from his grip. Just as he had been closing his fingers around her, she had run to Clarissa Ventress. Now Ventress had Sophie fighting ever more-dangerous opponents. There was every chance she would be ruined before he could snatch her back into his clutches. Watching her bloody form stride away from the cage, he slapped the fruit platter in front of him across the room.


    In her own viewing box, Clarissa Ventress was happily imagining the look on Silva¡¯s face. She was less happy with Sophie¡¯s friend, Belinda.


    ¡°You can¡¯t keep doing this!¡± Belinda said. ¡°You¡¯re going to get her killed.¡±


    Clarissa sighed, her good mood deflated. She responded to Belinda without deigning to look at her.


    ¡°The arrangement,¡± Clarissa said, ¡°was that dear Sophie would help me provoke Silva into the kind of rash action that his father always kept him from making.¡±


    She turned her head toward Belinda.


    ¡°The form that provocation takes is for me to decide,¡± Clarissa continued. ¡°How Sophie survives it is for her to figure out.¡±


    ¡°You filthy¡­¡±


    Belinda cut herself off as Clarissa¡¯s enormous bodyguard stirred. Darnell had the predatory features universal to leonids, and Belinda took a step back.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Clarissa said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear your pitiful whining again. Go tend to your injured friend.¡±


    Belinda desperately wanted to tear a chunk out Clarissa¡¯s throat, but she was not the match of Clarissa or her bodyguard, two of the criminal underworld¡¯s rare bronze-rankers. She also knew Sophie would be awkwardly applying medicine right now and making a complete mess of it, so she turned and left.


    The third box in which the match had been closely viewed belonged to Lucian Lamprey. Old City might be the territory of the Big Three, but as Director of the Magic Society, he might as well have been the sky above them. If nothing else, as a silver-ranker he could personally tear through Old City''s strongest enforcers like they were mewling children.


    Outside Lamprey¡¯s viewing box, Cassowary Finn hesitated before knocking on the door. As the son of Lucian¡¯s friend and deputy, Pochard, Cassowary had been installed as Lucian¡¯s dogsbody and normally enjoyed the man¡¯s favour. His lack of progress in finding information on the Nightingale had turned that favour on its head. Hoping that was about to be rectified, he knocked on the door.


    ¡°Enter!¡± Lucian¡¯s voice barked from inside.

 Chapter 51: Song of the Nightingale

    Enter!" Lucian''s voice bellowed, and Cassowary opened the door. Following him in was a nervous-looking, middle-aged man with a balding head and noticeable paunch.


    ¡°Cassowary,¡± Lucian said, his forehead creasing into a frown. Elven features weren¡¯t well-suited to malevolence, but Lucian made it work.


    ¡°I take it,¡± Lucian said, ¡°that you¡¯re showing your face here because you have what I asked for.¡±


    "Yes, sir, Mr Lucian," Cassowary said quickly. "This man is a bookmaker here in the pits and has been for some years. He knows all about the girl."


    The middle-aged man visibly gulped as Lucian looked him up and down.


    ¡°Name?¡± Lucian demanded.


    ¡°Hubert, sir. They call me Bert the Bookie.¡±


    ¡°Not your name, imbecile. The fighter, Nightingale.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sir. Her name¡¯s Sophie, sir. Sophie Wexler.¡±


    ¡°You just heard Cassowary tell me you knew everything about her which, for your sake, I very much hope is true. Tell me everything, Bert the Bookie.¡±


    "Everything, sir, yes, sir," Hubert said. "She wasn''t born local but came over with her father, when she was real little, like. This was at the time of the monster surge before last. I remember that''s when it was because her father was part of this merchant group. The head of their muscle. Seems they hadn''t been doing so well and gambled big on a sailing run during the surge. There¡¯s a reason no-one sails during a surge, though, and they lost everything. Only a handful made it in on some dinghies, including the girl and her old man. She couldn¡¯t have been more than two or three years old.¡±


    ¡°He took a little girl out to sea during a monster surge?¡± Cassowary asked. ¡°What a prick.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Lucian said to Cassowary, then returned his gaze to Hubert. ¡°You, keep talking.¡±


    ¡°Well, the merchant group was done,¡± Hubert continued. ¡°No ships, not even the money for passage back after the surge was over. The girl¡¯s old man went to work for Silva. Not Cole Silva who¡¯s in charge now, obviously. His old dad. Good man, too. Tough, but fair, you know?¡±


    ¡°Get on with it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, sir. So, the girl¡¯s old man could fight, like, proper fight, and catches the old man¡¯s attention. Does well under Silva Senior for a lot of years, until there¡¯s a problem. Silva Junior takes an interest in the girl.¡±


    ¡°Hardly a surprise,¡± Lucian said. ¡°He has eyes.¡±


    "She is a looker, sir. But she didn''t want any part of Silva the younger, and none could blame her. He''d left more than a few professional women in no state to undertake their profession, if you catch my drift. Old man Silva, he knows what his son is, and likes the girl''s father. So he tells his son that it''s hands-off."


    ¡°I bet he took that well,¡± Lucian said.


    ¡°About how you¡¯d expect, sir, yes. He did as he was told, but didn¡¯t make things pleasant for the girl. Got to the point that her father decided to get her out. He just didn¡¯t go about it a good way.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°The father takes out a loan from Silva the senior. A hefty one. Tries to start up his own trade expedition, but even without a monster surge, the man ain¡¯t got no luck with the sea.¡±


    ¡°Monster attack?¡±


    ¡°Pirates. Was quite the excitement, from what I hear; father and daughter fighting pirates back to back. Managed to fight them off, too, but the father didn¡¯t last long after, and neither did the ship. For the second time in her life the girl arrives at the city in a dinghy, and this time she¡¯s got no father and a shipload of inherited debt. She would have been sixteen, seventeen back then. She had an essence her old man had bought, which had just made the debt all the bigger.¡±


    ¡°That was when she started pit fighting,¡± Cassowary contributed.


    ¡°Shut up, Cassowary,¡± Lucian barked. ¡°Carry on, Bert.¡±


    ¡°Now, I knew the father and daughter going back to when her father was muscle here in the Fortress,¡± Hubert said. ¡°He was a hard man. No essences, but I¡¯d seen him put down people who had one, even two. He never fought in the pits himself, but the fighters showed him nothing but respect. His girl, as it turns out, was even better. Run up walls, fly through the damn air like a bird.¡±


    ¡°Nightingale,¡± Lucian said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Hubert said. ¡°She had a good run. Took some beatings early on, but she learned fast. Add that to the way she looks and she got some attention.¡±


    ¡°She fights for Silva?¡± Lucian asked.


    "She did back then, for Silva the elder," Hubert said. "He looked out for her, kept his son off her back, which Silva Junior did not care for. But the old man took a real shine to the girl. Eventually, she gave up the ring, found some other way to pay the old man back. High-end thieving was what I heard. She had a friend who made the plans and the tools, she did the second-storey work."


    ¡°Then why is she back in the pits?¡± Lucian asked. ¡°And who does she fight for, now?¡±


    "That goes back to when Old Man Silva died,¡± Hubert said. ¡°There was talk old man Silva wasn''t going to pass the mantle down to his son," Hubert said. "Too impulsive, too beholden to his own appetites. Word is, the old man was going to step back and pass it to one of the old-guard before he passed. Someone who¡¯d respect the old man¡¯s treatment of the girl.¡±


    ¡°But he didn¡¯t pass it on to anyone else,¡± Lucian said.


    ¡°No, he didn¡¯t,¡± Hubert agreed. ¡°Couple of months ago, the old man went in his sleep. There were rumours, of course, but nothing came of them. Since the old man hadn¡¯t said otherwise, the son stepped in. Damn near the first thing he did was go after the girl. As far as I know, she¡¯d almost cleared the old debt, but now it¡¯s in the hands of Silva Junior. He made plenty clear the only payment he¡¯ll take. She and her friend have a skill-set, though, and made themselves scarce. Found their way to another of the Big Three, Clarissa Ventress. Cut a deal to protect them from Silva.¡±


    ¡°So Ventress is making her fight again?¡± Lucian asked.


    ¡°Word is, she¡¯s only doing it to annoy Silva.¡±


    ¡°What does she get out of that?¡±


    ¡°The transition from father to son hasn¡¯t been smooth for Silva¡¯s people,¡± Hubert explained. ¡°The old man was stable and reliable, while it¡¯s no secret his son is just the opposite. He ousted his father¡¯s old guard, put in his own people. That''s left a lot of folks uncertain and nervous about Silva''s position in the Big Three. There''s been talk about the other two snatching away at Silva¡¯s territory. Word is, the only reason they haven¡¯t moved is they don¡¯t want Island folk coming down here. Begging your pardon, sir.¡±


    "So Ventress is using the girl," Lucian said. "She wants to make Silva do something stupid."


    ¡°The Big Three know better than to rock the boat too hard,¡± Hubert said. ¡°They don¡¯t want folk like you, sir, coming in and dealing with them.¡±


    ¡°But if Cole Silva does something loud and impulsive,¡± Lucian said, ¡°then Ventress steps in to settle it down. She claims new territory and makes good with the Island powers at the same time.¡±


    ¡°You see it clear,¡± Hubert said. ¡°If I might say, sir, you¡¯re as smart as I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    Lucian laughed.


    ¡°I usually detest sycophancy,¡± Lucian said, ¡°but I like you, Bert the Bookie.¡±


    He opened a drawer, taking out a pouch of coins and tossing it to Hubert.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good storyteller,¡± Lucian said. ¡°If you come across any others worth telling, you came and find Cassowary, here.¡±


    ¡°Thanking you, sir, I¡¯ll be sure and do that.¡±


    Hubert departed the viewing box, coin pouch clutched possessively in both hands. That left Lucian and Cassowary alone, the younger man looking nervously at his employer. Lucian glanced at the younger man, his own face unreadable. Cassowary grew increasingly more unnerved as the silence extended.


    ¡°Adequate,¡± Lucian said finally, send relief spilling over Cassowary¡¯s face. ¡°I want you to arrange a meeting with Clarissa Ventress. Can I rely on you for that?¡±


    "Yes, Mr Lucian, sir."


    Belinda arrived at the Broadstreet Clinic to find a notice on the door. It announced that Mr Tillman wasn''t in for the day. Basic medical supplies could be purchased from the reception and Mr Asano would be in at the usual times, but strictly for emergency cases.


    Inside, the waiting room was quite full.


    ¡°Sorry, Mr Asano,¡± she heard Janice the receptionist say. ¡°The notice said emergencies only, but of course, people ignore it.¡±


    ¡°Or can¡¯t read,¡± a man said, coming out from the back room. It was the same man who had given Sophie the free ointment. His sharp features and dark, clear eyes looked stern until a friendly smile lit up his face like a light.


    ¡°Who¡¯s next, Janice?¡± he asked.


    Janice called up a young mother with her son, the man leading them into the back. Belinda then approached the reception desk.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking to buy some more ointment and potions,¡± Belinda told Janice. ¡°And some crystal wash, if you have it.¡±


    The magic cleaning fluid was more expensive than a shower, but Sophie kept ending up drenched in blood. She knew Jory produced some to sell at the Adventure Society trade hall.


    ¡°All out of crystal wash, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Janice said. "Mr Asano keeps buying it all. He''s very particular about cleanliness. He says there is tiny dirt that you can''t see, but can make you sick. Sounds like nonsense to me, but Mr Tillman says he¡¯s right, so there you have it.¡±


    ¡°Who is this guy?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Another alchemist?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s training to be an adventurer,¡± Janice said. ¡°He¡¯s always out back, lifting weights or meditating. He just pops in every once in a while to cure everyone lined up with his abilities. Does it for free, too.¡±


    ¡°For free?¡±


    ¡°For free,¡± Janice confirmed.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that hurt Jory¡¯s business?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he never makes much money off the clinic, anyway,¡± Janice said. ¡°Mostly he sells things at the trade hall or even takes the occasional adventuring contract. That¡¯s where he is today.¡±


    ¡°So what does this Asano get out of it, if he¡¯s working for free?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that seem a bit suspect, to you?¡±


    "No, Mr Asano isn''t like that,¡± Janice said. ¡°He says it lets him practise his healing ability, and he is always practising so hard. But really, I think he just likes helping people.¡±


    ¡°Still sounds suspicious to me.¡±


    "Oh, you wouldn''t think so if you got to know him," Janice said. ¡°It¡¯s also good that Mr Tillman has a friend. He used to spend all his time upstairs with his little experiments.¡±


    ¡°Still, keep an eye on him,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You should never trust people who say they just want to help.¡±

 Chapter 52: Pain

    ¡°I¡¯m taking it up to five,¡± Rufus¡¯ voice echoed through the mirage chamber. Jason stood waiting in his illusionary body. He was under the dome, but it was hidden by the false landscape. His senses told him he was standing on a desert hillside, ancient ruins all around him and dead enemies at his feet.


    The mirage chamber was a strange experience. To Jason¡¯s senses, everything was real, including himself. He felt the impact of every blow and the pain of every wound, even as his body lay unharmed in the control room.


    The wounds vanished from Jason¡¯s body and the fallen enemies around him vanished. In their place, five men appeared and immediately jumped to the attack.


    Jason¡¯s new art was different in many ways from what he had expected, although in hindsight such differences were obvious. In his own world, martial arts were designed to fight other humans, operating within a fixed range of physical capability. Adventurers had to fight anything from people with superhuman attributes to shark-crabs to spiders the size of a delivery van. It was tricky to put a wrist lock on something that didn¡¯t have a wrist.


    The Way of the Reaper consisted of five forms, which shifted the combat style¡¯s priorities to meet changing circumstances. They were not organised to confront specific challenges, but rather to meet challenges in specific ways. The form, Way of the Sage, for example, was the most mobile of the five stances. It was of equal use against multiple opponents in complicated terrain as it was against a giant creature with many legs.


    The Way of the Hierophant form was direct and aggressive, while the Way of the Trickster was the exact opposite. Full of strange movements and unconventional attacks, it reminded Jason of drunken boxing. The Way of the Hunter offered debilitating attacks against the unaware victims, and methods to hone in on the weak point of a monster. Against human opponents, the Way of the Hermit put attackers off-balance to set up devastating counters. Against monsters, it was used to defend against unusual attacks from the most bizarre creatures.


    All together, it made for a comprehensive style, incorporating strikes, grapples, even acrobatics. How to move quickly and quietly, or with swift, breakneck efficiency. All the things he had been learning came into play, from Rufus¡¯ footwork to Gary¡¯s movement training, even Farrah¡¯s situational awareness techniques.


    Despite all of that, Rufus¡¯ proclamations about the nature of fighting came to pass. The result of his sudden martial skills reminded Jason of playing a video game for the first time. His avatar may have an array of amazing abilities, but his fumbling efforts to use them left him beaten, battered and failing to live up to the potential.


    Boxed in by the five illusionary enemies, he was pinned down and savagely beaten. Rufus took longer to end the simulation than Jason would have liked, but eventually he did and Jason woke up in his real body. He swung his legs off the platform he was laying on, letting out a groan as he rubbed his side.


    ¡°I swear I can still feel it,¡± he said.


    ¡°Phantom pain, ¡° Rufus said. ¡°You get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Five enemies was a little much,¡± Jason said. ¡°I could barely handle four.¡±


    ¡°You want to go back down?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°No, the challenge is good.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I want to hear,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Still better five illusionary goons than one of Humphrey,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d call him a monster, but I¡¯ve fought monsters. He¡¯s worse.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey has been training since he was able to walk upright,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He and I have that in common. A book won¡¯t close that gap overnight.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What did your parents teach you when you were growing up?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°My dad¡¯s parents came from another country,¡± Jason said. ¡°My mum was very big on having us learn about it. The language, the culture. Dad himself couldn¡¯t care less, and I was the same. It was really my brother¡¯s thing.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Rufus said, ¡°you can speak the language now.¡±


    Jason tilted his head thoughtfully.


    ¡°Huh. I guess I can.¡±


    Jason and Rufus left the mirage chamber and started back for the city. Rufus asking about his family had left him uncharacteristically quiet. Jason didn¡¯t have a lot of contact with his family after they had fallen out. When he dropped out of university he didn¡¯t move back from Melbourne. The only ones he saw regularly were his much older sister, along with her husband and daughter. Uncle Jason was the cheapest childcare in town, but for all his complaining, he loved that little girl. From literally a world away, conflicts that once seemed intractable now looked small and meaningless.


    As they made their way from the grounds of the Geller Estate, Rufus looked over at Jason, locked in contemplation. He wasn¡¯t used to be the one making conversation.


    ¡°How are your essence abilities coming along?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°What? Oh, good, yeah¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m getting better with the shadow teleport. I¡¯ve been testing its limitations.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°It needs a distinct shadow,¡± Jason explained. ¡°I can¡¯t just teleport around wherever I like in the dark.¡±


    ¡°So you need at least some light,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I have a solution for that. Shadow jumping isn¡¯t the only ability I¡¯ve been working on.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Mastering your essence abilities is crucial. What have you learned?¡±


    Jason stopped and looked around. They were on a wide path through a grove of what looked like banyan trees. Like most of the Geller estate¡¯s winding pathways, the vegetation shaded the path from the punishing sun.


    ¡°This¡¯ll work,¡± Jason said. ¡°You remember how my cloak can light up with stars?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Watch this.¡±


    Jason¡¯s shadowy cloak appeared around him like dark smoke. Stars started to appear upon it, lighting it up as Rufus had seen in the past. Then the stars started floating off the cloak, more and more of them drifting out, spreading their cool light under the shady trees. The lights weren¡¯t overpowering, filling the area with shadowy nooks and crannies. Jason started moving around, but the star motes didn¡¯t move with him, floating independently.


    ¡°So you can bring your own shadows,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been practising at night. Once I have it down, I should be a proper menace in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Well, keep at it,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Ideally, you will have solid control of your abilities for the Adventure Society assessment. It¡¯s only a couple of weeks away now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve come so far since I was stumbling around that hedge maze with no pants, but it feels like there¡¯s still so much further to go.¡±


    ¡°The only thing you can do with that feeling," Rufus said, "is to get used to it. I¡¯ve been going through one form of training or another for as long as I can remember, and I still feel like that.¡±


    The interior of Lucian Lamprey''s viewing box was spacious and split into two levels. The smaller, higher level was at the back. Behind Lucian¡¯s heavy wooden desk was the luxurious chair in which he spent most of his day. The larger space was a relaxed lounging area, with plush chairs and a comfortable couch. They were arrayed in a semicircle around the viewing window, with a low refreshments table in the middle.


    Lucian had descended from his usual perch as a gesture to his visitor, awaiting her in one of the soft chairs in the viewing lounge. Respect was not the same as deference, however, and he didn¡¯t stand as he waved her to another of the chairs. The director of the Magic Society did not stand up to meet a crime lord.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind invitation,¡± Clarissa Ventress said. Her bodyguard, Darnell, remained outside the door. He rarely was away from her side, but Ventress was at a rare disadvantage. The Fortress was the symbol of power in Old City, and she was one of its rulers. In front of Lucian Lamprey, however, she was reminded that Old City¡¯s power was only hers so long as the Island had no interest in taking it from her. Lucian Lamprey represented both danger and opportunity.


    ¡°You have been the Fortress¡¯ most important patron for some time now,¡± Ventress said. ¡°I¡¯m delighted you¡¯ve given me the privilege of a meeting.¡±


    Lucian nakedly ran his eyes over Clarissa. He could sense her bronze-rank aura, see the body sculpted into lithe perfection by the magic of her essences. She wore an exquisite green dress that both commanded and provoked. Lucian had heard the delta contained several breeds of snake that were beautiful in their colouration, but deadly to encounter. He had the same impression of Clarissa Ventress.


    ¡°The pleasure is genuinely mine,¡± he told her.


    Lucian¡¯s assistant Cassowary brought refreshments, sitting them on the table as Lucian and Clarissa exchanged some more niceties.


    ¡°As you may be aware,¡± Lucian said, ¡°I am an enthusiast of the fights here in the Fortress.¡±


    ¡°I have heard as such,¡± Clarissa said.


    "Normally it is the evening battles that interest me. Fighters with a full set of essences. But lately, I have found one of the lower-card fighters to be highly compelling. One of your fighters."


    Clarissa smiled. The key to controlling a person was finding what they wanted. Now she understood what Lucian wanted, her concerns melted away.


    ¡°The Nightingale,¡± she said.


    It was hardly a leap of deduction. A certain kind of man took perverse pleasure in breaking the will of a strong woman. It was the reason Sophie made such a useful stick with which to prod Cole Silva. Clarissa enjoyed such men, as she found them weak and easy to handle.


    ¡°Her real name is Sophie Wexler,¡± Clarissa said. ¡°She came into my employ under the condition that I would protect her.¡±


    ¡°Give her to me.¡±


    ¡°Of course, I would like to do nothing else,¡± Clarissa said. ¡°But there are complications.¡±


    Lucian scowled.


    "You must understand," Clarissa said, "that my deal to protect her is widely known. That knowledge is no small part of where the protection comes from. I have gotten where I am in no small part on the strength of my reputation. If I make a deal to protect a person, then hand them over to someone else, I am no longer able to vouchsafe any agreement on the strength of my word alone."


    ¡°And if I just decide to take her?¡± Lucian asked.


    ¡°Then no one in Old City could stop you,¡± Clarissa said. ¡°But if Old City was all you had to worry about, you already would have. The Director of the Magic Society can¡¯t just go around kidnapping women for his own pleasure, and that kind of thing has a way of getting around. What you need is to have her placed under your power in such a way that will not be given a second glance.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Lucian said.


    ¡°I think, perhaps,¡± Clarissa said, ¡°there is a way in which we can have both of our needs met. It will take some effort on my part, but the conclusion should be mutually satisfying.¡±


    ¡°Explain,¡± Lucian demanded.


    ¡°You must understand that one''s word is not something that can be repaired. Once broken, it stays broken. I made an agreement to protect the girl from external influences, in return for certain services. Should something befall her in the course of providing those services, I cannot be expcted to protect her from herself. You may or may not be aware, but she is a professional thief. If she were caught through lack of ability in her chosen trade, then I could hardly be blamed. Once she was in the hands of the legal system, I have no doubt a man of such staggering influence as yourself could take charge of the matter from there."


    ¡°I do believe I could,¡± Lucian said thoughtfully. ¡°But can you get her there?¡±


    ¡°It will require me to take some pains,¡± Clarissa said. ¡°But what¡¯s a little pain in service to a man such as yourself?¡±

 Chapter 53: Nightlife

    With Jason¡¯s Adventure Society field assessment looming closer by the day, Rufus, Gary and Farrah pushed him harder than ever. As a release, they would spend their evenings exploring the night time entertainments offered by the city. Danielle Geller acted as their guide to local society, usually with her son, Humphrey, in tow.


    The symphony was a revelation to Jason. The concert hall was situated in the guild district, conveniently close to their lodgings, and they enjoyed the view from the Geller¡¯s private viewing box.


    The instruments weren¡¯t what he recognised, although many were similar, at least in appearance. It was the magic they contained that made the performance as magnificent visually as it was musically. As they played, dancing streamers of light rose up from the instruments, galloping out over the audience to frolic in consonance with the music. Harmony of light and sound came together to transfigure the performance into something unlike any Jason had experienced before.


    ¡°How often do they put this on?¡± Jason leaned over to ask Danielle.


    ¡°The full symphony? Once per month, although smaller performances happen all through the week.¡±


    ¡°Is there a membership or something I can get?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a patronage program with the Musical Society,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I can introduce you to some people from the Musical Society if that is of interest to you.¡±


    "Please and thank you."


    At an evening of ballroom dancing, they encountered the young acolyte of knowledge, Gabrielle Pellin.


    ¡°Fancy that,¡± Danielle said innocently.


    When Humphrey failed to muster up the courage for an approach, he was left watching in horror as Jason taught her a dance from his own world. After Jason slipped the string quartet a few coins, they claimed the floor to demonstrate it in full, to the applause of the gathering.


    Afterwards, Jason escorted her in the direction of Humphrey, Danielle and Jason¡¯s friends.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite the spirited dancer,¡± Gabrielle told Jason as they walked leisurely around the dance floor. ¡°You never did tell me the name.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called the tango,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Is it well known, in your world?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably the most famous dance there is.¡±


    ¡°It was my older sister, who taught me to dance,¡± Jason said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t very interested until my father gave me some sage advice. He told me that if I wanted to be successful in love, I needed to learn three things. How to dance, how to cook, and how to keep my damn mouth shut."


    ¡°How did that work out?¡± Gabrielle asked.


    "Well,¡± Jason said, "I can dance and I can cook. Gabrielle, you¡¯ll remember Humphrey Geller.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said. ¡°I haven¡¯t assessed that many people for the Adventure Society, but of those I have, I think he may have been the most talented.¡±


    ¡°You realise you assessed me right after?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she said primly.


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Jason said, turning his gaze to Humphrey. ¡°It seems this rose still has her thorns. Humphrey, I think I¡¯ll leave this next dance to you.¡±


    They both looked to Humphrey, who was looking nervous. His sheepish embarrassment could not hide the broad shoulders and chiselled features, however. He was another in a long line of annoyingly attractive people Jason was getting to know.


    ¡°I think that would be delightful,¡± Gabrielle said, taking mercy on him.


    ¡°What do you say, Humphrey?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡­ you¡­ I would like that very much.¡±


    Unlike most society hotspots, the theatre district was actually located in Old City, quite close to the Fortress. It allowed members of high society to seem like they were heading to a play instead of the less-savoury delights of the city¡¯s chief den of iniquity. Leaving a private viewing box, Jason and his companions discussed their opinions of the play.


    ¡°The stage combat was actually rather impressive,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I found the plot to be a little slight, however. I like a performance with something to say.¡±


    ¡°It did have something to say,¡± Gary said. ¡°That sword fights are great. The good guys win, the bad guys lose, the end. I liked it.¡±


    Jason was shaking his head.


    ¡°You disagree?¡± Danielle asked him.


    ¡°I¡¯m probably just misreading it because of the difference in culture,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you to be diplomatic,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Just say what you really think.¡±


    ¡°I think it did have something to say,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think the main characters weren¡¯t the heroes; they were the villains. I think the whole play was a critique of hereditary power structures and by overcoming the antagonists, the central characters were restoring a state of oppression.¡±


    ¡°You think the main characters were the villains?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see it,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have a childhood friend who¡¯s a member of some royal family?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°He does,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Rufus asked.


    They exited the theatre through the doors reserved for private box holders, where members of society were reboarding their carriages. Jason noticed a woman with the same silver-rank aura and physical perfection of Danielle. She broke away from her own group of ladies, making a beeline for Danielle.


    ¡°Danielle,¡± the woman greeted. ¡°Always lovely to see you. Young Master Humphrey. And you must be Rufus Remore, with your erstwhile companions, of course.¡±


    ¡°Lady Thalia Mercer,¡± Danielle introduced the lady.


    Thalia¡¯s eyes settled on Jason.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t had the pleasure,¡± she said. ¡°You must be the young man people are getting so curious about.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no one important,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yet, you keep important company,¡± Thalia said.


    ¡°I do?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t really know these people. I¡¯m only here because I won a raffle.¡±


    Farrah snorted a laugh, while Rufus ran an exasperated hand over his face.


    ¡°Wait, there was a raffle?¡± Gary asked, only to be shushed by Farrah.


    ¡°This is Jason Asano,¡± Danielle introduced, a smile playing over her lips. ¡°He will be taking his field assessment for the Adventure Society when Humphrey retakes his. I assume your son will be there as well?¡±


    ¡°He will,¡± Thalia said unhappily. ¡°I tried to convince my husband that Thadwick would benefit from additional training, but he was quite adamant.¡±


    Thalia turned to Rufus, the man who had failed her son during the previous assessment.


    "You know, Mr Remore," she said, "you rather overturned the fruit cart with how you conducted the last assessment."


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you feel your son was treated unfairly,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but since he had previously passed, perhaps it would have been better not to put him forward for reassessment.¡±


    Thalia laughed.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± Thalia said, to Rufus¡¯ surprise. ¡°However, my husband cannot seem to help poking his fingers into things best left alone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame you weren¡¯t here when Thalia¡¯s daughter was tested,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Thalia oversaw her training personally, and I have no doubt she would have passed. Where is Cassandra, this evening?¡±


    ¡°Out in the delta somewhere, on a contract,¡± Thalia said. "I do look forward to introducing you, Mr Remore."


    After some more niceties, Thalia excused herself and the group boarded the Geller family carriage. It was one of the ones drawn by magic rather than animals and was larger than the equivalents from Jason''s own world.


    ¡°I do believe Thalia is trying to set you up with her daughter,¡± Danielle told Rufus.


    ¡°He¡¯s used to it,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°If she¡¯s anything like her brother,¡± Rufus said, ¡°I¡¯d rather she didn¡¯t. I¡¯ve never seen anyone that incompetent undertake a field assessment before. I¡¯m convinced the other members of his group passed because they honed their abilities covering for that idiot. It was to the point that it could be a whole new training methodology. The trick would be finding people so aggressively incapable.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find her daughter to be a very different prospect,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Cassandra is a remarkable woman, and right about your age. Actually, she rather reminds me of Jason.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Oh, at a glance, they seem different,¡± Danielle said. ¡°She¡¯s more of a knife to Jason¡¯s hammer, but they both seem to enjoy provocation as a social tool.¡±


    ¡°On second thoughts,¡± Rufus said, looking warily at Jason, ¡°I might prefer to deal with the brother.¡±


    Sophie and Belinda were summoned to Clarissa Ventress'' home instead of the Fortress; a sprawling manor in Old City''s canal district. The canal district had its own internal city wall. It was a legacy of time before the Island, when the district was home to the city elite. It had been left to those who had wealth but lacked in prestige, preferring to stand tall in Old City than go underfoot on the Island.


    The two women were led through the compound, past various thugs standing guard. Centuries ago, Clarissa¡¯s residence had been the seat of the Mercer family. The grounds were quite expansive, with more than one canal flowing through it.


    Inside the house itself, they were guided by Clarissa¡¯s hulking leonid bodyguard, Darnell. Clarissa was waiting for them in a parlour, sitting at a table with morning tea set out. Hers was the only seat in the room.


    ¡°Ladies,¡± greeted them. ¡°I have good news for you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose it¡¯s that Sophie¡¯s done with the fighting pits,¡± Belinda said sullenly.


    ¡°Actually, it is,¡± Clarissa said.


    Sophie and Belinda both looked up sharply.


    ¡°Really?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clarissa said. ¡°She¡¯s had her last pit fight.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it you want me doing next?¡± Sophie asked, eyes narrowing as she looked at Clarissa.


    ¡°So cynical,¡± Clarissa said.


    ¡°Just say it,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°You two were an excellent team,¡± Clarissa said. ¡°I suspect that even now, the two of you are the only ones who know exactly how many jobs you pulled for Old Man Silva. I just want you back to doing what you do best.¡±


    ¡°The deal was that we help you provoke Silva,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Now you want us to steal from him?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Clarissa said. ¡°I would never put you in that position.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡± Sophie demanded.


    ¡°It is well known that for almost a decade now, the Silva family has enjoyed the services of a pair of excellent thieves. When those same thieves start robbing the social elite, right out in public, the pressure on Silva will be considerable¡±


    "Are you crazy?" Belinda yelled, stepping angrily forward. Clarissa'' bodyguard moved towards her, but Clarissa casually waved him back.


    ¡°This will be the last task I assign you,¡± Clarissa said. ¡°Naturally, stealing from Greenstone¡¯s wealthiest will get adventurers investigating. Once they realise that the Silva family¡¯s most capable thieves are the most likely culprits, the pressure on Silva will be immense.¡±


    ¡°Are you really willing to risk bringing the powers from the Island down on your own head?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hardly a risk,¡± Clarissa said. ¡°What they¡¯ll find is that after conducting a series of expertly-carried out robberies, the thieves who have worked for the Silva family for years are no longer in the city. Because, having met your end of the deal, you will be far from here, as promised. With a goodly amount of money for your troubles.¡±


    Belinda opened her mouth to snap back a response, but was silenced by a gesture from Sophie.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Sophie said. Belinda wrenched her head to look at Sophie as if she¡¯d lost her mind. Sophie gave a slight shake of the head to keep her silent.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Clarissa said. ¡°Now, your first target-¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sophie interrupted.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Clarissa asked.


    "The goal is to draw attention down on Silva," Sophie said, "not to undertake any specific robbery. So, it doesn''t matter what we take, or from who, so long as it''s high profile and it''s public. Belinda and I will choose the targets and the timing."


    ¡°Choosing the targets,¡± Clarissa said, ¡°means I can meet more than one objective at a time.¡±


    ¡°Our deal didn¡¯t include any other objectives you may have,¡± Sophie said. ¡°So you can sort them out yourself. You aren¡¯t staking us out as bait for some other reason, are you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Clarissa said.


    ¡°Then we choose the targets and we choose the timing,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Clarissa conceded. ¡°Just make sure I¡¯m notified beforehand.¡±


    ¡°No, we¡¯ll keep you out of it,¡± Sophie said. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want people moving attention from Silva to you, after all. We plan and execute the robberies alone, and fence the goods through Silva''s people. We have connections enough for that.¡±


    Clarissa¡¯s mouth was smiling, but her eyes were spraying venom.


    ¡°Very well,¡± she said. ¡°But I want jobs done quickly and repeatedly. If not, then you aren¡¯t holding up your end, and there won¡¯t be a place in this city you can hide from me. As for escaping it¡­ if you could leave this city alive, then you wouldn¡¯t have come to me in the first place.¡±


    Sophie gave a curt nod, then strode away. Belinda followed in her wake, Clarissa¡¯s bodyguard trailing them until they were out of the compound. They walked through the darkened streets of Old City at a rapid stride.


    "What was that?" Belinda angrily demanded once she was sure they had cleared Clarissa¡¯s eyes and ears. "That whole thing makes no sense. Everything hinges on people figuring out that we¡¯re the thieves. And stirring up trouble with the Island people? They''ll send adventurers after us. Is she trying to bring all that down on her own head?"


    "You''re right," Sophie said. "It doesn''t make sense if this is still about provoking Silva. Something''s changed, and somehow Island politics are involved. Ventress wouldn''t risk provoking the Island unless she has some kind of backing to shield her."


    ¡°This whole plan is madness,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sophie agreed.


    ¡°Then why go along with it? She has to know how transparent she¡¯s being.¡±


    ¡°You know how Ventress is about her reputation. She wants us to break the deal, even if everyone knows she pushed us into it.¡±


    ¡°Why bother?¡± Belinda asked. ¡° We aren¡¯t any use to her except  as a stick to poke Silva with.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Maybe she¡¯s looking for an excuse to hand us over to him. Whatever she¡¯s into now, we¡¯ve somehow become leverage. But she can¡¯t be seen breaking the deal.¡±


    ¡°Her vaunted reputation,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°If we break the deal, she can openly do whatever she wants with us,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°So you bought us as much time and freedom as you could,¡± Belinda realised.


    ¡°We need to figure out our next move. Ventress is no longer our way out of the city.¡±


    ¡°Dorgan?¡± Belinda suggested. The third member of the Big Three had been quiet since the death of Old Man Silva.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have anything to trade for protection,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Then what?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Try and make our own way out?¡±


    The reason they had gone to Clarissa in the first place was that escaping the city unnoticed by the Big Three was as good as impossible. They had an iron grip of the shipping trade, and there was very little overland travel.


    ¡°We may have to try the overland route,¡± Sophie said.


    Escaping the Greenstone region overland meant one of two routes. The first was to go upriver to the Mistrun Oasis, then keep going through the desert to the central veldt. From there, south, to the more fertile lands and a port where the Big Three had interests enough that they could easily be dragged back to Greenstone. The other way was to make for the Northern territories, which means crossing the dead sands, braving monsters and nomadic bandit tribes.


    ¡°We ruled that out for a reason,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Our experience and expertise ends at the city wall. If we try the wilderness, it¡¯s a pure gamble.¡±


    ¡°A gamble may be all we have,¡± Sophie said. ¡°For now, we do enough to keep Ventress mollified while we figure it out.¡±


    Belinda hung her head.


    ¡°Things just keep getting worse,¡± she said softly.


    ¡°I know.¡±

 Chapter 54: Field Assessment

    The layout of the Adventure Society campus reminded Jason of a university. One of the nice ones, with expanses of lawn, gardens and tiled pathways leading through impressive stone arches. The marshalling yard was like a small town square for larger expeditions to assemble. When Humphrey and Jason arrived together, a dozen people were already waiting. An entitled clich¨¦ walked out of the group to sneer at Humphrey.


    ¡°Here he is,¡± the young man said. ¡°The pride of the Geller family. But that out-of-town prick failed you, just like the rest of us.¡±


    Like everyone other than Jason himself, the person approaching them was somewhere in his mid to late teens. This made the assemblage of would-be adventurers young men and women, but Jason could only think of the sneering idiot as a boy.


    ¡°We all have areas in which we can improve,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°There¡¯s no shame in admitting that.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t your hair be more oily?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What?¡± the man asked, turning from Humphrey to Jason as if surprised to see him there.


    ¡°Your hair,¡± Jason said, pointing. "When the sneering idiot who will inevitably be humiliated comes out to do his sneering, his hair should be properly greased back. Clearly, you''ve overdone it with whatever goo you put in there, but I really feel like you could have slathered in some more."


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the boy asked. He was looking at Jason with the same expression he¡¯d give to furniture that unexpectedly started talking.


    ¡°I¡¯m no one important,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Clearly,¡± The boy said. ¡°Do you have any idea who my father is?¡±


    ¡°Does anyone?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Your mother¡¯s a friendly woman.¡±


    Humphrey winced, while the onlookers all looked shocked, none more so than the boy himself.


    ¡°Are you looking to die?¡± the boy asked.


    ¡°Is your father going to kill me?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as someone who fights his own battles.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Jason,¡± Humphrey interjected. ¡°That¡¯s Thadwick Mercer. His father actually might kill you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Thadwick Mercer?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Feel like apologising, now?¡±


    ¡°I do, actually,¡± Jason said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have said that about your mother. I have neither the knowledge nor the right to criticise how she conducts her personal affairs and I apologise unreservedly. I only met her briefly, but she struck me as a woman of style and intelligence. Now I¡¯ve met you, I can see why people wonder how you turned out this way.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Thadwick asked.


    ¡°It was actually the first thing I heard about you,¡± Jason said. ¡°What was it Rufus said, Humphrey? The most incompetent person he¡¯d ever seen attempt to join the Adventure Society? And Rufus grew up in a school, so he¡¯s seen the bottom-end of a lot of classes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to destroy you, you no-name little prick,¡± Thadwick spat. ¡°I¡¯m going to scrape you off my shoe.¡±


    ¡°Is that a challenge?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Like a duel, or something? How do you want to do it; dance-off, or yo-mama fight? I''d prefer a dance-off because I actually like your mother. Also, I¡¯ve got the moves.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You say that a lot,¡± Jason said, ¡°and you always look kind of confused. You¡¯re not the sharpest tool in the shed, are you?¡±


    Thadwick raised a hand at Jason, electricity crackling over it.


    ¡°THAT¡¯S ENOUGH,¡± a voice bellowed. Everyone turned to see a man wearing an Adventure Society pin approaching the group. Jason had never seen Vincent Trenslow before, although Rufus had described his glorious moustache. As promised, it extended past either side of his head. Behind Vincent was another official that Jason did recognise, as did Humphrey. It was Guy, the official present at their Adventure Society intake.


    ¡°Mercer,¡± Vincent barked, ¡°if I see you try to use an ability on a fellow candidate again, you will fail on the spot. And you, Asano, is it? I suggest you clamp that mouth shut before someone puts a fist through it. Which will be recorded in my report as a self-inflicted injury. Geller, do try and keep your friend in check.¡±


    "Yes, sir," Humphrey said. Thadwick flashed an insolent look but remained silent. Jason was barely listening, transfixed by the man¡¯s moustache.


    Rufus had spent a week working closely with Vincent Trenslow during the last field assessment. After hearing Vincent would be taking Jason¡¯s assessment, Rufus told Jason what he could anticipate.


    ¡°There may be some level of corruption in this branch of the Adventure Society,¡± Rufus had told him, ¡°but Vincent Trenslow is exactly what I expect from a Society official. I know you have your own ways of showing respect, but try and use mine, for once. Humphrey Geller will be there, so follow his lead.¡±


    Jason respected Rufus¡¯ judgement and intended to do his best, while acknowledging his best wasn''t that great. He also recognised that Rufus had very much undersold the magnificence of the man¡¯s moustache.


    Vincent explained the procedure for the Adventure Society field assessment. The group would depart for one week, during which time the candidates would attempt to complete postings from the adventure boards in towns and villages of the delta.


    ¡°For the duration of this assessment," Vincent said, "you may refer to me as Instructor Trenslow and my fellow official as Instructor Spalding. For the second month in a row, we have extended numbers. We are taking a different approach this month and splitting the group in two.¡±


    The other official, Guy, stepped forward.


    ¡°Last month there were problems finding enough postings for everyone on the notice boards,¡± Guy said. ¡°Therefore, the groups will be assessed separately, taking different routes through the delta.¡±


    ¡°There weren¡¯t enough monsters last month?¡± Jason whispered at Humphrey.


    ¡°There were plenty,¡± Humphrey whispered back. ¡°Watch how they split the groups.¡±


    Jason spotted that while he hid it well enough, Vincent had a hint of disdain around the eyes as Guy divided the group.


    ¡°My group,¡± Guy said, ¡°will consist of those who have passed the assessment before, but their records were lost. I¡¯ll be administering a specially-tailored program of reassessment for all of you that takes into account past achievement.¡±


    ¡°And now you see it,¡± Humphrey said softly.


    ¡°Yes I do,¡± Jason agreed.


    There were seventeen candidates, ten of which went off with Guy for their special assessment. The remaining seven followed Vincent.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how the Society came down,¡± Jason said. ¡°The people who weaselled their way off the books weasel their way back on, while the rest of us pass an actual test.¡±


    "Mr Asano," Vincent called out sharply. "If and when you have passed this test and become a member of the Adventure Society, you can comment on how the Society conducts itself as much as you like. For the next week, however, you are a worthless flesh-sack nestled vulnerably in the palm of my hand. It would serve you well to disincline me at every opportunity from wanting to make a fist.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes, sir,¡± Jason said.


    Travel through the delta was mostly along the raised embankment roads. The group travelled in the back of an animal-drawn wagon, which didn¡¯t sit well with everyone. They were from wealthy and privileged families, unused to such rough treatment. A few complained loudly until browbeaten by Vincent, after which they restricted themselves to unhappy muttering. Others followed Humphrey¡¯s lead and took the conditions in stride.


    Walking along a narrow embankment road, Jason glanced at Vincent, then at Humphrey. Both had crystals floating over their heads. The one over Vincent was silver-grey, while Humphrey¡¯s was a glowing blue.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the crystals?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Should I have gotten a crystal from somewhere?¡±


    ¡°My crystal isn¡¯t a magic item,¡± Humphrey said. "It''s an essence ability that restores my mana.  The one Vincent has is a recording crystal. You haven¡¯t seen them before?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°What do they record?¡±


    ¡°An image of whatever is in front of them, plus whatever they can hear,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He¡¯s recording everything for later assessment. After the last time, Mr Remore took me through all the things I did wrong, in excruciating detail. He kept playing them, over and over.¡±


    ¡°Where would I get something like that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The Magic Society makes them,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They sell them at the markets on the Island, and at a few stores in the guild district. You can get them at the trade hall in the Adventure Society, too. Assuming you pass and are allowed in.¡±


    The group was walking through an expanse of leafy, knee-high plants when Vincent quietly called for a stop. The plants were some kind of crop Jason wasn¡¯t familiar with, divided into fields by bamboo fencing. Vincent pulled out another crystal and tossed it into the air in front of him, where it started floating. In front of it, an image shimmered into being and Jason realised this new crystal worked like a telescope. It showed a distant part of the sprawling fields, where a pack of rodent-like monsters were gorging themselves on the crop.


    The monsters were half as tall as a human but looked like oversized mice. They stood on their hind legs, hunching forward. Instead of forelegs, they had long arms that ended in eerily human-like hands. They used them to pluck leaves and stuff them into their mouths.


    ¡°Ratlings,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Thirteen of them. They¡¯ll run rather than fight, and if they reach their burrows, that¡¯ll be it. They won¡¯t surface again until they go berserk, at which point it won¡¯t be crops they¡¯re after.¡±


    Vincent turned to look at Humphrey.


    ¡°Mr Geller, the only reason you failed last time was that you lacked decisiveness. So long as you can show me you''ve learned something in the last month, you''re the easiest pass in this group. Can you get all thirteen?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Humphrey said without hesitation.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Prove it.¡±


    Jason watched as scaly wings appeared out of thin air on Humphrey¡¯s back. He brought them towards the ground, pushing him into the air. The dragon wings sent him surging away at a rapid pace. Humphrey¡¯s familiar, which had been sitting on his shoulder in the form of a bird, flew after him.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Jason said.


    Jason and Humphrey had trained together several times over the last month. They had focused on martial technique, so each was yet to see all the other¡¯s essence abilities. Humphrey¡¯s martial art was called the Surging Storm style, an explosive and unrelenting combat art that was completely at odds with Humphrey¡¯s personality. Thus far, Jason¡¯s skill-book derived technique hadn''t come close to matching it.


    The group watched Humphrey climb higher into the air as he grew smaller with distance. Suddenly he plunged out of the sky and all eyes snapped to the magnified image in front of Vincent. They saw Humphrey crash into the monsters like a meteor, a huge sword in the shape of a dragon¡¯s wing appearing in his hands. He came down like a meteor, his boots landing on one monster and his sword on another. They died in a single, gruesome instant.


    The other ratlings let out panicked screeches while Humphrey swung the huge sword in a low, horizontal arc. It ploughed through the monsters as if they weren¡¯t there, severing three clean in half with a single swing.


    The ratlings scattered, but instead of chasing, Humphrey dropped his sword, which vanished into the air. He took a deep breath, then a stream of fire sprayed out of his mouth like a human flamethrower. He walked the burning line over the fleeing ratlings, torching crops and monsters alike. Three ratlings escaped the flames, having run at different angles to the main cluster. One was being harried by Humphrey¡¯s familiar, which had turned into some kind of predatory cat, around the same size as the ratling. The other two were sprinting away in different directions.


    Humphrey¡¯s wings had vanished after he landed, but they reappeared briefly to fling him forward through the air. They only appeared for a moment, in which they hurled him faster than he had been flying earlier. Another sword appeared in his hand, this one smaller, with a blade made up of metal feathers. He brought it down on a fleeing ratling as he landed, cutting it down with one strike. He vanished from the spot he was standing, reappearing in the path of the final ratling. His sword was held out in front of him and the startled ratling ran straight onto it. Humphrey yanked the blade up, spraying blood as the monster fell dead.


    ¡°He got teleport,¡± one of the candidates next to Jason said as they watched Humphrey through the magnified image. ¡°I bet they paid a lot for that awakening stone.¡±


    Humphrey glanced over to his familiar, who was sitting proudly next to a ratling, dead at his feet. As soon as it saw Humphrey notice it, it transformed into a dog and bounded over for Humphrey to scratch behind its ear. Humphrey walked back to the group through the field, his body drenched in monster blood. The others gave him a wide berth, except for Jason.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Jason asked. He knew Humphrey had killed monsters as part of his training, but also knew Humphrey was a kind man. Violence didn¡¯t come naturally to him.


    Humphrey nodded. His normally friendly smile was macabre on his bloody face.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I like about you, Jason,¡± he said. ¡°You don¡¯t pretend that what we do doesn¡¯t affect us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think being numb to it all makes you strong,¡± Jason said. ¡°Strong is accepting the choices you make and owning up to the consequences.¡±


    Like Jason, Humphrey had a dimensional storage space, from which he took a bottle of clear liquid and tipped it over his head. The crystal wash flowed over him, eliminating every trace of blood and filth.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to be strong like that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You know, Jason, sometimes it¡¯s like you¡¯re from another world.¡±


    Jason had long ago realised that Danielle had figured him out, not realising she hadn''t shared it with Humphrey. He decided to tell his friend all about it when they had the time. For now, they were surrounded by other people. Vincent looked Humphrey over, now clean, the crystal wash rapidly evaporating.


    ¡°You got them all,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Burned a good portion of a farmer¡¯s crop, though.¡±


    ¡°I thought the farmer would rather lose some harvest now than family later,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I made a choice.¡±


    ¡°Yes you did,¡± Vincent said, putting a hand on Humphrey¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Good job.¡±

 Chapter 55: Rune Tortoise

    The routine for the field assessment was to stop in a town or village each night. In the morning they would collect monster notices from the adventuring board and set out to deal with them. Vincent took an approach where the would-be adventurers who met his standards were no longer called on for the monster hunts. Starting with Humphrey, the first three days saw four of the seven candidates move from participants to onlookers.


    On the third morning, they were delayed in one of the towns Jason had passed through on his original journey to Greenstone. Vincent wasn''t willing to turn away the quickly-growing crowd of earnest sick people, so the town constable once again turned his office into a makeshift clinic.


    Stopping to help the locals delayed the group''s monster-hunting activities until the end of the morning. As Jason healed the sick, the grateful locals pulled out tables and benches, laying out a cornucopia of food for his companions. Some of the aristocratic candidates turned up their noses at a rustic feast until they started to smell the food. Once Humphrey started filling his plate with enthusiasm, the others followed his lead.


    Liana Stelline was one of the adventurer candidates who was acquainted with Humphrey. Their families moved in similar circles, and they had both failed the previous assessment together. Like Humphrey, her family wanted her to pass on merit, rather than privilege. Sitting next to him on a bench, she asked Humphrey about Jason.


    ¡°How did you end up friends with him?¡± she asked. ¡°Don¡¯t you find him insufferably smug?¡±


    ¡°He can be¡­ challenging,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He¡¯s a long way from home and I think he likes to put people off-balance because it¡¯s how he feels all the time. He can be difficult, and oblivious, but I think there¡¯s a kindness and generosity under it all. Look at what he¡¯s doing right now.¡±


    ¡°Tell Thadwick Mercer about kindness and generosity,¡± Liana said.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He can be mean and self-impressed when he¡¯s trying to prove how clever he is, which maybe isn¡¯t quite as clever as he thinks. He certainly won¡¯t get along with everyone. But look around us.¡±


    He gestured around at the villagers and all feast laid out for them.


    ¡°How many adventurers get this kind of reception?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He gets along with common people because he¡¯s common,¡± she said. ¡°That, and he¡¯s giving out free healing. My sister has healing powers; she could do the exact same thing.¡±


    ¡°But does she?¡± Humphrey asked.


    In the constable¡¯s cottage, the last person shuffled out.


    ¡°That¡¯s everyone?¡± Vincent asked.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Jason said.


    The constable nodded.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, ¡°it would make my life easier if you¡¯d warn me you¡¯re coming through instead of just turning up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s on the boss man,¡± Jason said, jabbing a thumb in Vincent¡¯s direction. ¡°He sets the destination. Did I hear something about lunch being put on?¡±


    That night they were stopped in another little town where they had taken up all four of the inn¡¯s twin rooms. Humphrey and Jason were sitting on their beds because there wasn¡¯t space anywhere else in the cramped twin share. Jason was going over the clothing in his hands, examining the ragged claw marks in the light of a magic lamp.


    ¡°This cloth armour doesn¡¯t hold up so well,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Well, it is cloth,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If you want real protection out of it you need to spend more on the magic. Or you could try something heavier.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t like the leather I was finding,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was either too stiff and restrictive, or too expensive for what it did. I have a good amount of money, but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m alright with being ripped off.¡±


    ¡°All the best armour is bought and sold at the Adventure Society trade hall,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Once we pass the test you can buy something there. How well does that cloak power of yours protect you?¡±


    ¡°I did some testing with Gary,¡± Jason said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t hold up to bronze-level attacks at all, which was no surprise. It¡¯s really good against cutting attacks, so that¡¯s a lot of swords, knives and claws.¡±


    He looked down at the claw marks in his magically-treated cloth.


    ¡°So long as they actually hit the cloak, anyway. Stabbing attacks punch through a bit better, like those spines that monster shot at me yesterday.¡±


    ¡°And blunt attacks?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°The cloak doesn¡¯t cushion them at all,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°A lot of monsters are just big, tough, and try to batter you to death.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the unrestricted movement comes in,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Maybe you can show that off tomorrow,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I went with Instructor Trenslow to take the notices from the board, and we¡¯re going after a bark lurker.¡±


    ¡°Bark lurker?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s some kind of troll,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look it up.¡±


    Jason pulled a tablet of white and blue marble from his inventory. At Farrah¡¯s suggestion, Jason had purchased the active monster registry from the Magic Society. It contained all the information the Magic Society had about monsters and was updated along with the Magic Society''s own archives. There was an index on the tablet, seemingly engraved in gold script, but the engravings shifted as Jason touched his finger to the inscribed letters.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jason said as he read from the tablet. ¡°It is a form of troll. Less intelligent than most troll varieties, but has the usual troll resilience and rapid healing. Vaguely human-shaped, but stands twice as tall. Usually dwells in swampland. Has a hard, bark-like shell, but due to its thickness, the shell-plates leave exposed areas around the joints. Usually slow and uncoordinated, but can demonstrate bursts of rapid movement. It can breathe water and likes to hide near the water¡¯s edge, mimicking a submerged log.¡±


    ¡°What about numbers?¡±


    ¡°Almost always manifests alone,¡± Jason read, ¡°except during a monster surge.¡±


    ¡°There you are,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Big and slow, only one to deal with. Sounds perfect for an affliction specialist.¡±


    ¡°If I see it coming,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll need to bait it out, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Maybe after this, Trenslow will finally pass you,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand why he hasn¡¯t already.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not satisfied with my performance,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s easy enough to figure out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done just as well as any of the others who passed,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Except for you,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re head and shoulders above the rest of us, yet Trenslow kept pushing before he passed you. He was holding you to a higher standard.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s what¡¯s happening?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Rufus came out of last month¡¯s assessment with a pretty high opinion of the instructor,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now that Rufus will be around longer than he thought, he doesn¡¯t feel the need to rush me along so much. It wouldn¡¯t surprise me if it turned out Rufus had a little talk with Trenslow, to make sure he fails me if I¡¯m not up to the standard Rufus wants.¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯s going to fail you?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve seen Rufus¡¯ standards.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t give up yet,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Go all out, give it everything. You might impress him so much that he has to pass you.¡±


    The group of adventurer candidates were assembled on a huge, grassy field while one of their members fought a monster. There was enough neatly-cut grass for a good-sized sports arena, and it was just as flat. There were a few buildings around the edges, some of which looked to be good-sized barns. With the scarcity of lumber-worthy wood, they were primarily constructed out of mud-brick.


    ¡°What is all this for?¡± Jason wondered.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Every part of the delta that isn¡¯t underwater is being put to efficient use,¡± Jason said. ¡°Except for the parts some rich people walled-off for themselves, anyway.¡±


    Humphrey gave him a side-glance but said nothing.


    ¡°This is good grass,¡± Jason said, crouching down and rubbing some blades beneath his fingers. ¡°Real good grass, like a St. Augustine. Someone¡¯s been taking care of it, too. Is this a turf farm?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a turf farm?¡± Liana asked.


    ¡°The Island is an artificial island made of stone,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°When people want to landscape their grounds, they have much of the actual work done here in the delta, then transported over as slabs of earth. All that grass in the park district was grown in places like this.¡±


    ¡°I take it everyone cleared out when the monster showed up,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°They did,¡± Vincent said. ¡°It isn¡¯t the first time they¡¯ve had monsters wander along. You seem strangely knowledgeable about grass.¡±


    ¡°My Dad¡¯s a landscape architect,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Is that what it sounds like?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Jason said. ¡°He designs big fancy gardens.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s a gardener,¡± Liana said.


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Jason said. ¡°A well-trained, highly-paid gardener, but yeah.¡±


    Vincent made an unhappy noise at the fight going on in the distance. It wasn¡¯t going well.


    Most monsters at iron rank did not boast exotic abilities. Some might shoot quills or rapidly heal, but they were largely reliant on their physical attributes. One of the rare exceptions was the rune tortoise, a creature with blue skin and a turquoise shell that was only around a metre long. The danger came from its shell, where every segment had a glowing rune, each of which could produce a different magical effect. The key challenge in facing a rune tortoise was that each one had a unique set of runes. The wide variety of potential abilities made it an unpredictable enemy.


    As he had done with each of the more difficult creatures, Vincent took the time to explain the creature and the best way to fight it. In the case of the rune tortoise, its weakness was that after using an ability, it took time for that ability to become available again. The key to defeating it was baiting out the abilities, after which it was no more dangerous than a regular tortoise.


    Looking out at the fight in progress, Jason saw several of its runes had dimmed after use. The tortoise had not spent them cheaply, however, as could be seen from the would-be adventurer trying to hunt it. His hair was blackened where it wasn¡¯t burned-off entirely, his skin smeared and cracked. His armour had been shattered, his clothing reduced to rags.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Mobley,¡± Vincent called out. ¡°If you go back in, it will probably kill you.¡±


    ¡°I can take it!¡± the bedraggled candidate yelled back.


    Jason observed that the tortoise was possibly withdrawing from the fight. At the pace it moved, it was quite hard to tell.


    ¡°You probably can,¡± Vincent called out to Mobley, ¡°but being an adventurer is about dealing with monsters, not probably dealing with them.¡±


    ¡°I have silver spirit coins,¡± Mobley shouted. ¡°I¡¯ll make short work of it.¡±


    Vincent shook his head.


    ¡°Putting aside that we are assessing you, not your wallet,¡± Vincent said, ¡°look at the state of you. Do you really want to use something that will render healing potions worthless?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only the one monster,¡± Mobley said.


    ¡°This time it¡¯s only one,¡± Vincent said. ¡°The next time it might not be. Come back over here.¡±


    Mobley glared at Vincent.


    ¡°You¡¯ll fail me if I don¡¯t kill it, won¡¯t you?¡± Mobley yelled miserably.


    ¡°Even if you kill it,¡± Vincent called back, ¡°I¡¯ll fail you on the spot for taking the risk. Otherwise, you have the rest of the assessment to prove yourself.¡±


    ¡°Risk is what adventurers do,¡± Mobley yelled, pleadingly.


    Of the three candidates yet to pass, one was trudging a bedraggled path back to the group. The others were Jason and a young woman staring uneasily at Mobley¡¯s charred state.


    ¡°Either of you care to volunteer?" Vincent asked. "Or do I send Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to go, unless you want it,¡± Jason said to the young woman. ¡°It¡¯s already gone through most of its abilities.¡±


    She looked at the state Mobley was in and shook her head.


    ¡°No, you go ahead,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Think you can handle it, Asano?¡± Vincent asked.


    Jason set off toward the tortoise at a casual stroll, which still outpaced the tortoise at full flight.


    ¡°I¡¯ll muddle through,¡± he said.

 Chapter 56: Gary’s Gift

    Jason and Mobley passed each other as Jason walked in the direction of the rune tortoise.


    ¡°Sorry mate,¡± Jason commiserated. The burned and blackened would-be adventurer just shot him a contemptuous look and kept walking. Jason wasn¡¯t sure if it was the immediate circumstances that drew the man¡¯s ire, or just general dislike. Jason had become an outsider to the group, for a couple of reasons.


    The first was Jason¡¯s unusual mannerisms and general disregard for status and etiquette. The same traits that helped him get along with the people in every town and village they passed through didn¡¯t endear him to wealthy scions that made up his fellow candidates. For them, status was everything, and only someone like Humphrey, born at the very top of the pile, could disregard it.


    The other reason they disliked him was his friendship with Humphrey. The Geller family stood at the peak of Greenstone society, and their local power was just a fragment of their world-spanning influence. On top of that, Danielle Geller was the strongest adventurer to come out of Greenstone in generations. Building a friendship with her son was a ticket to the top not just for an adventurer, but their entire family.


    For some of the candidates, making a connection with Humphrey was more important than passing the field assessment. Having their chances monopolised by Jason left them increasingly rankled. Jason didn¡¯t much like those who shunned him for this reason, finding moments to tell him that he should know his place. He much preferred someone like Liana Stelline, who disliked him for himself rather than having an agenda.


    Jason moved forward until he was just outside what he estimated to be the maximum range for the rune tortoise¡¯s powers, based on its battle with Mobley. He had a new wristband, which had a small razor that could be easily pushed in and out of a sheath. The tiny blade was in no way an effective weapon, but the sharp edge was perfect for quickly and easily drawing a shallow line of blood on the back of his hand.


    Holding the cut away from him, leeches started spraying out of the wound like he¡¯d knocked the side off a fire hydrant.


    ¡°Now I know what an emptying balloon feels like,¡± he muttered. ¡°Alright, Colin; fetch.¡±


    What came next was a slow-motion pursuit as Jason¡¯s sedately ambulating pile of leeches undulated in the direction the tortoise¡¯s soporific escape.


    ¡°I know there isn¡¯t a strict time constraint,¡± Vincent called out, ¡°but we do have other monsters to get to.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jason called back. ¡°Colin is just my stalking horse.¡±


    The rest of the group looked on with varying reactions.


    ¡°Are those leeches?¡±


    ¡°Did he say Colin?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a horse?¡±


    Jason trailed well behind his familiar. His concern was that the tortoise had failed to notice it, so he pulled out a throwing knife. The skill book had given him proficiency with an array of weaponry, but Rufus had concentrated training on only a few. As Jason¡¯s primary weapon was his poison dagger, Rufus had focused on various knife techniques, even throwing.


    ¡°They won¡¯t deal any real damage,¡± Rufus had explained as he introduced Jason to throwing knives, ¡°but they can offer some utility, or distract an enemy in a critical moment. Putting some poison on them wouldn¡¯t be a terrible idea, either.¡±


    Jason tossed the knife, but it was a long throw as Jason maintained distance, landing an embarrassing few metres to the left of the tortoise. He turned around to face the group.


    ¡°New knives,¡± he yelled at them. ¡°I¡¯m still getting used to them.¡±


    As second attempt also missed, but the third bounced off the tortoise¡¯s shell with a barely audible thud, rather than the satisfying clank Jason had been expecting.


    ¡°I think movie sound effects have given me unrealistic expectations for how cool the world sounds.¡±


    There was a sharp crack as an arc of electricity erupted out of the shell in reaction. It didn¡¯t reach Jason, instead blasting into his familiar, sending scorched leeches scattering about. On the tortoise¡¯s shell, one of the runes dimmed away.


    ¡°Actually, that sounded amazing,¡± Jason said, looking at the burned and blackened remains of leeches. The pile was about a third smaller.


    ¡°You alright, buddy?¡± Jason called out. ¡°Wobble to the left if you¡¯re alright.¡±


    The pile moved slightly left as it continued the pursuit. The tortoise slowly turned to face its new opponents. Jason observed there were only three runes still glowing on the tortoise, after which it would be no more powerful than an ordinary tortoise of its size.


    Another rune faded as a huge globule of water shot into the air, then burst into mist. From the mist, bullets of water started shooting down into the leech pile, but the water didn¡¯t seem to have a huge effect of the leeches.


    In the wake of the water bullets¡¯ failure, the penultimate rune faded and the humid, delta air was suddenly stirred into motion. Directly over the pile of leeches, a small, but powerful dust devil formed, sucking up the leeches and scattering them to the wind. One even slapped into Jason¡¯s face, which he peeled off with a frown. As the wind faded, Jason looked around at the leeches cast as far as dozens of metres away.


    ¡°You did good, little guy,¡± Jason said, moving the leech to the back of his hand where it disappeared into the cut. ¡°You just gather yourself back together while I deal with the mean tortoise.¡±


    Jason looked over at the tortoise, which only had one remaining rune lit up. Confident he could handle one ability, he started closing in on the sluggish monster. The tortoise, for its part, made a very optimistic dash for freedom as Jason strolled in its direction. When Jason reached it, it ducked its head and limbs into its shell. The last rune dimmed as the tortoise¡¯s body took on a metallic sheen.


    Jason crouched down to peer into the openings where the tortoise had disappeared into its shell. Some kind of plate had moved into place at each of them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen this ability,¡± Vincent said, startling Jason. He was sure he¡¯d seen Vincent back with the others just moments earlier, and hadn¡¯t felt the approach of his aura.


    ¡°This is probably the strongest ability a rune tortoise has,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°How so?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It massively increases its defence,¡± Vincent said. ¡°It¡¯ll take a bronze-rank attack to break in, and a strong one at that. Even worse for you, it makes it immune to afflictions.¡±


    ¡°How long can it keep it up?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Certainly long enough for its powers to come back. ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it now.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re the one who asked for a volunteer, so let me sort it out.¡±


    ¡°You think you can get around this ability?¡± Vincent asked.


    ¡°Easily,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of ways. It still needs to breathe, right? I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s aquatic, or burrowing, but we could bury it, or drown it. We could throw it off a great big cliff; I bet that¡¯d crack it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a lot of cliffs in the delta,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying there¡¯s options,¡± Jason said. ¡°The one I¡¯m going to go for is testing out a gift a friend gave me.¡±


    Jason drew a sword from his inventory. It was simple but elegant in design, not overly long, with a straight, double-edged blade. The hilt was red gold, the grip a dark, soft fabric. A short, simple tassel, of the same black fabric, dangled from the red gold pommel.


    Other than knives, straight swords were the weapons Rufus had drilled Jason on the most, knowing Gary was already working on such a weapon for Jason. Taking it out, Jason smiled as he thought of the day Gary had presented it.


    ¡°We all wanted to give you something,¡± Gary had told him when handing over the sword. ¡°Farrah gave you that awakening stone, and Rufus the skill book. I made you this and it turned out pretty well, I thought. It¡¯s not a big deal, or anything.¡±


    Despite Gary¡¯s words, Jason could feel the care and effort that had gone into it. Magic items had auras of their own, and the aura of the sword was stronger than any other iron-rank items Jason had encountered.


    Item: [Dread Salvation] (iron rank [growth], legendary)


    A sword crafted with gratitude, in hope it would be of the greatest use in the moment of greatest need. It was forged with passion and expertise to be a reliable companion, bestowing upon it an incredible potential (weapon, sword).


    Effect: If a special attack that applies an affliction is made with this sword, but the subject of the attack has a physical immunity to it, an instance of [Stone Cutter] is applied to the blade.Effect: If a special attack that applies an affliction is made with this sword, but the subject of the attack has a magical immunity to it, an instance of [Spell Breaker] is applied to the blade.[Stone Cutter] (magic, stacking): All attacks deal additional resonating-force damage; highly effective against physical defences. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Spell Breaker] (magic, stacking): All attacks deal additional disruptive-force damage; highly effective against magical defences and incorporeal entities. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Growth Conditions (bronze):


    1 kilogram of blood gold4 kilograms of low grade (bronze rank) star-fall silver100 bronze-rank iron quintessence gems.100 bronze-rank magic quintessence gems.1000 bronze rank spirit coins.Ritual of bronze ascension.


    Jason didn¡¯t read past the description before grasping Gary¡¯s huge, hairy body in a hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really a hugger,¡± Gary had said as he awkwardly returned the embrace.


    ¡°Well you should be,¡± Jason told him. ¡°You¡¯re really good at it.¡±


    Jason looked down at the bunkered tortoise, then back at his sword. He turned it over in his hand, watching the sun strike the clean edge.


    ¡°He¡¯s been secretly working on it for weeks,¡± Rufus had told Jason later. ¡°We don¡¯t really talk about it, but none of us thought we were getting out of that sacrifice chamber alive. We owe you a favour we can¡¯t ever repay.¡±


    Jason slapped him on the arm.


    ¡°Friends don¡¯t count favours, Rufus. They just show up when they¡¯re needed.¡±


    Jason looked down at the tortoise, hunkered in its shell.


    ¡°Is something wrong, Mr. Asano?¡± Vincent asked.


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    Rather than bring the sword down on the shell, he casually stabbed the monster¡¯s side.


    Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Rune Tortoise].[Rune Tortoise] is immune to afflictions.[Sin] does not take effect.Affliction immunity has triggered an effect on weapon [Dread Salvation].Weapon [Dread Salvation] has gained an instance of [Stone Cutter].


    ¡°You may need a little more gusto to penetrate the protection,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jason said, ¡°the key is persistence.¡±


    Jason stabbed out again and again. With each strike the sword became more powerful, until the first gouge appeared in monster¡¯s side. A section of flesh chipped off like stone under the monster¡¯s protection ability.


    ¡°I¡¯m an affliction specialist,¡± Jason told Vincent as he continued to chip away. ¡°We don¡¯t do speed. We do inevitability.¡±

 Chapter 57: Rainbow Smoke

    Jason looked at the dead rune tortoise.


    ¡°Sorry, mate,¡± he told it. ¡°Can¡¯t have you going berserk and wandering into town shooting lightning bolts at people.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re apologising to a dead monster?¡± Vincent asked.


    ¡°It might just be a congealed blob of magic, but it was still alive, and died trapped in its own shell. It might have only had an animal¡¯s intelligence, but it could feel helpless and afraid. It¡¯s a rough way to go.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an affliction specialist,¡± Vincent said. ¡°It¡¯s always a rough way to go with you.¡±


    ¡°You know Humphrey breathes fire, right?¡± Jason said. ¡°Burning to death can¡¯t be great, either.¡±


    Jason tapped a finger on the dead creature¡¯s shell.


    Would you like to loot [Rune Tortoise]?


    Jason walked away before mentally accepting the loot.


    [Monster Core (Iron)] has been added to your inventory.5 [Lightning Quintessence] has been added to your inventory.5 [Wind Quintessence] have been added to your inventory.5 [Water Quintessence] have been added to your inventory.5 [Fire Quintessence] have been added to your inventory.[Intact Rune Tortoise Shell] has been added to your inventory.[Shell-Skin Potion] has been added to your inventory.10 [Iron Rank Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Behind him the rune tortoise started dissolving into rainbow smoke, rising up into the air. The colourful display was as beautiful as the stench of it was horrifying, which was why Jason had learned not to loot monsters until he was some distance upwind.


    Having a power to harvest monsters, Jason discovered, was a rare and useful one. For most people, they had to use a specialised branch of ritual magic. It was something many learned, however, due to the lucrative rewards. Getting lucky and looting an awakening stone or an essence, even valuable materials paid out better than the contract to kill the monster in the first place.


    ¡°One of the candidates from last month had a looting power,¡± Vincent said as he glanced back at the rising smoke.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason said. ¡°Is he in the other group this month?¡±


    ¡°Actually, he passed,¡± Vincent said. ¡°One of the Mercer boy¡¯s lackeys, unfortunately. Damn waste of talent.¡±


    They reached the rest of the group, where Mobley had only partially healed up through potions. This group of candidates included a few with self-healing, like Jason, but no one who could help others in the group.


    ¡°You ready for the next one?¡± Vincent asked, as he and Jason walked back to the group.


    ¡°I am,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Vincent said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a few more to get through, today.¡±


    The mangrove swamp was wet and hot, the air full of tiny bugs. The mangroves were large and dense, shrouding the areas within in darkness. Passage through the swamp was either by shallow boat, or along Bridge Road; an extended chain of low, flat bridges, spanning the distance between sporadic patches of solid ground. Most of the construction in the delta was either mudbrick or yellow desert stone, but Bridge Road was built from the region¡¯s signature green stone. It reminded Jason of the impossible bridge that carried the Mistrun River over the massive gorge on its way down to the delta. He wondered if it had the same, mysterious constructor.


    They were crossing Bridge Road in their wagon, which Vincent drew to a stop at a seemingly random point in the middle of the swamp. He turned back to address the adventurer candidates in the back.


    ¡°Undeveloped areas like this can be some of the most dangerous in the delta,¡± Vincent explained. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of territory for monsters to go unnoticed until they hit the berserk stage. You won¡¯t need to deal with that today, though. We have two sets of monsters in this area; one single monster and one pack.¡±


    Vincent dropped down off the wagon and the group clambered out the back. After half a week, even the more spoiled members of the group had stopped complaining about the basic transport. Vincent gathered the group together on the side of the bridge.


    ¡°When you get a monster notice, ¡°Vincent said, ¡°whether from a notice board or the Adventure Society directly, it has three pieces of information, so long as that information is known. The name of the monster, or a description. The number of monsters, and the approximate location.¡±


    He panned a stern eye across the group.


    ¡°What I am about to tell is you is the most important thing you will learn during this assessment. It is the single greatest contributing factor to adventurer death, bar none. It¡¯s a simple thing, but if you disregard it, there¡¯s a very good chance you will die. If you routinely disregard it, your death is inevitable.¡±


    Vincent held the notice in his hand.


    ¡°This information is not reliable. It usually comes from local residents, with limited understanding of monsters and who run the moment they see them. They may well recognise monsters common to their area, but monsters are misidentified on a regular basis. Descriptions are wrong. Numbers are vastly inflated or grossly underestimated. People even get the place they saw them wrong.¡±


    He waved the notice in their faces.


    ¡°Do not trust these notices. Prepare as best you can, not the best you can be bothered, and always be ready for everything to go horribly wrong. Most importantly, do not hesitate to run for the hills if something seems wrong. If you have any ideas about the dignity of an adventurer, or a noble, or whatever, then throw those ideas away or they will kill you. Your first duty as an adventurer is to come back alive. You can always come back with more people to kill the monster later.¡±


    Vincent took a cleansing breath.


    ¡°It is the responsibility of an adventurer to understand what they are walking into, as best they can. In this case, our monster is a bark lurker. I know Geller warned you about it, Asano. Are you prepared?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Then you¡¯re ready to go?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°According to the notice,¡± Vincent said, ¡°there should only be one, somewhere in the vicinity of bridge marker sixteen.¡±


    He pointed to a stone marker on the side the bridge, on which the number 16 was inscribed.


    ¡°As that is all the notice says, that is all the information you¡¯re getting. As I have just explained, however, that information is not reliable. Out in unclaimed territory, where the report was made by someone who fled off at first glance, there is every chance it is wrong. That said, most notices are fairly accurate. Which is why you have to avoid becoming complacent.¡±


    Vincent held something out for Jason to take. It was a crystal, like the one floating over Vincent¡¯s head.


    ¡°A recording crystal?¡±


    Vincent shook his head.


    ¡°A far-sight crystal,¡± he said. ¡°As long as it¡¯s active, we can see through it from here. It has a maximum range, but the monster should be well within it.¡±


    ¡°How does it work?¡±


    ¡°Just toss it in the air.¡±


    Jason did as instructed and the crystal moved over Jason¡¯s head. In front of Vincent an image appeared, showing the perspective from Jason¡¯s crystal. The image looked a lot like the interface screens that appeared for Jason¡¯s ability. Vincent adjusted the image with a flick of his hand, panning back for a wider view.


    ¡°Off I go, then,¡± Jason said, walking to the edge of the bridge. His cloak of shadows and stars appeared around him as he stepped off, drifting gently down to the water. He started walking over the surface of the water, his footfalls landing with a ripple.


    Standing on the water, he concentrated on the auras around him. The strongest were on the bridge, Vincent¡¯s bronze rank aura, the iron rank auras of the others. He moved his focus to the weaker auras around him. The swamp was teeming with life, inundating Jason with normal-rank auras. Animals were sensitive to auras and avoided him, even the ones that would normally view a human as potential prey.


    Jason moved further from the bridge, still concentrating on the auras. He was looking for an aura dead zone, knowing the ordinary animals would give the unnatural monster a wide berth. He was out of sight of the bridge when he found what he was looking for. The normal auras, were avoiding something, much as they avoided Jason himself. He wasn¡¯t close enough to pinpoint the source, as his aura sense was still limited.


    Jason walked over to the mangroves at the edge of the water. He picked a spot where the trees weren¡¯t too tightly packed, but still provided enough cover to make solid shadows. From his inventory he took out a slab of meat, something looted from a monster several days ago. He wedged it in between the mangrove roots, just under the surface.


    The night before, Jason and Humphrey had pored over the monster archive entry for bark lurkers, looking for the best approach. What they had come up with was baiting the creature out with meat. Its ability to sense auras was weak, a trait common to humanoid monsters. Its sense of smell, on the other hand, was excellent, especially in water. Using monster meat made it less likely to attract normal creatures.


    Jason waited, well away from the bait. He stood stock still in the shadows of another set of mangroves, his aura retracted as best he could. He sensed the monster beneath the dark water before he spotted the ripples on the water as something large moved within it. He could see the monster barely broach the surface of the water; if it wasn¡¯t moving he would have mistaken it for a log. It moved slowly at first, before splashing wildly as it  lunged onto the submerged bait.


    It rose up out of the water, lifting the meat up in triumph as it let out a wild roar. It looked like a giant wearing armour made of swamp logs, water pouring off the pocked and craggy shell. Jason vanished into the shadows, emerging from those right next to the creature. His snake-tooth dagger easily found the gap between the thick sections of shell, cutting deeply into the flesh beneath. The creature¡¯s roar of triumph became one of startlement and pain.


    Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on [Bark Lurker].Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Bark Lurker].Aura [Hegemony] reduces the resistances of enemies for each instance of [Sin].


    Jason danced away across the water, his boots moving lightly over the surface. The monster wheeled on him, wading sluggishly in pursuit. It was twice Jason¡¯s height, but it was waist deep in water, leaving them face to face. The slow creature was impeded all the more by having to wade through the swamp. Jason knew it would move faster if it swam underneath, but it was too enraged and too stupid to think tactically. He led it toward another patch of mangrove trees.


    Jason¡¯s back came up against the trees and the monster thought it had him. It lurched forward with a sudden burst of speed as Jason stepped back into the shadows of the mangrove trees. The monster crashed into the space he had just vanished from, becoming entangled in the trees. Jason emerged from the shadows just to the monster¡¯s side, again finding a gap in its bulky shell.


    Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on [Bark Lurker].Special attack [Leech Bite] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Bark Lurker].


    The trees were little impedient to the monster¡¯s strength, whole root systems wrenched from the water as it thrashed about. It failed to find its attacker as Jason was already gone, emerging from the shadows of another patch of mangroves. The monster cast its gaze about, spotting Jason and resuming pursuit. As it did, Jason calmly watched its approach as he chanted a spell.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    Spell [Inexorable Doom] has inflicted [Inexorable Doom] on [Bark Lurker].


    With the spell taking hold, Jason¡¯s victory became inevitable. The poison from the dagger would necrotise the creature¡¯s flesh, while the sin curse would make the necrosis even worse. The spell would cause both curse and poison to accumulate over time. The combination resulted in exponentially escalating damage that would inexorably overwhelm the monster. It did have a rapid healing ability, but the bleeding effect Jason inflicted would absorb at least some of that. He could have unleashed his familiar, but wanted to see what his abilities could do against a tough enemy.


    Jason led the creature along the edge of the mangroves, back in the direction of the road bridge. The creature continued its furious pursuit, slow wading interspersed with rushing bursts. Jason strolled casually over the surface of the swamp, shadow-hopping through the shady mangroves as necessary to stay ahead. The road bridge was in sight when the monster was finally overwhelmed and fell dead. Jason went back to loot as it sank into the water.


    The candidates gathered on the bridge watched Jason, cloak of stars swirling around him on a breeze no one else could feel. He walked lightly over the water as a patch of swamp roiled behind him, disgorging rainbow smoke into the air.

 Chapter 58: A Man of Malevolent Intellect

    With the bark lurker dealt with, the group completed the crossing of Bridge Road and mangroves gave way to marshland. Once again they were riding atop the embankment roads that were the main thoroughfares of the delta. Sitting in the back of the wagon, Jason looked out at the sun getting low over the wetlands, golden light shimmering on the water. The hour was fairly late, the summer causing the sun to linger in the sky.


    Jason took out a red marble tablet from his inventory, the image of a bird etched into it in gold.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Something I have to decide whether to keep or throw away,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Probably best I don¡¯t say,¡± Jason told him. ¡°You know, Humphrey, my experiences in your little stretch of reality have been pretty extreme. I¡¯ve had some rough moments.¡±


    He looked out again at the sun setting over the wetlands.


    ¡°Some good ones, too. Whatever complaints I may have had, things being bland isn¡¯t one of them.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Asano,¡± Mobley said. ¡°No one wants to hear your winsome prattling. You¡¯re not profound.¡±


    Humphrey was about to say something, but Jason waved him down with a gesture. Jason looked at Mobley but didn''t say anything either, shaking his head as he returned the tablet to his inventory.


    Vincent pulled the wagon to a halt at a junction where two embankment roads crossed one another.


    ¡°There¡¯s a good size town beyond the marsh,¡± he told them, turning to look at the group sitting together in the wagon. ¡°There¡¯s a dedicated accommodation for adventurers on the road, so you can expect the nicest night you¡¯ll have during this trip. Before that, though, there¡¯s one last notice for the day.¡±


    He panned his eyes slowly over the group. Humphrey and the three others who had already passed, Jason and the young woman who could still go either way. His gaze stopped at Mobley, the one member who had ostensibly failed.


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie,¡± Vincent said. ¡°This is a rough one. I¡¯m willing to let any or all of you participate; you can sort that out amongst you. Mobley, you make a good showing, here, and I¡¯m willing to reconsider your position.¡±


    Mobley had been sullenly slumped in the wagon since his encounter with the rune tortoise that morning. Potions and ointments had healed him up, but his hair was still largely burned away. Jason had offered Mobley some hair-growth ointment Jory had given him, but he wanted nothing to do with Jason. On hearing Vincent¡¯s offer, however, his head jerked up, hope lighting up his eyes.


    ¡°What¡¯s the monster?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Trap weavers,¡± Vincent said.


    Humphrey and some of the others took on serious expressions, recognising the monster by name. The others waited for the explanation, but Mobley was the first to speak.


    ¡°Are you trying to get me killed?¡± he asked wildly. ¡°Did someone put you up to this? It was the Kilgane family, wasn¡¯t it? They paid you to make sure I didn¡¯t come back.¡±


    The other candidates went as still as the suddenly frozen expression on  Vincent¡¯s face. There was a long period of icy silence before Vincent spoke.


    "Mr Mobley," Vincent said. "I am willing to take that accusation in the manner I believe it was made, which is to say, thoughtlessly. So long as I have your apology, I am willing to consider it an outburst made in a moment of surprise, that we can put behind us and speak no more about."


    Mobley visibly gulped. Jason could hear something dangerous lurking behind Vincent¡¯s words as if his audibly controlled enunciation was trying to keep it from getting loose. Suddenly the man with the outrageous moustache didn''t seem silly at all.


    ¡°You have my apology, sir,¡± Mobley said.


    "Good," Vincent said. "Mr Geller, please inform the members of our group who are not aware as to the nature of trap weavers.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we should disembark from the wagon first,¡± Humphrey suggested.


    "Good idea, Mr Geller."


    Leaving the tense air of the wagon seemed like an escape. The marshland was vast, reeds and copses of trees punctuating expanses of water. The air was heavy, wet and warm, even as the sun ducked out of sight. The sky was a mixture of dark blue and orange-gold, reflected on the still mirror of marsh water.


    ¡°Instructor Trenslow,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°When you were collecting notices, I didn¡¯t see one for trap weavers.¡±


    ¡°It came from the Adventure Society directly,¡± Vincent said. ¡°They have provided the location of the nest.¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°trap weavers are dangerous, and this half-light will favour them strongly. Perhaps it would be best to come back in the morning.¡±


    "I asked you to inform the group of what trap weavers are, Mr Geller," Vincent said. "I did not ask your opinion on how I conduct this field assessment."


    ¡°Sorry, sir,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Trap weavers are a kind of giant spider. Their main body is around the size of a man¡¯s torso, but they stand as tall as a man with their long legs. They can produce webs that are very strong and hard to see in certain light conditions, which is why they are most active during the pre-dawn and twilight hours. The webs can be used to create traps that can ensnare a person, or to directly attack and entangle. They are highly stealthy, and can hide their aura better than most monsters."


    Humphrey gave Vincent an uncertain glance as he kept talking.


    "Trap weavers roam in search of prey but return to a nest, usually in environments with water and dense trees. They use their webs to create traps that make invading their nests extremely difficult. This is especially true at the cusp of daylight where their webs are the hardest to spot."


    Humphrey¡¯s face went hard.


    ¡°Trap weavers usually spawn in groups, at least two or three and as many as twelve or thirteen. There have been some occurrences of higher numbers, although I¡¯m not sure of the record.¡±


    ¡°Nineteen,¡± Vincent said. "Outside of a monster surge. No one''s counted the size of the swarms during a surge, but dozens of them."


    ¡°Using environmental and numerical advantages,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°trap weavers are responsible for more iron-rank adventurer deaths than any other monster in the Greenstone region. There is a standing advisory that they should be dealt with in groups, during daylight.¡±


    "Very comprehensive, Mr Geller," Vincent said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not done, sir,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Instructor Trenslow has asked us to decide for ourselves which of us will deal with the trap weavers. I strongly recommend we choose no one. Fighting these creatures, especially now, is a danger I don¡¯t feel to be appropriate. There is a strong likelihood of some of us dying too quickly for instructor Trenslow to intervene.¡±


    "I didn''t ask for that, Mr Geller," Vincent said.


    ¡°With respect, Instructor Trenslow,¡± Humphrey shot back, ¡°you instructed us to decide for ourselves who will participate. This is my contribution to that discussion.¡±


    Vincent looked at Humphrey, his expression unreadable.


    "What about you, Mr Asano?" Vincent asked.


    Jason gave Vincent a long, assessing look before amusement crossed his face.


    ¡°Probably best I don¡¯t say anything either way,¡± he said.


    Humphrey looked at Jason, about to speak, but stopped at a slight shake of the head from Jason. Confusion crossed Humphrey¡¯s face, but he stayed silent.


    The other candidates who had already passed the assessment joined Humphrey in declining, leaving Mobley and the young woman who, like Jason, was yet to pass or fail. They looked at each other and also declined. Humphrey turned to Vincent.


    ¡°There¡¯s our group,¡± Humphrey told him. ¡°We choose no one.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Vincent said, his face betraying nothing. ¡°then I guess you should all get back in the wagon.


    As promised, the town at which the group rested for the night had a large building for adventurers, with a common room, dining hall, and bedrooms enough for a dozen people. It was situated on the edge of a pond, with a covered terrace. They didn¡¯t arrive until after dark, and most of the group were gathered in the common room.


    Jason explored the sizeable kitchen, but the cupboards and cooler box had no food, only crockery and cutlery. Jason made a salad with ingredients from the market towns they had passed through. He left a stack of bowls and forks next to the big salad bowl, filling two and taking a fork for each.


    He made his way through the common room, where the other candidates were discussing the day¡¯s events. In the end, Jason had killed both monsters, aside from the trap weavers they had left alone. He had no interest in the circle of unwelcome looks, instead making his way out to the terrace. The night lit up by a bright pair of moons, shining high over the surrounding wetlands.


    There was patio furniture on the terrace, Vincent casually reclined as he looked out into the night. Jason put a bowl and fork down on the table next to him, before taking a seat himself. He pulled a couple of glasses from his inventory, along with a bottle. He poured a little bit of blue liquid into each glass.


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll like this,¡± Jason said. ¡°It has a fresh, crisp flavour that should go nicely with the salad.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°For being so handsome?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It¡¯s attached to my face, so I had to bring it with me.¡±


    Vincent shook his head.


    ¡°Rufus told me you¡¯d be trouble,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°He told me you were worth showing respect,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sounds like disparate treatment, to me.¡±


    Vincent nodded at the door Jason had emerged from.


    ¡°What are they doing in there?¡±


    ¡°Talking about the trap weavers,¡± Jason said. ¡°Humphrey¡¯s idea, of course.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a diligent young man,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Have they figured it out, yet?¡±


    ¡°That we were never meant to fight them? They might get there, they might not. The rest are more interested in clamping onto the Geller family¡¯s leg.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t given them much of a chance,¡± Vincent said. ¡°He seems to value your judgement, for reasons that escape me.¡±


    ¡°My judgement is excellent, thank you very much," Jason said. "Also, I think his mother wants him to learn something from me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You mean ¡®what.¡¯¡± Jason corrected.


    ¡°No, I meant ¡®why.¡¯¡± Vincent said. ¡°Has she actually met you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as a matter of fact, she has. You really do think my judgement is suspect, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You tried to start a fight with Thadwick Mercer the first time you met him.¡±


    ¡°If I tried to start a fight,¡± Jason said, ¡°then there would have been a fight. What I was doing was getting you to prevent a fight.¡±


    ¡°For what conceivable reason would you do that?¡±


    ¡°Social advancement,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I get into it with Thadwick Mercer, then people see me as someone who operates at that level.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t wandering around with Geller do that for you?¡±


    ¡°No, that makes me look like a hanger-on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure outwitting Thadwick Mercer puts you any higher,¡± Vincent said. ¡°He¡¯s not one of the great minds of the younger generation.¡±


    ¡°The point was to engage with Thadwick Mercer. Just that much puts me above a certain threshold, socially speaking,¡± Jason said. ¡°As for how far above, what do people see when they look closer?¡±


    ¡°They see you standing next to Humphrey Geller,¡± Vincent said, realisation dawning.


    ¡°Rufus has been very good to me,¡± Jason said, ¡°but he takes a somewhat top-down view of society. Due to his upbringing, from what I understand. He wants me to reach a level of basic capability as an adventurer before certain facts come to light, but he¡¯s rather oblivious as to building social standing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure your approach is the best way either,¡± Vincent said. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m confident it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Less than two months ago, I walked into Greenstone with no name and no background. Two weeks ago, I watched the symphony from the private viewing box of one of the city¡¯s most prominent families. Two days ago, aristocrats were giving me death stares for my friendship with the son of the city¡¯s most powerful adventurer. Two minutes ago, you and I started discussing my conflict with the nephew of the city¡¯s ruler.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really sure what to say to that,¡± Vincent said. ¡°You realise there will be consequences for the way you¡¯re going about things.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jason said, ¡°but nothing is more impressive than handling the consequences of one¡¯s actions with grace and aplomb.¡±


    ¡°And you can do that, can you?¡± Vincent asked.


    ¡°I have absolutely no idea,¡± Jason said with a laugh.


    ¡°Rufus warned me about you,¡± Vincent said. ¡°He said you were a man of malevolent intellect.¡±


    ¡°That may be the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the nicest thing?¡±


    ¡°What we find complimentary is often subjective,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You are a very strange man.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just cultural differences,¡± Jason said. ¡°Where I come from, I¡¯m perfectly ordinary.¡±


    ¡°And where is that, exactly?¡± Vincent asked.


    "Maybe it is possible that I''m slightly unusual," Jason conceded, instead of answering the question.


    ¡°Thank you, in any case, for not interfering when I told you to go after the trap weavers,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Pointing out what I was doing would have been easy points for you, socially speaking.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s not the easy points that win the game.¡±


    ¡°You know why I haven¡¯t passed you, yet, don¡¯t you?¡± Vincent asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you tell us,¡± Jason said. ¡°You won¡¯t pass or fail anyone until the assessment is over.¡±


    ¡°True enough,¡± Vincent said, ¡°although I don¡¯t see Humphrey dropping down this time. He did well, taking leadership today. He had a similar chance last month and second-guessed himself into silence.¡±


    ¡°Did Rufus ask you to fail me?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Or did he just ask you to set the bar high?¡±


    ¡°If I was going to fail you arbitrarily, I wouldn¡¯t have brought you along,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°Professionalism,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t ask for more than that. Wait, yes I can. What is it going to take to get a pass?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an affliction specialist,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Something like the bark lurker would be trouble for most adventurers, but you handled it easily.¡±


    ¡°So why put me up against it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You tell me,¡± Vincent said.


    Jason thought it over.


    ¡°To make sure I can actually use my own specialty?¡± he ventured.


    ¡°There you are,¡± Vincent said. ¡°So what will it take before I pass you?¡±


    Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°Affliction specialist is a niche role,¡± Jason pondered out loud. ¡°Just the thing to deal with a certain flavour of monster, but against ordinary ones, I''m just a slower version of any middle-of-the-road adventurer.¡±


    He glanced over at Vincent, whose expression gave away nothing.


    ¡°If I want to pass then,¡± Jason reasoned, ¡°it isn¡¯t about beating the unusual monsters, because that¡¯s basic stuff for my ability set. It¡¯s about showing I can dominate the ordinary ones as well as any other adventurer. Am I close?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find that out when the assessment is over,¡± Vincent said.


    The door from the common room burst open.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Humphrey said, striding out onto the terrace. ¡°We were never meant to fight the trap weavers, we were meant to refuse! The whole thing was a test of leadership and judgement.¡±


    Shock and disappointment crossed Jason¡¯s face.


    ¡°Is that true, Instructor?¡± he asked, turning on Vincent. ¡°Is something that devious even ethical?¡±

 Chapter 59: Falling Short

    The adventurer accommodation had a dozen bedrooms, with three bathrooms shared between them. Jason found the bathrooms strange in their familiarity, tiled surfaces and magical plumbing. Jason was fresh out of the shower, with a towel around his waist. He was standing over a basin, looking into the wall mirror as he washed cream off his face.


    ¡°Stash!¡± Humphrey¡¯s voice yelled from the hall outside. It was followed by the door handle turning, the bathroom door opened from the other side by some kind of chimp-like creature. It then turned into a bird that flew up and perched atop Jason¡¯s head, chirping triumphantly at its reflection in the mirror.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Humphrey said from the door.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just so long as the bird he turns into is a small one.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that on your face?¡± Humphrey asked, standing outside the half-closed bathroom door.


    ¡°Shaving cream, kind of,¡± Jason said. ¡°You just leave it on for a few seconds, then any hair washes right off with the cream. An alchemist friend gave it to me. You want to try?¡±


    ¡°I have a magic crystal that you rub on your face,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Anyway, I shaved yesterday. I don¡¯t need to do it every day.¡±


    Jason frowned. In the midst of a monster-hunting expedition, it was easy to forget that his fellow candidates were all sixteen or seventeen years old. Jason was only a half-dozen years their senior, but the idea of killing and dying at that age made him grateful he wasn¡¯t forced to grow up young.


    ¡°Seems like it would be easy to accidentally take off hair you wanted to keep,¡± Humphrey said, oblivious to Jason¡¯s thoughts.


    ¡°I have some ointment that causes hair to grow,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s the one you want to be careful about applying. It works everywhere, whether hair is meant to grow there or not.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I was wondering why you didn¡¯t have eyebrows when we met, but a couple of days later you did.¡±


    In the final days of the field assessment, some of the candidates began to realise the results weren¡¯t as decided as Vincent may have implied. Recognising that coasting on what they thought was a done deal wasn¡¯t the best strategy, there was increased competition for each new monster they went after. Jason didn¡¯t push himself forward as the others vied for additional chances to prove themselves, as he was still considering his approach to fighting monsters.


    Compared to even the most mediocre of his fellow candidates, Jason¡¯s abilities were slow and weak. A fire blast or magical sword strike could take down an ordinary monster in a fraction of the time it took Jason to apply his various afflictions. Worse was that in the time it took them to overcome the afflicted monster, it could well have ravaged any companions Jason had with him in the fight.


    His first thought was of his eight unawakened essence abilities, but they would not help him in the remaining days of the field assessment unless he stumbled on a cache of awakening stones. Even if he did, his new abilities would likely be similar to those he already possessed.


    Jason¡¯s revelation came while watching Humphrey dispatch a group of monsters. They were dog-headed humanoids, with physiques like bodybuilders heavily into steroid abuse. Their jaws could produce a powerful bite, but their most dangerous feature was the sickle-like claws at the end of their arms. Combined with the crude clothing they fashioned for themselves with the flayed skin of their victims, they were an intimidating sight.


    The monsters were called margolls. Despite their appearance, they were not very dangerous individually, at least to a fully trained and equipped adventurer. The problem was that they always appeared in groups. As many as a dozen could appear at once, and they were highly aggressive, even for monsters. They were one of the monsters most dreaded by normal people. Every resident of the delta heard stories of a margoll pack descending on a farm or ranch, or even attacking villages.


    Humphrey had not put himself forward often since the early days of the field assessment, but he didn¡¯t hesitate to step out for the margolls. Rather than rely on his abilities, he used his combat skills to deal with the group. His martial techniques were most useful against humanoid enemies, and beyond summoning his sword and armour, he fought the monsters without powers.


    Jason was reminded of the way combat styles of his new world differed from those in his old one. Brazilian jiu-jitsu might be practical in an MMA fight, but have limited application against a crab the size of a delivery van. An acrobatic kick may get punished by a skilled human fighter, yet perfectly deliver a special attack to an inhuman monster.


    In all the time Rufus and the others had been training Jason, they devoted very little time to Jason¡¯s essence abilities. Outside of aura training, they largely left him to practise them on his own. Instead, they worked on his physicality, mentality and skill; everything but essence abilities. Rufus had been especially unrelenting in driving Jason to master the martial techniques that came from the skill book he used.


    Jason had sparred many times with Humphrey over the last few weeks as part of Rufus¡¯ ruthless regimen, and as he watched Humphrey dismantle the monsters, he realised that he had been far too focused on his essence abilities during the assessment. What worked perfectly against a bark lurker was pushing a square peg into a round hole against a small, quick ratling.


    The last day of the field assessment would close their looping path through the delta, arriving back at Greenstone in the evening. They had spent the night in a barricade town, whose high walls and expansive lodgings were designed to be a safe-haven during monster surges. Jason had stayed in a similar town in the desert with Rufus, Gary and Farrah, except this one had a sprawling stockyard in which to keep herds.


    Jason made his way out of the mudbrick cabin he had shared with Humphrey, looking and feeling weary. His plan to put aside his slow essence abilities in favour of martial abilities hadn¡¯t worked as well as he had hoped. He was still able to put down the monsters, but not in the domineering fashion he was aiming for.


    ¡°Just give it time,¡± Humphrey advised. ¡°I¡¯ve been training my whole life for this. You¡¯ve been training for two months.¡±


    The group was assembling around the wagon when another wagon came bolting into town, drawn by a four heidels that were panting from how hard they¡¯d been driven.


    ¡°Is it just me,¡± Vincent said, ¡°or do those look like some people in need of an adventurer? Everyone form up!¡±


    Vincent approached as the driver pulled up the wagon.


    ¡°You need some assistance?¡± he asked.


    A bedraggled driver glanced back into the wagon before dropping down, looking over Vincent. Most people, whether in Greenstone or the delta, wore loose-fitting, breathable clothes because of the heat. Adventurers, at least while on the job, wore more fitted outfits, often with overt protective properties. They carried arrays of weapons and other useful gear. This was also true for the candidates, making their occupation obvious. To dispel any doubt, Vincent wore his brooch bearing the Adventure Society emblem.


    The driver explained that his family had escaped their nearby farm after a pack of margolls arrived. They only reason they got away was the margolls were caught up slaughtering their herd, giving the farmer time to load his family in the wagon and flee. This would make the fourth group of margolls the group had encountered in three days.


    ¡°Margolls again,¡± Mobley muttered. ¡°Do you think it¡¯s a sign the monster surge is starting?¡±


    ¡°Possibly,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but not likely. There hasn''t been an increase in overall activity or a sharp rise in pack numbers. The first sign is usually when solitary monsters start appearing in groups.¡±


    After getting details from the man, Vincent addressed the group.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking at a large pack,¡± Vincent told them, ¡°somewhere around ten to twelve margolls. Geller, are you comfortable handling that many?¡±


    ¡°I want it,¡± Jason said before Humphrey could answer.


    Mobley looked derisively at Jason.


    ¡°We¡¯ve seen you fight, Asano,¡± he said. ¡°You can¡¯t handle twelve. You can¡¯t handle half of that.¡±


    Vincent looked contemplatively at Jason.


    ¡°Why?¡± Vincent asked him.


    ¡°Because I know I¡¯ve been falling short, even if I¡¯ve been muddling along. If I¡¯m going to break through, I need to be pushed harder. Put myself in more danger.¡±


    Vincent considered it for a few moments.


    ¡°Geller,¡± he said finally. ¡°You be ready to get him out when it goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°You mean ¡®if¡¯ it goes wrong,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I know what I said, Geller.¡±


    Rufus, Gary and Farrah had spent hour after hour, day after day pounding Jason''s fighting skill into a usable state. He had come further in just a few weeks than he would have imagined possible, but it wasn''t close to matching a dozen monsters. As for the essence abilities he had been relying on in the early days of the assessment, nothing had changed. They were still too slow for a fast-paced battle.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to do this,¡± Humphrey told him.


    ¡°Let him,¡± Mobley said. ¡°I¡¯d love to see that smug look frozen on his corpse.¡±


    Humphrey glared at Mobley.


    ¡°What¡¯s so great about him?¡± Mobley asked. ¡°Sure, he handled the bark lurker and the rune tortoise, but against anything the rest of us could walk over, his powers are useless. So he gives up on the powers and starts just fighting them straight up? Sure, he¡¯s got some skills, but how long is an adventurer going to last when he fights without using his abilities? He¡¯s not even going to pass if he can¡¯t use his abilities and his combat skills together.¡±


    Jason¡¯s eyes shot open.


    Was it that simple? Had he really been that stupid?


    Jason''s mistake came to him as a revelation. Somewhere in his head, he had been putting his martial arts in a box belonging to his old world, and his essence abilities in one belonging to the new. He had been crippling both by subconsciously separating the two.


    ¡°I¡¯m an idiot,¡± he said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Mobley agreed.


    Jason spent the rest of the ride with a grin on his face, eyes flashing as a floodgate opened in his mind. He could suddenly see with perfect clarity how badly he had been hamstringing himself. By the time the wagon turned off the embankment road and down a slope towards the farm, he was itching to begin. He was the first to vault out the back of the wagon.


    Vincent had stopped the wagon on the outskirts of the farm. In the distance they could see a clutch of mudbrick farm buildings, past fields of a low, leafy crop. Vincent, still in the driving seat of the wagon, tossed Jason a far-sight crystal.


    ¡°We¡¯ll watch from here,¡± Vincent said. Margolls had poor vision and aura sense, but their smell and hearing were highly sensitive. The group would see everything through the crystal without interfering with Jason¡¯s fight.


    As Jason marched away without pause, Humphrey followed. He maintained enough distance that he wouldn¡¯t interfere either, but could still intervene if necessary.


    Jason neared the farm¡¯s largest building, a big, square barn. As he did, a margoll came wandering out, chewing on the remains of what, to Jason, looked like the family dog. Somehow, the idea of a dog-headed monster eating a dog made it even more disgusting. The monster sniffed the air, then turned to Jason, dropping its meal in the dirt.


    Jason had never been this close to a margoll before. It had the face of a pit-bull and the body of a power-lifter, with sickle-claw hands. Its arms were drenched up to the elbows in blood, as was its wide mouth. It threw its head back, letting out a wild howl.

 Chapter 60: Making Music

    Jason and the margoll faced off outside the mud-brick barn. The margoll¡¯s howl called out more, who emerged from in and around the building to join it. As they assembled, Jason and the first one remained where they stood, gazes locked. Jason was the first to move, walking closer to the wall of the barn.


    That first step was like a starter¡¯s pistol, the monsters lunging into a sprint. Jason kept walking casually as the creatures closed the distance, pounding over the dirt. When they were almost upon him, he dropped into the shadow of the building like falling through a manhole.


    He rose up from the ground behind the monsters, silently emerging from one the margolls¡¯ own shadows. In the brief but crucial moment of confusion, Jason noticed the margoll in front of him had loose skin at the back of its neck, like a dog. He grabbed a fistful of skin and yanked back, pulling the monster off-balance.


    The creatures were already wheeling on Jason, so when his dagger tore the throat out of the monster in his grip, blood sprayed over the others.


    You have defeated [Margoll].Would you like to loot [Margoll]?


    He shoved the dead monster forward as it dissolved into rainbow smoke. The stench was horrifying, but bearable for Jason, but he lacked the powerful sense of smell the margolls had. For them, the smoke was like tear gas, the closest ones staggering away with dog-like yelps of misery.


    The group of margolls was large enough that those furthest from Jason weren¡¯t disabled, although they were scattered and distracted. Jason moved right into their midst, making full use of his martial skills in the chaos. Another margoll dropped dead, throat slashed open. A forceful kick to the side of the knee sent one dropping to the ground. Jason¡¯s flashing dagger inflicted more injuries, non-lethal, but distracting enough to keep the monsters off-balance while they were still reeled from the smoke.


    Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on [Margoll].Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Margoll].Aura [Hegemony] reduces the resistances of enemies for each instance of [Sin].


    The margolls started to recover from the stench. Jason moved out of the encirclement he had placed himself in but was only a step away from the reach of those razor claws. One such claw swiped at him and he lifted a forearm to take the strike. The claw raked through his cloth armour like it wasn¡¯t there, cutting deep gouges in his arm. Then, like a burst balloon, leeches erupted from the wound to spray out over the margolls.


    The monsters panicked, yelping in horror as leeches dug into any available patch of exposed skin. Leeches buried themselves into the monsters¡¯ arms, bodies and even faces. The margolls scrambled to tear them off, but every leech tossed aside took with it a chunk of flesh in its lamprey-like teeth. One margoll pulled a leech from its eye, which burst into goo as the leech came away.


    [Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Margoll].[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Leech Toxin] on [Margoll].[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Necrotoxin] on [Margoll].


    The leeches that didn¡¯t land directly on the margolls started accumulating in a pile, lurching toward the margolls at the back who had been missed in the initial spray. Jason raised his arm at the margoll that had cut into him and chanted a spell.


    ¡°Your blood is not yours to keep, but mine on which to feast.¡±


    The margoll''s life force started glowing dark red from within its body, before siphoning off in a stream toward Jason''s extended hand. As it sank into Jason''s skin, the claw marks on his arm closed. It didn''t heal completely, but open wounds became bright red welts. By the time the margoll''s life force retracted into its body, it looked weak and pale. Jason kicked it into its fellows and once again launched himself into the stricken pack of margolls.


    Jason danced through the chaos, dagger flashing, elbows and feet lashing out.


    Special attack [Leech Bite] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Margoll].[Bleeding] already in effect, [Bleeding] is refreshed.Special attack [Leech Bite] has drained health and stamina.


    He did not go for quick kills, instead working to keep the large group distracted and panicked. Yelps and wails came from the margolls as they thrashed about. The stench of the smoke was still in the air and leeches dug into their flesh. Afflictions turned their blood black with poison, even as it leaked from their bodies.


    Through it all moved Jason, like a demon conducting an orchestra of the damned. The margolls followed his direction, their screams of misery his music, until the last monster was dead and the air fell silent. Every part of Jason not shrouded in his cloak of shadows was painted red and black with the tainted blood. At his feet, the leech swarm surged, gorged to bursting. Jason reached down, slicing his hand on a claw for the leeches to clamber back into his bloodstream.


    Humphrey watched as Jason walked back. Behind him, the rainbow smoke of a dozen monsters drifted into the sky. It also rose up from his body as the blood of his enemies burned away.


    The rest of the trip back to Greenstone was almost entirely silent. Although a bottle of crystal wash had cleaned away the residue of the fight, it was as if the other adventurer candidates could still see the blood painted over Jason. Through the far-sight crystal, they had watched him play the creatures to a screaming, suffering demise.


    Even Humphrey was shaken. He could tear through a pack of monsters better than any of them, but the worst he could do was burn a creature to death with his fire breath ability. He had never seen anything like Jason¡¯s symphony of horrors, shrieks of despair made into unholy music.


    As for Jason, he was eerily still in the back of the wagon, staring out at the delta landscape. The horrors he had wrought played out again and again in his mind, but they did not horrify him. For the first time since arriving in his strange new world, he didn¡¯t feel like a helpless pawn of fate. He was in control. He had the power. What troubled him wasn¡¯t that his moment of catharsis was marked by the screams of the dying. It was that he couldn¡¯t ignore the part of himself that wanted more.


    The sky grew darker as the wagon passed through cut-down flatland around the Old City wall and through the city gate. After the sprawling delta, everything felt pushed together in Old City, from the narrow streets to the buildings crammed against one another. The wagon rolled through up Broadstreet Esplanade which, in spite of the name, would barely pass as a laneway on the Island. Stalls were packed away and storefronts were closing with the setting sun. Jason noted Jory¡¯s clinic as they passed it by.


    The Broadstreet Bridge was the same one Jason had crossed on his first day in Greenstone, the wagon getting waved straight into the rich people lane. The pace picked up on the wide, Island streets and the wagon soon pulled up at the Adventure Society¡¯s marshalling yard.


    The sun was completely gone by the time they arrived, but Jason¡¯s mood had lightened. He hopped free of the wagon feeling a different man than the one who climbed on a week earlier. He had a sense of power about him, of control over his own fate.


    ¡°And here we are,¡± Vincent said as the candidates decamped from the wagon. ¡°Results of the assessment  can be collected from administration individually as of tomorrow afternoon. If you wish to challenge or query the results, you may do so with administration at the time you collect them.¡±


    The marshalling yard was thoroughly illuminated by magic lamps, and a small crowd was awaiting their arrival. The other group had apparently just arrived as well, already being greeted by waiting family. Humphrey spied his mother, fending off several would-be social climbers, and headed in her direction. Jason spotted Rufus standing next to her, but also spied Thadwick Mercer. From the body language, he guessed Thadwick was being met by a household servant rather than a family member.


    Jason walked over in that direction, calling out Thadwick¡¯s name.


    ¡°What do you want, Asano?¡± Thadwick asked, warily.


    ¡°I wanted to apologise,¡± Jason said. ¡°There are some flaws in my character that sometimes lead me to be smug, childish, and a little too impressed with myself. Last week, I subjected you to all three.¡±


    Jason held out a hand.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to apologise, and start fresh.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯d even touch your hand?¡± Thadwick asked. ¡°You went out of your way to make me look like a buffoon, and now you think I¡¯ll take your hand? You aren¡¯t worthy to breathe my air.¡±


    Thadwick stormed off, leaving Jason standing there, holding out his unshaken hand.


    "Ah, well," he said and turned in the direction of Rufus, Humphrey and Humphrey''s mother. Vincent had already moved to join them, and they were all looking in the direction of Jason¡¯s encounter with Thadwick.


    ¡°Danielle!¡± he called out with a wave as he approached. He flashed Humphrey a grin, and Humphrey¡¯s shoulders lost some of the tenseness they had been carrying since Jason¡¯s fight with the margolls.


    ¡°Nicely done with young master Mercer,¡± Danielle replied with a smile. ¡°I do hope you¡¯re paying attention, Humphrey, dear.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Rufus scolded, ¡°stop making a spectacle of yourself.¡±


    "Oh, do leave him alone, Mr Remore," Danielle said. "He knows what he''s doing."


    ¡°I think I might have missed something,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Same here,¡± Rufus said unhappily.


    Danielle sighed, giving Jason a sympathetic look.


    ¡°You¡¯re wasted in this city, you know that?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said, shaking his head with mock sadness. ¡°But you can¡¯t help where some lunatic cultist summons you to.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Vincent asked.


    ¡°Would you please not provoke Thadwick Mercer?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Or weirdly flirt with my mother,¡± Humphrey added.


    ¡°Humphrey, dear. Mr Remore." Danielle said. "You have to remember that Jason wasn''t born on top of the pile like you two. He has to make his own place in society, which is why he''s playing around with poor Thadwick.¡±


    ¡°Then why humble yourself in front of him?¡± Humphrey asked Jason.


    ¡°Because then I¡¯m the reasonable one,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°But he stormed off,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make you seem below him?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t about what Thadwick thinks,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s about all these nice people here. The people who saw me seem perfectly reasonable in front of a member of the Mercer family, then wander over here to where I¡¯m on a first name basis with Danielle Geller herself. Where does that put me, in their eyes?¡±


    ¡°Right at the top,¡± Rufus realised. ¡°But why bother? You¡¯re already appearing in high social circles.¡±


    ¡°As an adjunct to you,¡± Jason told him. ¡°What all this is really for is the people who recognise what I¡¯m doing and why.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°I thought it was about all the people here. You¡¯re manipulating Thadwick, and all these people, for the benefit of the ones who see through it all anyway.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it, dear,¡± Danielle said happily.


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain I¡¯m not,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Dear boy,¡± she said to him. ¡°The people who know what he¡¯s doing recognise and respect his ability to do it. That''s how you earn a place in the backrooms, not just the ballrooms.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t follow,¡± Humphrey said.


    Danielle sighed.


    ¡°Sometimes I think you and your sister are a little too much your father¡¯s children. Come along, everyone; I have a carriage waiting and dinner prepared. You will join us, won''t you, Mr Trenslow?¡±


    ¡°It would be my honour, Lady Geller.¡±

 Chapter 61: Trade Hall

    Jason looked at the various suits of cloth armour draped over the balcony. He had taken three with him on the field assessment, and each had come back covered in rents and tears. Gary was standing next to Jason, also looking them over.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need some new armour before I take any contracts,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I told you that you needed something heavier,¡± Gary said.


    The armour was all heavy fabric with a few reinforced sections. A combination of magical construction and alchemical treatment of the fabric made it tougher than it looked, but the effect was limited.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to lose the flexibility,¡± Jason said. ¡°My powers are better suited to speed and mobility, healing up the occasional hit.¡±


    ¡°Then if you won¡¯t increase the bulk,¡± Gary said, ¡°you¡¯ll need to increase the quality.¡±


    ¡°Meaning something more expensive,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Gary said. ¡°It¡¯s not like you don¡¯t have the money, and can you really put a price on not dying?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly hard to argue against,¡± Jason said. ¡°And I do still have a decent amount of money.¡±


    ¡°You should definitely buy something good,¡± Gary said, ¡°but don¡¯t take it too far with iron-rank armour. Just find something reasonably protective and save up for bronze rank. What you really want is something that has a self-repair enchantment, which will save you a good lot of money on repairs.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where to find something like that?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I looked around at the guild district markets, and these were the best I found.¡±


    He pointed out the bedraggled suits of armour.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one place to go for the really good stuff,¡± Gary said. ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer, now, so you can start enjoying the perks.¡±


    Jason hadn¡¯t been allowed entry to the Adventure Society trade hall, but he had seen it from the outside. It was a huge complex of buildings just off the loop line station, with several annexed structures connecting off a massive central building.


    It was a huge bazaar restricted to members of the Adventure Society, along with traders who received dispensation to operate there. It was where Adventurers could trade away any valuables, sell off old equipment and buy gear and supplies for their adventures. Jason was yet to receive his Adventure Society badge, gaining entry with a temporary permit he received with the results of his assessment.


    Inside the main hall, Gary led the way as they merged into a crowd as packed as any Old City street market. It was a vast, open room, three storeys high, with two mezzanine levels. Light poured in from a series of skylights that made up the bulk of the ceiling.


    The ground level was a boisterous mix of stalls, ranging from the semi-permanent to the very temporary. Some were just an open tent with a few items laid out on a table. Others were essentially stores, constructed from artfully dyed and woven reed panels, complete with signage. Most fell somewhere in between, but all were swarmed with people almost shoulder to shoulder.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realise there were this many adventurers,¡± Jason said, speaking loudly over the din of people.


    ¡°A lot of them aren¡¯t active adventurers,¡± Gary said. ¡°Mostly they¡¯re essence users from the aristocratic and wealthy families who joined the society for the benefits. Like the right to come here.¡±


    ¡°But they had to pass the field assessment, right?¡±


    ¡°Not all field assessments are alike,¡± Gary said. ¡°Just ask Rufus if you want to hear him complain for an hour. The problem is worse here than in most places.¡±


    ¡°What about monster surges?¡± Jason asked. ¡°They have to front up for those, right?¡±


    ¡°They do,¡± Gary said, ¡°but most places have what¡¯s called a reserve program.¡±


    ¡°Meaning they get to stand at the back?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Gary said.


    Gary led him to the side of the hall, where arcades led toward other buildings in the complex, but instead of leaving the main hall, they took one of the broad stairways leading up.


    ¡°The main floor is all iron rank stuff,¡± Gary said. ¡°Next floor up is bronze.¡±


    The second and third floor were mezzanine levels. Gary didn''t pause at the second, leading them up to the third.


    ¡°The third floor is silver rank?¡± Jason guessed.


    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t the market for it here,¡± Gary said. ¡°Apparently there¡¯s only forty or so silver rankers in the whole city, and they aren''t very active. The magic level here is too low, so silver-rank monsters are rare. Any silver rankers here permanently are semi-retired at best. People like Danielle Geller and Thalia Mercer are only here in anticipation of the monster surge.¡±


    ¡°So what is the third floor for?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Brokerages,¡± Gary said. ¡°Most adventurers can¡¯t be bothered with the trouble of renting a stall and waiting around for people to buy whatever random pile of loot they have. Brokers buy almost anything of value and sort it for more effective sale. For a percentage, of course.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair enough,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Brokers also organise the auctions,¡± Gary said. ¡°In a smaller city like this, they¡¯ll usually hold on to the valuable stuff, like essences and awakening stones. Then the brokers will work together to hold a big auction event. Once we finish that shield, that¡¯ll sell at auction.¡±


    The most valuable item Jason looted during the field assessment was the shell of the rune tortoise. Finding an intact one was rare and lucrative, as they could be turned into magical shields. Gary and Farrah were going to work on it together, then split the profits three ways with Jason.


    ¡°Most brokers also do money-changing services,¡± Gary said. ¡°If you want to split a coin, say bronze down to iron, they¡¯ll do it for free. If you go the other way they charge ten percent. That¡¯s standard everywhere, so if they ask for more, just go somewhere else.¡±


    Gary led them into a brokerage office, where they were greeted by a receptionist. They were quickly led into a room where they were met by an item assessor, who would value the items so they could get paid. They just had to put out everything on a table for the assessor to go over.


    Jason put out the various items he had looted from monsters. There was bark-lurker hide, monster cores and a variety of loose quintessence gems. On Gary¡¯s advice, Jason kept certain items, but most of it was cleared out to make room in Jason¡¯s increasingly full inventory. Even if many items stacked into a single slot, he was getting close to filling all forty spaces. Jason had a strange moment as he took out the magical robes he had taken from Landemere Vane.


    Landemere was the very first person Jason met in his new world. He was also the first person Jason killed. It had been less than two months, but he felt like a completely different person from the concussed, panicked idiot in the Vane family basement.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Gary asked, and Jason realised he was staring into space, the robes held in his hands. The blood had long since been cleaned off of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Jason said, putting the folded robes on the table.


    With fresh coins added to the currency counter in his inventory, they headed back downstairs and into the main hall. Making their way through the throng as they looked at the goods on offer, Jason spotted a familiar face. Jory¡¯s stand wasn¡¯t one of the permanent stalls, but it was one of the larger ones. At the front was a glass counter lined with colourful bottles and vials, behind which stood Jory himself. Most of the stall was storage space, hidden behind a curtain. While Jory was selling a woman a bottle of perfume, Jason perused the chalkboard beside the counter listing the available products.


    ¡°Crystal wash,¡± he read out loud.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Jory asked, as his customer rejoined the crowd. ¡°I can only make so much of it, and there are other people who want to buy it. People who don¡¯t get the friends discount.¡±


    ¡°You realise I had to trudge through a bog marsh, right? To protect the poor, innocent people of the delta?¡±


    Jory groaned.


    ¡°I can give you one crate, but that¡¯s it for the week.¡±


    ¡°Twelve bottles?¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t get by on twelve bottles.¡±


    ¡°You do know about showers and baths, right?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°He cleans his teeth with it,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°What?¡± Jory said.


    ¡°It leaves my mouth feeling fresh,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Well, if you want more,¡± Jory said, ¡°I¡¯m not the only alchemist here.¡±


    ¡°What about those assistants you were talking about getting from the Alchemy Association?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Expanding my operations isn¡¯t something I can just do on a whim, you know. I have a lot of demands on my time.¡±


    ¡°I thought that¡¯s why you wanted the assistants,¡± Jason said. ¡°Someone to take over the grunt work.¡±


    They paused for Jory to sell an adventurer a bundle of potions.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that simple,¡± Jory said, resuming their conversation. ¡°If I¡¯m going to do it properly I need to put together a whole new facility. Extra space, new equipment. Wages for the assistants. You know the kind of margins I work under.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said. ¡°Have you considered investors?¡±


    ¡°You offering?¡± Jory asked.


    Jason held up a hand, three gold coins stacked between his thumb and forefinger.


    ¡°Something like this get you started?¡±


    The basic coin of the realm was the lesser spirit coin. Iron spirit coins were worth a hundred lesser coins, used by bulk traders, adventurers and other members of the wealthy elite. After that, it was ten iron to the bronze, ten bronze to the silver and ten silver to the gold. The gold spirit coins in Jason¡¯s hand was worth three hundred thousand units of the basic currency.


    ¡°You¡¯re not serious?¡± Jory said, to which Jason placed the coins down on the counter. Jory hesitantly picked them up, peering at them nestled in his palm.


    ¡°Do you know how many people I can help with this kind of money?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how many people you help,¡± Jason said. ¡°What matters is if this gets me another crate of crystal wash.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you gave him all that money,¡± Gary said as they made their way through the crowd.


    ¡°It¡¯s an investment,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°In what? That guy spends all his money on helping sick poor people.¡±


    ¡°But imagine a world where everyone gave money for things like that,¡± Jason said.


    Gary thought it over for a moment.


    ¡°Then there¡¯d be more healthy poor people?¡±


    Jason allowed himself to be led by Gary¡¯s expertise as they looked at various armour for sale. They checked out large stalls selling armour in job lots and small stalls with expensive, handcrafted work. The main hall was only the beginning of the grand bazaar. Side corridors led to sprawling arcades lined with boutique shops. Jason spotted one with a sign so long it threatened to encroach on the abutting storefront.


    GILBERT¡¯S RESILIENT ATTIRE FOR THE DISCERNING GENTLEMAN


    Jason walked inside, which was a large open space lined with armour of the lighter variety Jason preferred, largely cloth and leather. Most of the wares were draped over mannequins to demonstrate the hang of the garb. Several customers were perusing the wares, along with the proprietor in a frock coat that bulged heavily in the middle. Jason recognised the middle-aged man¡¯s paunchy frame and balding head.


    ¡°Bert,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Indeed I am, sir. Gilbert, of Gilbert¡¯s Resilient Attire For the Discerning Gentleman. For fine men as yourselves, however, I invite and appeal upon you to call me Bert. I take it from that glint of recognition in your eye that you are familiar with one of my brothers? Please tell me it isn¡¯t Filbert, of Filbert¡¯s Fine Leather Emporium.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m Jason, and this is Gary.¡±


    Gary waved vaguely from where he was already inspecting the merchandise.


    ¡°I¡¯ve met Bertram and Albert and Herbert, but not Filbert,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re quintuplets?¡±


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s octuplets,¡± Gilbert said.


    ¡°There¡¯s eight of you?¡±


    ¡°Indeed there are,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°There¡¯s Robert, who sells fruit with Herbert, but on the Island instead of Old City.¡±


    ¡°Selling the same fruit, but charging three times as much?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I knew you for a gentleman of discernment,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°There¡¯s also Hubert, but we don¡¯t really talk about him. Got caught up with a criminal element. That just leaves Bertrand. He¡¯s the handsome one.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t all identical?¡±


    ¡°No, we are.¡±


    Jason was about to inquire further when Gary jostled his arm.


    ¡°There¡¯s some quality stuff here,¡± Gary said. ¡°Take a look at this.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°Trap weaver silk, alchemically treated for maximum resiliency. Leather panels carefully placed to provide additional protection without compromising flexibility. The magic is integrated right down to the weaving pattern of the cloth. Tricky and laborious work, but the results speak for themselves. It also allows for the loose, flowing design, which is quite unusual with protective wear.¡±


    Just as Gilbert said, the armour was almost a robe, in shifting shades of dark grey. The more fitted parts around the torso, arms and legs had black leather panels, but the layered garment was also draped with flowing cloth. It was a strange combination of tactical armour from Jason¡¯s world and some kind of wizard robe. Jason was immediately taken with it.


    ¡°There¡¯s a mythological order of dark warrior mystics where I come from,¡± Jason said. ¡°They dress like this. I don¡¯t suppose you know where I can get a sword with a blade made of red light?¡±


    ¡°Not in this city,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some gold-rank weapons like that.¡±


    ¡°Nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have to start ranking up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a long, long way from gold rank,¡± Gary said with a laugh. ¡°You should keep your eyes on what¡¯s in front of you, for now.¡±


    Gilbert smelled a sale and continued his spiel.


    ¡°The mix of shades and the flowing lines are of value to clients who value stealth,¡± Gilbert said, continuing with his sales pitch. ¡°While not assisted by magic, the drape of the fabric breaks up the lines of the body, making it harder to recognise in the dark.¡±


    ¡°That does actually work,¡± Gary said, ¡°although it doesn¡¯t really matter with that cloak of yours.¡±


    Jason reached out to run his fingers over cloth, which felt smooth and sleek.


    Item: [Trap Weaver Battle Robe] (iron rank, epic)


    A full body armour, carefully hand-crafted from the silk and leather of trap weavers. (armour, cloth/leather).


    Effect: Increased resistance to damage. Highly effective against cutting and piercing damage, less effective against blunt damage.Effect: Repairs damage over time. Extensive damage may require external repair.Effect: Absorbs blood to prevent leaving a blood trail.Effect: Increases resistance to bleed and poison effects.Effect: Resistant to adhesive substances and abilities with adhesive effects.Effect: Adapts fit to the wearer, within a certain range.


    ¡°Well?¡± asked Gary, familiar with Jason¡¯s ability to examine items.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I like it a lot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll probably cost more than you should really spend,¡± Gary said, ¡°but you should always spend a little more than you want to on armour. It¡¯ll keep you alive.¡±


    ¡°No wiser words have ever been spoken within the walls of my establishment,¡± Gilbert said.


    Gary took on the job of haggling the price down, both he and Gilbert seeming satisfied with where the number landed. The price was in bronze coins, unusual for iron-rank equipment, but Jason had no issue for the quality of the product. He had only seen a handful of epic-quality armour in all their browsing, none of which met his needs so well as the one he finally purchased.


    After paying for the armour, Jason placed it into his inventory. He pulled up the outfits tab, slotting the armour into a new outfit. He then tapped the equip button and obscuring smoke suddenly surrounded him. It cleared a moment later, his clothes gone and the armour in their place.


    ¡°Very impressive, sir,¡± Gilbert said, without apparent surprise. ¡°And might I say, it suits you well. Please, do see for yourself.¡±


    Gilbert pointed Jason to a standing mirror in the corner, where Jason admired himself in the dark combat attire.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m having a chuunibyou moment,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°My apologies sir,¡± Gilbert said, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure I grasp your meaning.¡±


    ¡°We find it¡¯s better not to ask,¡± Gary said.


    Jason¡¯s shadow cloak appeared around him, merging well with flowing lines of dark armour.


    ¡°I¡¯m definitely having a chuunibyou moment.¡±


    They left Gilbert¡¯s Resilient Attire For the Discerning Gentleman with Jason back in his street attire.


    ¡°I like how loose it feels,¡± he said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure about all the really loose clothes they wear here, but once I started wearing armour I really missed it.¡±


    Jason had long ago bought fresh clothes, discarding those he looted from the Vane Estate. Daywear in Greenstone wouldn¡¯t look out of place at a tropical resort, with bright colours and loose fits. Eveningwear was more fitted and formal, with flaring frock coats in dark, sober colours.


    ¡°I like it too,¡± Gary said. ¡°Finding clothes comfortable over fur can be a pain. You should see what they wear where I come from. It¡¯s basically just underwear and a bunch of belts strapped over everything.¡±


    They were making their way through the crowds in the direction of the exit when Jason stopped when he spotted a stall.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Gary asked.


    It was a large stall selling recording crystals. Jason¡¯s eyes fell on a box of crystals being sold in bulk, which he pointed out to the bored-looking woman behind the counter.


    ¡°How much?¡±

 Chapter 62: Have Some Damn Adventures

    ¡°Hello,¡± Jason said, waving at the crystal floating in front of him. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if, or when you¡¯ll be seeing this, but I didn¡¯t die, or whatever you think happened to me. You probably know that, since the only way you¡¯re likely to see this is if I give it to you.¡±


    He let out a dissatisfied groan.


    ¡°Maybe I should have scripted this. Oh, well. Where should I start? It¡¯s been about two months since I arrived here. Where is here? That¡¯s complicated. I¡¯ve made some friends. I just got a new job, although I haven¡¯t started yet. They¡¯re meant to be sending my ID over today. The application process involved sort of a week-long retreat, which I got back from a couple of days ago.¡±


    He took a deep breath.


    ¡°I suppose I should start with that complicated question of where I am. Right now, as you can see, I¡¯m in an expensive hotel suite. It isn¡¯t actually mine; that¡¯s across the hall. This one belongs to some of those friends I mentioned. They went three-bedroom, which came with this nice, open living area.¡±


    Jason had purchased recording crystals that gave him a lot of control about how they moved. He got up and led it out to the balcony, where he panned it over the ocean view.


    ¡°Nice, right? One of my new friends is kind of a big deal, so he got the best room in the house. We¡¯re on an artificial island, which is pretty crazy, given the size. At some point I¡¯ll do a tour video. The subways here are amazing.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Farrah¡¯s voice called out from inside. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡±


    Jason went back inside. Although he hadn¡¯t been out on a job yet, having passed muster with the Adventure Society prompted Rufus to declare Jason ready to guide his own training. Although he and the others would provide occasional guidance, the hours of intensive oversight was a thing of the past, leaving the others with more time for their own pursuits. Farrah and Gary had been working on the rune tortoise shield they were going to sell off, while Rufus was preparing to expand his family¡¯s interests into Greenstone.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking to my family,¡± Jason said as he walked back inside. Farrah and Gary had just returned.


    ¡°Your family?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a recording stone,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve decided to make a record of my time here. Something I can show them, if I ever get home. Family, this is Farrah and Gary.¡±


    ¡°Er, hello,¡± Farrah said, giving the awkward, home-movie wave that apparently transcended realities.


    ¡°Hey!¡± Gary said, waving enthusiastically. ¡°Hello, Jason¡¯s family!¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the goddess of knowledge tell you that you definitely would get home?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not wildly trusting of authority figures,¡± Jason said, deactivating the crystal. He took a carousel out of his inventory, full of recording crystals in little trays. He stowed the crystal away in an empty slot and returned the carousel to his inventory.


    ¡°You do realise the Adventure Society you just joined is a world-spanning organisation, right?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°A global authority.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m anticipating the odd bit of friction,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know I¡¯m not to everyone¡¯s taste, but coming to this world is a chance to be who I am, take it or leave it.¡±


    ¡°Even if it kills you,¡± Gary said cheerfully. ¡°You decided to keep the thing that¡¯ll randomly send you home, then?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Jason said. ¡°I could always change my mind, but being here has given me some perspective on what¡¯s really important. I hadn¡¯t seen most of them in a long time.¡±


    ¡°What happened between you?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°The love of my life cheated on me with my brother, then they got married and my mother basically told me to shut up and take it like a man.¡±


    ¡°Harsh,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°We never really got along,¡± Jason said. ¡°My brother is everything she ever wanted in a son. It was kind of the other way around with Dad. It was always him and me, but after the way things were, I didn¡¯t see him so much.¡±


    There was a knock on the door and Gary let in Vincent. They all sat down in the lounge area and Jason put out a tray of snacks he took from his inventory.


    ¡°You just had those ready?¡± Gary asked, picking up a candied grape.


    ¡°Turns out my storage space maintains freshness and temperature,¡± Jason said. ¡°Which is lucky, because I had that tyrannical pheasant meat in there for almost two months.¡±


    ¡°You mean, the meat I had the other day?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Is that why you didn¡¯t want any? Were you testing it out on me?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t worry me,¡± Jason said ¡°I resist poison.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°You¡¯re bronze rank,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯d be fine. If you¡¯re worried about the food I make, you don¡¯t need to eat any of these snacks,¡± Jason said.


    Gary looked at the candied grape in his fingers, then put it into his mouth.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to go that far,¡± he mumbled.


    Vincent watched the exchange with raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Are you two quite finished?¡±


    ¡°You sound like Rufus,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Rufus could pull off that moustache,¡± Jason said.


    Jason liked Vincent. He was a very serious man with a very outrageous moustache, which Jason appreciated.


    ¡°There¡¯s been a slight problem with your Society badge,¡± Vincent said.


    After receiving confirmation that he had passed the assessment, Jason had undergone the final process of becoming an Adventure Society member. Each member had a badge that served various functions beyond proof of membership. It let members claim adventure notices and allowed the Society to track members in case they went missing. It also let the Society know immediately when a member died.


    Badges were managed by the Adventure Society¡¯s Member Logistics Department, of which Vincent was one of the chief officials. In addition to the assessment and induction of new members, their responsibilities included the dispensation and monitoring of membership badges.


    Although the badges were managed by the Adventure Society, it was the Magic Society that created them. Jason had been sent to the Magic Society so they could take an aura imprint from which to make his badge. It was a simple process, just standing in the middle of a magic circle for about a minute.


    ¡°Every time a badge is made,¡± Vincent said, ¡°it¡¯s paired with a tracking stone. It tells us if your alive or dead, and lets us find you if you go missing or die. Yours doesn¡¯t work, though. The stone can¡¯t track your aura imprint.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen this before,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Some people have abilities that block magical tracking.¡±


    ¡°That was the Magic Society¡¯s assessment as well,¡± Vincent said.


    Farrah turned to Jason.


    ¡°You have the dark essence, right?¡± she asked him. ¡°A lot of hiding abilities can protect you from location effects.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the dark essence,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s one my other abilities. My, uh, out of town abilities.¡±


    Ability: [Mysterious Stranger]


    Immunity to identification and tracking effects.


    ¡°It seems that I¡¯m completely immune to tracking effects,¡± Jason said.


    Vincent nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± he said. ¡°Just as long as we know there isn¡¯t someone messing with our membership systems.¡±


    ¡°So what does that mean about getting my badge?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s not much we can do,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Your badge will still work fine for your adventuring activities. It just means we can¡¯t track you if you go missing. Or find your body, if you die alone.¡±


    ¡°I can live with that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Tracking everyone seems a little dystopian, anyway.¡±


    Vincent plucked an object out of thin air. Many essence users had abilities to store objects in dimensional spaces, like Jason¡¯s inventory, or Farrah¡¯s bottomless stone chest. Vincent handed a square, leather object to Jason. It was a badge wallet, which Jason flipped open to see the badge inside. It was a circular medallion made of iron, embossed with a sword and rod crossed over a shield; the emblem of the Adventure Society.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Vincent said. ¡°As of this moment, you are officially a member in good standing of the Adventure Society. That badge represents your membership, and the authority that represents.¡±


    ¡°I have authority?¡± Jason asked, flipping open the wallet like a TV cop flashing his badge.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Vincent said. ¡°There is a certain level of prestige that comes from membership, but any actual authority comes from the contract you are carrying out. A common example is when the city puts out a contract to capture a wanted criminal. Whoever is assigned that contract has the power to investigate and arrest bestowed by the city, but only so long as they are on that contract. You don¡¯t have the rank to take on a contract like that, however.¡±


    ¡°I have a rank?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Your rank can be seen on your medallion,¡± Vincent said. ¡°One-star, iron rank.¡±


    Jason looked down at his new badge. On the iron medallion, underneath the Adventure Society emblem, was a single star.


    ¡°The ranking system of the Adventure Society has two parts,¡± Vincent explained. ¡°The first element is not assessed at all, being a reflection of your rank as an essence user. You¡¯re iron rank, so you¡¯re an iron rank member.¡±


    ¡°Simple enough,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The second part is not an assessment of your power, but your judgement. That¡¯s the star ranking, and is wholly determined by the Adventure Society. Everyone begins at one star, with the maximum number of stars being three. The number of stars determines the kinds of contracts you can take. One star contracts are pure monster hunts, with no complicated elements to deal with.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your star rating?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Society officials operate outside the rating system,¡± Vincent said. ¡°It helps us to work with members, irrespective of their rank.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you¡¯ve got a two-star official running an operation with three-star members, they might start taking things into their own hands.¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°So what about you two?¡± Jason asked Gary and Farrah.


    ¡°Two star,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Rufus, as well. We were kind of hoping to get bumped up to three after the Vane contract, but that didn¡¯t work out.¡±


    ¡°Rufus gave an honest report,¡± Gary said. ¡°We didn¡¯t come out looking great.¡±


    ¡°Ironically, you did,¡± Vincent said to Jason. ¡°I saw that report.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that counts for my promotion chances?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not directly,¡± Vincent said, ¡°but it may be taken into account in the future. Once other achievements have the Society considering you for promotion. Achievements made while actually a member."


    ¡°So what do two and three stars actually represent?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°In short,¡± Vincent said, ¡°two and three stars represent a level of confidence in your judgement on the part of the Adventure Society. Two stars means the Society recognises your ability to undertake at least some level of actual, unsupervised responsibility. You¡¯ll be able to take different kinds of contracts, such as investigating potentially dangerous situations or unknown phenomena. It also means you can lead small expeditions of one-star members.¡±


    ¡°We never got to two star at iron rank,¡± Gary said. ¡°In the high-magic areas there isn¡¯t a lot of chance to shine. You spend the whole time following more powerful adventurers so as not to die.¡±


    ¡°Three stars is much the same as two, but more so,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°Three stars means they trust you to handle yourself when things get political,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair assessment,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Three star members are expected to anticipate and manage consequences at a higher level than other adventurers.¡±


    ¡°How do you go for promotion?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You can apply,¡± Vincent said, ¡°usually on the back of some accomplishment. The Society prefers to choose for themselves, however. When they think you¡¯re operating at a higher level than your current rank, they¡¯ll do an assessment. We don¡¯t like to see useful assets wasting themselves on work any idiot could do.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s talking about you,¡± Farrah said to Gary.


    ¡°You¡¯re not any higher rank than I am,¡± Gary shot back.


    ¡°There is one important thing to be aware of,¡± Vincent said, ignoring the pair. ¡°The stringency with which promotions are considered scales upward with power. What is good enough for two stars at iron rank is not the same as at bronze or silver rank, where the stakes are higher. As such, you can expect to drop a star rank each time you increase a tier in power. Unless you¡¯re still one-star, of course. No one really expects anything from you if you¡¯re stuck at that level.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still talking about you,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I have two stars,¡± Gary said. ¡°We¡¯re the same rank.¡±


    ¡°So, what now?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± Gary said. ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer, now. Go to the jobs hall, get a contract and have some damn adventures.¡±

 Chapter 63: Sunk-Cost Fallacy

    Jason was trying something new on his morning run to Jory¡¯s clinic. With his cloak of shadows around him, he used its ability to reduce his weight to accelerate his progress. It required careful control, kicking off each step with his full weight, then reducing it to let the force propel him. At first it didn¡¯t work at all as he hopped into the air or tripped and fell.


    Slowly getting a handle on it, he developed an unusual stride. His steps came less frequently, but with a lunging power that sent him skimming almost weightlessly over the ground. The disadvantage was that the weight-reduction slowly consumed his mana. By the time he arrived breathlessly at Jory¡¯s, the little mana bar at the edge of his vision was as empty as his stamina. He was as exhausted mentally as physically.


    When Jason staggered through the back door of the clinic, Jory quickly brought in someone for Jason to use his power on. The patient looked worse than Jason, pale-skinned and walking strangely. He was accompanied into the room by a deeply unpleasant smell. Jason held out a weary hand, mumbling the incantation for the spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    You have cleansed all instances of disease [Dysentery] from [Human].You have cleansed all instances of disease [Syphilis] from [Human].Your stamina and mana have been replenished.


    Both Jason and the patient let out sighs of relief.


    ¡°Thank you sir,¡± the man said to Jason as Jory led him out. ¡°I couldn¡¯t really make it here without soiling myself a little.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we noticed,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Did I hear him say something about sins?¡± the man asked Jory.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Jory said. ¡°You just go home and get yourself cleaned up.¡±


    Jory came back to find Jason leaning against the wall. The few afflictions he had drained from the patient weren¡¯t enough to fully restore him.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying a new thing with one of my abilities. Something to help me travel faster. I¡¯m going to pick up my first contract today, and most of them will be out in the delta.¡±


    ¡°Why not hire a heidel from the livery stable? That¡¯s what most adventurers do.¡±


    ¡°They creep me out,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re like a horse, except horribly, horribly wrong.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what a horse is, but why do you think heidels are creepy?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°They are creepy.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a leech monster that lives inside you, and you think heidels are creepy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ actually, that¡¯s a pretty good point. Still, I can think they¡¯re creepy if I want; it¡¯s a subjective position. Can you help me out with some cheap stamina and mana potions?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a problem,¡± Jory said. ¡°Making those on the cheap were some of the earliest results of my experiments. They won¡¯t be as strong as the more expensive sort, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just need something to top me off a little. I¡¯ll save the high performance stuff for combat.¡±


    ¡°I have crate-loads of the cheap stuff,¡± Jory said. ¡°You can have them at cost.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll be spending more time out in the delta now. I probably won¡¯t be able to make scheduled appearances so often.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jory said. ¡°The clinic got along just fine before you came along.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying I won¡¯t be here,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s just the timing might get a little erratic.¡±


    ¡°Any time you can spare, I¡¯ll appreciate,¡± Jory said. ¡°Things will be a bit hectic once the expansion starts, anyway.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that going?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I bought the building next door,¡± Jory said. ¡°I¡¯m going to have the two buildings connected, using this one as the clinic and putting a huge alchemy facility in the other. Construction starts in a few days.¡±


    ¡°Best bring on the next patient,¡± Jason said. ¡°I want to get through them and head up to the jobs hall.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem,¡± Jory said, heading for the door, then pausing, looking back at Jason.


    ¡°Have you been passing weird spirit coins?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°Those one I gave you should have been legitimate,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Not those,¡± Jory said. ¡°Iron rank stuff. Janice said some Magic Society guy came in looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Is that bad?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not unless you¡¯ve been passing counterfeit coins,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re counterfeit,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just personalised.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, personalised?¡± Jory asked.


    Jason took out a coin checked it was one of his and tossed it to Jory, who looked it over.


    ¡°Is that a picture of you?¡± Jory asked, peering at it.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Wait a second,¡± Jory said, heading for the stairs. He came back down with a stone plate, with six gems set into it. He sat it on a bench and placed Jason¡¯s coin on it. The second gem immediately lit up with the blue-grey colour of an iron spirit coin.


    ¡°The coin¡¯s fine,¡± Jory said. ¡°They¡¯re all like this one?¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Looting ability?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No wonder you don¡¯t mind healing people for free,¡± Jory said. ¡°You can basically punch coins right out of monsters. I¡¯m going to go get some more sick people for you.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jason said. ¡°What do I do about the Magic Society guy?¡±


    ¡°The coins are the real deal,¡± Jory said, ¡°so don¡¯t worry about it. You¡¯re an Adventure Society guy, now. There¡¯s something of a friendly rivalry between the Magic Society and the Adventure Society, at least between people who aren¡¯t members of both. If he shows up, feel free to stick it to him. Just do what you normally do to people.¡±


    ¡°What do I normally do to people?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Confuse them until they want to punch you in the face,¡± Jory said.


    The jobs hall was an annex of the main administration building on the Adventure Society campus. Compared to the overbearing immensity of the trade hall, it was a small and discrete. Inside was a moderate sized room divided into rows by standing bulletin boards. There were a few adventurers amongst them, perusing the posted contracts. To the right of the entrance was a stairwell going up, while the left had a man behind a desk. The familiar-looking man was leaning back in his chair, dozing lightly in the warmth of the afternoon.


    ¡°Afternoon, Bert,¡± Jason greeted.


    He had learned that when it came to the Berts, the best way to identify them was to feel out their auras, which were almost, but not quite as identical as their faces. This was Albert, an Adventure Society functionary Jason had met before.


    ¡°Mr. Asano,¡± Albert greeted. ¡°You¡¯re not in for your first job, are you?¡±


    ¡°I am, as it happens.¡±


    ¡°You know, there¡¯s another young fellow doing the same.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason said, looking around. He spotted Humphrey emerging from behind a bulletin board.


    ¡°I thought I heard your voice,¡± Humphrey greeted.


    After exchanging small talk, they started exploring the bulletin boards. It was the first visit for both of them, but Humphrey had been preparing to be an adventurer his entire life. He acted as a guide as he showed Jason through the various sections.


    ¡°This floor is all iron-rank contracts,¡± Humphrey explained. ¡°It starts at one-star contracts down this end, with three-star on the far side of the room. That section is usually empty, though. Most iron-rank contracts are ordinary monster hunting.¡±


    He pointed out the stairs.


    ¡°Upstairs is bronze rank. There isn¡¯t a spot for silver rank, since there isn¡¯t enough call for it.¡±


    They started strolling through the rows, glancing over contracts.


    ¡°Contracts can be closed or open,¡± Humphrey explained. ¡°A closed contract can only be taken by one person, on a first-come, first-serve basis. You take the notice, register it at the desk, and off you go. Open contracts are a lot less common, where any number of people can join in. Usually that¡¯s a widespread infestation of lesser monsters, with rewards per kill.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve killed a few lesser monsters.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t a big problem unless they come in numbers,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Any farmer with a pitchfork can handle most of them.¡±


    ¡°Not all of them, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°Have you ever seen a malicious hedgehog? Shoots spikes out of its body.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I suppose you don¡¯t get a lot of hedgerow omnivores in this climate.¡±


    ¡°When it comes to choosing a contract, not all are created equal,¡± Humphrey said, continuing his explanation. ¡°Once a contract has languished for a couple of weeks, it gets assigned to members on a compulsory basis. As to who gets the assignments, that¡¯s all internal politics. There have been some rumblings since the new director came in. There are a lot of nominal Adventure Society members who don¡¯t take any contracts suddenly finding contracts assigned to them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard there¡¯s been some internal conflict,¡± Jason said. ¡°The new person in charge, trying to purge some of the corruption.¡±


    ¡°My perspective has been somewhat peripheral,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°not being a member until now. My mother likes the new director, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good sign,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The new director had been making a lot of changes,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°even here in the jobs hall.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°Contracts come from the general population,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°From people who have a problem, usually a monster problem, that requires an adventurer. People of means can offer incentives, so that their contract is taken up more quickly. As you might imagine, there¡¯s a lot of competition for the more lucrative contracts.¡±


    ¡°The new director banned incentives?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, they¡¯re still there,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s just that there used to be a special notice board up the front with all the incentivised contracts, because they were the ones people were most interested in. The new director put an end to that and had the incentivised contracts posted with all the rest. I¡¯m not really sure what that accomplishes, other than taking up people¡¯s time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s actually a smart move,¡± Jason said. ¡°Once people have put in a certain amount of effort into something, they feel like they need to follow through, or their effort was wasted. They call it the sunk-cost fallacy, where I come from.¡±


    ¡°Sunk cost?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Think about that board you described,¡± Jason said. ¡°The one with all the most lucrative contracts on it, sitting up the front. I bet you¡¯d get a lot of people who come in, saw that board was empty, and walked away. Now think about if they have to comb through all the boards to find those high-paying contracts. After having spent that much time looking, at least some of those people will take a contract, even if they don¡¯t find one with bonuses. Otherwise, they feel like they¡¯ve wasted all the time they spent looking.¡±


    Humphrey frowned as he looked at Jason.


    ¡°Does it ever bother you?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Manipulating people, I mean. Like with Thadwick Mercer. If you were actually arguing with him would be one thing, but provoking him because a public argument helps your social standing?¡±


    ¡°Manipulation isn¡¯t bad, in and of itself,¡± Jason said. ¡°Look at it this way: if you have the choice between manipulating someone into doing the right thing, or punishing them for doing the wrong thing, which is more moral? Pushing someone onto a better path and having the right thing done, or having the wrong thing done and hurting the person for doing it? Righteous honesty says to be upright and put the moral decision onto the other person. But what is more important? Feeling righteous, or putting a little more good into the world?¡±


    ¡°You have to give people the chance to make their own mistakes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Otherwise, you¡¯re just trying to control everything, even what¡¯s right and wrong.¡±


    ¡°There is always someone controlling what¡¯s right and wrong,¡± Jason said. ¡°Look at you, for example. How do you feel about benefiting from a society where the vast majority of the population are exploited for the benefit of you and people like you? The same people who govern the structure of society are the ones who benefit the most. That¡¯s true everywhere, your world or mine.¡±


    ¡°I was brought up to believe that nobility is as much duty as privilege,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That the advantages we have come with a lifelong responsibility to earn everything we¡¯ve been given.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s commendable,¡± Jason said. ¡°But Thadwick Mercer received every opportunity you did, and he doesn¡¯t strike me as the lifelong responsibility type. How many of your peers are like you, and how many are like him? How is that fair to the people of Old City or the delta? Do you think someone living in a hovel would turn down a mansion because they would have to live up to the responsibility that came with it? Someone like Thadwick isn¡¯t inherently evil, but he¡¯s part of a system that tells him he deserves more than other people, just for being born. Do you think he¡¯s right to think that?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°But you¡¯re the same,¡± Jason said. ¡°That responsibility you were talking about? That is you, striving to be better because the world tells you that you¡¯re better and you feel responsible for living up to that. I respect that choice, but it is a choice. If you wanted to slack off and exploit people, there¡¯s very little to stop you. Not everyone gets the chance to live up to that privilege.¡±


    Farrah, had she been present, would have recognised Jason ramping up into full-blown, morally superior proselytising. Not being there to stop him with a sharp punch to the face, Jason¡¯s rant continued.


    ¡°You think criminals just woke up one day and thought, ¡®gee, I sure would like to take other people¡¯s stuff?¡¯ They turn to crime because it¡¯s that or they go hungry. Their children go hungry. That¡¯s something you and I never had to deal with. We get to choose to be good or bad, because we don¡¯t have to spend our time breaking our backs just to eat or have a roof over our heads. People live their whole lives with nothing but that struggle, birth to death. But we never had to deal with that, and it¡¯s not likely we ever will.¡±


    Humphrey shook his head.


    ¡°So what are you suggesting?¡± he asked. ¡°Revolution? Bring everything crashing down? It¡¯s easy to point at the injustices of the world and use that as an excuse for whatever behaviour you¡¯re trying to get away with.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have an answer,¡± Jason said, deflating from his self-righteous high. ¡°I¡¯m like you, Humphrey. I¡¯m trying to do my best with what I have. In your case, that¡¯s talent, wealth, looks and privilege. As for me, I¡¯m good at people.¡±


    ¡°You mean good with people,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I meant what I said.¡±


    Clarissa Ventress¡¯ bodyguard Darnell led Sophie into the garden, where Ventress was enjoying tea on a terrace.


    ¡°Sophie, dear,¡± Ventress said. ¡°It¡¯s been so long since I¡¯ve heard from you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been busy.¡±


    ¡°With that little request of mine, yes. But as I recall, what I instructed were high-profile thefts in the midst of public events. It¡¯s been weeks, and I haven¡¯t heard about a thing. If you were doing as you were told, I really should have.¡±


    ¡°Your part in planning this operation,¡± Sophie said, ¡°was to tell us to do something breathtakingly idiotic. Our part was to figure out how to do that without being caught immediately. Our part is harder, so it takes longer. Unless your intention was for us to march over to the Island and mug the first rich-looking person we see.¡±


    Darnell moved forward threateningly as Sophie raised her voice, but Ventress waved him back.


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what you wanted,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That might get you out of our deal when I¡¯m hauled away by the guard, but everyone will know that you sold me out. Where would your precious reputation be then? Stop sending your goons to drag me back here, Ventress. You¡¯re only slowing me down.¡±


    ¡°Two weeks,¡± Ventress said. ¡°I want to hear about your first bold caper within two weeks, or I will consider you as having failed to live up to your side of our little pact. At which point, I will throw you to whichever wolf leaves the thickest slab of meat at my door. And if I hear you try to run out on me¡­¡±


    She gave Sophie her best serpentine grin.


    ¡°¡­there are men in this city with tastes that would make someone even as hard as you turn soft, Sophie dear.¡±


    Sophie looked ready to spit venom, but kept her lips pressed tightly together. She stared daggers at Ventress, who smiled back as if Sophie¡¯s glare was good for the skin.


    ¡°Can I go now?¡± Sophie asked, biting off every word.


    ¡°Of course, dear,¡± Ventress said. ¡°Two weeks; don¡¯t forget, now.¡±

 Chapter 64: Take My Wife, Please

    Luckily for Jason, most of the contracts in the jobs hall were for areas close to the city. Unless the threat was urgent, those further afield were posted on each town or village¡¯s noticeboard. Every month, the Adventure Society would send out a number of people to patrol those areas and resolve those notices. It was not a popular task, as it meant a full month away from the city and any opportunities that might arise.


    Jason started taking one or two contracts a day, depending on the location. He would then try and clear a notice or two off the local boards while he was out, even if it meant spending the night out in the delta. People were more than welcoming, especially as he took the time to help any sick locals.


    In the jobs hall, Jason placed a notice on the desk. Albert was on duty again today, making a record of the contract.


    ¡°Badge, please,¡± Albert said.


    Jason took out his Adventure Society badge and touched it to the contract. There was a shimmer as the badge touched the magic paper and Albert filed it in one of the desk drawers.


    New Quest: [Contract: Bog Shambler]


    A bog shambler has appeared close to the village of Hule. You have accepted a contract to eliminate the creature.


    Objective: Eliminate [Bog Shambler] 0/1.Reward: Spirit coins.


    The Adventure Society rewarded iron spirit coins for an iron-rank monster-slaying contract. The amount depended on number of monsters, travel time and perceived difficulty, from ten, anywhere up to a hundred. If the contract proved more difficult than was originally assessed, bonuses would be given. They went from extra coins, all the way up to an awakening stone, although such a reward was extremely rare.


    Jason himself could loot coins from each monster, while the quests that appeared for each contract would give more coins again, and sometimes other valuables. He was effectively being paid three times for each contract.


    ¡°Your armour is looking a bit ragged,¡± Albert observed. ¡°That thorny-tongue frog from yesterday?¡±


    ¡°It certainly was as thorny-tongued as advertised,¡± Jason said. ¡°The armour self-repairs, but it got torn-up pretty well. It¡¯ll be fine in a few days.¡±


    ¡°I imagine you got torn-up as well,¡± Albert said.


    ¡°I self-repair too,¡± Jason said. ¡°You on tomorrow, Bert?¡±


    ¡°Nah, they¡¯ve got me on the admin desk, tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you in a few, then.¡±


    Jason made to leave, but found someone standing in his path. It was a tall, gangly fellow who looked a few years older than Jason. He had an iron-rank aura, so he was probably the age he looked. He was wearing robes that were a size too big, with the emblem of the Magic Society prominently placed.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°And you are?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Standish,¡± the man said. ¡°Clive Standish, of the Magic Society. To be precise, I am Adjunct Assistant to the Deputy Director of the Magic Society, Greenstone branch.¡±


    ¡°That must make for a long desk plate. Is there a reason you¡¯re standing in my way, Standish?¡±


    ¡°Actually, Mr Asano, I¡¯ve been looking for you for some time,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Well it isn¡¯t my fault,¡± Jason said. ¡°I had no idea she was your wife, so you can¡¯t blame me.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Clive asked. ¡°I¡¯m not married.¡±


    ¡°She told me the same thing,¡± Jason said, shaking his head ruefully. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it.¡±


    Clive¡¯s brow creased into a frown.


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure what¡¯s going on here,¡± he said.


    Jason patted him consolingly on the arm.


    ¡°Welcome to my life,¡± Jason said, then walked past Clive and out the door.


    Left standing inside the jobs hall, Clive stood on the spot, confused.


    ¡°What just happened?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s Jason,¡± Albert said. ¡°Nice enough guy. A bit odd.¡±


    ¡°Bert?¡± Clive said, turning to the man behind the desk. ¡°I thought you sold fruit?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably thinking of my brother, sir.¡±


    In the delta, Jason had been given a room at the only inn in the village. After clearing out a monster and healing some of the sick, the innkeeper refused to take payment. The room was humble, but clean, and Jason sat on the floor performing his evening meditation.


    Jason had yet to arrive in Greenstone when Rufus told him the three foundations of building his power as an essence user. Training, to prepare himself; danger, to push his limits; and meditation, to consolidate his efforts. For months, Jason worked on two of the three pillars, under the guidance of Rufus Farrah and Gary. Without all three, however, his abilities made little progress.


    Jason was driven to take contract after contract, fighting monster after monster. He was caught up in the heady rush of danger, his skills and powers the line between life and death. It was one of the three pillars Rufus described as the foundations of power advancement, and Jason was starting to see results.


    The fastest was his vision power, which Farrah told him was normal. After all, it was constantly in use. The next fastest was the spell he used to cleanse sickness and poison, feast of absolution. It had been crawling slowly but surely upwards as he used it over and over at the clinic. Once he started using it in combat, the slow climb turned into a regular upwards tick.


    Feast of absolution was more useful in combat than he anticipated, as many monsters spawned in groups. He could use it on a monster right before finishing it off, replenishing himself on the afflictions he had placed on it himself. The injection of mana and stamina gave him the endurance to go full-bore through an extended fight, instead of needing to pace himself.


    Ability [Feast of Blood] (Blood) has reached Iron 1 (100%).Ability [Feast of Blood] (Blood) has advanced to Iron 2 (00%).


    It was usually during meditation that Jason¡¯s abilities broke through. He smiled with satisfaction, breaking his meditation and taking a sandwich from his inventory to munch on.


    His abilities grew stronger with each rank, although it was easier to see with some than others. His vision power, for example, not only increased his ability to see through darkness, but also his normal visual acuity. Colours were brighter, distant objects clearer. It was a concrete reminder of what all his efforts were for.


    He decided that after pushing himself so hard, he would take a few days to rest on returning to the city. He also wanted to look into obtaining more awakening stones. Until he awakened all of his abilities, he couldn¡¯t make any true progress toward bronze rank.


    Jason Asano


    Race: Outworlder.Current rank: iron.Progression to bronze rank: 0% (0/4 essences complete)


    Attributes


    [Power] (Blood): [Iron 0].[Speed] (Dark): [Iron 0].[Spirit] (Doom): [Iron 0].[Recovery] (Sin): [Iron 0].


    Racial Abilities (Outworlder)


    [Interface].[Quest System].[Inventory].[Map].[Astral Affinity].[Mysterious Stranger].


    Essences (4/4)


    Dark [Speed] (3/5)


    [Midnight Eyes] (special ability): [Iron 4] 39%.[Cloak of Night] (special ability): [Iron 3] 08%.[Path of Shadows] (special ability): [Iron 3] 21%.


    Blood [Power] (4/5)


    [Blood Harvest] (spell): [Iron 3] 04%.[Leech Bite] (special attack): [Iron 2] 89%.[Feast of Blood] (spell): [Iron 2] 00%.[Sanguine Horror] (familiar): [Iron 2] 16%.


    Sin [Recovery] (4/5)


    [Punish] (special attack): [Iron 2] 85%.[Feast of Absolution] (spell): [Iron 3] 96%.[Sin Eater] (special ability): [Iron 3] 21%.[Hegemony] (aura): [Iron 2] 67%.


    Doom [Spirit] (1/5)


    [Inexorable Doom] (spell): [Iron 2] 67%.


    He would only start down the path to bronze rank once all his essence abilities were awakened. Jason didn¡¯t feel put upon by his lack of awakening stones, as even Humphrey didn¡¯t have his full set of powers yet. According to Humphrey, it was Geller family tradition to supply their scions with enough awakening stones to get started, while the rest had to be earned.


    The Adventure Society was known to give out awakening stones for exceptional service, although rarely. Usually it was for unexpected success when a contract proved more difficult than expected. Some open contracts also offered stones as rewards for those with the greatest contributions. The competition would strongly drive performance.


    Otherwise, awakening stones could be purchased through brokers, almost always at auction. They came up semi-regularly, but the prices were exorbitant. Rufus advised him to be patient and work hard. The Adventure Society made sure stones found their way into the hands of good adventurers.


    Returning to the city in the morning, Jason stopped in at Jory¡¯s clinic before returning to his lodgings on the Island. Jason¡¯s inn was expensive, closer to a luxury hotel than the inns and hostels of the delta towns. Downstairs was a sumptuous lounge, dining hall and bar. When Jason entered the lounge from outside, he spotted the landlady, Madam Landry, berating a tall man in scholar¡¯s robes.


    ¡°¡­think you can sleep in my lounge area like it¡¯s a common flop house!¡±


    Clive was profusely apologising. Somehow his gangly height seemed lesser than the tiny woman scolding him.


    ¡°I fell asleep while awaiting an acquaintance,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m happy to pay the fee for a night,¡± he said.


    ¡°So you do think it¡¯s a flophouse!¡±


    ¡°No, good lady I can assure you that¡­


    Clive continued struggling until he spotted Jason, his eyes lighting up.


    ¡°Mr Asano!¡± he called out.


    Clive fled Madam Landry in Jason¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Here, good lady,¡± Clive said. ¡°This is my acquaintance, Mr Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s your acquaintance?¡± Jason said, voice and expression full of offence. ¡°After you slept with my wife?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Clive said, flustered, head swivelling between Jason and Madam Landry. ¡°Wait, you¡¯re not doing that to me again.¡±


    He jabbed a finger in Jason¡¯s direction.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even have a wife.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Jason said. ¡°She ran off with this tall bloke from the Magic Society.¡±


    ¡°You absconded with Mr Asano¡¯s wife and have the nerve to use my inn like some cheap tavern!¡± Madam Landry said.


    ¡°I never touched his wife!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m off upstairs for a rest, Madam Landry.¡± Jason said. ¡°Probably best if you showed him the door.¡±


    ¡°You have a good rest, Jason dear,¡± she said. ¡°I know you¡¯ve been working hard.¡±


    Clive watched Jason disappear up the stairs, and was shuffled outside by Madam Landry. He stood out on the street, looking at the door that had been closed in his face.


    ¡°What in the world is going on?¡±

 Chapter 65: Curious Urges

    Jason tugged his bowtie into shape in a large standing mirror.


    ¡°That¡¯s an unusual outfit,¡± Gary said. ¡°A bit more snug than I like. I think the locals have it right, fashion-wise.¡±


    They were in the lounge room of the suite shared by Rufus, Gary and Farrah. Gary was wearing evening wear that showed off all the colourful drapery favoured by Greenstone high society.


    ¡°I had Gilbert make it up,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s called a tuxedo.¡±


    Jason enjoyed the hang of a well-tailored suit, but he found himself missing his armour. He had been wearing it almost constantly, through battles and danger until it felt like a part of him. Still, a night at the symphony involved neither battles nor danger, so perhaps it was best to feel a little different. And even if it did, his tuxedo had some strengthening treatments and a few enchantment tricks to facilitate a quick escape, if necessary.


    ¡°Not enough colours,¡± Gary said, still eyeing off Jason¡¯s clothes.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Farrah said, emerging from her own room. ¡°Simple and elegant.¡±


    ¡°Why does Rufus always take the longest to get ready?¡± Gary asked. ¡°He doesn¡¯t even have hair. I¡¯m ready, I¡¯m pretty much all hair.¡±


    ¡°I remember not having hair,¡± Jason said. ¡°Didn¡¯t care for it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to be going out again,¡± Farrah said. Jason moved so she could take his place to check her outfit in the mirror.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Jason said. ¡°The program was in three parts, right? A nice, long evening at the symphony will be just the thing, I think.¡±


    "Danielle said she invited us because she thought you would enjoy it," Farrah said. "She knows you''ve been working hard."


    ¡°I ran into Humphrey out in the delta, yesterday,¡± Jason said. ¡°We did a job off a noticeboard together.¡±


    ¡°How was that?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Well, I stood there and he killed the monster immediately, so¡­ straightforward.¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s ready?¡± Rufus asked, stepping out of his room.


    ¡°Of course we¡¯re ready,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You¡¯re always the last one out.¡±


    ¡°Did you wax your head?¡± Gary asked Rufus.


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I did not wax my head.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Because it looks like you waxed your head.¡±


    ¡°There is something of a sheen to it,¡± Jason observed.


    ¡°Maybe I rubbed in a little moisturising treatment,¡± Rufus admitted.


    ¡°You did,¡± Gary said. ¡°You waxed your head.¡±


    ¡°I did not wax my head.¡±


    ¡°I think it looks nice,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Very shiny.¡±


    Unlike the theatre district, which was located in Old City, the Grand Concert Hall was very close to their lodgings in the guild district. They walked the short distance through the wide streets, the sun low, but still hanging in the summer sky. The concert hall was a magnificent, circular building that Jason walked past every day on his way to the Adventure Society campus. With two lengthy intermissions scheduled, Jason intended to take a look around between performances.


    They joined Danielle Geller and her son Humphrey in their private box. When the first interval arrived, the rest of the group headed in the direction of the drinking lounge restricted to private box holders. As they left, Danielle discreetly stopped Jason.


    ¡°I have a friend I would like you to meet,¡± she said quietly, handing him a piece of paper. ¡°I said you would find her during the first intermission. You won¡¯t make a liar of me, will you?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t pushing me into a box are you, Lady Geller?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t dare,¡± she said with a sly smile.


    As Danielle left him behind, Jason glanced at the piece of paper. It listed directions to a room on the second floor, one down from the Geller¡¯s third-floor private box. Walking through the hallways was like walking through an art gallery, with paintings and recessed sculptures carefully lit with delicate magical lighting.


    He found the room listed on the paper, where a plaque declared it the Edith Vane Memorial Conference Room. He frowned at the name. There was one aura that he could sense within, with the overpowering strength of silver rank. He considered knocking but just went in instead.


    The conference room looked like just that, with a long table surrounded by chairs. Soft lamps hung from the ceiling, filling the room with warm light. Along one wall, windows looked out over the city. The guild district was mostly low buildings, with the Adventure and Magic Society campuses looming large, along with the concert hall itself. The sun had set during the first performance and street lamps lit thoroughfares below, lighting up the bustling nightlife.


    The room¡¯s single occupant had her back to him as she looked out over the city. She wore a formal dress in the local style; a loose draping of layered colours, cinched with flattering strategy. Chestnut hair spilled down her back, with a pair of tapered ears poking out to reveal her as an elf. Jason couldn¡¯t have hidden his presence if he wanted to, but she gave no reaction to his entrance at all.


    Jason took a bottle and a glass from his inventory, pouring out a measure of sweet, green liqueur.


    ¡°Drink?¡± he offered.


    She held out a hand without turning around. The glass tugged itself from Jason¡¯s grip and flew across the room into hers, without so much as spilling a drop.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said and took a sip. ¡°This is one of Mr Norwich¡¯s private concoctions. He¡¯s a friend of a friend, yes?¡±


    ¡°He is,¡± Jason said. Norwich was an alchemist friend of Jory¡¯s who had been trying to brew a drink that would get through Jason¡¯s poison resistance. Norwich didn¡¯t want to turn to bronze-rank ingredients, partly as a challenge and partly to prevent a bronze-rank hangover.


    Jason took out another glass and poured a drink for himself, then wandered over to stand next to the woman. He looked out at the city instead of at her.


    ¡°Do you know who I am, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°I only really know the one elf. We don¡¯t get along.¡±


    ¡°The priestess of purity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Jason said. ¡°Very severe woman. Powerful, Aryan vibe. Sexy, but you know you really shouldn¡¯t. Like an evil lady torturer.¡±


    ¡°You think speaking a little nonsense is going to put me off kilter?¡±


    ¡°You think bringing me to a room named after a family I killed half of will do the same to me?¡±


    She turned to look at him, then back to the window.


    "Forty-one contracts in eighteen days, if we count adventure board notices," she said. "You''ve been a busy man."


    ¡°It feels like I have a lot of catching up to do.¡±


    ¡°Can you keep this pace up?¡±


    ¡°Not unless someone makes me a magical scooter.¡±


    ¡°Is that some manner of transport from your world?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think it would be nice. Riding along the embankment roads, the wind in my face.¡±


    ¡°I did hear about your distaste for heidels. Quite unusual, for an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Eccentricity is the prerogative of the wealthy and powerful. I barely qualify for either, but I¡¯m working on it.¡±


    ¡°Then you should make more lucrative investments than in a man who has dedicated his life to healing the poor.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll muddle through,¡± Jason said. ¡°Did you want anything more than to point out how much attention you¡¯re paying, Director? This intermission won¡¯t last forever.¡±


    Elspeth Arella was director of the Greenstone Branch of the Adventure Society. Rufus had pointed her out, along with any number of other local notables, during their spate of social outings the month previous.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find, Mr Asano, that these intermissions last as long as certain people want them to.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m satisfied with how you have been conducting yourself since joining the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°Awakening stone satisfied?¡±


    ¡°I would not take your self-satisfaction as a reasonable measure of mine, Mr Asano. I especially do not care for some mid-level Magic Society functionary contacting my office to request a meeting with a member of my society, one not even a month clear of assessment."


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t they just come and find me directly?¡± Jason asked innocently.


    She turned to give him a withering glare, her aura crushing his into the floor. He nonchalantly sipped at his drink, still looking out the window.


    "Take a break from contracts for a little while, Mr Asano. You''ve been clearing out the backlog I use to prod some of our members who don''t share your work ethic. I will see you are assigned appropriate contracts; just check the desk at the jobs hall. If you do well, you can expect to see a second star in the near future."


    ¡°You¡¯re the boss,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as a man who pays much heed to authority,¡± she told him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not big on abdicating moral responsibility,¡± he said.


    She drained the glass and handed it back to him.


    ¡°You have a taste for the sweet things, Mr Asano. You drink like an elf.¡±


    ¡°You can knock back the plonk pretty well,¡± Jason said. ¡°You drink like an Aussie.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what an ¡®Aussie¡¯ is,¡± she said.


    ¡°I am, Director. I am.¡±


    ¡°A friend of yours,¡± Jason whispered to Danielle as he took a seat back in the viewing box.


    ¡°A new friend,¡± Danielle said, ¡°but I think, a good one.¡±


    The art-lined public corridors of the concert hall worked their way around the circular building. There were plenty of concert goers taking in the art during the second intermission, Jason included. Drink in hand, he meandered down a hallway, alone. He stopped to consider a painting of a barren desert wasteland. It was impressionistic in style, reminding Jason of his earliest days in his new world. A woman joined him in examining it. He spared her a glance before turning back to the picture.


    He sensed no aura from her at all. His aura senses weren¡¯t the sharpest, but to hide it completely meant she was probably higher rank than he was. She looked to be in her early twenties, by which point any decent adventurer hit bronze rank. Not many got a late start like Jason. She had the olive skin of a local, her delicate features an effortless, dangerous beauty. Dark hair cascaded over her shoulders to a gown that was elegance in cream silk.


    ¡°Mediocre,¡± the woman critiqued the painting in front of them. ¡°They hang the superior works in the restricted lounges.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± Jason said. ¡°It looks how the desert feels.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve spent some time there?¡± she asked.


    ¡°A little,¡± Jason said. ¡°It reminds me of parts of my homeland.¡±


    ¡°And where is that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Very far from here,¡± he said wistfully.


    She turned her head towards him.


    ¡°You¡¯re Jason Asano.¡±


    Jason kept his eyes on the painting.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you understand how introductions work,¡± he said. ¡°I already know who I am.¡±


    She frowned, and he felt a bronze-rank aura blaze out to suppress his own. He had been told that was the very height of rudeness, but he kept being subjected to it. He thought there might be a lesson there, but he had no interest in learning it. Absently, he wondered if he was becoming a masochist.


    ¡°A beautiful woman invading my personal space,¡± he said, unconcerned. ¡°Should I be scared or delighted?¡±


    The corners of his mouth turned up in a sly smile.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± he mused, ¡°the most delicious choice would be both.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to get slapped?¡± the woman asked him.


    He turned his head to face her.


    ¡°Would you think less of me if I said yes?¡± he asked.


    She arched an eyebrow.


    ¡°My name is Cassandra Mercer,¡± she said.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jason said, turning back to the painting. ¡°Now I see.¡±


    ¡°See what?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh really?¡±


    ¡°If Thadwick had sent you,¡± Jason said, ¡°then this would be an alley and you would be much less pretty. I imagine you are here at your mother¡¯s behest. You strike me as someone very good at satiating urges of curiosity.¡±


    ¡°If I struck you, Mr Asano, you¡¯d know all about it. And speaking of my mother, I¡¯ve heard you said some unkind things in her regard.¡±


    Jason turned again from the painting to give her a sheepish smile.


    ¡°For that,¡± he said, ¡°please convey my unreserved apologies. I didn¡¯t know who your brother was at the time, and he actually asked me if I knew who his father was. You don¡¯t walk away from a line like that.¡±


    ¡°A man of dignity would.¡±


    Jason let out a sinister chuckle.


    ¡°Yes, I imagine one would.¡±


    ¡°I did make some discreet inquiries about you,¡± Cassandra acknowledged. ¡°There was enticingly little to find. You have me at a disadvantage.¡±


    Jason raised his eyebrows at that claim.


    ¡°Miss Mercer, you have power, influence, connections, wealth and knowledge. What possible advantage could I have over you?¡±


    ¡°Mystery,¡± she said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the greatest advantage?¡±


    ¡°Mystery is an illusory shield,¡± Jason said. ¡°The moment the veil is pierced, your vulnerabilities become exposed. And there is only one arena in which vulnerability becomes a weapon.¡±


    ¡°And what arena is that?¡± she asked.


    His face showed disappointment.


    ¡°It¡¯s truly a shame you have to ask,¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯ll excuse me, I believe the intermission will end soon.¡±


    He left without looking back. She watched him walk away, a contemplative expression on her face. She left in the other direction.


    In their family¡¯s private booth, Cassandra sat down next to her mother. Thalia Mercer looked more like her daughter¡¯s sister than her parent, the age-defying power of her silver-rank essences.


    ¡°Well?¡± Thalia asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s dangerous,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Don¡¯t let Thadwick anywhere near him.¡±


    ¡°Thadwick isn¡¯t the problem,¡± Thalia said. ¡°The problem is how much trouble your father will cause to salve your brother¡¯s pride. You know how he is about his male heir.¡±


    ¡°That could be a concern given Asano¡¯s connection to Rufus Remore,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Have you found out any more about his background?¡±


    ¡°I have confirmed that Remore is training him,¡± Thalia said, ¡°with no small amount of dedication. As for where Asano came from, it¡¯s like he fell out of the sky.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard something else,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to say anything until I confirmed it.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll recall that Remore and his companions undertook an expedition out of the city,¡± Cassandra said.


    ¡°The Vane problem,¡± Thalia said. ¡°I always disliked Cressida.¡±


    ¡°They went at the behest of the Church of Purity. Took one of the church¡¯s healers along with them. A girl from the Lasalle family.¡±


    ¡°You know her?¡±


    ¡°I do. Anisa. Zealous girl. Dangerously committed.¡±


    ¡°What does she have to say?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t approach her directly,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°She thinks I comport myself in a sinful manner.¡±


    ¡°I should hope so,¡± Thalia said. ¡°That¡¯s where all the fun is.¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m hearing from my sources in the church of purity,¡± Cassandra said, ¡°is that Anisa left Remore¡¯s group after some stranger with dark powers joined them.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Thalia said. ¡°That fits with something I heard about Remore believing he bungled the contract. That he would have failed if not for the intervention of someone else.¡±


    ¡°I heard much the same,¡± Cassandra said, ¡°but how could that be Asano? I¡¯ve already confirmed that he came to the city with no skills at all. Remore and his companions trained Asano for weeks just to get him to a minimum standard.¡±


    ¡°You said dark powers,¡± Thalia said. ¡°Asano is an affliction specialist.¡±


    ¡°Certainly enough to put a priestess of Purity right off,¡± Cassandra said, ¡°but there are still incongruities. My instincts tell me there¡¯s more to this.¡±


    ¡°Trust your instincts, dear,¡± Thalia said. ¡°Find out what you can.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Steps have already been taken.¡±


    ¡°For the moment,¡± Thalia said, ¡°is it worth you taking the time to beguile him?¡±


    ¡°It might be worth the effort,¡± Cassandra said, ¡°but not worth the risk.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Thalia prompted.


    ¡°He treated the full suppression of my aura like it was the pleasant cool of the evening.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly unusual,¡± Thalia said. ¡°And you aren¡¯t normally so crude as to use your aura like that.¡±


    ¡°I was trying to throw him off-balance,¡± Cassandra said, ¡°but there¡¯s something strange about him. It¡¯s like he lives off-balance. Talking with him feels like teetering on the edge of something I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    Thalia glanced at her daughter from under an arched eyebrow.


    ¡°What?¡± Cassandra asked.


    ¡°Nothing, dear,¡± Thalia said, turning her gaze to the stage, a slight smile playing across her lips. They sat in silence for a few moments before Cassandra spoke again.


    ¡°Mother?¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear?¡±


    ¡°When does vulnerability become a weapon?¡±


    Thalia chuckled, quietly, prompting an irritated look from Cassandra.


    ¡°Vulnerability is a weapon of seduction, dear,¡± Thalia said. ¡°Tricky to use, but devastating, if wielded well. Perhaps Thadwick isn¡¯t the only one I should keep away from this young man.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Mother.¡±

 Chapter 81: Crazy Desperation Move

    Jason looked around and saw that multiple sand skimmers were converging on the three occupied by his group. Compared to their own skimmers, the ones pursuing them were made for passengers rather than cargo, with extra seats and awnings to shield them from the sun. Jason grinned, knowing they were about to pay for the comfort the shade offered them. The other skimmers were also faster, not weighed down by shipments of coin.


    ¡°I can¡¯t feel their auras at this distance,¡± Jason called out. He had to speak loudly over the air rushing through the propulsion ring of the skimmer.


    ¡°Me neither,¡± Humphrey said.


    Gabrielle, in the seat next to Humphrey, stood up. The speed of the skimmer didn¡¯t seem to bother her as she stood solid as a rock, head swivelling around.


    ¡°Eight enemy skimmers,¡± she said. ¡°Each one has seven or eight people, most of which have at least one essence, with either one or two iron rankers per skimmer. No bronze rankers.¡±


    The team¡¯s skimmers were running side-by-side, while the enemy skimmers were closing in on the back and side of their formation.


    ¡°Which one do you want?¡± Jason asked Humphrey.


    Humphrey pointed out the pair of skimmers behind them.


    ¡°Stash and I will take one each,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the two coming in on our left then,¡± Jason called out.


    ¡°Can you get over to them?¡± Humphrey asked.


    "No worries," Jason said as his cloak appeared around his body. Then the cloak was empty as Jason appeared under the shade awning of one of the skimmers, where he got his first good look at the pirates. They were human, ethnically distinct from the humans that dominated Greenstone. They looked, to Jason''s eyes, more like African natives, with darker skin and wild shocks of curly hair.


    Jason¡¯s sudden appearance in their midst startled the passengers of the enemy skimmer. Before they could react, Jason pushed back the protective sheath on a razor tied to the inside of his forearm. He sliced the back of his hand with it and aimed the shallow cut at the pirates. Leeches sprayed from the wound, scattering over the pirates closely packed together on the skimmer. They immediately went wild with panic.


    The driver hadn''t seen Jason''s appearance, only hearing his fellows react before feeling a couple of leeches latch onto his skull. This prompted the wild swerving that was noticed by the other nearby skimmer, which moved closer to investigate.


    As sand pirates screamed panic around him, clutching at the leeches crawling onto them, Jason steadied himself by gripping one of the poles that held up the awning. With his other hand he took out one of his bandolier darts; one with a red cord grip. He saw the second skimmer closing in and tried to gauge its pace as it moved over the sand. Conveniently, it was approaching in a straight line.


    Jason threw the dart, which struck the sand right in front of the skimmer. It sailed over the dart, which exploded underneath it. There wasn¡¯t enough force to do more than superficial damage, but it pushed up the skimmer¡¯s back end, tipping the front end down in turn. The front of the skimmer dug into the sand, but the skimmer¡¯s speed didn¡¯t halt the momentum. The skimmer flipped over, flying through the air before landing upside down.


    Jason''s own skimmer was slowing down as the driver focused on removing leeches from his head and back. Jason used the leaping power of his boots to jump out as his cloak manifested around him. He drifted gently down to the sand. He glanced over at the skimmer haphazardly moving away from him, confident that Team Colin could handle a few sand pirates.


    He turned his attention to the flipped-over skimmer. The poles that held up the awning were never designed to hold the skimmer¡¯s weight and collapsed. The propulsion ring had warped and was no longer blowing out air, but it maintained enough integrity to prop the skimmer up at an angle.


    Some of the pirates had been tossed free as the skimmer flipped, and he could see others struggling to crawl out from under it. Jason drew his dagger and moved in to finish them before they recovered.


    When Jason teleported away from his team¡¯s skimmer, Humphrey stood up, Stash the lizard tucked into one arm. He pointed at one of the skimmers behind them.


    ¡°Drop,¡± he commanded, then threw the lizard high into the air. Stash turned into a small bird, fluttering in the direction Humphrey had pointed. As the skimmer passed under it, Stash turned from a bird into an enormous sand shab, as large as the skimmer itself.


    Under the shade awning, the sand pirates didn''t see the tiny bird transform into a monster that crashed down on them. They were just pressed into the bottom of the skimmer by a massive, unknown weight. The skimmer itself was built for speed rather than heavy cargo, and the magic holding it aloft was overcome. It splashed into the sand, landing flat and heavy so it didn''t flip. The propulsion ring whining loudly before cutting out as the skimmer came to an abrupt stop. Stash sat on top of it, his crustacean legs squatting over the sides.


    The moment he had released Stash into the air, Humphrey turned to Gabrielle.


    ¡°Protect the skimmer?¡± he asked.


    She nodded and he teleported away. Instead of putting himself onto a skimmer like Jason, he appeared directly in front of one. He stared at the driver, who glared back and aimed the skimmer right for him.


    Humphrey''s huge, wing-shaped sword appeared in his hands. Its length was the equal of Humphrey''s considerable height and his feet dug into the sand as he braced to swing its enormous weight. He gathered the power within himself, ready to unleash his strongest special attack. As the skimmer came upon him at speed, he made a huge overhead swing, bringing the blade crashing down.


    The sword smashed through the awning, through the driver, through two of the pirates behind the driver, through the base of the skimmer and buried itself in the sand. The skimmer stopped dead, the front half split down the middle and jammed into the ground with the sword. The propulsion ring cut out and the passengers, dead or alive, were tossed forward by momentum, sailing past Humphrey to be dumped in the sand.


    The sword was buried to the hilt in sand, so Humphrey let the magically-constructed object disappear. He conjured a new sword into his right hand, this one much smaller. Like his larger sword, it was highly stylised, but instead of a dragon''s wing, it looked like that of an angel, the blade assembled from feathers of razor-edged silver and gold. He levelled it at the pirates, groaning where they had fallen in the sand. From their dark skin and wild hair, he could see they were northerners, so he spoke to them in their language.


    ¡°I am now accepting surrender.¡±


    The team regrouped after all eight of the attacking skimmers were destroyed. Humphrey and Jason took out two each on their side, while on the other, the bronze rank Ernest had dealt with three. The final pirate skimmer had an encounter with Mose''s fire vortex bomb, being reduced to a shattered wreck of warped metal.


    Jason stood over the bodies of the men he had killed, looking grimly down at them. Sparring with Humphrey and Rufus had given him an inflated opinion of average skill levels, and finishing the pirates who survived the crash had been contemptuously easy. Too easy, for taking a life. He tapped a boot to one of them.


    [Ustei Raider] has no loot.


    He made his way to where the other skimmer had drifted to a stop. The pirates were all dead, courtesy of Colin. Where the corpses weren¡¯t pale and drained, they were blackened with rot. He cut his hand with the forearm razor, holding it out for the leeches to return. The cut quickly closed afterwards, as if it had never been there at all.


    The cargo skimmers turned back to pick up Jason, Humphrey and Ernest, who had all left the skimmers to fight. Humphrey was the last to be picked up, waiting next to the ruins of a skimmer with four prisoners on their knees in front of him.


    Jason and Gabrielle hopped off the skimmer as it pulled to a stop. Gabrielle moved to Humphrey¡¯s side, while Jason examined the wreckage of the pirate skimmer. He could see it had been split down the middle and driven into the ground with a single, ludicrous blow.


    ¡°What did this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Special attack,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s called unstoppable force.¡±


    ¡°I can see why,¡± Jason said.


    Another skimmer arrived, Ernest and Phoebe stepping off to join the others.


    ¡°Did you get anything out of them?¡± Ernest asked, nodding at the pirates.


    ¡°They¡¯re all northerners,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Ustei Tribe nomads, from the hair and clothes. I have no idea what they¡¯re doing this far south, and they aren¡¯t talking.¡±


    ¡°Why would they attack a spirit coin convoy?¡± Phoebe asked. ¡°If they knew enough to intercept it, then they had to know it would be covered in adventurers. That¡¯s a crazy desperation move.¡±


    The four prisoners knelt in the hot sand, glaring up at their captors.


    ¡°Do they look like beaten men to you?¡± Ernest asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Phoebe said.


    ¡°Could be just courage,¡± Ernest said, ¡°but maybe take a look around, Humphrey.¡±


    Humphrey nodded, vanishing as he teleported high into the air. Dragons wings appeared on his back, holding him aloft as he looked around. From this high, he could see the city and the green of the delta. In the other direction, some of the spirit coin farms. Closer, he saw something moving over the sand. At first glance, he thought it was an enormous monster with three heads, but he realised it was some kind of highly-stylised vehicle. Too big for any monster lower than silver rank, there was a rigidity to its motion. It moved smoothly over the sand, like a humongous sand skimmer. He let himself drop, using his wings to slow down as he neared the ground.


    ¡°Anything?¡± Ernest asked.


    ¡°Sand barge,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Very big. We should get ready for another fight.¡±

 Chapter 82: Choices

    ¡°I like the enthusiasm,¡± Ernest said to Humphrey, ¡°but we shouldn¡¯t immediately rush to battle. What do you think, Phoebe?¡±


    ¡°Our options are run or fight,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°Their skimmers may have been faster than ours, but there¡¯s no way a sand barge would catch us.¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Humphrey?¡± Ernest asked.


    ¡°That barge was larger than any vehicle I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of the nomad tribe barges, and this was everything promised. I¡¯d be willing to bet their whole tribe is onboard.¡±


    ¡°How would you approach fighting it then?¡± Ernest asked.


    ¡°The barge will have their strongest people,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯ll definitely be outnumbered, and we don¡¯t have a healer. On the other hand, this first group may well have been trying to drive us into a waiting ambush. If we run, only to fall into the lap of a larger, stronger team, the sand barge will catch us up when we¡¯re at our greatest disadvantage. If we¡¯re going to fight, it has to be on our terms.


    ¡°Do you think that¡¯s likely?¡± Ernest asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see anyone else from up in the sky,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but a shovel and some canvas sheeting can make you almost invisible out here.¡±


    ¡°So what action do you suggest?¡± Ernest asked.


    ¡°Attack the barge,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The nomad tribes get by on shock-raids with huge numbers and a reputation for atrocity. They think tactics are for cowards and equipment is for the weak.¡±


    Humphrey bent down and picked up a claw weapon he had taken from one of the prisoners, holding it up.


    ¡°They use weapons like this, or even none at all,¡± he said. ¡°The nomad tribes are fearsome to an isolated community, but every time I¡¯ve heard of them coming up against a trained and equipped group they get torn apart. Including this time. Something made them desperate enough to come south and attack a guarded convoy, but that didn¡¯t change the result.¡±


    Humphrey looked out in the direction the barge was approaching from.


    ¡°We take the initiative,¡± he said. ¡°Put them on the back foot, when they¡¯re used to being on the front foot. We move fast, hit hard and take them apart before they can regroup.¡±


    Ernest gave Humphrey an appraising look.


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed, Hump,¡± he said. ¡°I thought for sure you¡¯d say run.¡±


    Humphrey cast a panicked look at Jason, wincing as Jason¡¯s face lit up like a child just handed an unexpected present.


    ¡°Did he just call you Hump?¡± Jason asked Humphrey.


    Humphrey let out a sobbing groan.


    ¡°Are we doing what Hump suggested?¡± Jason asked Ernest. ¡°If we''re going to follow Hump''s plan the way Hump laid it out, we need to get moving, don''t we, Hump?¡±


    ¡°I hate you,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, Hump,¡± Jason said with a consoling slap on the back.


    ¡°If you¡¯re quite done?¡± Ernest asked Jason.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me and Hump,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Please stop saying Hump,¡± Humphrey begged.


    ¡°No worries, Hump. I¡¯ve got your back.¡±


    Ernest looked around the group.


    ¡°Staging an attack like this is outside my purview as team-leader. I will not order any of you to participate. If anyone has any thoughts, let''s hear them.¡±


    Jason smiled to himself. He could see Ernest had already made up his mind and was just creating a teaching moment.


    ¡°Do we even have time to stand around discussing this?¡± Gabrielle asked.


    ¡°Humphrey?¡± Ernest asked.


    ¡°With the speed it was moving,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°we have five-to-ten minutes before the barge gets here.¡±


    ¡°Do we even know they¡¯re with these people?¡± Mose asked. ¡°It sounds like that barge is far away.¡±


    ¡°We weren¡¯t making a straight line back to the city,¡± Ernest said. ¡°That¡¯s specifically to avoid interception. They needed fast skimmers to catch us, but they couldn¡¯t handle the weight of the coins. The most likely scenario is that the faster skimmers moved to intercept us, with the slower barge following to pick up the loot.¡±


    ¡°That leaves the question of whether we move towards it or away,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Anyone?¡± Ernest asked. His gaze went over the group, who looked largely uncertain. When no one spoke up, Ernest looked to Jason, who was standing around with a casual lack of concern. He was also older than the other team members, even Ernest himself.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Ernest said. ¡°What is your assessment?¡±


    ¡°The instinctive reaction might be to neutralise the threat,¡± Jason said, ¡°but that isn¡¯t the job. We¡¯re not out here to catch pirates or wipe out bandit clans. That¡¯ll be the job they send the next group on. We¡¯re here to escort the coins. Attacking an unknown force with unknown capabilities significantly impacts the likelihood of the actual mission going wrong. I say we just get on the skimmers and go.¡±


    ¡°And if they have an intercepting force?¡± Ernest asked.


    ¡°Then we handle it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We did handle this lot quickly enough,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°We¡¯d most likely handle the next before the barge caught up. I vote we stay on task.¡±


    ¡°Same here,¡± Mose said. ¡°That barge isn¡¯t an immediate threat to anyone but us.¡±


    ¡°That''s true,¡± Humphrey acknowledged. ¡°The only things out here are the spirit coin farms. Even if there''s a whole clan of nomads on that barge, there''s no way they''d get past the walls.¡±


    Ernest looked around the group again.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Humphrey, I love that you''re thinking more actively, but you also have to know when to temper that drive. Everyone back on the skimmers; we¡¯re heading for the city.¡±


    ¡°What about the prisoners?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re your prisoners, Humphrey,¡± Ernest said. ¡°Your decision.¡±


    ¡°Leave them here,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Let their friends come for them.¡±


    The potential interdicting force never appeared and the skimmers reached a relay station at the edge of the delta without further incident. The coins were loaded from the skimmers to heavy, armoured carriages. These were the kind driven by magic rather than drawn by animals. Clive Standish was on hand as the Magic Society representative to inspect the coin boxes for tampering and check the carriages.


    With him was a team of guards belonging to the Duke of Greenstone. Most essence users in Greenstone were a part of the Adventure Society, but the largest group in Greenstone who weren¡¯t was the Duke of Greenstone''s household guard. They would be escorting the carriages through the delta roads to the city, where they would be stored in city-controlled warehouses for distribution and export.


    The spirit coin trade was the largest source of income in Greenstone, with many of the major local powers involved. The Geller and Mercer families produced the coins, the Adventure Society brought them in from the wilderness. The Duke of Greenstone saw to their dispensation, managed by the Magic Society.


    ¡°G¡¯day Clive,¡± Jason said, approaching the Magic Society official.


    ¡°Good afternoon,¡± Clive greeted, not turning away from his work. He was bent down checking the underside of a carriage.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There was an incident several years ago where the carriages were tampered with,¡± Clive said. ¡°They were modified by some rather sophisticated artifice to suborn the magic that drives them. The drivers lost control and the carriages drove themselves away.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of awesome,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Clive said, glancing up with a grin. ¡°The perpetrator was never caught, which is a shame; I¡¯d love to discuss how they did it. That was before my time, though.¡±


    ¡°So why bother with all this?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Why not just get someone with a storage power to stow the coins and move them.¡±


    ¡°There have been incidents in the past where the coins that went into the storage weren¡¯t the ones that came out,¡± Clive said. ¡°It happened enough times in enough coins farms around the world that now everyone uses secure transport crates.¡±


    ¡°That was a long time ago,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They changed the system here when my mother was still a girl.¡±


    ¡°Are those skimmer drivers going to be alright to go back?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, they¡¯ll stay until the barge is taken care of, then go back with another escort, just in case. In the meantime, they get some unexpected time at home with their families.¡±


    ¡°Too bad we didn¡¯t have another driver,¡± Jason said. ¡°We could have salvaged that intact skimmer for some extra coin.¡±


    ¡°The only one not destroyed was full of bodies that looked like they¡¯d been out there for weeks,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t make someone drive that thing.¡±


    ¡°Good point. You want to get some juice after this? I¡¯m all out, but Arash said he¡¯d be at the Magic Society campus.¡±


    Humphrey leaned in closer, speaking quietly.


    ¡°Actually, I was thinking I could maybe ask Gabrielle,¡± he said nervously.


    Clive and Jason shared a glance and Jason put a hand on Humphrey¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°Go with God, my son.¡±


    Humphrey frowned in confusion.


    ¡°Which god? Do you mean the god of fertility? The one with all the provocative murals? I''m not looking to take things that far.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what god is this?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Should I be checking out these murals?¡±


    Jason wandered into Rufus, Farrah and Gary¡¯s suite, crashing down on a comfortable sofa. Farrah was at the dining table, which had a half-dozen open books on it. She was scribbling in a notebook, occasionally looking up to read a passage or turn a page. She looked consumed in her work, so he didn¡¯t interrupt.


    After a few minutes, Jason heard the sounds of books closing and Farrah joined him in the lounge area, dropping into a plush armchair.


    ¡°The furniture they have here is amazing,¡± she said, luxuriating in the chair. ¡°I wonder where they get it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a craftsman out in the delta,¡± Jason said. ¡°He uses all local materials.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°Madam Landry told me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The landlady?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°How do you get along with people so well when you seem bound and determined to annoy them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rich people,¡± Jason said. ¡°Aristocrats and such. Why would I mess with decent, ordinary people? Madam Landry is a small business owner who works very hard to run a quality establishment. I have nothing but respect for that.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re a rich person,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°And am deserving of challenge, as such,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know Humphrey took me to task the other day. Once I cooled off, I realised that there was some insight in parts of what he said.¡±


    ¡°Self-awareness after the fact does seem to be a pattern for you,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I''ve been on the receiving end of that myself.¡±


    ¡°You were right then, too,¡± Jason said wearily. ¡°What you said about killing people.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen on your job today?¡±


    ¡°We were attacked,¡± Jason said. ¡°I killed, I don''t know. A dozen people?¡±


    ¡°How are you taking that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Better than I''d like, to be honest,¡± he said. ¡°It was easy. I don''t mean the fighting, although, that too, but the killing. It should feel harder, shouldn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Adventurers have to be ready to act without hesitation,¡± she said. ¡°Honing that reflex to kill probably isn¡¯t good for the soul, but it¡¯ll keep you alive.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I wasn¡¯t warned,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rufus told me going in there would be a price. When he said that, I thought I could be different. The guy who doesn¡¯t kill. It was breathtakingly na?ve. Now, I don¡¯t know what to think. How I feel about it doesn¡¯t match what I think I should feel about it. I killed people, but I¡¯m being honest with myself¡­  I had fun, today.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has to find their own balance,¡± Farrah said. ¡°For me, it¡¯s about deserve. If I kill someone, then they had it coming. I know you didn¡¯t like that we killed those cultists we captured when we cleared out the Vane house, but they definitely had it coming. But that¡¯s my answer. You have to find your own.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I think¡­¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°I want my choices to make things better, rather than worse.¡±


    ¡°You want to be responsible for your own actions,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I can respect that.¡±


    ¡°I think about Thadwick Mercer more than I should,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Why in the world would you think about him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve kind of shown him up a couple of times,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s just so witless and malevolent that I don¡¯t feel bad about using him. It¡¯s very satisfying. But an entitled guy like that, you make him feel even a little powerless and he¡¯ll take it out on the people he has power over. How many members of the Mercer household staff were raked over the coals because I couldn¡¯t help getting a few jabs in? What did those offsiders of his have to put up with after Thadwick made them refuse a contract?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t imagine your intervention was required to get that boy to treat his people badly,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°But expand that out,¡± Jason said. ¡°Choices have consequences, and I¡¯m making life and death choices, now. How many fathers did I kill today? How many brothers, how many sons?¡±


    Farrah pushed herself out of the chair and sat next to Jason on the couch.


    ¡°I think that as long as you keep asking yourself those questions,¡± she said, ¡°then you¡¯re going to be alright.¡±


    They heard laughter coming from outside the room, and the door opened to let in Rufus and Vincent, the Adventure Society official with the enormous moustache. They were both slightly unsteady, and Rufus had a bottle of wine in hand.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Rufus said with the happiness of drink. ¡°How did the job go?¡±


    ¡°Well enough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Rufus said. He wandered over to the door to the balcony and went outside, Vincent in tow. Both men were normally more formal, so it was easy to spot the easy intimacy in their body language.


    ¡°When did that happen?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°A while ago,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You¡¯ve been keeping yourself busy.¡±


    ¡°I guess I have,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Coming to this city has been good for him,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He¡¯s more relaxed; there aren¡¯t as many eyes on him. It¡¯s hard to do better when everyone is watching your mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Good for him,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know, I might go call on Cassandra. I could use a night out.¡±

 Chapter 83: It Makes No Difference to the Ant

    Jason spotted Phoebe Geller as he was walking through the grounds of the Adventure Society campus. She gave him a wave and approached.


    ¡°There¡¯s an expedition being set up to go after that sand barge,¡± she told him after they exchanged greetings. ¡°We¡¯re going to find out what the Ustei tribe are doing this far south and stop them from raiding any more spirit coin shipments. It¡¯s a big group, with a silver rank in charge. Want me to get you on the list?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Jason said.


    She flashed him a pretty smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give Humphrey the details; he¡¯ll find you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± Jason said.


    They parted ways and Jason entered the administration building. Albert was on the front desk, directing Jason to a part of the building he¡¯d never been in before. He arrived at what looked like an outer office, with an official seated behind a desk, next to a door that led further on. The woman was reading a book, glancing up as Jason came in. She glanced down at a sheet of paper on her desk.


    "Mr Asano?" she asked, with a friendly smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± he said.


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be long,¡± she said. ¡°Please take a seat.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    She gestured to a pair of chairs up against the wall, one of which was occupied by an attractive young elf woman. Her appearance was quite different from Anisa, who looked like Nazis had grown her in a lab. This elf had the same willowy figure, but tawny skin and vibrant green eyes. Chestnut hair spilled down over her shoulders. Her clothes were in the loose-fit, local style. Jason had been around enough now to spot the quality make and materials, but they were simple and didn¡¯t flaunt their undoubtedly expensive price.


    She was looking him over in turn and gave him a smile as he sat down next to her. He had met enough elves by this point to recognise her age at eighteen or nineteen, which meshed with her iron rank aura.


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± he said as he sat down, offering his hand to the elf, who shook it.


    ¡°I know,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the recording of you taking Rick Geller¡¯s team apart.¡±


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not as good as that recording makes out,¡± Jason said. ¡°That situation was weighted very heavily in my favour. Also, I don¡¯t have evil powers.¡±


    She laughed.


    ¡°You went one against five with a Geller family team,¡± she said. ¡°Some would argue that no situation could be weighted heavily enough.¡±


    ¡°The circumstances always matter,¡± Jason said. ¡°We have a saying where I come from: better lucky than good. Luck has saved my life more than once.¡±


    "Sounds like an exciting life," she said. "I''m Beth Cavendish, by the way."


    ¡°The excitement is a new development,¡± Jason said. ¡°Are you related to Mose Cavendish?¡±


    ¡°My cousin,¡± she said, nodding at the door next to the desk. ¡°I¡¯m waiting for him now. He says good things about you, by the way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very nice of him,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was really impressed by that crazy vortex power of his.¡±


    ¡°He mentioned you were a bit odd. Something about being from another world, and also, cannibals.¡±


    ¡°That would be the exciting new development I mentioned.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you became involved with Rufus Remore?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It was,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know Rufus?¡±


    ¡°He conducted my field assessment,¡± she said.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t fail you, did he?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said, with a confident smile. ¡°He passed my whole team.¡±


    ¡°Your whole team? He only gave six people a pass, right?¡±


    ¡°Four of which were my team,¡± she said. ¡°The others were those two who follow Thadwick Mercer around. Such a waste of talent.¡±


    ¡°Rufus said the same thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is Mose on your team?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Beth said. ¡°Mose is a little inconsistent to pass a Rufus Remore assessment. He¡¯s great when everything is going right, but needs a little help when things get sticky.¡±


    The door next to the woman at the desk opened to admit Mose Cavendish into the room, looking rather flustered. Jason and Beth both stood up.


    ¡°Jason?¡± Mose said.


    ¡°G¡¯day, Mose.¡±


    "You can go in now, Mr Asano," the woman behind the desk said.


    "No worries," Jason told her, nodding to Beth.


    ¡°Lovely to meet you, Beth Cavendish,¡± he said. ¡°Always a pleasure, Mose.¡±


    They made quick farewells and Jason went through the door. On the other side was a chamber that looked similar to a courtroom, but one that was almost empty. There was a long, high judge¡¯s bench, but all the seating for lawyers, prosecutors, plaintiffs and gallery were replaced with a solitary chair in the centre of the room.


    Three people were already sitting behind the bench. In the middle was the director of the Adventure Society, the elf, Elspeth Arella. Jason had only spoken with her the once, although he had spotted her from time to time at social events. To her left was Vincent, who Jason had last seen doing the walk of shame from the suite across the hall. To her right was another elf, an elderly woman. All three of them were looking at him with blank expressions.


    Jason looked around, then plopped down in the chair.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t say you could sit,¡± the elderly elf said.


    Jason gave her a casual nod of acknowledgement.


    ¡°You¡¯re forgiven,¡± he said, her lips thinning as she heard his response.


    ¡°I have found that people in your position tend to show us respect,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°And I find people in your position,¡± Jason countered, ¡°tend to confuse respect with obedience. Would you rather I come in here acting the way I think you want me to act?¡±


    He gestured to himself.


    ¡°What you see is what you get. Do you think dishonesty is more respectful than the truth?¡±


    Vincent was rolling his eyes, while Elspeth Arella¡¯s eyes twinkled with amusement. The woman asking the questions remained stony-faced.


    ¡°How would you rate your performance in the group contract you undertook two days ago?¡± the woman asked, the others still silent.


    ¡°Critically poor,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Explain.¡±


    "My inability to keep my big mouth shut cost the team thirty percent of its personnel, including the healer. As such, we engaged in multiple combat situations with crucial absences.¡±


    ¡°You acknowledge responsibility for the altercation with Thadwick Mercer that led him and his team to refuse the contract at the last minute?" she asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Full responsibility?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t lay any of this on Thadwick Mercer?¡±


    "Thadwick is what he is, and doesn''t know any better. I do, which made it my responsibility to be the bigger person for the sake of team cohesion. Instead, I chose to be small and petty.¡±


    The woman looked at the other two. The way they conversed with glances alone showed their close, working relationship. The woman turned back to Jason.


    ¡°How would you rate your performance on this mission otherwise?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Adequate,¡± he said.


    ¡°Explain,¡± she said.


    ¡°We encountered multiple combats and the team handled them effectively. There weren¡¯t any shirkers; everyone did their part, myself included.¡±


    ¡°You argued against eliminating the threat posed by the Ustei tribe.¡±


    ¡°The job was to deliver coins, not get in a fight against unknown odds.¡±


    ¡°Overcoming superior numbers is a specialty of yours, is it not?¡± she asked. ¡°You are aware of a widely disseminated recording of you in the Geller family¡¯s mirage arena.¡±


    ¡°If you thought that edited recording was a valid basis on which to assess me,¡± he said, ¡°then you wouldn¡¯t be qualified to assess me at all.¡±


    Again the three of them shared a conversation of glances.


    ¡°You were recently assigned a contract to clear out an infestation of rats in Old City,¡± she said.


    ¡°Stone-chewer rats, yes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Your report stated that you killed all the rats,¡± she said.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t accurate,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Your report wasn¡¯t accurate?¡±


    ¡°No, your characterisation of my report wasn¡¯t accurate,¡± he said. ¡°My report stated that all the rats were killed, not that they were all killed by me. A number were killed by an additional monster, a rat gorger.¡±


    ¡°But you are certain all the rats were killed?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said.


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I have an ability that helps me keep track of certain aspects of my activities.¡±


    ¡°What is the nature of this ability?¡±


    ¡°My own business.¡±


    They locked eyes as he felt her bronze rank aura press down on him. He held her gaze as his own aura was completely suppressed.


    ¡°What if I told you that there were still stone-chewer rats being found in Old City?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Two scenarios come to mind as being most likely,¡± Jason said. ¡°One would be a second rat colony having spawned. The other would be that you¡¯re trying to shake my confidence that the original colony was eliminated fully. Which you have not.¡±


    Jason spotted Vincent nodding to himself.


    ¡°You did not request a bonus payment after encountering the rat gorger,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t requested a bonus for any of the contracts and adventure board notices you have completed. Several of which would certainly have been approved.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not concerned with a few spirit coins here or there,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I do enough to warrant an awakening stone, I imagine someone will tell me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been undertaking contracts at a rapid pace,¡± the woman said. ¡°If not for money, then why?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been told I need to get stronger for what is to come.¡±


    ¡°By Rufus Remore?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He has been telling me to get stronger,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I was actually thinking of someone I met at the temple of knowledge.¡±


    A powerful aura washed over the room, visibly alarming the panel.


    ¡°Name dropper,¡± a female voice whispered, somehow both quiet enough to feel intimate and loud enough to fill the chamber.


    ¡°Do you mind?¡± Jason asked the empty air. ¡°I¡¯m kind of in the middle of a thing, here.¡±


    With a chuckle, the aura vanished. The three panellists stared wide-eyed at Jason.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he apologised, with a helpless shrug. ¡°She has privacy issues.¡±


    Vincent and the elderly elf turned to the director sitting between them.


    ¡°What is your relationship with the goddess of knowledge?¡± the director asked him, speaking for the first time since he came in.


    ¡°The same as my relationship with you, Director. She¡¯s more powerful than I am, we had a nice chat one time and she¡¯s apparently keeping an eye on me.¡±


    ¡°You seem unconcerned about having the attention of a goddess,¡± the director said.


    ¡°You can squash an ant with a boot or by dropping a building on it,¡± Jason said. ¡°It makes no difference to the ant. Having her attention is no different to having yours.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be taking it calmly,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a skill I¡¯ve developed,¡± he said.


    ¡°Taking things calmly?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No, seeming to. It¡¯s possible I just peed a little.¡±


    She looked at him incredulously as Vincent hung his head. The director glanced at the other two, the elderly elf gave a firm nod, while Vincent¡¯s was more reluctant.


    ¡°Approach the bench, please, Mr Asano," the director said.


    Jason stood up and walked over. The bench was high, so the people behind it could look down on anyone standing before it.


    "Badge please," the director said. He took his Adventure Society badge in its leather wallet out from his inventory, reaching up to place in on the bench. The director opened the wallet and touched a black stone to it. He couldn''t see what was happening, but she shortly handed it back.


    ¡°Here you are,¡± she said, handing back the wallet. He looked down at the badge, where the single star under the adventure society emblem had been joined by a second.


    ¡°A second star means you will be held to a higher standard,¡± the elderly elf said. ¡°Don¡¯t repeat the kind of mistake you made with Thadwick Mercer.¡±


    ¡°Call it a lesson learned,¡± he said.


    "From now on you can take one or two-star missions from the jobs hall," Vincent told him. "Try not to make an idiot of yourself.¡±


    "I can do my best with the two-star jobs," Jason said, "but making an idiot of myself is kind of my thing.¡±

 Chapter 84: Injury & Death

    For the first time, Jason walked past the one-star contracts in the jobs hall to the two-star notices further down. It was a much smaller section, and looking further he saw the solitary three-star noticeboard had no jobs at all.


    Looking over the notices, most were regular monster hunts with some kind of complication. The most common was a requirement to avoid damaging whatever valuable thing the monster had chosen to nest in.


    Jason frowned as he read a certain contract. He took it from the noticeboard and over to the desk manned by an Adventure Society functionary he didn¡¯t recognise. The man looked over the contract, then up at Jason.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t allowed to take this contract alone,¡± the man said. ¡°You need a team; minimum three.¡±


    ¡°I have some people in mind,¡± Jason said.


    In an Old City alleyway, two women struggled to move. One was unharmed but weighed down by the other, who was heavily injured. Her all-black outfit had long, bloody tears across the arms, legs and torso. The black mask that had originally obscured almost her entire head was ripped, with silver hair spilling out.


    The uninjured woman was not strong but she was determined. With her friend draped over her, she kept moving forward. It was daytime, and the alley was close to the Broadstreet thoroughfare. They could encounter people at any moment.


    ¡°We have to stop this,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It¡¯s a miracle we haven¡¯t been caught already.¡±


    ¡°We keep going,¡± Sophie said, her voice strained with the pain. ¡°If we can play this out long enough, Ventress will be forced to show her hand. Once she does, that gives us options.¡±


    ¡°Do you not realise the condition you¡¯re in right now? You can barely move!¡±


    ¡°But I can move,¡± Sophie said. ¡°The Duke¡¯s household guard laid a trap, but now we know to be ready. His bronze-rankers can fight, but they can¡¯t chase worth a damn.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society has been pressuring the Duke to stay out of it,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to find out why, but it¡¯s been good for us. That¡¯s over, now. The complaints from his high-society friends must have outgrown his unwillingness to push back against the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°We plan around it,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Do you even understand how lucky you were to get out of there?¡±


    ¡°This time it was luck,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Next time will be preparation.¡±


    ¡°Next time you¡¯ll probably get killed.¡±


    ¡°The Duke getting involved buys us time,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Ventress can¡¯t accuse us of slacking if we take extra time to adapt. There¡¯s only so blatant she can be about setting us up. Whatever she¡¯s up to, she won¡¯t burn her reputation to get it.¡±


    ¡°You do realise she¡¯s not the only one trying to set us up now,¡± Belinda said. ¡°The pressure is mounting and old friends aren¡¯t as reliable as they used to be.¡±


    They reached a solid metal gate in a high wall. Belinda leaned Sophie against the wall and cautiously pushed on the unlocked gate to peer inside. There were a handful of labourers in the yard, moving materials through a newly made hole in the wall to the yard next door.


    ¡°Those adventurers aren¡¯t here,¡± she told Sophie, ¡°but there¡¯s some kind of construction happening. Just stay there, and I¡¯ll go get him.¡±


    She ducked inside the yard, the workers not even looking up as she walked past them and into the back of the clinic. She saw Jory escorting a patient out of his exam room.


    ¡°¡­just apply the salve every morning,¡± he was explaining, ¡°and you shouldn¡¯t have any trouble through the day.¡±


    ¡°Jory,¡± she called out to him.


    ¡°Belinda!¡±


    Jory¡¯s eyes lit up as he turned around, then narrowed on the blood staining her clothes. He quickly ushered the patient through a doorway.


    ¡°Janice,¡± he said through the door, ¡°no new patients for the moment. No one is to come back here until I say otherwise, understood?¡±


    He closed the door and rushed over to her.


    ¡°Are you hurt?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not my blood,¡± she said. ¡°Sophie is out back.¡±


    ¡°Show me.¡±


    In an old city restaurant, Jason was served a dish of rice dumplings in the shape of a three-sided pyramid.


    ¡°They have this shape because of how they¡¯re wrapped in the bamboo leaves to cook,¡± he said, picking up his chopsticks.


    ¡°I could never get the hang of chopsticks,¡± Humphrey said as the waiter placed bowls of dumpling soup in front of Humphrey and Clive. Cheap and easily-replaced chopsticks were the primary utensil in the delta and most of Old City, but Humphrey grew up with silverware. Jason had been amused to discover the most common utensil in the high-society was the spork.


    They chatted lightly over their lunch. Their empty dishes were taken away and replaced with a tray of fried, sticky rice cake.


    ¡°So what did you really want to talk about?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you didn¡¯t just call us out for lunch, excellent as it was.¡±


    ¡°I have a contract,¡± Jason said. ¡°Two-star. They won''t let me take it without a minimum team of three.¡±


    ¡°Minimum team?¡± Clive asked. ¡°That means the danger is either large or unknown.¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s face darkened.


    ¡°Unknown usually means it''s killed an adventurer already,¡± he said.


    ¡°That''s right,¡± Jason said. ¡°A solo adventurer took a one-star contract for something called a marsh wyrm. The tracking on his badge recorded his death mid-afternoon, the day before yesterday.¡±


    All three men looked soberly down. They were all adventurers, and even the less-active Clive knew that death was always a possibility.


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Clive said. ¡°So the job is to find the body and clear the monster?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s the job,¡± Jason said. ¡°Kill the monster and find the body. If nothing¡¯s left, then we at least bring back the badge.¡±


    ¡°Not much to return to the family,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but better than nothing.¡±


    ¡°I looked up the marsh wyrm,¡± Jason said, ¡°and whatever¡¯s out there, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that.¡±


    ¡°No surprise, there,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Monsters don¡¯t always turn out to be what they¡¯re reported as.¡±


    ¡°What does your ability say?¡± Clive asked Jason.


    ¡°It says the monster that killed him,¡± Jason said. ¡°Which doesn''t tell us what it is, but means there should only be the one.¡±


    Quest: [Contract: Fallen Comrade]


    An adventurer has fallen in the course of their duties. Complete their task and bring home their remains.


    Objective: Eliminate the monster that killed your fellow adventurer 0/1.Objective: Retrieve the remains of your fellow adventurer 0/1.


    ¡°It could be a lot of things,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°There are quite a few giant worm and serpent-type monsters that appear in the delta.¡±


    ¡°There are a few that could be mistaken for a marsh wyrm,¡± Clive said. ¡°At least by someone who didn¡¯t really know monsters. Most people only know monsters that commonly spawn in their area, and usually by description. Most run before they ever get a good look.¡±


    ¡°If it took down an adventurer already, we can''t dismiss the danger,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Any monster strong enough to take down someone who went looking for a marsh wyrm alone will be at the top of the iron-rank power scale, or maybe even bronze. It won''t be some lesser elemental that anyone could punch apart with sufficient determination.¡±


    Not all iron-rank monsters were created equal. Their rank was a function of their magical density, not actual power. If bronze rank damage reduction and resistances were ignored, the most powerful iron-rank monsters were stronger than the weaker bronze examples. The difference was usually made up in numbers, with weaker monsters appearing in greater numbers.


    ¡°So,¡± Jason said. ¡°Are you in?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Humphrey said. Clive nodded.


    ¡°It could be any of us, someday,¡± Clive said. ¡°If it''s me, I hope I''m not left at the bottom of a bog somewhere. Do you know anything about the adventurer?¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I asked Vincent about him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to hear it,¡± Humphrey said.


    Sophie stood under the shower in Jory¡¯s clinic. Designed to wash less-abled patients, the shower had no walls or curtains and was open to the room. Arms out in front of her, hands against the wall, she leaned forward, letting the water spray down onto the back of her head and neck. After several of Jory¡¯s strongest potions, spaced out to prevent toxicity, all that remained of her injuries was the blood the shower was sluicing off her body.


    When she emerged, wearing spare clothes provided by Jory, the alchemist shoved a large bottle full of red liquid into her hands.


    ¡°Drink it,¡± he said, bluntly. ¡°Now.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It will stop your blood from responding to tracking abilities,¡± he said. ¡°I made it up while you were getting clean.¡±


    She looked at Belinda standing behind him.


    ¡°What did you tell him?¡± Sophie asked her.


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell me anything,¡± Jory said. ¡°Then I don¡¯t have to lie if it comes to that.¡±


    Sophie looked down at the bottle in her hands.


    ¡°If I wanted to deal with you,¡± Jory said, ¡°all I had to do was not help you. Drink it, before whoever did that to you arrives at my door.¡±


    ¡°Drink it, Soph,¡± Belinda said. ¡°We need to get moving.¡±


    She frowned at the bottle but drained it dry.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Lindy.¡±


    Sophie made for the back door, Belinda in tow. Belinda stopped at the door, looking back at Jory, still standing in the hall. Their eyes met and his hard expression softened at the apology in hers.


    ¡°Wait,¡± he said, ducking through a door and coming back with a leather satchel, which he handed to Belinda.


    ¡°Just some random medical supplies,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s all labelled.¡±


    She gave him a sad smile as she took the bag.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she told him, then walked out the door.


    On the top floor of the Adventure Society¡¯s administration building, the director¡¯s office occupied a large space in the corner of the building, the windows giving a panoramic view of the campus grounds. The director, Elspeth Arella, was looking out those windows as one of her officials made a report. Her name was Genevieve, and Jason would recognise her as the elderly elf who questioned him during his promotion hearing.


    ¡°Lord Vordis is refusing to say what the package contained, beyond that it was very valuable.¡±


    ¡°And the guards who set the ambush,¡± Arella said. ¡°They were from the Duke¡¯s household guard?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Genevieve said. ¡°Six bronze rankers and triple that in iron ranks.¡±


    ¡°And she still got away,¡± Arella chuckled. ¡°The Duke won¡¯t like how that makes his forces look. This thief is a resourceful girl, lucky for us. Set up a meeting with the Duke. I want to be very clear that the moment he fobbed this issue onto us it became an Adventure Society concern. He can¡¯t take it back now.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already sent a pre-emptive response,¡± Genevieve said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet he has,¡± Arella said.


    ¡°He claims that since you have failed to complete the contract after the better part of two months, and refuse to raise the contract to the bronze-rank level, then he is duty-bound as the city ruler to intervene.¡±


    ¡°Send our response when you set up the meeting,¡± Arella said. ¡°Make it clear that he is the one that placed this issue in the hands of the Adventure Society, that the Adventure Society will handle it when and how we see fit. Should he further intervene, either openly or covertly, then the city of Greenstone will be in violation of their arrangement with the Adventure Society. All adventuring activity will then cease until a new arrangement has been negotiated, confirmed and enacted.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain you want to take it that far?¡± Genevieve asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s not stupid enough to renegotiate terms before the original agreement runs out,¡± Arella said. ¡°Not with me.¡±


    ¡°But do you want to draw that arrow from the quiver?¡± Genevieve asked. ¡°You can only make that threat once or he¡¯ll have grounds to go over you to the central branches.¡±


    ¡°I need Lucian Lamprey gone,¡± Arella said. ¡°So long as he¡¯s in charge of the Magic Society here, trying to clean up our own house is bailing water from a sinking boat. Until the hole is plugged, the best we can do is stop things from getting worse.¡±


    ¡°And you think this will get rid of him?¡±


    ¡°If things drag out for long enough. He¡¯s a man unused to restraining his appetites. Sooner or later, he will make a mistake we can use to oust him. When his patience comes to its limit, he will act.¡±


    ¡°So long as the thief remains at large long enough for him to do so,¡± Genevieve said.


    ¡°Yes. Which is why catching her must remain the responsibility of iron-rankers, with no interference from the Duke¡¯s people.¡±


    ¡°Madam Director, do you know who this thief is?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Arella said. ¡°That would be unprofessional.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting close,¡± Humphrey called out over the sound of the airboat. He pointed at a rise of earth in the marsh and Clive steered the airboat up onto it. Humphrey was guiding them with a crystal orb that lit up in the direction of the badge they were tracking.


    He stepped off the airboat onto the soggy bank, Jason and Clive following after. They followed the tracking orb onto higher, drier ground, Jason hacking their way through tight scrub with a machete. The blade was enchanted for the task, a common tool that every adventurer learned to take into the delta. They progressed until Humphrey called them to a stop.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said.


    All three looked at the orb in Humphrey¡¯s hand. The indicator light was pointing straight down into the wet, heavy earth.

 Chapter 85: Because I’m an Adventurer

    ¡°I couldn¡¯t find anything even resembling an entrance,¡± Jason said as the trio regrouped. The others shook their heads, having fared no better.


    ¡°Probably some kind of extended lair,¡± Clive said. ¡°A lot of creatures in this environment, monster and animal both, are just as happy in the water as out. Some like to dig burrows and stash prey for later consumption. The entrance could be in any direction, and is probably underwater.¡±


    ¡°Any suggestions?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°We could try a simple ritual used for digging wells,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m sure I have one in a book somewhere in my storage space.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that ritual,¡± Jason said. ¡°Wasn¡¯t in my ritual magic skill book.¡±


    ¡°People make skill books with knowledge practical for adventurers,¡± Clive said, ¡°not for farmers. It¡¯s one of many reasons that skill books aren¡¯t proper magic instruction. They only give the flimsiest theoretical grounding.¡±


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°You sound like Farrah,¡± he said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Clive asked, his head perking up. ¡°Did she say something about me?¡±


    Jason wearily shook his head.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you suggest a magic tunnel in the first place?¡± he asked.


    ¡°My concern would be collapsing whatever underground space we break into,¡± Clive said. ¡°This ground is incredibly wet. Whatever lair or burrow is down there may be full of water already, or our tunnel could collapse the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see a better option,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Time to pull out the old bag of salt, then,¡± Jason said. ¡° You know, I¡¯m still on the bag I took from these cannibals I killed. I should practise rituals more.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with the salt, ¡° Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ll sort it out.¡±


    Clive closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath. Nothing in the surroundings changed, but both Jason and Humphrey felt a stillness come over them.


    [Human] has used [Mana Equilibrium].Ambient magic has entered a harmonious state.The next spell cast in this area will cost reduced mana, and the harmonious state will be disrupted.


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Humphrey said, looking around. Jason knew that Humphrey¡¯s perception power, dragon sight, allowed him to see magic.


    ¡°You¡¯re smoothing-out the ambient magic to make rituals easier,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You seem very spell-oriented for a human.¡±


    ¡°I venerate the Celestial Book,¡± Clive said. ¡°I received a blessing that triggered a racial gift evolution. It changed the human special attack affinity to a spell affinity, like the elves.¡±


    ¡°Nice,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t understand any of that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Then you know what it¡¯s like to talk to you,¡± Clive said and Humphrey nodded his agreement.


    ¡°What¡¯s the Celestial Book?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is that the god of books, or something?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the great astral beings,¡± Clive said. ¡°They¡¯re similar to gods, but instead of belonging to a specific world, they exist between worlds, in the deep astral. You could almost describe them as gods to the gods, although you wouldn¡¯t catch any gods saying that.¡±


    ¡°So, you took a look at the gods,¡± Jason said, ¡°and basically asked to see their manager.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not even close to how it works,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°What about that racial gift evolution you mentioned?¡± Jason asked. ¡°A lot of religious folk aren¡¯t big on evolution, where I come from.¡±


    Clive looked at Jason, then turned to Humphrey.


    ¡°You explain while I look up this ritual,¡± Clive said, pulling a book from his storage space. Unlike Humphrey or Jason, where objects were pulled from thin air, Clive¡¯s storage space involved a floating ring of runes, in the middle of which a small portal formed.


    ¡°You must be constantly learning new things, coming from a whole different world,¡± Humphrey said to Jason.


    ¡°You have no idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°I haven¡¯t even learned all the fruit, yet, let alone the magic stuff.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°every race has six racial gifts. For humans like Clive and myself, that is an affinity for special attacks and our essences advance more rapidly than others. Then there are the latent powers, that adapt to our essences.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I heard about the XP boost,¡± Jason said. ¡°Seems OP.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Humphrey asked, confusion creasing his brow.


    ¡°Never mind,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just keep going.¡±


    ¡°Racial power evolution is where a racial gift changes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Any racial gift can change. The latent human abilities are essentially blank slates that are guaranteed to do so.¡±


    ¡°So any of my outworlder abilities could evolve?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They could,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Usually, there''s some kind of trigger, often a traumatic event. Big monster fights where you barely make it out alive would be the one you see the most. Sometimes it just happens over time, though. You do something enough that it becomes a part of you and your powers actually change so it does.¡±


    ¡°Habits really have a way of taking hold, then,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Have you met anyone from the smoulder race?¡±


    ¡°No, but I¡¯ve seen them around,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Well, they have natural affinities for earth and fire,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°There''s a guy on an adventuring team with my parents; he''s a smoulder. He has the wind essence and, eventually, his earth affinity evolved to an air affinity.¡±


    ¡°So what about Clive and that blessing?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Gods can give their followers a blessing, which triggers a racial gift evolution,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I guess whatever that thing Clive worships can do it, too. That one was actually new to me.¡±


    ¡°Great astral beings,¡± Jason mused, remembering something he heard months earlier. ¡°Hey, Clive.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Clive asked, looking up from a book.


    ¡°That great astral thing you worship¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say worship,¡± Clive said. ¡°I said venerate. There¡¯s a difference.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was just wondering, though. Would you describe it as an ineffable ancient from beyond reality?¡±


    Clive thought it over for a moment.


    ¡°That''s not how I''d describe it,¡± he said, ¡°but can see how someone would, if they didn''t know what they were talking about. Why?¡±


    ¡°I heard Cressida Vane talking about it. Apparently, her son was into something like that.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Clive said. ¡°Landemere was an astral magic specialist, like me. We often end up paying more attention to the great astral beings than the local gods. We set our sights higher, you might say.¡±


    ¡°And people call me a heretic,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Here it is,¡± Clive said, eyes back on his book. ¡°I haven''t used this book in years.¡±


    He started waving his hand like an orchestra conductor, and a glowing diagram started drawing itself just above the ground.


    ¡°The ability I used earlier was the racial power I awakened for the magic essence,¡± Clive explained. ¡°It balances out the ambient magic so you don¡¯t need to adjust your ritual circle.¡±


    The diagram of golden light continued to be drawn out.


    ¡°I''m drawing the circle using a rune essence ability,¡± Clive explained. ¡°It lets me draw out magic circles and use any required materials directly from my storage space.¡±


    ¡°I can see how that would be handy,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You might want to stand back,¡± Clive said. ¡°I first picked this up to use on the family farm and it makes something of a mess.¡±


    Jason and Humphrey did as instructed. Soon after, mud started shooting up into the air with a loud, wet flapping sound, scattering itself over the area. Jason conjured his cloak and wrapped it around himself, any mud that reached it sliding easily off. Clive, being much closer, was sprayed with mud, but it struck some kind of force-field and fell away. Humphrey had no such protection and ended up speckled with dark mud.


    All three went up to stand around the new hole, looking down. It was a cylinder, neatly carved out of the wet earth. It was quite deep, five or six metres, Jason guessed, and a couple of metres wide. At the bottom, instead of breaching some underground burrow, the hole ended with a floor of large, neatly-fitted bricks of green stone.


    ¡°Is that a weird thing to find at the bottom of a hole we randomly dug?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Everything around here seems kind of weird to me, so I can¡¯t judge all that well. This seems like it might be extra weird, though.¡±


    ¡°This is definitely extra weird,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Any ideas, Clive?¡±


    ¡°None,¡± Clive said. ¡°Anything that deep around here should be filled with water. I get the feeling it isn¡¯t, though.¡±


    ¡°We have to check it out, right?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°You mean the secret underground building we found?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Of course we have to check it out.¡±


    ¡°Should we tell someone?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°The Magic Society, maybe?¡±


    ¡°If we tell the Magic Society,¡± Clive said, ¡°then we won¡¯t be the ones to explore it. Lucian Lamprey will give it to someone that buys him political points.¡±


    ¡°There is a safety issue, though,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Someone already died down there.¡±


    ¡°How about this,¡± Jason said. ¡°We came out here to find the person who died. Let¡¯s do that, and then tell people where we found him.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fair,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Humphrey said, clearly eager to be convinced. ¡°How do we get in?¡±


    ¡°I have some acid that melts through most varieties of local stone,¡± Jason said and the two turned to look at him.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Why would you have that?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m an adventurer,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have all the basic adventuring gear. Acid, rope, pitons, a tarp, some empty sacks, a ten-foot pole¡­¡±


    ¡°Why would you have all that?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°¡­flammable oil, a couple of empty scroll cases, a rope ladder, a regular ladder, a tent, a magic lantern¡­¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you see in the dark?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°¡­ a non-magic lantern, which was oddly hard to find, caltrops, empty vials, block and tackle, a big ball of string¡­¡±


    ¡°Can you please just take out the acid?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I could,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was thinking we might need to set up a way out, though. I don¡¯t suppose anyone happened to bring a nice, long rope ladder? Oh, wait, I did. Because I prepared. Like an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°I did bring rope,¡± Humphrey said.


    While Humphrey anchored Jason¡¯s rope ladder to the ground using some long metal stakes Jason also had, Jason started tipping acid down the hole.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you go down to the bottom for that?¡± Humphrey asked, looking over.


    ¡°No he shouldn''t,¡± Clive said, shortly before gas started fuming out of the hole, Jason and Clive both stepping back. After the fumes cleared, Jason did the same again, then a third time. Looking down, he could see a hole bored right through the bricks.


    Leaving Humphrey¡¯s familiar to guard the top of the hole, the three adventurers climbed down through the hole on the rope ladder, ending up in a brick tunnel, tall and wide. It was completely empty, with no indication of moisture penetration. Motes of starlight emerged from Jason¡¯s cloak, floating around them and lighting up the tunnel.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°You have that and you brought two lanterns?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Preparedness,¡± Jason said. ¡°What about our guy?¡±


    Humphrey took out the tracking stone they were following to the dead adventurer, and since he would be standing at the front, tossed it to Clive.


    ¡°That¡¯s unexpected,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°The tracking stone,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s still pointing straight down.¡±

 Chapter 86: Some Kind of Secret

    ¡°This construction completely predates the founding of Greenstone,¡± Clive said, examining the side of the passage they were in.


    ¡°Maybe if we look around,¡± Jason said, ¡°we might even find something more interesting than a blank, brick wall.¡±


    ¡°The construction itself is fascinating enough,¡± Clive said. ¡°Are you familiar with the Sky River Aqueduct? The building techniques are identical. There¡¯s no mortar connecting these bricks, yet they form a watertight seal. Remember that we¡¯re under a swamp, right now.¡±


    ¡°That explains the stale air,¡± Jason said, making a distasteful expression.


    ¡°It must have been tricky to build,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Beyond tricky,¡± Clive said. ¡°Even with powerful and sophisticated magic, it would have been an outrageous undertaking.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it wasn¡¯t built under a swamp,¡± Jason said. ¡°If the same people who built this also built the big aqueduct, then they might have made this place when there was no delta. Before the aqueduct, the river would have spilled into Sky River Gorge, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°We should get moving,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We need to find a way down if we¡¯re going to figure out what happened to this adventurer.¡±


    Clive nodded his agreement, taking out a recording stone and throwing it up to float over his head. It joined the other crystal floating there, which continually restored mana. Humphrey had the same essence ability, both men acquiring it through the magic essence.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to record everything we see,¡± Clive said.


    They set off down the corridor, the floating motes of light from Jason¡¯s cloak illuminating the way forward. What they found was a large complex buried underground, with very little to indicate its purpose. Every room and every corridor was empty, small chambers and large halls with nothing but bare, brick surfaces.


    ¡°Everything has to have been taken away,¡± Clive said. ¡°Even if this place has been here for centuries, there would be at least remnants of furnishings.¡±


    ¡°This complex is at least the size of a large village,¡± Humphrey marvelled. ¡°We haven¡¯t even found a way down, yet.¡±


    ¡°It had to be the site of some massive undertaking,¡± Clive said. ¡°No one builds all this for temporary occupation.¡±


    Their exploration brought them to a stairwell, but the brick stairs were warped and moulded together. It looked like the steps had been melted and reset from a staircase to a ramp, covered in spiked protrusions.


    ¡°Some kind of stone-shaping power,¡± Humphrey said, crouching to look closer. ¡°These stairs were altered to impede anyone looking to go down them. I think this place was attacked.¡±


    ¡°Maybe whoever they were defending against plundered everything away,¡± Jason said. ¡°It might explain why nothing¡¯s left.¡±


    ¡°Do we try and use these stairs?¡± Clive asked. ¡°They don¡¯t look pleasant to navigate, and given how big this place is, there should be another way down.¡±


    ¡°The others might be like this,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°We have time to check,¡± Jason said. ¡°That looks entirely too pointy for my liking.¡±


    They eventually found another set of stairs, this time in their original condition. They descended deeper underground, the stairwell switching back with multiple landings before they reached the next level down. Stepping out into another wide corridor, the difference to the floor above was obvious. The walls, floor, even ceiling were marred with signs of battle. Scorch marks, long gouges torn into the brickwork. A wild confrontation of essence users had clearly taken place. There was debris scattered out, mostly stone torn from the wall. As they moved cautiously forward, they looked around at the damage.


    ¡°This is incredible,¡± Clive said. ¡°Almost nothing is known about the history of the region prior to the original Greenstone Colony. There may actually be answers somewhere in here.¡±


    Checking side rooms off the corridor, they had been stripped clean like the floor above. Some were empty and untouched, others bearing the marks of battle. In one of them they found a pair of skeletons, although with no sign of clothing or equipment.


    ¡°These are too old to be our adventurer, right?¡± Humphrey said.


    Clive pulled out the tracking stone, which still pointed downward.


    ¡°Based on the angle,¡± Clive said, ¡°I would guess one more floor down. If it¡¯s as far below this one as we¡¯re below the one above.¡±


    Humphrey crouched down to examine the skeletons.


    ¡°The short, broad skeleton is a runic,¡± he said. ¡°You can still see faint traces of the natural runes on their bones. The big one is a draconian, from the skull shape.¡±


    ¡°Draconian?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They''re a race that claims to be descended from dragons,¡± Clive said, ¡°although the claim is not fully substantiated.¡±


    ¡°They have scales and breathe fire,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯d call that fairly substantiated.¡±


    He panned his eyes over the ancient skeletons.


    ¡°You¡¯d think there would be rotted clothes or old boots or something,¡± he said, looking around. ¡°There¡¯s no rusty old weapons, no tools or jewellery. These bodies were stripped.¡±


    ¡°This whole place was stripped,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s like whoever invaded didn¡¯t want to leave a trace. Not of who they were, or even of who they were attacking.¡±


    ¡°Then why leave the bodies?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Why not just take the bodies, instead of stripping them and leaving them behind?¡±


    ¡°No one likes carting bodies around,¡± Jason said. ¡°No one you¡¯d want to make friends with, anyway. Maybe they were convinced that just bodies wouldn¡¯t tell people anything.¡±


    ¡°It could have been due to some religious practice,¡± Clive suggested. ¡°A lot of religions have taboos around corpses.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps there are more bodies, deeper in,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll have answers.¡±


    They continued exploring, finding more bodies that offered no more clues than the others. They came from every civilisation-building species: humans, elves and leonids, celestines, runic, smoulder and draconians.


    They were starting to get a sense of how things were laid out, based on the two floors they had explored and ended up standing in front of a wall.


    ¡°More earth-shaping,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°This should be the stairwell, shouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Clive said.


    The wall was made up of warped green stone, which had clearly spent time as a fluid before hardening. They continued searching, discovering another wall of warped stone.


    ¡°I''ll try and cut through with my big sword, unless someone has a better idea,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Do you have any more of that acid, Jason?¡±


    ¡°I used it all getting us in here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°So much for being prepared,¡± Humphrey said, which got a snort of laughter from Clive.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got jokes,¡± Jason said. He took a sledgehammer from his inventory, letting the head drop heavily to the floor.


    Item: [Stonebreaker Hammer] (iron rank, common)


    A hammer designed to be effective at breaking rocks (tool, hammer).


    Effect: Weight increases in accordance with the strength of the wielder.


    ¡°Try that,¡± Jason said.


    Humphrey picked up the hammer, hefting it to test the weight.


    ¡°I think I might break something this light,¡± he said, then frowned, hefting it again. ¡°No, there it is.¡±


    ¡°You were saying something about preparation?¡± Jason asked.


    Clive shook his head.


    ¡°This thing gets heavier based on who holds it, right?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Then how good a preparation is it when you¡¯re not very strong?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I prepared you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Are you calling me a tool?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Jason said, placing an earnest hand on the big man¡¯s shoulder. ¡°You¡¯re far more useful and versatile than some ordinary tool. You¡¯re a complete tool.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m also holding a hammer,¡± Humphrey said and Jason skittered back.


    ¡°As you were, mate,¡± Jason said.


    Clive stood next to Jason as they watched Humphrey hammer away at the wall.


    ¡°That mouth of yours is going to get the cream kicked out of you someday,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Been there, done that,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can live your life avoiding consequences, or accepting them. I tried the first way in my old world, and I¡¯m trying the other here.¡±


    ¡°And how¡¯s that working out?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°It feels good,¡± Jason said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t recommend it without healing magic, though. Cripes, he¡¯s putting a dent in that wall.¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s hammer blows were crashing into the wall with the regularity of an aggressive metronome. The stone was covered with impact marks all clustered together, spiderweb cracks spreading out. In short order, the hammer breached a hole in the wall, which let out a wave of wet air, stinking with rot.


    All three hurried away from the hole.


    ¡°That is foul,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not dissolving monster bad,¡± Jason said, ¡°but it¡¯s bad.¡±


    Humphrey looked disconsolately at the hole in the wall.


    ¡°We have to go down there,¡± he said unhappily.


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want that to be my final resting place,¡± he said. ¡°We have an adventurer to bring home.¡±


    ¡°How did they get down there?¡± Humphrey pondered. ¡°It looks like all the entrances are sealed up.¡±


    ¡°That smell means the water got in somewhere,¡± Clive said. ¡°Best guess? Some monster burrowed all the way down here, found a hole in the lower level and made it their lair. They killed the adventurer up on the surface, then dragged them down into whatever entrance the monster made for itself.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense,¡± Jason said. ¡°We were expecting some kind of worm monster.¡±


    Humphrey took a deep, unhappy breath.


    ¡°Enough stalling,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m going to bring down that wall.¡±


    Soon there was enough of a hole for a person to pass through and Humphrey leaned in for a look.


    ¡°Looks like the stairs were reshaped to make this wall,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Can we get some light in here?¡±


    One of the floating motes of light drifted through the hole and Humphrey looked again.


    ¡°Yeah, we¡¯ll have to drop down,¡± he said.


    They took another of Jason¡¯s metal stakes and Humphrey hammered it into the floor to anchor a rope. Jason was the first one through the hole, drifting down a stairwell now more like an elevator shaft. He stopped when he reached water flooding the level below. Taking out his ten-foot pole, he tested the depth.


    ¡°There¡¯s water down here,¡± he called up. ¡°Shallow enough to walk through.¡±


    The others slid down the rope, ending up knee-deep in black, icy water.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care for this,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Look around,¡± Jason said, standing on the surface. ¡°We might find our answers down here.¡±


    Like the levels above, the stairwell opened onto a wide central corridor. This one was full of debris, piled up on the flooded floor. There were large clumps of mud with roots jutting out, bricks wholly dislodged from the wall, revealing holes into walls of packed earth. The battle damage was even more extensive than the floor above, and they didn¡¯t have to look far to see corpses.


    ¡°This is barely navigable,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Where does the tracking stone point?¡±


    ¡°Ahead and to the right,¡± Clive said, stone in hand. ¡°We¡¯re on the right level.¡±


    ¡°Then stay ready,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Whatever dragged our adventurer down here is likely to be lurking about.¡±


    They started searching the semi-submerged level, the water and debris slowing their progress. Clive had the most trouble pushing his feet through the water. Jason stepped lightly on the surface while Humphrey¡¯s strength ploughed through it as if the water wasn¡¯t even there. They stopped at the entrance to a large hall, one of the largest rooms they had seen.


    ¡°Do you feel that?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Iron rank auras,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Not people, or monsters, though,¡± Clive said. ¡°Some kind of enchanted objects. Do we take a look, or keep following the tracking stone?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of leaving an unknown potential threat behind us,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s check it out, then,¡± Jason said.


    They moved into the hall, Jason¡¯s light motes spreading out to illuminate the space. Flooding aside, it looked like the most intact room they had encountered so far. Everything was rotted, rusted or ripped, but the walls were lined with what looked like the hall¡¯s original contents. Vertical banners, blackened with rot hung from the walls. Stone statues were covered in black fungus and erosion, while weapon racks of metal and wood had largely collapsed as their integrity gave out.


    At the back of the room were what looked like strange statues; mannequins of stone with segmented body parts connected by lengths of metal. They were the source of the auras, twenty-eight of them. They were standing in what was clearly meant to be four rows of ten, like soldiers at attention but a dozen spots were empty.


    ¡°Combat dummies,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If they¡¯re giving off this strong an aura, they¡¯re almost certainly active.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to take one,¡± Clive said. ¡°You can learn a lot about a culture from their magical objects.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to put them down first,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They¡¯ll probably attack if we get close enough or unleash our auras.¡±


    ¡°Let me put some spells on you, then,¡± Clive said.


    He cast two spells each on Jason and Humphrey. The first made them glow briefly with a red-gold light.


    ¡°Mantle of retribution,¡± Clive said. ¡°Anyone that hits you will take damage.¡±


    The second one caused a ring of runes to start floating around them like a slow-motion hula hoop.


    ¡°Rune mantle,¡± Clive said. ¡°It consumes a random rune to trigger an effect each time you¡¯re attacked.¡±


    ¡°Do you have anything that doesn¡¯t require a monster to hit me?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°If the monsters can¡¯t hit you,¡± Clive said, ¡°then what do you need extra magic for?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got you there,¡± Humphrey said. Dragon-scale armour appeared around him, the giant wing sword appearing in his hands. It was too big to swing in most of the complex, but the hall they were in had plenty of room.


    Clive pulled back a flap on the front of his robe to reveal a surprisingly ripped torso, covered in runes of blue and green. The runes floated off his body and through the air, where they came together as a ball of light that transformed into Onslow, Clive¡¯s rune tortoise familiar. Jason didn¡¯t bother pulling out Colin, who would have little impact on the combat dummies.


    They formed up, Jason and Humphrey in front, Clive in the rear with his familiar.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Humphrey asked, looking at the other two.


    ¡°Ready,¡± Jason said, drawing his sword.


    Clive pulled out a magic wand.


    ¡°Ready.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Auras out.¡±


    You are in the area of an ally¡¯s [Dragon Might] aura. Your [Power] and [Spirit] attributes are increased.You are in the area of an ally¡¯s [Lord of Magic] aura. You are continually gaining mana-per-second. Resistance to mana drain effects is increased.


    The combat dummies reacted immediately, all twenty-eight moving toward them. Like Clive, they were hampered by the knee-deep water, but Clive was the first to act. His wand fired a bolt of red and silver light that blasted the arm off a combat dummy.


    At his side, a bolt of lightning flashed from Onslow''s shell. It arced out to one of the peripheral dummies, avoiding Jason and Humphrey. Clive touched a hand to the rune that dimmed on Onslow¡¯s shell, feeding mana into it. The rune started to slowly light back up.


    Humphrey stepped forward, cleaving two dummies into pieces with one strike as he waded into the most clustered group. Red light flashed as the dummies lashed out, Clive¡¯s retribution spell blasting chunks from their blunted limbs as they hammered on Humphrey¡¯s armour.


    Jason was more mobile, using hit and run strikes as he danced over the surface of the water, building up charges on his sword. Unhindered by the environment, he ran rings around the dummies. When a cluster converged on him, he tossed out a throwing dart from the bandolier on his chest, one of the darts with the red cord. It blasted a dummy apart and he escaped through the gap.


    Clive focused on using ranged attacks to pick off outliers before they could swarm the other two. Along with his wand and his familiar, he made judicious use of his essence abilities. He cast a spell and a rune lit up under the water. A pair of dummies wandered over it in pursuit of Jason and with a snap of Clive''s fingers, an explosion blasted them to pieces, spraying water all through the hall.


    Humphrey had torn apart half the dummies alone by the time he slowed down, most of his special attacks on cooldown. Just strength and skill was enough to keep demolishing dummies, though, and his sword continued to smash them apart. Jason was getting into top gear as Humphrey was winding down, his sword now exploding the dummies on contact.


    The last few dummies were made short work of. The three regrouped at the end of the fight, chugging potions and eating spirit coins.


    ¡°Good fight,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I think we work well together. Get a healer on board and we have the makings of a team.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ve been out on the odd contract with Jason, lately, but my research and duties with the Magic Society consume much of my time.¡±


    ¡°Look where we are,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You¡¯re about to sort through what¡¯s left of these ancient combat dummies looking for secrets hidden away for centuries. Can you do that in your study room at the Magic Society?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Clive mused as he looked around the hall. ¡°That¡¯s a not-inconsiderable point.¡±


    ¡°Did those dummies feel familiar to you?¡± Jason asked Humphrey. ¡°The way they fought?¡±


    ¡°They fought like you,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure at first, because the water slowed them down, but that was your fighting style, right?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Where did your style come from?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°I¡¯d never seen it until you and I started sparring.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s some kind of secret.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s look around while Clive picks up broken dummy parts,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Maybe we can learn that secret.¡±

 Chapter 87: Can’t Lose

    ¡°I think I¡¯ve found something,¡± Humphrey called out and the others moved over to join him.


    ¡°Look at this,¡± Humphrey said, pointing to the wall. ¡°See how the mould has grown in the crack between bricks, all the way down this line?¡±


    ¡°Secret door?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m thinking,¡± Humphrey said. They glanced at each other with mirrored grins.


    ¡°Let me take a look,¡± Clive said. He started drawing in the air with his finger, a magic circle began appearing in the air, traced out in glowing, golden lines. When he was done, the circle vanished and runes started glowing on the wall, in the shape of a door.


    ¡°There you have it,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Nice one, Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°How do we open it up?¡±


    Clive looked over the runes, then reached out to touch several in quick succession. He stepped back as a section of the wall opened out, making ripples in the water. They all stepped into the room beyond, which looked to be some kind of book repository. Unfortunately, most of the room¡¯s contents had been taken by rot. There was a breach to open earth in one of the walls, exposing the room to untold years of destructive moisture.


    ¡°This is a real shame,¡± Clive said as they started looking around.


    ¡°I¡¯m seeing a lot of residual magic,¡± Humphrey said, picking up the leather cover of a book whose pages had long since turned to wet pulp.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing these were all skill books.¡±


    ¡°Would have been worth a fortune, intact,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°It also might have given us some idea of who inhabited this complex,¡± Clive said. ¡°Sometimes a storage room like this will keep the most important items sealed away, so there may still be something to find.¡±


    They searched through long-rotted shelves until Humphrey uncovered a group of metal boxes. Three of the five had been breached, but two looked to be still intact. They were large enough that each could contain several skill books.


    "We shouldn''t open them here," Clive said. "The contents are definitely old and may be fragile. I have tools back at the Magic Society that would let me open them more carefully.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Jason said. ¡°Bag them for later and we¡¯ll go find this adventurer.¡±


    Clive carefully lifted the boxes with Humphrey¡¯s help and stowed them in his storage space.


    ¡°I¡¯m a bit worried about the state we¡¯ll find this adventurer in,¡± Jason said as they left the training hall and its hidden storeroom behind. ¡°What if he¡¯s just been eaten and all we find is his badge inside a monster.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s what we bring back,¡± Humphrey said.


    They continued exploring the flooded and debris-filled lower level. Rather than continue on through the filthy, icy water, Clive was now sitting atop his tortoise familiar.  Not long after leaving the training hall, something came shambling slowly toward them.


    ¡°Zombies?¡± Humphrey said. ¡°How can there be zombies?¡±


    There were dead bodies making a slow, stumbling path in their direction, looking like skeletons stuffed with mud. Humphrey lunged forward, using his smaller sword in the confines of the tunnel. He still made short work of the animate corpses. Clouds of mist rose off them as Humphrey cut them to pieces.


    ¡°Why wouldn¡¯t there be zombies?¡± Jason asked as Humphrey walked back to them, coughing from the zombie mist. ¡°Honestly, I¡¯m surprised it took them this long to show up in a place like this.¡±


    ¡°The delta is flush with vital energy,¡± Clive explained. ¡°The water coming out of the astral space that feeds the river is full of it. All that life-force prevents undead monsters from manifesting anywhere in the delta.¡±


    ¡°Then how are there zombies here?¡± Humphrey asked, still coughing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t sound so good,¡± Jason said. He held his hand in front of Humphrey and chanted a spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    You have cleansed all instances of [Corpse Fungus] from [Human].


    ¡°Corpse Fungus?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Humphrey spluttered as he escaped the cloud.


    ¡°It¡¯s a fungus that uses corpses to propagate itself,¡± Clive said. ¡°It takes over a corpse, makes it ambulate like a zombie, then blows spores over any living creature it comes across. Not a zombie at all; just a regular dead body being moved about.¡±


    ¡°What do those spores do?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°They grow inside you,¡± Clive said. ¡°Kill you, eventually, but there¡¯s plenty of time to find a healer or an alchemist. If you don¡¯t have Jason on hand.¡±


    They waited for the spore cloud to settle before continuing on, Jason cleansing Clive and Humphrey again, just in case. They followed the tracking stone, closing in on the dead adventurer¡¯s badge. It led them to the most ruined part of the complex, where large sections of brickwork had been torn out of the walls, mud encroaching on the rooms and tunnels. At the end of another large hall, all the brickwork from the back wall was gone, with what looked like a giant, burrowed tunnel beyond.


    ¡°What needs a hole that big to get around?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Nothing good,¡± Clive said.


    They set off down the earthen tunnel, still knee-deep in water. It didn¡¯t seem to bother Onslow, with Clive riding on his back, or Jason, who walked along the surface. Humphrey was left to trudge unhappily through water and mud. The tunnel turned out to be fairly short, breaking back into another room of the complex. It was another large hall, very much demolished. In addition to the breach they entered through, much of the brickwork had been torn out. In its place, recessed alcoves looked like they had been dug out by claws, each one stuffed with a dead creature. Most were swamp creatures, although there were a few dead people as well.


    ¡°This one,¡± Clive said, tracking stone in hand. He led them to one of the bodies, an elf in tattered armour. Jason took a casket from his inventory, supplied to him by the Adventure Society.


    Objective complete: Retrieve the remains of your fellow adventurer 1/1.


    While he and Clive placed the body inside, Humphrey was looking around with a concerned expression.


    ¡°We should take it and go,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Fast.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jason asked. The contract wasn¡¯t just to retrieve the body but also kill the monster. If Humphrey wanted to bail out, it was probably bad.


    ¡°A swamp-dwelling monster whose appearance could be mistaken for a wyrm, burrows deep into the earth and builds elaborate larders to fill with prey,¡± Humphrey said, and Clive¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°Yes, we should go,¡± he agreed. ¡°Now.¡±


    Jason looked down as a ripple of water came from the corner of the room, spreading over the water that covered the floor. It suddenly occurred to him that he had no idea if all the water was knee-deep. Something bulged up from the surface in the corner of the room. Water poured off its huge mound of a body as it rose up from a submerged tunnel. The creature was a brown, fleshy mass, with five serpentine necks ending in heads like that of a snake, if snakes had a lot more teeth.


    ¡°Marsh hydra,¡± Humphrey said breathlessly.


    None of them had felt its aura approach, but now it washed over them with bronze-rank strength. It moved to block them from the tunnel they had entered through. Its thick legs ended in webbed claws poorly-suited for land movement. Humphrey could have escaped, but seeing Clive and Jason would be cut off, he moved away from the tunnel to join them. The creature, apparently satisfied at boxing them in, eyed them patiently with its five heads.


    ¡°Marsh hydras heal fast,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Combined with bronze rank toughness, our only chance is that you can pile up enough afflictions to kill it, Jason. Clive and I will try and distract it so you can get close.¡±


    ¡°No need for close,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve got some new tricks; just keep it off me and I¡¯ll get it done.¡±


    Four tree-trunk legs supported the fleshy mound of the hydra¡¯s body, the long necks rising off it like trees on a hill. The creature lumbered towards them and Humphrey went to meet it. Clive patted Onslow on the shell and pulled a long staff from his storage space. It had a large, clear crystal set into the end, and vibrant red-orange runes that shone like fire carved down the full length. Aiming it at the hydra like a gun, a blast of flaming energy launched out, striking one of the hydra¡¯s heads. The runes on the staff dimmed as the struck head shrieked. Its skin was blackened, but the damage appeared superficial.


    Jason slit the back of his hand with his wristband razor, sending leeches splashing into the water. They quickly made their way across the room to crawl up the hydra¡¯s trunk legs and swarm over its body.


    [Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Marsh Hydra].[Marsh Hydra] has resisted [Bleeding].[Bleeding] does not take effect.[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Leech Toxin] on [Marsh Hydra].[Marsh Hydra] has resisted [Leech Toxin].[Leech Toxin] does not take effect.[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Necrotoxin] on [Marsh Hydra].[Marsh Hydra] has resisted [Necrotoxin].[Necrotoxin] does not take effect.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Jason muttered. Even with his aura that penalised resistances, almost every affliction his leeches piled on was shrugged-off by the bronze-rank monster. Fortunately, Colin offered both quality with quantity, and some of the afflictions were getting through. Jason followed up with spells.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    Spell [Inexorable Doom] has inflicted [Inexorable Doom] on [Marsh Hydra].[Marsh Hydra] has resisted [Inexorable Doom].[Inexorable Doom] does not take effect.


    Jason cast the spell a second and third time, each resisted.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need some time,¡± he called out.


    Jason would have liked to toss Humphrey his dagger, which inflicted poison and ignored bronze-rank resistances. Humphrey hardly had time to switch out weapons, however, and trading the enormous sword that was barely holding its own for a small dagger would likely get him killed.


    Humphrey¡¯s huge sword, dragon-scale armour and incredible strength were a terror to iron-rank monsters, but they were barely keeping him alive as heads the size of his torso snapped at him. Even his strongest attack, the unstoppable force, was significantly more stoppable against the power of the bronze-rank hydra. Only the added attention of Clive and his familiar allowed Humphrey to hold out. Through their combined efforts, Humphrey was finally able to cleave off one of the heads.


    "Watch out for the head growing back," Clive called out, but to his surprise, there was no sign of it doing so. From what he had read about the creature, its heads should grow back fast enough to see it happening.


    [Marsh Hydra] has regenerated enough health to negate [Bleeding].[Leech Toxin] has been consumed to reapply [Bleeding] on [Marsh Hydra].


    In the meantime, Jason was casting spell after spell.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    Spell [Inexorable Doom] has inflicted [Inexorable Doom] on [Marsh Hydra].


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    With inexorable doom in place and the leeches making slow but constant progress, the afflictions would stack up. Jason raised his hand again and cast one of his new spells.


    ¡°Carry the mark of your transgressions.¡±


    Spell [Castigate] has inflicted [Sin] on [Marsh Hydra].[Marsh Hydra] has resisted [Sin].[Sin] does not take effect.Spell [Castigate] has inflicted [Mark of Sin] on [Marsh Hydra].[Marsh Hydra] has resisted [Mark of Sin].[Mark of Sin] does not take effect.


    His sin curse was one of the keys to his escalating damage combination. His new spell allowed him to apply it at range, so long as it wasn¡¯t resisted. It was the first of Jason''s two new spells. The broker he went to had taken a while to find a good trade for the rat essence, as it was not popular with anyone who could afford to be choosy. He could have traded it for a half-dozen awakening stones of the fish but instead went with two stones of the magus. It was a common awakening stone, especially with humans. It almost guaranteed a spell, which humans rarely awakened, with an outside chance of a coveted summoning or familiar power.


    Ability: [Castigate] (Sin)


    Spell (curse, holy)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Burns a painful brand into the target, inflicting slight transcendent damage and the [Sin] and [Mark of Sin] conditions. The brand cannot be healed so long as the target retains any instances of [Sin].[Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Mark of Sin] (affliction, holy): Prevents aura retraction. Cannot be cleansed while target retains any instances of [Sin] or [Legacy of Sin].


    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Humphrey called out.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming along,¡± Jason called back.


    ¡°If it could come any faster, that would be really, really great!¡±


    Jason kept casting spells until his mana ran low, chugged a mana potion from his belt and started casting some more.


    ¡°Carry the mark of your transgressions.¡±


    Spell [Castigate] has inflicted [Sin] on [Marsh Hydra].Spell [Castigate] has inflicted [Mark of Sin] on [Marsh Hydra].[Marsh Hydra] has resisted [Mark of Sin].[Mark of Sin] does not take effect.


    Jason let out a whoop of triumph. The mark of sin effect was of little use in the current battle, so it didn¡¯t matter if it was resisted. With inexorable doom, sin and Colin¡¯s necrotoxin in place, the damage would increase exponentially.


    ¡°Everything¡¯s done,¡± Jason called out. ¡°Stay strong and we have it!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if waiting is an option,¡± Clive said, his voice enervated. He drank a mana potion even as he poured his mana into his familiar. One of the runes on Onslow¡¯s shell lit up, then dimmed immediately as a cloud rose up out of his shell. Water bullets erupted out of the cloud, pounding into the hydra.


    In front of the hydra, Humphrey was bloody and exhausted but defiant, pushing on through sheer force of will. The hydra was doomed now, but it could still take them with it. Jason resumed casting spells, trying to hasten its demise.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    Spell [Haemorrhage] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Marsh Hydra].[Marsh Hydra] is already affected by [Bleeding]. [Bleeding] is refreshed.Spell [Haemorrhage] has inflicted [Sacrificial Victim] on [Marsh Hydra].


    ¡°First time,¡± Jason cheered. ¡°Good stuff.¡±


    The affliction reduction from Jason¡¯s aura had limited effect at the start of the fight, but it penalised resistances further for each instance of the sin curse. With the curses now stacking up, afflictions from both Jason and Colin were becoming more reliable, including those from Jason¡¯s other new spell.


    Ability: [Haemorrhage] (Blood)


    Spell (wounding, unholy)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Inflicts or refreshes the [Bleeding] and [Sacrificial Victim] afflictions.[Bleeding] (affliction, wounding): Deals ongoing damage by causing or increasing blood loss. As a wounding effect, this condition absorbs and negates an amount of incoming healing, after which this affliction immediately ends.[Sacrificial Victim] (affliction, unholy): Any drain attacks or blood afflictions suffered have increased effect.


    The sacrificial victim affliction would help bleed away the hydra¡¯s health, but the massive monster had a lot of health to bleed. Clive had a huge amount of mana, most of which he had thrown at the monster. He no longer had enough to recharge the powers of his rune tortoise familiar.


    With his afflictions applied, Jason could do little else without wading into melee range. He was confident that would lead to his near-immediate death, probably getting Humphrey killed trying to save him. He had one more spell, but the thirty seconds between casts felt like an eternity.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    Ability: [Punition] (Doom)


    SpellCost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Iron 1 (06%).Effect (iron): Inflicts necrotic damage for each curse, disease, poison and unholy affliction the target is suffering.


    Despite the afflictions built-up on the hydra, its resistance to iron-rank damage prevented the spell from taking full effect. Jason had nothing left to contribute.


    Humphrey¡¯s will was strong, but he had been going full power from the beginning. The hydra was finally fading, but Humphrey was fading faster. He staggered back one step, then another. It looked like he could barely lift his sword, but he did so again and again.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can hold it,¡± Humphrey called back, despair in his voice.


    Jason let out a reluctant groan, then steeled his shoulders.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming in,¡± he yelled.


    ¡°You¡¯ll die!¡± Humphrey said as Jason appeared behind him.


    ¡°Then I guess you¡¯d better protect me,¡± Jason said.


    Humphrey glanced at Jason, seeing nothing but determination. He turned back to the monster, letting out a wild yell. His wavering stance straightened, waning arms renewed. Where he had been reduced to only defending, he once again went on the attack. Light started shining out of him, the blue-grey of iron rank. He didn¡¯t notice Jason stepping back into safety.


    ¡°I was just trying to get him pumped-up,¡± Jason said, looking at the light shining from Humphrey. ¡°What is that?¡±


    ¡°Racial gift transfiguration,¡± Clive said in wonder. ¡°It seems his drive to protect is so strong it literally changed who he is.¡±


    Clive gave Jason a wild grin.


    ¡°If he can manage that, how can I not make a full effort?¡± he asked.


    Clive glared at the hydra with renewed determination. The red glow of life-force emerged from his body and started turning blue as he burned life-force to restore his emptied-out mana. Clive¡¯s skin turned pale and he gritted his teeth against the pain, but kept pushing for more mana.


    Clive dropped his staff into the water and held both hands out in front of him, palms facing out. A magic circle appeared in front of them, turning in the air. It grew and changed, becoming more complicated as Clive pumped more mana into it, then chanted out a spell.


    ¡°Feel the annihilation of reality unmade.¡±


    A beam of rainbow light blasted out of the circle in front of Clive, locking onto one of the hydra¡¯s four remaining heads. The rainbow colours started fading, one by one, until all that remained was black. The beam vanished and the hydra¡¯s head was annihilated as a vortex of darkness replaced it. The vortex sucked in air, causing the hydra¡¯s severed neck to flap like a streamer in the wind as the vortex sucked at it.


    The spell ended, the dark vortex fading into nothing. The neck dropped limp, as did Clive, who fell to his knees in the water. Onslow gave him a concerned nudge and Clive supported himself on the tortoise¡¯s neck.


    Jason looked at Clive, who had burned himself out to contribute. He looked at Humphrey, who had given up escape to be the shield between the monster and his companions.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what kind of person deserves friends like this,¡± Jason muttered to himself, ¡°but I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s not me.¡±


    A blue-grey light lit up from within Jason, just as had from Humphrey. Jason looked at the glow shining from underneath his skin.


    Ability: [Party Interface]


    Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Interface].Interpret reality through a recognisable medium.You have access to a contacts list. You can form a party by sending invitations through the contacts list.Party members can access interface features so long as they remain in the party.Party members have access to party chat and voice chat. These functions have limited range.Quests from the [Quest System] can be shared with party members. Quest only remains available to party members while they are in the party.


    ¡°You too?¡± Clive asked wearily, still draped over Onslow¡¯s neck. He watched the light shine out of Jason.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it actually helps, right now,¡± Jason said.


    Clive¡¯s spell claiming the monster¡¯s second head had marked the turning of the tide. Necrosis was turning the hydra¡¯s flesh to rot as its blood, black with venom, spilled into the water. Humphrey¡¯s sword claimed a third head and the hydra moved to flee, heading for the submerged tunnel.


    As the monster was about to plunge into the water, a huge shab rose up from the depths, gaping shark mouth biting savagely into the hydra¡¯s flesh. The shab then turned into a colourful parrot, flying over to land on Onslow.


    ¡°Nasty, nasty,¡± it said, spitting out black fluid.


    The injured hydra was confused long enough for Humphrey to come up behind it and bury his sword in a rear leg. Jason followed, digging into the other rear leg with his dagger. The wound wasn¡¯t deep compared to the size of the creature, and his special attack, punish, only dealt a small amount of necrotic damage. However, every instance of the sin curse amplified that damage and the hydra had been accumulating them for a while. The flesh blackened and withered, shrinking away from Jason¡¯s slicing blade. Side-by-side, Jason and Humphrey laid into the crippled monster until it fell still.


    Quest: [Contract: Fallen Comrade]


    Objective complete: Eliminate the monster that killed your fellow adventurer 1/1.


    Reward: [Awakening Stone of Absolution] (Jason Asano).


    Reward: [Awakening Stone of the Champion] (Humphrey Geller).


    Reward: [Ring of the Hydra] (Clive Standish).


    Quest complete. All party members receive:


    100 [Bronze Spirit Coins].


    1000 [Iron Spirit Coins].


    Humphrey went over to Stash the parrot, who was hopping up and down excitedly on Onslow¡¯s shell.


    ¡°Stash chase worm! Stash chase worm!¡±


    The parrot flew toward Humphrey, transforming into a puppy mid-air and landing in Humphrey¡¯s arms. Humphrey was covered in hydra blood, but Stash didn¡¯t seem to mind the mess as much as Humphrey¡¯s armour. Humphrey dismissed the hard scale armour and Stash snuggled into his chest as Humphrey scratched him behind the ears.


    The three adventurers stood exhausted, looking at each other and the dead hydra.


    ¡°Clear eyes, full hearts,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What?¡± Clive asked.


    Jason waved a dismissive hand.


    ¡°Ah, we¡¯ll deal with that later,¡± Jason said.

 Chapter 88: The Nature of Absolution

    Rufus was at the Geller Estate, discussing property development for the Geller family/Remore Academy joint training facility. In a conference room, he sat across a table from three members of the Geller family, while he was alone.


    ¡°There is plenty of unclaimed, undeveloped territory adjacent to the Geller Estate,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Just give us a location that works best for the changes you want to incorporate, and we can go from there.¡±


    ¡°I know you have a good relationship with Danielle,¡± the man across the table said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean we¡¯ll just acquiesce to your every need.¡±


    Rufus ran a hand over his face.


    ¡°What exactly is it you think I want you to acquiesce to?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°This joint venture has already been agreed to, and as for the details. I literally just said that we will adapt to your needs.¡±


    Rufus got to his feet, placed both hands on the table and leaned toward the man on the opposite side.


    ¡°Clearly you are part of whatever internal faction within the Geller family was against this agreement from the outset, and you ended up negotiating the details as part of accepting the proposal at all. I don¡¯t care about that; I have no interest in playing these games and I¡¯m not going to be a pawn in your family¡¯s internal politics.¡±


    Rufus stood up straight and adjusted his light jacket.


    ¡°I know you want to drag this on as long as possible, so let me be explicit. When I come here tomorrow, I want to talk to someone who will actually work on this project instead of stalling it out. If that doesn''t happen, then the Remore Academy will undertake the venture without Geller family involvement.¡±


    The man in the middle of the Geller family representatives gave Rufus a smile that didn''t reach his eyes.


    ¡°Are you sure you have the authority to make that decision, Young Master Remore?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an aristocrat,¡± Rufus said, ¡°so that¡¯s Mr Remore, to you. If you think I have anything less than full authority over this undertaking, then keep pushing and see what happens.¡±


    Rufus took his unopened document satchel from the table and headed for the door.


    ¡°Mr Remore¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll listen to what you have to say when you have something worth listening to,¡± Rufus said without turning around and walked out the door.


    Rufus was unhappy as he left the building but calmed down walking through the Geller Estate. The fresh air and smell of verdant plant life improved his mood with every breath. He stopped short as something strange appeared in the air in front of him.


    You have received a voice chat request from [Jason Asano]. Accept Y/N?


    ¡°What?¡±


    The whole way back through the delta, Clive had been pulling items from his inventory to look at them through Jason¡¯s interface ability. After he almost crashed the airboat into the side of an embankment road, Jason kicked him from the party so he would concentrate on driving.


    ¡°Can I see that new ability of yours?¡± Jason asked Humphrey. They had learned that they could give party members permission to see each other¡¯s abilities, which had Clive setting up plans to use Jason as a cataloguing tool.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Humphrey said.


    Ability: [Hero¡¯s Drive]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Human Ambition].Essence abilities advance at an accelerated rate.Enemies do not gain additional resistance and damage reduction against your abilities for being higher rank.When fighting higher-ranked enemies or when significantly outnumbered by enemies of the same rank or higher, time before abilities can be used again is reduced.Gain [Mana] and [Stamina] over time while this ability is active.When this ability is triggered, gain an immediate burst of stamina and mana. This can exceed normal mana and stamina limits so long as the ability remains active.


    ¡°That¡¯s not bad,¡± Jason said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t start running around looking for bronze-rank monsters to fight, though.¡±


    ¡°No fear on that front,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°You say that,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I can¡¯t help but think you¡¯ll go diving in every time someone needs help.¡±


    ¡°That does seem like exactly what you¡¯d do,¡± Clive agreed.


    ¡°There is one more thing I''d like to try out,¡± Jason said. He opened up his new contacts list. Most of the names were listed as out of area, his eyes lingering on the names of his family.


    ¡°Very out of area,¡± he muttered to himself.


    Moving through the delta on an airboat, they weren''t too far from the Geller family estate. That placed several names on the list within range, including Rick, Phoebe and Danielle Geller. Rufus was also in range, which meant he was probably at the Geller Estate himself. Jason tapped on his name.


    You have sent a voice chat request to [Rufus Remore].Voice chat with [Rufus Remore] has been initiated.Party member [Humphrey Geller] has joined voice chat.


    ¡°Jason?¡±


    Rufus¡¯ voice had a slight distortion, like he was using a low-quality microphone.


    ¡°G¡¯day, Rufus. Not sure if you can hear me over the sound of the airboat.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t hear any airboat. What is this?¡±


    ¡°I had a racial gift evolution,¡± Jason said. ¡°Humphrey too.¡±


    ¡°Uh, hello,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°We fought a bronze rank monster,¡± Jason said. ¡°Well, I say we, but Clive and I mostly watched Humphrey do it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the case at all,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re in the market for a funky bronze-rank whip?¡± Jason asked. ¡°We looted it from the monster and decided to sell it and split the proceeds.¡±


    ¡°What were you thinking, taking on a bronze-rank monster?¡± Rufus scolded. ¡°Tell me everything.¡±


    ¡°You''re breaking up, Rufus,¡± Jason said. ¡°Looks like we''re about to go out of range.¡±


    ¡°What does breaking up mean?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s that Rufus?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Ksht ksht ksht.¡±


    Jason closed the connection.


    ¡°So,¡± he said, turning to Humphrey. ¡°What do you think you¡¯ll get from your awakening stone?¡±


    ¡°Should you have cut off your power like that?¡±


    ¡°It was bad reception,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that is,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°other than an obvious lie.¡±


    ¡°I can do the ritual of awakening for those stones you got,¡± Clive said, ¡°although maybe you should do it, Jason. You could probably use the practice.¡±


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Do I get a say in this?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°A ritual of awakening is basic stuff,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯ll probably be fine.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, probably?¡± Humphrey asked.


    Clive¡¯s study at the Magic Society campus was like an old second-hand book store combined with an antique shop, neither of which had been organised very well. Stacks of papers were stopped from falling off chairs by stacks of books piled on them; strange curios were placed absently on shelves, stands or inside glass cabinets.


    ¡°Is this safe?¡± Humphrey asked, looking around. His eyes could see the invisible magic Jason couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°There¡¯s a system,¡± Clive said unconvincingly as he shuffled through papers. ¡°You know, Jason, the Magic Society would definitely pay you to use your ability for the cataloguing of items and abilities.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± Jason asked


    ¡°Not adventurer money,¡± Clive said. ¡°Decent, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather fight monsters than bureaucrats,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I think I might be with you, there,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The Magic Society does important work,¡± Clive said, still searching through the room for something. ¡°You both have monster record tablets, don''t you? What about the essence list tablet? You think they just happen? People work hard to provide the information you rely on to stay alive, but adventurers just dismiss them as dull functionaries.¡±


    Jason and Humphrey looked at each other and shrugged.


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair cop,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I never thought about that,¡± Humphrey.


    ¡°No one ever does,¡± Clive said unhappily. ¡°Ah, I knew it was around here, somewhere.¡±


    He dug out a magic wand from what looked to be a basket of sticks and led them to a door. Beyond was a room as sparse as the one outside was overstuffed. The only thing in it was a plain metal table in the middle.


    ¡°Close the door behind you, please,¡± Clive said.


    From his storage space, he took out the two boxes they had retrieved from the underground complex, placing them on the table. Using the wand he had dug out from his study, he began moving it over the first box. Untold years worth of muck started rising off of it, right down to the oldest filth that had ingrained itself into the metal. The muck drifted through the air to the side of the room, collecting into unpleasant spheres. Leaving the spheres floating in the air, Clive carefully opened the box. Inside, the contents had been kept intact by the box''s remnant magic. Clive took out three identical skill books and sat them on the table.


    ¡°The condition is good,¡± Clive said, opening the cover of each to look at the title inside.


    ¡°The Way of the Reaper,¡± he read. ¡°Form one, Way of the Hierophant. A martial art skill book?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°My martial art. Part of it, anyway. There are five forms in total.¡±


    ¡°There were five boxes,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Just this one is the size of a normal skill book,¡± Clive said. ¡°No wonder they split them up. A collected work would be huge.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Jason said.


    The second case had another three books, this time the third form of Jason¡¯s martial art.


    ¡°You said you don¡¯t know where your martial art comes from, right?¡± Clive asked Jason.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said. ¡°My friends know, but they¡¯re keeping it secret for now. Something to do with a contract they took before I met them.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do some digging, see what I can find,¡± Clive said. ¡°In the meantime, how about we get an awakening ritual going?¡±


    Inside one of the Magic Society¡¯s dedicated ritual rooms, Humphrey was standing in the middle of a magic circle, holding an awakening stone in his hands.


    ¡°Good,¡± Clive said approvingly. ¡°You did well, Jason.¡±


    The awakening stone disappeared into Humphrey¡¯s hand. His eyes glowed with swirling blue and gold light as the magic settled into him, then dimmed.


    Party member [Humphrey Geller] has awakened the dragon essence ability [Spartoi]. [Humphrey Geller] has awakened 5 of 5 dragon essence abilities.Party member [Humphrey Geller] has awakened all dragon essence abilities. Linked attribute [Recovery] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank dragon essence ability.Party member [Humphrey Geller] has 2 of 4 completed essences.


    Ability: [Spartoi] (Dragon)


    Summoning (ritual, summon).Cost: Very high mana.Cooldown: 6 hours.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Summons three dragon-tooth warriors.


    ¡°Finally,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Finally?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°My storage space power. It equips anything I summon with iron-rank magic equipment, but I didn¡¯t have a summoning ability. My mother kept telling me it would come, but it¡¯s a relief it finally has.¡±


    ¡°Spartoi,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s unexpected.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard of them?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re part of a myth from my world,¡± Jason said. ¡°Oddly enough, about a guy named Jason. He was on a quest, and to complete it he needed to pass these trials set by a king. One of the trials was to sow dragon¡¯s teeth, and a bunch of soldiers sprung up. He threw a rock at one of them and they got confused and killed one another.¡±


    ¡°Was he the person you were named after?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason darkly. ¡°I was named after a footy player.¡±


    ¡°I guess you just hope no one throws a rock at them,¡± Clive said. ¡°Want to try summoning them now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll wait until we¡¯re outdoors,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I want to see what Jason gets.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said, turning enthusiastically to Jason. ¡°The no-ritual awakening. I¡¯ve been looking forward to this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not that exciting,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let me clean this up, first.¡± Jason took a cleaning cloth and some alchemical solution from the ritual room¡¯s supply cabinet and wiped the residue of the magical circle off the smoothly-polished, stone floor.


    ¡°Now,¡± Clive said eagerly, as Jason put the cleaning supplies away.


    Jason shook his head, taking out the awakening stone. It glowed with a white-gold light, like a holy object.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of Absolution] (unranked, epic)


    An awakening stone containing the power of redemption (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 5 unawakened essence abilities.You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of Absolution]. Absorb Y/N?


    The stone vanished into Jason¡¯s hand and his eyes started shining with golden light, which darkened until they were black orbs before returning to normal.


    You have awakened the doom essence ability [Blade of Doom]. You have awakened 3 of 5 doom essence abilities.


    Ability: [Blade of Doom] (Doom)


    Conjuration (unholy).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Conjures [Ruin, the Blade of Tribulation]. Attacks made with Ruin will inflict an instance of [Vulnerable] and refresh any wounding effects on the target. Wounding effects refreshed by Ruin require more healing than normal to negate. Ruin is an unholy object.[Vulnerable] (affliction, unholy, stacking): All resistances are reduced. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Consumed to cleanse instances of [Resistant] on a 1:1 basis.


    The others were in Jason¡¯s party and could see his ability description. They were all quiet for a moment as they looked at it.


    ¡°Uh¡­ Jason?¡± Humphrey asked, breaking the silence.


    ¡°Yes, Humphrey?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That was an awakening stone of absolution,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Yes it was,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t it say something about containing the power of redemption?¡±


    ¡°I think it did, yes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And it gave you the power to conjure a cursed weapon,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Strictly speaking,¡± Clive said, ¡°it¡¯s unholy, not cursed.¡±


    ¡°My mistake,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You used the power of redemption to create an unholy weapon.¡±


    ¡°It, uh, it does look like that, yeah,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How did you manage that, exactly?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to go accusing anyone of being evil,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Very fair,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I feel compelled to ask, though,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Jason, are you evil?¡±


    ¡°I think everyone has dark urges,¡± Jason said defensively.


    ¡°Yes, but not everyone has the blade of doom,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I only had unawakened ability slots from the dark and doom essences,¡± Jason said. ¡°It would be a bit odd if I could conjure the wand of sunshine and rainbows.¡±


    He held out his hand and an elaborate dagger appeared in it, made of black obsidian and blood-red crystal. The blade was jagged, slightly curved, and the single most sinister object Jason had ever seen.


    ¡°How did you get that?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°The awakening stone was absolution.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, turning the knife over in his hand. ¡°I¡¯m absolutely going to mess up some monsters with it.¡±

 Chapter 89: Anti-Pirate Operations

    Cassandra Mercer awoke to the sound of crockery and cutlery being laid out in the next room. She swung her legs out of bed and got up, stretching. She didn¡¯t want to put on fresh clothes before she had a shower, so she put on the only article of clothing she could see at a glance; Jason¡¯s shirt she had tossed aside the night before.


    She stepped out onto the balcony to look out on the guild district street, busy with early morning traffic. Her normal routine was to start the day with physical training, but with the sand barge expedition, she would get exercise enough.


    ¡°Morning,¡± Jason said, carrying a large tray onto the balcony, pausing to take in the sight of her leaning against the balcony rail in his shirt. Her delicate features were fresh-faced, despite having just woken up. Her long, dark hair was slightly mussed, which somehow was all the more appealing. A pair of toned, athletic legs emerged from the bottom of his shirt. She turned to give him an inquisitive look and he set out breakfast on the table under the shade awning.


    ¡°This is what you look like first thing in the morning?¡± he asked unhappily as they sat. ¡°You realise the rest of us don¡¯t look that good even when we try our best?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear you get up,¡± she said, ignoring his question. ¡°Are you an expert at sneaking out of bed in the morning?¡±


    ¡°Breakfast the next morning is my signature move,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s how I convince people they haven¡¯t made a horrible mistake.¡±


    He started lifting the covers off the trays he had laid out on the table, introducing them one by one.


    ¡°Scrambled egg hash brown nests; stewed apple oatmeal; cream cheese pancake balls with butter and syrup.¡±


    She picked out a pancake ball and bit into it. Her little moan of pleasure crawled into Jason¡¯s ear and gave his hind-brain a coquettish wave.


    ¡°Just keep bringing the pleasure?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the basic idea,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And how many people have you tried this signature move on exactly?¡± she asked, teasingly. ¡°Am I not the first girl to visit the Asano lodgings?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the first woman,¡± he said. ¡°Girls don¡¯t interest me.¡±


    She let out a low, sultry laugh.


    ¡°You really are good at people, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I have my moments,¡± he said.


    ¡°How about back in your world?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Nothing you haven¡¯t heard before,¡± Jason said. ¡°Heart-shattering first love, followed by a series of empty, self-pitying encounters. A few real relationships, here and there, but I didn¡¯t leave anyone behind, if that¡¯s what you¡¯re asking.¡±


    She smiled, finishing off the pancake ball and reaching for one of the hash brown nests. He poured two glasses of spiced milk from a pitcher. They took to the food, conversing in glances as they ate.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask after my sordid past?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re here now,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t see how the rest matters.¡±


    She tilted her head, considering him, curiously.


    ¡°I¡¯m still trying to unravel you, Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere,¡± Jason said, then glanced at the clock on the wall.


    ¡°Actually, not true,¡± he said. ¡°We have to be at the marshalling yard in about an hour and a half. I should jump in the shower.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said with a smile, ¡°I think we can figure out something much better to do in the shower than jump.¡±


    The Adventure Society campus was only a short walk from Jason¡¯s lodgings, so they walked in the late-morning sunshine. She had her adventuring gear in her storage space, so she didn¡¯t need to detour home. There were around two-dozen people assembled for the expedition, and they were not the last to appear. Their arrival at the marshalling yard together did not go unnoticed. Cassandra went off to speak with friends, while Jason headed for a clump of Gellers. Cassandra¡¯s gently brushing over his arm as they parted likewise caught the attention of prying eyes.


    Jason walked across the marshalling yard under the unhappy glare of several young men. He felt several bronze-rank auras press rudely down on him, but ignored them as he greeted Humphrey, Phoebe and Gabrielle, the acolyte of knowledge. Others he recognised from his time in the mirage arena.


    ¡°I think you just made a lot of enemies,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°Do you know how many of the bronze-rankers have designs on her.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t live your life afraid of who won¡¯t like you,¡± Jason said. ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡±


    Rick Geller and his team joined them. They exchanged greetings, although the healer, Claire, was giving Jason a spiteful look. Her twin, Hannah, cast a gaze in the direction of Cassandra Mercer, who was chatting with her own friends. Cassandra glanced their way, eyes twinkling, then turned back to her own group.


    The big man, Jonah, had squared himself in front of Jason.


    ¡°I have to admit,¡± Jonah said, ¡°you can fight. You know we would have pasted you in seconds on open ground, though, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly an incentive to fight on open ground then, is it?¡± Jason asked. Jonah let out a boisterous laugh, slapping Jason on the shoulder.


    "That''s a pretty good point," Jonah acknowledged. "How do you think you''ll do on open sand, though? Sand pirates sound like a lot more fun than yet another bog monster, but it doesn''t seem like your kind of terrain.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I imagine I¡¯ll muddle through,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Jason took out two skimmers full of them,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I took one, ¡° Jason said. ¡°My familiar took the other. I was pretty pleased with myself until I saw the aftermath of what Humphrey did. He halfway buried a skimmer with the pirates still in it. One swing of his sword.¡±


    ¡°Everyone will get their chance today,¡± Ernest Geller said, approaching the group. He had been in charge of their expedition when they first encountered the sand pirates, but today he was just one of the crowd. There were a couple of other bronze-rank family members with him as they joined the assembled Gellers and exchanged greetings.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Mose,¡± Jason said, spotting another member of their last expedition. ¡°He¡¯s with his cousin; I might go say g¡¯day.¡±


    ¡°You know Beth Cavendish?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve met,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know her?¡±


    ¡°When people talk about the potential of iron-rankers,¡± Phoebe said, ¡°she¡¯s the reason Humphrey comes in at number two. She leads her own team; all locals, unlike us.¡±


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Jason said, heading over. ¡°I¡¯ll say g¡¯day for you too, Humphrey.¡±


    The huge expedition had more than forty people. They were divided into teams of six iron-rankers, plus one bronze-ranker per team. Leading the expedition was a silver-ranker, an elf from the Cavendish family, plus Vincent as the Adventure Society representative.


    Once the groups were organised, the plan was explained. What they had been calling the sand pirates, after their attack on the spirit coin convoy, were actually the Ustei Tribe, a group of nomads from a region to the north. The expedition was a show of strength, to bring the tribe into negotiations.


    The best outcome was to peacefully convince the Ustei to either return north or agree not to attack any further spirit coin convoys. Failing that, they were to be captured by force and brought to the city for interrogation on what had brought them south in the first place.


    A train of magically-powered carriages took the expedition to the edge of the delta, where each team boarded one of a half-dozen prepared sand skimmers. Jason spotted Clive, tapped as one of the skimmer pilots for another team.


    Jason was placed in a group with the four members of Beth Cavendish''s team, plus her cousin, Mose. Leading them was a bronze-ranker Jason didn''t know but guessed to be from one of the lesser families in Greenstone. He was only twenty or twenty-one, and was eager to defer to Beth.


    One of the members of Beth''s team was a huge human named Hudson. He looked like Humphrey with twenty percent bonus person, to the point of being almost as large as Gary.


    They boarded their skimmer and set off. They sailed over the sand, rushing through the scorched, desert air. Jason noticed the huge man looking at him.


    ¡°Something I can help you with?¡± Jason asked him.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you that guy with the evil powers?¡± Hudson asked. ¡°The one from the recording?¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± he said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem evil,¡± Hudson told him.


    ¡°Then you have to ask yourself,¡± Jason said. ¡°Was I pretending to be evil then, or am I pretending to not be evil, now?¡±


    ¡°Which is it?¡± Hudson asked.


    ¡°Finding out would probably cost you more than you¡¯re willing to pay,¡± said Niko, another member of Beth¡¯s team. Niko was a smoulder, a race Jason had only met a few of. They had dark skin, glowing red eyes and jet-black hair. All he really knew about them was that they had powerful earth and fire affinities, and that in spite of their sinister appearance, the few he had met were quite easygoing.


    The skimmers paused to meet up with an adventurer assigned to keep track of the Ustei sand barge. He was a bronze ranker with the sand essence, completely at home out in the desert. He could move over the sands faster than a skimmer.


    ¡°As instructed, I didn¡¯t hide that I was watching them,¡± the adventurer told the expedition leader. ¡°They tried chasing me off a few times, but didn¡¯t have anyone that could outpace me.¡±


    "Any indication they''d be willing to talk to us, or do you think they''ll attack on sight?" the expedition leader asked.


    ¡°Well, they might have been chasing me out of the desperate desire to have a nice chat,¡± the adventurer said. ¡°I didn¡¯t stick around to find out.¡±


    ¡°From what we know of the Ustei,¡± Vincent said, ¡°so long as we show strength, they should be willing to talk.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go into this expecting to come out unbloodied,¡± the expedition leader said.


    ¡°All we can do is our best,¡± Vincent said.


    A ballista bolt from the sand barge penetrated the canvas canopy on the sand skimmer, pinning Mose to the base.


    ¡°Negotiations went badly, it seems,¡± Niko said, pulling the bolt out of Mose. Blood came with it, but Beth was already chanting a spell.


    ¡°Let the waters make whole that which has come to harm.¡±


    Water appeared in front on Mose, flowing into the wound. It washed away the blood to reveal clean, repaired skin. The skimmer came to a stop and Hudson jumped out. The big man knelt to the ground, both palms flat in the sand. Suddenly a wall surged out of the sand to shield them from any further attacks.


    ¡°This is our regroup point,¡± Beth said. ¡°If you get turned around or isolated, or the fight goes badly, get back here. Otherwise, everyone use Jason¡¯s ability to stay in contact.¡±


    With Jason¡¯s new party interface ability, the group could stay in voice contact, even in the midst of battle.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to move on the sand barge,¡± Beth directed, completely disregarding their bronze-ranker. ¡°Hudson, front and centre. Emily and Niko flank, me and Mose, in the middle. Jason, you¡¯re our roaming scout. If there¡¯s any group looking organised and heading in our direction, warn us and sow some chaos. Is that something you can handle?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    Beth turned to the bronze-ranker.


    ¡°You, uh¡­ Clarence, was it?¡±


    ¡°Terrence,¡± the man said.


    ¡°You bring up the rear and keep a clear extraction path,¡± Beth instructed. ¡°Losing is acceptable; failing to escape is not.¡±


    They moved around the wall, The huge body of Hudson in the lead. As he moved, his body transformed from flesh to sandstone, which didn¡¯t slow him down at all. All around them, the other skimmers had come to a stop and the groups were moving on the sand barge, which had likewise pulled to a halt. People were pouring out of it by the dozen, charging wildly as they raised their weapons in the air.


    Jason noticed some of the groups on his side were more organised than others. The two groups made up mostly of Gellers were moving in formation, much like Beth¡¯s team. Others seemed no better organised than the whooping Ustei charging in their direction. These less-controlled adventurers were already launching arrows, spears and bolts of magic, to limited effect while the groups were still at a distance.


    Behind the charging Ustei, small but fast-firing ballistae were going to work. A bolt came sailing out of the air, only to be intercepted by an arrow shot by Emily, the archer from Beth''s team. She was a celestine, with fair skin and golden eyes that matched her pixie-cut hair. She easily picked out the approaching bolt and fired an arrow that exploded on contact.


    You are in the area of an ally¡¯s [Invincible] aura. You have increased damage reduction against normal and iron-rank damage sources.You are in the area of an ally¡¯s [Life-Bringer] aura. You recover health over time and healing abilities used on you are more effective.


    Jason unleashed his own aura as his cloak of night appeared around him. Looking ahead, Ustei were charging at them in clusters.


    ¡°Watch your balance,¡± Hudson warned, and a large, flat block of sandstone rose from the sand under the team¡¯s feet. It started carrying them forward like a quick-moving raft.


    Jason looked forward to the Ustei drawing closer.


    ¡°Sow some chaos, yeah?¡± he said to Beth.


    ¡°If you¡¯re up to it,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a gander and see what I can do,¡± he said.


    He took one of the throwing needles from the bandolier on his chest; one identified by a black cord. He pulled his arm back and tossed it in a long arc to land amongst the Ustei, engulfing a patch of them in a sphere of shadow. Jason stepped into Beth''s shadow, falling through it like it was a hole in the ground. Shortly after, the group heard screaming mixed into the battle cries of the Ustei.

 Chapter 90: The Path to Bronze

    The sphere of shadows was short-lived, but Jason made the most of it as he danced among the blinded Ustei.


    Special attack [Leech Bite] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Ustei Warrior].Weapon [Ruin] has inflicted [Vulnerable] on [Ustei Warrior].Weapon [Ruin] has refreshed [Bleeding] on [Ustei Warrior]. [Bleeding] will absorb more healing before being negated.


    His cloak and rapid teleportation made him impossible to pin down, even as the shadows faded. By the time they finally got a good look at his shadowy form, Beth and her team were crashing into the scattered cluster of Ustei. Some had fallen to slit throats or a dagger to the back of the neck, while others had poisoned blood streaming from non-lethal wounds. Some had no wounds at all, yet were bleeding from the eyes and nose from Jason¡¯s haemorrhage spell.


    Only a fraction of the Ustei warriors were iron-rankers, with most having only one or two essences, if that. The results of clashing with a small army of adventurers were very bad for the nomads. Despite their numerical disadvantage, even the least capable adventurer teams were carving a path through the enemy.


    Most of the teams had a bronze-ranker at the front, cutting down sand pirates like wheat in a field. Only as the adventurers neared the sand barge did the bronze-rank Ustei captains go out to meet them. Beth had her team¡¯s bronze-ranker at the back, but she didn¡¯t call him up as an Ustei captain bore down on them.


    The stone raft they had been riding on sank back into the ground. It was replaced by a smaller block under the feet of Hudson, the huge man with the sandstone body. It carried him forward as a stone shield appeared in his hands, while the Ustei captain launched into some kind of charging special attack.


    The captain¡¯s bronze-rank charging power shattered the stone shield and sent Hudson staggering back. The captain¡¯s own momentum was halted, however, and iron chains whipped up out of the sands to ensnare him. The chains started burning red hot, causing the captain to scream with rage. An arrow with a glowing head struck him and exploded. He surged forward, wrenching himself out of the chains.


    Hudson, recovered from their initial clash, lunged forward as a huge stone hammer appeared in his hands for a powerful downward swing. The captain met the hammer with an upward swing of his large axe, shattering the hammer into shards. He turned his gaze on Hudson, not noticing that the razor-sharp shards were not falling to the ground but instead floating in the air. Realisation came when the sharp fragments shot in, slicing at his body.


    The captain was on the back foot and Beth''s team pressed hard, unleashing a barrage of attacks. Niko conjured an iron harpoon with a chain on the end, throwing it at the captain who deflected it with a bare hand. Other team members unleashed arrows charged with energy and magic bolts of fire and wind. Beth cast a spell that fired a thin jet of water, cutting like a bandsaw. The Ustei captain fell under the onslaught and the group reached the barge, alongside several other teams.


    The sand barge was a terrifying edifice. First was the size, easily the equal of a passenger liner from Jason¡¯s own world. Jason had heard the entire Ustei tribe lived in it, and seeing it for himself, had no doubt it was true. After the sheer size, the next thing to be noticed were the giant bones that made up the basic structure. It looked like many leviathan creatures had their skeletons taken apart and reassembled as the framework of the vessel. Three giant skulls, each the size of a house, adorned the flat-nosed bow. The result was like a giant, undead chimera, stalking the desert.


    The structure was akin to a passenger ferry, with multiple decks towering up into the air. Ramps had opened up in the side to disgorge the Ustei and were still doing so as the adventurer teams approached. Emily, the archer of Beth''s team, fired an arrow that duplicated itself over and over as it sailed through the air. One became two, two became four, four became eight. It happened over and over in the short time the arrow was in flight until a storm of arrows rained down on the closest of the ramps. Ustei fell away, those waiting inside given pause as their fellows dropped away.


    Hudson ploughed up the ramp, crashing into the people inside and making space for the others. They weren¡¯t the first to board. Other teams had made similar progress with other ramps, and Jason had noted the silver-rank expedition leader simply leapt through the air onto an upper deck. Jason followed Beth¡¯s team onto the lower decks, where he could make his home in the shadows.


    Once onboard, things quickly devolved into a chaotic melee. The calibre of each Adventure Society team quickly started to show. Beth and Rick Geller''s groups were both built around permanent teams, and the experience of working together became clear as their formations held, the whole stronger than the sum of the parts.


    Other teams were quickly swept up in the chaos. Even Humphrey¡¯s group, made up of strong individual members but not a fixed team, had their formation split up. As for the less elite teams, the smaller confines started costing them casualties. Jason¡¯s power made him freely mobile, and he didn¡¯t gel with Beth¡¯s team who were used to one-another. Unneeded as part of the formation, Jason gave Beth a head¡¯s up as he moved to try and help the more overwhelmed individuals.


    Colin proved to be an absolute menace after Jason sprayed him out over a crowd of Ustei. Jason instructed the leeches to go wild, knowing they shared his understanding of who was friend or foe. He suspected the occasional ally would suffer a nibble, but trusted Team Colin to largely stay on task.


    Jason himself used a hit and run approach, doing his best to alleviate the pressure on other adventurers. Harassment and disruption were the goals as he was more interested in turning an ally¡¯s fight than finishing it for them. He did land lethal blows, when he could, but was satisfied with a savagely bleeding wound. Timed well, another adventurer could use the distraction to finish the job.


    Auras were running wild through the barge, making it hard to pick out the rare iron-rankers among the teeming Ustei. When he found one he would pounce, leaving a full suite of afflictions before moving on. More and more he found people who had suffered the attentions of Colin, prompting him to find a dark space from which tocast a spell. His cloak hid him away, while there was more than enough noise to mask a quiet chant.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    His punition spell dealt instant damage for every affliction Colin had left on the victim. There was no indication of the spell other than the effect it produced, which startled the surrounding Ustei as one after another of their number withered and died without any apparent cause.


    Other times he would instead use his feast of absolution spell to replenish stamina and mana. The stream of energy flowing from an enemy into his hand gave away his position, but having just been topped off he could teleport away freely, leaving confused enemies in his wake.


    The adventurers slowly but surely gained control of the bottom deck. The bronze-rank Ustei captains held the various stairways leading up as they commanded the tribesmen to retreat up them. The bronze-rank adventurers started regrouping their teams, scattered in the melee. There had been a few casualties, but most were still alive and the healers went to work. Jason took the chance to gather up Colin, although many of the leeches were carried upstairs by the Ustei.


    ¡°Good work, team,¡± Jason told the leeches as he crouched down for them to enter a cut on the back of his hand. As he did so, the bronze-rankers gathered to discuss the next push.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be hard to establish a position on the higher decks,¡± Ernest Geller said. With the silver-ranked expedition leader somewhere in the upper decks, he asserted control of the gathered forces.


    ¡°We should gather all of our bronze-rankers and force passage up one of the stairways and push through from there,¡± he said and the other bronze-rankers agreed. There was no strict chain of command, but Ernest¡¯s confidence brought the others into line.


    A team was assigned to watch their backs for an Ustei counter-strike from the other stairwells, then the attack on the next deck began. The tribesmen still had the numbers, but the essence disparity was the defining factor and the deck was soon wet with Ustei blood. After the organised surge up the chosen stairwell, the teams spread out from their foothold on the next level and things once again became chaos.


    Jason spotted one of the weaker teams that had managed to stick together but were being hemmed in by Ustei. Their bronze-rank team leader went down, taking an Ustei captain with her. One of the iron-rankers took charge.


    ¡°Everyone use your coins!¡± he shouted out, and Jason watched them all slip silver-coins into their mouths.


    ¡°Oh, crap,¡± Jason muttered, looking around. He spotted Humphrey¡¯s team through the wild melee and teleported over, arriving in front of their team leader, Ernest. The Gellers knew his cloak well, but he still pushed back the hood to prevent friendly fire.


    ¡°I just saw a team lose their leader and wolf down silver coins,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re going to need an extraction.¡±


    ¡°Idiots,¡± Ernest said. ¡°Point the way.¡±


    Jason did, sticking with Ernest¡¯s team as they fought their way forward.


    ¡°You alright?¡± Humphrey asked Jason as they pushed forward.


    ¡°It¡¯s a grim job,¡± Jason said, Humphrey nodding his agreement.


    They were closing in on the other team. Their burst of silver-rank power had overwhelmed the Ustei around them, but that fleeting strength was giving way to weakness as the power of the coins left them. Seeing their enemies flag, the Ustei pushed harder, but reinforcements arrived for the weakened adventurers in the nick of time.


    Humphrey exploded into the Ustei like a cannonball, a single, sweeping stroke cutting three of them clean in half at the waist. His team capitalised on the momentum to surge into the tribesmen. Jason appeared behind the largest cluster, once again unleashing a spray of Colin. The adventurers took control, Humphrey¡¯s team surrounding the coin-weakened adventurers. Their healer was going to work on the fallen team leader, who was badly hurt. An iron-rank healer wasn¡¯t enough to get a severely-injured bronze-ranker immediately back into the action.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get them out,¡± Ernest told Jason. ¡°You go back to making a mess.¡±


    Jason nodded, flicking his hood back up.


    Eventually, the adventurers claimed full control of the great sand barge. While the main force was fighting below, the expedition leader had leapt straight to the upper decks. After crashing his way through the Ustei leadership, he confronted the only silver ranker they had, their tribal chief. Demonstrating the difference between a fully-trained adventurer and a nomad, the battle between silver-rankers was punishingly one-sided.


    Once the clan chief fell, the surviving Ustei leadership gave up. It took time to filter down the decks of the sand barge as fighting continued, but the now-decimated Ustei tribe surrendered.


    Jason was glad he had no part of the post-battle organisation. Imprisoning the Ustei in their own barge was a logistical nightmare, especially with some of what they found on board. The tribe¡¯s women and children had been locked away like slaves, which was borne out when they found actual slaves in essentially the same conditions.


    Waiting around with the other iron-rankers not roped into assisting, he sat down to meditate in the shade of the sandstone wall Hudson had made in the beginning.


    The battle had been long, wild and quite unlike anything he had experienced. Rather than carefully choosing his moments he had been flickering through the battle, seizing chances as he found them. His familiar proved incredibly powerful, and Jason¡¯s abilities saw plenty of use. He had even taken the chance to use his new spells as much as he could.


    Humphrey found him, saw him meditating, and sat down to do the same. The battle was as new an experience for him as it was for Jason, and he had his own insights to consolidate. Beth¡¯s team spotted them as they returned, the wall being their team¡¯s regrouping point. They looked at Jason and Humphrey, sitting cross-legged in the sand.


    ¡°They¡¯re training now?¡± Mose said.


    ¡°We are too,¡± Beth told him, drawing a groan from Hudson.


    ¡°No slacking,¡± Beth told him. ¡°You can have all the natural talent in the world, but dedication is what makes you the best.¡±


    At her command, the others joined Jason and Humphrey. Not all of them were able to transition to a meditative state right after the battle, but at the very least they worked on clearing their minds.


    Caught up in meditation, Jason was shaken out of it by a feeling of pressure in his body. He got up and staggered to the sandstone wall, using it to support him as a wave of weakness overtook him. He started coughing up gelatinous phlegm into the sand, speckled with blood. Then a blue-grey light started shining out of him and his body surged with strength.


    Ability [Haemorrhage] (Blood) has reached Iron 0 (100%).Ability [Haemorrhage] (Blood) has reached Iron 1 (00%).All [Blood Essence] abilities have reached [Iron 1].Linked attribute [Power] has increased from [Iron 0] to [Iron 1].Progress to bronze rank: 2.5% (2/4 essences complete).


    Jason pushed himself off the wall, feeling slightly dizzy. He noticed the others had all broken their meditations and stood up. They were looking at him with smiling faces.


    ¡°That first attribute bump is a little rough, isn¡¯t it?¡± Beth asked.


    Jason nodded, uncharacteristically silent.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Humphrey said, giving Jason a slap on the back that almost sent him sprawling into the sand.


    ¡°You¡¯ve taken your first step,¡± Beth said, giving him a pat on the arm. ¡°Welcome to the path to bronze rank.¡±

 Chapter 91: Life & Death

    Jason let out a contented sigh.


    ¡°This is nice,¡± he said, then picked up a sandwich and bit into it.


    The picnic at the Island¡¯s park district had plenty of people. Danielle Geller was at a picnic table, which she was sharing with Thalia Mercer, Rufus and Vincent. Jory was sitting at another table with Clive and the brother-sister pair of Rick and Phoebe Geller. Gary was sitting in a folding chair with a sandwich the length of Jason¡¯s arm.


    ¡°You know you could cut that into smaller pieces, right?¡± Farrah asked him.


    ¡°Then it wouldn¡¯t be an enormous sandwich,¡± Gary said. ¡°It would just be a bunch of sandwiches.¡±


    Cassandra was sitting next to Jason on a blanket. Humphrey and Gabrielle had their own blanket, like Jason and Cassandra, but Humphrey kept shooting nervous glances at his mother watching over them.


    ¡°It feels like it¡¯s been all work and no play lately,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sand pirates, underground lairs, sand pirates again.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s been a little play,¡± Cassandra said, lips curving in a tantalising arc.


    ¡°You are a beacon of luminous delight in a dark sea of obligation,¡± he said and gave her a gentle kiss.


    ¡°See?¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°It isn¡¯t that hard.¡±


    Humphrey looked nervously at his mother again.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    Rufus stood up from his position at the picnic table, raising up a glass.


    ¡°Here¡¯s to our iron-rankers and their first bronze-rank monster,¡± he said. ¡°Not to mention two racial power evolutions.¡±


    As the others raised their glasses, Jason smiled, Humphrey looked embarrassed and Clive looked surprised to be involved at all.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You¡¯ve come a long way from the confused, half-naked man we met in a basement in a cannibal¡¯s cage.¡±


    ¡°You say that like we weren¡¯t in cages too,¡± Gary interjected.


    ¡°Thank you, Gary,¡± Rufus said, then turned back to Jason. ¡°Even then, you were something special. Something strange, certainly, but also special. Some of us wouldn¡¯t be here if it weren¡¯t for your actions that day. Now, look at you. Taking down bronze-rank monsters; terrorising Danielle¡¯s poor trainees. We¡¯re all adventurers here and, I think, rather good ones. You may have come to us from very far away, but you belong here, just as much as any of us.¡±


    Jason rubbed a hand over his mouth, misty-eyed. He got up to his feet, glass in hand and looked over the assemblage of friends.


    ¡°Thank you, Rufus,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you all. I¡¯m a stranger in a strange land, and I know I can be¡­ difficult, even at the best of times. You¡¯ve all helped me, guided me, taught me, challenged me. Put up with me, more often than not.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Farrah called out.


    ¡°Quiet, you,¡± Jason admonished. ¡°I¡¯d just like to express how grateful I am to all of you. I¡¯ve built a better life here in months than I did in my old world in years, and I have all of you to thank for that. I couldn¡¯t ask for better people to be stuck down a hole with, which is lucky, because I recently was.¡±


    He raised his glass.


    ¡°Here¡¯s to all of you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right!¡± Gary yelled out, hoisting a goblet the size of Jason¡¯s head. ¡°We¡¯re pretty great.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t regaled us with the story of fighting the marsh hydra yet,¡± Farrah said. ¡°By the time we got back from our own contract, Cassandra had already whisked you away.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°Clive, Humphrey, get over here; we have a tale to tell.¡±


    They left out the part about the skill books. Jason suspected it intersected with the confidential mission that brought Rufus, Gary and Farrah to Greenstone, and after some consideration, asked Humphrey and Clive to stay quiet. He decided not to put the adventurers in a position where they had to ask Jason to stop investigating, although it was Clive doing the actual investigating.


    At the end of the tale, Jason pulled out the item they had looted from the hydra. It was a bronze-rank, five-tailed whip with biting mouths at the end of each tail. The whip tails seemed to have a life of their own, waving madly and snapping at people as Gary waved it around. Jason had handed it over to demonstrate, as he couldn¡¯t use bronze-rank items himself.


    Humphrey had his own news, having been promoted to two-star, which drew another round of toasting. By this point people were starting to get woozy, especially with Gary trying to get people to toast to day-drinking. Even Jason was in his cups, sharing the same bronze-rank liquor as his friends to get past his resistances.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we all get awakening stones?¡± Jason asked Vincent, the only Adventure Society official present. ¡°Killing that hydra was super-hard. It almost ate my boy Hump!¡±


    ¡°As a rule,¡± Vincent said, ¡°we don¡¯t give out awakening stones to people for killing monsters above their rank. It would just incentivise people getting themselves killed trying to jump ranks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Jumping ranks isn¡¯t something to take lightly. A good adventurer should be able to jump ranks, but only against the right monster.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell them that,¡± Vincent scolded.


    ¡°I think I should give it a try,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°This is exactly what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Iron-rankers rushing off to their deaths.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it in the mirage chamber,¡± Rick said, getting unsteadily to his feet. ¡°Come on, Jason, you can come to.¡±


    ¡°Sit back down,¡± Danielle told him. ¡°How many times do I have to tell you children about using the mirage chamber while drunk?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Rick said, unconvincingly.


    ¡°Such a lightweight,¡± Phoebe said, shaking her head at her brother.


    ¡°The mirage chamber is booked today anyway,¡± Danielle said. ¡°The bronze-rankers are practising sandy terrain encounters.¡±


    ¡°They have a whole desert for that!¡± Rick complained.


    The drink continued to flow and the conversation roamed. The wiser iron-rankers went easy on the drinks to try and catch any loose-lipped reveals from the bronze and silver-rankers.


    ¡°¡­a committee,¡± Danielle was saying. ¡°All silver-rankers who spent decades buying up monster cores while they sat on their backsides. Thalia, do you remember when we were the age of these kids? Crazed, we were; knocking out contracts faster than they could post them. Now they¡¯re all sitting around like fonts of wisdom, deciding what to do about pirates that they never would have gone out to catch in the first place!¡±


    ¡°Your Mum seems to like the sauce, Hump,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°She can get a bit boisterous when Father isn¡¯t around,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Or when he is, for that matter.¡±


    ¡°Hump takes after his father,¡± Phoebe said to Jason. ¡°His Dad is the straight line to his Mum¡¯s squiggles. Kind of like Hump is for you.¡±


    ¡°There you go, Hump,¡± Jason said, throwing an arm around Humphrey¡¯s broad shoulders. ¡°Jeez, you¡¯re a biggun.¡±


    ¡°Please stop saying Hump.¡±


    Later, Rufus was addressing all the iron-rankers in a group.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go rushing off to fill all your awakening stone slots. There¡¯s an opportunity coming up. I can¡¯t tell you about it, but in about a month there will be a¡­ thing.¡±


    ¡°What kind of thing?¡± Jason asked.


    Rufus drunkenly frowned at Jason.


    ¡°It¡¯s a thing. Shut up.¡±


    Drink and the soporific afternoon sun left most of the group aggressively lounging. Jason was laid out on a blanket with Cassandra, Humphrey and Gabrielle on another, next to them.


    ¡°It sounds like your problem is the butter,¡± Jason said to Gabrielle. ¡°You want to take it out of the cooler box and let it stand for fifteen minutes; no more, no less. Oh, and get a stand mixer instead of creaming it by hand. You can get good ones from Artifice Association.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you can show me?¡± Gabrielle asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°Madam Landry gives me free run of the kitchen, and learning about biscuits is very important. There¡¯s this whole country where I come from that call scones biscuits. They¡¯re all lunatics.¡±


    The memorial service was held at the Adventure Society campus. The mausoleum occupied a portion of the campus abutting the north shore of the Island. The shore of the artificial island was raised up from the water, with lawn seeded atop. The service was held overlooking the water.


    The adventurer¡¯s remains had been cremated before the service and were stored in an urn kept by the family. The adventurer¡¯s badge was presented to them by Humphrey, while the tracking stone they had followed to his remains was ceremonially placed within the Hall of Fallen Heroes. The mausoleum held not the remains of adventurers, but the stones held by the Adventure Society that marked their lives and service.


    Jason and Clive stood by solemnly throughout the service. After it was done, the family thanked them for bringing their son home. It was widely known what Humphrey, Clive and Jason had faced to do so, and they were looked on with respect. They were invited to a private gathering, but Humphrey had warned them that it was correct etiquette to be asked, and correct etiquette to respectfully decline.


    The gathered adventurers made their way to a bar where they took part in a traditional adventurer wake. It was an informal ceremony where a drink was shared in silence to the fallen, then a drink was taken to Humphrey, Jason and Clive for bringing him home. Then those who knew the dead adventurer shared stories as the mood shifted from mourning to a celebration of life.


    The adventurer was not from a famous family, or well known for his accomplishments. Many were grateful that someone as well-known as Humphrey was willing to go out and find their friend. Even if the Adventure Society didn¡¯t have rules against sending an adventurer¡¯s friends and family to retrieve their body, they all knew they would have fallen too. Jason discovered even he was building something of a reputation among adventurers. It was no match for Humphrey¡¯s, but he took many a respectful handshake and offered drink.


    As the night grew late, Humphrey, Jason and Clive left with most of the adventurers, only the dead man¡¯s closest friends remaining. The Island streets were brightly lit by street lamps as they walked side-by-side in silence.

 Chapter 92: Unusual Contract

    The Adventure Society campus was an unusual bustle of activity as Jason made his way to the jobs hall. It was normal to see people wandering about, but there was a preponderance of Society officials moving about in a harried fashion. The marshalling yard was normally an open space where groups would meet up, but it was now covered in tents and surrounded by temporary fencing.


    Outside the jobs hall, he found a notice that the marshalling yard was temporarily off-limits. It directed teams and expeditions to use the space in front of the administration building to assemble. As he was reading the notice, he felt a familiar aura, turning to spot Beth Cavendish approaching.


    ¡°Quite the debacle, isn¡¯t it?¡± she said, nodding at the notice.


    ¡°Do you know what it¡¯s all about?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯m assuming this is something to do with all those tribesmen we captured. Did your uncle let anything slip?¡±


    The silver-rank leader of the expedition had been Beth¡¯s uncle, Jason discovered. He was the one who had defeated the Ustei chief and accepted the surrender of their leadership.


    ¡°The Adventure Society wants to find out why the Ustei came south in the first place, then put them on their barge and send them back,¡± Beth said. ¡°It isn¡¯t going smoothly.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t want to go back?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Beth said, ¡°and Uncle Ephraim won¡¯t say why. What he did tell me was that if I did pick anything up, I should keep it to myself. To prevent any potential unrest, is what he said.¡±


    ¡°That sounds serious,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What he did tell me is the other problems the Ustei have caused. For one thing, they take their defeat and surrender seriously. They¡¯re claiming that their war barge and everything in it belongs to Uncle Ephraim, now.¡±


    ¡°Is that a problem?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It is once you realise that includes all the women, children and slaves,¡± Beth said. ¡°We didn¡¯t fight our way up high enough to find where they were all chained up.¡±


    ¡°Slaves,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s never a good sign. Wait, they want to give up all the tribe¡¯s women? Won¡¯t the tribe die out?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s their culture, apparently. The idea is that now they have to go raiding for more women.¡±


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°It just keeps getting worse,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about that. Remember I said they don¡¯t want to go north?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°They want to go east. The nomad tribes follow a circuit around the northern oases. The eastern desert isn¡¯t as harsh as the north, and there are more oases.¡±


    ¡°With towns and villages around them, not to mention everything in the delta they would chew through to get there.¡± Jason said. ¡°Do they seriously expect us to unleash a literal horde of men looking to kidnap women and slaves on a bunch of small, isolated populations?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s their way, and they say we should kill them or let them be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all for freedom,¡± Jason said, ¡°but that does not include the freedom to take people as slaves.¡±


    ¡°You know they hit up one of the coastal villages, the day before we attacked?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear about that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Those villages make a living from fishing and collecting water quintessence. The raiders rely on water quintessence for survival in the desert, so they raided a village. Losing food and quintessence is one thing, but they took all the people.¡±


    ¡°We got them back right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The ones who survived. Nasty business.¡±


    ¡°What are they going to do with all these tribesmen?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t sound like we can let them go, but we can¡¯t just lock them all in a prison somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what they¡¯re going to do with them,¡± Beth said. ¡°Someone floated the idea of taking the Ustei men as slaves, which would at least be something they understood.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s insane,¡± Jason said, face creasing with anger. ¡°Slavery isn¡¯t allowed here is it? Have I been seeing people and not realising they¡¯re slaves?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have slaves,¡± Beth said. ¡°We have indentured servants. A lot of criminals are sentenced to indenture, then their indenture is sold or auctioned to recoup the cost of their crimes.¡±


    ¡°You sell criminals?¡±


    ¡°What do they do with them where you come from?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°We lock them in boxes for years and treat them like animals,¡± Jason said, then shook his head. ¡°I think we both need better systems.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about taking the Ustei as slaves, at least,¡± Beth said. ¡°The idea died completely when someone pointed out that the Ustei wouldn¡¯t accept it. Their culture doesn¡¯t allow warriors to be made slaves. For them, capture means release or death. It¡¯s the only thing they¡¯re willing to accept.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t talking about executing the whole tribe, are they?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Beth said. ¡°Uncle Ephraim was only willing to tell me the ideas they¡¯ve already rejected.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like an absolute mess,¡± Jason said, then tapped a finger on the notice. ¡°Which I guess it is. Admin must be a mad house with every team assembling on their front steps.¡±


    They went into the jobs hall and checked at the front desk. Since neither had any assigned contracts waiting, they went to the noticeboards. They were both two-star adventurers, so they went to the same one.


    ¡°You¡¯d be after the big-ticket items, with a whole team behind you, right?¡± Jason asked as they perused the notices.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Beth said. ¡°Mostly I¡¯m after something that can push the team, but also something that still pays out well, split four ways. Fortunately, they tend to be the same jobs. You work mostly solo?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯ve been picking up some group work here and there,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve worked with Humphrey Geller a bit, and a friend from the Magic Society.¡±


    Jason plucked a notice off the board, frowning at it.


    ¡°Find something good?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Something interesting,¡± Jason said. ¡°It reads like a one-star mission, but it¡¯s two-stars.¡±


    ¡°Probably means it was one-star but some complication cropped up. Once a couple of people try and fail, they kick it up. They tend to be annoying contracts, so most of us avoid them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more about learning things the hard way,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you around, Beth.¡±


    She sent him off with a wave and a smile, turning back to the notices as Jason took his to the front desk. It was listed as a straightforward monster hunt, for a monster called a fergax. Jason looked it up on his monster archive tablet, seeing it listed as a highly-aggressive, bear-like creature. High strength, moderate speed and fortitude, no exotic abilities.


    ¡°Morning, Bert,¡± Jason greeted Albert at the contract registry desk.


    ¡°Good morning, Mr Asano,¡± Albert said. ¡°Quite the kerfuffle we have going on today.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve seen,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve heard anything about it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m a bit low on the ladder to know about that, Mr Asano,¡± Albert said. ¡°I imagine you¡¯d know more than I. Weren¡¯t you part of that expedition out in the desert?¡±


    ¡°I was,¡± Jason said. ¡°They didn¡¯t tell us grunts much, which I¡¯m realising isn¡¯t something I¡¯m comfortable with. I¡¯ll need to be more judicious in what I¡¯m willing to participate in.¡±


    Albert nodded at the notice in Jason¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Speaking of choosing contracts, Mr Asano,¡± he said. ¡°What have you got there?¡±


    Jason handed over the notice.


    ¡°Can you tell me why this one is two-stars?¡± he asked.


    Albert gave it a glance.


    ¡°Ah, I know this one,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a bit of an unusual contract. Do you know anything about the fergax, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Just what¡¯s in the Magic Society archive,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Well, there isn¡¯t much else to a fergax,¡± Albert said. ¡°Simple creatures, not too bright. Very aggressive, which makes them easy to find. Usually they spawn in the driest parts of the delta, where it¡¯s actually possible to grow some lumber-worthy trees.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d make it some of the most valuable land in the delta, right?¡±


    ¡°Indeed it would, sir,¡± Albert said. ¡°People get real fastidious when it comes to land rights, out there. Most times the laws are whatever the richest person nearby says they are, but the land rights for the lumber region are heavily regulated.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s different about this contract?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a fellow who owns a lumber mill out there,¡± Albert said. ¡°Been around long enough to know a fergax when he spots one. Every time we send someone out there, though, no fergax. No deaths, no damage which is pretty much how you track a fergax. The mill owner has registered a sighting eight times in three months, even pushed a nice incentive on it. People keep taking the contract, going out, and not finding a thing. It¡¯s reached the point where the Society is about ready to black-mark him.¡±


    ¡°Black-mark?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That means he won¡¯t be able to register contracts.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine that would be good for someone who relies on land out in the delta.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t imagine so. Might even be legal repercussions; those regulations I mentioned. Couldn¡¯t say for certain, with it not really being my area.¡±


    Jason frowned, thoughtfully.


    ¡°Whose area is it?¡±


    Bert though it over for a moment.


    ¡°I guess that would be the folks at the Civic Records Hall,¡± he said.


    ¡°Thanks, Bert. Put me down for the contract; I¡¯m taking it.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t immediately set out for the delta. His first stop was the Civic Authority Records Hall & Library in the guild district. After paying a small fee for access and a moderate bribe for assistance, he was able to find what he was after. As he was about to leave, he turned to his bribed functionary.


    ¡°Oh, and Miss?¡± he said. ¡°Do be sure not to tell anyone that I was here, or what I was here for. Only you and I know that, so if I find out that someone else knows, I¡¯ll know it was you.¡±


    He walked right up to her, pushing down on her aura with his own. She stood there, shivering slightly as he leaned forward to whisper in her ear.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who you tell, because they can¡¯t protect you from me. The Mercer family can shield you if I try to get you censured for having loose lips, but that isn¡¯t what¡¯s going to happen. One day, all your colleagues here will wonder why you didn¡¯t turn up. Your family will wonder where you¡¯ve gone, but they¡¯ll never find out. Do you know why?¡±


    ¡°Be¡­ because you¡¯ve killed me?¡±


    ¡°I doubt you have any idea what my powers do, so I¡¯ll explain the portions that are relevant to you. First, your body will die. Not of anything; it¡¯ll just stop being alive. Then, I¡¯ll suck all the moisture out of your corpse. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯re aware, but life force is a beautiful, vibrant red. I¡¯ll be taking any that your body has left, which will dry out your remains, nicely. Then I¡¯ll collect you in a cask. Not a big one, because there won¡¯t be much of you left, but I have a dimensional storage space, so it¡¯s fine either way. Whatever remnants there are, I¡¯ll clean off the floor with crystal wash. Are you familiar with it? Marvellous stuff, but hard to afford if you¡¯re not making adventurer money. Suffice to say, it will clean up any residual stains of what used be your body. Then, on my next trip out to the delta, I¡¯ll scatter what¡¯s left of you, scoop by scoop, into the bogs and marshes, until your final resting place is just sticky patches of mud.¡±


    He stepped back, flashing her a friendly smile.


    ¡°So let¡¯s just make it our little secret, yes?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Clive said. Jason had found him in the chaos of his disorganised study.


    ¡°It¡¯s for a contract,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if it¡¯s for the god of generosity,¡± Clive said. ¡°Those records are anonymous, and they stay anonymous. Even Lucian Lamprey wouldn¡¯t violate that, and he¡¯s as rotten as three-week meat.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Lucian Lamprey,¡± Clive said. ¡°Branch director of the Magic Society here in Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°Never met the man. I guess I shouldn¡¯t complain about your reticence; I should applaud integrity wherever I can find it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no telling if we would have a record of the power you¡¯re looking for, anyway,¡± Clive said. ¡°Not everyone records their powers with the Magic Society.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°What about a ritual that shows me if a summoning was used in an area?¡±


    ¡°A regular, essence ability summoning?¡± Clive asked. ¡°I can do you one better. How does a ritual sound that not only shows what was summoned, but takes an aura imprint of the summoner and puts it on a tracking stone? You¡¯d need to be right on the site of the summoning, and within maybe half a day of the summoning, though.¡±


    ¡°Clive, I could kiss you.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°How about this,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you can¡¯t tell me who has the ability, can you tell me everything the Magic Society has about an ability?¡±


    ¡°I could,¡± Clive said, ¡°but why would I bother? Don¡¯t you have the magic tablet that can access all the Magic Society¡¯s public records on powers? You know we sell them, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Jason said. The same list that showed restricted essences had records on everything the Magic Society knew about individual powers. Jason looked up the power he was interested in on his tablet.


    ¡°Standard salt circle,¡± he read. ¡°No worries. Hunt me up a copy of that tracking ritual, Clive, and I¡¯ll be out of your hair.¡±


    ¡°Why would you be in my hair?¡± Clive asked as he started looking through bookshelves.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a saying,¡± Jason said. ¡°It means I¡¯m tangled up in your business in an annoying manner.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need my hair for that,¡± Clive said. ¡°You have a natural talent.¡±


    ¡°Harsh,¡± Jason said with a wince.


    ¡°Did you hear anything about what¡¯s coming next after capturing all those sand pirates?¡± Clive asked, still looking for a copy of the ritual.


    ¡°Not much,¡± Jason said. ¡°Apparently everything is under wraps until they figure out what to do next.¡±


    ¡°Well, I hope they don¡¯t need as many drivers, whatever they do,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to figure out who that ancient complex belonged to. As I thought, I¡¯ve been cut out of the investigation in favour of Lamprey¡¯s favourites. Of course, the skill books we extricated may have slipped my mind.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°How¡¯s that going?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s odd,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s like there¡¯s a ¡®whatever it is I¡¯m looking for¡¯ shaped hole in the historical records, as if someone went through and purged it. I¡¯m putting a puzzle together by connecting around the outside, working in, until I¡¯m left with a gap the same shape as the weird piece I started with.¡±


    ¡°I love puzzles,¡± Jason said. ¡°Farrah had me doing speed runs as mental training.¡±


    ¡°I like them too,¡± Clive said. ¡°Do you have one of the magic sets where the picture and the pieces change? Back when I was studying to join the Magic Society we¡¯d get drunk and try to solve them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we¡¯re definitely doing that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Hey, you should talk to Gabrielle about the missing knowledge thing. You know; Humphrey¡¯s lady friend.¡±


    ¡°The acolyte of knowledge,¡± Clive said. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Destroying knowledge is the biggest sin they have. Can you pass me the book on that table?¡±


    Jason took a book out from under a potted plant and handed it to Clive.


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain that ritual is in here,¡± Clive said, flipping through it. ¡°I¡¯ll make you a copy and you can be on your way.¡±


    ¡°Finding high salt content?¡± Jory said. ¡°Yeah, I have something for that. Come with me.¡±


    Jason followed Jory into his new store room, practically an alchemical warehouse.


    ¡°With the clinic closed all week for the final renovations,¡± Jory said, ¡°things have been completely mad. The big re-opening is in a couple of days. Will you be in town?¡±


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have this contract and I¡¯m not sure how long it¡¯ll take.¡±


    ¡°You know you¡¯re the one who made all this possible,¡± Jory said, gesturing to the building around him. ¡°It¡¯d be nice to thank you, publicly,¡±


    ¡°On second thoughts,¡± Jason said, ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that contract will keep me out in the delta. I¡¯d rather be a silent partner, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that works, with you having been healing sick people with your magic powers for months, but sure.¡±


    Jory took a bamboo watering canister down off a shelf, giving it a shake.


    ¡°Should be about four cubic metres of water in there,¡± he said.


    ¡°A dimensional bag watering can?¡± Jason asked.


    Jory chuckled.


    ¡°Just clean it out and top it off before giving it back,¡± he said. ¡°Those things aren¡¯t cheap.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± Jason said.


    Jory opened a cabinet, taking out a large glass bottle with a teal liquid inside. He tipped half the bottle into the watering canister before putting the bottle back. Then he took out a small vial of liquid, before handing the vial and the canister to Jason. He gave Jason the instructions to use, clean and refill the canister.


    ¡°Not sure what you¡¯re up to,¡± Jory said, ¡°but good luck.¡±

 Chapter 93: Truth

    The lumber region was on the south side of the river, in the eastern parts of the delta, furthest from the city. Jason had long been refining his long-distance running style that employed the weight-reducing power of his cloak. It was really more like a series of floating, horizontal hops over whatever surface he was crossing, be it land or water.


    He¡¯d been through enough of the delta that he had most of it mapped out and he could save time by taking direct routes instead of following the embankment roads. He could walk on water and teleport past obstacles, so while he might not match the speed of airboat travel, his straight-line navigation outpaced an ordinary mount. It required occasional replenishment from mana and stamina potions, but Jory¡¯s low-cost options were easily worth it. Their moderate effects might not have the kick required for intense combat, but they were perfect for Jason¡¯s travel needs.


    The days were growing shorter as summer moved into autumn, and the sun had just set as Jason arrived in the town of Leust. It was one of the largest and richest towns in the delta, with paved roads and stone instead of mud-brick for the buildings. Mostly it was the cheaper, yellow desert stone, but there were green stone buildings as well.


    The interior coolness produced by the water affinity of green stone was appreciated by everyone who could afford it. In the muggy heat of the delta, it was often the difference between a good night¡¯s rest and a sweaty, sleepless night. For that reason, Jason selected a large, green stone inn to stay the night. Pausing outside the door, Jason stopped to put on his game face.


    His posture shifted and tightened, face and shoulders both scrunched up in annoyance. He threw open the door and marched inside, face full of aggravation. Striding across the room, he parked himself angrily on a barstool.


    ¡°Drink,¡± he demanded of the barman. ¡°Best you have, and same for food, after.¡±


    The barman reached for a bottle of amber spirits behind the bar.


    ¡°Not that bitter crap,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you have any Norwich Blue?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes sir, we use it to make blue juice-jumpers.¡±


    ¡°Blue juice jumpers?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a mixed drink, sir, but¡­


    The barman leaned in close.


    ¡°¡­usually we serve to our female patrons.¡±


    ¡°If someone has a problem with what I¡¯m drinking then I¡¯ll be happy to clean them off my sword.¡±


    Jason was in full adventuring gear, weapons at his hip and bandolier of throwing darts on his torso. He turned and took in the busy common room at a glance, no one willing to meet his gaze.


    "That''s what I thought," he said, turning back to the bar.


    ¡°If I may ask, sir,¡± the barman said as he made the drink, ¡°are you an adventurer?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the badge says,¡± Jason grumbled. ¡°Some bloody adventure they¡¯ve sent me on, though. Do you know how many people they sent out before me after this imaginary frigging monster? Eight! I¡¯m the ninth, and I¡¯ll be the last, one way or another. You can believe that. If this monster isn¡¯t out here this time, I¡¯ll personally see to it that the prick sending out these notices gets black marked. A fergax that doesn¡¯t kill anyone or break anything? What a load of crap.¡±


    ¡°That would be the Lindover Lumber Mill you¡¯ll be heading out to, then?¡± The barman asked.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Jason said. ¡°They gave me a map; I don¡¯t care what the place is bloody-well called.¡±


    Jason had trouble grumbling through what turned out to be a delicious drink and a quite excellent dinner, but he did it anyway, resisting his normal urge to seek out the recipe. He retired angrily to his room, performing a simple ritual to shield himself from surveillance magic before dropping the act.


    The next morning he left the inn, as irritably as he arrived and set out for the lumber mills. The lumber region was more solid ground than marsh, like most of the delta, but not dry and hard or dead and empty like the desert. It was like walking through a forestry reserve, with straight, earthen roads passing between trees lined up in neat rows. Sometimes it was akin to a natural, if neatly-arranged forest. Other times he was walking past a sea of saplings or the devastation of a recently deforested field. Wagons went past on a regular basis, wheeling loads of lumber to Leust.


    Jason passed several large, wooden archways with signage declaring the name of the lumber mill the road behind them led to. When he reached the one labelled Lindover, he walked through it. He followed the road through the trees to a large lumber mill, but it was still and devoid of people. Jason kept going past the mill and up to a sizeable farmhouse.


    Knocking on the door, he was met by the most lumberjack-looking man Jason had ever seen and they made introductions. Kyle Lindover was a leonid even larger than Gary, with a red plaid shirt, tough worker¡¯s pants and huge, thick boots. He looked like he could knock down trees by punching them.


    "If I was a tree and saw you coming my way," Jason said, "I think I''d just surrender. Do you like pressing wildflowers?"


    ¡°No,¡± Kyle said. ¡°Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°Just something I heard about lumberjacks,¡± Jason said.


    Kyle showed Jason around. Kyle had shut down the mill after the repeated fergax sightings, not wanting his workers to get hurt. His business was lucrative enough to sustain the downtime for a while, but his reserves were falling short and most of his workers had taken up with other operations, having their own families to feed.


    "My wife and kids are staying with her parents in Greenstone," Kyle said. "I''ve been maintaining things here, but every time I look at starting back up, the monster appears again. I keep getting adventurers out here, but they don''t find anything. I''m afraid I''m going to be black-listed."


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to see what we can do about that. I¡¯d like to start by seeing all the places the monster was spotted.¡±


    Kyle did exactly as asked, taking Jason all around the property.  There was the lumber mill, the farmhouse, and a dormitory for the people working the mill. There was also a small farm, producing food for Kyle, his family and the workers. Kyle was doing his best to keep everything in order, but he was clearly getting overwhelmed.


    Jason said he wanted to look around for himself, leaving Kyle to go back to the farmhouse. Jason made his way around the property until his map ability had fully unveiled everything. Afterwards, he sat down with Kyle at the farmhouse, enjoying some fruit punch Kyle made while Jason was roaming about.


    ¡°This is really good,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can I get the recipe?¡±


    Looking over his map, Jason marked out the areas the fergax had been spotted. He could just tap a finger to the map and set a marker, or drag his finger to mark a whole zone. Kyle watched curiously as, from his perspective, Jason was waggling his finger in empty air.


    ¡°Invisible magic map,¡± Jason told him, not looking up.


    ¡°I figured it was something of the like,¡± Kyle said.


    Looking at the map, the general area the monster was coming from was quite clear. Jason marked out a grid pattern to search, then left the farmhouse to get to work. He took out the watering can Jory lent him, complete with extra-dimensional water storage, and started sprinkling it over the area marked on his map. Kyle looked on with curiosity.


    ¡°What exactly are you doing?¡± Kyle asked.


    ¡°Looking for salt,¡± Jason said. He kept moving from spot to spot, sprinkling little bits of water as he went.


    ¡°Salt?¡± Kyle asked.


    "That''s right," Jason said. "When you use an essence ability to summon a monster, the first step is to make a summoning circle. It isn''t complicated, but you do need to use the right material. I have some friends who use obsidian dust and iron filings, but exotic materials like that are generally for the fancy summons. Most people just need a circle of good-old salt, including people who summon a fergax. I''m betting the summoner just kicked it into the dirt, after, rather than collect it up."


    ¡°You think someone is summoning the monster?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You think someone is trying to drive me off my land?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said.


    Kyle hung his head.


    ¡°Why us?¡± he wondered aloud.


    ¡°You¡¯re independent,¡± Jason said. ¡°You don¡¯t have a backer in Greenstone to push back with.¡±


    ¡°How am I meant to prove what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not,¡± Jason said. ¡°I am. Adventure Society, at your service.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had the Adventure Society out here before,¡± Kyle said. ¡°How are you going to prove any of what you¡¯re talking about? We don¡¯t even know who¡¯s behind it.¡±


    ¡°Sure we do,¡± Jason said. ¡°This investigation is taking a two-pronged approach. Best of both worlds, you might say. What we¡¯re doing here is using some local ingenuity to follow the magic. That¡¯s one prong. The other is a method we use where I come from called following the money.¡±


    White smoke started rising from where Jason had just sprinkled water.


    ¡°That¡¯s our first hit,¡± Jason said.


    Jason took out a metal stake with a bright red ribbon tied to it and shoved it into the ground. Then he went back to moving through his grid pattern, sprinkling more water.


    "There isn''t a lot of business regulation, locally," Jason said. "That''s what happens when the people who make the rules are the ones who own the businesses. When I took this contract, however, I discovered the lumber industry is a notable exception. The industry and its attendant land rights are very regulated.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m in danger of losing my land,¡± Kyle said. ¡°There are production requirements for landholders, and we haven¡¯t been producing since this monster started showing up.¡±


    ¡°Well, good news,¡± Jason said. ¡°Since investigation here seems to consist of finding the first guy that can throw fireballs and asking him to take a look, no one seems to have invented shell companies. I found where all the records were kept, spent a few hours to poke around and found everything I needed. With a little help from a bribed official.¡±


    ¡°You bribed a city official?¡±


    ¡°Not to do anything illegal,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just to help me navigate a less-than-helpful records system. That¡¯s how I know who¡¯s behind all this and why.¡±


    ¡°You already know?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now I just need some corroborating evidence, by which I mean whoever they¡¯re actually paying to come out here and summon the monster. I get that person to talk and we can get you back up and running.¡±


    ¡°You think they will?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Jason said. ¡°Even if they don¡¯t, we¡¯ll get something we can use.¡±


    Jason searched out his whole grid, putting down a stake each time Jory¡¯s water-potion mix found high salt content. When he was done, Jason took stock. His stakes with the eye-catching ribbons were clustered in a small area.


    ¡°About what I thought,¡± he said. ¡°I checked the whole area to make sure, but it looks like our summoner comes out here and summons his monster in more-or-less the same spot, every time. Then he has it wander about until you see it. I take it you never chased the creature.¡±


    ¡°A huge aggressive monster?¡± Kyle asked. ¡°No, I didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Eminently sensible,¡± Jason said. ¡°When was the last time you saw it?¡±


    ¡°Five days ago,¡± Kyle said.


    ¡°Probably too long to track it from the last summoning,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll give it a go, though.¡±


    Jason conducted the ritual Clive had given him at each of the summoning sites he had found. Ghostly images of a bear-like creature appeared briefly, but there wasn¡¯t enough residual magic to imprint the summoner¡¯s aura on a tracking stone.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said as he kicked the salt he used for the circles into the dirt. ¡°We¡¯re going to need a fresh monster sighting.¡±


    ¡°That last appearance was less than a week ago,¡± Kyle said. ¡°That could be some wait.¡±


    ¡°No worries, Kyle,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve already laid some groundwork.¡±


    Jason returned to the inn as the sun ducked below the horizon, unhappier than when he left that morning.


    ¡°Food and drink, same as before,¡± he demanded of the barman. ¡°I¡¯m out of here at first light. I¡¯m not staying a moment longer than I have to.¡±


    ¡°No luck?¡± the barman asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a matter of luck when some idiot is making things up,¡± Jason said bitterly. ¡°I swear, if one more report comes in from Lindover, I¡¯m not coming back. I¡¯ll have him black-marked on the spot and let the damn bureaucrats sort it out.¡±


    As promised, Jason departed at first light down the road to Greenstone. He passed through the next town as well to make sure before he cut back cross country to the Lindover Property. The trees made stealth easy on the occasions he saw workers on the properties he passed through.


    It was three days before the fergax appeared. With his aura fully restrained, he followed it with a recording crystal active as it roamed around for several hours. Kyle came out and spotted it, running when it roared at him, but it didn¡¯t give chase. It didn¡¯t do anything but roam about until it vanished when the summoning duration expired. All the while, Jason quietly stayed out of its path, watching it as the image was captured by the recording crystal floating over his head.


    ¡°The problem is we have bears around here,¡± Kyle said as he and Jason looked at the tracks left behind by the fergax. ¡°Sometimes they get curious and come in close, and their tracks are pretty much identical. Some of the other adventurers that came out thought I was seeing bears and getting rattled.¡±


    ¡°Well, we have the recording now, so at least we can demonstrate there really is a monster," Jason assured him. "That means a black-mark is off the table, at the very least. Next, we see if we can''t do a little better than that."


    Using the watering can again, Jason found a large salt reaction and performed the tracking ritual. This time an aura imprint found its way onto his prepared tracking stone. As expected, it led him straight in the direction of the neighbouring Clementson property, which Jason had anticipated before ever arriving.


    It was laid out much the same as the Lindover property but was in full operation. There were workers everywhere, and the magically-driven saws could be heard loudly cutting into wood in the mill. The other big difference was the farmhouse. The Lindover farmhouse was large but functional. On the Clementson property, the farmhouse was both larger and more ostentatious.


    Jason didn¡¯t bother to hide, striding through the property as if he owned the place. He got a few glances from workers, but the combat robes and the weapons said adventurer, which no one wanted to mess with. A man came out to meet him and was forced to follow along as Jason didn¡¯t slow, letting the tracking stone lead him to his quarry. Where the lumber workers had practical attire like Kyle, this man wore city fashions.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking,¡± the man said, ¡°what brings you to my property?¡±


    ¡°Monster hunt,¡± Jason said, without so much as looking at the man. ¡°You¡¯re Clementson?¡±


    ¡°Eustace Clementson, yes sir. You think there¡¯s a monster on the property?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯re familiar with the troubles your neighbour is having,¡± Jason said. ¡°A monster appeared there several hours ago, and I¡¯ve been tracking it to the source.¡±


    ¡°Tracking it?¡± Clementson asked, unable to hide the panic in his voice. It might have been at the idea of a monster on his property, but Jason didn¡¯t think so.


    ¡°I managed to get an aura imprint. That imprint led me directly to your property.¡±


    Clementson was starting to sweat, his eyes darting nervously in the direction Jason was heading.


    ¡°You¡¯ve obviously been working hard,¡± Clementson said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you let me offer you some hospitality? You can have some refreshment and I can tell you about the property. It might help you find what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°This tracking stone is all the help I need,¡± Jason said, continuing his rapid stride.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to your business, then,¡± Clementson said and started moving ahead of Jason at a half-run.


    ¡°Stop,¡± Jason ordered. His aura came down hard on Clementson, who staggered and stopped.


    ¡°Sir?¡± He asked, feebly.


    ¡°I think it would be best if you stayed with me,¡± Jason said. ¡°For safety.¡±


    Withering under the force of Jason¡¯s aura, Clementson reluctantly nodded, falling in behind Jason as he resumed his path through the property. They quickly came on a building detached from the main residence, made from stone and an indulgent amount of wood. On a porch swing, a man was sitting up, rubbing his eyes as if just having woken up. He gave the approaching pair a bleary-eyed look, focusing on Clementson.


    ¡°Eustace,¡± he said, ¡°what was that aura I just¡­¡±


    The man trailed off as he realised the source of the aura was standing next to Clementson. Then his gaze locked onto Jason¡¯s face and his eyes went wide.

 Chapter 94: Consequences

    The Temple of the Healer in Greenstone was one of the central temples on the Divine Square. Inside, a man named Neil Davone was making a stand.


    ¡°I won''t be a part of this,¡± he declared to the Chief Priest. ¡°This isn''t about serving the Healer. I spend my days following around the most petty noble in Greenstone, so I know what power and ambition look like.¡±


    The Chief Priest had all the temple clergy arrayed behind him, ready to move out. He looked at Neil with a dismissive sneer.


    ¡°Be thankful that your powers come not from our god, for he would take them from you. If you would stand against us, then you are no longer welcome in this church. Begone from this place, and never return.¡±


    Neil steeled himself, his expression hard. He turned around and strode out of the temple.


    On the Clementson property, Jason was confronting the man the tracking stone had led him to.


    ¡°Asano!¡± the man uttered, causing Jason to frown. He recognised the face from somewhere, but couldn¡¯t place it, at first. Then revelation struck.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the people that attacked me in Old City.¡±


    ¡°I didn''t attack you,¡± the man said quickly, his voice rising in pitch. ¡°That was Dink! We all left, just like you said.¡±


    ¡°And now you¡¯re here summoning monsters,¡± Jason said. ¡°Stay where you are, Mr Clementson.¡±


    Clementson had been slinking away while Jason¡¯s focus was on the other adventurer, but stopped short at Jason¡¯s command. He looked back, seeing that Jason hadn¡¯t turned back to look.


    ¡°Yes, Mr Clementson,¡± Jason said, without taking his eyes off the man in the other direction. ¡°I am watching you.¡±


    Jason had Clementson under the strict watch of his aura sense, the normal-rank mill owner having no way to hide it. He kept his eyes locked on the iron-ranker.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about summoning any monsters,¡± the man said.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to tell me things, then don¡¯t tell me,¡± Jason said. ¡°Lying is just going to make things worse.¡±


    The man looked up at the crystal floating over Jason¡¯s head.


    ¡°Is that a recording crystal?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell me your name?¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Jason¡¯s hard expression broke into a chuckle.


    ¡°Well, if nothing else,¡± Jason said, ¡°it can¡¯t be worse than what I¡¯m calling you in my head. What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Tuckell,¡± the adventurer said warily. ¡°Dean Tuckell.¡±


    Jason gave him a sympathetic smile, his body language shifting from harsh confrontation to loose and relaxed. Jason casually strolled up to the porch, where the man had been napping on a long, swinging chair. The man tensed at Jason¡¯s approach, giving a startled jerk as Jason casually plonked himself down next to the man on the long chair.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Dean. I¡¯m Jason, but you knew that.¡±


    Jason looked out from the porch. This back building didn¡¯t look out over the lumber mill, but instead at the crops grown to feed the workers.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t bad,¡± Jason said, taking it all in. ¡°If I recall correctly, Dean, you were the one that tried to talk Dink out of attacking me. Is Dink his real name?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s his nickname,¡± Dean said hesitantly, wary of the man sitting next to him. ¡°His real name is Jared.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d definitely take that over Dink,¡± Jason said. ¡°Was he the one who picked Dink?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°Clearly, some people are beyond help. Alright, Dean; this is quite a pickle you¡¯ve got yourself in. The way I see it, things are going to go one of four ways from here. I¡¯m just going to come out and tell you that I know what you¡¯re doing, who you¡¯re doing it for and why.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him,¡± Clementson said, from where he was still standing, in front of the porch. ¡°He¡¯s just trying to get information out of you.¡±


    Jason turned his gaze unhappily to Clementson.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough out of you, Mr Clementson,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be a nuisance, then you may as well run along, after all.¡±


    The mill owner required no further encouragement, scuttling away as quick as he could.


    ¡°Now,¡± Jason said, ¡°where were we? Right, I was just explaining that I already know everything.¡±


    ¡°Do you, though? Its sounds like Mr Clementson is right and you just want me to talk.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I certainly do, but want isn''t the same as need. This is more about tying things up neatly than me requiring anything from you. Dean, let''s go through the four ways I see this situation potentially playing out. In scenario one ¨C which is my personal favourite and I hope will be yours as well ¨C you tell me everything. That gives me what I need to make sure this all gets handled quietly and without too much of a fuss. Are you a member of the Adventure Society, Dean?¡±


    Dean nodded.


    ¡°Alright, then you definitely want to talk to me. With your cooperation, and me putting in a good word, then you shouldn¡¯t expect more than a slap on the wrist. It lets me settle everything nice and quiet, and the Mercers don¡¯t have to dump all the blame on you when everything goes public.¡±


    Dean started when Jason said the name Mercer and Jason felt the hook set in.


    ¡°Dean, this is an opportunity for you. A chance to get out of doing shady jobs for other people and stand on your own as an adventurer. My guess, and what will be my recommendation, is that you get put on a road contract. A bit of travel, helping some people who need it. Most importantly, it gets you out from under everything while the situation gets settled. Then you can come back having proven that you can do your job.¡±


    Dean looked uncertain.


    ¡°You don''t do a lot of monster fighting, do you, Dean?¡±


    Dean shook his head.


    ¡°That''s alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°On a road contract, you''ll have people to back you up. Wouldn''t you rather have someone better than Dink watching your back? You have all the tools you need to make it in life, Dean. You don''t have to be the greatest adventurer in the world. You can live a good life just being an okay one.¡±


    Jason kept his own expression under control as Dean looked thoughtful.


    ¡°That¡¯s scenario one,¡± Jason said. ¡°They gradually get worse from here. In scenario two, you keep your mouth shut, but don¡¯t make a fuss. I don¡¯t know all the details, so things get messy as what I do know starts loudly clashing with what I don¡¯t. The Mercer name gets loudly bandied about, and not in a good way. They¡¯ll be fine, of course, but I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the one they¡¯ll be looking to protect in this situation, do you? Especially given that they¡¯ll need someone to push all the blame onto. Best guess, they¡¯ll come down on claiming the whole plot was you and Clementson.¡±


    Jason knew that Dean didn¡¯t even realise he was nodding as he thought it over.


    ¡°That¡¯s how things go if I just walk away now. Scenario three is where you kill me to keep everything covered up, but that¡¯s a rough one. I have friends and connections that will be out here going over everything. It won¡¯t just be me you have to get rid of. Clementson, everyone on the property who saw me head in this direction. Lindover, a few people in Leust, even. Or you could run, but where are you going to go? Greenstone¡¯s out. Probably the delta, too. Are you going to go out to one of the desert towns? The veldt? You have a full set of essences, so you could make a life for yourself, out there. If my friends don¡¯t find you.¡±


    Jason slapped Dean on the back.


    ¡°All of that assumes you could even kill me, which I think we both know is a sketchy proposition at best. I¡¯m fully armed and equipped for combat, here; you¡¯re armed and equipped for a relaxing nap. Scenario four is that you try to kill me and fail. I don¡¯t need to explain the consequences of that one, do I?¡±


    Jason sat back in the chair.


    ¡°It¡¯s all up to you, Dean. Except for the one where you kill me, my contract gets completed whichever way we go. That first scenario works out best for both of us, but I can live with any of the ones where I, you know, live.¡±


    Dean looked at Jason, reclining comfortably as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world. He spent a long time thinking in silence as Jason quietly waited.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Dean said. ¡°It was Thadwick Mercer. He set all this up.¡±


    ¡°Just Thadwick?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yeah. He¡¯s been pulling in some of the less successful adventurers over the last year. He even pulled some strings to get some of us an easy ride through the assessment.¡±


    ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dean said. ¡°I didn¡¯t do all that well, but I got through on my own. But it shook me, you know? Putting your life on the line. It¡¯s not easy for adventurers who don¡¯t want to fight monsters. People look down on you, you know? We come from decent enough families, so working under someone like Mercer is better than working for some crime lord or gang boss. At least, that¡¯s what I thought.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason prompted.


    ¡°That thing where Mercer sent us after you? Kicking the crap out of you and recording it? How is that any different from working for a criminal?¡±


    ¡°Thadwick sent you after me?¡±


    Dean nodded.


    ¡°He knew about the contract you¡¯d been assigned and that you were meeting a contract in the Townhouse. We just had to hang around, waiting for you to pass through.¡±


    Jason sighed. Using and abusing Thadwick had been a mistake from the beginning, and now he was paying for it.


    ¡°What about this whole thing?¡± Jason asked, gesturing around them. ¡°The land-grab deal.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what it''s about,¡± Dean said. ¡°Every couple of weeks I was told to come out here and spook Lindover with my summon. Then I lay low here in Clementson''s guest house and quietly go back a few days later. A couple of days ago I was told to get out here and do it again, and he said it was probably the last time.¡±


    ¡°And by ¡®he¡¯ you mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Thadwick Mercer; it was all him. He''s always going on about how this is all his deal. How he''ll show his father what he''s really capable of.¡±


    Jason sat up straight and took a deep breath.


    ¡°Alright, Dean. You did well. We''re going to Greenstone to get all this settled. I said I''d look out for you, and I will.¡±


    Jason stood up, then held a hand out for Dean to shake.


    ¡°Are you ready to stand on your own feet, Dean?¡±


    Dean stood up and shook Jason¡¯s hand, looking like a weight had been lifted off him.


    ¡°You know what? I think I am. There¡¯s something you should know, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come out here by myself. One of Thadwick¡¯s other people came with me. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll let us leave quietly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got that right!¡±


    Both men turned in the direction of the intruding voice. A burly human was storming in their direction, Clementson following behind.


    ¡°Looks like I have to put both of you down,¡± the burly man said.


    ¡°Not going to happen,¡± Jason said as darkness manifested around him, speckled with stars. ¡°Dean, you¡¯ll want to stay out of this.¡±


    Neil Davone rushed down Broadstreet Boulevard. There was a crowd gathering outside the newly-refurbished Broadstreet Clinic, which was about to have a grand re-opening. Neil pushed his way through the crowd and rushed up to the doors, made of reinforced, magic-wrought glass. They were designed to open and close themselves, but the clinic was not yet open and they remained shut. Neil and started hammering on one of them with his fist.


    ¡°Friend, they¡¯ll be open soon,¡± an older man assured him. ¡°Just be a little patient.¡±


    The man chortled to himself.


    ¡°Patient,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s funny.¡±


    Neil ignored him and kept hammering away until a young woman appeared on the other side of the glass.


    ¡°Sir,¡± she said loudly through the glass, ¡°if you can¡¯t wait quietly for the clinic to open, then you will be turned away when it does.¡±


    ¡°I need to see Jory Tillman,¡± Neil yelled. ¡°I need to see him right now.¡±


    The woman looked Neil over. Compared to the bulk of the crowd, his clothes spoke to more than enough money to find medical help elsewhere.


    ¡°Go around to the back gate,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll see if Mr Tillman is willing to speak to you.¡±


    Neil groaned his frustration but nodded, fighting back through the crowd to go around to the rear of the building. There was a yard enclosed by a wall that he couldn¡¯t see into, but found the gate wasn¡¯t locked when he pushed on it. Inside was a yard tiled with colourful tiles and lush greenery in wall planters.


    The yard was occupied by three adventurers with bronze rank auras. A huge leonid man and a small human woman were both hoisting heavily-laden barbells in each hand. The third adventurer Neil recognised. Rufus Remore was meditating on a woven mat, eyes snapping opening as Neil came into the yard.


    ¡°Neil Davone,¡± Rufus said. ¡°What brings you here?¡±


    Rufus had administered Neil¡¯s field assessment for the Adventure Society. Given Thadwick¡¯s reaction, he almost would have preferred a fail to a pass. Neil had no idea what Rufus was doing there, meditating in the courtyard of an Old City clinic.


    A man came out of the building, dressed in clean and simple white linens.


    ¡°Who are you and why do you want to see me so urgently?¡± the man asked. ¡°I¡¯m more than a little busy right now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Jory Tillman?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jory said irritably. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°The Chief Priest of the Healer is coming,¡± Neil said. ¡°He¡¯s bringing almost everyone.¡±


    ¡°What for? Jory asked.


    ¡°He thinks your new clinic is a usurpation of the Healer¡¯s authority,¡± Neil said. ¡°They¡¯re coming here to tear it to the ground.¡±

 Chapter 95: Punishment

    The glass doors at the front of the clinic opened up. Deftly using his aura, Rufus pressured the crowd away without distressing them. He led the way outside, flanked by his adventuring companions, Jory, and Neil Davone. They stood in front of the doors and waited. Jory explained to the crowd that there would be a delay with the clinic opening. People started asking him to make exceptions, and Gary stepped out.


    ¡°It¡¯s an unfortunate situation,¡± he said, daring anyone to disagree. ¡°It might be a good idea for everyone to leave and come back later.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± some yelled out. The crowd could smell a spectacle.


    ¡°That,¡± Gary said, pointing an arm along the boulevard. All eyes followed, seeing a multitude of robed clergy making their way down the street. People were scrambling to get out of their path. The crowd outside the clinic moved well away, although not so far that they couldn¡¯t see what was happening. Their numbers even grew as others gathered to spectate.


    At the head of the approaching religious expedition was the Chief Priest, blasting out his silver rank aura. The group came to a halt in front of the clinic making an impressive sight. The Chief Priest was flanked by bronze-rankers, with iron rankers and lesser clergy arrayed behind them. The basic robe of the Healer¡¯s clergy was simple brown, but these all wore opulent silks of white and gold, with only brown embellishments.


    Facing the Chief Priest was Rufus, flanked by Farrah, Gary, Jory and Neil. Panning his eyes across them, the Chief Priest sneered at Neil before his gaze came to rest on Rufus.


    ¡°Rufus Remore,¡± the Chief Priest intoned, his sermon-practised voice reaching all the gathered onlookers. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what brings you here, but is it your intention to stand with heretics?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean by that, Chief Priest,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°This place seeks to set itself up as a temple of healing, taking that which is the right of the Healer, and the Healer alone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not one to speak for the gods,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I will say that Jory, here, is an alchemist, not a priest. So far as I can tell, he mostly advocates that people read the little labels he puts on the medicine bottles. He certainly isn¡¯t claiming to be a priest. He¡¯s just trying to help people by healing them. Surely your church would take no offence at someone doing precisely what you advocate.¡±


    ¡°The only truth in your words,¡± the Chief Priest announced, ¡°is that it is not yours to speak for our church. Do you think that you, better than I, can interpret the will of the Healer?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± a voice said softly, yet everyone present heard. Carried on a wave of aura that was benevolent yet overwhelming, the two quiet words somehow crashed into the crowd like thunder.


    Dean Truckell watched Jerrick approach the guest house where he and Asano had been talking on the porch. The burly man was the toughest of the thug adventurers Thadwick Mercer took under his auspices; the strongest of Thadwick¡¯s lackeys, outside of the noblemen who followed him around in public. Unlike most of them, he was an active adventurer, regularly hunting monsters. He followed Mercer as a way to overcome his own humble beginnings, having no backing of his own. He had earned his essences through years spent in the Greenstone fighting pits.


    ¡°Dean, you¡¯ll want to stay out of this,¡± Asano said.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Dean warned, ¡°watch out for¡­¡±


    His warning came to late as Jerrick launched like a ballista bolt, crashing into Asano and through the door of the guest house. The door of woven reeds and bamboo smashed apart at their passage. Dean turned to look inside, seeing the pair already moving. They were both on the floor, Jerrick seeking to pin Asano down, but all he got was a handful of empty cloak. It vanished in his fingers, revealing Asano was already gone.


    ¡°YOU THINK YOU CAN HIDE FROM ME?¡± Jerrick called out as he pushed himself to his feet.


    ¡°Actually, yes,¡± Asano voice came from deeper in the house. Clementson¡¯s detached guest house was generously-sized, with plenty of rooms to hide in. The outer rooms were well lit but the interior of the brick building had plenty of shadows.


    Jerrick threw a gaze at the door, pointing a finger at Dean.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even think about running,¡± Jerrick said as iron plates started magically appearing around his body to encase him in heavy armour. Once it was in place, he started storming through the building.


    Dean backed off the porch, winding up next to Clementson. Clearly the man had rushed off to fetch Jerrick the moment Asano had dismissed him. They stood side by side as they listened to the noises coming from inside. Mostly it was loud crashing, Dean easily able to picture Jerrick tossing around furniture. It was occasionally punctuated by Jerrick¡¯s shouting.


    ¡°YOU THINK I WON¡¯T FIND YOU?¡±


    ¡°YOU CAN¡¯T HIDE FOREVER!¡±


    ¡°YOU THINK A SCRATCH CAN HURT ME? YOUR HIT AND RUN TRICKS WON¡¯T LAST YOU LONG!¡±


    ¡°You should never have gone against Mercer,¡± Clementson told Dean. ¡°Derrick is going to tear that adventurer apart.¡±


    Dean frowned, then went back up to the porch with determined steps. He grabbed his dimensional bag from where he left it by the swing chair. Coming back down, he paused in confusion when he saw Asano standing behind an oblivious Clementson, even as Jerrick¡¯s shouts continued to stream from the building. Asano was eating a sandwich.


    Clementson saw the odd expression on Dean¡¯s face and looked back. Finding Asano right behind him, he stumbled away in surprise.


    ¡°Come on, Dean,¡± Asano complained. ¡°What kind of a poker face is that?¡±


    Asano¡¯s sandwich vanished and a magical cloak of darkness and stars manifested around him. Clementson called out to Jerrick that Asano was outside and Jerrick¡¯s armoured form came stomping out the door. He launched forward with incredible speed once more, but this time Asano seemed to bounce off, like a scarf tossed into the wind, his cloak fluttering around him as he drifted back to the grass some distance from where Jerrick had stopped.


    Asano held up a hand toward Jerrick, chanting a spell.


    ¡°Your blood is not yours to keep, but mine on which to feast,¡±


    Red light lit up from inside Jerrick, some of it siphoning off in a trail to be absorbed by Asano¡¯s hand. As this was happening, Jerrick charged forward. It didn¡¯t match the pace of his charge special attack, but was still fast for someone wrapped in that much metal. As he moved, Jerrick waved an arm, sending a wave of metal spikes ahead of him. Asano shielded his body with his cloak, but let out a grunt as most of the spikes punched through.


    Jerrick conjured a huge metal pole with a spiked metal sphere on the end, an oversized morning star. He swung it down like a hammer and Asano danced back lightly from the crude swing, the sphere digging into the ground. He cast another spell.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    Jerrick let out a painful yell as he let go of his weapon and staggered before righting himself. Dean couldn¡¯t see the results of the spell under the armour, but he¡¯d never actually heard Jerrick make a sound of pain before. Jerrick walked back to where his weapon was half-buried in the earth, yanking it out. Holding it horizontally, in spite of what must have been enormous weight, the sphere shot away toward Asano, trailing a chain that linked it to the pole in Jerrick¡¯s hands.


    The sphere shot through Asano¡¯s cloak, but he was no longer in it. Rising up behind Jerrick from his own shadow, Asano jabbed his ornate dagger into a gap at the bottom of Jerrick¡¯s thick breastplate. Jerrick whirled around, but the unarmoured Asano was much lighter. Almost comically, he moved to stay behind the spinning Jerrick¡¯s back. Jerrick stopped and Asano dropped through his shadow, vanishing just as myriad spikes shot out of Jerrick¡¯s armour.


    While he was keeping an eye on the fight, Dean had taken a sack of salt from his dimensional bag and was pouring out a circle on the grass. Clementson saw what he was doing and tried to interfere, but Dean¡¯s forearm grew large, hairy and clawed, grabbing Clementson by the throat. He lifted Clementson into the air.


    ¡°I may not be the adventurer they are,¡± Dean said, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯ll let the likes of you treat me like I¡¯m nothing.¡±


    Dean tossed Clementson to the ground, where he scrambled away on all fours before getting to his feet at a safe distance.


    ¡°Mercer will make you pay for this,¡± Clementson said, all but spitting his words at Dean. Dean looked over at Asano, dancing around Jerrick. Other than the two noblemen who followed Mercer around, all Mercer¡¯s lackeys were terrified of Jerrick, Dean included. He squared his shoulders, held up his hand and snapped his fingers.


    The circle of salt glowed with a green light, then lines within drew out the shape of a pentagram. Runes appeared between the lines, then the lines and symbols turned gold as the circle filled with green light. Out of the light rose a bear-like creature, with savage claws and a body covered in bony protrusions. Dean pointed at Jerrick.


    ¡°Kill.¡±


    Dean refocused his attention on Jerrick. The big man seemed unsteady, but still whirled the sphere on its chain around himself, holding onto the pole at the base. The sphere sailed through the air, shooting out spikes as it did. Asano easily avoided the sphere itself but the spikes were landing hits. With the strange way the cloak floated around him, drifting on the air, it was hard to tell how much damage the cloak and his armour were ameliorating.


    The fergax came up behind Jerrick, clutching him in a bear hug. If it weren¡¯t for the heavy armour, the bony protrusions on the monster¡¯s body would have pierced flesh in a half-dozen places. Instead, spikes shot out of the armour, puncturing the fergax¡¯s flesh. It staggered back and Jerrick turned on it as the sphere, snaked back down to slam solidly onto the pole. Jerrick lifted the pole up and brought it down on the monster. The weapon buried itself in the fergax, which fell dead from the blow. As it did, Asano chanted out a spell behind Jerrick.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    A horrifying groan came out of Jerrick, who dropped his weapon and started stumbling around. The plates of his armour fell away, vanishing before they hit the ground. The skin of his arms and face revealed black veins and patches of dead, withered flesh. Thick, dark blood trailed down from his eyes and nose.


    Dean and Clementson recoiled at the sight while Asano moved closer. No longer able to stay upright, Jerrick toppled to the ground. Asano held his hand out and channelled another spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Red light again glowed out of Jerrick, now massively discoloured with blue, purple and sickly white. All the discolouration flowed out and into Asano¡¯s waiting hand as he absorbed the afflictions, leaving only the feeble, flickering red of Jerrick¡¯s cleansed life force. The black veins visible through his skin had vanished, but Jerrick was beyond resuming the fight.


    ¡°Help me with him,¡± Asano said to Dean, and they pushed him into a sitting position. Asano took out an iron collar and snapped it onto Jerrick¡¯s neck, before feeding him a potion and lowering him back down.


    ¡°He¡¯ll live,¡± Asano said. ¡°He¡¯ll need a few more potions, but he¡¯s a tough one.¡±


    ¡°Is that a suppression collar?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Asano said. ¡°They¡¯re supposed to be restricted, but the bad guys seem to get their hands on them anyway. This one was used on a friend of mine when some cultists tried to sacrifice us. I borrowed it in case you turned out stroppy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill him?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°That was my inclination,¡± Asano said, ¡°but when a man turns his dog on you, you can¡¯t really blame the dog. Is he an adventurer too?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°Well, not for long, I¡¯m guessing. Sorry about your monster.¡±


    They looked over at the dead fergax, Jerrick¡¯s weapon already vanished from it.


    ¡°It¡¯s a summon,¡± Jerrick said. ¡°A new one manifests each time I use it.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Asano said. He turned to Clementson, who was cowering off to the side.


    ¡°Do you think this guy will lend us a cart?¡±


    The god appeared in front of Jory¡¯s clinic without fanfare; a small, middle-aged man, with ordinary features and plain, brown robes. Nonetheless, power radiated of him, affecting the crowd gathered on the street. Sicknesses were dispelled and injuries healed. Everyone in front of Jory¡¯s clinic fell to their knees as silence washed over the crowded street. Into that silence came the clattering of a wooden object falling onto stone, and a single, startled voice.


    ¡°My foot grew back!¡±


    The god laughed, looking over at the man who spoke out.


    ¡°You have a new foot,¡± Healer said. ¡°Please, stand upon it.¡±


    A scrawny man stood up in the middle of the crowd, looking immensely nervous.


    ¡°You came to this clinic,¡± the god said, ¡°but the alchemist here could not regrow your foot.¡±


    ¡°No, er¡­ your goodness, sir. He helped me with the pain, and found someone to make me a wooden foot. It worked pretty well. Enough to get me back working, at least.¡±


    ¡°Did you go to my temple?¡± The god asked, as if he didn¡¯t know exactly what happened in his holy places.


    ¡°They said I didn¡¯t have the money to grow a foot back.¡±


    ¡°Yes they did,¡± the god said, his gaze turning to the Chief Priest.


    ¡°It is my way,¡± the god said, ¡°to give those who follow me the freedom to do what is right. If doing what is wrong is not truly an option, then doing good isn¡¯t a choice; it¡¯s just obedience.¡±


    The god moved forward until the knelt-down Chief Priest was looking at the bottom of the god¡¯s robes.


    ¡°My ways have allowed my followers to go astray in the past, particularly in these outlying regions,¡± the god said. ¡°Rarely, however, has one of my temples fallen so far, and so completely. You should be not only ready but eager to help those in need. Instead, you use the gifts I have given you to garner power and line your pockets.¡±


    The god turned to look at the sign for the clinic, then back to the Chief Priest. As he continued talking, his voice was rising to an angry pitch,


    ¡°The fact that the proprietor of this establishment was forced to step in where you fell short was miserable enough. But to then turn around and try and stop him from the good works that should have been yours?¡±


    The god gestured and lights started floating up out of the bodies of his assembled clergy, Some were cubes of various colours, others smaller spheres. The people they flew out of collapsed to the ground, moaning in pain. The cubes and spheres continued to float over them, connected by a tendril of light.


    ¡°Many of you have taken what I offered, yet turned so far from my will that you travel in the other direction! These gifts I take back, for there are none among you worthy. Those who are, you have driven or cast out. Those who looked only to serve, to give help to those who needed it. As we speak, I am bringing the true faithful from distant lands to take your places in my temple. Those who you once shunned will now be welcome.¡±


    The god turned to looked at Neil Davone, giving him a warm smile.


    ¡°This includes you, young man. I know you have your struggles, but you bear them as well as any could ask, including me. Let any who would bar you from my holy places again answer to me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lord,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Lord¡­¡± came the Chief Priest¡¯s voice, weak and pained.


    ¡°¡­mercy,¡± he begged.


    ¡°That you are not shunned from my temples and their services, as you have shunned others is mercy enough,¡± Healer said. ¡°You may not serve me again, but we will see to your ills. If you have the coin to pay.¡±


    ¡°With our essences gone,¡± the Chief Priest begged, ¡°we are crippled.¡±


    ¡°For that, I shall give you no salve,¡± the god said. ¡°But you may turn to another.¡±


    A second god appeared next to the first, being very different from his fellow. His dress was regal, with a long cape, a sceptre and a crown. He was young and handsome, but with a look of disdain and faint cruelty behind the eyes, not than anyone was looking. His aura washed over the crowd like a wave of fire.


    The newcomer nodded acknowledgement to the other god.


    ¡°Healer,¡± he greeted.


    ¡°Dominion,¡± healer said back, cordially, then gestured to his clergy. ¡°These are of no use to me. I think, perhaps, they are more temperamentally suited to your worship.¡±


    Dominion crouched down in front of the Chief Priest, rubbing a portion of the priest¡¯s robe between his fingers.


    ¡°Very fine,¡± he said, standing back up. ¡°You have some seekers of power and privilege, here; not your sort at all. I¡¯ll take them off your hands, if they¡¯re willing to submit. I can replace those essences and awakening stones.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± the Chief Priest exclaimed. ¡°I¡¯m willing to serve!¡±


    ¡°There is no service in my church,¡± Dominion said harshly. ¡°Choose carefully before you enter into it. I am not Healer. There will be no freedom to choose the right path. There will be no freedom at all. Under me, you will obey or suffer. Or both, as I choose, because you will not enter my service. You will belong to me.¡±


    The now-former Chief Priest gulped, but nodded. The other behind him mostly did the same, although some did not. With a wave of the god¡¯s hand the spheres and cubes floating over those who capitulated shifted in colour before returning to their bodies. With another gesture, Dominion summoned an arched gate, through which could be seen the interior of one of his temples.


    ¡°Go!¡± he ordered. The former clergy of the healer got up and scrambled through the gate, which closed behind them. Dominion turned to the group gathered in front of the clinic door behind Rufus.


    ¡°Your friend Jason isn¡¯t here,¡± Dominion said. Rufus, Gary, Farrah, Jory and Neil were all still kneeling, but looked up, startled.


    ¡°You know Jason?¡± Rufus asked, uncertainly.


    ¡°I love that guy,¡± Dominion said with a grin. ¡°The ones who won¡¯t kneel are always the most fun. Seeing what it takes to make them capitulate, to put that knee down.¡±


    ¡°And if he doesn¡¯t?¡± Gary asked. Dominion turned his gaze full bore onto Gary, who trembled under the force of it. Gary defiantly kept his eyes locked on the god, forcing himself onto his feet. Dominion laughed, and the pressure vanished.


    ¡°That is where monarchs come from,¡± Dominion said. ¡°I love them most of all. I¡¯ll be keeping an eye on you, Gareth Xandier.¡±


    Dominion turned to Healer, nodding a farewell and then vanishing, as if he had never been there at all. Healer turned to those who had not accepted Dominion¡¯s offer. One of them spoke out.


    ¡°Lord! Please allow this humble sinner to seek atonement in your service. I was led astray.¡±


    ¡°You blame others for your failings?¡± the god asked.


    ¡°I was weak, Lord! The failing was mine!¡±


    The god looked over the remaining people, then gave a slight nod. Heads bowed, they couldn¡¯t see it, but they felt their god¡¯s assent.


    ¡°The path to redemption will not be easy,¡± Healer said. ¡°A lifetime of humility and service.¡±


    The essences and awakening stones floating over them returned to their bodies.


    ¡°I have restored those powers I gave you in the past, but sealed them away. They will not be available to you, and may never be. This you must accept.¡±


    ¡°Thank you lord!¡± they chimed out.


    Healer turned to Neil.


    ¡°Neil Davone,¡± the god said. ¡°Please lead these penitents back to my temple. You will find good people waiting to greet you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you Lord!¡± Neil said, getting to his feet. He was soon leading away Healer¡¯s remaining clergymen.¡±


    The god then turned to Jory.


    ¡°Stand and see me, Jory Tillman,¡± the god said. Jory nervously got to his feet.


    ¡°I am moved by what you have done here,¡± Healer told him. ¡°If you are willing, I will give this place my blessing and declare it a sanctuary for healing.¡±


    ¡°Um, that would be amazing,¡± Jory said, then his face plummeted.


    ¡°Uh, Lord Healer¡­ there are some things we make here that you might not entirely approve of. I¡¯d stop, but they pay for a lot of the healing research.¡±


    Healer chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to begrudge people a little¡­ togetherness jelly,¡± Healer said.


    Jory led out a nervous noise, then nodded.


    ¡°Thank you, Lord.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± Healer said. ¡°I will have people come to this place for rituals of sanctification. They will be careful not to disrupt your alchemy. And if you are willing, I will maintain a healer here. Your friend had not been as present as in the past, due to his adventuring commitments.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lord,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Then we are done here,¡± Healer said, and turned to the gathered crowd.


    ¡°Good people,¡± Healer said. ¡°Know that this place has my blessing.¡±


    A golden wave shone out of him, passing through the crowd and spreading to the city beyond.


    ¡°All in Old City are healed,¡± Healer said. ¡°Jory Tillman, you have no need to open your clinic today. Rest, and take people in tomorrow.¡±


    Healer vanished, leaving silence in his wake. Some time later, a shell-shocked Jory, Gary, Farrah and Rufus were sharing a drink in the clinic.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need new labels,¡± Jory said absently.


    ¡°Labels?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°For the Rumpy-Pumpy Good Time Ointment,¡± Jory said. ¡°I¡¯m definitely renaming it Togetherness Jelly.¡±

 Chapter 66: A Stronger Weapon Than the One in Your Hand

    Humphrey was returning to the family estate after completing a contract, muddy and spattered with monster blood. He was met by Phoebe, a distant cousin. Like him, she was iron rank but joined the Adventure Society more than half a year earlier.


    The Geller family sprawled across continents. Although they shared a last name, Phoebe and Humphrey were barely related. They didn¡¯t even share an ethnicity, with her skin being darker and hair much lighter than Humphrey¡¯s. As was traditional for the Geller family, Phoebe had been sent to Greenstone for training and experience. Once she reached bronze-rank, she would return to her homeland.


    ¡°What is going on with that friend of yours?¡± Phoebe asked Humphrey.


    ¡°You mean, Jason?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been busy with contracts, so I haven¡¯t seen him. Mother said he was spending a lot of time in the mirage chamber.¡±


    ¡°A lot of time is right,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°He¡¯s been in there almost all day, every day, for most of a week,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°He¡¯ll fight anyone who comes in; bronze rank, iron rank, he doesn¡¯t care. Your mother says its good experience for our people to face an affliction specialist.¡±


    ¡°Is he winning?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Mostly he¡¯s losing,¡± she said sharply. ¡°People have a habit of dying after he¡¯s already been beaten, though. Those afflictions are nasty.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him kill monsters with them,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to see that on a person.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand how he keeps going when he loses so much,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°That would really get to me.¡±


    ¡°You learn more from a loss,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bother trying to understand Jason, though. I think Mother is the only one who sees through him.¡±


    ¡°He did manage a few unexpected victories,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°When the mirage chamber throws out a complicated environment he gets tricky to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°He beat my brother.¡±


    ¡°He beat Rick?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Rick is like you,¡± she said. ¡°Put the enemy in front of him and nothing at iron rank is going to survive. But the mirage arena put them in a ruined town. The post-surge, cleanout scenario, so monsters everywhere. He¡¯d hit-and-run every time Rick was distracted.¡±


    The illusion power of the mirage area could combine environments and enemies into many different scenarios. A post-surge cleanout was set in a town that had been overrun during a monster surge. It was a favourite of the Geller family trainers, due to the complex environment and constant threat of hidden monsters. Often it was used to train search-and-destroy missions, but it also made a dynamic arena for combat.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing Rick asked for a rematch,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Straight away,¡± Phoebe said, ¡°but your mother stepped in and took over and decided to make a demonstration of it. She must have been watching.¡±


    ¡°I think Jason fascinates her,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°She likes to take people apart like puzzles, to see how they work. Jason is nothing if not puzzling.¡±


    ¡°She put out a notice for everyone on site to assemble in the viewing room in¡­¡±


    She pulled out a pocket watch to check the time.


    ¡°¡­just under two hours. Enough time for you to take a shower first. You smell like swamp and dead monster. Why didn¡¯t you use some crystal wash?¡±


    ¡°I ran out. It¡¯s been hard to get a hold of lately,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Actually, I noticed that too,¡± Phoebe said.


    The mirage area viewing room was laid out like a lecture theatre, and Geller family trainers would often use it as such. With tiered seats looking down on a large viewing window, trainers could talk while mirage arena images, live or recorded, were projected behind them. It was already half full when Humphrey arrived, with more people coming in behind him.


    ¡°Your mother tweaked the rematch,¡± Phoebe said as Humphrey took a seat next to her. ¡°This time Rick will have his whole team.¡±


    ¡°All of them?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Who does Jason have with him?¡±


    ¡°No one,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°Although I suspect your mother¡¯s hand will be firmly pressed down on the scale.¡±


    ¡°Rick has Claire on his team,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°She¡¯ll just cleanse all of Jason¡¯s afflictions.¡±


    ¡°Your mother set the conditions of the match,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°I¡¯m not the one to complain to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go find her,¡± Humphrey said, standing up.


    ¡°Sit back down,¡± Phoebe scolded, putting a restraining hand on his arm. ¡°Do you honestly think you can change her mind?¡±


    Humphrey did as he was told and sat down.


    ¡°I never have before,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure what the point is,¡± Jason said. He was alone with Danielle Geller, in the control room of the mirage area. They were awaiting the arrival of Rick Geller and his team.


    ¡°The point,¡± Danielle said, ¡°is to learn. That¡¯s what we do here. We teach, and we learn. My family has spread across the world, but this is the place we first became adventurers. It''s where we still do.¡±


    ¡°I meant more specifically,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can hold up against five of your family members long enough to make any kind of educational contribution.¡±


    ¡°When Rufus first described you to me, do you know what he said?¡±


    ¡°Rakishly handsome?¡±


    Danielle chuckled.


    ¡°He told me that when you were all prisoners, you showed him what it meant to find something inside yourself you didn¡¯t know was there. To do what didn¡¯t seem possible.¡±


    ¡°He may not have been paying attention,¡± Jason said. ¡°Mostly I freaked out and got hit with shovels.¡±


    ¡°Yet you took down Cressida Vane,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I knew her, you know.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Was she always massively overconfident? That¡¯s what got her killed.¡±


    ¡°She was, actually, yes,¡± Danielle said. "It doesn''t surprise me at all that it killed her in the end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve died seven times today, in your mirage arena," Jason said. "Maybe three dozen, this week. It feels real. The despair, the panic, the helplessness. It still comes, every time.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I want to see what Rufus saw. I want to see you do the impossible. More importantly, I want the young members of my family to see it.¡±


    ¡°And if I fail miserably?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Then perhaps you¡¯ll think twice before trying to make my son question the fundamental makeup of our society.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, sorry about that,¡± he said, sheepishly. ¡°I have a way of climbing up on my high horse.¡±


    ¡°My son has started asking questions that I¡¯m not entirely sure I like,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes you do,¡± Jason said with absolute confidence.


    She chuckled again.


    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± she acknowledged.


    The door opened and Rick walked in. Like his sister, his skin was dark brown, his hair light brown. His build was more like Humphrey, tall and broad-shouldered. He led in four more people behind him.


    Teams were not uncommon amongst adventurers, usually three to six members. Only in a relatively safe region like Greenstone was solitary operation commonplace.


    Rick¡¯s team had an archetypal distribution of roles, with a couple of resilient front-liners, some damage specialists and a healer. Not every team could find a good healer, with even someone like Rufus yet to find a one. His experience with Anisa demonstrated that team dynamics were as much about the balance of personalities as the balance of powers.


    Rick shook Jason¡¯s hand and introduced his team members. It was obvious to Jason that his demand for a rematch wasn¡¯t rooted in pride, but a drive to improve himself common to the Geller clan. He had been as surprised as anyone when Danielle set up Jason against his entire team.


    Only three of the five were Gellers, the other two being a pair of twin elf sisters. Jason shook hands with each of them in turn. While Rick may not have been driven by pride, not everyone on his team was the same, and the largest member of the team squeezed Jason¡¯s hand brutally as he shook it.


    ¡°Ow,¡± Jason said, cradling his hand after taking it back. ¡°Strewth, mate. What was that for?¡±


    ¡°Jonah,¡± Rick scolded. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°This idiot thinks he can take us one-on-five,¡± the big guy said.


    ¡°Actually, that was my idea,¡± Danielle said, drawing everyone¡¯s attention. She had faded into the background so well as they were making introductions that Jason suspected it was some kind of aura trick. Just a subtle rise in her aura suddenly made her the centre of attention. Jason had been working hard on his aura control but realised he still had a long way to go.


    Most of the group looked at Danielle respectfully, but Jonah looked defiant.


    ¡°Do you really think this guy is better than all five of us?¡± he asked.


    "It isn''t about being better," Danielle said. "He may not have been training as long as you have, or used the carefully curated awakening stones you all did, but I''ve been watching him here in the mirage arena.¡±


    ¡°You have?¡± Jason asked, looking disconcerted.


    "I have," she said. "Jason might still be settling into his martial techniques, but he has completely learned a lesson that everyone here would do well to give more attention. So I set up this little match for everyone to see. I''ve queued up just the right scenario to make my point.¡±


    ¡°Rigged the fight, you mean,¡± Jonah asked.


    ¡°Oh, good,¡± Jason said, letting out a relieved breath. ¡°Just between us, I was a little worried.¡±


    Danielle chuckled.


    "The scenario is a fugitive hunt. Rick, your team has two hours to find and capture or kill Jason. Jason, you need to avoid capture for the full duration, or incapacitate Rick''s team.¡±


    ¡°Not likely,¡± Jonah muttered.


    ¡°You have something to say, Jonah?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°I sure do,¡± Jonah said, either not noticing or not caring about the warning in Danielle¡¯s voice. ¡°I¡¯m going to show this little no-name weed what it means to fight a Geller.¡±


    Rick punched him on the arm.


    ¡°Shut up, idiot. He¡¯s been in here fighting Gellers all week.¡±


    Danielle gave Rick an approving smile.


    ¡°One more thing,¡± she said. ¡°This scenario will be set during a monster surge.¡±


    Danielle walked into the viewing room, striding up onto the platform in front of the viewing window, with a crystal rod in her hand. The room went quiet. No-one had the courage to still be talking when Danielle started speaking.


    "The Geller name is a good one to have," Danielle said. "Each of you in this room either carries it or are the boon companions of those who do. It is a name that opens doors, garners respect. It is a name to be proud of.¡±


    She panned her gaze over the audience. Geller trainees, their companions, and a few of the instructors who trained them. She continued her speech.


    ¡°I was just reminded, however, that pride can be a danger. We are not made great because our name is great. Our name is great because we make it so. Every one who bears the Geller name has the responsibility to live up to it. We are born with this name and a lot more. It is our responsibility to spend our lives earning them.¡±


    She waved the rod in her hand at the viewing window, which blinked to life. It showed a common scene from the delta; muddy ground filled with tangled tree roots, the canopy overhead casting everything in shadow. Rick and his team trudged through the mud that sucked at their boots with every step.


    ¡°As instructors, we find some lessons take longer to sink in than others,¡± Danielle said. ¡°You are all filled the realisation of your new power. You feel strong, unbeatable, even. It can make you disrespect the forces outside of yourself as determinates of success and failure.¡±


    She glanced back as the team struggled along the wet ground. Hidden roots and unexpected deep patches on mud made for stumbling progress. The thick foliage above them forced them to rely on a magic lamp for light. It was an expensive one that would float over them without occupying a hand, but it filled the space around them with the dancing shadows of the trees.


    ¡°Your surroundings,¡± Danielle picked up, ¡°can be a stronger weapon than the one in your hand. Monsters rarely spawn in training halls and fighting arenas. In most cases, you will be engaging them in their own environments. While you are watching, I want all of you to pay attention to this point. Who is using the environment, and how.¡±

 Chapter 67: This is What it Means to Fight Me

    Jason moved comfortably through the marshy woods. His feet didn¡¯t sink into water or mud, while his eyes easily pierced the darkness. Clusters of scraggly trees and other obstacles were no bother; he could vanish into the ample shadows and appear on the far side. Despite being all an illusion, it felt completely real. The hot, heavy air, the tiny insects swarming around him. A small burst of aura projection sent them scattering.


    A thick strand of webbing launched itself out of a shadow, striking the spot where Jason had been moments before. It was not the first such miss, as Jason¡¯s eyes could dig out the trap weaver¡¯s in the darkness. Even if they hit, the webs slid off. They could not adhere either to his essence ability cloak or the armour underneath.


    Effect: Resistant to adhesive substances and abilities with adhesive effects.


    The woods were filled with trap weavers, leaving behind a maze of sticky threads as they attempted to ensnare Jason. He flashed through the shadows, dagger planting in the head of the giant spider. It dropped to the ground as he continued strolling through the woods.


    In the viewing room, Danielle controlled the perspective of the viewing window with the rod in her hand. She used it to follow Rick and his team¡¯s journey through the dark, marshy woodlands.


    Henry Geller threw out his hand as he chanted a quick spell.


    ¡°Fire Bolt.¡±


    Flame launched from Henry¡¯s fingers, missing the fleeting, shadowy figure to burn out as it hit a tree trunk. Hannah¡¯s arrow had come closer, but Jason¡¯s figure was gone before it too stuck harmlessly into a tree.


    ¡°Henry?¡± Rick called out.


    ¡°He jumps around too much,¡± Henry said. ¡°It¡¯s like he¡¯s everywhere.¡±


    Henry wielded magic of wind and fire, and they had been tracking Jason by reading his scent on the air. They had caught glimpses of him, but seen little more than shapes in the darkness.


    The group continued searching the murky, woodland bog. Jonah was their bulwark, but his heavy armour and shield slowed him to a crawl. Rick was their other frontline fighter and he was coping better. His armour wasn¡¯t as heavy and his might essence gave him the strength to plough through the mud. His greatest problem was that his long, heavy sword was hard to swing among the trees.


    Rick and Jonah, along with Henry, were all members of the Geller family. The two remaining team members were the elf twins, Hannah and Claire Adeah; an archer and the team healer. As the healer, Claire was always the most important team member to protect. Her ability to cleanse Jason¡¯s afflictions made it doubly true. For this reason, she was in the most guarded part of the formation as they made their sluggish way through the marsh.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jonah called from the front. The others looked at he pointed out ahead. The trees grew closer together, and streamers of webbing, thick as an arm, were draped through them like party decorations. It wasn¡¯t any kind of pattern, instead wild and scattered. It was thickly laid out, to the point of being hard to find a passage through.


    ¡°Trap weavers,¡± Hannah said. They had already encountered several, most of which had been pinned to trees by her arrows.


    ¡°Trap weavers are careful,¡± Rick said. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look careful.¡±


    ¡°I think Asano might have provoked them,¡± Henry said. ¡°This whole area is riddled with his scent.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think going through that is a good idea,¡± Jonah said.


    ¡°We have to,¡± Rick said. ¡°He hides, we chase; that¡¯s the game. If we refuse to go somewhere, he can just wait there and time us out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a fair condition,¡± Jonah said.


    Hannah looked at him like he was an idiot.


    ¡°There¡¯s five of us,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Jonah said sullenly.


    ¡°Hannah,¡± Rick said. ¡°Your eyes are the best. Find us the clearest path.¡±


    The webbing proved to be very widespread.


    ¡°How did he get trap weavers to do all this without getting caught by them?¡± Claire wondered.


    ¡°He¡¯s tough to pin down,¡± Rick said. ¡°He may need shadows to teleport, but he can keep doing it, over and over. In a place like this, he''s a ghost.¡±


    As they headed into the web-strewn trees they were plunged into shadow, the canopy above them low, but thick. They were moving slower than ever as they picked their way through the webs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Henry said.


    ¡°We just need to get a good look at him,¡± Hannah countered. Her bow was always at the ready. She was not worried about the obstructions, prepared to fire from her short bow at a moment¡¯s notice.


    ¡°Can you burn through these webs?¡± Rick asked Henry.


    ¡°Trap weaver webs don¡¯t burn easily,¡± Henry said. ¡°I¡¯d blow through my mana and barely make a dent.¡±


    Around them was eerie quiet. Only the buzzing of insects accompanied the squelching of their feet in the mud, so a sudden new sound arrested their attention.


    The sound of feet pounding rapidly through mud came from somewhere in the distance. The sound stopped for a moment, then they heard panicked swearing and the sound started again from a different direction. They heard the wet slap of something landing in the mud and a startled yelp.


    ¡°He¡¯s got monsters on him,¡± Rick barked at the others. ¡°Go!¡±


    They started surging over the marshy ground. Hannah had found them a path that was relatively solid and even Jonah powered forward in his heavy armour. What they found was an indentation in the mud.


    Rick looked around, peering at every shadow.


    ¡°Hannah?¡± he asked. When there was no response, he glanced back.


    ¡°Hannah?¡±


    The whole team craned their necks searching in every direction.


    ¡°She was right behind me,¡± Claire said.  ¡°We were all running, and¡­¡±


    ¡°Back the way we came,¡± Rick said decisively, and so they went. What they found, to their horror, was Hannah¡¯s body, barely moved from where they had started running. Her throat was cut and she dangled macabrely from thick strands of webbing like a puppet on strings.


    ¡°It¡¯s not real,¡± Rick told Claire, who was looking at her sister with a hand over her mouth, eyes shocked wide. He put a supportive hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°It¡¯s just illusion,¡± he told her. ¡°We¡¯ve been through this before. Henry, do you have a scent?¡±


    There was no answer, and they looked again. While they had been looking at Hannah¡¯s corpse, Henry had vanished. That left the two men in their heavy armour and the healer.


    ¡°How did he do that?¡± Jonah asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s going for the ones he can kill quick and quiet,¡± Rick said. ¡°The rest of us won¡¯t go out like that. Our armour and Claire¡¯s magic shield means he can¡¯t take us easily.


    Suddenly blue light flared around Claire in the form of a bubble as objects struck it, three in quick succession. They were throwing knives, falling harmlessly into the mud after bouncing off the protective barrier.


    ¡°That way!¡± Jonah called out, but Rick grabbed his arm.


    ¡°He¡¯s baiting us,¡± Rick said. ¡°The way he baited the trap weavers into making all this mess. From now on, we go carefully.¡±


    ¡°How do we find him now?¡± Jonah asked. ¡°Henry and Hannah were our spotters.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been dancing to his tune the whole time,¡± Rick said. ¡°Time to change the music. Use your shout.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Jonah asked. ¡°You know what that¡¯ll do to the monsters.¡±


    ¡°He took out our spotters,¡± Rick said. ¡°The best advantage we have now is a straight-up fight.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s suddenly going to step out for that,¡± Jonah said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not us he¡¯ll be fighting,¡± Rick said. ¡°He might be able to dodge a handful of trap weavers, but look at all these webs. That¡¯s more than a handful. If they all go berserk, he¡¯ll have a harder time dealing with them than we will.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Rick said. ¡°I¡¯m open to alternatives.¡±


    The others shook their heads.


    "Alright," Rick said. "Jonah shouts, then we fight off the monsters while we wait for them to flush him out.¡±


    Jonah nodded, then took a deep breath. Throwing back his head, he roared; a primal scream that blasted through the marsh like an explosion. As he fell silent, animal shrieks rose up in answer, echoing out what felt like miles. Rick grinned, hefting his heavy sword in readiness.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see how he¡­ crap!¡±


    Everything went dark as a thrown dagger shattered their floating lantern. Unable to see, Rick felt a sting on his arm, as did Jonah moments later. Light bloomed, illuminating the area from a glowing orb over Claire¡¯s raised hand. They looked around, but Jason was already gone.


    ¡°Keep the orb up,¡± Rick told Claire. ¡°I know it uses your mana, but not that much and another lantern would be vulnerable.¡±


    She nodded, looking at the wounds on Jonah and Rick.


    Jason had found gaps in their armour while they couldn¡¯t see to defend against him, but he had barely drawn blood. They were minor cuts, but Rick had warned them early that it was all Jason required. Claire extended an arm towards Rick and chanted a spell.


    ¡°Be made clean.¡±


    A glow of white-gold light glowed out from under Jonah''s armour, and a black smoke arose from the gap where Jason''s knife had cut. She did the same with Rick.


    ¡°A poison and a curse each,¡± Claire said. ¡°All gone, now.¡±


    ¡°His hit and run attacks have done all the damage they can,¡± Rick said. ¡°He can¡¯t quickly finish the rest of us, and now the trap weavers will flush him out. We move carefully, fend off the weavers that come for us, and either find his corpse or make it.¡±


    ¡°Like this body?¡± a mocking voice asked. There was a lilting malevolence to it, like the speaker was slightly unhinged. They turned, seeing Jason¡¯s shadowy figure behind the dangling corpse of Hannah, still strung up on webs. It was their first clear look at him, although clear wasn¡¯t exactly the word. He looked halfway made of shadows, his cloak of darkness wrapped around him. The dark, flowing lines of his battle robe melded into the shadows and his face was shrouded in the darkness of the hood. Even with the light of Claire''s orb, he was hard to see standing in front of them.


    Rick threw his massive sword. It spun through the air at Jason but buried itself in Hannah''s body as he moved further behind it for cover. Rick held out his hand and the sword yanked itself from Hannah¡¯s corpse, flying back to Rick¡¯s hand.


    Standing behind the dangling, macabre puppet that was the ravaged corpse of their companion, Jason¡¯s laughter was filled with sinister mirth.


    ¡°So much for camaraderie,¡± he said.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to kill you, you sick prick!¡± Claire said to Jason, who laughed again. His response was to chant a spell, voice filled with malevolent relish.


    ¡°As your life was mine to reap, your death is mine to harvest.¡±


    A dim red light shone from Hannah¡¯s body, which was quickly devoured by Jason. As it did, Hannah¡¯s skin grew dry, pulling tight over her skeleton as if years were passing in moments. Only a desiccated husk remained in her blood-stained clothes.


    Claire screamed out in anger, raising the wand in her hand. A bolt of white magical energy fired at Jason, tracking him through the air, but he stepped closer to the corpse, which intercepted the attack. The withered body fell apart, tumbling piecemeal to the ground. Claire watched in horror as her sister''s body crumbled into dried-up chunks, splattering into the mud. When she looked up for the one responsible, Jason was already gone.


    ¡°You should be careful,¡± his voice mocked them, first from one direction, then another. ¡°I thought I had the spiders riled up, but you really went and did it.¡±


    Jason¡¯s voice was playful and cruel as he taunted them. Each time he spoke, it came from a new direction.


    ¡°My friends are coming for you,¡± he said. ¡°You might want to get out of these webs.¡±


    His laughter rang through the trees.


    ¡°Rick?¡± Jonah asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s not wrong about the webs,¡± Rick said. ¡°Slow and careful. Claire in the middle and I¡¯ll bring up the rear.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill the evil weasel,¡± Claire said.


    ¡°Hannah¡¯s fine,¡± Rick said. ¡°She¡¯s already awake, back in the control room.¡±


    ¡°I hope she stabs him while he¡¯s still in here,¡± Claire said.


    Jonah yelled out, standing awkwardly in place. He had stumbled into a near-invisible web. At the same time, a thick stand of webbing launched out of the shadows to drag Rick stumbling back.


    They were an experienced team who had handled trap weavers in real life, so they moved quickly into action. Claire¡¯s wand, glowing at the tip, cut Jonah free of the web as she used it like a knife. Rick planted his feet, and even with the mushy ground underfoot, his immense strength arrested the force dragging on him. He gripped the web and yanked hard, yanking a huge spider off a tree to sail through the air towards him. Swinging his huge sword in one hand, he cut the monster in half as it tumbled through the air, then scraped the sticky web off his hand with the blade.


    Jonah sloshed back through the mud, putting up his huge shield as the three of them backed away. Multiples strands of web shot at it, but slid off, as if it were greased in oil. Spiders were crawling all over the trees around them now, leaping from one to the other.


    "How are there so many?" Claire asked, firing off bolts from her wand. With each bolt, a spider fell but the tree-hopping creatures were outpacing their careful withdrawal. Surrounding them, the spiders were able to fire webbing from the sides where Jonah couldn''t cover, but it accomplished little. Claire ignored the webs, her barrier offering even less purchase than Jonah''s shield. Rick danced around as if he wasn''t shin-deep in mud, his huge sword flashing out, quick and deadly.


    One of Rick¡¯s trump cards was an essence ability that temporarily ramped up his speed and power, and he put it to good use. His huge sword was incredibly heavy, but he waved it like a baton, intercepting webs and slashing through spiders. The blade of his sword was glowing red hot and had burst into flame, cutting through webs and spiders alike with a searing hiss. He had been saving his abilities for a crucial moment, but there was an army of spiders bearing down on them.


    ¡°This way!¡± Jonah shouted, wading into thigh-deep water. ¡°They don¡¯t swim.¡±


    It was a wide patch of water, common enough in the marsh, but it had one advantage: no trees were rising out of it. Following Jonah let them escape the trap weaver onslaught. The lack of trees gave the monsters no place to jump to, and the absence of canopy meant no shadows for Jason to jump out of. Reaching the middle of the water, it had never gone deeper than Claire¡¯s waist.


    ¡°Now we wait,¡± Rick said. ¡°Without us, Jason becomes the only food on the market. He can¡¯t avoid them all, riled up like they are.¡±


    The three waited, back to back as they watched the tree-line for movement. The glowing orb was floating over them, light shining off the water. The screeching sounds of trap weavers came from all around. The water stilled around them as they stopped moving. Eventually, the trap weavers started calming, their shrieks diminishing down until they finally stopped.


    ¡°Do you think they got him?¡± Claire asked.


    ¡°They had to, right?¡± Jonah said.


    ¡°We have to go check,¡± Rick said. ¡°I think the loudest concentration of screeching came from over¡­ did anyone else feel that?¡±


    ¡°I can feel it crawling on my boots,¡± Jonah said. ¡°There¡¯s something in the water.


    ¡°Out of the water,¡± Rick commanded, pointing in a direction. Even as he did, the water around them started roiling like a boiling soup. The barrier around Claire started flashing in staccato rhythm.


    Jonah grimaced and Rick let out a grunt of pain.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Claire asked, pushing down panic. ¡°It keeps attacking my shield. It¡¯s going to eat through all my mana.¡±


    ¡°Just keep moving!¡± Rick yelled. Their resolve showed as they didn¡¯t slow their pace, even as something attacked them from under the water.


    Claire¡¯s shield absorbed attacks at the cost of mana, regardless of the strength of the attack. Rapid, weak attacks were the shield¡¯s weakness, and something was attacking it in swarms under the water. Unhappily, she let the shield drop before her mana was emptied out, immediately feeling the sting as something started biting into her legs.


    Their attackers were revealed to be leeches as the creatures climbed high enough up their bodies to rise above the water. The leeches crawled over them in search of vulnerable flesh.


    Claire fought through the pain to chant spell after spell, cleansing afflictions and healing through bleeds. The others had dropped their weapons to have their hands free, Jonah yanking the shield off his arm. They tugged off leeches with both hands and tossed them away, the leeches taking gobbets of flesh with them. The adventurers¡¯ efforts made little headway with the swarming leeches.


    ¡°My spells can¡¯t keep up!¡± Claire yelled. The leeches constantly inflicted bleeds and afflictions, faster than she could chant. The afflictions slowly but surely stacked up while the bleeds soaked up the healing. Their skin started to blacken around the leech bites. All the while, they kept making for the shoreline, finally struggling out of the water.


    Suddenly Jason was there, a lunging kick sending Claire splashing back into the water. Jonah threw a gauntleted fist, but Jason danced lightly away on the surface of the water. Claire sat up, spluttering, only for Jason to kick her in the teeth in passing, sending her back down. He pointed at Rick.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    Rick had his hand extended out in the direction of the water. His huge sword was spinning through the air, throwing off droplets of water as it flew past Jason and into Rick¡¯s hand. Jonah held his own hand out and an iron spear appeared in it.


    Both men threw their weapons. They struck home with accuracy but kept going, Jason¡¯s cloak suddenly empty. After being dragged through the air, the cloak disappeared and Jonah watched his  spear splash uselessly into the water. Rick¡¯s sword stopped in the air and flew back to his hand.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Jonah asked, looking around for Jason as he yanked off leeches. ¡°I thought he could only teleport through shadows?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rick said, likewise yanking off leeches.


    ¡°My cloak is a shadow,¡± Jason said, walking out of the trees well out of melee range. His cloak was no longer around him and they could see his face. His eyes were wide and his mouth was twisted in a deranged smirk. He looked hungry for something that definitely shouldn¡¯t be food. The cloak formed around him once more, hiding his face and its disturbing grin.


    ¡°Finally ready for a fair fight?¡± Jonah asked, another spear appearing in his hand.


    ¡°Two against one is hardly fair,¡± Jason said.


    "You mean three," Jonah said. Rick was quicker on the uptake, looking to the water behind them. Claire''s body floated on the surface with the awkward stillness of death, leeches swarming over it.


    ¡°She focused her healing on us,¡± Rick said bitterly as they looked at her corpse, robbed of dignity in death. He turned to spit invective at Jason, but he had vanished again while they were transfixed by the fate of their healer.


    ¡°I¡¯M GOING TO RIP YOUR HEAD OFF!¡± Jonah screamed into the air.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Jason¡¯s voice came from the trees, lilting and off-kilter.


    ¡°Your healer is gone,¡± his voice came from another direction.


    ¡°All I have to do now is wait,¡± he said, from a new direction again.


    Rick grimaced, knowing Jason was right. They had managed to tear off most of the leeches, which couldn''t move through the mud like they could in the water, but the damage was done. Standing around with no recourse, he could do nothing, even as he collapsed to the ground. That left only Jonah.


    Jonah had the greatest fortitude of the team. His resilience and heightened resistances let him last well beyond his comrades, but he could do no more than Rick. He screamed rage into the shadowy woods, then spotted Jason emerge, once again at a distance. He threw his spear, expecting Jason to vanish into darkness again. Instead, Jason made no move to avoid it and the spear impaled him, low and to the side of his torso. He staggered back several steps before righting himself, not having made a sound.


    Jason regained his balance, then pulled the spear from his body, hand over hand as Jonah watched. Holding the spear in one hand, Jason pushed the hood of his cloak back with the other, revealing his face. He took the spear and slowly ran his tongue along the shaft as Jonah watched in shock. Jason tossed the spear aside, eyes wide as lips, tainted with his own blood, took on a maniacal grin.


    "I taste good," Jason said, looking absently at the blood on his hands. Then he looked up at Jonah.


    ¡°I wonder how yours will taste.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t touching my blood, you crazy freak!¡±


    "Are you sure?" Jason asked, then chanted out a spell.


    ¡°Your blood is not yours to keep, but mine on which to feast.¡±


    Red life force started shining out of Jonah¡¯s body, streaks of dark colours reflecting the afflictions he was suffering. Red light streamed away, through the air toward Jason. Jason threw his arms back, pushing his head forward with a wild and hungry grin. The life force vanished into his face as he moaned with pleasure.


    ¡°You¡¯re seriously messed up!¡± Jonah said as his remaining life force returned to his body. He could barely stand now, blackened veins visible under his skin.


    ¡°You¡¯re not looking so good, Jonah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; I can clear that right up.¡±


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    The red light appeared again from within Jonah, but this time the tainted colours poured out into Jason, leaving the dim light of Jonah¡¯s life force clean.


    ¡°Refreshing,¡± Jason said, as if Jonahs affliction were a cup of iced tea.


    The curse and poison were cleansed, but the bleeding continued and Jonah was too far gone to rally.


    ¡°You said you would show me what it means to fight a Geller,¡± Jason said, walking slowly forward. ¡°But I¡¯ve fought Gellers, Jonah, and I¡¯m not sure you live up to the name.¡±


    Jason stepped onto the water, walking past Jonah to Claire¡¯s body. Jonah could barely keep to his feet as he turned to face Jason, almost stumbling into the mud. He watched Jason, standing over Claire¡¯s body,  grip the elf¡¯s long, blonde hair, stained dark by muddy water and her own blood. He pulled her up out of the water.


    ¡°Look at your friends, Jonah. You were meant to protect them, but they died helpless and agonising deaths. Like you will. I¡¯ve seen what it means to fight a Geller, Jonah. This is what it is to fight me.¡±


    He let Claire drop back into the water.


    ¡°Just end this, you sick lunatic,¡± Jonah said, glaring defiance.


    Jason walked casually up to Jonah, who could barely stand, let alone fight back. Jason walked around him, looking him over like a slab of meat in a butcher shop. Jonah lacked the strength to turn and face him again. Jason shoved him in the back and Jonah toppled into the mud. Jason stepped forward, pushing down Jonah¡¯s head with his foot.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone drown in mud before,¡± Jason said.


    In the viewing room, the window went dark as Jonah¡¯s feeble struggling came to a stop. In the aftermath, there was silence.

 Chapter 68: Good News For Clive

    The common room of Jason¡¯s inn was a sprawling, luxurious space, with dining area, bar and lounge. Jason was in the lounge area with Rick Geller, who had sought him out in the early hours, eager to discuss their fight. Jason was quickly realising that Rick was obsessively dedicated to training, even compared to other Gellers.


    To Jason''s surprise, he bore no animosity against Jason for the loss or wariness over his tactics. Instead, he was excited to encounter a style unlike any he''d encountered before.


    "It was incredible," Rick said. "Sometimes people can get lax in the mirage chamber because it isn''t real. The way you got in our heads, though? You had me making rush decisions, panicking. I¡¯ve watched the recording at least half a dozen times, and I just keep screaming at myself to do something different.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a recording?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There certainly is,¡± Rick said. ¡°It¡¯s all from our perspective, so you¡¯re barely in it until the end. You¡¯re always this crazy threat, lingering just out of sight. That crazy laugh, that creeps me out. It really felt like you¡¯d lost it.¡±


    ¡°A lot of guys ignore the laugh,¡± Jason said, ¡°and that¡¯s about standards.¡±


    ¡°Hannah thinks you¡¯re amazing.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t she the one I ambushed, cut her throat and strung her up to use as a shield?¡± Jason said uncertainly.


    ¡°She saw most of it from the control room,¡± Rick said. ¡°She had copies of the recording made and she¡¯s been showing them off to people.¡±


    ¡°Why would she do that?¡±


    ¡°Hannah¡¯s very spirited,¡± Rick said. ¡°Always ready to go, ready to try anything. She¡¯ll take almost anything, good or bad, as an experience worth having. She¡¯s kind of amazing.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason said, arching his eyebrows meaningfully.


    ¡°Not like that,¡± Rick said.


    Jason shook his head. It wasn¡¯t that long since he was a teenager himself, but it had been a hard exit, relationship-wise.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it just sit there,¡± Jason said. ¡°Tell her and find out one way or the other. Trust a guy who didn¡¯t for far too long.¡±


    ¡°The others are mixed in their reactions,¡± Rick said, forcibly steering the topic in a new direction. ¡°Henry is a little scared of you, I think. Claire is ready to stake you out and leave you to the marsh ants. More for what you did to her sister than her, but she didn¡¯t like those leeches. Were you actually controlling them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my familiar, Colin,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Colin? Wait, your familiar is a swarm of leeches?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Swarm-type familiars are really rare,¡± Rick said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen more dragon and phoenix familiars. The only other swarm type I¡¯ve seen is a gold-ranker back in my home city. He has these fire hornets that suicide attack to inflict a burning condition, and when they kill something, a bunch more hornets burst out of it.¡±


    ¡°Nasty,¡± Jason said. ¡°How did Jonah take how our fight turned out?¡±


    ¡°Jonah can be obnoxious and strong-willed, even to his own detriment,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t hold that against him,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been guilty of that more than once myself.¡±


    ¡°Well, you¡¯ve earned his respect,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Jason asked. ¡°How does that work?¡±


    ¡°Jonah can be prideful, and quick to look down on people,¡± Rick said. ¡°He respects strength, though. He doesn¡¯t care if you¡¯re a king or a commoner; show him you¡¯re capable and you have his respect. He just needs to stop making snap judgements about people before he knows what he¡¯s talking about.¡±


    ¡°Also something I¡¯ve also been guilty of,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I think you might have startled Humphrey quite badly, though,¡± Rick said. ¡°I don¡¯t think he realised you had that in you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I did either,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think that might have been bubbling up for a while. I¡¯m really surprised you don¡¯t have more of a ¡®burn him, he¡¯s a witch¡¯ attitude.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not actually some kind of blood-thirsty lunatic, right?¡± Rick asked.


    "Of course not," Jason said. "It was just a persona. I might have got carried away with it, a bit, though. I felt so¡­ free, afterwards. Like I finally started pushing back on all the pressures I''ve been feeling. Still, you really aren¡¯t freaked out?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know a lot of adventurers, do you?¡± Rick asked.


    ¡°I know a few,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Once you know more, you¡¯ll understand. As long as the Adventure Society isn¡¯t sending people to hunt you down, anything is on the table. Fear, misery, despair. If those are your weapons, use them. If you have them and you don¡¯t use them, you¡¯re an idiot. Of course, that¡¯s a generalisation. Everyone has their own opinion.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°I should talk to him,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough friends to start scaring them off.¡±


    ¡°In my experience, it¡¯s best to just leave him be,¡± Rick said. ¡°He¡¯ll work things through and then come find you.¡±


    ¡°Alright, thanks,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°So when are we having a rematch?¡± Rick asked.


    Jason went downstairs to the common room. He was dressed in cool and comfortable clothes: loose tan pants, colourful shirt and sandals. He was about to set off on a contract, but there was a decent travel time and he could change clothes in little more than an instant. He might as well travel comfortably.


    "Mr Asano."


    Clive Standish stood up from where he had been quietly sitting in the common room, under the baleful eye of Madam Landry.


    ¡°Jason is fine,¡± Jason said as he walked past Clive and out the door. The sun had yet to rise, the predawn light washing out all the colour from the world. Jason observed the similarity to how things looked with his ability to see through the dark.


    Clive followed Jason outside and down the street.


    "Uh, Mr Asano. Jason. This was the agreed-upon time for our meeting."


    ¡°I¡¯ve got some good news for you, Clive,¡± Jason said, walking down the street. ¡°Our meeting is going to be extra long.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Clive asked warily as he followed along.


    ¡°I have a contract,¡± Jason said. ¡°Probably take me a few days. We¡¯ll have a nice, long meeting on the way.¡±


    ¡°On the way where?¡±


    "There are some villages, deep in the delta," Jason said. "They''re being menaced by something called a mangrove snatcher."


    ¡°A large lizard-type creature,¡± Clive said. ¡°It attacks by ambush after hiding in waterways or burrowing itself into mud or wet earth. Unusual for a monster prone to such tactics, it doesn¡¯t have the ability to hide its own aura. That makes it bad at hunting animals, which are sensitive to auras.¡±


    ¡°So it goes after people?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It does,¡± Clive said. ¡°Any essence user who has reached iron rank will sense its aura, making it a minimal threat to adventurers. To ordinary people, on the other hand, it can be quite the danger.¡±


    ¡°You know your stuff,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve dealt with them before?¡±


    ¡°Oh, goodness, no,¡± Clive said. ¡°I may ostensibly be a member of the Adventure Society, but I am not an active one.¡±


    ¡°Well, you are this week,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You''re coming with me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°No, I¡¯m not.¡±


    Jason pulled out a folded piece of paper from his pocket and handing it to Clive, who read it as they walked.


    ¡°This is the contract,¡± Clive said. ¡°What does that have to do with me?¡±


    ¡°Four different villages in the area sent word that the mangrove snatcher came right into the village. Aggressive little prick, apparently. The messengers all came in overnight and the contract was assigned to me. I was told to head out at first light.¡±


    He waved an arm at the sky.


    ¡°And here we are,¡± Jason said. ¡°First light.¡±


    ¡°I realise that being assigned a contract pre-empts our appointment,¡± Clive said, ¡°but it does not mean that I am going to participate.¡±


    ¡°You might want to take another look at the contract,¡± Jason said. ¡°Down the bottom.¡±


    Clive looked over the contract again.


    ¡°It¡¯s been amended,¡± he read, disbelievingly. ¡°It¡¯s been assigned to me as well.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re aware,¡± Jason said, ¡°but the new branch director has kind of a thing about Adventure Society members who don¡¯t actually go on adventures.¡±


    ¡°You did this!¡±


    ¡°Well, I knew we had that meeting,¡± Jason said.


    "Did I do something to offend you, Mr Asano?"


    ¡°Just call me Jason.¡±


    ¡°What I call you isn¡¯t the issue!¡±


    Jason stopped walking, turning to face Clive.


    ¡°Clive ¨C can I call you Clive? Clive, do you know what an outworlder is?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Clive said. ¡°Astral magic is actually my specialty.¡±


    ¡°I know a little astral magic,¡± Jason said. ¡°Found this skill book when I first¡­ that doesn¡¯t matter. Clive, I¡¯m an outworlder. I was keeping that under my hat, but too many people know now for it to be a real secret.¡±


    Clive goggled at Jason.


    ¡°I have so many questions,¡± he said


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to that,¡± Jason said. ¡°The thing is, I arrived in this world in less than ideal circumstances. Everything was strange, people were trying to kill me and I had no idea where I was or what was going on. So I kind of have a thing about getting ambushed. And then comes you, asking questions, knowing who I am and where to find me. I don¡¯t like it, Clive.¡±


    ¡°I did introduce myself,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Clive, have you heard of lying?¡±


    ¡°Of the concept of lying?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Of course I have,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°There you go,¡± Jason said.


    Clive shook his head.


    ¡°Having a conversation with you is like wrestling an eel,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°When did you ever wrestle an eel?¡± Jason asked sceptically.


    ¡°I grew up on an eel farm out on the delta,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jason said, looking at Clive with new respect. ¡°It must have been a lot of work to get from there to here.¡±


    ¡°I had some good fortune,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°My friend¡¯s grandfather says the great adventurers are the one who turn luck into fortune.¡±


    ¡°Is your friend¡¯s grandfather someone worth listening to?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Never met the man, so I¡¯m not sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°He runs a school in Vitesse. I¡¯ve haven¡¯t had a chance to visit, yet.¡±


    ¡°Wait, are you talking about Rufus Remore¡¯s grandfather?¡±


    ¡°Well, best get going,¡± Jason said, setting off again.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Clive said. ¡°We need to go to the Magic Society first. If I¡¯m going to be gone for several days, I need to make arrangements for my other duties. Also, we can pick up some transport. I¡¯m not riding a heidel; I hate those things.¡±


    That got Jason¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Jason said. ¡°What kind of transport are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°How has no one told me about these?¡± Jason called out joyously. They were skimming over the water in an airboat. Instead of a fan at the back, there was a vertical metal ring, around which had been engraved a magical diagram. Propulsion came from air sucked in through the front of the ring and propelled from the rear with great force. Sitting in front of it, the occupants were bombarded by the loud air rushing in. At the front of the boat was Clive¡¯s familiar, a rune tortoise named Onslow. His head was jutting forward like a dog with its head out a car window.


    They left the city from a different gate than Jason had previously, as it gave them better access to the waterways of the delta. Although verdant and filled with wetlands, only some parts were completely navigable by boat. Clive piloted the airboat by holding his hand over a glowing blue cube. With tiny hand gestures, he could speed up, slow down, or turn the boat.


    He drove it with confidence, sending them careening over the water. Occasionally they would need to pass through one of the artificial embankment roads that divided up the delta. There were many bridges built into them, so as not to obstruct the waterways. The airboat was just short enough to pass under them, with a wide margin on either side. There were handles on either side of Jason¡¯s padded seat, on which he kept a white-knuckle grip each time Clive sent the boat shooting through the tiny space under a bridge.


    ¡°Can you teach me to drive one of these things?¡± Jason asked. They had to talk loudly to be heard over the rushing air, almost at a shout.


    ¡°You can only drive these if you have the right essence ability,¡± Clive yelled back at Jason. ¡°It usually comes from the magic essence. The same power lets you use magical weapons like wands.¡±


    Jason was learning there was a lot more to the gangly scholar than he had initially presumed. Gone were the too-large robes, replaced with more practical wear for the delta, with sturdy-looking pants, shirt and vest. Jason spotted a bracelet on Clive¡¯s wrist, identical to the one on his own. It was a cord looped through small blue stones, each with a hole in the middle.


    Item: [Oasis Bracelet] (iron rank, uncommon)


    A bracelet that draws on the power of water quintessence to bestow the blessings of a personal oasis (accessory, bracelet).


    Effect: When a water quintessence gem is set into the bracelet it keeps the wearer cool and refreshed.Effect: Reduces incoming fire and heat damage. This effect accelerates consumption of the water quintessence gem.


    There was also what looked like an ordinary stick sheathed against Clive¡¯s thigh. Jason realised it must be a magic wand.


    ¡°I was expecting you to fight me more on coming out here,¡± Jason called out.


    "When I have an outworlder''s captive attention?" Clive asked. "There''s no way I''d pass that up. As you said, we can have a nice, long meeting on the way. I have so many questions."


    ¡°I did say that, didn¡¯t I? Alright, Clive. Ask away.¡±


    They arrived at the first village, where there were signs of the monster attacking. The villagers had reacted quickly, barricading themselves in their homes. There were marks of the monster trying to break in, but it failed to breach the thick, mud-brick walls. The villagers told them that they had been attacked every day while they waited for their messengers to reach Greenstone.


    Jason told them to keep themselves locked away while they checked on the other villages. He and Clive got back in their airboat and took off again. As they travelled, Clive continued his interrogation of Jason.


    ¡°You killed Landemere Vane?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°And his mum,¡± Jason said. ¡°Did you know them?¡±


    ¡°I knew him,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t a friend, was he?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°The whole family was reclusive. I only knew him at all because we specialised in the same field of magic.¡±


    Jason looked up and around.


    ¡°Hey, we¡¯re almost at the next village.¡±


    ¡°You know this area?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°No, one of my outworlder abilities is a map that only I can see. Places only appear on it when I get close, though.¡±


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Clive said. ¡°Have you tested the effects of going to a high place with superior sight lines?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°This is why you need to let me study you,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Jason said. ¡°I get enough of that from Farrah.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°A friend of mine. She¡¯s Magic Society, too. I¡¯ll introduce you.¡±

 Chapter 69: Dumpling Soup

    There was a small jetty from which they could see the village. There were several dinghies tied up, one of which had been sunk in the shallow water. A streak of dried blood was on the part jutting above the waterline.


    ¡°Looks like someone¡¯s hurt,¡± Clive said as he tied the airboat to the jetty.


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You hope someone¡¯s hurt?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°You can fix hurt. Can¡¯t fix dead.¡±


    Jason stopped, looking at Clive.


    ¡°You can¡¯t fix dead, can you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It never occurred to me to ask.¡±


    ¡°Not at our rank,¡± Clive said. ¡°Some gold rank healing effects can bring you back if they¡¯re used immediately,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Like magic CPR,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is,¡± Clive said. ¡°There¡¯s also diamond rank, but there are always rumours about diamond rank.¡±


    They walked towards the village. Like the others they had visited, there was no one to be seen. The people had holed themselves up as they waited for adventurers to arrive. The buildings were mudbrick, with woven reed doors and window shutters. Many of the doors had been scratched into shreds, revealing barriers of stone or metal that had been placed behind them. The people of the delta were prepared for monsters.


    Jason loudly announced their presence and the village mayor came out to meet them. She described the monster, which sounded to Jason like a claw-footed, six-legged crocodile.


    ¡°That¡¯s a mangrove snatcher alright,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Is someone hurt?¡± Jason asked.


    "There is," the mayor said. "We''re worried because the healers don''t make it out here every month. Even if they do come, I don''t know if he can last that long. The injury is bad enough, but the infection has set in."


    ¡°Best show us, then,¡± Jason said. The mayor started leading them through the village.


    ¡°I imagine infection would be a problem here in the delta,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It is,¡± the mayor said. ¡°Do you have healing abilities?¡±


    ¡°I can handle the infection,¡± Jason said. ¡°The injury will take a potion. Unless you can heal injuries, Clive?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said, shaking his head. ¡°I have some self-healing, but I can¡¯t use it on others.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford potions,¡± the mayor said. ¡°We could probably put together enough for some healing ointment, if you have some.¡±


    ¡°Ointment won¡¯t get the job done on deep wounds,¡± Jason said. ¡°I learned that the hard way. I¡¯ll probably use a potion, maybe two.¡±


    ¡°We really can¡¯t afford it,¡± the mayor said.


    ¡°We¡¯re here to save the day, Madam Mayor,¡± Jason said. ¡°All part of the service.¡±


    The mayor looked at him, nonplussed.


    ¡°You¡¯ll just give us a potion?¡±


    ¡°Adventure Society,¡± Jason said, flashing her a smile. ¡°We¡¯re here to help.¡±


    The mayor called out at a house and the barricade was removed from the door. Inside was a man laying on a bed, stripped down to his underwear, with a stained-through bandage wrapped around his leg. He was sweat-covered and muttering to himself.


    Jason winced.


    ¡°I¡¯d better get straight onto that.¡±


    Jason walked over to the bed, where a woman was dabbing the man¡¯s forehead with a wet cloth.


    ¡°Excuse I,¡± Jason said as he stood next to her. He held a hand over the injured man and chanted out his spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Red life force shone out from the man, tainted with the yellow and purple colours of a bruise. Those infecting colours rose up from the red light, disappearing into Jason¡¯s hand. What remained was the clean red glow of life force, which retracted into that man¡¯s body.


    You have cleansed all instances of disease [Infection] from [Human].You have cleansed all instances of disease [Sepsis] from [Human].Your stamina and mana have been replenished.Stamina and mana cannot exceed normal maximum values. Excess stamina and mana are lost.


    The injured man took a shuddering breath, then started looking about, confused. His eyes became focused, looking at all the people around him.


    ¡°Welcome back, mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m Jason. Adventurer, raconteur, man-about-town.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jason pulled a knife from his inventory. It wasn¡¯t his fighting knife, but a magically sharp utility knife he had purchased. He dug it under the filthy bandages and cut them away with a single, smooth slice. There were deep claw marks underneath that started pulsing out blood immediately. Jason pulled out a healing potion, carefully pouring it into the wound.


    ¡°Alchemist mate of mine made this stuff,¡± Jason said. ¡°More effective on external wounds than just chugging it straight down.¡±


    The wounds quickly closed up. An iron-rank potion was more effective on a normal person than it was on an iron ranker. The fact that it would be longer before they could use another was a middling drawback, which was why many adventurers kept a high-rank potion on hand for emergencies.


    In moments the open wounds had closed into glaring welts. Jason took out a tin of ointment and handed it to the woman by the bed.


    ¡°Give him a half-hour for the potion to work its way through his system, then use this,¡± Jason instructed. ¡°There won¡¯t be a mark left on him.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t afford this,¡± the woman said, although Jason noted how tightly she clutched the tin.


    ¡°On the house,¡± Jason said. ¡°Well, on me. This is your house. Come on Clive; we¡¯ve got more villages to check on.¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s not right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You mean other than your idea to stake me out, covered in meat?¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Still with this? It was an early stage of planning.¡±


    The third and fourth villages were like the first two, with villagers barricaded inside. Nothing else demanded immediate action and they turned their minds to hunting the monster. They sat down in the shade of a large tree, Jason on a folding chair from his inventory, Clive on the shell of his rune tortoise familiar, Onslow.


    ¡°I understand the part about covering me with meat,¡± Clive said. ¡°I don¡¯t appreciate it, but I understand it. But tethering me to a stake? I¡¯m not going to wander off.¡±


    ¡°You might,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m sensing resistance to the plan.¡±


    ¡°I could just pull out the stake.¡±


    ¡°See, this is the kind of resistance I¡¯m talking about. It¡¯s not my fault your world doesn¡¯t have goats.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know what goats are. I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t want to use Onslow as bait.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d never do that to him,¡± Jason said, reaching out to scratch the tortoise under the chin. ¡°But when I said something¡¯s not right, I meant about these monster attacks.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°How fast is this mangrove snatcher thing?¡±


    ¡°They attack in short bursts of speed,¡± Clive explained, ¡°but if you¡¯re talking about overland speed, then no faster than a person.¡±


    Realisation crossed Clive¡¯s face.


    ¡°Every village reported daily attacks,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s no way one monster got around to every village in a day. There¡¯s more than one monster.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I was thinking,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We need to know how many there are,¡± Clive said. ¡°Given the distances, it¡¯s at least three or four. It could be more than that. People don¡¯t stop when they spot the first monster to check if it brought a friend.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have a way to check how many there are,¡± Jason said. ¡°But I should be able to tell once we¡¯ve got them all.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I told you about my quest system, right? I got a quest for this contract, the same as the others.¡±


    Quest: [Contract: Mangrove Snatcher]


    A number of villages have reported being attacked by a mangrove snatcher.


    Objective: Eliminate the [Mangrove Snatcher] threat to the four villages 0/1.


    ¡°The objective is to end the mangrove snatcher threat. Once we get the last one, the quest should complete.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Clive said. ¡°Otherwise we¡¯d be waiting around for days, not knowing if we were finished or not.¡±


    Like Jason, Clive had a dimensional space that could store objects. A magical circle appeared in the air, lines and runes glowing with golden light. In the middle was a murky darkness Clive reached into, pulling out a notebook and pencil.


    ¡°Your abilities all seem very practical," Clive said as he took notes. "There is a theory that the unique outworlder racial gifts are an unconsciously derived mechanism of self-protection. Possibly as a reaction to the original body being annihilated."


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what now?¡± Jason asked, his gaze locking onto Clive. ¡°What do mean by the body being annihilated?¡±


    "You didn''t know?" Clive asked. "It''s one of the better-known aspects of outworlder knowledge, because of what we already know about the astral."


    ¡°Didn¡¯t know what? What annihilation?¡±


    ¡°How much do you know about the astral?¡± Clive asked. ¡°The space between worlds.¡±


    ¡°I read a skill book of astral magic,¡± Jason said. ¡°I took it from Landemere Vane.¡±


    ¡°So, basically nothing,¡± Clive said. ¡°Those books are all practice, no theory. Alright, here we go: If you could encapsulate the cosmos, as in all of everything, your world, my world, the space in between, it would be like a bowl of dumpling soup.¡±


    ¡°Dumpling soup?¡±


    ¡°Do they not have dumpling soup on your world?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Or do they not have analogies?¡±


    ¡°We have both,¡± Jason said. ¡°We also have smart guys getting punched in the face for running their mouth.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rich, coming from you,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I¡¯m a ¡®live by the sword, die by the sword¡¯ kind of guy,¡± Jason said. "You either keep your mouth shut or accept that someone''s going to put a fist in it from time to time."


    Clive shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re a crazy person,¡± he said. ¡°Just listen up, alright? So, all the cosmos is a bowl of dumpling soup.¡±


    Clive paused, tilting his head in thought.


    ¡°Now that I¡¯m talking about it,¡± he said, ¡°I really could go for some dumpling soup.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Jason said, nodding his agreement.


    ¡°I know a really good place back in the city,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go when we get back,¡± Jason said. ¡°Annihilation, the cosmos is soup, remember.¡±


    ¡°Right. So, in this dumpling soup, each world, each physical reality, is a dumpling. Your world, a dumpling, my world, a dumpling, every world out there, a dumpling. The astral is the soup through which we are all the dumplings, all the worlds, are floating.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°With you so far.¡±


    ¡°The astral, the soup, is also the source of all magic,¡± Clive said. ¡°That¡¯s what it is, just magic. Pure, unadulterated; the most fundamental building blocks of reality. Every world, every dumpling, is swimming in it. Some dumplings soak up a lot of the soup, like this world. Our world soaks up the magic, which takes various forms as that magic gets shaped by our physical reality. That¡¯s why we have essences, awakening stones, quintessence, monsters, all just appearing out of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°But my world doesn¡¯t have any of that,¡± Jason said.


    "That means your dumpling soaks up very little of the soup."


    ¡°So, how did I end up here?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Alright, think of the soup kind of congealing around a dumpling. That¡¯s how you get astral spaces, which are a sort of magical dimension attached to a world.¡±


    ¡°Like the one that produces all the water that makes this delta,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly like that,¡± Clive said. ¡°But not all that congealed magic is as stable as an astral space. It can kind of drift away, especially if someone goes and pokes a hole in the side of the dumpling.¡±


    ¡°Like a big summoning spell,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Precisely like a big summoning spell,¡± Clive said. ¡°Some of that congealed magic can drift off the side of the world, like a tendril. And if it happens to touch another dumpling, a brief, unstable link is formed. In this case, that link was between a world very good at soaking up magic, and one that isn¡¯t. So my world sucked in a part of yours through that magical link.¡±


    ¡°How big a part?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Tiny,¡± Clive said. ¡°Otherwise, you wouldn¡¯t have been the only one to arrive. But that link was never established properly; it was a phenomenon created through random forces, which means a couple of things. One, the link would have collapsed, almost immediately.¡±


    ¡°So, no using it to get home,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°The other important thing is that the link wasn¡¯t some purpose-built channel designed to transport physical material through the astral. I can¡¯t even imagine the kind of astral magic that would take. Gold rank at the least, probably diamond.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°So, you were pulled straight through the deep astral,¡± Clive said. ¡°And the thing about the deep astral is that it¡¯s just magic. Only magic.¡±


    ¡°You said that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes, but the point is, physical substance can only exist in a physical reality. I said your body was annihilated, but that wasn¡¯t exactly accurate. Your body ceased to exist because it went somewhere where the physical substance it was made of cannot exist. That¡¯s also why any physical material dragged into the link with you, didn¡¯t arrive with you.¡±


    ¡°Ceased to exist? The goddess of knowledge said my body was changed.¡±


    ¡°Your body didn''t change,¡± Clive said. ¡°Your body is gone. Not melted away, not blasted into pieces too small to see, just gone. It stopped existing. You must have misunderstood what the goddess told you.¡±


    ¡°Or she lied.¡±


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± Clive said. ¡°Lying is one of the core sins of her religion.¡±


    ¡°She isn¡¯t a member of the religion,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯s the object of it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she just told you what you were ready to hear,¡± Clive suggested.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that I died,¡± Jason said, pulling things back on topic.


    ¡°I suppose you did,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Then how am I here?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Well, the body died, but the soul isn¡¯t physical. It¡¯s magical. Do you know how summoning a familiar works?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Clive said, ¡°summoning a familiar is like deliberately creating a monster. A chunk of magic is brought into our world and forms a body. What makes it different from a monster is that it also summons a creature from the deep astral. Such entities are purely magical, like a soul. They normally can¡¯t exist in physical reality, any more than we can exist in the astral. But they inhabit the body you¡¯ve made. Give it a mind, and stability. So it doesn¡¯t break down and go berserk.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that I¡¯m basically a familiar?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Clive said, with academic fascination. ¡°Your soul came into this world, and like any other chunk of magic, constructed a physical manifestation for itself.¡±


    ¡°So, my body is the same thing as a monster¡¯s, just with a soul to stop it breaking down.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°You¡¯re picking this up very well.¡±


    Clive¡¯s enthusiasm had blinded him to the growing horror on Jason¡¯s face. Jason leaned forward in his chair, head in his hands.


    ¡°Jason?¡±


    ¡°Give me a minute, Clive. You kind of dropped a bomb on me.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Clive said, realisation suddenly hitting. ¡°Sorry about, you know, dying.¡±


    Jason sat head bowed, mind reeling.


    ¡°Is this why I didn¡¯t have hair?¡±


    ¡°Uh, Jason?¡±


    ¡°I said give me a minute, Clive!¡±


    ¡°Not sure you have a minute,¡± Clive said. ¡°I just sensed the monster¡¯s aura.¡±

 Chapter 70: Rewards

    The village was located right on the water. The monster sensed a potential meal out in the open and burst from the water to scramble in the direction of Clive and Jason. It looked like a large, six-legged crocodile. Clive, still sitting on the tortoise, pointed at the ground in the path of the rushing monster. He quickly chanted a spell.


    ¡°Emplace the mark of power.¡±


    A rune appeared on the ground, glowing red. The monster ran straight over it and Clive snapped his fingers. The rune exploded, sending ruptured gobbets of monster raining through the village. Jason¡¯s cloak appeared to shield him from the monster remains.


    ¡°Mind if I loot?¡± Jason asked.


    Clive looked at the liberal spattering of monster on his clothes, wiping it off his face.


    "Sure," he said, grimacing at the mess.


    Jason poked at a chunk of flesh.


    Would you like to loot [Mangrove Snatcher]?


    Jason held his nose as the flesh dissolved off his cloak and off of Clive, who was coughing and spluttering.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you,¡± Jason asked, giving Clive a flat look.


    ¡°You mean the mess?¡± Clive asked. ¡°It was coming right at us.¡±


    ¡°No, I don¡¯t mean the mess,¡± Jason said and pointing at the small crater left by Clive¡¯s spell. ¡°If you can do that, why don¡¯t you hunt monsters?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really more of a scholar.¡±


    ¡°I hate to break it to you, Clive, but whatever you call someone with magic land mines, it isn¡¯t a scholar.¡±


    ¡°Land mines?¡± Clive asked.


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go to the next village.¡±


    Quest: [Contract: Mangrove Snatcher]


    Objective complete: Eliminate the mangrove snatcher threat to the four villages 1/1.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    ¡°That was the last one,¡± Jason said.


    In the end, Jason was the one who ended up playing bait. When not triggered immediately, Clive¡¯s rune trap faded away until only special senses could locate it. This made the enthusiastically predatory monsters easy to handle. Jason just stood there as they charged at him, only to die at a snap of Clive¡¯s fingers.


    ¡°It only goes off when you trigger it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I can set it to trigger when something steps on it, too,¡± Clive said. ¡°That seems like it could be dangerous, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about stumbling onto it yourself?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°My vision power lets me see magic,¡± Clive said. ¡°I can spot it even when it¡¯s hidden. The same doesn¡¯t go for anyone I¡¯m working with, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good power,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It has its weaknesses,¡± Clive said. ¡°It takes a few moments to activate and glows bright red when I cast it. Anything other than dumb monsters know to get out of the way."


    ¡°Good news,¡± Jason said. ¡°Fighting dumb monsters is most of what adventurers do.¡±


    ¡°I will admit to not having a terrible time,¡± Clive said, ¡°the smell of dissolving monsters, aside. I¡¯m hardly going to start making regular trips to the jobs hall, but if you need a ride out here again, then come find me.¡±


    "I just might do that," Jason said. "Do you have a bag or something?"


    ¡°What for?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I was rewarded a hundred coins for the quest,¡± Jason said. ¡°You did all the work, so you should get the pay.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your ability,¡± Clive said. ¡°You keep it.¡±


    ¡°No dice, mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°You do the work, you get the pay.¡±


    ¡°Half then,¡± Clive said, taking a money pouch from his dimensional space. ¡°Use the rest to restock your potion supply.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fair,¡± Jason said. He withdrew seventy coins from his inventory and dropped them into Clive¡¯s bag.


    ¡°I put in half of what I took from the monsters, too.¡±


    Their task complete, they used the airboat to notify the villages that the threat had passed. Clive then directed the boat back in the direction of Greenstone.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jason called out over the noise of the airboat. ¡°Didn¡¯t you say something about knowing a good place for dumpling soup?¡±


    "Yes," Clive called back. "Yes, I did."


    The airboat emerged from the delta waterways in the late afternoon, approaching the Old City Water Gate. A distributary running out of the delta led into Old City¡¯s canal district, through a massive, portcullised arch. The canal docking area was a bustle of activity. Clive drove their airboat right into a building, which was set up like a submarine dock. It belonged to the Magic Society and was quiet compared to the brisk goings-on of the canal docks outside.


    ¡°I need to get back to the Magic Society campus,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m going to have so much to do.¡±


    Their trip had involved navigating deep into the delta, checking on all the villages, going through them to kill the monsters, going around again to give the all-clear, then finally come back. By the time they arrived back in Greenstone, they had been gone for more than half a week. When he first decided to drag Clive along, Jason had expected him to baulk at the rough delta accommodations. He hadn¡¯t expected Clive to have grown up in such conditions.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go make the report to the Adventure Society,¡± Jason said. ¡°You should be able to drop by the jobs hall anytime and collect your share of the reward.¡±


    Clive requisitioned a small, magic-driven carriage from the Magic Society to take them back to the Island, stopping at the Magic Society campus.


    ¡°Lunch tomorrow?¡± Jason asked as they parted ways.


    "Dumpling soup," Clive said with a wave.


    Since Jason had started taking jobs at the contract hall, Rufus, Gary and Farrah had been increasingly busy. They each had their own projects, and in-between they were taking bronze-rank contracts from the jobs hall. One of their key reasons for coming to Greenstone was the chance for some independence, after all. Between the Vane Estate contract going wrong and Jason¡¯s training, their own adventuring had moved down the list. Now Jason was a full-fledged adventurer, they were back to adventuring themselves.


    While they were all busy, Jason was seeing a lot less of the trio. He was unsurprised, then, that evening found him alone in his room at the inn. He decided to go out and see if there was anything on at the concert hall, seeing as it was so close.


    Although there wasn¡¯t anything on the scale of the grand magical symphony, there was a string section recital taking place. He thought it might be interesting to see it from the main floor, given that he usually watched performances from the Geller¡¯s private viewing box. He was looking for a ticket box when Cassandra Mercer had spotted him wandering about.


    "Mr Asano," she called out as she approached.


    ¡°Miss Mercer,¡± Jason said. ¡°Fancy meeting you here.¡±


    ¡°You seem a little lost,¡± she said.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve never actually purchased a ticket before. I¡¯ve been meaning to sign on to the patronage program with the Musical Society, but I¡¯ve been a bit busy.¡±


    ¡°The life of a new adventurer,¡± she said.


    ¡°Mostly,¡± Jason said. ¡°I did spend the afternoon working in a dumpling restaurant.¡±


    ¡°You got a job in a dumpling restaurant?¡± she asked incredulously.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get a job there,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just worked in the kitchen for the afternoon. I wanted to learn to make dumplings with local ingredients.¡±


    Cassandra invited him to view the recital from the Mercer family¡¯s private box.


    ¡°Thadwick won¡¯t be there, will he?¡±


    "Thadwick treats culture like catching a cold," Cassandra said. "You can''t always avoid it, but you can take precautions."


    Jason laughed. Cassandra explained the reason Jason hadn¡¯t found the ticket box was that it was on the other side of the building. He had been looking where he usually entered, which he discovered was for patrons, private box holder and their guests.


    The patron lounge was a place for concertgoers to engage socially before the performance and during intervals. They took drinks from the long bar and sat down in a pair of comfortable seats. Jason had a tall glass filled with rainbow layers of liqueur, while Cassandra took a neat measure of amber spirits.


    Jason wasn¡¯t used to drawing a lot of attention at such events. He was usually an adjunct to groups with Rufus and Danielle Geller, who were much more interesting to high-society mavens. Being the solitary companion to Cassandra Mercer proved very different.


    ¡°How is it that you were having an evening out unaccompanied?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I have to imagine people falling over themselves to be in your company.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a difference between company and engaging company,¡± she told him. ¡°The men in this town are a little simple for my taste.¡±


    ¡°You like a sophisticated gentleman,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Sophisticated is good,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Complicated is better. As for the gentleman part, I can take it or leave it. What about you, Mr Asano? What are you looking for in a woman?"


    ¡°Evil genius,¡± Jason said casually.


    ¡°Evil genius?¡± she asked, eyebrows raised.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Smart, confident, assertive, driven. What¡¯s not to like?¡±


    ¡°The evil?¡± Cassandra ventured.


    ¡°That could be a problem long-term,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°Maybe what I need is a naughty genius.¡±


    He thought it over for a moment as an impish grin took over his face.


    "Yeah," he said, voice purring. ¡°That sounds exactly right.¡±


    As they continued to chat, several people attempted to join their conversation, usually young men. Jason admired Cassandra''s ability to send them off with diplomacy and tact.


    ¡°You¡¯re very good with people,¡± he complimented.


    ¡°You are as well,¡± she said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m good at people; there''s a difference. Usually, in how angry they get once they realise what just happened."


    She laughed.


    ¡°Is something odd going on this evening?¡± Jason asked, looking around the room.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± she asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of adventurers here.¡±


    ¡°Patronage isn¡¯t cheap,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°People of means tend to be essence users.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean the attendees,¡± Jason said. ¡°There are people in the shadows.¡±


    He nudged his head in various directions, pointing out the people discreetly placed around the room. Cassandra frowned as she let him lead her gaze.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t notice at all,¡± she said, with self-recrimination. ¡°Perhaps I rely too much on my aura sense. All these essence users are aura camouflage."


    ¡°I wonder what they¡¯re up to,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Cassandra said, realisation dawning on her face. ¡°They must be here for the open contract.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an open contract?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I must have missed it while I was out in the delta.¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s actually been some excitement. Two rather brazen robberies.¡±


    ¡°Robberies?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The first was in the theatre district. Someone snatched a rather valuable piece of jewellery right off the neck of someone attending a play, then made a run for it. It was some cousin of the Duke of Greenstone, no less.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly bold.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only the beginning,¡± she said. ¡°A man was attacked right here at the concert hall. He was out on a balcony during the interval when he was attacked and robbed of all his valuables. I know the man in question and he rather had it coming, but still.¡±


    ¡°The same thief?¡± Jason asked.


    "So it would seem," Cassandra said. "In both cases, it was a woman dressed all in black. The interesting part is that, given the people involved, they were able to get a sense of her aura. She only has a single essence, yet managed to escape both times."


    ¡°That seems wildly reckless,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine the reward to be commensurate to that kind of risk.¡±


    ¡°It certainly does raise questions,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°The Duke of Greenstone had the Adventure Society put out an open contract for her capture, but the Adventure Society director restricted it to iron rank.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the long-standing policy of the Society to send appropriate measures to deal with appropriate problems, and it is one person with only a single essence. That¡¯s a widespread policy, not just here in Greenstone. Of course, the local powers have never had much time for Adventure Society strictures, and have been vocal in their displeasure. They don¡¯t like that the director worked her way up from poverty instead of coming from the established families. They¡¯ve also learned that pushing her does not tend to go well.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Have you met Elspeth Arella, yet?¡± Cassandra asked.


    ¡°I have,¡± Jason said. ¡°In fact, it was just before I met you.¡±


    Lucian Lamprey stormed through the grounds of Clarissa Ventress¡¯ estate. The silver-ranked Director of the Magic Society practically blasted away her guards with the power of his aura, using it to announcing his arrival. Ventress came out to meet him in the garden, sending her people off with a gesture. She grimaced as she fell under the suppression of his aura.


    ¡°To what do I owe the pleasure, Director Lamprey?¡± she asked, voice strained.


    ¡°She¡¯s meant to get caught,¡± Lamprey said, ¡°not cause a huge ruckus and get away.¡±


    ¡°Director, I can assure you that this is the way that meets both our needs.¡±


    ¡°Do you realise how many eyes are on this now?¡± he asked.


    ¡°With respect, director, I think you may be missing the point,¡± she said. ¡°You need to start attending more social events.¡±


    ¡°You want me to catch her myself?¡±


    "No, Director. But given your widely-known patronage of the Fortress and its fighting arena, you would, of course, recognise her aura. Should she make an appearance at an event you attend, of course, a civic-minded gentleman like yourself would reveal her identity. After that, the hunt begins and you have a seamless pretext for taking an interest in subsequent legal proceedings.¡±


    Lucian frowned as he thought it over. Ventress was visibly relieved as his aura retracted.


    ¡°Where is she hitting next?¡± Lamprey asked.


    ¡°Even I don¡¯t know that,¡± Ventress said. ¡°Keeping each element isolated allows us to control the information. As you said, there are many eyes on this.¡±


    Lamprey looked dissatisfied but gave a reluctant nod.


    ¡°My patience is not infinite, Ventress.¡±


    ¡°But it will be rewarded, Director.¡±


    Lamprey departed, leaving Ventress alone in the garden. Fury filled her face and she spat at a bush which withered and blackened, letting off an acrid smoke.


    ¡°Darnell!¡± she called out, and her leonid bodyguard came quickly.


    ¡°Belinda and Sophie,¡± Ventress said venomously. ¡°Where are they?¡±


    ¡°After the last time you called them in, they holed up somewhere,¡± Darnell told her. ¡°If you made it known their protection was withdrawn, they¡¯d be flushed out quickly enough.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ventress said, regaining her usual composure. ¡°Make inquiries, but keep it discreet. So long as they get caught, everything works out.¡±


    ¡°What if they tell the authorities that you were behind it all?¡±


    ¡°Lamprey will keep a lid on that,¡± Ventress said. ¡°So long as he gets what he wants, he¡¯ll want to make use of us again. His backing will make us untouchable in Old City.¡±

 Chapter 71: A Bit of Poo

    Jason didn¡¯t normally wear his battle robe around the city, but he was on the job. He had been assigned his first contract within the city itself and was meeting a contact at what was apparently a famous tavern in Old City. It was located in a district named Cavendish, after a family whose interests once dominated the area. The family had long-since relocated to the Island, but the name remained.


    There was a bulk trade centre for goods coming in from the delta, one of several locations from which the bulk of Old City''s food was distributed. To accommodate the lodging needs of traders and teamsters, many inns and taverns were to be found nearby. After dark, it was a centre for Old City nightlife.


    The raucous activity of the night had no impact on the bustling day trade, Jason noted, making his way through crowded streets in search of his destination. The buildings around him were the usual desert stone, although most had some manner of wall treatment that had been painted in bright colours.


    The same could be seen anywhere in Old City, but in Cavendish, it was very prominent. This was especially true of the central thoroughfare, whose uncoordinated clash of colours earned it the moniker Rainbow Road. Jason turned off that main street in what he believed was the right direction.


    He stopped at a public pump, where people were lined up to draw water. Unlike The Island, only the wealthiest residents of Old City had magic-driven indoor plumbing. Most residents used communal facilities, like bathhouses, group toilets and public water pumps.


    Underneath Old City, water from the delta ran through an elaborate network of tunnels. Ultimately, it all emerged from drains into the artificial strait between Old City and the Island. All through Old City that water was drawn up, used, then the wastewater was siphoned off to processing hubs spaced across the city. There, waste material was extracted before returning the purified water to the tunnels under the city. Waste material was collected in bags and sold as fertilizer.


    To Jason, the tunnels sounded like sewers, whatever he had heard about magical cleaning processes. Given that his current contract involved heading into those tunnels, it was suddenly a more pressing concern.


    The public water pump Jason approached, like others around the city, drew up water that was magically cleaned to safe standards. There were a few people in line for the pump to fill up jars, bottles, or even whole barrels that would need to be moved by cart.


    Jason was about to ask the people for directions when his aura senses picked something up. He projected his aura harmlessly over the gathered people, who all turned to look at him. He took out his Adventure Society badge and held it up.


    ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer,¡± Jason announced, ¡°about to do some adventurer things, so please clear the area.¡±


    Most people knew the mortality rate of going near adventurers at work, so people picked up their buckets and jugs and hand cart and made themselves scarce. Soon it was just Jason and the five iron-rank auras he had sensed.


    ¡°You may as well come out,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I think he noticed us, boys,¡± an arrogant voice said, its owner emerging from an alley with four others. They were young, with the light and practical armour of adventurers. They were all carrying wooden clubs and had recording crystals over their heads.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Dink,¡± one of them said, voice full of reluctance. ¡°You felt that aura. Maybe he isn¡¯t as weak as you said.¡±


    ¡°Of course he is,¡± Dink said, the first one who had spoken.


    ¡°Is there something I can help you gentlemen with?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Dink said. ¡°You can shut up and take a beating. I¡¯ll allow some whimpering.¡±


    ¡°Did I do something to offend you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is it the handsomeness? You might be ugly now, but just keep working on those essences and you¡¯ll eventually get less awful-looking. It¡¯ll never be great with what you have as a starting point, let¡¯s be honest, but it¡¯s magic, not miracles. Actually, have you tried the goddess of beauty? They probably wouldn¡¯t let you in the church looking like that, would they?¡±


    ¡°Are you seriously mouthing off right now?¡± Dink asked. ¡°How smart will that mouth be with no teeth in it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you know how being smart works,¡± Jason said. ¡°Or teeth.¡±


    ¡°Dink,¡± the doubter spoke up again. ¡°If he was as weak as you said, I think he¡¯d be more scared.¡±


    ¡°You should listen to your friend, Dink,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I know all about you, Asano,¡± Dink said. ¡°That Geller lady set up a fight so you could beat all her fancy trainees, teach them a lesson or some crap. But the whole thing was rigged, and really you¡¯re weak. But since you beat those Gellers, people don¡¯t know that yet. Someone is gonna make a reputation kicking the crap out of you, and it¡¯s gonna be us.¡±


    Jason let out a weary sigh.


    "Alright, gentlemen," he said. "Do you want to do this with powers, or without? I suggest without because at least you get to limp away after you wake up. I don''t think the Adventure Society will like it if I kill you all. To be honest, though Dink, the more you talk, the more it seems worth the trouble."


    ¡°You think you can bluff your way out?¡± Dink asked. ¡°I don¡¯t need powers to beat you.¡±


    ¡°Just that stick, then,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to shove this thing down your throat,¡± Dink said, waving his club. He charged forward at Jason, then found himself on the ground, unsure of how he got there. Jason was standing above him, holding his club.


    ¡°You get that one, Dink,¡± Jason said. ¡°Come at me again and you pay in screams.¡±


    Dink scrambled to his feet, lunging at Jason immediately. Jason rapped him on the head with his own club, arresting his momentum. Jason tossed aside the club and grabbed Dink''s arm, yanking him off balance. The first scream came as Jason tried to bend Dink''s elbow the wrong way, the second when he did the same with the knee. The screams stopped as knuckles crushed Dink''s throat, then he lost consciousness shortly after seeing a knee coming at his face.


    Jason let Dink fall to the ground, looking over at the others all clustered together.


    ¡°I have a contract to get to,¡± Jason said. ¡°Either all of you get over here and fight, or take this idiot and go.¡±


    The doubter dropped his club to the ground, the others doing the same. Jason shook his head.


    ¡°How did you idiots collect fifteen essences between you?¡± Jason asked. He¡¯d heard Rufus and others say the local adventurer standard was low, but he hadn¡¯t really seen it. Most of the iron-rank adventurers he¡¯d seen were Gellers.


    ¡°You¡¯d best get this idiot a potion,¡± Jason said, prodding Dink with his foot. ¡°Oh, and where can I find a tavern called the Townhouse?¡±


    The Townhouse, as it turned out, was the largest building in Cavendish. Once the city residence of the Cavendish family, that time was long past. It had been an inn and tavern for almost two hundred years. Going in through the large doors, Jason arrived in what was a surprisingly well-appointed bar room.


    Quality wood was a rare resource in Greenstone, but in the Townhouse it was everywhere. From the polished floor to the wall booths; from the tables and chairs to the long bar. The windows were pristine glass and elaborate chandeliers hung from the high ceiling, the magic crystals bathing the room in warm light. The only place heavily featuring the stone that normally dominated Greenstone construction was the split staircase at the back of the room. Made from dark and expensive green marble, it offered passage to the higher reaches of the building in style.


    The patrons were few in the early morning, just a few people quietly enjoying meals alone or in pairs. They were better dressed than the average Old City resident, as was the man behind the bar. He was a member of the runic race, stocky and hairless, with blue-black skin. On his skin were the glowing runes for which his race was named, holes in his outfit designed to show them off. Jason had interacted with his people very little, as they weren¡¯t common to Greenstone.


    He was packing away clean glasses, in preparation for the evening. He glanced up at Jason, who walked over.


    ¡°Hello, sir,¡± the barman greeted. ¡°Am I to take it from your attire that you are the adventurer?¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano, at your service. Are you the owner?¡±


    "The owner isn''t in right now," the barman said. "She will be grateful for your prompt arrival," the barman said. "If I may ask, is it Mr Asano, Master Asano or Lord Asano?"


    ¡°Stick to Jason and we¡¯ll do just fine,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°Very good, sir. My name is Farrokh. Allow me to lead you to the other gentleman, who is already in the cellar.¡±


    Farrokh led Jason behind the bar and through a door that led downwards. They arrived at a sprawling cellar. Jason reminisced about the Vane Estate and the cellar where he had once woken up inside a cage. It hadn¡¯t been his best moment, but it was where he first met Rufus, Gary and Farrah. That cellar had been empty, cages aside, while this one contained rows of massive barrels on huge racks. It looked like the storeroom of a whisky distillery.


    There was a man already in the cellar, kneeling down near a brick wall. He was peering into a hole, large enough that he could have put his head through it, chewed straight through the masonry. There was a glowing magical barrier inside an arch of runes carved into the wall around the hole.


    The man looked up at Jason. He looked around fifty, wearing loose coveralls and a workman¡¯s cap. He had a tool belt, in which Jason could see implements both magical and non-magical in nature. From the outfit, Jason took him as the kind of highly skilled tradesman with training in the magical aspects of his job. His aura revealed no essences; his expertise was wholly in external magic.


    Jason''s magical knowledge, coming from a skill book, was more extensive than the narrow, specialised training of a such a workman. That said, Jason had no illusions he would be the equal of this tradesman in his specialised field. Jason''s magically imbued knowledge might be more comprehensive, but he knew it would pale in comparison to the workman''s years of experience. The man introduced himself as Frank.


    "I''ve chased ¡®em all back into this hole here, Mr Farrack," Frank said.


    ¡°It¡¯s Farrokh.¡±


    "Sorry about that, Mr Farrack. So once I got ¡®em all out, I sealed the hole off. It''ll keep ¡®em out long enough for Mr Asarno here to do his job. You much of a rat catcher, Mr Asarno?"


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out,¡± Jason said.


    The Adventure Society was not normally called in for lesser monsters, which posed a limited threat. Only in large numbers were they a problem that required Adventure Society intervention. In this case, a whole colony of stone-chewer rats had appeared in the tunnels underneath Old City.


    ¡°I was told you would provide access to the tunnels?¡± Jason asked Frank as Farrokh led them upstairs.


    "Yeah, but I''ll have to leave you down there," Frank said. "This place isn''t the only one with holes in the basement. You''re not afraid of the dark are you, Mr Asarno?"


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll muddle through.¡±


    Frank led them out of the building and down a side street, to a set of stone stairs in an alleyway that led down below street level to a metal door. Frank unlocked the door, revealing more stairs. Jason followed Frank down into what looked like a sewer tunnel. The ceiling was arched, dark water running down the middle, with walkways on either side. There was a chemical smell, heavy in the wet air. It wasn¡¯t exactly like chlorine, but very similar.


    ¡°You alright for light?¡± Frank asked. ¡°I can lend you a glow stone, if that¡¯d help.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t the rats run from the light?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Oh, you see a lot of critters like this in my kind of work,¡± Frank said. ¡°My experience has been more of a run-towards situation. They¡¯ll take a nibble out of you if they can, believe me. Your trouble will be the ones hidden away. There¡¯s pipes and crevices aplenty down here. Lots of places to nest that people won¡¯t fit in to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to let my familiar do the hard work,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s like a magic pet, yeah?¡± Frank asked. ¡°Not sure I¡¯d want my dog running around down here. I mean, they clean this water, but there¡¯s clean and there¡¯s clean, you know?¡±


    ¡°My familiar is an apocalypse monster that can scour a world of life,¡± Jason said absently as he looked around the tunnel. ¡°It isn¡¯t going to be put off by a bit of poo.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fancy,¡± Frank said. ¡°I don¡¯t much know about apology monsters or whatever, but I suppose the big nobs wouldn¡¯t have sent you if you weren¡¯t up to it. You know, we had an infestation like this not long after I started on the job. Weren¡¯t cleaned out properly, and you know how monsters get after a bit. Streaming out of the street drains, they were, terrorising regular folk. That was some kind of bug instead of rats, but I imagine it¡¯d be much the same. You just be sure and get them all, yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that, Frank.¡±


    ¡°Right, well, I¡¯ll leave you to it and get on to sealing up these basements. After that, I¡¯ll come back and hang about until you¡¯re ready to go. How long do you reckon you¡¯ll be?¡±


    ¡°That depends on the rats,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Frank said. ¡°Just try not to get lost; these tunnels all look the same. If you ain¡¯t back here come dark, I¡¯ll assume you got lost and come find you.¡±


    Frank closed the door, leaving Jason in the dark, but his vision power was more than up to the task. Taking out a knife, he sliced open his palm, letting leeches pile out of the wound.


    Colin wasn''t likely to go causing any apocalypses quite yet, but the neophyte life-devourer did have the power to sense out living things, wherever they might be hiding. The sanguine horror wasn''t fast, but it was multitudinous, and as Jason followed the main mass, small groups of leeches broke off to head down tunnels and gaps. Jason''s quest might not end quickly, but he would root them all out in the end.

 Chapter 72: Rat Race

    Stone-chewer rats were around the size of house cats, with grey fur, protruding teeth and oversized, talon-like claws. Jason watched as a half dozen of them struggled to scratch away the leeches digging into their flesh. One writhed around until it fell into the water.


    ¡°Colin, what did I say about letting them go in the water?¡±


    The rats, it turned out were heavy, and after falling into the water didn¡¯t come back up. The leeches on them had no such problems, crawling out after the rat had died of either the leeches¡¯ ministrations or from drowning.


    ¡°How am I meant to loot them down there? The ones hidden away in those nests are one thing, but this is throwing away money.¡±


    The rats were all dead and all the nearby leeches crawled back into a pile. Jason looked at it.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Colin,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re doing all the work, and here I am complaining. I know you¡¯re doing your best, buddy. Good job.¡±


    The leech pile started undulating with what Jason assumed was happiness. He pulled up the quest screen.


    Quest: [Contract: Rat Infestation]


    Rats have infested the water tunnels underneath the Cavendish District of Old City. Clear out the nests and eliminate all the rats.


    Objective: Clear out rat nests 5/6.Objective: Eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/44.


    ¡°One more nest to go. That¡¯s a lot of leftover rats for the last one. Or are the others roaming around loose?¡±


    Jason was curious why some quests showed him the exact number of monsters why others didn¡¯t, but he wasn¡¯t going to complain. He pulled a pocket watch from his inventory and saw they were making good time. Colin might be slow, but its ability to sense life was unerring.


    Looting the lesser monsters only produced lesser spirit coins, but they were welcome nonetheless. Most things were paid for in lesser coins and it saved him using the moneychanging services of a brokerage.


    Moving further into the tunnels, he followed Colin¡¯s leisurely lead. He noticed a change in Colin¡¯s behaviour as they went further. Throughout the hunt, leeches had been breaking off in batches to seek out rats inside tunnels and various unreachable nooks. Now they were all slowly converging in the one direction.


    ¡°One big nest it is, I guess.¡±


    Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/43.


    Jason looked at the message that popped up. Normally it told him when he had progressed the objective, but he hadn¡¯t killed any more rats. He looked at it again.


    ¡°The objective used to be forty-four rats,¡± he mused. ¡°Did some old lady with a broom kill one?¡±


    Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/43.Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/42.Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/41.Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/40.Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/39.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on there?¡±


    Quest: [Contract: Rat Infestation]


    Hidden objective discovered: Find the secret of the final rat nest 0/1.Quest cannot be completed until all hidden objectives are completed.


    ¡°All hidden objectives? There¡¯s more?¡±


    Jason wanted to pick up the pace, but without Colin leading the way he could easily go off track in the maze of tunnels. He considered for a moment, then lowered his hand close to the ground. The cut on his palm was still there, as his rapid regeneration only worked while the familiar was inhabiting his bloodstream. The leeches crawled into his hand, vanishing as they touched his blood. He wondered if he should have washed them first. Finally, only one leech was left, sitting in his hand.


    ¡°Alright, Colin. Lead the way.¡±


    Jason moved forward at a brisker pace, hand held out in front of him. Holding Colin out in front of him, he could move his hand side to side. The leech would rear up when Jason was holding it in the right direction, letting him find the right path at every junction.


    Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/38.Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/37.Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/36.


    ¡°Is someone killing them off? What do you think, Colin? Is it going to be super easy? No, I don¡¯t think so either.¡±


    Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/35.Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/34.


    Colin pointed Jason at a tunnel that looked like it hadn¡¯t seen maintenance in a long time. Mortar was loose, bricks had fallen out of the walls. All the tunnels were wet, but here some kind of fungus was growing, in places almost completely obstructing the path.


    ¡°That is a lot of fungus.¡±


    Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/33.Objective: eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/32.


    ¡°If I were being honest, Colin, I¡¯d admit to becoming a little concerned.¡±


    Quest: [Contract: Rat Infestation]


    Objective complete: Eliminate [Stone-Chewer Rats] 31/31.Quest cannot be completed until all hidden objectives are complete.


    ¡°Hidden objectives,¡± Jason grumbled. ¡°I better get some solid loot for this.¡±


    He looked at Colin in his hand.


    ¡°Yes, I know other adventurers don¡¯t get a quest system. Shut up.¡±


    A sound, a low rumble, came rolling through the tunnel.


    ¡°What do you think, Colin? The sound of a hidden objective?¡±


    The rumble grew louder and clearer. It wasn''t an earthy sound, but a sloshing. The water flowing through the middle of the tunnel started running faster and higher, splashing against the brick walkway.


    ¡°Ah, crap.¡±


    Water came surging down the tunnel, raising the water level and overrunning the walkway. Jason stood still as the water rose halfway to his knees, not wanting to be knocked over.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t good water,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is this stuff going to clear out?¡±


    The surge of water passed, dropping back to its normal level. Jason guessed it to be a normal function of water tunnel operations. Jason took a few unhappy, squelching steps, then was struck by a horrible revelation.


    ¡°Oh, bloody hell,¡± he exclaimed, slapping a hand into his face. ¡°I totally forgot I can walk on water.¡±


    He continued down the tunnel, squelching boots accompanied by a stream of grumbling.


    ¡°I see you did just fine,¡± Jason said to the leech still in his hand. Then he noticed a circular welt.


    ¡°Do you try to eat me while I was distracted?¡±


    The leech waggled its toothy maw back and forth innocently.


    ¡°Don¡¯t act nonchalant with me, Colin,¡± Jason said. ¡°And after I gave you all that blood pudding yesterday.¡±


    Continuing on, Jason paused as he heard scurrying from somewhere ahead. It sounded loud for a rat, even the oversized stone-chewer rats. In any case, all the stone-chewer rats were gone. The sound got closer, and a ratling came rushing out of a side junction.


    Quest: [Contract: Rat Infestation]


    Hidden objective discovered: Eliminate [Ratlings] 0/12.Quest cannot be completed until all hidden objectives are completed.


    Ratlings looked like mice, but stood on their hind legs, half the height of a human. They were also cowardly, usually running from any confrontation, but this one didn¡¯t even slow down as it approached. It tried to barrel past Jason, but bounced off, tumbling from the walkway and into the water. Unable to swim, it splashed about ineffectually as the water flow carried it away. Jason pulled a knife from his inventory, cutting into his hand, sending blood and leeches splashing into the water after it. The rest he let pile at his feet.


    ¡°Make sure it doesn¡¯t survive,¡± he told the leeches, then started off down the tunnel it had emerged from. Whatever the ratling had been running from apparently filled it with more fear than Jason had.


    ¡°Too bad monsters didn¡¯t see me in the mirage arena.¡±


    Hidden objective: Eliminate [Ratlings] 0/11.


    ¡°This again? I don¡¯t think there¡¯s an old lady with a broom killing ratlings.¡±


    He heard squeals of fear coming from further down the tunnel. Five more ratlings came scrambling out of the tunnel, rushing toward Jason. This time he was ready, smashing one into the wall with a low kick as he grabbed another by the throat. They were weak and cowardly creatures, and he ended both quickly.


    Hidden objective: Eliminate [Ratlings] 2/11.


    The other three made it past him. Two of them tried leaping over the water to the opposite walkway, but only one made it. The other fell short, splashing into the channel. The third one dashed past Jason as he killed the first two, leaping over the pile of leeches.


    ¡°What kind of effort was that?¡± Jason asked Colin. ¡°Now I have to go running after them. Go catch that other swimmer.¡±


    As leeches piled into the water he started chasing the other two. He started with the one on his own side of the tunnel. Letting out just enough light from his cloak to turn pitch dark into shadowy gloom, he shadow-jumped ahead of the creature, grabbing it as it ran right into him. A quick knife slash and it was done.


    Hidden objective: Eliminate [Ratlings] 3/11.


    ¡°That other prick has run right off.¡±


    Dropping the light down to nothing again, so it wouldn¡¯t see him coming, he started hunting it down, which took the better part of an hour. He took solace that the leeches had used the time to catch up with the two ratlings that had fallen in the water. In the meantime, another pair of ratlings had mysteriously vanished.


    Hidden objective: Eliminate [Ratlings] 6/9.


    Jason took stock as leeches crawled back out of the water at his feet. There were three ratlings left. He set off, Colin lagging behind. He didn''t slow down, leaving Colin to follow as best it could.


    ¡°Three to go.¡±


    Hidden objective: Eliminate [Ratlings] 6/8.


    ¡°Alright, two to go. Some kind of monster suicide pact? Did the ones running away chicken out and refuse to drink the punch?¡±


    Pausing at another junction, he wasn¡¯t sure which way to go. A sudden squeal of fear and pain gave him a path. The sound didn¡¯t last long.


    Hidden objective: Eliminate [Ratlings] 6/7.


    Jason moved in the direction of the suddenly cut-off screaming.

 Chapter 73: A Grim Sword to Live By

    Jason was heading down the tunnel from which he had heard the screaming. A bellowing roar came from the same direction, but it definitely wasn¡¯t made by a ratling. Jason moved forward, taking care with the wet stone of the walkway and the slimy fungus underfoot. He was still in complete darkness.


    At a junction ahead, a ratling sprinted out. Some kind of tentacle snaked after it, wrapping around its ankle. The ratling tripped and was dragged, squealing, back into the tunnel. Jason raced forward to catch a look at the ratling¡¯s fate.


    What he saw was something like a rat version of Gary, complete with huge, muscular frame and body covered in fur. It was so big it was standing astride the water rushing through the middle of the tunnel, a foot each on the walkways either side. Standing upright, it was so tall it almost scraped the arch of the tunnel with its head. Its body was much more human-shaped than a ratling''s, which made its nakedness more obvious.


    ¡°You need to put that thing away, mate.¡±


    Quest: [Contract: Rat Infestation]


    Hidden objective complete: Find the secret of the final rat nest 1/1.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.Hidden objective discovered: Eliminate the [Rat Gorger] 0/1.Quest cannot be completed until all hidden objectives are complete.


    The rat monster roared at Jason. It had the head of a rat, except the mouth was larger, its face almost unhinging to reveal jagged teeth like a shark¡¯s. It had small, darting eyes, which stared straight at Jason in spite of the total darkness.


    Dangling in front of the rat monster was the ratling it had dragged away. The rat monster¡¯s tail was metres long, thick, ropy and prehensile. It was also strong, easily holding up the ratling for the monster to bite into. There was a slurping noise as the ratling withered away. Like sucking the juices out through a straw, the monster drained the ratling to little more than skin and bones.


    Quest: [Contract: Rat Infestation]


    Objective complete: Eliminate [Ratlings] 6/6.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.Quest cannot be completed until all hidden objectives are complete.


    ¡°Rat Gorger,¡± Jason said as he watched in disgust. ¡°The name makes sense.¡±


    It dropped the dead ratling into the water, where it floated past Jason. He looked at the withered remains as they drifted down the tunnel.


    ¡°This must be what it¡¯s like to fight me.¡±


    The rat gorger licked its lips with a long tongue that sought out any leftover ratling fluids around its huge maw. Its body rippled and bulged. Jason watched its already powerful form grew bigger and stronger in front of his eyes.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what you¡¯re up to,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sacrifice ratling to get +1/+1.¡±


    The creature started lumbering forward. Jason didn¡¯t want to wind up in the creature¡¯s clawed hands, but that wasn¡¯t a large concern. The extra growth had made it almost too big for the tunnel and it was forced to shuffle along with a foot on either side of the waterway. It was slow, awkward and ponderous, exactly Jason¡¯s kind of enemy.


    The only element that worried Jason was the tail, which lashed out in his direction. As quick as the rest of the monster was slow, it snaked around Jason¡¯s waist. It pulled him off his feet and started dragging him toward the monster. Jason took his knife and dragged it heavily across the tail. The monster roared, freeing Jason as it yanked its tail back.


    Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on [Rat Gorger].


    Jason kicked back up onto his feet, one of the benefits of all his training. He couldn¡¯t use his shadow teleport in total darkness, so he produced tiny motes of light from his cloak, sending them floating up and down the tunnel. He kept the illumination at a minimum, transforming the darkness into a playground of shadows.


    The rat gorger continued its slow, hulking approach. The tail snapped forward again, this time lashing out like a whip instead of trying to wrap around him. Jason lacked the reflexes to intercept it, so he vanished and the tail hit nothing but air. Appearing behind the monster, he slashed out with his dagger, cutting into the immobile base of the tail.


    Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on [Rat Gorger].Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Rat Gorger].


    The monster swung back with a huge arm, but Jason had already teleported back to his previous position.


    ¡°Alright, mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°How dumb are you?¡±


    The tail whipped out again, with the exact same result. Jason jumped behind it and slashed the same spot at the base of the tail, severing the tail entirely.


    Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on [Rat Gorger].Special attack [Leech bite] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Rat Gorger].


    Jason shadow-jumped out of range as the creature went wild, thrashing about itself impotently, as it roared in rage and pain.


    ¡°Pretty dumb, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°Works for me.¡±


    In its mindless fury, the monster stumbled, tumbling into the water. It was far too big to be pulled along in the current, the channel only submerging it to the waist. Putting a huge hand on walkways beside it, it pulled itself out of the water. While it did so, Jason watched from a safe distance. With the severing of the prehensile tail, the main source of danger for Jason was gone. As he watched the monster push itself upright, he chanted out a spell.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    Spell [Inexorable Doom] has inflicted [Inexorable Doom] on [Rat Gorger].


    The monster was tough, but with Jason¡¯s afflictions in place, its death was inevitable. He led it up the tunnel, the creature bellowing its rage at Jason as it sluggishly, hopelessly pursued. It struggled along as its blood poured from the stump of its tail and its flesh blackened with necrosis. It toughed it out surprisingly well until it crossed paths with the leeches that had finally caught up to Jason. Misery and pain finally overwhelmed its rage as it met a terrible, pitiful end, screams of pain and helplessness marking its passage into death.


    Quest: [Contract: Rat Infestation]


    Hidden objective complete: Eliminate the [Rat Gorger] 1/1.[Rat Essence] has been added to your inventory.Objective complete: Clear out rat nests 6/6.Quest complete.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    ¡°Hey, an essence. Rat essence? Appropriate, but not what I would have picked.¡±


    Animal type essences were common, as much as any essences were common. Some, like bear, wolf and snake were quite prized, while others, less so. He didn¡¯t hold high hopes for the rat essence, but he should be able to trade it for several of the more common awakening stones.


    Jason walked over to the dead monster.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t it have been the might essence?¡± Jason asked it. Some essences were common as animal essences, yet were more valuable due to their desirability. The might essence, the shield essence or the magic essence could all have been traded for some quality awakening stones.


    ¡°As your life was mine to reap, your death is mine to harvest.¡±


    The red glow of the monster¡¯s remnant life force emerged from its body, streaming up into Jason¡¯s outstretched hand. The monster¡¯s body withered to a dried-out husk. It looked a lot like the ratling the monster itself had drained.


    ¡°Live by the sword, die by the sword, isn¡¯t it mate. Actually, I hope not. I live by a pretty grim sword.¡±


    He lightly touched the corpse, then backed away before it dissolved into smoke.


    10 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.[Awakening Stone of Wrath] has been added to your inventory.


    Jason took in a sharp breath.


    ¡°Boss drops. Now we¡¯re talking.¡±


    He pulled out the awakening stone immediately. It was the same round, palm-sized crystal as other awakening stones. Inside was a burning, shifting red, wreathed in white-gold light.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of Wrath] (unranked, uncommon)


    An awakening stone that unlocks the power of wrath (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 8 unawakened essence abilities.You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of Wrath]. Absorb Y/N?


    As much as he wanted to use it, he put the stone away for the moment. After reabsorbing Colin, he was about to leave when he heard an echoing voice.


    ¡°Hello?¡± it called out. ¡°Anyone down there?¡±


    ¡°Frank?¡± Jason called back.


    "Oh, Mr Asarno," Frank''s voice came down from somewhere above. It sounded like he was talking through a pipe or very narrow tunnel.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± Jason called out.


    "Up on the street," Frank called down. "There were some pretty loud monster noises coming up through the drains, and the folk up here were getting a bit worried. After it went quiet, I thought I may as well see if anyone was alive down there.¡±


    ¡°It was just a rat,¡± Jason called up. ¡°It¡¯s dead now.¡±


    ¡°That didn¡¯t sound like any rat I¡¯ve seen,¡± Frank said.


    ¡°It was a big rat.¡±


    ¡°I thought you might not have made it,¡± Frank said. ¡°There were some pretty awful sounds of misery and dying at the end there. Thought that might have been you.¡±


    ¡°It kind of was, Frank,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s the sound things make when I happen to them. Can you find me the closest way back up to the street?¡±


    "Uh, yes sir, Mr Asano, sir. I¡¯ll have you out in no time.¡±

 Chapter 74: Doing Better

    The balcony for Jason¡¯s suite was not as expansive as the one Rufus, Farrah and Gary shared, but it was still more than large enough to put out a reclining lounger. Being on the opposite side of the building, Jason¡¯s balcony looked over the street instead of the water. The sounds of the guild district¡¯s bustling daytime activity came in through the balcony doors as Jason opened them up.


    He was ready for a lazy afternoon, with a colourful, short-sleeved shirt, and loose, knee-length shorts. He lay back comfortably, pulling a small, red-gold crystal from his inventory.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of Wrath] (unranked, uncommon)


    An awakening stone that unlocks the power of wrath (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 8 unawakened essence abilities.You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of Wrath]. Absorb Y/N?


    ¡°Time to see what you have for me.¡±


    Jason was about to absorb the awakening stone when there was a knock on the door. Jason groaned, putting the stone away and getting up from the lounger. He made his way back inside and opened the door.


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Jason said. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in a while. Come on in.¡±


    Jason watched as Humphrey came inside. Humphrey¡¯s body language was uncertain and uncomfortable, and he was uncharacteristically quiet. Humphrey normally moved with confidence and was quick with the verbal niceties.


    "Something the matter?" Jason asked as he directed Humphrey into a comfortable chair.


    ¡°Jason¡­¡±


    Humphrey was hesitant but carried on.


    ¡°¡­can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡­ can you not answer the question with a question?¡±


    ¡°Is something bothering you, Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°I watched you fight the other day in the mirage arena.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure anyone was expecting that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Even me. Your mother gave me way too many advantages. Do trap weavers really show up in numbers like that?¡±


    ¡°During the monster surge they do,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The last surge was when I was a boy, but a whole army of them got into family grounds. Walls don¡¯t stop something that climbs the way they do.¡±


    ¡°Wow. You couldn¡¯t have been more than six or seven.¡±


    ¡°How are you alright with what you did to them? Rick and the others, I mean.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jason said, leaning back in his chair. ¡°You¡¯re concerned about the way I fought them.¡±


    ¡°We were watching you, from the viewing, room,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Watching them, really; we didn¡¯t see that much of you. What we did see, what we heard¡­ the way you took Hannah and Henry while they were distracted. That laughter as you mocked them from the darkness. It was chilling. What you did to Hannah¡¯s body; draping her body off a monster¡¯s webs like a decoration.¡±


    ¡°What do you think about what I did to them?¡± Jason asked.


    Humphrey sat up in his chair, shaking his head. ¡°You always do this,¡± he said. ¡°I ask you about something that seems questionable, but when I question it, you just question me back. Instead of defending what you did you just talk and talk as if right and wrong are whatever you want them to be if you explain them enough.¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been where you are,¡± Jason said. ¡°A lot more recently than I¡¯d like. I accused a friend of mine of having an immoral perspective on adventuring, without ever having been an adventurer myself. You¡¯re making the same mistake I did, not seeing my perspective, any more than I did hers.¡±


    Jason gave Humphrey a friendly, but tired smile.


    ¡°I know this is coming from a good place,¡± Jason said. ¡°You have this certainty about right and wrong, and you don¡¯t want a friend going down a bad path. I¡¯m not going to sit here and say that you¡¯re wrong to do that, but not everything is as simple as it seems from the outside.¡±


    ¡°Some things are just right and wrong, Jason,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°But the consequences of our actions aren¡¯t always what we want them to be. Humphrey, let me put a hypothetical situation to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to make things complicated again, aren¡¯t you?¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Jason said unhappily, ¡°you essentially came in here to ask me if I¡¯m an immoral person, which is more than a little rude. This is the answer I have for you. If you don¡¯t want to listen, the door works just as well for leaving as it did for coming in.¡±


    Jason gestured at the door. Humphrey glanced at it but turned his gaze back to Jason.


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°Imagine you¡¯re on a contract. You have to go to a town out in the desert, way out past the delta. It''ll take you a few days to get out there, and you¡¯ve stopped overnight along the way. You¡¯re in a little town, staying at the only inn. You¡¯ve had a long, hot day on the road, and you don¡¯t want to just eat a spirit coin and go to bed, so you head downstairs. The common room is busy, but you find a quiet corner to have something to eat and drink without anyone bothering you.¡±


    ¡°What does this have to do with anything?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m setting a scene,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, there you are, minding your own business. But like I said, the common room is busy. Some people are eating, everyone¡¯s drinking. There''s this one guy. You''ve been seeing him all night because he''s loud and his aura is the strongest one here. Not compared to you, but a couple of essences make him the toughest guy in this little town.¡±


    Jason paused to take a glass of juice from his inventory.


    ¡°Want one?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said, then smacked his dry mouth. ¡°Actually, yes. Please.¡±


    Jason handed over a second glass, taking a sip of his own.


    ¡°Just make sure and use a coaster,¡± Jason said. ¡°Wooden tables don¡¯t grow on¡­ oh, I guess they kind of do.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, this guy is the town tough. It becomes clear as the evening goes on that he and everyone else knows it. There¡¯s this girl, young, pretty, who works at the inn. The guy has been giving her a hard time, and it¡¯s only getting worse the more he drinks. Everyone can see what¡¯s happening. He¡¯s too rough, she¡¯s too young, but all she can do is bear it. No one is stepping up to help her, because he¡¯s the strongest guy in this town.¡±


    Jason looked Humphrey straight in the eye.


    ¡°Except he isn¡¯t,¡± Jason continued. ¡°Not this time. That night, you¡¯re there. So what do you do?¡±


    ¡°The right thing is obvious,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but you¡¯re clearly setting me up to be wrong.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m setting you up to be wrong,¡± Jason said, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t change the situation. The girl is clearly uncomfortable. As this guy goes deeper into his cups, he¡¯s even hurting her a little. But no one is saying anything. They might give him some covert looks, but they won¡¯t challenge him. What do you do, Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°I stop him,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I go over there and suppress his aura.¡±


    "He''s not iron rank," Jason said. "He''s too weak to sense your aura and too drunk to realise what you''re doing to his. This is his town, and he''s the toughest guy in it. You''ve just challenged that, and he''s way past making smart choices. He wants a fight. He shoves you.¡±


    ¡°I kick him out on the street.¡¯


    ¡°That works,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than him at his best, which he is far from in that particular moment. He wants to keep fighting, but he¡¯s got a couple of friends sober enough to realise you¡¯re an adventurer and not to be messed with. They take him home before he can cause any more trouble.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Then nothing. Without that guy and his friends around, the mood is lightened and everyone has a pleasant evening. The girl thanks, you, nervously, and you go to bed. The next day you move on because you still have a long road ahead.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, ¡°what happens the next night? You¡¯re not there, but the town tough isn¡¯t going anywhere. His reputation just got destroyed. He was manhandled and humiliated in front of everyone. It was mostly by his own actions, his own arrogance and pride, but he doesn¡¯t care. Who does he take it out on? How does he re-establish his dominance? How does he put the fear back in these people? How does he teach them what happens if they confront him the way you did? What happens to that girl?¡±


    ¡°You think I should have left things the way they were?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°Standing up for those who can¡¯t stand up for themselves is a virtue. But if acting on that virtue puts more hurt into the world than it takes away? Is that still moral?¡±


    Humphrey slumped in his chair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have an answer to that,¡± he said.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t always a good option,¡± Jason said. ¡°Doing nothing to change a bad situation may not feel right, but if anything you do will make it worse, then it¡¯s the only choice to make.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with what you did in the mirage arena?¡± Humphrey challenged.


    ¡°Do you know why your mother lets us spend time together, Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t decide who my friends are.¡±


    ¡°Of course she does,¡± Jason said. ¡°Answer the question.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t answer mine. You always answer questions with more questions.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°You want a simple answer, then here it is: Things are complicated. That¡¯s it. Your mother wants you to recognise that the world is a lot more complicated than right and wrong, good and evil. I don¡¯t think the way you do, and she wants that to challenge you.¡±


    ¡°You think she wants me to think like you?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°No, Humphrey,¡± Jason said, shaking his head. ¡°It¡¯s like forging a sword. A sharp edge takes heat and hammering. She wants your principles to go through the fire so they don¡¯t collapse once you¡¯re out in the world where she can¡¯t watch over you. I¡¯ve been playing along, but I want a friend, not a frigging ethics pupil.¡±


    Jason sat up straight in his chair and continued, voice rising as pent-up frustration leaked out.


    ¡°I may not always make the best choices. Sometimes I do things that are selfish and hurt other people. I try and do good, and when I fall short, I try to do better. That''s all I can do, all anyone can do.¡±


    ¡°How was hanging Hannah¡¯s corpse up like a party decoration trying to do better?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t real, Humphrey. But it could be. The consequences of what we do, as adventurers. The risks we take. Yes, what I did was traumatising. But now they have a better idea of what could be out there waiting for them, and they¡¯re a little more ready for it than they were before. You think I don¡¯t know what my powers are?¡±


    ¡°And if they freeze up because they¡¯re afraid of what you did really happening?¡±


    ¡°Then they shouldn¡¯t be out there at all,¡± Jason said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that the whole point of all this training? To make sure we go out as ready as we can be?¡±


    ¡°Does that justify what you did to them?¡±


    ¡°My powers are what they are, Humphrey. There¡¯s no point trying to stab someone with a hammer. If I run around pretending I have your powers, then I will die, and die quickly. Maybe I should have waited for different essences, but you have no inkling of how lost I was when I first came here. I would have done anything for just a little bit of control over my circumstances, and now all I can do is live with the consequences.¡±


    ¡°You think that makes it alright to terrorise people?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I know what my powers are, Humphrey. Misery and death. Blood turned black with taint, your body dying around you while you''re still alive. You think I want to use that on a person? Maybe someone wants to come after me, but they hear about that day. Maybe even see the recording. They decide against coming after me because the price of failure is too high. Not some clean, quick kill, but a slow, lingering death. Every enemy that fears me too much to come after me is a person I don''t have to use those powers on.¡±


    Humphrey shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re good with words, Jason. Anything I say, you¡¯ll have an answer for.¡±


    He stood up.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m done listening,¡± he said. ¡°I watched what you did in that arena. I listened to you taunt them. I¡¯ve never heard a sound so cruel, so inhuman as you laughing at the suffering of others.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey, that was just theatrics.¡±


    ¡°Was it?¡± Humphrey asked. He walked over to the door and opened it.


    ¡°I think you need to take a look inside yourself, Jason. To find out where that was coming from.¡±

 Chapter 75: Progress

    ¡°So,¡± Clive asked, ¡°the original sanguine horror came from the full creation process? The sacrifice chamber, the alchemy pit, the whole thing?¡±


    As he talked, he enthusiastically gesticulated with a fork, a piece of fried sausage skewered onto the end.


    ¡°The whole thing,¡± Farrah said.


    The large suite shared by Farrah, Gary and Rufus included a space with a large dining table. The three of them, plus Jason and Clive, were eating the breakfast Jason had brought upstairs from the inn¡¯s kitchen. Gary was excavating the small hill of sausage, egg and fried vegetables on his own huge plate while Jason and Rufus ate quietly. Farrah and Clive were caught up talking, having barely picked at their food.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to see that chamber,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop you,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but it¡¯s way out in the desert, so I¡¯m not going to take you there, either.¡±


    ¡°And the awakening stone came from the horror itself?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Produced by your looting ability, Jason?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said. ¡°You keep waving that sausage around and it¡¯s going to end up on the other side of the room.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Clive said, then looked at his fork as if surprised to find it there. He bit off the piece of sausage.


    ¡°What I find interesting¡± Farrah said, ¡°is that a summoned familiar is created through completely different means than the sanguine horror we killed. Yet, that¡¯s what Jason summoned.¡±


    ¡°A good thing they¡¯re different,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t want a sanguine horror roaming around at full strength.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Clive said, ¡°it is possible that if Jason ever reached diamond rank, his familiar would attain the full strength of a sanguine horror. Of course, it would still be under his control, thus would be unlikely to scour all life from the planet.¡±


    ¡°I actually think I figured out what they wanted the horror for,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°And you¡¯re only telling us now?¡± Rufus asked.


    "Well, I''ve been going over that book from the sacrifice chamber," Farrah said. "As it turns out, you can get a non-summoned sanguine horror as a familiar. First, you have to make the thing, which they did. Or we did, whatever, but you start by making the thing, and then you have to starve it. It starts at bronze rank, that¡¯s how it was when we fought it, but it goes down to iron rank if you leave it long enough.¡±


    ¡°Can you do that with other monsters?¡± Jason asked.


    "No," Farrah said. "The sanguine horror comes with the inherent ability to shift ranks, which normally means going up, but down is possible too."


    ¡°There are other monsters like that,¡± Clive said. ¡°They¡¯re all quite rare, though.¡±


    ¡°Very,¡± Farrah agreed. ¡°So, once you have your sanguine horror, and you¡¯ve starved it down to iron rank, you get the right essence and awakening stone and then hope you get a familiar bond essence ability. There are no guarantees, of course.¡±


    ¡°Which essence and awakening stone are best?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°For top reliability,¡± Farrah said, ¡°according to the book, a blood essence and an apocalypse stone are what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I used,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why bother with all the big chamber and the sacrifices when you can just get one? Are the made ones better than the summoned ones? Do I have a defective familiar?¡±


    ¡°The actual sanguine horrors would be the same, in terms of abilities,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The difference would be the same as between any bonded familiar versus a summoned familiar.¡±


    ¡°Which are?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Bonded familiars survive, even if the essence user dies,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°A summoned familiar won¡¯t survive the death of the summoner,¡± Farrah agreed. ¡°It also can disappear into the summoner''s body, which bonded familiars can''t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright then,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d hate having to carry Colin around in a bag or something.¡±


    ¡°I still can¡¯t believe you named an apocalypse beast Colin,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Well if you call your apocalypse beast Gorgos, the Enslaver of Worlds, then people are likely to start questioning your intentions,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s actually a good point,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I have to imagine reliability is the key factor that led them to make the sanguine horror themselves,¡± Clive said. ¡°When going for a bonded familiar instead of a summoned one, things are much more likely to go your way, if you prepare accordingly. So long as you have the creature on hand and use the right essence and stone combination, that is as close as you¡¯ll come to a guaranteed result with any awakening stone. Look at your friend Humphrey and his dragon. I guarantee the Geller¡¯s didn¡¯t leave anything to chance.¡±


    Jason scowled.


    ¡°They had a little bit of a tiff,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a tiff,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was a philosophical disagreement.¡±


    ¡°Of course it was, sweetie.¡±


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been wondering about,¡± Jason said. ¡°The sanguine horror we fought was vulnerable to salt. I checked, and my familiar is the same. So how would it kill all life in the ocean, which is full of salt?¡±


    ¡°Those vulnerabilities would eventually go away,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That book has a lot of details about sanguine horrors. It starts off a bronze rank, which is where we fought it, and has some extreme vulnerabilities at that stage. Fire and salt are the big ones, along with esoteric ones that only essence abilities can produce. But those vulnerabilities go away as it grows stronger. Salt stops being an issue once it reaches gold rank, after which it can go swimming all it likes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to get a look at that book,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t Anisa take it?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°She was collecting everything.¡±


    ¡°From the manor,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We weren¡¯t in the manor when we found it, so she had no right to it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure she would agree,¡± Gary said. His first contribution to the discussion coincidentally came right after his huge plate was emptied.


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said. ¡°There¡¯s no way she would have quietly let you take it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I didn¡¯t tell her,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Good call,¡± Jason said. ¡°I still think there was something shady going on with that woman.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say she was a priestess of Purity?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while since we¡¯ve all been here together,¡± Rufus said as they stood in the yard behind Jory¡¯s clinic. There was less space than in the past, with construction materials taking up much of the room. Jory had purchased the large building next to the clinic, and renovations were in full swing.


    Like Jason, Rufus, Gary and Farrah had all been carrying out contracts. Some they did together, others alone as they each pursued other projects. Rufus had preparations for his academy''s joint venture with the Gellers, while Farrah had been undertaking work for the Magic Society. Gary had been exploring the use of local materials in crafting weapons and armour. He sold the work he was satisfied with at the trade hall, with no small success. The rune tortoise shield he made with Farrah had auctioned well, getting him a lot of attention.


    They started with weights training, which left Jason feeling inadequate. Rufus was bad enough, with the strength of a late-stage bronze ranker, but Farrah and Gary were worse. Farrah had a strength power from her earth essence and Gary¡¯s race were all physically powerful. They were lifting half-ton barbells in each hand, while at least Rufus had the decency to struggle with one. By comparison, Jason was an out-of-shape guy in his first week at the gym.


    The others stopped to cool down as Jason headed inside, using his power to help the waiting patients. With clinic hours reduced by the expansion and Jason often away on contracts, the clinic was more busy than ever.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen those friends of yours in a while,¡± Jason said to Jory. ¡°The fighter didn¡¯t get hurt too badly, did she?¡±


    They had just healed up a pit fighter who had been cursed by an opponent.


    ¡°No, she¡¯s out of the pit fighting game again,¡± Jory said. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen them in a while.¡±


    Back outside, Rufus was waiting for Jason.


    ¡°Time to see if those skills have atrophied,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jason said, ¡°I¡¯ve been working on something. My martial art, The Way of the Reaper¡­¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Just saying it out loud makes me realise how over the top that name is. Where did you say that skill book came from?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Not like it matters,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m a kung-fu wizard of darkness and blood. The good ship Chuunibyou has well and truly set sail.¡±


    ¡°Were you approaching some kind of point?¡± Rufus asked, ¡°or were you just going to stand there and spout nonsense?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s done it before,¡± Gary said, prompting a hurt look from Jason.


    ¡°He¡¯s done it a lot,¡± Farrah added.


    ¡°Farrah, you too?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You were saying something about your martial art?¡± Rufus asked impatiently.


    ¡°Right, yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, my martial art has five forms. Different approaches, different situations. At first, I thought it was about choosing the right form for the right enemy. Then I spent a lot of time fighting people in the mirage arena.¡±


    ¡°I heard about that,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Danielle said she had a recording to show me. I heard you were challenging all comers for most of a week. What did you learn in that time?¡±


    ¡°That the Gellers really teach their kids how to fight,¡± Jason said. ¡°I lost a lot of times.¡±


    ¡°What else?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Only using a fifth of your martial arts is like¡­ only using a fifth of your martial arts. The forms aren¡¯t just five mini martial arts bundled into a skill book anthology. It was only when I started mixing things up that I realised the key to the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°The real trick to the style is understanding how and when to move between forms. A well-timed, well-executed change in approach can clinch a victory.¡±


    Rufus took up a fighting stance.


    ¡°Show me.¡±


    Rufus was faster and stronger, with more skill and experience. In all their time training, Jason had never landed more than a glancing blow. Not only did this latest sparring session follow the same pattern, but Jason was performing worse than he had since the early days. Farrah and Gary were watching from the side, using piles of bricks as furniture.


    ¡°I¡¯m not impressed,¡± Rufus said after knocking Jason into the dirt again. ¡°You¡¯re full of openings, more than when you first used the book. I think your attempts to change things up are making you lose what the book gave you in the first place.¡±


    Jason picked himself up from the dirt, body aching from the punishing lesson. He brushed himself down and resumed a fighting stance.


    ¡°Prove it,¡± he said.


    Spectating from the side, Gary chortled.


    ¡°It¡¯s on now,¡± he said.


    Jason¡¯s clear eyes locked on Rufus, who shook his head.


    ¡°Some people need the truth beaten into them,¡± he said.


    He came at Jason, hard and fast. Jason floundered back, narrowly avoiding a clean hit while almost tripping over his own feet. Rufus held the momentum ruthlessly, pushing Jason into a corner both figuratively and literally. Jason stumbled as a finishing blow came ramming at him, but then his body shifted. Rufus¡¯s blow hit nothing but air as Jason shunted into his body, pushing Rufus off-balance. Jason¡¯s elbow crashed into the side of Rufus¡¯ head, ringing it like a bell.


    Rufus staggered and Jason pressed, but suddenly Rufus was moving twice as fast and a fist slammed into Jason¡¯s gut, doubling him over and lifting him right off his feet. An elbow was crashing down on the back of Jason¡¯s head, but Rufus stopped it before he smashed open Jason¡¯s skull. Jason collapsed to the ground anyway.


    ¡°Good,¡± Rufus said, stepping back.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    Jason barely got a hoarse word out before a coughing fit sent blood speckling into the dirt. He pulled a healing potion from his inventory and tipped it down his throat.


    ¡°I think you might have gone a bit hard, there, Rufus,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°He did well,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Made me use my full strength for a moment. It was good.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t feel good,¡± Jason croaked.


    ¡°On your feet,¡± Rufus said coldly.


    ¡°Come on, Rufus,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You hit him so hard he had to drink a potion.¡±


    ¡°Which he did,¡± Rufus said. ¡°So now he can get up.¡±


    Rufus walked over to where Jason was still laying in the dirt.


    ¡°This is where he gets to choose,¡± Rufus says. ¡°Is he going to be adequate, or is he going to be great? Stand up or lay down. What¡¯s it going to be, Jason?¡±


    Jason pushed himself up and onto his feet.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, ¡°Instructor Rufus is kind of a prick. Haven¡¯t you heard of positive reinforcement?¡±


    ¡°All those openings you were showing,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They¡¯re a trap.¡±


    ¡°Well, some of them are traps,¡± Jason said. ¡°It took you a while to go after the right one.¡±


    ¡°Only once you close all those real openings will you have made the style your own,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Once I transform every opening into a trap, then I¡¯ve made it my own.¡±


    Rufus grinned.


    ¡°I like the ambition. You have a lot of work to do.¡±

 Chapter 76: Preparations

    Mr Asano," Gilbert greeted, "always such a pleasure."


    ¡°Morning, Bert. Your message said you found something for me?¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes,¡± Gilbert said, looking reluctant. ¡°Loath as I am to refer you to my brother, he does have something that meets your specifications quite neatly. Of course, I could offer you something adequate myself, but adequate isn¡¯t the Gilbert¡¯s Resilient Attire for the Discerning Gentleman way.¡±


    Gilbert held out an envelope for Jason to take.


    "Thanks, Bert. Good looking out, mate."


    Filbert¡¯s Fine Leather Emporium was located in one of the other arcades within the trade hall complex, requiring Jason to pass through the main hall. He passed by Jory¡¯s stall along the way, although Jory himself was still overseeing renovations. Instead, it was being run by Jory¡¯s assistant, Janice.


    "Hello, Mr Asano."


    ¡°Hello, Janice. I don¡¯t suppose you have any crystal wash back there?¡±


    "Now, Mr Asano, you know what Mr Tillman said. We have to keep some for the other customers."


    ¡°Janice,¡± Jason said, voice buttery smooth. ¡°Can¡¯t you just free up just a few little bottles? It can be our little secret.¡±


    "Mr Asano, Mr Tillman only produces four crates a week, and after you were so generous with the construction funding he lets you take two of them. We keep having to turn people away because we''ve run out. He''ll be stepping up production once his new workshop is up and running."


    Jason shook his head sadly.


    "You''re killing me, Janice. If I don''t get that crystal wash, I''m going to end up all dirty. You don''t want to be responsible for turning me into a dirty man, do you, Janice?"


    Her eyes ran Jason up and down.


    ¡°I could live with it,¡± she said.


    ¡°Janice!¡± Jason said, voice filled with admonishment. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard the like! I think I¡¯d better go.¡±


    He moved on, Janice seeing him off with a coquettish wave.


    ¡°What has gotten into that girl?¡±


    Moving through the main hall, he was stopped by some people he didn¡¯t know. It was a pair of young women with iron rank auras.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± one of them said. ¡°Are you the guy with the evil powers?¡±


    Jason winced. Hannah Adeah was the archer from Rick Geller¡¯s team, who Jason had fought in the mirage arena. She had apparently taken upon herself to distribute the recording of their fight, and Jason had been getting variations on the question for a week. Almost every time he visited the jobs hall or the trade hall, someone would approach him about it.


    ¡°No,¡± he said, wearily. ¡°I don¡¯t have evil powers.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the guy from the recording?¡± the other asked.


    ¡°I am the person in the recording, but my powers aren¡¯t evil.¡±


    ¡°Controlling monsters seems pretty evil.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t control monsters!¡±


    Shaking his head, Jason walked away as the pair talked behind him.


    ¡°I heard those leeches live inside his blood.¡±


    ¡°I bet that¡¯s true. Kevin Wasserman has a lizard that lives inside in his skin.¡±


    ¡°That makes so much sense. His skin is always clammy.¡±


    Jason sighed, grateful as their voices were lost in the noise of the trade hall crowd. He found his way into the right arcade and entered Filbert¡¯s Fine Leather Emporium.


    ¡°Hello, sir, and welcome to Filbert¡¯s Fine Leather Emporium. Which is to say, we are an emporium of leather goods, not an emporium made of leather. Just a little joke we like to say around here. I am the proprietor, Filbert, but you may call me Bert.¡±


    "G''day, Bert."


    Filbert, like the other Berts, was thick in the middle and thin on top. He wore a waistcoat and jacket, more snug than most local fashion and definitely too hot for the climate. Jason handed over the envelope. Filbert opened it up and read the contents with a frown.


    ¡°I won¡¯t hold it against you, sir, that you chose to offer my brother your custom. Fortunately for you, Gilbert has acknowledged the superiority of my wares. You are looking for some specialised desert boots?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a contract starting tomorrow involving desert travel. I want something that will work well in sand.¡±


    ¡°Well, if Gilbert sent you to me, rather than selling you his usual tat, then you must be a gentleman of capability and means. He has suggested something he knows one of my fine craftspeople developed.¡±


    Filbert sent off a staff member hovering quietly to fetch something from the storage room in the back.


    ¡°While sweet Julio fetches the boots,¡± Filbert said, ¡°is there anything else I can interest you in?¡±


    The store was laid out with lots of open space, the products displayed on wall racks. It was mostly shoes and accessories like bags and belts. Jason¡¯s eye was drawn to a row of bags that looked like simple leather sacks. He reached out and touched one.


    Item: [Dimensional Bag] (iron rank, rare)


    A bag that contains a dimensional storage space (container, bag).


    Effect: Can be used to store items in an extra-dimensional void.Effect: Can fill a bag slot, increasing inventory space by eight.


    ¡°Bag slot?¡±


    Help: Bag Slots


    Bag slots can use dimensional bags to expand inventory size. Increase is based on rank of bag. At iron rank, one bag slot is available and can hold only iron-rank bags.


    Jason opened his inventory, seeing five new squares in the corner. The first square was glowing, while the others were greyed out.


    ¡°Dimensional bags,¡± Filbert said. ¡°Crafted right here, in the workshop from mirage hound leather. A common enough monster in the desert, but quite tricky to catch. Not so much once they¡¯ve been around long enough to turn aggressive, but the leather has degraded by then, becoming sadly useless.¡±


    ¡°You hire adventurers to hunt them for you?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Filbert said,¡± but it¡¯s tricky work, and they appear out in the dunes. Hiring someone with the skills to both hunt them and harvest the pelt requires incentive. Thus, I can only offer them at a premium price.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take one,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Capability and means,¡± Filbert said. ¡°My fine customers are usually possessed of one or the other, but just between you and I, sir, all my favourite customers have both.¡±


    ¡°I imagine they do,¡± Jason said wryly.


    The store assistant, Julio, brought out a large, single oversized leather boot. Filbert took the large boot from Julio and from inside pulled a box made of stiff, woven reeds, dyed black.


    ¡°Novelty shape dimensional bag,¡± Filbert said, resting a hand on the boot-shaped magical bag. He opened the box and took out a pair of boots that were a different thing altogether. Matte black, with sleek lines, sides embedded with a mesh of black shards.


    ¡°I rather like these particular boots,¡± Filbert said. ¡°If you¡¯re looking to spend time in the dunes, you won¡¯t find anything close to this quality anywhere close to this price point. I should warn you, however, that it has been the more skilled clientele who have enjoyed the most success with this design. The ordinary adventurer would be better served by a more¡­ basic product.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s some fine salesmanship, Bert,¡± Jason said as he looked the boots over. ¡°Who wants to think of themselves as an ordinary adventurer? It¡¯s a profession for those looking to be extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I can assure you, I stand behind my products.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve found your brothers to be upright in all their dealings. I was actually complimenting you. I appreciate someone who wields their words with purpose and care.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to hear it, sir. Although, as upright dealings go, it seems you haven¡¯t met my brother Hubert.¡±


    "Haven''t had the pleasure, no," Jason said, taking the boots from Filbert''s hands.


    Item: [Sand-Cutter Boots] (iron rank, rare)


    Boots incorporating the chitin of a sand-cutter, inheriting some of its power (apparel, boots).


    Effect: Improved ability to walk on sand.Effect: Increased jump height and distance.Effect: Enhanced kick attack. Highly effective against enemies with strong earth affinity.


    ¡°What¡¯s a sand-cutter?¡± Jason asked.


    "Ah, you have a good eye, sir. Are you familiar with the grasshopper and the mantis?"


    ¡°I am,¡± Jason said.


    "Well, the sand-cutter is about halfway between, except it''s four-feet long and lives in the desert."


    ¡°That sounds horrifying,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°They¡¯re actually quite good at hunting mirage hounds,¡± Filbert said. ¡°Shame you can¡¯t train them.¡±


    Filbert rubbed a hand over his mouth, thoughtfully.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, ¡°I did just hear about an adventurer that can control monsters. I wonder if I could get into contact with him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an unfounded rumour,¡± Jason said darkly.


    Filbert, sensitive to the mood of the customer, returned the boots to the box.


    ¡°I imagine you¡¯d know, sir, being the capable adventurer. So it was just the boots and the dimensional bag?¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Bert.¡±


    ¡°The first green pill will change your aura,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Don¡¯t use any mana or they¡¯ll be able to sense your real aura through the fake one. I don¡¯t have to tell you how fast they¡¯ll be on someone with two auras. Once you¡¯ve got the goods, get to the change point where I¡¯ll be waiting.¡±


    ¡°I know all this,¡± Sophie said. ¡°We¡¯ve been over it many times.¡±


    ¡°Would you rather be bored from hearing it too much, or caught from hearing it too little?¡±


    Sophie let out a sigh.


    ¡°Right, yes. No using mana.¡±


    ¡°At the change point,¡± Belinda continued, ¡°I¡¯ll give you the blue pill, which will purge the aura of the first green pill. That will take a minute to completely go through your system, during which time you change outfits. Then I give you the second green pill for another false aura. You leave the goods behind and catch the loop line to Marina South.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like leaving you behind,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I have to clear the goods of anything they¡¯ve done to track them,¡± Belinda said. ¡°The change point and the contingency point are the only places I have shielded from whatever they might be using.¡±


    ¡°No one knows what we¡¯re after,¡± Sophie said. ¡°How would they know what to tag?¡±


    ¡°Ventress has been pushing people hard,¡± Belinda said. ¡°We don¡¯t know if she¡¯s compromised any of the people I sourced our assets from. If she¡¯s figured out the target, or even narrowed it down, she may have warned the potential targets. Even if she hasn¡¯t, you know the kind of people we¡¯ve been stealing from. They probably tagged their valuables themselves.¡±


    Sophie shook her head.


    ¡°I hate this,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m amazed we haven¡¯t been caught already.¡±


    ¡°Thank the Adventure Society,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Because you aren¡¯t even iron rank, they¡¯re refusing to let anyone higher than iron go after you. So the only bronze-rankers you¡¯ll have to deal with are any that decide to chase you in the moment. That¡¯s why you don¡¯t want to get caught swapping your aura mask.¡±


    ¡°And if a silver comes after me?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine a silver who would deign to bother with you. They don¡¯t want to be seen doing iron-rank work. But that¡¯s why the disguise isn¡¯t magical; it¡¯ll hold up under magical scrutiny. So will the fake aura, so long as you don¡¯t use any mana.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about those pills?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°The guy sells low-quality potions to poor people in Old City. Every other alchemist I¡¯ve heard of rakes in money from rich people on the Island.¡±


    ¡°He knows what he¡¯s doing,¡± Belinda said. ¡°And just as importantly, doesn¡¯t know what we¡¯re doing. He doesn¡¯t ask questions, because he¡¯s sweet on me.¡±


    ¡°How sweet will he be when Ventress sends Darnell to break his elbows?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°She can¡¯t,¡± Belinda said. ¡°He¡¯s in the Alchemy Association and the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°And you?¡±


    ¡°What about me?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Are you sweet on him, Lindy? Is your judgement compromised?¡±


    ¡°My judgement has gotten us this far,¡± Belinda said, ¡°and I¡¯m hardly the one with the questionable taste in men. Could you pick one guy who wasn¡¯t a con man or some kind of swindler?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re more fun.¡±


    ¡°Three of your lovers tried to sell you to Cole Silva. That would inspire most people to examine their taste in men, but you pick up every lying, scheming weasel that stumbles into view.¡±


    ¡°Not every one,¡± Sophie said. ¡°And they weren¡¯t lovers; they were just a bit of fun. And things didn¡¯t exactly work out for them, did they?¡±


    ¡°The point is that you need to raise your standards. We aren¡¯t in a great place to be socialising right now, but if you are going to pick a guy, pick a good one.¡±


    ¡°Then find me a good guy who¡¯s also a lying, scheming weasel,¡± Sophie said.


    Belinda groaned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there is anyone like that,¡± Belinda said. ¡°He¡¯d have to be a crazy person.¡±


    She pulled out a pocket watch to check the time, then put on her game face.


    ¡°Four minutes,¡± she said. ¡°Time to go.¡±

 Chapter 77: Group Cohesion

    Jason walked through the Adventure Society campus with a recording crystal floating over his head.


    ¡°¡­looks a lot like a university campus,¡± he continued narrating. ¡°It¡¯s more about child soldiers than education, though. Not super-young; more America than Sierra Leone. Late-mid teens.¡±


    The marshalling yard came into sight, where a number of young adventurers were loosely gathered.


    ¡°As you can see, late teens. The big one with the bird on his shoulder is my friend Humphrey, who I¡¯ve mentioned before. We had bit of a fight last week, and we haven¡¯t talked much since, so things are still a little tense.¡±


    Jason saw Humphrey¡¯s face light up with a smile, following his gaze to where an extremely pretty young woman was approaching him with a wave.


    ¡°That girl walking up to him is Gabrielle. She¡¯s a priestess in training, with the god of knowledge. Goddess, whatever. Deities are gender fluid, as it turns out. Heard that from the goddess of knowledge herself; direct quote. Oh yeah, I found religion, which is kind of a big deal. I didn¡¯t join, but I found it. It seems fine; not for me but who knows? Maybe there¡¯s a god of delicious sandwiches. If God helps those who help themselves, then the god of sandwiches might offer a two-for-one deal. I might check that out.¡±


    Jason took a pocket watch from his inventory, checked the time and then turned away from the marshalling yard.


    ¡°Still got time to check if that bloke with the juice stall is on campus today. An interesting fact about the goddess of knowledge is that she knows everything that anyone in this world knows, including me. Which means she knows a bunch of Mario Kart shortcuts, which is kind of awesome.¡±


    Jason spotted a cart stall set up on the main promenade. The proprietor had set up an awning for shade, with a folding table under which were boxes of fruit and large paper cups.


    ¡°There he is. Nice.¡±


    Jason joined the short queue, soon reaching the front.


    ¡°Blasphemer,¡± the man running the stall casually greeted him. ¡°Gods haven¡¯t struck you down, yet?¡±


    He was a runic, with the usual dark skin marked by faintly glowing runes.


    ¡°Not yet, sorry Arash.¡±


    They had first met right before Jason saw his first god. Arash hadn¡¯t been happy with Jason¡¯s lack of reverence, but that wasn¡¯t enough to make him turn away a customer.


    ¡°What do you have for me today?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I just got in the first gem berries of the season,¡± Arash said. ¡°I can do you a blend with blood-wing cherries over ice I think you¡¯ll like.¡±


    ¡°Sounds refreshing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m heading into the desert, so rack me up a half-dozen.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps the goddess of earth will drown you in sand,¡± Arash said optimistically.


    ¡°I guess all you can do is pray,¡± Jason said.


    Arash tapped his finger on a plate fixed into the table in front of him, which lit up with a glowing magic circle. He started tossing fruit into the air, which stopped over the magic circle as if caught by an invisible hand. From crates under the table, he threw out berries, cherries and a few other fruits, as well as ice from a magical freezer box. Each fruit he threw up floated in a slow circuit over the magic circle.


    Arash placed six large, paper cups on the table, in the circle under the floating fruit. He took out a pair of crystal rods the size of knitting needles and started waving them about with practised ease. They didn¡¯t touch the fruit, which nonetheless reacted to their waving like an orchestra to a conductor. Fruit peeled itself, pureeing in the air as berries, cherries and ice were crushed. None of the resulting slurry splashed away or onto the table. At the direction of Arash¡¯s needles, it separated into six portions and slid into the cups.


    Putting down the two rods, Arash added a paper straw to each cup. Jason paid in lesser spirit coins, then took an experimental sip, giving it a solid thumbs-up.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a winner,¡± Jason said. He placed the other cups in his inventory, keeping one to drink immediately.


    ¡°What¡¯s with the recording crystal?¡± Arash asked, looking at the object floating over Jason¡¯s head.


    ¡°I¡¯m making a record of what my life is like here,¡± Jason said. ¡°Something to show the family if I ever get home. Now they get to see you making a delicious beverage.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be that exciting,¡± Arash said.


    ¡°You might be surprised,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Where is home?¡± Arash asked.


    ¡°Further away than even the gods can reach.¡±


    ¡°Get away from my stall, blasphemer.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°Will you be here all day?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I could see myself picking up another round when I get back from the desert.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be at the Magic Society in the afternoon. You just be careful out there.¡±


    ¡°No worries, mate.¡±


    Jason stowed the crystal away as he wandered back in the direction of the marshalling yard. There were benches around the side and he sat alone, looking over the assembled adventurers. After months of observation training with Farrah, Jason quickly took everything in. Who was alone, who was in a group; what their body language said about group dynamics. What equipment did they have? It was hard to tell who was under-equipped for a journey into the desert, and who had a storage space like Jason.


    Farrah had drilled Jason to quickly and thoroughly recognise and catalogue such details. They would watch people in places around the city; Outside Jory¡¯s clinic, the Adventure Society campus, the concert hall. In addition to the practical use of observation skills, exercising the mind also exercised the spirit attribute. It was just as important as working on the power attribute by weightlifting.


    Humphrey glanced over at Jason with a complicated expression before turning back to his conversation with Gabrielle and another young woman. Jason gave him an awkward smile back.


    "Don''t tell me the honeymoon is over?" a sneering voice came in Jason''s direction. Jason had spotted Thadwick Mercer and his offsiders, not paying him any attention until Thadwick loudly approached Jason.


    ¡°Not on the outs with Geller, are you?¡± Thadwick asked. ¡°I thought you were friends?¡±


    ¡°It hurt his feelings that I¡¯ve been spending so much time with your sister. Do say hello to Cassandra for me.¡±


    Thadwick turned red with fury, pointing a finger in Jason¡¯s face.


    ¡°Stay away from my sister, you jumped-up commoner trash!¡±


    Jason glanced at the two flanking Thadwick, who looked more embarrassed than supportive. From what Humphrey had told him, they were both stuck under Thadwick due to their families.


    Thadwick¡¯s Mercer family was very powerful in Greenstone. This was only highlighted when the Duke of Greenstone¡¯s brother, Thadwick¡¯s father, married into it. The power of the Mercer family placed it above numerous others, especially those without aristocratic title.


    According to Humphrey, both of Thadwick¡¯s lackeys were positioned there to help their family interests, rather than any actual regard or friendship. Rufus considered this a shame, as he had evaluated them both highly during their field assessment. They had both passed where Thadwick and Humphrey failed.


    Jason was about to say something else when he spotted Vincent Trenslow coming out of the nearby administration building. Paying no more attention to Thadwick, Jason got up and joined the others in converging on the Adventure Society official.


    The group was ten altogether, including Jason himself. He knew Humphrey, Gabrielle and, sadly, Thadwick. He recognised Thadwick¡¯s offsiders, although he hadn¡¯t spoken with them at all. The others he didn¡¯t know, including the woman Humphrey and Gabrielle had been talking to. She looked a little older than the others, maybe eighteen or nineteen.


    ¡°Everyone listen up,¡± Vincent told them. ¡°Your task today is to head out to spirit coin farm Geller-Seven. There you will meet with a bronze rank adventurer and assist him in escorting a shipment of spirit coins back to the city.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s in charge?¡± Thadwick called out.


    ¡°The bronze-ranker who you¡¯re going to meet,¡± Vincent said irritably.


    ¡°If they¡¯ll only be with us for the journey back,¡± Thadwick said. ¡°What about on the way there? I think I¡¯m the clear choice for leader. My team is the largest group here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only three people out of ten, you nonce,¡± a woman said. Jason didn¡¯t know her at all, but she immediately made a favourable impression.


    ¡°It¡¯s still the largest,¡± Thadwick said. ¡°And, of course, you all know who my family is.¡±


    Some of the people looked awkward, others disdainful. Jason chuckled quietly to himself, wondering if Thadwick should be the basis of a drinking game. One of the Thadwick¡¯s offsiders put a hand over his own face while the other winced, looking at his feet.


    ¡°Contrary to what you may think,¡± Vincent said, ¡°Young Master Mercer is quite right.¡±


    That drew everyone¡¯s attention back to Vincent.


    ¡°There may be minimal risk on the outward leg of your trip, but there is always a chance something goes wrong. If you encounter a bronze-rank monster, then you will need to make a coordinated response. A leader can direct you to fight as a team, instead of as individuals.


    ¡°Which means doing what I say,¡± Thadwick said with smug satisfaction.


    Jason snorted a laugh at Thadwick setting the self-destruct on his own dignity.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Vincent said, ¡°that means doing what Young Mistress Geller says.¡±


    He put a hand on the shoulder of the woman Humphrey had been talking to that Jason didn''t recognise.


    ¡°For those who haven¡¯t met her, this is Phoebe Geller. She will be the group leader until you reach the spirit coin farm.¡±


    ¡°Why her?¡± Thadwick asked.


    ¡°Because she has done this before,¡± Vincent said, ¡°because she actually knows the way to the spirit coin farm, and finally, because she¡¯s the only two-star adventurer here. Which puts her a star and a half over you, Thadwick,¡±


    Confusion crossed Thadwick¡¯s face.


    ¡°A star and a half?¡± Thadwick said. ¡°You can¡¯t get half stars.¡±


    Jason burst out laughing, drawing Thadwick¡¯s ire.


    ¡°You find something funny?¡± Thadwick asked him.


    Jason looked at Thadwick¡¯s face and cracked up all the harder.


    ¡°He saying,¡± Jason chuckled, ¡°that you¡¯re a half-star because you¡¯re not a legitimate adventurer.¡±


    Thadwick¡¯s face was a mix of anger and pride fuelled by a nagging sense of inadequacy.


    ¡°Do you know who my uncle is?¡± Thadwick asked.


    ¡°And drink,¡± Jason said, sipping at his fruit beverage.


    ¡°What?¡± Thadwick asked.


    "Of course I know who your uncle is," Jason said. "Everyone knows who your uncle is. That''s the whole point. Thadwick Mercer never passed the Adventure Society assessment. The Duke of Greenstone''s nephew did. I hate to break it to you, Thadwick Mercer, but the only part of your name anyone respects is the last part. You can''t be the leader because no one trusts you to do anything. At all. The guys on your team? They have to carry you so hard that it''s training. They''re really good because they''re compensating for your outlandish lack of competence."


    He gestured at the gathered adventurers.


    "This job means placing our lives in one another''s hands. No one here is going to trust you with their life. They might not tell you that, Thadwick, because you''re so petty, entitled and insecure that you''ll hurt them or their families using your own family''s egregious level of influence. Which is, to be clear, the only reason anyone, anywhere puts up with you for so much as a single moment."


    As Jason¡¯s rant came to a close, most of the people looked on in shocked silence. Humphrey, having seen Jason¡¯s mouth run away from him before, was shaking his head.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t doing a lot for group cohesion, Jason,¡± Humphrey said.


    Jason looked over at Humphrey and absently nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, I uh¡­ that one got away from me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to put up with this,¡± Thadwick snapped. ¡°I¡¯m leaving, and you will pay for this insult, Asano.¡±


    Thadwick started storming off, then realised his lackeys hadn¡¯t followed.


    ¡°Well?¡± he asked them, turning back.


    ¡°We were assigned this contract,¡± one of them said.


    ¡°We¡¯re refusing it,¡± Thadwick said.


    ¡°We¡­ the Society doesn¡¯t like it when you refuse an assigned contract,¡± the other lackey responded.


    ¡°Who cares? My uncle will put them in line.¡±


    ¡°And drink,¡± Jason said, finishing off his juice.


    Thadwick marched off again. The pair of reluctant flunkeys looked at each other unhappily, then followed.


    ¡°Maybe it was good for group cohesion after all,¡± someone said. ¡°Thadwick¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t,¡± Phoebe Geller said. ¡°Our only healer just walked off after him.¡±


    A slew of unhappy gazes were turned on Jason, who winced.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said.

 Chapter 78: Jason Has the Good Biscuits

    Shirtaloon


    Note that the biscuits referred to in this chapter are actual biscuits, i.e. the things everyone but the US calls biscuits. Sorry, America, but your biscuits are scones. Don''t make me do a whole side chapter where the god of baked goods has to explain what biscuits are. If you have to, just think of them as cookies. But they''re biscuits. I talked to everyone on the discord, and they all agreed; they''re biscuits, and what Americans call biscuits are scones.


    The group, now reduced to seven, made their way through the desert sand. This was proper desert, with blistering sun scouring any life out of the rolling dunes. There were no landmarks, so Jason checked his map from time to time. It unveiled nothing but empty desert as they passed through it, but he saw they were travelling in a dead-straight line. Leading from the front, Phoebe Geller knew exactly where she was going.


    Jason had prepared thoroughly for the trip, even though it was expected to only last the day. Aside from the juice he picked up, he had ample supplies of food and water. He could get what he needed from spirit coins, but he had once found himself in the desert, benefiting from Farrah having packed bottles of water.


    His oasis bracelet protected him from the heat, and he had plenty of spare water quintessence to fuel it. He also had his new boots, which were already paying off. While others were trudging through the sand, the magic of his boots made every step light and easy.


    He''d also brought along some combat items, as open desert was not an environment that played to his strengths. His belt had loops containing vials with various utility potions, along with the usual health and mana potions. The magic on the belt was designed to protect the vials from incidental damage. The belt also carried the sword Gary made, in a scabbard on Jason''s left hip. His snake tooth dagger was sheathed on the right.


    He wore a bandolier diagonally across his chest, with nine throwing darts sheathed into it. Each dart had a small, corded grip, in different colours. Three had a black cord, three had dark orange, with the last three being green.


    It quickly became clear which members of the group had joined Jason in making appropriate preparations. Humphrey, Phoebe and Gabrielle were easily chatting as if strolling through a garden. The other three struggled with the sand underfoot and the sun overhead. They repeatedly used spirit coins to replenish their reserves.


    ¡°This contract will cost us more coins than it gets us,¡± one of them complained.


    ¡°Then you should have prepared,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°Look at how comfortable Jason is.¡±


    All eyes turned to Jason, sipping on an icy fruit drink.


    One of the exhausted adventurers narrowed her eyes at Jason.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you that guy with the evil powers?¡±


    Jason shot a withering look at Phoebe, who gave him a wink and a cheeky smile in return.


    Jason returned the drink to his inventory. One of his favourite things about the inventory power was that anything he took out was in the same state he put in. Food stayed fresh, drinks stayed cold. His food supply included bread straight from the oven that would stay warm and fresh until he took it out again.


    One of the adventurers Jason didn¡¯t know suddenly called out.


    ¡°Everyone stop!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Phoebe asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s something under the sand ahead of us,¡± the adventurer called out.


    There were many kinds of perception powers. Some saw through darkness, like Jason''s ability, while others had superior aura perception, or could see magic. Common to the earth essence was a tremor-sense power, able to detect things in or on the ground over large distances.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°You cost us our healer, so you¡¯re the bait.¡±


    Jason nodded, walking ahead of the others as the starlight cloak formed around him. He kept a quick but measured pace, ready to react at any time.


    ¡°How close?¡± he called back.


    ¡°About a dozen metres in front of you.¡±


    Jason stopped, drawing one of the green-corded darts from his bandolier. It was a single-use magic item that would manifest a false aura on impact. He threw it into the ground, a dozen metres ahead of him, where it struck the sand.


    Sand exploded into the air as a monster erupted from the ground. It looked like a giant, emaciated shark, but with shell instead of skin, spidery crustacean legs and huge pincers.


    ¡°A shab?¡±


    It looked similar to the shabs Jason had encountered in the past, but at least triple the size. Instead of the red and purple colouration, it was sandy yellow. The creature skittered about, as if confused, then seemed to spot Jason and moved towards him. Jason walked toward the creature, in turn, as he drew another dart. This one had a black cord and he tossed it at the creature.


    The dart bounced off its shell, the impact triggering the dart. Darkness burst out of the dart, shadows engulfing the creature in defiance of the glaring sun. It wasn''t complete darkness, instead, a murky region of roiling shadow. Jason continued forward, casually walking into the dark mass as if he hadn¡¯t noticed it. The other adventurers looked on as Jason vanished into the shadows.


    ¡°What is that thing?¡± Humphrey asked.


    "A sand shab," Phoebe said. "Bigger than the aquatic variety. Likes to drag victims under the sand instead of underwater."


    ¡°Should we help?¡± Gabrielle asked.


    Alien shrieks of monstrous rage came from within the darkness.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bother,¡± Jason said, suddenly next to them.


    Phoebe looked between Jason and the darkness into which he had vanished.


    ¡°Teleport?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Shadow teleport,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What shadow?¡±


    Jason looked down and she followed his gaze to see he was standing in her own shadow.


    ¡°That¡¯s sneaky.¡±


    ¡°The monster isn¡¯t dead,¡± Gabrielle pointed out. Angry cries were still emerging from the patch of shadow, which was fading away. They could see the outline of the monster within.


    ¡°The darkness fades over time,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯ll last about thirty seconds, total.¡±


    He casually restocked his bandolier darts from his inventory. In his other hand was his dagger, blade slick with yellow ichor. He took out a rag and started wiping it clean.


    ¡°What about the monster?¡¯ Gabriele asked.


    ¡°It¡¯ll last about fifty seconds, total¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s a guess, since I¡¯m going to try a new ability.¡±


    The last vestiges of the magic shadow faded, the shab scrambling around in confusion. It spotted the adventurers and headed in their direction.


    ¡°Uh, Jason?¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Yes, Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming this way.¡±


    ¡°Shabs aren¡¯t very quick,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just need those afflictions to stack up a little more.¡±


    He finished cleaning his dagger, returning it to its sheath. He glanced over at the approaching shab. It wasn''t built for forward movement, skittering side to side as it came. He raised an arm in its direction, chanting out a spell.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    Black spread out across the shell of the monster as if it were passing into shadow. Its hectic skittering slowed to an uneasy stagger. When one of its shell-encrusted legs crumbled like dry, stale bread, it collapsed to the ground. More of its shell broke apart to reveal blackened, withered flesh. It didn¡¯t get back up.


    Ability: [Punition] (Doom)


    SpellCost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Iron 0 (01%).Effect (iron): Inflicts necrotic damage for each curse, disease, poison and unholy affliction the target is suffering.


    ¡°Uh, Jason?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Yes, Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°What just happened to that monster?¡±


    ¡°Massive necrosis,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that means.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, ¡°you know what happens to a body when it dies? A regular body, I mean. Not a monster body.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m roughly familiar,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I convinced its body to do that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just very quickly, and while it was still alive.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°Are you that guy with the evil powers?¡±


    ¡°I hope you get eaten by a shab.¡±


    The seven adventurers continued their trek through the desert. The three Jason didn¡¯t know were bringing up the rear, sweat pouring out of them as they were still forced to replenish themselves with spirit coins. Phoebe and Gabrielle were together, glancing over at Jason and Humphrey talking loudly.


    ¡°¡­how did so many people even see it?¡± Jason complained. ¡°It was just that archer distributing copies, right.¡±


    "Actually, my mother started to help," Humphrey said. "Our people have a lot of family pride, which is good, but she doesn''t want us veering into¡­ let''s call it Thadwick territory."


    ¡°So she started showing people a recording of some random guy no one has heard of going one-versus-five with a bunch of your family members?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the basic idea, yes.¡±


    ¡°She could have asked,¡± Jason said.


    "I thought the whole point was to intimidate people."


    ¡°Yeah, well that was my chuuni tendencies getting away from me. Now everyone thinks I control monsters. How would I not be the strongest iron-ranker in greenstone if I could control hundreds of trap weavers?¡±


    ¡°What are chuuni tendencies?¡± Humphrey asked.


    "My powers aren''t evil," Jason said. "You breathe fire. Burning to death isn''t exactly a fun way to go."


    ¡°You do have a leech colony living inside you.¡±


    ¡°Lots of people have summoned familiars!¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s familiar, Stash, was happily walking along next to Humphrey¡¯s feet. He barked happily, like a dog, which was a little odd given that he was currently a lizard.


    ¡°Who¡¯s a good boy,¡± Jason said, prompting Stash to transform into a small bird and flutter up onto Jason¡¯s shoulder. Jason took a biscuit from his inventory and held it up for the bird, who turned into a puppy and snuffled it out of Jason¡¯s hand. Jason used the empty hand to stop the enthusiastic puppy from falling down.


    ¡°You spoil him,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°He deserves it.¡±


    Stash yapped his agreement, spilling crumbs.


    From where she was walking beside Phoebe, Gabrielle looked on unhappily.


    ¡°Why does he like Jason more than me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Which one?¡± Phoebe asked. ¡°Humphrey or Stash?¡±


    That earned her a sharp elbow. As Gabrielle had the might essence, it sent Phoebe reeling.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Gabrielle said with a wince.


    Phoebe regained her balance, shaking her head.


    ¡°Maybe you should carry biscuits around,¡± Phoebe suggested, nodding at Jason feeding the puppy another one.


    ¡°Biscuits for who?¡± Gabrielle asked. ¡°Humphrey or Stash?¡±


    Phoebe laughed.


    ¡°I actually did try that,¡± Gabrielle confessed. ¡°I think Jason has better biscuits than me. He makes them himself.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you knew Jason that well,¡± Phoebe said.


    ¡°The goddess told me.¡±


    ¡°The goddess told you he makes his own biscuits?¡±


    ¡°She seems strangely interested in him.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I saw them together, briefly. It was a weird atmosphere.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t suppose she¡¯s, you know, interested interested?¡± Phoebe asked.


    ¡°Dear gods, no,¡± Gabrielle laughed. ¡°I think it¡¯s because he¡¯s an outworlder. He doesn¡¯t act the way other people do. She said he¡¯s dangerous.¡±


    ¡°How can that guy be dangerous to a goddess?¡±


    "Not to her," Gabrielle said. "To me. She thinks he''s a threat to impressionable young minds."


    "She''d know, I guess," Phoebe said.


    Suddenly, the adventurer with the tremor-sense called out in alarm.


    ¡°Everyone stop!¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Phoebe asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s something around us. All around us.¡±


    Everyone went on alert, scanning the empty desert terrain.


    ¡°Is it in the sand?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I think it is the sand.¡±

 Chapter 79: Sand Everywhere

    Chaos erupted as the sand came to life all around them, surging like waves. From the empty desert, they were suddenly surrounded, the sand rising up to take a variety of crude forms. None were any larger than a person, but there were dozens of them, from crude torsos like half-melted snowmen to sharks swimming through the sand like it was water. The shapes were all poorly formed, without delicate features.


    New Quest: [Elemental Ambush]


    You have been surrounded by sand elementals. Defeat them before your team is overwhelmed.


    Objective: Defeat [Lesser Sand Elemental] attack.Reward: Quintessence.


    ¡°Sand elementals!¡± Jason heard Phoebe shout over the sudden chaos. ¡°Use powerful attacks to completely break up their forms or they¡¯ll just recover!¡±


    Jason released his aura as he felt others wash over him.


    You are in the area of an ally¡¯s [Dragon Might] aura. Your [Power] and [Spirit] attributes are increased.You are in the area of an ally¡¯s [Presence of the Master] aura. The effect of your essence abilities is increased.


    He could easily sense Humphrey and Phoebe through their auras. Gabrielle and one of the other adventurers also projected auras, but they didn¡¯t seem to affect him. Unfortunately, Jason¡¯s own aura was unlikely to have a large impact on the fight.


    Ability: [Hegemony] (Sin)


    Aura (holy, unholy)Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 3 (14%)Effect (iron): Allies within the aura have increased resistance to afflictions, while enemies within the aura have their resistance to afflictions reduced. Enemy resistances are further reduced for each instance of [Sin] they are afflicted with.


    He doubted creatures made of sand would be using any afflictions, and his own would certainly not affect them. For that reason, he drew the sword Gary had made for him instead of his dagger. By the time it cleared the scabbard, Humphrey was already in motion beside him.


    Dragon scale armour shimmered into existence around Humphrey as an enormous, wing-shaped sword appeared in his hand. He swept it in a wide arc at the three elementals closest to himself and Jason. They exploded as the sword hit them, showering Humphrey and Jason in sand as the sword didn¡¯t even slow down.


    ¡°You good?¡± Humphrey asked Jason.


    Jason¡¯s starlight cloak manifested around him.


    ¡°Do your thing, mate.¡±


    Humphrey nodded as dragon wings appeared on his back. They launched him into the air, beating to hold him aloft as he surveilled the team. Phoebe was fine, blasting huge chunks off elementals with explosive palm strikes. Gabrielle had conjured a huge iron staff that was twirling around her like she was putting on a show. Any elemental foolish enough to get close was torn apart by its powerful momentum.


    Two of the other adventurers were holding their own, back-to-back against the elementals, while the last was alone and already struggling. Humphrey didn¡¯t know him before they teamed up, but seeing he was an elf, the man was almost certainly a spell caster. Close combat was likely to be the man¡¯s least-favourable circumstance, so Humphrey dived in immediately.


    Humphrey¡¯s wings pushed up hard, sending him plunging into a dive bomb special attack. Hurtling out of the sky, his feet smashed apart an elemental as he passed through it to land, the wings on his back vanishing as his sword lashed out.


    The might essence was one of the most common essences to be found, yet also one of the most highly regarded. Even someone as privileged as Humphrey, who had his pick of essences, had chosen to use it. It was a simple essence, with simple abilities. Mighty strength, for example, was exactly what the name suggested. As the most common ability of the most popular common essence, it was the single most common essence ability in the entire world.


    No one needed to have explained what made the might essence so popular, but anyone would think Humphrey was going out of his way to demonstrate. He swung his enormous sword with power and precision, as if it weighed almost nothing. Every elemental it touched blew up like a car in an Eighties action movie, showering the area with sand.


    After clearing some space, Humphrey spared a glance for the beleaguered elf, who looked at him with gratitude.


    ¡°Keep them off me and I can take a bunch of them out,¡± the elf told him.


    ¡°Do what you need to do,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯ve got you.¡±


    In the meantime, Jason was dealing with elementals of his own. He lashed out with his sword, to minimal effect.


    Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Lesser Sand Elemental].[Lesser Sand Elemental] is immune to afflictions.[Sin] does not take effect.Affliction immunity has triggered an effect on weapon [Dread Salvation].Weapon [Dread Salvation] has gained an instance of [Stone Cutter].


    Jason lashed out with quick light strikes, putting a special attack into each one. The blade barely finished making a cut before sand removed any trace, but that was never the goal. Each failed affliction triggered the effect of his sword, which grew more powerful with every strike.


    [Stone Cutter] (magic, stacking): All attacks deal additional resonating-force damage. Highly effective against physical defences. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Every attack started blasting sand off the elementals, but was yet to leave a lasting impact. The sword might not deter the encroaching elementals, but he had an answer for that. He would keep one elemental to build up stacks with his sword; a sluggish, snowman-shaped one, too slow to pose a real threat. At others, he would lash out with kicks, not hitting the creatures, but slicing his foot past them. As he did, a razor-whip of black shards extended from his boot, cutting through the elemental and scattering it to the winds.


    ¡°I love these boots.¡±


    Item: [Sand-Cutter Boots] (iron rank, rare)


    Boots crafted with the chitin of a sand-cutter, inheriting some of its power. (apparel, boots).


    Effect: Improved ability to walk on sand.Effect: Increased jump height and distance.Effect: Enhanced kick attack. Highly effective against enemies with strong earth affinity.


    It was taking time to accumulate power onto Jason''s sword, but with dozens of elementals still swarming them, he was in no danger of running out. With every attack, the sword''s power grew. Sand started blasting off the elementals as it landed, leaving noticeable gouges.


    He became more aggressive, lashing out with his sword and his razor-whip boots. The sword kept getting stronger until it was carving a path through the elementals. By the time he fought his way over to Humphrey, Jason¡¯s sword had joined his boots in taking down elementals at a single blow.


    Humphrey had set about keeping the elementals off the spell caster. By the time Jason reached them, the elf behind Humphrey had gathered a huge sphere of white and fire-orange magic over his head. Looking up at it with a wild grin, he started chanting.


    ¡°Fire and air, fuel and feast, come forth and devour, the vortex beast!¡±


    ¡°Hey, that rhymes,¡± Jason said as they watched the orb drift slowly over their heads, drifting toward the largest mass of elementals. Heat and wind washed over them as it passed. Then they heard the elf behind them yell out.


    ¡°RUN!¡±


    They turned to see the elf already following his own advice, sprinting away from his own spell at top speed. Jason and Humphrey glanced at one another and did the same. A few seconds later there was a cacophonous explosion behind them as a force wave blasted them off their feet.


    Jason pushed himself up from where he sprawled in the sand, head ringing from the noise. All he could hear was a rushing sound, like the ocean. Kneeling in the sand he wavered, unsteadily. Humphrey tapped his arm and pointed forward where the elf had gotten back up and continued running. Jason nodded, and after a dizzy false start followed, picking up his sword from where he¡¯d dropped it.


    Jason staggered forward, an equally unsteady Humphrey at his side. They caught up to the elf who had stopped to avoid running into elementals from the other direction. Still unable to hear, Jason felt the air stirring, loose sand flittering along the ground.


    Looking back the way they had come, he saw a burning orb surrounded by a vortex of air, dragging things into it. Closer to the orb, the suction was clearly more powerful, sucking up the sand elementals as they struggled to escape. Those that were caught up passed through the orb, splattering out the back as gobbets of molten sand.


    Humphrey tapped Jason on the shoulder again, gesturing the other way. Jason looked to see Phoebe and Gabrielle handling the elementals just fine by themselves. The adventurers fighting back-to-back were doing less well as elementals converging on them.


    Jason took a healing potion from his belt, Humphrey doing the same from his own. They each thumbed the stoppers off their vials and draining the contents. Jason''s head cleared, the rushing noise in his ears replaced with actual sound.


    Behind them, they could hear the suction of the vortex. Ahead of them was what sounded like muffled explosions as Phoebe blasted apart elementals with bare-handed special attacks. From Gabrielle''s direction was a regular smacking sound as her iron staff burst open more elementals with raw strength.


    ¡°Your lady friend is kind of scary,¡± Jason told Humphrey.


    ¡°Not the time, Jason,¡± Humphrey said, wings appearing briefly as he used a special attack to leap away. He landed like a grenade near the pair of struggling adventurers, sweeping away elementals.


    Jason took a couple of steps and used the leaping power of his boots to follow, arriving in the space Humphrey had just cleared.


    ¡°You have to make time for relationships,¡± Jason said, his sword cutting through an elemental. ¡°Time and communication.¡±


    The two adventurers they had come to support went from almost overwhelmed to completely unnecessary. Humphrey and Jason each took a side of the pair and moved around them, clearing out elementals like they were trimming a hedge.


    Humphrey and Jason had very different fighting styles. Humphrey used strength and the weight of his heavy sword. Solid as a rock, his subtle but crucial footwork the foundation of his balance as he swung a sword heavier than he was. His sweeping strikes looked simple, but their power and precision were exacting.


    Jason¡¯s style was more like an acrobatic dance. His sword was much smaller, smashing elementals apart not with power but with the considerable magic it had built up over the fight. The blade flickered in his hand, elementals scattering into clouds of sand on contact. His feet moved just as fast, and not always on the ground. Launching into a spinning leap, his razor-whip boots each took down an elemental before he landed, his movement never stopping.


    The vortex bomb was the tipping point of the battle, letting the group get a handle on the elementals¡¯ huge numbers. As the last one fell, the group came together, exhausted. They stood around, hands on knees, or lay down, ignoring the heat of the sand. Jason took out a fruit drink, slurping loudly to the envy of the others. Humphrey shook his head as identical paper cups appeared from his own void storage space.


    ¡°Gem berries?¡± Jason asked Humphrey, who nodded as he handed one of the large cups to Gabrielle. She gave him a dazzling smile before happily sipping at the juice drink.


    Phoebe looked around the group with a weary grin. Only the elf and the two adventurers who fought together were injured, and nothing more than bruises. Sand elementals weren¡¯t very dangerous individually, at least not ones that small. It was their numbers that made them a threat.


    "Now you know why we send such big teams when we go out into the dunes," Phoebe told the group.


    ¡°That¡¯s rough,¡± Jason said unhappily, shifting uncomfortably on the spot. ¡°That¡¯s really rough.¡±


    ¡°We did warn you that we would be going into the desert,¡± Phoebe told him.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked absently, putting away his drink and taking out a bottle of crystal wash.


    ¡°Oh, not that,¡± he said, tipping the bottle into his pants. ¡°I meant literally rough. I have sand everywhere.¡±

 Chapter 80: It’s Not Work if You Love What You Do

    After half a day of trudging through the desert, the group finally spotted the spirit coin farm. From the outside, all that could be seen was a high wall. It was still some distance off, but the group appreciated a landmark in the featureless ocean of sand.


    ¡°How exactly does a spirit coin farm work?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Spirit coins don¡¯t grow on trees, do they?¡±


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know?¡± Mose asked.


    Mose Cavendish was the elf who fired off the vortex bomb of fire and wind against the sand elementals. The fight had instilled a sense of camaraderie in the group, with Jason acquitting himself well enough to dispel the group¡¯s earlier dissatisfaction.


    ¡°Jason is from another world,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You should get used to explaining things to him.¡±


    ¡°Another world?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°To answer your question,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°spirit coins do not grow on trees.¡±


    ¡°I guess that would be a spirit coin orchard,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Another world, as in a whole other world?¡± Mose asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said. ¡°So where do spirit coins come from?¡±


    ¡°As in, not this world?¡± Mose asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s an alternate universe,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°An alternate universe?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that big a deal,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Not that big a deal?¡±


    ¡°I think you broke Mose,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He¡¯s just repeating words, now.¡±


    ¡°Am I ever going to hear about the spirit coins?¡± Jason asked.


    "They make them out here in the farms," Humphrey said. "They have these special moulds that cause magic to crystallise. It''s a delicate process, though. Changes in the ambient magic can ruin whole batches, which is why they have the farms out here. No activity, no life. Very stable ambient magic.¡±


    ¡°There must be interesting ramifications of pumping more and more coins into the economy,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The Magic Society manages all of that,¡± Humphrey explained. ¡°It¡¯s the main source of their political power, and the reason it¡¯s important the Magic Society stays politically neutral.¡±


    ¡°Like the Adventure Society,¡± Jason said pointedly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t always work out that way.¡±


    Gabrielle wandered closer to join their conversation.


    ¡°Did you know that spirit coins are Greenstone¡¯s largest export?¡± she asked. ¡°Most people think it¡¯s the green stone, because of the name, but it¡¯s actually spirit coins. Especially the lesser ones. The farms out here in the desert produce almost three percent of the lesser coins used worldwide.¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Most of these farms are operated by my family or the Mercers. Under Magic Society regulation, of course.¡±


    "Of course," she said, lightly slapping her own head. "This coin farm is Geller-something, isn''t it?¡±


    ¡°Geller-Seven,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°How does that work, though?¡± Mose asked. ¡°I mean, a whole other world?¡±


    ¡°Get it together, Mose,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Get it together? Your very existence fundamentally reshapes my understanding of reality.¡±


    ¡°Try going through that while a bunch of people are trying to eat you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Is that some kind of metaphor?¡± Mose asked.


    "No," Jason said. "No, it isn''t. Why is so much of the spirit coin farming done in this region? Wouldn''t it be easier to have more localised production?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the low magic,¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°Most areas in the world have too high a magical density to produce lesser coins. The smallest denomination they can manage is usually iron rank, or even bronze rank in highly magical areas.¡±


    ¡°So why not just make iron coins the basic currency?¡± Jason asked.


    "They''re too valuable," Humphrey said. "The values of spirit coins aren''t arbitrary. If a farm can produce a thousand lesser coins at a time, the same size farm could only produce 10 iron coins or one bronze coin.¡±


    ¡°And higher-ranked coins aren¡¯t very useful for everyday life,¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°Almost all the magic devices in a home or business run on lesser coins. Lamps, showers. Higher-rank ones would burn them out.¡±


    ¡°Some larger infrastructure works on more powerful coins. The loop line, for example.¡±


    ¡°The conditions in which you can locate a spirit coin farm are hard to come across,¡± Gabrielle added. ¡°Finding a low-magic area with the kind of stability you get out here in the desert is rare. Somewhere as liveable as the delta, so close to the desert here is perfect. Greenstone was founded because it was such a perfect place for low-end spirit coin farms.¡±


    ¡°Even then, there are no guarantees,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Volatile weather can affect the ambient magic enough to ruin whole batches. Same if a monster spawns nearby, or some adventurer runs around using abilities. That¡¯s why we won¡¯t be allowed near the spirit coin farm itself. They¡¯ll make us wait outside the walls.¡±


    ¡°How do they stop monster spawns?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If one appears too close to a farm, you just have to eat the loss.¡±


    ¡°So, how did you get here?¡± Mose asked. ¡°Do you have some kind of ship that can cross between universes?¡±


    ¡°Still with this, Mose?¡± Jason asked. ¡°A cannibal summoned me by accident.¡±


    ¡°Are you just making things up now?¡± Mose asked.


    Jason stopped short, his whole body frozen. His face turned pale, visibly shaken.


    ¡°You got me, Mose,¡± Jason said. ¡°I guess I always knew this day would come. This whole thing is an elaborate ruse. I¡¯m actually a failed actor using an array of magical devices to fake being an adventurer from another world.¡±


    He shook his wearily hanging head.


    ¡°Nothing for it now but to walk off into the desert, alone.¡±


    ¡°What is happening right now?¡± Mose asked. ¡°I have no idea what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him, Mose,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Just remember that if you¡¯re talking to Jason and you get confused, he¡¯s probably up to something. If you¡¯re talking to Jason and you¡¯re not confused, then he¡¯s definitely up to something.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s just hurtful,¡± Jason said.


    The walls of the spirit coin farm were five metres tall, made from yellow desert stone. The gates were small, clearly not designed for a lot of traffic. Outside the gate was a fairly large area of tiled ground, scattered with desert sand. The sole feature of the tiled area was a gazebo, providing shade for adventurers to wait in.


    It was around an hour after they arrived and Phoebe went alone through the gates that she came back. She had another person with her, and a trio of wagons running behind.


    The wagons were the non-magical, heidel-drawn variety, and were longer, wider and definitely heavier than other wagons Jason had seen. They were all constructed from sturdy metal, to the point of looking like old-timey train cars. Each wagon took eight heidels just to move at a crawl. The narrow wheels looked like the exact wrong thing to take onto sand, and the wagons seemed generally useless for desert travel. They stopped in the middle of the tiled expanse and the adventurers left the gazebo for a closer look.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to like this,¡± Humphrey said to Jason.


    Each of the wagons had two people on it, who got off and moved around behind them. The back of the wagons folded down into a ramp, down each of which slid a vehicle. They looked a lot like the airboat Jason had ridden on with Clive, and Jason¡¯s face lit up with glee.


    ¡°Some kind of sand boat?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We call them sand skimmers,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They operate on magic, obviously, so they have to be wagoned out of the farm before charging them up.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t want any loose magic in your spirit coin farm?¡± Jason guessed.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Humphrey said.


    As they drew closer, the people unloading the wagons paused to greet ¡®Young Master Humphrey.¡¯ Jason opened his mouth to start off about disproportionate class systems, then stopped himself, shaking his head in self-recrimination.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked him.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Since when do you hold back an opinion?¡±


    ¡°Humphrey, opening my mouth wide enough to fit my foot in it already cost us a healer. It¡¯s past time I learned to keep it shut.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be you if you didn¡¯t go into a rant about something,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Just let it out.¡±


    Jason looked at Humphrey, warily.


    ¡°Look,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s just that you were born as the employer of these people, and they were born to work for you.¡±


    ¡°Just so you know,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°these men earn more money than an iron-rank adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°They work in a giant money workshop,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That makes loyalty important. Also, they have to work in the middle of the desert, which deserves fair compensation.¡±


    ¡°Do they live out here?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°While they¡¯re working, yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They do stints out here, then go back to their families with all the money they made. After working the farms for a few years they gain a small part ownership. In our farms, at least. The Mercers don¡¯t do it that way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the rub, isn¡¯t it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°If your family decided to screw these people over and leverage them into working for cheap while using draconian measures to keep them in line, what would stop you?¡±


    ¡°Basic decency,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°And there¡¯s the real problem,¡± Jason said. ¡°The line between benevolence and oppression falls wherever your family says it does. That¡¯s real power. What happens when Thadwick Mercer is running his family operations?¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t put him in charge,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°His father is grooming him for exactly that. Doesn¡¯t say much for his father.¡±


    ¡°What about Cassandra?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s going full-time adventurer, like her mother,¡± Jason said. ¡°Like you, for that matter. Once the next monster surge is done, she¡¯s out of here.¡±


    ¡°How do you know so much about the Mercers?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I may have been spending some time with Cassandra. Socially.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think she had much time for young men,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Of course she does,¡± Jason said. ¡°She just doesn¡¯t have time for boys.¡±


    The workers finished sliding the sand skimmers down from the over-sized wagons. The three vehicles were larger than the airboat Jason had been on. They were all flat bottomed, with a large ring at the back for magic propulsion. There were five seats at the front; one front and centre for the driver, with handlebar controls like a jet ski. Behind were four passenger seats, two by two. Between the seats and the propulsion ring bringing up the rear was a flat area for cargo. This space was already filled on all three vehicles with stacked metal crates.


    The person who had come out of the farm with Phoebe on foot was the bronze rank adventurer taking charge of the team. It was another member of the Geller family, named Ernest. The resemblance to Humphrey was clear, with the same height and broad shoulders. Jason didn¡¯t assume a close relation though, as all the Gellers looked like that. Phoebe was an Amazonian goddess almost a full head taller than Jason.


    ¡°If we have these things,¡± Jason asked, looking over a sand skimmer, ¡°why did we walk all the way out here?¡±


    ¡°Because picking you up would be an extra trip to the city for our drivers and we don¡¯t care if you have to walk all the way,¡± Ernest said. ¡°We use the skimmers to take coins to the city and bring back supplies. If you want to use one yourself, go buy it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fantastic idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°How much do they cost?¡±


    ¡°You need the right essence ability to use them,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Boo,¡± Jason jeered.


    ¡°Are you a child?¡± Ernest asked.


    ¡°Mate, we¡¯re about to go flying across the desert in giant magic toboggans. If that doesn¡¯t eke out any childlike wonder, then you might want to check your soul¡¯s still in there.¡±


    ¡°He does have a point, Ern,¡± Phoebe said, patting Ernest on the arm.


    "Everyone just get on the skimmers, please," Ernest said. He shook his head at Phoebe, who flashed Jason a grin.


    Ernest and Phoebe took the first skimmer, while Jason sat behind Humphrey and Gabrielle on the second. Mose and the two remaining adventurers took the last one. Three of the workers who had unloaded the skimmers took the front seat in each vehicle. Jason could sense the presence of a single essence from each driver¡¯s aura.


    A vulture-like bird came swooping out of the sky, then transformed into a sand-coloured lizard, flailing its limbs in the air as it fell into Humphrey¡¯s arms.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had Stash scouting as a bird,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I waved him off when we were fighting the elementals. I didn¡¯t want anyone mistaking him for another monster.¡±


    ¡°My familiar wasn¡¯t much good there, either,¡± Jason said. ¡°Leeches don¡¯t eat sand.¡±


    The driver started feeding spirit coins into a slot next to his seat and the vehicle powered up with an audible hum. Sigils around the propulsion ring lit up and the skimmer floated half a metre into the air.


    "Coin-operated," Jason laughed. "I love it."


    Soon the skimmers were rushing over the desert sand, hot air whipping into the passengers¡¯ faces. Like the airboat, the sand skimmers¡¯ propulsion rings drew in air from the front to blast out the back. In the arid desert, this dried the eyes out quickly. The drivers all wore goggles, as did Humphrey, who gave an extra pair to Gabrielle.


    ¡°What happened to bros before hoes?¡± Jason called out over the blasting air of the propulsion ring.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means,¡± Humphrey called back, ¡°but it feels like I should respect you less for having said it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said.


    As they rushed along, Jason was avoiding looking forward, to avoid the worst of the dry-eye effect. That made him the first one in the vehicle to spot a fast-moving object approaching from the side. It was another skimmer, but larger than their own. There were at least eight people aboard, with a canvas awning cover to shade them from the sun. It was veering in on an intercept course.


    Jason pointed them out to Humphrey, who narrowed his eyes gravely at the approaching vehicle.


    ¡°They¡¯re after the shipment,¡± he said loudly.


    ¡°Sand pirates!¡± Jason exclaimed with glee, breaking into a wild laugh. He threw his arms jubilantly into the air.


    ¡°I LOVE BEING AN ADVENTURER!¡±

 Chapter 96: You Don’t Get a Third

    Jason¡¯s path back to the city was a long one. The lumber region was on the far side of the delta and he had Dean alongside him, as well as the suppression-collared and manacled Jerrick shuffling behind. Jason considered commandeering a cart from Clementson but decided he''d rather walk than deal with the heidel he would need to pull it. As for Clementson himself, Jason left him behind. Another person would be unmanageable, and Clementson wasn¡¯t going anywhere. Without his lumber mill, he was nothing


    Jerrick made some trouble early in the journey. On the first day, he tried to sneak-attack Jason from behind, but without his powers, he quickly came to regret it. The first night he tried to sneak out the inn, which he came to regret far more. Jason had not used his familiar when fighting Jerrick, and Jerrick was unaware Jason had left bunches of Team Colin suckered to the wall above every exit.


    Jason also slowed their progress with his usual routine of healing people in the towns and villages they passed through. He also took some notices from the adventure boards if anything seemed like a threat.


    Leaving Jerrick in the middle of a leech circle, Jason took Dean to show him what actual adventurers did. His fergax summon was a powerful, but singular threat. Jason quickly identified Dean¡¯s problem while on a notice for a small humanoid monster called a pixelax. Quick creatures with emaciated limbs and long, sharp fingers, they were around a metre tall and appeared in large groups. They swarmed over Dean¡¯s summon, which occupied many of them, but others made straight for Dean, who started to panic.


    Jason swept in to handle them, sword flashing. His afflictions were of little point against the frail monsters, so he didn¡¯t bother. Their pointed fingers made little headway against his armour and they fell to a well-placed sword stroke. Between Jason and the fergax, the pixelaxes were made short work of.


    ¡°Who names these monsters?¡± Jason wondered aloud as he used crystal wash to clean himself off.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Dean said, still shaken.


    ¡°Someone overly-enamoured with the letter X, apparently. We had a phase like that where I come from.¡±


    Dean gave Jason a strange look and Jason realised it probably didn¡¯t translate well.


    ¡°The good news,¡± Jason said, ¡°is that the problem keeping you from being a decent adventurer is quite evident. I know someone at the Adventure Society who can get you assigned to the right contracts to work through it. If that¡¯s still what you want.¡±


    Dean nodded, hesitant, but forcing himself to be determined.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go back to what I was doing,¡± he said.


    ¡°Good man.¡±


    As they drew closer to the city, Jason was surprised to find church of the Healer members in multiple towns and villages. It was a pleasant surprise, letting Jason hasten his journey without leaving sick people untreated behind him. Finally, they reached Greenstone and started making their way through Old City.


    ¡°I have to assume that Clementson got word ahead to Thadwick,¡± Jason said. ¡°We didn¡¯t exactly make great time through the delta. You have family here in Old City, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Dean said. ¡°We build and maintain devices that use water quintessence. It¡¯s a decent living, which is how they managed to afford a full set of essences for me.¡±


    His head fell.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen them in a while. I let them down pretty badly.¡±


    ¡°Take it from someone further away from family than you can imagine,¡± Jason said. ¡°Don¡¯t let pride keep you away. If I leave you and Jerrick there until I sort things out, will that be alright? Can you handle him?¡±


    ¡°I can do that,¡± Dean said determinedly. ¡°We may not be one of the big-time families, but our compound is secure enough. Thadwick¡¯s people wouldn¡¯t move on it unless Thadwick himself was with them, and the whole point of him using us was to keep his hands clean.¡±


    Dean guided them through Old City toward his family¡¯s compound. They went through one of the main market districts and into a vast arcade. It had high, vaulted ceilings, stores on either side and was an obstacle course of stalls and shoppers.


    That changed as a group of twelve, heavily-armed thugs started marching down the arcade, pushing over people and even small stalls that were in their path. The arcade started clearing quickly as people scattered. Seeing them coming, Jason handed Dean a recording crystal.


    ¡°Use it,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll probably need the evidence, later.¡±


    ¡°Evidence of what?¡± Dean asked as he threw the crystal up to float over his head.


    "Stay here and watch everything," Jason said instead of answering and walked forward to meet the group.


    One of the men was clearly the leader, walking front and centre.


    ¡°So you¡¯re Asano,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not impressed.¡±


    Jason panned his gaze over the group. A dozen men, all with iron-rank auras. Every aura was uncontrolled, either through lack of training or a lack of aura powers altogether.


    ¡°I see some familiar faces,¡± he said. He spotted Dink, far less brazen than their last encounter. He was hovering at the back with the others who had slunk away after witnessing Dink¡¯s beating at Jason¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I¡¯ve become a big believer in seconds chances,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is yours. Leave now.¡±


    He pointed out the ones he recognised.


    ¡°Except for you, you, you and you,¡± he said as he pointed each one out. ¡°You all had your second chances. You don¡¯t get a third.¡±


    The leader laughed.


    ¡°Do you not see where we are?¡± he asked. ¡°These are our streets. See how they all scuttled away like little bugs? That¡¯s because they know what¡¯s coming. Do you really think you can take us all?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said, his voice dismissive. ¡°I just don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll be able to leave any of you alive.¡±


    The leader laughed again.


    ¡°You¡¯re serious, aren¡¯t you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Either I¡¯m overestimating myself, or I¡¯m not. Decide which you think it is, then act accordingly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re relying on that rigged fight to make people scared of you,¡± the leader said.


    Jason looked around. The skylights in the ceiling left plenty of shadowy nooks in the arcade. Even the open space had plenty of stalls and carts to cast shadows. The people were already gone.


    ¡°I hope you let me keep doing so,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d prefer that to having it based on what I do to you.¡±


    The leader grinned and stomped the ground with his foot. Stone erupted from the ground, flying at Jason in shards. His ability to aim the power was clearly not good, most of the shards being intercepted by one of the fruit carts in between them. Gobbets of pulped fruit flew as the stone tore into the cart. Jason was unconcerned by the attack, having already dropped into a shadow on the ground.


    ¡°Where did he go?¡± the leader yelled, looking around. Blood from a slashed artery sprayed over them as they looked behind and realised one of their number had already fallen. His body dropped to the ground, falling at the hands of a shadowy figure in their midst.


    Spattered with the blood of their companion, the thugs were startled into a brief, but critical moment of inaction. Jason¡¯s wicked-looking red and black dagger didn¡¯t stop as he moved like a ghost, finding the back of a neck, a throat and then burying itself in the side of a head before Jason vanished into the shadow of a dropping corpse. None of the spooked, bottom-feeder adventurers reacted effectively in the few startled moments it took Jason to appear, kill and vanish. In the aftermath, some of them realised the dead were Dink and the others Jason had pointed out.


    "Last chance," Jason''s voice came from the darkness.


    ¡°Leave now,¡± his voice came again, from the opposite direction.


    The group looked at each other nervously and the leader slapped one across the head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him get to you. It¡¯s just games because he¡¯s scared to fight us straight-up!¡±


    His own voice didn¡¯t sound completely convinced, and the others looked at the dead bodies at their feet.


    "No way," one of them said and started running. There was a rip of cloth as a huge rat tail emerged from the leader''s back. To Jason, watching from the shadows, it looked like the prehensile tail of the rat gorger he had fought. It wrapped around the fleeing man''s ankle, tripping him over and dragging him back to the group where the leader savagely stomped on his head.


    ¡°NOBODY RUNS,¡± the leader announced fiercely. ¡°Everyone keep an eye out. He can¡¯t pick us off if we see him coming.¡±


    They all started looking around them, peering into every shadow.


    "Don''t forget the shadows at your feet," the leader said. "Catch him quick and you can drop him while he''s disoriented from appearing."


    As they watched the shadows, they neglected to realise that not every patch of darkness in the tall arcade was at ground level. None of them saw Jason floating down until Jason let his weight return, using the weight of the fall to plunge his dagger through the startled man¡¯s eye. Their leader slid off Jason¡¯s blade and dropped to the ground, dead. The others stared at the shadowy figure standing in front of them like deer in headlights. Even though he was right in front of them, out in the open, none of them made a move.


    Jason looked down at the man whose head had been stomped on by the now-dead leader. He was in a very bad way, but still alive. Jason walked closer to the group, who flinched at his approach. Jason took a potion from his belt and held it out.


    ¡°Heal this one and go,¡± he told them, gesturing to the hurt man on the ground. The thugs looked at the potion like it was a venomous snake, but finally one of them reached out to take it. As if that movement was a starter¡¯s pistol, the others all ran. The one who took the potion knelt down to feed it to his fallen companion. It didn¡¯t bring about a full recovery, but with his friend¡¯s help, he got to his feet. The thug who had taken the potion from Jason gave him a look of wariness and confusion.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°For the potion.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t thank me if we meet like this again.¡±


    The pair hurried off, one supporting the other. Soon after, Dean cautiously approached with the recording crystal still over his head. Jerrick was walking behind him.


    ¡°Give me that,¡± Jason said and Dean nervously took down the recording crystal and handed it over. Four of the five dead men on the ground had been beside Dean himself when they first confronted Jason. If Thadwick hadn¡¯t needed Dean for his summoning power, and if Jason hadn¡¯t needed Dean to use against Thadwick, then Dean himself could have easily been one of those bodies.


    Jason looked at Jerrick, who was also staring down at the bodies.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had your two chances,¡± Jason told him. ¡°If you and I run into each other again, after all this is done, I hope you¡¯ll be smart enough to run.¡±


    ¡°Are these all adventurers?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Dean asked, looking up from the corpses, distracted. ¡°Oh, uh, yes. Those who couldn¡¯t pass the assessment themselves, Thadwick had slipped through. That was a while ago, though. It¡¯s harder since the new director came in.¡±


    Jason started shuffling through the pockets of the fallen, eventually digging out their Adventure Society badges.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised they carried them,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s not like they do any adventuring.¡±


    ¡°We all carry them,¡± Dean said. ¡°It gives you some weight to throw around.¡±


    Standing up, Jason looked around the arcade.


    ¡°What¡¯s the local civic authority here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The what?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Who¡¯s in charge here,¡± Jason said. ¡°Who do we tell about the killings?¡±


    ¡°This is Dorgan¡¯s territory,¡± Dean said.


    ¡°Dorgan? He¡¯s one of those three crime lords, right?¡±


    ¡°The Big Three,¡± Dean said. ¡°They run Old City because people from the Island don¡¯t care so long as the money keeps coming.¡±


    ¡°What about some kind of local government authority?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s the Duke¡¯s guard,¡± Dean said, ¡°but they only come over if there¡¯s some kind of threat to Island interests. The Big Three makes sure there isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Five dead adventurers is a long way from nothing, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Adventure Society will be looking into it.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do now?¡± Dean asked.


    ¡°Stick to the plan,¡± Jason said. ¡°Get you to your family and I get things settled. This is just one more thing to settle.¡±

 Chapter 97: Integrity is Sexy

    With Dean and Jerrick stashed with Dean¡¯s family, Jason decided he had time to stop at his lodgings before getting to business. He was weary, heavy with the blood of the men he killed, even after the crystal wash had cleaned it away. He took a long, luxurious shower and, with a fresh change of clothes, went for lunch with Farrah, Gary and Rufus in their suite.


    Madam Landry sent lunch up in the dumbwaiter and they went out to the balcony. Since Jason became an adventurer they were seeing less of each other, and eating lunch in the sunshine as they looked out over the ocean was something they did whenever they had the chance.


    ¡°You missed a lot,¡± Farrah said to Jason as they sat down.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Gods showed up at Jory¡¯s clinic,¡± Gary said. ¡°It was something to see. Dominion asked after you by name.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked, half-standing in his chair. ¡°Dominion as in the god?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°That¡¯s bad,¡± Jason said, settling back down. ¡°That¡¯s really bad.¡±


    ¡°He seems to like you, if that helps,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°No, it does not help,¡± Jason said. ¡°That makes it worse.¡±


    The others recounted to Jason what took place outside the clinic.


    ¡°Good for Jory,¡± Jason said. ¡°He deserves recognition for what he does. And that Davone, guy. Turns out he¡¯s alright?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s wasted following around that idiot, Thadwick,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°You should tell him about the other thing,¡± Gary said to Rufus, who looked over at Farrah, who shook her head in resignation.


    ¡°Cowards,¡± she said. ¡°Jason, we¡¯re going away for a while. There¡¯s a big expedition, and we¡¯re on it.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°It finally came out why the Ustei Tribe came south. You remember that waterfall that shut off briefly? The monsters you fought?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Well, there have been other instances around the desert. Close by, it¡¯s only been brief, isolated instances. Up north it looks like the problem is much worse. Enough that the oases connected to the astral space were no longer able to support all the nomad tribes.¡±


    "Something is going on with the astral space?" Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re going to find out,¡± Rufus said, picking up the narrative. ¡°We¡¯re going to relocate the Ustei back to the north, enter into one of the apertures and investigate the astral space.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a small expedition,¡± Jason said.


    "It isn''t," Rufus said. "It''s massive. Danielle Geller is leading it, along with a handful of other silver rankers. Dozens of bronze-rankers, hundreds of iron. People who haven''t been on a contract in years. The chance to explore the desert astral space, under the watchful protection of silver rankers? The city''s most prominent families are falling over themselves to be involved."


    ¡°I can imagine,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why am I getting a sense of hesitation from you all?¡±


    The others looked at each other, all shaking their heads. Finally, Gary groaned capitulation.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to go,¡± Gary said. ¡°This isn¡¯t just a matter of you not being invited; you were specifically excluded. Which is a load of crap, if you ask me.¡±


    "Specifically excluded?" Jason said, his voice ramping up. The other braced for an explosion, but Jason let out a long, calming breath, instead.


    ¡°I guess I can see that,¡± he said.


    ¡°You can?¡± Rufus asked, looking at Jason like he was a grenade that unexpectedly didn¡¯t explode.


    "Look, it''s no secret that I can be contentious when it comes to the upper-classes. I¡¯ve caused problems before. And I¡¯ve been rising up very high and very fast, socially, for someone with no background. I¡¯m guessing this is a test. If I show that I can take this quietly, miss an opportunity without kicking up a stink, then I pass.¡±


    Jason turned his attention back to his meal as the others stared at him in silence.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked them.


    ¡°We kind of thought you¡¯d have a bigger reaction,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Making a noise in the face of authority is kind of a thing for you,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m coming to realise it doesn¡¯t get me anywhere. The snake slithering across the lawn gets shot. The one waiting for the toddler to wander near the tall grass gets fed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a horrifying analogy but a welcomed, measured response,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We might make a decent adventurer out of you yet.¡±


    Jason frowned.


    ¡°Sometimes I wonder about that,¡± he said, his voice heavy. ¡°I need your advice on how to handle something.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Rufus said and they waited for Jason to speak. They showed concern at his uncharacteristic hesitation.


    ¡°I killed five adventurers today,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What?¡± Gary asked immediately.


    ¡°Let him get it out,¡± Farrah told Gary.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Start at the beginning.¡±


    Jason nodded, absently.


    ¡°It started with this contract I took at the jobs hall¡­¡±


    Unlike the Geller family, whose seat of power was a sprawling estate in the delta, the Mercer¡¯s main residence was a manor on the Island. A feat of magical engineering, it was a series of five towers set out in a ring. Built from a combination of the finest grade of green stone available and magic-wrought glass, each tower was five storeys tall, interconnected by a network of glass walkways. One set of the walkways were curved, linking the towers in a circle. Another set of walkways were straight, connecting every second tower in such a way that seen from above, it would form the shape of a pentagram.


    Each of the walkways had a clear glass ceiling and colour-tinted glass floor, with a different colour for each walkway. The sides were open, but with invisible, magic barriers in place. The barriers let in fresh air while shielding from inclement weather, as rare as that was. It also prevented Mercer¡¯s children and pets from running off the sides.


    In the space between the towers was a park, with trees and lawns showered with colour as sunlight passed through the walkways above. In the centre of the park was a pond where waterfowl swam happily about. Children were playing as parents or family servants watched on. They ran around, climbed trees and tossed torn-up pieces of bread into the water to be gobbled-up by ducks.


    Thalia Mercer was passing through one of the walkways when she felt a familiar aura from the park below. She moved to the side of the walkway to look down and then vanished, reappearing on the ground. She arrived next to a bench in the park where a man was eating a large sandwich.


    ¡°Jason,¡± she said, sitting down next to him. ¡°Your ability to restrain your aura is quite developed for someone of your rank.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been working quite hard at it.¡±


    ¡°It shows.¡±


    Jason placed his sandwich in his inventory, dabbed at his face with a napkin, then put it away as well.


    ¡°Lady Mercer,¡± he said, once he was done.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you, please call me Thalia. I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve missed Cassandra; she¡¯s out preparing for the big expedition.¡±


    ¡°Sadly, this isn¡¯t a social visit,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m here about a contract.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t informed of your arrival,¡± Thalia said. ¡°Have you been using my household guard to practice your stealth techniques?¡±


    ¡°Your household guard only has a few bronze-rankers," Jason said, "and they all seem to project their auras as imposingly as possible. Not that hard to avoid. I wouldn''t be able to get into the buildings unnoticed, though. Too many high-ranking Mercers in residence.¡±


    "That''s the problem with having essence users as guards," Thalia said. "Anyone with the skill to excel is unlikely to work as a guard, while anyone without essences can''t be an effective one.¡±


    ¡°I imagine you have a few quality staff nestled away,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve recently been learning about the Mercer name¡¯s ability to attract people into service.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I assume you have a recording crystal projector we can use?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± she said. ¡°Please follow me.¡±


    ¡°Looks like I have to put both of you down,¡± Jerrick¡¯s voice came out of the projection. Jason reached out and tapped the projector, bringing the playback to a stop. They were seated in Thalia¡¯s personal study, a recording crystal projector on the table between them.


    ¡°After that is something of a mess,¡± he said. ¡°A fight from my perspective makes for a disorienting recording. Lots of darkness and teleporting about. Suffice to say, I took the man into custody.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s alive?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And this witness of yours?¡± Thalia asked.


    ¡°Also fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I didn¡¯t want him mixing with his old crowd, so I sent him to stay with his family. They seemed quite happy to see him.¡±


    ¡°It can be that way, with the lower-end adventurers,¡± Thalia said. ¡°A family can work for years, generations even, just to get an adventurer in the family. Adventuring is a dangerous life, though, and not everyone has the training, temperament or talent. Add on the family pressure and it¡¯s hardly a surprise when many fall short. Some end up in the household guard of families like mine. Others end up working for criminals in Old City.¡±


    ¡°Or a bit of both, when they end up in your son¡¯s employ.¡±


    Thalia frowned.


    ¡°It seems we have been a little too loose with the reins when it comes to my son. His father wants to give him the room to come into himself, while I prefer a more guided approach. We raised Cassandra my way, and Thadwick his. Marriage is a matter of compromise, after all. This recording of yours lays my boy¡¯s follies out on a slab.¡±


    ¡°I have another recording,¡± Jason said. ¡°Has word got around about the dead adventurers in Old City yet?¡±


    ¡°From this morning?¡± Thalia asked. ¡°Not widely, but yes. That was you?¡±


    ¡°Your son sent his lackeys to keep me from revealing everything. I have it all recorded. They don¡¯t mention Thadwick at all, which I imagine was a point quite specifically made to them. If someone were to go round up the survivors, though, I doubt getting them to talk would be tricky. Especially with my corroborating witness from the recording you just saw.¡±


    ¡°Is he safe, this witness?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Safe enough,¡± Jason said, ¡°So long as your son is prevented from taking revenge.¡±


    Thalia sighed.


    ¡°That boy,¡± she muttered. ¡°I think his father and I need to have a very long talk. What are your intentions?¡±


    ¡°For your son? Nothing. Regardless of what he¡¯s done, I know you¡¯ll protect him from anything within my power to do. I could kill him but I¡¯d I know I¡¯d quickly follow him to the grave.


    ¡°Then you¡¯re willing to forgive?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s asking a bit much. I¡¯m willing to be patient. My desire to stay in your daughter¡¯s good graces is a better shield than he could hope for. The most I can hurt him is to collect more than enough evidence to give your family a headache for which he is directly responsible. In addition to the recording you saw, I have copies of all the relevant documents and another recording of finding them all. In case something mysteriously happens to the originals.¡±


    ¡°What inspired you to look into the hall of civic records?¡± Thalia asked.


    "Where I come from, we don''t investigate with magic," Jason said. "When it comes to business fraud, you follow a paper trail. Once I heard about a monster known for death and destruction that keeps turning up without either, plus the highly-regulated and valuable nature of the lumber territories, it seemed obvious what was going on. All I had to do was figure out who stood to profit, then prove their involvement."


    ¡°You must have needed help to find all that. I¡¯m surprised that records official didn¡¯t come to us. It¡¯s widely known that we¡¯ll double any bribe.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t offer a bribe,¡± Jason said. ¡°I told her a story.¡±


    ¡°It must have been some story. You¡¯re thorough, I¡¯ll give you that. The question is, what will you do with all this information? Frankly, I¡¯m surprised to find you here. I¡¯ve had you looked into quite thoroughly, and everything I¡¯ve heard suggests you would start shouting this information from the rooftops. You seem to have a dislike for aristocratic power structures.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just some iron-ranker,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I lay out an exploitative land-grab by your family, then all that does is demonstrate your power when you face no real repercussions. All you would suffer is the reputation hit of bumbling the affair to the point it went public. A headache, but one easily endured.¡±


    ¡°You may be underestimating the damage to our reputation,¡± Thalia said. ¡°Greenstone is a productive city, with decent work for those who want it. If our reputation suffers too much, then we have to start paying more or people will move into the service of other families. We may have power, but there¡¯s always a balance.¡±


    "Yes, but the scales are rigged." Jason said. "Be that as it may, this won''t start some populist revolution. I need to go up a few ranks before I can start changing the world. In the meantime, all I can do is go for the best outcome I can see.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°If I make a big fuss, then your family pushes back. I¡¯ll suffer; the lumber mill owner, Lindover will suffer. Poor Dean, who I promised to shield from all this will definitely suffer. And when everything is said and done, you¡¯d probably end up with the land, anyway.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not exactly painting my family is a positive light,¡± Thalia said.


    ¡°You have power,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s the nature of power. So, for now, the best way to go is to see this quietly brushed under the rug.¡±


    ¡°And what do you want in return?¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s how I see it going,¡± Jason said. ¡°I make a discreet report to the Adventure Society to close out the contract. Straight to the office of the director, to help keep a lid on the details. Your family compensates Lindover for the months of stalled production, and all the preparations Clementson made in preparation for a takeover get rolled back. Dean doesn¡¯t suffer any blowback for having come clean and Jerrick is quietly struck off the Adventure Society roll.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want him punished for trying to kill you?¡±


    ¡°If he were put on trial for trying to kill me, the reason why would be an inevitable question. Also, I¡¯m not the kind of person that kills the minion when he can¡¯t kill the master. Losing his Society membership is enough.¡±


    ¡°What about the men you killed this morning?¡±


    ¡°The ones I killed already had their chance,¡± Jason said with flint in his voice. ¡°I let most of them go.¡±


    ¡°Most of them? You killed five; how many people did you fight?¡±


    ¡°Elspeth Arella will have the recording. I imagine she¡¯ll show you when she¡¯s leveraging your family.¡±


    Thalia gave awry smile.


    ¡°I daresay you¡¯re right. So, you¡¯re willing to leave Thadwick to my family?¡±


    ¡°We both know he¡¯s out of my reach,¡± Jason said. ¡°But regardless of how powerful your family is, and my affection for your daughter, there is only so far I¡¯m willing to be pushed. I¡¯m running out of mercy for your son.¡±


    ¡°You know, my husband won¡¯t be happy about this outcome. He¡¯s been waiting to see some initiative from Thadwick.¡±


    ¡°Then he should wait to see some morals,¡± Jason said, his expression turning hard.


    ¡°He won¡¯t like compensating the mill owner, either.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to like it,¡± Jason said. ¡°He just has to do it.¡±


    ¡°I thought the whole point of you taking this approach was to avoid provoking us?¡±


    ¡°And you need to recognise that I¡¯m not a doormat you can just walk over. I have my bottom line, Lady Mercer. You would do well not to cross it.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡± she asked, raising an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She smiled.


    ¡°Mr Asano, you have some backing, but you are ultimately an iron-ranker lost in a world he does not know.¡±


    Thalia¡¯s silver-rank aura pressed down on Jason.


    ¡°You pose no threat whatsoever to me or my family,¡± she told him.


    ¡°I imagine a thought very much like that was one of the last to pass through Cressida Vane¡¯s head before it was smashed open.¡±


    Thalia laughed, breaking the tension.


    ¡°You really don¡¯t flinch, do you? My daughter certainly knows how to pick them. Alright, Jason. Lindover will be duly compensated and Thadwick will be suitably chastised. I¡¯ll see to it my husband doesn¡¯t kick up too much of a fuss. He dotes on Cassie, and her approval of you will go a long way.¡±


    ¡°In my world, fathers often don¡¯t care for their daughters¡¯ gentlemen friends.¡±


    ¡°The gods know my husband has his failings,¡± Thalia said, ¡°but a failure to trust his daughter¡¯s judgement isn¡¯t one of them.¡±


    They stood up.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Jason said. ¡°I imagine you¡¯ll be pushing all this onto Clementson? Making out that he was behind everything as a way to ingratiate himself with his aristocratic backers?¡±


    ¡°Are you alright with that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The man was clearly complicit, and fetched one of your son¡¯s lackeys to kill me, so yes. Don¡¯t be too harsh on him, though. Not many can say no when the Mercers tell them what to do.¡±


    ¡°You make us sound like tyrants,¡± Thalia said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°You are if you want to be.¡±


    Jason was sitting on a bench in the park district, speaking into a recording crystal floating in front of him.


    ¡°¡­it was sort of a business fraud kind of deal. There was a lot of waiting around, but it gave me a chance to catch up on my reading. I was stuck at this abandoned lumber mill for three days with a guy named Kyle. Nice enough bloke, but really only likes to talk about wood. I suspect he¡¯s very good at his job, but not much of a conversationalist. My friends Farrah and Clive, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve seen them on some of these recordings, they¡¯ve been foisting a lot of magical theory texts on me, so I was able to get stuck into those. It¡¯s pretty fascinating, but I can¡¯t tell them that. They¡¯re rabid enough as it is.¡±


    ¡°Hello, handsome,¡± a sultry voice came from behind. Jason grinned as Cassandra sidled onto the bench, leaning into him.


    "Is this one of the recordings you''re making for your family back home?" she asked, looking at the crystal.


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason said. ¡°Family, this is Cassandra. We¡¯ve been seeing each other socially.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you describe it?¡± Cassandra asked cheekily.


    ¡°That¡¯s how I describe it to my mum,¡± Jason said, taking down the recording crystal.


    ¡°Well, you impressed my mother,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Dad, not so much. And I¡¯d watch my back around Thadwick.¡±


    ¡°One of his henchmen tried to kill me, so yeah, I¡¯ll be watching out. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Mother said you barely mentioned me,¡± she said with a pout.


    ¡°I can¡¯t go around making decisions based on dark, gorgeous eyes,¡± he said. ¡°Besides; integrity is sexy.¡±


    He reached out for her hand as they sat side-by-side, intertwining their fingers.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be away for a little while,¡± he said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that you¡¯re not coming,¡± she said. ¡°We could have had a fun little trip away.¡±


    ¡°We can do that when you come back,¡± Jason said. ¡°I assume your family owns an obnoxiously large boat. We could have a little sailing trip. A picnic basket, some wine¡­ a small army of nautically adept servants.¡±


    She laughed, resting a head on his shoulder.


    ¡°Something to look forward to,¡± she said.


    ¡°You can tell me all about your exciting adventures in the astral space.¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe you should round out your awakening stones while we¡¯re gone,¡± she said. ¡°take the chance to blitz some one-star contracts, get moving towards bronze. You have to get there before I hit silver, you know.¡±


    ¡°My friends told me not to do that," Jason said. "It seems there might be an unusual opportunity not long after they get back.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± she prompted.


    ¡°They¡¯re still not giving me any details,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s something to do with why they came here in the first place. They¡¯re expecting another adventurer to arrive. A gold-ranker, apparently.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard rumblings about that. Maybe you should catch that thief giving everyone so much trouble. My uncle and the Adventure Society director have been quite contentious about it, behind the scenes.¡±


    ¡°The whole thing seems sketchy to me,¡± Jason said. ¡°High-profile jobs; the Duke and Elspeth Arella taking such an interest. The whole thing smells of politics.¡±


    ¡°You know, she was almost caught a few days ago. A group of adventurers almost pinned her down, but they were attacked.¡±


    ¡°By who?¡±


    ¡°No one knows,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°They just slowed them down for long enough for her to escape, then fled themselves. Dressed all in black. They weren¡¯t even iron-rankers.¡±


    ¡°I told you,¡± Jason said. ¡°Politics. There¡¯s a mess of undercurrents running through the whole business.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to catch her?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s robbing from rich people,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you rich?¡±


    ¡°Not compared to you.¡±

 Chapter 98: The Point of Money and Power

    The Adventure Society campus was a sea of chaos as the grand expedition prepared to depart. With the Ustei detained in the marshalling yard and being prepared to move, the adventurers were gathering in front of the main administration building. Neither space was designed for that many people or that kind of activity, so people were spilling out all over the campus.


    Jason navigated the commotion-filled campus, leisurely eating an apple. He watched absently as an Ustei made a run for it, a couple of Adventure Society officials in pursuit. He reached the administration building, where a crowd of people swarmed around the carriages that would take them out to desert relay stations. The humungous Ustei sand barge was going to be used, along with smaller sand barges supplied by the Magic Society.


    It had been a good choice to make his farewells to Gary, Farrah and Rufus at the inn rather than at the assembly point. Looking at the huge mess and hearing the harried shouts, Jason was somewhat happy that he wasn¡¯t a part of it. He was disappointed he wouldn¡¯t get to see the inside of the astral space, though.


    ¡°One of these days,¡± he consoled himself.


    He approached the space in front of the admin building where the adventurers were gathering. He paused as he felt the wild storm of auras crashing together in a maelstrom. Not everyone had the control that came from just having an aura power, let alone the kind of training Jason had received from Farrah.


    He used that training to suppress other auras in a very small space around his body, allowing him to move closer without being overwhelmed. He noticed a lot of iron-rankers looking woozy because they couldn¡¯t do the same. Farrah¡¯s emphasis on the importance of aura training was once again borne out.


    It took him a while to track down anyone he knew in the crowd, as they were all restraining their auras to avoid adding to the mess. He found Danielle Geller busily directing the loading of supplies, pausing only long enough to point Jason in the direction of the main mass of Gellers.


    If he had come at the crowd from the other side, he quickly realised, he would have had no trouble. The Gellers were gathered en masse, looking like a modelling agency that formed an Olympic team. Surprising Jason not at all, they were already packed up and ready to head out. He nodded to those he knew as he made his way over to where Rick and Phoebe were talking, while Humphrey was saying goodbye to Gabrielle. Rick¡¯s team was also there, Jonah laughing at Humphrey.


    ¡°You¡¯re going away for a few weeks,¡± Jonah jeered. ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going off to war.¡±


    ¡°Leave them be,¡± Jason said as he approached. ¡°They¡¯re sweet and earnest. The world could use more of that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you think so,¡± Cassandra said, suddenly standing next to him. He smiled as she slipped her hand into his.


    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± he greeted, voice softening with pleasure. ¡°Can you teleport?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± she said. ¡°A girl has to have some secrets,¡± she said.


    ¡°I have secrets, too,¡± he said. ¡°My fried chicken spice mix is better than my essence abilities.¡±


    She laughed and nodded in the direction of her own family.


    ¡°Are you going to come to see me off?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± he said, and waved at Humphrey with the hand Cassandra hadn¡¯t claimed.


    ¡°See you in a few weeks, Hump!¡±


    ¡°Go die in a bog!¡± Humphrey called back. He winced at the startled look this earned from Gabrielle, which caused him to glare at Jason¡¯s laughing face all the more.


    Cassandra led Jason through the chaos to where her own family were preparing. No one could match the numbers of the Geller family, who drew from branches all around the world, but the Mercers still made an impressive showing.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, Asano?¡± came Thadwick¡¯s, voice, drawing a sigh from Jason.


    ¡°You need to get away from my sister,¡± Thadwick said, marching up to Jason. ¡°You need to stop sticking your nose into business that isn¡¯t yours. You had to go and ruin my deal, didn''t you?¡±


    ¡°Thadwick¡­¡±


    Jason was about to point out that with all the ways his family had to legally exploit people, Thadwick still managed to find one that was against the law but stopped himself. Instead, he took a slow, cleansing breath.


    ¡°You know what, Thadwick?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You have a good trip.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Thadwick asked suspiciously.


    ¡°Just wishing you well,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to try and put more positivity into the world.¡±


    ¡°You''re weird,¡± Thadwick said, giving Jason a wary look. His mother walked over to them, placing a hand on Thadwick''s shoulder.


    ¡°Do go finish stowing your gear on the carriage, dear.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t we bring servants for that?¡± Thadwick complained.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t servants where we¡¯re going, dear, and you may have noticed that things are crowded enough.¡±


    Danielle Geller¡¯s voice boomed over the crowd through some form of magic amplification.


    ¡°All non-expedition members please clear the area, as we are getting ready to depart!¡±


    Jason leaned in to gently kiss Cassandra, only for her to forcefully latch onto him. After a lingering kiss, they stood leaning into one-another, foreheads together.


    ¡°You¡¯re being naughty,¡± he told her softly.


    ¡°A naughty genius?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve certainly got me figured out.¡±


    ¡°Somehow I doubt that,¡± she told him.


    Soon Jason stood off with other well-wishers at the huge train of carriages rolled away. In the empty space left behind, Jason was about to leave when he was approached by Vincent.


    ¡°You¡¯re not on the expedition?¡± Jason asked. His brain started turning over, and he laughed. ¡°I get it. Everyone wanted in on this expedition, so Arella let all the people who aren¡¯t wildly on-board with her agenda go. That gets her some bureaucratic capital, and while they and most of the city¡¯s big power-brokers are gone, she can institute a few sweeping changes.¡±


    ¡°You got that just from my still being here?¡± Vincent asked.


    ¡°Just postulation, but it¡¯s what I¡¯d do.¡±


    ¡°Well, the director is going to be quite busy for the next few weeks, so she wanted to get something out of the way first. If you¡¯ll follow me?¡±


    Vincent led Jason into the administration building.


    ¡°The director is hoping that you can resume the pace of handling contracts you demonstrated when you first joined the Society,¡± Vincent said as they walked. ¡°Most of our best adventurers just left.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°Most of the people I know just left town, so I figured I¡¯d throw myself into it. I was expecting there to be more trouble over killing those adventurers.¡±


    ¡°The recording makes it quite plain what they were there for,¡± Vincent said. ¡°What really clinched it was that most of them hadn''t taken a contract in months. Some hadn''t taken one at all. The director hates that kind of adventurer with a passion. Something to do with her upbringing, I''ve been told. She was more than happy to just push it under the rug.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard she isn¡¯t from one of the big families,¡± Jason said. ¡°That she made her way up out of Old City.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about as much as anyone has heard,¡± Vincent said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t talk about her past, at least to me.¡±


    ¡°She respects privacy,¡± Jason said. ¡°Unlike someone I know. I''m having a barbie tonight, if you''d care to join.¡±


    ¡°A barbie?¡±


    ¡°A barbecue, mate. Nice and casual. A few mates still in town, they¡¯re all bringing people. You can bring some Adventure Society people if you''d like. Clive''s bringing some Magic Society people, plus their families. We''ve got enough meat to sink a ship, and Norwich Distillery is putting on the drinks. Fair warning, though; leave your social stratification at the door. Duke or dunny-cleaner, everyone''s a mate at an Asano barbie.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Norwich Distillery, you say?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°Norwich¡¯ll be there himself, along with some of his workers. They¡¯re bringing a few barrels along.¡±


    Vincent led them into what turned out to be a magical elevator. Jason knew they were in some of the Island¡¯s taller buildings, but it was his first time using one. The ride was swift and smooth, depositing them on the top floor. Vincent led Jason to a door with a plaque proclaiming it to be the office of the branch director. Vincent led them in without knocking.


    Jason and Vincent went in to find the director, Elspeth Arella sitting behind a paperwork-covered desk. At another desk was the elderly elf who had assessed Jason for his promotion. They were both busily writing and Vincent gestured for patience.


    Looking around, Jason noticed several desert landscapes hung on the walls. They were all by the same artist who painted a similar work Jason favoured at the concert hall.


    ¡°I like your taste in art,¡± he said to the director. ¡°You have a lot of Moher¡¯s work.¡±


    ¡°He''s a friend of the family ,¡± the director said absently. ¡°I¡¯ll be with you in a moment, Asano.¡±


    Vincent gave Jason an admonishing frown, and they waited until the director and deputy director finished their work. Once the papers they were working on were signed and filed, they turned to Vincent and Jason.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Jason said, offering his hand over the desk to the elderly elf. ¡°We haven¡¯t been properly introduced.¡±


    ¡°Genevieve Picot,¡± she said, curtly shaking his hand. ¡°Deputy director.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re quite busy, Mr Asano,¡± Arella said, ¡°so I¡¯ll be brief. First, thank you for not making a fuss about being excluded from the expedition. I know you have enough connections now that you could have.¡±


    ¡°Plenty of people did,¡± Genevieve said unhappily.


    ¡°Second,¡± Arella said, ¡°I was very impressed at your handling of the lumber mill contract. You could have been loud about it, but you weren¡¯t. The thoroughness with which you investigated and collected evidence gave me some much-appreciated political capital.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do it that way to give you another stick to whack the Duke with,¡± Jason said. ¡°I did it because that¡¯s where the contract took me.¡±


    ¡°Yet your response demonstrated an awareness of the political realities,¡± Arella said.


    She opened a drawer on her desk and took out a small bamboo box, handing it over to him. He slid off the top to see a round crystal inside and tapped a finger to it.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of Judgement] (unranked, rare)


    An awakening stone containing the power of adjudication (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 4 unawakened essence abilities.You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of Judgement]. Absorb Y/N?


    ¡°Judgement,¡± Jason mused.


    ¡°It seemed appropriate, given that¡¯s what you¡¯ve demonstrated,¡± Arella said. ¡°We¡¯re rather understaffed right now, so if anything unexpected arises, we¡¯ll need people to take on leadership roles. At iron rank, you will be one of those people. Hand over your badge, please.¡±


    Jason frowned as he took out his badge and handed it over.


    ¡°You¡¯re promoting me?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Days after I killed a fistful of adventurers?¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t adventurers,¡± Arella said darkly. ¡°They were the filth clinging to the side of a boat in desperate need of righting.¡±


    She took out a wedge-shaped stone and tapped it to Jason''s iron badge. The metal shifted as the two stars embossed on it were joined by a third and she handed it back.


    ¡°No big, imposing room?¡± Jason asked. ¡°No officious questioning?¡±


    ¡°The rules only require three officials present, including at least one of director or deputy-director level. We have a lot to do, Mr Asano, and such proceedings aren¡¯t as valuable with some members as they are with others.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know, if you need to wind down after work, I am having a barbie tonight¡­¡±


    The turnout for Jason''s barbecue was larger than he expected. They had staked-out a section of the park district, bringing out picnic tables with colourful tablecloths. Jensen Norwich had set up a long bar. There was a whole array of grillers, covered in sizzling meat, fish wrapped in bamboo leaves, vegetables and fruit.


    ¡°Good thing I overdid it on food,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thanks for wrangling the extra grills, Jessica.¡±


    ¡°It was my absolute pleasure,¡± Madam Landry said.


    People in the park district had wandered over and were invited to join in. There was some kind of three-way ball game happening, the participants having marked-out a triangular field. The teams were Magic Society versus Adventure Society versus the people that were both. The mixed team had Clive as captain.


    Jason spotted a pair of elves looking on at a remove, standing under a tree. Jason teleported through the tree¡¯s shadow to join them.


    ¡°You made it after all,¡± he said to them.


    ¡°You¡¯ve created quite a commotion in the park district,¡± Arella said. ¡°You did get permission for this, right?¡±


    ¡°As you know,¡± he said, ¡°Thalia Mercer owed me for not throwing her crappy son under the bus. Her brother-in-law is the Duke, so it wasn¡¯t hard to get.¡±


    ¡°This is how you spend your political capital?¡± Genevieve asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s the point of money and power if you don¡¯t enjoy it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose either of you ladies you explain the rules of that ball game?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know tri-ball?¡± Arella asked. ¡°You really are from another world.¡±

 Chapter 99: Someone Else’s Game

    Dean Tuckell was part of a team of adventurers that arrived in a village in the delta. The team was a makeshift one put together for a road contract, patrolling a fixed route through the delta and beyond under the supervision of a bronze-ranker. The others were unhappy to be on punishment duty instead of the big expedition, while Dean was just happy to get away from the city. He didn¡¯t want the people still working for Thadwick Mercer to find him and take him out for a little chat.


    The team moved straight to the adventure noticeboard.


    ¡°This one actually has a notice,¡± the bronze-rank team leader said, taking it from the board. This was their third village for the day, and every noticeboard had been empty.


    ¡°Trap weavers,¡± the bronze-ranker read, causing the iron-rankers to groan.


    ¡°Wait, this one¡¯s been claimed already,¡± the bronze-ranker said. ¡°Just not completed, yet.¡±


    As he said it, the paper dissolved away to nothing in his hand.


    ¡°And now it has,¡± he said. ¡°Next village on the list, then.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we stop for a drink?¡± someone asked. ¡°There¡¯s a tavern right there.¡±


    ¡°We can stop once we¡¯ve dealt with at least one monster,¡± the bronze-ranker said. ¡°Assuming we can find one.¡±


    Jason dropped a stack of papers on the registration desk in the jobs hall.


    ¡°Three contracts, eleven board notices," he said.


    ¡°In three days,¡± Albert said. ¡°That¡¯s some schedule you¡¯ve got going.¡±


    ¡°Any assigned contracts for me?¡± Jason asked.


    "No, but there are a few incentivised contracts. Fewer adventurers means less competition."


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll leave those for others,¡± Jason said. ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll get a few more people picking up contracts.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t need to go back to his inn for a shower, having cleaned himself off with a bottle of crystal wash. Switching from his battle robes to casual civilian attire, he caught the loop line out of the Adventure Society campus to the park district and bought a flatbread wrap from a food cart. He ate it on a park bench with a fruit drink from his inventory while he watched the sun go down.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± he said to himself.


    He took the world phoenix tablet from his inventory and looked at it in his hand. Since being told it was his way home, he¡¯d considered throwing it away time and again, closing that door forever. As always, he put in back in his inventory.


    When the sun dropped below the horizon, a city worker came along the pathways of the path district, lighting up the magic lamps. Jason got up, walked away from the paths and into the darkness. He took out his sword and a crystal, similar to a recording crystal. He tossed it away from itself, where it stopped and floated in the air. A few moments later, a soft, entrancing sound started coming from it. Jason drew his sword from its scabbard, which he dropped onto the grass as his cloak of stars appeared around him He started moving in time with the meditative music.


    His movements were slow and small, deliberate and smooth; something between a sword kata and a dance. Gradually his motion became larger, with moments of speed, although always completely controlled. His cloak flowed around him, throwing off motes of light.


    The Dance of the Sword Fairy was a meditation technique Rufus had taught him that merged mind and body. Despite the inclusion of the sword, it wasn''t about fighting technique. The goal was to meld the conscious and unconscious. Rufus had described the goal not as using the sword, but becoming it.


    Ability [Verdict] (Doom) has reached Iron 0 (100%).Ability [Verdict] (Doom) has reached Iron 1 (00%).


    Jason ignored his newest ability advancing, losing himself to the dance as movement and meditation became one. He felt as if he were merging with the world around him. Something tickled as his senses, so faint he wasn''t sure it was there at all. He continued on but sensed it again and this time he was sure. He stopped, looking off into the darkness.


    ¡°You sensed me,¡± a male voice said. ¡°That¡¯s quite the surprise.¡±


    The accent reminded Jason of Rufus. He couldn¡¯t see anything in the dark, even with his vision power, and he could no longer sense what was out there.


    ¡°Meditation increases sensitivity,¡± Jason said to the hidden person.


    ¡°An impressive feat, even so,¡± the man said, ¡°you must have been deep in it. My apologies for disturbing you.¡±


    A man walked out of the darkness, which Jason found disorienting. He could see through the darkness, yet the man was invisible to him until he didn¡¯t want to be. He had midnight-black skin like Rufus, but instead of being bald, his hair was dark, woven into rows and threaded with colourful beads. His outfit was neat and fitted, also like Rufus preferred.


    ¡°Not at all, Mr Bahadir,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking forward to meeting you.¡±


    The man raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Your aura,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been around enough silver-rankers to know what it feels like when they restrain their aura. There¡¯s a stillness; almost an absence of power, like the shadow of an unseen object. Your aura melds into the surroundings, like there¡¯s nothing there at all. There¡¯s only one gold-ranker expected to come here, and the accent and the clothes just clinch it.¡±


    Bahadir laughed, moving closer to shake Jason¡¯s hand. From that simple contact, Jason could feel the power flowing through him. Bahadir''s hand was perfectly controlled, lest his gold-rank strength crush Jason''s hand with more ease than crushing an egg.


    ¡°Emir Bahadir,¡± he introduced himself.


    ¡°Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing a lot about you, and wanted to see for myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing about you too,¡± Jason said. ¡°How was the wine festival?¡±


    Bahadir laughed again.


    ¡°Very fine, thank you. How have Rufus and his friends been?¡±


    ¡°Also very fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re not in town, right now.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard. There¡¯s no rush; I¡¯m not officially arriving for a little over a week.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re looking for something to catch your interest, I suggest a visit to the Magic Society. They¡¯re excavating a complex out in the delta that belonged to the Order of the Reaper. That is why you¡¯re here, right? To investigate the ancient order of assassins?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think Rufus had such loose lips.¡±


    "Oh, he didn''t tell me," Jason said. "Neither he nor the Magic Society knows about the connection."


    ¡°But you do,¡± Bahadir said.


    ¡°Some friends and I found the place, but the Magic Society cut us out. You¡¯d be amazed at what a rogue Magic Society official and an acolyte of knowledge can dig up between them. Someone tried very hard to erase these assassins from history.¡±


    ¡°So if you haven¡¯t told Rufus, and you haven¡¯t told the Magic Society,¡± Bahadir said. ¡°Why tell me?


    ¡°You wanted to see me for yourself,¡± Jason said. ¡°Call this me wanting to make a good first impression. At the very least, I¡¯m capable of piquing your interest until Rufus gets back. Let¡¯s just hope he doesn¡¯t take three months.¡±


    Jason stood in the ruins of a coastal village. It had been one of many such villages scattered along the desert coast. They made an industry out of scouring the waters for water quintessence, which formed in larger than normal proportions due to the magic of the Mistrun River washing out to sea. Villages up and down the coast made a living from that and fishing, but it was not a practice without risk.


    ¡°Sundown, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the normal pattern,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡±


    They glanced around at the broken remains of the village. It was very small, mostly constructed from bamboo, and it looked like a hurricane had passed through. Boats and buildings ranged from severely damaged to smashed into pieces. There were net-drying racks and other paraphernalia of a coastal village, none of which was left untouched. Scraps of netting, broken barrels and the remnants of objects too destroyed to recognise made up a carpet of debris.


    The only two-storey building was stone on the bottom floor and bamboo on top. There was a dinghy jutting out of the wall of the upper level. The doorway on the ground floor had been ripped wider, brickwork cast aside in huge chunks. Inside was some kind of nest made out of debris and the bones of large sea animals. Jason spotted the skeletons of fish upward of a metre and a half long


    ¡°That¡¯s where it¡¯s been coming back to,¡± Vincent said. ¡°That¡¯s the normal pattern. Roam the waters attacking deep-sea fish and coming onshore to raid villages. It picks the first territory it conquers to make a lair.¡±


    "But it''s slower out of the water right?" Jason asked.


    ¡°Very,¡± Vincent said, ¡°but you can see for yourself how strong it is. If it¡¯s hurt badly, it will retreat into the ocean. Submerged, it will move faster and heal very quickly. Do not pursue it into the water."


    ¡°Other than that, though, no exotic abilities?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Vincent said.


    Jason knew all of this but wanted the assurance of double-checking. The tidal troll was the first bronze-rank monster Jason would face on purpose, and he was facing it alone. He brought up his character sheet to help his resolve.


    Jason Asano


    Race: Outworlder.Current rank: ironProgression to bronze rank: 10% (2/4 essences complete)


    Attributes


    [Power] (Blood):[Iron 2].[Speed] (Dark): [Iron 0].[Spirit] (Doom): [Iron 0].[Recovery] (Sin): [Iron 2].


    Racial Abilities (Outworlder)


    [Party Interface].[Quest System].[Inventory].[Map].[Astral Affinity].[Mysterious Stranger].


    Essences (4/4)


    Dark [Speed] (3/5)


    [Midnight Eyes] (special ability): [Iron 7] 84%.[Cloak of Night] (special ability): [Iron 6] 19%.[Path of Shadows] (special ability): [Iron 6] 21%.


    Blood [Power] (5/5)


    [Blood Harvest] (spell): [Iron 5] 18%.[Leech Bite] (special attack): [Iron 5] 78%.[Feast of Blood] (spell): [Iron 4] 97%.[Sanguine Horror] (familiar): [Iron 5] 16%.[Haemorrhage] (spell): [Iron 2] 46%.


    Sin [Recovery] (5/5)


    [Punish] (special attack): [Iron 5] 83%.[Feast of Absolution] (spell): [Iron 5] 91%.[Sin Eater] (special ability): [Iron 5] 69%.[Hegemony] (aura): [Iron 5] 67%.[Castigate] (spell): [Iron 2] 32%.


    Doom [Spirit] (4/5)


    [Inexorable Doom] (spell): [Iron 5] 66%.[Punition] (spell): [Iron 3] 57%.[Blade of Doom] (spell): [Iron 2] 08%.[Verdict] (spell): [Iron 1] 00%.


    His abilities were coming along, with only three more to awaken before he was truly on the way to bronze.


    ¡°If anything goes wrong, I¡¯m stepping in,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you came along?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You think I¡¯ll fail?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I had a favour to ask.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    They were looking out at the ocean, sun lighting the sky with gold as it dropped to the horizon.


    ¡°It¡¯ll return to its lair, soon, but we should have time to talk,¡± Vincent said. ¡°You¡¯re aware of the open contract? The thief girl?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡±


    ¡°Have you considered going after it? The Society has added an awakening stone to the rewards.¡±


    ¡°It smells political,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t have any interest in jumping on the board, just to end up a piece in someone else¡¯s game.¡±


    Vincent smiled wanly.


    ¡°I know exactly what you mean,¡± he said. ¡°I support the changes the director is trying to make, but she¡¯s pushing back against a long-entrenched network of power. No one is playing fair and it¡¯s the mid-level officials like me being squeezed between powerful forces.¡±


    ¡°This thief¡¯s activities are becoming a point of contention between the director and the traditional power-brokers?¡±


    ¡°It could have been anything, I think. This just happened to turn up and she¡¯s using it.¡±


    ¡°And now you have pressure from both sides,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly. I don¡¯t want to go against the director, but she either doesn¡¯t know or is willing to accept the collateral damage. I¡¯m not sure she understands how much that is hurting her. A lot of people have been happy to move away from the corruption of the past, but the director is pressuring the aristocrats, who are pulling hard on all the old levers. People who should be the director¡¯s allies are becoming very unhappy.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to take this point of contention out of play,¡± Jason said. ¡°Give people some room to breathe while the big nobs find the next vicarious battle.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The director has been relying on the fact that there aren¡¯t a lot of iron-rankers with the skill-set to chase her down. You¡¯re fast and good in darkness, and the thief mostly strikes at night. Have you noticed that any time you aren¡¯t busy with a contract, one gets assigned to you?¡±


    ¡°Sounds familiar.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking at any adventurers with the right skills to chase the thief, and they¡¯ve been getting the same treatment. For most of them, the assigned contracts have been lucrative enough to not turn down. She knows that isn¡¯t your driving factor, so she¡¯s been assigning contracts she thinks you¡¯ll find interesting. Underground tunnels. Spirit coin farms. Recovering a dead adventurer¡¯s remains.¡±


    Jason considered as they watched the drop below the horizon.


    ¡°You know you¡¯re asking me to do something she won¡¯t like,¡± he said.


    "That''s why I came to you. Out of the various adventurers she''s been keeping busy, you''re the only one that would do it anyway."


    ¡°That, and I bet she shuffled the rest off on the expedition.¡±


    ¡°Most, but not all. We do need some competent people left to actually do the work.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°The best I can do is look into it; I¡¯m making no promises. There¡¯s every chance she runs rings around me the same as everyone else that went after her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Rufus believes in your resourcefulness, as does the director. Otherwise, she wouldn''t be keeping you busy.¡±


    It was near dark when a huge form rose up from the water. Vincent withdrew as it moved closer to shore, more and more of a huge body rising above the surface until it strode onto the beach. It moved into the village where Jason got a better look at it than he wanted, realising the monster was buck naked. It was around five metres tall and over one shoulder carried a dead shark that could have swallowed Jason whole. The troll¡¯s skin was the blue-grey of the ocean on an overcast day, and rough like that of the shark it was carrying. Dangling in a tangled mess from the troll¡¯s head was what looked more like kelp than hair.


    Light erupted from Jason¡¯s cloak, scattering motes of illumination through the village. Shadows were everywhere in the shattered remains of the beach hamlet, from broken boats to half-collapsed buildings. The Tidal Troll roared at Jason and lumbered forward, swinging the shark like a flail.


    Jason started with his old snake-tooth dagger, which ignored bronze-rank poison resistances and damage reduction. Appearing behind the monster, Jason scored the back of its leg.


    Weapon [Night Fang] has inflicted [Umbral Snake Venom] on [Tidal Troll].


    By the time the sluggish giant turned around, Jason was gone. Soon after the monster was sprayed with leeches from another direction, and they had plenty of flesh to latch onto. From the shadows, Jason winced as they bit into parts of the troll Jason would have preferred remain covered.


    The monster was tough, perhaps even tougher than the hydra, and with resistances to match. The sheer quantity of leeches meant afflictions were landing, however, and Jason went to work on bringing those resistances down. Switching to his conjured dagger, he ran shadowy rings around the troll as he landed strike after strike.


    Weapon [Ruin] has inflicted [Vulnerable] on [Tidal Troll].


    Between his elusive strikes and casting spells from the shadows, all of Jason¡¯s afflictions eventually took hold, while the troll alternated flailing ineffectually at Jason and brushing away leeches with its huge hand. It stomped on those pushed onto the ground, but even it''s enormous feet could only catch so many. All the while, every instance of the sin curse allowed Jason''s aura to further decrease the troll¡¯s resistances, as did the vulnerable affliction from his new dagger.


    [Vulnerable] (affliction, unholy, stacking): All resistances are reduced. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Consumed to cleanse instances of [Resistant] on a 1:1 basis.


    With inexorable doom racking up more instances of both, the troll eventually stopped resisting the effects at all. With leeches in full effect, the creature was ravaged and fled for the ocean. Vincent ran up to Jason.


    ¡°It¡¯s making for the water,¡± Vincent said urgently. ¡°If it makes it in, it¡¯ll start healing.¡±


    "No it wouldn''t," Jason said, "but it won''t get that far anyway."


    He didn''t move from where he stood. Unhurried, he raised an arm in the monster''s direction and chanted a spell.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    The creature''s resistances were in ruins, but its bronze-rank damage reduction was still in effect. Even so, the punition spell inflicted damage for each of the myriad afflictions on the troll. It was enough that most monsters, even at bronze-rank, would be dead already. The troll stumbled as its flesh withered and turned black, but continued staggering forward. Jason chanted a final spell.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement, and the judgement is death.¡±


    Light of silver, gold and blue shone down on the troll from above, and under its radiance, the monster¡¯s body started rapidly dissolving into rainbow smoke. Leeches dropped out of the air as the flesh they were burying themselves in vanished. In the spot where it had been fighting, gobbets of blood and flesh remained, patches of light shining to eradicate them as well. In moments, there was nothing left of the troll but a memory.


    Ability: [Verdict] (Doom)


    Spell (execute)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Iron 1 (02%)Effect (iron): Deals a small amount of transcendent damage. As an execute effect, damage scales exponentially with the enemy¡¯s level of injury.


    ¡°Was that transcendent damage?¡± Vincent asked incredulously.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said as he glanced over the rewards.


    You have defeated [Tidal Troll].[Tidal Troll] has been wholly annihilated. It has been looted automatically.[Gauntlet of the Sea Giant] has been added to your inventory.[Monster Core (Bronze)] has been added to your inventory.10 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Quest: [Contract: Tidal Troll]


    Objective complete: Eliminate [Tidal Troll] 1/1.[Necklace of the Deep] has been added to your inventory.Quest complete.100 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    ¡°What ability was that?¡± Vincent asked as he stared at the spot where the monster had been annihilated.


    ¡°That¡¯s a rude question,¡± Jason said absently, also staring at the space where the troll vanished.


    ¡°You¡¯re dealing transcendent damage with an iron-rank ability! Do you know what transcendent damage does?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said.


    Help: Transcendent Damage


    Transcendent damage ignores all forms of physical and magical defence, damage reduction and resistances.


    ¡°So, what ability is that?¡±


    Jason turned to look at Vincent, his face unreadable.


    ¡°It¡¯s the end,¡± Jason told him, his voice flat and emotionless.


    ¡°The end? The end of what?¡±


    ¡°Of whatever I want.¡±


    Jason¡¯s hard expression suddenly broke into a grin and he laughed.


    ¡°Listen to me, right? ¡®Whatever I want. I''m very scary.¡¯ I need to stop listening to that chuuni angel on my shoulder. Colin, gather up. This sea air isn¡¯t good for you.¡±

 Chapter 100: Legwork

    Danielle Geller and Thalia Mercer looked at the water pouring out of the astral space aperture. It was within a crevice in a rocky outcropping but was itself a free-floating circle of shimmering blue. The water streamed out of the aperture, the source of a small creek they were currently standing in. It wasn''t the overwhelming torrent that some apertures had, which is why they had chosen this particular one; there wasn''t so much force that people couldn''t push their way against the water to enter. The other reason being that the first two apertures they tried had already failed and vanished.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been in the astral space before, haven¡¯t you?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°The last monster surge,¡± Thalia said. ¡°Monsters were spawning out of an aperture out in the desert, so we set up a defence point just inside.¡±


    ¡°The advantage of having your family seat in the city,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I spent the whole time defending the estate.¡±


    Danielle turned back to look at the expedition arrayed out behind her. The order of entry had already been organised, with the silver rankers heading through first to scout and deal with any immediate trouble. She turned back, took a deep breath and pushed herself through the water streaming out.


    She emerged underwater, disoriented. She thrashed around, finding a sandy bottom and using it to push herself up. She breached the surface, finding the water was not very deep. She swam away from the aperture in the water, taking a look at her surroundings. She was in a lagoon of turquoise water, under a clear cerulean sky. The lagoon was mostly bounded by rocky rises with scrubby trees growing up the sides, but she spotted a small, sandy beach. Behind it were trees and tropical plants.


    Thalia emerged from the aperture and likewise quickly surfaced.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Thalia said, swimming away from the aperture to give the next person space. ¡°It¡¯ll be good to explore instead of just staying near the aperture and fighting monsters.¡±


    Clive entered the office of the Magic Society director. As normal, the director was absent, while the deputy director, Pochard Finn, was at work behind his own desk. Pochard barely glanced up at the intrusion, continuing to write as he spoke.


    ¡°What is it, Standish? I don¡¯t have a lot of time with all these people off on the expedition.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware, sir,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ve been very busy myself, but I¡¯ve managed to get things reorganised, so I¡¯d like to take some time on another project. As you know, I also have Adventure Society membership.¡±


    "Yes, I heard about the marsh hydra," Pochard said. "I can''t imagine your contribution was all that much but well done."


    ¡°There¡¯s an open contract with the Adventure Society,¡± Clive said. ¡°A friend and I want to take a crack at it.¡±


    Pochard paused his writing to look up at Clive.


    ¡°You want to slack off so you can go to social events in the hope this thief shows up?¡±


    ¡°Actually, sir, we¡¯re going to take a different approach. Something that will hopefully have more success.¡±


    ¡°Who is this friend of yours?¡± Pochard asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s another iron-ranker. Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°The one who handled the lumber mill affair,¡± Pochard mused thoughtfully.


    ¡°You know him?¡±


    "I like to keep apprised of goings-on," Pochard said. ¡°You¡¯re sure your duties will be covered?¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be completely absent, sir. I¡¯ll be checking in each day to make sure everything is running smoothly.¡±


    ¡°Then take what time you need, so long as you still feel your chances of success are reasonable.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Clive asked.


    Pochard turned back to his work.


    ¡°Learn to take yes for an answer, Standish.¡±


    Clive called on Jason in his lodgings. Jason had papers scattered over the refreshment table, picking some up to read from the comfort of a lounge chair.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Surprisingly well,¡± Clive said, still registering the surprise. He nodded at all the papers.


    ¡°What¡¯s all that?¡±


    ¡°A copy of the contract of service between the Adventure Society and the City of Greenstone. If the Duke of Greenstone and the Adventure Society director are playing some kind of game with this thief as the central piece, I thought I should get a look at the board.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Clive asked, sitting down.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible this whole thing is about trying to get the Duke to violate the terms of the agreement. It gives local authorities a lot of influence in Adventure Society affairs. It would make sense, given that Elspeth Arella¡¯s driving goal is to eliminate that influence. I¡¯m inclined to think that isn¡¯t it, though.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°The agreement is up for renegotiation in a couple of years, and the director doesn¡¯t strike me as an impatient person. If she were to violate the terms herself, trying to provoke the Duke, he could appeal to the core branches of the Adventure Society, maybe even get Arella replaced. Given her proclivities are a direct threat to aristocratic power, having almost anyone else in her seat when the negotiations come up is a win for him. I don¡¯t think she¡¯s willing to take that risk when all she has to do is wait for her chance to renegotiate terms.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it all about?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Jason set. ¡°There¡¯s some third factor beyond the Duke and Arella¡¯s basic agendas. Arella wants something, and she¡¯s willing to push the boundaries to get it.¡±


    ¡°How does that affect us?¡± Clive said. ¡°We¡¯re just trying to catch the thief.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the knife you don¡¯t see that stabs you, Clive.¡±


    ¡°What next, then?¡±


    ¡°We turn off the filter, pinch one off in the pool and see who comes to clean it up.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°We catch the thief, and see who tries to stop us.¡±


    "What if they do stop us?"


    "Have some self-confidence, man."


    Jason started gathering the scattered pages.


    ¡°There were a few interesting things in the agreement,¡± Jason said as he put them away in a leather folder. ¡°The Adventure Society has quite a lot of say in civic affairs when it involves a Society contract. Interestingly, it puts that power with the individual adventurers executing the contracts, rather than the Society itself.¡±


    ¡°What does that matter?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°The loosened adventurer standards, have allowed more-or-less the entire aristocracy to be nominal members of the Adventure Society, so decentralising power is another means for the aristocracy to circumvent the authority of the Adventure Society¡¯s higher officials. I¡¯m starting to understand what Arella is up against, now. It¡¯s something worth knowing; another trick to have up the sleeve.¡±


    ¡°What now, then?¡± Clive asked. ¡°I know we won¡¯t be randomly attending social events, hoping they get robbed. People have been trying that for months and it hasn¡¯t worked.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you think should be the first step?¡± Jason asked.


    "Figure out what they''re doing, and how, right?" Clive asked.


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°We need to go talk to all the victims, learn as much about what was taken and the thief¡¯s methodology as we can.¡±


    ¡°Are these people going to talk to us?¡± Clive asked.


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°These are people used to having the power, not being the victim, and there isn¡¯t anything they can do about it. Don¡¯t underestimate how much that will eat at them. They know that the Adventure Society isn¡¯t letting anyone other than iron-rankers in on this, so a three-star is the best they can hope for. Add in an assist from a Magic Society official and it will seem like a ray of hope. They¡¯ll cooperate.¡±


    ¡°And if they don¡¯t?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll talk them into it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You say that like it¡¯s going to be easy.¡±


    Jason and Clive left the townhouse of Lord Vordis and started heading toward the closest loop line transit station. Lord Vordis was a minor noble, but one known for making useful connections between the upper and lower echelons of society.


    ¡°Are you sure you should have done that?¡± Clive asked, glancing back nervously.


    ¡°Done what?¡± Jason asked innocently.


    ¡°Told him the Mercers sent you.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I was there!¡±


    "But were you really listening? I never said the Mercers sent me. Yes, the conversation happened to go in such a way that certain connections between myself and the Mercer family came to light. And I suppose I can see how that particular topic of conversation, in proximity to other topics, may have led some people to assume that the Mercers sent me, but I made no such assertion. I¡¯m not responsible for other people¡¯s assumptions, Clive.¡±


    ¡°It really seems like you are.¡±


    ¡°We got what we were after, and that¡¯s the important thing.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe he told you he was smuggling sump coil rods,¡± Clive said. ¡°They¡¯re restricted by the Adventure Society and the Magic Society, but he told an adventurer and a Magic Society official.¡±


    ¡°Lucky this town¡¯s so corrupt,¡± Jason said. ¡°He figured there wouldn¡¯t be any major repercussions.¡±


    ¡°Because he thought the Mercer family sent you.¡±


    ¡°I told you that I¡¯m not responsible for the assumptions of others. What are sump coil rods, anyway?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re used to create very small areas that are invisible to magical senses,¡± Clive said. ¡°Auras, tracking abilities, seeking rituals. Nothing short of gold-rank ritual or ability stands a chance. Very small spaces, though. About the size of a laundry basket.


    ¡°What are they used for?¡±


    ¡°The big things about them, is they don¡¯t trip warnings. A lot of detection magic, be that abilities, rituals or items, give back a negative reading if they hit a zone they can¡¯t penetrate. Use sump coil rods the right way, and most things won¡¯t even register the negative space.¡±


    "You think maybe they took them to create a hideout they can''t be traced to?" Jason asked. ¡°Use a bunch of those rods to stack the spaces?¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be practical, and they didn¡¯t take enough of the rods.¡±


    ¡°Well, we just keep collecting puzzle pieces,¡± Jason said. ¡°Eventually we¡¯ll have enough to figure out the picture.¡±


    Jason and Clive were in Jason¡¯s lodging, poring over notes. Jason¡¯s were scattered over the refreshments table in the lounge area, while Clive laid claim to the dining table. More than a week into their investigation, Jason¡¯s lodging were so deep in notes, maps, lists and magical tool design documents that Madam Landry refused to have her staff clean around it.


    "You just tell me when your done and I''ll send people in," she had told Jason. "Just don''t leave it too long, or I''ll send people in anyway."


    In almost three months, the thief had done seventeen jobs. Every day Jason and Clive would go from victim to victim, scene to scene, gathering information.


    ¡°They¡¯re basically doing two kinds of jobs,¡± Jason mused. ¡°The first type is public, usually some kind of snatch-and-grab of valuables. These jobs are in open places with plenty of escape routes. The loot is frankly, not worth the risk. It tends to be highly specific, which would make fencing it tricky.¡±


    ¡°A lot of adventurers have been taking that angle,¡± Clive said. ¡°The Magic Society has sold a lot of appraisal tools in the last few months.¡±


    ¡°The other type of job tends to be specialised magic equipment. Rare, valuable, sometimes restricted. They¡¯ve taken much bigger risks for these jobs, as well. Every time they¡¯ve come close to being caught it was on this type of job.¡±


    "Whoever this thief is," Clive said, "they either have an interesting understanding of magical tools or are working with someone who does. Aura masking, material deconstruction, bypassing magical protections. Her methods speak to an eclectic magical knowledge, most likely specialised for this kind of work.¡±


    ¡°A professional thief,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s hardly a surprise, at this point.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to meet them,¡± Clive said. ¡°Their unorthodox approach to magical study would be fascinating to discuss.¡±


    ¡°The whole point of this is so you can do exactly that,¡± Jason said, sorting through the piles of paper in front of him. He frowned, looking at them all.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of paper in this city for a place with such a small lumber industry.¡±


    "This is all reed paper," Clive said. "There''s a local reed that grows prolifically in the delta," Clive explained absently, not looking up from his own notes. "It''s a fairly easy process to produce paper from it. Pulp it, a little bit of magic and here you go. It''s one of the local exports."


    ¡°Reed paper,¡± Jason said, running a sheet between his fingers. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have guessed that. This high-quality stuff.¡±


    Clive started reorganising all the papers in front of him. Some he placed into neat order on the table, others he stacked in haphazard piles on the chairs around it.


    ¡°The snatch-and-grabs are obviously some kind of distraction from their true intention,¡± he reasoned.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Jason said. ¡°Clearly their true intention is all these magical supplies they¡¯re taking on the other jobs.¡±


    ¡°If I can figure out what all of it is for, then maybe we can figure out their ultimate objective.¡±


    He stood up, rubbing his temples.


    ¡°I need a break to clear my head.¡±


    Jason glanced at the clock on the wall. Like everything in Madam Landry¡¯s inn, it was tasteful and understated in design and worked perfectly.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost time we headed out, anyway,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s something that should be worth seeing.¡±


    ¡°Is it something to do with the mysterious group taking over the expedition to explore that complex we found?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Word came down from on high to let them take over, which didn¡¯t impress Lucian Lamprey.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Oh, the director of the Magic Society. Haven¡¯t had the pleasure, yet.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure isn¡¯t the word I¡¯d use,¡± Clive said. ¡°Still, it was gratifying to see it taken off him the way it was taken off me.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can meet the man who took it off him,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s scheduled to arrive this afternoon.¡±

 Chapter 101: Fantasy World Goodness

    Jason and Clive made their way to the northern side of the Adventure Society campus, which occupied much of the western side of the Island¡¯s north shore. They passed a grey, stone tower that Jason now recognised as the prison tower. The Society was only allowed to hold prisoners taken as part of a contract, while others went to the courthouse gaol. It had briefly held the man who attacked him at the lumber mill, Jerrick, before he was stripped of his Society membership and sent packing.


    Getting closer to the north shore, they skirted around the memorial grounds where they had attended a solemn service three weeks earlier. They both gave sober glances to the mausoleum as they went past. The memorial grounds occupied a good chunk of the shoreline, while the private dock took up most of the rest.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t this a bad place for a dock?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It¡¯d be very exposed to the elements.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s rarely used,¡± Clive said. ¡°Usually by prestigious visiting adventurers, who get dropped off before the ship moves on to the ports. Sometimes vessels with important cargo for the Adventure Society or Magic Society.¡±


    The Adventure Society''s private dock had few buildings nestled into garden grounds where the plant life was chosen for its resilience to salty sea winds. Clive pointed them out explaining their purpose to Jason. The largest was a service building, right up against the dock. The smallest was a processing building for ships'' crews. The middle-sized building was nicer than the others; an arrival and departure lounge with space for lavish functions.


    As they went inside there was no elaborate function set out, but the small crowd looked like all the prestige Greenstone could muster, at least while so many luminaries were absent on the expedition.


    As Clive¡¯s gaze wandered over the assemblage, he became increasingly startled. He recognised the directors and deputy directors of both the Magic Society and the Adventure Society. There was the Duke of Greenstone and his brother, Beaufort Mercer.


    ¡°It¡¯s Cassandra¡¯s Dad,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve met him, then?¡±


    ¡°There was a brief, stilted encounter. Reserved respect isn¡¯t really my strongest play.¡±


    ¡°You might want to consider what that says about you,¡± Clive said.


    Along with nobility, there were representatives of the various temples. That including Gabrielle Pellin, who had been helping Clive with his investigation into the underground complex. She was standing with one of her church¡¯s more high-ranking members. Given how many of the city¡¯s elite were off on the expedition, it was an absurdly high-class gathering. Jason led Clive away from the group gathered near the doors. The lounge was spacious with glass, dockside frontage, so they easily found some isolated seats that still afforded them a view of the ocean.


    ¡°Jason, what is this?¡± Clive whispered as they sat down. "That''s my boss and my boss'' boss. The Duke, a bunch of silver rankers¡­¡±


    A few curious glances were thrown their way. Jason sensed, as much as saw the look Elspeth Arella gave him, with the weight of her silver-rank aura behind it. It wasn''t a suppressive force but made itself unmistakably felt.


    "Let''s just keep our distance," Jason said. "I''m not sure I can be around that much wealth inequality without going on a socialist rant."


    Jason looked out over the water.


    ¡°I always meant ask what the tides are like with two moons,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What?¡± Clive asked, still distracted by the crowd, then turned around to Jason with a confused frown. ¡°What do tides have to do with the moons?¡±


    ¡°The moon has a huge effect on the tides," Jason said. "I can only imagine it''s bigger with two. What is it you think causes tidal action?"


    ¡°It¡¯s not really my field,¡± Clive said, ¡°but the prevailing theory is that is a function of ambient magic. We just can¡¯t test it because we would have to monitor the whole planet¡¯s magical field for an extended period. Or a good-size chunk of the planet, at least.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s all wrong, mate. What you¡¯re dealing with is¡­ Gabrielle?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m dealing with Gabrielle?¡± Clive asked, then noticed Jason looking past him. Gabrielle had left the group and was approaching them as swiftly as her formal robes would allow.


    ¡°Jason,¡± she insistently hissed, wanting to be forceful without being loud. ¡°You can¡¯t tell people that.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell people what?¡±


    ¡°About that thing you were about to tell him about. Hello, by the way, Clive.¡±


    ¡°Acolyte Pellin,¡± Clive greeted her.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell people about gravity?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t. Some things people have to figure out for themselves.¡±


    ¡°This is your boss telling you this, then,¡± Jason said.


    "Yes," Gabrielle said. "She said you can''t just go around telling people about fundamental aspects of physical reality. Especially not someone like Clive."


    ¡°Fundamental aspects of physical reality?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Wait, why not someone like me?¡±


    Gabrielle gave Clive a friendlier look than the forceful one she had been giving Jason.


    ¡°Because you¡¯ll run around telling everyone,¡± Gabrielle told him. ¡°My Lady quite likes you, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Clive asked. ¡°She knows who I am?¡±


    ¡°She knows who everyone is, Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°She knows everything except what a private conversation is, apparently.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°She says the people of this world have to learn important things for themselves, instead of from some dimension-hopping loon."


    ¡°Did she tell you to say that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°She was very explicit. She said that if you keep your mouth shut for once, she¡¯ll give you a gift.¡±


    ¡°Bribery?¡± Jason said, thinking it over. ¡°Yeah, alright.¡±


    Gabrielle nodded and turned back for the group, some of whom had been looking on with curiosity. Many of them had the perception of a silver-ranked spirit attribute and could have easily eavesdropped.


    ¡°Gravity?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Did you not just hear me get bribed not to tell you?¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯d know immediately.¡±


    A look of contemplation crossed Jason¡¯s face.


    ¡°She knows when you¡¯ve been naughty,¡± he mused. ¡°She brings gifts, apparently.¡±


    Halfway back to the group, Gabrielle wheeled around and stormed back to Jason, waving a finger in his face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what a flirty Santa Claus is,¡± she scolded, ¡°but my goddess definitely isn¡¯t one.¡±


    ¡°Does she have a big temple to the north where elves make toys?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Clive and Gabrielle asked.


    ¡°Look,¡± Jason said, pointing out to sea. ¡°I think it¡¯s kicking off.¡±


    Their eyes followed where Jason¡¯s hand was pointing until they spotted what looked like a mass of cloud on the horizon.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Clive asked. ¡°It¡¯s magical, but I can¡¯t make anything out at this distance.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Gabrielle asked. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Jason wouldn¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be a fun surprise,¡± Jason said defensively.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± Clive asked Jason warily.


    ¡°Actually, it should be kind of a fun surprise,¡± Gabrielle conceded.


    They watched as the mass of cloud moved closer.


    ¡°It¡¯s a ship,¡± Clive said excitedly. ¡°It¡¯s a ship made of clouds.¡±


    The cloud ship, sailing through the water, was not as close as it first seemed. Its enormous size made it seem that way, growing bigger and bigger in their vision as it approached. It was proportioned like an ocean liner, crafted from fluffy white clouds. Sunset shades of blue and orange delineated the dimensions of the ship that floated over the water at a goodly speed, in spite of no visible propulsion.


    ¡°That¡¯s some proper, fantasy world goodness, right there,¡± Jason said.


    By the time it pulled into place at the dock, it was clear how overwhelmingly humongous the vessel was. Over three hundred metres long, sixty metres wide and high, even the silver-rankers were agog at the sheer magnitude of it.


    The ship drew to a gentle stop in the dock and a walkway of cloud started emerging from the side. When it connected to the shore, a hole appeared in the side of the ship to reveal Emir Bahadir. Seeing him in daylight, he looked the same as when Jason had met him in the dark. Sleek clothes, midnight skin and dark hair woven with colourful beads. Jason had been uncertain in their previous encounter, where he could seemingly evade his ability to see through darkness.


    He walked across the platform to the shore, meeting Elspeth Arella who came out to greet him. She led him inside to be met by the assembled welcoming party, but Clive was uninterested. He had stood up out of his chair, his eyes roaming the side of the ship. His vision power allowed him to see at least some of the otherwise-invisible magic.


    ¡°This is amazing,¡± he said.


    Gabrielle had remained with them to watch the ship appear and suddenly remembered she should be with the larger group. She was about to hurry away when Bahadir vanished from where he was standing to appear in front of them in a single step.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Emir greeted.


    ¡°Mr Bahadir,¡± Jason said, standing up to shake hands.


    ¡°This is Gabrielle Pellin,¡± Jason introduced. ¡°You¡¯ll know Danielle Geller, I presume. Gabrielle is currently attached to her son, Humphrey. She does have accomplishments outside what man she¡¯s hanging around, but she called me a dimension-hopping loon, so I won¡¯t bother with them.¡±


    ¡°A delight to meet you,¡± Emir said. Gabrielle¡¯s eyes shot daggers at Jason, before turning back to Emir with a smile.


    ¡°A pleasure,¡± she said, shaking his hand. ¡°I¡¯m an acolyte with the church of knowledge.¡±


    ¡°He knows that from your robes,¡± Jason said. ¡°You might as well have worn a white sack and painted ¡®church of knowledge¡¯ on it.¡±


    ¡°You will pay for this, Jason,¡± she said.


    ¡°Facing up to consequences is the making of a man,¡± Jason said, gesturing to Clive, still looking out the window. ¡°This is Clive. He¡¯s the deputy something-something at the local Magic Society, and more interested in your boat than meeting a gold-ranker, it appears.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Clive said, turning his gaze from the boat for the first time. ¡°Oh, um, wait. A gold ranker?¡±


    ¡°Emir Bahadir,¡± Jason introduced, ¡°meet Clive Standish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you get a tour,¡± Emir said, shaking a flummoxed Clive¡¯s hand. ¡°It won¡¯t be a ship anymore, but I¡¯m confident you¡¯ll find it just as impressive.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a boat?¡± Clive asked.


    As they chatted, more people had come across the wide gangplank made of cloud.


    "My staff," Emir said. "The ship can be crewed by only a few people, as you will come to see, Clive, but I have various other needs. There seem to be some necessary social duties planned, so I will have to go back, but first¡­¡±


    The people finished disembarking, around fifty of them.


    ¡°Come along,¡± Emir said and walked back outside, Jason and the others trailing behind.


    As they swept past the nonplussed welcoming committee, Gabrielle glanced nervously at her high priest, who nodded the affirmation to continue. Outside, Emir''s staff were gathered haphazardly. They were a wild collection of races and ethnicities within those races. Their attire ranged from neat and subdued like Emir and Rufus preferred, to the wild and colourful clothing that Gary and the Greenstone locals preferred.


    Emir walked over to a woman dressed in a similar style to himself, with a one-button jacket, neat slacks and practical dark shoes. Where Emir was dark-skinned, she was pale. Her dark brown hair dropped simply down to neck length in a cut that, like her clothes, was simple and stylish. She had a subdued, but not wholly restrained, silver-rank aura.


    ¡°This is Constance,¡± Emir introduced. ¡°She is the single most indispensable person in my world. Constance, this is Jason, Gabrielle and Clive. They are always welcome.¡±


    Constance nodded.


    ¡°Understood.¡±


    Jason sensed something of a kindred spirit in Emir¡¯s easy persona, which he knew had strengths and weaknesses. The professionalism he read in Constance gave him a sense that she was the one who kept the clocks running.


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s off?¡± Emir asked Constance.


    ¡°They are,¡± She said.


    "Alright then," Emir said, reaching into his jacket. From it, he pulled what looked to Jason like a round-bottomed chemistry flask, with Emir holding it by the neck. It was certainly too large to fit in a pocket.


    ¡°Is that a dimensional jacket?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°Stylish and practical,¡± Jason said. ¡°I like it.¡±


    ¡°If you ever find your way to Vitesse,¡± Emir said, ¡°I¡¯ll introduce you to my tailor. He only takes new clients by referral.¡±


    Emir shook the flask, then took out the crystal stopper. Four thin streams of mist emerged, gathering in the air to form four shapes that floated in place. Like the ship, they were made of clouds with sunset colours giving definition. One looked like a model of a sprawling estate house, the next like a bus or recreational vehicle with no wheels. The third was a sprawling palace, and the fourth was a small replica of the ship floating in front of them. That final image was glowing with an internal light.


    Emir pushed his hand into the image of the palace, which started to glow as the light in the ship began fading. After a few moments, The cloud images streamed back into the bottle and Emir put it away.


    The sheer magic power of the ship gave it a potent, gold-rank aura, and Jason felt that aura start undergoing a shift.


    ¡°I need to go back to my welcoming party,¡± Emir said, ¡°but I think you might enjoy staying to watch. The transformation is something to see.¡±


    Emir held out his elbow for Gabrielle.


    ¡°Care to join me, young lady?¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± she said, and they departed.


    Left behind with Emir¡¯s staff, they watched as the huge ship morphed into a palace of clouds, floating on the water. It took around ten minutes, which was, as promised, quite something to see. It was even more so to Clive, who could see some of the magic as it transformed.


    ¡°This is crazy,¡± Clive said. ¡°I can barely understand what''s happening with these gold-rank processes, but just that little is amazing. Mostly I''m just seeing the structural changes, with the external security measures stopping me from looking deeper, but even that much is incredible."


    ¡°Security measures?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°I would very much advise against trying to get in uninvited. It¡¯d be harder to break into than¡­¡±


    Jason looked at Clive after he trailed off. Clive was no longer focused on the transforming ship, instead taking up what Jason recognised as his thinking pose. His eyes were closed, his expression stern. His hands were held loosely in front of him, fingers waggling. Jason watched, waiting quietly until the fingers stopped moving and Clive opened his eyes, nodding.


    ¡°That adds up,¡± he said absently to himself, then turned to Jason.


    ¡°I know what the thief is after.¡±

 Chapter 102: You Fight Like Me

    In Old City, the wealthiest area was the canal district. Once the home of aristocratic power, migration to the Island left it open for those who ruled Old City with money and power. It was strictly neutral territory for the Big Three, due to a preponderance of Island interests based around the canals and water trade flowing in from the delta.


    In a less-used area of the canal docks were a cluster of buildings, not well-placed and too small to service the water traffic that had built up in the years since their construction. Mostly the buildings were used to store items that were rarely, if ever used. One housed  small watercraft awaiting repairs that never came, the cluttered space untouched for years, or so it seemed.


    Sophie had judiciously placed some of the clutter and quietly moved the rest to the other buildings. Add in some rituals by Belinda to muffle noise and display some simple, static illusions and the seemingly abandoned building had become a well-hidden lair. Belinda quietly made her way inside, where Sophie was already waiting.


    ¡°The last item on our shopping list just came up,¡± Belinda said without preamble. ¡°We need to move fast, though.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It was getting about time to do another distraction job, or Ventress would call open season on us.¡±


    ¡°Now we don¡¯t have to,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Once we have the tilting stones, we¡¯ll have everything we need for the last job.¡±


    ¡°And we''ll finally get out of the city,¡± Sophie said, shoulders slumping wearily.


    ¡°How¡¯s the preparation for that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got maps and supplies enough to get us through the delta, into the Veldt and then south to Hornis,¡± Sophie said. ¡°After hitting the spirit coin vault we¡¯ll have enough money to buy our way past any influence the Big Three have there and leave this whole continent behind.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not go making assumptions until we¡¯re on open ocean,¡± Belinda cautioned. ¡°We have two jobs and a long journey between us and there. We have to move fast on this next one.¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°There''s some big project out in the delta, some ancient ruin or something. The Magic Society was crawling all over it, until some out-of-towners showed up and took over.¡±


    ¡°Out-of-towners?¡±


    ¡°They arrived on a ship made of clouds, If you can believe that.¡±


    ¡°A ship made of clouds?¡±


    ¡°Sounds incredible, right?¡±


    ¡°Sounds made up.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Belinda said. ¡°The ship turned into a cloud palace and is floating off the north end of the Island. I¡¯ve seen it for myself. It''s so big you can spot it from any rooftop on the north side of the city.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me you don¡¯t want us to rob it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Belinda said with a laugh. ¡°That ruin they¡¯re excavating; it was originally a Magic Society project, but these people took over.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s some serious clout.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. The important part is that the Magic Society is still providing supplies and support. One of the things on the supply list is the tilting stones we need. I¡¯ll be getting a head¡¯s up when they¡¯re scheduled to move, but it¡¯ll be sometime this week. We grab the stones during transit.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a lot of time to prepare,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t need it. The supply shipments move out from the supply complex at the Magic Society campus with minimal protection. The shipment isn¡¯t high-value, so they a heavy guard until the Duke¡¯s guards meet them at the bridge to Old City.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s not high-value, then couldn¡¯t we just have bought these tilting stones we need?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re restricted,¡± Belinda explained. ¡°Not dangerous, but they have some specific uses in certain activities.¡±


    ¡°Like the one we want them for?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°So we hit it on the island,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Exactly. All the supplies will be in dimensional-storage crates. You just need to grab the right crate and get out.¡±


    ¡°You have the route?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Let¡¯s go scout some locations.¡±


    One of the largest and busiest areas of the Magic Society Campus was the magical supply complex. In addition to the space requirements, operations were complicated by the sometimes volatile nature of magical materials. Care had to be taken to store various goods correctly while keeping apart materials that would affect one another in proximity. This caused a number of fundamental problems for the smooth running of the supply complex.


    The first problem was structural. Purpose-designed, the complex was a nest of interconnected buildings, linked by secured walkways at ground level and above. There were warehouse structures, towers, domes, and in one case, a spherical building secured by a cubic frame of support struts.


    Storage and record-keeping were even more of a mess. Because of the nature of the stored materials, magical requirements took precedence over the practical requirements of space efficiency. This, in turn, made inventory management and supply a nightmare.


    In the central loading and distribution centre, the supply manager was named Thel and the distribution manager, Drew. They were having several busy weeks at a run. First, the Magic Society started up some operation out in the middle of a swamp, which was already a logistical nightmare. Then the whole thing was taken over by some out-of-town group. The Society was still giving logistical support and supply, which meant meeting the different needs of the new group while adding a whole extra layer to supply management because they weren¡¯t Magic Society. Amid a busy day, Thel brought out a new supply order to give to Drew.


    ¡°This just came in from the big building,¡± she told Drew. The big building was what they called central administration, out of which the Magic Society officials operated.


    ¡°Great,¡± Drew said as he unenthusiastically took the paper with the supply order and started reading it over. ¡°One more idiot who doesn¡¯t think twice about messing up our schedules.¡±


    He glanced at the authorising officer box on the order to see who dumped it on him.


    ¡°Adjunct Assistant to the Deputy Director of the Magic Society, Greenstone branch,¡± he read. ¡°What it the gods¡¯ names does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a position that was made up for some rich prick¡¯s useless kid,¡± Thel said.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it just.¡±


    ¡°This one¡¯s a little odd,¡± Thel said, gesturing at the order. ¡°The guy who delivered the order said he was told to be very clear it was a low-priority order.¡±


    ¡°Low priority?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. He said he was given specific instructions that we don¡¯t break schedule and just fit it in when we can. He just wants us to let him know when it¡¯s going out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird, right?¡± Drew asked.


    ¡°Very weird. I¡¯ve seen plenty of demands from the high-ups to rush an order, but being told to take our time is a first.¡±


    ¡°Sounds shady,¡± Drew said. ¡°Since when did you see anyone with authority show any consideration or decency?¡±


    ¡°Never,¡± Thel said. ¡°Think we should look into it?¡±


    ¡°Gods, no. The order isn¡¯t a do-up, is it?¡±


    ¡°No, the order¡¯s for real.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s not our problem. We get the piece of paper and we do what it says. Anything more than that is someone else¡¯s problem.¡±


    Jason and Clive were walking through Old City, in the direction of Jory¡¯s clinic.


    ¡°Are you sure just organising the shipment was enough?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Maybe I should have leaked some more information.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°This thief clearly has solid information sources. If she kept hearing about this shipment from too many places, she¡¯d get spooked and not take the bait. As long as you made sure the shipment won¡¯t move out until they¡¯ve had time to hear about it. You are sure this is what she needs, right? These tilting stones?¡±


    ¡°Jason, I¡¯m one of the few people with a complete understanding of the security measures around the city¡¯s spirit coin vault. Once we scratched the distraction items off our list, everything she¡¯s stolen as part of this spree can be used to circumvent one of the security measures. Bronze-rank sopor gas for the guards, sump coil rods for the alarm matrix, dodec crystals for the vault door¡­¡±


    ¡°The magic D12s,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re my favourite.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how this thief got such a complete rundown of the security, but looking at what she¡¯s been stealing, she clearly has it.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re worried she won¡¯t find out about the shipment?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point.¡±


    ¡°You just have to swap us out for the regular drivers at the very last minute so she doesn¡¯t catch wind.¡±


    They went in through the new self-opening glass doors of the clinic.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Clive said, looking them over as they went through. ¡°That¡¯s some clean, simple magic.¡±


    ¡°They were my suggestion,¡± Jason said.


    They walked up to the receptionist.


    ¡°Morning, Janice,¡± Jason greeted her. ¡°Can he spare a minute?¡±


    ¡°For you, Mr Asano? Always. Things have been a lot more manageable since the initial rush, and having a healing priest here full-time really makes things easier. We miss having you around, though. You¡¯re always off having exciting adventures, these days. I¡¯m surprised you aren¡¯t on that big expedition everyone was talking about.¡±


    ¡°They need someone to keep things running while everyone else is gallivanting about,¡± Jason said. ¡°You haven¡¯t met Clive, yet, Have you?¡±


    They chatted, waiting for Jory, but a different person emerged instead. It was a runic, with the dark skin and glowing runes typical of his people.


    ¡°Mr Lange,¡± Janice greeted and made introductions. Donal Lange was the priest of the Healer assigned to Jory''s clinic for the moment. He had arrived in Greenstone through a portal created by the Healer to help replace the excommunicated clergy.


    ¡°Jory has good things to say about you, Mr Asano. Confusing and contradictory at times, but with much praise. Healing people for nothing is a fine calling, although I may be biased in that opinion.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go praising me too much,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was an easy way to train my cleansing power, so it wasn¡¯t exactly selfless.¡±


    ¡°Jason!¡± Jory said, entering the waiting room. ¡°Come on back.¡±


    Jason and Clive shook hands with Donal, then followed Jory. In one of the back rooms, Jason quickly got to the point.


    ¡°I need something that can change our faces and something that can mask our auras. Knock it down to normal rank, if possible.¡±


    Jory rubbed his chin, thoughtfully.


    ¡°Changing your face is easy enough,¡± he said. ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m surprised it took you this long to ask.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my face?¡±


    ¡°I''ve had some reports that the face-changing ointment is a bit unreliable,¡± Jory said, ignoring Jason''s question. ¡°Moving your face reduces the effective duration, so try not to talk and keep your expression blank as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°That should be fine,¡± Clive said, Jason nodding agreement.


    ¡°Changing your aura is trickier,¡± Jory said. ¡°If you just wanted to mask it at your own rank, that would be one thing. I could give you something for that now. Dropping it down a rank is another matter. This is for a contract?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason said. ¡°Clive and I have been working this one for a little while.¡±


    ¡°I heard you¡¯re a big, three-star adventurer now,¡± Jory said. ¡°How did you swing that?¡±


    ¡°With your watering can and a little discretion,¡± Jason said, causing Jory to laugh.


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± he said. ¡°They must have been so startled to see discretion from you that they handed over the star from sheer startlement.¡±


    Clive burst out laughing.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to feel put upon,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can you help with the aura?¡±


    ¡°I think I can make up what you need,¡± Jory said. ¡°It¡¯ll be precarious though. How¡¯s your aura control?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s coming along,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯ll have to be. If you can¡¯t keep it suppressed, it¡¯ll breach the aura mask. So will using any essence abilities.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s just an extra precaution that Clive suggested.¡±


    ¡°Our quarry is cautious and resourceful,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Probably best not to share any unnecessary details,¡± Jason said to Clive.


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Jory said. ¡°I can¡¯t spill porridge that¡¯s not in my bowl. I can have that for you tomorrow, or tonight if you¡¯re really in a rush.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow is fine,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll let you get back to it,¡± Jason said. ¡°How are those church of the Healer people working out?¡±


    ¡°Fantastic,¡± Jory said. ¡°Mostly it¡¯s been Donal, and he¡¯s terrific. It¡¯s like having you on full-time, without the ominous overtones. Oh, before you go; Jensen loved that barbeque you had. It drummed him up a whole lot of business. He wanted me to ask you if you had any interest in doing it on the regular. Your connections, his booze.¡±


    ¡°Jenson?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Was he the guy running the bar?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jory said. ¡°He has a distillery a couple of streets over.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a terrible idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m a little busy just right now, but tell him I¡¯m interested.¡±


    A wagon was making its way through the streets of the Island. It had no animals pulling it, being driven by magic. There was a driver, plus another man next to him on the driver¡¯s bench. In the early afternoon, there were people out and about. It remained uncrowded, though, with the wide streets and generous footpaths. The men on the wagon didn''t even glance as it rolled past a young woman with short hair, wearing a light jacket over a dress decorated with dark flowers.


    After the wagon passed her by, Belinda opened her jacket to look at the crystal plate sewn into it. It showed the aura of the wagon¡¯s dimensional-storage crates and the normal-rank auras of the two men riding it. She took a small tube from her jacket pocket, holding it vertically as she peeled a paper cap off the top. She felt a blast of heat and air, but the magical flare would be invisible and silent to anyone without a special viewing item or certain essence abilities.


    Another of the Island¡¯s streets had a row of trees planted down the middle of the two-lane thoroughfare. Sophie had been hidden in the upper branches of one of the trees since before dawn. She was dressed in shades of dark green to blend into the foliage. The clothing was the ideal balance of fitted and loose to provide optimum mobility, but their protective value suffered somewhat.


    When she saw the flare rise into the sky, Sophie took off the spectacles that allowed her to see it and put them in a case which she returned to a pocket. Shortly after, a wagon passed under the branch she was perched on and she dropped down behind it, barely making a sound as she landed in a crouch on the street. She moved swiftly, clambering over the back of the covered wagon. It was filled with metal crates, just as promised, and she quickly found the one with the markings she was looking for. When she grabbed it, though, a rune appeared and explosive force blasted her out the back of the wagon as it activated.


    She rolled on the ground, head spinning. By the time she recovered, the wagon had stopped and the two men on it had gotten off and were rushing toward her. She hopped quickly to her feet just as the first one reached her. She lashed out with a series of attacks but every move in her flurry of blows was blocked. He looked as surprised as she felt.


    ¡°You fight like me,¡± he said.


    She didn''t respond and resumed her attack. She had never met anyone who knew her father''s fighting style before, but she adapted quickly. After a rapid exchange, she winded him with a palm strike to the torso and sent him tumbling with a kick to the side of the head.


    She was moving before he hit the ground, sprinting for the wall of a nearby property. She zigzagged her movement, not presenting an easy shot, which proved wise as a bolt of magic shot past her. A glowing rune appeared in her path and she neatly side-stepped it, almost having reached the wall. Behind her, she heard a spell being chanted.


    ¡°Carry the mark of your transgressions.¡±


    Sophie felt a burning on the side of her face but didn''t let it slow her down. She reached the wall and ran up it as if it were flat ground. Reaching the top, she pulled herself over and out of sight.

 Chapter 103: Silver Hair

    Sophie vaulted a wall from one private residence into another, sprinting across the grounds. She did this twice more, avoiding public streets and the people on them. Finally, she ducked into a large brick shed full of landscaping supplies.


    Jason chased after Sophie, relying not on his eyes but his aura sense. One of the afflictions he marked her with made her aura radiate like a beacon.


    [Mark of Sin] (affliction, holy): Prevents aura retraction. Cannot be cleansed while target retains any instances of [Sin] or [Legacy of Sin].


    Using weight-reduction to vault walls, he pursued until her aura suddenly vanished. He didn¡¯t have an exact lock on her location, so was forced to start searching around.


    ¡°Excuse me!¡± an affronted voice came in Jason¡¯s direction. He flashed his adventurer badge to the angry resident.


    ¡°Adventure Society business, sir.¡±


    ¡°Is this to do with the person who just ran across my lawn?¡±


    ¡°It certainly is,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could point out the direction they went?¡±


    ¡°Gladly,¡± the man said.


    ¡°What¡¯s that on your face?¡± Belinda asked. She had cleared a space on a bench in the shed, now covered in magical tools.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Some kind of tracking magic, probably.¡±


    Belinda moved close to examine it. It looked like a word from a symbolic language she didn¡¯t know. She picked up a thin metal rod, waving it in front of Sophie''s face.


    ¡°Not tracking,¡± She said, swapping the rod for a small plate made up of crystal fragments She looked at what appeared when she held it in front of Sophie.


    ¡°It looks like it forcibly projects your aura,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Not as bad as a tracker, but I don''t have anything here that can deal with it, the way I could with tracking magic. Like this, aura masking won¡¯t work and disguises won¡¯t be much better. You¡¯ll stick out like a turd in a punch bowl to anyone with aura sense.¡±


    ¡°Good thing we¡¯re here on the Island, where all the people with aura senses are."


    ¡°The protection I set up in here will hide your aura so long as you¡¯re in this shed, but you can¡¯t stay here. The usual trick of blending into the crowd won¡¯t work with your aura like that.¡±


    ¡°Any good news?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Unlike a tracker, you can only be followed so long as you remain within their aura sense. If you can outrun them and get to our fallback point, we can take our time with whatever that thing is affecting your aura. And no one can run like you.¡±


    Sophie nodded, regret on her face.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get it,¡± she said. Belinda put a reassuring hand on Sophie¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°One step at a time. We can work on what comes next after we get ourselves out of this mess. Now, you need to go.¡±


    ¡°You need to be careful too,¡± Sophie said.


    "My aura isn''t shining like a beacon in the night, remember? You play distraction and I¡¯ll slip away.¡±


    ¡°Bloody hell, she¡¯s fast.¡±


    Jason had sensed it the moment the thief¡¯s aura re-emerged and he immediately gave chase. He caught sight of her sprinting through other people¡¯s properties. They were in the north marina district, which had the Broadstreet Bridge to Old City, marinas on the Island¡¯s eastern shore and was otherwise mostly private residences.


    The thief moved incredibly fast on the ground, the walls and hedges barely slowing her down. Her mottled green clothing covered her entirely, with even her head wrapped up like a ninja. If he didn¡¯t have her aura to track, she could probably vanish into one of the gardens she was passing through.


    He was unable to match her speed. It the end he resorted to a desperation move. The bright sun cast large shadows from the uniformly big houses. This allowed Jason to shadow jump into the air, three storeys up, next to a wall. Spotting the thief, he teleported to the shadow of the next building, then the next. With the combination of weight reduced-floating and shadow teleporting, he pursued in something of an awkward flight.


    The thief was making a beeline for the marina. She crossed the busy esplanade at a sprint, startling passers-by. Jason teleported onto the covered balcony of the yacht club, but it was the last of the easy shadows. He watched the thief pelt down the pier faster than he could match, until she reached the end and vaulted onto the water. She landed on the surface like it was solid ground and kept running.


    Jason could likewise walk on water, but by the time he chased her across to Old City, her speed would have left him behind. He ran to the edge of the balcony and looked around for options.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s that,¡± he told himself.


    Using the parkour skills Gary had taught him, he jumped out to grab the edge of the roof and pull himself on top of the building. He was grateful for the ostentatious size of the four-story yacht club, which gave him a high vantage. He glanced down at the figure sprinting across the water, then up at the opposite shore, some two kilometres distant.


    When he was still training, he had conducted various long-distance teleporting experiments. The key seemed to be seeing a shadow to teleport to. Teleporting to the shadow of a large, distant object didn''t work, as his ability required a more discreet shadow to use as a portal. He tried magnifying items to pick out a distant shadow, but viewing through these magical devices made him unable to form a connection with the distant shadow.


    In the end, since he couldn¡¯t find one to purchase, Jason commissioned a craftsman to make a high-quality, non-magical telescope. The unusual request had taken time, however, and by the time it was completed, Jason was living the busy life of an adventurer. As such, he¡¯d picked up the item and left in his inventory with the ten-foot pole, the rope ladder and his various other pieces of adventuring kit.


    "No time like the present," he said, pulling out the telescope. It truly was a fine piece of craftsmanship, but he didn''t stop to admire it, putting it directly to his eye. First, he picked out the thief, moving across the water. Once he spied where she was heading, he looked to the far shore, in search of a shadow.


    Clive looked around the interior of the brick shed. His ability to see magic let him pick out what were the otherwise invisible magical marks, drawn onto the bricks of the wall to shield it from magical detection. It had taken him time to seek out, using flaring rituals to find the magical dead-spot. If Jason hadn¡¯t told him the right area through his voice communication power, he likely wouldn¡¯t have found it at all.


    Examining the work, he saw the principles involved were basic, making of use of fundamental magical theory. The application, however, showed a comprehensive understanding and was highly innovative in execution. If it weren¡¯t for criminal purposes to which it had been put, he would admire it.


    ¡°Who am I kidding?¡± he asked the empty shed. ¡°I do admire it.¡±


    The shed clearly didn¡¯t see a lot of use. Almost everything had a thick layer of dust, except a section of the bench and a pair of stools. Jason and Clive had considered whether or not the thief had one or more accomplices, and it seemed she did.


    Whoever this accomplice was, they had taken their tools but didn''t have time to clear off their magical workings. Presumably, they were relying on the magic being invisible and the distraction of the fleeing thief. That left Clive with a good chance to extract an aura trace from the magic.


    Moving outside, he balanced out the ambient magic with his mana equilibrium racial gift, then took out a book and used his enact ritual essence ability to start placing out a magical circle around the shed. Where his finger pointed, a line of shining gold energy appeared as he drew out a sophisticated circle, referencing the book as he went.


    ¡°What are you doing on my lawn!¡± an affronted voice called out.


    ¡°Adventure Society business,¡± Clive said, not looking away from his work.


    ¡°Again? Who do you people think you are?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Adjunct Assistant to the Deputy Director of the Magic Society, Greenstone branch,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Is that something important?¡± the man asked uncertainly.


    ¡°Do you really want to find out?¡± Clive asked.


    The magical circle completed. From inside the shed, the previously invisible magic lit up in blue and red. A vaguely human image appeared, flickering in and out in the middle of Clive''s circle. Clive took a tracking stone from his storage space and shoved it into the middle of the image. The image was drawn into the stone, like being sucked into a void. The gold light of Clive¡¯s ritual and the red and blue from the shed then dimmed to nothing. Clive looked at the tracking stone in his hand, which now had an internal light pointing in a very definite direction.


    ¡°Got you.¡±


    Sophie¡¯s singular essence ability made her fast, and by spending mana she could run up walls or over water. The breakwaters at each end of the straight between Old City and the Island made the space between calm and easy to run over. Reaching the Old City port, she ran right up the side of the dock and onto dry ground. For a fleeting moment, she thought she was free and clear. Then she saw a shadowy figure standing in her path.


    The person was shrouded in what looked like the night sky; not just black but dark and deep, with distant stars twinkling within. Inside the cloak were dark, flowing robes, with a sword on one hip and a dagger on the other. A bandolier with what looked like throwing knives went from left shoulder to right hip.


    The port was busy, as always, and the two unusual figures staring each other down caught the attention of the dockworkers. Sophie looked around as people quickly gathered.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me go through you,¡± she told the dark figure.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make me use my abilities,¡± the figure said. ¡°They¡¯re for killing, not catching.¡±


    It was the same voice as the person who ambushed her when she tried to rob the wagon. The one who fought like her. She launched herself forward, confident that she was better. They clashed, then broke away inconclusively. This repeated a second time and a third. She was landing hits, but nothing conclusive. She absently noted that the dockworkers had started taking bets.


    Their fighting styles were the same, but they used them very differently. She was all speed and efficiency, using the versatility of the style to adapt and pressure opponents. He was deceptive and manipulative, seemingly full of openings but more than once she thought she almost had him only to realise it was just the opposite. He also used his cloak to mask his movements, making him hard to read. She had some near misses, but the more she pressured him, the more she figured him out. His methods were dangerous, but he didn¡¯t have a complete handle on them yet. So long as she was cautious and stuck to fundamentals, she knew she could take him down.


    So, apparently, did he, taking the dagger from his belt. The bone blade, with its slight curve, made it looked like a fang. She knew it was almost certainly magical. She drew the knife strapped to her thigh, not magical, but well-crafted.


    "We can still end this here," he said. He sounded earnest but resigned. She lunged in again.


    A knife fight was a messy business; fast hands, fast blades too quick to intercept. Even against an amateur, accepting a knife fight meant accepting wounds, if only superficial ones. The difference in outcome between Sophie and the shadowy man was a matter of equipment. Her knife slid off his thin-but-strong cloth armour, while his knife cut through her camouflage clothes to leave shallow cuts on her arms as she used them to guard more vital points. Breaking off again, she realised he wasn¡¯t even going for real hits, satisfied to inflict minor injuries. Either his dagger or his abilities most likely inflicted poison.


    ¡°Now you see your situation,¡± the man said, having noticed her realisation as she looked at her wounds. ¡°Your choices now are to come with me, or die.¡±


    Sophie glanced back, considering leaping back off the dock. In her moment of distraction, he made the first move for the first time in their confrontation. She evaded, but his free hand grabbed at her. She slipped away, but his fingers closed on her mask, pulling it free. As her silver hair spilled out, he saw her face. His own was hidden in the hood of the cloak, although she had seen it back at the wagon.


    The situation suddenly shifted as a half-dozen people broke through the circle of onlookers. There were dressed all in black, with masks like she had been wearing. The shadowy figure said a word she didn¡¯t recognise and was immediately attacked. She took the opportunity and ran. Even as he fought off these new opponents, she heard him chant an ominous spell behind her.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    Belinda was in line at the Broadstreet Bridge, waiting to hand over her permit before crossing to Old City. In both dress and manner, she was indistinguishable from the many servants likewise heading to Old City on household errands. She noticed a slight commotion in the line, looking back to see a man walking down the line, looking at something in his hand. He was tall and lanky, with the uniform of a Magic Society functionary. The men on the wagon Sophie had attempted to rob had the same uniforms, but this wasn¡¯t one of those men. Unless they changed their faces with magic. Sophie and herself had tried that from time to time, but it was unreliable and prone to wearing off early.


    Belinda couldn''t run like Sophie and had always relied on secrecy and deception. Even if she could, there wasn¡¯t much place to run. The Duke¡¯s guards manning the crossing booth might be casual to those departing the Island, but that would quickly change if she made a break for it. The best she could do was keep in character and hope that the man was trying to flush people out with security theatre. Her hopes were dashed when the man stopped right in front of her.


    Jason was startled to see silver hair spill out, forming a corona around the thief''s dark beauty. He froze in that fleeting moment, then recognised her as Jory''s celestine friend. She also froze, looking cornered as her eyes darted around. Then out of nowhere, a group of attackers came barrelling at Jason, dressed head-to-toe in black.


    ¡°Ninjas?¡± he said, and they were on him. He evaded, seeing the celestine taking the chance to run. He had to send her where he knew he could find her.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    She would have to run to Jory if she wanted to stay alive but casting the spell cost Jason as he was overrun by attackers. They dropped him to the ground and gathered over him, laying in kicks. Jason evened the odds and then some by sending a geyser of leeches spraying up into them. The attackers reeled, screaming as they pulling off leeches who took gobbets of flesh with them in rings of burrowing teeth. The watching dock workers backed off, but not so much that they couldn¡¯t keep watching.


    Jason got to his feet and held a hand out at one of the men yanking leeches off his body.


    ¡°Your blood is not yours to keep, but mine on which to feast.¡±


    Jason siphoned-off the man¡¯s life force to heal the beating they had got in. They all had essences, but he could tell from their auras that none had a full set.


    ¡°You won¡¯t survive long if you don¡¯t tell me who sent you,¡± he told them.


    ¡°You can kill us,¡± one of them said, ¡°but the man who sent us will kill our whole families.¡±


    Jason frowned at that.


    ¡°Encircle,¡± he commanded, and the leeches dropped off the men to form a ring around them. They were all bleeding and poisoned, but Jason used his feast of absolution power on each in turn. It replenished his mana and kept them alive, as they would probably survive one bleed affliction. They stood in place, unsure and unsteady. Jason moved forward and ripped the mask off the one who had spoken. Jason didn¡¯t recognise him.


    ¡°The person who sent you will kill your family if you talk?¡±


    "That''s right," he said, scared but looking back with defiance. "You might as well let us go. We won''t talk, even if you kill us.¡±


    ¡°Let you go?¡± Jason asked. ¡°After you attacked me? If you¡¯re not going to talk, then you¡¯re no use to me alive.¡±


    Jory was seeing out a patient when he heard a crashing sound from the back room and rushed back there. Donal, the priest of the healer, was likewise coming to check the commotion. Together, they found a woman who had apparently staggered in the back and knocked over a rack of alchemy implements as she collapsed. She was now laying amongst shattered glass.


    ¡°Silver hair,¡± Donal said. ¡°A celestine.¡±


    Jory¡¯s troubled expression got worse when they turned her over and it was, as he feared, Sophie Wexler. They picked her up out of the glass and carried her into one of the new treatment rooms laying her out on the examination table. Seeing darkened flesh under the rips in her clothes, Jory cut way her outer garment, revealing a tight sleeveless top and cuts on the arms that weren''t from the broken glass. Ominous black veins traced out from each of the wounds, clearly visible through the skin. The wound themselves were already showing signs of necrosis.


    ¡°Some kind of necrotic poison,¡± Jory said. Donal was already chanting a spell.


    ¡°Make clean that which has been tainted.¡±


    The black veins retreated somewhat, but then visibly started crawling up her arms once again.


    ¡°It¡¯s like the poison is replicating itself,¡± Donal said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll work on the poison,¡± Jory said. ¡°You stop it from killing her. If we can beat it back enough you can try a longer spell.¡±


    Jory started grabbing supplies from cabinets as Donal chanted another spell.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to kill us in front of all these people,¡± one of Jason¡¯s attackers said.


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± one of the others asked. ¡°Look at that cloak. He''s the cloak guy!¡±


    ¡°What the hell re you talking about?¡± the first attacker asked.


    ¡°The one who killed five adventurers in a shopping arcade in the middle of the day,¡± the second attacker said. ¡°Not just regular people, but actual adventurers! And you know what they did to him? They promoted him! You think he won¡¯t kill us because some dockworkers saw it?¡±


    Jason, taking in the exchange, turned to the second attacker.


    ¡°You seem to know a lot,¡± Jason said, walking over and pulling off the man''s mask.


    "You won''t tell me who sent you?"


    ¡°I can¡¯t.¡±


    "Then tell me why. That''s your live-or-die question."


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the man said, voice almost begging. ¡°I really don¡¯t. We were just meant to slow you down and run, like with the others.¡±


    ¡°Shut up Jacob,¡± one of the others barked. Jason pointed at the man who spoke.


    ¡°Mount,¡± he ordered, and the leeches crawled up the man¡¯s legs and over his body, but without sinking their teeth into him. Then Jason turned back to Jacob.


    ¡°By others, you mean the other adventurers trying to catch the thief?¡±


    The man nodded, and Jason started pacing as his brain ticked over. The now terrified attackers watched, unmoving, as they awaited their fate with bated breath.


    ¡°How did you know to intercept me here?¡±


    ¡°Keep your mouth shut, Jacob!¡±


    ¡°Screw you guys! I don¡¯t have a family, and I ain¡¯t getting eaten by leeches. There¡¯s some silver-ranker, tracking the thief. Abilities too high for the thief¡¯s friend to spot.¡±


    That would be the one Jory has a thing for, Jason realised.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s all I know. He tracks the thief, then we get a signal and a location if we have to intervene. I don¡¯t even know why they bother with us if they have someone like that.¡±


    ¡°To keep it low-key,¡± Jason said absently. ¡°Who do you work for?¡±


    ¡°What I told you already gets me hurt,¡± Jacob said. ¡°Telling you that gets me killed.¡±


    ¡°I know that guy,¡± one of the dockworkers called out. Jason turned and flipped him a bronze spirit coin.


    ¡°Jack-Jumper Jacob,¡± the dockworker said. ¡°He¡¯s one of Dorgan¡¯s.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t know more than the basics about the Big Three. Dorgan was the quiet one, while the ambitious Ventress and the impetuous Silva worked their schemes against one another.


    ¡°Things are coming together,¡± Jason said absently, ¡°but there¡¯s a connection missing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Asano,¡± a harsh voice said, and a man approached through the crowd of dockworkers. He was human, with well-made, sandy coloured clothes. Jason could sense no aura, but the workers instinctively moved out of his way. Jason was willing to bet the aura he couldn¡¯t sense was silver.


    ¡°Your quarry has escaped,¡± the newcomer said, ¡°and you¡¯ve got all you¡¯re getting out of these men. Time to give up and try another day, Asano.¡±


    Jason tutted.


    ¡°She won¡¯t be happy you had to show up in person,¡± he said and the silver-ranker flinched. Jason chuckled.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have somewhere else to be, anyway.¡±


    Sophie was unconscious but alive, still on the examination table but now with a sheet over her. Jory and Donal were exhausted; Donal was sprawled in the room¡¯s only chair while Jory was on the floor, leaning against the wall. On the floor were dozens of empty vials that Jory had used to treat Sophie, or that Donal had emptied to replenish his mana.


    ¡°It was some kind of curse,¡± Donal said. ¡°Two curses, really. One was making the poison worse, while the other was adding more poison and the first curse. The curse that kept making more of the other two couldn¡¯t be cleansed until the other curse was cleansed, and she had so much of it in her when she arrived.¡±


    ¡°Too bad Jason isn¡¯t here,¡± Jory said. ¡°He¡¯d have eaten it all like it was nothing.¡±


    ¡°Eaten?¡±


    ¡°He can be a little sinister,¡± Jory said, ¡°but he¡¯s a good man.¡±


    ¡°I hope you still think so, after today,¡± Jason said from the doorway.


    ¡°Jason!¡± Jory said. ¡°We could have used you here a while ago. Something happened to my friend a while ago. I don¡¯t know what, but it was bad.¡±


    Jory and Donal pushed themselves to their feet.


    ¡°Curses and poison,¡± Jason said, looking at Sophie.


    Jason was decked out in his adventuring gear, spattered with blood.


    ¡°Are you chasing what did this to her?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m chasing her,¡± Jason said. ¡°I am what did this.¡±

 Chapter 104: An Outcome That Satisfies

    ¡°This is bad,¡± Jory said, pacing back and forth. ¡°That¡¯s what they¡¯ve been doing? Ripping off the rich and powerful?¡±


    Jory, Jason and Donal were in one of Jory¡¯s treatment rooms, with an unconscious Sophie on the treatment table. She was mostly covered in a sheet, except for her head. Her silver hair hung off the side of the table in a tangled mess.


    ¡°Who is this woman?¡± Donal asked.


    ¡°Donal,¡± Jason said. ¡°Janice is probably becoming concerned that no one is taking patients. Can you cover for Jory for a bit?¡±


    ¡°Do I get an explanation about all this later?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ll probably lie,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thanks for keeping her alive.¡±


    Donal frowned, but made his way out.


    ¡°Lord, you were right about him being trouble,¡± Jason heard him mutter as he closed the door behind him.


    ¡°What about Belinda?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°Remember my friend Clive? He caught her.¡±


    ¡°Where is she now?¡±


    ¡°We set up a discrete location to hold the thief while we figured out the politics. Hang on a bit and I¡¯ll check up on her.¡±


    Jason used his party interface to open voice chat with Clive.


    "She''s trouble," Clive said, his exasperation coming through loud and clear. "Using an old Magic Society storehouse for our makeshift cell may not have been the best idea. The resourceful little minx almost broke out of the binding circle using random magic supplies. That shouldn''t even be possible. It''s all random, leftover trash."


    ¡°You said she¡¯s resourceful,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I caught her decoding a barrier-ritual with half of a magic wand and a broken device for assessing the freshness of fish!¡±


    "I wouldn''t have thought there was a lot of crossover between a magic barrier and a fish."


    ¡°There isn¡¯t! This woman is a complete¡­ hey! Put that down! I saw that.¡±


    ¡°I need you to bring her to Old City,¡± Jason said. ¡°That clinic on Broadstreet Boulevard we visited the other day, but bring her around the back.¡±


    ¡°What? Old City? How do I explain to the bridge guards why I¡¯m taking a woman I have in custody to Old City? They¡¯ll definitely think I¡¯m going to do something bad.¡±


    ¡°Yeah but you¡¯re a Magic Society official, so they¡¯ll let you through anyway.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Look, Clive. Her name is Belinda. Tell her that¡­ hold on. What was this one¡¯s name, Jory?¡±


    ¡°Sophie,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Tell her that Sophie was badly hurt and she¡¯s at Jory¡¯s clinic.¡±


    ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°Just be honest. I don¡¯t think lying¡¯s your thing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I have to lie to the bridge guards?¡±


    "Yeah, but they''ll just think you''re nervous because you''re a sexual predator."


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°See you when you get here,¡± Jason said, ending the chat.


    ¡°What now?¡± Jory asked, almost jumping on Jason in anxiety.


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Jason said, ¡°I have to turn in Sophie.¡±


    Jory opened his mouth to protest, but stopped and nodded reluctantly.


    ¡°If it ever came out that you completed a contract and then uncompleted it,¡± he said, ¡°that¡¯s your Adventure Society membership gone. Mine too, for that matter, just for knowing about it.¡±


    ¡°We do have some room to move,¡± Jason said. ¡°For one thing, the contract calls for the capture of a thief, not thieves. We caught them both because we were being thorough, but now we know they¡¯re friends, we can cut Belinda loose.¡±


    Jory let out a sigh of relief, although he still had stress to spare.


    ¡°I¡¯m having Clive bring Belinda here,¡± Jason explained, ¡°because I don¡¯t want her running around causing trouble before I have a solid plan in place.¡±


    ¡°So, what is the plan?¡±


    ¡°We have to hand Sophie in,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s something we just have to accept. I¡¯m going to need you to convince her friend not to do anything stupid. You need to keep them both here, without them running, while I fill in the gaps in the political landscape. Once I know how everything fits together, we can work something out.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever read the service agreement between the city and the Adventure Society?¡±


    ¡°Of course I haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It has some interesting provisions,¡± Jason said. ¡°Until I understand the political context, though, I¡¯m stumbling in the dark. When Clive gets here with Belinda, just try and keep a lid on things until I get back.¡±


    ¡°Get back? Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°To get some context,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you know where Dorgan lives?¡±


    ¡°Dorgan? As in, the crime lord, Dorgan?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±


    ¡°Are you insane?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Jason said. ¡°I heard the Big Three all live pretty large, so it can¡¯t be that hard to find.¡±


    ¡°They all live in the canal district,¡± Jory said. ¡°Safe and neutral territory because of the Island interests that operate out of there. I don¡¯t think wandering into his compound is a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Come on, Jory. Where¡¯s your sense of adventure?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your sense of self-preservation?¡±


    Jory groaned.


    "Look who I''m asking," he said. "The day we met, you picked a fight with a couple of priests and got knocked out cold. Fine. All of the Big Three live in huge compounds that used to belong to families who moved to the Island. Go to the Cavendish side of the canal district and look for the big walls with the big guards at the big gate."


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°If you live,¡± Jory muttered.


    No one knew how physically vast the astral space supplying water to the desert was, as it had never been mapped. The goal of the expedition was to find whatever was causing the apertures to become unreliable. They found the closest stable aperture within the thickest cluster of unstable ones and had gone through.


    The terrain inside the astral space was tropical rainforest; very beautiful and very wet. There was a smell of life to it, wet leaves and earth. There was no night, the sun just moving around on a circuit in the sky. The expedition made camp by a river and the expedition leaders, led by Danielle Geller, set out a search pattern. Multiple teams, splitting up to follow streams and trails through the wet, tropical forest. What they found was that they were on one of a sprawling chain of islands, close enough to see one another from shore.


    Traversing the short distance to the next island was a trivial task, given the assemblage of powers in the expedition. They started systematically searching one island after another, sending out individual teams for the smaller ones. The most difficult aspect of the environment was not the verdant growth or the thick, humid air. It was the endless daylight. As what should have been days passed without the respite of night, the less disciplined members of the expedition became increasingly disgruntled.


    Many of the expedition¡¯s members had come along not for work, but because they felt it was their right to not miss out. Danielle would not normally accept such a team, full of spoiled incompetents and people who were only adventurers on paper. Elspeth Arella already had a list of participants when she offered leadership to Danielle, whose instincts told her it was a bad bet. She accepted anyway because when something inevitably went wrong, she could save lives by being there that would be lost if she wasn¡¯t.


    The driving schedule laid out by Danielle Geller to advance their goal was being increasingly spoken-out against, largely by the wealthy young iron-rankers who were the most novice among the expedition¡¯s number. Danielle herself had no time for their complaints. She knew that a problem with the astral space potentially posed an existential threat to the region, and was determined to find it and crush it.


    Adris Dorgan¡¯s aura senses weren¡¯t as powerful or well-trained as someone like Thalia Mercer¡¯s. Where she had detected Jason¡¯s when he was still in the grounds, Jason penetrated the heart of Dorgan¡¯s home. Dorgan found him in front of one of the many paintings that adorned the library walls. He was dressed in neat casual attire, for all the world as if home invasion was a simple outing. He didn¡¯t turn from the painting as Dorgan made his way across the library.


    "Mr Asano, isn''t it?" Dorgan said. He recognised the face, having seen it in several recordings. There was the widely disseminated recording of the man fighting the Gellers, and the less-widespread one of him beating down thugs in Cavendish. The men in question had each been using a recording crystal, a copy of one had found its way into Dorgan¡¯s hands. He had even seen a recording of Asano killing those same men, in the largest arcade in Dorgan¡¯s own territory. That recording was far from just floating around, yet had still come into Dorgan¡¯s possession.


    ¡°Mr Dorgan,¡± Jason greeted, turning with a friendly smile and looking him up and down. The elven man was handsome, with slender features, tawny skin and shoulder-length, chestnut hair. There was an air of sharpness about him, although that may have just been his aura.


    ¡°It¡¯s a pleasure to meet you, but I¡¯m a little surprised to find you in my library,¡± Dorgan said.


    ¡°You know, I was just recently discussing the problem of home security with Thalia Mercer.¡±


    ¡°Did you break into her home as well?¡±


    ¡°More like snuck onto the grounds,¡± Jason said. ¡°No offence, but your people are not the equal of the Mercer household.¡±


    ¡°I could summon my bronze-rankers now,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°Or deal with you personally. You realise I¡¯m bronze rank.¡±


    ¡°I can see that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not a lot of time to work on aura control with a criminal empire to run.¡±


    Jason gave him an easy smile.


    ¡°I recently had a problem,¡± Jason said, ¡°where I was unable to deal with a certain individual due to his connections.¡±


    ¡°Thadwick Mercer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m flattered you¡¯re paying attention.¡±


    ¡°You dropped five dead adventurers in my territory, Mr Asano. Not paying attention would be foolish.¡±


    ¡°That kind of ties in with what I want to say, given that I now find myself on the other side of the privilege coin. If I don¡¯t walk out of here, you won¡¯t like who comes to ask why.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that? Perhaps I have connections of which you¡¯re not aware.¡±


    Jason laughed and gestured at the painting he was standing in front of.


    ¡°Before you came in, Mr Dorgan, I was just admiring your art collection. There is a desert landscape by Moher in the grand concert hall that I very much admire, and I see you have quite a number of his works. I¡¯m envious.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I can help you add something to your own collection. He¡¯s a friend of the family.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Jason said and Dorgan stopped cold.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, his voice half a whisper.


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said. ¡°I came here with a question and found the answer hanging on the walls. Is she your daughter?¡±


    ¡°I kept it a secret so her future wouldn¡¯t be caught up with criminal entanglements,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°A father¡¯s wish for his child to go further than he.¡±


    ¡°I can respect that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have no interest in telling tales. I came here to find out why your people were interfering with my contract.¡±


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s an open contract, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m closing it, which makes it mine.¡±


    ¡°You caught the thief?¡±


    ¡°Of course. When your men intervened, I sent her where I knew I could find her.¡±


    ¡°How did you manage that?¡±


    ¡°In an unpleasant manner. But sometimes life requires unpleasant things.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it just,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°It seems you¡¯re a resourceful man, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. My problem is that I don¡¯t quite grasp the entirety of the political landscape. I obviously understand the connection with your daughter, now, but what is she after in keeping the thief at large? It seems like she wants a point of contention between her and the Duke, but that¡¯s a stupid move and she¡¯s not stupid. She¡¯s taking risks, which is the only reason she was sloppy enough that I found out about you and her.¡±


    ¡°What are the chances of someone visiting her office and my house both?¡± Dorgan asked. ¡°Not high.¡±


    "The paintings in your daughter''s office didn''t bring me here," Jason said. "They just made it easy for me once they arrived. Anyone who really looked at the connections would figure it out soon enough."


    "I don''t know about anyone."


    "What is she after, Dorgan?"


    ¡°Why does that matter?¡±


    ¡°Because I have my own concerns. I don¡¯t want her squashing me like a bug because I ignorantly blundered underfoot.¡±


    Dorgan nodded.


    ¡°Very well, he said. ¡°Her goal is Lucian Lamprey.¡±


    ¡°The director of the Magic Society?¡±


    Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s a crate full of rotten eggs,¡± Jason said, ¡°which explains why she wants him gone. Having a corrupt Magic Society makes cleaning up the Adventure Society all the harder, but what¡¯s Lamprey¡¯s connection with this thief?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fixated on her. He¡¯s the kind of man who sees being told no as a challenge to his power, and he¡¯s become obsessed with possessing this thief. She is ostensibly under the protection of Clarissa Ventress, one of my contemporaries, but Ventress has her own well-known obsession; her reputation. As she made it known the girl was under her protection, she couldn''t just hand her over. Instead, she has leveraged the girl into a position where she would fall into Lamprey¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°So he¡¯s a perv,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s why the thief was hitting such insanely dangerous targets. Ventress was pushing her into it, under threat of withdrawing her protection. If she refuses, Ventress can throw her to the wolves, and if she¡¯s caught, Lamprey can throw his weight around with the inevitably corrupt civic justice system.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°That¡¯s my understanding.¡±


    ¡°But Ventress never expected it to take this long to catch her,¡± Jason reasoned. ¡°Meanwhile, Lamprey is climbing the walls while your daughter waits for him to do something stupid she can hang him out to dry with.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I can convince you to let the thief go?¡±


    ¡°And hand you a great big lever on me? No thanks. Besides; if I let her go, then my ability to control how this ends goes with her.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s something you can control?¡±


    ¡°Enough for an outcome that satisfies me, yes.¡±


    ¡°You may be overestimating your limits, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I have a friend who says pushing our limits is how we grow beyond them.¡±


    ¡°Then what now?¡± Dorgan asked.


    ¡°Now I complete the contract. I¡¯m sorry it will interfere with your daughter¡¯s plans, but she should really be thanking me. It had far too many potential failure points.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to ask why the daughter of a crime lord is trying to excise corruption from the Adventure Society?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s obvious,¡± Jason said. ¡°She gets rid of Lamprey and the Magic Society becomes less corrupt because almost anything would be. She moves on to smoothly cleaning up her branch of the Adventure Society. She culminates that time by capping it off with the renegotiation of the city¡¯s service agreement in a couple of years. Cleaning up one of the Adventure Society¡¯s rotten provincial branches gets her promoted up and out of Greenstone, putting her secrets behind her. That promotion lets her climb the ladder instead of just moving on. Is that more or less it?¡±


    "Yes," Dorgan said darkly. "Mr Asano, let me make something clear. If you do anything to derail my daughter''s ambitions, I will see you dead, consequences bedamned."


    Jason held out his hand for Dorgan to shake.


    ¡°I think we understand each other, Mr Dorgan. Sharing your daughter¡¯s secret is worthless to me. Only keeping it has value.¡±


    Dorgan shook Jason¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Do let me show you to the door, Mr Asano.¡±

 Chapter 105: You Aren’t in Control of What Happens Next

    Sophie woke up. Unfamiliar ceiling, something around her neck. She moved and there was a clink of chains as she realised her wrists and feet were manacled. Her body was under a soft, thin sheet. Memories came rushing back as her head cleared. The chase. Getting clear, only to feel the poison eating into her. Fighting a body desperate to close its eyes, knowing they wouldn¡¯t open again. Pushing past her limits to reach the clinic and stumble in through the back. Falling onto the rack of glassware as she finally succumbed.


    Sitting up was awkward in the manacles, her leg irons connected to her wrist irons by a length of chain. Her eyes were crusty and blurred. She probed the thing around her neck with her fingers. A thick metal band, padded just enough to not dig into her neck, but not enough to be comfortable. It felt enervating to the touch, as if it was draining her, somehow.


    ¡°Power suppression collar,¡± a male voice said. It was casual and friendly, which seemed sinister in the circumstances. She rubbed the accumulated gunk from her eyes and looked around.


    She was in a white, tiled room on a padded table. There was a man in a chair in the corner, observing her from over an open book. It was that friend of Jory¡¯s, whose name she didn¡¯t remember. He used a bookmark to keep the page and shoved the book into the air, where it vanished. Dimensional storage space. She had heard he was an adventurer.


    ¡°Good morning,¡± he said. ¡°Sorry about the manacles, but you¡¯re very good at running. It was your friend who changed your clothes and cleaned you up while you were asleep. If she left any sharp implements on your person, I¡¯d appreciate not being stabbed.¡±


    ¡°Belinda¡¯s here?¡± she croaked. Her mouth was gluggy.


    ¡°She¡¯s upstairs,¡± he said. He stood up and walked over to her, plucking a glass out of thin air to offer it to her.


    ¡°Juice,¡± he told her as she eyed the glass warily. ¡°If I wanted to dose you with something, I had all the time in the world.¡±


    She took the glass and sipped. The juice was icy cold, sweet and delicious. She gulped down the rest and he took the glass from her hand. There was a sink in the room where he walked over and started washing out the glass.


    ¡°The others wanted her to be the one here when you woke up,¡± he said with his back to her, ¡°but I need you to understand that you aren¡¯t in control of what happens next.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Darkness started rising off him like shadowy flames, engulfing him. It was like a void, with stars twinkling in the depths. She hadn¡¯t taken a good look during his pursuit and their brief fight. It was beautiful but also gave a sense of hidden dangers. It was odd to see on a man doing the washing up.


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± he introduced himself, and the darkness vanished again. He dried the glass with a cloth and returned it to his storage space before retaking his seat across the room.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realise who you were until the mask came off,¡± he said, ¡°which is how I knew you¡¯d come here. If you lived that long. You were already recovered when I arrived but quite thoroughly unconscious. Apparently, when you get healed up from comprehensive injury, it takes a while to sleep it off."


    ¡°How did you catch Belinda?¡±


    ¡°Like you, I wasn¡¯t working alone. My friend, Clive, tracked her from the staging point you two set up.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not easy to track.¡±


    ¡°Also like you, I¡¯m the fast one, while my partner is the one with the know-how. I have some good news for you, though. We caught your friend out of thoroughness, not knowing who you were, but the Adventure Society contract stipulates catching a thief, not thieves. We¡¯re going to let her go.¡±


    ¡°But not me.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± He said. ¡°You, we¡¯re turning in. We, that¡¯s me, my partner and Jory, have been discussing what to do next. We need you to convince your friend Belinda not to try something reckless to get you out of this. That ship has sailed and now the only way out is through.¡±


    ¡°So, what now?¡± she asked.


    ¡°My friend, Clive, figured out that your goal was to hit the city¡¯s spirit coin vault. He even thinks you had a chance at succeeding, which is impressive. Not a good chance, but still. I assume the point of your foolhardy scheme was to net you enough money to buy your way out from under Clarissa Ventress.¡±


    ¡°What do you know about it?¡±


    ¡°I know she put you up to these robberies. And I know why, which your friend tells me you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Island politics,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said, ¡°but it didn¡¯t start that way. Do you know who Lucian Lamprey is?¡±


    ¡°Some kind of Island big-shot,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Likes to spend his time at the fighting pits.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± He said. ¡°Your friend told me a little about your issues with Cole Silva, another member of the Big Three. You play dangerous games.¡±


    Sophie frowned.


    ¡°Sometimes, all your options are bad. It sounds like my friend has done a lot of talking.¡±


    ¡°You and I fought two days ago,¡± he told her. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep a long time, which gave me time to do some digging around.¡±


    ¡°Two days?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then people already know we¡¯re here. Ventress, Silva.¡±


    ¡°Dorgan too,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Big Three trifecta.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s Dorgan¡¯s interest?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to that. With all the eyes on you, right now, it would be best if your friend occupies Jory¡¯s guest room for a while. Between his affiliations and his recent acknowledgement by the Healer, no one will try anything. Not so long as she stays here.¡±


    ¡°You brought up Silva,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Why? Ventress didn¡¯t send us to provoke the Island over him. Too big a risk.¡±


    "No," he said. "My understanding is that Silva has a very strong interest in you. Can you tell me about that?¡±


    She looked at Asano, lounging casually in the chair, not knowing what to make of him. She didn''t recognise where he was from, ethnically speaking. His skin was lighter than the local humans and much lighter than hers. His features were a little too sharp to be handsome, but his short hair had an appealingly silky lustre.


    He waited patiently for her to respond as if he didn¡¯t have a care in the world, which she was confident wasn¡¯t the case. This had to be a big deal for him. He might seem casual and in control, but he wanted something from this conversation, leading her to his objective like a heidel to water. She decided to let him, for now. If she knew what he was after she might find some leverage, or at least learn some things along the way.


    ¡°Silva and I kind of grew up together,¡± she told him. ¡°My father worked for his. He wanted what all young men want, but I very much didn¡¯t. His father indulged him too much, which had turned him into a little dictator.¡±


    ¡°I know the type,¡± he said. ¡°Insecure about their power, they become fixated on obtaining or destroying anything that challenges it.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. He wasn¡¯t used to hearing no, but his father protected me.¡±


    ¡°Until his father died.¡±


    ¡°That was when we sought-out Ventress for protection. It was fine, at first. Then she had me fighting in the pits to provoke Silva into doing something stupid. I could live with that. Then came this. Stealing from the wealthy and powerful. You said you knew why.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s interesting,¡± he told her. ¡°The story you just told me has been playing out again, but with bigger stakes. The reason I asked about Lucian Lamprey is that he was the one that prompted Ventress to send you off, thieving. Like Silva, Lamprey took an interest in you, but Ventress had promised to protect you.¡±


    ¡°Reputation means everything to her,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why she sent you off on jobs that would get you caught. Once you were in the system and out of her reach, Lamprey could swoop in using his own influence to get his hands on you. The problem is, Lamprey turned out to be very much of a type with Silva. He isn¡¯t used to being told no, and you became the symbol of his denial. As time moved on, his inability to have you became an obsession, leading him to increasingly pressure Ventress. You seem to attract a certain kind of man, unfortunately.¡±


    ¡°We were in hiding from Ventress. She was quietly trying to find us, even while publicly, we were under her protection. Even her reputation won¡¯t matter if someone that powerful is bearing down on her. But what you said about the story repeating itself; someone wants to provoke Lamprey, the way Ventress was provoking Silva?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you that.¡±


    Sophie fell silent as she thought it over.


    ¡°Dorgan,¡± she concluded. ¡°That wasn¡¯t the first time someone has interfered to help me get away. Those people who attacked you at the docks had to be his. Ventress or Silva''s people would have gone for me, not you. That was because they wanted me to not get caught, so Lamprey would keep stressing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Whoever it was had to know who we are, and what we were doing. Someone from the Island using Dorgan¡¯s people as a cut-out, to keep their hands clean.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So all that we did. Our plan. We were just dancing in the hand of some rich prick on the Island."


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But you messed that up. And now I¡¯m going exactly where Lamprey and Ventress wanted from the start.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± he said.


    ¡°Are you joking? You think I don¡¯t know how this goes? I¡¯m sentenced to indenture, except instead of getting auctioned off, the court makes a deal to hand me over to an upstanding member of the community.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where I intervene,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t stop the indenture, but I¡¯ve recently been reading the agreement between the city and the Adventure Society. One of the rules tucked away in the small print is that anyone who completes the contract gets right of refusal on anyone sentenced to indenture as a result of that contract.¡±


    ¡°So I end up in your hands, instead of Lamprey¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How do I know that¡¯s any better?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t. I could be making all this up to manipulate you into quietly capitulating to my arrangements.¡±


    She stared at him and he gave her a friendly smile in return. They sat in silence while she thought things over.


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked, finally.


    ¡°Why what?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Why take my indenture. Won¡¯t that pit you against Lamprey?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You work for the person who wants to provoke him, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°If that were the case, I wouldn¡¯t have caught you at all.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but there could be plenty of reasons. Those people they sent to interfere, they didn¡¯t seem to stop you. That might just be cover. They were afraid mine and Belinda¡¯s plan might actually work, or maybe that we¡¯d get caught carrying it out. So they send you to catch me and still keep me out of Lamprey¡¯s hands.¡±


    He smiled.


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± he said, ¡°assuming that anything I¡¯ve told you is true. Lamprey may not be involved at all. There may be no mysterious figure from the Island, masterminding events. We may not have your friend upstairs and this might not even be Jory¡¯s clinic. Have you been inside since the renovations? This could all be a game I¡¯m playing. The man with lascivious intentions could be me.¡±


    ¡°Then why bother with all his?¡±


    "Who knows? Maybe I need you to go along with my plot due to some nuance of local laws that would put you in my power. Maybe I¡¯m just a twisted maniac who likes to play with his food. I told you in the beginning that you aren¡¯t in control of what happens next.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think you¡¯re twisted, whatever the truth is,¡± she told him. He chuckled.


    "Quite probably," he said, and stood up. "I''ll go get your friend. You can talk things over."


    He opened the door and left, then it opened again immediately and he stuck his head back in.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t try to break out.¡±

 Chapter 106: Something Shady

    Jory¡¯s kitchen table was covered in magical diagrams, with Belinda taking Clive through how they worked.


    ¡°Obviously, the lock is impervious to ordinary intrusion,¡± she explained. ¡°I re-sequenced the magical bursts into an irregular pattern. It doesn¡¯t throw-off any individual element, but¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­it accumulates small errors that cause the whole thing to break down,¡± Clive finished. ¡°That brilliant. How did you come up with that?¡±


    ¡°I was working on something a while back. I was stuck using low-quality sequencing rods and I didn¡¯t realise what was happening until the misalignment crashed the whole rig. I came up with this while troubleshooting.¡±


    ¡°Brilliant,¡± Clive said. ¡°Adversity driving innovation.¡±


    Jory¡¯s assistant, Janice, knocked I the door as she came in.


    ¡°Mr Asano says she¡¯s awake. You can go and see your friend now.¡±


    They all went back downstairs, Janice heading back to reception while Clive and Belinda went to the treatment room where Sophie was locked up. Jason was outside, leaning against the wall. He was watching an image being projected onto the opposite wall by a small crystal.


    ¡°How is she?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s trying to pick the lock right now,¡± Jason said, ¡°so I¡¯m guessing fine.¡±


    The gestured at the wall opposite and they saw Sophie, from above and behind, hunched over the door lock. The three of them stood looking at the door as five runes lit up around the doorknob.


    ¡°Five-element lock,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Not bad for an internal door.¡±


    ¡°Jory keeps some expensive supplies in these rooms,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t steal them,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don''t think she''d do that,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°No, I would,¡± Belinda told him.


    The runes on the door moved until they formed a straight line and the lock clicked. The door opened just enough for Sophie to look out.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I ask you specifically not to do that?¡± Jason asked her.


    Sophie groaned in dissatisfaction, but Belinda threw the door wide to ensnare her friend in a huge hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad you¡¯re alright.¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    Jason gestured at the room Sophie had just broken out of.


    ¡°You can talk in there,¡± he said. ¡°Clive, can you do something to the door to stop them opening it up again?¡±


    ¡°To stop her,¡± he said, nodding at Sophie, ¡°probably.¡±


    Then he gestured at Belinda.


    ¡°To stop her, probably not.¡±


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°Just go in and talk,¡± Jason said.


    Belinda gently pushed Sophie back into the room, closing the door behind them. She looked around until she spotted the far-seeing crystal Jason had been using to watch the room, floating unobtrusively near the ceiling. She stood up on a chair to take it down and shove it in a drawer.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°He was watching you.¡±


    ¡°What a creeper.¡±


    ¡°You did try and break out.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t try; I did break out.¡±


    ¡°How are you?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°I feel alright,¡± Sophie said. ¡°A bit withered on the vine. Has it really been days?¡±


    ¡°It has.¡±


    Sophie sat down on the chair, shuffling to find a posture where the manacles didn¡¯t bother her too much. Belinda hopped up to sit on the treatment table.


    ¡°So,¡± Sophie said. ¡°What did they tell you?¡±


    ¡°Ventress, Magic Society guy, indenture.¡±


    ¡°The same for me. What are they after?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. According to Asano, he only came after us because someone asked him to. People at the Adventure Society were getting pressured over how long it was taking to catch us.¡±


    ¡°Do you believe him?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. He seems to be in charge, or at least, the others are taking cues from him. He¡¯s hard to read, but his partner, not so much.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one that caught you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. He''s all book smarts; more interested in how we did the jobs than the fact that we did them. I''ve been playing along for a couple of days, taking him through stuff as I tease out information. I think Asano knows I''m doing it, but hasn¡¯t let the guy know for some reason. Which means he''s either on the level or is playing a game his partner doesn''t know about.¡±


    ¡°Could be either,¡± Sophie said. ¡°When I was talking to him, he knew I wouldn¡¯t trust him, so he cranked up the shadiness until I didn¡¯t know what to think.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the move?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any good angles,¡± Sophie said. ¡°The deal with Ventress is burned, so even if we get away from these people, the streets aren¡¯t safe. We could try the plan to leave the city, but we¡¯d have not much more than food and a map.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Going along with this guy¡¯s plan puts us right into his hands. No way out if he¡¯s playing us or any of a dozen other things go wrong.¡±


    ¡°Did they tell you they would let you go?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Yeah. They said I should stay here, where Ventress and Silva wouldn¡¯t dare come for me.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think the one I¡¯m worried about is you, Soph.¡±


    Sophie sighed.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been running further into the fire for a while now, to escape being cooked,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It could be that all we have left is to choose who bakes us, if we can choose even that much.¡±


    Belinda nodded.


    ¡°I think maybe we take a risk with this guy. Jory and Janice have known him for months. The whole time he¡¯s apparently been coming in and healing people for free.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like he¡¯s running some kind of scam.¡±


    ¡°I know. But Jory sees him as a friend, as does that partner of his, Clive. I know Jory¡¯s alright, and I like Clive. He¡¯s refreshingly straightforward.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a lot to bet the future on.¡±


    Belinda hopped down off the table and walked over to Sophie, giving her a reassuring squeeze on the shoulder.


    ¡°You know why I like Jory? Most people I¡¯ve met, us included, are out for themselves. Those that don¡¯t have are trying to get. Those that have are trying to get more. Jory could have set up shop on the Island, selling his alchemy to rich folks, but he didn''t. He came here, and he helps people.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t be doing too badly,¡± Sophie said. ¡°The money to rebuild it all came from somewhere.¡±


    ¡°It came from Asano,¡± Belinda said. ¡°At least according to Janice. Asano just gave Jory the money. No loan, no questions asked.¡±


    ¡°Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°I think, and I¡¯m just guessing here, that Asano looks at Jory the way I do.¡±


    ¡°With girlish affection?¡±


    ¡°Shut up. I think he sees someone who helps people. Even the god of healing sees him like that, so why not this guy? And if his response to that is to give Jory money to do it more, how bad can he be?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of ifs and guesses,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°If you have anything more to work off, this is the time for sharing.¡±


    Sophie ran her hands over her face.


    ¡°It¡¯s not much to put myself in the hands of a stranger over.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re already in his hands,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It¡¯s just a matter of how much we struggle.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡±


    ¡°I think we go along for now,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Those tracking bracelets they give to indentures can¡¯t be that hard to beat. But I won¡¯t be the one wearing it, so you decide what we¡¯re going to do. I¡¯ll back you, whatever it is.¡±


    ¡°Enter,¡± Arella¡¯s voice came through the door and Jason showed himself into her office. Jason was a little surprised to find the deputy director also present, sitting behind her own desk.


    ¡°You met my father, then,¡± Arella said as soon as Jason closed the door. He glanced at the deputy director before turning his gaze back to Arella.


    ¡°I did,¡± he said. ¡°I like him. He seems to care about you a great deal.¡±


    ¡°What is it you want in return for silence?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a blackmailer, Director. I would like to avoid any bureaucratic roadblocks in securing the indenture of the thief, but since that will aggravate Lucian Lamprey, that¡¯s exactly what you want. And you owe me that much.¡±


    ¡°I owe you?¡±


    ¡°You sent people to interfere with my completion of a contract you posted. That¡¯s unprofessional.¡±


    Arella reluctantly nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll acknowledge the point,¡± she said. ¡°Who told you about that clause in the service agreement?¡±


    ¡°I found it myself.¡±


    ¡°You read it?¡± Genevieve asked. It was the first time the elderly deputy director had entered the conversation.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°Nobody reads it.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± Jason said. ¡°You should see legal documents where I come from.¡±


    ¡°You know placing yourself between Lucian Lamprey and his objective may not be the safest position,¡± Arella said, pulling the conversation back on track. Jason turned to look at her.


    ¡°If I don¡¯t, who will?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Does it really matter?¡±


    ¡°I put this woman in a situation where Lamprey can potentially get his claws into her. That makes it my responsibility to see that he doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Your responsibility?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You realise people are placed in horrifying situations every day?¡± she asked.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t my responsibility. Not until I have the power to really change things.¡±


    ¡°And when you do, what makes you think you know best?¡±


    ¡°Some things are just obviously wrong, whatever world you come from.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re going to come here and tell us right from wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to excuse away doing nothing,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s our tradition, our culture, our values. That does not make it acceptable to hand someone over to a predator.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re na?ve,¡± Arella said. ¡°It¡¯s easy to do more harm than good, bumbling around with no idea of the realities.¡±


    ¡°I''ve seen the realities, Director. I covered up crimes by a man who tried to have me killed. I did that because the only people who would be hurt if I tried to do something about it would be the victims. Yet this woman I just had locked up in the tower has been hunted for months. Why? For taking things that didn¡¯t belong to her? That¡¯s the easy excuse that lets a pervert with power claw after her. Thadwick Mercer tried to have me murdered and the best I can hope for is that his Mum tells him off. Every time I kill people in job lots, I get a promotion. But gods forbid a poor person take a rich person¡¯s stuff. That¡¯s pretext enough to hand them over to whatever filthy lech has the power to demand it. This whole thing was over hunting down the victims and you¡¯re going to tell me I don¡¯t know right from wrong?¡±


    ¡°Are you quite done, Mr Asano?¡±


    Jason let out a tension-relieving sigh.


    ¡°You did ask,¡± he said.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re done here. You can have your thief, Mr Asano. The agreement with the city is quite clear on this point, and I will see it is enforced. Try not to make more trouble than you have to.¡±


    The Adventure Society holding facility was a stone tower. Not the usual Greenstone, but a dark grey. It saw little use and had little capacity, which is why the Ustei had been penned up in the marshalling yard. Only the Ustei leadership had been held there. An adventurer entered, shoving two surly men in manacles ahead of him. Inside the only door was a small administrative area, where an Adventure Society functionary sat behind protective glass.


    ¡°I need to put these two in lockup,¡± the adventurer told Albert, the man behind the glass.


    Albert regularly worked the jobs hall a lot and had an eye for faces, but he didn¡¯t recognise this adventurer. That had been happening a lot lately. With so many people on the expedition, the director had been pressing the more nominal members of the Society into service. This adventurer looked more rough and tumble than the usual noble fop, though.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to see a copy of the contract they were taken under,¡± Albert told him.


    ¡°No contract,¡± the adventurer said. ¡°These two idiots tried to mug the wrong guy.¡±


    ¡°If it isn¡¯t contract related,¡± Albert said, ¡°then we can¡¯t keep them here. Take them to the courthouse gaol.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got stuff to do. Just let me stash them here and we can sort the rest out later.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a hostel,¡± Albert said. ¡°We¡¯re not taking them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d rather I let two hardened criminals loose right here?¡±


    ¡°If you like,¡± Albert said. ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of the Adventure Society. If they have half a mind, they¡¯ll run like there¡¯s a fire behind them.¡±


    The adventurer threw Albert a sneer, but dragged the two men away. Around an hour later he was back. Along with his two prisoners, he had brought Guy Spalding, the Adventure Society official that was Albert¡¯s supervisor.


    ¡°Bertinelli,¡± Spalding scolded Albert. ¡°This adventurer¡¯s prisoners need to be taken upstairs.¡±


    ¡°Sir, he didn¡¯t have a contract.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Spalding said. ¡°Have them sent up, right now.¡±


    Albert frowned.


    ¡°If you insist, sir, but I¡¯ll need to process them first.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with that; just send them up. On my authority.¡±


    ¡°With respect, sir, you have the authority to tell me to do my job. You do not have the authority to tell me not to.¡±


    ¡°What? If you know what¡¯s good for you, you¡¯ll do as I say.¡±


    ¡°With respect, sir, I strongly suspect what¡¯s good for me is not factoring heavily into your reasoning.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to do it, or not?¡±


    ¡°No, sir, I¡¯m not. It¡¯s quite obvious something shady is happening and I suggest you give it up before you do something that comes back on you.¡±


    Spalding glared at Albert through the glass, then turned on the adventurer who had brought him there.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Spalding barked.


    ¡°You¡¯re joking,¡± the adventurer said to Spalding.


    ¡°I said let¡¯s go!¡±


    Shaking his head, the adventurer followed reluctantly. Outside, the adventurer turned on Spalding.


    ¡°What the hell was that? I did what you said and you messed it up twice. Now there¡¯s no way to get to the girl quietly.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk at me like I¡¯m another one of Silva¡¯s lackeys,¡± Spalding warned.


    ¡°A man who gambles as hard and as badly as you,¡± the adventurer said, ¡°should be concerned when he can¡¯t keep his promises.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t threaten me,¡± Spalding said. ¡°Look where you are.¡±


    ¡°And how would it go for you if your new director found out how deep in you are? The world¡¯s changing, Spalding. Being on the take isn¡¯t as easy as it used to be. You have to know what you¡¯re doing, these days, and you¡¯ve had it too easy for too long. Silva isn¡¯t his father, willing to indulge your whims. You need to show us you can adapt to the times, or things are going to get very nasty for you.¡±

 Chapter 107: All The Good People We Can Get

    The expedition was going Island by Island, searching for traces of what was disrupting the astral space. They made their first discovery on the third island; a five-sided column, about as tall as a person and covered in magical engravings. One of the adventurers, who was also a member of the Magic Society, was examining it while Danielle Geller hovered nearby.


    ¡°Well?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°Definitely some kind of astral magic,¡± the man said. ¡°We could have used Landemere Vane, if someone hadn¡¯t gone and killed him. He was a dab hand at this kind of thing. Even Clive Standish would have been a good pick. He¡¯s only iron rank, but he knows his astral magic.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t pick the expedition members,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Complaining about what we don¡¯t have isn¡¯t productive, in any case. What can you tell me?¡±


    ¡°Not much,¡± the man said. ¡°It¡¯s a relay for a larger effect. Some kind of astral magic on a very large scale but I¡¯d need to find a central node to get more. Even then, this isn¡¯t like anything I¡¯ve seen. We need an astral magic specialist.¡±


    Danielle scowled. The makeup of the expedition was an absolute mess. Every prominent family in Greenstone wanted to go along and Elspeth Arella had accepted them all. It was too many people with too little ability, to the point Danielle had wanted to pull out her family¡¯s participation entirely. She couldn¡¯t convince enough of the family leadership for that, so she ended up agreeing. When things went inevitably wrong, she could at least mitigate the damage if she was present. She did lodge a formal protest over Elspeth Arella¡¯s head, however, directly with the Adventure Society¡¯s Continental Council.


    ¡°Large scale,¡± she said unhappily. ¡°Large enough to disrupt a massive, desert-spanning astral space?¡±


    ¡°I would say exactly large enough. If we can find some more of these, I might be able to pinpoint a central node. That might lead us to whoever set all this up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I like to hear,¡± Danielle said, patting the man on the shoulder. ¡°Good work.¡±


    Jason and Vincent rushed through the Adventure Society campus toward the prison tower. With them were Jory and Belinda, who had hurried from Jory¡¯s clinic after Jason sent an anxious message through his voice chat power. The four of them were walking swiftly, not breaking into a run only to avoid attention.


    ¡°I¡¯m an idiot,¡± Jason said as they marched. ¡°I was so impressed with myself. Pure hubris. I stupidly forgot that the most fundamental aspect of corruption is working around the rules, not within them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why the director is doing this,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°She has a number of compelling reasons. Leverage on the Duke, to start with. If one of his judges makes a shady ruling regarding the service agreement between the city and the Society, the director gets another arrow in her quiver. Then there¡¯s Lucian Lamprey. I bet he was willing to cough up some reforms he couldn¡¯t care less about in return for the director going along with it.¡±


    ¡°But getting rid of corruption is her whole agenda,¡± Vincent said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand her turning around and using it herself.¡±


    ¡°I warned you this had the stink of politics,¡± Jason said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t actually care about eliminating corruption. Cleaning up this branch is just her ticket into the upper ranks of the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°You were right,¡± Vincent said. ¡°We just ended up pieces in someone else¡¯s game. You only got involved because I asked you.¡±


    ¡°You were coming from a decent place, unlike Elspeth Arella. We need to look forward; there¡¯s no point fretting over what¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still unclear on what¡¯s happening,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Jory just said we had to go and brought me here.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t explain it to me, either,¡± Jory said.


    They spotted the tower. It would have been faster to cut straight across the grass, but Jason steered them onto the more meandering walkway.


    ¡°Stick to the paths,¡± Jason said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to draw Arella¡¯s attention.¡±


    ¡°She can tell if people are walking on the grass?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°No, but rushing across the grass to the prison tower is something people might pay attention to. The longer before Arella finds out what we¡¯re up to, the better.¡±


    ¡°What are we up to?¡± Jory asked. ¡°You said we had to hurry a lot, but never actually said.¡±


    ¡°Sophie¡¯s sentence-dispensation hearing is today,¡± Vincent said. ¡°She¡¯s already been sentenced to indenture, and today is when that indenture gets assigned.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was being assigned to you,¡± Belinda said to Jason.


    ¡°The rules are very clear on that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Unfortunately, rules only matter so long as they matter to the powerful.¡±


    ¡°I could have told you that,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Lucian Lamprey has a legal advocate who will move that because the contract was an open one, the clause in the service agreement with the city doesn¡¯t apply,¡± Vincent explained.


    ¡°Is that how it works?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°Not even a little,¡± Jason said. ¡°The argument is worthless.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the issue?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s where I come in,¡± Vincent said. ¡°The Adventure Society director is powerful, but she rose up very quickly and doesn¡¯t know all the old networks. The Adventure Society¡¯s legal advocate she ordered not to contest Lamprey¡¯s court argument gave me a heads-up. The magistrate had also been handled, but that¡¯s nothing new. I just don¡¯t understand why Arella is working with Lamprey when she¡¯s been trying to get rid of him.¡±


    ¡°Ousting Lamprey was always a means to an end,¡± Jason said. ¡°If she can get him to fall into line, that serves her just as well. The sham court ruling is just gravy.¡±


    ¡°Is the court ruling that bad for the Duke?¡± Jory asked. ¡°Can¡¯t he just point out that the Adventure Society didn¡¯t fight it?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a hundred ways around that,¡± Vincent said. ¡°Arella could claim the Adventure Society didn¡¯t see the point of challenging over a minor case. She could throw the advocate under the wagon, claim incompetence or corruption.¡±


    ¡°She could have him killed off and claim no one knows what his motivations were,¡± Jason added.


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t go that far, would she?¡± Vincent asked.


    ¡°Her father is one of the Big Three,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯d have her dad do it.¡±


    ¡°Dorgan?¡± Belinda said. ¡°He¡¯s the father of the Adventure Society¡¯s director?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been keeping it under her hat, for obvious reasons,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Should you even be telling us this?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°She lost discretion privileges when she lied to my face,¡± Jason said. ¡°She told me she would help, then stabbed me in the back as I was congratulating myself over being such a political genius.¡±


    They reached the prison tower, Jory and Belinda waiting outside while Jason and Vincent went in.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Albert said. ¡°Come to check on your prisoner?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve come to check her out of prison, Bert,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Since it was an open contract,¡± Albert said, ¡°there¡¯s a little extra paperwork. I can release her into the custody of the contracted agent, but with an open contract, you only count as the contracted agent if you¡¯re the one that closed it. I¡¯ll need the documentation that confirms your status.¡±


    Vincent took a folder from his leather satchel, taking out a short stack of documents. He put them down in front of the security screen, pushing them under the narrow slot at the base.


    ¡°Copy of contract,¡± Albert checked off, leafing through the documents. ¡°Confirmation of contract closure, registration of contract closure. Please hold your badge up against the security screen, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said, taking his badge out and pushing it against the glass window between himself and Albert. Albert pressed one of the documents against the other side of the glass and it pulsed briefly with a yellow light.


    ¡°All in order,¡± Albert continued and turned back to the papers Vincent had given him. ¡°Finally, order of release into custody of contracted agent. Which is now officially you, Mr Asano.¡±


    Albert stamped the various forms.


    ¡°I can hand her over to you, then, sir.¡±


    ¡°Quickly would be ideal,¡± Bert,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I will have to fit her with a tracking bracelet,¡± Albert said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want people just running off. Especially a pretty girl like that, sir. You could see how she might turn a man¡¯s head. Get him to let her loose against his better judgement.¡±


    ¡°Perish the thought,¡± Jason said. ¡°Fast as you can would be really appreciated.¡±


    It was only a few minutes later that Albert, accompanied by an iron-rank guard, brought out Sophie. Around her wrist was a simple metal hoop.


    Jason took out a bottle of the Norwich Distillery¡¯s finest, handing it over to Albert.


    ¡°By way of apology,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What for?¡± Albert asked.


    ¡°For what¡¯s going to happen later.¡±


    ¡°Well?¡± Danielle asked as Thalia entered the command tent.


    ¡°Still nothing,¡± Thalia said. ¡°That¡¯s two hours overdue.¡±


    ¡°Then our scouting team is likely either captured or dead, and we still have no idea who by. How is camp readiness?¡±


    ¡°Still on alert but this is a large and undisciplined group. Too many people used to being captain and not enough willing to be crew. They¡¯ve been on full alert since the team was due back and trying to keep them focused for hours at a time is making them inattentive and rebellious.¡±


    ¡°Damn Arella for handing me all this dross,¡± Danielle said. ¡°All our good people are wasted keeping an eye on the bad ones. With half the number we¡¯d be twice as effective.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too used to only dealing with Gellers,¡± Thalia said. ¡°You know better than to complain about what you want instead of dealing with what you have.¡±


    Danielle flashed her a tired smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re right. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do? We have a missing scout team and fractious troops.¡±


    ¡°We give them focus,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Get ready to mobilise in full force; we¡¯re going to find out what happened to our people.¡±


    ¡°Heading into unknown territory, potentially against an unknown enemy?¡±


    ¡°Better than waiting for them to come to us. At least it gives us the initiative.¡±


    Suddenly there was an explosion in the camp, followed by yells and screams. Danielle and Thalia went outside to see some kind of automaton army storming the camp. The enemies were not flesh and blood but built of from wood, steel and stone. The majority were the size and shape as people, but there were towering golems standing two or three times the height of a person, and even stranger constructions. There was a huge, steel spider on, which a figure with robes could be seen. Other robed figures rode similarly outlandish creations, but there were only around a dozen robed figures in total, all at the rear of the enemy forces.


    The pair were nonplussed for only a moment before they started loudly barking orders.


    ¡°The girl¡¯s tracking bracelet?¡± Arella asked.


    ¡°Not showing up,¡± the deputy director, Genevieve, said. ¡°The last location shown was in front of the cloud palace.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s hiding her with Emir Bahadir,¡± Arella mused. ¡°No surprise the tracker won¡¯t work in there. How strong is that tie?¡±


    ¡°Asano with Bahadir? Superficial, from what I¡¯ve been able to gather. The connection is Rufus Remore.¡±


    ¡°Can Bahadir be convinced to hand her over?¡±


    ¡°Unlikely. My read is that Bahadir will keep showing Asano courtesy at least until Remore gets back and he can make another assessment. It might be different if we had something to offer but that¡¯s unlikely. For a gold-ranker in this city, wanting and having are the same thing.¡±


    Arella tilted her head, her aura senses picking something up.


    ¡°Trenslow is in the elevator. He may storm out, so go out the side door and be waiting for him when he leaves.¡±


    Genevieve nodded, taking the second door into the conference room instead of straight back out to the hall.


    Vincent arrived outside the director¡¯s office, taking a steeling breath.


    ¡°About time, Trenslow,¡± Arella¡¯s voice rang displeasure through the door. ¡°Get in here.¡±


    ¡°Madam Director,¡± Vincent said as he entered. She was seated behind her desk.


    ¡°Where were you, Trenslow?¡± she demanded. ¡°Did you stop to wax your moustache.¡±


    He had, in fact, done exactly that. The long, familiar process calmed him, and he felt better equipped to face the world with it in best condition.


    Arella didn¡¯t wait for an answer, waving a piece of paper at him.


    ¡°Would you care to explain why I¡¯m holding in my hand an order placing a prisoner into the personal custody of Jason Asano, issued by you?¡±


    ¡°You will find that all rules and procedures were followed, Madam Director.¡±


    Vincent was putting on a better show of steadfastness than he thought he would manage, but had no illusions the director didn¡¯t see through it. Arella took a breath and sat back in her chair.


    ¡°I had thought you were my man, Vincent,¡± she said softly. ¡°I thought you agreed with what I was doing.¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Vincent said. ¡°But then you started cutting corners; hurting the people who wanted to help you. I couldn¡¯t understand why, but I was willing to be patient. Now you¡¯ve shown yourself to be everything you claimed to be fighting against. Selling a woman to someone like Lucian Lamprey? Don¡¯t even try and tell me you don¡¯t know what fate awaits her in his hands. With a father like yours, there¡¯s no pleading ignorance.¡±


    ¡°Asano told you,¡± Arella said. ¡°I wondered if he would.¡±


    ¡°He said it won¡¯t really hurt you. The things you¡¯ve done will outshine where you came from. He even thought that you chose eradicating corruption as your project for advancement because it plays to the story of rising above your criminal origins.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not unintelligent, although far from as smart as he thinks. Where is he now, Vincent?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. He said he wasn¡¯t going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Of course he did; he¡¯s arrogant and reckless. Running around, believing himself some master manipulator. If it weren¡¯t for people not wanting to anger Rufus Remore and Danielle Geller, he would have been put in the ground months ago. He stood, right where you are, and told me how things were going to go. It never even entered his head that he was being played. You know I¡¯m going to take his membership if he doesn¡¯t produce the girl. I hope you told him that.¡±


    ¡°I guess Lamprey won¡¯t keep his end of the deal unless he gets her,¡± Vincent accused.


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for your perspective on my affairs, Vincent. You no longer work here. Genevieve is waiting outside to take your official¡¯s pin and other accoutrements.¡±


    Vincent knew it was coming before he set foot in the building, but it didn¡¯t lessen the sting. Without bothering to respond, he turned and walked over to the door.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you to leave,¡± she told him. He opened the door and paused, without looking back.


    ¡°You just gave up the right to tell me a damn thing,¡± he said. ¡°I thought you were different. That you had integrity. Just so you know, I don¡¯t care who your father is. You¡¯re worth hating all on your own.¡±


    He closed the boor behind him to find the deputy director waiting in the hall as promised. Vincent had always liked the elderly elf. She was stern but fair in her dealings, at least the one¡¯s he was privy to. It saddened him to know she was aware of the director¡¯s activities.


    He was taking off his Adventure Society pin and handing it over when a flustered functionary came stumbling out of the elevator and rushed down the hall.


    ¡°Deputy director!¡± the winded woman greeted. ¡°Something¡¯s happening with the expedition!¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°The tracking stones connected to their badges. They¡¯re marking people as dying. A lot of iron-rankers, but also bronze and even a silver.¡±


    Genevieve frowned as she considered briefly, then threw open the door to the director¡¯s office.


    ¡°Inside,¡± Genevieve commanded and the functionary scuttled in. She looked at Vincent and pressed the pin back into his hand.


    ¡°Why?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It sounds like we¡¯ll need all the good people we can get.¡±

 Chapter 108: You Don’t Have the Strength

    Emir Bahadir¡¯s cloud palace was a sprawling, monstrous edifice. Floating just offshore on the north side of the Island, it was fully exposed to the waves and currents, yet remained as immovable as solid ground. The entire structure was made from cloud, dyed in colours of blue, purple, orange and gold. Laid out in multiple wings and towers, it was a fairy tale brought to life.


    Just walking on the cloud floors gave a sense of serenity, gentle and floating, yet supportive at the same time. Jason and Emir were strolling down a great, long balcony, looking out over the Adventure Society campus.


    ¡°I can¡¯t thank you enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s no place in the city I can hide her from Elspeth Arella.¡±


    ¡°This is why I like outworlders,¡± Emir said. ¡°You have a knack for drawing a large amount of trouble in a small amount of time. Something to do with not recognising the dangers, perhaps, or simply an unwillingness to waste a second life on caution and worry. It has been my experience that helping an outworlder in their moments of early need pays off handsomely down the road. Ten years from now, I have no doubt that being owed a favour by you, Mr Asano, will be a valuable commodity indeed.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t earned a favour here, Mr Bahadir. You¡¯ve made a friend, and friends don¡¯t count favours. If you need me, I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to see what Rufus was talking about. I am curious as to why you¡¯re throwing away so much for a pair of thieves that, if I¡¯m not mistaken, you hardly know.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really see it as a choice,¡± Jason said.


    Following the balcony to a terrace, they sank into the welcoming embrace of a pair of chairs made of clouds. Jason let out a contented sigh.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll handle going back to regular furniture well.¡±


    Emir chortled.


    ¡°It is easy to become accustomed to the finer things,¡± he said. ¡°We must always remember, though, what we do to get them. You were saying that you didn¡¯t feel you had a choice.¡±


    ¡°I was the one who caught this young woman, which makes her disposition my responsibility.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I agree,¡± Emir said. ¡°She set out on her own path.¡±


    ¡°Yes, because orphans with a debt to a crime lords have so many options in life. If you placed someone in the hands of a filthy degenerate, would you feel that your own hands were clean?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d go so far to protect them, though.¡±


    ¡°A responsibility isn¡¯t just a responsibility so long as it¡¯s convenient,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can live with burning bridges, if the bridges are rotten. If I lose my Society membership, so be it.¡±


    ¡°My understanding is that you did everything according to the rules,¡± Emir said. ¡°Outside of ¡®losing¡¯ the young lady in your custody, of course, but incompetence is not grounds for expulsion. I would expect a demotion, however. Do you have your second star?¡±


    ¡°And a third,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I¡¯m wondering how much of that was to keep me distracted. I imagine I¡¯ll be left with just the one when this is over.¡±


    ¡°I think, perhaps, it is coming on time to put Greenstone behind you, Mr Asano. Has Rufus broached the idea of joining him when he returns to Vitesse?¡±


    ¡°He has,¡± Jason said. ¡°That said, he still has work to do, here.¡±


    ¡°Yes he does. I will be here a little while, and he should be returning with me. Allow me to extend that invitation to you and the young women taking sanctuary here. I believe a new city, far away, is exactly what they need.¡±


    ¡°From what they¡¯ve been willing to tell me, that was very much the plan. Until I intervened. I did have another thought about how to keep Miss Wexler out of Lucian Lamprey¡¯s grasp.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Elspeth Arella can hand Lamprey a thief and no one will care less. If she tried to hand over an adventurer, though¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to make this girl an adventurer?¡±


    ¡°Why not? She a lot more ready for it than I was. She¡¯s probably more ready than I am now. I¡¯ve pooled together money enough that I can afford some low-rarity essences at auction. There¡¯s one in a few days, and hoping the absentees let me get a good price.¡±


    ¡°Finding the essences is not the largest obstacle to that course of action.¡±


    ¡°But it an obstacle. You go through walls one at a time, Mr Bahadir.¡±


    ¡°You mean over walls.¡±


    ¡°I use my words with care, Mr Bahadir.


    Emir laughed.


    ¡°You certainly run full-speed at a problem, Mr Asano. The perspective of youth.¡±


    At a glance, Emir didn¡¯t look to be more than thirty years old. There was an agelessness to him, however, that Jason had seen to a lesser degree in Danielle Geller and Thalia Mercer. Most of Greenstone¡¯s other silver-rankers showed more of their age.


    ¡°I would hold off on that auction,¡± Emir suggested. ¡°With patience, opportunity may find you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said, remembering something. ¡°Farrah told me not to rush to pick up my last awakening stones. I got the impression it was something to do with what sent them here in the first place, but they wouldn¡¯t tell me more. I assume that¡¯s why you¡¯re here as well.¡±


    ¡°Indeed I am. I¡¯ve been looking for something for some time, across seas and continents. It¡¯s what I do. People know that something exists, somewhere, and they pay me to find it. And they pay well. Usually it¡¯s long-time gold or even diamond-rankers. The interests of those who live for centuries are far-reaching, sophisticated and esoteric.¡±


    ¡°You work for diamond rankers?¡±


    ¡°I do. Not many people have met so many as I, let alone be given the chance to perform a service. They pay in more exotic currency that mundane coins.¡±


    ¡°Like castles made out clouds?¡±


    ¡°Exactly like that. You know, Mr Asano, if your attempts to convince people to kill you don¡¯t pan out, I think I can find some work for you, once you rank up once or twice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m willing to wait around for months while you check false leads. Rufus and his team are convinced what you¡¯re looking for is here. Presumably somewhere more intact than that complex out in the swamps.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it was disappointingly empty of content. ¡°Did you happen to take anything?¡±


    ¡°We took some combat dummy parts. My friend wanted to try and reassemble them.¡±


    ¡°Did he?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. So what is this mysterious event you have coming up? Another complex, like I found, but more intact? I imagine going untouched for centuries would mean a good chance at essences and the like, with no one wandering through to nab them. Clive said we were unlucky not to find any in our find.¡±


    ¡°I really shouldn¡¯t say more at this point, but you are very much on the right track. There are some unusual nuances to the exploration that mean I will require local assistance, which should be lucrative for everyone involved. From what I¡¯ve been able to put together, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Tantalising,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re certain I can¡¯t tease more out of you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve said more than I should already. After all, don¡¯t they say the anticipation is better than the meal?¡±


    ¡°Only if all the cooks they know are terrible,¡± Jason said.


    One of Emir¡¯s staff approached them. From Jason¡¯s limited experience, Emir¡¯s people were an eclectic and casual bunch, but that did not extend to his chief of staff, Constance. The silver-ranker was Emir¡¯s right hand, and exuded professionalism each time Jason encountered her.


    ¡°Sir. Elspeth Arella is at the entrance and has asked to see you.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s here personally? Not a messenger?¡±


    ¡°In person, sir, yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right down, then.¡±


    Constance nodded and left, Emir wistfully watching her depart.


    ¡°I¡¯m rather desperately in love with that woman,¡± he said wistfully. ¡°She wants nothing to do with me, of course. She¡¯s seen me at my worst.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s aware of your affections?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s still willing to work for you, which is a good sign. I imagine she would have no problem making her way in the world outside of your employ.¡±


    ¡°Very much so; I have no idea why she stays with me. Except for the pay. And the travel. And the accommodations.¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯d best go see to the branch director,¡± he said. ¡°Care to come along? You haven¡¯t seen her since before you absconded here, have you?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t see the problem with tagging along.¡±


    Sophie and Belinda were in an opulent, two-bedroom guest suite. The entire wall in front of them had turned into mist allowing them to look out over the ocean as they relaxed in plush cloud chairs.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening anymore,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Those cloud beds. I¡¯ve never slept like that in my life. A week ago we were wondering if we¡¯d still be alive right now, and look at this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice,¡± Sophie said, ¡°but what is Asano¡¯s goal? What does he get out of bringing us here?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he really is just trying to help us,¡± Belinda said, drawing a flat look from Sophie.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It sounded stupid as I was saying it.¡±


    Constance was waiting for Emir and Jason at the palace exit that connected to the shore by a cloud path. Emir matched across the walkway with Constance and Jason flanking him. Elspeth Arella was waiting on shore, alone.


    ¡°If your goal is to convince me to disgorge my guests,¡± Emir said without preamble, ¡°then I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re wasting your time.¡±


    ¡°That can wait,¡± Arella said, not sparing Jason so much as a glance. ¡°The expedition your fellow Vitesse adventurers are on. There¡¯s been a problem.¡±


    ¡°What kind of problem?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Less than an hour ago, its members started dying. All we have is their tracking stones, so we don¡¯t know anything else, but we¡¯ve lost a silver ranker, multiple bronze-rankers and a slew of irons. Everyone we could use to send support in time is already on the expedition, so I¡¯m here to ask if you or your people can help.¡±


    Emir frowned unhappily, Jason matching his expression.


    ¡°Constance?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Hester has been to a number of areas in the region. I can see how close she can get us.¡±


    ¡°Do it, and ready the field team,¡± Emir ordered. The usual undertone of casual amusement absent from his voice. Constance immediately marched back toward the palace.


    ¡°I want to be part of this,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the strength,¡± Emir said. ¡°Protecting you would cost us more than having you would help.¡±


    ¡°I know an alchemist with a stockpile of medical supplies and connections with the Healer. We could set up a recovery station outside the astral space while you go in and get them.¡±


    Emir gave Jason an assessing look, then nodded.


    ¡°How fast can you get things together?¡±


    ¡°I can lend him some Adventure Society authority to speed things along,¡± Arella said. ¡°I¡¯ll have your friend Vincent meet you.¡±


    ¡°He still has a job?¡±


    ¡°He does today.¡±


    Chaos reigned as the expedition campsite was attacked. There were very few living people amongst the attackers, all of whom were silver or bronze rank. Their features couldn¡¯t be seen under sandy-coloured robes, not even race. Only their auras gave away their nature as living beings.


    The bulk of the enemy force were construct creatures that varied wildly varying in design. There were creatures like wooden puppets, awkward but numerous. Lumbering, stone golems walked amongst them, as much as two or three times the size of a person. There were strange creatures made of complicated, interconnecting parts. Some were the size and shape of people, others were more animal like, sometimes serving as mounts for the robed people. Behind them all was a towering behemoth of stone and metal; a ten metre tall, spider shaped, steel behemoth. It apparently had been had been held back so as not to alert the camp before the surprise attack. As such, it was still making its way forward from a distance.


    Danielle quickly discovered there was no ordering the chaos. All she could do was find key people and try to direct them where they were needed most. In between, she stepped onto the field herself. She wanted to go after the robe-wearers she assumed were controlling the construct army, but too many people needed help against the artificial horde.


    She paced herself, knowing her own limits. In a short fight, she was confident against any opponent, but her powerful abilities would exhaust her mana quickly. Aside from conjuring her dimension blade, she relied on skills and silver-rank attributes to mow through weaker enemies. She saved her most exhausting powers for critical moments, when the difference was life and death.


    Around the battlefield, the more capable adventurers had reached similar conclusions to Danielle and were doing their best to help the others. Those that knew their abilities well and how to use them picked their targets accordingly. Thalia Mercer ploughed through crowds of constructs like a bowling ball, enemies bouncing away without slowing her down. She focused on the golems, which were big, slow and either bronze or silver rank. The bronze ones barely slowed her down, exploding into stone shrapnel as she literally smashed through them with shoulder charges. For the silvers, three times her height or more, she would rip off a limb and break the rest of the body apart by using it as a club.


    Farrah and Gary had recruited Beth Cavendish and her team. Farrah had encased herself in obsidian armour and conjured a huge, obsidian sword. The blade was not a blade at all, but a pillar of jagged segments, like horrible teeth. The segments could break up and whip around on a cord of glowing magma. She swept it around, burning and breaking apart the constructs. Mixing in devastating lava spells, she used her abilities to create space for weaker expedition members to fall back.


    Into that space, walls of metal and stone rose out of the ground to form barricades. This was the combined efforts of Gary and Hudson, the human front-liner who was almost as large as Gary. The other members of Beth¡¯s team cleaned up any loose ends while Beth used spell after spell to keep feeding mana to Farrah. Her potent abilities were costly and hard to maintain as the battle dragged on, while Beth desperately replenished her as fast as she could.


    Rufus, in the meantime, was flickering through the enemy like a ghost. He appeared and disappeared in rapid succession, moving unhindered. In his hand was a silver sword, under which constructs fell as he passed. These were simple humanoid forms, mostly wood on a metal frame. They were essentially combat dummies without the safety features. These were only incidental targets, however. His primary targets were the less common construct creatures, which were many and varied. They were larger than the humanoid, for the most part, and had been built to mimic various animals and monsters. As well as larger and tougher than their wooden, humanoid brethren, they were also faster and smarter. Where the others shuffled along with zombie-like shambling as they sought out living enemies, Their forms very much followed function.


    Rufus was  tracking a specific one; a giant tiger made of intricate steel cogs. The bronze-rank clockwork cat was faster than its simpler brethren, wreaking havoc amongst the expedition¡¯s panicking iron-rankers, even claiming some of the bronze.


    Rufus stopped his rapid, vanishing run. He dropped the conjured silver sword and a golden one appeared in its place. The cat locked its unliving gaze on him and launched into a high pounce. It¡¯s speed, so terrifying to the iron-rankers, was as good as standing still to Rufus.


    As Rufus activated his speed of light power, the world seemed to freeze in time around him. The creature was stuck mid-pounce, hovering in the air. The power only afforded Rufus two seconds of accelerated time and he wasted none of it. He ran under the creature, pushing his peak, bronze-rank reflexes to the limit as he lashed out four times with his golden sword. Every movement left a trail of  golden light in his wake.


    Rufus returned to the normal passage of time and the cat was once again hurtling to the spot Rufus had just disappeared from. The golden trail showed every movement he had made in accelerated time, but it did the cat no good. It landed, helpless on the ground, each of it¡¯s limbs cleanly severed. The severed limbs all glowed with golden heat where Rufus¡¯ sword had passed through.


    The creature landed helpless on the ground, limbs scattered around. Rufus plunged his sword into its head, sinking it to the hilt. Then he ran the sword down the length of its body, leaving a trail of hot metal as he sliced it clean in half. He left his sword buried in the clockwork cat, conjuring a new silver one and vanishing.


    Danielle kept an eye on the battlefield as a whole. They weren¡¯t turning the fight but their key people were sending the unintelligent automatons in to an increasing state of disarray. It was enough that she could start organising a withdrawal. In one corner of the battle, some of her people had erected barricades she could use as a launch point for the retreat. The trick would be holding the rest of the line as she wrangled those behind it. She spread out her aura senses, looking for the expedition leaders she would need to make it happen.

 Chapter 109: The Tyranny of Rank

    The retreat was going worse than Danielle had hoped, but better than she feared. The iron rankers had been pulled back behind the bronze and silver-rankers holding the line. Luckily, the other side had only a few essence users, their number made up mostly of constructs. The artificial creatures were not the match of an equal-rank essence user, but there were so many as to make up the difference. The enemy essence users were also reluctant to risk themselves by engaging directly, which helped Danielle¡¯s attempts to pull circumstances under her control.


    They were not out of danger as the enemy continued to press, but the constructs were paying for their aggression. Pushing mindlessly against the increasingly-ordered withdrawal formation, they were being rapidly ground up. They were unrelenting, however, the unliving constructs having no morale to lose. There was not a lot of open space in the rainforest, but a battle line had managed to form in the now-destroyed remains of the expedition camp, which had been cleared of trees using essence abilities. That made for a relatively open field in which the defence was holding, while the rest of the expedition retreated into the tree line.


    The battlefield situation was slowly shifting. The initial attack had sown chaos and death amongst the adventurers, most of their casualties coming in those early minutes. The battle slowly started to shift as the strongest adventurers came to the fore and the expedition leadership managed to give the defences some semblance of order. Once a rough-but-definite battle line was established, the construct creatures were being ground to pieces against it.


    The rescue expedition formed up in the marshalling yard. Emir gave out directions, breaking the group into an incursion team and a support team. After that, he directed one of his people, a woman named Hester, to open a portal. She traced a circle in the air which started shimmering, revealing an image of a city on the far side. Emir stepped through alone and the portal collapsed, only powerful enough to send one gold-ranker through. The others would have o wait for the ability to come off cooldown before they could follow.


    Hester was the closest Jason had seen to another Asiatic person in this world. He chatted with her as they waited for her portal ability to become available again. She told him she could only open the portal to places she had previously visited, which was normal for long-range teleport abilities. The closest place to the aperture the expedition had travelled was a city to the north called Boko.


    The first task of the expedition had been to return the Ustei to the northern territories in their monstrous sand barge. The city of Boko was where Adventure Society decided to return the Ustei slaves, along with any women and children that had wanted out of the tribe. Many had been seized from small communities in the region in the first place.


    The time between uses for Hester¡¯s power was based on range. At the distance between Greenstone and Boko, it would be available again after an hour, one of several limitations. The more powerful the people going through the portal, the fewer people could use it before it collapsed. Hester was silver rank, but her portal ability had already reached gold. This was the only reason her portal could transmit the gold-ranked Emir at all.


    Emir would spend the hour requisitioning vehicles from the local Magic Society branch. Everyone else would go through the second portal Hester raised, including the silver and bronze-rankers Arella had rounded up. Unlike the initial expedition, these were the best Greenstone had left to offer, the top people from every family. They were all ready to go and rescue their family members, with no shirking or hesitation among them.


    The support team included Jory, a number of priests from the church of the healer, plus various other volunteers with healing abilities. Rounding out the numbers were Adventure Society functionaries and officials going along to provide general support and assistance. Unless there were a lot of afflictions going around, that would be Jason¡¯s role as well.


    The defensive formation of the expedition¡¯s retreating forces was built around key people who served as anchors for the less powerful. Silver-rankers had arrayed themselves against the strongest opponents but there were not enough silver-rankers to go around. The rest of the line had to make do with groups of more powerful bronze-rankers. One such location had Farrah, Rufus and Gary working in synergy to keep the enemy at bay as other adventurers withdrew. Farrah wreaked havoc on the main mass of the enemy, while Gary and Rufus intercepted the more powerful threats trying to stop her. Farrah had conjured for herself obsidian armour that glowed with internal heat. Gary conjured something similar, made of iron, becoming an immovable bulwark. Rufus was the unstoppable force to Gary¡¯s immovable object, dancing around stalled enemies as his golden sword carved through them.


    The enemy leadership had thus far remained at a secure distance, riding their strange construct mounts and hidden under hooded robes. Finally, they acted as the battlefield conditions started to shift. They simultaneously leapt into the fray, striking out at crucial points in the defensive line. The enemy leaders were all bronze and silver-rankers and their intervention pressured several critical points in the line.


    A figure covered in robes moved on Farrah. Rufus saw it coming, gesturing at Gary and they rushed to intercept. It had a silver rank aura and its robes were filled with a strange bulk. Its movements were strange, its arms hanging limply at its sides. It lunged forward with a kick, Gary stepping up to intervene. He had a huge hammer in one hand and a shield in the other, which he raised in front of him.


    Expertly, Gary angled his shield to deflected most of the kick¡¯s force. In spite of his huge strength, he was still sent stumbling backwards with a large dent in his shield. Gary''s speed and strength were at the very peak of what a bronze-ranker could achieve, being the equal of most low-ranker silvers. Their enemy was as high in silver as Gary and Rufus were in bronze, so even Gary was heavily overmatched.


    Rufus moved in to attack, quickly recognising that the arms hanging at its sides seemed to be crippled. It fought with kicks alone, moving and spinning with a speed bordering on gold-rank. Kicks alone were not an efficient means of fighting, however, and as Gary came back to the fore they teamed up to attack.


    As they battled the silver-ranker, Farrah was hard at work holding the line. The adventurers around them were bronze and not as strong as her and her companions. They did not make up for holding the line in place of Gary and Rufus, giving the pair a wide berth as they battled the silver.


    The robed enemy was being pushed by Gary and Rufus, largely due to using neither essence abilities nor its arms. Their attacks seemed to have little impact, however, as the bulk in the robes was apparently due to some kind of armour. It seemed to shrug off every attack that landed.


    There was a brief balance, Gary and Rufus with all their abilities against the robed figure that only kicked. That balance was abruptly broken with a powerful kick getting past Gary¡¯s shield and landing square on the torso of his heavy armour. The armour deformed into his chest as he was sent tumbling across the ground, ribs shattered. Only his bronze-rank toughness as his heavy armour kept his alive, but he wasn¡¯t getting back up.


    When their turn came, Jason and Jory walked up to the portal. They glanced at each other and stepped through. There was a rushing sensation that came with moving through the portal that felt just like his teleport ability. After they emerged, Jory staggered off and fell to his knees, throwing up. Looking around, Jason saw that Jory wasn¡¯t alone; many people had been unsettled by it. Jason noticed others that, like him, were unaffected, and most of them were members of the celestine race. He remembered that his astral affinity racial gift was one he shared with celestines, which apparently gave a tolerance for teleporting.


    The city of Boko reminded Jason of Old City, with plenty of desert stone in evidence. The air was drier here, without the proximity of the delta and the ocean; just breathing was drying out his mouth. He didn''t have time to look around though, as there was work to be done. Emir had used his hour head start effectively, leaving sand skimmers waiting to carry them into the desert.


    Rufus was now facing the silver-ranker alone. He didn¡¯t have Gary¡¯s reflexes but his skill was a level above their enemy. The robed figure followed the kick to Gary with one aimed at Rufus, who read the move in time to narrowly avoid it.


    Rufus used his speed of light power, one of his strongest trump cards. Everything appeared to freeze around him, even his incredibly fast enemy. In this brief moment of grace, he lashed out multiple times against the robed figure. Even with his enemy at a standstill, Rufus¡¯ golden sword had little impact on the armour hidden under the enemy¡¯s bulky robes. Even a strike straight to the head bounced off, eerily without a clang in the time outside of time. His power lasted only a scant pair of seconds, Rufus inwardly cursing as it was wasted on cutting holes in the enemy¡¯s robe.


    Time started moving at normal speed once again. The robes were torn and burned by Rufus¡¯ glowing golden sword, the rents revealing some kind of metal underneath. The remains of the robes were suddenly shredded as something burst from within, giving Rufus his first look at his attacker¡¯s true form.


    The protection Rufus'' blade had struck was not external armour, but metal grafted directly into flesh. Steel pushed into skin, heavy bolts using bones for anchor points. It was an abomination of living tissue and cold steel; even its head had plates bolted into the skull. Barely any flesh was visible under all the metal, just the jaw and some patches around the joints. There wasn¡¯t even enough living flesh to tell if it was a man or a woman.


    There were four, wholly artificial arms emerging from its back. Long and inhuman, they were articulated at multiple points and were crafted from razor-sharp metal. They ended in oversized hands, each finger tapered to a point like a cluster of spearheads. The arms had been wrapped around the enemy¡¯s body, the source of the bulk under its robes. It was releasing these arms that had torn the robes asunder. The enemy¡¯s natural arms continued to hang limply as their metal equivalents flexed powerfully before stabbing out like spears.


    Rank for rank, the only person who could match Rufus¡¯ skill on the battlefield was possibly Danielle Geller. Rufus¡¯ enemy certainly couldn¡¯t, but they were not rank for rank. Now the enemy had given up on hiding its true form, its speed and strength were backed up by powerful abilities and its uncanny metal arms. Rufus¡¯ skill allowed him to barely hold on in the face of a suddenly more powerful enemy but every moment was a desperate scramble to stay alive.


    It was a clash of unsurpassed skill and overwhelming power. Perfectly executed attacks met defences that were no more than adequate, but so powerful that they were up to the task, regardless. What little damage Rufus manage to inflict was quickly guarded by a conjured metal shield. It only occupied one arm, leaving three to attack. The enemy¡¯s other abilities could rapidly repair the grafted armour, or even heal when Rufus¡¯ blade dug into flesh.


    Like most humans, many of Rufus¡¯ abilities were special attacks. He used all his skills to maximise their effectiveness, every trick he had. Feinting to land an attack on a blind spot; moving to expose a weakness. The unprecedented threat drew out every scrap of capability. If their advancement as essence users were closer, the bizarre foe would have been utterly outclassed but this was not the case. There was no escaping the tyranny of rank.


    As Rufus chained each attack into the next, the enemy was counterattacking. Its essence powers allowed it to transmute the arms into other forms, allowing for its own special attacks. It began by changing them into lance-like weapons for simple but powerful attacks. Rufus was able to predict the linear attacks and effectively dodge. It changed to ball-and-chain weapons but Rufus likewise anticipated their movement. Their weakness was the recovery time after attacks, which Rufus baited out before ducking out of range, then came back to counter.


    The enemy changed tack again, moving back itself when Rufus was pulling away. Its arms became needle launchers spitting streams of tiny but deadly needles at him and forcing him to close in again. As he did, the arms became razor whips that slashed about wildly. They weren''t as powerful as the ball and chain weapons but were relentless and unpredictable.


    Every moment of the battle, Rufus was running on a knife-edge. Even glancing blows from his more powerful enemy meant serious damage and he was being ravaged by the increasingly tricky attacks. He was forced to stay close or even more needles would pincushion him, but that left him open to the lacerating whips, now dripping with his blood.


    It was the ground under his feet that finally betrayed him. The rainforest of the astral space was full of wet ground, churned into mud by first the expedition camp and then the battle. Rufus slipped, just slightly but he had been fighting with no margin of error. A metal arm transformed into a blade and slashed upwards, and severing Rufus¡¯ sword arm. Stumbling in shock, Rufus was done. Another kick launched him away like Gary, but even in that state, his training-honed instincts kicked in. He threw himself to cushion the blow, which saved his life but only barely. Crippled and near dead, he was sent tumbling helplessly through the mud.

 Chapter 110: Help Arrives

    Emir and his people had already left the city by the time Jason and the others arrived. They were travelling over the desert on sand skimmers, although the desert was more rocks than sand. Once they reached the aperture to the astral space, they could use the tracking stones they brought with them to find the group quickly. They had every tracking stone from every member of the expedition packed into a dimensional bag.


    It would take time to cross the desert and reach the aperture to the astral space, but Emir had a trump card. One of his people specialised in magical tools and could periodically push their skimmers to speeds well beyond their normal capability. The whole vehicle vibrated under him as it raced at a pace it was never designed for, but Emir was unfazed. All that concerned him was arriving in time.


    Not every adventurer had managed to join up with the main formation as it withdrew. Whole teams had been cut off from the main force, isolated individuals falling quickly. Those that managed to remain in groups fared better but most paid a price in blood for their escape.


    Humphrey was with Phoebe Geller, her brother Rick and his team. They were fighting their way out through a hell of magical automatons stained red with the blood of adventurers. Beset from all sides, Humphrey¡¯s huge sword carved the team a path. The big man, Jonah, bore the brunt of the enemy¡¯s attacks at the rear. Phoebe and Rick held the flanks, completing the cordon around the twin elf sisters. Just as it seemed like they were making progress, a new wave of construct monsters appeared and started moving in.


    While Rufus and Gary where tied up with the silver-ranker, Farrah had been fending off every other enemy. Without their support, she was being pushed to the edge. Barely holding on against the encroaching horde, there was now nothing between her and the abomination.


    On top of everything else, she was running low on mana. Dealing with the press of enemies had left her exhausted at the worst possible time. She was reduced to relying on her heavy armour and sword-whip, neither of which were a match for the abomination now bearing down on her.


    The retreating forces reeled from the impact of the enemy leadership entering the fray. They had leapt from the strange constructs they rode as mounts and moved forward to attack the defensive line.


    Danielle rushed around barking orders, personally intervening as needed. The line buckled in places, but was yet to breach. Spotting one of the silver-rank leaders, Danielle dove into the melee personally. She fought with a weapon conjured from her dimension essence called dimensional blade. It looked like a sword made of black lightning, limned in silver. It hissed and sizzled, the blade wild and flickering. There was no weight to it but it could cut through almost anything and caused destructive harm to anything it touched.


    Quicker than lightning she launched a sneak attack, putting the robed figure onto the back foot. The enemy reacted by bursting out of its robes to reveal a hideously monstrous form.


    The bulk of the construct army were similar to magical combat dummies; segmented section of limbs, head and torso, threaded onto a skeletal metal frame. Casting aside its robe, the enemy was revealed to be similar to such a dummy but with a horrifying difference. Instead of limbs of wood or stone, each wholly separate segment ¨C hands, feet, arms, legs head ¨C were all made of living flesh. Like a dummy, the limbs were carried on a human-like skeleton of steel rather than bone.  Danielle only paused for a moment at the disgusting visage before resuming her attack.


    They couldn¡¯t take the skimmers through the aperture, so once they arrived in the astral space, Emir and his people were on foot. Not all had the movement abilities to keep pace with Emir, but he didn¡¯t wait. Only two of his people, specialised in mobility, were able to keep up as they dashed in the direction the tracking stones were pointing them. They quickly discovered they were on some kind of island chain, but the water didn¡¯t slow them down. On the contrary, they moved faster over the calm water than the crowded terrain of the tropical islands.


    Danielle drove the freakish enemy into retreat but she chose not to follow. The fight had drawn her attention from the larger battle and she needed to stop and reassess. Leaping high in the air, she used one of her time powers to slow herself down, floating as she scanned battlefield.


    She looked for potential weak points in their formation, and people she could send to reinforce them. On a distant flank she spotted a second bizarre silver-ranker overwhelming Rufus. It was another disgusting fusion of metal and flesh, half construct creature and half living being.


    Even as she turned her full attention to the action, Rufus slipped and the fight was over. His arm was severed and his opponent kicked him away. Seeing the abomination turn to Farrah, Danielle teleported directly into the fray.


    In the chaos of battle, Thadwick and his two offsiders, Neil and Dustin, had been separated from the main force. Dustin had used his powers to protect them while Neil had kept them alive with his healing. Thadwick had been blasting powers blindly into the enemy at range, exhausting his mana.


    ¡°Replenish me,¡± Thadwick demanded.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just keep throwing attacks into the pack,¡± Neil said. ¡°We have to find a way to rejoin the group, not draw more enemy attention.¡±


    Thadwick¡¯s essences were lightning, wind, potent and storm, and he had used a preponderance of awakening stones of the magus to get more spells than the human affinity for special attacks would normally produce. His essence powers were all simple, straightforward and powerful, with an attendant high mana cost. What they were not was subtle.


    Thadwick looked around, only now realised how isolated they were, in spite of warnings the others had given him.


    ¡°You need to hold them off so I can get back,¡± he told the other two, immediately running away from the enemy.


    Neil and Dustin looked at each other.


    ¡°Dusty, did he just¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he did.¡±


    ¡°I am so done with that little turd.¡±


    Danielle had seen Jason fighting in her mirage arena enough to envy the freedom with which he teleported. Even after years using her own ability, there was still a moment of disorientation on arrival. That moment proved to be everything as she arrived close to Farrah and the monstrous silver-ranker attacking her. That fleeting confusion was all too costly as four metal arms pierced into Farrah¡¯s body like spears. Neither Farrah¡¯s blade nor her armour were enough to block them, one of which buried itself in her head. Farrah¡¯s corpse was still falling to the ground as Danielle recovered and attacked.


    The four arms were fast, but like her enemy, Danielle was at the peak of silver rank. Her confluence essence was time and everything seemed to slow around her as her dimensional blade cut into her enemy again and again. It was in many ways a reflection of Rufus¡¯ fight. She was more skilled than her enemy and used expert technique to strike out with her conjured blade. She even had a power, similar to the one Rufus possessed, to briefly accelerate to a so fast where the world around her seemed frozen.


    The difference between her fight and Rufus¡¯ was that she was not overpowered by the enemy. Instead of bounding off seemingly impervious metal, her weapon left savage gouges in steel and flesh both. She did not have to compensate for lesser strength and speed, instead easily outpacing her enemy. When she was struck, the injuries were much less dangerous to her silver-rank armour and toughness.


    Suddenly she seemed to make a mistake, overextending as she lunged for her opponent¡¯s main body and leaving an opening for all four arms to lance into her body. It did not miss the brief but crucial chance, metal limbs piercing through her armour. Unexpectedly, they stopped dead as they hit her flesh, like they had struck an impervious wall. The enemy realised it had been baited even as she placed her hand on its chest. The wounds that it should have inflicted on her were instead unleashed on its own body by her power.


    Heavily injured, the silver-ranker scrambled to escape. Danielle wanted to give chase but in the absence of Farrah, enemies were encroaching. No silver-ranker would go down easy and she didn¡¯t have time to press the fight so she reluctantly allowed it to flee. She moved to hold the line, calling for more people to assist. Once things had stabilised, she took stock. Gary was on his feet again but barely, staggering forward with a face full of fury. Danielle picked up Rufus¡¯ severed arm and pushed it into his chest.


    ¡°Rufus needs you now,¡± she said firmly. ¡°Farrah is past help.¡±


    Gary¡¯s face crumbled in agony and for a moment it looked like he would try and shove past her, but instead he nodded and turned to Rufus. Rufus was still on the ground, disoriented and in shock. His eyes darted back and forth unfocused, his face confused. Still holding the severed arm, Gary dismissed his conjured armour, picked Rufus up and headed for the backlines. He tried to yell for a healer but it came as a loud croak, his own torso having been savagely pummelled.


    People were coming in to hold the line and the enemy leadership was pulling back. Whether from an unwillingness to lose all their constructs or from almost losing part of their leadership, it was enough that they started withdrawing from the engagement. Danielle retrieved Farrah¡¯s body, whose conjured armour had vanished on her death. Under the feet of swarming constructs it had mangled unrecognisably and she sealed it away in an Adventure Society casket, which she then placed into her storage space.


    Danielle wasn¡¯t happy with their position, having the water at their back. Organisation was still a mess, certainly beyond organising a crossing between islands under battle conditions. The advantage was that the beach was an open enough space to regroup and take stock. The only other open area was cleared ground of the camp, which they had paid such a price to escape from. They had lost another silver-ranker and some of the bronze, but most of those left were solid. The major loss was Farrah. Not only had she been a massive factor in the large-scale combat, but her companions were almost as valuable and her loss had gutted their morale.


    The group still had their silver-rank healer, so reattaching Rufus¡¯ arm hadn¡¯t been a problem. The brutal kick that had sent him out of combat had ended up requiring more healing. Aside from the tiredness that came with the extensive healing, Rufus and Gary were physically good as new. Emotionally, they were wrecked, especially Rufus. Left sitting in the sand with other recovering adventurers, he just stared into space, saying nothing. Gary paced back and forth next to him; a volcano that could erupt at any moment.


    The eruption, however, came from elsewhere. Thalia Mercer, who Danielle needed calm and collected, was exploding on a pair of iron-rankers.


    ¡°YOU LEFT HIM OUT THERE ALONE?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t leave anyone,¡± Neil said, standing up to Thalia¡¯s fury. ¡°Your son told us to hold them back while he was already running for it. It¡¯s not our fault your¡­¡±


    Thadwick¡¯s other lackey thumped Neil on the arm to shut him up. Venting a decade of frustration at that moment would likely get them both killed by Thadwick¡¯s furious mother. It looked like it might happen anyway until Danielle arrived, placing herself between Thalia and the pair.


    ¡°We need to go find him,¡± Thalia told Danielle, the other pair vanishing from her consideration. Thalia regained some composure as she looked at her friend¡¯s face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Danielle said, ¡°but we¡¯re still taking stock. People who were isolated are still drifting in; he may well too. Sending more people out before we have headcounts is borrowing trouble when we already have a surplus.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my son! If it were Humphrey still missing, would you be sending people out?¡±


    ¡°Humphrey is still missing,¡± Danielle said, her face as hard as granite.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Thalia said helplessly, after a lengthy pause.


    ¡°Did Cassandra come through alright?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s taking a headcount of the family, right now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. I need your best right now, Thalia. Or at least your good enough, which is still better than most people¡¯s best.¡±


    Thalia nodded.


    ¡°Good. Now let¡¯s start getting things under control.¡±


    Humphrey eventually turned up, accompanied by the brother-sister pairing of Rick and Phoebe Geller. The survivors of Rick¡¯s team were with them, having lost two of their number. Henry Geller, their flame-wielding damage dealer, had died. Their big front-liner, Jonah, had held back the enemy to let the others escape, his ultimate fate unknown.


    Emir and his people finally arrived. They were too late in intervene in the battle, but were a boost to the makeshift camp¡¯s crippled morale. Once word passed that a gold-ranker had arrived to assist, hope was resparked in hearts full of fear. He alone was enough to prevent a repeat of the battle they had just escaped, and there were more silver-rankers on the way.


    Emir met with Danielle, getting a rundown of events. There were still people unaccounted for, but the tracking stones in Emir¡¯s possession allowed them to sort the missing from the dead. They organised teams to retrieve the living, with every recovery team having a silver-ranker for safety.


    With the initial organisation done, Emir sought-out Rufus, Gary watching over him. Rufus¡¯ blank eyes taking a moment to register Emir¡¯s presence.


    ¡°I failed her,¡± Rufus said, his voice barely audible.


    ¡°No,¡± Emir said softly, moving to place a hand on his shoulder. ¡°She died as well as any of us could ask. Comrades behind her, enemies in front of her and friends beside her.¡±

 Chapter 111: Strange Star

    Most of the ill-fated expedition was extracted back through the aperture that had been their entry point. On the other side was a recovery camp, ready and waiting. Only silver rankers and bronze-rankers stayed in the astral space, and not all of them.


    Every member of the new, streamlined expedition had either arrived with Emir or been hand-picked by Danielle and Thalia. They drew back to the island that had their underwater aperture just offshore, using it as a staging point. As preparations were made to track down their missing people, a steady stream of departing expedition members waded into the water and through the aperture just below the surface. The tricky part was managing the people still unconscious after being healed from extreme injury. The adventurers with water powers were employed to see them through.


    With the withdrawal from the astral space organised, the next priority was to retrieve the adventurers who had become separated from the group. Teams led by silver rankers set out, using tracking stones to find them. Only once that was done would they turn to finding and destroying the enemy.


    With only the cream of the expedition remaining, bolstered by Emir¡¯s people, Danielle was confident of eradicating the construct army and its masters. Her greatest concern was actually finding them. The follow-up attack she had been fearful of never arrived, and the search teams hadn¡¯t run into anyone but missing expedition members.


    ¡°There¡¯s a problem,¡± Emir said. He was in the command tent with Danielle and Thalia.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to narrow that down,¡± Danielle said without humour.


    ¡°We still have nineteen missing people are still alive, according to their tracking stones,¡± Emir said. ¡°The problem is that for five of them, their stone indicates they¡¯re still alive, but can¡¯t track them.


    ¡°Could they have lost their badges, or had them taken?¡± Thalia asked


    ¡°If they lost them, we¡¯d still be able to track the badges. The best explanation we can hope for is that the astral space has regions that naturally mask tracking. I¡¯ve seen it in astral spaces before, although they were all less stable than this one.¡±


    ¡°Not unheard of,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°It could be racial gift evolution,¡± Thalia said. ¡°Our lost people certainly have the right conditions to trigger it.¡±


    ¡°We know ability evolutions change an ability to meet immediate needs,¡± Thalia said. ¡°An ability that prevents them from being tracked would make sense.¡±


    ¡°But five people, all getting skill evolutions at once, and all the same or similar abilities?¡± Danielle asked. ¡°It would be great if that¡¯s what happened and they¡¯re all fine, but we can¡¯t anticipate that being the case.¡±


    ¡°The alternatives get worse from there,¡± Emir said. ¡°Something may have happened to them that changed their aura so much that they no longer match the aura imprint on their badges, which would break the tracking magic. Which would suggest the enemy found them and did something to them.¡±


    ¡°Who are the five?¡± Danielle asked.


    Emir looked at Thalia with sympathy.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but they include Jonah Geller and Thadwick Mercer.¡±


    Thalia¡¯s face twisted but she kept herself under control.


    ¡°What are we going to do about it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Once we have the ones we can track,¡± Danielle said, ¡°we need to sweep this whole place anyway. The goal is still to find out what is happening to the astral space and stop it. If our people are still out there to find, we¡¯ll find them.¡±


    ¡°And how long will that take?¡± Thalia asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve surveyed enough to know the astral space is only a fraction of the size of the world it¡¯s attached to,¡± Danielle said. ¡°We don¡¯t leave until we retrieve all our people, living or dead.¡±


    ¡°Quite right,¡± Emir said. ¡°And as it happens, my people are specialists at finding things over large areas that are often hidden with magic. Hope is by no means an outlandish choice.¡±


    Thalia nodded.


    ¡°I want to hear as soon as we find anything¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    The support camp outside the aperture was an array of large tents set up near the aperture. The aperture was in a crevice in a rocky outcropping and people were coming out in a steady stream. On the astral space side, the healers were in triage mode, healing people up just enough to send them through the underwater aperture. The soaking wet adventures were then sorted into two groups. Those in need of further healing were taken to the recovery tents, while the rest were sent to the dormitory tents.


    Vincent was in charge of the camp and had roped Jason in as his assistant. There wasn¡¯t much call for Jason¡¯s cleansing ability, just the occasional infection. Vincent was in charge of making the actual decisions, with Jason¡¯s job being to sort out any problems with enacting them.


    Jason¡¯s biggest responsibility was dealing with people who weren¡¯t happy with the arrangements and keep them from bothering Vincent. It was, Vincent claimed, the entire reason he chose Jason to assist him. Even after escaping the horrors of battle, there were some who felt the need to complain about the accommodations. These were the ones who never saw the frontline and were evacuated first.


    ¡°You expect me to stay in a tent with all these people?¡± a nobleman asked Jason.


    ¡°You were in a tent during the expedition,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°A private magical tent! This is just a tarp with poles, and as for what you generously describe as beds¡­¡±


    ¡°Listen, mate, you¡¯ve got three options. Option one is taking the accommodation and shutting your damn mouth. Option two is you sod off into the desert and find your own way home. Option three is you hang about making a nuisance of yourself and your mouth gets shut for you.¡±


    ¡°You think you can treat me like this? You have no idea who you¡¯re¡­¡±


    ¡°Fellas!¡± Jason called out loudly, over the top of the nobleman. ¡°We¡¯ve got another option three.¡±


    A pair of adventurers came into the tent, their bronze-rank auras visibly impacting the nobleman, who they led away. After a very thorough talking to, he would be placed with the other troublemakers in an isolated group of tents with people watching over them.


    Rufus and Gary were sent back with the other bronze-rankers Danielle deemed unreliable. Gary gave a brief explanation of Farrah¡¯s absence before Jason sent the pair to the healers for further treatment. Afterwards Jason was sleepwalking through his duties in a daze until Vincent had someone take his place. Suddenly free, Jason went looking for Gary and Rufus.


    He found them in the dormitory tents, having been sent there after their healing was completed. Rufus sitting on a cot bunk, staring blankly into nowhere. He wasn¡¯t alone. Everyone in that tent had lost friends or family. It was a cluster of misery and shock.


    Jason sat next to Rufus, not saying a word as Gary told the story in detail. Afterward, the three sat in silence for a long time, other adventurers bustling around them. Finally, Jason stood up, patted Rufus on the shoulder and went back to work.


    Emir and his people quickly rounded up the scattered adventurers. Even the five who couldn¡¯t be tracked were recovered in short order, found so badly injured that their auras barely registered, to even silver-rank senses. The search teams stumbled across all five while tracking the others.


    Emir watched Thalia fussing over Thadwick. He was still unconscious after being healed and she was arranging Cassandra to take him back through the portal. Walking back into the command tent, Danielle was already present. There was a troubled frown on her face.


    ¡°Something the matter?¡± Emir asked. ¡°Beyond the obvious, I mean.¡±


    ¡°It was too easy,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Our search teams found all five without even looking. That makes the back of my neck itch.¡±


    ¡°You think they were left for us?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°How often does an adventurer¡¯s aura shift so much their tracker doesn¡¯t work?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Emir said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it happening after intense trauma, and you saw the condition they were in.¡±


    ¡°Have you seen it before?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen it once, and we have five at the same time?¡±


    ¡°It does sound suspicious when you say it out loud. We can have the Magic Society examine them.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be that easy,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Their families will resist. If something has been done to them, their families will want to quietly handle it. Letting the Magic Society look into it takes control out of their hands.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s incredibly short-sighted,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°Welcome to the politics of Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°What about the one from your family?¡±


    ¡°Once we return to Greenstone I¡¯ll use a speaking chamber to talk to his parents. They should have no priority beyond what¡¯s best for their son. The problem is the director of Greenstone¡¯s Magic Society branch. He¡¯ll definitely come down on the side of the families, to the point of refusing to have any of them examined.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Danielle said. ¡°We may have to have Jonah examined ourselves and go from there.¡±


    ¡°I have trouble believing people would choose ignorance. I would have thought they would want to know if something has been done to their family members. Perhaps we can convince them of that.¡±


    ¡°Have you not met people?¡± Danielle asked. ¡°We love choosing ignorance. This is not the time to start a fight over it. Right now, everyone has lost people. It won¡¯t pay to poke at raw wounds.¡±


    ¡°Then the best we can do for now is keep an eye on them. In the meantime, we have more work to do.¡±


    Danielle nodded. Their original task was to investigate what was going wrong with the astral space, and what they found inside made finding the truth all the more important. She had tasked Emir with fetching back the scattered adventurers while she reorganised the expedition. The group was pared-down to its best and reinforced by Emir¡¯s people, all of whom were not only capable, but experienced in exploring unusual environments.


    With the missing adventurers retrieved, there were now teams thoroughly sweeping the islands. They were finding regular traces of the enemy¡¯s activities, brining back various magical paraphernalia from abandoned work sites. It was quickly becoming evident that their enemy had been occupying the astral space for months, if not years. After the battle with the expedition, however, all signs pointed to a very rapid withdrawal. Every site they found showed signs of immediate evacuation.


    ¡°Thank you for this,¡± Cassandra said, squeezing Jason¡¯s hand. He had organised a separate tent for the five adventurers whose tracking had failed. They were all restored to health, but would not wake for some time.


    ¡°The least I can do,¡± he said, giving her a tired smile. ¡°Not the reunion I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°I need to get back,¡± Cassandra told him. ¡°There¡¯s still work to do.¡±


    He nodded, looking around the bustling camp. There were over a hundred people now, many of whom seemed to feel like they should be in charge of it. His early, stop-gap measures were being overrun by sheer numbers and he could no longer shield Vincent from the pressure.


    ¡°There¡¯s work enough here, too,¡± he said.


    ¡°I heard about your friend,¡± she told him. ¡°I didn¡¯t know her well, but I¡¯m sorry. Are you doing alright?¡±


    ¡°No, but are any of us? We all lost friends. I¡¯ll see you again when this is all done.¡±


    The edges were marked by a rainbow-coloured void of chaotic energy, radiating a powerful aura that gave even Emir pause. The astral space, while certainly vast, turned out to be only a fraction of the size of the desert. Even so, there were hundreds of islands, of which the teams could thoroughly search around a dozen each day.


    The enemy had fled, leaving most of their constructed army to harry pursuing forces. There were also ordinary monsters to contend with, but neither posed a real threat to the powerful search teams.


    The enemy leadership themselves fled through various apertures. The teams followed them through, usually finding they had caused chaos on the other side before vanishing into various areas of the desert. Not all managed to escape, however, and the teams managed to capture two of the enemy leaders. Like the others they had seen, under the robes they were horrifying fusions of steel and flesh. The two leaders gave up no information, suiciding in explosive fashion on being caught.


    Emir increased his personal participation in the search, hoping his gold-rank power would let him take someone alive. He approached an enemy camp alone, his aura restrained as his senses spread out. It had been a major encampment, once, with cleared land and wooden huts. Now it was mostly deserted, Emir sensing only one living aura and a plethora of constructs.


    Emir closed in on the camp through the thick forest, finally close enough to take a look. He saw the one robed figure packing tools into a dimensional bag, surrounded by artificial guardians. Watching from hiding, Emir was holding an open suppression collar in one hand and a conjured staff in the other. The staff had a black, stone shaft with golden script running down it and golden caps at each end.


    He slammed the base of the staff into the ground and copies of it erupted from the ground under every construct creature. The iron-ranked constructs exploded into chunks at the sheer force, the bronze likewise destroyed at a blow. The silvers survived, but were tossed into the air and Emir was already moving. He vanished from the spot, leaving an illusory afterimage behind as he appeared next to the startled human. Emir had already dropped the staff and used both hands to snap the suppression collar around the human¡¯s neck.


    Emir¡¯s concern was that suppression collars took a few moments to adapt to the wearer and suppress their powers. The human¡¯s hands shot up to pull the collar off, but Emir slapped his hands away. Emir could sense the affect on the enemy¡¯s aura as the man¡¯s powers were suppressed. The enemy sneered at Emir, lunging towards him as Emir sensed a silver-rank power suddenly rising up inside the man. It wasn¡¯t the man¡¯s own power, but something inside him. Emir retreated in an instant, leaving another afterimage in his place.


    Huge, crystalline spikes erupted from the man in every direction, greater in volume than the man¡¯s own body. They ripped him to shreds from the inside, leaving a bloody carcass draped over a strange star of jagged crystal.


    A half-dozen damaged, silver-ranked constructs fell out of the air. Emir moved in a blur as he conjured his staff again and smashed them apart before moving to examine the dead man and the bloody sculpture that had emerged from him. He could sense the magic had faded, leaving an inert object for him to examine.


    ¡°That¡¯s not something you just come across on the street,¡± he muttered to himself as he looked it over. As he did so, he was joined by Constance, his chief of staff.


    ¡°This is what happened with the other two,¡± she told him.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t his power,¡± Emir said. ¡°It was some kind of object inside him. If we manage to catch up to another one, we¡¯ll need some way to negate it.¡±

 Chapter 112: The Accumulation of a Life

    While the search for answers continued in the astral space, the support camp was suddenly swarmed with bronze-rankers Danielle and Thalia deemed insufficiently reliable to participate. There was also a pair of silver-rankers, one of whom was named Gloria Phael. She had no interest in running the camp but didn¡¯t want a commoner in a position of authority, so she rallied the bronze rankers, ousted Vincent and installed her son in his place.


    The administrative skills of the new camp leader left something to be desired and since Jason had stayed on as his assistant, he did his best to keep things running smoothly. This quickly proved infeasible as the new camp leader had little interest in doing, or even hearing about things. This was remedied by having Jason removed as well.


    Left idle, Jason spent his time with Gary and Rufus, who was still barely moving. He would robotically eat a spirit coin when prompted by Gary, but never talked. Gary took Jason aside because they were running out of coins and needed clean clothes. Their possessions had all been stored in Farrah¡¯s storage space.


    Jason went and found Vincent.


    ¡°That worthless, wet sack of nothing actually had me confined to the tent,¡± Vincent complained.


    ¡°Are they enforcing that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, but its still humiliating.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jason said. ¡°Gary and I need to do something, so we need you to keep an eye on Rufus.¡±


    Vincent had been giving Rufus his distance, at Gary¡¯s suggestion.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Vincent said.


    He and Gary went out into the desert. They found a flat space of red, rocky earth, far from the prying eyes of the camp and Jason took out the casket containing Farrah¡¯s body. He had been keeping it in his own storage space since she was brought out through the aperture. She was in a magical casket that would preserve her until she was returned to her family. Jason once had the sombre task of placing another adventurer in an identical casket, and now understood why friends and family were not the ones sent to recover a fallen adventurer.


    Jason started laying out a ritual circle with salt, with Farrah¡¯s casket at the centre. Using the powdered cores of lesser monsters, he tested the circle, correcting it again and again.


    ¡°I keep messing it up,¡± he said, voice catching.


    ¡°Take your time,¡± Gary told him. It went unspoken that Jason could have extracted the items from Farrah¡¯s storage space by looting her body like a monster. They both knew it could be done, but neither man suggested such a defilement.


    Still trying to get the circle right, Jason had to stop. His vision was swimming with tears as he remembered Farrah instructing him on his very first magic circle.


    ¡°I was just thinking about when we summoned my familiar,¡± he said. ¡°Remember how we snuck off the other side of the manor so Anisa wouldn¡¯t find us?¡±


    Gary laughed, reminiscent mirth weighed down with sadness. After days of sombre reflection, the sound was strange and alien.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t tell us what it was, but we knew she wouldn¡¯t like it, coming from an apocalypse stone.¡±


    ¡°Farrah walked me through the ritual circle. It was a complex one for my first time.¡±


    ¡°You passed out again. You were constantly falling unconscious, back then.¡±


    ¡°Getting hit in the head with a shovel will do that. I sometimes wonder if I don¡¯t have some lingering damage from all that cranial trauma.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve wondered that too,¡± Gary said and they shared a sad smile.


    Jason finished the circle and performed the ritual by reciting an incantation. Items from Farrah''s dimensional space started appearing around her casket. By the time it was done, it formed a small hill of crates, boxes, bookshelves, cupboards, wardrobes, furniture and various loose items.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have room for all this in my inventory,¡± Jason said. ¡°Some of it won¡¯t fit at all. She had a banquet table in there?¡±


    ¡°How big an item can you fit?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°About the size of a regular dining table. Maybe half the size of that great long thing. Who needs a banquet table on hand?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised,¡± Gary said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if you can¡¯t fit everything. There are dimensional bags in here somewhere. The banquet table should fit into a bronze-rank one.¡±


    They started sorting through everything; the accumulation of a life. They found the dimensional bags, placing Gary¡¯s things in one and Rufus¡¯ in another. That was only a portion of the pile; the rest they started putting in the remaining bags.


    Jason brushed his hand along the spines of books on one of several bookcases.


    ¡°She always wanted me to pay more attention to magical theory,¡± he said.


    ¡°Take them,¡± Gary said. ¡°She¡¯d want you to have them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°Just make sure you read them,¡± he instructed Jason. ¡°You have no idea how often she complained that you wouldn¡¯t learn magic properly. She saw so much potential in you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I¡¯ll try to live up to it.¡±


    Returning to the support camp, Jason and Gary were heading for the large dormitory tent where they had left Rufus. As they drew closer, they heard a commotion coming from the tent and people evacuating it.


    ¡°MY SON ALMOST DIED BECAUSE YOU COULDN¡¯T HOLD THE LINE!¡±


    Gary and Jason went into the tent. Rufus was standing, his expressionless gaze on a man who had clutched the front of Rufus¡¯ clothes in a first. He was yelling invective at Rufus, blasting out his bronze-rank aura. Everyone else had either backed-off or left entirely.


    ¡°What good were you?¡± the man continued to shout in Rufus¡¯ face. ¡°You couldn¡¯t even protect yourselves!¡±


    ¡°I do not like where this is going,¡± Gary said, stepping forward.


    ¡°Still nothing to say?¡± the man kept yelling. ¡°That worthless friend of yours wasn¡¯t worth the dirt her blood stained!¡±


    Rufus¡¯ expression remained blank, but a golden sword appeared in the hand at his side. Gary¡¯s hand was faster and stronger, clamping down on Rufus¡¯ arm and holding it in place. Gary¡¯s other hand formed a fist, which crashed into the face of the yelling man without Gary so much as looking at him. His gaze was on Rufus, who looked back at him blankly.


    ¡°You dare?¡± the man asked disbelievingly from the floor. Gary turned to face him.


    ¡°Leave. Otherwise, I will let him kill you.¡±


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t dare!¡±


    ¡°Look at him and say that again,¡± Gary said, stepping aside while keeping a solid grip on Rufus¡¯ arm. Rufus looked down at the man and the man looked back. What he saw in Rufus¡¯ empty eyes unnerved him more than the sword in Rufus¡¯ hand and he scrambled away, out of the tent.


    After a brief discussion, Gary and Jason decided that the camp was no good for Rufus. Vincent wanted to stay behind and try and help the camp, futile as his efforts may be.


    Jason had supplied himself for the desert and they set out from the camp in the early hours, shortly before sunrise. Their destination was Boko, where Jason had first arrived via Hester¡¯s portal. The support camp was in the middle of nowhere but Jason had the city on his map and there was no danger of getting lost. It would be a trek of days without a sand skimmer, but that was largely the point. Nothing but quiet, empty space.


    Rufus followed along passively as they walked. It was reminiscent of their journey through the desert when they first met. After hours of walking in silence, Jason started talking about their first encounter. Trapped with Rufus, Gary and Farrah in that basement, then the sacrifice chamber. The terrifying spectacle of Farrah¡¯s volcano powers. After the tale had run its course, Gary started telling stories from before Jason had met the trio. He told about how they met while fighting a zombie plague that had wiped out a massive town. He talked of other adventures they had undertaken together. He spoke of how they champed at the bit under the supervision of one silver-ranker or another.


    ¡°We had little chance to control our own fates,¡± Rufus said. His first words in days startling the others into stopping.


    ¡°We came out here to get away from that,¡± Rufus continued, ¡°yet she died under the command of silvers. Because she followed me.¡±


    ¡°Because of you?¡± Gary growled, voice thundering. ¡°That¡¯s the biggest load of crap I¡¯ve ever heard. You think she followed you around like a lost dog? Am I your pet cat? We came out here to control our own fates; you just said it yourself. She chose to be here, just like you. She knew the risks of this life and she died protecting people, like a hero.¡±


    Gary marched up to Rufus and shoved him hard, sending him stumbling back and falling over. Rufus pushed himself up on his elbows, only to be shoved down again by an enormous foot. Rufus looked up at Gary, finally shaken out of his blank expression.


    ¡°If I hear you try and take her sacrifice away ever again,¡± Gary growled, ¡°I¡¯ll beat you halfway to death and then you and me will be done.¡±


    Gary lifted his foot off Rufus¡¯ chest and stormed off. Jason walked over and crouched next to Rufus, who lay on the hard ground with a shell-shocked expression. Jason looked down at Rufus, then over at Gary, marching on alone.


    ¡°We all lost her,¡± Jason told Rufus. ¡°You¡¯re not the only one who gets to mourn.¡±


    Jason stood up and followed after Gary.


    Emir emerged from the aperture into a camp that was in chaos. The original neat rows of tents had been added to in haphazard fashion, poorly adapting to the influx of people from the expedition.


    ¡°What in the world are they doing out here?¡±


    He marched over to the management tent, only to find that it was missing. He extended his senses, the low-level anger in his aura bringing out goose-bumps in people all over the camp. He wasn''t sufficiently familiar with Vincent Trenslow to pick his aura and didn''t sense Jason anywhere in the camp.


    He made his way to the closest bronze rank aura, terrifying its owner as he demanded the location of the management tent. It had been moved from its central location to an isolated rise outside the camp that had nice views and didn''t smell of people. Emir stormed inside, where he found some bronze-ranker with his feet up as he reclined, eating grapes. The man shivered as he felt a gold-rank aura pressing down on him, almost falling to the floor as he scrambled to his feet.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Cassius Phael, Lord Bahadir.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an aristocrat, Phael. Where is Vincent Trenslow?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The person in charge of this camp!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in charge of this camp.¡±


    ¡°Why? Where is the person that used to be in charge?¡±


    ¡°No idea. We saw him off.¡±


    ¡°Saw him off?¡±


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t let him tell nobles what to do. He was just some common filth.¡±


    ¡°Like me?¡±


    Phael went white as milk.


    ¡°How did you end up in charge?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°My mother told me to do it,¡± Phael said.


    ¡°Oh, dear gods. What about Asano?¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°Trenslow¡¯s assistant.¡±


    ¡°The mouthy one? We got rid of him too.¡±


    ¡°Did Asano say anything about the five people whose tracking was lost?¡±


    ¡°Right, yes,¡± Phael said. ¡°I found out he had people watching them. Can you believe it? The families they come from and he had people spying! Obviously, I got rid of them and warned the families.¡±


    Emir looked at the idiot incredulously, taking a slow, calming breath.


    ¡°Do you know why Asano didn¡¯t tell me about any of this?¡±


    ¡°He did try to go see you, but we stopped him. He was obviously just going to complain and toady, so we made sure he didn¡¯t bother you.¡±


    Emir ran a hand over his face.


    ¡°Suddenly I see the flaw in putting all the competent people on one side of the aperture and the rest on the other.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°Phael, where is Trenslow now?¡±


    ¡°I had to have him confined to one of the dormitory tents,¡± Phael said. ¡°He kept coming in to make stupid suggestions. I''m the one in charge, now.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen,¡± Emir said, keeping himself under control as his voice audibly teetered at the edge of breaking into a yell. ¡°You are going to find Trenslow and tell him, along with anyone who objects, that I have personally placed him in charge of this camp. Then, figure out how to stay out of my sight, because if I ever see you again, I might just slap you so hard it changes your religion. Do understand what I¡¯ve just told you?¡±


    ¡°I think so, sir. My family worships Vineyard, if that helps. He¡¯s subordinate to the god of revels.¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear gods. Look, just tell me where I can find him.¡±


    ¡°The god of revels?¡±


    ¡°Trenslow, you cretin!¡±


    Rufus trailed behind Gary and Jason at a distance for the rest of the day, the pair occasionally glancing back to make sure he was still there. Once darkness came, Jason and Gary made camp. They set out aura-suppressing tents that would shield them from the senses of unintelligent monsters and placed a warming stone that saved them making a fire. The arid air rapidly cooled once the sun went down, and while any adventurer could withstand it, they would rather not. Gary especially, as his fur had a natural ability to diffuse heat while offering little insulation.


    Sitting on blankets on either side of the cylindrical heat stone, they were eventually joined by Rufus. His formerly blank expression now looked tired and haunted. They sat in silence for a long time before Rufus unexpectedly spoke.


    ¡°Remember that little village in the eastern reaches?¡± he asked Gary.


    Gary looked at Rufus in surprise.


    ¡°The one with the flour mill?¡±


    Rufus nodded and Gary burst out laughing.


    ¡°Am I missing something?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There was this flour mill,¡± Gary said. ¡°Farrah wasn¡¯t always so accurate with her unruly volcano powers and she blew up a flour mill. The explosion did kill the monster, though.¡±


    ¡°What kind of storytelling is that?¡± Rufus asked Gary. ¡°You jumped right to the end.¡±


    ¡°If you want to tell it properly,¡± Gary said, ¡°then tell it.¡±


    ¡°I will then,¡± Rufus said. ¡°This was a few years ago, when Farrah and I had just hit bronze. Gary had been bronze for a few years when we met him, but he¡¯d been slacking off.¡±


    ¡°I was focusing on my forge-craft, not slacking off.¡±


    ¡°So he claims,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The three of us took this contract, way out in the eastern reaches. It was a long way and there weren¡¯t a lot of takers, but it was a low-magic zone and we could go without supervision, so we accepted the contract.¡±


    ¡°I thought you told me coming out here was your first chance to take contracts without a silver-ranker over your shoulder.¡±


    ¡°Well, there was this one instance,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It didn¡¯t go very well.¡±


    ¡°They made us go back and deliver a bunch of food,¡± Gary said, ¡°on account of having blown-up their flour mill.¡±


    ¡°What did I just say about jumping to the end?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°So, we set out for the eastern reaches, and the mission seemed plagued from the start. One of the heidels went lame in the middle of nowhere, and none of us were healers. That was when we found out that heidels don¡¯t respond well to healing potions¡­¡±

 Chapter 113: You Should Work on Making Enemies

    The cloud palace was not only the largest magic construction in Greenstone but also the most sophisticated. This was demonstrable in ways large and small, from its ability to take multiple forms to the amenities incorporated throughout the structure.


    In Belinda and Sophie¡¯s guest suite, there were several cooler cabinets, each with a front of translucent mist. Belinda went to the one specifically for non-alcoholic beverages and reached directly through the veil, her hand feeling the chill. She retrieved a frosty pitcher of fruit punch and took it back to the terrace table where she and Sophie had been spending their idle days.


    ¡°This is so strange,¡± she said, sitting down in a meltingly soft patio chair made of blue and white mist. ¡°Did you ever expect to experience something like this?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sophie said, taking the pitcher and pouring out drinks into crystal tumblers. ¡°It scares me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wondering that if it¡¯s this good now, how wrong will it go later?¡±


    ¡°I am. I don¡¯t know what game Asano is playing or how he intends to use us.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be worse than handing us over to Silva or that Magic Society guy,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Look around. The director of the Adventure Society doesn¡¯t dare come get us. If this is the company Asano is keeping, what does he care about Silva or even the local Magic Society? What would he possibly need us for?¡±


    ¡°Lots of things. None of which are good for us.¡±


    ¡°Jory thinks Asano is doing this to help us,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seriously believe that?¡±


    ¡°I believe that he believes it. So does Clive.¡±


    After Asano and Bahadir departed, Clive had periodically appeared to visit Belinda, the two spending hours going over the various tools and tricks she employed in her career as a professional thief. They also toured the cloud palace and its myriad wonders. The palace was enormous, with multiple wings in all directions, connected to a central building by cloud pathways. The palace was unaffected by floating on the exposed water, with neither wind nor wave causing so much as a shudder.


    There were dining rooms, ballrooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, ritual rooms, parlours, terraces, kitchens, studies, training halls, libraries, art galleries, it just went on and on. In the lowest levels, below the waterline, there were lounges with walls of translucent mist, allowing occupants to see out into the water. Very few places seemed out of bounds, with the major exception being Bahadir¡¯s personal suite. It occupied the top four floors of the central building but almost all other areas were open to them. The other restricted areas were secure rooms containing various valuables. The two thieves naturally thought of robbing the place but were not foolish enough to try.


    Experimentally, they went to the cloud path that led to the shore. None of the people  Emir left behind attempted to stop the two women as they stood just inside the palace, looking out. The bridge to the shore was anchored directly in front of the Adventure Society reception building, beyond which were gardened paths leading deeper into the campus.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t think they¡¯ll try to stop us leaving,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°They don¡¯t need to,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Do you really think we¡¯d get out of the Adventure Society grounds without being snatched up?¡±


    Rufus held out his glass.


    ¡°To Farrah.¡±


    Gary and Jason touched their glasses to his and they drank. The trio was in an open-air bar in one of the wealthier parts of the city of Boko. It had been a day and a half since they arrived and they had been exploring the city. It wasn¡¯t a port city like Greenstone, or as large. As such, the population wasn¡¯t as diverse, being made up almost entirely of humans. They were very dark-skinned, like the Ustei, but the cultures were clearly very different. The hairstyles in Boko weren¡¯t wild and crazy, and the clothes weren¡¯t a patchwork mess. The local fashion was loose and breathable, like that of Greenstone, but in more subdued colours. Earthy browns, yellows and reds dominated, compared to the kaleidoscope colours the Greenstone populace preferred.


    Gary and Rufus shared more stories about Farrah, while Jason brought them up to speed on his activities in their absence.


    ¡°You want to make this thief girl an adventurer?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°What was her name again?¡±


    ¡°Sophie Wexler. She¡¯s a celestine, no family ties in Greenstone, from what little I was able to get out of her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a creative solution,¡± Rufus said. ¡°At the very least it would prevent her from being quietly handed off to Lamprey in some backroom political deal. The Society would never allow that for a member.¡±


    ¡°Lamprey¡¯s fixation on her is the key,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s the lever Arella is tugging on. If we can definitively remove Wexler from Lamprey¡¯s reach, that lever goes away. Her political value vanishes and she goes back to being just some woman from Old City.¡±


    ¡°The problem is her fugitive status,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Until that gets resolved, you won¡¯t be able to get her Adventure Society membership.¡±


    ¡°What if we did it here?¡± Gary asked. ¡°She¡¯s not a fugitive here in Boko, and they have an Adventure Society branch.¡±


    ¡°I thought about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s too much chance of Arella finding out and interfering. One communication to the branch director here and everything comes unravelled.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the plan?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°The key is the service agreement between the Adventure Society and Greenstone,¡± Jason said. ¡°The right to her indenture is clearly mine. So long as the Adventure Society legal advocate doesn¡¯t roll over, there won¡¯t be an issue. Which means we either need leverage on the advocate, or leverage on Arella.¡±


    ¡°The thing with her father being a crime lord isn¡¯t enough?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°I very much doubt it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rising above her criminal past to become an anti-corruption crusader is a narrative she can use to her advantage. It does make it harder for her to make any blatantly corrupt moves, though.¡±


    ¡°You may not have to do anything,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The leverage may provide itself.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason prompted.


    ¡°The Adventure Society recognises that politicking is a required part of administering a branch, but Society interests have to be protected above all else. We just lost a whole slew of adventurer, which means the Continental Council will be raining down in full force. There will be an inquiry that holds the Greenstone Adventure Society upside down and shakes it until all the goodies come out.¡±


    ¡°And Arella is the one responsible for the makeup of the expedition,¡± Jason said, realisation dawning. ¡°Everyone wanted in, so she let in every political rival who wanted to go along, instead of building an effective team. Still, the blame could fall in a lot of places. I¡¯m guessing it depends on who does the blaming.¡±


    ¡°It will depend on who the Continental Council sends,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°The expedition was a mess,¡± Gary said. ¡°Surely it has to fall on Arella. We lost so many because there weren¡¯t enough strong people to shield the weak.¡±


    The glass in Rufus¡¯s hand shattered, his face full of quiet but hot-burning fury.


    ¡°Farrah died covering those people,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m done putting up with Greenstone¡¯s worthless adventurers. I think I¡¯ll pay Elspeth Arella a visit myself.¡±


    ¡°I would hold off unless you have a goal beyond yelling at her,¡± Jason said. ¡°Don¡¯t muddy the waters unless muddy water is useful to you.¡±


    Danielle and Emir finally declared the expedition at an end. They withdrew all their people back through the aperture, along with everything they collected. Although the cost in blood was heavy, they succeeded in their goal of finding and stopping what disrupting the astral space.


    A network of astral magic nodes had affected the whole astral space. They hadn¡¯t figured out what it was for yet, but they didn¡¯t need to; they just needed to take it down. They did exactly that, packing away large portions in dimensional bags for study and destroying the rest.


    As people and supplies were loaded onto skimmers and sand barges, Emir and Danielle were looking at an object, waiting to be packed away. It was a five-sided column, the height of a person and covered in engravings, one of many waiting to be stowed away.


    ¡°So this is what was causing all the trouble,¡± Emir said. ¡°How many are we taking?¡±


    "Our people examined them," Danielle said. "There are fifteen different types, so we''re taking three of each and destroying the rest. It¡¯s the Magic Society¡¯s problem now.¡±


    ¡°It is what they do,¡± Emir said. ¡°I think it¡¯s past time I added an astral magic specialist to my team.¡±


    The columns had been the physical medium of the astral magic. No one in the expedition could even tell if destabilisation was the goal or a side-effect. They would also be taking the remains of several construct creatures, plus one construct they had captured intact. Their purpose and origins would eventually be teased out by the Magic Society.


    ¡°What about Rufus and Asano?¡± Emir asked. ¡°Any word?¡±


    ¡°There was some kind of altercation,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Shortly after, Gary and Jason took Rufus out into the desert and didn¡¯t come back. According to Vincent Trenslow, they were heading for the city, so you should find them there.¡±


    The return to Greenstone was going to take two paths. The vast majority of the people and supplies would take the skimmers and barges they brought with them back overland, with Danielle in command. Emir and his people would return the extra skimmers requisitioned from the city of Boko.


    ¡°Do me a favour when you head to the Adventure Society in Boko,¡± Danielle asked Emir. ¡°See if the Ustei have been causing trouble since we turned them back out where they came from.¡±


    When he arrived in Boko, his first goal was to arrange the local Adventure Society branch to send periodic, silver-rank patrols into the astral space. Left alone, the astral space should eventually return to normal functioning, replenishing the drying oases. After that, he would return to Greenstone via portal ability. Many of the more prestigious members of the expedition petitioned to join him but were refused outright.


    When the last of the gear was packed up, both groups left the aperture behind. Emir and his people had the shorter journey, arriving at Boko within the day. He organised his people to return the requisitioned skimmers and see if they could find Rufus, Jason and Gary. Emir was on his way to the Adventure Society headquarters when something strange appeared in front of him.


    You have received a voice chat request from [Jason Asano]. Accept Y/N?


    ¡°What?¡±


    Hester was the member of Emir¡¯s staff who had opened the portal to Boko and back. She was widely travelled, which was an advantage to anyone with such a power. Portal-type abilities had several limitations, starting with destination. They could only be opened to locations that the one with the power had been before. There were also limits to who could use it, based on rank. The only reason she was able to create a portal the gold-ranked Emir could travel through was that her portal ability had reached gold rank, even though she hadn¡¯t.


    The portal she opened back to Greenstone deposited them at the Adventure Society campus, right next to the cloud palace. It was late in the afternoon and Emir led them inside where a large meal was quickly arranged. Emir¡¯s people went about their business after that, except for Constance. She joined Emir, Jason, Gary and Rufus on a terrace. They took after-dinner drinks as they watched the sun set over the ocean.


    Jason let out a loud sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯m just now remembering the crisis I was dealing with before the other crisis,¡± he said. ¡°I missed the essence and awakening stone auction. Is that mysterious thing of yours still coming up, Emir?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to push it back,¡± Emir said. ¡°I was intending to rely on the Greenstone¡¯s iron-rankers, but that clearly isn¡¯t viable. The entire adventurer community here will be reeling from the results of this expedition. Even if that weren¡¯t the case, the standards here are lower than I feared. A few stand-outs aside, the general level ability is woeful. I¡¯m going to put out an open contract and ship more capable people in.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have some competition, Jason,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Competition for what?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Something that will, for the moment, remain unrevealed,¡± Emir said. ¡°Suffice to say, there is a place that only iron-rankers can go, in which there is a thing iron-rankers cannot use. Whoever brings that thing to me shall receive glorious prizes.¡±


    ¡°And this place will have essences and awakening stones?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°If the conditions are what we believe, then yes.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Jason said, ¡°if you¡¯re moving it back, I¡¯m going to need another source of essences.¡±


    ¡°You still want to make this thief girl an adventurer?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°That, or send her so far from here it¡¯s not worth anyone looking. Given how hard it would be to get her into the Adventure Society, that¡¯s the direction I was leaning. That may change, depending on how much trouble Elspeth Arella is in.¡±


    ¡°A lot,¡± Emir said. ¡°The Society doesn¡¯t like to interfere with its branch directors but losing all those adventurers will be more than they¡¯re willing to tolerate. Danielle Geller told me that she lodged a protest about the makeup of the expedition before it even left. That will make things all the worse for Arella. I will be astounded if she keeps her position.¡±


    ¡°Then I should act quickly,¡± Jason said. ¡°If she has to walk the line, suddenly the rules people have been stomping over have some teeth. If I can lock in the indenture, that resolves her being a fugitive, and if I can then make her an adventurer, she¡¯ll have the Society¡¯s protection.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of anyone getting their indentured servant into the Adventure Society,¡± Constance said. ¡°The Society¡¯s protection of its members would eliminate almost all control over them.¡±


    ¡°Jason has been making crazy choices to rescue people since literally the day we met,¡± Gary said. ¡°You get used to him.¡±


    ¡°No you don¡¯t,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Jason, you need to work on making enemies of your own rank. You have the directors of the Adventure Society and the Magic Society after you, now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°But how amazing will it be when I win?¡±

 Chapter 114: Climbing Mountains

    Jason walked through the halls of the cloud palace. Far from just white cloud-stuff, the walls, floors and ceilings were marked-out in sunset shades of rich blues, purples, oranges and golds. In some areas it was startlingly vibrant; in others, soft and subdued. Everything glowed with its own light, which Emir had told Jason was absorbed sunlight the palace could store-up and distribute as needed. The floors underfoot had a springiness that was still very stable, as if a very sensible engineer had been forced to design a bouncy castle. The total effect was like walking through a fairy tale.


    A full wing of the cloud palace was dedicated to guest suites and Jason walked from his own to that in which Emir had placed Belinda and Sophie. The wide door was white, with the edges marked out in blue. Next to it was a small, circular patch of gold in the wall, which he pressed a finger into. It felt like pressing into a soft, downy doona.


    He heard a pleasant chime from the other side of the door, like tinkling water. A few moments later, the door became translucent, revealing Sophie standing on the other side. She was wearing dark, practical clothing and her entire posture screamed the opposite of welcome.


    ¡°You¡¯ll want to come in then,¡± she said, her tone trying to convince him otherwise.


    ¡°It¡¯s time we had a talk,¡± Jason said, ¡°but we don¡¯t have to do it here. The palace is full of places for a nice chat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be nice, will it?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, now you ask. I brought sandwiches if that helps.¡±


    Sophie jerked her head in a reluctant invitation and Jason walked inside. Jason''s suite was larger than any place Jason had ever lived in and Belinda and Sophie were occupying one that seemed very similar.


    ¡°Terrace,¡± she directed him, although not heading that way herself.


    He could see the terrace through the walls, which had their opacity shifted to the point of being invisible air. It tussling Jason¡¯s hair as he walked through it.


    ¡°That¡¯s indoor/outdoor living,¡± he murmured to himself as he walked over to the terrace furniture. He took out a tray of sandwiches, plates, glasses and a pitcher of blended fruit drink before sitting down.


    Belinda and Sophie came out just as he was pouring drinks. Belinda was dressed in light, summery clothes. She immediately sat down and grabbed a sandwich. Sophie didn¡¯t reach for the food, looking at it with suspicion.


    ¡°Is this bread from Pantero¡¯s?¡± Belinda asked after swallowing her first bite. Pantero¡¯s was a bakery in Old City and had the best bread Jason had found in the city.


    ¡°It is,¡± he said brightly. ¡°My friend Beth told me about it. They¡¯ve been operating there for an incredibly long time. Her grandmother used to go there as a girl when their family owned that whole part of the city.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the Cavendish family?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s them.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t they leave the Cavendish district the better part of two centuries ago?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s the adventuring life, I suppose. You live long enough to see history for yourself.¡±


    The easy smile fell from his face.


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t get you killed first,¡± he added darkly, clearly talking to himself.


    ¡°Did something happen when you went away?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°A friend of mine died,¡± he said.


    ¡°A close friend?¡±


    ¡°As close as I have in this world. She taught me so much about being an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°She taught you to fight?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°No, that was another friend, Rufus. He taught me to fight like an adventurer. Farrah taught me to live like one.¡±


    He smiled, sadly.


    ¡°She¡¯d call me out when I started talking out my backside. Which you may come to find is pretty often.¡±


    He brushed the back of his hand over his eyes and gave them a grin that was only a little forced.


    ¡°None of that matters to you, though,¡± he told them. ¡°You have your own troubles to deal with, which is why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°I thought your clever plan collapsed in a heap,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°It did,¡± Jason said, ¡°but times, as the song goes, are a-changing.¡±


    ¡°What song?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jason said, waving a dismissive hand. ¡°As it stands, I see this going one of four ways. The pair of you will have to choose between them.¡±


    ¡°And if we don¡¯t like your options?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°That would be option one,¡± Jason said. ¡°You put me and my schemes behind you, which is reasonable, given how they¡¯ve gone thus far. You walk out of the cloud palace and seize your own fate. Option two is similar, but more appealing, I think. You still walk away, but we send you far from here first. Our host has someone that can send you places so far from here it¡¯s not worth the effort of looking for you.¡±


    ¡°A teleporting power,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°She opens portals, which is how we came and went just recently. Her name is Hester, and she seems quite nice. You can talk to her to pick out a destination, then we send you off. We¡¯ll send you off with a fist full of cash but that is all you will have, aside from each other. I imagine a couple of resourceful women like yourselves will have no trouble starting fresh.¡±


    ¡°A clean slate is all we¡¯ve been looking for,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°You can have it,¡± Jason said, ¡°if that¡¯s what you choose. Option three is to upgrade who is standing between you and Lucian Lamprey. You¡¯ve seen that my efforts haven¡¯t worked out as well as I thought they would. Emir, on the other hand, is all the protection you could ask for.¡±


    ¡°Why would he help us?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°The way you fight. The way we fight. He¡¯s interested in the origins of that style. If he finds out that you use it, I¡¯m certain he¡¯d fully take you under his protection. He¡¯d want you to help him trace back its history, but I don¡¯t imagine that would be an onerous task.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you know him?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°You¡¯re helping him find the history of the fighting style?¡±


    ¡°No. I met Emir because he¡¯s a friend of a friend. He doesn¡¯t know that either of us can use the style, but I¡¯m of little use to him because I learned it from a skill book.¡±


    ¡°You learned that from a skill book?¡± Sophie asked, her expression turning curious as it broke out of stern suspicion for the first time since he arrived.


    ¡°I¡¯ve fought people who used skill books before,¡± she said. ¡°Fighting you didn¡¯t feel like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had additional training to fully incorporate those skills,¡± Jason said. ¡°Unless you learned to fight from a skill book too, turning to Emir might be a good option for you.¡±


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you told him already?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Not mine to tell.¡±


    ¡°You expect us to believe that?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said, giving them a smile instead of trying to convince them further.


    ¡°What¡¯s option four?¡± Belinda asked.


    Before answering, Jason picked up a sandwich and took a generous bite, chewing thoroughly before swallowing. He washed it down by emptying his glass, then slowly poured himself another.


    ¡°Really?¡± Sophie asked and he flashed her a grin.


    ¡°I got this from a guy who makes blended fruit drinks here on the Island,¡± he said. ¡°Not cheap, but what is on the Island?¡±


    Belinda sipped at her glass curiously, eyes going wide at the sweet, pleasant taste. Sophie glared at her, leaving her own glass untouched.


    ¡°There was meant to be an auction while I was gone,¡± Jason said. ¡°All the big spenders were away, though, so they ended up cancelling it. That means the brokers have a few essences and awakening stones available for relatively reasonable prices.¡±


    ¡°Why are you talking about essences?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I don¡¯t care how reasonable the prices are; they¡¯re way beyond what we have. We weren¡¯t stealing for the money and margins were slim because high-end jewellery and the like is easy to trace. After expenses, we were barely breaking even. Are you offering us a loan?¡±


    ¡°Option four,¡± Jason said, ¡°is the original plan. I take you, Sophie, as an indenture. That eliminates your fugitive status, meaning that with a couple more essences, you can sign on to the Adventure Society. You¡¯ll be shielded from Lucian Lamprey and Cole Silva for good. At least, for the purposes they originally intended. Nothing I¡¯ve heard about either suggests they are above petty revenge.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer her question,¡± Belinda said. ¡°How are we meant to afford essences?¡±


    ¡°A loan would not be an inaccurate characterisation,¡± Jason said. ¡°Joining the Adventure Society would offer you many protections, including from me, but the indenture would still stand.¡±


    ¡°You want me to work it off,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Exactly. And once you''re an adventurer, you''ll find opportunities abound. If you''re willing to work for them.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure, to be honest,¡± Jason said. ¡°There is some kind of competition coming up, organised by our host. He has told me that there are essences and awakening stones to be had. Even if you don¡¯t get three for your friend, here, you¡¯ll still be an adventurer. It would only be a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°How would that even work?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°I thought indenture was off the table.¡±


    ¡°I told you earlier: times are changing. You probably didn¡¯t hear, shuttered away like this, but the big expedition went wrong. Very wrong. A lot of adventurers died, which is why we left to help.¡±


    ¡°Were you any help?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Sophie!¡± Belinda scolded.


    ¡°You seem too weak to help a big adventurer expedition,¡± Sophie said, unrepentant. ¡°You barely caught me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Mostly I just told people where to put up tents until some silver-ranker got rid of me.¡±


    ¡°So what does this expedition have to do with the indenture?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Because it went wrong,¡± Jason said, ¡°there''s going to be an inquiry. There''s a Continental Council that oversees Adventure Society business continent-wide. After the mess that happened, they''re sending a team here to conduct some kind of audit on the whole Adventure Society branch.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Sophie said. ¡°People will actually have to follow the rules for once.¡±


    ¡°At least for a small window of time,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯ll be back to business soon enough but until then, the director won¡¯t be able to sell out the Society¡¯s legal agreement with the city. Which means I can ¡®recapture¡¯ you and the indenture hearing is back on.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Essences, indenture hearings. Why would you do any of that for us? Are you trying to tell me that Jory is such a good friend to you that you¡¯d go this far over some girl he likes?¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯m sitting right here,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d believe me if I told you why,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d guess you believe maybe one word in ten coming out of my mouth.¡±


    ¡°If that,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Tell us anyway. You learn a lot about a person from how they lie.¡±


    Jason chuckled, leaned back in his chair and took another long drink. The amused half-smile he used to mask his emotions was replaced by a slightly sad, sober expression.


    ¡°When I first came here,¡± he said, ¡°I was lost. More lost than you can imagine. I knew no one; nothing made sense. I was tired, beaten and had people trying to kill me, all while doubting my own sanity. My friends helped me get on my feet. They taught me, supported me. Put up with me. They helped me take control of my life.¡±


    He paused for a long time, looking out at the ocean. Sophie was about to say something, but Belinda gestured to wait.


    ¡°One of them is dead now,¡± he said. ¡°I think she would like me trying to do the same for someone else. Or maybe she¡¯d yell at me and tell me to sort my own problems out before looking to someone else¡¯s.¡±


    He smiled sadly, but genuinely, his eyes twinkling with moisture. He wiped them and stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll leave the lunch,¡± he said. ¡°Talk over what you want to do and tell me when you figure it out. Or vanish and tell me nothing. Up to you.¡±


    He headed through the invisible wall of their suite and made for the door.


    ¡°How long do we have to decide?¡± Belinda called after him and he stopped.


    ¡°As long as you can convince Emir to have you,¡± he said. ¡°If you want to be an adventurer, the sooner the better. I¡¯m not the only one who spotted cheap essences, and the next Adventure Society intake is in nine days. We need to have the indenture hearing, pick out some essences and shove them into you before that.¡±


    He left Belinda and Sophie sitting at the table with a bunch of sandwiches and blended fruit drink.


    ¡°If he¡¯s a liar, he¡¯s a good one,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°He is liar,¡± Sophie said. ¡°And he is a good one.¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯s playing us? I don¡¯t see what he would get out of that.¡±


    ¡°Some political game we don¡¯t know enough to see.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Jory and Clive aren¡¯t like the people we usually deal with. Maybe he isn¡¯t either.¡±


    ¡°Does he feel like that to you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Those two are easy to read. Asano is more like dark water. You see things in there, but you can¡¯t tell if what you saw was real.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen people like him before,¡± Sophie said. ¡°They know you won¡¯t believe what they say, so they tell you five stories and let you figure out which is true.¡±


    ¡°And how do you do that?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°That''s the trap; none of them are.¡±


    ¡°So those options he gave us. You don¡¯t think they¡¯re real options?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡¯ Sophie said. ¡°Maybe he wants us to think they¡¯re our only options.¡±


    ¡°Our current options are to leave or hope we don''t get kicked out,¡± Belinda said. ¡°If you have something better than what he''s offering, I''m listening.¡±


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t. But I don¡¯t trust him.¡±


    ¡°At this point, we have to trust either him or fate. It wasn''t fate that put us in a magic castle. It was him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what he wants us to think,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Maybe we can talk to some of the other people here,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Get a better sense of him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Information isolation is our biggest weakness right now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our biggest weakness?¡±


    ¡°The biggest one we can do something about. Press Clive about him, next time he comes by. In the meantime, we can find out who else in this place knows him.¡±


    Jason was leaving the cloud palace when he ran into Emir and Constance coming back. They stopped to chat halfway across the platform connecting the cloud palace to the shore.


    ¡°Did you talk to my other guests?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°I just came from there.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°My guess would be they choose to get sent far from here.¡±


    ¡°The adventuring life not tempting?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t trust me,¡± Jason said. ¡°Probably a smart choice. My first plan didn¡¯t exactly work out.¡±


    Emir chuckled.


    ¡°You need to work on that,¡± he said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t happy to find the camp I put you and Rufus¡¯ friend in charge of being run by some imbecile.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t put us in charge of that camp,¡± Jason said. ¡°It just kind of worked out that way. Until it didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Emir asked. ¡°It feels like I put you in charge.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only gold-ranker here,¡± Jason said. ¡°It probably feels like everything happens because you wanted it to.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Constance said. ¡°You didn¡¯t put them in charge.¡±


    ¡°Well, if Constance says so, it must be true. What are you up to now?¡±


    ¡°Does no one believe what I have to say, today? I¡¯m off to see Elspeth Arella. I¡¯m going to explain why the indenture hearing is going to go the way I want.¡±


    Constance, who was normally a detached professional, creased her brow in confusion.


    ¡°You know you¡¯re still an iron-ranker, right?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And you''re going to march into the office of the silver-rank branch director of the Adventure Society and tell her what to do?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Which, if I understand correctly, is exactly what you did last time. After which, she immediately played you for a fool.¡±


    ¡°That would be an accurate summation, yes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t going to be throwing around Mr Bahadir¡¯s name.¡±


    ¡°I have a little more decorum than that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have my own levers to push, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± she said, her expression still a warning.


    ¡°We¡¯ll let you get to it,¡± Emir said. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    They parted ways, Emir and Constance returning to the palace. Out of sight from outsiders, Constance¡¯s posture became more relaxed.


    ¡°Rufus was right,¡± Constance said. ¡°That boy is mad.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the things about climbing mountains,¡± Emir said. ¡°The first thing you need is someone foolish enough to try it.¡±


    ¡°I never saw the point of that as a recreational activity,¡± Constance said. ¡°Putting a suppression collar on yourself and clambering up an edifice? If they¡¯re that keen on danger, why not fight monsters, like regular people?¡±


    ¡°The point is that they are challenging themselves to do what others think can¡¯t be done,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°That man Koenig who used to work for you when I first started. He liked to climb mountains, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°He did, indeed,¡± Emir said. ¡°He was quite the enthusiast.¡±


    ¡°What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°He fell off a mountain and died.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t a lot of people die trying to climb mountains?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emir said. ¡°Yes, they do.¡±

 Chapter 115: Nothing Can Hurt You Like Hope

    The door to Arella¡¯s office opened itself as Jason approached and he walked right in. Sitting behind her desk, she made a gesture and the door closed behind him. He stood in front of the desk, looking around.


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed the artwork.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you showed your face,¡± she said. ¡°I suppose I shouldn¡¯t have expected any bounds on your arrogance.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably fair. I should thank you, though, for the object lesson in the pitfalls of being arrogant. Your mistake was the same every time; you never consider how your actions hurt other people. The thief you tried to hand over to Lamprey. The iron-rankers you made look buffoonish at their inability to catch her. Your own officials being squeezed between you and the Duke. That was already hurting you, but the expedition? There¡¯s plenty of blame to go around but we both know that you¡¯re in line for a hearty serving. You alienated your allies and made deals with your enemies.¡±


    Arella looked at him with open disgust.


    ¡°You really never tire of hearing your own voice, do you?¡±


    ¡°I do like to monologue, don¡¯t I? Next thing you know, I¡¯ll be building a weather machine in a mountain fortress carved into the shape of my own head.¡±


    ¡°You also like to babble nonsense. What are you here for, Asano?¡±


    ¡°Are you still going to revoke my membership?¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°All those eyes on you make petty revenge a little harder, don¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s all you want, then get out.¡±


    ¡°There is one thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°There needs to be a new sentence-dispensation hearing for the thief. I need to know you won¡¯t try and sabotage it again.¡±


    She gave him an angry glare.


    ¡°You know full-well that I can¡¯t interfere. Not if I want to still be in this office a month from now.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but the last time I was in here was to ask for the same thing. You said it would go smoothly but I bet you had a messenger on their way to Lamprey before I was out of the building. I¡¯m here for assurances.¡±


    ¡°You think you can make demands?¡±


    ¡°I tried cooperation. And yes; I think I can make demands.¡±


    ¡°I could crush you into paste without getting out of this chair.¡±


    ¡°Could you, though? You¡¯re a smart woman, director. Not as smart as you think, but enough to know the consequences of that. You¡¯ve disillusioned your allies while I keep making friends. I told you that your mistake was not caring who your games hurt. Kill me and you won¡¯t just lose this office; you¡¯ll die in it.¡±


    She reached out an arm in a clutching motion, her silver-rank reflexes too fast for Jason to react. His aura was ground down to nothing, then an invisible force picked him up, lifting him into the air as it squeezed him from every direction. The crushing force wracked his whole body with pain.


    ¡°You¡¯re so sure of yourself,¡± she said. She was still reclined in her chair, hand held out toward him.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he croaked, looking back with defiance. She squeezed all the harder until his muscles felt like pulp, his bones on the verge of breaking. His head was ready to pop like a pimple.


    She floated up, out of her seat and over her desk until they were face to face. Hers held a sneer, while his was turning purple.


    ¡°Power trumps everything,¡± she told him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how clever you are or how well you can manipulate the rules. Schemes and laws are nothing in the face of complete and absolute power.¡±


    ¡°Do it then,¡± he choked out. ¡°Are you powerful enough to handle the consequences?¡±


    She opened her clenched hand and he dropped to floor, immediately collapsing. She floated down land gently on the floor, looking down on him as he gasped and spluttered.


    ¡°Get out of my office,¡± she told him.


    Jason pushed himself achingly into a sitting position, then stood up with a groan, looking her straight in the eye.


    ¡°I told you,¡± he said. ¡°I came for assurances.¡±


    She let out a disbelieving laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re bold for someone hiding behind the strength of others.¡±


    ¡°You do what you can with what you have,¡± Jason said. ¡°Something I imagine you know very well.¡±


    She sneered.


    ¡°You said assurances. What kind of assurances do you want?¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand,¡± Jason said. ¡°When I said I¡¯m here for assurances, it was to give them, not receive.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t keep your hand off the scale for the sentence-dispensation, then that inquiry coming up will be hearing from me.¡±


    ¡°The secret is already out, Asano. People know my family history.¡±


    ¡°Not that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I mean the fact that an Adventure Society director undertook no small effort to prevent the completion of a contract she herself posted. You¡¯ll be lucky to keep your membership after that, let alone your position.¡±


    ¡°You have no proof.¡±


    ¡°You were sloppy. Too reliant on no one guessing what you were up to. You think the inquiry won¡¯t find anything, once they know to look? Even if you start cleaning up the moment I walk out of here, how many bodies will you have to drop? Are you sure you can get them all? I don¡¯t think you can. There are too many threads and chasing them all down would just make more.¡±


    Her hand twitched up, then down again. He gave her a predatory smile.


    ¡°Killing me only hurts you,¡± he said. ¡°You know that, and you have much bigger problems than me. Danielle Geller isn¡¯t back, yet, but you¡¯ll know about it when she is. I told you your mistake was not considering the collateral damage of your plotting. She once thought quite highly of you but she lost family out there.¡±


    Arella¡¯s face scrunched up in reluctance and unreleased fury.


    ¡°What assurance do I have that you won¡¯t burn me with the inquiry anyway?¡± she asked, biting off her words.


    ¡°The last time I came in here asking you to uphold the rules, I trusted you and got burned for my trouble. This time, you have to trust me.¡±


    She forced out a nod.


    ¡°I¡¯ll direct the advocate to defend the tenets of the service agreement with the city,¡± she said, biting her words off unhappily.


    ¡°All I wanted to hear,¡± he said and immediately turned for the door.


    ¡°Asano,¡± she called out and he stopped to look back.


    ¡°You really would have stood between Lamprey and this girl, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Is that why you sold me out? You didn¡¯t think I had the resolve?¡±


    The anger seemed to wash out of her, shoulders slumping and face suddenly haggard, in spite of its silver rank perfection.


    ¡°Call it a lesson learned. Things won¡¯t be going well for me in the near future, but I will climb back up.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I also won¡¯t forget the iron-ranker that walked into my office to put his foot on my neck when I was down.¡±


    Belinda watched with concern as Sophie paced back and forth on the terrace. Her friend rarely showed her anxiety, which meant she was running close to the edge.


    ¡°If they¡¯re really willing to send us far from here,¡± Sophie said, ¡°I think we do that, then get far from where they sent us. Put them and this whole city behind us.¡±


    She sped up her pacing, running her hands through her hair. Normally she tied it back in a pony tail, but today it was loose and wild.


    ¡°That¡¯s assuming we can trust going through some portal they set up,¡± she continued, ¡°which we absolutely can¡¯t. Maybe the best option really is leaving and making our own way from here.¡±


    Belinda got up from her chair, placing herself in Sophie¡¯s path, who stopped, looking up as if surprised she was there at all. Belinda took her in a hug, Sophie¡¯s arms slipping around her in turn, gripping her like a security blanket.


    ¡°You know we can¡¯t walk out of here as fugitives,¡± Belinda said softly. ¡°Even if we got out of the Adventure Society grounds, which we wouldn¡¯t, there was a reason we turned to Ventress for protection. If we go out into the city, things are worse for us now than they were then.¡±


    Belinda let go of Sophie and went through the invisible wall into their suite.


    ¡°I¡¯m having a drink,¡± she said. ¡°So are you.¡±


    The sprawling main area of the guest suite was one open space, but had areas divided up for lounging, dining, a kitchen and a bar. Belinda snagged a couple of glasses and a bottle, bringing them back outside. They say down and Sophie took the first shot without tasting it, before sipped at the second.


    ¡°You realise this bottle cost more than most of the things we¡¯ve ever stolen,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I thought we¡¯d half-emptied this bottle. Did you get it from the cooler cabinet?¡±


    ¡°I got it from the bar. You know there¡¯s a floor cabinet and two wall cabinets with drinks in addition to the bar?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°How am I meant to remember where any given bottle came from?¡±


    ¡°You know there¡¯s a wine room,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°No, where is it?¡±


    ¡°You know the floaty things that lifts you to the upper floor?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°If you hit that gold patch next to it on the wall twice, it goes down instead.¡±


    ¡°This place is crazy.¡±


    Sophie looked at the glass in her hand, then at the cloud palace around them.


    ¡°Everything about this whole experience is crazy,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be hard to give up,¡± Belinda said. ¡°If that¡¯s the way we decide to go.¡±


    Sophie frowned.


    ¡°You think we should go along with Asano¡¯s plan.¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯ll follow you, whatever you decide,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°You get just as much say as I do,¡± Sophie insisted.


    ¡°Great,¡± Belinda said, standing up. ¡°I¡¯ll go find Asano and we can get you some essences.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Sophie said, half-standing in her seat. Belinda flashed her a grin and sat back down.


    ¡°What happened to I get as much say as you?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°As much,¡± Sophie said as she gave Belinda a flat look. ¡°Not more.¡±


    ¡°You know I was only half-joking,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Even if we get so far from here we don¡¯t have to deal with Silva or Ventress or Lamprey, do you really want to go from this back to stealing?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re good at stealing.¡±


    ¡°What if we¡¯re good at something else? What if we didn¡¯t have to live by the whims of some sadistic crime lord? You know that wherever we went, there will always be a Clarissa Ventress or Cole Silva. If we turn down this chance, that will be our lives. Forever.¡±


    ¡°We could do something else,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Something legal.¡±


    ¡°Like what? Open a shop?¡±


    ¡°We could be locksmiths,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That¡¯s assuming even the offer to send us away is real. We¡¯ve been stuck in this box, only hearing what they want us to hear. They could be using us for anything.¡±


    ¡°Why would they bother?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Look at where we are. Look at who they are. Look at what we¡¯re drinking! What could we possibly offer Bahadir that he can¡¯t just take? At what point does this much effort in service to some elaborate ruse become less plausible than they just want to help us? I think we¡¯ve crossed that line. What they¡¯re offering may seem outlandish to us, but clearly that isn¡¯t the case for them. They¡¯re adventurers, making adventurer money.¡±


    Sophie took a deep breath as she considered what Belinda had to say.


    ¡°My instincts are still screaming at me to run,¡± she said. ¡°The better things seem, the worse it will be when the floor falls out from under us. Nothing can hurt you as badly as hope.¡±


    Belinda looked at her friend from under raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Really, Soph? Nothing can hurt you like hope. Is that how you want to live your life?¡±


    ¡°When were out lives ever different? We both had dead parents and massive debts when we were still children.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly why I think we should take a risk,¡± Belinda said. ¡°We were already risking everything on these crazy jobs, and for what? The chance to go somewhere else and have different crappy lives? I don¡¯t want to go back to stealing for whatever murderous lunatic is in charge of wherever we end up.¡±


    She gestured at the sky palace around them.


    ¡°I want more of this. This is worth risking everything for.¡±


    Sophie looked at her friend for a long time. She took the bottle, poured herself a large drink and gulped it down.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said finally.


    ¡°Alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    A huge grin broke out on Belinda¡¯s face.


    ¡°Sophie Wexler, adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get carried away.¡±


    ¡°Your going to be an adventurer!¡±


    ¡°This could all still go horribly wrong.¡±


    ¡°That means I¡¯m going to be an adventurer too, sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to earn how to fight,¡± Sophie said. Despite her best efforts, a smile was creeping its way onto her face.


    ¡°I know how to fight,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Kicking a guy in the beans and then running for it is not fighting.¡±


    ¡°It got me this far.¡±

 Chapter 116: See You in Court

    Elspeth Arella was in the family home she had spent very little time in, even as a child. Raised by her mother in secret, now the secret was finally out and she was free to come and go as she pleased. Those precious, clandestine visits to her father, Dorgan, were in the past; she could casually come by to take tea in one of his courtyards.


    ¡°Your mistake was your need to feel in control,¡± Dorgan told her. ¡°You had a choice between letting Asano bear the brunt of Lamprey¡¯s ire, or cutting a deal with Lamprey yourself.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think Asano could stand up to Lamprey.¡±


    ¡°The boy is arrogant and reckless,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°He would have stood up to Lamprey. Probably not successfully, but that wouldn¡¯t have mattered. If Lamprey put the boy down, that would have given you all the leverage you needed. You didn''t choose that path, because it felt passive. You wanted events to move by your hand, so you took the initiative and went to Lamprey.¡±


    ¡°It felt right,¡± Arella said.


    ¡°Our feelings are not always the wisest guide. Even if it had gone well, dealing directly with Lamprey wouldn¡¯t have given you anything you couldn''t get by waiting. All it brought you was a risk, the consequences of which you subsequently suffered. Now, with the unfortunate fate of the expedition, you have been left you critically exposed.¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°I was impatient,¡± she said. ¡°What do I do next?¡±


    ¡°For now, you must be above reproach,¡± he told her. ¡°Every rule, every stipulation. This is not the time to push for new goals. The inquiry will remove you or not. Only once the decision is made will we know the way forward.¡±


    ¡°If they remove me, everything we''ve done will be wasted.¡±


    ¡°Not everything,¡± he said. ¡°Our connection is in the open now and while it may not be endorsed, it is tolerated. If we have to start again, we will. Who doesn¡¯t like a redemption story?¡±


    ¡°I really want to crush Asano under my heel,¡± she said. ¡°If he hadn¡¯t caught the thief¡­¡±


    ¡°If he hadn¡¯t, it was past time for you to arrange her capture anyway. You had already let it play out too long. Asano was the perfect foil with which to jab Lamprey and the mistake was yours in not using him properly.¡±


    ¡°He stormed into my office to demand I help him with his damn agenda. Twice!¡±


    ¡°Don''t make Lamprey''s mistake and become fixated on someone unimportant to your ultimate goals. If you really must do something about Asano, then be patient. After the inquiry is done we can act, but at a careful remove. If we move deftly, then once he is dead the vengeance of his friends will fall on those whose removal will advantage us.¡±


    ¡°How do we do that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Lucian Lamprey and Cole Silva are kindred spirits. When the time is right, we can help them make a connection.¡±


    ¡°What about Lamprey''s dealings with Clarissa Ventress? Her and Silva hate each other.¡±


    ¡°Ventress failed to deliver what she promised to Lamprey months ago. By the time we choose to act, I would be astounded to find her still alive.¡±


    Rufus and Gary had been highly motivated to find out who was behind the activities in the astral space. The various magical paraphernalia discovered there would only arrive once the expedition returned overland, but Rufus could not be talked into waiting. He roped Gary into scouring Magic Society records and the library at the temple of knowledge for any reference to the bizarre enemies they faced in the astral space. The first time their friends had seen them in days was when they arrived at the courthouse, showing their solidarity for Jason.


    Belinda remained in the cloud palace for safety while Jason took Sophie into court for the sentence dispensation hearing. Until her docket was called she was required to stay the courtroom gaol in the basement to await her hearing. Jason took Gary along, who stayed to watch for any last-minute schemes while Sophie was trapped and isolated. As Jason was leaving, one of the guards stopped him. The guard threw an uncertain glance in the direction of Gary, who was leaning against the wall by Sophie¡¯s cell.


    ¡°He can¡¯t stay here,¡± the guard said.


    Jason looked over at the huge, hairy form of Gary, then back at the guard.


    ¡°You¡¯d best go tell him, then, because damned if I¡¯m doing it.¡±


    Leaving the nonplussed guard in his wake, Jason went back upstairs. On the ground floor, just outside the courtroom entrance, he spotted Vincent and Rufus talking to someone. Vincent spotted Jason in turn and waved him over.


    ¡°This is Rupert Cline,¡± Vincent introduced. Rupert was a neatly put together man of around thirty, with an iron-rank aura. ¡°He was the one who gave us the warning about Arella and Lamprey.¡±


    Jason shook Rupert¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Thank you for that,¡± he said. ¡°You kept a pair of young women from an unpleasant fate.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re Adventure Society right?¡± Rupert asked. ¡°Standing between people and the bad stuff what we¡¯re for.¡±


    Jason flashed a grin.


    ¡°Yes we are,¡± he said happily. ¡°It¡¯s nice to meet a fellow idealist.¡±


    Vincent and Rufus shared a sceptical look, noticed by Jason.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked them.


    ¡°It¡¯s just strange to see you meeting someone and acting like a sensible person,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°That¡¯s hurtful,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I heard about what you put Clive through when you first met him.¡±


    ¡°Jory told me to do that. Clive thought I was counterfeiting spirit coins or something.¡±


    ¡°He did?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Never really came up again after I told him I was an outworlder.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s an outworlder?¡± Rupert asked.


    They chatted until Rupert had to go inside and Jason, Vincent and Rufus went upstairs to the viewing gallery. They took seats to await proceedings to begin. Jason¡¯s knowledge of courtrooms was sourced heavily on television. The Greenstone court was less like an American legal procedural and more like a British period drama. The gallery was mezzanine viewing, looking down the courtroom.


    As they waited, a man with a silver-rank aura arrived in the gallery. Despite being an elf, muscles bulged under his expensive clothes. He was wearing a Magic Society pin, fancier than the usual and embossed in a strange metal that shimmered with rainbow colours. The man stopped on his way to a seat, turning to look at Jason.


    ¡°So you¡¯re Asano,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yep. You must be¡­ actually, I have no idea who you are,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m Lucian Lamprey.¡±


    ¡°Doesn''t ring a bell. I see you''re in the Magic Society. Are you one of those guys who work in a booth identifying magic items?¡±


    ¡°What? A booth?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t heard about that yet? You¡¯re probably new, so that¡¯s alright. You should make sure and learn about all the services the Magic Society offers though. Wouldn¡¯t want to get fired.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the director of the Magic Society.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Pochard Finn? I thought you¡¯d be thinner.¡±


    ¡°Pochard Finn is my deputy. I¡¯m Lucian Lamprey.¡±


    ¡°Still doesn¡¯t ring a bell. Are you sure?¡±


    Lamprey opened his mouth to shoot back when he saw Vincent and Rufus stifling laughter. Lamprey moved closer, looming over the still sitting Jason.


    ¡°You should know better than to mock me,¡± Lamprey warned.


    Jason craned his head back to look up at Lamprey¡¯s face.


    ¡°Mate, you¡¯re hardly in a position to point out what others are doing wrong. Using the power of your position to force women into sleeping with you? That¡¯s about as sleazy as it gets. Is it even necessary? You¡¯re super ripped; I bet there are plenty of people who respond to that. Is it a charm deficit? Just keep the mouth shut, bathe regularly and do the strong but silent thing. You¡¯ll get some takers.¡±


    A sinister smile cross Lamprey¡¯s face.


    ¡°You were always going to pay for this, Asano. For your mockery, I¡¯ll make sure you pay slow.¡±


    ¡°Like a layaway plan? You seem like the kind of guy who¡¯d shaft me on the interest. I¡¯d rather pay for doing the right thing than roll over and let someone like you do whatever he likes.¡±


    ¡°There will come a day when I remind you of those words. We¡¯ll see what you say then.¡±


    ¡°Probably something about carb-loading. What do you bench?¡±


    Lamprey shook his head, looking at Jason like he was a mad person before walking off to take a seat at the other end of the gallery.


    ¡°Why would you provoke him like that?¡± Vincent asked.


    ¡°He was coming after me either way; he said it himself. I¡¯d rather he do something angry than something smart.¡±


    ¡°You play dangerous games, Jason,¡± Rufus warned. ¡°Someday you''re going to pay for that.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Sophie was brought up from the basement cells and placed in the prisoner dock, where she would have to stand for the duration of the proceedings. Jason realised that he¡¯d never really stopped and taken a good look at her. They¡¯d met briefly under normal circumstances, months ago, but most of their encounters had come when she¡¯d been cornered, bloodied and dirty.


    He had seen her enough to know she preferred simple clothes, more fitted and practical than the normal fashion. Today was no different, wearing white that appealingly set off her dark complexion. They showed-off the physique of an athlete, sleek and strong.


    Physically, she was a study in contrasts. Her silver hair was tied back in a simple ponytail, bright against her chocolate skin. Her features were delicate, for such an indelicate woman; rather than make her seem fragile, there was a sharpness to them. A promise of danger in her silver eyes that moved around the room, taking everything in. He noticed them linger on the exits.


    As she looked around the room she met Jason¡¯s gaze and held it, her eyes full of challenge. She was surrounded by power, her fate in the hands of strangers and yet she stood upright, proud and fearless. Jason understood in that moment why men like Lamprey and Cole Silva had such a need to possess or destroy her.


    ¡°You know, Rufus,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think she might be prettier than you.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Rufus said as Jason chuckled.


    The hearing moved swiftly; the real decision-making had already happened behind closed doors. The Adventure Society advocate, Rupert Cline, asserted the Adventure Society¡¯s right to claim her indenture through the Adventure Society member who captured her and the magistrate agreed without challenge. Lamprey had apparently given up, knowing it was futile.


    Soon after, Jason, Gary, Rufus and Vincent were leaving the courthouse with Sophie. There was a silver tracking bracelet on her wrist, but she was otherwise unfettered.


    ¡°We should go,¡± Rufus said to Gary. ¡°We¡¯ve been away from our investigation long enough. We need to find who these people that killed Farrah were.¡±


    Gary threw Jason a look.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jason said, ¡°I was hoping you could help me with something. I want Sophie in the next Adventure Society intake. I need your expertise to get her ready.¡±


    ¡°I already have something to do,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Rufus, you don¡¯t have enough information. Wait until the expedition returns with everything they collected. Clive is their astral magic guy and he''ll tell us what he finds. That means you''ll know where to look instead of stumbling blindly. When the time comes for action, you''ll be rested and ready.¡±


    A look of reluctance crossed Rufus¡¯ face, but Jason pre-empted him.


    ¡°What would Farrah tell you to do?¡± Jason asked him. ¡°Would she tell you to work hard or work smart? Do what you¡¯re good at now and do the next thing when it¡¯s ready to be done.¡±


    Rufus looked unhappy but nodded.


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sophie, you¡¯re in for a treat. He¡¯s reluctant to tell people, but Rufus¡¯ family actually runs a school for adventurers¡­¡±


    The other looked at Jason as he trailed off.


    Contact [Phoebe Geller] has entered communication range.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Gary asked.


    Contact [Rick Geller] has entered communication range.Contact [Hannah Adeah] has entered communication range.Contact [Claire Adeah] has entered communication range.Contact [Thalia Mercer] has entered communication range.Contact [Danielle Geller] has entered communication range.Contact [Cassandra Mercer] has entered communication range.Contact [Humphrey Geller] has entered communication range.


    ¡°The expedition,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re back.¡±

 Chapter 117: Six-Month Lease

    The arrival of the expedition was a mix of welcome, relief, commiseration and loss. Rufus and Gary waded into the chaos while Vincent headed for the administration building and the immense amount of work about to be dumped on him. Lacking anything else to do, Sophie trailed along behind Jason to the marshalling yard.


    They found the Gellers, Rufus and Gary moving to talk to Danielle. With the arrival at the marshalling yard, her job as expedition leader was finally over. The strain was showing, even through the vitality of silver rank. As Rufus and Gary greeted her, Jason sought out the iron-rank Gellers. He met a tired-looking Humphrey with a broad smile and a warm handshake.


    ¡°Welcome home, mate; glad you made it. It was a bit touch-and-go there, from what I hear. Sorry I wasn¡¯t there to help.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m glad you didn¡¯t have to go through it. Life and death were separated by not much more than luck. Everyone lost people and we were no exception.¡±


    Jason knew a lot of the iron-rank Gellers by sight, and some familiar faces were missing. The one he knew best was Henry Geller, who he had fought in their now-infamous mirage chamber clash.


    Rick Geller came up and shook Jason by the hand.


    ¡°I want to thank you,¡± he said. ¡°What you did to us in the mirage chamber; we were better prepared for when things went truly wrong. We had lived with the idea of losing people and still moving forward. It was worse for real; so much worse. We held it together, though, even after losing people. You helped us get ready for that.¡±


    Claire Adeah was one of the two elf sisters on Ricks team. Of them all, she had resented Jason¡¯s actions in their mock battle the most. She stepped up next to Rick and offered Jason her hand and he shook it.


    ¡°Rick¡¯s right,¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t like what you did, back then, but it was nothing next to the real thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to say that was my intention,¡± Jason said. ¡°Honestly, though, I was just looking for a way to win.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter why,¡± Rick said. ¡°You helped us stay alive when we might not have otherwise.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s on you,¡± Jason said. ¡°You got as many people as you could out of there when much stronger adventurers were dying.¡±


    Rick nodded.


    ¡°We heard about your friend,¡± he said. ¡°You should look around you, right now. A lot of these people wouldn¡¯t be here if she hadn¡¯t bought them the time to survive.¡±


    Jason looked around, seeing the faces of strangers.


    ¡°I¡¯d trade them all to get her back,¡± he said. ¡°Does that make me a bad person?¡±


    ¡°It makes you someone lying to yourself,¡± a voice came from behind him. He turned as Cassandra fell into his embrace.


    ¡°If you really had the choice,¡± she whispered into his ear, ¡°you¡¯d let her save those people.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like that,¡± he whispered back.


    They drew apart, their hands held together between them.


    ¡°How did your family come out?¡± he asked. ¡°How¡¯s your brother?¡±


    ¡°We lost people, but not many as some. Thadwick woke up on the way back. He¡¯s¡­ different.¡±


    ¡°Coming that close to death can change you,¡± Jason said.


    She nodded.


    ¡°It¡¯s like he¡¯s finally seen how empty all the nonsense he built up around himself is. How much all the things he cared about were just worthless bluster in the face of real power. I think this will be good for him, in the end.¡±


    ¡°We should take what good we can from all this mess,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I do have one question,¡± Cassandra said with a sweet, tired smile.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Why is that very attractive young woman staring at us?¡±


    ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Jason said innocently.


    ¡°No?¡± Cassandra asked, turning her head to examine Sophie. ¡°You didn¡¯t notice the extremely pretty woman with the silver hair and the tracking bracelet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s new.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I imagine I would have spotted her before. She stands out.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to bother about her.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I, now?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. That¡¯s just my nubile slave girl.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡± came Sophie and Cassandra¡¯s simultaneous exclamation, to a backdrop of Jason¡¯s wild cackling as a gaggle of people started talking over one another.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a slave!¡±


    ¡°You have some serious explaining to do, Asano!¡±


    ¡°Jason, I think you¡¯re my hero now.¡±


    ¡°What I have can¡¯t be taught, Rick.¡±


    ¡°Just try treating me like a slave I will drown you in your own¡­¡±


    ¡°HEY!¡±


    Rufus¡¯ booming voice cut through the noise as he marched over.


    ¡°What is going on here?¡± he asked. ¡°Jason, what did you do?¡±


    ¡°Why do you assume it was me?¡±


    ¡°Was it you?¡±


    ¡°Well, yes, but where¡¯s the faith?¡±


    ¡°What were you thinking, causing a commotion here?¡±


    "I thought people could use some normalcy," Jason said. "What''s more normal than two women fighting over a sexy man?"


    ¡°You can have him,¡± Cassandra told Sophie.


    ¡°Don¡¯t want him; you can keep him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hurtful,¡± Jason said, looking between the two.


    ¡°Jason, this isn¡¯t the time for your nonsense,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Rufus, this is exactly the time. There will be days and days of mourning the lost. These people just got home safe and they need just a few moments to celebrate surviving. A little laughter; a little joy. There won¡¯t a lot of that for a while.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t agree with you at all,¡± Rufus said, then sighed and gave him a sad smile.


    ¡°Farrah would have, though,¡± he said. ¡°Just be respectful of people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said. He gave Rufus a rare, earnest smile; a far cry from his usual ones where he looked like he was up to something. He turned to Cassandra.


    ¡°Do you have to go home, or do you have some time for a debonair gentleman caller?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have some questions to answer,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ll be answering them now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an open book,¡± Jason said. ¡°Come along, slave girl.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not your slave!¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a rental,¡± Jason said as they started extricating themselves from the busy marshalling yard. ¡°Six-month lease.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t rent me!¡±


    ¡°I have a receipt.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an indenture contract.¡±


    ¡°Why do you even have an indentured servant?¡± Cassandra asked.


    ¡°Well, you know how you said I should catch that thief?¡±


    Cassandra looked over at Sophie.


    ¡°That was you?¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Sophie said unhappily.


    ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m surprised he caught you.¡±


    ¡°It was his friend who figured out how to ambush us.¡±


    ¡°It was a team effort,¡± Jason said. ¡°And since I was team leader, the credit is primarily mine.¡±


    ¡°What team?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°There were only two of you.¡±


    ¡°Senior partner, then.¡±


    ¡°Does Standish know you were the senior partner?¡±


    ¡°I think he intuited it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re full of crap,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I like her,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°But how did she end up indentured to you.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jason said. ¡°That is a tale of vicious crime lords, shady politicians and a handsome adventurer, generous of spirit¡­¡±


    Rick Geller watched Jason saunter off, shamelessly boasting to a pair of beautiful women.


    ¡°I want to be just like him,¡± he said wistfully, then received a hard thump on the arm. He yelped, turning to see, Claire had been the one to hit him.


    ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°The man is infuriating,¡± Sophie said. She was back in her shared suite with Belinda. They were standing at the terrace rail, enjoying the cool ocean breeze.


    ¡°How so?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°He keeps calling me a slave.¡±


    ¡°Does he treat you like a slave?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point.¡±


    ¡°It really is,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°He called me a nubile slave girl.¡±


    Belinda burst out laughing.


    ¡°That is not funny!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re complaining about being called a slave while you live like a princess, complete with enchanted castle.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ you don¡¯t know what he¡¯s up to.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Belinda said. ¡°He didn¡¯t want you around after the indenture hearing?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s down the hall with his upper-class lover. I¡¯m not sticking around for that, whatever the terms of indenture are.¡±


    ¡°He has a lady friend? What¡¯s she like?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a Mercer. Main family too; not one of the branches. Obnoxiously good-looking.¡±


    Belinda groaned.


    ¡°I know what the pretty ones are like to deal with,¡± she complained.


    ¡°She seems alright. Wait, was that directed at me?¡±


    ¡°It makes sense that she¡¯s a big nob,¡± Belinda said, ignoring Sophie¡¯s question. ¡°Look at the company Asano keeps.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s his background?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°What have you managed to dig out of Standish?¡±


    ¡°A job offer, actually. Clive asked me to come work with him. Assuming that all this political stuff gets settled.¡±


    ¡°What does he want you to do?¡±


    ¡°Be a research assistant, which I¡¯m pretty sure means taking care of all the mundane stuff he doesn¡¯t have time for. He¡¯s expecting to be very busy, soon.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure he isn¡¯t looking for something more intimate?¡±


    ¡°He had a thing for that friend of Asano¡¯s who died. He¡¯s not hiding it very well, just throwing himself into his work.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to take the job?¡±


    "Of course. In the Magic Society, I can learn more about that Lamprey guy. Asano might think he has all this handled, but I doubt we''ve heard the end of it."


    ¡°What did you get from Standish about Asano?¡±


    ¡°According to Clive,¡± Belinda said, ¡°Jason isn¡¯t even from this world.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°Well, you know the world?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Of course I know the world,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It¡¯s a big round thing. We¡¯re standing on it.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we¡¯re standing on the cloud palace.¡±


    ¡°And the cloud palace is sitting on the world. By your reasoning, you aren¡¯t standing on the ground if you¡¯re wearing shoes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s actually a good point,¡± Belinda conceded with a frown.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to sound surprised,¡± Sophie said.


    "Sorry," Belinda said. "What were we talking about? Right, the world. Generally, you think about the world as being everything, right?"


    ¡°But you¡¯re saying it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying. Asano comes from a whole other world that¡¯s apparently out there.¡±


    ¡°A whole different world,¡± Sophie mused.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Uh, but no.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    "Well, it''s a different world. Except, it''s the same world. But different. It''s complicated."


    "I can tell by the fact that the only part of that I could follow was that the rest of it was complicated. You said he came from another world."


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "But then you said that this different world is the same world."


    ¡°No. Except, yes. They¡¯re different versions of the same world. Like when we helped Donzo with the fake spirit coin racket.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe I let you talk me into that. You¡¯re saying Asano comes from a counterfeit world?¡±


    ¡°No, both worlds are real.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s not a terrific comparison.¡±


    Belinda glared at Sophie.


    ¡°Maybe if you ever read a book that went three pages without the phrase ¡®glistening thighs,¡¯ I wouldn¡¯t have to dumb it down so much.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so I should have been reading all that boring nonsense you collect in case I ever became the nubile slave girl of some guy from a world knocked out by some godly equivalent of Donzo making fake money in his bathtub?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Belinda said.


    They looked at each other and both erupted into laughter. They wandered into the lounge area and crashed down together on a couch.


    ¡°How is this our life?¡± Belinda asked, reclining back into the soft, cloudy furniture. ¡°It¡¯s like things kept getting worse and worse, until they so bad they came right around the other end to amazing and we somehow live in a magic palace, now.¡±


    ¡°This is just temporary. We need to be ready for what comes next.¡±


    ¡°What comes next is you getting amazing magical powers,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You know I blame you for all this.¡±


    ¡°How is this my fault? Also, you just said this is amazing.¡±


    ¡°If you shaved off all that shiny, silver hair, you might not get creepy guys chasing after you.¡±


    ¡°You want me to run around bald?¡±


    ¡°You could wear a wig to cover it up,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It would have to be an ugly one, though, or it would defeat the purpose. Bald would be best, thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it if you do,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°And give up these natural curls? No thank you.¡±


    The room chime rang and Belinda went and pressed the gold patch on the wall that turned the door translucent. On the other side was Jason.


    ¡°If you¡¯d like to come with me, ladies.¡±


    ¡°What happened to your lady friend?¡± Belinda asked.


    "She only just got back and has her own responsibilities. Our reunion was short but sweet."


    ¡°Stamina issues?¡± Sophie asked, walking up behind Belinda.


    ¡°My stamina is just fine,¡± Jason said defensively.


    ¡°Sure it is,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I¡¯m perfectly virile, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°Where do you want us to go, exactly?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°I have assembled a panel of seasoned adventurers for advice and a catalogue of goods that are available ¨C and affordable ¨C from the brokers at the trade hall. It¡¯s time for your friend to choose her essences.¡±

 Chapter 118: The Perks of Being an Essence User

    Jason introduced Sophie and Belinda to his panel of seasoned adventurers. It turned out to be comprised of Emir and Clive, who they knew, plus a bald, dark-skinned man that they didn¡¯t. He was handsome, lithely muscled and carried himself with an air of straightforward competence. Even with him just sitting at a table, Sophie read the subtle cues that told her he would be dangerous if he needed to be.


    The assured sense of capability he gave off was the exact opposite of what she read from Asano. In her encounters with him, Jason had variously come across as casual, dangerous, friendly, manipulative, vulnerable, controlling and buffoonish. She had no idea which, if any of what she had seen was genuine.


    The room was a small dining room, by cloud palace standards, with a wall open to one of the ubiquitous terraces. The three adventurers were on one side of the table, Jason and the two women taking seats on the other.


    ¡°You know Emir, and Clive, of course,¡± Jason said. ¡°Emir is the most experienced adventurer in the city, and Clive works for the Magic Society. He¡¯s spent no small amount of time cataloguing essence abilities, mine included.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Clive said, ¡°I really would like to hear more about that execute ability of yours¡­¡±


    ¡°Not the topic of the day, Clive,¡± Jason said, gesturing for him to stop before he became too enthused. ¡°The last member of our impromptu advice panel is Rufus Remore.¡±


    ¡°The one who taught you to fight,¡± Sophie said, giving Rufus a second look.


    ¡°Someone¡¯s paying attention,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rufus comes from a prestigious academy, so he knows quite a lot about matching people to essences. Rufus, this is Sophie Wexler and Belinda Callahan.¡±


    Rufus nodded a greeting.


    ¡°Can the three of you explain to me why this is happening?¡± Sophie asked and Belinda slumped forward.


    ¡°Really, Soph?¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why Asano is doing any of this,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Why bother, for some people he hardly knows?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve known him the longest, Rufus,¡± Emir said. ¡°I have to admit to sharing the young lady¡¯s curiosity.¡±


    All eyes turned to Rufus, who was thinking over a reply.


    ¡°The day I met Jason,¡± he said, ¡°We were all caught up in circumstances I can only describe as dire. This was especially true for him, who had no idea what was happening or why. As you will no doubt learn for yourselves, Jason can be quite resourceful when it matters most and he managed to get himself free. He got out of his cage and had a clear run at freedom.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s exaggerating,¡± Jason said. ¡°I would have been easily caught.¡±


    ¡°So he says,¡± Rufus countered.


    ¡°Did you say cage?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said. ¡°My team and I were in quite the unfortunate circumstance, except for one thing: we met Jason. He didn¡¯t take that run at freedom. Instead of escaping, he walked back into the sacrifice chamber of a blood cult. He was outnumbered and outmatched but he walked right in. He did that to rescue three strangers, which is the only reason I¡¯m alive to tell you this story.¡±


    ¡°I needed them to get me out,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I didn¡¯t get them out I would have died by cultist or by desert. Rufus just likes to put it down to altruism.¡±


    ¡°Yes I do,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°You really expect us to believe he¡¯s doing this out of the goodness of his heart?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°You can believe what you like,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You can still just walk away.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Belinda said, giving the others a plastered-on smile. ¡°She¡¯s going to clamp those lips together before she talks us out of the best opportunity we¡¯ve ever had.¡±


    ¡°Her caution is well placed,¡± Emir said. ¡°In all my time as an adventurer, I¡¯ve never encountered a situation like this. I would be suspicious, as well.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it going to be, ladies?¡± Jason asked. ¡°If you want to walk away, I won¡¯t stop you. Your indenture isn¡¯t violated unless I say so, which I won¡¯t. We can still put you through a portal to a destination of your choosing.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Belinda said, putting a hand firmly over Sophie¡¯s. ¡°We decided to accept your offer.¡±


    Sophie glanced unhappily at Belinda, then gave Jason a reluctant nod.


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Jason said, pulling two sheets of paper from his inventory. ¡°This first sheet is a list of all the essences that are available and that I can afford. The second list is awakening stones with the same conditions, although if I can afford those at all will come down to which essences we go with.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem short of money,¡± Sophie said, eyes moving over the cloud palace around them.


    ¡°This place is mine,¡± Emir said. ¡°Jason¡¯s plans for you are his, as is the cost of carrying them out.¡±


    ¡°You''re saddled with the poorest adventurer in the cloud palace. That''s not a complaint, mind you. I have far more money than most; I just happen to keep exalted company.¡±


    ¡°Except for us,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Give it time,¡± Jason said with an encouraging smile.


    He picked up the first list and they started going through the essences. Hours passed as they discussed the value of various combinations, what they offered and what would be required from their user. Sophie already possessed the swift essence, along with the single ability that awakened when she acquired it. She had never gained a second ability in the more than half-dozen years since. It was more than enough to raise that one ability to bronze rank, even without training or monster cores.


    They needed to select two more essences for Sophie to complete a combination. Emir offered the insight of experience, having seen many essences in action. Clive had a tablet with the full list of recorded abilities from the Magic Society and years of cataloguing such abilities. He was the best equipped to described the kind of powers each combination was likely to awaken. Rufus had seen many people at his family¡¯s school learning to use their abilities and understood the skills and training required to make the most of various power sets.


    ¡°The balance essence has a high-skill requirement,¡± Rufus said.


    "And by skill, he doesn''t just mean quick hands or combat technique," Emir said. "Many skill-based abilities do require them but it isn''t always about reflexes and muscle memory.¡±


    ¡°Timing, judgement and the ability to anticipate are all key,¡± Rufus said. ¡°When Jason was chasing you, you got away, yet woke up to find him waiting for you. You think that was an accident? He sent you to where he knew he could find you. That is the kind of skill that makes for great adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said brightly.


    ¡°Potentially great,¡± Rufus corrected. ¡°Very, very eventually.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s less nice, but I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    ¡°The difference between simple abilities and skill abilities is their effectiveness when used inexpertly,¡± Rufus explained. ¡°Simple abilities are easy to use and broadly effective, even with an inexpert user. A bolt of lightning that tracks enemies isn¡¯t hard to get right. Skill abilities fall flat if not employed correctly. Use them the right way, in the right moment, though, and they can turn a fight on its head.¡±


    ¡°Swift and balance is an interesting essence pairing,¡± Emir said. ¡°Danielle Geller has those essences and knows how to use them well. Of course, you won¡¯t be able to match her dimension essence. Even her family was lucky to get a hold of that.¡±


    ¡°I also have the balance essence,¡± Clive said. ¡°My abilities are very spell-oriented and require more anticipation and timing than agility or martial ability. As a celestine, you can expect most of your abilities to be of the utility type, rather than spells or special attacks.¡±


    ¡°What kind of utility?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°As with everything else,¡± Clive said, ¡°it depends on the essence and the awakening stone involved. With the swift essence you already have, Miss Wexler, you can expect movement abilities and effects conditional on mobility. The balance essence is trickier to predict. My powers, for example, are about balancing risk and reward, rather than finesse. Lady Geller, on the other hand, does require finesse, along with judgement and timing. The reward for all that challenge is abilities that can overturn a fight in an instant.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying skill abilities are better if you have skills,¡± Sophie said, ¡°and simple abilities are better if you¡¯re crap at everything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not exactly right,¡± Emir said. "Simple abilities are more useful in more situations. In most circumstances, the best solution is the simple one. If you''re building a team of adventurers, the last thing you want is to have a roster full of skill specialists. You mostly want people who have simple abilities and know how to leverage them effectively, with some high-skill people splashed in."


    ¡°Take Jason as an example,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He has to work harder to efficiently eliminate monsters most adventurers find easy. It takes him more skill and effort just to achieve the same result, let alone be better. His strength is handling monsters that many adventurers couldn¡¯t beat at all. That makes him a valuable addition to a team with a preponderance of simple abilities, while he would have little to add to a team already loaded up with high-skill power sets.¡±


    "So you''re highly skilled, are you?" Sophie asked Jason sceptically.


    ¡°I caught you,¡± he shot back.


    ¡°The effectiveness of any power set comes down to the user, whatever the power,¡± Emir said. ¡°My abilities, for example, fall on the simple side of the scale. Some martial technique helps, but they are fast, powerful and useful in almost any scenario. Against someone who uses high-skill abilities, I need to pressure them so their abilities that are hard to execute become impossible. If I succeed, I win. If I don¡¯t, the fight is turned around on me in a key moment and I lose.¡±


    ¡°I think something that has been overlooked,¡± Clive said, ¡°is that every adventurer has a power set of twenty abilities. While most people tend to skew one way or the other on the skill-simplicity scale, very few are all simple or all skill-based. Even if you end up with a lot of high-skill abilities, you will likely have a handful of more straightforward ones. They won¡¯t be the most exciting, but you¡¯ll find yourself using them the most, leveraging them to set up your more specialised ones.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said. ¡°My more exotic powers tend to finish fights, but it¡¯s the simple and reliable ones that make that possible.¡±


    ¡°You also need to understand that you don¡¯t really get a choice in which way you go,¡± Clive said. ¡°Randomness is inherent to awakening essence abilities. People with an excess of time and access to experts sometimes try and slant the results, but even the most expensive and laborious efforts have mixed results at best. Some people just end up with high-skill abilities, and an essence like balance makes it all the more likely.¡±


    ¡°I will say this, though,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It¡¯s been my experience that people get the abilities to which they are naturally inclined.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emir agreed. ¡°I have found that people are reflected in their power set. Mine, for example, is ostentatious yet effective. Rufus'' is beautiful and dangerous. I don''t really know about Jason and Mr Standish.¡±


    ¡°Jason''s powers are alternately deceitful and flashy, leading to a miserable, inexorable demise,¡± Rufus said. ¡°There''s a recording floating around of him maniacally tormenting a group of powerful adventurers as he brings them prolonged, horrifying deaths.¡±


    Everyone turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°It was in a mirage chamber,¡± he said. ¡°None of them actually died.¡±


    ¡°Something you need to understand,¡± Emir told Sophie, ¡°is that whatever the nature of your abilities, every essence combination is powerful in the right hands. We just need to find the right essences for your particular hands.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right about every combination having the potential for greatness,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Even the ones you might dismiss. When I was a boy, a man came through my family¡¯s academy with the duck essence. Everyone thought he was a joke, myself included. I couldn''t understand why my grandfather took this boy from the countryside and placed him in our school. I learned the hard way that if you know how to use it, every essence is a threat.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I asked Rufus to be part of this,¡± Jason said. ¡°He grew up watching people come into their abilities.¡±


    ¡°Jason has apprised us of your strengths,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Mobility and fighting skill are where he said you excel.¡±


    ¡°You think you can judge me?¡± Sophie asked Jason, then turned to Rufus.


    ¡°Did he say I fight better than him?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He did,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Maybe he can judge me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being very rude to the people trying to be our benefactors,¡± Belinda said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°If politeness is where they draw the line, then they aren¡¯t exactly reliable benefactors,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°That¡¯s an attitude I recognise,¡± Clive said, looking at Jason. Rufus agreed with a chuckling nod.


    ¡°If you¡¯re confident you can develop the skills,¡± Emir said, pulling things back on topic, ¡°then the balance essence might be a good fit.¡±


    ¡°Speed and skill are exactly what I¡¯m looking for,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Emir said. ¡°That leaves one last essence. The adept essence is the obvious choice if skill is where you want to focus.¡±


    ¡°Rather than push harder into one aspect,¡± Rufus said, ¡°it might be better to diversify. Something that still synergises while offering different kinds of abilities.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Emir said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen people who overspecialise and end up with five answers to one problem and no answers to the rest.¡±


    ¡°Wind essence,¡± Clive said confidently, tapping the list. ¡°There''ll be at least one mobility power and it''ll be different from what the swift essence will give out. Some elemental control would definitely expand her power set, but wind will better match speed and skill than earth or fire would.¡±


    ¡°You make a compelling argument, Mr Standish,¡± Emir said and Rufus nodding his agreement.


    ¡°What confluence essence does the swift, balance and wind combination produce?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Mystic,¡± Clive said, not bothering to look it up. ¡°If you wanted something more aggressive, you could swap out balance for a might essence it would produce the onslaught confluence.¡±


    ¡°Not a good idea,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Onslaught is best for humans with all those special attacks.¡±


    ¡°Not an option anyway,¡± Jason said. ¡°Might essences get snapped up quickly, so there''s none on our list.¡±


    ¡°Mystic is definitely the superior choice for a celestine,¡± Clive said. ¡°Mystic can awaken some very interesting utility powers, in which they excel.¡±


    ¡°Mystic is a common confluence essence,¡± Rufus said. ¡°That isn¡¯t just because so many combinations produce it, though. A lot of useful abilities come out of the mystic essence. It¡¯s an easy and effective choice, especially when you¡¯re working with common essences.¡±


    ¡°I have the mystic essence myself,¡± Emir said. ¡°Staff, might, magic and mystic. All three of my combination essences are common. Two of those are highly sought after but still common, yet I¡¯ve been nothing but happy with them.¡±


    ¡°Mr Bahadir is right,¡± Clive said. ¡°The mystic essence is well known for producing the kind of abilities that are rare in other essences.¡±


    ¡°What kind of abilities would I get from these wind and mystic essences?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Mystic is wide open,¡± Clive said. ¡°The awakening stones you use would be the defining factor; similar to the balance essence, but even more so. As for the wind essence, you can expect something movement-related, as well as some kind of elemental control. Probably a combination of both. A flight power is quite likely.¡±


    ¡°A flight power?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Flight, as in being able to fly?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how flight works, yes,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°So that would be me, able to fly?¡±


    ¡°Yes. That would be you. Flying. With your flight power. That makes you fly. Am I overcomplicating this?¡±


    ¡°Seems straightforward to me,¡± Jason said. ¡°Wish I¡¯d known flying was on the table before I used the first essences I came across.¡±


    ¡°Just to be absolutely clear,¡± Sophie said, ¡°I would have the power to fly.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d most likely be restricted to gliding at iron-rank,¡± Clive said. ¡°Eventually, though, yes.¡±


    Sophie and Belinda looked at each other, then back across the table.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± they said together.


    ¡°A definitive choice, if I¡¯ve ever heard one,¡± Emir said with a chuckle.


    ¡°It has some other advantages, too,¡± Jason said. ¡°The wind essence is common, but not as sought-after as a magic or a might essence. It leaves room in the budget for some awakening stones.¡±


    ¡°I was looking at that list,¡± Rufus said, picking it up off the table. ¡°There are some interesting common picks on here. An awakening stone of the eyes is a good shot at giving a perception power.¡±


    ¡°I was looking at this,¡± Clive said, pointing out an item on the list.


    ¡°A set of two awakening stones of the hand and two awakening stones of the foot,¡± Rufus read. ¡°The price is right but I¡¯m not so sure about those stones.¡±


    ¡°You said yourself that every ability is good in the right hands,¡± Clive said. ¡°My understanding is that Miss Wexler is quite the pugilist. Many people look down onawakening stones of the hand, but they¡¯re well-known for awakening empty-hand abilities and attacks. Miss Phoebe Geller used a number of them and was quite satisfied with the results. They¡¯re exactly what an unarmed combatant wants in an awakening stone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen Phoebe Geller in action,¡± Jason said. ¡°I saw her make elementals explode with a punch.¡±


    ¡°Awakening stones of the foot can also awaken unarmed attacks but also movement abilities and are similarly worthwhile to someone focused on unarmed combat,¡± Clive said. ¡°To the right essence user, which I believe Miss Wexler is, this collection of stones is very underpriced. These four stones, plus the stone of eyes and she would be well on her way to establishing her ability set.¡±


    Emir and Rufus looked at each other, then at Clive.


    ¡°Not bad, Mr Standish,¡± Emir said. ¡°Not bad at all. Thoughts, ladies?¡±


    ¡°Sounds right,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Moving, punching, kicking. Those are my areas of expertise.¡±


    ¡°That would be five abilities, plus the four from using the essences,¡± Jason said. ¡°Almost half your abilities awakened out of the gate is pretty good. If that¡¯s settled, then, I¡¯ll go straight to making purchases. I¡¯m not the only one bargain hunting, after all.¡±


    He stood up, then looked at Sophie.


    ¡°I make a lot of money, but this still won¡¯t be cheap for me. The next six months, you¡¯ll be doing a lot of work to pay this back. A lot of work.¡±


    ¡°That may be the first thing I¡¯ve heard you say that I¡¯m halfway willing to trust,¡± Sophie said. Jason flashed her a grin.


    ¡°If you¡¯re willing to trust me this early, you might not have been paying attention.¡±


    He swept out of the room dramatically, Clive and Rufus shaking their heads.


    ¡°Do any of you understand that man?¡± Sophie asked in Jason¡¯s absence.


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t known him very long,¡± Emir added.


    ¡°I¡¯m still unclear on why he accused me of sleeping with his wife,¡± Clive said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a wife. Neither do I, for that matter, which did not stop him from accusing himself of sleeping with her.¡±


    Jason suddenly stuck his head around the door.


    ¡°I just remembered,¡± he said. ¡°Not sure if anyone mentioned, but one of the perks of having a full essence set is you don¡¯t have to poo anymore.¡± His head retracted as he set off down the hall again.


    Emir, Rufus, Clive, Belinda and Sophie all looked at the empty doorway.


    ¡°I¡¯m changing my answer,¡± Emir said, breaking the silence. ¡°I¡¯ve just now known him long enough to realise I absolutely do not understand him at all.¡±

 Chapter 119: This is the Moment

    The Adventure Society campus became a continual series of memorial services. There were so many dead that group memorials were being held one after another. First came the largest groups, made up of the least influential adventurers who had passed. The memorials took place on the north shore, where they could be easily overseen from the high terraces of the cloud palace. Gary and Rufus, as expedition members themselves, made their way out of the cloud palace to attend each and every one. Jason, Emir and the adventurers among Emir¡¯s staff could all be found on the terraces at various times, looking on at the sombre proceedings.


    After the larger group memorials came the smaller ones, each of the most prominent families having a service for the people they lost. Jason and Emir attended the service for the Geller family and Jason for the Mercers. He stood close by Cassandra, who held his hand tightly. Thadwick didn¡¯t give Jason so much as a glance.


    Rufus and Gary chose not to have Farrah memorialised until they took her home. Her casket was stowed away somewhere deep in the cloud palace. Rufus had notified her parents over water link, looking twice his age after. Neither Gary nor Rufus went back to the lodgings they had shared with Farrah. Jason went to settle accounts with Madam Landry and collect their things.


    Before he took Sophie to perform her essence rituals, Jason took her and Belinda up to the terraces to see one of the memorials.


    ¡°Becoming an adventurer is an opportunity,¡± he told them, ¡°but it¡¯s also a danger.¡±


    ¡°You think we don¡¯t know danger?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know the worst kind; the malevolence you can only find in people. Monsters are different. They don¡¯t hate you. They just want to kill you. An intelligent enemy can obsess over you. Pursue you relentlessly. But you can manipulate a malevolent enemy. You can reason with them, play on their fears and desires. That doesn¡¯t work on a monster. One of you is better at killing than the other and that is the only question between you. No hesitation, no doubt. It¡¯s a simpler danger than an avaricious crime lord but one that can¡¯t be talked down or negotiated with. A monster¡¯s only objective is to kill you.¡±


    The two women looked at Jason. He was leaning on the railing as he looked at the memorial below without really seeing it. He continued to talk, gaze still caught in the distance.


    ¡°This life can kill you without giving any recourse,¡± he said. ¡°It can and does take even the best of us. Being an adventurer can give you everything you ever wanted. Wealth, respect, power. For some, that¡¯s all there is. They take it all without paying the price, but they aren¡¯t really adventurers.¡±


    He tapped an arm on the terrace railing.


    ¡°You¡¯ll see amazing things, like a palace made of clouds. On almost any given day, there¡¯s no better life than being  an adventurer. But there are some days, if you¡¯re a real adventurer, where you earn all the others. You make the hard choices and put everything on the line. You walk through the fire so no one else has to.¡±


    He finally turned to face the two women.


    ¡°Rufus gave me this speech the night before I completed my essence set, and now I¡¯ve given it to you. You¡¯ll have to choose for yourselves what kind of adventurers to be.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t make being what you call a real adventurer sound very appealing,¡± Belinda said.


    He gave them an odd smile, weary and a little sad, but with an underlying satisfaction.


    ¡°I wake up every morning, proud of who I am,¡± he told them. ¡°I go out into the world, never regretting that I didn¡¯t at least try and be the person I want to be. I face dangers and make mistakes. Sometimes I get beat, and sometimes I win. I stand up for what I believe in, whatever it costs me. When you give everything you have to be who you want to be, that¡¯s freedom, whatever your circumstances.¡±


    He turned his head to look down at the memorial currently happening below.


    ¡°If wealth and power are all you want,¡± he said, ¡°then you can have them. Make all the safe choices and reap the rewards. Many adventurers do just that and, objectively, it¡¯s the smart choice. But if you want to see who you really are, what you''re really capable of, you have to push yourself to the limit. There''s no better job for that than being an adventurer.¡±


    Turned from the railing, looking at them straight on.


    ¡°You get the essences either way,¡± he said. ¡°You have six months to decide what comes after. For now, Clive should have the room ready.¡±


    On the way to one of Emir¡¯s ritual rooms, they passed through one of the walkways connecting two wings of the palace. It was high up on the towers, spanning over the sea below. It was broad, with open-air sides and doubled as a garden. Flowering vines grew directly out of the cloud-stuff, lush green leaves and bright blossoms lining the sides of the walkway. Jason laughed as they walk through it.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve gone a day in this palace without a pleasant surprise,¡± he said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It¡¯s not just us, then.¡±


    ¡°How do you find your way around?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°We¡¯ve gotten lost more than once.¡±


    ¡°One of my abilities maps all the places I go,¡± Jason said absently as he stepped to smell the flowers. ¡°Can you smell that? This is amazing.¡±


    ¡°You think flowers are amazing?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°He stores this entire palace in a bottle not much bigger than your head and still successfully cultivates flowers. Where¡¯s your sense of wonder?¡±


    ¡°Speaking of scents,¡± Belinda said, ¡°what¡¯s the perfume you¡¯re wearing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not wearing one,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be embarrassed,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Lots of men wear scents.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about being embarrassed,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m really not wearing a scent.¡±


    ¡°Humans don''t smell like that,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Just a little bit of sweat and they smell like leather left in a damp cupboard. You smell more like an elf or a celestine, but even more so. Fresh, like, um¡­¡±


    ¡°Springtime,¡± Sophie said as Belinda searched for the right word.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Belinda said, looking at Sophie with surprise. ¡°That¡¯s exactly it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not human,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is just how I smell.¡±


    He resumed his way along the cloudy garden path and Belinda shared a look with Sophie.


    ¡°He smells like springtime,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°So what?¡± Sophie asked and followed after Jason.


    The ritual room had the usual walls and ceiling made of cloud, but the floor was a single slab of black stone, cut perfectly level and smooth. Given that the room was around half the size of a basketball court, Jason was impressed. Clive was waiting for them, with a magic diagram drawn on the floor with lines of golden light.


    ¡°Clive is going to be doing the rituals,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯d be here all day if it were me and he¡¯s the expert, in any case.¡±


    Clive''s essence ability, Enact Ritual, made drawing-out and performing rituals much more convenient. Jason looked over the diagram, which had two magical circles partly overlapping as its core. Jason''s knowledge of ritual magic included several essence rituals, but this was more complicated than anything he knew.


    ¡°I thought essence rituals were meant to be the simplest ones,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°This is a double-essence ritual circle,¡± Clive explained. ¡°The idea is that absorbing more essences at once promotes inter-essence synergy. It¡¯s yet to be proven effective due to our limited understanding of how abilities are selected, but it doesn¡¯t hurt to try.¡±


    ¡°Two at once?¡± Sophie asked warily. ¡°Will there be any side-effects?¡±


    ¡°None at all,¡± Clive said. ¡°In fact, while studies have never been able to prove an increase in synergy, they have discovered that simultaneous absorption alleviates the purging effect compared to sequential absorption.¡±


    ¡°When you hit iron rank, your body will be improved through magic,¡± Jason said. ¡°Part of that improvement is dumping out all the bits it doesn''t like in the form of gunk.¡±


    ¡°Gunk?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Lots of gunk,¡± Clive confirmed and pointed over at the side of the room where there was a small door. ¡°As soon as you''ve absorbed your essences, go straight through there before it hits you. Belinda, you should join her as she may pass out. There is a shower in there for once she''s done, and Jason kindly provided some of his crystal wash supply that I also left in there. There is also an extensive closet, from which Mr Bahadir said you may take anything you like to keep.¡±


    ¡°You might not even need the crystal wash,¡± Jason said as Sophie and Belinda wandered over to take a look into the next room. There was a shower large enough to lay down in, plus benches and cabinets.


    ¡°The shower will probably be enough,¡± Jason continued.


    ¡°That is a lie,¡± Clive said. ¡°You will absolutely need the crystal wash. Won¡¯t she, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason sullenly conceded.


    ¡°If you knew Jason,¡± Clive said, ¡°you would realise that he would rather part with those essences than his crystal wash. Speaking of which, do you have them?¡±


    Jason took out the two essences had procured, along with five awakening stones, laying them all out on a bench sitting against the wall. The essences were cubes, shining with colour. The wind essence was a roiling mass of white mixed with streaks of pale grey and blue. The balance essence had its colours divided in a dead-straight line in the middle The colours of each side constantly shifted in contrast to the other: Red and blue, black and white, green and purple. Most of the awakening stones were a plain peach colour by comparison, while the last looked like an oversized glass eye.


    ¡°That one¡¯s kind of creepy,¡± Belinda said, looking at the eyeball one.


    ¡°How do we even know those are what they say they are?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Really?¡± Belinda asked, turning on her. ¡°Are trying to get them to change their minds?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry,¡± Jason said. ¡°Clive takes his experiment subjects from villages in the delta where people will just assume a monster got them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°We still don¡¯t know why Asano is doing any of this,¡± Sophie said. ¡°If he¡¯s in this to help us, then why give me essences when throwing us through a portal would get us away from everything?¡±


    ¡°Sophie!¡± Belinda scolded.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, his voice suddenly hard and cold, arresting everyone¡¯s attention. The signature amused insouciance fell from his expression, his relaxed posture becoming firm. He locked his eyes with Sophie across the chamber.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard for you to trust,¡± he told her.


    ¡°So?¡± she said, glaring back.


    ¡°The real answer is half-measures. I agreed to help you. Sending you away to live the same lives again just leads you to the same end. If I¡¯m going to save you, then you¡¯re going to stay saved, which means that when I¡¯m done with you, you need the means to protect yourselves.¡±


    He arrived in front of the bench with the essences, placing a hand on each.


    ¡°In this world, that means essences,¡± he said, picking them up.


    ¡°They are the line between acting and being acted upon,¡± he continued as he walked back toward Sophie. ¡°They are the difference between dominion and obedience. Justice and iniquity. Controlling your destiny and being a pawn of fate.¡±


    He held the essences out in front of her.


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he said. ¡°All that matters is the choice you make, right now. Sometimes the moments that define our lives go unnoticed until later. This is not one of those. I am offering you the chance to literally grasp your destiny. Take it or walk away, knowing that this is the moment in which everything that comes after is decided.¡±


    He stood there, still holding out the essences.


    Sophie looked at the essences in his hands, then up at his face. He gave her a goofy grin.


    ¡°What are you?¡± she asked him. ¡°A fool? A madman? A liar playing games only he can see?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he told her, eyes sparkling. ¡°I once met a woman who thought that essences shape who you are but she was wrong. Essences are power, and power doesn¡¯t change you. It reveals you. Give someone the power to be who they always wanted and you will see who they always wanted to be. This is who I am, good and bad. This is your chance to be who you want to be, not who you have to be to survive.¡±


    Her response came in a soft voice; the first time Jason has seen her vulnerable.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who I am without that.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to find out?¡± he asked gently.


    She nodded, placing her hands on the essences he was still holding out for her.

 Chapter 120: Iron Rank

    In the ritual room, Clive was rubbing his hands together.


    ¡°Now for the good part,¡± he said.


    ¡°The good part?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Jason has an ability that he shamelessly squanders,¡± Clive said. ¡°He could be a one-man revolution in how we categorise powers but he refuses to come and work for the Magic Society.¡±


    ¡°That would be the Magic Society run by the guy who wanted Miss Wexler for what I can only assume to be a creepy love dungeon?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Clive said, looking between Sophie and Belinda. ¡°I¡¯m probably not going to sell you on the virtue of the Magic Society then.¡±


    ¡°Not likely, no,¡± Sophie said. She was still holding the two essences she had accepted from Jason.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Clive said, turning to Belinda. ¡°Why did you accept the job as my assistant, then?¡±


    ¡°To find out more about Lamprey, obviously. Also, it sounded pretty interesting and no one is looking to put me in a¡­ love dungeon.¡±


    ¡°I guess Jory didn¡¯t show you all the renovations,¡± Jason said, which got a laugh from Sophie. Jason¡¯s head swivelled around to look at her in surprise.


    ¡°What?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never heard you laugh before,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You have a problem with the way I laugh?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just that our normal interactions range from you saying you don¡¯t trust me to you kicking me in the head.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s like that with everyone,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I guarantee you that Jason¡¯s worse to deal with,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°How am I worse? I¡¯m affable. And I didn¡¯t just make up that kicking me in the head thing.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s definitely worse,¡± Clive said to Belinda. ¡°You have no idea what he put me through when we first met.¡±


    ¡°Jory told me to do it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°He told you to tell your landlady that I slept with the wife you don¡¯t have?¡±


    ¡°He left the specifics to me, but yeah.¡±


    ¡°Why would he do that?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°You were investigating me for forging spirit coins or whatever.¡±


    ¡°You made counterfeit coins too?¡± Belinda asked Jason.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Clive said, turning to Belinda. ¡°You made counterfeit spirit coins?¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ no.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to use that ability, Clive,¡± Jason said. He opened his contacts list, selected Sophie, Belinda and Clive and sent party invites.


    You have received a party invitation from [Jason Asano]. Accept Y/N?


    Sophie and Belinda were startled by the sudden appearance of screens in front of them. Belinda started waving her hand in the air in front of her.


    ¡°Party invitation?¡± she asked. ¡°Like where everyone dresses up?¡±


    ¡°More like where people form a group to go fight a monster,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is an ability I have that I can share with other people. It lets you know things about the world.¡±


    ¡°What kind of things?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Accept the invitation and find out.¡±


    She barely hesitated before nodding, to Jason¡¯s relief. Sophie was like an alley cat that had been kicked so many times it didn¡¯t trust you when you tried to feed it. Shortly afterwards she was staring wide-eyed at one of the essences in her hands.


    Item: [Wind Essence] (unranked, common)


    Manifested essence of the wind (consumable, essence).


    Requirements: Less than 4 absorbed essences.Effect: Imbues 1 awakened wind essence ability and 4 unawakened wind essence abilities.You have absorbed 1/4 essences. Once absorbed, an essence cannot be relinquished or replaced.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything,¡± Belinda said and Jason offered her his hand to shake. As they touched, a window appeared in front of her.


    Jason Asano (outworlder).Essence User (iron rank).


    ¡°One of the features is that you can identify things by touch. You don¡¯t get much from people, but it¡¯s useful for items.¡±


    He looked over at Clive with a frown.


    ¡°As you can see.¡±


    Clive was pulling a series of racks out of his storage space, laden with items. He started picking them up, one by one, scribbling in a notebook in between.


    ¡°Clive,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Clive asked absently, not looking up from what he was doing.


    ¡°Did you save a up a bunch of items you wanted to catalogue until they next time we were in a party?¡±


    ¡°I figured if I asked, you¡¯d say no.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯d say no.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I thought to myself: ¡®what would Jason do?¡¯ Obviously, he¡¯d just do it without asking and then point out that no one said he couldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯d do, is it?¡±


    ¡°Of course it is,¡± Clive said. ¡°Also, I¡¯d like to point out that no one said I couldn¡¯t.¡±


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°Look, we need to get on with this ritual,¡± he said. ¡°Pack it up for now and you can do some more while she¡¯s recovering before we move onto awakening stones.¡±


    ¡°You promise you¡¯ll let me finish at the end?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Yeah, alright,¡± Jason conceded. ¡°It¡¯s not like I actually have to do anything. I just don¡¯t want you treating me like I¡¯m administration software.¡±


    Jason looked at the racks of items Clive had pulled out.


    ¡°Do you even have time to be doing this? I was surprised you even agreed to help with the essence ritual. I thought you¡¯d be neck-deep in what they brought back from the expedition by now.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be allowed to see it for at least a few days,¡± Clive said as the racks started vanishing back into his dimensional space. ¡°Whoever figures out what they were after will look very good in the eyes of the wider Magic Society. Lucian Lamprey is motivated entirely by personal benefit and I¡¯m the son of eel farmers. First look at what they brought back goes to the Magic Society members he wants favours from.¡±


    The mention of Lamprey arrested Sophie and Belinda¡¯s attention.


    ¡°I think you may have extended the definition of benefits in an unsavoury direction,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Do you think your colleagues will find the answer?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Highly unlikely,¡± Clive said. ¡°Greenstone¡¯s Magic Society is almost as rotten as its Adventure Society. It¡¯s basically a social club for people who like magic toys, with only a handful of genuine researchers. There aren¡¯t a lot of experts per field and I suspect it will require actual expertise in astral magic. Aside from me, the only other astral magic scholar in Greenstone was Landemere Vane. Who you killed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sounds a little accusatory,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It would have been nice if you have killed someone stupid. He was a capable magical scholar.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t list his accreditations before trying to kill and eat me.¡±


    ¡°Did you just say eat?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°I certainly did,¡± Jason said. ¡°You two don¡¯t have a monopoly on being caught in bad situations.¡±


    While Clive put away the racks of paraphernalia, Jason moved over to Sophie. She was still staring at the essences in her hands with fascination.


    ¡°Now you know,¡± he said.


    ¡°Know what?¡± she asked, looking up at him.


    ¡°How I see the world.¡±


    ¡°Is it like this for everyone, where you come from?¡±


    ¡°No. I lost my humanity when I came to this world. This is what I got in trade.¡±


    She watched his expression as he looked at the essences in her hands. He was clearly caught up in some memory, his mask of perpetual amusement briefly absent.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been through your own troubles, haven¡¯t you?¡± she asked softly.


    He looked up, flashing her a grin as his usual visage returned.


    ¡°Nothing that rakish charm and dashing good looks couldn¡¯t handle.¡±


    She frowned, searching his face for something authentic.


    ¡°I can never tell what¡¯s real with you,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve known manipulators before. The good ones use vulnerability as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°When I first met Cassandra, I told her that there was only one way to use vulnerability as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°That was a lie.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Leave her with a question and plant the seed of seduction,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it work before.¡±


    ¡°It was just some flirty banter,¡± Jason said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t some kind of organised campaign.¡±


    ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t. Men like you try to turn the world into a story, even with friends and lovers. It¡¯s like breathing; you don¡¯t even realise you¡¯re doing it.¡±


    ¡°You seem to think you know me pretty well,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known plenty like you. Some are subtle, others outrageous, like you. Keeping people off-balance so you can tip them over. You¡¯re not special, Jason Asano.¡±


    Clive had finished packing away his things. He stood with Belinda, observing Jason and Sophie across the room. They couldn¡¯t hear the softly worded exchange but watched their body language. They stood right in each other¡¯s faces, neither looking away. Their bodies had confrontational stances but were close together, the cubes in Sophie¡¯s hands filled most of the space between them.


    ¡°That¡¯s trouble,¡± Clive said to Belinda.


    ¡°Yep,¡± she agreed.


    ¡°I hope Jason doesn¡¯t do something stupid.¡±


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t keep his hands to himself, she¡¯ll break them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant,¡± Clive said. ¡°Jason has very specific views on power relationships, and while his values might be strange, they¡¯re important to him. He¡¯s not Lucian Lamprey.¡±


    ¡°Then what kind of stupid are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Look at the choices he made to get you here,¡± Clive said. ¡°What iron-ranker would face down a silver in order to turn a pair of thieves into adventurers?¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know why he would go this far for strangers. He made his big speech but that felt more like he was telling a story than telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°Farrah,¡± Clive started, his throat catching. ¡°I think she was the only one that really understood him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the woman that died?¡±


    Clive nodded.


    ¡°When I first met Jason I wanted to understand him better. I mean, a man from another world. For an astral magic scholar like me it¡¯s the opportunity of a lifetime. Farrah told me that under all the¡­ Jason, he feels constantly exposed. Beset on all sides by powers that could easily destroy him.¡±


    ¡°I know that feeling,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°And he recognises that. It¡¯s why he wants to help.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that simple?¡±


    ¡°He has bit of a hero complex.¡±


    ¡°That kind of thing gets people killed,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Clive said. ¡°But where would you be right now if he didn¡¯t have it?¡±


    Clive left Belinda at the edge of the room, moving up to the magic diagram. He directed Jason to get out of the way with Belinda and Sophie to step into the magic circle. He had her hold her hands out from her sides with an essence cube in each hand. He took out a magic wand and started waving it like he was conducting an orchestra. The air in the room started to stir, centred on the diagram and Sophie within it. It swirled around her, whipping her silver ponytail.


    ¡°Is this how your¡¯s went?¡± Belinda asked Jason, quiet, so as to not interrupt.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have an essence ritual,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just absorbed my essences with my vast magical powers.¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re some weirdo from another world?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Jason said, wondering once again how accurate his translation power was.


    The wind was continuing to pick up as it stormed about in the enclosed ritual chamber. There was a sonorous hum and they could feel a prickling on their skin. The sharp taste of ozone filled their mouths. Light from the magic diagram on the floor started floating up in golden motes, drawn into the two essences cubes. As the light sank into them, the essences started shedding dust that floated into the air, also faintly glowing. Slowly at first, then with increasing pace, the essences dissolved, riding the wind to shroud Sophie in a magical squall. Rainbow light started appearing in the squall, sinking into Sophie¡¯s obscured body.


    The last of the essences turned to glowing dust, swirling around Sophie. Suddenly the wind stopped dead and the glowing dust stopped glowing, dropping to the ground. The magic circle faded as the now powerless dust scattered across the stone floor.


    Party member [Sophie Wexler] has absorbed [Wind Essence]. [Sophie Wexler] has absorbed 2 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 50% (2/4 essences).[Wind Essence] has bonded to the [Power] attribute, changing [Power] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all wind essence abilities to increase the [Power] attribute.You have awakened the wind essence ability [Wind Blade]. 1 of 5 wind essence abilities have been awakened.


    ¡°I love this part,¡± Clive said.


    Party member [Sophie Wexler] has absorbed [Balance Essence]. [Sophie Wexler] has absorbed 3 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 75% (3/4 essences).[Balance Essence] has bonded to the [Recovery] attribute, changing [Recovery] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all balance essence abilities to increase the [Recovery] attribute.You have awakened the balance essence ability [Equilibrium]. 1 of 5 balance essence abilities have been awakened.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t feel bad at all,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Essence rituals are very gentle,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s only if you shove the essence inside yourself without one that the experience is a harsh one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just bitter that you didn¡¯t get to see me do it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Clive said as he read the description of Sophie¡¯s first new power.


    Ability: [Wind Blade] (Wind)


    Special attack.Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Create a cutting projectile of air.


    ¡°Special attack,¡± Clive said. You probably won¡¯t get many, so each one is valuable.¡±


    Ability: [Equilibrium] (Balance)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Meditate to slowly accrue instances of [Integrity], up to an instance threshold based on the [Recovery] attribute. Instances quickly drop off when meditation ends.[Integrity] (heal-over-time, mana-over-time, stamina-over-time, holy): Periodically recover a small amount of health, stamina and mana. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    ¡°See, this is great,¡± Clive said, jotting in his notebook. ¡°Jason, you really should be helping out the Magic Society with this ability. People have an instinctive sense of their abilities, but they aren¡¯t always great at verbalising them. The time and inaccuracy this saves is fantastic.¡±


    ¡°Eyes on the prize, Clive,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Right,¡± Clive said, refocusing on Sophie. Three intangible, translucent cubes floated out of her body, interposing on one another until they formed a single cube floating in front of her. Still insubstantial, it had a vibrant blue colour.


    ¡°The confluence essence,¡± Clive said. ¡°Take it.¡±


    Sophie reached out and the intangible object became solid at her touch. It began dissolving into blue smoke in her hands, which seeped into her body until it was gone.


    Party member [Sophie Wexler] has absorbed [Mystic Essence]. [Sophie Wexler] has absorbed 4 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 100% (4/4 essences).[Mystic Essence] has bonded to the [Spirit] attribute, changing [Spirit] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all mystic essence abilities to increase the [Spirit] attribute.You have awakened the mystic essence ability [Strong Soul]. 1 of 5 mystic essence abilities have been awakened.


    ¡°Strong soul sounds good,¡± Belinda said, reading the description.


    Ability: [Strong Soul] (Mystic)


    Special ability (dimension).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Disruptive-force damage dealt to you reduced by a large amount; other damage dealt to you is reduced by a small amount. Resistance to dimensional and astral effects and energies is increased. You can physically interact with incorporeal entities.


    ¡°How does having a strong soul make you take less damage?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°My advice is to just be glad it does,¡± Jason said. ¡°My damage reduction power is stabbing them in the back. How do you feel, Wexler?¡±


    Sophie was still reading the last system message.


    You have absorbed 4/4 essences.All your attributes have reached iron rank.You have reached iron rank.You have gained damage reduction against normal-rank damage sources.You have gained increased resistance to normal-rank effects.You have gained the ability to sense auras.You have gained the ability to sustain yourself using sources of concentrated magic.


    She stood awestruck in the middle of the chamber, rubbing one hand over the back of the other, feeling her skin.


    ¡°This feels incredible,¡± she said, her usual undertone of cynicism completely absent.


    ¡°You need to go into the side room,¡± Clive told her.


    ¡°What?¡± She asked, looking over at him, distracted.


    ¡°The side room,¡± Clive repeated. ¡°Now.¡±


    ¡°I feel fine,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Better than fine.¡±


    ¡°Give it a moment,¡± Jason said, stepping up next to Clive.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what you¡¯re¡­¡±


    Sophie¡¯s words cut off as her face went pale. She sprinted for the side room, slamming a hand on the golden mark that opened the door. She rushed inside and the others heard her violently throwing up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go check on her,¡± Belinda said.

 Chapter 121: Getting Stoned

    Sophie and Belinda emerged from the side room, Sophie wearing a fresh outfit.


    ¡°That was deeply unpleasant,¡± Sophie said, still looking peaky.


    ¡°I imagine Jason had it worse,¡± Clive said. ¡°He¡¯s an outworlder who came here before ever getting an essence.¡±


    ¡°Why does that matter?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°He made his body from the most diluted and impure magic. He was basically a human-shaped lesser monster.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little blunt,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Because his body was so full of impurities, his purgation when he ranked up would have been very extreme.¡±


    ¡°It certainly wasn¡¯t fun,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What do you mean by ¡®he made his body¡¯¡±? Belinda asked.


    Jason and Clive shared a glance.


    ¡°That¡¯s probably best left for another day,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Not an explanation that benefits from brevity,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°Suffice to say, my ascension to iron rank was a messy and profoundly awful experience.¡±


    "Sophie made quite a mess herself," Belinda said. "Good thing this whole place cleans itself because I wouldn''t wish that on anyone. All the muck just sank into the floor."


    ¡°Mine was still worse,¡± Jason said. ¡°I completely passed out.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you weren¡¯t just weak?¡± Sophie asked him.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was, but it wasn¡¯t just that.¡±


    ¡°How about we get started?¡± Clive asked. He had already used his abilities to purge the lingering magic from the previous ritual and draw a new circle on the floor. ¡°Unlike the essences, we¡¯ll have to go through the awakening stones one at a time. It¡¯s a quick and simple ritual, though.¡±


    It was as simple as promised, starting with the awakening stone of eyes.


    You have awakened the mystic essence ability [Sight Beyond Sight]. You have awakened 2 of 5 mystic essence abilities.


    Ability: [Sight Beyond Sight] (Mystic)


    Special ability (perception).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Perceive auras.


    ¡°A perception power,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s what we expected, but welcome, all the same.¡±


    Sophie was disoriented at the influx of new stimuli. Her iron-rank ability to sense auras was only minutes old and had now erupted with sensitivity. She could not only see the auras of Belinda, Jason and Clive but feel them with all her senses. She could taste the auras around her, feel them on her skin.


    Belinda¡¯s aura was weak, with strange flavours Sophie couldn¡¯t make sense of. It felt like spying on her friend¡¯s thoughts and she instinctively withdrew her senses. Instead, she turned them on Jason and Clive. Their auras were much more controlled, nothing escaping the way it did with Belinda.


    The aura of each man had a strange and powerful feel to them. Clive''s aura felt like a wellspring of magical power. Jason¡¯s felt more dangerous; oppressive and controlling.


    ¡°Something wrong?¡± Jason asked as she stared at him.


    ¡°I was looking at your auras,¡± she told him and nodded at Clive. ¡°I like his more.¡±


    The remaining stones were the two awakening stones of the hand and the two of the foot.


    ¡°I recommend we start with the stones of the hand,¡± Clive said. ¡°As you use more awakening stones, the abilities awakened will increasingly fill in the gaps of your power set. If the stones of the hand give you unarmed combat abilities, the stones of the foot are less likely to do so. There¡¯s more chance they¡¯ll give movement abilities instead.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fine,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t make any promises, though,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Understood,¡± she said.


    Clive purged the ambient magic and set up a new circle.


    You have awakened the mystic essence ability [Immortal Fist]. You have awakened 3 of 5 mystic essence abilities.


    Ability: [Immortal Fist] (Mystic)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Unarmed attacks deal additional resonating-force damage, which is highly effective against physical defences. Suffer no damage from making unarmed strikes against objects and negate all damage from actively intercepted attacks. Not all damage from very powerful or higher-ranked attacks will be negated.


    ¡°Another mystic essence ability,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s quite unusual to awaken the confluence essence abilities first.¡±


    ¡°Is that bad?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°No, just interesting,¡± Clive said. ¡°There¡¯s a theory that our personalities have a large impact on the kinds of abilities we awaken.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little worrying,¡± Jason said, considering his own abilities.


    ¡°Some advocates of this theory suggest that people with a very strong sense of self awaken the confluence essence abilities first, although I find the evidence to support that idea rather questionable.¡±


    ¡°Asano,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Hit me with a weapon.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Read her ability,¡± Jason said. ¡°It negates the damage from incoming attacks.¡±


    ¡°Reading is all well and good,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Trying to catch a sword is another thing altogether.¡±


    ¡°I have to test the ability sooner or later,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Then I vote later!¡±


    ¡°Now is best,¡± Jason said, pulling out his magical sword. ¡°I have healing potions on hand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a handsome sword,¡± Sophie said.


    Jason held it out for her to take.  She drew it halfway out of the scabbard as she examined it. With Jason¡¯s party interface in effect, she was able to read the description.


    Item: [Dread Salvation] (iron rank [growth], legendary)


    A sword crafted with gratitude, in hope it would be of the greatest use in the moment of greatest need. It was forged with passion and expertise to be a reliable companion, bestowing upon it an incredible potential (weapon, sword).


    ¡°A friend made it for me,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s my most treasured possession.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not convinced about this idea,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I told you,¡± Jason said. ¡°If anything goes wrong, I¡¯ve got healing potions.¡±


    Sophie handed the sword back and, after confirming she was ready, Jason drew it and slashed out at her. She unhesitatingly blocked the attack with a palm strike, the sword bouncing back like it had struck a wall.


    Everyone looked at Sophie¡¯s hand, which was completely unharmed.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t even hurt,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Keep going.¡±


    Jason unleashed a series of sword attacks, which Sophie intercepted with forearms, shins, shoulders and even a head-butt. She took several superficial cuts as she got a handle on the ability, but urged Jason to continue.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to adjust my fighting style for this,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡± Clive said. ¡°An adventurer who doesn¡¯t adjust the way they fight to their powers is a bad adventurer.¡±


    ¡°How do you fight?¡± Sophie asked him.


    ¡°From far away,¡± Clive said. ¡°An adaptation in approach I was more than happy to make.¡±


    ¡°Looks like your ability doesn¡¯t just protect your body,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your clothes were only cut when you failed to intercept the hit.¡±


    Sophie looked down at her clothes where blood was leaking from several slices in the fabric.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said.


    ¡°You said something about healing potions?¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to try something first,¡± Jason said and looked at Sophie. ¡°You up for it?¡±


    ¡°I can take anything you¡¯ve got.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯m going to throw out a special attack.¡±


    He lashed out with his sword again and she intercepted it with a fist.


    [Celestine] has negated all damage from special attack [Punish].Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Celestine].


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Jason said.


    Sophie frowned at the message in front of her.


    Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on you.


    ¡°You inflicted me with sin,¡± Sophie said. "That better not be a sex thing."


    "You completely negated the damage on my physical attack," Jason told her. "Even the magical damage. The non-damage effect still went through, though."


    ¡°What is that non-damage effect?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°A curse.¡±


    ¡°A curse,¡± Sophie said, glaring daggers.


    ¡°A minor curse,¡± Jason said. ¡°It won¡¯t do anything unless I use more special attacks on her. Also, I can just take it away.¡±


    ¡°So take it away!¡± Belinda demanded.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said and pointed an arm at Sophie.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Sophie¡¯s life force radiated out from her body as a vibrant red glow. A dark stain swam within it but was drawn out, floating through the air and vanishing into Jason¡¯s outstretched hand. The glowing life force withdrew back into her body and he tossed her a healing potion from his inventory. She drank it, making a sour face.


    ¡°Those cheap potions of Jory¡¯s get the job done,¡± she said. ¡°I cannot get used to that taste, though.¡±


    Clive set up another ritual and Sophie absorbed the next awakening stone of the hand.


    You have awakened the mystic essence ability [Radiant Fist]. You have awakened 4 of 5 mystic essence abilities.


    Ability: [Radiant Fist] (Mystic)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Unarmed attacks deal additional disruptive-force damage, which is highly effective against magical defences and intangible or incorporeal enemies. Unarmed attacks do not trigger retaliation effects. Negate any non-damage effects from actively intercepted attacks.


    ¡°Mystic essence again,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a magic version of the last ability.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s useful,¡± Clive said. ¡°The damage types of those two abilities, resonating-force and disruptive-force. Between them, you¡¯ll get through almost any defence. They¡¯re special abilities rather than special attacks, so I imagine the damage is limited, but they will be effective against any enemy you can put a hand to.¡±


    ¡°Try that special attack again,¡± Sophie said and Jason pulled his sword back out.


    [Celestine] has negated all damage from special attack [Punish].Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Celestine].[Celestine] has prevented secondary effects of special attack [Punish].[Sin] does not take effect.Affliction negation has triggered an effect on weapon [Dread Salvation].[Celestine] has negated the triggered effect.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Jason said. ¡°That even stopped my sword from buffing itself.¡±


    ¡°It seems clear the direction her abilities are taking her,¡± Clive said. ¡°Of her first seven abilities, three are defensive and one is self-recovery. They aren¡¯t blanket defence powers, though; they take skill to use effectively. She¡¯s developing an evasion-type defensive specialist power set.¡±


    ¡°A dodge tank,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There are, broadly speaking, two kinds of defence specialist,¡± Clive said. ¡°They directly conflate with the two kinds of essence users we were discussing yesterday. The most common type uses raw toughness, heavy on simple, passive abilities that mitigate damage. Their strengths are standing their ground and withstanding punishment.


    ¡°And I¡¯m the other type,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°It looks that way,¡± Clive said. ¡°You can expect more active defensive powers and more mobility. You won¡¯t be as good at holding a fixed position but you¡¯ll have the tools to be exactly where you need to be, exactly when you need to be there. You won¡¯t be as good at passively taking hits, but you¡¯ll be better at intercepting them. The other kind of specialist will outlast you under a barrage of attacks. More powerful, singular attacks can punch through their defences, though, while you¡¯ll have to tools to avoid or negate them.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you¡¯ll be good at staying alive when things are at their worst,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I always have been,¡± Sophie said.


    Clive set up the next ritual, moving on to an awakening stone of the foot.


    You have awakened the balance essence ability [Cloud Step]. You have awakened 2 of 5 balance essence abilities.


    Ability: [Cloud Step] (Balance)


    Special ability (movement).Cost: Low stamina and mana.Cooldown: 20 seconds.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Take a single step on air as if it were solid ground, becoming intangible for a brief moment. This ability can be used while all steps are on cooldown at an extreme mana cost per step. If used within mist, fog or cloud, this ability has no cooldown.


    ¡°Finally not a mystic one,¡± Jason said. ¡°Kind of a shame at this point. You¡¯ve almost fully awakened that essence.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a cooldown?¡± Belinda asked, reading the ability description.


    ¡°That¡¯s how long you have to wait after using an ability before you can use it again,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s terminology from Jason¡¯s world,¡± Clive said. ¡°His ability serves as a guide for him to our world, so it describes them in ways he will best understand.¡±


    ¡°Why would she have to wait?¡± Belinda asked.


    "Our bodies serve as a medium for the magic of our essence abilities," Clive said. "Using the same magic in the same way repeatedly can over-stress the body. Less imposing abilities require little or no time before they can be used again, while more excessive powers require more time for recovery. This ability of yours, Miss Wexler is rather interesting in that you can circumvent this limitation using large amounts of mana.¡±


    ¡°Is that unusual?¡± Jason asked.


    "Yes, but far from unheard of," Clive said. "It functions by spreading the strain across your body, which allows use in rapid succession but requires much more mana to push through. Very inefficient, but inefficient is better than unavailable in a critical moment."


    ¡°Try it out,¡± Belinda said.


    Sophie trod on an invisible step, then fell back to the floor.


    ¡°It seems underwhelming,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I want to try the intangible thing,¡± Jason said pulling a small pouch from his inventory. ¡°Try your ability again.¡±


    Sophie used her ability to step on the air as Jason threw a glazed nut. It bounced off her forehead, earning Jason a glare.


    ¡°The ability does say briefly intangible,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think we need to get the timing right. Can you feel being intangible?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Sophie said. ¡°There¡¯s a very brief sensation of lightness.¡±


    After several more attempts, they finally got a glazed nut to pass through Sophie''s intangible body, right at the moment she took a step on the air.


    ¡°I wonder what happens if she uses it while standing on the ground,¡± Jason said. ¡°Would she fall through?¡±


    ¡°Not through the cloud palace,¡± Clive said. ¡°One of its many properties is to block the passage of intangible entities. She might go through the stone floor of this room, though.¡±


    The ritual room had a stone floor made from a single sheet of smoothly polished rock, to facilitate drawing ritual circles. After some experiments, they discovered that Sophie would sink into it if she had a foot on the ground while using the ability. After the fleeting moment of intangibility, her foot was pushed back out of the stone.


    ¡°You¡¯d have to be moving fast but you could use that to get through a wall,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You have maybe a second of being intangible. You¡¯d have to be moving fast enough to get most of the way through so you¡¯d be pushed to the other side.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like the sound of that test,¡± Sophie said. ¡°What if I get stuck halfway through?¡±


    ¡°Your foot got pushed out of the floor,¡± Belinda said. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to think a wall would be any different.¡±


    ¡°What happened to the woman who didn¡¯t want me catching swords?¡± Sophie asked.


    "There are healing potions," Belinda said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think a healing potion will fix my head occupying the same space as a chunk of wall.¡±


    ¡°We can take a look at the possibilities later,¡± Clive said. ¡°We have more rituals to perform.¡±


    ¡°In a little bit,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I want to see what this ability can do. Asano, spar with me for a bit.¡±


    Jason and Sophie engaged in some light sparring, neither pushing too hard. In the fighting pits, acrobatically using her speed and the walls to outmanoeuvre her opponents was her signature. She started using her new ability as a wall to kick-off whenever she needed. It wasn''t wildly effective right away, but she saw the potential. Eventually, she begged-off with a splitting headache and Jason handed her a mana potion.


    ¡°Is that your first low-mana headache?¡± Jason asked.


    She sighed with relief as the potion took effect, then nodded.


    ¡°Not pleasant, are they?¡±


    ¡°No, they are not,¡± she agreed, rubbing her temples.


    ¡°Do you want to take a break?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said.


    ¡°Take the break,¡± Belinda scolded. ¡°You don¡¯t have to tough everything out on principle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s past time for lunch anyway,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have sandwiches.¡±


    On the bench where the last awakening stone was still waiting to be used he set out a lunch spread. A tray of sandwiches, plus glasses and a pitcher of iced tea, complete with chunks of ice floating in it.


    ¡°Do you always carry around sandwiches?¡± Belinda asked as Jason poured out drinks.


    ¡°He does,¡± Clive said, taking a sandwich from the tray. ¡°Also, a rope ladder.¡±


    Sophie wandered over last and Belinda shoved a sandwich in her hand.


    ¡°Where did you get this chutney?¡± Belinda asked Jason after biting into her own sandwich.


    ¡°My landlady makes it. Now that Emir has set us up in the cloud palace, I don¡¯t see her, which is a shame. I learned a lot about local ingredients in her kitchen. I went and packed-up the rooms my friends and I were renting and she stocked me up on chutney and jam. I¡¯ve been meaning to figure out how you cook things in a kitchen made of clouds and knock out some sweet scones.¡±


    Belinda chatted with Jason and Clive while Sophie ate in silence. Belinda occasionally glanced her way, noting that Sophie put an end to a good portion of the sandwiches. As Jason packed away the remains of their lunch, Clive set up the ritual for the last awakening stone.


    You have awakened the mystic essence ability [Mirage Step]. You have awakened 5 of 5 mystic essence abilities.You have awakened all mystic essence abilities. Linked attribute [Spirit] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank mystic essence ability.You have 1 of 4 completed essences.


    Ability: [Mirage Step] (Mystic)


    Special ability (dimension, movement, illusion).Cost: Low stamina and mana.Cooldown: 40 seconds.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Move instantaneously to a nearby location, leaving an afterimage behind.


    ¡°Instantaneous movement,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s functionally similar to a teleport, but requires a path of traversal.¡±


    ¡°Teleporting can be tricky,¡± Jason said. ¡°It took me a long time before I was able to successfully¡­¡±


    Sophie suddenly appeared next to him


    ¡°¡­activate the ability,¡± he finished. ¡°Never mind, I guess.¡±


    A shimmering afterimage lingered briefly in Sophie¡¯s original position before vanishing. As for Sophie herself, she was reeling, unbalanced.


    ¡°That was amazing,¡± Sophie said as she dizzily held her arms out. ¡°That felt absolutely incredible. I¡¯m going to need some practice, though. That was the last of the awakening stones, so I should do that.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jason said, ¡°Clive and I managed to rustle up some extras yesterday.¡±


    He walked over to the bench. It was now empty of awakening stones, but he took out two more and placed them down.


    ¡°One of these I got from the Adventure Society for catching you. The other I got from... somewhere else, but also for catching you.¡±


    ¡°Somewhere else?¡± Belinda asked.


    Jason didn¡¯t respond to the question. Clive took out a third stone, placing it with the other two.


    ¡°This is the one I got for catching you,¡± he said. ¡°Jason hasn¡¯t awakened his full power set, but he¡¯s close. Since he¡¯s waiting for what Emir is setting up, he decided to give these to you.¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had my full set for a long time,¡± Clive said. ¡°I was just never much of an adventurer.¡±


    Jason slapped him on the back.


    ¡°You killed a bronze rank monster in a hidden fortress under a swamp,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re a plenty good adventurer, now.¡±


    ¡°Last night, after our meeting, we were belatedly contacted by the Adventure Society about the reward for catching you,¡± Clive said. ¡°I was going to give my stone to Jason but since he was giving his to you, I decided to the same.¡±


    ¡°What kinds of awakening stones are they?¡± Sophie asked. She walked up to the bench, looking at the stones. Jason gestured at them invitingly.


    ¡°Touch them and see.¡±

 Chapter 122: Children

    Sophie brushed a hand over the first of the three awakening stones Clive and Jason had laid out on the bench.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of Focus] (unranked, uncommon)


    An awakening stone containing an undistracted power. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 11 unawakened essence abilities.


    ¡°That is the most common of the three,¡± Clive said. ¡°The Magic Society grades stones on a scale of one to five stars, based on how frequently they are known to appear world-wide. We work with brokers and the Adventure Society to try and catalogue them all. Jason¡¯s ability also seems to grade them into five stages of rarity, but not numerically. The stones you¡¯ve used thus far were all common, or one star. Uncommon is two star.¡±


    Sophie touched the next stone, with was blue with streaks of white.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of the Sky] (unranked, epic)


    An awakening stone containing the freedom of the open sky. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 11 unawakened essence abilities.


    ¡°Epic,¡± she said.


    ¡°Four star, the second highest rarity,¡± Clive explained. ¡°After it took so long to catch you, the Adventure Society raised the reward to a four star awakening stone for each person on the team that caught you.¡±


    ¡°They had to make it a limit of six after people started forming giant groups,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°After we caught you,¡± Clive said, ¡°there were some issues, as you may recall. Jason and I collected our rewards yesterday evening and we were given a selection of four-star stones.


    ¡°The second-highest rarity,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Are they the kind of stones you used?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I used all one and two star stones,¡± Clive said. ¡°I was given an epic four-star essence, however. A rune essence. Very valuable.¡±


    ¡°Who gave you that?¡± Jason asked. ¡°There can¡¯t be a lot of epic essences in an eel farm.¡±


    ¡°My mentor,¡± Clive said. ¡°He was the director the Magic Society; the predecessor to Lucian Lamprey¡¯s predecessor. He took me out of the delta, gave me an education. Showed me the value of what we do at the Magic Society. I became an adventurer just in time for the last monster surge, when I was sixteen. He died during the surge and after it was over I never tried my hand at adventuring again until just recently. I threw myself completely into the Magic Society, but our branch here isn¡¯t the same as it was back then.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t imagine Lamprey fostering a positive institutional culture,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯d say the one before wasn¡¯t any better, but Lamprey really does set a new low.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even in the Magic Society and I know that much,¡± Belinda said.


    Jason turned his attention back to the stones.


    ¡°Stone of the sky,¡± he said. ¡°I considered picking that one and using it myself.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very highly sought after,¡± Clive said. ¡°The chances of awakening some kind of flight power are very good. I¡¯m a little surprised our Adventure Society here had one.¡±


    ¡°Turns out I already have a flight power,¡± Jason said. ¡°Clive told me. I¡¯m super looking forward to it, but it won¡¯t let me fly until silver rank.¡±


    ¡°Jason has a number of abilities we have very little information on,¡± Clive said. ¡°We do have thorough records on a number of them, however, and his cloak ability will let him glide at bronze rank and fly at silver. It won¡¯t be as effective as a more dedicated movement power but he will fly.¡±


    ¡°I should probably look up what my abilities do at later ranks,¡± Jason said.


    Clive turned on him in disbelief.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been telling you!¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Doesn¡¯t ring a bell.¡±


    As Clive started turning red, Jason turned to Sophie.


    ¡°Clive picked this one, in the end, since we were giving them to you. It¡¯s your best bet at a flying power.¡±


    ¡°There are no guarantees, though,¡± Clive said, still glaring at Jason. ¡°It could just as easily give you a special attack effective against enemies in the air.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a downer, Clive,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just managing expectations,¡± Clive said. ¡°Take a look at the last stone and then we¡¯ll begin.¡±


    Sophie reached out and touched the last stone, which was clear with such clarity as to be hard to see.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of Purgation] (unranked, epic)


    An awakening stone possessed of a cleansing power. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 11 unawakened essence abilities.


    ¡°This will almost certainly give you some kind of cleansing ability,¡± Clive said. ¡°You don¡¯t have any obvious essences for it, so it could come in many forms. It might be a balance ability that transfers afflictions to your enemies or a swift ability that lets you recover from afflictions faster. It might be some other ability with a self-cleanse as a secondary effect.¡±


    ¡°How valuable are these epic stones?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Each of them is more valuable than all the other stones put together,¡± Clive said. ¡°The sky stone is more valuable than either of the essences you used.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re just giving them to me?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Your indenture contract is six months,¡± Jason said. ¡°By the time it¡¯s over, you¡¯ll have been an adventurer for longer than I have, as of right now. You¡¯ll earn them, believe me.¡±


    ¡°The question,¡± Clive said, ¡°Is what order do you want to use them in? Do you want to start off with the potential flight power, or save that for the end?¡±


    ¡°Even if you get one,¡± Jason warned. ¡°You probably won¡¯t be able to fly well. My friend Humphrey can fly, but it costs him so much mana he can¡¯t do it for long.¡±


    Clive nodded.


    ¡°He¡¯s right¡± Clive said. ¡°At iron rank, the power will either be restricted by cost or the type of flight, like gliding. It will get cheaper or more useful as you rank up.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Jason said. ¡°You didn¡¯t use any monster cores to raise the ability you already have, right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Before my father died, he left my one essence with Belinda¡¯s father, who performed the ritual once I was old enough.¡±


    ¡°My dad didn¡¯t have any essences himself, but he knew a good hodgepodge of different magical fields. He knew that monster cores would mess up her essence development and warned her off them,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Sounds like a good guy,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°He was a drunken prick whose sole act of decency was not selling off that essence before giving it to Sophie,¡± she said. ¡°He tried to rob Cole Silva¡¯s father and failed badly. Silva killed him and I was saddled with making restitution.¡±


    ¡°How do you know when you¡¯re old enough to use an essence?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Also, what happens if you try and you¡¯re not old enough?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a simple test for whether your body can handle it,¡± Clive said. ¡°Usually that¡¯s sixteen or seventeen, but I¡¯ve heard of as low as fourteen and as late as nineteen or twenty. As for what happens if you aren¡¯t ready, well, I¡¯ve heard horror stories. Magical deformities. People using children in essence experiments to try and unlock the secrets of essences.¡±


    Clive shook his head.


    ¡°Not every Magic Society branch is the best group of people, obviously,¡± he said. ¡°Even the worst of us will put a stop to that, though.¡±


    ¡°Well, no worries here,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Sophie¡¯s practically a spinster.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m twenty three.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Jason said. ¡°Actually, it¡¯s been about four months. I think I missed a birthday.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to set up the next ritual,¡± Clive said. ¡°Pick which stone you want to use.¡±


    ¡°Do the sky stone last,¡± Belinda said. ¡°If you actually get the power to fly, we can head straight out and try it.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°Work your way up to the big finale.¡±


    Sophie nodded and Clive got to work, quickly setting up and performing the ritual using the uncommon stone of focus.


    You have awakened the swift essence ability [Avatar of Speed]. You have awakened 2 of 5 swift essence abilities.


    Ability: [Avatar of Speed] (Swift)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Your movement abilities have increased effect and reduced stamina and mana cost.


    ¡°That seems a bit underwhelming,¡± Belinda said.


    From the middle of the fading ritual circle, Sophie exploded into motion. She swiftly ran to the side of the room and up the wall, turning to run along the wall and around the room multiple times.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s quite a thing,¡± Clive said as the others watched her go around, swerving side to side on the wall in little jukes that didn¡¯t seem to slow her down.


    ¡°Is she normally that zippy?¡± Jason asked Belinda.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Belinda said. ¡°When she goes running, the first thing she does is run away, so I never get to see much.¡±


    Sophie leaped off the wall, flipping in the air and landing in a crouch.


    ¡°That may be the sexiest thing I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You know you said that out loud, right?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stand by it.¡±


    Belinda looked at Jason from under a sceptically furrowed brow.


    ¡°You think a woman back flipping off a wall is sexy?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re weird.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stand by that, too.¡±


    Sophie stood up and walked over to them.


    ¡°Good ability,¡± she said.


    ¡°Avatar abilities are often good,¡± Clive said. ¡°They embody an aspect of an essence,  making you very good at a specific thing. In this case, movement abilities.¡±


    ¡°I like being fast,¡± Sophie said. ¡°The ability I¡¯ve always had makes me fast, and this makes me faster.¡±


    ¡°Can you show us that ability?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°How do I do that?¡±


    ¡°It''s pretty instinctive. You just want to, basically.¡±


    After a brief moment, the ability appeared in front of them.


    Ability: [Free Runner] (Swift)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Increased speed. Low stamina and mana per second cost to run on walls and water. Momentum must be maintained on walls or water to prevent falling.Effect (bronze): Enhanced balance and spatial sense.


    ¡°Enhanced balance and spatial sense,¡± Jason read. ¡°That would let you move very fast through a complicated environment. Super parkour.¡±


    ¡°Parkour?¡±


    ¡°In my world it¡¯s what we call the practice of moving through complex spaces with efficiency and speed. People train to be very good. I¡¯m guessing that ability of yours makes you very, very good at it.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sophie said plainly. He could see she wasn¡¯t boasting but simply stating a fact. She neither wanted nor needed his validation. He chuckled.


    ¡°That¡¯s a classic, skill-oriented power,¡± Clive said. ¡°It seems simple and underpowered but lets you do something you¡¯re good at very well.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see about the next one,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Set it up.¡±


    Clive did just that, performing the ritual of awakening with the stone of purgation.


    You have awakened the wind essence ability [Cleansing Breeze]. You have awakened 2 of 5 wind essence abilities.


    Ability: [Cleansing Breeze] (Wind)


    Aura (holy, cleanse).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Allies within the aura have increased resistance to curses, diseases, magic afflictions, poisons and unholy afflictions. This is a holy effect. Negates poisons in the air; this is a cleanse effect.


    ¡°Aura,¡± Clive said. ¡°That is a big win.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason agreed.


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Aura manipulation is an important skill for adventurers,¡± Clive said. ¡°You can only learn it once you have an aura power, although any aura power will do.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Aura control is one the things that differentiates a capable adventurer from a scrub.¡±


    ¡°A scrub?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°You might know it as a buster,¡± Jason said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter; you can get it from context.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an unexpected ability for the wind essence,¡± Clive said. ¡°I would have expected something from the mystic essence. It¡¯s also the exact opposite of Jason¡¯s aura.¡±


    ¡°Will they conflict?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°Jason¡¯s aura only affects enemies, while Miss Wexler¡¯s only affects allies. So long as they¡¯re on the same side, it won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Clive and Belinda looked between Jason and Sophie, who were giving each other assessing looks.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t rule out problems just yet,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a holy ability, too,¡± Clive said. ¡°That¡¯s matches well with the celestine holy affinity.¡±


    ¡°I thought they had astral affinity,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°They have holy too,¡± Clive said. ¡°Still not as many as elves, who have life, nature and magic affinities, which is why elves make such good healers. I¡¯ll set up the next ritual.¡±


    Jason stood next to Clive as he used his essence ability to draw golden lines on the floor.


    ¡°How likely is it really that she picks up a flight power?¡± he asked quietly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard a lot of people say that you can¡¯t go making predictions, yourself included.¡±


    ¡°Looking at all twenty abilities, that¡¯s correct. It¡¯s why the best approach is to select a more general direction for your power set. Pick out your essences and leave the specifics to fate. There¡¯s always one or two abilities you can confidently see coming, though. For example, there are certain awakening stones that have a higher change of producing auras if you have a lot of abilities and no aura yet. Another example is all those feast stones you used, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you about that.¡±


    ¡°Farrah did. The combination of feast stones and the blood essence meant that a health-draining power was almost a certainty. It could have been any of a wide slew of health-draining powers but you were almost certain to get one of them. If you combine a celestine¡¯s natural aptitude for utility powers, the wind essence and a sky stone, that¡¯s as close to a guarantee of a flight power as you¡¯ll get. You couldn¡¯t ask for a better chance, except for maybe with the wing essence.¡±


    Jason moved away from the circle, pausing next to Sophie.


    ¡°Good luck,¡± he said, then joined Belinda out of the way against the wall.


    Clive performed the ritual no differently than any of the others.


    You have awakened the wind essence ability [Leaf on the Wind]. You have awakened 3 of 5 wind essence abilities.


    Ability: [Leaf on the Wind] (Wind)


    Special ability (movement, dimension).Cost: Moderate mana-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Glide through the air; highly effective at riding the wind. Can reduce weight to slow fall at a reduced mana cost. Ignore or ride the effects of strong wind, even when this ability is not in active use.


    Clive let out a boyish laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to look it up to make sure but I¡¯d bet my library that¡¯s a flight power.¡±


    Jason took out a tablet and looked up the ability.


    ¡°Yep,¡± he said. ¡°It was the third one down on the list of wind essence flight abilities. From what I¡¯m seeing here, you glide at iron and sort of fly-glide at bronze. Riding the wind, that sort of thing. You¡¯ll have full-blown flight at silver, then go back to wind-riding at gold, but you¡¯ll be controlling the wind. Doesn¡¯t say about diamond, which is no surprise.¡±


    Sophie and Belinda looked at each other, grins spreading on their faces.


    ¡°You can fly,¡± Belinda said.


    Sophie nodded. ¡°I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°The next move is obvious, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s go jump off a sky palace.¡±


    ¡°You might want to be a little cautious,¡± Clive said. ¡°Until she gets a handle on the ability.¡±


    ¡°Boo!¡± Belinda jeered.


    ¡°Did you just boo me?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°And so she should,¡± Jason said. ¡°Boo!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re acting like children.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re about to go jump off the roof,¡± Jason said. ¡°Of course we¡¯re acting like children.¡±

 Chapter 123: Star Seed

    In the Adventure Society marshalling yard, a portal opened and people started stepping through. There were fourteen in total, each bearing a pin marking them as Adventure Society officials. The woman at the front looked to be of early middle age, with her hair unflatteringly pinned tightly back. Her Adventure Society pin was black.


    Jason, Clive, Belinda and Sophie waited until the last memorial for the day had finished before moving outside to test Sophie¡¯s new abilities. The gliding had a few false starts, but the slow fall function of the power was intuitive enough that she went unharmed. Several attempts in, she was gliding out over the ocean before curving back in to land on the lower levels of the palace. She would have preferred if the earlier attempts hadn¡¯t involved dragging her waterlogged self onto one of the palace¡¯s sea-level platforms.


    Aside from her gliding ability, being outdoors allowed her to test her wind blade. She could throw out a shimmering arc of slicing wind with a sweep of an arm or leg. A short gesture would produce a small, swift blade that was hard to see. A larger motion created a longer and more visible blade that was noticeably slower.


    ¡°Some abilities will come easily and naturally,¡± Clive said. ¡°Others you¡¯ll need to practice before you can use them effectively.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave you to it, for today,¡± Jason said. ¡°Play around and get used to them. Tomorrow we start training.¡±


    ¡°That Adventure Society assessment is in a week, right?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Is she going to be ready?¡±


    ¡°The next intake was cancelled,¡± Jason said. ¡°After days of memorials, no one is looking to feed their young people into the grinder. The assessments will be rigorous in a way they haven¡¯t been for a long time, with a few exceptions.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t that make it harder for Sophie to pass?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°The field assessment judges two things,¡± Jason said. ¡°The skill to reliably hunt monsters and the judgement to know when not to. I won¡¯t let her participate until she¡¯s ready.¡±


    He looked at Sophie, standing unhappily in her still-wet clothes.


    ¡°No one is going to argue that you lack skill,¡± he told her. ¡°Have you ever fought a monster?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°Once Rufus deems you ready, I¡¯ll take you out to the delta and we¡¯ll do some adventure board notices. If you meet his standards, then passing the field assessment won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    A meeting was taking place in the conference room next to the director¡¯s office in the Adventure Society administration building. At the head of the table but standing instead of sitting was the leader of the inquiry team, Tabitha Gert. Her clothes were plain, with the only flourish being her black Adventure Society pin. She wore a stern expression, accentuated by her tightly pulled-back hair. Elspeth Arella was also present, sitting to Gert¡¯s right. Emir Bahadir sat at the other end of the table, his relaxed slouch a contrast with Arella¡¯s poise and Gert¡¯s rigidity.


    ¡°Is there a reason the director of the Magic Society is not here?¡± Tabitha asked.


    ¡°Lucian Lamprey would obstruct and inform because it serves his purposes, regardless of the outside consequences,¡± Arella said. This earned a pointed cough in her direction from Emir, which she responded to with a flat look.


    ¡°Having Lamprey here,¡± Arella said, turning back to Gert, ¡°would be as good as sending the families in question an explanatory pamphlet detailing out intentions.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very unhelpful,¡± Gert said.


    ¡°Of that, I am very much aware,¡± Arella said.


    Gert turned her attention to Emir.


    ¡°You are convinced these five expedition members have been compromised?¡± she asked. ¡°If I discovered that this was some manner of ploy to distract from the enquiry, it would not go well for you, gold-ranker or not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m convinced that the political cost of forcing the issue and being wrong is preferable to leaving it alone and being wrong.¡±


    Arella gestured at the door, which swung open of its own accord to admit Danielle Geller. Arella used her power again to close the door behind her. While Danielle would prefer to throw her out a window, she restricted herself to throwing Arella a dissatisfied glance before schooling her expression into blank professionalism.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I¡¯ve just come from a water link communication with Jonah¡¯s family.¡±


    ¡°This is the one of the five from your family?¡± Gert asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s from a branch family of House Geller, but broadly, yes. I¡¯ve just been speaking with his parents and the branch family patriarch.¡±


    ¡°This boy, Jonah,¡± Emir said. ¡°He refuses to be examined?¡±


    ¡°Yes, just like the others,¡± Danielle said. ¡°He¡¯s been isolating himself from us. His behaviour screams that he sees us as some kind of threat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve just had word,¡± Arella said. ¡°All five have withdrawn from their existing teams and formed a team together.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Danielle asked. ¡°When did this happen?¡±


    ¡°Around an hour ago. I¡¯ve had my deputy director keep a discreet but watchful eye on any official activity related to the five.¡±


    ¡°We need to act,¡± Gert said. ¡°However, it is outside the Adventure Society¡¯s purview to forcibly subject the five to examination.¡±


    ¡°Jonah may not have consented,¡± Danielle said, ¡°but I¡¯ve explained the situation to his people. They have given me formal permission to act on their behalf regarding his welfare. They are making the legal arrangements as we speak and they¡¯ll send everything through the Magic Society via document duplication.¡±


    ¡°There is a risk that word will get out that way,¡± Arella said. ¡°Lamprey pays little attention to his own Magic Society but these are hardly ordinary times. Even if he maintains his inattention, his deputy is subtle and thorough.¡±


    ¡°A dangerous combination,¡± Emir said. ¡°His loyalty?¡±


    ¡°To Lamprey. By all indications they are actual friends. My instincts tell me his only true allegiance is only to himself but I¡¯ve never found so much as a hint of disloyalty, and I did quite a bit of looking.¡±


    Gert frowned at Arella.


    ¡°Using the Magic Society for such communication is a necessary risk,¡± Gert said. ¡°This city has seen quite enough activity operating outside of the rules.¡±


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t let rules get in the way of something potentially this important,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°There are always reasons to ignore the rules,¡± Gert said, ¡°which is why we must be fastidious in following them. They are the very basis for civilisation, without which we would exist in a state of anarchy.¡±


    ¡°I disagree,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Gert said. ¡°This operation is being conducted under the strictures of the Adventure Society, not one of your frivolous private excursions. Gold rank or not, you will follow instructions.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Once the legal documentation arrives,¡± Gert said, ¡°We must act immediately to secure this Jonah boy. Have you lined up someone capable to examine him? The local Magic Society does not sound like a satisfactory place to find the assistance we need.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve contacted the local high priest of Purity,¡± Emir said. ¡°He¡¯s politically detached and has as good a chance as anyone of finding anything that has been done to them and purging it safely.¡±


    ¡°You think there may be a danger?¡± Arella asked.


    ¡°The people we captured in the astral space all quite thoroughly killed themselves with some manner of object buried in their bodies,¡± Emir said. ¡°My concern is our five adventurers coming to a similar end.¡±


    ¡°Turning to the church of Purity is a good choice,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I want to send Jonah home to his family intact.¡±


    The arrival of the inquiry team from the Adventure Society¡¯s Continental Council had little impact on Jason, at least over the first few days. He had not been a member of the expedition and was too low rank to be involved in major Society affairs. In the mean time, he had been working with Rufus to prepare Sophie for the next Adventure Society intake.


    Rufus gave Sophie his own assessment but remained mostly hands-off, leaving Jason to introduce her to various aspects of adventuring. He took on more of a mentor role to Jason, offering advice and guidance on what to teach her, and how.


    ¡°Her skills are impressive,¡± Rufus said. ¡°In terms of empty-hand technique, she¡¯s better than I am. Her weapon-work isn¡¯t as strong but given her abilities that won¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°All the fighting she¡¯s done has been against people, though,¡± Jason said.


    Rufus nodded.


    ¡°Her lack of experience fighting monsters is unquestionably her main shortfall,¡± he said. ¡°Take her out into the delta and do some adventure board notices. Recruit Humphrey, if you can. He has more immediate impact than you if someone needs to step in.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°Have you heard anything from his mother about the inquiry?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re auditing the whole branch,¡± Rufus said. ¡°From what she¡¯s hearing, there will be sweeping demotions across the board, expedition members or otherwise. More than a few will be losing their membership entirely.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll probably get bumped back down to two stars,¡± Jason said. ¡°I always suspected that moving up to three stars so quickly was part of Arella¡¯s games, and I daresay this inquiry will agree.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about local politics too much,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Bronze rank will be a fresh start that you can make far from here. My part in the Remore Academy annex with the Gellers should time nicely with you ranking up and your indenture contract coming to an end. We can head for Vitesse, leaving this city and its troubles behind.¡±


    ¡°We have no ideas how things will look, six months from now,¡± Jason said. ¡°There should be a monster surge by then, right?¡±


    ¡°There should be a monster surge by now,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯ll be interested in where your thieves will be in six months. Things are changing in very large ways for them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up to them,¡± Jason said. ¡°The whole point was to give them the chance to choose their own path.¡±


    ¡°How goes the non-combat training?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been teaching them what Farrah taught me about meditation, aura manipulation. The mental exercises. Are you sure I¡¯m ready to teach anyone?¡±


    ¡°Farrah was always impressed by you,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We all saw the potential in you. You¡¯re her legacy now.¡±


    Jason face was stricken.


    ¡°Don¡¯t say that,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t live up to it.¡±


    ¡°None of us live up to the expectations we put on ourselves,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Gary and Farrah taught me to accept that. But in the attempt, we push ourselves to new heights. You don¡¯t have to be some shining representative of who she was. Just try and be an adventurer she would be proud to have trained.¡±


    ¡°That, I can do. It feels strange, passing on what she taught me to these women.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been teaching them both?¡±


    ¡°Wexler will get essences for her friend sooner or later. If she knows the meditation techniques and training exercises beforehand, that¡¯s only for the good. Wexler tends to listen more with her friend riding herd on her, too.¡±


    ¡°Problems with the training?¡±


    ¡°Wexler¡¯s walls are slowly coming down,¡± Jason said. ¡°A lot of construction went into them, though. Building trust is half the battle.¡±


    ¡°Trust is crucial,¡± Rufus said. ¡°If you want to teach her anything effectively, she needs to trust that what you¡¯re imparting has value and that you¡¯re doing so in good faith.¡±


    ¡°Any tips?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try to rush things. Let time do its work.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°It won¡¯t hurt to take a day off, then,¡± he said. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen Cassandra since the day the expedition got back.¡±


    ¡°You have plans?¡±


    ¡°She invited me to go sailing.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re gone,¡± Genevieve said. The deputy director of the Adventure Society was in the director¡¯s office, along with Danielle, Emir and Tabitha Gert.


    ¡°What about tracking their badges?¡± Gert asked.


    ¡°The fact that we couldn¡¯t track their badges is what drew our attention to them in the first place,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°They were all directed to have their aura¡¯s re-examined and their badges replaced,¡± Arella said. ¡°None of them showed up to do so.¡±


    ¡°Do we know anything?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already got my information network in Old City looking,¡± Arella said. ¡°They don¡¯t have the skills or the powers to hide from my people in Old City. If they¡¯re there, we¡¯ll find them. If they left, we¡¯ll know which direction. Our best course of action now is patience.¡±


    ¡°How reliable is your network in Old City?¡± Gert asked.


    ¡°Now that everyone knows my father has me standing behind him, his power in Old City is unchallenged,¡± Arella said. ¡°You couldn¡¯t ask for better.¡±


    ¡°You said they don¡¯t have the skills to hide,¡± Emir said. ¡°That is assuming their skills are what they were. For all we know, they may not be in charge of their bodies anymore.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t change our course of action,¡± Danielle said. ¡°We have people looking, so we be patient and let them. Acting just for the sake of doing something is borrowing trouble when we already have enough.¡±


    All the major temples in Greenstone fronted the Divine Square but the of their space occupied extensive chunks of the temple district in sprawling, multi-building complexes. The temple of Purity was no different, with a number of sizeable buildings spread out over its spacious grounds. A priestess of Purity, Anisa Lasalle, walked through those grounds to a construction site in the early stages of adding a new building the temple¡¯s collection.


    On site was a foreman¡¯s office made of what looked like hastily thrown together materials. Anyone with the right knowledge and the ability to see magic would realise that time, effort and expense had been put into the powerful protections against eavesdropping built into the structure. Should anyone enquire, it was a sound-suppressing measure, allowing the foreman to hold meeting with the church representatives in peace and quiet.


    After stepping inside the building, Anisa glanced around, sensing for gaps in the sound-shielding magic but finding it thorough and intact. The other occupant of the room looked every bit the ordinary construction foreman, yet she looked at him with a distaste undue a simple tradesperson.


    ¡°Well?¡± The man asked.


    ¡°Your thrown-together plan has been lucky enough to work,¡± Anisa said. ¡°All the attention is on the five you seeded. No one has even considered that your true agents exist to look for. We suggest you restrict your activities for the moment, so as to not risk exposure.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± the man said. ¡°The next stage is reliant on remaining unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°You are certain that Bahadir will send people into another astral space?¡±


    ¡°Bahadir¡¯s people are loyal and discreet, but the people they work with are not always the same. Our information is solid.¡±


    ¡°And this other astral space is still of sufficient scale to do as promised?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± the foreman said. ¡°It¡¯s not the prize the desert astral space would have been, but still a very welcome one. As for the secondary effects of our claiming it, they will be more than enough to meet your needs. Better, in fact, since you won¡¯t need to evacuate your people as far.¡±


    ¡°We are evacuating no one,¡± Anisa said. ¡°It would arouse too much suspicion.¡±


    ¡°I admire your conviction,¡± he said. ¡°After the adventurers have returned from this new astral space, we will need to become more active to carry out the next step. The risk of some of our agents being exposed during this phase is high.¡±


    ¡°They cannot be allowed to talk,¡± Anisa said.


    ¡°Again, we are in agreement,¡± he said. ¡°We have more star seeds and any of our people who know anything will be implanted.¡±


    ¡°See that they are,¡± Anisa said. ¡°We¡¯ll speak again after the first stage in complete.¡±


    ¡°I look forward to it, priestess.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    She swept over to the door, flung it open and left, as if rushing to escape a trapped stench.

 Chapter 124: It’s About How You Use It

    While a cabal of the city¡¯s most powerful plotted to get their hands on Thadwick Mercer and the other four, Thadwick¡¯s sister was on her family¡¯s boat with Jason. Jason and Cassandra were ¨C if the half-dozen Mercer family staff were discounted ¨C all alone on the open water. The vessel was the size of some billionaire¡¯s yacht, to the point that Jason suspected the sails it boasted to be vestigial. It was made of wood but was a far cry from the wooden ships Jason knew. White paint and smooth lacquer, seemingly impervious to the seawater and salty air, gave it a feel more akin to a contemporary pleasure craft.


    There was a sunken lounging area in the middle of the foredeck. It was a square space, lined with seating on all sides and sporting a glass table in the middle. A huge parasol was affixed to the centre of the table to offer shade.


    ¡°This was a very good idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m so glad you offered. Everything has been sadness, frustration and grief lately.¡±


    ¡°My thoughts exactly,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°First the lost people to the expedition, now these outsiders with their inquiry are pushing to hand Thadwick over to them.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They think something was done to him and want him examined by their own people when ours have already looked him over quite thoroughly. Mother is considering having Thadwick leave until everything has blown over. You haven¡¯t heard anything about it from the gold-ranker, have you?¡±


    ¡°Emir¡¯s involved in it? I haven¡¯t seen him for days. If nothing else, I¡¯ve been caught up trying to get my new indenture to listen to me.¡±


    ¡°Things not going well with your first indenture?¡± Cassandra asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to forget about that,¡± Jason said, ¡°not talk about it.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were here for me?¡± she said provocatively.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason said with weary shamelessness. ¡°You are a very welcome addendum to what is primarily an escape plan. I just hope you don¡¯t take on the usual role of beautiful women in escape plans and betray me at a critical moment.¡±


    ¡°What kind of critical moment would I betray you in?¡± Cassandra asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, ¡°the kind that has a hammock, for preference. I¡¯m sure saw I spied a hammock hanging up somewhere when I came aboard.¡±


    ¡°Was it big enough for two?¡± Cassandra asked.


    ¡°You know, now that you bring it up, I actually think it was.¡±


    She let out a relaxed chuckle.


    ¡°Even if it wasn¡¯t,¡± she said, ¡°it will be by the time we wander over there.¡±


    The staff were discretely out of sight, but Jason could sense their auras.


    ¡°That must have been a very strange way to grow up,¡± he said. ¡°Never having a truly private moment.¡±


    ¡°It teaches you to put on a fa?ade,¡± she said. ¡°One that takes an unusual person to shake.¡±


    ¡°Shaking it isn¡¯t the trick,¡± Jason said. ¡°You need to make the person want to come out from behind it. You have to be tantalising.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you are, is it?¡±


    ¡°I think I have my moments,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me.¡±


    ¡°Where is it exactly that you learned your particular way of handling people?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Private school.¡±


    ¡°Private school?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I grew up on a rather pleasant little stretch of coastline. Just a little town, tourists in the summer.¡±


    ¡°Tourists?¡±


    ¡°Taking a holiday where I come from is a lot cheaper and easier than it is here. It isn¡¯t just the wealthy who can do it, although they certainly do it best. The less affluent participating in such activities are called tourists.¡±


    ¡°Do they have something to do with your private school?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not. Around thirty years or so back, a lot of wealthy people looked at our lovely stretch of coast and the conveniently placed local highway and decided to move in. Being rich folk, of course, they had no interest in our humble little town. Small, exclusive communities started popping up around us like mushrooms after the rain. Swanky summer homes and the kind of accommodation you can only afford if you own a boat like this one.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really rain here,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to take your word on the mushrooms.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trustworthy,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just don¡¯t seem like it because seeming trustworthy is suspicious.¡±


    ¡°You can be an unnecessarily convoluted man.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. Anyway, a lot of these rich people would only hang about for the summer, but enough stayed that they needed a place for their children to go to school. Thus, the Casselton Educational Institute was formed. Excellent teachers, quality education. Exorbitant cost. Everyone of means in the region sent their children there, from the first day of school until they were sent off to university.¡±


    ¡°Education is more prominent in your homeland, isn¡¯t it?¡± Cassandra asked.


    ¡°For now. The government keeps taking away money from the public schools to give to the wealthy private ones, but they haven¡¯t finished the job quite yet.¡±


    Cassandra didn¡¯t need to ask why; power dynamics were universal across worlds.


    ¡°Now, we weren¡¯t amongst the richest of the rich,¡± Jason continued, ¡°but my family did very well for themselves. My mother got in property sales early, making quite the bundle on the influx of wealthy buyers. My father is a landscape architect and had a strong hand in literally shaping the new communities. Between them, they sold and/or designed most of the region.¡±


    ¡°So your family had money enough to send you to this fancy school.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t look like most of the children who went to that school. My father¡¯s parents came from another land and we only have humans where I come from. Instead of looking down on elves or leonids or whoever, people isolate and exclude by ethnicity.¡±


    ¡°That sounds foolish.¡±


    ¡°It is. It''s getting better, but there are always these undercurrents of prejudice, coming out in little ways most people don''t even notice. It''s like constantly being pricked with needles and being accused of making a fuss if you have the gall to point it out.¡±


    ¡°That doesn''t sound delightful,¡± she said.


    ¡°You get used to it. That''s just the background issue, though. The more specific problem was my older brother.¡±


    ¡°He made it hard for you?¡±


    ¡°Not intentionally, which made it all the more difficult to deal with. You see, my brother is excellent with people. He¡¯s the handsome one, the charming one. The obedient one. He can just go with the flow, let things pass without questioning. He has a way of intuiting what people want and becoming that. A social chameleon. Do you have chameleons here?¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Cassandra said.


    ¡°Well, he is one, socially speaking. He doesn¡¯t manipulate people, not consciously. He just likes people and people like him. He went down very well with the wealthy families, who liked how unprejudiced they looked if their children had a multiethnic friend. It saved them from getting one themselves.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°One outsider friend was just the right amount, with a second one being surplus to requirements.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,'' Jason said. ¡°It sounds like rich families are the same wherever you go.¡±


    ¡°The way you describe your brother reminds me of Beth Cavendish,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°You¡¯ve met her, yes?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of non-human families at the peak of Greenstone society, which doesn''t always look good when you''re are dealing with global training partners. Beth is something of an ideal, which makes people want to rope her in. She''s very socially adroit, in a more subtle fashion than you. Similar to your brother, I suspect.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I don¡¯t smoothly fit in?¡±


    ¡°Your approach to socialising is like tossing snakes into a ballroom.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he said innocently.


    ¡°My mother said that the first time you met her, you denied being in a group with some of the city¡¯s most powerful people and claimed to have won a raffle.¡±


    ¡°I forgot about that, he said with a chuckle. ¡°You''re right about being socially adroit, though. I never had Kaito¡¯s ¨C that¡¯s my brother¡¯s name, Kaito. I never had his skill for getting along. I just can¡¯t seem to help challenging and provoking.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ve all noticed.¡±


    ¡°Shush, you,¡± he said, putting a finger to her lips. She kissed it and pushed it away.


    ¡°I was one foreign boy too many,¡± he continued, ¡°despite not being foreign at all. Kaito is a year older than me, so as far as the other kids were concerned, I was a disappointing rehash of the well-received original. I only had one real friend. The literal girl next door. Her name is Amy and we grew up together.¡±


    ¡°Who you fell in love with, obviously,¡± Cassandra said.


    ¡°Oh, it wasn¡¯t just love,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was eighties power-ballad love.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what that means,¡± she said.


    ¡°Imagine a man with long hair, no shirt, open vest and leather pants, walking into the ocean while singing a song.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like an insane person.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°It was that kind of love.¡±


    ¡°It came to a tragic end?¡±


    ¡°She married my brother.¡±


    ¡°That must have hurt.¡±


    ¡°I reacted poorly, I¡¯ll admit,¡± Jason said, ¡°but that¡¯s a story for another day. When we were in school, my brother cast a long shadow and I never had his knack for becoming what people wanted. It turned out that my knack was for getting people to do what I wanted. At least for a little while, until they realised what I did and got cross. They had no interest in being my friends, though, and I quickly stopped caring what a bunch of entitled rich kids through about me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been my experience,¡± Cassandra said, ¡°that things can become quite political when you gather enough wealthy children together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s been my experience as well,¡± Jason said. ¡°There and here. Speaking of entitled rich kids, how is your brother doing? You said people were looking to study him.¡±


    Cassandra nodded, unhappily.


    ¡°Things had been going so well with him after the expedition. He¡¯s been training non-stop, actually building the skills he should have developed long ago. Mother and father are thrilled. Or they would be if it weren''t for the rumours going around, which is why people want to take him away and start probing him.¡±


    ¡°What kind of rumours?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been too busy to keep an ear out, lately.¡±


    ¡°Your friend Bahadir brought tracking stones for all the members of the expedition, first to rescue survivors, then recover the fallen. There were five people, my brother included, whose tracking stones lost track of them. They were still found, all severely hurt. Now people are saying that something was done to them in the time they couldn¡¯t be tracked and they were left to be found.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s frustrating,¡± she said. ¡°Thadwick is finally turning into the person we always hoped he would become and people found an all-new way to harass him. They say the changes to his personality are some kind of magical parasite.¡±


    ¡°I know from experience that being thrust into wild and unexpected danger can see you come out the other side different. I¡¯m not the man I was before coming here. I¡¯ve seen dangers and been driven to become as prepared as I can be for the next time. It makes sense to me that Thadwick experience something similar.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said, leaning into him. ¡°I know you and he never got along and I thought that might taint your judgement.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, I¡¯m growing as a person. Have the other four been experiencing similar problems?¡±


    ¡°They have,¡± she said. ¡°To the point that they felt the need to all leave their old teams and form a new one together.¡±


    ¡°That will only deepen the rumours.¡±


    ¡°I know, but Thadwick seems more settled this way. Go back to talking about your school; I want to hear more.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s not much to tell, really. I learned two lessons about people that have always held true, in my world or yours. One was that people really like to fill in the gaps in a story. You give someone the right selection of facts and you don¡¯t have to lie to them. They¡¯ll connect the pieces in accordance with their own beliefs and lie to themselves for you.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make people wary of you, once they figure out what you¡¯re doing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the second lesson comes in,¡± Jason said. ¡°When someone believes something, they believe it hard. Too hard. They¡¯ll dismiss good evidence that contradicts their belief and accept spurious evidence that supports it. So, in their mind, if you¡¯re wrong, they¡¯re very wrong, and the whole point is that their thoughts don¡¯t go down that path.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like something that could get out of hand,¡± Cassandra said.


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°These realisations were far from original revelations. People have been using them in my world for thousands of years, to rather disastrous effect.¡±


    ¡°So, why use them?¡±


    ¡°Amy used to ask me the same thing. People liked her better than me.¡±


    ¡°What did you tell her?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what I have,¡± he said. ¡°Like any tool, it¡¯s about how you use it. A hammer can build a house or club someone to death.¡±


    ¡°Did it make you any more friends?¡±


    ¡°I would more say it gave me an accepted position in the social landscape. I¡¯ve learned to take a quality over quantity approach to personal relationships,¡± he said. ¡°Look at you, for example. Every eligible young man in the city hates my guts because of you, and so they should. You are spectacular by any metric.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. But what about this Amy girl? It doesn¡¯t sound like she was too spectacular.¡±


    ¡°She was,¡± Jason said. ¡°Still is, presumably. I¡¯ve known her for most of my life and there¡¯s no one I understand better. She was absolutely worth falling in love with, which only became a problem when my brother finally noticed that fact.¡±


    ¡°If you knew her so well, why didn¡¯t you see it coming?¡±


    ¡°I told you: people will dismiss good evidence if the bad evidence tells them what they want to hear. I¡¯m no more immune to that than anyone.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have taken it well.¡±


    ¡°I can talk about it, now,¡± he said. ¡°At the time, I blew up my whole life, forming an ever-deepening vortex of mediocrity. Banal job, no real friends. A series of relationships you could see the end of before they began.¡±


    He flashed her a wry smile.


    ¡°Coming to an alternate world was the best thing that ever happened to me,¡± he said. ¡°Of course, nine of the ten worst things that ever happened to me happened here. Still, completely worth. I¡¯m happy with the balance.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°Maybe we can go find that hammock and tilt the scale.¡±

 Chapter 125: We End Here

    As a week of ongoing memorial services came to a close, the adventuring community fell into a sober silence. The Adventure Society campus was quiet and, for the first time Jason had seen, largely occupied by adventurers who didn¡¯t come from the upper echelons of Greenstone society.


    Jason had learned to recognise the upper crust adventurers over time. Many he knew by sight, although the quality of their gear was an even better indicator. The people he saw roaming the campus tended towards plain, functional equipment; more value-for-money than the highest performing gear.


    There was a pregnant pause in the wake of the disastrous expedition, while people awaited word of what the inquiry would choose to do. In the absence of the usual dominating forces, frequently overlooked adventurers were coming to the fore. These were the adventurers who would never have gotten a place on the expedition and, in the absence of those who did, stepped in to fill the gap. While the expedition was now back, the city¡¯s most powerful families were licking their wounds and awaiting the inquiry results. The adventurers newly flourishing in their place were left free to continue.


    Belinda started working with Clive at the Magic Society. He took her in and showed her what he was expecting from her while things were still quiet for him. Once he was finally allowed access to what the expedition had brought back, he expected to become very busy. At that point, he would need her to have already grasped the basics of her new job.


    For his own preparations, he reviewed works on astral magic from the Magic Society¡¯s library, as well as his own collection. Although it suited his purposes, he was rather dismayed at their availability. The people already working on the materials brought back really should have been accessing the astral magic texts quite heavily.


    The incompetence of his fellows allowed Clive to put together a quick-reference library of astral magic to help his own investigation, once he had access to the materials. He also put together some theory primers for Belinda, to fill in the gaps in her patchwork education. Whenever Clive had no specific tasks for her, she could dive into the list.


    Jason, in the meantime, introduced Sophie to the training cycle that Rufus, Gary and Farrah had introduced to him. Some of it, like the meditation training and the weightlifting, was new. Other things, like the parkour and the observation training, she had been doing some version of for years.


    Because she could outperform him in certain aspects of the training, it was colouring her view of his ability in the others. She was self-sufficient by nature, more used to finding her own way through things than having someone instruct her. She hadn''t had anything like a teacher since her father had died and was resisting it now.


    In one of the cloud palace¡¯s meditation rooms, Jason was instructing her on using meditation techniques to gain better control of the mana within her body. They were sitting on the soft cloud floor, cross-legged and face to face.


    ¡°I can actively move the mana around my body,¡± Sophie was arguing. ¡°Taking control feels better. Stronger.¡±


    ¡°This technique isn¡¯t about strength or control,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s about mapping out how the mana flows within the body. You need to be patient, sense how the mana moves on its own. Exercising control before gaining an understanding will do more harm than good.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right,¡± she said. ¡°It really feels like I should be doing it my way.¡±


    Jason ran his hands over his face, taking a deep, calming breath. He got to his feet.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough for today, I think,¡± he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think continuing will be very productive.¡±


    She lightly hopped up to her feet.


    ¡°So, if I don¡¯t do everything the way you want, you just give up?¡±


    ¡°Meditation is about achieving a useful state of mind,¡± Jason said. ¡°If we have fundamentally opposed positions on what you need to achieve then we get nowhere. Letting it go and starting fresh tomorrow will achieve more than forcing the issue.¡±


    Their respective suites were close together in the guest wing, so they walked together as they returned, albeit in silence. They encountered Clive and Belinda on the way, who easily spotted the tension. Jason gave them a curt nod of greeting before disappearing into his suite.


    Clive frowned as he looked at the door through which Jason had passed through, then at the dissatisfied expression on Sophie¡¯s face.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time we had a little talk,¡± he said. ¡°Do you have a moment to discuss something?¡±


    She gave him a wary, assessing look before nodding and heading into the suite she shared with Belinda.


    ¡°She means ¡®of course, please do come in,¡¯¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the impression I was getting,¡± he said, Belinda laughing as they followed Sophie inside to the main lounge in the centre of their suite. Sophie took a chilled bottle of water from a cooler cabinet and fell into a couch while Clive walked over and sat down in a chair opposite, across a low refreshments table from her.


    ¡°So what is it?¡± Sophie asked as Belinda sat down beside her. Clive looked Sophie straight in the eye.


    ¡°We told you that we were given a choice of awakening stones and Jason chose the one that gave you your aura.¡±


    ¡°I remember.¡±


    ¡°Jason is an affliction specialist and that stone was almost certain to give you some ability that would be bad for him if you ended up on the opposite sides of a fight again. Which is exactly what it did.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°He wants me to ask why,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive acknowledged. ¡°I asked him why he would choose that stone myself.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°He said that three men had gone to considerable lengths to control your destiny. Cole Silva lost his chance when Lucian Lamprey became involved. Lamprey lost his chance when Jason claimed your indenture. I didn¡¯t know who the third man was, though.¡±


    ¡°Asano is the third man,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°He told me the same thing. And that¡¯s why he chose that stone. It makes it a little harder for him to enforce his grip on you.¡±


    ¡°I never asked him to be my protector,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want to be,¡± Clive said. ¡°He¡¯s giving you the tools to you need to protect yourself.¡±


    ¡°He thinks he¡¯s my hero?¡±


    ¡°He is your hero,¡± Clive said. ¡°Throwing you through a portal and never thinking about you again would have fulfilled whatever responsibility he felt toward you, and not many of us would have done that much for you. But he doesn''t think like me and he''s decided this is the right thing to do.¡±


    He shook his head disbelievingly before continuing.


    ¡°Do you even understand what he''s paid, literally and figuratively, to put you in the position you are now? He stood up to the directors of both the Adventure Society and the Magic Society. He actually stood in front of each and told them that he was taking you out of their hands. I wouldn''t have done that. The idea of doing that would never have entered my head. I don''t think you''re worth what he''s done for you, but when Jason decides to do something, he goes all the way. He decided to help you, which is why you''re here instead of chained to a bed somewhere with a glazed look in your eye.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for any of that,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°And you don¡¯t deserve it,¡± Clive said. ¡°Not everything he¡¯s done for you. It¡¯s past time you started to show him some gratitude.¡±


    ¡°You make him out like he¡¯s this great guy,¡± Sophie said, ¡°but I¡¯ve seen plenty of lying, scheming manipulators. He fits right in.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he does,¡± Clive said. ¡°And look what his schemes and manipulations have done.¡±


    Clive stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯ve said my piece; take it or ignore it as you please. I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Belinda.¡± He walked out of the suite, leaving Sophie and Belinda alone.


    Belinda looked at Sophie, caught up in thought. Sophie turned and met her gaze.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Sophie asked.


    Belinda thought for a while before answering.


    ¡°Maybe Asano needs to feel powerful. To prove to himself he can make something a little less awful when awful is in abundant supply. We both know what it''s like to be stuck in the mud, powerless to do anything about it.¡±


    ¡°People don¡¯t help other people to feel in control,¡± Sophie said. ¡°They push those people down.¡±


    ¡°Jory doesn¡¯t,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Look at what he¡¯s done to help people. I think maybe Asano is like that. And if he is, then what he¡¯s done for us is really incredible.¡±


    ¡°So I should go fawning after Asano, now?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Belinda said. ¡°But maybe not treat everything he says and does like it¡¯s part of some scheme to screw you over. He¡¯s had every chance to hurt us but everything he¡¯s done has helped us. At least give him the chance to prove he¡¯s actually trying to do right by you. Maybe even let him do it.¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s such a good guy, then why does he always act shady?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he realised you¡¯d find a good-guy even more suspicious and didn¡¯t want you running for the hills.¡±


    Sophie''s brow furrowed as she thought it over.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she acknowledged with a nod. ¡°I guess I would have.¡±


    She got to her feet.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go talk to him,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe I can clear the air a little. Hear him out with an open mind, at least.¡±


    Belinda gave her an encouraging smile.


    ¡°That sounds sensible,¡± she said. ¡°I think we¡¯ve been scrambling for so long that we may have lost the knack for sensible and patient.¡±


    Sophie went out into the hall, seeing Rufus just leaving Jason¡¯s suite.


    ¡°Is he in?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He is, but I¡¯d leave him be, just for now. I just let him know that he¡¯s been demoted to one star.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It means that he just went from the highest rank he could have to the lowest.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The inquiry in the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°I thought they were just looking at that expedition,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°They¡¯re doing a full audit of the local branch, looking at everything and everyone. They just announced a sweeping wave of demotions, including Jason¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t seem like the kind that would bother.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Not seeming bothered is something he¡¯s good at.¡±


    Jason looked out from his terrace, the late afternoon sun shining over the ocean. He had been expecting to lose one star, but two was a blow. Rufus had once again told him that it didn¡¯t matter, that soon enough he would be bronze and could start over at a new rank. It still felt like a repudiation of everything he felt he¡¯d achieved. He knew he¡¯d done some contentious things but he believed he was a good adventurer. Until the moment Rufus walked in, he had the stars to prove it.


    Jason vaulted over the edge of the terrace, his cloak appearing around him. After floating down to a lower level of the palace he made his way to the shore and set off through the Adventure Society campus.


    When he reached the marshalling yard he found a throng of people. Rows of bulletin boards had been set up, listing out demotions. A large notice at the front instructed the demoted to go to the administration building to have the stars removed from their badges. Jason went through the rows, shoulder to shoulder with people as he looked for his name. He didn¡¯t think Rufus had gotten it wrong, but he needed to see for himself. He noticed as he browsed through the names that many weren¡¯t just demoted but had their membership revoked entirely.


    He found his name. Jason Asano. Old rank: three stars. New rank: one star. He let out a weary breath, then extricated himself from the crowd. He looked in the direction of the Adventure Society and saw that not many people heading there to confirm their demotion. He overheard talk that people wouldn¡¯t stand for it and the decision would be overturned. He heard more than one assertion that they would refuse to confirm the demotion until all the politics had played out.


    Jason made his way to the administration building where a long bench had been set up. There were four Adventure Society officials behind it, with people queuing up in front. The officials were each using a wedge-shaped magical stone to remove stars from badges. None of the queues were long and Jason joined the one that led to Vincent.


    ¡°Rufus found you, then,¡± Vincent said when Jason reached the front.


    ¡°He did.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about this.¡±


    Jason handed over his badge, watching the third star, then the second disappear as Vincent touched it twice with his stone. Jason took it back and left. Standing outside the admin building, he had no interest in going back to the cloud palace. Setting his feet in the direction of the jobs hall, he strode off. He wanted to kill something.


    After four days in the delta, he met a member of the Geller family and discovering that people thought he had gone missing.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason had told the man. ¡°I¡¯m just doing adventure notices. Tell them I¡¯m fine.¡±


    It was another week before he returned to the city. He went straight to the jobs hall, handing over the contract he had originally taken, along with a stack of completed adventure board notices. As he made his way across the Adventure Society campus, he heard Cassandra call out his name. She was rushing to catch up to him but became hesitant as she drew closer.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to find you,¡± she said. ¡°I heard you were out in the delta.¡±


    ¡°I was.¡±


    ¡°Jason, I¡­¡±


    She looked around. They were standing in an open area of grass, with very few people in sight. Ever since the expedition, far fewer people were to be found at the campus, with the demotions only making it worse.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he asked, as if the distance she kept between them didn¡¯t tell him what she was about to say.


    ¡°I have to end things. Between you and I.¡±


    He was going to ask why, but his brain beat his mouth.


    ¡°The demotion,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve received a lot of privileges, being part of my family,¡± she said. Her beautiful face was sunken, reluctant, but determined. ¡°There are responsibilities that come with it, too. I have to find a match that makes the family stronger.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    ¡°Your lack of background always made it hard to convince the family. Mother helped. Your connections to the Gellers and the Vitesse adventurers were good and your rapid rise silenced a lot of voices. Dropping to one star, though. I have to find someone reliable.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m unreliable?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t. I argued against it, but it was decided. We end here.¡±


    ¡°Just like that.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want this,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re being short-sighted, I know.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re family,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said softly.


    She was holding her hands in front of her, vulnerability showing in what was usually an unassailable countenance. He stepped closer, gently taking her hands in his.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said.


    ¡°Alright?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not really, but yes.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡±


    ¡°What did you expect?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe I thought you¡¯d say that nobles are stupid and do something reckless and impulsive.¡±


    ¡°That would only hurt you and accomplish nothing,¡± he said. ¡°Take it from someone who let a failed relationship drive a wedge between him and his family.¡±


    He leaned in, gently kissed her and stepped back, letting go of her hands. His eyes glistened with tears but he had a familiar, impish grin.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to miss me, Cassandra Mercer.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    He turned walked away, without looking back.

 Chapter 126: Poison Pill

    Announcement


    I will be taking a break for Christmas, meaning no new chapters next week. The story will resume the regular schedule the following week.


    It was late morning, the sun high in the sky. Clive arrived at the cloud palace, finding someone standing near the platform that touched the shore.


    ¡°Acolyte Pellin,¡± he greeted.


    ¡°Mister Standish,¡± she greeted in return.


    ¡°Are you waiting for something?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting for Mr Asano,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m going to deliver a gift from my goddess, as promised.¡±


    ¡°Jason has been gone for almost two weeks,¡± Clive said. ¡°I take it, as an acolyte of Knowledge, that you know something I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s on the Adventure Society campus right now,¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯s speaking with Cassandra Mercer and will be done shortly.¡±


    Clive looked up at the towering cloud palace.


    ¡°Then I think I¡¯ll wait as well,¡± he said. ¡°My days have been busy, but I can spare a few minutes. It must be an odd experience, having knowledge placed into your mind by your goddess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m told the sensation is similar to using a skill book,¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°I¡¯ve never used one myself but it¡¯s gentler than a skill book, from what I¡¯m told. The goddess doesn¡¯t impart so much information at once.¡±


    ¡°I always imagined it would be disconcerting,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve spent so much of my life in pursuit of knowledge that having it just turn up in my head would be quite alarming.¡±


    ¡°The goddess is aware of your pursuit, Mr Standish, and she loves you for it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, um¡­ thanks?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± she said, turning away from Clive.


    Clive followed her gaze to spot, spotting Jason and becoming slightly alarmed at what he saw. Jason was still wearing his battle robes, which he rarely did in the city. His gaze was normally sharp and focused or roaming and observant, but today he looked puffy-eyed and disoriented.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose your goddess told you if he¡¯s been drinking?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t,¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°Cassandra Mercer just ended their relationship.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Clive said sadly, then turned a narrow gaze on Gabrielle. ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to understand why Jason complains about your goddess and privacy.¡±


    Gabrielle gave Clive a disapproving glare.


    ¡°She is Knowledge,¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°Knowledge is hers to disseminate as she sees fit.¡±


    Jason drew closer, giving Clive a sad and tired smile.


    ¡°G¡¯day Clive; it¡¯s been a while.¡±


    He greeted Gabrielle with a nod. ¡°Acolyte.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason turned back to Clive.


    ¡°They must be keeping you busy at the Magic Society by now.¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Clive said. ¡°I don¡¯t have answers, yet, but I¡¯m making progress.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s your new assistant?¡±


    ¡°She has some unusual gaps in her knowledge, but she works hard and learns fast. Everything I could hope for.¡±


    ¡°Good. Have they been talking about bringing in more astral magic specialists?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you heard?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Heard what?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been chasing monsters through wetlands for two weeks.¡±


    ¡°The events in our astral space were not unique. There have been incidents in other astral spaces all around the world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s disturbing,¡± Jason said. His unfocused expression grew sharp as his muddled brain started turning over.


    ¡°It explains why there were no opponents above silver in ours for an operation of that scale,¡± he said. ¡°Whoever they are, they needed their high-rankers for the high-magic areas. There was no reason to anticipate gold-rank adventurers here, so they could save them for other regions.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s been the consensus,¡± Clive said. ¡°At least it means that if I don¡¯t manage to unveil their intentions, many others are working on the problem elsewhere.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk yourself down, Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you¡¯re not convinced you have the goods, I¡¯ll be convinced for you. You¡¯ll get there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Clive said. ¡°Look, I have to go speak with Rufus but I wanted to check in on you. You¡¯ve had people worried, taking off without a word like that.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m fine, as you see.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said, unconvinced. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you back.¡±


    Clive cast an uncertain gaze at Gabrielle.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Cassandra, Jason.¡±


    Jason¡¯s face went very still, then turned slowly on the acolyte.


    ¡°Thank you, Clive,¡± he said, voice flinty as his eyes locked onto Gabrielle. ¡°Come find me when you have some free time. We''ll get a drink.¡±


    ¡°It may be a little while but that sounds good,¡± Clive said. He set out across the cloud bridge to enter the palace.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have told him that,¡± Gabrielle said apologetically.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t even know about it. I know I¡¯ve been jokey about your goddess and her privacy issues but she had no right to tell you that.¡±


    Gabrielle¡¯s expression went stiff.


    ¡°She¡¯s a goddess, Mr Asano. She has whatever rights she wants.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d respond to that, but she already knows what I have to say because I do. In case she doesn¡¯t tell you, it involved a lot of bad language and several physiologically implausible suggestions.¡±


    ¡°You should show her more respect.¡±


    ¡°Respect is earned.¡±


    ¡°She earned it by being a goddess.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a tyrant¡¯s reasoning. If you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯m leaving.¡±


    ¡°Wait. I came here to give you something.¡±


    She had a small satchel slung over her shoulder, from which she took a wooden case. Holding it out, she opened it to reveal three objects in the padded interior. Two were awakening stones and the other a small stone square. It looked similar to the world-phoenix token in Jason¡¯s inventory, but a washed-out blue colour instead of vibrant red.


    ¡°She knows that you will confront the people responsible for the death of your friend,¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°She expects you to encounter them more than once. She chose a gift that would better prepare you for those encounters.¡±


    Jason touched a hand to the first awakening stone.


    Item: [Divine Awakening Stone of Inevitability] (transcendent rank, epic)


    An awakening stone crafted by a god to bestow a specific aura power. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Doom essence, unawakened doom essence ability, no aura essence ability.Effect: Awakens the aura essence ability [Inevitable Demise].You have 3 unawakened essence abilities.You do not meet the requirements to use this item.


    Jason frowned at the description, which troubled him in several regards. He focused on the listed ability.


    Ability: [Inevitable Demise] (Doom)


    Aura (magic).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Effect (iron): Enemies within the aura have any affliction immunities, including inherent immunities, treated as complete resistance. This resistance can be reduced by ordinary resistance-reduction effects. This is a magic effect.


    He wasn¡¯t able to use the stone as each person could only awaken the one aura. Presuming the tablet was some kind of solution to that, it was the next object he touched. the square tablet.


    Item: [Soul-Purgation Tablet (aura)] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    ???. (consumable, ???).


    Effect: ???.Uses remaining: 1/1.You meet the requirements to use this item. Use Y/N?


    Like the world-phoenix token, this item was too powerful for Jason¡¯s ability to discern its characteristics. After looking at it for a moment, the description changed.


    Item: [Soul-Purgation Tablet (aura)] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    A tablet with the power to remove an aura essence ability. Cannot be forcibly used on another by any means. (consumable, soul-shaping).


    Requirements: Awakened aura essence ability.Effect: Removes an existing aura essence ability.Uses remaining: 1/1.Warning: Information on this item has been provided by an outside source and cannot be verified.You meet the requirements to use this item. Use Y/N?


    He didn¡¯t even realise that removing an essence ability was even possible, unless it was a god taking away what they¡¯d given out themselves. After looking over the description for a moment, he touched the second awakening stone.


    Item: [Divine Awakening Stone of Persistence] (transcendent rank, rare)


    An awakening stone crafted by a god to bestow a specific spell. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Dark essence, unawakened dark essence ability.Effect: Awakens the spell essence ability [Curse of Isolation].You have 3 unawakened essence abilities.You meet the requirements to use this item. Use Y/N?


    Jason checked the ability.


    Ability: [Curse of Isolation] (Dark)


    Spell (curse, magic).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Effect (iron): This spell cannot be resisted. Periodically inflicts an instance of [Dark Descent]; this is a curse effect.[Dark Descent] (affliction, magic, stacking): Target has their perception distance, the effect of their perception ability and resistance to all afflictions reduced by a small amount. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    The three items would make Jason much more effective against enemies immune to his afflictions. Various types of monsters were not flesh and blood, but the abilities the two stones offered would allow him to act as if they were. Given the army of constructs he heard about from the expedition members, if he really did encounter them then such abilities would be immensely useful.


    ¡°According to the goddess,¡± Gabrielle said, ¡°your current abilities are ill-suited to your fated enemies. These gifts were crafted by her specifically to rectify this. She said you would recognise their usefulness.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s a shiny red apple, alright.¡±


    He snapped the case shut in Gabrielle¡¯s hands.


    ¡°Thanks, but no thanks. She chose the moment to offer me this, didn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°She said you could use some good news.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said, voice tired. ¡°She sent you now because I¡¯m emotional and vulnerable to making a rash decision.¡±


    Gabrielle glared at Jason.


    ¡°My goddess doesn¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°She has all the knowledge in the world and near-infinite power,¡± Jason said. ¡°I bet the god of deceit looks at her with admiration.¡±


    Gabrielle shoved the box back into her bag and conjured a heavy iron staff into her hand. She raised the end to just under Jason¡¯s chin.


    ¡°Watch your words, Jason Asano. I will only tolerate them so far.¡±


    He gave her a look of weary disdain. ¡°This is the part where your boss tells you to leave.¡±


    She opened her mouth to respond, then froze.


    ¡°See?¡± he asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what possible use I am to her but she wants me for something. For all I know, she¡¯s provoking this response because she wants me angry. I¡¯m not stupid enough to think I can out-game her. I do think she made a genuine mistake here, though. She told me once that people constantly surprise her, and I think that¡¯s true. She knows everything, but that gives her a blind spot. She is as close to anyone to seeing a person¡¯s optimal choice in any situation, yet we constantly act against our own interest. It must drive her crazy.¡±


    Gabrielle¡¯s agitation was rising while Jason stood in front of her, just looking tired.


    ¡°You think to know my goddess? You think she has flaws for the likes of you to see?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°Gods are big-picture types, older than we can imagine. I bet they have all kinds of trouble understanding the thoughts of short-lived wretches like us.¡±


    ¡°Blasphemer!¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of my thing.¡±


    Again Gabrielle opened her mouth to speak only to stop. Knowledge appeared in person next to Gabrielle, placing a hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough dear,¡± she said. ¡°Time to run along back to the temple.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Goddess,¡± Gabrielle said, bowing her head before walking away with an angry stride.


    As in their last meeting, the goddess looked like an ordinary person. Despite this, she radiated glory, even with her aura fully suppressed.


    ¡°I made a mistake, here,¡± she said.


    ¡°Unless that¡¯s what you want me to think,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You are making a mistake as well,¡± she said. ¡°The same one Sophie Wexler has been making. Don¡¯t push away an incredible opportunity out of an instinctive mistrust.¡±


    ¡°If I was her, I wouldn¡¯t trust me either.¡±


    ¡°So suspicious. You think my gift is a poison pill.¡±


    ¡°If you wanted to give me something to help me deal with the people who killed Farrah, you could just tell me where to find them.¡±


    ¡°You know better than that,¡± she said. ¡°If I start telling mortals how to solve all their problems, where does it end? If I tell them how to fix everything, then life becomes a puppet show where I hold all the strings. The other gods would not stand for that and neither would you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t fight a god.¡±


    ¡°We both know it wouldn''t stop you from trying. I may not tell people the things I know, so as to let them lead their lives, but I do make exceptions for my followers.¡±


    ¡°You want me to worship you? You can¡¯t seriously think I would.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty. Come into my church in full faith and trust and I will tell you about the people who killed Farrah.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say her name.¡±


    ¡°I''ll tell you who killed your friend. Who they are, where they are. What they''re doing and how to stop them. All this I will give you, in return for your faith.¡±


    ¡°You mean obedience.¡±


    ¡°I am not Dominion. In faith to me, there is no obedience; only loyalty. Do not rush to reject this offer. Take the time to consider it objectively. Think of what that knowledge can do. The lives it can save. And that is not the end. Follow me and there is countless good you can do with the knowledge I will gift you.¡±


    ¡°Can I tell Clive about gravity?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t understand gravity.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I can see it.¡±


    ¡°You can see gravity?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a goddess.¡±


    ¡°That must suck. Not a lot of hills left to climb. You must feel purposeless.¡±


    ¡°You cannot aggravate me, Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the advantage of being mortal; I can set goals. If you want something, you have it.¡±


    ¡°I want you to worship me.¡±


    ¡°I guess you can have goals,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know what I know, so you know what I think you¡¯re full of, and where I¡¯d like you to stick your offer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re letting your heart rule your head. I will give you some time to consider.¡±


    Jason gave a bitter, malevolent laugh.


    ¡°This must be frustrating for you,¡± he said. ¡°You can¡¯t predict my reactions yet know them immediately. You see how every approach you take just pushes me further away. Assuming you¡¯re not trying to push me away for some reason I can¡¯t see because I¡¯m not an all-knowing immortal.¡±


    ¡°We will speak again when you are more reasonable.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s why you picked now, right? I¡¯m angry and miserable. Not thinking straight. And here you are with the handy-dandy tools to vent my rage on a nice, deserving target. I hope you really did make a mistake and this isn¡¯t what you wanted. It makes me feel good to think of you realising how wrong this has gone, step by step. But you know that.¡±


    ¡°There will be times in the future when you need me, Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°You know that, do you? Because it sounds like you¡¯re just guessing.¡±


    ¡°Not many gods would tolerate this kind of insolence.¡±


    ¡°Smite me, then.¡±


    She gave him a sad smile.


    ¡°We will talk again, Jason Asano. I hope to find that with a cooler head, you make better choices.¡±


    She vanished, leaving Jason alone.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got some bad news for you lady,¡± he said to the air. ¡°Making bad life choices is kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have a lot of things,¡± Emir said, suddenly appearing next to Jason.


    ¡°I¡¯m versatile,¡± Jason said. ¡°Does no one in this world respect privacy?¡±


    ¡°A goddess appeared on my doorstep,¡± Emir said. ¡°Did you really expect me not to take a look?¡±


    ¡°She let you. She wants you to tell Rufus about her offer.¡±


    ¡°That would be ill-advised,¡± Emir said. ¡°Rufus very much wants vengeance for Farrah. He would push you hard to take the offer, making his friendship another cost of refusal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s sneaky,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯ll probably see to it he finds out anyway.¡±


    ¡°What will you do if she does?¡±


    ¡°What I always do,¡± Jason said. ¡°The best I can with what I have.¡±


    Emir nodded.


    ¡°I have some things to talk with you about myself, but now is not the time. You haven¡¯t even really got back yet, standing here on the doorstep. I would appreciate it if you come find me sometime in the next few days.¡±


    ¡°I can do that.¡±

 Chapter 127: Let’s Just Fight Monsters

    Announcement


    I will be taking a break for Christmas, meaning no new chapters next week. The story will resume the regular schedule the following week.


    Rufus opened the door to his suite to admit Clive inside.


    ¡°I thought you were busy these days,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I am, which is why I needed a break. Jason¡¯s back, by the way. I just saw him outside.¡±


    Rufus frowned.


    ¡°That boy needs a talking to. You can¡¯t just wander off without telling anyone when there are monsters looking to eat you and silver rankers looking to do worse. Not to mention the woman he is meant to be teaching.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go too hard,¡± Clive said. ¡°Cassandra Mercer just ended things with him.¡±


    ¡°Is that why he went off? She¡¯s been coming around looking for him, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I mean really just ended things. As in, minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°Oh.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m here for, though,¡± Clive said. He pulled a document folder from his storage space. ¡°I haven¡¯t been able to figure out what they were doing in the astral space, yet, but I¡¯m making progress. This is a list of the more unusual and specialised techniques and materials they were employing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any magical knowledge,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I can¡¯t help you decipher any of that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about finding out what any of these things are for,¡± Clive said, tapping on the folder. ¡°Each of the things I¡¯ve listed here is rare, distinctive, and can¡¯t be sourced locally. They include exotic materials and magical devices requiring specialised knowledge. That gives us three possibilities. Possibility one is that they have a high-ranked portal user. We can ignore that, because it¡¯s a dead end for us. The next possibility is the items being bought in via some great overland trek, to maintain secrecy by avoiding anyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unlikely,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Unpopulated lands are rife with monsters that go unculled; nomads that know the territory far better than any interlopers, plus the logistical problems and potential navigation mishaps.¡±


    ¡°That leaves smuggling the goods in through the port in Hornis or the one here in Greenstone,¡± Clive said. ¡°That seems like the kind of thing an intrepid and motivated adventurer could look into.¡±


    ¡°Yes it does,¡± Rufus said. He took the folder and shook Clive¡¯s hand. ¡°Thank you for this.¡±


    Clive nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just find these people.¡±


    Sophie had been left to her own devices for almost two weeks. Jason had vanished and Belinda was off with Clive all day. She spent some of her time with Rufus, who guided her in the training loop Jason had shown her. He seemed a more comfortable and capable instructor than Jason but was distracted with his own training. There was a frenetic drive to the way he pushed himself to the limit, which at the peak of bronze rank she had no chance to match. He also went out every couple of days to hunt monsters. She asked to join him, but he told her that the monsters he was hunting were the strongest to be found in the area and she should wait for Jason¡¯s return.


    She hunted up Emir¡¯s library or, as it turned out, libraries. They turned out to have a disappointing deficit of romantic potboilers. Lacking anything better to do, she finally turned to the meditation techniques Jason had showed her. At first she kept doing things the way that felt right to her, but she would increasingly end a session feeling tense and tired. She started trying things more like he had suggested, less self-conscious about it in his absence.


    At first it felt awkward and pointless, although she felt better at the end of each session. Slowly it began to feel more natural, patience and persistence showing slight but noticeable results. She became more comfortable with the power flowing through her. At the start it had felt like a wild beast she needed to forcibly control. With each day she came to understand that greater control came through acceptance that it was a part of her, rather than an external force to be brought forcibly into line.


    After two weeks, meditation had become a pleasant and comfortable part of her day. She moved her sessions from the meditation room down the hall from her suite to the terrace that wrapped around the whole guest wing. Unlike the private suite terraces, this was the one anyone with access to the guest wing could make their way onto.


    Normally she would choose privacy, but in Belinda¡¯s absence the isolation was starting to eat at her. She was happy for any chance encounter with the palace staff, who were pleasantly absent of agendas.


    She was meditating in the warm sunlight when she was interrupted by Jason¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been a good teacher,¡± he said. ¡°That was even before I left without a word.¡±


    She opened her eyes and turned to look at him. He looked tired.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sense you coming,¡± she said.


    ¡°The benefits of aura control,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying too hard to control you, while telling myself I¡¯m helping you.¡±


    From her sitting position she rolled back, then kicked up onto her feet. She looked him up and down, his adventuring gear topped off by a bone-weary face. She had finally been ready to try opening up, only for him to skulk off. She was ready to give him an earful but he genuinely didn¡¯t look up to it. She felt her anger dissipate, wondering if that was a side effect of all the meditation.


    ¡°It¡¯s not all on you,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve been fighting everyone, when I should be picking my enemies.¡±


    ¡°How about we start over?¡± he suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll show you what I know, and you help me improve where you¡¯re already better.¡±


    ¡°That works out for you,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m better at a lot.¡±


    Her expression had some hesitation to it but was more open than Jason had seen, with even the ghost of a smile. It was a welcome breakthrough.


    ¡°You are better than me at a lot,¡± he agreed. ¡°You¡¯ve been surviving the hard way your whole life. Six months ago, I was assistant manager at a retail bulk office supplier.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is.¡±


    ¡°Probably for the best,¡± Jason said. ¡°So what do you say? Fresh start?¡±


    He held out a hand and she shook it.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to try,¡± she said. ¡°Where do we begin?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get some rest,¡± he said. ¡°I just got back and had a series of encounters that didn¡¯t go well for me. Keep doing what you¡¯re doing and tomorrow we¡¯ll go monster hunting.¡±


    ¡°What kind of encounters?¡±


    ¡°I had a fight with my mate¡¯s girlfriend, my girlfriend dumped me, I had a row with a goddess after she tried to scam me out of my aura power and I saw Clive. It wasn¡¯t in that order, and the bit with Clive was fine.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by a row with a goddess?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s trying to bait me into worshipping her. I¡¯m not an expert but I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s not how worship is meant to work and we had an argument about it.¡±


    ¡°You mean an actual goddess?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Knowledge. I assume you¡¯ve heard of her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a goddess, Asano; of course I¡¯ve heard of her. You expect me to believe that an actual goddess came down to try and recruit you to her church.¡±


    ¡°Sounds shady, right? Ask Emir. He was watching the whole thing, or the end, at least. Right now, I¡¯m going to find a comfy cloud bed and try to not think about my girlfriend kicking me to the curb.¡±


    Sophie shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°You¡¯re a lot to take,¡± she told him. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re telling the truth or lying, and I don¡¯t know which is more insane.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m from another universe,¡± Jason said with a shrug. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure this is my life now. Welcome aboard.¡±


    He gestured behind him with his thumb.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not even lunch time.¡±


    ¡°It turns out the night time was inside me all along.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow, Wexler. Get ready to fight some monsters.¡±


    Soon after, Jason was in his suite, smoke swirling around him as his clothes changed. His battle robes were replaced with a pair of silken boxers and he walked out to the balcony terrace. He took a bottle of alcohol from his inventory.


    Item: [Shimmer Beet Rum] (bronze rank, common)


    An alcoholic beverage brewed by the Norwich Distillery of Greenstone City. (consumable, poison).


    Effect: Inflicts [alcohol].


    It was something he kept in his inventory for Cassandra. He pulled back his arm to throw it in the ocean but stopped and took a deep drink, straight from the bottle.


    Special attack [Shimmer Beet Rum] has inflicted [Alcohol] on you.


    The bronze-rank beverage managed to get past his resistance, and it went down rough. Jason liked his drinks smooth and sweet, avoiding straight spirits. He looked at the bottle in his hands and took another swig.


    ¡°You look awful,¡± Sophie said as Jason staggered past her to fall into a soft chair.


    Jason replied with an incoherent groan.


    ¡°What happened to going straight to bed?¡± she asked. ¡°It seems like you detoured to the liquor cabinet.¡±


    ¡°I needed some sleepy medicine,¡± he said.


    ¡°Quite a lot of it, it seems.¡±


    ¡°Is he hung over?¡± Belinda asked coming out of her bedroom and looking at Jason.


    ¡°His lady friend dropped him,¡± Sophie said.


    Belinda looked at the line of drool dropping from the semi-conscious Jason¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°He¡¯s taking it well. The same day a goddess yelled at him, too.¡±


    For her own edification, Sophie had taken Jason¡¯s advice and sought out Emir for confirmation.


    ¡°He certainly keeps exciting company,¡± Emir had told her the night before. ¡°I mean, look at us; we¡¯re no deities, but still. A professional thief and a gold-rank adventurer? The most exciting person I knew at iron-rank was a guy named Brian who could conjure a huge metal duck.¡±


    She had told Belinda the whole story after coming back from speaking to Emir.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t Asano meant to take you out and fight a monster?¡± Belinda asked, looking at Jason¡¯s slumped form.


    ¡°We¡¯re still doing that,¡± Jason slurred.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯re in any state to be fighting,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I contacted a friend of mine to come along. He¡¯ll keep you safe better than I could anyway.¡±


    ¡°Another ludicrously well-connected young scion?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°It¡¯s not that girl whose grandmother owned the whole section of town I grew up in, is it?¡±


    ¡°Beth? She¡¯s more of an acquaintance. Humphrey¡¯s from the Geller family. Have you heard of them?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°I just hope he doesn¡¯t yell at me. I had a fight with his girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°Blasphemy, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Not so loud, Humphrey.¡±


    ¡°She said you were proud of it!¡±


    ¡°If I lie and say I wasn¡¯t, will you chastise more quietly?¡±


    Humphrey had met Jason and Sophie outside the jobs hall.


    ¡°I though alcohol didn¡¯t work on you?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I used the bronze-rank stuff.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°His lady friend broke things off,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Right before he met with your lady friend, from what I gather. She¡¯s the acolyte, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Her god chose that exact moment to put your friend in Asano¡¯s path,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to speak ill of the gods but she should have seen how that would go.¡±


    ¡°According to my mother, gods sometimes have trouble understanding the behaviour of people. A matter of perspective, she says. I¡¯m sorry about Cassandra, Jason. Was it her family over the demotion?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I lost my second star as well, but that¡¯s not too bad at iron rank. You and my mother got it worse.¡±


    ¡°Danielle got demoted?¡±


    ¡°Three stars down to two. At silver rank, that¡¯s worse than losing two stars at iron.¡±


    They went in and Humphrey made for the jobs board while Sophie was surprised by the man behind the desk.


    ¡°Bert?¡±


    After Humphrey picked out an appropriate contract, they left the Adventure Society campus via the loop line. Jason¡¯s gaze was fixed on the floor after looking through the windows made his stomach turn.


    ¡°I think this is the first time I¡¯ve ridden the loop without a disguise,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Why would you wear a disguise?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Usually because I was on my way to or from stealing something,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Stealing something?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you?¡± Jason asked, eyes still locked on the floor. ¡°While everyone was off on the expedition, I caught that thief everyone was talking about. This is her.¡±


    ¡°Why are you training her to be an adventurer?¡±


    ¡°Who did you think I was?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Clive told me Jason was helping the friend of his new assistant become an adventurer,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°True, if incomplete,¡± Jason said. ¡°Nice one, Clive.¡±


    ¡°You stole my aunt¡¯s necklace, right off her neck,¡± Humphrey said to Sophie.


    ¡°Did she get it back?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We caught some criminal trying to sell it.¡±


    ¡°Not smart,¡± Sophie said. ¡°High-specificity goods like that you sell in another city. Of course, we were picking stupid fences on purpose. Didn¡¯t make any money on it, though. Takes costly preparation to rob people like you, and something that hot doesn¡¯t sell worth a damn.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of another city,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°Jonah and his new team were found in Hornis.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Hornis? Jonah has a new team? What about Rick? And why did you need to find him?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t really seen each other since the memorials have we?¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t heard, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been away,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Right,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I remember hearing one of my cousins said they met you out in the delta.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just fight monsters for now,¡± Jason said. ¡°We can catch up when there isn¡¯t a little man attempting to pickaxe his way out of my brain.¡±

 Chapter 128: Damage You Shouldn’t Walk Away From

    Announcement


    I will be taking a break for Christmas, meaning no new chapters next week. The story will resume the regular schedule the following week.


    Since Humphrey lacked extended movement powers and Jason¡¯s stomach lacked a tolerance for movement powers, they hitched a ride into the delta on a trade wagon for a spirit coin each. Using supply crates as furniture, they bounced along in the back of the wagon, Jason looking decidedly peaky.


    They had stopped at Jory¡¯s clinic to pick up potions, at which point Jason discovered there was no easy hangover cure. Jory explained that he had one for regular hangovers, but trying it on a hangover from iron or bronze rank booze would only make things worse. It was akin to using a potion too soon after already having used one, or using a potion right after using a high-ranked spirit coin. Jason had experienced that himself, which had felt even worse than he did from the hangover.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve been spoiled by the cloud palace,¡± Sophie said, shifting uncomfortably on her crate.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to take a real look,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen it at a distance during the memorials.¡±


    ¡°I''m pretty sure Emir wouldn''t mind you having a look around," Jason said. ¡°What were you saying earlier, about Jonah quitting Ricks team?¡±


    ¡°There were five people in the expedition whose tracking stones failed,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They were all found, but close to death.¡±


    ¡°I know the ones,¡± Jason said. ¡°Emir wanted them watched at the recovery camp but never said why. Everything was chaos. It was Jonah, Thadwick Mercer and three I don¡¯t know. Cassandra told me about the rumours. Back before she dumped me. Were these rumours just because of the tracking stone thing?¡±


    ¡°It was where they started,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Severe injuries have been known to change people¡¯s aura, though. Enough that it no longer matches the imprint on their badge and they can¡¯t be tracked until they get a new one.¡±


    ¡°Is that common?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°One person experiencing that would be extraordinary. Five all at once? Beyond unlikely.¡±


    ¡°So people think something was done to them,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It started on the way back to the city. They were all behaving differently to how they were before. You could pass it off as an  after-effect of a brush with death, but the changes became more prominent over time, not less.¡±


    ¡°I helped peel what was left of their clothes off them,¡± Jason said. ¡°They went through the kind of damage you shouldn''t walk away from. It would be weird if they weren''t affected.¡±


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t just trauma,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Jonah was like a different person. He was always loyal to his team, which was what happened to him in the astral space. He held off the enemy to buy time. Now he looks at them and it¡¯s like he doesn¡¯t see them. He left the team without so much as a word; he just went to the Adventure Society and had his name stricken from the team listing. He and the other four formed a new team of their own, spending all their time together.


    ¡°I will acknowledge that¡¯s waving a few pod-people red flags,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Pod people?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°You know. Creepy parasite thing that gets inside you and takes over.¡±


    ¡°Is that something that happens?¡± she asked in horror.


    ¡°Nothing is impossible with magic,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Surely they got checked out?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They all refused,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Neither the Adventure Society or the Magic Society has the right to forcibly subject them to examination without some complicated legal wrangling.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe your mother would let it rest at that. Not when it involves a family member or an expedition she was in charge of.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°She didn¡¯t tell me much, beyond that steps are being taken. Before it came together, though, all five up and vanished. They were found a week later in Hornis, on a boat bound for distant shores.¡±


    ¡°They were making a run for it?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°You can¡¯t just slip out of the city and make off to Hornis when people are watching you. Believe me, I¡¯ve looked into it. You either have to get passage through the port here or make an overland run through some very empty and inhospitable territory.¡±


    ¡°Beaufort Mercer was facilitating them,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Thadwick¡¯s father,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°My mother didn¡¯t say it explicitly, but she at least implied that Beaufort¡¯s wife was the one who tipped her off. They¡¯ve been friends since they were young and I think she¡¯s at least as concerned for her son as Mother is for Jonah.¡±


    ¡°Less interested in the family reputation than whether something is wrong with her child,¡± Jason surmised. ¡°Good on her.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society sent that portal user who works for Emir Bahadir to send them back, although I''m not sure how willingly,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°In the meantime, Mother wants me to replace Jonah on Rick''s team.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t Rick himself already fill the armoured striker role?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes. They lost a ranged damage-dealer and a specialised defender. I''m not what they need. I have no idea why Mother wants me to join.¡±


    Humphrey looked inquisitively at Jason.


    ¡°You do better than most at recognising her intentions,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I think she doesn¡¯t want you to join Rick¡¯s team at all.¡±


    Humphrey let out a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°Always a lesson with her. So what does she really want me to do?¡±


    ¡°Best guess? Form your own team. Whoever it was you fought in the astral space, re still out there. I reckon she wants people you can rely on around you for the next disaster. Also, she probably wants you to find a new front-liner for Rick.¡±


    ¡°She could do that herself; she doesn¡¯t need me.¡±


    ¡°And have you miss the chance to make some adventurer connections? Come on, Humphrey.¡±


    Humphrey let out a groan.


    ¡°You know you sound like her sometimes,¡± he said.


    ¡°So who can fill the slot in Rick¡¯s team?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°There are plenty of specialist defenders around but the only one I can think of who could stack up to Jonah is Hudson Kettering. There¡¯s no chance of peeling him out of Beth Cavendish¡¯s team.¡±


    ¡°No one else?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The only other person who might stack up would be Hudson''s cousin, Dustin, but he''s¡­¡±


    Realisation dawned on Humphrey¡¯s face.


    ¡°He¡¯s what?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s been stuck following Thadwick around,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Thadwick formally annulled that team, though.¡±


    ¡°One of Thadwick¡¯s lackeys? Even Rufus thinks they¡¯ve got the goods. You should snatch him up for Rick before Thadwick¡¯s stink washes off and people start knocking on his door.¡±


    Humphrey frowned.


    ¡°I wish I¡¯d realised,¡± he said. ¡°I could have spoken to Dustin before I met up with you, and now we¡¯re heading out into the delta.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re still pretty close to the city,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let me see what I can do.¡±


    Jason checked his contacts list, which consisted of anyone he had a reasonable interaction with. This made for a long list, which he could, fortunately, organise into groups. Hudson Kettering had appeared on the adventurers list, along with the rest of Beth Cavendish¡¯s team, when Jason had temporarily joined it for the sand barge assault. They were close enough to the city that Hudson was in range and Jason sent a voice chat request.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Hudson said by way of greeting. He had used Jason¡¯s voice chat before and wasn¡¯t surprised by it. Humphrey and Sophie were is Jason¡¯s party and could hear his voice as well.


    ¡°Morning, Hudson,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m here with Humphrey Geller. He wants to talk to you about your cousin.¡±


    ¡°Dustin? If this is about probing him over Thadwick being mind-controlled or whatever, he doesn¡¯t want to hear it.¡±


    ¡°That''s not it,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Good morning, Hudson. I was wondering if Dustin would have any interest in joining Rick Geller''s team. They need a quality frontman and they understand what it''s like to have one of their team members placed under suspicion.¡±


    ¡°Join a Geller team?¡± Hudson pondered. ¡°That¡¯s a good name to be attached to, but so was Mercer. He really took a hit for the family, being stuck to Thadwick, so we only want the best for him this time around. Real adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Rick is the real thing,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He¡¯s practically obsessed with becoming stronger. I should point out that it isn¡¯t really a Geller team anymore, though. One left to join Thadwick and they lost someone during the expedition. That leaves Rick and a pair of elf sisters.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to hear it,¡± Hudson said soberly. ¡°We got lucky; those Vitesse adventurers covered us and paid the price. They¡¯re friends of yours, right, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°There wasn¡¯t a memorial for her,¡± Hudson said. ¡°Her standing strong  is the reason my team all got out alive and we wanted to pay our respects.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re taking her home for that,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re going to have an informal wake once things calm down, though. I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. Humphrey, I¡¯ll put it to Dustin and see what he thinks. I think you¡¯ll pretty much have him once I tell him about the elf sisters.¡±


    While Jason and Humphrey were off introducing Sophie to monster hunting, Rufus marched through the Adventure Society administration building. In the main lobby he made for the elevating platform to the upper levels. Standing next to the platform was a man in the robes of the church of knowledge, waiting patiently.


    ¡°Mr Remore,¡± the priest greeted him.


    Rufus sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m busy, but your goddess knows that. State your purpose.¡±


    ¡°Your business is in pursuit of the people who struck down your precious team mate,¡± the priest said. He had a friendly look about him, his bronze rank and middle-aged appearance meant he was likely sixty or seventy years old. His voice had a sympathy that sounded completely genuine; the empathy of a clergyman.


    ¡°Unless your goddess wants to tell me who they are and where to find them, we have no business.¡±


    ¡°She has offered that and more to someone you count as a friend, yet that friend spurned her offer.¡±


    The frown on Rufus¡¯ face told the priest that Rufus was far from willing to be jerked around.


    ¡°You have my attention,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Jason Asano was offered all the answers you seek, but he refused.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°You know the man,¡± the priest said. ¡°You know he can be mistrusting toward figures of authority.¡±


    ¡°What was the condition?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Condition?¡± the priest asked.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t refuse if all she did was offer. What did she ask in return.¡±


    ¡°The goddess knows all. There are tribulations ahead and Asano will need guidance to navigate them successfully. She wishes to offer that guidance.¡±


    ¡°Worship,¡± Rufus said. ¡°She offered to hand Farrah¡¯s killers up on a plate in return for worship.¡±


    ¡°This goes well beyond the people who killed your friend,¡± the priest said. ¡°You have heard about incursions in other astral spaces around the world.¡±


    ¡°And what?¡± Rufus asked tersely. ¡°Your goddess will give up all the answers in return for the worship of one iron-ranker in a provincial city?¡±


    ¡°She sees what others do not. Patterns too large for mortals to notice. For such a small price, she offers such great gains. She was refused but remains patient. The counsel of a friend could do so much good.¡±


    The backhand strike from Rufus landed square on the priest¡¯s mouth, sending him tumbling to the floor. Rufus moved to stand right over him as he looked up, his expression of surprise mirrored by everyone in the lobby. He spoke to the priest in a voice as cold and hard as ice.


    ¡°If your goddess is willing to hand over such information, then by what moral stricture does she not? Instead, she looks to ransom a man¡¯s principles. You just tried to turn me on my friend, a man who saved my life, and you have the gall to lay there looking surprised? If you want to help me, then help me. Bring your self-serving ways to me again and you¡¯ll get worse than you got today.¡±


    Rufus strode away, riding the elevation platform up into the building.

 Chapter 129: Picking Out the Good Ones

    Announcement


    I will be taking a break for Christmas, meaning no new chapters next week. The story will resume the regular schedule the following week.


    Sophie, Jason and Humphrey left the wagon in the first town they came to. Being the closest to the city, it was a busy distribution hub. Making their way through the town, Sophie was startled at how many people seemed to know Jason. Some would wave, others approaching for a few words of greeting. How Jason kept all the names straight was beyond her.


    Sophie observed the difference between how people treated Jason and Humphrey. Jason was approached without reservation and greeted like an old friend. Humphrey was treated with respect and reserve, no one speaking to him unless directly addressed.


    ¡°How do you know so many people here?¡± she asked Jason.


    ¡°I¡¯ve passed through quite a few times,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Surely you have as well,¡± Sophie asked Humphrey.


    ¡°He has,¡± Jason said. ¡°A lot more than me. The Geller family seat is out in the delta, so Humphrey has been shuttling between the family compound and the family townhouse his whole life. All these people know what a big-shot he is.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t they think the same of you?¡± she asked. ¡°You¡¯re roaming around with him and covered in expensive-looking equipment.¡±


    ¡°They know common when they see it,¡± Jason said.


    On their way to the adventure noticeboard, they found a large group of people queuing up for something.


    ¡°The healer must be here today,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s good that they¡¯re out and about now. It was really an eye-opener when I heard about Healer showing up at Jory ¡®s place to lay down the law. Forced me to reassess the whole god scenario.¡±


    ¡°That must have been frustrating for you,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I know you can be adamant about things.¡±


    ¡°You should always welcome being proven wrong,¡± Jason said. ¡°It means your understanding of the world just got a little bit better.¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who gets downright obnoxious about being right,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I''m not saying I always welcome being wrong in the moment,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°The important thing is to reflect on it and accept it, going forward.¡±


    They reached the noticeboard and after looking them over, took them all. Plotting out the locations, they mapped an itinerary and set off from the town.


    A tentacle wrapped around Sophie''s other arm, the first one already being having been caught up. The fleshy blob of the monster''s main body sported many, prehensile tentacles and she was running out of limbs. The supple tentacles were studded with sharp, bony protrusions that dug into her skin, lacing her body with cuts as the creature gripped around her arms, legs and torso. Desperately, she bit into a tentacle. Her abilities added damage to any unarmed attack, which turned out to really mean any unarmed attack as her bite severed the monster¡¯s thin member. This freed her right arm to attack the tentacle binding her left with a more traditional assault.


    Two tentacles severed, the monster withdrew into itself and made for the water.


    ¡°No you don¡¯t,¡± Sophie told it, rushing forward to grip a tentacle in each hand. With a grunt of effort, she hauled it out of the water. Holding it in place with one hand at the base f a tentacle and her foot pushing down on it, she bent down and brutally pounded its bulbous body with her free fist.


    You have defeated [Wetland Tentacloid].10 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been awarded to you.


    Quest: [Notice: Wetland Tentacloid]


    Objective complete: Eliminate [Wetland Tentacloid] 1/1.Quest complete.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been awarded to you.


    ¡°What spirit coins¡­ow!¡±


    A bag appeared above her and fell down, bouncing off her head before dropping into the mud.


    ¡°What was that?¡± she complained as she picked up the bag to discover it was full of coins.


    ¡°Loot, ¡° Jason said with a grin.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t get rewards, despite being in the group,¡± Humphrey observed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think moral support counts as an actual contribution,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Do all adventurers get coins like this?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°No wonder you¡¯re all rich.¡±


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s a unique benefit of working with Jason,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you not spread that around,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t want people trying to use me as a loot farm. If you had a storage space power, like Humphrey, here, the coins would have gone straight into that.¡±


    ¡°You should have Jason store your money until you buy yourself a dimensional bag,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s a reward well-earned.¡±


    ¡°You really think so?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It was alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not great. You¡¯re bleeding all over, your clothes are in tatters. You almost let that thing go full hentai monster on you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a hentai monster?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No idea,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I will say that I was on the verge of stepping in. Still, it was very good for your first monster hunt.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°For the first time out you did alright. None of those cuts and scrapes are major. I got impaled in my first real monster fight. Luckily, I had a healing power.¡±


    ¡°I have one too,¡± Sophie said.


    Ability: [Equilibrium] (Balance)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: NoneCurrent rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): Meditate to slowly accrue instances of [Integrity], up to an instance threshold of ([Recovery] attribute +1). Instances quickly drop off when meditation ends..[Integrity] (heal-over-time, mana-over-time, stamina-over-time, holy): Periodically recover a small amount of health, stamina and mana. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    They found some dry ground and she sat in a meditation pose to use it. It took time to heal her injuries, but Jason and Humphrey were willing to wait. The more she used it, the quicker the ability would advance.


    ¡°I¡¯d give you something to clean yourself off, but you¡¯ll be fighting again, soon,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And he doesn¡¯t want you to use up his crystal wash,¡± Humphrey said.


    The second encounter was less precarious but still far from an ideal showing. Jason reluctantly supplied some crystal wash and fresh clothes from his storage space.


    "You''ll want to use those coins you''re earning on some decent armour," Humphrey said.


    ¡°I know a guy who supplies quality light armour,¡± Jason said.


    On the way to the next notice location, they arrived in a small village. Once again, Sophie was struck by how many people seemed to know Jason.


    ¡°Seriously, Asano, what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I just get around a bit,¡± Jason said.


    They stopped for lunch in an open-air eatery that served travelling merchants and passing adventurers. The owner treated Jason like visiting royalty.


    ¡°The baby was born two weeks gone, now,¡± the owner told Jason. ¡°Healthy as you like.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°If you hadn¡¯t been there, I don¡¯t know what would have happened,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it would have worked out. You aren¡¯t so far from the city that you couldn¡¯t have gone for a healer.¡±


    ¡°She was so sick, though. I¡¯m not sure how long the baby could take it.¡±


    ¡°We got lucky,¡± Jason said. ¡°I should make introductions. Johan, my friends, Humphrey and Sophie. This is Johan, who makes the best fried savoury puffs in the delta.¡±


    ¡°Any friends of Jason are more than welcome,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll never need take out your purse in my establishment.¡±


    Jason ordered for the three of them and Johan went inside to the kitchens.


    ¡°Is that¡¯s what¡¯s going on?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°You¡¯ve been out here healing people, like at Jory¡¯s clinic?¡±


    ¡°More like curing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t heal injuries, just disease and poison. A few other things, but you don¡¯t see a lot of curses in villagers.¡±


    ¡°Jason does it quite a lot,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°During our field assessment for the Adventure Society, he was always holding the group up.¡±


    ¡°They let him stop for that?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°You try telling a crowd of sick people that you''re too busy to help them,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°In this one village there was a huge crowd and we were there all morning. The locals put on this big midday feast, which was actually really nice.¡±


    ¡°Those stops are less time-consuming now,¡± Jason said, ¡°and often not necessary at all. The priests of the Healer are a lot more active since Healer replaced them all. They stopped charging for services, too, so people aren¡¯t reliant on the chance I¡¯ll be passing through.¡±


    ¡°The new attitude of the local Healer church has caused some disarray amongst the nobles,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Until Healer replaced his whole clergy, the church was largely at the beck and call of the noble families. Now they¡¯re treated the same as the general populace and there¡¯s been a lot of dissatisfaction.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of disruption to the upper crust going on lately,¡± Jason said. ¡°First the healers, then the expedition, now these rumours about Jonah, Thadwick and the others.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the inquiry,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Did you hear the entire Phael family had their Adventure Society membership revoked? Every one of them, even the silver-ranker.¡±


    ¡°I only dealt with them in the expedition support camp,¡± Jason said, ¡°but even that left a nasty taste in the mouth. If the rest were like the ones I met, it¡¯s not much of a surprise.¡±


    While they waited for the food to come out, they discussed Sophie''s performance against the monsters. Fighting humans in a city was very different to fighting monsters in marshes and swamps. Whether in a fighting pit or a dark alley, the footing was usually solid in a city.


    The delta had slick mud, deceptively deep bog, random obstructions and plenty of places to hide or retreat into. Sophie had no experience fighting in such an environment, while the monsters were well-adapted to the locations in which they spawned. The elements that hurt her were things they could use to their advantage.


    The inhuman appearance of monsters made it harder for her to read their intentions, which slowed her reactions. Their monstrous forms made many of her favoured attacks pointless, forcing her to use long-dismissed elements of her style. These were techniques she had barely thought about since her father had first taught them to her.


    It wasn¡¯t just their physical form that was an issue. Monsters lacked the doubt and hesitation of a more thoughtful opponent and she came to realise how much she relied on mind games in a fight. They were also possessed of a bloody determination, tenaciously fighting on after a human would have given up.


    The final thing hurting her in the fights was that she was still getting used to her new abilities. She had been working on shifting her style to take best advantage of them, but it was still early days.


    ¡°What we¡¯ve seen today has been good,¡± Jason said. ¡°Obviously, there¡¯s room for improvement but this is day one. We¡¯re building a list of what we need to work on, which will show us where to focus the training. You and I fight the same way, but you¡¯ve had more practice against people, where I¡¯ve used it more against monsters. We can help each other.¡±


    After lunch, they set out for the third and final job they had taken from the adventure board notice. After that would come the job they took from the jobs hall, which should take them into the evening.


    ¡°Do adventurers all run around doing this many jobs at once?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s one way of picking out the good ones. They¡¯re on the job a lot and they hit-up multiple contracts. That¡¯s true at iron-rank, anyway. At higher ranks, it pays to give your contracts more caution and consideration, matching the jobs you take to your abilities.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s getting ahead of ourselves,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s just concentrate on getting her into the Adventure Society, for now.¡±


    He turned to Sophie.


    ¡°You get to choose the kind of adventurer you want to be,¡± he told her. ¡°If you want to throw yourself into it and push your abilities to the limit, that''s great. If you want to just be a nominal member and never actually hunt monsters, that''s alright too.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I never thought I would have the chance to get a full set of essences. I want to see how far this can take me.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Jason said. ¡°Humphrey already knows because his Mum told him.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Humphrey protested.


    ¡°You do talk about your mother a lot,¡± Sophie said, ¡°and I''ve only known you since this morning.¡±

 Chapter 130: Events Loom Large

    Announcement


    This is the last chapter before I take a week off for the holidays. Chapters will resume the following week.


    Rufus arrived at Arella¡¯s office and knew she wasn¡¯t there when the door didn¡¯t swing itself open at his approach. He knocked and it was opened by the deputy director. Rufus had few dealings with the elderly elf, Genevieve. He had heard she was the one person Arella completely trusted, but he¡¯d heard a lot about the director that turned out to be false.


    ¡°Something I can help you with, Mr Remore?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I was looking for the director.¡±


    ¡°She was called away on important business. Perhaps I can be of assistance?¡±


    ¡°Not unless you can introduce me to her father and help convince him to assist me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can probably manage that,¡± she said, to Rufus¡¯ visible surprise. ¡°I¡¯m a little busy to go along, but find your way to his home and I¡¯ll have someone waiting for you.¡±


    In a one-room ritual building on the Geller estate grounds, a portal opened. Jonah Geller stumbled through, as if shoved, followed by the bronze-rank Ernest Geller. The portal closed behind them. The ritual room had been marked off-limits for weeks, with no household staff allowed to enter. Only Rick Geller had been trusted by Danielle to keep watch, having supplied him with a comfortable chair and a stack of books on a side table.


    Rick put his book down and stood up at the appearance of the others, gaze fixed on Jonah. He looked for anything in the big man¡¯s expression he recognised but it was like looking at a different man. Like someone else was wearing his friend''s face.


    ¡°You have no right to do this,¡± Jonah said to Ernest, ignoring Rick¡¯s presence.


    ¡°So you keep saying,¡± Ernest said, voice and body language both equally unyielding. ¡°You will stay here until we¡¯re done with you.¡±


    ¡°Jonah,¡± Rick said. Jonah turned, looking at Rick as if he were no more connected to him than the chair Rick had been sitting in.


    ¡°Please just tell me what happened to you,¡± Rick implored. ¡°You know I¡¯ll do whatever I can to help. The way you¡¯ve done for me, more than once.¡±


    ¡°Then get me out of here,¡± Jonah said. ¡°They want to cut me open.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him,¡± Ernest said. ¡°He¡¯ll say anything to make us let him go.¡±


    Jonah threw a look of bile at Ernest.


    ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Ernest said. ¡°That¡¯s the whole reason we¡¯re here. Rick, you were here to announce our arrival to Danielle, yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Double check the locks before you go,¡± Ernest said. ¡°Make sure they¡¯re all locked from the outside.¡±


    The Geller family compound had been heavily landscaped to be on solid, secure ground. The meandering creeks, picturesque garden ponds and even the small lake might seem like natural waterways but had been artfully and carefully designed centuries ago. There was a section of river that had been diverted into what looked like a natural stretch of river but was actually a canal that diverted it through the estate before returning to its original course. Between construction and growing-in the gardens, it had been the work of generations to get the estate to the impressive and natural-seeming state it was currently in.


    Clive was aware of all this, the Geller family having detailed the process and donated copies of the records to the Magic Society. Only the numerous security features, developed and improved upon over centuries had been withheld. As he drove an airboat through the delta, he loudly explained it to Belinda, who was sitting behind Clive¡¯s rune tortoise familiar, Onslow. It was an unusual experience for Clive to have someone share his interest in magical esoterica.


    Clive steered the airboat up to the estate¡¯s water gate and coasted to a stop. The archway that framed the gate was smaller than the one in the Greenstone city wall, but the portcullised arch was still imposing. This was especially true as the Geller portcullis was usually closed, unlike the city gate, which placed the imposing metal grill on full display.


    The guards on station, on a small stone dock with a booth, came out to question Clive. As he was expected, they swiftly allowed him to continue, magically raising the portcullis to admit his airboat onto the estate. Belinda gaped as they passed through the stone arch.


    Shortly beyond the wall was a larger stone dock nestled into the embankment, where the Gellers stored their inland watercraft. There was an attendant in another bamboo booth who waved them into an empty slip and tied off the vehicle. Once they were on shore, the man took their details in a small notebook and gave them directions.


    As much as they would have liked to explore, Clive and Belinda had come with an important purpose and stuck to the main paths. Using the sedate pace of Clive¡¯s familiar as an excuse, though, they did have the time to at least look around. Clive occasionally glanced back to check on his familiar, who kept stopping to snack on the shrubbery.


    ¡°Onslow, stop that! We are guests, here!¡±


    They followed the directions they had been given along the main pathway, which constantly tempted with detours. They finally arrived at the main house complex to find an august company outside, even by Geller family standards.


    Talking together were Emir Bahadir, Thalia Mercer, Elspeth Arella and the stern-faced head of the Adventure Society inquiry team. With them was a priest of the god of purity, who looked older than most but was clean-faced and seemed very hale. Clive wasn¡¯t conversant in the robe designs of the church of purity but the elaborate outfit implied considerable rank almost as much as the company he kept. Danielle Geller was with them, playing host. As Clive stood off, giving quiet introductions to Belinda, Emir spotted them and quietly pointed them out to Danielle. She walked over to greet them.


    ¡°You must be Humphrey¡¯s Magic Society friend, Clive. I hear good things.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ma¡¯am. This is my assistant, Belinda.¡±


    Danielle gave her an appraising look.


    ¡°I take it you find helping Clive a less antagonistic pursuit than running around robbing people,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°It was my friend who did the running,¡± Belinda said. ¡°As for antagonism, a few cash-heavy theatre-goers hardly compare to an army of weaponised magical constructs.¡±


    Danielle chuckled.


    "A well-made point. So, Clive, you¡¯re our resident astral magic specialist?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°I was surprised you were ready this fast.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been working hard,¡± Clive said, including Belinda with a glance. ¡°This is important. It¡¯s a lot of responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Indeed it is,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Exciting times are dangerous ones. We have something I can¡¯t talk about right now going on, so you¡¯ll have to forgive my not attending to you personally. I¡¯ll have one of my family members give you access to the mirage chamber.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve completely cleared the schedule for the mirage chamber; it¡¯s yours for the day. If you need more time, just tell us and I¡¯ll see you get it. Did you bring everything you need?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said, his tone leaving no room for doubt. ¡°Our preparations were quite thorough,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Good. I¡¯ll find young Rick to show you the way; he¡¯s wandering about here, somewhere. Have you met Rick, Clive?¡±


    ¡°I have, Lady Geller. At the picnic in the park, after the sand barge assault.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Jason can be something of an explosive factor, socially speaking, but when it comes to throwing a truly casual affair, he comes into his own. Rick is reliable and trustworthy. He doesn¡¯t know what¡¯s going on here, yet, but I would appreciate you not asking, anyway. He has a personal stake in ongoing events.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Clive said. ¡°Does he have the might essence, by any chance? Or earth, iron; anything that gives him a strength power.¡±


    ¡°He has the might essence,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Do you need some heavy lifting done?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ve looked over the design of your mirage chamber and it has the old stone-slab control configuration. It¡¯s no doubt why it held up so well over so long but I¡¯ll need to take the top off make some required upgrades.¡±


    ¡°You want to upgrade our mirage chamber?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite necessary for what I need to do with it,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Do you have the expertise to carry that out?¡± Danielle asked.


    Clive looked at her, nonplussed.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t take any real expertise.¡±


    ¡°My people have assured me that any upgrade would very much require both expertise and some prohibitive material costs.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it comes down to what you think constitutes expertise,¡± Clive said. ¡°I can see how it could be expensive if you did it wrong. As in, very wrong. I won¡¯t. I checked the requisite materials out of the Magic Society storehouse and charged everything to the Adventure Society. It was cheap enough that it fell within my discretionary budget. All the expensive materials in a mirage chamber are in the dome, which I don¡¯t need to touch. It should take me less than a couple of hours.¡±


    ¡°Have you worked on a mirage chamber before?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°I assisted in the complete rebuilds of the mirage chambers in Boko and Hornis and still do annual maintenance. The original construction wasn¡¯t as lasting as your stone setup.¡±


    ¡°Boko and Hornis have their own Magic Society people,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°And they call you in anyway?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Danielle gave Clive an assessing look.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of those people, aren¡¯t you?¡± she asked. ¡°The ones who are just very quietly exceptional at what they do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know I¡¯d say that,¡± Clive said, scratched his head awkwardly.


    ¡°You¡¯re kind of the opposite of Jason. He¡¯s full of potential but runs around causing huge messes because he¡¯s headstrong and inexperienced. You¡¯re forming a team with my son, right?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve never really discussed it.¡±


    ¡°Well, now you don¡¯t need to,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I¡¯m going to have you looked into and if everything checks out, you¡¯ll be part of my boy¡¯s team.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you get to decide that,¡± Clive said uncertainly. ¡°We get to form our own teams.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be silly,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Of course I get to decide that. Now, wait here while I go find Rick.¡±


    Clive looked nonplussed at the retreating figure of Danielle as she went into the house.


    ¡°That felt oddly like talking to Jason, there at the end,¡± he mused.


    Sophie was feeling good after her third monster encounter. It had been a group of ratlings pillaging a farming crop. While not exactly humanoid, they were close, and she fought them on flat, open ground. At first, they had swarmed her but their opportunistic aggression lacked cohesion. Her swiftness and agility let her avoid being encircled, catch one exposed and make short work of it. Cowardly by nature, the others scattered. They were only quick compared to someone other than Sophie, who chased them down one by one.


    That only left the contract from the jobs hall, but en route, they passed through a village where they were approached by a harried teamster. He recognised them as adventurers from their equipment and informed them of a trap weaver nest close to a major trading road.


    ¡°Trap weavers?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Nasty, spider-like monsters,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Dangerous and unfortunately common in the delta. We should clear them out now.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t exactly in the best shape today,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°The fight doesn¡¯t wait until you¡¯re ready, Humphrey. A little impairment training will do me good.¡±


    ¡°Can I do it?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason and Humphrey said together.


    "You think he can do it," Sophie said, "and he''s hungover. He''s not that much better than me."


    ¡°Yes, he is,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen him fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve fought him myself,¡± she said.


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You¡¯ve sparred with him. Run from him. You haven¡¯t fought him. Jason is very good at killing and very bad at leaving things alive. If he¡¯d wanted you dead, you would have been dead.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± she asked, sceptically. ¡°I want to see this, then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± Humphrey said. "You don''t see him unless something very bad is about to happen. I¡¯ll show you a recording when we get back to the city.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t show her that,¡± Jason said. ¡°It shows me at peak chuuni.¡±


    ¡°Chuuni?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re pretty sure anything that slips through Jason¡¯s translation power is him being difficult,¡± Humphrey advised her. ¡°We¡¯ve found it¡¯s best to let it go and not ask.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s ¡®we?¡¯¡± Jason asked.


    Rufus arrived at the entrance to Dorgan''s compound via magically-propelled carriage. Rather than reins, the driver steered with a bar that turned the front wheels as it was shifted left and right. Speed was controlled with a lever next to the driver''s seat. Such vehicles weren''t any faster than animal-drawn carriages but saved having to deal with the animals.


    Rufus got down and walked up to the large gate in the outer wall. The estate had once been the main residence of a powerful Greenstone family and was suitably impressive, with grounds that were outrageously indulgent in the crowded space of Old City.


    There was a well-dressed elf in a small security station built into the wall. Rufus could sense an iron-rank aura from him, the uncontrolled and muddy kind that spoke to an excess of magic cores and a deficit of training. The elf came out to open the gate and let him in.


    On the other side of the gate was another elf servant, who had been awaiting his arrival and guided him inside. As they went through the grounds, Rufus could see that the grandeur of the compound had not been allowed to fade after the original occupants vacated it for the Island. The gardens were painstakingly maintained, the centuries-old brickwork still in fine condition.


    The servant led Rufus to one of the wide wings of the manor and into a library. He showed Rufus to a portion of the library where an elf was standing in front of a desert landscape. Adris Dorgan had tawny skin and long, chestnut hair. He was every part the classic slender, handsome elf. Without turning his gaze from the painting he dismissed the servant with thanks.


    ¡°Do you like this painting, Mr Remore?¡± Dorgan asked.


    Rufus considered the work.


    ¡°The artist was more concerned with evocation than accurate representation. It lends itself to the stark desert environment. It¡¯s clear that the artist finds meaning in the desolation. A local artist?¡±


    ¡°Moher,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°From the day I found your friend Asano standing right here, things have been going poorly for my daughter.¡±


    "She kept her position," Rufus said. "She wouldn''t have if certain people had their way. Luckily for her, Jason had no say in the matter.¡±


    ¡°His unfortunate demotion,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°Association with my daughter was behind that, I imagine.¡±


    ¡°He did his job and he did it well,¡± Rufus said. ¡°All she had to do was let him.¡±


    ¡°I told her much the same. Patience is a lesson often hard-learned. I have tried to guide her away from considering him part of her troubles but his position as the starting point of things going wrong plays on her mind.¡±


    ¡°She would be well-served by keeping her attention on what comes next,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Events loom large and she has bridges to mend.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you¡¯re here, Mr Remore? To mend bridges?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯m here for those large-looming events. There is a chance someone has been smuggling some unusual materials through here or Hornis. If you help me track those down, it would reflect well on your daughter. Show the association that you are an asset to her and not an anchor. I would be willing to reflect that in my attitude on the topic, which is not without weight in certain circles.¡±


    ¡°Even after she turned on your friend?¡±


    ¡°She only tried to hurt his interests, not him,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Where I come from, politics are a fact of life. Since she is going to continue as director, my preference would be that¡¯s she¡¯s an effective one. Her plan is still in play, if she wants it to be.¡±


    ¡°What plan is that?¡± Dorgan asked.


    ¡°To get promoted out of this town by cleaning it up. An appropriate show of contrition and using the inquiry as a launching pad will at least give her a chance. The city service agreement is two years from renegotiation. Two years is a long time in politics.¡±


    ¡°So it is,¡± Dorgan mused. ¡°If I agree to help you, I can¡¯t just wave my hand and produce all the city¡¯s smugglers. I can use my connections, here and in Hornis, but there are complications. Clarissa Ventress and Cole Silva control no small portion of the less documented aspects of city trade. And there are some operators whom none of us tolerate and who are forced to work around us. There are things even the worst of us will not allow to be traded.¡±


    ¡°I find that hard to believe,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Mr Remore, I am more government official than criminal. The powers ruling the Island would let Old City fall into chaos so long as the money flows. I¡¯ll acknowledge that I have walked hard roads, but I have my standards.¡±


    ¡°What about the other two? Ventress and Silva.¡±


    ¡°Ventress knows her limits, or at least she used to. If anyone is working with those I won''t tolerate, it will be Cole Silva. He¡¯s impulsive, short-sighted and repulsive enough to traffic with those his father would have hunted down.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d pay him a visit,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but that would send the ones I¡¯m after scurrying into the shadows.¡±


    ¡°I will make some circumspect inquiries,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°I will expect your support for my daughter, in turn.¡±


    ¡°Your daughter¡¯s best move is to do her job right, in the open, where people can see her do it. I¡¯d be happy to help that along.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°You have secured my help, Mr Remore. I will find you when I have something.¡±

 Chapter 131: What the Geller Name is Worth

    Rick led Clive and Belinda through the grounds. Clive and Belinda were both enraptured as Rick took them through pathways off the main thoroughfares, the visitors rapidly talking.


    ¡°See that flowering vine?¡± Clive asked, pointing it out to Belinda. ¡°See the way they have it growing over the bamboo frame?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s floating ghost flower, right?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Good eye,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I know a guy who grows it.¡±


    ¡°A herbalist or apothecary?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s more of a recreational enthusiast.¡±


    Clive stopped under an archway covered in the flowering vine, making sweeping gestures with his arms.


    ¡°If you could see magic you¡¯d be able to spot the subtle impact it has on the ambient magic over the whole estate. Whoever designed this whole place was a genius. The foresight to wait for plants to grow over decades, planning out the shifts in magic as plants and trees grew. Adapting for seasonal changes, different stages of growth.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine planning that out over the whole space,¡± Belinda said. ¡°This estate is bigger than an entire district in Old City.¡±


    ¡°We should probably keep moving,¡± Rick prompted. His cousin, Henry, was the team magic expert and had been similarly impressed by the grounds when they first arrived. Now Henry¡¯s ashes had been mixed into the soil.


    They spotted the dome of the mirage chamber, well before they reached the annexed buildings attached to it. Rick unlocked the control room to the mirage chamber and led them inside. Light from the glass ceiling lit up the interior, showing the wooden platforms lining the sides of the room and the waist-high stone block under the wide window that crossed the entire back wall. The interior of the dome beyond was dark.


    Clive immediately began explaining things to Belinda, who had never seen anything from this branch of magic. ¡°These wooden platforms are the interface,¡± he explained. ¡°It projects your senses into an illusionary self that can interact with other generated illusions in the dome, on the other side of that window.¡±


    He walked up to the stone block. It was heavy and grey, with a wild mess of runes and sigils carved into it.


    ¡°These are the controls,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s a lot more impressive when the chamber is active, which you¡¯ll see later.¡±


    Clive pointed out a small hole on the side of the block.


    ¡°That¡¯s where you feed the crystals containing the various things to be replicated under the dome,¡± he explained. ¡°The chamber¡¯s current configuration is fine to generate some environments with some monsters in them. It¡¯s a bit basic to handle what we brought along, though. Still, just building a mirage chamber in an area of such low magical density was incredibly impressive, especially for the time they did it. Only a fraction of what is now Old City had even been constructed. Even now, the important part ¨C the dome ¨C is more than capable of doing what we need. We just need to upgrade the control system so it can tell the dome to do it.¡±


    Clive turned to look at Rick.


    ¡°Your forebears were formidable people, Rick. You have every right to be proud of what your family has accomplished.¡±


    Rick nodded absently, glancing at the door.


    ¡°That legacy comes with a responsibility,¡± he said morosely. ¡°One we pay in blood to uphold.¡±


    Clive paused what he was doing to give Rick a long look.


    ¡°I¡¯ve actually been here in the estate before,¡± Clive said. ¡°My first monster surge was the one before last. when I was a boy. My family are eel farmers here in the delta and it was your family that took us in and sheltered us, along with countless others.¡±


    He walked over to Rick and put a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°This is Greenstone,¡± Clive said. ¡°We know what the Geller name is worth. If you ever need anything, you ask. Everyone in the delta knows that we¡¯ve asked plenty, and your family answered every time.¡±


    Rick steeled his face to mask his emotions and Clive gave him a big smile, patting his shoulder before leaving him be.


    ¡°Time to get started,¡± Clive said as he began pulling crates from his storage space, leaving Belinda to organise them neatly and crack them open with a pry tool.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a dimensional storage space,¡± Clive said, looking the small but effective crowbar. ¡°Where were you keeping that?¡±


    ¡°Tricks of the trade,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You always have to be ready.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re full of surprises, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You have no idea.¡±


    After taking out the last box and leaving them to Belinda, Clive glanced back at Rick, then to the stone block.


    ¡°Now, Rick,¡± Clive said. ¡°You see that line running around the side of the stone block, near the top?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°That line is where the whole top section of the block comes off as a slab, to access the inside. I''m going to unseal it and I''ll need you to lift that slab off and put it out of the way. Is that something you can manage? ¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a hefty bit of stone but I¡¯ll sort it out,¡± Rick said.


    Clive used a magic wand to trace around the outside of the block, along the line he had just pointed out. Rick then hauled off the rune-covered top, revealing the block as a large stone box. The inside was covered in runes, and fitted with different components. Stone tablets, also rune-covered, were slotted vertically into the bottom, as were crystals like sculpted icicles. Unlike the control panel, magical glows traced out lines and shone from the crystals, spraying rainbow colours into the room.


    ¡°Where are all the crystals?¡± Rick asked. ¡°The ones you put in the side to add new monsters.¡±


    ¡°Like this?¡± Clive asked, taking out a crystal. It was a finger-sized length of faceted crystal.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rick said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a bunch of them put in.¡±


    ¡°These are highly specialised, artificial manifestations of raw magic,¡± Clive explained. ¡°Sort of like very complicated spirit coins, if you like. When you feed them in the intake on the side they vanish, like when you eat a spirit coin.¡±


    ¡°So they don¡¯t just pile up inside, then?¡± Rick asked.


    ¡°No, which is good. We¡¯ll need to add quite a few once the upgrade is up and working.¡±


    ¡°How many is quite a few?¡±


    ¡°Four thousand and ninety-six,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Take a look at those crates,¡± Clive said. ¡°Most of them are filled with padded racks of crystals.¡±


    Clive took a simple table from his storage space, then draped a plain, heavy cloth over it. He laid out a series of magical tools, from wedge-shaped stones to crystal orbs with silver stands to stop them from rolling away. There was a slew of magic wands, varied in length, material and shape. Many were curved or kinked; one was bent into a spiral halfway down its length. Clive got to work, explaining what he was doing to Belinda as he went.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to wait outside,¡± Rick said. ¡°I¡¯ll be just out the door if you need anything.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Clive said absently, not looking up from his work. Bent over into the stone box he called on Belinda to hand him various tools. Belinda peppered him with questions as she handed him each new tool, peering in at what he was doing while he explained what he was doing at each step. One after another, the magical lights went out as he worked. Once the glow was completely faded, he started carefully removing parts.


    After setting them aside, he had Belinda start handing him replacement parts from the boxes they had brought. He changed the runes inside the box, his tools reworking the hard stone like the softest clay. He slotted-in new tablets and crystals, replacing almost everything inside. Finally, he chose a few of the components he had removed, and after checking them over, put them back into place. The discarded parts he had Belinda crate up for the Gellers to do with whatever they wanted.


    Finally, Clive began reactivating the magic of the control system, fastidiously testing his work carefully as the rainbow light once again started shining from within.


    ¡°This all looks good,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ll rework the control slab a bit and we can do some final testing. Fetch Rick, would you please? I¡¯ll need him to reorient the slab as I work with it.¡±


    Clive modified both sides of the lid of the stone box, altering the mirage chamber controls. He had the lid replaced and started running tests on the mirage chamber functionality. They watched through the window as wild patterns lit up the space under the dome. There were several problems, requiring the slab to be taken off and put back on again multiple times as Clive made adjustments and tested again.


    Under the dome, on the other side of the viewing window, images flickered in and out. Monsters randomly appeared with odd colours or strangely warped bodies. The most bizarre was a heidel with duck legs, both its heads having been replaced with Rick¡¯s.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not right,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°You must use the chamber a lot if your head is the one that popped out,¡± Clive said. He methodically tackled each problem, testing and retesting as he worked through every incompatibility and adjusted every miscalibration. Finally, everything was in working order.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Clive said to Rick. ¡°You¡¯ve made this so much easier. Or possible at all, in fact. I doubt I could even move that lid, let alone lift it.¡±


    ¡°My cousin would have loved this,¡± Rick said. ¡°Getting into the guts of that thing.¡±


    ¡°The expedition?¡± Clive asked gently and Rick nodded.


    ¡°Will this help us find the people who we fought there?¡± Rick asked. ¡°The ones who¡­¡±


    Rick¡¯s voice failed him as he remembered the blank look his friend had given him just hours ago.


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± Clive said darkly. ¡°We¡¯re looking for something that will let us hunt them down.¡±


    Rick nodded, eyes clear and focused.


    ¡°What else can I do to help?¡±


    ¡°Grab that first crate of crystals,¡± Clive said. ¡°We have a lot to shove in there.¡±

 Chapter 132: Cleansed

    ¡°That should be the nest in there,¡± Humphrey said. They were on a wide embankment road, running through a stretch of wetlands. The largest portion of high ground had a sizeable stand of trees, in which they had been informed were the trap weavers.


    Humphrey and Sophie looked at Jason, who still had bags under his bloodshot eyes. His gaze focused on the trees and Sophie noticed a shift in his posture. The confident, laconic, half-slouch became more upright, his feet ready to move. There was a sudden readiness that her own instincts recognised as a preparedness to fight.


    ¡°Use a recording crystal,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Give her something to watch later.


    He nodded, taking out his carousel stand of recording crystals and picking one out before returning the carousel to his inventory. He tossed the crystal over his head as his magical cloak formed around him. He ran to the edge of the embankment and leapt off, cloak floating around him as he drifted lightly down to land on the surface of the water like it was solid ground. Moving forward, he disappeared into the trees.


    Objective: eliminate [Trap Weavers] 1/14.


    ¡°That was quick,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Jason has abilities and equipment well suited to fighting trap weavers,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Most of us find them troubling at best and deadly at worst. More iron-rankers in Greenstone die to trap weavers than anything else.¡±


    Jason held his conjured dagger in a back-handed grip. Emerging from a shadow he stabbed out to his side, pinning a spider to the tree it was gripping. The spider¡¯s body was around the size of a human torso, spewing out gore as the knife plunged through it.


    Objective: eliminate [Trap Weavers] 2/14.You have defeated [Trap Weaver].Would you like to loot [Trap Weaver]?


    Jason yanked the knife free and the trap weaver splashed into the water. He walked over the surface of the water, unconcerned. Roots jutted from the water but his perception power let him easily pick them out in the darkness. A thick strand of webbing shot out and latched onto his cloak, immediately trying to pull on it. That section of cloak became incorporeal and the strand fell limp as Jason drew a throwing dart from the bandolier on his chest and flung it toward the other end of the strand. The dart had a red cord, marking it as explosive. Chunks of trap weaver belched out of the darkness with a loud bang.


    Objective: eliminate [Trap Weavers] 3/14.


    Jason walked over to a gobbet of flesh that had struck a tree and poked it.


    You have defeated [Trap Weaver].Would you like to loot [Trap Weaver]?


    One of the functions of Jason¡¯s hood was that he could see right through it, not obstructing his vision. He could see trap weavers all around him, crawling on trees and believing themselves hidden in the dark. They were shades of grey, like Jason¡¯s armour, which had been crafted from their leather. Their legs ended in the sharp tips that dug into bark, which made them excellent tree climbers. Those legs were also powerful and springy, allowing them to leapt between trees or onto prey.


    One of the spider leapt at Jason from the left. He reached out and grabbed it out of the air, gripping it by the head. It bit into his hand as its sharp legs tried to stab his arm, but skittered off his armour.


    [Trap Weaver] has inflicted [Trap Weaver Venom] on you.You have resisted [Trap Weaver Venom].[Trap Weaver Venom] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].


    He crushed the spider¡¯s head in his fist and dropped it into the water.


    Objective: eliminate [Trap Weavers] 4/14.You have defeated [Trap Weaver].Would you like to loot [Trap Weaver]?


    From multiple directions, strands shot out at him. Some ineffectually struck his cloak, others slid off his armour without achieving purchase.


    Item: [Trap Weaver Battle Robe] (iron rank, epic)


    A full body armour, carefully hand-crafted from the silk and leather of trap weavers. (armour, cloth/leather).


    Effect: Increased resistance to damage. Highly effective against cutting and piercing damage, less effective against blunt damage.Effect: Repairs damage over time. Extensive damage may require external repair.Effect: Absorbs blood to prevent leaving a blood trail.Effect: Increases resistance to bleed and poison effects.Effect: Resistant to adhesive substances and abilities with adhesive effects.Effect: Adapts fit to the wearer, within a certain range.


    Jason stood in the middle of the trap weaver encirclement. The monsters milled about, confused by their ineffectual attacks. In the shadowy copse of trees, Jason could teleport almost however he willed. He panned his gaze around, mapping out the shadows and the positions of the trap weavers. As the monsters launched a second barrage of webs, he vanished and went to work.


    Humphrey and Sophie awaited Jason¡¯s return.


    Objective: eliminate [Trap Weavers] 5/14.Objective: eliminate [Trap Weavers] 6/14.Objective: eliminate [Trap Weavers] 7/14.


    ¡°He really isn¡¯t messing about,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Everyone has their own way of fighting,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°With most monsters, I have an easier time than Jason but trap weavers are a bad match for me. I¡¯m most effective against enemies that stand their ground in open space. Complex, shadowy environments are where trap weavers nest but that¡¯s where Jason thrives. Over time, you¡¯ll come to find what works best for you. As you pick up more abilities and get more experience, you¡¯ll refine your style.¡±


    Quest: [Notice: Trap Weavers]


    Objective complete: Eliminate [Trap Weavers] 14/14.Quest complete.


    Sophie looked up, but no bag of coins appeared.


    ¡°No rewards if we didn¡¯t contribute,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I can see the bag dropping on you becoming annoying.¡±


    ¡°Getting tired of money literally falling out of the sky is a problem I¡¯ll be happy to have.¡±


    They spotted rainbow smoke drifting up from the top of the trees as Jason emerged. Once he reached them he dropped his cloak, revealing a large amount of blood on his head. The monster blood had vanished into smoke, making what remained come from his own injuries.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°I healed up using my abilities.¡±


    ¡°Did one of them bite you on the head?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­ yep. That was it.¡±


    ¡°What really happened?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Like Humphrey said,¡± Jason told her. ¡°I got bitten by a monster.¡±


    ¡°I hope you won¡¯t be cutting me out of too many fights,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I like getting paid. Not that it feels that way, with you storing all the money.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jason said. ¡°My storage space keeps all the money together, but I¡¯m keeping track of how much is yours.¡±


    ¡°And I can trust you to keep the numbers straight?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You still don¡¯t trust me?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°If our positions were swapped,¡± she said, ¡°I would absolutely be stealing from you.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°You¡¯re his indentured servitor,¡± Humphrey pointed out. ¡°All the work you do is for him and he is entitled to take any or all of what you earn as he likes. He doesn¡¯t need to steal from you because he can take it all with complete legality. He doesn¡¯t have to do any more than feed you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep proper track. You have to pay for your own gear, though.¡±


    He took out a bottle of crystal wash and tipped it over his head.


    ¡°That means both equipment and consumables,¡± he added.


    She gave him a flat look.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°Why would you lie and claim you were bitten on the head?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not lying,¡± Jason said. ¡°I definitely didn¡¯t get woozy after the fight from teleporting too much while hungover and hit my head on a log.¡±


    The procession of people who entered the ritual room was as prestigious a gathering as to be found in Greenstone. Danielle Geller, Thalia Mercer, Elspeth Arella, Emir Bahadir and the archbishop of the church of purity, Nicolas Hendren. Ernest Geller was waiting inside, playing guard to Jonah Geller. Jonah, his upper arm firmly in Ernest¡¯s grip, glared at each person as they entered. When the Archbishop entered, Jonah''s eyes went wide and he strained to yank his arm free of Ernest''s grasp. It didn¡¯t budge in the grip of Ernest¡¯s bronze-rank strength.


    Elspeth Arella used her aura to brutally suppress Jonah¡¯s. Many powerful constriction abilities could only affect those who auras had been beaten down, like the ability she used to entrap Jonah in a bubble of force. It cut off his protestations and lifted him helplessly into the air.


    ¡°Thank you, Madam Director,¡± the Archbishop said. ¡°If you could move him away from the centre of the room, that would be appreciated.¡±


    Jonah¡¯s bubble floated away as his fists hammered at the inside. His mouth was visibly firing off invective but his voice was as confined as his body. The Archbishop took a white bag from the satchel at his side and removed the stopper from a spout in the bag¡¯s corner. From it, he started carefully pouring out a mixture of powdered silver and gold to form a ritual circle.


    ¡°Fortunately,¡± he said, ¡°divine rituals are not so vulnerable to vagaries of ambient magic as the mundane varieties.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one performed before,¡± Arella said.


    ¡°They are much as ordinary rituals,¡± the Archbishop said. ¡°They still draw on the power of ambient magic but are infused with the glorious might of the divine. My god¡¯s will moves the magic and not the other way around, which is why your ability entrapping the unfortunate boy will not affect it.¡±


    After drawing out the magical diagram, the Archbishop went around placing materials within it. Silver rank spirit coins were the bulk of the materials, while most of the others were orbs of gold or crystal, set out in small frames like silver egg-cups. When he was done, he stepped back, held out a hand and started chanting.


    ¡°God most pure, I beseech. Make in this place a sanctuary most clean, to suppress that which poisons the stem and reveal that which poisons the root. In this circle, let no rot spread nor foreign taint take action. Let all be made pure and clean.¡±


    White and gold light started shining up from the circle.


    ¡°You may deposit the man in the circle, Madam Director,¡± the Archbishop said.


    The bubble floated toward the circle with Jonah, trapped inside, still furiously thrashing about. His hands and head were bloodied from where had pounded them against the enclosure. As it entered the light, the bubble rapidly dissolved, like butter melting in the sun. Jonah fell out but instead of collapsing to the floor, drifted through the air to float above the centre of the magic circle. His arms and legs were pulled out to his sides, his whole body jerking in a small seizure. His eyes were wide and rapidly turning bloodshot, his jaw clenched tight.


    ¡°Jonah,¡± Danielle whispered, her voice wracked with misery as she looked on. Thalia Mercer placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, her own troubled gaze locked on the young man in the circle.


    Jonah¡¯s eyes rolled up in his head as his veins became visible in the form of thin, dark lines all over his body.


    ¡°There is no question,¡± the blank-faced Archbishop said impassively. ¡°Something resides within the body. The circle will purge it.¡±


    ¡°The enemies in the astral space had something inside them,¡± Emir said, looking at Danielle with concern. ¡°When endangered they were able to trigger it and kill themselves rather than be taken alive.¡±


    ¡°It is too late for that,¡± the Archbishop said. ¡°Any power the thing inside him has cannot be activated within the circle. The concern you must have now is how deeply it has infiltrated his body. Removing it may damage or even kill him.¡±


    ¡°I have gold-rank potions of the highest grade ready to go,¡± Emir told Danielle. ¡°So long as there is a scrap of life left in him, we won¡¯t let it fade.¡±


    ¡°I will heal him the moment I am certain the taint is gone,¡± the Archbishop said.


    Danielle didn¡¯t acknowledge their words, her gaze unwavering from Jonah¡¯s struggles. His body¡¯s jerking became more violent, pushing back against the magic of the circle that held him in place. His eyes went bloody and dark, then burst outward, spraying dark fluids as something erupted from within them.


    Flailing metal wires, thin as hairs, shot out in clusters from his now-empty eye sockets, waving like the tendrils of a sea creature. Danielle made to lunge forward but her arm was gripped by Emir, his gold-rank reflexes catching her before she moved. She turned on him in fury.


    ¡°You cannot help him until it is done,¡± the Archbishop said. ¡°I would suggest prayer.¡±


    Danielle shot the priest a look of venom before turning back to Jonah. She did so just in time for Jonah¡¯s cleansing to reach the final stage. Wires burst out from every part of his body, shredding muscle and skin, slicing apart bones. His flesh was shredded just as badly as his clothes as they erupted out of him.


    The wires formed a complex network that seemed to have threaded itself through his entire circulatory system. A whole nest of wires had riddled Jonah¡¯s brain, slicing his skull into pieces that tumbled to the ground with the rest of his shredded corpse.


    What was left was a vaguely man-shaped wire figure, with all the wires threading into and out of a nucleus in the place of the heart. Free of Jonah¡¯s body, the mass of wires staggered forward, but was rapidly corroded by exposure to the light of the circle. The wires dissolved into nothing as the nucleus fell to the floor with a hollow clatter.


    In the aftermath, the light faded from the now-bloody circle. What had once been Jonah was splattered over the circle. All that remained of the wire construct was the empty nucleus. It looked like a small, hulled coconut. Danielle didn¡¯t spare it a glance as she staggered forward, toward the gory mess that was all that remained of Jonah.


    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± the Archbishop said, his emotionless intonation startling everyone but Danielle into looking at his calm expression. Emir and Thalia turned to Danielle, who mercifully didn¡¯t seem to have heard. She stood in front of Jonah¡¯s bloody remains, no longer recognisable as a person.

 Chapter 133: It Just Takes Practise

    In the late afternoon, Humphrey, Sophie and Jason were walking down a road with tall, leafy crops to either side. Finally starting to feel better, Jason let his head fall back as he drew a deep breath. He felt the warm sun of early autumn, smelled the fresh, earthy scent of the crops. He let out a contented sigh.


    ¡°This is it,¡± he said happily. ¡°People talk about the money and the power but this is the adventuring life I want. Meandering through beautiful places with a good friend and a beautiful woman who may or may not be waiting for the chance to snap my neck and run for it.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sophie asked flatly as Humphrey shook his head.


    ¡°I said ¡®may not.¡¯ Just look around you. Breathe in that air. Tell me you don¡¯t want to spend your life travelling the world and visiting nice places.¡±


    Sophie did look around, sceptically at first, then compared it to the boxed-in streets of Old City. The open spaces. The peaceful breeze playing through leafy crops.


    ¡°It does smell a lot nicer than Old City,¡± she acknowledged.


    ¡°Money and power are great,¡± Jason said. ¡°Anything you want to get, they can give you. Anything you want to do, they can let you. But you have to want things worth having and want to do things worth doing. Money and power have to be a means, not an end, or you''ll lead a joyless life.¡±


    Jason looked around the landscape again.


    ¡°Freedom. Travel. I want to see what this world has to show me. And someday, I want to go home. To see my own world with new eyes.¡±


    Sophie said nothing, giving Jason an assessing look.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re just not what I expected.¡±


    ¡°And what were you expecting?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°Not this.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your world like, Jason?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°It has places like this,¡± Jason said. ¡°My family used to take trips out into the country when I was younger. My mother has a large family of mostly rural types. Good, hardworking people, you know? Not all twisty in the head like me. I grew up in a sleepy little beach town. In summer it fills up with people. Later I moved to a big city, although nothing like Greenstone. I¡¯m not sure how to even start describing it. I wasn¡¯t happy there, but I don¡¯t think I was trying to be, then.¡±


    He flashed a grin.


    ¡°But now I¡¯m here. I have money, magic powers and I¡¯m walking around in a place like this on a day like today. Yes, monsters try to kill me a lot and I¡¯ve made my share of enemies, but I¡¯m living my life, now, instead of just waiting it out.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of monsters,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The contract is for margolls. Dog-headed humanoids with large claws. They should be a good matchup for you, Miss Wexler, but don¡¯t underestimate them.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re highly aggressive and fight in packs,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll be outnumbered. The contract says six, but you should never assume the details are accurate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an important lesson,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°A couple of months ago, Jason and I went to retrieve the body of an adventurer killed because the contract details were wrong.¡±


    ¡°Very wrong,¡± Jason said. ¡°We were lucky someone else didn¡¯t end up coming for our bodies.¡±


    ¡°Margolls are another common local monster,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°When they turn up, everyone evacuates and word is sent to the city to post a contract. There are several farms here, so they''ve probably settled in until they eat their way through the herds. Once Stash spots them, we¡¯ll have a location.¡±


    ¡°Stash?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°That¡¯s the bird familiar you¡¯ve had scouting around?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been spending a lot of time as a bird, lately,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much he understands about what happened during the expedition, but he knows there was a lot of danger. I think he¡¯s trying to be more useful.¡±


    ¡°Spending time as a bird?¡± Sophie asked.


    Humphry was about to answer when a large bird swooped down out of the sky towards Humphrey, transforming into a puppy and dropping into his arms. Humphrey scratched him behind the ears.


    ¡°He¡¯s a shape-changer,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You found them, little guy?¡±


    Stash yipped happily. By turning his head and letting out little barks, Stash led them in the right direction. Eventually, they spotted the margolls in a field full of dead animals. The three crouched in the long grass, behind a simple, wooden rail fence that separated the field from the road. They looked through the fence at the margolls on the far side of the field.


    ¡°Looks like the margolls came from this side,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The herd fled to the far end of the field and were pinned against the fence and slaughtered.¡±


    The slain herd were creatures that Jason had always thought of as cow lizards. The margolls had killed them all and were feasting on the carcasses.


    ¡°Those poor animals,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I know they were a meat herd, but they didn¡¯t need to die in fear like that. And it¡¯s wasteful, too. The margolls can¡¯t consume all that meat, but they only eat their fresh kills. They¡¯ll take their fill, sleep it off and go hunting for more things to slaughter.¡±


    ¡°No, they won¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°They aren¡¯t leaving this field. I count nine.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Wexler, Humphrey will be ready to step in quickly if anything goes wrong. You need to understand, though, that when things go wrong, they go wrong fast and hard. I¡¯m not saying don¡¯t take risks, because pushing yourself is the point. Just make sure they¡¯re calculated risks.¡±


    Sophie took a steeling breath, then lightly vaulted the wooden fence and started walking across the field. Caught up in gorging on the dead animals, the margolls didn¡¯t notice her until a breeze picked up and carried her scent to them. As it did, they looked up from their kills and howled. Leaping to their feet, they started charging across the field at her. She stopped walking, watching them approach.


    Dog-headed monsters with sickle claws scrambled madly in her direction, some on two limbs, others on four. She started moving again, picking up pace to run at them as they charged in her direction, letting our discordant, bloodthirsty howls. They were quick, but she sailed over the grass like a wind spirit.


    Well-short of reaching them, she leapt into the air. She span through one horizontal kick and then into a second with the other leg, both without touching the ground. Then she stepped on the air to keep her momentum going and kicked once more before finally landing. She had made two full turns in the air and landed at a run.


    Each sweeping kick had unleashed a wide blade of wind that made a shimmering path toward the margolls. The trio of wide blades were as large and slow as she could make them, but the ravening monsters disregarded their approach entirely.


    The change came as the first blade savaged the foremost monsters, blood spraying as they ran right into the blade. It was not enough to kill them but to fell two the ground, howling distress. The one who stayed standing took the full brunt of the second blade, having its body cut into ragged halves, while more of the creatures were injured behind it. The third blade came on the heels of the second, finished wounded margolls and injuring more.


    The pack were left angry, hurt and confused. The injured one howls their pain, the others their rage. There charge had been halted as they milled in disarray.


    Back on the road, Jason and Humphrey looked on using a far-sight crystal to magnify their view.


    ¡°Did you know she could do that?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I did not,¡± Jason replied. ¡°Should we move closer?¡±


    ¡°I think so,¡± Humphrey said as wings appeared on his back and he flew over the fence. Jason vaulted it, not with the grace Sophie had done, but Gary¡¯s mobility training made it a negligible task.


    ¡°How long would it take you to get over there?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°A few seconds,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Five maybe.¡±


    ¡°You can cross the distance that quick?¡±


    ¡°If I fly forward, then launch into my flying leap attack, yes.¡±


    ¡°Not bad.¡±


    The margolls were in turmoil and Sophie was not going to waste it, still running across the grass as if she were flying. She crashed into one of the injured ones, knocking it into the rest and adding to the chaos her wind blades had sown. The margolls fought with wild ferocity, while her movements were clean and efficient. Blocks made openings for attack and dodges set up combination strikes. Fists and feet, elbows and knees; no movement was wasted or opportunity missed as she pounded the margolls with power and precision.


    Despite her speed and skill, the frenetic creatures were not on the back foot for long, using their numbers to box in their singular enemy. Sickle claws aimed to reap her life away, but were met with fists and forearms. Every attack she was able to meet, her powers shielded her from suffering so much as a scratch.


    As they moved to surround her, she couldn¡¯t intercept every attack. A raking slash from the side cut into her leg and from the rear a lacerating swipe scored her upper arm. She ignored the pain and kept fighting, having drawn them in as she wanted.


    Having boxed her in, the monsters pushed in hard, only to find she had been replaced with an afterimage. As their claws lashed ineffectually through it, she reappeared a small distance away. As the clustered margolls milled in confusion, Sophie was launching another triple wind blade.


    Having moved so close together in their attempt of overwhelm her, they had made themselves vulnerable to the sweeping blades of if air. The razor wind erupted on impact after slicing through skin and muscle, the blade hideously effective against the margolls who had no more defences than their short, bristly fur. After three blades only one was standing, badly injured. Sophie finished it off before making sure the ones on the ground were all dead.


    Surrounded by dead enemies, Sophie stood tall and drew in heavy, exhausted breaths. Jason and Humphrey arrived at the scene as a bag of coins fell on her head.


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    ¡°When did you come up with that spinning jump thing?¡± Jason asked her.


    ¡°You left for two weeks,¡± she said, picking the bag. ¡°Did you think I spent the whole time meditating?¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± he said, taking the bag and putting it in his inventory. ¡°Did Rufus help with that?¡±


    ¡°I think he felt bad for me.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°I kind of left you in limbo, there.¡±


    Jason took out a notebook scribbled in it with a pencil.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s how I¡¯m keeping track of your money,¡± he said, putting them away again.


    ¡°Oh,¡± she said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You have some real unarmed combat skills,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I have a relative, Phoebe. She''s an unarmed specialist, too, and she¡¯s been looking for someone to practice with for a while. I think you could help each other.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± Sophie said, jerking a thumb at Jason. ¡°She has to be more reliable than this guy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You did just leave without telling anyone,¡± Humphrey pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ alright. That¡¯s fair.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re interested, then sooner might be better than later,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It would be dark long before we reached the city; my family estate is closer, here in the delta. I can introduce you to Phoebe and we can go back to the city in the morning.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good to me,¡± Jason said. ¡°What do you say, Wexler? Want to be put up in the most prestigious estate in Greenstone? I¡¯ll just loot these monsters and we can get going.¡±


    ¡°You realise you¡¯re saying that to someone staying in Emir Bahadir¡¯s cloud palace,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I am going to miss having a cloud bed,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was the worst part of leaving the city for so long.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t offer those,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but we do have hammocks. They¡¯re really good for the hot nights.¡±


    ¡°Never have sex in a hammock,¡± Jason advised. ¡°It seems like it would be awesome, but it¡¯s actually quite troublesome.¡±


    ¡°It just takes practise,¡± Humphrey said offhandedly, earning a wide-eyed look from Jason.


    ¡°What?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°What are we looking at?¡± Rick asked.


    In the mirage chamber control room, Rick, Belinda and Clive were looking through the window. Under the dome, a large illusionary orb and a small illusionary orb were pressing into one another.


    ¡°The small orb is a simulated astral space,¡± Clive said. ¡°The big orb is a simulated world it¡¯s attached to. This isn¡¯t what they would actually look like; I simulated their magical aspects, rather than the physical ones.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Rick asked.


    ¡°A lot of equipment was brought back from the astral space,¡± Clive explained. ¡°I managed to replicate what they were doing on a small scale, but I couldn¡¯t figure out what it did. Using it in our world, instead of an astral space, meant all the power it output just got absorbed. Our world is too big. Of course, going back into the astral space and setting it up again was not an option. Here, we¡¯ve created a simulation of an astral space, a world to anchor it and the equipment the expedition bought operating inside it.¡±


    ¡°So, instead of a monster, you created a whole world?¡± Rick asked.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ve examined the equipment quite thoroughly and isolated what it should interact with and simulated that. Simulating a whole world is beyond any mirage chamber I¡¯ve ever heard of.¡±


    ¡°So, what are the results?¡± Rick asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait. I¡¯ve accelerated the simulation as much as possible, and so long as I haven¡¯t missed anything major, it will eventually show us exactly what the expedition interrupted.¡±


    They watched eagerly for the first hour, attention waning in the second. Rick went and brought them all lunch while Clive and Belinda turned to books from Clive¡¯s personal stash. After looking through Clive¡¯s collection, Rick went to retrieve a book with less theory and more tales of dashing heroics.


    It was evening before something changed on the inside of the chamber. They all went to the window, watching the two orbs.


    ¡°We already know what they were doing would have catastrophic results,¡± Clive said. ¡°The major question is whether that was the objective or a side-effect.¡±


    The two orbs had been pushing into each other for the entire run of the simulation, but as they watched, the smaller orb pulled away. The surface of the large orb, where the small orb had contacted it, was wrinkled and marred, where the rest was smooth.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Rick asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°The astral space, the small orb, shouldn¡¯t be able to maintain its integrity without being attached to its world. Just pulling apart should have caused it to break down.¡±


    ¡°Is someone trying to make a small, independent world?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°If they are, it won¡¯t work,¡± Clive said. ¡°It can¡¯t last long, like that.¡±


    As if to prove his point, the smaller orb started to distort, breaking apart into chunks and than vanishing entirely.


    ¡°There we have it,¡± Clive said. ¡°Their objective was to separate the astral space from our world while maintaining its structure for at least some amount of time.¡±


    ¡°How much time?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Weeks. Months, at the outside. I¡¯ll need to examine the simulation recording to get more details, but the basics are clear.¡±


    ¡°Why would they do that?¡± Rick asked.


    ¡°No idea,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Who benefits?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°And how?¡±


    ¡°From a huge chunk of dislodged physical reality, floating through the deep astral?¡± Clive asked. ¡°No one. Even gods couldn¡¯t do anything with it; once it leaves their world, it¡¯s out of their ability to affect. All that leaves is¡­¡±


    Clive¡¯s eyes went wide as he let a low sound of horror out of his mouth.


    ¡°No¡­¡±


    He paced back and forth, clutching at his hair with his hands.


    ¡°This is bigger than us,¡± he said. ¡°Astral spaces. Ours wasn¡¯t the only one affected. Oh, this is bad.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s bad?¡± Belinda asked. She and Rick were looking at Clive in frustration.


    ¡°I¡¯ve figured it out,¡± he said.


    ¡°We got that much,¡± Belinda said. ¡°What did you figure out?¡±


    ¡°We need to tell someone,¡± Clive said. ¡°A diamond ranker. Lots of diamond rankers.¡±


    He bolted for the door, Belinda and Rick following, only to meet Clive rushing back in. He gave Rick a look of wild-eyed panic.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to get back to the main house!¡±

 Chapter 134: World Building

    The sky was nearing full dark but the pathways of the Geller estate were lit up by magical lights, albeit ones selected and placed more for aesthetics than practicality. Rather than simple illumination, the discretely placed lights washed the gardens in shifting colours.


    Clive had no time to stop and appreciate it as he led Rick and Belinda through the gardens in a rush, striding with his long legs. Belinda did have time, as Clive''s enthusiasm outpaced his ability to navigate, requiring Rick to correct him as he headed down one wrong path after another. This allowed Belinda to keep up in spite of her more measured pace.


    ¡°I like these lights,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Good, aren¡¯t they?¡± Rick asked. ¡°No, Clive, to the left.¡±


    Clive grumbled as he came back up one path to head down another.


    ¡°Explain this again,¡± Belinda said to Clive as he came past. ¡°There¡¯s some kind of super god?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said distractedly. ¡°Except no. But yes. But no.¡±


    ¡°That clears everything up,¡± Rick said as Clive strode off again.


    Compared to Clive, Humphrey, Sophie and Jason made their way through estate grounds at a relaxed saunter. They took the time to appreciate the colourfully lit paths.


    ¡°I looted some material from those trap weavers,¡± Jason said. ¡°My combat robes are made from the same stuff. I know a guy who can probably use it to make you something similar, Wexler.¡±


    ¡°I thought you said I¡¯d have to pay for my own gear,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°We¡¯re in a group,¡± Jason said. ¡°We split the loot as a group. You¡¯ll still have to pay for labour costs yourself.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she said with a frown. ¡°Sorry, that sounded insincere. Gratitude isn¡¯t a feeling I¡¯m used to.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°No worries. I know what it feels like to go from random nobody to adventurer with magic powers and such, hobnobbing with the wealthy and powerful. Which will be us, soon enough. It¡¯s a bit disorienting, isn¡¯t it? Feels hard to get your feet under you. Normal keeps slipping away from you like a bar of wet soap. You¡¯re constantly trying to figure out what normal is, now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it feels like.¡±


    Danielle, Emir, Thalia, Arella and the Archbishop were moving through the estate grounds from the ritual building toward the main house. Fresh from witnessing the gruesome demise of Jonah Geller, Danielle was still reeling, lingering at the back of the group. Ernest Geller, the only non-silver amongst them, had taken over the duty of guiding them through the grounds.


    ¡°I am not subjecting my son to that process,¡± Thalia Mercer said adamantly as they moved along the path.


    ¡°That will not be necessary,¡± said Herston, the Archbishop of purity. ¡°Now that we know what we are dealing with, our methods can be more precise.¡±


    ¡°We know what we¡¯re dealing with?¡± Arella asked.


    ¡°The boy was implanted with a star seed. My church has seen such things in the past and has long-developed the means to extract them. There will be damage, depending on how long the seed has been inside them, but no irrevocable harm.¡±


    ¡°What good does that do Jonah?¡± Danielle spat. It was the first time she had spoken since Emir led her away from Jonah¡¯s ruined body.


    ¡°What is this star seed, exactly?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°They are the creations of entities from beyond your physical reality, only existing in the deep astral,¡± the Archbishop said. ¡°They are known by various names, but most commonly as the great astral beings. There are heretics in our world who offer them improper veneration, perversely akin to how the pious worship the gods. The astral beings can bestow blessings, like gods, but cannot bestow essence and awakening stones. Instead, they can send their followers star seeds.¡±


    ¡°Is that what the people we tried to capture were using to kill themselves?¡± Emir asked.¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± the Archbishop said. ¡°The seed must first be implanted into the body. Once it has germinated, the body undergoes a transformation, which may be minor or major.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve seen that,¡± Thalia said. ¡°The people who attacked the expedition were bizarre combinations of flesh and steel.¡±


    ¡°Once the transformation is complete, the remnant power of the star seed is available for the heretic to use. Exploding that power to kill themselves should be well within their capabilities.¡±


    ¡°And they put those things in our children,¡± Thalia growled. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill them all.¡±


    ¡°And so you should,¡± the Archbishop said. ¡°The seeds turn the implanted people into vessels for the astral beings; puppets without will. Only the most dedicated volunteer for such a process. At first the influence is subtle. Their memories and personalities remaining intact, the only control being a drive to protect the seeds within them from discovery. Slowly, without their even realising it is happening, the hosts become puppets. Their personalities are supplanted, shifting towards the will of the astral being who crafted the seeds.¡±


    ¡°How long does that take?¡± Thalia asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± the Archbishop said. ¡°I only know this much because I have studied all manner and means of impurity. I have never encountered a star seed in person. I will consult my church¡¯s records after returning to the city.¡±


    ¡°Why weren¡¯t these seeds found before now?¡± Thalia asked. ¡°All five were examined in the camp, then back in the city, by silver-rank healers. Why didn¡¯t they find these things inside them?¡±


    ¡°Star seeds are not some affliction to be easily purged by an essence ability,¡± the Archbishop explained. ¡°These are transcendent-rank objects, brought into being by entities so vast and alien that we cannot comprehend the fullness of them.  They require more than some simple ritual or essence ability to discover, let alone, purge. We should give thanks to our gods for shielding us from such things.¡±


    ¡°Your god didn¡¯t help Jonah,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Your god¡¯s ritual tore him apart.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps if your family were more dedicated in their piety, he would have been protected.¡±


    The whole group stopped as Emir used a mirage step to get between Danielle and the Archbishop, holding a hand out to forestall her rage. After checking she wasn¡¯t going to try and rush past him, Emir turned a fierce glare on the priest.


    ¡°You had best watch yourself, Archbishop,¡± Emir warned. ¡°Keep talking like that and I won¡¯t get in her way again.¡±


    The Archbishop snorted derision but didn''t say anything else, resuming their passage through the gardens. After a heavy pause, the others followed.


    ¡°The next step must be to retrieve the other four,¡± Arella said as they neared the main house. ¡°You are certain you can extract these seeds without harming the people they are implanted in?¡±


    ¡°Without harming, no; without killing, yes. I am certain my church has the means, although there are two requirements. First, we must get hold of the people that harbour them before the seeds have taken too deep a root. Once the seeds have overtaken the body, they impinge upon the soul, after which it is too late. The second requirement is that we need to know which astral entity created the seeds. Each such entity creates a different seed and must be adjusted for, accordingly.¡±


    ¡°That gives us two priorities, then,¡± Arella said. ¡°First, retrieve the remaining four affected, which should be the easy part. The Adventure Society has people watching them, waiting on the results of this ritual. Now we are certain they¡¯ve been compromised, we can have them brought in immediately. They will be apprehended and Mr Bahadir¡¯s portal user can bring them back to Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°What about finding out which great astral being we¡¯re dealing with?¡± Danielle asked. ¡°I want to know who is doing this to us.¡±


    ¡°I can answer that!¡± a voice called out.


    They were nearing the main house, where the pathways leading all through estate converged into an open space. Coming from another path was an agitated Clive, with Rick and Belinda in tow.


    Rick cast an anxious gaze over the group. He saw that Jonah was not with them, while Ernest, who he had last seen guarding Jonah, was. Then he spotted Danielle, red-eyed and distraught, which startled him. He had never seen her in any state but complete self-control. Rick¡¯s whole body slumped as he realised what that meant for Jonah¡¯s fate.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Arella asked Clive as he hurried over to them.


    ¡°You were talking about an astral entity, right?¡± Clive asked. ¡°I know which one it is, and what it¡¯s after.¡±


    The two groups converged as Rick and Belinda followed, then grew again as Humphrey, Jason and Sophie appeared. Belinda and Sophie shared a surprised look at each other¡¯s presence, while Humphrey was startled by his mother¡¯s plain distress, rushing to her side. His large figure towered over her as he embraced her in a deep hug.


    ¡°I think, perhaps,¡± Arella said, ¡°We should take any further discussion inside.¡±


    She turned to Ernest.


    ¡°You were part of the group that found the five, yes?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I was,¡± Ernest said.


    ¡°I assume there is a speaking chamber here on the estate. The personal autonomy of the other four is no longer valid. Tell the rest of your group to take the remaining four into custody immediately and bring them in, under the full authority of the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am,¡± Ernest said before moving off at a half-run.


    ¡°We have a conference room in the house,¡± Danielle said, giving Humphrey¡¯s worried arms a reassuring pat as she moved out of them. ¡°We can hear out Mr Standish there. Humphrey, please see to the rest of our guests.¡±


    Danielle led the group inside the house, leaving Humphrey with Jason, Belinda, Sophie and Rick.


    ¡°What are you doing here, Lindy?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Complicated magic with the fate of the world at stake,¡± Belinda said causally. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s getting late and I was offered a hammock.¡±


    ¡°My thing is more exciting,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Sounds like it. Who were all those people?¡±


    ¡°Just a bunch of rich folk,¡± Belinda said. ¡°So, a hammock? Do you remember that guy Barry? He always used to sleep in a hammock.¡±


    ¡°Was he the one that got killed when an anvil fell on him?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one. Building a smithy on the third floor was a terrible idea.¡±


    ¡°I recall a lot of his ideas being bad.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. He wanted to, you know, in his hammock one time. I thought it would be fun but it was just awkward.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m told it takes practice,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Of course you were told that,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Anyone who looks at you, their first thought is ¡®how to get that girl to practise sex with me a lot?¡¯ That¡¯s how we got into this whole mess, remember?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how I¡¯d describe it.¡±


    As the two women talked, Humphrey and Jason approached Rick, staring blankly into the air.


    ¡°Rick?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Jonah made it,¡± Rick said absently, eyes unfocused.


    ¡°He¡¯s dead?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t say, but you saw your mother.¡±


    Humphrey bowed his head, running his hands through it. ¡°Gods damn it. I didn¡¯t know things were that bad.¡±


    ¡°Ernest brought him in by portal,¡± Rick said. ¡°They had me waiting to go get all the...¡±


    He waved his arm at the house where all the important people had gone, leaving them behind.


    ¡°Where was that?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°The ritual room. The big, isolated one.¡±


    "Well, let''s go take a look," Humphrey said. "See if we can''t get some answers."


    Humphrey pointed out a building annexed from the main house.


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the visitor residences,¡± he said. ¡°Jason, you, Miss Wexler and her friend can go straight in.¡±


    Jason nodded, patting Rick on the shoulder.


    ¡°Let me know about Jonah, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Clive was pacing at the end of a conference room, while the group of Greenstone¡¯s most important people sat around the conference table.


    ¡°How did you know one of the great astral beings was involved?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°You are here to answer our questions,¡± the Archbishop said. ¡°Not the other way around.¡±


    ¡°Right, yes. Um, so, great astral beings. We don¡¯t know all that much about most of them, because only a handful seem to take any interest in physical realities. The World-Phoenix, the All-Devouring Eye, the Reaper, the Celestial Book. More than any of those, however, one called the Builder takes specific interest in physical realities.¡±


    ¡°You seem well versed in the knowledge of these beings,¡± the Archbishop said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°I happen to venerate the Celestial Book myself. It¡¯s fairly common for those of us heavily involved in magical theory.¡±


    ¡°You admit to being a heretic?¡± the Archbishop asked, half-standing. The rage on his face was a stark contrast to the emotionless way he had observed Jonah¡¯s horrific death.


    Clive glared back at the Archbishop.


    ¡°I suppose I could be considered a heretic,¡± Clive said. ¡°The same way that the exploitation of rigid dogma to act out personal prejudice could be considered faith.¡±


    The Archbishop¡¯s silver-rank aura exploded out towards Clive but was immediately crushed by Emir¡¯s gold rank aura.


    ¡°This is not the time, Archbishop. We are here to listen, not judge.¡±


    ¡°The gods are always judging us. Forgoing righteousness for expediency is an easy path to sin.¡±


    ¡°And not shutting up is the path to being kicked out,¡± Danielle said. ¡°This is my home and you are here by my forbearance.¡±


    The Archbishop scowled but settled silently back into his seat.


    ¡°Emotions are running high, and with good reason,¡± Emir said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the fact that tempering ourselves will accomplish more than indulging ourselves will.¡±


    Emir panned his gaze around the room, asserting his authority with a delicate but unmistakable employment of his aura.


    ¡°Please, continue, Mr Standish,¡± he said.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Clive said. ¡°As I was saying, there is one astral entity who takes more interest than the others in physical realities, which is to say, worlds like ours. Most of the others operate similarly to gods in that what they want is the promotion of various ideals. The World-Phoenix fosters dimensional integrity; the Celestial Book promotes the understanding of magic¡¯s underlying nature. The Reaper advocates the finality of death. The Builder is not like these others. It has no interest in disseminating principals and is instead obsessed with physical reality while, by its very nature, being unable to co-exist with it. This dichotomy of its core drive and its intrinsic properties has led to an undertaking on such ambition it staggers belief.¡±


    ¡°What kind of undertaking?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°It is building a world of its own,¡± Clive said. ¡°Creating a new physical reality in the deep astral. The way it does this is to take raw materials that are neither fully of the astral or of physical reality.¡±


    "You''re talking about astral spaces,¡± Arella said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Clive said. ¡°Astral spaces form attached to worlds, without which they immediately break down. Without a world to anchor them, they cannot exist. But if an astral space is given the ability to sustain itself, even for just a brief period, the Builder can take it and anchor it to the world the Builder is creating from stolen parts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that those people we fought were trying to steal the astral space for this Builder?¡± Arella asked. ¡°A dimensional pirate, plundering chunks of reality from which to build its own?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying. An astral being cannot interact with physical reality directly, so it needs to recruit others to act for it. The Builder recruits people to carve off the astral spaces connected to their world, then it steps in and claims them. I¡¯ve read about the Builder doing this, but now I¡¯ve seen the means by which it does so.¡±


    ¡°What are the ramifications of losing astral spaces?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°It varies, since different astral spaces are connected to worlds in different ways. The process they were using in our local astral space was designed to keep the astral space intact, at the cost of catastrophic destruction to the physical reality. I can confidently assert that the results would be similar in other instances.¡±


    ¡°We have reports of astral spaces suffering incursions like ours all over the world,¡± Arella said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Clive said. ¡°Astral spaces, all over the world. We¡¯re talking about cataclysmic destruction the world over. Death and destruction on a civilisation-ending scale. The only comfort I can take is that there are smarter people than me looking into all this and stronger people than us doing something about it. This is a threat that extends beyond the reaches of our world. We need diamond rankers to act, and act fast.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short, Mr Standish,¡± Emir said. ¡°The information you¡¯re giving us is not information we¡¯ve been getting from elsewhere. Either they don¡¯t know, or they are hiding the potential risks to avoid panic.¡±


    ¡°At the risk of agreeing with the Archbishop,¡± Thalia Mercer said, ¡°how confident are you in this information, Standish?¡±


    ¡°Very,¡± Clive said. ¡°My knowledge of the great astral beings comes from one of the Magic Society¡¯s previous directors. The great astral beings were his field of study and he had a collection of journals from diamond-rank adventurers who had travelled between worlds. He left those to me after his death and I know them well.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re sure this Builder¡¯s people are the ones doing these things to our astral spaces?¡± Thalia asked.


    ¡°Yes. The Builder, as I mentioned, has no driving ideology. He forms groups, cults, driven not by ideology, but through gifts of power. The fact that we are seeing any of this suggests they have been operating here for years. Maybe decades.¡±


    ¡°But you are certain this Builder is behind them?¡± Arella asked.


    ¡°I have managed to successfully simulate what they were doing in the Geller¡¯s mirage chamber. The goal of their efforts was to reinforce the astral space and sever it from our world. Nothing short of a great astral being has the power to make anything of such an act, and of them, only the Builder has any interest in it.¡±


    ¡°I think our next move should be to confirm this information as best we can,¡± Arella said. ¡°If combine we what we¡¯ve seen today, Mr Standish¡¯s findings and the experiences of the expedition together, we may well have at least an acceptable level of confirmation to disseminate to the Adventure Society at large.¡±


    ¡°Mr Standish, I¡¯d like a look at those journals, if you don¡¯t mind,¡± Emir requested.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made copies of the originals,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ll deliver them to your cloud palace.¡±


    ¡°I shall look into the records of our rituals for removing star seeds,¡± the Archbishop said. ¡°There may be details in the rituals for removing this Builder¡¯s seeds that help confirm he is the one.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll turn the more scholarly members of my family loose on the temple of knowledge¡¯s library,¡± Danielle said. ¡°The goddess always welcomes seekers of truth.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do likewise,¡± Thalia said.


    ¡°I will make sure that everything we learn is spread to the Adventure Society as a whole and see if they have anything in return,¡± Arella said. ¡°We aren¡¯t the only ones dealing on this problem, but one group of many working to contribute.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Emir said, standing up. ¡°We all have our tasks; we should get to them. Well done, Mr Standish.¡±


    ¡°The hour is getting late,¡± Danielle said, also getting up. ¡°You are all welcome to stay the night. We have ample room.¡±


    Thalia and Emir accepted the offer, with the Archbishop and Elspeth Arella declining; everyone recognised that neither the priest nor the Adventure Society director were truly welcome in Danielle Geller¡¯s home. They went off to their transport while Danielle led Thalia, Emir and Clive toward the guest wing.


    ¡°Mr Standish,¡± Emir said as they left the conference room. ¡°Have you ever considered becoming a professional treasure hunter?¡±

 Chapter 135: Fabulous Prizes

    Announcement


    There will a permanent schedule change, beginning next week. Weekly chapter count will remain the same, but releases will be Tue-Sat my local time in Australia, which is Mon-Fri in the Americas.


    The day¡¯s first light found Jason meditating on a porch. It was attached to just one of the Geller family guest houses, each larger than the four-bedroom home Jason grew up in. Like most of the Geller estate building, it was nestled amongst the lush greenery of the gardens.


    Ability [Cloak of Night] (Dark) has reached Iron 6 (100%).Ability [Cloak of Night] (Dark) has reached Iron 7 (00%).


    Jason opened his eyes. His recent two-week storm of monster hunting had not been as effective at raising his abilities as he hoped. His lower-level abilities improved well enough, but his highest-rank ones were starting to plateau. Once he was back in the city, he would seek out Rufus for advice.


    Jason Asano


    Race: Outworlder.Current rank: ironProgression to bronze rank: 25% (2/4 essences complete)


    Attributes


    [Power] (Blood):[Iron 5].[Speed] (Dark): [Iron 0].[Spirit] (Doom): [Iron 0].[Recovery] (Sin): [Iron 5].


    Racial Abilities (Outworlder)


    [Party Interface].[Quest System].[Inventory].[Map].[Astral Affinity].[Mysterious Stranger].


    Essences (4/4)


    Dark [Speed] (3/5)


    [Midnight Eyes] (special ability): [Iron 8] 19%.[Cloak of Night] (special ability): [Iron 7] 00%.[Path of Shadows] (special ability): [Iron 7] 04%.


    Blood [Power] (5/5)


    [Blood Harvest] (spell): [Iron 6] 98%.[Leech Bite] (special attack): [Iron 6] 14%.[Feast of Blood] (spell): [Iron 5] 92%.[Sanguine Horror] (familiar): [Iron 6] 89%.[Haemorrhage] (spell): [Iron 5] 06%.


    Sin [Recovery] (5/5)


    [Punish] (special attack): [Iron7] 23%.[Feast of Absolution] (spell): [Iron 6] 23%.[Sin Eater] (special ability): [Iron 6] 69%.[Hegemony] (aura): [Iron 7] 69%.[Castigate] (spell): [Iron 5] 23%.


    Doom [Spirit] (4/5)


    [Inexorable Doom] (spell): [Iron 7] 16%.[Punition] (spell): [Iron 6] 54%.[Blade of Doom] (spell): [Iron 4] 39%.[Verdict] (spell): [Iron 3] 94%.


    Jason could feel the changes in his attributes. His power attribute made him stronger than he had been before. He could better handle being knocked around by monsters, as well. It was nothing like the superhuman strength of Gary or even Rufus, but compared to his previous self it was definitely noticeable. Additionally, his increased recovery attribute had greatly increased his stamina, and his mana recovery was quicker than previous.


    The changes were reflected in his physical appearance, as well. His meagre physique wasn¡¯t bulking out, but flaccid muscle was gradually becoming sleek and lean. He stood up and stretched.


    ¡°Feeling sexy.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± Emir asked, approaching along a garden path.


    ¡°I said I¡¯m feeling sexy,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not ashamed to admit it. You¡¯re up and about, early.¡±


    ¡°Lots to do,¡± Emir said. ¡°I wanted to talk to you before I headed back for the city.¡±


    Jason returned his meditation mat to his inventory and gestured Emir towards the outdoor furniture on the porch.


    ¡°Iced tea?¡± Jason offered.


    ¡°That would be nice,¡± Emir said. The delta heat was already rising. Jason took a pair of tall glasses and a pitcher from his inventory. He filled a glass with ruby red tea, chilled by the chunks of ice in the pitcher. Emir took an appreciative sip.


    ¡°What did you put in this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Gem berries,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re in season.¡±


    Emir took another sip before turning to his main topic.


    ¡°The reason I¡¯ve come by is that I wanted to talk to you. I anticipated having this conversation earlier but the delay is for the best, given recent revelations. How much are you aware of what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°You mean the monster from beyond reality who likes playing with blocks? Clive told us about it last night.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear about the star seeds?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Between what Ernest saw and Clive knows, I think I have it all.¡±


    ¡°What do you think about what our enemies are doing, seeding those people?¡±


    Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°I think their plan is going about as well as they could ask, given it was almost certainly hatched in a very short time.¡±


    ¡°Care to expand on that?¡± Emir asked.


    Jason snorted a laugh


    ¡°You know, I had teachers like you,¡± he said. ¡°The ones that make you keep talking until they¡¯re sure you¡¯re right, or sure you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    Emir chuckled. ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to understand some of Rufus¡¯ complaints about you. Why don¡¯t you go ahead and indulge me?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°Think about it from the bad guys¡¯ perspective. They¡¯ve been working for months in this astral space, only for a small army of adventurers to arrive. They know the jig is up, so they knock together a hasty plan. Use their construct army to send the invading adventurers into disarray, giving the villains of the piece time to extricate their people. While they¡¯re at it, they snag some iron-rankers in the chaos, shove in some star seeds and leave them in suspiciously easy to find locations. They scarper, leaving us with a bunch of suspiciously suspicious people to be suspicious of. Which we are. Secretive meetings between powerful people; the local powers scrambling to figure out what¡¯s been done to them without setting off a political volcano. In the meantime, their actual agents are running around without us wondering if they even exist.¡±


    ¡°You think the five were a distraction?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the only thing they¡¯re good for. Attempting to use them as agents for some agenda would be pointless because they¡¯ve been watched from the moment we got them back, which was obviously going to happen. My guess would be that they have a secondary objective. Maybe another astral space, somewhere.¡±


    ¡°How would you go about figuring out if they¡¯re just a distraction?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy; the key is the other four. They¡¯re only iron rank, so if they mysteriously slip the higher-rank people who try and bring them in, forcing us to focus even more time and resources on them, then they¡¯re definitely a distraction. Whoever is responsible for that might have even let Jonah get taken so they would find what¡¯s inside him. That way, we have to make retrieving the others the priority, even if we figure out they¡¯re a distraction. We can¡¯t just leave a bunch of wealthy scions full of interdimensional mind-control bombs.¡±


    Emir gave Jason an assessing look as he refilled his glass.


    ¡°So, teach, was I right or wrong?¡±


    ¡°We send word to bring the four in last night,¡± Emir said. ¡°They all escaped the people keeping an eye on them. The Hornis branch of the Adventure Society is conducting a large-scale search.¡±


    ¡°There you go,¡± Jason said. ¡°You need to get people looking for the real agents, maybe find out if there¡¯s another astral space nearby. But you already have people on that, don¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°There is another astral space,¡± Emir said. ¡°Smaller than the desert astral space, and different in several key ways. It¡¯s been hidden for longer than Greenstone has been here, but it¡¯s still here.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you have things well in hand,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There are some complications,¡± Emir said. ¡°I¡¯ve already mentioned to you the event I came to Greenstone to conduct.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said. ¡°This place you want explored is an astral space?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but one much harder to enter than the desert astral space. It requires certain conditions to open that I have spent most of the last two years looking to fulfil, all while looking for the entrance.¡±


    ¡°Which is here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Not right here, but close enough. I had my people confirm it shortly after I arrived. The major complication, however, is that even once opened, only iron-rankers may enter. We¡¯ve tried considerable measures to get around it, none of which were found to be viable.¡±


    ¡°So you need a bunch of iron rankers to explore it for you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Precisely. There is something my client wants inside it and considerable rewards await whoever brings it to me.¡±


    ¡°Two years of searching; I imagine the rewards that await you are even more considerable.¡±


    ¡°Indeed they are,¡± Emir said. ¡°It¡¯s what allows me to be so generous.¡±


    ¡°How generous is that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you the main prize, but the secondary prize is five legendary awakening stones for whichever team brings me the item. That should give you some indication.¡±


    ¡°Five legendary stones is the secondary prize? That¡¯s generous, alright.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, your chances of winning the prize have rather dropped,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°You know I pushed back the event, in the wake of the expedition.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the iron rankers you¡¯re shipping in from outside the city? It¡¯s going to be harder because I won¡¯t just be up against Greenstone¡¯s trashy iron-rankers.¡±


    ¡°Essentially, yes.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t really change anything. The smart money was always on Beth Cavendish and her team, or maybe one some of the Geller groups. Rick¡¯s team has taken some hits, but they have, what? Five more teams?¡±


    ¡°Humphrey is a Geller. Are you going to formalise a team?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve talked about it.¡±


    ¡°You should do more than talk,¡± Emir said. ¡°Your abilities should be starting to slow down their advancement by now, yes.¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with a team?¡±


    ¡°You need to start focusing on the contracts for which you are poorly-suited. You need to push yourself harder.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Go for the hard stuff, but have a team to save you when it goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for the advice.¡±


    Emir finished his glass of iced tea.


    ¡°Another?¡± Jason offered.


    ¡°Please.¡±


    Emir let out a sigh as Jason poured.


    ¡°These revelations about astral spaces are having an unpleasant impact on my plans,¡± he said.


    ¡°Do they want you to leave the astral space sealed, or use it as bait?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Bait. They want an examination by the purity church to be a condition of participation, but only tell people that once they¡¯re assembled onsite. I¡¯m not sure if the church can muster an appropriate test, but we may uncover people when they refuse to be subjected to it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m willing to be subjected to it,¡± Jason said. ¡°What kind of examination are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. The impression I get is that these seeds are hard to discover without invasive methods.¡±


    ¡°Well if you think I¡¯m letting a priest shove a probe up in me, you¡¯re sorely mistaken, which I imagine will be the majority opinion. Not to mention that if I were these people, the iron-rankers I¡¯d send would be evil-implant free.¡±


    ¡°Whatever we decide to do,¡± Emir said, ¡°I¡¯ll be asking certain participants I trust to keep an eye out in the astral space. We have no idea who could be a Builder cultist.¡±


    Jason frowned.


    ¡°That rings a bell,¡± he said. ¡°Builder cultist. I¡¯ve seen that somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t remember,¡± Jason said, absently scratching his head. ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ve seen it, but¡­ oh, that¡¯s going to annoy me until I figure it out.¡±


    Emir drained his second glass.


    ¡°That¡¯s really good, thank you,¡± he said, standing up. ¡°I¡¯ll leave you to it; I want to call in on our hostess before I go.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t look in the best way, yesterday,¡± Jason said. ¡°She took Jonah¡¯s death hard.¡±


    ¡°Danielle blames herself for the expedition¡¯s failures. Not as much as she blames Elspeth Arella, but still. Then once she thinks it¡¯s all over, her family loses someone else.¡±


    ¡°I knew Jonah,¡± Jason said. ¡°He was easy to hate, but also hard to stop yourself from liking. Eventually. We need to get these people.¡±


    ¡°Yes we do,¡± Emir said as he stepped off the porch. ¡°Try and remember where you heard about Builder cultists from. If we can track down any of their activities outside the astral space, it might be the thread we follow right to them.¡±


    Jason, Humphrey and Sophie joined Clive and Belinda to travel back to the city in Clive¡¯s airboat. Due to the space constraints, Clive¡¯s rune tortoise, Onslow, was unable to take his usual position on the prow. Clive called him back into his body, where he appeared on Clive¡¯s torso as a runic tattoo.


    ¡°What ability do you get when Onslow merges into you?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I can use the rune powers on his shell as spells,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°That¡¯s nice,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s like having even more essence abilities. That¡¯s a fantastic familiar power.¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s own familiar, Stash, was currently in puppy form, laid back in Belinda¡¯s lap, getting a scratch on the tummy. He suddenly struggled out of Belinda¡¯s clutches and started trying to push himself into Humphrey¡¯s leg.


    ¡°Silly boy,¡± Humphrey said, picking him up. ¡°You can¡¯t go inside me; you¡¯re not that kind of familiar.¡±


    Puppy Stash let out a little whine, giving Humphrey a pouty look before transforming into a bird.


    ¡°No!¡± Humphrey yelled as bird Stash leapt from his hand and promptly got sucked through the magical ring at the rear as it pull air through itself to propel the boat.


    ¡°Again?¡± Clive asked as he slowed down the airboat. ¡°Every time, this happens.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard me tell him,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°You need to get control of your familiar,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t in any more control of your familiar,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s just so slow that you can¡¯t tell it¡¯s running away.¡±


    The airboat came to a full stop and a frog the size of a St. Bernard swam up to the side, threatening to tip the airboat as it tried to climb on.


    ¡°You¡¯re too big,¡± Humphrey told it and it turned back into a puppy that adorably scrambled at the side of the boat before plopping back into the water. Humphrey reached down to pluck it out, ignoring how wet his clothes were getting as he held Stash to his chest.


    ¡°Poor little guy. It happened again, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    The wet puppy snuggled into Humphrey¡¯s chest as Clive started the boat up again. As they closed in on the city, Jason remembered the voice chat they had as they left.


    ¡°Are you going to see Hudson about joining Rick¡¯s team when you get to the city?¡± Jason asked Humphrey.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°You know there was another guy who was on Thadwick¡¯s team,¡± Jason said. ¡°If we¡¯re going to put a team together ourselves, we¡¯ll need a healer.¡±


    ¡°Neil Davone,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I can go and talk to him after, but it may be too late already. Even with Thadwick on his record, people will snatch up a loose healer.¡±


    ¡°I should be the one to do it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°You had a history with Thadwick yourself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why it has to be me. If it¡¯s going to work, that air needs to be cleared.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. That¡¯ll make five, then right?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Who are the other two?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°You and her,¡± Jason told him, jerking a thumb at Sophie.


    ¡°You want me on your team?¡±


    ¡°Of course we do,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want someone, I don¡¯t know... good?¡±


    Jason and Humphrey shared a glance and laughed.


    ¡°You are good,¡± Humphrey told Clive.


    ¡°I am?¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Clive said, tilting his head with a nonplussed. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong; you¡¯re no solo operator,¡± Jason said. ¡°You need someone to stand between you and the bad guy, but once you have that, you¡¯ve got the goods.¡±


    ¡°And she¡¯s good too?¡± Clive asked, looking at Sophie.


    ¡°No, but she¡¯s cheap,¡± Jason said, right before Sophie punched him on the arm.


    ¡°Ow. Don¡¯t forget you¡¯re my indentured servant; I can make you walk the plank. Does anyone have a plank in their storage space?¡±

 Chapter 136: Any Team Except Yours

    Jason walked up from the loop line into one the most verdant neighbourhoods on the Island, with streets and residences both full of vibrant greenery with long leaves and colourful flowers. The water-affinity of the green stone that was the foundation of the Island helped the flowers deny the encroaching autumn. The houses didn¡¯t have yards so much as grounds, with low walls that were more about decoration than security. There weren¡¯t street numbers, but family names appeared on plaques near the entry gates.


    Jason found the one he was looking for and approached the gate. On the other side was a gateman reading a book in a small gazebo for shade. He clearly was more greeter than security as he looking older than the house he was guarding, although his normal aura said he was no such thing. He put his book down to approach Jason from the inside of the gate.


    ¡°May I enquire as to who is visiting?¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano. I¡¯m looking for Neil Davone.¡±


    The old elf nodded and opened the gate, directing Jason to go up the path to the house and knock.


    Doing just that, Jason saw some people taking drinks on a terrace and gardeners maintaining the grounds, all of whom were elves. The relaxing people glanced at him with curiosity made no move to approach as he did as instructed, going to the front door and knocking. Another elf opened the door, an older man who was the very image of understated elegance. Jason was again asked his business and he introduced himself a second time.


    ¡°Ah, Mr Asano. I was sorry to hear about your demotion and have no doubt you shall soon be rising through the ranks once more.¡±


    ¡°You know about my demotion? And that I exist?¡±


    ¡°It is incumbent on the staff to keep abreast of issues that may impact the household.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s only true with a certain calibre of staff,¡± Jason said. ¡°I doubt everyone shares your professionalism.¡±


    "Thank you for saying, sir. Would you care to wait in the parlour while I check on the young master''s availability?"


    ¡°That would be lovely,¡± Jason said. The elf butler led Jason into a garden parlour, just off a large courtyard filled with greenery. The elf had barely gone before a maid came in with a tea tray with finger cakes.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said as she poured the tea.


    ¡°This blend is from the family¡¯s holdings in the Mistrun valley,¡± The maid told him as he took a sip. ¡°They produce some of the finest  tea fields in the world.¡±


    Jason took another sip and nodded.


    ¡°I believe it,¡± he said, giving her a smile. ¡°I can¡¯t think of a finer cup I¡¯ve had.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± the maid said before withdrawing. Jason enjoyed the breeze drifting in from the courtyard, carrying with it a pleasant scent of flowers. Once he finished the first cup he poured himself another and helped himself to one of the cakes as he waited. When Neil Davone finally entered, Jason got up to greet him.


    They sat down, Neil pouring tea for himself into the other cup.


    ¡°So what brings you to my home, Asano?¡± Neil asked. Jason read his tone as civil, with an undercurrent of either challenge or resentment.


    ¡°The same reason I imagine all manner of young adventurers have come by,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You want a healer. You¡¯re putting together a team.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Before we get into that, can I ask you something?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Everyone I¡¯ve seen here is an elf.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a question,¡± Neil said. ¡°We¡¯re an elven household; what¡¯s odd about that?¡±


    ¡°Are you adopted?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Your parents are elves?¡±


    ¡°Of course they are,¡± Neil said. ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°Is your milkman a human?¡±


    ¡°What in the world are you talking about?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just wondering why you aren¡¯t an elf,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I am an elf.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an elf?¡±


    Annoyed, Neil brushed back his hair to reveal a tapered ear.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Jason said, not hiding his surprise.


    ¡°Why would you think I¡¯m a human?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s just¡­ look. Elves are a slender bunch. Except for Lucian Lamprey, who is probably on some kind of magical roids, but that¡¯s beside the point. For a human, your proportions are completely healthy. For an elf, though, you¡¯re bit of a chunker.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You know; an extra bit of heft. Too much time at the sandwich shop. An overenthusiastic between-meal snacker.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m fat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying you¡¯re fat,¡± Jason assured him. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s even possible for essence users. I¡¯m just saying you look fat. For an elf.¡±


    ¡°This is how you try and recruit someone?¡± Neil asked incredulously.


    ¡°It does seem like I¡¯m negging you, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Jason asked with an apologetic grimace. ¡°Sorry. I really don¡¯t want to be that guy.¡±


    ¡°Negging?¡±


    ¡°What it really comes down to is that I¡¯m less of a best foot forward guy than an honest foot forward guy,¡± Jason said. ¡°What you see is what you get, and if you join up with us, there''ll be a lot of this, if I''m being honest. Which I am. You''ve seen me at my most petty when I was dealing with Thadwick. I could say that''s not a representative sample but that would be a lie. You should have seen my two-star promotion hearing. The transcript of that one must read very strangely."


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s why you got demoted,¡± Neil said pointedly.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t shock me,¡± Jason said cheerfully. ¡°So, on to the issue of forming a team. The first question is whether you¡¯ve already joined a team. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve had offers.¡±


    "I have had offers," Neil said. "The family is weighing them over."


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing they want to put you on a good team. You did them a solid by putting up with Thadwick all that time.¡±


    ¡°That is a concern for my family and not for you,¡± Neil said. ¡°Why should I give so much as a moment¡¯s consideration to joining your team?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any kind of elaborate pitch,¡± Jason said. ¡°All I have for you are two things; the reasons we want you to join us and the reasons you¡¯ll want you to join us.¡±


    ¡°You think I actually want to join you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Jason said. ¡°You haven¡¯t thought about it, yet. Let¡¯s start with why we want you to join us.¡±


    ¡°Why would I care about your reasons?¡±


    ¡°Because if you join us, we¡¯ll be your team, and what we think about each other will matter. Consider how Thadwick¡¯s attitude affected your old team.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know anything about our team.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying I do,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just saying think about it. How did Thadwick treat you? How did that affect the team? Same for your other team member, Dustin."


    Neil frowned but didn''t argue the point.


    ¡°We know you¡¯re a good healer,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rufus Remore said you¡¯re the real thing and that really means something.¡±


    ¡°Rufus Remore said I was good?¡±


    ¡°More than once,¡± Jason said. ¡°I may talk a lot of crap but he doesn¡¯t. If he says you¡¯re the goods, then you are. That¡¯s not why we want you though. It certainly doesn¡¯t hurt but that¡¯s not what we¡¯re looking for. You went against your own church out of principle. You stood up for people because it was right, even when it cost you. That¡¯s what we¡¯re looking for.¡±


    Jason gave Neil a wry smile.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m an arrogant fool,¡± Jason said. ¡°You work with what you have. It may seem like I have no guiding principles, but I do. You stood up for what you thought was right, which just so happened to help my friend Jory and who knows how many others. Whatever else happens, whether you join our team or tell us to take a hike, I want you to know that I respect you for that. I doubt you much care what I respect or don¡¯t, but there it is.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying us,¡± Neil said. ¡°Who is on this team of yours, exactly? I¡¯m assuming Humphrey Geller. Is Jory Tillman on it, too?¡±


    ¡°Not Jory,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s all about that medical research and isn¡¯t looking for a life of adventure. It¡¯s me and Humphrey, like you said. There¡¯s also a Magic Society guy, if Emir Bahadir doesn¡¯t poach him, and my indentured servant.¡±


    ¡°Bahadir wants to steal your team member?¡±


    ¡°He wants to employ him for non-adventure related purposes. He¡¯s a dab hand with the practical application of magical theory. Solid ritual magic, a bit of artifice. He just did an upgrade of the Gellers¡¯ mirage chamber.¡±


    ¡°And did you say your indentured servant?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯s doesn¡¯t have her Adventure Society membership yet, but we¡¯re training her up.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t exactly convincing,¡± Neil said. ¡°A magical researcher and a halfway slave who isn¡¯t even in the Society?¡±


    "Like I said; we''re training her up. She should be practising with Phoebe Geller in a training room in the cloud palace, right now. That kind of company, in that kind of location, should tell you something all by itself.¡±


    Neil shook his head.


    ¡°She was the thief everyone was chasing, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s her,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And now she¡¯s training in the cloud palace to be an adventurer. How does something like that even happen?¡±


    "The short answer? Me. Really, though, it''s the same way anything happens. You look at what you want to happen, then figure out what it''ll take to get there from where you are. You can do almost anything if you''re willing to do what it takes. People mostly fail at things because they balk at what they have to do. It''s not that the path isn''t there but that they aren''t willing to walk it. There''s a price they aren''t willing to pay, be it literal, political, social, whatever. But if you''re willing to commit, impossible is just a word for people convincing themselves not to try.¡±


    Jason gave Neil an easy smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re not one of those people,¡± Jason said. ¡°You proved that when you stood in front of your whole church and told them no.¡±


    ¡°I did think that stopping them was impossible,¡± Neil said.


    "Yet you stood up to them and stopped they were. Most people would have stood aside without ever finding out and that''s the difference. You tried. That''s something I want on my team."


    ¡°What about why I would want to join?¡± Neil asked. ¡°You aren¡¯t exactly enticing me with tales of a double-demoted guy and his indentured servant forming a team.¡±


    ¡°In fairness, she may be temporary. Her indenture is six months and she may quit after, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re trying to convince me to join any team except yours.¡±


    ¡°You want a reason to join our team? Humphrey Geller is the reason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been on a team with a big name,¡± Neil said. ¡°That has the exact opposite of appeal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the name,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s the man. Did you hear we once ran into a marsh hydra?¡±


    ¡°I heard. Thadwick though it was a lie.¡±


    ¡°Of course he did,¡± Jason said. ¡°It came on us unexpectedly, through a submerged tunnel while we were deep underground. Humphrey was by the exit and could have gotten clear. It was too small a hole for the monster to chase him but Humphrey didn¡¯t even look at the way out. He came and he stood by us because we weren¡¯t close enough to reach that way out. And he¡¯s the one who fought it, too. The rest of us just hung around at the back and tried not to die.¡±


    Jason drained his teacup and got to his feet.


    ¡°Everyone knows what Thadwick did to you during the expedition,¡± he said. ¡°Humphrey Geller will never do that. He¡¯ll walk into a field of death for no more reason than you¡¯re there already. I have to imagine that appeals to a man who literally stood in the path of his own church.¡±


    Jason snagged the last finger cake from the tray.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t the most impressive team,¡± Jason said. ¡°What you need to remember though, is that you and I are adventurers. Ask yourself, what¡¯s more valuable than people who will stand shoulder to shoulder with you when things are at their worst?¡±


    Jason bit the small piece of cake in half, muttering appreciatively.


    ¡°Thanks for your time, Neil. And the tea. If you¡¯d told your butler to kick me out, it would have been understandable.¡±


    Neil got up and showed Jason to the door. As he watched Jason walk toward the gate, he called out to him.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Jason asked, turning back.


    ¡°You have a shadow teleport, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°And that hydra caught you deep underground, right.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have gotten to that exit, too?¡±


    Jason scratched his head, absently thinking out it.


    ¡°It never occurred to me,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was really scary.¡±

 Chapter 137: More Than One Clown

    Phoebe Geller walked through the Adventure Society campus to the north shore. The cloud palace loomed off the end of the dock, dwarfing any building in Greenstone. Emir¡¯s chief of staff, Constance, came across the cloud bridge to meet her.


    ¡°Mistress Geller,¡± Constance greeted. ¡°This way, please.¡±


    ¡°This is a treat,¡± Phoebe said as they crossed the cloud bridge to the entrance. ¡°Everyone wants to take a look in here.¡±


    ¡°Mr Bahadir has had many fruitful dealings with the Geller family,¡± Constance said. ¡°He is happy to welcome you, albeit vicariously through me. Adding to his own affairs, recent events have been a heavy claimant on his time.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t expect a gold-ranker to make time for an iron-ranker like me. Even a silver-ranker, like yourself, is more than gratifying.¡±


    The cloud bridge spanned a few metres over the water below, leading to the large door that served as the main entrance. Like all doors on the palace, it was not an actual door but a section of wall marked out from the rest by its blue colouration and gold edging.


    ¡°Wait here a moment please,¡± Constance requested as she walked straight through. A few moments later, the door started rippling like the surface of a pond.


    ¡°Please enter,¡± Phoebe heard Constance say. After a brief moment of hesitation, she stepped through. Inside was a huge atrium with vast open space and large windows that just looked like more wall from the outside. There were doorways, two grand staircases and plants all over, in planters, decorative pots and even growing right out of the walls. Most impressive was a plant-ringed pond between the two staircases, fed by a small waterfall from two floors up.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°He really fits all this in a bottle?¡±


    ¡°The plants are the trickiest part,¡± Constance said. ¡°It¡¯s almost impossible to place living material inside dimensional storage, and even then, only some carefully chosen plants are viable. Your aura signature had been added to the cloud palace¡¯s registry, so you¡¯ll be able to access any of the unrestricted areas of the palace. That¡¯s now, or on any future visit.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Phoebe said, still craning her neck as she looked around.


    ¡°Miss Wexler is in one of our training rooms. If you¡¯ll follow me, please.¡±


    Constance led Phoebe through the palace, and out from the main building, along a walkway that rested on the surface of the water towards one of the four surrounding wings. A fresh breeze played through the open-air passage as water sloshed against the side. They entered the guest wing, passing a ballroom, a lounge and a dining hall on the way to an elevation platform that took them up two levels.


    They stepped off in a training hall that occupied the entire level and was the height of a three-storey building. The walls were almost all transparent, giving views of the shore, the ocean and the other wings of the palace. The platform deposited them in an observation area, separated from the rest by a translucent barrier. It was raised higher than the main combat area and included two change rooms, rows of seats and a drinks cabinet, all pointed out by Constance.


    On the other side of the barrier was the main combat area, currently full of artificial terrain made from cloud-stuff. The cloud was wildly coloured in blue, purple, orange and gold, making for a strange, alien landscape. Moving through it at blistering speed was a woman being pursued by faceless people and monsters; training dummies, rendered from the colourful and apparently quite versatile cloud-stuff.


    "That is Miss Sophie Wexler," Constance said as they watched the woman dart about the room. The dummies chasing her were various shapes and sizes, from humanoid to monster, waist-high to bigger than a long-haul wagon. The smaller figures were quick and chased after her directly. The larger forms clambered right over the terrain or sent lengthy tentacles snaking around it.


    Sophie had her hair tied back in a simple ponytail that flicked around behind her head. Her clothes were light and loose, white against her dark skin. She was practically flying around the room, making the most of the terrain with her speed and agility. Using movement to spread out the pursuing dummies, she would isolate a few at a time and turn the tables, thrashing them with a flurry of attacks before escaping, leaving the encroaching reinforcements behind.


    Phoebe noted there was some kind of power attached to each of Sophie¡¯s strikes as only a few blows would tear the smaller dummies to pieces. Against the larger ones she employed hit and run tactics, taking them down across multiple attacks. Big or small, however, each fallen dummy was immediately replaced with another, creating an unwinnable challenge.


    Phoebe sat down to watch as Constance took her leave. The acrobatic techniques Sophie used seemed wild and inefficient to Phoebe¡¯s eyes, yet she made it work. She was unarmed, yet the terrain became her weapon as she flitted about like a dragonfly. Her speed and agility were incredible, to the point Phoebe had a hard time believing she was iron rank.


    Phoebe looked on in fascination as Sophie fought off waves of endlessly replenishing monsters. Inevitably, Sophie started to flag and her opponents came closer and closer to boxing her in. Eventually, she was overrun, going down fighting before the dummies and terrain vanished as she collapsed beneath their attacks. The sudden empty combat area left Sophie on her back, panting on a suddenly flat, wide-open area.


    She rolled over onto her front, pushing herself heavily onto her knees then and then feet. She glanced over at Phoebe through the transparent barrier and trudged over, up the slope leading to the raised barrier and straight through the wall.


    ¡°You can only walk through it while the room is inactive,¡± Sophie said, seeing Phoebe¡¯s surprised expression. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about a loose dummy getting thrown through it.¡±


    There were two open-faced drink cabinets on the wall. One was filled with various kinds of liquor and a stack of small glasses. The other had glasses of chilled water, from which Sophie took one and drained it. She threw it at the wall, into which it vanished without a sound as she took a second from the cabinet. New glasses emerged from the back of the cabinet to replace the one she took, water pouring from above to fill them.


    Phoebe still had traces of her family¡¯s Greenstone origins, but was lighter-skinned than the locals, being from a distant branch family. Her hair was light brown, in a pixie cut that was short and practical but flattered her round face and delicate features.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look much like Geller,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°If you mean Humphrey, we¡¯re only distant cousins. I¡¯m Phoebe Geller.¡±


    ¡°Sophie Wexler. I¡¯ve heard you can fight.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the same about you,¡± Phoebe said with a challenging grin. ¡°You mostly seemed to be running away, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is that how it is?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Think you can prove me wrong?¡±


    Sophie pointed at one of the changing rooms.


    ¡°You can get changed in there.¡±


    Jason caught the loop line back from the Davone residence and spotted a familiar face as he emerged from the Adventure Society transit terminal.


    ¡°Gary,¡± he called out with a wave and hurried over to his friend. He hadn¡¯t seen him in weeks and clasped the big furry man in a quick hug.


    ¡°Cripes, Gary. I don¡¯t like to question a man¡¯s hygiene but I haven¡¯t seen you in two weeks and I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve seen a shower. You want some crystal wash?¡±


    Gary looked tired and dishevelled, although not so much as the man next to him. He was a human in scholarly robes with a lopsided Magic Society official¡¯s pin on his chest. He had an unruly mop of hair and an unkempt beard. His iron-rank aura meant his mid-thirties appearance was probably accurate. All in all, he looked like a slightly older, homeless version of Clive.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty ripe on the vine, alright,¡± Gary said. ¡°We¡¯ve been in a workshop all week, sleeping on cots.  Me and Russell here have been going over the remains of the construct monsters the expedition brought back,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯ve been stripping them down for Russell to figure out how they work.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been trying to work out how someone either snuck in or built from scratch a whole army of animated constructs without anyone realising,¡± Russell said. ¡°What Clive told us this morning about the origin of the people we¡¯re facing filled in some important pieces and we had a breakthrough.¡±


    ¡°He had a breakthrough,¡± Gary said. ¡°I was just taking the things apart.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try and play down your contribution,¡± Russell said. ¡°Without your expertise in deconstructing the intact specimen, the crucial piece could have been damaged, overlooked or lost entirely.¡±


    ¡°Take the compliment, Gary,¡± Jason said. ¡°Russell, I think we¡¯ve met.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Russell said. ¡°I was present for your initial Adventure Society intake. I¡¯ve heard about you a lot since.¡±


    ¡°You have?¡±


    ¡°If nothing else,¡± Russell said, ¡°Lucian Lamprey really, really doesn¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°The feeling¡¯s mutual.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Russell Clouns,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°Nice to meet you again.¡±


    ¡°Likewise,¡± Jason said. ¡°Clowns, you say?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Clouns.¡±


    ¡°As in, more than one clown?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about multiple clowns.¡±


    ¡°The Clouns aren¡¯t a big or prestigious family,¡± Russell said, confusion still plain on his face.


    ¡°But you¡¯re a whole family of clowns,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Uh, yes? I¡¯m still not sure why that matters.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d have bigger shoes.¡±


    ¡°Shoes?¡± Russell asked, looking down.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Gary said, ¡°we¡¯re both too tired for you right now.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, you should probably just go,¡± Jason told him, then turned back to Russell. ¡°Do you all travel around in one tiny carriage?¡±


    ¡°Some portion of this conversation definitely seems to have gotten past me,¡± Russell said.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s just Jason,¡± Gary said. ¡°He takes some getting used to. Jason, we have to go report some findings and then get some sleep.¡±


    ¡°You look like you¡¯ve been working hard.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gary said. ¡°We found something important, though.¡±


    ¡°Good going,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can tell me all about it once you wake up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking that will be about two days,¡± Gary said, Russell nodding his agreement. They parted ways, Jason watching as they trudged tiredly toward the administration building.


    [Russel Clouns] has been added to your contact list.


    ¡°That¡¯s disappointing,¡± Jason mused to himself. ¡°Finding out clowns were all a family of interdimensional travellers would have been fun.¡±


    Sophie and Phoebe gulped down large glasses of water, Phoebe following Sophie¡¯s lead in throwing her empty glass at the wall. They took fresh glasses from the cooler cabinet and sprawled into seats. Phoebe sighed as the soft cloud furniture enveloped her.


    ¡°You can really fight,¡± Phoebe said.


    ¡°You too,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°I¡¯m envious of all those special attacks.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m envious of that ability that negates them. Only my biggest attacks got through at all and I couldn¡¯t believe how quickly you learned to pick them out and dodge. You¡¯re impossible to pin down.¡±


    Phoebe settled happily in her chair, sipping at her second glass while Sophie moved into a meditative, cross-legged pose. Sophie recovered quickly, looking fresh when her eyes snapped open.


    ¡°Is that a recovery power?¡± Phoebe asked and Sophie nodded.


    ¡°Nice. Is it just mana and stamina, or health, too?¡±


    ¡°All three.¡±


    ¡°Nice. Not much good in a fight, but don¡¯t underestimate the value of quick recovery between skirmishes. When things went wrong in the big expedition it was a series of running battles. We¡¯d sometimes only get moments between fights and a power like that would make a huge difference.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for any big battles,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°When you¡¯re an adventurer,¡± Phoebe said, ¡°they sometimes come looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Adventurer,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m ready to pass that assessment.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that hard,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°Mostly they¡¯ll test your combat ability and you have no problems there. Always pay attention to what you¡¯re going to be up against. If you can afford it, buy a monster catalogue from the Magic Society so you can look up the next monster. Know what they can do going in and be ready for it. The other thing they¡¯ll test is judgement. If the invigilators try throwing you at something and it doesn¡¯t feel right, then tell them no. It¡¯s what they¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Sophie said. ¡°This whole thing is crazy. I can¡¯t tell if meeting Asano was the best or the worst thing that ever happened to me. You know him, right?¡±


    ¡°Not well, but he¡¯s not hard to figure out.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not?¡±


    ¡°Jason is a lot like Danielle Geller,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°She¡¯s subtle and refined where he¡¯s outrageous and disruptive, but they operate the same way. There¡¯s always a sense with Danielle that she¡¯s playing a game only she knows about. It¡¯s like you only ever see her from an angle. Jason is the same, except loud and distracting instead of subtle and nuanced. Basically, they¡¯re both good people who think like bad people.¡±


    ¡°That might explain why I always come away feeling disoriented,¡± Sophie said.


    Phoebe laughed. ¡°Yeah, I know that feeling.¡±


    ¡°But you think he¡¯s a good guy?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a little and heard a lot. That said, I should really show you this recording of a fight he had with my brother.¡±


    ¡°Geller ¨C Humphrey ¨C said something about a recording,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s something to see,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°I can bring it along if you want to do this again. There has to be a projector in this place somewhere, right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°What do you mean, no one¡¯s here?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°They are all important people, undertaking their own tasks to respond to this threat,¡± Genevieve said. ¡°They aren¡¯t just waiting around for people to come and tell them things. They will convene this evening and you can request to be heard then. Otherwise, the head of the inquisition team is present. At this moment she is the highest-ranked Adventure Society official in Greenstone.¡±


    "Forget that lady," Gary said. "Russell; go home and get some sleep. I''m going to the cloud palace. Either Bahadir is there or I can get some sleep. It''s a victory either way."


    As Jason arrived at the cloud palace, his mood and expression both went icy when he spotted Thalia Mercer departing. She spotted him in turn and they met halfway across the cloud bridge.


    ¡°Hello Jason,¡± she greeted.


    ¡°Thalia.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about how things ended with you and Cassandra.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    Anger crossed Thalia¡¯s face.


    ¡°My daughter isn¡¯t worth enough for you to care about losing her?¡±


    ¡°Of course she is,¡± Jason said, resuming his passage across the bridge by walking past her. ¡°I don¡¯t care that you¡¯re sorry.¡±

 Chapter 138: Resurrection

    Emir¡¯s private study occupied the entire domed top floor of the cloud palaces tallest and most central tower. One of the restricted areas of the palace, the only access without the power of flight was an elevating platform from lower floors. It would not activate for anyone but Constance and Emir, requiring Constance to escort Jason and Clive up. Emir had the dome set to almost full transparency, subtly dimming the bright sunlight while keeping the room fresh and cool.


    At a glance, the room seemed mostly empty, aside from the people in it and a few small circles of water in the floor from which plants were growing. The only furniture was the seats the existing occupants were sitting in, but two more rose up from the floor to accommodate Jason and Clive. Constance departed, riding the platform back down, only for a new platform to manifest in its place.


    ¡°Thank you for coming,¡± Emir said to them as they sat. Already in the room were Gary and Russell, both looking better for regular meals, showers and a couple of good night¡¯s sleep. They exchanged greetings, Jason noting that Clive and Russell seemed to know each other well. Clive had expounded more than once of the state of Magic Society personnel, but it seemed Russell was amongst the few Clive considered genuinely capable.


    ¡°You were lucky to catch us,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re about to take Wexler out for another monster run.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to be working on group tactics?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Humphrey¡¯s gotten excited about devising tactics based around our team setup,¡± Jason said. ¡°Finally putting all that training his family gave him to use. We¡¯re still short a healer but we can at least get a start on things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re leaving it to Humphrey instead of doing it yourself,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I may be a little self-impressed...¡±


    ¡°A little?¡± Clive interjected, getting a chuckle from Gary.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said, panning a pointed look from one to the other. ¡°A little. I know better than to think I know more than someone with training or experience.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°I do.¡±


    His shoulders slumped. ¡°Farrah hammered that into me. She wouldn¡¯t put up with it.¡±


    The room fell silent for a moment as all eyes fell to the floor, except for Russell who was smart enough to stay quiet.


    ¡°We found something,¡± Gary said, breaking the reverie.


    ¡°We¡¯re pretty sure this is how they made all those constructs,¡± Russell added, taking a small object wrapped in cloth from a pocket in his robes. ¡°Gary said you have an ability to identify objects and thought we should show you, to confirm.¡±


    He went to pass Jason the item, but Jason stopped him with a raised hand. Jason then added Emir, Gary and Russell to the party that already contained him and Clive.


    ¡°This ability has so much potential,¡± Emir said. ¡°How many people can you include at a time?¡±


    ¡°Myself plus nine more,¡± Jason said.


    Russell opened the cloth and took out the object inside. It was the size and shape of a monster core but made up of intricate, clockwork mechanisms.


    ¡°Touch it,¡± Jason said.


    Item: [Clockwork Core] (iron rank, rare)


    The core of an artificial monster. (crafting material, magic core).


    Effect: When used as the core of a construct creature, the materials and processes used are significantly simplified.


    ¡°That is useful,¡± Russell said. ¡°Can you do this for any item?¡±


    ¡°It doesn''t work on very high-rank items,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Still, possibilities abound. You should come work for the Magic Society.¡±


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told him, believe me,¡± Clive said.


    Russell wrapped the core back up, returning it to his pocket.


    ¡°Thank you for that, Jason,¡± Emir said. ¡°It¡¯s nice to confirm what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    ¡°So, these things are how they were able to build their construct army,¡± Jason said. ¡°Did the Builder supply them?¡±


    ¡°Not directly,¡± Russell said. ¡°Clockwork cores are produced by a creature called a clockwork king.¡±


    ¡°Some kind of monster?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Russell said. ¡°I managed to find some records on clockwork cores in the temple of knowledge¡¯s library, including their source, these clockwork kings.¡±


    ¡°What manner of creature are they?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°In our world, creatures like dragons are highly magical, but they are actual creatures that are born, live and die. They aren¡¯t monsters. Clockwork kings are the same, but they aren¡¯t native to our world. They¡¯re native to the world the Builder has created.¡±


    ¡°You think they¡¯ve come here, somehow?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Russell said. ¡°The bad news is, they''re gold-rank entities. The good news is that I don''t think there is one in this area. The constructs the expedition encountered were simple affairs. Basically, blocks of wood, stone and metal slapped together around one of these cores. Clockwork kings use the cores they create to craft more intricate and elaborate constructs. We haven¡¯t seen anything like what the records I found describe.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re crafting things, does that mean they¡¯re intelligent?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Russell said. ¡°They are likely to occupy key leadership positions.¡±


    ¡°Are they artificial creatures themselves, or living things?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°From my understanding of the Builder¡¯s world,¡± Clive contributed, ¡°that isn¡¯t a strict delineation.¡±


    ¡°That comports with what I found as well,¡± Russell agreed.


    ¡°Is there any chance there is a clockwork king here and the best constructs are being held back to hide that fact?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Lull us into a false sense of security?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Emir said. ¡°I think they would have used them to try and hold the astral space from us, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unlikely,¡± Clive said. ¡°Travel between worlds is not easy to arrange, even for a great astral being like the Builder. They can''t facilitate it directly because they¡¯re inimical to physical reality. An attempt to directly interact with a physical reality would be too destructive. As far as I''m aware, travelling between realities is the domain of diamond rankers, which means the Builder would have to rely on how many diamond-rankers he can spare from whatever other interests he has going on throughout the cosmos.¡±


    ¡°You said destructive,¡± Jason said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have thought the Builder would care about that.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t,¡± Clive said. ¡°The World-Phoenix does, however, and the great astral beings are careful about encroaching upon one another¡¯s interests. It¡¯s why they don¡¯t just resurrect any of their key minions who get killed as outworlders.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, resurrect?¡± Gary asked.


    "It''s about how death works," Clive said. "When the soul dies, it only lingers with the body for a small-time. Usually minutes, but an annihilated body might have the soul depart in seconds, while freezing to death might have it linger for an hour or even longer. It''s why if a gold rank healer can repair the body in that grace period, the death can be turned back."


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realise that was possible,¡± Jason said, not the only one in the room thinking bitterly of Farrah.


    ¡°For those of us who don¡¯t die next to one of the most powerful healers in the world,¡± Clive said, "our souls leave the body and the physical reality it''s in. An untethered soul is an astral object and drifts into the astral."


    ¡°Where do outworlders come into it?¡± Gary asked, glancing at Jason.


    ¡°An outworlder is someone whose soul has re-entered a physical reality, reflexively manifesting a body for itself,¡± Clive explained.


    ¡°Like a monster,¡± Jason added.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°An outworlder¡¯s body is akin to that of a monster, or a summoned familiar. It is physical substance forged out of raw magic. An in-between existence of the astral and the physical.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how you described astral spaces,¡± Emir pointed out.


    ¡°I did,¡± Clive said. ¡°The analogy is apt. The point, however, is that an outworlder is a soul that has been pushed, by whatever means, from the astral and into a physical reality. This normally happens when natural, magical phenomena connect one physical reality with another, creating a channel that drags someone between the two realities. Their body is annihilated as it passes through the astral, then reconstitutes itself when entering its new physical reality.¡±


    ¡°I see what you¡¯re saying,¡± Jason said. ¡°If one of these great astral beings took one of the souls floating around the astral and shoved it into a world, it would do what souls do when that happens. It would make a new body and you have someone resurrected as an outworlder.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Clive said. ¡°They don¡¯t to that, though, because of the astral being called the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°Is this the same Reaper, as in, Way of the Reaper?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What do you know about the Way of the Reaper?¡± Emir asked, eyes narrowing as he looked at Jason.


    ¡°That it was the martial art of an ancient order of assassins.¡±


    ¡°The Order of the Reaper,¡± Clive said. ¡°And yes; it¡¯s the same Reaper. The Reaper is very big on the finality of death. Some consider it the true god of death, as all our god of death governs is the passage of the soul into the astral. The final resting place of souls is the astral, where our gods hold no sway.¡±


    ¡°And the other great astral beings don¡¯t take the souls they want and resurrect them because they won¡¯t cross the Reaper,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Clive said. ¡°For the same reason, the Builder doesn¡¯t just smash apart worlds and take the pieces it likes, because it will not cross the World-Phoenix. So the Builder gathers followers to carve off astral spaces, leaving the worlds they are attached to battered, but intact.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying,¡± Gary said, ¡°that if we convince this Reaper to give her up, we can bring Farrah back?¡±


    "Don''t even think about it," Clive said. "The Reaper would never entertain the request of mortals. It would disdain a diamond-ranker, let alone any of us."


    ¡°What about this ancient order?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Bahadir, you¡¯re here to investigate them right? You must know something.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Emir said. ¡°I know the Order of the Reaper were an ancient cult of assassins. They brought death. I have seen no indication anywhere, ever, that they even tried to reverse it. I also know that they were scoured from this world, root and branch, by a coalition of churches, long ago. Only ruins filled with the dead remain.¡±


    ¡°Even if they still existed,¡± Clive said, ¡°they venerated the Reaper. Bringing someone back would be anathema to them.¡±


    ¡°Do not let the hope of bringing her back take hold in you, Gareth,¡± Emir said. ¡°Let her live in memory. Trying to bring her back will only stain those memories.¡±


    ¡°There has to be a way,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Gary,¡± Clive said. ¡°Even gods can¡¯t bring her back.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should return our attention to the problems at hand,¡± Russell suggested. ¡°The clockwork kings.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emir agreed firmly. ¡°The most likely scenario is that the Builder was unable to send enough to this world to spare one on a low-magic area like Greenstone. They would have sent the minimal number of people, recruiting locals and using these clockwork cores to literally build their numbers up.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do with this information?¡± Russell asked.


    ¡°Like everything else, we¡¯ll disseminate it to the wider Adventure Society and hope it helps,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°You stripped those construct creatures down to the base components, right?¡± Clive asked. ¡°If there is anything you found them using that that¡¯s hard to source locally, get a list to Rufus Remore. He¡¯s already following that trail and it might help him.¡±


    ¡°We can do that,¡± Russell said. ¡°If we¡¯re done here, we can go and look through our notes right now. Gary?¡±


    Gary said nothing but gave a sullen nod.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be off too, then,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Thank you all for coming,¡± Emir said. ¡°Jason, we¡¯ve set Farrah¡¯s wake for the end of the week. Be sure and be back for that.¡±


    ¡°I thought we weren¡¯t doing anything for Farrah until her body was back home with her family,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°This is informal,¡± Emir said. ¡°Something for those of us here who knew her.¡±


    ¡°Beth Cavendish¡¯s team wanted to attend.¡±


    ¡°They fought with us during the expedition,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯ll see they¡¯re notified.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ll be off. Do I need someone to work the elevator?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Emir said. ¡°It won¡¯t take you up, but it will take you down just fine.¡±


    Clive and Jason walked over to the elevation platform and descended out of sight.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Emir told Gary. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect the discussion to go in that direction.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Gary nodded. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ everything fell apart when she died. Rufus and I have barely spoken since we got back. I haven¡¯t felt this alone in a long time.


    Gary, Russell and Emir had a message pop up in front of them.


    Party leader [Jason Asano] has kicked you from the group.


    They all looked at the message, then Gary let out a tension-breaking laugh.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just rude,¡± he said.

 Chapter 139: Manifestation

    Four people were in Sophie and Belinda¡¯s guest suite as a recording was playing on a crystal recording projector. Sophie and Belinda were both present, as were Phoebe and Jory. Phoebe had brought the recording crystal while Belinda had roped Jory into taking a day off. He had been reluctant, but he hadn¡¯t taken a break since the clinic re-opened, and with a priest of the healer on hand, he let himself be talked into it.


    Phoebe was the only one who had seen the recording of Jason¡¯s fight before. The others looked on with various reactions as they followed the recording from the perspective of Rick and his team.


    ¡°That laughter is creepy,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I knew there was a dark side to Jason,¡± Jory said, ¡°but this is a bit much.¡±


    ¡°A bit much is right,¡± Sophie said. ¡°He¡¯s being a complete ham. Wait, why is he stepping out into the open? He¡¯s just going to get speared. See, what did I just say?¡±


    Belinda put a hand over her mouth in horror. ¡°Did he just lick the spear?¡±


    They watched until the recording ended, freezing with the image of Jason with his foot on the back of Jonah¡¯s head, drowning him in the mud.


    ¡°That was horrifying,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You had that guy chasing you?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t real,¡±  Jory said, although his words sounded empty.


    ¡°It was theatrics,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Get into an opponent¡¯s head and you¡¯ve already beaten them. That kind of over-the-top ridiculousness would only work on people with no real experience.¡±


    A melodious chime rang, indicating a visitor at the door and Belinda got up to let in Clive and Jason.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said sadly as he recognised the frozen image of himself and Jonah. ¡°I don¡¯t like that recording being out there.¡±


    ¡°Given how absurd you were, I can see why,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You spend the whole time playing ridiculous games instead of just taking them out.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have the skills for that approach,¡± Jason said. ¡°There were five of them and going monster was the only thing I could think of to mess with their heads. If they were thinking straight, I would have lost.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit it¡¯s good to show people what you¡¯ll do if they cross you,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Next time, cut out the maniacal laughter and stick to the horrifying death. That bit at the end where you drown the guy in mud was good.¡±


    ¡°That man in the mud,¡± Jason said softly. ¡°His name was Jonah. He¡¯s dead for real, now, along with another member of that group. I have no interest in watching myself kill them.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time for you to head off, Soph,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You go fight monsters, or whatever. Jory and I going to have a picnic.¡±


    ¡°We are?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Thank you again for making up the basket, Jason.¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡±


    Jason, Humphrey, Clive and Sophie were in the wood mill region of the delta, in the middle of a plantation forest. Their objective was a pack of monsters called flanards. Flanards were emaciated creatures with four arms and distended jaws full of pointed teeth. Individually they were weaker than margolls but appeared in even larger groups. Their numbers made them perfect for exploring team tactics, which was the reason Humphrey had selected that particular contract.


    The thick plantation had trees growing in neat rows. Fighting amongst them, Sophie led three of the creatures between the trunks and into the waiting sword of Humphrey. He stepped out with a horizontal sweep that cleaved two of them in half while the other dropped to the ground, the blade barely passing over it. It sprang up and resumed its pursuit of Sophie.


    Three more had been chasing after Jason but had lost him in the shadows. Spotting Sophie rush past, they joined her now lone pursuer. Sophie scrambled, seemingly in a panic as they joined the chase. She changed direction and the monsters followed, without noticing the odd mark on one of the trees. They dashed blindly after Sophie until the sound of Clive snapping his fingers preceded the ground underneath them blasting upward, the force tearing them all to pieces.


    Humphrey came jogging through the woods, joining Sophie and Clive.


    ¡°That was good,¡± Jason said, emerging from a shadow. ¡°Nice plan, Humphrey.¡±


    ¡°The key is to stay flexible,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Situations always change and rigid plans don¡¯t work. Rather than over-complicated stratagems, if we have a learned and practiced series of flexible tactics, we can rapidly adapt to those changing situations. This was one of the simpler tactics outlined in the booklets I gave you all.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you wrote those,¡± Jason said. ¡°When you do something, you don¡¯t mess about, Humphrey. I think we¡¯re all pretty impressed.¡±


    The others nodded their agreement.


    ¡°Now we have them,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°we need to make sure we learn them with our heads, then practise until we know them. If we combine a shared knowledge of a flexible tactical set with the communications advantage of Jason¡¯s ability, we¡¯ll be ready to react to any situation.¡±


    ¡°Like a malevolent gold-ranker who forces us into a knitting competition with our lives on the line,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What?¡± Humphrey asked as the others looked at Jason with confusion.


    ¡°Humphrey said ¡®any situation,¡¯ so I posited a situation we might encounter.¡±


    ¡°How is that helpful?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯ll be ready for most situations. These tactics are all preliminary, though. They¡¯re worth learning to get into the habit, but they need to be adjusted once we get a healer and learn their capabilities, plus fill out our abilities, advance to bronze and so on. We¡¯ll be adjusting and readjusting in an ongoing manner.¡±


    ¡°Any word on that healer?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Melissa Davone paid my mother a visit at our townhouse in the city,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Davone is at least considering joining us.¡±


    ¡°How many abilities do you have left to awaken?¡± Jason asked Humphrey.


    ¡°Two,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°One from the magic essence and one from might. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Three. Two from dark and one from doom.¡±


    ¡°I still have eight to go,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Still early days, for you,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Jason and I gained our essences months ago. Getting as many as you have in under a single month is a good start.¡±


    After Jason looted the monsters. they set out back for the city. The wood mill region was less water-accessible than most of the delta, so Clive had requisitioned a magic-propelled, open-top carriage. Clive sat in the driver¡¯s seat, with the others in the back. When droplets of rain started coming down, they rolled off a magical barrier that covered the carriage.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Sophie asked with alarm.


    ¡°It¡¯s just a barrier to keep the water off,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°But where¡¯s the water coming from?¡± she asked. ¡°Is a monster doing that?¡±


    Clive looked back, sharing a confused glance with Humphrey and Jason.


    ¡°It¡¯s just rain,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Rain?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what rain is?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Have you never left the city before?¡±


    ¡°Not since I first went there as a girl,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That was when I was very young. I don¡¯t really remember anything before that. Are you saying water just falling out of the sky is somehow normal?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t rain in the city? I thought it just hadn¡¯t since I got here.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the oddities of the local climate,¡± Clive said. ¡°The combination of the desert, the delta and the water-affinity of the mass of green stone making up the Island impacts the weather in certain ways. One of those ways is that while it rains regularly in the delta, it never rains in the city.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How does the water get up in the sky?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It evaporates,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I thought you were going to say magic,¡± Jason said, then he and Clive between them gave a basic explanation of the water cycle.


    The carriage continued on as the rain grew heavier. Sophie and Jason both looked up at the water splashing off the invisible rain barrier, Jason with wonder and Sophie with wariness. They were travelling along an embankment road through marshlands when Humphrey suddenly called out.


    ¡°Stop the carriage!¡±


    He pointed off to the side of the road where a vortex of rainbow light was swirling in the air.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°A magical manifestation,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It''s rare to actually see them happen.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a magical manifestation?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It''s a natural manifestation of magic from the ethereal to the physical,¡± Clive explained. ¡°Magic, coalescing into a physical form. Most likely it''ll be a monster, but it could be an awakening stone or even an essence. Let''s go take a look.


    ¡°How are we going to get out there?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Jason can walk on water, but the rest of us can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I can run on water,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I sink if I stop moving, though.¡±


    ¡°I have something,¡± Clive said. ¡°I was a bit inspired by Jason¡¯s preparedness when we found that buried complex and put a few things into my own storage space.¡±


    They left the carriage and its rain barrier, so they started getting wet. Sophie looked trepidatiously up at the sky as they made their way down the steep embankment to the water¡¯s edge. Clive pulled an entire raft out of his inventory, which fell into the water. It tipped Clive off-balance in doing so and Clive went in with it and came up sputtering.


    The raft wasn¡¯t large, with just enough room for Humphrey, Sophie and Clive. Clive sat sodden at the front, his wet clothes tracing out his lanky frame. With a hand on a metal panel near the front of the otherwise wooden raft, he magically directed it to drift slowly in the direction of the colourful vortex. Jason walked alongside, his cloak both letting him walk on water and keeping off the rain.


    The vortex was around two metres across and despite what looked like furious roiling, didn¡¯t so much as disturb the air, as if it didn¡¯t really exist at all. They stopped and waited for the process of manifestation to be complete.


    ¡°Are we alright to be this close?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Clive said. ¡°It can''t affect us and we can''t affect it without some high-end ritual magic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s quite pretty,¡± Jason said, taking out a recording crystal and tossing it up to float over his head. He started explaining the vortex for when he showed it to his family. After he had done that, he turned the crystal on Sophie.


    ¡°I¡¯ve mentioned her in earlier entries,¡± Jason said, ¡°but this is her in the flesh. My nubile slave girl, Sophie Wexler.¡±


    Sophie was sitting on the raft, so her flashing jab caught him on the thigh.


    ¡°Ow. As you can see, she has some behavioural problems.¡±


    Sophie turned to Humphrey and Clive.


    ¡°If I drown him out here,¡± she asked them, ¡°would you two back me up and say it was an accident?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Someone was going to do it sooner or later,¡± Humphrey agreed.


    ¡°As you can see,¡± Jason said, ¡°she has ruthlessly suborned my minions.¡±


    ¡°Did you just call us minions?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason said. ¡°My voice just sounds weird because of the rain.¡±


    They waited several minutes before the vortex started to contract, growing smaller and smaller.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a monster,¡± Clive said. ¡°I can see the magic taking form. It¡¯s going to be an awakening stone.¡±


    ¡°Nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°How do we decide who gets it?¡±


    ¡°Miss Wexler has the most need,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You and I only have a few spots left open and should probably wait for Bahadir¡¯s event.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey, you should call me Sophie,¡± she said, flashing Humphrey a rare smile before dropping it and turning to Jason.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Harsh,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You did call her a slave girl,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re misremembering,¡± Jason said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like me; I¡¯m all about egalitarianism.¡±


    The vortex continued shrinking until it was the size of a fist, coalescing into a blue awakening stone that fell into the water with a plop. The others all turned to look at Clive.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You already went in once,¡± Humphrey said.


    Clive saw the others were a unified front and groaned as he dropped off the side of the raft. The water was waist-deep but he had to plunge down to his neck as he rummaged about where the stone had dropped.


    ¡°It¡¯s time like this that I wish Onslow were a turtle instead of a tortoise,¡± Clive said.


    He let out a yelp of pain, lurching to his feet and waving his arm around. A small figure was being flailed about, its teeth clamped onto Clive''s hand. It was thrown off and started hovering in the air. It was a small, fairy-like figure, about the size of a human hand, with a naked, androgynous body, dark blue hair and insect wings that buzzed rapidly to keep it aloft. Clutched in its arms was the awakening stone, almost as big as it was.


    The stone was wet, muddy and, under the weight, the creature could barely hold itself in the air. It tried to fly off with its prize but the stone was too much, slipping through its arms and back into the water. A furious Clive made a grab at the creature, but it flitted away, turning back to poke it¡¯s tongue out before zipping away through the air.


    ¡°I hate those things,¡± Clive muttered as he smeared healing ointment over the wound on his hand.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen those before?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Wetland Pixies? Oh, yeah. They love eating eels, so they were always hanging about the farm when I was growing up. I can¡¯t tell you how many boots Nana lost throwing them at the damn things. She never hit anything and the boots usually landed in the bog.¡±


    ¡°Well you¡¯d best get back down and grab the stone,¡± Jason said. ¡°There might be more of those things in there.¡±

 Chapter 140: Potential

    In his guest suite in the cloud palace, Rufus was at a desk with papers arrayed in front of him. Ground assessments, potential designs, integration requirements. He wearily ran his hands over his face, trying to maintain concentration. While he awaited word on various investigations, Rufus had resumed the task of establishing the academy annex he was working on with the Geller family.


    Adris Dorgan had kept his word and was making progress in chasing down the materials on the lists provided by Clive and now Russell. Certain shipments had come into the port at Hornis before being moved to private vessels for destinations thus far unknown. Dorgan was currently digging deeper into the ownership of those private vessels.


    Rufus found his attention constantly straying to Builder cultists. The nebulous enemy who, at that very moment was hidden away, advancing their destructive plots. He wondered how many more friends he would lose before they were finally stopped. Getting up, he walked out onto the balcony and let the sea breeze wash refreshingly over him.


    He decided to leave the work for the moment and go find Gary, who seemed equally at a loss after finishing his own project with the constructs. They hadn¡¯t seen much of one another since coming back from the expedition and there was a friction there that Farrah had always smoothed out. Jason¡¯s presence had helped them through the worst of it in the wake of her death, but her absence lingered between them.


    Rufus and Gary had adjacent suites in the guest wing, connected by a terrace. Rufus wandered over and saw Gary inside with a half-empty bottle of some rotgut he must have bought in the city; Emir would never stock anything so cheap and nasty. Gary had dissolved the entire outer wall of his suite, leaving it open to the fresh air. Gary, slouched in a chair, nodded his acknowledgement of Rufus¡¯ arrival.


    ¡°Day drinking?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°It¡¯s barely mid-morning.¡±


    ¡°Want to join?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said, walking over to a cabinet and grabbing a glass.


    ¡°We can do it out here?¡± Sophie asked, looking uncertainly at the village around them.


    ¡°Clive can,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s more flexible than most, so he can do it just about anywhere you have a flat space.¡±


    ¡°It might seem unusual for the two of you to just up and do it in the middle of a village square,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but it¡¯s something the villagers will be eager to see.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t take long,¡± Jason said. ¡°Clive can just slip it into you out here and we can head off.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right; it won¡¯t take long,¡± Clive assured her. ¡°Even in less comfortable conditions, I¡¯m very quick to finish.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s my first time.¡±


    ¡°You heard the lady, Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Whip it out.¡±


    Clive took out the awakening stone they retrieved from the marsh and passed it to Sophie.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of the Rain] (unranked, common)


    An awakening stone containing the power of rain. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 8 unawakened essence abilities.


    Using his abilities, he balanced out the ambient magic and drew a ritual circle. As Humphrey predicted, doing so in the village square drew curious onlookers. The ritual went off without incident, awakening Sophie¡¯s new ability.


    Ability: [Between the Raindrops] (Swift)


    Special ability.Cost: High mana per second and high stamina per second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Increased reflexes and spatial awareness.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°That seems like an exhaustive cost for increased reflexes.¡±


    ¡°Attack her,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Attacker her,¡± Jason repeated. ¡°You come in from the right and I¡¯ll pincer her from the left.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Do it,¡± Sophie said. ¡°No weapons; I won''t hurt you too badly.¡±


    Jason grinned and leapt forward, Humphrey doing the same with a grimace. They unleashed simultaneously from either side but it was like Sophie had eyes in the back of her head. Not only did she react to their every move, but she did so the moment they made them. Soon, Humphrey was sent stumbling back from a kick to the face. Jason had it worse, folded over on the ground as he clutching his crotch with both hands.


    ¡°Did you have to go right for the plums?¡± he squeaked out.


    She walked over and looked down at him.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who wanted to attack me,¡± she said.


    Neil Davone had started spending time at the Mercer family compound as a boy. Thadwick had needed friends his own age and the Davone and Kettering families, with their close ties to the Mercers, had frequently sent their own boys over. The Mercer residence was the most impressive in Greenstone, with its five interconnected towers and immaculate grounds. Even with tyrannical toddler Thadwick as a playmate, it had always been an exciting place to visit, growing up.


    As he had gotten older, the attractions of the Mercer household for Neil went through various changes. As he became more curious about the world, the impressive library fed his mind. When he became an essence user, he made full use of the training facilities that Thadwick disdained. The rest of the Mercers were more than happy to let Neil and his teammate Dustin use them as much as they liked. After all, their job was to keep Thadwick alive.


    Another change in what made the Mercer compound alluring as Neil grew up was the presence of Thadwick¡¯s older sister, Cassandra. As with many young men in the Mercer family orbit, the smart, capable and gorgeous young woman was the object of his youthful affection. Four years older than him, she was the unattainable image of beauty and sophistication in the eyes of thirteen-year-old Neil. She left the city with her mother after reaching bronze rank, putting an end to his boyhood crush.


    Cassandra and her mother had been back in the city for six months, in preparation for the monster surge. Many young men once again clamoured for her attention but Neil was not one of them. It had been one thing putting up with Thadwick as children, but they were adventurers, now. His selfishness and incompetence brought with it genuine danger, culminating in his abandonment of them during the expedition. Aside from Cassandra and her mother, the ones who had left, he had become soured on anything with the Mercer name. Any idea of reigniting youthful passions and pursuing her ended the moment he thought of her family.


    By the time he heard that Cassandra and Jason Asano were an item, he had seen Asano for himself and not found him to be anything special. He was just another in a line of self-impressed people who thought they were bold and clever for making Thadwick look like a fool. Neil knew it may just have been his lingering affection, but his opinion of Cassandra was still high enough that he wondered what she saw that elevated Asano above the pack.


    Asano¡¯s visit to Neil¡¯s home had left him uncertain as to what to do. Ostensibly, Neil had received better offers, the only real point of attraction to Asano¡¯s being the participation of Humphrey Geller. Neil knew for a fact that behind closed doors, Humphrey was the person the Mercer¡¯s wished Thadwick had become. Their family situations had provided Thadwick and Humphrey with the same opportunities, yet Humphrey was lauded while Thadwick was dismissed.


    After Asano¡¯s visit to his home, Neil¡¯s intention had been to dismiss the offer out of hand. There were things about Asano that kept playing on his mind, however, starting with why he had been the one to make the approach. Every way he looked at it, Humphrey Geller would have made the better advocate. Asano¡¯s characteristically idiosyncratic conduct bore that out. The absurdity of questioning Neil¡¯s elven heritage. Asano¡¯s description of his own team that was anything but appealing. Then there was Asano spending most of his time explaining not why Neil would want to join with them but why they wanted him to join.


    Although Neil didn¡¯t understand it, there was no question that Asano was good at impressing important people. People themselves deserving of respect. The Gellers, the gold-ranked Emir Bahadir, the Vitesse adventurers. Even his enemies were impressive. He was already moving in vaunted circles, to the point that even when he drew hatred, it was from people so far above him they shouldn¡¯t care. There were rumours of Asano feuding with the directors of both the Magic and Adventure Societies. If true, that was madness for an iron ranker. Then there was whatever had made Cassandra look at him above all the numerous men in Greenstone vying for her attention.


    The character of Asano aside, critical when choosing a team was the team¡¯s strength as adventurers. Neil knew almost nothing about the two others but Asano had told him didn¡¯t sound promising. Humphrey, on the other hand, was known to be one of the most proficient iron-rankers in the city.


    As for Asano, at least as an adventurer he seemed capable. Thadwick''s fixation had given Neil a fairly good idea of Asano''s record. He had closed out a startling number of contracts in a handful of months, each punctuated with adventure board notices. In all of them, he didn''t have a single listed failure. Asano had risen through the ranks fast and fallen even faster, but there were plenty of demotions going around.


    He had seen multiple recordings of Asano fighting. Everyone had seen the one from the Geller¡¯s mirage chamber with Asano¡¯s overwrought theatrics. Neil had seen others where Asano had been fighting for real, his melodrama was replaced with brutal efficiency.


    Thadwick had been furious after hearing about Asano spending time with Cassandra and, in typically reactionary fashion, sent a handful of goons to beat Asano down. After what Asano did to the first one, the others not only gave up but gave Asano directions to where he was going. Neil had only heard about it after the fact or he would have had Thadwick¡¯s father put a stop to it. Thadwick stupidly had his goons record the whole debacle, with his father tasking Neil with retrieving them all.


    The strongest of Thadwick¡¯s bottom feeders was Jerrick, who Thadwick had playing muscle in his ill-considered land-grab scheme. Neil had been in the room as Thadwick¡¯s father tore strips off him for the plan¡¯s spectacular failure as the recording of Asano gathering evidence played. It ended with Asano fighting Jerrick.


    Thadwick¡¯s father had taken the time to point out that Asano wasn¡¯t even fighting at his best. Against an armoured enemy, Asano should have kept hidden and used his leech familiar to crawl into the armour. Instead, he fought out in the open, suffering more damage than necessary. Asano was using a life and death battle with Thadwick¡¯s strongest thug as training.


    The final recording Neil had seen of Asano was when twelve men confronted him. Four were the thugs Asano had run off in a previous recording, plus double that number of extras. A dozen admittedly mediocre adventurers, yet Asano made the twelve on one fight seem lopsided, in his favour. Five adventurers killed in a shopping arcade in broad daylight, the only repercussion being that it possibly contributed to his later demotion.


    It was well-known that Asano had faced a bronze-rank marsh hydra with Humphrey Geller and some other guy no one had heard of. Everyone said that Humphrey had carried them through, including Asano himself, but Neil had come away from his conversation with Asano less certain of that. He knew Beth Cavendish thought highly of Jason''s abilities and her judgement was razor-sharp.


    As those thoughts chased themselves around his head, Neil arrived at the Mercer family home for the first time since the expedition. In the aftermath of that disaster, Thadwick had been isolated by the family, then disbanded their team without notice. He had considered confronting Thadwick until he talked with their other team member, Dustin. In the end, they were just happy to be free with what was left of their reputations after being known as Thadwick¡¯s flunkeys.


    Neil approached one of the five gates that were the primary entrances to the Mercer family grounds.


    ¡°Neil Davone,¡± the iron-rank guard said from the other side of the gate as he spotted Neil¡¯s approach. The Mercer family guards had long known Neil but the usual respect was nowhere on this guard¡¯s face. It was clear that in his eyes, Neil had lost his status as a valued ally of the Mercers. Now he was just another iron-ranker, like the guard himself.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see Cassandra Mercer,¡± Neil told him.


    ¡°I bet you would,¡± the guard said insolently.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to interrupt her for the likes of you.¡±


    ¡°Are you being serious, right now?¡±


    ¡°Move on, Davone. You don¡¯t get a seat at the big table anymore.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he does,¡± Thalia Mercer said, teleporting next to the guard. ¡°Hello, Neil.¡±


    ¡°Lady Mercer,¡± Neil greeted respectfully.


    ¡°First, let me correct this man who used to work for us and tell you that you are always welcome here. Your family is important to us and you have always given my son loyalty he sadly never earned. What brings you by?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask your daughter about Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°He invited me to join his team. I¡¯ll probably decline but I found him odd to talk to. I wanted to know more.¡±


    Thalia touched the gate, which slid soundlessly to the side.


    ¡°I see. If you don¡¯t mind, Jason is a topic I would rather you not engage my daughter in. She¡¯s unhappy with the family right now and I don¡¯t want to exacerbate that feeling.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Neil said. ¡°My apologies for taking your time, Lady Mercer. I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°Perhaps you can spare me a moment, instead.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lady Mercer.¡±


    She turned on the guard who had been hovering silently throughout the conversation.


    ¡°You, get to the security station and have them send a replacement. If I can assuage your offence to master Davone, there may be a chance of you maintaining your employment.¡±


    The guard nodded and scurried away.


    ¡°That¡¯s not necessary, Lady Mercer,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± she said. ¡°Please come through.¡±


    After a moment¡¯s hesitation, Neil walked through the gate, which she closed behind him.


    ¡°Would you care to take morning tea with me?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t presume, Lady Mercer.¡±


    ¡°Nonsense, please do.¡±


    ¡°Then thank you, Lady Mercer.¡±


    It did not go unnoticed by Neil that being led to a private social meeting with Thalia Mercer in the eyes of the whole household made a pointed statement about his status. She led him to the blue parlour, one of the various receiving parlours of the Mercer household. Each was named for the primary colour of its decoration, with the blue parlour awash in oceanic shades. It was one of the smaller parlours, for intimate and respected guests. Shortly after their arrival, a maid delivered tea and small savouries before departing. Thalia poured a cup for each of them.


    ¡°I know that your family¡¯s tea standards are very high,¡± she said. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t look down on us too much.¡±


    ¡°Never,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Such a good young man, you¡¯ve become. So, you are considering joining Jason Asano and Humphrey Geller¡¯s team?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Neil said. ¡°It¡¯s just that some things about the way he made the approach have left me confused.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I can help you with answers. When my daughter became interested in Asano I looked into him as deeply as I think anyone has.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°He was rather rude, the last time we met, which I am quite happy with.¡±


    ¡°Happy?¡±


    ¡°If he was unaffected by being severed from my daughter, I would have been quite dissatisfied. He is startlingly good for his rank at keeping his emotions out of his aura, but he was rather a mess. The anger of youthful passion meant his feelings were genuine. That¡¯s always a concern when it comes to aristocratic relationships. Is there some young thing you are pursuing, Neil?¡±


    ¡°No, Lady Mercer. My attention is on my future as an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you¡¯re pondering Jason¡¯s offer. I know he seems erratic but you¡¯ll find that there is method to his madness. He has a way of leaving people thinking exactly what he wants them to.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°You said yourself you will probably turn him down. Yet here you are, asking questions. Why?¡±


    ¡°There were oddities in the way he tried to recruit me. It¡¯s like he was hiding reasons to join and giving me ones not to.¡±


    Thalia smiled.


    ¡°There you are. Humphrey Geller aside, his team is not enticing at a glance and he knew an ordinary invitation wouldn¡¯t work. Otherwise, he would have sent Humphrey. Instead, he found a way to pique your interest. He saw a path that led to you joining his team, and he put you on it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying he manipulated me and I should refuse the offer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying he manipulated you and you should accept the offer. Some, within these walls, will tell you that Jason is unreliable. He¡¯s not. When it¡¯s time to work, he gets the job done. My original intention was to place him and Humphrey with Cassandra, once they reached bronze-rank. That is no longer an option, but If I were in your position, I¡¯d join his team in a heartbeat.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I would have expected from you,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Most adventurers in this city never leave it, and nor should they. They¡¯re mediocre, without the potential to thrive in a dangerous world. What they lack in themselves, they fail to recognise in others. Anyone can see Beth Cavendish or Humphrey Geller will go places, but only those of us who¡¯ve seen the wider world recognise the potential in someone like Asano, and someone like you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°You have what it takes,¡± she said. ¡°People couldn¡¯t see that with you chained to my son. I¡¯ve been selfish in binding you to him because that helped keep my son alive. You have my apologies, for that, but not my regret.¡±


    ¡°You have no need to apologise, Lady Mercer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a good boy, Neil, but don¡¯t lie to my face.¡±


    She chuckled at Neil¡¯s nervous expression.


    ¡°It¡¯s an interesting team that Jason and Humphrey have put together,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve just recently met another of their team members, who is an interesting young man from the Magic Society. He¡¯s capable enough that Emir Bahadir is trying to poach him.¡±


    ¡°Asano told me that was for non-combat skills,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°And so it is,¡± Thalia said, ¡°but why did he tell you that? He wanted you curious so that you would learn for yourself that the man is quite capable. Which he is, by the way. Danielle Geller is keeping a close eye on the team her precious boy is forming and can be trusted to excise any rot. And now you have heard it from me, you will trust it more than if Jason told you the man was good.¡±


    ¡°What about Asano¡¯s indentured servant?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Thalia said. ¡°Danielle told me she is reserving judgement for the moment. I will say that running rings around the city¡¯s iron rank adventurers for months speaks to a certain capability, regardless of what help she received. Now she has a full set of essences, who knows what she¡¯ll accomplish?¡±


    ¡°You seem quite certain I should join,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°You should be in a team that will help you fly, instead of chaining you to the ground the way I did. My advice is that you drink your tea, leave here and go straight to the Geller townhouse. Tell Danielle Geller you want to join her son¡¯s team.¡±


    ¡°Not Asano or Humphrey?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°They might think they have the final word on their team members,¡± Thalia said. ¡°It¡¯s probably best to let them.¡±

 Chapter 141: Weaponising a Barbecue

    Jason met Neil at the entrance to the cloud palace, along with one of Emir¡¯s staff who added Neil¡¯s aura signature to the access list for the palace.


    ¡°There are some restricted areas,¡± Jason explained as they entered. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t bump into any of those except the guest suites, which are individually locked to guests who can provide you entry or not.¡±


    Neil didn¡¯t say much looking around, wide-eyed as Jason led him to the guest wing. He was nervous, second-guessing his choice of team, but Jason was welcoming and friendly. He also seemed at home in the astounding surrounds of the cloud palace.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to start with a little welcoming lunch,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can meet the team and some of the people around it. After that we''re going to spend the afternoon on a preliminary strategy session, looking at everyone''s abilities and working on tactical concepts around them. From here on out, that''s going to be our everyday; develop tactics, workshop them in the training room, then test them in the field.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting ready for the event Bahadir is planning?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°You heard about that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Word has gotten around.¡±


    ¡°Certainly, being prepared for that is a good idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°Our sights are set past that, though. We¡¯re looking at the path to bronze and beyond. We want to establish a playbook of strategies and tactics that we know so well as a team that we¡¯re ready to go at any moment. As our abilities grow we can adapt and refine our repertoire, but the first step is working together, everyone knowing their potential roles. I hope you¡¯re not afraid of hard work and training.¡±


    ¡°To be honest, Asano, you always struck me as more frivolous than hard-working.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a work-hard, play hard kind of bloke,¡± Jason said. ¡°Talking doesn¡¯t mean much, though. You can judge for yourself.¡±


    Jason led Neil onto an elevating platform that lifted them to the upper reaches of the cloud palace, before heading out to a terrace crowded with people, tables of food and a pair or large flame grills. Amongst the crowd were people Neil recognised. Rufus Remore was chatting with Vincent Trenslow and his absurd moustache; Humphrey Geller was flipping meat on one of the grills. Danielle Geller was chatting with Emir Bahadir, both holding grilled meat and vegetable sticks. He even spotted his friend and previous teammate, Dustin biting into a steak sandwich. Dustin¡¯s cousin, Hudson, was next to him and they were surrounded by their respective teams. Dustin was on a Geller team now, looking more relaxed than Neil had seen him in a long time.


    ¡°What¡¯s all this?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to chuck a barbie,¡± Jason said, ¡°you get some mates around. Let¡¯s grab some tucker and I¡¯ll make some introductions.¡±


    The barbecue lunch went on into the afternoon, leaving Neil disoriented from a heady mix of grilled meats, quality alcohol and the kind of political connections his family only dreamed of. It was a social event wholly unlike those he had experienced in the Mercers¡¯ orbit.


    Everything was casual and the people present genuinely seemed to like each other. There was no carefully orchestrated social sniping, no playing one family against another. There was no stratification of rank, with bronze, silver and even gold-rankers happily chatting with iron. Instead of dainty, delicate finger food, people had meat piled into plates, skewered onto sticks or shoved between slabs of bread. There were tables of side dishes heaped into enormous bowls for anyone to grab by the tong-full.


    Neil could hear the voice of his mother telling him to be mercenary, ditch Asano and seize the opportunity and forge connections. The voice seemed at a loss as Jason led him around, making introductions with no prompting on his part. People asked him questions, seeming actually interested instead of just digging for some useful titbit they could use.


    ¡°How long have you been in Greenstone,¡± Neil asked Jason between conversations.


    ¡°About five months.¡±


    ¡°How did you make these kinds of political allies in five months?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°I made friends.¡±


    Jason found Humphrey away from the group, looking unhappy as he started out over the ocean. Jason joined him in leaning on the rail.


    ¡°What¡¯s got you down, mate?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Gabrielle,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Things aren¡¯t going to work out with her.¡±


    ¡°That sucks,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sorry to hear it. I¡¯m guessing I wasn¡¯t helpful in that regard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than just that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I would never ask her to choose between me and her religion, but she¡¯s becoming more and more dogmatic. She¡¯s becoming honest to the point of rudeness; demanding secrets she has no right to.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do the rude honesty thing too,¡± Jason said. ¡°But in my defence, I also lie a lot.¡±


    Humphrey laughed, then sighed.


    ¡°She¡¯s started telling me who I shouldn¡¯t spend my time with,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s why she¡¯s not here. She really doesn¡¯t like you and Rufus but that¡¯s just the start of it. The strictures of her god are all well and good, but I¡¯m not a follower of Knowledge. She has no right to hold me to those principles.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m at least a bit responsible for nudging you in her direction.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sorry,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I care for Gabrielle and I¡¯ve enjoyed our time together. That time is just coming to an end.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s super-mature of you. I was a couple of years older than you when my first big relationship ended and I blew up my whole life over it, like an idiot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to tell her tomorrow,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°She probably already knows.¡¯


    ¡°Because of her boss,¡± Jason realised. ¡°Damn, that must have been really annoying, having the goddess telling her everything.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my favourite thing,¡± Humphrey acknowledged. He turned to look over at the gathering. ¡°How¡¯s Neil fitting in?¡±


    ¡°A bit shell-shocked. You think it was the right thing, bringing out the big social guns? I don¡¯t like weaponising a barbecue.¡±


    ¡°His family have been second-tier nobility for generations and this will get his family¡¯s support. As for Neil himself, that¡¯s up to you and me.¡±


    As things wound down, Jason and Emir sent people off, usually with food in bags with a cheap, short-lived enchantment to keep the food inside them fresh and hot. Afterwards, Jason gathered their team together. Neil had now met the others; the lanky Clive Standish and the startlingly beautiful Sophie Wexler. Neil hadn¡¯t been sure what to expect from Jason¡¯s indentured servant, but the woman with silver hair, dark skin and sharp, wary eyes certainly wasn¡¯t it. She was the one he had been the most uncertain about, but watching her sleek litheness made him a lot more confident.


    They went off to Jason¡¯s suite in the guest wing. Amongst all the cloud furniture, a trio of wooden bookcases stood out, jammed-full of leather-bound tomes. Even more books were stacked up on a table next to a reading chair, one of which Clive picked up to examine.


    ¡°This is some heavy theory,¡± he said to Jason. ¡°You¡¯re finally taking my advice?¡±


    ¡°This was Farrah¡¯s collection,¡± Jason said sadly, gesturing at the bookcases. ¡°She was like you, telling me to not just rely on skill books. With these, it¡¯s almost like she¡¯s still teaching me.¡±


    ¡°Farrah was one of the Vitesse adventurers,¡± Humphrey quietly mentioned to Neil. ¡°She fell during the expedition.¡±


    They sat down and Jason took out a notebook. Recorded in it were the abilities of everyone in the party, to which they added Neil¡¯s. His essence combination was shield, growth and renewal, producing the prosperity confluence. Along with healing and cleasing powers, Neil could create short-lived shields that intercepted attacks, empower allies and replenish their mana and stamina.


    ¡°That¡¯s an awesome power set,¡± Jason said as he wrote them down. ¡°Not great if you get caught alone, but any team you¡¯re on should celebrate. Which is our team, I guess, so¡­ cheers, mate!¡±


    As his powers were most effective when used on allies, Neil was highly reliant on his summoning power when fighting alone. It was not a summoned familiar but a temporary summons, like Gary¡¯s forge golem or Farrah¡¯s magma elemental. It would only last for a limited time, but he could afford to risk it in ways that he couldn¡¯t with a familiar.


    His summon was an entity called a chrysalis golem. It was a crystalline construct monster, it could create a protective shell around itself when it was badly damaged. When it emerged, it was fully repaired and adapted to resist the attacks that had previously harmed it.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wait to get a look at that thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°With Humphrey¡¯s summons that makes two, excluding the summoned familiars Clive and myself have. We should be able to do some interesting things with them.¡±


    Humphrey took the lead in discussions as they started devising potential strategies.


    ¡°The most fundamental thing is that we each need to have a sound grasp of each other''s abilities,¡± he said. ¡°Neil, this is especially true for you, whose abilities rely heavily on judgement and timing. You¡¯ll learn as we train, of course, but you should have at least a general idea of what each of us does before we start digging into specific tactics.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with Humphrey, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°His essences are might, magic, wing and dragon. He moves faster, hits harder and withstands more damage than most adventurers. His attacks are mostly conventional melee powers, but they¡¯re reliable and land like a truck.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a truck?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Is that some kind of monster?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a big, heavy, fast thing,¡± Jason said grouchily. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault your stupid world doesn¡¯t have internal combustion.¡±


    ¡°Lots of people have internal combustion,¡± Clive said. ¡°Mostly from the fire essence, which is why it¡¯s common.¡±


    Jason groaned at Clive while Humphrey picked up the explanations.


    ¡°Clive has the magic, rune, balance and karmic essences. Unlike most humans, his focus is on spells. He can use magical weapons like staves and wands and works with his familiar to output reliable ranged damage. He also has some utility powers, trap magic and the ability to make our enemies suffer retributive damage from attacking us.¡±


    ¡°He also has some big-ticket attacks, if he goes all out,¡± Jason added. ¡°If we need a single, big hit, he¡¯s our guy. Those hefty spells need some setup, though, so we¡¯ve already started devising strategies around them.¡±


    ¡°Miss Wexler is an evasion-type defender,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Swift, wind, balance and mystic. She is the newest of us, with many abilities still to awaken, but she is already the fastest and hardest to harm out of all of us. I have no doubt she will become increasingly formidable.¡±


    ¡°Asano is the sneaky prick of the team,¡± Sophie said. ¡°His essences are dark, blood, sin and doom.¡±


    ¡°Sin and doom?¡± Neil asked. ¡°They sounds like they should be on the restricted list.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not,¡± Jason said. ¡°We checked.¡±


    ¡°Jason is an affliction specialist,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Once he goes to work, whatever he¡¯s fighting is finished, even if it seems to have gotten away. He¡¯s also a good scout, with stealth and mobility.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, we don''t expect you to remember all this,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You''ll have plenty of time to learn, because that''s what we do, now. We get up, we meet up, then we train. Physical and mobility training we do in Old City.¡±


    ¡°When Jory renovated his clinic,¡± Jason said, ¡°he turned his yard into a dedicated training space. So, thanks for helping stop it from being knocked down.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t really me,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Of course it was,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you didn¡¯t stand up to them and force the confrontation, the Healer might have waited until they tore down the place and then smote them all as sinners.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be alternating our time between developing strategies, refining them in practice areas or testing them in the field,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°The practise areas being the training hall, here in the cloud palace, or in Humphrey''s mirage chamber.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my mirage chamber,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Other than that, it¡¯ll be contracts and adventure notices,¡± Jason said. ¡°That is going to be our day, every day, until Emir¡¯s mysterious contest. We¡¯re going into it as strong as we can be.¡±


    ¡°Is that going to be a problem, Neil? ¡° Humphrey asked. ¡°We''re looking for someone willing to go at this hard, so if that isn¡¯t you, tell us now.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about me,¡± Neil said. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for a team that takes adventuring seriously.¡±


    He looked at Jason. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure that was you.¡±


    ¡°You can judge for yourself,¡± Jason said. ¡°Today, we¡¯re all talk. We throw every idea at the wall and see what sticks. Tomorrow we start figuring out what¡¯s practical and what¡¯s some overwrought notion I got in my head because I forgot simplicity is king.¡±


    They moved onto the discussion of specific strategies, under the direction of Humphrey.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re overlooking what should be our core strategy,¡± Jason told Humphrey, early into the discussion.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°You,¡± Jason said. ¡°You do more damage than most and can survive more damage than most. With Clive and Neil, we have two buffers, plus shields and healing. Neil can even top-off your mana. We load all of that up on you and let you go ham. Add in your mobility and you¡¯ll be an absolute terror to whatever we¡¯re fighting.¡±


    Uncertainty crossed Humphrey¡¯s face.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to rely that heavily on me?¡±


    Jason shook his head. ¡°Oh, Humphrey. Hands up who wants to rely on Humphrey as the core of the team.¡±


    Sophie and Clive put up their hands with Jason, Neil raising his hand right after.


    ¡°It¡¯s adorable that you¡¯re modest enough that I have to tell you this Humphrey,¡± Jason said, ¡°but everyone likes and trusts you.¡±


    Humphrey looked around the group, embarrassed.


    ¡°Now,¡± Jason said. ¡°If we take that as our core strategy, all our tactics should be smooth adaptations of that default. What do you reckon, Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°Well, there are a few points that we need to look at using that as a strategy. First would be identifying and distracting anyone or anything with the singular attack power to punch through the buffs and shields.¡±


    ¡°So, the other team¡¯s Clive,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°For other Clives, we want you and Jason to at least distract and interfere, or preferably put them down.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I love this ¡®other Clive¡¯ analogy,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°What about actual Clive and the new guy?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°They aren¡¯t as mobile as the rest of us, and if we¡¯re using a mobile attacking strategy, they¡¯ll be left exposed.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They¡¯ll make a tempting target, so instead of trying to cover it, we use it.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ve already worked up strategies using Clive as bait, so develop them and make Neil the second juicy worm on the hook. Turn what seems like a weakness into a weapon.¡±


    Clive and Neil shared a glance.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like this plan,¡± Clive said.

 Chapter 142: This Town Ain’t Big Enough

    The mirage chamber had created a sprawl of ancient, desert ruins. It was a town, long since dead and dry. Built into a hillside, crumbling buildings clung to the steep slope or were dug right into the yellow desert rock. Tunnels and stairwells were alternately exposed or buried by the dilapidating power of time, forming a rat¡¯s nest of unsafe passages and hidden nooks. Of the handful of intact buildings, none had a neighbour in the same condition, the slope a mess of tumbled brick and stone, half-gone walls and debris-filled, hard earth streets. The air shimmered with heat as the unyielding sun beat down on the clay and stone remnants of the town. Through the steep ruins, three teams stalked one another. Hiding and moving, they risked precarious tunnels and rooftops as they sought to find prey without becoming someone else¡¯s.


    ¡°Keep an eye on the shadows,¡± Rick Geller warned his team. ¡°Asano is the strongest scout in here and we all know what he can do if we let him play his games.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have all kinds of games,¡± Jason¡¯s voice echoed loudly through the ruins.


    ¡°He¡¯s doing it again,¡± said Claire Adeah, the healer and one of two elf sisters on the team. ¡°That guy is so annoying.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just trying to get you riled up,¡± her sister said from above. ¡°He knows he can¡¯t try what he did last time, but he¡¯ll still try and mess up your thinking.¡±


    Scouting from a rooftop, Hannah Adeah was an archer, the team¡¯s only remaining ranged specialist. The expedition and its aftermath claimed both Jonah and Henry Geller, their front-line guardian and magic ranged attacker. Their new members were Dustin Kettering, a local who filled Jonah¡¯s defender role, and Rick¡¯s sister, Phoebe.


    Dustin¡¯s cousin, Hudson, was his counterpart on Beth Cavendish¡¯s team and currently an enemy. Dustin was a classic defender, not very mobile but very hard to go around or through. This put him very much in the role of the team member he replaced, unlike Phoebe. Instead of a ranged magic attacker, she was a fast melee attacker using unarmed combat. This forced a change in general strategy for the team, who had previously bunkered around their twin ranged attackers. Phoebe¡¯s presence failed to replicate their previous strength but broadened their abilities. In the weeks since gaining their new members, the team had been working on strategies that were less specialised and more adaptive and versatile.


    Hannah stepped off the roof, dropping down lightly to rejoin the others.


    ¡°He isn¡¯t as much of a threat in this environment as he was when we had to chase him through those mangroves,¡± Hannah said. ¡°Did you hear how loud he called out? He¡¯s trying to draw the other team to our location.¡±


    In another part of the ruined town, Beth Cavendish and her team moved with the same caution as Rick''s team did. Beth was widely known as both team leader and team healer, but it was her dangerous mix of wide-area afflictions and control powers that made her a true threat.


    Their own archer, Emily, was likewise scouting from a rooftop vantage, but the steep slope made that tricky. The team was slowly moving uphill in search of visual and tactical advantage. Emily was a celestine with fair skin and a gold pixie cut that matched her eyes. She wore a simple cap to keep the sun from reflecting off her hair and giving away her position.


    Their team was only four, compared to five each for the others and they were being appropriately cautious. Emily moved carefully down from her hidden vantage, returning to the team.


    ¡°I have at least a direction from Asano calling out,¡± she said. ¡°Obviously, he wants to lure us into the other team and clean up whoever¡¯s left. Do we scout it out and wait, or avoid it completely?¡±


    ¡°Let them thin each other out,¡± Beth said. ¡°Jason¡¯s team has his voice communication ability, so they have more tactical flexibility. We stay hidden and keep going for the high ground. We wait for the others to clash and then move.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what everyone is going to do?¡± Niko asked. Niko Tomich was from the smoulder race, with dark skin and burning red eyes. Niko used fire and iron powers to deal heavy damage in melee or combine damage and control powers at mid-range, making him the team''s most versatile striker.


    ¡°Jason¡¯s team is going to be more active,¡± Beth said. ¡°Their defender is mobility-based and short on powers, where Rick''s team has Kettering and we have Hudson. We''re both stronger than his group at suffering an attack, while Humphrey is as strong an initiator as you could ask for. They''ll try and catch us at a bad moment and make the most of it.¡±


    Hudson was a huge, comic book character of a man and the guardian of Beth''s team. He wielded earth powers and, like Clive, had a racial gift evolution that moved his aptitude from special attacks to another ability type. In Hudson''s case, it was conjuration, allowing him to conjure up stone weapons, shields, walls and other objects to protect his team.


    As Beth predicted, the three teams were slow and careful as they moved about the ruined town. Jason¡¯s team made various attempts to bait one of their opponents into an ill-considered attack without success before regrouping to discuss the next move.


    ¡°Both teams are being extremely cautious,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They aren¡¯t willing to risk extending themselves because they know they will do better defending from readiness. Everyone is waiting for an accident or a mistake that turns the tables, letting them swoop in and clean up the other teams.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Our best bet is to strike first,¡± Sophie said. ¡°For both of their teams, if we can overwhelm the key defender, it opens up the rest of the team to our attacks. We load up Humphrey with powers and use that to punch through their strongest front-liner and clean up the rest.¡±


    ¡°Initiating a straight-up confrontation will cost us in the long run,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Even if the other team doesn¡¯t arrive in time to pincer us against the group we¡¯re already fighting, they¡¯ll be fresh and we¡¯ll be hurt when they do turn up.¡±


    ¡°Hunkering down fits the other teams better than it does us, though,¡± Clive said. ¡°Our core strategy is offensive, relying on mobility and power. We¡¯re better off pitting our strengths against their strengths than our weaknesses against their, uh, mediums.¡±


    ¡°Their mediums?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Yes, their mediums,¡± Clive said emphatically. ¡°I said it and I¡¯ll stand by it.¡±


    Jason chuckled, shaking his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Clive,¡± he said. ¡°These aren¡¯t teams we can beat with anything but our best. Humphrey had it right, too. If we want to catch them out of position, it has to be when they¡¯re moving to capitalise on a mistake.¡±


    ¡°What are you suggesting?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m suggesting we make the mistake that they¡¯re both looking for. They¡¯re both waiting for someone else to get in a fight, so we¡¯ll get in one and we¡¯ll ambush them as they rush to swoop in. I found a good spot when I was roaming around, earlier. You¡¯re good for one of those illusion rituals you were telling me about, right Clive?¡±


    ¡°In field conditions?¡± Clive said. ¡°If you don¡¯t want any old perception power to see through it, I can¡¯t do any better than a blank wall.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°We just need them to think there¡¯s only one entrance, so we can slip out as they slip in.¡±


    ¡°So, who will we be fighting?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Each other, obviously,¡± Jason said.


    Emily tilted her head, listening.


    ¡°Did you hear that?¡±


    Beth gestured for silence. Soon after they heard the noise of an explosive ability triggering.


    ¡°They found each other?¡± Hudson asked.


    ¡°It might be a ruse to flush us out,¡± Beth said. ¡°Move slow and quiet; we wait to see if it keeps going.¡±


    They moved forward at a cautious pace, Emily scouting the path to each new piece of cover before they took it. As they drew closer to the noise, they could hear a fight in full swing, with abilities going off and multiple weapons clashing.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Beth said. ¡°Pick up the pace, but not too much. We want to get there once they¡¯ve spent themselves on each other.¡±


    They accelerated their way along the path, Emily scouting ahead again as they narrowed in on the continuing sounds of combat. As they drew closer, Emily gestured for them to stop. She came back and gathered with the rest, hidden beneath a crumbling wall. ¡°The noise is coming from inside the hill,¡± Emily said. ¡°There¡¯s a collapsed building that exposed the tunnel access. I caught a glimpse of fighting inside, but didn¡¯t push my luck.¡±


    ¡°Any other entrances?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t rule it out, but not that I saw,¡± Emily said. ¡°My guess would be one of the teams spotted the other going in and moved on them.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Beth said. ¡°We go with our standard, three-stage assault pattern. Control powers on any loose threats; be sure and call your targets. This means you, Niko. Then we blanket the fight with area attacks and mop up whoever''s still got fight in them. When you''re ready, Hudson.¡±


    Hudson nodded as his body took on the colour of the desert stone, flesh transmuting into living rock. He then broke out of hiding, the rest of the team on his heels. They dashed up the slope to the shattered building and into the tunnel, balancing haste and care as they moved through the rubble. The tunnel was around a dozen metres long, beyond which it opened into darkness punctuated by flashes of magical light. They surged forward, catching glimpses of figures clashing. It looked like several normal-sized figures against one that dwarfed even Hudson.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Beth called out and they all stopped. ¡°Plug the Hole!¡±


    Reacting without question, Hudson held a hand out ahead of them and a slab of desert stone rose up to seal the end of the tunnel and close them off from the room.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Hudson asked afterwards.


    ¡°They were summons,¡± Beth said. ¡°Back out, now.¡±


    They started heading back down the tunnel when an arrow flew into the tunnel. It came in at an angle, striking the wall but not losing momentum as it ricocheted. Instead, the arrow duplicated, two arrows now zipping down the tunnel at different angles. They kept bouncing and multiplying as they zigzagged down the tunnel, the confines of the tunnel letting them bounce their way into a storm of arrows. Hudson acted quickly, placing another wall between them and the exit, boxing them in from both ends but shielding them from the arrow attack.


    ¡°That¡¯s both my wall abilities,¡± Hudson said. ¡°I won¡¯t have them again for a while.¡±


    ¡°You did well,¡± Beth said and pointed to the newer wall. ¡°That¡¯s your shatter-stone wall, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Then see if you can¡¯t clear us a path with it. Break us out of here.¡±


    Hudson walked from the front of his team to the back. The first wall he had created was the strongest; a simple wall conjuration power from his fortress essence called bulwark. The second power was called shatter¡ªstone wall and could turn defence into offence. He snapped his fingers and the wall exploded away from him in a wave of sharp, stone shards, peppering Rick and Dustin who were on the other side.


    The cousins were on opposing teams but filled similar roles. They were both huge, shielding their respective teams with the support of their elemental powers. Hudson had transformed himself into stone, while Dustin was clad in armour forged entirely of ice. Shards of the exploding wall had dug into it, without penetrating.


    Standing next to Dustin, Rick also had hefty armour but without the complete coverage that Dustin enjoyed. He avoided most of the damage but still suffered some cuts and scrapes that he was ignoring. As the two teams spotted one another, Beth was already chanting a spell.


    ¡°Let venom drift on the breeze.¡±


    She opened her mouth wide and flower petals started streaming out of it and up the tunnel. They were lotus petals, dark green, purple and black. They swept out of the tunnel on a wash of air, blowing past her teammates without incident yet adhering to the enemy team. Wherever they landed on flesh they swiftly dissolved into the skin.


    Before the effects of the petals could be seen, Niko stepped forward and exhaled a cone of fire like a dragon. Between the mysterious petals and the roaring flame, the momentum of Rick¡¯s team was completely halted.


    ¡°Hudson,¡± Beth called out and a moment later, a stone block rose up under their feet. It carried them along the tunnel like a raft in a quick current, the ground rippling like water as they passed. Hudson stood at the front, conjuring a huge stone shield as they barrelled out of the tunnel.


    Where the stone block carried Beth¡¯s team, the hard, dry earth became soft and unsteady. As they emerged from the tunnel, Rick and Dustin were forced back as the rippling ground left them with unsure footing.


    From a hidden vantage, Jason¡¯s team looked on. Humphrey tapped Clive on the shoulder just as the stone raft emerged from the tunnel and Clive snapped his fingers. The magic rune that appeared went unseen under the raft, but exploded upwards, nonetheless. The stone block absorbed most of the force but shattered into pieces, bursting upwards like a geyser.


    Beth and Emily were sent flying by the power of the explosion, cut and bludgeoned by chunks of stone. Hudson and Niko had been held in place by their protective powers, their conditions reflecting the strength of those powers. Niko staggered, injured and disoriented while Hudson was entirely unharmed. He looked around, taking stock of Rick¡¯s team.


    Rick himself looked singed but was functionally uninjured, although he felt woozy from the poison petals that had found their way onto his exposed hands and face. Dustin was standing strong, as was his ice armour. It was pushing out the stone shards from the wall explosion and sealing over the cracks. There was some melting from the fire breath, but that was likewise recovering in short order.


    Phoebe was unarmoured and had been right behind Rick and Dustin, ready to move down the tunnel before they were pushed back. She had moved to use Dustin as a shield from the fire breath but had been subjected to the bulk of the poison petals. She had already dashed backwards, holding a hand out, palm up. Droplets of black, purple and green liquid started falling upwards from her palm, collecting in a small orb floating over her hand.


    As Phoebe was purging the poison from herself, the last members of her team were already going to work. The elf sisters had been well back, avoiding the area attacks. Claire was purging the poison from Rick with a spell as Hannah nocked an arrow to her bow. The arrowhead was glowing, the light rapidly increasing in intensity until it started strobing. Aiming it at Beth, still prone from the explosion.


    Things were happening all at once as chaos ruled the battlefield. Phoebe gestured with her hand and the poison orb flew at Emily, the enemy archer who, like Beth, was still sprawled on the ground.


    Hudson had seen Hannah readying the arrow and moved to get in its path before it was loosed but Dustin intercepted him. Rick and Niko moved on each other; Rick already holding a sword as a huge iron hammer appeared in Niko¡¯s hands. Niko started growing visibly larger and the crude hammer grew with him. Even the handle was made of dark iron, which started to glow with heat.


    Hannah released the arrow at Beth, only for Hudson to appear in her place while she appeared where he had just been standing. The glowing arrow tore a chunk out of Hudson¡¯s torso, which crumbled off him in stony fragments. Dustin, suddenly finding Beth in front of him, conjured a hatchet of ice in each hand and started swinging.


    Beth activated an ability she shared with Sophie called between the raindrops. She had obtained it through the water essence instead of the swift essence but it was functionally the same. Her spatial awareness and reflexes took a leap forward at the cost of rapidly consuming stamina and mana which was worth it to escape Dustin¡¯s attacks.


    After throwing the poison orb, Phoebe was moving before it even struck. Emily held out a hand into which an arrow appeared, the tip glowing. As the poison orb struck her, she jabbed the arrow into the ground. There was a shock wave, launching Phoebe backwards and Emily herself into the air. She was unharmed by her own power, even using the momentum to flip backwards and land on her feet. She was immediately woozy, however, as the poison orb took effect.


    From their vantage point, Jason¡¯s team watched the conflict unfold.


    ¡°Things are stabilising,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s time to join in, make things messy again. Everyone knows what to do.¡±


    The team nodded and Humphrey looked up, teleporting high into the sky.

 Chapter 143: The Second-Best Adventurer

    After the initial chaos, the two clashing teams were starting to get their bearings. This was the moment that winged death plunged out of the sky in the form of Humphrey Geller. Careening downwards with his dive bomb special attack, wings splayed out behind him, his powers were amplified by both Clive and Neil. A circle of magical runes floated around him and his sword glowed with light. He was twice his normal size, with an attendant increase in strength from Neil¡¯s giant¡¯s might spell.


    Humphrey had a sword pointed down in a reverse, double-fisted grip. Hudson was still prone from his switch-teleport with Beth when Humphrey landed with literally earth-shattering force as his blade smashed into Hudson, smashing off chunks of his stone body. The blade of Humphrey¡¯s sword found the exact spot where Hudson had just been injured, imparting all the power of multiple buffs, the massive fall and two of Humphrey¡¯s special attacks combined.


    Almost any iron-ranker would have died from that single blow alone, but Hudson was not just any iron ranker. More than half of his torso and one arm were just gone, shattered into stone dust. He was still massively injured and lying prone as Humphrey stood up from the crouch he had landed in, still almost double his normal height from Neil¡¯s spell. He lifted up his sword and brought it down again. Hudson lifted his remaining arm and a stone shield appeared to intercept the attack.


    The incredible impact of Humphrey¡¯s entry to the battlefield drew all eyes as the rest of his team started emerging, unnoticed. Clive had a large staff, from which he fired a bolt of magic at the elf sisters. Claire and Hannah were largely separated from the battle, leaving them free to heal and offer ranged support, respectively.


    Neil also stepped out with Clive but didn''t act, instead, making himself ready to intercede with his abilities at need. A third team member, Onslow the rune tortoise, was not a born ambusher and was sedately emerging from cover behind them.


    The blast from Clive''s staff crackled over Claire''s shield, dissipating without any effect beyond drawing the attention of the two elves. The sisters failed to realise that this was the point as they turned to face Clive and Neil and away from their shadows, thrown onto the ground by the bright sun. With Jason''s well-honed aura control, they failed to notice his dark figure rise up from Claire''s own shadow.


    Claire fired a blast from a wand as Hannah launched an arrow that caught fire in flight. Both Clive and Neil had the same mana shield power as Claire, the attacks striking their invisible shields. Mana shield was a power that each of them gained from different essences but the effects were the same, negating attacks at the cost of mana.


    The weaknesses were also the same, however, not impeding non-attacks, or attacks made from inside their sphere. It was a weakness that had cost Claire before, with Jason¡¯s leeches, and it was about to cost her again. Standing behind her, Jason slashed his hand on the razor in his wristband and reached inside Claire¡¯s shield.


    Leeches spilled out over her, prompting startling shrieks that had her sister spinning around to see what happened. Jason pointed his arm at Hannah, who was likewise sprayed with leeches. Both sisters wore a coat of toothy leeches and Team Colin went to work.


    Hudson¡¯s switch teleport had moved her out of the path of an arrow but placed her squarely in front of Dustin and his ice hatchets. Her between the raindrops power let her avoid his attack and escape his immediate reach but not his attack range. He started throwing ice spikes, forcing her to keep her attention on him and not the battlefield.


    She had no time to assess her team¡¯s condition, let alone direct them as she was used to. From the moment Rick¡¯s team had boxed her it, through their breakaway being aborted by whatever had blown up Hudson¡¯s stone raft, she had been on the back foot.


    Beth¡¯s archer, Emily, was likewise under pressure. She was staging a fighting retreat as she was pursued relentlessly by the swift and powerful Phoebe Geller. Affected by the poison orb Phoebe had used on her, Emily landed arrows on Phoebe but only inflicted minor injuries. Phoebe wasn¡¯t deterred, slowly but surely closing the gap.


    In the meantime, Humphrey was still pounding away at Beth¡¯s front-liner, Hudson. Hudson was very much at his limits, scrambling on the ground and conjuring shield after shield for Humphrey to smash through. Despite his buffs, Humphrey was finding Hudson frustratingly difficult to finish off. His size buff had worn off, reducing Humphrey to normal proportions, but he didn¡¯t relent.


    The last member of Beth¡¯s team was Niko, using his fire and iron powers to clash with Rick Geller. Niko¡¯s powers included a size buff he could use on himself, but the extra space he occupied was proving more of a detriment than the strength was an asset. Knee deep in mud, against a swarm of leeches, Rick wasn¡¯t much of a fighter, but this was open ground. With free footing and a large, singular enemy, Rick was a horror to engage in melee; an avatar of speed and power whose attacks were as potent as they were relentless.


    Of the fourteen combatants on the field, none of them were bad, but Rick was the leader of his team for a reason. No one would accuse Niko of lacking as an adventurer, but Rick simply outclassed him. He unleashed on Niko all the frustration of setback after setback his team had suffered, losing not just team members, but family. Rick was relentless and overpowering, his sword finding Niko again and again, leaving Niko stumbling back, rapidly accruing injuries.


    Beth bought herself time by making use of Dustin''s own power. One of her quick attack spells was called water cutter, which fired a beam of water hard and tight enough to cut through at least non-magical metal. In between ice spike, she fired it directly into Dustin''s face. It didn''t fully penetrate his icy helmet, but the water froze over the front of it from the cold of his armour, blinding him with an opaque sheet of ice.


    Dustin wasn¡¯t worried as he smashed the ice away with a fist, knowing Beth lacked the powers to harm him in the brief moment he took to clear his vision. Attacking was not the reason she had bought that time, however, which she took to scan the battlefield.


    She saw her team members scattered and on the back foot. They were about to be wiped out and she knew she had to intervene, chanting a spell as Dustin cleared off the obscuring ice. He threw an ice spike at her but she swayed out of its path and continued her incantation.


    ¡°Cool waters be the crucible of deliverance, bringing the deserving into the chrysalis of peace and rebirth.¡±


    Just as Dustin reached her, giant, magical lotus flowers appeared around Beth, Emily and Niko, completely enveloping them. Beth didn¡¯t complete her spell in time to save Hudson, who had finally been finished off by Humphrey. The people attacking the three now hidden away inside the lotuses found their attacks bouncing harmlessly off.


    ¡°They can¡¯t do anything from inside there but we can¡¯t hurt them either,¡± Humphrey communicated through the group chat. ¡°Go for Rick¡¯s team.¡±


    Jason¡¯s sneak attack had devastated the elf sisters, who were thrashing on the ground under piles of bloody leeches. Sophie, yet to make an appearance, suddenly launched a sneak attack at Phoebe who was at a loss in front of the lotus-shrouded Emily. She dodged the sneak attack, dancing away to create distance and the women squared off.


    ¡°You should have Asano work on your aura retraction,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°His is practically imperceptible, while yours just gave you away.¡±


    ¡°Sneaking is really his area,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯m more about the punching and you don¡¯t need an aura for that.¡±


    They clashed in a series of strikes before one of Phoebe¡¯s special attacks blasted them apart, both women landing nimbly.


    ¡°You made a mistake even coming for me,¡± Phoebe said. ¡°If you¡¯d gone for Beth, she wouldn¡¯t have shielded her team.¡±


    ¡°But then we¡¯d have to fight both teams,¡± Sophie said with a malevolent grin as Phoebe¡¯s eyes went wide with realisation.


    ¡°Humphrey knows Beth¡¯s abilities,¡± she said. ¡°He predicted what she¡¯d do.¡±


    "Humphrey''s a good guy and wouldn''t say it," Sophie said, "but I think he''s sick of being called the second-best iron-ranker."


    Phoebe glanced around the battle. The elf sisters weren¡¯t coming back from their predicament but Rick and Dustin had regrouped to take on Humphrey. Jason stepped out of a nearby shadow.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice that you made a friend but you¡¯re meant to be fighting her,¡± he told Sophie.


    ¡°I¡¯m new at this,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I was waiting for a big strong man to save me.¡±


    ¡°Is that right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Sophie said. ¡°If you could go get Humphrey, that would be great.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just hurtful,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m still here, right?¡± Phoebe said.


    ¡°I suppose we should deal with you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to deal with me, are you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the plan,¡± Jason said. ¡°Keep her busy would you, Wexler?¡±


    Sophie launched into the attack before he finished talking, Phoebe deftly defending. Jason looked at Phoebe.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    Blood started running from Phoebe¡¯s eyes and nose as he cast another spell.


    ¡°Carry the mark of your transgressions.¡±


    Phoebe was distracted as a sigil seared itself onto her face, taking a fist to the ribs from Sophie.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    "You have some nasty damn spells," Phoebe said, still clashing with Sophie. Suddenly she broke free and lunged at Jason. As she moved, she saw him throw something at the ground and she found herself shrouded in murky darkness. It wasn''t full darkness as she could see shapes moving in the strange zone of shadows. She recognised the effect as one of his throwing darts and knew it only covered a small area. Making an immediate break for the outside, she felt a light slice on her arm as she emerged into the light.


    Fully aware of what Jason¡¯s powers could do, Phoebe held her hand out to purge the toxins, the way she had earlier by gathering them into an orb. Sophie didn¡¯t give her the chance, forcing her to defend against a renewed series of attacks. In their initial clash, Phoebe had the advantage. Sophie had the edge in fighting technique, but Phoebe had more powers and more experience using them. The tables were turned as Phoebe needed to get away and cleanse herself before Jason¡¯s afflictions overwhelmed her. While Phoebe was stronger, though, Sophie¡¯s powers combined defence with blistering speed. She wouldn¡¯t be able to take down Sophie quickly or outpace her and escape.


    While Sophie and Jason confronted Phoebe, Rick and Dustin regrouped as their opponents were both closed off in the lotuses. Instead, they took on Humphrey, fresh from finishing Hudson. All else being equal, Humphrey and Rick were a good match with quite similar combat styles. The addition of Dustin helped Rick but Humphrey had Clive, Neil and the finally emerged Onslow the rune tortoise to back him up.


    Neil''s ability to buff and heal was valuable, but not difficult to use. What had arrested the attention of Rufus Remore was Neil¡¯s shielding powers. The shield abilities that he could use on allies lasted only moments and would end after absorbing only a single attack. Without good judgement and timing, both could be easily wasted, leaving them unavailable until they came off cooldown again. The ability burst shield blasted away anyone nearby when the shield intercepted an attack. The other ability, absorbing shield, replenished the mana of the shielded person. The more damage that was prevented, the more mana was restored.


    Using the voice chat, Neil offered to reapply the size-growth power but Humphrey refused, not making Niko¡¯s mistake. Clive refreshed his buffs, the rune circle that triggered effects when attacked and the damage-reflecting damage buff, mantle of retribution. Neil did refresh his other buff power, armour of renewal, which reduced damage taken and gave healing over time.


    Humphrey clashed with Dustin and Rick. The two opponents should have been pressuring him but Humphrey had spent weeks discovering his limits under the protection of Clive and Neil. He left openings so he could make attacks, trusting Neil¡¯s shielding and healing, while letting Clive¡¯s retributive effects trigger. Clive offered ranged support, alternate staff blasts with using his own mana to recharge Onslow¡¯s shell powers.


    The three on two was disadvantageous to Rick and Dustin, but they were holding on. They had also been training hard and Dustin used his ice powers to protect Rick and set up counters. Powerful attacks from Humphrey found his sword hitting a suddenly appearing ice wall that exploded into razor shards that slashed at him like knives. Blasts of icy air knocked him away and slowed his reflexes with cold debuffs. Humphrey feinted against Rick to strike out at Dustin, only for Dustin to be replaced with an ice clone as he teleported a short distance away. The ice clone shattered under the attack, once again peppering Humphrey with ice razors.


    It was not enough as Humphrey pushed them further and further onto the back foot, their attacks either shielded or healed by Neil¡¯s life bolt spell. It was clear that if nothing changed, they would inevitably lose out.


    ¡°Go for the healer,¡± Rick barked and Dustin disengaged, Humphrey not trying to stop him. Dustin charged at Clive and Neil as Humphrey used Rick¡¯s distraction to catch him square in the chest with a kick, sending him staggering back. To Rick¡¯s surprise, instead of pushing the advantage, Humphrey looked up at the sky and he teleported away.


    Clive looked up at Humphrey, more than a hundred metres in the air, then down at the charging Dustin. He smiled and chanted a spell.


    ¡°Exchange your fates.¡±


    Suddenly Humphrey was standing where Dustin had been charging Clive. Rick looked over in confusion, then up at the sky as a sound grew louder and louder. Dustin¡¯s scream came to an end at the same time his fall did.


    Rick¡¯s team were effectively done. The sisters had succumbed to Colin while Phoebe was still alive but too debilitated to fight, leaving Rick as the only active combatant. Humphrey turned back to face him but Clive¡¯s vision power could see the magic of the lotus shells was about to end and warned the team.


    Humphrey directed the team to quickly gather, which didn¡¯t take long. He was already close to the Clive and Neil, while Jason appeared from a nearby shadow. Sophie moved so fast it looked like she was skimming above the ground instead of running.


    Inside her lotus shell, Beth had no idea what awaited her outside. She would have to rely on quick actions and quicker thinking when her spell dropped. Losing Hudson was a blow, but Niko and Emily would be fully healed, with refreshed mana and stamina. She hoped Humphrey and Rick¡¯s teams had taken the time to tear each other apart, which would allow her team to emerge and mop up.


    The lotus shell dropped and her eyes fell immediately on Humphrey¡¯s team. They looked unharmed but they were gathered together in an easy clump. She cast a spell, eager to get it off before they reacted to the shells dropping and scattered.


    ¡°Steelcutter thorns, burst forth and make the land your own.¡±


    Thorny vines erupted from the hard earth, even splitting rock as they emerged, completely encapsulating Jason¡¯s team. Sharp thorns dug into them, even piercing Humphrey¡¯s conjured dragon-scale armour. They didn¡¯t penetrate far, but they were all bound such that any movement would cause the thorns to dig into them. As soon as the thorns started growing, Beth was moving in their direction. Emily and Niko were likewise setting themselves up to launch attacks the moment the thorns no longer obscured Jason¡¯s team.


    ¡°Clive and Neil, go,¡± Humphrey said through the voice chat.


    Not needing to move to cast spells, Neil and Clive both started chanting lengthy incantations. It was enough time that Beth was able to rush to the edge of the thorns and chant her own spell. On completion, she opened her mouth, from which streamed a wave of green spores, flooded over the field of thorns.


    They all started getting messages from Jason¡¯s interface power.


    Spell [Spore Cloud] has inflicted [Spore Toxin] on you.You have resisted [Spore Cloud].[Spore Cloud] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].


    Stuck in the cloud, the messages kept repeating. Only Jason resisted all the spores, but Sophie¡¯s aura helped the others resist many of them. Jason used his Feast of Absolution on Clive and Neil to cleanse them as they chanted their spells.


    Neil completed his and in the air above the thorns, and ornate water fountain appeared, floating in the air. It sprayed water down over the people in the thorn field, healing their wounds.


    Spell [Fountain of Life] is healing you over time.


    Shortly after, Clive completed his spell. High in the sky, a magical light traced out the shape of a huge eye in red and gold light.


    You have entered a zone affected by the [Eye of Karma]. When you suffer damage, the originator of that damage will also suffer damage.


    ¡°NOW!¡± Humphrey yelled and the whole team started pushing themselves into the thorns. The floating fountain constantly healed them even as the thorns injured them. Beth shrieked as the retributive damage of five people being pierced all over their body tore her flesh to ribbons. When she died, the thorns withered, leaving the fountain to heal them of any remaining damage.


    As the thorns withered, a hail of arrows fell from the sky and fire breath washed over them as Emily took the chance to strike. It was too little, too late, though, with the fountain still healing them. With their team outnumbering the survivors of both the others combined, the outcome was inevitable. Rick and Niko formed a temporary alliance but were overpowered by Humphrey, Sophie, Neil and Clive.


    Jason, meanwhile, hounded Emily. Unlike with a normal pursuer, she never knew which shadow he would appear from and quickly realised running was pointless. Instead, she made herself ready to pepper him with arrows if he emerged. In the end, he baited her. When he appeared from the shadows she fired her strongest special attack while creating distance backing right into a waiting mass of leeches.


    The control room of the mirage chamber had extra platforms installed to accommodate fourteen people. The participants all got up and stretched. Their real bodies had been lying comfortably, yet they all felt exhausted.


    Beth moved over to Humphrey, shaking his hand.


    ¡°You completely anticipated me,¡± she told him. ¡°It was a good win.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the disadvantage of being the best adventurer in the city,¡± he told her, unable to hide his victorious smile. ¡°Everyone¡¯s paying attention to your abilities.¡±


    ¡°That was very good,¡± Danielle said, standing next to the control panel.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Emir said, standing next to her. ¡°You will all have a good chance in my little contest.¡±


    ¡°When are you going to fill in some more details about that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Only once your competition has arrived in the city,¡± Emir said. ¡°That should be any day, now.¡±

 Chapter 144: Arrival

    ¡°You can begin, candidate Wexler,¡± Vincent said. Sophie nodded and stepped off the road and into the field of crops taller than she was.


    ¡°There were nine grass darters reported,¡± Vincent said to the other candidates. ¡°While candidate Wexler chases them down, we will have time to discuss the remainder of the day¡¯s notices. Those of you who have yet to demonstrate your aptitude to a satisfactory level should be looking to volunteer¡­¡±


    He trailed of and looked to the crops, where Sophie emerged, struggling to carry four dead beetles, the size of small dogs. The group watched as she dumped them onto the road, each having a fist-sized hole in its carapace.


    ¡°According to the Magic Society listing,¡± Sophie said, ¡°the shells of these things are pretty valuable. You said you knew harvesting rituals, right, Clay?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes,¡± Clay said. ¡°Were they already dead?¡±


    ¡°If they were already dead, they¡¯d be rainbow smoke already,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Just harvest this lot and we¡¯ll go even split. I¡¯ll go pick up some more.¡±


    ¡°How did you catch them so fast?¡± another candidate asked.


    ¡°I think these ones are duds,¡± Sophie said. ¡°The Magic Society listing said they were fast, but these seemed a bit sluggish. Can¡¯t hide their auras, either, so my perception power makes them easy to find.¡±


    Sophie ducked back into the field.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put much stock in what candidate Wexler considers slow,¡± Vincent advised the other candidates. ¡°Her perspective is somewhat skewed.¡±


    At the marshalling yard, Jason and Belinda were part of the crowd waiting for the return of Sophie¡¯s assessment group. It was the first Adventure Society intake since the expedition, the last one having been cancelled in the wake of that disaster and the incursion of the inquiry team. For this assessment, Vincent had been paired up with a member of that team who mostly watched in silence. It was also a smaller group than usual, with families suddenly more wary about placing their young people in the path of potential harm.


    ¡°She¡¯ll pass, right?¡± Belinda asked nervously.


    ¡°She should,¡± Jason said. ¡°Vincent won¡¯t just give her an easy pass but she¡¯s better than I was when I took my assessment.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s better than you are now,¡± Neil said. Their whole team was waiting for her in solidarity.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know, people find me very scary,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing a pink shirt with tropical flower print,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°They could be poisonous flowers; you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°My concern is the member of the inquisition team they sent,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He¡¯s meant to be assessing Vincent¡¯s execution of the assessment, but he may just make them fail everyone as some kind of example.¡±


    ¡°They could have just sent Rufus for that,¡± Jason said. ¡°He failed everyone when he ran the assessment.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t fail me,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°He did me,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°He failed me before it even started,¡± Jason said. ¡°He wouldn¡¯t let me go, told me not to bother because I was definitely going to fail.¡±


    ¡°Was he right?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°A few weeks earlier I was assistant manager at an office supply store.¡±


    ¡°A what store?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Office supplies,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Station-Eyrie, where we¡¯re hawkish about your office supply needs.¡±


    ¡°Does this make sense to anyone?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°We find it best to just let him go and not ask questions.¡±


    ¡°I am curious about his world, though,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°There are a lot of differences,¡± Jason said. ¡°More pamphlets, for example. You go to an accommodation and they¡¯ll have a stand of pamphlets for local attractions. I haven¡¯t seen that here.¡±


    ¡°Pamphlets,¡± Neil said flatly.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Folded pieces of paper with information printed on them. Do you not have them here?  Maybe I should start a business. I could be a pamphlet mogul.¡±


    ¡°Is it too late to change teams?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Someone must be looking for a healer.¡±


    A wagon rolled its way into the marshalling yard, Adventure Society candidates climbing out as it came to a stop. After a few words from Vincent they broke off to meet with their families, some looking confident, others morose. Vincent exchanged a brief chat with the inquiry official before following Sophie over to their group.


    ¡°How do you think you did?¡± Belinda asked, giving Sophie a greeting hug.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask this guy,¡± Sophie said, jabbing a thumb in Vincent¡¯s direction.


    ¡°We¡¯ll make our assessment reports today and final results go up tomorrow,¡± Vincent said. ¡°I don¡¯t think candidate Wexler has anything to be concerned about, though.¡±


    ¡°How was the inquiry official?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Tough but fair,¡± Vincent said. ¡°He didn¡¯t demand quite as high a standard as Rufus, but he certainly wasn¡¯t going to tolerate the usual Greenstone standard.¡±


    ¡°So we can expect better adventurers from now on,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°For a while,¡± Vincent said. ¡°How long it takes to fall back into old patterns, who knows. Adventure Society culture is set at the top and Elspeth Arella isn¡¯t what I¡¯d hoped she¡¯d be.¡±


    ¡°My mother hates working with her,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°She wasn¡¯t happy Arella held onto her position, but this threat from the Builder pushes aside everything else for now.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Neil said, ¡°did your mother say anything about Thadwick?¡±


    ¡°Not much,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°After they caught him she watched the purging ritual herself. It seems to have extracted the star seed intact but Thadwick was fairly ravaged by the process. Last I heard, he hasn¡¯t woken up from the healing, yet.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Neil said. ¡°I hated being on his team but I¡¯ve known him most of my life. He didn¡¯t deserve that.¡±


    ¡°He tried to kill me that one time, so I kind of think he does,¡± Jason said. ¡°The suffering part, at least; I¡¯m glad he¡¯s not dead.¡±


    ¡°To finish the job yourself?¡± Sophie posited.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thalia Mercer knows her son¡¯s a useless dimwit but she¡¯d still kill me if I did. Then my friends would go after the Mercers and on and on. I¡¯m going to do what I should have done when I first met the guy and let it go.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a mature attitude,¡± Vincent said.


    ¡°I¡¯m still going to make fun of him though,¡± Jason said. ¡°A lot. That guy sucks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s slightly less mature,¡± Vincent said, ¡°but I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    Sophie vaulted over the gap between the Old City rooftops, sailing through the crisp morning air to land with delicacy and precision. The sun was only just peeking over the delta, beginning to banish the cold of night.


    Gary was close behind Sophie, his leaps heavy and powerful compared to her light agility. Jason was a distant third, his cloak floating around him as it let him easily make the distance. On Jason¡¯s heels was Humphrey, manifesting wings to cross the gap. Bringing up the rear were Clive, Neil and Belinda, who balked at the jump, stopping at the edge of the roof.


    ¡°I can¡¯t make that jump,¡± Neil said, breathing hard.


    ¡°Not with that attitude,¡± Gary called back.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have movement powers,¡± Clive said. ¡°I can only teleport other people.¡±


    ¡°Teleport me over, then,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Why should you get the teleport?¡± Neil asked. ¡°You aren¡¯t even an essence user, yet.¡±


    ¡°And I still have to do this awful training,¡± Belinda shot back. ¡°That¡¯s why I should get the teleport.¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s getting the teleport,¡± Clive said. He backed up, broke into a run and vaulted the gap, successfully reaching the other side.


    ¡°Why do I even need to do this?¡± Neil asked. ¡°I don¡¯t have any mobility powers.¡±


    ¡°Which makes it all the more important,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It means that if it comes down to it, the skills you¡¯re developing now will be all you have to rely on. What happened to the man who was eager to train?¡±


    ¡°I want to train the things I¡¯m good at.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all well and good,¡± Gary said, ¡°but it¡¯s the things you aren¡¯t good at that get you killed.¡±


    Neil groaned, but moved for a run-up before barely clearing the gap.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Gary said, thumping him heavily on the back.


    That left only Belinda on the other rooftop, eyeing off the jump when an angry man climbed up from a window.


    ¡°Who¡¯s jumping up and down on my roof, first thing in the bloody morning?¡±


    The team looked at each other uncertainly, then Clive chanted a spell.


    ¡°Exchange your fates.¡±


    Belinda and Neil switched position, bringing Belinda into the group and leaving Neil with the angry homeowner.


    ¡°LEG IT!¡± Jason yelled and they all started sprinting.


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Neil complained as he watched them go, then turned awkwardly to the man whose roof he was standing on.


    ¡°Well?¡± the man demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯m with the Adventure Society,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Is there a monster up here?¡± the man asked, casting a gaze around.


    ¡°Uh, no,¡± Neil admitted. ¡°No, there isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then get off my bloody roof!¡±


    A crowd was gathered at a dock in the Old City port that had been completely cleared for the approaching ship.


    ¡°Why do you need me here for this?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°I¡¯m meant to be making final inspections of the annex site this morning before giving the go ahead to break ground.¡±


    ¡°You are still my contracted agent here,¡± Emir said. ¡°That¡¯s why you came here in the first place, which makes any other ventures of secondary concern.¡±


    ¡°Since when do you care about that?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Since now,¡± Emir said. ¡°Shut up and get ready to greet the people as they disembark.¡±


    They had spotted the approaching ship from the cloud palace. Full of Emir¡¯s recruited iron-rankers, it would normally have used the Adventure Society¡¯s private dock, but that was currently claimed by the cloud palace. Instead, room had been made at the regular port.


    ¡°You realise you¡¯ve thrown this whole port into chaos, right?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°They weren¡¯t expecting to have some gold-ranker come in and just claim a whole dock.¡±


    ¡°The entire point of being a gold-ranker is to have other people deal with all the mundane problems.¡±


    ¡°And here was me thinking it was to protect civilisation from monsters,¡± Rufus said. ¡°That¡¯s a life lesson, I guess.¡±


    Rufus made his way through the gathering of Adventure Society officials, Emir¡¯s staff, dockworkers, and adventurers, arriving dockside as the ship approached the dock. Rufus¡¯ eyes went wide as he spotted a man on board with midnight skin and dark, curly hair tied back behind his head. The man spotted him to and launched off the boat, sailing through the air on a magical wind to land in front of Rufus.


    ¡°Hello, boy,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Hello Dad,¡± Rufus said. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±

 Chapter 145: Full Jason

    As the boat was still moving into the dock, the aeronautical early arrival of Gabriel Remore drew quite a lot of attention. The curious crowd pressed in for only a moment, though, before he pressured them back with his gold-rank aura.


    ¡°I see you haven¡¯t been working on subtlety while I¡¯ve been away,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Gods, you sound like your mother. She told me I shouldn¡¯t fly over.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s here, too?¡± Rufus asked, gaze moving from his father to the approaching ship.


    ¡°Oh, now you show some emotional investment,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°Maybe if you didn¡¯t make everything about yourself,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Flying over here in front of all these people. What were you thinking.¡±


    ¡°That I could comfort my precious son.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t you bring Mother?¡±


    The mirth dropped off Gabriel¡¯s face as he turned to look at the ship.


    ¡°She¡¯s with the Hurins,¡± he said.


    Rufus¡¯ face was stricken.


    ¡°Farrah¡¯s parents?¡± he asked feebly.


    ¡°They wanted to come.¡±


    Rufus reeled on the spot. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have¡­ I should have brought her home straight away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Gabriel said, placing a comforting hand on his son¡¯s shoulder. ¡°I won¡¯t say it wasn¡¯t hard on them, because how could it not be. But those of us with adventurer children know that adventurers don¡¯t always come home.¡±


    ¡°I was supposed to protect her.¡±


    ¡°You were supposed to lead her, and you did.¡±


    Gabriel looked around at the gathered people watching them. He had already used his wind abilities to make their conversation private, but there was no shortage of onlookers.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said to his son. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have jumped over like that.¡±


    Rufus was bleary-eyed but gave his father a smile.


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t make a spectacle of yourself, I¡¯d suspect you of being some kind of shape-shifter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of hurtful.¡±


    ¡°You did an unscheduled fire-sword dance at my academy graduation,¡± Rufus said.


    Gabriel chuckled.


    ¡°Your grandad gave me an earful for that one.¡±


    Emir passed through the wind bubble keeping in the sound and gave Gabriel a welcoming hug.


    ¡°How was the trip, Gabe?¡±


    ¡°It was good,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°You know I could have had Hester portal you in,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°Arabelle wanted to take the long way,¡± Gabriel told him. ¡°All those stops picking up the iron-rankers gave us the chance to see some new places. It was good for the Hurins.¡±


    ¡°With you, me and Arabelle here, you should have brought Cal, too,¡± Emir said. ¡°Get the old team together for a reunion.¡±


    ¡°You know what he¡¯s like,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°If there¡¯s no monsters worth fighting, he¡¯s not interested. You couldn¡¯t drag him into a low magic zone like this one.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t change, does he?¡± Emir asked, glancing again at the boat. ¡°They¡¯ll be getting ready to disembark, soon. I¡¯d best go greet all the tadpoles.¡±


    Emir was in front of a gathered group of iron-rankers. Some sixty or so had been on the boat, with two more boats coming.


    ¡°Welcome to Greenstone,¡± Emir said. ¡°My name is Emir Bahadir and I¡¯d like thank you all personally for coming all this way in response to my contract. As to the specifics, there will be a large announcement meeting once all of the adventurers have arrived. In the meantime, I suggest you report your arrival to the local branch of the Adventure Society. I¡¯ve arranged a number of carriages to take you all there directly, and they can help you find local accommodation.¡±


    Adventurers didn¡¯t have luggage, carrying their possessions in dimensional bags or dimensional space abilities. They were trained to travel light and with efficiency and were soon heading for the Island in a train of carriages. Not all of them took the offered ride, heading straight off to explore Old City or hanging around instead, hoping for some personal time with Emir.


    Others were greeted by representatives of Greenstone¡¯s nobility or other prominent families. Every other family in Greenstone envied the power and influence the Gellers held in other lands and leapt at the chance to make outside connections. They hoped that playing host to the next generation of leaders would get them a foot in the door of a larger world. This was reinforced by the Geller family itself, so sent representatives to collect certain people to which they had connections.


    Emir sent most of those looking to make an early connection away, except for a young girl of only fifteen years, with dark skin and rainbow-coloured hair that fell back over her head in a series of tight braids.


    ¡°Ketis,¡± Emir greeted her warmly.


    ¡°Grandfather,¡± she said with a respectful nod.


    ¡°No hug for grandad?¡±


    She gave him a hug after glancing around with the self-consciousness of her age.


    ¡°How was your trip?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The boat was so small,¡± she complained, drawing a laugh from Emir.


    ¡°Of course it was small after the cloud ship,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s good for you to broaden your perspective.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t broaden your perspective by narrowing the ship,¡± she said sullenly and Emir laughed again.


    ¡°Did you enjoy travelling with Aunty Arabelle?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Come along as I say hello. I have a present for you, later.¡±


    They wandered over to where Rufus and his father where talking with three other people. Rufus¡¯ mother, Arabelle, had even darker skin than her husband, her long hair dyed rainbow colours in the Vitesse style. Farrah¡¯s parents, the Hurins, were fair-skinned, like their daughter had been. Emir knew that while they looked older than the Remores, Amelia and William Hurin were actually younger.


    Of humble origins, they had become adventurers later in life. As young parents, they had stumbled upon the valuable potent essence. Instead of selling it for its considerable value, they kept it hidden as they worked to obtain more. By the time their daughter was old enough to use them, they had the more common fire and earth essences to go with it. It was only after their daughter found success as adventurers that she repaid the gift twice over and they, too became essence users.


    Farrah¡¯s parents had no interest in following their daughter into the Adventure Society. They were both bronze rank, having raised their abilities using the monster cores Farrah brought back from her adventures. Rufus and Gary had likewise contributed their own shares.


    As Emir approach, Rufus was bowed before them, practically kneeling.


    ¡°I¡¯m so sorry,¡± he told them.


    ¡°Please stop apologising,¡± Farrah¡¯s mother, Amelia said. ¡°Our daughter died as an adventurer, and she died proudly. You¡¯re no more to blame than we are for giving her those essences in the first place.¡±


    ¡°We had an informal wake a couple of weeks ago,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Now you¡¯re here, I¡¯ll arrange something more formal.¡±


    The two sets of parents shared a glance over Rufus¡¯ bowed head.


    ¡°You do that,¡± Farrah¡¯s father, William said. ¡°We¡¯d appreciate it, son.¡±


    In the cloud palace training hall, Humphrey and Sophie were clashing while Jason, Neil, Clive and Belinda rested in the observation area. Humphrey had his smaller conjured sword out, Sophie deflecting it with her fists.


    ¡°When I get my own essences,¡± Belinda told Clive, ¡°I think I¡¯ll prefer to fight at range, like you. Getting up close like that is really more Sophie¡¯s area.¡±


    ¡°That can be tricky for a human,¡± Neil said. ¡°Humans get more special attacks than anything else, unless you get a racial gift evolution early, like Clive. Mostly that means melee attacks. If you want range, then a bow essence would be a good choice. That¡¯s the most reliable way to get ranged special attacks.¡±


    ¡°Or you could get an ability that lets you use skill books,¡± Clive said. ¡°That way, you can gain whatever skills you need. The adept essence is a solid bet, in that case.¡±


    ¡°I looked at the bow essence, but decided against it,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Adept is on my list, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already picking out essences?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Clive let me look at the Magic Society essence listings,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I¡¯ve picked out a set I like the look of. They¡¯re all common essences, so they shouldn¡¯t be that hard to get.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve made a decision?¡± Clive said. ¡°What combination?¡±


    ¡°Magic, adept and trap,¡± she said.


    ¡°Magic and adept are popular essences, but not hard to find,¡± Clive said. ¡°Trap is more of a niche selection. Mostly assassin and hunter types go for it; I think it¡¯s an undervalued essence when it comes to monster hunting.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the confluence essence for that?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Charlatan,¡± Belinda said with glee. ¡°I was looking through the abilities it¡¯s known to give and they sound fantastic.¡±


    Neil and Clive shared a glance.


    ¡°Charlatan?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°From recollection,¡± Clive said, ¡°it¡¯s a confluence more people avoid than seek out. Most would disagree with you on the value of the abilities it gives.¡±


    ¡°Then those people lack imagination,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I looked through long lists of abilities. I don¡¯t want to pick out some essences looking for fun, tricky abilities, only to end up with a boring set of straightforward attacks. Ideally, I¡¯d get one of those racial gift evolutions that means I¡¯m not stuck shooting nine kinds of magic arrow.¡±


    ¡°We fought a couple of people in the mirage chamber recently who might disagree,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Those people lost,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Maybe they would done better if they had more tricks in their pocket.¡±


    ¡°Harsh,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have to agree with the value of having a few hidden surprises at the ready, though.¡±


    ¡°As do I,¡± Emir said as the elevating platform brought him up into the room. ¡°Speaking of surprises, I believe you have something for me?¡±


    Clive pushed himself out of the chair, took a heavy book from his storage space and handed it to Emir.


    ¡°Skill book. Way of the Reaper, form three.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t still holding out on me, are you?¡± Emir asked. ¡°Jason told me you didn¡¯t take anything from that complex you found.¡±


    ¡°I said no such thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you think back, you¡¯ll find I dodged the question. If I went telling high-rankers every time I found something interesting, they¡¯d just keep taking them off me.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you kept your and Miss Wexler¡¯s unusual combat style from me for so long?¡±


    ¡°I thought it was best if your interest in her was purely altruistic,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was her choice to tell you. She wanted to thank you for taking her in when you had no need to.¡±


    ¡°My client is very interested in the origin of that fighting style,¡± Emir said. ¡°Once our business here is done, I suspect he will have an interest in tracing Miss Wexler¡¯s family history. Perhaps, once her indenture is done, she will be interested in that journey for herself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up to her,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, this granddaughter of yours has been learning the Way of the Reaper too?¡±


    ¡°My search has taken time and found many relics of the Order of the Reaper,¡± Emir said. ¡°That includes skill books. My granddaughter can use skill books and was very interested in practicing a lost style. I was reluctant, having only recovered books containing three of the five forms. In the end, she wore me down.¡±


    ¡°Your client didn¡¯t want the books?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°My client appreciates any relics I send his way and pays me appropriately, but I am only contracted for one item. We have found multiple copies of these skill books and had some to spare, but only for three of the forms. We haven¡¯t found anything for the second or third.¡±


    ¡°We found intact copies of forms one and three,¡± Clive said. ¡°We can¡¯t help you with a book for form two.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about that,¡± Emir aid. ¡°My hope is that one will be recovered during the upcoming contest,¡± Emir said. ¡°I will share the details once the other boats arrive. Even if not, both you and Miss Wexler have knowledge of form two, do you not, Jason?¡±


    ¡°We do. We¡¯re grateful for all you¡¯ve done for us, so we¡¯d be happy to teach her what we can.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s excellent,¡± Emir said. ¡°You¡¯ll meet her soon. Have you met Rufus¡¯ parents, yet?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rufus and Gary have been with them and Farrah¡¯s parents since they arrived.¡±


    ¡°Rufus had a request for you, for when you meet his father.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Rufus¡¯ father, Gabriel, likes to make a big first impression. He didn¡¯t tell Rufus he was coming, then made quite the entrance at the port.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Rufus requested than when you meet his father, you go what he referred to as ¡®full Jason,¡¯ whatever that means.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we know what that means,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Yes, we do,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°What are you two talking about?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You questioned if I was even an elf, then accused me of being fat,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°You claimed to have slept with my non-existent wife, then accused me of sleeping with your non-existent wife.¡±


    ¡°Neil¡¯s an elf?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m an elf!¡±


    ¡°You are quite hefty for an elf.¡±


    ¡°My proportions are perfectly normal!¡±


    ¡°I see it now,¡± Emir said. ¡°This is exactly what Rufus was looking for.¡±


    ¡°He had his landlady yell at me.¡±

 Chapter 146: Versatile

    Jason was sitting in a meditation pose on one of the cloud palace¡¯s open terraces when Rufus wandered along with his parents.


    ¡°This is Jason,¡± Rufus said.


    Jason turned his head and opened one eye to look before springing lightly to his feet.


    ¡°Gabriel and Arabelle Remore,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°So this is the Jason Asano I¡¯ve heard so much about,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°You have?¡± Jason asked, surprise clear on his face. ¡°Most people only pay attention to the big names, you know? Staedtler, Moranse; the ones with all the fancy glazing techniques, the overdone vases that no one ever actually uses as a vase. I mean, seriously. If the form overwhelms the function, what¡¯s the point, am I right?¡±


    ¡°Glazing?¡± Gabriel asked in confusion.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Jason asked. ¡°The true enthusiast understands that it isn''t about the flashy finish but the craftsmanship of the underlying product. Every aficionado who truly knows their business understands that the real collectible is also the most practical. They don''t go for the weird oversized bowls or the fancy jugs with artistic flourishes that compromise volume. They know that solid, economical designs are what really endure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Gabriel said, ¡°but what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Pottery,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s why you heard about me, right? And I can tell you that the rumours are true: I have the best clay to coin ratio in Greenstone. You want practical, affordable earthenware, then I¡¯m your guy.¡±


    ¡°Pottery?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Jason said enthusiastically. ¡°I¡¯m not just about the pots and bowls, either. You want the inside skinny on the industry, then I¡¯m your man.¡±


    Jason narrowed his eyes, giving the Remore¡¯s an assessing look, then leaned in, conspiratorially.


    ¡°Because your Rufus'' family,¡± Jason said, ¡°I might have a little inside tip for you.¡±


    ¡°I think there may have been a mistake,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°No mistake, my friend,¡± Jason said, giving Gabriel a pat on the arm. ¡°You want the inside scoop? The hidden truth the other earthenware merchants won''t tell you? You can forget the vases, my friend. The bowls, pots, pitchers, planters and jugs. I know they''re all the fancy, eye-catching stuff that the ordinary collectors go for. And those big-name potters, they''re more than happy to feed them the dross while keeping the real goods for themselves.¡±


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Gabriel asked.


    ¡°The future is happening,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not just the future of pottery, as if that wasn¡¯t exciting enough, but the future of beverages themselves!¡±


    ¡°Beverages?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes, my friend. I know it seems like everyone stores wine in bottles these days, but take it from an industry insider: amphorae are coming back in a big way.¡±


    ¡°Amphorae?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the stuff,¡± Jason said. ¡°These aren¡¯t your grandmother¡¯s amphorae; they¡¯re not just for wine anymore. Milk, tea, juice, liquor, Bovril.¡±


    ¡°Bovril?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I forgot you don¡¯t have cows, here. Lizard Bovril? Forget the Bovril, focus on the amphorae. I realise that every good collector has an amphora or two squirrelled away somewhere. They¡¯re always an addendum, though; a punctuation point in a piquant pottery poem, but I¡¯m here to tell you, friend, that amphorae are about to explode onto the scene that will make vases look like little dishes people use for hard candy!¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t understand what¡¯s happening,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± Jason said, moving next to Gabriel and slipping a sympathetic arm over his shoulder. ¡°Even as we speak, the potters of the world are hidden away, crafting amphora after amphora for the bonanza to come.¡±


    Gabriel pulled himself away from Jason, which did nothing to dampen Jason¡¯s enthusiasm.


    ¡°I¡¯ve very clearly missed something in this situation,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°Of course you have,¡± Jason said, ¡°but that isn¡¯t your fault. It¡¯s these so-called industry professionals, collection agents and gallery owners. They know the truth, but will they tell good, honest collectors like you? No, they won''t. It''s a conspiracy, my friend, an amphora conspiracy to keep you out of the game until the market explodes and they hold all the cards.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very confused,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°Of course you are,¡± Jason told him sympathetically. ¡°Some poor, innocent pottery enthusiast can¡¯t be expected to understand the market nuances and industry secrets. That¡¯s surely why Rufus brought you to me, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I definitely brought him here for this,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°There you are,¡± Jason said. ¡°Clearly you¡¯re a gentleman of insight and means.¡±


    Jason leaned over to Rufus.


    ¡°He is a man of means, right?¡± Jason whispered.


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Rufus said and Jason gave Gabriel a beaming smile.


    ¡°Insight and means,¡± he said again. ¡°A man who won¡¯t miss an opportunity literally hidden away from the more ordinary collector. Let me paint you a picture. A workshop, filled with secretive but capable apprentices, all under the direction of an experienced and rakishly handsome man with almost months of experience. Rack after rack of amphorae. No bowls, no pots, no jugs. Just one amphora after another, poised for that market shift, ready to explode in prominence.¡±


    ¡°Are you trying to get me to give you money?¡± Gabriel asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about money,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s about showing those with an iron grip on the industry that we can bust open their artificial scarcity! And also money. You drop seven or eight gold spirit coins now, and a few years down the track, you could very well have made some of it back!¡±


    ¡°Could?¡±


    ¡°Hold on, I have a pamphlet here somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Pamphlet?¡±


    Jason patted his pockets absently, then his face lit up as he remembered and he plucked a pamphlet out of the air, shoving it into Gabriel¡¯s hand. Gabriel looked warily at the cover.


    ¡°Step one, collect underpants?¡± he read.


    ¡°Oops,¡± Jason said, snatching back the pamphlet and shoving it back into his inventory. He then pulled out a fistful of pamphlets and started leafing through them, reading to himself as he went.


    ¡°Church of Om; not a lot of hope for that catching on. Shelving unit assembly. Wicker versus rattan furniture selection guide.¡±


    He looked up at Gabriel. ¡°Sorry mate, just a second.¡±


    Jason resumed sorting through the pamphlets as Gabriel searched his still innocent-looking son''s face for any hint of explanation.


    ¡°Basic guide to yoghurt,¡± Jason continued. ¡°Woven rug care in 5 easy steps; I¡¯ve been looking for that one. Blue Oyster Bar, that one¡¯s for Rufus. Oh, here we go; basic guide to amphora selection.¡±


    Jason handed over the pamphlet as he shoved the rest back into his inventory.


    ¡°Note that the pictures show each amphora at the same size,¡± Jason said, pointing. ¡°That¡¯s just to make use of the space on the pamphlet, where obviously any given amphora can come in any size. For clarity, you¡¯ll note that there¡¯s a standard reference pear in each picture.¡±


    Gabriel looked at Jason like he was some kind of madman.


    ¡°Reference pear?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s industry standard,¡± Jason said. ¡°I thought you said you were a collector?¡±


    ¡°I am not a collector!¡±


    ¡°Then why did you say you were?¡± Jason asked, anger and confusion splashed across his face. ¡°Are you just here trying to dig up industry secrets? I told you about my slave workshop!¡±


    ¡°Slave workshop?¡±


    ¡°Indentured servants, whatever. Oh, this is a shocking turn up.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s always like that, isn¡¯t it?¡± Jason said. ¡°You kill a few hundred monsters and suddenly all people see you as is an adventurer. Let me tell you, mate, adventuring is just a job. Pottery is a vocation.¡±


    Jason yanked the pamphlet from Gabriel¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Forget this,¡± he said bitterly, stormed over to the terrace railing and vault over the side, dropping out of sight.


    ¡°So that was Jason,¡± Rufus said mildly. ¡°Next we¡¯ll head to the guest wing lounge and dining area, where I¡¯ve had some lunch prepared.¡±


    ¡°Dear,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°Yes, my love?¡± Arabelle asked. She had remained silent throughout the encounter.


    ¡°What just happened?¡±


    ¡°We just met Rufus¡¯ friend, dear,¡± she said. ¡°Don¡¯t be judgemental.¡±


    ¡°Judgemental? The man was a loon!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s from very far away,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°He¡¯s bound to have some idiosyncrasies.¡±


    ¡°Idiosyncrasies? He tried to get me to invest in a pottery workshop staffed by slaves! He wouldn¡¯t stop saying amphora and I still have no idea what Bovril is.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a local delicacy where he comes from,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Dad. I have food waiting.¡±


    ¡°Yes, do come along, dear,¡± Arabelle said and set off with her son, Gabriel trailing after.


    ¡°You set this up,¡± Gabriel accused Rufus. ¡°This is for jumping off the ship in front of all those people, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about, Dad.¡±


    ¡°You actually made pamphlets?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°Eight of them. There''s a simple ritual to print images, so the real issue was finding the right card stock. For a good pamphlet, it has to be nice and thin, but firmer than just paper. Durable, with a good feel in the hand.¡±


    They were sat around a banquet table in the guest wing lounge and dining area. It was Jason¡¯s full team, plus Gary, Belinda, Jory, Phoebe, Emir and his chief of staff, Constance.


    Emir was laughing as Rufus led in his parents.


    ¡°You!¡± Gabriel said, pointing at Jason, making Emir laugh all the harder.


    ¡°Sit down and eat, Gabe,¡± Emir said. ¡°Always a pleasure, Bella. You can sit next to me.¡±


    ¡°Keep your hands off my wife,¡± Gabriel said, sitting down.


    ¡°Connie, always a pleasure,¡± Arabelle said, sitting next to Constance.


    ¡°Bella,¡± Constance greeted. Emir¡¯s usually reserved chief of staff seemed a little more relaxed than normal. Only a little, but it stood out.


    ¡°Lovely to see you again,¡± Jason said and made introductions around the table. When introducing Rufus'' parents, he referred to Rufus'' mother as an esteemed adventurer, venerated by kings and heroes. Gabriel, he referred to as some kind of teacher.


    ¡°I have a question,¡± Gabriel said to Jason.


    ¡°Just one?¡±


    ¡°How much of what you were saying to me was a lie?¡±


    ¡°All of it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was lying through my teeth. I¡¯d probably mistake a kiln for a rustic barbecue and use it to cook sausages.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a gold ranker,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°I can see right through your aura.¡±


    ¡°Rude, but okay,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I tell you were lying? It should have been in your aura.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a technique from my world called the Stanislavski system,¡± Jason said. ¡°To grossly oversimplify, it''s about becoming the person you''re pretending to be in the moment.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a formidable tool,¡± Arabelle said.


    ¡°Especially when you run around making high-ranking enemies, the way Jason does,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°What are you talking about,¡± Jason said. ¡°Everybody loves me.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Emir said, ¡°I was hoping you could help me with something, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I thought I might take the opportunity of all these new adventurers arriving to try and bait out the Builder cultists and I had an idea that makes use of your flair for pompous melodrama.¡±


    ¡°Pompous melodrama?¡± Jason said, as laughter spread around the table at his hurt expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s your problem?¡± Emir asked. ¡°Not being used as bait for evil cultists?¡±


    ¡°No worries there, mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°Evil cultists are kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°Evil cultists are your thing?¡± Phoebe asked.


    ¡°Jason has a lot of things,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I¡¯m versatile,¡± Jason said.

 Chapter 147: I Don’t Like This Plan

    The marshalling yard was full of adventurers, waiting for Emir Bahadir to arrive. The third and final boatload of iron-rankers had arrived the day before and a meeting had been called to finally explain the job. Along with all the imported adventurers, the locals were out in full force. After the expedition, only those confident in their abilities were going to participate, but iron, bronze or silver, everyone wanted to know what had brought Emir to Greenstone in the first place.


    ¡°Asano!¡±


    The voice was loud and challenging, grabbing attention. Jason and his team were waiting with everyone else, looking up as someone called out Jason¡¯s name. Space was made as a young man strode through the crowd.


    ¡°Asano,¡± the man said again.


    ¡°Something I can help you with?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You have one of your own team members as a slave?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°Indentured servant,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you have a name, or should I just keep thinking about you as that loud guy who won¡¯t mind his own business?¡±


    ¡°Julian Cross,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Alright, Julian,¡± Jason said. ¡°What exactly does my team or my indentured servant have to do with you?¡±


    ¡°Letting an adventurer be an indentured servant is a disgrace. Relinquish her.¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t set her free, idiot. It¡¯s a court-ordered indenture, so they¡¯d just put her contract up for auction.¡±


    ¡°Then you should transfer her contract to someone who won¡¯t treat her like a slave.¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who''s talking about her instead of to her, when she''s standing right here.¡±


    Jason half-turned his head in Sophie¡¯s direction.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked. ¡°You want this guy to have your contract?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not against getting away from you,¡± she said. ¡°I think I can do better than him, though.¡±


    ¡°Not true,¡± Julian said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t treat you like a slave. You¡¯d receive far better treatment than he would ever give you.¡±


    ¡°The thing is,¡± Jason said, ¡°neither of you actually get a say. You, Julian, aren¡¯t involved at all, despite marching up and making a scene in front of all these people. As for you, woman, you belong to me.¡±


    ¡°Screw you,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°If and when I say,¡± Jason said coldly.


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll just stand here and let you treat an adventurer like that?¡± Julian asked. ¡°I challenge you.¡±


    ¡°Challenge me?¡±


    ¡°To a duel. There is a mirage chamber in this city, so I¡¯ve heard. If you win, I shall withdraw from this event and return to my homeland. If I win, then you transfer the contract over to me.¡±


    ¡°If you want to duel, mate, there won¡¯t be any mirage chamber involved. You want to put something on the line, then it¡¯s your blood. Do you have a first blood rule in duelling, here?¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Julian said.


    ¡°Then we do it here and we do it now,¡± Jason said. ¡°You and me. First blood.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Julian said. ¡°One blow is all I need to kill you, anyway.¡±


    Space was quickly made, a circle of onlookers as the borders of their impromptu arena. Julian and Jason circled each other, around five metres apart. Julian had the lean, athletic physique of most adventurers, with sharp, predatory features, swarthy skin and a mane of amber hair. His hand rested lightly on the undrawn sword at his hip.


    Jason was on the other side of the encircling adventurers, shrouded in his cloak. In his hand was his conjured dagger, Ruin. The pair of combatants eyed each other off, each waiting for the opening that would give them the win. They circled slowly, each careful with their footwork, ready to move at any moment. Julian was the first to act.


    His sword erupted from its scabbard, a spark flashing from the blade and driving into Jason¡¯s cloak. The cloak was already empty, Jason having left it behind as he used it to shadow teleport. He rose behind Julian from his shadow, reaching around to slash Julian¡¯s throat.


    As Jason casually tossed aside his conjured dagger, which vanished into thin air, Julian clutched a hand over his throat, blood seeping between his fingers. His other hand scrambled for a potion, which he tipped into his mouth.


    ¡°First blood,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯d best have a healer look at that, mate. Your welcome for me not going deep, by the way.¡±


    Julian pushed his way through the crowd, a hand still clutched over his throat. Jason turned around on the spot, casting a challenging gaze over everyone.


    ¡°Does anyone else have a problem with me?¡± he called out. ¡°That one was a warning. There won¡¯t be any more duels. You have a problem with me, either keep it to yourself or I will put you down. If any more people here have an issue with that, I can start right now.¡±


    ¡°That''s easy to say with Bahadir standing behind you,¡± someone called out from the crowd. ¡°You think we don''t know you''ve been staying in the cloud palace? You can talk big all you like, but it''s not you that we''re afraid of.¡±


    ¡°Well said,¡± Emir¡¯s voice boomed over the crowd from above. Everyone looked up to see Emir flying through the air, feet shrouded in a small patch of cloud. The cloud vanished and he dropped lightly to the ground, next to Jason.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Emir said, ¡°if you want to challenge any and all who come your way then, by all means, do so. However, you must use your own strength to do so, not mine. I think it is time for my hospitality to come to an end before it starts to hinder your progress as an adventurer. The cloud palace is closed to you, now.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do that!¡± Jason exclaimed.


    ¡°I can and have. Your aura imprint will be wiped from the cloud palace¡¯s access list. This is for your own good; relying on the strength of others with cause your own to atrophy.¡±


    ¡°You think I need you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You just wait. You¡¯ll see what I can do on my own.¡±


    ¡°I genuinely look forward to it.¡±


    Jason¡¯s rage-filled face was obscured as his cloak formed around him once again. Then the cloak was empty as he teleported away, drifting down for a moment before vanishing. Emir let out a world-weary sigh, then turned to the crowd.


    ¡°I realise there will be tension between locals and the newcomers, so let me be plain. As many of you have surmised, Jason Asano is under my protection. I am extending that protection to every iron-ranker who signs on to the open contract I will be posting at the Adventure Society today, and that protection is the same for all, in both its extent and its limits. The protection is thus: every one of you must be fit for action when the contract begins in three days. I don¡¯t care what you do to one another, so long as you can be healed and ready for action at that time. That goes for Asano and each and every one of you.¡±


    The cloud appeared around Emir¡¯s feet again and he floated into the air.


    ¡°Now that is dealt with, we move onto the nature of the contract. Centuries ago, there was an ancient order of assassins, known as the Order of the Reaper. They were hunted down and exterminated, but rumours always remained of a legacy left behind; a final, hidden fortress. At the behest of a diamond-rank client, I have spent the last few years searching the world for that fortress.¡±


    Emir panned his gaze over the group.


    ¡°As you have no doubt surmised, the fortress has been found, here in the Greenstone region. There is a lake, at the bottom of which the remains of that fortress have been long hidden. My people found it, but the true sanctum is not so easily penetrated. The legacy found therein comes with a test; a trial for who seek it out. It is held within an astral space that, even once unsealed, will only admit iron-rankers. All attempts to otherwise penetrate it have fallen short. Only by activating the trials will it open, and only for those who have the longest road left to walk. Iron-rankers, like you.¡±


    He paused, giving the crowd a few moments for his words to sink in.


    ¡°As I said, this fortress is at the bottom of a lake. My people will be on hand to grant you access, but reaching the depths ¨C and they are depths ¨C will be the first requirement of participation. If you cannot manage even that much, then there is no hope of you completing the trial anyway. All further details will be on the open contract, which will be posted shortly.¡±


    With that, Emir floated away.


    Many towns and village in the delta had accommodation just for adventurers. It always paid to make the people who killed the monsters for you welcome and comfortable. Certain hub locations were especially used to adventurers passing through and people knew better than to take a second glance at the often oddly dressed and heavily armed individuals.


    Into one of the larger establishments went two figures shrouded in dark cloaks. This was not unusual, as more than a few young adventurers became enamoured with being mysterious. One of the cloaks was obviously magical, seemingly made from darkness itself. The other was a dark brown, plain, but high quality. The two adventurers paid for one of the larger private rooms and immediately went inside.


    Jason¡¯s cloak vanished and Hester pushed the hood back on hers. Hester was the only Asiatic-looking person he had seen in this world outside of his own reflection. Her appearance was closer to South Asian than his own Japanese features.


    ¡°Where are you from, Hester?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Pranay, originally,¡± she said.


    Jason was slowly learning about his new world, including the geography. Pranay was this world¡¯s equivalent of Sri Lanka, larger and further south than his own. It made for a huge landmass in the middle of what, in his world, was called the Indian Ocean.


    ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡± he asked.


    ¡°A lot like the delta, actually,¡± she said. ¡°I became an adventurer to see the world, but now travel is so easy for me that I spend more and more of my time back home.¡±


    ¡°That''s nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°I''d like to be able to do that, someday. My home''s a little farther away, though.¡±


    ¡°Nothing¡¯s impossible,¡± Hester said. ¡°Working for Emir, I¡¯ve seen enough diamond rankers to learn that much. Even from what little I¡¯ve witnessed, they function on a scale of power that¡¯s hard to believe.¡±


    Hester drew a circle in the air with her hand, which shimmered into being as a portal when she was done. They stepped through, into the cloud palace. They arrived in the cloud palace¡¯s guest wing lounge, where a large group was already having lunch. Emir and Constance, Belinda and Jory, Rufus and his parents, plus Gary and Jason¡¯s team. Julian was there as well, his throat injury fully healed.


    Jason nodded a greeting at Julian as he and Hester sat down.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go too deep, did I?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, it was perfect,¡± Julian said. ¡°The potion alone was enough to deal with the damage. You know your throat-slitting.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I have this recording you should see.¡±


    ¡°Will you stop showing that to people?¡±


    ¡°The bit where you let the spear hit you is the creepiest,¡± Belinda said. ¡°The way you pull it out and lick it? So disgusting.¡±


    ¡°It really was,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think Jonah might have nicked a bowel.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have bowels,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have bowels?¡±


    ¡°As essence users,¡± Clive explained, ¡°we all go through physiological changes as we increase in rank. At iron rank, our digestion starts operating very differently. Our gold-rankers here don''t even need to breathe. Each time we rank up, in addition to making our bodies superior vessels for magic, there are changes to how our bodies operate. It''s one of the reasons we can suffer more damage than others. Many of the vulnerable points in the torso are less vulnerable because we use what''s in there less. By the time we reach silver and gold, we are mostly just containers for a living mass that serves to rapidly heal injury.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want to come work for me?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Stop trying to poach my team member,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m still unclear as to the point of what we did out there,¡± Julian said. ¡°I¡¯m grateful for the opportunity, don¡¯t get me wrong. Coming to work for you, Mr Bahadir, is a much better opportunity than some prize I likely wouldn¡¯t get, but I don¡¯t understand the purpose of setting the iron-rankers on each another.¡±


    ¡°Chaos,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve heard about the five people who were implanted with star seeds, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Julian said.


    ¡°We¡¯re confident that the goal of implanting those people was to sow discord,¡± Emir said. ¡°One died and we¡¯ve captured and purged two of the others. Two remain at large, however, and the attention and resources we dedicate to finding them is attention and resources we aren¡¯t sending after the Builder cult.¡±


    ¡°Emir¡¯s declaration today basically gave everyone an opening to spend the next couple of days engaging in controlled chaos,¡± Jason said. ¡°The hope is that the Builder cult seeks to tip that chaos from controlled to uncontrolled in the lead up to the open contract, making it easier to enact their plans for the astral space.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with you?¡± Julian asked.


    ¡°Jason is now the focal point of this iron-rank mess Emir has made,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°He¡¯s close with Emir, but suddenly outside of Emir¡¯s protection. There wouldn¡¯t be a much better way to muddy the waters than implant Jason with a star seed, which we¡¯re hoping they attempt.¡±


    ¡°Even if they don¡¯t bite, it doesn¡¯t really cost us anything to try,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What if they succeed and you actually get implanted?¡± Julian asked.


    ¡°That is the part that concerns me, as well,¡± Gary said. ¡°I don¡¯t like this plan.¡±


    ¡°Jason will be watched at all times,¡± Emir assured him. ¡°I¡¯ve brought in a specialist.¡±


    Emir nodded at a man sitting at the table that no one had noticed appear. He was a middle-aged man, the kind of grizzled that perpetually made him look like he should be in the wilderness somewhere, hunting something.


    ¡°You had Hester bring in Cal,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°What my husband means to say is hello,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°How''ve you been, Cal?¡±


    ¡°Busy,¡± Cal said, his voice as gravelly as his face. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, Bella.¡±


    ¡°This is Callum Morse,¡± Emir introduced. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t want to be seen, no one short of diamond rank will see him. He¡¯ll be over Jason¡¯s shoulder at every moment until the contract begins. Hopefully, he¡¯ll bag us some Builder cultists.¡±


    The lunch went on, the large group chatting away. Julian, Clive and Neil were all quiet, intimidated by gold-rank company, although a born pedagogue, Clive was easily drawn out at the chance to explain one thing or another.


    ¡°You know, Cal,¡± Gabriel said, ¡°Jason here can keep lies out of his aura. You¡¯re the only other person I¡¯ve seen do that.¡±


    ¡°How do you all know each other?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Oh, we were all a team, back when we were young and foolish like you kids,¡± Emir said. ¡°After we got to gold, though, our priorities started to shift. Cal here was happy to spend the rest of his days carving his way through the monster population, but he was having to look harder for a challenge. I wanted adventures more exotic than what the Adventure Society was offering and took up fortune hunting for hire.¡±


    He waved a finger between Gabriel and Arabelle.


    ¡°These two,¡± he said, ¡°wanted to go off and make babies. Utterly pointless.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯m one of those babies.¡±


    ¡°And how long did it take you to even hold a worthwhile conversation?¡± Emir asked. ¡°Children aren''t a time-effective proposition.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like children someday,¡± Constance opined quietly.


    ¡°What¡¯s time anyway?¡± Emir asked, course-corrected rapidly. ¡°When you live as long as we do, what¡¯s a little time in return for the joy of parenting?¡±


    After lunch, Hester returned Jason to the guest house from which they had portalled into the cloud palace. She did not remain behind, with Sophie taking Hester¡¯s position under the brown cloak. The pair then left, ostensibly laying low after events in the marshalling yard while leaving a trail for the Builder cult to follow.

 Chapter 148: Impossible to Subdue

    ¡°What is it you need me for?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re not happy with enjoying a nice day in the delta?¡±


    They were strolling along an embankment road, Jason setting their meandering pace.


    ¡°It¡¯s not terrible,¡± Sophie conceded. ¡°I¡¯m just not sure why you need me to join you on the hook.¡±


    ¡°You know about fishing, but you didn¡¯t know about rain?¡±


    ¡°I probably heard someone mention it, but it isn¡¯t something that really comes up.¡±


    ¡°Seems like it would be,¡± Jason said. ¡°Delta merchants, sailors. And you weren¡¯t born here, right? Didn¡¯t you come to this city on a ship? Surely that got rained on.¡±


    ¡°Who told you that? Was it Belinda?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t recall,¡± Jason said. ¡°One of the Berts, maybe?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really remember anything before Greenstone,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I was very young. My earliest memories are of my father working for the Silva family.¡±


    ¡°My dad¡¯s done a lot of work for the government,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s worse than working with criminals, believe me.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Humphrey warned me about that.¡±


    ¡°Teenagers,¡± Jason said, shaking his head. ¡°No discretion.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rich coming from you,¡± she said. ¡°This whole plan is formulated on people believing that you would make a huge spectacle of yourself. Which they did.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about the whole ¡®you do what I say, woman,¡¯ thing. I was kind of leaning into the villainy.¡±


    ¡°That seems to be your first reaction,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the recording of that ridiculous fight.¡±


    ¡°It was pretty over the top, right? I was just looking for a way to win. That meant killing a bunch of teenagers, so going movie monster seemed the natural choice.¡±


    ¡°Why do you do that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Do what?¡±


    ¡°Make reference to things you know people won¡¯t understand. Is it part of the whole crazy persona you have going?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Well, yes, probably. Where I come from they call it a weirdness coupon. If people expect you to do strange things, then they accept it when you do. Have you ever noticed how people don¡¯t expect me to respect authority or adhere to ordinary codes of conduct?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for someone to kick the crap out of you for that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s happened, once or twice,¡± Jason said. ¡°But I get away with it, more than not. How many times have you seen me doing something and have someone tell you ¡®oh, that¡¯s just Jason?¡¯¡±


    ¡°Quite a lot, actually.¡±


    ¡°And there you are,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve never been good at fitting in, so I¡¯ve learned how to do standing out the right way. I admit that I¡¯ve taken it pretty far, here, but magic and monsters make everything¡­ bigger. Bigger personalities, bigger dangers. Half measures don¡¯t work and you have to find a way to either make your mark or fade into the background. Getting caught in the middle will just get you chewed up and spat out. Go big or go home, as they say where I come from.¡±


    ¡°So all this strangeness is just an act?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s method to the madness, sure, but there¡¯s also madness to the madness. It¡¯s about leaning into your strengths and working with what you¡¯ve got. A lesson you could very much stand to learn.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Look at your circumstances before Clive and I came along,¡± he said. ¡°You and Belinda, scrambling from one problem to the next. Every escape dropping you into a worse situation, the city tightening around you like a noose. You know why that is?¡±


    ¡°Because life sucks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve had some rough circumstances and no mistake,¡± Jason conceded. ¡°You went at them the wrong way, though.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°I told you that you have to stand out or fade away, or you¡¯ll get chewed up in the middle. You got chewed up pretty good. I¡¯ve learned a fair bit about what you¡¯ve been through and what you did about it, and it¡¯s plain to see what happened.¡±


    ¡°You think you know me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to get there,¡± he said. ¡°You kept choosing to fade into the background, but everything you did was about making your mark. You¡¯ve been telling yourself you¡¯re doing one thing while you¡¯re really doing the opposite.¡±


    ¡°So, you know what I really should have done?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Jason said. ¡°I haven¡¯t lived your life or faced your circumstances. Compared to you, my life has been sunshine and rainbows. But you have to realise that you¡¯re never going to fade into the background. It¡¯s not just the way you look, although that¡¯s certainly a thing.¡±


    ¡°You have a problem with the way I look.¡±


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m a straight man with eyes. But the way you look is a perfect reflection of who you are. Your hair, your clothes; you choose them for practicality. They shout to the world that you want to do your thing and don¡¯t want anyone to bother you. But they can¡¯t hide what you are.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± she asked, voice thick with challenge.


    ¡°Fierce. Arresting. Indomitable. If you asked Cole Silva or Lucian Lamprey why they chased after you, they¡¯d probably say it was because of the way you look. Maybe that¡¯s how it started, but it¡¯s not why they kept chasing so hard for so long. They¡¯d be lying, especially to themselves. A certain kind of man is insecure about his power. If he senses a challenge to it, he has to possess or destroy whatever is making him feel challenged.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you think? You¡¯re reading too much into a pair of sleazy guys used to getting what they want.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the whole point of what I¡¯m saying,¡± Jason said. ¡°They didn¡¯t get what they were after. I might have come along at the end but Lamprey was chasing you for months. Silva for years, from what I¡¯ve heard. If you weren¡¯t captured by my resourcefulness and dashing good looks, you¡¯d probably still be out there.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t it mostly Clive who caught us?¡±


    ¡°I did most of the fighting and chasing.¡±


    ¡°Like a minion, while he did all the set up. Like a boss.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make you Belinda¡¯s minion?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright with that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s actually really nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°That level of trust.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have people you trust?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m thick with them,¡± Jason said. ¡°I didn¡¯t have a lot of friends, back home. Someone hurt me, made it hard to trust people. I did a lot of getting chewed up in the middle, of being to afraid to embrace what I really am.¡±


    ¡°A nonsensical loon?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. ¡°This world forced me to answer new challenges. To be more than I was and find people I could trust and rely on. I could have stayed quiet, worked my way up as another unremarkable iron-ranker. But you know what? I am remarkable. For good or ill.¡±


    He gave her a wry smile.


    ¡°So are you, whether you like it or not. Most people, faced with your circumstances, would capitulate. Endure to get by. You didn¡¯t. You took extreme measure after extreme measure, even as you told yourself you were trying to lay low. You¡¯re so bad at taking the quiet road that you followed it right into a storm of politicians, crime lords and adventurers. You can¡¯t hide because you burn too bright. Until you accept that, you¡¯re just going to keep getting chewed up.¡±


    She didn¡¯t respond, thinking as she threw him wary glances.


    ¡°What does ¡®indomitable¡¯ mean?¡± she asked, finally.


    ¡°Impossible to subdue,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m your indentured servant.¡±


    ¡°Are you, though?¡± Jason asked. ¡°If you wanted to be gone, could I have stopped you? I don¡¯t imagine for a second that Belinda hasn¡¯t figured out how to slip that tracking bracelet. You probably got something on your person right now that will let you do it if you need to.¡±


    They walked in silence for a long time.


    ¡°You still didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± she realised out loud.


    ¡°What question?¡±


    ¡°Why do you need me out here with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re easier to track,¡± he said.


    ¡°And you¡¯re not easy to track?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I have a power that makes it hard.¡±


    ¡°No actual skills, then.¡±


    ¡°None whatsoever,¡± he said, pumping a fist in the air. ¡°Magic powers for the win!¡±


    ¡°Why are you so proud about something you didn¡¯t earn?¡±


    ¡°Pride is an easy lever to pull,¡± Jason said. ¡°You should never let people know what you¡¯re actually proud of.¡±


    ¡°Are you ever not manipulating people?¡±


    ¡°We all manipulate the people around us,¡± Jason said. ¡°We all show different faces to friends, family, colleagues. Enemies.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s the same thing?¡±


    ¡°You think it¡¯s different? You think my friends don¡¯t see past the bombast and the bluster? Do you think Jory doesn¡¯t know how I feel, healing people in his clinic? That Humphrey doesn¡¯t know my pride, helping protect a village from monsters? That Rufus doesn¡¯t feel my triumph when I push my abilities a little bit further and grow that little bit stronger?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just making it harder for them?¡±


    ¡°We all make it hard. Rufus can be rigid when he needs to be flexible. Humphrey can be short-sighted when he needs to look deeper. Jory needs to be more ambitious before he can truly accomplish the things he wants to. As for me, well, I¡¯m the worst of the lot. I¡¯m constantly causing trouble a little politeness would avoid. I pick fights I have no business being in, make enemies that would overlook me if I just learned to keep my mouth shut. I¡¯m prickly, manipulative. Completely lacking in deference.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re so self-aware, then why not fix all that?¡±


    ¡°Because they aren¡¯t problems,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re part of who I am, and I¡¯m happier with that now than I ever have been. I told you, this world needs you to be bigger. Maybe it takes an outsider to see that clearly.¡±


    He gave her a smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you are but you need to stop hiding, because I know a hider isn¡¯t it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been lucky to find people willing to put up with me, good and bad. Figure out what you are, and be the ever-living crap out of that thing. Then find the people willing to put up with it. You know it¡¯s what Belinda has been waiting for, right?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°She knows what you are better than anyone,¡± Jason said. ¡°Better than you do. My guess? She¡¯s been waiting for you to come into yourself for years.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not just some addendum to me, waiting for me to get it together,¡± Sophie said. ¡°She¡¯s brilliant, inquisitive. If she didn¡¯t keep tying herself down with me, she could accomplish incredible things.¡±


    Jason burst out laughing.


    ¡°You think that¡¯s funny?¡± Sophie asked angrily.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d bet money that the two of you have been pushing each other along, both thinking you¡¯re pulling the other back. Wexler, this is your chance. Hers, too. You get those essences she¡¯s after and then both of you find out what you¡¯re really capable of.¡±


    Sophie stopped, throwing our her arms.


    ¡°What is with you, Asano?¡± she asked. ¡°This whole thing. Getting us out from under Lamprey. Essences, adventuring. The speeches about making something of myself. No dismissing the question, no hiding behind a mouthful of nonsense. Seriously. Why?¡±


    Jason also stopped, turning back to look at her. The perpetual, smug, half-grin fell from his face. His eyes, normally twinkling with some joke only he seemed to know about became clear and sharp.


    ¡°Because I could,¡± he said. ¡°You needed it, I could do it, so I did it.¡±


    ¡°Why us?¡±


    ¡°Why not you? Jory wanted to help you and I have a soft spot for people railing against authority when the smart move is to give in. It¡¯s one of the things people hate most about me.¡±


    ¡°Just like that. You put yourself in the path of Cole Silva and Lucian Lamprey because your friend wanted to help us?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s my friend.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll go that far for a friend?¡±


    ¡°How do you think I made so many great friends?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re serious.¡±


    ¡°Unless I¡¯m just manipulating you.¡±


    ¡°Gods damn it, you¡¯re obnoxious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Jason said. ¡°Honest vulnerability can be a powerful tool.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you tell your lady friend that it was only a tool of seduction?¡±


    ¡°I was lying. You know what I¡¯m like.¡±


    ¡°Do you ever stop?¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± he asked a grin creeping onto his face.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± she said and set off again, marching past him along the embankment road. Jason looked at her, shaking his head and then followed.


    ¡°Such a tsundere.¡±


    ¡°I heard that!¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what that means?¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±

 Chapter 149: The Price We Pay Doesn’t Matter

    Jason and Sophie were sitting on a fallen log, eating sandwiches.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time to head back,¡± Jason said. ¡°Looks like we weren¡¯t tantalising bait after all. It¡¯s a little ironic, given all the people who were chasing after you.¡±


    ¡°They might try on the way back,¡± Sophie said. ¡°How likely do you think this is to work?¡±


    ¡°I figure it¡¯s less likely to work than not,¡± he said. ¡°Still worth a try, though, given the stakes.¡±


    ¡°How bad are these people, exactly?¡±


    ¡°According to Clive, if they had been left to their own devices in the astral space, they would have killed everyone between here and Boko, so¡­ bad.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even imagine destruction on that kind of scale.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what makes it so dangerous,¡± Jason said. ¡°These people we¡¯re dealing with; the LEGO Lovecraft monster they work for operates on a scale far beyond our ability to comprehend. A strange, alien mind that doesn¡¯t care about the lives it takes any more than we do about the bugs we step on without noticing.¡±


    ¡°How do you even fight something like that?¡±


    ¡°Clive said those things operate in a sort of equilibrium, balancing out each other.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel balanced if they can kill us and everyone we could get to in a week¡¯s travel.¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t,¡± Jason said. He wiped his hands together to brush off the crumbs and pushed himself to his feet, Sophie lightly doing the same.


    ¡°Let¡¯s head off, then.¡±


    ¡°So, this is the last one,¡± Danielle Geller said.


    Of the five people into whom star seeds had been planted, four had been found and treated. After the disastrous treatment of Jonah, the next three had the star seeds extracted without killing the host, although they were left in dire need of healing.


    They had finally found the fifth, returning her to Greenstone via Hester, Emir Bahadir¡¯s portal user. She was now strapped to a vertical platform, arms, legs, torso and head all individually bound in place. They were in the temple of Purity, in one of what they referred to as purgation rooms. Although scrubbed to immaculate cleanliness, there was a smell to the place that made Danielle think that bad things had happened there.


    There was a small crowd gathered to watch the purging. Danielle had accompanied the girl''s parents, who had insisted on being present, despite the archbishop''s objections. He had warned them that their daughter had been affected by the star seed the longest and may not survive its extraction. Also present was Tabitha Gert, the head of the Adventure Society inquiry team. She was the de facto head of the Adventure Society so long as the inquiry continued and had yet to witness a star seed being extracted. Clive Standish was the Magic Society representative, with the other members of the group being Emir and Thalia Mercer. Like Danielle, Thalia had witnessed every star seed extraction.


    The ritual went as the archbishop had warned. The wires had retracted from their infiltration throughout the girl¡¯s body before the seed was extracted, but the damage they left behind was too great. Even immediately applied silver-rank healing was unable to ameliorate the strain and she died with a jerking shudder. Danielle led away the grieving parents while the rest of the group was taken by the archbishop to a meeting room.


    ¡°That was the last of the five,¡± Tabitha Gert said, taking control of the meeting. ¡°Now we must completely refocus our attention on the builder cult¡¯s future activities. What progress are we making?¡±


    ¡°The Magic Society has made a couple of breakthroughs,¡± Clive said. ¡°First we know what they¡¯re after and how they are going after it. The astral magic techniques they are using are unlike anything we¡¯ve seen before, presumably delivered to our world by the Builder. It¡¯s more advanced than the astral magic we have but we¡¯ve already started unravelling its secrets. I can tell you that to achieve their objectives, they have to work from inside the astral spaces.¡±


    ¡°Which brings our focus squarely on you, Mr Bahadir,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°Do you still intend to open this astral space?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m tempted to prohibit you from doing so,¡± Tabitha said, ¡°but it may represent the best chance of catching the Builder cult¡¯s tail. Have you found a way to catch out anyone they try to slip into the group?¡±


    ¡°Not an effective one, no,¡± Emir said. ¡°The only means we have to identify them would be the presence of a star seed.¡±


    ¡°We have found a ritual that will allow us to discover one within a person,¡± the archbishop said. ¡°It is quick and simple enough that we can administer it to each person before allowing them to participate.¡±


    ¡°If they don¡¯t have one, though,¡± Emir said, ¡°there is no way to detect a person¡¯s true loyalty. If there were, I¡¯m not so certain I¡¯d approve of its existence.¡±


    ¡°What about other angles of approach?¡± Tabitha asked.


    ¡°Rufus Remore continues to coordinate with my father,¡± Elspeth Arella said. ¡°They are tracking what they believe to be supplies the Builder cult imported, looking for where those supplies ended up. This may give us a line on their key stronghold. They are currently trying to determine a final destination.¡±


    ¡°Your father,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°This is the criminal leader, Adris Dorgan?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Arella said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Tabitha said. ¡°In times like these, we need to put aside minor concerns like criminality and use every resource available. Keep me updated whenever you find something new.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am,¡± Arella said.


    ¡°What about the former star seed recipients?¡± Tabitha asked. ¡°Any progress?¡±


    ¡°The three survivors are all awake,¡± Thalia said. ¡°They have limited recollection of their time under the Builder cult''s influence. Their memories are strongest right after the seeds were implanted, which they all report as being like someone else was controlling them. They describe it as being trapped in their own minds, wanting to scream for help but being unable to do so. As the seeds took further hold, their memories become increasingly scattered until nothing is left but flashes.¡±


    ¡°Anything useful amongst what they do recall?¡±


    ¡°I have people working with them,¡± Thalia said. ¡°We¡¯re being careful because it would be easy to create false memories with leading questions. Everything they can remember is being collated and examined, looking for any trails we can follow.¡±


    ¡°Do you need any assistance or resources to speed up the process?¡± Tabitha asked.


    ¡°Attempting to accelerate things is exactly the wrong approach,¡± Thalia said. ¡°Doing it right will take as long as it takes.¡±


    ¡°And you aren¡¯t biased because your son is one of the three?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m biased or not,¡± Thalia said, matter-of-factly. ¡°Try to interfere and I¡¯ll rip your arm off and shove it down your throat.¡±


    Tabitha frowned but didn¡¯t push the issue further.


    ¡°How goes the inquiry,¡± Emir asked. ¡°Will you be staying in the city for long?¡±


    ¡°The expedition may have been what brought us here,¡± Tabitha said, ¡°but it has become clear that the way the expedition was planned and conducted was the result of a larger problem. The true concern is that the culture around this branch of the Adventure Society is a festering sore. We excised the worst people and demoted almost everyone. Over the next few weeks we will be going through all the members we didn¡¯t revoke the membership of entirely, seeing who truly deserved their rank.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Emir said, turning a gaze on Arella. ¡°How much influence is our esteemed director going to have on that process?¡±


    ¡°We have determined that the director was largely influenced by the culture in which she obtained the position, with her mistakes being attempts to operate effectively within it. It is not an excuse for certain failings, but we feel that coming from outside the local nobility remains an asset moving forward. Ultimately, she will resume full authority once the inquiry is over, therefore she will, of course, have input on the dispensation of rank for local members.¡±


    ¡°Your concern is Asano,¡± Arella said to Emir. ¡°He will be assessed fairly. How is your little bait operation going, by the way?¡±


    ¡°Who told you about that?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°There was no need,¡± Arella said. ¡°Asano making a spectacle of himself is nothing new but he generally does so with purpose. You wanted the Builder cult to make a play for him, trying to create a fresh distraction after we finished hunting down all their seeds.¡±


    ¡°It seems they aren¡¯t going for it,¡± Emir said. ¡°There was never a guarantee of it working. They don¡¯t want to risk exposing themselves, spoiling a chance at sending people into the astral space.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe they just don¡¯t want to risk getting involved with Asano,¡± Arella said. ¡°That boy is more insidious than a star seed.¡±


    ¡°What plans do we have for intercepting any Builder cult agents they place in the astral space?¡± Tabitha asked.


    ¡°None,¡± Emir said. ¡°I don''t know what''s in there and I''ve been looking for it for years. All we can do is ask the ones we trust to keep a lookout and act if they can.¡±


    Anisa once more entered the foreman¡¯s office in the temple of Purity¡¯s construction site.


    ¡°You were right to not go after Asano,¡± she said without preamble.


    ¡°Admitting you¡¯re wrong,¡± the foreman said. ¡°You don¡¯t seem the type.¡±


    ¡°It was bait,¡± Anisa said. ¡°They were trying to catch your people.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± the foreman said. ¡°He had a gold-ranker following him. We lost a silver and three bronze who had to kill themselves trying to take him.¡±


    ¡°You actually tried?¡± she asked. ¡°You told me you wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I considered your arguments after our last little talk,¡± he said. ¡°You changed my mind, only for me to discover that I should have kept my own counsel, after all.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem worried,¡± she said. ¡°This is a disaster for you. Losing a silver-ranker.¡±


    ¡°The price we pay doesn¡¯t matter,¡± the foreman said. ¡°Only the objective. Using Bahadir¡¯s pet iron-ranker to disrupt the people looking for us was a target of opportunity, nothing more. One less silver-ranker doesn¡¯t matter for an astral space that silver-rankers cannot enter.¡±


    ¡°What if they get information from the people you sent after Asano?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t.¡±


    Jason and Sophie looked at the four strange, crystalline stars that had once been people. Blood and flesh stained the crystal where it had exploded out of them.


    The gold-ranker, Callum, appeared next to them.


    ¡°That is all of them,¡± he said in his gravelly voice. ¡°I was unable to disable them before they killed themselves. It may not be possible to do so.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sense them coming,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Me either, and I have an aura sensing power,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°One was silver, the others bronze,¡± Callum said.


    ¡°Thanks for being on the ball, Cal,¡± Jason said. ¡°They were coming in hard and fast.¡±


    Around the village, people were watching from hiding after the unexpected explosion of violence.


    ¡°They won¡¯t try again,¡± Callum said. ¡°We should return to the city. Emir will likely take these and have them studied. Perhaps there is something to be learned.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go find the village head,¡± Jason said. ¡°We need somewhere to put them until Hester shows up. If we leave them in the middle of the village like this, they¡¯re going to creep people out.¡±


    ¡°Tell them to make sure people leave them alone,¡± Sophie added. ¡°I don¡¯t think random villagers poking these things is a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Sensible,¡± Callum agreed.


    Jason found the village head and explained the situation, meaning he said there was some adventurer stuff happening and people should stay away from the pointy magic things. The elder offered them a barn on the village outskirts that was disused after suffering damage from a monster attack.


    ¡°I found a spot for them,¡± Jason called out as he returned to the others. ¡°There¡¯s something I should probably do, first. Cal, is it okay if we loot these guys?¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Wexler, take those two over there and I¡¯ll get the others.¡±


    Jason touched part of the bloody remains smeared over the crystalline stars.


    You have received permission to loot [Builder Cultist].14 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.211 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.116 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Behind him he heard coins raining onto the ground, then Sophie¡¯s muffled complaints.


    ¡°Oh, what is this nonsense,¡± she complained as Jason turned around to see her encased in metal armour.


    ¡°I think you looted his armour,¡± Jason.


    ¡°Oh, you think?¡± she said, pushing up the front of the helmet to reveal her face. ¡°Clearly you¡¯re the brains of the operation, figuring that one out.¡±


    ¡°You might want to take that off,¡± Jason suggested. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s really your style.¡±


    ¡°This description that popped up says I don¡¯t meet the requirements,¡± she said. ¡°How can I not meet the requirements when I¡¯m already wear¡­ ouch. Hey, I think this thing is stinging me.¡±


    ¡°Cal, help me get it off her,¡± Jason said. Callum nodded, moving to assist.


    ¡°It will get worse the longer you wear it,¡± Callum warned Sophie as they started pulling off the various metal plates strapped to her body. By the time they finished, Sophie was biting back grunts of pain as Callum used his gold-rank strength to roughly yank off the pieces, Sophie¡¯s clothes and skin scraped by straps and buckles as he did.


    ¡°That was unpleasant, she said. ¡°You can do the rest of the looting.¡±


    ¡°Probably for the best,¡± Jason said, tossing her a jar of healing unguent from his inventory. He stowed the armour in his inventory, which was an uncommon bronze armour with some basic reinforcing and self-repair enchantments. Then he checked the next body.


    You have received permission to loot [Builder Cultist].2 [Gold Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.28 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.211 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.316 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.[Amulet of Intermittent Armour] has been added to your inventory.


    ¡°Ooh, gold coins. And they had the exact same number of bronze coins. That¡¯s odd.¡±


    He pulled out the magic item to take a look.


    Item: [Amulet of Intermittent Armour] (bronze rank, uncommon)


    A neck-chain and amulet that accumulates protective power (jewellery, necklace).


    Effect: Slowly accumulate instances of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing], to a maximum based on your bronze-rank [Recovery] attribute.[Guardian¡¯s Blessing] (boon, holy): Damage from all sources is reduced by a small amount. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Damage reduction is less effective against damage from silver-rank or higher sources. When an instance is consumed, gain an instance of [Blessing¡¯s Bounty].[Blessing''s Bounty] (heal-over-time, holy, stacking): Heal over time. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.You do not meet the requirements to use this item.


    Jason had several bronze-rank items collecting in his inventory. He had never actually sold the bizarre hydra whip and he had a gauntlet he took from the bronze-rank tidal troll he fought. Now he had the armour and the amulet looked like a useful item for Sophie when she reached bronze rank.


    The last body produced something altogether unexpected.


    [Star Seed (Builder)] has been added to your inventory.

 Chapter 150: Make the Most of It

    Anisa stormed through the main hall of the temple of Purity making for the exit. The church functionary at the doors stepped out to meet her.


    ¡°You go out late, Lady Priestess,¡± he said. ¡°Worship is carried out under the sun¡¯s pure light.¡±


    ¡°You think you know the doctrine better than me?¡± Anisa snarled.


    ¡°You are the one stepping out in the hours of dark deeds,¡± the man said.


    Anisa stopped, looking the man up and down. No essences in his aura and somewhere between forty and fifty, yet still the lowest rank of church official. She sneered.


    ¡°Using your meagre measure of authority to make yourself feel powerful is the sign of an impure heart,¡± she said. She reached into her robes and handed him a token. ¡°Take this and report for personal inquisition.¡±


    His face went as white as hers.


    ¡°Lady Priestess,¡± he begged. ¡°Surely you can¡¯t send me to inquisition for such a small matter.¡±


    ¡°That is the very problem,¡± she said. ¡°You thought it was such a small matter that you would suffer no repercussions, but impure seeds lead to rotten fruit. Your failings will be found and scoured from your soul. It will become pristine, once again.¡±


    She swept past him and out, into the grounds, along what was becoming an unpleasantly familiar path to the construction site. As she approached, the foreman emerged from the dormitory huts for the workers.


    ¡°It is late, Madam Priestess, and I know your people care not for the hours of darkness. If the purpose of your visit is licentious, then I will eagerly accommodate you.¡±


    ¡°Shut your foul mouth,¡± she told him. ¡°Your ever-growing list of failures has forced the archbishop to demand your presence.¡±


    ¡°I thought the archbishop never wanted to see me.¡±


    ¡°Your repeated bungling has placed him in a position where he must look to rectify the disasters you¡¯ve orchestrated himself.¡±


    She reached into her bag and threw out a white robe.


    ¡°Put this on and keep your face covered,¡± she commanded.


    The man picked the robe up out of the dirt and started slipping it on, over his clothes.


    ¡°What is this about, exactly?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We have moved beyond the point of having conversations,¡± she told him. ¡°Your task now is to answer questions, follow instructions and otherwise keep your mouth shut.¡±


    ¡°I will remind you, priestess, that we are partners in this.¡±


    ¡°Partners implies a mutually beneficial exchange, not one side making messes and the other cleaning them up. Follow.¡±


    She strode off, the hooded Builder cultist following behind. She led him through the grounds, using a key to open a gate in a walled garden, then locking it again behind them. Inside the walls was a private garden, with an inward-facing circle of seats in the middle. The archbishop, Nicolas Hendren, was already seated and waiting. Anisa took another seat and the cultist tried to do the same.


    ¡°Remain on your feet,¡± she rebuked him.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little petty, priestess?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough from you,¡± the archbishop told him. ¡°You will stand, you will listen and you will answer.¡±


    ¡°This is hardly in the spirit of partnership, Archbishop.¡±


    ¡°If our affiliations were not spread so far beyond this city, our partnership would be over and you no more than a stain left on the ground we purged you from,¡± the archbishop snarled. ¡°You have conducted nothing but a cavalcade of disasters. You lost the astral space, which is one thing, but you kept us so far out of that operation that we had no means to warn you, costing you people and resources, leaving you to crawl back.¡±


    ¡°I think you could have managed if you truly wished to, Archbishop. If you are going to bring it up then I must question the dedication of your efforts.¡±


    ¡°I will not endanger my people to mitigate the failure of yours any more than I must. Yet, even then, it seems I can never stop doing so as the only thing you do not fail to do is disappoint. You could have held the astral space if you had a clockwork king, yet your man failed to summon it properly in spite of the astounding level of resources we provided your agent. Not only did he fail to summon it, he summoned some lunatic who not only killed him but almost revealed my priestess¡¯ involvement and now has captured one of your star seeds. Intact.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± the cultist asked. ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°You assured my priestess that even in the face of yet another failure, they could glean nothing from your people. By what twisted mode of thought does an intact, unspent star seed constitute nothing?¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be this bad at the tasks assigned to you,¡± the archbishop said. ¡°There¡¯s disappointment all around.¡±


    ¡°You have to retrieve it!¡± the cultist said.


    ¡°Clean up another one of your messes?¡± the archbishop asked. ¡°It was your genius plan to implant the star seeds in the first place that has put so much attention on them.¡±


    ¡°And put you in such a prime position to learn everything they were up to,¡± the cultist retorted. ¡°You were happy enough at the time, so don¡¯t try and retroactively admonish me now. I know hypocrisy is a core tenet of your church but I¡¯m not a follower.¡±


    The archbishop launched out of his seat and struck the cultist with a backhand slap, sending him sprawling to the ground.


    ¡°You will watch your rotten tongue of the lands belonging to our lord, you monstrosity-worshipping filth.¡±


    The cultist pushed himself back to his feet.


    ¡°Did I touch a soft spot, Archbishop? You may not like harbouring the likes of me, but you do it and you¡¯ll continue to do it.¡±


    ¡°The only reason I tolerate you is your kind¡¯s wider accord with the church. Given my own way, I would burn the lot of you out and be done with it.¡±


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t up to you, is it, Archbishop. So you will be a good little boy, do as you¡¯re told and render us such assistance as we require. And what we require now is that star seed.¡±


    The archbishop¡¯s face twisted reluctance, but he didn¡¯t refute it.


    ¡°What can they do with it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°There are many possibilities, none of them good,¡± the cultist said. ¡°It could expose us all, employed the right way. If they have people who know what they are doing. A sufficiently skilled astral magic specialist will know exactly how to use it.¡±


    ¡°So, what can you use it for?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No idea,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I figured you¡¯d take one look at it and be all ¡®yeah, now we can give ¡®em a good ol¡¯ kick in the beans!¡¯¡±


    ¡°You thought I¡¯d say that?¡±


    ¡°You say that kind of thing all the time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never said anything like that in my entire life.¡±


    The Magic Society vault contained all manner of dangerous and restricted objects, sealed away into various rooms. Built into the very foundation of the Island, it was not just under the Magic Society campus but under the loop line, subterranean water passages and utility tunnels that crisscrossed below ground. Jason, Clive, Rufus, Emir and Danielle Geller were in the room Clive had set aside for the star seed.


    It was in a secure box of rune-covered glass. The seed itself looked like a sphere, but close examination revealed it was comprised of tiny cubes all adhered together. Oddly, the star seed was the colour of common, unremarkable brick. The pseudo-sphere was held in place by a dull metal frame; a cube with tines to hold the orb in place.


    ¡°Did the frame come with it, or did we add that?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°It came with it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is it just me, or is the frame the exact size of an essence cube.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right,¡± Emir said. ¡°That¡¯s a somewhat unsettling thought.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that placing it in the vault was the best idea,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Leaving it in your storage space and being very careful who you told about it might have been better.¡±


    ¡°Stuff that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave that thing in my inventory and let the Builder use it to backdoor me.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know that¡¯s even possible,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Six months ago, I didn¡¯t know anything that happened in the last five months was possible and a good chunk of it has tried to kill me. The things I don¡¯t know train just keeps chugging along and I¡¯m not going to let it park a hand up my bunghole and wave me about like a rakishly handsome sock puppet.¡±


    The other three turned to look at him, except for Rufus, who just shook his head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± he told the others.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    Danielle shook her head and turned to Clive. ¡°Any ideas what we should do with the star seed?¡±


    ¡°Not off the top of my head,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to do some research. I still wish you hadn¡¯t killed Landemere Vane, Jason. Even his notes would have been good; sometimes it was like he was plucking these amazing innovations in astral magic out of thin air. His notes were all seized by the church of Purity after the blood cult revelation, though.¡±


    ¡°Why is it that the church of Purity got to take all his family¡¯s stuff?¡± Jason asked Rufus.


    ¡°They were the ones who found out about the blood cult,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how, but they took it to the courts, who gave them the rights to seize all their property if the claims were substantiated. They hired us to do exactly that, and you know the rest.¡±


    ¡°Seriously,¡± Jason said. ¡°This place needs some severe legal reform. Also, you need to stop complaining that I killed that guy. He was going to eat me. He was in a blood cul¡­¡±


    Jason¡¯s eye went wide as he trailed off. He started pacing back and forth, absently tapping his head in thought. Emir was about to ask a question, Rufus gesturing him to silence. Jason stopped moving and looked up.


    ¡°We have a problem,¡± he said. ¡°Ever since we found out about the Builder cult, something¡¯s been bothering me.¡±


    ¡°You told me you¡¯d seen it somewhere before,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°I had, and I just remembered where. Landemere Vane was a Builder cultist.¡±


    ¡°How could you know that?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen my looting ability in action. When I looted Landemere Vane, it gave me the same message as when I looted the guy who gave me this. It asked if I wanted to loot the Builder cultist.¡±


    Jason turned to Rufus.


    ¡°Remember when we first met in that basement?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Cressida Vane and the guy with the shovel were talking about how I killed Landemere. What did she say about her son?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I remember that,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Something about ineffable things from beyond reality.¡±


    ¡°If Landemere Vane was a Builder cultist,¡± Jason said, ¡°that means some very bad things.¡±


    ¡°It does,¡± Danielle agreed. ¡°Very bad things, indeed.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve missed a step,¡± Clive said. ¡°How does Landemere Vane being a Builder cultist even matter, now? He died months ago.¡±


    ¡°And the church of Purity seized everything he owned, along with the rest of his family¡¯s possessions,¡± Danielle Geller said. ¡°Every note, letter and record. Even his work here at the Magic Society, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Anisa Lasalle spent most of a day sorting through all their things, even before her church moved in to claim it all.¡±


    ¡°You think the church of Purity is working with the Builder cult?¡± Emir asked. ¡°Why would they send Rufus and his team to Landemere Vane¡¯s home?¡±


    ¡°Because his family was in the wrong cult,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can see how they would paint it. Landemere Vane is afraid of what his family is involved in and informs the church of Purity. The church contracts adventurers to accompany their priestess to investigate. Everyone gets captured, but Landemere manages to free the priestess and escape. Once Rufus and his team died, his family would come down on the rest of the Vane family like the hammer of god. That would leave Landemere as the sole heir and give the Builder cult a luxurious, isolated and secure base of operations. With the church of Purity helping him ¡®cleanse¡¯ the taint of the blood cult from the property, who is going to trek all the way out there to look closer? Having the seizure rights for the property was a contingency in case something went wrong or they needed to kill Landemere themselves, for whatever reason. A contingency that let them put a lid on the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°We were captured before you ever arrived,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Landemere could have already arranged for her escape before you killed him, while she was waiting for everyone to leave and sacrifice us. Getting taken out of the group could have been just luck, or even an idea Landemere planted in the head of an impressionable staff member. If she wasn¡¯t, she could have escaped and fled the sacrifice chamber, leaving the rest of us to die.¡±


    Rufus¡¯ face reflected his reeling mind.


    ¡°The man who betrayed us to the blood cult,¡± he said. ¡°He was a church of Purity contact. When we didn¡¯t die as planned and wanted to question him, she killed him outright, claiming it was her church¡¯s authority.¡±


    He turned to Jason.


    ¡°You said it was suspicious at the time,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We talked about it.¡±


    ¡°We couldn¡¯t have known,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was just against her because she was such a¡­ we didn¡¯t get along.¡±


    ¡°But it all went wrong,¡± Rufus said. ¡°None of them were expecting a punch-drunk outworlder to show up and mess everything up. Because of Jason, Landemere died and we survived, the exact opposite of their plan.¡±


    ¡°Not all wrong,¡± Jason said. ¡°There is still the Landemere estate, under the control of the church. That could very well be where the Builder cult regrouped after escaping the astral space.¡±


    ¡°This is all highly speculative,¡± Emir said. ¡°Making that kind of accusation against a church is no small matter and even I¡¯m not completely convinced yet. We have no evidence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the evidence,¡± Jason said. ¡°My ability showed that Landemere Vane was a Builder cultist.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s tangential to the culpability of the church, even with Rufus¡¯ corroboration,¡± Danielle said. ¡°And your testimony is a very shaky basis to move forward on.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my testimony?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Emir said. ¡°You might operate in high circles, relative to Greenstone, but you¡¯re still an iron-ranker. Plus, you spend a lot of time lying and running around like an insane person. There is a difference between people in authority putting up with you and having them listen to what you say.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Danielle said. ¡°It won¡¯t be easy to convince anyone that the church of Purity is involved with putting these star seeds in people when we can''t even answer why, let alone provide definitive proof.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Emir said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be convinced myself, without something more compelling.¡±


    ¡°We need to find evidence before we can act,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°The Vane estate,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Danielle agreed. ¡°While everyone is distracted with sending the iron-rankers into Emir¡¯s astral space, we send a small team we can trust to investigate the estate.¡±


    The sounds of many feet moving downstairs drew the group¡¯s attention. Soon the entrance to their chamber was filled with a combination of Magic Society vault guards and temple of Purity church militants. At the lead was Anisa Lasalle.


    ¡°Anisa,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was just thinking about how you should be strung up and burned for witchcraft.¡±


    ¡°Still jabbering nonsense, I see. Step back, Asano, and let the adults talk.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your style of negotiation is going to work here, Jason,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Perhaps you¡¯ll leave this one to me?¡±


    Jason nodded, stepping back.


    ¡°We¡¯re here for the star seed,¡± Anisa said. ¡°Get out of our way.¡±


    ¡°What claim do you have on the star seed?¡± Danielle asked.


    ¡°Our church has taken and destroyed all the previous ones,¡± Anisa said. ¡°This new one is just another artefact of impurity to be annihilated.¡±


    ¡°Your church took the previous ones because they extracted them. This one was obtained by an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°It is still our duty to destroy it,¡± Anisa said.


    ¡°It is likely to be useful in our struggle against an elusive enemy,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Anisa said. ¡°My instructions are to retrieve it for destruction and nothing you say will divert me from that path.¡±


    ¡°Your church has no authority here,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m Adjunct Assistant to the Deputy Director of the Magic Society and I had this object placed here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s some mouthful,¡± Anisa said. ¡°Director is more succinct, and in this case, pertinent. Lucian Lamprey has already released it to us.¡±


    She took a document from her dimensional satchel and handed it to Clive. He skimmed over it with an unhappy expression, giving Danielle a reluctant nod.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Danielle said and stepped aside. One of the vault guards removed the glass casing around the start seed and Anisa took it, placing it in her satchel. Flashing Jason a triumphant grin, she swept out, taking her extensive entourage with her. Clive stuck his head out the door to look up the stairs and make sure they were gone.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised at your restraint,¡± Rufus said to Jason. ¡°I was expecting you to do something extreme.¡±


    ¡°The star seed is potentially valuable,¡± Jason said. ¡°Knowing that the church of Purity is in it up to their necks, when they don¡¯t know we know? That¡¯s more valuable, and acting now would have tipped our hand. Otherwise, Danielle would have stopped them.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Danielle said. ¡°For the first time, we are a step ahead. Now we need to make the most of it.¡±

 Chapter 151: Wake

    Farrah hadn¡¯t had a formal memorial, just a handful of dinners and informal gatherings story-telling and everyone getting blind drunk. With the unexpected appearance of her parents, Rufus had bounded into action, organising a formal memorial for the day before the adventurers left for Emir¡¯s contest.


    After the service, the traditional wake was held not in a bar but the guest wing lounge of the cloud palace. If nothing else, it had a better stock of alcohol than most taverns. Jason looked over the group, some of them from afar while others Farrah had come to know in her months in Greenstone. Some were friends, others less so, but there was no antagonism on display as people paid their respects. Jory was present, the kind-hearted man looking red-eyed as Belinda stood beside him for moral support. She and Sophie had never met Farrah and Sophie was not present with her friend.


    Elspeth Arella and her deputy, Genevieve, stayed just late enough to be respectful and left early enough to be discrete. Madam Landry, their long-time landlady appeared. She was not an essence user and was somewhat overwhelmed by the cloud palace and the company until taken in hand by Farrah¡¯s parents. Her fellow Magic Society members were in attendance, in two contingents.


    One was the group around Clive who actually knew and worked with her; the other Lucian Lamprey and his deputy, Pochard Finn. Despite the superior schooling in social niceties between a foreign nobleman and the secret child of a crime lord, Lamprey lacked the social delicacy of Arella, overstaying his welcome long after she had left. Jason was grateful that Sophie was not in attendance, struggling to restrain his own distaste for the man. Determined not to make a fuss at Farrah''s wake, he diplomatically avoided Lucian to avoid triggering any of his bad social habits.


    Lamprey himself, however, had other ideas. He was drinking Emir¡¯s expensive alcohol faster than anyone else in the room and, half in the bag, sought out Jason with an expression of half confused drunk and half determined anger.


    ¡°Asano,¡± he called out loudly as he approached. Rufus moved to intervene but was arrested by Danielle Geller¡¯s hand on his arm.


    ¡°If Jason is ever going to live up to his potential,¡± she quietly told Rufus, ¡°he needs to show that he can deal with situations with tact instead of bombast, bravado and provocation.¡±


    ¡°Now isn¡¯t the time for lessons,¡± Rufus hissed at her.


    ¡°This is exactly the time,¡± she asserted. ¡°We are adventurers, Rufus. Our most important lessons come from confronting monsters.¡±


    Lamprey swaggered up to Jason, glancing around to make sure he had an audience. His deputy, Finn, tried to guide him away but Lamprey brushed him off. Jason turned from the conversation he was having to face Lamprey. Jason¡¯s expression was schooled into blank composure.


    ¡°Director Lamprey,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thank you for attending. Farrah¡¯s membership in the Magic Society was very important to her; I know she would appreciate the strong representation the society has presented here. For you to come in person is very gratifying.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t see through you, Asano?¡± Lamprey said in the way drunk people have of being loud while thinking themselves quiet. ¡°You think you¡¯re so smart, playing people off one another, bending the rules into whatever shape you like. But cleverness didn¡¯t save your friend, did it? When she came face to face with power it cut her down in an instant. You didn¡¯t even have the courage to be there when it did.¡±


    Everyone in the room was watching now as Jason gave Lamprey a slight smile.


    ¡°It shows you as a man of character, putting aside personal animosities in the face of a greater threat,¡± Jason said, aggressively misrepresenting Lamprey¡¯s intent. ¡°I¡¯m glad that such a man can come here today and put aside old problems, that we might face the new ones together.¡±


    He took Lamprey¡¯s hand, solemnly shaking it. ¡°We appreciate your commiserations, Director. I believe your deputy was just saying that you have to go, which is understandable. A man of your position has so many calls on his time. We do thank you for coming, though.¡±


    Pochard Finn rapidly stepped up as fury crossed Lamprey¡¯s face, ready to erupt. Emir also moved alongside Finn, discretely using his aura at close proximity to squash Lamprey¡¯s impending outburst.


    ¡°Thank you, Director Lamprey, Deputy Director Finn,¡± Emir said as he and Finn ushered lamprey to the door. On the other side, Emir¡¯s staff helped Finn guide Lamprey out of sight as Emir returned, the door closing behind him.


    ¡°See?¡± Danielle said to Rufus. ¡°I told you from the start; the boy has a political mind.¡±


    Lamprey was the last of the socially obligated attendees to leave by far. In the wake of his departure, sombre, controlled expressions gave way to real emotion as the wake truly began. The drinks flowed, eyes grew damp and there was even some laughter as stories were shared.


    One group of attendees was a team of iron-rankers, looking nervous at the preponderance of high-ranking people around them. It wasn¡¯t just no-name silvers of a provincial city, either. Their host, Emir Bahadir, was drinking with Thalia Mercer and the time witch, Danielle Geller. Constance, the famously unyielding head of Emir¡¯s extensive organisation, was disconcertingly expressive as she casually chatted with Gabriel and Arabella Remore. Even after years at Remore Academy, the iron-rankers were intimidated by Instructor Gabriel.


    The iron rankers were a team from Vitesse, having trained at the Remore academy. Gabriel had discovered them when they were shipping out and had been the one to invite them to the memorial and wake. They had come up through the academy a few years behind Rufus, the Remore family¡¯s own prodigy whose presence had loomed over the other students.


    Just the auras flowing around the room were enough to disconcert, even to those with years of aura training. There were a few other iron-rankers who were seemingly calm under the pressure, except for the one man who disregarded it entirely. They watched him swan about like he owned the place, for all the world as if the potent aura soup wasn''t there. He walked up to legends and spoke to them like they were normal people. Even more startling was that they didn¡¯t seem to look down on the iron-ranker at all, welcoming him into their conversations.


    ¡°Nate, who is that?¡± Lance asked. Lance was an elf and the leader of the team. His long, light brown hair was cinched back behind his head.


    ¡°The outworlder we heard about,¡± the leonid, Natalie, told him. ¡°Asano.¡±


    Natalie was a female leonid and, like others of her kind, was smaller than males like Gary.


    ¡°He¡¯s the one Rufus has been training?¡± Maximilian asked. He was a member of the rare draconian race, larger even than male leonids and covered in glossy scales. His were the colour of dark leaves, green moving into purple.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been hearing,¡± Natalie told him.


    ¡°What kind of training?¡± Oscar asked. He was a handsome celestine with dark skin and matching silver in his eyes and hair. ¡°The aura training at the academy didn¡¯t teach us to handle auras that well.¡±


    The last member of the group was a smoulder with the typical midnight skin and burning-ember eyes. Her hair was cropped extremely short. She had her gaze locked on Jason as the others talked.


    ¡°Farrah also trained him?¡± she asked.


    Frowning at her friend''s intensity, Natalie nodded. The smoulder strode out from the group in his direction.


    ¡°Padma!¡± Lance called out under his breath but she ignored him.


    Jason spotted the smoulder girl marching across the room like a woman on a mission. She couldn¡¯t have been any older than Humphrey, probably younger. She was the one he had been told about, coming at him with emotion storming through her aura. A Remore Academy graduate should have better control but the girl was clearly in turmoil. When she reached Jason it was like the wind dropped out of her sails, leaving her standing in front of him, becalmed.


    ¡°Padma?¡± he asked softly. She nodded and he gave her a gentle smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m Jason Asano. How about we get you away from these obnoxious auras and have a chat?¡±


    He didn''t wait for a response before sweeping off, picking up two glasses and a bottle as she meekly followed him to a quiet corner of the room. Jason slowly teased Padma¡¯s story out of her as she clutched the glass of sweet liqueur in her hands like a talisman. Jason kept it refreshed from the bottle as she talked. She was hesitant at first, but with sympathetic prompting from Jason, the words were soon pouring out of her.


    Padma and her team had trained at Remore Academy, a few years behind Rufus. He graduated ahead of them but his presence at the academy hardly lessened, a symbol for the students that came after. When he first brought back his team, Rufus had sought Padma out, who didn''t even realise Rufus knew who she was. Rufus'' new team member, Farrah, had the same essences as Padma and Rufus had introduced them. Farrah took the young smoulder under her wing, becoming something of a mentor.


    Jason listened with no more than a few nods and words of acknowledgement to show his attentiveness. He quickly realised that Farrah had been more than just a mentor to Padma. Farrah had been her idol, a source of inspiration and a guiding hand. Padma had been eagerly awaiting her return to Vitesse, proud of her successful induction into the Adventurer¡¯s Society while Rufus and his team had been far away in Greenstone.


    Padma had been looking forward to a reunion where she could share her pride, only for news to come of Farrah¡¯s death. When Emir¡¯s call went out for adventurers she didn¡¯t hesitate. Each berth on the ships bringing people over was a prize, Emir¡¯s people organising tournaments to bring the best. Despite her inexperience, her team supported her and won through. She wasn¡¯t even certain in herself why she had to go, but she felt driven, compelled by some internal need she didn¡¯t fully understand.


    After she finished her story, Jason nodded. He shared a little of his own experience of learning from Farrah, leading to an exchange of what her mentorship had been like. Jason could plainly see that Padma had weeks of bottled-up frustration, aching to get out. He methodically used questions and little anecdotes to poke holes for it to vent out.


    They sat in the corner talking for more than an hour before the speeches began. Rufus and Gary gave short speeches; anecdotes now smoothly-honed in the retelling. Jason got up to speak last. Stepping out in front of the group. His eyes lingered on Farrah¡¯s parents, who he had come to know over the last few days. Farrah¡¯s mother gave him a sad, encouraging nod.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known Farrah since the day I came into this world,¡± he said, then frowned. ¡°That''s was roughly half a year ago; not when I was a baby or something. I think everyone here knows my whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking about yourself, you dinkle,¡± Gary called out getting a round of laughs.


    ¡°I¡¯m setting a scene, you hairy goon,¡± Jason shot back. ¡°I¡¯m building up a narrative.¡±


    ¡°Build faster,¡± Gary said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to sober up while you¡¯re prattling on.¡±


    ¡°Maybe if I don¡¯t keep getting interrupted. Where was I?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very sad, the end,¡± Gary said. ¡°Let¡¯s drink more.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you,¡± Jason said, jabbing a finger in his direction. ¡°Right, so, I met Farrah on the worst day of my life. I had no idea of where I was, what was happening or even if I was in my right mind. My first encounter with real power was when she blasted lava across the room like that was a normal thing that can happen. And that was Farrah; unassumingly awesome.¡±


    He looked down, smiling in reminiscence.


    ¡°After that, she introduced me to the world. Rufus taught me to fight like an adventurer and Gary taught me to move like one. Farrah, though, she taught me to be an adventurer. How to look at the world around me, literally and figuratively. I have a habit of running my mouth before my brain gets going and long before I have any idea what I¡¯m talking about. Farrah was the one who brought me crashing down to earth before I let what I didn¡¯t know get me killed.¡±


    He looked up and around at the gathering.


    ¡°We all know that she died like an adventurer,¡± he said. ¡°There are people in this room who wouldn¡¯t be if she hadn¡¯t stood tall in the face of the most terrible enemy. The monstrosity that cut her down, his time will come, but this isn¡¯t about him. It isn¡¯t even about adventuring, really. At least, not for me.¡±


    Jason paused to sip at the drink in his hand.


    ¡°Yes, she taught me,¡± he continued. ¡°Yes, I fought with her. By which I mean that I stood around while she blew up an apocalypse monster. It seemed very involving, in the moment. But most of my time with Farrah wasn¡¯t as a fledgling adventurer. It was as a friend. The big moments are the tales we¡¯ll retell but it¡¯s the little ones I look back on and smile. Sitting around as Farrah and Clive talked some theoretical nonsense over everyone¡¯s head. Farrah and Gary teaming up on Rufus because he¡¯s gotten too stodgy. Sharing a meal, or an afternoon in the park. The adventures will be the stories we tell, but the friendship is the thing we¡¯ll miss. To Farrah. Our friend.¡±


    He raised his glass and everyone did the same.


    ¡°That is where I was going to leave it,¡± Jason said. ¡°When Rufus told me to speak last tonight, I was reluctant. But he said that it should be me. That the last word should be one of legacy which, like it or not, I¡¯m a big part of. It was convincing enough to get me up here, but this evening I met a young woman with at least as much claim to that as I. She hasn¡¯t prepared any words, but I¡¯ve seen for myself that she has them inside here, ready to go.¡±


    Padma was listening to Jason with dawning horror. Smoulders were physically incapable of turning white, but she had at least gone a shade of very dark brown.


    ¡°Padma,¡± Jason said. ¡°Please come over. The last word is yours.¡±


    Everyone followed Jason¡¯s gaze to the girl trying hard to look like a nondescript piece of furniture.


    ¡°You have things to say and I¡¯ve already heard you say them well,¡± Jason told her. ¡°They¡¯re worth sharing.¡±


    She stayed rooted on the spot until Gabriel''s voice pierced through the room with practised authority.


    ¡°Cadet Padma Parsell,¡± he said with the projection of a theatre veteran. ¡°Front and centre.¡±


    Padma¡¯s body moved, Instructor Gabriel¡¯s voice triggering a conditioned obedience. She found herself standing next to Jason, in front of the assembled high-rankers. Jason gave her a smile and an encouraging pat on the shoulder before moving off.


    She started speaking. It was hesitant, with a staccato rhythm as her nervousness had her pausing and losing track of what she was saying. As she continued it became smoother, nervousness washed away by passion. It wasn''t a great speech but no one in the room doubted her love and sincerity. Jason stepped in just before she started to flounder.


    ¡°There we are,¡± he said. ¡°Passion has an eloquence that transcends words and I think we can agree that none of us will top the passion of this young lady. So let the words be done and we can do what Farrah would do: get hammered on Emir¡¯s expensive booze.¡±


    After the speeches, the real drinking started in earnest. Farrah¡¯s parents, Amelia and William, took Jason aside to thank him for his words.


    ¡°Farrah said you could be good with words,¡± William said. ¡°A little too good, she told us. Likely to get yourself into trouble.¡±


    ¡°She talked about me?¡±


    Farrah¡¯s parents lived in the town Farrah grew up in, albeit in a much larger house, courtesy of Farrah¡¯s adventurer earnings. There were no water-link speaking chambers there, but they had travelled to Vitesse every month to speak to their daughter.


    ¡°She certainly did talk about you,¡± Amelia said. ¡°We weren¡¯t sure quite what to expect from her description, though.¡±


    ¡°You should know that she thought you had an incredible potential,¡± William said.


    ¡°If you could learn to get out of your own way,¡± Amelia added. ¡°I think she¡¯d want that pointed out.¡±


    ¡°It does sound like her,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m so sorry she¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°We always knew there was a chance this would happen,¡± Amelia said. ¡°That was something we accepted when we first started working to get those essences for her.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make it hurt less,¡± William said. ¡°But we were at least a little prepared for it.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°What about your family?¡± Amelia asked. ¡°Farrah explained your situation to us, which seems a little unusual, even by adventurer standards.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they think I¡¯m dead or missing. I make recordings for them, for if I ever get home. When I get home.¡±


    Jason suddenly frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but something just occurred to me. I¡¯ll leave you to the condolence of others. Again, I¡¯m so sorry.¡±


    Jason made his way over to where Rufus and Gary were speaking with Clive, leaving Farrah¡¯s parents seeking out Padma to speak with her.


    ¡°I just had a thought,¡± Jason said to Rufus, Gary and Clive. ¡°Farrah¡¯s parents were asking about my own parents and I thought of something. I got here because of Landemere Vane, and you think he was getting some kind of advanced astral magic from the Builder, right Clive?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a possibility,¡± Clive said. ¡°What he was doing wouldn¡¯t get you home, though. It only served as an accidental catalyst for much larger, natural forces, though.¡±


    ¡°But what was he trying to summon?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Something from the Builder¡¯s world in the astral? That¡¯s interdimensional travel. Landemere¡¯s knowledge might not have the answers, but it could have clues.¡±


    ¡°All his notes and writings were taken by the church of Purity,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They would be impossible to get a hold of, even if they weren¡¯t destroyed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll also need to up your knowledge of astral magic theory if you ever want to understand them,¡± Clive said. ¡°Skill books won¡¯t be close to enough.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯ll be a start,¡± Jason said. ¡°They bestow whatever knowledge was put into them, and I got those books from Landemere Vane himself. Even if they don¡¯t have something that might help me get home, they might have something that helps us against the Builder.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t use them until you hit bronze-rank though,¡± Gary said. ¡°That¡¯ll be months.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there are ways around that,¡± Clive said. ¡°They¡¯re a little rough, but we can look into it after Emir¡¯s event.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a plan.¡±

 Chapter 152: I Can’t Trust Any of It

    A crowd of hundreds was gathered at the Adventure Society campus, in front of the cloud palace as they waited for Emir to emerge. There was a sea of iron rankers, plus all manner of city luminaries and others all eager to witness the commencement of Emir¡¯s grand event. Along with the mystery surrounding it, finally on the cusp of giving out answers, many were looking for a change of pace. Ever since the expedition, a pall had been hanging over the city¡¯s adventurers and the major families to which they belonged.


    Emir¡¯s contest offered danger as well as opportunity. Many Greenstone families had taken the expedition as a lesson and were not allowing their scions to participate. After the results of the last astral space incursion, they were unwilling to throw people into another. With an enigmatic enemy targeting astral spaces for unknown reasons, the idea of sending their most inexperienced members into another one gave many families pause.


    Not every family took safety as the highest priority, however. The inquiry had been sweeping with the demotions and the most affected families were desperate for ways to snatch back their lost prestige. While the astral space expedition had technically been a success, having excised the problem that was affecting the astral space, many viewed it as a failure.


    Most of Greenstone''s major families had never cared about the expedition''s actual objective, instead, seeing it as a chance for individual glory. With the massive losses sustained in the fighting retreat, from that perspective it was a failure. Emir¡¯s expedition was a chance for them to rewrite their image after the expedition.


    Then there were those families who, like the Gellers, simply wanted the next adventure. They recognised that there was always danger, but that was the nature of the adventuring life. If their young people were ever going to be the equal of the Gellers or the visiting adventurers, they had to push themselves harder, confronting greater threats.


    The iron-rankers in the crowd were divided into three general groups: the locals, the Gellers and the outsiders. Even with many local iron-rankers sitting out, the locals were the largest group. The Gellers were the smallest of the three groups, with seven teams participating, not including Humphrey and his team. The Gellers were mostly from distant lands, but the family¡¯s deep roots in Greenstone kept them from being true outsiders.


    Humphrey¡¯s team wasn¡¯t counted due to being made up of locals, with even Humphrey himself being Greenstone born and raised. Only Jason was not local but he still counted as more of Greenstone local than he did anywhere else in the world.


    The outsiders and the Gellers were throwing each other a lot of assessing glances, largely dismissive of the locals. The outsiders had answered Emir¡¯s call from many different lands, but competition had been fierce for a spot on the boats Emir had brought in. No one underestimated the abilities of those who had made it.


    As for the Gellers, their high standards were known the world over. This was hammered home by the presence of Danielle Geller. The time witch was more famous than most gold-rankers and it was well known she was close to joining their ranks herself. Once she did, she would stand at the pinnacle of the adventuring world.


    Amongst the visiting adventurer teams was the one who had attended Farrah¡¯s memorial and wake, although only four of the five were present. Like all the teams awaiting Emir¡¯s appearance, they were made up of people in mid-to-late teens. Less usual was the complete absence of humans from their team. The leader, Lance, was an elf whose swordsmanship relied as much on the finesse of his magic as the finesse of his hands. Like Jason, his preference was for flowing combat robes. He had fair skin and his light brown hair was cinched back practically behind his head.


    Next to Lance was Padma, with the onyx skin and fiery eyes typical of her people. Also typical of her people were her heavy clothes as she was wholly unaffected by heat. The effect of the delta on the climate was to keep things hotter than elsewhere in the region, even as autumn moved closer to winter. To a smoulder, though, even the most scathing desert was as cool as a mild spring day.


    The team healer, Oscar, was a celestine man whose handsomeness eclipsed even the elven team leader. The comparison was made all the stronger as he mirrored Lance''s hairstyle by tying it back in a simple cinch. Of the same ethnicity as Sophie, he had chocolate skin with silver hair and eyes. His clothes were white, neat and fashionable in the Vitesse style that Rufus favoured. They were also adventure-ready, the combination of form and function speaking to their extravagance.


    Standing with him was the tallest person currently in Greenstone, the only member of the draconian people present. Maximilian was an imposing figure with his size and long, hairless head. Instead of skin, his scales in dark shades of green and purple were glossy under the bright sun. His clothes were designed to show them off, little more than tasselled shoulder pads and a loincloth.


    A human they didn¡¯t know was walking towards them, only for her appearance to change to that of a female leonid, their team member, Natalie. Compared to male leonids like Gary, the women were smaller, lithe and sleek, with shorter fur and facial features closer to that of humans, elves and celestines. In the case of Natalie, her lissom body was attractive even to human eyes, her naturally sinuous movements exuding sultry like it was their job.


    ¡°Nate,¡± Lance greeted. ¡°We were starting to wonder if you were going to turn up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who asked me to do some digging around,¡± Natalie said. ¡°There was more to unearth than I expected.¡±


    ¡°Let''s start with our competition, then,¡± Lance said. ¡°What do you have on the Gellers?¡±


    ¡°What you¡¯d expect, mostly,¡± Natalie said. ¡°Well-trained, well-resourced. Good team synergies.¡±


    ¡°Any stand-outs?¡±


    ¡°The ones to watch were apparently the team lead by a Rick Geller, but he¡¯s had to rebuild the team after losing people. The big clash here with those people invading astral spaces. Lots of dead adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Like Farrah,¡± Padma said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Natalie said. ¡°This Geller team lost two people. The leader added his sister and a local to replace their losses but their team cohesion isn¡¯t fully there yet. They had to change most of their methods for the new composition.¡±


    ¡°What about locals?¡± Lance asked.


    ¡°Worse than you would expect, even for an out of the way place like this. Only one team is considered to be competitive.¡±


    ¡°How competitive?¡± Lance asked.


    ¡°Enough that the Geller teams consider them a real contender. They had a mock battle with the team I was just talking about and another team led by a Geller. Danielle Geller¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey Geller?¡± Lance asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Natalie said. ¡°He¡¯s just recently put together a team of locals instead of using his family members and connections.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Lance said. ¡°I chatted with Humphrey a little bit at the wake, but we didn¡¯t talk business. I know him a little from when his mother brought him out to Vitesse a few times but that was before either of us were essence users. I don¡¯t even know what his essences are.¡±


    ¡°His confluence is the dragon essence,¡± Natalie said.


    Maximilian gave an unhappy groan.


    ¡°False dragon,¡± he complained. Draconians took pride in their claimed dragon ancestry and often had issues with other races wielding the dragon essence. Maximilian had the dragon essence himself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t start with that again,¡± Oscar said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not starting anything,¡± Maximilian said unhappily. ¡°He just shouldn¡¯t go around acting like he has true draconic power.¡±


    ¡°Max, he¡¯s not claiming to actually be a dragon,¡± Oscar said. ¡°Not any more than Lance, with his sword essence, is claiming to be an actual sword.¡±


    ¡°How well do you know this Humphrey?¡± Natalie asked Lance.


    ¡°Just in passing, socially. I¡¯m surprised to hear his mother let him make a team of locals, though. I can¡¯t imagine she would let him add just any local idiot to his team.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he didn¡¯t add just any local idiot,¡± Natalie said. ¡°From what I hear, this idiot is special. Trying to make sense of the things I heard about the guy was crazy. I still don¡¯t know how much of it is true.¡±


    ¡°Who is he?¡± Lance asked.


    ¡°Padma¡¯s new friend,¡± Natalie said. ¡°Jason Asano; the one Farrah was helping train with Rufus.¡±


    ¡°Jason?¡± Padma asked, startled. ¡°He was really nice. Other than putting me up in front of everyone like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, the things I¡¯ve heard about your new friend are pretty wild. Some people are scared of him, others think he¡¯s an idiot or a madman. Some have even called him a genius, working his way up the social hierarchy. He ended up on Humphrey Geller¡¯s team, after all.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your assessment?¡± Lance asked Natalie.


    ¡°I honestly have no idea,¡± Natalie said. ¡°Either most of what I¡¯ve heard is false, which would make sense, or the man is some kind of insane magic pixie. Remember at the wake, the local Magic Society director getting drunk and confronting him? Apparently, there¡¯s some kind of feud there, where Asano somehow came out on top.¡±


    ¡°What would an iron-ranker be feuding with a Magic Society director over?¡± Padma asked. ¡°And how would he win?¡±


    ¡°Word is, it was over an indentured servant,¡± Natalie said, ¡°which brings us to the next thing. You remember that commotion last week before the big meeting?¡±


    ¡°That was over an indentured servant,¡± Oscar said. ¡°I can see why, having seen her myself. An arresting woman.¡±


    ¡°That was Asano,¡± Lance realised, thinking back. ¡°Didn¡¯t Bahadir kick him off the cloud palace for that? They seemed friendly during the wake.¡±


    ¡°That whole incident was a ruse,¡± Natalie explained. ¡°Turns out it was some kind of plan to bait these astral invaders. I¡¯m not sure on the details but it apparently worked.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like Jason is in the middle of a lot,¡± Padma said.


    ¡°That was my impression,¡± Natalie said. ¡°I came across to many conflicting stories about him, though. There was apparently some kind of rivalry with the Adventure Society director, but she promoted him to three stars anyway. I heard he spent months healing the poor for free. I also heard he went a dozen to one with a bunch of adventurers in a shopping arcade in the middle of the day, killing half of them. I even heard he¡¯s an outworlder.¡±


    ¡°That sounds made up,¡± Oscar said. ¡°You can¡¯t just kill a bunch of adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Twelve against one is even less plausible,¡± Maximilian said.


    ¡°The locals are sub-standard,¡± Natalie said. ¡°Any of us could probably go twelve against one. Apparently, there''s a recording of the people going at him first, so self-defence. I''ve heard about a few recordings of the guy floating around, including that mock battle they mentioned. He''s apparently really big on recording crystals.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Padma said. ¡°He¡¯s using one right now.¡±


    She had spotted Jason, some distance away in the crowd as he spoke into a recording crystal floating in front of him. She waved in Jason''s direction, the man next to him spotting her and pointing her out. He waved back with a friendly grin.


    ¡°So, what''s your take on the guy?¡± Lance asked Natalie.


    ¡°Unpredictable and dangerous,¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to spend the whole time investigating one guy, so I decided it was best if you and Padma went and asked Rufus Remore,¡± she said. ¡°You two know him better than the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Did you hear how he came to have Rufus and Farrah¡¯s teaching him?¡± Padma asked. ¡°When I brought it up last night he just said that they found him out in the desert, lost and confused.¡±


    ¡°From what I found out, that¡¯s a very incomplete explanation,¡± Natalie said. ¡°Not that what I heard was any more likely. I was told that Asano saved Rufus'' team from getting killed before Asano was even an essence user.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound likely,¡± Maximilian said.


    ¡°As I said, the things I¡¯ve been hearing about the guy are wild. Enough of it was so obviously false that I can¡¯t trust any of it.¡±


    ¡°What about the rest of Humphrey¡¯s team?¡± Lance asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s an unusual bunch,¡± Natalie said. ¡°One is a Magic Society official. He¡¯s some kind of astral magic expert who has apparently been instrumental in finding out about these astral invaders.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s an iron-ranker?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he¡¯s apparently the real thing. The locals have been digging out information the big Adventure Society branches have been keeping under wraps and I¡¯ve heard this guy is a key reason.¡±


    ¡°What kind of secrets?¡± Lance asked.


    ¡°Not sure yet,¡± Natalie said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a better chance of prying out secrets here than back home, though, once we¡¯re finished with whatever Bahadir has in store.¡±


    ¡°Who else is on Humphrey¡¯s team?¡± Lance asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s some local, minor nobility. Nothing remarkable that I found from a quick check around. I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s a solid healer but not much else. The last member is that indentured servant we were talking about.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Oscar asked, edging forward with curiosity.


    ¡°An adventurer is an indentured servant?¡± Lance asked.


    ¡°Seems she was some kind of thief. She was robbing the local nobility for months but no one could catch her. Until Asano did, then went and made her an adventurer after claiming her indenture.¡±


    ¡°Why would he do that?¡± Padma asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask him that yourself. I heard a lot of postulation, most of it fairly disgusting.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± Lance said. ¡°Who makes their indentured servant an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°A smart man with a gorgeous indentured servant,¡± Oscar said. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of gratitude that does some real work.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Natalie asked. ¡°Fairly disgusting.¡±


    ¡°Jason, that team you waved at is talking about you,¡± Beth said.


    ¡°You can hear them from over here?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is that an elf ears thing?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Beth said, raising her hands to her ears in a gesture of self-reassurance. ¡°It¡¯s an essence power thing. What¡¯s wrong with my ears?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Jason said, his eyes on the distant team. ¡°Is that what female leonids look like? I hope this doesn¡¯t awaken anything in me.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like what¡¯s happening in my head,¡± Jason said. ¡°Am I a furry now? I don¡¯t want to be a furry.¡±


    ¡°Why would you be furry?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not above exploring new things,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just don¡¯t have time to work on the costumes. Making them, cleaning them, dear gods. Maybe Jory has something that could help.¡±


    ¡°Is any of this making sense to you?¡± Beth asked, looking at Jason¡¯s team.


    ¡°Best not to ask,¡± Neil said. ¡°You learn that lesson quick¡±


    ¡°I bet it¡¯s a sex thing,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It¡¯s a sex thing, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ no,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Niko asked. The smoulder member of Beth¡¯s team, he was looking at Padma. ¡°She looks sad. Should I go see if she needs comforting?¡±


    Beth slapped the back of his head.


    ¡°Don''t be a sleaze,¡± she scolded.


    ¡°How am I the sleazy one?¡± Niko asked. ¡°Jason has a sexy slave girl.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have Sophie,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s just a necessary legal fiction.¡±


    ¡°Damn right, you don¡¯t,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Unless I want to,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Do you want a slap too?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Would you think less of me if I said yes?¡± Jason said. ¡°My safe word is munificent.¡±


    ¡°You are impossible to deal with,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I told you he was the sleazy one,¡± Niko said.


    ¡°Could everyone just act with a little decorum?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°That would be excellent,¡± Beth agreed.


    ¡°Humphrey, you really put together the wrong team for that,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Everyone quiet,¡± Clive said. ¡°Emir¡¯s coming out.¡±

 Chapter 153: Legacy

    Emir and Constance were walking toward the cloud palace main exit.


    ¡°Who did the voice projection circle?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Trent,¡± Constance said.


    ¡°Do you mean ¡®the glass definitely won¡¯t break¡¯ Trent or ¡®can¡¯t hold up a fish¡¯ Trent?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not calling him that,¡± Constance admonished. ¡°It was a suppurating grease fish. No one could have held it up.¡±


    ¡°Elspeth Arella could have,¡± Emir said. ¡°We should have gotten her fired so we could hire her ourselves.¡±


    Constance shook her head in weary exasperation.


    ¡°You need to stop doing that.¡±


    ¡°Danielle wanted me to do it.¡±


    ¡°We stay hands-off in local politics,¡± Constance said. ¡°That¡¯s your policy.¡±


    ¡°It seems warranted, here.¡±


    ¡°It always does to you, which is why you put me in charge of not letting you.¡±


    ¡°We''re already neck-deep, with this astral space business.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not local politics,¡± Constance said. ¡°It¡¯s international politics. Interdimensional, if Standish is to be believed.¡±


    ¡°Clive,¡± Emir said with a sigh. ¡°I can¡¯t believe Jason snaked him out from under us.¡±


    ¡°That is exactly how you described your own recruitment attempt.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a good lad, Asano.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t have worked, you know,¡± Constance said.


    ¡°Oh, I reckon we could have won him over. He¡¯s wasted in this backwater.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean the fish,¡± Constance said. ¡°Arella actually couldn¡¯t have held it. Suppurating grease fish oil is resistant to telekinesis.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we went to so much trouble to find it.¡±


    ¡°I thought we were just going to cook it.¡±


    ¡°You thought we spent three weeks, using over a dozen people to find and catch a very specific and hard to find fish just so we could eat it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Emir said unconvincingly. ¡°What did we want it for again?¡±


    ¡°The Rimaros job.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. Where we dug that tunnel through the bottom of the floating island and slipped out with the¡­ what were we stealing again?¡±


    ¡°We weren¡¯t stealing,¡± Constance said. ¡°We were repatriating the royal ceremonial armour of Kodin.¡±


    ¡°Right, yes. That ridiculous armour that looked like someone inflated it. I¡¯m surprised they even wanted it back.¡±


    ¡°It has cultural importance to the people of Kodin,¡± Constance said.


    ¡°It felt like stealing. Did they figure out it was us?¡±


    ¡°They did,¡± Constance said. ¡°Greg didn¡¯t get the mango cart in place in time. On the bright side, they couldn¡¯t admit they had the armour in the first place, so everyone¡¯s pretending it didn¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Emir said, nodding. ¡°¡®Not enough mangoes¡¯ Greg.¡±


    ¡°No, that was ¡®fruit cart¡¯ Greg. We got rid of ¡®not enough mangoes¡¯ Greg after what he was caught doing to those hairless oxen.¡±


    ¡°That was him? Good riddance, then. We lost a bundle cleaning that mess up. What happened to him?¡±


    ¡°We released him to the local authorities. Have you ever considered not basing your hiring policies on getting people with the same name?¡± Constance asked.


    ¡°I tried that in the early days,¡± Emir said. ¡°People are much more resistant to nicknames when there¡¯s no one else with the same name as them.¡±


    ¡°Are the nicknames an essential part of the operation?¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I do all this?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Money, power, travel, excitement and connections.¡±


    ¡°Those are the tawdry goals of the weak,¡± Emir said loftily. ¡°We gold-rankers strive for higher purpose.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve been spending too much time with Jason. You¡¯re talking increasing amounts of rubbish.¡±


    They reached the exit and started walking across the cloud bridge to the shore where the iron-rankers and other attendees were assembled next to the reception building.


    ¡°Is everyone out of the palace?¡± Emir asked as they surveyed the crowd of adventurers.


    ¡°We¡¯re the last,¡± Constance said. ¡°It¡¯s ready to change over.¡±


    At the end of the platform, in front of where everyone had assembled was a faintly glowing ritual circle. After he and Constance stepped off the cloud bridge, Emir reached into his jacket and pulled out a large, round-bottomed flask. He shook the flask, then took out the stopper, releasing four streams of mist that each took different shapes. One looked like a house, another like a large vehicle. The third was a small replica of the cloud palace, while the fourth was a ship. Emir put his hand through the mist ship and the four images returned to the flask. As he put the flask back into his dimensional jacket, the cloud palace slowly started to warp out of shape.


    Emir turned from the palace which was beginning the process of turning back into a cloud ship. He stepped into the glowing ritual circle and began to speak.


    ¡°Greetings, fellow adventurers,¡± he said, the magic circle projecting his voice over the crowd. ¡°As you all know, I have come to this fine city with a purpose. Many, I¡¯m sure, have heard whispers and rumours, but today, all shall be laid bare. Centuries ago, there was an ancient order of assassins. Known and feared the world over, their enemies came together to scour them from the face of our world. Today, only hidden remnants can be found, and those only with time and effort. Myself and others have undertaken that time and effort, which brings us to today.¡±


    He panned his gaze over the crowd.


    ¡°This order of assassins was known as the Order of the Reaper. Going all the way back to the days of their organisation was wiped out, there have been legends of a legacy they left behind. Of a test, for those with the potential to receive this legacy. For years now, I have been seeking that legacy, and finally, I have found it. In the days before this city was founded, the last fortress of the order was hidden away in what was then a remote and unpopulated region.¡±


    Not everyone had their full attention on Emir as the cloud palace deformed behind his back in the transition from grand residence to ocean-going vessel.


    ¡°As you have no doubt surmised,¡± Emir continued, ¡°the purpose for which you have been gathered is to claim this legacy. The ancient, hidden fortress is now in ruins, but the true heart of the complex remains unpenetrated. It lies within an astral space of its own, waiting for those brave and skilled enough to face the trials within. This is no ordinary astral space aperture, however. To protect their secrets the Order had it sealed, the means of opening it scattered across the world. Those means have now been gathered and the aperture is ready to be opened. The trials are ready to begin.¡±


    He made a sweeping gesture, taking in the crowd.


    ¡°Just from the fact that I have gathered you all here, you have all certainly realised that things are not so simple as I have described. Even once opened, the aperture still comes with restrictions, for within lies the true test. A series of trials left by the Order of the Reaper. Tests, to see who can live up to their ideals. Only those with the most untapped potential, iron-rankers, may enter. The first of those to pass every trial will receive the legacy left behind. As a warning, the trials shall remain open for eighteen days, after which they will again seal themselves closed. Any of you who have not returned by then will not return at all.¡±


    Emir took an object from his jacket and held it in front of him. Above his head, a large image of a gold and black scythe appeared.


    ¡°No one knows the full extent of the order¡¯s legacy. What we do know is that it includes this object. It is the ancient symbol of the order and the object of years of searching. The goal for each of you is to bring me this item. Anything else you find in that place, part of the order¡¯s legacy or not, is yours to keep. Additionally, whichever team brings the scythe to me will receive five legendary awakening stones, which you may be chosen freely from my stores. If you are a team of one, then all five shall belong to you. Beyond the stones, however, is another prize.¡±


    Emir gestured behind him, where the cloud palace was still deforming.


    ¡°My cloud palace is a wonder, but it did not come to me as you see it here. It is a growth item I had the good fortune to come across when I, like you now, was only an iron ranker. Many years later I came across the man who created it, a diamond ranker. In payment for a service rendered, he gave me a second one, still at iron rank. Whomsoever brings me the scythe will receive it for themselves.¡±


    A susurrus of noise rippled through the crowd. The cloud palace had been dominating the skyline of the Adventure Society skyline for weeks. Every person assembled wanted to claim one.


    ¡°So, you all now know what you are here for. Once the cloud palace has returned to the form of a ship all the iron-rankers participating may come aboard to see it for themselves. We will sail along the coastline to the closest location to our objective and travel overland from there. Our destination is one the locals may know of: Sky Scar Lake. The ruins are at the bottom of the lake, which is very deep, so you have until my ship leaves in four hours to prepare for that dive. Consider it your first challenge. Be here and ready to board at that time.¡±


    Emir stepped out of the speaking circle. People immediately tried to approach but a portal appeared next to him, which he stepped through with Constance before it vanished.


    The crowd was thrown into turmoil as Emir finished his speech. Some were being exhorted by their family elders to obtain a cloud palace at any cost. Others were already dashing in the direction of the trade hall, looking for items to let them handle the water of the lake.


    Jason and Beth¡¯s teams were caught up in the swirl of people pushing their way out of the crowd.


    ¡°Does your team have a way of getting through the lake?¡± Beth asked once they were free.


    Jason nodded. ¡°There¡¯s a ritual I know. I assume you do too, Clive.¡±


    ¡°I know the one you¡¯re talking about. I¡¯d have to look it up, though.¡±


    ¡°I can do it, no worries,¡± Jason said, then turned back to Beth. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°I have the water essence,¡± she said. ¡°One of my abilities will do the job.¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll make some final preparations and see you in a few hours, then.¡±


    Many people were eager to get aboard the cloud palace, now transformed back into a ship the size of an ocean liner. Boarding did not go as smoothly as planned for some when it was revealed that a requirement of participation was a simple aura test. Anyone whose aura didn¡¯t match the Adventure Society records from prior to the expedition was excluded. Only a handful of people were caught out like this but were vocal in their protests. Instead of being heard out, however, they were taken away for closer examination.


    On the ship, Jason¡¯s team were given their own cabins, alongside those assigned to Rufus, Gary and Farrah¡¯s parents. Rufus¡¯ parents were staying in Greenstone, making discrete inquiries into the church of Purity. Their teammate, Cal, had already left to check out the Landemere estate. The bulk of the iron-rankers were all bunked together in crew dorms, while the actual crew enjoyed cabins like Emir¡¯s guests.


    As with the guest wing when it had been a cloud palace, the ship had a guest lounge with access to a broad side-deck. Humphrey quickly went off to invite their friends out of the press of people domiciled together below decks, bringing back Rick and Beth''s teams. He also brought along Lance and his team as well.


    ¡°Mose!¡± Jason greeted happily. ¡°It¡¯s been a while. What¡¯s up, mate?¡±


    ¡°Beth finally let me in her team,¡± Mose said happily. ¡°I think she wanted some extra power after you beat her like that.¡±


    Mose Cavendish was Beth¡¯s cousin, who Jason had known longer than Beth. They had met on a mission to escort spirit coins, where Jason had witnessed the destructive power of Mose¡¯s spells.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t me,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can blame Humphrey for that one. He¡¯s predicted exactly how your cousin would react if we could put her on the back foot.¡±


    Rufus and Gary soon joined them and the group socialised as the ship sailed its way south down the coast. It was only a few hours before it sailed into shore at an unremarkable patch of desert. Emir¡¯s people started unloading sand barges from the ship. None were the size of the great Ustei tribe barge, but three of them were enough to transport the whole group inland to Sky Scar Lake.


    It was hours more, going into the night by the time the barges arrived at the lake, vast almost to the point of an inland sea. It was a vast oasis in the desert, a blessed eye of blue and green in the hard, yellow face of the desert. The lights of villages situated all around the shore of the lake shone in the early dark. There were towns and villages situated all around the lake and the sand barges disembarked their charges at the largest.


    The adventurers were gathered and notified that they would begin in the morning. The townsfolk had been warned ahead of time about the coming influx and had beds for those who wanted them or food and drink for those who didn¡¯t. Emir brought out the cloud palace again, right on the surface of the lake, allowing selected people to use that for accommodation.


    The next day, the locals set out tables and brought out food and drink en masse to feed the anxious horde of adventurers. Not even the elite adventurers from overseas were immune to the nervousness. For all their training and prestige, they were still iron rankers and, coming from high-magic regions, they didn¡¯t have the individual monster hunting experience of the locals.


    Some didn''t eat out of nervousness while others couldn''t wolf down food. Humphrey walked around with Neil, Sophie and Belinda.


    ¡°Next time you¡¯ll be an adventurer, too,¡± Sophie told Belinda.


    ¡°Very likely,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°An astral space untouched for centuries will likely have accumulated a good number of essences and awakening stones. If we¡¯re lucky, they¡¯ll be unusual ones, although that¡¯s down to the nature of the astral space.¡±


    ¡°People don¡¯t talk about it much, because of how it went,¡± Neil said, ¡°but the expedition was quite a good haul.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how Jason got you so many awakening stones on the open market,¡± Humphrey said to Sophie. ¡°Did you see him leave this morning?¡±


    ¡°I saw him duck out early with Clive,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Is that them there?¡± Belinda asked, pointing. The others followed her gaze to see Clive and Jason behind some kind of cooking stall in aprons. There was a line of people leading up to them as they rapidly worked a large grill plate in front of them. Jason was wearing some kind of puffy white hat and his aprons had the words ¡®you can¡¯t fight monsters on an empty stomach¡¯ emblazoned on it.


    ¡°Oh, hey!¡± Jason called out as he spotted their approach. ¡°Clive is teaching me to barbecue eels properly!¡±

 Chapter 154: A Rash Decision

    ¡°Now,¡± Jason said happily, ¡°this is what adventuring should be like.¡±


    Adventurers were spreading out over the surface of Sky Scar Lake like a huge flock of geese, using all manner and means of transportation. There was a wild array of essence abilities, rituals and items from water-walking books to cloaks that let the wearer swim like a manta ray. Jason himself had a useful item he had acquired from the tidal troll he defeated.


    Item: [Necklace of the Deep] (iron rank, uncommon)


    A necklace containing the power of the deep ocean giants (jewellery, necklace).


    Effect: Ignore the effects of high pressure and pressure variance.Effect: Breathe water.Effect: Your weight is increased. You cannot use iron-rank weight reduction abilities or items.


    Jason could use it to walk along the bottom of the lake but his team couldn¡¯t, so it was staying in his inventory. It was nice to have on hand, though, and he could always test it out later.


    His team were near the edge of the shore, a few of hundreds making their way into or onto the lake, depending on individual methods. They were geared up and ready, Jason¡¯s starlight cloak already in place, which he was beginning to regret.


    ¡°Nice cloak,¡± an adventurer said to him. ¡°How much to buy it off you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an ability,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can¡¯t sell it.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s lying, Brandon,¡± a second adventurer said. She was plastered to Brandon¡¯s side. ¡°He just doesn¡¯t want to sell it to you.¡±


    ¡°Come on, how much?¡± Brandon asked.


    ¡°It really is an ability,¡± Jason insisted.


    ¡°Guy, you do not want to mess with me,¡± Brandon said. ¡°Just sell me the damn cloak. Do you have any idea who my father is?¡±


    Standing next to Jason, Neil winced, pinching the bridge of his nose. The cloak vanished from around Jason.


    ¡°See?¡± Jason said. ¡°All gone.¡±


    The cloak reappeared.


    ¡°It¡¯s an ability,¡± Jason reiterated. ¡°Try an awakening stone of the stars; that where I got it.¡±


    ¡°Forget this guy,¡± Brandon¡¯s hanger-on said and Brandon nodded.


    ¡°Neil, your new teammate is a rolling turd wagon,¡± Brandon said and they hurried off to catch up with their team. The girl slapped Brandon on the arm for eyeing Sophie as they went. Neil and Humphrey let out a sigh of relief.


    ¡°You know that guy?¡± Clive asked Neil.


    ¡°One of Thadwick¡¯s peripheral hangers-on,¡± Neil said. ¡°His family are want-to-be aristocrats and he¡¯s the dregs of the bloodline. If his family knew he not only failed to recognise Humphrey but mouthed off in front of him, they¡¯d drown him in this lake.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just grateful Jason didn¡¯t take the bait,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Farrah tried to hammer into my head that I should only start trouble when trouble is what I want.¡±


    ¡°Since when do you ever not want trouble?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been listening to other people too much,¡± Jason said. ¡°When did you ever see me start trouble?¡±


    ¡°You killed a bunch of people in a shopping arcade in the middle of the day!¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t start that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Neil said. ¡°Thadwick sent them to kill him when he panicked over Jason uncovering his lumber mill scam. Dustin and I didn¡¯t find out until later, so by the time we went to Thadwick¡¯s father to stop it, Jason had already killed them and given a recording of him doing it to Thadwick¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°Some guy tried to have you killed and you just let that go?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°If you let that go, what¡¯s to stop him from trying again.¡±


    ¡°I would have liked to deal with him at the time,¡± Jason said, ¡°but there were mitigating circumstances. Even disregarding the power of his family, I wasn''t going to kill my girlfriend''s brother.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That Cassandra girl¡¯s brother tried to kill you?¡±


    ¡°He did,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was a rash decision.¡±


    ¡°Does he have a weird sister thing or something?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Not that I know of,¡± Jason said. ¡°Neil?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Neil said. ¡°Thadwick isn¡¯t the greatest guy in the world, but he isn¡¯t that kind of creepy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where the indignation comes in?¡± Jason asked. ¡°We were just talking about how he tried to kill me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you sleeping with his sister helped that decision along a little,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°I eventually realised it¡¯s for the best,¡± Jason said. ¡°What would killing him get me? Killed by his Mum, that¡¯s what. Then Emir and Rufus come down on the Mercers.¡±


    ¡°My family too,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°My mother and Lady Mercer are close, but Mother wouldn¡¯t tolerate her killing you.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said. ¡°The wheel doesn¡¯t stop turning until someone steps off and forgives and it might as well be me. Besides, Thadwick has problems enough to be going on with.¡±


    Thadwick had been in the constant company of Mercer family bronze-rankers since having the star seed purged out of him. They stood watch as he slept for days in recovery, then they stood by his room at his parents'' ''suggestion'' that he stay put and focus on getting better.


    Although his rooms in the Mercer family home were the opposite of prison-like, he chafed at the confinement. His sister had visited, only to be chased-off by screamed accusations of whoring herself out to outworlder trash. His father would not tolerate such tantrums and had not been back since teaching that lesson with the back of his hand. His mother was more gentle but no less unyielding. She probed him with incessant questions until he told her to leave him to rest.


    Thadwick''s memories of his time with a star seed were hazy. His last clear thoughts were of being taken in the astral space and knocked out. From there it was only disconnected flashes; fleeting moments without context or comprehension. Clarity only came when he woke up out of recovery, the star seed removed.


    His mother had told him that the others had experienced much the same. She wanted to know everything he could remember, everything he could piece together. She was meant to be his mother but instead giving him the things he wanted she pestered him again and again with questions. In the end, she was just one more person who only wanted something from him. Like everyone else, she was blinded by whatever strange methods Asano was using to make everyone love him.


    She was so enamoured of that filthy, interdimensional bastard. She had made no secret of her plans to match him with Cassandra. At least the family had put an end to that sordid idea. The thought of his beautiful, capable sister being wasted on such a vile creature filled him with anger.


    Everything had started going wrong the moment Asano appeared. Showing him up in front of everyone at the field assessment gathering. Winning over the Gellers, the out-of-town big shots and even Thadwick''s own mother. She once even had the gall to say that he could stand to be more like Asano.


    Every step of the way, Asano was plotting to bring himself up by putting Thadwick down. He wormed his way into Cassandra¡¯s affections, just to rile him up. How long had Asano worked to uncover Thadwick¡¯s brilliant plan to show his father that he was ready to step up in running family affairs? Asano must have been looking for some way to undermine him from the moment he arrived in the city to figure it out.


    Every since Asano¡¯s arrival in the city, Thadwick had been feeling increasingly powerless. The sheer magnitude of Asano¡¯s plotting was mind-boggling, and Thadwick was the only one smart enough to see through it. The only time he had felt powerful in months was in a handful of moments he didn¡¯t understand. The memories were scattered, but one thing had been present in all of them: an incredible sense of power.


    His memories included a few faces and places he recognised. Scraps of conversation he hadn¡¯t told his mother when she was questioning him. He had a better use for those snatches of memory: he wanted that feeling of power back.


    He got up and stripped out of the bedclothes he had been wearing throughout his confinement. He picked out some street clothes, yanked them on and marched out the door.


    ¡°Young master Mercer,¡± one of the bronze-rankers said as Thadwick strode past.


    ¡°Your mother told us it would be best if you stayed in your rooms to rest,¡± the other said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve rested enough,¡± Thadwick said, not stopping. One of the two followed him, the other going off in the other direction. As Thadwick reached the ground level and was just leaving the tower, his mother teleported in front of him, along with the guard that had gone to fetch her.


    ¡°Thadwick, dear,¡± she said. Her sincerity might fool others but he saw right through it.


    ¡°I¡¯m going out, mother. I¡¯ve been cooped up long enough.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that would be best,¡± she said.


    ¡°Am I a prisoner in my own home?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Of course not, dear.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going out,¡± he said firmly.


    ¡°Very well,¡± she said, having no way around his masculine confidence. ¡°With so many out of the city things should be quiet, so now may b the best time. But Geoffrey and Kyle will be going with you.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Thadwick asked.


    Thalia gestured to the guards that had been stationed on Thadwick¡¯s room for weeks, the one that had followed him and the one that had fetched her.


    ¡°I need them with you,¡± she said. ¡°To keep you safe.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Thadwick said. He didn¡¯t care what they would suffer where he was going.


    Almost two hours later, Thadwick and his escorts were walking through the streets of Old City. Close to the fortress ruled by the Big Three, many establishments were offering the kind of very specific services only the wealthy could afford.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is where your mother would like you to be, young master Mercer,¡± one of his guards said.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t paid to think, Geoffrey.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Kyle, young master.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    Thadwick took a familiar path down some stairs to an unmarked basement shopfront. A slat opened up, the eyes behind it taking in Thadwick and his guards.


    ¡°You know better than to bring people wearing house colours here,¡± a voice came from behind the door. Thadwick¡¯s guards were indeed clad in the uniform of the Mercer household.


    ¡°Take it up with my mother,¡± Thadwick said. ¡°You don¡¯t have the stones to keep that door closed in my face, so hurry up and open it.¡±


    The eyes glared but moments later the door swung open. Thadwick smirked at the doorman as he went past, his guards trailing behind. After a short hallway was a large, luxurious lounge. There was a long bar and a variety of booths that offered convenient seclusion. The room was adorned with beautiful men and women in provocative clothes; elves and humans, celestines, smoulders and even a few burly male or lithe female leonids.


    Thadwick¡¯s guards drew attention but people quickly turned back to their own affairs. Thadwick glanced around and spotted the person he was looking for. An indolent man splayed in a booth with a woman to either side of him.


    ¡°Thadwick,¡± the man greeted him, glancing over the Mercer guards. ¡°I see your mother let you out, so long as you wore your leash.¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d be here, Timos.¡±


    ¡°I take my pleasure where I can find it,¡± Timos said. ¡°You can hardly blame me for being so good at looking for it.¡±


    ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    ¡°Then, by all means, take a seat.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll want this little chat in private, Timos.¡±


    ¡°Oh? Finally learning to explore all the tantalising treats life has to offer, Taddy?¡±


    Thadwick leaned in, grabbing the front of Timos¡¯ clothes and whispering in his ear.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been having these very interesting flashes of what I went through, Timos. Some faces I recognised when I was captured during the expedition. If you don¡¯t want to talk about them, I bet my mother will.¡±


    Thadwick stood back up, looking with satisfaction at the Timos¡¯ face, the dismissive sneer wiped right off of it.


    ¡°What about your boys, here?¡± Timos asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what happens to them.¡±


    With all the auras, abilities and magic items being used, the ambient magic had become turbid. Clive closed his eyes and took a slow, deep breath, sending out a wave of magical stillness that even those without magic perception abilities could feel.


    Party member [Clive Standish] has used [Mana Equilibrium].Ambient magic has entered a harmonious state.The next spell cast in this area will cost reduced mana, and the harmonious state will be disrupted.


    ¡°So handy,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thank you, Clive.¡±


    Jason quickly enacted the ritual whose circle had been inscribed into the flat top of a large, lacquered board, ideal for marking with inscriptions. After a short chant from Jason, a shimmering bubble appeared around the board. Humphrey reached through the bubble unimpeded, picked it the platform and dropped it onto the water. It didn''t strike the water, instead, stopping in the air over the surface. The water was visibly indented by the bubble.


    The team all stepped into the bubble, onto the board which remained completely stable. It was a good-sized board, but it was standing room only with the five people on it. They watched as nearby, Beth¡¯s team sailed off on a boat made of condensed water that somehow didn¡¯t get the people in it wet.


    ¡°Maybe we should have used a bigger board,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°This as big as we can go before the ritual starts getting costly in materials,¡± Jason said. He concentrated on the board and it started floating slowly out onto the lake.


    ¡°Exactly right,¡± Clive said. ¡°It may not be fast or big, but it will do what we need.¡±


    They floated out, part of the mass of adventurers. Eventually, they found Rufus standing on the surface of the lake. On his feet were large, garish, blue boots, from which mist was drifting in wisps. He was directing people to descend to the bottom of the lake at that spot. He gave them an encouraging wave but didn''t pause his task to speak with them. Jason directed the board to go down, the water enveloping their bubble as they descended into the lake.

 Chapter 155: It’s A Good One

    Jason and his team descended through the water as the daylight shining through the surface of the lake above grew increasingly dim. They stood close together on the platform as the sphere around them held off the water, encapsulating them in a perfect orb. As it grew too murky for anyone but Jason to see, Humphrey took out a light crystal, tossing it up to float around his head. In the dark around them, other teams took similar steps. The result was a rain of light, plunging down through watery depths.


    ¡°This is awesome,¡± Jason said, looking at the lights descending through the dark. ¡°I know I¡¯m from another world and maybe you all get to see things like this all the time but I¡¯m loving this.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly impressive,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°We may not get to see such things all the time, now, but we¡¯re only beginning our time as adventurers. We have lives of wonder ahead of us.¡±


    Jason looked at Humphrey¡¯s handsome face and broad shoulders as Humphrey gazed winsomely out of their bubble.


    ¡°Damn, Humphrey,¡± Jason said. ¡°You must be beating the ladies off with a stick.¡±


    ¡°I do alright,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Things didn¡¯t end well with Gabrielle, but the start and middle were good. I don¡¯t regret our time together and it gave me some important perspective.¡±


    ¡°Listen to you all mature,¡± Jason said. ¡°What happened to that nervous guy from half a year ago?¡±


    ¡°He got a friend who pushed him into trying new things. Even if those were sometimes poison soup.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that was one time,¡± Jason said. ¡°How was I meant to know they swapped out the regular cook instead of closing for the day? And it wasn¡¯t poison soup, it was just¡­ improperly prepared.¡±


    Jason glanced at Sophie, looking around as wide-eyed as the rest of them.


    ¡°If you¡¯d decided against being an adventurer right now, where would you be?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°No place good,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m glad Belinda talked me into it.¡±


    ¡°This is just the beginning,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯ll have many days like this.¡±


    As they neared the bottom of the lake, they saw domes of air over dark ruins lit up by cheap magic lamps.


    ¡°Those domes are big versions of what we¡¯re using, right?¡± Jason asked Clive.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯d like to take a look for myself.¡±


    ¡°Which one do you think Emir was talking about?¡± Jason asked. ¡°He said the middle dome but there¡¯s a whole cluster of them.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s meant to be tunnels connecting them,¡± Clive said. ¡°Just pick one and we¡¯ll figure it out.¡±


    Jason directed the orb of air they were floating in to the base of one of the domes. The dome held out only the water, so once the dome and their bubble connected they could easily step into it and off the platform, without getting wet. As Clive put the platform away, they saw plenty of other adventures were likewise finding their way in.


    Looking around at the inside of the dome, their surroundings were an ancient stone village. Long claimed by the lake¡¯s water, the village was once again dry from the dome holding back the lake. The borders of the village were an exact match for the dome of air. Slimy growth was everywhere, fortunately giving traction to what would have otherwise been slippery cobbles underfoot, worn smooth by water. As the others looked over the buildings, Jason and Clive turned their attention to the dome. In what looked to be a circle around the entire village, a stone ring engraved with runes was set into the ground.


    ¡°Look at this,¡± Clive said, pointing it out to Jason. They crouched down to examine it more closely.


    ¡°The cobbles end right at this ring,¡± Jason said. Outside the stone ring and the dome of air that followed its curve around the village, the lake bed was all silt, rock and submarine growth. On the inside of the ring was cobbled ground.


    ¡°I¡¯d say this ring was once used to keep this dome up permanently,¡± Clive postulated as he examined it. ¡°See these repairs? I¡¯m guessing the domes collapsed when this place was abandoned and Emir¡¯s people used the ring as a platform for these new domes. They¡¯ll only be temporary, though. Re-establishing permanent domes would be prohibitively expensive, even using the existing infrastructure.¡±


    Now Jason was working more on grasping magical theory, he was becoming more interested in the functionality of magic. Clive was more than happy to play the role of mentor.


    ¡°We might want to get moving,¡± Neil suggested. ¡°If we stop to examine everything we see, we¡¯ll never get anywhere.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We need to find our way to the right dome because I don¡¯t think this one is it.¡±


    ¡°Do you all feel that?¡± Sophie asked. The rest of the team looked at each other and collectively shook their heads.


    ¡°Outside the dome,¡± Sophie said. ¡°A half-dozen iron-rank auras.¡±


    As the only team member with an aura sense power, Sophie had detected the approaching monsters first. She pointed and the others looked, spying a group of monsters moving along the bottom of the lake. They were large with shark bodies and crab legs, all covered in shell plating. They were heading straight for the dome.


    ¡°Shabs,¡± Jason said. ¡°How nostalgic.¡±


    ¡°Take a three-two formation,¡± Humphrey instructed and the team moved into position. Humphrey, Sophie and Jason formed a line behind which were Neil and Clive. Clive had his hands up in front of him, where a magic circle appeared vertically in the air. He was feeding mana into it, ready to trigger. Humphrey conjured his large sword and waited while Sophie stood, relaxed, beside him. Jason''s cloak was already in place and he conjured his dagger, looking between it and Humphrey''s giant dragon wing sword.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Neil asked as the shabs neared the dome.


    ¡°Go for it,¡± Sophie said and Neil immediately chanted a spell.


    ¡°Let your power fulminate.¡±


    Sophie started shimmering slightly with silver-gold magic.


    Ability: [Bolster] (Growth)


    Spell (magic, boon)Cost: Moderate mana..Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Iron 6 (19%)Effect (iron): The next essence ability used by the targeted ally has increased effect. This can affect parameters including damage, range and number of targets, depending on the affected ability. Cannot be used on self.


    Sophie sliced her leg upward in a vertical kick that demonstrated impressive flexibility. A blade of wind slashed out, passing through the dome unimpeded and striking one of the approaching shabs. It exploded in a wash of red liquid and a storm of bubbles that obscured the others.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding about that explosive effect in water,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Split, please,¡± Clive requested, Humphrey and Sophie moving aside to give him an unobstructed line to the enemy. The remaining five shabs passed through what was left of the first and Clive chanted a spell.


    ¡°Feel the power of reality remade.¡±


    A beam of rainbow light passed out of the magic circle floating in front of Clive¡¯s hands, locking onto the next-closest shab. The red faded from the rainbow, which then vanished. The shab stopped dead, fluid boiling out from under it shell plates.


    ¡°I figured heat would be enough,¡± Clive said. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to burn through too much mana.¡±


    Ability: [Wrath of the Magister] (Magic)


    Spell (fire, magic, curse, poison, wounding, ice, dimension)Cost: Moderate mana plus additional mana per effect.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Iron 5 (38%)Effect (iron): Lock a prismatic beam onto an enemy. Expend additional mana to alter the target¡¯s reality, using any combination of the available colour effects. This cannot be used in conjunction with the other variant of this spell, which requires an alternate incantation.Effect (iron): Lock a prismatic beam onto an enemy. Expend additional mana to unmake reality in a localised area, creating an annihilating void sphere inside the target. This effect requires magic to be channelled into the target at an extreme mana cost until sufficient mana has been channelled to trigger the effect.[Red] (high mana): Target¡¯s temperature is significantly increased (frost burn if combined with blue).[Yellow] (high mana): Target¡¯s abilities have increased mana cost.[Pink] (moderate mana): Target¡¯s resistances are reduced.[Green] (moderate mana): Target¡¯s blood is poisonous to itself.[Purple] (very high mana): Expending mana harms the target.[Orange] (very high mana): Target suffers increased damage from all sources.[Blue] (high mana): Target¡¯s temperature is significantly decreased (frost burn if combined with red).


    Humphrey and Sophie slid back in front of Clive and Neil. Three shabs were down before they even reached the dome.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Neil asked, pointing at another shape approaching through the water. It looked something like an octopus made of thorny vines. ¡°It looks nasty,¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Stash,¡± Sophie said, who could sense the shape-shifting dragon¡¯s aura. Humphrey had let his boisterous familiar make his own way through the wake. Jason¡¯s summoned familiar had many advantages over a bonded familiar like Humphrey¡¯s, but a bond had its own advantages. Where Jason could only sense Colin while the leech swarm was subsumed into his body, Humphrey and Stash could always sense one another. They would each know the other¡¯s general condition and could find one another over any distance.


    Stash wrapped his thorny tentacles around the rearmost shab, seeking out vulnerable crevices between shell plates. The other two shabs finally reached the dome. One was met by a huge sword swinging down, cutting through the front half of the monster and leaving a ragged split.


    In a more competent version of his very first shad fight, Jason rolled under the monster, coming up and slitting his dagger through the monster¡¯s vulnerable underside. Ichor splattered down over his cloak and he extracted himself as the monster fell dead. He tossed away the despoiled cloak which then vanished. The ichor that had been on it was suddenly unsupported and fell to the ground.


    ¡°That was good,¡± Humphrey said, right before Stash splashed through the dome, his giant octopus from drenching Jason and Humphrey with shab guts and water. Sophie vanished before being struck, reappearing nearby. Stash turned into a puppy, looking up at Humphrey with innocent eyes.


    ¡°Ew,¡± Jason said unhappily.


    ¡°I guess we know which of us is going out there to loot the monsters,¡± Neil said. ¡°No point me getting all messy if you¡¯re already like that.¡±


    Jason groaned, taking out his necklace of the deep, a series of round, colourful stones strung on a sinewy cord. Clipping it around his neck, he closed his eyes and mouth, holding his nose as he stepped through the dome.


    The necklace shielded him from the pressure of the depths and weighed him down as he walked blindly through the shab-tainted water. He held his breath in spite of the necklace''s power to let him breathe water. Its fierce chill would have made it an unpleasant proposition in any case. Unwilling to open his eyes, he stumbled about until he felt he had touched enough shab goo to trigger three loot notifications. He kept his sense of direction enough to find his way back without opening his eyes.


    Everyone backed off as he remerged, drenched in water and semi-liquid shab remains. Opening his eyes he saw the notices were there and accepted them, all the goo in the water and on Jason and Humphrey dissolving in rainbow smoke. Outside the dome, the rainbow smoke bubbled its way up towards the surface of the lake.


    The coins looted from the shabs appeared in the dimensional storage abilities of Clive, Humphrey and Jason. Neil, experienced from his own looting ability, stepped back and neatly caught his own bag of coins as it fell from overhead. Sophie, less experienced, had it bounce off her skull.


    ¡°You could have warned me,¡± she told Jason.


    ¡°When you go wading into a freezing cold lake to fish out money for everyone,¡± he said. ¡°We''ll see how much your mind is on the little details.¡±


    He pulled a vial of orange liquid from his belt and drank it.


    ¡°Ooh, spicy.¡±


    Steam started rising off of Jason¡¯s body and clothes. After a few minutes his skin, hair and clothes were all dry.


    ¡°Glad I bought those,¡± he said. ¡°Remind me to thank Jory for suggesting them.¡±


    Jory was actually participating in the event, although Jason hadn''t seen him. The various crafting associations had decided there was a good chance of lost crafting secrets being found and had formed several teams to join in. To avoid conflict, each team was made up of different kind of magic craftspeople, from leatherworkers to weapon-smiths, engravers to alchemists.


    They had no intention of seeking out Emir¡¯s scythe, instead intending to scour the hidden astral space for item-making secrets. Jory had travelled with the craft association contingent and hadn¡¯t run into Jason.


    After handling the shabs, Jason and his team went looking for the central dome. While they had been fighting, other teams had found the tunnel and they followed the other adventurers. The tunnel sloped down under the lake bed, leading underground between domes. The central area was obviously more important than the dome they had come from. The buildings were larger and more impressive, looking more like the central location of a city than the village of the dome they had come from.


    Following the crowd, they found Emir standing near to archway of dark stone, right in the middle of a large square. This allowed the adventurers to spill in around it. Gary was present, along with Constance and some of Emir¡¯s people who were drawing an elaborate ritual circle around the archway. Placed at various points within the ritual diagram were more than a dozen items, all long-weather stone artefacts. Emir¡¯s people kept the adventurers back, warning them against using abilities that would interfere with the ambient magic. Just the presence of so many essence users and their magic items was bad enough.


    There was a long wait as all the adventurers either arrived or were rescued from their poor preparations for underwater travel and returned to the surface, destined to participate no further. One of the main culprits was the difficulty of getting rituals right amongst all the adventurers. Without a power to smooth out the ambient magic, like Clive had, rituals could easily go awry. Emir had a ritualist with a similar ability on staff for that exact reason.


    Once Emir confirmed it with his people, he addressed the crowd.


    ¡°And here we are at last,¡± he called out loudly. He wasn''t using a voice projection circle this time, again to not disrupt the magic. ¡°Here we have reached, together, the limit of what I can tell you. The door will open soon and my people will direct you through it. I ask that you are patient while waiting for your turn to enter, as my people will deal with anyone acting in a disorderly manner. Remember, the team that brings me the scythe is the team that wins the grand prize.¡±


    Quest: [Legacy of the Reaper]


    You have joined the mission to retrieve the Order of the Reaper¡¯s legacy.


    Objective: Pass the reaper trials 0/5Objective: Reach the centre of the City of Fallen Echoes.Objective: Obtain [Scythe of the Reaper] 0/1.Objective: Deliver [Scythe of the Reaper] to Emir Bahadir 0/1.Reward: Racial gift transfiguration.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a good one.¡±


    It was not the first time the party had seen a quest appear, having cleared various contracts together. This was the first time they had seen a reward that wasn¡¯t just spirit coins, however. Neil¡¯s eyes were transfixed by the listed reward.


    ¡°Is that what I think it is?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I think so, yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Should be for all of us, since we all got the quest.¡±


    ¡°How is that even possible?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°My theory is that once you reach a certain threshold for handsomeness, it flows over and starts having weird effects.¡±


    Despite the astounding quest window in front of them, the team all turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.

 Chapter 156: The City of Fallen Echoes

    There was some pushing and jostling from the adventurers eager to pass through the aperture until a few low growls from Gary pulled the stroppy ones in line. Emir stood with Gary, watching from the side as they went through, one at a time. When his team drew close to Emir, Jason greeted him.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve got any insider tips, Emir?¡± Jason asked as they went past. This drew the attention of the adventurers around them.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Emir said with a wry smile. ¡°If I had anything else to tell you, I would have told everyone. The goal to have the scythe brought to me. If it was to have the scythe brought to me by you, then you would be the only one I sent.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Jason had encountered two astral apace apertures before, both to the rainforest astral space that supplied water to the delta, along with many of the desert¡¯s oases. Those had been shimmering blue, floating unattached as if not really connected to the world. As he got a look at this astral gate aperture, it was very different. It was contained within an archway the size of large double doors. The archway was made of stone, a single piece with the black, smooth gloss of polished obsidian. Unlike the buildings around it, centuries of submersion had done nothing to mar its surface or dim its lustre. The aperture itself, within the archway, held a strange darkness that almost seemed to have substance, devouring the light around it.


    ¡°Is it just me,¡± Neil said, ¡°or does anyone else think that looks like Jason¡¯s cloak?¡±


    Jason dimmed the stars on his cloak down to nothing. The result was a void draped around him that, as Neil suggested, looked very much like the dark aperture before them.


    ¡°It does,¡± Clive said. ¡°My guess would be a dark essence ability was used as the foundation for this archway, likely even the-¡±


    ¡°We should keep it moving,¡± Humphrey said, stopping Clive before his fascination overcame his awareness of the situation. This got a look of gratitude from the member of Emir¡¯s staff standing next to the aperture. His task was to keep things moving but he also didn¡¯t want to annoy people his boss obviously thought highly of.


    Humphrey stepped up to the aperture. ¡°See you on the other side,¡± he told the others and stepped through. Like Humphrey, it was not a first time entering an astral space for Neil and he followed without hesitation. Jason prompted Clive through next, not wanting to leave him to his curiosity. Sophie paused in front of the aperture, reluctance and uncertainty saturating her body language.


    ¡°Are we sure that thing isn¡¯t just devouring people?¡± she asked. ¡°It kind of looks like it¡¯s devouring people.¡±


    She was hardly the first adventurer to hesitate when looking at the lightless void of the aperture. Jason gave her a reassuring pat on the shoulder, stepping past her.


    ¡°No one is going to push you,¡± he said. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to do this, go back with Emir and we¡¯ll see you in a few weeks.¡±


    Jason paused in front of the aperture himself, an anticipatory grin crossing his face before he stepped through.


    ¡°Miss Wexler,¡± the staff member said. ¡°I¡¯ll need you to either go through or move out of the way.¡±


    Sophie looked at him, nodded to herself and held her breath as she stepped through the portal.


    Different modes of teleportation had different feels to them. The feel of travelling through the portals created by Hester felt different to Jason¡¯s own ability. It, in turn, felt different again to Danielle Geller¡¯s ordinary teleport power. She had the same one as her son, but her higher-rank version allowed her to take more people. She would sometimes teleport around with the Geller family teams, including Humphrey¡¯s, to help them acclimatise themselves to such abilities.


    These benefits were not available to everyone, as evidenced by the state of people Jason found when he emerged from a dark archway, identical to the one he had stepped into. They ranged from looking slightly peaky to being on hands and knees, throwing up. Jason had no such issues.


    Ability: Astral Affinity


    Increased resistance to dimension effects and astral forces. Dimension abilities have increased effect and transcendent damage is increased.


    His racial gift made him more tolerant to the effects of teleportation but, more than that, the sensation of going through the portal had been incredibly familiar. Travelling through the dark aperture had felt exactly like using his shadow teleport.


    As Jason emerged, system messages immediately started popping up. He dismissed them to the periphery of his vision so he could take a look around. He started by getting out of the way before more people arrived, stepping around those loudly vomiting.


    At a glance, he was on some kind of very large tower with a flat top. It was made of dark, grey brick, with lichen growing in the crevices. The archway stood right in the middle and the tower was apparently quite tall as he could mostly see sky over the edges. A sun was high in a sky, blurred by summer haze. The air was humid and heavy, as much as the delta on its worst day. He could hear water splashing against rocks from below, the unmistakable sound of the sea. The breezeless air carried none of the ocean¡¯s salty freshness, however.


    The adventurers who had already recovered from being magically transported were turning their faces to the sky or wandering over the edges to look around. Others were looking for their party members and Jason noticed that most were not finding them. Jason himself could find no trace of Humphrey, Neil or Clive. As he waited to see if Sophie would emerge after him, he took a bracelet of sandy yellow stones on a loop and slipped it over his wrist.


    Item: [Oasis Bracelet] (iron rank, uncommon)


    A bracelet that draws on the power of water quintessence to bestow the blessings of a personal oasis (accessory, bracelet).


    Effect: Keeps the wearer cool and refreshed. Bracelet energy is consumed at a varying rate according to climate.Effect: Reduces incoming fire and heat damage. This rapidly consumes bracelet energy.Effect: Consume a water quintessence gem to completely refill bracelet energy.


    Taking out a water quintessence gem, he touched it to the bracelet and it melted away. The yellow stones turned blue and Jason immediately felt the benefits of his magical item as the muggy and oppressive air felt suddenly cool and refreshing.


    Sophie emerged from the archway just as Jason was taking a deep, satisfying breath. Looking startled, she started waving her hand in front of her like she was swiping at insects. Jason walked back over to the archway.


    ¡°Just imagine the screens moving out of the way, to the edge of your vision,¡± he told her. She frowned at the space in front of her.


    ¡°Why so many?¡± she asked as they moved out of the way for the next adventurer to appear.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t read them yet,¡± he told her.


    She looked around.


    ¡°So this is an astral space,¡± she said. ¡°Where are the others?¡±


    ¡°Not here,¡± he said. ¡°This is only a fraction of the people who went through, so there may be other arrival locations.¡±


    ¡°Unless the magic void door is eating people,¡± she said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope not,¡± Jason. ¡°Take a look around?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll get us away from all these people throwing up. What¡¯s going on with that?¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t handle teleportation as well as us,¡± Jason said. ¡°Notice all the celestines are fine. You have an ability to endure dimensional effects that I happen to share.¡±


    ¡°Is that we didn¡¯t get eaten?¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t eaten. Probably. As for whether it affected us arriving in the same place, I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    They walked over to the edge of the tower, which had no railing of any kind, simply ending in a precipitous edge. Their tower was huge, some twenty metres across and at least seventy high. It would have loomed over even the tallest building in Greenstone.


    Looking out from the edge, the tower was located right on the coastline, with water from a seemingly boundless sea stretching out to their right. To their left was an ancient, abandoned city. It was staggeringly vast, sprawling off into the distance as far as they could see. Plant life had long ago reclaimed it, with vines crawling over the building and trees growing in the boulevards through the gaps left by broken and dislodged flagstones. Although larger than Greenstone by at least several times, it was more jungle than metropolis.


    Stopping to look and listen, they heard the sounds of creatures; the warble of birds, the distant roaring of some predator, be it animal or monster. They were even able to pick out a few inhuman figures shambling and prowling through the overgrown streets.


    The tower Jason and Sophie were on was not the only great tower that could be seen. Maybe twenty kilometres distant was another, also right on the waterline. They moved around the edge of the tower to get a better look at the city below.


    You have used a panoramic view to unveil parts of the City of Fallen Echoes map. Visit unveiled locations to add additional details.


    Other adventurers were likewise moving over to the edge. There did not appear to be any way of getting inside the tower from the roof, but some adventurers found the top of a stairwell that wound its way down the outside. Some started rushing down immediately to try and get some kind of lead on the competition. Most chose to stay and take stock. All of the teams present were missing members, it seemed, and none of them was clear on exactly what they should be doing. Sophie and Jason found their own spot, sitting on the edge with their legs dangling off.


    ¡°We should start with those messages we put aside,¡± Jason said, pulling the screens up out of the corner of his vision.


    You have entered a zone of high magical saturation. Magical manifestations will occur at an increased rate.


    ¡°What¡¯s magical saturation?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Are magical manifestations good?¡±


    ¡°Ambient magic, the invisible magic all around us,¡± Jason explained, ¡°is graded in two ways. One is magical density, which is kind of like the strength of the local magic. It determines how powerful a magic item can be and work normally and the power of rituals that can be performed. The most important effect, though, is it determines the strength of what monsters will appear. Emir said the magical density here should be the same as the world outside, so we can expect mostly iron-rank monsters, plus some bronze. Silver should be extremely rare, but a silver rank monster can linger for years before breaking down back into magic, so there may be one or two around, somewhere.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know, but doesn¡¯t actually answer my questions,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I¡¯m providing context,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re starting to sound like Clive.¡±


    ¡°Clive¡¯s a smart guy,¡±


    ¡°But he also likes to waffle on. You should hear him and Belinda. It¡¯s interminable.¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Jason said, ¡°while magical density is how strong the magic is, magic saturation of how much of it there is. If you get higher magical saturation, you get more magical manifestation. That means more essences, more awakening stones and more monsters, which is all good.¡±


    ¡°More monsters is good?


    ¡°Our ability to grow stronger is reliant on throwing ourselves into challenge after challenge,¡± Jason said. ¡°Here, we have all the challenge we could ask for. This is a holy land for adventurers looking to get stronger. It¡¯s a shame, now, that we only have eighteen days.¡±


    ¡°Then our first step should be regrouping with the others," Sophie said. The other messages screens stacked up were all variations on a theme.


    Party member [Humphrey Geller] has gone out of range. Voice communication and loot sharing with out of range party members are unavailable.


    Clive, Neil and Humphrey were all out of range, while Jason and Sophie had only been out of range for as long as Jason had been on one side of the aperture and Sophie the other.


    Party member [Sophie Wexler] has re-entered range. Voice communication and loot sharing are restored. Voice communication and loot sharing with out of range party members are unavailable.


    ¡°So, how do we find them?¡± Sophie asked.


    Jason took a furtive glance at the other adventurers. Some were huddled together, having discussions like Jason and Sophie. Others were looking to form makeshift groups after being separated from their own. Jason recognised a few faces but no one he knew well. A few people seemed to recognise him by his cloak, a couple of whom were heading in their direction.


    ¡°Jason Asano?¡± one of them asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°We''ve been separated from our group and it looks like you have been, too. You could join up with us if you like, until you find your own people.¡±


    Jason glanced at Sophie, who gave a little head shake.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ve lost people but our most mobile people are still together. We¡¯re going to use that to cover more ground. Thank you for the offer though. It¡¯s very kind.¡±


    After a little more polite chatter they walked away.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they were being kind,¡± Sophie said quietly. ¡°I think they were trying to glom onto someone they¡¯d heard of.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just trying to survive in a situation that¡¯s gotten away from them,¡± Jason said. ¡°You of all people should understand that.¡±


    Sophie glanced at the other adventurers more sympathetically.


    ¡°I can see that,¡± she said. ¡°You think maybe we should put a team together?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was also inclined to keep it to just us. I wasn¡¯t lying about the speed thing, and trying to mesh a new group together in a dangerous environment could cause trouble a critical moment.¡±


    ¡°Just us, then,¡± she said. ¡°So what are we doing?¡±


    ¡°Pull up the quest,¡± Jason said, doing the same himself.


    Quest: [Legacy of the Reaper]


    You have joined the mission to retrieve the Order of the Reaper¡¯s legacy.


    Objective: Pass the reaper trials 0/5Objective: Reach the centre of the City of Fallen Echoes.Objective: Obtain [Golden Scythe of the Reaper] 0/1.Objective: Deliver [Golden Scythe of the Reaper] to Emir Bahadir 0/1.Reward: Racial gift transfiguration.


    ¡°This is the City of Fallen Echoes,¡± Jason said, quietly. ¡°The objective is to get to the middle. Knowing that might be a good edge for us against other teams. It also means our team knows where to go. As long as we head for the middle, we¡¯ll find them eventually.¡±


    ¡°And where is the middle exactly?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Do we just head away from the water?¡±


    Jason pulled up his map. It was a separate ability from his party interface, which meant Sophie couldn''t use it herself, but it did allow her to see it when Jason did. The corner of the map listed their location.


    Zone: City of Fallen Echoes (Gate Tower Three)


    The map showed a perfectly circular city, surrounded by water. All but the area around one tower with a marker for Jason¡¯s position on it was veiled.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see places I haven¡¯t been on the map,¡± Jason said. ¡°The centre is pretty obvious from the outline though.¡±


    He got to his feet and Sophie did the same.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get down,¡± he said. ¡°The stairs start over there.¡±


    ¡°Forget that,¡± Sophie said, walking backwards away from the edge.


    ¡°That looks suspiciously like a run-up,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t go too hard,¡± she said. ¡°You should be able to follow it you put some guts in it.¡±


    She ran to the edge of the tower and vaulted off without hesitation. Jason watched her sail through the air plunging toward the ground until she activated her leaf on the wind ability, slowing into a gentle descent. She landed in the middle of a wide boulevard overgrown with trees that headed in the direction they would be going. Jason looked down at her and shrugged, taking his own run-up and leaping out after her.

 Chapter 157: Shade

    Jason¡¯s cloak fluttered around him as he drifted to the ground.


    ¡°Clive said that some people think the powers we get are reflections of who we are,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So, floating out of the sky with an attention-grabbing cloak made out of sparkles seems very much like you.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help if I¡¯m pretty,¡± Jason said. ¡°I like your new armour, by the way. It¡¯s a very ¡®killing things for money¡¯ kind of look. Professional.¡±


    Gilbert Bertinelli, who supplied Jason¡¯s armour dealt exclusively in men¡¯s apparel, but Jason had asked for his recommendation for someone who worked with trap weaver leather. He suggested someone who developed armour specifically for women. The result was a simple outfit with clean lines, compared to the flowing lines of Jason¡¯s combat robes.


    In shades of dark grey and black, Sophie¡¯s outfit reminded Jason of combat fatigues more than anything else. It had a neat but loose fit for maximum mobility, with hardened panels over critical areas and plenty of loops and pockets for gear. Compared to the body-hugging clothes Sophie normally wore it was all business, masking her lithe body.


    ¡°I would have preferred something in white,¡± Sophie said.


    Jason acknowledged to himself that she looked exceptionally good in white, but didn¡¯t say anything. As much as the indenture contract was in practicality a fiction, he was very conscious of the men who had sought to exert power over her for their own gratification. He didn¡¯t want to be one more guy piling it on.


    ¡°So I guess we head off,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°If those noises we¡¯re hearing are anything to go by, we¡¯ll be running into plenty of monsters. Especially if they¡¯re spawning faster because of the extra magic.¡±


    ¡°I reckon you¡¯re right,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°If we come up against anything nasty, you grab its attention and I''ll set up the damage. Otherwise, we take it as it comes.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Sophie said. ¡°With all these trees and broken buildings throwing shadows, this place should be a playground for you.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind,¡± a voice said from behind them, ¡°I would like to have a word before you set off.¡±


    They both turned around, startled at whoever had approached them undetected. Standing in the middle of the overgrown street was a dark figure, like a person made of the same shadow-stuff as Jason¡¯s cloak. He was a living silhouette, a person-shaped hole in the universe.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°Why do you sound British?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what British is,¡± the shadowy figure said.


    ¡°That¡¯s for the best,¡± Jason said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell them you don¡¯t have guns or they¡¯ll colonise the crap out of you.¡±


    ¡°I lack the context to grasp the exact scenario you are positing,¡± the figure said. ¡°I assume you are introducing a confusing tangent to the conversation to gauge my response to an unanticipated reaction to my approach.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s pretty much it. I like you, British shadow guy. You got a name?¡±


    ¡°I am Shade.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rough,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re a person made of shadows and your name is Shade? That¡¯s like my name being Human.¡±


    ¡°You are not human,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Yeah, but I was when I was named. I''m Jason and this is Sophie. Are you a local, Shade?¡±


    ¡°In a manner of speaking,¡± Shade said. ¡°I am the invigilator of the Legacy Trials. I will administer each of the five tests you must pass to receive the legacy of the Order of the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re running the show, why have you appeared before us?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°My nature is multifarious. I am currently appearing before every person who has entered the trial grounds. I am here to introduce you to the trials and instruct you on what you must do to pass them.¡±


    ¡°Well that sucks,¡± Jason said. ¡°And here was me thinking we had a head start. Why did we not appear in the same place as our other team members, Shade?¡±


    ¡°There are twelve gate towers. Each person that enters arrives at a random tower.¡±


    ¡°Twelve,¡± Sophie said. ¡°We could have been split up entirely, so it could be worse.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Humphrey will be fine on his own and Neil is a healer, so he¡¯ll have no trouble finding some people to roam around with. Clive is a harder sell, especially with Clive as the salesman.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not much we can do about it here,¡± Sophie said. ¡°All we can do is head for the middle and trust that he can do the same.¡±


    Jason gave a reluctant nod.


    ¡°If I may interject,¡± Shade said, ¡°part of my task is to instruct you on the trials to come and what will be required of you.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, Shade.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Shade said. ¡°The legacy of the Order of the Reaper is here to be claimed. The one to do so will be the one who proves that they can embody the ideals of the Order. Courage, intellect, resolve, capability and wisdom. Over the course of five trials, you will need to demonstrate these five virtues.¡±


    ¡°And these trials are located in the middle of the city?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The final three are located in the heart of the city,¡± Shade said. ¡°This City of Fallen Echoes is itself the second trial; the trial of capability. It constitutes the longest of the five trials and not everyone will successfully navigate the dangers therein.¡±


    Quest: [The Second Trial]


    The second of the Reaper¡¯s trials is to reach the heart of the city.


    Objective: Reach the centre of the City of Fallen Echoes.Reward: Random magic item.


    ¡°The city is the second trial?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°What about the first?¡±


    ¡°The first trial I will administer now. It is the simplest in that it cannot be failed. Instead, it is a choice that will be important once you reach the final trials.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be failed?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That seems like a gimme but I can¡¯t help thinking there¡¯s a catch.¡±


    ¡°The trial is simply this,¡± Shade said. ¡°Do you wish to enter the second trial with wisdom or courage?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the difference?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°To enter with wisdom means you will receive two items. One will allow you to escape the trials entirely. You will not be allowed to enter again but it can extricate you from an inescapable situation. The other is a recovery item that can save you in a critical moment.¡±


    ¡°And courage means entering the second trial without them,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly so,¡± Shade acknowledged.


    ¡°It seems like wisdom is objectively the better choice,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°That is why it is the path of wisdom,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Then why would anyone choose courage?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Each of the final trials will test the virtues that have yet to be demonstrated,¡± Shade said. ¡°But to reach the trials of intelligence and resolve, one must pass a trial that tests that which they did not demonstrate here, in the first trial. For those who have already proven their courage, the test of wisdom will assess their judgement. Failure means being removed from the trials, but there is no danger in it. For those who have proven their wisdom, they must face a test of courage. The test is simple but dangerous. To pass is to move on and to fail is to die.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s a choice between safety now and danger later or safety later and danger now,¡± Jason said. ¡°What can you tell us about the later trials?¡±


    ¡°Only that you will be informed of the nature of each trial you face, immediately before you face it. Once you have navigated the city, each future trial will be explained, after which you may choose to face the next trial or be safely removed from the trials altogether.¡±


    ¡°So you can tell us about the second trial now?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I can, yes,¡± Shade told her. ¡°There is no limit on time beyond the closure of the trials in eighteen days.¡±


    ¡°What happens if we¡¯re still here after eighteen days?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Then you will be trapped here,¡± Shade said. ¡°There are dangers in this place, of which the monsters are not the greatest. There are two larger threats to be aware of.¡±


    ¡°We appreciate the warning,¡± Jason said. ¡°What can you tell us about them?¡±


    ¡°I can explain the practical dangers,¡± Shade said. ¡°If you would prefer, I can explain the origins of the trials and the dangers you will face in undertaking them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take some context, if you¡¯re offering,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°This astral space was originally a training ground for the Order of the Reaper,¡± Shade explained. ¡°You travelled here from the ruins of the Order¡¯s final and most hidden redoubt. It was once a hidden place to instruct the Order¡¯s initiates, turned into a final hiding place as the churches sought to purge the Order.¡±


    ¡°The churches purged the Order of the Reaper?¡± Jason said. ¡°I found an underground fortress that had suffered some kind of attack, centuries ago. I think that belonged to the Order as well.¡±


    ¡°The Order did have an underground facility that was wiped out. At first, it was believed that the hidden training centre had escaped the churches'' attention after they attacked that location. The Order was betrayed, however, and the hiding place under the lake revealed. The churches came, shattered the magic domes that held back the waters and drowned all within.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s horrifying,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Which churches?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°It can¡¯t have been all of them.¡±


    ¡°It was not,¡± Shade said. ¡°The Order of the Reaper served a number of important purposes. In a world of kings and queens, leaders are chosen by blood instead of virtue. A fool or mad person can, by virtue of birthright, be given the power to consign countless lives to chaos, suffering and death. In such cases, a knife in the dark can be the deliverance of nations.¡±


    ¡°Royal assassins,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d say you should try democracy but the results where I come from are very mixed.¡±


    ¡°Though the Order remained hidden in the shadows,¡± Shade continued, ¡°its function was known and accepted by the nations and organisations of the world. The Adventure Society, the Magic Society, even the churches.¡±


    ¡°But not all of them,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said. ¡°There were two churches. One is the church of The Unliving. More than just assassins, the Order were also hunters of the undead. The peace of final rest is the Reaper¡¯s most core principle and more necromancers fell to the Order than princes or kings.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society does that, now,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°In the Order¡¯s absence, others must take up their tasks. The church of The Unliving did not act against the Order alone. There was another church that, like the Order, was inimical to the church of The Unliving. Nonetheless, they formed an unholy compact to remove what this church called the unclean methods of the Order.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯ve got to be kidding me,¡± Jason said. ¡°The church of Purity?¡±


    ¡°It is as you say,¡± Shade confirmed.


    ¡°How is that church even vaguely pure?¡± Jason complained loudly. ¡°They team up with the worst people they can find at the drop of a hat.¡±


    ¡°I do not know of what you speak,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°They¡¯re at it again,¡± Jason said. ¡°The church of Purity have teamed up with some interdimensional turd nugget to strip-mine astral spaces.¡±


    ¡°That can wait until we¡¯re back outside,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Right now, we need to focus on these trials. I assume you were working your story towards the danger you mentioned.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°When the churches discovered the training facilities beneath the lake, the last grandmaster of the Order sent all the initiates here, into the city. They then sealed the entrance, that the churches could not follow. The keys to the entrance were taken and scattered across the world. The goal was that someday, someone could prove themselves worthy of the Order''s ideals and reclaim that which was left behind. That day should now be coming soon, but if all you who have entered fail, there will be another chance.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°After eighteen days, the trials will close. The keys can be used to open them again in a year, that others may try where you failed.¡±


    ¡°What about all those initiates?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°The churches were unwilling to leave behind the threat posed by the initiates, but could not reach them in the astral space. In the early days of the Order, one of the grandmasters found this astral space. It was unstable, a proto-astral space that was as likely to dissolve into the astral as become a true realm.¡±


    ¡°Obviously it did,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°The Order of the Reaper has long used such places,¡± Shade said. ¡°There was ancient knowledge of how to anchor such realms, provided by the Reaper itself.¡±


    ¡°So, the Order really is connected to the great astral being,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It was,¡± Shade said. ¡°The grandmaster who built this place was akin to you, Jason Asano. Like you, he was an outworlder with the dark essence. Many of the functions of this place are based on his abilities. I was his summoned familiar, once.¡±


    ¡°You were a familiar?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I was. Now, I am bound to this place until the trials are completed and the legacy claimed.¡±


    ¡°He was from my world?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°He was not,¡± Shade said. ¡°You were originally humans, which do not exist in the world he originated in.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell us what happened to the initiates,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°As I said, the churches were unwilling to leave the initiates be, but the means by which this astral space was anchored to the world left the those hunting them locked out. So the churches made a second bargain, this time with entities of the deep astral. Known as the vorger, they have the power to violate dimensional boundaries.¡±


    ¡°Like those of an astral space,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°They cannot enter a truly physical realm, but astral spaces are partly of the astral and partly of the physical. It is unknown how they lured such creatures as they are animalistic entities, acting only on primal urges. Lure them the churches did, however, and the vorger remain here to this day.¡±


    ¡°What are these vorger, exactly?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°They are creatures intangible in nature, for they are not physical beings. They take many shapes but their nature is the same. Their touch warps flesh, twisting it into hideous new shapes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what happened to the initiates?¡± Jason asked. ¡°They were killed by the vorger?¡±


    ¡°Worse,¡± Shade said. ¡°The vorger do not kill. Their victims do not enjoy the sweet release of death. In what is perhaps the greatest insult to the Reaper, the initiates were warped into unageing abominations of flesh. They never die, their souls trapped inside twisted shells of rage and pain, cursed to eternal madness. They roam this place still, striking out against anything they encounter.¡±


    ¡°Those are the dangers you mentioned,¡± Jason said. ¡°The vorger and these flesh abominations.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What can you tell us about how to fight them?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°The vorger have no physical substance,¡± Shade said. ¡°Magical weapons will have some limited effect on them but unless you find them in isolation, it will be insufficient to handle their numbers. They tend to appear in swarms and without specialised tools or abilities, they are difficult to deal with. They will warp your bodies until the city gains another flesh abomination. As you both possess an affinity for astral energy, you will be far more resistant than most, however.¡±


    ¡°Your abilities should work well,¡± Jason said to Sophie. ¡°My sword should be effective enough as well. What about the flesh abominations, Shade?¡±


    ¡°If you can kill them and release their souls from torment, then that would be a mercy. My advice, however, is to avoid or escape them. Their power is at the bronze-rank level and they are no easy match. Their bodies will adapt to your attacks and defences, making them more effective and you less so, with every passing moment. If you must fight them, then I would recommend fighting one after another instead of working together. When they adapt to one form of attack they may create a weakness to another which you can exploit.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ll remember your words.¡±


    ¡°Then your next step is the first trial,¡± Shade said. ¡°Your choices remain: courage or wisdom.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Sophie asked Jason.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking wisdom,¡± Jason said. ¡°I feel like courage is probably the best choice for getting to the end, but as much as I would love a cloud palace, I¡¯ll take alive and no cloud palace over dead and no cloud palace.¡±


    ¡°I would have thought you would have gone for courage,¡± Sophie said. ¡°All the stories I¡¯ve heard about you paint you as pretty reckless.¡±


    ¡°I used to be,¡± Jason said. ¡°Probably still am, to be honest, but Farrah¡¯s death brought some things home for me. Death is easy enough to find as an adventurer. I don¡¯t need to go looking for it.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Sophie said with a nod, then turned to Shade. ¡°Two for wisdom.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Shade said and raised his shadowy hands. Resting in each was a small vial and a medallion. They took them, feeling the cold of Shade¡¯s shadowy hand as they picked up the objects.


    Jason looked at the medallion first. It was made of the same glossy black stone as the archway through which they had entered the astral space and was embossed with a scythe symbol. It was small and on a cord that could be easily slipped over the neck.


    Item: [Medallion of Escape] (silver rank, uncommon)


    A path of escape for those with the wisdom to know when to let go (consumable, teleport).


    Effect: Project your aura into the medallion to be immediately evacuated from the astral space. Only functions within the City of Fallen Echoes.


    ¡°Project your aura into the medallion,¡± Jason read. ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean anyone without aura control can¡¯t use it?¡±


    ¡°Part of wisdom is knowing which challenges not to accept,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Good thing you picked up an aura power,¡± Jason told Sophie. They both slipped their medallions over their necks and tucked them under their armour. They then looked at the second item, the vial.


    Item: [Lesser Miracle Potion] (iron rank, legendary)


    Salvation in a bottle (consumable, potion).


    Effect: Fully restore health, mana and stamina. This potion is only effective on normal and iron-rank individuals. The magic of this potion lingers in the body longer than normal potions, meaning additional recovery health and recovery items will not be effective for a longer period.


    ¡°Strewth,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now, that¡¯s a potion.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realise potions like this were even possible,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Me either,¡± Jason said, carefully placing it into his potion belt. Like him, Sophie had an enchanted potion belt that would protect the vials from breakage unless a concerted and directed effort was made to do so.


    ¡°One last thing,¡± Jason said to Shade. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can tell us where our teammates are?¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Shade said, ¡°but I won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I figured. We¡¯ll see you in the middle of the city?¡±


    ¡°You will,¡± Shade said. ¡°Good luck.¡±


    With that, Shade vanished in a swirl of darkness.

 Chapter 158: Seriously Hardcore

    The monster was mostly identical to a leopard, except for the legs. They were still covered in spotted fur, like the rest of the creature, but there were eight of them, multi-jointed and emerging from the monster¡¯s side like the legs of a spider. The legs were not as good for running but it was an excellent and rapid climber. That didn¡¯t much matter when Sophie¡¯s wind blade cut half of those legs off and it tumbled to the ground where she finished it with a brutal stomp to the head.


    You have defeated [Spotted Tree Cat].


    ¡°Spotted tree cat,¡± Jason said. ¡°It lacks imagination but at least it¡¯s what it says on the tin. I was worried it would be called a spidard or something. Some of these monster names are just daft. Some of them have got people killed, I¡¯m certain of it.¡±


    ¡°How does a monster name get someone killed?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Well, take sloth demons and demon sloths. Demon sloths are iron rank, strong and relatively tough, but slow. Not that hard to take down, as long as you¡¯re careful. A sloth demon is a gold-rank monster with a soporific power that cripples your speed, making you easy meat.¡±


    ¡°I see your point,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to get them confused.¡±


    ¡°No, you would not. Did Humphrey get you reading the Magic Society monster records? He said he was going to.¡±


    ¡°He did,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It¡¯s actually pretty interesting, learning about all the crazy stuff that¡¯s out there.¡±


    ¡°It might seem odd to say this,¡± Jason said, ¡°but you don¡¯t want to be too efficient with your kills. You¡¯ll do better if you use as many of your abilities as you can.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I won¡¯t get another chance,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s even been an hour. Besides, these easy fights won¡¯t do me much good. I need something tougher, or that comes in numbers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true enough,¡± Jason acknowledged.


    He wandered over and touched the creature.


    Would you like to loot [Spotted Tree Cat]?


    ¡°Hold on for a second,¡± Sophie said, pulling off her boot and sitting it on a low, broken wall before backing off as Jason did the same. Jason mentally accepted and the creature went up in rainbow smoke, along with the muck on Sophie¡¯s boot. There was some minor spattering on her pants and trouser legs that dissolved as well, causing Sophie to wince at the smell as Jason moved aside.


    ¡°Do you ever get used to that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°A little but not really,¡± Jason said. ¡°On the bright side, after that you can handle pretty much anything. I fought a monster called a belch bug that has this stink that¡¯s meant to make you vomit. Barely a stomach twitch.¡±


    They were making their way down a wide boulevard that went in exactly the direction they wanted. There were eighteen days in which to make the most of the excellent training environment but they decided to start by making their way to the middle of the city. It gave them the best chance of finding their errant party members and they could just roam around fighting monsters from there.


    The boulevard was uneven ground, the once neatly-fitted flagstones cracked, pushed up by root growth or displaced entirely by trees. It was still the most open path, though, and offered an easy passage toward the centre of the city. On either side, what had once been impressive buildings rose up, half-collapsed and covered in creepers and other growth.


    ¡°We should have a rummage through some of these buildings,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What happened to going straight to the centre of the city?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°We at least have to have a bit of a look around,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s just pick the next awesome-looking building and take a gander. Maybe we¡¯ll find an essence or something.¡±


    ¡°You think?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Jason said. ¡°In fairness, we could just as easily find one sitting in the middle of the boulevard. With the increased manifestations and this place having gone untouched for centuries, there could be a veritable hoard just waiting for us to find it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we could check out one building,¡± she said. ¡°What about that one?¡±


    Most of the buildings they passed by were two or three storeys tall. The one Sophie pointed out was six, and more intact than most.


    ¡°It looks a bit fortressy,¡± Jason said. ¡°Some kind of military barracks?¡±


    The front entrance once must have been a pair of towering metal doors, but centuries of humid air had left little but rusted scraps behind. The looming doorway was large enough to wheel a siege engine through, as evidenced by the remains of just such a siege engine. It was in some kind of a marshalling courtyard beyond the huge doors, abandoned to a state of disrepair. Now it was a pile of wooden beams, rusty metal bars and leather straps.


    ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± Jason said, looking at it. ¡°Also, suspicious.¡±


    ¡°Suspicious?¡±


    ¡°It may look like a dilapidated pile of junk,¡± he said, ¡°but its not really dilapidated enough. That wood should have been long rotted away, and that metal might be rusty but compare it to what¡¯s left of the doors. I¡¯ve been on farms and seen what fifty years of abandonment does to a place. This has been here what? Ten times that, at least? In this wet climate, there shouldn¡¯t be any of that thing left.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m thinking you move closer, carefully. See if you can sense an aura off of it.¡±


    Sophie did just that, approaching the large doorway. Before she could sense anything, the fallen pile of metal and wood started moving. What was little more than a pile of rotted wood, rusty metal and leather scraps started re-assembling itself into a vaguely humanoid form. It towered almost four meters high, enough that as it stood upright it became obscured as it was taller even than the huge doorway.


    The construct creature was asymmetrical and looked very uncoordinated, with two arms on one side and one on the other. Of the two arms that shared the same side, one was stubby and ended in a crude, rusty claw. The other was longer but less agile, looking like a long box terminating in a rusty ball. The single arm on the other side was actually a platform for a ballista. As it stood up, they both sensed its bronze rank aura.


    ¡°Is this one of the Builder cult creations?¡± Sophie asked as the construct creature assembled itself.


    ¡°Unlikely,¡± Jason said. ¡°It looks like it fits right in here. Probably a monster or something left behind from long ago.¡±


    ¡°Do we run?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Fight,¡± Jason said, drawing his sword. ¡°Something tells me that some practice fighting construct monsters will pay off, down the line.¡±


    Knowing his core abilities would be useless against the construct creature, Jason silently thanked Gary for making his sword.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never fought a bronze-rank monster before,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why it will help us get stronger,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you think you can¡¯t handle it, just run. It doesn¡¯t look like much of a chaser.¡±


    The creature was ducking slowly under the doorway with jerky movements, the monster¡¯s height too much even for the oversized gap. Jason took advantage of its awkwardness to dash forward. It lashed out crudely with its ball arm but Jason easily dodged, raking his sword against one leg, then the other as he ducked under and passed the creature. His sword did nothing more than scratch the wood but that was all he needed.


    Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Siege Golem].[Siege Golem] is immune to curses.[Sin] does not take effect.Affliction immunity has triggered an effect on weapon [Dread Salvation].Weapon [Dread Salvation] has gained an instance of [Stone Cutter].


    The golem was caught halfway under the door, almost through only to start turning back after Jason. As it did, Sophie moved in to the attack, lashing out with rapid strikes.


    Special ability [Immortal Fist] has dealt resonating-force damage to [Siege Golem].[Siege Golem] has an extremely rigid body and suffers additional damage from resonating force.


    The fight started out strongly in Jason and Sophie¡¯s favour, catching the golem in a bad position. Neither Jason nor Sophie had any big attack powers to capitalise, however, and their iron-rank attacks had limited effect of the bronze-rank enemy. Sophie started off stronger with her resonating-force damage, while Jason¡¯s attacks did next to nothing as his sword accumulated power. With each attack it dealt increasing amounts of the same resonating-force energy but he would need some time to have a real impact.


    The golem focused on Sophie as the greater threat, working its way toward the outside. Just as it was about to get free of the door, she nimbly dodged past it to join Jason on the inside, followed by Jason making his way back out. The mindless construct creature could do no more than react, the same lack of internal spirit that made it immune to Jason¡¯s curses making it too stupid to understand it was being played back and forth.


    Finally it worked its way loose, courtesy of Jason¡¯s sword. It was accumulating enough power to affect even the hardy, bronze-rank construct body and when Jason carved of a protrusion from its body it staggered free of the doorway and back into the courtyard.


    Jason had reached the point where he could do some real damage, but free of the door, the golem had its own tricks to use. The stubby claw yanked back the ballista arm, and from within the arm a ballista bolt jerked out, ready to be fired. The golem launched it at Jason but the crude, massive weapon was easy to dodge. He moved aside, the creature¡¯s aim obvious and the bolt missed him, the huge metal head digging into the stone floor.


    Just as Jason was about to renew his attack, the shaft of the ballista bolt explodes, firing out finger-length shards of piercing wood, sharp as needles and hard as iron. Sophie, on the other side of the golem, was far enough away that she could duck out of the doorway before the shards reached her. Jason, on the other hand, took the full brunt. The attacks carried the inherent power of bronze-rank attacks, shredding his cloak and piercing his armour. He shielded his face with his arms as he turned his body to present a smaller profile and protect certain delicate areas. His arms, legs and sides were riddled with the wooden shards, which were left sticking out of him like echidna spines. He snatched a potion from his belt and chugged it, the healing power doing little more than pushing out all the spines.


    The golem, in the meantime, had brought it¡¯s ungainly box-arm with the rusty ball-hand up in the air. It brought it down in Jason¡¯s direction as he was still staggered and inattentive, the ball coming loose on the end of a cable, extending out as it swung down hard. Jason realised the danger too late, only for Sophie to appear in front of him using her mirage step power. Her feet braced, she threw a punch out at the descending ball.


    Ability: [Immortal Fist] (Mystic)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 2 (14%).Effect (iron): Unarmed attacks deal additional resonating-force damage, which is highly effective against physical defences. Suffer no damage from making unarmed strikes against objects and negate all damage from actively intercepted attacks. Not all damage from very powerful or higher-ranked attacks will be negated.


    The huge metal sphere was deflected but the power of it was too much for Sophie¡¯s ability to negate. She was hammered into the stone, bouncing off herself as her arm was brutally mangled. Jason, protected and recovered, looked down at her. Under the hood of his cloak, his face contorting with malevolence as he saw what was left of her arm. He turned that gaze onto the golem, the sword in his hand practically humming with power, even as blood from Jason¡¯s punctured arm ran down it.


    He ran at the golem, having fought it enough to know that its ungainly size and sluggish speed were the weaknesses he needed. His sword flashed as his body danced, slicing into the creature again and again. With each strike the damage grew greater while the golem flailed at the cloaked figure flittering around its feet. Soon, even bronze-rank damage resistance was not enough. Jason had burned most of his mana on special attacks it was immune to, trigger the sword until every strike was blasting away chunks of wood and shearing apart strips of metal. He went for the joints, the legs first, then the arms as it toppled, finally going to work on every part of it still large enough to hit.


    You have defeated [Siege Golem].


    Jason dropped his sword on the destroyed golem, rushing over to Sophie. She was struggling, one-armed, to get to her knees and he carefully helped and she grimaced silently through the pain. Her right arm dangled limply, the hand coming out of her sleeve. Jason pulled the lesser miracle potion from his belt but she waved him off.


    ¡°I¡¯d be a pancake if it wasn¡¯t for you,¡± he said, still pushing it on her.


    ¡°That¡¯s for the middle of a fight,¡± she snarled through the pain and clenched teeth. ¡°Don¡¯t be an idiot and waste it now. I can use this to practice my recovery power.¡±


    Jason looked at her as she fought through the pain to take a kneeling meditation pose as best she could.


    Ability: [Equilibrium] (Balance)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 1 (76%)Effect (iron): Meditate to slowly accrue instances of [Integrity], up to an instance threshold based on the [Recovery] attribute. Instances quickly drop off when meditation ends.[Integrity] (heal-over-time, mana-over-time, stamina-over-time, holy): Periodically recover a small amount of health, stamina and mana. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    ¡°At least take some kind of potion,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°This is kind of hard, so how about you shut your damn mouth for once.¡±


    ¡°Lady,¡± Jason said, putting back the lesser miracle potion and pulling out a regular healing potion for himself. ¡°You are seriously hardcore.¡±


    ¡°What did I just say?¡±

 Chapter 159: Mixed Medication

    Sophie''s arm was more serious than any of Jason''s wounds. Her arm was severely damaged, requiring an extended period to heal back up with her self-recovery power. Jason had been needled quite badly but it only took a few potions to eliminate the minor, if numerous wounds. His blood harvest power normally allowed him to heal up after fights using the remnant life force of fallen enemies, but it only worked on enemies with blood. The siege golem was largely impervious to Jason''s abilities, even after being destroyed.


    The puncture points in his armour were slowly recovering as well, due to his armour''s self-repair properties. Gary''s advice to find armour with that particular quality had saved Jason a good amount of money on repairs. Now he was isolated from a place to get repairs, it was all the more valuable.


    Sophie''s healing power was meditation-based and concentrating was proving difficult with the state of her arm. She took regular breaks, panting and sweating in spite of doing no more than sitting in place. Jason tried to distract her from the pain each time she took a break.


    ¡°I''m going to loot the monster, now you''re not in the middle of meditating,¡± he told her during the first break. ¡°I didn¡¯t want to interrupt you, before.¡±


    He wandered over to the fallen golem, which didn¡¯t look much worse than when it had been mimicking a broken siege weapon. He placed a hand on a chunk of shattered wood.


    Would you like to loot [Siege Golem]?


    ¡°Head¡¯s up,¡± he warned Sophie as he walked away. The golem started dissolving into rainbow smoke.


    [Meteor Hammer] has been added to your inventory.[Monster Core (Bronze Rank)] has been added to your inventory.10 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.[Siege Grips] have been awarded to party member [Sophie Wexler].10 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been awarded to party member [Sophie Wexler].100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been awarded to party member [Sophie Wexler].


    Sophie ducked out of the way as two bags of coins dropped from where they appeared over her head with a flash of rainbow light. There was also a pair of gloves, which she picked up to examine.


    Item: [Siege Grips] (bronze rank, rare)


    A pair of combat gloves containing the power of a siege weapon (clothing, gloves).


    Effect: Add explosive power to a physical attack, inflicting additional resonating-force damage and creating a powerful knock-back effect. 20 second cooldown.Effect: Conjure a ram that flies through the air to make an extremely heavy resonating force attack. 5 minute cooldown.You do not meet the requirements to use this item.


    ¡°I got bronze-rank gloves,¡± she said. ¡°What about you?¡±


    ¡°A ball and chain,¡± Jason said, showing her the weapon in his hands. It was, as he said, a metal sphere at the end of a chain. Like a smaller version of the ball-hand of the siege golem, the metal orb was pitted with rust.


    Item: [Meteor Hammer] (bronze rank, uncommon)


    A magical chain weapon taken from an animate siege weapon (weapon, chain).


    Effect: Inflicts additional resonating-force damage based on how long the meteor hammer was swinging prior to the attack.Effect: Chain length can be extended or retracted as it swings.You do not meet the requirements to use this item.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this really suits me,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s bronze-rank anyway.¡±


    ¡°So are these but I could see myself using them later.¡±


    Jason stashed the items and Sophie¡¯s coins in his inventory. He glanced down at her arm, still hanging limp, her hand purple and distended. She was careful to jostle it as little as possible when she moved.


    ¡°How¡¯s that coming along?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not much progress on the arm,¡± she said unhappily. ¡°I¡¯m feeling better otherwise, though. That big ball thing really hit hard.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for that, by the way,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I would have taken the hit nearly as well.¡±


    ¡°This is going to take longer to heal than I thought,¡± she said. ¡°Maybe I should take a potion. Not one of the good ones, just a regular healing potion.¡±


    ¡°No, you were right in the first place,¡± Jason said. ¡°Healing it up will be good training for your ability and we have time to burn. You hole up in the courtyard here while I check out the rest of the building. I¡¯ll look for a good spot to set up camp. Use voice chat if anything happens and I¡¯ll come running.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Sophie said. She went back to meditating as Jason went further into the building.


    Jory wasn¡¯t happy. He had only agreed to participate as part of a joint activity between the craft associations, only to be immediately separated from his assigned team. As people formed makeshift groups from the people they found themselves with on the tower, Jory didn¡¯t exactly have his pick of teams. His alchemy-related essence abilities made for a certain amount of healing but the people assembling groups were competing to attract the more conventional healers.


    Jory was geared out in a heavy coat, covered in pockets. It was enchanted to protect both him and the contents of the pockets from harm. Fortunately for Jory, it was also enchanted to keep him cool, despite the jacket being as thick as the humidity. Along with the jacket, Jory had two belts around his waist and two bandoliers across his chest. They were full of vials containing potions and reagents Jory could use his essence abilities on to make potions on the fly. Like his coat, the belts and bandoliers were enchanted to protect their contents. Slung over his shoulder was a dimensional bag satchel.


    The group Jory ended up with clearly viewed him as a better than nothing option, but they were the most seemingly capable group left. The best people had already formed teams and headed off. The group Jory joined at least had three members from the same team, a trio of leonids who had the luck of arriving on the same tower. They then added Jory and a solid guardian-type named Keane who could conjure heavy armour and a huge shield.


    If they weren¡¯t so clearly disgruntled at not getting a better healer, Jory would have been fairly happy. As it was, he was regretting the entire enterprise until they encountered the strange personage of Shade. Jory wanted to take him up on his offer to explain the place they found themselves, but the rest of his group were eager to press on. The three leonids all chose courage, while Jory and Keane chose wisdom.


    The lesser miracle potion Shade gave him was an object of fascination for Jory, who had an essence ability that allowed him to determine its effects. His intention was to take it back to his workshop and see what he could learn from it. He wouldn¡¯t be able to reproduce it from a sample, but he had no doubt that anything he could glean from it would be invaluable.


    Of the leonids, the leader was named Laramie. He and his fellows were in no rush to reach the centre of the city, more interested in the search for treasures. Every building they spotted that looked mostly intact was a prime target.


    Jory was initially annoyed but was forced to acknowledge their choice was a good one as they dug out more than a few worthwhile finds. The advantage of magical items was that they stood out, having withstood the passage of time better than ordinary objects.


    The leonids gave themselves first pick, but otherwise distributed the loot evenly. They found a magical box of unknown purpose, a magical staff that Jory claimed, some leather armguards and no less than four awakening stones. They were mostly commons, but the plant, snake and earth awakening stones were all desirable enough to sell well. The one rare stone, an awakening stone of ruin, would sell the best though, inevitably ending up in Laramie¡¯s possession.


    Jory''s essence ability that identified items revealed the properties of each, aside from the magical box that eluded his ability''s power. All it revealed was the name of the item which was, appropriately enough, mystery box. Jory could have used his ability to undersell the value of the rare awakening stone but his ethical nature never led him to even consider it. He was satisfied enough with the loot sharing that he was happy to continue on.


    Trouble came when they searched what turned out to be a sprawling, multistorey alchemy workshop. Even with the expansive renovations on his own workshop and the dilapidated nature of the building, Jory couldn¡¯t help but be envious. He even managed to dig out a few magical alchemy tools that found their way into his dimensional bag. The others didn¡¯t begrudge him as they would be hard to sell and gave them an excuse to cut him out of the next round of loot. They told him that anything alchemy related was all his. This lasted until Jory¡¯s honest nature caused him to reveal a discovery.


    Inside a magical cabinet sealed to protect the contents from the elements, Jory found a whole catalogue of alchemical formulas. Many were out of date compared to superior modern equivalents, or used ingredients too expensive or rare for what the potions did. There were a few gems amongst them, however, and one huge prize. The requirements and ingredients were outrageous in both rarity and price, but there was a complete formula for the lesser miracle potion Shade had given him. When he revealed this fact, Laramie immediately demanded he hand it over.


    ¡°You said everything alchemy-related was mine,¡± Jory told them.


    ¡°That was before you found something so valuable,¡± Laramie said. ¡°Hand it over.¡±


    ¡°You three have already been taking the most valuable goods for yourselves,¡± the heavily-armoured shield-bearer said. ¡°We agreed he could have the alchemy stuff, so you should stick to the deal you made.¡±


    He had been quietly stewing over what he saw as unfair loot distribution and used their move on Jory as a chance to push the issue. They were still in the alchemy building, in a large room once used for the preparation of alchemical components, with a series of long benches dividing the room.


    ¡°The deal has changed,¡± Laramie said.


    Jory watched as the two men squared off.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just keep talking,¡± Jory said. ¡°There are monsters enough out there, without us fighting one another.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to fight,¡± Keane said, the big man¡¯s eyes not leaving Laramie. ¡°They just have to give you what they promised.¡±


    ¡°I promise I¡¯ll put a hole right through that helmet if you don¡¯t back off,¡± Laramie said. The leonids were all-powerful damage dealers.


    The three squared off against one, with Jory in the background, his calls for de-escalation going unheeded. The tension ramped until one of the three finally twitched, lashing out with a conjured whip of fire. The other two were only a beat behind, their coordination proving too much of an onslaught for Keane.


    His defensive powers were strong but it was three against one, with the trio''s practised teamwork overwhelming the protector. He held out briefly under a terrifying barrage as Jory yelled at them to stop, but soon he fell to the ground. Most adventurers would have died but Keane was only debilitated, his wounded flesh already starting to heal itself. Laramie turned his attention back to Jory.


    ¡°I¡¯ll hand it over,¡± Jory said. ¡°Just take it and go while I look after him.¡±


    ¡°You had your chance,¡± Laramie said. ¡°Now you¡¯re going to be unfortunate victims of the many dangers, here.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to-¡±


    Jory¡¯s fruitless words were cut off by a spear made of solid stone being launched at him. To his surprise, a bubble-shield snapped up around him, disappearing again as it absorbed the spear¡¯s attack.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reasoning with some people,¡± Neil Davone said, stepping into the room. A golem made of dull glass stepped in ahead of him, Neil¡¯s chrysalis golem summon put itself between the trio and Neil, who grabbed Jory and yanked him behind a bench. ¡°Time to go, Jory.¡±


    ¡°Davone? I¡¯m not leaving that guy to them,¡± Jory said, pointing at Keane, whose sprawled feet they could just see past the edge of the bench.


    ¡°Don¡¯t fight it, Jory,¡± Laramie called out. ¡°Your friend isn¡¯t going to save you.¡±


    ¡°The hell I¡¯m not,¡± Neil told Jory with quiet insistence. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything about the guy on the ground, though, unless you have some awesome power that will let you fight all those guys by yourself.¡±


    Jory grimaced.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what it takes. The after-effects are bad, though, so you¡¯ll have to take care of me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you seriously have something like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jory said soberly. ¡°I don¡¯t like to use it, though.¡±


    ¡°I think now might be the time you¡¯ve been saving it for,¡± Neil said.


    Jory held his hands out and vials started floating out of their loops on his belt, floating in the air. The vials started opening, spilling their contents into the air. Instead of dropping to the ground, they flowed together into a sphere of liquid that grew darker as each new ingredient was added. As they did, Jory pulled off his coat and unbuckled his belts and bandoliers, even as more vials flew out of them to disgorge their contents into the air.


    Attacks were now lancing into the glass golem, chunks shattering off it as they did. With every piece of damage, runes were engraved onto its surface. It didn¡¯t fight back, remaining steadfastly planted between its attackers and Neil.


    ¡°I thought it was a really bad idea to mix potions like that,¡± Neil said, watching all the liquids and powers from the vials splash together in front of them.


    ¡°It is,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°So why are you doing it?¡±


    ¡°To show those idiots what happens when you push an alchemist into using a very bad idea.¡±


    The liquid started streaming into Jory¡¯s waiting mouth. Immediately, from the head down, Jory¡¯s body started grossly distending. His whole body grew, his skin turning a patchy mishmash of sickly yellow, purple, blue and green. His hair fell out and his head bulged out like the rest of his body, now too large to hide behind the bench. He was unrecognisable as Jory, now just a monster of muscle.


    A bolt of flame struck him, releasing a stench of acrid chemicals and burning flesh, which Jory didn¡¯t seem to notice. A stone spear pierced his torso, which he dismissively yanked out, throwing it back with the force of a ballista. Then he picked up the bench in front of him and threw that too, despite it being affixed to the floor. Accompanied by the sound of shattering tiles, he ripping it right off the floor and hurled it at the leonids.


    Neil watched the process with horrified fascination. The three adventurers scrambled out the door on the other side of the room. Monster Jory moved after them in a lumbering pursuit but not at a pace likely to catch them.


    Jason led Sophie through the building. Day had turned to night as Sophie worked to heal herself, Jason wondering how the sun worked in the astral space. Her arm wasn''t fully recovered but she had control over it again and her hand looked like a hand instead of a potato someone had taken to with a hammer. She couldn''t see in the dark like Jason, so she had a glow-stone floating over her head.


    ¡°Did you find anything, searching the building?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I did,¡± Jason said. ¡°I found an armoury with a couple of magic weapons, although they were fairly mediocre. More importantly, I found an awakening stone.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an uncommon one,¡± he said. ¡°Awakening stone of preparation. I know the others said to just collect what you can so you can choose which ones to use after, but maybe you could use just one.¡±


    ¡°You think I should?¡±


    ¡°Probably not, but I would. I can do the ritual in the morning if you like. Give it some thought, overnight.¡±


    They reached where Jason had set up the aura tent, which would mask their presence from most monsters. He had also set up some alarm rituals, just in case. It was on the top floor of the building, close to the steps leading up to the roof.


    ¡°I only set up the one tent,¡± he said, ¡°but I can put the other one up if you want.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Just know that if you get handsy, you aren¡¯t getting those hands back.¡±

 Chapter 160: Giving People Choices

    Sophie awoke to enticing breakfast smells. She was aching and tired, her damaged arm having given her a restless night. Only in the last few hours did she snatch away some precious, uninterrupted slumber. She crawled delicately out of the tent and followed the smells up a stone stairwell and onto a flat roof. Jason had set out a folding camp table and pair of chairs, one of which he was sitting in.


    ¡°Morning,¡± he greeted her. ¡°Join me?¡±


    He gestured at the other chair with a fork, on the end of which was skewered a piece of sausage. The rest of the sausage was on a plate in front of him, along with poached eggs and hot, buttered toast. As she sat down, he pulled a second plate of food from his inventory, as fresh and hot as the moment he put it there. A pitcher of juice was already out, Jason filling an empty glass to match his own.


    ¡°This is surreal,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I can more or less accept the whole adventuring life. Magic powers, alternate dimensions, astral spaces. Monsters, cultists, even an ancient order of assassins. Yet somehow, seeing you sitting in the middle of it all, comfortably eating breakfast is just too much.¡±


    ¡°Believe it or not, you aren¡¯t the first woman to tell me I was too much.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I believe it,¡± she said and took a sip of juice. ¡°That¡¯s really good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a blend of delta fruits. I bought a bunch of it from Arash.¡±


    ¡°The guy who sells juice from a cart and keeps calling you a heretic?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±


    ¡°So when you making preparations to enter this unexplored astral space full of unknown dangers, you went with picnic furniture, plates of hot breakfast and pitchers of fruit juice.¡±


    ¡°Life isn¡¯t for surviving, Wexler. Life is for living.¡±


    Jason had set up the table to overlook the street below. The building was quite high, as were many of the other nearby buildings. It turned the overgrown boulevard they had been walking down into something of a jungle canyon. Jason looked it over with a smile as he sipped at his juice.


    ¡°You really like this, don¡¯t you?¡± Sophie asked him.


    ¡°I do,¡± he said. ¡°I get what you mean about everything being crazy but my advice to you is to surrender to it. I know you¡¯ve spent a lot of time wondering why I helped you so much when I could have gotten you out of the city and been done with it. It wasn¡¯t long ago that I was the one sitting at a table with a more experienced adventurer, no idea what lay ahead and wondering what to do. He helped me realise that I had a chance to start things fresh. To become the person I wanted to be.¡±


    He smiled in reminiscence.


    ¡°Give yourself over to the experience, Wexler. This is your chance to take control. The river may be raging but you¡¯ll be amazed how fast you go working with the flow, instead of against it.¡±


    ¡°That seems strange, coming from you,¡± she said. ¡°I''ve never met a person who went more against the flow in my life.¡±


    ¡°It''s about picking your moments,¡± Jason said. ¡°I came into this world with the naivety of someone who lived his life in safety. I''ve had a lot of illusions shattered, about the world and about myself. But sometimes when the world tries to bend you, you have to stand straight until one of you breaks.¡±


    ¡°You think the world will break before you do?¡±


    ¡°Probably not. But there''s no chance if I don''t try. I decided early on that with my second chance, the one regret I would never have is that I never tried. So I do the things that feel right. When I heard about your situation, I felt for you and Belinda. I know what it¡¯s like to be in an untenable situation. I found friends to guide me out. I know Jory wanted to help you, so I gave the help I had. Now I¡¯m giving you the advice I received. Take this chance to be who you want to be.¡±


    ¡°And if I don¡¯t know who that is?¡±


    ¡°You do, on some level. Just do what feels right until you figure it out. It¡¯s what I¡¯ve been doing and I don¡¯t regret any of it, mistakes and all.¡±


    He gestured at the astral space around the with his fork.


    ¡°In my old life, I never had the chance to visit places like this. Yes, this world has brought its share of challenges, but facing those challenges has been more fulfilling than anything in my old life. At some point, I''ll be going back o my world but I¡¯m not going to put this world behind me when I do. There¡¯s a means to travel between worlds and I¡¯m going to find it.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been talking with Clive, him being the expert. These builder cultists seem to have more advanced astral magic than this world does. Clive thinks they have some means of crossing dimensional boundaries that doesn¡¯t require a diamond ranker, or they wouldn''t have so many agents here to be active all over the world. If I can get a hold of their magic, it may well put me on the right path, if not deliver what I need on a platter.¡±


    ¡°A way home.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°A way here. I¡¯ve been told that I will be going home, sooner or later. I can¡¯t help but feel that I need to go back and deal with the things I left behind. Once I have, though, I¡¯m coming back to this world, even if that trip is one way. My old world is my past, and while I¡¯m compelled to settle that past, this world is my future.¡±


    ¡°And if you can¡¯t find a way back?¡±


    ¡°The thing I realised when I truly came to accept that magic is real is that the impossible is just a limitation I put on my own thinking. If you have the time and the resolve, you can do just about anything. But you already know that.¡±


    ¡°I do?¡±


    ¡°Of course you do. You were in an awful position. Caught between two crime lords and a powerful aristocrat, with none of the connections and power I¡¯ve been enjoying since coming to this world. All you had was a loyal friend. Most people would have capitulated. Found the least awful path and accepted their fate. Not you and not Belinda. You came up with a plan and you threw yourselves into it.¡±


    ¡°It probably wouldn¡¯t have worked, even without your interference.¡±


    ¡°But it could have and you went for it. You saw that glimpse of light that most other people would have dismissed as unreachable and you reached for it. I really admire that.¡±


    He held his glass up in a casual salute.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said uncertainly, shifting in her chair. ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ not a lot of people look at me for who I am. My whole life, men have looked at me like an animal they need to break in.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I have this philosophy in life,¡± he said. ¡°My brother always had this knack for fitting in. For becoming what he needed to be, but I can¡¯t do that. Every time I tried I ended up losing it and doing something crazy and self-destructive. So, I decided early on that I was going to be who I am and people could take it or leave it. Like me or hate me, I¡¯ll take passion over ambivalence. It lets me know who to avoid and who to be friends with. It makes for a better life.¡±


    ¡°But a lot of times you must have to deal with people who don¡¯t like you.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m from a whole other world, so people were always going to find me strange. I just play that up sometimes to disorient them a bit. If you need to tip someone over, it helps to unbalance them first.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know I entirely believe that,¡± she said.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you and I¡¯m willing to bet you¡¯re strange, even where you come from. If it was all an act, you wouldn¡¯t be the same around your friends as your enemies.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an act,¡± Jason said. ¡°I told you that I¡¯m just being who I am and people can take it or leave it. I just crank it up or dial it back a bit for any given situation.¡±


    ¡°And that works?¡±


    ¡°When you take a very specific approach to things, the way I do, you have to accept that some people will respond to it and others will reject it wholesale. It¡¯s a numbers game and you have to accept that a certain number of people are going to tell you to sod off. Some people like what I¡¯m selling, others can¡¯t stand it. I work with the ones that do and don¡¯t bother with the ones that don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you''re just making excuses for doing whatever you like,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m absolutely doing that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I told you it¡¯s a life philosophy. I¡¯ve just found out how to make it work.¡±


    ¡°By manipulating people.¡±


    ¡°You say that like we don''t all do it every day. We all put up fronts, adjust who we are, how much we show of ourselves to the different people around us. I just do it more consciously than most. Take Neil, for example. When I went to recruit him, I could have taken a different approach. Presented something more universally appealing to get him on board. Instead, I showed him who I was, cranked up a bit to make the point. I figured he was more likely to turn us down than join but I didn¡¯t want the best person we could find for our team; I wanted the best fit. So I presented a certain version of myself, not to get him on board but to help him decide if the place he wanted to be was with us.¡±


    ¡°You gave me that choice too, didn¡¯t you? Join your merry band of misfits or vanish into some distant land to start over.¡±


    ¡°I like giving people choices.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you like control. If you''re the one giving the choices, you get to decide what the choices are. Otherwise, people might go finding their own options that don''t fit your narrative.¡±


    Jason chuckled, not denying it.


    ¡°How¡¯s the arm?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not fighting strength but a couple more hours using my meditation power should do it.¡±


    ¡°So now you¡¯ve experienced the power of a bronze-rank monster,¡± Jason said. ¡°According to Rufus, a good adventurer should be able to handle monsters one rank up, so long as the match-up is good. Meaning only pick fights with the big ones when your powers counter theirs.¡±


    They started discussing the fight, their teamwork in confusing the unintelligent monster to keep it stuck in the doorway. They discussed what they did well, what could have been improved. Jason was impressed with Sophie¡¯s ability to break down the fight, find the errors and look at how to correct them.


    ¡°My big mistake,¡± Jason said, ¡°was getting into a mindset of my powers not working on it. My execute power would have worked just fine but I¡¯d fallen into the trap of dismissing the effectiveness of my abilities. When I was first training, one of the things Rufus said was to think about what every ability can do and how to use each one effectively in a situation.¡±


    ¡°My mistake was trying to counter such an obviously powerful attack,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I should have hit you instead.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I could have knocked you out of the way,¡± she said.


    ¡°Oh, right.¡±


    After breakfast, Jason started packing everything into his inventory.


    ¡°Did you decide if you wanted to use that awakening stone?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I don''t think I will,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I don''t think this is the best situation to break-in a completely new power.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sensible.¡±


    Jason continued packing up. Sophie didn''t have a dimensional bag of her own, yet. She wanted something that wouldn''t impede her very mobile fighting style, much like Emir''s dimensional storage jacket. Something like that was hard to find, locally. So, for the moment, she was relying on Jason the way Gary and Rufus had done with Farrah.


    Sophie settled into a meditation pose as Jason went downstairs. Pausing at the top of the stairwell, he called out to Sophie.


    ¡°Hey, Wexler.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Thanks for stopping my head from getting smeared across the floor.¡±


    He went down the stairs before she could reply. He negated the alarm rituals he put in place and packed up the aura tent. Then he went up and joined Sophie, who had settled herself on the edge of the roof. They sat, meditating side by side. Eventually, a smile crept over Jason¡¯s mouth as he experienced a breakthrough.


    Ability [Midnight Eyes] (Dark) has reached Iron 8 (100%).Ability [Midnight Eyes] (Dark) has advanced to Iron 9 (00%).


    As a perception power, midnight eyes was the ability Jason was always using and for this reason, it had advanced the most quickly. Like his other abilities, though, it had slowed to a crawl as it drew closer to reaching bronze rank. Despite not being a big part of the fight, taking on a bronze-rank monster had helped it edge up the wall.


    After almost two hours, Sophie declared her arm fully restored. To test it, she and Jason did some sparring on the open space of the roof. Sophie had been trained hard since becoming an adventurer but it was not a one-way street. Having someone with her skill who understood his style better than he did was immensely useful for Jason. She had pushed him to use it not just for escapes and sneak attacks but to become stronger in a straight-up fight.


    Before he ever met Sophie, Jason had already been working on a deceptive style that baited out the enemy. What Sophie had pointed out was that Jason was massively wasting what could be one of his best combat abilities: his cloak. Because it only had physical substance when he wanted, it could obscure his movements without obstructing them. What¡¯s more, the ability to be real or insubstantial at will offered powerful utility.


    Using his cloak to hide his stance, Jason feinted a forward motion, only to duck back as Sophie threw out a fist to counter and wrap her arm in his cloak. He yanked her forward, pulling her arm out of the way as he stepped in with a rising knee. She couldn¡¯t see it coming but anticipated the move, halting Jason¡¯s rising knee with a leg block before it gathered force. She yanked back on her arm and he let the cloak become insubstantial. Without the resistance she used too much force, briefly stumbling back. It was only a moment of lost balance but Jason moved in to capitalise.


    Soon after, Jason was sprawled face down on the rooftop.


    ¡°You did well,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You¡¯re improving.¡±


    ¡°Then why does it feel like I¡¯m getting worse?¡± he groaned.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting better but I¡¯m also learning how you fight,¡± she said. ¡°Given that I know your style and have been doing this a lot longer, it only makes sense that I¡¯ll improve against you faster than you do against me.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that mean you should take it easy on me?¡± he asked as he pushed himself to his feet.


    ¡°Probably,¡± she acknowledged. ¡°Something about hitting you repeatedly is really satisfying, though.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, disgruntled look. ¡°I¡¯m glad you can use me for your personal gratification.¡±


    He started stripping off his clothes, taking out some healing unguent to rub into the muscles Sophie had tenderised.


    ¡°You¡¯re very skinny she said, unashamedly looking him over as he stood there in his boxer shorts.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Jason asked, looking himself over. ¡°I¡¯ve totally filled out. I used to be way skinnier than this.¡±


    ¡°You did? Do come from a race of twig people?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°You seem very defensive,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re a twig person, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a twig person! I¡¯m a regular person!¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, you aren¡¯t so great, with your¡­¡±


    He waved his arm up and down at her lithe body, her caramel skin set off by the matching silver of her eyes and hair.


    ¡°¡­how is that fair,¡± he finished limply. ¡°I¡¯m going to put my clothes back on now.¡±


    ¡°What are those things on your shorts?¡±


    ¡°Love hearts,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what a heart looks like.¡±


    ¡°How do you know what a heart looks like?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as someone who took lessons on internal anatomy.¡±


    ¡°I did, after a fashion,¡± she said. ¡°A few years back, during my first time in the fighting pits, there was a guy who would rip people¡¯s hearts out and eat them. He had some power where it made him stronger.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°And they let him participate?¡±


    ¡°It got the crowd riled up.¡±


    ¡°They surely wouldn¡¯t just let that go on, would they?¡±


    ¡°The idea was to build up tension,¡± she said. ¡°They threw in scrubs to fight him, get some interest in the lower card fight before putting him up against real fighters. Kind of a ¡®who can take down the monster¡¯ situation.¡±


    ¡°So he was killed in the arena?¡±


    ¡°No, the Adventure Society came in and did it. Turns out they don¡¯t like essence abilities that require you to eat people¡¯s hearts.¡±

 Chapter 161: A Well-Informed Man

    The City of Fallen Echoes was teeming with monsters. On their second day, Jason and Sophie had an encounter almost hourly as they made their way. Sometimes they followed streets, other times they went across rooftops. Either way, there was no shortage of monsters willing to come after them.


    There were similarities between the jungle-covered city and the delta where they usually hunted monsters, with the muggy heat and the lush plant life. The monsters they encountered were similar, if not the same. They fought snake monsters, spider monsters and, especially unpleasant, a snake-spider the size of a transit van that slithered on its hairy abdomen and had eight snake heads instead of limbs.


    The big difference between fighting monsters in the delta was in numbers. The magically-saturated astral space produced far more monsters than the outside world. Jason and Sophie had already realised this, but as they surveilled their potential next encounter, the point was really rammed home.


    Crouched on a rooftop, Jason and Sophie looked down at a teeming mass of margolls. They had both handled the dog-headed humanoids in the past, but they were looking at a throng of monsters four times the size of a normal pack.


    ¡°I count forty-one,¡± Jason said quietly. From six storeys up they had a good vantage. There was little breeze to carry their scent and the poor eyesight of the creatures made being spotted unlikely. The ravenous creatures had just taken down a smaller group of monsters and were loudly feasting on the bodies, jostling for position around the corpses.


    ¡°That was my count, too,¡± Sophie said. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Honestly? I want to try it. We have to do it right, though. If we just fight them on the street they¡¯ll overrun us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re looking at that building, across the way?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Jason said. ¡°We complicate the environment. Bottlenecks, escape paths. Bunch them up until their numbers help us more than hurt us.¡±


    ¡°How do you want to lure them?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re aggressive, relentless and not all that bright. I say we just drop down and run straight in. They¡¯ll chase us all through the building and we escape from the roof if it gets too much.¡±


    ¡°Split up or stick together?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Lady¡¯s choice.¡±


    ¡°Split up. I¡¯ll do better finding a choke point and holding my ground, while you¡¯ll do better on the move.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just make sure you always have an exit and keep in touch through the voice chat. Calculate your risk.¡±


    They leapt off the building, drifting over the street to land in front of the one they had chosen on the other side. The margolls smelled them before they landed and were already looking around as they touched down and rushed for the building. They dashed through the open doorway into darkness, Jason immediately vanishing as Sophie made for a set of stone stairs that rose along one wall. Everything else in the large room had long since rotted away, except vines and mushrooms that thrived in shadows more than the bright sun outside.


    Stopping halfway up the stairs, Sophie turned and began a slow, fighting retreat. The margolls were forced to face her two at a time, the rest stuck crowding behind. She fearlessly met the attack of their huge claws, and powerful jaws, trusting her powers to shield whatever body part she used to block. She retaliated with brutal punches and savage kicks, sending crippled margolls tumbling off the side of the stairs. When she bought herself some room she would send a wind blade slicing its way down the stairs, the monsters shoving for position had no space to dodge.


    The margolls gathered at the bottom of the stairs howled their frustration as they pushed each other in the race for prey. Some swiped at each other with their wicked claws as they fought for access to the stairs, others tried climbing the vines growing on the side of the stairs. The dark interior of the building was not as overgrown as the exterior, but there was growth enough that some of them eventually made their way up. Sophie kicked them back down as their heads popped up over the side of the stairs but it drew her attention from the monsters in front of her. Unwilling to let herself be flanked, she backed up the stairs to the next level, where she fled in search of a new bottleneck.


    In the large room, the margolls left at the back started to notice something wrong. They were catching snatches of a scent that vanished as quickly as it appeared. They noticed one of their number, dead on the ground, far from the commotion of where the woman was kicking them back down the stairs. A second backline margoll fell dead with no more sound than its body hitting the ground and a third soon followed.


    Margolls had poor eyesight, relying much more on their sense of smell. Having just come in out of the bright sun, their vision was all the worse. Several more of their number were silently slain before they noticed the dark figure moving amongst them, appearing and disappearing just as quickly.


    The monsters milled in confusion. Their baseline aggression, their large numbers in a relatively tight space and the frustration of enemies they couldn¡¯t pin down were becoming a toxic brew as some of them started turning on one another. If it weren¡¯t for Sophie being forced to fall back, letting the monsters vent up the stairs in pursuit, the margolls may well have killed each other.


    Sometime later, Sophie and Jason were on the rooftop, fighting the last of the margolls. Despite having their numbers whittled down as they pursued the pair through the building, the savage monsters never faltered in their furious assault until the last of them had fallen. Jason and Sophie then made their way down through the building, finishing off those too crippled to continue the chase. Jason touched each one to tag it for looting.


    Would you like to loot [Margoll]?


    He would only accept once they were away from the bodies and the stink they would produce as they dissolved. As they scoured the building, Jason made a pleasant discovery. A dark cube lay in an alcove under a stairwell, in a place that the light outside would never reach. If it weren¡¯t for his ability to see in the dark, he would have never seen it at all.


    Item: [Dark Essence] (unranked, uncommon)


    Manifested essence of darkness (consumable, essence).


    Requirements: Less than 4 absorbed essences.Effect: Imbues 1 awakened dark essence ability and 4 unawakened dark essence abilities.You have absorbed 4/4 essences.You do not meet the requirements to use this item.


    ¡°Nostalgic,¡± he mused to himself.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Sophie asked, walking up to him.


    ¡°I found an essence,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a dark essence, which was my first.¡±


    ¡°Should go for a good price, right?¡±


    ¡°It should,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s only uncommon and there¡¯ll probably be a glut of essences on the market after all this, but dark is a popular one. It has great utility and is the last word in stealth essences. You should take it when we split up the loot after all this is done. The essences Belinda wants are all common, so you can probably trade this for two of them, or at least the magic essence and some solid awakening stones.¡±


    They went out on the street, in front of the building, before Jason accepted all the loot messages. Soon, rainbow smoke was streaming out of windows from the plume rising up of the building generated by all 41 bodies being converted at once.


    41 [Monster Cores (Iron)] have been added to your inventory.410 [Iron Rank Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.60 [Dog Quintessence Gems] have been added to your inventory.10 [Myriad Quintessence Gems] have been added to your inventory.410 [Iron Rank Spirit Coins] have been awarded to party member [Sophie Wexler].60 [Dog Quintessence Gems] have been awarded to party member [Sophie Wexler].10 [Myriad Quintessence Gems] have been awarded to party member [Sophie Wexler].


    Sophie stepped back, her loot-dodge timing having improved enough that the three bags fell to the ground in front of her.


    ¡°So, your power conjured the bags, right?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°As I understand it, a looting power like mine or Neil¡¯s takes the magic from the monster as it merges with the ambient magic and makes items with it. Usually magical manifestations like spirit coins or these quintessence gems we just got, but sometimes items.¡±


    ¡°Belinda said Clive spent a whole day examining one of those bags to see if there was anything special about it.¡±


    ¡°That does sound like him,¡± Jason said.


    Sophie opened up one of the bags, taking out a quintessence gem to examine. It was like a diamond, almost spherical but covered in tiny facets.


    Item: [Myriad Quintessence] (iron rank, legendary)


    Manifested essence of multiplicity. (crafting material, essence).


    Effect: Crafting material for items with multiplicative attributes.


    ¡°Pretty,¡± Jason said as she held it up for him to see. It caught the bright sunlight, refracting rainbow colours.


    ¡°Legendary rarity,¡± she said. ¡°Should be valuable, right?¡±


    ¡°I imagine so,¡± Jason said. ¡°The myriad essence is legendary, too. Emily, the archer from Beth Cavendish¡¯s team has it.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the celestine?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Sophie dropped the gem back into the back and handed her loot to Jason for storage. He took out a notebook and recorded all the loot for splitting up later. As he wrote in it, Sophie craned her head back to watch the rainbow smoke from more than forty monsters rising up from the building.


    ¡°All those monsters,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s like this place has a monster surge going on.¡±


    ¡°It essentially does,¡± Jason said, putting his notebook away. ¡°A monster surge is a weeks-long increase in magical saturation.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t experienced one, right?¡± she asked. ¡°They don¡¯t have them in your world?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have monsters at all,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve only been learning about how they work studying astral magic with Clive. I hope he¡¯s doing alright.¡±


    Clive had become worried once he realised that none of his team had arrived with him through the archway. As people started forming makeshift teams, he didn¡¯t expect to find anyone looking for his eclectic selection of powers. His unconventional abilities worked best when used in conjunction with people who knew and were prepared for them. A hastily-formed team would do better with a ranged attacker with straightforward powers that they could readily adapt to.


    He considered pulling a Jason and ¡°adjusting¡± the perspective through which he described his abilities but immediately dismissed the idea. Worse than no one wanting him on their team would be getting abandoned in the middle of a monster-infested city for misrepresenting what he had to contribute.


    One of the people present had the exact opposite problem. He wasn¡¯t a large man, his slight physique reminding Clive of Jason. If the man¡¯s blond hair and fair skin hadn¡¯t marked him as one of the foreign adventurers, the impressive equipment Clive recognised did. Once equipment passed a certain level of expense, it started to move from ostentatious back to unremarkable, and this man¡¯s equipment looked very unremarkable indeed. Clive knew it to be the kind of expensive that was wasted on iron-rank gear unless you had so much money to throw around it was laughable.


    The man looked to be wearing light and simple clothes, but Clive picked out the subtle signs in the way the cloth draped that signalled incredibly powerful reinforcement magic. It was the kind of armour favoured by adventurers with mobility and high-skill power sets. He had a sword at his hip, with a ring at the top of the scabbard that most would dismiss as part of the design. Clive recognised it as a magic item that would impart extra damage to the first strike after drawing the blade. The man''s jacket was made of supple leather, protective without being constrictive. Clive knew from the odd way it conformed to the body shape underneath that it was a dimensional jacket, much like that used by Emir Bahadir.


    The other foreign adventurers clearly knew who he was, all clamouring to form a team with him. To Clive¡¯s surprise, the man¡¯s eyes picked him out. Clive watched as the man walked away from the people inviting him to their groups and straight over to Clive.


    ¡°You¡¯re Clive Standish,¡± the man said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who you are but you¡¯re wearing more expensive gear than I¡¯ve seen on a bronze ranker.¡±


    The man let out a friendly chuckle.


    ¡°Which means either someone didn¡¯t trust me to survive,¡± he said, ¡°or thinks I¡¯m worth it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worth it,¡± Clive said. ¡°If someone doesn¡¯t have the skill, you spend that money very differently.¡±


    The man laughed again and held out his hand for Clive to shake.


    ¡°I¡¯m Valdis. You live up to your reputation, Mr Standish.¡±


    ¡°Clive is fine,¡± Clive said. ¡°I have a reputation?¡±


    ¡°I like to keep informed. The authorities in Greenstone know a lot more about the Builder cult than most provincial areas and your contributions have been a very large part of that. Word just hasn¡¯t gotten around yet because of how closely information is being held, right now.¡±


    ¡°But not from you, it seems,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°My father has some small standing overseas, which affords me a little more influence than I really deserve.¡±


    ¡°My father¡¯s an eel farmer, which affords me more long, slimy fish than I really want.¡±


    Valdis laughed once more, clearly more comfortable with their circumstances than most of the adventurers present. Clive was noticing the unhappy looks from the adventurers who had been courting Valdis¡¯ attention.


    ¡°Would you like to form a group with me, Clive?¡±


    ¡°I should warn you,¡± Clive said, ¡°my abilities can be a bit complicated. My damage comes in bursts and a lot of my abilities require anticipation and set up.¡±


    ¡°Your confluence is the karmic essence, if I recall correctly, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°You really do like to keep informed. I have some retributive damage buffs and a lot of mana recovery. Mostly I attack with staves and wands but I have a big, versatile attack spell.¡±


    ¡°I know someone with the karmic essence,¡± Valdis said. ¡°She says that judgement and timing are the keys to success.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have to agree,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I¡¯m a classic swordsman myself; sword, swift, adept, master. More mana-intensive abilities than you¡¯d expect with that combo, though, so I¡¯ll look forward to that mana recovery you mentioned. Assuming you want to join me.¡±


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Great,¡± Valdis said, rubbing his hands together as he turned his attention to the group listening in on them. ¡°Let¡¯s find ourselves some team members.¡±

 Chapter 162: The Danger is Us

    In the time they had spent allowing Sophie to recover, some other groups had moved deeper into the city. They started seeing traces of that as they went, the plants and building showings traces of essence abilities having been used on them. They knew they weren¡¯t far behind another group when they found monsters that had yet to dissolve into smoke.


    ¡°Can you loot them?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Jason said, touching a finger to the dead monster.


    This monster kill was not yours. You are unable to loot this monster.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason said. ¡°It only lets me loot when the killer is me or someone in my party.¡±


    ¡°Does Neil¡¯s ability have that restriction?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly, but the monster has to die inside his aura, so it works out about the same.¡±


    ¡°Should we veer off our straight line?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to get much training in if all the monsters we find are dead.¡±


    ¡°May as well,¡± Jason said. ¡°So long as we¡¯re going more or less the right way, it should be fine.¡±


    The pair started finding their most effective tactical patterns as days passed and they encountered monsters almost hourly. It was mostly some variation on Sophie grabbing the monsters'' attention while Jason moved in to flank. Sometimes she would lead them around, other times standing her ground or staging running fights through buildings.


    Every day in the city was like weeks of monster hunting outside it, with both Jason and Sophie unrelenting in the hunt. For Sophie, it was a chance to grab at power, both the share with Belinda and to give herself freedom from anyone who tried to control her fate.


    For Jason, it was the culmination of a long wait. He had been putting off advancement and getting more awakening stones in the anticipation of Emir''s grand event. He was now determined to complete his power set with the best awakening stones he could find. If nothing else, he was determined to get the necrotic damage affliction that had been absent from his kit from the beginning. Rufus kept telling him it would come, but with each new awakening stone, it had remained elusive.


    As the days passed, they also encountered other adventurers. None were people they knew well, if at all, but the Greenstone adventurers tended to recognise Jason, or at least his cloak. The encounters ranged from the friendly to the wary, with the foreign adventurers being especially careful.


    From the brief interactions, Jason and Sophie realised the foreign adventurers were most wary of each other, with concern over rivals trying to remove the competition directly. Given that all the groups were now mixed, Jason and Sophie agreed that they were better off out of it and sticking together.


    Each night, they would alternate meditating, sleeping and keeping watch. Sleep got the shortest shrift, as they both had effective stamina recovery powers that kept them powering forward through the day. Not to say that there weren''t distractions in the downtime.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sophie asked as she crawled, bleary-eyed, out of the aura tent.


    ¡°I''ve trying to teach Colin to spell,¡± Jason said. The leech collective was laid out in the shape of the word PLURB.


    ¡°I think he might be evil after all,¡± Jason said. ¡°He only gets the rude words right.¡±


    Their abilities improved rapidly. Just the first few days had seen almost every ability Jason had advancing at least a level. His lowest abilities, his conjured dagger and his execute power, advanced twice. Sophie¡¯s abilities advanced even faster, having started off lower.


    On the fifth day, they once again encountered an adventurer, but this one was dead. Sophie frowned as she crouched down to examine the body. He was a male leonid, much of his fur burned off in patches matching localised scorch marks on his clothes and skin.


    ¡°I''ve seen this before,¡± she said. ¡°Bodies left like this.¡±


    ¡°A monster you¡¯ve seen?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°A person. There¡¯s an arena fighter they call fire fist. One essence, one ability, like me. You can guess what it is from the name. He liked to play with his opponents; take his time, killing them. This is what it looked like when he did.¡±


    ¡°You think someone did what I did, with you? Gave him the essences to become an adventurer?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± she said. ¡°The last I saw of him was when I left him dangling from a cage by his broken arms. People aren¡¯t inclined to lift up losers.¡±


    ¡°You never actually met Thadwick Mercer, did you? I see your point, though. Maybe it was a monster with fire powers.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Enough adventurers are worried about people thinning out the competition that it¡¯s likely a real concern. Also, I¡¯m not sure this is an environment likely to produce fire monsters. Plus, I think this body has been stripped of magic items. The boots are gone and these clothes are under-armour padding. There isn¡¯t any magic jewellery and no dimensional bag.¡±


    ¡°Fair points,¡± Jason said. ¡°If he was a Greenstone adventurer, he might have just been poor. I don''t think any of the Greenstone participants were leonids, though. They were all in the foreign group and the worst of them were equipped as well as the best local.¡±


    ¡°Whether a monster or a person did this,¡± Sophie said, ¡°this man was most likely in a group. If his companions didn¡¯t take him, they were either driven off or killed. We should look for more bodies.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s hope we don¡¯t find any.¡±


    Every adventurer with a storage space or dimensional bag was carrying specialised caskets for storing corpses. The Adventure Society, in acknowledgement of the risks the iron-rankers faced, had placed a reward for anyone who retrieved the remains of the fallen. The reward had been high to incentivise the return of the dead but not so high as to incentivise murder for profit.


    They found a second dead leonid out on the street and a third leonid, even worse for wear than the others, in a nearby building.


    ¡°This was definitely torture,¡± Sophie said as they crouched over the third corpse. ¡°There aren¡¯t any big burns like with the other body. Whoever did this took their time.¡±


    ¡°Look at bruising on the wrists and ankles,¡± Jason said. ¡°They were tied up. The neck, too, but not as bad. Whatever was around it was padded. Like a suppression collar.¡±


    He stood up, frowning and Sophie did the same.


    ¡°They took this man''s powers, tied him up and then tortured him,¡± Jason said. ¡°This wasn''t just taking out the competition. Whoever did this wanted something. Information?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to know what the foreign adventurers have going on between them,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I know you like to get your head around things but don¡¯t get distracted by something we don¡¯t have enough information about. For all we know, it could just be sadists getting their thrills or some weird leonid hater.¡±


    Jason nodded. ¡°You¡¯re right. This is an easy place to get away with blaming the deaths on misadventure.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°We put him in a casket,¡± Jason said, ¡°then we see if there are any more before we keep going. It¡¯s not like we weren¡¯t being cautious already.¡±


    ¡°And if whoever did this tries to do it to us? Trying to capture them and lug them around why we finish the trials and take them back won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°No, it won¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rufus once told me that when you¡¯re out on an adventure, sometimes all the justice you get is putting the other guy down. So, if we get attacked, we put them down. All the way down.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I was a little worried you¡¯d want to try some half-measure that would put us in danger.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said grimly. ¡°We need to make sure that the danger is us.¡±


    The giant lizard monster lunged at Humphrey, it¡¯s huge jaws open wide. Humphrey opened his own mouth in turn, fire blasting from it into the monster¡¯s gaping maw. It wasn¡¯t critical damage to the bronze-rank monster but the flame licking the inside of its mouth made it flinch back and snap its mouth shut. This exposed the rest of its face and Humphrey stepped forward, swinging his most powerful special attack into the side of the monster¡¯s head, cracking bone and bursting one huge eye.


    It was the turning point in the fight, the rest of the group pouring attacks into the staggered monster until it fell.


    ¡°Impressive as expected, from Danielle Geller¡¯s son,¡± Lowell said.


    Lowell was one of the foreign adventurers and had the good fortune to have four of his six team members arrive on the same tower. Humphrey had joined them for the journey to the centre of the city where he could rejoin his own team but Lowell had other ideas.


    ¡°I know you have some affection for that team of locals you put together,¡± Lowell said, ¡°but clearly you¡¯re a good fit with us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite happy with my current team,¡± Humphrey said coldly. His normal social graces were being steadily eroded by Lowell¡¯s constant efforts at recruitment, which had moved from the oblique to the direct.


    ¡°I understand that,¡± Lowell said, ¡°but to be frank, your time is wasted with the inferior team.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Humphrey snarled. ¡°But I was separated from them by the archway, so I¡¯ll have to make do.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Lowell asked, his smarmy veneer cracking. ¡°You think some grab-bag of provincials is better than us?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Carly interjected, ¡°he¡¯s just running out of patience with you disrespecting his team. Sorry about Lowell, Humphrey. He¡¯s a good guy but he has trouble seeing things from other people¡¯s perspectives. He gets an idea in his head and it¡¯s hard to dislodge.¡±


    ¡°Carly¡¯s right,¡± Hampstead agreed. ¡°If I was Geller, I¡¯d have already dislodged your whole damn head, Lowell.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Let¡¯s just keep moving.¡±


    Outside the astral space, Emir¡¯s cloud palace was sitting on the lake. Rufus was with his parents, who were strongarming him into relaxing properly for the first time since Farrah died. They recruited Farrah¡¯s parents just to make sure he had no recourse.


    It was morning and they were taking tea with Emir and Constance, looking out over the lake and the picturesque towns and villages around it. The bright, lush greens of the shoreline were an appealingly stark contrast to the desert beyond. There were too many of the small communities to count, around a lake that was practically an inland sea.


    ¡°Sky Scar Lake,¡± Farrah¡¯s mother, Amelia, mused. ¡°I wonder where the name came from.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a local legend,¡± Constance volunteered. ¡°It¡¯s said that people settled this land long ago but angered the gods, who struck them down. The force of the gods¡¯ wrath withered the land, turning fertile ground into desert and producing the hole that became the lake as we see it today.¡±


    ¡°There are elements of truth to that,¡± Emir said. ¡°There were indeed people who settled here long ago and they were struck down. By the churches, rather than the gods themselves, but still. Of course, the desert and the lake were already here, when this all happened.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to visit some more of those villages,¡± Amelia said. ¡°The ones nearby have been quite delightful. It would be nice to see some not quite so thrown into a tizzy by the sudden appearance of a giant, floating palace at their doorstep.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t know it,¡± Rufus¡¯ father Gabriel said, ¡°but there is actually a less grandiose form of the palace. I¡¯d bet Emir hasn¡¯t used it since our adventuring days, though, back when we made him use it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hosting a grand event,¡± Emir said. ¡°It requires grandeur.¡±


    ¡°Emir, you think putting on socks requires grandeur,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°That¡¯s because I have exceptional socks,¡± Emir said. ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you don¡¯t treat your feet with the care they deserve.¡±


    One of Emir¡¯s staff came in, whispering something to Constance, who frowned.


    ¡°Can I borrow Rufus for a moment?¡± she asked. She and Rufus were soon walking through the cloud palace together.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Adric Dorgan is here,¡± she said.


    ¡°In person?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°He must have found something, to come in person.¡±


    Constance led Rufus to a receiving room where Dorgan was waiting. She left the two men together and departed.


    ¡°Dorgan,¡± Rufus said as they sat. ¡°I take it from your personal presence that you have something.¡±


    ¡°Yes and no,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°Partly I came because I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d let any of my people through the door. I¡¯ve been doing as you asked and I¡¯ve definitely turned things up. I keep running into strange dead ends, however.¡±


    ¡°Strange how?¡±


    ¡°Someone is hiding things. Someone with the kind of power and influence that I would normally jump back from like a scalded snake. Even I know what¡¯s at stake here, though, so I kept digging.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And I started losing people. Someone is disappearing any of my people that touch on certain areas and they clearly don¡¯t fear reprisal. I¡¯m not going to keep sending people to their deaths.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Rufus said. ¡°So, what have you managed to get?¡±


    ¡°I have a lot of pieces that don¡¯t quite fit,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°Private shipping expeditions with way too much secrecy. Bribes in amounts that boggle the mind. Whole companies set up, doing one quiet job and then closing down again, all to hide whoever was really behind the deals. If you look at it all together, it very nearly adds up to something.¡±


    ¡°You came out here for a reason,¡± Rufus said. ¡°What do you need from me?¡±


    ¡°I need someone to ask the questions I can¡¯t,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°To poke the dark corners my people keep vanishing into.¡±


    ¡°Anything more specific?¡±


    ¡°Whoever is covering this thing up on the top end is powerful and influential,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°More than the local powers can manage because they have foreign influence and no small amount of it. I can¡¯t go looking harder than I have into who they are. If you can find that out for me, then I can maybe put all the parts into place. I can¡¯t look in the dark corners, but if I know who they are, I can follow their open activities. I have enough of the shady stuff that if I know what legitimate activities to watch, I think I can bring you something you need.¡±


    Rufus took a long, slow breath, his eyes glued to Dorgan¡¯s face.


    ¡°I might know who you¡¯re talking about,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Nothing is confirmed, however, and telling you would be no small thing. This is information that is still very restricted and we¡¯re keeping it that way until we have some proof. We haven¡¯t even shared our suspicions with the Adventure Society, yet.¡±


    Dorgan got to his feet, Rufus doing the same.


    ¡°Well, when you get around to telling people, you come see me,¡± Dorgan said. He took a paper folder from his jacket and handed it to Rufus.


    ¡°This is everything my people were able to find, with some observations from me about what various bits of it could mean. Until that information you¡¯re sitting on gets a little less restricted, this is as much as I can do for you. Just to be clear, I''m not saying I won''t help. I''m saying I can''t.¡±


    Rufus was leafing through the notes as Dorgan spoke. He looked up at the crime lord, giving him an assessing gaze.


    ¡°Please wait here,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯ll have some refreshments sent in while I talk to some people.¡±


    Rufus left and when he returned, Dorgan was enjoying tea and scones.


    ¡°Dorgan,¡± Rufus said, without preamble. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you something and you are going to do your very best in all your dealings to obfuscate the fact that I did.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Dorgan said warily, putting down his teacup and getting up from his chair.


    ¡°You said you needed to know what influential power was hiding things.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Rufus visibly steeled himself, taking a long pause before speaking again.


    ¡°Church of Purity,¡± he said quietly.


    Dorgan¡¯s eyes grew wider and wider as the implications of what Rufus had said settled in. He ran his hands through his hair and started pacing back and forth before he stopped and turned back to Rufus.


    ¡°What kind of madness have you dragged me into?¡±

 Chapter 163: Surplus to Requirements

    Jason and Sophie continued their way through the city. More cautious than ever, they exposed themselves to long sightlines as little as possible. Sometimes they used narrow streets to hide themselves from above, at other times, rooftops, to hide themselves from below.


    Helping them remain unobtrusive was the quiet nature of their essence abilities. Only the sound burst accompanying Sophie¡¯s wind blade made any real noise and, compared to the cries of the monsters they fought, it wasn¡¯t especially loud.


    The evening of the day they had found the three dead leonids, something finally happened that they had been waiting for.


    Party member [Neil Davone] has entered communication range.Voice chat with [Neil Davone] had been restored.Full [Party Interface] functionality has been restored to party member [Neil Davone].Party member [Neil Davone] has been located on ability [Map].


    ¡°Neil?¡±


    ¡°Jason?¡±


    ¡°Good to hear from you. Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve got Jory with me, plus another guy who¡¯s a pretty good front-line. We could use a good damage dealer, but you¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks for that vote of confidence. It¡¯s just me and Wexler, here. Humphrey¡¯s probably fine but I hope Clive¡¯s alright.¡±


    ¡°Hello Sophie,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Neil,¡± Sophie reciprocated. ¡°We¡¯ll need to figure out where we each are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got that covered,¡± Jason said.


    He pulled up his map, quickly locating Neil.


    ¡°Looks like you''re east and a little south of us,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°This place has an east?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It may have been arbitrarily designated by my map power, I¡¯m not sure. Find somewhere to hole-up and we¡¯ll come to you.¡±


    Jason and Sophie reoriented themselves, heading in the direction of Neil¡¯s location on the map. They had been moving around for around ten minutes when they received a chat from Neil. It had the whispered tone that came with a communication sent silently, via a thought.


    ¡°Someone is here,¡± Neil¡¯s voice came. ¡°From the way they¡¯re acting, I think they were following us and got thrown when we stopped to wait for you.¡±


    ¡°Hang tight and we¡¯ll get there as fast as we can,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What does hang tight mean?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Come on, you can get it from context,¡± Jason complained.


    ¡°Clear communication is important in tactical scenario,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Boys, we can sort this out later,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Asano, shut up. Neil, we¡¯ll be as quick as we can.¡±


    Sophie and Jason gave up on stealth for speed, rushing along streets as quickly as they could. Jason was no match for Sophie¡¯s speed, even just using her abilities passively. Once she started using them actively, navigating the complicated terrain like it was a track course, only his shadow teleporting allowed him to keep up. At each junction he checked his map and kept them on the right heading.


    ¡°They found us,¡± Neil said through voice chat.


    ¡°We¡¯re getting closer,¡± Jason said. ¡°A few more minutes.¡±


    Jason and Sophie had no more speed to pour on as they raced through the overgrown streets.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a fire user, a wind user and a big guy with a hammer,¡± Neil kept them updated. ¡°Jory is laughing like a loon for some reason I don¡¯t under¡­ oh, damn.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Give me a second,¡± Neil¡¯s hurried voice came back.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing okay,¡± Neil said a few moments later, his light with surprise. ¡°Keane, that¡¯s a our front-liner, is holding off their big guy just fine. ¡°The two women with the elemental powers are throwing everything at us but Jory is soaking up all their elemental attacks and using them to fuel his own abilities. What¡¯s that guy doing, spending his days in a clinic?¡±


    ¡°Just hold on,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ll be there soon.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be an issue,¡± Neil said. ¡°They just keep throwing elemental attacks¡­ what in the world is that?¡±


    ¡°Neil?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The other adventurers are running,¡± Neil said. ¡°There¡¯s a wave of some ghost-looking things coming down the street. I think they might be those things the shadow guy warned us about.¡±


    ¡°The vorger,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Neil said. ¡°The people we were fighting had movement powers and bolted, but we can¡¯t move faster than these things are going.¡±


    ¡°Regroup and protect each other as best you can,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sophie and I should be well-equipped to handle them. Probably.¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than definitely not.¡±


    Jason and Sophie spotted the vorger before they spotted Neil, Jory and the other man they picked up. The vorger looked like something between a fog bank and a swarm, their forms white and ethereal, taking all manner of shapes. Some looked like animals, others monsters or even humanoid shapes, although Shade had told them the shape didn¡¯t matter. Whatever their form, it was the touch of the creatures that would warp and distend flesh.


    Jason and Sophie got a look at the results, sprinting past what used to be a person, judging from the pieces of armour and scraps of cloth on the hideous blob of flesh. They didn¡¯t pause, continuing the rush to help their companions.


    ¡°I think we found one of your run-off adventurers,¡± Jason told Neil through voice chat. ¡°The big guy, from your description. I guess he wasn¡¯t as fast as the others.¡±


    In the midst of the vorger swarm, Neil was alright for the moment, but things were rapidly getting worse. His mana shield power held off any vorger who rushed at him but each time the bubble-like barrier flashed, it ate away at his mana to keep him safe. Keane had left his sword in its sheath. His hands were both occupied by a large shield, a translucent, blue object that was obviously a magical construct. He used it to intercept and push back the vorger as they swept in at him and Jory, who was crouched down beside him.


    Jory¡¯s leg had been brushed by one of the creatures and was locked into a folded position, forcing him to kneel down. In front of him, vials and little bottles were lifting themselves out of his belts and pockets, disgorging liquids and powers to float together. Unlike the black blob that had formed the last time he used the ability, this one was a shimmering, pale blue.


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you flesh warping,¡± he muttered and the blob streamed into his mouth. His body grew skinny and long, his limbs stretching out. Sweat oozed out of his skin, coating him in a shimmering oil. He stood up, his elongated leg no longer afflicted. He started flailing his arms around like whips, the vorger dissolving into nothing at the touch of the oil coating Jory¡¯s limbs.


    For his part, Neil decided to act before his mana was so drained he could no longer cast spells. Even as the vorger continued lashing themselves against his mana shield he started chanting.


    ¡°Come forth, wheels of fortune; let destiny, fair and foul, be brought upon those here to receive it.¡±


    In the air above Neil¡¯s had, three stone wheels, translucent and immaterial, came into being. They were stack horizontally atop one another and each had a series of images inscribed on their edges. Most of the images were of vorger, but each wheel also had an image of Neil, Jory and Keane¡¯s faces.


    Ability: [Reels of Fortune] (Prosperity)


    Spell (this ability has variable subtypes, contingent on effect).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 10 minutes.Current rank: Iron 7 (41%).Effect (iron): Conjures three immaterial reels. Channel mana into the reels to generate random effects on random individuals within the area. If an individual is affected more than once by the same use of the reels, the effect is increased for each reel.


    Just conjuring the reels had eaten a good chunk of his dwindling mana and he immediately spent even more, channelling it into the reels. By their nature, the reels had mixed reliability at best, but as Neil¡¯s mana plunged, he was betting everything on how much the vorgers¡¯ numbers stacked the odds.


    He had chosen to use the reels, not just for its potential power but because they were so outnumbered by the vorger that the odds had become skewed. This was borne out as the wheels stopped turning and the images on the front lit up, each one showing a vorger.


    Strange lightning shot out of the wheels a black streak limned in white, chaining through the vorger, one to another. Each vorger struck burst into nothing, like mist under the bright sun. For each vorger that dissolved, a matching image disappeared from each of the wheels, but there were so many of them that the difference was slight. As the vorger rapidly died, Neil and everyone else was rejuvenated as the dying vorger triggered Neil¡¯s aura power.


    Ability: [Spoils of Victory] (Prosperity)


    Aura (recovery, conjuration).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 8 (19%).Effect (iron): Allies within your aura recover mana and stamina for each enemy that dies within your aura, a well as a minor healing effect. You can loot enemies that die within your aura.


    Neil¡¯s depleting mana was noticeably replenished as the vorger rapidly died. With his mana pool restored, Neil¡¯s mana shield was, once again, a safe refuge from the ghostly creatures. It also helped Keane, who had suffered a number of vorger strikes, in spite of his conjured shield. The healing uncramped joints that flesh-warping attacks had locked up.


    Neil channelled more mana into the wheels and they started turning again.


    While Neil and Jory were in the process of turning the tables, Jason and Sophie finally reached the fight, ploughing straight in at full speed. Jason¡¯s sword was already out, slashing away at the ghost-like vorger.


    Special attack [Leech Bite] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Vorger].[Vorger] is immune to [Bleeding].[Bleeding] does not take effect.Affliction immunity has triggered an effect on weapon [Dread Salvation].Weapon [Dread Salvation] has gained an instance of [Spell Breaker].


    Instances quickly stacked up on Jason¡¯s sword and it was soon slashing apart the vorger with ease while Sophie¡¯s unarmed attacks had a similar effect. She was also seemingly impervious to the vorgers¡¯ touch, while Jason enjoyed his own protection.


    Special attack [Vorger¡¯s Touch] has inflicted [Vorger¡¯s Flesh Warp] on you.You have resisted [Vorger¡¯s Flesh Warp].[Vorger¡¯s Flesh Warp] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].


    As Jason and Sophie appeared in the fight, their faces also appeared on the reels, but the second turn of the spell also ended in triple vorger. This time an energy wave rolled out of the reels and touched the closest of the vorger. Its translucent body turned from white to black, then it exploded. A nearby vorger caught in the explosion similarly started turning black and exploded in turn. The effect kept chaining until it finally petered out, the vorger spreading out until the explosions no longer caught them. Between the explosions and the previous chains of dark lightning, Neil had eradicated a full third of the vorger swarm.


    The next turn of the reel rested on images of two vorger and a picture of Jory¡¯s face. An explosion in the midst of the vorger took out a further chunk of their number, although not close to as many as the three reel effects.


    [Human] has been affected by [Reels of Fortune]. Duration of ability [Alchemical Abomination] has been increased.


    The vorger fought to the last but accomplished little. Jory¡¯s new form was as immune to their attacks as Jason and Sophie, all three laying into the vorger with abandon. The magical protections of Neil and the other man, Keane, still held, protecting them until the fight was over.


    In the end, Jason and Sophie felt rather surplus to requirements. They shredded their share of the ghost creatures but most were eradicated by Neil¡¯s spell, followed by Jory and his weird shape-changing power. Once the vorger were gone they regrouped, relieved to have weathered the ordeal so well.


    ¡°Good to see you,¡± Jason said, clapping Neil on the shoulder as Jory greeted Sophie warmly.


    ¡°We should find a quiet place to spend the night that isn¡¯t here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We need to be careful,¡± Neil said. ¡°Those people are still around somewhere.¡±


    ¡°I think we might have passed one who didn¡¯t run fast enough,¡± Sophie said. ¡°There was a big blob of flesh back there that I think used to be a person.¡±


    ¡°He got killed?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°The vorger do not kill,¡± Shade said, his shadowy figure suddenly standing next to them. ¡°They alter.¡±


    They all turned in the direction from which Jason and Sophie had come. Shambling towards them was a flesh monstrosity, a four-legged, asymmetrical mound that as much undulated forward as walked.


    ¡°Wexler,¡± Jason said, looking at the creature. ¡°Am I imagining things, or is that thing a lot bigger than when we ran past it?¡±

 Chapter 164: A Worse Plan

    Clive¡¯s team were making their way up through a building that became more precarious as they went. It was the tallest building they had encountered in the city, almost as tall as the archway towers on which they had arrived. This section of the city was more akin to forest than jungle, with the remnant buildings in the shadow of towering trees.


    The building they were climbing up through stood higher than the trees around it. It held its structural integrity despite one especially tall tree growing right up through the building itself. The building appeared to be some kind of elaborate palace. The expensive construction gave it a sound foundation but every floor they climbed showed increased signs of collapse.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to think the danger outweighs the promise of treasure,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°If his Highness says we should check it out, we check it out,¡± Abarca said.


    Abarca, Campos and Hildebrand were the team members Valdis had picked out to join them. Valdis had suggested a voting system rather than picking a leader for their makeshift team. The three agreed immediately, as they had with every subsequent idea Valdis had come up with.


    Valdis, it turned out, was a prince from the diminutive but influential Kingdom of Mirrors. Small, affluent and geographically blessed, it had neither expanded its borders nor been had its borders encroached upon in more than eight centuries. This was due to the diamond-ranker known as the Mirror King, who founded the kingdom and ruled it through to the present day. Through the centuries, the Mirror King had a series of queens, reportedly doting on each, even as they grew old and died beside him. Valdis was one of the current queen consort¡¯s sons.


    Valdis was convinced there must be some great treasure at the top of the towering edifice and the other three agreed on principle. Clive had known there was no point arguing with Valdis'' three yes-men but was compelled to ask what made Valdis so confident.


    ¡°No one tells the story of the thing they found in the safe, sensible place,¡± Valdis told him. ¡°A grand treasure atop a crumbling palace with a mighty tree growing right through it? That''s a story that gets you waking up in someone else''s bedchamber, Clive my friend.¡±


    Valdis threw a friendly arm around Clive¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Stick with me and you¡¯ll have yourself a wild time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty confident that we¡¯ll be having a wild time, regardless,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m mostly interested in surviving to tell that story.¡±


    Valdis just laughed and continued on, confidently leading the way. Clive liked Valdis, whose reckless enthusiasm reminded him of Jason. Clive had let himself be dragged by Jason into enough things he ended up enjoying that he wasn¡¯t opposed to Valdis¡¯ idea. That same comparison also compelled him to be the voice of reason.


    They navigated the main part of the building, the most intact section, without incident. Then they reached a set of six towers, interconnected at various heights by different walkways. It reminded Clive of the Mercer family home, whose interlocking towers were a signature of the Greenstone skyline.


    The towers were not as solid as the building below them, which became all the more evident as they ascended the crumbling stairs inside them. They started with the most intact-looking tower, but internal damage forced them to switch towers via the walkways more than once. The walkways, however, were even sketchier than the towers. Once fully enclosed tunnels, sections of the floor had long given way.


    They crossed one at a time, Clive trying to convince himself he was imagining the feeling of the bricks shifting under every step. Valdis lightly pranced through, using a light-step power usually used for water-walking that reduced the pressure he placed with each footstep. Clive was not so blessed, carefully wending his way past the holes in the floor.


    The first two tunnelled walkways were crossed without incident. They reached the third to discover it had mostly entirely collapsed away. The roof was gone, as were most of the walls and a large section in the middle of the floor. The only thing connecting one side to the other across the gap was a mostly intact section of wall.


    ¡°This is really not a good idea,¡± Clive said. ¡°I think we should call it off.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re almost there,¡± Valdis said.


    Above them was a huge, stone platform, the towers holding it up like the legs of a giant beast. Valdis was still convinced something amazing awaited them at the top. Looking at the missing middle section of the walkway, though, even the other three were becoming wary.


    ¡°Surely, there¡¯s a way to get us all across,¡± Valdis said. ¡°Clive, you¡¯re clever. I bet you can figure something out.¡±


    Clive frowned.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said reluctantly. He opened his storage space, a circle of runes he reached through to start plucking out items. He took out four pitons, a hammer and two lengths of rope.


    ¡°We fasten the ends of these ropes at each end,¡± Clive explained. ¡°One high, and one low. We run them along the wall where the gap is, edging our way along the low one as we use the wall and the high one for balance.¡±


    ¡°So, you need me to go over and fasten the other end,¡± Valdis said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°I would like to point out that you¡¯re the only one of us with a slow fall power, so your enthusiasm isn¡¯t tempered like the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Valdis said, and for most of the crossing, it was. Valdis used a wall run to cross the gap and secured the ropes at the other end, allowing Clive, Abarca and Campos to cross. The final member of the group, Hildebrand, let nerves get the better of him, the rope slipping through his fingers as he fell. Clive rushed to the edge, his gaze moving from Valdis to the falling Hildebrand as he quickly incanted a spell.


    ¡°Exchange your fates.¡±


    Hildebrand vanished, his mid-air position now occupied by a startled Valdis. Hildebrand was standing in the spot from which Valsis had been looking over the edge himself. Clive grabbed the disoriented and still screaming Hildebrand before he fell off again.


    Abarca and Campos were still yelling at Clive by the time Valdis made his way back up. Without the others, Valdis had made much better time than when they had ascended together, both Abarca and Campos express their relief at his reappearance.


    ¡°What¡¯s the issue?¡± Valdis asked. ¡°You knew I had a slow-fall power. That was some sharp thinking, Clive.¡±


    ¡°I told you this was dangerous,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°And I told you it would be fine,¡± Valdis said. ¡°Did these guys give you a hard time?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Should I go back and grab the rope?¡± Valdis asked.


    ¡°We have to get back down, remember?¡±


    ¡°Right, yes.¡±


    After the slow and almost disastrous crossing of the walkway, they were able to climb the tower all the way to the top. The stairs emerged through the floor of the massive platform that spanned the towers, which looked to have been cut from a single piece of stone. There were six statues in the middle of the platform, standing in a circle and facing inward. They each had a plinth in front of them with various items, but the group¡¯s attention was drawn to the centre of the circle.


    In the middle of the circle was a large creature, a wingless dragon the size of an elephant, with powerful legs and a tail that ended in a wicked stinger. Its scales were brown and grey, matte to the point that it looked rather like a large rock. The creature had sensed them, languidly getting up from where it had been sunning itself in the middle of the platform. Stretching its limbs, it eyed them hungrily.


    ¡°Mountain wyrm,¡± Valdis said, the usual amusement absent from his voice. ¡°A little one, only bronze rank, probably, but still powerful. It can draw strength from stone to heal and toughen itself. Honestly, I don¡¯t think we can beat it here. The rest of you go back down and I¡¯ll distract it for as long as I can, then jump over the side. Use your escape medallions if you have to.¡±


    Clive and the others had all chosen the path of wisdom, receiving the life-preserving items from Shade. Only Valdis had taken the courage option.


    Hildebrand didn¡¯t hesitate at Valdis¡¯ words, bounding back down the stairs. Abarca and Campos followed, after a quick glance at Valdis¡¯ determined gaze, locked on the monster.


    ¡°Edge!¡± Clive yelled, running away from the stairs and towards the side of the platform.


    ¡°What?¡± Valdis asked, looking at Clive in confusion, before grinning in realisation and also running.


    ¡°Are you sure that will work?¡± Valdis called out.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Clive called back.


    ¡°Probably?¡±


    ¡°You have a better plan?¡±


    ¡°You heard my plan.¡±


    ¡°That was a worse plan,¡± Clive yelled. ¡°You go over the side, either way.¡±


    Valdis easily caught up with Clive. Behind him, the wyrm was moving in their direction on powerful legs, but its heavy body moved no more quickly than Clive did and they made it to the edge of the platform well ahead of it. Clive came to a stop, pulling out a silver spirit coin.


    Clive knew the bronze-rank monster would likely resist his spell. Consuming a spirit coin to boost his attributes past the monster¡¯s rank to silver would make Clive¡¯s spell more likely to take effect. It presented a dangerous risk-reward proposition, for if his spell failed anyway, he would be left weak and helpless in front of the monster.


    Clive shoved the coin in his mouth without hesitation as Valdis leapt off the side of the tower. Clive looked between him and the dragon, casting his spell as he felt the power of the coin surge through him.


    ¡°Exchange your fates.¡±


    You have used spell [Juxtaposition] on [Valdis Volaire] and [Lesser Mountain Wyrm].[Lesser Mountain Wyrm] has resisted. [Juxtaposition] does not take effect.Spell cooldown is reset due to spell failure.


    ¡°Crap.¡±


    He tried again.


    ¡°Exchange your fates.¡±


    ¡°Exchange your fates.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on¡­¡±


    He could feel the fleeting power of the about to drain away. He looked at Valdis, drifting slowly downward, then back at the draconic monster that was almost upon him.


    ¡°Exchange your fates.¡±


    The monster vanished, replaced with Valdis. Valdis ran over and they looked over the side, seeing the monster crash through the tops of the trees below. Clive dropped to his hands and knees at the edge of the platform, panting in exhaustion as he looked over the side.


    ¡°Think it¡¯ll kill it?¡± he asked. ¡°Maybe the trees will cushion its fall.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Valdis said. ¡°If it survives, it can heal itself up with the stone on the ground.¡±


    You defeated [Lesser Mountain Wyrm].


    ¡°No, it''s dead,¡± Clive said with relief. He had no interest in facing the monster again after they went back down.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°I should probably go get those three before they try that rope again, then.¡±


    ¡°You go right ahead,¡± Clive said, rolling onto his back to lay spreadeagled on the platform. ¡°I¡¯m just going to lay here for a bit.¡±


    Valdis eventually returned with the other three who, despite Valdis¡¯ assurances, poked their heads up over the edge of the stairwell warily before coming all the way up. Valdis walked back over to Clive.


    ¡°Ready to get back up?¡± Valdis asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Valdis laughed, holding out a hand to pull Clive to his feet. Clive groaned as the went to examine the ring of statues. The statues were around twice Clive¡¯s height, each one depicting a different person. From the equipment carved onto each statue, they were all adventurers. The most interesting part was that each stature had a plinth in front of it, on which rested what looked to be actual versions of some of the gear the statues had. For each statue, there were two pieces of gear, waiting to be claimed.


    Each of the five adventurers gravitated to certain gear. Valdis to a sword and scabbard, Clive to a staff and wand. The other sets were an orb and circlet, a cloak and dagger, a sword and shield and a single glove, paired with an amulet.


    Clive saw no magic with his perception power but didn''t rule out some trap too powerful for his ability to pluck from hiding. He pulled out some tools, examining the plinth carefully, even as the others had already started picking up items. When he was convinced any traps that might be present were beyond his ability to uncover, Clive turned his attention to the staff and the wand.


    The staff was carved from a dark coloured wood, engraved with magical symbols. On the end was a bass cap, with a large purple gemstone set into it. The wand was a blue metal rod with intricate lines worked into flowing patterns that ran down its length.


    Clive had his own ability to identify magic items which, like most such abilities, worked by giving him a sense of the item¡¯s properties when he touched them. Compared to the way Jason¡¯s power gave a visible explanation he found it disappointing.


    While out of range of Jason, powers like the voice chat and identifying items didn¡¯t work. To Clive¡¯s delight, however, the party interface power combined with Clive¡¯s own identification ability to restore that functionality. Thus, he was happily able to read the properties of the staff.


    Item: [Spell Lance of the Magister] (iron rank [growth], legendary)


    The staff of an ancient sorcerer, this weapon is focused on priming enemies for a potent magical assault (weapon, staff).


    Requirements: The power to wield magical tools.Basic attack: Explosive disruptive-force bolt. Inflicts [Spell Impetus].Basic attack: Disruptive-force beam. Consumes mana. Sustaining the beam on a target periodically inflicts [Spell Impetus].Effect: Increase the mana consumption when casting a spell to increase the effect. Effect is further increased if wielding both [Spell Lance of the Magister] and [Magister¡¯s Tithe].[Spell Impetus] (affliction, magic, stacking): All resistances are reduced. When the recipient suffers an offensive spell from someone wielding [Spell Lance of the Magister], all instances of [Spell impetus] are consumed to increase the effect of the spell.


    The Magister was a potentially mythical figure, whose actual existence was hotly debated. Many items and abilities were named for him or her, including two of Clive¡¯s own abilities. Regardless of the history, finding a growth weapon made the trip to the astral space a success, whatever else he encountered. He took a look at the wand.


    Item: [Magister¡¯s Tithe] (iron rank [growth], legendary)


    The wand of an ancient sorcerer, used to sustain combat effectiveness (weapon, wand).


    Requirements: The power to wield magical tools.Basic attack: Disruptive-force beam. Inflicts [Mana Siphon].Basic attack: Mana draining beam. This effect is increased if wielding both [Spell Lance of the Magister] and [Magister¡¯s Tithe].[Mana Siphon] (affliction, magic): The strength of mana drain effects against the recipient are increased.


    Clive stared in awe at the items in his hands. A matched set of legendary growth weapons were so good he would do well to shut up and not tell anyone, so as not to get robbed. He placed them in his inventory and turned to find four people holding out items. Valdis gave him a wry smile.


    ¡°You can identify items, right?¡±

 Chapter 165: No One Has That Coming

    In the aftermath of the fight with the vorger, Jason and Sophie had no time to catch up with Neil and Jory. The flesh abomination lumbering in their direction posed a new, albeit very slowly approaching, problem. They stood together, watching as it didn¡¯t so much walk in their direction as vaguely amble. It was basically a huge, vaguely spherical mound of muscle, skin and fat on four short, blobby legs. Scraps of clothing and pieces of armour could be seen wedged into fatty crevices where layers of flesh and skin had folded on top of themselves.


    ¡°Is it attacking us?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It will move sluggishly until it is engaged,¡± Shade said. The shadowy entity who governed the trials had chosen to make a reappearance. Also with them was Keane, the adventurer who had been travelling with Neil and Jory.


    ¡°So we could just leave?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°If you were alone, I would advise you to do so. Your collective capabilities should be sufficient to kill it, however, so I ask that you do. The soul within is trapped in excruciating pain, denied the release of death until its flesh prison is destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Is that one of the people that attacked us?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°It was,¡± Shade said. ¡°He did not flee as swiftly as his companions.¡±


    ¡°Forget it, then,¡± Neil said. ¡°He had it coming.¡±


    ¡°No one has that coming,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°He was trying to kill us.¡±


    ¡°And if he¡¯d still been fighting you when we arrived,¡± Jason said, ¡°I¡¯d help you kill him right back. But death is one thing and having your soul trapped in pain for eternity is another.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Jory said firmly.


    ¡°Sophie, new guy,¡± Jason said. ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Put him down,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You were right about no one deserving that.¡±


    ¡°Am I the new guy?¡± Keane asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said, ¡°but it¡¯s three to one already. Your vote doesn¡¯t matter any more, sorry.¡±


    Jason looked at the hideous blob abomination. It had at least five times the amount of flesh a person would have.


    ¡°Shade, do you not have conservation of mass, here?¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Shade said. ¡°We also have magic, so the laws of physics are more like strong suggestions. It''s best for everyone if you adhere to them, but if you are truly reluctant, there are  still modes of recourse.¡±


    ¡°You know about the laws of physics?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I have been a familiar many times, across many worlds. I know much.¡±


    ¡°You must be handy to have around,¡± Jason said. ¡°And you¡¯ve done a lot of familiaring, you say? I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re looking for a new gig?¡±


    ¡°My time here ends when all the trials are passed. Pass the trials, gain the right essence ability and we¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°What kind of awakening stone would that take?¡±


    ¡°All who survive this stage of the trials shall receive an awakening stone available nowhere else,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Clive will be glad to hear that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he have his full set of abilities already?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but you know what he¡¯s like. Give him something new and he¡¯s a kid at Christmas.¡±


    ¡°What''s Christmas?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a religious holiday that we appropriated to stimulate the economy once a year,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That thing is getting closer,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Slowly, but it¡¯s getting closer. Shade, can you tell us again about the best way to fight it?¡±


    ¡°A flesh abomination will adapt to how you engage it. If you are fast it will become faster. Strong, and it will become tougher. Hide and its senses will improve. Attack from afar and it will develop ranged attacks. Its weakness is that it cannot be all things at once. If it becomes fast and flexible, it becomes vulnerable to cutting attacks. If it develops a chitinous exterior, it becomes inflexible and slow. I advise you to use Jason Asano''s necrotic powers as the main source of damage. Whatever changes it makes, flesh is flesh, and flesh can die.¡±


    Jason surveilled what was about to be their battleground. It was typical of what they had seen in the city; jungle filling the space between overgrown buildings. The broken stone road had soil and roots pushing up through the pavers, along with plants and full-blown trees. The footing was unsure and the terrain complex with plenty of shadows he could use.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Sophie, you start us off. Get it picking up the pace to chase you around so it¡¯s nice and squishy. Then, Neil, you tie it up so I can introduce it to Colin. Sound good?¡±


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°If it¡¯s bronze rank, I won¡¯t be able to hold it for longer than a few moments,¡± Neil said. ¡°You¡¯ll need to get your timing right.¡±


    ¡°Call it and I¡¯ll be ready,¡± Jason said. ¡°Jory, stick with Neil. New guy, put yourself between Jory, Neil and the bad guy.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem,¡± Keane said. ¡°I¡¯ve been doing it for days.¡±


    ¡°Everyone knows their job, then. Sophie, will you kick things off?¡±


    Sophie flashed him a grin and dashed in the direction of the abomination. She leapt high into the air, kicking off the top of the misshapen lump of flesh before landing on the other side, hitting the ground at a run.


    ¡°Reckless,¡± Jason said, shaking his head.


    ¡°Then why are you grinning?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I have a soft spot for poor but flamboyant choices.¡±


    The creature reacted quickly, it¡¯s body rapidly morphing. It shrank, moving into the shape of a fleshy beetle with six legs and scurrying after Sophie. Growing out of its back were four, long, skinny arms. Lengthier than its entire body, the arms were articulated by multiple joints.


    ¡°That is very disturbing,¡± Jory said. ¡°A giant flesh bug with four arms sticking out of it? I think the worst part is all those extra elbows.¡±


    Sophie led the creature on a merry chase, running away and deflecting the long, grasping hands when they came close enough to grab at her. After its initial transformation, the changes in the creature had slowed but not stopped. As it chased after Sophie, it made incremental changes to its form to help in the pursuit. The body continued to shrink the legs changed shape to better handle Sophie¡¯s speed and rapid shifts in direction. Its arms, which she continued knocking away, went from eerily human hands to long fingers with webbing stretched between them.


    ¡°Get ready to go,¡± Neil told Jason, who nodded.


    Neil chanted a spell and the overgrown plant life started sprouting masses of vines, lashing out to wrap around the creature. It¡¯s many arms and legs were bound up, along with its long body, completely arresting its movement. Jason emerged from a shadow, slicing the back of his hand with the razor hidden in a wristband for the purpose. From the wound, a pile of Colin spewed out onto the flesh abomination, the leeches immediately digging in with their horrifying rings of teeth.


    System messages scrolled before Jason¡¯s eyes in rapid succession, notifying him of the afflictions Team Colin was placing. Most were resisted but Jason¡¯s familiar power was increasing, as was his resistance-penalising aura. He gleefully noted that as many as one in three afflictions were taking hold, which was better than previous bronze-rank encounters. With sheer numbers of Team Colin, the flesh monster was quickly loaded with afflictions.


    Colin only had a few moments to lay in afflictions before the abomination altered its form, undertaking another massive, rapid transformation. Shifting from the horizontal alignment of a hexapod to an upright biped, four of the six legs shrank away while the remaining pair grew bulky and strong. Its body became larger and heavier, the fleshy exterior growing thick, tough skin with protrusions of razor-sharp bone poking through. The four arms grew shorter but more powerful, the webbed hands replaced with savage claws. The result was something like a hairless, four-armed gorilla, covered in elephant skin with bony blades growing out of its body.


    The new skin was too much for the leeches to bite through. The blade-bones sliced through many of the vines and it pulled itself free of the rest brute strength. The vines tried to entangle it again but the creature powered free of their grasp, shedding leeches like droplets of water in the process.


    During the transformation, Jason was not idle, taking the opportunity to lay in with his spells. They lacked immediate impact and were repeatedly resisted but were quick to cast. By the time the abomination broke free and resumed its angry pursuit of Sophie, Jason had afflicted it with his key powers.


    The abomination was now loaded up with ongoing necrotic damage from Colin, plus bleeding and blood poison that would reapply the bleed effect every time it absorbed enough healing to end. This was important as the abomination had altered itself to accelerate healing in an attempt to adapt to Jason¡¯s afflictions.


    The other pillars holding up Jason¡¯s house of affliction were the sin affliction, which increased all necrotic damage suffered and inexorable doom, which added to any affliction in place. The combination of leech necrotoxin and the necrosis-accelerating sin both increasing over time was a multiplicative escalation of the damage, while the bleeding and anticoagulant leech toxin kept the monstrosity¡¯s regeneration in check.


    The escalating effects of Jason¡¯s afflictions had placed the abomination¡¯s life on a clock. That left the question of how much damage the abomination could inflict before that clock ran out. In the immediacy, the creature¡¯s inevitable demise was not apparent as the abomination thrashed at the leeches still falling off its body.


    Jason retreated to the shadows and recalled the leeches, which started disappearing as they contacted the blood on the hand he lowered to receive them. They were quite spread out, however, and could only slowly make their way to his hidden position. The flesh monstrosity lacked the intelligence to follow their direction to Jason¡¯s hidden location. His cloak melded him perfectly into the shadow, hiding him even from whatever senses the flesh monster relied on without eyes or ears.


    The abomination furiously stomped on leeches to little avail, as they had been quite scattered by the monster shaking them off. Unable to catch the elusive Sophie, it stopped. It''s four arms and the bony protrusions retracted as its body returned to a more blob-like shape, while keeping the thick hide. Welt-like marks started appearing all over its surface, with tiny bone needles shooting out in every direction a moment later.


    Keane used his shield to shelter Jory, Neil and himself. Neil had cast his giant¡¯s might spell on Keane shortly after Sophie had begun combat and the shield-bearer was twice his normal size, as was the conjured shield in front of him. It was Sophie, Jason and Colin who should have taken the brunt of the attack, but Neil was on the ball, a bubble-like shield snapping up around Sophie. It only lasted a moment but a moment was all she needed to shift behind a tree with her mirage step power. The after-image left behind by her ability didn¡¯t seem to fool the abomination¡¯s eyeless, earless senses and it didn¡¯t keep attacking her.


    Jason¡¯s hidden position meant Neil couldn¡¯t see him to provide another shield, leaving Jason as the only person who didn¡¯t avoid the attack. The needles that dug into him were light but they were also a bronze-rank attack. They pierced through his cloak and, in many places, the armour underneath. All Jason had time to do was turn his body away from the attack and shield his face before the needles struck, ducking behind a tree as more of the bone needles poured out of the abomination.


    Team Colin took the worst of it, with only a fraction of the leech mass having returned to Jason before the rest were skewered with bone needles. Some, still clinging to the abomination, had been shot off by needles. Most were exposed on the ground and riddled with needles.


    Generally, Jason didn¡¯t have to worry about the welfare of team Colin. Very few monsters had the kind of area attacks that could pose a danger to the regenerating leech swarm. Jason had only absorbed a fraction of Colin¡¯s full mass, which would take a day or two to replenish itself in the safety of Jason¡¯s bloodstream.


    As the accelerated healing Jason received from Colin was based on how much of the mass was currently residing in his blood, the effect would be significantly reduced until the leech swarm recovered. Fortunately, the healing they offered had grown stronger as Jason¡¯s familiar power advanced, so what was a reduced effect now was similar to when he first obtained the ability.


    While all the afflictions were locked in and its death was now inevitable, the abomination was, for the moment, still full of life. The necrosis was causing patches of blackened flesh to ooze blood but the monstrosity did not yet appear impeded. Of its opponents, Jason and Sophie were hidden and what remained of the leeches were dead. That left Keane, Neil and Jory to its attentions and there was no hiding Keane¡¯s enlarged body. The abomination morphed again, bulking up and dropping to four powerful legs as a huge, bony spike emerged from the front. It now resembled a rhino whose entire head was a horn and it started charging directly at Keane.


    It was building up speed quickly as it charged, but it was no match for Sophie who emerged from her hiding spot and raced ahead of it. Putting herself between the monster and the others, she was suddenly thrown violently sideways as Jason emerged from a nearby shadow, crash-tackling her out of the way, letting the monster pass.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Sophie yelled at him as he extricated herself from his rough embrace.


    ¡°Your ability can only stop so much, remember?¡± Jason yelled at her. ¡°Trust your allies.¡±


    Sophie glared at him, then down at the arm, remembering the broken mess it had been the last time an attack overwhelmed her defensive power. That had taken even her magic power the better part of a day to heal and the flesh monster¡¯s charge would certainly have been more powerful.


    Neil, Jory and Keane had been moving and fighting through the city together for several days. With monsters so thick on the ground, that was enough time and enough fights to find each other¡¯s combat rhythms. It was an unusual mix, with no dedicated damage dealer, but Neil and Jory both had powerful buffs that could turn Keane into a walking fortress.


    Already giant-sized from Neil''s spell, Neil gave him another spell, bolster, that would enhance his next active essence ability use. Jory, meanwhile, had a cluster of small, clear orbs floating around him. Materials started floating out of his pockets and belts, floating in front of him. Trace elements mixed with a substance he conjured out of thin air, resulting in a small, red blob that one of the orbs floated over and absorbed. The orb them flew over to Keane, passing straight through his armour and being absorbed directly into his flesh.


    Jory had three powers that were the basis for his effectiveness as a field alchemist. The orbs were an ability called eldritch eyes, which could deliver potions across a battlefield, to enemies and allies both. The orbs also allowed him to safely scout at a distance, a valuable support skill for any team.


    His telekinetic power, potion mystic, allowed him to alter and combine ingredients without touching them, turning Jory into a walking alchemy workshop. It wasn¡¯t an ability that replaced a real workshop for making proper potions, but for working on the fly it was perfect.


    The reason Jory could throw out potions without exhausting his materials was the universal reagent ability. It conjured a versatile potion base he could use to make short-lived potions using only trace elements, letting him save materials compared to regular potion-making. These quick potions rapidly became inert if not used, but took only a fraction of the materials a regular version of the same potion would. This allowed Jory to massively output potions, a key element of both his clinic¡¯s financial viability and his sustained effectiveness in the field.


    So long as he didn¡¯t overuse his material-hungry shape-changing power, he could carry enough materials for numerous encounters. With the versatility of his potions, Jory could be a makeshift healer, buffer, debuffer and even throw around some afflictions using poison and other noxious concoctions.


    Between Jory and Neil¡¯s buffs, Keane was as ready as he could be for the monstrosity bearing down on them. Just before it hit, Neil¡¯s burst shield power bubbled into place around Keane. Keane used a power of his own that absorbed the force of an attack and turned it back on the attacker, which was boosted by Neil¡¯s earlier use of the bolster power.


    Not even the combination of buffs, Neil¡¯s shield power and Keane¡¯s enhanced ability were enough to fully withstand the raw force of the bronze-rank abomination¡¯s attack. Neil¡¯s shield popped as easily as the bubble it looked like, while the shield in Keane¡¯s hands warped and shattered, the conjured object dissolving into nothing as it broke apart.


    All their efforts in stacking defence were not in vain, however. Keane had leaned into the blow and while he was sent stumbling backwards, he stayed on his feet. The retaliatory force of Neil¡¯s burst shield and Keane¡¯s damage reflection power had blunted the abomination¡¯s terrifying momentum. Attack and defence were both spent and for a brief, oddly still moment, Keane stood looking at the motionless monstrosity.


    The moment passed, Keane conjuring a fresh shield as the monster started changing its form once more. Keane backed off, keeping himself between the abomination and the two supporters behind him as Sophie renewed the attack, opening with a wind blade before laying in with attacks. Her unarmed strike powers offered only limited damage but her two special attacks added damage to every strike. The nature of that damage was such that one type or the other would always be effective, regardless of her opponent¡¯s protections.


    With Sophie once again on the attack, the monster engaged her, shifting thick-legged quadruped with eight arms emerging from every side of its body. The arms were long and multi-jointed like they had seen before, but this time ended razor-sharp blades of bone. Sophie held her ground, a combination of stubbornness over Jason¡¯s earlier intervention and a need to give the others time to reposition.


    Bone blades lashed out at her but she dodged or deflected them with arms, legs, even her head. So long as she actively intercepted the attacks, her powers absorbed the damage. The monster might be bronze rank, but it could put only so much power into such rapid and multitudinous attacks.


    With Sophie successfully fending it off, the abomination did what it always did, shifting its form to adapt. Its arms changed into tentacles, still sporting blades at the end. It reduced the power of each attack while making them more flexible and hard to predict.


    Sophie countered by activating her between the raindrops ability, which enhanced her reflexes for a high mana cost. The result was that rather than defend less effectively, she handled the tentacles with more ease than she had the arms.


    The mana consumption of the power was high but several mitigating factors allowed her to keep it up. One was the natural ability of the celestine race that reduced the mana cost of ongoing abilities. Another was Neil, using a replenish spell to restore her mana, and Jory, quick-brewing a mana potion and floated to her in an orb. Her confrontation has allowed them to regroup behind Keane, ready should it turn on them again.


    Faced with a continued inability to harm Sophie, the abomination started shifting again, but the effects of Jason¡¯s afflictions finally made themselves known. As it tried to change shape again, its skin cracked like a rotten egg, complete with hideous smell. Black fluid spilled out onto the ground, filling the air with the only smell any of them had encountered to rival rainbow smoke for sheer nauseating power. As the monstrosity collapsed, Sophie ran off to throw up, having caught the largest dose.


    The abomination flopped wetly on the ground in a pool of its own blacked, runny flesh. It had adapted to the exponentially accelerating necrosis by isolating it, continuing the fight even as it grew inside like a hyper-accelerated cancer until there was nothing left to contain it. The group watched from afar, cloth held over their noses as what was a person, an hour ago, melted into a black, red and purple puddle.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Shade said, once again appearing amongst them. ¡°There are many that suffer so, in this place. I am grateful for any that you can put to rest.¡±

 Chapter 166: Part of Being a Team

    After defeating the flesh abomination, Jason¡¯s temporary team had grown to five. With two defenders in Keane and Sophie, two healers in Neil and Jory, Jason was their only dedicated damage source. They were heavy on sustain but light on immediate damage, with Jason¡¯s powers bringing certain, but eventual death to the monsters they encountered.


    This setup made for slower going than they might have with someone like Humphrey on hand but it wasn¡¯t without benefits. With the oversized monster groups they were encountering, fights were long and everyone¡¯s abilities were getting a workout. The results of all that practise were showing each night as at least one member of the group experienced ability advancement.


    Ability [Castigate] (Sin) has reached Iron 6 (100%).Ability [Castigate] (Sin) has reached Iron 7 (00%).All [Sin] abilities have reached [Iron 7].Linked attribute [Recovery] has increased from [Iron 6] to [Iron 7].Progress to bronze rank: 35% (2/4 essences complete).


    The top end of iron rank represented the peak of human potential in a given attribute. Jason¡¯s power and recovery attributes had both reached seven, vastly improving his cardiovascular health while making him stronger and tougher than his slight frame would suggest. As his skinny physique transitioned to lean muscle, he felt incredibly empowered.


    ¡°If it feels this good to advance through iron rank,¡± he said to the others as they prepared to set off for the morning, ¡°I can¡¯t wait for bronze rank.¡±


    ¡°Where I come from, you can randomly throw a rock and you¡¯ll hit a silver rank,¡± Keane said.  ¡°They say you aren¡¯t even a real adventurer until bronze.¡±


    They had got to know Keane over the last few days. He was a dark-skinned human, from an island city located in this world¡¯s Caribbean Sea. He had none of the arrogance they had seen from some of the imported adventurers, just looking to be the most effective member of the group that he could.


    They fell into a daily pattern. From early morning to late evening, they would move toward the centre of the city, fighting monsters as they went. At the end of the day, they would find a promising-looking building, search it for treasures and clear out any monsters lairing inside before setting up camp.


    ¡°What do you think this building was?¡± Jory asked as they regrouped from searching the latest building. ¡°Some kind of huge inn?¡±


    ¡°Brothel,¡± Neil said absently, then noticed that everyone had turned to look at him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°That was a very confident response,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You spend a lot of time in brothels?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Neil said with a sigh. ¡°Hang around with Thadwick Mercer long enough and you¡¯ll see the inside of a lot of brothels.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s seventeen,¡± Jason said. ¡°How many brothels can he have been to?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve seen the inside of every bordello in Greenstone,¡± Neil said. ¡°High class, low class; high class pretending to be low class. He doesn¡¯t care. He¡¯s spent a lot of money at the church of the Healer in the last year or so.¡±


    ¡°At least he¡¯s using paid volunteers,¡± Jason said. ¡°He gives off a very strong date-rapey vibe.¡±


    They occasionally met more adventurers, but none of those encounters led to further conflict or team-ups. There was some exchanging of supplies, with many adventurers having been separated from the team members carrying most of the team''s gear. Jory proved popular in this regard, with his specialised dimensional bag overstuffed with potions.


    They also met more vorger and flesh abominations. Building on their previous experience, by the third and fourth encounters they had a good idea of what worked and what didn¡¯t.


    ¡°We¡¯re lucky they¡¯re both fairly mindless,¡± Keane said as they discussed tactics one evening. ¡°The most dangerous thing about higher-rank monsters isn¡¯t their more exotic powers, but their intelligence.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen a few higher-rank monsters?¡± Neil asked him.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Keane said. ¡°In areas of high-magic density, we iron rankers aren¡¯t allowed to hunt by ourselves, like you Greenstone people. We get to go along and see some higher-rank monsters in action, though.¡±


    One thing Jason finally got going was practice for his execute ability. Even without burst-damage members on the team, only the toughest iron-rank monsters could actually survive enough damage for it to be effective. It was only against the bronze-rank enemies, be they the flesh abominations or regular monsters, that he could actually get some use out of it.


    The team were strong enough to handle a bronze-rank monster, but while the flesh abominations roamed alone, the actual monsters did not. With the city so saturated in magic, even normally solitary monsters were appearing in packs. In the face of this, the team¡¯s usual strategy was to make a fighting retreat, using their two defenders and two healers to keep the group intact while Jason loaded up the enemies with afflictions.


    This gave Jason the chance to use the two abilities he had the most trouble practising. They were both direct damage abilities, but neither were effective to just open up with. Both required setting up and were quite similar in their use, which, at least meant that when he could get some use out of one, he could get it from the other as well.


    Fighting a trio of monsters, the team was being pressured. Their strong defensive strategy was highly effective against iron-rank monsters, even in large numbers, but bronze-rank beasts with powerful attacks threatened to overwhelm them.


    The monsters looked like four-armed gorillas, covered in lizard skin instead of fur. They liked to climb and leap, making rapid attacks with their four arms before leaping away to set up for the next rush attack.


    Sophie and Keane intercepted each attack while Neil and Jory supported them with buffs, shields and healing. It was enough to hold on but just barely, the team''s mana being rapidly depleted as they used their abilities to the full. If it weren''t for Jory delivering mana potions and Neil''s replenishing spells, they would have already been exhausted and overrun. Jason was nowhere to be seen, although the patches of black flesh and the blood oozing from the monster''s wounds marked his active presence.


    ¡°I see what you mean by smart being dangerous,¡± Sophie said to Keane during a lull in the action. ¡°They¡¯re starting to coordinate better.¡±


    The monsters were starting to attack all at once, or attack in rapid succession with little or no pause for the adventurers to regroup, attempting to break up their formation. They had a strong defensive line and good individual synergies but the raw power of the bronze-rank monsters was beginning to beat them down.


    A pair of the monsters started hammering on Keane''s shield, which began to buckle until one of the monsters abruptly stumbled away after Jason cast a spell on it from the darkness.


    Ability: [Punition] (Doom)


    SpellCost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Iron 6 (91%).Effect (iron): Inflicts necrotic damage for each curse, disease, poison and unholy affliction the target is suffering.


    While the bronze-rank monster had inherent damage reduction to Jason''s iron-rank spell, that same damage reduction meant that the afflictions it was suffering from had time to multiplying without killing it. The result was that the spell, boosted for each one of those afflictions, ravaged the monster''s body, even through the damage reduction. The monster staggered away as dead flesh replaced healthy, passing across the creature like a shadow. Jason finished it off with his execute ability.


    Ability: [Verdict] (Doom)


    Spell (execute)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Iron 5 (38%)Effect (iron): Deals a small amount of transcendent damage. As an execute effect, damage scales exponentially with the enemy¡¯s level of injury.


    Shimmering light of blue, silver and gold shone down on the monster. Transcendent damage ignored the difference in rank and the creature dissolved directly into rainbow smoke.


    You have defeated [Grizzard].[Grizzard] has been wholly annihilated. It has been looted automatically.[Monster Core (Bronze)] has been added to your inventory.10 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    The others ignored their share of the loot that fell over them, still caught up in the midst of combat. By the time the fight was over, they were battered, exhausted but grinning in triumph at having overcome such powerful enemies.


    ¡°That sparkle power,¡± Keane said as they sprawled inside a building to hide from more monsters. ¡°You should have been using that from the start with those flesh abominations.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Those flesh abominations are hard to time it with, though. It¡¯s an execute power, so they need to be badly hurt for it to have any impact. Normally, you can see the condition a monster is in, but whatever the flesh things do to try and adapt to my afflictions hides their condition. I¡¯m just left guessing.¡±


    ¡°I like this interface power of yours,¡± Keane said. ¡°I can feel it when my abilities cross a threshold, obviously, but having it show up for me to see gives a real feeling of progress.¡±


    ¡°We appreciate your powers too,¡± Jory said to Keane. ¡°Standing in front of me and taking all the hits is something I really like in a team member.¡±


    "Being able to take the hits is nice," Keane said, "but some hits I really wish I could dodge. I envy your ability to get out of the way, Sophie. Or into the way, as you need. I''ve had plenty of times where I''m wasn''t fast enough to be where my team needed me to be. I hope they''re doing alright without me."


    ¡°Huh,¡± Clive said as a system notice appeared in front of him.


    [Jory Tillman] has been added to your party.[Imran Keane] has been added to your party.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± Valdis asked.


    ¡°It looks like some of my friends have found each other,¡± Clive said. ¡°And someone new. It¡¯s good to know they¡¯re alright.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a useful ability, working from that far away.¡±


    ¡°A lot of its usefulness is lost at this distance. Better than nothing, though. At least it lets me know they¡¯re still alive.¡±


    Valdis nodded. ¡°Far from a given, in this place.¡±


    After their traversal of the towering building, the other three members of their group were more respectful of Clive. He had proven himself multiple times, including identifying the hoard of growth items they had found at the top. Each member of the team had picked out one pair of items for themselves, from the six pairs. The rest of the team agreed that the last set should go to Clive, as the strongest contributor to actually obtaining them. That last pair was the orb and circlet, which weren¡¯t useful to Clive himself but he knew would be very useful to Neil.


    After they climbed back down the building, they set off through the city again. Clive glanced back at the building behind them, then at Valdis.


    ¡°You remind me of a friend of mine,¡± Clive told him.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Valdis asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s outgoing, like you. Good at pulling people into his own pace. You both a have a dangerous habit, though.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°You take risks, ignoring that it may be the people around you that suffer the consequences. My friend, for example, has this indentured servant he had become an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°The outworlder,¡± Valdis said. ¡°The one who made that big fuss at the meeting. The indentured servant was that gorgeous celestine?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s them,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I heard about how he had his indentured servant made into an adventurer. That¡¯s an unusual choice.¡±


    "He was trying to help her because she was a friend of a friend," Clive said. "Then he overestimated his own political acumen and almost handed her off into what amounts to sexual slavery. If you ask him, he''ll say he did it because he sympathises with her circumstances. Really, though, I think he feels guilty over what he almost dropped her into."


    ¡°I would never do something like that to someone,¡± Valdis said.


    ¡°No?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Climbing up those towers, you didn¡¯t face any real risk, but Hildebrand was literally dropped off the building.¡±


    ¡°But we got out, safe and sound, with no small reward for our trouble.¡±


    ¡°This time,¡± Clive said. ¡°But how many times can you take that kind of risk without it going wrong? And when it does, will you be the one paying the price? My friend has done a lot of good for me. His enthusiasm helped me find the part of myself I¡¯d lost that made me want to be an adventurer. In turn, I need to try and help him avoid making the kind of mistakes that will haunt him. Covering each other¡¯s weaknesses and blind spots is part of being a team.¡±


    Clive nodded his head at the other three, having their own conversation, further ahead.


    ¡°I hope your actual team isn¡¯t like them,¡± Clive said. ¡°They have skills, certainly, but you need people who¡¯ll tell you when you¡¯re wrong.¡±


    ¡°I think I do,¡± Valdis said, frowning. ¡°There aren¡¯t a lot of people in my life who¡¯ll talk to me like this, though. I don¡¯t suppose I can talk you into changing teams?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good, thank you,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure running around with an outworlder will give me plenty of chances to see some interesting things. Especially this outworlder.¡±

 Chapter 167: Making a Spectacle of Himself

    ¡°We¡¯re getting closer to the centre,¡± Jason said, looking at his map. ¡°We could get there today if we went straight for it.¡±


    ¡°That explains why we ran into so many groups, yesterday,¡± Neil said. ¡°Everyone is converging.¡±


    ¡°Do we go straight for the middle?¡± Jory asked. His abilities had been growing as fast as anyone else¡¯s, but that had never been his goal. He had gotten more than he could ask for with the alchemy recipe his previous group had come to blows over and was ready to leave. The lesser miracle potion formula would guarantee his clinic¡¯s funding in perpetuity.


    ¡°I like the training,¡± Keane said. ¡°It¡¯s like our own private monster surge, without innocent people getting caught up in it. I like the treasure¡¯s we¡¯ve been finding, too. That said, there are six days left. I vote we make for the middle and decide what to do after seeing what we find there.¡±


    Agreement with Keane¡¯s reasoning was unanimous and they set out directly for the heart of the city. The monsters, unsurprisingly, had no interest in accommodating their accelerated schedule and continued their regular attacks. They didn¡¯t stumble on anything more dangerous than they had previously encountered, however, and kept to their anticipated pace through the morning. They stopped for lunch, all sitting on the edge of a high building eating sandwiches.


    ¡°This is a good sandwich,¡± Keane said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure why you brought food along, though. Spirit coins sustain us just fine and take up a lot less space.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said, ¡°but of all the time you spend here, will you ever think back on that time you ate a spirit coin while trudging on? Of course not. You¡¯ll remember the crazy fights and the amazing treasure. The dashing affliction specialist with great hair. And now, you can look back on a quiet moment where you stopped to eat with friends and take in this amazing place. If this isn¡¯t what you became an adventurer for, then you¡¯re doing it wrong.¡±


    Keane looked at Jason, looking out at the city laid out before them with a contented smile. Keane turned to take it in himself. With Jason¡¯s words he realised that he had been so caught up from the start that he¡¯d never stopped to appreciate what he was experiencing.


    When Keane arrived on the archway tower, he had been startled to be separated from his team. Then he had formed a temporary group, only to have them fragment over treasure. After that came a new group, more cohesive than the first but also more unusual in their sensibilities. The team leader was prone to nonsensical ramblings, the celestine was somehow his indentured servant and an adventurer. The healer seemed normal enough, but Jory, who Keane had been with the longest, didn¡¯t actually seem to like adventuring. That was a distinctly unusual position for an adventurer.


    Since then, they had faced fight after fight, coming closer to death than he¡¯d like more than once. In all that time, through losing one team, then a second, only to fight his way through with the strangest of the three, he had never taken the time to really stop and consider where he was and what he was doing. Now he took the time to look out over the city, which was actually quite beautiful with nature having reclaimed the ruins. He glanced at the people sitting with him on the rooftop, eating sandwiches like it was an ordinary day.


    ¡°I wish my team were here,¡± he said.


    ¡°They are, somewhere,¡± Jory said. ¡°We get to the middle and you¡¯ll find each other.¡±


    They finished eating and resumed their course through the city. A few hours and a couple of monster packs later, a welcome message popped up in front of Jason.


    Contact [Niko Tomich] has entered communication range.Contact [Bethany Cavendish] has entered communication range.Contact [Hudson Kettering] has entered communication range.


    Jason immediately opened a voice chat.


    ¡°Beth,¡± Jason said. ¡°Are you all alright?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Beth¡¯s voice came back. ¡°Niko and I were dropped on the same tower and we found Hudson along the way. No sign of Emily or Mose, yet. How about you?¡±


    ¡°Missing two as well; Clive and Humphrey. Want to meet up?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Beth said. ¡°We¡¯re kind of stuck here, anyway. There¡¯s a bunch of people all looking for a way to the centre of the city.¡±


    ¡°Something¡¯s blocking the way?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Come find us and you can see for yourself.¡±


    Jason added them to the party, allowing him to find her with his map ability. Not to long thereafter, Jason and his group were arriving at what turned out to be a sizeable camp of adventurers. From the looks of it, some of them had been here for days. The wariness the adventurers had been treating each other with was absent here, with all looking to find a way forward.


    The Greenstone adventurers were easy to pick out from the imports, just from their auras. The foreign adventurers had clean, controlled auras. Outside of Jason and Beth¡¯s groups, most Greenstone adventurers had shoddy aura control at best.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Jason asked, after greetings and introductions between his team and Beth¡¯s.


    ¡°Some kind of plant monster infestation,¡± Beth explained. ¡°Anyone trying to get closer to the city centre than this is faced with tentacles and plant monsters crawling out of the ground. People have tried going around, but the infestation seems to be encircling most of, if not the entire the central region of the city.¡±


    ¡°How do you know it¡¯s encircling the central area and not covering it entirely?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t,¡± Beth said. ¡°We¡¯re just hoping, because otherwise, how is anyone going to complete these trials. A few groups have tried fighting their way through but we have no idea if they made it or if they¡¯re mulch, now. We know from the people who¡¯ve tried going around that there are a few camps like this one, with people gathered to see if anyone can figure out a way through. Assuming there¡¯s a way through at all.¡±


    Quest: [Reclaimed by Nature]


    Plant life has not just reclaimed this part of the city but actively defends it. Find a way past the aggressive flora to reach the heart of the city.


    Objective: Circumvent aggressive plant life 0/1.Reward: Varies by effectiveness of method.Some party members are too far away to participate in this quest. They will not receive this quest until they re-enter proximity to party leader.


    ¡°What the heck is that?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s Jason¡¯s ability,¡± Sophie said. ¡°He gets free stuff for doing what he was going to do anyway. It¡¯s basically a scam.¡±


    ¡°I can drop you out of the party if you don¡¯t want to participate,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I can drop you off a building,¡± Sophie told him.


    ¡°I can float down, remember?¡±


    ¡°Not if I knock you out first.¡±


    ¡°Look, I love some sexually-charged banter as much the next girl,¡± Beth said, ¡°but we have a bunch of plant monsters to deal with.¡±


    While Jason and Sophie looked at Beth with matching expressions of silent affront, Beth turned her attention to Jory.


    ¡°You¡¯re an alchemist, right? Plant monsters can often be handled with alchemical solutions, so is there anything you can do.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Jory said. ¡°I¡¯ll need to know what we¡¯re dealing with before I can look at solutions.¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of impressive adventurers, here,¡± Neil said. ¡°I have to imagine someone knows something.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a little council, of sorts,¡± Beth said. ¡°Each team sends one or two people to discuss a way past it. People are trying all sorts of things, so we¡¯ve been meeting every few hours to talk about results.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that going?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bunch of adventurers used to getting their own way, so about as well as you¡¯d expect.¡±


    ¡°Jory,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re about as close to a plant expert as we¡¯ll get. Beth, can you take us around to people with firsthand knowledge of this thing?¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Beth said. ¡°I told you that some groups have tried to make it through. Some didn¡¯t come back, so we don¡¯t know if they made it through. Others tried and came back when things got too rough.¡±


    Jason nodded his thanks, and suggested the rest his group to ask around, see what they could find out. While the others roamed the camp, Beth took Jason and Jory to speak to some of the other teams, Jory taking notes on anything they could tell them. After speaking to enough teams that they were just getting the same information over again, they regrouped to take stock.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Jason asked Jory.


    ¡°This is potentially very bad,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°How so?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°I think what we¡¯re dealing with might not be plant monsters,¡± Jory said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of something like what¡¯s been described to us before, and that wasn¡¯t a monster at all. It was a magical plant.¡±


    ¡°You think these plants have taken over this section of city?¡± Keane asked.


    ¡°Not plants,¡± Jory said. ¡°Plant, singular. One single, massive plant mass, buried underground and sending up parts of itself to find prey.¡±


    ¡°Prey?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Since when are plants predatory?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of predatory plants,¡± Jason said. ¡°The one on my world are small, though. They lure in bugs, that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°The one I¡¯m thinking of is bigger,¡± Jory said. ¡°Much bigger. It takes centuries, but they have been known to grow to the size we¡¯re looking at, here. It thrives underground, slowly expanding. It forms symbiotic relationships with the other plant life in the area, which become like sensory organs for it. Then its starts preying on anything that wanders into its area. Animals quickly learn to avoid it and it goes dormant. It lets the animals come back, waits until the area is teeming, then strikes. Tentacle vines and spawned, semi-independent plant creatures.¡±


    ¡°And you think this is what we¡¯re dealing with?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t know that for sure,¡± Jory said. ¡°It¡¯s what I can think of that fits.¡±


    ¡°You think this whole section of city has a giant plant monster under it? One monster?¡±


    ¡°Not a monster,¡± Jory said. ¡°We know from the people who fought them that the spawned plant creatures are iron-rank, while the tentacles, which will be appendages of the main body, are bronze rank. No bronze-rank monster spawns that big, or occupying that much space underground.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it called?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s called a blood root vine,¡± Jory said. ¡°It¡¯s named that because it straddles the line between plant and animal, with its predatory behaviour and blood sap. That was what really gave it away, when people started saying the tentacles bled when cut. The sap of a blood root vine is almost identical to blood and has a number of alchemical uses. Most of the big ones you hear about are from alchemist grow houses that were abandoned and the blood root vine slowly expanded until someone found it again. It¡¯s a story that goes around in alchemy circles but you never actually expect to see it.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do about it?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Assuming I¡¯m right,¡± Jory said, ¡°the key is the main body. That means an underground root network. From what I hear, when clearing out a blood root vine that¡¯s gotten out of hand, there¡¯s two ways of handling it. One is to dig the whole damn thing up and burn it. That¡¯s logistically infeasible, especially in five days. I have heard, however, of another method. A method we have the good fortune to have on hand.¡±


    Jory turned a pointed look on Jason.


    ¡°Me?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You,¡± Jory said. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee the authenticity of this story, but I have heard of using afflictions to infect the main body and rot the whole thing. You have to get underground, at the root system itself, though. If you just try it on the tentacles, it will let the tentacles fall off to protect itself.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already tried that,¡± Beth said. ¡°There¡¯s a few people in camp who can use afflictions, including me. We blasted a chunk out of the ground and poured every affliction we had into the roots. They withered up, but it didn¡¯t spread.¡±


    ¡°Were any of you focused affliction specialists, like Jason, or were they all area abilities like yours?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°Area, like me,¡± Beth said. ¡°Not to put you down, Jason, but who afflicts one person when you can affect whole groups.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your problem,¡± Jory said. ¡°We¡¯re talking about a plant spread over an area the size of Old City. The afflictions you fed it were like trying to turn the sea yellow by taking a sneaky wee in it. You need afflictions that grow worse and worse, faster and faster, instead of petering out.¡±


    ¡°Will my afflictions even work on it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°We¡¯ve seen a few plant monsters since we got here and my abilities have been very inconsistent on them.¡±


    ¡°They should,¡± Jory said. ¡°As I said, the blood root vine is more akin to animals than other plants.¡±


    ¡°Blood is one thing,¡± Jason said, ¡°but to get the kind of damage escalation we need, I¡¯ll need my curses. That requires a soul, or at least the motive spirit most monsters have instead of one.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee anything,¡± Jory said, ¡°but once it reaches a certain size, it even has a dim, animalistic intelligence. Hopefully it¡¯s close enough to an animal that there is something inside it for your curses to told hold of.¡±


    ¡°And if it doesn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Then we get out and come up with something new,¡± Beth said. ¡°Unless you have a better plan, we may as well try.¡±


    ¡°The trick will be getting access to the root system,¡± Jory said. ¡°You said you had someone who can open up a hole in the ground?¡±


    They all turned to Hudson, the large man who served as the front-liner for Beth¡¯s team. He had been staying quiet through the conversation, leaving things like planning to Beth. His earth powers were the most prominent abilities in his power set.


    ¡°It¡¯s not me,¡± he said. ¡°I have the earth essence, but not a hole-digging power.¡±


    ¡°It was another earth user,¡± Beth said. ¡°We can get her again.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Beth, talk to this council you mentioned. See if you can¡¯t find us some extra muscle to fight our way in with. Jory and I will try and get more specific about what we can expect when we try this.¡±


    ¡°What about the rest of us?¡± Keane asked.


    ¡°Get some rest,¡± Jory said. ¡°This thing will be relentless in fighting back against us. You¡¯ll need all the stamina you can muster.¡±


    The group they gathered had twenty six members, including the five from Jason¡¯s group and three from Beth¡¯s. Keane had found a member of his own team in the camp and pulling him into the endeavour, along with that team member¡¯s own temporary group. Aside from that was another earth essence user and a few more people Beth had wrangled into participating.


    The region of the city occupied by the plant was more overgrown than other parts of the city. The buildings were mostly rubble, the paved streets long overturned by roots and other plant growth. As they moved into the area, tentacle vines crawled out to the ground to ensnare legs, thorns covered in soporific toxin biting through skin. The team fought back, cutting away vines as healers purged the poison, a task in which Jason participated using his own cleansing power. It was highly effective, although the way Jason consumed the cleansed afflictions did not go unnoticed.


    ¡°Did you just say ¡®feed me your sins?¡¯¡± another adventurer asked him.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people chanting spells,¡± Jason said. ¡°You probably misheard.¡±


    A variety of plant creatures came shambling into the attack. Plodding mounds of fibrous matter that whipped at them with tentacle arms, they weren¡¯t very dangerous but they were tough, their numbers swelling as the group struggled to put them down as fast as new one appeared.


    ¡°This should be far enough!¡± Jory yelled after he determined that they should have definitely made their way over the root system.


    ¡°Alright!¡± Beth called out. ¡°Everyone knows what to do. Gather on me!¡±


    The group pulled in tight on Beth as Hudson, beside her, started casting a spell. Shortly after, a stone dome rose up out of the ground in two halves, closing over them. As it sealed them in, crystals embedded in the dome lit up the interior with luminescence.


    The other earth user called for more room and the people inside the dome moved up against the walls. The creatures outside were shut out, but tentacles still came up through the ground. Beth designated a team to protect the earth user while she used her spell to dig. Her spell did not take long and soon gobbets of wet earth were geysering out of the ground and over everyone inside the dome.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she called out. ¡°I don¡¯t normally do this indoors.¡±


    With the earth user¡¯s spell completed, Jason glanced at Jory, who nodded back. Jason then walked up to the hole, even as more tentacles crawled from the ground to attack the people under the dome. Beth directed the people who had been shielding the earth user to switch their protection to Jason. Looking in the hole was a vertical tunnel from which the wet ground had been excavated. Left behind, scraped but intact by the digging spell, were thick roots, looking like thick green and yellow veins.


    ¡°Moment of truth,¡± he muttered to himself. Loaded up with every buff the whole group could muster, he chanted a spell.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    A crack appeared on the thickest root, blood red sap trickling out. The sap was, as Jory surmised, close enough to blood that Jason¡¯s ability took hold.


    Special attack [Haemorrhage] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Blood Root Vine].


    ¡°Now the real test.¡±


    He chanted another spell.


    ¡°Carry the mark of your transgressions.¡±


    Spell [Castigate] has inflicted [Sin] on [Blood Root Vine].Spell [Castigate] has inflicted [Mark of Sin] on [Blood Root Vine].[Blood Root Vine] have resisted [Mark of Sin].[Mark of Sin] does not take effect.


    Transcendent damage burned a symbol into the root as the spell took hold. The bronze-rank vine resisted one of the effects, even with all the buffs Jason was under, but it was the one Jason didn¡¯t need. He let out a relieved breath, then remembered he couldn¡¯t afford to relax as a thorny vine wrapped around his leg.


    Special attack [Vine Thorn] has inflicted [Subjugating Toxin] on you.You have resisted [Subjugating Toxin].[Subjugating Toxin] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].


    Before Jason could cut away the vine, one of his protectors had done it for him.


    ¡°Need a cleanse?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°All good, thanks,¡± Jason said, turning his attention back to the hole.


    He cast another curse on the vine, which it resisted, then a second and third time before it took hold.


    [Inexorable Doom] has inflicted [Inexorable Doom] on [Blood Root Vine].


    Jason held a hand out, slicing it with his wrist razor. Leeches went spilling down into the hole.


    ¡°Sorry to drop you in a hole, Colin. See if you can¡¯t suck some blood out of that vine.¡±


    At another of the adventurer camps around the aggressive plant zone, Clive and Valdis watched a heavily injured group retreat from the danger zone.


    ¡°I think you were right to urge caution, Clive,¡± Valdis said. ¡°It looks like something has set the vines right off.¡±


    Previously, the tentacles would only emerge from the ground to attack intruders. Now, however, they were erupting from all over the ground, thrashing about wildly.


    ¡°I think something is happening to them,¡± Clive said. ¡°Are you seeing those black patches?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    They watched as the black patches grew larger, some vines even rotting and falling dead to the ground.


    In another part of the city, Humphrey and his temporary team were deep into the territory of the aggressive vines. Their intention had been to fight their way through, but the deeper they went, the more plant monsters and tentacles appeared to meet them. They were a powerful group but they were slowly being overwhelmed.


    ¡°Do we keep pushing forward, or go back?¡± Carly called out, panic tinging her voice.


    ¡°Forward,¡± Lowell called back. ¡°There has to be an end to it. We could be almost clear.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no guarantee of that,¡± Humphrey countered. ¡°We go back.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t make it back,¡± Lowell objected. ¡°We have to risk it.¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t¡± Humphrey held firm, not pausing as he hacked away at the tentacles. ¡°Our chances may be slight but at least we know there is one, going back.¡±


    The tentacles started growing more and more numerous but flailed wildly, rather than grab at the adventurers as they had done previously.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Carly asked.


    ¡°Something¡¯s rotting the tentacles,¡± Lowell said, and as he said, pointing to where the tentacles were turning black from the base. Some rotted away and dropped dead, even as more emerged from the ground. Then a silver, blue and gold light lit up all the tentacles, dissolving them to nothing. As it did, the plant monsters became inert collections of plant matter.


    ¡°Was that transcendent damage?¡± Carly asked.


    ¡°It was,¡± Humphrey said.


    They looked around, seeing that whatever had destroyed the plants around them had affected everything within sight. Hurt and exhausted,  they dropped to the ground to rest.


    ¡°What do you think did that?¡± Carly asked.


    ¡°Not what; who,¡± Humphrey said with a smile. ¡°I know who did this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling us some iron ranker did all this?¡± Lowell asked.


    ¡°I know these powers,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They belong to a man who can¡¯t help making a spectacle of himself. Thankfully.¡±

 Chapter 168: Team Change

    Only seven groups had managed to breach the centremost region of the city before the blood root vine had been killed. One was made up of people with flight powers. Such abilities were mana intensive at iron-rank, requiring them to chug mana potions as quickly as they could without poisoning themselves and stopping to rest atop every building not reduced to rubble by the plants.


    Another was made up of adventurers from a jungle kingdom who had managed to find their entire original team. They had come up as adventurers fighting plant monsters and decided to bet on their abilities and experience to get them through. It was even worse than they expected; a seemingly endless, unrelenting slog until they finally reached ground not bursting with tentacle vines. They were hurt and exhausted, their willpower and supplies both spent. It was a near thing, but their experience, teamwork and mutual trust had seen them through.


    Of the five remaining groups to get past the plants, all had found methods to do so when searching buildings around the perimeter of the zone. For some, this was an active search. Having concluded that the plants were a part of the test, they reasoned that the means to pass it had to be somewhere. For others it was serendipity, stumbling onto a way past the plants while searching for treasure.


    Only two of the groups had come through in the original teams they had before entering the astral space. Separated at the start of the trial, like everyone else, they had found each other in one of the camps. One of these teams included Padma, Farrah¡¯s former mentee. Filled with determination after finding one another, they had no illusions of fighting their way through and looked for another path. Their intensive searching finally turned up an abandoned alchemy workshop, containing bottles of a liquid that repelled the plants.


    However they arrived, each group was elated to have made it past the aggressive plants. Their efforts were difficult and costly but they knew that same difficulty made each team who struggled through more likely to be the ones who snatched the prize. It was largely to their dismay, then, that other teams started reaching the middle en masse, mostly in waves from the three camps. It quickly became evident that one of the camps had found a way to kill off the plants entirely.


    Compared to the rest of the city the adventurers had been making their way through, the true centre of the city was much more intact. The buildings were still empty, time and the wet air corroding away anything not magically sealed. It was also a relatively small area, allowing separated team members to reconnect as the three camps worth of adventurers swarmed in.


    All the adventurers ended up in what Jason¡¯s map marked as the very centre of the city. There was a vast open space, like a city square, with a circular tower in the middle. This was the one building anyone had seen in the city with no signs of damage whatsoever and was both wide and tall. Every adventurer who attempted to get close to the tower encountered a disorienting magical field which sent them staggering back. This was true approaching from above, one flier getting injured as the field tossed them away through the air. The invigilator, Shade, finally appeared to announce that the tower would open on the final day of the trials, several days hence.


    Previous conflicts were largely put aside as the adventurers arrived in the square. People found their original teams, even as they celebrated new bonds, forged in the fires of shared adversity. Not every reunion was happy, as someone started organising the counting of the fallen. Those who had collected remains returned them to their teams, where possible. Some teams had fallen entirely, while others lacked the resources to carry the caskets of their dead.


    Others weren¡¯t dead but gone, having used their escape medallions to preserve their lives at the cost of further participation in the trials. Shade appeared to inform teams which of their members had escaped to safety. While many of the adventurers were able to reconstitute their teams, others were once again looking for new companions in the face of their originals teams being absent or dead. Some, left alone, used their escape medallions to leave the astral space behind.


    Humphrey¡¯s team staggered into the city, ragged from their narrow escape. If it wasn¡¯t for Humphrey hacking through the plants like a maniacal, magically-empowered lumberjack, they wouldn¡¯t have survived to see their reprieve as the plant monster died. Heading into the city, afterward, they had collected up the bodies of two separate groups that had died trying the same crossing.


    The group, aside from Humphrey, were four of a team of six, having the luck to mostly arrive in the city together. They thanked Humphrey, sober in the knowledge that without him they would have been amongst the fallen. Lowell had lost much of his arrogance on their trek through the city. Humphrey still didn¡¯t like him, but they shared the respect of dangers weathered together. The group set out to find their remaining team members in the growing crowd as Humphrey went to find Jason and the others.


    Clive, Valdis and the rest of their temporary team arrived in a far better state than Humphrey. After the dangers of the tower, Clive had won the rest of the team over against Valdis¡¯ proposal to fight their way through. Clive had proposed seeking out alternate means forward but the plant zone had cleared before they had the chance. They had an easy time passing through the rubble of what had previously been the plant-infested region. They were wary of danger, but the surviving jungle was made up of regular plant life. It was even monster free, courtesy of the now-dead carnivorous plant.


    Clearing the zone, Clive was glad to hear from his team over voice chat. He announced his intention go find them, signalling the end of their temporary alliance. Each member of the group was from a different teams and had their own people to find, but Abarca, Campos and Hildebrand were reluctant to part from Valdis. Their teaming with the prince was an opportunity they were loathe to relinquish, each seeking to secure promises of meeting up after the trials. Valdis, clearly no stranger to such encounters, saw them each away smoothly. He, in turn, secured a promise of future dealings from Clive.


    Jason already had two of his team members, thus waited for Humphrey and Clive to find them. Keane, who now had one of his own team with them, made friendly farewells before they went to find the rest. Jory was about to head off and seek out his own team, who were all fellows from the various crafting associations. Shade promptly appeared to inform him that every other member of his team had used their escape medallions, so Jory remained with Jason.


    There was only an hour or so of good light left. There were days left to seek out the city¡¯s treasures and everyone took what was left of the day to reorganise. Adventurers reconnected with their teams, collected their dead and sometimes made new teams again. Many teams had members who were dead or, for preference, safely extracted via escape medallion. As when they first arrived, then, temporary teams were built from the scraps of those that remained.


    Jason had the fortune to have all his team survive to regroup. As he used his map and the voice chat power to collect his team, he did the same for Beth Cavendish¡¯s absent team members. They were the archer, Emily, and Beth¡¯s cousin Mose, who had both arrived safely in the heart of the city.


    Many groups were staking out territory around the square, Jason and Beth¡¯s team doing the same while waiting for their disparate members to find them. Groups were rapidly claiming the largely intact buildings that were closest and they picked out a five storey building that turned out to be a square around an open space in the middle. The courtyard inside meant that every floor of the building was splashed with natural light.


    As they were taking stock, another group tied to bully them into giving it up, Beth and Jason going outside to meet their challenge. One of the team went pale when Jason responded by manifesting his cloak, rapidly whispering to the others. Jason and Beth shared a querying glance as they watch the group mutter in a huddle. The one who had recognised Jason cloak was using some very aggressive body language.


    ¡°What are they saying?¡± Jason asked quietly. ¡°You have that elf-ears power, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an elf ears power!¡± Beth hissed back at him.


    ¡°Yeah, but you have it, right?¡±


    ¡°I can hear them, yes.¡±


    ¡°So, what are they saying?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re talking about that ridiculous rumour about you killing a bunch of adventurers in a shopping centre.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s claiming you killed six people.¡±


    ¡°It was only five,¡± Jason said. ¡°I bet people think six because there were twelve of them and people just say I killed half.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Beth asked, turning on Jason. ¡°That actually happened?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know? Thadwick sent some bottom-feeder thugs to kill me so I wouldn¡¯t reveal his shady land-grab scheme.¡±


    ¡°So you killed them?¡±


    ¡°Some of them,¡± Jason said defensively. ¡°If you¡¯re fighting twelve guys and they think you aren¡¯t willing to kill them, they aren¡¯t going to back off.¡±


    ¡°You really beat twelve guys?¡±


    ¡°They were all rubbish,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of them even had a full set of powers.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a full set of powers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but they didn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with¡­¡±


    Beth trailed off as the other group finished their conversation.


    ¡°My friend here thinks you¡¯re some kind of hard man,¡± one of them challenged Jason.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t really matter what I am,¡± Jason said. ¡°My friend Humphrey is standing behind you with a sword bigger than you are, so I suggest you jog on, cobber.¡±


    The man turned to find Humphrey standing there, as promised, with his dragon-wing sword slung over one shoulder.


    ¡°Yeah well,¡± the man said as he shuffled off to leave, waving a finger at Jason with transparent bravado. ¡°You should count yourself lucky.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Are you holding a raffle?¡±


    They watched the group leave, Humphrey dismissing his sword with relief.


    ¡°I hate putting it over my shoulder like that,¡± he said. ¡°It feels like I¡¯m going to tip over the whole time.¡±


    ¡°It was just right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Casually intimidating, like you might kick the snot out of them as a hobby.¡±


    ¡°You do have very large arms,¡± Beth said.


    ¡°They are quite large, aren¡¯t they?¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you do any special exercises?¡±


    ¡°We train together,¡± Humphrey said, giving him a flat look. ¡°You know exactly what exercises I do.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying you rub special oil on them when no one¡¯s looking?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jason dropped his cloak and headed back into the building, calling out loudly.


    ¡°Hey Jory! Have you been selling Humphrey special arm oil?¡±


    Three more teams ended up joining Jason and Beth¡¯s in the building they shared. Valdis was his bombastic self, inviting himself and his team in as Clive tried to explain Valdis to the others.


    ¡°Imagine Jason, if his father was a diamond rank king,¡± Clive said as Valdis was already picking out rooms for his people.


    ¡°Two of them?¡± Neil asked. ¡°I¡¯m going up on the roof.¡±


    Neil made himself scarce and Valdis was happily introducing himself, picking each person out from Clive¡¯s descriptions. A celestine woman on Valdis¡¯ team, Sigrid, was quietly apologising for him.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason told her. ¡°If Clive says he¡¯s alright, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame me for this,¡± Clive said. ¡°I never said it was fine.¡±


    Jason and Sigrid both looked at him.


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s fine,¡± Clive conceded. ¡°He¡¯s just, you know, a lot. One of you is bad enough.¡±


    ¡°Indentured servant,¡± Valdis was saying as he greeted Sophie with enthusiasm. ¡°That¡¯s strange. It¡¯s not rude to say that, right? I mean, it is strange. Look at me, though. It¡¯s not like being a prince with an eight-hundred year-old father is normal.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sophie said, ¡°but one is strange in that people give you everything you could possibly want and the other is strange in that people keep trying to give me to sleazy men.¡±


    ¡°I can see how that¡¯s different,¡± Valdis said. ¡°Now that you say it, though, I have heard some stories about the prince of Calute and a rather unconventional cattle market¡­¡±


    ¡°Val,¡± Sigrid said pointedly, cutting him off.


    ¡°Right, yes. Not meant to talk about that. Lovely to meet you though.¡±


    The next group to find them and more politely ask to share accommodation was Keane¡¯s. Keane¡¯s team leader was clearly in two minds, but Keane had been insistent. On discovering the presence of Prince Valdis, Keane¡¯s team became significantly more enthused.


    The last team to join was that of Padma. The team from Vitesse had already been in the city when most of the teams arrived and had heard a lot of stories while everyone else was reorganising themselves. Padma was keen to hear more about Farrah from Jason and had convinced her team to ask if they could share the building.


    That made for thirty-one adventurers, turning the excessive five-story building into a comfortable fit. With so many people, Jason decided to have an impromptu celebration for reaching the centre of the city and recruited Valdis to get everyone involved. Shortly thereafter, all five groups were on top of the roof, music playing courtesy of a recording crystal from Valdis¡¯ collection.


    ¡°I kind of just wanted to sleep,¡± Beth said.


    ¡°I think everyone just wanted to sleep,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°So why are we having a party?¡±


    ¡°We were outvoted by Jason and the prince.¡±


    ¡°How do two people outvote twenty nine?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Humphrey said, ¡° but I think we may need to keep those two apart.¡±

 Chapter 169: Company Worth Keeping

    Since they were the impetus for the rooftop party, Jason and Valdis provided the supplies. Jason set up a buffet, putting out a couple of tables, an array of large bowls full of food, tongs and a stack of plates. He also laid out a good supply of drinks, tapping casks of wine, beer and mead.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only got a dozen mugs,¡± he announced, ¡°so I hope you all have something to drink out of.¡±


    Valdis raided the dimensional space of his offsider, Sigrid, from which he retrieved a small sea of cushions so no one was left sitting on the hard, stone roof. He also supplied glow stones as the day¡¯s light died and recording crystals full of music. Jason and Valdis stood side by side, looking over the setup with satisfaction.


    The thirty adventurers were mingling, all sharing the exhaustion of having traversed the city. Beth¡¯s cousin, Mose, approached Jason and Valdis, standing next to them to likewise survey their efforts.


    ¡°Not bad for an ancient city in the middle of a sealed-off astral space, right Mose?¡± Jason asked happily.


    ¡°This is what you brought to explore an astral space that was home to an ancient order of assassins?¡± Mose.


    Jason and Valdis shared a nodding glance.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Getting your priorities right is important in the adventuring game,¡± Valdis added.


    Of the five teams, Valdis¡¯ were the most standoffish, clearly unsure why Valdis was choosing to camp with local teams over more well-known groups. Sigrid took him aside to advocate making connections with the more prominent teams. She knew full well the futility of trying to direct him, but knew that if she started early, then he might actually start to listen sometime in the next few days.


    ¡°I¡¯m a prince of the Mirror Kingdom,¡± Valdis told her. ¡°If I want to meet big-name adventurers, I can do that any time.¡±


    ¡°Val, it isn¡¯t about meeting,¡± Sigrid told him. ¡°It¡¯s about making connections.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Valdis told her, laughing again. ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, Sig. You make connections when someone¡¯s already a big deal and they become someone you know. Make the connection when they¡¯re a nobody and they become a friend.¡±


    ¡°Correct me if I¡¯m wrong, but you only really know one of these people, right? What makes you think they¡¯re worth making friends with?¡±


    ¡°Call it an instinct,¡± Valdis said. ¡°I¡¯ve spent enough time with Clive to get a sense of the company he keeps and that it¡¯s company worth keeping. Danielle Geller¡¯s son is here; you can¡¯t complain about that. And that Asano is worth keeping an eye on. Dangerous, that one.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sigrid asked, casting a sceptical look in Jason¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Tell me this, Sig,¡± Valdis said. ¡°You have two men who carve through people like a butcher with slabs of meat, taking on opponents in job lots and leaving seas of blood behind them. Both have mastered murderous skills that kill quickly and horrifying powers that kill slowly. One of those men spends his days dressed all in black, barely speaking. The sobriety of a killer. The other cleans himself off, has a nice meal with his friends and gets a good night¡¯s sleep. Which of those two men would you keep an eye on?¡±


    ¡°You seem fairly certain about someone you just met.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s like me, I can feel it,¡± Valdis said. ¡°The way he watches people. The way he seems to be off-kilter but is actually being controlling. I¡¯m not sure he even realises how much he¡¯s doing it. There¡¯s something dark inside that boy and he doesn¡¯t want it to be who he is. I know that feeling. Ask around and I bet you¡¯ll find he¡¯s dropped bodies that weren¡¯t monsters.¡±


    ¡°I already have,¡± Sigrid said. ¡°And he has. Should I keep an eye on him?¡±


    ¡°No, just tell the boys to behave. He¡¯s not intimidated by my background.¡±


    ¡°He should be.¡±


    ¡°Be nice, Sig. Outworlders make good friends and terrible enemies.¡±


    Night fell and they activated the glow stones they set up earlier. Thirty-one tired adventurers, stuffed with food and plied with drinks lounged on the cushions in the warm night air. With full bellies and full cups, Valdis¡¯ team had finally loosened up as well.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Valdis, said with exaggerated, drunken pomp.


    ¡°Your royal princeness,¡± Jason greeted back.


    ¡°I have heard tell,¡± Valdis said, ¡°that the rather inconvenient plant monster we encounter was a single, giant entity. I¡¯ve also heard that you are the one that killed it.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t, strictly speaking, a monster,¡± Jason said. He had bronze rank booze he could have used to get drunk but didn¡¯t want to risk the hangover.


    ¡°As for being the one who killed it,¡± Jason continued, ¡°I was far from the one behind it. There were twenty-five more people there. If it had just been down to me, we¡¯d all still be in the outer city, scratching our bums.¡±


    ¡°But your abilities were what destroyed it.¡±


    ¡°It was just a lucky confluence of enemy and the specific nature of my abilities,¡± Jason said. ¡°It could just as easily have been completely immune.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the treasure you got from it,¡± Emily said. The archer from Beth¡¯s team hadn¡¯t been present to participate, hearing about the shared quest from her team mates. Niko, the smoulder from Beth¡¯s team who had been present laughed.


    ¡°You should have seen everyone¡¯s faces,¡± he said. ¡°One moment we¡¯re fighting for our lives against all these thorny tentacles, and the next, treasure starts falling out of the air. A bunch of items, even essences. I got hit in the head by a whole sack of plant quintessence gems. A sack! It was crazy.¡±


    ¡°People got a bit crabby that we were the only ones who got loot,¡± Neil said. ¡°Jason ended up sharing out the spirit coins. The ones that everyone saw, anyway. Those of us with dimensional spaces split the extra between just our teams after.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we do a little showing off?¡± Beth suggested. ¡°I¡¯ll start.¡±


    She stood up, picking up the dimensional bag next to her and taking out a long robe, holding it in front of her. It was green and brown with a forest motif, hanging like a dress. the colours setting off the pretty elf woman¡¯s tawny skin, chestnut hair and vibrant green eyes.


    ¡°Bronze-rank spellcaster robe,¡± she said with a bright smile. ¡°It enhances plant abilities and poison.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, where did this come from?¡± asked Lance, the leader of Padma¡¯s team. ¡°A looting power?¡±


    ¡°Neil and I both have looting abilities,¡± Jason said, cutting off anyone from giving more of his abilities away.


    The people who participated in the plant monster raid went around one at a time, revealing their haul from the quest to get past the plant. The results of not just bypassing the plant but eliminating it entirety had made for impressive compensation. There were sets of armour, weaponry and items that affected essence abilities, usually with some kind of plant aspect. Hudson, the earth-essence user from Beth¡¯s team, had received a wrist band that looked like a looped vine and added effects to his earth conjuration powers. Jason had looted a similar-looking vine wrist band that could produce a variety of vine conjurations.


    All the magical equipment was bronze rank, like the plant creature, so none of them could use theirs, yet. Instead, they had a jump on useful items for when they ranked-up. Then there were the essences, Jason taking out a pair of green cubes and setting them down in front of where he sat, cross-legged, on his cushion. They were both green, one ephemeral and swirling, like the cube was full of liquid. The other was appeared more solid, like an opal with a rich green colour as its base underpinned by lush, overlapping shades of darker green.


    ¡°Plant and growth essences,¡± Jason said. ¡°Both fairly common.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t there a third one?¡± Beth asked.


    ¡°Indeed there was,¡± Jason said, taking a third cube from his inventory with a flourish and laying it next to the others. It was the blue of an open summer sky, complete with clouds that seemed to float through the cube.


    ¡°Vast essence,¡± Jason said. ¡°This one¡¯s as rare as they come.¡±


    ¡°How much do you want for it?¡± Valdis said immediately, eagerly leaning forward.


    ¡°What do you say, Clive?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Should we cut him a deal?¡±


    ¡°Gods, no,¡± Clive said. ¡°Bilk him for everything you can.¡±


    The group broke up into laughter at the exaggerated look of affront Valdis turned on Clive. The loot reveal continued as everyone showed off their hauls from their journey through the city, accompanied by stories of the tribulations faced to get those treasures.


    The storytelling culminated with Valdis and Clive retelling their tower ascent and the items they found at the top. Valdis regaled them in the form of an epic saga, Clive drawing laughs as he periodically interjected with more grounded descriptions. Finally their story reaches the incredible find of growth items at the base of the buildings statues, Valdis pointing out to Clive that it was exactly the kind of haul he had told them would be there.


    They ended the story with a presentation to an incredulous Neil of the last pair of items. The first was a fist-sized orb and the other a circlet of gold with a blue gem set into the forehead. With Jason¡¯s ability, Neil could immediately see their effects. He started by looking over the orb.


    Item: [Sentinel¡¯s Orb] (iron rank [growth], legendary)


    An object with the power to refine barrier energy to its most perfect form (tool, orb).


    Effect: Increase the effect of shield-based essence abilities.Effect: Cooldown of shield-based essence abilities is reduced.Effect: If wielding both [Sentinel¡¯s Orb] and [Sentinel¡¯s Crown], your shield abilities bestow a heal-over-time effect.


    ¡°Well that¡¯s just ridiculous,¡± he said, then looked at the circlet.


    Item: [Sentinel¡¯s Crown] (iron rank [growth], legendary)


    The headpiece of the king of guardians (accessory, circlet).


    Effect: Mana recovery is increased. Mana recovery rate is increased briefly after using a shield-based essence ability.Effect: Mana cost of shield-based essence abilities is reduced.Effect: If wielding both [Sentinel¡¯s Orb] and [Sentinel¡¯s Crown], your shield abilities bestow a mana-over-time effect.


    ¡°And so is that,¡± he said, looking up at Clive. ¡°You can¡¯t just give me these.¡±


    ¡°Of course I can,¡± Clive said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. ¡°You¡¯re on our team.¡±


    Neil looked around at his other team members. Humphrey nodded encouragingly. Jason had the usual, self-satisfied grin that gave Neil a near-constant urge to punch him in the face. Sophie simply shrugged.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Neil said to Clive. ¡°Really, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Pay us back by keeping us alive,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°And you¡¯ll need to buy some new clothes,¡± Jason said. ¡°A gold headband with a honking great gem in the middle is a bold look. You¡¯re going to have to dress around it.¡±


    The next day saw adventurers washing through the city centre like a flood. The more intact nature of the buildings would seem to indicate more remnant treasure but a day of teams turning up nothing more than a few essences and awakening stones between them proved otherwise. The teams in Jason¡¯s building did not participate in the day¡¯s searching, in no small part due to hangovers. Valdis had been eager to participate but his team was loyal rather than obedient and collectively told him to shove off before crawling back into their camp bedding.


    Those who had weathered the night¡¯s festivities better were still exhausted from days of every moment not spent fighting still being in full combat readiness. They were happy to join the hungover in staying inside their bedrolls until the sun was high in the sky. In the late morning there was group meditation session on the roof, Valdis leading a dozen adventurers through a sword-dance meditation, much like the one Rufus had taught Jason. Given the athletic attractiveness of adventurers in general, Jason felt like he¡¯d somehow joined a group of models doing tai chi in the park.


    The adventurers that had scoured the central city shared the fruitlessness of their search as they mingled in the tower square in the evening. Most teams would be searching further afield the following day, returning to the outer city where treasure hunting that had proven more rewarding.


    Jason and Beth¡¯s teams elected to stay put, waving off Keane, Padma and Valdis¡¯ teams in their ¡°quest for epic loot.¡± Rather than risk something else happening, Jason and Beth¡¯s groups chose to spend their time recovering their best form before the final trials unlocked.


    Beth, Humphrey, Jason, Clive and Neil were spending a languid afternoon in the shade of their building¡¯s top level. They were sat by a window on some cushions Valdis had left behind after the party. The side of the building was open as if there was a missing bay window, allowing them to look out at the central tower within which the final challenges of the trials were located. From the roof above, they could hear Sophie practising with the rest of Beth¡¯s team.


    ¡°Why do you think all the rest of the trials only become available on the last day?¡± Beth pondered.


    ¡°Clearly, the city itself is the core component of the trial,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I assume the tower has more direct, specific tests. Shade did tell us at the start that the purpose of the trials was to test for five virtues. Choosing whether or not to take the items he offered was the first trial and reaching the tower was the second. Presumably there are three trials remaining, inside the tower.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about the next one,¡± Neil said. ¡°The trial for those who chose courage is meant to be easier, now. I didn¡¯t use the items Shade gave me. It makes me wish I hadn¡¯t taken them.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°We all took bold steps to make it this far. Would we have, if we didn¡¯t have some live-saving protections? Even with them, people died. I¡¯m not sure I would have been willing to take the risks I took without them.¡±


    ¡°Did any of you choose the courage path?¡± Clive asked. ¡°I know Valdis did.¡±


    The others all shook their head.


    As the sun set, Shade appeared before them.


    ¡°Greeting, adventurers. I am appearing before you all to announce that the second trial is coming to an end in one day. Anyone present in the tower square at the centre of the city when the sun goes down tomorrow will pass. Those who have not reached it at that time may leave by escape medallion. Those who do not have the medallions will be provided with them. They must be used before the trials completely close, however, or you will be trapped inside. As a final note, the reward for the second trial will be granted tomorrow as the second trial concludes.¡±


    ¡°One more day,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It was good to relax and recover, but should we join the treasure hunting tomorrow?¡±


    ¡°Bad idea,¡± Sophie said, coming down some nearby stairs. She was covered in sweat and poured herself a glass of juice from the refreshments Jason had set out.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the last day for treasure,¡± she continued after a hearty swig. ¡°It¡¯s also the last day to quietly remove the competition. Either way, there¡¯s a good chance we¡¯d have to kill some people before they killed us if we went out there. I think I¡¯d rather stay here.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we could socialise with the other adventurer groups who stayed behind, like us,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Most of my family¡¯s teams occupied a couple of building not far from here and some of the other foreign adventurers were nearby.¡±


    ¡°Not the worst idea,¡± Beth said. ¡°I¡¯m curious about this trial reward, though. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Specialty equipment, maybe?¡± Clive postulated. ¡°This place was originally a trial ground for assassin trainees, right? It would make sense that they would receive some kind of reward for joining the order, like a uniform or something.¡±


    ¡°Would secret assassins have uniforms?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Probably not, now you say it,¡± Clive conceded.


    ¡°Awakening stones,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m certain Emir knows more than he told us and he implied to me more than once that there would be a chance at some unusual awakening stones.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Clive said, sitting up enthusiastically. ¡°The great astral beings can¡¯t make essences the way that gods can, but they can produce their own awakening stones.¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in divine essences and awakening stones,¡± Jason said. ¡°The idea of some god repossessing my magic powers doesn¡¯t appeal.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s the interesting thing,¡± Clive said. ¡°The stones the astral beings produce aren¡¯t divine stones that the astral beings can revoke. They¡¯re just ordinary awakening stones whose aspect aligns with the great astral being in question. I¡¯ve used some of them myself, although the Celestial Book is a lot more approachable than the Reaper. The question is, what kind of powers would a higher-dimensional death entity grant?¡±


    ¡°Powers like Jason¡¯s I¡¯d have to imagine,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll just have to wait and see,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t imagine we¡¯ll be using them until the trials are over, though.¡±


    ¡°That would be the sensible approach,¡± Clive agreed. ¡°People are going to get impatient to find out what they do, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet there are a bunch of people who¡¯ll be annoyed at how long it takes to reveal what the awakening stones we¡¯ve found here do.¡±

 Chapter 170: He Who Fights With Monsters

    In the heart of the city, a crowd of adventurers were gathered in the tower square as the sun dipped below the horizon. Clumped into teams, they formed a ring around the grand tower in the centre of the square. While the plain brickwork of the tower was uninspiring, its sheer height and width left it looming over everything else in the central city.


    Jason¡¯s party was now reformed, with the addition of Jory, whose own group had already escaped the trials. The teams of Keane, Valdis, Padma and Beth were all gathered around them, waiting with everyone else for the next stage of the trials.


    Quest: [The Second Trial]


    Objective complete: Reach the centre of the City of Fallen Echoes 1/1.                                           Quest complete.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.[Ritualist¡¯s Umbrella] has been added to your inventory.


    The other members of Jason¡¯s team also received items. Humphrey and Clive both had personal storage spaces for them to appear in, while Sophie, Neil and Jory¡¯s rewards dropped out of the air. They started comparing items.


    ¡°Mine is a belt that accumulates power as I move,¡± Sophie said, already slipping it around her waist. ¡°I can unleash the gathered power as one attack.¡±


    ¡°I got a wand that conjures and throws metal needles,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Can you use wands?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Yes, I have the same power to use items that Clive has,¡± Jory said. ¡°But I¡¯m not high up in the Magic Society, so I can¡¯t requisition magic vehicles whenever I like to go swanning about the delta.¡±


    Clive gave the back of his head an embarrassed scratch.


    ¡°If you all got such good stuff, why did I get an umbrella?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°An umbrella?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said, pulling it out of his inventory. It did look high-quality, with a shaft and tines of a pale blue, lightweight metal. The cloth was thick and a much darker blue than the shaft. When Jason opened the umbrella, he discovered a magical diagram drawn onto it in silver.


    Item: [Ritualist''s Umbrella] (iron rank, epic)


    An device made to improve the convenience of using the rituals in the field (tool, umbrella).


    Effect: When open will float in the air and follow the person who opened it.Effect: Repels liquid while opened, while extracting breathable air from surrounding liquids. Can be used for underwater travel, but provides no means of propulsion.Effect: Harmonises nearby ambient magic while opened, sufficiently to make iron and bronze-rank rituals easier to enact. The use of nearby magic can disrupt this effect.


    ¡°I take it back,¡± Jason said. ¡°This thing is awesome.¡±


    ¡°We might want to deal with this later,¡± Neil said. ¡°We¡¯re drawing a little bit of attention.¡±


    As Neil said, the nearby adventurers were all looking in their direction.


    ¡°Good looking out, Neil,¡± Jason said as he put the umbrella away.


    Not long after, the attention of the adventurers was diverted from Jason¡¯s group to their actual purpose in being there as Shade appeared. Not just one of him, but one for each adventure team present


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± the Shades said. They spoke quietly but their voices carried through the square, eerily layering the words. ¡°You have survived the second trial and the time has come for rewards.¡±


    The Shades handed out black awakening stones, one for each adventurer. There was almost no sensation of pressure from it in their hands, as if it wasn¡¯t really there. The black of the stone wasn¡¯t as much a colour as an absence, the same light¨Cdevouring darkness Jason¡¯s cloak could achieve.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of the Reaper] (unranked, legendary)


    An awakening stone sharing affinity with the Reaper. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 3 unawakened essence abilities.


    ¡°Highest rarity,¡± Clive said with excitement. ¡°That means the list of abilities it could awaken is much smaller than normal, usually restricted to just one or two types.¡±


    Jason and Clive were not the only adventurers with the power to identify items and a susurrus moved over the crowd as word spread that they had all received a legendary awakening stone.


    ¡°You seem excited for someone who can¡¯t actually use his,¡± Neil said to Clive.


    ¡°Clive¡¯s more interested in new knowledge than new power,¡± Jason.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Clive said. ¡°Do you know how rare this opportunity is? Information about the rarest essences and awakening stones is incredibly limited because only so many people ever get to use them, and those people might have no interest in helping the Magic Society fill out their records. But look at how many people we have here! We¡¯ll get so much information on who got what power, across different races and essences. This is going to be great.¡±


    ¡°What will you do with your stone, then?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Until we have better records,¡± Clive said, ¡°I can only assume that an awakening stone of the Reaper will best fit Jason.¡±


    Clive lightly tossed his stone to Jason.


    ¡°Thanks, Clive,¡± Jason said brightly.


    ¡°Well, I know you¡¯ve been holding off on new awakening stones for a while,¡± Clive said. ¡°Also, an extra sample of what an outworlder gets from it would be very appreciated.¡±


    ¡°Now your motivations become clear,¡± Jason said. ¡°I suppose next you¡¯ll be asking for chunks of flesh, to compare outworlder flesh with regular peoples.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a bad idea, now you say it,¡± Clive said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. ¡°Something out of the torso would be best, maybe slice a bit off the internal organs.¡±


    ¡°Not a chance,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We could heal you right back up.,¡± Clive said. ¡°Right, Neil?¡±


    ¡°As long as I get to watch you cut the bits off, I¡¯m willing to participate.¡±


    ¡°I said no.¡±


    ¡°We could put you into a magical sleep,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°You so much as try it and I¡¯ll do you to the Adventure Society for necromancy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in the same position of having awakened all my abilities,¡± Jory said, pulling the conversation back on track. ¡°I think I¡¯ll give my stone to Belinda, since she¡¯s going to be getting her own essences, soon.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°The next trial,¡± the Shades said arresting everyone¡¯s attention, ¡°will test wisdom or courage. For those who chose the path courage in the beginning, your boldness shall be rewarded now. The test of wisdom is now before you and you may take it without fear. Should your judgement be insufficient to the task, there is no danger in failure. You shall simply be led from the trial grounds in full safety.¡±


    The tower the adventurers were surrounding was blank brickwork, but with a loud grinding of stone, that began to change. Bricks pushed out from the walls or retreated back, forming a series of rectangular doorways. Every second doorway opened, retracting slowly up into the ceiling to reveal dark passages beyond. The others remained closed, the brickwork marking their positions.


    ¡°Those who selected courage,¡± the Shades said, ¡°choose a door and step through. Each must face their trial individually and you must each choose a door for yourself, and yourself alone.¡±


    ¡°Is it just me, or does the weird voice thing make it all the more portentous?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong, the ancient tower of trials in a ruined interdimensional city has portent enough to be going on with, but it really seems to cap it off.¡±


    ¡°Is he always like this?¡± Sigrid asked.


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Humphrey told her.


    Sigrid looked from Jason to Valdis, letting out a light shudder.


    Shade¡¯s words had brought up a buzz from the adventurers who, having just reunited their teams, were required to split up again. It was not long before the first person stepped forward to accept the challenge. Predictably enough, it was Valdis, with others quickly following. They only made up a fraction of the gathered adventurers, with only one in five or six having chosen the path of courage from the start.


    The adventurers picked their doors and passed through, the stone sliding slowly back down behind them. In one case, however, the door slammed back down, not behind the adventurer but on top of him, easily crushing him to death.


    ¡°The test of wisdom is for those who have already chosen courage,¡± the Shades announced. ¡°Those unwilling to take the test of courage will be allowed to leave in safety. Those who seek to move forward without proving their courage will see that choice also demonstrates a failure of wisdom.¡±


    A number of other adventurers moving forward scurried back to the main group.


    When the last of the adventurers to move had chosen a door or returned to the group, the remaining doors closed and the alternate doors opened.


    ¡°The trial of courage is not for the uncertain,¡± Shade warned. ¡°You will each encounter an entity known as a nightmare hag. These are diamond-rank entities from the astral that have no physical existence in this place and cannot harm you directly. What they can do is warp the reality around you, manifesting that which you fear most. If you are unable to face this fear, it will most certainly kill you.¡±


    Short lines of dark energy appeared on the ground, all around the tower. Rising up from the lines were a series of archways, each made from a single piece of glossy obsidian. The dark lines from which they emerged rose up to fill the archways with consuming darkness, making each archway identical to the ones that first brought the adventurers into the city.


    ¡°These shadow gates will return you to the archway towers,¡± the Shades announced. ¡°If you do not wish to face the next trial, these gates will return you to the archway towers. You may then use the tower gates to leave the city. If you so wish, you may take this final day to further explore the city, but know that if you remain here when the sun sets tomorrow, then here you will stay.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m out,¡± Neil said as soon as Shade stopped talking. ¡°I¡¯m not foolish enough to think I can beat out all these other adventurers and I¡¯m not going to die trying. Also, getting killed by your own fears is literally the worst way to die I can imagine.¡±


    ¡°As am I,¡± Clive said. ¡°For exactly the same reasons.¡±


    ¡°Me too,¡± Jory said. ¡°Between the recipe I found and enough plant quintessence to fill a wheelbarrow, I¡¯ve gotten everything I could want and more from this place.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going either,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯ve managed to avoid some unpleasant fates over the last year and I have no interest in some magic ghost lady throwing me into everything I fought so hard to escape.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just you and me, Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°My family has sheltered me from a lot. I¡¯ve never been confronted with the kinds of challenges you faced, Sophie. If I¡¯m going to be a good adventurer, I need to face up to my fears, whatever form they take.¡±


    Quest: [The Third Trial]


    The trial of courage will put you face to face with your greatest fear. Resolve will see you through, while a lack of will shall see you dead.


    Objective: Successfully confront your greatest fear.Reward: Random magic item.


    ¡°I know what my greatest fear is already,¡± Jason said. ¡°It isn¡¯t a threat to me.¡±


    ¡°That suggests it isn¡¯t actually your greatest fear,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, ¡°it is. See you all on the other side.¡±


    With that, he marched off for the open doors. Humphrey nodded a farewell and did the same. Along with many other adventurers, they each picked a doorway and walked through. The doors closed behind them with finality.


    Humphrey regained consciousness sprawled in soft earth. His head rung and his body ached. The air was full of noise and thick with the taste of blood. Shrieks of fear and pain were punctuated by the screeches and roars of monsters.


    He scrambled to his feet, casting his gaze around. He didn¡¯t know where he was at first, then realised he hadn¡¯t recognised his home because it was half-collapsed and on fire. He was outside the main building, surrounded by the corpses of people he recognised. Some were burned, others savaged by monsters, all laying dead where they fell.


    He could see a half-dozen monsters just from where he stood, and heard many more beyond. He started moving, calling his sword into his hands. He began a slaughter, one monster after the other but there was no end to them. As he fought his way through the grounds he found only the monsters and the dead. His team, his friends, his family. Finally he found his mother, clinging to the last vestiges of life.


    ¡°You were supposed to be the best of us!¡± she accused with a ragged dying breathe. ¡°You weren¡¯t strong enough! You failed us¡­¡±


    As he watched her die, monsters were charging in on him. Instead of fighting, he let his sword drop from his hands, casting his gaze around at the monsters lunging at him.


    ¡°No,¡± he said flatly, his face stony and eyes sharp. ¡°I won¡¯t let this happen. I will be strong enough.¡±


    The world around him shimmered like a mirage and vanished, leaving him in the dark. He took out a glow stone, revealing his location as a circular room made from the same brickwork as the tower. Shade was standing nearby, as was a cage with silver bars etched with gold runes. Inside was a figure that looked a lot like Jason in his shadow cloak, although this creature¡¯s cloak of darkness seemed ragged and torn. There were two ways out of the room, both stairwells alcoved into the walls. One led up, the other down.


    ¡°Congratulations on passing the third trial,¡± Shade told him.


    Jason followed the stairs up into a dark, circular, empty room. There was another stairwell, alcoved like the one he stepped out of. Down the stairs and into the room came a person, Jason himself, but different. His features were more handsome, with a greater resemblance to his brother. His combat robes were more elaborate and in shades of dark purple and gold, instead of grey. At his hip was a sword, matching the one on Jason¡¯s own. On his head was a simple crown of dark gold.


    The two Jason¡¯s moved closer, sizing each other up.


    ¡°My humble beginnings,¡± the other Jason said. ¡°Fancy meeting me here. But you knew you would, just like you know that one day, you¡¯ll be me.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t inevitable.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I? Maybe if you gave it all away and led a quiet life, but we both know you won¡¯t. You¡¯ve got that hero complex. That need to feel important.¡±


    Other Jason laughed.


    ¡°You can¡¯t hide it from me,¡± he continued. ¡°You¡¯ll follow this life and you know you¡¯ll have to make the hard choices. You¡¯ll keep making them because deep down, you like them. You like how important it makes you that you¡¯re the one in the middle of everything. And sooner or later, that leads you to me. What¡¯s the saying? He who fights with monsters should look to it that he does not become a monster?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t pretend you¡¯ve read Nietzsche,¡± Jason told his double. ¡°You got that from a video game.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m you from the future,¡± the double said. ¡°I¡¯ve done all kinds of things you haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But you haven¡¯t read Nietzsche,¡± Jason said. ¡°Turning evil didn¡¯t change me that much.¡±


    The double laughed. ¡°Fair enough. But I¡¯m not evil, you know. I¡¯ve just lost my illusions.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with illusions. Justice is an illusion. Civilisation, morality. They¡¯re illusions we all agree to share because they make us better.¡±


    ¡°Do they really? You think people won¡¯t disappoint you? They always fall short. I have the power to fix that and you will too.¡±


    ¡°Is that what the crown¡¯s about? You¡¯re some kind of tin-pot dictator?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Other Jason said. ¡°Democracy is a pack of gullible idiots being exploited by the selfish and immoral. When you have the power to take control, you can fix things.¡±


    ¡°Can I?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You were right about people always falling short and that includes us. I¡¯ve fallen short plenty, but you¡¯ve clearly fallen all the way down.¡±


    ¡°So you think now. How many bad days are you from becoming me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s from Batman,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not even good Batman.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like The Killing Joke? I forgot what a social justice wanker I used to be.¡±


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯re done,¡± Jason said, ¡°I¡¯m definitely not turning into you.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Other Jason asked, moving closer with a  sinister grin. He stopped as they each realised the duplicate was taller, then Other Jason gave off a smirk.


    ¡°Looks like I¡¯m better than original recipe in every way. Do you want to measure¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know Kaito¡¯s still taller than us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I dealt with our dear, older brother. The man married the love of our life.¡±


    ¡°How are you not over that when I am? Also, if you break up when you¡¯re nineteen, it wasn¡¯t the love of your life. It was the love of your adolescence.¡±


    ¡°You keep telling yourself that because you¡¯re too weak to do anything about it,¡± Other Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll get stronger, never fear.¡±


    ¡°Really? Never fear, during a fear trial? Evil me has some weak jokes.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m just a physical manifestation of your fears,¡± Other Jason said. ¡°Anything I do is on you.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you meant to be menacing me?¡±


    ¡°Would it work?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s good that I seem to have gotten over that chuuni phase.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it got pretty bad there,¡± Other Jason conceded.


    ¡°If you¡¯re the future me, did I ever get home?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not actually from the future,¡± Other Jason said.


    ¡°Right. You¡¯re a manifestation of my potential future self.¡±


    A third figure shimmered into place. It was a figure made of darkness in a ragged cloak.


    ¡°Kill him!¡± it hissed at the duplicate Jason.


    ¡°Ooh, Mum¡¯s not happy,¡± Other Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the.. what was it called?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Nightmare hag. Yeah, that¡¯s her. She doesn¡¯t really have control of what she conjures up and she¡¯s not very bright. Why would I kill you before you¡¯ve had the chance to turn into me. That¡¯s like your fears vanquishing themselves.¡±


    ¡°KILL HIM!¡± the hag hissed again, the sound filling the chamber. The duplicate¡¯s hand twitched in the direction of the sword at his hip, his face twisted with sudden fury. His hand finished the movement to the sword, which he drew, turning a furious gaze on the hag.


    ¡°NO ONE TELLS ME WHAT TO DO!¡± he roared, lashing out with the sword. It slashed through the ephemeral hag and both she and the duplicate vanished. In their place were shade and an empty cage.


    Quest: [The Third Trial]


    Objective complete: Successfully confront your greatest fear 1/1.                                           Quest complete.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.[True Light] has been added to your inventory.


    ¡°Congratulations on passing the third trial,¡± Shade said as Jason took out his new item to examine. It was a fist-sized lump of golden crystal.


    Item: [True Light] (diamond rank, rare)


    True light of the sun, trapped in a single moment (consumable, crystallised light).


    Effect: Consume to release the true light of the Sun.


    Jason raised an eyebrow at the rank of the items, although he wasn¡¯t sure how useful it would be. Maybe it produced some kind of powerful, burning light, but he couldn¡¯t use it to tell.


    ¡°Was the test meant to go like that?¡± Jason asked, putting the item away again.


    ¡°It is what it is and goes how it goes,¡± Shade said. ¡°Assassins adapt to their situation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an assassin.¡±


    ¡°Yet here you are, taking an assassin¡¯s trials.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true. I¡¯ve been thinking something was off about this whole thing for a while.¡±

 Chapter 171: Irreconcilable Ideals

    Shade led Jason upstairs into a square room. The stairs emerged from an alcove in the middle of one wall, with a sealed door on the opposite wall. The walls to either side were covered in square panels marked with what looked like scrambled segments of constellations. On the walls and floor were images of constellations that were whole and in order. Jason was about to enter the room when Shade stopped him.


    ¡°Once you enter this room,¡± Shade warned, ¡°the next trial shall begin.


    Quest: [The Fourth Trial]


    The trial of intellect will test whether your mind is not just sharp enough, but calm enough to save you from a grisly fate.


    Objective: Successfully solve the puzzle room.Reward: Random magic item.


    ¡°The virtue this trial will test is intelligence,¡± Shade continued. ¡°If you fail to pass this test within the time limit, you will die.¡±


    ¡°Again with the succeed or die?¡±


    ¡°The Order of the Reaper needs those who are not just intelligent, but who can use their intelligence under pressure. An intellect that fails when it matters the most is worthless. Though the Order may be gone, it is their trials that remain and their standards you must reach.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the time limit?¡±


    ¡°That will become clear once the trial begins. If you wish to withdraw at this point, you may. I will call a gate and allow you to leave. Once you have accepted the trial, however, I will not do so again. The remaining questions, then, become how smart do you think you are, and are you right?¡±


    Jason took a long, calming breath as he looked into the room.


    ¡°That¡¯s a tricky question, isn¡¯t it?¡± Jason said. ¡°People have a tendency to overestimate their own intelligence and I¡¯m sure I¡¯m no different. I mean, I think I¡¯m pretty cluey but do I really believe that deep down?¡±


    ¡°You have the day to complete the final trials,¡± Shade said as Jason pondered over how much of his self-confidence was warranted. ¡°You have time to consider.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m good,¡± Jason said, rolling his shoulders as he steeled his resolve. ¡°If I¡¯m going to be the kind of adventurer, the kind of person I want to be, I¡¯m going to face tougher challenges than this.¡±


    Shade stepped aside and Jason went to move forward, then stopped.


    ¡°Actually,¡± he said, ¡°I think I will take the time to stop and consider.¡±


    Shade was an indistinct silhouette, yet Jason somehow got the sense of a wry smile coming from the shadowy invigilator.


    ¡°Very well, Jason Asano. When you are ready to begin, step into the room.¡±


    Shade vanished and Jason turned to the room. He started looking over the patterns of constellations on the ceiling and the floor, then comparing it to the walls. From the looks of it, he had to slide the square wall panels to make the correct patterns, based on the complete patterns on the ceiling and floor. He looked over it all, looking for matches and differences, seeing how the patterns matched up.


    The pattern on the floor was different to the pattern on the ceiling. His first thought was that the trick was figuring out which wall would match which pattern and then matching them, but as he kept looking, he realised that neither wall had the correct pieces to match the patterns. Having realised it wasn¡¯t about matching the images, Jason looked at the constellations for other kinds of patterns.


    Finally, his face cracked a huge grin. The constellations, he realised, were just a disguise. The stars themselves made up a numerical pattern. Looking over the walls to make sure, he spent a goodly amount of time making sure he could make the whole room fit the pattern, then stepped inside.


    The moment his foot touched the floor, a stone slab started descending to seal the alcove, locking him in the room. The patterned wall then started rumbling, slowly moving towards one another with a rumbling of stone.


    ¡°Wall crush puzzle room! Wait, focus, Jason!¡±


    He rushed to one of the walls and started sliding the panels. They were heavy but slid well, apparently well-lubricated in spite of their centuries of disuse. Having already mapped out the patterns he needed, he worked quickly as the wall pushed slowly towards him. He finished the first wall and after quickly checking over his work, moved to the other.


    The walls were closing in slowly but the room was already a third smaller than when he began. Seeing that, he realised that stopping outside the room was a required part of the test. Not only would he be pushed for time if he came in not already knowing what to do, but the enclosing walls were already hiding portions of the ceiling and floor patterns.


    He went to work on the second wall, practice allowing him to move faster. He slid the final panel into place with relief but the walls didn¡¯t stop moving.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked, looking over the walls in a panic.


    ¡°This is right, this is right!¡± he told the empty room as his eyes skittered across the patterns. ¡°This is wrong!¡±


    He madly started sliding panels while admonishing himself.


    ¡°Four comes before five, idiot! You are not getting crushed to death because you don¡¯t know how counting works!¡±


    Having corrected the pattern, the walls stopped, the room half its original width. Jason let out a shuddering breath as the walls started retracting.


    Quest: [The Fourth Trial]


    Objective complete: Successfully complete the puzzle room 1/1.                                           Quest complete.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have[Summoner¡¯s Die: Form] has been added to your inventory.


    Shade appeared next to him.


    ¡°Congratulations.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°The whole wall-squeezing thing was a bit panic-inducing but the puzzle wasn¡¯t that hard. More of a third-person, narrative-driven-shooter puzzle than a puzzle-game puzzle. The kind where as soon as you solve it, it turns out the bad guys were following you all along and the room fills with faceless mooks to kill.¡±


    Jason looked around, hopefully.


    ¡°The last test isn¡¯t a bunch of faceless mooks pouring in here, is it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said. ¡°Anyone can learn to fight, which is but a facet of what the Order required from its members. You have demonstrated wisdom is accepting the tools to survive, capability in crossing the city, courage in confronting your fear and intellect in solving the puzzle room.¡±


    The door at the end of the room slid upwards, revealing another stairwell.


    ¡°The final virtue to be tested is resolve,¡± Shade explained. ¡°Members of the Order of the Reaper would be required to operate alone for extended periods. Far from home, often living false lives, it is easy to lose focus on the mission. Only the most resolute were allowed into the Order. Proving their resolve was always the final test of the Order.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound at all ominous,¡± Jason. ¡°Up the stairs, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Before moving on, Jason pulled out his new item for a look. It was a clear gemstone cut with twelve facets, with each facet having a different symbol engraved on it. His translation ability told him what the symbols meant, each one the name of a different animal.


    Item: [Summoner¡¯s Die: Form] (iron rank [growth], legendary)


    An eldritch tool for altering the nature of summoned creatures (tool, die).


    Requirements: Summoning power.Effect: Rolling this die while enacting an iron-rank summoning power will randomly alter the form the summon takes.Can be used in conjunction with [Summoner¡¯s Die: Element] and [Summoner¡¯s Die: power]. Using more than one die of the same kind will negate the effects of all dice.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Jason said, looking over the description. ¡°Growth item, plus it¡¯s a D12. Shame I don¡¯t have a summoning power.¡±


    He put it away and followed Shade through the room and up the stairs into a huge, circular chamber with a high ceiling. It was blank brick, except for the ceiling, where numerous holes , wide enough for a person to fall through, led up and into darkness.


    ¡°That¡¯s an impressive ceiling,¡± Jason said. ¡°I mean, all those holes can¡¯t be great for structural integrity but there aren¡¯t any supporting pillars in a room this big. Architects must have it easy with magic to fall back on.¡±


    ¡°The final test,¡± Shade said. ¡°As with the first, there is no danger, only a choice. There is no puzzle, only the will to move forward. There is no obstacle; you need only the resolve to do what you must in order to go forward.¡±


    A metal clanking echoed down through the holes in the ceiling, followed by the descent of frosted glass cylinders, suspended from chains that lowered them to the floor. One cylinder came down from each of the dozens of holes, coming to a rest on the floor. There was no light but Jason¡¯s ability to see through darkness allowed him to see clearly. Inside each cylinder was a human-shaped silhouette.


    All at once, the cylinders cracked open, a person dropping out of each, deposited alongside a cloud of frosty air. The people were unconscious, bound hand and foot with a power suppression collar around each of their necks. Most were humans, elves or celestines, but there were others scattered through as well; smoulders, runics, leonids and draconians. They were all dressed for combat, although none had weapons.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°When the Order was testing their initiates, the initiates were forced to fight their own friends and companions to prove they were willing to do whatever the order asked of them. To represent the Order is to subordinate your own principles to what the Order requires of you.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Jason said. ¡°They were actually fighting a projection or some kind of facsimile. Just enough to prove they were willing, without throwing away good initiates.¡±


    ¡°It was as you say,¡± Shade told him. ¡°When the churches attacked the Order¡¯s final hiding place, they did not take it easily or without cost. These people are some of the prisoners that were taken from the attacking forces and imprisoned in this place. They were placed here as a new test of resolve.¡±


    ¡°You want me to execute these people?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They have been held here for centuries, trapped in a magical state where they do not age, do not think, do not feel and do not die. The companions who left them behind are no doubt mostly dead and gone. Now it is their turn. Show that you have the strength of will to put down the order¡¯s enemies.¡±


    Quest: [The Fifth Trial]


    The invigilator of the trials has asked you to execute the Order of the Reaper¡¯s enemies.


    Objective: Show your resolve.Reward: Random magic item.


    ¡°Not a chance,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You would show them mercy,¡± Shade said, ¡°but they had no mercy to show. They did not restrict themselves to slaughtering the Order¡¯s membership. Most of the people living in the final fortress were servants whose only crime was a lifetime of diligence. Their families, their children. These people spared none of them.¡±


    ¡°Which makes them terrible people, assuming you aren¡¯t straight-up lying to me,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to execute a bunch of people on your say so.¡±


    Jason moved to the closest person, kneeling down to examine her. She was wearing robes styled for combat like his own, but white with brown flourishes. They were dirty and stained but he could still make out the symbol of the Healer embroidered into them.


    ¡°The Healer,¡± he murmured to himself. That didn¡¯t match the picture that had been painted of intolerant churches striking out in ignorance. ¡°Revisionist history. How shocking.¡±


    She was unconscious, her skin pale, clammy and shivering. Jason put a hand to her face and felt her cheek.


    ¡°If this is some kind of projection or double, it¡¯s a pretty damn good one,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill these people.¡±


    ¡°They are deserving of death.¡±


    ¡°Says you, who I don¡¯t know that well.¡±


    ¡°It is this, or leave.¡±


    Jason stood up, turning to face Shade.


    ¡°Then I choose leave. I¡¯m not killing them, so open up your magic gate because I¡¯m done. Also, I¡¯m taking this lot with me.¡±


    ¡°They are not yours to take.¡±


    ¡°Tough.¡±


    ¡°You think it is your place to decide their fate?¡±


    Jason stepped right up to Shade, face to the spot Shade¡¯s face would have been.


    ¡°Mate, you want resolve, then here it is: get to helping, get to stopping me or get out of my bloody way. That¡¯s your choice to make.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Shade said. ¡°You may take them.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I was kind of expecting you to kick my arse.¡±


    ¡°The Order never wanted those who would follow directions blindly. The ability to make judgements in the face of inevitably shifting circumstances is one the most important traits of the Order¡¯s membership. The resolve to decide the best course of action and follow it through, even against the Order¡¯s own directions, was always a crucial virtue. The Order wanted thinking, intelligent agents, not blindly obedient soldiers.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re saying I passed?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Quest: [The Fifth]


    Objective complete: Show your resolve 1/1.                                        Quest complete.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.[Immortal Crest] has been added to your inventory.


    Jason minimised the window, ignoring it for the moment.


    ¡°I can take all of these people with me?¡± he asked Shade.


    ¡°All those who survive. You are not the only one to reach the final trial and there are other rooms like this.¡±


    ¡°If refusing to kill them is a pass, you¡¯re going to let people kill them just to fail?¡±


    ¡°Killing them does not mean failure,¡± Shade said. ¡°This is not a test of the willingness or unwillingness to kill. It is a test of resolve, which can be shown in many ways. The refusal to bend, even if it means giving up what you came for. A determination to perform any act in pursuit of a goal.¡±


    ¡°It is even possible to fail this test?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I know people tend to only go halfway with things, but I have to imagine anyone who gets this far isn¡¯t what you¡¯d call irresolute.¡±


    ¡°When truly challenged, many falter when they should follow through or compromise themselves when they should hold to their principles.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your sample size on that, mate? Didn¡¯t you say this was a new test?¡±


    ¡°Would you like give up the pass you have achieved and face a new trial?¡±


    ¡°No thanks, mate; your trials are flawed. Your order and I have irreconcilable ideals yet here I am. It¡¯s like this whole thing is¡­¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Shade asked as Jason trailed off.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Jason said. ¡°What comes next?¡±


    Shade was silent for a long moment, Jason getting the sense of an assessing gaze from the featureless shadow.


    ¡°Next,¡± Shade said, ¡°is the prize. The legacy of the Order of the Reaper.¡±

 Chapter 172: Meanwhile, Two Weeks Ago in Greenstone…

    Thalia Mercer was ill at ease. Most of the city¡¯s iron-rankers had left a few days earlier and would be gone for weeks. She had hoped, in the quiet that settled over Greenstone in their absence, to start getting through to her son. She and her husband both had made so many mistakes with him, which had almost cost them their son. The mysterious cultists and the horrific thing they implanted into Thadwick had brought home just how disastrous things had gotten and they resolved to put Thadwick onto a better path.


    In their private parlour, Thalia was on a lounger with her husband, Beaufort, leaning into him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I should have let him go,¡± she said, showing an uncertainty she would reveal to very few. Hours ago, Thadwick had left the estate for the first time since the star seed was purged from him.


    ¡°Keeping him here only would have driven him further from us,¡± Beaufort said. ¡°He has two bronze-rankers with him.¡±


    Thalia nodded.


    ¡°I chose Kyle and Geoffrey carefully,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re the most reliable people in our household guard. Still registered adventurers, although they are no longer active.¡±


    ¡°They normally work the spirit coin farm, right?¡± Beaufort asked.


    ¡°Yes. I pulled them off it to give Thadwick the most reliable protection I could. Including from himself.¡±


    ¡°There you are, then,¡± Beaufort said. ¡°They won¡¯t let him do anything too self-destructive. Do you know where he went?¡±


    ¡°One of his Old City brothels,¡± Thalia said. ¡°I had a tracker placed on him with ritual magic while he was still recovering. He doesn¡¯t know it¡¯s there.¡±


    There was a hammering on the door.


    ¡°Lord Mercer! Lady Mercer!¡±


    It was the voice of their family butler, Crivens, in an uncharacteristic panic. Thalia and Beaufort got up and went to the door together.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Beaufort asked.


    ¡°My lord, my lady. A representative of the Adventure Society just arrived. She claims to have important and time-sensitive news but refuses to speak with anyone but you directly.¡±


    ¡°Where have you put her?¡± Beaufort asked.


    ¡°She approached the manor discreetly, my lord, even bypassing our alarms and protections. I thought it best, then to place her in the black parlour.¡±


    ¡°Well considered, as always, Crivens,¡± Beaufort said.


    ¡°Thank you, my lord.¡±


    The black parlour was underground, a clandestine meeting place for the family¡¯s most private meetings. The only access was from a heavily protected elevating platform that only a few family and the most trusted and requisite staff could access. Thalia and Beaufort took the platform down and found that the Adventure Society representative was no lesser personage than the Deputy Director, Genevieve Picot. The Elderly elf looked perfectly comfortable amongst the black cushions and dark wood of the black parlour, getting up to greet the pair.


    ¡°Deputy Director,¡± Thalia greeted as they all took seats. ¡°I was told your business was urgent.¡±


    ¡°Quite so,¡± Genevieve said. ¡°I won¡¯t waste time on niceties. You are, I take it, familiar with the office of monitoring at the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Thalia said. ¡°Their primary task is to monitor the tracking stones of the adventurers, in case any of them die.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Genevieve said. ¡°Roughly an hour ago, the office brought to my attention an issue with two of the stones. The adventurers linked to them weren¡¯t dead, but the stones were no longer able to track them. Something we have seen before.¡±


    ¡°The five who were implanted with star seeds,¡± Thalia said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Genevieve said. ¡°As best we can tell, their auras have changed sufficiently that the aura imprint we have for them is no longer effective. I was distressed to discover that the two adventurers in question are no longer active, but now work for your household.¡±


    Thalia and Beaufort shared a dread-filled glance.


    ¡°Kyle and Geoffrey,¡± Beaufort said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Genevieve said. ¡°Why did you guess them?¡±


    ¡°Because they are out with our son right now,¡± Thalia said.


    ¡°What about Thadwick?¡± Beaufort asked.


    ¡°He was never attuned to a new badge after the expedition,¡± Thalia said. ¡°They aren¡¯t tracking him, but I am.¡±


    She took a stone from her pocket and tapped it twice. Shortly thereafter, Crivens arrived on the elevating platform.


    ¡°Crivens, get the team I have tracking Thadwick. The whole team; bring them here as quickly and as quietly as you can.¡±


    Thalia and Beaufort probed Genevieve for more details but there was little she could tell them, beyond that it was being handled with as much discretion as possible. Both the Adventure Society Director and the interim director from the inquiry team had made very clear to the monitoring office how to handle this kind of situation.


    The people who were tracking Thadwick appeared with unfortunate haste.


    ¡°We were already looking for you my lady, my lord. Several minutes ago, the tracker on Young Master Thadwick stopped working.¡±


    Thadwick returned to the Mercer estate with his two guardians in tow. They had barely made it through the gate before Thadwick¡¯s mother teleported to greet them. The two guards bowed their heads respectfully while a disgruntled expression crossed Thadwick¡¯s face.


    ¡°Thadwick, dear. I do hope you found your time out relaxing.¡±


    ¡°It was fine. I¡¯m going back to my room.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Thalia said. ¡°If you need anything, don¡¯t hesitate to ask.¡±


    ¡°I know how servants work, Mother.¡±


    ¡°I meant me, dear. I thought maybe we could spend some more time together. Your father, as well. As a family.¡±


    ¡°Whatever,¡± Thadwick said, walking around her.


    ¡°You go ahead, dear,¡± Thalia said. ¡°I¡¯d just like a word with your boys, here.¡±


    Thadwick stopped and turned around.


    ¡°You want them to tell you everything I did,¡± he accused. ¡°Let me save you the trouble. I went to Old City and I had some women. One, then a pair, then one again to round out the afternoon. Are you happy?¡±


    ¡°As long as you enjoyed it, dear. I¡¯ll have someone from the church of the Healer swing by and deal with anything you might have picked up.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Thadwick said. ¡°I already paid someone.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be best if I got someone in, dear.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you think would be best! I told you it¡¯s fine. Why won¡¯t you ever trust the things I say.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, dear. If you say it¡¯s alright, then I¡¯ll say no more.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Thadwick said, then turned and stormed off. Thalia watched him go, then turned to the two bodyguards.


    ¡°So?¡± she asked.


    ¡°As he said, my lady. He was quite aggressive, but the owner knows to keep their mouth shut and was paid to see they remember that.¡±


    ¡°Very good,¡± Thalia said. ¡°If anything else comes up I want to know immediately, however minor it seems.¡±


    ¡°Of course, milady.¡±


    ¡°Back to your posts, then. I want my son taken care of.¡±


    Thalia arrived in the black parlour, where Genevieve and Beaufort were still present.


    ¡°Well?¡± Beaufort asked.


    ¡°That is not our son,¡± Thalia said.


    ¡°You think he¡¯s been seeded again?¡± Beaufort asked.


    ¡°This is something else,¡± Thalia said. ¡°The personality is right on but I know his aura, both with and without the seed. It was off, at a fundamental level. What came home is some kind of double he is projecting into from some other location.¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Beaufort asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Thalia said. ¡°We can use whatever that thing is upstairs to track back to our son, but whoever is on the other end will know right away and get on the move. They can only be so far away, though, so if we have people ready to act in the city, we have a good chance of catching them.¡±


    ¡°If that really isn¡¯t our son.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Thalia said with certainty. ¡°Our son is out there somewhere and he needs us.¡±


    ¡°Then we have to act now and we have to do it right,¡± Beaufort said. ¡°We¡¯re not losing him again.¡±


    Thalia nodded, her face wracked with guilt and pain. ¡°He hadn¡¯t even recovered from what they did to him before and they¡¯re victimising him again. Why do they want him so much?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, we can answer that when we get him back,¡± Genevieve said. ¡°What about the bodyguards?¡±


    ¡°Their auras are definitely off but it¡¯s subtle,¡± Thalia said. ¡°My guess is they¡¯re seeded and have something to mask their auras to appear normal. I could only tell because I know their auras and have strong enough aura senses to see through it.¡±


    ¡°We need to get moving on this,¡± Beaufort said. ¡°With Kyle and Geoffrey compromised we can¡¯t mobilise our own people without giving the game away. The Kettering¡¯s have people in Old City, I¡¯ll talk to them about getting people ready to move once we trace Thad¡¯s location.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll prep the people I had tracking Thadwick,¡± Thalia said. ¡°They have the expertise to backtrack from whatever or whoever this double is to our boy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll return to the Adventure Society,¡± Genevieve said. ¡°I¡¯ll update the Director and Interim Director and marshal what forces I can put together quietly. I¡¯ll coordinate with the Kettering family.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t want these people realising that we¡¯re going to move on them,¡± Beaufort said. ¡°Thalia, as soon as our people are confident they have a way to trace Thad, we strike.¡±


    Kyle and Geoffrey were stationed outside Thadwick¡¯s room. Located in the main family section, on the top floor of one of the towers, the hallway was large and flooded with light from a ceiling largely made of glass.


    The two guards seemed to sense something was wrong. Although Thalia was walking casually toward her son¡¯s room, something about the way she was carrying herself tipped them off. The result, for Kyle and Geoffrey, was horrifying.


    Their bodies split apart, segmenting at the joints. Knees and elbows, wrists, ankles, shoulders; all tearing audibly apart. Both men died instantly, rictuses of pain and terror frozen on their dead faces. Their bodies were now strung together by wires, like poorly made puppets, complete with jerky movements. The guards had gone from people to monstrosities of flesh and metal.


    What concerned Thalia the most was the aura coming off the two corpse puppets. Moments ago they had been living bronze rankers. Now they were horrifying abominations giving off silver-rank auras. Thalia flashed back to the expedition, with its construct monsters and bizarre cultists. That was the moment everything started falling apart with her son and the magic surged up inside her.


    Thalia Mercer was a silver-rank adventurer, and far from a weak one. She might not be the equal of her friend and team mate, Danielle Geller, but she was still a powerhouse in her own right. With the might, potent, swift and onslaught essences, in terms of pure explosive power she was a match for any adventurer alive. It was certainly too much for the two gangly, awkward creatures that had moments ago been people. Under the barrage of a furious Thalia, they were soon ripped apart, their metal components just as torn to pieces as their flesh.


    Thalia didn¡¯t bother to open Thadwick¡¯s door. She blasted it to splinters with a special attack and moved in, finding the facsimile of her son in what looked like a state of melting, clay that had seemed like flesh oozing off an iron skeleton. Thalia immediately called in the ritualists, yelling at them to focus as their attention was arrested by the dead flesh puppets and the iron-clay doppelganger degrading in front of them.


    Thadwick had been in the ritual circle for hours, connected to his mystical double. Now he had been pulled out of it as a pair of ritualists methodically eradicated any element that could be used to track their location. All around them, other people were packing up supplies into dimensional bags, stripping the building of anything that could be used against them.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Timos yelled at Thadwick.


    Timos had quickly come to regret going along with Thadwick¡¯s aggressive self-recruitment. Rather than a useful pawn within the aristocracy, he was a one-man disaster. Timos had been operating in Greenstone for years without so much as a sniff of detection, yet within hours Thadwick was bringing everything down on their heads. From openly approaching him to failing to immediately giving the game away, Timos was mentally berating himself for not just killing Thadwick and his bodyguards, then dumping them in a canal. If he had been thinking straight, he assured himself, he would never have risked so much on a petulant teenager.


    Timos was a man who valued methodical patience, but their allies in the church of Purity were ruining everything with their haste. Despite the cult¡¯s warnings that they should wait until the monster surge, the church were insistently impatient, forced them to move forward before everything was fully in place.


    Their precipitous actions left them with little margin for error, where every mistake threatened to snowball into disaster. The degree to which their activities had been uncovered even in such a provincial area as Greenstone spoke volumes. Timos was, for once,  grateful he wasn¡¯t assigned to one of the more crucial regions. The troubles they would face in a city full of top-shelf adventurers made him shudder. Even then, he would happily trade a dangerous enemy for an ally like Thadwick.


    ¡°Our people have been working in plain sight for years,¡± Timos admonished Thadwick. ¡°Years! You can¡¯t manage more than a few hours?¡±


    ¡°I warned you that my mother had strong aura senses,¡± Thadwick spat back. ¡°You¡¯re the one who was so certain this fake would work.¡±


    ¡°What was the last thing you saw before the connection was cut?¡± Timos asked.


    ¡°People coming into the room after my mother. Two of her ritualists, I think.¡±


    Timos snarled like an animal.


    ¡°We have to move quickly,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯ll be all over this place soon.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t your people eliminating the link?¡± Thadwick asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t stay hidden in this city for as long as we have by assuming our people are better than Thalia Mercer¡¯s people.¡±


    ¡°My mother isn¡¯t that impressive.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Thadwick, she is,¡± Timos said. ¡°How you turned out this way is a complete mystery.¡±


    ¡°If you knew how great she was, then why did you try and deceive her?¡±


    Timos flinched, not happy to have his own contribution to the current disaster pointed out.


    ¡°Because our methods weren¡¯t devised by locals but bestowed on us from above,¡± Timos said. ¡°Unfortunately, your pathetic little city didn¡¯t warrant the best tools.¡±


    Once the building had been divested of any trace of the cult and its activities, Timos led his people, including Thadwick, through an illegally-made and well-concealed hole in the floor, down to the water utility tunnels running under Old City. The tunnels had stone walkways on either side, elevated above the water channels running through the middle.


    They hurried along, Timos consulting a map as they went. The dank tunnels echoed, Timos signalling a stop as they heard something. It was a sound of footsteps and whistling, coming from a person who emerged from a side tunnel and not far in front of them.. He was of middle years, with loose overalls and a laden tool belt.


    ¡°Well, hello,¡± he said. ¡°You folks must be pretty lost to all wind up here, but old Frank will see you¡­¡±


    Frank never got to finish his sentence, his corpse falling as Timos¡¯ conjured spear vanished, leaving a ragged hole in Frank¡¯s throat. Timos kicked the body off the walkway  and into the water channel before hurrying on once more.


    Days passed and after the initial, covert search, the city¡¯s resources were brought fully to bear. The Adventure Society and Magic Society, along with all the noble families were recruited into the effort. The revelation about the nature of their enemy went from restricted to common knowledge, sending waves of concern through the populace. The information was released to make it clear that anyone harbouring the enemy would face the harshest retribution.


    The search threw the city into chaos. The cult had been much more careful about their activities than the likes of local criminals, whose clandestine operations were less thoroughly hidden. These were the one flushed out by the search as the cult slipped quietly into the dark.


    The search was not helped by lack of competent iron-rankers. Usually the rank and file of the Adventure Society, their absence due to Emir¡¯s expedition left only the dregs. They were called into action regardless, many of whom hadn¡¯t taken a contract in years. Thugs, criminals, arena fighters, most of which had been malingering at iron rank for years. They were pulled in, nonetheless.


    Not every hidden cultist escaped. Adric Dorgan was not only effective in determining when the search was wasting its time on ordinary criminals, but had at least some sense of the cultist supply network. From his direction, a number of raids turned up cultists, although to little effect. When captured, the crystal stars exploded from inside them, leaving behind only uninformative scraps of shredded flesh.


    As the city was scoured, a series of bandit raids took place out in the delta, killing and plundering supplies. They were made against the holdings of numerous families, mostly soft targets who relied on the threat of retribution for security. The attacks against more secure locations made it clear who the primary target of the attacks was.


    Almost every raid that employed greater coordination on more difficult targets was made against Mercer family holdings. It was also plain that they had insider information, hitting weak points in security, quickly and efficiently taking only the most valuable goods.


    The Mercers swiftly realised that Thadwick¡¯s knowledge of their operations, schooled into him by his father, were being used against them. They made rapid changes and, with the support of Adventure Society personnel, set a series of ambushed that ravaged the attackers. The fallen and the captured exploding into crystal stars confirmed that the cult were behind the attacks, but again there were no prisoners to interrogate.


    In a small village on the outskirts of the delta, Timos and Thadwick were in the common room of an inn. Like the rest of village¡¯s inhabitants, the tavern owners were dead.


    ¡°First you were useless as an infiltrator,¡± Timos berated Thadwick. ¡°Now your usefulness as an expert on Mercer family security is at an end because they¡¯ve used what you know to turn the tables and set up traps. We¡¯ve lost people any one of which are worth ten of you. So, what I need from you right now is a reason not to kill you and leave you to your family to find.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t,¡± Thadwick said.


    ¡°No?¡± Timos asked. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that if they at least found your body, the pressure on us would lessen, if only a little.


    ¡°What do you even need to raid supplies for?¡± Thadwick asked. ¡°What about those supply ships you¡¯ve been using?¡±


    ¡°Are you an idiot? Look at who I¡¯m asking. Adric Dorgan has been relentless in digging out our supply lines,¡± Timos said. ¡°If it wasn¡¯t for our local support we would be completely hamstrung, and I¡¯m starting to suspect he knows who they are.¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Thadwick asked.


    ¡°Do you seriously think I would tell you anything that could compromise us? I had you brought here in a closed carriage to make sure you didn¡¯t find some way to reveal our location!¡±


    ¡°If Dorgan is the one pressuring your supplies, then kill him,¡± Thadwick suggested. ¡°What do you care about some crime lord?¡±


    ¡°That crime lord¡¯s daughter is the Director of the Adventure Society, you idiot. You think things are bad now? We have every silver ranker who they can motivate searching for us. You kill the Director¡¯s father and you can be damn sure she¡¯ll motivate the rest. So, for now, we need to supply from elsewhere. Which was your family stores because we had you. Now, you¡¯re worthless.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you worthless¡­¡±


    Timos¡¯ backhand slap across Thadwick¡¯s face was punishingly loud.


    ¡°You¡¯ll shut your damn mouth,¡± Timos said. ¡°Like it or not, you¡¯re one of us, now. That means you do what you¡¯re told until we figure out if you¡¯re even worth keeping alive. I cannot wait until your worthless city and everyone in it are dead.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Thadwick asked.


    ¡°Oh, didn¡¯t I mention?¡± Timos said with a gleeful grin. ¡°Our astral expert, before he was stupidly killed off, determined that the next astral space we claim will be a little unusual, due to some specifics of its connection to your world.¡±


    As he spoke, Timos moved toward Thadwick, slow and intimidating as Thadwick backed away.


    ¡°The astral space is anchored too far away to reduce your city to astral dust, sadly. The good news is the secondary wave of destruction that will scour this horrid delta, with it¡¯s wet heat and awful insects, right along with the city and the even worse vermin that infest it.¡±


    ¡°My family¡­¡± Thadwick said weakly.


    ¡°Have you not been paying attention?¡± Timos asked. He was standing right up close to Thadwick, who had backed into the tavern bar. ¡°You betrayed your family, Thadwick. Making you one of us instead of a wet corpse was a mistake but it¡¯s made, now.¡±


    ¡°My father,¡± Thadwick said. ¡°We could bring him into the fold.¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t work, Thadwick. He¡¯s not an entitled child, willing to grasp at whoever offers him the power he thinks he deserves. He will never serve the Builder, but you do, and one way or another, I¡¯m going to get some use out of you.¡±

 Chapter 173: Take the Loot and Go

    The last set of stairs led Jason into a hallway that looped around in a ring, a huge circuit he estimated to be almost as wide as the full tower. The outer wall of the hallway was the familiar stone, while the inner wall was solid glass; a single, curved pane that looped in a giant circle. Through the glass was a library, softly lit by magical chandeliers, hanging from the ceiling. The circular space was haphazard in design, with shelves set out at strange, seemingly random angles instead of in neat rows.


    Walking along the hall, Jason encountered other stairwells, much like the one he had entered through. He soon found other adventurers that had used them. His first encounter was one of the foreign adventurers he didn¡¯t know. They shared a wary nod of greeting and kept moving around the loop together. More people joined them, including, Humphrey, Beth, Valdis and Valdis¡¯ team member, Sigrid.


    ¡°Were you all told to execute a whole group of people?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I thought I was done when I refused, but here we are.¡±


    ¡°Same,¡± Valdis said. ¡°I choose who I kill and why. I¡¯m not some blind executioner.¡±


    ¡°I killed them all,¡± one of the other adventurers said, his face harrowed. ¡°It was awful, but I¡¯ll do whatever it takes. We aren¡¯t all princes and outworlders. Some of us have to fight up from nothing, even if it means soiling our hands to do it.¡±


    Jason frowned but said nothing. While he had his own struggles, there was no question that many good things had been handed to him.


    There were nineteen adventurers gathered together before Shade finally appeared.


    ¡°Adventurers,¡± Shade said. ¡°You have all passed the trials and proven worthy of the Order¡¯s legacy. Please step through the glass.¡±


    They reached out to touch the glass wall. Many had done so previously, finding it hard and warm to the touch. Now it was thick, like molasses, yet permeable, their hands passing right through. They all stepped forward, moving into the library.


    They group followed Shade through the oddly-placed shelves to the middle of the library, where shelves gave way to tables. There were books stacked on them, collected into a series of neat, identical piles. What drew their attention, through, was the circular dais at the very centre. Resting upon it was a heavy metal rack containing a single object: a large scythe, stylised well outside of practicality as weapon or tool. The blade was made from silver and the shaft from gold, inlaid with obsidian polished to a gem-like finish.


    Shade reached out to touch one of the book piles.


    ¡°Each of these collections contains the collected teachings of the Order of the Reaper,¡± Shade said. ¡°How to move in silence, to walk unseen. How to pass through locked doors and trapped rooms unimpeded. How to kill. These are no ordinary books. For each volume there are two copies. One is a skill book, the other, a written guide. The guides, however, are more than simply words on a page.¡±


    Shade picked up a book, holding it up to show a blue gem set into the cover. He touched the gem and an ephemeral image of a man appeared.


    ¡°This is the first volume of the Way of the Reaper,¡± the image said. ¡°It details the first form of our order¡¯s complete martial technique. Turn to any page and I will instruct you.¡±


    Shade returned the book to the pile and the image disappeared.


    ¡°Each of you have proven yourselves to embody the virtues the Order once held,¡± Shade said. ¡°Though the Order may be gone, its legacy can be secure through bestowing its knowledge to those who exemplify its ideals.¡±


    One of the shadow gates rose up from the floor.


    ¡°Please,¡± Shade said. ¡°Each of you may take a collection and go. The trials are complete.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± one of the adventurers called out. ¡°What about the scythe?¡±


    ¡°What about it?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°Who gets it?¡±


    ¡°No one,¡± Shade said. ¡°It remains here.¡±


    ¡°We were told that whoever passed the trials would get the scythe,¡± Valdis said.


    ¡°I am responsible for enacting the trials in the ways with which I have been charged,¡± Shade said. ¡°I am not responsible for what you have been told by anyone else.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m going to take it anyway,¡± another adventurer said. ¡°Call it a memento.¡±


    She moved forward to take the scythe, but the moment she moved over the dais, she dropped like a sack of meat, moving no further.


    ¡°The scythe is an object of death,¡± Shade said. ¡°To go near it is to die.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying we need to carry it out on a long stick,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You are certainly welcome to try,¡± Shade invited.


    Rather than pick up the books as directed, the adventurers formed clusters, immediately entering into a discussion about the scythe.


    ¡°There has to be a way to take it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there¡¯s a hidden, extra trial.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, but what would it be?¡±


    ¡°Maybe figuring out how to take the scythe is the trial.¡±


    Jason, Humphrey, Valdis and Sigrid formed their own group.


    ¡°What do we think?¡± Valdis asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking the books and leaving,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want the cloud palace?¡± Valdis asked.


    ¡°I want the cloud palace,¡± Jason said. ¡°What I don¡¯t want is that scythe.¡±


    Humphrey narrowed his eyes at Jason.


    ¡°You¡¯ve figured it out.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason denied. ¡°I just think that what comes with getting that scythe is trouble best avoided.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Valdis asked. ¡°You¡¯ve come this far and you want to give up?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to take the loot and go.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t strike me as the giving-up kind,¡± Valdis said.


    ¡°Watch me,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m giving up on the scythe and I advise you all to do the same.¡±


    Jason took one of the stacks of books, placed it in his inventory and walked through the obsidian portal. This drew attention as he was the first to do so, but no one moved to stop him. One less person meant less competition for the scythe.


    Jason emerged from the portal in another circular chamber he estimated to be the exact size of the library. This room was empty, however, aside from the dais in the middle. ON it was an exact replica of the scythe he had already seen. The only light was right above the scythe, a plain, magical lamp that illuminated the weapon but left the rest of the room steeped in shadow. Shade appeared next to Jason, who spotted him through the perception power that allowed him to see through darkness.


    ¡°I thought that portal was meant to take me out of here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Your time here is not done,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°You said we were done.¡±


    ¡°The final trial tests the virtue of insight,¡± Shade said. ¡°The ability see beyond appearances to grapple with the truth.¡±


    ¡°I truly want to get out of here, if that helps.¡±


    Quest: [The Hidden Trial]


    The invigilator of the trials has realised the revelation you¡¯ve had about the true purpose of the trials.


    Objective: Reveal the true purpose of the trials and claim the scythe.Reward: ???.


    ¡°Decline,¡± Jason said to the screen. ¡°Decline, decline, decline.¡±


    This quest cannot be declined.


    ¡°Oh, sod off.¡±


    ¡°You have had insights about this place,¡± Shade said. ¡°You tried to warn your friends away.¡±


    ¡°Just general suspicions,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Tell me what you have realised..¡±


    ¡°I realise how much I want to leave,¡± Jason said, his hand snaking into his clothes and around the escape medallion dangling from his neck on a cord. He pressed his aura into it and it dissolved into nothing.


    You have used [Medallion of Escape].Trial invigilator [Shade] has revoked your escape privileges.[Medallion of Escape] does not take effect.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just not fair.¡±


    ¡°I will hear what you have to say before you leave this place.¡±


    ¡°Let me out of here,¡± Jason said. ¡°Hear that.¡±


    ¡°You have seen the truth, Jason Asano. Speak it, or you will not be released from this place.¡±


    ¡°How is that fair?¡±


    ¡°If someone promised you fairness, Jason Asano, they lied.¡±


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°Do you have some kind of mind reading powers?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I have merely been watching you closely, along with all the others. You have had a revelation to which you refuse to give voice.¡±


    ¡°And if I promise to keep not giving voice to it, can I go?¡±


    ¡°Say it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to say it. I don¡¯t want the ramifications. You could kill me for it. I¡¯d kill me for it. Killing me would be the smart move.¡±


    ¡°You have greater value than as a corpse.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for new employment.¡±


    Before Shade could answer, Humphrey appeared through the archway.


    ¡°I thought this was meant to take us out,¡± Humphrey said.


    Jason groaned again.


    ¡°You figured it out?¡± Jason asked him.


    ¡°Figured what out?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°I was just taking your advice and getting out.¡±


    Jason looked at Shade. ¡°So, everyone comes through here?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said. I decided that you needed further motivation. Now your friend is trapped here with you, for as long as you refuse to talk.¡±


    ¡°That just implicates him,¡± Jason complained.


    ¡°Then I suggest you speak up before I bring more of your friends to this place,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Jason, what¡¯s going on?¡± Humphrey asked.


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s about what this place is for,¡± Jason said. ¡°Its true purpose.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Think about what it took to get here,¡± Jason said. ¡°Emir is an expert at finding things and even he took the better part of two years, a huge staff and a slew of hired adventurers to find this place and everything he needed to open it up. He¡¯s a gold-ranker with exactly the right skill set and resources to get the job done and it still took more time and money than we¡¯ve seen since becoming adventurers.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°So, after all that, the only people who can get in here are iron-rankers. But the grand prize, the scythe, is useless to an iron-ranker aside from what they can trade it for.¡±


    ¡°What are you getting at?¡±


    ¡°The purpose of these trials isn¡¯t to bestow some legacy of a long-dead organisation of murderers. Think about it. Centuries of stories; legends of an ancient order of assassins and the grand treasure they left behind. Clues hidden around the world, finally pieced together at great time and cost. Why? To give some iron-ranker a pile of books and maybe an overwrought harvesting tool?¡±


    ¡°Then what are the trials for?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re here to create the legend,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you¡¯re telling stories about an ancient order of assassins that got wiped out, you know what you aren¡¯t doing?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Asking whether they got wiped out at all. I¡¯m willing to bet that most of the story holds up. A coalition of churches coming together to hunt them down and root them out. But these were the world¡¯s greatest assassins. You really think that none of them got away? Of course they did. Some of them, at least. Then they created these trials, hid away the keys to open them and started dropping rumours and stories. Just enough to linger through the centuries.¡±


    ¡°You think the Order of the Reaper still exists?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet they operate very differently, now. Smaller numbers, different methods. My guess is that their first tenet now is secrecy.¡±


    ¡°This why you didn¡¯t want us to go for the scythe,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You didn¡¯t want us getting caught up with the Order.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Are they going to kill us?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Jason said. ¡°I would.¡±


    ¡°Then why have the hidden trial at all?¡±


    ¡°To catch anyone who figures it out,¡± Jason said. ¡°If people leave with a pile of ancient knowledge from an order of assassins long gone, then the legend of their demise carries on. If someone figures it out, though, they want to deal with those people. Only letting in iron-rankers keeps out anyone who can really investigate this place. The scythe is bait, so some high-ranker would eventually go to the effort of getting some iron-rankers inside. The ones quick enough to figure it out they can take aside and deal with.¡±


    Objective complete: Reveal the true purpose of the trials 1/1.


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°Sorry, Humphrey,¡± he said. ¡°They brought you in because I refused to admit that I twigged to what was happening.¡±


    ¡°It was rather obvious that you¡¯d realised something,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Very good, Jason Asano,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Is this the part where you kill us?¡±


    ¡°That would be a waste,¡± Shade said. ¡°As you said, the Order operates very differently, now. It does not maintain a roster of assassins at all. Rather, we make connections. Quiet allies. A job worth doing is worth doing well, therefore to do a job well you must find someone who thinks it¡¯s worth doing. That is what we do; find jobs that require doing and match them to the person who thinks doing them is worthwhile.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re talking about a volunteer network,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Shade said. ¡°The fall of the original Order of the Reaper was not unwarranted. The founding purpose of the Order was to do what was necessary. Over time, it became more controlling, seeking to rule from the shadows, rather than serve. The new structure was designed to place the power to act in the hands of others. To let their judgement and conscience be the guide.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the tests are for,¡± Jason said. ¡°To find people with the principles you want in an agent.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What if we say no?¡± Jason asked. ¡°What if we don¡¯t want to be part of your order?¡±


    ¡°It is not my order,¡± Shade said. ¡°I am merely an administrator for this trial. There are other such tests, looking for people and taking many forms. Once this one is done, my obligations to the Order are done. As for you, you are not being invited to the Order. All that is being asked of you is that you be open to it, should the Order find a task to which you are suited.¡±


    ¡°Sounds reasonable,¡± Jason said. ¡°Like standing at the top of a slippery slope. It¡¯s fine, because you¡¯re at the top. What about the other people in the trial? You¡¯ll use them too, right?¡±


    ¡°If the right circumstance and person come together, then we will use anyone.¡±


    ¡°How does that work? A person just happens across a situation where their natural inclination will be to intervene?¡±


    ¡°Just so.¡±


    ¡°And what makes you think Humphrey and I won¡¯t talk?¡±


    ¡°Your reluctance to speak even to me demonstrates that you have the wisdom to understand the repercussions of doing so. As for Humphrey Geller, he never learned about it in the first place.¡±


    Humphrey disappeared into thin air and Jason snorted a laugh.


    ¡°That¡¯s the duplicating magic you used for the old resolve test, right?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°So now I just go?¡±


    ¡°You should take the scythe with you, first.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I can really take the scythe?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d let me take it. Actually, that makes sense. It really rams home the idea that the Order is dead and gone. Otherwise, why would they leave the very symbol of their order to languish in some diamond-rankers collection like any old trinket.¡±


    ¡°Indeed.¡±


    ¡°What about the whole object of death thing?¡±


    ¡°That only applies to the replica in the room below.¡±


    ¡°What do I tell people about how I got the scythe?¡±


    ¡°Use your ingenuity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s helpful.¡±


    ¡°If you cannot figure that much out, then you wouldn¡¯t be much use to the Order.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t much want to be.¡±


    He wandered over to the scythe, slowing down as he approached.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure there¡¯s no instant death field?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How do I know you¡¯re not lying?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s terrific.¡±


    ¡°You may leave without it, if you like.¡±


    ¡°Just because I take this, it doesn¡¯t mean I¡¯m willing to be your assassin.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find that if ever the Order does contact you, Jason Asano, the circumstances will be more complicated and nuanced than a simple assassination.¡±


    ¡°Just Jason, is fine.¡±


    ¡°I would prefer to refer to you as Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Whatever rows your boat, cobber.¡±


    With a steeling breath, Jason moved up to the scythe and grabbed it.


    Item: [Scythe of the Reaper] (diamond rank, legendary)


    ??? (tool, scythe).


    Effect: ???Effect: ???Effect: ???Effect: ???Effect: ???


    The scythe wouldn¡¯t budge from its rack.


    ¡°Why is it stuck?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I thought you said I could take it.¡±


    ¡°It is not affixed in place,¡± Shade said. ¡°You simply lack the strength to shift its weight.¡±


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    After a series of attempts that failed to so much as shift the scythe on its rack, Jason came up with something new. Standing right up to the scythe, he opened his inventory window on the other side. Then, with one hand on the scythe, he stepped back, the window following. When it touched the scythe, the weapon vanished, appearing in his inventory as an icon. Jason looked at it with satisfaction.


    ¡°Nice.¡±


    Quest: [The Hidden Trial]


    Objective complete: Claim the scythe 1/1.                                           Quest complete.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.[Reaper Token] has been added to your inventory.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said wearily. ¡°I am really ready to get out of here.¡±


    He headed back in the direction of the archway he had come in through. He was about to step in when someone stepped out. It was Sigrid, Valdis team member.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Jason asked, stepping back to give her space.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Sigrid said, looking around. ¡°Where is here?¡±


    ¡°She figured it out,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°I realised that the reason you wanted out was to avoid the attention of the Order of the Reaper that still existed.¡±


    ¡°Well, congratulations,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade can explain everything; I¡¯m out. I took the scythe by the way, so you¡¯ll have to ask Shade if he has a spare.¡±


    ¡°A spare?¡±


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason said, pointing at the archway. ¡°Does this thing actually go where I want, this time?¡±


    ¡°It does.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Jason said, patting Sigrid on the shoulder. ¡°I¡¯ll see you on the other side.¡±

 Chapter 174: Making an Exit

    The shadow gate took Jason from the tower at the heart of the city to one of those at the city¡¯s edge. He emerged at the base of one of the archway towers, not far from where ruins gave way to sea. He was surrounded by other adventurers, milling about, regrouping or making their way up the stairs that wound their way around the tower.


    He was immediately bombarded with messages as contacts and party members came into range. His team quickly contacted him through voice chat, relieved that he had come back alive. Humphrey had already arrived, surprised that Jason hadn¡¯t appeared first, and told the team about the tests they faced.


    From the crowd gathered, Shade seemed to have sent everyone to the same tower to exit. Jason quickly found Humphrey, easily identified as he stood taller than everyone but the few leonids and draconians, for a face to face conversation.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°I left right after you, but you¡¯re only arriving now?¡±


    ¡°Shade wanted a quiet chat,¡± Jason said softly, not wanting to draw attention. Humphrey raised an inquisitive eyebrow.


    ¡°Did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason answered and Humphrey shook his head.


    ¡°I never should have doubted you.¡±


    ¡°You doubted me?¡±


    ¡°No, now that I think about it.¡±


    Jason laughed slapping Humphrey on the shoulder.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go track down everyone else.¡±


    Clive and Neil had teamed up with Beth¡¯s team, minus Beth herself who was absent along with Jason and Humphrey. While plenty of groups were taking their last opportunity to hunt treasure, they had taken it upon themselves to look for cultists. Clive had brought along everything he could think of to track potential cultist activity, but had come up empty.


    Jason and Humphrey met up with Clive and Neil, who led everyone to where Jory and Sophie had set up a comfortable space to wait out everyone else. Rather than go off in search of fresh enemies or last-minute treasure, they had picked out a nice spot by the water, strung up a camp shade and a hammock, laid down a blanket and put out a folding chair. Sophie relaxed in the hammock as Jory sat contentedly in the chair, both reading books.


    Jason and Humphrey converged on the little camp, arriving just after Clive, Neil and Beth¡¯s team. The greetings were warm with relief at having passed through weeks of life-threatening danger. The feeling of having survived everything and knowing they were safe for the moment was amazing, only heightened by the bitter knowledge that not every team was so lucky. Even Sophie joined in the welcoming hugs, at least for Humphrey. Jason she gave a look up and down and a simple, ¡°you didn¡¯t die then.¡±


    ¡°Disappointed?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re alive,¡± she conceded. ¡°There¡¯d be a bunch of legal trouble with my indenture if you died.¡±


    ¡°That seems harsh,¡± Neil said. ¡°And that¡¯s coming from someone who was vaguely hoping he would at least get maimed a little.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m feeling the love here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You did almost kill her,¡± Jory said. ¡°It took me and a priest of the Healer to cleanse that curse and the poison you loaded her up with. Even then, it was a near thing.¡±


    They expanded Jory¡¯s camp space with more chairs and a refreshments table filled with sandwiches and iced tea. As they settled in, Sophie sat next to Jason on a soft rug, casually knocking her shoulder into his.


    ¡°I am glad you didn¡¯t die,¡± she said softly, as if the reluctant sincerity of her words were a skittish animal that would run off when startled. Jason flashed her a trademark impish grin.


    ¡°While our esteemed team leaders have been trying to get themselves killed over a scythe no one apparently got their hands on,¡± Clive said, ¡°the rest of us were looking into the cultist problem. I¡¯ve been concentrating our search around the tower, because these towers ringing the city are the anchors that bind this astral space to our world. The cultists will have to disrupt them to sever that connection, so I¡¯ve been looking for traces of magical interference. The towers are fascinating in themselves but, so far as I can tell, the one here is functioning unimpeded. It could be they¡¯re working on other towers, or using some kind of astral magic we¡¯ve never heard of.¡±


    ¡°Maybe the cultists didn¡¯t want to risk sending anyone,¡± Humphrey suggested. ¡°Emir¡¯s people were checking auras.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°The cultists could have either sent people who didn¡¯t have star seeds or people who¡¯ve had star seeds so long that the aura imprint the Magic Society has for them includes the seed.¡±


    ¡°You think the cult has been in Greenstone long enough for that?¡± asked Mose.


    Mose Cavendish was Beth¡¯s cousin, an elf with destructive fire and wind spells who Jason and Humphrey had shared a contract with in the past. A classic glass cannon, he had worked hard since then to earn a spot on his cousin¡¯s team.


    ¡°They¡¯ve definitely been in Greenstone for a while,¡± Neil said. ¡°You don¡¯t operate on the scale we¡¯ve seen without people taking notice. Not unless you build up very slowly and very carefully.¡±


    ¡°The question on my mind, then,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°is whether Clive not finding anything is good or bad.¡±


    ¡°Definitely bad,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re all about to evacuate. If I was a deeply committed cultist ¨C and the fact that they all explode when caught suggests they are ¨C then I wouldn¡¯t try anything with everyone here. I¡¯d stay behind and get the job done once we¡¯re all gone. Presumably, being trapped here only lasts until the astral space is cut loose and the Builder comes along to scoop it up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m following this conversation,¡± said Hudson. He was the front-liner for Beth¡¯s team, even larger than Humphrey, with a propensity for conjuring walls of earth. Jason¡¯s team was unusual in how much they knew about the Builder cult and the threat they posed, Beth¡¯s team and Jory listening with horror as Clive took the time to explain.


    During the explanation Beth rejoined her team. Valdis and Keane¡¯s teams also found their way to the camp, requiring Clive to backtrack his explanations a couple of times. That proved helpful, as the repetition helped those less quick at taking in the explanations of great astral beings, astral spaces and the idea of stealing them.


    Some of the foreign adventurers already knew some of it, notably Valdis and Sigrid. Even they had little understanding of the mechanisms involved, however, and were impressed as Clive elucidated the various details.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re happy with your current team?¡± Valdis asked him, earning a swat on the arm from Sigrid.


    ¡°Right in front of his team,¡± Sigrid said. ¡°You are shameless. Also, he¡¯s not going to agree to leave them while they¡¯re right in front of him. You have to take him aside, where you can explain how much better we are.¡±


    Jason burst out laughing. ¡°And you say he¡¯s shameless.¡±


    Clive finished his explanation with the assumption that the Builder cult would be targeting the astral space they were currently in.


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± Valdis asked. ¡°It was clear, going in, that the cult would be after this astral space. Did anyone devise a plan to deal with that?¡±


    ¡°We had no idea what we would encounter,¡± Jason said. ¡°Basically, we were told to keep out eyes open and trust our judgement.¡±


    ¡°In our earlier discussion, before you came along,¡± Clive said, ¡°we concluded that the cultists among us will likely be stay behind while the rest evacuate before the astral space closes.¡±


    ¡°Leaving them free to do their work once everyone else is gone,¡± Valdis reasoned. ¡°Disregarding the monsters those ghost-things and the flesh creatures, anyway. Could we try taking some kind of roster? All these teams were scoping each other out before we even came. I bet we could get a full list of participants, if we asked around.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t matter,¡± Sigrid said. ¡°There¡¯s no way of knowing who died or used their escape medallions to leave. We don¡¯t even know if Shade sent people to other archway towers to leave. This looks like everyone, but we can¡¯t be sure.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see anything we can do,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We don¡¯t have much in the way of options that I can see, and we won¡¯t have any once we leave. Staying behind as well is not an option, either. Success would mean being trapped here forever, while failure would leave us in the Builder¡¯s hands.¡±


    Valdis nodded. ¡°I don¡¯t see any worthwhile option, either. In which case, we may as well leave. There¡¯s nothing left for us here.¡±


    Jason, Beth and Humphrey looked at each other and shared a nod.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Beth said. Keane¡¯s team leader, Roland, did likewise..


    They joined the steady stream of people already ascending the tower, chatting as they casually made their way around the spiralling stairs. The steps were stone pegs set into the tower wall, wide enough to go two by two. The teams mixed together, relaxing and chatting together now that they were almost out. The front cluster consisted of Valdis, Sigrid, Beth, Humphrey, Jason and Keane


    ¡°You know, I actually had a chance at the scythe,¡± Beth said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Valdis asked, shooting a glance at Sigrid.


    ¡°There was an extra room for people who figured out the last puzzle,¡± Beth said.


    ¡°What was the hidden trial?¡± Valdis asked.


    ¡°Best kept to myself, thank you,¡± Beth told him.


    ¡°That¡¯s what Sigrid said,¡± Valdis complained.


    ¡°Then you should stop asking,¡± Sigrid told him.


    ¡°I was too late,¡± Beth said. ¡°I was the fourth one there. I didn¡¯t see who got the scythe because they¡¯d already left. Unless Sigrid was lying and she took it before I got there.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Sigrid said.


    ¡°According to Shade,¡± Beth said, ¡°someone figured out the hidden trial before the rest of us knew there was one, which is how they went and claimed it so quickly.¡±


    ¡°That definitely wasn¡¯t Sigrid, then,¡± Valdis said. ¡°I was with her when she figured it out. Jason and Humphrey, you two were already gone. You practically leaped through that shadow gate.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted to get out before people turned on each other over the scythe,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You say that,¡± Valdis said, ¡°but if I recall correctly, Humphrey was wondering if you¡¯d figured it out right before the pair of you made yourselves scarce. You were the first two through the gate.¡±


    ¡°Jason, did you get the scythe?¡± Keane asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°He¡¯s lying,¡± Sophie said from behind Jason. ¡°You can tell when he¡¯s lying.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Valdis asked with eager curiosity.


    ¡°He¡¯s awake,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Even his body language is manipulative.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Humphrey said with a laugh.


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling very put upon.¡±


    ¡°I know your pain,¡± Valdis said, giving Jason¡¯s shoulder a commiserating pat. ¡°My team gangs up on me, too.¡±


    ¡°You say gang up,¡± Sigrid said. ¡°Somehow he always seems to outnumber us, even though there¡¯s just one of him.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help having the virile verve of ten men,¡± Valdis said. ¡°It¡¯s just the way I am.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a blessing and a curse right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°So true,¡± Valdis agreed.


    ¡°We should push them off the side,¡± Sigrid said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about your guy,¡± Sophie said, ¡°but ours has a slow fall power, so it¡¯s no good.¡±


    They reached the top, where Shade was guiding adventurers through the shadow gate in the middle of the flat roof. As Jason approached, Shade stopped him.


    ¡°Oh, what now?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You have the Reaper¡¯s token,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°How do you know that?¡±


    ¡°I can sense it. I am connected to it.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jason asked warily.


    ¡°I am a summoned being,¡± Shade said. ¡°I could be described as a familiar of this place, in the same way I was once the familiar of the man who built it. Like all familiars, I am an astral entity merely inhabiting this vessel. My true nature is a shadow of the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jason said. ¡°You mean the Reaper¡¯s actual shadow? As in, park a lamp next to the guy and whooshka, there you are?¡±


    ¡°The Reaper has many shadows,¡± Shade said. ¡°I am but one of a multitude.¡±


    ¡°So, what does this token do, exactly?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Jason, we¡¯re holding up the line,¡± Neil called forward. ¡°People are getting grumpy.¡±


    ¡°Go,¡± Shade said to Jason. ¡°Incorporate the token into your ritual of awakening.¡±


    Looking unhappily back at the press of adventurers, Jason went through the shadow gate. On the other side, in the once-drowned village at the bottom of the lake, Gary, Rufus and Emir¡¯s staff were greeting the adventurers as they returned through the archway. They sent the iron-rankers shuffling out of the way to make room for the constant stream behind them. Overhead, the magical dome kept out the water.


    Jason spotted Emir, who was standing and talking with Constance. Next to him was his granddaughter, Ketis. A number of adventurers tried to approach but were turned away by more of his staff.


    ¡°Clive, go set up the air-bubble ritual,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to chat with Emir and then we can go see some genuine sky, instead of the fake astral space one.¡±


    ¡°I thought the astral space was quite nice,¡± Neil said as Jason wandered off.


    ¡°Since when is he in charge?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d give him this one,¡± Humphrey told her.


    ¡°You mean,¡± Sophie replied in little more than a whisper, ¡°he really did get his hands on thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Oh, no,¡± Neil groaned.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to be so insufferably smug,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°He did beat all these people,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°This is not inconsiderable competition.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather Beth won,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Or Sigrid. Anyone with some humility, really.¡±


    ¡°So, anyone but Valdis, really,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I think you might want to follow his advice about setting up the ritual,¡± Humphrey said to Clive. ¡°We may welcome a quick escape very shortly.¡±


    ¡°Good point,¡± Neil said. ¡°Say what you will about Jason, I doubt it will involve the word understated.¡±


    They headed in the direction of the closest dome wall. In the meantime, Jason approached the invisible cordon around Emir marked only by a pair of his staff.


    ¡°Greg,¡± Jason greeted.


    ¡°Asano.¡±


    ¡°Can I see him?¡±


    Greg turned to glance at Emir, who nodded and Jason was allowed through. This did not go unnoticed by the other adventurers.


    ¡°Welcome back,¡± Emir said, wearily. ¡°I heard that the arbiter of the trials refused the scythe to everyone.¡±


    ¡°He handed out plenty of books,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll have no trouble filling the gaps in the young lady¡¯s martial education. G¡¯day, Ketis.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve already heard that no one got the scythe,¡± Ketis said.


    ¡°Indeed we have,¡± Emir said. ¡°We talked to a couple of people who passed all the trials and said it wasn¡¯t given to anyone. Rufus thought differently, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°He said that you wouldn¡¯t let something not being possible stop you. He bet me an exquisite bottle of wine that you¡¯d come swaggering out, say something obnoxious and produce the scythe.¡±


    ¡°Well, of course I¡¯m doing that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not a scrub.¡±


    Jason held his hand out and the scythe appeared, immediately dropping to the ground. The shaft landing on its end smashed cobbles from the sheer weight, then it toppled over, cracking stone again as it crashed down.


    ¡°Watch out for that one,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s a bit of heft to it.¡±


    ¡°Constance,¡± Emir said urgently. Emir¡¯s chief of staff took out a large black sheet and laid it on the ground. Emir was barely able to lift it, straining even his gold-rank strength to hold it up long enough for Constance to slip the sheet under it. After a moment resting on the sheet, gold and silver light started sparkling over it.


    ¡°The genuine article,¡± Emir said breathlessly, then looked up to see Jason had already strode off, his cloak now swirling around him as he made a beeline for his team at the edge of the dome. They were ready and waiting, their private air bubble like a growth on the side of he dome.


    While all eyes were on Jason, Rufus and Gary had moved to join Emir.


    ¡°What did I tell you?¡± Rufus asked Emir. ¡°That man cannot help showing off.¡±


    ¡°You have to give it to him, though,¡± Gary said. ¡°He knows how to make an exit. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s done, either. Are you seeing that?¡±


    From within Jason¡¯s cloak, blue-grey light was shining, emitting from beneath his skin. As he reached his team mates, the onlookers realised that the same light was shining not just from Jason but his entire team.


    Quest: [Legacy of the Reaper]


    All objectives complete.Quest complete.Reward: Racial gift transfiguration.


    Jason had been ignoring the objective completions of the quest because he had never expected to complete it. It was only now that he was willing to revel in the outlandish reward. He conjured his cloak to hide the idiotic grin so wide he felt it trying to unhinge the top of his head. Looking ahead to his team he saw the light start to shine from them and he hurried to meet them.


    ¡°It feels tingly,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I know you had that quest thing but I can¡¯t believe it can actually do this,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°The paper I write on this is going to be so well-received,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Well,¡± Humphrey said, putting a hand on Jason¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯ve officially arrived now. You¡¯d better believe word of this will be spreading around.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go,¡± Jason said. They climbed on the ritual platform Clive had prepared and slid out of the dome. Light continued to shine from them as the assembled adventurers watched them drift away.


    Outworlder racial ability [Map] has evolved to [Tactical Map].


    Ability: [Tactical Map]


    Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Map].Self-updating map. Unveils as areas are explored.A small, semi-opaque map allows tracking of nearby allies and enemies. This is a tracking effect.


    ¡°Mini-map, not bad,¡± Jason muttered to himself as his team members looked at their own abilities.


    Party member [Clive Standish]¡¯s human racial ability [Human Ambition] has evolved to [Thirst For Knowledge].Party member [Neil Davone]¡¯s elf racial ability [Life Affinity] has evolved to [Life Guard].Party member [Sophie Wexler]¡¯s celestine racial ability [Mana Integrity] has evolved to [Mana Wellspring].Party member [Humphrey Geller]¡¯s Human racial ability [Special Attack Affinity] has evolved to [Attack of the Mirage Dragon].


    ¡°Look at that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Neil really is an elf.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Asano.¡±

 Chapter 175: Shallow Earth

    The team had been eager to test out their new abilities as soon as they reached shore, but things were a little busy. While the iron-rankers were in the astral space, even more people had been awaiting their return. Many of the foreign adventurers had brought family, let alone the locals. The cloud palace had been placed offshore from a small town that had been going through what was essentially a festival for the better part of three weeks. The townsfolk were exhausted but increasingly wealthy, with towns and villages all around the lake being roped-in. A small army of very demanding visitors brought a tidal wave of money to the local economy.


    Things were all the more vibrant now that a steady stream of adventurers was emerging from the lake and into the jubilant arms of family. Neil¡¯s family were present, more than happy to be keeping company with the Gellers. Humphrey¡¯s father and sister had returned to Greenstone while he was in the astral space and were waiting with his mother. Even Clive¡¯s parents had been roped in by Danielle Geller, looking very awkward next to Greenstone¡¯s most prestigious adventurer.


    All Sophie ever had was her now long-dead father, but Belinda was her sister now, coming out with a greeting hug. Jason looked at them all, a sense of isolation he hadn¡¯t felt in a long time creeping over him. In his old life, only his older sister¡¯s family had been close as he eschewed other people. He hadn¡¯t been happy, but he hadn¡¯t felt lonely, either.


    He was overcome with the memory that this was not his world. His precious connections were also new connections. He had planted roots but they were still in shallow earth. Bringing his expression under control, he threw on a convincing grin and pulled out a recording stone.


    ¡°Hello family,¡± he said brightly. ¡°I¡¯m back out of the lake now, job done. I won the little contest because it turns out I¡¯m terrific, but the people up here don¡¯t know, yet, so I should probably not say that too loudly¡­¡±


    Morning became afternoon became evening, Jason¡¯s team and their families making their way onto the cloud palace before word spread outside of their victory in Emir¡¯s contest. Stories of their adventures were told, delighting Humphrey¡¯s parents as much as it horrified Clive¡¯s. Clive¡¯s success in life had certainly enriched them, which to the hardworking Standish family meant a bigger eel farm. They had quite liked that their son had a nice, safe job in an office.


    ¡°You can¡¯t keep someone with Clive¡¯s talent cooped up,¡± Danielle told them. ¡°Did you know Emir has been trying to hire him away?¡±


    ¡°So has Prince Valdis, from the Mirror Kingdom,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Clive¡¯s mother said. ¡°That Valdis you¡¯ve been talking about is a prince?¡±


    Sophie made a quiet exit, finding Jason hidden away, leaning over a balcony as he watched more adventurers emerge from the water to ebullient welcome. She leaned on the rail beside him, his gaze not moving.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you to miss a chance for self-aggrandisement,¡± she said but her voice was soft, without the usual sting.


    ¡°It¡¯s family time,¡± Jason said. ¡°Mine is so far away that gods can¡¯t broach the distance. They¡¯re so far away that there aren¡¯t even gods, there.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about that? You didn¡¯t believe in magic, once, but here we are. Would it be so strange for it to be hidden from you, back on your world?¡±


    ¡°Knowledge told me that my world lacks the magic to support a god.¡±


    ¡°And you trust her, all of a sudden?¡±


    ¡°No, but I don¡¯t think she¡¯s ever lied to me,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯s like me; why lie, when the facts will do it for you? She¡¯s just better at it than I am.¡±


    ¡°If it makes a difference,¡± she said, ¡°I think Danielle Geller is ready to adopt you.¡±


    Jason chuckled and she pulled herself off the railing.


    ¡°Come back in,¡± she said. ¡°What¡¯s a gathering without you telling people how great you are?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± he asked, also standing up straight. ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I¡¯m incredibly humble. I challenge you to find someone more humble than me¡­¡±


    The team finally snuck away to test out their new abilities, gathering in the guest hall training room. They didn¡¯t escape entirely, with Humphrey¡¯s mother, father and sister watching on from the behind the transparent wall of the observation room.


    Compared to Danielle, her husband, Keith, was more akin to their son; a solid and reliable counterpoint to her domineering charms. Their daughter, Henrietta, seemed to take her role of Humphrey¡¯s older sister seriously. She made it clear that his teammates were yet to meet her approval. Even her stoic gaze had broken in incredulity, however, as Humphrey explained that the whole team got gone through simultaneous gift evolutions.


    It was far from unknown for people to go through such events together, as the circumstances that pushed one person past their limits could easily affect another in the same way. Humphrey and Jason had experienced exactly that in their fight against the hydra. For an entire team to do so was something else altogether. Despite some probing questions from Danielle and her daughter, the team had agreed to hide Jason''s role as the catalyst.


    There was no hiding that it had happened, though, and the team tested out their new abilities, where appropriate. Clive had been initially unhappy with his racial gift.


    Ability: [Thirst For Knowledge]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Human Ambition].Essence abilities advance more quickly.Learn information through the use of skill books.


    ¡°Skill books? Skill books are for people too stupid to learn the proper way. No offence, Jason.¡±


    ¡°You and your skill-book prejudice,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with being a utility guy. My racial gifts aren¡¯t exactly cutting my enemies down like wheat. Think of all the mundane things you have to learn that take away from how you really want to spend your time. Now you can just skill book the unimportant stuff and spend your time where it really matters.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Clive said thoughtfully. ¡°I never thought of it like that.¡±


    ¡°Take martial arts, for example,¡± Jason said. ¡°You never took the time to learn hand-to-hand skills, but now you can skill-book them. They won¡¯t match up to Sophie, or even me, with the time I¡¯ve put in, but they may be the difference between life and death in a pinch.¡±


    No one argued that Neil¡¯s ability was anything but a boon to the team.


    Ability: [Life Guard]


    Transfigured from [Elf] ability [Life Affinity].Effects used or received with a positive effect on life have greater effect.Using a shield-based essence ability on allies also bestows a heal-over-time effect.


    They tested out the healing, which wasn¡¯t especially potent but still noticeable. Where Neil¡¯s ability restored health, Sophie¡¯s replenished mana.


    Ability: [Mana Wellspring]


    Transfigured from [Celestine] ability [Mana Integrity].Ongoing mana costs for maintained abilities are reduced. Resistance to mana drain effects is increased.When mana is not being consumed by an ongoing ability, mana regeneration for self and allies within your aura is significantly increased.


    Clive¡¯s aura ability likewise increased mana regeneration and some quick testing with overlapping the auras revealed the combined effect was impressive.


    ¡°We¡¯re never going to run of mana,¡± Neil said as he watched his mana bar refill. Jason had shown them how to pull up indicators for mana, stamina and health.


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You may be underestimating how quickly I can burn through it. My dragon essence racial gift lets me burn mana to increase my physical and magical strength. If I use that and run through my powers one after the other, I can empty the tank very quickly.


    ¡°What about the new one?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Yours is the one we¡¯ve all been waiting for.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Neil said. ¡°Why mirage dragon?¡±


    ¡°Stash is a mirage dragon,¡± Humphrey said. A mouse poked its head out of Humphrey¡¯s chest pocket and Humphrey scratched its head.


    ¡°I kept him hidden through the trials because I didn¡¯t want to draw too much attention. Mirage dragons are rare, even for dragons, and I don¡¯t want anyone trying to kill me and take him.¡±


    ¡°Well, let¡¯s see the new ability,¡± Jason said.


    Ability: [Attack of the Mirage Dragon]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Special Attack Affinity].You are more likely to awaken special attacks than other ability types. Your special attacks have increased effect.When you make special attacks, you can expend mana to create a short-lived, illusory double, replicating the attack. The illusion does not inflict damage or duplicate other effects from the attack but you can spend mana to switch-teleport with it, in the moment it is created. This is an illusion and teleport effect.


    ¡°What the hell kind of cheat ability is that?¡± Jason asked as they watched Humphrey and Sophie engage in some light sparring. Humphrey¡¯s attacks were suited more for fighting monsters than people, which normally gave her a relatively easy time blocking or dodging them. Even just learning to use his deceptive new double attacks already made the difficulty skyrocket.


    ¡°That¡¯s awful,¡± Sophie said once they were done. ¡°The flexibility that adds to your attacks is just mad.¡±


    ¡°I think we can safely say who won the racial gift lottery,¡± Jason said, although he was quite happy with his own ability. The mini-map floating in his vision had green dots for his allies and yellow dots for other people. He hadn''t encountered an enemy yet but expected them to show up as red.


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°No, Clive. No, and I mean it.¡±


    ¡°This an incredible opportunity. All these people looking for rituals of awakening and you wouldn¡¯t even have to do anything. I¡¯ll do the rituals and you just have to cycle them through your party.¡±


    Jason rubbed his temples.


    ¡°Clive, you¡¯re not listening. Humphrey, please explain it to Clive.¡±


    They had quietly occupied one of the guest-wing terraces, begging off their families to get some rest. The sun had gone down but the cloud palace lit up with internal illumination and they enjoyed the warm night air, reclined on a series of loungers. From below, the sounds of celebration rose up from where the adventurers had set up camp between the cloud palace and the town.


    After weeks of constant danger, the sudden safety was like releasing a pressure valve. Most of them fell asleep until Clive started advocating for his plan to record every ability awakened with the reaper stones so many adventurers had received.


    ¡°Jason already drew more attention to his abilities than he probably should when we all advanced our racial abilities,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Getting people even more interested is a dangerous proposition.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s why Rufus, Gary and Farrah warned me to keep the outworlder thing under my hat,¡± Jason said. ¡°What happens when someone shares your interest in my abilities, Clive, but they¡¯re gold-rank and don¡¯t care about my opinion? I get hauled-off in the night and you never see me again.¡±


    ¡°It just seems like a waste of potential,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Before I came here,¡± Jason said, ¡°wasting my potential was kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you just have to accept what you get and let the rest go,¡± Sophie told Clive. Jason was deliberately keeping his eyes from where she languidly stretched out on the lounger, concerned they would fall out of his head.


    ¡°If you run around chasing the best possible result,¡± Neil told Clive, ¡°you might miss out on the great thing you gave up to maintain the chase.¡±


    ¡°Meaning what?¡±


    ¡°Meaning that Jason isn¡¯t going to bend on this and if you keep pushing, he¡¯ll kick you out of the party until we¡¯ve all done our awakening rituals.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying I should be happy with recording the abilities of our own team?¡± Clive asked, reluctance still thick in his voice.


    ¡°After that display the gift evolutions,¡± Neil said, ¡°keeping Jason¡¯s abilities to ourselves may be closing the gate after the heidel¡¯s run off, at this point. Maybe compromise, Asano. Let Clive do the awakening rituals for our party, Cavendish¡¯s party and maybe Prince Valdis¡¯. It¡¯s not like he isn¡¯t already paying attention.¡±


    Jason gave a groaning sigh.


    ¡°I can live with that,¡± he conceded.


    ¡°Great!¡± Clive said, erupting out of his chair. ¡°I¡¯ll go get things organised.¡±


    ¡°Hold your heidels, chief,¡± Jason said. ¡°We should get ourselves sorted before we start rounding up anyone else.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If nothing else, we have some awakening stones to collect from Emir.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s go find him!¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Humphrey said firmly. ¡°Tonight, we rest.¡±

 Chapter 176: Relief

    On his return to the cloud palace, Emir¡¯s first action was securing the scythe. His second was seeking out Jason and his team on the balcony terrace and enjoying a light lunch.


    ¡°Join us,¡± Jason said as Emir arrived.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little busy right now,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Jason asked. ¡°We¡¯ve got gold plum souffl¨¦.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Emir said. ¡°I suppose we can talk over lunch.¡±


    ¡°So, have you come to give us some top-end awakening stones?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve come to give you four hundred and nineteen time-displaced priests who came out of the archway very confused and asking for you by name.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade actually came through on that. Are you really leaving them to me to deal with? I¡¯d have thought you¡¯d be all over those people and what they knew.¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes,¡± Emir admitted. ¡°I have a historian on staff who practically had a fit when I told her about them. I think we¡¯ll end up thoroughly debriefing them, then turning them over to their various churches to deal with. Whatever we may think of certain religious organisations, right now, I don¡¯t see much of a better option.¡±


    ¡°They may not all want to go back,¡± Jason said. ¡°I could see some of them being disillusioned by what they went through.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone is as cavalier with the churches as you, Jason,¡± Emir said. ¡°If any of them do put their faith aside, you can coordinate with the Adventure Society to sort it out.¡±


    ¡°I imagine they¡¯ll take it out of my hands,¡± Jason said. ¡°It sounds like more of a three-star adventurer problem, which is too difficult for simple old me with my solitary star.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Emir said, earning him an affronted look from Jason. ¡°And about those rewards, I''ll have Constance bring you a list of the awakening stones we have. You can choose any five you like.¡±


    ¡°What about the cloud palace?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°That was the reward that had all the adventurers salivating.¡±


    ¡°Obviously there¡¯s only one cloud palace to be had,¡± Emir said. ¡°It¡¯s a bonded item, so you¡¯ll need to decide which of you it will be bonded to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be Jason,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He¡¯s the one that got the scythe, after all.¡±


    ¡°We should at least talk about it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We did,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We all agreed.¡±


    Jason looked around at the team and they all nodded.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want it, I¡¯m happy to take it off your hands,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    They were able to choose five stones, which was one for each team member. A legendary stone was the nearest thing to actually selecting a specific power, which made picking from a selection of legendary stones an unparalleled luxury. Constance brought them a list of the stones in Emir¡¯s supply, which turned out to be startlingly large.


    Neil and Jason both selected awakening stones of the avatar, known for most often producing summoning powers and powerful buffing abilities. Humphrey selected an awakening stone of rebirth, hoping for a powerful recovery power. Sophie, on Constance¡¯s advice, selected an awakening stone of the celestials. Clive chose an awakening stone of karma, the same as his confluence essence, although he would not be able to use it.


    They waited in the guest wing lounge as Constance left and came back with a long wooden box, the top of which she slid off to reveal five awakening stones, sitting on velvet.


    ¡°We had three of these, originally,¡± Constance said as she handed the stone of the celestials to Sophie. ¡°They were created from an outworlder¡¯s ability, like Jason''s, and I''ve never heard of them appearing anywhere else. The only reason they appear in the Magic Society records at all is that we allowed the Magic Society to examine them.¡±


    ¡°So you don¡¯t know what their power inclinations are?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°The other two were both used by celestines,¡± Constance said. ¡°In both cases, the abilities enhanced their natural racial gifts.¡±


    Clive handed his stone to Sophie.


    ¡°It should pair well with your balance essence and give you something formidable,¡± he said.


    Sophie looked down at the stones she was holding in each hand. Each one was valuable on a level she could barely conceive of. Even most essences would not fetch as high a price as these, should someone squander them on the open market. She looked up at Clive who placed his hand over her, closing her fingers as she tried to hand it back. He gave her a warm smile.


    ¡°This is just the beginning,¡± he told her. She looked around uncertainly but found supporting smiles all around. Even Jason looked uncharacteristically sincere, without his usual expression of thinking of a joke no one else knew about.


    ¡°So, whose stones to we use first?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Jason¡¯s,¡± Clive said. ¡°I want to see what those two reaper stones produce. Also, he¡¯s faster, because he doesn¡¯t need a ritual.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I do want to use one,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade said I should incorporate this into a ritual.¡±


    Jason tossed an object to Clive, a square of obsidian with a scythe engraved in silver, along with writing he couldn¡¯t read. Clive looked at it, then up at Jason.


    Item: [Reaper Token] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    ??? (consumable, ???).


    Effect: ???Effect: ???


    ¡°This is an astral blessing token,¡± he said. ¡°For the Reaper, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What¡¯s an astral blessing token?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Its something great astral beings give out to bestow blessings, as signs of approval,¡± Clive said. ¡°They trigger racial gift evolutions, just like the one we all went through. I used one of these myself, back when I was Humphrey''s age.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s like those star seeds?¡± Neil asked, shrinking away.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°The blessings are harmless. The great astral beings give them out for all kinds of reasons, to those that venerate them or that they approve of. Some astral beings have even given them out to those who work against their interests because they are enemies worthy of respect.¡±


    ¡°And you use them as part of an awakening ritual?¡± Jason asked, thinking of the other token in his possession. The one the goddess of knowledge claimed would send him home.


    ¡°Some you can,¡± Clive said. ¡°They tend to arrange for specific abilities if you do. That''s something only transcendent beings like gods can arrange. Every token has an additional effect, and some can only be triggered in certain ways. If Shade told you to use it with an awakening ritual, it should probably be with one of the Reaper stones.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Jason said. ¡°How did you get your token, Clive?¡±


    ¡°It just showed up one night while I was studying,¡± Clive said. ¡°There was this patch of moonlight in my room, even though the curtains were closed, and there it was. My mentor knew what it was and helped me use it with my next awakening ritual.¡±


    Clive frowned in thought.


    ¡°That¡¯s one interesting point,¡± he said. ¡°Your token came from your ability, right? A quest reward.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± Clive said. ¡°Your quest system¡¯s ability to produce items is just another loot power variant. It shouldn¡¯t be able to produce an astral blessing token. Only great astral beings can do that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m secretly a great astral being,¡± Jason said. ¡°I could have knocked up a crappy body, chucked in some fake memories and shoved a chunk of my consciousness into it to get a mortal perspective. Or for laughs, whatever.¡±


    Clive¡¯s eyes went wide in horror as he stared at Jason.


    ¡°That¡­ no¡­ that can¡¯t be¡­ no¡­ but¡­ no. Wait¡­ no¡­ that can¡¯t be right.¡±


    ¡°Mate, calm down,¡± Jason told him. ¡°I¡¯m not secretly the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°But, I mean, conceivably¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said firmly. ¡°These beings can just make the tokens appear if they like, right? Surely the Reaper, having about a squillion times more power than me, could have tweaked my ability to produce it this one time. Just a reward for getting his magic farming tool.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Clive said, nodding to himself. ¡°That makes more sense.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Now, do you know how to incorporate this thing into an essence ritual?¡±


    ¡°Oh, Absolutely,¡± Clive said, perking up. ¡°Let¡¯s get into a ritual room and do this.¡±


    Clive was as good as his word, setting up a more elaborate magic circle than he had for Sophie¡¯s awakenings. Jason stood the middle, the awakening stone of the Reaper in one hand and the Reaper token in the other.


    ¡°Ready?¡± Clive asked him.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What are you hoping for?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Well, apparently Shade is looking for a new gig,¡± Jason said. ¡°I thought he¡¯d make an awesome familiar.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Why not? Colin¡¯s great, don¡¯t get me wrong, but the conversation isn¡¯t exactly sparkling.¡±


    Clive shook his head and conducted the ritual. It went as normal, aside from the Reaper token melding into his body along with the awakening stone, and felt to Jason no different to absorbing them normally.


    You have awakened the dark essence ability [Shadow of the Reaper]. You have awakened 4 of 5 dark essence abilities.


    Ability: [Shadow of the Reaper] (Dark)


    Familiar (ritual).Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Summon a [Shadow of the Reaper] to serve as a familiar.


    ¡°That looks like a winner,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think I might have actually done it?¡±


    As the others read his ability through the party interface, Blue-grey light started shining from Jason¡¯s body.


    ¡°As expected,¡± Clive said.


    [Reaper Token] has been consumed.Outworlder racial ability [Mysterious Stranger] has evolved to [Dark Rider].


    Ability: [Dark Rider]


    Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Mysterious Stranger].Language adaptation.Essence, awakening stone and skill-book absorption.Immunity to identification and tracking effects.Shadow-based familiars may take adopt the form of a mount appropriate to the environment.


    ¡°Oh, a mount power, sweet,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now I don¡¯t have to farm all that gold.¡±


    Then he looked at the requirements for the summoning ritual his new familiar power would require.


    [Shadow of the Reaper] summoning ritual material requirements:


    343 [Dark Quintessence Gems (Iron)].2401 [Iron Rank Spirit Coins].500 grams of [Midnight Onyx Powder].1 [Midnight Jade].24 small, square [Night Stone] plates.


    ¡°Mat farming isn¡¯t entirely off the table it seems.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°The ritual to summon my new familiar. It takes a bunch of stuff I don¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°It should have been the same for your first familiar, right?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Even more costly, if anything. Your first familiar is an apocalypse beast, after all?¡±


    ¡°Did you just say apocalypse?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Apocalypse?¡± Neil asked again.


    ¡°I said it¡¯s fine. Tell him it¡¯s fine, Clive.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Clive said. ¡°Until he reaches diamond rank, it definitely won¡¯t be able to wipe out an entire world¡¯s worth of life.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    ¡°Clive, I said to tell him it''s fine, not anything about scouring the world of life, which Colin would never do.¡±


    ¡°He might,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t eat the plants, would he?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re probably right,¡± Clive said. ¡°Do you still have the book from the blood cult? It might be in that."


    ¡°Yeah, Farrah gave it to me when she was done with it. Because of my familiar. Actually, the blood cult is why I had such an easy time summoning Colin. They took off with all the high-end goods but left behind a pile of iron-rank materials. And being a blood cult, there was plenty of iron-rank materials to knock out the ritual. When Rufus was splitting the loot he gave me a spare set in case something happened and I had to resummon the little guy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to do some shopping,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°In the meantime, how about your other awakening stones?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Jason said, rubbing his hands together, then plucked another awakening stone from his inventory. ¡°Another Reaper stone. I¡¯m running out of chances to get that necrotic affliction I¡¯ve been after, and I think this is the one.¡±


    After the ritual he used to absorb his last stone, quietly absorbing the next one seemed anticlimactic.


    You have awakened the dark essence ability [Hand of the Reaper]. You have awakened 5 of 5 dark essence abilities.You have awakened all dark essence abilities. Linked attribute [Speed] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank dark essence ability.


    Ability: [Hand of the Reaper] (Dark)


    Conjuration (disease).Cost: Low mana-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Conjure a highly flexible, semi-substantial shadow-arm that can extend or shrink. Conjured items can be conjured into the shadow hand. Can be used to make melee special attacks. Special attacks made using the arm inflict [Creeping Death] in addition to other effects.[Creeping Death] (damage-over-time, disease, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until the disease is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    A huge grin spread across Jason¡¯s face. The lack of a necrotic damage affliction in his repertoire of abilities been preying on his mind increasingly as his available slots diminished. The relief at closing the gap in his power set was like finally taking a wee after desperately holding it in for too long and he let out a contented sigh.


    ¡°That power sounds strange,¡± Sophie said, reading the description. ¡°It also sounds creepy. A flexible hand sneaking about?¡±


    ¡°It seems like it¡¯ll be versatile,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You can use it to make special attacks, but also just increase your ability to reach. It''s no telekinesis power but I imagine you''ll get some use out of it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it a try,¡± Jason said. He reached out with his arm, which transmuted into the same shadow-stuff his cloak was made of. It extended out to slip around Humphrey¡¯s ankle like a constrictor snake.


    ¡°I can use this in combat for more than just making attacks,¡± Jason said and yanked back hard with the shadow arm. Humphrey didn¡¯t budge, Jason instead yanking himself off his feet and falling to an undignified heap.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to increase my strength at all,¡± he said from the floor.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to test it extensively to see what you can and can¡¯t do with it,¡± Humphrey told him. ¡°For now, move onto the next stone.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can knock out the last one and someone else can jump into the spotlight.¡±


    He took out the last stone, the awakening stone of the avatar.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a doom power,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you think it will be some super-hideous affliction?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s more likely to be a summoning power,¡± Clive said. ¡°Maybe one that runs around, causing afflictions for you?¡±


    ¡°I already have Colin for that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Other than summons,¡± Clive said, ¡°avatar stones are known for enhancement and transformation powers. If it¡¯s from the doom essence, maybe it turns you into a blob of pustulant flesh that spurts gobbets of poisons from the sores all over your body.¡±


    Everyone gave Clive a wary look.


    ¡°What?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t actually an option is it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Sure it is,¡± Clive said encouragingly. ¡°I¡¯ve read a case study about someone with a very similar power. It was actually a fascinating case because the permanent nature of the transformation made it resistant to suppression collars.¡±


    ¡°Permanent?¡± Jason asked, his face wan.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Neil said happily, giving Jason a pat on the back. ¡°If it¡¯s really bad we can push you around in a wheelbarrow or something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be the one pushing it,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°You¡¯re his indentured servant,¡± Neil told her. ¡°I think it has to be you.¡±


    ¡°The guy I read about was more or less humanoid,¡± Clive said, ¡°so that shouldn¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°More or less?¡± Jason repeated.


    ¡°He certainly had something that could pass as legs,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Maybe I should find an awakening stone more special-attack oriented,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let them talk you out of using such a precious stone,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be fine. We would never push you around in a wheelbarrow.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said gratefully.


    ¡°We¡¯d have someone make a little magic cart,¡± Humphrey continued. ¡°Probably with something to seal in the smell, because I have to imagine it would be bad.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it definitely would,¡± Clive said. ¡°Instead of sweating, the guy secreted this oil that kept him cool and killed insects, but was apparently very pungent.¡±


    ¡°Alright, you all need to stop talking,¡± Jason said.

 Chapter 177: Glory

    Despite the best efforts of his team to unnerve him, Jason used his final awakening stone, albeit with eyes closed and whispering to himself.


    ¡°Don¡¯t turn into a blob, don¡¯t turn into a blob, don¡¯t turn into a blob¡­¡±


    You have awakened the doom essence ability [Avatar of Doom]. You have awakened 5 of 5 doom essence abilities.You have awakened all doom essence abilities. Linked attribute [Spirit] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank doom essence ability.


    Ability: [Avatar of Doom] (Doom)


    Familiar (ritual).Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Summon an [Avatar of Doom] to serve as a familiar.


    ¡°Another familiar power,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m turning into a pet character. I don¡¯t suppose anyone knows what an avatar of doom is?¡±


    "It isn''t something I''ve heard of," Clive said, pulling out his monster archive tablet. After looking through for a few moments, he shook his head.


    ¡°Not here,¡± he said. ¡°You get that with summoned familiars quite a lot, though, seeing as they¡¯re all beings from the deep astral. It¡¯s an endless supply of bizarre and terrifying horrors.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know it¡¯ll be terrifying,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s called an avatar of doom,¡± Neil said. "I doubt it''s going to be a healer-type familiar."


    ¡°That¡¯s an option?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Having your own personal healer?¡±


    ¡°My sister has one,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°But she¡¯s a summoning specialist, so she has one of just about everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, bloody hell,¡± Jason said, looking over the summoning ritual requirements.


    [Avatar of Doom] summoning ritual material requirements:


    108 [Radiant Quintessence Gems (Iron)].108 [Void Quintessence Gems (Iron)].1296 [Iron Rank Spirit Coins].


    ¡°These ritual materials are awful,¡± Jason said. ¡°Void and radiant quintessence?¡±


    ¡°Ouch,¡± Clive said. ¡°That¡¯s going to be worse than the other one.¡±


    ¡°Lucky we just got a haul of treasure, then,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That plant quintessence might be common, but we have piles of the stuff, and it¡¯s bronze-rank.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll put a dent in the price,¡± Jason acknowledged.


    ¡°The problem will be sourcing the materials,¡± Clive said. ¡°I know the Magic Society has some radiant quintessence, although it won¡¯t part with it cheaply. I think the void quintessence will be your main obstacle. It¡¯s actually harder to get at iron than it is at higher ranks.¡±


    ¡°We can worry about that later,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s someone else¡¯s turn to use their stones.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ll set up a ritual while you all decide who goes next.¡±


    ¡°We still need to organise my stones,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯ll wait until later.¡±


    ¡°Sensible,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Would you like to go next, Neil?¡±


    ¡°Is there any chance of Neil turning into a blob monster?¡± Jason asked Clive hopefully.


    Clive hummed thoughtfully as he used his power to draw out a ritual circle.


    ¡°If I recall correctly,¡± Clive said, ¡°you have open spots in the Shield and growth essences, right, Neil? The avatar stone could have some blob-related results in the growth essence. As for the Reaper, stone, who knows?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s comforting,¡± Neil said. ¡°I was more looking for another summon, or maybe a buff spell. A shield golem would be nice.¡±


    ¡°Shield golem?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That actually does sound awesome. I hope you get that.¡±


    Neil¡¯s ritual of awakening went off without incident in Clive¡¯s capable hands.


    You have awakened the growth essence ability [Hero¡¯s Moment]. You have awakened 5 of 5 growth essence abilities.You have awakened all growth essence abilities. Linked attribute [Spirit] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank growth essence ability.


    Ability: [Hero¡¯s Moment] (Growth)


    Spell (boon, recovery).Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: 24 hours.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Bestow a powerful boon on an ally, increasing all attributes and resistances by a significant amount. They receive damage reduction, their maximum mana and stamina are increased and they gain ongoing mana and stamina recovery. They ignore the effects of rank-disparity. When this effect ends, they are temporarily debilitated, suffering the inverse of all previous effects.


    ¡°There¡¯s that buff you were looking for,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯ll turn Humphrey into a monster.¡±


    ¡°I think the more interesting application will be Neil¡¯s summon,¡± Clive said. ¡°We¡¯ve barely tapped into what we can do with it. You may or may not remember that when heavily damaged, it undergoes a transformation based on what it was subjected to before the change. Imagine what it would get out of having that spell used on it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting point,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°One of our strategic thin spots is our summons. We have a few strategies build around Jason¡¯s leech swarm, but mine and Neil¡¯s summons have been rather underutilised. Once we add in Jason¡¯s new familiars, we¡¯ll have quite the selection of allies at our command.¡±


    As Clive set up the next ritual, the others postulated Neil¡¯s last ability.


    ¡°The only unawakened ability I have is from the shield essence,¡± Neil said. ¡°What kind of ability will come from a stone associated with death?¡±


    ¡°Another one of your quick bubble-shields?¡± Jason guessed. ¡°It could have retributive damage, like your burst shield ability.¡±


    ¡°What about a death wall?¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I remember during the last monster surge I was up on the outer walls with my father. A swarming pack of margolls came pouring at us and one of my family members put up this sheet of energy. Every monster that went through it died on the spot.¡±


    You have awakened the shield essence ability [Reaper¡¯s Redoubt]. You have awakened 5 of 5 shield essence abilities.You have awakened all shield essence abilities. Linked attribute [Power] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank shield essence ability.


    Ability: [Reaper¡¯s Redoubt] (Shield)


    Spell (dimension).Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: 6 hours.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Take allies into a dimensional space briefly while flooding the area with death energy, dealing disruptive-force damage, necrotic damage and inflicting [Creeping Death].[Creeping Death] (damage-over-time, disease, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until the disease is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m new at this whole adventurer thing,¡± Sophie said, ¡°but that ability sounds really strong, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the same affliction as my ability,¡± Jason said. ¡°Must be a favourite of the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°The fact that it takes six hours before becoming available again suggests it certainly is strong,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The other ability takes a whole day. Judgement of when to use your powers will be key, Neil.¡±


    ¡°Nothing new there,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°The utility of that new ability will depend on how close we have to be to Neil to be taken into the dimensional space,¡± Humphrey assessed. ¡°I don¡¯t think being left behind for those other effects would be a pleasant experience.¡±


    ¡°It feels like I can take in anyone within about a dozen metres,¡± Neil said. ¡°I think we can work with that range.¡±


    Essence users all had an instinctive understanding of their abilities as the awakening stones imprinted them on the user¡¯s soul. Even without using them, there was an intrinsic understanding of an ability¡¯s properties. This was only ever hampered in unusual instances, like Jason and his shadow teleport.


    Until he had broken through the mental block to give himself completely over to magic, Jason had been unable to make the shadow-jump work. Even then, however, he had an understanding of how it should work. Neil¡¯s estimate or his new power¡¯s parameters was therefore considered trustworthy.


    After Neil, they moved onto Humphrey. The awakening stone of the Reaper gave him a special attack, unsurprisingly for a human.


    You have awakened the magic essence ability [Spirit Reaper]. You have awakened 5 of 5 magic essence abilities.You have awakened all magic essence abilities. Linked attribute [Spirit] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank magic essence ability.


    Ability: [Spirit Reaper] (Magic)


    Special attack (melee, dimension, drain).Cost: Low mana and stamina.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Inflicts additional disruptive-force damage and drains mana. Has additional effect against incorporeal or semi-corporeal creatures.


    ¡°An attack specialised in fighting incorporeal opponents,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I might have been disappointed if I hadn¡¯t just spent weeks fighting those vorger creatures. Magic weapons could affect them, but not well.¡±


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t overlook the use of disruptive-force damage at breaking through magic defences,¡± Neil said. ¡°It can break down magical shields like mine much faster than normal.¡±


    They moved on to Humphrey¡¯s final stone. He had chosen an awakening stone of rebirth, hoping for a recovery power that would increase his staying power in an extended fight or let him run at full steam for longer in a short one. He had chosen it specifically, on the advice of his mother, she wanted him to avoid the flaw in her own ability set. Her powers were outrageously potent, but at a cost of rapidly consuming mana and stamina. In short bursts, she was close to invincible within her rank. Extended conflicts would leave her vulnerable, however; too drained to use her formidable abilities.


    You have awakened the might essence ability [Immortality]. You have awakened 5 of 5 might essence abilities.You have awakened all might essence abilities. Linked attribute [Power] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank might essence ability.


    Ability: [Immortality] (Might)


    Special ability (healing, recovery).Cost: None.Cooldown: 24 hours.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Instantly restore a large portion of health, mana and stamina. Amount restored is based on how depleted health, mana and stamina are when the ability is used.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I was happy with my shadow-arm power and this guy gets immortality?¡±


    ¡°In fairness,¡± Sophie said, ¡°what would you say if asked whether you or Humphrey deserve the better power?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say me, obviously,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll lie through my teeth if there¡¯s immortality in it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll lie through your teeth if there¡¯s a halfway-decent lunch spread in it,¡± Neil told him.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason acknowledged cheerfully.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Clive said to Humphrey, slapping him on the arm. ¡°You just acquired what may be the single most sought-after power in the world. Of course, it won¡¯t actually bring you back from the dead until gold rank.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s real immortality?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a famous power, for obvious reasons,¡± Clive said. ¡°The Magic Society has extensive records on it. There are various limitations on its power to bring back the dead, of course. It¡¯s rumoured those limits are reduced or even eliminated at diamond rank, but I don¡¯t have the authority to access those kinds of records.¡±


    ¡°Looks like Humphrey won the essence power lottery,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You should remember that you¡¯ve already come back from the dead,¡± Clive said to Jason, grabbing the attention of the group.


    ¡°It¡¯s an outworlder thing,¡± Jason said dismissively. ¡°Clive can explain while we go shopping.¡±


    Jason turned to Sophie.


    ¡°You said Belinda was checking out the market, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go see if we can find her, then.¡±


    A market had sprung up in the adventurer camp between the cloud palace and the nearby town. Adventurers had come from the trials with dimensional bags overflowing with loot and Greenstone¡¯s brokers had anticipated exactly that. A series of tents, even bamboo buildings hastily erected with magic had formed an impromptu trade fair. Jason¡¯s voice chat allowed them to contact Belinda and arrange a meeting place, but Constance intercepted Jason and the others on their way out of the cloud palace.


    ¡°Jason,¡± she said. ¡°Emir would like to meet with you about the priests you liberated.¡±


    "Oh," he said, frowning. "Alright. You lot go ahead to the market and I¡¯ll meet up with you later.¡±


    Jason followed Constance to Emir¡¯s tower-top office. It was the same as his previous visit, a flat space under a translucent dome, broken up by pools of water with plants growing from them. To Jason¡¯s surprise, the head of the Adventure Society Inquiry team, Tabitha Gert was there. She gave Jason an assessing glance but said nothing, leaving with Constance via the elevating platform as soon as Jason arrived.


    Emir was sitting behind a desk that, like his chair, was made of cloud-stuff. On the opposite side of the floor, a similar chair rose from the floor as Emir waved at Jason to join him. Jason sat down, glancing at the piles of paper in Emir¡¯s desk.


    ¡°As it turns out,¡± Emir said, following Jason¡¯s gaze, ¡°no small part of treasure hunting is logistics. I signed up for the world travel and derring-do, yet somehow ended up buried in administration. I still need to present you the cloud palace but I want to carve out a proper amount of time for that. Such an unusual item requires a certain amount of instruction that I don''t intend to rush, and there are other concerns to be going on with.¡±


    ¡°You need something from me regarding these priests who escape the trials?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You brought in their churches right?¡±


    "Yes, although there are inevitable problems. One is with our old friend the church of Purity, of whom a full quarter of the priests belong.¡±


    ¡°Did Cal check out the Vane estate?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°He did. From what he can tell, it was the regrouping point for the Builder cult members that scattered after escaping the desert astral space. They moved on afterwards, however.¡±


    ¡°Did he find enough to put the clamps on the church?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Emir said. ¡°They can just claim they hadn¡¯t been doing anything with the site due to its isolation and that they knew nothing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± Jason said. ¡°I almost feel bad handing these priests over to the church.¡±


    ¡°Not an issue, as it turns out,¡± Emir said. ¡°The church has declared them tainted from their time in the astral space. I suspect they don¡¯t want a bevy of fresh faces while they¡¯re in the middle of conducting a huge conspiracy.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate good old intolerant zeal,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Either way,¡± Emir said, ¡°we have a hundred confused, time-displaced, freshly excommunicated clergy.¡±


    ¡°How does that even work?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Did Purity show up and take their essences?¡±


    ¡°Yes, those that had divine essences and awakening stones.¡±


    ¡°So what happens to them now?¡±


    ¡°Either they are received by another church or they replace their missing essences with regular ones. Fortunately, they¡¯re only iron-rank, so the loss of their essences isn¡¯t crippling. You saw the Interim Director leaving; she will be organising what to do with them.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t look eager to involve me in the process,¡± Jason said. ¡°What do you need me for?¡±


    ¡°It seems that the being administering the trials informed them that you were the one who stood up for their release. They, and the church representatives who actually welcomed their lost people back, are rather keen on meeting you.¡±


    Jason groaned. ¡°Why did he have to go and tell them?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want your moment of glory?¡± Emir asked with a smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m more comfortable claiming unearned glory than getting the real thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°All I did was ask the guy to let them go and he said yes. Hardly worth making a fuss over.¡±


    ¡°Consider it practice,¡± Emir said. ¡°Adventurers become the heroes to many, and I doubt these are the last lives you¡¯ll save.¡±


    ¡°I suppose,¡± Jason said. ¡°Next time I save someone, though, I¡¯m telling them my name is Humphrey.¡±


    Emir laughed.


    ¡°Have you used your awakening stones yet?¡± Emir asked, changing the subject.


    ¡°Constance caught us just coming from a ritual room,¡± Jason said. ¡°We need to sort out Sophie and Belinda¡¯s stones and essences, plus I have two familiar summonings worth of materials to get. I¡¯m not holding out hope of getting the quintessence I need locally.¡±


    "I might be able to help with that," Emir said. "Have your team refrain from selling their goods here. There''s going to be a flood of essences and awakening stones, dropping the price. Buy what you can here for cheap, and I''ll have Hester portal you somewhere you can sell your spoils at a tidy profit. You¡¯ll also be able to access a larger market for what you need.¡±


    "That would be amazing, thank you," Jason said.


    ¡°Go meet with the church representatives and I¡¯ll arrange things with Hester. Constance will be waiting to show you the way."


    ¡°How are things going with you and Constance?¡± Jason asked. ¡°She seems to be warming up around you.¡±


    "Well, I think," Emir said. "Our longer than expected stay here has everyone acting a little more casually. Something is holding her back, though, and I can''t for the life of me figure it out. I thought perhaps it was that she works for me, but that isn''t it."


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s her rank,¡± Jason suggested. ¡°She might not want to take that step in your relationship want until you¡¯re on the same level.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an interesting idea,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°Have you tried asking her?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that easy,¡± Emir said. ¡°We¡¯ve been dancing around each other for a long time now. There¡¯s a lot of heavy air in the space between us.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be taking advice from me, anyway,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m barely older than your granddaughter. She used the skill books alright?¡±


    "Oh yes," Emir said. "She''d have trained through the night if I let her. I had to pry her away from Gabriel to make her go to bed. He dotes on her almost as much as I do."


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about something,¡± Jason said. ¡°I recall you having certain views on children, yet you have a granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°I had a son I never knew about,¡± Emir said. ¡°The result of a youthful dalliance, before I even had my essences. The young lady in question never told me and I didn¡¯t find out until he died, during the last monster surge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°My son¡¯s wife died with him, leaving only my granddaughter, Ketis. She went to live with her grandmother, my son¡¯s mother, but she was not a woman of means. She knew who I was, but never sought me out for money. From what I hear, she raised my son into a fine man. She only reached out for Ketis¡¯ sake. Her grandmother is well taken care of now, of course. Money, essences and enough monster cores to rank her up to bronze. Ketis will have her from some time yet.¡±


    ¡°And Ketis herself will get the best of everything.¡±


    ¡°Not everything,¡± Emir said. ¡°I would like for her to end up more like your friend Humphrey than your friend Thadwick.¡±


    ¡°You know Thadwick? Oh, he was one of the ones the cult seeded.¡±


    "I don''t know if you''ve heard," Emir said. "The cult has taken him again, in the time you''ve been gone."


    ¡°Why?¡± Jason asked. ¡°No offence to the bloke, but he¡¯s not good to anyone for anything.¡±


    ¡°The cult has been driven into hiding,¡± Emir said. ¡°Deeper hiding. We¡¯ve managed to identify and curtail many of their operations in the city. They¡¯ve been using Thadwick¡¯s knowledge of the considerable holdings of the Mercer family to make supply raids.¡±


    "Not even Thadwick deserves to have one of those things inside him," Jason said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t he try to kill you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he botched it, like everything he does. His family must be going wild, looking for him.¡±


    ¡°Indeed they are,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not my business,¡± Jason said, getting up from his chair. ¡°All this cult nonsense is above my pay grade and I have enough to be going on with. I think I¡¯ll go get this business with the priests over with.¡±

 Chapter 178: Display of Gratitude

    The adventurer camp was divided into three areas. The first was the actual campsite, where opulent tents were set out for the prestigious visiting adventurers. The second was the market tents, plain but large, where Greenstone¡¯s brokers and the returned adventurers haggled over loot. The last camp was also the most modest, where the returned priests had been collected together.


    Jason skirted the crowded market area, taking a moment to contact his team via his chat ability. He let them know he would be a while longer and passed on Emir¡¯s advice to not to sell their loot for cheap market prices. Once finished, he made his way through the tents toward the section where the priests and others liberated from the astral space were encamped. He knew that not all the people recovered had been actual clergy, many simply belonged to the divine militant factions of their various religions.


    He was getting looks as he passed through the camp. Word had spread about his acquisition of the scythe, and those who had seen him hand it over recognised him and pointed him out to others. No one actually approached him until he was almost through the camp when an adventuring party stepped into his path.


    ¡°Something I can help you with, mate?¡± Jason asked the obvious leader.


    ¡°How did you get the scythe?¡± The man asked without introduction or preamble.


    ¡°You remember that archway that took us out, after the trials?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°It could also take you to the location of the real scythe.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Turns out it had a sexiness threshold. You¡¯re a good looking man, but¡­¡±


    Jason ran a sensuous hand down his own body.


    ¡°¡­up against all this, you were bang out of luck.¡±


    ¡°You mock me?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me, mate; I¡¯m the one doing it. Do you not know how mockery works?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea who I am?¡± the adventurer asked.


    ¡°My first thought was the lyrical gangster but I just don¡¯t think you¡¯ve got the flows.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    The sun was behind the adventurers, leaving the man''s shadow under Jason''s feet. While he looked at Jason in anger and confusion, Jason dropped through the man''s shadow like a hole had opened up under his feet. The adventurer looked around, wildly.


    ¡°Where did he go?¡±


    Jason had teleported into a tent whose flap was open just enough for him to see the darkened space inside. It was an extremely large tent, like many others, with an opulently appointed interior. A thick rug covered the floor, while cushions were piled high into lounging furniture. There was also a trio of hammocks on stands, and a low table in the middle of the room. Shooting upright at the sudden intrusion was a trio of women, two of whom drew swords and pointed them with disturbingly steady hands at Jason¡¯s throat.


    ¡°Hello, ladies,¡± Jason said, giving them a friendly grin as he raised his hands in surrender. ¡°Sorry to barge in.¡±


    Body language told Jason that the third woman in the room was the one in charge. All three were celestines, although a different ethnicity than the silver-haired Sophie or the golden-haired locals. Their skin was caramel to Sophie¡¯s chocolate, while their eyes were sapphire orbs. The striking blue was matched by their hair, which spilled down like light passing through a waterfall.


    Jason hoped the startled expression he knew was on his face was put down to the swords and not the mesmerising beauty of his captors. They were all garbed in wrap-style clothing that draped loosely, the muted colours flatteringly highlighting the vibrant colour of their hair and eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re Jason Asano,¡± the woman in charge said, looking him up and down. She tilted her head curiously to the side, as if looking at an animal that had wandered into her tent. Jason had the unsettling impression she was deciding if he was cute enough to be a pet or juicy enough to be food.


    ¡°Uh, yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What brings you into my tent?¡±


    ¡°Would you believe happenstance?¡± he ventured.


    She made a dismissive gesture as she moved toward Jason and the other two backed away, resheathing their swords. He could see she knew exactly what effect the sultry gait of her lithe body had and exactly how to weaponise it. She walked right up into Jason¡¯s personal space, looking down as she was slightly taller than his slight frame. He dropped his surrendering hands to his side.


    ¡°What price are you going to pay for your rude intrusion, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°I suppose taking you to dinner is out of the question?¡±


    The hands of the other two jerked back toward their swords, anger flashing on their faces. They were stilled by another dismissive gesture from their leader.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t asked who I am,¡± she said. ¡°Do you already know, or do you not care?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty ignorant,¡± Jason said. ¡°It probably wouldn¡¯t mean anything if you told me.¡±


    She gave him the smile of a snake that just found an unattended egg.


    ¡°You are as your reputation suggests, Mr Asano. Hiding behind the face of a fool.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my face?¡± Jason asked, affronted. He gave it an exploratory poke with one of his fingers.


    The woman laughed.


    ¡°I can hear an actual fool causing a commotion outside,¡± she said. ¡°Is that on account of you?¡±


    ¡°I met a bloke who was curious about how I got the scythe,¡± Jason said. ¡°His approach was a little rude.¡±


    She raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°I recognise the irony,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°So, how did you do it?¡±


    ¡°I told the guy outside it was sexiness,¡± Jason said. ¡°I recognise that trying that here would be insultingly implausible.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t answer my question,¡± she said.


    ¡°I noticed that too,¡± he said with a sly grin. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    It was one of the two offsiders that answered.


    ¡°You have the honour of addressing her royal highness¡­¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t ask for a job title,¡± Jason interrupted. ¡°I¡¯m not big on nepotism, in any case. I asked for a name.¡±


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± the woman in front of Jason asked. ¡°We haven¡¯t decided if you get to leave this tent alive, yet.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to leave and I¡¯ll be just fine,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re confident.¡±


    ¡°No, but I¡¯m good at faking it.¡±


    He held a hand up and a plate piled high with red and white confectionary squares appeared in his hand.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Gem berry and milk nut squares,¡± Jason said. ¡°You asked about the price I would pay for barging in.¡±


    His arm turned into shadow-stuff, bending around the woman and stretching out to set the plate on the table. One of her offsiders drew a sword and slashed at the shadow arm, the blade passing harmlessly through. Jason retracted his arm back and it returned to normal.


    ¡°Once you try those,¡± he said, ¡°you¡¯ll regret not taking me up on that dinner invitation.¡±


    He made to leave and she didn''t stop him, but she spoke up as he lifted the flap to leave.


    ¡°Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Jason¡¯s fine,¡± he said, pausing at the entrance to the tent.


    ¡°Zara,¡± she said.


    ¡°Zara?¡±


    ¡°My name.¡±


    Jason flashed her a grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a genuine pleasure to meet you, Zara. Enjoy the slices.¡±


    He left the tent, letting the flap drop down behind him.


    ¡°You should have let us cut him for his impudence,¡± one of Zara¡¯s servants said. ¡°Nothing lethal. Just a lesson in respect for his betters.¡±


    Zara let out a weary sigh. Her party members had been hand-picked by her father for loyalty over intelligence.


    ¡°You already tried that and it didn¡¯t exactly accomplish anything,¡± Zara said. ¡°That was Jason Asano. Cutting him is a quick path to becoming leech food.¡±


    Jason arrived at the priest camp, keeping an eye out for the adventuring team he had annoyed along the way. He was quickly noticed and approached by a small delegation of church officials. He recognised the symbols of the Healer, Dominion and a few others. Conspicuously absent were Purity and Undeath, the two churches he had been told made up the bulk of the forces that had attacked the Order of the Reaper¡¯s lake-bottom fortress.


    As the church officials approached, the whole camp was suddenly inundated with a clashing maelstrom of overwhelming auras. One god was bad enough, but the manifestation of several at once, even with their auras tamped down to their minimum strength, threw the camp into chaos.


    Some of the iron-rankers with less control of their own auras dropped to their knees, violently throwing up. Many of them lived entirely on spirit coins, consigning them to painful dry heaving. Most of the iron-rankers were fine, however, as the camp was a gathering of exceptional adventurers. This included Jason, who retracted his own aura in tightly and let the divine auras wash around it like an island in a storm.


    A handful of figures appeared before Jason. They looked much like the church officials standing behind them but there was no mistaking the power radiating out of them. People were dropping to their knees like a religious Mexican wave before the unexpected appearance of their gods. Soon only Jason remained standing, right in front of them.


    ¡°And I thought I had a thing for melodrama,¡± he said.


    One of the gods laughed. Each was wearing the robes of their own orders, complete with holy symbol. Jason recognised the one laughing as Dominion from his symbol. He appeared young and handsome, with a hint of perpetual disdain behind the eyes. His robes were purple and gold and he had a simple crown around his head. The outfit was troublingly similar to what the manifestation of Jason''s evil future self had been wearing.


    ¡°You don¡¯t fail to disappoint,¡± Dominion said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to take that, coming from you,¡± Jason said, getting another laugh from the god. Another God stepped forward, Jason recognising the symbol of the Healer.


    ¡°We wanted to give a display of our gratitude for returning our people, long lost to us,¡± Healer told Jason. ¡°Astral spaces, not being truly of this world, exist beyond our influence. We understand you have complicated views regarding we gods and decided the best gift we could give you was to thank you in person. The simple fact of our having done so should help you establish your reputation as you advance your adventuring career.¡±


    ¡°Setting them loose wasn¡¯t exactly out of my way.¡±


    ¡°I think, perhaps, it was not so simple as you make out, but I shall say no more. We have given our thanks and shall take our leave.¡±


    ¡°No worries, bloke.¡±


    The gods vanished, the sudden absence of their aura felling like ears popping under a pressure change. People started getting to their feet, all eyes on Jason. He looked around, then his shadow cloak formed around him and he teleported immediately through it, leaving the cloak to drift down for a moment before likewise vanishing.


    Jason teleported rapidly through the camp, jumping from shadow to shadow. He finally reached the cloud palace, striding inside. Once through the door, he collapsed against the wall, drawing heaving breaths. It had taken everything he had to keep his cool in the face of not just one but a handful of gods, all while people looked on.


    The sheer force of multiple divine presences had pressed down on him like the weight of the sky. For the first time he could feel his own soul. Even now, having escaped that inconceivable power, he could feel the pressure. Rather than lessen, he felt like was descending into the ocean depths, every moment increasing the chance that the fragile vessel of his soul would collapse. By the time the pressure finally subsided, he was curled up on the floor of the cloud palace atrium, arms clutching his head.


    New Title: [Godless Prophet]


    Your aura has been damaged by the direct, concerted focus of multiple transcendent-level entities. The process of damage and recovery has refined the strength of your aura, increasing its suppressive force and resistance to suppression from higher-ranked auras.Your aura signature has changed. An echo of transcendent power can be detected if your aura is examined by an aura sensing power or when projecting your aura.


    Jason continued to lay on they floor, letting out exhausted, wheezing coughs.


    ¡°Jason?¡± Humphrey¡¯s voice came through the party chat. ¡°We all felt multiple divine auras and then we started hearing some strange things.¡±


    ¡°You should try it from my perspective,¡± Jason responded weakly. ¡°You should all go ahead and shop without me. I think I¡¯m going to have a lay down.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just spot me for anything Sophie and Belinda want to buy, alright?¡±


    ¡°I can do that,¡± Humphrey said.


    In the guest wing lounge of the cloud palace, Sophie and Belinda were going over the awakening stones Sophie had chosen with Clive. They had obtained the essences for Belinda but had decided to leave those until Sophie''s power set was completed. Although they had found several interesting essences during the trials, Belinda was adamant about the combination of three common essences she had already chosen. They had no trouble trading for the magic, trap and adept essences she wanted.


    Sophie also had her remaining awakening stones sorted out. Clive had extensive knowledge of attempting to engineer power sets through stone choices, although he was the first to reiterate that he could make no promises.


    Aside from the legendary awakening stones, her strongest acquisitions were a pair of epic awakening stones of the moment. Adventure Society representatives were offering good trades for restricted essences to take them out of the market and Sophie had traded a death essence for the two epic awakening stones.


    ¡°These really were a great trade,¡± Clive said for the third or fourth time since urging Sophie to take them in the first place. He had convinced her by explaining they were perfect for a skill-based power set. The abilities they were known to produce required precise timing but were incredibly impactful.


    Rounding out Sophie¡¯s selection were two uncommon stones picked out from the ones they found during the trials. Because Sophie¡¯s power set was very skill-oriented, the awakening stone of preparation would hopefully give her an ability that acted as a failsafe when things inevitably went wrong. They hoped the awakening stone of the surge would bestow a buff power that would help in critical moments.


    ¡°The hallmark of a good high-skill adventurer is coming through in the critical moments,¡± Clive had explained. ¡°If your abilities reflect this, you¡¯ll find yourself far more effective. Be warned, though, that such abilities require skill, judgement and timing. Get them wrong and they may do more harm than good. To you, obviously. Doing harm to the other guy is kind of the point.¡±


    ¡°We should get everyone together to use the stones,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Asano still hasn¡¯t come out of his suite?¡±


    ¡°Not that I know of,¡± Clive said. ¡°Having a bunch of gods turn up in front of you would be a straining experience for anyone.¡±


    ¡°You should go check on him,¡± Belinda said to Sophie.


    ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°He does own you.¡±


    ¡°He does not own me.¡±


    ¡°A lease is kind of like owning you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a lease!¡±


    ¡°Still, you should be the one to¡­¡±


    Sophie and Clive looked at the startled expression on Belinda¡¯s face as she trailed off and followed her gaze to the terrace outside. Jason was wandering along, looking lost. More noticeably, he had a bushy moustache and no clothes whatsoever. Sophie, Belinda and Clive looked at each other in confusion, then went out to meet Jason.


    ¡°Uh, Jason,¡± Clive said. ¡°You aren¡¯t wearing any pants.¡±


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Jason said brightly.


    ¡°I think what Clive meant to ask was why,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°The topic of this conversation is kind of my thing!¡± Jason said.


    Sophie, Belinda and Clive shared another look.


    ¡°Asano,¡± Sophie said. "Is everything alright?¡±


    ¡°Biscuits!¡±


    ¡°Biscuits?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Biscuits!¡±


    Suddenly, Humphrey¡¯s voice rumbled in their direction in an angry roar.


    ¡°STASH!¡±


    Jason¡¯s eyes went wide and he clambered onto the terrace rail, transforming into a puppy before leaping off, into the air. Humphrey then came pounding along the terrace at a run.


    ¡°WHAT DID I TELL YOU?¡± he bellowed before vaulting the rail in pursuit of his fleeing familiar.


    Sophie, Belinda and Clive looked at each other one more time.


    ¡°Anyone else want a drink?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Yes please.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡±

 Chapter 179: The Person I Decided to Be

    The only person who could open a guest suite door they were not attuned to was Emir. He did so when Jason didn¡¯t answer the chime and walked out to where Jason was staring, shell-shocked, out over the lake. For all that he reacted, Jason didn¡¯t even appear to notice Emir¡¯s arrival.


    Emir joined Jason in leaning on the rail, enjoying the cool breeze sweeping over the water to refresh from the desert heat. Even as autumn turned to winter, the desert was unforgiving. More so than it should be this far south, by any reckoning Jason would recognise. Another difference between this world and his own.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite a thing, soul damage,¡± Emir said.


    Jason turned to look at him for the first time since he arrived.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Your aura signature changed. I¡¯m connected to the cloud palace and it didn¡¯t want to let you in because you don¡¯t match the aura imprint you gave it. I changed it to match your new one or you wouldn¡¯t be able to move around in here.¡±


    ¡°The cloud palace can take my aura imprint when my Adventure Society badge can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Your badge can take your aura imprint just fine,¡± Emir said. ¡°It just can¡¯t be tracked. You should get your badge redone, by the way.¡±


    ¡°My aura changed,¡± Jason said. ¡°Like the people with star seeds. Is everyone going to suspect me, now?¡±


    "Not after what happened, with everyone watching. It would be strange if there wasn''t some after-effect of getting up close and personal with gods like that. Gary was shaky for a while after meeting with just two and he¡¯s bronze rank. You met six at iron rank? Damn right there¡¯s an impact.¡±


    ¡°You said soul damage,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right. Do you know how magic healing works?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more focused on astral magic,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There¡¯s actually some interesting crossover,¡± Emir said. ¡°Think of your soul like a plan, or maybe a memory of everything you are. What magical healing does is look at the difference between the plan and the reality and move one toward the other.¡±


    Jason¡¯s brow creased in thought as that information ticked over in his mind.


    ¡°That¡¯s how my soul was able to construct a new body when it arrived in this world,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was like a blueprint. And that¡¯s why I don¡¯t remember anything between disappearing in my world and arriving here. The soul has a backup copy of my brain-state, but no actual brain to think with in a space without physical reality.¡±


    "If you say so," Emir said. "I''m not really versed in the whole outworlder process."


    ¡°You should talk to Clive,¡± Jason said.


    "You should convince him to come and work for me.¡±


    ¡°No chance.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s wasted as an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°He was wasted not being one,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s gained so much confidence in the time I¡¯ve known him. He needs to be an adventurer. At least for now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an unhelpfully good argument,¡± Emir conceded.


    ¡°Tell me more about soul damage,¡± Jason asked. To his surprise, Emir untucked his shirt and lifted it up to reveal a scar running horizontally across his chest and around his left side.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think scars were possible with healing magic,¡± Jason said.


    "Normally they aren''t," Emir said. "As I said, the soul is like a memory of how you should be, but some things change you forever. Some scars you carry on your soul."


    ¡°Your aura signature was changed once?¡± Jason asked.


    "Nothing so drastic," Emir said. "My soul was marked. It wasn''t enough to change my aura, but the events of that day are a part of who I am now. This scar represents a choice I once made about the person I decided to be. It happens, sometimes. An injury marks a fundamental change in who you are and you carry it with you. Find any veteran adventurer, a real one who puts themself out there, and you''ll find they have scars like this. It takes something a bit more soul-shaking to not just mark your aura but change it, though."


    ¡°Soul shaking is right,¡± Jason said. ¡°I spent the whole night just trembling. It was like someone took my soul in their hand and could crush it like it was nothing. It¡¯s one thing to know a god has power beyond imagining. It¡¯s something else to feel it. To really feel it, all around you. It¡¯s like drowning.¡±


    ¡°By all accounts, you didn¡¯t let it show,¡± Emir said. ¡°I did hear you left very quickly.¡±


    "Are you kidding?" Jason asked. "I thought I knew what vulnerable and exposed felt like but this was walking naked through the desert. Is this how people feel when their auras are suppressed?"


    ¡°I imagine what you experienced was similar, but worse,¡± Emir said. ¡°I know you handle having your aura suppressed strangely well, but for the rest of us, it feels like having your soul exposed for someone to see. I think yours actually was.¡±


    ¡°The others must be worried,¡± Jason said.


    "We are all rather used to you taking everything in stride," Emir said. "I think you''re being so rattled has taken away a little of your mystique. Also, the girls saw you naked."


    ¡°They what?¡±


    ¡°It seems Humphrey¡¯s familiar¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Stash has gotten it into his head that if he turns into me, he can make biscuits appear.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t mimic your abilities, can he?¡±


    "No," Jason said. "He can only take on the magic powers of things lower rank than him, which basically means lesser monsters. Sparkler worms, that kind of thing. Otherwise, it''s just the normal, physical properties of the things he turns into. Claws, flippers, wings; that kind of thing."


    ¡°So, once he reaches bronze, he could mimic an iron-rank adventurer?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the theory,¡± Jason said. ¡°As Clive points out, there isn¡¯t a large sample size for mirage dragon familiars. There¡¯s actually more records of apocalypse beasts. A lot of them are swarms, like Colin. Helps cover ground to get that apocalypse going, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you named an apocalypse beast Colin.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a good boy. Girl. Leeches can switch it about.¡±


    Suddenly Jason started laughing.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Back in my world,¡± Jason said, ¡°there are certain sections of society that think transgender people will bring about the end of the world. Colin¡¯s a transgender person that actually could, which I have to imagine would change their perspective on the issue. Probably not in a good way, though.¡±


    ¡°You are a very strange man,¡± Emir said. ¡°I don¡¯t envy the gods having rummaged about inside your soul. I suspect it¡¯s very twisty.¡±


    ¡°That may be the single rudest thing anyone has ever said to me.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thadwick tried to kill me and this actually feels worse. Probably because you aren¡¯t an idiot trying to salvage a bad plan with a worse overreaction.¡±


    ¡°Did you really accuse a group of gods of being melodramatic?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s all bit of a blur, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°Well, your team is waiting to hear that you¡¯re alright,¡± Emir said. ¡°I believe Miss Wexler has a full set of awakening stones ready to use.¡±


    ¡°I should get to it, then. They¡¯re probably sick of waiting.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re underestimating the degree to which they support you,¡± Emir said. ¡°You¡¯ll find them in the guest wing lounge.¡±


    ¡°So, it ultimately strengthened your aura?¡± Clive asked as the team walked through the cloud palace, in the direction of a ritual room.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering if that was their intention or if I¡¯m just so weak it never occurred to them.¡±


    ¡°I think it would be wise not try and guess a god¡¯s motivation,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°These are beings of unimaginable power, with experience longer than history and a perspective beyond our comprehension."


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I know you can¡¯t stop yourself from poking a hornet¡¯s nest, Asano, but at least pick hornets that can¡¯t strike you down with a bolt from the heavens.¡±


    They reached the ritual room and Clive started setting up.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Belinda asked Sophie. ¡°Start with the most common stones and work our way up to the good stuff?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Sophie said.


    Clive had been storing Sophie¡¯s awakening stones and sat them on a shelf on the wall. Sophie went over as Clive started setting up the ritual. In a rare display of nervous fussing, Sophie went over and set them out neatly in a line until Clive announced he was ready. She grabbed the first stone and marched into the ritual circle he had drawn, and held up the uncommon-rarity awakening stone of preparation in her hand as Clive completed the ritual.


    You have awakened the swift essence ability [Alacrity¡¯s Reward]. You have awakened 4 of 5 swift essence abilities.


    Ability: [Alacrity¡¯s Reward] (Swift)


    Special Ability (holy).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Accumulate instances of [Blessing of Anticipation] over time, up to an instance threshold determined by the [Spirit] attribute. Rate of instance acquisition is increased proportionally with speed of movement.[Blessing of Anticipation] (boon, holy, stacking): Consume instances to negate an amount of incoming damage per instance consumed. Additional instances can be accumulated.


    ¡°That¡¯s a winner,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly what we were looking for from the stone of anticipation,¡± Clive said with satisfaction. ¡°Something to compensate when skill doesn¡¯t work out. We couldn¡¯t ask for a better start.¡±


    He started setting up the next ritual.


    ¡°The next three stones are all designed to give you strong abilities that you can use at the right moment to critical effect,¡± he said as he worked. ¡°We¡¯ll start with the awakening stone of the surge.¡±


    You have awakened the wind essence ability [Wind Wave]. You have awakened 4 of 5 wind essence abilities.


    Ability: [Wind Wave] (Wind)


    Special Ability (movement).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 6 seconds.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Produce a powerful blast of air that can push away enemies and physical projectiles. Can be used to launch into the air or move rapidly while already airborne.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s exactly what we were after,¡± Clive said.


    Sophie raised an arm at Jason, whose eyes went wide as the air of the ritual room kicked into a gale and he was slammed into the mercifully soft cloud palace wall. The gust settled as quickly as it roared up, leaving behind an empty silence.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a fan,¡± Jason groaned as he pushed himself to his feet.


    ¡°This next awakening stone should be a good one,¡± Clive said. ¡°Awakening stone of the moment.¡±


    Sophie walked over to take the next stone as Clive set up the next ritual circle. His ability to draw them in their with his power, along with balancing out the ambient magic, saved immense amounts of time when going through many rituals in sequence.


    You have awakened the swift essence ability [Eternal Moment]. You have awakened 5 of 5 swift essence abilities.You have awakened all swift essence abilities. Linked attribute [Speed] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank swift essence ability.


    Ability: [Eternal Moment] (Swift)


    Special Ability.Cost: Extreme mana-per-second and stamina-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Operate at a highly accelerated speed for one second of actual time, which is extended in subjective time.


    ¡°It lets you move fast,¡± Jason said. ¡°I guess the question is how fas¡­ argh!¡±


    Sophie had vanished, reappearing a moment later behind him, driving a fist into his lower back. From her perspective, the world had slowed to a barely perceptible crawl.


    ¡°Bloody hell,¡± Jason exclaimed as he lay on the ground, clutching his back. ¡°What was that for?¡±


    ¡°I had to test the ability,¡± she said.


    ¡°Like that?¡± he asked, pulling himself to his feet.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like it,¡± Sophie said, ¡°go complain to your god friends.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re more like work acquaintances,¡± Jason said. ¡°We generally stay out of each other¡¯s way unless something comes up in the course of our normal employment.¡±


    ¡°Did you just call the god of Dominion a work acquaintance?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s someone I¡¯d get after-work drinks with,¡± Jason said. ¡°I bet he¡¯d cause a lot of trouble.¡±


    "My mother has the exact same power," Humphrey said to Sophie, getting the subject back on track.


    ¡°Rufus has one that¡¯s quite similar, too,¡± Jason said.


    While the others messed about, Clive set up the next ritual.


    You have awakened the balance essence ability [Moment of Oneness]. You have awakened 3 of 5 balance essence abilities.


    Ability: [Moment of Oneness] (Balance)


    Special Ability (movement).Cost: Extreme mana-per-second.Cooldown: 2 minutes.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Become immune to all damage and afflictions for 1 second. The next melee attack within four seconds inflicts all damage and afflictions on the struck enemy. If no enemies are attacked, the damage and conditions are suffered retroactively.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need a volunteer,¡± Sophie said after reading the power.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s your turn Hump,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Someone with afflictions would be best,¡± Sophie added.


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Jason said, walking up to Sophie. ¡°What did I do?¡±


    ¡°How do you know the Hurricane Princess?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°The who?¡± Jason asked. ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Zara Rimoros,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Oh, Zara,¡± Jason said brightly. Looking at Humphrey, he didn''t notice the distasteful expression on Sophie''s face. Belinda did, hiding a smile behind her hand.


    ¡°How did you know I know her?¡± Jason asked Humphrey.


    ¡°She came by last night, while you were¡­ still in seclusion,¡± Humphrey explained. ¡°I think she wanted to check on you.¡±


    ¡°Really,¡± Jason said rubbing his chin thoughtfully as an intrigued smile crossed his face.


    ¡°Back to the task at hand, Asano,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You can moon over some girl later.¡±


    ¡°Jealous?¡± he asked with a teasing voice as he turned around, spotting neither Belinda¡¯s wince nor Sophie¡¯s fist, ramming into his gut. With an expression mixing confusion and pain, he slumped to the floor.


    ¡°Why?¡± he asked between wheezing breaths from the ground. ¡°Aren¡¯t I meant to hit you to test that power?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Sophie said. ¡°New ability. I¡¯m still figuring out how it works.¡±


    Shirtaloon


    When this chapter went live on Patreon a month ago, there was a lot of discussion about the violence Sophie uses on Jason in this chapter. I made a post in the comments of that chapter on on the Patreon discord channel, that I will reproduce here:


    There has been a lot of discussion about Sophie and how she treats Jason in this chapter. I generally like to let the text speak for itself and confine myself to questions about the system and such. In this case, terms like abuse have been used here and I don''t think that is unwarranted. Denuded of context, this could easily be read as abuse, which I should have been more sensitive to, so at least let me be more explicit with the context than I normally would.


    Sophie has spent most of her life under the power of various men whose first priorities were never her well being. Jason is, in some ways, the latest in line of men to hold power over her. The difference is that he engineered that position specifically for her wellbeing.


    Sophie has been slowly coming to terms with the fact that while ostensibly she is a borderline slave, in practicality she has a freedom she has not had since she was a small child. She has been prickly and defensive, slowly pushing at boundaries to find that there really don¡¯t seem to be any.


    On the issue of the violence she perpetrates, she isn¡¯t really hurting Jason. These aren¡¯t genuine attacks, or he would be doing a lot more than complaining. He knows she¡¯s holding back and even if she did some damage, which she has been avoiding, they are tougher than normal people and have healing on hand.


    The real key to this scene is the fact that she is able to knock around Jason, who is a stand in for the men who came before. Her ability to push him around, both physically and socially, without repercussion, is the representation that her circumstances have truly changed.


    I probably could have handled this better but the violence is inherent to the scene. I don¡¯t think anyone believes Jason doesn¡¯t have the power to take himself out of that situation, but he doesn¡¯t. He recognises the significance of her behaviour, even if she hasn¡¯t reached that point of self-awareness yet, and serves himself up for more. The last thing he wants is to exert his power to curtail her expression of freedom, even if that expression is an unhealthy one.

 Chapter 180: You Have Freinds to Help You

    In the ritual room, the group continued to watch as Sophie went through her awakening rituals. She had three unawakened abilities left, one from the wind essence and two from the balance, along with three legendary awakening stones to use on them. She decided to save the Reaper stone for last, leaving the awakening stone of the celestials that Constance had suggested and the stone of karma that Clive picked out. She started with the stone of the celestials.


    You have awakened the wind essence ability [Child of the Celestial Wind]. You have awakened 5 of 5 wind essence abilities.You have awakened all wind essence abilities. Linked attribute [Power] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank wind essence ability.


    Ability: [Child of the Celestial Wind] (Wind)


    Special Ability (dimension, holy).Cost: NoneCooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Your celestine racial powers have increased effect. You gain damage reduction to disruptive-force damage.


    ¡°What are the celestine racial powers?¡± Neil asked. ¡°I know you have a utility power aptitude and can use ongoing abilities for less mana. That one¡¯s your ability that evolved, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sophie said. ¡°We also recover mana more quickly, we¡¯re faster and have astral and holy affinities.¡±


    ¡°What does holy do, other than improve holy abilities?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It increases the effect of healing magic and holy boons used on me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice,¡± Neil said. ¡°Those are abilities you want to have increased.¡±


    They moved into the awakening stone of karma.


    You have awakened the balance essence ability [Karmic Warrior]. You have awakened 4 of 5 balance essence abilities.


    Ability: [Karmic Warrior] (Balance)


    Special Ability (holy).Cost: NoneCooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Gain an instance of [Agent of Karma] when subjected to damage or any harmful effect, even if the damage and/or effect was wholly negated.[Agent of Karma] (boon, holy, stacking): The [Power] and [Spirit] attributes are temporarily increased by a small amount. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    ¡°So basically,¡± Jason said, ¡°Whenever you take damage, even when you negate that damage with your cheesy powers, you get stronger, tougher and your magical abilities get stronger get more powerful.¡±


    "The spirit attribute actually has several functions," Clive said. "Obviously, affecting the potency of essence abilities is the important one, but don''t overlook its impact on our perception. As our spirit attributes move past bronze rank, our senses will go beyond what they are now. Colours, sounds and smells to which we were oblivious will suddenly be made plain to us."


    ¡°So, you can move so fast it amounts to stopping time, become immune to damage, then heap all the damage you should have taken onto the other guy,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now you have another overpowered ability. Humphrey got bloody immortality, and I got stretchy arms? Not even arms. One stretchy arm.¡±


    ¡°You can switch-up which arm it is, though,¡± Belinda said. ¡°There¡¯s that.¡±


    The group laughed at the flat look Jason gave her.


    ¡°We might be little more sympathetic,¡± Neil said, ¡°if your powers hadn¡¯t killed a carnivorous plant the size of a small city.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just me,¡± Jason said. ¡°There were twenty-five other people involved in that.¡±


    ¡°Asano, we would have all been left sitting around with nothing to do if we didn¡¯t have you there,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Stop whining.¡±


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s fair,¡± Jason conceded.


    ¡°Sophie, that new ability makes you rather like a defensive version of Jason,¡± Humphrey pointed out. ¡°You don¡¯t have any explosive attack powers but now the longer a fight goes on, the more dangerous you become. Increasing your power attribute will obviously increase your physical strength and the increase in spirit will affect the additional damage your powers add to your even your normal attacks. That will eventually add up to every one of your strikes having the kind of strength the rest of us only with a special attack. And we all know how quickly you can attack.¡±


    ¡°We still have one more ability to awaken,¡± Clive reminded them as he finished setting up for the final ritual.


    ¡°Did you hear what people were getting from Reaper stones, while you were in the market?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Clive veered off quite early to go ask around while the rest of us were selling loot,¡± Neil said. ¡°Did you actually get people to tell you, Clive?¡±


    ¡°Kind of,¡± Clive said. ¡°I found the Magic Society contingent and organised cheap awakening rituals for anyone who let us record their abilities.¡±


    ¡°I saw that,¡± Neil said. ¡°You organised that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still a Magic Society official,¡± Clive said, ¡°even if Lucian Lamprey did effectively strip me of all responsibility.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to kick that guy¡¯s insides out once day,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Was this because of me?¡± Jason asked unhappily.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like that I work with you,¡± Clive said. ¡°It worked out, though, since It left me more free for adventuring and research. All his punishment actually did was free me from a bunch of administering duties.¡±


    Jason frowned, knowing that it had not been the windfall Clive was making out.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said.


    "I told you, it''s fine," Clive said. "Getting back on topic, I did manage to find out about a lot of powers coming from the Reaper stones. The most common, from what I could gather, are aggressive utility powers,¡± Clive said as he continued to work. ¡°There¡¯s quite a lot of conjuration powers, mostly weapons but also stranger things, like Jason¡¯s arm conjuration. They all seem to incorporate offensive aspects, though, like the affliction Jason¡¯s shadow arm delivers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like something impactful that I an open up a fight with,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Something to put the enemy onto the back foot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s on the table,¡± Clive said. ¡°From the people I talked to, the Reaper stones tend to give out powers more in Jason¡¯s wheelhouse. Slow, inevitable death.¡±


    Speculation turned to anticipation as Clive finished the ritual and carried it out.


    You have awakened the balance essence ability [Deny the Reaper]. You have awakened 5 of 5 balance essence abilities.You have awakened all balance essence abilities. Linked attribute [Recovery] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank balance essence ability.


    Ability: [Deny the Reaper] (Balance)


    Special Attack (counter-execute, healing).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Target enemy suffers a small amount of transcendent damage and you are healed for a small amount. As a counter-execute effect, the damage and healing scale exponentially with your own level of injury.


    ¡°Counter-execute?¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s a new one to me.¡±


    ¡°You generally see it in defensive power sets,¡± Clive said. ¡°They are generally more powerful than other abilities, but only if you use them when things are going badly. Usually, they have some combination of damage reduction, healing, retribution damage or health drain.¡±


    ¡°My immortality power is something of a false counter-execute,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s unlikely to scale as well Sophie¡¯s new power but it can also scale off low stamina and mana, and will be more useful without having to be beaten down first.¡±


    ¡°Thought that ability scaled, like this one,¡± Neil said.


    "Yes, but it doesn''t have to be with damage," Humphrey said. "If I''m just low on mana, for example, it will top my mana up well without doing much for my health and stamina."


    ¡°So it¡¯s more versatile,¡± Jason said. ¡°Stupid OP power. I bet your Mum¡¯s happy, though.¡±


    ¡°Actually, she was ecstatic,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen her like that.¡±


    ¡°Of course she was,¡± Jason said. ¡°A mother just found out her child was immortal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not actually immortal.¡±


    ¡°It is still a powerful survival skill,¡± Clive said. ¡°This one of Sophie¡¯s is not to be underestimated, however. The chance to bring a fight going badly back to even ground fits into the classic balance essence mode. Balance is quite popular because it has abilities like this that can pull you through rough situations.¡±


    ¡°I wanted an attack for a start of the fight, not the end,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Look at it this way,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Would you prefer a big, splashy entrance that may or may not do you any good, or something you can rely on when things go wrong.¡±


    Sophie considered Humphrey¡¯s words, nodding to herself.


    "I guess you''re right," she said. "Big attacks are kind of your area, anyway."


    "Plus, transcendent damage," Clive said. "That''s as reliable as it gets, plus incredibly rare at iron rank. You only see it on conditional powers, like executes, or when the damage is negligible. Both of which are demonstrated by Jason''s abilities.¡±


    ¡°That leaves you,¡± Sophie said, turning to Belinda. ¡°Ready to become an essence user.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°I can¡¯t wait for Jason to complain about how great my powers are.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    "You can be a bit of a whiner," Neil told him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a whiner,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just open with my feelings. I¡¯m a delicate flower.¡±


    ¡°The kind of flower that¡¯s hard to eradicate, even when you try to get rid of it,¡± Neil said. ¡°Is there a word for that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re calling me a weed?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That¡¯s very rude.¡±


    ¡°You said I was fat!¡±


    ¡°You are objectively hefty for an elf.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well built.¡±


    ¡°Like a fancy cake,¡± Jason said. ¡°But I imagine you know all about cake, given how many you must have eaten to get like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the only elf that looks like this, you know.¡±


    ¡°You mean Lucian Lamprey? He¡¯s not a great role model. Even putting aside the whole evil sleazebag thing, the guy looks like someone sucked the air out of a bag of nuts.¡±


    As Jason and Neil continued to bicker, Clive went to work setting up Belinda¡¯s first essence ritual. It was more elaborate and involved than a ritual of awakening, but otherwise quite similar. Soon, Belinda was standing in the middle of a magic diagram, a magic essence held nervously in her hands.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing to worry about,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You saw me go through this.¡±


    ¡°Trust me,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ve done this dozens of times. Probably hundreds.¡±


    ¡°What if I get a crap power?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°My mother says there is no such thing as a bad power,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Just a bad essence user who doesn¡¯t know what to do with it.¡±


    ¡°Everyone here knows how smart and resourceful you are,¡± Jason told her. ¡°If you get a basic attack ability, that''s a reliable power you can count on when things are too hectic to set up a clever plan. If you get something more esoteric, you can be innovative with it and really show what you¡¯re capable of. Either way, I know you¡¯ll be able to make the most of it.¡±


    Belinda nodded.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± she told them.


    ¡°If all your powers are crap, though,¡± Jason added casually, ¡°we¡¯re not letting you on the team.¡±


    He yelped as Sophie thumped him on the arm.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± Sophie echoed incredulously. ¡°If I had a suppression collar I¡¯d put it on you and throw you off the highest tower in this whole damn palace!¡±


    "I''m kind of in the middle of something here," Belinda interjected.


    "Sorry," Jason said.


    Clive conducted the ritual, the essence in Belinda¡¯s hands dissolving into a nebula-like cloud that floated around her before drifting gently into her body.


    You have absorbed [Magic Essence]. You have absorbed 1 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 25% (1/4 essences).[Magic Essence] has bonded to your [Spirit] attribute, changing your [Spirit] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all magic essence abilities to increase your [Spirit] attribute.You have awakened the magic essence ability [Bag of Tricks]. You have awakened 1 of 5 magic essence abilities.


    Ability: [Bag of Tricks] (Magic)


    Special Ability (dimension).Cost: NoneCooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): You have a personal, dimensional storage space. You may equip any item in your storage space directly onto your person or unequip anything on your person directly to your storage space.


    ¡°A dimensional space as your first ability,¡± Neil said. ¡°Not even from some high-end stone; you got it straight from the essence. It looks like a convenient one, too. None of this conjuring up a cupboard or whatever.¡±


    ¡°We have a lot of storage spaces in this team,¡± Clive said. ¡°We¡¯re lucky, in that regard.¡±


    Blue-grey light started shining from within Belinda.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Clive said.


    Human racial ability [Essence Gift] has evolved to [Adventurer¡¯s Tools].


    Ability: [Adventurer¡¯s Tools]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Essence Gift].Active ability (conjuration). Conjure basic, non-magical objects.


    Sophie and Belinda had already decided just to do Belinda¡¯s essences before taking their shopping trip to sell off their loot in a market not flooded with essences and awakening stones. They already had some stones picked out but were also waiting to see what her first powers produced. Normally, they would have only awakened around half of her powers right away, as had been the case with the rest of the team. Belinda was already behind the curve compared to the rest of the team, so they instead decided to do them all, after coming back from their shopping trip.


    In the meantime, they moved on to the next essence.


    You have absorbed [Trap Essence]. You have absorbed 2 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 50% (2/4 essences).[Trap Essence] has bonded to your [Power] attribute, changing your [Power] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all trap essence abilities to increase your [Power] attribute.You have awakened the trap essence ability [Bait and Switch]. You have awakened 1 of 5 trap essence abilities.


    Ability: [Bait and Switch] (Trap)


    Special Ability (dimension, illusion).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Teleport self or nearby ally to a nearby location. The subject is rendered invisible for a brief period, leaving behind a lifelike illusion. The illusion has no substance or aura.


    ¡°An escape power,¡± Clive said. ¡°The mana cost and use-interval for a power like that are quite large because you can use it on other people. That¡¯s a valuable power.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s next racial gift evolution soon triggered.


    Human racial ability [Essence Gift] has evolved to [The Price of Power].


    Ability: [The Price of Power]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Essence Gift].Active ability (spell, curse). The subject of this ability suffers disruptive-force damage when expending mana, proportional to the amount of mana consumed.


    ¡°That¡¯s interesting,¡± Clive said. ¡°Active racial gifts are rare, especially one you can use on other people.¡±


    ¡°How is that a trap power?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It turns a person¡¯s own mana into a trap,¡± Neil said. ¡°It¡¯s a nasty ability.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Belinda said. ¡°The first one wasn¡¯t great. Useful, don¡¯t get me wrong, but a bit underwhelming.¡±


    ¡°Underwhelming?¡± Jason said. ¡°That ability to conjure tools is the most pure-blood adventuring power I¡¯ve ever seen. I could empty half my storage space if I had that power.¡±


    ¡°He really could,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°A will admit, I¡¯ve been carrying around some useful goods as well,¡± Clive said. ¡°Because I had ropes with me, Neil and I have multiple growth items, now.¡±


    ¡°Still two essences to go,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ll set up the next ritual.¡±


    ¡°Actually, could we take a break?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°This is kind of intense and I could use a rest.¡±


    ¡°Good idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°We can all go up to my suite and I¡¯ll put on some lunch.¡±


    As everyone shuffled out of the ritual room, Clive asked Sophie and Belinda to stay behind a moment to discuss an issue with their new abilities.


    "Is there a problem with our abilities?" Sophie asked after the others were gone.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t really about your abilities,¡± Clive said. ¡°This is about Jason.¡±


    ¡°What about him?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the way you were attacking him,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°It hit him ten times harder when we spar.¡±


    ¡°But you weren¡¯t sparring.¡±


    ¡°You think he couldn¡¯t have stopped me?¡±


    ¡°Jason¡¯s judgement is compromised when it comes to you,¡± Clive said. ¡°He¡¯s wary of his power over you and the men who had power over you in the past. Because of that, he lets you get away with things he wouldn¡¯t tolerate from anyone else. Don¡¯t forget, he just went through something incredibly affecting.¡±


    ¡°He seemed normal to me,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°You saw him. He¡¯s fine.¡±


    Clive gave them a sad smile. ¡°You never met Farrah, but when Jason and I started adventuring together, she asked me to look out for him. To make sure he actually was fine and didn¡¯t just seem that way. He¡¯s good at hiding when he¡¯s overwhelmed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crap,¡± Sophie said. ¡°He¡¯s just one of those guys who takes it all in stride. Nothing really affects people like that.¡±


    ¡°People like that don¡¯t exist,¡± Clive said. ¡°Jason may not have been through all the things you have but he¡¯s had his own challenges. He¡¯s more vulnerable than he seems.¡±


    Sophie scowled while Belinda looked at her, thoughtfully.


    ¡°Maybe we can tone it back a little,¡± she said.


    ¡°You mean I can,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Yeah, Soph,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I mean you.¡±


    They reconvened in the ritual room after lunch. Sophie was subdued, her scowl replaced with unhappy, thoughtful frowns as she shot glances in Jason¡¯s direction. Jason moved over to Clive as he drew the circle for the next ritual.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Jason asked quietly.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t like the way she was treating you.¡±


    ¡°She needed that,¡± Jason said. ¡°To know that she really is free and wouldn¡¯t be pushed back down for acting against the man with the power over her.¡±


    ¡°You think that was a healthy expression of freedom?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Jason said. ¡°But it was a start.¡±


    ¡°And what about what you need?¡± Clive asked. ¡°You might be putting a good face on it but I know what happens to people who get that close to that many gods. I¡¯ve read papers on it. You can¡¯t tell me you¡¯re fine when I know you were shaken to the very soul. Literally.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The way she was treating you isn¡¯t fine,¡± Clive said. ¡°Neil and Humphrey might think she¡¯s crabby about some other girl but they¡¯re teenagers and don¡¯t know any better.¡±


    ¡°Wexler¡¯s damaged,¡± Jason said. ¡°We need to give her some leeway.¡±


    ¡°Trauma is not an excuse to hurt other people," Clive said. "Isn¡¯t the whole point for her to take responsibility for her own behaviour? This is not how you work through your problems.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t fix everything at once, Clive. You take the wins you can get.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t a reliable judge when it comes to her,¡± Clive said. ¡°You¡¯re so scared of abusing the power in that indenture contract that you won¡¯t act when you should,¡± Clive said. ¡°But that¡¯s alright. You have friends to help you. And so does she. Let us keep both of you walking in straight lines.¡±


    Jason glanced over at Sophie, then nodded.


    ¡°Alright, Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thanks, mate.¡±

 Chapter 181: Blob Body

    Clive performed the next essence ritual for Belinda.


    You have absorbed [Adept Essence]. You have absorbed 3 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 75% (3/4 essences).[Adept Essence] has bonded to your [Speed] attribute, changing your [Speed] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all adept essence abilities to increase your [Speed] attribute.You have awakened the adept essence ability [Blessing of Readiness]. You have awakened 1 of 5 adept essence abilities.


    Ability: [Blessing of Readiness] (Adept)


    Spell (recovery).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: Varies.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): This spell can only affect an ally and not yourself. The cooldown of the next ability used by the target is reduced by up to one minute. The cooldown of this ability is equal to the time taken from the cooldown of the target ability.


    ¡°Being able to use a key ability twice in quick succession could be very domineering,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That¡¯s a strong power.¡±


    Now used to it, they waited for the blue-grey light signalling a racial gift evolution.


    Human racial ability [Essence Gift] has evolved to [Quick Learner].


    Ability: [Quick Learner]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Essence Gift].You may use skill books for which you meet the requirements.


    ¡°Oh, no.¡± Belinda said as her shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Great,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You can finally start learning some of those skills you missed out on.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t miss out, Sophie. I don¡¯t want to learn how to kick people.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer, now.¡±


    ¡°And I intend to stand at the back,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Look at the power I just got. It¡¯s literally designed to have someone else do the kicking.¡±


    ¡°It never hurts to have some combat skills to fall back on,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Adventurers who assume everything will go the way they want die very quickly.¡±


    ¡°A skill book doesn¡¯t take long to use,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of the whole point. It doesn¡¯t have to be fighting. You could really expand your magical knowledge.¡±


    ¡°She already has magical knowledge,¡± Sophie said. ¡°What she needs is combat skills, and we just so happened to get some rather good ones. Obviously she needs to train to make sure she absorbs all that knowledge properly,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Asano, you said Rufus Remore can supply training like that, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°He trained me that way.¡±


    ¡°He did?¡± Sophie asked, casting a sceptical eye over Jason. ¡°I suppose he did what he could with what he had.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Jason said with exaggerated offence as the rest of the team laughed.


    They had only been speaking a few moments when an ephemeral cube floated out of Belinda¡¯s chest, followed by a second and a third. They hovered in front of her, spiralling around one another until they came together to merge into a single cube. It swirled with muted colours that formed ghostly shapes that were almost recognisable before fading into the background again.


    ¡°That¡¯s your confluence essence,¡± Clive said with reverence.


    ¡°What do I do?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Reach out and take it,¡± Clive said.


    Hesitantly, Belinda reached out and touched the awakening stone. It dissolved into smoke that writhed around her before sinking into her body.


    You have absorbed [Charlatan Essence]. You have absorbed 4 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 100% (4/4 essences).[Charlatan Essence] has bonded to your [Recovery] attribute, changing your [Recovery] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all charlatan essence abilities to increase your [Recovery] attribute.You have awakened the charlatan essence ability [Echo Spirit]. You have awakened 1 of 5 charlatan essence abilities.


    Ability: [Echo Spirit] (Charlatan)


    Familiar (ritual).Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Summon an [Echo Spirit] to serve as a familiar.


    ¡°A familiar power,¡± Clive said. ¡°You know, rather than wait until we get back from this shopping trip, we might want to rent one of the local Magic Society¡¯s ritual rooms, wherever we end up, and do the rest of Lindy¡¯s stones. If she has any more familiars, we¡¯ll need to know the summoning materials while we¡¯re still somewhere we can buy them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can figure it out.¡±


    The blue-grey light started emitting from Belinda on cue.


    Human racial ability [Essence Gift] has evolved to [Face in the Crowd].


    Ability: [Face in the Crowd]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Essence Gift].Take on the form of another race. You may mimic a specific member of that race or otherwise alter your appearance within the parameters of the race¡¯s natural features. Your aura blends into any surrounding auras, becoming difficult to detect, even with higher rank aura senses. You do not gain any abilities of that race.


    ¡°Shape-shifting,¡± Clive said. ¡°Not a surprise. The charlatan essence in known for shape-shifting and illusion. Most prefer other options, however. Something that combines deception with attack powers for a more classic assassin power set. Oh, an extra one! Here we go.¡±


    Belinda had lit up with blue grey light again as Clive was talking.


    Human racial ability [Special Attack Affinity] has evolved to [Form and Function].


    Ability: [Form and Function]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Special Attack Affinity].When you take on the form of another race, gain some of their racial abilities in addition to your own. Your aura will match that of a member of the race you are mimicking.


    ¡°You lost the special attack bonus of humans,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I think I¡¯ve made my stance on standing up the front and punching things quite clear. So, is that it?¡±


    ¡°Not quite,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I put some fresh clothes in the washroom,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Asano even donated a bottle of crystal wash.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Belinda said and made a beeline for the adjacent washroom. Halfway there she started to look very queasy. Sophie caught up and led her through the door.


    You have absorbed 4/4 essences.All your attributes have reached iron rank.You have reached iron rank.You have gained damage reduction against normal-rank damage sources.You have gained increased resistance to normal-rank effects.You have gained the ability to sense auras.You have gained the ability to sustain yourself using sources of concentrated magic.


    The rest of the team stood around awkwardly, all having been through the unpleasantness Belinda was experiencing in the next room. The purging of the body¡¯s impurities was as disgusting an experience as adventurers went through. It was all the worse for the source of the offending filth being their own bodies.


    ¡°So, what does a body actually change into as it goes up ranks?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is it just magically-reinforced versions of the stuff we all have now?¡±


    ¡°No, and that¡¯s actually quite interesting,¡± Clive said. ¡°The higher the rank an Adventurer reaches, the more their body becomes like yours Jason; a physical manifestation of pure magic. The physical material that makes up their body is refined and replaced. Obviously, a high-ranker¡¯s body is much better than yours.¡±


    ¡°My body? You mean an outworlder body?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s just a monster body with a soul in it.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°Right now, all of us except you have the usual internal workings of our respective species. But you, Jason, are essentially an undifferentiated mass of biological tissue. You have a skeleton to hang it all on, enough muscle to get the job done and skin to hold it all in. A few extras, like hair and eyeballs. Blood, to keep the whole mess operating. Where we have things like lungs, a heart and such, You¡¯re just a mass of extra flesh and blood your body can deploy as necessary.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked in horror.


    ¡°It gives you an advantage over the rest of us,¡± Clive said enviously. ¡°No spleen to burst, no lungs to puncture. No heart to stab.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m just a generic lump of biomass?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°We¡¯ll all get there, eventually, but you¡¯ve got that head start on us.¡±


    ¡°But I breathe,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a heartbeat.¡±


    ¡°Habit,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Habit?¡±


    ¡°Essentially, your body is faking it. You don¡¯t have a heart or lungs.¡±


    ¡°So, I could just go underwater and never drown?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°In fact, I¡¯d recommend it. Fighting through that drowning reflex is a great way to break the breathing habit.¡±


    ¡°That sounds horrifying,¡± Jason said. ¡°What happens when I eat?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t take any food out,¡± Clive said. ¡°It would get all soggy.¡±


    ¡°Not when I¡¯m trying to drown myself,¡± Jason said. ¡°I mean, what happens to the food that I shove into my body?¡±


    ¡°The mass of flesh and blood inside you consumes it for energy with complete efficiency,¡± Clive said. ¡°Strictly speaking, it wouldn¡¯t even need to go in your mouth.¡±


    This time everyone gave Clive horrified looks.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s true.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Jason said, thinking of something else and desperately wanting to change the subject. ¡°Emir told me that my body was formed using an imprint of my soul.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s broadly accurate,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°My body wasn¡¯t a blob mass went I left my world. Why would my soul make a blob body?¡±


    ¡°Do you really think your soul travelled between worlds without being changed?¡± Clive asked. ¡°A normal rank soul?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Thadwick was actually interested in all this,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°I¡¯ve known him since we were kids and I¡¯ve never so much as seen him with a book.¡±


    ¡°He had the theory he formulated for himself,¡± Neil said. ¡°Once he found out that healing fixes the differences between the soul and the body, he got it into his head that if constantly thought about¡­ certain parts of himself being larger, all the time, it would imprint on his soul. Then, healing magic would actually make it happen.¡±


    After staring at Neil in disbelief, they all started laughing.


    ¡°Let me get this straight,¡± Jason said between peals of laughter. ¡°Thadwick spends all his time wandering around thinking about having a trouser zucchini?¡±


    ¡°That explains so much,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Jason agreed.


    They stopped laughing as the washroom door opened and Sophie emerged.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t too bad,¡± she said. ¡°Lindy will be out in a bit.¡±


    Sophie looked at the frozen expressions on her four male teammates.


    ¡°What were you all talking about before I came out here?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Clive said, the others nodding their agreement.


    ¡°Everyone will be leaving for Greenstone tomorrow,¡± Emir said. ¡°Well, aside from my staff members who still have an underwater town to pore over. The scythe was the chief objective for my client, but the more information we dig up, the bigger the bonus.¡±


    ¡°Wexler has been hiding from your historian,¡± Jason said. ¡°She been chasing her all over the cloud palace.¡±


    Jason had joined Emir in his domed office for afternoon tea, at Emir¡¯s request.


    ¡°The revelation of a random street thief knowing the lost martial art of an ancient order of assassins poses certain interesting questions.¡±


    ¡°You and your historian can take that up with Wexler,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m having nothing to do with it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Emir said, his penetrating gaze matched by a subtle aura pressure. ¡°I have to imagine the man who triumphed over all others in the Reaper trials gleaned at least a few tasty truth nuggets.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t try and push back the gold rank aura, letting it wash over him and giving Emir an indulgent smile. Emir chuckled, letting off the pressure.


    ¡°Speaking of tasty nuggets,¡± Emir said, ¡°My people have been putting together something of a feast for the evening, with some of the various participating luminaries invited. I was hoping our illustrious victor could be convinced to play host.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t always get along with aristocracy. They think the right to deference is something you inherit, like a cupboard from your grandmother that smells like a cat died in a lavender field about thirty years ago.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s a very specific stance, if nothing else. To be honest, I¡¯m looking for a way around the kind of etiquette clash such a disparate array of nobles always seems to invite. Everyone is clamouring to meet the man who bested all their very well trained and resourced children, and if you¡¯re the host, then you set the rules. And of course, there¡¯s no rank at an Asano barbecue, is there?¡±


    ¡°No there isn¡¯t,¡± Jason said with a chuckle. ¡°Will that even work, though?¡±


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Emir said. ¡°But if they¡¯re forewarned about the expected etiquette, then their participation is a tacit agreement to the host¡¯s established rules, even if the host is a little unconventional. I¡¯ll tell them the dress code is extreme casual.¡±


    ¡°So, they have to agree to Asano barbecue rules or not show up,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not bad.¡±


    ¡°Do try and be diplomatic about it,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Jason said. ¡°Fair warning, though: my best isn¡¯t great. But who knows how many favours I owe you at this point, so count me in.¡±


    ¡°A rather odd young man once told me that friends don¡¯t count favours.¡±


    ¡°He sounds wise beyond his years. And dashingly handsome.¡±


    Emir chuckled, shaking his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have Hester portal you out for your shopping trip in the morning,¡± Emir said. ¡°She suggested leaving you in her home town, which is, in fact a huge city. You can spend a few days there, while she takes the chance to visit family. She can portal you directly back to Greenstone, after.¡±


    ¡°What kind of range does she have on that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°She may still be silver,¡± Emir said, ¡°but her portal ability has hit gold rank. She can go halfway across the world.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡±


    ¡°You may want to spend the afternoon liaising with my staff, then,¡± Emir said. ¡°Stick with Constance and she¡¯ll have you ready for hosting duties in no time.¡±

 Chapter 182: Particular Appetites

    In the old stone fortress in Old City, now a neutral ground of criminal delights, one of Cole Silva¡¯s thugs knocked on the door of Silva¡¯s office.


    ¡°Enter,¡± came a gruff bark from inside. The thug went in, his body screaming reluctance.


    ¡°Boss?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You asked for any news about Wexler.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°She was part of the team that brought back the thing that big-time out-of-towner was after. I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll ever have a shot at her, boss.¡±


    A short time later, two more thugs dragged the body out of the office as Silva strode back and forth, fuming.


    ¡°You want us to send someone to clean up the blood, boss?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Silva snarled, then stopped his pacing. ¡°Find Killian Laurent and have him come see me.¡±


    Emir had not entirely thrown out the usual decorum of a high society soiree, with one of his staff announcing each of the prestigious guests as they arrived. The guests were then met by Constance, at her most proper, and Jason, considerably less so.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t occur to you to wear long pants?¡± Constance asked him quietly between arrivals.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Jason said.


    Zara Rimaros was the next to arrive, flanked by her two offsiders and accompanied by an older woman. Zara''s companion was another celestine with the same caramel skin set off by sapphire eyes and hair. She looked around thirty but Jason had come to recognise the agelessness of essence users, even if her politely retracted but unmistakably silver-rank aura hadn''t given it away. There was something behind the eyes of high-rankers; something about the way they carried themselves. An absolute confidence that low-rankers, even amongst the nobility, were yet to develop. This woman was practically bursting with it.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Zara greeted with a smile full of dangerous promise. ¡°Might I introduce my aunt, Vesper Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°A genuine pleasure,¡± Jason greeted, his respectful tone wholly incongruous with his short pants, floral print shirt and open-toe sandals.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard much about you,¡± Vesper greeted, apparently unfazed by Jason¡¯s outfit.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason winced. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, we got all the heidels back, and most of them weren¡¯t too traumatised. We¡¯re completely out of fruit chutney after all that, though, so let me save you the trouble of checking the condiments table.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Vesper asked, whose eyebrows had slowly climbed up above her otherwise schooled expression. Jason¡¯s expression was suddenly that of a man realising he¡¯d said too much.


    ¡°Uh¡­ nothing,¡± he said, looking about nervously. ¡°You should say hello to Emir. He¡¯s around here, somewhere.¡±


    Zara, hid a giggle behind her hand, flashing her eyes at Jason.


    ¡°Emir Bahadir is currently a person of interest to our royal family over a theft that took place several years ago,¡± Zara told him, her words formal but her voice unable to excise the undertone of mirth.


    ¡°And he still invited you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°What a magnanimous bloke.¡±


    ¡°You know, Jason,¡± Zara said. ¡°At the risk of self-aggrandisement, I like to think that when someone meets me, I¡¯m the most interesting person they meet that day. I¡¯m not used to being upstaged by gods.¡±


    ¡°Never fear,¡± Jason said. ¡°You were absolutely the most interesting person I met that day. I¡¯m pretty sure gods are just big lumps of magic that have been around so long they gained sentience and started having funny ideas.¡±


    ¡°That comes dangerously close to blasphemy,¡± Zara¡¯s aunt said.


    ¡°Blasphemy is kind of my thing,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And yet, you were just personally and publicly praised by multiple gods,¡± Zara said.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It¡¯s a funny old world.¡±


    Danielle Geller came upon Rick Geller, standing alone. He was only a distant relative, to the point she wasn¡¯t sure what their actual relation was. Some kind of much-removed nephew, from what she recalled. She had come to admire and respect the young man who had been as close to the family¡¯s recent tragedies as anyone, losing two members of his team who were closely related. Rather than swear vengeance, he had grown into his responsibilities as a leader. Instead of dwelling on those who had fallen, he focused on protecting those that remained.


    She noticed his gaze locked on something across the room. She followed it to where Jason was speaking quietly with the Rimaros princess and her royal aunt. Danielle noted the body language of the princess and the confused expression on Vesper Rimaros¡¯ face she had come to associate with people talking to Jason.


    ¡°That¡¯s the hurricane princess,¡± Rick said.


    Danielle sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand people who insist on these overblown sobriquets,¡± Danielle said. ¡°She¡¯s iron-rank, for goodness sake. None of you have had a chance to truly prove yourselves.¡±


    They watched Zara giggle at something Jason said, putting a hand over her mouth.


    ¡°How does he do that?¡± Rick asked and Danielle looked at him.


    ¡°No offence, dear boy, but a woman like that would chew you up and spit you out. I thought you were interested in one of the young ladies on your team?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rick said. Normally he wouldn¡¯t admit it, but no one who had been through Geller training would consider lying to Danielle.


    ¡°I could use some of Jason¡¯s way with women,¡± Rick said wistfully. ¡°Really, how does he do that?¡±


    ¡°Did you ask him?¡±


    ¡°He said that what he had can¡¯t be taught.¡±


    Danielle chuckled.


    ¡°Probably true,¡± she said. ¡°Would you like me to tell you why?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rick said enthusiastically, turning to look at Danielle.


    ¡°When it comes to princesses or other highborn women, do you know how often they meet someone who doesn''t care they''re a princess? Never, probably, at least in their own age group. The smarter boys learn the value of pretending they don''t care, which makes the smarter young women very good at spotting it. All the more, for the social training they undergo. Then along comes Jason, who genuinely doesn''t care who their family is. Add a little wit, a disregard for propriety and a penchant for the taboo and you''re waving fresh meat in front of a hungry animal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can be as brazen as Jason,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°Nor should you be,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Jason is who he is, without apology or shame. He accepts the consequences, knowing that as many or more will hate him for it as be drawn to him. People respect authenticity, however, even when it¡¯s as unusual as Jason¡¯s. There¡¯s an integrity to it. That¡¯s what you are looking for. You don¡¯t need to be like Jason. You need to figure out who you are, Rickard. Be true to that and accept the consequences. Then you won¡¯t have to go looking for the right people because you¡¯ll have already learned to recognise them.¡±


    ¡°You really think it¡¯s that simple?¡± Rick asked.


    ¡°I do,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Simple, however, is not the same thing as easy.¡±


    Jason was still greeting new arrivals, the steadying presence of Constance a guiding light. She would subtly indicate a guest who would not respond well to Jason¡¯s particular social graces and he affected enough civility that no one made a fuss, in spite of his, to their eyes, ludicrous appearance.


    Various groups had arrived from various religious organisations, many of whom were at a loss as to how to handle Jason. One such group was from the church of knowledge.


    ¡°Gabrielle,¡± Jason greeted. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you were participating in the trials.¡±


    ¡°My lady felt that I would benefit from facing challenges where I did not have her to rely upon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the Healer mentioned that the gods couldn¡¯t access astral spaces. It¡¯s always fun to hear that even gods have their limits.¡±


    Behind him, Constance pointedly cleared her throat.


    ¡°My lady has prepared another gift for you,¡± Gabrielle said, clearly unhappy to be delivering the message. ¡°She believes you will find it more palatable than the last. It shall be delivered on your return to Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little wary, after the last one,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°She is certain that this one will be more welcome.¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see,¡± Jason said.


    Hester was one of Emir¡¯s most important staff members. She was in charge of logistics and coordination between all of Emir¡¯s disparate operations, for which her portal ability was a crucial tool.


    Hester was from Pranay, this world¡¯s equivalent of Sri Lanka. In this world, however, it was a much larger, located further to the south and west. In a world where the Arabian Peninsula did not exist and the Mediterranean connected directly to the Indian Ocean, it¡¯s northern coast was home to several important connections for sea trade.


    Hester had been born in one of those ports, the city of Jayapura. She opened a portal through which Jason and his team stepped into. They emerged from the portal with mixed reactions to the transition. Jason and Sophie, with their astral affinities were unaffected. They immediately started taking in their surroundings, including their team members who handled the transition less well.


    Humphrey had a teleport power of his own, so while not immune to the disorientation, was at least used to it. Portalling across a continent was more straining than across a room, but he took a deep breath and was fine. Clive and Neil were less experienced but it was not their first time, staggering a little before righting themselves. Belinda had the worst of it, lurching dizzily until Sophie stepped in to prevent her from falling over entirely. Stash the puppy stumbled about before toppling over and letting out an unhappy whine.


    They were in a courtyard full of lush plants, in raised planters and hanging from walls. The walls, planters and even the floor were covered in mosaic tiles in bright, cool colours. The shades of blue, green and turquoise gave the courtyard an underwater feeling, the vibrant space lit up by the bright sunlight. The air was hot, like that in Greenstone but drier, without the mugginess produced from the delta. The heat was cut by a fresh breeze with a tang of the sea, blowing in through archways leading out of the courtyard.


    Hester gave them a tour of what turned out to be a magnificent house on a clifftop, overlooking the ocean. Tunnels dug down into the rock, with stone stairwells leading down into a network of cave grottos. Platforms of metal and wood wound through the caves, suspended over the water below. Magic glow stones lit up the caves, both under the water and above.


    ¡°There are guest rooms down here or up above,¡± Hester told them. ¡°You can choose whichever you prefer.¡±


    ¡°Down here,¡± Jason said immediately, grinning like a loon as he looked over a railing and into the water.


    ¡°If you want to swim, feel free,¡± Hester said, continuing to lead them through the colourfully-lit caves. ¡°The main entertaining grotto actually has a bar you can only get to by swimming. Or flying, water-walking, teleporting. Whatever powers you might have.¡±


    ¡°You have a magnificent home,¡± Jason said as Hester led them back upstairs.


    ¡°You can travel a lot as an adventurer,¡± Hester told him, ¡°especially with a power like mine. I think it¡¯s important to have somewhere to come home to, though. And, of course, being adventurers gives us the means to have that.¡±


    Hester introduced them to her extended family, all of whom lived in the expansive compound sprawling over the top of the cliff. Like many successful adventurers, she had provided her family with essences and monster cores to extend their longevity, even if they never fought a monster themselves. Hester¡¯s family were extremely welcoming, especially Hester¡¯s mother, Anise.


    ¡°She never brings home friends,¡± Anise was saying to Jason as they walked, joining them for the rest of the tour.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, hush dear. You really must tell me what Hester has been up to, Jason. She¡¯s always so secretive.¡±


    ¡°Let me think,¡± Jason said. ¡°Ah, I know. A little while ago, there was a big expedition that went out from the city where we¡¯ve been staying. It was a huge deal, and they sent along everyone who could open a portal or do a mass teleport. Of course, then they ended up in an astral space they couldn¡¯t portal out of. Are you familiar with astral spaces, Anise?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Anise said. ¡°So many rumours going around these days about them.¡±


    ¡°Well, it turned out that expedition was in desperate need of help, and it was Hester who made that happen. Without her, no one would have gotten there in time.¡±


    ¡°Why aren''t you the one to tell me about these things?¡± Anise asked Hester.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t really do anything,¡± Hester said.


    ¡°Nonsense,¡± Jason said. ¡°She''s an absolute hero. Humphrey and Neil, here, were on that expedition. They might not be here if it weren''t for your daughter.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s blowing things out of proportion,¡± Hester said.


    They came to a pathway outside the house from which they could see the city sprawling down from the hilltop upon which the Hesters'' home was located. It was much larger than Greenstone, spreading out over the coastline, alongside the cerulean ocean sparkling in the sunlight.


    ¡°This is beautiful,¡± Jason said as hey stopped to look out. ¡°Thank you for sharing your home with us, Hester.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just happy you managed to bring that scythe back,¡± Hester said. ¡°Emir seems like a relaxed boss, but he wasn¡¯t great to be around while you were in the astral space. The prospect of no one bringing it back after two years of effort? The whole staff is just about ready to kiss you. Don¡¯t let them, though. Especially Weird Pants Keith.¡±


    Killian Laurent was an elf who looked like the villain from a fairy story, with ugly, sunken features, emaciated limbs and sickly pallid skin. Dressed in ill-fitted black, even the way he walked had an unpleasant obsequiousness to it. He sidled into Silva¡¯s office, not even glancing at the blood soaking into the rug. Silva stood with his back to the door, not turning around at Killian¡¯s entrance.


    ¡°You once made a suggestion to me,¡± Silva said without preamble. ¡°I declined.¡±


    ¡°You did not want to take the risk of discovery,¡± Killian said in his raspy voice.


    ¡°Since then, I have been discreetly approached,¡± Silva said. ¡°Someone offered assistance that may make something like what you suggested more viable.¡±


    ¡°You are ready to take the girl?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Silva said. ¡°I was offered assistance in taking the man who took her from me. She¡¯ll get hers when the man who holds her indenture contract is flushed out to sea in a thousand pieces. Is this something you can make happen?¡±


    ¡°Mr Silva, I am a man of particular appetites,¡± Killian said. ¡°I moved my loyalties from your father to you, because you have my appetites met reliably and discreetly, where your father would not. People of my inclination operate in very small circles, and I am familiar with a man, a silver-rank adventurer, with predilections not unlike my own. There is no way such a man, being silver-rank, would enter your employ. But if he were offered the same arrangement I enjoy, I imagine he would be willing to undertake the occasional favour. For example, the quiet acquisition of a troublesome young adventurer.¡±


    ¡°How reliable is this man?¡±


    ¡°I can assure you, Mr Silva, that he is a man of exquisite caution.¡±


    Silva did not respond for a long time, still staring at the wall without turning to face Killian.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Silva said. ¡°Set up a meeting; I want to talk to this man. Also, find out exactly what he will want before the meeting happens.¡±

 Chapter 183: Domineering, Territorial and Robust

    For those who could afford them, personal transport in Jayapura consisted of small discs that floated in the air, underfoot, the rider directing them by shifting their weight. Hester brought a number of them out onto an open area of lawn for the visitors to get a handle on.


    ¡°Hoverboards!¡± Jason called out cheerfully.


    ¡°Their actually called personal float discs,¡± Clive corrected him.


    ¡°Hoverboards!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not¡­¡±


    ¡°Hoverboards!¡± Jason asserted again. Stash turned into a bird and flew onto Jason¡¯s head, echoing his cry.


    ¡°Hoverboards!¡±


    ¡°Good boy,¡± Jason said, giving bird Stash a biscuit.


    Smaller float discs, like those Hester had brought out, were for standing on. She explained that there were larger ones, each of which had a seat on them. Use of those by anyone other than the physically infirm were looked down on, however.


    Humphrey and Clive had used them before, while Sophie and Jason found their balance quickly. Neil and Belinda had more trouble, struggling to get their disc to move, only for it to shoot out from under them as it did. While they continued to practice, Jason skimmed around the edges of the yard, giggling like a madman.


    ¡°Hoverboards,¡± he said happily, pulling up next to Clive. ¡°Why do we not have these in Greenstone?¡±


    ¡°The magical density is too low,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s why all the magical vehicles need someone like me to drive them.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that make your ability kind of useless here?¡± Jason asked at which Clive grinned.


    ¡°You need someone like me to drive that,¡± Clive said, pointing up. Jason looked into the air, where what looked like a zeppelin was floating gracefully through the sky. Instead of an inflated envelope of air, it had what looked like the frame of one, visibly glowing with magic.


    ¡°Awesome,¡± Jason said.


    Eventually Hester judged Neil and Belinda ready for strictly supervised use of the float discs and they started down the hill and into the city, carefully for the benefit of Belinda and Neil.


    ¡°Did we have to start off downhill?¡± Neil asked as he nervously controlled his disc.


    ¡°Not to say I don¡¯t agree with the sentiment,¡± Belinda said, likewise moving with caution. ¡°It might be a bit much to ask Hester to move her house somewhere flatter for our benefit.¡±


    Hester led them into the city, passing through older and older sections as they moved closer to the centre. Their destination was the Mystic Quarter, where the city¡¯s main temples were located, along with the Magic and Adventure Society campuses.


    ¡°The Adventure Society trade hall should be the place to find most of what you¡¯re after,¡± Hester told them. ¡°You may need the Magic Society for some of the ritual components. In any case, the trade hall brokers will take all the loot you¡¯d care to trade off your hands.¡±


    Adventure Society campus dwarfed that of Greenstone¡¯s, although it lacked the open simplicity. Instead, it was a warren of tight alleys and narrow streets, with building hugging together like goods bundled in a crate. It was more like a town, with the trade hall alone being the size of a village.


    ¡°You should enjoy this, Humphrey,¡± Jason said as they moved through the crowds of the main trade hall. ¡°Unlike in Greenstone, there¡¯s no one to recognise you. You can just be some guy, here.¡±


    After visiting the brokers, they spent some time shopping around, Jason¡¯s group chat allowing them to stay in contact when they split up. The moved through the crowded trade hall, the maelstrom of voices all around them, hawking and haggling.


    ¡°Does anyone have any crystal wash?¡± they heard a voice calling out. ¡°Everywhere seems to be sold out, all of a sudden.¡±


    The team regroup outside the trade hall to compare purchases. They had only bought a few things, their main purpose being to hand over their awakening stones and essences to the brokers for auction. There was market enough that auctions took place daily, so they would be able to collect their earnings in the morning.


    ¡°I got a line on a magical tattooist with the skills I need,¡± Jason said. ¡°Someone who can apply the immortal crest.¡±


    The immortal crest was an item Jason obtained during the trials that was unusual in nature. Using it required the services of a specialist magic craftsperson, none of whom resided in Greenstone. Humphrey had used one himself, while travelling with his mother.


    Item: [Immortal Crest] (iron rank, rare)


    An object that allows the soul to mark the body (consumable, tattoo).


    Effect: When applied by a mystical tattooist, this item will draw out a soul crest. This item can only be used on an iron rank essence user.


    After acquiring the item, Jason had asked Clive about it. Clive, in turn, roped in Humphrey, who already had a soul crest. A soul crest, they explained, was a magical tattoo printed not on the body, but on the soul. That imprint would appear on the body in turn, in a form that resisted design. The form of the crest was a visible reflection of the bearer¡¯s true nature.


    The value of the crest was as a form of identification. The unique imprint on the aura remained the same, even if the aura itself changed and the visible form of the crest with it. Impossible to track or falsify through even the strongest magic, so long as there was a record of the imprint, it was a guaranteed proof of identity.


    Immortal crests were difficult and expensive to make, especially for an iron-rank item, but many wealthy adventurers commissioned one, nonetheless. Once the Adventure Society had a record of the imprint, it was an ironclad proof of identity that could be verified at any branch in the world.


    The visible form of the crest could not be chosen, instead reflecting the soul that produced it. This had famously mixed results.


    ¡°If we¡¯re going to see a magical tattooist,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°then you should all get one. I already did, when I used my immortal crest.¡±


    Deciding to make that their next stop, Clive explained magical tattoos as they traversed the city on their hover-discs.


    ¡°It will only last as long as your current rank,¡± Clive told them. ¡°It gets purged from your body as you rank up, along with any other magical waste that doesn¡¯t hold up to your new rank. That leaves you free to get a new tattoo at your new rank.¡±


    ¡°What do they do?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of magic tattoos, but never seen one.¡±


    ¡°We can change that,¡± Humphrey said. He pulled back his sleeve to show an intricate sigil on his upper arm, confident enough in his skill with the floating disc to do so without falling off. The tattoo¡¯s colour was a brilliant shade of blue that shimmered like sunlight on the ocean.


    ¡°Different tattoos do different things,¡± Clive said. ¡°That looks like a mana-accumulating one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It slowly accumulates mana, which I can absorb when I need it. It¡¯s basically a mana potion that takes a few hours to refill itself.¡±


    ¡°The functions of iron-rank tattoos are quite basic,¡± Clive explained, ¡°so most people go for some variant on health or mana recovery, be that a moderate increase to natural recovery, or an on-demand burst like Humphrey has there. There are other options, though. A short burst of damage reduction, or reducing the cooldown of an ability. Effects like that are single-use and take an amount of time to recover before being used again.¡±


    ¡°How many can you get?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Just the one,¡± Clive said. ¡°Usually, anyway. There are essence abilities that can increase that. My rune essence, for example, will frequently produce that type of ability. I didn¡¯t get one of those, though.¡±


    Following the directions Jason had obtained, Hester guided them away from the main areas of the Mystic Quarter, the streets growing narrower and the building older as they went.


    ¡°Are you sure this place we¡¯re going is legitimate?¡± Neil asked Jason.


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Mysterious shopkeepers in dilapidated parts of the city where most would never tread are always better.¡±


    ¡°According to whom?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Eighties movies.¡±


    ¡°Eighty what?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll assess the place for myself,¡± Hester said.


    They found the tattoo shop, and while the dingy exterior was not confidence-inducing, the interior was a stark contrast, with polished wood, shining tiles and glass as pristine as a cloudless winter sky. Hung on the walls were pictures of various tattoos, some artistic, others with descriptions of their effects.


    ¡°If the craftsmanship we can expect is a match for what¡¯s on display here,¡± Clive said, examining the pictures, ¡°then I don¡¯t foresee any problems.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Hester said, likewise looking over the displays. She turned to Jason.


    ¡°Who told you about this place?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I was asking around at the trade hall,¡± Jason said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t much tell good advice from the bad, so I tried something else. They don¡¯t differentiate the trade hall by rank like they do back in Greenstone; it¡¯s all mixed together. So I started looking for places that seemed a bit less impressive than you¡¯d expect at the trade hall. Eventually I found a place that didn¡¯t look like much and everyone seemed to ignore, but every person I saw go in was clearly a top-flight adventurer. It was all silver and gold rankers, the kind who have plain-looking gear that you can tell is actually the good stuff if you pay attention. So, I went in, had a little chat with the guy running it and he gave me a tip.¡±


    ¡°Just like that?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Well¡­ I did have to promise to send Neil in for a special visit.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Jason said. They really liked the sound of a chunky elf. We should start looking for a sailor suit soon, though, because finding one in your size might be tricky.¡±


    ¡°They?¡±


    ¡°I think he had some mates he wanted to bring along. The more, the merrier, right?¡±


    ¡°You know that someone is going to tie you to a boulder and drop you in the ocean one day,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°It turns out that I don¡¯t need to breathe.¡±


    A wiry woman emerged from a back room. She looked older, but hale and weathered like a tree that survived storm after storm. Jason was unable to detect any aura from her at all.


    ¡°I was wondering who was making a commotion in my shop,¡± she said, looking them over. ¡°Not a lot of boisterous youths darken my door. Accompanied by Hester Maharala, no less. The lady with the house on the hill. Are you still following that Bahadir boy around?¡±


    ¡°You know Emir?¡± Hester asked.


    ¡°Know might be a strong word,¡± the woman said. ¡°We crossed paths when he was still a precocious boy. Good to hear he took up treasure hunting, because he was only a so-so adventurer. That couple he ran around with, now they knew their business. The sneaky one, too.¡±


    ¡°Gabriel and Arabella Remore,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ll be seeing them soon, if you¡¯d like us to pass on a greeting.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they don¡¯t want to hear from some old shopkeeper,¡± she said. ¡°Who is it that sent you my way?¡±


    ¡°The man selling magic lamps in the trade hall,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And you were the one who got it out of him?¡± she asked. ¡°He probably saw you were an outworlder and got all excitable, the damn coot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Jason Asano. May I have your name?¡±


    ¡°Tilly is good enough. You didn¡¯t come here just for tattoos, Jason Asano. You could get them plenty of places, cheaper and easier.¡±


    Jason took out a plain metal plate and handed it over.


    ¡°Immortal crest,¡± Tilly said, turning it over in her hands. ¡°Who made this?¡±


    ¡°Me, kind of,¡± Jason said. ¡°A looting ability. Of sorts.¡±


    ¡°Of weird sorts, to produce something like this. Alright, I can get you sorted out. Once we¡¯ve settled the matter of price.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡± Jason asked


    ¡°Is the chunky elf with the sailor suit on the table?¡±


    Jason blinked in surprise, then burst out laughing.


    ¡°Gods damn you, Asano,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°The price is money, of course,¡± Tilly said with a twinkle in her eye. ¡°It¡¯s a tattoo shop. It¡¯ll be a wheelbarrow full of coins for an immortal crest and a day or two to get things ready.¡±


    ¡°Once today¡¯s auctions have gone through, we¡¯ll have wheelbarrows of cash to spare,¡± Jason said. ¡°In the meantime, We¡¯ll get some enchanted tattoos.¡±


    Tilly took them back into a workroom with a big chair, plus needles and pots of oils, unguents and powders. Light came from the large skylight over their heads.


    ¡°You first,¡± Tilly said to Humphrey. ¡°Shirt off.¡±


    ¡°I already have a tattoo,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± she said. ¡°I want a look at that soul crest. The price of me doing one for your friend.¡±


    Humphrey tugged off his shirt, revealing his impressive physique.


    ¡°Damn, Humphrey,¡± Jason said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you waxed your chest.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wax my chest.¡±


    ¡°You do seem oddly hairless,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Do you get that hair-removal cream from Jory?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°I think he has some kind of magic crystal he uses for shaving,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Would you please stop talking about my chest hair.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any chest hair,¡± Belinda said. ¡°That¡¯s kind of the whole point.¡±


    ¡°Stop gabbing and turn around,¡± Tilly told Humphrey, who was clearly relieved to do so. It revealed a startling image on Humphrey¡¯s back; a rainbow-coloured dragon on a great, sand-coloured shield. The dragon¡¯s scales glimmered in the light, making it seem like a living thing.¡±


    ¡°Whoever drew this out knew their business,¡± Tilly assessed. ¡°This is the Vitesse style. Was it Klimpsen?¡±


    ¡°You can tell that just from looking at it?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°I though the image was determined by the soul.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Tilly said. ¡°It¡¯s shaped by the artist that drew it out of your soul, though. Klimpsen was a good choice but he doesn¡¯t work for just anyone. You must have some good family connections.¡±


    ¡°His mum is kind of a big deal,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Lucky for some,¡± Tilly said. ¡°You next, Asano. I need to know what I¡¯m dealing with to make the right preparations. Shirt off.¡±


    Jason looked at Humphrey as he self-consciously removed his shirt. Jason¡¯s body was as fit as it had ever been but looked flabby and meagre next to Humphrey.


    ¡°How is that fair,¡± Jason said. ¡°You look like some famous sculpture brought to life by a witch to steal my girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a girlfriend,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Rub it in, why don¡¯t you.¡±


    Tilly shoved Jason around and started prodding at his back with her wizened fingers.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t get anything too embarrassing as a crest. You wouldn¡¯t believe the number of sheltered young idiots that get an immortal crest and aren¡¯t happy with a crest that reveals who they truly are. Which yours will too, make no mistake. If you don¡¯t think you can handle seeing what you really are, then I¡¯d stop here.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is,¡± Jason said. ¡°Worst case, shirts are a thing.¡±


    ¡°Interesting aura,¡± Tilly said, continuing to ply Jason¡¯s back. ¡°Domineering and territorial. Robust, especially for your rank. Something else, too. Are you some kind of priest?¡±


    The whole team laughed at that.


    ¡°He¡¯s definitely not,¡± Neil said. ¡°If anything, he¡¯s the exact opposite.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little odd to find a touch of the divine on you, then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been touched by gods, alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re quite handsy, once you get to know them.¡±

 Chapter 184: More Shady as We Go Along

    Tilly provided the group with catalogues that took the form of recording crystals, allowing them to look through projections of the available magic tattoos.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to take the burst healing rune,¡± Sophie said and was soon in the big chair in her undershirt as Tilly pricked needles into her arm.


    ¡°You want privacy for this?¡± Jason asked her.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen a woman¡¯s shoulder before? I feel sorry for that Cassandra girl, now.¡±


    By the time the red rune Tilly drew onto Sophie¡¯s arm was complete, the others had picked out their own tattoos. Belinda chose one that would allow her to ignore the delay before she could use an ability again. This would allow her to use her cooldown reduction power twice in a row, which would, in turn, let someone else use a powerful ability three times in quick succession. That tattoo was a small one printed on the back of the neck.


    Clive took the same one, while Jason took one that made his afflictions slightly harder to resist. Jason¡¯s was imprinted on his chest, right over his heart.


    ¡°You have an impressively broad repertoire,¡± Humphrey complimented Tilly. ¡°The place I received my tattoo had a more restrictive selection.¡±


    ¡°Klimpsen does quality work,¡± Tilly said, not looking up from where she was putting needles into Jason¡¯s chest. ¡°He¡¯s not what you¡¯d call an innovator, though. He¡¯s the guy you go to for reliability, rather than originality.¡±


    Neil was originally going to take a tattoo that gave a general increase to his mana recovery speed, but had his mind changed by Tilly. She was able to do a burst mana-recovery tattoo, essentially a free mana potion, with a recharge time affected by his mana recovery rate. Given that Sophie and Clive both enhanced team mana recovery, he would be able to use the tattoo with enviable frequency.


    Like Jason, Neil¡¯s tattoo went on the chest, but when Neil took his shirt off, it got loud reactions from the team.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Sophie agreed, both women tilting their heads as they ran their eyes over Neil¡¯s muscular body.


    ¡°What?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Uh, we all thought you were fat,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Wait, you really did think I was fat?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Jason said, at which Neil wheeled on him.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one responsible for this and you didn¡¯t even think I was fat?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to mock an actual fat guy,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s just punching down. Also, your tailor is the one responsible, not me.¡±


    ¡°Your outfits really aren¡¯t flattering,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°Is there padding in them?¡±


    ¡°No, there isn¡¯t padding in them.¡±


    ¡°They drape very poorly,¡± Jason said. ¡°You should try Gilbert¡¯s in the trade hall back in Greenstone. He sadly doesn¡¯t sell short pants or floral print, but if you want to look good, he¡¯s your guy.¡±


    ¡°You go to Gilbert¡¯s too?¡± Humphrey asked Jason.


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think he makes you look better than me though. You¡¯ve got those powerful shoulders.¡±


    Once all the tattoos were done, they made arrangements to return the day after next for Jason¡¯s crest. After all their shopping, they sky was growing dark and they returned to Hester¡¯s house.


    Hester¡¯s extended family had gathered for her return, welcoming the team into their home for an evening of food and family. Jason quickly found his way to the kitchen, while everyone else gathered on an entertaining deck underground where colourful lights lit up the grotto as they watched the sun go down over the sea through a west-facing cave entrance that looked out along the coast.


    Belinda retired early, in anticipation of using no less than sixteen awakening stones the next day, plus summoning at least one familiar. Late in the evening, Sophie spotted Jason in his conjured cloak, walking over the water in the grotto and out through the cave entrance. She quietly dropped over the railing, using her slow-fall power to alight on the surface of the water herself. She followed him out, where the ocean water was eerily still, the light of two moons shining down on it. The hood of Jason¡¯s cloak was pushed back of his head, tilted back and looking at the night sky.


    ¡°Clive gave you a telling off, the other day,¡± he said, apparently sensing her in spite of her moving in silence. Her perception powers enhanced her ability to sense auras, yet she could barely sense his. Those same abilities had allowed her to sense Jason¡¯s aura control as it become increasingly precise in the time they had known one another. She knew the dead friend she had never met had taught Jason the techniques he was passing onto her, fastidious practice seemingly his way of connecting with his absent mentor.


    ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t have hit you so much,¡± she said.


    ¡°I understand,¡± Jason said, keeping his gaze on the stars. ¡°I know you were holding back and I wasn¡¯t hurt. You should probably be looking for healthier expressions of freedom, though.¡±


    ¡°Am I free?¡± She asked.


    ¡°If you want to leave and never come back, just talk to Hester,¡± Jason said. ¡°I told you that from the start.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve come a long way since then,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You¡¯ve put a good amount of capital into making me an adventurer, both monetary and political.¡±


    Jason turned his gaze from the sky to her, frowning.


    ¡°I¡¯m tired of having this conversation. I¡¯m tired of justifying myself, as if I¡¯m somehow not good enough to have done something just because it was right. As far as I¡¯m concerned I don¡¯t have an indentured servant. I have a teammate who keeps talking about leaving. If you¡¯re going to go, do us a favour and go now, because we¡¯ll need to find new people.¡±


    ¡°Belinda and I aren¡¯t going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± he said testily, ¡°because I am done talking about this.¡±


    Jason vanished into the shadow of his cloak, which drifted emptily before disappearing as well.


    Sophie stared at the spot he had been standing.


    ¡°Good job, Wexler,¡± she admonished herself.


    In the morning the team left without the guidance of Hester, leaving her to catch up with family. They had seen enough of he city to muddle through, having already visited the Mystic Quarter in which it was located. It wasn¡¯t hard to get directions to the Magic Society campus and Belinda and Neil¡¯s increasing proficiency with the floating discs compensated for the time they lost through lacking of a guide.


    Clive took the lead at the Magic Society, his understanding of the Society¡¯s workings getting them prompt consideration. They decided the order of the day would be to hire a ritual room and conduct all Belinda¡¯s remaining awakening rituals. Afterwards, they would purchase the materials Jason and Belinda would need to summon familiars. Belinda already had one such power and, with sixteen powers to be awakened, had a good chance of getting more.


    ¡°A companion specialist would be interesting,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°My sister¡¯s abilities are like that. It would make for some interesting potential, on top of the familiars and summons we already have.¡±


    ¡°I think a support specialist is more likely,¡± Clive said, ¡°based on the power¡¯s we¡¯ve seen so far. Only four powers in, though, it could be anything, really.¡±


    ¡°Either works for me,¡± Belinda said. ¡°As long as I¡¯m not in front of someone, swinging a great big sword.¡±


    ¡°We have Humphrey for that,¡± Jason said.


    As they awakened Belinda¡¯s powers one by one, her abilities fell broadly into three categories. As expected, her trap essence produced area control powers. One was an ability Clive had from the rune essence, called rune trap. Another conjured a dimensional-space pit trap under the feet of enemies, while the final two powers used magical tethers to affect enemies in different ways.


    From the magic essence she gained abilities with effects predicated on the powers of others. She had a curse that caused enemy power use to lock them out from another of their abilities. An ability called power thief was a special ranged attack that would lock out an enemy¡¯s power, giving Belinda the power to use instead. She had a spell that let her mimic spells recently used by allies, while her final ability was another summoned familiar, called an astral lantern.


    ¡°Lantern-type familiars are quite good,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Judging by my sister¡¯s, at least.¡±


    ¡°They tend to be ranged attackers,¡± Clive said.


    The adept essence started out well, with a perception power that let her see magic, like Clive. It got better with an aura that caused allied abilities to come off cooldown faster, followed by a power, usable once per day, that reset every cooldown a person had. It was the last adept ability to awaken where things started going off the rails, at least from Belinda¡¯s perspective.


    You have awakened the adept essence ability [Instant Adept]. You have awakened 5 of 5 adept essence abilities.You have awakened all adept essence abilities. Linked attribute [Speed] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank adept essence ability.


    Ability: [Instant Adept] (Adept)


    Special ability.Cost: Very high mana.Cooldown: 6 hours.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Gain a significant increase to the [Speed] attribute and temporary proficiency with acrobatics, small blades and ranged weapons. Your maximum stamina increases and you gain an ongoing stamina recovery effect.


    ¡°What kind of ability is this?¡± she asked as she read the power.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen these before,¡± Clive said. ¡°They bestow a particular set of skills, much like a skill-book, but only temporarily. It lets you fill archetypal roles, not as well as a specialist, obviously, but if that¡¯s what you need at the time then it¡¯s very useful.¡±


    ¡°It says ranged weapons,¡± Jason said. ¡°It might be good. Get yourself a good magic bow, fire some arrows down range and then escape with those acrobatic skills it mentions.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that isn¡¯t too bad,¡± Belinda said grudgingly before they moved onto the next power.


    By that stage, she only had two powers from the charlatan essence left to awaken, which had already produced two unusual powers. Beside myself was a power that rendered her invisible while an illusion mimicked her nearby. Unexpected allies was a power that used illusions to make allies look like enemies, but the allies could see through it. The spell then randomly switch-teleported all the allies and enemies in the area with each other.


    ¡°It has to be better than that stupid learning archery power,¡± Belinda said as Clive completed the ritual.


    You have awakened the charlatan essence ability [Counterfeit Combatant]. You have awakened 4 of 5 charlatan essence abilities.


    Ability: [Counterfeit Combatant] (Charlatan)


    Special ability (shape-change).Cost: Very high mana.Cooldown: 6 hours.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Gain a significant increase to the [Power] attribute and temporary proficiency with armour and melee weaponry. Your physique enlarges, your maximum stamina increases and you gain an ongoing stamina recovery effect.


    ¡°Oh, gods damn it.¡±


    ¡°It does bring some versatility to the team,¡± Humphrey offered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want versatility! The team¡¯s already thick with versatility! I want to stand at the back, being all clever and disruptive. What¡¯s clever about braining some guy with a scimitar?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be clever,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It just has to be useful.¡±


    ¡°You think putting me up the front to hit people will be useful?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be unexpected,¡± Jason offered. ¡°Who expects a small, adorable person to whack them upside the head with a big hammer?¡±


    ¡°I think I understand the specific dimensional space you awakened now,¡± Clive said. ¡°As you¡¯ll no doubt recall, it¡¯s unique nuance was the ability to directly equip or unequip gear. Given your new abilities to take on specific roles, that now becomes very useful.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me that my next ability might be another one of these idiotic powers to hit people with weapons, like a thug?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think so,¡± Clive said. ¡°You already have powers to turn you into a fast attacker and a strong attacker.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯ll be able to turn into a healer,¡± Neil said. ¡°The ability to have another in a pinch would be amazing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Belinda acknowledged, calming down. Clive conducted her final ritual of awakening.


    You have awakened the charlatan essence ability [Specious Sorcerer]. You have awakened 5 of 5 charlatan essence abilities.You have awakened all charlatan essence abilities. Linked attribute [Recovery] will advance in conjunction with lowest-rank adept essence ability.


    Ability: [Specious Sorcerer] (Charlatan)


    Special ability.Cost: Very high mana.Cooldown: 6 hours.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Gain a significant increase to the [Spirit] attribute and the ability to use magical tools. Your maximum mana increases and you gain an ongoing mana recovery effect.


    Belinda groaned.


    ¡°Is it just me,¡± she asked, ¡°or are these ability names becoming more shady as we go along?¡±


    ¡°These abilities may seem underwhelming now,¡± Clive said, ¡°but remember this is only the beginning. Power like these usually offer up extra powers to use while they are active. Your adept power will most likely give utility abilities, while the strength and magic based ones will probably give you special attacks and spells, respectively. You could even consider them to be a means to get more abilities than everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Belinda asked thoughtfully. ¡°I do like the idea of having more things.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s everyone¡¯s powers complete,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Summoning familiars aside, we¡¯re ready to get down to the real work.¡±


    ¡°The real work?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Training,¡± Jason said, Humphrey nodding his agreement.


    ¡°Between us, we have an adventurer and a half worth of abilities to learn. The next few weeks will be strategising, testing, training and then doing it all over again. We won¡¯t just be learning how to use our powers but how to use them as a team. It¡¯s going to take weeks, maybe months to get where we need to be.¡±


    ¡°Months?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be as tedious as he makes it sounds,¡± Jason said. ¡°We should all be ready to work hard, though.¡±


    ¡°I had an idea to inspire us a little,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°There¡¯s a public mirage area in this city. I asked Hester to reserve us a viewing room for this evening. I think seeing what the best of a large city like this can do will show you how far we have to go. If I have anything to say about it, we¡¯ll become better than anyone we see tonight.¡±

 Chapter 185: Magnificent Entity

    ¡°Moment of truth,¡± Jason said. He had drawn out the summoning circle himself, rather than let Clive draw it out with his ritual diagram power. All the materials were laid out; spirit coins, quintessence gems and other magical objects. After sprinkling some powdered lesser magic cores to double check everything was correct, he stood up, preparing to chant the incantation.


    ¡°When Gary heard Jason would be getting new familiars,¡± Humphrey whispered, ¡°he tried to bet me the incantation would be really evil.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t take that bet, did you?¡± Sophie asked him.


    ¡°Gods, no.¡±


    ¡°Do you mind?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯m trying to summon an awesome British shadow creature.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You go ahead.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m self conscious, now,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re all going to interpret the incantation as evil, even when it¡¯s just a normal, harmless incantation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We promise to keep an open mind.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Just do it,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It¡¯s not going to seem any less evil for all the build up.¡±


    Jason groaned, but turned back to his ritual circle and started chanting.


    ¡°I call to the realm beyond cold and darkness, where death has no meaning for life has no place. Let mine be the dark beyond darkness, falling on the final road to the end of all things. Let mine be the shadow of death.¡±


    As Jason chanted, dark energy started boiling up to submerge the ritual circle.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what we were worried about,¡± Neil said. ¡°That didn¡¯t seem at all like he was calling up some all-consuming darkness and that we should kill him to keep it from entering the world.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that I¡¯d say evil,¡± Humphrey said with very little conviction.


    ¡°You wish you¡¯d taken that bet then?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°No, I do not,¡± Humphrey said.


    Jason dropped to his knees, then rolled onto his back. He took out a mana potion and chugged it to assuage the low mana headache suddenly pounding the inside of his skull.


    ¡°That was a lot easier than last time,¡± he said. ¡°Summoning Colin didn¡¯t just drain just my mana, but my health and stamina, too.¡±


    Everyone¡¯s gaze turned to the ritual circle where darkness rose up like fire¡¯s dark twin, consuming light instead of shedding it, the room seeming to grow dim in spite of the magical glow-stones.


    ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± Clive said. ¡°These stones are shielded so as to not affect the ambient magic in the room. Nothing in here should be able to affect them.¡±


    From the dark circle of black flame, a figure slowly rose. Nothing more than a silhouette, it seemed ephemeral, yet at the same time imposing. It had the rough shape of a man draped in a cloak. Jason¡¯s teammates couldn¡¯t help but think of Jason himself, as he looked with his magical cloak completely dimmed.


    Suddenly the oppressive feeling drained away. The room lit back up and the black flames vanished, leaving only the figure who looked to be made from darkness itself, his edges blurry, even standing in the light.


    ¡°Hello again, Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason said, a huge grin spreading across his face. ¡°I was hoping it would be you.¡±


    ¡°It has been some time since I walked the worlds,¡± Shade said. ¡°You seem likely to see more than most. I should warn you, that the vessels I inhabit now are far less capable than those I was bound to in the astral space.¡±


    ¡°Vessels, plural?¡± Jason asked. He reached out a hand to touch Shade.


    Shade (shadow of the Reaper).Familiar (iron rank).IncorporealCan occupy up to three shadow bodies.Highly visible in well-lit areas but can move rapidly.Shadow bodies can hide within the shadows of other people. When there is not at least one shadow body attached to the summoner, the summoner has no shadow.Can drain mana by touch. Drained mana can be passed onto anyone with a shadow body hidden within their shadow.While at least one shadow body is hidden within the summoner¡¯s shadow, summoner can see and hear through other shadow bodies.Shadow bodies hidden in the summoner¡¯s shadow can contain traces of the summoner¡¯s presence. One shadow body can eliminate either the caster¡¯s heat, scent or sound, with additional shadow bodies eliminating additional factors.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason said, ¡°I think that will do just fine. Speaking of the astral space, though, did you happen to notice anyone who stayed behind when everyone else left?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°When the trial period ended, the vessels I was inhabiting were dissolved, returning me to the astral. This was the moment the gates closed, therefore those who had not used them remain there still. I am aware of which people they are.¡±


    ¡°You know who stayed behind?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Actual names?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The powers afforded me by the vessels I inhabited were powerful. All that was said, I heard.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty amazing,¡± Jason said and turned to his team. ¡°I¡¯m going to hire one of the Magic Society¡¯s water communication chambers and get that list of names back to Greenstone. In the meantime, you summon up your familiars, Belinda. I¡¯m pretty tired, anyway, after doing mine. I can finish up when you¡¯re done.¡±


    Shade sidled into Jason¡¯s shadow and Jason left without any indication of his new passenger¡¯s presence. The rest of the group cleared away the remnants of his summoning circle and Belinda started setting up her own. Like Jason, she was drawing her own magic diagram, with advice, but not assistance, from Clive.


    Belinda¡¯s first summon had a more mystical and less sinister chant than Jason¡¯s. Its appearance was heralded by silver-blue light that filled the room before coalescing over the ritual circle, compressing down until a silver lantern appeared around it. The lantern started floating around the room, bathing it in a cool light.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty,¡± she said. ¡°I like this much more than some death shadow.¡±


    ¡°Shade was good to us in the astral space,¡± Sophie said. ¡°He was presumably good to everyone, but I like him.¡±


    Belinda was drained from the summoning, following Jason¡¯s example and drinking a potion to relieve the mental exhaustion. Her familiar was bobbing in the air around her like a puppy seeking attention and she reached out to touch it.


    Unnamed (astral lantern).Familiar (iron rank).Reveals nearby hidden enemies.Makes ranged attacks with bolts of disruptive-force, consuming small amounts of core energy.Can intercept and negate magical projectiles. Negating powerful projectiles consumes core energy.Core energy naturally replenishes over time. Summoner can use mana to restore core energy.Familiar can be subsumed into the caster¡¯s eyes. When it has done so, the summoner can see hidden enemies and consume mana to make disruptive-force beam attacks from her eyes.


    ¡°You need a need a name, little guy,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Floaty? Sparkles?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s terrible,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°You have a better idea?¡± Belinda asked.


    Sophie thought it over as she looked at the silver lantern with the silver-blue light.


    ¡°How about Shimmer?¡± she said.


    ¡°I like that,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°That is pretty good,¡± Belinda said, then turned to her familiar. ¡°What do you think? Do you like Shimmer?¡±


    The lantern waggled side to side in the air.


    ¡°Does anyone know if that means yes?¡± Belinda asked.


    Jason only returned once Belinda had recovered and mostly laid out her next ritual circle.


    ¡°Since it wasn¡¯t a scheduled message,¡± Jason said, ¡°I had to wait for them to go get someone. I wasn¡¯t just going to drop that information to anyone, so I spoke to Rufus.¡±


    ¡°That extra time would have been expensive.¡±


    ¡°Rufus said he¡¯d get the Adventure Society to pony up for it.¡±


    ¡°Pony?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a small horse.¡±


    ¡°Those are the one-headed heidels, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, except with silky hair instead of creepy reptile scales.¡±


    ¡°And what do they have to do with paying for things?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you say it?¡±


    ¡°Because language is weird.¡±


    ¡°You know, you could make more of an effort to be understood through your translation power.¡±


    ¡°Your Mum understands me.¡±


    ¡°What does that have to do with anything?¡± Humphrey asked.


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°Sometimes trying to aggravate people in this world only aggravates me,¡± he complained, then levelled a suspicious gaze at Humphrey. ¡°Were you being deliberately obtuse just to get under my skin.¡±


    A grin teased the corners of Humphrey¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be talking about my mother.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Jason said. ¡°That is not wrath I¡¯d be looking to suffer.¡±


    Belinda completed her ritual and summoned her other familiar. Unlike the previous two, it was not foreshadowed by phenomena, suddenly appearing out of nowhere. It was a strange, flickering entity, skipping around the room without passing through the intervening space. It¡¯s form constantly shifted, changing with each flickering teleport. It first appeared with Belinda¡¯s form, then Humphrey¡¯s, then Clive¡¯s. Then it was a strange amalgam of Sophie and Neil, but only for a moment as the changes continued. Sometimes it would replicate a member of the group, other times, melding two or more forms together in a bizarre gestalt. It never took any kind of form of its own.


    It stilled slightly, holding in place as Belinda approached it but still flickering, like a television with bad reception. She reached out and touched it.


    Unnamed (echo spirit).Familiar (iron rank).IncorporealCan mimic the form of enemies or allies.Can switch-teleport with mimicked allies.Can mirror the mimicked ally¡¯s movements and attacks, but inflicts no damage or other effects.When subsumed into the summoner¡¯s aura, the summoner can manipulate their own aura, projecting false traits or mimicking the aura of others.


    ¡°It¡¯s deception based,¡± she said. ¡°It works like Humphrey¡¯s new power to make an illusionary double.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be interesting to see if it doubles Humphrey¡¯s illusionary double,¡± Jason said. ¡°That would make him almost impossible to defend against, short of running away.¡±


    Once again Belinda needed to pick out a name. She ultimately accepted Jason¡¯s suggestion of Gemini.


    ¡°It means twins in a language from my world,¡± he explained.


    That left Jason¡¯s final familiar, which he started setting up for.


    ¡°That last incantation was pretty bad,¡± Neil said. ¡°This one is called an avatar of doom, though. Who¡¯s going to bet which incantation is more evil?¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Jason asked, not looking up from his task.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take avatar of doom,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It has to be worse.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Belinda said. ¡°That whole bit about the end of all things in the last one was pretty bad. I¡¯ll bet on the shadow incantation.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll take the shadow familiar as well,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Oh, come on, Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°You too?¡±


    ¡°What about you, Humphrey?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s the judge,¡± Neil said. ¡°He has to be objective, so I¡¯ll round out the numbers and pick the new one as worse.¡±


    ¡°I should kick you all out and do this alone.¡±


    Belinda and Sophie immediately booed him, Neil joining in as well. He turned around to glare at them as Humphrey and Clive shrugged their shoulders, helplessly. Jason shook his head and ignored them until he was done.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t decide what we were betting for,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°The losers buy everyone¡¯s snacks at the mirage chamber tonight,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°That¡¯s reasonable,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Really, Clive?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to complain,¡± Neil said. ¡°Your snacks get bought for you either way.¡±


    ¡°My issues aren¡¯t snack-related,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Maybe just get it done and out of the way?¡± Humphrey suggested.


    ¡°You¡¯re just in it because your snacks are guaranteed, too.¡±


    Scowling, Jason turned back to his ritual circle and started chanting.


    ¡°When worlds end, you are the arbiter. When gods fall, you are the instrument. Herald of annihilation, come forth and be my harbinger. I have doom to bring.¡±


    At first, it seemed like nothing was happening. Neil had just opened his mouth to accuse Jason of getting it wrong when the glow stones lighting the room started flickering.


    ¡°That really shouldn¡¯t be happening,¡± Clive said.


    The glow stones started going out, one by one, until the room was plunged into darkness. Then they all flared up at once, flooding the room with glare before they started shattering, stone fragments falling into the crystal that should have shielded them from anything in the room.


    After the blinding brightness, the dark seemed especially deep. As they looked around, a speck of orange light appeared, floating over the circle. It expanded, swirling in the dark like a nebula in the void of space. The orange was joined by blue and soon they could see the expanding colours take the shape of an orange eye with a vibrant blue iris.


    The darkness around the nebula eye started to coalesce, taking on physical substance the way Jason¡¯s conjured cloak did. It even took on the form of a cloak, draping around the nebula eye, which floated where the torso would be. Two orbs manifested around the cloak, themselves smaller versions of the eye. One was blue in orange, the other, orange in blue. They drifted through the air, slowly circling the cloak like guardians.


    Jason¡¯s teammates had been poised to mock the incantation but were transfixed by the beauty of the familiar. In the darkness left from the shattered glow stones, the eye nebula and the floating orbs were the only sources of light.


    ¡°Ah, crap,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a chuuni forever.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Clive,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Uh, yeah?¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that wasn¡¯t meant to happen either.¡±


    ¡°No, it was not,¡± Clive said, his normal inquisitiveness reasserting itself as he moved to stand next to Jason and look at the new familiar.


    ¡°It¡¯s curious that the familiars are both reflective of your appearance,¡± Clive observed. ¡°Your appearance while wearing your cloak, anyway. I did notice that Shade looks somewhat different than he did in the astral space. There, his silhouette was closer to a person¡¯s form, instead of the cloak shape he inhabits now.¡±


    ¡°Can you speak?¡± Jason asked the familiar. The shadowy cowl shook its empty non-head slowly, an ominous gesture in the light coming from its own body. It¡¯s cloak shape was dominated by the eye, but the rest of the space in the cloak was slowly being occupied by what looked like a less formed nebula, with shades of red, green purple and other colours that shifted like a rainbow tide.


    ¡°You can understand me, though, that¡¯s good,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s try this: Make the orb that¡¯s blue on the outside glow slightly brighter for yes and the one that¡¯s orange on the outside for no. Can you do that?¡±


    The blue orb glowed brighter.


    ¡°Nice. This will work out just fine.¡±


    He reached out to touch the avatar, his hand getting a strange tingle as it met the light of the nebula eye.


    Unnamed (avatar of doom).Familiar (iron rank).Incorporeal.Each orb can make sustained beam attacks. One orb inflicts disruptive-force damage, the other, resonating-force damage.Enemies damaged by the avatar are afflicted with [Vulnerable]. Sustained beam damage will cause additional instances to be accrued.The avatar¡¯s normal movement is slow but it can make rapid energy dashes, inflicting disruptive-force damage on enemies in the path of the dash. Orbs do not attack during the dash.Can be subsumed into the summoner¡¯s aura, making the summoner¡¯s aura much harder to detect and read.[Vulnerable] (affliction, unholy, stacking): All resistances are reduced. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Consumed to cleanse instances of [Resistant] on a 1:1 basis.


    ¡°No name, then?¡±


    Orange orb.


    ¡°Do you want one?¡±


    Blue orb.


    ¡°Yeah, you should have one. I can¡¯t be all ¡®hey, Avatar of Doom, do you want a sausage?¡¯ That would be absurd.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it¡¯s big on sausages,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°You have to give it a majestic name,¡± Neil said. ¡°Even I¡¯m willing to acknowledge that is a magnificent entity.¡±


    Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully. ¡°I¡¯m going to call you¡­ Gordon.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t call it that!¡±


    ¡°What do you say, Gordon?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Want to go take a look at the mirage arena?¡±


    Blue orb.

 Chapter 186: I Try to Find the Truth, But That’s Your Hiding Place

    The city of Jayapura featured a vast mirage chamber complex that was larger and more sophisticated than the Geller family¡¯s private chamber. The higher magical density of Jayapura meant that more advanced magical effects could be used and supported. This included potent dimensional magic that allowed the replication of vast spaces, as well as multiple, concurrently-operating chambers in the same complex.


    In addition to hiring out spaces for training, It was the premier entertainment space in the city. Essence users would pit themselves against one another or illusionary challenges, all for the entertainment of a paying audience. This produced more than enough funding for the frequent upgrades and regular maintenance required of a top-tier facility.


    The organisation that owned and operated the chamber had close ties with the Magic Society, Adventure Society and local government. Important for both the amenities and the revenue it provided the city, the Mirage Chamber Association enjoyed significant power and influence within Jayapura.


    Rather than a dome, the mirage chamber was a flat, circular building at the edge of the Mystic Quarter. Very large, it spilled into the adjacent theatre district, which was appropriate enough. Most people came looking for entertainment, rather than to use the facilities for themselves.


    ¡°There are whole essence user teams who never become adventurers,¡± Hester explained as they arrived. She had met up with them after they were done at the Magic Society, leading them to the site of their evening¡¯s entertainment. They joined the crowd likewise heading in through the large public entrances.


    ¡°They make all their money here in the arena, and use monster cores to rank up.¡±


    ¡°They can make enough money for that?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°They have competition leagues here at the arena,¡± Hester explained. ¡°Teams facing off against one another all year, leading up to the grand championships. There are two leagues a year, in silver, bronze and iron divisions. Obviously, silver is the big draw, with the largest following and the biggest prizes.¡±


    ¡°No gold division?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Even with the money running through here, getting to gold rank using monster cores is a tough ask,¡± Hester said. ¡°They just don¡¯t have the numbers to make a gold division, which is why the handful of professionals successful enough stop using cores before they hit gold. Being at the peak of silver keeps them at the top of their game.¡±


    ¡°And because they used monster cores to get there,¡± Jason realised, ¡°they¡¯re well-past their abilities advancing through regular use and training.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Hester said. ¡°They keep going until silver-rank longevity is no longer enough, at which point they retire and make their way to gold for the extended life span. This whole place is run by former participants who are all gold rank, now.¡±


    ¡°Is this common practice in big cities?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯ve travelled to a number of large cities and seen the same thing in each.¡±


    ¡°Is it all PvP, or do they mix it up?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°PvP?¡± Hester asked.


    ¡°Hot adventurer-on-adventurer action,¡± Jason clarified.


    ¡°There are three events, but the big one is the team-against-team arena battles,¡± Hester said. ¡°They¡¯re fast and exciting, with plenty of powers flying around. There¡¯s also monster hunts, but they aren¡¯t as popular. That tends to bring in competitors who are also active adventurers, but people prefer to see people go up against one another. Lastly is team conflict again, but in larger, more complex environments, with roaming monsters. It¡¯s a slower, more complicated event that doesn¡¯t interest the public as much. It mostly gets attention from the professional adventurer crowd.¡±


    They went inside with the crowd but instead of the large viewing rooms for the general public, a member of the area staff took them upstairs to a private viewing box. It was a large lounge, with a front wall made of dark, impenetrable glass. Luxurious chairs and couches were arrayed in front of it and several low tables were filled with food and drinks.


    ¡°Aside from the more comfortable environs,¡± the staff member explained, ¡°these private rooms differ from the public areas in that you can choose what you want to be looking at any given time. Any event, any division, any match, at your leisure. The projector is controlled from the tablet on the table there, which can also be used to order any food or drink you might want from our comprehensive selection and it will be brought right up.¡±


    ¡°Who do we pay for the snacks?¡± Neil asked her.


    ¡°All costs are included with the room,¡± the attendant told him.


    ¡°Then how are Clive and Belinda going to pay for them?¡±


    ¡°Us?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Clearly you lost the bet,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°No way,¡± Belinda argued. ¡°¡®Mine is the shadow of death¡¯ is way worse than the other chant.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re clearly wrong. The other one talked about killing gods. Gods!¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t mention doing it personally. Don¡¯t forget about that ¡®final road to the end of all things¡¯ bit.¡±


    Clive went up to reassure the attendant, who was starting to look a little nervous.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Clive assured her. ¡°They¡¯re just talking about our friend¡¯s new familiars. We¡¯ll be fine here; you can go.¡±


    ¡°Honestly,¡± Sophie said as she left, ¡°The blood-drinking apocalypse beast is more sinister than either of them. I bet that incantation was the worst of the lot¡­¡±


    The attendant hurried out, closing the door behind her.


    ¡°Am I mistaken,¡± Neil said, his eyes glued to the viewing screen, ¡°or are these people really good. As in, really, really good.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re good,¡± Humphrey confirmed.


    They were watching one of the iron-rank monster-hunt events, where teams would take turns hunting identical monsters in identical circumstances and be judged on their performance.


    ¡°How do you think we would stack-up against teams like this?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Poorly,¡± Jason said. ¡°These people are at the top of their game in a city with a lot of game to climb over to get there. They¡¯re obviously practised and work effectively together. My guess would be that they¡¯re all closing in on bronze rank.¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Hester said. ¡°These are the best Jayapura has to offer and they are, indeed, closing in on bronze rank.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get there,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Training and experience, that¡¯s all it is.¡±


    ¡°The only people on our team operating at this level right now,¡± Jason said, ¡°are Humphrey and Neil. The rest of us have our strengths, but also critical flaws. Clive has been out of the game a long time and his power set is all about judging the circumstances and picking his moments. It¡¯s the kind of thing only experience can improve. The same goes for Belinda but even more so, given she¡¯s been an essence user for about an hour. She isn¡¯t even ready for the Adventure Society field test.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get you there, Lindy,¡± Sophie assured her friend.


    ¡°Yes, we will,¡± Jason said. ¡°Wexler has skills to match anyone out there but has too many abilities she hasn¡¯t had a chance to get a handle on, yet. The same is true for all of us, to a degree. As for me, my power set doesn¡¯t give me the margin of error Humphrey¡¯s or Neil¡¯s do, with armour and self-shields. I can be dropped in one hit if I get blind-sided and I¡¯ve only been in this world half a year. I still have a lot of blind spots where the rest of you would see danger coming.¡±


    ¡°So, all those people who went into the astral space with us,¡± Clive said. ¡°They were all this good?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Hester said. ¡°These people we¡¯re watching today have already fulfilled whatever potential they had. When I was selecting people for the Reaper trials, Emir had me looking at unfulfilled potential. These people here are good, but the people who went through the trials have at least the potential to be as good or better.¡±


    ¡°And we beat them all,¡± Sophie said with satisfaction.


    ¡°That was luck,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sigrid was almost as fast, and she wasn¡¯t the only one to jump through that final ring.¡±


    ¡°You never told us what you saw, there at the end,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Nor should he,¡± Hester said, her voice full of warning. ¡°I checked-in with Emir, today, and there has been an unusual development. One of the others who reached that final stage has gone missing, along with everyone who accompanied them to Greenstone. Gone without a trace, leaving all their possessions behind.¡±


    ¡°Some secrets are best left dead and buried,¡± Jason said, ¡°lest you be buried with them. I imagine that some of you will speculate as to the meaning of what happened. Keep that speculation to yourself, for all our sakes.¡±


    ¡°That mirrors the advice Emir asked me to impart,¡± Hester said. ¡°I was going to wait until after we returned for the evening to tell you, but since the topic came up it seemed appropriate.¡±


    Jason was frustrated at having no one to discuss it with, if only to act as a sounding board. As the others continued to watch the viewing screen, his mind was consumed with possibilities. If the Order of the Reaper wanted to remain secret, why would they act so blatantly? Were they preparing for a grand reappearance or were they not involved at all? If Jason wanted to kill someone who had also reached that secret last stage, the Order of the Reaper would make an intimidating, if risky patsy.


    He reflected again on how in this world, the answer to every question and the solution to every problem was the same: get stronger. He had been putting off his final awakening stones for the Reaper trials and while he couldn¡¯t be sure if the legendary stones he acquired were worth the delay, he suspected his new familiars were formidable.


    He could feel them in his shadow and his aura, much as he could feel his first familiar inside his blood. They felt like power, waiting to be unleashed, and it was only the beginning. While Jason was still iron-rank, he still felt within the realms of a normal human, whatever Clive said about the strange inner workings of his body. Bronze-rank was the threshold beyond which the ordinary was left behind, surpassing even the most exceptional normal person.


    The very concept of reaching those levels was bizarre and exciting. Stronger than an Olympic power-lifter and more agile than an Olympic gymnast at the same time. His perception was linked to his spirit attribute, which left him wondering what that would mean. Telescopic vision? Seeing the infrared spectrum, or hearing ultrasonic sounds?


    In a world of monsters, magic, adventurers and cultists, it somehow was all acceptable. When considered within the context of his own world, it suddenly became impossible and absurd. Was there really a place for him there, anymore? Did he want it? Absently he took out the world-phoenix token, turning it over in his hands.


    Knowledge told him it would take him home, but could he trust the words of the goddess? It looked very much like the Reaper token he had already used. Would it trigger another gift evolution? How was he meant to use it? The goddess told him that he lacked the faith in magic. Jason was no longer an atheist but that did not mean he was willing to jump into faith. He liked believing in things for good reason.


    Sophie got up from her chair to grab some food and spotted Jason, uncharacteristically quiet as he looked at something in his hands. She crashed own next to him on the couch he was using.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Jason said, putting the tablet away. ¡°The future, maybe.¡±


    The team were making their way through the streets of Jayapura, back toward Tilly¡¯s nondescript tattoo parlour. As they floated along on their discs, the topic of discussion was postulation on the nature of Jason¡¯s personal crest.


    ¡°I bet it¡¯s just a picture of him with an idiotic grin and a sandwich,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°I think it¡¯ll be something intimidating,¡± Clive said. ¡°Look at his familiars. It¡¯ll be all dark and spooky.¡±


    ¡°How is Jason in any way intimidating?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Try fighting him,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯m the only one here who¡¯s done it for real. I had a well-executed plan, meticulous preparation and, as it turned out, a silver-ranker intervening on my behalf. Even then, it took a priest of the god of healing and an alchemist healer working together to keep me alive and he wasn¡¯t even trying to kill me. He makes people like you think he¡¯s an idiot because otherwise, they¡¯d run for the hills.¡±


    ¡°She exaggerates,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m with Neil. I think it¡¯s going to be sandwich-related.¡±


    ¡°What about you, Humphrey?¡± Clive asked. ¡°You¡¯ve known him longer than the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what his crest will be,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I suppose I can say what I want it to be.¡±


    The others looked over at Humphrey, their interest piqued. Neil turned his eyes back to where he was going, though, when he almost drove his disc into a wall.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sophie asked, looking between Humphrey and Jason. Humphrey¡¯s expression was sober and thoughtful, Jason¡¯s blank and unreadable. He had mostly stayed quiet during their guessing game.


    ¡°Jason is good at putting on masks to get what he wants,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He becomes what he needs to be to provoke the response he¡¯s looking for, whether it¡¯s absurd buffoon, or callous killer. I¡¯ve seen him be friendly and approachable with ordinary people, sharp and provoking toward aristocrats. He¡¯ll stare down silver-rankers and capitulate to his landlady. I¡¯d like to see who he is under all that. Which parts of what he shows us is really who he is.¡±


    The others all looked at Jason, who remained impassively silent.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Neil said. ¡°That got heavy fast.¡±


    The rest of the trip took place in awkward silence. When they reached the tattoo shop, Tilly took in the strange air over them and nodded toward the back room without saying anything.


    Jason stripped off his shirt as Tilly adjusted the chair so she could work on his back. She took out a series of pots, some of which were faintly glowing, and set them out on a table, along with a set of brushes.


    ¡°You have the crest?¡±


    Jason took the immortal crest out from his inventory. Tilly took a stick of chalk from her pocket, scrawling some symbols on it as Jason held it in place. Then she ushered him onto the chair, telling him to hold it to his chest. He did so, placing it over the sigil of his magic tattoo.


    Tilly began drawing an intricate magical diagram on Jason¡¯s back, using the brushes and paint she had set out. She would stop frequently, her face caught up in thought as if pondering what to do next. Sometimes she would make slow progress, a minute or more passing between strokes of the brush. Other times would be a fury of activity as she wildly applied whole sections, her seeming haste having no ill-effect on her precision.


    Her brushes dipped into one pot after another as every part of Jason¡¯s back was filled with tiny, precise lines and sigils. The diagram was drawn out in ordinary black, vibrant blue, shimmering silver and bright gold. Finally, she put down her brush and wheeled the table away, pulling up another one. She took out a rolled-up cloth and unfurled it on the table, revealing a dazzling array of needles. Some were silver, others, black, green, red and gold. She started pulling them out and poking them into Jason¡¯s back, one after another. By the time she was done, Jason¡¯s back was a forest of metal, the elaborate diagram completely obscured.


    She moved away from the chair, taking out a tarp and setting it on the workshop floor.


    ¡°Get up and go stand on that,¡± she instructed and Jason did so.


    ¡°Now we wait,¡± she said.


    They all stood in silence, Jason¡¯s eyes glued to the floor. Sophie and Humphrey had their gazes locked on Jason while the others shared awkward glances. Just as the silence grew so heavy it felt like someone had to say something, there was a dull sound as a needle fell from Jason¡¯s back and onto the tarp. It was followed by a second, third, rapidly increasing until they started cascading from his back to form a pile around his feet.


    No one said anything for a moment.


    ¡°Well?¡± Neil asked, breaking the silence. ¡°Turn around and let us see.¡±


    ¡°He sees first,¡± Tilly said, her tone brooking no dissent.  She took a sheet of dark glass the size of a large book, holding it behind Jason¡¯s back for a moment, then passing to Jason to look at. He held the glass in his hands, staring for a long time at the image it had recorded from his back. Finally he nodded, handing the glass back to Tilly.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good one,¡± she said, ¡°but you don¡¯t have to show them. You don¡¯t have to show anyone, if you don¡¯t want.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said, stepping carefully out of the needles at his feet. Then he turned around, allowing the others to see.


    On his back was the image of a dark, empty cloak, not unlike his new familiar, Gordon. Around the cloak was a dark sky full of silver stars. Inside the cloak was an open blue sky, with a golden sun right where Gordon¡¯s nebula eye was located, right in the middle of the chest.


    ¡°Is it shining?¡± Clive asked, squinting his eyes. Tilly walked over to the wall, tapping a crystal. Shutters came down over the windows and the glow-stones in the workshop dimmed to nothing. In the darkness, the only light was the faint flow of the sun and stars on Jason¡¯s back. They softly illuminated his new crest, the silver stars highlighting the dark sky and the gold light of the sun lighting up the bright portion in the middle.


    ¡°It looks like the day, hidden in the night,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That¡¯s going to get you laid, alright.¡±

 Chapter 187: The Last Reward

    In the early morning, Jason stood at the edge of a platform in the underground grotto, looking out to the cave entrance and the ocean beyond. Daylight was yet to penetrate the west-facing cave and the illumination was still provided by the colourful glow-stones shining from beneath the water.


    ¡°It¡¯s only been a couple of days, but I¡¯m going to miss this,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It definitely beats hiding out in the back of a disused boat warehouse,¡± Sophie said, emerging from her own room to join him in leaning on the rail.


    ¡°Still,¡± Jason said, pushing himself off the railing. ¡°There¡¯s a world of wonders waiting out there for us. Shall we go see if we can find it?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Sophie said, giving him a smile.


    As the made their way up the spiral staircase, Jason happily reflected on Sophie finally not viewing any approach as some kind of attack. Reaching the top, an open terrace looking out over the cliff face to the ocean, Humphrey and Clive were already waiting for them.


    ¡°Ever since we haven¡¯t been actively hunted,¡± Sophie said, ¡°Lindy has taken to sleeping in.¡±


    ¡°Very sensible,¡± Neil said, emerging from the main house. ¡°I know Humphrey has been planning dawn to dusk training for when we get back, so this might be our last lazy morning for a while.¡±


    ¡°Night training as well,¡± Humphrey said, not denying it. ¡°We can¡¯t be ready for every circumstance, but we can try.¡±


    Belinda and Hester appeared together.


    ¡°Thank you for the generous hospitality,¡± Jason said. ¡°Especially for those of us who haven¡¯t left Greenstone before, this was a great experience.¡±


    The time they had spent awakening abilities, summoning familiars and getting tattoos had only been a portion of their several days in Jayapura. They had also taken in the city, visiting markets and the city¡¯s various places of interest. New customs, new food. New sights and sounds, tastes and smells.


    Jason had always wanted to travel, until circumstances derailed his life plans. Instead of finishing university he had taken a job in retail and barely travelled beyond a few city blocks. More and more, his new life had him reflecting on his old one.


    Hester opened up a portal and they stepped through, arriving at the district of the Island called Marina North. Jason knew it quite well, having travelled through it frequently. It contained the bridge he most often used to cross between Old City and the Island, and was the place he first met ¨C and was kicked in the face by ¨C Sophie.


    They were at one of the marinas for which the district was named. The entire east side of the island was lined with marinas, holding the private watercraft of the city¡¯s elite. Trade shipping was restricted to the sprawling port on the Old City side, with the Island serving as a vast breakwater.


    Emir was waiting for them, along with Constance. They were in an open area beside the main marina building, the area pleasantly laid out with subdued green and yellow pavers.


    ¡°Excellent,¡± he greeted as they arrived. ¡°I hope you had a nice trip home, Hester. I need to put my logistics coordinator to work.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Hester said amenably.


    ¡°Constance has the details,¡± Emir said. ¡°She can fill you in while I attend to Jason. Are you ready for your cloud¡­well, not palace, yet.¡±


    ¡°I definitely am,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°My cloud palace is still at the lake, since my people are now largely concerned with studying the underwater complex. I¡¯ve taken the liberty of renting marina space for you to use, by which I mean I had Constance do it. She has all the paperwork, so see her about all that after. It¡¯s nothing you can¡¯t afford.¡±


    Emir reached into his jacket and pulled a large flask from the dimensional space within. It was round, with a cylindrical neck, identical to the one that Emir used for his own cloud palace. Through the glass they could see energy swirling inside, a vortex of blue and white. He handed the bottle to Jason, who immediately dropped what turned out to be the profoundly heavy object.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Emir said. ¡°I forgot how weak iron-rankers are.¡±


    ¡°Did I break it?¡± Jason asked in horror, looking down at the bottle laying on the stone pavers.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Emir said, gesturing to the stone, three storey building beside them. ¡°You could drop this building on that bottle and it wouldn¡¯t get so much as a scratch.¡±


    He took out a notebook, thumbing through pages until he found what he was after and passed it over to Clive.


    ¡°Can you knock that one out for me?¡± Emir asked. ¡°It might be a little tricky.¡± Clive only spent a moment glancing over notes before he started drawing out a ritual circle using his power. Passers-by looked over in curiosity as golden light traced out a magic diagram. When he was done, Emir picked up the bottle and carried it into the middle of the circle, directing Jason to join him.


    ¡°You won¡¯t need to enact the ritual, Clive,¡± Emir said. ¡°Jason just needs to drop a little blood into the bottle. Just a few drops will do it.¡±


    Emir took the glass stopper out of the bottle and Jason nicked a finger with the blade under his wristband. He kept it there even when not wearing his combat gear in case he needed to call out Colin in a pinch.


    The droplets of blood fell into the bottle and Emir stoppered it again as the contents  swirled about wildly. Despite only losing a few drops of blood, Jason felt suddenly drained. The mana and stamina bars at the periphery of his vision emptied and he staggered before righting himself.


    You have bound [Cloud Flask] to you.[Cloud Flask] is currently iron rank.You can summon, dismiss and alter the iron-rank options of your [Cloud Flask].


    After Jason tipped mana and stamina potions down his throat, Emir held out the flask for Jason to take.


    ¡°That didn¡¯t go so well last time,¡± Jason said, but took the proffered bottle, nonetheless. To his surprise, the bottle now was so light as to be almost weightless. He could feel a connection to the energy inside it, not dissimilar to the sense of his familiars he had while they were subsumed within his body.


    Item: [Cloud Flask] (iron rank [growth], legendary)


    This item is bound to you and cannot be used by anyone else.Use the energies within the cloud flask to create buildings and vehicles made of clouds. Available forms are restricted by rank.Items contained within the cloud construct when it is returned to the flask are stored in a dimensional space and cannot be recovered until another cloud construct is formed.Available forms (iron rank): Cloud house (grand), cloud house (adaptive).


    ¡°Soul-bound items are rare, even compared to other growth items,¡± Clive said. ¡°Ten years in the Magic Society and this is only the third one I¡¯ve seen. The advancement requirements are usually quite prohibitive.¡±


    Jason looked over the growth requirements.


    1000 [Air Quintessence (bronze)].1000 [Water Quintessence (bronze)].200 [Dimension Quintessence (bronze)].10,000 [Bronze Spirit Coins].


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a lot,¡± Jason said. ¡°Really, a lot.¡±


    ¡°Not to worry,¡± Emir said. ¡°I have everything you need to upgrade it to bronze. You can grab it all next time you¡¯re in the cloud palace. After that, you¡¯re in charge of your own supplies, though.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said gratefully. ¡°That¡¯s very generous.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time to try it out,¡± Emir said. He led the group to find the right pier, where he had leased three adjacent berths to make sure Jason had the room he needed.


    ¡°So, how does it work?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Do I just open the bottle?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the first step,¡± Emir said. ¡°Do that now.¡±


    Jason opened the bottle and mist flowed out, shifting in colour as it formed a small image of a house in the air. It looked like a small manor, in the sunset colours they all recognised from the cloud palace.


    ¡°Here you can choose which configuration of house you want to use,¡± Emir told him. ¡°What you¡¯re looking at now is the grand form. Put your hand into the image and turn it.¡±


    Jason did as instructed and the image changed, from a manor to a large house boat.


    ¡°That¡¯s the adaptive form,¡± Emir explained. ¡°It won¡¯t be as large as the grand form but it will fit into its surroundings much better, even camouflaging itself. Good for unusual environments or when you don¡¯t want to make a spectacle. Once I used the adaptive form of the palace in a forest and got a series of tree-houses connected by swinging bridges. It was amazing.¡±


    ¡°How do I set it off?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Once you¡¯ve picked your form,¡± Emir said, ¡°concentrate on where you want it to go and just give it a push.¡±


    Jason left the small image in the form of a houseboat and shoved it with his hand. The image broke apart as fog started pouring out of the bottle and into the empty space along the marina dock. They watched as the fog slowly took the form of a large houseboat, with three imposing storeys and clearly too ponderous to move. It took some ten minutes to achieve its final shape, after which the cloud-stuff from which it was constructed started taking on the look of painted wood until it was indistinguishable from an actual wooden houseboat.


    ¡°I would have picked you for going with the grand version,¡± Emir said. ¡°What¡¯s the point of having a cloud palace if no one knows about it?¡±


    ¡°Enjoying it for yourself,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not gold rank, Emir. I have to be judicious about how and when I make a spectacle of myself.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°It seems more like you¡¯re making it up as you go along,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Jason said. ¡°But when it works out, you have to tell everyone that you planned it all along.¡±


    Emir burst out laughing. ¡°Exactly right.¡±


    They went aboard, discovering that the houseboat¡¯s facade was just that, with the interior being constructed from the familiar cloud-stuff. They toured around, discovering several bedrooms, two entertaining decks and a formidable kitchen.


    ¡°Every cloud building has certain similarities,¡± Emir explained as they explored. ¡°They all have their own nuances, however, reflective of their owners. My houses, for example, never have kitchens in them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s actually common with soul-bound items,¡± Clive said. ¡°No magic item can match the potential contained within a soul, so items connected to one tend to take on it¡¯s properties. This becomes more pronounced with growth items as they advance in rank.¡±


    ¡°So, you could use a person¡¯s soul-bound items to judge their true nature,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°If you meet someone who seems like a good person but has a hideous and twisted soul-bound item, stay clear. Compare that to Emir¡¯s cloud palace, which is so obviously a reflection of him. Outrageously grandiose, yet welcoming and beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Clive,¡± Emir said warmly. ¡°That may be the nicest thing anyone has ever said about me. Speaking of revealing the true nature, though, Hester said you were getting a personal crest, Jason. I have to admit to being curious.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just me eating a sandwich with a big stupid grin,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of embarrassing, to be honest.¡±


    Emir gave Jason a sceptical look but didn¡¯t challenge his assertion.


    ¡°You should be careful not to rely on the security of this cloud house,¡± Emir warned, turning the subject back to Jason¡¯s new abode. ¡°Yours is only iron rank, so a bronze-ranker could force their way in given enough time. With the right skill set, someone could even sneak their way inside. I imagine that even Clive and Belinda could do just that, if they put their heads together. As it ranks up you¡¯ll find it becomes increasingly more resistant to all forms of trespass.


    Jason discovered, as they roamed around, that he was quickly gaining a sense for the houseboat, even able to sense the people inside. Emir walked Jason through the various functions, such as taking aura imprints to allow others to have various permissions.


    ¡°There are some other things that I¡¯ve figured out from using my own cloud flask,¡± Emir said, giving Jason the notebook he had handed to Clive, earlier. ¡°Everything I¡¯ve learned is collected here. I direct your attention especially to the section on plants, which is the product of many years of trial and error.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Emir,¡± Jason said, taking the notebook.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad it was you,¡± Emir said, ¡°although, I will admit to being a little surprised. You had some impressive competition, which you apparently made friends with. The boats have left already, but several notable groups stayed behind and will have to make their own arrangements. They¡¯ve been waiting for you to get back.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like a housewarming party is in order,¡± Jason said. ¡®I¡¯ll have to get some supplies.¡±


    ¡°Nothing too raucous,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Tomorrow, we start training in earnest.¡±


    ¡°We also have to sort out living arrangements,¡± Jason said. ¡°With the cloud palace off at Sky Scar Lake, you and Lindy, Wexler, should probably shack up here. Unless you want to make your own arrangements.¡±


    ¡°And give up cloud beds?¡± Belinda said. ¡°No chance.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s about eight bedrooms in here,¡± Jason said. ¡°Any of the rest of you are welcome to join them. It could be good for team building.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ve been living in the Magic Society dorm for years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We can regulate our training so much better if we¡¯re all together.¡±


    Neil groaned. ¡°You¡¯re really going to let Humphrey push us through training every waking minute?¡±


    ¡°You say that,¡± Jason said, ¡°but you train as hard as anyone. You can act as disaffected all you like, but we all know how driven you are.¡±


    ¡°And what happens when Humphrey starts planning the meals for maximum effectiveness?¡± Neil asked.


    Jason¡¯s eye¡¯s went wide.


    ¡°Now that I think about it,¡± he said, ¡°maintaining a respectful separation may be what¡¯s best for the team.¡±

 Chapter 188: Impossible Wasn’t Enough

    In a training hall within the Adventure Society campus, Prince Valdis was squaring off against Rufus. Both held training swords that would leave a painful sting but not inflict any permanent damage.


    Valdis moved swiftly, rushing around Rufus while delivering a flurry of rapid but precise strikes. Rufus was more languid, moving with slow, consistent steps as he deflected every attack with almost dismissive ease. He remained on the defensive yet never seemed pressured, casually throwing out the occasional attack to disrupt Valdis¡¯ rhythm.


    By the time their practice session was done, Valdis was laying in a sweating heap as Rufus wiped down the swords and returned them to the rack on the wall.


    ¡°You¡¯re not too bad,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Once you stop trying to be my grandfather and start fighting your own way, you might actually become good.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for doing this,¡± Valdis said, pushing himself to his feet.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I spoke to my grandfather the other day through a water speaking chamber and he expressed his respect for your father. Have you seen the speaking chambers they have here?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I used one to tell my mother that my team would be staying in Greenstone for a while. They have impressive chambers here for such an out of the way city.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve found this city to be full of surprises,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I should have suspected as much from the place that produced the Geller family,¡± Valdis said. ¡°Is it true your academy is establishing an annex here?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It¡¯s my personal project, but my attention has been drawn away by other matters.¡±


    ¡°This business with the astral spaces is certainly concerning,¡± Valdis said. ¡°Do you think this cult used the Reaper trials to place people inside the astral space?¡±


    ¡°Almost certainly,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Emir¡¯s people are seeing if getting inside is any more feasible now the trials are completed.¡±


    Valdis walked over to the side of the room, taking a stamina potion from his dimensional bag and drinking it.


    ¡°Jason Asano is a friend of yours, right?¡± Valdis asked. ¡°Did you imagine he would be the one who succeeded in the trials?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Really? I never saw him in action during the trials but I¡¯ve seen some recordings since. He¡¯s coming along with his skills and mastering his power set, but there were dozens of people participating with better training, superior skills and greater mastery of their abilities.¡±


    Rufus chuckled.


    ¡°The day I met Jason I learned that something being impossible wasn¡¯t enough to stop him. My grandfather has a lot of sayings about adventurers and I find Jason tends to remind me of them. I¡¯m guessing your father has a few sayings of his own.¡±


    Valdis laughed.


    ¡°More than a few.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Rufus said, ¡°you wondered how someone with less skill and less training could beat out all these people like you. What would your father say?¡±


    Valdis thought Rufus question over for a moment.


    ¡°One of my father¡¯s sayings,¡± he said, finally, ¡°is that mastering your powers can make you good adventurer, but only a good one. To be a great adventurer, you have to master destiny.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little overdramatic, but a good enough point,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Around half a year ago, I was in as bad a situation as I¡¯ve ever been in. I thought of this place as an isolated backwater and underestimated the dangers. I let my team get ambushed and we were caged up with suppression collars, waiting to be killed. I was certain we were going to die.¡±


    ¡°Obviously that didn¡¯t happen,¡± Valdis said.


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°That was when I met Jason. He was in a worse situation than we were. He had only been in our world a matter of hours and had no idea of what was going on. He came from a world with no magic, no monsters, no essences. I had to tell him what a spirit coin was. He was caged up with us, no suppression collar but his only essence abilities were falling slowly and seeing in the dark.¡±


    ¡°He helped you escape?¡±


    ¡°Helped? He broke out and released us, only for us to confront the bronze-rankers who caught us and get punished because we still had the suppression collars. So Jason stepped in. Two essence abilities against two bronze-rankers, but they¡¯re dead and we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Exactly how you¡¯d expect: by talking a lot of nonsense. Great adventurers are the ones who find their skills and powers aren¡¯t enough and they win anyway. That¡¯s why I wasn¡¯t surprised when Jason was the one who grabbed the scythe.¡±


    ¡°You know, someone from my team almost beat him to it.¡±


    ¡°Then make sure they stay on your team.¡±


    Valdis thanked Rufus again and went for the shower room, while Rufus left. On his way out of the building, a voice came from a shadow.


    ¡°A word, please, Mr Remore.¡±


    Rufus moved closer.


    ¡°Mr Dorgan,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I was beginning to wonder if I would hear from you again.¡±


    ¡°I think we both know the kind of risks involved in what you¡¯ve asked of me,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°I don¡¯t even trust messengers with this information.¡±


    Rufus¡¯ gaze grew sharp. ¡°You have something?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Should we be talking here?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget who my daughter is,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°This seems like a casual conversation, but no small effort has been made to keep it and my presence here private. The closest set of ears is your young prince friend, who is being watched.¡±


    ¡°What do you have?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°I told you last time we met that someone was covering up every trace. You told me who, which gave me something to work with, but looking into a church¡¯s activities is delicate business. Normally bribes and blackmail are reliable tools, but people get real committed when religion gets involved. You never know when zeal is going to throw good sense out the window, especially with the church of Purity.¡±


    ¡°I understand.¡±


    ¡°Once the Mercer¡¯s went crazy and started rooting everything out, everything changed. These cultist pricks started pulling everything out of the city and mistakes were made. Making the most of other¡¯s mistakes is what I do best. I managed to track some supplies that were taken out of the city in a rush, without the usual careful cut-outs.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an island,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°All those materials you had me tracking that passed through the city before mysteriously vanishing? That¡¯s where they¡¯ve been going.¡±


    ¡°You have a location?¡±


    Dorgan handed Rufus an envelope.


    ¡°Everything I have is in there.¡±


    ¡°Who knows about this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping the people I¡¯m using apart from one another,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°None of them know enough to put anything together and all of them know enough not to try and find out more. All they know is that I¡¯ve been running this thing personally, which I never do. Even my daughter doesn¡¯t know any more than I¡¯m doing something for you.¡±


    ¡°What about the people keeping this meeting private?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°She made sure they can¡¯t listen in, and they¡¯re all people she brought into the Adventure Society herself. They¡¯re loyal.¡±


    Rufus looked at the envelope in his hands, nodding gravely.


    ¡°Thank you, Dorgan.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t the only one concerned about these people, you know,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°You might look down on me but I¡¯m part of this community. The people of Old City are my people.¡±


    Rufus nodded, offering his hand for Dorgan to shake.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remember that,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Your daughter will have my support in her position, for what it¡¯s worth.¡±


    Dorgan accepted Rufus¡¯ handshake.


    ¡°I thought you might hold a grudge,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°I know you lost a friend on that expedition.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s plenty of blame to go around,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I know who the enemy is.¡±


    ¡°Rufus isn¡¯t here?¡± Valdis asked. ¡°I was training with him just this morning.¡±


    Jason was having a small gathering on his cloud houseboat, largely of adventurers who had been through the Reaper trials. A number of teams had stayed behind, deciding to use Greenstone¡¯s lower-ranked monsters for some experience operating independently. This included Valdis¡¯ team and Padma¡¯s, both of whom were present at Jason¡¯s party.


    ¡°Probably best not to talk about that,¡± Humphrey said quietly. ¡°He took off out of the city with my parents and some other silver rankers late this morning.¡±


    Rick Geller and his team were also present. Rick and his sister Phoebe had both reached bronze rank during the trials and would soon be returning to their home city. Going with them would be Dustin, Neil¡¯s friend who had once suffered with him as Thadwick¡¯s lackey.


    Humphrey¡¯s sister, Henrietta, was also in attendance. She had been bronze-rank for almost two years, now returned to Greenstone with their father in readiness for the monster surge. They originally hadn¡¯t intended to, but with the increasing delay, they took the chance to visit home.


    ¡°Henri has agreed to help us train,¡± Humphrey enthusiastically explained to his teammates. ¡°She has the full set of familiars and summons, which is an area we really need to work on. We¡¯ve really been underutilising the ones we have and now we have even more.¡±


    Jason looked at Henrietta, looking them over in turn. She was statuesque, like her brother, with strong, handsome features and hair cropped practical and short. Jason had now met Humphrey¡¯s father, seeing that the siblings both favoured the burly man in physique, compared to their slender mother.


    Jason smiled to himself. It was plain that Henrietta was less interested in helping them train than in making sure the ragtag group Humphrey had assembled was good enough for her little brother.


    ¡°You find something funny?¡± she asked Jason.


    ¡°Invariably,¡± Jason said with a laugh.


    With so many new abilities, Jason and his team had immense amounts of work to do. Humphrey was as good as his promise at driving the team¡¯s training, from the basics on up. Physical training, movement training and meditation took up the mornings, then more individualised work to master their abilities in the afternoons.


    Jason¡¯s training fell into two areas. Along with his new familiars, he started incorporating his new shadow arm power into his combat style. What at first seemed like a simple addition to his repertoire turned out to be a highly flexible power, both literally and figuratively. More than just being a much-welcomed source of necrotic afflictions, it offered incredible utility when incorporated into his parkour and martial arts.


    It was while learning to use the shadow arm that he began to understand just how comprehensive the Way of the Reaper fighting style truly was. It had technique for incorporating various powers into movement and even martial technique. This included reach and teleport powers, such as Jason¡¯s, as well as movement powers like Sophie''s.


    Sophie was undergoing a similar revelation, even more so with her larger number of new powers. They practiced the same style but her techniques didn¡¯t come from a skill book. This gave her a stronger foundation than Jason but meant she didn¡¯t already have the techniques she required and had to turn to the books they brought back from the Reaper trials to advance her knowledge.


    Humphrey had gifted her his set of the Way of the Reaper books as he had his own fighting style and no intention to switch. Shade had once demonstrated the ability of the books to create a projection that offered guidance on the content of the books. Shade himself, however, was a far superior guide. Once the familiar to one of the old Order of the Reaper¡¯s leaders, Shade was well versed in their techniques. His active assistance was better than anything to be found in a book, even a skill book.


    Each of Jason¡¯s three familiars brought something different to the table. Colin had proven his value time and again as an affliction bulk-delivery system that was incredibly hard to dislodge because of his swarm nature. The remaining two familiars, despite both being intangible cloak-shaped entities, were very different.


    Shade offered little in the way of direct combat impact, only able to drain mana. His function was primarily one of utility. In addition to being an effective spy, Jason could teleport in and out of his shadowy figure. Placed judiciously around a battlefield, he made Jason all the more mobile. He could also be deposited in the shadow of enemies, almost impossible to detect, turning them into beacons from which Jason could discreetly spy while remaining hidden.


    Gordon, by contrast, was the most directly combative aspect of Jason¡¯s arsenal, including Jason himself. The twin orbs floating around Gordon each blasted out sustained, destructive beams. One beam was orange, inflicting resonating-force that penetrated armour. The other was blue, delivering disruptive-force that was effective against magical protection and incorporeal enemies. The beams weren¡¯t wildly powerful, but they were too strong to ignore, tracked their targets and never relented.


    Gordon was an incorporeal entity himself, barely affected by most forms of attack. Magic had a limited effect, but only disruptive-force attacks posed him a real threat. Part of the team¡¯s versatile nature was that many of them had such attacks, from Sophie¡¯s unarmed strikes to Clive¡¯s legendary weapons and Humphrey¡¯s new special attack, spirit reaper. During mock battles in the Geller mirage chamber, they would frequently go after Gordon to put a stop to his unrelenting attacks. He had the power to rapidly evade, however, transforming into a blue-orange cloud that could dash across the battlefield before he reformed to resume his attacks. The best deterrent turned out to be Belinda¡¯s lantern familiar, which had disruptive-force attacks of it¡¯s own.


    On top of their damage, Gordon¡¯s beam attacks doled out a stacking affliction that made enemies more susceptible to further afflictions by diminishing their resistances. It quickly became evident that the affliction or even the damage was not what made Gordon such an effective tool for Jason. It was the fact that Gordon¡¯s attacks, while not overwhelming, were both powerful enough to require a response and completely unrelenting.


    To a mindless  monster, Gordon¡¯s continual attacks would be a constant source of threat, at least one of the beams effective against almost any kind of defence. To a more intelligent enemy they would recognise the threat Gordon would pose if left unchecked. Many healers and ranged magic users, like Clive and Neil, possessed magical shields that would protect them long enough for a guardian to intervene. A constant barrage of disruptive force would quickly penetrate that barrier and no team of essence users was stupid enough to leave the healer exposed.


    Gordon¡¯s presence on the battlefield was not overpowering but it did require an answer, forcing the enemy out of their own pace and right into Jason¡¯s. A distracted enemy, reacting instead of acting was exactly the scenario in which his hit-and-run style thrived, the fires of chaos fed as he appeared and disappeared, loading up the enemy with afflictions.


    Jason thought back to his fight against Rick¡¯s team. He no longer had the need to resort to extravagant theatrics to keep enemies off balance. With Gordon to force an enemy¡¯s hand and Shade for stealth and mobility, Jason wouldn¡¯t have to work so hard to crack a team¡¯s formation. Even in an open environment he could jump from one of Shade¡¯s duplicates to another, swift and elusive as the enemy still had Gordon to deal with. While his opponents scrambled to pin him down, he would be baiting them into the perfect place to unleash Colin, showering them in apocalypse beast.


    All of that was when he was operating alone. Working with the team, there were several strategies open to him. For extremely tough opponents he would be the main damage dealer. He could be to his team what Gordon was to him; a distraction the enemy couldn¡¯t ignore lest it ruin them all. They could also flip that role, with the team engaging the enemy as Jason went around afflicting them all.


    They devised a wide array of strategies for all manner of situations, varied enough to apply broadly and flexible enough to adapt to specifics. As they developed and refined their strategies, it became evident that rather than any individual strength, the team¡¯s greatest asset was flexibility. The versatility of their potential strategies made their defining trait the power to dictate the pacing of a battle.


    Their efforts were excessive for fighting iron-rank monsters but they had their sights set higher. Monsters would become more intelligent at higher ranks, their powers more exotic. In the short term, there was no telling when they might find themselves in battle with Builder cultists. They worked up specific strategies for what they knew about the cult and their tactics, Jason focusing on the controllers as the team contained the constructs.


    Each evening, the team would wind-down after their training on the deck of the houseboat, frequently joined by another team. Some, like Beth¡¯s team, were mirroring Jason¡¯s in pouring themselves into training. Foreign teams like Valdis¡¯ and Padma¡¯s were enjoying the freedom of undertaking contracts without supervision. Padma¡¯s team mostly stayed around for Rufus who, along with Gary, had claimed the two empty bedrooms on the houseboat while the cloud palace was still off at the lake.


    Beth put the idea of some more contests in the mirage arena to Humphrey. Humphrey begged off each time, seeing only how far the team had to go. Finally, Jason weighed in on the other side.


    ¡°It¡¯s time we had some pressure on us,¡± Jason told him. ¡°We have to put the team in the fire to see if we cook.¡±

 Chapter 189: Eclipse

    The strike force had been small, to restrict information. Three gold-rankers, six silver-rankers and a dozen bronze-rankers. Rufus¡¯ parents, Gabriel and Arabelle, along with their teammate, Callum, were the golds. The silvers were Danielle Geller, Thalia Mercer, Elspeth Arella, Emir¡¯s chief of staff, Constance, and two more silver-rankers under Emir¡¯s employ. The bronze were Rufus, Gary and ten more of Emir¡¯s people, under Constance¡¯s command.


    They arrived on the island in the dead of night. To avoid sharp senses they used no abilities, magical items or even magically-propelled vessels, instead sailing on ordinary ships and rowing ashore in dinghies. Only once they had eyes on the island¡¯s inhabitants were they sure that the enemy had not been forewarned. As expected, the cultists outnumbered them, even discounting the small army of construct creatures standing idle in rows.


    To their good fortune, the island the cultists were occupying was not inhabited for a reason. The terrain was harsh, with the few flat, usable areas isolated from one another by ridges and gorges. There was very little plant life, mostly barren rocks, but the wild landscape of cliffs and rises gave them plenty of places to hide away.


    The  harsh topography forced the cultists to segment themselves into a series of camps and outposts, scattered around the island. Some were clearly well-established, with buildings of hewn brick or stone warped through essence abilities. For most, however, they were stuck with tents pitched onto rock or, for the lucky ones, hard-packed earth.


    The best scout they had was Callum, the gold-ranked assassination specialist. He set out to reconnoitre while the others waited, quiet and hidden, for his return.


    Gabriel looked at his son, whose schooled expression couldn¡¯t quite hide the rage behind his eyes. Rufus¡¯ mind seared with the memory of Farrah¡¯s death. With the panicked, unexpected battle and every mistake he made along the way. If he¡¯d fought the way he should, the way he¡¯d been taught, then maybe he could have bought those fleeting few seconds he hadn¡¯t known he needed before Danielle¡¯s intervention.


    He reflected again on his lack of experience. His whole life he had been told of the amazing adventurer he was going to be, all the while shielding him from ever truly being responsible for himself. He had become sloppy and complacent, which quickly became evident once he arrived in Greenstone and fell into the hands of the blood cultists.


    It became clear to him that for all his superbly trained, bronze-ranked might, the reality was that he was wildly inexperienced. The value of the Geller family¡¯s approach of raising their members with the most potential in a place where they could be responsible for themselves proved more and more true. He didn¡¯t realise just how great a deficit he faced until he was standing over Farrah¡¯s fallen body.


    Since Farrah¡¯s death, Rufus¡¯ mind had been consumed with the next fight. He put aside luxuries and rest, spending every moment he could spare preparing for the next time he would face the cultists. If his father didn¡¯t have time to train with him then Emir, his mother, Danielle, or anyone stronger than him would do. If he couldn¡¯t find someone stronger then he trained others. Growing up in an academy he knew that teaching others could be a learning experience for yourself. Only when his parents, Gary or Jason forced him to take a break would he stop to rest or engage in some social activity. Even then, the fight to come was a fire in his mind.


    Rufus had always been hailed as a prodigy, even amongst his family who trained the best adventurers in the world. Since coming to Greenstone he had failed to live up to that, time and again. No more. He was going to bring every bit of training, every bit of experience to the fight. They would suffer for every lesson he had learned, from every mistake he had made.


    ¡°Son,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Put the rage in a box and only take it out when I need it.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± his mother, Arabelle, told him.


    ¡°The anger doesn¡¯t help me,¡± Rufus said, his voice cold. ¡°Last time I didn¡¯t fight the way I know I can. I was on the back foot, letting myself be caught up instead of making the battle my own. My eyes are clear.¡±


    Gabriel and Arabelle shared a look but didn¡¯t say any more. Shortly after, Callum returned.


    ¡°We have confirmation,¡± he told them. ¡°Priests of Purity are here. In full colours, no less. They¡¯re clearly confident we don¡¯t know about this place.¡±


    ¡°Did you get a recording for proof?¡± Arella asked.


    Callum shook his head. ¡°There¡¯s a gold-rank priest down there. Too much chance he would have sensed it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll use recording crystals when we attack,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Just the one gold ranker?¡±


    Callum nodded.


    ¡°What kind of numbers are we looking at, Cal?¡± Gabriel asked.


    Callum started taking them through the numbers and dispositions of the priests and cultists on the island. There were more than a dozen different camps. They strategised a plan of attack, the low numbers that had given them this chance now their biggest weakness.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t going to get them all, whichever way we go,¡± Callum said. ¡°The portal devices set up at various points around the camp will probably serve as escape points once they realise things are going wrong. They may even run straight for them. Destroy them if you can but don¡¯t take any undue risks. We have trouble enough with the numbers.¡±


    ¡°If they have as many portal devices as you described,¡± Danielle said, ¡°then they really do have better astral magic than we do.¡±


    ¡°How do you get that from just a lot of portals?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°The cost,¡± Danielle said. ¡°If they had the resources it would take to make that many portal devices with our knowledge, they could have mounted a very different operation.¡±


    Ultimately, they decided to break into task-focused teams, trying to sweep through the camps as quickly as possible. The key reason they could take on such a larger force was that the disparity in rank made up for the disparity in numbers. Three gold-rankers to one was more than enough to even the odds, so long as they could bring that power to bear effectively. They hadn¡¯t been expecting even one gold-ranker, so they had to put him down fast.


    That was the task of team one. Their objective was to eliminate the leadership, the gold-rank priest, his silver-rank followers and the silver-rankers from the cult. Team one was the smallest but most powerful, consisting of all the gold-rankers and most of the silver. The goal was to finish their task quickly and move to support the others. The enemy only had one gold-ranker to their three, and their three were all top-tier by any measure.


    Elspeth Arella would lead a second team to engage the construct monsters, wiping them out before they could be brought to bear elsewhere. The largest contingent of constructs were gathered in the largest camp, which was where they would strike first.


    The third team, led by Constance, would seek to sweep the bulk of the cultist forces of bronze-rank and below. The leadership were gathered together in the least awful of the island¡¯s outposts, while the remainder of their forces were scattered around the various camps.


    The bulk of their own bronze-rankers would be split between teams two and three. They would both face superior numbers, but again, they were relying on quality over quantity.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a way of taking cultists prisoner without them killing themselves, so don¡¯t even try,¡± Gabriel said as they prepared to move. ¡°We¡¯re outnumbered, so remember that you might be stronger than any of your enemies, but you aren¡¯t stronger than all of them. Reserve your strength as best you can. Staying alive until team one comes in to mop up is your top priority. The entire point of splitting up is so that they can¡¯t consolidate. Hitting multiple points will hopefully get them thinking our numbers are greater than they seem until our gold-rankers are brought fully to bear and it¡¯s too late.¡±


    ¡°What about the priests?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Do we take them prisoner?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the numbers,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°If they aren¡¯t one of us, put them down. Any that live to be taken as prisoners at the end is a bonus.¡±


    ¡°Assuming we win,¡± Arabelle added. ¡°You all know your withdrawal points; a fighting retreat early is better than a rout later. The withdrawal points are defensive enough to hold until we come for you.¡±


    The three teams struck under cover of darkness. Team one came down like the hammer of god, three gold-rankers erupting like an explosion. Gabriel blasted out waves of fire and wind with sweeps of his sword, turning everything they passed through to tumbling cinders. He moved swiftly, every move devastating as he crashed through the battlefield like the embodiment of wrath, delivering annihilation left and right as he bore down on the gold-rank priest.


    Arabelle moved through like a breeze, the enemies she touched with her hand collapsing to withered husks. With each one, an urn, glowing red with life force appeared around her, ready to fuel her other powers. As the priests and cultists started fighting back, she used that life force to fuel potent healing magic and devastating attacks. Trailed behind her husband, however, she went unnoticed by few beyond her victims.


    Gabriele, Arabelle and Callum had been companions for decades, falling into one another¡¯s rhythms like dancers. Gabriel enacted his attention grabbing onslaught with Arabelle to cover his flanks and heal his injuries. Callum used that opportunity to hone in on the true objective. As the gold-rank priest prepared for the oncoming threat of Gabriel, Callum appeared behind him to strike.


    Callum was an expert assassin and his abilities landed strong and true on the priest, to devastating effect. No gold-ranker would die easily, however, and even Callum¡¯s prowess was not enough to secure the kill immediately. The priest was already healing as he responded to Callum¡¯s assault, even as Gabriel and Arabelle moved closer.


    The Silver-rankers were not as overwhelming as they clashed with their cultist counterparts and the rapidly-awakening construct monsters. Nonetheless, they were still more than holding their own. Every member of the small force they had brought along was a powerhouse for their rank.


    Team two struck the largest collection of constructs first, rows on rows of them arrayed like soldiers on parade. Elspeth Arella had not been chosen to lead it at random, the reasons for which were obvious as she immediately made devastating headway. Her telekinetic powers were constrained against people, requiring that she first penetrate their auras. Since the constructs had little more aura than an inert rock, she could wield her powers against them to full and spectacular effect.


    She raised her arms out in front of her and entire clusters of the constructs floated up into the air. Waving her arms like a conductor, she had them smash into each other again and again until all that remained was a floating cloud of debris. She then flung her arms back down, sending the debris cloud clashing into the panicking cultists trying to send more of the constructs to their defence.


    As Arella started the whole process over, the rest of team two surged forward with Gary at the lead. In his hand was a hammer he had forged himself, specifically to fight such enemies. The heavy head came down on the first construct he could reach, shattering it like glass. The others surged around him, having been picked out as most effective against their artificial enemies.


    Team three has the largest number of actual cultists to deal with and Constance didn¡¯t have the kind of powers Arella did to make such a potent opening salvo. Worse was an unpleasant surprise, hidden amongst the cultists: three silver rankers to their one. Callum had scouted out all the silver-rankers but apparently they had moved camps while the team was plotting their attack.


    The initial assault went well, with most of the cultists asleep in their tents. The attackers still didn¡¯t know of the silver rank surprise waiting in store, the first signs being a defence that was organised much more quickly than anticipated. The cultists were forming squads and awakening constructs in a swift and organised manner under the tyrannical control of the silver-rankers.


    The element of surprise was soon overwhelmed by the numerical superiority as the cultists organised a counter-attack. Constance moved to try and curb the troubling response, which was when the silver-rankers revealed themselves. All three launched themselves at Constance, although her habitual caution prevented her from suffering as she responded with a careful and defensive drawing back. The moment she sensed three silver-rank auras, she loudly called for all her people to retreat.


    The call almost came to late, with team three scattered by the cultist counteroffensive. It was a near thing but the team was saved by a swift and destructive force passing through the enemy, leaving death its wake. Golden light of the sun and silver light of the moon alternated bright flashes as Rufus moved through the cultist ranks, untouchable and unstoppable.


    His movements were swift and smooth, except when he flickered with a flash of sun or moonlight, vanishing from one spot to appear in another, one of his two swords securing a kill. In one hand he held a searing, golden sword. It passed through cultist and construct alike, as if his enemies were a soft cheese platter. In his other hand was a silver sword, almost impossible to see in motion. Unable to read its trajectory, it found a critical joint or soft throat before the enemy realised they were dead.


    Those few who managed to survive the kiss of Rufus¡¯ blades were left with malign reminders. Those injured by the golden sword had a small orb of fire, a miniature golden sun, float around them, scorching them with the heat it put out. Those touched by the silver sword had a tiny moon instead. It soaking up heat instead of delivering it, chilling to the bone and sapping strength.


    Rufus¡¯ path of death was marked by beautiful light. The tiny suns and moons shone brightly in the night. His power to speed up so quickly the world seemed to freeze left a trail of light where he moved. Cut-apart constructs and severed chunks of armour glowed red-hot from where his golden sword passed through.


    With Constance fending off the silver-rankers, it was Rufus and his whirlwind efforts that extracted the bulk of team three, reducing their losses from near-total to only a few. A trail of death was left in his wake. Frustration squirmed through his mind as what was meant to be a vindicating attack became another fighting retreat, just like the last time.


    His people were getting away and it was time to withdraw but anger blazed through him as this battle and the last merged together in his mind. He saw Constance fighting back against the silver-rankers the way he, Gary and Farrah had fought back the cultists and their creations.


    Looking at Constance¡¯s battle in glances as he continued to massacre his way through the lower-ranked enemy, he first thought his mind was projecting. Then he looked again and saw he was right. One of the trio Constance was barely holding off was the man who killed Farrah. The same macabre mixture of flesh and steel.


    Their people were on the retreat and he had to leave, he knew that. The last time he had faced the monstrosity it had bested him in moments, he knew that. It was time for him to go back. He knew that.


    He went forward.


    In the midst of the chaos, the cultist, Timos, was hurrying in the direction of the closest portal device. There was yelling and screaming, constructs lumbering into motion and cultists running back and forth. He had no idea how anyone had found them; they had been so careful. He realised, logically, that the flaw in their veil of secrecy most likely came from their church of Purity allies. His instincts, however, wanted to blame the man at his side.


    ¡°What are we going to do?¡± Thadwick asked in a panicked half-squeal.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Timos snarled.


    Against Timos¡¯ emphatic recommendation, his superiors had not only decided to keep Thadwick alive in case there was some use for him, but made Timos¡¯ responsible for the idiot. While others around him were running, wild with panic, he made purposeful strides for the portal as his mind silently piled a litany of hatred on Thadwick.


    Everything had started to go wrong the moment Thadwick joined them, like a curse somehow sent from their enemies. Timos knew Thadwick wasn¡¯t truly the engineer of their troubles, yet couldn¡¯t dislodge the idea from his mind.


    He saw the portal flare to life up ahead, shining silver-blue in the darkness. He considered leaving Thadwick behind and claiming he was lost in the chaos. The consequences of disobedience if the lie was discovered, however, still outweighed his hatred for Thadwick. He grabbed the fool by the front of his shirt and yanked him in the direction of the portal.


    There was a trap in Rufus¡¯ powers that he had been warned time and again not to fall into. It was a trap that many essences users had. Synergistic powers were potent, but one could easily spend so much time setting up the perfect moment that they died for missing the good one.


    Now, Rufus was diving into the trap he had been drilled for years to avoid. Willing Constance to hold out, he didn¡¯t make directly for the place the silver-rankers were fighting. Instead, he continued moving though the crowd of enemies, disappearing from one spot and appearing in another, accompanied by flashes of light.


    Unlike Jason, Rufus didn¡¯t have a teleport power he could use over and over again. Instead, he had a slew of powers that blended movement, teleportation, illusionary after-images and attacks. It took skill and practice to chain them all together in a dynamic environment, which is exactly what Rufus did with absolute confidence. By the time he worked though his powers they became available all over again as he became an unstoppable dervish of light.


    Now, Rufus was no longer going for the kill. With grazing wounds and minor cuts, his twin blades left a swarm of tiny suns and miniature moons behind as his swords flashed with absolute precision. He kept moving, kept slicing, cutting and moving forward, desperately urging Constance to hold out. Every time he caught a glimpse of the silver-rank battle she was being pressed harder and harder.


    Gradually, a sea of tiny suns and tiny moons orbited amongst the crowd of enemies, construct and cultist alike. The enemy milled, their earlier coordination turning to confusion. Their leadership was caught up battling Constance, too busy to give the earlier direction. The enemy had retreated, leaving only Constance and the elusive dervish of light moving through them like a poltergeist.


    Constance¡¯s voice cried out in a scream as a powerful attack penetrated the magical bubble shielding her. It had been key to withstanding the barrage of attacks she was subjected to but it was close to collapsing entirely. Rufus knew the time had come to act, and in any case, he had pushed himself to near collapse. His body and mind ached with the depletion of his stamina and mana. Turning finally toward the silver-rank battle, he tossed away his conjured swords and threw back the strongest recovery potion he had. He felt the fresh infusion of mana and stamina flush through his body like dipping into cool water. He activated his speed ability one more time.


    Time seemed to freeze around him. Ahead, the three silver-rank abominations and Constance motionless before him like the painting of a battle. He did not use his fleeting moment of acceleration to attack, needing it to stop and chant a spell without suffering an attack from the enemies surrounding him.


    ¡°Darkness and light, sun and moon; be mine to awaken and move at my command. Mine is the realm and mine is the power; bring forth the kingdom of eclipse.¡±


    Rufus¡¯ speed power came to an end just as he completed his chant and darkness, like some great explosion, swept over the battlefield. The stars in the sky were gone,  as were the twin moons that had lit up the battle. Every glow-stone embedded in a construct or floating around a cultist went dim, leaving only the tiny suns and moon to cast light. The crowd of cultists cried out in shock and even the silver-rankers were startled into giving pause. The halt in their attacks gave Constance a much-needed reprieve.


    The suns and moons floated up, into the air. The people they left behind were suddenly drained of colour, leaving only dark silhouettes. Flames of silver and gold lit up, limning the dark silhouettes as they began to scream.


    Above them, the suns and the moons started merging together, growing and melding as they formed an enormous orb of darkness, shrouded in light to form an eclipse, floating over their heads. It loomed over the battlefield, potent and domineering in the magical darkness that filled the air. The shrieking cries of those burning in fire of silver and gold below made a horrifying accompaniment to the ominous eclipse.


    The silver rankers had strong magical senses and felt the connection between the darkness that had enveloped them, the orb floating above them and the person who had called it into being. They turned as one, their gazes falling on Rufus. He was finally standing still but the cultists around him were either burning with fire or wild with panic, too busy to recognise the enemy in their midst. A construct lunged at him but he raised a hand without even looking at it, a stream of sun fire launching out and melting the steel monstrosity on the spot.


    One of the three silver-rankers sneered with recognition as he locked eyes with Rufus. Rufus¡¯ face was impassive as he rose an arm to point at him, the cultist who had taken Farrah¡¯s life. From the orb above, a terrifying beam blasted down at the abomination, a bright beam with a dark core, pouring transcendent damage into the cultist.


    Rufus has never come anywhere close to building up so much power with which to use this attack before. Against anything short of silver rank would have been instantly annihilated and even most silver-rankers would have died in moments. The cultist upon whom Rufus poured all his rage and all his power was no ordinary silver-ranker, however. Standing at the peak of his rank, on the cusp of obtaining gold, and with the fullness of power bestowed by its otherworldly master, the cultist was still standing when the beam was spent, the power gathered in the eclipse exhausted. It vanished, the oppressive field of darkness vanishing with it.


    Across the battlefield, dozens of cultists and constructs were dead, the fires having taken their toll. The enemy that had taken the brunt of that power still stood, although anyone looking at his state might assume he wished he hadn¡¯t. The cultist had conjured one steel wall after another to try and endure the transcendent blast but it stormed through them, one after another. The cultist suffered much the same treatment, the flesh and steel of his body fused together like a candle melted by sunlight through a window.


    There was an odd stillness throughout the battlefield, all eyes on the ruined cultist. He moved, just a little, then a little more. He flexing his warped limbs and melted muscles roaring in wordless pain and rage.


    Rufus was as spent as his power, everything he had and more burned through to set up and deliver one grand attack. The last thing he saw before passing out, surrounded by enemies, was the hideously injured cultist, more an abomination than ever, moving in his direction.

 Chapter 190: A Question You Don’t Yet Know to Ask

    Jason and Humphrey were the first to rise each morning, Jason making the team breakfast while Humphrey plotted out the day¡¯s training. One of the things Emir had warned Jason about was that the houseboat would require additional materials to perform various functions, be they universal or more specific to Jason individual needs.


    Jason had been finding the cloud grill a delightful new culinary tool, for which the houseboat required the addition of fire quintessence gems. Fortunately they were only iron rank, and were relatively inexpensive to source in a desert region.


    Jason and Humphrey were out on the deck, Jason working hot cakes on the grill as Humphrey sat at a table, looking over the meticulous notes he was taking on the teams training. Winter was pleasant in Greenstone, with mild temperatures and less of the mugginess pressing in from the delta. The sky was a gorgeous, cloudless blue, with a crystal clarity to the air even the brightest summer day couldn¡¯t match.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll have a nice one, today,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°How about we do some outside training? Maybe focus on mobility training.¡±


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Jason said. ¡°Did you schedule that match-up with Beth¡¯s team?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be for a few days,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We aren¡¯t the only ones in a training frenzy after the Reaper trials and the mirage chamber is heavily booked.¡±


    Like everyone who safely returned from the Reaper trials, the various Geller family teams had brought back a treasure-trove of awakening stones to complete their power sets. Danielle Geller had received the same forewarning as Jason about the chance for unusual awakening stones, thus most now had a Reaper ability in their repertoire. Many had started actively dodging Clive and his enthusiastic questions about their new powers. He had also urged Belinda to shape-shift into Jason, in an attempt to replicate his interface power, but she always ended up with his astral affinity and map powers.


    ¡°The map is a great power,¡± Jason had insisted as Clive complained.


    ¡°Not for administrative purposes,¡± Clive had bemoaned.


    ¡°I think you and I look at the potential of magic powers in very different ways,¡± Jason told him.


    As Humphrey and Jason chatted while going about their morning tasks, Jason spotted a familiar, but unexpected figure walking along the marina pier.


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your ex is coming by.¡±


    ¡°My ex?¡± Humphrey asked, looking up and spotting Gabrielle as she approached the houseboat.


    Jason and Gabrielle had soured on one another, not the first person whose strong religious views had placed them antagonistic to Jason. His only regret, though, was the part that played in ending Humphrey¡¯s relationship. He respected Humphrey for having the strength to end things with someone who stood out even in a world full of people made beautiful by magic. Jason doubted he could have made as mature a choice at seventeen.


    Jason invited Gabrielle aboard. The open deck areas of the houseboat didn¡¯t require the boat to take an aura imprint before granting access.


    ¡°Gabrielle,¡± Humphrey greeted, a complicated expression on his face.


    ¡°Hello Humphrey,¡± she said. Dressed in a plain version of the robes of her church, she was clearly trying to be impassive but emotion clouded her face. Steeling herself, she turned to Jason.


    ¡°The goddess has a new gift for you,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m here to deliver it.¡±


    ¡°Is it strippers?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Not you; you¡¯re too young. Other strippers, but roughly the same level of hotness.¡±


    Humphrey and Gabrielle both gave him horrified looks.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked innocently.


    ¡°Ignore him,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°My lady wants me to tell you that objectification jokes are beneath you,¡± Gabrielle said to Jason.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said with a chuckle, ¡°but you shouldn¡¯t trust someone who doesn¡¯t spend at least a little time in the gutter.¡±


    ¡°I very much disagree,¡± Gabrielle said.


    ¡°Colour me surprised. So what does your boss have for me? I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m a little trepidatious, after the last time.¡±


    ¡°She recognised your concerns and has prepared a new gift you should find more palatable,¡± Gabrielle said, clearly unhappy. ¡°You should know that this gift edges against the boundaries of her own rules. Consideration that you clearly don¡¯t deserve.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    Gabrielle open the dimensional satchel and started pulling out books, one after another, piling them on the table next to Humphrey¡¯s notes.


    ¡°This knowledge is the answer to a question you don¡¯t yet know to ask,¡± Gabrielle said as she continued taking out books. ¡°This pushes the limits of what she is willing to do. Further, this knowledge is not of this world. She was reticent to give it to anyone, but you are not of this world either.¡±


    ¡°Not of this world?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°The builder cultists have been bestowed knowledge from beyond this world,¡± Gabrielle said.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know she likes this world to develop knowledge for itself, which is why she offered to bribe me in the first place. The Builder cult doesn¡¯t care about that, though, and now the genie¡¯s out of the bottle.¡±


    ¡°What would a genie be doing in a bottle?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Wait, genies are a thing?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Do they grant wishes?¡±


    ¡°No, that would be outrageous. Do they grant wishes where you come from?¡±


    ¡°Just in stories,¡± Jason said, then turned back to Gabrielle. ¡°So this knowledge is something that comes from the Builder?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Once the knowledge was known by someone in this world, it became part of the goddess. She personally transcribed these tomes for delivery to you.¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°The goddess made these personally?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gabrielle confirmed as she took out a small wooden case. She opened it to reveal neat rows of recording crystals. ¡°She also created these and the information contained within. She would have produced all these as skill books that you could absorb more quickly but knew you would reject them.¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± Jason said. ¡°I won¡¯t imprint things directly into my mind that came from sources I don¡¯t entirely trust. So, what is all this knowledge?¡±


    ¡°The goddess recommends you turn to your friend Clive for assistance. She anticipates he will be quite enthusiastic.¡±


    Jason picked up a random book and opened it up. It looked to be some kind of magical theory, at a level well above what he could parse at a glance. He closed the book and sat it back down.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not really sure of the ramifications of this gift, but given the source, I expect it to be quite specifically useful.¡±


    Gabrielle shook her head. ¡°I am constantly at a loss as to why the goddess feels you warrant such consideration.¡±


    ¡°You and me both, sister. You want to stick around for pancakes?¡±


    Gabrielle gave Humphrey an uncertain glance, then shook her head.


    ¡°I have further duties to attend to. I shall take my leave here.¡±


    Rufus was stirred back to consciousness under the effect of his mother¡¯s potent healing magic. He was laying on the sandy shore of the island.


    ¡°We won, then?¡± he groaned.


    ¡°We were already on the way when we saw your field of darkness go up, and then that huge beam,¡± his father said. ¡°We finished off that silver-ranker but he was close to done when we found him.¡±


    Gabriel gave him a proud smile, placing a warm hand on Rufus¡¯ shoulder. ¡°Fantastic job, son.¡±


    ¡°What your father means,¡± Arabelle said with a pointed look at Gabriel, ¡°is that you should never have confronted an enemy like that.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°Terrible job, son. Don¡¯t do it again.¡±


    Arabelle shook her head at her menfolk. ¡°I think its time for another child,¡± she said. ¡°A daughter, this time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love a little girl,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°What essence should we give her? How about a whip essence? I saw a student at the academy doing some very interesting things with one just recently.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re skipping a little far ahead, dear.¡±


    ¡°What about the cultists?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°A lot of them made it through the portals,¡± Callum said. Rufus hadn¡¯t even realised he was there, which was normal for Callum.


    ¡°We got most of the leadership,¡± Callum continued. ¡°The count came up with one silver-ranker less than my initial count, so they likely escaped.¡±


    ¡°Prisoners?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°None,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°The cultists did the usual self-detonating crystal star thing. Before they did that, though, they killed off the priests amongst them.¡±


    ¡°Killing their own allies,¡± Arabelle said, shaking her head. ¡°I hate fighting zealots.¡±


    ¡°We have plenty of recordings of Purity¡¯s clergy consorting with the cultists, though,¡± Callum said. ¡°More than enough for the other churches to form an ecumenical council and forcibly investigate.¡±


    Rufus pushed himself to his feet.


    ¡°So, what now?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Now we bring in everyone else. We need to identify the dead, see if it leads us to more cultists. Give the Magic Society a chance to figure out where these portals go. As for us, we can head back to the city.¡±


    For Jason and his team, days of unrelenting training turned into weeks as potential slowly transmuted into capability. This included regular practise against other teams in the mirage chamber. Beth¡¯s team was likewise improving rapidly, beating them less than half the time but with only five members to the six on Jason¡¯s team. Padma¡¯s team was made up of Rufus¡¯ juniors from the Remore Academy and interested in testing themselves against the person Rufus had trained personally. At first, their conflicts were one sided but Jason¡¯s team advanced in leaps and bounds until they started winning as much as they lost.


    Padma¡¯s team was standoffish at first, all the more when they rolled over Jason¡¯s team in their early encounters. They opened up as Jason and his team solidly proved their worth, although their draconian member remained stolid in his disdain for Humphrey and his dragon essence. Their shapeshifter, Natalie, struck up a friendship with Belinda. She was a valuable voice of experience in the specialised area of changing forms.


    Padma¡¯s team leader, in the mean time, built up a rivalry with Valdis. Both were sword specialists with almost identical essence combinations, but were very different swordsmen. Valdis had the classic combination of sword, swift and adept, which produced the master confluence. Each essence was common, but with legends like Rufus¡¯ grandfather, no one would look down on it. Valdis was very much a swordsman of that tradition, with an array of special attacks that, at a glance seemed very similar. Every aspect of his combat built from and led to his mastery of the sword.


    Lance, Padma¡¯s team leader, was an elf. As such, his aptitude was on spells, rather than the special attacks of a human. His essences, sword, myriad and adept, also produced the master confluence, yet produced a wholly different combat style. He could not match Valdis toe-to-toe, but he had no need to. He was far from weak in hand-to-hand but his powers gave him the freedom to fight at any range. Mixing spells into his swordsmanship, he could duplicate himself and conjure dancing blades to fight for him, firing waves of razor sharp force from a distance.


    Of the two swordsmen, the more experienced Valdis edged out his opponent more often than not, although Lance would score his own points as well.


    Valdis and his team maintained a perfect record against Jason¡¯s in the mirage arena, although what began as a series of thrashings slowly became actual battles. To hear Valdis talk, however, enjoying post-fight drinks on the houseboat, anyone would think he was the one losing.


    ¡°Your team is terrible to fight against,¡± he said to Jason. ¡°You¡¯re running around like an invisible, teleporting plague while your familiar is trying to burn down our healer. Normally my job is to put down problems like that, but that damn woman is made of the wind. How does an immovable object move that quickly? That¡¯s not how immovable objects work.¡±


    ¡°You do realise you won, right?¡± Jason asked him.


    ¡°She head-butted my sword! That shouldn¡¯t work. And what¡¯s with that woman who¡¯s everything? She had a wand in one hand and a shield in the other, which doesn¡¯t seem like something people should be allowed to do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s not a rule.¡±


    ¡°Once she hit me with my own power. My own power! Being able to take on different roles is one thing, but none of those roles should be me!¡±


    ¡°Calm down,¡± Sigrid told him. ¡°You¡¯re spilling your drink.¡±


    In the wake of reaper trials, the city had a relative flood of essences and awakening stones. The foreign adventurers largely took their gains and left but many locals had also participated. Most had never intended to vie for the ultimate prize, instead plundering the astral space for as much treasure as they could carry away and survive. As a result, the market price of essences and stones reached an all-time low.


    With so many essences and awakening stones entering the market, Greenstone¡¯s adventurer population was undergoing a surge. It made for a strong first step in replenishing the numbers diminished by the losses of the disastrous expedition.


    The ramifications of the expedition were also still being felt in the ongoing presence of the Adventure Society inquiry. After beginning with sweeping demotions, they had put the branch records through a sieve in the time so many adventurers were away at the Reaper trials. Once they returned, the inquiry commenced interviews, sometime with individuals, other time with groups. Gossip buzzed as the interviews went on, discussing the questions being asked. They ranged from the individual and specific to broad ideas about the adventuring culture of the city.


    Finally they had started going through reassessments, assessing which adventurers deserved rank reinstatement one by one. This brought with it a sense of hopefulness, but for most their demotions were confirmed. Those who had their membership revoked entirely did not have those decisions revisited. The lobbying to do so from certain sectors was swiftly and emphatically refused.


    Other concerns were of an import that iron-rankers like Jason and his team were uninvolved, although connections kept them abreast of goings on. The Builder cult was on the back foot, at least locally. The cult had been purged from the city and, after several costly ambushes, halted their supply raids in the delta. The escapees from the island raid were still at large, however, and as stories rolled in of the cult¡¯s activities around the world, tension built as the city awaited the revelation of their next plot.


    The church of Purity was under more scrutiny than any church would ordinarily have to tolerate as an ecumenical council of the other churches sanctioned them, launching a sweeping inquiry. Their temple was searched and all manner of materials seized. The church officially maintained that their members present at the island raid were a schism faction denounced by their god. Claims of a few isolated, bad apples rang hollow, however, as similar revelations were made about the church of Purity around the world.


    Certain individuals stood out, either by their absence or the issues in which current events embroiled them. A number of key members of the church of Purity seemed to have vanished on ¡®previously-scheduled sabbaticals,¡¯ No one knew where they had gone on their ¡®spiritual wanderings of the soul.¡¯ This included the church of Purity¡¯s Archbishop, Nicolas Hedron, Anisa Lasalle and almost the entire Lasalle family, long deeply involved in affairs of the church. Those that remained claimed no knowledge of where their spiritual journeys had taken them.


    Jason was especially delighted to hear about Lucian Lamprey scrambling to absolve himself. Lamprey¡¯s personal intervention in handing the star seed over to the church of Purity was suddenly the object of significant scrutiny.


    The time-displaced priests Jason had released from the astral space were an unusual new presence in the city. Most were absorbed into their various churches, but the former members of the church of Purity were another matter. As Jason predicted, the Adventure Society had taken their disposition in hand. Given the troubles being faced by their former church, they were a rather awkward presence within the city.


    While their essences were taken from them, the damage was limited while they were still iron-rank. They could never reclaim the confluence essence they gave up in favour of a divine essence, but the absence could be replaced, either by another divine essence or a regular one.


    One group of the former purists dedicated themselves to regaining entry to the church of Purity. They were undaunted by the new revelations about their church, but their dedication was flatly rebuffed. A small number even turned to suicide in their despair.


    Others sought positions in other churches, many finding success. The rest came to accept the need to start over and accepted new ordinary essences. With the market at record lows, the Adventure Society provided them as an act of mercy.


    Whatever their situation, every member of the various faiths now escaped from the astral space had to decide on their future. They were all born before Greenstone was founded, knowing that aside from any who managed to reach gold rank, everyone they knew and loved was long gone. Many found passage to their homelands regardless, knowing that there was likely no one waiting for them or even anything they even recognised.


    For those whose gods had welcomed them back, at least they had a path. Their churches situated them locally or sent them off in the direction of distant branches of their faith. Others, mostly former purists who came to accept their abandonment, decided to start over in Greenstone. They took the essences they were offered, even if they were cheap and less than ideal. For many, purist and otherwise, they rejected their former faith with ferocity. Filled with resentment at the gods who had sent them into that place, costing them everything and everyone they had known, they had a new attitude towards the gods that made Jason seem pious by comparison.


    All the recovered clergy, excommunicated or not, had a variety of attitudes toward Jason. As the agent of their liberation they were largely grateful, although to wildly varying degrees. Some felt that he only released them as an afterthought or even resented him for their current situation. Many of the former purists fell into that camp. Most were more gracious, however, often appearing to thank him in person as he wandered about the Adventure Society campus.


    There was even a small contingent who viewed him as their saviour, especially in the wake of the gods appearing to thank him in person. They went so far as to offer themselves into his service, which he repeatedly refused.


    One day, Jason and his team returned from their training to Rufus drinking out on the deck of the houseboat with Vincent, the Adventure Society official with the outrageous moustache. The pair had previously maintained a casual relationship, although not since Farrah¡¯s death. Vincent¡¯s busy schedule and Rufus¡¯ driving obsession had left them seeing little of one another. After confronting Farrah¡¯s killer and being largely responsible for his death, Rufus was finally starting to move forward.


    They were not alone, being joined by Gary and his friend Russel, an artificer from the Magic Society.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Vincent greeted. ¡°Your reassessment interview with the Adventure Society has been scheduled. I thought I¡¯d come and tell you in person.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Any idea if I¡¯ll be getting my old rank back?¡±


    ¡°The issue is that you¡¯re very¡­ loud for an iron-ranker,¡± Vincent said. ¡°They¡¯re going to want a display of humility.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason. ¡°No one¡¯s as good at being humble as me.¡±

 Chapter 191: Looking Forward

    In the waiting room of Jory¡¯s clinic, Jason chatted with Jory¡¯s assistant, Janice, until Jory emerged from the treatment rooms in the back with a patient.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Jory cheerfully greeted, after sending the patient on her way. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you in person instead of just hearing you through your voice chat power. You know that weird message popping up to say you want to contact me can be disturbing, right?¡±


    ¡°Disturbing?¡±


    ¡°Remember the other day, you tried to contact me and I refused?¡±


    ¡°I figured you were busy with a patient.¡±


    ¡°I was in the bath! It felt like you were watching me. It was creepy.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes I just don¡¯t have time for a personal visit. The team¡¯s been busy with training.¡±


    ¡°That much I know. I¡¯ve barely seen Belinda, lately.¡±


    ¡°Can you spare me a few minutes now?¡± Jason asked.


    Jory glanced around the waiting room, which was around half full, then gave Janice a questioning glance.


    ¡°A few minutes shouldn¡¯t throw things too badly off,¡± she said. ¡°A few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Jory said. ¡°I¡¯ll make us some tea. Would you like one, Janice?¡±


    ¡°That would be lovely,¡± she said with a sweet smile.


    Jory led Jason back into the room he and whatever healer priest was on duty used to relax if things got too tense. It had a large cooler box and cupboards full of snacks and beverages. A large window looked out onto the courtyard where Jason, Rufus, Gary and Farrah used to train. Far from the dirt yard it was back then, it was nicely tiled, with standing and wall planters adding pleasant greenery.


    ¡°We¡¯ve come a long way,¡± Jory said, following Jason¡¯s gaze. ¡°It was only in the summer that you were hopelessly lost, madly training in a dirty back lot. Now this place is a thriving medical centre and you¡¯re a big-time adventurer.¡±


    ¡°This is only the beginning,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now I¡¯m looking toward bronze rank. I think I can get there before I¡¯ve been here a year. For sure, if the monster surge comes. All those monsters in that astral space sent my abilities shooting up. Same for everyone who doesn¡¯t use monster cores.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jory said. His voice was a complaint to Jason¡¯s enthusiasm, despite talking about the same thing. ¡°Mine did the same. I¡¯ve never had the money to go spending on monster cores and I¡¯m definitely not interested in hunting for them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got the skills,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I think you¡¯re in the right place. There¡¯s plenty of us out there killing monsters. We need more people helping those who need it the most. I really admire you for that.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Jason. That means a lot.¡±


    ¡°Also, I need forty gallons of crystal wash.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? Forty gallons?¡±


    ¡°If I could get in it  a barrel that would be good. Maybe one of those big kegs that Norwich uses, with the little tap. That would be convenient.¡±


    ¡°What? Are you insane? Are you trying to soak your whole houseboat in the stuff?¡±


    ¡°Actually, kind of yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Emir warned my that it would require certain additional materials, especially early on, to fuel the various amenities. The cloud-stuff automatically cleans itself and anything in it. Have you ever noticed how you get out of the cloud bed feeling like you¡¯ve just had a refreshing shower?¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯ve been¡­¡±


    ¡°Jory, we all know about you and Belinda.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°Jory, I¡¯m connected to the houseboat. I know anyone who comes aboard and where they are at all times. Even if I didn¡¯t, Humphrey and I have been watching you sneak off in a dishevelled state every morning. I don¡¯t even know why you¡¯re hiding it. There¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t want to impinge on her reputation.¡±


    ¡°Jory, she¡¯s a convicted criminal.¡±


    ¡°I was raised a certain way,¡± Jory said defensively. ¡°I was taught that there¡¯s a proper process to courting a lady.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you do that, then?¡±


    ¡°I was working up to it. Then she kind of grabbed me and dragged me off to her room.¡±


    ¡°At least she¡¯s sensible,¡± Jason said. ¡°Anyway, the cloud beds. Like everything else on the houseboat, the cloud-stuff cleans whatever¡¯s in it. Unfortunately, the houseboat has used up whatever resources it started with for cleaning. Emir warned me that a lot of resources would need topping off early  and now I need a bunch of pure quintessence and a full barrel of crystal wash. Luckily, most the Purity temple¡¯s assets were seized and Clive reckons he can get his hands on the quintessence I need. That just leaves the crystal wash.¡±


    ¡°Jason, that amount is crazy. A whole barrel?¡±


    ¡°Now, come on, Jory. I know for a fact that you massively increased the production with all those fancy foreign nobles in town. I¡¯m willing to bet you have a decent amount stockpiled away.¡±


    ¡°I sold most of it,¡± Jory said. ¡°The visiting adventurers are all gone now. Except Prince Valdis, who buys almost as much of the stuff as you.¡±


    Jory looked down, scratching the back oh head absently as he let out a sigh.


    ¡°I can probably make that work,¡± he conceded. ¡°I¡¯m going to use that production space currently on crystal wash for the lesser miracle potion, but I¡¯m still sourcing the materials I need. ¡°That will be the engine to fund the clinic going forward. I suppose I could keep production up until then. I could have that much crystal wash by the end of the month.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said gratefully. ¡°I¡¯ll pay full price, instead of the usual mate¡¯s rates. I¡¯ll be taking up a good chunk of your production, after all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s appreciated,¡± Jory said. ¡°Getting the church of the Healer¡¯s assistance has been great but we still run some tight margins. That miracle potion money will be coming in eventually, but I used the last of the leftover money from the renovations on importing the materials.¡±


    ¡°Seems like the more money we make, the more we need, right?¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Jory said. ¡°Where are your costs coming in?¡±


    ¡°Preparing for bronze rank,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to get back to a big city, so I picked up the materials to resummon my familiars at bronze. I thought I¡¯d be flush with coin after auctioning off those essences but I¡¯ve pretty much got it all earmarked for preparing new equipment, materials for the house boat, summoning rituals, it just goes on and on.¡±


    Jason let out a weary sigh. ¡°I should let you get back to it then,¡± Jason said. ¡°I need to go spend some more money.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t training today?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°Humphrey and I are both having our rank reassessments at the Adventure Society this afternoon,¡± Jason said. ¡°We decided to give the others a rest day. You should knock off early, go see Belinda. In fact, the symphony is playing tonight. Take her and use my private viewing booth.¡±


    ¡°You have a private booth?¡±


    ¡°I go whenever I get the chance,¡± Jason said. ¡°That hasn¡¯t been as much as I¡¯d like, lately. I¡¯ll swing by and make sure they know to let you use it. You have a good suit, right Jory?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear,¡± Jason said, shaking his head. He took a carousel of recording crystals from his inventory, looking through them until he picked one out and told Jory to stand still.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Jory asked as Jason moved slowly around him, waving the crystal up and down his body.


    ¡°This is a specialised recording crystal to take clothing measurements,¡± Jason told him. ¡°I know a guy who¡¯ll do a rush job for me without compromising quality. You¡¯re lucky he¡¯s actually my next stop.¡±


    ¡°You carry around a crystal specifically for clothing measurements?¡±


    ¡°A good adventurer is always prepared.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Gilbert greeted as Jason entered Gilbert¡¯s Resilient Attire For the Discerning Gentleman. ¡°Excellent timing. I was just having Emil take everything to the fitting room.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve reached iron rank,¡± Jason said, shaking Gilbert¡¯s hand. ¡°Finally picked up that last essence.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I finally went and did it,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°All my cloth essence abilities hit bronze years ago but I was resistant to more essences for a long time. Never seemed quite right to take essences that others could make use of to help people. Age and health are humbling, however. With the market the way it is, right now, I was running out of reasons not to get the others. I¡¯ve been absorbing monster cores but I¡¯m still a long way from bronze and the extra years it will buy me.¡±


    Gilbert led Jason into the generous fitting room just as his assistant appeared, pushing a long rack of clothes from the back room on a wheeled trolley. As Emil departed to fetch the next one, Gilbert started showing Jason the outfits.


    ¡°Your winter wardrobe,¡± Gilbert declared. ¡°As requested, this is largely in the Vitesse style, with the flourishes we discussed previously.¡±


    Jason had long admired Emir¡¯s dress sense, which he discovered was largely down to Constance. She had been kind enough to consult when Jason decided to buy his clothes for the cooler months. Between her advice and Gilbert¡¯s expertise, Jason¡¯s winter wardrobe was sleek, fitted and sharp. The colours were more earthy and sober than local Greenstone fashion, which favoured explosions of bright hues.


    ¡°It was engaging to work with something different to the local palate,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°I am quite satisfied with the result.¡±


    ¡°So you should be,¡± Jason said with admiration. ¡°You¡¯ve outdone yourself, Bert.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir. With the mild winters, here, mid-weight fabrics are perfect. Included, of course, are some subtle enchantments to maintain the comfort level whether to day trends hot or cool. Off course, there is a selection of outfits that trend one way or the other. I have included an array of winter colours in the Vitesse fashion; dark greens and burgundies, the expected blacks, greys and blues. Some very nice browns; dark and rich as well as a deep caramel Miss Constance referred to as brandy. I¡¯ve also included some lighter selections, of course, and the expected formal wear for various occasions.


    Jason started putting the clothes away, opening the outfits tab of his inventory and placing each ensemble into its own set.


    ¡°Is there anything else I can do for you today?¡± Gilbert asked as Jason stowed one outfit after another.


    ¡°Actually yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°A couple of things. One is rush job, just some basic formal wear for a friend that you can put on my tab.¡±


    ¡°You have his measurements?¡± Gilbert asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jason said. ¡°I picked up the crystal you suggested.¡±


    ¡°Very good.¡±


    ¡°The other job is non-urgent,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s time I started looking ahead and thinking about bronze rank. My combat robe is fantastic but I will need to upgrade.¡±


    ¡°Well-made adventuring garb is about matching material and craftsmanship to purpose,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°You are wise to start thinking about it now, so we can put together exactly what you need.¡±


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been keeping up my sleeve for a long time on that front,¡± Jason said. He continued taking outfits off the racks and putting them away in his inventory as Emil hauled out more trolleys. Three were hanging racks while a fourth was a box trolley packed with underclothes and other sundry items.


    ¡°You got the love hearts on the boxer shorts just right,¡± Jason said as he rubbed the material between his fingers. ¡°This texture is incredible. You were spot on to suggest the mist valley silk.¡±


    ¡°I import a large supply each year,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°I¡¯ve found it to be an exceptional choice for underclothes with our particular winter climate.¡±


    Jason started looping ties around his neck, tying them before adding them to his outfits. He matched the knot to the outfit, whether a simple four in hand knot, a nice, clean Pratt knot or a bold full Windsor. He even added a flamboyant trinity knot to a couple of the most outgoing outfits.


    ¡°I must confess, Mr Asano, I was uncertain about the noose but it does have a way of bringing an outfit together.¡±


    ¡°How many times, Bert? It¡¯s a tie, not a noose.¡±


    ¡°I was concerned that your opponents might not see it that way should you find yourself in an unexpected engagement, Mr Asano.  This shop provides resilient attire for the discerning gentleman, after all. I had an enchantment placed on the ties to prevent them from being used to choke you.¡±


    ¡°Very considerate, Bert.¡±


    ¡°Consideration is my watchword.¡±


    ¡°As it turns out, though, I don¡¯t actually need to breathe.¡±


    ¡°Do you need to chant spells?¡± Gilbert asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair point,¡± Jason acknowledged.


    He used the room¡¯s full length mirror to adjust before putting everything away. then dark smoke manifested around him briefly, before vanishing to reveal Jason in one of his new outfits. He adjusted his tie slightly now it was incorporated into the ensemble.


    ¡°Well?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I may not be an impartial judge, Mr Asano, but I would say you look very dapper.¡±


    To Jason¡¯s eye it had more of a gothic flair, compared a suit from his old word. The patterned embroidery of the vest and the flourishes on the long jacket that swept in at the waist before reaching down to mid-thigh. He gave a little shuffle, finding his movement utterly unimpeded. The shoes looked stylish but felt like athletic footwear.


    ¡°Superlative, Bert. You¡¯re a credit to your profession.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I have meeting with the Adventure Society, so I think I¡¯ll wear it out.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Before you go, Mr Asano, you mentioned having something up your sleeve?¡±


    ¡°Right, yes.¡± Jason said. He wandered over to a table at the side of the room and retrieved a large bolt of dark material from his inventory. ¡°I¡¯ve been holding onto this for a while. What do you make of it, Bert?¡±


    Bert moved up next to Jason and ran his finger lightly over the material. It was dark, matte and cool to the touch.


    ¡°Snakeskin,¡± he said. ¡°Umbral snake, probably the mountain variety. Strong affinities for darkness and poison. Bronze rank, and it¡¯s infused with some kind of odd magic. It almost feels intrinsic, rather than externally imposed, but¡­¡±


    Gilbert frowned. ¡°Was this a familiar?¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°In terms of the value of the material, just the opposite,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°My concerns are ethical. You don¡¯t get familiars without essence users.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re aware of the people running around causing trouble in the astral spaces.¡±


    ¡°Cultists or something,¡± Gilbert¡¯s assistant said from off to the side. ¡°It¡¯s almost all anyone wants to talk about, these days.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gilbert said, giving his assistant a nod. ¡°The competition held by the gold-ranker distracted people for a while ¨C congratulations again, by the way ¨C but they¡¯re back to all this unnerving talk. Strange forces from beyond reality and the madmen that worship them. It¡¯s as unpleasantly disconcerting as it is monotonous. Fear isn¡¯t a look that matches any outfit to be found in this store.¡±


    ¡°Fear is to be expected,¡± Jason said. ¡°The threat is real and it falls to more powerful people than us to stop it. About half a year ago, however, I ran across one of those cultists and he tried to kill me. After he died, his familiar tried to kill me too.¡±


    He patted the material.


    ¡°This is its skin.¡±


    ¡°Good riddance, then,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°We should see if we can¡¯t make something of it to help you deal with more of them.¡±


    ¡°If the familiar was bronze-rank,¡± Emil said, ¡°then the cultist must have been, as well, right.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re only iron-rank, though,¡± Emil said.


    ¡°Back then, I wasn¡¯t even that. Didn¡¯t even have my first essence.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you beat them?¡± Emil asked.


    ¡°I got lucky,¡± Jason said. ¡°Things that attack me have this way of ending up dead.¡±


    ¡°Do go on, Emil,¡± Gilbert said, dismissing his assistant.


    ¡°Yes, boss. Uh, can I ask you something before I go, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Emil,¡± Gilbert admonished.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°Go ahead, Emil.¡±


    ¡°Did all those gods really appear to thank you in person?¡±


    ¡°Gods turning up is hardly a big deal,¡± Jason said. ¡°Spend some time at the Divine Square; they pop up with fair regularity. And I¡¯d hardly call it ¡®all those gods¡¯ when it was barely a half-dozen.¡±


    ¡°Out with you,¡± Gilbert said, shooing his assistant out of the fitting room.


    ¡°He¡¯ll be telling that story all over, Mr Asano. You¡¯ve built up quite the reputation with recent events. A local boy, beating out all those fancy foreign adventurers? Princes and princesses, no less.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not exactly local,¡± Jason said. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m about as far from local as it comes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a local now,¡± Gilbert said with a laugh. ¡°You¡¯ve been co-opted. Nothing earns good will like success.¡±


    ¡°So, this material is something you can work with?¡±


    ¡°I certainly can. If you¡¯re willing to leave it with me I can investigate the best options.¡±


    ¡°Good, because it was a pretty big snake,¡± Jason said, taking out a second bolt of the material.


    ¡°Oh, my,¡± Gilbert said. ¡°There¡¯s certainly enough for two sets of armour here, probably three. Possibly even four, depending on how we use it. Were you looking at spares, or do you want something for your agile lady friend as well? This material should be useful for something that would suit her.¡±


    Sophie, like Jason, used highly flexible armour made from trap weaver leather. Gilbert only catered to the discerning gentleman, but had a lady friend of his own. On Gilbert¡¯s recommendation they had taken the trap weaver leather to Brenda¡¯s Massacre Emporium, elsewhere in the trade hall.


    ¡°Sophie might want something that better combines flexibility and defence,¡± Jason said. ¡°Stealth and poison doesn¡¯t fit her power set.¡±


    ¡°Then would you like me to take the liberty of keeping an eye out for appropriate materials? I can have Brenda do the same.¡±


    ¡°That would be great,¡± Jason said. ¡°For the whole team, in fact. How about l have them come in for a chat so you know what to look for.¡±


    ¡°A prescient idea, Mr Asano.¡±

 Chapter 192: Adventurers Are People Too

    Jason rode the elevating platform up through the Adventure Society administration building, arriving on the fifth floor. There was a new reception desk, installed as part of the changed being implemented by the inquiry team. Behind the desk was a familiar face.


    ¡°Bert,¡± Jason greeted him. ¡°They¡¯ve moved you upstairs. Is it the new essences?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Albert said. ¡°Getting the full set is the way off the bottom rung in the Adventure Society. Or anywhere else, for that matter. Seems the higher-ups liked that I didn¡¯t let them take Miss Sophie away when she was locked up in the prison tower.¡±


    ¡°Miss Sophie and myself both appreciate it as well,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see integrity being rewarded.¡±


    ¡°Is that one of the suits Gilbert was making for you?¡± Albert asked.


    ¡°It certainly is,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Well, if you don¡¯t mind me saying, Mr Asano, you¡¯re looking quite sharp.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said. ¡°We have a saying where I come from: the suit makes the man. In a characteristic display of Bertinelli family excellence, your brother has made quite the man of me.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saying, Mr Asano. You can go ahead and wait in the conference room.¡±


    ¡°I know the way. Thanks Bert.¡±


    Jason went through to the conference room and sat down to wait. In the meantime, he pulled out a hefty tome of magical theory, opening to where he had marked his place with a ribbon and started reading. It wasn¡¯t one of the new books Gabrielle had handed over, as they were too advanced, but a more foundational text he inherited from Farrah.


    The books Knowledge had delivered to him fell directly into Clive¡¯s field of astral magic, all focused on one specific aspect: dimensional transgression. Portals, teleportation and even the basic theories of passing between worlds. Clive had almost exploded with surprise when he first perused the books to glean their purpose.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if this is enough to get you to your world or back,¡± Clive had excitedly told Jason, ¡°but it gets us orders of magnitude closer.¡±


    Clive had been spending every moment not spent training buried in the books. They turned out to build on work he found amongst Landemere Vane¡¯s notes, seized back from the church of Purity.


    Jason closed the book and put it away as the door opened to admit Elspeth Arella and Tabitha Gert, the stern-faced leader of the inquiry team. He stood up to greet them, Arella shaking her head seeing that Jason had been sitting at the head of the table.


    ¡°Arella,¡± he said with a nod. ¡°Interim Director.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Gert said, ¡°Director Arella has resumed her full duties as the inquiry comes toward a close. You may address me by my regular rank of Inspector.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Inspector,¡± Jason said.


    Jason took in Gert at a glance, from the tightly bound hair and prim, plain clothes to the way her cold eyes surveyed her surroundings and seemed to find them wanting. Her resting expression exuded disapproval, as if she had a general expectation that the world at large would fail to live up to her standards.


    Given his style of interpersonal relations, Jason had learned to swiftly assess how certain people would respond to his particular brand of provocational insouciance. He recognised immediately that the inspector was the kind of person with zero tolerance for the informal affability that was his strong suit. With people like that he would either crank it right up or dial it right back. It was a matter of what he needed from the interaction and how much he felt they deserved a prod. From everything he had heard, Tabitha Gert was a rigid, but even-handed woman, carrying out her job with stark professionalism. As he felt that integrity was deserving of respect, he kept his normal inclinations subdued.


    Gert waved Jason to one side of the table as she and Arella sat opposite.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Gert began. ¡°In the course of our inquiry in to the general culture of this Adventure Society branch, your name has been appearing significantly more often than is appropriate for an iron-ranker. Which is to say, at all. Garnering the attention of the influential and powerful too early in your career is an excellent way for that career to reach an early and ignominious end.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Jason said. ¡°All I can say in my defence is that I made what I felt to be the right choice at each stage. I recognise, of course, that such a course often leads to places I never intended or wanted to go. I¡¯m told that is a common situation for outworlders to find themselves in.¡±


    Gert nodded, although even that affirming action somehow came across as disapproving.


    ¡°Your rank was reduced as part of the initial sweep of demotions,¡± Gert said. ¡°From our brief initial assessments, your promotions had a smell of politics to them. That they were part of some kind of game Arella was playing.¡±


    Arella remained silent an impassive, not reacting to the mention of her name or the postulation on her motives.


    ¡°I have no doubt that was a factor,¡± Jason said. ¡°I like to think that my capabilities made it an easy pill to swallow, but naturally that is not an impartial opinion.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you deserve three stars, Mr Asano?¡± Gert asked.


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve seen of the demands on adventurers, yes. At least at iron rank.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m inclined to agree,¡± Gert said, surprising Jason. She seemed built for delivering news you didn¡¯t want to hear.


    ¡°I read your report of the contract surrounding the land in the forestry district. It was thorough and well-recorded. I look very favourably on thorough reports. Delivering that report directly to the upper levels of the administration was also well-considered. Your handling of a politically delicate situation demonstrated sound judgement. You also took being excluded from a prestigious expedition with equanimity, putting your energy into completing contracts. At the iron-rank level, this is more than sufficient to warrant a three star promotion.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t imagine things are quite that simple, though,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Indeed. Frankly, you have demonstrated a capability above your rank. The problem is that in doing so, you¡¯ve demonstrated that you consider your rank to be below you. I am aware that you surround yourself with bronze, silver and even gold rankers, but you are not one of them. I have no doubt that you will climb higher, but before restoring your promotion, I would like to see a demonstration that you understand that you are, for the moment, an iron-ranker.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I surmised that something like this would come up during the reassessment,¡± Jason said, ¡°and I have given it some consideration. I think I have a proposal that will work for everyone involved.¡±


    ¡°And what is this proposal, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°A road contract,¡± he said.


    ¡°A punishment detail,¡± Gert mused. ¡°Interesting.¡±


    ¡°My reputation is riding high, right now,¡± Jason said. ¡°Ostensibly, I should be swimming in accolades. But if you assign me a punishment detail and I eat it without complaint, then it will be a public demonstration of my respect for the Adventure Society¡¯s authority.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in it for you?¡± Arella asked, speaking for the first time.


    ¡°My team has been undergoing an intensive training period. Going out and facing some real-world challenges is exactly what we need right now. In my world they call it a shakedown cruise. It will allow me to show some humility and help some people along the way, which is a win all around, by my count.¡±


    ¡°A well-considered idea,¡± Gert said. ¡°I approve.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be choosing your scheduled route,¡± Arella said. ¡°You can expect a lot more trudging through the desert than nice delta towns.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. I would appreciate if it included North East Quarry Village Four, if that¡¯s possible. I made some friends there a while ago and it would be nice to check in.¡±


    Arella looked slightly peeved at Jason welcoming her condition.


    ¡°Are you sure you can get your team to eat being placed on punishment detail with you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re already making plans,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you don¡¯t give us one, we¡¯ll probably roam around clearing off adventure board notices anyway.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Gert said. ¡°You will be assigned a road contract. Contingent on it being carried out satisfactorily, your promotion will be reinstated on its completion.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Inspector.¡±


    ¡°Thank me by doing your job and doing it well, Mr Asano. We are done, here.¡±


    She stood up and departed without a further word. Arella followed, giving Jason a complicated and assessing look.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have the details sent to you before the road contracts go out at the start of the month,¡± she told him and likewise left the room.


    Jason made his own way out, returning to the reception desk.


    ¡°How did you find the head of the inquiry team?¡± Albert asked as he paused for a chat.


    ¡°Disconcertingly agreeable,¡± Jason said.


    Albert raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°That¡¯s the first time I¡¯ve heard someone call her agreeable,¡± he said. ¡°The Duke hates her more than he hates Arella.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. She¡¯s completely rigid when it comes to Adventure Society rules and authority but has a complete disregard for anything else. Locals laws and authorities mean nothing to her. I¡¯ve seen the Duke march in here more than once, only to leave more angry than he arrived every time.¡±


    ¡°Something worth knowing. Good looking out, Bert.¡±


    Valdis informed Jason and his team that they would soon be returning to the Mirror Kingdom and they arranged one final match in the Geller family mirage chamber. Jason and Humphrey gathered the team on the houseboat to discuss strategy.


    ¡°I really want to win, just once,¡± Neil said. ¡°Sending him off knowing that we can stand along side the best.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easier to plan than execute,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They¡¯re all close to bronze-rank, more experienced and have been working as a team for much longer. They¡¯ve been able to take apart every strategy we¡¯ve attempted by staying calm and responding with tactics that make efficient use of their superior power and practised teamwork.¡±


    ¡°Then we disturb their calm,¡± Neil said. ¡°Hamper their efficiency, disrupt their team work. Surely you have something, Jason? Disturbing people¡¯s calm is your life¡¯s work.¡±


    ¡°Well, I was thinking about something,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Humphrey prompted.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been thinking about Valdis¡¯ team the wrong way,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ve been strategising as if they were collections of power and skill sets.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think we should strategise around their powers?¡±


    ¡°Of course, but we also need to look at them as people. Think about Valdis. We¡¯ve been looking at him as a high-speed, high-impact melee attacker and using Sophie to contain him. Trying to take him out doesn¡¯t make strategic sense because the effort to put him down would cost more than having him put down is worth, compared to Sophie bundling him up.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s wrong,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said. ¡°We haven¡¯t been thinking about them as people. Valdis isn¡¯t just a power set. He¡¯s a prince of the Mirror Kingdom. The rest of his team were hand picked to stand alongside him.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Humphrey said, eyes wide as revelation dawned. ¡°I get it. Disturb their calm.¡±


    ¡°Would you mind filling in the rest of us?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Strategically,¡± Humphrey explained, ¡°their team is built around their healer, Sigrid. She facilitates and directs strategy. We¡¯ve tried pouring into her multiple times but they have tried and tested strategies to defend against exactly that.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t new information,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°The strategic core of the team is Sigrid,¡± Jason said, picking his explanation back up. ¡°The political core, however, is Valdis. Prince of the Mirror Kingdom. He¡¯s the reason their team exists and I promise you that in their heads, the central figure of the team isn¡¯t Sigrid, but him. This is our last shot at beating them until we go to the Mirror Kingdom and kick the snot out of them on their home turf. I¡¯m willing to bet it all on the bottom line of Valdis¡¯ team being that he has to survive, whatever the cost.¡±


    ¡°But this is a mirage chamber fight,¡± Clive said. ¡°He will survive.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but those instincts have been ingrained for years. I can tell you right now, they were being prepared for Valdis¡¯ team before they ever received an essence.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said. ¡°That disparity between the actual core of their team, Sigrid, and the core that¡¯s been drilled into them, Valdis, is the gap in their armour. If we go all-in on Valdis, right out of the gate, I bet they¡¯ll do the one thing we haven¡¯t been able to force out of them. They¡¯ll make a tactical mistake. Even if it¡¯s just a fleeting moment before their discipline kicks back in, it gives us a small but critical window.¡±


    ¡°So we feint on Valdis but actually move on Sigrid,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to have to really sell the feint,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°We can do that,¡± Jason said. ¡°The advantage we have on them is versatility. We can change things up faster than they can react. So long as we can get them to make that mistake, we can capitalise before they can cover for it.¡±


    ¡°You think we¡¯ll win like this?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°From just this, no,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s a good chance they¡¯ll regroup and retake their formation, even in the face of everything we throw at them.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to figure out how to stop that,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°We try and stop them, because it would be suspicious if we didn¡¯t. We fight hard to keep them scattered, which will make them clump together all the more. If they¡¯re going to put so much effort into to gathering up, it would be a waste not to use that against them. The advantage of never having our strategies work against them is that they haven¡¯t seen them through to completion. It¡¯s time we showed Valdis and his team some things they¡¯ve never seen before.¡±

 Chapter 193: Valkyrie

    Valdis wildly fended off Humphrey¡¯s attacks as behind him, Sigrid desperately healed their team members. Even using his smaller sword Humphrey couldn¡¯t match Valdis¡¯ speed but his strength was overwhelming. Valdis was more highly-mobile striker than defender and could not meet the barrage of special attacks leaving him to a slow retreat as Sigrid fell back behind him.


    In their previous encounters, Valdis had always ended up fighting Sophie while Humphrey used his heavy sword style to pressure the heavy defender from Valdis¡¯ team. He had dismissed Humphrey¡¯s swordsmanship as all power, no finesse.


    Now Humphrey used his smaller sword, stylised as an angelic wing. Despite the embellishments it was still a practical, single-edged sabre, flashing out with much more rapid attacks than Valdis had seen from Humphrey in the past. When he first moved to protect Sigrid, Valdis assumed his superior skills would compensate for being forced into holding his ground. Only now did he remember that Humphrey¡¯s mother was a famous swordswoman. Humphrey¡¯s swordsmanship was every bit as rigorously trained as his own.


    If it were simply a duel, Valdis¡¯ mobility and experience at duels and lighter blades would have given him the edge. Forced to keep himself between Humphrey and Sigrid,  the advantage fell to Humphrey, whose style was more suited to a standing clash. He pushed Valdis back step by step, with solid, unrelenting attacks.


    While Valdis had the unquestionably stronger team, the one advantage Jason and his allies had was versatility. They had seen almost every trick Valdis and his highly efficient cohort had to offer, while they had more up their own sleeves. Their ability to surprise was what had forced Valdis into the position he was now in.


    As the fight began, Sophie, who normally went after Valdis, had instead bolted away while the rest of her team had converged on him to sell the feint. Clive switch-teleporting her with the heavy defender guarding Sigrid was the signal to give up the feint and move on her instead.


    The defender had not been worried. Displacing the defenders was a standard strategy he had faced before and his abilities included a rapid-movement power that allowed him to reposition as circumstances required. When he went to use it, however, he was yanked back like a chained-up dog trying to sprint and getting pulled up by the neck.


    He turned to look at what had jerked him back. There was a crystal rod sticking out of the ground, with a force tether connecting it to him. He launched into a charging special attack, which bounced off a force field around the rod, although he felt the impact weaken the field. At first he failed to notice the sense that another of his abilities suddenly became unavailable, as if he had used it as well.


    He was human and had no shortage of special attacks, so when he started unleashing them, the force field quickly starting to buckle.  When the field finally gave out, the crystal rod exploded, blasting him backwards. He was far too tough for that much to stop him, although he certainly felt it. It was not his first experience with the armour-penetrating feel of resonating force damage.


    He pushed himself swiftly to his feet, only then realising that for every attack he had used, another power had been expended, including his critical movement powers. He recalled it was the effect of a curse levied by the strange role-shifting woman on the enemy team. With a grimace, he started running back in the direction of the main battle, encumbered by his heavy armour.


    Sigrid had suffered a near-fatal damage when Jason and his team had sprung their trap out of the feint against Valdis. As Jason predicted, her team had suffered a brief but critical moment of panic, leaving the most slender of windows in which Sigrid was exposed to attack. Their enemies were poised for that moment, Jason¡¯s team poised to switch gears while Valdis¡¯ team moved to protect him.


    Sigrid had barely kept herself alive through the use of a potent self-heal that would not be available again for hours. Even then, she was left badly hurt and even suffering some afflictions. Humphrey¡¯s spirit reaper attack had pounded down her personal shield, giving Jason the chance to throw some quick spells her way before the shield snapped back up.


    Both teams had six members although their make ups were very different. Compared to Jason¡¯s eclectic and versatile team, Valdis had a traditional healer and heavy defender. The rest of his team were mobile and attack-focused and they focused on swift blitz tactics. Along with Valdis himself was a spearwoman who specialised in potent, charging strikes. Their ranged attackers were an archer using a mid-range skirmish style and a spell caster with the wind and needle essences.


    Those three attackers found themselves in a fast-moving dance with Jason and Sophie, startled to find the pair more than holding their own against superior odds. Sophie was even faster than they were and apparently impervious to harm. She deflected projectiles with her bare hands, physical and magical alike. When they tried to catch her in area attacks, they hit empty air she had already vacated.


    Like Valdis, the trio were startled by the skill of their enemy. While they were frustrated at the inability to inflict any real damage, they were relieved by her lack of powerful attacks. They turned their attention to Jason but found him just as much trouble. Their own shadows had come to life, draining their mana as Jason moved in and out of them at will. At any moment he could appear or disappear right next to them, slashing out with his black and red dagger or quickly chanting a spell on the move.


    Although the reach of his dagger was short, Jason¡¯s deceptive style proved a tricky opponent. His cloak floated around him, shrouding his movements as a dark arm reached out, carrying his dagger past the reach of even the spearwoman¡¯s lengthy weapon, while being far more flexible. He wasn¡¯t landing critical hits but he didn¡¯t need to.


    The fight drew out as Jason¡¯s powers filled his enemies with a growing sense of dread. His afflictions carried their horrifying work on their flesh, only Sigrid¡¯s stream of healing holding it back. Their own shadows seemed to have turned against them, an intimate and unnerving form of attack.


    Between rapid-fire shadow jumps and raw speed, Jason and Sophie flickered around the trio of enemies like mating hummingbirds. Jason was more aggressive than his normal in and out style, his quick attacks left only superficial wounds but each one was a clock of doom counting down on his enemies. He even cast the odd spell in the direction of Valdis and the defender madly sprinting back toward the fight. It was only the efficient healing of Sigrid being spread around the battlefield that kept things under control, although she didn¡¯t have time to spare to cleanse the afflictions.


    Jason¡¯s more aggressive approach left him more exposed but he trusted Sophie to cover him. Every time their enemies thought they pinned him down, suddenly Sophie was there. Most teams preferred a traditional, heavy defender but Sophie was demonstrating the true value of the mobile guardian archetype.


    When all three of their enemies came too close together, Jason unleashed one of his trump cards in the form of leeches spraying from a cut he sliced on his hand. That could well have spelled the end of the fight if not for Sigrid. Using another of her long cooldown powers, every member of her team other than the distant defender gained a short-lived shield that exploded out from inside them, blasting away the leeches covering their bodies.


    Many of the leeches were destroyed on the spot, others being scattered across the battlefield. Even the brief exposure left more afflictions behind but Jason was taken aback. Once he actually caught enemies out, the deployment of Team Colin was normally the finisher. Never before had his familiar been so thoroughly and immediately countered.


    With all their members caught up in fights, Valdis¡¯ team faced one more threat from where Clive, Belinda and Neil were gathered behind a protective wall of summons and familiars. The bunker strategy was one of many the team had developed, a place for Belinda and Clive to launch control and attack powers from safety. It also freed Neil up to throw out shields and healing without the pressure Sigrid was being subjected to.


    Neil had frequently sought out Sigrid over the past weeks. Their ability sets were similar and her experience was far more extensive than his. He had confidence in her abilities, but could not help but admire the equanimity with which she directed her team, even as Humphrey pressed in on her.


    Even as Sigrid¡¯s team was thrown into chaos, caught up and scattered, they were slowly moving to regroup. Their discipline and experience showed as they slowly returned to formation, even caught up in their individual fights. If not for the dangerous spells pouring out of Clive, they might have turned the fight already. The need to shield her team was a key reason Sigrid was too busy to cleanse Jason¡¯s afflictions.


    The minion wall made going after Clive, Belinda and Neil an infeasible option for Valdis¡¯ team until they had regained a semblance of order. The only attackers they could spare were their own familiars and summons, which could do no more than initiate a distracting monster brawl.


    On Jason¡¯s side was the ominous figure of Gordon, whose blue and orange beams poured relentlessly onto the enemy minions. Belinda, Clive and Humphrey¡¯s familiars were likewise present, along with Neil¡¯s summoned chrysalis golem and Humphrey¡¯s summoned dragon-tooth warriors.


    The golem looked like an ogre carved out of diamond. With every attack against it, a rune appeared on one of it¡¯s many facets. Clive¡¯s familiar, Onslow, fired off elemental attacks from the runes on his shell as Clive periodically recharged them with his own mana. Onslow was back next to Clive, as was Belinda¡¯s lantern familiar that fires bolts of force at the enemy. Her other familiar, the illusory echo spirit, was dancing around the enemy familiars, distracting and baiting them.


    Humphrey¡¯s dragon-tooth warriors were normally humanoid figures with bodies of ivory, decked out in conjured equipment provided by his personal space power, magic armoury. In this case, however, the summons were affected by the summoning die Jason had gifted to Humphrey that randomly affected the form of summoned creatures. What were normally three ivory soldiers were instead a trio of hulking bone gorillas, covered in heavy conjured armour. They even wielded hefty, iron-shod clubs.


    The final members of the wall of minions was Stash. Like Gordon, Stash was smarter than the summoned creatures, with the added value of being versatile, like the team to which he belonged. He moved wildly through the brawling familiars and summons, his form rapidly shifting from one shape to another. One moment he was a resilient bark lurker, soaking up an attack aimed at the gorillas. The next he was a darting bird, quickly repositioning.


    The summons and familiars on the other side were, like their owners, fast and attack-oriented. A were wolf-like creature fought alongside a sleek metal humanoid figure, covered in sharp edges.  There was a ball of needles with chitinous spider legs and a scorpion that fires spined from its stinger. Floating amongst them was a small lantern, projecting shields to protect them. They were outnumbered by the familiars and summons of Jason¡¯s team, making little headway beyond forcing Clive, Belinda and Neil to keep an eye on them.


    Behind the minion melee was the key reason Valdis¡¯ team had not yet managed to regroup. Clive¡¯s offensive potential was primarily contained within in a single, potent spell, wrath of the magister. He could charge it up and unleash powerful attacks, on a one minute cooldown. With Belinda¡¯s ability to reduce an ability¡¯s cooldown by that same amount, both with an ability and her tattoo, Clive unleashed a mana-hungry but incredibly potent series of attacks. As his mana pool was greater than any two of his teammates, however, he had the freedom to do so.


    More than anything else of the battlefield, Sigrid was poised to respond to Clive¡¯s spell, throwing out her strongest shields to intercept. Even then, the spell burned through protections, forcing Sigrid to follow up with her strongest heals. As with Jason unleashing Colin, it was only the consummate skill and power of Sigrid¡¯s healing and shielding that prevented the fight from already being over.


    For a while, at least, Belinda¡¯s ability to loop Clive¡¯s potent spell was a defining force on the battlefield. She even copied the spell and cast it herself when he was done. It was another strategy they hadn¡¯t used against Valdis before and his team couldn¡¯t be certain how long Clive and Belinda could maintain the barrage. They were too busy to do any more, however, and were forced to endure.


    The failure of Jason¡¯s team to finish off Sigrid with their ambush was the defining point of the fight, as there was no question she was the most impactful person on the field. Standing bloodied and unbroken with her Valkyrie blond hair, her piercing blue eyes took in every part of the fight. She was the glue that held her team together in the wake of the enemy¡¯s divide and conquer strategy; the critical factor in every part of the battlefield. Through the chaos, she fought desperately to bring her team back into order, barking out directions between spell chants. Their practised teamwork and extensive experience allowed them to make subtle moves to coordinate, even caught up with more immediate concerns.


    Jason¡¯s team had defined the pace of the fight, but the arrival of Valdis¡¯ defender turned the enemy¡¯s six on five advantage into an even fight. The defender¡¯s cooldowns were finally back up and he erupted into the battlefield at Sigrid¡¯s direction. Jason and Sophie were pushed back, Jason not daring to dive into the formation Valdis and his team were falling into. He recalled Shade¡¯s bodies to himself as Valdis started attacking them with disruptive-force special attacks.


    The reformation of Valdis¡¯ team came as they realised that the spell barrage from Clive and Belinda was finally over. They knew they had to seize the moment and turn the tide as Jason had placed them on a clock. Jason¡¯s afflictions were past the point that Sigrid could eliminate them while still healing the team. They took one of their sweeping attack formations and started moving on Clive, Belinda and Neil. If they could take out the healer along with Clive before his cooldowns ended, the fight would be over.


    Valdis launched forward at the head of his team, flashing a triumphant grin at the chance to finally fight on his own terms. Then he saw an uncharacteristically hungry smile of Humphrey¡¯s face and concern flashed through his mind. Sigrid had also intuited that something was wrong but he warning to scatter came too late.


    A crystal rod rose up from the ground in the space between the two teams. The air shimmered as tethers of force yanked Valdis¡¯ team toward Jason¡¯s. Then Jason¡¯s team vanished. Cold, dark energy flooded the area, the merest touch opening terrible wounds as their flesh rotted away like it was recoiling.


    Belinda¡¯s tether had brought the teams close enough for Neil to catch both teams in the six hour cooldown power he obtained from his reaper awakening stone. Reaper¡¯s redoubt placed his team safely in a dimensional space and flooded the area with death energy. Given Valdis¡¯ team were all afflicted with Jason¡¯s necrosis-enhancing curse, it was a finishing move that closed out the fight. In the strange, dark dimensional space of Neil¡¯s power, the team started receiving messages.


    You defeated [Valdis Volaire].You defeated [Sigrid Freyn].


    As the most capable members of the team, Valdis and Sigrid had put themselves on the line to cover the others, making them the first to fall. The others soon followed and moments later, awoke in the mirage chamber control room.


    Valdis sat up on his platform, glancing between Sigrid and the still bodies of the enemy team still inside. He let out a relaxed laugh.


    ¡°That was unexpected,¡± Sigrid said.


    ¡°And just think, Sig,¡± Valdis told her. ¡°You didn¡¯t want to make friends.¡±

 Chapter 194: Departures

    Danielle Geller played the recording of the mirage chamber fight for her important visitor.


    ¡°They used my son¡¯s status against him,¡± the Mirror King said. ¡°It seems your son has picked up your knack for spotting people¡¯s leverage points.¡±


    ¡°No he hasn¡¯t,¡± Danielle said. ¡°My Humphrey¡¯s a good boy.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the Mirror King said. ¡°You teamed him up with someone who thinks more like you.¡±


    ¡°The man is good at making friends,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Just ask your son.¡±


    Valdis was deeply regretting his insistence on joining Jason in drinking bronze-rank liquors. It was the farewell party for his team on Jason¡¯s houseboat and when he saw Jason drinking the higher-ranked stuff he had joined in over Jason¡¯s warnings. He didn¡¯t remember anything between that and waking up with a pounding headache and his father at the end of his bed. Now his team were making final farewells on the deck of the houseboat, although he wasn¡¯t saying or listening to anything as he struggled with a throbbing head and unruly stomach.


    Valdis and his team were packed and ready to leave via portal, having spent the night in the houseboat after the raucous party. They had only travelled to Greenstone via boat originally because of the arrangements made by Emir. He liked big entrances, as evidenced by the grandiose arrival of his cloud ship days after Hester had quietly portalled him to the city.


    There was also the problem of actually opening a portal to Greenstone. Whatever other nuances a dimensional transport power might have, the requirement to have visited the destination was universal. Most of the teams had been portalled as close to Greenstone as their people could reach that was in the path of Emir¡¯s transport ships.


    ¡°It¡¯s for the best,¡± Sigrid told Jason, nodding a head at Valdis. ¡°If he was in a better state then he¡¯d be making a last-minute attempt to poach your team members.¡±


    Valdis looked like he was going to say something, then looked like he was going to throw up, giving up on the former to avoid the latter.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to make a recruiting pitch on his behalf?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°My job, first and foremost,¡± she said, ¡°is to keep Valdis out of trouble. You are definitely trouble.¡±


    Jason laughed. ¡°Next time we see you, we¡¯ll all be bronze rank. We might come visit that kingdom of yours and give you a chance for revenge in your local mirage chamber.¡±


    ¡°You do remember that we repeatedly beat you, right?¡± Sigrid asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re only as  good as your last fight,¡± Jason said. ¡°That makes us the winners, leaving you to return home in disgrace.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I still can¡¯t fully parse you, Jason Asano. Are you a fool, a genius or a monster?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said with an impish grin.


    Suddenly every member of Valdis¡¯ team dropped to one knee, expect for Valdis himself. Jason¡¯s own team followed a beat later. Jason turned around to find a man standing on the deck that he hadn¡¯t sensed, even through his connection to the boat. The man was dressed well but not extravagantly, looking to be somewhere in his late thirties with a neatly-trimmed blond beard.


    The man¡¯s appearance was unremarkable, but his aura was something else entirely. Is was not overwhelming, in fact, just the opposite. Jason could hardly tell where the man¡¯s aura stopped and the rest of the world began, as if the very world around him was simply an extension of his power.


    Another man walked across the cloud-stuff gangplank and onto the deck from the marina. His positioning and posture marked him as subordinate to the first man, despite his own powerful, gold-rank aura. He was glaring unhappily at Jason.


    ¡°You should kneel,¡± he told Jason.


    ¡°Why?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°To show your respect. You stand before the king.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always felt that if someone wants you to kneel, it isn¡¯t respect they¡¯re after, whatever they might tell you. Also, the king? I mean, he¡¯s a king, I¡¯ll grant you. Certainly not my king, though.¡±


    ¡°Do you even have monarchs where you come from?¡± the Mirror King asked. His voice was deep, rich and tinged with amusement.


    ¡°Kind of,¡± Jason said. ¡°We sort out our own business, but old folk like to have a royal or two floating about, so we borrow someone else¡¯s queen from time to time.¡±


    ¡°You borrow a queen?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°We pop her over, wheel her down the street so people can have a wave and then send her back. It works out for everyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s madness,¡± the Mirror King¡¯s offsider said. ¡°He¡¯s telling strange outworlder stories to disrespect you.¡±


    The Mirror King laughed. ¡°What he¡¯s doing is poking the nest to see how aggressive the wasps are. You remind me of Danielle Geller when she was young and precocious.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive my friend Hastor,¡± the Mirror King said. ¡°Among his varied and valuable roles is protocol officer, at which he very much excels.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, your majesty.¡±


    ¡°Sadly,¡± the Mirror King continued, ¡°the traits that makes him an excellent protocol officer serve him less well in more informal settings. If there isn¡¯t a chart to seat everyone in the room by relative rank, he starts getting snippy.¡±


    ¡°Your majesty!¡± Hastor protested.


    At that moment, Valdis, who had been lurking behind Jason, lost his battle with his stomach. Lurching to the side of the deck, he vomited loudly over the side.


    ¡°Good thing I ranked up my poison resist power,¡± Jason confided in the Mirror King. ¡°It soaked up just the right amount of alcohol. Also, I apparently don¡¯t have a stomach. I was going to ask my mate Clive about it ¨C that¡¯s Clive kneeling there ¨C but I figured the answer would be pretty gross. Which may sound odd, coming from the guy with the flesh-rotting powers, but there you go.¡±


    ¡°It seems my son has learned a lesson about limitations,¡± the mirror King said with a chuckle. ¡°Those can be hard to find for princes.¡±


    Valdis staggered forward to stand next to Jason.


    ¡°Dad,¡± Valdis croaked in greeting. The Mirror King gave his son a wry smile.


    ¡°Having fun?¡±


    Valdis let out a wordless groan and the Mirror King chuckled again.


    ¡°Thank you for putting up with my son, Mr Asano. I think it¡¯s time to go.¡±


    ¡°No worries, your kingness. And you can call me Jason.¡±


    The Mirror King grinned and threw an arm around his son¡¯s shoulders, who groaned.


    ¡°Come along, boy; you can explain the state you¡¯re in to your mother. If you would, Hastor?¡±


    Hastor called up a portal that looked like a sheet of glass and the Mirror King marched his son through. Just before he passed through, Valdis shared a put-upon look with a grinning Jason, departing with a wave. Once the king was gone, Jason and Valdis¡¯ teams stood up, Sigrid politely moving to greet Hastor. The disgruntled look on Hastor¡¯s softened with their brief and formal, yet somehow still warm interaction.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to see you, father,¡± Sigrid said after her formal greeting.


    ¡°Wait, this guy¡¯s your Dad?¡±


    ¡°He is my father,¡± Sigrid confirmed.


    ¡°And he doesn¡¯t get a hug? That¡¯s cold.¡±


    Sigrid giggled, shaking her head.


    ¡°Thank you for the hospitality,¡± she said to Jason¡¯s team. ¡°I look forward to the next time we meet.¡±


    She led the rest of her team through the portal, leaving only Hastor with Jason and his team.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Hastor said, to Jason¡¯s surprise. ¡°While I cannot agree with your gross deficit in etiquette, the young Prince doesn¡¯t have a lot of friends who will stand beside him instead of kneel.¡±


    Hastor didn¡¯t wait for a response, stepping through his portal, which vanished.


    ¡°That was unexpected,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, Emir¡¯s portal lady is Hester, and that guy¡¯s portal guy was Hastor,¡± he mused. ¡°Are portal powers a name thing?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Clive said. ¡°You need to watch your decorum around royalty.¡±


    ¡°Do I?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I was more thinking that I need to get powerful enough that they have to watch their decorum around me.¡±


    The keg of crystal wash was much larger than the cloud flask, yet Jason emptied it into the flask without any sign of the flask being full. He had returned the houseboat to the flask in preparation for their departure, which left Rufus and Gary once again stripped of accommodation for the duration of the road contract. With the conflict with the Builder cult at an uneasy pause, Gary and Rufus turned to other endeavours. Gary would be rejoining Emir at Sky Scar Lake, while Rufus would lodge at the Geller estate as he refocused his attention on the training annex project.


    The fight against the Builder cult was at a lull after the raid on their island outpost and the Purity church was in something of a limbo while everyone waited for word from on high, be that the main branches of the churches or the gods themselves. In the meantime, the church of Purity¡¯s people were comfortably but thoroughly detained under the authority of the ecumenical council.


    Once he had drained the cask of crystal wash, restoring the cleaning functions of his magical abode, it was time to head out. It was a short walk from the marina to the loop line station for Jason and his team, which carried them to the Adventure Society campus. Waiting for them outside the jobs hall was Humphrey¡¯s sister, Henrietta.


    Henrietta was a statuesque and handsome woman whose short-cropped hair swept back dramatically. In practical leathers and with a dimensional bag slung over her shoulder she had the confident ease of an experienced adventurer. Her eyes were a bright shade of purple, a sure sign of a summoned familiar inhabiting them. Belinda¡¯s lantern familiar, Shimmer was likewise subsumed into her eyes, turning them silver instead of purple.


    Henrietta was a minion specialist and Jason knew that she would have her three summoned familiars inside her body. Her fourth familiar was bonded to her like Stash was to Humphrey. It was a phoenix, the classic variety native to the desert. Rare and elusive, people lived whole lives and died out in the desert without ever seeing one. It was a gorgeous creature with feathers like living fire, which stood out even when familiars were a common sight. As the phoenix could not disguise itself the way Stash could, she largely left the mystical bird to its own devices, since she was always able to sense and communicate with it.


    Summoned familiars had a number of practical advantages over bonded types, but the bond was not without its perks. A bonded familiar could be sensed at all times in a way summoned familiars only could be while subsumed within the summoner, which was not a practical advantage. The closest Jason had to this was Shade and his three bodies. While Shade¡¯s other bodies were out and about, Jason could sense them so long as at least one copy of Shade took the place of his own shadow. It also helped make Shade a useful spy.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already picked up the contract,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°Let¡¯s head out.¡±


    Every road contract consisted of a group of iron-rankers, usually a team, with a supervising bronze ranker. In the current, uncertain times, Henrietta had appointed herself to look after her brother and his team. Danielle had also made sure Henrietta had certain expensive magical consumables to use in a pinch.


    The team turned around and headed back for the loop line. After leaving the station, they prepared to head out for the desert. Clive had arranged for a heavy duty skimmer that could handle rocky terrain to be waiting for them at the edge of the delta. Skimmers specialised to sand were relatively cheap, but the magic that kept them aloft became less effective over less smooth, sweeping area. Knowing they would be ranging far and wide, Clive had requisitioned a more robust model designed for all kinds of terrain.


    To get to the Magic Society outpost at the edge of the delta, the team started deploying their various means of transport. After returning from the trip to Jayapura, the team had new means of transportation available to them.


    Humphrey already had Stash, who would happily transform into a heidel. Stash didn¡¯t like the colour of regular heidels though, leaving Humphrey riding a bright pink animal. Jason¡¯s familiar mount was Shade, who could transform each of his three bodies into horses due to Jason¡¯s dark rider power.


    The hair of each horse was black, with white, glowing hooves, eyes and mane. White mist, shining against the black coat of the horses rose up from the hooves. Jason would have been satisfied so long as Shade didn¡¯t turn into a heidel, but what delighted with the glorious form he took.


    ¡°Looking sexy, Shade.¡±


    ¡°I believe,¡± Shade said, ¡°that comment is inappropriate on numerous levels.¡±


    With each of Shade¡¯s three bodies turning into a horse, Jason, Sophie and Belinda each had one to ride. Shade even manifested saddles, although with only a hand-grip strap on the saddle instead of reins, bit and bridle. Jason wasn¡¯t a great horseman but he knew how to ride from family trips his mother¡¯s cousin¡¯s farm as a kid. He at least was able to help get Sophie and Belinda get seated on their own horses.


    Clive had purchased a floating disc during their trip away. It was much the same as the ones they had used in Jayapura, but could function in low-magic areas like Greenstone. As with most such cases, it required someone with a special power to use magical tools to function.


    Neil has no such power and no shape-changing familiar. He ended up in a floating trolley, towed behind Clive by a magical tether.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel dignified,¡± Neil said as Clive towed him along like a child. He looked over at Henrietta, riding a heidel-like construct creature, strangely crafted from what looked like folded paper. It would not hold up to the rigours of combat but could fold itself down small enough to carry in a pocket, like a two-headed origami horse.


    ¡°I should have bought one of those,¡± he lamented. He had seen them for sale in the Mystic Quarter in Jayapura but had balked at the price. Given the money he still had from the essence auctions, he was now regretting his own prudence.


    ¡°I watched the recording of your fight with that Prince and his team,¡± Henrietta said as they rode through the city streets.


    ¡°What did you think?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Beating that team is impressive, right?¡±


    ¡°Impressive?¡± Henrietta asked dismissively. ¡°It was a travesty. You lined your familiars and summons out like they were bricks in a wall. Do you have any idea how much potential you squandered?¡±


    Henrietta had already spent some time with the team, training them in the use of their familiars and summons. She was, it turned out, unhappy with the results.


    ¡°During this trip I¡¯m going to drill you all until you stop wasting your familiars. Jason is the only one of you even starting to use his familiars properly and he still has a long way to go.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t get too happy,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°Your performance was only decent compared to the rest of this lot. You left one of your familiars standing around with the others, too. You¡¯ll be drilling as hard as anyone.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mind a bit of hard work,¡± Jason said.


    Henrietta grinned at him.


    ¡°You will when I¡¯m done with you.¡±


    They were making their way down Broadstreet Boulevard, one of the main artery roads between the Island and Old City¡¯s north east gate when they all felt a surging aura. Looking in that direction, they could see rainbow light shining over the rooftops from several streets away.


    ¡°A manifestation,¡± Henrietta said darkly. ¡°Right in the middle of the city.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯ll just be an awakening stone,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Not with light display of that size,¡± Clive said. ¡°That¡¯s a monster. Probably silver rank.¡±


    ¡°Silver rank?¡± Neil said. ¡°Do we go?¡±


    ¡°Of course we go,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re adventurers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I haven¡¯t had my assessment, yet. Does that mean I get to not go?¡±


    Jason flashed her a grin. ¡°No.¡±


    He urged his shadow horse to a gallop, roaring ahead of the group. Trailing behind him was the sound of hooves on the packed earth of the street, mixed with the sound of Shade¡¯s voice.


    ¡°I would like to remind you that I can talk. You could just ask me to go faster instead of digging in with  your heels.¡±

 Chapter 195: No Pot of Gold

    The people of Old City were reacting in one of two ways to the rainbow light shining in the air. Many were fleeing as fast as they could, rushing past Jason and his team as they rode toward the source of the commotion. Other members of the populace were trying to find a spot to watch from a safe distance. At worst, they would get to see some adventurers in action. Even better would be if it turned out to be an essence. Maybe they would even have a chance at grabbing it for themselves.


    Jason and his team were not the only adventurers in the area to come running. There was another team of iron-rankers in full gear, plus a handful of people with iron and bronze-rank auras that, from their casual clothes, were just in the area on civilian business. Jason and his team dismounted their various means of transport.


    ¡°Once the monster manifests,¡± Henrietta said, ¡°everyone follow my direction. If there are lower-rank secondary monsters I¡¯ll have at least some of you on them. Otherwise I¡¯ll put you on crowd-wrangling. The onlookers won¡¯t be willing to go until things get dangerous, so we¡¯ll need to keep them from panicking and trampling one another.¡±


    The rainbow light turned out to be emerging from the ground. Chunks of street had broken apart and were floating in the air like dandelions on a breeze as the light rose up from the holes left behind. The assembled adventurers moved up to peer into the holes, seeing through the light that there was a good-sized space below.


    ¡°Some kind of hub for the water utility tunnels,¡± Clive said, taking a stone tablet out of his personal storage space. The magical map etched into it shifted as he pushed his fingers across the surface of the tablet.


    ¡°That¡¯s troubling,¡± Clive said after finding what he was looking for. ¡°There¡¯s a wastewater treatment hub right underneath here. It¡¯s probably been damaged by a manifestation his strong.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s troubling?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I think you¡¯re missing the main point.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Monsters take forms according to their environment, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Clive said, realisation dawning.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Henrietta asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s no pot of gold at the end of this rainbow,¡± Jason said, ¡°I think we¡¯re about to fight a poo monster.¡±


    Even as he said it, filthy water started geysering up from the holes in the ground. The gathered crowd started recoiling loudly as gobbets of viscous water rained from the sky, bringing with it a terrible stench. Jason quickly pulled out his magic umbrella and the wastewater rain avoided the bubble that formed around him. Belinda and Sophie immediately ducked into the bubble with him as the others looked on in envy as they were rapidly drenched in filth.


    ¡°I think we might need another keg of crystal wash,¡± Jason said.


    The splashing water did not lay inert after landing. Like a living creature it crawled over the ground, buildings and even people it landed on, seeking to congeal into pools.


    ¡°The rain is the monster,¡± Henrietta called out. ¡°Some kind of elemental.¡±


    As the rain congealed into pools, the pools started radiating auras. The biggest pool was condensing a silver-rank aura, the smaller ones either bronze or iron.


    ¡°Start attacking if you have anything that will be effective,¡± Henrietta called out, not just for Jason¡¯s team but all the assembled adventurers. ¡°Anything explosive or any resonating-force powers will be most effective against a water-type elemental. Avoid ice or anything else water-based it can absorb unless you can freeze and shatter all at once.¡±


    Elementals were forming anywhere that the water was pooling, from the middle of the street to the flat rooftops and even on shopfront awnings. Globulous masses of thick, rancid liquid congealed into gelatinous chunks, until an accumulated pile started undulating in the direction the closest living thing. They oozed across the ground, spilled over walls and tipped out of whatever the wastewater had been accumulating in, splattering to the ground. Jason spotted one elemental secrete its way out of a fruit cart, flowing between the fruit like some unholy juice.


    ¡°Like a less-awful kale smoothie,¡± he muttered to himself.


    Gordon, who inhabited Jason¡¯s aura, was much easier to draw out than Colin, who lived his bloodstream. All Jason had to do was project his aura the right way for Gordon to appear at his side and soon blue and orange beams of force were gouging their way through elementals.


    Jason¡¯s afflictions would be worthless against the elementals own powers so he drew his sword, although he knew he would be more use directed elsewhere.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be better off on crowd control,¡± he told Henrietta. ¡°This is a bad match-up for me.¡±


    Henrietta nodded.


    ¡°You know your team better than me,¡± she told him. ¡°Set the roles.¡±


    Jason had Sophie join him on crowd wrangling as her speed was more useful than her fists against the ambulatory sewerage monsters. The others he assigned to a elemental hunting. Humphrey¡¯s powerful attacks could smash an elemental apart, rendering the magically-infused water inert once more. Clive had his legendary staff tucked under one arm and his legendary wand in the other hand, blasting out force energy from both. Neil kept an eye on the whole field, shielding and healing anyone who needed it, from their own team to other adventurers and civilians. Belinda chained her force tether to collect elementals together where all the adventurers could lay on area attacks.


    The other adventurers had also leapt into action as elementals emerged across the sprawling area of streets, alleys and rooftops where the wastewater rain had fallen. That included Henrietta, who called her familiars into play. She let out a breath that became a dervish of ash and cinders that charged into the liquid elementals, evaporating them into clouds of foul, choking steam.


    Purple light poured out of Henrietta¡¯s eyes, from which manifested a huge, bizarre floating eye, held aloft by leathery wings on each side of the orb. It flew around projecting a beam of purple energy that blasted apart the elementals. The last familiar was a lantern emitting soft green light that healed any living thing it encountered. She sent it floating off in search of civilians caught up and isolated by elementals.


    Even Henrietta¡¯s previously absent phoenix appeared, diving out of the sky like a burning spear. In a series of swooping strikes it punched through elementals, their watery bodies exploding with sprays of filth and steam.


    Having put her familiars to work, Henrietta employed a power not unlike Clive¡¯s ability to draw ritual circles. Hers, however was specifically for summoning creatures. Where most people would have to lay out a circle of salt or other appropriate substance, she drew a simple magic circle in the air with her finger, which was traced out in silver-blue light. She was done in moments and the circle transmuted into a shimmering portal, through which came one summon after another.


    The first was a crow made of golden fire, superficially similar to the phoenix but formed entirely from golden flames with burning red eyes. It soared out of the portal and joined the phoenix in its swooping strikes. Next through the portal was a winged centaur, clad in armour and carrying a shield and lance. It galloped into the fray, smashing apart elementals with sweeping shield bashed and crashing blows from its own wings, used as bludgeons.


    The third entity to come out looked like a strange, dark angel. It had no arms but four wings, two black and two white. Around it floated four disembodied hands. It flew into the air, looming over the chaos and started sending out the floating hands. Where they touched an ally, the ally was healed. Where they touched an elemental, the elemental was desiccated. The hand would push into the elemental as it reduced down to a dry, hard nugget of waste before floating off again.


    The final one was a golem made of crude iron, glowing with internal heat. Similar to the forge golem Jason had seen Gary summon in the past, this furnace golem had flames behind the metal grill in its torso, rather than molten metal.


    There was no shortage of elementals to go after as more and more kept forming. The geysering wastewater continued unabated and the filth rain kept coming down. As some focused on eliminating the elementals as quickly as possible, Jason, Sophie and some of the other adventurers spread out to help people. The rain had come down further afield than anyone had anticipated, seeping under doors and into the buildings around them.


    After designating roles, Jason couldn¡¯t spare any more attention to what the rest of the team was doing. He used the voice chat to keep in touch, but mostly it was left clear for Humphrey, Clive, Belinda and Neil to coordinate.


    It was the his evolved map ability that he relied on the most, which now had the ability to pick out friends, enemies and neutrals. Jason ran around, Gordon trailing behind. Jason kept one of Shade¡¯s bodies with him to communicate with the two he sent scouting. The mana draining power of Shade¡¯s even turned out to effective against the elementals, which were basically magically-infused physical matter. Draining the magic out of them had a strongly deleterious impact on their integrity.


    He fought elementals as he had to, his sword and proving sufficiently effective. It was sufficient to at least extricate people from where they had been boxed up so he could finding them a path out of the rain. He relied mostly on his familiars to begin with as he accumulated power on his sword until it was slicing through elementals at a blow.


    People were scattered, panicking and making all the wrong decisions. Elementals were coming into their homes and business, they were running exactly the wrong way and it was generally like herding cats in a thunderstorm.


    With the spread of people and the rain coming down a whole range of streets, alleys and buildings, he didn¡¯t always reach people in time. Some he found dead, drowned in viscous filth. He didn¡¯t have time to reflect on how inured he had become to death, already looking for the next person he could save.


    It seemed like the geysering wastewater would never come to an end. More and more of the foul fluid poured into the sky, raining down to form yet-more elementals. The smaller, iron rank ones coalesced first, followed by the larger bronze-rank ones. The adventurers had mostly cleared out the panicking innocents by the time the largest pool congealed into a towering silver-rank elemental. At the height of a two storey building, it loomed over the adventurers battling its lesser kin. Fortunately its formation finally saw the geyser of filth peter out.


    More adventurers had arrived as the battle continued. Henrietta and the other bronze-rankers were gearing up to confront the giant elemental when the first silver-ranker arrived. With dark, waving hair, broad shoulders and huge hammer, he leapt from the roof of a nearby building. He had arrived after the filth rain stopped but was quickly coated in muck as great chunks exploded off the elemental with each swing of his giant hammer. It was a huge lump of metal, even the handle, but he waved it about as if it weighed no more than a stick.


    The arrival of the silver ranker and the end of the rain forming new elementals signalled the turning point of the fight. Each rank of adventurer turned to the matching rank of elementals, which were cleaned up in short order. In the wake of the battle, the adventurers gathered up, mostly covered in filth. A few had shielding abilities that protected them, while others were already using crystal wash or similar items to clean themselves. Jason tossed a bottle of crystal wash to the silver ranker who was now covered in muck.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± the adventurer said as he tipped the bottle over his head, which restored his square-jawed handsomeness and lustrous, wavy hair. ¡°From that cloak you¡¯re wearing, I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re the Jason Asano people have been talking about.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Jason said as the adventurer looked over the team forming around Jason. His eyes fell on Sophie and Belinda.


    ¡°That would make one of you two Sophie Wexler?¡±


    ¡°Why would you have heard of me?¡± Sophie asked as she took one of the crystal wash bottles Jason was handing out.


    ¡°The Adventure Society director had a friend of mine following you around in secret for months. He was the one quietly intervening to help you avoid being caught. He wasn¡¯t allowed to talk about it at the time, of course. A bit ethically shaky, but there you go.¡±


    ¡°I met him briefly,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, I know,¡± the adventurer said with a laugh. ¡°You got him told off, so he hates you.¡±


    Henrietta approached the group, nodding to the silver-rank adventurer.


    ¡°That was good timing, Bert.¡±


    ¡°Henry, It¡¯s been a while,¡± the adventurer greeted back.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re Betrand Bertinelli?¡±


    ¡°You can call me Bert,¡± Bertrand said.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Jason said. ¡°You really are the handsome one.¡±

 Chapter 196: The Glory of Success or the Price of Failure

    Bertrand was the ranking adventurer, which made reporting the elemental manifestation to the Adventure Society his responsibility. As he was a latecomer to the incident, Henrietta diligently filled in the blanks in his knowledge. The team was happy to leave sorting out the mess of the filth-coated streets to him. Civilian casualties need to be tallied and reported and repairs and cleanup organised. Through some meteorological quirk of magic, it never rained in Greenstone. All the waste would need to be cleaned off before it dried into the walls. If nothing else, the untreated wastewater would pose a health risk if not dealt with.


    Bertrand was commandeering the services of some of the other adventurers present as they left. Their travel contract fortuitously exempted them, as they had a schedule to keep. They left the city and made their way along the coast road towards the northern edge of the delta.


    ¡°I¡¯m told that given the events of recent months,¡± Henrietta told them, ¡°some of the more remote areas haven¡¯t been getting the attention they should. Not all of the villages were covered in the last two months by adventurers, which has apparently led to casualties from iron-rank monsters that have reached the berserk stage. Bronze-rank monsters that spawned in that period won¡¯t have reached that stage yet, so we can anticipate a higher than normal number of them on noticeboards.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to fight bronze-rank monsters?¡± Belinda asked. As the newest and only non-adventurer on their team, her face reflected an understandable uncertainty.


    ¡°My role is primarily a supervisory one,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°While with a less capable group the bronze ranker might engage in more active leadership, this is a chance for you to show not just ability but also judgement.¡±


    ¡°Meaning we choose whether to face off against a bronze-rank monster ourselves or turn to you,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°My role is to step in when I determine your ability or judgement has failed and the danger has become unacceptable.¡±


    ¡°If these remote areas we¡¯ll be visiting have been this neglected,¡± Jason said, ¡°then I imagine there have been messengers sent to lodge complaints.¡±


    ¡°There have,¡± Henrietta said.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet Arella picked out a route where we¡¯ll be cleaning up messes for her, leaving us to face up to some unhappy townsfolk.¡±


    ¡°Assuming that¡¯s all she does,¡± Neil said. ¡°Her father¡¯s a crime boss and she hates you, Asano. I¡¯m more concerned she¡¯ll try and have you bumped off out here, catching the rest of us in the middle.¡±


    ¡°Arella has a vested interest in keeping me alive, at this point,¡± Jason said. ¡°She barely held onto her position and the support of the Remore family was a large part of that. Not to mention that Humphrey and Henrietta are with us. Their mother has not been happy with Arella since the expedition, and if Danielle suspected her of endangering her children, Arella might just vanished and never be heard from again. That said, I¡¯ve assumed Arella would make the smart choice before and paid the price for that assumption. It might not hurt to keep an extra eye out.¡±


    ¡°She won¡¯t do anything,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°My mother bullied her way into supervising the development of our schedule. She also provided Humphrey and myself with certain resources to rely on in critical moments.¡±


    ¡°Assuming no one else got the schedule and decided to bury Asano out in the desert,¡± Neil said. ¡°Not everyone appreciates his cavalier disregard for rank and social standing. Even if he hadn¡¯t ticked-off certain crime lords, which he has, Lucian Lamprey has well-known criminal connections. I also know for a fact that certain elders in the Mercer family really hate him.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Are they still annoyed that I had the temerity to have a relationship with Cassandra?¡±


    ¡°It was never about you, Asano. It¡¯s internal family politics. The Mercer family elders are used to being in charge and they weren¡¯t happy when Lady Thalia came back to Greenstone from adventuring. She carved off a chunk of their influence just from turning up. They knew Thalia approved of you and Cassandra as a match, so they pushed the family to force you apart as a show of strength. They made a big deal of you not being good enough and Thalia not thinking of the family.¡±


    ¡°I see it,¡± Jason said. ¡°They shoo me away from their precious scion because I¡¯m some nobody, then suddenly I¡¯m swanning about with visiting royalty, gold-rankers and even gods. Thalia looks prescient for championing me when I was a nobody and they look like fools for pushing away someone whose star is on the rise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s basically it,¡± Neil said. ¡°You don¡¯t actually matter to them, but they resent you anyway.¡±


    ¡°Hold on, Asano,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°You and Cassandra Mercer?¡±


    ¡°Jason and her were together for while,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Until her family pushed her to end it.¡±


    ¡°Wow, Cassandra Mercer,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°I¡¯m envious.¡±


    ¡°Henry!¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°What?¡± Henrietta asked. ¡°Have you not seen Cassandra Mercer? She¡¯s smart and fun. She was also ridiculously gorgeous, even before she had essences.¡±


    ¡°You know her?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I did, before we both went off adventuring. Our mothers are friends and we¡¯re the same age, so we drifted around the periphery of the same social events.¡±


    Despite being the senior figure, Henrietta wasn¡¯t amongst the older members of the group. She was twenty one compared to Clive, who was at almost thirty, Jason at twenty-four, plus Sophie and Belinda, both about a year younger than Jason.


    ¡°How is any of that Mercer family business Asano¡¯s fault?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°They just tried to use and dismiss him and now they¡¯re annoyed he¡¯s successful?¡±


    ¡°This is one of the problems with aristocracy,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you teach someone that everyone else only exists for their benefit, you can¡¯t be surprised when they start using people as if they don¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°As an aristocrat,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°I think the issue is more nuanced than that.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Every problem Lindy and I ever had was something you never had to deal with, because you were born in a big estate. When Asano came along and gave me enough essences that I can be here today, that was something I never imagined having. Something incredible and life-changing. But for you, there was never any doubt that not only would you get essences, but you would have your pick.¡±


    ¡°Jason, have you been poisoning Sophie with your politics?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Humphrey, were you not listening?¡± Jason asked. ¡°We know you¡¯re one of the good ones. We¡¯ve all seen how hard you work to deserve the things you have, but if you slacked off and did nothing, you¡¯d still have them. The problem of aristocracy is that deserve¡¯s got nothing to do with it.¡±


    ¡°Things aren¡¯t as simple as you make out,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°They never are,¡± Jason said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t obviate the fundamentals problems.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know a lot about Mercer family politics,¡± Henrietta said to Neil, sharply heading off the political discussion with a forceful change of topic.


    ¡°While we were doing all that training,¡± Neil said, following Henrietta¡¯s lead, ¡°I was finding the time where I could to take tea with Thadwick¡¯s family. I think they like having someone who knows him to talk to. There aren¡¯t a lot of those who don¡¯t completely hate him.¡±


    ¡°I think more will hate him, by the time this all plays out,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m the closest thing we have to a star seed expert in Greenstone,¡± Clive said. ¡°I was consulted as to Thadwick being seeded again when the Builder cult demonstrated so much insider knowledge of Mercer family operations during their supply raids. The thing is, the timeline from when Thadwick was retaken to when the raids began is too short. The seed would have needed longer to supplant his original personality to the point he gave up such important family secrets.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suggesting Thadwick gave up the information voluntarily,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That would make sense,¡± Neil said. ¡°Thadwick¡¯s family got awkward a couple of times when we were talking and I didn¡¯t realise why at the time. If they already knew what you just told us, that explains a lot.¡±


    ¡°Of course I told them,¡± Clive said. ¡°They deserved to know more than anyone.¡±


    ¡°You think he threw in with the cultists?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Not even Thadwick would fall that low,¡± Jason said. ¡°They already captured and implanted one of those things in him once. Even he wouldn¡¯t be stupid enough to volunteer for another go around.¡±


    ¡°You think they just tortured the information out of him?¡± Henrietta said.


    ¡°It would make sense,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I don¡¯t like to speak ill of a man probably in terrible circumstances, right now, but he seems like someone who would give up under interrogation rather quickly.¡±


    ¡°And so he should,¡± Jason said. ¡°Everyone¡¯s going to break eventually, so you might as well save yourself the torture. I would.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d give up information under torture?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Why wait?¡± Jason. ¡°I¡¯d give up under the threat of torture. I don¡¯t want to get tortured. I¡¯d crack like an egg.¡±


    They made their way along the coast road, afternoon closing in on evening as they got closer to the dividing line where the delta met the desert. The Magic Society maintained outposts at the edge of the delta where spirit coin shipments were inspected before being handed over from adventurer escorts the Duke of Greenstone¡¯s people for transport into the city. The plan was to stay one of the outposts overnight before heading into the desert in the morning.


    They knew they were getting closer as the delta showed signs of drying out. Conversation turned to the silver-rank elemental that appeared in the city and whether it was a sign of the monster surge finally beginning.


    ¡°There are certainly signs,¡± Clive said. ¡°A monster surge is kind of like water building up behind a dam, except with magic. If too much builds up before being sluiced out ¨C in the form of a monster surge ¨C you end up with some flooding when it finally does. The fact that so many subordinate monsters appeared alongside the silver-ranked one indicates that there¡¯s a significant build up. Being an elemental is another indicator. Elementals are basically just ordinary materials infused with magic, which is why so much material was left behind, even after all the elementals were looted and went up in rainbow smoke. That kind of monster manifestation is more common as magic builds up before a surge.¡±


    With Both Neil and Jason on hand, plenty of looting went on in the wake of the elemental fight. Mostly it turned out water and corrupt quintessence, but also a corrupt essence from the largest elemental. That loot was Bertand¡¯s, given he killed it, and he was going to hand it over to the Adventure Society as it was on the restricted essence list.


    ¡°Does that mean there can be a dam break situation?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I kind of assumed that was what the monster surges were.¡±


    ¡°That sounds bad,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°The monster surges are part of our world¡¯s natural magical cycles,¡± Clive said. ¡°That¡¯s why I compared them to a sluice being opened, because they are part of the normal functioning. A dam break would be such a mass of magic building up without release that, like a dam break, it would fundamentally damage the structure of the world. The dam, in this case, is the membrane between our physical reality and the astral. Permanent damage to that membrane would be very, very bad, yes.¡±


    ¡°What would that look like?¡± Henrietta asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure,¡± Clive said. ¡°It would open our world up to astral forces from which it¡¯s normally protected, but the results of that are pure conjecture. The idea has been thrown around, but not in any serious capacity because it just shouldn¡¯t happen. The natural venting process of the monster surge would kick-in well before reaching that point. It would only be possible with some kind of outside intervention, but we¡¯re talking about a world-altering power scale. People have bandied around ideas about how that might work because surges have been taking longer to arrive but that is conspiratorial rubbish. We don¡¯t even have the beginnings of the kind of astral magic that would take.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we?¡± Jason asked. ¡°How¡¯s that extra reading I gave you going?¡±


    ¡°Jason, it¡¯s a big jump between some new revelations in astral magic and altering the magic of a whole world. It just isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    ¡°Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°A year ago I didn¡¯t know magic was real. The moment that I accepted that it was ¨C really accepted that it was ¨C I realised that there is no such thing as impossible.¡±


    Humphrey gave Jason an assessing look.


    ¡°I think I just came a little closer to figuring out how you think,¡± he told Jason.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t try that, if I were you,¡± Neil said. ¡°Getting inside that mind is like putting your hand in the fire.¡±


    ¡°Or a trap,¡± Sophie added.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Come, Neil, and bathe in the comforting warmth of my thoughts.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather bathe in that turd elemental,¡± Neil said, the group laughing at Jason¡¯s mock-hurt expression.


    ¡°You never answered the original question, Clive¡± Sophie said. ¡°Do you think this is the start of a monster surge?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Clive said. ¡°Roaming around during a monster surge is like travelling in the astral space city where the Reaper trials were conducted. You won¡¯t go much more than an hour or two without some monster jumping you and we¡¯ve been riding all afternoon without incident. This might be some kind of flare-up as a precursor to the surge, but those can happen weeks, even months ahead.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s just another monster manifestation?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I know it feels like it means something because the monster appeared in the city, but that is just us ascribing meaning that isn¡¯t there. To a monster manifestation, the city means nothing. It¡¯s no more or no less likely to appear in a city as anywhere else, but when it appears in the city instead of the wilderness, it feels different to us. That¡¯s why the inclination is to see it as somehow different, when it isn¡¯t. Being a silver-rank manifestation just adds to that, but they do happen here, albeit rarely.¡±


    ¡°How long can it take between surges?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°What¡¯s the record?¡±


    ¡°Just under fourteen years,¡± Clive said. ¡°That was a famously bad one. It¡¯s over twelve and counting, this time.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m just overthinking it,¡± Humphrey said.  ¡°With everything that¡¯s happening with the Builder cult and the church of Purity, I can¡¯t help but feel all this is building up to something. Something bigger than what we¡¯ve seen.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope not,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°You know that not everywhere has managed to stop the cult of the Builder. Most of the big places found and shut them down, but there have been towns and rural areas wiped out when the local astral spaces were ripped off the side of our world. My team scouted one out before we split up to go protect our home towns. The outskirts were devastated, like a hurricane had passed through. The actual area itself was worse. There was nothing left. No plants, no building, no life. Just a huge, gaping hole in the landscape.¡±


    ¡°How big an area?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°The size of a lake,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°A big one. You¡¯ve all heard of the legend of Sky Scar Lake? That a god made it to punish some sinners that were living there? That¡¯s what it was like, as if some god came down and scooped the land out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s horrifying,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Mostly it¡¯s been small places,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°Rural areas or even wilderness where there aren¡¯t enough, if any, adventurers to find and stop them. Word came in just yesterday of a city of twelve thousand people being lost. It¡¯s the biggest so far, and no one thinks the cultists are done.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realise things were so bad,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°You have to realise that Greenstone isn¡¯t a priority compared to the rest of the world,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°You¡¯re only seeing the periphery of a larger conflict. The cult has been largely blunted here and there¡¯s only so much more damage they can do.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure,¡± Clive said. ¡°We know from Jason¡¯s familiar that some people stayed behind when the astral space was resealed,¡± Clive said. ¡°Emir and his people have been looking for a way back inside.¡±


    Jason stayed quiet. He had put the issue of getting back inside the astral space to Shade, who had said it was a possibility, but not yet. The astral space had originally been stabilised by Shade¡¯s former summoner, who used his own essence abilities as a foundation for much of the infrastructure. That meant installing his own familiar as an administrator and building the archway portals based on his teleportation ability, path of shadows.


    Shade had postulated that once Jason¡¯s own path of shadows power reached bronze rank and could open portals, then between it, Shade¡¯s own knowledge of the infrastructure and a sufficiently skilled astral magic specialist, it might be possible to send people back into the astral space. Jason had, thus far, not shared this with anyone, as there were no guarantees. Opening his mouth now would just put a target on his back as the cult tried to kill him off before he ranked his power up.


    ¡°Coming back here is a risk,¡± Timos said.


    ¡°Our situation is desperate,¡± Zato said.


    Zato was the last silver-ranker left in the Builder cult¡¯s local forces. Tasked with leading the evacuation when their island stronghold was invaded, he was able to escape with a good number of their people. None of his fellow silver-rankers made it through, however, leaving him in the position of leadership. Along with the church of Purity members working directly with them, they had decamped to the former Vane Estate.


    ¡°They know we¡¯ve used this place in the past,¡± Timos said.


    ¡°Our people still embedded in Greenstone, what few we have, confirmed that they already checked this place and believe we abandoned it,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°And if they decided to check again, having smoked us from our last hiding hole?¡±


    ¡°Then the consequences will still be less severe than continued failure. The astral space Bahadir¡¯s people opened up is our last chance to prove ourselves to the leadership. Have you seen what they do to those who prove themselves more liability than asset?¡±


    ¡°Recycling,¡± Timos said with a shudder. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen it myself, but I¡¯ve heard stories.¡±


    ¡°We both have star seeds within us,¡± Zato said. ¡°There¡¯s no running or hiding. Only the glory of success or the price of failure. We need the infrastructure we left hidden here if we¡¯re going to claim that astral space.¡±


    They had arrived in what was once the underground ritual room of Landemere Vane and were working to create the portal that they needed. All the former contents had been stripped out, even the plaster on the walls and the wood on the floor, revealing hewn stone. Moulded into the stone of the floor was a breathtakingly intricate magical circle made of brass. They had created it by carving channels into the stone floor and pouring in molten metal. At the centre of the circle was a crude archway made of piled bricks, each of which had glyphs carved into every visible side.


    ¡°Our people inside the astral space have successfully planted the beacon,¡± Zato said. ¡°As soon as we detected it we were able to target it and start establishing the astral bridge. Once it¡¯s complete and the portal opens, everyone goes through.¡±


    ¡°Everyone?¡± Timos asked.


    ¡°When the Builder claims the disconnected astral space, we shall be there, triumphantly arriving with the latest addition to his world. In any case, you do not want to be left here. Did you see the final estimations of how destructive claiming that astral space would be?¡±


    ¡°Not the final ones,¡± Timos said. ¡°I knew its unusual nature made it different. Last I heard was that it would devastate Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°The knowledge used to secure that astral space to this world was obtained by the Reaper from the Builder himself,¡± Zato said. ¡°Breaking those bonds will have a terrifying backlash. We need to take all our people, if only because Greenstone and everything else within a hundred kilometres of Sky Scar Lake will cease to exist.¡±


    Timos¡¯ past was littered with the dead he left behind him, yet that level of destruction gave even him pause.


    ¡°How many people will that kill?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Zato asked.


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Timos said. His flash of compassion was a flickering candle flame, quickly snuffed out. ¡°Can we leave Thadwick behind?¡±

 Chapter 197: Adequate

    Jason took one look at the spartan dormitory of the Magic Society outpost and pulled out his cloud flask. The low, blocky building of desert stone contained little more than hard cots.


    He chose the adaptive version of the cloud house and mist started spilling out of the flask. It formed into five small buildings in a ring, similar on the outside to the dormitories and connected by covered walkways. Inside was a very different story, with the soft, luxurious cloud-stuff interiors to which they had all become accustomed.


    ¡°This is very indulgent,¡± Henrietta said after her first night in the cloud house. Three of the five buildings were bedrooms, while the last two had a kitchen and dining room in one and a lounge with bar in the other.


    ¡°You¡¯re free to pitch a tent outside, if you think it¡¯ll make you soft,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°It¡¯s my responsibility to remain with the team,¡± she said hastily.


    ¡°We can expect to have a lot of work,¡± Henrietta said after they set off the next morning. Their planned route was to move north, checking in on the villages along the coast before turning deep inland and working their way back south before taking the river back to the city.


    ¡°The further we go, the more we should find overloaded adventure board notices,¡± Henrietta warned. ¡°In some instances I¡¯ll be splitting the team into two groups to cover more than one notice at a time, but no more than two. We want to keep at least some safety in numbers.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a village on our list today,¡± Jason said. ¡°Last time I saw it, it was a complete ruin. It¡¯ll be good to see it rebuilt.¡±


    ¡°What happened to it?¡± Belinda ask. ¡°Storm, or monster attack?¡±


    ¡°A tidal troll,¡± Jason said, ¡°although it looked like a hurricane had passed through. This was just before Clive and I caught you and Sophie. Humphrey and Neil were off on the expedition and I took the contract alone. It was my first solo bronze-rank monster, and the first one I fought on purpose.¡±


    ¡°You took down a tidal troll alone?¡± Henrietta asked. ¡°They¡¯re tough and strong, even for bronze rank monsters. Humphrey and his might essence will be close to silver rank before he can match it.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re slow, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°Big, slow and no weird powers. That made it the perfect enemy for me. Lots of surface area for Colin to latch onto.¡±


    ¡°I can see that,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°If you were going slow and steady with the afflictions, though, it must have been hard to keep it out of the water.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t what you¡¯d call a fast mover,¡± Jason said. ¡°By the time it ran for the ocean it was too late. I used my execute to close it out before the troll crossed the beach.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the first focused affliction specialist I¡¯ve met,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°All the others were wide-area types. Very good at weeding out the weaklings and softening up the main opposition. They¡¯re very popular on teams, which they have to be. They¡¯re great openers, but not great closers, better against large numbers of weaker enemies.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the opposite of you,¡± Humphrey said to Jason.


    ¡°I can see the appeal.¡± Jason said. ¡°Just blanketing an area in afflictions would be nice. I was really envious when Beth Cavendish showed off powers like that and I was hoping to pick some up myself. I have to work to get people afflicted, and a lot of the time its better just to stab them in the neck and move on.¡±


    ¡°You need to get out of that habit,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°The higher rank you get to, the less stabbing someone with a weapon becomes viable. A silver-ranker will pull your knife out of her throat and stab you right back with it. If you don¡¯t have strength like Humphrey or passively add damage to your attacks like Sophie, ordinary attacks will be worthless. People get far too tough at higher rank and monsters are even worse. If you stab someone and want it to accomplish anything, there has to be a special attack to go with it.¡±


    ¡°Loading enemies up with afflictions at this rank feels pointless a lot of the time,¡± Jason said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem worth the effort when one good knife strike will get the job done.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the wrong attitude,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The habits we ingrain now are the habits that define us in the future. You need to fight now the way you will then.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Jason said. ¡°I need to use those abilities to rank them up anyway.¡±


    ¡°Maybe ranking your affliction powers will give you some area effects,¡± Humphrey said to Jason.


    ¡°Not that I could find, when Clive and I looked through the Magic Society records,¡± Jason said. ¡°It turns out my shadow teleport opens up portals, starting at bronze-rank, though. My range will be much shorter than Hester¡¯s, and it won¡¯t be able to transport people higher than bronze rank, but it¡¯s still awesome.¡±


    ¡°My teleport will be long-range and let me take people with me at bronze,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°My personal space power, rune gate, also creates a portal at bronze,¡± Clive added.


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°I knew about Humphrey¡¯s power, but your team will have three portal users?¡±


    ¡°Mine¡¯s technically not a portal,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°I thought it was bad enough when four of you had personal storage powers, but three portals? And you, Clive, getting both in the same power? Most teams would kill to get a portal user on their team.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t tell Emir,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s already trying to poach Clive as it is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in demand,¡± Belinda said to Clive. ¡°You should negotiate for a bigger cut of the loot.¡±


    ¡°The question,¡± Clive said, ¡°was whether Jason¡¯s powers would gain some wide-area effects. There are a lot of gaps in the Society¡¯s knowledge regarding Jason¡¯s abilities. His familiars are unusual, of course, but that¡¯s true of many adventurers. He¡¯s not the only adventurer to have an apocalypse beast familiar.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°There¡¯s an active adventurer with another swarm-type apocalypse beast. Desolation locusts, they¡¯re called. It¡¯s not Jason¡¯s familiar powers I¡¯m thinking about, though. Many focused affliction specialists find their abilities adding wide-area aspects somewhere around the silver-gold level. Out of Jason¡¯s sin and doom essence powers, the Society only has records of what one of them does beyond bronze rank. I¡¯m looking forward to filling those gaps as he ranks up.¡±


    ¡°The sin essence is extremely rare,¡± Jason said, ¡°and apparently not popular, for a legendary essence.¡±


    ¡°It does take a particular kind of arrogance to absorb the essence of defying the gods into your soul,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see it that way,¡± Jason said. ¡°The sin essence isn¡¯t about defying gods.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it about?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Because it really seems like it is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the nature of sin,¡± Jason said. ¡°A sin is a transgression against a set of rules.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Neil said. ¡°Rules set down by the gods.¡±


    ¡°But those rules are arbitrary,¡± Jason said. ¡°Each god had their own set of sins. For Knowledge, lying is a sin, but for Deception, or even the Merchant, lying is a part of their core practices. Each god has their own set of rules.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°So, I don¡¯t think the sin essence is about violating rules of the gods. Not for me, at least. Maybe it works that way for some others.¡±


    ¡°It definitely does,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some of the combinations in the Magic Society records.¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Jason said, ¡°it doesn¡¯t work like that for me. My sin essence, I¡¯m pretty sure, is about having my own rules that others transgress.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re not violating the rules of the gods,¡± Neil said. ¡°You¡¯re positioning yourself alongside them. Let me retract what I said about your breathtaking arrogance.¡±


    The trickiest part of the adventure board notices in coastal villages was the preponderance of ocean monsters. Clive¡¯s air bubble ritual was fine for slow underwater travel, but wouldn¡¯t hold up to combat. Knowing their route through the coastal villages would cause this issue, they had picked up a supply of water-breathing potions from Jory before they left.


    They were saving the potions for when they needed the whole team. They resolved most of the notices by relying on Jason¡¯s magic umbrella, while his necklace of the deep was handed over to Humphrey.


    Item: [Necklace of the Deep] (iron rank, uncommon)


    A necklace containing the power of the deep ocean giants (jewellery, necklace).


    Effect: Ignore the effects of high pressure and pressure variance.Effect: Breathe water.Effect: Your weight is increased. You cannot use iron-rank weight reduction abilities or items.


    Jason¡¯s bubble, and the magic umbrella that created it, were quite stable and handled underwater contact with no issues. As the umbrella floated over his head by itself, it left both o his hands free, while the bubble of air meant his movements weren¡¯t slowed down by water resistance. The biggest impediment to his combat power was the inability to pull out Colin, who couldn¡¯t handle the salty water. The intangible Shade and Gordon handled it just fine, however.


    The necklace didn¡¯t have the same effect of freeing up movement, but it offered the secure footing of extra weight and Humphrey¡¯s superhuman strength did the rest.


    The pair emerged from the ocean after taking out a crab monster that was impacting the village¡¯s seabed trawling operations. The water quintessence that formed along the coast north and south of the delta was the bulk of a village¡¯s earnings. Their teammates were waiting for him on the shore.


    ¡°You should try going without your umbrella,¡± Clive suggested. ¡°Getting past the drowning reflex is a good way to break the breathing habit.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s only iron rank,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°He¡¯ll drown.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an outworlder,¡± Clive said. ¡°His body got a head start on the magic transition.¡±


    ¡°I take it you¡¯ve all had the talk, then,¡± Henrietta said.


    ¡°The talk?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The ¡®we¡¯re all turning into wet, magic flesh sacks,¡¯ talk.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we had that one,¡± Jason said. ¡°Next we¡¯re going to tell Neil where babies come from.¡±


    The biggest time sink during their journey was not going to be travel, with the heavy skimmer Clive secured careening them over the desert in speed and relative comfort. It was the time it took to hunt down the monsters on the adventure board notices that soaked up their time. If the monsters had been closer and more of a threat to the village then they would have sent for immediate adventurer response.


    The first village was the one closest to the city and in least need of extra attention. It was the remote villages out in the desert where they anticipated the notices to be stacked up. The second of three villages they planned to visit that day was the one where Jason had fought the tidal troll.


    Having been completely rebuilt, he didn¡¯t recognise it as they arrived to the warm welcome of the villagers. After they had been forced to escape their ravaged homes, the Adventure Society had avenged their fallen, reclaimed their village and even helped fund reconstruction. They insisted on showing their gratitude with a small luncheon feast before the adventurers even had a chance to look at the adventure notice board.


    They finally turned to the task that brought them to the village. It was a bronze-rank monster, but not an aggressive one. After the tidal troll, simply avoiding the territory the beast had claimed was an easy task for the villagers. This was especially true since it¡¯s territory was a desolate stretch of desert with little value to anyone. They had simply posted warnings on the coastal road warning traders to detour around, a common enough thing in a world where monsters were a fact of life.


    ¡°This will be the first bronze-rank monster that many of you have faced,¡± Henrietta told the team. ¡°The villagers have identified it as a stone lurker, which is a common monster in this area, so it should be reliable. It¡¯s tough, strong and camouflages itself well in rocky desert areas. If you catch it in the sand it will be easy to spot, but keep a sharp eye out if you start seeing rocks. It¡¯s very good at hiding it¡¯s aura.¡±


    ¡°Also, don¡¯t assume there is only one,¡± Humphrey added. ¡°Jason, you¡¯ll be the primary damage dealer.¡±


    ¡°You should be wary, Jason,¡± Clive said. ¡°A stone lurker isn¡¯t as strong as a tidal troll but it isn¡¯t as slow, either. It can also make charging dashes, which it will in an ambush.¡±


    There turned out to be two of the stone lurkers but the fight went well as they could have hoped. Sophie, with her enhanced aura senses, detected them right before they attacked. She and Humphrey intercepted them, her holding off one as Jason went to work on it. They already had Humphrey and Neil¡¯s summons out, which they directed to support Humphrey.


    The stone lurkers were large, bipedal lizards that hammered out with huge, knuckled fists. Their strength was enough that meeting them fist to fist rattled Sophie¡¯s arm in spite of her attack-negating power, but she mostly dodged the attacks, frustrating the giant lizard. It was surprisingly fast for it¡¯s size, but that was nothing to Sophie.


    Humphrey didn¡¯t have Sophie¡¯s defensive strength so the rest of the team supported him. Clive and Belinda opened up, chaining Clive¡¯s powerful attack spell. Humphrey held the line as Neil¡¯s shields protected him, one after another, then let the summons take the brunt until Neil¡¯s abilities became available again.


    Jason used the reach of his shadow arm to get his attacks in from safety. Many of his afflictions were resisted at first, although his resistance-diminishing aura was stronger than in the past and almost half of them got through. Gordon¡¯s unrelenting beam and Jason¡¯s conjured dagger both inflicted the vulnerable condition, lowering the lizard¡¯s resistances for each instance that took hold, so it was not long before Jason had his full suite of afflictions on the lizard. He could have unleashed Colin, but kept the leeches in reserve, in case there was a third monster, waiting to pounce.


    Once his afflictions were locked in, Jason used his punition spell. It inflicted damage for each affliction of certain types on the target, which were rapidly stacking up, but the bronze-rank monster was able to sustain that much from Jason¡¯s iron-rank spell. He couldn¡¯t use it again for half a minute, so he moved on to the second monster while Sophie continued to keep the first one busy.


    Jason added his efforts to the others. His afflictions were soon locked in and the fight became a matter of time. He used his punition spell every time it became available, causing more and more of the monster¡¯s flesh to die as the afflictions mounted. In the end, he finished the monsters, one after the other, with his transcendent damage execute power.


    The team were tired, stamina exhausted and mana spent. Against bronze-rank monsters, even when the fight went their way at every stage, the battle was a slog. Clive and Belinda had learned that endurance was the key when their combined efforts, while hurting the monster, weren¡¯t enough to take it down before they were reduced to ineffectually firing wands from the back.


    ¡°You did adequately,¡± Henrietta told them in the aftermath. ¡°Don¡¯t think things will always go that well, though. There will be hard fights ahead and you will be challenged. When I step in to save you, chances are you will have been hurt already. Badly hurt. You all need to be ready for that.¡±


    The team returned to the village to notify them they could remove the detour signs from the coast road. The team then moved on quickly as the graciousness of the villagers was appreciated, but also time-consuming.


    Riding away, Sophie looked back at the village, then locked a thoughtful gaze on Asano¡¯s back.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Belinda asked quietly.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell them,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t tell who what?¡±


    ¡°Asano,¡± Sophie said. ¡°They don¡¯t know he¡¯s the one who killed the monster that destroyed their village, and he didn¡¯t tell them.¡±

 Chapter 198: Trash Bonanza

    Jason set up the cloud house after they cleared out the adventure notices of the third village of the day. Henrietta gathered the team together to talk about their performance in the day¡¯s combat.


    ¡°Obviously, most of those notices weren¡¯t any kind of a challenge,¡± she said. ¡°As a team, and even alone for most of you, very few iron-rank enemies will pose any kind of threat. That¡¯s acceptable for now, but a full team of capable iron-rankers should comfortably handle not just most iron-rank monsters but bronze-rank monsters as well. One to one, any adventurer should be worth more than any monster of their own rank. That is not to say you all need to be able to handle monsters alone. Neil and Clive, your powers are obvious suited to a group environment. You need to make sure that your value to the team is greater than any monster to their pack.¡±


    Neil threw a wary glance in Jason¡¯s direction.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Nothing smarmy to say about my value to the team?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You¡¯re awesome. If the team gets stuck in a situation where you or me has to be kicked off the bus, it¡¯s not going to be you.¡±


    ¡°Jason is right,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°Neil, you are the most indispensable member of the team. That does not mean you don¡¯t have improvements to make, which goes for all of you. You beat the bronze-rank monsters today, but if you¡¯re still performing at that level by the time we get to back to Greenstone, then I will personally see to it you disband. I will not have my brother in a stagnant team, because right now you¡¯re all potential and no payoff.¡±


    She panned her gaze over the group.


    ¡°You have clearly been strategising around versatility,¡± she went on, ¡°which is a good fit for your team makeup and power sets. Now I¡¯ve seen you in action against a live enemy who poses an actual challenge, I could easily recognise the factor holding you back. That factor is a lack of dynamism.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re using a variety of strategies,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°and we¡¯re constantly devising more.¡±


    ¡°And that is a good foundation,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°You¡¯re combining your abilities well enough, but only when you fall into those devised strategies. When pushed out of them, you fall back to individual efforts. You need to internalise those strategies to the point that you can improvise on the move and adapt to the different configurations required in the moment. The key is that when you adapt, you have to include your team members instead of falling back on what you know works just for you.¡±


    ¡°Trust,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°To make the most of your versatility, Improvisation will be critical. You have to know what your team is capable of and trust them to do it. You have to learn to read each other. No discussion, no hesitation. Assess, adapt, act.¡±


    ¡°Surely that¡¯s a matter of experience,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly a matter of experience,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°Not just any experience, though. You have to know everything your team is capable of and you won¡¯t figure that out if you keep falling into the same, easy patterns. From now onward, I will be picking you out for notices in different groupings. When you¡¯ve been doing this yourselves, you¡¯ve been going for the obvious, complimentary groupings. Jason and Sophie, Clive and Belinda, Humphrey and Neil. You¡¯re going to find these new groups I put you in awkward, perhaps even dangerous. Your job will be to tease out everything your team mates are capable of. To find the synergies you never saw and exercise the abilities that have gone neglected. If nothing else, it will help you rank up all your powers on the way to bronze.¡±


    Henrietta put her designs into action with the next village they came to. First up was the pairing of Jason and Belinda. Belinda had fallen into a pattern of resetting and duplicating Clive¡¯s infrequent, high-impact powers, a tactic worthless with Jason¡¯s rapid, low-impact abilities. They ended up with Belinda serving as a makeshift guardian, drawing enemy attention while Jason went to work.


    ¡°Pathetic,¡± was Henrietta¡¯s assessment. ¡°Jason, you¡¯re squandering Belinda¡¯s powers and trying to do it all yourself. Expect to be placed in this pairing again and again until you find the synergies that make you fight like a team instead of like nervous adolescents, fumbling around one another.¡±


    ¡°I think that means you, Humphrey,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Is there something in my tone that suggests inviting light-hearted whimsy?¡± Henrietta snapped. ¡°If you have time to levy your wit against my brother, Mr Asano, I suggest you leverage it in the development of your combat skills, rather than your socials ones.¡±


    Humphrey received a similar dressing down after being paired with Clive, Henrietta berating them for working as a pair of disconnected individuals.


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough to be a distraction for your damage dealer,¡± Henrietta told her brother. ¡°You¡¯re trying to set up Clive to use his attack spell, as if he didn¡¯t have nineteen other essence abilities. I want to see you luring people into his trap spell. Baiting the enemy into making big attacks where his retribution damage powers will have the greatest effect. And you, Clive need to stop waiting for everyone else to give you your chances. You have to make them yourself.¡±


    As they went from village to village, fight to fight, the team was placed in a variety of configurations. Neil was grouped with Jason, whose usual stealth tactics would leave the healer alone and exposed. Then he was paired with Sophie against a high-defence monster. Neil and Sophie made for a combination even harder to harm than the monster itself, but they lacked the offensive power to hurt it in turn, turning the fight into a battle of attrition.


    Belinda saw the most action of anyone in the team, combined with everyone else in different configurations of two or three. Not only were her powers the most varied and untested, she was also the one most in need of experience.


    The next bronze-rank monster encounter came at the final coastal village before their route would take them inland. Henrietta¡¯s intention had been to let them face bronze-rank monsters in smaller groups, but this one was an aquatic monster. Not only was she allowing the full group to act together but also participating herself.


    The monster wasn¡¯t notoriously strong, but it was aquatic and had the environmental advantage. They used water breathing potions, Jason finally taking Clive¡¯s advice and getting Humphrey to hold his head under water until he gasped out and broke the reflex to breathe. It took multiple attempts before Jason could actively stop breathing without his instincts freaking out and starting him up again. Only after finally overcoming the drowning reflex did he manage it.


    ¡°This feels very weird,¡± he croaked in a gasping voice. ¡°I have to get used to talking when I¡¯m not breathing.¡±


    ¡°No rush,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of unnerving,¡± Jason continued. ¡°It¡¯s like my body senses something is wrong. It definitely doesn¡¯t want me wasting breath I don¡¯t have on talking.¡±


    ¡°Trust your instincts,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not helping,¡± Henrietta said to Neil.


    ¡°It¡¯s helping me,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°It will take time before your body adapts,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s actually an unusual and fascinating process. Your body, as it stops doing things the way a mortal body does, will start find new ways. Your voice, for example, won¡¯t come from breathing through your throat but by using vibrations to generate sound. It¡¯ll take a while before you sound like your old self, but along the way you¡¯ll find yourself picking up interesting tricks. Throwing your voice or projecting it to fill up a room. Or just blasting louder than you ever could with something as maudlin as lungs.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and rely on not breathing in combat, yet,¡± Henrietta told Jason. ¡°You¡¯ve been breathing your whole life and you don¡¯t just kick the habit that easily. You can do it fine, standing around, nice and safe. You go underwater and get caught up in a fight and you¡¯ll find that drowning reflex coming right back.¡±


    The fight against the aquatic monster was a mess. While breathing water, spells could still be cast but it had to be done with careful enunciation of the incantations, slowing the process down. The leverage required to swing weapons underwater was impossible to achieve without an item like the necklace of the deep that Humphrey was wearing, and even then it took all his strength to swing his sword through the water to even minimal effect. Mobility was obviously impacted underwater and team coordination fell apart, even using Jason¡¯s voice chat for silent, telepathic speech.


    ¡°That was an absolute shambles,¡± Henrietta told them as they dragged themselves out of the surf after eking out a victory. She had done much of the work, using a spell that allowed her familiars to act freely under the water.


    ¡°Neil, you were the solitary stand-out,¡± she continued. ¡°The way you covered the team and their many, many mistakes was a credit to you. Well done. How much mana do you have left?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m drained,¡± he said, collapsing onto his back on the sandy beach.


    ¡°And that¡¯s how close you were to failure,¡± Henrietta told the others. ¡°If the fight had gone on any longer, there was a danger of some of you suffering real damage when Neil¡¯s mana ran out.¡±


    ¡°The fight was in an extreme environment against a bronze-rank monster,¡± Humphrey said in defence of the team. ¡°If you expected us to do well, you wouldn¡¯t have participated yourself.¡±


    ¡°And if I wasn¡¯t here to participate?¡± Henrietta challenged her brother. ¡°What would you have done?¡±


    ¡°Sent for someone else,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If it was aggressive enough to leave the water to attack, we could have fought it on land. If not, we¡¯d have had the time to send for an adventurer better suited to fighting it.¡±


    Henrietta grinned, surprising the team.


    ¡°Good answer,¡± she said. ¡°Recognising when not to fight is also a strength worth cultivating. If the top reason adventurers die is bad information, the second is lacking the courage to admit they aren¡¯t a match for the fight in front of them.¡±


    ¡°Not to dismiss the fact that I was the best,¡± Neil said from where he was sprawled in the sand, ¡°but how useful is learning to fight underwater anyway?¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t always get to pick our fights, or the chance to walk away,¡± Jason said. ¡°We have to be ready for the fights we don¡¯t want. That fight showed us the strength of having the right items to compensate for environmental challenges. If we pick some more up and keep them in storage, then with some more experience we should at least be able to hold our own.¡±


    ¡°Asano is right,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°Always be as ready as you can. We¡¯re done with these coastal villages, but once you¡¯re back in Greenstone, pick up some items and practise more underwater combat in the mirage chamber.¡±


    As the team turned their path inland, they started crossing the empty desert sands. The heavy skimmer allowed them to travel in relative comfort, sitting under an awning as the seemingly endless desert passed by. The air was hot, rushing over their faces with the speed of the skimmer, but not oppressively so with milder winter temperatures.


    Jason and Clive both had oasis bracelets that shielded them from the heat, as did Belinda. Jory had gifted it to her in preparation for her first real adventuring expedition. For the rest of the team he had provided less-valuable, but still welcome heat protection for a nominal fee. Sophie, Neil and Humphrey all wore head-cloths that were alchemically treated to remain wet and cool. Henrietta had a fire essence and could eat worse heat that the desert could throw at her.


    They made their way through remote villages that were torn between gratitude for their arrival and frustration it had taken so long. The villages were all located on oases sourced from apertures to the rainforest astral space. One village had even experienced attacks by Builder cultists who had fled through the local aperture, following the battle with the expedition in the astral space.


    The villages in the sandy regions of the desert were largely there to serve the more remote spirit coin farms. With many magical practises prohibited in the area of the sensitive coin farms, the people staffed there turned to nearby villages.


    Moving deeper in, the sand turned to rocky wastes. Most of the villagers they encountered quarried the stone for which Greenstone was named, while others were mining towns. Most of those towns were built around dig sites for a magical ore that appeared in the desert, and while investigating to serve his own curiosity, Jason made an interesting discovery.


    The magical mineral sun gold could be found in iron and bronze-rank veins and mostly appeared in arid lands that saw clear skies all year round. For that reason, most sun gold mines were located in deserts. Sun gold was always found with large quantities of what they called trash gold, which was normal rank and had no magical properties. It simply formed in large quantities around sun gold veins and had to be carefully separated from the valuable stuff in the smelting process.


    Jason picked some of the discarded metal.


    Item: [Gold Nugget] (normal rank, common)


    A lump of non magical gold. Has little value in worlds with magical equivalents (crafting material, metal).


    Effect: Non-magical crafting material.


    The sun gold was refined by a local whose iron and transmutation essences turned him into a human smelting machine. Trash gold was a cheap cosmetic material considered too heavy to be worth shipping off and was largely discarded. Jason paid the smelter to go though the slag piles, helping him experiment with what sizes he could fit into his inventory. It turned out he could stack twenty ten-kilogram bars of purified trash gold into a single slot, as the restrictions were more size than weight-based. Jason left the village with two slots filled with heavy gold bars.


    ¡°What do you want all that trash gold for?¡±


    ¡°Someday I¡¯m going to go home,¡± Jason said. ¡°Where I come from, there¡¯s no such thing as magic gold. In my world, trash gold is just gold.¡±

 Chapter 199: Strangeness

    As they went from town to town, clearing off huge stacks of adventure notices, not everything went as planned. Henrietta continued breaking the team into inefficient combinations, which was only the start of things going wrong.


    Humphrey had been regularly summoning his dragon tooth warriors, both to practise working with them and level the power. Each time he did, he used the summoner¡¯s die to alter their form. The die had proven an effective boost, turning his warriors into hulking gorillas, swift hunting cats or even giant, blood-draining spiders.


    The way the die worked was to roll it in the summoning circle, which for Humphrey was a simple circle of powdered chalk. This served to activate the power, calling out the summons in their altered form. Three giant fish made of ivory appeared on the ground, wrapped in chain mail and flopping around like fish on a dock.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Looks like one of the sides on that die is fish,¡± Jason said, giving Humphrey a consoling pat on the back.


    ¡°I can¡¯t resummon them for six hours.¡±


    ¡°Tough luck buddy,¡± Jason said. ¡°I guess you¡¯re fighting this monster without them, unless you can find a lake real quick.¡±


    Amongst the iron-rank monsters they were clearing out like they were magical exterminators, they came across the occasional additional notice for a bronze-rank monster. This was where the team faced challenges that truly tested their abilities.


    Henrietta assigned Neil, Clive and Belinda to hunt down a monster called a sand hulk, a lesser giant that was common in desert areas. Without Sophie, Humphrey or even Jason to obstruct or distract, the team had little in the way of front-line options against the slow but powerful monster.


    Belinda¡¯s counterfeit combatant power was at the bottom of iron rank, nowhere close to the point that they would risk her attempting to hold it off. That left Neil¡¯s summon, the chrysalis golem, which only took one punch each from the monster¡¯s huge fists before retreating into its harmless chrysalis state. It could no longer fight in that state, but not even the giant, twice as tall as person was able to damage it. The giant wasted precious moments that the team used to retreat as it pummelled ineffectually at the crystal cocoon.


    The team fought a stalling retreat, blasting away at the monster with wands and spells. Clive¡¯s familiar, Onslow, proved a relatively effective source of attacks. Any time Clive wasn¡¯t casting his own spells, he was continually recharging the tortoise¡¯s elemental powers. The only issue was the tortoise was even slower than the giant, so Clive had to periodically return Onslow to the rune in his skin, then move back before pulling the familiar out again.


    Belinda¡¯s lantern familiar also sent bolts of force in the sand hulk but was much less effective. The disruptive-force attacks were better against magic in incorporeal entities, rather than a solid, physical monster.


    They threw power after power at the sand hulk, which largely shrugged it off. It walked right over Clive and Belinda¡¯s rune traps. Belinda¡¯s lightning tether dealt damage the further the target moved from it, but even at maximum ranged its damage was superficial. Clive¡¯s big attack spell, looped and copied by Belinda, was the only thing that inflicted any real damage.


    Belinda glanced at Clive, who nodded and she used her pit of the reaper ability. It opened up a dimensional pit, not an actual hole in the ground but an extra-dimensional one that didn¡¯t occupy space and was open to normal space at the top. The walls were frictionless and anything inside would suffer ongoing necrotic damage.


    The team¡¯s concern was that they had looked up the sand hulk and knew it could transform into a cloud of sand. There was little information about the sand cloud form and Clive was wary of it. They didn¡¯t know if it could fly or use some kind of scouring sandstorm attack they couldn¡¯t defend against. They had held off using the pit as they were concerned about it triggering the power but they needed all the time they could get to burn the monster down. If it couldn¡¯t escape the hole and they could shoot down at it like fish in a barrel, then all the better.


    The sluggish monster was not hard to drop into the pit, but their first concern was proven valid as it flew right back out in the form of a sand dervish. It moved no faster than the monster¡¯s previous pace, however, and retook the form of a giant.


    In the time the pit had delayed it, Neil¡¯s golem had the chance to catch up. It had hatched from its cocoon some time ago, but was not much faster than the giant. The golem¡¯s new form was something between crystalline and gelatinous. It wrapped a pair of long, rubbery appendages around the monster, which immediately began to retaliate.


    The monster ripped off the gooey appendages but the golem simply grew more from its fluid body mass. The monster pounded on the golem¡¯s body, which rippled like a jellied dessert as it absorbed the impact. The monster tried transforming into sand to escape the grip, only to find that as its body started changing into sand, that sand became stuck to the golem. The monster halted the transformation and went back to trying to free itself through main force.


    With the giant at a standstill, the team intensified their attacks, throwing everything they had at it. Neil¡¯s summon had performed its function of adapting to the needs of the fight admirably, but it was ultimately an iron-rank monster fighting a bronze-rank one. It couldn¡¯t harm the sand hulk, merely tie it up for a brief but valuable few moments. Eventually the sand hulk tore its way free by ripping the golem into globulous chunks and tossing them aside. Once the golem fell inert, the giant turned back to the team.


    Despite it¡¯s incredible resilience, the monster was in a bad state, by this point. The sheer accumulation of damage had left it pitted and burned, spilling out sand like it was blood. Neil and Clive had both taken the chance to use powerful retribution effects on the golem, which had turned the damage from the sand hulk¡¯s own powerful blows back on itself. Clive¡¯s spell had continued to have a large impact and the simple accumulation of damage from rune traps, wands, Onslow¡¯s elemental attacks and other abilities had simply piled up.


    When it was clear the monster would break free of the golem, Belinda and Clive had set up a whole line of rune traps and the monster waked over them, one after another. This was enough to finally make the sand hulk decide to flee, which it tried to do in the form of a slow-moving sand cloud. Clive used his big attack spell, wrath of the magister, one more time. He used the most powerful version, a prismatic beam launching into the cloud. The colours dimmed, one by one, until the beam was black and a void sphere appeared in the middle of the cloud. The sand was sucked through as if the void sphere was a hole in the universe, the once seemingly indestructible monster annihilated into nothingness.


    The weary group trudged back to the rest of the team. They looked to Henrietta for her assessment, although it was Jason who spoke first.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s anything to loot,¡± he said. ¡°Neil?¡±


    ¡°I was too far away,¡± Neil said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t in range of my aura.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there are some scraps left behind from where they attacked it along the way,¡± Jason suggested.


    ¡°Loot can wait,¡± Henrietta said and gave the tired combatants an assessing look. ¡°I took away the toughest and most mobile members of your team and you still got the job done. This was an acceptable performance. If we get another sand hulk it¡¯s yours to fight, Asano.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t that be an easy one for me?¡± Jason asked. ¡°A big, slow monster like that?¡±


    ¡°The Magic Society entry doesn¡¯t say if that cloud form clears off afflictions,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet it does. I¡¯m curious as to what you¡¯ll do about that.¡±


    Late in the evening, Jason stepped outside the cloud house. They were out in the desert, in between villages, and it had once again taken the form of a set of flat stone buildings.


    Jason concentrated and stairs appeared on the side of one of the buildings. It might look and feel like stone, but still moulded itself as the cloud-stuff it truly was. Jason was becoming more and more adept at controlling it. He walked up the stairs to the roof where, to his surprise, he found Clive¡¯s familiar, Onslow, standing in the middle of the roof.


    ¡°How did you get up here?¡±


    Onslow responded only with a slow yawn.


    ¡°Keep it casual, don¡¯t reveal all your cards,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can respect that. Mind if I join you?¡±


    The closest Onslow came to a response was an impassive blink.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that as a yes.¡±


    A patch of roof rose up to form a chair of clouds and Jason sat down. He concentrated on bringing his breathing to a halt. Henrietta had been on the mark about needing time to adjust to not breathing and he had been practising of a night, wearing his warmest clothes in the chilly desert night.


    Neither moon was in the sky but he had no trouble seeing out over the barren landscape. His midnight eyes power was edging achingly close to becoming his first bronze-rank ability and his vision in the dark was near absolute. Originally, the power had let him see with washed-out colour. Now he could see as clear as day, yet he could also see the darkness almost like a physical substance, oddly transposed over his vision. It should have clashed, yet seemed to him part of a natural whole, even though the result looked something like an alien landscape. It was nothing that his old human eyes could ever perceive.


    Midnight eyes had been his very first essence ability. Compared to the other things he could do it was positively mundane, yet it was also the most emblematic of everything he had been through. Because of that power, the way he looked at the world had literally changed. It was the still moments, alone in the dark, when Jason most felt the strangeness of his new world. More than that, the strangeness of what he had become living in it.


    He practised speaking without breathing, using exercises Henrietta had taught him. Onslow was watching him and Jason retrieved Colin, who piled upin front of the tortoise. Onslow tilted his head to look at the pile as Team Colin undulated excitedly in front of it.


    Eventually Jason tired of practise and decided to get some rest, collecting Colin and making his way back down the stairs. There, he had an odd encounter as two people emerged at the same time from different buildings. They were both also Jason.


    The three Jason¡¯s looked at each other. One had an embarrassed look on his face, the other, a bushy moustache.


    ¡°I take it Clive is still trying to have you replicate my interface ability?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Belinda/Jason said with an apologetic smile.


    ¡°Biscuits!¡±


    Jason tousled Stash/Jason¡¯s hair. ¡°What did Humphrey say about sweet things before bed?¡±


    ¡°Warm milk?¡± Stash/Jason ventured.


    ¡°That, I think we can manage,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yay!¡± Stash/Jason cheered. ¡°Why is everyone better looking than me?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you, dragon.¡±

 Chapter 200: Full Circle

    The six-legged lizards were not especially dangerous individually. They were no bigger than medium-sized dogs and posed little threat. What made them troublesome was that they were extraordinary in both their hardiness and their number. A group of lizards was normally called a lounge, but the mass of creatures the team was viewing from a distance would be better described as a swarm or even a carpet.


    ¡°Desert horde lizards,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°They¡¯re not a real danger to an adventurer, but they¡¯re a lot harder to kill than they look. Most of the time they''ll just lay about in the desert sun, not bothering anyone. If they''re on the move, though, they''re looking to feast. They can come down on a town like a swarm of giant locusts. Regular people have no chance of putting them down.¡±


    She turned to the team, looking down at the monsters from a high ridge. ¡°Any volunteers?¡±


    ¡°Let Belinda and I go,¡± Jason said.


    Henrietta raised her eyebrows. She had paired Jason and Belinda together the most because the combination had shown the least results. While their effectiveness had improved, that improvement had come from combining individual effort instead of operating as a unit.


    ¡°You have something to show me?¡± Henrietta asked.


    ¡°We''ve been working on some things,¡± Belinda said. ¡°This should be a good enemy to show off the results.¡±


    Henrietta acceded and Jason and Belinda made their way down the sharp ridge. The lizards were following the base of the ridge around, so by going down one side, they had time to make preparations before the lizards arrived. They called out their familiars, except for Colin, and Jason pulled out a large flat board, setting it on the ground. Belinda took out a stick of chalk and started drawing out a ritual circle.


    Clive was the team''s master of ritual magic, with a breadth of knowledge that regularly staggered Jason, who was learning from Clive. Belinda was likewise learning from Clive, but for her, it was more like filling in gaps. When it came to a certain branch of magic, the deception and intrusion branch, even Clive had something to learn from her. The circle she was drawing out wouldn''t visibly disguise them, but it would contain any aura they inadvertently revealed while using essence abilities.


    Desert horde lizards were short-sighted, relying more on aura senses than normal sensation to sense prey or other predators. So long as the lizards had something else to hold their attention, Jason and Belinda should be able to cast spells from a distance without being detected.


    They sent their familiars forward to meet the monsters as they came around the ridge. Remaining behind were Colin, still in Jason¡¯s blood, and one of Shade¡¯s three bodies, currently serving as Jason¡¯s shadow.


    The lizards became a boiling cauldron of chaos as they surged on the familiars, the aggressive monsters piling over each other to reach them. Their savage bites had little effect, with Gordon, Shade and Belinda¡¯s living illusion all being incorporeal. Belinda¡¯s flying lantern floated out of reach, blasting down bolts of force. The inherent magic in the monsters allowed them to minimally affect the familiars, but not to the point they posed a genuine threat, even in massive numbers.


    The familiars, in turn, didn¡¯t make much of a dent on the lizards. Only Gordon, with his resonating-force beam, inflicted any effective damage. The goal was not to inflict damage, however, but to hold the attention of the monsters. Only once Jason and Belinda were certain the lizards were focused entirely on the familiars did they start casting spells. Jason started, chanting a spell that, from the victim¡¯s perspective, gave no indication of where the caster was. At the distance they were at, there was no chance of the lizards hearing his quiet recitation.


    ¡°Carry the mark of your transgressions.¡±


    Ability: [Castigate] (Sin)


    Spell (curse, holy).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 8 (19%).Effect (iron): Burns a painful brand into the target, inflicting slight transcendent damage and the [Sin] and [Mark of Sin] conditions. The brand cannot be healed so long as the target retains any instances of [Sin].[Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Mark of Sin] (affliction, holy): Prevents aura retraction. Cannot be cleansed while target retains any instances of [Sin] or [Legacy of Sin].


    A small amount of transcendent damage burned a brand into one of the lizards and it gained two afflictions. The important one was sin, which increased any necrotic damage. There was no indication as the source of the spell and Jason¡¯s rigid aura control kept it from leaking as he used the ability. Even if it had, Belinda¡¯s ritual circle would have contained it. The unintelligent lizard became frenzied as it renewed its attention on the obvious enemies, the familiars.


    Right after Jason used his spell, Belinda used the same incantation and cast the same spell on a second lizard. Her aura control wasn¡¯t as practised as Jason¡¯s, which was why the ritual was primarily for her.


    Ability: [Mirror Magic] (Magic)


    Special Ability.Cost: Varies.Cooldown: Varies.Current rank: Iron 2 (91%).Effect (iron): For a short time after a nearby ally uses a spell, you may use the same spell one time. The strength of the spell you cast is based on your attributes and the rank of this ability and your attributes, not those of the original caster. This may make your version of the spell higher or lower rank than the original, including losing or gaining additional effects from higher ranks. This ability has the same cost and cooldown as the original spell.


    In the past, Belinda had mostly used the ability to copy Clive¡¯s potent attack spell. As she and Jason had spent evenings looking for more ways to synergise their powers, they had a revelation. Jason¡¯s abilities might be less impactful, but they also had no cooldown. In circumstances where he needed to use them over and over, Belinda could double the rate of application.


    Jason followed up his castigate spell with inexorable doom, to get the sin affliction multiplying. Like his first spell, it gave no indication of its source, manifesting directly on the target. This was rare in abilities with more immediate effects and most often found in single-target afflictions powers. Such abilities could ignore many physical obstructions, so long as the target was visible. It took magical protection, such as the common mana shield ability, to prevent the easy use of such a power.


    Jason¡¯s familiars were his key tools in dealing with that particular problem. Colin could slither right through the shield, which didn¡¯t register movement as an attack unless it was much faster than Colin could manage. Only if spraying out of Jason would it count, so Jason would usually have to bait such enemy into Colin¡¯s range.


    Shade couldn¡¯t usually get through such powers, with magic shields blocking even movement from incorporeal creatures. With the mana shield ability specifically, though, which directly manifested mana as a shield, he could drain mana directly from it. Mana shield was an extremely common power, available through many essences. Clive and Neil both possessed it as did Sigrid and Claire, the healer from Rick Geller¡¯s team. It made Shade very useful for breaking through that specific power.


    For Gordon, breaking magic shields was a much more straightforward problem. His disruptive-force beam wasn¡¯t wildly powerful, but its sustained effect would break down magical shields very quickly. However the shield went down, it would give Jason a chance to get a spell in before the shield snapped back into place.


    None of that was necessary against the lizards, however. Jason would cast his castigate on one lizard and follow up with inexorable doom, Belinda following up on a second. He used castigate, she used castigate. He used inexorable doom, she did the same. She could only duplicate a spell once for each time it was cast by the original user. The cost and duration of the ability were equal to the cost of the copied power.


    Neither of Jason¡¯s spells had a cooldown, so they were able to paint the lizards with brands and afflictions. Both spells had a moderate mana cost, so it wasn¡¯t until they were done that their mana pools started to get low. Jason¡¯s wasn¡¯t as bad as Belinda; his recovery attribute was more than half a rank higher hers and his mana had been naturally replenishing faster. She drank a mana potion to compensate.


    ¡°Is that all of them?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°It should be most of them at least,¡± Jason said. ¡°You put on the big show and I¡¯ll mop up after. Call them back, Shade.¡±


    Jason¡¯s shadow was one of Shade¡¯s three bodies, while the others were helping hold the lizard¡¯s attention. One of the tricks Belinda and Jason had developed was to use Shade to direct their familiars allowing them to work at a distance effectively. Belinda¡¯s familiars didn¡¯t hesitate to come back, then when Shade relayed the call to return.


    Most of the lizards had suffered brands put in place with unstoppable transcendent damage, far from crippling but painful. It had sent them into a frenzy in their pursuit of the familiars, which they immediately chased as the familiars started to fall back toward Belinda and Jason.


    The lizards were collected nicely in their pursuit, so when a crystal rod appeared in their midst, they were all within range of its effect.


    Ability: [Force Tether] (Trap)


    Conjuration.Cost: Low mana-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 1 (34%).Effect (iron): Conjures a crystal rod, from which a tether of shimmering force connects to all nearby enemies within a moderate range. Tethered enemies are dragged toward the rod, which is protected by a force field that inflicts moderate resonating force-damage to anyone in contact with it. If the force-field is ruptured, it explodes in a wave of resonating-force damage. If the rod is destroyed or removed from its location then it explodes in a wave of disruptive-force damage. Dimensional displacement, such as teleportation, severs the tether. Untethered enemies who enter within range of the rod become tethered. Only one rod may exist at a time.


    The force tether was a powerful control effect against groups of weaker enemies. Stronger enemies, or someone like Humphrey, could resist the pull of the rod with physical might. The lizards, however, were nowhere near as strong as they were tough. The tether quickly dragged them into a pile, burying the rod and its small force field underneath them. Belinda then used another conjuration power.


    Ability: [Pit of the Reaper] (Trap)


    Conjuration (dimension).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 2 minutes.Current rank: Iron 1 (14%).Effect (iron): Conjures a dimensional space pit on any horizontal surface. The surface does not need to be solid or supportive. Anyone inside the pit suffers ongoing necrotic damage. If this spell is cast again while a pit already exists, the existing pit vanishes, depositing anyone inside upon the surface on which the pit was conjured.


    A hole in the ground appeared under the pile of lizards and they fell in. A few lizards around the periphery remained outside of the pit from the sheer size of the monster pile managed to scramble out of the pit¡¯s area in time, but the crystal rod that was the source of the force tether in the air also fell down, dragging them over the edge and into the pit with the others. Being moved from its original location triggered the rod and its force field to explode, the twin waves of force smashing lizards into the frictionless walls of the pit.


    Soon, the shrieking cries of the lizards came rising up from the pit. The pit¡¯s necrotic damage was not a large amount but most of the lizards were stacked high with the sin affliction that multiplied it. The screams started to diminish as the lizards died, until the duration of the pit ended after just over a minute.


    The only lizards that survived were the ones who hadn¡¯t been branded because Jason and Belinda missed them in the original sprawling group. Those surviving lizards started moving in the direction of Belinda, Jason and the returned familiars.


    ¡°Gordon, intercept any that move on Belinda. Shade, one on me, one on Lindy and one with Gordon.¡±


    Jason broke into a sprint in the direction of the lizards. The familiars were quickly following. Jason leapt into the air, combining the power of his cloak and his magical boots to go sailing over the monsters.


    Item: [Sand-Cutter Boots] (iron rank, rare)


    Boots incorporating the chitin of a sand-cutter, inheriting some of its power (apparel, boots).


    Effect: Improved ability to walk on sand.Effect: Increased jump height and distance.Effect: Enhanced kick attack. Highly effective against enemies with strong earth affinity.


    He cut his hand as he passed over, raining Colin down over the monsters before he landed lightly on the other side. The now frenetic lizards wheeled around to go after him, even as Team Colin dug into them. Jason didn¡¯t bother trying to finish them himself, instead dancing around, playing distraction the way the familiars had before. Gordon and Belinda¡¯s lantern from the other side started beaming them, splitting their attention.


    Any time a lizard got too close, Jason swung a kick in front of it. A chain-whip of razor shards came out his boot with every kick, causing the lizards to flinch at the surprisingly deep lacerations it gouged out of them. Like many desert monsters, they had a strong earth affinity, making them vulnerable to the attacks of Jason¡¯s boots.


    Lack of intelligence was the biggest weakness that low-rank monsters possessed, Jason and his familiars playing them back and forth as Colin did his work. Jason could easily teleport between Shades, one remaining on the far side of the monsters, one with Belinda and one in between, with Gordon. Soon enough, the surviving stragglers were finished, Jason using his execute on some of them to help level the power.


    After the fight was done, the pair made their way back up the ridge. Belinda was exhausted, dripping with sweat despite the refreshing power of her magical bracelet. Jason had replenished himself on the bodies of the fallen monsters with his blood harvest spell, so was back to full strength.


    ¡°That was excellent,¡± Henrietta told them. ¡°Belinda, you''re only just beginning to realise the potential in your powers. You''ll be able to handle monsters of your own rank well enough, but once you have full command of your abilities, working alone would be an egregious waste. You need to be the mortar in a brick wall. You can make an adequate wall with just bricks, but the mortar makes it so much better than it ever could be without it.¡±


    She turned to Jason.


    ¡°You are something on an opposite,¡± she told him. ¡°You¡¯re strong on your own and you¡¯re harder to mesh with others without taking away some of your greatest strengths. Because of that, you need to develop different skill sets for when you''re operating in a team to working alone. To truly be part of the team you have to use them as more than just a distraction while you have your own fight. I have no doubt you could have conducted some version of what you did here by yourself, but by integrating your abilities you developed a reliable, effective and efficient strategy.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was kind of waiting for the turn-around there where you start telling me what I did wrong.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t perfect, by any means,¡± Henrietta said, ¡°but you''re coming along. Your rapid improvement tells me that Humphrey knew what he was doing when he put this team together. There''s a lot of potential here.¡±


    The team''s route had taken them north from Greenstone, up the coast, inland over the sands of what Jason knew as the Nambi desert and into the Kalahari. There was more plant life, patchy and dry though it was, with mountains dotting the horizon. Jason had been looking to his map as they travelled, which unveiled space as he passed through it. He had been watching as their path formed a loop of revealed space, his eyes always turning back to the point the loop would close.


    Because of his map ability, Jason had been playing team navigator. One of the map¡¯s functions, he discovered, was to mark waypoints, even to areas that were still veiled. He could use the waypoint to mark out a route and use the mini-map feature the map gained when it evolved to keep them on track. As navigator, Jason occupied the other front seat of the skimmer, next to Clive who was driving. When the loop had almost closed entirely, he leaned over at Clive and talked over the sound of air rushing through the magic ring at the back of the skimmer.


    ¡°Can we take a little detour?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Should only be about an hour out of our way for the skimmer.¡±


    ¡°What is it you want to see?¡± Henrietta asked from behind him.


    ¡°Some blood cultists tried to sacrifice me and my friends in this big ritual chamber, inside a mountain. I wouldn''t mind taking another look, now that I''m not terrified out of my wits and I''ve spent more than a few hours in this world.¡±


    ¡°I definitely want to see that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard the story and I¡¯d love to see where it happened.


    Henrietta looked at the others and got a general consensus of nods.


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± she said. ¡°Let¡¯s go take a look.¡±


    The entrance was a cave was easy to miss from any kind of distance, but they spotted the remnants of a magic Society expedition. Trash, debris and a couple of abandoned tents that seemed to have suffered a monster attack made for an obvious marker.


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem with these expeditions in the desert,¡± Clive said, examining the tents after the skimmer pulled up. ¡°There¡¯s not a lot out here, so they tend to attract monsters.¡±


    ¡°When did the Magic Society come here?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Right after Rufus gave his report to the Adventure Society,¡± Clive said. ¡°After hearing what happened, the Adventure Society referred it to us so we could assess the site for potential future threats.¡±


    ¡°Did you find any?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Might be worth knowing before we go in there.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°Ultimately, it was just an ordinary, if impressive ritual room. If anything, the main value is historical. Like the Sky River Aqueduct or the Order of the Reaper complex we found under the swamp, the ritual room here predates the settlement of Greenstone. It seems like the Vane family simply found it and made use of it.¡±


    They went in through the cave, down the long tunnel into the mountain. Glow stones were pulled out to light the way.


    ¡°The cult had these strange red lanterns that washed everything the colour of blood,¡± Jason said. I don¡¯t know if they had some kind of purpose, or were just aesthetic.¡±


    They emerged into the main chamber. The stairs, like carved pegs jutting out of the wall, wound their way up and around the cylindrical chamber. There were larger platforms at cardinal points as the stairway went up. On the floor level, what used to be the pool of blood-like liquid still occupied most of the space. It was now drained, reminding Jason of an empty swimming pool in some abandoned house.


    ¡°The pit was full of this nasty liquid,¡± Jason told the others walking over to look inside. It was about as deep as Jason was tall, a featureless pit of dark stone. ¡°There was a light shining out of it that washed everything red, like those lanterns I mentioned.¡±


    ¡°It smells like blood in here,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Not like it used to,¡± Jason said. ¡°The air was thick and heavy with it, then. I was pretty woozy because I''d already been knocked out a few times that day.¡±


    ¡°The Magic Society team examined and disposed of the liquid,¡± Clive said. ¡°It turned out to be mostly water, mixed with various alchemical materials. There was also a lot of blood in it. The team estimated at least a dozen people died to produce it. The report described the substance as reminiscent of blood that refused to dry or clot and was extremely unnerving, even with the magic within it gone dormant.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society made their own investigation,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was qualified to look at the report after I reached three stars. It turns out that the Vane family had been preying on the towns in the region for years and passing it off as monster attacks.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe they were really eating people,¡± Neil said. ¡°I knew Landemere Vane. Not well, but I saw him at social events.¡±


    ¡°I knew him as well,¡± Clive said. ¡°We shared the same magical specialty. I thought he was a genius, seeming to pluck these incredible innovations out of the air. Now we know he was getting them from the Builder cult all along.¡±


    Jason walked them through the events of that day, as best as he remembered them.


    ¡°This was the platform where they left me. They dropped Gary first because he was the heavy one. If you look over the edge you''ll see the doorway on the other side of the room. I jumped off the edge of the platform and used my cloak to float down. All I had was that and my dark vision power. My intention had been to run like hell, and I almost did.¡±


    ¡°But you came back,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°To hear Gary tell it,¡± Jason said, ¡°it was some brilliant scheme to lure off some of the cultists. The truth is, I really was running. But I was unconscious when I arrived and had no idea what was at the end of that tunnel. I knew I would need help if I didn''t want to be recaptured ten minutes later. Also, I''d been whacked around the brain too many times. My judgement was compromised.¡±


    They continued up the stairs.


    ¡°This is where Rufus had a sword fight, except his sword was this evil magic gardening trowel that I found at the Vane Estate. I wish I had a recording crystal of that. it was incredible.¡±


    They went all the way to the top, the platform once holding the altar now empty. He walked up to the edge, looking down with a sigh.


    ¡°The first time I ever deliberately killed a person was in this room. Landemere Vane was the first, back at the estate, but that just kind of happened when we were struggling over a knife.¡±


    ¡°These people would have killed you, too,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That¡¯s the whole reason they brought you here.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t regret the way it turned out. But this is the first place I ever decided to kill a person and then did it.¡±


    He turned back and gave Sophie a sad smile.


    ¡°You probably think I¡¯m a spoiled fool,¡± he said to her. ¡°The life you¡¯ve had, and here I am complaining about the things you probably did far younger.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely a fool,¡± Sophie said, giving him a wry smile. ¡°And yes, I had to make that decision younger than you. That doesn¡¯t make it easy, though, whenever it happens.¡±


    ¡°It was bandits, for me,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯d only just gotten my essences and was still training. I was out with my cousin, Ernest, who was looking through monster notices for something I could handle. We were on a hunt and came across this trade caravan fleeing from bandits. Their leader was bronze-rank, so Ernest was tied up fighting him while I took the others. I knew my special attacks were powerful, and I¡¯d seen what they could do in the mirage chamber, but it was different in real life. I mean, it wasn¡¯t, but it was. It¡¯s terrifying how easily people can die. That first bandit, when I hit her... it was like the top half of her just exploded, raining down into the mud in unrecognisable chunks. It didn¡¯t even land on me; the power blasted it all away. I remember thinking it was odd that I stayed clean.¡±


    ¡°It was bandits for me too,¡± Clive said. ¡°They raid the remote farms and ranches in the delta, sometimes. They didn¡¯t know my family had an adventurer son, or that he was visiting.¡±


    Clive¡¯s face twisted into an uncharacteristic rage.


    ¡°They found out,¡± he said quietly.


    They made their way back down to the bottom of the chamber and Jason pointed out scorch marks, hard to spot against the dark stone.


    ¡°This is where we fought the sanguine horror,¡± Jason said. ¡°Farrah got her suppression collar off and blasted it to ash.¡±


    ¡°Quite a way to begin your journey as an adventurer,¡± Henrietta said.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m not sure I even knew what an adventurer was, the last time I was here,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rufus, Farrah and Gary only had a chance to start answering my many, many questions on the way back to the Vane Estate. It¡¯ll be interesting to see that place again.¡±

 Chapter 201: Regretting it Later

    Jason looked around the skimmer as it sailed smoothly over the rocky ground. It was an unremarkable patch of desert, but the walk between the mountain and its hidden sacrifice chamber and the Vane Estate had been an important time for Jason. It was his first chance to slow down and get some answers from someone who didn¡¯t want to eat him or throw him in an evil blood pit.


    That was when he really met Rufus, with his solid dependability and Gary with his boisterous enthusiasm. Then there was Farrah. She was the one who made the team work, bringing Gary into line when it was time for business and loosening Rufus up when he was causing unnecessary tension. Smarter than either, she could have easily led a team of her own. She was wise enough to recognise that she didn¡¯t want to, leaving that to Rufus while she engaged in her own pursuits.


    Jason hadn¡¯t realised that, at the time. He was still agape at the terrifying volcano powers she had used to annihilate the sanguine horror. He was only just getting to know the people who would be his first friends and mentors in his new world.


    Returning to the place it had all started, the path he had taken weighed heavily on his mind. It was a path of violence from the very beginning, so different from the safe, prosperous life he had known. That first night he had spoken to Rufus of his fears, of what a life of violence could turn him into. Rufus had not given him the reassurance he sought.


    Instead, Rufus told Jason that he would have to choose between holding onto his innocence or seizing his own destiny. He promised that a life of adventure would give Jason the world, but it would come at a price. That price was safety and the inescapable stain of bloody hands. Looking back, Rufus¡¯ promise had been kept. Jason had money, power, influence. Precious friends and boon companions. But he had also faced danger, and been the danger faced by others. It could be considered a naivet¨¦, but he wondered if violence and killing had become too easy.


    The need for violence and the moral action was a harder thing to balance than he ever thought. He was proud of his growing capability, and largely of what he had done with it. But that pride also brought danger and regret. He¡¯d gone along with everyone else to fight the Ustei tribe on their sand barge, and while they had certainly needed to be stopped, no more than a token effort had been put towards conciliation. That he didn¡¯t know how many people he killed that day was bad enough. That it had been for someone else¡¯s reasons made it all the worse.


    He thought about the men he killed in the shopping arcade. For all that he told himself it was justified, he could have easily escaped without hurting anyone. In his most honest moments, he knew he didn¡¯t kill them in self-defence or through some need to send a message. Not any message worth sending, anyway. It had been pride. They had the temerity to challenge him and he had wanted ¨C needed ¨C to let everyone know that to come for him was to pay the price in blood.


    Thadwick Mercer was, at the core, a creature of pride. It was what made him so easy to wound and drove every mistake he made. In the Reaper trials, Jason had come face to face with his own dark future, with the place that pride would take him, if he was not mindful of it.


    That he had been more successful than Thadwick made people more accepting of his pride, but that was a trap. Something that made his pride more insidious, more dangerous. He had dismissed the Adventure Society¡¯s need for him to make a humble gesture, thinking himself clever for turning it to his own purpose. He was coming to realise that he had a greater need to find some humility than he thought.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Clive asked, next to him, as they crossed a rocky rise.


    When Jason had first spotted the Vane Estate those months ago, it had been an incongruous stretch of green. Rufus had remarked on what a waste of resources it was to maintain a temperate springtime in the middle of the desert. From the yellows and browns that had replaced the green, that price was apparently no longer being paid.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Jason said, double-checking his map. ¡°It looks a bit worse for wear than the last time I was there.¡±


    ¡°Stop the skimmer on the outside,¡± Henrietta said, leaning forward to speak to Clive. ¡°We don¡¯t think there¡¯ll be anyone in residence, but the Adventure Society wants us checking for a reason. Best not announce ourselves too loudly.¡±


    As they approached, they found wilting plants, withered bushes and half-barren trees, their remaining leaves the brown, red and yellow of deep autumn. The Vane Estate had been an English country garden, held in a perpetual spring. As the energy maintaining the artificial climate depleted, that spring was passing through a deep autumn on the way to a sun-scorched, desert winter.


    The pillars placed along the outside edge of the estate grounds still marked the border between the desert and the estate. Clive drew the skimmer up next to one and the team disembarked and stepped across the boundary. The air inside was still cooler than the desert, but hotter than what Jason remembered. Guided by Jason¡¯s map, they set off across the yellowing grass for the inner reaches of the sprawling estate.


    ¡°That¡¯s the hedge maze,¡± Jason pointed out. The towering hedge walls looked thinner than he remembered, the pale green hedges a pale reflection of its previous, lush glory. ¡°I came into this world somewhere in the middle of that.¡±


    ¡°Is that what made that big hole?¡± Sophie asked, pointing. There was a ragged arch in the hedges, mirrored in the hedges they could see through it.


    ¡°No, that was Gary,¡± Jason said. ¡°He and Farrah sent their summons right through the middle of it. He said it was to sweep out any cultists, but I think it was mostly to annoy Anisa.¡±


    ¡°Anisa?¡± Henrietta asked.


    ¡°Priestess of Purity. She was temporarily attached to Rufus¡¯ team. The church were the ones that sent them out here, which we think was all part of their game-playing. I have to imagine an alliance between them and the Builder cult is an uneasy one.¡±


    ¡°It seems dangerous for the cult to involve outsiders, like that,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Too much chance of exposure. Getting too impressed with the cleverness of your own plans is a sure way to mess them up.¡±


    ¡°The Builder cult apparently had their hearts set on this place,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can see how the combination of isolation, space and comfort would appeal. The matriarch of the house didn¡¯t like the Builders, though. Didn¡¯t approve of her son being part of the wrong cult.¡±


    ¡°You seem to run into a lot of cultists,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nothing,¡± Jason said. ¡°Back in my world they come to your door with pamphlets.¡±


    He turned his gaze back to the hedge maze.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t tell you exactly where I appeared in there. My arrival didn¡¯t seem to do any damage, and every place looks like every other in a maze. Which is the whole point, I guess.¡±


    As they progressed through the estate, they saw more and more damage beyond that caused by the desert reclaiming the land. Someone had a taken axe and flame to the place, breaking down outbuildings and torching gardens. When they reached the manor, it had clearly taken the brunt of whatever ire had driven the vandals. Only sections of burned and collapsed building still stood at the original height. Every section of wall intact enough to fit it had been painted with bright red graffiti, denouncing the inhabitants as blood drinkers and murderers.


    ¡°It seems word got out about the blood cult preying on the nearby towns and villages,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°There isn¡¯t much of a manor left to check out.¡±


    ¡°There were some fairly extensive cellars,¡± Jason said. ¡°They may be intact.¡±


    The team made their way into the gutted ruin of the manor house.


    ¡°Careful of the parts that haven¡¯t collapsed yet,¡± Henrietta warned.


    They quickly discovered that the floors had been burned through, dumping the charred remains of the house above into blackened piles in the expansive cellar space. Jason managed to find the entrance to the underground ritual room, but the tunnel was packed tight with debris.


    ¡°Should we dig it out?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°If we did it fast, what¡¯s left of the house would collapse on us. If we went carefully, it would take too long and might collapse anyway.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s another entrance,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s bit of a crawl through a tight, wet tunnel. Which is at the bottom of a well. After that, though, it¡¯s just a subterranean cave with a walkway and you¡¯re there.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to go that far,¡± Henrietta said.


    ¡°Perhaps we should be thorough,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Alright, we¡¯ll compromise,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°I¡¯ll sweep my aura senses from above through that cave system. It should be between here and the centre of the maze, right?¡±


    ¡°I can put us right over it, using my map,¡± Jason said. ¡°Maybe we should actually go down and take a look, though.¡±


    ¡°By crawling through a wet tunnel at the bottom of a well?¡± Neil said. ¡°If there were still cultists here, then they would have killed the people who came to burn this place down. Or left, if it happened before they came back.¡±


    ¡°It does seem worthless as a place to hole up,¡± Clive said. ¡°Without the manor, it¡¯s just a place they¡¯ve been known to use in the past. That makes it all threat and no value. Even if they came here, they would have moved on.¡±


    ¡°That does make sense,¡± Humphrey acknowledged.


    ¡°Still, I¡¯ll do the aura sweep, just to be thorough,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°We don¡¯t want to go regretting it later.¡±


    From within the edge of the estate grounds, Timos and Zato watched the skimmer disappear into the distance.


    ¡°Consider this a formal apology,¡± Zato said. ¡°I thought your ideas were overwrought. Burning down the manor and moving everyone into the cave. Using so many of our resources setting up the aura suppression. You protected our final chance. Even if we killed them, more would come looking.¡±


    ¡°Our work here will take months,¡± Timos said. ¡°I knew someone would come, eventually. I remained hidden in Greenstone for so long because I was more careful and more thorough than anyone believed I had reason to be. If the leadership hadn¡¯t felt Thadwick was worth risking exposure, I¡¯d be hidden there still.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve made a believer out of me,¡± Zato said. ¡°You¡¯re in charge of keeping us secure. Whatever measures you think necessary, take them. So long as it doesn¡¯t compromise the work.¡±


    The team moved south from the Vane Estate, following the direction, but not the path Jason had once taken to the Mistrun River. The direct route they had taken at that time had required most of a week on foot. The team anticipated taking about the same amount of time because of their zig-zag route that would visit all the local towns and villages, with all the time it would take to clear off their adventure boards.


    The skimmer garnered attention as it arrived in the North-East Quarry Village Number Four. Such a magical conveyance was only ever used by adventurers or big shots coming to check out the quarry operations, so the villagers immediately knew that important visitors had come.


    The village was situated in a ring around a lake fed by a channel leading from the nearby mountain that was the site of the quarries. A waterfall sprayed out of a hole in the mountainside, feeding the channel.


    ¡°I was sprayed out of the mountain by that waterfall,¡± Jason said, pointing it out.


    ¡°Why would you jump into that spray?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I was up there taking a look when it turned off,¡± Jason said. ¡°Me and another bloke were taking a look when it turned back on.


    ¡°It¡¯s fed by an aperture, right?¡± Henrietta asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There were a number of instances of the aperture¡¯s being interrupted,¡± Clive said. ¡°It was the whole reason the expedition was formed in the first place. That must have been one of the earliest incidents. What happened, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I was standing right next to the stream when it stopped. The caretaker and I went for a closer look and a shab came through. It was my first iron-rank monster. We killed it, and then the water turned back on. It threw me, the other guy and a bunch of extra shabs right off the side of the mountain. It was kind of awesome, actually. Most of the shabs died when they hit the ground, but a few survived by landing in the water, although they still took a good hit from that height. Rufus, Gary and Farrah were off chasing the guy that set them up for the blood cult, so me, the other guy and Colin finished the shabs off.¡±


    Their arrival having been noticed, the mayor was soon hurrying out to greet them.


    ¡°Jason? Jason Asano?¡±


    ¡°G¡¯day, Greg,¡± Jason said, shaking the mayor¡¯s hand. He looked Jason up and down, taking in the dark combat robes, a sword on one hip and a dagger on the other, his bandolier full of throwing darts.


    ¡°Look at you, all intimidating,¡± Greg said. ¡°Every inch the successful adventurer.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t rush to conclusions,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m the reason my team got stuck with punishment detail.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do recall your friend mentioning you would be by soon enough. Are they doing well?¡±


    Jason forced himself to keep the easy smile on his face as he recalled Farrah¡¯s flippant remark.


    ¡°Let me introduce you to some new friends,¡± he said, giving Greg all their names.


    ¡°Geller?¡± Greg asked. ¡°As in¡­¡±


    ¡°No, not those Gellers,¡± Jason said. ¡°These two are from the other Geller family. Very big in the peat trade. As the saying goes, if you want to find a Geller, look in that disgusting peat bog. These are some of the first to go into adventuring. Not the actual first, though. It was a shame about the others. Such an undignified way to die.¡±


    Henrietta watched Jason from under raised eyebrows as Neil shook his head. Humphrey took it in stride, also shaking the mayor¡¯s hand. Greg led them into the village, along the ring road that circled the lake. They drew a lot of attention, some people coming up and greeting Jason by name.


    ¡°My daughter still has that spirit coin you gave her when you had her run from the monsters. She keeps it in a box like a treasure.¡±


    Jason would share a few words before they let let the intimidating cluster of adventurers move on.


    ¡°Dan,¡± Jason greeted one man. ¡°We¡¯ll have to get some of that grilled giant worm.¡±


    ¡°Not this time of year,¡± Dan said as he shook Jason¡¯s hand. ¡°We don¡¯t take them during their breeding season. I can do you a steamed pockmark lizard, if you like.¡±


    ¡°Sounds terrible,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m in.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Neil said as they made their way to the adventure notice board. ¡°You were here for what? A couple of days, half a year ago?¡±


    ¡°It was three, I think,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How do you know all these people?¡±


    ¡°You aristocrats are all about dignity and status,¡± Clive said. ¡°We regular folk appreciate someone who doesn¡¯t climb up on their high heidel. And say what you will about Jason, it¡¯s clear that if he was ever on a high heidel, he fell off.¡±


    The team found the adventure board notices and Henrietta looked them over.


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing impressive here,¡± she said. ¡°If you like, Asano, you can stay here while the rest of us handle these and pick you up after. You seem to have some catching up to do.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can call in on an old friend.¡±


    ¡°Three days, six months ago,¡± Neil said again. ¡°How do you have old friends?¡±


    ¡°The Magic Society have actually been looking into it,¡± Jason said. ¡°It turns out that once you cross a certain charisma threshold, its starts warping reality around you.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear,¡± Clive said, ¡°The Magic Society has not been doing that.¡±


    Jason was sitting in the yard of Hiram, the caretaker of the local astral space aperture. They had been thrown off the mountain and fought the monsters that emerged from it together. His home faced onto the lake, where his granddaughter splashed about with some of the neighbours¡¯ children.


    ¡°Things here have been just fine,¡± Hiram said. ¡°I want to hear all about your exciting adventures.¡±


    ¡°I might have had a close call or two,¡± Jason said. ¡°There was actually something of a contest for adventurers that¡­¡±


    Jason trailed off as rainbow light started shining from the middle of the lake. He leapt out of the lounger, stern gaze locked onto that light. It was growing rapidly, to a size indicating a bronze, or possibly even silver manifestation.


    ¡°What is it with this village? Hiram, you need to evacuate. Everyone, the whole village. If you have some kind of shelter, put them in it. Otherwise, just get everyone as far away as you can.¡±


    ¡°How long before it finishes manifesting?¡± Hiram asked.


    ¡°If it¡¯s bronze-rank,¡± Jason said, ¡°maybe quarter of an hour. I can probably handle that, though. If it¡¯s silver you have twice as long, but there won¡¯t be anything I can do.¡±


    Hiram nodded and headed for the children who had stopped playing and were looking at the beautiful rainbow vortex.

 Chapter 202: Swat

    Jason extended his shadow arm to the roof of Hiram¡¯s house as his shadow cloak appeared around him. He reduced his weight and retracted the arm, pulling himself lightly onto the roof. He looked around the village and saw people scrambling to get their families and go. They knew what a monster manifestation meant and none of them had seen anything as large as the rainbow vortex now shining over the surface of the lake.


    The rest of his team was out of voice communication range. They would be back some time in the next few hours, depending on how long it took them to chase down the monsters they were hunting.


    Jason turned his grim gaze back to the vortex. It was definitely going to be silver rank, which gave the villagers more time, but it wouldn¡¯t be enough. There was no way to evacuate the whole village in half an hour, not with children and the elderly. Someone was going to have to buy them time and the only person on hand was him.


    He had no illusions of defeating a silver-rank monster. He was confident against a bronze-ranked one, even a bronze-rank essence user, if they were of the mediocre variety that inhabited Greenstone¡¯s lower rungs. A silver-ranked monster, though, was not something he could beat. Even with his powers to reduce the resistances of an enemy, his afflictions would spatter off anything silver-rank like rain off an umbrella.


    Essence users advanced in a well-rounded manner, with all their attributes going up with rank. Even if they had no powers to boost them, every essence user would be faster and stronger than they were at the rank before. Monsters did not conform to that balance. Some were fast, some were strong; others were physically weak yet possessed potent magical powers. Jason needed the silver rank monster to be big and slow, just as he normally preferred.


    If it was big and slow, there was a good chance he could kite the monster away from the villagers. If it was fast, or had some strange powers, it might well kill Jason in moments before rampaging through the fleeing villagers. Jason watched and waited, knowing that life or death for himself and hundreds of others was just a matter of fortune.


    This was the third magic manifestation Jason had witnessed, after the awakening stone and the other silver rank monster. Silver-rank monsters were rare in the low magic region, yet he had been close to two of them manifesting in a month. It was possible the monster surge was imminent after all.


    He had been told that no two manifestations happened exactly the same way, although he was having trouble getting excited for it, with his mind dwelling on his likely imminent death. Eventually, the rainbow vortex started to shrink, coalescing into a sphere that grew brighter and brighter, until Jason had to shield his eyes against it. He could see the village washed in blue light, as if a cerulean sun had appeared over the lake. Then the light dimmed and he was able to look again. He watched the sphere of blue light drop into the water and vanish.


    There was an odd stillness from Jason¡¯s perspective, although in the distance he could still see villagers scrambling to flee. The light show had done nothing to allay their fears. Around Jason, though, all was quiet.


    The moment passed as a humungous plume of water erupted from the lake, geysering into the air like a bomb went off in the depths. Waves rippled outward, rocking the boats tied up at jetties along the shore. Lake water fell like rain and Jason feared a repeat of what happened in the city with the small army of elementals.


    Jason strained his aura senses at every pool and puddle that was forming, looking for manifesting elementals. He found the water seemed blessedly inert, aside from the single silver-rank aura bulging out from the centre of the lake. His eyes tracked to the very centre of the lake, where not all the water had fallen back down. Some had taken the form of an elemental, standing on the surface of the lake.


    The elemental  was unlike the formless blobs he had seen in the past. It resembled a statue, carved from water and filled with chunks of rock floating through its liquid body. It looked like a person, an armoured woman with greaves, breastplate and helmet, even a shield in one hand. In the other was a long whip, trailing from her grip down to the lake. The whip was filled with what looked like razor sharp stones along its length.


    Quest: [Evacuation]


    The villagers of North east Quarry Village Number Four need time to get their people away from the monster that appeared in their midst. You are all that stands between them and a quick death.


    Objective: Delay [Oasis Tyrant] until the villagers escape or help arrives.Reward: [Amulet of the Dark Guardian].


    Jason let out a breath, realising that all the news was good. Normally an elemental was a bad matchup for him, but anything at silver-rank was as immune to his afflictions as an elemental anyway. Elementals of the water and earth variety were not known for speed, which was the province of wind and fire types. Most importantly, it was alone. It would be powerful, but all he had to do was distract the one monster for as long as the villagers took to get away.


    If he could keep it from going after the villagers until they were gone, then that would be a win. If he could do it long enough for the others to get back, it would be a triumph. Henrietta was the only one who would have the power to fight the monster and even that would be no easy fight.


    Jason called out Shade and Gordon. Colin would be most useful remaining in his bloodstream, healing the injuries Jason would inevitably be taking.


    ¡°Shade, I¡¯ll be relying on you for movement. One of you stays with me, keep your other bodies where I can jump to them at need. The villagers are escaping to the north, so we¡¯ll start by heading south. We¡¯ll use the buildings ringing the lake for cover and slowly work our way around. By the time we reach where the villagers are now, they should be gone. Gordon, stick with me. When I shadow jump, catch up as quick as you can.¡±


    Jason drew his sword and looked at the elemental. Despite not having eyes, it was turning its head as if panning its gaze around the village.


    ¡°Gordon, grab its attention.¡±


    Twin beams blasting out from the eyes orbiting the avatar of doom signalled the beginning of the fight. The elemental, standing on the surface of the lake, turned its gaze from the village to hone in on Gordon.


    The elemental was a towering figure, three times the height of the house Jason was standing on. Just as he had hoped, it¡¯s steps were slow and ponderous, even though it walked over the surface of the water as if it weighed nothing. Once it drew closer, however, Jason discovered he hadn¡¯t gotten off as lightly as he believed. The elemental flicked its tree trunk-thick whip of water and razor rocks in Jason¡¯s direction.


    The elemental might have been slow but the whip was not. Jason barely had time to leap off the roof before the whip smashed through the front wall of Hiram¡¯s house. As it yanked the whip back again, the roof was torn in half, what was left collapsing into the interior.


    Gordon had followed Jason from Hiram¡¯s rooftop to that of the next cottage by turning into a nebula cloud of blue and orange energy. In cloud form he made a rapid dash through the air before returning to his normal state. Jason was able to make such a huge leap to the next rooftop because of the jumping magic on his boots. At that moment, he was sending a silent blessing in the direction of the Bert brothers, Gilbert and Filbert, who had found them for him.


    The fight between Jason and the elemental was not a fight at all. It was a cat and mouse game, a housekeeper swatting at a skittering bug. Gordon would emerge from between a pair of buildings and fire beams at the elemental. Jason would use that distraction to extend his shadow arm and land a blow with his sword, striking at the whip.


    While the elemental used it as if it were a separate weapon, it was part of the elemental itself. It didn¡¯t really matter, since the sword was all but harmless. The goal was to hold the elemental¡¯s attention. After attacking, Jason would vanish into Shade before Shade himself flickered away like the shadow of a cloud.


    The game was not an easy one. Because the whip was an animate part of the elemental, it was not bound by the motion of an actual whip. It lashed and flailed, snaked and sought in pursuit of it¡¯s elusive prey. As Jason and Gordon hid amongst the trees and garden, homes and shops, the passage of the whip devastated them all. Cottages were smashed to rubble, trees slapped right out of the ground in the attempt to swat down Jason and his familiars.


    Jason ducked amongst the trees and buildings, sprinting, leaping, teleporting. It was close call after close call as the whip snaked around or smashed right through the obstructions he was using as cover. He was continually forced to find new ground to hide in as the monster smashed its way around the village in a circle. He realised that he was burning through village faster than the villagers could evacuate it. The contest was not just whether Jason could survive, but whether the villagers could evacuate while there was village to evacuate from.


    From his first day of training, Gary had been hammering movement skills into Jason, and Sophie had taught him even more. She seemed to have a preternatural sense for motion, helping him incorporate each new power in efficient, innovative ways. All that training and practise was showing its value as he was pushed to the limit of his abilities and beyond.


    In the crucible of action he was pulling off wild stunts he had barely learned for the simple reason that he had to. He wasn¡¯t even sure he had adrenaline anymore, but it felt his whole body was flush with it. He would leap up high, floating with his cloak as he tugged himself though the air by gripping a tree or building with his shadow arm. It allowed him to air dodge the crashing whip as it tried to slap him into the ground.


    He dashed wildly through the increasingly ruined village, retaliating only enough to make sure the elemental kept coming after him. The pinpricks of his sword weren¡¯t truly hurting it but seemed to annoy and frustrate as it became more wild in thrashing the whip.


    Gordon was a loyal companion, following Jason¡¯s wild rush through the ruins of the once-beautiful village. Gordon¡¯s normal form was not swift, so he spent more time in his rapid, nebulous cloud form than not. Meanwhile, Shade was constantly repositioning his bodies to give Jason places to teleport to.


    One of Shade¡¯s bodies was the first casualty, left behind as Jason barely teleported through it in time. The whip did not have any inherent power to affect incorporeal objects, but the silver-rank monster was so infused with magic that it ripped apart the iron-rank familiar.


    Gordon was the second casualty. His cloud dash was fast but his reflexes were otherwise sluggish. He took one glancing hit, then a second, before a square blow slapped him into nothingness, his vessel dissipating entirely.


    Jason was increasingly feeling the pressure. Losing one of the Shades hampered his mobility and he no longer had Gordon as a secondary distraction. When he had the chance he glanced to the evacuating villagers, confirming his fears that he wasn¡¯t buying enough time. The village was being wrecked faster than they could vacate it, the destruction moving closer and closer to their evacuation point. Just as despair began to well up, he received blessed relief.


    Contact [Clive Standish] has entered communication range.Contact [Henrietta Geller] has entered communication range.Contact [Sophie Wexler] has entered communication range.Contact [Belinda Callahan] has entered communication range.Contact [Neil Davone] has entered communication range.Contact [Humphrey Geller] has entered communication range.


    ¡°HELP!¡± he screamed through the voice chat. ¡°SILVER-RANK MONSTER!¡±


    Henrietta¡¯s voice came back through the voice chat in a stream of expletives.


    ¡°She means we¡¯re on our way,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°How long do you think you can hold out?¡±


    ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m surprised I lasted this¡­¡± Jason said before cutting himself off to duck under a sweeping whip strike that shattered the wall behind him and showered him in debris.


    ¡°If you could hear extraneous sounds,¡± Jason said as he sprinted off, ¡°you would have just heard a house collapse. Can¡¯t really talk.¡±


    ¡°Stay sharp and stay alive, Asano,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°We¡¯re on our way.¡±


    Renewed hope filled Jason with fresh determination. The villagers needed him to keep the monster away from them and he was running out of village, so he was forced to stay longer in the already-wrecked sections where the cover wasn¡¯t as plentiful and the elemental could more easily track his movements. He took greater risks and more desperate chances. Finally, one of the increasingly close calls was too close and the whip found its mark.


    It was little more than a glancing blow but Jason felt like he¡¯d been hit by a truck, his body skipping like a stone across the ground before crashing into a wall. Barely able to move, he reached down and took a vial from his potion belt. The enchantment on the belt protecting them from incidental damage was one of his oldest items and he silently thanked Gary for insisting he buy it. Thumbing the stopper from the vial, he tipped it down his throat.


    Item: [Lesser Miracle Potion] (iron rank, legendary)


    Salvation in a bottle (consumable, potion).


    Effect: Fully restore health, mana and stamina. This potion is only effective on normal and iron-rank individuals. The magic of this potion lingers in the body longer than normal potions, preventing additional healing and recovery items from being effective for a longer period.


    Jason experienced a sensation unlike anything he had ever felt. Power, strength and vitality were a raging river, crashing through his body. It was performing at a packed-out arena; winning a grand final. It was being born while having an orgasm. He vaulted to his feet, ignoring the rents in his combat robes. The whip was coming in to finish the job, but he suddenly felt like he could beat the elemental single-handed.


    Fortunately, that delusion passed quickly and he got out of the way. His shadow hand snaked out, much like the whip that was chasing him, to snatch up his dropped sword and continue the fight.


    Over the course of the chase, Jason had landed many hits with his sword and built up considerable charges of extra force damage. He estimated it was more than any previous encounter, yet the iron-rank weapon took no more than thumbnail-sized divots out of the silver-rank elemental.


    Jason continued his mad dash, buying as much time as he could as his situation deteriorated. Shade¡¯s second body was destroyed, then his third. In Shade¡¯s absence he was conjuring and re-conjuring his cloak as he teleported through it to any shadow he could see. The reinvigorating effect of the potion was spent as he burned through stamina and mana both, riding more and more on the edge. Hiding had become a constant state of evasion, his body riddled with cuts from debris smashed into flying shards. He no longer had time to check on the villagers, or try and slow down the destruction of their village.


    The end came when he sensed a bundle of new auras approaching. He recognised his team and let out a weary laugh. That moment¡¯s distraction proved costly as the whip slammed into him. A stone shard within the whip tore across his torso as it sent him careening through the air. He was already unconscious when he hit a wall like a bug on a windshield.

 Chapter 203: The Purpose of the Adventure Society

    Jason returned to consciousness to find a small face looking down at him.


    ¡°GRANDPA!¡± she yelled at a brain-rattling volume. ¡°He¡¯s awake!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s also a little delicate,¡± Jason croaked as Hiram¡¯s granddaughter skipped off to find her grandfather.


    He brushed aside the system messages for the moment to push himself into a sitting position and look around. He was in one of the cottages in the village from the looks of it, but not Hiram¡¯s. That had been the first one destroyed under the whip that swept through the village like a wrecking ball. The bed he was laying on was in a small bedroom, with a large open window letting in pleasant fresh air.


    As he was glancing around, Hiram made his way into the room, along with Humphrey and Neil. Neil pushed his way to the front and started examining Jason by pulling a crystal from his dimensional satchel and waving it over Jason.


    Jason looked down as he did, spotting a scar running from his right hip to the middle of his torso on the other side. Neil spotted his gaze.


    ¡°Nothing I can do about that,¡± Neil said. ¡°Soul scar. Physically, you¡¯re fine, just very depleted. Don¡¯t go trying to rush your recovery with stamina and mana potions, though. You¡¯ve been asleep for four days, so take it slow.¡±


    ¡°Four days?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you realise how close to death you came,¡± Neil said. ¡°We almost fed you a lesser miracle potion before I checked for potion toxicity and realised you were still getting over one. The state you were in, another one would have finished you off. If it weren¡¯t for your outworlder body and that familiar inside you, I doubt you¡¯d have lived long enough for my healing to take effect.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Neil,¡± Jason said. ¡°And thanks to you too, Colin. What about the monster?¡±


    ¡°Henrietta took care of it,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t easy, though. She lost a couple of her familiars and had to resummon them after.¡±


    ¡°I did too,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll need to get the materials, though. I only have the bronze-rank equivalents I bought for when I rank up.¡±


    He swung his feet off the bed and held out a hand. Humphrey took it and helped him to his feet, supporting him when he staggered.


    ¡°Take it easy,¡± Neil said. ¡°You¡¯re still recovering from all that healing. We¡¯re not going anywhere for at least another day while you recover. I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re hungry?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, now you say it.¡±


    ¡°Spirit coins, one every hour or so to replenish your reserves. No food for at least a day.¡±


    ¡°How flexible is the no food thing.¡±


    ¡°Not flexible at all,¡± Neil said. ¡°Normally I¡¯d tell you that if you want to mess up your recovery, that¡¯s your business, but you¡¯re part of this team. We have to rely on you, so get it right.¡±


    Jason gave Neil a grateful smile.


    ¡°Alright, mate. The food stays stashed in my storage space for now.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to got that far,¡± Neil said. ¡°The rest of us can eat food while you watch and suck on a spirit coin.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s cold.¡±


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Tingly. Weak.¡±


    Jason looked himself up and down. He was wearing only the silk boxer shorts he¡¯d had on when he was knocked unconscious. The combat robes and underclothes were gone, as was the blood and sweat he was certain had stained them during the fight. Someone had clearly stripped him down and tipped some crystal wash over him.


    ¡°That¡¯s normal,¡± Neil said. ¡°As long as you keep eating spirit coins and focus on rest, you¡¯ll be back to full strength in a day or two. I¡¯d recommend using the time to meditate.¡±


    Jason spotted his combat robe on a wall hanger, dangling from a peg. Like him, four days had been enough for it to recover as the self-repair magic restored it to pristine condition. Also like him, it had been cleaned.


    ¡°Thank you for what you did,¡± Hiram said as Jason took the robe and placed it into his inventory.


    ¡°Was it enough?¡± Jason asked as dark mist appeared around his body, obscuring him for a moment before disappearing, revealing Jason changed into casual clothes. ¡°Did everyone get away?¡±


    ¡°There was a lot of debris flying around, even at a distance,¡± Hiram said. ¡°There were a lot of cuts and scrapes, but your team¡¯s healer saw to everyone after he had you settled. Hard worker, that one. We did lose a pair of elderly people. Their family were out of the village and with everyone in a mad panic, no one checked on them.¡±


    Jason hung his head. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Hiram.¡±


    ¡°You have nothing to be sorry for,¡± Hiram admonished. ¡°Nothing at all. Do not even try and apologise after fighting a monster like that.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it a fight,¡± Jason said. ¡°More like a mad scramble to not die.¡±


    ¡°You did better than anyone had any right to expect,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Not many iron-rankers would have even tried what you did.¡±


    ¡°You would have done it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t,¡± Neil volunteered. ¡°I¡¯d have run as fast as I could while complaining I didn¡¯t have powers to run faster.¡±


    ¡°I get that,¡± Jason said with a chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s pretty much what I did.¡±


    Jason took out an iron spirit coin and slipped it into his mouth. He grimaced at the ozone taste.


    ¡°Good boy,¡± Neil said and Jason groaned in complaint.


    ¡°Feel ready to go out?¡± Hiram asked. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of people waiting to thank you.¡±


    ¡°No thanks,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let Belinda turn into me and they can thank her.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to run around playing hero,¡± Neil said, ¡°you¡¯ll have to accept people treating you like one.¡±


    ¡°What Neil means is that the people here want to show you their gratitude,¡± Henrietta said, walking into the room. ¡°Part of the job is to let them. They need to know that the Adventure Society will be there when they need it most. The purpose of the Adventure Society, after all, is to let people live, without living in fear.¡±


    She glanced at her brother, then turned back to Jason.


    ¡°Our family has certain views on what makes a real adventurer¡±, she said. ¡°A lot of adventurers get caught up in the money and power of what we do and put aside the responsibility. You¡¯re a real adventurer, Asano, and let no one tell you differently. How are you, by the way.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s as well as can be expected,¡± Neil said. ¡°He¡¯s still a day or two from getting back on the road, though.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t he rest sitting in the skimmer?¡± Henrietta asked.


    ¡°It would be better if he has the freedom to walk about a bit and the peace to meditate without the skimmer¡¯s air intake roaring behind him.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°Are you ready to go out and meet with people, Asano? You might as well get it over with.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯d like a little time to gather myself. I¡¯ll be out in a minute.¡±


    The others shuffled out of the small room and Jason sat back on the bed, turning his attention to the system messages he had banished to the periphery of his vision.


    Quest: [Evacuation]


    Objective complete: Delay [Oasis Tyrant] until the villagers escape or help arrives.Quest complete.100 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1,000 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.10,000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.[Amulet of the Dark Guardian] has been added to your inventory.


    Jason took the item reward from his inventory. It hung on a chain made of intricate links of carved obsidian. The amulet itself depicted a replica of Jason¡¯s personal crest, a cloak filled with daylight sky, surrounded by the night.


    Item: [Amulet of the Dark Guardian] (growth, iron rank, legendary)


    A protective amulet with the power of a shadowy guardian (jewellery, necklace).


    This item is bound to you and cannot be used by anyone else.Effect: For each instance of an affliction applied to an enemy, gain an instance of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing]. You may bestow all instances of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] upon another person by touch.[Guardian¡¯s Blessing] (boon, holy): Instances are consumed to absorb damage from any source. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. For each instance consumed, gain an instance of [Blessing¡¯s Bounty].[Blessing¡¯s Bounty] (heal-over-time, holy, stacking): Heal over time. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Growth Conditions (bronze):


    Bound user must be at least bronze rank.100 bronze-rank barrier quintessence gems.100 bronze-rank renewal quintessence gems.100 bronze-rank balance quintessence gems.100 bronze-rank malign quintessence gems.1000 bronze rank spirit coins.Ritual of bronze ascension.


    Jason clasped the chain behind his neck, slipping the amulet under his clothes.


    ¡°I think you and I are going to get along just fine.¡±


    It did mean more materials he had to buy, however. He had blown most of his money on getting materials ready for bronze rank, plus the resources he had been literally pouring into the cloud flask. He had brought two sets of bronze-rank summoning materials for each of his familiars, in case their vessels were destroyed, but he hadn¡¯t expected it to happen while he was still iron rank. Replacing the materials to resummon Shade would be bearable, but even the iron rank materials for Gordon were onerous.


    Fortunately, the quest had given him a monetary haul, which should put a dent in his costs. He also had the loot from the elemental. Neil had used his own looting power on it after Henrietta defeated it. The team decided that Jason and Henrietta should split the loot, as both had expensive summoning rituals to perform as a direct result. Along with the spirit coins, Henrietta had laid claim to a magical bronze-rank whip made of water filled with razor-sharp stones. Jason received a epic-rarity discord essence.


    He turned to the other system message.


    New Title: [Resolute]


    The damage you suffered in your stand against a much more powerful enemy has marked your soul. Your resistance to the suppressive force of higher-ranked auras is increased.Your aura signature has changed. Your unflinching resolve can be detected if your aura is examined by an aura sensing power or when projecting your aura.


    Jason unbuttoned his shirt and traced his fingers along the scar, from his right hip, across his abdomen and curving a little way around the left side of his torso. It was strange to see a scar that looked healed, yet he had only found there minutes before.


    Once again, he had edged right up to death. The more his powers grew, the greater the dangers he faced. This time has been a greater escalation than he had been looking for, though. He thought back to those moments when he was waiting for the monster to manifest, unsure if he would live or die.


    In the end, he was lucky with the monster that appeared. Too many times it had been luck that kept him alive. From the beginning, he had become an adventure to seize control of his own fate. He had to get stronger, strong enough to face any challenge. He stood up, his face full of steely resolve. Then he got dizzy and sat down again, before getting up more slowly.


    The waterfall sprayed out of the mountain, falling into the pool at the base, flowing into the channel that fed the lake around which the village was built. The force of the water sent it tumbling through the air instead of washing down the cliff face, leaving a space under waterfall at the base of the cliff. It was a favourite play area of the village children, jumping from the rocks into the pool. They were all strong swimmers, which was an oddity for children of the desert.


    None of the children were present, most of the families having already left the village. Those still present weren¡¯t letting their children out of their sight. With only a handful of homes left, most of the villagers had already headed for the fortified town where the regional villages waited out monster surges. Jason had visited that town himself, once, where Rufus had introduced him to the adventuring boards.


    The remaining villagers occupied the small cluster off intact buildings. Leaving a small bedroom to Jason alone was a grand accommodation, in the circumstances. They had never intended to stay the night, so Jason had not set up his cloud house before the fight.


    Quarry operations would not be resuming until the village was once again in a state to support them. Those that stayed behind were the mayor, the quarry operations manager and the other town leaders who were planning out the reconstruction of the village. Their plans were very up in the air, however, with the uncertainty surrounding the overdue monster surge.


    Jason¡¯s experiences made him more comfortable with people being annoyed, confused or both than with sincere displays of gratitude. He did a lot of smiling and handshaking, while in his head he was waiting for a shoe that never dropped. Eventually Henrietta rescued him, telling the people that he needed more rest. Hiram quietly suggested the spot by the mountain, knowing Jason was going to go off and meditate.


    He sat alone on a wet rock, meditating as errant waterfall spray splashed him with pleasant coolness. He let his mind drift and the weariness of his body fade away. Periodically he would emerge from a trance state, slip a spirit coin into his mouth and then resume meditation.


    System messages appeared periodically, which he ignored until he felt a wellspring of power building up, filling his chest with an uncomfortable pressure. He coughed up phlegm speckled with blood, which splashed into the water. Blue grey light started to shine from within his body.


    Ability [Hand of the Reaper] (Dark) has reached Iron 2 (100%).Ability [Hand of the Reaper] (Dark) has reached Iron 3 (00%).All [Dark Essence] abilities have reached [Iron 3].Linked attribute [Speed] has increased from [Iron 2] to [Iron 3].Progress to bronze rank: 50% (4/4 essences complete).


    Many of Jason¡¯s most advanced abilities had finally seen real movement in the wake of the fight, including the Midnight Eyes power which, in spite of barely being used, was within grasping distance of becoming Jason¡¯s first bronze rank power.


    The sun was going down and it was time to return to the village where he had set up the cloud house. Before he left, though, he opened up his character sheet to look at his progress.


    Jason Asano


    Attributes


    [Power] (Blood):[Iron 7].[Speed] (Dark): [Iron 3].[Spirit] (Doom): [Iron 3].[Recovery] (Sin): [Iron 7].


    Essences (4/4)


    Dark [Speed] (5/5)


    [Midnight Eyes] (special ability): [Iron 9] 99%.[Cloak of Night] (special ability): [Iron 9] 12%.[Path of Shadows] (special ability): [Iron 8] 41%.[Hand of the Reaper] (special ability): [Iron 3] 00%.[Shadow of the Reaper] (familiar): [Iron 3] 09%.


    Blood [Power] (5/5)


    [Blood Harvest] (spell): [Iron 7] 41%.[Leech Bite] (special attack): [Iron 8] 14%.[Feast of Blood] (spell): [Iron 7] 02%.[Sanguine Horror] (familiar): [Iron 8] 89%.[Haemorrhage] (spell): [Iron 8] 92%.


    Sin [Recovery] (5/5)


    [Punish] (special attack): [Iron 8] 45%.[Feast of Absolution] (spell): [Iron 7] 63%.[Sin Eater] (special ability): [Iron 7] 69%.[Hegemony] (aura): [Iron 9] 18%.[Castigate] (spell): [Iron 8] 21%.


    Doom [Spirit] (5/5)


    [Inexorable Doom] (spell): [Iron 8] 97%.[Punition] (spell): [Iron 8] 24%.[Blade of Doom] (spell): [Iron 8] 26%.[Verdict] (spell): [Iron 6] 94%.[Avatar of Doom] (familiar): [Iron 3] 12%.


    He was now well and truly on the path to bronze. His newest powers hadn¡¯t been increasing much during training but the regular hunts as they travelled around, clearing adventure notices had seen a surge. By the time they reached the heights of his older powers, it would probably take bronze-rank monsters to really push him over the line in anything like timely fashion.


    He got up and meandered back into the village, walking barefoot across the lush grass that grew alongside the channel, in defiance of the desert surrounds. He was struck again by the destruction visited upon the village. If the sudden preponderance of silver-rank monsters was any indication, he would have all the monsters he needed to rank up in the very near future.

 Chapter 204: Elven Storage Solutions

    The cloud house had taken the form of a large two-storey building of desert stone. Jason found Clive and Belinda out front, working on the scattered collection of parts that used to be the skimmer. After getting Jason¡¯s cry for help over voice chat, Clive had used a quick and dirty ritual to overcharge the skimmer. It had brought them to village in the nick of time, but also taken a toll on the vehicle. While Jason recovered, he and Belinda had been trying to repair it using the random collection of materials he happened to have in his storage space.


    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve figured out something that should last us the rest of the trip,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯ll put all the burden on the parts that are still good, though.¡±


    ¡°Which means the skimmer will be well and truly done by the time we get to the river,¡± Belinda added. ¡°It might not even make it, depending on how much chasing around after monster notices we do.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have it ready to go in the morning,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Jason, have you seen Sophie, yet?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Not since I woke up,¡± Jason said. ¡°Was she looking for me for something?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Just do me a favour and don¡¯t be too¡­ you when you see her.¡±


    ¡°Too me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he can help it,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t believe it,¡± Belinda said. ¡°He might seem all over the place, but it¡¯s a lot more deliberate than you think. I know a flim-flam man when I see one.¡±


    Jason flashed her a grin and went inside the house.


    The team looked at the dark hole leading into the earthen bank. It was hard to think of it as a burrow when they could have driven the skimmer into it with room to spare. Henrietta frowned at the dark opening, one of many they had spotted nearby.


    ¡°This one is dangerous,¡± she said. ¡°Dark hunters. Bronze rank, they appear in large numbers and like to dig themselves a warren of dark tunnels.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think going in there alone is a good idea,¡± Henrietta said.


    ¡°Going with someone else would be more dangerous,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is my kind of fight.¡±


    A fight in the dark against powerful monsters was exactly what he needed to push his perception power over the edge. Humphrey and Clive, with their human advantage, had already reached bronze rank with their perception powers, gaining enhanced aura senses. Neil, who had been an essence user longer than Jason, had likewise reached bronze with his perception power. It gave him the ability to sense vulnerabilities in magical defences and detect injuries, both in allies and enemies.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure going into the dark all alone is a good strategy.¡±


    ¡°Going alone into the dark is my best strategy,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been practising fighting in various ways, this trip. Now it¡¯s time to fight my way.¡±


    Henrietta looked at Jason, seeing the usual whimsy absent from his expression. All that was there was confidence and determination.


    ¡°Very well,¡± she conceded. ¡°I don¡¯t want you to hesitate to call on us if it goes wrong, though. We¡¯ve come close enough to losing you already.¡±


    Jason walked forward, his cloak manifesting around him. As he went into the tunnels, stars on his cloak started floating into the air, turning pure darkness into dancing shadows. The rest of the team waited, with no indications of anything coming from the cave.


    ¡°Asano, are you alright?¡± Henrietta asked after a while.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason¡¯s voice came back. ¡°It¡¯s about to begin.¡±


    She concentrated on the hole in front of her, extending her aura senses.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked, seeing her focused gaze.


    ¡°Your aura senses are stronger now,¡± Henrietta told him. ¡°Push them forward, into the caves.¡±


    ¡°You said dark hunters were good at concealing their auras,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°They are,¡± Henrietta said.


    Humphrey did as he was told, concentrating his senses of the burrow entrance in front. Sophie and Clive did the same, using their own enhanced aura senses. It was hard to sense anything from within the warren, but they picked out an aura radiating fear and panic. It was coming closer, toward the burrow entrance directly in front of them.


    A creature came stumbling out of the hole. It looked like a preying mantis the size of a Saint Bernard but with the stinger-tail and hard black exterior of a scorpion. It had lost a leg somewhere and was leaking dark fluids from beneath chitinous plates. From the darkness behind it came a cold voice.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement, and the judgement is death.¡±


    Light shone down on the monster from nowhere, a glorious mix of silver, blue and gold. The beauty of it was belied by the effects of the transcendent energy that rapidly evaporated the monster into rainbow smoke. Jason didn¡¯t emerge from the hole, only the team members with bronze-rank aura senses catching a glimpse of his aura in the moment the spell was cast.


    They spotted more monsters emerging from the other holes around them, evacuating their underground warren. The creatures ignored the adventurers as they skittered away as fast as their legs would carry them. Each was radiating an aura steeped in the same fear and panic as the first.


    ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± Henrietta said, frowning at the fleeing monsters.


    ¡°What is?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re called dark hunters for a reason,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of them escaping into sunlight before.¡±


    Some of the monsters were faster than others, who were clearly impaired. The most damaged started dropping dead shortly after making the surface, while the others grew more and more sluggish over time until they too collapsed to the ground. Jason¡¯s exit from the warren was presaged by floating lights that returned to their place on his cloak as he emerged into the light.


    He started making his way around the dead monsters, using his blood harvest power on all the bodies before looting them. He didn¡¯t need to refresh his mana any more after the first couple of monsters, but kept doing it to level his ability. Finally completing his rounds, he returned to the group as if he¡¯d been out for a stroll, nodding at the skimmer.


    ¡°Shall we?¡±


    It finally happened as Jason meditated on the roof of the cloud house. It began with a burning sensation behind the eyes, which became a sharp, twisting pain until it suddenly stopped.


    Ability [Midnight Eyes] (Dark) has reached Iron 9 (100%).Ability [Midnight Eyes] (Dark) has reached Bronze 0 (00%).Ability [Midnight Eyes] (Dark) has gained a new effect.


    Ability: [Midnight Eyes] (Dark)


    Special ability (perception).Base cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): See through darkness.Effect (bronze): Sense magic.


    Ability [Midnight Eyes] (Dark) cannot advance further until all attributes have reached bronze rank.


    Jason¡¯s vision swam and he was struck with potent vertigo. He rolled forward from his meditative pose, onto to all fours for stability as the world felt like it was tipping and turning around him.


    Jason senses were filled with strange new stimuli. He could smell something strange on the air, carrying a faint ozone tang like the aftertaste of a spirit coin. He could feel his necklace and amulet, like electricity against his skin but not at all painful. He took it out of his shirt and it visibly shimmered with power. The much weaker magic woven into his everyday clothes was much milder, but still visible.


    He pushed himself back into a sitting position as the dizziness became manageable. Around him, even the ambient magic in their air had become perceptible. It wasn¡¯t just his sight, either. He could feel it like a breeze on his skin, smell and taste it in the air. Actual magic objects like his amulet and boots had what looked like a shimmering heat mirage on them. He conjured his cloak and dagger and was able to see the mana emerge from his body like a blue mist before coalescing into the conjured objects. They were similar to his magical items under his new senses but still noticeably different.


    The cloud house underneath him was a vast well of magic, although his perception couldn¡¯t penetrate beyond the exterior. He carefully pushed himself up on his feet, still a little unsteady. His vision was swimming, like he was looking at the world through a fish bowl. He stood in place and focused on regaining his equilibrium.


    Eventually his sense of balance settled. His eyesight got under control and he took stock of just how differently he was perceiving the world. He could sense subtle shifts in the ambient magic around him but it was all too new to make any sense out of it. He would need time to become acclimatised to all the new sensory input.


    Once he was sure of his balance, he made his way to the edge of the roof. The cloud house was once again in the form of a two storey building of desert stone, the rooftop giving him a broad view of the desert vista. He dropped lightly off the side, his cloak allowing him to drift gently down.


    He could feel the conjured object like it was part of him as he fed it the extra mana to reduce his weight. His new senses, however, suggested it was not his weight that was being changed as he sensed it affect not him, but a field around him. It explained how he was able to share the cloak¡¯s power with others and he wondered if the actual functionality was to somehow affect gravity.


    He alighted on the ground next to Sophie, who was just coming out of the building.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± she asked. ¡°I could sense your aura up on the roof and it was all over the place. You aren¡¯t normally that sloppy.¡±


    ¡°I finally had that bronze breakthrough,¡± he said. ¡°Probably not a big deal for the person who got their first power to bronze years ago. So, are you talking to me again now? Counting the time I was unconscious, this is the first thing you¡¯ve said to me in a week.¡±


    She shifted her gaze, not meeting his eyes. It was a stark contrast from her normal mode of glaring at the world like it owed her money.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of obvious that you¡¯re giving someone the silent treatment when you¡¯re riding around the desert together in a half broken-down skimmer,¡± he said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not avoiding you,¡± she denied.


    ¡°That might have sounded more plausible if you weren¡¯t avoiding eye contact right in front of me when you said it.¡±


    She lifted her head to stare defiantly at him but he spotted the vulnerability behind her eyes. He gave her his best reassuring smile.


    ¡°How about you tell me what the issue is and we¡¯ll see what we can do.¡±


    She frowned hesitantly and he watched her body language draw back.


    ¡°They told you that you were almost fed a potion that would have killed you, right?¡± she asked, voice muted and reluctant.


    ¡°It rings a bell,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d just came out of a four day healing coma, so my retention rate wasn¡¯t ideal.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t tell you it was me, though, did they?¡± she asked. ¡°I was the one who rushed ahead. If your voice chat wasn¡¯t still up, if Neil hadn¡¯t realised what I was doing and called out for me to stop¡­¡±


    Jason blinked a couple of times, then let out a chuckle.


    ¡°I almost killed you and you think it¡¯s funny?¡±


    ¡°It is now,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you¡¯d actually killed me I imagine I¡¯d view it differently. You rushed to my side, you say?¡±


    ¡°Rushed might be a strong word,¡± she back-pedalled. ¡°I suppose you could call it a brisk pace.¡±


    He grinned and laughed again.


    ¡°I think some humanity is started to show under that stony fa?ade, Wexler. Celestinity? Is that a word? Look, I¡¯ll take a reckless desire to help over cold indifference any day. Well, not any day. I can think of some scenarios where¡­ it doesn¡¯t matter. The point is, I¡¯m glad you rushed to save me. Yes, it didn¡¯t go as planned, but you learned for next time. Instead of taking a potion, pick up Neil and carry him.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± Neil¡¯s voice came from inside. He wandered out of the building to join the pair.


    ¡°Nothing Neil,¡± Jason called back. ¡°We¡¯re just discussing strategies to render healing assistance when someone has already taken a potion.¡±


    ¡°Oh, alright,¡± Neil said, then clearly realised what must have prompted the situation as an awkward expression crossed his face. ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°You can go, Neil,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Neil said quickly and ducked back inside.


    ¡°Oh, Neil,¡± Jason called after him.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Neil¡¯s voice drifted back out.


    ¡°Is there any chance you could stitch handles into your clothes?¡±


    ¡°Handles?¡±


    Sophie stifled a snort of laughter.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°One somewhere on the upper torso, maybe under one arm, and the other on the thigh. That should be a good balance.¡±


    ¡°Asano,¡± Neil said, ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re up to, but the answer is no.¡±


    ¡°Probably for the best,¡± Jason confided quietly in Sophie. ¡°I think some kind of ruck-sack situation would be better. You¡¯ll be able to run faster with him slung over your back. One of those child-carrier backpacks, but sized for a super-ripped elf. No, you don¡¯t want to carry that lot around. Do you have occy straps here? Never mind, Belinda can probably knock some out with that power she has for creating regular items. Do you know where she is?¡±


    ¡°Alright, seriously,¡± Neil said, coming back outside. ¡°What are you two talking about?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to find Belinda,¡± Jason said innocently. ¡°You haven¡¯t seen her, have you?¡±

 Chapter 205: Disbanded

    The criminal culture in Greenstone was in a state of extreme flux. The Builder cult purge had turned over every rock in Old City, exposing many criminal enterprises. That the cult had attached themselves to many such clandestine operations only made things worse. Old City¡¯s criminal leadership thrived on being ignored by the Island, but now the powerful Island factions had placed their attention aggressively on Old City.


    For the crime lords known as the big three, the purge had brought about very different results. Adris Dorgan was on the rise in the wake of his daughter being revealed as Director of the Adventure Society. When she came though the subsequent inquiry still holding her position, Dorgan¡¯s place in the city hierarchy was solidified.


    He gained a powerful shield against pressure from the ruling elite. There were also rumours that he was heavily involved in the more secretive elements of investigating the Builder cult¡¯s activities, obtaining powerful concessions for his trouble. Whatever the truth, his operations had somehow come out of the purge stronger than before.


    Clarissa Ventress had been extremely quiet, even before the purge. In the summer she had been pushing into Cole Silva¡¯s territory, trying to seize as much territory as she could. The goal had been to capitalise on the chaos following the old patriarch¡¯s death but Ventress had suddenly halted all such efforts overnight.


    Rumours abounded as to the reason, but Ventress and her organisation quietly managed their existing affairs until just over a week ago, when word spread that Ventress was dead. The circumstances of her demise were being closely contained by her people, with her former bodyguard, the leonid Darnell, stepping into her position.


    The change in leadership seemed to have been completed without too much contention but the air of uncertainty remained, becoming a pall dangling over their operations. Despite the relatively smooth transition, Darnell¡¯s power was extremely unstable, especially coming in the wake of the purge. The unease spread through his territory and his people, making them vulnerable to outside forces. Oddly, Adris Dorgan had made no move to exploit this weakness and expand, despite his own solid position. Instead, it was Cole Silva who seized the opportunity.


    Silva had experienced similar problems after seizing the reins his father had left behind and was still in the process of consolidating power. Many in his own organisation were unhappy with the changes he was making to how they operated and much of the old leadership were in the extended process of being pushed out.


    The purge had hit Silva¡¯s operations hard. Cole had finally brought things under control by making sweeping changes. The old guard were excised and new avenues of operation were established. Unlike his father, Cole had pursued his ambitions with no concern for whom he worked with or what they worked on.


    Interests his father had always avoided were suddenly on the table, brining in new sources of revenue and control. The lucrative nature of the new operations was the factor that allowed him to finally unite the organisation fully behind him.


    Silva¡¯s lax approach to choosing partners to operate with allowed a number of Builder cult operations to embed themselves within his organisation. As a result, many of his rackets had been scoured by forces of the Duke, the Adventure Society and even a coalition of noble families, spearheaded by the Mercers.


    Despite this, Silva was taking the chance to grab as much of the territory Clarissa Ventress once controlled as he could. It left him juggling a lot of balls at once and a personal project had been put aside. He had been willing to let one of those projects hibernate as the object of his attentions had left the city for an extended period. Now Silva had information that Asano was due to return, and he was taking time from his territorial ambitions to set new events into motion.


    Silva left his office in the Fortress, gesturing at his bronze-ranker bodyguard to follow. Silva himself was a bronze-ranker but he had nothing in the way of combat skills. His taste in violence was to enact it upon those too powerless to fight back it and had raised his rank purely through the consumption of monster cores. His bodyguard was one of five other bronze-rankers currently in his employ, the most powerful and valuable members of his organisation.


    The Fortress was neutral ground for the Big Three, each controlling their own sections. Silva made his way to an elevating platform which only he and his most trusted men could access. They descended into the bowels of the building, deep into the underground vaults built centuries ago to shield the citizens at the time from monsters.


    Killian Laurent was waiting for him in a luxurious subterranean lounge Silva used for his most clandestine meetings. His father had the room set out in subdued d¨¦cor, but Silva had redecorated, marking the organisation¡¯s most private sanctum as his own. On the walls, wood panelling had been painted black while the thick new carpet was a brazen red. The simple and elegant furniture his father had favoured was replaced with plush satin chairs and loungers. The simple recessed glow stone in the ceiling had been replaced with a resplendent chandelier. In place of the restrained, old art works that had adorned walls were bold images of sex, violence and power.


    ¡°Mr Silva,¡± Laurent greeted. The pallid elf got up from where he had been perched on the edge of a chair, waiting. ¡°If you are ready, I will bring our first guest.¡±


    ¡°Why wasn¡¯t he already waiting here?¡± Silva asked.


    ¡°With respect, Mr Silva, this is a man you wait on, not a man who waits on you.¡±


    Silva¡¯s face grimaced with anger but he gave a curt nod and Killian departed through another door from the one Silva had used. Silva had become increasingly intolerant of anyone who challenged his power as he scraped his father¡¯s old guard from the top of the organisation. Silver-rankers were not to be trifled with, however. There were rumours that one of his guests had been dealing with Clarissa Ventress and had ultimately been the object of her demise.


    Silva crashed into one of the soft armchairs, gesturing for his bodyguard to fix him a drink. The drinks cabinet was one of the few things in the room that remained form his father¡¯s tenure.


    ¡°Bring the bottle, then wait outside.¡±


    By the time Killian returned he was three drinks in, the spirits fuelling the perpetually burning furnace of rage and resentment inside him. The man Killian returned with was fully obscured under a robe. Silva¡¯s aura senses stopped dead when they met it suggesting silver-rank concealment magic.


    ¡°I usually like to know who I¡¯m dealing with,¡± Silva said.


    ¡°Our guest is a man who greatly values his anonymity,¡± Killian said.


    ¡°You may call me Mr Sparrow,¡± the hooded figure said. There was a slight reverb to his voice, indicating voice disguising magic. ¡°You have my thanks for the accommodations you have made. The arrangements have been very satisfactory.¡±


    ¡°Please, sit,¡± Killian said, although he remained standing as Silva and Mr Sparrow sat down.


    ¡°I understand you are looking to have someone taken quickly and quietly,¡± Mr Sparrow said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Silva said. ¡°I want him placed in my possession, but it must be done in utmost secrecy. He¡¯s known to be slippery, resourceful and elusive, so I need someone who can strike quickly and definitively. I am told this is an area of specialty for you.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Sparrow said. ¡°Utmost secrecy is my preferred method of conducting my affairs, so I believe we should be able to reach a mutually satisfactory arrangement. Who is the person you want taken?¡±


    ¡°An iron rank adventurer,¡± Silva said. ¡°Jason Asano.¡±


    Sparrow sat up straight in his chair.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of this Asano; you make a difficult request. He has powerful friends that will come looking for him.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t find him,¡± Killian said with confidence. ¡°We have established a secure and isolated location and Asano himself has an ability that prevents him from being tracked. So long as he is taken cleanly, then he cannot be traced using his Adventure Society badge.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an easy claim to make,¡± Sparrow said, ¡°but harder to verify. I have no interest in being hunted down by gold-rankers because your information was bad.¡±


    Killian looked to Silva, who nodded.


    ¡°We have another guest who can allay your suspicions,¡± Killian said. ¡°I shall go bring him in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not accustomed to waiting on others,¡± Sparrow said, a twang of annoyance getting through the voice masking magic.


    ¡°My apologies, sir,¡± Killian said, ¡°but for this man, you do.¡±


    Silva smirked at Sparrow being told the same thing he had been earlier. Killian left the room and Silva poured himself another drink, not bothering to offer one to Sparrow. The pair sat in silence, Sparrow seemingly impassive under the dark hood as Silva stewed in the feeling of not being the most powerful man in the room.


    That feeling reminded Silva unpleasantly of the time before his father died. His father¡¯s chief people would look at him with disrespect, spreading rumours that the old man would not pass the mantle to his son. Sophie Wexler was meant to have been the symbol of him seizing power; the woman his father had always shielded from him, finally in his grasp. Instead, she had become a symbol of his impotence, flaunting herself in front of her new high society friends.


    Her Adventure Society membership had placed her truly out of his reach. If an adventurer went looking for trouble in the criminal underworld and found a knife in his gut, the Adventure Society would pass it off as self-inflicted damage. If the criminal underworld went looking for adventurers, though, the Adventure Society would crash down on them like a tsunami. It meant that even if they used, killed and dumped Wexler¡¯s body quickly enough, there would be too many threads leading back to him.


    Instead he would have to make do with Asano, the man who had intervened to deny her to anyone. The inability to track Asano gave them an opportunity that they would not have with other adventurers. It was still dangerous, which is why he had been hesitant when his second guest had suggested it. That guest was being led into the room by an obsequious Killian, Silva and Sparrow both rising from their seats at the new arrival.


    ¡°Lucian Lamprey,¡± Sparrow said, his modulator failing to hide the surprise in his voice. Lamprey looked at the hooded figure and a smirk crossed his face.


    ¡°Hello, Lawrence,¡± Lamprey said. ¡°Do say hello to your sister for me.¡±


    Sparrow flinched but didn¡¯t respond to Lamprey¡¯s jibe.


    ¡°What¡¯s your interest in this?¡± Sparrow asked instead.


    ¡°The boy has aggravated me,¡± Lamprey said. ¡°Anyone with eyes can see that he¡¯s the kind of vermin you need to squash before it grows to large to deal with.¡±


    Sparrow turned to Silva.


    ¡°What do you need me for, if you already have a silver-ranker?¡± Sparrow asked.


    ¡°Because when Asano vanishes and is never seen again, it won¡¯t be too long before someone asks me where I was at the time. I¡¯m going to make sure I¡¯m visible enough that I can round up people like cattle to give me an alibi. Also, he has some kind of communication power. I can take him down, but not before he gets word out. We need someone who can take him down clean before he knows what hit him. That¡¯s your specialty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re certain he can¡¯t be traced?¡±


    ¡°Completely,¡± Lamprey said. ¡°The problem with these low-rankers with the power to avoid tracking is that any kind magic strong enough to punch through it burns out the aura imprint it¡¯s trying to track. By the time they get strong enough for the powers to work, the little pricks are strong enough that then their power shields them from it. The Magic Society has been trying to solve the problem for years so they can track Adventure Society badges better. That same annoyance, though, gives us an opportunity to take Asano that we wouldn¡¯t have with another adventurer. Otherwise, we¡¯d take the girl.¡±


    ¡°You seem confident,¡± Sparrow said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lamprey said. ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about anyone finding anything at the scene. Even if you¡¯re sloppy enough that people find out where you took him from, the Magic Society won¡¯t find anything useful, I¡¯ll see to that.¡±


    Sparrow started pacing back and forth.


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to do this,¡± he said, ¡°Asano can never see the light of day again. He has to be dead and buried.¡±


    ¡°Forget buried,¡± Silva said gleefully. ¡°He¡¯s going to be dead and scattered across the delta in tiny pieces for wildlife to eat. Eventually, anyway. Once there isn¡¯t enough flesh left on him to feel pain.¡±


    ¡°You are going to do this,¡± Lamprey told Sparrow. ¡°You knew that from the moment you saw me walk through the door, Lawrence. All that¡¯s left is to haggle the price.¡±


    ¡°The price has been paid to my satisfaction,¡± Sparrow said.


    ¡°And what is Silva paying you?¡± Lamprey asked. ¡°Actually, don¡¯t tell me. Your predilections are appalling even to me, and that¡¯s saying something.¡±


    ¡°Asano is already overdue to return to the city,¡± Killian said. ¡°He could be back at any time now.¡±


    ¡°He was caught up in a silver-rank manifestation,¡± Lamprey said.


    ¡°Another one?¡± Killian said, frowning. ¡°If the monster surge is starting, that will complicate the site we¡¯ve set up to hold Asano in.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the monster surge,¡± Lamprey said. ¡°These manifestations are just precursor signs. It could be months before the surge hits in full force.¡±


    ¡°Then we act?¡± Silva asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Lamprey said.


    ¡°Then I will need details,¡± Sparrow said. ¡°Everything you have on Asano, and where you want me to bring him.¡±


    Killian gave an unctuous smile.


    ¡°I have everything you need.¡±


    Pantero¡¯s Bakery in the Cavendish district of Old City was always busy. For Jason, however, both a regular customer and a young adventurer on the rise, service always came quick.


    ¡°You brought a lot today, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°My team just got back into town, Mrs Pantero. We¡¯re having bit of a celebration.¡±


    ¡°How long does it take to visit a bakery?¡± Sophie complained, then shook her head. ¡°Look who I¡¯m talking about. I once saw him go through half a cart of apples looking for the perfect ones for a pie. They¡¯re pie apples. They don¡¯t have to be that good.¡±


    The team were lounging on the deck of the cloud houseboat, returned to its spot at the marina. Jory had joined them, having spotted them passing the clinic just as he was closing up for the day. He was now nestled next to Belinda, the pair sharing a large cloud chair.


    ¡°He is taking a while,¡± Henrietta agreed.


    ¡°I bet he spotted some new food in the window of a shop,¡± Jory said. ¡°I¡¯ve learned better than to walk down certain streets with him. If he sees something new to eat, you¡¯re lucky if he just buys it instead of finding his way to the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Oh, gods, yes,¡± Clive said with a laugh. ¡°I was showed him this dumpling soup place once ¨C you know the one, Humphrey - and Jason got a job there for about a week. Jory, you¡¯re lucky he hasn¡¯t suborned your alchemy lab for some grand cooking experiment.¡±


    ¡°Has the alchemy association been hounding you about the miracle potion recipe?¡± Neil asked him.


    Jory had gifted the team on their return with the first batch of lesser miracle potions his alchemy facility produced. It was a thank you for Jason giving him the funding to build the facility in the first place.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been restricting themselves to fairly blatant hints that they¡¯d like the formula,¡± Jory said. ¡°Now that I have the church of the Healer backing me, they aren¡¯t pushing. I suspect if the Healer hadn¡¯t made the clinic sanctified ground, they would have broken in to steal it by now.¡±


    Suddenly the whole team went deathly still.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Jory asked.


    Party leader [Jason Asano] has had his magical abilities suppressed.Ability [Party Interface] has been negated.Your party has been disbanded.

 Chapter 206: The Man Behind the Mouth

    The room was almost entirely bare of features, a dark stone box with no windows. There was a heavy steel door, a recessed glow stone in the ceiling and a metal chain staked into the hard floor. The other end of the chain was affixed to a power suppression collar around the neck of a naked body. Jason was unconscious, laying on the hard stone.


    On the other side of the door were Killian Laurent and the cloaked figure of Mr Sparrow. They were standing in another stone room, although this one was largely stacked with crates.


    ¡°You are confident you got away clean?¡± Killian asked.


    ¡°Short of a gold-ranker specialised in stealth and tracking having followed, then yes.¡±


    ¡°You have our gratitude, Mr Sparrow,¡± Killian said. ¡°You will find your usual arrangements waiting at the usual place, but I have also arranged a little bonus I am confident you will find tantalising.¡±


    ¡°Then my part in this is done and I wash my hands of it,¡± Sparrow said. ¡°You would be well-advised to not bring this matter up again, Laurent. You would be even better advised to make sure no one else brings up my participation in it.¡±


    ¡°I shall keep your advice in mind,¡± Killian said. ¡°I believe you know that my discretion can be relied upon, Mr Sparrow.¡±


    Sparrow¡¯s hooded head nodded, then he stepped into a shadow and disappeared. With Sparrow gone, Laurent left the room. The building was nothing more than those two rooms, located right where the delta met the desert.


    It had once been one of the way stations the Magic Society used to transfer spirit coin shipments from the farms. Disused for a number of years, the small outpost was both secure and isolated. It had been abandoned decades ago as more coin farms went into operation, changing the transport routes and requiring larger facilities. It had a paved area where shipments were transferred, the once level pavers now shifted and uneven.


    There was a second, smaller building that had been the security station, with large, reflective windows. The alchemically treated glass both helped keep the interior cool and prevented those outside from seeing in.


    Inside the security building were three people, including another of the precious few bronze-rankers in Silva¡¯s organisation. Silva was intent on keeping the location secure and had hand-picked the three to manage the site. The bronze-ranker came out to met Killian.


    ¡°Mr Laurent,¡± the man said respectfully. Of the bronze rankers under Silva, Killian was the unquestionable leader. ¡°Thank you for refreshing the cooling magic on the security building.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Remi,¡± Killian said. ¡°Mr Silva puts a great deal of value and trust in you. How are your people?¡±


    ¡°Coburn is solid. Not what you¡¯d call a deep thinker, but he knows when to keep his ears open and mouth shut. The other one, Jerrick, has some real potential; I¡¯ve worked with him before. I was surprised to see him selected him for this, though. He¡¯s only been in the organisation a few months.¡±


    ¡°Mr Silva prefers the newer people he recruited himself after clearing out his father¡¯s old mainstays,¡± Killian said. ¡°Those who have taken pains to demonstrate their loyalty are his most valued people. Otherwise, he prefers the people he has recruited and cultivated himself. It avoids any issues with nostalgic loyalties.¡±


    Remi nodded. ¡°The old man had too many scruples, leaving money on the table all over. Mr Silva isn¡¯t caught up in old ways of thinking.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Killian said. ¡°Jerrick has a history with our guest. Asano is responsible for his being struck off the Adventure Society rolls, as well as ruining the man¡¯s relationship with the nobleman he was working for.¡±


    Remi frowned. ¡°I don¡¯t like personal connections,¡± he said. ¡°It stops people from doing their job properly.¡±


    ¡°I am not unsympathetic, Remi, but Mr Silva felt that Jerrick would share his passion for seeing that Asano gets what is coming to him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the boss,¡± Remi said. ¡°If he wants it, he gets it.¡±


    Killian smiled with his thin, pale lips.


    ¡°That¡¯s an attitude that will take you far, Remi. I am leaving, now, to bring Mr Silva. Remember that we want to maintain the illusion of this location¡¯s abandonment.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll stay in the building and out of sight,¡± Remi said.


    ¡°Check on our guest every hour,¡± Killian said. ¡°Once he¡¯s awake, give him a spirit coin to eat. Mr Silva wants him strong and healthy enough to survive what we have planned.¡±


    The ache in Jason¡¯s body as he regained consciousness paled in comparison to the pain digging into his brain like a railroad spike. It was an unpleasantly nostalgic feeling, taking him back to his first hours in this world when he had been knocked out multiple times in quick succession, only a few potions and a dose of healing magic staving off a lethal brain haemorrhage.


    His first thought was to open his inventory and grab a potion, but his inventory window appeared in a haze of static before blinking out again. He tried to bring up other interface windows, receiving the same result. Muscles protesting, he pushed himself to a sitting position and fumbled at his neck, finding a thick iron choker. He had never worn a suppression collar but had used them on others. It was obvious that this was the source of his power problem.


    He could still feel Colin inside his blood, but the connection to him that Jason normally experienced seemed strangely obstructed. He could tell that trying to bring out his familiar wouldn¡¯t work and even the attempt might have a painful backlash. On the bright side, Colin¡¯s power to heal him was still in effect. He could already feel the aches in his body clearing up and the fuzziness in his head fading away.


    Jason took stock of his situation. His clothes were gone, although most of his adventuring gear was safely stashed in his inventory. The only important item missing was his new amulet. He sat cross-legged as he looked around.


    He was in a room of desert stone. It was warm rather than cold, not too unpleasant to sit on. The sun-warmed brick meant that he probably wasn¡¯t underground, despite the lack of windows.


    The chain linking him to the floor wasn¡¯t long enough for him to stand, only sit or kneel. Even leaning too far forward caused it to tug at his neck in a choking grip. The rest of the room had little to offer, just a heavy metal door and a glow stone in the ceiling.


    He had no idea who had come after him, remembering nothing but a dark shape erupting out of an alley. It may have been a bronze-ranker , alhough a silver was more likely. He had a high-enough evaluation of his own powers to think that even a bronze-ranker would have trouble so thoroughly blindsiding him with darkness and stealth.


    His circumstances weren¡¯t great, but not completely hopeless, either. If whoever had taken him wanted him dead, then he already would be. He didn¡¯t expect his near future to be pleasant, however. He suspected Colin¡¯s healing power would be very useful.


    If you can hear me in there, Colin, stop the healing until I say so. If they don¡¯t know you can still help me, you can be my secret weapon for what comes next.


    Although the connection was dimmed, Jason got a sense of assent from his familiar.


    With no other options, Jason sat and meditated. A while later, Jason sensed the approach of a bronze-rank aura, meaning at least his aura senses remained intact. The person came into the room and Jason opened his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a henchman look about you,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I could seduce you and secretly pocket the keys to this collar? Well, I say pocket.¡±


    He indicated his naked body.


    ¡°It¡¯s a figure of speech, obviously.¡±


    The stony-faced man tossed a spirit coin at Jason, who caught it out of the air. ¡°Eat. The boss wants you healthy for what he¡¯s got planned.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s not a charity fun run. So, who¡¯s the boss? If Tony Danza walks in here, I¡¯m going to lose it.¡±


    The man gave a confused frown and left without answering. Jason wondered how long he would be able to keep up the banter before whatever was coming took its toll. He examined the coin, but his interface again gave a fuzz of static and vanished without giving him any information. It seemed like an ordinary spirit coin, the crystalline object a dull iron colour.


    He considered it unlikely to be some kind of trap. In his current situation they didn¡¯t need subterfuge to make him ingest poison or some tainted object. Keeping his strength up was an obviously good idea, but he ultimately tossed it into the corner. In his studies of magic he knew there were certain kinds of magic, usually involving the soul, that required willing participation. Without it, the soul was largely inviolable, even to the most potent magical forces. He wasn¡¯t willing to take the chance that eating the coin was the acceptance of some magical end user licence agreement


    It was some time before the door opened again to admit two people. One was dressed in the kind of expensive style that made sure everyone knew how much their clothes cost. The cut seemed familiar and Jason suspected the man used the same tailor as Thadwick Mercer.


    The man in the fancy clothes looked young. That was hardly an achievement, given the bronze-rank aura, but there was also an immaturity to his snide expression. Jason had known enough high-rankers to recognise a level of easy confidence and equanimity in those whose youth belied their age. This man had the look of a boy.


    In addition to his looks, the boy-man¡¯s aura marked him as mediocre. Jason¡¯s perception power wouldn¡¯t enhance his aura senses until it ranked up a second time, but he could almost smell the monster cores the man had used, as if he¡¯d drenched himself in some nasty cologne. Jason doubted the man had ever faced a monster in the wild.


    Next to the human was a startlingly creepy elf, whose dark clothes made the sickly, pallid skin stand out all the more. Jason suspected the man to have been altered by his essence powers. The kinds of powers that fundamentally changed a person were the kind that usually landed the essences that produced them on the restricted list. Jason would not have been at all surprised to find the death essence in the man¡¯s repertoire.


    ¡°So,¡± the boy-man said. ¡°You¡¯re the Jason Asano that¡¯s been causing such a ruckus.¡±


    ¡°If I said you had the wrong guy, I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d let me go?¡±


    Jason was still sitting, cross-legged on the floor. The chain would not allow him to take his feet and face his captors.


    ¡°You have no idea how bad the rest of your short life is going to be,¡± the boy-man said. ¡°Do you even know who I am?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re definitely not Tony Danza,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you¡¯re Judith Light, life has taken you down some very odd roads.¡±


    ¡°What are you babbling about?¡± the boy-man asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s spouting nonsense to put you off,¡± the elf said in a voice as creepy as the rest of him. ¡°Don¡¯t let him distract you.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re the Palpatine to his Vader,¡± Jason said to the elf. ¡°I know the routine. Just to save you some time, giving in to my hatred will be an easy sell, under the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡± the boy-man yelled. ¡°My name is Cole Silva.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Cole Silva?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Silva said, gloatingly. ¡°Now you understand what kind of trouble you¡¯re in.¡±


    ¡°The name doesn¡¯t ring a bell,¡± Jason said, brow creasing as he strained to recall. ¡°Wait, did you sell me that dodgy magic food processor? The pulse setting on that thing was rubbish. Is this revenge for complaining to the Artifice Association about your shoddy standards? I think we both know that¡¯s really on you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m one of the Big Three!¡± Silva yelled. Jason suppressed a grin at seeing the elf clearly wanting to interject but unwilling to risk the younger man¡¯s temper.


    ¡°Oh, the crime lords,¡± Jason said, realisation dawning in his voice. ¡°I¡¯ve met Adris Dorgan; very cool guy. He has that combination of class and masculinity that lets him really carry off that dapper look. Then there¡¯s Clarissa Ventress and that other one. I forget the name because everyone just calls him the stupid one. I have to say, Clarissa, you don¡¯t look anything like how you were described.¡±


    Silva lunged at Jason only for bones spears to erupt from the hard brick floor like a wall to block him off. Silva turned his furious glare on the elf.


    ¡°Mr Silva,¡± the elf said. ¡°Don¡¯t let him goad you into giving him a quick death. Nothing you can do will be worse than what we already have in store for him.¡±


    Silva fumed but enough of the rage drained away that he got himself back under control. Silva angrily tugged his clothes back into place as the bone spears disappeared, leaving holes in the stone floor. and then turned a malevolent grin on Jason.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see if you¡¯re still so clever once the pain begins,¡± Silva told Jason.


    ¡°I will be,¡± Jason said. ¡°It just won¡¯t show because of the screaming and begging. I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯ll be begging. I don¡¯t know what you want from me, exactly, but I hope it¡¯s not dignity. You took my pants, though, so I¡¯m guessing that¡¯s not an issue.¡±


    ¡°All I want is for you to pay for the things you¡¯ve taken from me,¡± Silva said.


    ¡°Which didn¡¯t include fashion advice, thankfully,¡± Jason said. ¡°You need to tone it down, which is really saying something with the way people dress in Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°I will be interested to see how long your courage holds,¡± the elf said.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s long gone,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is pretty much terrified babble I¡¯m trying to pass off as bravado. The inability to wet myself is only thing selling it, at this point.¡±


    The elf gave Jason a hungry smile.


    Silva snorted derision. ¡°You willing admit to fear?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m chained up, naked, in a room with the winner of a most obvious sex-predator contest and the guy who got disqualified for being too creepy. Not being scared is admitting to being an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Mr Silva, I think it¡¯s time to show him.¡±


    ¡°Will he even know what it is?¡± Silva asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell you?¡± the elf said. ¡°Our friend here is the one who procured it in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Silva said with a sinister chuckle. ¡°That¡¯s almost poetry.¡±


    A bone cabinet rose up out of the floor, reminding Jason of the stone chest storage space that Farrah had. This also proved to be a storage space as the elf took out an object Jason recognised. It was held in a cubic metal frame, a sphere made up entirely of tiny little bricks the colour of grey stone.


    ¡°Star seed,¡± Jason said, his face turning pale. ¡°You¡¯re with the Builder cult?¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± the elf said. ¡°This is the very same star seed that you acquired and was taken by the church of Purity. When the temple¡¯s assets were being seized, we managed to snag this little treasure. And now we are going to return it to you.¡±


    Jason said nothing, fierce eyes locked on the elf.


    ¡°There he is,¡± the elf said with delight. ¡°The man behind the mouth.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d best be very careful about what happens next,¡± Jason said, ¡°or you might come to regret having met him.¡±

 Chapter 207: Search

    Killian began the elaborate preparations to use the star seed. He started by conjuring up skeletal arms that he used to hammer a spike into the ceiling, which he then hung a pair of manacles from. He unlatched the chain from Jason¡¯s suppression collar and then used the skeleton arms to force Jason¡¯s wrists into the manacles. Jason didn¡¯t bother to struggle, saving his strength.


    Once Jason was hanging uncomfortably from the ceiling, Killian took a series of pouches from his bone storage cabinet, pouring powder from them to make a complex ritual circle under Jason¡¯s feet. When that was done he started placing objects into the circle. Some were simple bricks of precious materials, others were tools made from exotic metals.


    ¡°How exactly do you know how to do all this?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s actually a good question,¡± Silva said, watching from the side. ¡°How did you learn a Builder cult ritual?¡±


    ¡°From a Builder cultist, obviously,¡± Killian said. ¡°You opened your operations to people your father would never deal with and the Builder cult seized the opportunity. When Thalia Mercer started kicking down doors, why did you think so many of them were yours?¡±


    ¡°You facilitated this?¡± Silva asked.


    ¡°Your exact words were ¡®more money, less questions,¡¯¡± Killian said.


    ¡°He¡¯s put you in bed with the enemy of the whole world,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you even know what the Builder cult is doing? They¡¯re plundering whole chunks of this world like dimensional pirates and they don¡¯t care who or what is destroyed in the process. That¡¯s not an association you can run far enough to escape, Silva.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Silva snarled.


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done,¡± Killian said calmly. ¡°The only way forward is forward.¡±


    Killian placed the final object, the star seed, directly underneath Jason.


    ¡°And now we begin,¡± he said.


    Thalia met Clive and Neil in one of the Mercer family receiving parlours.


    ¡°Neil,¡± Thalia Mercer greeted. ¡°Always a pleasure. And Mr Standish, hello again. You¡¯ll have to accept my apology but I can only spare a little time. The Builder cult has gone underground, which has made rooting them out all the more work.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll go directly to the point,¡± Neil said. ¡°Jason Asano has gone missing.¡±


    Thalia frowned.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure it¡¯s foul play? I recall he went off without telling anyone once before, during the time he was seeing Cassandra.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re sure,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly how I can help,¡± Thalia said.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking into anyone with the motivation to do something to Jason,¡± Clive said. ¡°You¡¯re the spearhead of the Builder cult investigation, now.¡±


    ¡°You think the Builder cult might be behind it?¡± Thalia asked. ¡°Revenge for taking a star seed from them? It seems like they would have larger concerns.¡±


    Clive and Neil both took on awkward expressions.


    ¡°That¡¯s true, Lady Mercer,¡± Clive said. ¡°We were thinking of another potential scenario. To be blunt, we¡¯re talking about Thadwick.¡±


    Thalia¡¯s expression went dark. ¡°Thadwick is a prisoner. A victim.¡±


    ¡°Most likely, yes,¡± Neil said. ¡°We¡¯re simply exploring every possibility, however remote.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t understand how much of the original personality survives once a start seed takes over,¡± Clive said. ¡°It may well be that Thadwick¡¯s own personality is suppressed but the thing that¡¯s taken him over inherited his hatred of Jason and is acting on it.¡±


    ¡°We both know that Thadwick had become fixated on Jason,¡± Neil said to Thalia. ¡°Jason had become the symbol of his recent setbacks.¡±


    ¡°Even if what you¡¯re saying were true,¡± Thalia said, ¡°what could I do that I haven¡¯t already done? You think I haven¡¯t been trying to get my son back? He¡¯s been gone for months, now. For all we know, he was in the pile of bodies that Remore and his parents left on that island. They¡¯re still sorting through the bodies, trying to identify them all.¡±


    ¡°The thing is,¡± Neil said, ¡°we¡¯ve all been operating under the assumption that Thadwick has been wholly supplanted by the star seed.¡±


    ¡°If he is more of a gestalt entity,¡± Clive picked up, ¡°then that may open avenues of investigation that you otherwise may have overlooked. Places that Thadwick would think to go.¡±


    ¡°I may be emotionally invested in my son¡¯s return,¡± Thalia said, ¡°but I am not blinded by emotion. From the point we realised the cult was acting on Thadwick¡¯s knowledge we immediately tried every avenue we could think of that might be driven by his thinking, instead of the cult.¡±


    She got to her feet.


    ¡°That is all the time I have to spare,¡± she said, her voice cold and dismissive. ¡°You know the way out, Neil.¡±


    ¡°Mr Remore,¡± Dorgan greeted. ¡°Of course you are welcome in my home, but I didn¡¯t realise we were meeting this openly.¡±


    ¡°Do you know why I¡¯m here?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°The absentee Mr Asano, I can only assume,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°My understanding is that he¡¯s been known to go off without notice before.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t that,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Well, let me begin by asserting that I am neither responsible nor complicit.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who is?¡±


    ¡°I only met Mr Asano the one time,¡± Dorgan said. ¡°He struck me as someone who likes to play games above his rank with a rather insufferable smugness. Frankly, I¡¯m surprised it took this long for him to mysteriously disappear.¡±


    ¡°I need answers, not more questions.¡±


    ¡°Well, while there are any number of candidates, there are not so many stupid enough to risk the wrath of you and your friends. Or your parents. Good gods, no sane person would cross a pair of gold rankers.¡±


    ¡°Who would?¡±


    ¡°Cole Silva, probably. Poor judgement, fierce temper. I¡¯ve known him since he was a boy. The girl too; she may be the only thing he was ever truly denied. I think you¡¯ve deeply underestimated just how angry Cole is over being frustrated in the moment he thought he finally had her. Ventress understood the depths of that feeling and used it as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°You think Silva is responsible?¡±


    ¡°All I have for you is conjecture, based on my understanding of Cole. He¡¯s arrogant enough but I¡¯m not sure he would make the attempt without prompting. Even if he¡¯s responsible, you may want to look elsewhere for the origin of the scheme.¡±


    ¡°Whoever came up with the idea is secondary,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Finding Asano is the priority.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t have him, or know who does. All I can offer is some advice. If you look into Silva, don¡¯t look to Silva himself. Look for what he¡¯s been doing. Even he isn¡¯t fool enough to take your friend without precautions. Find those precautions and you find your friend. Presuming Silva is the one that took him.¡±


    Danielle and Humphrey Geller had come upon Lucian Lamprey as he was reading in the Magic Society library. He was in an open area full of comfortable reading chairs and didn¡¯t bother to get up from the one he was occupying. He put his book down on a side table and convivially waved at them to join him.


    ¡°You were very easy to find, Mr Lamprey¡± Danielle said, sitting down. Humphrey remained standing, next to her chair. ¡°To the point of conspicuousness, in fact. One might almost think you were being fastidious about establishing an alibi.¡±


    ¡°And exactly what dark deeds would I need an alibi, Lady Geller?¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano has gone missing.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I suppose I can see why you would look at me, but I have to imagine I am but a single name on a very long list. He might have made allies out of powerful people like yourself, but he¡¯s annoyed even more. Taking opportunities that rightly belonged to Greenstone¡¯s nobility. A complete disregard for propriety, decorum and the inherent superiority of the aristocratic class. He¡¯s made enemies he¡¯s never even met.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re the one who threatened him in public,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°That was just talk. I¡¯d just lost out in court, and you can¡¯t deny he has both the ability and intent to get under people¡¯s skin. If I genuinely intended to have someone disposed of, then I would make it a point to be friendly, rather than threaten them. Even putting aside the warning, it helps avoid conversations like this one.¡±


    Danielle gave him a smile that didn¡¯t reach her eyes.


    ¡°I assume we can count on the full support of the Magic Society in finding him?¡±


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Lamprey said. ¡°I¡¯ll hand pick anyone involved in trying to find him and supervise everything personally. Of course, he does have that little issue with tracking, doesn¡¯t he? Such a shame.¡±


    Danielle stood back up.


    ¡°Mr Lamprey, if you did happen across someone involved in this situation ¨C through sheer happenstance, for example ¨C then you would be well served by convincing them to reconsider the whole enterprise.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± Lamprey said. ¡°With Bahadir and the Remores, it means dealing with gold rankers. That¡¯s something only someone as foolish as Asano would do.¡±


    Danielle levied a penetrating gaze on Lamprey, then turned to leave, Humphrey following after. Lamprey called out after them and they turned around.


    ¡°Do let me know if a body turns up. It will reopen legal proceedings regarding a young lady in dire need of some¡­ strict guidance.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society won¡¯t let you touch her,¡± Humphrey said, face creased with anger. ¡°And even if they did, I wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°The yapping of a dog, hiding under its owner¡¯s skirts,¡± Lamprey said dismissively. ¡°Have you taken a liking to my thief, little doggy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d never let you take her as an indentured servant,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t let you take anyone.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± Lamprey asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you in court last year when I claimed my previous one.¡±


    He shook his head sadly.


    ¡°Poor girl. So pretty, but she went mysteriously missing, too. Of course, she didn¡¯t have the heroic Geller clan rushing to her rescue. Do you only help poor people when Asano tells you to? I do hope he¡¯s alright or you¡¯ll have to go back to protecting heiresses.¡±


    Danielle placed a hand on Humphrey¡¯s shoulder, silencing the reply he was about to spit out.


    ¡°You should be careful, Lamprey,¡± she said. ¡°Mysterious disappearances seem to be going around.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me, Lady Geller?¡±


    Danielle strode back across the room, Lamprey standing up to meet her. The tall, muscular elf towered over the small woman but she radiated threat like a sword. The clash of their auras drew looks from the few library patrons not already surreptitiously watching the confrontation between the Director of the Magic Society and the City¡¯s most famous adventurer. Their auras pushed against one another, Lamprey¡¯s yielding under the flawless, unflinching power and control of Danielle¡¯s.


    ¡°Lamprey, if Asano is dead and I find out you¡¯re involved, I¡¯m going to carve you up for chum on the steps of the Adventure Society, for everyone to see, and then use you to go shark fishing. That was me threatening you.¡±


    Belinda made her way down an alley in Old City, stopping in front of an unmarked door and knocking twice. A panel on the door slid across, revealing a pair of eyes that went wide on recognising Belinda.


    ¡°Is she in?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here,¡± the woman behind the door said. ¡°There¡¯s all kinds of stories going around about you and Wexler.¡±


    ¡°The reality is crazier than the stories, I promise.¡±


    ¡°Just go, Belinda.¡±


    Belinda projected her aura through the door, suppressing that of the woman behind it.


    ¡°I¡¯m going though that door,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It¡¯ll go better for both of us if you open it first.¡±


    ¡°Let her in,¡± came another voice from inside. It was the rich, deep voice of an older woman. The door opened, the woman behind it watching Belinda warily as she went past. The older woman had a broad, mannish body and curly hair down to her shoulders. She was in her early fifties, but fit and strong.


    ¡°Hello, Marg,¡± Belinda greeted.


    ¡°Lindy,¡± Marg said warmly. ¡°Please, come up.¡±


    She led Belinda up some stairs and onto the flat roof, where picnic furniture had been set up on a rug. Marg waved Belinda to a chair, taking another for herself.


    ¡°You know, Lindy, we really have been hearing some strange stories. I even heard you were an adventurer, now.¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Sophie is. I have the essences but put off the field assessment while we went on a monster safari.¡±


    ¡°You have essences?¡±


    Belinda shape shifted, becoming a duplicate of Marg.


    ¡°Now that¡¯s something we could get some use out of,¡± Marg said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I can talk you into taking a job?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Marg. It¡¯s the straight and narrow for me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame. What brings you here, then?¡±


    ¡°A man has gone missing. Sophie and I are looking into whether one of the Big Three are behind it.¡±


    ¡°You think they are?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. He¡¯s annoyed them all in one way or another, largely in the process of helping me and Sophie. So, we owe him.¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± Marg said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard of him?¡±


    ¡°His name started floating around when he was working at the Broadstreet Clinic. I hear you¡¯ve been spending some time there yourself.¡±


    Belinda blushed.


    ¡°Can you find out about Asano for me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I can ask around,¡± Marg said. ¡°How urgent is this?¡±


    ¡°I really would have gone through your door.¡±


    ¡°That door is stronger than it looks.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I put it there, remember.¡±


    ¡°So you did. Any place I should start?¡±


    ¡°Adris Dorgan is too smart and has too much to lose, so it¡¯s unlikely to be him. Ventress has the least reason to be annoyed at him, almost certainly not enough for this.¡±


    ¡°Ventress is dead,¡± Marg said.


    ¡°Dead?¡±


    ¡°No one knows how long, but word got out around a week ago. That bodyguard of hers, Darnell stepped in.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t last,¡± Belinda said. ¡°He¡¯s not a flexible thinker.¡±


    ¡°Focus on Silva, then?¡± Marg asked.


    ¡°If it¡¯s one of them, it¡¯s almost certainly him,¡± Belinda said. ¡°With Jason¡¯s friends, Cole is the only one stupid enough to try something.¡±


    ¡°What is Wexler doing, if you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°We already figured that if it was any of the Big Three, it was Cole,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Sophie is taking a more direct approach.¡±


    Sophie stepped over broken glass and unconscious bodies, looking for someone cognisant enough to interrogate. She followed the closest groan of pain, finding a hefty man slumped behind the bar with a broken bottle sticking out of his side. She easily hoisted him up on top the bar, causing him to yell out as the bottle shifted.


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± Sophie said casually, ¡°I want to know what Silva is up to at the moment.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even met him,¡± the man groaned. ¡°I answer to a guy who answers to a guy who answers to a guy. No one tells me anything.¡±


    ¡°Who does get told?¡±


    ¡°You know what Silva will do to you?¡±


    Sophie gripped the bottle and twisted, eliciting a scream.


    ¡°The docklands!¡± he yelled. ¡°There¡¯s a tavern in the docklands called Sailor¡¯s Rest.¡±


    ¡°I know it,¡± Wexler said. ¡°There¡¯s a mist den operating out of the back.¡±


    ¡°Silva has been expanding the mist trade in a big way since you got out,¡± the man said. ¡°The guy who runs it is the area boss for all the mist dens on that side of the city, now.¡±


    Crystal mist was a drug made from recording crystals, imbuing the contents into a powder that was dissolved into water, vaporised and inhaled. It would create a world inside the mind, based on the recordings.


    Crystal mist was illegal, due to its deleterious affect on the brain. Over time, it caused a residue to build up that slowly but inexorably inflicted permanent damage. Even with magic, the damage couldn¡¯t be healed until the residue was purged. Since the residue was resistant to most forms of cleansing, that was an expensive, but not impossible prospect.


    Cole Silva¡¯s father had maintained a small operation, catering to members of the nobility with low tastes. They had the money and connections to discreetly arrange the expensive cleansing required. Cole had massively expanded the operations, knowing there was never a shortage of disenfranchised people looking for an escape.


    There was a pile of people in front of the door, so Sophie left by hopping lightly through the window and dropping down a storey to the ground. By the time the third person had gone through it, very little of the glass was left and she landed lightly amongst the shattered remnants of the window. The men she sent through it had staggered off already. She could see one of them helping the other down the street with in injured leg. She turned in the other direction, toward the docklands, and started running.


    The ritual chant was long, sounding more like a sermon glorifying the Builder than the incantation for a ritual. As Killian continued, an aura started emitting from the star seed. It was faint but held an echo of vast power, like the light of a star. The metal frame fell away from the sphere as it rose into the air, its aura washing over Jason. His own aura was already suppressed entirely by the collar around his neck.


    The tiny fragments that made up the sphere began separating, drifting up to slowly float through the air around Jason. They rose off the sphere like smoke from a fire until the seed was fully disassembled and the fragments floated around him like a cloud. Suddenly their movement stopped, as if they were frozen in time. The star seed¡¯s aura surged abruptly and the fragment darted in, burying themselves in Jason¡¯s flesh.

 Chapter 208: Defiance

    The pain of the tiny objects digging into his flesh was something Jason could endure well enough. In the last six months he had endured enough suffering, mental and physical that he could take the peppering of wounds in stride, even as he dangled, helpless, from the ceiling. Below him, the magic circle shone with a silver light.


    ¡°The star seed implantation process is not a swift one,¡± Killian said. ¡°First, the seed will carve itself throughout your body, suborning your flesh in preparation for claiming your body as its own. The pain you are feeling now is simply a slow, easy start. It will grow over time, escalating until your mind can no longer endure it and breaks. But that will still only be the beginning. You will be broken again and again until there is nothing left of you and only the will of the Builder remains. The star seed is a door that will allow him to reach through and claim your soul.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll be here to watch,¡± Silva said gleefully. ¡°You know the best part, though, Asano? Let me tell you the part that convinced me that this was the way to punish you.¡±


    ¡°The chance for monologuing?¡± Jason guessed, his voice only slightly strained. ¡°You don¡¯t need a star seed for that. You could have just explained your evil plot and then left, assuming everything would go as planned. That¡¯s how they do it where I come from.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead and blabber, Asano.¡±


    ¡°Okay. You should seriously re-evaluate the ergonomics in here because I don¡¯t think this is good for my shoulders.¡±


    ¡°Shut up!¡±


    ¡°Make up your mind, guy. You really need to¡­¡±


    Jason was cut off by a stab of pain.


    ¡°Sorry, what was that, Asano?¡± Silva asked with a malevolent chuckle. ¡°This is going to be very, very hard for you.¡±


    Jason let out a pain-tinged chuckle of his own.


    ¡°That¡¯s funny,¡± he groaned.


    ¡°What is?¡±


    ¡°I said the exact same thing to your mother last night.¡±


    ¡°Really, Asano? The pain must be getting to you if cheap jokes about my mother are the best you can manage. My mother died a dozen years ago; her ashes are interred in the family mausoleum.¡±


    ¡°That did take most of the fun out of it,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°All I could really do was take the lid off the urn and waggle my thing in there.¡±


    Silva¡¯s face turned fury red and he moved to attack Jason, but stopped himself at the edge of the magic diagram.


    ¡°Please restrain yourself, Mr Silva,¡± Killian said. ¡°Trust that the process will slowly bring him a level of suffering that no amount of bravado can endure.¡±


    Silva relaxed and the evil grin returned to his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Killian,¡± he said. ¡°You interrupted me, Asano, when I was about to explain the best part of this whole thing. You see, it turns out that a star seed can¡¯t take you over. Not unless you let it.¡±


    ¡°The inviolable soul,¡± Killian said. ¡°One of the most fundamental rules of magic.¡±


    ¡°So what the star seed does,¡± Silva continued, relishing every word, ¡°is just keep ramping up the pain, until your mind can¡¯t take it. Don¡¯t think you will find relief in dark insensibility, though. After your body, it will come for your soul. There¡¯s no hiding from that. It may not have a way to invade your soul, Asano, but it can hurt it. You¡¯re going to suffer in ways you cannot imagine, but you won¡¯t have to, because you¡¯ll feel it. You can¡¯t prevent it, avoid it or escape it. You will suffer and suffer until you can¡¯t take any more and you give the Builder what he wants. You will open the door and let him in, allowing his will supplant yours, just so the pain will stop. You be nothing more than a vessel, a puppet. An empty husk, dancing on a string.¡±


    Silva stepped up close to Jason, carefully stepping over the lines of the magic circle without disturbing them. He gripped Jason by the hair and spoke softly into his ear.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to watch it all,¡± Silva whispered. ¡°I¡¯m going to taste your pain, revel in your suffering. The last thing you see, in the final moment before your soul is snuffed out, will be my face. The last thought you have will be the realisation that you have been completely, utterly and irrevocably broken, and that it happened because you took something that was mine.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t respond, gritting his teeth against the pain, like icy-cold worms burrowing through his body. Silva ran his hand down the side of Jason¡¯s face.


    ¡°And when we¡¯re done, we¡¯ll let you go,¡± he said. ¡°Of course, it won¡¯t really be you. I wonder what the Builder will have you do. Run off to the cultists? Perhaps you¡¯ll go back to your friends and see how much damage you can do before they catch on that you aren¡¯t home anymore. I would really like to hear that you killed Sophie. Would you do that for me? Make it ugly, too. Make her ugly. Let everyone know that what¡¯s mine is mine, and no one else¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if anyone¡¯s told you this,¡± Jason forced out through gritted teeth, ¡°but you¡¯re kind of a prick.¡±


    Jason felt the progress of the star seed as it invaded his body in the form of biting cold, like his veins were turning to ice. As the cold burrowed its way through his body, however, the trails it left behind started to warm again. Jason could feel Colin¡¯s presence, working to reclaim his body from the star seed. As the star seed took hold over his body he realised that it felt very much like Colin¡¯s dark mirror; cold and dead instead of warm and filled with vibrant life.


    Colin¡¯s attempts to reclaim Jason¡¯s body didn¡¯t help with the pain. Just the opposite, in fact, as the star seed and the familiar fought a war inside his body. Colin was not truly in Jason¡¯s blood, however, but instead as a spirit form within Jason¡¯s soul, anchored to the physical world through the blood. In most cases, the death of a summoner would cause the familiar spirit to return to the astral as it¡¯s anchor was severed. If Jason¡¯s soul was violated, however, Colin¡¯s spirit would be made vulnerable. Jason didn¡¯t know what that would mean for his familiar but he was confident that it was nothing good.


    Jason knew Colin¡¯s efforts were inevitably doomed as the star seed altered his flesh faster than Colin could restore it. In that moment, however, he felt an incredible warmth for the life-devouring apocalypse beast working so hard to help him. He was filled with fresh determination to fight on, to protect his familiar the way his familiar was protecting him.


    Silva never seemed to tire of taunting Jason, but as the pain escalated, Jason was no longer hearing the words. All that he had was the pain, a world of white noise with no sense of place or time. When the pain abruptly receded and his senses started to return, he had no idea how long it had been.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Silva asked. Jason had visibly relaxed and the silver glow of the magic circle had significantly dimmed.


    Killian frowned.


    ¡°The star seed is a magically hungry object,¡± Killian said. ¡°It is a channel to the will of the Builder, an entity so powerful that if he were to directly come into contact with this world he would annihilate it. The purpose of the magic circle is to gather and concentrate the ambient magic to create a reservoir of power. When the seed becomes dormant, it¡¯s replenishing itself by drawing on that reserve. That way, in spite of it¡¯s heavy magical consumption, it can outlast anyone it is implanted in, no matter how great their endurance.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only telling me about this now?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t have happened this quickly,¡± Killian said.


    ¡°Did you mess up the ritual?¡±


    ¡°If I failed to use the ritual correctly, the seed would not have become active in the first place.¡±


    Killian turned a curious gaze on Jason.


    ¡°Something about Asano is hindering the seed¡¯s work on his body, forcing it to work harder, consume its stores of power more quickly.¡±


    Jason let out a pained laugh that turned into a choking cough, but he grinned madly at his captors, eyes still alive.


    ¡°Keep smiling,¡± Silva told him. ¡°If you didn¡¯t have spirit, what would the fun be in breaking it?¡±


    The first reprieve lasted only a few minutes before the magic circle grew brighter and the pain resumed. Colin had used that time to try and reclaim territory but it wasn¡¯t enough and Jason was only vaguely aware that the screams he heard were his own before returning to that white space of pain.


    There were other brief spells of reprieve as the star seed exhausted itself against Jason and when dormant to replenish its power. To Jason, it felt like each break was shorter than the last. In truth, they were growing longer, but his increasingly diminished capacities were no longer able to gauge it. Colin¡¯s efforts were likewise becoming less effective; as Jason weakened, so did he.


    ¡°It¡¯s taking longer and longer,¡± Silva complained. ¡°The last time it was stopped for hours. How long will this one be?¡±


    ¡°Probably most of the night,¡± Killian said. ¡°The magical density in this region to too low for the circle to collect magic efficiently. I suggest we take this time to rest. I had Remi set up some beds in the next room. We¡¯ll know to come back when the screaming resumes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to miss him breaking,¡± Silva said.


    ¡°You won¡¯t,¡± Killian said. ¡°He is proving much more resistant than I anticipated. You¡¯ll have all the time you need to enjoy his suffering.¡±


    ¡°I want to watch him break.¡±


    ¡°You will, Mr Silva. After the body comes the mind, and then the soul. What is the will of one man against a being greater than our entire world?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just hanging there,¡± Silva said with disgust. ¡°No screams, no writhing. He¡¯s practically relaxed.¡±


    ¡°The star seed had claimed his body now,¡± Killian said. ¡°We are approaching the end. Even his brain is no longer his own. Whatever remains of his consciousness will have taken final refuge in the bastion of his soul. Soon, he will yield and you shall see him break, just as you wished.¡±


    The pain was gone, but Jason¡¯s senses did not return. There was no sight, no sound, no touch. He was in a place of pure will, the border between his soul and the entity that sought to claim it. He felt adrift at sea, not one of water but of an immense will. A will too large for Jason to even conceive it¡¯s totality. Greater than the sky, more vast than the sun. Older than the stars and more unfathomable than the deepest voids of space.


    Before that will, Jason was naked and exposed. It was more than being weak and vulnerable. In the face of that unconscionable power, not only was it beyond what he was, but beyond anything he ever could be. Anything he could even conceive of. He was the smallest speck of creation in front of a force that transcended creation.


    Oddly, it was not a wholly unfamiliar sensation. From the moment he had been cast adrift in a strange world full of power and danger, he had been surrounded by forces larger than himself. Time and again he had been brought to the brink, constantly under pressure. He had fought off death and stood defiant in the face of gods. Life in his new world was a fire, burning away everything he had believed himself to be and refining him down to what he truly was.


    He could feel the desire for capitulation radiating from that the vast will. The pressure it exerted, pushing in on his soul. But he knew that pressure. He had endured it from the very start, as if every thing he encountered in this world was preparing him for this moment. Next to the alien mind of the Builder and its towering will, Jason was nothing. But he realised that even the transcendent being with all its power could not open the doors to his soul. So long as he had the will to defy it, the Builder could not claim him. He gathered his own will and threw it into the Builder¡¯s own, a grain of sand in a hurricane.


    ¡°Is he¡­ grinning?¡± Silva asked. ¡°He¡¯s grinning! How is¡­ what¡­ Killian! What is happening?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Killian said. If Jason¡¯s ears still belonged to him he would have recognised the same delighted tone Clive would get on encountering something completely unexpected.


    The two men were startled when Jason spoke.


    ¡°Is that all you¡¯ve got, mate? You¡¯ll have to do better than that, you interdimensional arsehole.¡±


    Killian started laughing madly.


    ¡°You think this is funny?¡± Silva asked him.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± Killian said, awestruck. ¡°That really, really shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±


    In the wake of Jason¡¯s outburst, the pressure of that vast will suddenly vanished. Like a becalmed sea, the absolute stillness carried an ominous sense of danger, isolation and helplessness. Most of all, it carried a silent threat; an anticipation of what would come when the weather inevitably turned.


    Killian and Silva looked on as Jason once more hung limp and unmoving. Silva was increasingly agitated while Killian had gone from curious observation to avid fascination.


    ¡°We should kill him now,¡± Silva said. ¡°I¡¯ll do it.¡±


    ¡°You would be well advised not to take back what you have offered to the Builder,¡± Killian said. ¡°We started this and have to see it through to the end or pay the price.¡±


    ¡°What kind of price?¡±


    ¡°The worst kind,¡± Killian said. ¡°The price you don¡¯t know until you pay it. But you don¡¯t have to worry; a man cannot defy the will of a transcendent being.¡±


    ¡°And if you¡¯re wrong?¡±


    ¡°Then that is the point we kill him, and make sure it¡¯s done right,¡± Killian said. ¡°A man who can defy that kind of power can do anything. That¡¯s not a man you leave alive, not after what we¡¯ve done to him. But as I said, that simply isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    Silva opened his mouth to respond but stopped, both men turning to face the door. They both sensed the agitated aura of the guard, Remi, rapidly approach. His arrival was marked with a hammering knock.


    ¡°Mr Silva, Mr Laurent,¡± Remi¡¯s voice came through. Remi, was in charge of watching over the site while Silva and Killian dealt with Jason, and he should not have left the security room unless something went wrong.


    Silva and Killian went to the outer room and Killian opened the exterior door.


    ¡°What is it?¡± he demanded.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been sleeping in shifts, in the security room,¡± Remi said. ¡°I just woke up to find Coburn dead and Jerrick gone. I didn¡¯t feel any aura surge from powers being used, so he must have killed Coburn without using them. There was a stab wound in the back of Coburn¡¯s neck.¡±


    ¡°How long ago?¡± Killian asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be sure,¡± Remi said. ¡°Hours, I don¡¯t know how many.¡±


    ¡°It makes no sense,¡± Silva said. ¡°Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Remi said. ¡°I can only assume it is something to do with Jerrick¡¯s connection to Asano.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Silva asked again. ¡°If anything, he should want to get his own kicks in. Why kill Coburn and leave?¡±


    ¡°To give himself time to reach the city,¡± Killian said, then sighed. ¡°It¡¯s over.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know that,¡± Silva said. ¡°Why would Jerrick help Asano? It makes no sense.¡±


    Caught up in his own thoughts, still voicing questions out loud, Siva didn¡¯t notice the sudden change in Killian, although Remi did. Killian¡¯s normal, obsequious posture straightened, his creepy, pandering half-smile vanishing. Killian stood tall, pale face blank and expressionless, his eyes hard. Even his aura changed, becoming steely hard.


    ¡°Just because you lack the imagination doesn¡¯t mean there isn¡¯t a reason,¡± Killian said to Silva. ¡°He may be trying to regain admittance to the Adventure Society by helping the man who got him kicked out. He might have realised that we were using the Builder cult¡¯s star seed and balked. In the end, the reasons don¡¯t matter, only the result.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what was that about the Builder cult?¡± Remi asked.


    Killian glanced at Remi and a bone spike shot out of the ground, impaling the henchman. The power difference between a skilled and powerful bronze-ranker closing in on silver and a failed adventurer like Remi was made blindingly obvious as the henchman¡¯s corpse slid limply down the spike. Silva looked on in shock, realising that Killian was far stronger than he had ever let on.


    ¡°We are done,¡± Killian said. ¡°We¡¯re done here, we¡¯re done in Greenstone and we are done as a collaboration.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Silva asked.


    ¡°Do you still not understand that this undertaking wasn¡¯t even risk?¡± Killian asked. ¡°It was always going to go wrong. Your position in Greenstone is untenable, now. Asano¡¯s allies are too powerful, and I promise they are coming for you, even as we speak. It was always going to come to this.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you go along with it?¡± Silva asked. ¡°You arranged most of this.¡±


    ¡°Because I have diverted enough resources from your operations over the past year to meet my needs going forward,¡± Killian said. ¡°When Lamprey brought this idea to you it presented the perfect distraction to extricate myself from you and this city. While everyone is chasing after you for killing Asano, I can conclude my affairs and depart in peace. This is where we part ways, Mr Silva.¡±


    Silva reeled at the betrayal of his most trusted follower.


    ¡°You¡¯re turning against me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Killian said. ¡°If anything, I¡¯m amazed anyone is loyal to you at all. You¡¯re completely oblivious to how much effort I had to expend on holding your organisation together, in spite of your best efforts.¡±


    Silva lunged at Killian, only for more bones to erupt from the ground, spearing into Silva¡¯s flesh and holding him in place. Silva grabbed two of the bones and started flexing them outwards, but while the bones gave a little, they held. Silva¡¯s strength-enhancing power was in the early stages of bronze, no match for Killian¡¯s conjuration power that had already reached silver.


    ¡°So pathetic,¡± Killian said. ¡°You could put up more of a fight, if you knew how, but you don¡¯t even understand your own powers. All those monster cores. Helpless victims instead of even the pretence of actual combat. You truly are a wretched thing, but I won¡¯t kill you, Mr Silva. When you wake up, I suggest you don¡¯t spare Asano the same mercy. If the Builder doesn¡¯t have him by then, kill him and run. With Asano¡¯s friends after you, you¡¯ll be lucky to live long enough to pay the price of denying the Builder.¡±


    Silva glared at Killian with frenzied eyes.


    ¡°And if they catch me and I set them on you?¡±


    ¡°Mr Silva, you don¡¯t know a single thing about me. You don¡¯t know who works for me, or what my holdings are. If you did, you¡¯d wonder why so many of them had gone missing from your own months ago.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill you,¡± Silva snarled.


    ¡°Unlikely, but good luck,¡± Killian said. A skeletal arm burst through the pavers and started choking Silva. Silva tried to spit out more words but they came out as a choked-off gurgle. He tried to use his active powers but the bone cage had a suppression effect that prevented them from activating. His last thought before passing out was fury at a world that kept denying him the things that were his by right.


    All that was left of Jason¡¯s true self was hidden away in the fortress of his soul. His body stolen, he had no brain to drive his thoughts and was quickly reduced to little more than that a last scrap of will, the innermost core of his being. Beyond the impregnable walls of his soul, the power of the Builder had undergone a change. If it could not cow Jason into capitulation, it would go back to inflicting pain until he yielded.


    The Builder¡¯s will became a hurricane of knives, scoring marks across Jason¡¯s soul. It was a pain unlike anything the body could suffer, cutting not at flesh but at the very essence of his being. Jason endured, the warm presence of his familiar beside him. In his unthinking state he had a vague sense of things that were missing. He no longer remembered the familiars he had yet to resummon, yet he felt their absence.


    It became worse, knives becoming drills trying to bore their way into his soul. Yet still, they failed. So long as Jason had the will to resist, they could not breach his soul. All they could do was bring pain that carried with it a promise. It could all stop, and all he had to do was give in.


    The pain scoured away the echoes that were the remnants of what Jason had been when his body and mind were his own. All that remained was a meagre scrap of self, ragged and torn, yet still unyielding.


    The days of torment since the star seed was implanted were a microcosm of every threat he had faced since arriving in his new world. Those memories were now gone but their effects were still felt. Those events had made him anew, reforging the very core of his being into something that would never stop struggling. Even against the indomitable will of an alien mind, with power beyond imagining. Even when there was nothing left of him but the will to struggle.


    The Builder¡¯s will was unrelenting, sending pain into the reaches of Jason¡¯s soul it could otherwise not reach. into the fortress of Jason¡¯s soul. All that remained was a flickering ember, the last scrap of his true self. The alien mind strove to extinguish that final spark but it refused to die out.


    After stripping everything else away, only one part of Jason remained. The one thing that had kept him going, every time he walked the line between life and death. That pushed him on in the face of monsters, cultists, cannibals and gods. The memories of those experiences were lost but the will they had formed was the one thing he had left. The unwillingness to bend, to conform, to capitulate. All that remained of Jason was pure, unadulterated defiance.


    Jason could not out-endure the Builder, any more than a dandelion could withstand a tornado. But while the great astral being had no limits, the star seed connecting it to Jason did. The harder the Builder pushed Jason, the faster its power was consumed. Finally, the Builder¡¯s will faded as the seed went dormant, forced to stop and replenish itself.


    In the aftermath of the storm, Jason¡¯s soul pulsed and throbbed, rattled by the forces that had besieged it. From deep within, something shifted, as if the alien power drilling into it had uncovered some vast power, buried and forgotten. Power built and built, pressure climbing like the inside of a volcano. The fading ember of Jason¡¯s will ignited into a furious flame and Jason¡¯s soul erupted, burning away at the icy clutches of the star seed that had claimed his body. Colin¡¯s spirit soared out, the familiar adding its own power as Jason will strove to reclaim the now undefended body.


    The Builder¡¯s will returned, having sensed the danger to the star seed in Jason¡¯s resurgence. There was only a fragment of power left within the star seed and Jason felt a flicker of uncertainty in that ancient, alien mind. It had to stop Jason now before the star seed was fully overcome, impinging upon him with all the strength of its will.


    The seed, already drained of all but the last skerricks of energy could not take the strain. The Builder¡¯s attempt to head Jason off before he could turn the tables on the seed had itself pushed the seed past its limits, ruining it for good.


    The connection was gone and the Builder¡¯s will with it, the seed¡¯s power burned out, not to return. The physical remnants of the seed were still in Jason¡¯s body but they were inert, a spent force. The end of their power was not the end of their threat, however. Those physical remnants riddled Jason¡¯s body. Without the seed¡¯s power keeping him alive as it transformed him, the foreign matter running though his body was now killing him. If not for the strange nature of his outworlder body, he would have been dead already.


    Even as his body failed, however, his soul reclaimed it. Jason¡¯s consciousness returned, only to fade away, unable to function.


    Jason came to, still hanging from the ceiling. His body was wet with his own blood, leaking from rents in his flesh where the star seed fragments had been pushed back out of his body. Colin had somehow kept him alive through the laborious task of purging his body of the star seed, slowly restoring him to something resembling health. He could feel Colin, now dormant inside him. The familiar had given all that he had to keep Jason alive.


    ¡°You did good, buddy,¡± Jason croaked. ¡°You have yourself a good rest.¡±


    His body was ravaged, more weak and exhausted as he had ever thought possible. Yet somehow, he felt strong, stronger than he had ever been. He could feel his soul, sense it in a way that never could before. It was his true self, his last refuge, not the meat shell he¡¯d been walking around in. Ever since finding out his body had been destroyed and remade from magic, he had a sense of unease about himself and his very existence. That was gone, now, as he realised that the body he wore was ultimately no more important than a suit.


    He craned his neck to look down at the fragments of star seed on the floor underneath him. The magic circle had turned to ash. He started laughing, hoarse and painful, but he kept on laughed like a madman.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you can hear me through your dead, magic rectal probe,¡± Jason said, ¡°but you need to listen up, you interdimensional land bandit. You just got beat by the assistant manager of an office supply retailer while he was hanging from a hook and naked as the day he was born. And reborn, I guess. So you¡¯d best back up your piss weak little cult and take them back to your magic land in the sky because I¡¯m coming for them. And this time, I¡¯m going to have pants.¡±

 Chapter 209: Hanging Around

    ¡°Where the hell are the bad guys?¡±


    Still hanging from the ceiling, Jason remembered that his torture had come with torturers. They might have seemed inconsequential when he was facing off against the Builder but now that fight was over and he was still strung up like meat on a butcher¡¯s hook.


    Even if he wasn¡¯t and if instead of the suppression collar he was wearing at least some underpants, both men were higher rank than him. At full strength, which he definitely wasn¡¯t, he thought he could probably take Silva. The elf was a different matter.


    The weird, pale elf had the kind of rigid aura control Jason associated with expert essence users, and he knew enough of them to judge. What someone with actual skill was doing working for Silva was a mystery.


    The more Jason thought about it, the more odd the elf¡¯s presence seemed. He claimed not to be part of the Builder cult, but he had known an awful lot about how the star seed worked. Jason was willing to bet that whatever the elf was up to, he was playing Silva for a fool. It might even be the reason the pair were in absentia.


    Jason considered his options. At full strength he could probably pull out the hook the elf had hammered into the ceiling and free himself. He was strong and well-trained enough that he could hoist himself up and put his feet against the ceiling for leverage.


    He was nowhere near full strength at the moment, however. His body was visibly emaciated under the coating of blood and pocked with small injuries. Jason could feel that inside him, Colin had gone dormant. The familiar had exhausted himself keeping Jason alive and purging the star seed remnants. The dead fragments had been pushed out of Jason¡¯s body by Colin¡¯s healing, piling up under Jason¡¯s dangling feet. Far more than the mass that had been the original seed, there was almost a fifth of Jason¡¯s body weight in metal, sticky with Jason¡¯s blood.


    ¡°Good job, little mate.¡±


    Jason could feel the sting of the remnant wounds all over his body. One was right above his left eye, which he had to force open through the sticky blood welding it shut. He could feel another just to the right of his chin, underneath a scratchy beard that had grown during the time of his captivity. Neither were drastic; like the other wounds they were the places the star seed had invaded his body, then pushed back out again. The real damage had been wreaked on the inside of his body and the outside of his soul. The wounds were present all across his body, although his most tender parts had been mercifully spared.


    The wounds weren¡¯t any particular threat to his wellbeing, but they variously stung or itched, which he could do nothing about in his current predicament. He laughed at the absurdity of a few itchy scratches annoying him after the ordeal he had been through, or even the situation he was now in.


    Knowledge had once denied that Jason¡¯s mind had been altered when he became an outworlder to better process the kind of trauma he was suffered since. Now, considering his odd equanimity after days of literally soul-scourging torture, he was pretty sure she¡¯d been lying. She had likewise skipped over the part about his outworlder body, which was probably for the best. At that point he hadn¡¯t been ready to hear it, still desperately clinging to any part of his old identity.


    Jason considered his options. One, literally hang around and wait for rescue. His friends were capable and would find him eventually, but would it be before Silva and the elf came back? Option two was¡­ still in the formulation stage. Too weak to move, too powerless to act.


    His new awareness of his own soul brought with it a better sense of the pressure being placed on it by the suppression collar. It was like his soul had grown to touch the sides of that containment, like a balloon being inflated inside a box. He felt an intense compulsion to push his way out of that box


    Could he? He was hardly in the best state right now and the collar was an oppressive power. It presented no pressure but had the feel of an inviolable boundary, yet he couldn¡¯t shake the desire to try. He pondered where that feeling was coming from.


    Jason was certain that he had undergone significant changes as a result of overcoming the challenge of the star seed, but for the first time he was without a system message to explain it. Unlike other essence users, Jason had never been forced to fathom out his abilities by feel. There was an element of it, but he always had the system messages to guide and clarify. Was the desire to push back against the suppression just wish fulfilment or an instinctual understanding of an ability that had changed? Perhaps his astral affinity had evolved from the contact with a great astral being.


    He decided to go for it, closing his eyes and feeling out the power within his soul. He was uncertain of how to actively use it. Following an instinct, he used the aura projection technique that Farrah had taught him as a foundation, projecting that power outward. The instinct proved itself true as he realised through his attempt that the true nature of his aura was a projection of his soul.


    That first attempt was fumbling and inexpert, but armed with his new revelation, he tried again. Jason¡¯s aura was completely suppressed by the collar, but he could feel the strength within himself to push back against that confinement. His second attempt felt more refined and powerful than the first but it was like trying to push a boulder off his body. He strained, feeling a tantalising shift in the walls that bound his aura, but could not push them back. Eventually he could not maintain the exertion and was forced to take a pause.


    He realised that continuing that way was not going to yield results. He needed to significantly improve the way he wielded the power. With the revelation that his aura and his soul were more intrinsically linked than he had previously thought, he need to alter the way he used his aura.


    Jason had always considered his aura control very strong, and others had told him as much. He thought of Rufus, and his realisation that people telling him how excellent he was had been stopping him from trying to get better. With his improved sense of his own soul and the new understanding of his aura, Jason realised that his aura use had been crude and inefficient. He needed to better incorporate the power of his soul into the way he used his aura.


    The foundation that Farrah had helped him lay down was a solid basis in which to inject the core power of his soul that his conflict with the Builder had revealed. Once he mastered it, it would magnify his power and control over his aura by an untold amount. The suppression collar would be the crucible in which he remade his aura. Instead of just projecting it out into nothing, that suppressive force would be the press that concentrated his power, the whetstone on which he sharpened his control.


    Previously, Jason had felt like his aura control was pushing the limit of what he was capable of, only the next rank offering a chance to substantially improve. As he forced his aura up against the suppression collar¡¯s power he realised how foolish and arrogant he had been. He was once again a fumbling amateur, taking him back to those first days, training with Farrah. He had crested a hill he thought was end of his journey, only to find a grand new vista before him.


    There was a long new road ahead of him and he was not going to reach the end here and now, dangling on a hook. What he needed in his current situation was to push back the suppression collar¡¯s power, if only for a fleeting moment.


    When he had been training Jason, Rufus had often repeated advice his family had hammered into him. This was especially true of his grandfather, the famous, diamond-rank sword master, Roland Remore. From what Rufus had passed on, Jason secretly suspected the Remore patriarch of spending his diamond-rank lifespan figuring out how to sound as profound as possible. This world didn¡¯t have fortune cookies, so he had to find the rhythms himself.


    When Jason first began his training, Rufus had talked a lot about his grandfather¡¯s ideas about the difference between a good adventurer and a great one. In the wake of Rufus¡¯ disastrous foray against the blood cultists, it was a distinction that he obsessed on. He became preoccupied with his failures, doubting his judgement, leadership and even qualifications as an adventurer. It was a pattern that had played out again with Farrah¡¯s death.


    According to Rufus¡¯ grandfather, the difference between a good adventurer and a great one was a matter of moments. The right decision in the right moment was the difference between success and failure, between triumph and death. Great adventurers were alchemists of circumstance, turning opportunity into fortune. After how things played out with the blood cult, Rufus believed it was something Jason had an instinctual gift for.


    Jason hoped Rufus was right as threw everything he had against the collar¡¯s containment, pushing his aura against it like shouldering a boulder. He pushed and strained until a final surge finally caused it to shift. He had bought himself a moment and now he had to use it.


    System messages started erupting in Jason¡¯s face but he ignored them, opening his inventory next to his manacled hands and snatching out an item, barely getting it in hand before the suppression snapped back into place, pushing his aura back down. The system windows dissolved into static and vanished.


    The backlash scraped against his very soul, something that would have made him pass out before his recent experiences. It did almost make him drop the small vial he now had in his hand and panic flashed through him. He convulsively clutched his fingers around the vial, almost breaking it with the panicked ferocity of his grip.


    He once again hung limply from the manacles, panting for breath. Dangling from the ceiling made for a poor recovery position. As he regained his breath he looked up at the small vial. He had used his original lesser miracle potion fighting the giant water elemental, but Jory had joined them and replaced it before they had even gotten all the way through Old City.


    He craned his neck, lining up his mouth up as best he could before thumbing the stopper off the vial. Some of the potion splashed onto his face but most went into his mouth and he poked his tongue out to lick up what he could of the rest.


    The potion¡¯s effects were, as promised, miraculous. He felt the healing sting as emaciated muscle was replenished and the wounds all over his body finished healing. Looking down at his chest, Jason saw that they had left behind a series of small scars. He knew those on his face had likely done the same.


    His body was now flush with energy, the suppression collar having no impact on the magic of the potion, although Jason had no way to use his refilled mana pool. Instead, he went to work of expending some stamina, straining his arms to grip the chain of the manacles.


    Jason¡¯s fighting style, the Way of the Reaper, was much more comprehensive than a simple martial art. It included mobility techniques, stealth and, immediately relevant, escape methodology. Jason pulled himself up, hand over hand, then shifted his weight to pivot his body, swinging his legs up until his feet were pressed into the ceiling.


    The ring the manacles were looped through was held in place by a spike Jason had watch the elf fix it into place with conjured skeleton arms. It hadn¡¯t been a carefully bored hole, just a smooth, unthreaded spike the was hammered directly into the brickwork. Jason figured therefore that he could combine leverage, strength and body weight to yank it right out.


    It was a task that proved easier to conceive of than to execute and Jason was left hanging upside down, reefing on the chain. He had been at it some time when the spike suddenly gave way and he fell to the floor in a heap.


    He stood up, awkwardly reaching around with his manacled hands to brush off the fragments of inert star seed that stuck to his body when he landed. They had formed a pile underneath where he had been hanging and, like Jason, were sticky with Jason¡¯s blood. The remnants of the ritual circle was nothing but ash.


    There was nothing else in the room and Jason wasted little time, making for the door. Passing through the outer room to the exterior of the building, he surveyed his surroundings. He quickly surmised he was somewhere on the outskirts of the delta, where the last patches of scrubland gave out and the dead sands took over. The layout of the buildings were similar to spirit coin exchange outposts he¡¯d seen, although this one was obviously disused. Patches of yellow grass were growing up between pavers dislodged and uneven from time and weather.


    To his surprise, Silva was out in the open, laying in a pool of his own blood. Jason¡¯s aura senses were restricted alongside his aura, so he wasn¡¯t sure if Silva was live or dead. The same could not be said for another man Jason recognised as the guard who had given him a spirit coin while he was awaiting his fate. That man was definitively dead.


    Jason checked on Silva. He had brutal strangulation marks on his neck and multiple stab wound in his arms, legs and torso. Silva had bled quite a lot, but while in a bad way, as to threaten a bronze-ranker with death. His bronze rank recovery attribute would heal him faster than a normal person, although it hadn¡¯t woken him up in all the time Jason had been hanging in the building.


    ¡°Someone sure did a number on you,¡± Jason said as he searched Silva¡¯s body. He found a small keychain in a jacket pocket, cheering as he found the key to his manacles and the collar around his neck. The sensation of removing the collar was like taken that first breath after almost drowning; of finding a toilet just in time to avoid soiling yourself in the middle of a shopping centre.


    Jason didn¡¯t waste more than a moment revelling as he felt his powers return. He minimised all the system messages flooding his vision and snapped the suppression collar around Silva¡¯s neck. Silva didn¡¯t react, remaining unconscious as Jason then placed the manacles on Silva¡¯s ankles.


    ¡°Now we¡¯ll see how you like being a prisoner,¡± Jason told him. ¡°No, that¡¯s no good. You¡¯ll have plenty of time for sleep in the slammer? That¡¯s worse, this is hard. Are eighties action movies not as good as I remember? Colin, when we get back to my world, I¡¯m going to show you Gymkata. It¡¯s literally everything you need to know about western culture.¡±


    Jason resumed his search of Silva¡¯s person, finding that a pocket in the jacket led to a dimensional storage space. He emptied it out and stole everything that looked interesting or valuable, shoving it all into his inventory except for his missing amulet, which he immediately clasped around his neck.


    It was time to get some clothes on but he was still covered in blood. He pulled out a bottle of crystal wash and tipped it over his head. It washed the blood off his body and out of his hair, including his new beard. There was no sign of his missing suit, so he summoned another from his inventory. The dark mist covered his modesty but at this point it didn¡¯t really matter. Even if Jason hadn¡¯t got used to the nudity, the only people here were either unconscious or dead.


    Jason was tweaking his cufflinks when he froze, seeing movement in the distance. Three vehicles were careening over scrubby ground, a trio of skimmers rocketing towards him. As he watched, most of the figures on one of the skimmers vanished and he was suddenly surrounded by people. Danielle Geller had teleported Rufus, Gary and Humphrey from their skimmer directly next to him.


    ¡°Ah, you¡¯re here,¡± Jason said, and finished adjusting his cufflink. ¡°And here was me just needing a ride.¡±


    Jason¡¯s attempt at dignity was immediately smothered as Gary grasped him in a hug that was more like a rugby tackle.

 Chapter 210: What Doesn’t Kill You

    The rest of Jason¡¯s team arrived in the three skimmers, with Clive driving one and a somewhat shaky Jory and Belinda driving the others, both for the first time. Everyone poured off the vehicles before they had even fully stopped, clamouring around Jason. He met their looks of concerns with easy confidence, assuring them that he was fine.


    Clive had so many questions he didn¡¯t actually manage to get any of them out. Humphrey gripped Jason on the shoulder, giving him a beaming smile that the young women of Greenstone would sell out their own families to receive.


    ¡°We rush out here to rescue you,¡± Belinda said, ¡°and you¡¯re standing here like you¡¯re waiting for a ride to the damn symphony. Do have any idea how many people we kicked the hell out of looking for you.¡±


    ¡°We?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It was a team effort,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Sophie took out two barrooms full of thugs, single-handed,¡± Neil said. ¡°One was full of criminals and the other was full of sailors.¡±


    ¡°In fairness, there¡¯s a lot of crossover,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Are you really alright, Asano?¡±


    ¡°I had time to stop and pick you up a gift,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a little damaged but I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll mind.¡±


    Everyone had been so fixated on Jason that they didn¡¯t even glance at the bodies on the ground. Jason walked over to the unconscious Silva and poked him with his foot.


    ¡°You got him,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s all yours.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Danielle said. ¡°He¡¯s all mine. I have questions Mr Silva there is going to find himself extremely compelled to answer.¡±


    ¡°How did you end up kidnapping him?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°It was an incredible fight,¡± Jason said. ¡°Pitting myself against a bronze-ranker, exhausted after my daring escape. Struggling back and forth until finally I clinched the hard-fought victory.¡±


    ¡°He looks pretty fresh for having fought you,¡± Neil said. ¡°There isn¡¯t even any rot around the wounds.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don¡¯t know what happened there,¡± Jason said. ¡°I found him  like this.¡±


    ¡°You found him like this?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°I should probably start at the beginning,¡± Jason said.


    Suddenly a bird swooped out of the sky, transforming into a puppy that slammed into his chest like an adorable bowling ball.


    ¡°Oh, hey mate,¡± Jason said, holding Stash in his arms and scratching him behind the ears. Humphrey took his familiar back with an admonishing look.


    ¡°You have to be more careful,¡± Humphrey scolded. ¡°What if Jason was hurt? You don¡¯t know what he¡¯s been through.¡±


    ¡°Jason¡¯s fine,¡± Neil said. After reaching bronze rank, Neil¡¯s perception power, eyes of opportunity, allowed him to see the vulnerabilities of others. That included injuries, not just what they were but what the effects they had on the body. It was a powerful tool for a healer, letting his see the conditions of his team at a glance.


    ¡°It got a little rough, I won¡¯t lie,¡± Jason said. ¡°I chugged that miracle potion Jory gave me. Thanks for that one, Jory.¡±


    ¡°Maybe stop putting yourself in situations where you need them?¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± Jason said. ¡°No more dashing heroics for this adventurer.¡±


    ¡°And here you just said you won¡¯t lie,¡± Sophie told him.


    Jason ran them through events as best he could remember them, but his memory was rather hazy. Even for the parts he was in control of his brain to form memories, the pain made his recollection rather sketchy. The most important events took place when he retreated into his soul, which he didn¡¯t exactly remember. Instead, it was like his feelings of that time were imprinted on him. Fear, pain, power and defiance. It was difficult to put to words in any way that made sense.


    Jason¡¯s veneer of equanimity started to crack as he struggled to explain those moments and Danielle put a stop to it, setting the others to work securing the site.


    With the sudden sense of safety, the door Jason had been pushing all the panic, horror and pain behind suddenly opened. His body shuddered, a chill passing over it. Danielle placed a concerned hand on his shoulder and could feel him trembling, even as his face maintained a carefree smile. His legs felt shaky and he pulled a chair from his inventory to sat down before he stumbled. He leaned back, tilting his head to the sky to feel the sun on his face.


    The others threw frequent glances back at Jason as they went about their tasks. Rufus and Gary started searching the area, looking out for any sign of the missing elf Jason had described. Clive took the building where Jason had been tortured while Humphrey searched the second building with its reflective glass.


    Neil and Jory started examining the unconscious Silva, while Sophie and Belinda concentrated on the dead man lying near him. Belinda found a small, fresh hole in the pavers and spotted more where Silva lay close by. Further examination revealed that the holes were broken at the edges and tiny fragments were scattered around them. It looked like something thin and hard had broken through from below and Belinda looked from the holes in the ground to the stab wound is Silva¡¯s body.


    ¡°That elf Jason described,¡± Belinda said to Sophie. ¡°We¡¯re assuming Killian Laurent, right?¡±


    ¡°The description fits,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Did I hear something about him conjuring bone spikes from the ground?¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve heard that,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Killian Laurent?¡± Jory asked from nearby.


    ¡°He¡¯s been hovering around the periphery of the Silva family for years,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Old Man Silva only kept him around because he was solid with ritual magic.¡±


    ¡°There were also rumours that the old man used him to do the truly nasty stuff on the quiet,¡± Sophie added. ¡°The things that even criminals and murders would think twice about.¡±


    ¡°Word is that Laurent rose up sharply after the old man died,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Why would he do this to Silva?¡± Sophie wondered aloud. ¡°It can¡¯t be a takeover. Silva was unpalatable but he had the family connections and at least some limits. No one would stand for that depraved elf being in charge.¡±


    ¡°I imagine the answers will have to wait until this guy wakes up,¡± Jory said, kneeling over Silva. The two women moved to stand over the man who was the genesis of so many of their misfortunes.


    ¡°We should kill him now,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It¡¯s not like anyone would care.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Sophie said. ¡°He can¡¯t suffer if he¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t allow you to just starting hurting him,¡± Neil said. ¡°I¡¯ll remind you that I¡¯m part of the church of the Healer.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t settle for physical pain,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That fades and I want him to suffer in ways that never end. I want him to see us and realise that chasing us has cost him everything.¡±


    ¡°I think he was mostly chasing you,¡± Belinda told her. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure me, he could take or leave.¡±


    ¡°If you want to hurt his feelings, go ahead¡± Neil said. ¡°So long as you don¡¯t stab him or anything, that¡¯s your business.¡±


    Sophie looked over at Jason, then back down at Silva.


    ¡°What if I just kick him a little?¡±


    Neil ignored that request, his eyes still panning over Silva¡¯s unconscious body. Jory, also assessing the damage, didn¡¯t have Neil¡¯s perception power. Instead, he relied on his knowledge and experience to make a physical examination.


    ¡°The strangulation, right?¡± Jory asked Neil.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Neil concurred. ¡°Whoever did it either came too close to killing him or didn¡¯t come close enough, depending on what they were after. There¡¯s damage to the brain that will take time to heal before he can wake up. He¡¯s bronze rank, though, so he¡¯ll fully recover, even without intervention.¡±


    Elsewhere, Rufus and Gary were sweeping the area, but other than the building the others were searching, there was very little to find.


    ¡°You don¡¯t buy this act of Jason¡¯s about being fine because he doesn¡¯t remember most of it, do you?¡± Gary asked quietly, glancing over to where Jason was slumped wearily on his chair.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It was the same thing with the blood cultists. He was alright so long as things were still wild and dangerous, but once he was safe it all caught up with him. This time will be a lot worse.¡±


    ¡°Did you feel his aura?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said gravely. ¡°His aura power has definitely reached bronze.¡±


    ¡°I think it might be stronger than mine,¡± Gary said. ¡°I know my aura control isn¡¯t the best, but that shouldn¡¯t affect the raw power and I¡¯m almost silver rank. Even if his aura power is bronze, he¡¯s still iron. What do you have to do to a person¡¯s soul for that?¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, have them fight off a star seed,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°You think it actually took him over?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping not.¡±


    ¡°How do we help him?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°First, we make sure it¡¯s really him in there. Then, we be there for him. Let him know he¡¯s safe and among friends. Beyond that, we leave it to my mother. She¡¯s good at helping people through things like this.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Gary said.


    Rufus¡¯ mother, Arabella, had made a reputation for herself by helping other adventurers through traumatic events that were an inevitable part of the job. It was only once she arrived to help her son in the wake of Farrah¡¯s death that Rufus was able to start truly moving past it.


    Humphrey searched through the security building. Along with Jason¡¯s missing suit he found another dead body, with a stab wound in the back of the neck. He knew this was likely Coburn, the man Jerrick had killed in order to sneak back to the city and give them Jason¡¯s location.


    Only Clive was excited by what he found. In the makeshift ritual room where Jason had been tortured he found the ashen remains of the ritual circle and the inert remnants of the star seed. After making a record of everything with a recording crystal, he started pulling out special sample boxes, collecting ash and sealing away the star seed fragments.


    Back outside, Danielle looked with concern at Jason, slumped in the chair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that I have to tell you this,¡± Danielle said, ¡°but after what you told us¡­¡±


    ¡°You have to assume that I¡¯ve been compromised by the Builder,¡± Jason finished for her. ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°The church of the Healer has taken over from Purity in dealing with the star seeds,¡± Danielle said. ¡°Healer provided his people with the rituals they needed.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you tried to turn me over the Purists, I would not go quietly,¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I¡¯m starting to realise that not going quietly is kind of your thing.¡±


    Jason looked up from and they shared a smile, hers as motherly as his was weary.


    Once the group made sure there were no surprises left behind at the site, Danielle gathered everyone to teleport back to Greenstone.


    ¡°What about the skimmers?¡± Clive asked. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave the Magic Society¡¯s vehicles here.¡±


    ¡°Yes you can,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure it¡¯s smoothed over. Once the Adventure Society hears about what happened here, they¡¯ll be crawling over this place, and roping Magic Society people in with them. They¡¯ll bring them back.¡±


    Danielle¡¯s teleportation power was unable to affect others without their consent, so Jory fed Silva a potion to wake him up. He opened bleary eyes to find he had been sat in Jason¡¯s chair with Jason and Sophie looking down at him.


    ¡°Good morning, sunshine,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re about to have a rough day, mate.¡±


    Silva¡¯s eye went wide. He tried to leap out of the chair, only for Gary¡¯s huge hands to land on his shoulders and push him back down. Silva was strong but Gary was stronger.


    ¡°Asano!¡± Silva snarled. ¡°Wexler? What happened? How are you not a meat puppet?¡±


    ¡°Rugged good looks,¡± Jason said. ¡°What happened to you creepy elf mate?¡±


    The fury continued to burn in Silva¡¯s eyes but he pulled himself under control.


    ¡°You have to go after him. This was all his idea. I had no idea he was going to use a star seed.¡±


    ¡°Mate, your words won¡¯t be as garbled if you stop talking out your arse. You can lie all you like once we get back to town. Just shut up and accept the teleport.¡±


    ¡°Teleport?¡±


    Silva looked around, noticing the others.


    ¡°Why would I go along with you?¡±


    ¡°Because if you don¡¯t¡±, Sophie said, her voice an icy needle, ¡°then you get to stay here with me.¡±


    Silva paled, then angrily covered the flash of fear.


    ¡°You¡¯re nothing, Wexler. If it wasn¡¯t for my father I¡¯d have used you up and then tossed you into a brothel. If you were even still alive at this point, you¡¯d be drugged to the eyeballs, laying in a filthy bed, waiting for the next guy to take his turn.¡±


    Sophie leaned forward, bring her face right up to Silva¡¯s, her mouth a hungry smile and her eyes, silver daggers.


    ¡°Oh, I know,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m hoping you make me take you back to town the long way. The very, very long way.¡±


    Jason was finally home, alone in his room in the cloud boathouse. With a thought, dark mist swirled around him and all his clothing but his underwear vanished. He staggered over and fell into the cool embrace of his cloud bed. As the softness enveloped him, all the things he had been holding back were fully unleashed. Everything he had pushed away since his capture flooded over him in full force. Leaving him shuddering, curled up in a foetal position. The exhaustion not of his body but of his soul finally caught up with him and plunged him into a restless slumber.


    He was woken by morning light coming through the transparent ceiling he hadn¡¯t turned opaque before falling asleep. He was still shaky but somewhat purged, his reaction of the day before having worked something out of his system. He reconsidered that perhaps Knowledge hadn¡¯t been lying after all. He was better than the day before, but that wasn¡¯t the same as good. His experiences of the last few days were a blurry mess, yet he knew they would haunt him for the rest of his life.


    When his team brought him home, Danielle had suggested he remain there with an Adventure Society official to watch over him, if only for the sake of propriety. She knew he wasn¡¯t likely to want to leave anyway, and it was only until the church of the Healer gave him a thorough examination.


    ¡°Just until we confirm you¡¯re all clear of the star seed,¡± she had told him.


    The team gathered together on the deck for a big breakfast cooked by Gary, which meant meat, more meat and some eggs. With meat.


    Jason had his first genuine smile in what felt like forever as he looked around at everyone happily tucking into breakfast. He was struck with the feeling that he might, eventually, be okay. The team naturally coddled him but he begged off after breakfast, asking for some time alone. He went up to the top deck of the houseboat, staying outside where the Adventure Society official could see him. He wasn¡¯t going to give the stranger access to the internal areas of his houseboat.


    It was a mild winter day, actually rather pleasant with clear blue skies. With a mental command a cloud-stuff lounger rose up out of the floor. He lay down, and used the wrist razor Gilbert had incorporated into all his outfits to slash the back of his hand, letting a single member of team Colin to emerge. Colin crawled up Jason¡¯s arm to rest on his shoulder.


    ¡°Feeling better, little mate? How about we take a look to see if you got any stronger from all that?¡±


    Jason looked at the system messages, still minimised at the corner of his vision. Taking a deep breath, he started pulling them up, one by one. Many of them were just warnings about his powers being suppressed, which wasn¡¯t much use given he couldn¡¯t see them until his abilities were unsuppressed again. Others were more important.


    Outworlder racial ability [Quest System] has evolved to [Defiant].


    Ability: [Defiant]


    Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Quest System].Previous effects of racial ability [Quest System] have been lost.Ignore the enhanced resistances derived from rank disparity. This only affects the enhanced resistance from being higher rank, not other sources of resistance.Ignore the enhanced aura suppression and aura suppression resistance derived from rank disparity. This only affects the enhanced effects from being higher rank, not the inherently superior strength of higher-rank auras.Looting abilities used on higher-rank monsters defeated by you will have increased effect.


    ¡°Wait, no more quests? I have a lot of overhead costs coming up when I hit bronze.¡±


    The vast majority of the quests Jason had done were simple ones related to his Adventure Society work, earning him a nice bundle of money. As for the more exceptional quests, they had been the source of some of Jason¡¯s most important items. His essences, if nothing else. It looked like that part, at least, would still be a factor, with the new version enhancing the loot of more powerful monsters.


    The quest system was Jason¡¯s variant on the guidance power that all outworlders apparently received. If the quests went away, did it mean he was no longer in need of guidance? Had this world truly become home? He suddenly felt further from his own world than ever.


    Jason sorted through the system messages for the relevant ones. Some of them were just garbled nonsense, he guessed due to a combination of the suppression collar and the extreme stress being exerted on his soul, the source of all his powers.


    He dug out another relevant message.


    ¡°Hey, this one¡¯s about you.¡±


    Ability [Sanguine Horror] (Blood) has reached Iron 8 (100%).Ability [Sanguine Horror] (Blood) has reached Iron 9 (00%).Ability [Sanguine Horror] (Blood) has reached Iron 9 (100%).Ability [Sanguine Horror] (Blood) has reached Bronze 0 (00%).Ability [Sanguine Horror] (Blood) has gained a new effect.


    Ability: [Sanguine Horror] (Blood)


    Familiar (ritual, summon).Base cost: Extreme mana, extreme stamina, extreme health.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Summon a sanguine horror to serve as a familiar.Effect (bronze): Summon a bronze rank vessel for your familiar with enhanced abilities.


    Ability [Sanguine Horror] (Blood) cannot advance further until all attributes have reached bronze rank.


    ¡°Look at you, mate, jumping all the way to bronze rank like a big boy.¡±


    Colin wiggled happily.


    ¡°Good thing I already picked up the materials for your next summoning ritual. I might have to brush up on the ritual knowledge, though, to make sure I do it right.¡±


    Jason pulled up another advancement message.


    Ability [Hegemony] (Sin) has reached Iron 9 (100%).Ability [Hegemony] (Sin) has reached Bronze 0 (00%).Ability [Hegemony] (Sin) has gained a new effect.


    Ability: [Hegemony] (Sin)


    Aura (holy, unholy).Base cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Allies within the aura have increased resistance to afflictions, while enemies within the aura have their resistance to afflictions reduced. Enemy resistances are further reduced for each instance of [Sin] they are suffering from.Effect (bronze): Inflicts an instance of [Sin] on enemies that make physical or magical attacks against allies within the aura. Instances applied in this way cannot be resisted.


    Ability [Hegemony] (Sin) cannot advance further until all attributes have reached bronze rank.


    ¡°Strewth, that¡¯s a fair dinkum upgrade.¡±


    Sin was Jason¡¯s power that increased the effect of necrotic damage, and now any enemy attacking his team would stack up instances on themselves. That would combine nicely not just with his own powers but the abilities that Belinda and Neil had gotten from the awakening stones of the Reaper.


    There was one more important system message before Jason cleared off the stack.


    New Title: [Spirit Warrior]


    Fighting off a concerted attack on your soul by a transcendent entity has awakened your awareness of your own soul and refined your ability to use it as a weapon.The suppressive force and resistance to suppression of your aura is increased. You can use the suppression resistance of your aura to resist forms of magical suppression beyond just aura suppression.After fully suppressing the aura of others, you may use your aura to attack their soul directly.Your aura signature has changed. Your unyielding nature in the face of even the greatest power can be detected if your aura is examined by an aura sensing power or when projecting your aura. The echo of transcendent power within your aura is increased.


    Jason sat looking at the description for a long time. His recollection of the Builder¡¯s attack on his soul wasn¡¯t a memory exactly. It was more like something imprinted on his soul, deeper and more enduring. His own attacks would doubtless be an empty echo of what the builder had done to him, but it still wasn¡¯t something he wanted to do to another person.


    ¡°It¡¯s good,¡± he told himself, unconvincingly. ¡°Of course it¡¯s good.¡±


    He couldn¡¯t shake the questions rising up in the back of his mind. Exactly who and what were his experiences turning him into? He was already no longer human. When he finally found his way home, would anyone even recognise whatever it was he had become?

 Chapter 211: Lingering Doubts

    A group of people made their way along to the marina toward the houseboat. It was led by Danielle Geller, along with Rufus, his mother, Arabelle, plus Clive and Vincent Trenslow, the Adventure Society official with the grandiose moustache. With them was a gold rank priest from the church of the Healer, freshly portalled into the city.


    ¡°How is he?¡± Danielle asked. It had been a little more than a week since Jason had been returned home.


    ¡°He was asleep for four days,¡± Clive said. ¡°Those miracle potions of Jory¡¯s defer the need for healing recovery, which is impressive, but once it hit him, it hit him hard.¡±


    ¡°Unsurprising,¡± the priest of the Healer said. His name was Carlos, a broad-shouldered and swarthy man. His features had the polished perfection that was universal at gold rank. His clothes were not the robes of the healer but a casual outfit. The brown colour and plain cut was reminiscent of the church of the Healer¡¯s humble clerical wear, however. Only once they had lost their way did the Healer¡¯s local clergy move into ostentatious variations.


    ¡°Even in the case of cultists who are accepting of it,¡± Carlos continued, ¡°introducing a star seed to the body is deeply traumatic. Removing it is even worse.¡±


    ¡°I saw a star seed removed before it was rendered inert,¡± Danielle said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t traumatic, it was a meat grinder.¡±


    ¡°Sadly true,¡± Carlos said. ¡°people were lost all over before we figured out who the cult were and what they were doing. From what you¡¯ve told me about the situation here, you seemed to figure things out before the Adventure and Magic Societies started disseminating the information widely.¡±


    ¡°Clive here is largely responsible for that,¡± Danielle, making Clive look sheepish.


    ¡°While we may have a better idea of what we¡¯re doing,¡± Carlos said, ¡°we aren¡¯t always successful in helping the people the cult has implanted. Even when they¡¯re inert, extricating star seeds can be lethal without continuous healing. If your friend really managed it on his own, with a suppression collar around his neck, that¡¯s deeply impressive. What has he been doing since he woke up?¡± Carlos asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s been under self-imposed house arrest, at my suggestion,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°He¡¯s been on the roof deck of the houseboat for days,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He got up, had breakfast and went up there three days ago. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s come back down since. He¡¯s just been up there, meditating the whole time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very likely that he¡¯s aura training,¡± Carlos said. ¡°In cases of soul trauma, practising aura control can help re-establish the sense of self. Many people realise this instinctively, while others we strongly suggest it to. Actually having the training beforehand is obviously a tremendous help.¡±


    They arrived at the houseboat, Vincent telling the Adventure Society official stationed on the dock that he could go. One way or another, Jason would no longer be under confinement.


    ¡°He must be inside,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I don¡¯t sense his aura at all.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s up top,¡± Rufus¡¯ mother, Arabelle, said. She tilted he head, as if straining to hear something, then frowned.


    ¡°His aura isn¡¯t retracted,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s suppressed.¡±


    Using her gold-rank strength, she vaulted directly up to the roof of the houseboat, Danielle had the others all touch and teleported them up. They found Jason sitting peacefully, in a cross-legged meditation pose with a suppression collar around his neck. He opened his eyes as they arrived on his rooftop.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Clive said. ¡°What are you doing with that collar?¡±


    This close, they could all feel the suppressive power of the collar with their own aura senses. They were all startled as Jason¡¯s aura emerged from within it, pushing it back. He took a key from his storage space, unlocking the collar and putting it and the collar away.


    ¡°Aura training,¡± Jason said, pushing himself lightly to his feet.


    ¡°Fascinating,¡± Carlos said. ¡°The ability to counter the magic suppression with aura is a phenomenon that I¡¯ve heard of, but never actually thought I¡¯d see.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that something like that was even possible,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Extreme soul trauma can prompt some unusual reactions,¡± Carlos said. ¡°From time to time, some unscrupulous researcher will attempt to study it. They¡¯ll take essence users and subject them to all manner of soul torture to try and figure out a process by which to reliably gain special soul effects. The cost in misery and lives unconscionable. It¡¯s all for nothing, as well, because the research never goes anywhere. The most anyone had ever achieved was a few people with enhanced resistance to aura suppression and a lot of people who died in agony.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of instances like that,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Soul trauma is actually my speciality field of healing,¡± Carlos said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen more victims of these atrocities than anyone and I¡¯ve come to my own conclusion. The soul withstanding the trauma and growing isn¡¯t about the process, but the person.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I feel special,¡± Jason said flatly. ¡°Do you have a name, soul trauma expert?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m being rude. Carlos Quilido, church of the Healer.¡±


    Jason looked at him coldly.


    ¡°You¡¯re here to decide my fate?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m here to help you,¡± Carlos said showing no signs of being affected by Jason¡¯s rudeness. ¡°If you truly don¡¯t have a star seed in you, I¡¯m here to prove that definitively and excise any lingering doubts. If you do have one inside you, I¡¯m here to excise that.¡±


    Jason frowned, unhappily.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s just that I¡¯ve been awaiting judgement for days.¡±


    ¡°I completely understand,¡± Carlos said. ¡°I have some experience with people in similar circumstances to yours. Because of my specialty, the church and the Adventure Society have had me travelling around to work with people who¡¯ve had star seeds extracted from them. For the most part, the cult only implants their own members. Just as has been the case here, though, they will implant them within others when it serves their purposes. The church of Purity first developed the extraction techniques, but we, under the Healer, have taken over that task.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never understood why they would do that,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Because the best way to hide a secret alliance is under the guise of an enemy,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Danielle agreed. ¡°The implanting of star seeds in non-members of the cult has always been a distraction from their actual goals. That is as true everywhere else as it was here.¡±


    ¡°I have a question about the people who were implanted and had them removed,¡± Jason said to Carlos. ¡°It sounds like you might have the answer, if you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Carlos said.


    ¡°The people who implanted me,¡± Jason said. ¡°They told me that once you let the seed into the soul, the Builder has you. For good. That once you open that door, you¡¯re done. It makes me wonder about the people who have had the seeds extracted.¡±


    ¡°My understanding is that it was not the cult that implanted you. It sounds like whoever these people were, their information about the star seeds was not complete. It is true that the Builder imprints itself on the soul of those who relinquish access. Without the star seed as a channel, however, the builder cannot exert control. As best we can understand, the people in question do truly regain themselves, although obviously very changed for the experience. Not to cheapen your experiences, but they were changed far more than you.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I feel like a different person and my soul wasn¡¯t breached. If I¡¯d opened that door¡­¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Carlos said. ¡°There is a rather disturbing trend we have discovered of people previously implanted feeling a compulsion left behind by the Builder.¡±


    ¡°What kind of compulsion?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°To seek out another star seed. There seems to be a longing for the power it promised. Most resist that urge, knowing how self-destructive it is. Some of the people, frankly speaking, the weak-willed ones, give in to that urge. We have them all watched now, including the ones here in Greenstone. I understand one local was lost before that protocol was put in place.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s unconfirmed,¡± Danielle said, ¡°but yes. The son of a friend.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s strange feeling sorry for Thadwick,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, you¡¯re some kind of big deal, Mr Quilido?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say that, and please call me Carlos. I just happen to have a useful speciality for these unfortunate times. Arabelle and I have worked together in the past and she contacted me after what happened to you.¡±


    Jason shared an apologetic smile between Carlos and Arabelle.


    ¡°You came all this way to help, and I was rude to you from the moment we met.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Clive asked. ¡°All this time, and you apologise to this guy?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t mind Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s been crabby since I slept with his wife.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a wife!¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m a homewrecker,¡± Jason said winsomely, turning to look off into the middle distance. ¡°When you¡¯re down with O.P.P. that¡¯s the life you live.¡±


    ¡°What are you even looking at?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Am I missing something?¡± Carlos asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get used to that,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I think we just found out that it¡¯s the real Jason in there,¡± Rufus said. ¡°What is it that Humphrey says?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t understand what Jason is talking about, he¡¯s probably up to something,¡± Clive said. ¡°If you do know what Jason¡¯s talking about, he¡¯s definitely up to something.¡±


    ¡°Returning to normal behaviour is a good sign,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Whatever normal behaviour means. In most cases of seed implantation, behaviour begins normally and diverges over the next few days and weeks. If the seed was resisted, we would expect to see behaviour consistent with trauma that returns to normal patterns over time. There will be permanent changes, though. Soul damage is something that marks you forever.¡±


    ¡°We would expect to see?¡± Jason said, echoing Carlos¡¯ words. ¡°Surely I¡¯m not the only one to resist a seed implantation.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Carlos said. ¡°We know of at least six instances, but there are doubtless more. Under normal circumstances, star seeds of the Builder are implanted by cultists of the Builder. If a seed is rejected, it generally kills the person. If they survive, the cult kills them. The unusual circumstances of your implantation have allowed to you to escape without the cult killing you. I am curious how your purged the seed from your body and survived.¡±


    ¡°My familiar,¡± Jason said. ¡°He heals me. He worked like a trooper to keep me alive.¡±


    ¡°I would be fascinated to examine it.¡±


    Jason¡¯s face froze.


    ¡°You can prod and poke me all you like,¡± he said in a voice of cold, hard granite. ¡°You come after my familiar, though, and I don¡¯t care who sent you or what rank you are. I will find a way to kill you.¡±


    The temperature dropped as everyone fell silent at Jason¡¯s sudden turn. The group looked nervous at the revelation that Jason return to his old self was a constructed fa?ade. Rufus thought back to Jason¡¯s first days in the city, where his vulnerability was likewise hidden behind his over-the-top personality.


    Only Carlos seemed unfazed by Jason¡¯s outburst.


    ¡°Understood,¡± he said. ¡°I will take you up on that prodding and poking, though. There¡¯s a reason the church and Adventure Society so readily approved Arabelle¡¯s request to have me portalled here. Your survival presents a unique opportunity to learn more about the star seed implantation process. Hidden within your body and experiences may be insight that lets us help others. Mr Asano, you are the only known instance of someone both surviving the rejection and the aftermath. The hope is that what we can improve the process by which we extract star seeds from the cult¡¯s victims.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°You have larger concerns than just me, I know.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to apologise to anyone for what you went through,¡± Carlos said. ¡°But you are right about larger concerns. In many respects, the Builder has orchestrated a war on our world that we didn¡¯t even know about until it was in full swing. Anything we can learn to catch up is essential knowledge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much I can help you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Anything we can find out will obviously be excellent,¡± Carlos said with an open smile. ¡°First and foremost, though I am a priest of the Healer. Before anything else, I¡¯m here to help you, not for you to help me.¡±

 Chapter 212: Scars

    Carlos worked with Clive, directing Clive to draw out a ritual circle on the rooftop.


    ¡°This is a damage echo ritual,¡± Carlos explained. ¡°It will let me examine the history of physical damage to Mr Asano¡¯s body.¡±


    As Jason stood in the middle of the circle, a man-shaped image of light appeared above him, with red and blue lines running through it like veins. Carlos waved his hand, manipulating the image. The mark of Jason¡¯s first scar appeared, bright and glaring across his torso. Carlos slowly and methodically went through everything, although much of the image was an abstraction, incomprehensible without the appropriate knowledge.


    ¡°This is actually rather easy,¡± Carlos observed as he worked. ¡°Because your body is less than a year old, everything is quite clear. Excellent for obtaining definitive results.¡±


    Eventually he ended the ritual.


    ¡°This is consistent from what we¡¯ve seen in others we believe to have rejected the seeds,¡± Carlos said. ¡°They were all dead, though, so we were working from corpses. The information we have isn¡¯t ideal.¡±


    ¡°You said there had been six that you knew of?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Those are just the ones we found,¡± Carlos said. ¡°We don¡¯t know what the actual numbers are. Obviously, it requires a series of ameliorating factors to even give someone a chance. As to how many more individuals resisted the star seeds and were killed without being found we just don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°How accurately can you determine my condition if corpses are your basis for comparison?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Even from the corpses we could find specific differences between those who rejected the seed and those who were forced to accept it and then had it removed. If you think of the body as a field, the seed ploughs that field over, ready for planting. If the field accepts the seed, we see changes as the seed takes root. If the seed is rejected, however, all we get is overturned earth. The ground has been torn up but the seed won¡¯t grow.¡±


    ¡°So, he¡¯s in the clear?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°No star seed?¡±


    Vincent, standing next to Rufus could sense his agitation. He slipped his hand into Rufus¡¯ and gave it a reassuring squeeze. Rufus gave him a grateful glance.


    ¡°Provisionally, I am willing to say that indications are good. Because Mr Asano¡¯s body is young enough, the results are unambiguous. The Adventure Society and my church, however, require me to also conduct an examination of your soul, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to have a rummage in my soul,¡± Jason said, ¡°we should probably be on a first name basis.¡±


    ¡°The soul examination isn¡¯t invasive,¡± Carlos said. ¡°It can¡¯t be. If the Builder can¡¯t get in there, I certainly can¡¯t. It will expose your soul to scrutiny, however, which I have found makes people feel very exposed. The feeling is something like having your aura completely suppressed. I can tell you this from experience, having had the same ritual performed on me.¡±


    ¡°We could have used that ritual a few months ago,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a gold rank ritual,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Not easy to disseminate or use, especially in a place like Greenstone. Also, this version of the ritual is new, devised specifically for this circumstance. I had myself be the first person put through it, to experience what others would be going through, but you are our first actual living subject, Jason. The next ritual will create a projection of your soul that I can examine to confirm that it has not been breached. The sensation is something like projecting your aura, except there will be a powerful flood of energy to make the projection much more powerful than normal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a reliable test?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Very,¡± Carlos said. ¡°If Mr Asano ¨C Jason ¨C has ever let anything alien into his soul, it will be very evident. This ritual is only now being spread by the Magic Society to test for suspected star seed recipients. Fortunately, the Builder takes time to overcome the sense of self-preservation when he forces unwilling victims to open up their souls. Only those who have been seeded for extended periods are willing to detonate themselves when captured.¡±


    ¡°If he does have a star seed in him,¡± Danielle asked, ¡°will this ritual harm Jason before we can have it extracted?¡±


    ¡°No. It will just be a projection of the soul, nothing more. But as I said, it¡¯s a profoundly uncomfortable experience. The sense of exposure, of vulnerability, is very real.¡±


    ¡°Not an issue,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s easy to say,¡± Carlos said. ¡°What the ritual reveals won¡¯t just be visible, although that will be part of it. Anyone with aura senses will be able to sense your fully exposed soul. This is especially true because the ritual incorporates an amplification element. Jason, your soul is only iron rank and I need to examine it clearly, so the projection will be more powerful than your normal aura projection. For that reason, I suggest we move to an enclosed ritual room instead of a high, open space on a busy marina.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, his voice almost a growl. ¡°I want people to see.¡±


    His friends looked at him with concern but remained silent.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started then,¡± Carlos said.


    Clive used his powers to rebalance the ambient magic and start drawing out the ritual circle from a book Carlos handed him.


    ¡°The visible representation will be quite noticeable,¡± Carlos explained as he supervised Clive¡¯s work. ¡°Particularly given our choice of venue. The appearance will be rather similar to your personal crest, if you have one. I do not, so I was rather curious when I underwent this ritual myself. My soul, as it turns out, looks like a sparkly apple. Presumably because I¡¯m sweet and fresh.¡±


    Jason chuckled as his friends looked on awkwardly. After his brooding behaviour and recent outburst, they weren¡¯t sure how to look at him.


    ¡°That¡¯s an excellent job,¡± Carlos assessed, looking over the finished ritual circle. It was easily the most sophisticated circle Jason had ever seen. Normally, Clive¡¯s power drew out magic diagrams in glowing golden lines. Most of the circle was still gold, but it featured a rainbow of colours in various sections, from vibrant red to cool green and bright, sky blue.


    ¡°I¡¯d be tempted to let you conduct the ritual yourself, Mr Standish, if channelling the power of a gold rank ritual wouldn¡¯t make you explode.¡±


    ¡°You mentioned that this is a gold rank ritual, earlier,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think a ritual of that rank was possible with the low magical density in this region.¡±


    ¡°Normally, no,¡± Carlos said. ¡°You could probably perform a silver-rank ritual here, if you were careful, but not a gold. We¡¯ll be using mana condensers.¡±


    Carlos started taking what looked like simple lamps from his dimensional bag and placing them in the corners of the rooftop deck. Where the glow stone would go in a normal lamp, these had swirling lights of blue, silver and gold. It looked very much like the light shed by the transcendent damage of Jason¡¯s execute power.


    ¡°Mana condensers are a tool for performing rituals requiring a higher magic density than is available in the local area,¡± Clive explained as Carlos set them out. ¡°You charge them up, quite slowly, in a low magic area, and they can create an artificial field of high-density ambient magic. Very inefficient, but if it¡¯s what you need, it¡¯s what you need.¡±


    He set out the lamps, along with other materials, most of which seemed to be different coloured crystals. There were also a number of gold spirit coins that, if you ignored certain items like the cloud palace, was more than all the wealth in Jason¡¯s possession.


    ¡°Seems like a waste of coin,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°If you¡¯re short on money, the church of the Healer will be happy to help you out,¡± Carlos said. ¡°The information we get here will be critical going forward. If you¡¯re willing to dedicate a number of hours to go over your experience and answers some questions as best you can. Maybe undergo an extra ritual or three to examine your condition. We can and will pay well for information on a subject that is very hard to come by right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll help people, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Very much so,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Even with the guidance of our god, the current methods we have for extracting star seeds are crude and brutal. Not everyone survives. The information we can potentially get from studying you could help us improve those methods significantly.¡±


    ¡°Helping people and getting paid for my trouble,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sounds like adventuring to me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you¡¯re letting this guy study you?¡± Clive complained. ¡°I ask you all the time.¡±


    ¡°He wants help healing people,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not help streamlining his bureaucratic process.¡±


    ¡°Bureaucratic process?¡± Clive explained. ¡°Do you have any idea how critical the work of the Magic Society is to¡­¡±


    Clive trailed off as he saw Jason¡¯s familiar sly grin and started muttering complaints to himself.


    ¡°Just about ready,¡± Carlos said. ¡°For this one, everyone else should go down to that lower deck. Mr Standish, you can stay, if you think you have the expertise to avoid tainting the ritual.¡±


    ¡°I probably can but I¡¯d rather not take the risk,¡± Clive said, following the others down the stairs to the lower deck.


    From below they could hear, but not see the ritual being conducted. The chant was not in words, but unintelligible sounds.


    ¡°Non-linguistic chants are very difficult,¡± Clive said, ¡°but they become more and more common in the higher-rank rituals.¡±


    Around them on the marina, the surge of magic from the roof deck was drawing attention. The wealthy marina patrons tended to be essence users, many with perception powers that could sense the changes in the ambient magic. Those pointed out the surge in ambient magic density to others.


    When the ritual was completed, every essence user in the marina and many in the Marina North district of the city felt an aura blast out. Incredibly domineering, but not the individual power of a sovereign. It was more like a celestial law had passed over the area, filled with unyielding resolve and an echo of divine power.


    Beyond the feel of the aura, it carried with it an overbearing suppressive force. Bronze-rankers and above were able to withstand the surging aura, while iron-rankers without solid aura control found themselves shaken and shivering. The only member of Jason¡¯s team present was Clive, who weathered the aura surge despite being at the epicentre. After resuming his adventuring after years as Magic Society official, he had benefited from Farrah¡¯s aura training, alongside Jason.


    The people without aura senses actually fared better than the essence users, their lack of sensitivity giving them no more than a foreboding sense of unease.


    High above the roof deck, darkness started spreading like a sinister cloud, covering a huge space. It was not a complete darkness, with a spread of dim, feeble stars like an oppressive night sky. Within the darkness, indistinct shapes moved and shifted, defined only by being darker than the sky around them. It was hard to make out their shapes or follow their movements, but what onlookers could see of the unnerving, alien forms made them glad that they could not.


    In the centre of the darkness, a cluster of stars started glowing brighter, taking on the form of a cloak. The cloak opened and expanded, revealing that within was a clear blue sky and bright sun, like a universe contained within a dark void.


    The dark shapes immediately started converging on the starlight cloak, tearing at it with shadowy claws. They rent the cloak but from every tear, sunlight flared out in the form of bright, grasping tendrils, clutching at the dark figures. They wrapping around the dark, alien shapes, which dissolved away like morning mist exposed to the sun. As they did, horrifying shrieks started emerging from the projection with each dark entity that was annihilated.


    People looked up at the projection from all across the marina, feeling the source of the strange aura that had washed over them.


    ¡°This is Jason¡¯s soul?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°You saw his personal crest, right, Clive?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Clive said weakly. ¡°It was kind of like this, but it didn¡¯t have those things in it. Are they the star seed? Did it get in after all?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Carlos called out from above. His gold rank senses easily heard their conversation, even over the screeching. ¡°They¡¯re the aftermath of the war he fought for his soul. The soul doesn¡¯t scar the same way the body does.¡±


    Carlos had not been anticipating anything like the power of the soul projection the ritual produced. He was worried that the gold-rank ritual was filtering too much power through Jason¡¯s soul to create the projection but Jason seemed unperturbed. He was standing in the middle of the circle, eyes closed and completely relaxed.


    Satisfied that Jason¡¯s soul was unviolated, Carlos brought the ritual to an end, the aura fading away and the image fading into nothing.

 Chapter 213: I Won’t Let Them Turn Me Into That

    Jason didn¡¯t go straight back to adventuring, instead spending his time in training and recovery. His team spent their days participating in the hunt for Killian Laurent, whose possession and use of the star seed had made him a priority in the efforts to locate and fight against the cultists. He potentially had valuable information and unlike the suicide-prone cultists, he might be possible to capture.


    At the same time, Silva had been locked up in the Adventure Society¡¯s prison tower, being asked some very pointed questions. It didn¡¯t help with the search for Laurent, only revealing the depth of ignorance Silva had about his former henchman. Silva did volunteer other information that was more actionable, however.


    Unless someone had a specific power to do so, most long distance communication was conducted through speaking chambers. Two chambers could be connected, allowing the person in each chamber to project into a water clone in the other.


    Most speaking chambers were housed within and operated by the Magic Society branches. One of the perks of being a branch director was the use of a private speaking chamber, annexed to their office. Lucian Lamprey was using his, but the man on the other end was not telling him what he wanted to hear.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have anyone who¡¯s been there to open a portal, Lucian. Why would we? It¡¯s just an out of the way, provincial city that probably wouldn¡¯t exist if not for the spirit coin farms.¡±


    ¡°Surely you can find someone?¡± Lamprey asked.


    ¡°Probably, but I won¡¯t. You were banished there for a reason, Lucian. You¡¯re all out of friends, here.¡±


    ¡°All I need is one portal out.¡±


    The person on the other end of the communication sighed.


    ¡°I have someone who can portal to Hornis. If you can get there, I can maybe arrange something. It¡¯ll cost you, though.¡±


    ¡°You owe me. From the old days.¡±


    ¡°The old days are over, Lucian. I don¡¯t owe you a thing. Get to Hornis and message me again. We can work something out. If you have something to offer.¡±


    Lamprey went to speak but the person on the other end severed the connection. The water that made up the clone lost it¡¯s animating force and splashed back into the pool.


    Lamprey stormed out of the tiled booth.


    ¡°Hornis,¡± he muttered to himself. It was a port city, like Greenstone, south and around the coast. He would either have to take a ship and risk someone exposing his departure, or go overland, east into the veldt and then south. He decided that was the safer route, as the desert was not a threat to a silver ranker.


    He opened the hidden safe in his office, shoving the contents into a dimensional bag before making for the door. Just as he left his office, he spotted Danielle Geller at the far end of the long hallway. She spotted him, in turn.


    ¡°Going out?¡± she called out to Lamprey. ¡°That works out, because you need to come with me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m busy right now, Lady Geller,¡± Lamprey said. ¡°Another day.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I insist,¡± Danielle said.


    They stared at each other down the hall for a long moment. Then, as if someone waved a starter¡¯s flag, they both sprang into motion. Lamprey clapped his hands together in front of him, creating a wave of force that sent cracks along the stone walls, floor and ceiling. The art lining the walls was ripped apart, the windows shattered and floor tiles exploded, throwing up dust and debris that shrouded the hallway.


    His attack was late before it had even begun; trying to move faster than Danielle Geller was an exercise in futility. By the time the hallway started erupting she had already teleported behind him, her blade cutting into his thick neck muscle. Lamprey was power to Danielle¡¯s speed, however, and her sword barely dug into the flesh. He reached up and grabbed the blade while ramming his other elbow back into Danielle¡¯s chest. His incredible strength fired her back like a rocket, through the doorway and across his office to bounce roughly off the wall.


    Lamprey turned around, Danielle¡¯s sword still gripped in his hand by the blade. He probed the wound with his free hand as he watched her push herself back to her feet.


    ¡°I knew you were tough,¡± she said, ¡°but I thought that would do more.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to cut me like that a thousand times if you want me to go down,¡± Lamprey sneered. Danielle gave him a predatory smile in return.


    ¡°Deal.¡±


    She vanished, as did her sword, leaving behind a cut in Lamprey¡¯s hand. Bloody lines started appearing on his body, Danielle¡¯s movement nothing but a blur.


    Even once his Adventure Society minder was gone, Jason rarely left the houseboat. Most of his time was spent refining his aura control. He quickly reached the point where he could completely negate the effects of an iron-rank suppression collar and had begun working with a bronze-rank one. He could only hold off its effects for a few moments, but he knew exactly how valuable a few moments could be.


    When he did leave, he remained unnoticed. He moved through Old City unseen, practicing his shadow teleportation. He needed it to reach bronze rank, hopefully opening a path back to the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space and the Builder cultists within.


    Jason¡¯s friends clearly wanted to be supportive, although were largely at a loss as to how. Joining the pursuit for Killian was their way to try and find some closure on Jason¡¯s ordeal. In the meantime, Carlos and Arabelle both came by daily, carefully talking Jason through the events of his capture and escape.


    Arabelle helped him explore the traumatic memories. For those strange feelings imprinted on his soul from when he had no mind to form memories, Carlos had techniques to help. Guided meditation was a large part of it, as was teaching Jason about the soul from a magical theory perspective. Jason¡¯s grasp of magical theory was continually improving and he was able to follow along at least with the fundamentals of what Carlos was talking about.


    ¡°Some people find a more intuitive approach helpful,¡± Carlos told him. ¡°Others, like you, seem to get more from understanding the way the soul functions, magically. Understanding and breaking down what they went through helps them process it.¡±


    One day, Carlos and Arabelle arrived at the houseboat with Arabelle¡¯s old team of her, her husband, the stealthy and enigmatic Callum Morse and Emir. Also with them were Danielle Geller, Constance and Hester.


    ¡°We wanted to come earlier,¡± Emir told Jason. ¡°Arabelle said it was best to wait.¡±


    Although his original purpose in Greenstone had been concluded, Emir¡¯s operation at Sky Scar Lake continued. Knowing that the Builder cult had infiltrated the astral space there, his people had been trying to find a way back in. Jason had been keeping something under his hat, not wanting to speak up until he was certain, but changed his mind.


    ¡°You asked me, before, if Shade had any insights that might help you get back into the astral space,¡± Jason told him. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything at the time, but there might be something.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°We can¡¯t test it out until my shadow teleport power reaches bronze rank,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Not what we¡¯re here for,¡± Arabelle said, heading off the conversation.


    ¡°What are you here for?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Not that I don¡¯t appreciate the well-wishes.¡±


    Carlos and Arabelle, as it turned out, had arranged an adventurer group therapy session. Jason had been through a lot, but no adventurer reached silver and gold rank without their own horror stories.


    In the past, Jason had felt a step between himself and the experienced upper-rankers he knew. As they each shared their own tribulations, he felt a new sense of belonging. It was something he had been missing even before his recent troubles. His very nature as an outworlder marked him as an outsider. To share his story with others and have them share their¡¯s in turn was like a puzzle piece fitting into the right space.


    As they left the boathouse afterwards, Danielle took Jason aside.


    ¡°Someday, Humphrey and the others will face similar problems,¡± she told him and Jason nodded, understanding. Neither of them needed to say more.


    It had been almost two months since Jason last set foot on the Adventure Society campus. He glanced over at the prison tower where both Lucian Lamprey and Cole Silva were incarcerated. Neither¡¯s ultimate fate had yet been decided.


    After the disastrous expedition and the subsequent wave of demotions, the campus had, for a time, become an almost desolate place. Then, after the Reaper trials, it had been overrun with time-displaced priests. With the expedition months gone and the priests sent off to whatever their new lives had become, it was back to the same bustle of activity Jason remembered from his early days as an adventurer. A lot of people were looking his way, either with furtive glances or openly staring. One woman even pointed right at him as she whispered to her companions. He ignored it as he made his way into the administration building and rode the elevating platform to the fifth floor.


    ¡°Morning, Bert,¡± Jason greeted, spotting Albert behind the executive level reception desk. ¡°I see from your aura that the training is coming along.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re one to talk, Mr Asano. Bertram was working guard duty on the bridge when you set off your little display. You gave him a right good scare.¡±


    ¡°You can put that down to the ritual I was going through, not me.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, Mr Asano. Welcome back, by the way. It¡¯s good to see you out and about, after what happened.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are people saying, Bert?¡±


    ¡°All sorts, Mr Asano; you know what rumours are like. Magic mind control, crime lords, now Director Lamprey locked up in the prison tower. It¡¯s all very exciting but no one seems sure if you¡¯re victim or perpetrator, if you don¡¯t mind me saying. And that¡¯s without that business with the aura projection. Nobody knows what to make of that. Plus there¡¯s talk of some village that got destroyed, the Duke sending out all those people and materials to rebuild.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Bert.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking, Mr Asano, what did happen?¡±


    Jason thought about it for a moment.


    ¡°Cole Silva and Lucian Lamprey tried to deal with me using the Builder cult as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem to have worked out so well for them,¡± Albert said. ¡°You being here and them locked up in the tower. It all came good in the end, then.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t the end,¡± Jason said grimly. ¡°Not until the cultists have been dragged out of their holes and tossed right out of our world.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think I¡¯d bet against you, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°You know what, Bert? Neither would I.¡±


    Jason sat down across from Elspeth Arella. Tabitha Gert and her inquiry team had decamped from Greenstone while he had been on the road contract and Arella was once again in charge.


    ¡°Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Director.¡±


    ¡°We have something of a contentious past, you and I.¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°Rufus Remore agreed to put his support behind you in return for your father¡¯s help, however, and your father delivered. Since Rufus¡¯ support absolutely includes me, then you can consider yourself to have mine, for whatever worth you find that to have.¡±


    Arella examined Jason for a moment in silence. He was worlds apart from the brash, arrogant boy he had seemed in the past. The arrogance was still there, an unmistakable challenge in the eyes. But the precocious boy had been replaced with a steely-faced man.


    ¡°I have been looking at my tenure, following the enquiry as a fresh start,¡± she said finally. ¡°Perhaps you and I could do the same.¡±


    ¡°That seems fair,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Very well, then on to business. I understand that Danielle Geller has been keeping you apprised of the investigation into Silva and now Lamprey.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°As the primary charges against them are against an Adventure Society member, the Adventure Society will be dealing with them. As it also involves the Builder cult, the decisions regarding them will be made above my level. I understand that Tabitha Gert will be portalling in to take them both. As the victim, however, you have the right to be heard in regards to their ultimate dispensation.¡±


    ¡°I prefer not to think of myself as a victim,¡± Jason said. ¡°Also, giving the victims a say might feel right, but that¡¯s a tool of vengeance, not justice.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want revenge?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you¡¯d asked me what to do with them three weeks ago, I¡¯d have said hang them from a tree and beat them until fabulous prizes come out. But that¡¯s not the person I want to be and I won¡¯t let them turn me into that. So long as they aren¡¯t put in a position to keep hurting people, I don¡¯t care what happens to them.¡±


    ¡°How very considered. Does Miss Wexler feel the same way?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should try for a fresh start with her,¡± Jason said. ¡°She knows that you tried to sell her off to Lamprey and has different feelings about vengeance than I do. But you and I both made mistakes that she almost paid the price for, so I won¡¯t go casting any stones.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll leave it at that, then, and move on to the next issue. North East Quarry Village Number Four. You did excellent work, there.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You and Henrietta Geller did a superlative job of building the Adventure Society¡¯s reputation.¡±


    ¡°Also, helping people,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes, of course. The Society would like to show its gratitude by supplying the materials required to resummon all your familiars. The ones you lost in that encounter, as well as the one that has now reached bronze rank.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know a lot about the state of my familiars.¡±


    ¡°This reward was suggested by your team. Mr Standish provided the list of supplies. I had to have someone portal them in, but after the expedition I¡¯ve made a policy of always keeping a portal user on hand. Sending them all off together was a mistake I won¡¯t make again.¡±


    Jason gave it a short moment¡¯s consideration, then nodded.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said.


    ¡°If you speak to the receptionist, he will direct you to pick them up. That just leaves the issue of your star ranking. Tabitha Gert promised that if you conduct yourself acceptably, your rank will be restored to three stars. I think we can safely say that has happened. You will be needing a new badge because of the changes to your aura and your personal crest, so please present yourself to the Magic Society at your convenience.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of my aura,¡± Jason said, ¡°are there any repercussions I need to know about following the aura projection incident?¡±


    ¡°Not that you need to concern yourself with.¡±

 Chapter 214: Putting the Band Back Together

    In the wake of Cole Silva¡¯s arrest, his organisation fell into chaos as Silva¡¯s cousins fought to seize control. At first it was restricted to carefully feeling out key people and quietly garnering loyalty. As days passed into weeks without a definitive leader rising up, it started causing trouble with street level operations and the conflict became bloodier.


    In the midst of all this, Killian¡¯s trail was finally found, but far too late. It was eventually discovered that he had decamped the city entirely, taking a ship loaded with a good chunk of Cole Silva¡¯s ill-gotten holdings. Until the crew of that boat turned up somewhere, it was a dead end.


    Jason felt that he turned a corner in his recovery with the resummoning of his familiars. He began with Gordon and then Shade, grateful to discover that they were the same familiars he had previously. While the bodies of the familiars would be the same with each summoning, the astral spirits inhabiting them could be different, if the original spirits did not want to re-enter his service.


    ¡°Your soul is rather changed,¡± Shade observed. ¡°You have been through an ordeal in the time I¡¯ve been gone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been rough,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°Glad to have you back, mate.¡±


    ¡°I am also glad to return,¡± Shade said. ¡°The Reaper¡¯s realm is a rather monotonous place. I did take the time to make enquires while I was there, however, under the assumption that you survived to resummon me. I am now more confident about accessing the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space.¡±


    Resummoning Colin was another thing entirely. Summoning his new bronze-rank vessel would require a bronze-rank ritual. Part of his recovery time had been spent continuing his study of magical theory and he had the instinctive understanding of his power to guide him. Despite this, he wasn¡¯t entirely confident about handling the increased sophistication and power the higher-rank ritual would require. He discussed the issue with Clive, who had a suggestion.


    ¡°You have that bronze-rank skill book, right? The one you took from Landemere Vane?¡±


    Jason did, indeed, still have skill books detailing bronze-rank ritual and astral magic.


    ¡°They require bronze rank to use, though,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°So, fake it,¡± Clive said. ¡°Use a spirit coin before you use the skill book. It¡¯ll be a strain, but nothing you can¡¯t handle after what you¡¯ve been through.¡±


    Jason took Clive¡¯s advice. Taking a seat in his cloud house, he consumed a bronze-rank spirit coin under Clive¡¯s supervision, with Neil on hand in case it became too much. Unlike his previous uses, his enhanced awareness of his own soul let him sense exactly what the coin was doing to him. It flushed through his soul harmlessly, merging with his own power before flooding into his body. He gained a better understanding of the cost of using spirit coins as he could clearly feel the power was more than his body could contain. He would only be able to briefly use the power surge before his body blew a fuse and shut off.


    Hurriedly, he used the skill book. As with the previous one he had used, the text floated out of the book, becoming a magical cloud hovering around him. The power of the coin faded, leaving him feebly slumped in the chair, but the it had done it¡¯s work. Without reaching a false bronze-rank state, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to trigger the book at all.


    When the cloud of magical text started injecting itself into Jason¡¯s body, something started going horribly wrong. Jason had experienced skill book use before and this was less strenuous that the huge tome that had contained his martial art. At the time he used that skill book, though, he hadn¡¯t experienced the star seed implantation.


    It started with a familiar feeling as his body was invaded. The skill book¡¯s magic was entering his mind, not his soul but it was close enough that it awakened buried flashes of memory. Suddenly he was back in that room, hanging from the ceiling, vulnerable and helpless as his body and mind were invaded.


    Clive and Neil watched in horror as Jason tumbled out of the chair and onto his knees, clutching at his head and screaming. Neil started to cast a healing spell but Clive stopped him.


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Clive warned urgently. ¡°Muddling the magic going into him right now could do some real damage.¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°All we can do it let him go through it,¡± Clive said unhappily.


    Eventually the screaming stopped and Jason was laying on the floor, looking up with blank eyes.


    ¡°He¡¯s not breathing,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°He¡¯s been training,¡± Neil said. ¡°I¡¯ve been helping him with it. He doesn¡¯t breath at all, now.¡±


    After the problem with the skill book, Jason didn¡¯t move on to resummoning Colin right away. He continued to work with Arabelle, Carlos having departed the city. He was important to the star seed implantation recovery efforts and couldn¡¯t be spared for more than a couple of weeks on one person. He helped Jason through the worst and Jason did everything he could to give Carlos information he could use to help others, the only reason The Adventure Society and his church had let him stay as long as he did.


    Having his other familiars back helped. Their presence in his soul was a comfort, a support when he awoke from a nightmare of suffered another flashback.


    He concentrated on other tasks. More training, but also more mundane affairs. One of them was his new beard. It was trimmed light, with a line next to the chin where a thin scar was. Another bisected his left eyebrow.


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure abut the beard,¡± he said at breakfast.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Neil said. ¡°It covers your face.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s really good,¡± Belinda said. She was the one who suggested he keep it in the first place.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make me look like a villain?¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t seeming like a villain kind of your thing?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Stop discouraging him,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It looks good, doesn¡¯t it, Soph?¡±


    Sophie looked up from her sausage and eggs to give Jason an intense stare. Finally she nodded.


    ¡°Your face is too pointy,¡± she said. ¡°It softens the edges.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have said that it flatteringly frames your facial structure,¡± Belinda said, ¡°but I¡¯d take it. For Sophie, that was a gushing compliment.¡±


    Eventually Jason decided it was time to resummon Colin. After using the skill book he had delved into the theory to consolidate his knowledge. Now he was as ready as he was going to be. After the skill book, his whole team was going to be present for support, along with Rufus and Gary.


    For each earlier familiar re-summoning, he had hired out a ritual room in the Magic Society, rather than do it on the houseboat. The cloud floor of the houseboat was not ideal for drawing out ritual circles, lacking the dedicated, hard-floored ritual rooms of Emir¡¯s cloud palace.


    Jason did so again for Colin¡¯s ritual, Clive helping him pick out the one with the facilities to hose the room down afterward. He began preparations by stripping down to his underwear. No one mentioned the scars speckling his body, or the one long scar across his torso.


    ¡°Is that really necessary?¡± Neil asked. No one wants to see your skinny body.¡±


    ¡°This will be messy, if the last time is anything to go by,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It really was,¡± Gary agreed. ¡°We never actually cleaned that room after, we just picked up his unconscious body and snuck off.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point ruining good clothes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sorry we can¡¯t all be super buff like you, Neil. Which reminds me, we need to take you to get some more flattering clothes. Seriously, who makes that stuff?¡±


    ¡°My aunt is quite interested in fashion design.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I get it now,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is she too influential to tell how bad her work is, or are you all just being nice.¡±


    ¡°She controls a fairly good portion of the family¡¯s holdings, yes,¡± Neil acknowledged.


    ¡°Fair enough, then. Just tell her that your team leader made you get a new wardrobe to fit in with the group.¡±


    ¡°Since when are you the team leader?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m the team leader,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have the best hair.¡±


    ¡°Sophie has the best hair,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°I¡¯m the most handsome?¡±


    ¡°Not even top three,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°There¡¯s only four guys in the team,¡± Jason said dejectedly.


    ¡°Maybe you should start the ritual now?¡± Clive suggested.


    Jason nodded and started setting out the circle and the materials, mostly bronze-rank blood quintessence gems. Jason took a razor from his inventory and sliced the back of his hand, letting Colin spill out onto the ground. The leech pile spread out around the diagram, seeming to have an instinctive understanding of where to go.


    ¡°Alright, little mate,¡± Jason told Colin. ¡°See you again soon.¡±


    Jason began the ritual. Lines of red life force drifted out of the leeches and fed into Jason, the leeches withering into nothing. Even with that extra life force, the ritual took a heavy toll on Jason. At the edge of his vision, his mana and stamina bars emptied rapidly as mental and physical exhaustion overtook him. The little body shape indicating damage went from green to red all over as blood started seeping from his pores, spilling down his body to flow into the middle of the circle where it vanished.


    Once again, Jason''s mind tried to drag him back to his torture, the memory of his body being ravaged by the star seed. He willed himself to stay in the moment. He felt his other familiars residing inside him. He glanced up at his friends, looking on with concern.


    He dropped to one knee, struggling to stay conscious. Half as much blood loss would have killed a normal person. It all flowed into the circle and vanished, until all that Jason had put in and more started spilling from the floor like a wellspring, inundating the ritual circle, only to stop when it reached the edge.


    Crawling up out of the pool came a leech, no different to Colin¡¯s previous form. It had the same slick, wormy body and gaping maw with circular rings of oversized lamprey teeth. It was joined by a second, then a third, more and more emerged until they were being pushed out like meat from a grinder.


    Strips of bloody cloth emerged from the mass, gathering the leeches together and wrapping them up. Like compression bandages, they pushed the leeches together into shape, slowly binding them up into a humanoid form.


    The sanguine horror Jason, Gary, Rufus and Farrah had fought had taken on the appearance of a mummy. While the basic form Colin has taken was similar it was not identical. Along with bundling the leeches into shape, the strips of cloth had formed a ragged cloak and hood, draping off the humanoid figure.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s trying to look like you, Jason,¡± Humphrey said.


    Jason didn¡¯t hear him, kneeling on the floor. His body was ravaged and he was desperately trying to keep his mind from going back to the torture room.


    Once the figure finished forming, the bloody strips dried, leaving them a rusty colour. It reached out to help Jason to his feet and he grasped the crude, fingerless hand.


    Colin (sanguine horror).Familiar (bronze rank).Swarm. Hive mind.Bites from the leech swarm inflict [Bleeding], [Leech Toxin] and [Necrotoxin].Leech attacks drain health and stamina, allowing the rapid replacement of destroyed biomass.Ranged entangling attacks can be made using cloth strips. Grips inflict minimal constriction damage but periodically inflict [Leech Toxin] and [Necrotoxin] if an area with an open wound is grabbed or the target is suffering the [Bleeding] condition.While subsumed within the summoner, the summoner has accelerated healing and stamina recovery. Healing and recovery rate is determined by how much biomass was absorbed and increases with the summoner¡¯s level of injury.


    In addition to the changes to Colin¡¯s form, the healing he provided would now increase the more Jason was injured, the value of which was obvious. Jason had Colin walk around a little, which the familiar did, hesitantly at first and then with increasing confidence. Its new pseudo-human guise was faster than the leech pile of it¡¯s previous form, although it still couldn¡¯t move much faster than a hurried shuffle.


    ¡°Alright Colin,¡± Jason said wearily. ¡°Time to come home.¡±


    Through his instinctive sense of the familiar ability, Jason could sense that he would no longer need to cut himself for Colin to enter or leave his body. He reached out a hand, Colin doing the same and the familiar was absorbed directly in through the skin. It happened in a comical rush, like a cartoon character being sucked into a vacuum cleaner. Jason immediately felt Colin go to work helping him heal and recover. He looked down at his bloodied body and pulled out a bottle of crystal wash.

 Chapter 215: Nothing Speaks Louder Than Power

    The return of Jason¡¯s familiars went a long way to helping him feel better. With his improved soul sense he could feel their comforting presence within him much more strongly than before, even retaining a sense of connection when they were out of his body. It didn¡¯t match the connection of a bonded familiar, like Humphrey had with Stash, but it was enough to give him a confidence that he had been lacking for some time.


    He had not yet returned to adventuring but he did start making some social excursions. This started with Gary arriving at the houseboat to take Jason out to the delta, to take a look at the construction site of the training annex for Rufus¡¯ academy. They rode out using two of Shade¡¯s bodies in horse form, void black but with glowing white hooves, mane and eyes. Mist shrouded each of the hooves, leaning a trail as the horses sped along the delta embankment roads.


    ¡°So these are the horses you keep talking about,¡± Gary said. ¡°They¡¯re kind of like heidels, but only having one head is weird.¡±


    ¡°Most things only have one head,¡± Jason said and patted Horse-Shade on the neck. ¡°Shade is quite a bit more handsome than regular horses, though.¡±


    In horse form, Shade manifested with reins and saddle, but no bit. The ride was soft and smooth, Shade not being a true animal but a creature of shadow-stuff. Shade was also able to run over the surface of water, which cut time comfortably off their journey.


    They rode around the huge walls marking the edge of the Geller Estate grounds until they reached the construction site. Greenstone was to the west of the estate, while the construction site was just outside the south walls.


    The Remore Academy Training Annex would primarily be made of stone, like most buildings in the region where wood was at a premium. Gary had been recruited to create metal frames and reinforcement before the stone went in, using the powers of his forge essence to create alloys heavier and stronger than steel.


    ¡°I do a lot of construction work back in Vitesse,¡± Gary explained as he and Rufus led Jason around the site. ¡°Being only bronze rank, we don¡¯t get the freedom to go out adventuring that we get here, so it¡¯s a nice little side earner.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that restrictive?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not too bad,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You don¡¯t go out without a silver-ranker, though. Even if your team can handle a silver rank monster, if you get a whole pack of them, a bad match-up for your team or a gold-rank monster then your team can end up dead very quickly. At higher ranks, monsters tend to be harder to run away from.¡±


    ¡°All that is especially true when a monster surge is due,¡± Gary said. ¡°The increase in silver-rank monsters here is a clearly a surge precursor, and in Vitesse that increase is in gold-rank monsters.¡±


    ¡°It means the monster surge is close, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It could be weeks, or even months, still, which is why we went ahead with construction.¡±


    Jason¡¯s friends continued to drag him out of the houseboat, to the point that he realised Arabelle had suggested they help Jason break out of his self-imposed isolation. He started taking his own steps out, including making use of the Musical Society membership he had purchased months ago, only to be too busy to really use. Making use of his own private viewing booth at the concert hall let him get out without needed to deal with other people too much.


    Jason¡¯s progress was not all forward, however. Nightmares were frequent and flashbacks could sneak up in him in unexpected moments. Arriving early for the symphony one night, something about the orchestra tuning their instruments triggered a flashback and he fled his booth, stumbling though the hall and into one of the empty rooms around the concert hall.  He was leaning against a window when he felt a familiar aura draw closer. He turned, wild-eyed, to the opening door.


    ¡°Hello Jason.¡±


    Cassandra¡¯s face was filled with concern.


    ¡°I saw you in the hall,¡± she said. ¡°You didn¡¯t look well and your aura was all over the place.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he said with a grimace, leaning back against the cool glass of the window.


    ¡°I heard about what happened to you,¡± she said softly. She stayed at a distance by the door, as if afraid of scaring off a skittish animal.


    ¡°What did you hear?¡± he asked


    ¡°They put one of those things in you. Like Thadwick.¡±


    ¡°Not like Thadwick,¡± Jason snarled, his face flashing anger, then regret.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I know your brother is still missing. But I wasn¡¯t taken over.¡±


    ¡°I heard that too,¡± she said. ¡°A lot of people don¡¯t believe it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what a lot of people think,¡± he said. ¡°Everyone I care about the opinion of knows better.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for how my family treated you,¡± she said. ¡°Treated us.¡±


    ¡°They did what¡¯s right for them,¡± Jason said. ¡°Don¡¯t we all.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Cassandra said. ¡°I heard about what happened in that village, too. Not many would stand up to a silver rank monster like that.¡±


    Jason¡¯s aura was settling. Her¡¯s was a calming presence, intermingling with his in an echo of their former connection as lovers. She moved closer, slowly making her way across the room.


    ¡°Your aura is so different,¡± she said. ¡°I can barely recognise it.¡±


    ¡°A lot has happened since we last met.¡±


    Her smile carried the bitterness of their last encounter.


    ¡°You got your promotion back.¡±


    ¡°Impatience seems to be a Mercer family trait.¡±


    ¡°It has cost us, more than once.¡±


    She arrived in front of Jason. After a brief pause, she wrapped her arms around him comfortingly and he didn¡¯t resist, resting his head on her chest.


    ¡°We could have been something, couldn¡¯t we?¡± she said sadly.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± he said.


    ¡°Probably for the best,¡± she said. ¡°I would not be putting up with that beard.¡±


    Still leaning into her chest, he burst out laughing.


    Danielle had Humphrey drag Jason and his team to a large social gathering at the Geller townhouse on the Island. For Belinda and Sophie it was the first time attending such an event without a plan to steal from the attendees. In an elegant white dress, Sophie garnered no small amount of attention. Humphrey, who was raised in such settings, helped her navigate the new waters, adroitly driving away the sharks. If not for his social expertise she would have had to resort to her own, which was not event appropriate. She had made sure, that if it came to that, the slit in the leg of her dress would free up her high kicks.


    ¡°I robbed that guy,¡± she said quietly as they circulated. ¡°And that one. Good thing Belinda is good at making disguises.¡±


    Jason found himself in an odd social position, due to the various stories and events he had been caught up in. His success in the Reaper trials, along with his closeness to the gold rankers every social climber in the room wanted to connect with lifted up his prestige. The rumours floating around after his kidnapping and the aura projection incident made the waters rather murky, however.


    At one point in the evening, the bronze-rank scion of an aristocratic family approached Jason, his breath reeking of drink and his aura reeking of monster cores.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t even be allowed around decent people,¡± he slurred in Jason¡¯s direction. ¡°How do we know you don¡¯t still have one of those things in you? You could be working for them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough brother,¡± a woman said, stepping out to try and lead the man away. Jason recognised her as Liana Stelline, a member of mid-tier aristocratic clan. She had been part of Jason and Humphrey¡¯s field assessment group, joining the Adventure Society alongside them.


    ¡°Kyle, it¡¯s time to go home.¡±


    Her brother shrugged her off, pointing a finger in Jason¡¯s face.


    ¡°What do you think you¡¯re doing, coming into our city? You were probably one of them from the start. I bet you set up all our people that died on the expedition!¡±


    The room went very still. The high society of Greenstone had pushed their way onto the expedition, with Sophie and Belinda being the only ones in the room other than the serving staff not to have lost someone close to them.


    Kyle was the only one not to sense the shift in the atmosphere, despite it being pointed at him. His aura senses were too addled by drink to feel the auras around the room grow fierce and hard.


    ¡°You should take your sister¡¯s advice and go,¡± Jason said, restraining his own aura. With the fury burning inside him, he didn¡¯t trust what he would do with it if he let it go. The rage he had built up over recent events was more than some drunken idiot deserved to have unleashed on him. Unfortunately, the idiot in question took Jason¡¯s restraint for weakness.


    Not sensing any aura, despite the provocation, Kyle used his own aura to push down on Jason. His aura control was sloppy, but still had a bronze-rank soul behind it. There was a limit to Jason¡¯s tolerance, however, and Jason¡¯s own aura rose out like monster from the deep. It devoured Kyle¡¯s bronze rank aura projection with ease, biting down like a vast maw until Kyle felt its teeth against his naked soul.


    Jason stopped himself before following through with the soul attack. Kyle¡¯s expression had become stricken with fear and he collapsed to the floor, Jason stepping forward to stand right over him.


    ¡°You should be very careful about accusing me of getting my friends killed,¡± he said, his voice a jagged blade of ice. ¡°Liana, take your brother home.¡±


    Jason retracted his aura and Liana quickly shuffled off her wide-eyed sibling, his resistance now gone. Oddly, this encounter had the opposite effect of what Jason anticipated, bringing the approval of many who had been uncertain about him. In a world of adventurers, wealth and influence were fine but unadulterated magical potency made their acquisition an inevitability. Jason¡¯s display made it clear that his potential was blossoming into capability.


    Danielle swooped in to lock elbows, reminding everyone that she had the foresight to support him when others were overlooking him.


    ¡°Nothing speaks louder than power,¡± she told him.


    She wasn¡¯t foolish enough to miss a social opportunity when it presented itself and guided Jason around the room to make introductions she had previously been avoiding. One of these was to the Duke of Greenstone, who was talking to his brother and his sister-in-law, Beaufort and Thalia Mercer.


    ¡°Beaufort, Thalia,¡± Danielle greeted. ¡°You know Jason, of course.¡±


    Thalia knew Jason better than her husband, but Jason had met the man during his relationship with Cassandra.


    ¡°I believe this will be your first time speaking with him, Duke,¡± Danielle continued.


    ¡°A pleasure, Duke,¡± Jason said, shaking the man¡¯s hand. ¡°Naturally, I¡¯ve seen you at various social functions but I daresay you never noticed a little iron-ranker like me.¡±


    ¡°Well, everyone noticed you now,¡± the Duke said with a wry smile. From what he had heard of the man, Jason hadn¡¯t anticipated liking the Duke. To his surprise, he found the man very personable, not looking down on Jason at all for his rank or station.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been discussing the issue of Old City,¡± the Duke said. ¡°The infighting in the Silva family as it looks for new leadership is escalating into street violence. The organisation built up by the late Clarissa Ventress is looking to go the same way. It was stable for a while, but her replacement isn¡¯t keeping things together and is unlikely to hold his position. Fortunately, Adris Dorgan is keeping quiet instead of fanning the flames. If he changes his approach, however, the streets of Old City may well become a war zone. At that point I will have no choice but to step in to restore order. I¡¯d rather avoid that outcome so soon after the Builder cult purge.¡±


    ¡°I still say you should just do it now, before things get out of hand,¡± Beaufort said.


    ¡°Perhaps you can offer us some insight, Mr Asano,¡± the Duke said. ¡°You have some experience with the Big Three, do you not?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve met Adris Dorgan and I liked the man. I¡¯ve heard good things from people I trust that know him better. I never met Clarissa Ventress or her replacement, but again, I know people that did. They were less flattering. As for Cole Silva, well¡­ if you spend four days hanging from a ceiling with no pants on while a guy stands there watching you the whole time, I guess you could say you know him.¡±


    ¡°How colourful,¡± the Duke said with a chuckle. ¡°So, what insights can you offer?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said. ¡°I haven¡¯t really been paying attention, so I may be missing some of the political nuance, but the solution seems obvious.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± the Duke prompted.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to end your hands-off approach of Old City and take direct control. At this point, Adris Dorgan is essentially the mayor of Old City, so you might as well make it official. Between his daughter running the Adventure Society and his rising level of influence after his assistance flushing out the Builder cult, he¡¯s heavily invested in legitimacy at this point. Place him under you officially and you¡¯ve got a handle on the one man who has a genuine chance to take the pot off the fire before it boils over. It¡¯ll also send a signal to the people scrabbling over the vacant positions in the Big Three. Once they realise that era of criminal overlords is over, they won¡¯t be willing to fight as hard. There will still be crime bosses, obviously, but they won¡¯t have the power they did in the past, which will de-escalate the infighting.¡±


    The Duke raised his eyebrows, turning to Danielle.


    ¡°Is this you?¡± he asked. Danielle held up her hands in a display of blamelessness as Jason looked between her and the Duke.


    ¡°You told him the same thing?¡± Jason asked her.


    ¡°She did,¡± the Duke said. ¡°She also used the word obvious.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just my uninformed opinion,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have no doubt there would be a slew of political obstacles to navigate. And, of course, nothing will prevent the violence altogether. To be honest, I¡¯m biased because I think very poorly of the lack of actual civilian authority in Old City. The Big Three may have done some good to keep order as a de facto government, but they are ultimately a predatory one. They operate in a gap left by the inaction of existing civil authorities.¡±


    The Duke chortled.


    ¡°You do realise that the existing civil authorities is essentially me?¡±


    ¡°My friend Humphrey likes to say that privilege comes with responsibility,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good boy,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°I have to say, Mr Asano,¡± the Duke said. ¡°You certainly live up to your reputation.¡±


    Jason shook his head sadly.


    ¡°When you¡¯re this handsome,¡± he bemoaned, ¡°of course people are going to talk. Why won¡¯t they let a guy live his life?¡±


    Danielle ran a hand over her face.


    ¡°You just can¡¯t help yourself, can you?¡±

 Chapter 216: My Name is Jason Asano

    Elizabeth Silva stirred when she felt something press down on her large, canopy bed. There was a young man in a dark suit sitting on the other side, cross-legged.  She opened her mouth to call for her guards, before stopping herself. If they could have helped, they already would have. Her bronze rank aura senses couldn¡¯t detect the man¡¯s aura at all, which meant that he was dangerous.


    ¡°Hello, Miss Silva,¡± the man said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry to call on you so late.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I want you to understand that Old City is changing,¡± the man said. ¡°The days of criminal rule are coming to an end. Other members of your family have come to understand this, but you¡¯ve only seen weakness instead of wisdom and pushed them all the harder. People are being hurt, innocent people, and I¡¯m here to convince you to stop.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re one of Dorgan¡¯s dogs,¡± she said.


    ¡°No,¡± the man said. ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer, and I have a contract. To make people like you understand that these are new times. No one is saying you can¡¯t be a crime boss. Wiping out crime altogether would be pointless and foolish to even attempt, and having people like you retain a measure of power keeps the chaos to a minimum. But that¡¯s what you get: a measure. The days of the Big Three are over and trying to bring them back will only cause more bloodshed, which I promise will include yours.¡±


    ¡°So the high and mighty Island government is going to bring us to heel with death threats?¡±


    The young man smiled.


    ¡°If I have to come back here, Miss Silva, you¡¯ll find my mercy does not extend to killing you. My name is Jason Asano.¡±


    A cold fear washed over her body as she recognised the name.


    ¡°Your cousin went to some effort to destroy me. I took longer than I should have to rectify the scenario and my friends interrupted before I had my taste of recompense. I would advise against being the means by which I assuage my disappointment.¡±


    A shadow rose up behind Asano, moved over his body and he was gone.


    Belinda had finally undertaken her field assessment and the team was gathered in the marshalling yard to await her return. With them was a rather nervous Jory. The marshalling yard was crowded, with many new essence users that had appeared in the wake of the Reaper trials. The drop in market price for essences wasn¡¯t a true democratisation of power, but many of Greenstone¡¯s only reasonably well-off families were adding adventurers to their ranks. An adventurer who found success would be able to raise  their family up with them.


    Normally, the crowd gathered waiting would be the families of the wealthy and powerful. This had been the case when Jason took his field assessment. Before the expedition disaster shook their faith, they had been so proud, so sure of themselves. In the wake of that, some families had realised their errors and corrected. They instituted new training programs for their essence users, frequently turning to the more successful adventuring families like the Cavendish, Mercers and Geller clans for guidance. This helped cement such families at the top of the Greenstone pile.


    Other families had been looking for anywhere but themselves to place the blame. Loudly decrying the failures of Danielle Geller and Elspeth Arella, they had gone so far as to seek restitution from the Gellers and the Adventure Society itself.


    The results of these different approaches were reflected in the changes brought about by the Adventure Society¡¯s inquiry team. The families that looked to fix their mistakes and used the people they lost as a chance to grow and improve, their positions within the Adventure Society improved in kind. After the sweeping demotions, these were the groups that most frequently had their previous rankings reinstated.


    Those that made an enemy of the Adventure Society obviously fared less well. Arguably the single most powerful political entity on the planet, the Adventure Society had no time for the admonitions of some lower-tier aristocrats in one provincial city. Those families found their demotions upheld, even suffering additional waves of demotion. Many found their family members had their Adventure Society membership revoked entirely.


    Oddly, the outcry of fools railing against them was helpful to both Danielle Geller and Elspeth Arella. The more they were blamed, the more clearly the blame fell on systemic problems within the local adventurer culture that neither Danielle nor Arella were responsible for. Danielle spent most of her time away from the city, and whatever revelations had come out regarding her motivations, Arella had been taking concrete steps to rectify the corruption within her branch.


    While the old adventuring families were undergoing changes in the wake of the expedition, the people gathered in the marshalling yard represented a new, post-expedition movement in Greenstone. Where the old guard had a new sense of caution and humility, these new adventurers were filled with optimism and hope.


    The people around Jason¡¯s team were more aspirational than established, anxious for the return of the person they had placed all their hopes on. For many families, having an adventurer amongst them was a chance to lift all of them up.


    Jason knew that the reality was more harsh. Even amongst Greenstone¡¯s elite, only a handful of families were producing quality adventurers. Jason had seen the results of shattered illusions in young adventurers, like those who fell under the sway of insidious nobility like Thadwick Mercer or criminals like Cole Silva. Such people rarely met good ends. Of those that had followed Thadwick, half had ended up dead at Jason¡¯s own hand. He at least took solace that some of the others had managed to find fresh beginnings.


    Jason considered the group that had fallen under Thadwick¡¯s thumb. In the course of investigating Thadwick¡¯s shady land-grab scheme, Jason had decided the fate of most of them one way or another. The ones who had come for him before had died at his hands.


    Months later he was still troubled by how quickly and easily he had turned to killing. He wondered if letting them go would have been better, but they had come for him once before and brought larger numbers the second time. Perhaps the longer he left it, the more killing it would have meant in the end.


    Two of Thadwick¡¯s former lackeys had managed to find some measure of redemption. Dean was the one Jason had managed to put back on the straight and narrow. Disillusioned when his dreams of being a grand adventurer fell flat, he had been pulled into Thadwick¡¯s orbit at his lowest point. Jason helped him find his way back, and while he was never going to be an exceptional adventurer, there was still a place for him in Greenstone¡¯s Adventure Society.


    The other of the pair was Jerrick. Where Dean had surrendered immediately that day, Jerrick had fought it out, with Jason taking him alive. Rather than being tried, he had been stricken from the Adventure Society as part of the quiet covering-up of Thadwick¡¯s activities. After Thadwick, Jerrick had fallen in with Cole Silva. Then risked everything to betray Silva and lead Jason¡¯s companions to him in his hour of greatest need.


    Whether or not it was a cynical choice to try and get his way back into the Adventure Society, Jason didn¡¯t much care. When asked for his input, he voiced no objection to Jerrick¡¯s reinstatement to the Adventure Society. Jason met with him once after his reinstatement, advising him to work his way up using his own strength, rather than attach himself to others. Whether Jerrick took his advice or not was up to him, no longer Jason¡¯s concern.


    Caught up in his thoughts, Jason was stirred out of them by the attention his team was getting. His aura senses detected the attention of normal people with no way to control their own auras. Humphrey and himself were both fairly well known and his entire team were expensively outfitted. Jason had finally taken Neil into Gilbert¡¯s Resilient Attire For the Discerning Gentleman and Neil had come out looking annoyingly good. Occasionally, someone would try and make a social approach, only to think better of it. Jason was helping this along with the subtle aura he was projecting to heighten their unease. It was a trick he had picked up from Humphrey¡¯s mother, who had been showing him some nuances of aura control normally held off until bronze or even silver rank.


    ¡°Has my mother spoken to you yet about the training program she was talking about?¡± Humphrey asked Jason.


    ¡°She¡¯s mentioned it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t hate the idea of what they¡¯re doing.¡±


    Danielle and Arella had a strained relationship since the expedition, but both women recognised that as important figures in the adventuring community they would need to put aside their differences. Danielle had told Jason about a program they were looking to develop, offering the new wave of adventurers some basic training. The goal was to prevent too many from falling into the patterns that had put so many essence users under the sway of the Big Three.


    ¡°Mother quietly thinks they can change the entire tenor of  Greenstone¡¯s adventuring culture,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Her and the director seem determined to have something good come out of their shared mistake,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a lot of respect for that.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Are you going to join in?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I¡¯m qualified to teach anyone anything,¡± Jason said. ¡°This time last year I didn¡¯t even believe in magic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just fundamental aura control,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Are you seriously going to stand there, using your aura like that, and say you can¡¯t teach someone the basics?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s she roped you into teaching?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Basic martial technique. She¡¯s roped in a bunch of people, hasn¡¯t she, Sophie?¡±


    ¡°If the Adventure Society is paying, I¡¯ll take it,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve agreed to join in, too,¡± Neil said. ¡°Not to teach anything, but make sure Sophie¡¯s instruction doesn¡¯t kill anyone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not responsible for other people being weak,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jason said, ¡°If you¡¯ve agreed to teach people to fight, you¡¯re directly responsible for them being weak.¡±


    She tilted her head thoughtfully. ¡°Huh. I guess you¡¯re right.¡±


    The first wagon full of would-be adventurers arrived in the marshalling yard. It was a large intake, so they had gone out in separate groups.


    ¡°She¡¯s going to pass, right?¡± Jory asked nervously.


    ¡°Of course she will,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Neil said. ¡°She has her full set of powers and she¡¯s been on a road contract. She¡¯s more qualified than any of us were for our assessments.¡±


    ¡°So, what next?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Back to adventuring?¡±


    ¡°We need to be looking for the right contracts, ones that will get us to bronze,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The hardest iron-rank contracts we can find, plus any bronze ones we can get. Now Jason is back to three stars, the application process to claim a bronze-rank contract is much simpler.¡±


    ¡°We can do that?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t done in Greenstone a lot,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Beth Cavendish and her team have been taking some bronze-rank contracts, since the Reaper trials. The approval process is a pain unless you have a three star, which she is.¡±


    Groups of would-be adventurers started arriving, including Belinda¡¯s and she dashed over to share hugs with Sophie and Jory.


    ¡°Any problems?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m quietly confident,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I thought Vincent would go easy on me, though. Aren¡¯t he and Rufus a thing?¡±


    ¡°The fact that he didn¡¯t go easy on you is the reason he and Rufus are a thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re both big on integrity.¡±


    With the whole team officially on the Adventure Society rolls, they threw themselves into contracts, with an eye to raising their abilities. Belinda and Sophie had the most abilities in need of raising, so the team put them forward more than the others. Aside from Clive, each member of the team had their own new powers to master, though.


    Clive was the closest to hitting bronze, having been an adventurer for the longest and possessing the accelerated advancement speed of a human. He was quietly letting the others take the forefront in the training, not wanting to reach bronze yet. If it was possible to access the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space, it was most likely that the iron-rank restriction was still in place. Once inside they would all be free to hit bronze rank, as some of the Reaper trial participants had done the first time through. Leaving the space had not been an issue for them.


    For Jason it was his familiars that required the most work but his real attention was on path of shadows, his shadow teleport ability. He had only told Clive that there was a chance of finding a way back into the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space and Clive had been quietly working on the issue using information both from Emir¡¯s people and from Shade.


    The iron-rank contracts were a chance for Belinda to keep cutting her teeth on iron rank monsters, since her abilities were at the lowest level on the team. They continued the technique they had learned from Henrietta of mixing up combinations of team members and solo operations to push her into using different powers. The team was always on hand to step in if something went wrong.


    The others were seeking out large groups of iron-rank monsters, or bronze-rank ones when they could get them. Humphrey and Jason would even take them on alone, both having powers that helped them to bridge the rank gap.


    As the mild desert winter moved almost imperceptibly into spring, the team took an unconventional contract. East of Greenstone, inland beyond the desert, lay the veldt. The people there were hardy and tough, beyond the reach of the desert astral space and its oases. They rarely called on the Adventure Society, but had sent word to Greenstone that a group of essence user bandits had taken up in their area.


    The inhabitants of the veldt kept mostly to themselves and even when it came to monsters they usually handled them on their own. The use of every essence found by the loose-knit band of communities was collectively decided on, with a small group of local monster hunters serving them all. They would only turn to the Adventure Society in Greenstone if something beyond their abilities turned up. The people had an isolationist pride, but also a practicality born of hardscrabble survivalist principles.


    Led by a bronze-ranker and with too many essence users for the locals to deal with, the bandits had taken over a whole town, killing most of the residents and enslaving the rest. They had started raiding the other small towns of the veldt, trading loot and slaves to the nomadic tribes of the north.


    When Elspeth Arella had offered them the contract, Jason and Humphrey had discussed at length whether to take it. With the number of bandits, the remoteness of their location and the chaos they had caused, there was no stipulation for capture in the contract. The order was to put them all down.


    Jason was reluctant but Humphrey had been adamant.


    ¡°Jason, those people are going to die. The Adventure Society will send someone out there to kill them and not everyone has your scruples. I¡¯d rather do it out of a sense of responsibility than send someone looking for a chance to kill actual people instead of monsters.¡±


    ¡°Are there really adventurers that bloodthirsty?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories from my family. Been told how to recognise the signs of adventurers I should never team up with. The kind of people who will kill the bandits and then kill their victims because they can. Then they¡¯ll blame it on the bandits and no one can say otherwise.¡±


    ¡°And the Adventure Society allows this?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°But out in the wilderness, who¡¯s to say what happened? Every now an again there¡¯ll be a push to implement rules about using recording crystals when the contract is to take down real people but there is always resistance. There are some valid arguments against it, like the recording crystals being detectable, but mostly adventurers don¡¯t like anything that reeks of shackles.¡±


    ¡°I can sympathise,¡± Jason said.


    Eventually Jason came around. They had taken a boat upriver, then Clive requisitioned a Magic Society skimmer from the local depot and they made their way into the veldt. It was there that they met with Keith of the local monster hunters, who led them to the bandit town. Jason had gone in alone to scout before returning to the team.


    He had discovered that the bandits were from Greenstone. Criminal essence users from the Silva and Ventress organisations, they had seen the changes coming and left the city altogether, knowing the Big Three would no longer provide them with the same level of reward for big fish in a small pond. Many feared they would be held to account for past misdeeds, using their power within the criminal underworld to live out their most depraved desires.


    Under a charismatic leader, they had gone out into the veldt where they believed the Greenstone authorities would not follow. Without the controlling hand, however, they had gone wild. The escalating series of atrocities they were carrying out as they raided the local townships had quickly led the locals to call on the Adventure Society.


    After scouting out their town, Jason told his team that he wanted to handle the bandits alone. They immediately refused, but just as Humphrey had talked him into taking the contract, he talked them into letting him do it alone. They were reluctant but this situation was nothing like when he was taken by Silva. He would be fighting on his own terms, with his team nearby to provide backup if things went wrong. The town, he argued, was perfectly set up for him to fight using tactics that would allow him to use his abilities to their fullest.


    It took Jason some time to get them to come around. Ultimately, they were convinced by his determination and resolve. The unflinching hardness of his eyes was a perfect reflection of his aura. Once they agreed, their local guide was flabbergasted.


    ¡°He¡¯s just one iron-ranker!¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t respond as his shadow rose up, passing over him and he vanished. Clive sent an expensive, long-range recording crystal flying high up over the town. A projection crystal hovered in front of them, showing what the first crystal recorded.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to see what happens for yourself,¡± Clive said.

 Chapter 217: While They Watch Me Kill You

    The town was little more than a cluster of stone and clay buildings along a single main street. It was not the better for its new residents, with unrepaired signs of essence abilities being thrown about. Walls were cracked with impact rings and scorched with the flash-burn signature of fire powers.


    All seemed quiet, with no sign of Jason. There were bandits around the town, along with some miserable-looking unfortunates that the bandits were using as slaves. The bandits sat around, playing cards or molesting one of their more attractive slaves. There were men and women amongst the bandits, who cared more about toughness and malevolence over gender. Essences absolved any natural disparity in physical power between the sexes.


    There was a corpse pinned to a wall with large stone spikes, that the bandits paid no mind.  Unseen in the shadows, Jason watched one of the enslaved former residents look longing at the outskirts of the town, then fearfully at the dead body. Even with a head start, there was nowhere to hide in the sparse, flat terrain of the veldt. It was nothing but low grass marked by the occasional lonely tree.


    The bandits languid day was disturbed when one came staggering out of a building. It was a poor village and there were no doors on any of the buildings which had the bandit loudly stumbling through a curtain of beads before collapsing on the ground, blood pooling under his head. His fellows rushed over and turned over the body, finding his throat cut.


    ¡°Someone killed Craig!¡±


    Paying attention to the body, they didn¡¯t notice a pair of blood-red strips of ragged cloth snake out of the doorway the dead bandit had emerged from. Only once they wrapped themselves around the corpse¡¯s legs were they spotted, the bandits watching in startlement as the corpse was rapidly dragged back into the building.


    ¡°What was that?¡±


    ¡°Go get the boss while I check it out. Someone thinks they can mess with us and they¡¯re about to have a very bad day.¡±


    One of the larger bandits flexed his muscles, dark, hard scales covering his body. Others picked up weapon or conjured them out of thin air, some wreathed in fire or sizzling with electric sparks. The one with the scales went inside and the others heard him crashing about.


    ¡°Dammit, there¡¯s another one dead in here,¡± he called out, then stormed back out of the room.


    ¡°Two of our guys are dead in there and none of you idiots saw or heard a thing. What is wrong with you idiots?¡±


    ¡°Neither did you!¡±


    That earned the speaker a punch to the face.


    ¡°I said go get the boss, idiots.¡±


    He pointed out one of the bandits.


    ¡°You, go get him. Everyone else search the town. Whoever did this is here somewhere, and roust everyone out while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    Seeing the images recorded from high above, Jason¡¯s team watched as the bandits started turning over the town. They found no sign of their attacker beyond what had been left behind. Many of the buildings had dead bandits, usually from a slice across the throat or a stab wound to the back of the neck. Others looked like corpses left in the desert for weeks, their bodies dried out and rotted, when they had been seen walking around hours or even just minutes earlier.


    They dragged the bodies out into the sandy dirt of the main street as they cleared the building one by one.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Vargas?¡±


    ¡°I saw him go into that building over there.¡±


    ¡°Did you see him come out?¡±


    The bandits began to realise that more of their number were going missing in the course of the search. They heard screams coming from one of the buildings and then one of their number came staggering out, looking more dead than alive. The big bandit with the scales rushed over and grabbed the man¡¯s shoulders to keep him upright.


    ¡°Who was it?¡±


    The man was barely able to cough out a response.


    ¡°Shadow¡­ eye¡­¡±


    They felt an ominous aura come from the building, along with an icy voice.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    The bandit holding the man up felt flesh soften under his fingers and he dropped the man as they watched his already corpse-like appearance fully rot in front of their eyes. The big man burst into the building, finding it empty.


    The bandit¡¯s leader emerged from the largest building in the town, formerly the only tavern before the bandit leader claimed it for himself. He had no shirt and was still pulling up his pants, eyes going wide at the pile of the bodies in the street. The remaining bandits, the better part of two dozen, assembled in front of him.


    The leader loudly demanded to know what was going on and a dozen bandits all tried to talk at once, unnerved at finding almost a quarter of their number dead at the hands of unseen enemies.


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± the leader bellowed and was about to make more demands when he looked behind the bandits assembling in front of him. Following his gaze, they all turned around to see four cloaked figures standing behind them in a line. One was a man in a cloak made of darkness and stars. Another looked to be made of darkness entirely. A third was wrapped head to foot in bloody rags, its hood and cloak made from dangling strips. The final figure was just a cloak with no wearer. All that was inside it was an eye, a little larger than a head, made of what looked like blue and orange fire. Two orbs drifted around the floating cloak, slightly smaller versions of the main eye.


    The leader pushed his way forward through his men to stand in front of them. He guessed the man in the cloak was an actual person, the others having the looks of summons or familiars. The only aura he could sense from any of them was a bronze-rank aura from the figure made of bloody rags. Unsurprisingly, the sense he got from the aura was a blood drenched hunger.


    ¡°You killed my people?¡± the leader asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°So you would all gather in one place.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡±


    ¡°To kill the rest.¡±


    The leader frowned. ¡°You¡¯re Adventure Society?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°They just said to kill us, instead of bringing us in, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The leader was worried by his inability to sense the man¡¯s aura. If the man was a strong bronze-ranker, his bandit clan might be enough to kill him with numbers. If it was a silver ranker, they were all dead. Needing to know either way, he pressed his aura down on the man.


    The aura that emerged to block it left him almost laughing in surprise.


    ¡°An iron ranker?¡± he asked, disbelievingly. ¡°You really thought you could take us all out and you¡¯re an iron ranker?¡±


    ¡°I still think that,¡± came the cold reply.


    ¡°Who do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano.¡±


    Many of the bandits, formerly operating under Cole Silva, turned pale. They had all heard different stories but it was a fact that going after Asano had brought down Cole Silva and scattered his organisation into pieces. It was the very thing that brought many of them out into the veldt.


    ¡°Is that suppose to scare me?¡± The leader asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s meant to scare them, while they watch me kill you.¡±


    The bandit sneered. He pressed his aura down on Jason¡¯s but was startled to find he was throwing an egg against a rock. The sneer vanished as his aura was pushed back by a force that felt as inexorable as the dawning sun.


    ¡°Kill this fool!¡± the leader barked, but Jason¡¯s aura flooded out and over the bandits. It clamped down onto each one, grinding their own auras into nothing. They were flooded with feelings of exposure and vulnerability, then something sharp pricked not against their bodies but their very souls. As if encased in a spiritual iron maiden, the bandits felt like any movement would leave them pained and punctured.


    The big bandit with the scales mustered his courage and lunged in Jason¡¯s direction, He immediately collapsed to the ground, letting out an alien, whistling shriek until suddenly he stopped. Laying on the ground, he looked like he was still screaming but was issuing no sound. His eyes were wide and watering, drenched in soul-deep fear. His whole body was rigid and trembling, as if caught in a seizure.


    The bandit leader looked down at the fallen bandit, then the others. They were frozen in place, skin slick with cold sweat and eyes filled with terror. He turned back to Jason.


    ¡°You expect me to surrender?¡±


    Jason turned his head to look at the corpse pinned to the wall, then back at the bandit.


    ¡°The contract has no terms of surrender.¡±


    The bandit leader¡¯s expression went hard, fierce eyes locked on Jason.


    Jason¡¯s perception power now included magical senses, which allowed him to detect the magic surging under his feet. He dodged aside as a thick stone spike burst from the ground in the spot where he had been standing. The spike then exploded, showering him in stone fragments. An army of short tendrils shot out from Jason¡¯s shadow cloak, intercepting any that were about to strike him, and leaving him completely unharmed.


    Ability: [Cloak of Night] (Dark)


    Conjuration (darkness, light, dimension).Base cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Conjures a magical cloak that can alter the wearer. Offers limited physical protection. Can generate light, or blend into shadows. Cloak can reduce the weight of the wearer for a low mana-per-second cost, allowing reduced falling speed and water walking. Cannot be given or taken away, although effects can be extended to others in very close proximity.Effect (bronze): Cloak reflexively intercepts projectiles. Highly effective against rapid, weaker attacks, but less effective against powerful, singular attacks. Cloak allows gliding for low mana-per-second. Weight reduction no longer costs mana unless affecting additional people.


    Jason moved into the midst of the bandits, his movements light and quick, his cloak floating around him. The bandits didn¡¯t move, frozen by the sensation of knives against their soul and the memory of what happened to their fellow.


    A rack of stag horns grew from the bandit leader¡¯s forehead and he barrelled through his own people to get at Jason. One was killed by the spearpoint horns of their leader, while another two were knocked away. They tried scrambling away but then screamed a moment before falling silent, like their fellow before them.


    Jason and the leader fought amongst the other bandits like duellists in a statue garden. The leader was stronger and faster but Jason had learned to fight from Rufus Remore. Compared the that, the skills of a failed backwater adventurer were crude and buffoonish. He was all power and no finesse; if it weren¡¯t for his bronze-rank reflexes, the fight would have been laughable.


    Colin and Gordon remained where they were, not moving to assist. Shade¡¯s three bodies, on the other hand, joined Jason and the bandit leader in dancing amongst the other bandits. Jason teleported between Shade¡¯s bodies to run rings around the bandit leader, dodging the powerful, but slow attacks. It bought him the space to cast a spell or let him reposition to make attacks of his own, dagger shooting forward in the grip of a shadow arm.


    Not many of the bandits actually had aura powers. One of the ones who did had been biding her time and when she found herself behind Jason she pushed back against his aura and lunged at his back with her knife, imbued with electrical energy as she used an essence power on it. The instant she moved, Jason aura crushed hers like a bug in a fist. She too collapsed to the ground, shrieking like the god of death had grabbed her.


    Human essence users typically had a preponderance of special attacks and the bandit leader was no different. Many involved flinging fragments of earth over wide area, which the leader did to try and catch the fast moving Jason, He quickly realised this was pointless, the cloak absorbing the attacks with ease. The leader tried a variety of other approaches, from conjuring and throwing hammers to hurling stone spears. As Jason continued to dance around him, his legs transformed into stag¡¯s legs, increasing his agility. Chunks of stone erupted from the ground to encase his arms in battering rams and he sprung about on the stag legs, trying to catch and hammer down Jason.


    Catching Jason still remained an elusive prospect. Every time he thought he had landed a blow, it turned out Jason had hidden his true position within his cloak, the blow coming close but hitting nothing.


    Jason, in turn, had used a few spells at the beginning that seemed to do nothing, the bandit leader assuming they had failed due to rank disparity. Since then, all Jason could manage were superficial wounds from his dagger, which the leader derisively sneered at. It was hardly surprising that a stealth specialist couldn¡¯t truly harm a higher-ranker in open combat.


    The bandit paid no mind to the tiny wounds as he struggled to pin Jason down. One good hit was all it would take. It took some time before he realised something was horribly wrong. He had an increasing sense of dread, then spotted the black veins under his skin.


    ¡°Poison,¡± he spat, coming to a stop.


    ¡°Disease, actually,¡± Jason said, doing likewise. ¡°Not that it matters.¡±


    ¡°You think this iron-rank crap is enough to take me down?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    As the bandit lunged, again, Jason once more disappeared into one of Shade¡¯s bodies, emerging at a distance from the shadow of one of the buildings. He was already chanting a spell.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    The punition spell withered the bandit leader¡¯s affliction-riddled body with necrosis, his muscle atrophying on the spot. He staggered in place even as Jason cast another spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Ability: [Feast of Absolution] (Sin)


    Spell (recovery, cleanse, holy).Base cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Cleanse all curses, diseases, poisons and unholy afflictions from a single target. Additionally cleanse all holy afflictions if the target is an ally. Recover stamina and mana for each affliction cleansed. This ability ignores any effect that prevents cleansing. Cannot target self.Effect (bronze): Enemies suffer an instance each of [Penance] and [Legacy of Sin] for each condition cleansed from them.


    [Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off over time as damage is inflicted.[Legacy of Sin] (affliction, holy, stacking): Increases the damage scaling of execute abilities. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    The bandit leader¡¯s life force became visible, shining from within his body. It was tainted with afflictions, marked in swirls of bruise colours; ugly shades of yellow, purple and red. The taint streamed out of the bandit leader life force and into Jason¡¯s outstretched hand. What it left behind was shining light of gold, silver blue, sinking back into the bandit¡¯s body with his life force and lighting him up from within, shining through his skin. The transcendent light started rapidly eating away at his already stricken body as the bandit leader started to scream.


    Jason cast one more spell, to finish the job.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement, and the judgement is death.¡±


    More transcendent light appeared, hammering down from above like a deity¡¯s wrath. The leader¡¯s crippled body was entirely eradicated and Jason turned his attention to the remaining bandits.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to just kill us, right?¡± one of them asked, voice strained with panic.


    Jason looked round the little town, seeing the people the bandits had taken as slaves, watching from hiding. His eyes once again fell on the corpse pinned to the wall.


    ¡°How many innocent people have you killed?¡± Jason asked. ¡°There are adventurers heading north, even as we speak, to bring back the people you sold into slavery. In the face of that, you ask for mercy? If I took you back to the city, they would just kill you there.¡±


    Horror filled their faces as the realised they were about to die. The bandits started scattering, in spite of the fear Jason¡¯s aura suppression was still inflicting. The results were the same as those who had gone before as they all immediately collapsed, screaming with a pain unlike anything they had ever known before going silent, like the others.


    Jason looked over them writhing on the ground and took a shuddering breath. He had killed before, quite a lot now. This would be his first execution. He was troubled by how little that prospect troubled him.


    ¡°Colin,¡± he said flatly. ¡°Feed.¡±


    Still standing by, Colin suddenly exploded like a bomb had hit him, raining leeches down onto the bandits. Caught up in Jason¡¯s soul attack, none of them screamed until Colin¡¯s afflictions claimed their lives.


    Jason stood in the middle of the dead bandits, held his arms out to his side and chanted a spell.


    ¡°As your lives were mine to reap, your deaths are mine to harvest.¡±


    Ability: [Blood Harvest] (Blood)


    Spell (drain).Base cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Drain the remnant life force of a recently deceased body, replenishing health, stamina and mana. Only affects targets with blood.Effect (bronze): Affects any number of bodies in a wide area.


    Using their remote viewing crystal, the team watched as blood red life force streamed out of the bodies and into Jason. From above, he looked like a spider at the centre of a bloody web.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m not looking to give no offence,¡± their guide said, ¡°but your man there seems worse than the folk he was sent after.¡±


    ¡°An opinion you¡¯ll keep to yourself,¡± Humphrey said sharply, although his eyes didn¡¯t waver from the projection. ¡°If I hear you say that where he can hear it, you¡¯ll be answering to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry on that account,¡± the man said. ¡°He¡¯s going to find everyone real polite.¡±

 Chapter 218: Inherently Corrupting

    The ordinary people left in the town weren¡¯t inclined to come out after Jason¡¯s display. From their perspective, the shadowy figure with the monstrous companions was demonstrably more dangerous than the bandits. Jason left, leaving the heroic-looking Humphrey and their local guide to come in and play rescuer.


    There was a floating barge coming to take the townsfolk away. It moved slower than the skimmer they had arrived in and would be waiting in another town for word of the all clear. Jason volunteered to go and bring back the barge.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done your part,¡± Humphrey told him. ¡°Clive can go back in the skimmer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to do it,¡± Jason told him. ¡°I could use a ride to clear my head.¡±


    ¡°At least take someone with you. Sophie isn¡¯t the exactly the sensitive rescuing type.¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m looking for is some solitude, Humphrey. Some time to settle myself after¡­¡±


    Jason looked over at the remains of the bandits, not finishing the sentence.


    In horse form, Shade at full gallop was no slower than the skimmer and just as tireless. The midnight horse with glowing white eyes, hooves and mane sped across the grassy flatland of the veldt, leaving behind a trail of white mist, rising off the hooves. Shade¡¯s horse form was made of shadow-stuff, rather than flesh and bone, and had a similar feel to the soft cloud-substance that made up Jason¡¯s cloud house. It made for a smooth, comfortable ride.


    He reached the town that was being used as a base of operations for the Adventure Society. It had turned out that the criminals coming from Greenstone had set up a number of bandit operations and Jason had only wiped out one of several groups. More teams like Jason¡¯s had been dispatched to key areas while the Adventure Society set up an operations hub. Jason went inside and reported that his team had been successful to the silver-ranker in charge, someone he hadn¡¯t met before.


    The Adventure Society wasn¡¯t just going to leave the people Jason had liberated in a town full of the dead, so the barge was sent off. Jason made his way onto the roof, sitting down to quietly meditate as the hovering vehicle smoothly made its way across the veldt.


    Jason¡¯s meditation was uneasy. He had become accustomed to his life being one of violence and he felt largely untouched by it anymore. This was a source of concern, since while it was useful, he worried about losing his humanity. He was, after all, no longer human.


    Each time he killed people, rather than monsters, he thought back to his first night in his new world and his conversation with Rufus. Every time, he felt more and more separate from the man who wondered if his innocence was a worthwhile price for power.


    Meditation had long been one of Jason¡¯s key coping mechanisms. After his encounter with the star seed, he had a much stronger sense of his own soul, which made meditation a very different experience. It was more involved, more controlled; a journey through an inner world.


    He began by guiding his thoughts and feelings away, placing his mind and soul into a state of perfect stillness. His sense of his surroundings was somehow both heightened yet pushed aside, not intruding as he cultivated an inner peace.


    In the past, his deepest meditative state had felt like a vast, still emptiness. Now he was able to sense things within that inner space. There was the comforting presence of his familiars, residing in his soul. As he reached a state of stillness and calm, he felt them do likewise. Over time he had come to feel the symbiosis between them much more clearly.


    Within his soul he opened his eyes and was standing in a garden, lit up by the sun, shining in a blue sky. The plant beds were his powers, flowering in shades of red, white and black. The flowers of his bronze-rank powers had grown to fill their space, unable to grow further until the garden was enlarged.


    The borders of the garden were marked by a high fortress wall of dark stone. There was damage, as if they had been besieged, but the gaps were filled with black metal, as if the damage had uncovered something stronger and stranger. The metal was polished mirror smooth, dark and reflective with a eerie and fathomless feel to it. It was easy to sense that it was much harder than the stone of the original construction, which it made seem like a fa?ade, daring an invader to strip it away.


    Jason walked through the gardens, letting his finger touch the flower petals. When he first began his training, Rufus had told Jason of the three pillars of effective advancement: training, practise and consolidation. At the time he had simply trusted Rufus¡¯ word, training his body and skills, then using them in combat and using meditation to make the most of his gains, using them to build a foundation and grow his power upon it.


    Now, Jason had a much better sense of that process. Above his head, unconsolidated power shimmered like a heat haze. He could feel it, shaped by his training and stimulated by combat. He drew that power down and fed it into the garden beds, fertiliser to be soaked up by the roots of his powers. He worked carefully, methodically, always respecting the power and never acting with haste. He cultivated the garden to grow well, rather than quickly, and grow it did.


    Ability [Path of Shadows] (Dark) has reached Iron 9 (100%).Ability [Path of Shadows] (Dark) has reached Bronze 0 (00%).


    Ability [Path of Shadows] (Dark) has gained a new effect.Ability [Path of Shadows] (Dark) has changed from [Special Ability] to [Special Ability/Conjuration]. The type for any given use of the ability is based on the chosen effect.Ability [Path of Shadows] (Dark) has gained the [Darkness] subtype.Base cost of ability [Path of Shadows] (Dark) has changed from [Low] to [Varies].Cooldown of ability [Path of Shadows] (Dark) has changed from [None] to [Varies].


    Ability: [Path of Shadows] (Dark)


    Special Ability/Conjuration (dimension, teleport, darkness).Base cost: Varies.Cooldown: Varies.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Teleport using shadows as a portal. You must be able to see the destination shadow. This effect is a special ability with a low mana cost and no cooldown.Effect (bronze): You can sense nearby shadows and teleport to them without requiring line of sight. By increasing the cost to moderate, small shadows can be enlarged to serve as viable portals at both the ingress and egress points. Alternatively, conjure a shadow gate between two locations on a regional scale. The distant gate must appear in a location you have previously visited. This effect is a conjuration with a very high mana cost and a 10 minute cooldown. The iron-rank effect can still be used while this ability is on cooldown.


    With his new awareness and more controlled advancement, an ability transitioning to bronze was a different experience to what he had gone through in the past. The advancement of his perception power had been unpleasant, painful and disorienting. This time he slowed and guided the process, making it painless, smooth and invigorating.


    ¡°Very impressive,¡± Arabelle said and Jason¡¯s eyes snapped open. In spite of his aura senses being heightened by his meditation, he had not sensed her approach at all. Of course, if a gold ranker with even basic aura control wanted to avoid his senses, they could. He still couldn¡¯t detect her presence with his aura senses, which was a little off-putting while looking right at her. It made her seem illusory and unreal.


    She was standing casually at the edge of the barge roof, looking down at him, still sat in a meditative pose.


    ¡°You¡¯re not here as part of the barge team,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve been hiding. From me.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t help but tell you how impressed I am, though. Most people reach bronze or even or silver before they can self-guide their advancement like that.¡±


    ¡°You could see that?¡±


    ¡°I can see your soul, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s not ominous at all.¡±


    She gave him a warm smile.


    ¡°I can see the scars on your soul,¡± she said. ¡°More clearly than the ones on your body, even if you were standing naked before me.¡±


    ¡°Best not,¡± Jason said. ¡°A bloke can¡¯t go around doing funny business with his mate¡¯s Mum.¡±


    She let out an easy laugh.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to ask me what I¡¯m doing here?¡± she asked.


    ¡°People wanted to make sure nothing happened to me again,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And that you weren¡¯t doing anything foolish,¡± she added. ¡°I almost intervened when you convinced your team to let you face the bandits alone.¡±


    ¡°They have faith in me.¡±


    ¡°I heard you didn¡¯t care much for faith.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you use what you¡¯ve got,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting choice of words,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°You said ¡®use.¡¯ These are your friends and companions we¡¯re talking about. You use them?¡±


    ¡°Manipulation is just a tool,¡± Jason said. ¡°Like killing. Dangerous when used inappropriately, but sometimes it¡¯s the right choice, even when people look down on you for it.¡±


    ¡°And you wanted to manipulate them into letting you do the killing. Why is that?¡±


    ¡°Slaughtering some thirty-odd people isn¡¯t a small thing, even if you¡¯ve killed before, which not all of the others have.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s alright for you to do it alone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working my way up. I¡¯m alright with it.¡±


    ¡°Do you expect me to believe that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Good, because we will be talking about this again. Just not on the rooftop of a barge, a hundred miles from a decent cup of tea.¡±


    ¡°I have some iced tea, if that interests you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    Jason hopped lightly to his feet and took a pair of tall glasses filled with fruit-flavoured ice tea, the chunk of ice in each clinking against the glass.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Arabelle said, taking the proffered glass and sipping at the paper straw. ¡°That¡¯s a good straw,¡± she said.


    ¡°I know a guy with the paper essence,¡± Jason said as they sat on the edge of the roof, their legs hanging over the side. ¡°Mostly he works in publishing but I¡¯ve been talking him into some side projects. Ever had a drink with a tiny umbrella in it?¡±


    ¡°Why would a drink have a tiny umbrella?¡±


    ¡°It makes it better.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a kind of magic from my world.¡±


    ¡°I thought your world didn¡¯t have magic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have to get creative. There¡¯s a magician in my world who made a Ninety metre statue vanish and reappear, right in front of people. It¡¯s probably the most famous statue on the whole planet. It¡¯s called Liberty Enlightening the World, which ultimately proved a bit ironic.¡±


    ¡°How can someone be a magician in a world without magic?¡±


    ¡°With misdirection and deceit, which aren¡¯t inherently bad. They can be used to entertain and delight. It¡¯s just that people can also use them for untoward ends, because there¡¯s money and power in it. Let me tell you, politics in this world is child¡¯s play. In my world, everyone has a recording crystal device and no one has magic. Even the most ignorant, at least in my homeland, just have a better idea of how it all works. No inherent hierarchies of power. You have to build them yourself, or be born into them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you are so dismissive of them,¡± Arabelle said.


    ¡°That, and they shaft people over.¡±


    ¡°It sounds fertile soil for corruption,¡± Arabelle said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as an incorruptible system. All you can do is your best to make it less crappy.¡±


    ¡°What about if a god was running it? Who could influence a god to corrupt them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll refer that question to the church of Purity,¡± Jason said.


    Arabelle scowled.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like what¡¯s happening there,¡± she said. ¡°Why would Purity throw his followers in with these cultists. They¡¯re defilers.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to tell me,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve got the scars on my soul to prove it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, your soul is almost unrecognisable from when we first met. Actual, aura-changing events are rare and you¡¯ve had three in a series of months. It¡¯s probably for the best that you have that personal crest, because between the changes and your anti-tracking ability, trying to identify you from your aura without it would be an unreliable prospect.¡±


    ¡°The changes aren¡¯t completely bereft of benefits,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes, your ability to suppress auras and attack souls is impressive in action,¡± she said. ¡°At iron-rank, only those with highly trained aura control or an ability to counter aura suppression will be able to stand up to you. That said, don¡¯t go thinking you could do to the likes of Humphrey or your friend Valdis what you did to a bunch of untrained dregs. You should keep in mind all the elite adventurers who assembled for Emir¡¯s event. They are your contemporaries, not these locals.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Jason said. ¡°We sparred with some great teams and they handed back out butts in a box on the regular.¡±


    ¡°I recommend you practice your aura control with your team mates,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°It¡¯s hard to find people you can trust to do suppression and anti-suppression drills with.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wary of that,¡± Jason said. ¡°When I first gained the power to use soul attacks, I told myself I wouldn¡¯t if I didn¡¯t have to. Of course, that didn¡¯t last long. It¡¯s almost as if power were inherently corrupting.¡±


    ¡°We can discuss that at length, later,¡± Arabelle said.


    ¡°There may not be time for that,¡± Jason said. ¡°The ability I¡¯ve been waiting on was the one that just reached bronze. It¡¯s time to start trying to get into the astral space in earnest.¡±


    When the sand barge arrived, the Adventure Society officials on board took over from Jason¡¯s team in managing the rescued people. The team gathered around Jason, obviously worried.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he assured them, not mentioning Arabelle¡¯s presence in the veldt. If she wanted to remain hidden, he wasn¡¯t going to spoil it.


    As his team prepared to return to Greenstone via the skimmer they had rode out on, Jason tested his newly bronze-rank power. Jason waved his hand and a line of substantive shadows appeared on the ground, dancing like dark flames. Then an archway rose up out of it, made from what looked like of a whole piece of polished obsidian. The dark fire then rose up to fill the arch.


    ¡°That looks an awful lot like the shadow gates in the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space,¡± Humphrey said, then looked to Jason and Clive. ¡°Something neither of you seem surprised about.¡±


    ¡°I had an inkling,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade has seen that power before.¡±


    ¡°What aren¡¯t you telling us?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a conversation for later,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Where does the gate go?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Back to the town where the Adventure Society set up their management hub.¡±


    Jason squared his shoulders before walking through, emerging in the middle of the town¡¯s main street. The sensation was very familiar to him; a disembodied sensation of movement, as if the world was turning around him. It was more intense than his usual shadow jumps, but he had experienced it a number of times now, with Hester¡¯s portals.


    A number of people were looking at him, having seen the archway rise up out of the ground. Sophie came through the portal after him, then Clive. He lacked the astral affinity that made portal travel more of an exhilarating rush than stomach-churning lurch.


    ¡°Alright, test over,¡± Jason said. ¡°Back we go.¡±


    ¡°Give me a moment,¡± Clive groaned.


    On the way back to the city they experimented with the power, finding three major limitations. One was distance. As best they could tell, the range was around forty kilometres. Clive¡¯s told Jason that was normal for a portal ability and he could expect it to rapidly improve. It would increase by it¡¯s current range at each minor threshold of advancement, meaning that by the time it reached the peak of bronze rank, it would have ten times the range.


    The next second limitation was capacity. Ten iron-rankers or one bronze ranker could pass through the gate in either direction before the power was consumed. One iron ranker would be able to pass through and come back five times before the gate was depleted.


    They were able to talk a bronze-ranker they encountered on the way back into testing it, but could not find enough regular people willing to walk through the sinister magic archway for testing purposes. Suggesting that the ones who were up for it go through and back multiple times resulted in the few they could find backing out. It was at that point that Belinda asked the obvious question.


    ¡°Why not just ask your interface power?¡±


    Jason and Clive looked at each other, then shared a nod.


    Help: Ability limitations, [Path of Shadows] (Dark)


    Capacity (Bronze 0): 1 bronze-rank, living entity. Alternatively, 10 iron-rank instead of 1 bronze, and 10 normal-rank instead of 1 iron-rank.Capacity is reduced by taking large amounts of non-living material through, either directly or in dimensional bags. Items in dimensional storage generated by personal powers do not count against the capacity.Range (Bronze 0): 40 kilometres. Destination must have been previously visited, before or after obtaining this ability.


    ¡°That was deliberate,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We wanted to field-test the power with unbiased views before looking to the interface,¡± Clive added.


    ¡°You forgot the blindingly obvious thing, didn¡¯t you?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said immediately. ¡°Yes we did.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, Clive?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You folded like an origami swan you have to put somewhere without throwing it away for long enough that the person who made it for you won¡¯t get offended when you finally throw it out and claim the humidity made it fall over or something.¡±


    ¡°That was very specific,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Completely hypothetical,¡± Jason asserted firmly.


    ¡°What¡¯s origami?¡± Neil asked.


    After getting back to the city, Clive and Jason told the team about the idea of going back into the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space.


    ¡°There are no guarantees,¡± Clive said. ¡°Jason¡¯s ability doesn¡¯t say anything about breaching dimensional barriers. That means we have no idea if we can get it to work, or how long it will take to figure that out. I¡¯ll be going to stay with Emir¡¯s team at Sky Scar Lake to work on the issue and Jason will be portalling in every day so we can do a series of tests.¡±


    ¡°In the meantime,¡± Jason suggested, ¡°those of us who planned to work at the training centre being set up should do just that. We can also use this time to decide, as a team, if  going back to the astral space is something we want to do. We have no idea how many unknown dangers we would face, so even if we can go back, it doesn¡¯t mean that we should.¡±

 Chapter 219: Beholden to No One

    One of the ways Jason had made positive use of his recovery time was to get himself back into a training pattern. Rufus, Gary and Farrah had worked to instil good habits during his initial training, but the eventful life of an adventurer inevitably led to him letting things slide.


    Rufus, Gary and Jason¡¯s team had often felt helpless at their inability to help Jason after his ordeal. They were forced to leave things in the hands of first Carlos and then Arabelle, who had the experience and expertise to give Jason the help he needed. When Jason expressed a desire to reformulate his training habits, then, they leapt at the chance to be useful.


    The regimented training schedule also helped them maximise their own efforts, whether that was learning and developing their powers like Belinda, or making the final push toward bronze, like Humphrey and Jason.


    After Clive, Humphrey was the closest to reaching the bronze-rank threshold. Like the others, he had powers to raise from scratch after completing his power set, but being a human meant his powers increased slightly, but measurably faster than Jason¡¯s, Neil¡¯s or Sophie¡¯s. He followed Clive in drawing back from the training until they knew if they would need to stay at iron to return to the astral space.


    Clive had decamped for Sky Scar Lake, living in Emir¡¯s cloud palace and working with his people. Many were more experienced than Clive, even in his specialty field of astral magic, yet Clive¡¯s insightful thinking and prodigious capacity for learning never failed to impress. It was all the more so since he had gained the ability to learn the mundane things through skill books, leaving his mind free to tackle the esoterica.


    Jason practiced his portal ability, visiting the domes at the bottom of the lake every day. He couldn¡¯t advance it, but aiming the portal over vast distances was a skill he worked on developing. It required a level of visualisation that made it tricky to target places he did not know very well. The ability to distinguish places in his mind with landmarks was very helpful.


    The distance between Greenstone and Sky Scar Lake meant that it took Jason an hour to get there by opening a portal at his maximum distance, going through, then waiting for the ten minute cooldown before going again. To accomplish this, he first had to cross the desert in between, finding landmarks he could remember well enough to use as waypoints. For that journey, Shade had transformed not into a horse, but a giant sand lizard to stride across the desert sands.


    Each day on his arrival, he would meet with Clive and Emir¡¯s people to go over the ritual configurations they had devised. The end goal was to use his power to reopen the portal, but they were not yet at the point where they expected that to work. The astral magic involved, like that used by the Builder cult, was incredibly advanced. The astral magic theory that Knowledge had given to Jason, who then shared it with Clive, was proving invaluable.


    Jason did his best to follow along with Clive¡¯s explanations as they worked. He learned a lot but it was largely above his head, even with all the magical theory he¡¯d been studying. This was the new cutting edge of astral magic theory.


    Jason frequently felt that his presence was superfluous beyond being a wand to produce the right kind of portal. The true collaborator was Shade, who was an endless source of fascination for Clive and Emir¡¯s people. His insights drove their work forward, until they declared that it was no longer a matter of if they could access the astral space, but when.


    ¡°What do you think of all this?¡± Jason asked Shade, after they¡¯d been visiting the site for a week. ¡°Does it annoy you to be dragged off every day to constantly answer questions?¡±


    ¡°Just the opposite,¡± Shade assured him. ¡°I first became a familiar to have more experiences than can be had in the bleak void of the Reaper¡¯s realm. Being affixed within the astral space for centuries left me rather desirous of company. A group of intelligent people eager to hear everything I have to say has been entirely satisfactory.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. I¡¯m also glad that you decided to re-up after I went and got you killed fighting that elemental.¡±


    ¡°My only regret is that it kept me from offering my support during your recent tribulation.¡±


    From within his soul, Jason could sense a surge of feelings from Gordon, reflecting Shade¡¯s sentiment.


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m glad,¡± Jason said. ¡°As much as I would have appreciated the support, I don¡¯t know what would have happened to you if that thing had gotten into my soul.¡±


    ¡°We would have been annihilated,¡± Shade said. ¡°Our true, spiritual selves, not just the vessel. Star seeds are quite destructive to familiars. I have heard of them breaking the connection of a bonded familiar, too, although summoned familiars suffer the worst of it.¡±


    While Clive worked on getting access to the astral space, Jason kept pushing off any actual discussion of whether they should go in once he did. His team largely felt that it was a pointless question with an obvious answer, confused by Jason¡¯s evasiveness.


    He dodged the discussion until finally calling the group together, including Clive who was portalled back to the city by Hester. They met on the deck of the houseboat, where Jason had put on an impressive lunch spread of spring salads and ingredients to build sandwich wraps. They were sat around a long table, talking as they ate.


    ¡°Why have you been putting this off?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think there are going to be any surprises, here. We all want in on this astral space.¡±


    ¡°It should be you and I, at the very least,¡± Clive told Jason. ¡°As we continue to unravel how the seal on the astral space works, we¡¯ve confirmed that only iron-rankers will be able to get in and we don¡¯t know if there will be problems getting back out. Your portal ability may well be necessary, and I¡¯m the only iron-ranker with the requisite knowledge of the seal.¡±


    Jason turned to Sophie.


    ¡°I was waiting for you,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Me? I¡¯ve been bugging you about this for two weeks. Why would you be waiting for me?¡±


    Jason took a thick document envelope from his inventory and handed it over. She frowned as she opened it up and pulled out the contents.


    ¡°This is my indenture contract,¡± she said, looking over the first page.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°The contract expired today.¡±


    ¡°It finished?¡± Sophie asked, surprised. ¡°Honestly, I haven¡¯t even thought about it since¡­¡±


    She trailed off, looking at Jason apologetically.


    ¡°Since I was taken and you didn¡¯t know who would end up with it if I died,¡± Jason finished.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°You don¡¯t owe me an apology for having a reasonable concern. But now, you¡¯re free. Completely. Beholden to no one but yourself. From today onward, you are a member of this team for no more reason than you want to be.¡±


    He flashed her a grin.


    ¡°Welcome to the team, adventurer,¡± he said and rest of the team echoed Jason¡¯s congratulations. Humphrey then apologised after giving her a clap on the shoulder that made her grunt with pain. His strength-enhancing power had reached bronze and he was still getting a handle on his increased might.


    As Sophie looked around at the sincere, smiling faces she made a rare bashful expression.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said softly.


    Brash young adventurers moved into one of the Adventure Society¡¯s instruction halls. It was remarkably similar to a lecture hall from Jason¡¯s world, complete with a projector screen on the wall behind the lectern to display images from recording crystals. Traditionally there had been little formalised instruction in Greenstone, with Danielle Geller and Elspeth Arella¡¯s joint initiative a very new development. The sudden increase in demand for venues was something that was still being sorted out.


    Some of the adventurers were nervous, quietly taking their seats, while others were brash and overconfident, lounging back with their feet over the seat in front of them. They ranged from their mid teen through their early twenties, many older than normal iron rankers because they only just received the chance to be essence users.


    ¡°Is this Asano guy even qualified to teach us?¡± someone asked. ¡°He¡¯s been an adventurer for what? A week?¡±


    ¡°A lot of us have been adventurers for literally a week,¡± a young woman said. ¡°I¡¯ll take any good advice I can get.¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s right,¡± another guy said. ¡°This is just another example of favouritism. They give the good trainers to the big name families and leave some nothing guy for us.¡±


    ¡°The big families don¡¯t need this training, idiot. This whole thing is for people like us.¡±


    ¡°Which is why some iron-ranker to teach us. How is that guy¡¯s aura any better than ours?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± a powerful, confident voice came into the room, followed by it¡¯s owner. He was tall and handsome, broad shouldered and walking in through a side door with easy confidence to stand next to the lectern. ¡°Jason has had excellent training and some experiences I don¡¯t wish on any of you. For those who don¡¯t know me, my name is Humphrey Geller. You may have heard of my family, or perhaps just my mother, Danielle. I¡¯m here to assist Jason, as well as make sure he doesn¡¯t do anything too outrageous. If you want a more specific example of his qualifications, then I¡¯m sure you all heard about the aura blast incident in Marina North. Some of you may have even experienced it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t bet on it,¡± someone called out. ¡°We aren¡¯t exactly the pleasure yacht crowd.¡±


    ¡°That was Asano?¡± someone else asked.


    ¡°It was,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just teach us instead?¡± someone called out.


    ¡°I¡¯ve only been asked to assist,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Also, to make sure he doesn¡¯t get carried away.¡±


    ¡°Carried away?¡± someone asked. ¡°How would he get carried away?¡±


    ¡°Well, you never can be sure, with Jason. There¡¯s a chance he might try and recruit you into some kind of underground movement and overthrow the existing political structures. Or a sandwich business.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sounds very far-fetched,¡± someone said.


    ¡°Yes, but I¡¯ve found that assuming Jason won¡¯t do something just because its crazy or impossible is not a sensible approach.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t concerned about undermining his authority, here?¡± the same person asked.


    ¡°Jason has his own way of doing things, and he can establish his own authority once he comes on stage.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he like?¡± a girl asked hesitantly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard some stories that almost made me stay home.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s sneaky,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Sneaky?¡± the girl asked.


    ¡°That seems harsh,¡± the previous person said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s very handsome.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear that,¡± someone else said.


    ¡°Me either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve picked a lot of stories about him and that never came up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen his face in recordings and it¡¯s kind of pointy. Especially the chin.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s started wearing a beard,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°What I meant by sneaky is that he¡¯s the kind of person that, after agreeing to teach a group of new adventurers, would mix in with them and start bad mouthing himself to see how people reacted.¡±


    Most of the group looked confused, while the ones quicker on the uptake turned to the man who had started the conversation.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± the man they were all looking at said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with my chin.¡±


    Jason stood up and walked down to the front of the stage. As he went, his loosely controlled aura grew tighter and stronger, transforming from a weak, glob of power into an unyielding steel sphere.


    ¡°Aura disguise,¡± he said, turning around to face the group, ¡°is an advanced technique beyond the scope of this foundational course. To be honest, I¡¯ve only just started to learn it myself. What we¡¯ll be going over are the basics. Projection, retraction, suppression. Mastery of these three things will have a transformative effect on your adventuring career.¡±


    ¡°Even I know those are the basics,¡± someone called out. ¡°If that¡¯s all you¡¯re going to teach us, what good is all this.¡±


    Jason panned a predatory grin over the group like he was sweeping them with a laser.


    ¡°You should all be able to sense the auras in this room. Look at all of you, and then look at Humphrey and myself.¡±


    He waited a moment, then pointed at the nervous girl from earlier.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Janice.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Janice. How do mine and Humphrey¡¯s auras feel compared to everyone else¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re solid,¡± Janice said. ¡°They don¡¯t fluctuate.¡±


    ¡°And what do you think when you sense an aura like that? Don¡¯t think about it now, just say the first thing that pops into your head. When you sense an aura like ours on someone, what is your first thought about that person?¡±


    ¡°That they know what they¡¯re doing.¡±


    Jason pointed at Janice again with an approving gesture.


    ¡°Exactly, thank you, Janice. You sense someone with their aura under tight control and they seem to know what they¡¯re doing. That is your foot in the door. If you want to be respected in this business, then that is your first step. If you¡¯re looking to find yourself with a big name, standing next to a Cavendish or¡­¡±


    He gestured at Humphrey.


    ¡°¡­a Geller, then you need to realise that your aura is the first thing another adventurer will know about you. If your aura control is sloppy, it will also be the last thing. If you get a contract, one of the juicy one with the extra incentives, and you turn up to meet the client and he can see through you like a window, then you¡¯ll find those contracts drying up.¡±


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Humphrey took over, ¡°there is a lot more to being an adventurer than just putting up a good front. But if you can¡¯t manage even that, then you may never get a chance to show what else you can do.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t all aura control is good for,¡± Jason said. ¡°But it¡¯s important, and they don¡¯t always tell you what¡¯s important when you¡¯re starting at the bottom, do they?¡±


    ¡°Damn right, they don¡¯t,¡± someone called out.


    ¡°Well, you have us, now,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re here to teach you how to use your aura, and maybe you¡¯ll pick up a few tricks along the way that the big boys have been keeping to themselves.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be starting with projection,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s the most basic form of aura control and the easiest to learn.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s also, arguably, the most important,¡± Jason added. ¡°Not only does it determine how the adventuring world will look at you, but good projection control will better equip you to resist suppression.¡±


    ¡°Is that such a big deal?¡± someone asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason said. ¡°Over the course of this program, you will all experience having your auras fully suppressed. Good aura projection makes suppressing your aura that much harder.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you all heard about the recent bandit issues,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°We had the chance to see one of the bandit camps subdued almost entirely by someone using their aura,¡± Jason stepped in. ¡°Those bandits all had auras like yours are now. If they had had the training that we¡¯re going to impart, that wouldn¡¯t have been possible, not on more than twenty at once.¡±


    ¡°Then why didn¡¯t they send that person to teach us?¡± someone called out. Humphrey turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°They did,¡± Humphrey said.

 Chapter 220: Evil Detector

    Jason sat on the roof of his houseboat, cross-legged, with the rest of his team sitting around him. They all had their eyes closed, concentrating on forcefully projecting their auras. His team all pushed against Jason, while he pushed back in turn.


    Humphrey, Neil and Clive had the most training and experience with aura control and their projections were stable and consistent. Their auras didn¡¯t fluctuate, revealing no weaknesses as they tackled Jason¡¯s unyielding aura head on.


    Sophie and Belinda were less practised and less polished. They had taken on all of the guidance of their team mates, but their were so many things they had to learn and do as adventurers that they simply didn¡¯t have the time and experience spent on it that the others had. Jason¡¯s aura inundated theirs, seeking out any flaw or inconsistency and pressing against it until they rectified it and pushed back.


    They continued the exercise for hours until all but Jason started to flag, falling back onto the soft, cloud-stuff rooftop in exhaustion. After Jason produced snacks and drinks on trays, the team sat back up to voraciously dug in.


    ¡°I used a lot of magical ingredients with these,¡± he said. ¡°They should replenish you just as effectively as spirit coins, but with a better taste.¡±


    ¡°I like the taste of spirit coins,¡± Neil said. ¡°I like that tingly feeling on your tongue.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Clive said. ¡°I can¡¯t stand it¡±.


    ¡°How are you not tired?¡± Belinda asked Jason. ¡°I don¡¯t think I could stand up right now but you were holding all of us off and you look fine.¡±


    ¡°Aura projection is about the soul,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s difficult to differentiate the mind and the soul, and if you put too much of your mind into it, your mind will become strained. The soul, by contrast, and so far as I can tell, is inexhaustible. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s some wellspring of power hidden within us or if it¡¯s connected to the astral somehow and draws strength from there. Clive might no better than me.¡±


    ¡°No idea,¡± Clive said. ¡°The soul is a mysterious thing and experimenting on it is the taboo of taboos. Not to say there aren¡¯t people running unethical projects on the quiet, but the Magic Society and the Adventure Society are always on the lookout for things like that. Not to mention the churches. If you want one issue that unites people across religions, see how quickly they team up to go after someone doing soul experiments.¡±


    ¡°The trick,¡± Jason said, ¡°is to make the aura control come not from the mind, but the soul. The meditation techniques help, but I realise that distinguishing mind from soul is not easy. I became much more consciously aware of my soul after being forced to retreat into it when the star seed took over my body. During our meditation training, I¡¯ve been working with Humphrey and Neil to try and help them make the distinction without going through what I did. Having a solid foundation of aura control is a gateway to that, which is the point of today¡¯s exercise. When you¡¯re stronger, I¡¯ll try and help you the same way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good to have you here for this,¡± Humphrey said to Clive. ¡°We¡¯ve been missing you while you¡¯ve been off with Emir.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a meeting today to update about the anti-Builder cult operations,¡± Clive said. ¡°They¡¯ve been having them regularly since we found out about the cult and the star seeds, and I¡¯ve been a part of that since I was the one who figured out it was the Builder. Today they want me to bring Jason. The focus right now is on the cultists we think are in the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space, and Shade¡¯s input will be invaluable. Not to mention that he¡¯s the one who¡¯ll be getting us in.¡±


    ¡°I think saying that is a bit much,¡± Jason said. ¡°There have been people working on that for months, now, where I just show up once a day to knock out my power a few times and see what happens. If something happened to me, you could just go find someone with the same power and have them portalled in.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Clive said. ¡°You are at the perfect stage for what we need, though. Your power is at bronze rank, therefore usable to us, but you aren¡¯t, so you can go through the portal once it¡¯s opened. Your presence may be necessary to getting back out, we can¡¯t be sure. It could well be that once we¡¯re there, we can just leave without issues.¡±


    Jason and Clive were making their way through the streets of the island, each riding on a shadow horse.


    ¡°I have a rather important request, Mr Asano, if you are willing to hear me out,¡± Shade said. Jason had long ago stopped trying to get Shade to use his first name.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jason said. ¡°Request away.¡±


    ¡°This is not a small matter,¡± Shade said. ¡°It is in regards to the flesh abominations in the astral space. The former Reaper acolytes affected by the Vorger.¡±


    ¡°There are probably a few there now who used to be adventurers,¡± Clive added.


    ¡°Indeed there are,¡± Shade said. ¡°Fourteen, as of the time the trials ended. I have no knowledge beyond that, as my purpose had been served and I was released back into the astral.¡±


    ¡°What about them?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°If you are going to be revisiting the astral space,¡± Shade said, ¡°I would request that you hunt them all down and kill them. These were people who venerated the Reaper, whose most core value is the finality of death. They are trapped in an inaccessible realm, inside prisons of unageing flesh. If we have the chance, I would like to release them.¡±


    Jason frowned.


    ¡°I know what it¡¯s like to be trapped inside a body taken over by outside forces,¡± he said. ¡°Our priority has to be to deal with the Builder cult and we will have to assess the situation once we¡¯re there. Once we make sure the astral space is out of the Builder¡¯s hands, I¡¯ll do everything I can to help them. I¡¯m sure the rest of the team will feel the same.¡±


    ¡°Of course we will,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°My concern would be finding them all,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a big city.¡±


    ¡°A soul compass,¡± Clive said. ¡°They operate on the same principals as the tracking stones the Adventure Society uses on its members. Instead of tracking a specific aura signature, we can make one that will point at anything. We just filter out ourselves and the motive spirit false souls that monsters have and anything it points at will be either a cultist or one of the abominations. Providing there aren¡¯t any natural creatures in the astral space.¡±


    ¡°There are not,¡± Shade said. ¡°The plant life is natural, if frequently magical. There are no animals or normal people, however.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a plan, then,¡± Jason said.


    They were far from the only ones out on the streets, and they were passing by a busy eatery when Jason suddenly pulled up the shadow horse. Jason turned his head to peer intensely at the building, then dismounted.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Clive said, pulling to a halt himself. ¡°We don¡¯t have time for you to go exploring some new kind of sack.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t that,¡± Jason said. Clive¡¯s expression went serious as he heard Jason¡¯s voice. It was the icy tone he used for enemies.


    Jason strode past the outdoor dining tables and into the busy shop, clearing a space with an aura projection that sent people rushing to get out of his way. He stopped in front of an ordinary man Clive didn¡¯t recognise. The man had an iron-rank aura and looked nervous, but Clive didn¡¯t find that surprising. It would be more strange if someone had Jason¡¯s aura hovering over them like an executioner¡¯s axe and looked perfectly calm.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± the man asked uncertainly.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming with me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What are you talking about? What is happening?¡±


    Clive had the same question but knew better than to voice it aloud.


    ¡°You know who I am,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can feel it can¡¯t you? Just like I can feel who you are. What you are.¡±


    Clive watched the man¡¯s feigned confusion give way to angry contempt.


    ¡°We will kill you, Rejector,¡± the man spat at Jason and Clive sensed a huge power suddenly swell within the man¡¯s body. Jason¡¯s aura came crashing down, shredding the man¡¯s aura and clamping down on the power, squashing it into nothing. The man¡¯s eyes went wide, his face stricken.


    ¡°How.. you can¡¯t¡­ that isn¡¯t possible!¡±


    ¡°Now I¡¯m the confused one,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°You know the Magic Society has been looking for a way to find star seeds without an extensive ritual?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It looks like I¡¯m it. I¡¯ve locked down his soul so he can¡¯t detonate it and kill himself. I bet we can find some people at the Adventure Society who would like to have a long conversation with this guy.¡±


    The attempts to find a way to prevent Builder cultists from killing themselves when exposed had limited success. The Magic Society had developed a suppression collar variant that could, in theory, prevent the explosive function from triggering, but in the time it took to activate, the seed would complete its activation to explode as normal.


    Jason¡¯s aura senses were stronger than before his ordeal, but still not as strong as Sophie¡¯s with her aura sensing power. He had an intimate understanding of the Builder¡¯s star seeds, however, and sensed the subtle affect it had on that of the secret cultist. Aura suppression alone would not have been enough to prevent the seed being triggered. Jason¡¯s unusual power to attack the soul directly was able to disrupt the trigger and prevent the seed from exploding into a crystal star. By holding the man¡¯s soul in a vice with his aura, Jason was able to take him to the Adventure Society to be fitted with one of the special collars.


    ¡°This is exceptional work, Asano,¡± Elspeth Arella told him as he left the secured room. ¡°Very few of the Builder¡¯s cultists have been taken alive.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully he knows something we can use,¡± Emir said.


    Both had been preparing for the meeting when they got word of Jason¡¯s capturing a cultist.


    ¡°Who is going to do the interrogating?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°The deputy director is notifying the Adventure Society¡¯s Continental Council as we speak,¡± Arella said. ¡°They will want to send someone. In the meantime, the timing of this is excellent. We can discuss the potential ramifications in the meeting.¡±


    The meeting was something of a war council for the anti-Builder cult efforts. It had been formed after the gruesome first removal of a star seed and Clive¡¯s declaration that the Builder was their unseen enemy. From the beginning it had included Elspeth Arella, Emir, Danielle Geller, Thalia Mercer and Clive himself.


    It had also included Nicolas Hendren, the archbishop of the church of Purity. Following the revelation of Purity¡¯s apparent involvement, the archbishop had vanished, along with other key members on what his church referred to as previously-scheduled sabbaticals. In the place of Hendren was the new Chief Priest of the Healer.


    Like the rest of the Healer¡¯s local clergy, the Healer had brought him in after excising the previous corruption. The new Chief Priest was now in charge of handling matters regarding the purgation of star seeds, although no new instances had come up since the original five. The closest was Jason, who was himself a unique case for whom a specialised member of the church had been brought in.


    The Duke of Greenstone was now also included, as were Arabelle and Gabriel Remore. Of the visiting gold-rankers, only their team mate Callum was absent.


    Lucian Lamprey had been a conspicuous absentee from previous meetings. Excluding the director of the Magic Society had been a bold move, but his penchant for corruption was well known. Given that he had been hauled away in chains, it proved to be a prescient move.


    Lamprey¡¯s successor was Pochard Finn, who was an equally distasteful individual but one with a better understanding of where the line was when it came to breaking the rules. Even with security tightened in the wake of Archbishop Hendren¡¯s disappearance, Finn had been included as acting director of the Magic Society. Arella was confident that Finn knew he would need to be completely above reproach to have his position made permanent, especially considering his friendship with Lamprey.


    The meeting began by bringing everyone up to speed on the new prisoner and the revelation that Jason could sense star seeds.


    ¡°It was as much of a surprise to me as anyone,¡± Jason said. ¡°The applications are obvious, but I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s possible to hide from my senses. The man we captured may simply not have been trying because he didn¡¯t know he needed to.¡±


    ¡°Even if they can hide it from you,¡± Danielle Geller said, ¡°they are most likely as uncertain about it as we are, which we can use.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Thalia Mercer asked.


    ¡°She means that we start using me as an evil detector to check all the most important people in Greenstone,¡± Jason said. ¡°We do it on the quiet, because there¡¯s no stopping word getting out and keeping secrets will make them fearful and paranoid. Some will make mistakes, others will run.¡±


    ¡°So, we kick the cupboard and see what bugs come scurrying out,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°That would be the idea,¡± Danielle said. ¡°We won¡¯t be able to catch as many as we¡¯d like to put in a jar, but at least we would clear out some of the infestation and get some idea of just how bad it is.¡±


    They made some preliminary decisions but largely left the details to be arranged later. They then moved on to the original main topic, the upcoming incursion into the astral space. They only real decision to be made was who to send through. Jason¡¯s team was a given, leaving the question of who would go alone.


    ¡°I think the more the better,¡± the Duke opined. ¡°We need to make absolutely certain that these people are stopped.¡±


    ¡°There is a question of capability,¡± Emir said. ¡°Frankly, the local adventurers are lacking, which is why I brought in more people for the first time we sent people in. Aside from Jason and Clive¡¯s team, Bethany Cavendish¡¯s team and some of the Geller trainees are the only ones I would consider reliable enough to send.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of iron-rankers left on the estate,¡± Danielle said. ¡°With the monster surge imminent and all this business with the Builder, the decision was made to send them all home.¡±


    ¡°You brought in more people before, Bahadir,¡± Thalia said. ¡°We could do so again. Portal them in directly, instead of all that pomp of bringing them in by ship.¡±


    ¡°There are some specifics related to how we are getting in that need to be considered,¡± Clive ventured. ¡°We can¡¯t be sure that the people we send through will arrive in the same place. The city within the astral space is surrounded by entry point towers, and while we may all emerge from the same one, we might not, as happened the last time we went in. Additionally, Jason¡¯s power currently only allows for ten iron rankers to pass through per use. We have the expectation that that limit will hold true when using it to access the astral space.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the most likely outcome?¡± Arella asked.


    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure,¡± Clive said. ¡°The astral magic involved is operating on principles we¡¯re only just beginning to understand.¡±


    ¡°What do you think is the best approach?¡± Arabelle asked Clive.


    ¡°There is a chance,¡± Clive said, ¡°that once we force the door open, we won¡¯t be able to do it again. Not from this side, at least. If we don¡¯t send Jason through, in the hope that he can keep opening the door to send more people through, there¡¯s a chance that we leave whoever we did send stranded. From what we understand, leaving the astral space should be much easier than getting in but there is no way to be sure of that before we make the transition. There is far more uncertainty than I would be comfortable risking if we don¡¯t have to¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re giving us a lot of qualifiers, Standish,¡± Pochard Finn said. ¡°Are you not confident in your understanding of what you¡¯re working on?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m not,¡± Clive said. ¡°You¡¯re an administrator, Finn. You have no idea of what we¡¯re dealing with. It isn¡¯t just about complexity. This astral magic we¡¯re dealing with is rewriting the foundations of our understanding. Once this is all over, people will build careers in the Magic Society on the back of what we¡¯re learning. If someone has been telling you they¡¯re confident that they have a handle on all this, then get rid of them, as fast as you can. That person isn¡¯t just ignorant. They¡¯re a dangerous idiot.¡±


    Jason hid a quiet chuckle behind his hand.


    ¡°My advice is to send one team,¡± Clive said. ¡°Ours has six people. Potentially it could be supplemented by four.¡±


    ¡°Is that enough?¡± Arella asked. ¡°We know exactly who went into that astral space and who came back out. Granted, we don¡¯t know how many of those died because the tracking stones can¡¯t record a death across a dimensional boundary.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Shade said, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°At the time the trials ended, forty-eight people had died and fourteen had been turned into flesh abominations.¡±


    ¡°Seventy-five failed to come back,¡± Arella said. ¡°That¡¯s potentially thirteen Builder cultists.¡±


    ¡°I would bet on my son¡¯s team against any fifteen cultists,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t let yourself be blinded by family,¡± Thalia said bitterly. ¡°I made that mistake and it cost me my son.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°Arella, can you use that list to figure out which people those thirteen are?¡±


    ¡°If Jason¡¯s familiar can tell me which one¡¯s were transformed or killed, then yes.¡±


    ¡°Then we figure out what whoever goes through will potentially be up against and decide from there,¡± Gabriel said.


    After more discussion, Clive¡¯s suggestion was provisionally taken up, pending further investigation.


    ¡°The last question, then, is when this will actually happen,¡± Arella said. ¡°When can we expect to have a ritual that will get the door open?¡±


    ¡°Jason has been coming out daily to the site,¡± Clive said. ¡°In about a week we should have the rest of the team come with him because at that point, we may get the portal open at any time. And as I said, we may only get one chance to send people through.¡±


    ¡°Actually, there is one more thing to discuss,¡± Jason said. ¡°Once the Builder cult is dealt with we intend to release all the people trapped in flesh prisons by the astral creatures infesting the astral space. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all heard of the vorger.¡±


    ¡°Asano,¡± Arella said, ¡°as long as you stop the cultists from making off with the astral space, I don¡¯t care if you move in there and set up a fried octopus stall. Just make sure you remember the priority.¡±

 Chjapter 221: The World Needs People Like You

    Jason and his team made preparations for their entry into the astral space, with some preparations being more important than others.


    ¡°I just can¡¯t make that much crystal wash,¡± Jory said. ¡°A lot of my workshop is tied up in making the lesser miracle potions, now.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be spending months in that place, hunting down these abominations,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s hundreds of them.¡±


    ¡°Your cloud house uses crystal wash more efficiently than just tipping it over your head, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason reluctantly acknowledged. ¡°It adds a diluted amount into the shower.¡±


    ¡°There you are, then. Look, I¡¯ll delay a few orders and give you everything I can, but there¡¯s only so much I have to give.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I can ask for. Thanks, mate. Belinda told you we¡¯re having a big blow out barbie before we go, yeah?¡±


    ¡°She did.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Best head off.¡±


    Jory and Jason went back out through the waiting room, where the Chief Priest of the Healer was just coming in.


    ¡°Mr Asano, Mr Tillman,¡± he greeted.


    ¡°Chief Priest,¡± Jason greeted, before heading out.


    ¡°If you have a moment, Mr Tillman,¡± the Chief Priest said, I would like to discuss something with you.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jory said, leading the Chief Priest into the break room in the back. ¡°Can I offer you refreshments, Chief Priest?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? Jason¡¯s frosted frost pepper squares aren¡¯t to be missed.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± The Chief Priest acceded and Jory put some tea on to brew as he plated a few of the sweet slices from the chiller.


    ¡°The reason I¡¯ve come to see you today is to discuss the future of the clinic, here,¡± the Chief Priest said.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jory prompted, warily.


    ¡°The Healer is extremely happy with what you¡¯ve accomplished here. He believes it is time for you to look at training someone to take over and move on.¡±


    Jory frowned.


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to kick me out of my own clinic? I realise and appreciate that the Healer sanctified it, but that doesn¡¯t give you the right to make me leave.¡±


    ¡°You misunderstand, Mr Tillman,¡± the Chief Priest said. ¡°What you¡¯ve done here, studying the local resources and finding the best way to make effective and affordable medicines, is a joy to my god. There are many alchemists within the church, but your dedication to those who need the most, rather than those who can afford the most, fills him with delight. He wants you to do it again, and teach others to do the same. We want the Tillman method to be spread across the world, and we¡¯ll give you all the funding and resources you could possibly need.¡±


    Jory looked over at the Chief priest, then turned back to the task of brewing the tea, thinking over what the priest had said. He poured out a pair of cups and brought them over with the plate of slices.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to respond to that,¡± Jory said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if I have the kind of expertise to teach others.¡±


    ¡°Your humility is a credit to you, Mr Tillman. Yes, you do not have the skills of a master alchemist, but you are far from incompetent and we will help you develop your proficiencies further. What is important to my god, however, is not your ability, but the way you think. We can produce the alchemists; what we want is the vision. Your vision.¡±


    ¡°I... I never considered anything like you¡¯re describing. I mean, the whole world?¡±


    ¡°The world needs people like you, Mr Tillman. We would very much like to give you to it.¡±


    Jory bit absently into a confectionary slice, lost in thought. The Chief Priest did the same as he waited for Jory to think things over.


    ¡°Oh, these are rather good,¡± the priest said.


    Jory took a moment to gather his thoughts while the priest appreciatively devoured his slice as swiftly as decorum would allow.


    ¡°Why now?¡± Jory asked as the priest wiped his fingers on a napkin. ¡°There¡¯s a monster surge coming up and crazy cultists running all over the world. It seems like a bad time for a new endeavour.¡±


    ¡°If you wait for everything to be perfect,¡± the priest said, ¡°you¡¯ll never do anything at all. We¡¯ve been watching you, Mr Tillman, through your recent and rapid changes of circumstances. First you were able to build your new facility, then you obtained the public endorsement of my god and the support of our church. Now, your new enterprise with the miracle potions is already bringing in wealth.¡±


    ¡°So, this is because I have more resources?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Tillman. Compared to our church, the scale of your resources and operations are inconsequential. What matters is character. What did you do after you went from a struggling alchemist trying to help people to a moneyed and respected member of the community? You worked even harder to help people. More research into expanding your existing range of cheaper medicines. Hiring people to work on production so you could extend your operations without comprising care. We¡¯ve been watching, Mr Tillman, and we like what we see. You have made a place for yourself in my god¡¯s affections.¡±


    Jory had an awkward and embarrassed expression as he searched for an appropriate response.


    ¡°Thank you?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Tillman, thank you.¡±


    The priest stood up.


    ¡°Take some time to think about our proposal, Mr Tillman. When you¡¯re ready to discuss it further, or if you have any questions at all, don¡¯t hesitate to come find me.¡±


    Half-turning to go, the priest paused, glancing down at the plate on the table and it¡¯s remaining slices.


    ¡°Can I take one of these?¡±


    Jason looked at the combat robe set out on the standing rack. It was mostly the scaled, matte black of umbral snakeskin, with grey leather trim. It was darker than his current combat robes, keeping the grey/black colouration but reversing it, switching the black from the embellishments to the main colour. It maintained the sleek, draping lines, enhanced by the scaled texture of the snakeskin. It looked to compromise toughness with flexibility in a ratio he was very happy with.


    ¡°I know you have been satisfied with your existing combat robes,¡± Gilbert said, ¡°so I didn¡¯t diverge too wildly with this design. That said, I took advantage of the umbral snake leather you provided, and was able to tailor the outfit to your personal needs, rather than an off the rack item. I added marsh hydra leather to the umbral snake hide and the lining is deep wyrm silk, which I was quite lucky to get my hands on. It did add to the cost a little, but I¡¯m confident that you¡¯ll find the expense reflected in the results. The aesthetics I largely maintained, although obviously the material has made for a darker result. I designed the look to compliment your famous cloak power.¡±


    Jason reached out to touch the robes.


    Item: [Dark Hydra Robe] (bronze rank, epic)


    A full body armour, carefully hand-crafted from the leather of an umbral mountain snake and a marsh hydra, lined with deep wyrm silk. (armour, cloth/leather).


    Effect: Increased resistance to damage. Highly effective against cutting and piercing damage, less effective against blunt damage.Effect: Rapidly repairs damage. Can reconstitute itself from near-total destruction.Effect: Heal over time effects have increased strength and duration.Effect: Increases natural poison resistance. Abilities that enhance poison resistance are enhanced.Effect: Weapons conjured while wearing the robes inflict [Umbral Snake Venom].Effect: Adapts to fit the wearer, within a certain range.


    [Umbral Snake Venom] (damage-over-time, poison, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until poison is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    ¡°Bert, you have well and truly outdone yourself,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I aim to please, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Then you overshot, because I¡¯m delighted.¡±


    With a potential stay of months in the monster-infested astral space, Jason and his team anticipated reaching bronze during their stay. There was a good chance that a lengthy stay would make them miss the monster surge, but months in the magically saturated astral space would be like a private monster surge that never ended. As the astral space was short on shopping outlets, they were buying equipment now. They would each need at least some basic bronze-rank gear to make the most of their new rank.


    Humphrey¡¯s expenses were slight, as he conjured his most critical equipment. Since he was from the wealthiest family, he took on the costs of most of the team¡¯s general pool of consumables. This was mostly healing and mana potions of both bronze and iron-rank. Rather than go to Jory, he largely purchased high-cost, high-yield potions from the trade hall.


    He did buy a supply of miracle potions from Jory, although it was a low-cook, low-batch potion. Jory spared them what he could, letting the Adventure Society contact his far-flung customer base to explain why their were delays in shipping. Most of the customers for the miracle potion were distant, but the demand was high.


    Sophie and Belinda, but mostly Sophie, had earned some money adventuring. To that they added the nest egg once intended to fund their escape from the city. Sophie purchased the armour made from leftover umbral snake leather, although the design was different to Jason¡¯s. She preferred a fitted but still supple outfit, in this case with chitinous plates supplementing the snakeskin where flexibility was not required. It offered some extra protection over critical areas, looking to Jason like sexy tactical armour.


    Belinda had a few costs, as her role-switching powers required some basic gear for different roles, including wands, light armour, heavy armour, a bow, a shield and a selection of melee weapons. This kind of equipment was outside of her knowledge base, so Gary served as her expert guide. He helped her pick out some reliable, basic gear at good prices, making sure she wasn¡¯t fed a lemon.


    Belinda also had her own familiars that would rank up at some stage, but didn¡¯t have the cash Jason did during their trip to the markets of Jayapura. She only had enough materials to summon her familiars once at bronze rank.


    Clive and Neil both had growth items, courtesy of Clive¡¯s efforts on their first trip to the astral space. Much like a familiar re-summoning, the ritual of bronze ascension each one required came with expensive material requirements.


    Of all the team, Jason had it the worst in terms of expenses, although he made no complaints. His growth items and familiars were a blessing than many adventurers would and did envy, and he firmly believe that every coin spent on them was completely worthwhile.


    Jason had blown a huge chunk of his money on summoning materials for his familiars, which were his first priority. Compared to his equipment, they were his allies, valuable and important. Nothing took precedence in Jason¡¯s mind over giving them everything he could after the support they had given him. Their comforting presence within his soul had been a boon during his recovery, and without Colin, especially, there may not have been a soul to recover.


    He had made sure that he had enough to summon them at bronze-rank and resummon them once more if something happened to them. With the Adventure Society supplying the materials for Colin¡¯s rank-up ritual, he had enough to summon the already-bronze leech monster twice more times.


    Between those materials and what he had spent feeding materials into his cloud house, he had largely expended his funds. If not for the huge monetary reward from the final quest before his quest system went away, he would have had trouble affording anything.


    Luckily, he was able to conjure his own weapon, saving the cost of that. He restricted himself to upgraded versions of his existing armour and boots, courtesy of Gilbert and Filbert, respectively. Supplying the main material for his armour also brought down the cost, although it remained a premium product with a premium price. Aside from those, Jason bought a large supply of cheap consumables, mostly potions from Jory and a large supply of the throwing darts that he used.


    His last notable expense was a pair of skill books. They were common topics, therefore not too expensive. One covered the basics of alchemy and the other and artifice, the construction of magical items. They gave him none of the expertise of Jory of the man who supplied his darts. They were a contingency, should he find himself able to scrape together the materials for some consumables, but lack for a craftsperson. More than the books themselves, it was the basic tools of artifice and alchemy that were the larger cost.


    Jason had been trepidatious about using skill books again, after the last time triggered flashbacks. Mercifully, using the iron-rank books proved less stressful than the bronze-rank book he had used previously and did not trigger any flashbacks.


    In the conference room next to the office of the Adventure Society director, Jason¡¯s team was lined up along one side of the table. On the other was Elspeth Arella.


    ¡°The Cavendish family have declined to let Beth Cavendish and her team join you,¡± Arella said. ¡°A lot of capable adventurers died the first time around, and that was a matter of weeks, rather than months. There also weren¡¯t Builder cultists to contend with.¡±


    ¡°Then who is being tapped to supplement us?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There has been some discussion of that,¡± Arella said. ¡°Once we realised that Humphrey¡¯s familiar would take up one of the available spacesWe considered bringing in four-person team from outside the city, we ultimately decided that your team would go alone. Assume you are still willing to do that.¡±


    ¡°Of course we are,¡± Sophie said fiercely. Jason and Arella might have reached an amicable d¨¦tente, but Sophie still harboured resentment over Arella¡¯s attempt to sell her off to Lucian Lamprey.


    ¡°Did you manage to find out which people were left behind when the trial ended?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°We did,¡± Arella said. ¡°All locals; none of the people Bahadir brought in from outside. We¡¯ve been looking into their families and other connections. For most of them, their teams thought they were dead. If your familiar is accurate about them still being alive but remaining behind, then we have our cultists.¡±


    ¡°How capable are they in a fight?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Not great,¡± Arella said. ¡°Decent by Greenstone standards, but we all know about Greenstone standards. The danger they represent is not to be underestimated, however. With the amount of time they¡¯ve spent in there, they will almost certainly be bronze rank by now. They also have the numbers. If all thirteen are still alive, that¡¯s better than two to one against you.¡±


    ¡°Our best bet would be to bide our time once we get there,¡± Neil said. ¡°Get some of our own people over the line to bronze-rank before taking the fight to them.¡±


    ¡°The problem is, we don¡¯t know how much time we have,¡± Clive said. ¡°We don¡¯t know exactly what they¡¯re doing in there, or how they¡¯re doing it.¡±


    ¡°Well, finding out will be something we have to figure out,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We can offer you one possible advantage,¡± Arella said. ¡°Everyone who went into the astral space had their aura signatures checked. We couldn¡¯t test for star seeds specifically at that point, but anyone with an aura signature that didn¡¯t match their existing record was excluded.¡±


    ¡°Meaning the cult probably sent through people who didn¡¯t have seeds,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Arella said. ¡°It means that if any of them haven¡¯t reached bronze rank, their tracking stones will still work, if you take them with you into the astral space. If they¡¯ve all reached bronze rank, though, the change to their aura will obviate the power of the stones. Adventurers need new badges at each rank for a reason.¡±


    ¡°The stones should still tell us if they¡¯re alive or dead though,¡± Clive said. ¡°That¡¯s not nothing. The Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space is a dangerous zone and some or all of them could very well have perished.¡±


    ¡°That would be the most fortuitous result,¡± Arella said. ¡°Whatever circumstance you walk into, however, your ultimate goal is the same: Find out what they are doing and stop it. This is that exceptionally rare three star iron-rank mission. We can¡¯t predict the situation, so the specifics of how you go about that are for you to decide.¡±


    ¡°Trust the person on the ground,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°That was how your mother put it, yes,¡± Arella said. ¡°She has a lot of faith in you.¡±


    ¡°It does sound dangerous,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Still better odds than what we were looking at a year ago,¡± Sophie told her. ¡°We¡¯d just come under Ventress¡¯ protection, with Silva breathing down our necks.¡±


    Sophie turned to Arella.


    ¡°Any word on Silva?¡±


    Jason knew that long-term incarceration was a rare form of punishment in his new world. Punishment was more immediately punitive, often through fines and seizures to the wealthy, or indentured servitude for the poor. For the powerful, denial of access to the services like the Magic and Adventure Societies could be very harmful. Execution was also available for more heinous crimes.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Arella said. ¡°He will be returned here, with Lamprey being sent to his own birth city. Both will be receiving skeletal suppression.¡±


    Clive let out a low whistle, while Humphrey and Neil winced. It wasn¡¯t a form of punishment Jason had heard of.


    ¡°What¡¯s skeletal suppression?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a suppression collar,¡± Clive said. ¡°Except instead of a collar, the magic is inscribed directly onto the skeleton. Permanent loss of powers. It¡¯s an incredibly invasive and painful procedure derived from necromancy techniques. It¡¯s a controversial punishment that many, including the church of the Healer, think should be outlawed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s usually a death sentence anyway,¡± Neil said. ¡°People who receive that kind of punishment usually have enemies. Once they¡¯re cut loose without any power, those enemies catch up with them fast.¡±


    ¡°Works for me,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯m exactly the kind of enemy who¡¯d like to catch up with him.¡±


    ¡°What about the cultist I caught?¡± Jason asked, forcibly changing the topic. ¡°Has he coughed up anything useful?¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society¡¯s Continental Council sent people to work on him,¡± Arella said. ¡°They¡¯re doing so as we speak and haven¡¯t told me much, yet. They did say that there seems to be an awareness amongst the Builder cultists of you, Jason. They call you the Rejector.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a cool nickname,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t it have been something more awesome, like ¡®the Defiant,¡¯ or ¡®Captain Tremendous.¡¯¡±


    ¡°You actually want people to call you Captain Tremendous?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t everyone want that?¡±


    ¡°This conversation has officially crossed my idiocy threshold,¡± Arella said, getting up. ¡°This meeting is adjourned.¡±

 Chapter 222: I’m Very Big on Cowardice

    As Emir¡¯s team came closer to opening the portal, the decision was made to move the team to the site under the lake. Jason¡¯s ongoing availability would be useful for the final push to open the portal and the team needed to be ready to go. They weren¡¯t exactly sure when Emir¡¯s researchers would finally succeed and the team had to be packed and waiting.


    Even if they navigated the dangers and returned safely, it would be months before they saw family and friends again. There was a large barbecue party in the park district the day before, friends and family making big farewells before the more private ones that would take place the following morning.


    Having been the organiser, Jason played smiling host, shaking hands and chatting with the friends he had made over the better part of the last year. Danielle Geller told him to look after her son, but also himself. Neil¡¯s mother harangued him about not getting her boy into any trouble.


    The event started before lunch, continued through the afternoon and on into the evening as the barbecues were fired up again for dinner. Over the course of the day, Jason would discreetly slip away, though, watching from afar or wandering through the pretty gardens of the park district alone. Jason had made close, amazing friends, but as he watched them with their families, he was reminded that he hadn¡¯t known any of them longer than a year.


    Jason¡¯s powerful and controlled aura allowed to hide his inner turmoil effectively from most of the people present. A silver ranker would have to rudely explore his aura, and the gold rankers followed decorum and had their auras non-intrusively alert for danger without probing the people around them. This was true for all but Arabelle. Her sensitive and powerful aura senses shamelessly, if subtly, examined Jason¡¯s condition. To her surprise, Jason sensed her intrusion and gave her a flat look.


    During one of Jason¡¯s little disappearances, she sent Gary after him, rather than follow herself. The big leonid was also one of the few with no family present, with even the wanderlustful Emir having his granddaughter. Sophie and Belinda were the others, the pair having considered each other their only real family for years.


    The park district was a combination of open, grassy spaces and feature gardens. Gary found Jason sitting alone in a small gazebo in a garden that artfully showed off the more attractive plant life of the delta. It was rather like a small version of the Geller Estate.


    ¡°It feels like we haven¡¯t seen so much of each other in a while,¡± Gary said, sitting down next to Jason. ¡°Even when I¡¯m living in your houseboat.¡±


    Rufus¡¯ reaction to Farrah¡¯s death had been loud and immediate. Gary¡¯s mourning of their friend had been slower, affecting more of a lasting change. He was more sober and withdrawn, and there was still uncertainty about his team, now just him and Rufus. Farrah had been the glue holding their trio so neatly together and, in her absence, they hadn¡¯t really done any adventuring as a pair. Rufus had worked out his anger through a series of solitary monster hunts, while Gary threw himself into craftsmanship.


    Gary was older than Rufus and Farrah, like Jory having spent much of his time at iron rank on his profession as a weaponsmith. In the wake of Farrah¡¯s death he had retreated back into his profession, using the hammering of steel and the heat of the forge to still the thoughts in his head. It was a meditative process as he produced one weapon after another.


    Rufus had split his time between the academy annex project with the Geller family and the investigation into the Builder cult. Gary had, in turn, spent most of the last few months working with the Magic Society on the Builder cult¡¯s construct creatures, looking for effective ways to combat what seemed to be the cult¡¯s main fighting force.


    Gary had made a weapon for Jason that would be effective against construct enemies. His subsequent work didn¡¯t share the same care and time that went into Jason¡¯s sword, instead focusing on volume. Greenstone¡¯s weapons market had become flush with anti-construct weapons that were inexpensive and reliable.


    Slowly the pair had started to come back together. Rufus had reached out to Gary to help with the construction of his training complex. It was not high-skill work and it could have been any decent smith, but Gary had taken to the task with enthusiasm.


    More recently, with Jason¡¯s team about to enter the astral space, they had come together to help the team prepare. Rufus took them through everything they knew about the cult, while Gary took them through everything they knew about the cult¡¯s weapons. Any advantage they could get over the cult or their construct monsters could be the difference between life and death. Gary had also helped the team prepare equipment for bronze rank. Belinda had received the most help, ending up with a number of Gary¡¯s personal creations at very friendly prices.


    Jason and Gary sat together amiably in the gazebo.


    ¡°Nothing seems to fit together quite right with her gone, does it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Gary said. ¡°It¡¯s like I¡¯m waiting for things to go back to normal, when it already has. I just don¡¯t like that normal has a big, Farrah-shaped hole in it. I don¡¯t even know when my team became such a big part of who I am, but it feels like a part of me went with her.¡±


    Jason couldn¡¯t find any words to support him that didn¡¯t sound trite, so instead he briefly leaned into the big man; a simple gesture of solidarity.


    ¡°She¡¯d be proud of you, you know,¡± Gary said. ¡°The adventurer you¡¯ve become.¡±


    ¡°I was so bratty to her,¡± Jason said with a sad, reminiscent laugh. ¡°Moralising at her, when I didn¡¯t know a damn thing. She must have thought I was a spoiled child.¡±


    ¡°The thing about children,¡± Gary said, ¡°is that they¡¯re innocent. She didn¡¯t want you to lose that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve succeeded,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of blood on my hands, now.¡±


    ¡°Arabelle told me that there is only so much value to be had in looking at the things we¡¯ve done,¡± Gary said. ¡°In the end, all they can do is help us decide what we¡¯re going to do next. That¡¯s what matters.¡±


    Jason nodded. He wasn¡¯t the only one Rufus¡¯ mother had guided through dark times.


    ¡°What¡¯s next for you?¡± Jason asked Gary.


    ¡°Well, Rufus is here for a while, with the training complex he¡¯s doing. Our contract with Emir has really been over since he got here. I was thinking it might be time to go home, help them ride out the monster surge. Home, home, not Vitesse.¡±


    ¡°You have family back home?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m thick with them,¡± Gary said. ¡°Becoming an adventurer has really helped them out, and I¡¯ve been able to send home essences for more of them. It¡¯s kept me away from them too, though. I think it might be time to go back for a while.¡±


    ¡°I squandered my family,¡± Jason said. ¡°I only really saw my sister anymore. She¡¯s a lot older than me and my brother and didn¡¯t really grow up with us. She lived close to me with her husband and little girl and tried to mend fences between me, Mum and my brother. I didn¡¯t realise what I was throwing away in refusing to let go of the past. Not until I came here and no longer had the choice.¡±


    ¡°Once you¡¯re done with the astral space, you can come visit my family,¡± Gary said. ¡°You¡¯ll get all the mothering you could ask for and then some.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Our plan is to go to Vitesse, after we get back out. We¡¯re staying focused on the task in front of us, though.¡±


    ¡°The way it should be,¡± Gary said. ¡°Treasure your team, Jason. Adventuring is a dangerous business, and you¡¯re about to face about as much danger as this job has to offer.¡±


    Each of Jason¡¯s team members went through their own farewells. For Humphrey, it was an almost formal affair. The Gellers had been sending their young people out into lives of adventure for hundreds of years and Humphrey felt the weight of them all as he took his place amongst that tradition. All his family members were present to wish him well. There might be various factions within the family, but adventuring was a sacred duty to them all.


    For Neil and Clive, it was also a matter of large family affairs. For all the differences in the station of eel farmers versus mid-tier aristocracy, they were unaware that each was experiencing oddly similar circumstances at the same time. Their families gathered in boisterous celebration, with both being fussed over by their mothers. Both were also warned not to ¡®let that Asano boy lead you into trouble.¡¯


    ¡°Mum,¡± Clive said. ¡°I know Jason well. I know the things he¡¯s been through and the things he¡¯s done. You¡¯ve met him yourself, multiple times. You were talking to him yesterday.¡±


    ¡°He does seem like a nice boy.¡±


    ¡°Then why is it that you always seem to think that something Aunt Helen heard from some guy is somehow a more reliable source of information than me?¡±


    As those with families were getting their farewells, Belinda spent her last morning with Jory. Sophie roamed the streets of Old City, aimless and alone. Like Jason, she had no family, while lacking his ability to make such fast friends. With her looks she had always been good at getting attention, but with her circumstances, it had rarely been welcome.


    If not for Belinda, she would have been completely alone in the world. She had no family, not that she knew of. She didn¡¯t even know the name of the city she had been born in, her father having brought them to Greenstone after her mother¡¯s death when she was a small girl.


    Until the revelation that the martial arts her father taught her was the inheritance of some ancient order of assassins, she had never been curious about where she came from. Now she awaited Emir¡¯s investigation into her background, as interested in the results as he was.


    The idea of an apparently famous treasure hunter helping her find her background was one of many strange things that had come from falling into Jason Asano¡¯s field of influence. He had turned much of her understanding and experience on its head. Suddenly she was surrounded by people who didn¡¯t live lives of trying to take everything they could, because they didn¡¯t need to. They already had it. She had always resented the rich and powerful, but being amongst them gave her the unfamiliar sensation of people wanting nothing more from her than companionship. A friend and an ally, rather than a tool or a object of lust.


    There was a strange charisma to Asano that affected the people around him. It was like he could obviate social hierarchy through sheer force of personality, putting farmers and thieves shoulder to shoulder with princes and nobles. It had brought her into a strange world of possibility that even now felt delicate, as if it could all be snatched away in a moment.


    With a blast of air that startled the people around her, she launched herself up to a rooftop and sat down on the edge. Her dimensional bag took the form of a vest, from which she took out an envelope, worn from handling. Inside was her indenture contract; the symbol of six months during which she was ostensibly enslaved, yet had given her freedom and opportunity. That period had taken her from desperation and hopelessness to a world of potential. She turned the envelope over in her hands, looking at it without opening it, before putting it away again.


    She had more friends now than she knew what to do with. Humphrey, righteous and kind, with an unwavering sense of responsibility. Clive, smart like Belinda, but filled with a boyish curiosity. Neil, whose sensible practicality would have blended in most places, but stood out in a group of extreme personalities. Then there was Jason. Strange and unpredictable, yet also fierce and principled. Capable of inflicting terrible horrors, yet would go to great lengths to help not just a friend, but a stranger.


    Her feelings about Jason were complicated. He was compelling, yet infuriating. Clever, yet foolish; na?ve, but also cunning. He would hide his virtues and proudly announce his failings. He seemed to have neither pride nor honour, yet she had come to realise that he was filled with his own versions of both.


    More and more, she found herself wondering what he thought of her. Friendship? Pity? He had always maintained a certain distance, painfully aware of the indenture contract. It was as if he didn¡¯t understand the degree which he had turned it from a cage into a tool of liberation, despite it being his plan in the first place.


    She wasn¡¯t what he was drawn to in a woman, she knew that. He had seen her with his lover, Cassandra, and his flirtations with the sapphire-haired celestine princess. He was attracted to sultry, socially aggressive women, rather than ones who were standoffish and the regular kind of aggressive.


    She had felt his gaze from time to time, but she had also sensed him trying to be respectful. He knew that things she had been through and the kinds of men she had known. He was almost infuriatingly different from the men who had been pursuing her for most of her life.


    In some ways, Jason reminded her of Jory. For a long time, Jory been the only decent man in her and Belinda¡¯s lives. Even Old Man Silva, whose protection she had enjoyed for years, was a man she had no illusions about. He told her he thought of her as a daughter, but treated her as a pet. Like many men of power, he looked at other people as possessions.


    While Belinda was drawn to Jory¡¯s kindness and generosity, Sophie had been more compelled by clever, playful men. In her world, though, such men had inevitably been predators, with more than one lover learning the hard way that she wasn¡¯t prey.


    She stood up, using her powers to climb the tallest building in the area and look out over Old City. For most of her life it had been her whole world, and she wondered when it had started to seem so small. Now, just one world was no longer enough. Soon she would be headed to an otherworldly city of ancient assassins and ambitious cultists.


    She checked her watch, which had been annoyingly expensive, but the cheap ones tended to lose time in her dimensional bag. She laughed, thinking about the kind of problems she had now, compared to when she had lived in the streets below. Her thoughts returned to Jason.


    Jory had wanted to help her, but Jason was the one who found a way. He looked at her seemingly insurmountable problems and went from hunting her down to transforming her world for no more reason than she needed him to. He did it in the face of her suspicion and hostility and he did it so thoroughly that it rewrote her entire future. She thought about his smug, smirking face, the impish grin and made an admission to herself.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± she muttered.


    Jason and his team moved into the strange, ruined village at the bottom of the lake, water pressing down on the magical dome above them. While Emir maintained the palace on the surface of the lake above, Jason set up his cloud house under the dome. Rather than the adaptive version he had been using, he tried the more ostentatious version. The result was a large, two-storey building with that same beautiful sunset colours of the cloud palace, without being so vast and grandiose. He had to return it to the flask before each attempt of the portal, otherwise he would have to leave it behind.


    Jason had invited Jory along who had elected to join them until they left, spending a few extra days with Belinda. The team even offered him a chance to come along, which no few adventurers would have jumped at but he firmly declined. One trip to the astral space was enough to confirm to Jory that he was a healer and an alchemist out of choice and only an adventurer out of necessity.


    The archway they had used to enter the astral space was still there, a sleek, obsidian object that looked much the same as Jason¡¯s shadow gate power. The archway was now surrounded by the largest and most complicated magical diagram Jason had ever seen. Multiple times a day, Clive would trot Jason out to try and activate the portal with the latest permutation of the diagram.


    As days became a week, Jason became used to his power fizzling out. When it finally worked, then, he was almost startled. A dark line of dark energy appeared at the bottom of the arch, rising up to fill the archway and establish the portal. Watching on, Emir¡¯s eyes glistened with triumph and he congratulated his team, who were standing around with Clive, celebrating their success.


    The rest of the team had been on standby for each attempt and rapidly gathered themselves together.


    ¡°Jason and I will go first,¡± Clive said, ¡°as we have the best chance of getting back if something goes wrong. The rest of you quickly follow, as we don¡¯t know long the portal will remain stable.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve all discussed what to do if we¡¯re separated,¡± Humphrey added. ¡°If you find yourself alone on the other side, you know what to do.¡±


    Jason turned his gaze to Emir, trying to impart all the gratitude he felt in a simple nod, receiving Emir¡¯s smiling nod in return. He took a steeling breath, then stepped through the portal, practically pushed by Clive, who followed right after. Humphrey and Stash were next, followed by Neil, all picking their way carefully through the magical diagram on the floor. Sophie looked at Belinda, arms wrapped around Jory.


    ¡°You heard the man,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Don¡¯t take too long.¡±


    Sophie made her own way across the room, glancing back before stepping through the shadowy gate.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re still thinking about the what Healer asked of you,¡± Belinda told Jory, moving her arms up from his waist to around his neck. He opened his mouth to speak but she put a hand over it.


    ¡°You need to stop thinking and just do it,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to get back and find you where I left you, Tillman.¡±


    Jory¡¯s eyes sparkled and she took her hand away.


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    She gave him a lingering kiss and made her way across the circle to the portal, when he called out to her.


    ¡°Stay safe!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± she said, flashing him a grin. ¡°I¡¯m very big on cowardice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard Jason say the same thing,¡± he told her. ¡°And he¡¯s a big, fat liar.¡±


    She stepped through the portal and the smile sank from Jory¡¯s face. He sighed, then looked up at the dome above him, holding off all the water.


    ¡°How do I get out of here?¡±

 Chapter 223: More Powerful Than We Anticipated

    In their hidden lair in the ruins of the Vane Estate, the leader of the local Builder cult, Zato, was fuming. One of the cultists had used a stone-shaping power to construct rooms in the subterranean cavern, of which Zato¡¯s personal quarters was the largest.


    Timos, who had risen to his second-in-command, was waiting out the rage. He knew that while Zato seemed consumed in fury, once he had worked through his anger he would be ready to make more considered decisions. For the moment though, he was cursing the walls. The subject of his incoherent ranting was Jason Asano.


    It was a name that now preyed on the minds of the cultists; the very idea of someone resisting the Builder¡¯s power sent chills through every cultist with a star seed. As volunteers, they had only surrendered a portion of their will to the Builder, compared the complete takeover that unwilling subjects suffered. They nonetheless had a direct connection to the unimaginable immensity of the Builder¡¯s power. The idea of someone withstanding that power filled them with dread.


    The most infuriating part was that the cult hadn¡¯t even been responsible for the creation of the Rejector. Killian Laurent had seemed like an invaluable ally in getting the cult¡¯s resources out of the city during the purge and giving him what he needed to bring another person under the Builder¡¯s control seemed a small price to pay, given that he already had a star seed.


    The results of this bargain had been a disaster. Not only did Asano withstand the star seed, but he was allowed to live, which was as grave a sin as was to be found in the cult. The results, from the exposed agents to the demoralised cultists were ample demonstrations of why. The promise of power was what had brought so many people into the cult in the first place. There was never a shortage of disenfranchised people looking for a place to belong and to escape the powerlessness of their lives. The Rejector was a living demonstration that the Builder¡¯s power was not absolute, and he was still running around and causing trouble. Normally, those incredibly rare few who managed to somehow outlast the star seed were put down, hard and fast.


    Laurent¡¯s failure to kill Asano was only the beginning of his betrayal. The logistical assistance he provided the cult had not been in as good faith as they thought, being used to his own ends. Not many had the nerve to deal and then double-cross the cult. As it turned out, Laurent had used the purge as cover to prepare his own flight from the city. Many of the losses the cult suffered during the purge were actually fed to the Adventure Society by Laurent himself, drawing attention away as he plundered the Silva family¡¯s wealth. Now Laurent was gone with a small fortune in money and resources, leaving the cult and the Silva family both to deal with the aftermath.


    On top of the demoralising factor of the Rejector¡¯s mere existence was the impact he had on their operations. It was bad enough that he had somehow found a way into the astral space they were still months away from breaching themselves. It was worse that the Adventure Society had been able to use him to flush out some of the cult¡¯s key people still embedded in Greenstone. What¡¯s more, some of those uncovered had been taken alive, something that shouldn¡¯t have been possible. From what little information they gathered before completely severing their Greenstone contacts for safety was that the Rejector¡¯s encounter with the Builder had given Asano some power to shock their star seeds into inaction long enough to suppress the seed¡¯s power to detonate.


    The fortunate thing was that Timos, who had facilitated most of those insertions years ago, had been fastidious in his precautions. He ran cult operatives in small groups, keeping them isolated from one another and the information compartmentalised. None of the people infiltrating the Adventure and Magic Societies had any information that could critically impact the cult¡¯s larger plans if revealed. The information flow had all been one way, through a network of dead drops.


    The infiltrators could identify Timos, but as Timos has already been exposed that was no longer an issue. They could also reveal the very basics of the plan to claim the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space, but that, too, had largely been exposed already. Timos had kept them in the dark about the details not relating to their specific roles, which made their exposure only a limited liability.


    The biggest loss was that their most valuable information sources in the city had been uprooted. The directors of the Adventure and Magic Societies had paraded all they key officials past Asano, who started picking them out like selecting fruit at a market. Zato and Timos had managed to get word out to some of their people who had either made their escape, or detonated themselves pre-emptively. But dead, escaped or taken alive, those people were no longer feeding the cult information. They had to assume their entire dead-drop information network was compromised and had closed it down entirely.


    Eventually Zato calmed down, taking a seat on an ornate chair looted from the manor above before they destroyed it. He let out a long, slow breath, purging the residual rage and once again taking control of himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to put up with that,¡± Zato said to Timos. ¡°I find it best to get all the anger out, rather than let it simmer and compromise my judgement.¡±


    ¡°Understandable,¡± Timos said. ¡°It¡¯s another in a long line of setbacks, but this doesn¡¯t compromise our ultimate plan.¡±


    ¡°A team of adventurers has gotten into the astral space,¡± Zato said. ¡°All we have there are some unseeded recruits. You¡¯ve seen the reports on the Rejector¡¯s team. I don¡¯t care if our people have double the numbers or if they¡¯ve reached bronze rank. Asano, Geller and their team will tear through them like they were wet paper.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter; their task is done. The beacon was emplaced months ago and the astral tunnel is well on it¡¯s way to formation. Our astral magic specialists here have assured me that, at this point, the beacon is unnecessary. The tunnel¡¯s destination is affixed. The Rejector can run around all he likes, take our people alive or even destroy the beacon itself. They could have gone into the astral space a month ago and still been too late to stop us. Short of finding us here and stopping the tunnel from this end, there is no keeping us out of the astral space.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯ll know we¡¯re coming.¡±


    A sinister smile played across Timos¡¯ lips.


    ¡°Actually, I made sure the people we sent believe that the beacon is essential to our plans. A little extra precaution I put in place. Asano and his team can go ahead and destroy it and assume that has put paid to our plans. It just frees us up to move in unexpectedly, once the tunnel is finished.¡±


    Zato chuckled.


    ¡°You know, I was one of those who looked down on your cautious nature,¡± he told Timos. ¡°Yet you were the only one who even imagined things could go this badly for us. You have my gratitude.¡±


    ¡°Gratitude enough to let me finally kill Thadwick Mercer?¡± Timos asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Zato said. ¡°Mercer knows Asano, which could be useful to us.¡±


    ¡°Thinking Thadwick could be of use is a large part of what got us here in the first place,¡± Timos argued. ¡°I¡¯ve already spoken to him at length about Asano but the petty-minded little scum is so biased that I don¡¯t trust any of what he gave me.¡±


    ¡°Mercer lives,¡± Zato said firmly. ¡°Why don¡¯t you put that cautious mind of yours to work and see if you can¡¯t find a way to make Thadwick an asset?¡±


    Jason stepped out of the shadow gate. With his astral affinity, dimensional travel powers gave him an enjoyable rush. It seemed to be a lengthier transition than his previous portal experiences, even his previous use of the portal through which they just travelled.


    You have entered a zone of high magical saturation. Magical manifestations will occur at an increased rate.


    Clive had a different opinion, which he demonstrated by stumbling out of the portal, and dropping to all fours and loudly throwing up. The others followed through the portal in quick succession. Humphrey was a practised teleporter himself, but still came out looking peaky.


    ¡°That was quite rough,¡± he said in a strained voice.


    Neil came through and ended up in the same condition as Clive. Sophie followed after, giving a sympathetic wince over her beleaguered team mates. Like Jason, she had an astral affinity that made the transition exhilarating, rather than stomach-churning.


    ¡°Was Belinda sent to one of the other entrances?¡± Humphrey wondered aloud. A glance around them was enough to see they were on one of the portal towers that ringed the outside of the city.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Sophie said. ¡°She¡¯s probably just sluggish in peeling herself off of Jory.¡±


    ¡°Good for them,¡± Jason said happily. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t love love?¡±


    Belinda finally came through the portal, looking unwell but managing to hold down her lunch. By that point, Clive and Neil had crawled away from the mess they had made on the flat brickwork top of the tower. They were sat together, leaning back and looking queasy.


    ¡°Once we get that weird magic body like Jason, we stop being able to throw up, right?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Clive confirmed. ¡°I am now officially looking forward to it.¡±


    ¡°You and me both, brother,¡± Neil told him.


    ¡°We dodged the first arrow,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We arrived together and don¡¯t need to regroup.¡±


    ¡°That was actually my main concern,¡± Jason said, sharing Humphrey¡¯s relief. ¡°Of all the uncertain threats here, my biggest fear was facing them in isolation.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t all well-suited to solitary operation, no,¡± Clive agreed. Being separated reduced their potential answers to any given situation. This was the largest potential threat they had foreseen, because it made every other threat more dangerous. They had made a number of contingency preparations for that eventuality, including tracking stones for all but Jason, who was untraceable.


    ¡°So, we don¡¯t need the tracking stones for each other,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°They may be useful if we end up separated for some reason,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Keep them on hand. We should take a look at the ones we have for the cultists.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Neil said, ¡°why couldn¡¯t we check them from outside the astral space? Isn¡¯t that how they knew the expedition had gone wrong? Tracking stones for the people in the desert astral space?¡±


    ¡°The difference is the astral spaces themselves,¡± Clive explained. ¡°The desert astral space is naturally formed and has many, perpetually open apertures. The dimensional wall between our world and that astral space is paper thin, filled with holes. This astral space, by contrast, is artificially stabilised and very difficult to penetrate. It¡¯s a rock face you need to drill through, hence the trouble we had returning.¡±


    ¡°That means they¡¯ll need to find a different way to separate this astral space from our world, right?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Not the same technique they used before.¡±


    ¡°Almost certainly,¡± Clive said. ¡°I have no idea what that will entail, however. It could be easier or could be harder. This astral space is smaller than the desert one. It¡¯s one of the things we need to figure out.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting ahead of ourselves,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We should approach things in order. First, we take stock. Where are we and what is our situation? I¡¯m concerned about the ambient magic.¡±


    Most perception powers enhanced magical senses and aura senses somewhere in the first three ranks, along with a third power that was a precursor to the more unique upper-rank effects. For Jason that was seeing through darkness, for Neil it was sensing vulnerabilities. Humphrey already had both their magical and aura senses enhanced. Everyone but Sophie and Belinda had their perception powers at bronze already, with only Sophie lacking the enhanced magic senses. She wouldn¡¯t have them until silver rank, when Neil and Jason would have their aura senses enhanced.


    ¡°I can feel all the extra magic in the air,¡± Jason said. ¡°I figured that was normal. This place had always had a higher magical saturation, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said, ¡°but the last time we came here, the magical density was the same as the Greenstone region. It¡¯s now higher.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realise that was even possible,¡± Jason said. He had never experienced a zone of different magical density, so he hadn¡¯t recognised the change.


    ¡°Can you explain that for the guy who studied healing magic instead of astral magic?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Or the person who never studied magic at all,¡± Sophie added.


    ¡°Magical saturation is how much magic there is,¡± Clive explained. ¡°It determines how many monsters, essences and awakening stones manifest. A monster surge is a temporary period of heightened magical saturation, which is why so many monsters appear.¡±


    ¡°Magical density is the quality of the magic,¡± Belinda said, picking up the explanation. ¡°It determines that the rank of monsters that manifest, along with a bunch of other things. What rituals can be performed, whether certain magic items can function.¡±


    ¡°The heightened saturation we were expecting,¡± Clive said. ¡°An increase in magical density means that all the monsters we¡¯ll be facing will be more powerful than we thought. It also means they¡¯ll stay around for longer. An iron-rank monster will naturally break back down into magic after a month. Depending on how long ago this change happened, the astral space could be thick with more powerful monsters that have been manifesting without breaking down.¡±


    ¡°How powerful do you think?¡± Humphrey asked, looking at the air around them. ¡°I¡¯d guess the new standard is low bronze.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s about right,¡± Clive said. ¡°Greenstone¡¯s density is about mid-iron, which is very low.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by mid-iron?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just a rating for the most common kind of monster that will appear. In Greenstone, iron-rank monsters are easily the most common, with semi-regular bronze and only very rare silvers. What we¡¯re looking at here will mostly be low-end bronze, with some high-end of iron and bronze sprinkled in. Encountering a silver-rank monster will still be unusual, but with how many monsters we¡¯re going to see, it¡¯s an inevitability. Hopefully we¡¯ll be strong enough to fight it by that point, or at least to run away.¡±


    ¡°We could chum Asano and have him lure it away,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Because of his evasive abilities,¡± Humphrey said, nodding.


    ¡°Uh, sure, that¡¯s why,¡± Neil said. Jason gave Neil a flat look, who wiggled his eyebrows back at him.


    ¡°We knew we would be dealing with unknown dangers,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°This is just the first. If anything, the monsters being more powerful than we anticipated will be better for our advancement.¡±


    ¡°I think we may be missing the forest for the trees here,¡± Jason said. ¡°More importantly than the monsters, something is raising the magical density of this astral space. That should be a foundational element of any patch of physical reality, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Clive said. ¡°Altering it in an astral space would be orders of magnitude easier than a true world, but even so, the forces involved are disconcerting, to say the least.¡±


    ¡°It has to be something to do with what the Builder cult is up to,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I suggest we go find them and ask.¡±

 Chapter 224: Fate Can’t Wait to Kill Us All

    The astral space was an island city of ancient stone buildings, reclaimed by jungle. Broad boulevards were covered in vines, grass growing up between displaced pavers. Buildings that were three, four, even five storeys tall, ranging from nearly intact to little more than rubble strewn around the lush, verdant greenery. Strange, magical plants could be seen. Bulbous, purple growths, adhering to the sides of buildings. Huge, towering trees, incongruent with the jungle around them. They stretched up, higher than any of the buildings, clutching at the sky with leafy fingers.


    As they had in their initial foray into the city, the team had arrived on one of the portal towers that ringed the outer edge of the city. Situated where the island shore met the water, each tower had an archway akin to the one through which they had arrived. Their¡¯s was still open, an obsidian arch filled with dark energy. There was something eerie about the power within it. Not a mere absence of light, but a void that sought to devour it.


    Jason¡¯s power allowed ten travellers before the power was expended. It remained active, only seven having passed through, including Stash. Perched on Humphrey¡¯s head in the form of a small bird, Stash was bobbing his head around with curiosity. The transit did not seem to have impacted the little dragon at all.


    ¡°So, who built this city?¡± Neil asked. ¡°I mean, did this used to be a chunk of world, like the ones the Builder keeps tearing off? Or did someone come along and build this huge city in this astral space? Was is that order of assassins?¡±


    ¡°It was not,¡± Shade said, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°This city was as you see it when the Order of the Reaper first discovered this place and began working to stabilise it. Even these towers, which were used to connect it to your world, were already in place, waiting to be used.¡±


    ¡°They were already here?¡± Clive asked. ¡°We¡¯ve been postulating that the primary function of the towers was to serve as the connection to our world. If they predate the people who used them that way, then it suggests that this astral space was attached to another reality in the past, or perhaps to ours and was severed somehow. Oh, that¡¯s fascinating.¡±


    ¡°Fascination is a luxury for later,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°What matters is the Builder cult.¡±


    ¡°That may be what I¡¯m talking about,¡± Clive said. ¡°We already know that the cult has access to astral magic that makes our own look like a child¡¯s sand drawings. What we¡¯re talking about, with this astral space, is reality engineering. The Builder is the greatest reality engineer is existence and beyond. Is the Builder trying to claim this astral space, or reclaim it? Where did the Order of the Reaper get the knowledge to do what they did here? It wasn¡¯t from our world.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting that the Order of the Reaper, or perhaps even the Reaper itself, somehow stole this astral space from the Builder?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t engage in that kind of postulation without significantly more to go on,¡± Clive said. ¡°I need to examine this tower, quite thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Belinda reminded Clive. ¡°The portal, first.¡±


    ¡°Right, yes.¡±


    Belinda still served as Clive¡¯s on and off research assistant, although the stipend that earned her was inconsequential, relative to adventuring money. She had proven good for Clive, as she was very detail oriented, while he liked to careen from one big idea to the next.


    His previous assistants had never been able to meet Clive¡¯s standards, leading to clashes and problems. There were reasons he had never advanced beyond Greenstone in spite of his talent. Belinda helped him bring ideas to fruition instead of getting bogged down in the details he had been dismissive of, while she found, in Clive, an enthusiastic magical tutor. As Jason well knew, Clive was downright ebullient when it came to sharing the study of magic.


    Clive and Belinda went over to examine the still-open portal. They needed to know if it was safe to return to their own world, and how easy it would be to reopen the portal from this side. They set out a series of carved stones around the portal. They looked like dice; six-sided cubes with a sigil engraved onto each face.


    Clive took a pair of wands, handing one to Belinda, and they started waving them about. The cubes floated up into the air and started turning, over and over until they stopped again, one of the engravings of each cube lighting up. Clive hastily scribbled in a notebook before the pair started waving their wands again.


    ¡°I would strongly advise against trying to go back though this portal,¡± Clive said after several sequences of this.


    ¡°It seems normal,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°As much as any of this is. It looks like Jason¡¯s portal power.¡±


    ¡°But it isn¡¯t,¡± Clive said. ¡°We used Jason¡¯s power to incite the portal into opening, but this is not Jason¡¯s ability, whatever it may look like. This archway was able to serve as an anchor, allowing the portal to originate from the other side. Whatever power is affecting the ambient magic of the city is having a disruptive effect on anything originating on this side, though. Trying to go back from this side, even though this already-open portal, would be less like stepping through a door and more like jumping into a meat grinder.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯re trapped here?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about trapped,¡± Clive said. ¡°Everything we learned while figuring out how to open the portal suggested that leaving should be much easier than intruding in the first place. If I can determine what is going on with the magic, I¡¯m confident I can compensate for it. We can likely trigger the exit without even needing Jason¡¯s power to get things started.¡±


    ¡°We have to assume that whatever is affecting the magic is part of what the cult are doing,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°The first step to solving this puzzle is figuring that out and finding a way to stop it.¡±


    ¡°I vote we start by killing them all and go from there,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± Jason said with resignation in his voice. ¡°We need to question them, if we can, but I don¡¯t see a diplomatic resolution as a likely outcome.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s never good, going in knowing that you¡¯re going to be killing people,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You shielded the team from that before, Jason, but I won¡¯t let you, this time. We¡¯re adventurers, and adventurers fight monsters, even when they¡¯re people. We all need to come to terms with that.¡±


    Belinda and Neil shared a look, neither having killed anyone before. The others gave them sober but encouraging smiles of reassurance.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to start by investigating this tower quite thoroughly,¡± Clive said. ¡°They are most likely the medium for whatever the cult are up to.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°How long will that take?¡±


    ¡°I know this isn¡¯t a great answer,¡± Clive said, ¡°but it¡¯ll take as long as it takes. Once I¡¯ve started, I can probably get you a better estimate.¡±


    ¡°Once we¡¯ve started,¡± Belinda corrected.


    ¡°Just so,¡± Clive agreed.


    The others were at loose ends as Clive started pulling out magical paraphernalia him and Belinda to use. They ended up sitting at the edge of the tower, legs dangling over the side.


    With the strange beauty of the overgrown city laid out before him, Jason took a deep breath of the hot, heavy air. It was rich with the scent of plants and earth, mixing with a gentle, salty breeze coming off the water. He had mastered the art of not breathing but he did it anyway, for the pure pleasure of the sensation. He relished the feel of the warm sun on his skin.


    ¡°I know we¡¯re here to fight evil and whatnot,¡± Jason said, ¡°but damn if I don¡¯t love this job, sometimes.¡±


    Jason spotted the rest of the team sharing a glance.


    ¡°What¡¯s that about,¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just good to see a real smile,¡± Neil said. ¡°You¡¯ve been forcing them for a while now, which takes a lot of the fun out of mocking you.¡±


    Sophie thumped Neil on the arm.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Neil complained.


    Before Clive and Belinda started their investigation, Humphrey had Clive take out the tracking stones for the cultists. They didn¡¯t expect to get actual locations, since not only were the cultists most likely bronze-rank after all this time, but the tracking stones traced their Adventure Society badges, not the people themselves.


    ¡°They might still have their badges,¡± Clive said. ¡°They needed them to get in here in the first place. Remember Emir¡¯s people checking the aura signatures on them against Magic Society records?¡±


    ¡°Once they stayed behind, they new their Adventure Society days were done,¡± Neil said. ¡°I bet they tossed their badges away the second they got here.¡±


    Whether the Cultists kept their badges or not, the tracking stones would at least keep track of who was alive or dead. Even after their aura signature changed enough from ranking up to desynchronise them from their badges,


    ¡°Five of them are dead,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a big win for us,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It went from six on thirteen to six on eight.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go thinking that makes things easy,¡± Humphrey warned as he saw the lack of activity from the stones. ¡°The rest aren¡¯t tracking, which means they¡¯re bronze-rank.¡±


    ¡°Or they got turned into flesh abominations,¡± Belinda added.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°Even if they aren¡¯t the strongest essence users, the tyranny of rank is not something to be dismissive of. We all watched Jason take out one bronze-rankers, but that was just one. A whole cluster of them together is a multiplicative danger, not an additive one.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey, you¡¯ve given us this speech before,¡± Neil pointed out. ¡°So has your Mother, your sister, Mr Bahadir, Gabriel Remore¡­¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll hear it again before we¡¯re done because it matters,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m bringing every single one of you out of this place alive.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say things like that,¡± Jason admonished. ¡°That¡¯s a huge death flag. You might as well pull out a picture of your girl from back home, explain that you¡¯re about to be a father and that you¡¯re two days away from retirement.¡±


    ¡°Jason, this is serious,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I am serious,¡± Jason said. ¡°How would you feel if I said that nothing can possibly go wrong?¡±


    ¡°Definitely don¡¯t say that,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go tempting fate,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°Fate can¡¯t wait to kill us all.¡±


    Clive and Belinda almost seemed to be going over the huge tower brick by huge brick, starting with the top of the tower and making their way down the stairs that wound their way around the outside. Despite the size of the tower, there was no apparent way inside, or any indication whether it was solid or hollow.


    ¡°This is really what we¡¯re doing?¡± Neil complained. ¡°All this build up over going back into the astral space, squaring off against monsters and cultists, and what are we doing? Standing around while Clive looks at bricks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Neil you can hear whinging,¡± Jason said into a recording crystal. There was a long gap in Jason¡¯s recording crystal travelogue, from just before his kidnapping until he finally felt ready to resume them.


    Neil walked over to peer into the recording crystal.


    ¡°Jason¡¯s family,¡± Neil said. ¡°Next time you are going to send us someone, send us someone better. You have a brother, right, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Sod off,¡± Jason said, pushing Neil out of frame.


    Sophie was meditating, knowing that her aura control was not as strong as most of the team. Humphrey patrolled the edge of the tower, looking out for threats. At his heels, Stash was transforming into a series of increasingly adorable puppies. Occasionally he would change into something stranger, such as a replica of one of the Berts, but with a huge moustache.


    ¡°I¡¯m really one person pretending to be a lot!¡± Stash declared enthusiastically.


    ¡°Stash!¡± Humphrey scolded. ¡°What did I say? The Bertinelli brothers are all different people.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Stash yelled, turning back into a puppy and sprinting to jump into the lap of Sophie, in her meditative pose. She smiled without opening her eyes, reaching down to scratch the puppy behind the ears as he snuggled into her.


    Belinda returned to the top of the tower, calling everyone together. They gathered up and followed her down the stairs to the base of the tower, where Clive was using his power to draw out an incredibly sophisticated ritual diagram on the wall.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Clive said absently, still drawing the diagram. He waved his finger in the air like a pen and golden lines appeared within the diagram to match. ¡°Some kind of hidden door, although I can¡¯t tell if it¡¯s a cupboard or the whole thing is empty.¡±


    Eventually Clive finished the diagram and chanted out an opening spell. A section of wall soundlessly slid back into the tower and slid up, revealing a large, dark space beyond. The others could make out a shape from the light coming though door, only Jason seeing clearly. He stepped up and looked around the interior of what turned out to be the hollow tower. He realised what the looming shape taking up most of the space was and his eyes went wide.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Humphrey asked, peering into the dark.


    The lump of metal the size of a car they were looking at was the front half of a giant, metallic foot.

 Chapter 225: Running Towards Something

    Clive tossed out some glow stones that floated up into the darkness, illuminating the huge figure that occupied the interior of the tower.


    ¡°A giant statue?¡± Neil postulated.


    ¡°Not a statue,¡± Clive said. ¡°There are articulation points on the ankles and knees. I can¡¯t see clearly from down here, but likely all the other joints, as well. This is some kind of golem. A ridiculously enormous golem.


    The air inside the tower was cold and clammy. Jason stepped forward and touched a hand to the chilly metal foot.


    ??? (world engineer).Construct (diamond rank).???.???.???.???.???.???.???.


    Clive quickly followed to see the same message, the others doing the same. All but Sophie, who lacked enhanced magical senses, could sense an incredible but dormant power within.


    ¡°What¡¯s a world engineer?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I suspect it¡¯s best for everyone of none of us ever find out,¡± Neil said. ¡°I don¡¯t know about you, but I¡¯m getting a very Builder feeling off of this thing.¡±


    ¡°You can sense it too?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Neil asked. ¡°No, I just meant, you know, world engineer, giant construct. It kind of screams ¡®Builder¡¯ right?¡±


    ¡°I can feel an echo of the Builder in this thing¡¯s power,¡± Jason said. ¡°This belongs to it.¡±


    ¡°Then why did the Order of the Reaper have it?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Shade?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I do not know,¡± Shade said. ¡°The existence of these constructs was unknown to me.¡±


    ¡°It seems this place has more secrets than anyone realised,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°We thought they were just trying to take the astral space,¡± Clive said. ¡°Are these things the true goal?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s both,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Builder wants these back, which is what it¡¯ll get if it claims this astral space.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what the Builder wants,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change what we want. We¡¯re here to stop the cultists, whatever they¡¯re up to.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The important part of this discovery is to figure out how it helps us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it does,¡± Clive said. ¡°I don¡¯t have the resources, or frankly the knowledge to begin unravelling what this thing is, what it¡¯s for or what it¡¯s doing here.¡±


    ¡°It at least tells us what to do next, right?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Even if we don¡¯t know exactly what they¡¯re up to, it¡¯s going to involve these towers. We already thought that, and this just makes it all the more evident.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°Our first move should be to make our way around the outskirts of the city and check out all of these towers. The cultists may well be set up at one of them.¡±


    ¡°We can also see if all the towers hold one of these things,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Do we know how many towers there are?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Twelve,¡± Clive said. ¡°Each around eight kilometres apart.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Clive, see if you can¡¯t seal this thing back up and we¡¯ll leave.¡±


    Clive called back the glow stones he had sent floating up into the tower and the team left. Once he removed the magical diagram he had used to open it, the doorway closed again, leaving no trace it was ever there.


    ¡°I know the original idea was to make our way from tower to tower on foot,¡± Belinda said, ¡°but from the top of these towers we can see some of the others. Should we be portalling or teleporting or whatever?¡±


    Jason was not the only member of the team to unlock a mass-transit power with a bronze-rank ability. Clive could open a portal, while Humphrey could now teleport people as a group. Their carry capacity and cooldown for each was the same as Jason¡¯s gate portal.


    ¡°We want to come at each tower as quietly as we can,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Teleporting into the middle of eight bronze-rankers is a good way to get killed. We should stick with going on foot and have Jason scout it out.¡±


    Jason¡¯s stealth abilities had become quite formidable by the time all his powers were awakened. His cloak helped him blend into shadows and he received further boosts from his familiars, Shade and Gordon. For each body subsumed into Jason¡¯s shadow, Shade could mask one giveaway element like scent, heat or even muffle Jason¡¯s movements against sensitive ears. While Gordon was subsumed into Jason¡¯s aura, Jason¡¯s ability to retract it completely was enhanced. Combined with Jason¡¯s current aura strength, even most bronze-rankers would be unable to sense it.


    They set out from the tower, in the direction of the next. The shoreline was made up of large rocks that were not easily navigable, so they followed the overgrown streets. Even then, the terrain was not easy going. They could have moved faster, after all the mobility training they had done, but Humphrey insisted on slow but steady. They were expecting monsters and worse, and he didn¡¯t want them stumbling into too much danger at once.


    Sophie ranged ahead as two of Shade¡¯s three bodies watched their flanks, while the last took its place as Jason¡¯s shadow. Jason¡¯s tactical map and voice communication made sure everyone could be alerted the moment a threat appeared.


    Sophie was not a stealthy scout like Jason but her mobility was incomparable. Whether running up the sides of buildings or sailing between them, she was the embodiment of agility and grace. Sometimes she would blast herself into the air with a burst of wind and glide above them, using further bursts to throw herself higher. In this way, she could effectively fly, scouting ahead with the vantage that offered. She was also seemingly inexhaustible. Her celestine nature reduced the ongoing mana costs of powers, while her avatar of speed power reduced those costs even further.


    ¡°She¡¯s really getting a handle of her powers,¡± Jason said, looking up in admiration. ¡°She¡¯s like a bird on the wing.¡±


    ¡°They used to call her the Nightingale, in the fighting pits,¡± Belinda said. ¡°If only they could see her now.¡±


    They had a soul compass that would point to the closest thing with a soul, except for themselves, who had been filtered out. That meant cultists or flesh abominations, which could very well be the same thing. It would not forewarn them of monsters, however.


    They had already determined a policy of how to handle monster encounters. To begin with, they would fight anything they didn¡¯t recognise all together, even if it was iron rank. Once they had an idea of what they were up against, they would start sending out their members who could best handle, or best learn from any given encounter.


    The astral space¡¯s magical saturation promised monsters, which it quickly delivered. It was only eight or so kilometres from one tower to the next, yet they had two monster encounters on the way. The first was a pair of bronze-rank monsters that were quite tough, but no match for the team¡¯s rapidly growing capabilities. The next was a cluster of bark lurkers, a type of iron-rank monster commonly seen in the delta. It was normally a solitary creature, but they encountered a half-dozen, all at once. They were very hardy creatures and proved more difficult to deal with than the two bronze-rank ones.


    They sat around on strewn, moss-covered rubble, resting after the fight.


    ¡°Looks like we might be fighting all together for a bit,¡± Neil said. ¡°Those extra numbers are rough.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the magical saturation at work,¡± Clive said. ¡°The weaker the monster, the more of them we can expect to see.¡±


    ¡°What about something that already travels in packs?¡± Neil said. ¡°Will there be a whole army of them?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Jason fought a bark lurker during our field assessment,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Back then, my afflictions were the best way to handle them,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your special attacks seem to be doing just fine, now.¡±


    ¡°I envy those high damage attacks,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I like your retaliation power,¡± Humphrey told her. ¡°You stopped that thing like it had run into a cliff face.¡±


    Bark lurkers were largely slow, but would make charging rush attacks. One of them tried to use it on Sophie, to unfortunate effect. Her balance essence ability, moment of oneness, could absorb attacks for a brief moment, then return their power back on an enemy. She had jammed her fingers into a gap between the thick carapace plates of the bark lurker and unleashed the full power of it¡¯s own charge onto it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it was as harsh as you say,¡± Humphrey told Neil. ¡°We will need to be pushed further than these fights did, if we want to cross that line into bronze,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I found those plenty rough enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Humphrey said to her. ¡°I know this will be harder on you than any of us. We all awakened our powers more slowly than you, and worked our way up through easier fights than you have and will continue to face. All the more, since your powers are a lot more sophisticated than a set like mine.¡±


    The others nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯ve had it harder than all of us,¡± Jason said. ¡°You went out on a road contract before you were even a member of the Adventure Society. It must be fairly overwhelming.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been a lot of changes,¡± Belinda acknowledged, then shared a look with Sophie, before turning her gaze back to the team. ¡°We know what it¡¯s like to be running on a knife edge, though. At least now, were running towards something, instead of away.¡±


    Between rough terrain and monster fights, it took the team hours to close the distance to the second tower


    They reached the second tower, finding it with no more signs of cultist activity than the first. Clive, now knowing what to look for, was able to find the hidden door quite quickly, revealing another enormous golem.


    The sun was descending over the city and it was unlikely they would make the next tower before dark without picking up the pace.


    While the others were at the base of the tower as Clive closed the door back up, Jason and Humphrey made their way to the top, looking out to the next tower.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Humphrey asked.  ¡°Do we camp here, or push it?¡±


    ¡°Neither,¡± Jason said. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t camp near the towers. The cultists probably don¡¯t know we¡¯re here but lets not make it easy for them, just in case. We pick somewhere more hidden and defensible between here and the next tower.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Humphrey agreed.


    Jason set up his cloud house. Choosing the adaptive version, it took on the appearance of an overgrown stone building, blending perfectly into the surroundings.


    The next morning, Humphrey rousted the team not to press on, but for the day¡¯s training routine.


    The training took up a solid chunk of the morning, going from physical training to movement training to combat training to mental training. They had brought along the set of weights Jason had inherited from Farrah, which were simple but would serve them through bronze rank.


    ¡°We¡¯re in a strange dimension full of monsters and treasure,¡± Neil¡¯s complained, ¡°and I¡¯m here doing arm curls?¡±


    ¡°The best are the best because they don¡¯t slack off,¡± Humphrey told him.


    ¡°Do I have to be the best?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Couldn¡¯t I just be pretty good, but with a sexy wife?¡±


    Sophie led the way with mobility training, the strange terrain actually making for a good training ground. Jason guided the team through meditation, aura training and the mental exercises that Farrah had taught to him.


    They kept up the slow but steady pace, monster after monster and tower after tower, with no sign of the cultists. They would check two or three new towers each day, depending on the terrain and how many monsters they encountered. Each tower seemed to have one of the huge golems inside.


    They couldn¡¯t travel for more than a few hours without encountering monsters. Of a night they would retire to the cloud house, a much more luxurious accommodation than what they had for the Reaper trials. That was still only a limited respite, as each night, some magically-sensitive monster would find the house and attack it.


    What limited damage they were able to do before the team emerged to handle the problem, the house would repair easily. It did mean Jason needed to replenish the magic expended to do so, by dropping spirit coins into the cloud flask as if it were a slot machine. The raw magic of the coins was exactly what the house needed to reconstitute any damage.


    They were frugal with their supplies. They did not use crystal wash, instead showing off what were inevitably blood and gore-caked bodies in the cloud house showers every evening. Food was in short supply, the team having allocated the room in their personal storage spaces and dimensional bags for critical adventuring supplies. They sustained themselves on spirit coins, Jason hoarding his small stock of actual food to celebrate rank-ups, when they eventually came.


    ¡°At this point, it seems like they haven¡¯t set up around one of the towers,¡± Humphrey said on their fourth night in the city, as the team was sitting in the lounge of the cloud house.


    ¡°Where do we check next, then?¡± Neil asked. ¡°The centre of the city, where the last trials were?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s as good a place as any,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°What can we expect to find there, Shade?¡±


    ¡°The trials tower should be quite thoroughly destroyed by now,¡± Shade said. ¡°The magic maintaining the tower¡¯s integrity was withdrawn with the completion of the trials. Without control over the dimensional spaces within, they most likely devoured themselves and the bulk of the tower with them. There may be some things of value in what remains. It is possible that treasures unclaimed during the trials were not annihilated and could still be waiting to be excavated.¡±


    ¡°Now we¡¯re talking,¡± Neil said. ¡°Hidden secrets, buried treasure. Now, that¡¯s an adventure.¡±


    The soul compass was not a flat object, but spherical, with the needle, floating magically within. The needle moved on a central pivot point, like a regular compass, but could also indicate verticality. Its moved slowly, suggesting that the closest soul was still some distance away.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to say that the cultists are deeper into the city,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°We¡¯ll still check the last two towers today, just in case,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Tomorrow, we head for the centre.¡±


    ¡°And the loot,¡± Neil added.


    They had already encountered some treasure, in the form of three awakening stones they had picked up along the way. They hadn¡¯t been looking, but with so many enhanced magical senses on the team, they were easy to find by simple proximity.


    Although the flesh abominations and cultists remained distant, the monsters were still attacking with enthusiasm. The team was reminded that those were not the only threats the astral space had to offer when Sophie dropped lightly to the ground in front of them.


    ¡°Vorger,¡± she warned. ¡°Lots of them. It was like a  cloud bank moving in.¡±


    Jason used the lightness of his cloak and the leaping power of his magical boots to reach the top of a building in a few easy jumps. He looked out at the incorporeal, ghost-like astral creatures bearing down on them as the team made preparations below. They drew closer and closer as he stood and watched, until it was like a wall of whiteness moving through the sky.


    Jason¡¯s aura erupted out of him like a tsunami, washing over the vorger. The astral beings were themselves like ragged scraps of soul, so he made a soul attack against them. There was a piercing shriek of noise and a horrible tearing sound, and then the vorger were gone, as if they had never existed at all.

 Chapter 226: Greenhouse Flowers

    As they anticipated, they reached all twelve towers without encountering the cultists.


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t the pillars be central to what they¡¯re trying to achieve?¡± Jason asked as they team stood atop the final tower. ¡°Whether it¡¯s trying to sever the connection to the world, or do something with the giant golems inside them, the towers should be key, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°Between their absence here and whatever they¡¯re doing to raise the magical density, I find myself extremely concerned. Before we even came in here, we knew that none of the people on our potential cultist list had the kind of astral magic expertise that would be required to truly accomplish anything. There was always the question of how they were going to sever this astral space, but now it seems that there is more to the cult¡¯s scheme than we realised.¡±


    Before they had left, the backgrounds of the suspected cultists had been thoroughly investigated. They were all local, from lower-tier aristocracy or wealthy non-aristocrat families. Because the families involved didn¡¯t have the political clout to stop it, the Adventure Society had scoured the homes and investigated the relations of the suspects for any and all information they could find. Most of the families had no indication of cult activity, while others had already been exposed as cult sympathisers during the purge.


    ¡°Our biggest point of confusion was that the people we¡¯re after simply don¡¯t have the skill set to accomplish the cult¡¯s goals, as we understand them,¡± Clive continued. ¡°Our best guess was that they brought something with them, some manner of artefact or device that could do what they needed. Now, it seems that our ignorance of their objectives was even greater than we thought. We don¡¯t know if they still want to claim the astral space, awaken these constructs or if it¡¯s something to do with the changes to the ambient magic.¡±


    ¡°Are we sure we shouldn¡¯t try destroying one of those constructs?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Very,¡± Clive said. ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be able to, anyway. Even Humphrey and Jason, who can overlook rank disparity in certain regards, wouldn¡¯t be able to damage them. All they would accomplish would be to trigger any defence mechanisms that might be in place. That¡¯s not even considering that the golems might, in some way, be essential to the core function of the towers, which is to stabilise this astral space.¡±


    ¡°The astral space is going to become unstable anyway, though, isn¡¯t it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Won¡¯t an unnaturally high level of magical density eventually make the dimensional wall break down?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Clive said. ¡°If something is pushing through magic that¡¯s too high-grade for the dimensional wall to endure, it will eventually break down. It¡¯ll take quite a while, by which I mean a decade or longer, but if whatever is causing the change isn¡¯t stopped, it will happen eventually. Even if it is stopped, if that happens too late, the damage will be done.¡±


    ¡°What would the effects of that be?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°If the dimensional wall between the physical reality of this astral space breaks down,¡± Clive said, ¡°then astral forces will pour in like a tide and wash everything away. This astral space will no longer exist.¡±


    ¡°What would the repercussions of that be for our world?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Actually, that would be fine for our world,¡± Clive said, ¡°The astral space would be washed off the side of our world like washing dirt off your arm.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what the Builder wants, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°He wants to take astral spaces, not destroy them. Especially, I would think, when they¡¯re loaded up with his property.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully the cultists have some answers,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If they aren¡¯t in the centre of the city, we¡¯ll just have to start following the soul compass, clearing out the flesh abominations as we find them. Eventually it will lead us to the cultists.¡±


    The team turned their monster-filled trek toward the interior of the city. For the first time, they experienced a rapid shift in the direction the soul compass was pointing. It signalled their proximity to what, unsurprisingly, turned out to be a flesh abomination. The abominations outnumbered the cultists by more than fifty to one and the cultists were almost certainly together. The abominations were solitary by nature, aggressively lashing out at any living thing they encountered. That left them scattered all around the city, compared to whatever rock the cultists were hiding under.


    Given that fighting the abominations was one of their explicit goals in returning to the astral space, they had given some consideration to how to do so. The abominations had two advantages, being their ability to adapt and the power of an upper-tier bronze-rank monster. The weaknesses the team sought to exploit was a lack of intelligence and the fact that while it could adapt, it always remained a creature of living flesh.


    The first weakness they hoped to exploit by ¡®confusing¡¯ the monster¡¯s adaptations, alternating modes of attack to soak up time as it changed back and forth. To do this, the plan was to have Sophie and Humphrey repeatedly switch off against the monster, forcing it to adapt alternately to her speed and then to his power. The hope was that doing so would prevent a singular adaptation it could use to effectively fight the team.


    The purpose in stalling out the fight was to exploit the abomination¡¯s second weakness, the inability to overcome Jason¡¯s afflictions. They knew from fighting one previously that it would adapt to prevent itself from losing combat effectiveness, but that eventually there would be a threshold beyond which it could no longer sustain itself.


    The abomination was lairing in an old church, although not one of any god the team recognised. What little remained of the iconography was wholly unfamiliar, and they had little time to examine it before the abomination sensed their presence. They waited outside where they could take advantage of the open space and have the bulk of the team at a safe remove. It was a large, blobby mass of pink and yellow flesh, ambling out onto the street on four stubby legs.


    The abomination¡¯s inactive state was its weakest, when it was slow and soft, which Jason took full advantage of. He opened with spells and then followed with special attacks, using his shadow arm to keep his distance. He laid on his afflictions with practised efficiency as the abomination was already changing its form in response.


    As Jason danced around it, casting spells and reaching out with special attacks, the abomination grew tentacles, all over it¡¯s round body, that ended in vicious claws. The result looked like a Lovecraftian echidna, the flexible limbs lashing too try and catch Jason wherever he went.


    By the time the creature truly got going, Jason¡¯s job was done and he cleanly teleported away. Communicating through voice chat, Humphrey teleported in, directly taking his place. The quick and flexible limbs, useful for pinning down the elusive Jason, lacked the strength to dig through Humphrey¡¯s armour as he launched himself forward, burying his sword in the abomination¡¯s side.


    The creature reacted by growing thick, chitinous plates that would protect it, while the many limbs consolidated into fewer larger, more powerful ones. These were also covered in chitin; resembling long, sharp, preying mantis arms. The completion of its adaptation signalled Humphrey¡¯s departure, as he teleported out again. In his place, Sophie rushed in like a storm to face the now sluggish, heavily-plated creature.


    The creature swung its powerful limbs at her. They weren¡¯t slow, but it took more than not slow to catch Sophie. She deftly avoided them as she attacked the plated body with fists and feet. Her attacks were not as powerful as Humphrey¡¯s, but the resonating-force power her abilities added to her unarmed strikes was able to penetrate the heavy armour.


    It seemed like everything would go perfectly to plan as Sophie and Humphrey switched off in rapid succession, forcing the monstrosity into continuous adaptation. It became evident it would not be quite so easy as it first seemed, however, as the abomination¡¯s adaptations became more and more refined. Slowly it transmogrified into a lean, insect-like creature with strong plates but agile limbs, hard to catch and hard to hurt.


    It had two, whip-like tendrils with segmented shards of razor-sharp chitin. They thrashed and danced, strong enough to hurt Humphrey, yet swift and unpredictable enough to catch Sophie. Neil threw out shields and healing from a safe distance but the fight was slowly turning against them. The longer the fight went on, the closer the abomination came to finding the perfect combination of traits.


    The fight seemed of the verge of flipping against them as the abomination continued to morph itself into the perfect weapon. Sophie and Humphrey were desperately fighting together, as Clive and Belinda added their support. They had been holding off for the most dangerous moment, not wanting the abomination to have adapted when they came in at a critical point.


    Clive opened up with his powerful attack spell, then unleashed it a second and third time with Belinda¡¯s help, Before she then copied it to use herself. Clive¡¯s spell was slow and difficult to use, but one of the advantages as it could attack in multiple ways.


    Ability: [Wrath of the Magister] (Magic)


    Spell (fire, magic, curse, poison, wounding, ice, dimension)Cost: Moderate mana plus additional mana per effect.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Iron 9 (61%).Effect (iron): Lock a prismatic beam onto an enemy. Expend additional mana to alter the target¡¯s reality, using any combination of the available colour effects. This cannot be used in conjunction with the other variant of this spell, which requires an alternate incantation.Effect (iron): Lock a prismatic beam onto an enemy. Expend additional mana to unmake reality in a localised area, creating an annihilating void sphere inside the target. This effect requires magic to be channelled into the target at an extreme mana cost until sufficient mana has been channelled to trigger the effect.[Red] (high mana): Target¡¯s temperature is significantly increased (frost burn if combined with blue).[Yellow] (high mana): Target¡¯s abilities have increased mana cost.[Pink] (moderate mana): Target¡¯s resistances are reduced.[Green] (moderate mana): Target¡¯s blood is poisonous to itself.[Purple] (very high mana): Expending mana harms the target.[Orange] (very high mana): Target suffers increased damage from all sources.[Blue] (high mana): Target¡¯s temperature is significantly decreased (frost burn if combined with red).


    Clive had various abilities that gave him a larger mana pool than most adventurers of his rank. Knowing that he would only be casting a few spells, he went all out. His first casting of the spell reduced the abomination¡¯s resistances, made it¡¯s own blood poisonous and made it take more damage from all sources. The second spell combined heat and cold into a potent frost burn effect, stronger than either individually. His third spell used the void sphere variation to devastating effect, Belinda following up immediately with a second one.


    The overwhelming barrage of magic pushed the abomination over the edge. The chitin was scored and cracked from the frost burn, while chunks were missing altogether, the annihilation sphere carving them out like scoops of ice cream. No longer able to hold back the afflictions, the creature collapsed on the ground, dark filth spilling out like a rotten egg that had been cracked open.


    The team had seen some graphic things in their time, but the miserable, rotting demise of the flesh creature was especially hard to watch. The stench that struck them after was even worse, a near match for the rainbow smoke of a monster dissolving.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to imagine that thing used to be a person,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°It¡¯s about as bad an end as I can imagine,¡± Clive said. ¡°A prison of rage and madness built from your own twisted body. The only escape you can hope for is the release of death, yet you cannot die until someone brings about your violent demise.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good that we¡¯re doing this,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯ve had my share of bad situations, but nothing like this. I¡¯m glad we can help them.¡±


    The rest of the team nodded their sombre agreement.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Shade said. ¡°Most of these abominations have been suffering for centuries.¡±


    ¡°One down, a few hundred to go,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We have a lot of work ahead of us.¡±


    The island city was a roughly circular forty kilometres across. If not for the streets being overrun by monster-filled jungle, it would be a matter of hours to reach the centre. During the trials, the teams had all taken their time, testing themselves against the environment and seeking out treasure, knowing they had the time to do so. Jason and his team took a more direct approach, but were careful.


    They could have taken hours if they pushed it, or teleported directly in. Clive, Jason and Humphrey each could have taken them into the building they had rested in while awaiting the final stage of the trials, which would have been a relatively safe place to arrive. While hidden from the eyes of any cultists present, though, there would be no hiding the ostentatious magic of a portal opening from their magical senses. Given that the cultists were bronze-rank now, they would have as many people with enhanced magic senses as Jason and his team.


    Their time in the astral space was increasingly an ordeal. Every day had been an endless slog of monsters, from the numerous to the powerful, and the team was rapidly becoming exhausted. One evening, as the team rested in the cloud house, Jason and Humphrey were sitting together on the roof.


    ¡°At some stage, we¡¯ll need to stop for a rest day,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Just hide out in the cloud house and recover?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°This ongoing pressure is good for our advancement, but I don¡¯t want to go past the point it stops driving us forward and starts dragging us down.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re there yet,¡± Jason said. ¡°These monsters are either bronze-rank or a crowd of iron-ranks, so it¡¯s been driving the team to rely on each other more. If we¡¯re ever going to have the kind of teamwork that Valdis¡¯ team has, we need that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to come into a conflict with the cultists when the team is blunted from overuse,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I want to meet them while we¡¯re a freshly-sharpened knife. Does that mean refreshed from a well earned rest, though, or in a strong rhythm, on the back of a series of successful monster fights?¡±


    ¡°Ask Neil,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s our healer and he does his job well. He pays more attention to the condition of the team than anyone.¡±


    Humphrey nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°One of the last pieces of advice my mother gave me before we left was to rely on the team. She said I shouldn¡¯t fall into the trap of trying to do everything myself. I suppose that isn¡¯t just restricted to combat, is it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a trap we could both easily fall into. I¡¯ve learned the hard way that I¡¯m not always as clever and insightful as I think I am.¡±


    He let out a sigh, heavy with regret.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about Thadwick a lot,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve come to realise that he and I are very similar.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°We share the same flaws. Arrogance, vanity, being self-impressed and having a need to show off. The real difference between us is that I¡¯ve had people to slap same sense into me, where the people around him just reinforced the idea that he was special. His mother was off adventuring for most of his life and his father was grooming him as heir. His head was filled with how great and important he was going to be, without tempering it with humility. He never had the sense of responsibility your mother drilled into you, or the friends that pull me back into line when I go too far off the rails.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I can see it,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Perhaps Thadwick saw it too. Maybe that¡¯s why he was so fixated on you.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Jason said. ¡°I eventually realised that the reason I took such a dislike to Thadwick is that but for sycophancy, there goes I.¡±


    ¡°Things have worked out for you a lot better than they have for Thadwick,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Thadwick is what we call a greenhouse flower, in my world,¡± Jason said. ¡°Outside of the specific environment in which he was raised, he withers. He was never taught to withstand rough weather.¡±


    ¡°I had some of that, too,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I think my mother regrets how much she shielded me from.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the same,¡± Jason said. ¡°My homeland is much safer than this world. My family has money, not like yours, but enough to live better lives than most. For you and I, though, there was always someone who recognised that we would have to make our own way, sooner or later. They prepared us for that. For Thadwick, his parents always intended to make his way for him, and he paid the price of that.¡±


    ¡°You still feel sorry for him, after all that he¡¯s done?¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Trying to kill you, running off to the Builder cult?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Do you think there¡¯s a path to redemption for him?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s gone too far, done too much. His choices have hurt too many. There¡¯s no way back for him, now.¡±

 Chapter 227: A Man Transformed

    The team congratulated Jason as another of his abilities reached bronze rank during his evening meditation. As they were all perpetually using the party interface, they had shared the notification.


    Ability [Blade of Doom] (Doom) has reached Iron 9 (100%).Ability [Blade of Doom] (Doom) has reached Bronze 0 (00%).Ability [Blade of Doom] (Doom) has gained a new effect.Ability [Blade of Doom] (Doom) has gained the [Curse], [Disease] and [Poison] subtypes.


    Ability: [Blade of Doom] (Doom)


    Conjuration (unholy, curse, disease, poison).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Conjures [Ruin, the Blade of Tribulation]. Attacks made with Ruin will inflict an instance of [Vulnerable] and refresh any wounding effects on the target. Wounding effects refreshed by Ruin require more healing than normal to negate. Ruin is an unholy object.Effect (bronze): Ruin inflicts one instance each of [Ruination of the Blood], [Ruination of the Flesh] and [Ruination of the Spirit].


    [Vulnerable] (affliction, unholy, stacking): All resistances are reduced. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Consumed to cleanse instances of [Resistant] on a 1:1 basis.[Ruination of the Blood] (damage-over-time, poison, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until poison is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Ruination of the Flesh] (damage-over-time, disease, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until disease is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Ruination of the Spirit] (damage-over-time, curse, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until curse is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    ¡°That¡¯s a strong boost to your short-term damage output,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s not the same as a direct damage power, but for weaker enemies, a quick handful of damaging afflictions will let you spread a lot of misery in not a lot of time.¡±


    ¡°That will help you a lot against groups,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°That¡¯s always been an issue for you because it took more time than it was worth to layer afflictions. Now you can put, what? Four damage afflictions with a simple cut from your dagger?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best you¡¯re not evil,¡± Neil said. ¡°You¡¯re not evil, right?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not evil,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Because you seem evil. With your powers.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to know,¡± Neil said. ¡°Thankfully, someone evil wouldn¡¯t lie about that. Oh, wait¡­¡±


    ¡°You realise who is at the top of my list if I really am evil, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The guy who bought out the cheesemonger on Maple Street and replaced it with a building supply store?¡± Neil suggested


    ¡°Oh yeah. I hate that guy.¡±


    Clive was standing atop a broken spire as monsters swarmed towards it like a river. They were akin to apes, but leaner and with longer legs. They approached the tower on which he stood with a quick, semi-quadrupedal lope.


    Clive was standing on what had once been the interior of a tower-top, now exposed on all sides with the walls and roof long gone. Under his feet, the floor glowed with a ritual circles drawn by his power in lines of golden light. It was the result of the bronze-rank variant of his strong attack spell.


    Ability: [Wrath of the Magister] (Magic)


    Spell/ritual (fire, magic, curse, poison, wounding, ice, dimension)Cost: Varies.Cooldown: Varies.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (bronze): Create a ritual circle in which the magical attacks of spells, staves and wands have increased effect. This effect has a very high mana cost and a one hour cooldown.


    Rather than enhancing what was already a potent and versatile attack spell, the bronze-rank variant offered another means to enhance combat effectiveness. Clive was wielding one of his two legendary set weapons, the wand and the staff, in each hand. At the end of each were more ritual circles, floating in the air like magical barrel attachments.


    Ability: [Tools of the Magister] (Magic)


    Special ability/ritual.Cost: Varies.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Utilise specialty magic tools, vehicles and weapons.Effect (bronze): Use a ritual circle to enhance the magical attack of a staff or wand. This variant requires high mana.


    Clive unleashed bolts from his staff that hurtled into the approaching monsters. He wasn¡¯t even really aiming as he essentially hip-fired the staff, gripping it in one hand and tucked into his armpit. Whether the bolts hit the ground or a monster, the results were explosive, throwing out splinters of wood and stone from the overgrown environment, or chunks of aggressively discorporated monster.


    In his other hand, his wand emitted a continuous beam that he worked back and forth through the monsters with little more accuracy than the staff. Normally the wand required continual focus to be deadly, but the enhanced beam sliced through the monsters in a sweeping line, lopping off limbs or killing outright.


    Through a far-seeing crystal, Jason and the rest of the team watched on. To Jason¡¯s eyes, Clive had turned the broken spire into a sci-fi beam tower from an RTS. The monsters were undeterred by their losses, however, and continued their zerg rush at Clive¡¯s position.


    ¡°I can see why he had you bait them now,¡± Jason said to Sophie. She was freshly returned from lured the monsters in Clive¡¯s direction.


    ¡°He¡¯s making a mess, but he¡¯s rather imprecise,¡± Humphrey observed. ¡°They¡¯ll start climbing that tower any moment.¡±


    ¡°I imagine that¡¯s what his backup is for,¡± Belinda said.


    Just as Humphrey said, the monsters reached the tower and started to climb, for which the ape-like creatures were well-suited. As they did, a large, round figure floated slowly through the air from behind the tower.


    Clive¡¯s familiar, Onslow, drifted ponderously into view, suspended in the sky on a cushion of shimmering air. Now bronze rank, he was roughly the size and shape of a Volkswagen Beetle, with more runes engraved into his shell than ever before.


    The rune tortoise started blasting the creatures climbing up with elemental attacks, sourced from the runes on his shell. An explosive bolt of flame blasted several off at once, while a bolt of lighting chained from one to another to another, sending them screaming off the side. A dark, heavy cloud rose up from Onslow¡¯s shell, growing larger than the tortoise itself, and started peppering the side of the tower with water bullets. They weren¡¯t very lethal, even to the iron-rank monsters, but did serve to dislodge them, while also leaving the stone of the tower wet and harder to climb.


    Clive continued blasting away at the main force of the monsters, which was rapidly thinning out, as Onslow continued to pick off the stragglers. There was a brief pause as Onslow floated up to Clive, who used his own mana to recharge the runes on Onslow¡¯s shell before the pair returned to action.


    Even though most of their number were cut down before even reaching the tower, the monsters continued, unabated. The team, watching from a distance, had been poised to jump in at any time. When Clive told them he wanted to face the horde alone, they were wary but accepting. Now they just looked on in amazement at the pyrotechnic display as the monsters charged into a futile death.


    ¡°Well, damn,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Won¡¯t all this get a lot of attention?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Anything with even a modicum of sense will take one look at this and run in the other direction, though.¡±


    In amongst the several dozen iron rank monsters were two larger, bronze-rank variants. Clive seemed to ignore them as they reached the spire and started rapidly climbing. Onslow didn¡¯t react either, other than to float further away from the tower. As the first one reached the top, Clive used his switch-teleport power.


    Ability: [Juxtapose] (Balance)


    Special ability.Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Swap the location of two allies and/or enemies. You must be able to see both subjects of the spell. If an ally resists or otherwise prevents the effect, this ability is negated but the cooldown is reduced to 30 seconds.Effect (bronze): Enemies affected by this ability take additional damage from all sources for a brief period.


    The monster vanished, with Onslow appearing in its place. Now in the air where Onslow had been, the monster fell, wildly flailing its limbs. It landed hard, right on one of Clive¡¯s invisible rune traps. The trap triggered, sending the monster, or at least the parts that used to be a monster, back into the air and scattering them over the battlefield. A few moments later, smaller explosions rang out where the larger chunks of monster had fallen.


    Ability: [Rune Trap] (Rune)


    Spell.Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Create an explosive rune that will disappear after a short period. The rune can be set to trigger by proximity, caster trigger, or both.Effect (bronze): Enemies affected by the rune trap will be the source of a secondary explosion after a brief period.


    The second monster crested the tower and launched a huge fist at Clive. The air around the ape-like creature¡¯s fist shimmered, much like the cushion holding up Onslow. The fist crashed in on Clive like a hammer, striking the shield around Clive which briefly became visible as it sucked up Clive¡¯s mana to withstand the blow.


    Clive shoved his wand between his teeth and his now empty hand turned mirror-silver. The air around it shimmered, just as the monster¡¯s had, and he rammed his fist into the hairy monster¡¯s torso. Despite the lanky man punching a monster at least three times his weight, the monster went sailing off the spire. Clive quickly aimed and blasted out a shot from his staff, hitting the monster in mid air.


    The red of life force emerged from Clive¡¯s body, a tendril snaking out and into the rune circle that was floating at the edge of his staff. The golden lines of the ritual circle transformed into an angry, bloody crimson.


    Ability: [Blood Magic] (Balance)


    Special ability.Cost: Varies.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Consume an amount of your own life force to replenish your mana.Effect (bronze): Consume an amount of your life force to enhance the effect of an active ritual.


    The next blast that emerged from the staff was much larger than those that had come before The energy bolt hit the monster at the same time the monster hit the ground, from which it did not get up.


    By this point, the iron rank monsters were a scattered remnant of the original horde, but the wildly aggressive creatures kept rampaging forward in the face of inevitable destruction. When the last of them were dead, Clive hopped lightly onto Onslow¡¯s shell, sitting cross-legged as the tortoise floated back to the team. The familiar¡¯s new flight  ability was much faster when hovering close to the ground, so Onslow dropped low and floated just over the bodies of the dead monsters as they made their return to the team.


    Clive arrived at the ruined building where the team had been watching from hiding. He lightly slid down Onslow¡¯s shell, wand held casually in one hand and staff slung over one shoulder.


    ¡°You know,¡± he told the waiting team, ¡°I¡¯m starting to think I might not be too bad at this.¡±


    The night before they expected to reach the centre of the city, the team was doing their evening meditation. Jason was leading Neil, Sophie, Belinda and Humphrey in the Dance of the Sword Fairy, a meditation technique that incorporated dance-like physical movements using a sword as a focus. It was something that Rufus had taught to him and had proven one of the more successful techniques for Sophie.


    Clive was outside, having made preparations for his anticipated ascension to bronze. He had set aside a space for the messy transition, picking a spot inside some ruins near the cloud house. He had stripped down to his underwear and placed fresh clothes where he could reach them later. Close to hand was one of Jason¡¯s precious few bottles of undiluted crystal wash.


    Clive was settled into some soft moss, meditating.


    ¡°No, Onslow, don¡¯t eat the moss. That¡¯s my seat.¡±


    Clive called Onslow back into the tattoo on his torso before resuming meditation. When he crossed the final threshold, the rest of the team knew immediately.


    Ability [Vengeance Mirror] (Karmic) has reached Iron 9 (100%).Ability [Vengeance Mirror] (Karmic) has reached Bronze 0 (00%).Ability [Vengeance Mirror] (Karmic) has gained a new effect.


    Ability: [Vengeance Mirror] (Karmic)


    Special ability.Cost: Varies.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Replicate the last spell or special attack used on you by an enemy. Mana cost is determined by the ability replicated. You may still use this ability if the triggering effect was negated by your abilities but not if it was negated by the abilities of an ally. The replicated power functions at the rank of this ability, not the rank of the enemy that originally used it.Effect (bronze): Use the replicated ability a second time.


    That was just the beginning of a strenuous series of changes.


    All [Karmic Essence] abilities have reached [Bronze 0].Linked attribute [Power] has increased from [Iron 9] to [Bronze 0].Progress to bronze rank: 100% (4/4 essences complete).


    Amber light started shining from within Clive¡¯s body as he felt pressure build up inside him like a balloon inflated toward the point of bursting. The team rushed outside but didn¡¯t intrude on his secluded area in the ruins, instead standing back and watching the amber light shine from within.


    All your attributes have reached bronze rank.You have reached bronze rank.You have gained resistance to iron-rank and lower damage sources and effects.The potency of your aura has increased.Your aura senses have improved.Progress to silver rank: 00%.


    ¡°Oh, this feels amazing,¡± Clive said through voice chat. ¡°I¡¯m just waiting for the¡­ oh, there it is.¡±


    The sounds coming from Clive¡¯s secluded spot were bad, but nothing compared to the smell. The coughing, spluttering vomit noises were matched by a stench they had all experienced before on reaching iron rank, when their bodies had purged and renewed all the biomass it would immediately replace.


    ¡°I wish I hadn¡¯t just got my spirit attribute to bronze,¡± Neil winced, holding his nose. ¡°The improved senses are not appreciated right now.¡±


    ¡°You should take this as a training opportunity,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°There are monsters that will use stench against you, so you should adjust now.¡±


    ¡°Tell me that again when you¡¯re smelling this with a bronze-rank sense of smell and maybe I¡¯ll listen.¡±


    The noises stopped and all they could hear was heavy, exhausted breathing.


    ¡°You still conscious in there, mate?¡± Jason called out.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said wearily. He used voice chat again, rather than expend the effort to yell out. ¡°Give me a moment to clean up. I suspect that once I¡¯ve gotten away from the smell, I¡¯m going to be very hungry.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just going to move the cloud house upwind a bit, and then I¡¯ll set out a feast for a king. A small king; we only had so much space.¡±


    Clive arrived at the slightly relocated cloud house, crystal wash clean and with a fresh set of clothes. He was a man literally transformed; the awkward, lanky frame and hapless, bookish features were gone. In their place was a tall and lean figure with an easy grace to his step and effortlessly appealing facial features.


    ¡°You¡¯re the scientist no one listens to at the start of a disaster movie,¡± Jason said. ¡°Except now you¡¯re at the end of the movie, when you¡¯ve lost your glasses, your hair is attractively tousled, you¡¯ve found the heroism within and realised your unrealistically attractive lab assistant was pining for you the whole time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even going to try and follow that,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ll just assume it¡¯s a compliment and say thank you.¡±


    ¡°Also, I¡¯m not pining,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I did like the unrealistically attractive part, though. You should try finding a man you like when Sophie¡¯s standing next to you. Thank the gods Jory has depth of character.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting people are only interested in my looks?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m saying that,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You¡¯re like a treasure chest full of swords with no handles. It looks enticing, but rummaging about inside is going to get you hurt.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Sophie said brightly.


    ¡°That was not a compliment!¡±


    ¡°How is that not a compliment?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Who doesn¡¯t want to be full of swords?¡±


    ¡°Can we just move on to the food?¡± Clive asked.

 Chapter 228: The Worst Possible Option

    With a fully-fledged bronze ranker in their number, the team felt more secure as they made their way to the city¡¯s interior. They progressed more swiftly than any of them had during the Reaper trials, for two main reasons. The first was confidence. Rather than scattered across the city and forced into makeshift teams, they had allies they knew and could rely on. Even a powerful ally like Valdis was no substitute for a true comrade when life and death were on the line.


    The second reason was that they weren¡¯t scouring the place for treasures, although treasures they still found. In spite of the people that had flooded the astral space during the trials, the team still stumbled over a small fortune in awakening stones, essences and other goods. In an old training hall they found an adept essence and a whole rack of bronze-rank magic weapons. None were exceptional, but they were valuable, nevertheless. In a library they found a knowledge essence, plus some skill books whose magic had kept them intact despite the hot, humid air. The normal books had long ago rotted away, making the skill books easy to pick out.


    The central region of the city had been clearly demarked into two areas during the trials. The very core of the city was its most intact region, with the jungle prevented from reclaiming it by means unknown. In direct opposition to this, the area that ringed the centremost region was the most heavily reclaimed by jungle, as if all the growth not happening at the centre was somehow piling up around it. The buildings there were little more than rubble, and much of the ruins had been entirely engulfed by jungle.


    This ring of thick overgrowth had been the location of the giant carnivorous plant that occupied a staggering amount of space underground. It had been almost entirely annihilated through the efforts of Jason and a large force of adventurers. Only a few dead remnants of the plant monster had remained after it had been annihilated by the transcendent damage of Jason¡¯s execute power. His afflictions had never escalated to such a grand scale before, and he considered it unlikely that they ever would again. Creatures the size of a small city weren¡¯t easy to come by, and he¡¯d rather avoid fighting any more.


    The team paused as they reached the ring of thick jungle.


    ¡°You don¡¯t suppose it¡¯s grown back, do you?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It has not,¡± Shade said, his voice coming from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°Whatever opinion one might have of Mr Asano¡¯s abilities, a lack of thoroughness in their lethality is not a criticism likely to be levelled against them. I can assure you that the blood root vine was quite thoroughly destroyed.¡±


    ¡°We need to be careful, going through this section of jungle,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The jungle looks thicker than where I crossed over. From the looks of it, we¡¯ll have to cut our way through in places. It¡¯ll make for slow going and scouting won¡¯t be easy.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s little point watching from above,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That canopy is too thick. I could track you by your auras but I don¡¯t know how useful that would be.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the risk of showing our auras off like that is worth it. We should keep our auras as retracted as we can,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We should all stay close until we¡¯re through.¡±


    ¡°Should we look for a place where the growth isn¡¯t so heavy?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°This is definitely thicker than where we went through last time.¡±


    ¡°The growth of this area seems to have rapidly expanded in the absence of the blood root vine,¡± Shade said. ¡°At the time of the trials, none of the city had jungle this dense. It stands to reason that the rest of the central ring would have experienced similar growth during our absence.¡±


    ¡°Should we reconsider teleporting through?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not the worst idea in the world,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now that I¡¯m looking at this jungle, I don¡¯t fancy hacking our way through. Not when the local monsters are stronger than ever, and you can bet that any manifesting in there will make better use of the environment than we do.¡±


    Humphrey looked into the dense foliage as he considered.


    ¡°What does everyone else think?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m a city girl,¡± Belinda said. ¡°If we can skip trudging through all that, then I¡¯m for it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a simple question of risk assessment,¡± Clive said. ¡°Is going through monster-infested jungle more dangerous than teleporting into what is potentially the very midst of the cultists? Given that we should be able to teleport into an area of relative safety, I would say teleporting is the superior option.¡±


    ¡°And if they sense the magic of us all teleporting in?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Then we fight,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯re going there for that fight, in any case. That said, I would rather initiate it on our own terms.¡±


    ¡°Looks like we have a consensus,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ll open a portal to the roof of the building we stayed in before the final trials.¡±


    Clive held out a hand and a circle of runes appeared, alternating blue and gold. Normally they would then fill with shimmering air and a blurred image of the destination, but instead the runes simply blinked out, like someone had pulled the plug on them.


    ¡°That¡¯s odd,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Could portals be somehow impeded here?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°That should not be the case,¡± Shade said, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°That being said, this space has undergone many changes in the months since my tenure here. We have made a number of disconcerting revelations of which I was unaware, so my knowledge of this realm is not as reliable as I believed. If there is some manner of impedance on portals, I believe your power, Mr Asano, has the best chance of retaining functionality. It is the basis for the portals incorporated into this place, after all.¡±


    Jason tried his portal ability, but had no more success than Clive. The obsidian arch appeared, but the shadow gate did not fill with the darkness, instead retreating without activating. Humphrey tried to teleport them, but likewise achieved nothing.


    ¡°My short range teleport works fine,¡± Humphrey said, vanishing and reappearing close by to prove his point. ¡°Jason you haven¡¯t had any issues shadow-jumping, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been working just fine,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°These results suggest one of three possibilities,¡± Clive said. ¡°One, as Belinda posited, is some manner of environmental interference. We know that the portals to leave this astral space are currently non-functional. My best guess is that it¡¯s related to the changes in the ambient magic and may be affecting our portal abilities in the same way.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°The other possibilities,¡± Clive continued, ¡°are the usual reasons that portal abilities fail. As we all know, a portal destination must be somewhere the person with the portal ability has visited in the past. They must also be able to clearly visualise that space, however. If the space is too generic to be memorable, or if time and failing memory warp the recollection, it won¡¯t work.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why big cities have portal stations,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They make them memorable, visually striking places so that they are easy to remember form only a single visit.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Jason said. ¡°When I was finding way points across the desert to portal to for when I travelled to Sky Scar Lake, I had to find landmarks that stood out. I don¡¯t think I could portal to a random patch of desert, just because I happened to have passed through one time.¡±


    ¡°I remember that place quite well, though,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I remember the view from the rooftop very vividly. The square full of adventurers, the huge trial tower.¡±


    ¡°Which brings us to the third possibility the portals failed,¡± Clive said. ¡°If the destination has significantly changed, then the visualisation will be wrong and the portal will fail. It¡¯s not enough to redecorate a room, but if you demolish the building the room is in?¡±


    ¡°Shade, you said the tower has most likely been destroyed already,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That is correct,¡± Shade answered. ¡°The dimensional spaces within will likely have collapsed, to destructive effect.¡±


    ¡°It could be that the destruction was widespread enough that our building was badly damaged,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°It¡¯s only a few kilometres, right?¡± Belinda said. ¡°Sophie, couldn¡¯t you air-jump your way up high enough to check?¡±


    ¡°Does it really matter what causing it?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Whether the magic has gone weird or the building was knocked down, we can¡¯t do anything about either.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°Whatever the reason, portals can¡¯t get us where we want to go. We can do some testing later, but for now, we have to make our way through this jungle. Shade, can we rely on you to do the scouting for us?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mr Geller. It would be my pleasure to contribute.¡±


    The rough terrain was the result of more than just thick jungle. The ground was wildly uneven, from overgrown piles of rubble to areas where the ground had collapsed into deep holes. The team followed the path of least resistance as best they could, relying on Jason¡¯s map to keep them headed in roughly the right direction. Sometimes it was just too rough, forcing Humphrey to hack their way through the undergrowth with his sword.


    ¡°These holes look relatively recent,¡± Clive observed. ¡°I suspect there may be significant spaces beneath the ground that were previously filled by the plant creature. Jason annihilating it entirely with transcendent damage may have left the ground here unstable.¡±


    ¡°The going definitely wasn¡¯t this rough during the trials,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It was definitely easier to find a path through.¡±


    ¡°When we were looking for a way to get past the plant monster,¡± Jason said, ¡°Jory told me that the plants in this astral space have adapted to feed on the heavy magic saturation. Maybe the plant monster was soaking most of that up and now it¡¯s gone. It could be that the remaining plant life has been gorging, leading to the explosion in growth.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more concerned about the monsters,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°What monsters?¡± Neil asked. ¡°We haven¡¯t seen one since we entered this thick patch of jungle.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Sophie said. ¡°The only other time we¡¯ve gone this long without a monster coming at us is when we¡¯ve stopped for the night.¡±


    ¡°It has been a while,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°I would have expected at least some kind of snake monster by now, in terrain like this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we¡¯re just lucky,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Or maybe the local monsters know something we don¡¯t,¡± Sophie said.


    Most of the team were city folk. Jason had grown up in a small beach town, while Neil, Belinda and Sophie were all city folk. Humphrey had mostly grown up in the delta, but the carefully landscaped Geller Estate was hardly the open wilds.


    While they had all spent time adventuring in the delta, it was the academic Clive who turned out to be the most comfortable in the terrain. He had grown up in the proper delta, on the family eel farm. He was the surest of foot and the most observant of their surroundings.


    Clive was also the most educated about the potential threats, with a knowledge of monsters second only to the Magic Society records he had spent so much time cataloguing. This allowed him to spot something that the others overlooked, and he stopped to examine it.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± Humphrey asked as Clive peered intently at some white residue on a large, green leaf. Clive looked around, spotting more of it.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Clive said. ¡°Some kind of secretion, probably from a monster. This is old, so it¡¯s hard to be sure. If you look close, there are some lingering traces of magic.¡±


    Most of the team had magical senses, so they joined Clive in peering at the residue.


    ¡°I can barely sense it,¡± Neil said. ¡°You have no idea what this could be?¡±


    ¡°I have hundreds of ideas of what this could be,¡± Clive said. ¡°I need more information to shave them down before I¡¯d be comfortable making any kind of guess.¡±


    The team continued onward, still not encountering any monsters but occasionally spotting more of the residue. They found some that was fresher, dangling from a tree branch like string. The residual magic on it was stronger and Jason rubbed the substance between his thumb and forefinger.


    ¡°Should you be touching that?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure the first rule of dealing with mysterious magical stuff is not to touch it.¡±


    ¡°I thought I felt something in the magic,¡± Jason said. ¡°Blood magic.¡±


    ¡°And that made you want to touch it?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m definitely getting a feel of blood magic off of this,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not essence magic, like mine, though. Some kind of monster power.¡±


    Humphrey spotted Clive¡¯s frown.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked him.


    ¡°It¡¯s still early to speculate,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Something just popped into your head,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We trust your instincts.¡±


    Clive gave another, reluctant frown.


    ¡°This residue,¡± he said. ¡°Does it look like old spider web to anyone else?¡±


    ¡°Could be,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°This residual magic had lasted long enough that we¡¯re likely looking at something silver rank,¡± Clive said. ¡°If we combine that with blood magic and webs, then something does come to mind. Something I would rather be wrong about.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Have any of you heard of a blood weaver?¡±


    Humphrey let out a low breath, while the others shook their heads.


    ¡°What¡¯s a blood weaver?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°A spider monster, as you might surmise from the webs. It¡¯s silver rank, and more intelligent than most lower rank monsters. It¡¯s still more animal cunning than real intellect, but it is very much capable of planning and long-term thinking.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what it¡¯s famous for, though,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°After it feeds on a normal animal or monster, it can turn them into a deathless servant. Zombies, but there is something worse.¡±


    ¡°Why is it always something worse?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Why can¡¯t it ever be something better. Like cake.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I could go a nice fluffy sponge cake,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Did you bring one?¡± Neil asked hopefully.


    ¡°Yes, but you can¡¯t have it until you rank up.¡±


    ¡°Do try and keep on topic, boys,¡± Belinda chided.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Neil and Jason said together.


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°A blood weaver can turn regular people and animals into undead, shambling husks. Nothing too dangerous. A monster or essence user, though, it can turn into a vampire. A blood puppet to go out and collect more victims for the blood weaver to consume.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying these cultists might be vampires, now?¡± Neil said.


    ¡°It¡¯s only a possibility,¡± Clive said. ¡°Given the environment, current magical density and the blood magic in the webs, though, it all fits.¡±


    ¡°Can we even fight the cultists if they¡¯re vampires on top of everything else?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Actually, they would be easier to fight,¡± Clive said. ¡°Individually, anyway. They have vampiric powers, but they can no longer access their essence abilities. They still have those abilities, because the soul is still in there, but they can¡¯t use them without the body they no longer control. The body will still be effected by passive powers, but the controlled body can¡¯t use any active abilities because it can¡¯t control the soul, which is essentially trapped.¡±


    ¡°I know what that feels like,¡± Jason said darkly.


    ¡°What about the tracking stones?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°If the cultists were turned into undead, would their stones still show them as alive?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s possible, since they do still have their souls. Or I could be wrong about all of this, there¡¯s no blood weavers and the cultists are off playing cards somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Can you think of something worse it could be rather than a blood weaver?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Not off the top of my head,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Then that¡¯s probably what we¡¯re dealing with,¡± Neil said. ¡°It always turns out to be the worst possible option.¡±


    ¡°I can think of something worse,¡± Jason said and the team all looked at him. ¡°They could have called it a vampider.¡±


    The team continued on, the white residue becoming more and more evident. It quickly became clear that it was definitively remnant webs and they found a clearing where the trees were draped with webbing like curtains. There were old web sacs, the size of people and larger, that had been burst open from the inside. There was dried blood caked inside them, that still reeked.


    ¡°An old nest,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s definitely a blood weaver.¡±

 Chapter 229: Brave Little Tailor

    Clive stood up from where he had been crouching to examine one of the empty web sacks. The clearing turned out to only be the beginning, with empty web sacks hanging from trees or fallen to the ground, extending well back into the jungle. Clive had gone over them all, carefully examining the interior of each one.


    ¡°Unless there are some other people here that we weren¡¯t aware of,¡± Clive said, ¡°I would say that all of our cultists were snatched up by the blood weaver. The web sacks pack their victim in, nice and snug, and there are thirteen of these things that look like human moulds inside. Looks like she either ate the five that died completely and turned the rest, or the process has a failure rate.¡±


    ¡°So now we know for certain that we have to hunt this thing,¡± Sophie said. ¡°How do we find it?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t,¡± Clive said. ¡°We¡¯ve all seen what a silver rank monster can do. I doubt we could take the monster down if we caught it by itself, let alone with what I hope is only a small army of vampiric monsters. The weaver¡¯s minions are something of a hive mind, controlled by the monster itself. Once we start fighting any of them, we¡¯re fighting all of them. We can¡¯t beat them all and the blood weaver on top.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know how long we have to stop whatever the cult is up to,¡± Belinda said. ¡°As much as I like the backing off idea, don¡¯t we have to go after it now, if it will take us to the cultists?¡±


    ¡°At this point, I don¡¯t know how much the cultists have to offer us,¡± Clive said. ¡°I doubt we¡¯ll ever find them in a state where we can question them. Maybe if we kill the blood weaver they¡¯ll regain some sense of self and be able to talk to us. More likely, we¡¯ll have to try and find some clue from their corpses.¡±


    ¡°The cultists were a dangerous enough proposition when they were a bundle of cut-rate adventurers,¡± Neil said. ¡°Now they have a silver-rank monster behind them? We¡¯ve all seen what a silver-rank monster can do.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We can¡¯t stop anything if we¡¯re the blood puppets of some giant spider. Clive, where do we have to get to before we can take that thing down?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, Jason has to hit bronze rank,¡± Clive said. ¡°The blood weaver is silver-rank tough, heals fast and can heal even faster by feeding on its own minions. Jason¡¯s escalating damage is our only means of getting though that, even once we hit bronze.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t he do that now?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°He has an ability to get past higher-rank resistances, right?¡±


    ¡°That is a silver rank monster,¡± Clive said, ¡°and not some lumbering giant he can outpace. At iron-rank he¡¯s too slow, too weak and too frail. He¡¯ll die before he can lock those afflictions in. And that is just considering the monster itself. The rest of us need to hold off the vampiric monster army long enough for Jason to get the job done. Given the magical density, we have to assume there will be a ready supply of bronze-rank monsters for that, and the cultists certainly will be. Maybe there¡¯ll only be as many of them as there are web sacs around here, but from the state of this webbing, I think this is an older nest. I¡¯m willing to bet that there¡¯s more, and that¡¯s a bet we¡¯re gambling our lives with.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying we need to run for the hills,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We have the best training environment any of us will ever experience,¡± Clive said. ¡°Every adventurer rises up during a monster surge and we have one that never ends, all to ourselves. We have to use it. I say we stop chasing the trail of the cultists and focus solely on getting as strong as we can, as quick as we can.¡±


    ¡°I completely agree,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I know that stopping the cult was hammered into us as the first priority once we got here, but now that path leads somewhere that we aren¡¯t ready to go yet. I propose we walk right back out of here and start following the soul compass to abomination after abomination, taking on anything that gets in our path.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t also silver rank,¡± Neil amended.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t also silver rank,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°We stick to the training regimen, maximise our advancement. I¡¯ll reach bronze before Jason, and Neil probably will as well. That¡¯s our threshold to return. Sophie and Belinda will take longer than the rest of us, which is time we may not have. We don¡¯t know that we have enough as is.¡±


    Humphrey gave Belinda and Sophie a sympathetic look.


    ¡°It means that when we do go after the blood weaver, you will be the most vulnerable.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯ll hold my own.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure he meant me,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I¡¯ll stick with Clive and Neil. Boosting bronze-rankers will give me the chance to carry my own weight.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Neil said. ¡°Did we just make the sensible decision and not charge into the hopeless fight? Go team!¡±


    After trying to portal past the jungle, the team had also tried portals to other locations and had confirmed that portal abilities wouldn¡¯t work at all. This forced them to extract from the thick ring of jungle by tracking back the way they had come. It quickly became evident that their presence had already been noticed.


    ¡°There are monsters approaching from multiple sides,¡± Shade warned from Jason¡¯s shadow as his other two bodies scouted the jungle around them. ¡°Judging from their physical appearance, disparate nature and cohesive movement, I believe them to be the blood weaver¡¯s vampiric puppets.¡±


    The team had developed their teamwork enough that they had no need to discuss tactics as they moved into a defensive formation. In the tight confines of the dense jungle, Humphrey and Sophie stood guard over Neil, Belinda and Clive as Jason vanished into the darkness.


    Onslow emerged and Clive vaulted lightly onto his back. Even at the very start of bronze rank, Clive¡¯s power and speed attributes gave him the strength of a huge powerlifter and the agility of a tiny gymnast. Belinda also called on her familiars, the silver lantern floating above her and the living illusion, a flickering replica of herself that shimmered into existence at her side.


    ¡°Why only move on us now?¡± Neil wondered.


    ¡°They were waiting for us to go deeper into the blood weaver¡¯s territory,¡± Clive said. ¡°Now, we¡¯re trying to leave.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t sense them at all.¡±


    ¡°Many spider-type monsters can use networks of webbing to track their prey over a wide territory,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Clive didn¡¯t mention that before,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Clive didn¡¯t know,¡± Clive said testily. ¡°Maybe if adventurers were less dismissive about sharing information with the Magic Society then there¡¯d be fewer gaps in our knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Focus,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Jason should be starting right about¡­¡±


    An alien shriek echoed through the jungle. They sensed the approaching auras before they saw the monsters. It was a disparate group, bronze and iron-ranks mixed together, but the same thread ran through each of the different auras. It felt like a blood-soaked wire leash, held in the grip of an unseen master.


    ¡°I definitely don¡¯t want that in my aura,¡± Sophie said.


    Monsters came pouring out of the jungle, varieties they had encountered before in the city, but changed. Eyes were bloodshot, skin was pale and taught over ropy muscle. There were snakes with barbs lining their backs, two-headed cats and colourful, spike-spitting frogs. Almost half their number were the ape-like creatures Clive had fought, but even more feral. Their was a crazed hunger about them as they rushed at the team.


    Humphrey and Sophie leapt into action. Sophie was a veritable blur, deflecting flying spikes and crippling ape monsters one after the other. It was almost like they were standing still as fists and feet, elbows, knees and palm strikes were rained down on joints, throats and eyes. Despite the onslaught, her face was calm, her movements as clinical and precise as they were fast. She fought with the clean efficiency of a machine, with no waste, no hesitation and no mercy.


    A two-headed cat leapt high over the other monsters, sailing through the air towards her. She threw out a hand and a blast of wind sent it hurtling back into the jungle.


    Ability: [Wind Wave] (Wind)


    Special Ability (movement).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 6 seconds.Current rank: Iron 6 (41%).Effect (iron): Produce a powerful blast of air that can push away enemies and physical projectiles. Can be used to launch into the air or move rapidly while already airborne.


    A barbed snake jumped at her from a low angle and she snatched it out of the air, one hand on each of its upper and lower jaws. She reefed her hands apart and the snake¡¯s head with it, not even pausing as she continued to square off with the ape creatures.


    One of the bronze-rank apes emerged, faster and stronger than the others. It barrelled through its fellows as it charged at Sophie. She activated an ability and time slowed to a stop around her.


    Ability: [Eternal Moment] (Swift)


    Special Ability.Cost: Extreme mana-per-second and stamina-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 5 (91%).Effect (iron): Operate at a highly accelerated speed for one second of actual time, which is extended in subjective time.


    Sophie¡¯s massive acceleration power only gave her a fleeting moment of near-frozen time to act. She waved her arms rapidly back and forth in front of her, each sweep producing an arced blade of wind that froze the moment is was separated from her body.


    Ability: [Wind Blade] (Wind)


    Special attack.Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 8 (88%).Effect (iron): Create a cutting projectile of air.


    The frozen time ended after the briefest interval, but Sophie¡¯s quick movements had primed a wall of wind blades. The instant the power ended, they were all unleashed on the monster charging at her, shredding the hulking ape into a bloody mess. It¡¯s charge became a stagger and she kicked it square in the chest, bloodying her boot. It fell over backwards and didn¡¯t move again.


    Although she was incredibly quick on her feet, Sophie was holding her ground, not moving far as she fended off attackers. Humphrey, in the meantime, was the sword to her shield, charging forward to take the fight to the enemy. He conjured up his enormous sword, stylised in the form of a dragon¡¯s wing, that was immediately wreathed in flames.


    Ability: [Dragon Wing Sword] (Wing)


    Conjuration (fire).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Conjures a huge sword in the shape of a dragon¡¯s wing. Special attacks with the movement subtype performed with this weapon inflict additional damage.Effect (bronze): Normal and special attacks made with this weapon inflict fire damage and inflict the [Burning] condition.


    [Burning] (affliction, damage-over-time, elemental): Inflicts ongoing fire damage.


    The fire damage hardly seemed relevant as the sword brushed away enemies like fallen leaves.


    Ability: [Unstoppable Force] (Might)


    Special attack.Cost: High mana, extreme stamina.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Melee attack with massive momentum, dealing large amounts of additional resonating-force and disruptive-force damage. Requires a heavy weapon.Effect (bronze): For each enemy struck the cooldown of this ability and the cost of the next use of this ability are reduced.


    Three of the ape monsters and a two-headed cat all but exploded, their bodies not even slowing the horizontal sweep of the enormous sword. Humphrey paid no mind to self-protection as he arrived amidst the monsters like a lobbed grenade. He was far from without protection, however, starting with the dragon scale armour he conjured directly onto his body.


    Ability: [Dragon Armour] (Dragon)


    Conjuration.Cost: High mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Conjures a suit of dragon scale armour that confers strong physical protection and increases resistance to fire damage and effects.Effect (bronze): Armour confers increased resistance to non-physical damage and further increased resistance to fire damage and effects.


    As Humphrey laid into the enemy, an illusory image fought beside him, harmless but distracting, making his attacks hard to anticipate. Just when the monsters thought they had the real Humphrey pegged, it would turn out to be his illusionary double. This was Belinda¡¯s familiar, Gemini, who could not only mimic allies, but switch-teleport with them. It used a mental connection with the mimicked ally to do so, like a more instinctual version of Jason¡¯s voice chat. It was an oddly intimate connection that allowed the ally to trigger the power.


    The power of Belinda¡¯s familiar was quite similar to one of Humphrey¡¯s own.


    Ability: [Attack of the Mirage Dragon]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Special Attack Affinity].You are more likely to awaken special attacks than other ability types. Your special attacks have increased effect.When you make special attacks, you can expend mana to create a short-lived, illusory double, replicating the attack. The illusion does not inflict damage or duplicate other effects from the attack but you can spend mana to switch-teleport with it, in the moment it is created. This is an illusion and teleport effect.


    With every special attack, he not only created another, short-lived double, but Gemini did the same, leaving four of Humphrey running around for the monsters to try and pin down. Only Humphrey¡¯s allies were able to see the hazy blur that signalled which ones where illusions.


    Dashing into the swarm of attackers had opened him up to their attacks and some inevitably went for Humphrey¡¯s true body. Many were intercepted by well-timed but short-lived bubble shields, courtesy of Neil.


    Ability: [Absorbing Shield] (Shield)


    Special ability (recovery, retribution, drain).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 20 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Create a short-lived shield that negates an incoming attack and generates mana-over-time with a strength that scales with the amount of damage negated. High-damage attacks of silver-rank or higher may not be entirely negated.Effect (bronze): Drains health and mana from the attacker and bestows it upon the recipient of the shield.


    Neil¡¯s absorbing shield simultaneously protected Humphrey and replenished his health and mana, allowing him to keep fighting at full strength. In addition do the drain effect, one of Neil¡¯s evolved racial gifts was incredibly valuable.


    Ability: [Life Guard]


    Transfigured from [Elf] ability [Life Affinity].Effects used or received with a positive effect on life have greater effect.Using a shield-based essence ability on allies also bestows a heal-over-time effect.


    If too many enemies were crowding on Humphrey, Neil would deploy his other bubble shield power.


    Ability: [Burst Shield] (Shield)


    Special ability (recovery, retribution).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 20 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Create a short-lived shield that negates an incoming attack and explodes out, knocking-back nearby enemies and inflicting concussive damage. High-damage attacks of silver-rank or higher may not be entirely negated.Effect (bronze): Inflicts [Vibrant Echo] on anyone damaged by the blast.


    [Vibrant Echo] (affliction, damage-over-time, magic): Inflicts ongoing resonating-force damage.


    While Humphrey and Sophie were both fighting multiple monsters, just the pair of them was not enough to cover every angle of approach. Monsters that tried to snake into the gaps were met by elemental attacks from Onslow and bolts of force from Belinda¡¯s lantern familiar, Shimmer. Belinda used her spurious sorcerer ability, granting her the power to use a wand from which she was blasting bolts of fire.


    Clive¡¯s weapons were still stowed in his storage space as he sat atop Onslow, chanting out an extremely lengthy spell. When he was done, a huge red and gold eye appeared in the sky like a celestial body. It had the look of a fiery nebula, resembling an angry version of the eye in the torso of Jason¡¯s familiar, Gordon.


    Ability: [Eye of Karma] (Karmic)


    Spell (zone, retribution).Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: 24 hours.Current rank: Bronze 0 (04%).Effect (iron): Creates a wide-area zone. Within the zone, all damage inflicted by enemies or by effects generated by enemies cause disruptive-force damage to be inflicted on the enemy that was the source of the damage.Effect (bronze): Whenever damage triggers the zone effect, the damaged ally gains an instance of [Good Karma] and the enemy gains an instance of [Bad Karma].


    [Good Karma] (boon, holy, stacking): Damage from enemies with [Bad Karma] is reduced; this does not reduce the retributive damage suffered by enemies with [Bad Karma]. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Bad Karma] (affliction, holy, retribution, stacking): A portion of damage you deal to enemies with [Good Karma] is also suffered by you as transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, to a maximum of 100% damage return.


    The teams was spending mana like water, knowing that mana recovery was one of their greatest strengths. Clive, Neil and Sophie all had powers that would replenish the mana of team mates within their overlapping auras, with Clive and Neil also having spells to replenish team mana.


    After completing the zone spell, Clive pulled out his weapons and started blasting away. They were not as effective without the time to set up ritual enhancements, but were still potent weapons. He also started replenishing Onslow¡¯s powers.


    The monsters attacking Humphrey and Sophie were now harming themselves as a result of the zone spell, but the sheer number of enemies threatened to overrun the team. From Clive¡¯s quick count, there were at least thirty, not counting however many Jason was off fighting in the jungle.


    In spite of the team¡¯s efforts, however, the monsters still threatened to overwhelm them. Belinda started chanting her own long spell, and just as it seemed like the team would be overrun, the battlefield shifted.


    Ability: [Unexpected Allies] (Charlatan)


    Spell (illusion, dimension, teleport).Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: 1 hour.Current rank: Iron 4 (16%).Effect (iron): You and your allies take on illusionary forms of nearby enemies, but your allies can still recognise one another. All allies and enemies in the area are randomly switch-teleported.


    Just as the team¡¯s formation was about to be broken up by the press of opponents, Belinda¡¯s spell detonated it. The team was randomly teleported, as were the monsters. The teleport was short and relatively gentle, barely fazing those members of the team sensitive to it. The monsters were thrown into confusion by their sudden displacement and the seeming disappearance of their enemies. Unable to see though the illusionary shrouds now covering the team, they milled about in confusion.


    Belinda¡¯s power was the keystone of one of the team¡¯s tactics for engaging larger groups, which Jason dubbed the ¡®Brave Little Tailor¡¯ strategy. They made judicious attacks that prompted the monsters to attack one another, their discord briefly disrupting the thread of control in their aura. On top of the monsters harming one another, Clive¡¯s zone spell inflicted even more damage.


    The controlling force quickly reasserted itself, but the sudden chaos had given the team time to gather together. Jason had notified them that all the surviving monsters had gathered close and he emerged from the shadows. It was just in time to vanish with the team as Neil used an ability.


    Ability: [Reaper¡¯s Redoubt] (Shield)


    Special ability (dimension).Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: 6 hours.Current rank: Iron 8 (64%).Effect (iron): Take allies into a dimensional space briefly while flooding the area with death energy, dealing disruptive-force damage, necrotic damage and inflicting [Creeping Death] on everything in the area.


    [Creeping Death] (damage-over-time, disease, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until the disease is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    When the team re-emerged from the dimensional space a few short moments later, the landscape had been transformed into a horrifying Tartarus. The death energy of Neil¡¯s Reaper power had riven the jungle around them, leaving dead and rotting monsters amongst blackened and withered jungle. The undergrowth was black mulch underfoot, while the wood of the trees had rotted and split, sending them tumbling to the ground.


    A few bronze-rank monsters had survived, but they were hurt and no longer had numbers on their side. The team made short work of them.


    ¡°Was anyone bitten in all of that?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Vampire bites can have some unpleasant effects.¡±


    ¡°Their teeth only found my armour,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I took a few claws and a spike or two, but no bites,¡± Sophie said.


    Jason used his affliction absorbing power on Sophie, cleansing the poison of the spitter-frog spines.


    ¡°My blood powers were quite effective,¡± Jason said. ¡°Turns out vampires are a bit susceptible to blood magic.¡±


    ¡°We can have the post-fight discussion later,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°For now, we put as much distance between us and that spider as we can.¡±

 Chapter 230: Terms of the Pact

    ¡°Those vampiric monsters were a bit disappointing,¡± Jason said. ¡°They didn¡¯t seem so much vampiric as hung over. A bit peaky, bloodshot eyes. They didn¡¯t even summon any bats.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re spider vampires,¡± Neil said. ¡°Why would they summon bats?¡±


    ¡°Well they didn¡¯t summon any spiders, either.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s how it works,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Didn¡¯t the spider kind of summon them?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Jason said.


    The team had extricated themselves from the ring of dense jungle, returning to relatively intact streets and buildings of the overgrown city. They made sure they were well clear before putting up the cloud house and stopping to rest.


    ¡°Everyone take a good rest,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°From here on out, our sole focus is on getting stronger.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a shame there¡¯s no movie essence,¡± Jason mused to himself. ¡°A training montage power would be OP.¡±


    ¡°What nonsense are you talking now?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I think I know this,¡± Clive. ¡°There¡¯s a fable from your world about learning to fight by cleaning an old man¡¯s carriage, right?¡±


    ¡°There are different renditions of the story,¡± Jason said. ¡°A lot of it comes down to your tolerance for power ballads. The message, though, is that everything we do is kung fu. That¡¯s a term that, where I come from, has come to mean martial arts. What it really means, though, is accomplishment through diligent effort. Every action we take and every word we say is something that shapes us. The diligent person acts to improve and empower themself.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you run around like a mad person, talking nonsense, instead of being all diligent?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Because everything is a weapon,¡± Jason said, ¡°and there are few weapons as powerful as the way people look at you.¡±


    Jason¡¯s expression went through a subtle, yet powerful change. The cocky smile was suddenly sinister, his laughing eyes becoming predatory as they locked down on Neil. Neil shifted uncomfortably in his seat, unnerved as Jason watched him like a hawk eying a mouse. Then Jason flashed a grin, eyes twinkling as he dissolved the tension as suddenly as he brought it about.


    ¡°Everything is a weapon,¡± Jason repeated, ¡°if you know how to use it. There¡¯s no better weapon you can hand an enemy than being predictable. Every one of you has, at some point, told someone to not bother trying to understand what I¡¯m talking about. If someone doesn¡¯t even try and understand me, that¡¯s a weapon and shield they¡¯ve just handed to me for nothing.¡±


    ¡°What about your allies?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Don¡¯t they need to rely on you?¡±


    ¡°They do need to, yes. Do you trust me, Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Clive?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Sophie?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jason smiled at Neil.


    ¡°What about you, Neil? Do you trust me to stand at your back? That I¡¯ll be there when you need me to be?¡±


    ¡°I guess I do,¡± Neil admitted.


    ¡°You grew up in a world of magical power,¡± Jason said, turning his gaze from Neil to address the whole team. ¡°Direct, objective, honest power. I come from a political world, where power is nebulous and the wars are as much about ideology as territory. We grow up watching leaders who need to sway the populace in order to hold power, even as the populace can share information in ways that would be as amazing to you as magic was to me.¡±


    Jason nodded at Humphrey.


    ¡°Humphrey¡¯s mother encouraged our friendship because she recognised that I had a more political mind than is normally to be found in Greenstone. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s different in more cosmopolitan cities, but the politics here are amateurish and crude. Dangerous, yes, because power always is, but not especially complicated. She wanted Humphrey to get to know me so that he would see the next guy like me coming.¡±


    Jason conjured his dagger into his hand.


    ¡°This,¡± he said, ¡°Is the weakest weapon there is. A blade can cut down a person but words can bring down a kingdom. Adultery can end a dynasty, greed can start a war and compassion can end one. People will die for strangers out of faith and kill their neighbours out of fear.¡±


    He casually tossed aside the dagger and it vanished.


    ¡°Everything is a weapon,¡± he concluded. ¡°The trick is learning to wield them without doing yourself an injury.¡±


    The room fell quiet in the wake of Jason¡¯s impromptu speech, until Sophie broke the silence.


    ¡°Gods damn, you like to hear yourself talk.¡±


    The team fell into a regimented schedule of physical training, skill training, mental training and monster hunting. Days became weeks and Humphrey joined Clive at bronze rank, his square-jawed handsomeness becoming even more pronounced.


    Clive had already reached bronze rank and was relegated to lowest priority during training. This afforded him the time to study the changes to the astral space¡¯s ambient magic. He was trying to learn what was causing the changes and how it was preventing them from using portals or escaping. He didn¡¯t find the answers he was looking for, but he did make other discoveries, which he laid out one evening in the cloud house.


    ¡°The magical density is increasing,¡± he announced to the team. ¡°I¡¯m not exactly sure why, but something seems to be forcing a highly dense magic into this astral space.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean for us?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°A few things,¡± Clive said. ¡°One, we aren¡¯t getting out of here until we find whatever is causing this and stop it. Two, we need to keep up this training because the monsters are going to be getting stronger. We¡¯ll see less iron-ranks over time and running into a silver will become more and more of an inevitability. Three, the rate at which this astral space will break down is on an increasingly steep curve. We¡¯re still talking a matter of years, for the moment, but as the magical density goes up, the time frame will come down.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s only completely terrifying,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°What do you recommend we do?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°We already have the right plan,¡± Clive said. ¡°Improving our strength is more important than ever, and the cultists are still our best chance at getting a handle on what¡¯s happening. We need to deal with that blood weaver and hopefully figure out what they were up to.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Jason, Sophie and Belinda; we¡¯ll be pushing all the focus onto you. Once Jason reaches bronze we¡¯ll move immediately on the blood weaver. Sophie and Belinda, we¡¯ll get you to bronze as quickly as we can. We can¡¯t have you still at iron rank if we¡¯re going to be meeting silver rank monsters with any regularity.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s abilities were progressing at a steady, but not exceptional pace. She had reached the point where she could comfortably fight small groups of iron-rank monsters alone, using the abilities that gave her temporary skills. They found that she actually advanced more quickly from group fights, where more of her powers could be used effectively.


    Belinda¡¯s jack-of-all-trades power set lacked the punch to jump ranks and fight a bronze-rank monster alone. Sophie had no such problems, relishing both the fights and the resulting rapid advancement of her abilities. The monster-infested city was eager to oblige as they saw as many fights in a day as an active adventurer in Greenstone would in a week.


    Ranking up the latter stages of an ability was a harder, slower progress, but iron-rank monsters were getting harder to come by, being replaced with more bronze-ranker who offered enough challenge to keep their advancement proceeding at their original pace. The monsters started appearing in the kind of numbers the team had originally encountered the iron-rank ones in and the team was more and more required to fight as a whole instead of peeling off members to maximise the challenge.


    Jason had expected his familiar ability for Shade to be the hardest to rank up. Colin and Gordon were both able to engage directly in combat, where as Shade¡¯s power to attack amounted to little more than some mana draining. To Jason¡¯s surprise, Shade kept pace with Gordon, rapidly passing through the lower levels of advancement.


    While not an attacker, Shade¡¯s utility as a shadow-jump target saw Jason heavily rely on him in combat. In hindsight, Jason realised that of course a utility-type familiar would advance from utility tasks. To help that along, he practised sharing the senses of one of Shade¡¯s remote bodies. It would be useful in allowing him to directly observe from safety whatever his familiar was scouting out. He could even speak through Shade, although his voice chat was still a superior communication method.


    The cult hidden at the Vane Estate had a visitor in the form of Anisa Lasalle. Timos led her through the grounds, now dead and dry as the desert reclaimed them. The hedge maze was now more of a dry twig maze and the cult had cut a more direct path to the centre, through which Timos led the priestess. She had arrived alone, while Timos had a pair of iron-rank lackeys on hand.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Priestess,¡± Timos said, a smile playing on his lips. ¡°How was your¡­ sabbatical?¡±


    Walking beside him, Anisa Lasalle glanced at Timos with disdain. The elven priestess was wearing extremely fitted adventuring gear, it¡¯s monochromatic white barely more pale than her skin. Her platinum hair was bound back in a simple and practical ponytail.


    ¡°I detest you and your kind,¡± she said. ¡°Frankly, I would rather have stayed in hiding than deal with you. Each indignity I have suffered over the past months can be laid solely at the feet of your failures.¡±


    ¡°Your memory is poor, Priestess,¡± Timos said. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find that the impatience of your god has¡­¡±


    Timos was cut off as Anisa¡¯s gloved hand clutched his throat, her thumb pressing savagely into his windpipe. His two lackeys moved to assist but a trio of searing orbs of light appeared to hover threateningly in front of them.


    ¡°You will not disparage my god,¡± Anisa told Timos calmly. ¡°In fact, it would be best for all involved if you never profaned his name with your tainted lips. Am I making myself clear?¡±


    Timos nodded, choking all the more at the action, but she released him and he fell to his knees, coughing and spluttering. His eyes shot venom up at her as he rubbed his throat, but he nodded again.


    ¡°I understand,¡± he said.


    ¡°See that you do. Now stand up; I¡¯m not going to stand idle, waiting for you to recover from the latest in a long series of errors.¡±


    Timos¡¯s people looked ready to act, but he stilled them with a head shake. The gesture was not unnoticed by Anisa, but she did not deign to comment. He staggered to his feet and they continued on, reaching what had once been the well at the centre of the maze.


    No one had checked on the estate since the Rejector¡¯s party had passed through and the cult had decided excavating the well and the crawl tunnel at the bottom was an acceptable risk. One of the cultists with earth-shaping powers had created a set of stone stairs into what was originally a natural cavern. The wooden walkway once traversed by Jason had been removed and the walls and floor smoothed out. Stone walls had been put up to form a subterranean complex. They had no woodworker, so despite ample materials above, curtains were hanging in place of doors. Glow stones affixed to the walls lit the rooms and hallways.


    Timos led the priestess through the complex, but she stopped halfway. Her eyes were boring into one of the cultists, a grizzled man moving a crate of supplies.


    ¡°You,¡± she said to the man. ¡°I know you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Miss. I¡¯m Dougall. I let you out of the cage, when the blood cult had you captured.¡±


    ¡°A rat jumping ship,¡± she said. ¡°You caught wind of Remore putting paid to your little branch of the Red Table and realised you would need a new master. The blood cult deals with failure in very carnivorous ways, after all. Clearly you knew much more of Landemere Vane¡¯s loyalties than anyone in the household realised. The opportunistic loyalty of a cultist is revealed as base and self-serving in the face of adversity. Where does your faith lie?¡±


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you to speak. Or perhaps you should. I remember that you were looking for a taste of elf flesh. Are you still looking to feast on my bones, cultist?¡±


    ¡°I would never, Miss¡­¡±


    ¡°Pathetic. You aren¡¯t worth the blood stain to kill.¡±


    She swept off, Timos hurrying to keep showing the way. They went all the way to the metal door leading into Landemere Vane¡¯s old ritual room. Everything had been stripped away to the bare stone, the only features being an archway in the centre of the room, the complex ritual circle around it and the mana lamps that artificially heightened the ambient magic, allowing the circle to function. The cult was charging a large number of lamps around the estate to keep the ritual circle operational.


    The archway looked like it had been made from salvaged building materials, an irregular construction of cheap-looking, mismatched bricks, held in place with what looked like ordinary mortar.


    The silver rank leader of the cultists, Zato, was standing with his back to the door, looking at an inert archway. He turned at their entry, eyes lingering on the marks on Timos¡¯ neck but saying nothing.


    ¡°How long?¡± Anisa demanded, without preamble.


    ¡°Weeks,¡± Zato said. ¡°Two and a half months, at the outside.¡±


    ¡°Two and a half months!¡± Anisa raged. ¡°You have already had more than enough time!¡±


    ¡°And your church has nowhere near enough patience!¡± Zato yelled back. ¡°Every problem you blame us for goes back to your church refusing to wait, the way you were counselled. Your insistence on acting so early cost us everything and gained us nothing. It¡¯s like you somehow think you worship the god of time, able to make things happen whenever you want. If your church had been willing to wait, then the cult¡¯s identity and your trafficking with us would both remain secret. We are still years away from the true beginning, but you had to be impatient children.¡±


    Anisa fumed, but she was bronze to his silver rank and had her orders.


    ¡°I am here to inform you that your request is unacceptable,¡± she said, biting off every word. ¡°We will not be acceding to it.¡±


    ¡°You go and tell your archbishop that not only will his people be joining us in the astral space, but so will he. The laxity of your church cost us every silver-ranker we had in this region. I¡¯m the only exception and I had barely ranked up when your people led the Remores to the island. I hadn¡¯t even been fully inducted into the leadership.¡±


    ¡°The blame for the island does not fall on us.¡±


    ¡°Of course it doesn¡¯t,¡± Zato sneered. ¡°Every success is your people and every failure is mine. I might as well argue with a child.¡±


    ¡°We lost a gold-ranker in the island attack, so do not come complaining to me,¡± Anisa said.


    ¡°I did not call you here to hear complaints,¡± Zato said, regaining his composure ¡°I am invoking the terms of the pact. Nicolas Hendren will be leading his people to join us when the tunnel finishes forming and the portal opens. I expect all of you here in two months.¡±


    Anisa gave him a smile that somehow perfectly encapsulated hatred, but said nothing. She turned on the spot and swept out of the room like an angry wind.

 Chapter 261 (interval): Recruitment

    Both the seal and the rank-restriction on the astral space aperture had been removed by Jason¡¯s team. Clive had turned the world engineers that were meant to invade their world into magical batteries that opened a passageway back to it. This not only allowed the team to escape, but opened the astral space up to thorough exploration.


    The first step was securing a foothold in a zone still steeped in danger by the rapid-spawning monsters, so Emir and his people moved in to secure what had formerly been the cultist camp. A number of Greenstone¡¯s local silver-rankers volunteering to assist. Aside from the potential wealth to be found, if they could forge a relationship with Emir, opportunities may well open up for the younger members of their families.


    What they discovered was a truth that Emir, as a professional treasure hunter, already knew well: Exploring the unknown came with unknown danger. While Emir¡¯s people were making preparations and learning everything they could from Clive, Humphrey and the rest of their team, two local silver-rankers were left to watch the portal, along with a number of Emir¡¯s support staff. They were all found dead.


    The deaths caused a furore in Greenstone¡¯s adventuring community. Aside from those who spent most of their time away from the city, like Thalia Mercer and Danielle Geller, the local silver-rankers were a risk-averse lot. Most were older, having slowly worked their way through bronze using monster cores.


    Arabelle Remore led the investigation, and quickly reaching an unpleasant conclusion. She had seen the work of an energy vampire in the past and speaking with Jason¡¯s team quickly identified its most likely source. The Builder¡¯s last vessel, Thadwick Mercer, had never been found. Humphrey led her to the location in which they had left the soul imprisoning the sword, to discover that both were gone.


    It was clear that the Builder had cut its losses, leaving the abandoned vessel to consume the loose soul and transforming into a potent threat. It had managed to approach the portal in secret and escape the astral space, stopping to feed on the other side. To help hunt the creature, Arabelle called her team mate Cal back to Greenstone.


    ¡°Have you ever tracked an energy vampire before?¡± Emir asked him, after Cal was briefed on their situation.


    ¡°I have,¡± Cal said. ¡°They can come into being a few different ways, with varying results. When they started out as a ghoul, they frequently wind up deficient, intellectually. They remain creatures of hunger and instinct. If that¡¯s the case, it won¡¯t be hard to track. Bodies will start dropping fast, so we should check the villages around the lake.¡±


    ¡°And if it is smart?¡±


    ¡°Then finding it will be rough. It¡¯ll know that we¡¯re after it, so it will most likely look to avoid causing trouble and get out of the region entirely. Fortunately, Greenstone is an isolated region with limited means of departure. We can investigate them while keeping an eye out for deaths. Even if it¡¯s laying low, an energy vampire still needs to feed.¡±


    The Mercer family compound was composed of five equidistant towers, interconnected by walkways. From the air above, the compound looked something akin to a magical circle. Thalia Mercer stood atop one of the towers, leaning on the stone balustrade as she looked out over the city.


    The fortunes of her family had not been great in recent times. The defection of Thadwick had been crippling in numerous ways. The family¡¯s reputation had been savaged and Thadwick¡¯s insight into the Mercer family operations had led to a series of costly raids on their interests by the Builder cult. If not for their connection to the Duke and taking the lead in the purge of the cult from the city, the results could have been catastrophic. Even so, it would likely be generations before the family fully recovered.


    For Thalia herself, the worst part was the realisation of just how badly she had failed her son. She had taken Cassandra to teach her the ways of an adventurer, while her husband had groomed their son to take over the family¡¯s local interests. She had known he was a spoiled boy, but only discovered the degree to which her neglect had harmed him when it was too late.


    Her husband¡¯s shortcomings were not a mystery to her. There was a reason his younger brother had been named heir to the Dukedom, while Beaufort had been married off for political gain. She should never have had let him have full control over their son¡¯s upbringing, but it had allowed her to take their daughter to see a larger world.


    Her neglect had allowed her husband to impress upon Thadwick his importance, without ever tempering it with responsibility. Now she wondered if there was any of her son left. First, she had been told of his fate as vessel for the Builder. Now he was some kind of vampiric monster.


    ¡°Do you even still exist, my little boy?¡± she whispered to herself.


    ¡°He does not,¡± a voice behind her said and she whirled around.


    She hadn¡¯t sensed the presence behind her and still couldn¡¯t, even looking right at him. Her aura and magic senses told here there was nothing there, but her eyes saw the face of her son. He looked strong and healthy but she looked into his eyes and did not see Thadwick behind them.


    ¡°You¡¯re not my son,¡± she said.


    ¡°No,¡± the energy vampire said.


    ¡°Then who are you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said. ¡°Your son was the soil from which I grew. I know the things he knew, but those memories are not mine. I remember his thoughts, yet they make no sense. The things he did are not things I would do. The things he said are not things I would say.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Thalia asked.


    ¡°Your son is gone,¡± the vampire said. ¡°I am what¡¯s left.¡±


    ¡°They told me that you¡¯re a monster,¡± she said. ¡°Did you come to kill me?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the vampire said, ¡°although I have killed. I¡¯m trying to understand who I am. What I am. Your son¡¯s memories are the only guide I have, but I cannot understand the feelings and events that I remember. Your son hurt the things he loved. Turned against the family that gave him everything. Abandoned the friends who worked so hard to help and protect him.¡±


    Tears crawled down Thalia¡¯s face. Despite wearing her son¡¯s face, this thing looked nothing like him.


    ¡°I failed him,¡± she said. ¡°I should have helped him. Guided him.¡±


    ¡°Will you help me?¡± the vampire asked. It sounded so vulnerable, like a lost child.


    ¡°No,¡± she said, steeling herself. She squared her shoulders and wiped the tears from her face on the back of her arm. ¡°The only thing left that I can do for my son is to destroy the thing that he has become.¡±


    Thalia erupted forward in a blur, only to be stopped short, her fist caught in the vampire¡¯s hand. He casually flung her from the tower rooftop to plunge toward the ground below. He knew that it would not harm her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry mother,¡± it whispered.


    The former cultist camp in the astral space had been left in shambles by the battle that had taken place. The blood of cultists and the converted stained the ground, their dead bodies scattered amongst the broken remains of constructs. The monster blood that had drenched the place had all evaporated into rainbow smoke. Buildings made with stone-shaping powers had been broken and shattered, crates of supplies left ruined and spoiled.


    After the death of the silver-rankers, the Adventure Society stepped in, taking over from Emir¡¯s people and heavily securing both sides of the portal arch. Emir wasn¡¯t boxed out, still free to explore the astral space, but the Adventure Society¡¯s action helped stabilise things after the loss of the silver-rankers. Ever since the disastrous expedition into the desert astral space, the families of Greenstone had been very wary of losses.


    After being cleared out, the cultist camp had been repurposed as a base of operations for a thorough exploration of the astral space. The lowest floors of the tower had space for occupation and Clive was sitting in a room he had claimed, books splayed out on tables as he moved from one to the other, scribbling notes in a book.


    Clive was kept busy organising the materials being salvaged that had belonged to the Builder¡¯s ritualists. All the supplies, books, notes and tools that were found were piled up around him. The camp around the tower had been largely trashed, but the original walled fortress where the cultists first arrived was more intact. A lot of the ritualists¡¯ paraphernalia discovered there remained undamaged and Clive was working to try and better understand the magic the Builder cult used.


    If he could better understand the process of turning someone into a vessel, he might be able to find useful information for hunting the energy vampire. The books Knowledge gave to Jason, along with all the notes Clive had taken on them, would had been excellent supplemental material, but they were lost along with Jason.


    More important to Clive than the vampire was something he was desperately looking for in the cultist material but found not so much as a clue to. Engrossed in his work, he didn¡¯t notice a beautiful young woman in the robes of a Knowledge priestess appeared at the open door.


    ¡°You won¡¯t find it,¡± Gabrielle told Clive, who looked up at the intrusion.


    ¡°Acolyte Pellin,¡± he said. His hair has unruly, his face covered in stubble. There were thick bags under his eyes.


    ¡°You need to sleep, Mr Standish.¡±


    Clive narrowed his eyes at the priestess.


    ¡°You said I wouldn¡¯t find it.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you know what I¡¯m looking for.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me.¡±


    ¡°I can tell you a part,¡± she said, offering a sad smile that mixed sympathy and apology. ¡°There is only so much my Lady will allow me to say.¡±


    ¡°Then say it,¡± Clive said, too tired for niceties. ¡°What was that heat coming out of Jason? Did the Builder do something to his soul?¡±


    ¡°My Lady does not wish to tell you what that fire is. She will allow me to say that it was not the Builder¡¯s doing. Jason Asano¡¯s soul was vouchsafed upon his death and sent on its way. The Builder cannot touch it.¡±


    ¡°Your goddess is certain? We inquired with the goddess of Death and she didn¡¯t know. This place does not fall under the eyes of our gods.¡±


    ¡°My goddess is certain,¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°Asano¡¯s soul is exactly where it is meant to be.¡±


    Clive deflated like a balloon, letting out a long, slow breath. He said nothing for a long time as Gabrielle waited patiently.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said finally. ¡°And thank your goddess. It¡¯s been playing on all of our minds.¡±


    ¡°Normally she would not speak on it,¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°The fate of the dead is not the business of the living. Under the circumstances, she felt it was best to alleviate your concerns.¡±


    Clive pushed himself wearily up from the wooden stool he was sitting on and onto his feet.


    ¡°I need to go tell the others,¡± he said.


    ¡°I have something for you first,¡± Gabrielle said. ¡°You have fought the Builder and you will again.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re damn right.¡±


    Gabrielle slid a satchel off of her should and rested it on the desk.


    ¡°This dimensional bag has copies of all the books my Lady gave to Jason and all the notes you took while studying them. She wants you to have them, for the fights to come.¡±


    Clive looked at the satchel, then picked it up and slung it over his own shoulder.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said. ¡°And again, thank your goddess for me.¡±


    He hurried past her and out of the room.


    Gabrielle exited the astral space through the portal arch, arriving back in her own world. Since the deaths at the hands of the energy vampire, the security around the portal arch was much tighter. Anti-portal barriers had been set up, inhibiting teleportation into or out of the underwater dome. Visitors were required to physically return to the lake surface before they could teleport away or travel overland back to the city.


    Gabrielle stepped onto one of the bubble platforms that had been set up to deliver people to and from the surface. It moved out of the dome, maintaining a bubble of air as it ascended through the water.


    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± she said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Knowledge¡¯s comforting voice spoke directly into her mind. ¡°You¡¯ve done well, but you are uncertain that this is the right approach.¡±


    ¡°Why not tell them?¡±


    ¡°Because this is not a time for comfort,¡± Knowledge said. ¡°This is a time for war. Asano¡¯s death will drive his friends to be more dedicated weapons against the Builder.¡±


    ¡°I think they would have been motived even without wanting to avenge him.¡±


    ¡°But now they are not just motivated. They are zealous. In any case, Asano may never return.¡±


    ¡°But you think he will,¡± Gabrielle said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°If he does, I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be happy that you let his friends think he was still dead.¡±


    ¡°If he returns, he will have greater concerns than that. His friends are more effective weapons believing he is dead and gone. It is objectively better for them to think that.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help wondering if this is one of the times that people aren¡¯t going to react the way you think they will,¡± Gabrielle said reluctantly. ¡°I don¡¯t think objective results are what Asano is going to value.¡±


    Humphrey and Sophie rose up through Emir¡¯s cloud palace on the elevating platform, arriving in his private study. It was on top of one of the palace towers, under a shimmering dome of translucent mist. The floor was riddled with water pools, from which lush green plants were growing. There were more than the last time Humphrey visited the space, which had become more of a rooftop garden than a study.


    Emir was behind a desk, glancing up from the papers he was reading to wave in front of him. A pair of cloud chairs rose up from the floor. Humphrey and Sophie moved over and sat down as Emir put his papers into a folder, then looked up with a smile.


    ¡°How are you both doing?¡± he asked gently.


    ¡°Jason¡¯s memorial is done,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯re ready to take the fight back to the Builder.¡±


    ¡°Right back,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°We¡¯re ready to taste cultist blood.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Emir said. ¡°The Adventure Society is confident, now, that the cult activity in this region is finished. They put everything they had into claiming the last astral space. The church of Purity as well.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t mind travelling to find them,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°It hasn¡¯t reached the point of open fighting,¡± Emir said. ¡°The cult is still being clandestine in their activities, sneaking into astral spaces. Only when we catch them at it does it turn to fighting, but at least we¡¯re more prepared than the expedition here.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should go after the church of Purity,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°The church of Purity maintain that only a rogue faction are responsible for collaboration, and that they are rooting them out themselves.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crap,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I agree, and we¡¯re not alone,¡± Emir said. ¡°It¡¯s a delicate issue, though. For the moment, it¡¯s best to let the other churches pressure and investigate them.¡±


    ¡°You have something you want us to do,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯re not looking to be kept busy. We want to make a difference.¡±


    ¡°What I have in mind isn¡¯t busywork,¡± Emir said. ¡°The world still has problems that won¡¯t stop and wait for us to handle the Builder.¡±


    ¡°What do you have in mind?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Things carried on during your time in the astral space. The monster surge still hasn¡¯t happened. We¡¯ve been getting precursor signs for most of a year, now, but it still hasn¡¯t happened.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°A number of my family¡¯s bronze-rankers have crossed into silver from fighting the regular stream of silver-rank monsters.¡±


    ¡°There have been other developments as well,¡± Emir said. ¡°Did Jason ever tell you about what he learned when he claimed the Reaper¡¯s scythe?¡±


    ¡°All he told me,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°was that there was some kind of club and the first rule was not talking about it. I¡¯m pretty sure he was doing that thing where¡­ well, you know the thing.¡±


    Emir and Sophie both nodded.


    ¡°What he learned,¡± Emir said, ¡°and the thing he was told not to tell, was that the Order of the Reaper were not, as previously believed, wiped out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not much of a revelation,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I think everyone suspected that.¡±


    ¡°But only those who became certain of it were granted access to the final room of the test to have their thoughts confirmed. They each received various prizes that came with the confirmation ¨C the scythe, in Jason¡¯s case ¨C and an admonition to tell no one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s stupid,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Why bother to confirm it, then turn around and tell them to keep their mouths shut? There¡¯s no way that doesn¡¯t leak.¡±


    ¡°But what if that was the point?¡± Emir asked. ¡°One of the few who made it to that last room died and had her entire contingent wiped out along with her. It happened right in the middle of the lakeside camp, without anyone around them noticing. Later investigation discovered that she the one who leaked the secret.¡±


    ¡°If the secret was already out there, why kill them?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°That just brings more attention to it.¡±


    ¡°Again,¡± Emir said. ¡°What if that is the point? In the time you¡¯ve been away, there have been signs cropping up all over the world that the Order of Reaper is ready to reclaim their position in the shadows. The events here seem to be part of a much larger campaign to make the order¡¯s return an open secret.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean that the person who hired you to open up the astral space is a part of the Order?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°That was my suspicion as well,¡± Emir said. ¡°I have since been convinced otherwise. My client, it seems, was used as a tool by the Order. Any guesses on how a diamond-ranker feels about being someone else¡¯s tool?¡±


    ¡°Ready to kill some people?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Ready to kill some people,¡± Emir confirmed. ¡°I¡¯m washing my hands of the astral space as the Adventure Society moves in to explore it. They¡¯ve brought in more high-rankers, given the locals are of limited value. My client has asked me to continue my investigation of the Order of the Reaper, and I would like your team to help me.¡±


    ¡°Not interested,¡± Sophie said. ¡°If some old order of assassins wants to run around playing politics, I¡¯m happy to let them. It¡¯s the Builder that I want.¡±


    ¡°All their known areas of operation have a higher level of magic than here,¡± Emir warned. ¡°That means higher-ranked adventurers, which means that if you go there, you¡¯ll be told to shut up and do what you¡¯re told. Given that Jason Asano had such a large hand in your training, I don¡¯t imagine those are skills you picked up.¡±


    ¡°So I should just give it up?¡± Sophie asked combatively.


    ¡°No,¡± Emir said. ¡°I suggest you take a longer view. I doubt the Order of the Reaper is choosing now to make their appearance by accident. It seems likely that they are going to try and leverage action against the Builder to re-establish themselves in the eyes of the world¡¯s various authorities.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that if we go after the Reaper¡¯s order, we¡¯re likely to stumble into the Builder¡¯s cult,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Honestly, that is just postulation on my part,¡± Emir said. ¡°I think the chances are good, though.¡±


    ¡°Why us?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Aside from the personal connection, what do we have to offer you, when you have no shortage of silver-rankers, let alone bronze.¡±


    ¡°To be frank, I don¡¯t need you, Humphrey,¡± Emir said, then turned to look directly at Sophie. ¡°I need you, Sophie. Most of what we¡¯ve managed to learn about the Order of the Reaper, we¡¯re fairly certain that the Order itself has put in our path. You, Sophie, are the strongest lead we have on the contemporary activities of the Order of the Reaper that I¡¯m fairly confident didn¡¯t come from the order itself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the fighting style my father taught me,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emir said. ¡°I want to explore your past and see what we find.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather just go right after the Builder,¡± she said. ¡°The Builder is going to pay for Jason.¡±


    ¡°I understand your feelings,¡± Emir said. ¡°As I said, there are only so many opportunities to go after the Builder directly. Even if you do agree to help me, I think you¡¯ll get your chance anyway, courtesy of Clive.¡±


    In the astral space tower, Clive was at work combining what had been left by the cultists with what Gabrielle had delivered.


    ¡°Mr Standish?¡±


    Clive turned to see a man and a woman in the doorway. They were wearing Magic Society robes and both radiated silver-rank auras.


    ¡°You¡¯ve come for the cultists¡¯ material?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°We have,¡± the woman said. ¡°We¡¯ve also come for you.¡±


    ¡°For me?¡± Clive asked. ¡°I¡¯m not a Magic Society official anymore. I¡¯m just a regular member; I¡¯ve gone full-time adventurer.¡±


    ¡°We are aware,¡± the woman said. ¡°Let me introduce myself. My name is Lorelei Grantham and I¡¯m a researcher assigned to work with the Adventure Society¡¯s Continental Council. As we¡¯ve been collating information about the Builder cult¡¯s activities, we realised that a small, provincial city was making discoveries about the cult just as quickly as the major centres. When we looked into it, we discovered that you were crucial in many of these discoveries, but had already entered this astral space to take the fight to the Builder.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer,¡± Clive said. ¡°We fight the bad guys.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an odd turn of phrase,¡± the man said.


    ¡°I had a friend who was prone to odd turns of phrase,¡± Clive said. ¡°He died stopping the Builder from using this astral space as a weapon.¡±


    Clive gestured at the materials stacked up around him.


    ¡°I¡¯m still putting it together,¡± he said, ¡°but I¡¯m certain that if the Builder¡¯s world engineers had been activated and used to invade, the destructiveness of their arrival would have dwarfed the results of simply claiming an astral space. The destruction may well have reached Greenstone, which is hundreds of kilometres away.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how long the portal will remain stable?¡± Lorelei asked.


    ¡°The portals around the edge of the city didn¡¯t activate,¡± Clive said. ¡°I thought they would, but I was very much improvising, so I was bound to get things wrong. The portal arch we transplanted to this tower will probably hold up for another few weeks before becoming unstable and collapsing. I think the Adventure Society intends to use it as a place to help people rank-up until then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my understanding, yes,¡± Lorelei said. ¡°Mr Standish, I¡¯ve been looking at your record with the Magic Society. You¡¯ve been wasted here. I¡¯d like you to come work for me at the Continental Council. If you want to avenge your friend, that will put you at the forefront of resisting the Builder¡¯s efforts.¡±


    ¡°I have a team,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to leave them to go off and do research.¡±


    ¡°We anticipate that there will be a goodly amount of fieldwork involved,¡± Lorelei said. ¡°That is one of many reasons that make you so appealing. Your skill set and your team will be ideally suited to acting against the cult directly, as needed. Mr Emir Bahadir has a use for your team, but we have made arrangements to portal them in should you have a need to go into the field.¡±


    ¡°Is it true that you use combat rituals?¡± the man asked.


    ¡°Dennis,¡± Lorelei scolded.


    ¡°It¡¯s really rare,¡± Dennis said.


    Clive¡¯s left hand flashed, drawing out a simple diagram in the air. He drew the wand strapped to his hip and jammed it into the diagram, which lit up brightly as it affixed itself to the tip. Clive fired the wand at the pair, which showered them in harmless, rainbow sparks. The whole process happened in the time it took to draw a breath.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°I use combat rituals.¡±

 Chapter 262 (interval): Ducking Responsibility

    Arabelle and Emir were talking as they made their way through the cloud palace.


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Emir asked. ¡°I like Sophie, but she¡¯s a damaged girl, in more ways than one. I¡¯m not sure that she¡¯s in a state right now where I want to entrust my granddaughter to her.¡±


    ¡°This is a good match,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Sophie lived a life where she couldn¡¯t trust anyone but Belinda. A complete stranger came along and transformed her life, only to be snatched away as she was coming to terms with that. What she needs now is a place to channel everything that isn¡¯t self destructive. Being responsible for someone else, the way Jason took responsibility to her, is exactly what she needs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but what about the things my granddaughter needs?¡±


    ¡°Ketis is at a tricky stage, right now,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°She got her essences so young, so she¡¯s been waiting longer then most to get out into the world. She¡¯s full of rebellious ideas.¡±


    ¡°That much I know,¡± Emir said, a long-suffering expression on his face.


    ¡°Sophie isn¡¯t like the authority figures your granddaughter knows. Ketis is used to pushing around people who won¡¯t stand their ground for the simple reason that she¡¯s your granddaughter. They know how soft you are with her and are afraid to be harder. Sophie is not. She¡¯ll provide the boundaries and life experience that Ketis needs right now.¡±


    They entered one of the lounges to find Sophie drinking Emir¡¯s expensive alcohol straight from the bottle.


    ¡°She¡¯s also the kind of person a rebellious young girl can look up to,¡± Arabelle said.


    Sophie nodded a greeting without putting down the bottle from which she continued to quaff. She finally lowered the half empty bottle, replacing the stopper as she looked over the bar.


    ¡°Where did this one come from again?¡± she muttered to herself.


    ¡°You can go ahead and take it,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Sophie said, slipping it into the dimensional pouch on her hip. ¡°So what did you want to see me for?¡±


    ¡°Well, as you know better than most,¡± Arabelle said, ¡°the experiences we have at iron-rank are important in shaping the adventurers we become.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you turned out the way you are?¡± Sophie asked Emir. ¡°You said something about a giant metal duck, right?¡±


    ¡°You told her that was at iron-rank?¡± Arabelle asked Emir.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Emir said. ¡°It was probably what she needed to hear at the time.¡±


    ¡°You should never take what Emir tells you at face value,¡± Arabelle warned Sophie.


    ¡°I know the type,¡± Sophie answered with a sad smile. ¡°So he wasn¡¯t iron-rank?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°In fact, it was the very last job our team did together.¡±


    Emir crawled out of the mud hole, Gabriel and Arabelle crawling out after him. They found Cal waiting for them, as neat and clean as they were filthy.


    ¡°How do you always do that?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s nothing,¡± Cal said. ¡°I¡¯ve been in the real mud.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Emir complained.


    ¡°There¡¯s little point in explaining,¡± Cal said. ¡°You¡¯re giving up the adventuring life.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s brown sludge packed into my underwear like I ate a bunch of clay and then soiled myself,¡± Emir complained. ¡°I¡¯m gold rank; I haven¡¯t used a toilet in thirty years. If this is the adventuring life, I¡¯ll be glad to see the back of it.¡±


    The team made its way back to the cloud house, where the three mud-caked adventurers spent an hour in the shower. They vociferously expressed their gratitude at finding an array of food waiting, courtesy of Cal.


    ¡°So, how¡¯s it going, collecting the materials to upgrade the cloud flask?¡± Gabriel asked.


    ¡°The last of them should be waiting for me when we get back to Vitesse,¡± Emir said. ¡°Once I can turn this place into a nice big ship, then my storied career as a professional treasure hunter will begin.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe anyone would hire you to find anything,¡± Cal said. ¡°Unless it¡¯s hidden in a brothel.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hear, Cal?¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Our sweet boy, Emir, has mended his sexually adventurous ways.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it,¡± Cal said.


    ¡°This is what you miss when you pick up extra contracts instead of taking a break with the rest of us,¡± Gabriel said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to diamond rank by taking breaks,¡± Cal said.


    ¡°That¡¯s true enough,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°He really does seem to have come around though. He¡¯s met someone.¡±


    ¡°Man, woman or fish?¡± Cal asked.


    ¡°Merfolk are not fish,¡± Emir said. ¡°They happen to be very sensual people.¡±


    ¡°Very sensual fish people,¡± Cal muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s a capable young bronze-rank girl,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°I quite like her.¡±


    ¡°Bronze rank?¡± Cal muttered. ¡°Cradle snatching.¡±


    ¡°In all seriousness, you be careful,¡± Gabriel told Emir. ¡°Cal¡¯s not wrong that she¡¯s young. Between the rank difference and the fact that she¡¯s going to be working for you, there¡¯s a lot of ways you could take advantage. Don¡¯t let me hear that you did.¡±


    ¡°What kind of sleaze to you take me for?¡± Emir asked, only to met by three flat expression. ¡°Oh, nice.¡±


    ¡°If you like this girl, be patient,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°She¡¯s not a match for you, right now. If she¡¯s working for you, she¡¯s not going anywhere. Give her time to come into her own.¡±


    ¡°How much time? I don¡¯t want to be going around a decade from now, still mooning over her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯ll definitely have someone else by then,¡± Cal goaded.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Emir said. ¡°Highly suspicious accidents happen every day.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Arabelle scolded. ¡°Bad Emir.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a naughty puppy,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°You kind of are, though,¡± Gabriel said, the other two nodding their agreement.


    ¡°See, this is why I¡¯m retiring,¡± Emir said. ¡°If all the people I¡¯m working with are getting paid by me, they have to show me some respect.¡±


    He looked to Gabriel and Arabelle.


    ¡°I know Cal won¡¯t stop taking contracts, but what about you two? Will you callously replace me and get right back to adventuring?¡±


    ¡°Rufus is old enough to start training properly, now,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°We¡¯re going to step away from contracts for a while and be home for the next monster surge. We¡¯ll be taking a more hand-on approach instead of just leaving everything to the academy.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go expecting him to get his essences too soon,¡± Gabriel warned. ¡°All the boys in my family are later bloomers.¡±


    The team returned to the village the mud monster had been threatening, only to find it disturbingly devoid of people. In their place, they found piles of mud throughout the village, which had the clothes of the villagers inside them.


    ¡°What in the world happened?¡± Gabriel asked, crouched next to a pile of mud in the mayor¡¯s house. He fished out a necklace he remembered seeing around the mayor¡¯s neck. ¡°Did they all turn into mud?¡±


    Cal turned, looking through the wall.


    ¡°There¡¯s someone here. He¡¯s skilled; I can barely sense his aura.¡±


    The team went out onto the street. The man there was wearing sandy coloured leathers with numerous tribal markings sewed in. They were designed to blend in with the tattoos on his skin. He was an elf with stark white hair, reddish skin and golden eyes.


    ¡°Greetings,¡± the elf said. ¡°Did you kill the mud lord that was inhabiting this region?¡±


    ¡°If you mean the awful mud monster in a hole in the woods, then yes,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°I have been pursuing its progenitor,¡± the man said. ¡°An emperor ooze.¡±


    ¡°Are you from the Walsh tribe?¡± Cal asked.


    ¡°You recognise our markings,¡± the elf said. ¡°I am Brian, son of Kevin.¡±


    ¡°As in, Kevin, son of Jeremy, son of Dennis?¡± Cal asked.


    ¡°That is my father, yes,¡± Brian said.


    ¡°You come from a strong line,¡± Cal praised.


    ¡°I am proud to trace my lineage all the way back to Jeff, Lord of the Hunt,¡± Brian said.


    The team introduced themselves.


    ¡°I have heard the Remore name,¡± Brian said. ¡°It is said that you raise fine warriors.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what happened to the villagers here?¡± Arabelle asked.


    ¡°There were never villagers here,¡± the man said. ¡°They were homunculi of the mud lord.¡±


    ¡°Then why would they send for the Adventure Society to come kill it?¡± Gabriel asked.


    ¡°Only the truly capable can defeat a mud lord in their lair,¡± Brian said. ¡°They like to call the strong to fight them, then consume them to grow stronger. It seems that you were more than it could handle, however. You have my respect.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather have your soap,¡± Emir said. ¡°You don¡¯t have any crystal wash, do you?¡±


    ¡°Again with this?¡± Gabriel asked.


    ¡°It was your job to stock up the potions,¡± Emir said. ¡°I very specifically reminded you that we were low on crystal wash.¡±


    ¡°You have a magical cloud house with crystal wash in the shower water!¡±


    ¡°Diluted crystal wash. It isn¡¯t the same.¡±


    Arabelle gave Brian an apologetic smile while Cal ran a frustrated hand over his face.


    ¡°So this isn¡¯t a real village?¡± Arabelle asked.


    ¡°I told you it was weird that all the buildings were new,¡± Cal said.


    ¡°I intended to recruit aid before challenging the emperor ooze that produced the mud lord you fought. You have proven yourself capable and I would be honoured if you would join me in my quest.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we were just about to head back to¡­ ow!¡±


    Emir was cut off by Cal stamping on his foot.


    ¡°Are there magic spikes on the bottom of your boots?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°The honour would be ours,¡± Cal said to Brian, ignoring Emir. ¡°To fight alongside a warrior of the Walsh tribe is a privilege.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d be happy to help,¡± Arabelle agreed.


    As Gabriel¡¯s attacks threatened the ooze emperor¡¯s core, the ooze minions melted back into puddle shapes and rapidly flowed in the core¡¯s direction. They formed a thin, gelatinous barrier around it that reformed with every attack.


    ¡°Get ready,¡± Brian called out. ¡°I¡¯ll expose the core to let you finish it off!¡±


    No longer attacked after the sudden retreat of the oozlings, Brian took the opportunity to pour powdered iron onto the ground in a circle. He quickly finished the summoning and an enormous iron duck rose from the circle, earning a sceptical eyebrow raise from Emir.


    ¡°That thing looks ridiculo¡­¡±


    The iron duck let out a sound that was a quack by way of an earthquake, the air shimmering as noise blasted out in a tsunami of force. The continuous barrage of sound struck like a fire hose streaming full bore into a jelly dessert, splattering ooze everywhere. As the cacophonous blast finally subsided, a V-formation of iron mallards swooped into the hole that had been burrowed in the ooze emperor¡¯s protective sheath. They each let out smaller sonic attacks of their own before exploding into metal fragments, the accumulated damage once more revealing the ooze emperor¡¯s core.


    Gabriel and Emir didn¡¯t waste any time, dashing forward into the hole in the monster that was already starting to close. They destroyed the core and the ooze lost all cohesion, rapidly liquefying. Inundated in the dissolution of the ooze, Gabriel and Emir were washed up at the feet of their companions like bedraggled sailors from a shipwreck. Emir got to his feet, looking at himself with disgust as he shook his arms to fling off goo.


    ¡°Tell me again about how it doesn¡¯t matter than you forgot to get more crystal wash?¡± he asked loudly, ears still ringing from the thunderous quack.


    Gabriel tried to get to his feet, slipped on ooze and fell over again.


    ¡°I think I may have to acknowledge the point,¡± he conceded laying in the stinking residue.


    Brian ignored the mess to wade in and help Gabriel to his feet.


    ¡°You are a credit to your name,¡± Brian said. ¡°You fight well.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Gabriel said. ¡°You too.¡±


    ¡°Okay, this time I¡¯m really done with having adventures,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°You are giving up the path of the warrior?¡± Brian asked.


    ¡°Damn right,¡± Emir said. ¡°I¡¯m going to be a treasure hunter. Professionally. For money. Plus treasure.¡±


    ¡°Uncovering hidden secrets, unravelling ancient mysteries and exploring unseen horizons,¡± Brian said. ¡°An admirable way to spend a life.¡±


    ¡°Nice,¡± Emir said, pleasantly surprised. ¡°This lot think I¡¯m a quitter.¡±


    ¡°Warriors claim the glory,¡± Brian said, ¡°but who builds the homes they live in? Sing the songs of their deeds? Each of us must find their own path and contribute in our own way.¡±


    ¡°You know, I like you, Brian,¡± Emir said. ¡°Have you ever considered treasure hunting in a subordinate capacity?¡±


    Rufus led Ketis into the lounge as Emir was wrapping up his story.


    ¡°Emir was just telling Sophie about how she met Brian,¡± Arabelle told her son. Whose face took on a grimacing smile. ¡°He told her they met while he was iron-rank, but you were iron-rank when you met Brain¡¯s son, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said flatly. ¡°Yes, I was.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you tell us about it?¡± Arabelle asked sweetly.


    ¡°Mother¡­¡±


    ¡°Son¡­¡±


    Rufus sighed.


    Although Roland Remore was rarely spotted on the Remore Academy campus, the presence of the diamond-rank arch-chancellor was always felt. When he did make an appearance, it drew all eyes. Whenever he acted personally, the ramifications were much discussed.


    Most recently, he was rumoured to have personally brought in some boy from the remote countryside to join the academy. Roland Remore looked like a well-preserved forty, a tenth of the reality. He was tall, strong and handsome, with a round bush of dark, curly hair and a neatly trimmed goatee. Walking behind him was a boy of fifteen, wearing plain leather hide and sandals.


    Rufus Remore was the prince of Remore Academy, the talented heir apparent to the power and prestige of his family legacy. He was lounging in the duelling courtyard with his friends, watching the friendly matches. He didn¡¯t bother to participate as there was no one there who posed a challenge. He wasn¡¯t going to go punching down.


    Everything stopped the moment the arch-chancellor appeared, no one paying attention to the boy moving in his wake. Rufus immediately leap to his feet, rushing to respectfully greet his grandfather, although he would not address him as such on campus.


    ¡°Arch-chancellor,¡± Rufus greeted, bowing his head.


    ¡°Just who I was looking for,¡± Roland said. ¡°Rufus, I¡¯ve brought in young man to join the academy.¡±


    Rufus looked at the boy for the first time. He was a white-haired elf, packing more muscle than most of his race. He could sense the boy¡¯s aura, in the early stages of iron-rank but well controlled. Rufus felt a familiar pang of jealousy at the boy¡¯s youth, having had to wait until he was nineteen before his body was ready to accept essences.


    ¡°I thought,¡± Roland continued, ¡°that there would be no better way to introduce him than a friendly spar with our finest student.¡±


    A susurrus went through the crowd of students looking on. The arch-chancellor personally bringing a stranger to fight Rufus Remore was the kind of event everyone not present would be sore over missing.


    Soon, illusionary doubles of Rufus and the boy were in one of the courtyard¡¯s arenas, their bodies inert on nearby on projecting platforms.


    ¡°I exhort you all to watch closely,¡± Roland announced to the gathered students, as if there was even a single one whose eyes were not glued to the spectacle. ¡°I believe that this will be an important lesson for all.


    ¡°I am Rufus Remore,¡± Rufus said formally as he conjured a golden sword.


    ¡°I am Kenneth, son of Brian,¡± the boy said, calling out his summoned familiar. It was a duck.

 Chapter 263 (interval): Show and Tell

    DS Adam Cosgrove was thirty one years old and looked like a detective from a TV show. He wasn¡¯t good looking enough for it to be an American show, but he had a dishevelled intelligence that was compelling enough for a middlingly successful British or Australian crime drama.


    He was in the middle of an apartment building, standing next to a uniformed officer. An older woman, she had the air of having seen it all. Being a police officer, all in her case meant all the horrible things people do to one another.


    ¡°Have you ever seen anything like this?¡± Adam asked.


    ¡°Nope. I¡¯ve seen some weird business, but this is a new one on me.¡±


    The apartment building was ordinarily an unremarkable one, on the upper end of lower class. Melbourne, like most cities, had more than enough of them to go around. This particular one, however, had developed an unusual feature. Despite the exterior wall remaining intact, a large chunk of the interior was missing.


    It hadn¡¯t been destroyed in an explosion or collapsed in some kind of structural disaster. There was no debris or collateral damage. It was just gone; an empty space inside a building where an entire apartment should have been. The exterior wall was intact but the rest the apartment was gone, along with portions of the apartments around, above and below it.


    What truly made the space remarkable was that it took the form of a perfect sphere. It was as if someone had lifted off the top half of the building and taken out a scoop, before putting the top back on. Walls, floor, carpet and furniture were cut with the smooth precision of a laser. Pipes now just ended, requiring the building¡¯s plumbing to be shut down due to spillage.


    ¡°It mostly affected the one apartment?¡± Adam asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± the officer said, looking at the clipboard notes she was holding. ¡°It touched on the surrounding apartments, but centred on this one. The guy above got banged-up pretty bad when the floor under his bed vanished and he dropped two apartments down. It was a lucky thing he didn¡¯t land on anyone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how it was described?¡± Adam asked. ¡°Just vanishing? No explosion or anything.¡±


    ¡°Some of the neighbours described a sucking air noise. Like in movies, when someone shoots out an aeroplane window and the air goes rushing out.¡±


    ¡°What about whoever lived in the apartment? Has anyone else been significantly hurt?¡±


    ¡°Just the one man who dropped two floors was hurt badly. There were some minor injuries amongst the other occupants, but not many. We¡¯ve been tracking down residents, making sure they¡¯re either here or otherwise accounted for. The only one we couldn¡¯t find was the sole resident of the apartment that had occupied the centre of the missing space.¡±


    ¡°It happened in the middle of the night.¡± Adam said.  ¡°The poor sod is probably in the same place as the rest of his apartment. Do we have a name?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s¡­¡±


    She checked her clipboard again.


    ¡°Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Adam asked.


    ¡°Detective Sergeant, this matter is not a concern for the Victoria police. It¡¯s a federal issue.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an apartment building where you claim there was a simple accident. How is that a federal crime?¡±


    ¡°It will go better for everyone of you don¡¯t go around asking questions like that, Detective Sergeant.¡±


    The apartment building had been evacuated of people, ostensibly on the basis of structural instability due to the damage. Now, what looked like a small army of forensics people had claimed a number of the apartments as set up areas and were crawling over the interior like ants.


    Adam was in a ground floor apartment where the federal police had set up a command post. Their goal seemed to be to have as small a visible footprint as possible, although they were having little success. The displaced residents and rumours already starting to spread were made all the worse by the media, which had already been present. The military had been conducting one of its unannounced terrorism readiness exercises nearby though the night, part of a new program that was starting to draw press attention.


    The local police had been directly and explicitly instructed to completely remove themselves, outside of the uniformed officers being used to secure the exterior of the building. Adam might have left it at that, if the explanation he was given wasn¡¯t so patently absurd.


    ¡°You¡¯re seriously going with a gas explosion?¡± he asked. ¡°A gas explosion in a building with no gas service, blowing a perfectly spherical hole with no debris and a blast area that completely annihilated everything up to a point and then completely stopping dead. An explosion that no one heard, despite being in a building full of people.¡±


    ¡°Detective Sergeant, we have already asked you nicely to leave this matter be. We highly recommend that you move on and do not give this incident any further thought. Otherwise, we will have to move on from asking, the ramifications of which will fall directly on you and be unambiguously negative.¡±


    Adam glared at the woman. The federal police officer had a nicer suit and nicer hair than him. She was not a large woman but her stern features and short-cropped hair radiated professionalism.


    ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes, Detective Sergeant. You need to forget all about this incident or you will find the weight that drops down on you from a very great height sufficient to squash you and your career like a bug under a shoe.¡±


    Adam glowered. In addition to the feds there were military personnel and some less conventional people busying themselves. There was a group talking quietly amongst themselves that Adam¡¯s trained eye picked out as not being law enforcement or military, in spite of the expensive suits. From the looks of things, however, their presence was wholly unchallenged, unlike his own.


    He turned to leave.


    ¡°Detective Sergeant,¡± the federal officer called out.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I need to know that you won¡¯t interfere further.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°You need to tell me that you understand. I want to hear you say it.¡±


    ¡°And I want you to get run over by a bulldozer,¡± Adam said. ¡°We don¡¯t get everything we want in life.¡±


    ¡°Detective Sergeant, I¡¯d better not hear that you¡¯ve been talking to the media. And if you do, I will hear about it.¡±


    He left, not bothering to respond.


    Someone stopped Erika Asano outside the caf¨¦.


    ¡°I just bought your new cookbook!¡±


    ¡°Thank you. I hope you enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°I was so sorry to hear about your brother.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    She took a selfie with the fan before going inside, making her way into a secluded booth in the back. She sat down opposite a man who looked like he had slept in his suit. He smelled like he was several days past his last shower but only minutes past his last drink. He had bloodshot eyes and a scratchy beard.


    ¡°Hello Detective,¡± she said, voice and face both filled with concern.


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± Adam said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that. I hate to think that I pushed you to¡­¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t push me into anything,¡± he said. ¡°I walked into this with my eyes wide open.¡±


    ¡°What do you have?¡± Erika asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t sound optimistic over the phone.¡±


    Adam took a battered folder from the satchel on the seat next to him, placing it on the table. Then he took a flash drive from his pocket, placing it on top of the folder.


    ¡°I¡¯ve taken this as far as it will go,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been chewing my way around the outside, but there¡¯s no way into the middle. It¡¯s like there¡¯s a giant hole at the centre of all this and nothing that would fit makes any kind of sense.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°This is as far as it goes,¡± Adam said, patting the folder. ¡°This is everything I have. There¡¯s some photos in there of the space where your brother¡¯s apartment should be. I shouldn¡¯t have those, so be careful where you flash them around. Or don¡¯t; I don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nowhere else to take the investigation?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve put together enough of the puzzle to see that there¡¯s one very big, very weird piece missing. There¡¯s a secret here and I promise you that neither you nor I will be able to crack it. I know it¡¯s somehow connected to all those terrorist readiness drills the military are doing. I know someone is influencing government bodies at an incredibly high level and I know there is some kind of operation working completely in the dark. I don¡¯t know if it¡¯s some kind of off-the-books intelligence program or what, but they have a stupid amount of pull.¡±


    A waitress came by and Erika ordered some tea. Adam ordered coffee.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care, as long as it¡¯s strong and hot.¡±


    ¡°So what now?¡± Erika asked after the waitress walked away.


    ¡°Now, I go spend my rent money on bourbon. This is the end of the road, Mrs Asano. There¡¯s a secret here and it¡¯s a lot bigger than you and me. The only thing I kept out of this folder is a number of deaths I¡¯m pretty sure happened to keep that secret. I won¡¯t let you go poking around and get killed too.¡±


    ¡°Are you in danger?¡± she asked.


    Adam let out a bitter laugh.


    ¡°Frankly, I¡¯m amazed I¡¯m still alive. I was advised to leave this alone multiple times. Then I was told, then I was fired. Don¡¯t make my mistake. I know you don¡¯t have answers for what happened to your brother, but you need to find a way to let it go.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to sit there having thrown everything into this and tell me to walk away?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Mrs Asano, not everyone who told me to back off had something to hide. They knew what keeping at this would cost me, and they were right. Just look at me. I don¡¯t have anyone. You have family. I know he was your brother, but would he want your family to get hurt chasing answers when he¡¯s already dead?¡±


    Erika¡¯s face scrunched with unwillingness, but she gave a slight nod.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± she said.


    ¡°The people behind this don¡¯t want you to like it,¡± Adam said. ¡°They want you to shut up and stop poking into this or they¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°Are you seriously suggesting I would be murdered by some conspiracy group? That¡¯s absurd.¡±


    ¡°Mrs Asano, those deaths I mentioned? There weren¡¯t any murders. There were car accidents. House fires. Suicides.¡±


    ¡°Which could be exactly what they seem.¡±


    ¡°Suicide will be how they do you, by the way. Celebrity chef kills herself after brother¡¯s tragic death in gas explosion. Friends say she became erratic in the months following her brother¡¯s death, obsessed with conspiracy theories. She was known to associate with disgraced former detective¡­¡±


    The return of the waitress with their drinks forestalled Erika¡¯s response.


    ¡°Do you really expect me to believe any of this?¡± she asked, once the waitress was gone again.


    ¡°I barely believe it,¡± Adam said with a wry, weary smile. ¡°But remember, you were the one who found me. We both know this thing has stunk from the word go. But don¡¯t make my mistakes. You have people that can still get hurt.¡±


    He placed a hand on the folder.


    ¡°This is almost everything I¡¯ve been able to put together, from copies of police reports to my personal notes. You can take it, but I¡¯m asking you not to. Go home and look after your family.¡±


    ¡°Detective¡­ Mr Cosgrove. I did come to you. I can¡¯t help but feel I am, in part, responsible for the circumstance you find yourself in.¡±


    ¡°I may have bought a first-class ticket for the self-pity train, Mrs Asano, but I know who put me where I am, and it wasn¡¯t you.¡±


    She looked at the folder under his hand for a long time before standing up without touching it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your advice, Mr Cosgrove. I know we probably won¡¯t meet again, but do not hesitate to contact me if you ever need something. I appreciate how much you¡¯ve sacrificed looking for the truth about my brother.¡±


    ¡°It was never about you or your brother for me, Mrs Asano.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it, nonetheless.¡±


    She took out some money, leaving it next to her untouched tea.


    ¡°For the drinks.¡±


    Adam shuffled wearily through the bottle shop. Standing in front of the bourbon was a woman dressed in an exquisite suit. She was looking right at him. His memory stirred.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of them,¡± he said. ¡°You were there, when Asano¡¯s apartment went wherever the hell it went.¡±


    ¡°I was there, yes, although we never actually met. You have a good eye and a sharp memory, Mr Cosgrove. It¡¯s what makes you a good investigator.¡±


    Adam snorted.


    ¡°Being a good investigator is about legwork and persistence,¡± he said. ¡°You can shove that Sherlock Holmes crap up your arse.¡±


    He moved forward to take a bottle and she stepped into his path.


    ¡°Lady, if you think I won¡¯t kick your arse right here then you¡¯re underestimating how little I¡¯ve got to lose anymore.¡±


    Adam drew a sharp breath as the woman¡¯s presence seemed to strangely swell until it felt like she was towering over him, despite not having moved. He suddenly felt incredibly vulnerable and exposed, with no idea why. He fought back against the feeling by calling on the wellspring of anger that had been simmering inside of him for months, grabbing the front of the woman¡¯s suit with both hands. Her own hands gripped his forearms like a pair of industrial clamps, pulling his hands off of her with a mechanical inexorability.


    ¡°Jesus, lady. Are you a frigging terminator?¡±


    ¡°Mr Cosgrove, I¡¯m here to offer you the thing you have been chasing since this all began. The things that destroyed your life. The secret you¡¯ve been circling without ever being able to see.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been watching your efforts, Mr Cosgrove. You are a dogged and determined investigator who looks beyond the obvious and is unflinching when others lack resolve.¡±


    ¡°And hasn¡¯t that worked out well for me?¡±


    ¡°Mr Cosgrove, come work for us. All the answers you¡¯ve been looking for are just the beginning of what you¡¯ll receive.¡±


    ¡°You want me to work for you?¡± he asked, incredulous. ¡°Everything you¡¯ve done and you want me to throw in with you?¡±


    ¡°Mr Cosgrove, your life is not in a good position right now.¡±


    ¡°Because of you, you wretched harpy.¡±


    ¡°We can make amends and more.¡±


    ¡°And if I tell you to shove it up your arse?¡±


    ¡°Then you can drink yourself to death in ignorance,¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t have the credibility to cause us any problems. Convincing Erika Asano to let it go was a smart move. You were wrong though; it wouldn¡¯t have been suicide.¡±


    Adam¡¯s hand flashed out, snatching a bottle from the shelf and swinging it at her head. Her reflexes were too fast for him to follow and the next thing he knew he was stumbling back and falling over, the bottle in her hand.


    ¡°That¡¯s disappointing,¡± she said as she put the bottle back on the shelf. ¡°I think you could have been quite remarkable, Mr Cosgrove.¡±


    She waked away as Adam pulled himself to his feet. She turned the corner and he didn¡¯t see her again.


    Adam walked out of the bottle shop with a half dozen bottles in a cardboard box. He glanced around the parking lot, habitually taking in the details. There was a man who had been sitting in a car before Adam arrived, who now got out and started walking in his direction.


    ¡°She¡¯s a bitch isn¡¯t she?¡± the man called out. He was wearing a pastel shirt with the top two buttons undone and a white jacket over white slacks. He was white, looked around Adam¡¯s age and had an American accent.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Adam asked.


    ¡°Miranda,¡± the man said. ¡°She probably didn¡¯t tell you her name, though, did she?¡±


    ¡°Look, Miami Vice,¡± Adam said. ¡°I¡¯ve had my fill of mysterious pricks, so how about you sod off.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I get why you¡¯re bitter. Can I call you Adam?¡±


    ¡°You can bugger off.¡±


    Adam resumed the walk to his car.


    ¡°She¡¯s not the only one who can tell you the big secret, you know,¡± the man called after him. Adam stopped and turned around.


    ¡°Save it, mate. I¡¯m not buying.¡±


    The man chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m Dash,¡± he said. ¡°And yeah, I¡¯d like to recruit you as well. Say what you want about Miranda, but she knows good material when she sees it.¡±


    ¡°I told her to stick it up her arse,¡± Adam said. ¡°You can stick it up her arse too.¡±


    Dash laughed again.


    ¡°You know, I like you Adam. Here¡¯s the difference between me and Miranda. She¡¯ll let you in on the big secret if you agree to join her little group and follow orders like a good boy. Me, though? I¡¯m going to tell you the secret. Right here, right now. If you want to throw in with us after, then great. If not, then all it cost me was a little time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re okay with me knowing, then just going my own way?¡±


    ¡°My organisation isn¡¯t like Miranda¡¯s. We don¡¯t care about keeping the secret. The thing is, the secret wants to be told. Every year it gets harder and harder to keep it under wraps, and we have no interest in helping.¡±


    ¡°Then what do you do?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re getting ready for the day that the secret isn¡¯t a secret anymore. I¡¯ll be happy to tell you all about it, but you¡¯re going to want answers first. What is this great, big, important secret that I¡¯m walking around?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me, just like that?¡±


    ¡°If I just told you, you wouldn¡¯t believe me,¡± Dash said. ¡°I¡¯m going to show you.¡±

 Chapter 264 (interval): Beyond Our Ability to Control

    The Adventure Society and the Magic Society had both sent people flooding into the astral space. For the Adventure Society, it was a precious chance to rapidly advance some of their more promising members. It was currently ideal for skilled bronze-rankers and even freshly ranked-up silvers to advance their abilities. For the Magic Society, it was a chance to get a handle on the advanced astral magic the Builder¡¯s cult had been wielding. For both, it was a chance to prepare for the battle against the Builder¡¯s forces still escalating around the world.


    Once again working for the Magic Society, Clive¡¯s first task was to return to the astral space from which he had recently emerged. It would only remain accessible for a limited time, but now the limitations of rank were removed from entry, it was a treasure trove of knowledge and opportunity. It was also a treasure trove of actual treasure, but that was the Adventure Society¡¯s area.


    Clive had not revealed the materials that Knowledge had given first to Jason and then to him. He implicitly understood that the goddess had already been pushing boundaries. That said, any of it he could link to what they found in the astral space, he did so immediately.


    He attributed any suspicious leaps of insight to having studied the Builder¡¯s magic during his previous time in the astral space. It wasn¡¯t exactly a lie. To the best of his understanding, the information Knowledge had given them was taken from the Builder¡¯s people. It was also true that Clive had studied materials they had taken from the Builder cult¡¯s two camp sites.


    The cult¡¯s original arrival site had a building apparently occupied by the cult¡¯s ritualists and containing much of the material handed over by Knowledge. That freed up Clive¡¯s ability to share the information and eased his scruples. He abhorred the idea of being credited for magical breakthroughs he did not actually make himself.


    Atop one of the portal towers at the edge of the city, Clive was explaining some of the magic involved with the portal arches, although the tower arches were still inactive. His audience was a group of Magic Society astral magic scholars who had portalled in to Greenstone from far and wide. Information that would help them stop the Builder from seizing more astral spaces was currently the world¡¯s most precious commodity. Any doubts the assemblage held about Clive¡¯s capabilities as a provincial scholar had been quickly expelled by his expertise.


    The group were protected from the dangers of the astral space by a contingent of Adventure Society members, led by a silver-ranker and including Clive¡¯s own team. Although they would each be following different pursuits in the near future, for the moment they followed him into the astral space. Despite the assurances of the Adventure Society that they would all be kept safe, the team would not be dislodged. They were not going to lose another member to that place.


    Of Clive¡¯s team, only Belinda had joined the Magic Society people in listening to Clive¡¯s lecture. The rest of the adventures were placed around the edge of the tower. These were not Greenstone locals but more capable imports; part of a much larger group brought in for the exploration of the astral space.


    Only the most elite of Greenstone¡¯s own adventurers had even been allowed to participate. This was a small handful of bronze-rankers, including Henrietta Geller and Cassandra Mercer, both of whom were edging up on silver-rank. Beth Cavendish and her team had reached bronze-rank while Humphrey¡¯s team were in the astral space, although they were not as advanced as Humphrey and the others. Months in the pressure-cooker of the astral space had allowed them to leapfrog their peers.


    Humphrey stood right at the edge of the tower, eyes panning from the water stretching out to the horizon and back to the city. Experienced eyes picked out the potential approach points of the familiar buildings of the crumbling brick, struggling under fecund jungle. Next to him was the silver-ranker, a man with wild dark hair named Pranesh.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be so vigilant,¡± Pranesh said.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t respect this place, it will kill you,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°The Builder¡¯s vessel is gone and we mopped up what was left of his people,¡± Pranesh said. ¡°All that¡¯s left are monsters.¡±


    ¡°This place keeps dangerous secrets,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m not so foolish as to think we found them all.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother trying to tempt my little brother into slacking off,¡± Henrietta said, walking over to them. ¡°They train all us Gellers, but Humphrey is the measuring stick, now. He always embodied the training, but now he¡¯s been through the fire. He¡¯s exactly the adventurer we¡¯re trying to make.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re exaggerating, Henri,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°See? Modesty. Just like good little Geller boy.¡±


    Nearby, Sophie was glancing back at Belinda, seeing her engrossed in Clive¡¯s impromptu lecture. She wandered over to stand next to her friend, giving Belinda a companionable shoulder bump. Belinda flashed her a smile before returning her gaze back to Clive.


    ¡°You should do it,¡± Sophie said quietly.


    Clive had asked Belinda to resume her previous position as his research assistant. Since that meant separating from Sophie, if only temporarily, she had declined the offer.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to go off with Emir, looking for your family,¡± Belinda said. ¡°A family who, as best anyone can tell, are some kind of ancient order of murderers. How can I leave you alone for that?¡±


    Sophie glanced back at Humphrey and Neil. Humphrey was his usual, diligent self. Neil had his legs hanging off the edge of the tower, Cassandra Mercer sitting next to him as they chatted quietly.


    ¡°I won¡¯t be alone,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It¡¯s not just you and me anymore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that there¡¯s no way to stabilise the portal and maintain access to the astral space?¡± Lorelei asked. She, along with the other Magic Society members, were still struggling to get their heads around the astral magic concepts Clive was explaining.


    ¡°Maintaining a stable portal isn¡¯t the issue,¡± Clive said, patting the portal arch he was standing next to. ¡°This isn¡¯t an astral space, in the traditional sense. It¡¯s a vehicle. A transcendent-rank vehicle in the shape of an astral space. A vehicle that is now slowly pulling away from our world, which is beyond our ability to control.¡±


    ¡°Why is it pulling away?¡± Lorelei asked.


    Lorelei was a fair-skinned woman with blonde hair. The beautifying effect of her bronze rank hadn¡¯t made her as radiant as someone like Sophie, but she still had the healthy, athletic look of a magically idealised body. The effects on the body of ranking up were more pronounced on those who didn¡¯t already have the looks and physique of a Humphrey or a Sophie. For them it was akin to polishing an already stunning gemstone, rather than carving a beautiful sculpture from a mundane rock.


    ¡°The Builder was taking control of this place,¡± Clive said. ¡°Only a being of his level could actually do so, but we were lucky. The limits of his vessel meant that he still required an intermediary control, namely, the tower now standing the in centre of the astral space.¡±


    All eyes turned as Clive gestured. From their position on their own tower, they could see the central tower even from the edge of the city. The thirty storey edifice was the tallest building in the astral space by a factor of six.


    ¡°As you all saw descending the tower after your arrival,¡± Clive said, ¡°It isn¡¯t a building in the traditional sense. Only the bottom floors have space for occupation, and even they only have doorways with no doors.¡±


    They had all arrived at the astral space through the portal Clive had appropriated from a tower like the one on which they stood. Since then, he had done a more thorough job of keeping it open, compared to the rushed connection they had made on their initial escape.


    ¡°When the Builder started taking control of this place,¡± Clive said. ¡°We had no means to seize that control. The best we could do was interfere with his intermediary mechanism, the central tower, inverting the considerable energies involved. This causing the vehicle to draw away from our world instead of breaching it. Using the towers the Order of the Reaper built around the Builder¡¯s giant golems was just a bonus, as was siphoning off enough power to fuel a portal. If the dimensional forces involved hadn¡¯t been just right, and if the Order of the Reaper hadn¡¯t designed these portals to use the golems as a power source, then my team and I would have died without ever escaping this place. Frankly, I¡¯m amazed that it worked at all; I really hadn¡¯t expected it to.¡±


    ¡°You never told us that!¡± Neil called out from behind the assembled Magic Society people.


    ¡°What good would that have done?¡± Clive asked him.


    ¡°I could have played the odds,¡± Neil said. ¡°Thrown in with the Builder and sold the rest of you out.¡±


    The assembled strangers looked at Neil with shocked disbelief, as did Cassandra, standing next to him. His team just shook their heads.


    Pranesh was the first to detect the approaching adventurers with his silver-rank senses. They were bronze-rank, moving fast, with auras flecked with panic. Then he sensed the wave of monsters following after them.


    ¡°Idiots,¡± he muttered shaking his head. The point of not using the locals was to avoid stupid mistakes.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°It looks like the patrol team ran into one of those monster packs still roaming around,¡± Pranesh said. ¡°They¡¯ve led it right back here.¡±


    ¡°I though you people were meant to be the good adventurers,¡± Neil said, overhearing.


    ¡°We were,¡± Pranesh said, then called out for the group¡¯s attention and explained the imminent situation.


    ¡°There is a wave of monsters heading this way. From the proportions I¡¯m sensing, two-thirds of the pack are bronze-rank and the rest are silver. As for absolute numbers, I¡¯m not sure, but it¡¯s a lot. Adventurers, gather on me. Magic Society people, gather at the centre of the tower. Unless the pack had flyers amongst them, we¡¯ll make sure the fighting doesn¡¯t get near you.¡±


    Clive left the scholars to join his team, lining up at the edge of the tower. Lorelei followed, looking concerned.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to fight,¡± she assured him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get it,¡± Neil said. ¡°We¡¯re here to kick ass and chew bubblegum, and we never actually found out what bubblegum was.¡±


    ¡°You have gotten so weird,¡± Cassandra told Neil. ¡°You used to be the sensible one. You¡¯re a lot more like Jason, now.¡±


    ¡°I think he always was,¡± Humphrey said as he conjured his dragon armour and giant wing sword. ¡°He just never had the chance to be himself when he had your brother to deal with. Too much responsibility and too few people to rely on. Now he can afford to let himself loose a little.¡±


    ¡°I think he may have gotten a little too loose,¡± Cassandra said.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m still right here,¡± Neil said. ¡°You¡¯re talking about me like I¡¯m a child with behaviour problems.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t imagine why,¡± Sophie said.


    They lined up on the edge of the tower as their senses began to pick up the oncoming monsters.


    ¡°This is good,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I haven¡¯t killed a monster in more than a week and it was starting to feel weird.¡±


    ¡°This monster train is what we did to the Builder cult,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You don¡¯t suppose this is some leftover cult people getting their own back?¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I never got the chance  to thank them as thoroughly as I wanted to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never faced this many monsters before,¡± Cassandra said. Neil reached out and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he told her. ¡°This is what we do.¡±


    The adventurers confronting the monster wave were caught up in a sprawling pitched battle that filled the overgrown streets and spread into the ruined buildings. The monsters held a massive advantage in numbers as well as rank, with numerous silver-rankers amongst them. There were no second-rate adventurers present, however, only elites. They were not overwhelmed, many of the bronze-rankers able to go one-on-one against the silver-rank monsters, although there was no such thing as a clean fight amongst the chaos.


    The only silver-rank adventurer, Pranesh, was a literal dervish of swords. Surrounded by conjured swords, they whirled around him like a dust devil of steel, carving a path through the battlefield. He served as a pressure vale for the adventurers, stepping in when fights got too hairy.


    The ranged attackers, like Clive, had prime position atop the high tower. Clive himself had set up a row of ritual circles to empower the ranged attackers standing on them. He had added further circles floating at the and of his weapons as he blasted away with his wand and staff. Next to him was Emily, the celestine archer from Beth Cavendish¡¯s team. Her gold hair was trimmed short in a practical pixie cut, leaving nothing to fall in her face as her eyes darts back and forth over the battlefield.


    With a racial gift evolution that gave her the human aptitude for special attacks, she was conjuring magical arrows by the multitude and raining them down on the monsters. The power to conjure her deadly Reaper¡¯s Bow had been bestowed by the awakening stone of the Reaper she earned in the trials. Her myriad essence gave her an array of powerful attacks that combined deadly precision with area attacks. Her gathering and onslaught essences were less discriminate, with powerful charge attacks and arrows imbued with potent explosive magic.


    On the ground, the other adventures confronted the monsters directly. Beth and Humphrey¡¯s team worked together, joined by Cassandra and Henrietta. The pair¡¯s own teams had, like them, returned to their homelands in readiness for the monster surge that still refused to arrive.


    The shardstorm pangolin was a silver-rank monster that could send steel-hard and razor-sharp scales flying from its body, then control them telekinetically to create a storm of blades. The effect was not unlike Pranesh and his sword dervish, but the scales-blades were smaller and far more numerous. A trio of the pangolins were overlapping their blade zones, creating an obscuring cloud of biting teeth.


    The shifting blade wall was thick enough that even attacks were being absorbed, the hardy scales deflecting physical projectiles and absorbing magic. With multiple monsters in the same space, even area effects weren¡¯t breaking through.


    Sophie had learned important lessons from her battles in the astral space. The biggest one was that avoiding attacks would only get her so far if she did so little damage that the enemy could ignore her and go after her team. It was the hard-fought battles against silver-rank enemies that had taught her how to ramp up her damage, if the enemies were up to the task.


    She dashed into the middle of the blade storm, knowing that just few seconds of exposure would tear her to ribbons. She activated her Moment of Oneness power, absorbing all damage she took for two seconds, after which she had four more seconds to deliver that damage against an opponent in an attack or suffer it all retroactively.


    The scale blades blasted her like rain in a hurricane, even as she pushed through the dense cloud at speed. Her scant seconds of protection ended before she could break through and for a fleeting moment, was subject to the full fury of the blades. They slashed open her armour and flesh alike, leaving her cut and bloody in an instant.


    It was only a moment before she reached the eye of the storm, close enough to the monsters that they would not risk cutting themselves with their wild blades. Their control was crude, so they gave themselves a comfortable margin, especially with three together combining efforts.


    It had only been a single moment that Sophie was subjected to the razor cloud, but it was enough to leave her a ragged, bloody wreck. Her expensive, bronze-rank armour was in tatters, while the flesh under it had fared little better. By the time she reached the pangolins, she was painted red in her own blood, her silver hair looking like a sword bloodied in battle.


    The weakness of the stormshard pangolin was that in casting off its scales, it was left vulnerable to anything that made it past the blade wall. Only the head retained scales and Sophie could have ignored it to go for the exposed body, but she didn¡¯t. A bloody fist landed on the long face of the middle pangolin.


    Sophie had been subjected to countless attacks from the blades, immediately pushing her Karmic Warrior ability to its limits. The damage reduction it gave her was the only reason she was still standing after making it through the blades, bloody and ragged as she was. The real reason she subjected herself to such suffering, though, was the ramping increase the ability gave to her power and spirit attributes.


    With the ability pushed to its maximum, her power and spirit attributes now rivalled a silver-ranker, giving her a spirit-coin-like boost without the short duration or the backlash.


    Sophie didn¡¯t just release the damage absorbed by her Moment of Oneness power in the punch she landed on the pangolin. She also unleashed her counter-execute, Deny the Reaper. The effect of the ability was massively inflated by her severely injured state.


    Sophie¡¯s ability was enhanced as Neil sent her a Bolster power from somewhere else in the battlefield, flooding her with power. The healer¡¯s ability to monitor a sprawling battle and pick the perfect moment for his abilities had been refined by their experiences in the astral space. His timing was now sharper than the scale-blades of the pangolins.


    The result of these cumulative effects coming together in Sophie¡¯s fist was an explosion of damage, no small part of which was transcendent, right into the creature¡¯s skull.


    Sophie¡¯s Boundary Breaker power eliminated the damage reduction from rank disparity, and the transcendent damage would have ignored it anyway. Even so, silver-rank was silver-rank and the monster didn¡¯t die. Sufficient damage from a single strike to inflict sufficiently massive head trauma have a monster fall comatose would be startling enough from a silver-ranker, let alone a bronze. That it was a defence specialist rather than an attacker was all the more startling.


    Sophie was recovering fast with the massive burst of immediate healing from her counter-execute, which also left behind a potent heal over time effect. Added to the healing  from her Karmic Warrior ability, it left her in a far better state than her bloody visage and ragged armour would suggest. The other two pangolins were looking at her, standing beside their unconscious companion.


    Even ramped up to the maximum, Sophie could only do so much damage on an ongoing basis. The kind of massive damage attack she just unleashed took specific circumstances and the use of abilities now on cooldown. She was undeterred, since all she needed was to raise her damage from a low range to a moderate one. If she couldn¡¯t attack hard, she would just attack fast enough to make up the difference.


    It had only been a few moments in which she had rushed through their defence wall to attack the pangolins. They had sensed her presence, but never imagined the bronze-ranker charging through their barrier to attack, allowing her to blindside them. They had not reacted by the time the first of the number was felled and Sophie activated her Eternal Moment power before they could.


    Time seemed to stop for her and she started racking up wind blades that froze as soon as she unleashed them. With her amplified spirit attribute, each was much more potent than normal. When she rejoined the normal flow of time, the blades gouged their way into the exposed flesh of one of the remaining pangolins.


    Both monsters recalled their scales to protect their bodies, cancelling the blade storm. In the case of the injured one, blood from Sophie¡¯s wind blade attacks seeped out from between the scales. It immediately fled and Sophie let it go, turning to the other. It reoriented the scales on its body to cover itself in blades, then curled into a ball and rolled at Sophie.


    Such a charge attack would have been too slow to hit her even if it had time to gather momentum, which it hadn¡¯t. The simple reality was that without the blade wall, the pangolin was far less of a threat. The largest part of this was that other adventurers were no longer held at bay, allowing them to move in on the beleaguered monsters.


    In the aftermath of the battle, Pranesh and Humphrey stood atop the tower once more, watching as adventurers looted the sea of monster corpses, sending plumes of rainbow smoke into the air. Neil alone had covered most of the battle in his aura, which allowed him to loot the creatures within. Since he lacked a personal storage space, he wasn¡¯t able to embezzle, making him a popular source of looting in spite of two others with looting powers. The spoils were collected up to be disseminated later.


    ¡°Your guardian doesn¡¯t fight like a guardian,¡± Pranesh said to Humphrey.


    ¡°She¡¯s always fought against anyone telling her what to do,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Even her own power set. If she wants to attack, gods help anyone who tries to stop her.¡±


    ¡°You need to get her to fight less recklessly,¡± Pranesh said.


    ¡°She¡¯s fought hard to realise that she¡¯s strongest when walking on a knife edge,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I won¡¯t tell her to throw away everything she¡¯s gained.¡±


    Pranesh frowned, but didn¡¯t try to convince Humphrey further. Humphrey frowned in turn. His secondary power evolution was a sacrifice power and he empathised with Sophie¡¯s bloody dedication. He had been forbidden from talking about that in no uncertain terms, both by his mother and a startling high-level Magic Society official. Humphrey and the rest of his team had all been sworn to secrecy.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got the look of someone thinking about doing something for my own good,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If you make the mistake of trying to interfere with my team, it will go very badly for you.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me, Young Master Geller?¡± Pranesh asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re damn right I am.¡±


    Neil finished healing up Sophie. Belinda conjured up a privacy screen with her power to create simple objects and she pulled off what was left of her armour. It was the only thing intact enough to stay on her, the rest of the ragged clothes falling away. She slung the bloodied armour over the privacy screen.


    ¡°That¡¯s going to take all day to self-repair,¡± she said as she tipped a bottle of crystal wash over her head. She tipped the last of it over the armour before pulling on a fresh set of clothes supplied from Belinda¡¯s storage space, handed over the top of the screen. She looked at the empty bottle of crystal wash, remembering the man who loved it more than anyone. The bottle shattered in her fist, drawing fresh blood.

 Chapter 265 (interval): A Time For Parting

    When Isabella Pantero heard the bell on the door to her bakery jingle, she came from out back to behind the glass counter.


    ¡°Mr Asano!¡± she exclaimed. ¡°I was told that you died!¡±


    He looked quite unlike his usual self, the confident grin replaced with a furtive expression dominated by a bushy moustache. She knew he had gone away on some kind of adventurer business, hearing just recently that he failed to return alive.


    ¡°Coming back from the dead is kind of my thing,¡± Asano said. ¡°I want biscuits, please.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you made it back after all, Mr Asano. What kind of biscuits, and how many?¡±


    Asano reached into his pockets, grabbing handfuls of loose objects that he dropped onto the countertop. There were spirit coins, iron, bronze and even silver. Mostly it was roughly coin-shaped objects, like buttons, and flat, round stones.


    ¡°I have this many monies,¡± Asano said.


    ¡°Are you alright, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Biscuits!¡±


    Isabella sorted through the assembled debris on the countertop. The inclusion of a pair of silver-rank coins alone was sufficient to empty out the store and then some.


    ¡°Mr Asano, this is far more than enough for all the biscuits we have.¡±


    Asano¡¯s face lit up. Soon after, he was navigating his way out of the store with multiple bags clutched in each hand.


    ¡°Mr Asano, what about the rest of your money?¡± Isabella called out as he awkwardly navigated the door.


    ¡°Thank you, nice lady!¡± Asano responded, stepping outside. ¡°I got them!¡±


    He hurried out of sight, only to pass in front of the glass storefront moments later, riding what appeared to be a flying tortoise. As she cleared the coins and other objects from the counter, she considered it to be at least the third strangest encounter she had with the eccentric customer.


    ¡°He¡¯s acting out,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He misses Jason too.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no excuse to wear Jason¡¯s face,¡± Sophie snarled. ¡°Does he not understand what it does to us to see it?¡±


    ¡°No, Sophie, he doesn¡¯t,¡± Humphrey explained calmly. ¡°He¡¯s smarter since ranking up, but he¡¯s still a child, with a child¡¯s mind.¡±


    ¡°You need to make him understand,¡± she said.


    ¡°Maybe you could do that,¡± Humphrey suggested. ¡°I know talking about your feelings isn¡¯t really your thing, but maybe you can share with him. It might help him to understand.¡±


    They were making their way through the trade hall toward Gilbert Bertinelli¡¯s shop. Under normal circumstances, Gilbert dealt exclusively in menswear. He had made an exception in the case of modifying Sophie¡¯s armour, which had originally been made by another craftsperson on Gilbert¡¯s recommendation.


    Gilbert had undergone a significant transformation during their time away, now that he was a full-blown essence user. His hair had filled out, while his physique went from plump and visibly squishy to firmly barrel-chested. He looked ten years younger, finally showing some resemblance to his silver-ranked brother, Bertram.


    ¡°Here we are,¡± Gilbert said, presenting the modified armour to Sophie and Humphrey. ¡°I¡¯ve incorporated the hydra leather and significantly enhanced the self-repair aspect of the enchantment. The critical areas still have hard-panel protection, but those sections won¡¯t self-repair as quickly as the softer armour.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Sophie said. The armour looked closer to what Jason¡¯s had, with increased areas of dark grey amongst the black, although her version was still more form-fitting than his combat robes.


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Gilbert continued, ¡°enhancing the self-repair came at the cost of diminishing other effects, such as the poison resistance. It does now slightly enhance self-healing effects, however, so I believe you¡¯ll find it a worthwhile exchange. To be honest, I was somewhat worried about the modifications, but I¡¯m rather satisfied with the result.¡±


    ¡°So am I,¡± Sophie said, then asked about the price. Gilbert was adamant in refusal of any money.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard what you all did. Not the details, of course ¨C I¡¯m not that well connected ¨C but I know you saved us all from something terrible. Consider this a last service for Mr Asano. He truly was my favourite customer.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice of you to say,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not just saying, it, Young Master Geller; he genuinely was. He always knew what he needed, yet was flexible in how those needs were met. Firm, as necessary, yet open to suggestion. He was personable, patient, courteous and gracious. He appreciated salesmanship and was a source of wondrous materials. And, of course, was always willing to spend what it took to meet his needs. No offence, Young Master Geller, but he was most likely the best customer I¡¯ll ever have.¡±


    Gilbert gave an awkward smile, having said more than he intended. ¡°I apologise, sir and madam, I¡¯ve overstepped my¡­¡±


    Both Gilbert and Humphrey were startled when Sophie embraced Gilbert in a hug, throwing her arms around his barrel chest. He somewhat awkwardly patted her on the back.


    Two men sat in a caf¨¦, just off Greenstone¡¯s divine square. Both wore the robes of clergymen for the church of the Healer. One was Neil, who had long been a churchman. The church of the healer, like most faiths, made little call on the time of adventuring clergy with a lot of potential. The benefits of having high-ranking members outweighed the need to keep low-ranking essence users under their thumb. It was a widespread, but not universal approach, with the church of Dominion being the most prominent outlier.


    The other man was much newer to the cloth. He had been working with the church of the Healer for more than a year, first at his clinic, then more directly in the last couple of months. Having grown up in an area where the local Healer church was so corrupt, travelling around and seeing the church¡¯s work elsewhere had been a revelation. Watching the church¡¯s dedication to helping people had compelled him to join their ranks.


    ¡°My understanding,¡± Neil said to Jory, ¡°is that your low-cost potions are predicated on local ingredients. Does that make them of limited use, elsewhere? Especially given the rather specific nature of the delta¡¯s environment.¡±


    ¡°It was never my potion recipes the church was after,¡± Jory explained. ¡°It¡¯s my research methodologies. If it was just about recipes, then the church would be better-off leaving me here to cook up as many potions as I could. The reality has been exactly the opposite; I¡¯ve done very little hands-on alchemy lately.¡±


    He paused to sip at his tea.


    ¡°It¡¯s all lectures,¡± Jory continued. ¡°Teaching people how to replicate my results by researching their own local ingredients.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s been working?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still quite early into the program,¡± Jory said. ¡°It took me years before I started seeing results. The idea is for others to do what I did, just faster, with the benefits of what I learned along the way.¡±


    ¡°But you think people can do it?¡±


    ¡°Flexibility is the key,¡± Jory said. ¡°You have to develop your recipes in accordance with the ingredients you can get a lot of for cheap. That¡¯s the only real lesson, because most alchemists take the opposite approach. They start with the recipe they want and try to make the ingredients do that. Ultimately, I¡¯m not trying to impart a skill, but a perspective.¡±


    ¡°But what if the local ingredients aren¡¯t any good for making cheap healing and mana potions? Those are what people are after, right? Especially with the spreading conflict with the Builder cult. It¡¯s hard to imagine how the prick managed to recruit so many of them.¡±


    ¡°Distribution is the other aspect of the church¡¯s program. I lucked out, with the natural affinities of the delta¡¯s magic, which is what inspired me to explore this as a field of alchemy. Not everyone has that good fortune; they have to make what they can make. That¡¯s where the church comes in establishing a distribution network of cheap alchemy products. Whatever you people make will be useful to someone. As long as you have sufficiently robust distribution, you can trade what you have for what you need.¡±


    ¡°And the church is playing middleman?¡±


    ¡°The god of trade is working with us, so we don¡¯t encroach on their territory with what will hopefully be a huge undertaking. The idea is to prevent the kind of gouging that relying on the usual mercantile system would inevitably draw and prevent the whole system from getting bogged down by cartels.¡±


    ¡°And the Trade god is alright with that?¡±


    ¡°We struck a deal. The essentials, like healing items, are going to be shipped at cost. The rest will have small margins, so as not to mess it all up, but the volume should still make it worthwhile.¡±


    ¡°I hope you aren¡¯t trying to recruit me into joining your administrative team.¡±


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Jory said with a chuckle. ¡°For that kind of work, solid logisticians and administrators are more valuable than essence users. The church has high hopes for you. They want you to get up to silver, even gold, so you can really promote the church¡¯s interests.¡±


    Jory¡¯s expression turned sombre.


    ¡°In the days to come,¡± he said, ¡°we¡¯re going to need you on the front lines.¡±


    ¡°Front lines?¡± Neil asked, sitting up sharply. ¡°Are you talking about war?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you already been to battle?¡± Jory asked. ¡°The Builder cult may be done here in Greenstone, but we¡¯re a small part of a big world. I¡¯ve also been hearing rumbling from the Council of Faiths. There are rumours that the other gods will declare Purity a fallen god.¡±


    ¡°What would that even entail?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any reliable information on that front,¡± Jory said. ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, it involves the other gods sanctioning Purity, whatever than means. Suppressing the church, somehow. I think the idea is that the existing clergy are meant to step away from the church, while any who refuse to are¡­ dealt with.¡±


    ¡°That sounds ominous,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jory agreed. ¡°I¡¯ve only hears this ¡®sanction¡¯ the gods are looking at in vague terms, but it sounds as bad, or worse. I think the idea is that the god of Purity either gets brought into line or somehow replaced, after which the clergy who stepped away from the old church can return to the new one.¡±


    ¡°That sounds way above our level,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Good thing Jason isn¡¯t around to stick his head right in the middle.¡±


    ¡°Oh gods, he would too,¡± Neil said with a wincing chortle. ¡°He¡¯d run around, firing his mouth off and making trouble. Mostly for us.¡±


    The pair shared a sad smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we won¡¯t get to see it,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Of course you are,¡± Neil said. ¡°You¡¯re not on his team.¡±


    Then Neil¡¯s expression fell, his gaze moving down to his hands, speaking his next words softly.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t the one responsible for keeping him alive.¡±


    In the morning, Jason¡¯s team would be parting ways, if only temporarily, to go off on varying assignments. Clive and Belinda would be working with the Magic Society, while Sophie, Humphrey and Neil were going with Emir.


    The farewell gathering was held in one the sprawling bar-lounges in Emir¡¯s cloud palace, the largest collection of Jason¡¯s friends since his memorial service, more than a month earlier. There were a few notable absences; people who had left Greenstone and only returned briefly for the memorial.


    Prince Valdis had portalled in for the service, but was once again back in the Mirror Kingdom, where they had their own battles with the Builder cult. Gary had retired from adventuring after Jason and his team¡¯s departure, returning to his home and becoming a full-time weaponsmith. He had also been portalled in for the memorial but had departed immediately after.


    Rufus was unsure when his big friend would return to the adventuring life, if ever. Rufus¡¯ team had vanished around him and he was left feeling adrift. He had thrown himself into developing the training annex project, giving him some much-needed purpose.


    Jason¡¯s team had laid claim to a cluster of seats around a low table, with Jory sharing his plush cloud chair with Belinda.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t worried about Clive luring away your lady with the sexually-charged lifestyle of the research academic?¡± Neil asked Jory.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jory said confidently. The kiss on the cheek he received as a reward left a big grin on his face.


    Next to them, Sophie was sitting with puppy Stash on her lap, absently scratching him behind the ears. As had been the case since waking up to find that Jason had died covering their escape, her expression shifted between unreadably blank and a dour veneer pasted over a rage that had no place to go. Humphrey, looking at her with concern, picked up his glass the from the table in between them and held it up.


    ¡°Without Jason Asano,¡± he said, ¡°we wouldn¡¯t all be here. He didn¡¯t care what my name was or who my family were. He became a true friend, which was always hard for me. And he led me to finding many more.¡±


    Neil picked up his own glass and raised it.


    ¡°He became a friend to me, even though I hated his smug face,¡± he said, getting a laugh.


    ¡°I never much thought I needed friends,¡± Clive said, raising his glass. ¡°Jason taught me that I was wrong as he reawakened a passion for adventuring I thought was long dead.¡±


    ¡°I watched Jason come in day after day and heal people no one else cared about,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Except you,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°The day I met Jason,¡± Jory continued, ¡°he had the crap kicked out of him by a couple of priests of the healer. Which he completely brought on himself, just to be clear. Afterwards, he grinned at me and said he¡¯d rather be the guy that got his butt kicked than the guy who didn¡¯t. I knew that I¡¯d never go as far as he did, but he helped me to realise that some things are worth the price we pay. He went and died, proving it, sending my most precious person back to me.¡±


    ¡°Jason saved Sophie and me when we needed it most,¡± Belinda. ¡°He gave us new lives. You all helped us, but without him, you either wouldn¡¯t or couldn¡¯t. I don¡¯t blame anyone for that. Who would go so far for strangers, for no better reason than we needed him to? And possibly because Sophie looks like that. She makes guys go a bit funny.¡±


    The group laughed again, except for Sophie.


    ¡°Jason saved some of us at the beginning,¡± Sophie said. ¡°He saved all of us and more at the end. Everyone in this city. If I had the choice, I¡¯d bring him back and let the city burn; I don¡¯t think they¡¯re worth his life.¡±


    Everyone looked awkward, not knowing what to say. Sophie raised her glass to join the others.


    ¡°But he did,¡± Sophie said, her sombre voice getting lighter. ¡°So I¡¯m going to try live the life he saved, in the way he¡¯d want me to live it.¡±


    The others gave her bittersweet smiles and nodded as they clinked their glasses together.


    ¡°To Jason Asano,¡± Humphrey toasted.

 Chapter 266 (interval): Old Secrets

    Dawn was a celestine. She had a startling beauty of a diamond-ranker, with alabaster skin and ruby hair, perfectly matched with her eyes. Her flowing robes were off-white, accented with muted yellow and orange. She was at the top of a tower in the pocket city-universe of Interstice, in the city region of Fuero. She looked out over the city as she waited for someone to arrive.


    Fueros was a region dominated by the cult of the World-Phoenix, which was completely reflected in the appearance. Interstice had no sun, yet light shone from the sky, making the spires of red, yellow and orange crystal seem like towers of fire. There were parks that mixed perpetual autumn colours with trees that had actual fire instead of leaves. The flames did not consume the branches or cause any harm to the yellow grass or surrounding trees.


    The tower upon which Dawn stood was the tallest and most glorious of those spires. The way the light caught the crystal mosaic of the flat rooftop made it shine like a garden of flames. A second person joined her on the rooftop, making their way up stairs from inside the tower. Very few things in existence could escape Dawn¡¯s peak diamond-rank senses, but she did not turn to meet the new arrival.


    Helsveth was a draconian whose glorious red and gold scales would have been camouflage on the crystal tower if not for a white robe, very similar to that worn by Dawn. Helsveth approached the other woman with a humility rarely seen in the draconian people. She moved closer and bowed deeply, even through Dawn was facing the other way.


    ¡°First Sister,¡± Helsveth greeted.


    ¡°Please,¡± Dawn said, turning around, giving Helsveth a warm smile. ¡°Soon, you will be First Sister and I will join the ranks of the Hierophants. Please dispense with the formalities when we alone.¡±


    ¡°First Sister¡­¡±


    ¡°You have much yet to learn, Second Sister, and it will be much easier if we can stand shoulder to shoulder.¡±


    Helsveth gave a nod, albeit an awkward and uncertain one.


    ¡°I have a task to perform soon,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I will be leisurely about it and take my time. In my absence, I will have you assume my full duties. It will be good experience for you.¡±


    ¡°I will do my utmost to live up to your expectations, First Sister.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one you need to be concerned with,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Acting as First Servant, even in a temporary capacity, means it is the World-Phoenix itself whose needs you must attend to.¡±


    ¡°Of course, First Sister.¡±


    Dawn frowned, rubbing her chin absently as she gave Helsveth an assessing look.


    ¡°This is no good,¡± she said. ¡°Clearly, you are holding me in too much reverence.¡±


    ¡°Apologies, First Sister,¡± Helsveth said hurriedly, looking worried.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Dawn assured her. ¡°I was much the same in your position. The lesson I received will serve just as well for you. You and I are going to take a trip, Second Sister, and you will see what is deserving of reverence. Come with me.¡±


    Great fiery wings appeared behind Dawn and she launched herself from the tower and into the air. Behind Helsveth wings also appeared, but these were green and silver, made from a shifting cloud of sparkling crystals that caught the light. She followed as Dawn flew over the city before plunging fearlessly down, plummeting into a shaft that lead into the earth. Helsveth dropped down less aggressively, descending in a graceful spiral.


    The shaft was quite large, leading underground to what was called the arrival and departure square, although its subterranean nature made it a cube. This was the location through which all comers and goers arrived and departed the physical reality. The magical barriers preventing dimensional transgression outside the arrival and departure squares were some of the largest magical arrays in existence.


    The underground area was lit by powerful glow stones set into the walls and ceiling. The square itself was divided into different areas, marked out by floating magical lights. It was managed by local functionaries who recorded all transits and assigned travellers a zone to make the transition to the astral, with magical arrows to guide them to their spot.


    No one was exempt from these records, even the most vaunted of individuals. The square had no facilities for dimensional travel itself, offering no more amenities than being the only part of the city where dimensional travel was not blocked.  As such, it was a space primarily occupied by gold and silver-rankers, who had the abilities or items required themselves.


    Despite dealing with such people every day, the arrival of the First Servant of the World-Phoenix was a prestigious event. Dawn erupted from the wide ceiling shaft, dropping rapidly down through the square to land heavily in front of the transit office. By the time she had been inside and organised departure, Helsveth had arrive more delicately.


    Dawn followed the directions of the magical arrow floating front of her, to one of the large spaces allotted for large astral vehicles.


    ¡°Have you done a lot of astral travel, Helsveth?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°No, First Sister.¡±


    ¡°For the duration of this trip, you many call me Dawn.¡±


    ¡°First Sister¡­¡±


    Dawn shook her head.


    ¡°Let me be more clear,¡± she said. ¡°For the duration of this trip, you will call me Dawn.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡­ Dawn.¡±


    Dawn took out her astral-traversing vessel, which looked like a snow globe without any snow, containing a tiny garden cottage. Dawn tossed it out casually and it rapidly expanded in size as it fell to the floor, stopping just above it to float a few centimetres in the air as it continued to grow. Once the dome and the cottage inside reached full-size, complete with living garden, Dawn stepped forward, gesturing at Helsveth to follow.


    Passing though dome felt like stepping through a sheet of water, but Helsveth arrived dry on the other side. The air within the dome was pleasant and fresh, carrying the scent of plants and flowers. She followed Dawn along a stone path through the garden to an outdoor bench, Dawn sat, gesturing for Helsveth to sit beside her.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Dawn asked, gesturing at the garden around them.


    Helsveth wasn¡¯t sure what to say. Although her experience with astral travel was limited, almost every astral vessel she had seen was far more grandiose. From giant ships to floating palaces, they had all dwarfed the domed cottage. She didn¡¯t want to lie to the First Sister, but did not want to offend her, either.


    ¡°It¡¯s very humble,¡± she said.


    Dawn laughed easily, completely seeing through the Second Sister. Helsveth was a rather unusual diamond ranker, with a naivet¨¦ that most had long-since eliminated. Helsveth was a rare and extraordinary talent, discovered and nurtured at a young age. Reaching diamond-rank before reaching forty years old was not an unrivalled achievement, but it was extraordinary. In the world where she was raised, she spent her life either cloistered away or sent out to fight the monsters, rounded up in their thousands like a game preserve. Her life had been made up of little beyond study and battle, both carefully curated to produce the person she was today.


    Dawn liked the remarkable young woman, but recognised that she was in dire need of seasoning. She did not entirely approve of the accelerated program used to advance Helsveth to diamond-rank, but had limited say in the matter. The cult of the World-Phoenix was neither a military nor a dictatorship, and while the First Servant was ultimately the leader, it did not give her the right to inject herself into matters not directly related to her own duties.


    Dawn did not like that all of Helsveth¡¯s challenges had been designed, her setbacks and failures engineered. Dawn was of the opinion that only real life could offer the challenges required to grow, not just as an essence user, but as a person. If nothing else, how was the na?ve girl meant to handle the political machinations of centuries old diamond rankers?


    The answer, of course, was that she wasn¡¯t. People wanted a puppet, which infuriated Dawn. Serving the World-Phoenix was a calling, which the old guard cult families seemed to have lost sight of along the way. What they had created in Helsveth, though, was a true believer. Dawn was of a mind to cut the puppet¡¯s strings and bring it to life.


    Handing over the reins of First Sister, even on a temporary basis, would be throwing the young woman in the deep end. Whether she sank or swam would determine whether Dawn would hand over the mantle permanently, or if she would have to find a new successor. It would take some time to get her ready for that, though. Dawn had an assignment, but it could wait. The outworlder was going home, so how much trouble could he get into in the little time it took her to check on him?


    That would make certain people in the cult pushing for Helsveth¡¯s ascension to the position unhappy, but unless the World-Phoenix chose to intervene one way or the other, Dawn was ultimately the one to decide. Helsveth would need to prove that she could be more than a puppet before Dawn would accept her. She hoped that Helsveth would manage to prove herself, knowing that, regardless of the people behind her, the earnest young woman¡¯s intentions were genuine.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been criticised, from time to time, for my astral vessel,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I¡¯ve been told it isn¡¯t befitting the First Servant of the World-Phoenix, when there is a rather impressive astral palace available to use. Do you think I was right to reject it?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t presume¡­¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s time you did!¡± Dawn barked, standing back up. She gave Helsveth a sharp glance, disappointed and dismissive. ¡°If you¡¯re going to be First Sister, the ultimate responsibility won¡¯t be with the rules, the protocols or the traditions. It won¡¯t be with the etiquette and it damn well won¡¯t be with the people who taught you to be submissive.¡±


    She poked Helsveth, who was still sitting with a startled expression, in the chest.


    ¡°The First Servant is the last line, the ultimate arbiter before the World-Phoenix itself. They make the final choices and bear the responsibility for them. Do you really think you¡¯re ready for that?¡±


    Without waiting for an answer, Dawn strode off, further down the garden path and around the corner of the cottage. Helsveth was left sitting on the bench staring out ahead of her. The scene of the departure and arrivals square beyond the dome suddenly disappeared. More precisely, the astral vessel disappeared from it, having transitioned out of the physical reality.


    The dome was a pocket of physical reality drifting through the deep astral. Beyond its curved boundary, the surreal and ever-shifting panorama ranged from the beautiful to the horrifying to the downright bizarre. There were myriad colours and shapes that surrounded the dome. Rainbow liquid floating in wild, fractal patterns. Scenes that appeared physical in nature, only to scatter list mist in a breeze. Some vistas were nonsense, others startlingly real. It was dream logic made manifest.


    Dawn stood by the edge of the dome, watching.


    ¡°Fascinating, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked, sensing Helsveth¡¯s approach. ¡°The centuries go by, yet I never tire of watching it.¡±


    ¡°You rejected the astral palace because our role is not to glorify ourselves,¡± Helsveth said. Her voice nervous but had a determined undercurrent as she steeled her courage.


    ¡°Our purpose is not even to glorify the World-Phoenix,¡± she continued. ¡°It is to serve the World-Phoenix. We use glory as we need, but must ultimately remember that we are servants, not masters.¡±


    ¡°That was not what I asked you,¡± Dawn said, not turning around.


    ¡°You asked if it was wrong to reject the astral palace,¡± Helsveth said, ¡°but the question has a false premise: you did not reject the palace. If using it is the right choice, then you will use it.¡±


    Dawn turned around the face the Second Sister.


    ¡°Then tell me why I still use this astral vessel,¡± she said.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re humble. It doesn¡¯t matter what decisions you make, so long as the reasons you make them are sound. That is the responsibility of the First Servant.¡±


    A slight smile made its way onto Dawn¡¯s face.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve got a long way to go before you reach adequate, but we might just be able to make something of you yet.¡±


    ¡°As you might imagine,¡± Dawn explained, ¡°astral navigation is wholly unlike navigation in physical reality.¡±


    The First and Second Sisters were standing side by side, watching the strange visages pass outside the dome.


    ¡°Astral geography is to physical geography what a burning passion is to a burning fire,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°In some ways they are similar, yet at the same time, wholly unrelated.¡±


    ¡°Metaphorical navigation,¡± Helsveth ventured.


    ¡°Conceptual navigation is the widely-used term,¡± Dawn said. ¡°While you can rely on navigators, it is a good skill to cultivate. Your education was very precise, but you will find, in life, that developing skills you never intended can help you navigate situations you never anticipated.¡±


    ¡°I was taught administration, diplomacy, etiquette,¡± Helsveth said. ¡°I was also taught to fight.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I was the one who pushed to have you placed in more and more danger. Every time you made a narrow escape or suffered grievous injury, that was me, pushing at your back.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Helsveth said. ¡°I know that I¡¯ve been sheltered. It was only in those moments of true danger that I felt free and alive. Without those moments, I would be languishing at lower rank.¡±


    ¡°Free? Do you resent that we¡¯ve taken charge of your life?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°I am powerful enough now that I could leave if I wished,¡± Helsveth said. ¡°I¡¯ve been given much and have no qualms about returning that grace. Serving the World-Phoenix is a fulfilling life.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Dawn said, sharing a warm smile. ¡°Things won¡¯t be easy for you while I¡¯m gone. You will ostensibly have my authority, but everyone will know that you¡¯re only a caretaker. The avaricious will push for concessions. Those who raised you will push for power. Those outside the cult will push for influence.¡±


    ¡°All I can do is my best,¡± Helsveth said. ¡°One way or another, we will learn my worthiness..¡±


    Dawn smiled to herself at the earnest resolve of the Second Sister.


    ¡°Do not rush to judge yourself from a single test or a single failure,¡± Dawn said, ¡°and worthiness is not a set value. No one is asking you be perfect. Actually, they probably are, but you shouldn¡¯t listen to them. If you learn to pick yourself up and learn from your mistakes, you can do no better thing to advance your case.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Helsveth said. ¡°If I may ask, do you really need to carry out the assignment yourself, or are you taking the chance to test me?¡±


    ¡°The mission is quite real,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°May I ask about it? Why do you have to go yourself, over one insignificant world in one insignificant reality? Does one, low-ranked man really matter? What makes him so important?¡±


    Dawn gave her a contemplative look, then nodded to herself.


    ¡°It¡¯s time you started learning some of the old secrets,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The key is the two worlds that man has lived on. He belongs to them both now, at a point that is critical for both of them. The worlds themselves aren¡¯t especially important, but what they represent. You are aware that the current Builder replaced the previous one, yes?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Helsveth said.


    ¡°The reason that the Builder¡¯s predecessor was sanctioned was that he had corrupted his purpose. The Builder¡¯s role is to create the seeds from which physical realities are born. Our new Builder is oddly dismissive of the task, instead obsessing over creating a reality already developed, whose inhabitants worship him as a god.¡±


    ¡°Will he be sanctioned as well?¡±


    ¡°Probably not. The reason the others accept the Builder¡¯s fascination is that it leaves him performing his actual job with dispassion. This was not the case with the previous incumbent.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Helsveth prompted.


    ¡°The previous Builder became dissatisfied with making seeds that contained nothing but the building blocks of reality. He had no influence, no control. This may be a flaw of the Builder as a role, given that each of the incumbents has had the same issue, but the previous Builder did not satiate those urges with a relatively harmless side project. Instead, he started meddling with the seeds he was creating.¡±


    ¡°Meddling how?¡±


    ¡°He was setting patterns into them, taken from existing worlds, that would cause the universes that expanded from these seeds to develop in predestined ways.¡±


    ¡°And that would work?¡± Helsveth asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The Builder had only experimented with two such universe seeds when his actions were discovered, which were but early experiments. The others realised that he was perverting his intrinsic purpose and he was sanctioned, then replaced.¡±


    ¡°Sanctioned? Does that mean killed?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it means,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re meant to know, but I¡¯m not sure a great astral being can die. I don¡¯t know it that¡¯s even possible.¡±


    ¡°What about the two universes?¡± Helsveth asked.


    ¡°They were early experiments, as I said. The effects were designed to be small, contained enough for the Builder to study as the universes developed. The changes were restricted to two planets, that developed in very similar ways, due to being based on a similar pattern. One was more heavily affected than the other, but the two worlds had much in common.¡±


    ¡°Two planets.¡±


    ¡°One from each universe, but mad echoes of one another by their common origin. Patterns from existing universes, woven together. The basic template was the same for both which is why these worlds echo one another in ways great and small. Those echoes linger to the present, affecting everything from the evolution of the creatures that live on it to the myths formed by their inhabitants. It is also why the more magical world has had a higher proportion of outworlders from the less magical one than from other, low-magic universes.¡±


    ¡°Why was this bad?¡± Helsveth asked. ¡°Did it cause any harm?¡±


    ¡°The cosmos has mechanisms by which it operates,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°The greater astral beings are the manifestations of those mechanisms, as well as caretakers, responsible for resolving problems with the mechanisms. They are gods of the cosmos. The previous Builder lost its way, forcing the others to sanction and replace it before it caused a cascading disaster that threw the entire cosmos out of balance.¡±


    ¡°So, the Builder is unlike the other great astral beings, in that he was raised up to take a role, instead of being a manifestation of it.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It is why he lacks the reverence for his core task that is the defining trait of the others.¡±


    ¡°But you said they others don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°A detachment from his task of creating world seeds means he will not fall down the same path as his predecessor.¡±


    ¡°But that still left the two worlds influenced by the old Builder.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Of the two worlds, one was the result of modest changes. Left alone, it would show no anomalies on its own, live out its existence and ultimately end with the rest of its universe. The second world was a more comprehensive experiment, one that was more volatile. The World-Phoenix was forced to step in and strengthen the dimensional membrane of this world, restricting the flow of magic from the astral. This was to prevent the abnormalities from manifesting and destabilising the world.¡±


    ¡°That is peripheral to the World-Phoenix¡¯s role, at best,¡± Helsveth said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn agreed. ¡°Strictly speaking, she should have let the world destroy itself and than repair the resulting dimensional breach. While she is aloof and above we mortals, however, the World-Phoenix does not lack compassion. She did her best to save that world by strengthening the dimensional membrane. It was an imperfect solution, that now threatens to become unravelled. The new Builder, as part of his personal project, provided knowledge to a deity that was used to create a link between the two worlds, using their similarities as a basis.¡±


    ¡°What kind of link?¡±


    ¡°One that siphon¡¯s magic from the more magical world to the lesser one, bypassing the dimensional membrane. It does not diminish the normal magical level, but the cyclical magic flood has been increasingly delayed, to the point of now stopping altogether.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about a monster surge,¡± Helsveth said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn confirmed. ¡°The intention is to siphon magic into the other world until a backlash occurs, rebounding through the link to create a far more drastic magical flood than normal. This will weaken the dimensional membrane enough for the Builder to launch an invasion from his own constructed reality.¡±


    ¡°Surely, he cannot be allowed to do that,¡± Helsveth said.


    ¡°Not so long as he uses intermediaries,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The people of his created world, his cult, even the gods of the world he intends to invade. He pushes the limits, but has avoided crossing any lines. Thus far.¡±


    ¡°What will that do to the less magical world?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure anyone really knows,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The Builder disregards it as unimportant; a means to an end. He cares not if his god and mortal agents destroy it. He underestimated how fiercely the World-Phoenix would react, so now he needs it to act and prevent that world¡¯s destruction, lest he be sanctioned like his predecessor.¡±


    ¡°The outworlder.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The World Phoenix cannot act directly and does not maintain branches of her cult on mortal realms. As is her way, she has taken various, more oblique steps to remedy the situation. Of the forces she has set in motion, she has determined the outworlder has proven to have the most potential. It falls to him then, to prevent one,  possibly two worlds ultimately being destroyed.¡±


    ¡°That is a lot to place on the shoulders of one man.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Hopefully, he can stop getting himself killed.¡±


    ¡°Where is it we are going?¡± Helsveth asked. She and Dawn were still in the astral vessel, which had been travelling for some time. Dawn had led her into the cottage and brewed them a beverage made from seaweed sourced from her home world.


    ¡°You have experienced the presence of the World-Phoenix,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You have carried a star seed within you for more than half of your life. You have even briefly been a vessel for the World-Phoenix itself, as you will again in the future.¡±


    ¡°The communion was the greatest thrill and honour of my life,¡± Helsveth said. ¡°I am sorry your time as a vessel is coming to an end.¡±


    The First Servant, in addition to being the head of the cult of the World-Phoenix, was the primary vessel of the great astral being. Unlike the disposable vessels the Builder had used, the diamond-rank vessels of the great astral beings could both withstand the strain of power possessing them and retain their selves after it had left them. Even diamond-rankers had their limits, however, and eventually their souls could no longer withstand the power. This had no lingering effects, so long as they passed on the role of vessel. It even had an effect of strengthening the soul over time, leaving former vessels as peak existences, even among diamond-rankers.


    Dawn gave Helsveth a warm smile.


    ¡°The communion is a joy,¡± she said. ¡°What we experience in such cases, though, is but the echo of a grain of sand falling to the ground on the other side of the world. To inhabit the mortal is to be limited by it.¡±


    ¡°The great astral beings cannot show their true magnificence through us,¡± Helsveth said. This made complete sense to her.


    ¡°I suspect it is more than that,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I suspect that the behaviour of the great astral beings occupying mortal forms is profoundly affected by the vessel they inhabit. They broadly follow their natural direction, but I¡¯ve seen them operating like this enough to conclude that their specific behaviour is heavily shaped by their mortal vessels.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think so?¡± Helsveth asked.


    ¡°The fact that they seem so¡­ mortal. Petty, limited, in a way that I might expect of myself, but not the World-Phoenix, the Reaper or the Celestial Book. Perhaps the Builder, as he began as a mortal.¡±


    ¡°I think I know what you mean,¡± Helsveth said, brow creased in contemplation. ¡°When I think back to my experience as a vessel, I could sense how much greater the World-Phoenix was. It¡¯s like it needed to use me to operate, but that I somehow tainted it. I clearly felt that I was small and unworthy.¡±


    ¡°You will understand better soon,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I am taking you to see the World-Phoenix in person.¡±


    Dawn chuckled at Helsveth¡¯s wide-eyed shock.


    ¡°In person?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Dawn said. ¡°We won¡¯t be close, because diamond-rank or not, the power it radiates would annihilate us. It will know we are there, and we will know it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡± Helsveth asked hesitantly.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never encountered a language that could encapsulate it,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You feel like the smallest thing in the cosmos, yet part of something so great and vast that your mind cannot comprehend it. The World Phoenix will communicate with you, but not like you¡¯ve experienced through the star seed. It isn¡¯t some crude mortal means. Imagine experiencing the entire history of the cosmos as a language.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can,¡± Helsveth said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Dawn said. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the right attitude to go in with.¡±

 Chapter 231: Trading Safety Today For Death Tomorrow

    The team had been aware going in that there were locations within the city that were more than just empty ruins. A number of trial-goers had reported such locations to the Magic Society and Emir¡¯s people, who had undertaken a large-scale debrief of the iron rankers who survived the trials. In addition to monsters unlike those found elsewhere in the city, such locations held unusually valuable treasure.


    Clive had been one of those who encountered such a place during the trials, where he obtained the legendary set items both he and Neil were wielding. For him it was a staff and wand set that had become a crucial part of his combat potential. For Neil, it was a fist-sized orb that shone with a blue light when held, and a gold circlet with a blue gem set into the forehead. The abilities combined to powerfully enhance his shielding powers, which the team appreciated.


    Given the formidable power of the abilities on those items, the team eagerly explored any location that was outside the ordinary. In addition to being as likely as any other place to have monsters to confront, there was always the chance of treasure. With the battles to come, any advantage was a much-needed blessing.


    Most such places were either subterranean complexes or atop unusually tall buildings, much as Clive¡¯s had been. The first of these locations the team encountered for themselves was a sprawling complex of underground forges, foundries and furnaces. In addition to having dangerous fire and iron elementals, it was infested with bizarre undead, with metal fused into their bodies like magical cyborgs.


    Jason had found it a frustrating place to fight, with most of the enemies highly resistant, if not outright immune to his abilities. He made good use of the sword Gary had given him, but it was a marked step-down in his capabilities.


    ¡°It¡¯s good for you,¡± Sophie had told him.


    ¡°If you only train for when things go right, you die the moment they go wrong,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason acknowledged unhappily. ¡°Rufus used to tell me almost the exact same thing.¡±


    That place had eventually yielded some impressive treasures, although not so useful as those Clive had found. There was a pair of gloves that enhanced fire and iron-based abilities, and an anvil that enhanced the crafting of weapons. They took them with the intention of delivering them to Gary.


    The complex had also delivered a solid haul of essences and awakening stones, almost all fire and iron. They were both common, but very popular, meaning they would fetch a good price once they returned to civilisation. They were a welcome addition to the piles of spirit coins and quintessence gems piling up in their storage spaces, courtesy of Jason and Neil¡¯s looting powers.


    The next similar location they came across was likewise underground. They were uncertain to its nature, at first, as it was very plain, but they could tell it was unusual from how intact it was. Most subterranean spaces in the city were thick with mould and root systems breaking in through the walls and ceiling. This complex was all square tunnels and empty rooms, the brickwork uniform and unblemished.


    ¡°There doesn¡¯t seem to be anything here,¡± Belinda said as they looked over another empty room. ¡°No loot, no monsters nesting in here. Not even the dilapidated furniture and such you get in most of the ruins.


    ¡°All these empty rooms remind of the place we found in the delta under the swamp,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°That¡¯s worth remembering,¡± Clive said. ¡°That place seemed empty until we had a face full of marsh hydra.¡±


    ¡°A good lesson,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°This place may well be empty because the one thing in here has scared off the rest.¡±


    ¡°Are we ready to face a silver-rank monster?¡± Neil asked. ¡°We haven¡¯t had to do it yet, but the monsters have been getting stronger and stronger. We hardly see any iron-ranks anymore.¡±


    ¡°If we caught one in isolation, then maybe,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The problem is that we still have too many iron-rankers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m so close to bronze I can taste it,¡± Neil said.


    They continued through the complex, finally discovering what it was.


    ¡°A prison,¡± Jason said as he surveyed the latest room they had entered. ¡°That¡¯s great. Nothing bad ever happened in a creepy, abandoned, subterranean prison. I¡¯m so glad monsters turned out to be real.¡±


    They were in a large, long cell block, with a mezzanine level running along each side. The cells, running the length of the room on both levels were barred, giving the team a clear look inside. None of the cells had occupants, being as empty as every other room they had come across. Moving though the large cell block, they found stairs that led down into another, and then a third. It was there that they finally found something.


    ¡°Signs of combat,¡± Clive said. ¡°This really does remind me of that place we found.¡±


    ¡°This is fresher,¡± Humphrey said, examining a scorch mark on the wall. ¡°Most likely, someone found this place during the trials.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something at the far end of the room,¡± Jason said. His ability to see through darkness extended beyond where the light of the team¡¯s glow stones grew dim.


    The team moved forward carefully, finding a handful of corpses scattered about where they had fallen. A violent demise and months in the muggy, underground chamber had not left them is a pleasant state, but as Jason¡¯s powers left enemies in much the same condition, they were used to it. Rather than dwell on the state of the bodies, they considered what might have left them that way.


    ¡°No trace of whatever killed them,¡± Jason said. ¡°It seems the fight was either one-sided, or whoever killed them took their own fallen when they left.¡±


    ¡°Hard to determine what killed them from the bodies,¡± Neil said. ¡°They¡¯re too far gone to make out much. I am seeing some broken bones, so something physically powerful maybe.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t fight anything on the way in here,¡± Sophie said, already eyeing the room around them. ¡°There weren¡¯t any signs of combat before this, and I think they would have left some. I¡¯m seeing scorch marks, chunks torn out of the stone floor. I think that whatever killed them didn¡¯t show up until they reached this point.¡±


    None of the team had let up their guard, but for the moment, nothing was making an attack.


    ¡°It could have been other adventurers,¡± Jason said. ¡°We know that at least some of us were killing each other.¡±


    ¡°All we can do is be cautious moving forward,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That, and collect these poor souls for return to their families.¡±


    They went about the grisly task of retrieving Adventure Society badges, for identification and to return to the families. There had been discussion of retrieving remains before they came in, but storage space was at a premium for coffins and any remains were likely to be a mess. A number of families made quiet approaches to try and make specific arrangements for their lost people, but Humphrey flatly refused. He insisted on keeping things even handed and restricting recovery to Adventure Society badges.


    ¡°What about their equipment?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°It feels ghoulish to loot the dead.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll return their gear to the families, along with the remains,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Once they¡¯re identified.¡±


    At the end of the cell block. Not far past the bodies, was a pair of large doors. They were metal, but unlike the bars of the cells, were unblemished by time and moisture. They were plain and heavy, with a large keyhole on each. There were traces of a ritual circle drawn around each keyhole.


    ¡°Maybe that¡¯s what brought out whatever killed them,¡± Jason said. ¡°Trying to break-in triggered some kind of defences, maybe?¡±


    ¡°The obvious solution, then, would be to not break-in,¡± Neil said. ¡°I mean, treasure is nice, but we just picked up a dead adventuring team. Do we really want to be the next one?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Jason said. ¡°We have a responsibility, here. We may be the only ones who can stop the cult from tearing this astral space off the side of the world. Or whatever it is they¡¯re going to do with those giant golems. We can¡¯t go getting ourselves killed over some loot.¡±


    ¡°On the other hand,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°we need to push ourselves to the limit, and beyond. We don¡¯t know what kind of challenges we¡¯ll have to face in stopping the cult, but I don¡¯t think the cultists being captured by the blood weaver is the end of it. I¡¯m certain there are greater challenges ahead before we can put paid to the cult¡¯s intentions.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying we should face whatever killed these people as a training exercise?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Since when are you the voice of moderation?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying we shouldn¡¯t do it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just think that the idea of not doing it is worth exploring. I¡¯ve been too reckless, too often. I¡¯ve survived too many times on luck which, sooner or later, is going to run out. This isn¡¯t a monster we have some idea about, before we go in. We backed off because we weren¡¯t ready for the blood weaver. What if this is worse?¡±


    ¡°We need to get you and Neil over the threshold for bronze,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure this will do it,¡± Jason said. ¡°If there is a still-active defence system here, then it has to be something that didn¡¯t die out in all the years this place has been dormant. My guess would be some kind of construct guardian, or maybe some undead. I won¡¯t get to workout my powers like that.¡±


    ¡°Your familiars are the last abilities you have to advance,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If your other abilities are less useful, your familiars become more important.¡±


    ¡°I say we go for it,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Humphrey¡¯s right that we need to have the experience of having something dropped on us that we aren¡¯t ready for. Better we experience that now, so we have the experience before the cultists do it to us.¡±


    ¡°What do you think, Clive?¡± Humphrey asked.


    Clive rubbed his chin, thoughtfully.


    ¡°The biggest danger is to our iron-rankers,¡± he said. ¡°I think we leave the decision to them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°So, what¡¯s it going to be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still up for it.¡±


    ¡°If Sophie¡¯s in, I¡¯m in,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to say no,¡± Jason said. ¡°If Neil wants to make it three to one, I¡¯m fine with that, but if he wants to play it safe, I¡¯ll back him.¡±


    Everyone turned to Neil.


    ¡°Great,¡± Neil said. ¡°Now it¡¯s my fault if everybody dies.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying go for it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Jason, you weren¡¯t there during the expedition,¡± Neil said. ¡°You haven¡¯t fought these people. You haven¡¯t seen the monstrosities they turned themselves into. The endless sea of constructs at their command. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re going to bring to bear against us, but we can¡¯t be ready enough. Not taking every chance we have to get stronger is trading safety today for death tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°And here was I thinking that you were the sensible one,¡± Jason said. ¡°Alright, then. Of course, if we¡¯re wrong about the defence mechanisms, this whole conversation was pointless.¡±


    The decision made, Clive turned his attention to the large doors.


    ¡°They messed up their unlocking ritual,¡± Clive said. ¡°Even at a glance I can see how amateurish it was. No wonder they set off any defences.¡±


    ¡°Then do what they did,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can worry about getting it right afterwards.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not very professional,¡± Clive complained.


    ¡°Being professional isn¡¯t the objective, right now,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°If the goal isn¡¯t to get it right, then you might as well do it,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°That¡¯s hurtful,¡± Jason said. ¡°But fair enough. Everyone else get ready.¡±


    While the team gathered in preparation for a fight, Jason examined the doors and the remnant lines of a ritual circle drawn onto each in chalk.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding, Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Even I can tell this is a dog¡¯s breakfast. It looks like someone who barely knew what they were doing just copied this ritual out of a book.¡±


    ¡°Probably someone who used a ritual magic skill book and never took the time to learn any theory,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Was that aimed at me?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been hitting the books pretty hard, as you well know.¡±


    ¡°Can you please just get on with it?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said.


    Jason took out a stick of chalk to redraw in the faded lines. He recognised the basic unlocking ritual, which was indeed something that had been in the ritual magic skill book he had used himself. That fortunately meant that he had the ritual incantation memorised, which was somewhat tricky. The chant was one of those that were series a series of sounds rather than words, in and of themselves, meaningless. They simply existed to set up a resonance and begin channelling magic through the ritualist and into the ritual diagram.


    Jason carried out the ritual, but the locks in the middle of the ritual circles glowed red hot. Much of the redrawn circles burst off the doors in a puff of chalk dust. Jason turned and joined the others, drawing his sword in readiness for whatever appeared to meet them. They did not have to wait long.


    Individual bricks in the walls and floor sank drew back into recesses with a grinding of stone. Moments later, small stone and metal spiders came swarming out of the holes all over the room. They immediately started scuttling toward the group, swarming over the walls and across the ceiling.


    The construct creatures had minimal auras, but they were clearly iron-rank.


    ¡°Belinda, Neil.¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Got it,¡± Neil followed. ¡°On your call, Belinda.¡±


    The tiny constructs had painted the walls and ceiling as they moved on the team. As the front runners edged closer and closer, some of the team started throwing Belinda glances.


    ¡°Uh, Belinda?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Wait,¡± she said calmly.


    Construct spiders started dropping off the ceiling and the upper parts of the walls as they drew excruciatingly close to the team. Clive raised his staff to fire off a blast and Belinda waved him down with a gesture.


    ¡°Not yet,¡± she said.


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I have to catch a lot of them,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Alright, Neil. Now.¡±


    Neil chanted out a quick spell.


    ¡°Let your power fulminate.¡±


    Ability: [Bolster] (Growth)


    Spell (boon).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): The next essence ability used by the target ally has increased effect. This can affect parameters including damage, range and number of targets, depending on the affected ability. Cannot be used on self.Effect (bronze): Mana and stamina costs of the affected ability are reduced. In the case of ongoing mana and stamina costs, only costs initiated with the ability are affected. Costs invoked subsequent to the ability being activated are unaffected.


    As soon as she felt the power of Neil¡¯s spell affecting her, Belinda threw out her hand and a crystal rod rose up from the floor.


    Ability: [Force Tether] (Trap)


    Special Ability.Cost: Low mana-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 7 (09%).Effect (iron): Conjures a crystal rod, from which a tether of shimmering force connects to all nearby enemies within a moderate range. Tethered enemies are dragged toward the rod, which is protected by a force field that inflicts moderate resonating force-damage to anyone in contact with it. If the force-field is ruptured, it explodes in a wave of resonating-force damage. If the rod is destroyed or removed from its location then it explodes in a wave of disruptive-force damage. Dimensional displacement, such as teleportation, severs the tether. Untethered enemies who enter within range of the rod become tethered. Only one force tether rod may exist at a time.


    Shimmering tethers of force shot out to every spider in range, which was almost all of them given how close Belinda had allowed the mass to encroach on the team. There were so many it seemed less like a series of tethers and more like a wall. All the spiders were plucked from the walls, ceiling or where they had fallen to the floor and dragged toward the crystal rod. The constructs were so light and weak that they all were yanked right up to the tip of the rod, piling into a ball at the end of the shaft like the head of a dandelion. The innermost spiders were constantly damaged as they were dragged against the force-field surrounding the crystal rod.


    Not every one of the spiders had fallen within the range of the bolstered tether, but it was the significant majority. Belinda followed up with another power.


    Ability: [Pit of the Reaper] (Trap)


    Conjuration (dimension).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 2 minutes.Current rank: Iron 6 (14%).Effect (iron): Conjures a dimensional space pit on any horizontal surface. The surface does not need to be solid or supportive. Anyone inside the pit suffers ongoing necrotic damage. If this spell is cast again while a pit already exists, the existing pit vanishes, depositing anyone inside upon the surface on which the pit was conjured.


    The rod fell into the pit that opened up underneath them, dragging the spiders down. Having moved from its original location, it detonated. The force field around the crystal rod blew up first, then the rod itself shortly after, both blasting the spiders with force and crushing them against the sides of the dimensional pit. Some were launched back up and out of the pit, although they landed inert and unmoving.


    The team moved to clean up the spider constructs that had escaped the tether-pit combination, clearing out the rest with wand, staff, sword and, in Sophie¡¯s case, boot. It wasn¡¯t long before everything was done. The pit vanished, and the destroyed construct remnants disgorged up from the vanishing pit and into a pile.


    ¡°Does anyone else feel like that was a bit anticlimactic, after all that talk?¡± Neil asked, and Jason immediately let out a groan.


    ¡°Why in the world would you go and say something like that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Neil asked in turn. Suddenly there was a grinding sound as large sections of the floor started to descend, leaving large holes.


    ¡°That¡¯s what,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I think they would have opened, whether I said anything or not,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Well, now we¡¯ll never know.¡±

 Chapter 232: Stalwart

    The spider constructs had appeared from holes that had opened in the walls and ceiling. This time, it was the floor that opened up, six large, evenly-spaced but much larger holes, appearing in a straight line down the length of the cell block. The team didn¡¯t wait for whatever was within to emerge, springing straight into action.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take the first, you the second,¡± Clive said to Belinda and they both quickly chanted out their rune trap spell.


    ¡°Emplace the mark of power.¡±


    Runes appeared on the floor, in front of the first and second holes. They glowed brightly for a brief moment before vanishing. As they cast their spells, Humphrey vaulted into the air, a pair of dragon wings appearing on his back and pushing him upwards.


    Ability: [Dragon Wings] (Wing)


    Conjuration (movement).Cost: High mana-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (01%).Effect (iron): Manifest wings that are powerful but lack agility.Effect (bronze): The strength and resilience of the wings is increased, allowing them to be used for crude attacks to the sides and rear. The wings have strong damage resistance and very strong fire resistance. Ongoing mana cost is reduced from very high to high.


    Humphrey alighted on the upper mezzanine level, letting the mana-hungry wings vanish again. Sophie sauntered forward, ready to meet whatever emerged, while Jason vanished into the shadows.


    Neil had been hastily pouring salt from a small sack to make a circle. He knelt briefly and touched a finger to the circle when it was done. The salt crystals started sparkling like flecks of diamond in the sun before a dervish of crystal appeared above the circle, swiftly cohering into the shape of Neil¡¯s summon.


    Ability: [Chrysalis Golem] (Growth)


    Summoning.Cost: Very high mana.Cooldown: 6 hours.Current rank: Iron 9 (97%).Effect (iron): Summons a chrysalis golem.


    The golem was a large, humanoid edifice of translucent crystal, half as tall again as its summoner. Neil gestured it forward, where it positioned itself between the team¡¯s support contingent and the holes from which the enemy was about to emerge.


    From each hole, a single figure rose up from below. Like Neil¡¯s golem, they were constructs, ascending on platforms that sealed the holes from which they came. They also shared the golem¡¯s intimidating size, but not its humanoid appearance These new constructs had a body that was a vertical cylinder of plain, dark stone. From the base, four legs held it up, obviously build for stability over speed.


    Equidistant at cardinal points around the middle of the cylinder were long, inhuman arms. Each arm was segmented with a pair of elbows that allowed them to move in uncanny gestures. The arms ended in blunted, four-fingered claws. Atop each cylinder, in place of a head, was a stone bowl. As the constructs rose up, spheres of magical force manifested into each bowl, shimmering like a soap bubbles, and the constructs began to move.


    Like all constructs, they didn¡¯t have a soul and their auras were the meagre product of the magic animating them. It was enough to let the team know their opponents were somewhere in the mid-range of bronze-rank power.


    The two sides were moving on each other before the platforms bringing the constructs up had even completed their task. Sophie was the quickest, ignoring the first two constructs to go after the third, rapidly hammering attacks into the joints of its arms. The movement of the arms was quick and tricky, but Sophie¡¯s reflexes were up to the task. As it continued to rise up, she went after the leg joints as well. The effectiveness of her attacks was limited, but the resonating-force damage of her special ability did succeed in chipping away at the hard stone of the leg.


    Ability: [Immortal Fist] (Mystic)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 8 (21%).Effect (iron): Unarmed attacks deal additional resonating-force damage, which is highly effective against physical defences. Suffer no damage from making unarmed strikes against objects and negate all damage from actively intercepted attacks. Not all damage from very powerful or higher-ranked attacks will be negated.


    The two constructs she had passed stepped over the edge of their holes before the platforms they rode reached the level of the floor to seal them. They moved forward towards the main group, only to walk over the now-invisible runes, which detonated as they did so. The explosion was not enough to knock the heavy creatures over but they were successful in causing enough damage to have cracks appear in their legs. This was most true of the closest construct, which had walked over Clive¡¯s trap. It suffered the full effect of the bronze-rank power, then the secondary explosion on afterward.


    Ability: [Rune Trap] (Rune)


    Spell.Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Bronze 0 (03%).Effect (iron): Create an explosive rune that will disappear after a short period. The rune can be set to trigger by proximity, caster trigger, or both.Effect (bronze): Enemies affected by the rune trap will be the source of a secondary explosion after a brief period.


    The second construct was not much more than briefly staggered by Belinda¡¯s trap, but Humphrey made the most of the immobile target. He plummeted down like a meteor, stacking up powers into a single, potent attack. He started by invoking one of his racial gifts.


    Ability: [Dragon Blood]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Essence Gift].[Power] and [Spirit] attributes are enhanced for moderate mana-per-second.


    His dragon wings appeared once again as he plunged from above, driving him forcefully towards his target below.


    Ability: [Dive Bomb] (Wing)


    Special attack (movement, combination).Cost: High stamina.Cooldown: 20 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 0 (02%).Effect (iron): Accelerate down to attack a target from above; can be combined with normal or special melee attacks. Physical damage from these attacks is increased. No falling damage is suffered when using this ability, even if the attack misses.Effect (bronze): A resonating-force shockwave is produced from the impact point.


    Another of Humphrey¡¯s racial gifts further enhanced the power of his attack.


    Ability: [Wing Raider]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Essence Gift].Speed, momentum and damage of movement-type special attacks is increased. Heavy conjured weapons and armour do not increase stamina consumption, regardless of weight, and do not impede movement abilities. Light conjured weapons have increased weight and momentum without being heavier to wield, counting as heavy weapons for the purposes of special attack requirements.


    Dive bomb would do damage alone, but as it was a combination special attack, Humphrey added another power that would be especially effective against the construct.


    Ability: [Shield Breaker] (Might)


    Special attack.Cost: Low mana, moderate stamina.Cooldown: 10 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 0 (04%).Effect (iron): Inflicts additional resonating-force damage, highly effective against physical defences. Requires a heavy weapon.Effect (bronze): Damage to rigid material is significantly increased.


    As Humphrey plunged through the air, the sphere that had formed in the monster¡¯s strange bowl head floated up to intercept him. It grew as it moved into his path, large enough to engulf his whole body. Humphrey passed through the sphere, which popped like the soap bubble it resembled. It had not so much as slowed him down.


    You have been trapped in [Sphere of Incarceration].[Sphere of Incarceration] has triggered ability [Unstoppable].[Sphere of Incarceration] has been destroyed.


    In a team full of unconventional members, it was easy to overlook Humphrey and his powers that were as straightforward as Humphrey himself. What he brought to the team was something that they otherwise lacked: simple, reliable power. When Humphrey Geller wanted to attack you, you were getting attacked.


    Ability: [Unstoppable]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Essence Gift].Movement abilities cannot be negated or impaired. Resonating-force damage and disruptive-force damage are imparted to any obstructing object, increased for each movement ability and special attack in effect. This is a movement effect.


    Humphrey came down on the construct like the United States military on an oil-rich nation. His assault from above was domineering, overwhelming and inflicted a level of widespread damage that went way beyond his expectations.


    The initial strike smashed right through the stone bowl and burying itself deep in the cylindrical body. The construct was riddled with cracks and half destroyed, a job finished by the dive bomb attack¡¯s secondary shock wave. It freed Humphrey¡¯s sword as the construct was blasted into shrapnel


    As Humphrey destroyed the second construct Sophie continued to tie up the third. It tried to catch her with its own sphere, but her speed and mobility powers allowed her to nimbly avoid it, even as her attacks continued, unabated. The closest she came to being caught was when she looked back as fragments of the construct behind her explosively showered her with shrapnel.


    One of her construct¡¯s legs gave out beneath her unrelenting attacks, but it continued to fight back with the lengthy, multi-jointed arms that tried to slam her into the floor. Some attacks she blocked, others she neatly side-stepped, all the while continuing her own assault. She was able to more than hold her own against her bronze-rank enemy, but it remained a dangerous opponent. She was all too aware that getting caught up fighting just one meant she was not protecting the team from the others.


    Sophie and Humphrey had left one construct between them and the bulk of the team, which was intercepted by Neil¡¯s summon. Although the two constructs were of a similar size, the bronze-rank enemy quickly began to overpower the summon. It started by using two of its four clawed hands to grab the chrysalis golem¡¯s arms, holding them out of the way as a third claw hammered away on the golem¡¯s crystalline body. With each blow, a new rune appeared on the myriad facets of the chrysalis golem, even as it struggled, ineffectually.


    While this was going on, Neil watched in silence, primed to throw out any necessary shields and healing for his teammates. Belinda was likewise actively prepared to support the team, as needed. Clive in contrast was drawing a ritual circle at the end of his staff, lines of golden light appearing at a wave of his finger.


    Ability: [Enact Ritual] (Rune)


    Special ability.Cost: varies.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (09%).Effect (iron): Manifest lines of magic to draw out ritual diagrams. Materials required for a ritual may be used directly from a dimensional storage space instead of being placed within the diagram.Effect (bronze): Create simple ritual diagrams to alter the parameters of magical items.


    Quickly completed, the ritual circle floated in the air, affixed by an invisible force to the end of his staff.


    You have altered the effect of [Spell Lance of the Magister]. Damage has been altered from disruptive-force to resonating-force.


    The disruptive-force of his staff attacks were highly-effective against magic and adequate for most enemies, but would suffer against the hard and tough bodies of the constructs. The time it cost him to alter his weapons would be made up for in the effectiveness of their new, temporary damage type. He left his wand unchanged, however, as he was wary of the magic spheres the constructs each had. His senses could clearly make out their magical nature, which his wand¡¯s original damage would be effective against.


    As the construct continued to hammer away at the chrysalis golem, its sphere floated out to hover over the golem¡¯s head. The construct¡¯s final arm rose from behind its main body to touch the sphere, which started to vibrate and grow. Clive immediately directed the beam of his wand to lock onto the sphere, while his staff repeatedly fired bolts into the construct¡¯s body. The magical bolts exploded on contact, also affecting the chrysalis golem. The damage caused new runes to form on the golem¡¯s body. The sphere above the Golem continued to grow but the disruptive power of the wand slowed that growth to a crawl.


    At the far end of the cell, the distance from the rest of the team and the glow stones they carried made the shadowy darkness a playground for Jason. He danced among the last three constructs, an elusive, flickering shadow. The disadvantage was that his only viable source of damage was his sword, which would take time to build up enough power to be an effective threat.


    Item: [Dread Salvation] (iron rank [growth], legendary)


    A sword crafted with gratitude, in hope it would be of the greatest use in the moment of greatest need. It was forged with passion and expertise to be a reliable companion, bestowing upon it an incredible potential (weapon, sword).


    Effect: If a special attack that applies an affliction is made with this sword, but the subject of the attack has a physical immunity to it, an instance of [Stone Cutter] is applied to the blade.Effect: If a special attack that applies an affliction is made with this sword, but the subject of the attack has a magical immunity to it, an instance of [Spell Breaker] is applied to the blade.[Stone Cutter] (magic, stacking): All attacks deal additional resonating-force damage; highly effective against physical defences. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Spell Breaker] (magic, stacking): All attacks deal additional disruptive-force damage; highly effective against magical defences and incorporeal entities. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Jason moved amongst the constructs like a spirit, doing all he could to hold their attention with his minimal damage. The more he could distract the back half of the enemies, the quicker his allies would deal with the front and move to assist him.


    Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] and [Price of Absolution] on [Tartarian Golem].[Tartarian Golem] is immune to [Sin].[Sin] does not take effect.Affliction immunity has triggered an effect on weapon [Dread Salvation].Weapon [Dread Salvation] has gained an instance of [Stone Cutter].[Tartarian Golem] is immune to [Price of Absolution].[Price of Absolution] does not take effect.Affliction immunity has triggered an effect on weapon [Dread Salvation].Weapon [Dread Salvation] has gained an instance of [Stone Cutter].


    Until his allies could join move to help, Jason had the assistance of Gordon, whose beam attacks proved more attention-getting than Jason. One beam was disruptive-force, which weakened and eventually broke the magical spheres, forcing the constructs to form new ones. The other beam was resonating force, an effective weapon against the rigid, stone  bodies of the constructs.


    Shade had informed Jason that the constructs almost certainly relied on purely magical senses, lacking the sensory organs of a living creature. As Jason had little need of Shade¡¯s shadow bodies in the darkened area, Shade posited that he might be able to hide Jason from their senses entirely. For each of Shade¡¯s bodies subsumed into Jason¡¯s shadow, he could mask an aspect of Jason¡¯s presence, such as heat or sound. It apparently also extended to more unusual senses.


    Jason declined, however, as he needed to hold the constructs¡¯ attention. Their spheres moved around and their arms lashed out, striking nothing but hard floor and empty air. Jason may not have been Sophie¡¯s equal, but he had the skills imprinted on him by skill books and consolidate with a year of training and experience. He had become formidable in his own right.


    The three constructs became two as Humphrey moved past Sophie and started hammering on one of them, diverting its attention. He started with the strongest of his special attacks, which rocked the construct back, in spite of its great weight.


    Ability: [Unstoppable Force] (Might)


    Special attack.Cost: High mana, extreme stamina.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Bronze 0 (07%).Effect (iron): Melee attack with massive momentum, dealing large amounts of additional resonating-force and disruptive-force damage. Requires a heavy weapon.Effect (bronze): For each enemy struck the cooldown of this ability and the cost of the next use of this ability are reduced.


    After week after week of almost hourly battles, the team was quick to pick up on one another¡¯s rhythms. Belinda was at the ready and immediately reset Humphrey¡¯s attack.


    Ability: [Blessing of Readiness] (Adept)


    Special ability (recovery).Base cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: Varies.Current rank: Iron 8 (14%).Effect (iron): This spell can only affect an ally and not yourself. The cooldown of the next ability used by the target is reduced by up to one minute. The cooldown of this ability is equal to the time taken from the cooldown of the target ability.


    Using her magical tattoo, she ended the cooldown on her power, allowing it to reset Humphrey¡¯s attack a second time. Jason was almost caught in a sphere as he watched, boggle-eyed, as Humphrey pushed around the giant stone monstrosity as if it were a small child. Humphrey finished the construct off with a shield breaker attack, the specialty resonating-force power inflicting even more damage than his unstoppable force attack.


    Sophie, in the mean time, had neatly disassembled her opponent. Where Humphrey left nothing but ruined chunks, Sophie had taken her golem apart joint by joint and then smashed the bowl, causing the sphere she had been dodging to wink out and not return.


    ¡°Sophie!¡± Neil called out, and she turned to look. The sphere of the first construct had finally grown large enough to encapsulate Neil¡¯s golem, which was suddenly covered in a crystal cocoon within the sphere. Trapped in the sphere and entered into its inert, chrysalis state, the golem was no longer any kind of protector for Belinda, Neil and Clive. Belinda stepped up to buy the time the team needed.


    With her power-resetting abilities expended, Belinda knew it was time to change roles. She starting by summoning a  suit of heavy armour, plus a hammer and shield, which blinked into existence on her person.


    Ability: [Bag of Tricks] (Magic)


    Special Ability (dimension).Cost: NoneCooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 8 (08%).Effect (iron): You have a personal, dimensional storage space. You may equip any item in your storage space directly onto your person or unequip anything on your person directly to your storage space.


    She activated another power that made her grow taller and bulk-out with muscle, her clothes and equipment growing with her.


    Ability: [Counterfeit Combatant] (Charlatan)


    Special ability (boon).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Iron 4 (74%).Effect (iron): Gain a significant increase to the [Power] attribute and temporary proficiency with armour and melee weaponry. Your physique enlarges, with equipment shifting to match.


    As prepared as she could be, she squared her shoulders and moved to intercept the construct. She was only an iron-rank combatant, however, and a makeshift one at that. This became painfully obvious as she was rapidly pushed back, overwhelmed by the construct¡¯s multiple, irregular attacks. Her only saving grace was the construct¡¯s sphere was still occupied containing the chrysalis golem. The construct apparently unaware that the golem was in an inert state.


    Sophie appeared, moving through the room like a breeze. She took over from a grateful Belinda, who had suffered something of a beating from the many-armed construct. The shields and healing supplied by Neil had been the only thing that let her hold up against the higher-rank enemy even for the short time she had managed.


    At the other end of the cell block, Humphrey moved on one of the now two remaining constructs. They were now ignoring Jason, in spite of the growing power of his sword, rightly recognising the larger threat.


    Humphrey could not take the two constructs down as quickly as the first two, needing to wait for his most potent abilities to come off cooldown. His shield breaker attack, fortunately, had a short cooldown, made all the shorter by Belinda¡¯s aura.


    Ability: [Masterful] (Adept)


    Aura (recovery).Base cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 7 (55%).Effect (iron): Abilities of allies within the aura come off cooldown more quickly.


    In between hits with his big-ticket attack, Humphrey fought using another of his special attacks. The human aptitude for special attacks had caused him to awaken an array of them, contributing to his potent offensive capability.


    Ability: [Relentless Assault] (Might)


    Special attack.Cost: Low stamina, increasing with each successive attack.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (02%).Effect (iron): Each use of this attack in quick succession increases the damage of this attack. Damage is of the same type caused by a normal attack.Effect (bronze): After a threshold of successive attacks is reached, escalating resonating-force damage is dealt with each attack.


    Even this back-up attack of Humphrey¡¯s started putting paid to the construct he was fighting in relatively short order. He finished it with a shield breaker attack and moved onto the next construct as Jason realised that his contribution to the fight really would be minimal.


    As he and Humphrey engaged the last construct at the back, the remaining one at the front was now squaring off against Sophie. Clive¡¯s staff had left it pocked with damage and Sophie was doing the same, but it was the awakening of Neil¡¯s golem that signalled the end of that fight.


    The golem explosively emerged from the crystal chrysalis. Shards of razor-sharp crystal shot out wildly, shredding the sphere containing the golem. Revealed in the wake of the detonated cocoon, the golem was leaner than it had been before, now with four arms, like that of its opponent, although more traditionally placed, two to each side of the golem¡¯s body.


    With the disappearance of its first glowing sphere the construct created another in it¡¯s bowl, which began floating it towards the newly reformed golem. The golem hammered the sphere with a fist and the bubble not only burst, but blasted force back at its creator. As the construct was rocked back on its legs the golem, more agile than before, moved in smoothly to start hammering away with it¡¯s fists. The crude, blunt appendages vibrated as they struck, sending shockwaves through the enemy construct.


    The new and improved chrysalis golem took out its enemy almost as quick as Humphrey, who was finishing the last of the last of the constructs up the back.


    The team regrouped in the middle of the cell block. Clive and Neil enthusiastically told Jason and Humphrey about Belinda¡¯s stalwart efforts in buying time for Sophie to come to their aid.


    ¡°Still,¡± Neil said. ¡°Not as bad as we thought, in the end.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You¡¯re doing it again?¡±


    ¡°The bad thing already came out,¡± Neil said. ¡°What are the odds of there being another¡­¡±


    He trailed off as the cell block filled with the sound of grinding stone.

 Chapter 233: I’m Sick of Fighting Magic Rocks

    The now-familiar sound of grinding stone echoed through the cell block. The first time, it had been small holes in the walls and ceiling. The second, large holes in the floor. The group looked around for the new source of the grating noise.


    ¡°It¡¯s coming from the cells,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°All the cells.¡±


    The team looked through the rusty bars and spotted apertures that had appeared in the floor behind them.


    ¡°How many cells are there?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Twelve cells to a side, per level; two levels to each side,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Almost fifty, all up.¡±


    ¡°How can stuff rise up from the floors of the upper cells?¡± Neil asked. ¡°They¡¯d just come from the ones below, right?¡±


    ¡°Dimensional spaces,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Like the powers you and I got from the Reaper stones, Neil.¡±


    In each cell, a large glass box rose up from the floor. All of them were filled with a sickly yellow fog, from which the team could sense the auras within, currently in a dormant state.


    ¡°Those are bronze-rank auras,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Are we ready for that?¡±


    ¡°We have to be,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°So, yes.¡±


    Blood red light shone over their feet and they turned to see it was shining under the large doors they had used to trigger the room¡¯s defences in the first place. It seemed to be a trigger for whatever was inside the glass cases as the team felt the auras within them surge into wakefulness.


    ¡°Time to even out the numbers a little,¡± Humphrey said, producing a bag of chalk dust and hurriedly pouring out a circle. He took out his summoner¡¯s die and rolled it on the floor, the face up rune glowing as it came to a stop.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Humphrey said as five large fish made of carved bone were summoned into being and started, flopping helplessly on the floor.


    ¡°The fish again?¡± Jason said. ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t be rolling the dice on the important fights. Literally and figuratively.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a one in twelve chance,¡± Humphrey said. Rather than have his helpless summons underfoot he dismissed them and they vanished. Neil¡¯s summon was still present, the crystalline golem maintaining its more advanced, post-chrysalis form. Leaner and more agile than its basic shape, it had four arms ending in fists capable of powerful vibration attacks.


    ¡°Do we go smash those glass cases?¡± Neil asked. ¡°We¡¯d have to kick our way through the bars, right?¡±


    ¡°I suspect whatever is in there will come to us,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you want to go into a prison cell where some unknown creature is about to burst out, though, be my guest. Actually, you¡¯re the healer. You have to stay here.¡±


    The sound of shattering glass signalled that their thus-far unknown enemies were about to make an appearance. The sickly-looking smoke that had been in the glass boxes came pouring out through the cell bars. The volume of it suggested that either the fog had been incredibly compressed in the glass cases or it was being continually fed through wherever the glass cases had arisen from. It obscured the team¡¯s vision of the cell interiors as they heard the bars start to swing open with reluctant, rusty shrieks.


    The creatures that emerged from the smoke were roughly humanoid; broad, heavy and hairless, with dark, scaly skin. Their arms were longer and more powerful than their legs, ending in thick, three-fingered hands. They had tiny, sunken eyes and nostrils in flat, noiseless faces. Their wide mouths were filled with misshapen teeth, like fragments of shattered, yellow stone. They pushed their way through cell doors barely large enough to fit them.


    ¡°They don¡¯t look weak,¡± Neil said.


    The smoke thinned as is moved into the room ahead of the creatures, filling the cell block with an unpleasant haze.


    Poison cloud had inflicted you with [Breath of Tartarus].You have resisted [Breath of Tartarus].You have gained an instance of [Resistant].You have gained an instance of [Integrity].


    Jason looked to his companions with concern. They were more vulnerable than he was, not sharing the power to grow stronger from afflictions.


    Ability: [Sin Eater] (Sin)


    Special ability (recovery, holy).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Increased resistance to afflictions. Gain an instance of [Resistant] each time you resist an affliction or cleanse an affliction using essence abilities.Effect (bronze): Gain an instance of [Integrity] for each affliction you resist or remove using essence abilities.


    [Resistant] (boon, holy, stacking): Resistance to afflictions is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Consumed to negate instances of [Vulnerable] on a 1:1 basis.[Integrity] (heal-over-time, mana-over-time, stamina-over-time, holystacking): Periodically recover a small amount of health, stamina and mana. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    The rest of the team were not completely vulnerable, with Sophie and Jason¡¯s auras both shielding them.


    Ability: [Cleansing Breeze] (Swift)


    Aura (holy, cleanse).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Allies within the aura have increased resistance to curses, diseases, magic afflictions, poisons and unholy afflictions. This is a holy effect. Negates poisons in the air; this is a cleanse effect.Effect (bronze): Allies within the aura are periodically cleansed of curses, diseases, magic afflictions, poisons and unholy afflictions. Mana and stamina recovery effects on allies have greater effect.


    Cleansing breeze was one of the precious few powers that had reached bronze for Sophie, accelerated by a preponderance of poisonous monsters in the city. Thorny plant monsters, spitting frog monsters, snake monsters. The team had a good amount of cleansing between them, which made such creatures easy pickings, as well as helping them accelerate the advancement of those powers.


    In the case of Sophie¡¯s aura, it would slowly but surely cleanse many types of affliction from her allies. It was already purifying the fog around them and, added to Jason¡¯s aura, left the team in relatively good stead.


    Ability: [Hegemony] (Sin)


    Aura (holy, unholy).Base cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Allies within the aura have increased resistance to afflictions, while enemies within the aura have their resistance to afflictions reduced. Enemy resistances are further reduced for each instance of [Sin] they are suffering from.Effect (bronze): Inflicts an instance of [Sin] on enemies that make physical or magical attacks against allies within the aura. Instances applied in this way cannot be resisted.


    Belinda, Sophie and Neil suffered the worst, their iron-rank constitutions struggling against the poison even with the powers bolstering their resistance. Jason clasped a hand on Neil¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Red life force emerged from Neil, tainted by the same colour as the mist. The taint disappeared into Jason¡¯s hand, leaving Neil looking relieved as his now-healthy life force returned to his body.


    Ability: [Feast of Absolution] (Sin)


    Spell (recovery, cleanse, holy).Base cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Cleanse all curses, diseases, poisons and unholy afflictions from a single target. Additionally cleanse all holy afflictions if the target is an ally. Recover stamina and mana for each affliction cleansed. This ability ignores any effect that prevents cleansing. Cannot target self.Effect (bronze): Enemies suffer an instance each of [Penance] and [Legacy of Sin] for each condition cleansed from them.


    [Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off as damage is dealt.[Legacy of Sin] (affliction, holy, stacking): You are considered more damaged for the purposes of execute ability damage scaling. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    While this was going on, some of the monsters had already moved in to the attack. The team had their backs to the large doors, so the monsters wouldn¡¯t be able to flank them, although they would be able to drop down from above. While Sophie stepped forward with Neil¡¯s golem to hold off the first wave of attackers, Humphrey vaulted up to the mezzanine on their left with a flap of conjured dragon wings.


    Humphrey engaged with one of the creatures that had been about to drop down. It¡¯s lengthy arms gave it reach, and the knobbly scales running along them made those arms as tough as any weapon. The monster may not have been a match for Humphrey but it was still disconcertingly strong and tough, given how many they knew to be gathering, unseen in the poison haze.


    Jason used his magic boots to leap up to the mezzanine on the other side, likewise engaging a monster. He inflicted a rapid series of slashes, the creature¡¯s reach no match for that of Jason¡¯s shadowy arm.


    Ability: [Hand of the Reaper] (Dark)


    Conjuration (disease, unholy).Cost: Low mana-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Conjure a highly flexible, semi-substantial shadow-arm that can extend or shrink. Conjured items can be conjured into the shadow hand. Can be used to make melee special attacks. Special attacks made using the arm inflict [Creeping Death] in addition to other effects.Effect (bronze): You can conjure a second arm. Special attacks made using the arms inflict [Rigor Mortis] in addition to other effects.


    [Creeping Death] (damage-over-time, disease, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until the disease is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Rigor Mortis] (affliction, unholy, stacking): Penalty to the [Speed] and [Recovery] attributes. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Each time a new instance is inflicted, deals necrotic damage for each existing instance.


    Jason¡¯s dagger barely drew blood from the scaly skin, but all Jason needed were shallow cuts. With just a few slashes, more than a dozen afflictions were loaded onto the monster. Jason¡¯s conjured dagger was the source of many, but not all of them, such as the special attack he was using.


    Ability: [Punish] (Sin)


    Special attack (melee, curse, holy).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Inflicts necrotic damage and the [Sin] affliction.Effect (bronze): Inflicts or refreshes the duration of [Price of Absolution].


    [Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Price of Absolution] (affliction, holy): Suffer transcendent damage for each instance of [Sin] cleansed from you.


    Neither Jason nor the creature were going to wait for the afflictions to slowly devour it. It lunged at Jason, although its relatively short legs and the afflictions it already suffered from made it a little slow. Jason easily stepped into one of Shade¡¯s bodies and out from another that had slipped past the creature while it was engaged with Jason, giving him plenty of time to cast a quick spell before the creature turned around to face him again.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    Ability: [Punition] (Doom)


    Spell.Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Inflicts necrotic damage for each curse, disease, poison and unholy affliction the target is suffering.Effect (bronze): Inflicts or refreshes the duration of [Penitence].


    [Penitence] (affliction, holy): Gain an instance of [Penance] for each curse, disease, poison or unholy effect that is cleansed from you. This is a holy effect.[Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off as damage is dealt.


    The creature staggered as its muscles withered with necrosis, even as its wounds glowed with the transcendent damage starting to ravage it from the inside out. It lunged at Jason again with no more effect, Jason easily able to move from one of Shade¡¯s bodies to the other like a bully playing keep-away. He cast another spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    The creatures life force became visible, tainted with the storm of affliction within it. Ugly curses, poisons and other horrors Jason inflicted swirled about with the shining transcendence of holy afflictions until they were drained out, siphoned off into Jason¡¯s outstretched hand. Even more of the holy afflictions were left in their place as the creature¡¯s life force once again became unseen.


    18 afflictions have been cleansed from [Tartarian Brute].36 Instances of [Penance] have been inflicted on [Tartarian Brute].18 Instances of [Legacy of Sin] have been inflicted on [Tartarian Brute].Your mana and stamina have been replenished.Stamina and mana cannot exceed normal maximum values. Excess stamina and mana are lost.


    The brute stumbled to a halt as the transcendent damage devastated its body, lighting it up from the inside like some divine being, alighted upon the earth. Jason tilted his head as he watched the creature, one of the few he had encountered capable of surviving this far into his ability sequence. He chanted the incantation for the coup de grace.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement, and the judgement is death.¡±


    Ability: [Verdict] (Doom)


    Spell (execute)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Deals a small amount of transcendent damage. As an execute effect, damage scales exponentially with the enemy¡¯s level of injury.Effect (bronze): Base damage is increased for each instance of [Penance] on the target.


    The penance afflictions on the creature increased the base damage of the execute power, while the legacy of sin affliction made the damage escalation ramp up much faster. The multiplicative affect of the two affliction stacks made for a shower of transcendent light that left behind not so much as a drop of blood.


    Jason had never killed something that tough that quickly, but of course Humphrey had already finished his first and was making short work of a second. Another brute came lumbering out of the poison fog and Jason just raised his hand. Blood seeped from his palm for a short moment, after which a torrent of leeches came spraying out over the creature. Jason paid it no more attention and leapt from his side of the room over the gap to Humphrey on the opposite mezzanine.


    ¡°Can you drop these upper levels at this end, so they can¡¯t drop down on the team?¡± Jason asked as Humphrey kicked a dead brute off his sword.


    Humphrey gave the brick floor beneath them an assessing glance.


    ¡°Yeah. You want to go backs to the wall and let them come to us?¡±


    ¡°No, but we can¡¯t have them fall on our heads either,¡± Jason said. ¡°You keep the others safe while Neil and Sophie hold the poison at bay.¡±


    ¡°And what about the room full of monsters and poison gas?¡±


    Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow as Gordon manifested with a surge of his aura. Jason glanced across at Colin, now bound up in his bloody-cloth humanoid shape.


    ¡°I¡¯m sick of fighting magic rocks,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can leave this lot to us.¡±


    Sophie¡¯s aura was thinning out the gas in the area immediately surrounding the team and would soon have it cleansed entirely. Humphrey had used his shield breaker attack to shatter the mezzanine at their end of the room, so the creatures were only able to come at them at ground level, from one direction.


    Sophie, Humphrey and Neil¡¯s golem beat them back, assisted by Clive and his magical weapons. Neil watched over the whole group but made sure to keep a careful eye on Belinda, who was suffering the most from the gas not yet fully cleared out. Whenever it started to get the best of her, he would purge it from her with a spell.


    Ability: [Clean Slate] (Prosperity)


    Spell (cleanse, heal-over-time, holy).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Negate boons on a willing subject. Cleanse target of afflictions of all types except wounding. The base strength of the cleanse effect is enhanced for each boon negated.Effect (bronze): Target gains a heal-over-time effect that had additional effectiveness against wounding afflictions. The strength of the healing effect is increased for each boon negated.


    From the haze of poison fog, the team saw flashes of transcendent light and heard horrifying screams. They could only assume they came from the creatures because it definitely wasn¡¯t Jason¡¯s voice, although none of the creatures Humphrey and Sophie cut down had made so much as a grunt as they died.


    At first the brutes surged in on them but slowly their numbers petered out. Finally, the last one to appear was in such a miserable state of decomposition that it looked like a zombie, complete with staggering shamble as it emerged from the fog before falling onto what was left of its face. A bloody strip of cloth snaked out of the fog, wrapping around its leg and dragging it back out of sight.


    The next thing to come out of the fog were four cloaked figures; Jason, flanked by his familiars. He looked the team over, nodded as he saw they were fine, and his gaze turned to the large doors behind them.


    ¡°What¡¯s say we see what¡¯s back there?¡±

 Chapter 234: Crossing the Threshold

    The team waited for the sound of grinding stone that would signal another wave of combat, but the room was as silent as Neil, under Jason¡¯s baleful glare.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re clear,¡± Humphrey said, finally.


    The team stopped to rest in the zone of clean air Sophie¡¯s power had finishing clearing out, while the poison mist in the rest of the room slowly dispersed. As the haze disappeared, it revealed a horror show of dead creatures piled around the broken remains of the constructs they had destroyed earlier.


    Neil tried looting the enemies, but while the constructs yielded a few crafting materials, the creatures yielded nothing. They also didn¡¯t disappear into rainbow smoke, showing them to not be monsters, but real creatures.


    ¡°These things have been sealed away for who knows how long,¡± Neil said. ¡°Kind of like those priests that Jason set loose.¡±


    ¡°My interface called them Tartarian Brutes,¡± Jason said. ¡°The constructs were Tartarian Golems. Does that mean something to anyone?¡±


    All eyes turned to Clive, who shook his head.


    ¡°In my world,¡± Jason said, ¡°there¡¯s a myth about a realm called Tartarus. It¡¯s a prison realm.¡±


    ¡°We do seem to be in a prison,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It makes me curious about what¡¯s behind these doors.¡±


    While Neil had been looting, Clive had been examining the doors. He started drawing magic diagrams on them in golden lines with his ritual power. Jason noted that, unlike the attempts of the adventurers that came before, they were being placed in the middle of the doors, rather than around the locks.


    ¡°You¡¯re not trying to crack the locks?¡± he asked Clive.


    ¡°Those are a decoy,¡± Clive said. ¡°A key tip for ritual magic ¨C and life, really ¨C is to not do the same thing as the people who died trying. Also, a twin-circle ritual is a very bad idea if you don¡¯t know what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    Clive completed the ritual, the two magical circles lighting up on the door. The red light shining from underneath faded away and there was a pair of audible clicks from the locks. Clive dismissed his glowing ritual circles with a wave of his hands and pushed on the doors, swinging them open.


    Beyond was a circular chamber with a vaulted ceiling and only one feature. In the middle of the room was a stone plinth, on which was what looked like a solid block of crystal encasing a sword. Around the block of crystal was a sphere of shimmering light, the same gold, silver and blue produced by Jason¡¯s transcendent damage powers.


    The sword in the block was elaborately crafted into a sinister form. The blade was some kind of black metal, engraved with glowing red runes down its length. The hilt was constructed of some manner of red crystal and black stone, like ruby and onyx. The grip had sharp thorns, meaning that anyone who grasped it would be stabbing their own hand.


    ¡°It kind of looks like Jason¡¯s dagger,¡± Neil said. Jason conjured his dagger into his hand, holding up for the group to compare. Jason¡¯s dagger was likewise an ornate object of black obsidian and red crystal.


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Jason said. ¡°It has to be coincidence, though right? I mean, if you¡¯re making a sweet-looking red and black bladed weapon, they¡¯re all going to end up with a certain level of similarity.¡±


    ¡°Do those runes on the blade mean anything?¡± Sophie asked. Jason and Clive both had translation powers, so they looked closer.


    ¡°They don¡¯t say anything coherent,¡± Jason said. ¡°They just represent various concepts.¡±


    ¡°Not ideal concepts, either,¡± Clive added. ¡°Soul. Power. Hunger. Life. Feast.¡±


    ¡°That does sound pretty bad,¡± Neil said. ¡°As in, Jason¡¯s powers bad.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in that energy around it,¡± Clive said. ¡°It seems very strange to both aura and magical senses.¡±


    ¡°It looks like Jason¡¯s dissolve people into nothing powers,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯m not going near it.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Neil said.


    Jason turned his attention to the shimmering light, slowly moving closer.


    ¡°Be careful,¡± Humphrey warned, but Jason instead extended a hand toward the light.


    ¡°Jason, you should give me time to examine that before doing anything rash,¡± Clive said.


    Jason ignored them, having felt something familiar about the energy. As his fingertips came in contact with it, a bolt of sensation rocketed through his body and he yanked his arm back, like it had been shocked. He stumbled back a couple of steps before righting himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s a soul,¡± Jason said, his voice haunted. ¡°This light is a disembodied soul, somehow held here.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Completely.¡±


    Clive scratched his head as he looked at the light in confusion.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t even be possible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m increasingly convinced that impossible isn¡¯t a thing,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°So, someone has turned an actual, living soul into a box?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that a lot to keep people away from a sword?¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t trying to keep things out,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s trying to keep something in.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Clive said. ¡°Even with enhanced aura senses, it¡¯s like there¡¯s something obscuring it.¡±


    ¡°You can touch it, if you like,¡± Jason said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t advise it, though. It¡¯s much higher rank than we are. At least gold, and possibly even diamond. Just coming into contact with it had quite the spiritual kick, but its purpose was immediately clear. Everything it is has been directed to a singular intent: keeping this sword exactly where it is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to touch it,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Just be warned,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s going to kick you right in the soul.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t,¡± Humphrey suggested.


    ¡°I have to,¡± Clive said. ¡°Call it a spirit of enquiry. I¡¯d rather go through whatever punch-back it will give me than live my life knowing I had the chance to experience something so rare and unique, but didn¡¯t have the courage.¡±


    Clive reached out his hand and, after a brief moment of hesitation, touched the light. The breath shot out of him and he toppled like a tree, falling to the ground, unconscious. Neil quickly dropped to one knee to examine him.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Neil quickly said. ¡°He just had a jolt to the system, causing some soul-body dysphoria. Best to let it settle than try and forcibly wake him up.¡±


    ¡°That soul-body thing sounds bad,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°On a regular person it would be,¡± Neil said as he pulled a pillow from his dimensional satchel and placed it under Clive¡¯s head. ¡°For an essence user, it¡¯s kind of like holding your breath for too long and passing out. He¡¯s going to wake up with a fierce headache, but nothing more than that.¡±


    The team gathered around Clive, looking down at him with concern.


    ¡°Really, he¡¯ll be fine,¡± Neil said. ¡°It won¡¯t take him long to wake up.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I guess we decide what to do about this sword while we wait.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t so anything,¡± Jason said. ¡°Someone or something went to considerable effort to contain it here. All that stuff we fought in the cell block was little more than a no trespassing sign compared to the power involved with this. If someone went to the trouble of doing this to a person¡¯s soul, just to keep this thing locked up, I don¡¯t think letting it loose is a good idea. Even assuming we can figure out how.¡±


    ¡°So, after all the fighting we did to get here, you just want to walk away?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want to do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to take Jason¡¯s advice on that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Sophie, Neil?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I was happy to leave it there when I saw that fact that the handle stabs you,¡± Neil said. ¡°That¡¯s tells you all you need to know about the kind of weapon it is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as if we¡¯re even looking for a sword,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You conjure yours, Humphrey, and you¡¯re not giving up the one Gary made, right Asano?¡±


    ¡°Exactly right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That just leaves you, Lindy,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It might not hurt to have some good equipment for your turn into a warrior power.¡±


    ¡°No thanks,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I¡¯ll stick with weapons that only stab the other guy.¡±


    Clive groaned loudly as he gained consciousness. He groggily sat up, gripped his head in his hands and let out another coughing groan. Neil dropped back down to examine him.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Like someone dropped a sailing ship on me,¡± Clive said, looking past Neil to Jason.


    ¡°How did you avoid that thing hitting your soul like a hammer?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°I did warn you.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had your resilience of soul,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said flatly. ¡°You don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve decided to leave the sword where it is,¡± Humphrey said to Clive. ¡°Unless you¡¯re looking to reopen the debate.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said, shaking his had and then wincing at the pain it brought. ¡°I felt that soul. What it went through to put that thing there and keep it there. I¡¯m not even sure we could get that sword out, but I am very sure that we shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    Neil and Jason were meditating outside where the cloud house had been set up. They were both anticipating an ascension to bronze-rank after the battle in the cell block and didn¡¯t want to make a mess inside. The cloud house would be able to clear it up, but doing so would just accelerate the rate at which it would consume the supply of crystal wash Jason had fed into it. It had been a huge amount and should be sufficient for years, but there was no point accelerating the consumption when it wasn¡¯t necessary.


    Neil¡¯s summoning power was his last remaining iron-rank ability. The golem had fought like a champion in their most recent conflict, so no one was surprised when Neil crossed the threshold into bronze. He wandered out from the secluded bit of ruin where he had finished his advancement, having washed himself down with a bottle of crystal wash after purging all the muck from his body in the transition.


    He had stripped down to his underwear, so his waiting teammates could see that his blocky, weight-lifter physique had clearly changed to one of more sleek, yet still built-up muscle. It had also made his hair fall out and his fingernails grow strangely long. Jason helped remedy those minor issues with grooming scissors and some of Jory¡¯s hair growth cream.


    Jason¡¯s change did not come that day, but Humphrey designated a day for rest. It was something they had done around once a week, taking a break from the otherwise unrelenting schedule of training and combat. They had killed more monsters than it was worth bothering to count, although they had been counting the flesh abominations. They had found and destroyed forty-one of the abominations thus far, which Shade¡¯s numbers put at around a tenth of the city¡¯s total.


    Shade¡¯s familiar power advanced ahead of Gordon¡¯s, the shadow Jason¡¯s most constant companion. Jason had come to rely on his shadowy presence, available even when an apocalypse monster or an interdimensional reality assassin were socially inappropriate.


    All [Dark Essence] abilities have reached [Bronze 0].Linked attribute [Speed] has increased from [Iron 9] to [Bronze 0].


    Jason¡¯s power attribute had reached bronze over the course of their time in the astral space, taking his strength officially beyond what any normal human was capable of. It was the transition of his speed attribute that really made his feel like he had truly transformed, however. It affected not just his ability to run fast, but his reflexes, agility, dexterity and proprioception.


    His newly ascended speed attribute also combined with his power attribute to make him capable of incredible feats. When he really should have gone back to meditation, his team found him doing somersaults on the spot and climbing up ruins by jumping from wall to wall.


    ¡°I feel like a video game character!¡±


    ¡°No one knows what that means,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been able to move like this for as long as I¡¯ve known you,¡± Jason told her. ¡°How are you not constantly running around and giggling like an idiot?¡±


    ¡°You should have seen her when she was younger,¡± Belinda confided, getting a glare from Sophie.


    Jason finally settled down and resumed his meditation, after which it did not take long before Gordon¡¯s power likewise crossed the line.


    All [Doom Essence] abilities have reached [Bronze 0].Linked attribute [Spirit] has increased from [Iron 9] to [Bronze 0].Progress to bronze rank: 100% (4/4 essences complete).


    All your attributes have reached bronze rank.You have reached bronze rank.You have gained resistance to iron-rank and lower damage sources and effects.The potency of your aura has increased.Your aura senses have improved.Progress to silver rank: 00%.


    Jason¡¯s transition from iron to bronze rank was much less violent that from normal to iron. That time, his newly created body had been composed of what Clive called trash magic, while his iron-rank one was closer to an ideal state for his rank. It still purged a large quantity of black, stinking biomass, however, that he washed off with crystal wash.


    He trimmed his suddenly grown nails and regrew his hair with the cream, leaving his beard to grow back on its own. Humphrey and Clive had both grown beards during their time in the astral space, likewise losing them during their rank-ups. Neil, being an elf, had never grown more than a light scruff that Jason found enviably appealing.


    Jason really did feel transformed. He was a new man and he felt it. Just moving around in his bronze-rank body felt different. His spirit attribute reaching bronze also had a big impact as it increased not just the sixth sense that detected auras but took his other five senses beyond the bounds of human potential. The world was suddenly alive with a nuance of colour like nothing he had experienced. He could pick out scents like he was cataloguing them and his hearing could pick out the world around him almost as well as his vision. He could feel the air on his skin, taste it on his tongue. It was as if the world had transformed with him.


    ¡°Good, right?¡± Humphrey asked with a smile as he found Jason looking into the distance with a goofy grin.


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡±


    ¡°We can handle monsters, or equivalent, of higher rank than us in large numbers, now,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Remember those teams we saw at the mirage arena in Jayapura? We can stand shoulder to shoulder with any of them, now.¡±


    ¡°Some people might think that means we can relax a little,¡± Jason asked. ¡°Something tells me that you think it means we have to train even harder.¡±


    ¡°I can confidently say that we¡¯re at an elite level for our rank,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That¡¯s not such a big deal at iron rank, though. If we¡¯re going to say the same at bronze and silver, we need to start the work now.¡±


    ¡°You know, Humphrey, the parents of every girlfriend you ever have are going to love you.¡±


    ¡°What do they think of you?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t gotten that far too many times,¡± Jason said. ¡°There was my first girlfriend, whose parents liked my brother more. Which worked out, in the end. Everyone between her and Cassandra was more casual. Thalia Mercer liked me. Her husband, not so much, I think. The thing with Thadwick, you know.¡±


    ¡°I was always uneasy about Gabrielle¡¯s parents,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Religious is good, but some people take it to a point that it gets a little unnerving.¡±


    ¡°Putting aside the religious being good thing, I know what you mean,¡± Jason said. ¡°You get those really religious people with that weird intensity, you know?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I mean, the goddess of knowledge. It should be a fairly relaxed group, right? They kept asking me what I was reading. They did not like hearing that I didn¡¯t have a lot of time to read with all the training. Speaking of which, we will be getting back to it. A few days to let you and Neil get a feel for your new power level. Then we¡¯ll go after the blood weaver and see what we can find from what¡¯s left of the cultists.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have some stuff to do before that, though. Growth items, familiar summoning. Basically, a bunch of rituals. Neil has his growth items, too.¡±


    ¡°We can take tomorrow,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°After that, though, it¡¯s back to work.¡±

 Chapter 235: Anyone Can be Useful

    ¡°I actually got the materials pretty cheap,¡± Jason said. ¡°Gary made it from local materials in the first place, so I just needed higher-grade versions of the same stuff.¡±


    Jason had drawn out the diagram for the ritual of ascension that would have his sword, like he had himself, advance from iron-rank to bronze. He was now laying out ingots of blood gold and star-fall silver, piles of quintessence gems and neat stacks of bronze-rank spirit coins.


    The rest of the team were lounging about on the porch of the cloud house in hanging chairs. Jason turned to look at Sophie who had been staring at him all day.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been looking at me like that all day.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Impassively, I guess,¡± Jason said. ¡°You do everything impassively, so it¡¯s hard to differentiate.¡±


    ¡°Your face,¡± she said.


    ¡°What about my face?¡±


    ¡°Bronze rank,¡± she said. ¡°It made it less awful.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Belinda agreed.


    ¡°I miss the chin,¡± Neil said. ¡°It kind of looked like some weird essence power.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± Jason said. ¡°Humphrey, tell them it wasn¡¯t that bad.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯d even say it was good.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I mean,¡± Humphrey continued, ¡°if I ever ran out of mana and couldn¡¯t conjure a sword, it was right there. What do I use for a backup, now?¡±


    Jason looked put upon as the team laughed.


    ¡°It really does look good,¡± Belinda said, taking pity on him. ¡°Bronze rank¡¯s been good to you. The square-jaw thing you have happening now that is actually not bad. Right, Soph?¡±


    ¡°Its¡­ not terrible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Sophie language for ¡®sexy as all get-out,¡¯ which I think is a little excessive, but each to their own,¡± Belinda said. It earning her a glare from Sophie, while Jason shook his head and went back to his ritual.


    It would have been faster for Clive to perform the ritual, as he had with Neil¡¯s growth items, but Clive hadn¡¯t offered and Jason hadn¡¯t asked. They both understood that if you could advance your growth items yourself, you did it yourself.


    The sword was simple and elegant in it¡¯s design; silvery blade, a simple, red gold hilt with black binding and a short black tassel. Jason carefully placed it at the centre of the magic circle and performed the ritual.


    Growth item [Dread Salvation] has advanced from iron rank to bronze rank.Growth item [Dread Salvation] has reached its maximum potential. It must be reforged by the original craftsperson in order to advance further.Item [Dread Salvation] has gained new abilities.


    Clive, Neil and Humphrey had already ranked-up their growth items with no additional effects, and the same had happened for Jason¡¯s amulet. His sword was the first of their items to gain new effects.


    Item: [Dread Salvation] (bronze rank [growth], legendary)


    A sword crafted with gratitude, in hope it would be of the greatest use in the moment of greatest need. It was forged with passion and expertise to be a reliable companion, bestowing upon it an incredible potential (weapon, sword).


    Effect: If a special attack that applies an affliction is made with this sword, but the subject of the attack has a physical immunity to it, an instance of [Stone Cutter] is applied to the blade and an instance of [Vibrant Echo] is inflicted to the enemy.Effect: If a special attack that applies an affliction is made with this sword, but the subject of the attack has a magical immunity to it, an instance of [Spell Breaker] is applied to the blade and an instance of [Radiant Echo] is inflicted to the enemy.


    [Stone Cutter] (magic, stacking): All attacks deal additional resonating-force damage; highly effective against physical defences. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Vibrant Echo] (damage-over-time, magic, stacking): Deal ongoing, resonating-force damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Spell Breaker] (magic, stacking): All attacks deal additional disruptive-force damage; highly effective against magical defences and incorporeal entities. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Radiant Echo] (damage-over-time, magic, stacking): Deal ongoing, disruptive-force damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    In addition to getting more powerful over time, the sword¡¯s new abilities allowed it to leave behind ongoing damage effects, bringing it more in line with Jason¡¯s own power set. Magic-type afflictions were easier to dispel than most, but almost nothing was immune to them, unlike Jason¡¯s various maledictions. To advance the sword further would require Gary¡¯s help, but silver rank was, for the moment, a distant horizon.


    He was saving his familiar upgrades for last, so he moved on to the cloud flask. He shooed everyone off the porch and returned the cloud house to its flask, the house taking several minutes to dissolve into smoke and pour into the bottle like a genie.


    ¡°There must be a big, involved ritual for an item like the cloud flask,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason said. ¡°You just have to get to bronze rank, then feed the greedy bugger about a squillion bucks worth of goodies.¡±


    He shook his head at the bottle as he pulled a funnel from his inventory, placed it in the mouth of flask and then started shoving in fistfuls of quintessence.


    ¡°Twenty-two hundred quintessence,¡± he complained. ¡°Two hundred of it dimension quintessence. Remind me to thank Emir again for supplying the goods for the first rank up. No way could I have afforded this, on top of everything else.¡±


    Shovelling in all the quintessence gems and then ten thousand spirit coins took longer than the rituals for Jason and Neil¡¯s growth weapons put together. Deprived of their comfortable cloud seats, some of the team grew impatient.


    ¡°Could you have just used silver coins?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Or gold. That would have sent it along nicely.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about the value of the coins,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s about the magic inside them. All that power doesn¡¯t just fuel the upgrade but balances out all the magic involved in the transformation, so it doesn¡¯t go awry.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Neil said to Clive, ¡°just once, I¡¯d like something to come up and have you say that you have no idea.¡±


    ¡°Hey Clive,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°How would Neil kill any monsters if we weren¡¯t around?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°You two are hilarious,¡± Neil said flatly.


    ¡°Actually, that was pretty good,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Shut up and play with your bottle.¡±


    The cult leader Zato, led Timos and Thadwick across the ruined grounds of the Vane estate. The last remnants of the climate-shifting magic were gone and the desert was rapidly reclaiming the once lush territory. Now it was nothing but withered remnants and piled ruins, only the now-dormant magical pylons marking what had once been a stark line between the estate and the desert.


    They arrived at what had previously been the manor house, now crumbling stone and dried wood. Zato held out an arm and the limb segmented into pieces, revealing not warm flesh and blood within, but cold iron. The pieces were strung together on a wire, which spooled out as the segments sprung forward, burying themselves in the piled debris.


    Moments later, chunks of that debris started floating into the air, more and more of them, moving into an organised shape. The materials melted, wood and stone flowing like water as they blended together to form a strange hybrid material. The material flowed into lines, creating a ritual circle on the ground and then a dome that covered it, leaving only a hole large enough to crawl through.


    ¡°As you grow stronger,¡± Zato said, ¡°Your meagre essence abilities will be supplanted, one by one, by the superior power of the Builder. You will not be bound by mortal limitations, scrabbling for scraps of might from worthless training or miserable monster cores.¡±


    ¡°This will make me strong?¡± Thadwick asked, nodding at the dome as it neared completion.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zato said. ¡°So many have passed you over, Thadwick, but I see your true potential. You will prove of supreme value to the Builder, once you are stronger. Enter, and feel the power flow through you.¡±


    After a last, wary look, Thadwick got down and crawled through the hole. When the hole closed behind him and he was plunged into darkness, he panicked for a moment. Then he felt the promised power surging into him. It had only been a matter of moments, but he could feel the strength flowing through him and he started laughing like a madman.


    Outside the dome, Zato and Timos could no more hear Thadwick than he could hear them as they walked away.


    ¡°When you said you would find something for Thadwick, I was not optimistic,¡± Timos said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise that something like this was possible.¡±


    ¡°More than possible, it is necessary,¡± Zato said. ¡°I was not fully inducted into the leadership, who took their plans with them to the grave fighting on the island. We have need of guidance. Thadwick and the other one¡­?¡±


    ¡°Dougall,¡± Timos reminded.


    ¡°Right, yes. Thadwick and Dougall are not true believers. They came to us out of desperate, mercenary sensibilities. Half loyalties will be met with half membership. They will pay the rest of their way with sacrifice and will be venerated for their service.¡±


    ¡°Why bother with the ruse?¡± Timos asked. ¡°Why not just force Thadwick along?¡±


    ¡°Because even with the soul seed inside it, altering a soul is difficult business unless that soul is willing. Why force the poison down his throat when a spoonful of honey will have him gulping it down?¡±


    ¡°Honestly? I want to make him choke on the spoon?¡±


    Zato chuckled.


    ¡°How close to ready is Dougall?¡± Timos asked.


    ¡°He will reach the requisite state shortly before the Church of Purity¡¯s people arrive,¡± Zato said. ¡°The timing is fortuitous. For the moment, make sure that neither Dougall nor Thadwick realise that they are receiving the same treatment.¡±


    ¡°Not a problem,¡± Timos said. ¡°Dougall is so keen on ingratiating himself that he will do exactly as asked. Thadwick is so self-obsessed that he is oblivious to any of the goings on.¡±


    Zato smiled.


    ¡°See? Anyone can be useful, if you find the task that best suits their abilities.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s big,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t let me use the blending-in version,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s a version of this that you can discreetly move through a jungle,¡± Humphrey said.


    Item: [Cloud Flask] (bronze rank [growth], legendary)


    This item is bound to you and cannot be used by anyone else.Use the energies within the cloud flask to create buildings and vehicles made of clouds. Available forms are restricted by rank.Items contained within the cloud construct when it is returned to the flask are stored in a dimensional space and cannot be recovered until another cloud construct is formed.Available forms (iron rank): Cloud house (grand), cloud house (adaptive).Available forms (bronze rank): Carriage house (grand).Unavailable forms (bronze rank): Carriage house (adaptive).


    ¡°A carriage house is meant to be a building that holds carriages,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not a building that trundles about like one.¡±


    To Jason, the cloud flask¡¯s bronze-rank form looked as much as anything like a massive recreational vehicle, one of the stupidly expensive ones with two levels and a roof deck that movie stars lived in on set. It even had a spot for a driver at the front, although it was directed by placing hands on a misty orb, rather than a steering wheel. Other than that, Jason could direct its movements mentally.


    The cloudy white vehicle with its sunset embellishments stood out brightly amongst the dark stone and deep greenery of the overgrown jungle. There were no wheels, making it something of a hovercraft RV. The boulevards of the overgrown streets were wide, but thick with jungle, making them impassable for the huge vehicle. Jason had moved it back and forth a little, but there really wasn¡¯t room to drive around.


    The interior was likewise akin to a luxurious RV, with beds, couches and comfortable chairs. There actually was a roof deck. From the inside, translucent mist made for clear windows, although they could not be seen through from the outside.


    ¡°Well,¡± Humphrey consoled, ¡°it¡¯ll be nice once we¡¯re back out of the astral space. ¡°It¡¯ll be great for taking long trip so you, me and Clive can visit locations to portal to, later. That¡¯s what my mother did all through bronze rank. Travelling the world, having adventures.¡±


    ¡°Actually, that sounds kind of awesome. Neil doesn¡¯t get an opening credit until season two, though, and it¡¯ll be an ¡®also starring¡¯ with his face hidden by a melon or something.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°We can figure it out later,¡± Jason said. ¡°I guess I should turn it back into a house, and then finish up. What do you say, fellas? Saving the best for last?¡±


    Gordon appeared with a flash of Jason¡¯s aura as Shade appeared from his shadow.


    ¡°Gordon says that I should be last,¡± Shade said. Gordon orange orb flashed brightly, which was his signal for no.


    ¡°See?¡± Shade asked. ¡°He really doesn¡¯t want to go last.¡±


    The orange orb started angrily strobing.


    ¡°He¡¯s quite vociferous on the topic,¡± Shade continued.


    ¡°Shade, stop teasing Gordon,¡± Jason said. ¡°Gordon, it¡¯s just an expression. Being last doesn¡¯t actually mean you¡¯re the best.¡±


    A small patch of blood seeped from Jason¡¯s neck, turning into a leech that crawled along his shoulder. Jason turned to look at it.


    ¡°Colin, you¡¯ve already ranked up. You can¡¯t do it again.¡±


    The disconsolate leech slinked back into Jason¡¯s neck.

 Chapter 236: A Series of Familiar Powers

    Shade was not visibly changed in his new, bronze rank vessel; he remained a shadowy figure in a cloak of darkness. The only visible difference was an increase in his number of bodies, from three to seven. He had also gained the ability to exert a small amount of physical force, while remaining an incorporeal entity. It wasn¡¯t enough to inflict damage but it would allow him to perform tasks in places too dangerous for people who weren¡¯t intangible and didn¡¯t have six extra bodies.


    It also meant that it was unlikely that Shade¡¯s vessel would be completely eliminated in battle. Barring an unusual fight, such as the one against the elemental tyrant that claimed his original iron-rank vessel, he would remain intact. Any bodies that were destroyed could be remade, so long as at least one remained. The only cost would be time and almost all of Jason¡¯s mana, making it something not to be done in the midst of combat.


    The other new ability Shade had acquired was his own dimensional storage space. It wasn¡¯t as capacious as that of Jason, Humphrey or Clive, but was accessible from any of Shade¡¯s bodies.


    Jason¡¯s own storage space, his inventory power, had likewise improved as he reached bronze rank. One of it¡¯s nuances was the ability to expand the number of slots available through the use of dimensional bags. There were five slots in the corner of the inventory screen interface for placing dimensional bags, but only one had been available and could only be filed with an iron-rank bag.


    Jason had filled that slot early in his adventuring career, but he brought two bronze rank bags with him for use once he ranked up. He had to carry them empty, as dimensional bags could only be placed into other dimensional spaces when they themselves contained nothing.


    Another boost to his inventory was an increase to the maximum volume per item. He could feel the change instinctively, but would need to experiment to find the exact new limit.


    Humphrey and Clive had likewise experienced improvements from their storage abilities reaching bronze. Unlike Jason¡¯s power, theirs were essence abilities that gained not just incremental improvements but whole new effects on ranking up. Humphrey¡¯s storage space power, magic armoury, now significantly reduced the mana cost of conjuring his weapons and armour. It meant that he no longer had to burn a notable chunk of mana at the start of every fight, of whenever he switched between his two conjured swords.


    Clive¡¯s rune gate power had gone through the most impressive change. The original function opened a rune circle portal to his storage space, but was now a full-fledged portal power. Combining dimensional storage and a travel portal in one ability wasn¡¯t useful in a fight, but it was easily the most concentrated utility power on the team.


    The increase in utility was another indication of the somewhat unusual makeup of the team. Humphrey and Neil were the only members that would slot easily into conventional team roles, with Jason, Clive, Belinda and Sophie all outside the norm to various degrees.


    On the relatively normal end of the spectrum were Jason and Sophie. Affliction specialists and dodge tanks were less common variations of the common damage-dealer and guardian roles. Clive was a spell-based damage dealer who only had one attack spell. Belinda was the most extreme, simultaneously filling no set roles and most of them.


    A traditional adventuring team used reliable strengths and fixed roles to approach every situation in a similar way, in order to maximise their strengths and minimise their weaknesses. The weakness of Jason¡¯s team was the inability to do that. They needed to strategise and adapt to any given circumstance.


    The team, in a way, had become something of a reflection of Jason. There were better power sets for everyday monster hunting, but they thrived in meeting challenges that more conventional teams would struggle against. By not being pinned down to one approach, they would be ready when unusual circumstances were thrown their way.


    Part of the team¡¯s adaptive nature was the inclusion of a lot of utility. Most teams would include at least one storage space power and would count any more as a happy bonus. As for portal or teleportation powers, there was no team that wouldn¡¯t jump at the chance. Many teams would take on an otherwise unremarkable, or even downright incompetent member for the simple reason that their repertoire included a portal ability. Jason¡¯s team commanded four storage powers and three long-distance travel powers, making them rather enviable.


    Stash had also evolved to bronze rank alongside Humphrey, the bonded familiar not requiring a new body to be summoned in they way Jason¡¯s familiars did. While as mischievous as ever, he was more confident about revealing his true form, which only Humphrey had seen before. His true shape was small, with a long, serpentine body covered in rainbow scales that ran along him in waves of colour that shimmered and changed. Belinda became completely enchanted with his draconic true form and Stash became enchanted with the praise she heaped upon him.


    Gordon went through a slight change when his new body was summoned, with a second pair of glowing, blue and orange eyeball orbs joining the first in floating around his body. This gave him four simultaneous attack beams; two of resonating force that was effective against tough opponents and two of disruptive force, effective against magic and incorporeal beings like Gordon himself. Additionally, he could send two orbs of the same type hurtling off, even flying them around corners before coming together and detonating. The resultant explosion was powerful, but the orbs would take a minute to reform, during which they could not be used to make further attacks..


    Making good on his threat, Humphrey pushed the team to stay on the move, hunting down more of the flesh abominations and whatever ordinary monsters they encountered along the way. Eager to push the limits of their new capabilities, both Humphrey and Jason took on flesh abominations alone for the first time.


    In Jason¡¯s case, his bronze-rank powers were enough to overwhelm the monster¡¯s recovery powers much faster. He had already been able to bypass the rank-based damage resistance but now his powers were doing bronze-rank damage. That was only part of the change, as his new afflictions also played a role.


    Rigor mortis, inflicted by his shadow arm Reaper power, gave a stacking penalty to the speed and recovery attributes of whatever poor soul he inflicted it upon. His inexorable doom power caused the effect to stack up and up, the penalty to speed making the creature more and more sluggish, even when it took swift forms to try and pin down the elusive Jason. Meanwhile, the penalty to recovery left its ability to hold off the afflictions increasingly diminished, even as the afflictions themselves became worse and worse.


    Another key affliction came from Jason¡¯s special attack, leech bite. Along with inflicting the bleeding effect, it now also inflicted the same leech toxin poison that Colin did. An instance of the stacking toxin would refresh the bleeding effect whenever it was healed through, leaving the adaptive powers of the flesh abominations unable to stave off Jason¡¯s malign powers as effectively as they had in the past.


    Humphrey was likewise able to overcome the ability of the abominations to adapt to him, in his case with raw power. He showed off the advantage of being a human special attack specialist with an array of offensive techniques that could take on any kind of enemy. If it took a solid form, the resonating force of his shield breaker attack would crack it like an egg. A more amorphous form would absorb heavy physical blows but be vulnerable to the disruptive force of his spirit reaper attack. His unstoppable force power had a longer cooldown, but would devastate the abominations in whatever form they took.


    Humphrey had not taken on any of them himself before Jason and Neil ranked up, as getting them over the line to bronze rank had always been the priority. Now they had, he was happier to let himself loose. Like Jason, he had already been ignoring the rank disparity, but Increasing the power of his attacks from iron to bronze-rank had turned him from a threat to a nemesis. He relentlessly pounded away at an abomination that simply couldn¡¯t find a form to withstand the oppressive might.


    The team were put through their paces as they made a beeline for the centre of the city and the territory of the blood weaver. Of a night they continued to rest in the cloud house, which was now a more secure than ever. The magic of the house was more sophisticated at bronze rank, with stronger defences and a superior ability to hide itself from the senses of wandering monsters.


    As they stopped to rest each night, Clive had been taking more precise measurements of the ambient magic, which had been rising at a precipitous rate. He updated the team as they rested for the evening.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a barely measurable increase?¡± Jason asked as Clive gave them the results of his latest analysis.


    ¡°The fact that the increase is measurable at all is alarming,¡± Clive told him. ¡°That it¡¯s occurred over just a matter of weeks is insane. We need to figure out what these cultists have done.¡±


    ¡°And if we can¡¯t question them, because they¡¯re mindless blood thralls?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I doubt they¡¯ll be mindless,¡± Clive said. ¡°A blood weaver could turn them into witless blood puppets, but more likely it has employed a traditional form of vampirism, where they are subject to the will of the one that turned them, while retaining their own minds.¡±


    ¡°We take them alive if we can,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Not at the risk of endangering the team, though. If we have to put them down, we do it.¡±


    ¡°If they aren¡¯t any help, that¡¯s not the end of the road,¡± Clive said. ¡°Whatever is causing this change isn¡¯t something you can just knock out a magic ritual for and off you go. What¡¯s happening is more involved than that.¡±


    ¡°Any closer to an idea of what that is?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve being going through the books Knowledge gave Jason, looking for something that would produce these results. Without more information, though, I¡¯m not even sure what to look for. At this point, more than talking to these cultists, I need to see what tools they brought with them.¡±


    Shade now had enough bodies that he could transform into a mount for each member of the team, and bronze rank had apparently enhanced the nature of the mounts he could transform into. For one thing, he could collect multiple bodies together to replicate the self-propelled magical carriages favoured by the Greenstone elite. That was of little use on streets overgrown with jungle, but not the only new trick he had picked up.


    Rather than a full vehicle, Shade could also merge fewer bodies to create different individual mounts. By merging his bodies in pairs, he became three creatures that were somewhere between a narrow-bodied beetle and a preying mantis. Each had a glossy black carapace, glowing eyes and huge blade arms with glowing white edges, from which mist softly drifted. They were an intimidating sight.


    ¡°Very nice,¡± Jason said approvingly. ¡°Shade, you¡¯re an absolute champion.¡±


    ¡°These creatures do not appear in this world,¡± Shade said with his remaining body. ¡°They exist in another world I spent time in while serving as a familiar.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Jason, you have no problem with these terrifying blade-armed monstrosities, but heidels disturbing?¡±


    ¡°They have two heads, Humphrey. Two heads. Can you imagine having two heads? Imagine if you had a great idea for a recipe, then had to explain it to your other head. That¡¯s not right.¡±


    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s your problem?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°What if you¡¯re eating something delicious? Either one head gets left out or each one only gets half as much, because they have to share a stomach. Half as much! What if it¡¯s a delicious cake!¡±


    ¡°That was a nice cake you brought out for the rank-up feast,¡± Neil said. ¡°Did you make that yourself?¡±


    ¡°I did. The secret is to sweeten the cream before whipping it and really make it the highlight.¡±


    ¡°Was there leftover cake?¡± Sophie asked, with a suspiciously bushy moustache.


    ¡°There was not,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Boo,¡± she jeered, before turning into an iridescent blue jungle lizard.


    ¡°At least he¡¯s figured out how to shape shift clothes, now,¡± actual Sophie said.


    ¡°They¡¯re still part of his body, so technically he was naked,¡± Jason said.


    Humphrey said nothing, pinching the bridge of his nose and shaking his head.


    Not all of the team rode the mantis beetles. Sophie maintaining her scouting glide-flight over their heads, while Humphrey rode Stash in lizard form. Clive joined Sophie, drifting slowly through the air on Onslow, the flying tortoise. His familiar wasn¡¯t very fast at any altitude beyond just above ground height, but as he didn¡¯t need to navigate the terrain there was no problem keeping up.


    That left the three mantis beetles, the most Shade could produce. It was enough for Jason, Neil and Belinda, giving the whole team effective transport. The blade arms of the mounts were ideal for cutting a path through the jungle, while the remaining six beetle legs offered a solid platform that could navigate the uneven ground with ease.


    ¡°Shade, how do you think this form would hold up in combat?¡± Jason asked. Although the mantis beetle looked to have a hard, chitinous exterior, it was actually composed of the same soft, comfortable shadow-stuff Shade¡¯s horse form had been. The blade arms were effectively cutting though the undergrowth, however.


    ¡°That would be unreliable, at best,¡± Shade said. ¡°I strongly suspect that any amount of damage would make me unable to sustain this form. You do not have to tell anyone that, however. I could be used to make an effective bluff.¡±


    ¡°I like the way you think.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great,¡± Neil said. ¡°As if Asano wasn¡¯t dodgy enough already. Now he¡¯s got a partner.¡±


    The team reached the interior of the city where the buildings were completely shattered and the jungle in complete ascendance. As with their first visit, they were unharassed by monsters as they pushed in. Rather than ride mounts, they made a slogging path on foot through the thick undergrowth.


    ¡°Do you think the blood weaver took control of all the monsters in this area?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°There might have been some too strong to take over,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Other silver rank monsters. They were more likely driven out of the weaver¡¯s territory, rather than subjugated. You can expect to encounter vampire versions of everything bronze and below that was here, though.¡±


    ¡°It kind of worries me that we still aren¡¯t seeing any,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°It almost certainly knows we¡¯re here by now,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s smart enough to try and bait us in, the way it did last time, but not smart enough to realise we¡¯d see through it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but we¡¯re walking into the trap anyway,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Once the fighting starts, it probably won¡¯t stop until we reach the blood weaver,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯re going to be fighting all the monsters from a large area, all in one wave. Let Jason and Sophie do the heavy lifting as much as possible, since they¡¯re our endurance players. Obviously do what you have to, but conserve your mana and stamina as much as you can. We have a lot of mana recovery, but expect a lot of fight.¡±


    Humphrey stopped, looking around at the team.


    ¡°Make no mistake,¡± he said. ¡°This will be a battle, not a fight. We are about to experience the single most gruelling combat scenario that any of us have ever encountered. More than the expedition into the desert astral space, more than Jason playing distraction to the silver-rank elemental. We¡¯re going to war against an army of vampire monsters and we¡¯ll be wading through the bodies of the dead before we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°So, what I¡¯m hearing is that it will be easy and we shouldn¡¯t worry,¡± Neil said.


    Humphrey glared at him and Jason put a reassuring hand on Humphrey¡¯s arm.


    ¡°Mate, it¡¯s alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°We know the stakes, we know what we¡¯re up against and we know what we¡¯ll have to face before we¡¯re done. Don¡¯t go wasting your energy now on being tense; you¡¯ll have intensity enough, once the fighting starts. For now, just trust in your team.¡±


    Jason glanced at the jungle around them, as if waiting for something.


    ¡°Damn,¡± he said.


    ¡°What?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°That would have been an epic moment for the monsters to appear,¡± Jason. ¡°You¡¯d think vampires would have a more appropriate sense of drama.¡±

 Chapter 237: It’s Not About Killing Monsters

    They heard the monsters before they saw them. It began with the sound of something moving loudly through the thick jungle, pushing its way roughly through the undergrowth. Humphrey had them turn around and go back the way they came, making for one of the defensible points he had been looking out for as they travelled.


    He had picked out a construction that had held up better than most, due to being a solid, flat, stone platform. It was only around chest high, far from enough to stop monsters, but was at least an impediment they could work with. It was also sized fairly well for the team, giving Sophie and Humphrey the chance to move about while staying close to the more vulnerable party members.


    Shade returned to his normal form, gently depositing his riders on the ground. The others took a moment to begin calling up their summons and familiars while Stash turned from a riding lizard into a giant marsh hydra. At bronze rank he could take the physical form of bronze-rank monsters but could only use the full magical powers of iron-rank monsters. He could use some minor magical abilities of bronze-rank monsters, but certainly nothing as powerful as the hydra¡¯s potent rapid healing. What he did get was the hydra¡¯s strength, toughness and multiple, teeth-laden heads.


    Jason directed Gordon to stay with the main group as the familiar¡¯s direct damage would be more useful to the team than it would for Jason in the fight to come. He was about to leave when Humphrey held him up.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯re going to lean on you heavily for this, but I know you can do it.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± he said, shaking his head, ¡°you still don¡¯t really understand adventuring. It¡¯s not about killing monsters.¡±


    Jason tugged casually at his new, bronze-rank battle robe.


    ¡°It¡¯s about how you look while you¡¯re killing monsters. And you have to admit¡­¡±


    Jason¡¯s shadow cloak manifested around him.


    ¡°¡­I make this look good.¡±


    ¡°Dear gods, you¡¯re insufferable,¡± Neil called out from where he was setting up a summoning circle. ¡°Also, good luck and please don¡¯t die.¡±


    Jason slipped the hood of his magical cloak back, giving Humphrey a rare smile completely devoid of smirk.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go getting it into your head that you have to do all the work,¡± Jason warned him. ¡°Don¡¯t go thinking that you¡¯re the one who has to save everyone, to make the big sacrifice. Remember when I got it into my head to go of and kill all those bandits alone? I was wrong to do that. Be the beneficiary of my mistakes. It¡¯s not just about you. Or me, which I need to be reminded of, from time to time.¡±


    ¡°Happy to help!¡± Neil called out, still pouring the salt for his summoning circle.


    ¡°Thank you, Neil,¡± Jason said flatly, then turned his attention back to Humphrey.


    ¡°Trust the team, Humphrey. Rely on the team. We¡¯re pretty good. Well, Neil¡¯s okay. But the rest of us¡­¡±


    Jason slipped his hood back up and lightly ran off, vanishing into the jungle. He was stronger when he was free to run rampant, but would remain in contact with the team through the voice chat.


    There were ropey vines all over the platform and Clive handed Sophie and Belinda vials they used to rapidly wither the plants and give themselves clear footing. It was a concoction of Jory¡¯s that Clive had acquired a supply of before returning to the jungle-covered city. They didn¡¯t have enough for it to waste on pathfinding through jungle scrub, but to give them some much-needed solid footing in a crucial moment it was perfect.


    As the two women cleared off the plants, Clive started drawing out ritual circles. He started with a large one in the centre of the platform, his battle platform ritual that would enhance the wand and staff attacks, as well as any damage spells of the group. Then he moved on to circles attached to the end of his weapons. The glowing lines moved with the weapons as he waved them about.


    The advantage of staff and wand weapons was that they were highly mana efficient, compared to combat magic. The disadvantage was that they were also weaker, but Clive¡¯s ritual circles would help remedy that.


    The circles he was using would refine the ambient magic of the area and feed it into the weapons, providing additional power without requiring additional mana from Clive¡¯s own pool. The impact this would have on the ambient magic once he started using his weapons meant that any further rituals in the area would be tricky to use for a while, but that was hardly a concern with what was about to happen.


    Clive decided to get in before then and try something he had been working on. It wasn¡¯t related to his essence abilities, instead being a work of pure ritual magic. Ritual magic designed for combat some exceptionally rare, and it was something Clive had developed himself.


    He started drawing ritual circles in the air, one after another in a line, like a tube. He poured large amount of his own mana into each one, largely depleting his mana pool by the time he was done. It ran from the centre of the battle platform circle directly toward the jungle where the sound of rushing monsters was growing louder by the moment.


    Humphrey and Neil, in the meantime, were calling up their summons. Neil¡¯s chrysalis golem looked different at bronze rank. It was just as tall but the formerly chunky, ogrish form was now more refined, like a powerfully muscled giant.


    For his own summon, Humphrey hesitated before throwing the summoner¡¯s die. He ultimately decided to use it, knowing that it could provide a crucial advantage in what would be a punishing battle. Hopefully, even a bad role would be mitigated by the new ability it had gained on reaching bronze rank. At first, Humphrey had thought there was no change to the function of the die, as there was little change to the description.


    Item: [Summoner¡¯s Die: Form] (bronze rank [growth], legendary)


    An eldritch tool for altering the nature of summoned creatures (tool, die).


    Requirements: Summoning power.Effect: Rolling this die while enacting a bronze-rank or lower summoning power will randomly alter the form the summon takes.Can be used in conjunction with [Summoner¡¯s Die: Element] and [Summoner¡¯s Die: power]. Using more than one die of the same kind will negate the effects of all dice.


    What he had only later realised was that three of the faces on the die had changed. It had only been the day before when he used the die and one of the new faces rolled up. After stopping, the symbol that lit up was not that of an animal, but one that Clive quickly translated as meaning ¡®power.¡¯ The die had then rolled again, on its own, landing on the symbol for wolf. The result had been Humphrey¡¯s summons turning into werewolf like creatures, larger, more powerful and standing on two legs. They were still made of dragon bone and had the conjured equipment generated by Humphrey¡¯s storage power, in this case, bronze-rank armour perfectly tailored to fit their unusual body shape.


    Humphrey hoped for a similar result as he rolled again. When it stopped, a glowing symbol rose up from the die; another of the new symbols. Humphrey had gone over them with Clive after finding out about the new sides and knew this one meant double. He had been hoping that meant it doubled the number of summons it called up. Even unenhanced by the die, ten of his bone soldiers would be of critical value against the numbers they were expecting.


    After falling to a stop, the die rolled itself again, the symbol for bird rising up to float next to the one for double. Then the die rolled for a third time, stopping on cat. The three symbols merged to form a new symbol, one that Humphrey didn¡¯t know. Then his summons began to appear.


    There were five, the normal number for his summoning power at bronze rank. They had the hind legs and body of oversized lions, and the wings and head of a giant eagle. Their front legs were also those of an eagle, ending in powerful talons.


    ¡°Griffins,¡± Humphrey said in a half-whisper. He had seen them as a child, while travelling with his mother. Sailing on a ship near the coast, they had spotted the griffins come soaring majestically off the top of a cliff. They had swooped down, snatching sharks right out of the water before winging away with them.


    It had been young Humphrey¡¯s first encounter with a magical beast that was natural, rather than a monster. Such creatures were rare in the low-magic Greenstone region where he was born and raised. It had left griffins with a special place in his heart and he was entranced as his summons took their form. These were all white, the colour of dragon bone, and wearing armoured barding suited to their forms.


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Sophie called out. ¡°Eyes up.¡±


    Humphrey stirred from his unexpected, nostalgic reverie and realised that the sounds of the approaching monsters had grown from a few individuals crashing through the jungle into what sounded like a wave. Like water crashing onto a rocky shore, the violent sounds of monsters tearing through the undergrowth came washing over them.


    Humphrey touched one of the griffins.


    ¡°Swoop, grab and drop,¡± he instructed them and they took to the air. He then leapt lightly onto the platform, where Neil and his golem had already clambered up. Most of the team were gathered with their familiars and summons, the exception being Humphrey and Jason. Jason had taken Colin and Shade with him, leaving Gordon behind. Humphrey was present, but his griffon¡¯s were winging overhead as Clive¡¯s floating tortoise watched their majestic swooping forlornly.


    Humphrey had sent Stash, in his domineering hydra form, back behind the platform. The monsters would largely try and swarm them from the front, which is where their main defensive strength was positioned. It was inevitable, though, that the platform would become surrounded. Stash would be their main line of defence from that approach.


    Clive and Neil both started casting spells on their teammates. Humphrey grew half his height again from Neil¡¯s first offering.


    Ability: [Giant¡¯s Might] (Growth)


    Spell (boon).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 10 minutes.Current rank: Bronze 0 (04%).Effect (iron): Target ally and their equipment grow larger, gaining an enhanced [Power] attribute.Effect (bronze): Ally also gains resistance to physical damage and high-momentum effects.


    Clive¡¯s first spell affected the whole team on the platform, including their summons and familiars. Jason, Shade,  Colin and the Griffons who were out of range were not so blessed. The ability created rings of glowing runes that floated around everyone.


    Ability: [Rune Mantle] (Rune)


    Spell (boon, this ability has variable subtypes, contingent on effect).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: 10 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 0 (02%).Effect (iron): Bestow a ring of random runes around an ally. Each rune is associated with a specific effect that affects the ally or an enemy. Attacks against the ally trigger the destruction of a random rune, causing its effect to occur.Effect (bronze): Increasing the cost to moderate mana allows the rune mantle to be bestowed on all nearby allies.


    Clive¡¯s second spell likewise affected the whole team, making them glow gold-red for a moment before fading.


    Ability: [Mantle of Retribution] (Karmic)


    Spell (boon, retributive).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: 10 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 0 (01%).Effect (iron): Inflicts retributive impact damage on anyone who attacks the target ally.Effect (bronze): Increasing the cost to moderate mana allows the mantle of retribution to be bestowed on all nearby allies.


    While the spells were being cast, the monsters grew louder and louder, yet there were no roars or shrieks. They were silent, save for the commotion of their passage through the jungle as they flattened everything in their path.


    Finally they appeared in front of the team, erupting out of the jungle. As unnerving as the fact that they weren¡¯t issuing any noises was the way the disparate group moved as one. Normally, such a wild collection of monsters would be more eager to fight each other than they would adventurers..


    As the creatures reached the platform, they finally started to make noise, all in harmony. It was an alien, sonorous cry, filled with hunger.


    ¡°Throw your heaviest attacks to blunt the first wave, then conserve mana,¡± Humphrey called out, as if the team hadn¡¯t gone over and over the plans for the battle.


    Clive had already made his big mana expenditure on his row of ritual circles. They were lined up like the barrel of a gun and he fired a bolt from his staff through the first. The bolt froze, as if caught in an invisible hand, and the mana Clive had put into the circle was fed into the bolt until the circle collapsed. The bolt shot forward again, stopping and draining mana from each circle until it was a huge globe of force that made the air around the team vibrate.


    While the bolt was going through its stop-start passage, the rest of the team opened up. Belinda used her force tether power to gather a large cluster of the shoulder-to shoulder monsters and then open her reaper pit power underneath. The tether exploded and the rest of their health would be eaten away by the pit. Only a few of the tough bronze-rankers would eventually escape when the pit¡¯s duration came to an end.


    Clive¡¯s bolt finished its passage, having consumed all the ritual circles. It landed amongst the monsters like military ordinance, throwing up a huge cloud of dirt and dust, along with a low boom that rammed into their eardrums. The cloud obscured most of the monsters from their sight, while gobbets of wet jungle earth and wet former monster rained down on the team. They didn¡¯t have time to pay it any mind, as what they could see of the monsters showed that they hadn¡¯t slowed down.


    ¡°What the hell was that?¡± Jason asked through voice chat.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Clive said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise the effect would be that big.¡±


    ¡°Just watch where you¡¯re aiming that thing!¡±

 Chapter 238: Sin Eater

    Sophie and Humphrey were waiting for the monsters to get closer, while Neil cast a spell, conjuring two sets of three stone reels above his head. There were pictures of the various monsters present on the reels, like a giant, archaic slot machine. There were also images of the team, although massively out numbered by those of the monsters.


    Ability: [Reels of Fortune] (Prosperity)


    Spell (this ability has variable subtypes, contingent on effect).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 10 minutes.Current rank: bronze 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Conjures three immaterial reels. Channel mana into the reels to generate random effects on random individuals within the area. If an individual is affected more than once by the same use of the reels, the effect is increased for each reel.Effect (bronze): Conjures a second set of reels. Each reel is more likely to match sets for additional effect when large numbers of a creature type are present.


    The reels wheeled around before slowing and locking into place, one after another. Due to the bronze rank effect and preponderance of monsters, it was all but a given that each reel would produce a matching set. The first turned up three matching images of a snake monster and send a stroke of electricity into the cloud. The team could only see flashes of the lightning through the dirt and dust of the cloud that Clive had thrown up.


    The second orb showed a three-set of a gorilla-like monster and sent a huge ball of fire sailing into the air. At the peak of its arc, it broke into numerous, smaller fireballs, plunging into the cloud as the reels above Neil faded. By this point, the monsters were almost upon them.


    Humphrey turned his gaze to the sky and teleported high into the air, before initiating his dive bomb and unstoppable force attacks, descending through the air like the sword of judgement. He carved a heavily armoured beetle-type creature clean in half and sent out a shockwave that scattered the surrounding monsters, dispersing the momentum they rebuilt after Clive¡¯s attack. Humphrey¡¯s wings appeared on his back and with a heavy flap they pushed his back onto the platform.


    The first monsters had reached the platform and Sophie used her massive acceleration power, eternal moment. Time seemed to freeze as she rapidly produced wind blades that shot off as the power faded, so many that even the iron-rank attack eliminated a bronze-rank monster.


    With everyone having fired off their big openers, Neil cast a spell.


    Ability: [Cornucopia] (Prosperity)


    Spell (boon, recovery).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: 1 hour.Current rank: Bronze 0 (01%).Effect (iron): Bestow a very strong mana and stamina recovery effects on all nearby allies, with a moderate duration.Effect (bronze): Provide boons that adapt to the needs of each ally. These effects have a long duration.


    The team¡¯s mana started rapidly replenishing, and the team received various bonuses. Clive received an increase to wand and staff damage, as did Belinda, who had used her spurious sorcerer power to also gain the power to use magic weapons. Humphrey received a cost reduction for special attacks, while Sophie had her passive damage abilities strengthened. As for Neil, he had his cooldown times reduced. Even the familiars received bonuses, Only Jason missing out by being out of range.


    Everything was turning to chaos as monsters piled up around the platform. After Clive¡¯s blast gutted the centre mass of the monster wave, it was the flanks that pushed in hardest, with Humphrey and Sophie each holding a side while Neil¡¯s golem took the less hectic front. It was higher rank than Sophie, but the tenacious adventurer was still better able to hold the line than the summon.


    The monsters were primarily a mix of high-end iron and low-end bronze, with a few powerful standouts among them. The horde spread to the rear of the platform faster than expected after being pushed around the sides. There, they ran into hydra-form Stash, Humphrey directing the griffins to move in and support him.


    The monsters started piling up around the platform, held off by Stash, Sophie, Humphrey and the golem. Humphrey was swinging his sword back and forth in workmanlike fashion, his normal blows enough to put paid to the iron-rankers. His special attacks he saved for the bronzes.


    Sophie was moving so fast she looked like a flipbook animation, like a series of still images leading one into the other. She made the most of her increased damage buff and battering her foes with a dazzling series of hits that looked more like the speed of a bronze ranker.


    Her wind blade power was of limited effect against the strength and number of the enemy. Instead, she relied on her wind wave power that could blast powerful gusts of air and send enemies flying. Usable every six seconds, it was an effective tool for disrupting the enemy and buying time. With the teams mana regeneration and her own efficiency, it was a pattern she could keep up indefinitely.


    The others poured out damage from behind, Belinda and Clive with staves, Gordon and Belinda¡¯s lantern familiar with beams and bolts of force. Onslow floated above them blasting out powers from his shell. The magically saturated astral space was kind to the rune tortoise, allowing its powers to recharge more swiftly than normal and making it less reliant on Clive¡¯s mana.


    The ranged attackers mostly focused on Sophie¡¯s side and the golem at the front, as Humphrey brought strength and resilience enough to hold a side largely on his own.


    An unstable d¨¦tente was formed, the monsters blindly attacking, but unable to make it past the teams defences for the moment. The initially impassive monsters were increasingly entering a state of blood frenzy, their vampiric natures revealed in a clamouring thirst for the blood of the team.


    The powers Clive had placed on the team, the rings of runes and the retributive damage, were proving a highly efficient use of his mana. Their effects weren¡¯t great, but they were ongoing and cheaply reapplied. The mantle of retribution inflicted damage back onto enemies, not in huge amounts, but it accumulated as the monsters threw themselves at Humphrey, the golem and Stash, all of whom were taking regular hits.


    Each attack also triggered one of the runes from the rune mantle, to wildly varied effect. Some gave the ally a heal over time, an instant burst of mana recovery or bestowed boons like damage reduction, enhanced strength or even more retributive damage.


    When the runes affected the attacking enemy they usually blasted out damage that could be of any type. Elemental damage was the most common, but also varieties of force, from the powerful resonating and disruptive types to sonic shockwaves. At other times, the runes applied afflictions, from a weakening poison to flames that wouldn¡¯t seem to go out.


    One more effect was impinging upon the enemies with every attack they made. It was one that had little immediate effect, but threatened to ultimately determine the fight.


    Ability: [Hegemony] (Sin)


    Aura (holy, unholy).Base cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (09%).Effect (iron): Allies within the aura have increased resistance to afflictions, while enemies within the aura have their resistance to afflictions reduced. Enemy resistances are further reduced for each instance of [Sin] they are suffering from.Effect (bronze): Inflicts an instance of [Sin] on enemies that make physical or magical attacks against allies within the aura. Instances applied in this way cannot be resisted.


    [Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Jason¡¯s initial plans had been literally blasted into dust by Clive, forcing him to reorient himself. He and Shade¡¯s bodies were shadowy figures moving amongst the monsters, elusive and fleeting presences that monsters had no more than a swipe or two at before they were gone.


    His aura was blanketing the area without giving away his position, akin to hiding a tree in the forest. It was one of the first aura techniques Farrah had ever shown him and now it was second nature. He might not be able to hide his aura from a well-trained silver ranker, but even they would have trouble pinpointing his location when he used this technique.


    He was staying relatively close to the platform, where his aura could blanket the monsters attacking his team. Every attack earned the monsters an instance of the necrosis-enhancing sin affliction, setting them up for a later fall. Every enemy that struck out against his allies was slowly shovelling earth from their own grave.


    Jason himself also took damage. Even without his aura revealing his presence, simply weaving through the monsters meant that many were taking swipes at him as he passed. They were a small price to pay for the havoc he was wreaking in return.


    For the bronze rankers he was lashing out with his dagger, piling on afflictions with every sweeping slice. In his other hand was a bronze rank weapon he had stowed away in his inventory since looting it from the marsh hydra he had fought with Humphrey and Clive.


    Item: [Flail of the Hydra] (bronze rank, rare)


    A whip imbued with the life-force of a hydra (weapon, whip).


    Effect: The whip does not function like a normal whip. When swung, the heads of the whip will seek out enemies to attack.Effect: Poison inflicted using the whip as a medium is more potent.


    The whip had five thick, thick, brown, leathery tails that ended in bulbs, within which were mouths filled with wickedly sharp teeth. They flailed uncontrollably, springing eagerly at any flesh that wasn¡¯t attached to the arm holding it. As Jason could use two shadow arms now, he had one for flexibility with the dagger and one to add reach to the whip.


    The disadvantage of the whip was that it didn¡¯t inflict the trio of afflictions the conjured dagger produced, which is why Jason used that for the tougher monsters. It still applied the disease added by his shadow arm power and the effect of any special attack he used.


    Most importantly, those effects were delivered by each of the five heads. That meant a single target special attack could now affect five at a time, albeit randomly in whatever vague direction the whip was swung. In a thick crowd of monsters, it was an excellent tool for thinning out the weaker ones. The whip¡¯s bites might have not dealt a lot of damage, but as an affliction delivery system it was amazing.


    Jason was unconcerned about the damage being inflicted on him, in spite of being amidst a sea of monsters. Pain was an old friend to any adventurer that truly threw themselves into the work, and his powers gave him powerful advantages over the vampiric enemy. His blood abilities were especially potent against the vampiric creatures and the blood magic that fuelled them. As he lay into them with his dagger, that made his choice of special attack obvious.


    Ability: [Leech Bite] (Blood)


    Special attack (melee, wounding, blood, drain, poison).Base cost: Low stamina.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (07%).Effect (iron): Inflicts or refreshes the [Bleeding] condition. Drains a small amount of health and stamina when refreshing the [Bleeding] condition.Effect (bronze): Inflicts an instance of [Leech Toxin].


    [Bleeding] (affliction, wounding, blood): Deals ongoing damage by causing or increasing blood loss. As a wounding effect, this condition absorbs and negates an amount of incoming healing, after which this affliction immediately ends.[Leech Toxin] (affliction, poison, blood, stacking): When [Bleeding] is negated, an instance of [Leech Toxin] on the target is consumed to reapply [Bleeding]. Additional instances can be accumulated.


    Against the vampiric monsters both the bleeding effect and the health drain were operating more powerfully than normal, even accounting for the increase to bronze rank. The health drain helped keep him going, although alone, it was not enough to outpace the regular swipes and bites that he suffered. Fortunately, he was able to devour the very means the vampires sought to bring him down with. Every bite he suffered only made him stronger as his sin eater ability devoured the curses they carried.


    You have been afflicted with [Vampiric Blood Curse].[Vampiric Blood Curse] (affliction, poison, blood, stacking): Has a slight disorienting effect that increases with stacks. Beyond a certain threshold, dying under this effect will cause you to rise as a vampiric ghoul.You have resisted [Vampiric Blood Curse].You have gained an instance of [Resistant].You have gained an instance of [Integrity].


    For Jason, the vampiric powers of their enemies were not an issue. He had some concerns about his team, but they were holding it off to a degree. Sophie and Jason¡¯s auras protected them, and Neil was on hand to cleanse if necessary. The plan was to leave that to Jason, though, who not only didn¡¯t spend mana to cleanse, but got it back in return.


    Jason¡¯s sin eater ability already increased his resistances, and increased them even further for each effect he resisted. At bronze rank, each effect resisted also bestowed a new boon, alongside each instance of the resistance boon.


    [Integrity] (heal-over-time, mana-over-time, stamina-over-time, holy, stacking): Periodically recover a small amount of health, stamina and mana. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    The effect of a single instance was very mild, but with every bite he suffered, the healing continued to stack up. On top of this, he also had his protective amulet.


    Item: [Amulet of the Dark Guardian] (growth, bronze rank, legendary)


    Effect: For each instance of an affliction applied to an enemy, gain an instance of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing]. You may bestow all instances of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] upon another person by touch.[Guardian¡¯s Blessing] (boon, holy): Instances are consumed to absorb damage from any source. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. For each instance consumed, gain an instance of [Blessing¡¯s Bounty].[Blessing¡¯s Bounty] (heal-over-time, holy, stacking): Heal over time. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    As he laid out afflictions, he gained stacks of protection that were consumed as fast as they were laid on, leaving a heal effect in their wake. Between the two healing effects and the drain, Jason was healing much of the damage monsters landed on him with their opportunistic strikes.


    He constantly flickered around using Shade¡¯s bodies to stay on the move. He never stopped long enough in any particular location for the monsters around him to stop and make concerted attacks. That kind of focus when surrounded would easily be enough to overwhelm him in short order.


    Even staying on the move, he was taking damage faster than he was healing it. That, and the slowly accruing vampiric curse affecting the team made it time for a return to the platform. He sent one of Shade¡¯s bodies ahead, allowing him to step through another and right into the middle of his team.

 Chapter 239: The Most Dangerous Thing in the Dark

    Behind his front-line team members, Jason injuries swiftly started healing over. The recovery power he gained from devouring vampiric curses combined with the healing Colin provided to close his wounds without requiring intervention from Neil. In most cases, his armour had mitigated the bulk of the damage, so here were no individual injuries that were egregious.


    Jason did not immediately turn his attention to the team. First, he looked out at the amassing monsters, picking out the sturdier bronze-rank one. His eyes sought out those who were affected by his afflictions but tough enough that they were still far from being overcome. He cast inexorable doom on them, one after the other, to start churning out the automatic afflictions that would stack his amulet.


    Ability: [Inexorable Doom] (Doom)


    Spell (curse)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (09%).Effect (iron): Periodically applies an additional instance of each stacking curse, disease, poison or unholy affliction the target is suffering from. This is a curse effect. This effect cannot be cleansed while any other curse or any disease, poison or unholy affliction is in effect.Effect (bronze): Inflicts or refreshes the [Inescapable] affliction.


    [Inescapable] (affliction, magic): Subject cannot be affected by teleport or non-damaging dimension effects.


    With his afflictions ticking up, Jason turned his attention to the team. Sophie was relatively undamaged, the advantage of being an evasive-type defender. Holding out against numbers was not her strong suit, however, and her own armour was marked with the rents of bite and claw. Jason used his feast of absolution power to absorb the vampiric blood curse from her and stack his own healing in the process.


    The others holding the line were Humphrey, Neil¡¯s golem and Stash, guarding their rear from behind the platform at the back. He was still in the shape of the massive hydra from which Jason had looted his whip.


    The golem was immune to the vampire¡¯s curse and didn¡¯t require Jason¡¯s attention. It had suffered enough damage to be forced into its chrysalis state, but that was not enough to let the enemy past the now bronze-rank summon. The crystalline cocoon was no longer the inert mass it had been in the past. It was now a rune-covered obelisk of crystal, rapid-firing crystal spikes into the crowd. Anything that got close was struck by crystal spears, that shot out to strike a target, then remained bristling from the obelisk like diamond pikes. Given the mass of monsters trying to push past, it had swiftly transitioned from obelisk to tall, diamond echidna, covered in bloody spines. The chrysalis stage, as it turned out, was proving a better blocker than the golem had before entering it.


    Humphrey was standing strong against the horde, his strength and fortitude an impassable bulwark as his sword threshed the monsters before him like an apocalyptic farming implement. His armour was much stronger than Sophie¡¯s but he had, nonetheless, suffered injuries as he put himself fearless forward. Neil¡¯s healing was on top of the injuries, but he had left the afflictions for Jason to drink up, which he did.


    That left Stash, who was faring the worst of all, being off the platform and essentially holding the rear alone. Neil had been helping, but the lack of the hydra¡¯s regenerative powers was obvious, and the large size of the hydra form made it easy to swarm. Jason drained the afflictions from Stash, then called out to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming in, Stash!¡±


    Stash stilled his body for a moment, not that the hydra form was agile. Jason jumped directly onto his back, behind the five, long hydra necks, and slapped a hand onto one of them.


    You have bestowed all instances of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] to a party member¡¯s familiar, [Velitraxistaasch].


    Jason made use of his bronze rank agility, the equal of any circus acrobat, and back-flipped off stash and back to the platform. His cloak didn¡¯t entangle him as he could make it incorporeal at will and have it drift right through his body to settle, shrouding his flipping form in shadow.


    ¡°Is anyone recording this fight?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re a little busy, Jason,¡± Clive admonished.


    ¡°Right, yep.¡±


    Jason cast a gaze over the situation around Stash. The multi-headed hydra form was good at picking off the weaker monsters quickly and Humphrey¡¯s familiars were also working that rear side of the battle. They likewise went for the weaker ones, flying in and snatching them in their talons before carrying them into the air. While their griffin forms were powerful and their dragon-bone bodies not subject to vampiric powers, they did not risk alighting amongst the massing horde. They would peck the monster to death in the air, or carry them high enough that the subsequent drop did the job.


    As a result, there was a growing percentage of bronze-rank and tougher iron-rank monsters surrounding Stash, increasingly putting him under pressure. Jason began his intervention, throwing out quick spells at the monsters that presented the biggest threats. He didn¡¯t have a lot of afflictions on them yet, but he started with inexorable doom in preparation and followed up with a blood spell.


    Ability: [Haemorrhage] (Blood)


    Spell (wounding, unholy, blood)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (06%).Effect (iron): Inflicts or refreshes the [Bleeding] and [Sacrificial Victim] afflictions.Effect (bronze): Inflicts the [Necrotoxin] affliction.


    [Bleeding] (affliction, wounding, blood): Deals ongoing damage by causing or increasing blood loss. As a wounding effect, this condition absorbs and negates an amount of incoming healing, after which this affliction immediately ends.[Sacrificial Victim] (affliction, unholy): Any drain attacks or blood afflictions suffered have increased effect.[Necrotoxin] (affliction, poison, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until poison is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    He went through the strongest enemies, dropping the two-spell combination on each. When he was happy with his coverage, he leapt into the fray once more, wading though the monsters to support Stash. He went after the monsters he had thrown spells on, one to the next. He would hit each of them just once, laying on afflictions with his dagger before moving on. His whip he continued to thrash in the direction of the weaker enemies, using it to make space as best he could in the press of monsters.


    By the time he was done, so many afflictions were ticking over that his amulet accrued blessings faster than the hits he was taking could consume them. On his way back to the platform, he once again bestowed them on Stash. They would only last so long, but is was a respite for Neil¡¯s healing that was welcome in the endurance battle.


    Back on the platform, Jason turned back to look at the monsters held back by Stash¡¯s massive hydra body and five snapping heads. He looked for one of the tougher, now heavy afflicted monsters and cast a spell. Instead of his usual finishers, punition or verdict, he hit it with something different.


    Ability: [Feast of Blood] (Blood)


    Spell (drain, blood)Base Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 0 (03%).Effect (iron): Drain health and stamina. Only affects targets with bleeding wounds or who are suffering from the [Bleeding] affliction.Effect (bronze): Drains additional health and stamina for each instance of poison on the target.


    Of all Jason¡¯s abilities, bar one, feast of blood had proven the most powerful against vampires, feeding on the blood magic coursing through them. After ranking up it grew stronger from every stance of poison on the target and Jason could layer quite a number of poisons. Necrotoxin, leech toxin, the ruination of the blood from his dagger and the umbral snake venom from his new armour, all stackable and piling up under the effects of inexorable doom. The result, amplified by the vampiric vulnerability to blood magic, made the first monster wither and die, its empty husk falling to the ground.


    Even his transcendent damage finisher was not as strong against the vampiric monsters. While he waited for the cooldown, he threw out more spells, turning his attention to Sophie¡¯s side of the platform. Still an iron-ranker, she was fearlessly punching above her weight, but while she had not been in as much danger as Stash, hers was the side closest to being pushed in. Jason continued throwing out spells on her side, in between using feast of blood as a finisher on Stash¡¯s.


    Jason glanced over the rest of the field. Humphrey was holding the most steady. Neil¡¯s growth spell had worn off, but Humphrey remained a powerhouse, stronger and tougher than any other member of the team. Jason asked Neil about Humphrey¡¯s mana consumption.


    ¡°He¡¯s doing great,¡± Neil said. ¡°Very controlled; we¡¯ve barely had to top him off.¡±


    Despite the deadly, blood-soaked porcupine, monsters were starting to accumulate on the golem¡¯s side. Jason was about to intervene when the golem erupted from its chrysalis. This time, it had taken the form of three plain, crystal blocks, each seeming comical and harmless as they stood on three legs apiece. It became less funny as they waddled into place to form a wall, each proving to possess the same spike power as the chrysalis form. Soon, all three were bristling with bloody spines.


    Jason turned his attention back to Stash, firing off another feast of blood spell before bestowing a third stack of blessings on the familiar. Many of the toughest enemies were now cleared off and Stash and the griffins could handle the rest for the moment.


    Jason returned to Sophie¡¯s side, where she fought, uncomplaining, even as her injuries and the pressure upon her mounted. Jason stepped forward and held up his hand to unleash his strongest trump card, the power that was unequivocally his strongest against the vampire monsters. Blood seeped out of his palm and then leeches started erupting from his hand. He swept his arm like a water cannon at a riot, scattering his swarm familiar over the crowd of monsters.


    Colin was a vampire-devouring machine and that whole side of the battle collapsed like wilting flowers. Jason had considered unleashing Colin from the start, but had decided that holding him for when he was needed most would be the most effective use. The monsters had largely recovered from the team¡¯s initial big hits and were ramping up the pressure, so it seemed like the moment was right to deploy his strongest weapon.


    ¡°I¡¯ll cover you,¡± Jason said after draining Sophie¡¯s afflictions again. ¡°Take a rest.¡±


    While the front-liners had been bearing the brunt of the attacks, Clive and Belinda had been dishing out the damage, like Jason. Using her specious sorcerer power, Belinda gained the ability to use wands and staves like Clive. Even though she could take advantage of his battle platform ritual and he had also put enhancement rituals on her weapons, she was still a pale comparison. He was a rank higher, as were his legendary items.


    Both Belinda and Clive had been using their rune trap powers on cooldown. It was a little costly on mana, but so long as they otherwise stuck to their weapons it was sustainable. The value of the spells, even Belinda¡¯s iron-rank version, was incredible. The monsters were too packed together to move out of the way, pushing each other into maximising the effectiveness of the small explosive area.


    Sophie resumed her position and Jason once again dove into the mess of monsters, roaming about, laying afflictions. Through the voice chat, Clive warned them of a new threat.


    ¡°Flying monsters,¡± he announced. ¡°I think they¡¯re night shrikes.¡±


    The team looked up the approaching creatures, winging their way over the jungle canopy and into their air above their clearing. Night shrikes were another monster they had encountered before. Their bodies were the size of a small, slender person, something between a bat and a hook-billed bird. They were bronze-rank, but very much on the weak side, physically. Their advantages lay in their flight and their special power, which they combined to make hit and run attacks with their sharp beaks.


    Floating above the team, Onslow turned his head to the new enemy, but Clive directed him to stay focused on the ground monsters.


    ¡°Jason will handle them,¡± Clive told his familiar.


    As monster ranks increased, so did the likelihood of monsters with exotic powers. In the case of the night shrike, they had the ability to plunge an area into magical darkness that even drained the magic from glow stones, although none were out for this daylight battle. The shrikes would then strike using the darkness as their weapon, as their own senses were unimpeded by it.


    As anticipated, the shrikes blanketed the platform in complete darkness, turning bright day into deeper than night. What the flying monsters would quickly discover, as had those of their kind who came before, was that they were not the most dangerous thing in the dark.


    Jason was no more impeded by the absence of light than the shrikes. Stars lit up on his cloak, shedding light that penetrated the magical power of the shrikes. The motes of light floated off his cloak, leaving it void black, as they floated up and around the platform. They concentrated on the platform itself, giving the team all the light they needed to keep fighting.


    Around the platform, the motes of light were softer and spread out, giving just enough illumination to turn the black void of darkness into shadowy gloom. By turning the monsters¡¯ realm of absolute darkness into a realm of shadows, Jason made their kingdom his own.


    In a zone of ubiquitous shadow, Jason could teleport around as he wished. He shadow-jumped behind one of the shrikes, wrapping his legs around its, under its wings, and one arm around its neck. The weight reducing power of his cloak stopped them from immediately plunging out of the sky, but the creature¡¯s flight was drastically impeded and they started arcing sharply down. Jason ignored their predicament, ramming his dagger into the monster multiple times before jumping again.


    Jason proved a horrifying nemesis to the shrikes, jumping from one to the other and sending them crashing into their monster brethren below. Some were already dead when they hit the ground, the rest soon after from the hard landing and Jason¡¯s afflictions.


    The shrikes scattered, wings beating heavily as they climbed skyward. It didn¡¯t matter. The cover of darkness was vanishing in patches as the shrikes died in rapid succession, restoring the bright sunlight to dominance. When the final shrike died in the air, Jason found himself floating alone in the sky.


    Using the new gliding power of his cloak, Jason drifted his way over the team. Cloak fluttering around him, he alighted gently amongst them.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Neil acknowledged. ¡°You might kind of make this look good.¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Humphrey asked Neil, refocusing his attention. ¡°Is it time?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of Jason¡¯s sin affliction around now,¡± Neil said. ¡°Yeah, I think it¡¯s time. Everyone dump your mana.¡±


    The team started unleashing every high cost ability they had, rapidly draining their mana pools much as they had at the beginning of the battle. Colin gathered up during that time, strips of bloody cloth snaking through the battlefield to collect leeches like fly paper and drag them into a central mass that wrapped up into its humanoid form.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Neil said, and activated his power, sending the team, plus their summons and familiars into a dimensional space.


    Ability: [Reaper¡¯s Redoubt] (Shield)


    Special ability (dimension, recovery, disease).Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: 6 hours.Current rank: Bronze 0 (01%).Effect (iron): Take allies into a dimensional space briefly while flooding the area with death energy, dealing disruptive-force damage, necrotic damage and inflicting [Creeping Death] on everything in the area.Effect (bronze): Allies undergo extreme mana replenishment while in the dimensional space.


    [Creeping Death] (damage-over-time, disease, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until the disease is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    The team emerged from the dimensional space with their mana replenished. The jungle around them had been withered by Neil¡¯s power and most of the monsters were dead. Only a handful lingered past what was now the jungle line, having been outside the power¡¯s range.


    They were about to move on them when eight figures emerged from the jungle. Unlike the monsters, these were all human. They stepped forward slowly, with none of the rush that the monsters had.


    ¡°That¡¯s them,¡± Humphrey said, face turned steely. ¡°Time to do what we came here for.¡±

 Chapter 240: The Boss Comes to Town

    Humphrey swung his arms inward, brutally clapping his hands into either side of the cultist vampire¡¯s head. It relinquished its bite on Neil¡¯s neck, rearing back to let out an alien screech from its inhuman mouth. His jaw unhinged in macabre mockery of the formerly human anatomy. The mouth no longer had teeth, just bare gums and a pair of hairy barbs, growing awkwardly out from the roof of the mouth. They bristled, wet with saliva and Neil¡¯s blood.


    Humphrey, gripped the vampire by the hair and smashed its head into the stone platform until the body stopped squirming. It was the last of the bizarrely warped adventurers turned inhuman minion.


    ¡°I think I got a big dose of that blood curse,¡± Neil said, sounding woozy. He cast a spell on himself.


    ¡°Imbue with life.¡±


    Clear green light glow around his hand, then shot into his neck.


    Ability: [Life Bolt] (Renewal)


    Spell (healing)Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 0 (11%).Effect (iron): Delivers life energy though a projectile, giving a small burst of instantaneous healing. Damages certain targets that are inimical to life force, such as most forms of undead.Effect (bronze): Bestows a mild, ongoing healing effect.


    It was Neil¡¯s bread and butter healing spell, which could also be used as a weapon against most forms of undead. He had never actually used it for that, with undead being rare in Greenstone because of the life energy flowing down the Mistrun River. Vampires were no better, with the blood magic flooding their bodies that produced a warped facsimile of life. They were the one form of undead for whom, healing magic was fully effective.


    ¡°Give me a second and I¡¯ll clear that curse, Neil,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m a little tied up, right now.¡±


    He was stuck to the platform by a blanket of sticky webbing. Gordon was cutting him loose with his four force beams.


    ¡°My new armour is definitely a step up,¡± Jason said as he waited. ¡°That resistance to adhesive effects on the old one would have been handy, though.¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Sophie said. She was still using iron-rank armour made primarily, as Jason¡¯s had been, of trap weaver leather. ¡°They were spraying that webbing everywhere, like giant nets. I couldn¡¯t dodge it all.¡±


    ¡°Clive,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You told us they would be easier to fight after being turned into vampires.¡±


    ¡°And he was right,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°A few strange spider powers are no compensation for a full suite of bronze-rank abilities.¡±


    ¡°Their transformation was more extreme than I anticipated,¡± Clive acknowledged. ¡°From what I¡¯ve read about blood weavers, they almost always leave intelligent victims largely intact. They recognise that a high-intelligence minion is worth more than another physically powerful blood puppet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure high-intelligence was an issue,¡± Neil said. ¡°They joined a cult and agreed to come here.¡±


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Clive conceded. ¡°Blood weavers can put essence users through a stronger transformation, as we saw here, but it destroys the mind. You saw the animalistic way they fought.¡±


    After creepily staring at them from the jungle line, the vampire cultists had recklessly hurled themselves into the team. Their reckless attacks led to the team putting them down in short order, although not before they penetrated the team¡¯s backline. Clive had displayed some unexpectedly solid staff fighting, combining strikes and blocks with blasts of magic. Belinda had used an escape ability but Neil had been latched onto.


    Gordon finished cutting Jason free and he immediately started purging the team of afflictions, starting with Neil.


    ¡°That was some good work with the staff,¡± Sophie told Clive. ¡°You¡¯ve been practising with Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Clive said. ¡°He told me that I needed to train for the fight I don¡¯t want, along with the one I do. It would appear he was right.¡±


    ¡°Is it just me,¡± Jason asked, ¡°or was that a bit anti-climactic, after all this time. We came here after the cultists and they turn out to be just more monsters. I mean, after the whole vampire monster army thing, they were just a few more vampires.¡±


    ¡°They seemed more than threatening enough to me,¡± Neil said, then hit himself with another life bolt spell.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry they got past me,¡± Sophie apologised to Neil.


    ¡°As am I,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone expected that suicide rush. Jason was right, I think. After all the build up, the cultists didn¡¯t amount to much.¡±


    ¡°We need to find where they were staying,¡± Clive said. ¡°My guess would be somewhere in the centre of the city, past the thickest jungle. That¡¯s probably where the blood weaver found them.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s where we¡¯ll probably find it,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°It could be,¡± Clive said. ¡°I think it might have run, though. I suspect it realised that we¡¯re strong enough to kill it and threw minions at us to buy time. It probably chose a handful that were strong and mobile and abandoned the area with them while we were chewing through the fodder.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take a break,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Then we¡¯ll loot the monsters, burn the cultists and get on to the middle of the city. We¡¯ll find where the cultists were staying before the blood weaver came along and then, what they were up to.¡±


    ¡°That was a huge haul,¡± Neil said. ¡°Three blood essences and a dark essence. If we find a mouth essence somewhere, we can recreate Jason¡¯s combination.¡±


    They were discussing the loot as they made their way through the still-deserted jungle. Every monster for a wide area had either been taken over by the blood weaver and killed by the team or fled to avoid that fate. They were doubling up on Shade¡¯s three mantis beetle forms, which excelled at cutting a path through the thick scrub. Humphrey with Jason, Neil with Clive and Sophie with Belinda.


    ¡°That¡¯s not very mature, Neil,¡± Jason said. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t make fun of people like that. It¡¯s why people like me more than you.¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s because you always bring sandwiches,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Sandwiches,¡± Jason said haughtily, ¡°are the garnish on a prime slab of perfectly pan-seared rakish charm.¡±


    ¡°Getting that myriad essence was the big winner,¡± Clive said. ¡°A legendary essence, and one of the better ones. We could buy the materials to rank every familiar on the team to silver and still have money left over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to get mine to bronze,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I¡¯d also like to get closer to them. How do you do it, Jason? You get along so well with your familiars, but mine are so alien.¡±


    ¡°Colin and Gordon aren¡¯t exactly everyday folk, either,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the secret?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re just people,¡± Jason said. ¡°Treat them that way. Yes, they¡¯re a little odd to our sensibilities, but if it can think, it¡¯s a person. That¡¯s the same, whether you¡¯re talking about a familiar or a god. Even a monster, although that¡¯s a tragic one. Imagine coming into being knowing that you have a terminal condition, and your options are get killed by an adventurer or go insane, kill a bunch of people yourself and die.¡±


    ¡°Gods aren¡¯t people,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit rude,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to atone for that one.¡±


    ¡°Gods are above people,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°There is no above people, Humphrey. There¡¯s just people. Give them enough power and they get a bit weird, but still people.¡±


    ¡°You seem very confident for someone who didn¡¯t believe in gods a year ago,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°But I believed in people. It just turns out that some of them are magic. Like us.¡±


    ¡°You do realise that people have different stations in life, right?¡± Neil asked. ¡°A king is not the same as a pauper.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Jason said. ¡°The king inherits a hat and a chair, where the pauper¡¯s lucky to get the hat. Better hat, though. What kind of idiot thinks a metal hat with no top is a great idea. The same guy who thinks monarchy makes sense, I guess.¡±


    ¡°How can you possibly think that gods are just people?¡± Neil asked. ¡°You think you can just stand before a god and start mouthing off? I¡¯ve been in the presence of gods. Just being near them was like standing under a waterfall.¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve heard, he did exactly that,¡± Clive said. ¡°I talked to a lot of people after the last excursion into this astral space. A lot of them were talking about the gods showing up and the lunatic talking to them like they were random people off the street.¡±


    ¡°They are random people,¡± Jason said. ¡°A bit showy, but nice enough. They like to make something of a spectacle of themselves, though.¡±


    The group all turned to stare at Jason. Humphrey had to crane his neck from where he was sitting in front of Jason on the mantis beetle to do it.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    They passed through the rest of the thick jungle without being accosted by monsters. If any were around, they were apparently smart enough to stay well clear of the ones responsible for getting rid of the rest. The shattered and scattered ruins, buried in jungle, gave way to fully intact buildings in startlingly short order. The line of demarcation was so stark that it reminded Jason of the Vane estate, where the lush gardens met the desert.


    The team made a direct path for the very centre of the city and the large square containing the Order of the Reaper¡¯s trial tower. As they moved through the buildings, they started to notice fragments of unusual magic.


    ¡°Everyone else is sensing that, right?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Gods damned magic,¡± Sophie muttered. ¡°No.¡±


    The team arrested their progress to investigate. The magic was weak enough that it was a curiosity, rather than a threat. It was chaotic, patchy and feeble. They found a fragment of sheared steel, jammed into a brick wall by some tremendous force. Clive took out some tools and began examining it.


    ¡°I should look at more,¡± he said as he finished up. At his direction, the team sought out locations from which the strange, scattered magic was emanating. One was a cushion that had somehow buried itself in a wall as forcefully as the metal shard had. Another was a round indentation containing a dark, crystalline powder. After examining the powder for some time, Clive rubbed some between his fingers.


    ¡°This is a ground-down awakening stone,¡± he said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you could do that,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Clive said. ¡°Every attempt to alter the form an awakening stone has either done nothing or triggered it into returning to a raw magic state. Rainbow smoke.¡±


    ¡°This is the result of the Reaper¡¯s power,¡± Shade said. ¡°I can sense it because it is the same as my own power.¡±


    ¡°You know what happened here?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I suspect these fragments are the remnants of the tower¡¯s treasure stores. I have previously postulated that the dimensional spaces in which those stores were kept would collapse once the trials came to an end and the power controlling them was withdrawn. My guess would be a mana implosion affected by the protective measures put in place by the order triggered an unexpectedly destructive reaction. There is likely less treasure to find that I originally intimated.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s right,¡± Clive said. ¡°The traces of astral magic on everything I¡¯ve looked at are chaotic and unengineered. These fragments don¡¯t do anything except throw off some residual magic. It speaks more to un uncontrolled phenomena, like a dimensional explosion.¡±


    ¡°Is this residual magic a threat to us?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°It¡¯s weak here, but will there be more dangerous patches?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a conglomeration of random dimensional energies,¡± Clive said, ¡°blasted into a chaotic mess and mixed with the power of a being who could, if it wanted, use that power to assassinate the universe. So¡­ maybe.¡±


    ¡°I think we should give Clive some space,¡± Jason said. ¡°Leave him to figure things out without having to answer any questions.¡±


    Clive flashed Jason a grateful look as Jason waved the rest of the team away.


    ¡°This will be the final ascension ceremony,¡± Zato told Dougall. ¡°The last of your essence abilities will be gone, but you will cross the threshold of silver-rank today. You can anticipate being filled with something new and far greater.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Master Zato,¡± Dougall said. ¡°I know I came to the cult under slightly different circumstances than most, but I am profoundly grateful.¡±


    They were walking through the grounds of the ruined Vane estate, entering what had once been a small wood but now was nothing but dead and withered trees. They reached a space where five equidistant trees stood at the points of a pentagram, part of a magical diagram laid out between them with bricks. The trees could barely be called that anymore, stripped of their branches and bark and sculpted into wooden obelisks. Runes ran down their sides, alternately made from hammered-in steel or engraved directly into of the wood and stained the rusty colour of dried blood.


    ¡°This is the place,¡± Zato said. Timos had been waiting for them, head hidden within a voluminous ritual robe. He held out robes for Zato and Dougall. Zato gave Dougall an encouraging smile as they slipped them on.


    The ritual took place with Dougall in the middle of the circle, Zato and Timos on opposite sides. On the robes of all three men, magical sigils lit up with power. There was a gathering of energy as the pair conducted an extended chant. Soon, Dougall felt a power rising up from within. The power surged through him, cleansing and changing. He crossed the threshold into silver and impurities started seeping through his pores, leaving him covered in filth. He was panting and tired, but grinning fiercely as he revelled in the sense of power.


    Timos stepped forward with a bottle of crystal wash, ignoring the smell. Dougall stripped off the robes and ruined clothes before cleaning himself off, the filth on his skin and the fallen-out hair sloughing away. Afterwards, Timos lead him to where he had fresh clothes folded neatly in a bag.


    As Dougall changed, he revelled in the sensation of his new power. He could no longer sense his essences, but compared to the power he could feel it was no loss. He could even feel more potential power, hidden deep within his soul. It was laying untapped, right next to the¡­ star seed.


    He was gripped by a sudden sense of dread; the realisation that the power inside him did not belong to him a all.


    As if it were germinating, he felt power swell out from the star seed. It kept coming and coming; an alien might flooding out of his own soul to fill the channels of power that months of ritual treatments had installed in his body. He went cold with fear and an absolute certainty that his soul was no longer his own.


    Dougall¡¯s last free thought was rage at Zato for his betrayal. He opened his mouth to yell but was choked off as the new power initiated a new, sweeping change. Flesh rippled, but not with organic fluidity. It was like his flesh was comprised of tiny, tiny blocks, undergoing some kind of shift. The strange rippling swept his whole body before settling again,  leave no lingering indication of a body anything but organic.


    His body went limp, standing like a puppet hanging loose from a string. Dougall stood up straight, his expression was blank, his eyes plain, grey orbs. He looked at the clothes half put-on and finished dressing. Zato and Timos kneeled to the ground, heads bowed, as Dougall finished and looked over his body.


    ¡°Lord Builder,¡± Zato greeted, not looking up.


    ¡°This vessel is adequate,¡± the Builder, now occupying Dougall¡¯s body said. ¡°If I use more than silver-rank power it will break down immediately, but the vessel was prepared efficiently. With care, it will last some time.


    ¡°The next vessel is already at a late stage of preparation, Lord Builder,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°I know,¡± the Builder said. ¡°I am in your soul. There is nothing you can hide from me.¡±


    ¡°No, Lord Builder.¡±


    The Builder walked over to where Zato was kneeling, head down.


    ¡°There have been a cavalcade of failures here,¡± the builder said. ¡°You made the correct choice in continuing the work, but you made it out of fear. Fear of the consequences of failure.¡±


    ¡°We did, Lord Builder,¡± Zato admitted.


    The Builder was silent for a long time. Zato could see from his feet that he hadn¡¯t moved. Timos couldn¡¯t see him at all, not daring to raise his eyes.


    ¡°Your motivations are acceptable,¡± the Builder said finally. ¡°The consequences of failure are there to spur desirable behaviour, after all, which is what they have done. Stand, both of you.¡±


    The cultists stood, but kept their eyes lowered.


    ¡°I know all that has transpired,¡± the Builder said. ¡°I am impressed with how the pair of you have handled dire circumstances placed upon you by the failures of others. Continuing the work instead of drawing back and regrouping was the right choice. Preparing a vessel that I might direct you now, instead of waiting for a success to buffer the failures here was likewise a correct choice. The intrusion of this astral space is more crucial than you realise.¡±


    ¡°Lord Builder?¡±


    ¡°You had not yet been made privy to the true purpose of the astral space we are about to claim. It is one of a small number on this world that are more important than the others. The original intention was for a clockwork king to lead this expedition. In the wake of the failed summoning, the leadership here made a sequence of costly mistakes. This included raising our profile to the point that I was no longer able to move significant resources here without alerting the natives to the importance of the task now ahead of you.¡±


    ¡°We will do what we can with what we have, Lord Builder,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°As you have been doing. I am satisfied that you have both risen to the stations thrust upon you by the inadequacies of those the led before you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lord Builder,¡± both men said.


    ¡°This astral space was something taken from me in the past,¡± the builder said. ¡°The time has come to reclaim it. There are tools within that will greatly assist our work on this world.¡±


    ¡°What would you have us do, Lord Builder?¡± Zato asked.


    ¡°For now, continue as you have been. First, we enter the astral space. Then we prepare to bring my world engineers here. Your remaining ritualists are mediocre, but under my direction they will be sufficient. Opening those gates will be wildly destructive, but you knew this.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Builder,¡± Zato said. ¡°I was told that claiming the astral space would be unusually destructive, but not why.¡±


    ¡°It is hard to interrogate our people, but not impossible,¡± the Builder said. ¡°For this reason, the secret was restricted to the leadership. You will understand the full purpose soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lord Builder. As you obviously know, the Rejector is already in the astral space. Once we are there, I will see to it that the Rejector is found and killed, should he still be alive on our arrival.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the Builder said. ¡°The Rejector and I have unfinished business. You will bring him to me alive.¡±

 Chapter 241: It’s Very Complicated and You All Need to Go Away

    The five storey mass of webbing was stretched between two buildings, completely blocking the street.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve spotted the blood weaver¡¯s nest,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Good eyes,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Maybe you should be the one scouting.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a gift,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Has anyone else noticed Neil starting to take on some of Jason¡¯s more immodest traits?¡± Humphrey asked, leaving everyone laughing but for an affronted Jason and an aghast Neil.


    ¡°You really think our friendly neighbourhood spider monster¡¯s done a runner?¡± Jason asked Clive.


    ¡°This place is desolate, now,¡± Clive said. ¡°It could be baiting us in again, but into what? If it had something that could take us down, it wouldn¡¯t have wasted its army. The creature itself is silver rank, but the main source of its power is the minions it creates. It¡¯s fairly fast and fairly strong. It can use webs, obviously, and heals rapidly, especially if it has minions to feed on. Actually fighting it, though? Worlds apart from the elemental tyrant we saw in the waterfall village.¡±


    ¡°The danger of blood weavers is their minions and the fact that failing to take one down means joining them,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯ve dealt with the main threat already.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Clive said. ¡°Once the minions are dealt with, a decent bronze rank team should have little problem. The things you have to watch for are the healing and the webs. For the webs, you just have to be careful. For the healing, you need to stop it from feeding and be able to pile on enough damage.¡±


    ¡°If that thing is in there,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°we¡¯ll be ready. Neil, you¡¯re our first line of defence against the webs; hold your shields for anyone with a web coming their way. As for putting on damage and taking off healing, Jason will be doing both. The rest of us are there to give them an easier job, and cut loose anyone who does get webbed up.¡±


    ¡°Are we actually going in there?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°We are,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Won¡¯t it be all sticky?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°Spider monsters who make webs like this can produce two kinds of silk. One is a tool and a weapon. It¡¯s sticky and dangerous, but only lasts a short time. Remember the remnants we first found in the jungle. It had degraded relatively quickly, which is no way to make a home. The other stuff is stronger and most resistant to the elements. It¡¯s also hard to build structures from a sticky substance. A nest like this is literally woven from silk. It¡¯s why many monsters who make nests like this are called weavers.¡±


    The nest turned out to be a network of tunnels that were quite wide, to accommodate the blood weaver itself, which was quite large. It meant the team didn¡¯t feel constricted as they worked their way up through the spiral tunnels that ascended throughout. The tunnels led them to chambers, some of which were unclear as to purpose, while others were unpleasantly obvious. The blood weaver¡¯s grisly larder was the most unpleasant sight Jason had encountered since the cannibal kitchen that was his introduction to the horrors his new world could hold.


    The team searched the entire place, finding neither monster nor treasure. When they had thorough explored the nest they moved from its highest reaches to the roof of one of the buildings to which it was anchored.


    ¡°I suppose this means we always need to keep an eye out,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Not that we weren¡¯t already.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive agreed. ¡°It¡¯s silver rank, and a stealth-type monster, so it can hide its aura from us. Makes it hard to see it coming. That said, Monsters don¡¯t tend to be vengeful, the way people are. They don¡¯t have pride to injure. Most likely, the blood weaver will find some far corner of the city and set itself up all over again. It¡¯s smart enough to prepare for if we find it again, and also smart enough to not seek us out.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do about it?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Do we hunt it, before it establishes itself again?¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t come here to kill a blood weaver,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It was the obstacle, not the objective.¡±


    ¡°The blood weaver can prepare all it likes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Time is not on its side. Monsters don¡¯t grow stronger, so the most it can do is collect another set of minions, while we¡¯re all shooting up like rockets in this place.¡±


    ¡°What are rockets?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re things that go up,¡± Jason said. ¡°Really, really up. You can send people to the moon with them.¡±


    ¡°I heard about diamond rankers who teleported to the moons,¡± Clive said. ¡°No idea if its true. How could people get to the moon in your world if they don¡¯t have magic.¡±


    ¡°With rockets,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How do they work?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Well, you now how when there¡¯s an explosion, stuff flies way?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°It¡¯s basically that, but you need to be very careful.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s sounds like you don¡¯t really understand how it works,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know much,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°Also, I¡¯m pretty sure most of what I do know is wrong. Also, this may fall under stuff Knowledge doesn¡¯t want me talking about. When I take a bribe, I stay bribed. That¡¯s how integrity works.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how integrity works!¡± Humphrey said, the team laughing at his exasperation. The team had felt the confrontation with the silver rank monster and her army of vampire monsters looming over them as they frenetically trained. Now the fighting was done, at least for now, the tension was draining away like a sluice gate had been opened.


    ¡°What now?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°The cultist camp,¡± Clive said firmly.


    ¡°Our best bet now is that they were set up here, in the middle of the city, when the blood weaver either spawned or wandered in. Whatever tools they used for whatever they did should be there.¡±


    ¡°The most intact buildings were directly around the central square,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Unless the destruction of the tower significantly damaged them, that would be my guess for where they chose to try and wait out whatever the Builder¡¯s plans for this place are.¡±


    ¡°I just hope the purpose for the magic going up isn¡¯t to wake up those giant golems,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°I think we can all get on board with that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The first thing we¡¯ll do is head to the old tower and survey the destruction. We can reassess from there.¡±


    ¡°What about these magic fragments we¡¯ve been seeing?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Everything I¡¯ve been able to determine supports Shade¡¯s postulation,¡± Clive said. ¡°I think they¡¯re just fragments of destroyed treasure. I wouldn¡¯t go eating them, but they shouldn¡¯t pose us any threat.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to rely on ¡®shouldn¡¯t,¡¯¡± Neil said.


    Moving to the very middle of the city, it became clear that the Order of the Reaper¡¯s testing tower had self-destructed in extremely violent fashion. Huge chunks of rubble were laying in the street under the impact marks of the walls they had crashed into. When they reached the square itself, the wide tower had been replaced with a crater.


    The buildings around the square looked like they had been shelled. The intact facades the team remembered were riddled with holes, many having collapsed in their entirety, exposing the interiors.


    ¡°Probably not in there,¡± Neil said.


    On top of the destruction, the treasure fragments radiating magic were so thick as to be overlapping. It still presented no discernable threat, but was wearying to magic senses, like strobing rainbow lights.


    Leaving the buildings closest to the centre behind, the team went looking for those that had retained their integrity and weren¡¯t painted in distracting magical shards. They had to be thorough and didn¡¯t want to risk splitting up, so it took a day and a half of rigorous searching before they found where the cultists had been holed up. It was two streets back from the central square, conveniently marked by residual webs from what was presumably the battle where the cultists had fallen prey to the blood weaver.


    The cultists had made a relatively comfortable home for themselves, with chairs, beds, even rugs. There was a large and well-stocked bookshelf, although Clive snorted derisively on browsing through it.


    ¡°I think these guys shared your taste in literature, Soph,¡± Belinda said, also perusing the tomes. ¡°It looks like there¡¯s a lot of ¡®glistening thighs¡¯ books here.¡±


    ¡°Glistening thighs?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°You know,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Lots of heaving bosoms and men who don¡¯t care what anyone thinks about them yet still have their chests immaculately waxed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough,¡± Sophie said, looking embarrassed.


    ¡°She¡¯s even been thinking about writing her own.¡±


    ¡°I have not!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about a woman born into poor circumstances pursued by dastardly men for her beauty, until she¡¯s rescued by a dashing man who leads her on a life of adventure.¡±


    ¡°She is completely making this up,¡± Sophie insisted.


    ¡°Jason, do you wax your chest?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Lindy!¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t wax it,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I did, I¡¯d use a Jory depilatory cream, not wax. I only ranked-up the other day, though, so I¡¯m mostly hairless right now, anyway.¡±


    ¡°We really need to stop talking about this,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be ashamed of what you like to read,¡± Jason said. ¡°So long as you enjoy it, that¡¯s what matters.¡±


    Sophie put her face in her hands and let out a sobbing groan.


    Clive found what he was looking for in the basement of the building. The team had initially gone straight to the upper floor where the blood weaver seemed to have burst in, before searching the rest of the building more methodically.


    ¡°They must have brought in this with that specialty dimensional bag we found upstairs,¡± Clive said.


    Iron rank dimensional bags had a per-item volume limit slightly smaller than that of an iron-rank personal space power. To store the huge metal plate they had found set into the floor would have required a specialty bag designed to hold that item and that item alone. It was a massive, heavy plate of solid brass. Set into it was an excruciatingly complex magical diagram in silver, along with runes and sigils made of gemstones in a variety for vibrant colours.


    The walls of the basement also had magical circles set into them, these ones carved directly from the brick and filled with some kind of blue-tinted plaster. These were much cruder efforts than the delicate, elegant workmanship of the plate.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Clive said, lightly, reverently brushing his fingers over it.


    ¡°Should you be touching it?¡± Jason asked. To his magical senses, the plate was even more sophisticated than its appearance suggested.


    ¡°It won¡¯t affect us,¡± Clive said. ¡°This is some kind of astral magic. Whatever it¡¯s doing is working directly with the astral, not affecting the physical realm at all. You could do a dance on top of it and it wouldn¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°These magic diagrams on the walls are from simple masking rituals,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jason said. ¡°This looks exactly like I would have done when all I had was some skill book knowledge. I¡¯m willing to bet that one of the cultists was loaded up with enough skill book knowledge to set up that big plate to do its thing and throw up some rituals to hide the plate¡¯s magic.¡±


    ¡°To keep passing monsters from coming to investigate,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said. ¡°Does that sound right, Clive?¡±


    ¡°Hmn?¡±


    Clive looked up, distracted. ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Does that sound right?¡± Jason repeated.


    ¡°No idea,¡± Clive said. ¡°This is going to take me a while to figure out. Jason, take out those books on astral magic that Knowledge gave you, then you should all just go upstairs and settle in. It¡¯s very complicated and you all need to go away. I¡¯ll probably call you and Belinda down, Jason, to help me go through the books when I have a better idea of what we¡¯re dealing with. You¡¯ve both got at least some training, so I should be able to get some use out of you.¡±


    ¡°You make us sound like a Christmas present from an inattentive aunt,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What¡¯s Christmas?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Never mind,¡± Jason said. He took a bookcase from his inventory, which he had purchased to store everything Knowledge had given him.


    ¡°Just make sure you don¡¯t forget to eat again,¡± Jason told Clive.


    ¡°Did Clive come up to sleep?¡± Humphrey asked in the morning. The cloud house was set up on the roof of the building, where it had taken the form of an extra storey. It blended right in, even to the point of incorporating the stairwell that led up to the roof as the point of ingress.


    ¡°No,¡± Belinda. ¡°Didn¡¯t you go check on him in the night, Jason?¡±


    ¡°He shooed me away,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to check on him again, now.¡±


    ¡°We should all go down,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Jason said. He made his way downstairs, where Clive had set up a table covered in open books and three chalkboards on standing frames.


    ¡°Clive¡­¡±


    ¡°Go away!¡±


    A dishevelled Clive came up into the cloud house and stared around at the team, wild-eyed.


    ¡°You and you,¡± he said pointing at Jason and Belinda. ¡°Read this.¡±


    He shoved a piece of paper into Belinda¡¯s hand it was smeared with chalk dust, but the pencilled writing was as neat as Clive was messy. Jason stood next to Belinda and she held it out so they could read it together. Of the team, they were the only other ones who had studied magical theory. Neil had studied some practical healing rituals but that was the extent of it.


    ¡°Well?¡± Clive asked Belinda and Jason.


    ¡°Well, what?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Did you understand it?¡± Clive demanded.


    ¡°I did,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason agreed.


    ¡°Explain it to me,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Mate, if you can¡¯t understand it, I think we might have been very wrong about us understanding it.¡±


    ¡±No!¡± Clive said and let out a frustrated growl. ¡°Of course I understand it. I wrote it! I need to make sure you understand it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about astral resonance,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°The idea is to set up a means of remote matching,¡± Jason added.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Clive said triumphantly. ¡°You two, come with me. I need you to help me go through the books.¡±


    ¡°What you need,¡± Jason said, ¡°is to get some sleep. You¡¯re looking a bit manic, there, mate.¡±


    ¡°What? No. Shut up! Just come with me.¡±


    ¡°Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you remember what you told me about ritual magic? To do it right, not do it fast?¡±


    ¡°Clearly, I wasn¡¯t thinking straight. You can just do it right and fast, now come on.¡±


    ¡°Clive,¡± Humphrey said firmly. ¡°You are going to get some sleep if I have to knock you out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really sleep,¡± Clive said. ¡°Being unconscious is a different-¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯d best quietly take yourself to bed, then,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Because asleep or unconscious, you¡¯re about to get laid out.¡±


    Clive snarled like an animal.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he conceded, then turned back the Belinda and Jason. ¡°You two, get working on those books. Anything that pertains to what¡¯s on that paper I gave you, make a note of book and page, then keep going.¡±


    Clive looked around.


    ¡°Where are the bedrooms?¡±


    Neil pointed, not wanting to say anything to aggressive, sleep-addled Clive.


    ¡°Not that I¡¯m going to get any sleep,¡± Clive muttered angrily as he walked off. ¡°My mind racing in a thousand directions. I¡¯ll just be laying there, accomplishing nothing but a magnificent waste of time.


    Moments after settling into the soft embrace of a cloud bed, he was asleep.

 Chapter 242: Strong Foundations

    By the time the team had spent almost a week in the camp of the former cultists, Belinda and Jason were assisting Clive almost full time in the basement, in the room with the large magical plate set into the floor. They were digging through the texts that Knowledge had given to Jason, finding anything that might be of value to Clive. They slowly gained a better idea of what it was they were looking at and how it might be useful.


    ¡°It¡¯s clear that the goddess foresaw what we would need and prepared accordingly,¡± Clive said. ¡°Without all this, we would have no chance of figuring out what was happening.¡±


    ¡°And how is that going, exactly?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯ve learned more than I thought possible about astral magic in the last week, but what you¡¯re looking at is way past my comprehension level.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s past mine,¡± Clive said. ¡°We¡¯re talking about principles of astral magic that go beyond anything we¡¯ve managed to uncover in this world. It¡¯s like everything I learned prior to accessing these books was stone tools and I¡¯ve just discovered how to make steel.¡±


    ¡°How long until you figure it out, then?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Oh, I think I had it yesterday,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m just trying to make sure I¡¯m not missing something and completely wrong. Given how many new ideas I¡¯m working with, I could have easily made a simple mistake that put my entire conception way off.¡±


    ¡°You figured it out yesterday and didn¡¯t tell us? Jason asked.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to put forward any ideas until I was confident in them. It¡¯s been my experience that making tentative proclamations is more trouble than it¡¯s worth. People have a habit of believe the thing they like over the thing supported by the evidence, so I don¡¯t like to make statements I¡¯m not confident in.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There is one thing I¡¯m certain about,¡± Clive said. ¡°Landemere Vane made this plate.¡±


    Jason looked down at the large plate in the floor.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± he asked. ¡°That means he was working on this before any of us knew this astral space even existed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Clive said. ¡°Ritual magic is more than cold, studious calculation. There¡¯s an artistry to it, and everyone has their own style. Even you two. Belinda¡¯s magic is bold and inventive. Yours is clever, but overcomplicated. Landemere had his own style too.¡±


    ¡°And you knew it well enough to recognise now?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Also, what do you mean, overcomplicated?¡±


    Clive chuckled.


    ¡°Jason, it¡¯s like you don¡¯t trust simple solutions.¡±


    ¡°That sounds about right,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I do recognise Landemere¡¯s style,¡± Clive said. ¡°He and I were the astral magic specialists at Greenstone¡¯s Magic Society. He was very reclusive, and secretive about his work. For reasons that have now become rather obvious. When he required assistance, though, I was always the one he turned to. From what little I saw of his work, I could tell it was incredibly advanced, and more than once I urged him to share it with the academic community.¡±


    ¡°I bet he loved that idea,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t receptive, no,¡± Clive said. ¡°Of course, now I understand that he wasn¡¯t as brilliantly innovative as I thought. He was good, don¡¯t get me wrong, but he was working with what the Builder cult gave him, clearly.¡±


    ¡°It also means that he had this thing finished before I killed him,¡± Jason said. ¡°That was months before Emir arrived here in Greenstone, let alone revealed the astral space. It means that the Builder cult knew about the astral space and the fact that someone was getting ready to open it up.¡±


    ¡°All they needed was for Emir to collect the pieces of the key and open it up,¡± Clive said. ¡°For all we know, the person who commissioned him in the first place could be a Builder cultist.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a scary thought,¡± Jason said. ¡°A diamond-rank Builder cultist, having us all dance in the palm of his hand. I don¡¯t think that¡¯s what¡¯s happening, though.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°If the Builder cult had us over that much of a barrel,¡± Jason said, ¡°they wouldn¡¯t have suffered so many setbacks. They would have been much more on top of things.¡±


    The team were gathered together in the lounge room of the cloud house. Everyone was sitting, except for Clive.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beacon,¡± Clive said. ¡°The cultists who came into this astral space with the rest of us didn¡¯t need to do much more than bring it in here and set it up. That much only took the most basic knowledge of ritual magic. All they needed was someone with basic skills to perform a series of activation rituals. Very simple, just once every few days for about a month until the beacon locked itself into place, dimensionally speaking. After that, all the heavy magic takes places on our world.¡±


    ¡°To do what, exactly?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°To create a tunnel. Or a bridge, whatever you want to call it. The point is that it connects our world to this astral space, bypassing the already established entrance.¡±


    ¡°That also means bypassing its restrictions,¡± Belinda added. ¡°Including the upper limit on rank.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying more cultists are coming?¡± Neil said


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying.¡±


    ¡°When?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°At least a month until the tunnel is complete,¡± Clive said. ¡°It could be two months or more, but definitely less than three. Now that I know what I¡¯m looking for, I used the knowledge in Jason¡¯s books to improvise some tests, but the results are as imprecise as that suggests.¡±


    ¡°Can we leave before it opens?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Find a way to get the regular portals back open and bring in reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°This tunnel they¡¯re building is responsible for the changes in the magical density,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s affecting the dimensional membrane between this astral space and the deep astral. On the bright side, it means that it won¡¯t keep escalating until the astral space breaks down. Less fortunate is the fact that we can¡¯t use the regular portals until the ambient magic here reaches a new stable point. My best guess is that won¡¯t be until some time after this tunnel has opened and closed again and the magic has had time to settle. At that point I can probably reconfigure the portals to the new level of magic and make them operable again.¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°If you have a more reliable way out of here, speak up,¡± Clive told him.


    ¡°What if we destroy the plate?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Would that stop them from getting here?¡±


    ¡°Sadly not,¡± Clive said. ¡°The beacon¡¯s job was done before we ever arrived. Once they had it¡¯s dimensional location on the other side, they would have been able to start working. They will have been at this for months already.¡±


    ¡°So, to summarise,¡± Jason said, ¡°after a month or two, during which we will continue to be trapped here, an unknown force of unknown strength but very well-known hostility will be arriving in this astral space.¡±


    ¡°Wonderful,¡± Neil said. ¡°Which makes our options what, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Obviously, we need to stop what they¡¯re up to,¡± Clive said. ¡°That may be detaching the astral space from our world or it may concern these giant golems, the world engineers. It may be both.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what forces will be coming through against us,¡± Jason said. ¡°Hopefully, it will only be the remnants of the Builder¡¯s forces from Greenstone. Just before we left, Elspeth Arella informed me of something the interrogators got from the cultists we were finally able to capture.¡±


    ¡°That you were able to capture, you mean,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Which is why they were willing to keep me looped in at all,¡± Jason said. ¡°According to the captured cultists, the local cult leadership was all but eradicated by the attack on their main outpost on that island. The one Rufus and his parents went after. From the information we have, only a couple of mid-tier leaders came through alive to take over. They may have as few as a single silver-ranker left.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°One silver we might have a chance against. If a gold comes through, we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Set traps?¡±


    ¡°Actually, that¡¯s not a terrible idea,¡± Clive said. ¡°We have time, and we can be confident that they¡¯ll be checking in on those golems. I could set up some traps in those hidden doors.¡±


    ¡°Until then, we train,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Even here, we can¡¯t hit silver rank in that time frame. What we can do is get everyone not just to bronze, but consolidated at our new rank. We need to eke out every bit of strength we can muster for what¡¯s to come.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t just be a goal,¡± Clive said. ¡°That will be a necessity. From what I can tell, the magical density will be increasing at an escalating rate as the tunnel draws closer to completion. Even if we never see the trap weaver again, we¡¯ll be meeting silver-rank monsters sooner, rather than later.¡±


    The team left the lair of the dead cultists behind and went back to the task of training. They returned to the frenetic pace of when they were preparing for the confrontation with the blood weaver¡¯s brood, once again unsure of what kind of numbers they would be facing.


    A sense of ominous danger loomed over them as they battled time and the fear that their struggles were hopeless. What came through the tunnel when it opened could very well be too much for them to handle, however strong they became. Even the most optimistic conjecture left them as a small insurgent operation against a force that had been preparing to arrive longer than any of them had been adventurers.


    The result was that Humphrey never felt a need to push the team. As if a wolf were snapping at their heels, the team pushed ever forward, their only guide the soul compass leading them from one flesh abomination to the next. Their aggressive schedule found at least one and sometimes two or even three in day. It neatly led them through the city and into the waiting embrace of monster after monster.


    Their lives became a war waged on the monsters of the astral space. It was a desperate race against an enemy that, for all they knew, would be impossible to overcome whatever they did. Every passing day moved them closer to the cult¡¯s arrival, but every encounter moved them closer to ready. Every member of the team was honed like a knife, not just in ability but in attitude. There were no complaints as each day blended together, training, hunting, resting, over and over. The team burned with a fire to get stronger and they pushed themselves to their limits. Humphrey finally had to enforce a rest day at the end of each week to stop the team from burning out.


    They encountered the first silver-rank monsters they actually fought. A pair of jungle cats with no heads, but large mouths on their bellies. Although physically weaker than some top-end bronze monsters, their speed was a danger. Even Sophie wasn¡¯t able to keep up, still at iron rank, and she suffered a number of dangerous injuries. Belinda was almost killed outright, only Neil¡¯s powerful healing bringing her back from the brink.


    Ability: [Grand Renewal] (Renewal)


    Spell (healing, ritual)Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: 1 hour.Current rank: Bronze 1 (14%).Effect (iron): Conduct a powerful healing ritual that cleanses all afflictions. This ability takes the place of the ritual¡¯s material components.Effect (bronze): The ritual circle is magically drawn, allowing the ritual to be more quickly enacted and in less ideal conditions.


    Neil was able to draw out a ritual circle much like Clive was, although the glowing ritual lines were green and it was only for the one, specific, ritual. That ritual, however, was extremely potent. Importantly, it did not require the normally costly resources of non-essence ritual healing.


    A monster surge lasted weeks and was famously a time for active adventurers to advance their abilities by leaps and bounds. Not only did the team experience this phenomenon for longer than even the lengthiest monster surge, but they were not caught up defending vulnerable population centres. They had nothing to do but strike out, pushing themselves harder and harder, like an adventurer surge visited upon the monsters.


    Sophie inevitably reached bronze rank. Her abilities continued to follow a theme of not being flashy individually, instead requiring skill and judgement to draw out their true potential. They were largely improvements and iterations on the iron-rank effects.


    Belinda also reached bronze, enhancing her eclectic collection of powers. Unlike Sophie, she had a number of powers whose bronze-rank effects would have a significant impact on the way she operated and, true to form, were useful in support of the team. Her pit of the Reaper ability would no longer cause allies to fall in, meaning that the team¡¯s most vulnerable members could stand on top of it while anyone seeking to attack them would fall right in.


    Her various powers to replicate different kinds of adventurers also gained important advancement. Her agility power, instant adept, gained magical movement effects such as wall-running and water-walking. Her warrior-replicating power, counterfeit combatant, now gave her access to some simple special attacks. Her specious sorcerer power no longer just gave her the power to wield wands and staves, but also cast some simple spells. While the power was active, she would have access to a force bolt spell and the same life bolt spell that Neil could use.


    The team did not just spend their time mindlessly hunting down and killing monsters. Training was also a crucial part of their preparations, delving into things that had been put aside when the blood weaver¡¯s army had still been ahead of them. One of the most important aspects of that training was adjusting to their new bronze-rank attributes.


    While they had all seen their abilities increase as their attributes moved up through iron-rank, there was a jump in capability as their abilities crossed the threshold of mortal potential and moved into bronze.


    Their new strength levels were fairly easy to adapt to, although someone already strong like Humphrey had an easier time than someone like Belinda. The real adjustment was the speed attribute, which governed agility, flexibility, dexterity, coordination and proprioception. The two attributes combined to give the whole team a level of athleticism that was staggering, and would take time to learn to its full potential.


    Training to make the most of their new potential brought some much-needed levity to the dour days of regimented training and ceaseless violence. They all had the agility of acrobats and Neil became obsessed with standing back-flips. The whole team took to parkour training with a new verve. Their capabilities meant not just new levels of agility, but also the power to jump further and endure longer drops than ever before.


    Sophie took the lead in that training, assisted by Jason. He finally pulled out the bronze-rank skill books for his Way of the Reaper combat system they had won on their last trip to the astral space. They included movement techniques for speed, stealth and the acrobatic traversal of terrain. Sophie learned from the same books the long way. They were enchanted with magical projections to act as guides, although those guides were of distinctly secondary value to Shade. The familiar was well-versed in Order of the Reaper techniques, serving as guide to both Jason and Sophie.


    ¡°Miss Wexler, I am certain that at its height, the order of the Reaper would have placed immense value on you as a recruit,¡± he told her.


    ¡°What about me?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They may have accepted you as well, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason had long wondered about the higher-ranks of his martial art, which were skills rather than essence abilities. He knew theoretically that it was the techniques requiring more than human capability, but it was only getting to learn them that he truly understood. It wasn¡¯t just the strength of the power attribute and the agility of the speed attribute. There was a situational awareness that came with the spirit attribute that added a dimension to fighting that simply wasn¡¯t possible under the limits of mortal senses.


    As he watched Humphrey and Sophie spar, he realised that their combat had an almost choreographed feel. They thought faster, had a better sense of their opponents and their surroundings, their spatial sense much sharper. Combat was less fumbling, more precise. Mistakes were punished but so was hesitation.


    None of the bronze-rank techniques were reinventing the wheel, replacing existing methods wholesale. The large majority were contextual, for fighting in various circumstances and environments only made possible by bronze-rank attributes.


    It was the movement techniques that underwent the more fundamental change. It felt awkward at first, breaking old habits that were ingrained over a lifetime. He and Sophie pushed the team through practise techniques designed to break those habits until new ones took hold.


    The comprehensive movement techniques of the Way of the Reaper included techniques that incorporated many common movement abilities. Jason was amused to discover a long distance running technique similar to one he developed himself early in his career, using the weight-reducing power of his cloak. Magical vehicles and access to Shade¡¯s mount forms had caused him to largely leave the method behind, but the Reaper technique allowed him to refine it, should he have need of it again.


    It was only after working to make use of their new attributes that the team truly understood how transformative bronze rank really was. It wasn¡¯t just about the increase in power, but in learning to use it to full effect. It was during this training that Jason realised just how much the bronze-rankers he had seen in the past had squandered their potential.


    He thought he had understood why Rufus, Gary and Farrah had looked down on Greenstone¡¯s adventurers, having seen for himself how much stronger they were than the bronze-rankers around them. It was only on reaching bronze-rank himself, though, that he fully comprehended the difference. Their training had built a foundation over his iron-rank career that now, at bronze-rank, allowed him to build something truly grand upon it.


    Assuming the team somehow managed to overcome the cultists and find a way out of the astral space, he would have to thank Rufus and Gary properly, only now understanding just what a great service they had done for him. As for Farrah, the most he could do was raise a quiet glass to the sky in her memory, one night as he stood alone on the roof of his cloud house.

 Chapter 243: A Valiant Death

    ¡°I could feel the power he was throwing off like heat,¡± Thadwick said, full of enthusiasm. ¡°I want that power.¡±


    ¡°And you will have it,¡± Zato said. ¡°Dougall began the treatments earlier than you, so his power came into its fullness earlier.¡±


    Dougall¡¯s new presence within the cultist enclave had not gone unnoticed. Although he remained in reclusion, all had felt the power radiating off him. They felt the instinctive drive for veneration coming from the star seeds within their souls, and saw the respect with which Timos and Zato treated him. Those who had asked about him, however, had been met with nothing but stony silence.


    ¡°Why only us two?¡± Thadwick asked. ¡°Why not give this power to everyone?¡±


    ¡°Because not everyone is worthy,¡± Zato said. ¡°Only those of noble blood have the right to the most noble of power. Sadly, our leadership was largely lost. Dougall, like you came to us from the nobility, and is therefore a treasure to us. Like you.¡±


    ¡°I thought I heard someone say he was a servant.¡±


    ¡°No, he had servants,¡± Zato said. ¡°Like many of the high blood, those around him grew jealous of his inherent superiority and sought to bring him down. We, of course, took him in, knowing that even a drop of noble blood is worth more than all the blood in the bodies of we commoners.¡±


    ¡°The high blood,¡± Thadwick repeated. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard that term in a while. It isn¡¯t acceptable anymore. My great uncle used to talk like that, until mother shushed him up. We didn¡¯t used to have to treat the rabble like they¡¯re equals. I think my mother actually believes that dross. It always disgusted me about her.¡±


    ¡°You will find no such problems here.¡±


    ¡°Timos didn¡¯t seem too reverent.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I have moved you to my side. You stand above him and, in time, will stand above me. The day will soon come when your voice will be our law. The commands coming from your mouth will be our purpose.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Thadwick said. ¡°I was always told that I was born to a great birthright, only to be denied at every turn. I¡¯m glad to finally find people who understand my value.¡±


    ¡°Thadwick,¡± Zato said with a smile. ¡°If nothing else, I can assure you that everything you deserve is coming your way.¡±


    A cultist came up to them.


    ¡°Leader,¡± the man said. ¡°The church has started to arrive. Should I send people to meet them?¡±


    ¡°Not until the archbishop appears,¡± Zato said. ¡°Then, come notify me.¡±


    The church of Purity¡¯s members were arriving at the Vane estate through a portal, in lots. There were fifty eight in total; mostly iron-rank, leavened with a solid contingent of bronze and a sole silver ranker, in the person of the archbishop. It took three portals to bring them all through, with the archbishop arriving last.


    It had been hard times for the church members chased out of Greenstone. Only those with at least a full set of essences had been considered worth saving; the rest were abandoned to the investigations of the Adventure Society. They were too ignorant to do any damage, in any case.


    The archbishop, Nicolas Hendren, looked extremely disgruntled to have been summoned, although he did, with reluctance, appear. His people were milling about, unsure of what do. The cultists emerged from the cult¡¯s subterranean complex, impassively warding off anyone who approached the no-longer hidden entrance. They refused to interact with the gathered clergy unresponsive to any questions sent their way.


    Only once Hendren himself arrived did the cult make an approach. Timos appeared from underground, accompanied by another man hidden completely within hooded robes. Hendren frowned, both at the absence of the leader, Zato, and his inability to sense the aura of the hooded figure. If the cult had reinforced their numbers with a gold-ranker, his ability to direct the course of events would be significantly hampered.


    They walked away from the lower-ranked cultists and clergy, Timos with the hooded figure and Hendren with Anisa Lasalle.


    ¡°Timos,¡± Hendren greeted brusquely. He noted the subordinate stance Timos took, relative to the hooded figure. Anisa was standing near Hendren in much the same posture. The figure said nothing as Timos reciprocated the greeting.


    ¡°Archbishop. Given our limited space, your people will be required to camp above ground, as I believe you have already been made aware of. Naturally, we have set aside a place for you, personally, in once of our more comfortable chambers, below.¡±


    Timos turned a snide gaze on Anisa.


    ¡°Will the priestess be sharing your chamber,¡± he asked, ¡°or remaining up here to keep your men occupied.¡±


    Anisa¡¯s face curled up into a snarl, but she stilled at a pacifying gesture from Hendren.


    ¡°Really, Timos?¡± Hendren asked. ¡°I would hardly think this is time for such pettiness between allies about to share an undertaking.¡±


    ¡°Some allies are more enthusiastic than others,¡± Timos said. ¡°Of course, I did not mean to imply anything salacious. I apologise if my unwitting remarks caused your minds to naturally follow an unwelcome path.¡±


    ¡°Just have your people show mine where to set up camp,¡± Hendren said. ¡°Then there are things in need of discussion, but not with you.¡±


    Hendren turned to the hooded figure.


    ¡°Are you the new leader, here?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s the leader everywhere,¡± Timos said. ¡°You will speak to him only when spoken to.¡±


    ¡°This is a poor way to treat allies,¡± Hendren said.


    ¡°You have been poor allies,¡± came a voice from the hooded figure. The voice was soft and carried no aura, yet somehow slammed into Hendren like a runaway brick cart. He immediately understood who ¨C what ¨C was within the robes.


    ¡°Most of our people are unaware of the Lord¡¯s presence,¡± Timos said. ¡°If you or your priestess are responsible for changing that, the repercussions will be severe.¡±


    ¡°We understand,¡± Hendren said. ¡°Don¡¯t we, Anisa?¡±


    He was suddenly and fully aware that any influence he had would need to persuasive, rather than authoritative, which was not where Anisa excelled.


    ¡°Yes, Archbishop,¡± Anisa said, reluctant but obediently following her superior¡¯s lead.


    ¡°Priestess, work with the cult¡¯s people to see our own set up. I shall go below to discuss the next step with our allies.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain I shouldn¡¯t go with you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Quite certain,¡± Hendren said. ¡°Take command of our people here. Keep them in line and make sure no one starts trouble with our allies.¡±


    He gave her a pointed look.


    ¡°Words can hurt us here, Priestess. Be careful that they don¡¯t.¡±


    Timos gave Anisa a smarmy smile, but after the archbishop¡¯s warning it was met with stony indifference. She went off to organise their people without giving Timos a second glance.


    Timos led Hendren into the complex below, the hooded figure of the Builder silently accompanying them. Hendren noted that in addition to making no sound, the figure left no footprints in the sandy dirt that had taken over the estate grounds.


    ¡°How long until the path opens?¡± Hendren said as they made their way underground, down the stone steps.


    ¡°Days,¡± Timos said. ¡°Two weeks, at the outside.¡±


    Iron-rank monsters had become infrequent in the overgrown city. When they did appear it was either in great numbers or alongside more powerful variations of their kind. In the first instance, the team didn¡¯t even bother to fight them, sending them fleeing with a burst of aura suppression. Only the most mindlessly aggressive were foolish enough to attack, with catastrophic results.


    Sophie¡¯s wind blade power alone was a disaster to weak, amassed enemies. Its strength wasn¡¯t great but it had bronze-rank power behind it. Additionally, the new effect it had gained for ranking up was that the blades grew wider as they travelled, allowing Sophie to cut down weaker enemies in clusters.


    Bronze-rank monsters were becoming a decreasing challenge as they team grew their power and honed their skills. It was the increasing frequency of silver-rank monsters that let them push themselves to new heights.


    Taking on a silver-rank monster at bronze was not so easy as facing a bronze-rank monster at iron. Each rank represented a larger leap in power than the last, making rank-jumping a trickier proposition with each level of advancement. Silver-rank monsters were easier to handle than even a mediocre silver-rank essence user, but that was not the same as being easy.


    Only Humphrey, Jason and, Sophie were able to take on weaker, solitary silver-ranks alone. Even then, they didn¡¯t try until they had consolidated their power. Only with a full grasp of their bronze-rank abilities and after advancing them into the lower-mid point of bronze did they even attempt it.


    Even then, it was only weak solitary monsters that any of them confronted alone. Such fights were uncommon, as even the silver-rank monsters were appearing in packs. It was generally the most dangerous that appeared alone.


    The team was tearing through the city at an ever-accelerated pace, even as the monstrous opposition grew stronger. The flesh abominations no longer posed the threat they had in the past. Once the team was at bronze-rank, the abomination¡¯s ability to adapt was no longer the equal of a full suite of essence powers. Belinda especially, with her versatile powers, could adapt to an abomination faster than it could adapt to her.


    With their strategies tried and tested over innumerable confrontations the abominations were  no longer even worth using for practice. The team went full-force to down them as quickly as possible and move on. They started clearing two, three, even four in a day, releasing hundreds of the tormented souls trapped within. The team knew they were coming close to the end of their self-imposed task as it took longer and longer to find the abominations by following the soul compass.


    Eventually, the compass led them into was they realised was the new territory of the blood weaver. Once more they found the residual webbing and the empty shells of converted monsters.


    ¡°The blood weaver will be having a harder time,¡± Clive said. ¡°The monsters are growing too strong. It won¡¯t be able to overpower and turn them.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It may have thrown weaker monsters at stronger ones in waves, then turned those stronger monsters.¡±


    ¡°Even if that is the case,¡± Clive said, ¡°It won¡¯t have been able to do that more than a handful of times.¡±


    ¡°A handful is enough,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°A few silver-rank monsters is our limit, even as a team. Our abilities are growing, but if we become arrogant or complacent, we can easily die here.¡±


    When the confrontation with the blood weaver came, there were no so many silver-rank monsters as they feared. The nasty surprise was that the blood weaver had managed to capture and turn three of the flesh abominations. Vampiric power combined in dangerous ways with the nature of the flesh monsters, to various effect.


    The first unpleasant surprise was that something about the nature of the abominations and their new vampiric state made them less vulnerable to Jason¡¯s blood powers, instead of more, like the other vampiric monsters. The powers still took hold, but at a reduced strength. Fortunately, they still had increased effect against the other vampiric minions.


    The other aspect of the vampire abominations was that they could warp themselves to produce an array of different drain attacks. Mana, health and stamina were all drained away by barbed flesh whips, needle claws and eerie, disjointed limbs covered in toothy maws.


    By the time they carved their way through to the blood weaver, the team was spent enough that even the relatively weak creature still posed a threat. In the end, though, they were resting atop a building that served as an anchor for the new nest, the weaver and its minions all dead.


    Jason hadn¡¯t even bothered to pull out the cloud house, the team sprawling onto the tiled rooftop, exhausted. Neil had only half-healed the team back up before he was too wrung out to finish the job.


    ¡°That was bad,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Top Five worst fight, easy.¡±


    ¡°Top three,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about top three,¡± Clive said. ¡°I mean, the vortex elementals were number one, right?¡±


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°The mirror fungus was definitely top three.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say the stutter hawks, too,¡± Humphrey chimed in. ¡°That¡¯s the top three.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Neil said. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to heal and replenish the team through all those drain attacks. The vampire abominations were worse than the stutter hawks.¡±


    ¡°Actually, yeah,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ll accept that. Top three.¡±


    ¡°We really shouldn¡¯t just be laying here,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°A monster could jump on us while we¡¯re not defending ourselves.¡±


    ¡°At this point the monster can have me,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯m getting some rest even if it¡¯s the cold rest of the grave. Do you know how hard it is to get tired with my powers? This is the first time I¡¯ve been genuinely tired since we left Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°You want someone to get up, then get up,¡± Neil said to Humphrey.


    ¡°Alright, I will,¡± Humphrey said, then didn¡¯t so much as twitch. ¡°Am I up?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Well, I tried,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°At least I¡¯ll be able to say I died valiantly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m bleeding on the roof,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°If the landlord complains, I¡¯ll lie for you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s very decent of you,¡± Belinda said.


    Eventually the team did pick themselves up before something climbed up the side of the building to eat them and Neil finished healing the team back up. They decamped to another location and Jason set up the cloud house. Humphrey became everyone¡¯s hero by volunteering first watch, while everyone else except Clive went to bed. Clive made his way onto the roof were he conducted the latest in his ongoing tests to gauge the integrity of the dimensional membrane dividing the astral space from the true astral.


    ¡°Well?¡± Humphrey asked as Clive came back down.


    ¡°It could be any day, now,¡± Clive said. ¡°not long from now, we¡¯re going to be up to our armpits in cultists.¡±

 Chapter 244: Ambitions

    Over the last week, the ambient magic in the astral had taken on a strange cadence. Like ripples on still water at the footfalls of a great beast, the very space around them was agitated. It grew stronger day by day, until even Sophie could sense it, and she had no magical senses at all.


    The monsters were apparently affected, being driven to unusual behaviour. Some hunkered down in the deepest holes they could find. Others gathered into large packs of disparate creatures that would ordinarily be at each other¡¯s throats.


    When the team found these groups in the early stages of their formation, before their numbers swelled, they would swoop in and wipe them out. As days passed, though, they found themselves avoiding the groups altogether. The numbers had simply grown too large to take on; whole armies of bronze and silver-rank monsters, dwarfing anything the blood weaver had accumulated.


    Another reason that team had holed-up in the cloud house was that the changes to the ambient magic started to affect their powers. Sometimes they wouldn¡¯t work, other times their effects were unpredictable, mixing up allies and enemies. Fortunately, the vampiric flesh abominations the blood weaver had turned were some of the last. The team knew they had cleared the last one when the soul compass span aimlessly around.


    ¡°The strange affect on our powers will pass once the tunnel opens and the dimensional membrane becomes becomes stable,¡± Clive said. ¡°That, or the whole astral space will collapse and we¡¯ll be annihilated. Definitely one of the two.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d care to lay odds?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Clive said. ¡°My understanding is incomplete, at best. I wasn¡¯t going to say anything, but I never figured out how they intend to stabilise the tunnel at this end.¡±


    ¡°Uh,¡± Belinda said, ¡°wouldn¡¯t that mean that it would essentially shred the dimensional membrane, flood the astral space with magic and it¡¯ll do that collapsing thing you mentioned.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive confirmed.


    ¡°And you can¡¯t figure out why that won¡¯t happen?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Clive said. ¡°But I¡¯m stumbling in the dark, here. We¡¯re talking about magic that I barely understand and I¡¯ve only seen parts of what they¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s comforting,¡± Neil said. ¡°As far as you can tell we¡¯re all going to die, but you know so little that you might be wrong.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I think I have some cake left,¡± Jason said, opening his inventory. ¡°If I¡¯m going to be obliterated into astral nothingness again, I¡¯m doing it with cake.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean again?¡± Neil asked.


    Jason was sitting on the roof of the cloud house, talking into a recording crystal.


    ¡°So, I¡¯m pretty sure that this whole place won¡¯t just blow up. If it does, you¡¯ll never get to see this, so I¡¯ll make a confident assertion and either come off as right or you¡¯ll never know, so I¡¯m a winner each way.¡±


    He turned the crystal around to point at the sky. There was a large patch that shimmered, sometimes showing a whole different sky. Stars at night, dark clouds, a strange purple.


    ¡°We can see the tunnel now, so Clive thinks it¡¯s a matter of hours.¡±


    He sighed, turning the crystal back on him.


    ¡°I hope we¡¯re ready for whatever comes through. The last time people went up against the cultists on a large scale, I lost a friend. And that was when the opposing forces were fairly matched. I don¡¯t even know how much I¡¯ll be able to contribute. If they have a bunch of construct creatures, I may not be a lot of help.¡±


    Jason tilted his head like he was listening for something.


    ¡°Well, time to go. There probably won¡¯t be another one of these until it¡¯s all over, one way or another.¡±


    He stowed away the recording crystal.


    ¡°I¡¯m all done, Belinda,¡± he called out and Belinda made her way up the stairs on the outside of the house.


    ¡°How did you know it was me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Aura.¡±


    She shook her head. ¡°I need to work on my aura retraction,¡± she said.


    ¡°What¡¯s up?¡± he asked, waving a hand to make a cloud chair rise up for her to sit on.


    ¡°You recording another message for home?¡± she asked, deflecting his question as she sat in the soft seat.


    ¡°I was,¡± he said.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll ever get to show them to your family?¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± he said. ¡°I have fences to mend, there. I have no idea how I¡¯m going to explain any of this. I¡¯m not even sure that my powers will work. My world is magically barren.¡±


    Belinda let out a tired breath, looking up at the sky.


    ¡°This is going to be quite something, isn¡¯t it?¡± she asked. ¡°Whether that thing kills us all, or spews out a bunch of evil pricks, this is the last bit of quiet we¡¯ll get before things get very busy and very dangerous.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason agreed.


    ¡°It might be a last chance to maybe settle some things that have maybe been hanging over us for a while,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Personal stuff, between members of the team.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, come on. You know she likes you.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°Which leads me to the question of why you¡¯re the one up here.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not exactly good at making herself vulnerable,¡± Belinda said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t know what to do.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s best left alone,¡± Jason said. ¡°Even if we put aside the tangle of issues around how we met, which we can¡¯t, it isn¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t¡­¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°Sophie¡¯s good at cutting through the nonsense to get to the point. That¡¯s something people like me need in their lives. And she¡¯s gorgeous, obviously, but that¡¯s where the attraction ends for me. I want her in my life and in my team. Neither of us make easy friends, I don¡¯t think, but we both make good ones. That¡¯s what I want. All I want.¡±


    ¡°Ah, crap,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°That about covers it.¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Jason said. ¡°She has to decide for herself what course she¡¯s going to take.¡±


    ¡°And if that course leads straight to you?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Then she and I will have an awkward conversation and we¡¯ll go from there. Frankly, she needs to find herself as an adventurer before she starts adding complications, anyway. Not the running around, hunting monsters part of being an adventurer. She¡¯s a natural at that.¡±


    ¡°Yes she is,¡± Belinda agreed.


    ¡°I mean the place in society that being an adventurer brings. The power and privilege. The money. That¡¯s where she¡¯s going to need you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not just her sidekick, you know.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°I have my own hopes and ambitions. I don¡¯t want to just spend my life following her around.¡±


    ¡°I never thought you did,¡± Jason said. ¡°But you¡¯re the one having this conversation, when it really should be her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s just not good at certain things,¡± Belinda said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t handle them well. I don¡¯t want her to run off, or kick the snot out of you or something.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, where do you see yourself landing, down the line? Assuming we survive to escape this mess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m liking this adventuring job,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Not so much the hunting down monsters, but roaming around, tackling interesting problems. I guess I want to end up somewhere between Clive and Emir. Well-studied, but not bound up in the Magic Society, the way Clive is. Taking interesting jobs for large quantities of money, but going out there myself, getting my hands dirty. I don¡¯t want to be a spider in the middle of a web, like Emir.¡±


    ¡°A life of excitement, travel and adventure,¡± Jason said. ¡°That sounds exactly like the direction the team should be going. Maybe you should be in charge.¡±


    ¡°That works for me,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I can have Sophie follow me around and clean up my messes for once.¡±


    The sky distortion was directly over the centre of the city. The team had chosen to wait out events from atop a building at the outskirts of the central region, on one of the last intact buildings before the thick ring of jungle took over. Jason had set the cloud house up on the roof. Unlike many other aspects of magic, the cloud flask seemed unaffected by the changes in ambient magic. Clive explained that they had only seen a fragment of the true artistry behind its construction.


    When the ground started shaking like an earthquake, they all made their way outside.


    ¡°Should we get down off this building?¡± Neil asked. ¡°It feels like the building is going to collapse.¡±


    ¡°Lets go up on the cloud house roof¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it will slow-fall us down if the building gets earth quaked out from under us.¡±


    ¡°Pretty sure?¡± Neil asked.


    The team made their way up onto the roof of the cloud house, itself on the roof of a tall building, giving them a good vantage.


    At the very centre of the city was the crater that was once the Order of the Reaper¡¯s trial tower. They couldn¡¯t see the ground level there due to the intervening buildings, but they heard a cacophonous shattering of earth and stone, then a huge cloud of dust and dirt rose up, spreading over the city. Sophie¡¯s toxin-purging aura creating a field of clean air around the team as the cloud washed around and past them.


    After a few moments, the cloud settled enough for the team to once again see out over the city. In the space over the crater was a giant stone ring, floating horizontally in the air. It was thick and some hundred metres across, slowly ascending through the air in the direction of the sky anomaly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t remember seeing that,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It feels like we would have noticed something that large.¡±


    ¡°It must have been buried,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That cloud was kicked off when it pushed itself out.¡±


    ¡°Any ideas, Clive?¡±


    ¡°All I can offer are guesses,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m assuming some manner of terminus point for the tunnel, to stop it from annihilating the astral space.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good news,¡± Neil said. ¡°We¡¯ll survive long enough to get wiped out by a cultist army.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it will stabilise the magic,¡± Clive said. ¡°Open up the portals and give us a chance to escape.¡±


    ¡°Escape isn¡¯t an option,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Unless the limit on iron-rank entry has been changed, we¡¯re the only ones with the strength to stop the cult. Bringing in more iron-rankers would be animals to the slaughterhouse. The monsters would get them before the cultists.¡±


    ¡°Assuming we do have the strength,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I am assuming that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s the only chance we have of stopping whatever it is they¡¯re doing, which we very much want to do.¡±


    The team watched the ring slowly rise into the air.


    ¡°I believe it is called a ring gate,¡± Shade said, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of them, but never seen one in operation. As Mr Standish surmised, it is likely the anchor point of the physical reality bridge spanning across the astral between this space and your world.¡±


    ¡°An artificial astral space aperture,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t feel like mentioning this before?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°My knowledge in this area is limited,¡± Shade said. ¡°Even now, I postulate.¡±


    The ring continued is ponderous rise into the sky.


    ¡°How long has that thing been there, hidden under the ground?¡± Sophie wondered.


    ¡°During my return here, it has become clear that many things were kept from me when I was made administrator of this place,¡± Shade said. ¡°We have gone places I did not know existed, and were apparently barred to the vessel I inhabited at that time.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t want you to know,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I believe that to be the case,¡± Shade said. ¡°It seems to have an age and purpose that goes well beyond the training ground it served as during my tenure here. The Order of the Reaper, and my previous summoner, clearly hid that history and purpose from me.¡±


    ¡°Should we, I don¡¯t know, get ready to attack?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Catch them as they arrive?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We have to assume that we¡¯ll be outnumbered and that the enemy will have at least some silver rankers amongst them. We have to make every move with careful deliberation.¡±


    ¡°Insurgency rules,¡± Jason said. ¡°Guerrilla tactics. Find vulnerable points, soften them up. Create a chance to strike critical points.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯ve been tramping over this place for the last five months. We know it better than they do, and we use that.¡±


    ¡°The first thing we need is information,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We need to see what come through that ring.¡±


    ¡°It is in the sky,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Maybe they¡¯ll all just fall down an die.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Somehow, I don¡¯t think it¡¯s going to be that easy.¡±


    In the sky of the astral space, the ring finally came into contact with the shimmering anomaly. Immediately, the anomaly began to shrink down, pouring into the space within the ring like water going down a drain. The anomaly concentrated, what was originally an occasionally shifting skyscape becoming a roiling mass in indiscernible power within the ring.


    Then, the roiling stopped. A wave of magic flooded over the city like the blast wave of an explosion as the space inside the ring became the still, dark blue of the sky before sunset. Watching from far below, reeling from the magical blast, Jason and his team watched as a figure that seemed incredibly tiny at that distance fall out of the ring. Shrouded in blue light, it drifted slowly toward the ground.


    More figures emerged, dropping though the ring and falling to the ground in rapid succession. The team counted dozens, and it was more than just people. There were large boxes, likewise slowly falling under the power of the blue light, all descending toward the ground at the heart of the city.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason agreed.


    ¡°Can we handle all that?¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°So, what now?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°We need more information, right?¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think I¡¯ll start by taking a look at what they¡¯re up to.¡±

 Chapter 245: Faith and Glory

    The power of the ring gate let the cultists drift down from the sky in safety, but they descended into trouble. The cultists drew more than a little attention on their way down, the blue light slowing their fall making them stand out both visibly and magically. The result was a slavering pack of monsters awaiting them on the ground.


    The centre of the city had not been monster free for some time. The blood weaver was long gone and even if it hadn¡¯t been, the increasing magical density produced monsters with easily power enough to rival it. The magical saturation that had them manifesting thick and fast meant that the centre of the city was now just as infested as the rest.


    That meant that the cultists descending first would need to fight out a safe zone for those that followed, but the monsters awaiting them were well beyond their expectations, both in number and power.


    The bronze-rankers were able to hold their own against the gaggle of monsters moving in on their location. They were lucky in that no silver-rank monsters had yet appeared. The bronze-rankers were not able to carve out a space for those that followed, however, leaving their fellows to drop right into the jaws of battle. Meanwhile, more monsters poured in, hungry for the prey being dropped from heaven.


    The iron-rankers that started arriving were quickly falling prey to the powerful monsters, the bronze-rankers too busy to protect them. Rather than a landing zone, all they had managed to create was a battle zone.


    It was the arrival of the Builder¡¯s hooded figure that overturned the situation. Spears made of elaborately-carved stone erupted from the ground in clusters, impaling monsters as many as a dozen times. Grand walls, thick and high, rose up in a circle to box out the more widely spread monsters and isolating the closest ones. The bronze-rankers fell on the monsters that survived the spears, quickly establishing the landing zone they had failed to create alone.


    The walls were not the solid stone of crude stone-shaping powers but brick and mortar, complete with battlements, observation towers and metal gates in each of the four directions. The result was larger and more elaborate than any silver-rank essence user could conjure up.


    There was a command tent at the heart of the fortified camp. It was magically shielded against prying eyes and ears and contained a round table with four chairs. There two occupants, Zato was sitting and the Builder standing.


    ¡°Establishing this base camp has overtaxed this vessel,¡± the Builder told Zato. ¡°It is beginning to break down.¡±


    Evidence of the breakdown was readily apparent. The body of Dougall that the Builder was inhabiting had fiercely bloodshot eyes, sunken flesh and gaunt, pallid skin. Hair had fallen out in ugly clumps.


    ¡°The new vessel is ready to be inhabited,¡± Zato said. ¡°We are working on a third, just as a contingency.¡±


    ¡°It should not be necessary, but I applaud your preparedness,¡± the Builder said. ¡°So long as I do not use the kind of power that built these walls again, the next vessel should comfortably see us through our task, here. Since this one is close to being spent, I will make some more buildings, establish a true fort instead of these tents.¡±


    ¡°There is one problem with the next vessel,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°It has realised that it will be a hollowed-out puppet.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°Not a concern,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Unlike the previous transferral, I am here to participate in person. Resistance will not pose any impediment to the process. This vessel still has a few days before it becomes unusable, so prepare accordingly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Builder.¡±


    ¡°Make sure to kill this vessel once I am done with it. It will be little more than a walking hunger once I have left it. I do not need to explain why having an energy vampire roaming around would be a poor idea, even if it would quickly starve.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see to it, Lord Builder.¡±


    Timos arrived at the tent, along with the archbishop, Nicolas Hendren. After announcing them from the outside, Timos lead Hendren inside before leaving again.


    ¡°Please sit,¡± Zato said, getting up.


    Hendren sat and looked at the Builder. It was his first time seeing the vessel without it being hidden beneath a hood.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Hendren asked.


    ¡°This vessel channelled to much of my power establishing this camp,¡± the Builder said. ¡°I will be taking another soon.¡±


    ¡°The Mercer boy?¡± Hendren asked. ¡°Is that what he was yelling and screaming over?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°The boy is an idiot,¡± Hendren said. ¡°His mother spent every scrap of influence she had to make sure he would not have his star seed purged until we had a safe method, then he runs right back to you? An imbecile.¡±


    ¡°Your role in that affair is worthy of praise,¡± the Builder told Hendren. ¡°My people made a rash choice in implanting star seeds as a distraction. It gave those who would fight us too much information. Placing yourself in the middle and slowing the process of removing those seeds to a crawl was the bold move of an effective ally. Your side and mine have both made mistakes, but individually, you have my respect.¡±


    ¡°The respect of an ally is a valuable thing,¡± Hendren said diplomatically, then turned to Zato. ¡°May I inquire as to why you asked me to specifically exclude Priestess Lasalle from this meeting?¡±


    ¡°The priestess is a woman of zeal,¡± Zato said. ¡°The strength of her faith is a testament to your god. That kind of dedication can be inflexible, however, when circumstances dictate compromise. As a gesture of goodwill, I have likewise excluded my own second from this meeting.¡±


    Hendren gave a reluctant nod.


    ¡°Anisa is unflinchingly dedicated but, as you say, she can be reluctant to adapt. She gets caught up in the way she feels things should be, instead of accepting them the way that they are.¡±


    ¡°Circumstances here are not as they should be,¡± Zato said. ¡°The unanticipated change to the magical density will require a number of hard decisions.¡±


    ¡°The monsters are certainly too strong for our iron-rank people,¡± Hendren said. ¡°Do you know what caused it?¡±


    ¡°Our original astral magic specialist was lost some time ago,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°Landemere Vane,¡± Hendren said. ¡°It seems Jason Asano was always destined to plague this enterprise.¡±


    A flash of rage crossed the face of the Builder¡¯s vessel, accompanied by a burst of aura that was brief, yet enough to leave the other two swaying unsteadily in their seats. The sounds of the camp outside were stilled to silence as the aura passed over it. The two men waited to see if the Builder would speak, but he said nothing.


    ¡°The specifics are irrelevant,¡± Zato eventually continued. ¡°It seems that our other ritualists made an error in the tunnel formation. Sadly, it was all set in motion months before the Lord Builder was on hand to guide us. They were unable to grasp an element of the design Vane left behind, so they improvised, substituting in another aspect of dimensional magic. That alteration had no effects apparent from the other side, but we are working with potent dimensional forces. A tiny change became a dangerous fluctuation by the time the bridge was affecting the astral space.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t realise?¡± Hendren asked, turning to the Builder.


    ¡°The senses of this vessel are limited,¡± the Builder said. ¡°As for this realm, I can only see into physical realities through a vessel or those who carry my seed. That includes a borderline physical space, such as this one.¡±


    ¡°What happened, exactly?¡±


    ¡°The dimensional membrane of this world was disrupted, causing a rapid alteration in the magical density,¡± the Builder said. ¡°The ring gate has stabilised the tunnel and the plan continues, but the strength of the monsters represent an unanticipated obstacle that will need to be accounted for.¡±


    ¡°The practical result,¡± Zato said, ¡°is that our people are too weak to carry out the plan. Your people, too. Iron-rankers cannot be sent out under these conditions, even with bronze-rank supervision. There are silver-rank monsters out there, and not just a few. Do you trust your bronze-rankers to handle a pack of silvers? That takes elite and experienced essence users.¡±


    ¡°Adventurers,¡± Hendren said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zato agreed. ¡°I know your clergy had some Adventure Society members, as does our number, but none full time. Neither of us have the people to handle this in the numbers we need. Especially given that the strength of the monsters is not the only reason to be concerned about them.¡±


    ¡°The changes in the ambient magic has agitated the monsters,¡± the Builder said. ¡°It had altered their behaviour to a degree we don¡¯t yet know. They may settle as the ambient magic does the same but there are no certainties. As it stands, the groups out there are more dangerous than normal monster packs.¡±


    ¡°What about construct creatures?¡± Hendren asked.


    ¡°They will be an integral part of our response,¡± Zato said. ¡°We still retain a supply of clockwork cores that we will be using to build up a force of constructs. The weakness of constructs is that they need direction. They can supplement the strength of our people, but not replace it. We need more people who can operate independently in this monster environment. We cannot send teams out on tasks if they all need our strongest people to protect them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you want from me,¡± Hendren said. ¡°I can¡¯t just bump all my people up to bronze rank.¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± Hendren asked.


    ¡°I can remake your iron-rankers into bronze-rankers.¡±


    ¡°How is that possible? Why haven¡¯t you done it to your own people?¡±


    ¡°Because my followers are the price,¡± the Builder said. ¡°I can sacrifice an iron-rank follower with a star seed to create a special kind of clockwork core. It can be used to raise another iron-ranker to bronze. I will sacrifice my iron-rank follower to make yours powerful enough to contribute.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Hendren said flatly. ¡°We are the church of Purity, in case you have forgotten. We are not going to taint ourselves in the name of short-term power.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± the Builder asked. ¡°What do you think this pact between myself and your god is? Your deity knows that its objectives cannot be met alone. Without a power from beyond your world, the other gods would stop any attempt to enact your god¡¯s grand agenda.¡±


    ¡°I do not presume to know my god¡¯s purpose,¡± Hendren said. ¡°My role is to serve. To obey.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what your god is after?¡± Zato asked incredulously.


    ¡°The truth is hidden from us, that we cannot despoil our god¡¯s plans, should we be compromised,¡± Hendren said. ¡°We do not need to know our god¡¯s design. We have faith. We are willing to put aside our base, mortal perspectives and surrender ourselves to a higher power. One that knows better than us. That is better than us.¡±


    ¡°Surely it had occurred to you that my intrusion on this world is, itself, a form of impurity,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Yet your god participates. Why? Because there will come a time when my agenda is done and I will be gone. It is then that your god will have a chance to undertake a great purge in a world reeling from the damage I have left in my wake. To cleanse the filth and make a world that is clean. While the power structures that would resist you are fighting me, your church will be preparing to move in when I am gone and they are at their most vulnerable.¡±


    ¡°So you say,¡± Hendren said. ¡°I would not presume to know the intentions of my god.¡±


    ¡°And, in this place, you cannot ask,¡± the Builder said. ¡°This realm is outside your world, therefore beyond your god¡¯s authority. He has no eye to see, no voice to speak. No hand to move. You are his highest agent, here, Nicolas Hendren. What did your god advise you, before you came here?¡±


    ¡°To do what is necessary,¡± Hendren said.


    ¡°Your god understands the reality,¡± the Builder said. ¡°That compromise today means purity tomorrow. Yes, there will be sacrifices. These people of yours, once we empower them, their purpose and destiny will be fixed. They will serve, as necessary, and then you will purge them, once the work is done.¡±


    ¡°I cannot ask this of my people,¡± Hendren said.


    ¡°Faith is about surrendering to a higher power,¡± Zato said. ¡°Your words, archbishop. Does Purity¡¯s clergy serve only when they want to, or when they are called? What greater honour is there than sacrifice in the service of your god?¡±


    ¡°Making the sacrifice of your people is a burden you will have to bear,¡± Zato said, ¡°for it is not a sacrifice in which you will share. You will have to remember them. Honour them. Let them be your symbol. Your martyrs. What you do here will show your god that you can be more. A greater servant making the decisions that a leader must make. It is your chance to prove yourself worthy of taking a larger role in the service of your god.¡±


    Hendren frown, looking down at the table in front of him. The absence of his god¡¯s voice troubled him, but it also made him the highest moral authority in the realm in which he found himself. In a way, that made his decisions right for the simple reason that he made them, as was the case with his god.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Hendren said, then looked up from the table to meet the ruined eyes of the Builder¡¯s vessel. ¡°I will need time to bring Lasalle around. She will need to be convinced, to create a unified front.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Zato said. ¡°We have our own preparations to make. Our own sacrifices to prepare.¡±


    Anisa, as it turned out, was far less of a concern than Hendren had feared.


    ¡°We must not be short-sighted,¡± she said, in response to his explanation. ¡°No sacrifice is too great in service of the god. Even amongst our clergy, few are truly worthy, truly pure. Only those like you and I must be completely vouchsafed. For the rest, sacrifice in furtherance of our god¡¯s agenda is a greater glory than they deserve or have any right to expect.¡±


    Thadwick sat forlornly in a cage, arms hugged around his legs. With the arrival of the cult in the astral space, he had finally felt the full power of ¡®Dougall¡¯ on display. He finally came to realise that the power he had been offered would never by his to control, that he was nothing but a cup to be filled and held in the hand of another.


    The power inside him that had brought him to bronze-rank, at the cost of his essence powers, had felt so grand, so potent. Now it felt alien; a threat he could not escape because it was already inside of him.


    Head bowed, Thadwick did not see the shadowy figure of Shade step through the bars. What he did recognise was the hated voice that emerged from Shade¡¯s body.


    ¡°Hello, Thadwick. It¡¯s been a while.¡±

 Chapter 246: Thadwick

    Shade¡¯s passage through the cultist camp had been easier than anticipated. The camp was divided into three sections; the tents, which was his access point, was the largest section. It was where the bulk of both the iron-rankers were gathered. The crude buildings made with a stone-shaping power were areas he tried to avoid, as one of the bronze-rankers there might have been sharp enough to spot Shade. The very few buildings that looked like they were put together by a skilled craftsperson he completely avoided.


    The last thing he wanted was to run into a silver-ranker or, if Clive¡¯s guess was right, even the Builder itself. Clive knew more than most about great astral beings, even venerating one himself. That was how he knew that it was possible for them to occupy a human vessel, although the process was far from ethical.


    Even listening to just around the iron-rankers of the camp, using Shade¡¯s body hidden in the shadows. Jason quickly confirmed Clive¡¯s suspicions, then extracted his perception from Shade. His actual body was on the ground floor of a large, intact building.


    ¡°It¡¯s like you said,¡± Jason told Clive. ¡°The Builder had taken a mortal vessel.¡±


    ¡°I knew those were more than even a silver-ranker could stone-shape,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°What¡¯s next?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going back there,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a mistake,¡± Clive said. ¡°If the Builder really is there, even in a mortal vessel, it¡¯s likely to find you sooner, rather than later. It may even be able to trace you through the familiar bond.¡±


    ¡°So you mentioned earlier,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d actually like to talk to you about that, Clive.¡±


    Thadwick¡¯s cage was by the wall, moulded by a stone-shaping power from the brick underfoot. The process to prepare him to be the Builder¡¯s next vessel had given him strength in the upper reaches of bronze, so the bars the thick and reinforced with containment magic. Thadwick¡¯s essence powers were gone, so he had no collar.


    The cage had been placed out of the way, behind a pile of damaged storage crates. The circumstances in which the cultists had arrived had been as savage on their supplies as it had on their members. The worthless and broken goods had been tossed aside in a pile and Thadwick with them. Thadwick was sitting, head down, legs pulled up with his arms around them. Shade¡¯s incorporeal body slipped right through the bars, into a crouch.


    ¡°Hello, Thadwick,¡± Jason greeted through his familiar. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    On hearing Jason¡¯s hated voice, Thadwick lifted his head. His hand snaked out to grab the shadowy figure by the throat, but passed straight through it.


    ¡°I¡¯m not really here, Thadwick. I¡¯m speaking through one of my familiar¡¯s projected bodies. Even if you could kill it, it would only cost me some mana to replace.¡±


    ¡°You survived, then,¡± Thadwick said bitterly. ¡°We weren¡¯t sure if you would be able to stay alive in this place.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone doubted it but you, Thadwick. This place has its dangers, but not so many that a good team of adventurers can¡¯t handle it. Neil says hello, by the way.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear from that traitor.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your aura has changed more than mine, to the point I wasn¡¯t sure it was really you. But calling someone a traitor after you kicked him out of your team so you could sign up with an evil cult? That¡¯s you all over.¡±


    ¡°And smugly looking down on others is you,¡± Thadwick spat back.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re both so far from that day we met in the marshalling yard, yet our flaws remain the same. That being said, I had something of a revelation in the time since we last met.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Thadwick asked sceptically.


    ¡°That you and I are more similar than either of us would like.¡±


    ¡°I am nothing like you!¡±


    ¡°Say it all you like, but it doesn¡¯t change anything. It¡¯s not like I can claim any credit for the differences that led you to be stuck in this cage, while I¡¯m free to come and go. I just had the good fortune of having people who reined me in before I turned into you.¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯re so much better than me, don¡¯t you, Asano?¡±


    Jason smiled sadly, shaking his head.


    ¡°Thadwick, everyone is better than you. You are literally the worst. You didn¡¯t just betray your family and the Adventure Society, although you most certainly did. These people you¡¯ve thrown in with, they¡¯re the enemy of the whole world and everyone in it. You betrayed your entire world. You¡¯re worse than people who beat their children or rob and kill the elderly. You¡¯re worse than the cultists you¡¯ve joined. They might follow some twisted, power-hungry ideology, but at least they act out of passion. They didn¡¯t just look at someone else causing death and destruction on a global scale and join in out of pique because the world didn¡¯t give them what they felt they were entitled to.¡±


    ¡°You think you understand me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Thadwick. Not to kick a man when he¡¯s down, but you¡¯re a bit simple.¡±


    Thadwick lashed out again, his hand once more swiping harmlessly through Shade¡¯s shadow body.


    ¡°Also, a little slow on the uptake,¡± Jason added.


    ¡°Screw you, Asano. You¡¯ll never get out of this astral space alive.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I die, though, I die as myself. While my familiar was poking around, I pieced together how you ended up in this cage. The Builder¡¯s really here in person? Walking around inside some poor sap?¡±


    ¡°He is,¡± Thadwick said, the disdain in his voice pushed out by dread. ¡°He used too much power building this camp and all but burned out his current vessel. The next poor sap is me.¡±


    Thadwick¡¯s eyes lit up with a spark of hope as his gaze on Jason¡¯s familiar body grew intent.


    ¡°You can get me out!¡± Thadwick said. ¡°I can help you. I¡¯ve seen things. I know things. Things that can help you.¡±


    ¡±You¡¯re probably right,¡± Jason said, ¡° but I can¡¯t help you. This familiar¡¯s body can¡¯t break you out, or get you over the wall. I can¡¯t even offer to put you out of your misery before the Builder takes you. All this body can do is drain mana.¡±


    ¡°You could come yourself, with your team. The things I know are worth the risk.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to walk my team blind into a fortified position full of powerful enemies,¡± Jason said. ¡°If nothing else, I don¡¯t trust you. We could easily find the bad guys waiting for us because you warned them in hope of a reprieve.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that!¡±


    ¡°Yes, Thadwick, you would. If anything, it would be more of a surprise if you didn¡¯t betray us.¡±


    ¡°I could start yelling, you know,¡± Thadwick said. ¡°Let everyone know that you¡¯re here in the camp.¡±


    ¡°They already know,¡± Jason said. ¡°Oddly, they¡¯ve been waiting for us to finish our conversation. I guess whatever they did to you dulled your senses. Or perhaps it¡¯s just the old Thadwick obliviousness. You never did pay much attention to anything that wasn¡¯t yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to hearing about your death,¡± Thadwick said.


    ¡°Even if it comes, Thadwick, you won¡¯t be the one hearing about it. Very soon, someone else is going to be in possession of your ears.¡±


    Thadwick¡¯s face paled at the thought. He bowed his head, looking down instead of at Jason.


    ¡°How is my family?¡± Thadwick asked softly.


    ¡°Your betrayal wasn¡¯t exactly good for them,¡± Jason said. ¡°It would have been worse if your mother hadn¡¯t picked up the city like a rug and shaken most of the cultists out. She was trying to rescue you, before everyone realised you went willingly. She was still trying after, for that matter. She took longer than the rest to believe it, though, your mum. I¡¯m pretty sure she still thinks it was some implanted impulse that made you go back.¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was,¡± Thadwick said to the floor, his voice beaten and hollow. ¡°It was the power. I could feel it, in the memories from the first time I had the seed. I still don¡¯t really remember the first time. You don¡¯t keep control, if they have to force it on you. I only had flashes, but I remembered the feeling of power. That was clear. The power I¡¯d always been promised, but never seemed to receive.¡±


    He looked up, staring at Jason through Shade¡¯s body.


    ¡°That was the lie, wasn¡¯t it? The lure.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said softly.


    ¡°Please,¡± Thadwick begged. ¡°Please get me out of here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Thadwick. Strangely, I really am. But you¡¯ve dug a hole so deep that all you can do is wait for the sides to fall in. Anyone who jumps in will just get buried along with you.¡±


    ¡°Please¡­¡±


    The familiar body moved out of the cage and stood upright.


    ¡°Goodbye, Thadwick. The next time I see you, I don¡¯t think it will be you in there.¡±


    Shade walked out into the open, not bothering to hide as behind him, Thadwick started screaming his name, cursing him to the heavens. Zato was waiting nearby, cultists from around the camp looking over.


    ¡°You¡¯re the leader?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Zato,¡± he introduced himself.


    ¡°Jason Asano. Thank you for being patient.¡±


    ¡°We have both treated Thadwick poorly. Not undeservedly, but he still came to Builder willingly, in the end. I will not begrudge him a last conversation with the closest he can get to a friend, even if it is an enemy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if that was a kindness or not,¡± Jason said.


    Zato looked in the direction of the cage, where Thadwick was still screaming.


    ¡°Would you be willing to move to a more discreet location to talk.¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Jason said.


    Zato led Jason across the camp, in the direction of the few small buildings that were truly well-constructed. There were cultists and constructs all over. Purity clergy as well, although Jason didn¡¯t spot Hendren or Anisa. He quietly hoped he knew exactly where they were.


    ¡°Did the Builder knock these ones out personally?¡± Jason asked, gesturing to the better-made buildings they were headed towards.


    ¡°He did,¡± Zato said. ¡°I¡¯m taking you to our command residence.¡±


    ¡°Command residence,¡± Jason said. ¡°I like that. It has a feel of dignity. I¡¯d like to thank you for the civil welcome,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thadwick¡¯s an old, well, not friend, but¡­ I can at least tell his mother that he had someone to talk to at the end.¡±


    ¡°We can hardly bring any harm to your familiar¡¯s projected body, so why be barbarians about it? There¡¯s nothing in the camp we need to hide from you. All you will find here is that you do not have the strength or the numbers to handle us.¡±


    ¡°It is intimidating,¡± Jason agreed, eyeing a large construct. It was similar to a beetle, with a hard body and six legs. The rather confronting difference was the neck, which was long, flexible and segmented, ending in what looked like a rhino¡¯s head, but with a bladed fin instead of a horn. Jason could feel the faint aura of the construct, which was silver rank.


    ¡°Is that a construct version of a real creature?¡±


    ¡°Construct cores are variations on monster cores,¡± Zato said. ¡°They create more powerful versions of ordinary monsters.¡±


    Zato led them to what looked like a stone cottage and went inside, holding the door for Jason to follow. Inside was a surprisingly comfortable sitting room, replete with arm chairs, a couch and a nice rug on the floor.


    ¡°Not your cloud house, I¡¯m sure,¡± Zato said, ¡°but not bad, in a pinch. Please, sit.¡±


    ¡°Not much point,¡± Jason said. ¡°My familiar is intangible, so I¡¯d have to fake it. It¡¯s very nice, though. It could maybe use some house plants.¡±


    ¡°The Lord Builder doesn¡¯t care for them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s his house, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Yes it is,¡± the Builder said, walking into the room. He emitted no trace of aura that Jason could sense.


    Jason looked at the Builder, He was wearing plain robes with the hood pushed back, revealing a cadaverous face. Even so, it seemed familiar.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the poor bloke you¡¯re inside now?¡± Jason asked. ¡°He looks kind of familiar, but I can¡¯t place it. Probably because it looks like you¡¯re going Weekend at Bernie¡¯s on the poor guy.¡±


    ¡°Weekend at Bernie¡¯s?¡± Zato asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow.¡±


    ¡°Asano likes to makes references people from this world will not understand,¡± the Builder said. ¡°The purpose is to put them off balance. Pay it no mind.¡±


    ¡°You took possession of my brain for a little while,¡± Jason said. ¡°It makes sense that you know all my tricks. You and the goddess of Knowledge should get together and play Mario Kart. Do gods and great astral beings socialise? I suppose you must, since Purity seems to fit neatly into your pocket.¡±


    ¡°He also likes to talk continuously, derailing the conversation,¡± the Builder said. ¡°He moves it into his own pace that he might control it. The inside of his mind is an interminable place.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go spilling all the beans,¡± Jason said. ¡°Forget about my head, though. What about this guy you¡¯re inside of right now?¡±


    ¡°This vessel has encountered you before,¡± the Builder said. ¡°While he was a servant at the Vane estate, he captured you. Twice.¡±


    ¡°Wait, he¡¯s the shovel guy? Jason asked. ¡°What was his name? I want to say¡­ Dougie?¡±


    ¡°Dougall,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure it was Dougie.¡±


    ¡°It was Dougall.¡±


    ¡°You might want to have another rummage around that head, mate. The bloke should know his own name.¡±


    ¡°You are attempting to aggravate me,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°Mate, I¡¯m doing that just by walking around. I¡¯m a living monument to your failure. Why would I bother to try and tick you off even more?¡±


    ¡°Because you find it fun.¡±


    Jason laughed. ¡°You really were inside my head, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°And now you are inside one of the Reaper¡¯s brood,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Why would one of the Reaper¡¯s shadows stoop to involving itself in mortal affairs?¡±


    ¡°An oddly hypocritical criticism, coming from you,¡± Shade said. ¡°I was ever my own being and am free to do as I wish.¡±


    ¡°You should have chosen a better summoner,¡± the Builder said. ¡°This one will be dead, soon.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Shade said. ¡°He¡¯s died before.¡±


    ¡°You seem confident,¡± Jason said to the Builder. ¡°You think I can¡¯t beat you?¡±


    ¡°We have the numbers and we have the power,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Overcoming us is impossible for you.¡±


    ¡°So was kicking your interdimensional arse out of my body, yet here we are,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve beaten you before and I¡¯ll beat you again. I did say I¡¯d have pants, next time, but my legs aren¡¯t here, so this doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°The reason I invited you,¡± Zato interjected, ¡°was to discuss the possibility of mutually acceptable resolution.¡±


    Zato had stepped back on the arrival of the Builder, but stepped forward when proceedings continued to remain contentious.


    ¡°You want a truce?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No one doubts that you can cause us some trouble,¡± Zato said. ¡°It is equally evident, however, that you cannot, ultimately, stop us. Therefore, we suggest a compromise.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t seriously think that we¡¯d go for that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°This astral space, as I¡¯m sure you are aware,¡± Zato said, ¡°is quite unusual. The connection it has to the larger world is artificially supported. That means that we don¡¯t need to destructively rip it away, as we have with other astral spaces. The controlled unravelling of the astral bindings will let it drift away without causing any harm.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Jason said. ¡°What you¡¯re proposing is that we just let you have this one?¡±


    ¡°In return, we shall open a portal back to the world. We get the astral space, you and your team get out alive and we can go right back to fighting over the next thing. We can even throw in Thadwick, if you want him.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not much of a sweetener,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t make that decision. ¡°I¡¯ll have to consult with my team.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°Just so you know,¡± Jason said, ¡°I¡¯ll be voting to turn you down. And I do have my persuasive moments.¡±


    ¡°I would also like for you to decline,¡± the Builder said. ¡°I would rather put you to death here, but Zato has convinced me of the merits of this proposal.¡±


    ¡°He does seem pretty on top of things,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not what I look for in an enemy, to be honest. I actually kind of like him. I don¡¯t suppose you want to join team Hopelessly Outmatched, Zato?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t blame you, mate. Is Zato your first name or last name?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my only name.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a mononym,¡± Jason said brightly. ¡°Like Cher. Have your boss tell you about the music video for If I could Turn back Time. That could be a good look for you. Bold, but I think you could swing it.¡±


    Jason looked at the Builder¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Ooh, I think he¡¯d getting grouchy,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d best make myself scarce before he changes his mind on the whole deal.¡±


    ¡°Best that you do,¡± the Builder warned.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to have Shade dissolve his body here,¡± Jason said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want you following me home.¡±


    ¡°Please give my proposal consideration, Mr Asano,¡± Zato said. ¡°I would rather come out of this with a respected enemy than a vanquished foe.¡±


    Shade¡¯s body faded into nothingness.


    ¡°Do you think he believed me?¡± Zato asked.


    ¡°No,¡± the Builder said, ¡°but it doesn¡¯t matter. Our people are almost upon them.¡±


    Jason opened his eyes and turned to Shade.


    ¡°How long?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They are less than two minutes out.¡±


    Shade had two of his bodies stationed between their location and the Builder camp.


    Jason tossed his aura senses over the dummy auras Clive had set up. They were subtle and impressively close to the originals. Given that the enemies hadn¡¯t sensed their current auras, they should be completely indistinguishable from the reality.


    Jason started running. He had been looking and speaking through Shade from the bottom of a large, intact building; exactly the kind of building that would make a good encampment. He extricated himself from the building and looked up, spotting one of Shade¡¯s bodies on the roof of the adjacent building.


    He quickly teleported through a chain of Shade¡¯s bodies to where the team was waiting on a rooftop, several buildings away. That brought him to the rest of the team, several buildings away and inside an aura suppression ritual circle Clive had set up.


    ¡°Well?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Clive was right. The Builder was able to track me through the link to Shade¡¯s body.¡±


    The contingent was a mix of clergy and cultist, made up of the fasted-moving people they¡¯d been able to muster. They poured into the building, eager to find and cut down Asano before he fled, hopefully catching the rest of his team in the process. They arrived in the bowels of the building, pulling up short when they reached the complex ritual circle that was the source of the auras they had locked on to.


    ¡°What is this?¡± a priestess demanded, as Timos, the leader of the cultists¡¯ contingent went wide-eyed.


    ¡°We need to get out!¡±


    Even as he yelled, their magical senses picked up previously dormant power coming to life around the building.


    The team reached the adjacent rooftop just in time to see the end of the building¡¯s collapse. They were swamped by a dust cloud, Sophie¡¯s aura once again keeping the team¡¯s air clear.


    They dropped down to ground level, Jason sharing his slow fall power with Belinda and Neil. With Sophie¡¯s aura continuously clearing the air around them, they went to check on the unstable rubble.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, isn¡¯t it?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°That has to have killed them, right?¡±


    ¡°Depends on who they sent,¡± Humphrey said.


    They were only just beginning their examination when they heard the rubble shifting in the cloud of dust ahead of them. Slowly, something pushed its way up and out, broken chunks of masonry tumbling away as it rose up from the debris. Through the haze, they saw a dome of magical force ascend from the shattered remnants of the building. Inside were three figures, who spotted them, in turn.


    Jason had never seen Timos before and didn¡¯t recognise him. The other two he did: Anisa and her archbishop, Nicolas Hendren.

 Chapter 247: The True Danger

    Archbishop Hendren had apparently put his barrier up in time to completely shield the three, who were barely even dirty after having had a building dropped on them. The dome flickered out of existence; anyone with magic senses could detect that huge amounts of mana had been poured into it. This was of limited help to the team, as one of the many problems in facing a silver-ranker was that they had no shortage of mana to spend.


    Anisa¡¯s aura, like Sophie¡¯s, cleared the air around her, the archbishop and Timos. As they stepped forward and the two auras overlapped, suddenly the air between them was cleared.


    ¡°Clever,¡± Hendren said. ¡°Luring us into a trap. We were rushing to catch you before you left the area and weren¡¯t as cautious as we should have been.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to survive to tell us that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your immediate death would have been compliment enough.¡±


    ¡°Cleverness will only get you so far,¡± Hendren said. ¡°It will always falter in the face of true power.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just what clever people have tricked you into thinking,¡± Jason said. ¡°Because they¡¯re, you know, clever.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t spare him words,¡± Anisa said. ¡°He deserves only death.¡±


    ¡°Anisa, if deserve had anything to do with what we get in life,¡± Jason said, ¡°A meteor would have landed on your head years ago. You¡¯ve had it out for me from the day we met and I¡¯m thinking it¡¯s time you and I put this thing to bed, one way or another. You and me, purification versus affliction. Are you willing to pit the power of your god against the darkness in the heart of man? The man being me. Or the darkness is me; I shouldn¡¯t have used a metaphor. Me stab-stab, you heal-heal. What do you say?¡±


    ¡°I will take pleasure in shutting that mouth for good,¡± she said.


    Jason leapt forward, Anisa¡¯s gaze focused on him as orbs of light manifested around he body. Then, beside her, when Hendren called out a warning.


    ¡°Behind you!¡±


    Hendren¡¯s silver-rank senses had noticed the approach of Stash in the form of a rodent climbing over the rubble. Even as Hendren yelled, Stash was taking the form of one of the monsters they had encountered during their time in the astral space. His new form had the body of a rhino and the legs of a mountain goat, but no neck or head at all. The front of his body was taken up entirely by a mouth ringed with teeth, with a pair of barbed, prehensile tongues.


    Monster-Stash lunged at Anisa but Hendron shoved her out of the way, stepping into the space she occupied. Despite being much smaller and lighter than Sash¡¯s monstrous form, Stash was sent tumbling away with a loud, slapping backhand.


    Anisa, meanwhile, had tumbled herself from where Hendren had shoved her out of the path. Sprawled on the uneven rubble,  she looked up at the enemy to find not Jason, but Humphrey, propelled through the air with the power of a special attack.


    The rapid-fire sequence of events happened over just a moment. It was a testament to the team¡¯s relentless practise. Week after week, day after day and hour after hour of fighting monsters together had turned them into a well-oiled machine. The improvised tactic had begun with Jason calling out Anisa.


    The team knew that he was a poor match-up for the Purity priestess and his call for a singular confrontation was a signal to do the exact opposite. If he was drawing attention to himself instead of vanishing to seek out opportunities, it meant he was looking to create a distraction. While he was normally the dagger in the dark, Jason also liked to play waving right hand as the left hand struck.


    The left hand, this case, was Humphrey. Humphrey directed Stash through their familiar bond, knowing that he would be detected and the silver-ranker would be quick enough to react, but have little time to make that reaction. Even if the archbishop had a quick-shield power like Neil¡¯s, Humphrey was betting on an instinctive reaction to push Anisa out of the way. Humphrey bet on that and was already moving, lunging for the spot he expected the priestess to be, rather than where she was at the moment he launched his special attack.


    Ability: [Flying Leap] (Wing)


    Special attack (combination, movement)Cost: Low stamina.Cooldown: 10 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 4 (19%).Effect (iron): Swift and powerful leap with some limited air control that can be combined with normal or special melee attacks. Physical damage from these attacks is increased.Effect (bronze): All damage from melee special attacks combined with this ability is increased, regardless of damage type.


    Humphrey grew larger as he sailed through the air, courtesy of Neil¡¯s Giant¡¯s Might spell. He also brought his heavy sword down in an overhead smash as he leapt, his most powerful, Unstoppable Force attack. Enhanced by the leaping power, it fell on Anisa like divine judgement. Neil, lightning quick with his spells, managed a second spell before the attack landed, using Bolster to further enhance the attack.


    Anisa quickly threw up a shield, even as her three orbs moved to intercept Humphrey¡¯s sword. There was a sound like shattering glass as they crumbled, one after another. With the triple enhancement of Neil¡¯s spells and Humphrey¡¯s combined special attacks, the Unstoppable Force power lived up to it¡¯s name.


    Bronze and silver ranks represented very different stages of advancement for an essence user. Silver was like a whole new world, where what was a danger to ordinary people were no longer a factor. Bronze rank was the first step beyond normal, mortal potential, but only a small one. Only at silver rank would Anisa have been able to survive having Humphrey¡¯s sword bury itself in her body.


    Anisa had been something of a perfect weapon against Jason¡¯s powers, with abilities to inhibit his death by a thousand cuts style, both in protecting herself and cleansing afflictions. Jason had guessed as much long ago, which is why he had immediately signalled for his team to make the move.


    Humphrey was the opposite of what she was best at, his potent, singular attacks relying not on repetition or sinister after-effects. The single, overwhelming attack was as dangerous to her as she was to Jason, which is why Humphrey was kicking her corpse off his sword just moments into the fight.


    The archbishop snarled in rage, throwing a hand out that blasted Humphrey, even enlarged by Neil¡¯s spell, tumbling back. Jason, forgotten in the wake of Humphrey¡¯s attention grabbing assault, had positioned himself to strike at the distracted archbishop. Despite his rage, however, Hendren¡¯s reflexes were quick and he hadn¡¯t abandoned his attentiveness when surrounded by enemies.


    Jason¡¯s dagger barely drew blood, while the backhand retaliation was far more powerful. Neil was once again on the ball, a shield appearing around Jason to negate the attack, buying Jason the moment he needed to back off.


    Timos, through all this, read the situation and reacted immediately, in the exact opposite way to the archbishop. Rather than lunge into the attack, he activated two separate movement powers in quick succession as he fled, followed by a chameleon power that made his departing form hard to spot. Jason quickly cast a spell in his direction as a parting shot.


    Ability: [Castigate] (Sin)


    Spell (curse, holy, tracking)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 4 (06%).Effect (iron): Burns a painful brand into the target, inflicting slight transcendent damage and the [Sin] and [Mark of Sin] conditions. The brand cannot be healed so long as the target retains any instances of [Sin].Effect (bronze): Inflicts or refreshes the duration [Weight of Sin]. You gain the [Marshal of Judgement] boon.


    [Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Mark of Sin] (affliction, holy): Prevents aura retraction. Cannot be cleansed while target retains any instances of [Sin] or [Legacy of Sin].[Weight of Sin] (affliction, holy): Target suffers transcendent damage when subjected to a holy boon, recovery, healing or cleansing effect.[Marshal of Judgement] (boon, tracking, holy): Know the distance and direction of anyone bearing a [Mark of Sin] placed by you. This effect lasts as long as any mark is still in place and cannot be negated.


    Unless Timos had an ability like Jason¡¯s to escape tracking effects, Jason would know where Timos was, roughly, until the cultist found a way to remove the afflictions. Most of Jason¡¯s afflictions had a lengthy duration, but Sin would never drop off until it was cleansed, meaning that Mark of Sin and Marshal of Judgement would likewise remain in effect perpetually. Timos showed no intention of doubling back, however, as Jason sensed him moving directly away from them at speed.


    Jason and his team had seized the initiative with their powerful opening gambit, taking a dangerous enemy off the board. No fight against a silver-rank essence user could be that simple, however. Even alone, the threat Hendren represented was only marginally diminished by the loss of his bronze-rank companions. He had always been the true danger.


    The team had also gone through a number of their more powerful abilities with their opening moves. Having them on cooldown and not immediately available again moved the momentum in Hendren¡¯s favour. He had used his near-indestructible dome ability, but was otherwise fully loaded with powers.


    The furious archbishop conjured a staff into his hands, a wooden staff covered in runes. As Sophie moved in before he went after one of her less-resilient team members, he demonstrated that he was fully capable of using it to the full extent. He unleashed a dizzying array of spinning attacks, Sophie wildly moving to intercept them  with her arms, legs and fists.


    The air was full of dust from the freshly-demolished building, aside from the bubble of clean air created by Sophie¡¯s aura. The rubble underfoot made or unsteady footing, but neither Sophie nor the archbishop seemed troubled, dancing around one another as if they were on solid ground. Humphrey could not match the feat, so waited the few seconds for his leap attack to become available before once more hurling himself into the fray.


    While it wasn¡¯t his Unstoppable Force attack, it was still startling to see the power of two of Humphrey¡¯s special attacks completely arrested by nothing more than an ordinary staff block, the silver-ranker not even staggered as his staff continued to spin dangerously as it went after both Sophie and Humphrey together.


    Hendren was close to an exact rank above the bulk of the team, in the low-to-mid range of silver. He had no abilities that enhanced his speed or strength, but his silver-rank attributes still made him faster than Sophie and stronger than Humphrey. The margins weren¡¯t so large, but embodied in a single person, the result was easily the most formidable foe the team had ever encountered.


    Hendren¡¯s martial skills, while highly trained, were not the match of Humphrey or Sophie, being more on the level of Jason. They were still more than dangerous when combined with his silver-rank strength and speed and a barrage of special attacks.


    As a human, the archbishop had plenty of special attacks available. They mostly seemed to be of the moderate power, short cooldown variety, which allowed him to chain them into well-practiced sequences. He could extend the  length of his staff, create a storm of illusionary jabs that still inflicted damage or seamlessly integrate magical blasts from his staff, even while using it as a melee weapon. As he executed attack after attack, hammering at Sophie and Humphrey, he was also able to adroitly navigate the uncertain footing.


    While Hendren was no match for  Danielle Geller or Thalia Mercer, he still towered about the kind of trashy silver-ranker that languished in Greenstone instead of seeking greater heights in the wider world. If Sophie and Humphrey were all he had to deal with, then he would have finished the fight already.


    Humphrey and Neil both had their summons ready nearby and had called them in once the fighting started. Despite the continually worsening odds, the archbishop continued to fight off all comers with what looked like disheartening ease.


    Clive¡¯s staff blasts were much less effective than normal as Hendren had the same Crystallise Mana power as Neil, Humphrey and Clive himself. The extremely common power, at silver rank, left five crystals floating around Hendren that not only intercepted magical projectiles but reflected them back. This sent Clive¡¯s staff blasts back in his own direction, where his own three crystals absorbed the attacks.


    Clive fought cross-legged on the bag of Onslow, the floating tortoise offering him some easy manoeuvrability on the rough terrain of the ruined building. He didn¡¯t have Onslow use his powers, which were better for picking off small fry.


    Belinda didn¡¯t even bother with weapons, concentrating on the support role. Her echo spirit familiar was helping Humphrey make illusionary duplicate attacks, which partially compensated for his speed deficit against the archbishop, as well as his lesser ability to navigate the dangerously unstable footing.


    The force-bolts of lantern familiar, Shimmer, proved more dangerous to her than the enemy, given Hendren¡¯s defences. She could have used it to help Clive overwhelm those defences to get his staff-blasts through, but the reflected damage was an extra threat they couldn¡¯t afford. Instead, she used it to project shields to protect her and Clive from the occasional blast of Hendren¡¯s own staff, sent in their direction. That left Neil free to concentrate on keeping Sophie and Humphrey in fighting shape.


    Stash had shifted form again and taken the shape of a needle scorpion, with tough armour and the ability to shoot spines from its tail at a distance. Gordon was also attacking from a distance with beams.


    In spite of the ranged attackers, it was Sophie and Humphrey that held the archbishop¡¯s attention the most. Ultimately, their bronze-rank power could not inflict any critical wounds against his incredible, silver-rank resilience. Only Humphrey had proven a genuine threat, with his powerful attacks and ability to ignore the resistance Hendren otherwise enjoyed against lower-ranked attacks. The threat of Humphrey and mobility of Sophie were the only things preventing Hendren from running rampant over the battlefield.


    Sophie¡¯s attacks, while only minimal in damage, did punch through the silver-ranker¡¯s defences. It was her physical intervention that was the greater impediment, however. Just through positioning she was constantly setting up Humphrey to make attacks, heightening the threat he posed.


    Blocking an overhead blow from Hendren¡¯s staff drove Humphrey to one knee, despite getting his sword up in time to block it. Hendren followed up with a kick to the chest that sent Humphrey tumbling back, although he didn¡¯t go far across the rubble.


    Sophie could almost match his speed and could certainly match his skill. Her damage was limited, however, and her special abilities were being countered. Hendren was an experienced fighter, and it showed. He seemed to know which abilities he could ignore, which, required blocking and which required an active counter from an ability of his own.


    When Sophie tried to blast him off his feet with her wind power, for example, he planted his staff and used an immovability power. Sophie¡¯s ability then did nothing more than ruffle the priest¡¯s combat robes.


    Humphrey and the archbishop met weapon to weapon, dodging attacks and hitting back hard, Hendren making full use of his superior speed to force openings and follow up with special attacks. Even with his potent armour, It was only the steady stream of shields and healing from Neil that kept Humphrey in the fight.


    Jason was keeping Colin inside him, concerned that the priest of Purity may well have had an answer to Colin¡¯s swarm state. If the silver-ranker had some kind of area power it could rapidly pulverise the leeches, so Jason kept Colin at the ready. Once more of the priest¡¯s bigger powers had been teased out and put on cooldown, He had Colin for a trump card if necessary. At the moment, he was more interested in the extra healing that Colin would provide him.


    Jason was acutely aware of how dangerous the enemy was. Jason was not as resilient as Humphrey and Sophie. One good hit from a silver-rank special attack could kill him outright. His normal methods of sneaking around, using Shade¡¯s bodies to stage blindside attacks would be far less effective against silver-rank senses.


    His only margin for error was however much he could stack up the protective power of his amulet by laying on afflictions, but there was only so many he could land with spells alone. A scroll of system messages reflected the stark reality of fighting a Purity priest using afflictions.


    [Umbral Snake Venom] has been cleansed from [Nicolas Hendren].[Necrotoxin] has been cleansed from [Nicolas Hendren].[Leech Toxin] has been cleansed from [Nicolas Hendren].


    Hendren constantly and passively cleansed himself, meaning that Jason would need to bring his dagger into play to overwhelm that power. Unless he could get a good base of afflictions that his Inexorable Doom spell could then build upon, Hendren¡¯s cleansing power would wipe even that spell away. He was hesitant about jumping into the fray, as even with the reach of his shadow arms, the danger the archbishop posed was a daunting proposition.


    The only bright spot was that the one hit Jason had landed early was the Punish special attack. It had delivered the Price of Absolution ability, which Hendren¡¯s ability was apparently unable to cleanse. The effect itself was minor, inflicting a small amount of transcendent damage whenever a Sin affliction was cleansed from the target. The damage was negligible to the silver ranker, but the important part was that the affliction stuck. It indicated that Hendren¡¯s cleansing powers might not be able to remove holy afflictions.


    While Jason was being largely ineffectual, Clive charged up and unleashed his most powerful spell, Wrath of the Magister. It was further boosted by Neil¡¯s Bolster spell, which enhanced a single ability use. Clive was confident that it had the potency to really hurt even a silver-ranker.


    Clive unleashed the spell and the rainbow light poured from his hands, but Hendren held up his own hand in a stopping motion and a magic circle appeared in the air in front of it. The rainbow light of Clive¡¯s spell deflected off the magical shield, Hendren redirecting it at Humphrey instead.


    Clive couldn¡¯t abort the spell without suffering a backlash he definitely wouldn¡¯t survive. He was forced to go through with it, but the rest of the team did not let him down. Their hard-won experience shone through as they reacted instantly to the unexpected reversal. Jason¡¯s shadow hand snaked out and slapped Humphrey on the back, passing over all the charges he had accumulated on his amulet. Neil threw up a shield and a second, wall like shield appeared between Humphrey and the spell, courtesy of Belinda¡¯s familiar.


    Despite the best protection they could offer, Clive¡¯s power created a void in Humphrey¡¯s chest. The shield¡¯s siphoned off enough power that the void was smaller than normal, but still ripped a hole in Humphrey¡¯s armour and torso that would have killed an iron ranker outright. Even a sturdy bronze-ranker like Humphrey collapsed immediately to the ground, hovering on the brink of death.


    The pressure was suddenly off Hendren, but instead of pressing Sophie or the team, he took the chance to start dismantling the mess of summons that had been hounding him. The dragon tooth warriors were battered apart in short order and he went to work on the golem, which was swiftly pushed into its chrysalis state. As much as she wanted to protect that source of pressure on Hendren, Sophie stood by as he tore through their support. She was not going to give him an opening to finish the job on the stricken Humphrey until her teammate was back on his feet.


    Hendren threw her a sneer, fully aware of her intentions. After demolishing the summons, he used the freedom of not being attacked to cast a spell. A large mass of disruptive-force blasted at Gordon, massively damaging the incorporeal entity. The floating cloak of its body tore like tissue paper and Jason immediately drew his familiar back into himself.


    In a move that left the team in shock, Hendren then demonstrated that not every special attack at his command a low-cooldown power with commensurately moderate damage. He raised up his staff and the runes etched into it started to brightly glow. He hammered the end down on the chrysalis state of the golem which, to date, had proven impervious to any form of attack. Not only was it damaged, but cracks spread throughout, glowing with the same light as the runes on the staff. The glow grew brighter and the cracks kept spreading until the chrysalis and the golem inside exploded, raining crystal over the battlefield before dissolving into stinking, rainbow smoke.

 Chapter 248: Forsaken Place

    Humphrey lay on the ground, barely conscious, his life spilling from the savage wound in his chest. The rest of the team¡¯s circumstances were not much more promising, with the summons destroyed and the seemingly indestructible enemy too dangerous to even approach. Jason¡¯s afflictions, the means by which they had overcome so many strong enemies, were falling off as fast as he could put them on, even the ones being applied retributively by Jason¡¯s aura. The team¡¯s most powerful magic attack had been turned back on them, leaving them in the precarious position they now found themselves.


    Hendren had seized the chance to alleviate the pressure on him by destroying the summons and sending Jason¡¯s familiar into a state not much better than what Humphrey was in. The only blessing was the brief reprieve the team received in turn as the silver-ranker¡¯s attacks were not aimed at them. Neil, not needing to be primed to throw a shield out at zero notice, had time to cast his big, long-cooldown healing spell.


    Fountain of Renewal combined powerful, healing and mana recovery effects that covered the whole the team, at the cost of a cooldown measured in hours. Despite that potency, however, the spell did not save Humphrey¡¯s life. That was accomplished by a power of Humphrey¡¯s own.


    Ability: [Immortality] (Might)


    Special ability (healing, recovery)Cost: None.Cooldown: 24 hours.Current rank: Bronze 3 (16%).Effect (iron): Instantly restore a large portion of health, mana and stamina. Amount restored is based on how depleted health, mana and stamina are when the ability is activated.Effect (bronze): Gain ongoing health, mana and stamina recovery effects. The strength of these effects is based on how depleted health, mana and stamina are when the ability is activated.


    It was the power Humphrey had gotten from the legendary awakening stone of rebirth, his share of the reward from Emir for success in their first journey to the astral space. The effects were miraculous, healing light blazing from under Humphrey¡¯s skin, all through his body. At iron rank, the light would fade after the initial healing, but at bronze rank, the light merely dimmed. Humphrey pushed himself to his feet, the crater in his chest reduced to a gaping wound.


    The wound continued to heal from the potent healing effects stacked on Humphrey; the lingering effect of his Immortality power and the effect of Neil¡¯s spell. Fountain of Renewal actually conjured a fountain in their air, spraying illusory water than carried very real rejuvenating power. There was also the effect of the amulet shield that Jason had passed over. When consumed, the instances of protection became an ongoing healing effect.


    Humphrey reconjured his armour that had a large hole in the front and the sword which had vanished when he dropped it as he fell. Humphrey then went after Hendren like a man possessed.


    It was not fury; his mother had trained him too long and too hard to let rage take over. It was a controlled intensity, driven by his passion but not consumed by it. Every bit of strength and skill Humphrey could muster he unloaded onto the archbishop, who was startled to find himself pushed back by an enemy he had thought finished. Hendren had dealt with most of the summons, yet to him, it was as if his foes had doubled in number, not halved.


    Jason took the chance to get in some sneaky hits, Hendren letting them go as he withstood Humphrey¡¯s barrage. With no immediate harm, Hendren trusted his ongoing cleansing powers to continue handling the afflictions. Jason was happy for him to think that, finally having enough of an affliction buffer to lock in some spells that would stick.


    Humphrey¡¯s resurgence was a powerful swing in the fight, but it could not solve the ultimate issue that they could not land definitive damage on their opponent. Humphrey¡¯s surge could not last forever and inexorably, the archbishop retook the momentum.


    Without the summons at his back, Hendren was better able to focus on Sophie and Humphrey, battering them such that Neil¡¯s shields and healing, even with Belinda¡¯s support, was being slowly, yet inevitably overtaken. If not for the overlapping mana recovery effects the team enjoyed, Neil¡¯s contribution would have already run out.


    The team still managed to hold on. Hendren realised that even though he had pushed back the assault of Humphrey, the thief girl, Wexler, was becoming harder and harder to deal with. A traditional guardian-type was most effective against a multitude of lesser attackers, whose myriad strikes couldn¡¯t breach their defences. She thrived against a single attackers, evading powerful attacks that a traditional defence-focused adventurer could not endure.


    Hendren had found her hard to deal with from the start, always exactly where he didn¡¯t want her to be. Even though he was faster than her, she clearly knew how to make better use of her speed, which left him feeling slower. He could only periodically land hits with the aid of his special attacks, and even then, she had some ability that accumulated defensive power over time and expended it in protective force when she was finally hit.


    Without the additional trouble of the summons, he had been free to make several attempts to focus her down, but every time he did she became even more elusive. She would suddenly speed up, his magical senses detecting space itself warping as her reflexes briefly eclipsed his own.


    Even some of his special attacks had fallen short. He had tried to pin her down with an attack that duplicated his staff and attacked multiple times, faster than he even his silver-rank perception could follow. She had turned into a blur that impossibly dodged or blocked every attack.


    Now, when he felt he should be pushing the enemy past the point of resistance, she was harder to deal with than ever. Her attacks were growing stronger; not just the impact but the magical damage that came with every strike. His own attacks were harming her less and less, while attacking anyone but her triggered retribution damage that passed right through his defences.


    For Sophie¡¯s part, she had never felt more powerful. Never had they encountered an enemy that could hold up so imperviously to everything the team could throw at him. The result was that an ability that had limited impact on fights in the past became increasingly important.


    Ability: [Karmic Warrior] (Balance)


    Special Ability (healing, recovery)Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 3 (20%).Effect (iron): Gain an instance of [Agent of Karma] when subjected to damage or any harmful effect, even if the damage and/or effect was wholly negated.Effect (bronze): Gain an instance of [Good Karma] when healing others, cleansing others or suffering damage. Enemies that attack or take offensive actions against you are inflicted with [Bad Karma]. So long as any enemy has an instance of [Bad Karma], you have [Karmic Sacrifice].


    [Agent of Karma] (boon, holy): Bonus to the [Power] and [Spirit] attributes. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Bad Karma] (affliction, retributive, holy): Suffer a small amount of retributive, transcendent damage when making an attack or other offensive action against anyone without the [Karmic Sacrifice] boon. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Good Karma] (boon, holy, stacking): Bonus to [Recovery]. Damage from enemies with [Bad Karma] is reduced. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Karmic Sacrifice] (boon, holy, heal-over-time): Gain an ongoing healing effect, with strength determined by the amount of [Good Karma] you have accrued. This effect immediately ends if there are no enemies suffering from [Bad Karma].


    Every attack that landed made her all the stronger. She eventually realised that the archbishop had caught onto this and was no longer trying to finish her off with special attacks, simply trying to manage her as he went harder at Humphrey.


    Hendren¡¯s perception power let him sense the boons and afflictions, so he sensed the holy power gathering on the thief girl each time he landed a hit. Frustratingly, his ongoing cleansing powers could not eliminate holy effects. He only had one power that could, but he was saving it for when Asano made his inevitable move.


    The thief girl was moving from a nuisance to a powerhouse, but it was still within the realm of bronze rank. She was not yet enough of a problem that Hendren had to take drastic action. For all that her damage was increasing, plus the retribution damage that went right through his defences, it was not yet on a scale that threatened his silver-rank fortitude. His ongoing health recovery was still enough to compensate, which meant that, for the moment, he could afford to leave her be.


    Hendren had been paying attention to Asano throughout the fight, despite the affliction specialist accomplishing no more than a few futile spells, the afflictions quickly falling away. During Humphrey¡¯s push, Asano had managed to get a few afflictions in place with melee attacks, using those stretching shadow arms to attack from relative safety.


    As the fight progressed, it became clear to Hendren that the afflictions Asano had put in place were multiplying themselves faster than his passive ability was clearing them off. He realised that Asano and Sophie were the primary threats, the type that never tired and grew stronger and stronger, the longer a fight went on.


    Hendren felt the magic in the afflictions on himself activate when Asano used a spell, sending death energy through his body and rotting at his flesh. Hendren knew then that it was time to reset the board and put paid to the power Asano and the thief girl were building up.


    The team was blasted back as Hendren used a new special attack. He set his staff floating in the air in front of his outstretched palm, spinning in a rapid blur and blasting out wind akin to Sophie¡¯s Wind Wave power. It inflicted no damage but knocked the whole team back as Hendren swept his arms around, the windmilling staff moving with it. Only the heavy Onslow was unmoved, who turned a slow, disgruntled head around as Clive tumbled off his shell.


    Hendren used the moment he bought to cast a spell, holding an arm up where a sphere or clean, white light started shining. It erupted out in a blinding flash, washing over everyone. For a short but critical moment, the team were unable to see.


    ¡°You think afflictions can take down a priest of Purity?¡± Hendren called out as the team recovered.


    All of your affliction on [Nicolas Hendren] have been cleansed by an effect that ignores all cleanse prevention.All of your boons and the boons on your items have been negated by an effect that ignores dispel prevention.


    The dazzle faded and the team¡¯s vision returned to find that Hendren had made a move on Neil while the team couldn¡¯t see. This had been trumped by Belinda, who had had anticipated Hendren making a big move, casting her own spell as he had cast his.


    Ability: [Unexpected Allies] (Charlatan)


    Special Ability (dimension, teleport, illusion)Cost: Very high mana.Cooldown: 10 minutes.Current rank: Bronze 1 (67%).Effect (iron): You and your allies take on the illusionary form of nearby enemies, but your allies can still recognise one another. All allies and enemies in the area are randomly switch-teleported.Effect (bronze): Create illusions of your allies.


    Hendren had seen a lot of powers in his career, but Belinda¡¯s unusual suite of abilities was filled with rarities. As well as being a delight to Clive, it let her affect battles in ways their enemies didn¡¯t anticipate.


    Every member of the team had been altered by illusion to look exactly like Hendren himself, while illusionary doubles of the team had been brought into being, then switch-teleported with the real thing. Hendren¡¯s attack when the team was blinded killed off nothing but an illusion.


    The team was out of formation, scattered randomly by Belinda¡¯s power. It left them all out of position but Hendren had no way of telling one team ember from another until they acted and broke the illusion. Unsurprisingly, this started with Sophie and Humphrey, who lunged at Hendren. Closer than either of them, one of the illusionary archbishops started chanting out one of Neil¡¯s healing spells and Hendren made a rushing attack to interrupt.


    ¡®Neil¡¯ avoided the attack by vanishing into his own shadow, appearing nearby and slashing at the archbishop with a dagger held in a shadow arm as a cloak of stars appeared around him. He disappeared into another of Shade¡¯s bodies right before Hendren annihilated it with a staff attack shrouded in disruptive force.


    Sophie and Humphrey were on Hendren then, as Jason fired off spells as quickly as he could coherently chant the incantations. As he did, he received a warning from Shade, who still had two bodies positioned between their current location and the Builder¡¯s walled fort.


    ¡°Shade just told me reinforcements are on the way,¡± Jason told the others through voice chat. ¡°We have to get this done, so I¡¯m going aggressive. Neil, I¡¯m going to need those shields. Belinda, help him keep them coming, because I¡¯m going to need it. First, though, I¡¯m going to need the good stuff.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time not to be,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Neil said. ¡°Here goes.¡±


    Neil chanted a spell and Jason felt a power flood through him like a supercharged spirit coin.


    Ability: [Hero¡¯s Moment] (Growth)


    Spell (boon, holy, recovery)Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: 24 hours.Current rank: Bronze 2 (87%).Effect (iron): Bestow a powerful boon on an ally, increasing all attributes and resistances by a significant amount. They receive damage reduction, their maximum mana and stamina are increased and they gain ongoing mana and stamina recovery. They ignore the effects of rank-disparity. When this effect ends, they are temporarily debilitated, suffering the inverse of all previous effects.Effect (bronze): Affected ally¡¯s essence abilities have increased effect.


    Neil then used his Bolster spell, which Jason used to conjure a new and more powerful dagger. The bolstered version would make the afflictions it bestowed more potent than normal.


    Hendren¡¯s silver-rank senses were allowed him to pay attention to the whole field of battle. He had figured out which of his enemies was which, and which  were illusions. He spotted the healer throwing spell¡¯s on Asano and knew a push was coming. It galled him that bronze-rankers had driven him this hard and knew he needed to put an end to proceedings.


    He made another dash at the healer, but it was a feint as he immediately stopped and used a special attack on the empty space in front of him. The thief girl fell for the bait, moving into place right as the attack activated. Light shone up from the ground, trapping her in place.


    It would normally only hold someone for a short moment, but a silver-rank power on a bronze-rank enemy gave him more time to spare. He turned on Humphrey, charging into support and again used his spinning-staff wind blast to send Humphrey flying.


    He turned back to the thief girl, who had been discovering that movement powers were suppressed in the silver-rank trapping field. He raised up his staff, the runes glowing brightly, the way it had when he shattered the golem chrysalis into fragments. He brought it down on the thief girl as the light field faded away.


    Sophie caught the descending staff in one hand, leaving the archbishop in disbelieving shock. She gave him a savage grin as she slapped a palm right into his chest. Red light glowed under her hand, the same light that had spread through the golem and destroyed it. The light spread through the archbishop¡¯s chest and then exploded, leaving him with a wound much like Clive had left on Humphrey.


    Hendren was a silver-ranker, however, not a bronze. His body was closer to the amorphous flesh Clive had once described to the team, and his fortitude was far higher. Even with a gaping cavity where a normal person¡¯s heart and a good chunk of their lungs would be, Hendren little more than paused before resuming the fight with Sophie. He hadn¡¯t even dropped his staff.


    His body started glowing with internal light as he activated a powerful self-healing ability. Humphrey arriving back to press the fight once more.


    Jason also joined the melee, with both himself and his dagger rippling with power. He was faster, stronger and tougher than ever before. Around him were three of Shade¡¯s bodies; all that were still present. Of the seven total bodies, two were still off scouting, one had self-destructed in the enemy camp and one had been destroyed by Hendren.


    Jason had a very different form of aggression to Humphrey or Sophie. In the early days of his training, he had na?ve ideas about being the perfect counter-striker, deceptive and cunning. As his understanding of fighting developed and he gain new powers, he had gained a better understanding of what was possible and what worked best for him.


    He had kept the deceptive and manipulative parts, using his cloak, his shadow arms and the bodies of Shade to play with perception and distance, toying with his enemies. He even used aura manipulation to project false positions.


    The goal was to provide opportunities that, for other fighters, were worthless. When all he needed was there merest wound, his idea of a successful attack was, to other fighters, a failed strike. It was an unusual margin for success that allowed him to use trickery that for most fighters would be wasteful play-acting.


    Jason used every trick in his repertoire against the silver-rank priest. Even empowered by Neil¡¯s incredible spell, he was not the equal in speed or strength of the archbishop. He did prove, however, that he was a match in skill after all.


    Again and again, Jason made nothing but a grazing slash, but that was all he was after. his empowered dagger revealed the lack of protectiveness combat robes suffered in return for flexibility and lightness. As someone who used them himself, it was something he was very much aware of, using that knowledge to know how far he had to push. All the while, Sophie and Humphrey pushed the archbishop as well.


    That was not to say that Hendren did not hammer blows on all three in return, especially focusing on Jason. For a short while, though, Neil was assisted by Belinda in burning through cooldowns to repeat shields on Jason. His afflictions stacking up also quickly added stacks to his amulet. Even piling on, however, they could not outlast a silver-rank essence user. Hendren continued relentlessly, the healing light closing the wound on his chest even as the others flagged. Jason took a couple of big hits, hurting him even though the layers of protection.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for the second coming of Humphrey,¡± Jason said through voice chat. In response, Belinda cast a spell on Neil.


    Ability: [Blessing of Relentlessness] (Adept)


    Spell (boon, magic, recovery)Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: 24 hours.Current rank: Bronze 2 (94%).Effect (iron): Reset all cooldowns of a single ally of bronze-rank or below.Effect (bronze): Affected ally gains a powerful, ongoing mana and stamina recovery effect.


    It was the big sister to her ability to reset one affliction, giving one ally a once-per-day full power reset. The advantage of letting someone with their own once-per-day power use it back-to-back was obvious.


    Neil repeated his Hero¡¯s Moment spell, this time on Humphrey. As when he recovered from Clive¡¯s spell, Humphrey pushed hard into Hendren, surging forward in an aggressive attack. Neil¡¯s potent boon, normally usable only once per day, raised his strength to a level even above his silver-rank opponent.


    Neil followed up with his Giant¡¯s Might spell for good measure, turning Humphrey into a towering hulk that could for the brief while the spells lasted, overpower his enemy with pure strength. With both Jason and Humphrey under the effect of the spell, though there was a danger looming at the end of the spell¡¯s duration.


    Neil¡¯s Hero¡¯s Moment spell was a Cinderella magic, and when it wore off, Jason and Humphrey would turn back into pumpkins. The spell¡¯s end would bring with is debilitating effects as potent as the boosts the pair currently enjoyed.


    Jason went wild with his dagger piling on afflictions, before leaving Humphrey to bundle up the priest while Jason backed off to cast spells. He locked in his full affliction sequence, under a heavy block of dagger-inflicted maledictions, then cast Punition, which inflicted damage for every affliction he was suffering. Finally, the familiar traces of black rot from Jason¡¯s power became visible of the enemy.


    Hendren slammed his staff into the ground, sending out a blast wave that knocked even the giant, empowered Humphrey away, let alone the rest of the team. Further, he left the staff standing vertically in place, blasting out force waves that continued pushing them away. Unaffected himself, Hendren started chanting out a spell.


    A bolt of dark blue magic erupted from Belinda¡¯s outstretched hand, still laying on the ground where the wave of force had sent her falling. It ignored the pulsing waves of force and struck Hendren mid-incantation. Belinda¡¯s aura was flush with the power of the silver-rank spirit coin she had just taken to make sure her attack was not resisted.


    Ability: [Power Thief] (Magic)


    Special attack (boon, affliction, magic)Cost: very high mana.Cooldown: 5 minutes.Current rank: Bronze 3 (21%).Effect (iron): Make a magical ranged attack. You become able to use a random active-use ability of the target, who cannot use that ability until you have done so. It can be an essence ability or the inherent ability of a magic creature, but functions at your rank, not the rank of the target. You may not use the ability more than once. This ability cannot be used again until the copied ability is used. If not used within 24 hours, the copied ability is lost, restoring the target¡¯s ability to use it.Effect (bronze): You can choose a specific ability of the target. If the target does not have that ability, a random ability is stolen instead.


    One thing that Belinda had learned about this particular power was that when choosing a specific ability, she wasn¡¯t restricted to just designating abilities she knew the target possessed. She was able to designate as the targeted ability one that the enemy was in the process of using. Her instant-use special attack was faster than the somewhat lengthy spell Hendren had bought the time to cast with his force wave power, and his spell was cut off as she stole it for herself.


    She collapsed as the power of the spirit coin drained out of her. She would be able to make no more contribution to the fight, while Jason and Humphrey were close to being the same. They could both feel Neil¡¯s spell reaching the limit of its duration, while they were still held back by the waves emitting from the staff.


    ¡°You think that¡¯s enough?¡± Hendren screamed wildly, spitting mania. ¡°You think it can ever be enough? There is no stain that true Purity cannot burn out!¡±


    Hendren started casting yet another cleansing spell, but Jason used one that was faster.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    The priest¡¯s life-force became visible, filled with a distressing amount of taint for a priest of Purity. Jason¡¯s Feast of Absolution spell took it all. Jason¡¯s passive Sin Eater power gave him an immediate burst of mana and stamina, along with a pile of the Integrity boon, granting ongoing health, stamina and mana recovery.


    More importantly, Feast of Absolution left, in the wake of the dark and sinister afflictions, the transcendent light of holy afflictions. They filled up his life force, then lit up Hendren from the inside when his life force once again retracted out of sight.


    Hendren fought through the pain and finished his own cleansing spell which, to his shock, did nothing.


    ¡°Holy?¡± he asked as he dropped to one knee. ¡°How can it be holy? How can you¡­ you, of all people¡­?¡±


    It was as if the shock of being ravaged by holy afflictions was more debilitating than the ravaging itself. Hendren dropped completely to his knees, throwing back his head. He did not even seem to notice the transcendent damage burning him from the inside out


    ¡°Lord!¡± he cried to the sky. ¡°Why can you not speak to me in this forsaken place? Why did you send me here?¡±


    ¡°In case you hadn¡¯t noticed,¡± Jason called out to him, ¡°your lord is bit of a prick.¡±


    He chanted out his spell to finish the job.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement, and the judgement is death.¡±


    Hendren didn¡¯t acknowledge Jason or his words, dissolving into nothing under transcendent light, face still gazing at the sky.

 Chapter 249: Being What He Needs to Be

    Jason could barely stand in the wake of Neil¡¯s spell wearing off, but he determinedly pushed himself to his feet.


    ¡°We need to move with alacrity,¡± Shade said. ¡°The cult¡¯s forces approach.¡±


    Jason nodded, pausing only to spare what was left of Anisa a brief glance. He was again reminded that most of the people he had first met on arriving in this world were dead. Most of the Vane family, their servants, Farrah and now Anisa. For all the wonders his new home offered, it took its price in horrors, and Jason was unsure if he had become one of them.


    ¡°Shade, grab her dimensional bag and mount up.¡±


    The possessions of the archbishop had automatically been looted by Jason¡¯s power when his execute ability completely annihilated him. Looting powers could extricate goods from personal dimensional spaces, although Jason didn¡¯t stop to check what he had taken.


    The team left the ruined building behind. Shade had taken the form of some large lizards, well-suited to navigating the terrain. Sophie and Clive had already helped Belinda onto the back of Onslow. Having taken a spirit coin, she was in worse shape than Jason and Humphrey. Jason and Neil rode Shade out, Humphrey rode Stash, while Sophie easily kept pace on foot. They didn¡¯t stop for hours, making sure to get well clear of the site of their battle.


    Once they were confident there was no one trailing them, rest became the next order of business. Jason pulled out the cloud house inside a building they found with an internal space large enough to contain it. It was a church, although not to a god any of them recognised. Any lingering divine aura the building might have once hosted had long ago faded away.


    Sophie took watch, keeping an eye out for cultists scouts. Humphrey, Jason and Belinda retreated into the house to recuperate, as neither spirit coin usage nor Neil¡¯s spell could be rushed through recovery using magic. They quickly fell asleep in the comforting embrace of cloud chairs while Neil kept an eye on their conditions.


    Before collapsing, Jason had divested himself of everything his looting power had plucked from the archbishop¡¯s personal storage space. Clive went over it, along with the contents of Anisa¡¯s dimensional bag.


    There was a very large number of potions and a startling amount of money. Hendren, it seemed, had taken a large chunk of the church of Purity¡¯s coffers with him on ¡®sabbatical.¡¯ Those things he put aside, in favour of a good-sized collection of documents and a very full bookcase.


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly correspondence from higher-ups in the church,¡± Clive said to Neil, going through the documents. He had taken a quick peruse of all the items and was now taking a closer look at the documents.


    ¡°Anything useful?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much of it will be of use to us,¡± Clive said. ¡°The Adventure Society will definitely want to get their hands on these, though. There is correspondence here with explicit statements about the agreement between the church and the cult.¡±


    ¡°Anything about why the church of Purity would throw in with these people?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Not at a glance,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯ll take me a while to go through it all properly. It does seem that the ones siding with the cult are only a fraction of the church, though.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Neil said. ¡°If the whole church knew, there¡¯s no way they could have kept it a secret.¡±


    ¡°There also seems to have been a concern that a lot of the church members would not be accepting of the arrangement.¡±


    ¡°You mean they thought priests who literally worship Purity wouldn¡¯t be accommodating to a cult that fills people¡¯s bodies and souls with evil magic junk? That was probably a good assessment.¡±


    ¡°I have to think that most of Purity¡¯s worshippers aren¡¯t secretly evil,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I suspect Jason would disagree.¡±


    ¡°Well, Jason has his biases,¡± Clive said. ¡°He comes from a world where the gods apparently don¡¯t show themselves at all and let the people wage wars over the truth. Then he comes here, and the first clergyperson he meets is that priestess we just killed. She wasn¡¯t exactly a good ambassador for the virtues of faith.¡±


    ¡°Then it turns out an ostensibly good church is in league with an evil cult,¡± Neil said. ¡°I can see why he might end up wary of the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Even the Purity church members who are in on it clearly don¡¯t like the people they¡¯re allied with,¡± Clive said, gesturing absently with a sheet of paper. ¡°This is a letter to Hendren, more or less telling him to put up with it and do what he¡¯s told. While the faction working with the cult certainly believe they have their god on their side, they seem very unhappy with the alliance. It seems the cult had to pressure the church into coming along on this expedition at all.¡±


    ¡°I would have been happy for them to stay at home,¡± Neil. ¡°I imagine they would be too, now their leader¡¯s been dissolved into nothing.¡±


    Neil glanced warily over at the sleeping Jason.


    ¡°Does Asano ever scare you at all?¡± he asked quietly. ¡°Most of the time he seems ridiculous, but sometimes he really, really doesn¡¯t. When he just walked into that town and killed all those bandits. The way he looked at them, like they were nothing.¡±


    ¡°Jason is good at being what he needs to be, in order to do what he needs to do,¡± Clive said, likewise speaking softly. ¡°Sometimes, what he needs to do is kill a lot of people. And yes; seeing what he becomes to do that does scare me a little.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully, it scares the Builder, too. From the Builder¡¯s perspective, pulling in the church for this must seem like a waste, now. He brought along an extra silver-ranker who didn¡¯t accomplish anything but die.¡±


    ¡°Their rush to put us down cost them one of their most powerful people,¡± Clive said. ¡°Whatever else, we can be certain that the Builder isn¡¯t happy.¡±


    ¡°This has worked out very well,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Losing Hendren¡¯s power is a blow, obviously, but he was a reluctant ally at best.¡±


    ¡°You want to step up the kind of procedure we use on his people,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°Precisely,¡± the Builder agreed. ¡°Now that the church¡¯s leadership here is dead, there is little concern about any survivors reporting to their god when we are done here. We no longer have to take half-measures in converting the clergymen, to protect Hendren¡¯s sensibilities.¡±


    ¡°There are other bronze-rankers in their number,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°None who held a leadership position like Lasalle. That they died together helps us more than either of them surviving. None of the remaining clergy will be able to pull the rest together and effectively resist our intentions. Take them into custody and prepare the iron-rankers for immediate conversion.¡±


    ¡°What do we do with their bronze-rankers?¡± Zato asked. ¡°We can¡¯t convert them with clockwork cores we get from sacrificing our iron-rankers.¡±


    ¡°That is a question,¡± the Builder said. ¡°The failure to summon the clockwork king and the cores it could produce truly was the beginning of things going wrong with your operations. If your former superiors had the ability to adapt to circumstances you have demonstrated, we would be in a better position right now. You have demonstrated a talent for making the most of what you are given. What do you suggest?¡±


    Zato rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°We could prepare them for use as additional vessels, but that would take too long. Maybe¡­¡±


    Zato¡¯s gaze lingered on the ruined body of the Builder¡¯s withered husk of a body.


    ¡°You¡¯re about to abandon that vessel,¡± Zato said. ¡°You have instructed me to see it destroyed, but perhaps we can put it to a better use.¡±


    ¡°Explain,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°We feed it the bronze-rank clergymen. Fatten it up, then send it after the Rejector and his people. An energy vampire gets little from feeding on monsters and will go hunting for richer meals. It may well be able to sniff out the souls of our enemies. We can make it our hunting hound, flushing them into the open, or even killing them outright. It might not work, but what does it cost us to try? A spent vessel and some priests we would probably have to execute anyway.¡±


    ¡°Your proposal has merit,¡± the Builder said. ¡°An energy vampire will have no interest in our people. The soul and body modifications you have undergone make you unpalatable to them. If we are going to convert all the clergy or feed them to the vampire directly, then it will have no more interest in us.¡±


    The Builder nodded, dry skin flaking of its face at the gesture.


    ¡°Very well,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Seize the clergy, prepare the iron-rankers for conversion and collar the bronze-rankers. Prepare a binding circle to hold the vessel once I am done with it and we shall conduct the vessel exchange. Afterward, we can begin the conversions.¡±


    ¡°The more thorough conversions than we originally intended will add to the time required,¡± Zato said. ¡°It will better prepare us for the next step, however. We have to assume that once we start sending teams out, the Rejector will try and intervene.¡±


    ¡°Let him,¡± the Builder said. ¡°His rejection of the star seed may have inured him to further implantation, but his companions enjoy no such immunity. I will take them, one by one, and he will watch. Once that is done, they will be the ones to kill him.¡±


    ¡°How many potions can one person carry?¡± Belinda asked, looking at them all stacked up. ¡°We didn¡¯t bring in this many for six people over a series of months.¡±


    ¡°These are iron, bronze and silver-rank,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is probably the supply for his whole contingent.¡±


    The team was going through what they had taken from the Archbishop. His most important gear had been on his body and destroyed along with it, but looting his personal storage space had still yielded a slew of valuables. Since they were already going over loot, it seemed like a good chance to tally their collected loot from months of monster hunting, which they added to the pile.


    They had a lot of materials that would be valuable for crafting. At an earlier stage they had purged their stocks of the iron-rank materials to make room for bronze and silver. They also had what had become a huge stockpile of monster cores, on top of the essences and awakening stones picked up along the way.


    Fully-functioning magic items were produced by Neil and Jason¡¯s looting powers far less frequently than materials. The rarity of such items was mostly low, although the silver-rank monsters they fought had produced a few items that were more impressive. They were all silver-rank, so not yet of any use to the team. One item in particular stood out amongst the others.


    Item: [Orb of Ascension (Silver)] (silver rank, legendary)


    An orb containing the most precious power of all: potential (consumable, magic core).


    Effect: A single epic or legendary quality bronze-rank item gains the ability to be increased in rank through a ritual of ascension. Additional material requirements vary based on the effected item.


    A few of the bronze-rank items had been claimed by the team. Jason had replaced his iron-rank boots with a pair of black boots taken from an insectoid monster called a night hopper. They new boots were higher rank but lower rarity than his existing boots, lacking the whip-blade function that Jason had used only occasionally, but always effectively.


    As they moved onto bronze and silver-rank monsters, the iron-rank boots had become increasingly battered. Without the self-repair function of his main armour, they had become so ragged that he feared they would be too damaged and lose the enchantment.


    The new boots also lacked self-repair, but were very sturdy, even for a bronze-rank item. Most importantly, they replicated the most important functions of his old boots. The jumping power was even stronger than on his old boots, which had became a critical part of how he moved around. Added to his heightened, bronze-rank attributes, the new boots gave him more of exactly what he wanted. It was the final trait that was the true reason he made the switch, and without it, he would never have picked the new footwear. They colour-coordinated with his armour.


    Belinda had done the best out of the entire team, largely because she could use such a wide array of gear. Her various abilities that replicated different roles each needed their own gear set to have full effect. This was especially true given that she would never match up to a true specialised with her stop-gap powers.


    She had purchased a variety of bare-bones equipment sets before they left, picked out with the aid of Gary¡¯s expert eye. She had sacrificed everything else at the altar of cost-effectiveness, giving her what Jason described as a ¡®quest reward hodge-podge¡¯ look. This was only exacerbated as she added items looted from their opponents, but the results had been worth the effort. She might look a bit unprofessional in her eclectic outfits, but her ability to be exactly what the team needed was stronger than ever.


    The Builder¡¯s walled encampment was filled with screams.


    ¡°You did an impressive job arranging for so many to be converted at once with the available space,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°Thank you, Lord,¡± Timos said. ¡°I know that you like efficiency. I managed to create enough stations that all of our ritualists can be work simultaneously. It¡¯s grisly, but hardly the first place we¡¯ve painted with blood.¡±


    ¡°Things are moving quickly because this is their field of expertise,¡± Zato said. ¡°Our problems have all come from their needing to take on the astral magic duties after Landemere Vane was killed.¡±


    ¡°That was a grave disappointment,¡± Timos said. ¡°I¡¯d been cultivating him for years. I was quite pleased with how he¡¯d turned out.¡±


    ¡°There is more astral magic to be done,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Now I am here to direct things personally, however. All that is required is that they follow direction.¡±


    ¡°That much I can assure you they are capable of,¡± Zato said. ¡°I made quite certain of that.¡±


    ¡°The next obstacle is that the altered state of the ambient magic,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Naturally, I have the knowledge to compensate in activating the gates, but this vessel isn¡¯t powerful enough to open portals and transport our people around the astral space.¡±


    ¡°Once the conversions are complete, we will be able to put together teams strong enough to navigate the dangers outside the walls. The need to physically travel to each location instead of just portalling is logistically more involved, but ultimately all it will cost us is time and a few casualties to monsters.¡±


    ¡°And the Rejector,¡± Timos added. ¡°His team are coordinated and fearless. I escaped immediately and it was still enough time to see that. They are also powerful enough to deal with Hendren. Only the best bronze-rank teams could have done that.¡±


    Timos was still shaken by his encounter with Jason¡¯s team. Jason¡¯s spell that landed as Timos was fleeing had burned a symbol into Timos¡¯ face that the Builder had identified as the word ¡®sin,¡¯ from a symbolic language older than their world. The builder had to remove the curses before the light but prominent mark would heal.


    ¡°We will lose people to the Rejector,¡± the Builder said, ¡°but we hold the advantage. We still have the strength and we still have the numbers, while they do not have the luxury of staying hidden. They will be forced to climb out of their hole if they intend to understand what we are doing, let alone attempt to stop us.¡±

 Chapter 250: A Significantly More Dangerous Entity

    The Builder was now wearing Thadwick¡¯s face, but those that knew him would spot the difference immediately. There was a very different beast inside Thadwick¡¯s body and the change was startling. It began from the eyes, hard and unyielding. This was a gaze that knew its domain was everything it landed upon. Person, place, or object, all that it saw, it owned.


    It was a far cry from the insecure haughtiness of the body¡¯s former owner and his constant need for validation. Uncertain arrogance had been replaced with world-shaking confidence, transforming his entire demeanour. From facial expression to posture, Thadwick¡¯s body exuded the domineering presence that had ever been his unrealised intention.


    The Builder walked alongside Zato and Timos as they inspected their new weapons, lined up like soldiers on parade. The former clergy stood with blank expressions, their personalities wiped clean. The souls inside were screaming, but only the Builder could hear them. He was no more moved by their suffering than was the brick under their feet.


    Their clothes, torn and bloody from the involuntary procedure, had been replaced with plain garments. Around a third of them had grey-coloured clothes, the rest had brown. Their original clothes were gone, but their skin was still coated with the rust of dried blood. The cultists hadn¡¯t bothered to wash them off following the gruesome conversion process.


    To ordinary senses, the converted seemed normal, aside from the empty, blank expressions. To magic and aura senses, they were anything but normal. There was no longer any trace of essence power within their auras, all burned as fuel for the magic intricately engraved all across their skeletons with the fine precision of circuitry. So stark was the power coursing over and through their bones that magical senses could clearly feel it, radiating through their flesh. The magic felt alien, unnatural and artificial, surging around their bodies and through the clockwork core implanted in their hearts. The cores were a modified variant of the cores used to create constructs, and were regulating the magic of the converted.


    To aura sense, the converted projected a uniform, blank and sterile, bronze-rank aura, coming from what had once been iron-rank essence users. It was stronger from the brown-garbed individuals than those in the grey, but in both cases the auras being generated were firm and unfluctuating. Most disturbing was that the auras were identical amongst all those standing in line. The unique signature that was an intrinsic trait of all auras was unsettlingly absent. There was no trace of their individuality or the suffering they were experiencing in deepest depths of their souls.


    The procedure of emplacing the engravings had been painstaking and gruesome, carving them onto the skeleton directly and by hand. Flesh was peeled back and the engravings made, bone by bone, before the flesh was returned. Only the massively accelerated healing bestowed by the procedure made it possible for the subject to survive. Even then, moving on to the deeper bones that required more extreme procedures to access was a delicate balance.


    It began with the least invasive areas, moving onto the more critical areas as more of the procedure was completed. By the time the ritualists were going for the hips, pelvis and spine, they had already walked a precarious balancing act to keep the subject alive at all. Paralysis magic was key in preventing any disruptive movement or screaming.


    ¡°Many of them had divine essences,¡± Timos said. ¡°That power was not consumed by the process but returned to their god, so those ones are somewhat weaker. I¡¯ve given the weaker ones grey garments and the stronger ones brown, to easily identify each group. My concern is that Purity will know the reason for this sudden return of power.¡±


    ¡°The god¡¯s eyes do not extend to this place,¡± the Builder assured him. ¡°All Purity will know is that his people died in rapid succession. There are dangers in this place that are plausible enough explanation. He will suspect, but not risk the alliance by pushing the issue. Show me the difference between the stronger and the lesser.¡±


    Timos nodded at a pair of cultists standing by, who stepped forward. They moved up to two of the converted, one brown-garbed and one in grey. Each cultist drew a long knife and sliced open the throat of the converted in front of them, blood spraying from the wounds. The converted showed no reaction, and the gaping slashes quickly closed, with that of the brown-wearing converted happening faster than the other. It only took seconds for the savagely slashed throats to completely heal over, marked only by the blood that had spilled out.


    ¡°Adequate,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Did we lose any in the conversion process?¡±


    ¡°We did not,¡± Timos said. ¡°The ritualists were fastidious in their work.¡±


    ¡°Good. Having a vessel present gives me the ability to control them directly, but I cannot share their perceptions the way I can with those carrying star seeds. Begin organising them into teams with our people and the constructs. We begin the next stage in the morning. Now, show me my previous vessel.¡±


    The team, now fully recovered, were discussing their next move.


    ¡°We need more information,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Did you get anything from what we took from Hendren, Clive?¡±


    ¡°No. In so far as I can tell, Hendren thought that this was just another astral space the Builder was trying to steal. There¡¯s nothing about those giant golems or what the Builder might want with them.¡±


    ¡°When I was scouting their camp using Shade¡¯s body, they looked to be gearing up to set out from their walled-off fort,¡± Jason said. ¡°Whatever they¡¯re doing, they can¡¯t do it from where they are.¡±


    ¡°They probably need to go to the towers around the city, right?¡± Belinda said. ¡°They have to be doing something with those world engineer things. Are they going to wake them up?¡±


    ¡°If they are,¡± Clive said. ¡°I have to wonder what does the Builder gets out of that. Right now, they¡¯re locked away in this astral space?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re diamond-rank,¡± Neil said. ¡°For all we know, they¡¯re powerful enough to leave this astral space using their own abilities.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that,¡± Clive said. ¡°You could well be right. The little I¡¯ve learned about diamond rank has a recurring theme of the old rules no longer applying.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he isn¡¯t looking to wake them up,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Those towers are the anchor points tethering this astral space to our world, right? The portals linking it to our world are integrated right into them. What if their real purpose is some kind of delivery system. Rather than wake them up, he¡¯s trying to move them into our world?¡±


    ¡°Whether they¡¯re moving on their own steam or getting a push along, a dozen, diamond-ranked super-golems is not what we want floating about,¡± Jason said. ¡°We may not know what they do, but with a name like world engineers, I think we really need to stop them from doing it.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s our next move?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I hate to be passive, given what¡¯s potentially at stake,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we can just stage an attack on their fort, though. They have another silver-ranker, a small army of priests and cultists and however many of those construct creatures they¡¯ve built. They also have the Builder itself. Do we have any idea how much power it has, or what it can do with that power? And by we, I mean Clive.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Clive said. ¡°Those walls it built are an impressive edifice, but you said it¡¯s vessel looked more dead than alive. Most likely, that strained the vessel it¡¯s occupying. You said you were sensing silver-rank magic from it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although I couldn¡¯t sense it at all until it was standing right in front of me. It seemed like silver-rank magic holding the body together, but I have no idea if that¡¯s its limit.¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Clive said. ¡°A more powerful vessel would require a more powerful sacrifice and they don¡¯t have a silver-ranker they can just toss away for that.¡±


    ¡°I think we can all agree that a pre-emptive attack would be ill-advised,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You¡¯re counselling patience?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°We watch and we wait. When they make a move we look for a chance to dig out what they¡¯re doing. Once we know what they¡¯re up to and, hopefully, how, we can start figuring out how to stop it.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean we start hanging around the outside of the fort, waiting for them to come out?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already sent Shade to do exactly that,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯ll be keeping a good distance, because we can¡¯t be sure how sensitive the Builder¡¯s senses are, but he¡¯ll spot it if they make any big moves.¡±


    Zato, Timos and the Builder walked past the array of construct creatures, most of which had been completed. Under normal circumstances, creating such creatures was a laborious and magic-intensive process. Access to clockwork cores made their construction cheap and relatively easy, for those with the expertise to use them. For the cult ritualists who specialised in their use, it was simplicity itself.


    Clockwork core constructs were a cheap and dirty version of regular construct creatures. Those crafted through the usual process were a superior product, but the requirements in materials, time and facilities were considerable. The ability to quickly produce large numbers of constructs in the field, with no need for specialist workshops made clockwork core constructs more valuable than those that were, rank for rank, more powerful.


    The only drawback to this approach was securing a supply of the clockwork cores. Without a clockwork king to produce more, the cultists were running increasingly short. The battles in the desert astral space and on their island base had cost them a vast number of the constructs, both destroyed outright and abandoned in the need to go to ground.


    The constructs they were assembling now were consuming the last of their cores. Even the Builder itself was unable to produce new ones with its current vessel, which was not strong enough to endure the power it would take to create more.


    Zato led the others past the constructs to where the Builder¡¯s previous vessel was in a cage made of magically-shaped stone. The cage was surrounded by an active magic circle, glowing with purple light. The vessel was visibly healthier than it had while possessed by the Builder, and while it was far from looking flush with life, it no longer had the appearance of a weeks-old corpse.


    The reason for its recovery was not just the absence of the Builder¡¯s power eating it away from the inside but also the dead bronze-rank priests piled up in the cage. It had fed on them all for the sustenance it needed to survive. Feeding, however, had not let it move beyond the animalistic instincts it had been left with on the Builder¡¯s departure for a new shell. The intelligence of the man it had once been was nowhere in evidence. Crouched in the cage, it stared at them, warily.


    ¡°What exactly does it feed on?¡± Timos asked. ¡°My understanding is that the soul is inviolable. I cannot imagine this feral creature having the skill of you, Lord, at forcing people to yield that barrier.


    ¡°While it is commonly accredited as feeding on the soul, that is not what energy vampires do,¡± the Builder explained. ¡°They are also, strictly speaking, not vampires. They are more akin to ghouls; wretched things that know nothing but hunger. They do attack the soul, which disrupts the magical matrix that governs the physical body, and they feed on this disturbed magic.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t truly feed on souls, then,¡± Timos said.


    ¡°It could, if given the chance. When such a creature does find a way to feed on a soul, that power is transformative. The ghoul truly does become a form of vampire; a significantly more dangerous entity. Such chances are rare, however.¡±


    ¡°And it won¡¯t go after monsters,¡± Timos said.


    ¡°No,¡± the Builder confirmed. ¡°It requires a true soul to trigger a reaction that disrupts the body¡¯s flow of magic. The false souls of monsters barely react to such attacks, making them poor sustenance.¡±


    ¡°So it won¡¯t go after the monsters,¡± Zato said, ¡°but what of the twisted flesh creatures that inhabit this astral space? Are their souls damaged enough for the ghoul to ignore them?¡±


    ¡°There were hundreds of them, according to our agents in the Adventure Society,¡± Timos said. ¡°One of the last reports before our people had to withdraw from their positions was that the Rejector intended to wipe the flesh creatures out.¡±


    ¡°They have likely thinned out the numbers in their time here,¡± Zato said. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine they eliminated them all, under the conditions here, but hopefully there are few enough left that it isn¡¯t an issue and the ghoul seeks out the Rejector.¡±


    ¡°Souls that have been significantly altered create an unusual reaction in the body¡¯s magic, which taints it to such ghouls,¡± the Builder said. ¡°It is the same reason it might attack you, but cannot feed off of you. The alterations I have made to your soul make you poisonous to it. The flesh creatures are similar and it will not go after them.¡±


    ¡°The ghoul should go right for the Rejector, then, once it catches wind of him,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°Yes. The flesh creatures will not be concern,¡± the Builder said. ¡°What will be a concern to us are the vorger that created the flesh creatures in the first place. They would not be so foolish as to come anywhere near me, but once our teams move out, the vorger will move in on them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure that each team contains people capable of handling incorporeal pests,¡± Timos said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Zato said. ¡°Lord, do you wish to release this energy ghoul now?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°I shall have our ritualists securely remove it from the fort.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± the Builder said. ¡°I shall deal with it myself.¡±


    The Builder strode through the magic circle, which flickered and dimmed as it passed over it. Nearing the cage, the magically-moulded bars started to run like mud, quickly thinning to an almost watery consistency and splashing onto the brickwork, where it immediately hardened again.


    The ghoul leapt at the Builder, who snatched it out of the air with one hand, clasping its fingers around the ghoul¡¯s neck. The ghoul collapsed in his grip, falling limp like a rag. The Builder then carried it to the nearest gate in the wall, which opened at his approach. The builder tossed out the ghoul, which regained its senses in the air, twisting into an animalistic catfall. It looked back, fearfully, before scrambling away, still of all fours.


    The Builder raised a hand and dust started rising up from the ground, swirling together into a small but solid shape. It was a crystal eyeball with spider legs that, immediately on being completed, scurried off after the ghoul.

 Chapter 251: Losing the Battle to Win the War

    Jason dashed forward, his sword flicking out.


    ¡°Faster,¡± Sophie said, catching every strike with her hand as she moved backwards, easily matching the pace of Jason¡¯s advance.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hit hard,¡± she said. ¡°If you¡¯re going to fight the constructs effectively, it¡¯s about building up the power on your sword as quickly as possible.¡±


    Fending off Jason¡¯s attacks while moving backwards at speed was apparently not strenuous enough to make her incapable of carrying on conversation. They had chosen rough terrain on purpose, with undergrowth, vines and plants growing up though displaced brickwork. Sophie navigated it easily, without even looking around.


    Her perception power, the only one on the team yet to provide magical senses, gave her an advanced form of spatial awareness. Each member of the team experienced a similar gain in spatial awareness, just from their senses advancing to bronze, but hers was an order of magnitude greater. It was the difference navigating a well-known room in the dark and moving through it with the lights on.


    More than just navigating whatever space she happened to occupy, Sophie¡¯s senses made her far better at reading the attacks of enemies. She could track the movements of everyone around her, intercepting attacks she could feel, even if she couldn¡¯t see them.


    Jason had experienced a surge in his combat skills between his bronze-rank attributes and the new Way of the Reaper techniques that made the most of them. For Sophie, though, reaching bronze-rank was putting wings on a tiger. Like Humphrey, her combat skills were the platform on which her entire power set was balanced, and being stronger faster and more aware of her surroundings were acting as force multipliers to her capabilities.


    For Jason¡¯s power set, by comparison, strategic movement was more critical than combat technique. Being in the right place at the right time was the most important factor in making the most of his abilities and the balance of his training reflected that. Since many of those powers would be ineffective against the cult¡¯s constructs, however, he would be reliant on his sword. For that reason, Humphrey and Sophie were taking turns helping him hone his swordsmanship.


    As with most things, Jason¡¯s approach to swordsmanship was slightly off-kilter to most people. As with his knife-fighting style, quantity of hits was more important than quality. He didn¡¯t need powerful strikes but frequent ones, to build up the power on his sword. He did actually need to land hits, not just harmless taps, but even the least effective blow would get the job done, so long as it was effective at all.


    With the bronze-rank advancement, the sword would not just build up charges with each hit. It would also leave behind ongoing damage effects, bringing it more into line with Jason¡¯s normal style, although not as effectively as his normal powers. While that meant diminished capability, Jason was quietly relieved that his entire worth couldn¡¯t be replicated by a single, albeit impressive, magic item.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow. Jason and Sophie brought their practise to a stop.


    ¡°There¡¯s been some activity?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It would seem that the Builder has moved to its new vessel,¡± Shade said. ¡°Unexpectedly, it did not kill of the previous one, but threw it out of the fortress immediately.¡±


    Jason and Sophie had been practising just outside the church building containing the cloud house. As Shade talked, they made their way back inside to meet with the team.


    ¡°The Builder¡¯s vessel survived having the Builder in it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little more complicated than that,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Well, wait on an explanation until we meet up with the team,¡± Jason said. It was not long before the team were gathered in the lounge room of the cloud house.


    ¡°What are we dealing with?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°The Builder¡¯s previous vessel,¡± Shade said. ¡°The Builder¡¯s new one, the former Mr Mercer, cast it out of the fortified camp in person.¡±


    ¡°What kind of state is it in?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t think it would survive.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t have, strictly speaking,¡± Clive explained. ¡°It¡¯ll be an energy ghoul, now; an undead thing only kept animate by residual magic. Little, if any of the original mind will be intact.¡±


    ¡°It was acting in a very animalistic manner,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°The magic sustaining it won¡¯t last long,¡± Clive said. ¡°It will need more to avoid going from undead to just plain dead.¡±


    ¡°What kind of magic?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°The kind flowing through all of us,¡± Clive said. ¡°We¡¯ve discussed in the past about how the bodies of anyone, iron-rank or higher, move closer and closer to a generic magical substance that it shapes as need. The magic involved in that process is governed by the soul. An energy ghoul feeds by disrupting that magic with a soul attack, then consuming it.¡±


    ¡°Why did the Builder throw this thing out, instead of just putting it down?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Won¡¯t it be a threat to their people?¡±


    ¡°The cultists all have souls poisoned by their star seeds,¡± Clive said. ¡°The Purity church people will be vulnerable to it, however.¡±


    ¡°Which the cult may not care about, now the leader of the church contingent is dead,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The Builder may not care about what they have to contribute, now they aren¡¯t providing a silver-ranker.¡±


    ¡°I believe that we can surmise the church¡¯s contribution,¡± Shade said. ¡°The former vessel was in an improved condition, compared to when Mr Asano and myself met with the Builder.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been feeding the church people to it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That¡¯s a bad ally to have.¡±


    ¡°A great astral being is one of the few that do not need fear a god¡¯s retribution,¡± Clive said. ¡°The gods of our world can¡¯t see into this astral space, because it isn¡¯t part of our world. So long as none of Purity¡¯s people come back alive, the Builder can just blame all the deaths on us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy to do my part,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯ll kill them all with a smile on my face.¡±


    ¡°Sophie!¡± Belinda scolded. ¡°Since when do you smile?¡±


    The team stifled laughs at Sophie¡¯s affronted expression.


    ¡°Let¡¯s keep on topic,¡± Humphrey said, despite the poor job he was doing of schooling amusement from his own face. ¡°How dangerous is this thing?¡±


    ¡°Was it a silver-rank aura?¡± Clive asked Shade.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°Its aura is unstable, but quite violent.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s the real threat,¡± Clive said. ¡°The physical danger it poses is relatively small, akin to an ordinary, silver-rank monster. No additional powers, not even claws. Just the silver-rank attributes.¡±


    ¡°Relatively small,¡± Jason said. ¡°You haven¡¯t gone toe-to-toe with a silver-rank monster. Just the attributes is plenty dangerous enough.¡±


    ¡°But not something beyond your ability to handle alone,¡± Clive said, ¡°which is the important thing. If it can suppress our auras, it will launch a soul attack. We¡¯ve seen the results of that courtesy of you, Jason. We can most likely withstand it, but you¡¯re the only one of us likely to hold up well enough to remain combat effective. The rest will have to focus on maintaining our aura integrity.¡±


    ¡°That puts it all on Jason,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Are you up for that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to be,¡± Jason said. ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what the Builder is looking to accomplish in feeding this thing up and sending it off. What does he get from doing that?¡±


    ¡°An energy ghoul is incredibly sensitive to the life and soul magic. It also ignores monsters, because it can¡¯t feed on them effectively.¡±


    ¡°He wants to use it to find us,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°That seems likely,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s not a bad idea, either. It probably won¡¯t even take that long to find us. It¡¯s movements will be erratic until it catches our trail. Not an actual trail, but a sense of our magic. Once it does, it¡¯ll make a beeline, right for us.¡±


    ¡°I have one of my bodies following it,¡± Shade said. ¡°It is making a straight line, but not in our direction.¡±


    ¡°I think Mr Standish may be incorrect in counting the soul attack as the largest danger the energy ghoul presents,¡± Shade said. ¡°Following the ghoul is a small scouting construct created by the Builder. The moment we engage with the ghoul, the Builder will know.¡±


    ¡°It seems that you were right, Clive,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The Builder is using this thing to flush us out.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense,¡± Neil said. ¡°If you have it laying about, why not throw it at us? It¡¯s kind of wasting a soul-sucking monster, otherwise.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an actual monster,¡± Clive said. ¡°And it doesn¡¯t actually ¡®suck souls.¡¯ It would if it could, but souls are inviolable. You can¡¯t just crack them like a breakfast egg. No one is going to open themselves up to an energy ghoul, which is for the best, given the result.¡±


    ¡°The result of what?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Well, if it actually managed to consume a soul, it would transform into a soul vampire. Much more powerful, much more dangerous. We don¡¯t have to worry about that, though.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I told you; soul¡¯s are inviolable,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s not like there¡¯s an unattended soul just laying about for it to eat. Why are you all staring at me?¡±


    ¡°An unattended soul,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Clive said. ¡°Where would it possibly find one of those?¡±


    ¡°About eight kilometres away,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°The one wrapped around the sword, remember?¡± Neil asked and Clive¡¯s eyes went wide and he leapt out of his chair.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s bad¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s really, really bad. We can¡¯t let that happen. Especially not a soul that powerful.¡±


    He started pacing back and forth.


    ¡°Maybe its fine,¡± Clive said. ¡°Maybe whatever¡¯s been done to that soul will make in intolerable to the ghoul. It¡¯ll just ignore it.¡±


    ¡°Right now, the ghoul is moving in almost a straight line in the direction of the location you are discussing,¡± Shade said. ¡°So long as you leave in the next several minutes, you will be able to comfortably intercept the ghoul.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you say that before?¡± Clive asked Shade wildly.


    ¡°I largely avoid embroiling myself in the affairs of the great astral beings,¡± Shade said. ¡°My affiliation with the Reaper tends to cause complications. As such, I am unfamiliar with the specifics around taking mortal vessels and their subsequent condition.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to move,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I can only imagine that letting the ghoul consume that soul is trouble enough, let alone unleashing the sword it imprisons.¡±


    ¡°Double the trouble,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Are we sure this whole thing isn¡¯t a trap?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Does the Builder know about the sword and is baiting us into trying to stop the ghoul?¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Clive said. ¡°We have to stop it even if we know for certain it¡¯s a trap. A soul that powerful might even let the ghoul rise up to a gold-rank soul vampire. If that happens, I don¡¯t see us leaving this place alive, let alone stopping the Builder.¡±


    The Builder, Zato and Timos were preparing to exit the walled fortress with an assembled group of cultists, constructs and converted Purity priests.


    ¡°You have a concern, Timos?¡± the Builder asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel it¡¯s appropriate to say, Lord Builder.¡±


    ¡°Speak, Timos.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ that face,¡± Timos said. ¡°I spent more time than I would care to, holding Thadwick Mercer¡¯s leash. It¡¯s still a little odd seeing his face without his unique mix of vacuousness, insecurity and disdain.¡±


    ¡°I always find that obtaining the memories of a vessel to be interesting,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Very few things are difficult to a transcendent being, but obtaining a mortal perspective is one of them. It makes predicting mortal behaviour difficult. So often you make choices that objectively work against your own interests or are even self-destructive.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for, I don¡¯t think you could have found a better vessel,¡± Timos said. ¡°Thadwick Mercer was a disaster of self-sabotage.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± the Builder said. ¡°I was hoping for some insight into the Rejector, but this vessel was so self-deluded that I don¡¯t entirely trust the memories.¡±


    The Builder tilted its head, as if listening to something.


    ¡°The ghoul is moving with speed and purpose,¡± it said. ¡°It has been attracted to something.¡±


    ¡°The Rejector¡¯s team,¡± Timos said. ¡°Perhaps they were nearby, scouting the fortress.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take some of our forces and capture them,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°No,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Rushing to the attack is what cost us Hendren, but there is no benefit in losing you. Send a force of converted and constructs under the command of one of the bronze-rankers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll arrange it, Lord, but I am uncertain they will find success against a group that already defeated a silver-ranker.¡±


    ¡°They will not,¡± the Builder said. ¡°That is not the purpose of sending them. The mobility of being a small group is their key advantage against us. Rushing out to attack each time we catch wind of them only plays to that strength. One of our advantages in numbers and it is time to make use of them.¡±


    ¡°Please enlighten me, Lord,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°I will send observers with this force. We shall see how the Rejector and his team fights them, that we might develop countermeasures for future encounters. All it will cost us is a small portion of our superior numbers.¡±


    ¡°Planting the seeds of victory in the soil of defeat. My Lord is wise and long-sighted.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be a sycophant, Zato. I am not a god, in need of fawning worshippers.¡±


    ¡°Apologies, Lord Builder.¡±


    Since the leap in Jason¡¯s aura power after his encounter with the Builder¡¯s star seed, Jason had been engaging the team in anti-suppression training. He couldn¡¯t raise the strength of their aura, but they could train to make the most of the strength they had. By keeping their aura projection uniform and resolute, they would present no weakness for the ghoul¡¯s aura to pounce on and collapse their auras entirely, leaving them exposed to its feeding ability.


    This paid off when they encountered the ghoul, who immediately let out a soul-piercing shriek to go with its soul-suppressing aura. Aside from Jason, the team were all staggered, but not debilitated. Jason himself plunged forward, undaunted.


    The encounter happened in amongst tightly-packed buildings, the jungle overgrowth turning narrow streets into cramped canyons. Vines covered the walls and trees on the rooftops formed a canopy that stretched over the streets and cast everything in shadow.


    The ghoul was a ragged, wretched thing, its clothes torn and bloody. Even though it was more intact than when Jason had seen it as the builder¡¯s vessel, he saw even less of the man he remembered.


    Dougall had been the one to capture him, in what felt like a lifetime ago back at the Vane Estate. It had only been a just a few months more than a year ago, but Jason was literally and figuratively transformed. He had been scared and confused, halfway to madness and not entirely certain he wasn¡¯t the whole way there. Scrambling to survive, let alone understand what was happening to him, the repeated hits to the head with a shovel did not help.


    The man who had been holding that shovel had undergone an even greater transformation that Jason, although not for the better. A less than pleasant man in life, undeath had rendered him into an even more unpleasant monstrosity.


    The ghoul was silver-rank, but without the power to penetrate Jason¡¯s aura, it was no more threat than its silver-rank attributes, themselves on the lower end of the scale. It fought unthinkingly and without skill, while the environment was a playground for Jason¡¯s abilities. His affliction powers were able to shine against the creature¡¯s silver-rank fortitude, hardy enough to withstand far more punishment than any bronze-ranker. The escalating nature of Jason¡¯s afflictions proved their worth as they inevitably overwhelmed the ghoul.


    With the enclosed space and the team concentrating on fending off the ghoul¡¯s aura, they had not detected the presence of the builder¡¯s forces until they were almost upon them. Even as Jason¡¯s execute was annihilating the ghoul, the team heard the approach of the clunky stone constructs.

 Chapter 252: War of Adaptation

    The enemy force only had a few cultists, being mostly made up of constructs and the converted. The hadn¡¯t even engaged Jason¡¯s team before being thrown into confusion as Belinda used her Unexpected Allies spell. The team were masked in illusions that made them appear as members of the enemy force. Illusionary doubles of their true form appeared as allies and enemies alike were switch-teleported around the area by Belinda¡¯s spell.


    The enemy constructs were unthinking automatons and the converted former clergy weren¡¯t much better. Neither handled the confusing shift in the battlefield well. When the team attacked them under the disguise of illusion, they retaliated against what appeared to be members of their own force.


    The illusionary disguises weren¡¯t very good and most of the team was easy to pick out. Humphrey, for example, had taken the form of one of the blank-faced converted, but was still wielding his huge dragon sword. The mindless enemy, however, was easily deceived. Once they though their own forces were attacking them, things got very messy, very fast.


    The cultists commanding the forces worked to get things back under control as their forces started fighting one another. It helped that the illusions did not last long and their enemies once again became clear. Jason and his team had used that window of confusion to maximum effect.


    The team was well-practised in handling the chaos of Belinda¡¯s power and had used the moment of confusion to set themselves up for the fight against an enemy in disarray. The priority was getting the team¡¯s backline out of harm¡¯s way, Sophie and Humphrey immediately moving to clear paths for Clive and Neil to escape the fray. Belinda activated her Counterfeit Champion power, equipped some hefty equipment and started extracting herself.


    After the random switch-teleport by Belinda, Jason had found himself in the midst of constructs. They ranged from larger than him to much larger than him, in a myriad of monstrous forms. Rather than wasting the precious moments of enemy confusion looking for more fleshy opponents, he drew his sword and put his recent training into practise. Shade¡¯s bodies spread out between them, giving Jason plenty of flexibility for shadow teleports and he made the most of them. He moved amongst the constructs like a ghost, his sword dancing to make rapid-fire hits in staccato rhythm.


    With the aid of Sophie and Humphrey, Clive and Neil extricated themselves from the scrum, heading for the reliable presence of Onslow, who had been unconvincingly disguised as one of the larger constructs. Neil¡¯s Burst Shield proved especially effective in getting them clear.


    Ability: [Burst Shield] (Shield)


    Special ability (healing, recovery)Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 20 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 3 (87%).Effect (Iron): Create a short-lived shield that negates an incoming attack and explodes out, knocking-back nearby enemies and inflicting concussive damage. High-damage attacks of silver-rank or higher may not be entirely negated.Effect (Bronze): Inflicts [Vibrant Echo] on anyone damaged by the blast.


    [Vibrant Echo] (affliction, damage-over-time, magic): Inflicts ongoing resonating-force damage.


    The enemy started getting back into order, the converted pooling into one group and the constructs into another, with the few ordinary cultists at the back. Sophie moved against the concentration of converted, the blank-faced former clergy all fighting back in eerily identical manner. They had the same strength, the same speed, the same technique, all used in the same way. They fought with the same, emotionless expression.


    The converted were fast and skilled, moving in a manner that was rigid, yet swift and efficient. They didn¡¯t have weapons but their bones were hard as steel, their knuckles, knees and elbows making effective bludgeons. They used those weapons startlingly well for clergy, all fighting with the same expertise and identical technique.


    The converted had the technique of a someone who had learned it from a skill book without ever attempting to make those techniques their own. The skill was undoubtedly present but they fought without creativity or initiative. They were slaves to the patterns, with neither innovation nor imagination on display. It did not take long for Sophie to see through the patterns and start exploiting them.


    If they weren¡¯t up against Sophie, the efficient, robotic movements of the converted might have seemed like a precision machine. Instead, they came across as the crude prototype of her finished product. Even compared to their programmed, uniform efficiency, Sophie was faster, cleaner and even more economical of motion. Every motion was smooth, not so much as a gesture wasted as every action flowed into the next. She danced through her opponents as if the whole fight had been choreographed but she was the only one who knew.


    Sophie moved swiftly, holding the attention of as many of the converted as she could while they attempted to overrun her. What they lacked in imagination they made for in sheer numbers. Their fortitude, and regenerative power meant that she couldn¡¯t take any of them out completely, forced to perpetually hold them off as they kept coming in a relentless tide.


    Even with her skill, Sophie could not have handled the numbers without support. Clive and Neil threw spells on her, with Neil¡¯s Burst Shield spell regularly clearing space and buying her critical breathing room.


    Having seen Neil and Clive regroup at the rear and join up with Belinda, Humphrey went for the cultists commanding the force. There were only three bronze-rankers, mediocre cultists that were no match for Humphrey even three on one. They were sent staggering by his fire breath before quickly falling to his sword.


    Ability: [Fire Breath] (Dragon)


    Special attackCost: Very high mana.Cooldown: 50 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 3 (65%).Effect (Iron): Breath a stream of fire that last several seconds.Effect (Bronze): Anyone damaged by the flames suffers ongoing fire damage.


    Frowning at the suspicious ease with which they were taken down, he surveyed the battlefield, looking for what he was missing. He spotted a number of strange glass eyes, held off the ground on spider legs, watching the fight. When he went after them, they skittered away before he could close the distance. In the jungle confines, there was plenty of space to hide, and though he could sense their magic, he didn¡¯t have time to go digging them out.


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Jason said through voice chat. ¡°I could use an assist.¡±


    Jason was oddly thriving amongst the constructs. They were large and tough, hulking stone forms in the shape of various, strange monsters. The constructs were milling about like a bunch of people trying to stomp out a scurrying bug, but their intimidating and bulky forms didn¡¯t help them pin down the shadowy figure flittering in their midst. Jason was ever on the move, his sword ringing out on the stone in a rat-a-tat pattern. His sword had built up enough power that chunks of stone were flying off with every strike.


    Although Jason¡¯s efforts were going well, that did not make them easy. The biggest problem was the lone silver-rank construct amongst the otherwise bronze-ranker group. It was faster than the others and tough enough that Jason¡¯s sword was yet to pick up enough power to damage it effectively. Unlike Jason himself, his sword did not have the ability to overcome silver-rank resistances.


    Although no smarter than the others, it remained a constant threat that Jason had to continuously work around. If he had been fighting it alone he could have handled it, but on top of the others it was pressuring his ability to remain evasive.


    The intercession of Humphrey changed that significantly. Like taking a sledgehammer to a condemned building, he laid into it with workmanlike special attacks, breaking it apart in huge chunks.


    ¡°You want to go help Sophie and leave this lot to me?¡± Humphrey asked as the silver-rank construct collapsed.


    ¡°I could use the practise,¡± Jason said. ¡°You go.¡±


    In the midst of the converted, Sophie was ramping up. They had been slowly overwhelming her from the beginning, their numbers and near-indestructibility made it like trying to fight back the tide. Even Sophie¡¯s skill was not enough to go unscathed against so many attackers, but she was realising that taking a few hits was not so bad, as long as she wasn¡¯t staggered and pinned-down. With every hit, her Karmic Warrior ability increased her power, allowing her to hold up all the better.


    Humphrey joined in but even his destructive power was hard-pressed to take down the converted. Their flesh wasn¡¯t as tough as the stone constructs, but their bones were harder than metal. It turned out, as Humphrey started tearing them apart with special, that metal was indeed laced through their skeletons in thick wires. Worse, those wires could even snake out to reconnect, pulling dismembered body parts back together as their rapid healing knitted the flesh back into place.


    The converted only presented a limited danger individually, but they were too dangerous to ignore and their ability to rapidly recover from what should have been catastrophically lethal injury meant that they just kept coming. Only by entirely pulverising the bulk of their bodies with his special attacks could even Humphrey put an end to them, but he had special attacks to spare.


    Without the cultists guiding them, the team entered a mop-up phase as they cleared the battlefield.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call this easy, exactly,¡± Jason said, once they were done, ¡°but did anyone find this suspiciously lacking in challenge?¡±


    ¡°I believe the purpose is to test us,¡± Shade said. ¡°Rather than any of his more capable people, this group was accompanied by the Builder¡¯s observer constructs.¡±


    ¡°You mean those spider eye things?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°I spotted those but couldn¡¯t catch any of them.¡±


    ¡°These things?¡± Sophie asked, holding one up by the leg. ¡°They seem harmless, so they¡¯re probably just for watching us.¡±


    The main body was an, oversized, crystal eye, around half the size of a fist. Legs came out from the sides like those of a spider, made of a smoky quartz stone. Jason moved closer, peering into it.


    ¡°You in there, mate?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You and I weren¡¯t exactly being honest with one another, the last time we met. You were stalling to try and find me; I was baiting your henchpeople into a trap. I¡¯m not saying I won, but you¡¯re down a silver-ranker and I¡¯m up a nice personal grooming set he had on him. Keeps the beard nice and trim, you know.¡±


    ¡°Jason, what are you doing?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking to my mate Bill,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just keep holding up the thing. Sorry about that, Bill. That¡¯s the problem when you lease your slaves. The moment the lease runs out, they get all mouthy.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°Shush, you. Anyway, Bill, I¡¯m not completely on board with this whole ¡®probing attacks¡¯ scenario. I¡¯ve made a career out of taking on the kind of self-destructive idiots whose bad choices are more of a danger to themselves than I ever was. That¡¯s the kind of enemy that¡¯s in my wheelhouse, so if you could go ahead and make a rash decision that sows the seeds of your own downfall, that¡¯d really help me out.¡±


    ¡°Jason¡­¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Sorry, Bill; they¡¯re playing me off. Got to go, but you keep an eye out. Rumour is that there¡¯s some lunatic super-god running around causing trouble. I¡¯ve heard he¡¯s kind of a prick.¡±


    Sophie shook her head, then swung the observer drone into the ground, shattering the crystal eye.


    ¡°Can¡¯t have them following us around,¡± she said. ¡°We need to catch and destroy them all before we can make ourselves scarce.¡±


    Around half of the Builder¡¯s combat forces had been led in an excursion outside walled fortress. The remainder staying behind with the support personnel. Leading the excursion was the Builder himself, along with Timos and Zato.


    Zato looked on with concern as the Builder suddenly stopped. The vessel¡¯s face never showed emotion, so he was startled to see a very human expression of anger cross it.


    ¡°Lord Builder?¡±


    ¡°Notebook,¡± the Builder demanded and Zato took one from his dimensional satchel. The Builder ran a finger over the pages, which stained themselves with text as he did. After filling most of the book, he handed it to Timos.


    ¡°Once we return to the fort, have the ritualists create new constructs with these parameters,¡± the Builder said. ¡°It will be more difficult, but it is hardly a taxing task. There are also changes listed that can be made to the existing constructs. Not as effective as those purpose-built, but an improvement, nonetheless.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lord Builder. I hesitate to mention it, but the ritualists have pointed out to me in the past that the supply of clockwork cores is almost exhausted.¡±


    ¡°If they wish to complain about my allocation of resources, tell them that they may seek me out directly,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°I believe that will settle the matter definitely, Lord Builder.¡±


    ¡°Adaptations for the Rejector¡¯s team?¡± Zato asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Even having some sense of their capabilities, they made surprisingly short work of our forces. They have weaknesses, however, that are ripe for exploitation.¡±


    ¡°They will inevitably give us the chance,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Builder said. ¡°For the moment, we put them aside. They are a distraction from our true objective.¡±


    The excursion moved to the very centre of the city, not far from the walls of their fort. Circumstances had forced them into erecting the wall on the spot that had arrived, otherwise the Builder would have already led them to the city¡¯s true heart. The crater that had once been the site of the Order of the Reaper¡¯s tower left the Builder unfazed.


    ¡°The time has come,¡± the Builder said, ¡°for the Rejector to see just who he has challenged and to whom this place truly belongs.¡±


    The Builder held out his arms, making a rising gesture. The ground beneath tier feet stated to shake.


    ¡°Why would the Builder just throw people away like that?¡± Neil asked.


    The team were back in the cloud house, discussing the fight they just had.


    ¡°Because we beat Hendren,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He¡¯s assessing us. Looking for weaknesses. He presumably has some means of making his forces stronger. Probably through the constructs, since they can make those.¡±


    ¡°The converted will adapt as well,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°The converted?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°You mean those weird people with the blank faces that refused to die?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°They are one of the Builder¡¯s signatures.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re an atrocity,¡± Clive said. ¡°I could see the magic running through them. Magic carved right onto their bones.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that how they permanently suppress someone¡¯s powers? Turn their own skeleton into a suppression collar?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°A practise I don¡¯t particularly approve of, and this is the same thing on a much deeper and more comprehensive scale. There¡¯s nothing of the original person left. They¡¯re just a platform foe the Builder¡¯s power and will.¡±


    ¡°An excellent description,¡± Shade said. ¡°Those we encountered today were fresh. Over time, they will change, adapt new abilities.¡±


    ¡°Abilities tailored to fight us,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°Normally they adapt somewhat randomly, but with the Builder¡¯s vessel present to guide the changes, you can expect them to better equipped to fight us the next time.¡±


    ¡°It was hard enough this time,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Those things will get stronger?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve seen enemies that adapt before,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We killed those flesh abominations by the hundreds, in spite of their adaptations. If the Builder wants to adjust to us, we adjust faster. That¡¯s our strength and we¡¯re going to show him that in a war of adaptation, we¡¯re going to win.¡±


    ¡°Easy enough to say,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°We start by picking our roles. Jason did a surprisingly good job against the constructs but they are only going to get stronger.¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly?¡± Jason asked, his voice filled with exaggerated affront.


    ¡°I¡¯m well-suited to the constructs,¡± Humphrey continued, ¡°so that will be my job. Those converted are tough and heal fast, like the flesh abominations. So, as with the flesh abominations, Jason will be our trump card there. I¡¯m willing to bet they can¡¯t out-heal your afflictions. Sophie will do what she does best, which is judging where she needs to be in the moment and being there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s going to be the key,¡± Jason said. ¡°Even if the Builder can reconfigure his constructs between fights and evolve his creepy thugs, we can adapt in moments.¡±


    ¡°Exactly right,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Belinda, you¡¯re our most versatile player, so we¡¯re going to rely on you. Clive, you¡¯re in charge of taking out the big threats, or at least hitting them hard enough to take pause. Neil, you¡¯ll do what you always do. Keep us alive.¡±


    Humphrey looked around the room.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been tested, again and again in this place. Every time, we¡¯ve grown stronger. The Builder might think this place belongs to him, but it belongs to us. This is our crucible and it has given us the strength to beat him. We can handle anything he can throw at us, whatever that might be.¡±


    Just as he finished speaking, the ground started to shake violently enough that they could feel it through the soft cushioning of the cloud house.

 Chapter 253: The Hero of This Story

    ¡°Should we be getting out?¡± Sophie asked as the cloud house continued to shake. ¡°What if the church collapses on top of the cloud house?¡±


    The cloud house was still hidden in the huge internal space of a cathedral.


    ¡°At most, it would be the roof falling on us,¡± Clive said. ¡°That¡¯s not enough to breach the cloud house, especially now it¡¯s been upgraded to bronze-rank.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°We go out there and the first thing that happens is we fall on the ground. The second thing that happens is the ground falls on us.¡±


    The shaking continued for more than a minute before settling down. The team opened the door to find it blocked by debris, but Jason just concentrated and a new door opened elsewhere on the wall. They made their way outside, finding the church half-collapsed. The nearby buildings had likewise suffered extensive damage, already weakened by age and the intrusive jungle growth.


    Jason pulled out his cloud flask, into which the cloud house started returning.


    ¡°What do you think it was?¡± Neil asked, looking around. ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve spotted it.¡±


    The others followed his pointed arm with their gaze, seeing the giant tower reaching into the sky. It looked to be in the centre of the city, taller than any building Jason had seen since leaving his own world. He estimated it to be somewhere between twenty-five and thirty storeys tall, made of the same stone as the rest of the city but untouched by jungle growth. There were windows around the outside but they couldn¡¯t see inside at their current distance.


    ¡°Was that thing underground, or did the Builder just make it?¡± Belinda wondered aloud.


    ¡°If he did,¡± Clive said, ¡°then he must have burned that vessel to a cinder. That tower would take far more power to create than knocking up some walls.¡±


    ¡°I think that might not be all,¡± Jason said.


    Jason had received a system message right as the rumbling had come to an end.


    Mapped areas of your current region are out of date. Visit affected areas to update details.


    Jason pulled up his map. The whole city had been revealed over their months in the astral space, but now a series of areas were once more occluded. Worrying, but unsurprising, were their locations. Along with the former site of the Order of the Reaper¡¯s tower, was the towers around the city¡¯s edge and the golem hidden within.


    ¡°Something has changed at the towers around the city as well,¡± Jason said and told the others about the changes to his map. As it was a separate ability to his party interface, he was unable to share it with the team except for Belinda. She could mimic it by shapeshifting into Jason¡¯s form.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Do we go and scout this new tower?¡±


    ¡°The cult forces will almost certainly be gathered there,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m hesitant to make that move without a plan or objective.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we take a look at the towers around the city?¡± Belinda suggested. ¡°If the cult is going to them, they either need to split their forces or go thought them one at a time.¡±


    ¡°Meaning that we either run into a group we can handle, or don¡¯t run into them at all,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I like it. I just hope that whatever we find there can finally let us figure out what the Builder is doing.¡±


    ¡°That seems likely,¡± Clive said. ¡°Anything to do with those world engineer golems in the towers has to be on a grandiose scale.¡±


    ¡°I think that qualifies,¡± Neil said, glancing up at the tower looming over the city centre. ¡°You don¡¯t suppose that there¡¯s an even bigger golem inside that tower?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯d be an awfully skinny golem,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I really doubt the Builder just stone-shaped that tower into being,¡± Clive said. ¡°I think it¡¯s magical infrastructure that¡¯s been hidden this whole time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not even a surprise, at this point,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Add it to the absurd list of secrets in this place.¡±


    ¡°If I can take a look at some of that infrastructure,¡± Clive continued, ¡°then maybe we can figure out how to top it.¡±


    ¡°Something this large and this involved has to have a bunch of potential failure points,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Well then,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Let¡¯s go looking for them.¡±


    It was a relatively short journey from the original walled fort to the new tower the Builder had caused to rise up from the crater at the heart of the city. Buried deep below where the Reaper¡¯s tower had stood for centuries, the new tower proclaimed the new dominant force in the astral space.


    The remainder of the Builder¡¯s forces and resources were moving from the fort to the tower, where they were occupying the bottom floors. There had space enough for all of their people, especially with the teams that had already been sent off in the direction of the towers around the edges of the city. It also had defences enough that it would take a concerted effort by powerful monsters to threaten it.


    ¡°Do you think the Rejector will come here?¡± Zato asked. He and Timos were on the third floor of the tower looking out a window. It was the highest floor the cultists were occupying. Even they were unsure of what was contained above, having been forbidden from going higher by the Builder.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to know,¡± Timos said. He had been one of the cult¡¯s ringleaders in Greenstone and knew more about what had gone on there than most of the cult. He had been present for the Rejector¡¯s rise to prominence, although he only knew so much. By the time the Rejector¡¯s true fame came about, Timos had been driven from the city by Thalia Mercer and her obsessive purge.


    ¡°Asano is famously hard to predict,¡± Timos said. ¡°The things I¡¯ve heard are strange and contradictory. Coming here would be foolish but he¡¯s made foolish choices before.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he will,¡± Zato said. ¡°The Lord Builder believes that he will attempt to sabotage the towers.¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Timos asked.


    ¡°The Lord Builder told me that he has taken steps to ensure that the Rejector makes the attempt. Once he encounters one of our teams at a tower, though, the new adapted response teams will move to the adjacent towers to intercept them when they move to complete what they think is sabotage.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re completed already?¡±


    ¡°The ritualist team have been doing well since we moved them from astral magic work to their actual area of expertise,¡± Zato said. ¡°They have not only finished the new constructs but modified the old ones as well. As for the converted, the Builder made those changes personally.¡±


    Before the team reached the closest of the city¡¯s exterior towers, they stopped to let Jason and Sophie scout ahead. What they found was that the tower remained intact, with no discernable changes. Like all the towers, it abutted right against the water that ringed the city, but now there was a new feature.


    A second tower was now present, around a dozen metres directly off shore from the first. It was a mirror of the existing tower, aside from a lack of the portal archway on the top. In its place was some kind of plinth. They couldn¡¯t make out details, but they could see a magical glow shining from it.


    A stone pathway had also arisen to form a bridge from the base of the original tower to the new one, leading to stairs spiralling up, around the outside. These had already been used by the two cultists they could see atop the tower. They had a single construct with them and a handful of converted. It was a small force, barely enough to make their way through a city infested with monsters now travelling in herds.


    ¡°Why so few?¡± Sophie wondered as she and Jason watched from a nearby rooftop.


    ¡°They have numbers, but they aren¡¯t infinite,¡± Jason said. ¡°If Shade is right, most of their force are those converted, now. They would have sacrificed all their iron-rankers to make them because iron-rankers are no good here.¡±


    ¡°You think the Builder just sent a few to minimise his losses, wherever we turned up?¡±


    ¡°Or it¡¯s a trap,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade is scouting around for any hidden reinforcements.¡±


    The team carefully joined them as Shade continued to look for any cultists lurking about and they started discussing how to strike.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to show off our strongest tactics,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Everything the Builder sees now will be less effective when it comes to the big fight.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s going to be a big fight?¡± Neil asked. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose we could avoid that.¡±


    ¡°The Builder will know the vulnerabilities of what he¡¯s doing,¡± Clive said. ¡°He wants to drag us into a fight against his superior forces, so he¡¯ll make sure they¡¯re between us and whatever we need to get to.¡±


    ¡°We need to hide our greater strengths,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°while making enough of a splash that it doesn¡¯t look like we¡¯re holding back.¡±


    ¡°Something flashy,¡± Neil said. ¡°I think I might have an idea.¡±


    There were two cultists on the new tower, along with the construct and the converted that were their protection. One of the two was looking over a notebook while the other was looking through a crate she had taken from a dimensional bag.


    ¡°I really hope the Rejector doesn¡¯t come here,¡± the man going through the crate said. ¡°That guy scares the crap out of me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why so many of us are so worried about that guy,¡± the woman with the notebook said. ¡°He¡¯s just some adventurer who got lucky.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°I felt that soul projection that was blasted over the city in Greenstone. That terrified me. It was like my star seed was scared of his aura.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense.,¡± she replied. ¡°That¡¯s like saying the Lord Builder is scared of him. He¡¯s just angry that the Rejector defied him. Beings that powerful aren¡¯t used to not getting their way.¡±


    ¡°You should be careful with your words about the Builder.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t mind the truth. He¡¯s not some god with fragile sensibilities. And don¡¯t worry about the Rejector. The Builder will bring him to heel. In the end, the Rejector is just another bronze-ranker. Like us.¡±


    He shook his head. ¡°We know better than anyone the power of the Builder. What kind of person do you have to be to even try and stand up to that, let alone win?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t win. He endured.¡±


    ¡°Against the Builder, that is winning. The Rejector may be a lot of things, but like us is not one of them.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you go throw in with him then, if he¡¯s so impressive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve chosen to follow the Builder. Power and victory, no regrets. I know he¡¯ll deal with the Rejector sooner, rather than later. I¡¯m just saying I don¡¯t want to run into the Rejector before that happens.¡±


    She felt a surge of magic and looked up just in time to see her fellow cultist vanish. In his place was a man in dark robes.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± the man said with a grin and plucked the notebook from the startled cultist¡¯s hands. ¡°I might be able to resist the Builder, but I couldn¡¯t resist an entry line like that.¡±


    The converted and the construct turned on Jason immediately but a bubble shield appeared around him. A stone claw landed on the shield and it immediately exploded with force. The cultist, the converted and the construct were all blasted off the sides of the tower.


    On a nearby rooftop, the cultist who had been switch-teleported away by Clive suddenly found himself surrounded. He didn¡¯t have enough time to look around in surprise before Humphrey¡¯s sword came down.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get down there,¡± Humphrey said to Sophie. ¡°That fall won¡¯t have killed them.¡±


    ¡°I get the construct, you get the converted?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°The construct I can at least chip away at.¡±


    ¡°That works for me,¡± Humphrey said and they both ran to the edge of the rooftop and leapt off.


    Jason was reading through the confiscated notebook when the others joined him atop the new tower. He was looking between the book and the plinth in the centre, which was covered in glowing runes. It had the look of a control panel, like the one used to operate a mirage chamber.


    ¡°What do you have there?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Some kind of instruction manual,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s a simple, direct list of what order to push stuff in for someone who really doesn¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing, but there¡¯s more about the functionality if you go deeper in. With all the magic study I¡¯ve been doing, I can actually understand it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Clive said. ¡°I always told you that understanding theory was important.¡±


    ¡°When you¡¯re right, you¡¯re right,¡± Jason said. ¡°This tower we¡¯re standing on seems to be an activation tower for the other one. If we ignore the instructions at the front and don¡¯t do that, I think I¡¯ve spotted a way we can actually sabotage the tower, instead.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯d best give it a look over.¡±


    ¡°Do you not trust me?¡± Jason asked, mock hurt.


    ¡°Trust is relative,¡± Clive said. ¡°A ritual for digging a hole, I¡¯m happy to trust you got it right. When massive death and destruction is on the line, I think it¡¯s worth double checking.¡±


    ¡°That seems fair,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get me wrong,¡± Clive said, ¡°if saving the day comes down to rakish insouciance, I¡¯ll bow to your expertise. We just have different areas of specialty.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that your thing is useful and practical magic that¡¯s incredibly useful to adventurers and mine is dashing good looks and frivolous charm?¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t what I¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m completely okay with that,¡± Jason said, slapping the notebook into Clive¡¯s hand.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to be reading, read fast,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We have no idea how long it will take for the Builder to send people here.¡±


    ¡°I know the Builder can see through his followers,¡± Belinda said, ¡°but how well?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be perfectly,¡± Jason said. ¡°Otherwise he wouldn¡¯t be using those things.¡±


    He nodded his head at a broken eye spider construct.


    ¡°I found that thing hiding behind the plinth, which his why it didn¡¯t get blasted off the side. Had to squash it myself.¡±


    He picked up the small construct.


    Spyder (destroyed).Drone (iron rank).


    ¡°Spyders are cooler where I come from.¡±


    Walking over to the edge of the building, he dropped it off the side. Clive started looking through the book and Belinda started rifling through the dimensional bag they had taken from the cultist they had teleported into their midst. She pulled out a crate holding six identical magic devices.


    ¡°Are these mana lamps?¡± she asked.


    ¡°They are,¡± Clive said, glancing up from the notebook for only a moment.


    ¡°Those are for artificially raising magical density, to use high-end rituals in areas of low-end magic,¡± Jason said. ¡°Carlos used them with that soul projection ritual.¡±


    ¡°What would they need those for?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°They¡¯re the ones who raised the magic density here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure they intended to,¡± Clive said, not looking up. ¡°I think the damage to the dimensional membrane was unintentional.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a whole bunch of them in here,¡± Belinda said, pulling out two more crates. ¡°They must be intending to do some heavy rituals.¡±


    ¡°They look high end,¡± Clive said, despite not appearing to look up. ¡°Good mana lamps are expensive, so we should take them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I like to hear,¡± Belinda said, putting one of the crates in her dimensional space. Humphrey did the same and Jason took the last one for his own inventory.


    ¡°It looks like you were right about the potential for sabotage, Jason,¡± Clive said, but he didn¡¯t sound happy.


    ¡°You seem grouchy that I got it right,¡± Jason.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Clive said, still frowning at the book in his hand. ¡°Something about this is niggling at me and I can¡¯t figure out what.¡±


    ¡°Well, the notebook looks new,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Builder might have even knocked it out himself. He seems like the one who knows how this place works, after all. I have to imagine he has a somewhat alien mind, which might be coming across in the way he organised the book.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Clive said, turning the book over in his hands. ¡°It does look like it was freshly made. He might have been the one to make it.¡±


    He opened the book again and started rapidly skimming. ¡°Oh, you sneaky¡­ yes, the Builder wrote this. It¡¯s a trap.¡±


    ¡°A trap?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The way this is written,¡± Clive said. ¡°The sabotage you mentioned. It¡¯s hidden, but only just enough that someone with a reasonable amount of magical knowledge could tease it out. It¡¯s bait. The Builder wrote this specifically for Jason and his level of knowledge. The sabotage seems like it would work, but I think it would just put on bit of a magic reaction that didn¡¯t really do anything.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Because the ¡®sabotage,¡¯ would need to be done at every tower,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I see,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The Builder¡¯s reinforcements aren¡¯t coming here. He¡¯s probably split them and sent them to the closest towers to ambush us.¡±


    ¡°But why set a trap for Jason?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Didn¡¯t he know Clive would figure it out?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°The builder is an existence on a scale we can even comprehend. An entity like that doesn¡¯t learn about a mortal until it has to. Unless you give it a reason, the rest of you are just the Rejector¡¯s team. That why I went blabbering into that spyder thing yesterday.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop the Builder and save the day,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t have the skills or the knowledge. Clive is the hero of this story. He¡¯s our secret weapon. The Builder is focused on me because I¡¯m the one that defied him, so my job is to keep that focus and keep our secret weapon secret.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the hero?¡± Clive asked. ¡°I don¡¯t feel like the hero.¡±


    ¡°See? You¡¯re getting it already,¡± Jason said. ¡°Claiming that you¡¯re not the hero is classic hero behaviour. You could stand to get that voice a bit more gravelly, though.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really think you can provoke the Builder with a few taunts, do you?¡± Neil asked Jason. ¡°The Builder isn¡¯t some crime boss or pervy bureaucrat you can aggravate with your regular nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It doesn¡¯t matter what he thinks about me, just that it¡¯s me he¡¯s thinking about. I¡¯m the guy that defied the will of the great Builder. We need him to keep thinking of the rest of you as the silhouettes in the background, because that¡¯s how you¡¯re going to beat him.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The sabotage is a trap, but is there anything in that book that will help up stop the Builder, or is that whole thing a lie.¡±


    ¡°The book seems authentic,¡± Clive said. ¡°It pretty much has to be or it would be too easy to give the game away. It¡¯s just organised in such a fashion as to subtly lead people below a certain knowledge threshold to a specific conclusion.¡±


    ¡°I got suckered, you mean,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Describe it how you like,¡± Clive said, ¡°but yes. I¡¯ll need more time with this book if I¡¯m going to find something useful.¡±

 Chapter 254: Good News, Bad News

    ¡°This whole system originally belonged to the Builder,¡± Clive said. ¡°There¡¯s a good chance he has at least some sense of what is happening with it. Probably only to a limited degree, though. Otherwise he wouldn¡¯t need to send out teams to activate these towers.¡±


    ¡°Meaning we should set off the phoney sabotage,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly meaning that,¡± Clive said. ¡°If the Builder thinks we''re going for it, he¡¯ll concentrate his forces everywhere except here because he thinks we¡¯re going for another tower.¡±


    ¡°If we do that,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°will it prevent your ability to figure out what¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°The sabotage is designed to pulse out some impressive but harmless waves of magic, after which this tower will go dark long enough for us to move on. It will restart itself in fairly short order.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure this sabotage thing isn¡¯t a trap?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It won¡¯t just blow the top off the tower, will it?¡±


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Probably?¡±


    ¡°The rest of us won¡¯t be up here when you set it off, just in case,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine, though.¡±


    ¡°Why am I the one doing it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Uh¡­ authenticity?¡± Clive suggested. ¡°It¡¯ll be a more accurate representation of someone of your skill level making the mistake.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m so crap that you can¡¯t even fake being this bad?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m just handing you the notebook¡­¡±


    He passed it back to Jason.


    ¡°¡­and leaving diplomatically.¡±


    Neil let out a loud laugh, slapping Jason on the back as he followed Clive in the direction of the stairs.


    ¡°Clive¡¯s judgement is pretty good with the magic stuff,¡± Belinda said, leaving with the rest of the team. Sophie flashed him an apologetic smile as she walked away with the others.


    ¡°I¡¯m definitely sleeping with his hypothetical wife again,¡± Jason muttered to himself. He opened the notebook and made his way to the plinth on the centre of the tower. It was covered in glowing runes, like the mirage chamber control panel belonging the Humphrey¡¯s family.


    He took his time, taking his own notes while he prepared to follow what he had originally assessed to be a sabotage method. Now that he knew better, he started to notice the ways the notebook was directing him, along with the flaws in his original understanding.


    With the fake sequence recorded in his own notebook he started touching his fingers lightly to the sigils. Their glowing lights brightened and dimmed, sometimes changing colours. Slowly but surely, the runes started going out and not coming back on.


    As the final one faded out, he was unsure if he had done it right for a moment as there was no reaction. Then his magical senses picked up something from the tower below him. It was a slow growth of power, building and gathering into a much more powerful force. Just as it seemed ready to burst, it violently unravelled, lashing at his magical senses as he felt an impressive destructive chain reaction being released.


    The magic collapsed in a way that felt like a permanent end to whatever functionality it once possessed. Even knowing that it was only a wave of magic projecting a false magical impression, it was so jarringly effective that he began to have doubts.


    None of it was harmful but Jason¡¯s whole body tingled from the electric sensation. He was still recovering when the team returned.


    ¡°That felt incredibly real,¡± Neil said. ¡°If I didn¡¯t know better, I¡¯d have sworn the magic in this tower had just been ruined.¡±


    ¡°We should go,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯ll find somewhere to hole up nearby so Clive can examine the towers at need, but we¡¯d best not be here if the Builder sends more people.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯d like to take some more time with the notebook. It¡¯s far from a complete breakdown of the tower¡¯s magic but it falls right into line with what we¡¯ve seen of the Builder¡¯s astral magic. That¡¯s why I¡¯m hoping the books Knowledge gave Jason will help fill in the gaps now we have a starting point.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for a research project, Clive,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We have hours before the Builder knows we aren¡¯t following the plan, not days. Every moment we lose is stealing away out initiative.¡±


    ¡°Do you seriously expect me to figure out how ancient magic from outside our universe works and how to use it to stop the machinations of a great astral being, all in a matter of hours?¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you can¡¯t do it?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m just making sure that you¡¯re suitably impressed when I accomplish the absurd task you¡¯ve set before me.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯s let that hero thing go to his head,¡± Neil said.


    While Clive pored over books from Jason¡¯s inventory and the notebook they took from the cultists, Sophie and Jason scouted the area. Shade did the same, as did Stash, in the forms of various lizards and jungle birds. They were looking for any trace of cultists or the Builder¡¯s spyders.


    Clive eventually pulled Jason off scout duty, roping him and Belinda into a renewed investigation into the towers, as they were the ones with enough knowledge to be useful. Clive was inside the tower with the world engineer while Belinda was on top, keeping a close eye on the portal gate. Through Jason¡¯s voice chat, Clive directed him to use the control plinth on the new offshore tower.


    ¡°Alright, Lindy,¡± Clive said after several hours work. ¡°Watch out, because this should get a reaction. You might want to back off a few steps. Jason, you can start the next sequence.¡±


    Jason waited for Belinda to back off, then started working the controls in the sequence Clive fed him. It was lengthy but eventually they got a result. For the first time since falling dormant after their arrival, the portal arch filled with dark energy. It lit up with stars like Jason¡¯s cloak, which grew brighter and brighter before erupting out of the portal with a sizzling sound. Belinda was already well clear, but took a few extra steps back anyway. After the brief, pyrotechnic burst, the portal settled back down and was once again filled with only the darkness.


    ¡°Did we open the portal?¡± Belinda asked, looking at it. ¡°Can we go home, maybe get some reinforcements?¡±


    ¡°It looks like a normal open portal?¡± Clive asked, still inside the tower.


    ¡°Just like Jason¡¯s portal ability,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Although his doesn¡¯t shoot of a bunch of sparks first.¡±


    ¡°Under no circumstances should you attempt to go through,¡± Clive said. ¡°We didn¡¯t open a portal. This is a test to see if I could get the arch to interact with the dimensional membrane. If you tried going through it, you wouldn¡¯t teleport anywhere. It would look like you disappeared because what little of your body that made it through would be in pieces too small to see with the naked eye.¡±


    After a number of similar tests, they retreated to a nearby hiding spot. The team remained vigilant of their surroundings as Clive was absorbed in the huge number of notes he had written, muttering to himself. His notes were scattered amongst Jason¡¯s books, sitting open and the cultist¡¯s notebook, which he had taken apart, page by page. The whole mess was a riot of magical diagrams and multi-lingual texts that only Clive himself was able to discern any kind of order in.


    Clive stood up and paced around, then abruptly stopped, turning to stare at the mess he had made with a gaze that could have bored into the brick floor. His hands were behind his head, fingers interlocked as his brain turned over.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make sense,¡± he said to himself. ¡°It doesn¡¯t fit. Why doesn¡¯t it fit?¡±


    ¡°What doesn¡¯t fit?¡± Belinda asked. Her time as Clive¡¯s assistant had given her a decent sense of how to be a good sounding board for him.


    ¡°The portal gates,¡± Clive said. ¡°the gates are integrated into the whole system, but instead of serving the dormant world engineers, its like they¡¯re feeding on them.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°So, the portal arches are, at their core, a very escalated version of Jason¡¯s essence power. Using an essence power as a model for other kinds of magic is a common practise, given that essence abilities represent the most stable forms of magic. To operate these portals, they were tapping into the world engineers. Even dormant they were an incredible source of magic. Drawing that power from the golems was only ever going to make it harder to awaken them. There may even be some damage to them after using them like this for centuries. Why would the Builder create such a terrible, ill-fitted system? It¡¯s throwing off my whole understanding of how it all works together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy,¡± Belinda said. ¡°The Builder didn¡¯t do it. The Order of the Reaper did. What do they care about the integrity of the Builder¡¯s constructs?¡±


    Clive slapped his hands over his face, letting out a groan.


    ¡°I¡¯m an idiot,¡± he berated himself. ¡°How could I overlook something that obvious?¡±


    ¡°You understand it now?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°More than that,¡± Clive said, flashing the kind of wild, predatory grin the team would expect from Jason. ¡°I might have just had an idea that solves all our problems.¡±


    ¡°All of them?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°All of them,¡± Clive confirmed. ¡°Oh, gods, as soon as you look at it from the perspective of two groups working at odds, everything falls into place.¡±


    ¡°Care to share your revelation?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°On the way,¡± Clive said. ¡°We have to run more tests.¡±


    ¡°Zato?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Lord Builder?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve ordered the enhanced teams back here to the central tower. The rejector isn¡¯t going to the other towers.¡±


    ¡°You said the sabotage was triggered on one of the towers,¡± Zato said.


    ¡°A stalling tactic,¡± the Builder said. ¡°It is long past time they should have arrived at another tower, and now the tower they supposedly sabotaged is being used again. They are experimenting, but not getting far. All they¡¯ve managed is to open a false portal that would have killed them if they stepped though.¡±


    ¡°We can only hope,¡± Zato said. ¡°Should we send people after them?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the Builder said. ¡°They are going to come here.¡±


    ¡°Against the bulk of our forces and our defensive position? That would be foolish.¡±


    ¡°Yes¡± the Builder said. ¡°The one thing Asano can be relied upon to do is the last thing he should. He thrives on the unanticipated surprise of the foolish move.¡±


    ¡°What does he hope to accomplish?¡±


    ¡°Presumably to destroy the central tower,¡± the Builder said. ¡°It seems he has seen through the false sabotage, but there is no way he could comprehend the mechanisms for awakening the world engineers, even if he found them and determined that was the goal. I¡¯ve seen inside his mind and know his level of understanding. It would not be enough to build a knowledge base that could decipher the functions of this place. He will likely conclude that if he can destroy the tower, he can bring it all to an end.¡±


    ¡°Can he?¡± Zato asked.


    ¡°No. The magic flowing through the tower would prevent even me from affecting it further without all but eradicating this vessel on the spot.¡±


    ¡°So we just wait for the rejector to come to us?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It is time to put an end to the mortal who thinks he can pit himself against a being beyond his meagre comprehension. He shall learn the price of challenging true power.¡±


    Clive was sat, cross-legged on Onslow, who was floating back towards the towers. Belinda had used her ability to conjure simple objects to make him a small knee bench, which he was using to scribble down new sequences to test out on the towers. As he did, he was explaining what he had learned from the team.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of good news,¡± Clive said. ¡°Some bad too, but we¡¯ll get to that. The first piece of good news is that these towers are all integrated into a single, linked system. There¡¯s enough here in these notes provided by the builder that I can more or less determine what they do and ¨C this is the important thing ¨C how. I cannot overstate the value of those books of Jason¡¯s. They have dimensional transgression theory that makes our most sophisticated astral magic look like cave drawings.¡±


    ¡°And what do these towers do?¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We were already assuming that the point is to wake up the giant golems.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s only part of it,¡± Clive said. Despite holding a conversation, he never looked up from the notes he continued to rapidly scrawl. ¡°Do you all remember that this astral space is artificially attached to our world?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t think it was just the connection to our world,¡± Clive said. ¡°I think this entire astral space is artificial. It¡¯s a giant boarding vessel. Instead of delivering people onto ships, it delivers the Builder¡¯s most powerful weapons onto worlds. He loads it up with these world engineer things, clamps it onto the side of a world and them sends them in. But something happened, here, to change all that.¡±


    ¡°I think a lot of things happened here,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Somehow,¡± Clive continued, ¡°this place was taken out of the Builder¡¯s hands and placed in the Order of the Reaper¡¯s. They repurposed it various ways, but only one is relevant to us now. They repurposed the interdimensional mechanisms designed to launch the world engineers into a transport system, using a portal power as a template.¡±


    ¡°How does that affect us now?¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°For one thing,¡± Clive said, ¡°it¡¯s the reason the Builder had to send out teams instead of just directing the whole thing to operate. His teams are bypassing the Order of the Reaper¡¯s alteration to restore the original functionality of the towers and the Builder¡¯s ability to control the towers remotely.¡±


    Clive was still scribbling away madly, even as his explanation became more excited.


    ¡°So that bought us the time try something,¡± Sophie said. ¡°But now what do we try?¡±


    ¡°We reconfigure the whole system the Builder is activating,¡± Clive said. ¡°Instead of moving it away from the order¡¯s modifications, we amplify it with the power coursing out from the central tower. I mentioned before that the Order¡¯s changes were potentially damaging to the golems? This process will be worse for them than ever, as in piles of scrap. It will also burn out the ability of the original system to send them to our world.¡±


    ¡°Which shuts down the Builder¡¯s plans entirely,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I like it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll like this more,¡± Clive said. ¡°All that power won¡¯t be going into the world engineers, but coming out of them. It will go back to what the Order of the Reaper had it doing, which was to power what the portal was for in the first place.¡±


    ¡°You mean¡­?¡± Neil asked, almost superstitious in voicing hope.


    ¡°I mean opening a portal home,¡± Clive said. ¡°That much power should blast right through the interference caused by the damage to the dimensional membrane.¡±


    ¡°So, we shut down the golems, foiling the Builder and open a path home, all at the same time?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°I told you,¡± Clive said. ¡°A solution to all our problems. There is a catch, however.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°The actual reconfiguring is actually quite simple,¡± Clive said. ¡°As Jason noted, something operating on this scale has many potential failure points. It took weeks to configure the portal correctly and get us into the astral space. I brought enough materials to do something similar, if required, to get us back out. The damaged dimensional membrane rendered that moot, but I can use those materials to construct a fairly simple device to recalibrate the whole system in the way we need. I just need to use the towers here to calibrate the device itself.¡±


    ¡°That sounds good so far,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°The trick,¡± Clive said, ¡°is that we have to take the device to the central tower to make it work. I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯ll need to get it inside the tower, then run it up from the bottom to the top. We need to carry the device up through the interior of the building.¡±


    ¡°You mean actually, physically carry it? Jason asked.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Bottom to top? No rituals, no messing with the tower.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the beauty of it,¡± Clive said. ¡°The Builder has already done all the work. All we have to do is flip the process on its head, so instead of moving away from the order¡¯s alterations, the system pushes back into them.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Sophie said. ¡°All we have to deal with is a silver-ranker, the Builder itself and an army of constructs, cultists and weird messed-up people that won¡¯t die.¡±


    ¡°I did say there would be bad news,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°How confident are you in this?¡± Humphrey asked Clive.


    ¡°I¡¯m working from unreliable notebooks, magical theory I barely understand and crazy world-invading devices operating on a larger scale than any magic I¡¯ve ever seen,¡± Clive said. ¡°But it¡¯s this or we sit back and watch the Builder do whatever he likes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty good, under the circumstances,¡± Jason said.


    Humphrey nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done better than anyone could have asked,¡± he told Clive.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t stop you from asking, though, did it?¡±


    ¡°That leaves the rest of us to come up with a plan on how to overcome impossible odds, where the enemy has the strength, the numbers, the defensive position and probably knows we¡¯re coming, if not why.¡±


    ¡°I always figured that we would need to take the fight to them, sooner or later,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about how to do that for a while and I do have one idea.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, ¡°it¡¯s audacious, crazy and something I learned from a video game, so very much me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a video game?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Never mind that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°What¡¯s the idea?¡±


    ¡°We run a train on the Builder,¡± Jason said.

 Chapter 255: Here We Go

    ¡°This a bad plan,¡± Sophie yelled at Jason as they ran side by side. He was pouring on every bit of speed he could muster, while she was running backwards and still had to ameliorate her speed to match his.


    ¡°This is a fantastic plan,¡± he yelled back.


    The were moving down a wide boulevard, chosen for being one of the more open and least overgrown. It was still more jungle floor than flagstone road, but they had become expert at navigating the terrain of the astral space and it didn¡¯t slow them down.


    Behind them, the sound of the stampeding monsters pursuing them was like an endless rumble of thunder as heavy feet and other appendages pounded into the ground.


    ¡°Back in my world, people do a thing like this for fun.¡±


    ¡°For fun? I everyone in your world as crazy as you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m special.¡±


    Periodically, the monsters would make ranged attacks against the fleeing adventurers, from magic blasts to needle spines the size of a forearm. Sophie was keeping an eye out for such attacks and would blast them all away.


    Ability: [Wind Wave] (Wind)


    Special Ability (movement).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 6 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 2 (91%).Effect (iron): Effect (Iron): Produce a powerful blast of air that can push away enemies and physical projectiles. Can be used to launch into the air or move rapidly while already airborne.Effect (bronze): Can affect magical projectiles and some magical area effects.


    ¡°Was I even necessary for this?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Of course you were,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You¡¯re the only one who could annoy this many things enough to chase us this hard.¡±


    Humphrey, Clive and Neil were hidden atop one of the buildings closest to the crater from which the central tower had arisen. The tower itself was in the deepest part of the crater, yet still towered over every other edifice in the city. Laying flat on the rooftop, they watched the enemy encampment set up around the tower through magnification crystals.


    The camp occupied the entirety of the crater. Walls had been raised up all around the crater¡¯s lip, some five metres high. The only glimpses they got of the inside was when the heavy stone gates were swung open to admit returning teams of cultists, constructs and converted.


    The walls were the result of earth-shaping powers. These were crude affairs created by the cultists rather than the formidable walls the Builder had created around their previous fort. These fared poorly by comparison but were still five metres high and two thick. Anything less would have trouble holding up against silver-rank monsters.


    The cultists had completely decamped from their original fort, to the dismay of the team. The fort would have been much harder to attack, but the objective was the tower, not the cultists around it. If the cultists had still occupied their original encampment, the team wouldn¡¯t need to deal with them.


    Through their magnification crystals they had managed to get some sense of the interior, having set themselves up for the best view through one of the gates. The slope of the crater had been earth-shaped into a series of flat tiers, like exceptionally wide stairs. The cultists were set up on those tiers, leading down to the tower itself.


    The tower was thrumming with magical energy, to the point of overpowering any magical senses. Even as far back as the building they were hiding on, their magical senses were washed out with the raw potency of it. It didn¡¯t present any danger, but even at range it was headache-inducing. They suspected that up close it would be hard to tolerate at all.


    Periodically, groups of cultists would return to the camp, having made their way back to the city from the external towers. None of them were leaving, suggesting that the Builder was reconsolidating his forces.


    ¡°There she is,¡± Humphrey said as another such group appeared. They were the usual mix of a couple of cultists, a few constructs and a contingent of the automaton-like converted. One of the gates in the wall opened to admit them, but only the observing team noticed one of the converted peel off to hug the exterior of the wall, beside the heavy stone gate.


    ¡°I still say this is a bad idea,¡± Clive said. ¡°She¡¯s so exposed. What if the Builder or the silver-ranker senses her through her shape-changing powers.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all taking risks,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°She knows the dangers and she chose to go anyway. If we can lead the monsters into the camp instead of just around it, we have a much better chance of infiltrating the tower in the chaos.¡±


    Hugging the wall of the cultist camp, the shape-changed Belinda took a steeling breath.


    ¡°How are those monsters coming along?¡± she asked through voice chat.


    ¡°Getting close,¡± Sophie¡¯s voice came back. ¡°You should start hearing them any moment.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get started then,¡± Belinda said, moving to the front of the gate and pulling a stick of chalk from her storage space.


    ¡°You can do this,¡± she assured herself as she started drawing out a ritual on the large stone door. ¡°You definitely won¡¯t be caught and flayed alive by an evil god-thing.¡±


    She continued drawing, willing the gate not to open.


    In the camp, Zato shook his head. The tower had increasingly been building up magical energy, to the point that was now bombarding the senses of everyone around it. The constructs and the blank-faced converted were not visibly affected, but his cultists were growing increasing aggravated.


    His cultists were being driven to the edge by the sensory bombardment. They were snapping at each other and he had already needed to intervene after a fight broke out. He couldn¡¯t care less what they did to one another but it demonstrated an unacceptable lack of discipline. He refused to let them make him look bad in front of the Builder.


    He tilted his head, listening as he heard what sounded like thunder. He looked up at the sky, the vibrant blue as empty of clouds as ever. The sound continued, even getting louder. The rest of the camp didn¡¯t share his silver-rank perception and hadn¡¯t heard anything yet, so no one around him was reacting.


    He got up from his chair and quickly made his way up the tiers of the crater to the walls. There were stairs periodically placed around the insides and he took them two at a time to quickly reach the top.


    He looked out at the surrounding area. The crater had been located at the centre of a huge square, surrounded by buildings damaged by the explosive detonation of the Order of the Reaper¡¯s tower. Between the walls of the camp and those building was completely open space. He crested the wall just in time to see monsters start pouring out from between a pair of the buildings and into that open space. It was one of the gathered herds of intermingled monsters that had been forming in the city, now running toward the camp in a frenzy


    ¡°What the¡­?¡±


    He spotted two figures running ahead of the frenzied tide of monsters. His eyes easily made out the shadowy cloak drifting behind one of them as they ran.


    ¡°Rejector,¡± he muttered. He was about to shout the alarm when someone teleported right in front him. It was a large man with a large sword, stylised in the shape of a dragon wing. He took advantage of Zato¡¯s startled pause, breathing fire over the cultists.


    Humphrey spotted the man move onto the walls just as Jason and Sophie led the monsters into the square. Seconds mattered, so he made a snap decision, conjuring his sword and teleporting right in front of the man. Humphrey¡¯s senses told him that this was the other silver-ranker but Humphrey didn¡¯t hesitate. Immediately breathing fire, he unleashed his Unstoppable Force attack and sent the man tumbling backwards and over the edge of the wall.


    Zato crashing to the ground was alarming, but no so much as it would be should he have actually called out the alarm. It gave the monsters precious time to chase Jason and Sophie closer to the gate, which meant less time for the camp to ready itself.


    With Jason and Sophie on the approach and Humphrey already in the fray, Clive knew it was time to act. He called out Onslow, picked up the puppy Stash and climbed onto the familiar¡¯s shell, Neil climbing up with him. The rune tortoise floated off the rooftop, drifting to the ground on a cushion of air. At ground level, Onslow¡¯s speed picked up as he hovered over the ground, moving towards the camp with increasing haste.


    The people in the camp barely had time to register the thundering sound of the monster herd before Belinda completed her ritual and the gate exploded inward. With the horde of monsters descending on her she used one of her abilities to join Clive and Neil atop Onslow¡¯s shell.


    Ability: [Bait and Switch] (Trap)


    Special Ability (dimension, illusion).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Bronze 1 (87%).Effect (iron): Effect (Iron): Teleport self or nearby ally to a nearby location. The subject is rendered invisible for a brief period, leaving behind a lifelike illusion. The illusion has no substance or aura.Effect (bronze): Illusion explodes when approached by an enemy, inflicting disruptive-force damage.


    ¡°This is quite roomy,¡± she said as she appeared on Onslow, with Stash immediately hopping into her lap. Her own familiars she didn¡¯t call out yet.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good boy,¡± Clive said, giving Onslow an affectionate pat.


    Even as fragment of the shattered gate were still falling to the ground, Jason and Sophie dashed through the gap with monsters on their heels. There was a blast as one of the monsters lunged at the illusion Belinda left behind. The rest of the monsters ignored it, continuing to chase Jason and Sophie unabated. Once through the gate, Jason and Sophie split left and right, but the camp contained more than enough to keep the monsters occupied.


    The changes in magic to the astral space had given the monsters an affinity for one another, but a wild aggression toward anything not monstrous. It was akin to the berserk fury that overtook monsters at the end of their life cycle, but the monsters in the astral space were being affected far too early. As they poured into the camp, they found themselves with a cornucopia of things on which to unleash their unquenchable rage.


    Zato got to his feet, ignoring the fact that he was on fire. Thadwick and Dougall had their essence powers consumed to prepare them to contain a sliver of the Builder¡¯s power. Zato¡¯s essence powers had likewise consumed as fuel for the Builders power, but in a fundamentally different way. Instead of a vessel, Zato had been transformed into a weapon.


    Humphrey¡¯s flames burned at Zato¡¯s clothes and skin but he paid it no attention. Where his skin burned away, it uncovered a second skin of gleaming metal beneath. His hair burned away and the front of his eyes was seared away, revealing the crystal orbs that were his true eyes. He panned them around the camp, taking stock of the situation.


    As he had been tossed to the ground, the gates had been blasted open and monsters had come spilling into the camp. They poured down the tiered steps of the encampment, attacking anything that moved and destroying anything that didn¡¯t. Tents were torn up and the converted and constructs were triggered into action as they were attacked.


    One of the monsters came Zato¡¯s way, leaping through the air at him. He grabbed it by the face, plucking it out of the air. He clapped down with his other hand, crushing its head and he dropped the corpse to the ground.


    He looked down at his chest, the skin all burned away. There was a good-sized dent left behind from the blow that had sent him tumbling from the wall. He was surprised that the big bronze-ranker with big sword had been able to damage him that much. The metal rippled like water and the dent was smoothed out. He looked up at the spot on the wall he had been knocked down from, but couldn¡¯t spot the man who had sent him tumbling.


    Humphrey hadn¡¯t been foolish enough to wait around for a silver-ranker to recover and had called up his dragon wings. He flew over the monsters still streaming into the camp and towards Onslow to rejoin the group. He was joined by Sophie who had run up the inside of the wall and leapt off, regrouping with the others.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get to one of the other gates and let you in,¡± Jason told them through voice chat. ¡°Make your way to the first gate to the left of where the monsters are coming in.¡±


    He started making his way through the camp, which had become a wild melee. Monsters clashed with the constructs and the converted. Some cultists were trying to organise their unthinking minions into some kind of order, while others scrambled in a futile attempt to find safety as monsters continued pouring in.


    Jason noted that the converted and the constructs had both picked up new abilities. Some looked like those they had encountered before, but they were now able to separate into wholly separate segments, able to operate independently. The smaller constructs were better equipped to chase down smaller and faster enemies.


    The constructs were dividing into two types. The majority were the original constructs, modified to separate. Once divided, their components parts were rather bizarre in form, having not been originally intended for the purpose. The newer constructs were purpose built, and while they were less physically sturdy than the originals, their divided parts were faster and more dangerous.


    The converted had acquired grotesque new powers of their own. Some were fighting with huge, retractable blades coming out of their arms. Others were segmenting their limbs, which remained connected with wires and gave them a strange, flailing attacks.


    Shade¡¯s bodies moved through the mess. It gave Jason pathways to shadow jump in the direction of the gate, although he did not go unmolested. He had to stop and deal with a persistent pair of monsters and then one of the converted. He quickly unleased a storm of afflictions that rotted the flesh off its bones, but it kept fighting, even when it was little more than a skeleton draped in scraps of black flesh. Jason¡¯s used his execute ability to finished the job.


    Before he reached the gate he also took the time to dispose of a cultist that looked to be doing a decent job of directing the constructs. Jason wanted as much discord as possible to cover the team¡¯s activities, so he dealt with the industrious cultist before she could start getting things in order.


    Finally reaching the gate, he found it unattended in the chaos. There was no mechanism, just a heavy bar, but his bronze-rank strength was enough to remove it and pull open one of the heavy stone doors.


    ¡°About time,¡± Neil said as Jason found the team waiting outside. ¡°You¡¯ve obviously been lazing about in there.¡±


    ¡°We need to get in that tower as quickly and quietly as we can,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Put Onslow away, Clive. He stands out a bit much.¡±


    Onslow let out a sad squeaking noise that was oddly-high pitched for a creature so large, but dissolved into blue sparks that flew towards Clive, sinking through his clothes to take the form of a tattoo.


    The team started making their way through the mess of combat, fighting their way through as a unit. They were slowly carving a path down the steps of the sloped encampment toward the tower when the Builder descended from the sky, although he did not land close to the team.


    The Builder either didn¡¯t have a slow falling power or just didn¡¯t care, crashing into the ground like a boulder. The monster that had been between him and the ground was killed instantly. It looked as if the Builder had simply leapt from the tower¡¯s upper reaches.


    As it stepped off the carcass, the Builder blasted out an aura. It was at the very peak of silver rank, powerful and terrible, like the weight of a building pressing down. Jason¡¯s aura had an echo of transcendence that only someone skilled and sensitive would recognise. The Builder¡¯s aura was thick with it and the effect was oppressive to the point of feeling like being at the bottom of the ocean.


    The team, like all the monsters around them, had their auras suppressed, leaving them feeling vulnerable and exposed. Only Jason¡¯s held firm and the Builder turned its head on a swivel and the pair locked eyes.


    For a single moment, the camp went still as everything was suppressed by the Builder¡¯s aura, the strongest he could produce with his current vessel. The sound of battle faded as the Builder¡¯s minions fell still and the monsters were cowed. In the strange, eerie silence, Jason and the Builder looked at one another. Jason started walking forward, past the stilled minions and fearful monsters, holding the Builder¡¯s gaze.


    The Builder was not a rancher, farmer, or anyone else who worked with cattle or other livestock. If he had been, he might have had some idea what happens when a very large number of very scared animals are held together in an enclosed space. The fear-induced stillness of the monsters only lasted for a strangely silent moment before the spell was broken.


    Panic took over and chaos exploded over the camp like a bomb as the monsters went wild and screams of terror rent the air. The monsters tried to stampede but they had packed themselves into the camp and the walls now boxed them in. That didn¡¯t stop their mad scramble to escape, the crush turning the camp into a furious meat grinder. Even the previous melee seemed like a quiet church service in comparison.


    The converted and constructs were once again triggered into combat mode but the monsters didn¡¯t even fight back in their desperation to escape the terrifying presence of the Builder. They were more dangerous in their panicked crush than they had been in berserker rage.


    The team¡¯s aura training had included having their auras suppressed, so they weren¡¯t debilitated, although it left them extremely uneasy as they once more started fighting their way towards the tower. Sophie made to go after Jason but was yanked back by Humphrey.


    ¡°He has his job,¡± Humphrey yelled at her over the din, ¡°and we have ours.¡±


    The eye of the storm was the empty space around the Builder, the place the monsters were pushing into one another to avoid. Jason stepped into that space, the two looking at each other in a calm bizarre amidst the fury going on around it.


    ¡°Here we are.¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just telling you now, so you don¡¯t say you weren¡¯t warned: This time I brought pants.¡±

 Chapter 256: Outmatched

    The walls of the encampment had become a prison to the monsters driven to panic by the Builder¡¯s aura. They were stampeding with nowhere to stampede to, a wild crush that was catching up the cultists and the construct and converted that served them. It was somewhere between a juice press and a meat grinder.


    The air was filled with the sounds of combat and terror. The monsters let out a menagerie of shrieks, cries and roars. Cultists were yelling, trying to direct the constructs and converted. The automaton servitors made no sounds themselves, but the sounds of their destruction at the claws of frenzied monsters added to the storm of noise.


    There was one space of eerie calm. No matter how scared or driven to madness they were, no monster would draw close the Builder. In the eye of the storm, Two figures stood still, staring each other down.


    The Builder was wearing Thadwick¡¯s face. Instead of the snide, entitled expression, there was now an incredible presence animating what were actually quite handsome features. Instead of arrogance, there was a confidence that transcended the mortal shape it was inhabiting. That shape was still intact, the Builder¡¯s power not yet taxing it to the point of breaking down.


    The Builder cut a heroic figure, facing off against Jason¡¯s sinister, shadowy appearance. Over flowing, black combat robes was his cloak of night, a veil of darkness and starlight with the promise of mystery and power.


    ¡°You have an inflated sense of your own importance,¡± the Builder said.


    It spoke softly, yet its words carried perfectly to Jason, even over the cacophonous din around them.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason agreed. He also spoke softly, having no doubt the Builder could hear him as well.


    ¡°You think all this will let you stop me?¡± the Builder asked.


    ¡°It would be a lot of trouble to go to if I didn¡¯t,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you,¡± the Builder said. ¡°You have caused me trouble enough that I will make an example of you. The next person looking to cross me will think twice when they learned what happened to you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jason asked, his voice this with derision. ¡°You try and use my soul as a hand puppet and you want revenge because I didn¡¯t let you? For a great astral being, that¡¯s very human.¡±


    ¡°Do not try and bring me down to your level.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already here, mate, but that¡¯s not on me. I¡¯m just some random, low-ranked bloke trying to make his way in the world. Or worlds, plural, I guess. You saw some idiot sling a soul your way, tried to snatch it up and it didn¡¯t work out. You could have left it at that but you just couldn¡¯t let it go. You brought yourself down to my level and here we are. Well, slightly above my level. Frankly, you could do with a nerf, just for fairness. For all your vast, cosmic power, at the end of the day you¡¯re a sentient being, just like the rest of us. I guess pride is a hard vice to shake, operating at your level.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I don¡¯t see through what you are doing?¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°Engaging in classic hero-villain banter. I won¡¯t lie; this is something of a dream come true for me.¡±


    ¡°Whatever your companions are doing, they will not succeed. Zato will stop them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s funny,¡± Jason said. ¡°I believe in my friends too. We have that in common.¡±


    ¡°I adjusted Zato¡¯s body modifications personally,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Even after the consumption of his essences, he is stronger than he ever was as a mere essence user.¡±


    ¡°The team knocked off a silver-rank essence user already. They can deal with your little hand puppet.¡±


    ¡°You killed Hendren through the escalating power of your flesh-rotting abilities. I reforged Zato in such a way that those powers cannot harm him. Even if you were with them to help, your powers would be futile. But you are not with them. I will capture you and he will capture them. I will claim their souls and they will be the ones to kill you, slowly and painfully. I will record it all, that every being that serves me will see for themselves the fate of the great Rejector. You will be a useful recruiting tool.¡±


    ¡°Yet, ironically, the one acting like a huge tool is you.¡±


    ¡°Name calling is the best response you can muster?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been inside my brain,¡± Jason said. ¡°So you know that it pretty much is, yeah. I¡¯m being facetious, though. In all honesty, that was some solid villain monologuing. You should look into getting a weather machine.¡±


    ¡°You still believe you can win,¡± the Builder said. ¡°This is not a matter of win or lose. It is a matter of how long it takes for my intentions to be realised.¡±


    ¡°How about a compromise?¡± Jason asked. ¡°We could give you something else instead of huge strips peeled off the side of reality. How do you feel about delicious sandwiches?¡±


    ¡°You are tiresome,¡± the Builder said. ¡°It is time to end this.¡±


    Jason felt magic surge in the ground beneath him. He vanished into his shadow as two slabs made of the ground beneath him rose up to snap together like a bear trap. All they caught was the body of Shade left behind, which was unharmed.


    ¡°Just a tip,¡± Jason called out from within the monster scrum. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t warn that people you¡¯re about to make a sneak attack.¡±


    The Builder gestured in the direction Jason¡¯s voice had come and a wave of stone spike rose up from the Builder¡¯s feet and crashed into the monsters. Jason, in the meantime, emerged from the other direction and lunged at the Builder. A wall rose up in his face, blocking him off, before exploded over him, thousands of razor fragments storming over him over him like a hurricane in a gravel quarry. His cloak danced to life, a forest or dark tendril zipping out to intercept the projectiles. Most of the fragments blew past him, while the rest fell harmlessly at his feet.


    Jason dashed into melee. As it turned out, great astral beings had little use for martial arts skills, and the one¡¯s the Builder inherited from Thadwick were significantly sub-par. Jason¡¯s dagger flashed rapidly, scoring quick marks on the Builder¡¯s flesh.


    Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] and Mark of [Price of Absolution] on [Builder¡¯s Vessel].Transcendent power within [Builder¡¯s Vessel] has negated these effects.[Sin] does not take effect.[Price of Absolution] does not take effect.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±


    The Builder grabbed Jason by the face. Gordon appeared with a surge of Jason¡¯s aura and beams of blue and orange energy blasted from his four orbs. They focused on the Builder¡¯s arm and the Builder let go of Jason, who vanished into his shadow again. A dozen spikes burst out of the ground and floated between the Builder and Gordon. The air around them started shimmering and the spikes launched out, tearing large rents in Gordon¡¯s incorporeal body. Gordon dissolved into a nebula and shot away into the crowd of monsters, where Jason has escaped to. Jason reabsorbed his familiar back into his aura.


    Each of the combatants were making unpleasant discoveries as they fought. Jason was the worst off, with the realisation that he had no means to effectively harm the Builder. Even his strongest trump card, Colin, would be of no use when afflictions couldn¡¯t take hold. The best he could hope for was that his sword would be effective, which was a slim chance against the most powerful enemy he had ever faced.


    The Builder was discovering the limits of its vessel. Vessels were meant to be generals, not soldiers, and channelling even moderate amounts of power through them accelerated their degradation. This vessel in particular was weaker than it would normally tolerate but this was a pursuit it would undertake personally.


    Jason¡¯s words had found their mark when he said the Builder¡¯s pride as a great astral being had been pricked. Even with the considerable luck and circumstance that made it possible for Jason to win the battle for his soul, the fact remained that he had won. Given the disparity in their power, it was an intolerable record for a being of near infinite power.


    If Asano died by any means but the Builder¡¯s own design, he would achieve a kind of immortality as the Builder remembered the mortal who bested it for all eternity. This was not an outcome the great astral being was willing to tolerate.


    Unable to effectively fight, Jason was forced to flee. Unable to let him go, the Builder was forced to give chase.


    When the camp had been plunged into chaos, the rest of Jason¡¯s team started fighting their way through the madness. Like an icebreaker ship they were a solid wedge, smashing a path through hostile and inhospitable territory.


    After the Builder¡¯s attempt to pacify the situation with its aura backfired so wildly, it had withdrawn it. This allowed the team¡¯s own auras to recover but the damage was done as far as the monsters were concerned. The crush would not abate until they died or escaped the walls.


    The team had to fight past monsters, constructs and converted as they slowly made their way down the tiered levels of the camp. They didn¡¯t bother finishing off anything tough enough to survive a handful of attacks. Stopping to secure kills would only slow them down and nothing was following them in the crazed, shoulder to shoulder press.


    As they closed in on the tower they found the monsters were pushing away from it, clearing something of a space as they jammed into one another to get away. The magic throbbing from the tower carried a similar feel to the Builder and the monsters were terrified of it.


    The team spotted a large archway leading inside and made straight for it. As they did, a silvery metallic figure with crystal eyes stepped out. It radiated a silver rank aura, but not that of an essence user. It was strange and alien, like that of the Builder itself.


    ¡°I am Zato,¡± it called out loudly over the noise. ¡°If you submit now, things will go better for you. Either way, your souls will belong to the Builder, but if you join us willingly, you will keep your own mind. It is better to be a willing servant than a mindless slave.¡±


    ¡°As much as we¡¯d love the chance to turn into a shiny doorknob like you,¡± Sophie said, ¡°we¡¯re kind of busy, so we¡¯re going to start the fight, now.¡±


    True to her word, Sophie lunged forward, Humphrey close behind. Belinda moved to protect the team from any stray monsters, Stash doing the same as he took the form of a marsh hydra. Clive called out Onslow to join them and Neil chanced pouring a salt circle to call up his golem. With the support of the familiars and the summon, Belinda formed a wall to cover the team¡¯s backs while they faced the danger in front of them.


    Months of constant fighting in the astral space was a whetstone that had honed the team to a razor sharp edge. They each knew what the others would do before they went to do it, turning them from a team with strong synergies into a singular whole, moving and acting as one.


    They had experienced what amounted to three monster surges back to back, struggling to keep up as the monsters grew more and more powerful. It had brought their skill, power and experience to the point where they were literally transformed from the people they had been at the beginning.


    The result of all that growth in their power, skill and teamwork was that they barely managed to avoid immediate death as Zato counter-attacked.


    Zato was not an unthinking construct, despite surrendering his organic body for shining metal. Nor was he a monster driven by instinct. He immediately broke through Sophie and Humphrey, bowling them out of the way in spite of Humphrey¡¯s strength. Zato knew that the backline members were the key to breaking apart the team and charged at Neil like a silver rocket.


    The attack landed on Neil, who exploded in a wave of force, blasting Zato back. Belinda¡¯s perfectly-timed Bait and Switch ability had teleported Neil to safety, leaving an illusionary trap for Zato.


    Ability: [Bait and Switch] (Trap)


    Special ability (dimension, illusion).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Bronze 3 (09%).Effect (iron): Teleport self or nearby ally to a nearby location. The subject is rendered invisible for a brief period, leaving behind a lifelike illusion. The illusion has no substance or aura.Effect (bronze): The illusion explodes when approached by an enemy, inflicting disruptive-force damage.


    With Zato¡¯s first attack blunted, Sophie and Humphrey moved back in, while the others repositioned defensively. Zato was barely staggered by the explosion, suffering little worse than the arresting of his momentum. His metal body was resistant to the disruptive-force released by the ability, which was more effective against magical defences. It was resonating-force damage that would be most effective against Zato¡¯s metal form. Humphrey knew this and swung in with Shield Breaker, his resonating-force special attack.


    Zato¡¯s body was incredibly resilient, even against Humphrey¡¯s special attacks. They were just threatening enough that Zato was forced to engage, rather than ignore him. Even with his dragon armour, Humphrey would not hold up to Zato¡¯s sustained attacks. While he lacked Sophie¡¯s evasiveness, he had his own means of adding to his defensiveness.


    Humphrey¡¯s attacks were hard to avoid and Humphrey himself was hard to hit, as there seemed to be four of him attacking at once with his huge dragon wing sword. One of the illusionary doubles was from Humphrey¡¯s own ability, Attack of the Mirage Dragon, which created a double each time he attacked. It didn¡¯t inflict any damage, but Humphrey could switch-teleport with it, making his true attack unpredictable.


    The other two illusionary forms came from Belinda¡¯s familiar, Gemini. The living illusion could duplicate Humphrey¡¯s appearance, including his own illusionary double.


    Zato proved to have far more capability than merely the strength and fortitude that came with his metal body. His silvery body flowed like quicksilver, reshaping itself to produce a versatile slate of combat abilities.


    In close, he could produce spear-like protrusions from anywhere on his body, making unexpected attacks from unexpected angles. He also grew extra limbs, which he transformed into blades. At range, he could project metal spikes, which he threw past Sophie and Humphrey to target Neil, whose healing and shields were making up the difference between Zato and Humphrey¡¯s combat abilities.


    Sophie focused on intercepting the projectiles as Humphrey held up Zato¡¯s forward movement. Zato then revealed that the spikes were far from his only trick. By plunging his hands into the ground he could make spikes spring up at range, then explode them into splinters. That attack savaged Neil appearing within his mana shield and exploding to send shrapnel digging into his body. Sophie and Humphrey redoubled their efforts to hold Zato¡¯s attention while Neil tossed back a healing potion and followed up with a life bolt spell on himself.


    The one key advantage the team had was a curse levied on Zato by Belinda. It took multiple attempts to latch on past silver-rank resistances, the cooldown not triggering until it finally landed.


    Ability: [Power Lock] (Magic)


    Special ability (curse).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Bronze 2 (47%).Effect (iron): When the target uses an ability, a random other ability also goes on cooldown, as if it had been used. If the target has no other abilities, the cooldown on the ability used is doubled or, if the ability has no cooldown, it becomes unavailable for a brief period.Effect (bronze): The ability placed on cooldown consumes mana as if it had been used. If the ability had no mana cost, the target suffers disruptive-force damage commensurate with the strength of the ability.


    Belinda¡¯s curse meant that Zato had to constantly change up his powers while waiting for others to become available. Many of his best abilities were locked out before he even had a chance to use them and his combination attacks were neutered as key steps were denied to him. It was a frustrating and effective impediment that was crucial to the team¡¯s survival, as even impaired he was on the constant verge of overwhelming the team.


    While he was stuck using them almost at random, Zato had no shortage of powers to go through. Most were either some variation on shape-changing or firing metal projectiles. As the fight dragged on he threw balls that exploded into shrapnel, turned his arms into razor whips and his fingers into knives.


    Sophie desperately intercepted the storms of projectiles thrown in the direction of their healer. As quick as the mercury Zato¡¯s body resembled, her flickering figure was a steadfast barrier for Neil.


    Many of the ranged attacks Zato threw out were wide-area shrapnel attacks, from which Sophie suffered a beating. Weak, multitudinous attacks were what more traditional defenders were best at, while Sophie specialised in dodging or negating powerful, singular attacks. The peppering of attacks was precisely what she was worst at handling, which Zato quickly picked up on.


    He started throwing more and more shrapnel attacks at Neil, knowing that she would surrender her vaunted evasiveness to body-block the shrapnel. She was able to blast many of the attacks away with her Wind Wave, but Zato was both sneaky and prolific with his attacks. Neil was hard pressed to maintain shields and healing on both Sophie and Humphrey, but he smoothly churned out spell after spell, power after power, all with impeccable timing.


    Sophie¡¯s damage was too negligible to be a real threat to Zato, relegating her to the frustrating but critical role of meat shield. The one advantage of the constant attacks she was subjected to was that her powers grew stronger as she suffered attacks.


    Her Karmic warrior power stacked up instances of two holy boons with every attack. One increased her power and spirit attributes, while the other reduced damage from subsequent attack by the same person. As with the fight with Nicolas Hendren, she was stacking up enough instances to have a real impact. On top of the damage reduction, the holy boons also combined with another of her powers.


    Ability: [Strong Soul] (Mystic)


    Special ability (dimension).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 3 (57%).Effect (iron): Disruptive-force damage dealt to you is reduced by a large amount; other damage dealt to you is reduced by a small amount. Resistance to dimensional or astral effects and energies is increased. You can physically interact with incorporeal entities.Effect (bronze): Increased curse, magic and unholy resistance. You cannot receive unholy boons. Each instance of a holy boon on you increases the damage reduction of this ability.


    With each attack she received, Sophie¡¯s defences grew. The Agent of Karma boon made her tougher as it increased her power attribute and strengthened her magical abilities by enhancing the spirit attribute. This affected both the damage reduction from the Good Karma boon and the damage reduction from the Strong Soul power.


    The layering bonuses didn¡¯t change Sophie¡¯s role as a meat-shield for projectiles, but it make her better able to weather the storm. She was still hopelessly outmatched, however. Beyond the simple disparity of silver-rank versus bronze-rank powers and physical abilities, she had to deal with the resistances of rank disparity that Humphrey¡¯s Hero¡¯s Drive power allowed him to ignore.


    Humphrey had received the Giant¡¯s Might boon from Neil, adding weight to his special attacks that were the only real source of threat to their opponent. Zato was still stronger and tougher by a good margin, more so than the silver-rank essence user they had fought. If not for his superior skill and the support of his team, Humphrey wouldn¡¯t have been able to force Zato¡¯s attention as much as he did. Zato would have already broken through and ravaged their backline.


    As resilience accumulated, Sophie was growing frustrated at her inability to have a real impact on the fight. As her power grew stronger as she soaked up more and more attacks, frustration became impatience. She knew she was a more than match for Zato¡¯s skill, and tired of passively intercepting attacks she dashed in, determined to make an impact.


    Using her Eternal Moment power to massively accelerate, she unleashed a barrage of attacks. Her passive damage powers included resonating-force damage, which had been amplified by the boosts to her spirit attribute. With her fleeting, time-stopped moment, she unleased a furious flurry of strikes, all of which took effect as she returned to the normal passage of time.


    Zato¡¯s whole body rippled at the accumulated impact. He immediately retaliated by growing a half-dozen extra arms that ended in hammers, rather than fists. They swung in on Sophie, who could have dodged but didn¡¯t. Instead, she used her Moment of Oneness power to absorb the blows and then deliver all the damage back with an elegant palm strike that punched a large indentation in his torso.


    Despite having a huge dent into his chest, Sophie saw Zato¡¯s grin and realised she had made a mistake. After baiting out her power to absorb a strong attack, Zato used one of his trump cards and his whole body exploded into a huge mass of shrapnel.


    Humphrey was the most physically resilient of the team, but he was also very close and very large, courtesy of Neil¡¯s spell. His armour softened the blow, but more than a few chunks of shrapnel pierced right through it.


    Sophie had her accumulated damage resistance, which was the only reason she survived. She was quick enough to shield her head with her arms, which were flayed along with the entire front of her body. Her accumulated damage reduction and light armour weren¡¯t even close to absorbing that level of damage and her armour was shredded to ribbons, along with most of the skin on the front of her body.


    Clive, Neil and Belinda didn¡¯t suffer the attack as the shrapnel stopped in the air, forming a perfect sphere, then reversed course. The metal shard flew back together to re-form Zato¡¯s body. It wasn¡¯t just a matter of returning him to the state he had been in, however. Zato was unmarred and unharmed, having repaired not just the damage from Sophie but all the damage Humphrey had managed to build up.


    Humphrey was severely injured and Sophie was a bloody wreck, barely standing upright. Their enemy was completely refreshed, his silver skin perfect and unmarred. Every bit of the damage they had done had been undone in a moment.


    ¡°You really should have submitted,¡± Zato told them imperiously. ¡°Now you are going to suffer.¡±

 Chapter 257: The Power of Friendship

    Once again, the team¡¯s pinpoint timing salvaged a very poor situation from what would otherwise have been a total disaster. Sophie used the last of her strength to throw out a bloody fist, barely able to lift an arm from which half the muscle had been shredded. As she did, Neil¡¯s Bolster ability landed, enhancing the power the punch carried.


    Ability: [Deny the Reaper] (Balance)


    Special Attack (counter-execute, healing).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 2 (16%).Effect (iron): Target enemy suffers a small amount of transcendent damage and you are healed for a small amount. As a counter-execute effect, the damage and healing scale exponentially with your own level of injury.Effect (bronze): Provides a heal-over-time effect. Healing scales exponentially with your own level of injury at the time the ability was used.


    With Sophie¡¯s bedraggled state, plus the boosts to her spirit attribute and the enhancement from Neil¡¯s spell, it was by far and away the most potent use of a power she had ever executed. The healing it provided was near-miraculous, knitting together muscle and regrowing skin between one breath and the next. Even with perfect circumstances, though, it was not enough healing to fully restore her condition. The ongoing heal component of the ability started going to work, aided by a life bolt spell from Neil.


    Sophie¡¯s fist was buried in his chest and she yanked it out with an unpleasant wet sound. Her hand glistened with liquid silver, mixed with a little blood, although that could easily have been hers. Her body began emitting an amber glow.


    ¡°Gift evolution!¡± Clive exulted through voice chat. ¡°I¡¯d put money down on it being a rank-jumping power.¡±


    Celestine racial ability [Astral Affinity] has evolved to [Boundary Breaker].


    Ability: [Boundary Breaker]


    Transfigured from [Celestine] ability [Astral Affinity].Increased resistance to dimension effects and astral forces. Dimension abilities have increased effect and transcendent damage is increased.Ignore the enhanced resistances derived from rank disparity. This only affects the enhanced resistance from being higher rank, not other sources of resistance.Ignore the enhanced aura suppression and aura suppression resistance derived from rank disparity. This only affects the enhanced effects from being higher rank, not the inherently superior strength of higher-rank auras.


    The rest of the team sent their congratulations, even as they kept fighting, but Sophie herself was conflicted. She had received what she needed most of all, but not from a triumph but a costly mistake.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about the reward you earned,¡± Humphrey told her. ¡°It¡¯s about the lesson you learned.¡±


    Much of the wisdom Humphrey had to offer were saying that had been drilled into him by his mother. This statement very much had the cadence of that, which mollified Sophie somewhat. She had come to respect Danielle a lot when Danielle helped her get a handle on some of her powers that were similar to Danielle¡¯s own.


    Humphrey found himself in an odd position in the wake of Zato¡¯s explosive power, where he was both too damaged and not damaged enough. He needed healing to get back into a state ready to fight Zato, as a half-recovered state would quickly be punished. He did have his Immortality power but he was not so damaged that he wanted to use it. Even after her self heal, though, Neil was focusing his healing on Sophie. Humphrey knew it was the right choice, given that Sophie could inherently suffer fewer hits than he could himself.


    He made a decision and pulled a potion vial from his belt and downed the contents. It was a silver-rank health tonic they had taken from Nicolas Hendren, the over-ranked potion giving Humphrey an overcharged burst of healing. The price was that the magic would linger, meaning that the fight would be done one way or another before he could use another potion. It was the best compromise he could think of, not fully healing him, but letting him recover enough to keep up the fight while keeping Immortality in his pocket.


    As for Zato, he had suffered the first true blow of the fight that inflicted real, lasting damage. His last attack had completely healed him from the slow build-up of damage he had sustained from the team¡¯s earlier attacks. The transcendent damage from Sophie¡¯s counter-execute, though, went through him like his body was made of water. It didn¡¯t care about his rank or the metal that had replaced his flesh. Not even the power the Builder had gifted him with could withstand that power.


    The odd pause following Sophie¡¯s strike was ended by Clive. He hadn¡¯t made a large impact on the fight, throwing out a few buff spells before drawing out ritual circles as fast as he could, which turned out to be pretty damn fast. He¡¯d always been a strong ritualist, but months of throwing out combat rituals had honed his skills to a fine point. In this case, his circles empowered his weapons and reconfigured their damage from disruptive to resonating force. Having finished his preparations, the twin blast from his wand and staff was the starter¡¯s gun for the next phase of the fight.


    Jason was playing mouse to the Builder¡¯s cat. The frenzy of stampeding monsters fighting with cultists and constructs made it hard for the Builder to easily sense him. The vessel¡¯s senses had been enhanced beyond what Thadwick had possessed but to an entity of the Builder¡¯s power, even diamond-rank senses would have felt like blindness.


    A seemingly incongruous aspect of auras was that the more powerful they were, the harder they were to detect if their owner didn¡¯t want them to be. The feeble aura of an iron ranker was easy to pick out, while the potent aura of a gold-rank soul was easily hidden. The key was control, with a stronger soul able to exert more control over the strength radiating out of it. This was assuming that a person had an aura power, therefore meeting the minimum requirements to exert that control. As Farrah had once warned Jason, a powerful soul with no means to control it was unruly to the point of being dangerous.


    Jason¡¯s expertise with aura control was quite possibly the area in which he excelled the most, which was combined with an aura strength realms beyond the ordinary. It was a strength born of his close call with the elemental tyrant, his meeting with the gods and, more than anything else, his soul battle the Builder itself. The result was an aura strength more akin to a silver-ranker than a bronze.


    Jason¡¯s expert control and formidable aura power combined with the ability Gordon granted of making his soul even harder to detect. The result was that even the enhanced silver-rank senses the Builder¡¯s vessel produced had a hard time picking out Jason¡¯s presence.


    Hidden amongst the teeming monsters, Jason was not just a mouse, but a mouse with an invisibility cloak in a pile of other mice. Unfortunately, the Builder was a cat with a flamethrower. It had begun the chase with little understanding of its vessel¡¯s limitations but it was a very quick study. It had gone from crude attacks to destructive waves of rippling earth spikes that maximised power and area with as little strain on the vessel as possible.


    There was an inevitable cost to repeatedly channelling power, the strain on the vessel beginning to show as it grew increasingly pale. It was an acceptable rate of decay, given that the Builder¡¯s design was already in motion. So long as Asano and his companions were kept from interfering, the situation would resolve itself without further intervention from his vessel.


    The Builder¡¯s powers all involved manipulating the physical material around it. Simply reshaping it had the least cost, thus the spike waves that were a simple reshaping on the stone underfoot. Imbuing materials with additional power, was more costly. This ranged from imbuing it with disruptive-force to harm incorporeal entities to animating the material, like a short-lived construct creature. The effect that levied the greatest cost to the builder¡¯s form was transmuting one material into another, such as stone into steel.


    The Builder was sweeping whole swathes of the battlefield in spike waves, even as its senses probed for Jason. It didn¡¯t care what got in its way, be that monster, construct or converted. Even the Builder¡¯s own cultists were mowed down ruthlessly as wedge-shaped chunks were cut out of the stampeding crush with every wave of impaling spikes.


    The Builder was single-minded and methodical in its pursuit of Jason, but Jason nonetheless took the effort to provoke it. Having one of Shade¡¯s bodies move close enough to speak through allowed him to constantly harass the great astral being.


    ¡°Do you have a name outside of just ¡®the Builder?¡¯ It doesn¡¯t come across as imposing as you seem to think. It just makes you sound like an intergalactic brickie. Actually, I take it back; that sounds kind of awesome. Invaders from beyond the stars is done to death. A guy from beyond the stars who knocks up an outdoor dunny while unrepentantly flashing bum crack? That¡¯s a fresh idea. You might want to write this down, mate. I¡¯m giving you gold, here.¡±


    ¡°I will be giving you unimaginable torment soon enough.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice. Solid villain line; good job on the banter. You¡¯ve already tried shaving chunks of my soul off like lemon zest, though, so I¡¯m pretty sure I can imagine it. Having my friends kill me though? That¡¯s a prick move. I¡¯m pretty sure my friends are going to beat your friends, though.¡±


    ¡°I am beyond your mortal imagining. I have no friends.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s just sad. Not because of the loneliness thing, although that too. You just admitted defeat.¡±


    ¡°There is no defeat. My will is inexorable.¡±


    ¡°Mate, this is the climactic battle and I¡¯m the only one rocking the power of friendship. You¡¯ve got no chance. You better knock out a back-story flashback toot-sweet or it¡¯ll be a total walkover.¡±


    As demonstrated when it sent Nicolas Hendren after the team, the Builder had some ability to track Jason¡¯s location through the bond to his familiar. For this reason it tolerated Shade¡¯s presence without eradicating the familiar¡¯s body. Jason knew this as well as the Builder, but kept Shade nearby anyway. While he knew there was no goading the Builder any more than he already had, he needed the Builder to have at least some idea of his location. It allowed him to lead the Builder and his destructive power away from the team.


    Despite Sophie¡¯s heavy blow on Zato and a timely gift evolution to give her a greater impact on the fight, it had not been the turnaround moment that the team needed. While her attacks were more effective, she still needed to spend most of her time dealing with the projectiles Zato continuously hurled at Neil. Her power upgrade meant that she was able to deal with the attacks without taking the same level of damage but it was still eating into time she would rather use to pile on damage.


    Belinda assisted Sophie in this regard, splitting her attention between keeping monsters off their backline and playing meat shield for Neil against Zato projectile attacks. She had activated her warrior-form power, Counterfeit Combatant, and was sporting heavy armour and a large shield, along with a long-handled war hammer.


    No matter how much damage they inflicted, Zato was the immovable object to their apparently stoppable force. Aside from the one gaping wound in his chest, which did not seem to impair his combat ability, even Humphrey¡¯s powerful attacks achieved little more than superficial dents. The more they attacked, the more their enemy seemed dishearteningly indestructible.


    Clive had entered the fray, blasting away with his ritual-enhanced weapons. While the results were visible, they were as minimal as everything else and Zato insultingly disregarded Clive¡¯s threat, continuing to hammer of Humphrey and Sophie while trying to land a decisive strike on Neil.


    The team was not without their own gains, with Neil¡¯s perception power giving them a slight edge. Its ability to see vulnerabilities was something he normally used for assessing the team¡¯s injuries, but it also spotted one of Zato¡¯s few vulnerabilities.


    ¡°Parts of his body become fluid when he uses a shape changing power,¡± Neil alerted the others through voice chat. The ability to communicate without being overheard or needing to yell over other noises was a critical element of facilitating teamwork. ¡°If you can time a disruptive-force attack instead of a resonating one in just the right moment, you¡¯ll do some extra damage.¡±


    In spite of the team refining their attacks, the power gap remained. Even with Sophie¡¯s growing might, Zato was too strong, too tough and boasted too many forms of attack. Even with the team¡¯s focus on keeping Neil safe, Zato¡¯s attacks would still sometimes get though and land some damage on the healer.


    The team retained more injuries as Zato¡¯s damage started outpacing Neil¡¯s healing. The team¡¯s key cooldown powers were used at critical moments, not to swing the battle in their favour but to keep it from getting away from them entirely. Humphrey¡¯s Immortality, Belinda¡¯s full cooldown reset. Their last trump card was Neil¡¯s Hero¡¯s Moment power, but it would cripple whoever it was used on when the power ended. Until they would get within striking range of finishing the job, its was a power that was off-limits.


    Despair started to set in as they looked down the barrel of what seemed like Zato¡¯s inevitable victory. They could not deal enough damage, the gap normally filled by Jason, but it was clear his powers would not work against Zato¡¯s silver body. In any case, Jason had his own overwhelming enemy to face.


    ¡°You really thought you could derail the Builder¡¯s design?¡± Zato taunted. He sensed that victory was close and tried to push to his enemies¡¯ morale to the breaking point. ¡°We have been planning this longer than any of you have been alive. You thought to stop the efforts of years with your meagre abilities and pathetic ideals? You think that you possess the power to undo all that we have wrought? You won¡¯t just fail here. You won¡¯t die. Your souls will be taken. You will each become weapons against everything you love and all you sought to protect.¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s weariness and the seeming futility of his efforts had eaten away at his spirit. He rallied his determination but Zato¡¯s words stirred up fear of become exactly what Zato said, a weapon against his own people. Exhausted, he watched, sword hanging limply from his hands as Zato and Sophie engaged in a wild struggle. As her power grew over time she had been taking on more of Humphrey¡¯s frontline role. Humphrey told himself to move, to lift up his sword and keep going, but his arms wouldn¡¯t move.


    Just as he was on the verge of giving up, his mother, Danielle, appeared out of nowhere and slapped him hard across the face. He stumbled, startled as she glared at him in fury.


    ¡°What is your name?¡± she demanded, her voice hammering down with righteous anger.


    He looked at her in confusion, then his eyes went wide. His shoulders firmed as he stood up straight, resolve returning to his posture. He had not recovered stamina or mana. He had not been healed. His Immortality was long gone, used and used again when Belinda reset it. He had received no fresh boons, gained no extra power. All that changed was his resolve.


    Humphrey head swung on a pivot, from his mother to Zato, who ignored him while trying to overwhelm Sophie while Humphrey was flagging. Humphrey¡¯s gaze locked onto the enemy as his mother turned back into Belinda and returned to where the familiars were holding the line against the monsters.


    Humphrey hefted his dragon sword in one hand and hurled it, spinning end over to end to clang off Zato¡¯s head before dissolving into nothing. The attack did not harm Zato but it got his attention and he wheeled on Humphrey.


    Zato knew that his victory was imminent. He knew that the adventurers were no match for his power. They were a spent force; an arrow at the end of its flight. Their situation was hopeless, their defeat certain. But for a single, fleeting moment, passing as quickly as it came, something he saw in Humphrey¡¯s eyes sent a chill to the very core of his soul.


    ¡°My name,¡± Humphrey announced, stepping forward one slow step at a time, ¡°is Humphrey Francis Eugene Geller. My family have been adventurers for sixteen generations. We aren¡¯t alchemists or weaponsmiths on the side. We aren¡¯t ritualists or scholars. For hundreds of years we have done one thing, and one thing only: protect our world from people like you. You say that we aren¡¯t ready? That we can¡¯t match your years of preparation? We¡¯ve been preparing for you for sixteen generations, and do you know what we¡¯ve been building to for all that time?¡±


    Humphrey raised his arm to point at Zato and a sword appeared in his hand. Not the heavy, powerful dragon sword, but the light razor wing sword, aimed right at his enemy.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been building,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°to me.¡±


    Amber light flooded out of Humphrey as he stood, sword levelled at Zato. The team and Zato both stood stock-still.


    ¡°Gift evolution?¡± Neil wondered through the voice chat. ¡°Humphrey had all his gift evolutions. Is it even possible for that to happen again?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said, his voice dazed as he looked on. ¡°But I don¡¯t think he cares.¡±


    The amber light shining out of Humphrey turned blood crimson.


    Human racial ability [Attack of the Mirage Dragon] has evolved to [Hero¡¯s Sacrifice].You have evolved an already evolved ability, breaching the limitations of your soul¡¯s potential. You will experience a brief surge of enhanced power, followed by a significant backlash.


    Ability: [Hero¡¯s Sacrifice]


    Transfigured from evolved ability [Attack of the Mirage Dragon].Previous effects of racial ability [Attack of the Mirage Dragon] have been lost.Sacrifice your health to enhance the power of your special attacks.


    ¡°I¡¯ll use Hero¡¯s Moment,¡± Neil said through the voice chat. It allowed the team to communicate silently as no one moved in the strange stillness. Humphrey and Zato stood facing one another, eyes locked.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to going to crap out soon anyway¡­¡± Neil said.


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey responded firmly. ¡°Red tights.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Sophie exclaimed. ¡°I can¡¯t just leave you here alone! You¡¯ll all be dead by the time¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the only way,¡± Humphrey cut her off. ¡°We¡¯ll hold until you get back.¡±


    ¡°But¡­¡±


    ¡°RUN!¡± Humphrey roared out loud and the spell was broken. He and Zato lunged at each other, Zato sprouting four extra arms, each ending in razor-sharp axe blades. He lashed out with the full speed of his silver rank attributes and the enhanced strength of his metal body.


    Humphrey¡¯s skill had been a match for Zato¡¯s the entire fight. Just as he had said, he was trained from birth for the life of an adventurer. Sixteen generations of knowledge and experience had been poured into him, the Geller family a foundry for the strongest steel. Martial techniques, combat philosophies and insights formed by centuries of adventurers, refined and distilled into the latest generation of a grand tradition.


    From the beginning, Humphrey had been pitting his lesser strength against Zato¡¯s greater, caught up in the idea of needing as much power as he could muster. Once he accepted that he could never muster enough power, the tenor of their combat entirely transformed.


    Six blades came at Humphrey. He parried four and dodged two with a grace that he had spent tho whole fight surrendering in the name of strength. He didn¡¯t have Zato¡¯s speed but his technique and economy of motion more than compensated, his razor wing sword moving in an elegant dance. Not only did he evade the attacks, but he immediately retaliated, raking his sword across Zato¡¯s body.


    Blood seeped from Humphrey¡¯s eyes as he used his new Hero¡¯s Sacrifice gift, but for all Humphrey¡¯s grand declarations, Zato had not grown any weaker. Humphrey¡¯s sword was lighter and less powerful than his dragon sword, barely slicing a shallow line across his enemy.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Zato mocked. ¡°All that big talk, light shining out like you¡¯re some mighty hero, and that¡¯s all you can muster? You¡¯ll have to do a lot better than that!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Humphrey shot back, his sword continuing to snake over Zato.


    Ability: [Relentless Assault] (Might)


    Special Attack (melee).Cost: Low stamina, increasing with each attack.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 2 (16%).Effect (iron): Each use of this attack in quick succession increases the damage of this attack. Damage is of the same type caused by a normal attack.Effect (bronze): After a threshold of successive attacks is reached, escalating resonating-force damage is dealt with each attack.


    In the brief moment that Zato and Humphrey had been clashing, Sophie stood ready to run as Neil used his bolster spell on Belinda, enhancing her next power. Belinda then used her Mirror Magic ability to copy the spell, using the bolstered version of Neil¡¯s own Bolster spell back on him.


    Neil was unable to use Bolster on himself, but Belinda¡¯s power to mimic spells not only let him do so, but made it doubly effective with the Bolster enhancing itself. He then used the double-strength Bolster to cast a massively empowered Hero¡¯s Moment spell, which he used not on Humphrey, but on Sophie. It was what she had been waiting for and she erupted away from the team, flooded with a terrifying power. She fled the site of the battle, vanishing into the ongoing monster brawl around them.


    Humphrey continued to clash with Zato, lashing out again and again. Blood ran from his eyes, nose and ears as he chained his Relentless Assault attacks. He could taste the blood, copper in his mouth as he enhanced every attack with his new power. The escalating cost of the special attack increasingly sapped his stamina as Hero¡¯s Sacrifice sapped his health.


    He ignored both as he continued his flowing stream of attacks, cutting away at Zato, not with a hammer but with a scalpel. Despite this, his attacks still had limited effect and would continue to do so until he reached his special attack¡¯s resonating-fierce threshold.


    Despite Humphrey¡¯s skill, the damage was not a one-way street. His own attacks were hurting himself as much as they were Zato, yet he did not relent to use his new power. Zato was raining his own attacks down on Humphrey, who was coming off worse from the exchange. It was only a continuous stream of healing and shields from Neil that allowed him to struggle on.


    Humphrey¡¯s fluid expertise and rapid strikes reached the resonating force threshold of his special attack in fairly short order. The harsh reality, though, was that even with his new ability and the surge of power that came from awakening it was simply not enough. Zato¡¯s body remained all but impervious, even as the special attack escalated to potent levels. Zato was taking dents, but nothing he couldn¡¯t shrug off.


    Zato realised that he had been dragged into Humphrey¡¯s pace, suddenly remembering that he was the one with the power. He was the one with the advantage. Sophie was gone and Humphrey¡¯s attacks were all show, with no genuine threat behind them. With that realisation, Zato turned his attention once more to the healer. Once Neil was dealt with, the fight was as good as over.


    Zato left Humphrey behind and dashed at Neil, only to be struck with a reality of his own; Humphrey was part of a team. Clive¡¯s Juxtaposition spell swapped Neil and Humphrey¡¯s positions, leaving Zato once again facing off against Humphrey, whose special attack sequence continued unabated.


    While the team¡¯s big-ticket powers had been spent, they still had a variety of tricks up their sleeve that could buy them precious moments, whether for Humphrey¡¯s attack to grow stronger or for Sophie to come back.

 Chapter 258: A War of Stolen Moments

    Sophie was dashing through the camp like a spectre, swift, ghostly and untouchable. She ended up running along the inside of the wall and onto the top, sprinting along it to reach her maximum speed. With a double-enhanced Hero¡¯s Moment empowered every speed ability she had, even she felt like her breakneck speed was wild and precarious. She did not relent on the pace, whatever she felt, as speed was the only objective.


    Ability: [Avatar of Speed] (Swift)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 3 (86%).Effect (iron): Your movement abilities have increased effect and reduced stamina and mana cost.Effect (bronze): Periodically gain instances of [Momentum] while moving at speed. The greater the speed, the faster instances are accrued.


    With every moment, more and more stacks of Momentum were gathered. She kept moving, determined to drain every drop out of the Hero¡¯s Moment spell.


    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± she asked through voice chat.


    ¡°Quite well, thank¡­ argh!¡± Jason¡¯s voice came through.


    ¡°Good to know, but I think she meant us,¡± Clive said. ¡°We¡¯re doing the flasher move you came up with.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The guy with the red tights,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°The Flash, not the flasher,¡± Jason said. ¡°Also, they¡¯re not tights.¡±


    ¡°They sounded like tights, the way you described them,¡± Neil chimed in.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re all a little busy for this conversation!¡± Belinda yelled.


    Jason had given up taunting with Shade. The Builder had thinned out the monsters and even his own forces as he scoured the camp for Jason. It was becoming increasingly hard to both stay ahead of the Builder and clear of the team, with more than a couple of near misses as the Builder came close to snatching him up.


    He had been injured several times and had been using the monsters as a source of life drain, randomly laying out afflictions as he went. That was becoming harder and harder as the Builder continued to thin out the herd.


    The close calls were getting closer with every passing moment. Frustrated that the greatest contribution he could make was running away, he desperately willed the team to success.


    The tyranny of rank was an inescapable reality. For all that Humphrey¡¯s morale was renewed and reinvigorated, his body was not. He had reached the point that little more than will alone kept him moving. His body was ravaged by Zato¡¯s attacks and his own ability in equal parts. The team¡¯s bag of tricks was running low and Humphrey¡¯s stamina had reached its limit. His attacks had finally started doing real damage, but while his spirit was willing, his body was spent. He stumbled, faltering, breaking the chain of attacks he had almost miraculously maintained through nothing but muscle memory and willpower.


    Zato had taken some real hits and a magic tattoo appeared on his body, shining brightly before dimming. Belinda recognised it as the upgraded version of her own magic tattoo that reset the cooldown of an ability. Hers had disappeared with her ascension to bronze rank and she was chilled as she saw it appear on Zato. She knew what power he wanted to use again.


    Every member of the team had a gold spirit coin to use in absolutely clutch moments. Steeling herself, Belinda slipped it into her mouth to  ensure the special attack that followed would work.


    Ability: [Power Thief] (Magic)


    Special attack (boon, affliction, magic)Cost: Very high mana.Cooldown: 5 minutes.Current rank: Bronze 3 (32%).Effect (iron): Make a magical ranged attack. You become able to use a random active-use ability of the target, who cannot use that ability until you have done so. It can be an essence ability or the inherent ability of a magic creature, but functions at your rank, not the rank of the target. You may not use the ability more than once. This ability cannot be used again until the copied ability is used. If not used within 24 hours, the copied ability is lost, restoring the target¡¯s ability to use it.Effect (bronze): You can choose a specific ability of the target. If the target does not have that ability, a random ability is stolen instead.


    Zato roared with fury as a light flashed from Belinda¡¯s hand, striking Zato and zipping back to her in an instant. He had just used one of his biggest trump cards, making the explode-and-heal power that damaged Sophie so badly available once more, only to feel it snatched away.


    Zato lunged at Belinda, still under the effects of her Counterfeit Combatant power, clad in armour and holding a long-handled war hammer. In his fury, Zato didn¡¯t notice the gold-rank aura emitting from Belinda, who met his charge with the hammer, with gold-rank strength behind it.


    The blow staved in Zato¡¯s head, yet even that wasn¡¯t enough to do more than stagger the metal man. Belinda, by contrast, felt the coin¡¯s power drain away and collapsed under the weight of her own armour.


    Humphrey was too exhausted to move and with Belinda sharing his fate through the use of her spirit coin, Clive and Neil were suddenly left vulnerable. Zato looked grotesque with the huge dent deforming his head, but he was only staggered for a short time. In spite of his hideous disfiguration, he fought on.


    While Zato recovered, Onslow and Stash moved from the edge of the fight where they had been on monster shepherding duties, placing themselves between Zato and the last members of their team both present and standing.


    Zato began to move on the valiant familiars but he didn¡¯t get to make his attack as Sophie returned to the battlefield in a blur of motion. The Hero¡¯s Moment spell was on the verge of ending, and she stuffed a gold spirit coin in her mouth as she arrived in front of Zato.


    Between Neil¡¯s double-enhanced spell and the gold coin, only her temporarily gold-rank power attribute was enough to hold her body together with the absurd power coursing through it. She ignored the pain, slapping her palm into Zato¡¯s chest. All the Momentum she had built up over the duration of Neil¡¯s spell was triggered, the power multiplied again and again and again by the empowering effects layered onto her. The resulting attack had so much power that simply unleashing it made the air crash like thunder.


    [Momentum] (boon, magic, stacking): When making an attack, all instances are consumed to inflict resonating-force damage. Multiple instances can be accumulated and instances are lost quickly while not moving.


    The seemingly indestructible Zato exploded into a rain of liquefied metal.


    You have defeated [Zato].


    Jason grinned, but he knew that his true contribution started now. His team had done their part and all they needed was time. It was up to Jason to buy them that time.


    He gave up hiding and appeared before the Builder, who was staring at the tower with a rare display of emotion on the vessel¡¯s face. It wasn¡¯t rage but affront. The great astral being was less confused by the success of the lowly mortals than it was by their temerity in stand in its path. Jason did so literally, planting his feet on the ground between the Builder and the tower.


    ¡°What did I tell you?¡± Jason said. ¡°The power of friendship.¡±


    ¡°Your friends will be the ones to kill you, still.¡±


    ¡°You get your shot first, mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your opponent is right here.¡±


    ¡°You cannot harm me.¡±


    ¡°Should be an easy one for you, then.¡±


    ¡°Pleasure is a mortal concept,¡± the Builder mused. ¡°Even in these vessels I have only felt it for no more than a few fleeting moments across a span of time longer than your species has existed. I think I will take pleasure in watching you suffer.¡±


    ¡°I do aim to please,¡± Jason said, drawing his sword. ¡°Shall we?¡±


    Shade¡¯s bodies spread out from Jason to surround the Builder, although Jason kept one in reserve. The Builder could easily damage incorporeal creatures and, assuming he got out alive, he would need one of Shade¡¯s bodies to reconstitute the rest.


    Jason, the Builder and all the remaining monsters felt the shift in the tower¡¯s magic, starting from the base. With that, the Builder lost interest in Jason and started striding in the direction of the tower.


    As they moved into the mid-range of bronze, the team had broken through the limitations that were part of human, or human-adjacent existence. They could run faster than any Olympic sprinter, with stamina that would make a marathon runner shudder.


    Sophie and Belinda were slumped on top of Onslow¡¯s shell as the familiar zoomed up the ramp on a cushion of air. Belinda was barely conscious, while Sophie was barely alive. Neil¡¯s magical intervention had been the only thing that had prevented her body from giving out after the power she had sent coursing through it.


    Humphrey was in no better a state. His new power had brought with it a surge of strength, but as that passed, the lingering soul damage had left him debilitated. He was slung over the back of Stash in the shape of a heidel, desperately clinging to consciousness as he sought to see the task to completion.


    Neil was running, along with the dragon-tooth warriors Humphrey had a managed to summon before collapsing entirely. His own summon was too slow to keep up and had been left at the bottom to block anyone who tried to follow them up.


    Clive also sat atop Onslow, carefully maintaining a ritual circle around the crystal cube floating in front of him. It was a device he had cobbled together from materials originally intended to open a path back home, a plan rendered moot by the changes to the astral space¡¯s ambient magic. He had repurposed the materials to create a device that would invert the towers magic. It was a process Jason has insisted on referring to as ¡®reversing the polarity.¡¯


    The function of the device was straightforward enough. They simply had to take it from the bottom of the tower to the top. If that were all there was to it, Clive could have simply handed it off to Sophie and let her run up the outside of the tower. The trick was that Clive¡¯s cobbled-together device was made from improvised components and worked in accordance with theories he was only just beginning to understand.


    In order to keep it operational, Clive needed to keep it encircled in a magical diagram that he needed to alter in real time as they moved the device. It was a ludicrous feat only possible because of Clive¡¯s power that let him draw ritual circles in the air, combined with his incredible skills as a ritualist. Even then, only months of drawing out rituals in combat had honed his reflexes enough to keep up. It took every ounce of his concentration as they made the way up the spiralling ramp inside the tower.


    ¡°The Builder has to be coming, right?¡± Belinda asked. Her coin-hangover left her feeling fearfully vulnerable.


    ¡°All we can do is trust Jason,¡± Humphrey said.


    Jason Asano was a lot of things. Mouthy to people he really shouldn¡¯t be was certainly one of them, as the Builder had long discovered. The Builder was now discovering that for all the things Jason was, one thing that he was not was easy to ignore.


    The strongest of the Builder¡¯s minions had, against all odds, fallen. It was finally forced to act personally to see its intentions fulfilled and had intended to leave the matter of Jason for later. While it might derive satisfaction from what it intended for the Rejector, its intentions for the world Asano struggled to protect took precedence.


    The Builder didn¡¯t give a lot of thought to the vessels he occupied. Knowledge of the mortal form was something beneath it. It used and discarded the vessels as needed, without regard for them. If it had ever thoroughly explored their memories, it might have known that there was such a thing as Achilles tendons.


    The Builder¡¯s vessel was not as physically resilient as Zato¡¯s metal body, by any means. If the Builder could have eschewed a fleshy vessel then it would have. No artificial construct was sophisticated enough to contain its power, however. Only the magical matrix that operated the body of an essence user was sufficient, after appropriate modification.


    A vessel might be far more sturdy than an ordinary body, but it still adhered to basic, physiological truths. One of them was that without certain muscles, it was a lot harder to stand up.


    It taxed the body very little to repair the kind of small injuries that Jason was capable of inflicting. Those brief moments of delay, however, were more valuable than gold for the team rushing up the tower.


    The Builder was striding away from Jason, ignoring him for the moment in the belief that Jason was unable to substantially damage its vessel, which was true. What Jason could do  could do was educate the Builder on the critical areas where a small wound could cause specific, debilitating problems. Even if immediately healed, they stole away more of the precious moments.


    Jason did not undertake this task alone. Colin¡¯s afflictions, as Jason suspected, were no more effective than his own. What Colin could do was teach the Builder that eyes did not respond positively to rings of pointy teeth.


    Jason was only stealing moments, but he and the Builder both knew that moments counted. Recognising that ignoring Jason was hurting it, the Builder attacked. Crippling would be ideal but killing was acceptable. Asano¡¯s immediate fate was unimportant compared to the Builder¡¯s other goals, so long as that fate was decided by the Builder itself.


    Pinning Jason down was easier said than done. The Builder was still limited by the physical integrity of its vessel and could only levy silver-rank attacks.


    Although he was no longer running, Jason remained elusive, using Shade¡¯s bodies to jump around, avoiding the attacks the Builder made by reshaping the ground beneath him.  Shade was likewise on the move, avoiding the force-wreathed projectiles the builder flung his way, providing Jason with an ever-shifting series of shadow-jump portals.


    Now that he was forced into open combat, Jason knew that, for all his mobility, he would not be able to keep up the fight for long. Luckily, he didn¡¯t need to. The magic of the tower was an obnoxious presence to anyone with magical senses and the change that started at the bottom and was rapidly ascending was obvious.


    The Builder was faced with a conundrum. It could wield a single burst of gold-rank power, but that would tax its vessel to breaking point. It was forced to decide between using that burst to put an instant end to Jason or save it for the rest of his team.


    Ultimately, stopping the team was the imperative. The tower¡¯s magic made it clear that they were entering its upper reaches and the Builder needed to move swiftly. It shot up into the air on a rising column of stone and earth that carried up toward the open windows running up the outside of the tower. The column was a compromise that consumed the vessel faster than the Builder wanted, but left it with vitality enough for one burst of gold-rank power.


    Again Jason proved himself an annoyance not so easily cast aside. He called out Gordon, still ragged from the Builder¡¯s earlier attack. Gordon¡¯s two resonating-force orbs shot out as Jason¡¯s direction, colliding as they met the column and exploding, cutting the column off.


    The column collapsed and the Builder fell with it, although walked out of the resultant cloud of dirt and dust unharmed. Anger showed on its increasingly withered face, but was quickly schooled away. It looked up at the tower where the shift in magic was nearing the upper reaches. The Rejector¡¯s companions needed to be stopped, forcing the builder¡¯s hand. Its vessel started to wither in front of Jason as it invoked a gold rank power while reaching a hand toward the tower, which it clenched into a fist..


    The tower was literally coming to life to impede the team. Stone flowed like water into crude, humanoid shapes; animated creatures that attacked the team even before they finished forming. They were no stronger than Humphrey¡¯s dragon-tooth warriors, but the team was already at the end of their tether with most of the team unable to fight. Stash left Humphrey to Neil as it took on a hydra form, barely able to fit on the ramp. They fought through the animated stone, but their progress was massively slowed.


    Slowing the team gave the Builder time to crush the scurrying bug that was Jason. Gordon had been called back for safety, a choice proven well-made as the Builder abandoned any idea of maintaining its vessel, burning through its vitality with a storm of disruptive-force-empowered projectiles. As Shade¡¯s bodies were cut down one by one, the Builder started making something. The materials were conjured up from the ground, like everything else, but this was smaller, taking form more slowly and carefully. Stone was transmuted into metal and magic was imbued into the device.


    Finally, Jason ran out of moments to steal. As Shade¡¯s bodies were cut down, Jason¡¯s mobility was cut down with them. Despite its increasingly decrepit state, the Builder¡¯s vessel was still fast and powerful, dashing forward and grabbing Jason by the face. With its other hand it slapped the suppression collar it had made around his neck. The vessel continued to rapidly wither as another column rose up, carrying the Builder and his new pet towards the tower.


    The team were achingly close the to end of the ramp, leading up to the flat roof of the tower.


    Party leader [Jason Asano] has had his magical abilities suppressed.Ability [Party Interface] has been negated.Your party has been disbanded.


    There were large, open windows placed regularly up the tower¡¯s length and the Builder stepped through one of them, blocking their path. It dragged Jason with it, holding his collar like a dog.


    ¡°You have done far better than I anticipated,¡± the Builder told them. It was a withered husk, now, its voice inhuman and raspy. Even so, the team knew they would not be getting past it.


    The Builder¡¯s eyes rested on the cube, floating in front of Clive.


    ¡°While I am not one to offer enemies second chances,¡± the Builder said, ¡°the brute-force enslavement of your souls would be a waste of good material. I offer you another chance to come willingly, which you should accept. Your souls will be mine either way.¡±


    Jason crawled pitifully in the direction of his friends, who looked on with miserable expressions. The Builder let him slink away. If Asano wanted a last moment of companionship before those companions were turned against him, he would just suffer all the more. Jason was not looking for companionship, however. He was looking for a run up.


    Very few things truly surprised an entity as old as the Builder. Jason¡¯s aura pushing back the suppressive force of the collar was one of them. The collar¡¯s power was strong and Jason was only able to successfully push it back for a few scant seconds, but Jason¡¯s entire battle had been a war of stolen moments. It was time enough to retrieve a gold spirit coin from his inventory, which he slipped it into his mouth. Immediately he leapt up, exploding forward with gold-rank strength and speed.


    The Builder was able to react, even against gold-rank reflexes, causing a wall of spikes to rise up between them. Jason ploughed right into it with his gold-rank power, impaling himself a dozen times but still breaking through with momentum to spare. Just as he had smashed into the spiked wall, he smashed into the Builder, sending them both tumbling out through the window.


    Still leaning on Clive for support, Humphrey had been ready to react from the moment he saw Jason acting submissively.


    ¡°GO!¡± he shouted, jolting the team into a final race against time. They raced the final stretch to top of the ramp, feeling the last of the tower¡¯s magic turn as they stumbled onto the roof.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Clive said. ¡°The world engineers are done, as is the magic to let them penetrate our world.¡±


    ¡°The Job¡¯s done, even if we die here,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°How about we don¡¯t,¡± Clive said, dropping down off Onslow, then looked darkly toward the edge of the tower. ¡°Not any more of us, anyway.¡±


    Before leaving the tower at the edge of the city, they had removed the portal arch from the top and stowed it in Clive¡¯s inventory. He pulled it back out and started drawing a ritual circle around it. If he was right, all the portals had opened, leading back to their own world. All he had to do was reconnect this one to the magical systems already in place and their path home would open.


    Neil looked toward the edge of the tower.


    ¡°What about Jason?¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s face was filled with anguish, but also determination.


    ¡°He wouldn¡¯t want us getting ourselves killed to bring back a corpse,¡± he said. ¡°We open the gate and we go.¡±


    Sprawled atop Onslow, Belinda gave the unconscious Sophie a worried glance, but said nothing.


    Jason tried to yell something pithy about pants as he and the Builder tumbled through the air, but there was a stone spike through his neck. Everything was a blur as he span around, and then it all went black.


    You have died.All equipment has been returned to your inventory.[World-Phoenix Token] has been consumed.


    Announcement


    This chapter brings volume 1 to a close.


    Until volume 2 begins,  weekly intermission chapters, including epilogue content for volume 1 and lead-in chapters for volume 2, will be released each Friday (USA time), starting next week (July 3).


    Volume 2 (free chapters) begins on September 1 (Australian time), August 31 (USA time).


    Volume 2 (Patreon) begins on August 4 (Australian time), August 3 (USA time).

 Chapter 259 (interval): Clive Takes Charge

    Clive led the way through the portal, followed by Neil and then the familiars. Belinda and Sophie were atop Onslow, Sophie still unconscious and Belinda not much better off. Humphrey had insisted on bringing up the rear, despite remaining on his feet only with the assistance of Stash, who had replicated Humphrey¡¯s own form to provide a supporting shoulder.


    They emerged in the ruins of the ancient village under the lake, the water held off by the magical dome maintained by Emir¡¯s people. There were numerous tables set up with magical paraphernalia, from the months of study the portal had undergone both before and after the team had gone through it.


    There were no people present, until a sleepy-looking man emerged from one of the semi-intact buildings.


    ¡°Hester,¡± he said, rubbing a face over bleary eyes. ¡°I hope you remembered to bring the¡­¡±


    He stopped dead still, realising the sounds that had roused him from his nap were not that of a supply run. He was suddenly very awake, his eyes pivoting from the team to the open portal arch they had just come through.


    As he stood there looking stupid, Clive was already moving. Throwing a glance over the magical tools arrayed on the benches, he snatched up three small crystal in one hand while using the other to draw a magic circle in the air. It was vertical, placed between himself and the portal. As soon as it was complete, he threw the crystals through it one after the other. The first lit up with a blue-grey light before passing into the portal, the second an amber light and the third a cool silver light.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked, limping over.


    ¡°I suspected that opening the portal this way would eliminate the rank-gating, which I have just proven,¡± Clive said. ¡°We need to get the strongest adventurers we can get in short order and go back for Jason.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t be sure where Emir and the Remores are,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°My family estate always has silver-rankers on site.¡±


    Clive didn¡¯t pause to discuss, pointing a finger at the ground. He moved it around in a large circle and runes appeared to form a ring in response. When the rune circle was complete, a portal shimmered to life in the middle of it. Clive stepped through, Humphrey managing to follow under his own steam.


    The Builder landed on its feet, dropping to a crouch as Asano¡¯s body crunched into the ground nearby. It felt the magic of the tower complete its transition, the cascade of power that had been flowing into the world engineers now irreversibly inverted. The giant golems were nothing more than power sources for the portals, now.


    The Builder did not fume with rage. It was older than the species of creatures it could sense scrambling around at the top of the tower, begrudging them neither their resistance nor their success. They were fighting for their lives and their world and the Builder had weathered setbacks before. This was but a battle in a world-spanning war.


    It turned to Asano, who did raise the Builder¡¯s ire. It could weather the failure of its minions but the Builder and Asano had clashed directly, will to will. Its inability to force Asano into capitulation before the star seed gave out had been the Builder¡¯s personal failure and Asano still needed to be put in his place.


    Asano was dead but that did not have to be the end. The astral space had no god of death to guide the soul into the astral; it would have to slowly drift into the Reaper¡¯s grasp on its own. That gave the Builder a window to act.


    As it considered this, Asano¡¯s combat robe vanished. A glow lit up from within his body, which started radiating heat. The Builder felt the surge of a familiar power and was filled with a fury that no mortal, even one as frustrating as Asano, could engender.


    ¡°World-Phoenix.¡±


    The Builder abandoned its vessel which fell to the ground, an abandoned puppet.


    Along with the permanent guard contingent, the guards of the Geller Estate included elites from the family itself. Basic duties were a core part of the Geller training ethos, teaching both diligence and humility. Humphrey had spent time guarding the estate, as had his mother before him, and he would be assigned to do so again in the future.


    When Clive¡¯s portal appeared in the atrium of the Geller Estate¡¯s main house, the two Geller family guards went on alert. Clive heard this as he stepped through the portal, glanced around and found the pair of bronze-rankers pointing weapons at him inadequate to his needs. Humphrey followed him out of the portal and waved down the guards.


    ¡°Young Master Humphrey!¡±


    Clive casually fired a blast from his staff into the high ceiling. It left spiderweb cracks in the magically-reinforced glass of the atrium skylight, but it was the secondary effect he had wanted to trigger. Sounds of alarm rang out around the estate.


    Humphrey¡¯s sister, Henrietta, had been on guard duty outside and rushed in with the first wave of respondents, spotting Humphrey.


    ¡°Hump!¡±


    She didn¡¯t get the chance to talk as more people poured in, both guards and Geller family members, ready to fight. Humphrey and Henrietta were trying to calm things down when Danielle arrived in a blur, her conjured dimensional blade ready at hand. Her eyes went wide on seeing her son.


    In the midst of the commotion, Clive¡¯s voice cut over the noise, its fierce and commanding timbre startling those who knew him.


    ¡°Lady Geller,¡± he barked. ¡°Gather the strongest force you can immediately muster and teleport them to the portal arch under the lake.¡±


    Not waiting for a response, Clive stepped back through the portal, completely disregarding the chaos left in his wake.


    Humphrey looked between his mother and the portal.


    ¡°What he said,¡± Humphrey added. ¡°Seconds matter.¡±


    He followed Clive back through the portal. As the passage of four bronze-rankers was the limit of Clive¡¯s portal, it closed behind him.


    The ghoul had no memory. It barely had a sense of self at all. Its body was still strong but it felt weak. It knew it should be much stronger. It knew that it was dying. More than anything else, it knew hunger.


    Hunger was the ghoul¡¯s identity. Hunger was its purpose. It opened its eyes and pushed itself to its feet. There was a body on the ground, rich with power but burning with a heat it that every instinct told it to run from. Run it did, feeling the magic around it, looking for sustenance.


    There was much activity, but the ghoul paid it no mind. It cared only for magic that it could feed on, which was not present within the teeming throng fighting around it. Empty vessels made of stone and false souls in bodies filled with worthless magic were of no use to it. The only true souls were tainted and poisoned.


    Spreading its senses further, it detected pristine souls far above it. It turned its gaze upward, only for those souls to vanish, one by one. The ghoul let out a roar of frustration.


    ¡°Lord Builder?¡±


    The ghoul turned to face the person talking at it. It was one of the worthless, tainted souls.


    ¡°No,¡± the tainted soul. ¡°Thadwick?¡±


    Some murky thought fought its way clear of the hunger consuming the ghoul¡¯s mind. This tainted soul¡¯s name was Timos. It didn¡¯t matter, since it could not sate the ghoul¡¯s hunger. The tainted soul scrambled away and the ghoul let it go. It was neither obstacle nor sustenance, leaving the ghoul¡¯s mind the moment it was out of sight.


    The ghoul picked up on something else. Something distant but rich and incredibly potent. Even far away it could smell it. It set out at a loping run. None of the things around it challenged it, rather scrambling to get out of its path.


    Clive paced back and forth in front of the portal as he waited, the passage of every second an interminable wait. Danielle had mustered a small army of bronze-rankers, who appeared around the portal arch. She had also dragged along another silver-ranker, her husband, Keith. She took in the open portal, the bedraggled state of the team and immediately spotted the absence.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Jason?¡±


    ¡°He held back the Builder so we could get clear,¡± Clive said, already striding toward the arch. ¡°The rank-gate on the portal is gone. Follow me.¡±


    Neil moved into step with Clive and they went back through the arch. Humphrey was the only other team member with the mobility to go, but held back, face filled with anguish. He knew he would be more liability than asset until the after-effects of the potions he had taken passed and he could replenish his mana and stamina.


    Danielle threw him a glance, seeing his nod before leading her people through after Clive. Henrietta approached Humphrey as the others passed through the portal.


    ¡°What happened to Clive?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The same thing that happened to all of us,¡± Humphrey said darkly.


    The Geller force emerged on the tower top from the rigged portal Clive had set up for the team¡¯s escape. The tower was some thirty storeys high, further up than any of them had expected and higher than most of them had ever been.


    Clive had already reached the edge of the tower drawing out a magic circle with one hand as he perused a book held in the other. While his spirit attribute reaching bronze had a positive effect on his already prodigious memory, there were far more rituals than he could ever memorise. This included the slow-fall ritual he drew out, which took the form of a floating ring as it was completed, hovering off the edge of the tower.


    ¡°Everyone who doesn¡¯t have a flight or slow-fall power, use this,¡± he announced to the group, then leapt off the tower and through the ring. Neil didn¡¯t hesitate to follow.


    Danielle rushed to the edge of the tower, looking down. At the base of the tower was a wild battle of constructs and macabrely altered people, akin to those she had fought in the desert astral space. It was all contained within a wall that ringed the tower.


    Her people followed, with her husband joining her at the edge of the tower.


    ¡°There are silver-rank monsters down there,¡± her husband said, prompting her for direction. ¡°What did we send our boy into?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go find out,¡± she announced loudly, then jumped through Clive¡¯s magic ring.


    An unattended soul was a greater bounty than the ghoul could ever have expected, let alone one so powerful. It floated around a sword in a block of crystal that the ghoul ignored, interested only in the transcendent light of the soul. It plunged itself into that light, which soaked into it like rain on desert earth, sating an insatiable hunger and bringing forth a grand transfiguration.


    The ghoul¡¯s ruined body was not just replenished but transformed, bursting with strength and saturated with magic. Even so, the miraculous effect on its body paled in comparison to the changes affected on its soul.


    The Builder¡¯s power had hollowed out Thadwick¡¯s soul like a termite colony in a rotten log. What remained was an empty shell, broken and helpless. Feasting on that powerful soul instigated a powerful change, making whole what first the star seed and then the Builder itself had ruptured.


    It was not a restoration of the soul. The result was not Thadwick; not as he had been. It was a new beast, something powerful and voracious. The wreckage of Thadwick¡¯s body, mind and soul was the foundation from which it built itself. The body and soul were reconstituted, the brain still holding Thadwick¡¯s memories. It also held a few scattered fragments left behind by the Builder¡¯s alien and unfathomable mind.


    As the last of the soul was consumed, the object it had been encapsulating remained. On a plain, stone plinth was a sinister black and red sword, encased in crystal. As the last skerrick of soul vanished, tiny cracks started appearing in the crystal, glowing red and leaking wisps of black smoke.


    The intervention of the Geller force eventually brought the wild chaos to order. Danielle dispatched people to open the gates and give an outlet for the frenzied monsters to stampede out of. The blank-faced converted that had once been Purity priests were now macabre monstrosities and were cut down, while the cult¡¯s constructs were shattered to pieces. There were no surviving cultists, all either dead or fled by the time the Geller¡¯s arrived.


    Danielle went over to where Clive and Neil were standing, numb, some distance from Jason¡¯s body. There was no question of its state, with death offering no dignity. The fall had been unkind, as had the stone spikes impaling his body.


    They could not get close, even to cover the body, because of an intense heat radiating from it. It was lit up with an internal glow, as if a fire were burning inside it. Bizarrely, it even affected Henrietta, whose fire essence gave her a power that should have shielded her from heat strong enough to melt stone.


    ¡°Any sign of the Builder?¡± Clive asked, not looking away from Jason. He was a little too close, the heat leaving his face glistening with sweat, but he didn¡¯t move.


    ¡°No,¡± Danielle said. ¡°You said he¡¯s in Thadwick¡¯s body?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Neil said. ¡°We only saw him briefly, though, and he was barely recognisable. I think the Builder¡¯s power left him more dead than alive.¡±


    ¡°If he¡¯s here, we¡¯ll find him,¡± Danielle said. ¡°How stable is that portal, Clive?¡±


    ¡°Intractable,¡± Clive said. ¡°It would be harder to close than it was to open.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let your people just run off exploring, though,¡± Neil said. ¡°This place has dangerous secrets, and the monsters have grown stronger.¡±


    ¡°What is that fire?¡± Clive wondered aloud, eyes still locked on Jason¡¯s corpse. ¡°Did the Builder do something to Jason¡¯s soul?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll figure it out,¡± Neil said, moving closer to put a hand on Clive¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We won¡¯t let this stand. We¡¯ll find a way to¡­¡±


    Neil trailed off as wispy, rainbow smoke started rising up from Jason¡¯s body, which dissolved away completely in short order. All that remained was a horrid stench and the lingering heat.


    With the dissolution of Jason¡¯s body, there was nothing else binding the team to the astral space and they were portalled back to Greenstone. In the wake of the astral space being opened, the site of the portal arch below the lake became a hub of activity, even more than when Emir, Clive and his people were trying to open it.  The astral space was a realm of dangers and opportunities to be explored.


    A few days after the portal had opened, more people arrived at the bottom of the lake to find everyone there dead. Especially concerting was that there were two silver-rankers among the fallen. In response, the three gold-rankers present in the city were dispatched to investigate.


    Emir arrived, along with Rufus Remore¡¯s parents, Gabriel and Arabelle. The pair had remained in Greenstone to help Rufus launch the Remore Academy Training Annex. The last member of their old team, Cal, had departed Greenstone months earlier.


    ¡°Have you ever seen bodies like this?¡± Emir asked Arabelle. She was a healer and more familiar with various forms of death than the other two. The corpses looked normal to ordinary vision, but to magical senses they seemed desiccated and drained, so bereft of magic that they were like holes in the ambient magic around them.


    ¡°Energy vampire,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°A strong one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to Hester about portalling Cal back here,¡± Emir said. ¡°We¡¯re going to need him if we¡¯re going to hunt this thing.¡±

 Chapter 260 (interval): Lessons

    Asano was dead but that did not have to be the end. The astral space had no god of death to guide the soul into the astral; it would have to slowly drift into the Reaper¡¯s grasp on its own. That gave the Builder a window to act.


    As it considered this, Asano¡¯s combat robe vanished. A glow lit up from within his body, which started radiating heat. The Builder felt the surge of a familiar power and was filled with a fury that no mortal, even one as frustrating as Asano, could engender.


    ¡°World-Phoenix.¡±


    The Builder abandoned its vessel which fell to the ground, an abandoned puppet.


    On another world, a diamond ranker stood in the throne room of an imperial palace. His name was Shako and he had pale, freckled skin, wild red hair and eyes so brightly green they almost seemed to glow. Those eyes glared down at his descendants, the imperial family sprawled on the floor in supplication. There was no sign of the arrogance that had forged an empire planet-spanning empire.


    The elaborate throne of gold and ivory was empty. The emperor was on his hands knees with the rest of the family, at the feet of their ancestor. Outside, the fires of rebellion were burning the imperial city to the ground.


    ¡°Ancestor,¡± the emperor begged, not daring to raise his eyes from the floor. ¡°Please reawaken the guardian golems, we beg you.¡±


    Shako had not needed to draw breath for centuries, yet he did so in order to sigh at the people arrayed before him.


    ¡°When I bestowed the golems on your ancestors, you were warned,¡± Shako said. ¡°Their purpose was to protect the dynasty, not as a tool of conquest. If used as such, then their power would be spent in the hour of greatest need. They were a gift from Builder, for assisting him in claiming the astral spaces of this world. But this gift was a shield, not a sword.¡±


    ¡°We were foolish,¡± the emperor beseeched. ¡°Please, reawaken the golems and we will only use them as you have proscribed in the future. We have learned our lesson!¡±


    ¡°If I did so,¡± Shako said, ¡°then the lesson you learn will be that you can ignore the correct path because I will step forward to correct your mistakes. Your lesson is to be found with the armies outside. It will come at the hands of a world full of essence users you oppressed with the power you were given.¡±


    ¡°Ancestor, I do not think that any of us will survive this lesson. Our diamond-rankers have abandoned us or even turned against us. Our enemies have put up a barrier that we cannot portal out of and only the relics you left behind have allowed us to hold out this long. If you cannot save our empire, then at least save our lives. Only your might can take us away from this place to safety.¡±


    ¡°When I was a boy,¡± Shako said, ¡°our family were not kings but farmers. We understood that the seed you plant is the crop you harvest. You have sown the seeds of discord, fury and retribution. Now the harvest has come, the yield is heavy, and there is no one to blame but yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Ancestor,¡± the emperor said, finally looking up. ¡°Will you truly let your bloodline die?¡±


    Shako laughed coldly.


    ¡°Is that what you were relying on? That I would not let my bloodline expire? You are not my only descendants in on this world. You are merely the ones that sought to leverage our connection to aggrandise yourselves instead of accomplishing anything on your own. My blood flows all across this world, in families that have heeded my lessons and treasured my gifts, instead of squandering them in pursuit of decadence and unearned glory. Many of them are even outside, leading the charge. They do not know that their revered ancestor is the same one their oppressors have used to justify their tyranny.¡±


    Shako spat on the floor in front of the emperor.


    ¡°You have disgraced me. Used me as a banner under which you performed atrocity after atrocity. You beg me to act but I assure you, you would have nothing but regret if I did. It would not be to save you but to scourge you, in ways even the armies baying for your blood would balk at.¡±


    Shako¡¯s gaze turned to the empress. Through her aura he sensed her steeling herself and she rose to her feet, raising her eyes with determination.


    ¡°Ancestor,¡± she pleaded. ¡°At least take the children. They are not to blame for the sins we have committed and are still young enough to learn better. Let the rest of us die, if you must, but do not make them pay the price for the transgressions of their forebears.¡±


    ¡°Wife,¡± the emperor snarled, looking up at the empress.


    ¡°No,¡± she shot back. ¡°There is no saving us, husband. Do not be blind now, at least. At the end.¡±


    The emperor opened his mouth to speak but did not as Shako¡¯s aura fell on him like a boulder. Shako stepped up to the empress, who matched his gaze, even as her aura wavered fearfully.


    ¡°That figures,¡± Shako said. ¡°The only person to show moral responsibility is the one that married into the family. It seems that the ability to grow a spine has been weeded out of my bloodline. Very well, Empress. I will take the children, and you. It is time this family learned the lessons of being farmers once more, so farmers you shall be. Of course, there is nowhere in this world that your name is not hated. You will have to hide it, lest anyone learn whose blood you are, for they will surely spill it. You will have enough to get by, and no more. There will be those who can teach you the ways of the land. I will visit in a few generations and see how you have done.¡±


    Shako waved his hand and the empress vanished, along with the children gathered in the back.


    ¡°Ancestor¡­¡± the emperor managed to choke out. Shako ignored him, tilting his head as if listening to something.


    ¡°I have duties,¡± Shako said. ¡°You have woven your own fates and I shall intervene no more. Thank you for reminding me of the other relics I left behind, Emperor. I shall take them with me.¡±


    Shako vanished, the hope of his descendants vanishing with him.


    Physical realities existing within the astral came in vastly differing sizes. At one end of the scale were sprawling universes that spanned hundreds of billions of galaxies, existing for so long that they were, by most practical measures, eternal. At the other end were small, astral proto-spaces, flickering into being only to disappear again just hours later.


    Size was largely a good determinate of how long a physical reality would last. There was, however, a physical reality that was barely the size of a small sun, yet had been in existence longer than most universes. This reality was a single, flat plane. It had no sun and no stars, containing only one thing: the city world of Interstice.


    Interstice was, as far as anyone with the power to check was aware, both the oldest and largest metropolis in existence. Oceans had interlinked, artificial islands with magical batteries charged by the great waves. Mountains were hollowed out, volcanos turned into foundry cities. Intelligent species of every stripe could be found, in jungles dotted with grand ziggurats, connected by magical skyways passing over the trees. Underwater cities connected by glass tunnels, with magical subways running not just on the floor but on the walls and ceilings of the tunnels as well.


    There was no sun, yet there were days. No moon, yet there were tides. Climate affected not just weather but gravity. It was a realm of impossibilities that some called the capital city of the cosmos.


    There were administrators in Interstice, but no rulers. When the great astral beings had business in a physical reality, this was the physical reality they used. In the face of that, who would be so bold as to claim to be anything but a caretaker? It was a place where the most powerful mortals in existence vied for the chance to be servants.


    One of the many city-regions of Interstice was the island Glim. An artificial island, it defied the equatorial heat of its location to be made almost entirely of ice. The ground and buildings were all crafted from ice stained in rainbow colours, extending high above and deep below the surface of the water. The magical ice did not chill the bones and did not melt. The only cold it radiated was just enough to cool the tropical heat to a pleasant warmth.


    Shako arrived via dimensional teleportation in the submarine bowels of the city, deep below the surface. He appeared in one of several portal squares that existed for the purpose. The local authorities noted arrivals and made various checks before allowing them into the city proper.


    Portalling into just any region of Interstice was frowned upon and magically obstructed. Shako was powerful enough to circumvent such measures but had no reason to do so. He flew into the air toward a shaft in the ceiling, stopping at the checkpoint building affixed to the ceiling.


    As he was a resident, a diamond-ranker and a favoured servant of the Builder, the civil authorities did little more than note Shako¡¯s arrival as he passed through the checkpoint. They delayed him no more than required to give a respectful welcome before he flew into the shaft and toward the surface. Emerging into open sky, Shako flew up and over the city. Glim¡¯s buildings of colourful, shimmering ice were a kaleidoscope under the clear blue sky.


    At the very heart of Glim, as was the case with many city-regions, were the districts claimed by the great astral beings. The great astral beings could no more visit Interstice than they could any other physical reality, with their servants and agents being the ones to occupy the space. Each astral being that wanted one had their own territory, with the districts forming a ring around a shared communal district in the middle.


    The Builder¡¯s district had the most varied and outlandish building designs as the Builder was not to be outdone on architecture. Shako had the finest residence in the Builder¡¯s district, making it one of the most impressive, if least subtle homes in the entirety of Interstice.


    Shako did not head for home, instead heading for the border where the communal district met the Reaper¡¯s district. The Reaper¡¯s territory was marked by buildings whose ice was shaped and shaded like dark glass to look like towers of delicately-carved obsidian.


    He alighted on the ground at the border of the Reaper¡¯s territory and went into a large, dark building. In the atrium, blue light shone through windows of ice, lighting up the dark, glassy walls. People moved out of his way as he moved to the man sitting behind a desk.


    ¡°Master Shako, sir,¡± the man greeted.


    ¡°The Builder wishes to speak,¡± Shako told him.


    ¡°The Reaper has anticipated this, Master Shako. Master Velius is waiting in the dome chamber.¡±


    Shako raised an eyebrow, but did not enquire further.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, and rose up into the air.


    There were elevating platforms but Shako flew directly up and into a shaft in the high ceiling. There were magical barriers between each floor of the building but they vanished to admit Shako as he ascended all the way to the top. The shaft opened into a room that took up the entire top floor of the building, covering a dome of glassy ice. It was a pleasant lounge area with rich but understated d¨¦cor. More used to the Builder¡¯s indulgent opulence than the Reaper¡¯s preference minimalism, Shako found it rather plain. A man got out of a chair to greet him, offering him a friendly smile and a hand to shake.


    ¡°Velius,¡± Shako greeted warmly. ¡°It¡¯s been too long.¡±


    ¡°It has,¡± Velius agreed. He was a tall celestine, with dark skin and a bushy mound of curly, silver hair that matched his eyes. ¡°You¡¯ve been back to your home, right? Are your family still ruling that world you¡¯re from?¡±


    ¡°For the moment,¡± Shako said. ¡°And I do mean moment. There¡¯s a horde at the gate situation.¡±


    ¡°Ah. They took something you gave them and got carried away?¡± Velius asked.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Velius nodded sympathetically as he waved Shako into a comfortable lounge chair before sitting back down himself.


    ¡°I had similar problems,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s almost a rite of passage for diamond-rankers. Did you decide to help them out or leave them to their fate.¡±


    ¡°They needed a lesson they were not going to get from me.¡±


    ¡°Very wise,¡± Velius said. ¡°I made the mistake of getting my descendents out of trouble again and again. That just made them worse and worse every time, until I just had to wash my hands of them entirely. I check on them every century or so, now, to see if any of them are still around. They were purged pretty thoroughly once I withdrew my protection.¡±


    ¡°I decided to protect the children,¡± Shako said. ¡°Take them away, get a fresh start. Humble beginnings.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Velius said. ¡°You know, we should write a book. A guide to the newly diamond-rank. A lot of them have never even left their own worlds before. I was like that and could have really used the advice. We could get together with some of the others, make a list of all the things we did wrong.¡±


    ¡°Not a bad idea,¡± Shako said. ¡°I know a couple of¡­¡±


    He broke off mid-sentence.


    ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± he said. Velius nodded and both their auras underwent a change as their respective great astral beings inhabited them.


    ¡°I know why you¡¯ve come,¡± the Reaper said through Velius. The rich, warm tone of Velius¡¯ voice became cold and bleak as it spoke the Reaper¡¯s words. ¡°The answer is no.¡±


    ¡°Asano is dead. He should stay dead.¡±


    Shako¡¯s voice was heavy but clipped as the Builder spoke through him.


    ¡°I agree,¡± the Reaper said, ¡°but he carried the World-Phoenix¡¯s token. Those pacts are older than you and I will not violate them for your childish indulgence.¡±


    ¡°I am not a child,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°Are you not?¡± the Reaper asked. ¡°You play around in mortal affairs like a child with toys. You have not been mortal for so very long, now. The rest of us grow tired of waiting for you to realise that and act with decorum appropriate to your station.¡±


    ¡°What is the point of being what we are if we allow ourselves to be bound by petty rules?¡±


    ¡°We are the rules,¡± the Reaper said. ¡°To deny them is to deny ourselves.¡±


    ¡°We could be so much more,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°More?¡± the Reaper asked. ¡°You have built a world that you might play god, when being a god is so far beneath you.¡±


    ¡°Gods belong to one, meagre planet, which they share,¡± the Builder said. ¡°I will be worshipped by an entire universe. I will be great astral being and god both, becoming more than either. A god beyond gods.¡±


    ¡°Good luck with that,¡± a female voice came drifting through the room, accompanied by the arrival of a potent presence. The World-Phoenix¡¯s vessel was also a celestine, like the Reaper¡¯s, but with alabaster skin and ruby hair. Her expression more alive than the blank faces of the other vessel¡¯s, with a teasing smile and an amused twinkle in her red, gemstone eyes.


    ¡°World-Phoenix,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Why are you here?¡±


    ¡°I requested her attendance,¡± the Reaper said. ¡°I wish to settle things now before you make foolish decision that will force the hand of the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Your unbecoming obsession with mortal concerns is beneath us,¡± the World-Phoenix said as she joined the others in sitting down.


    ¡°You are the one who gave Asano a token. He¡¯s your outworlder.¡±


    ¡°I did not make Asano an outworlder,¡± the World-Phoenix said. ¡°That was happenstance. I simply gave him a gift as his soul passed through the astral.¡±


    ¡°This is the correct way to intercede in mortal affairs,¡± the Reaper told the Builder. ¡°If you want a tree, plant a seed. Do not send an army to transplant it for you.¡±


    ¡°How I conduct my affairs is my business,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°Yet you came here to ask the Reaper to interfere in mine,¡± the World-Phoenix said.


    ¡°The dead are his concern,¡± the Builder said. ¡°What right have you to claim them?¡±


    ¡°And the integrity of dimensions is mine,¡± the World-Phoenix said. ¡°Remember that it is only with my permission that you can conduct your little game, and remember well the conditions I have placed upon it.¡±


    ¡°I remember,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°Do you?¡± the World-Phoenix asked. ¡°You have already pushed things to the limits of my tolerance. Gods are beings of singular planets, yet you gave one the means to interfere with not just another world, but another reality. I only stepped in because you have pushed conditions to the breaking point. Your divine accomplice has made a mistake that threatens to blow a giant hole in the side of a physical reality, taking an entire planet with it. That, in turn, could threaten the integrity of the reality as a whole. An entire universe, not even fourteen billion years old. I provide someone with an actual chance to rectify the situation and not only do you not thank me, but you come here and try to stop him?¡±


    ¡°You really think Asano can accomplish anything?¡± the Builder asked.


    ¡°He stopped you,¡± the World-Phoenix said. ¡°He¡¯s becoming a pleasantly effective little seedling.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t stop me. That was the ritualist.¡±


    ¡°It was, wasn¡¯t it? The Celestial Book wanted me to remind you about proportionality, by the way. The ritualist is one of his, and one that he has high hopes for. He will not tolerate you sending some gold-ranker to kill the boy out of spite.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so petty as that,¡± the Builder said and the World-Phoenix laughed. Even the impassive face of the Reaper was tinged with scepticism.


    ¡°You are literally here because you want revenge against one mortal,¡± the World-Phoenix said. ¡°You were not raised up from mortality yourself in order to reign over those you left behind. You need to turn your attention to the higher concerns for which you were brought up to attend.¡±


    ¡°I was not raised up,¡± the Builder said. ¡°I took this power for myself.¡±


    The World-Phoenix and the Reaper shared a glance.


    ¡°Of course you were,¡± the World-Phoenix said.


    ¡°I asked the World-Phoenix here to discuss a compromise,¡± the Reaper said.


    ¡°Why bother?¡± the World-Phoenix asked. ¡°We both know that he won¡¯t learn until he crosses a line and faces the consequences.¡±


    ¡°I think we can all agree it would be better if it did not come to that,¡± the Reaper said. ¡°I have terms that may not please either of you, but should, at least, be tolerable.¡±


    ¡°Speak your terms, then,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°Builder,¡± the Reaper said, ¡°you will be forbidden from interference of any kind with Asano¡¯s birth world. You will send no people, recruit no followers and produce neither star seeds nor tokens.¡±


    ¡°That is no concession,¡± the World-Phoenix said. ¡°Asano¡¯s world is unstable enough. He already knows that if he intervenes further I will intervene far more directly.¡±


    ¡°A price, at this point, he might be willing to pay,¡± the Reaper said. ¡°This will be a formal pact, with all the consequences of breaking it that would entail. Further, his intercession in the other world will be curtailed.¡±


    ¡°I already have plans in motion,¡± the Builder said. ¡°You have no right to interfere.¡±


    ¡°And you shall not be restricted from carrying them out,¡± the Reaper said. ¡°But no new star seeds, no new tokens, and no more vessels. You will withdraw from your existing vessels and unmake all the unused seeds and tokens. That means the world itself, along with any attached astral spaces.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s barely a concession either,¡± the World-Phoenix said. ¡°He has already made star seeds fall onto that world like rain drops. His invasion will not need more of them.¡±


    ¡°What do I get for these concessions?¡± the Builder asked.


    ¡°The World-Phoenix will offer Asano a power. It will aid him in the task ahead, but at a cost: No more resurrections. No force shall return him from the dead again. Not his soul entering a physical reality as an outworlder or any other force. When he dies, he dies.¡±


    ¡°If he reaches the upper ranks,¡± the World-Phoenix said, ¡°that would leave him vulnerable compared to other essence users who could be brought back with gold and diamond-ranked essence magic. The power I offered in return would have to be formidable to be worth the trade. It would also be incumbent upon him to accept it. Even we cannot reshape a soul without permission.¡±


    ¡°It can be powerful, but only in such that it is a tool for completing the task that lays before him,¡± the Reaper said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough,¡± the World-Phoenix said. ¡°You wish me to trim my own tree and credit the Builder for trimming he has already finished?¡±


    ¡°I will make a concession as well,¡± the Reaper said.


    ¡°Why?¡± the World-Phoenix asked. ¡°What concern is any of this to you?¡±


    ¡°Asano has died twice already. It concerns me that you would find a way to bring him back again and again until you are done with him. If you make him an outworlder countless times over, you make a farce of my role.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the Builder,¡± the World-Phoenix said. ¡°I do not play callous games with the rules.¡±


    ¡°I also have some gratitude to Asano,¡± the Reaper said. ¡°He and his companions gave final release to a number of souls that had been trapped. Many of them were my people. I am not opposed to helping him face the challenges ahead.¡±


    ¡°Favouritism,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Asano has one of your shadows chasing him around.¡±


    The Reaper gave a brief, fatherly smile.


    ¡°Of all my children, Shade has ever followed his own path.¡±


    ¡°What is this concession you¡¯ll make?¡± the World-Phoenix asked the Reaper.


    ¡°Asano is going to need a companion he can trust for the tasks ahead. Where he is going there will be those that have his trust and those that have the knowledge and power to help him. There will not be anyone with both of things, but I can provide such a person.¡±


    The World-Phoenix narrowed her eyes. ¡°You¡¯re talking about another outworlder.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How is that acceptable?¡± the Builder asked. ¡°I came here asking you to leave a soul where it belongs, and not only do you refuse me, but offer to take another one out?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Reaper said.


    ¡°Why would I agree to any of this?¡± the Builder asked.


    ¡°Because the next time you kill Asano,¡± the Reaper said, ¡°he will stay dead.¡±


    ¡°Still not enough,¡± the World-Phoenix said. ¡°This outworlder. I¡¯ll agree if we bestow blessings to evolve her racial gifts. All her racial gifts.¡±


    ¡°Each of us can only advance one power,¡± the Reaper said.


    ¡°Which the three of us will,¡± the World-Phoenix said. ¡°We also convince three more to do the same.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s outrageous,¡± the Builder said. ¡°Why would I participate in this?¡±


    ¡°To demonstrate to the others that you are anything more than a selfish child in dire need of being admonished,¡± the Reaper said. ¡°Do not forget how your position amongst our number became available.¡±


    The Builder looked at the Reaper for a long time before speaking.


    ¡°Very well,¡± the Builder said finally. ¡°I agree to the terms.¡±


    ¡°As do I,¡± the World-Phoenix said. ¡°I will remind you again, Builder, that Asano¡¯s world is already off-limits to you.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°See that you remember,¡± the Reaper said. ¡°If you violate the World-Phoenix¡¯s conditions, you will be censured.¡±


    ¡°I said that I know.¡±


    ¡°You are known for saying one thing and doing another,¡± the Reaper said. ¡°It¡¯s very mortal of you.¡±

 Chapter 1: Strange Business

    Jason woke up naked, face down in the grass. That was not how he expected to wake up, having gone to sleep in his own bed and his own Darth Vader boxer shorts. From the feel of cool grass on his unmentionables, he had been removed from his bed and shorts both. The last thing he recalled was doing what he did most nights; playing video games until he got tired and fumbling his way into bed.


    The grass he woke up on was weirdly comfortable; a dense bed of lush green softness. It wasn¡¯t like any grass he had encountered before, which was a little unusual. His father was a landscape architect, and Jason had grown up learning more about grass than he ever wanted. Mostly because it was the only escape from his mother¡¯s Japanese lessons.


    Jason rolled himself over and sat up. He was feeling very odd, beyond just the circumstances. It wasn¡¯t a bad sensation, more like waking up after a really long sleep. There was the lingering sopor, but also a feeling of refreshed energy. He ran a hand over his head, only to be startled to realise his hair was missing.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    He felt about his head with both hands, but his head was balloon smooth. He made a quick check with his eyes and hands, realising there was no hair at all. No eyebrows, nothing on his chest, or arms, or¡­ other places.


    ¡°I thought it was meant to look bigger when you trimmed.¡±


    He pushed himself to his feet and started assessing his environment. Casting his gaze to the sky, the sun was high and the air was warm. It was unbroken blue, the blazing orb burning away so much as the merest hint of cloud. Sunburn, more than cold, was likely to threaten his exposed extremities.


    Looking around, he was boxed in between two long, tall hedges. Looking up and down the dead-straight lane, it seemed to turn at sharp right angles in either direction. The lane itself was wide and grassy, with plenty of room for unconscious sprawling. The hedge walls were meticulously trimmed.


    After an unhappy glance down at his bald, naked body, he set off at random to explore. He quickly discovered he was in a hedge maze, the living walls having been cultivated to almost twice Jason¡¯s height. Jason¡¯s first thought was to climb one to get a better sense of his location, but a closer examination of the hedges changed his mind. Instead of the usual boxwood, the hedges were something very prickly, and he was very naked. He looked up and down the path he was on, with neither way looking any better than the other.


    ¡°What the bloody hell is going on?¡±


    As if in response to his question, something appeared in front of him. It looked like a touch screen, floating in the air, disembodied. He reached out to touch it with an experimental finger, the screen shimmering as his finger passed straight through.


    ¡°Hologram?¡±


    He looked at the ground and the nearby hedges for some kind of projector, but as he started moving, the screen followed. There was text on the screen, which he started reading.


    New Quest: [Stranger in a Strange Land]


    You have awoken in a place you do not know. Explore the area to discover more.


    Objective: Explore the hedge maze 0/1.Reward: Simple pants.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    He looked around, suspiciously. He even carefully probed the pointy foliage of the hedge walls, looking for hidden cameras. Looking up at the sky, he didn¡¯t spot any camera drones. What he did notice was the moon, pale and easy to overlook in the daylight. Then he noticed another moon.


    ¡°That can¡¯t be right.¡±


    Jason looked down, at the floating screen, then back up at the sky. Still two moons.


    ¡°Am I going nuts?¡±


    Jason sat down on the grass, unsure what to do. He kept glancing up at the sky and the extra moon. In front of him, the screen still waited patiently.


    ¡°This is crazy. I mean, a quest? I¡¯m not a level 1 sorcerer.¡±


    Another screen appeared next to the first.


    Jason Asano


    Race: Outworlder.Current rank: normal.Progression to iron rank: 0% (0/4 essences).


    Attributes


    [Power] (no essence): normal.[Speed] (no essence): normal.[Spirit] (no essence): normal.[Recovery] (no essence): normal.


    Racial Abilities (Outworlder)


    [Interface].[Quest System].[Inventory].[Map].[Astral Affinity].[Mysterious Stranger].


    Essences (0/4)


    No Essence [No Attribute] (0/5)


    No Essence [No Attribute] (0/5)


    No Essence [No Attribute] (0/5)


    No Essence [No Attribute] (0/5)


    ¡°Is this a character sheet? Am I meant to understand any of this?¡±


    He shook his head in bewilderment.


    ¡°It could have at least gone with a game system I know.¡±


    He looked over the screen again.


    ¡°Map,¡± he read, latching onto something familiar. ¡°I know what maps are. How do I see the map?¡±


    A new screen obligingly appeared, but as the third screen, the space in front of him was getting crowded. He absently thought it would be convenient for the other screens to close, which they immediately did.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s good.¡±


    Things were getting harder to explain away, even ignoring the extra moon. Some kind of voice-command hologram was implausible, but not impossible. Mental command holograms were something else entirely.


    ¡°I¡¯m becoming increasingly concerned.¡±


    Hoping it wouldn¡¯t work, he started experimenting. He was able to open and close any of the windows with a simple thought.


    ¡°Maybe you¡¯re unconscious,¡± he reassured himself. ¡°Maybe you have a brain tumour and you¡¯re in a hospital somewhere. Or passed out on the floor. Hallucinating in an asylum. A nice one, with a big garden. But no hedge maze.¡±


    He closed his eyes with a groan. ¡°How is this the way I¡¯m trying to comfort myself?¡±


    He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly before opening his eyes again. The screens were still there, waiting.


    ¡°Just go with it, I guess,¡± he told himself. ¡°Reserve judgement until more information is available. That¡¯s the rational approach.¡±


    He turned his gaze back to the map floating in front of him. It looked like a map from any video game, complete with a location listing.


    Zone: Vane Estate (Hedge Maze).


    Also like a video game map, it was mostly obscured. The only unveiled portion was the small section of the hedge maze he had already explored. He tried moving the map with mental commands, finding he could zoom it in and out as easily as he could open and close the disembodied screens.


    Zooming all the way out he reached a world map that looked both familiar and unfamiliar. Although the details were obscured, he could make out the outline of the continents. Disturbingly, they weren¡¯t quite the same as the ones he knew. South East Asia was a singular landmass, pushing Australia south and east where it looked to have consumed New Zealand. The Iberian and Arabian peninsulas were missing entirely, leaving Africa wholly disconnected from Europe and Asia. Sri Lanka was further south and several times larger, making for a huge land mass in the middle of the Indian Ocean.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not what the world looks like. Lax cartography?¡±


    According to the map, Jason was in south-west Africa, somewhere around inland Namibia. He looked at the rich, green hedges boxing him in. Felt the lush grass under his feet. He felt the hot, but not dry air on his skin.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t feel like the Kalahari Desert.¡±


    He sighed, closing the map.


    ¡°This is some strange business.¡±


    He pulled up his character sheet again.


    Racial Abilities (Outworlder)


    [Interface].[Quest System].[Inventory].[Map].[Astral Affinity].[Mysterious Stranger].


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t my race be human? What¡¯s an outworlder?¡±


    Jason half expected another screen to appear, but nothing did, so he started looking down the list.


    ¡°Interface seems obvious. Quest system too, I guess. Inventory?¡±


    A window appeared, dominated by an almost empty grid of icon slots. There were five spaces down and eight across, for a total of forty. There was also what looked like a currency counter at the bottom.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s certainly a classic inventory,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can I really put stuff in here?¡±


    There was one item in the inventory, occupying the first slot. It was some kind of red icon, presumably representing an actual item.


    ¡°Alright, Jason. Time to see how nuts you¡¯ve really gone. How do I get this thing out?¡±


    After some quick trial and error, he discovered it was a simple as plucking the icon straight out of the screen. The icon vanished and the item appeared magically in his hand. a medallion the size of his palm. It looked and felt like polished red marble with gold engravings on both sides. It was pleasantly warm to the touch. On one side the engraving was a picture of a fire bird, while the other had symbols reading ¡®Authority of the World Phoenix.¡¯


    ¡°Well, that just magically appeared out of thin air,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s definitely not possible. Wait, why can I read this? I never even learned Japanese properly.¡±


    Jason¡¯s father, Ken Asano, was born in Japan, but raised in Australia from a very young age. Proving there is no zealot like a convert, Ken was all about the Australian lifestyle, from pub rock to footy matches and weekend barbecues. He fell right in with the family of his wife, Cheryl, who were as Australian as he could ask for. Miners and farmers, tracing their bloodline back through bushrangers, convicts, and indigenous Australians. Ironically, Cheryl was the one fascinated with Japan, trying to engage her children with their father¡¯s cultural heritage. Despite very strong support from her mother in law, results were mixed.


    Jason tried putting the red tablet back into the inventory. His first attempt was just shoving it into the screen, which surprisingly worked. It vanished from his hands and reappeared as an icon.


    ¡°That¡¯s disconcerting.¡±


    Jason¡¯s grip on reality was feeling increasingly tenuous. The screens were definitely odd, but could conceivably, if implausibly, be the product of hidden hologram projectors. It was when they started responding to his thoughts that he started to get worried, and now he was pulling objects out of thin air. He closed the inventory and pulled up his character sheet again. Next down the ability list was the map, which he¡¯d already looked at, then astral affinity.


    Ability: [Astral Affinity]


    Increased resistance to dimension effects and astral forces. Dimension abilities have increased effect and transcendent damage is increased.


    ¡°No idea what that means.¡±


    Only one ability remained.


    Ability: [Mysterious Stranger]


    Language adaptation.Essence, awakening stone and skill-book absorption.Immunity to identification and tracking effects.


    ¡°Language adaptation? Is that how I read the weird writing on the tablet?¡±


    He took the tablet out again.


    ¡°What is this thing?¡±


    Item: [World-Phoenix Token] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    ???. (consumable, ???).


    Effect: ???.Effect: ???.Uses remaining: 1/1


    ¡°Question marks. That¡¯s enlightening. Do I have to pay a wizard to identify items?¡±


    He put the tablet away, closing all the open windows except for the map.


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± he said, looking up and down the pathway he was on. Neither offered anything to recommend it over the other.


    ¡°It¡¯s no yellow wood,¡± he told himself, ¡°but I guess it¡¯s time to Robert Frost this thing.¡±


    He picked a direction at random and set off.


    ¡°I really wish I had clothes on.¡±


    Jason was walking through the maze, the map open in front of him. It was being unveiled as he walked, so his current plan was to reveal enough that he could plot a way out. He froze when he heard a rustle in the hedges.


    ¡°Um, g¡¯day?¡± he called out, hands moving to nervously hide his unmentionables. ¡°Hello? Buenos d¨ªas? Guten morgen?¡±


    There wasn¡¯t any response.


    ¡°Maybe it¡¯s not morning. Guten tag?¡±


    There still wasn¡¯t any response.


    ¡°Yeah, Jason; that was the problem. You got the time of day wrong.¡±


    He shrugged.


    ¡°Makes as much sense as anything else here, I guess.¡±


    He was about to resume walking when a window appeared.


    New Quest: [No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service]


    For unknown reasons, your immediate area has become infested with lesser monsters.


    Objective: Discover the reason lesser monsters have infested the area 0/1.Reward: Simple shirt.Bonus Objective: Defeat ten lesser monsters 0/10.Reward: Simple footwear.


    ¡°Monsters? That doesn¡¯t sound plausible.¡±


    He was looking around suspiciously when something small came hurtling from the bottom of a hedge. His hands shot back over his privates, which left his head an exposed target. He was blinded by something latching onto his face, something sharp digging painfully into his scalp. He yanked it off with both hands, screaming as a chunk of skin went with it. He dropped to his knees, slamming the thing into the ground, over and over until it stopped struggling.


    You have defeated [Potent Hamster].Defeat lesser monsters 1/10.


    Jason released the creature and scuttled back, still on his hands and knees. His heart was racing, the wounds on his head throbbing. Blood was trickling down his face and he wiped it away from his eyes.


    ¡°What in the merry hell is happening? How did a hamster jump on my head?¡±


    Jason looked over at the creature. According to the window that popped up it was some kind of hamster, but was easily as big as Jason¡¯s head. That made it bigger than any hamster he had heard of. It was distended from being pounded into the dirt, as well as streaked with blood from Jason¡¯s head. He crawled forward cautiously, ready to jump back. Extending a hesitant finger, he poked at it.


    Would you like to loot [Potent Hamster]?


    Jason rocked back, hands clutching his bald head. His fingers found the wound and he yelp in pain.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡±

 Chapter 2: Of Course Magic is a Thing

    Jason read the screen again.


    Would you like to loot [Potent Hamster]?


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    The body of the dead creature made a fizzing sound, like a rapid chemical reaction. The body started rapidly melting, first the flesh, then even the skeleton, dissolving into rainbow-coloured smoke. It seemed pretty until it hit Jason with a stench thick as cheese, like burned hair and rotting meat. He scrambled away to escape the rancid smell, dry heaving on all fours. Looking over as he hacked out coughs, he saw the creature¡¯s body had vanished, as if never existing at all. He ignored the window that popped up, dropping onto his back in the soft grass.


    ¡°I hate this,¡± he told the sky. ¡°I¡¯m naked, bleeding, and have no idea where I am. I can¡¯t think of any better explanation for what¡¯s happening than I¡¯ve lost my bloody mind. Worst of all, I¡¯m going to get sunburnt in places that don¡¯t see a lot of outdoor activity.¡±


    He sat up with a groan, reading the screen waiting for him.


    [Monster Core (Lesser)] has been added to your inventory.[Healing Unguent (Iron)] has been added to your inventory.10 [Lesser Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    ¡°Oh, straight into the inventory. That place that lets me make things appear and disappear. I¡¯ve definitely gone insane.¡±


    Now familiar with opening and closing the screens, the inventory window appeared with a simple thought. Two more of the forty grids were now occupied with little icons, while what appeared to be a currency counter had the number ten listed over one of the coin symbols.


    Jason took out the item called healing unguent.  It was a small, round tin, reminding Jason of the nasty rubbing medicine his nanna would put on scrapes when he was a kid. At least this tin wasn¡¯t rusty, like the one that had been under Nanna¡¯s laundry sink longer than Jason had been alive. Nanna was his maternal grandmother, while his father¡¯s mother was strictly Grandmother. She was a retired otorhinolaryngologist, and had no truck with rusty tins of ointment.


    He took a closer look at the tin in his hand.


    Item: [Healing Unguent (Iron)] (iron rank, common)


    Topical healing ointment. Inexpensive concoction ideal for superficial injuries (consumable, healing).


    Effect: Apply directly to injuries to heal. Effect reduced on bronze-rank or higher individuals.Uses remaining: 5/5.


    Unlike the tablet, the magic screens had no problem identifying the tin. Jason pulled off the lid to discover it really did look and smell like the ointment under Nanna¡¯s laundry sink. There was a sharp, medical smell that cut through even the lingering stench of the dead creature. As for the contents, it was an oily substance that looked like butterscotch sauce made from dubiously-sourced ingredients.


    ¡°How did I get ointment from a hamster? How did it come in a tin?¡±


    With an exploratory finger he gently prodded the wound on his head.


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    The oversized hamster teeth had dug into his scalp. The blood was still running down the front and side of his head.


    ¡°Can¡¯t hurt to try, I guess. At least there¡¯s no hair to get in the way.¡±


    He took some of the ointment and smeared it carefully onto the wound, which immediately started to sting.


    You have used [Healing Unguent (iron)].Uses remaining: 4/5.


    The stinging faded away rapidly, the pain from the wound itself quickly following. Jason delicately poked the affected area, but while it was still wet with blood and ointment, he could find no trace of the injury.


    ¡°Sure,¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯re going to have medicine appear out of thin air, why not make it magically potent.¡±


    Jason placed the tin back in his inventory and pulled out the other icon. What appeared in his hand was a small, red-brown gem, in the shape of a teardrop.


    Item: [Monster Core (Lesser)] (iron rank, common)


    The magic core of a lesser monster (crafting material, magic core).


    Effect: Common component for ritual magic and magic item creation.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s for magic rituals. I¡¯m apparently in a video game, now, so of course magic is a thing.¡±


    Jason sighed as he put the monster core back in his inventory.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯ve had an aneurysm and this is just my dying brain trying to sort things out as it shuts down.¡±


    He thought about that for a moment. His sister would be the one to find his body. She¡¯d have her little girl in tow, coming to see Uncle Jason.


    ¡°Wow. I¡¯m actually hoping this whole, horrible experience is real. That¡¯s the way, Jason. Indulge the delusion.¡±


    Jason looked at the coin counter in his inventory.


    ¡°How do I take that out?¡±


    He tried tapping on the number.


    You have 10 [Lesser Spirit Coins]. How many would you like to withdraw?


    ¡°Um. One, I guess.¡±


    A coin appeared in Jason¡¯s hand. It was a washed-out blue colour, with a metallic sheen but feeling more like glass to the touch.


    Item: [Lesser Spirit Coin] (iron rank, common)


    An impure distillation of raw magic. (currency, crafting material).


    Effect: Used to fuel lesser-rank magic items or as a ritual component.


    Jason peered at the figure embossed on the coin. Looking closer, it was an image of Jason himself, giving a thumbs up.


    ¡°What?¡±


    He turned the coin over to look at the other side, which was engraved with text.


    PRODUCT OF JASON


    G¡¯DAY, MATE!


    He ran a hand over his face. Somehow the coin itself was more ridiculous than the fact that he pulled it out of thin air.


    ¡°I¡¯ve definitely gone insane.¡±


    When the slippery creature latched its teeth onto his inner thigh, Jason yelled as much out of panic as pain. He still had no pants and that was much too close to the danger zone. He grabbed the long, slippery body, gripping down hard and yanking it off his leg. He screamed again as it took a chunk of thigh with it but kept his grip and started flailing the creature into the prickly hedge.


    You have defeated [Flying Eel].Defeat lesser monsters 9/10.


    Jason dropped to the ground, pulled out a jar of healing unguent and started rubbing it on the wound, ignored the blood coming out of it.


    ¡°Why can an eel fly?¡±


    He looked down at the wound, high up the inside of his thigh. The eel had taken a decent gouge out of him, so the stinging lingered as the wound slowly closed. Even so, the ability to watch an injury vanish in front of his eyes was amazing. After nine encounters with different creatures, Jason had plenty of chances to see it, going through almost three full tins of the unguent. He used a full tin from one fight alone, against something called a malicious hedgehog.


    One pleasant discovery was that he didn¡¯t have to stand in the stinking smoke that came off them after they were looted. So long as he touched the creature he could back away before accepting. Even as he was far away from the dissolving creature, the loot went straight into his inventory. The only problem was that any of the creature¡¯s blood that got onto him would dissolve away as well, giving Jason a full dose of the stink.


    Every creature Jason looted gave out one lesser monster core and exactly 10 spirit coins. Most also produced additional, often nonsensical rewards. Tins of healing ointment were mercifully common, but mostly he received animal parts. That would have been understandable enough, given that he was killing creatures, but they arrived in his inventory already cut and packaged. The bundle of spines he received from the malicious hedgehog were bound with string, while the meat of the tyrannical pheasant came neatly wrapped in deli paper. The animal parts were all listed as crafting materials, some of which seemed to be for cooking. While he did enjoy trying new food, he wasn¡¯t quite ready to put monster meat on his plate.


    While he waited for the wound to heal, he checked the map again. He had a decent-sized chunk of the hedge maze mapped out now, but it was quite large and he¡¯d met a lot of dead ends. He plotted out his next pathway and set out again.


    There was a flower growing in the middle of the pathway. Everywhere else Jason had been, there was only uniform hedges and neatly-cut grass. He watched it from a safe distance, but to all observation it was just a plant. Jason moved forward cautiously, eyes glued to the flower. He gave it as wide a berth as he could, but just when he thought he had passed without incident, the flower twitched, spraying spores all over him.


    He got dizzy and fell to the ground, then felt something on his leg. A vine with a bulbous head had grown out of the ground near the flower stem, and was now winding its way around his leg. He tried to kick away, but his head was swimming and he flailed ineffectually. The vine kept growing, crawling up his body. The bulbous head of the vine opened up, clamping onto his head like a lamprey.


    Jason clenched his teeth, fighting through the haze with anger. He reached down, grabbed the vine with both hands and started hauling on it. The ground under the flower bulged, soil spilling away as a grotesque shape emerged from the earth. It looked like a root vegetable, but was the size and shape of a baby. The vine was attached to it¡¯s stomach like an umbilical cord, while the flower grew out of its head. Jason let go of the vine, crawling over to the main body and grabbing it in both hands. He lifted it up, then brought it down on his knee, smashing it again and again.


    ¡°People. Are. Vegetarians,¡± he yelled through gritted teeth. Every word punctuating a strike to the knee. ¡°Vegetables. Aren¡¯t. People-tarians!¡±


    With a final shout he brought the creature down on his knee with all his strength. The plant monster broke apart like a potato dropped off a building and hitting concrete.


    You have defeated [Carnivorous Mandrake].


    Quest: [No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service]


    Bonus objective complete: Defeat ten lesser monsters 10/10.[Simple Footwear] has been added to your inventory.Primary quest objective still available.


    Taking the footwear out of his inventory he discovered it was a pair of sandals. Although the thick grass was pleasant underfoot, Jason still put them on. That left him standing naked except of a pair of sandals.


    ¡°I think I might hate this place.¡±

 Chapter 3: Local Cuisine

    Jason frowned at the object in his hand. The carnivorous mandrake proved to be the most generous monster thus far in terms of loot, producing not only an extra tin of the precious healing unguent, but also something new.


    Item: [Trowel of the Blood Cult] (iron rank, uncommon)


    A gardening implement enchanted to affect certain kinds of plant. (tool).


    Effect: Improves health of carnivorous plants.


    The trowel looked rather sinister, made out of some kind of black metal with a red sheen. It carried the wear marks of having been used as a planting tool, but also a razor edge that was wholly unnecessary for gardening purposes.


    ¡°Blood cult?¡± Jason read unhappily from the item description. ¡°Who gardens with an evil trowel? Whose hedge maze is this?¡±


    Not having anything better, Jason kept the sharp trowel in hand, on the ready for more monsters. After checking his map again he set off, weapon in hand. Still naked aside from a pair of sandals, he was very careful about where he held it.


    Jason looked at the well. It was a circle of bricks, the mortar aged and crumbling. There was a wooden bucket and crank, both weathered with age. It was the kind of rustically picturesque feature he could imagine someone putting at the centre of their hedge maze.


    Quest: [Stranger in a Strange Land]


    Objective complete: Explore the hedge maze 1/1.[Simple Pants] have been added to your inventory.Quest complete.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason gave a fist pump and took the pants out of his inventory. They were made of plain white linen, with billowy legs and a very low crotch fit, held up by a drawstring.


    ¡°It¡¯s like a Mennonite made some hammer pants. Did I wake up in 1991 rural Pennsylvania?¡±


    Putting aside fashion concerns, Jason slipped the pants on, walking around experimentally They were sufficiently roomy that it didn¡¯t feel much different to walking around without them..


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose I can get a quest for some boxer shorts?¡±


    He waited hopefully for a few moments, but no window appeared.


    ¡°Worth a try.¡±


    After being attacked by so many creatures, Jason was a mess of blood and ointment, even if the wounds had been healed. The result was the white pants being immediately stained red and unguent-yellow.


    With his nudity concern ameliorated, Jason was able to turn his thoughts to other aspects of his situation. He sat down on the edge of the well to think over his next move.


    The things he was experiencing were clearly impossible, which broadly placed him in one of two situations. One, his faculties were significantly compromised and his understanding of what he was doing was massively detached from the reality. Brain trauma, hallucinogens, some kind of severe mental break. His knowledge was too shallow and his observation point too subjective to make any definitive assessment. To the best of his understanding, though, none of those options made sense. He was too lucid, too capable of critical thinking. His consciousness wasn¡¯t skipping around, glossing over the inconsistencies of a compromised mental state. That being said, his understanding of mental conditions was essentially nil, so that might be what crazy felt like from the inside.


    The big point going for the mental-impairment hypothesis was that the alternative scenario required Jason¡¯s most fundamental understandings of reality to be somewhere between woefully incomplete and breathtakingly wrong.


    Either way, his only real option was to get on with it. If it was all in his head, then it didn¡¯t matter what he did. Inversely, if it was real, and he ran around acting like it wasn¡¯t, the consequences could be dire. He took a deep, calming breath.


    ¡°Alright, Jason¡± he said, steeling himself. ¡°What¡¯s next?¡±


    Sooner or later he would need to find his way out of the maze, but the fact that his quest ended on reaching the well implied there was something special about it. He started by examining the wooden frame which had a simple crank and rope to lower a bucket, along with a little wooden roof to shield the mechanism from the weather. It only seemed to have worked to a degree, with the rope and bucket both looking the worse for wear. The brickwork was likewise dilapidated, with mortar crumbling at the touch. He stuck his head over the well to look down. To his surprise, iron rungs had been affixed to the inside of the well, leading into darkness below.


    New Quest: [Secrets of the Well]


    You have discovered a ladder descending into the well. Do you have the courage to explore the depths?


    Objective: Explore the well 0/1.Reward: Awakening stone.Bonus objective: Don¡¯t die 0/1.Reward: Essence.


    ¡°Don¡¯t die? What kind of quest objective is don¡¯t die?¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Forget that.¡±


    Reject quest [Secrets of the Well]?


    Jason was about to reject the quest when he heard voices coming from somewhere close within the hedge maze.


    ¡°I tracked the aura of the mandrake that took my trowel,¡± a gravelly male voice said. ¡°Someone had already killed it and my trowel was nowhere to be found.¡±


    ¡°Someone with those adventurers we caught?¡± another man asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care who they¡¯re with,¡± the first voice said. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill ¡®em, cook ¡®em and eat ¡®em.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to try some of that elf girl, but the mistress said we¡¯re keeping them all for the sacrifice. Bloody waste, if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°Nah, elves ain¡¯t good eating. Not much meat on them, and what¡¯s there is all stringy. That human girl, she¡¯s the one you want. Lean and tender.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Dougall; she looked pretty tough to me. And we always have humans. I just want a little variety, is all.¡±


    ¡°Well, this lot is all spoken for, regardless.¡±


    Ducked down behind the well, Jason didn¡¯t let out a breath until the voices faded into the distance. He ignored the fact that they were talking about elves in the face of a casual discussion on the pros and cons of eating people. Was that real, or just a couple of guys with a weird sense of humour?


    ¡°Cannibals?¡±


    He gave it some consideration. Normally cannibals would be right at the top of the crazy pile, but the day Jason was having, it was at least a familiar horror. Then he considered it some more and started climbing down into the well.


    ¡°What kind of lunatic place is this?¡±


    Jason was not happy with his options. A quest with the explicit objective of ¡®don¡¯t die¡¯ wasn¡¯t great, but wandering blindly through a maze with cannibals roaming about struck him as an even worse option. What was he going to do? Fight them off with their own trowel? There were two of them, and they were a lot bigger than a tyrannical pheasant. It might have been an evil monster chicken, but it still barely came up to his waist. Even then it got some savage pecks in. He didn¡¯t have a weapon, so he had to get in behind, reach around and savagely choke the chicken with both hands.


    Jason started reconsidering his choice to go down the well when only the second rung down shifted in his hand. It was set into the brickwork at the top, the shaky mortar apparently ready to give way. Then he thought about himself hanging from a butcher¡¯s hook and kept going.


    ¡°Going down a creepy well or dodging cannibals,¡± he muttered unhappily. For what felt like the hundredth time he wondered where he was, what was going on and what evil prick dumped him naked, right in the middle of it. The well was quite deep, judging from the diminishing light coming from above. He kept a careful grip on the cold metal rungs as the interior of the well became dank, the sides slick and wet.


    ¡°I¡¯m definitely getting Legionnaire¡¯s disease.¡±


    The light did not penetrate far down the narrow well, and Jason was soon moving entirely by feel. He descended cautiously, each foot carefully seeking out the next rung down. He would occasionally glance up at the shrinking blue circle that was all he could see of the sky, reassuring himself it was still there.


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re not really cannibals,¡± he told himself. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re just talking themselves up.¡±


    Unconvinced, he kept moving down into darkness, barely able to make out his hand on the rung in front of him. He discovered he had reached the bottom when his foot met water instead of the next rung. Some experimental probing revealed it was ankle deep, enough to submerge his sandals in the icy cold. The bottom of the well was flat, but as it turned out, just as slippery as the walls. His feet slid out from under him and only his hands still gripping the rungs saved him from bashing his head against the side of the well. He ended up sprawled at the bottom of the well, dank water joining the blood and ointment in staining his new pants.


    ¡°Lovely.¡±


    The advantage of his low perspective was that he found himself looking directly at a slightly darker circle in the wall of what was already a very dark well. He reached out tentatively and found it was a hole, large enough to crawl through. He didn¡¯t know if it was the source of the well¡¯s water or some kind of drainage tunnel.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m definitely not interested in crawling in there.¡±


    Reject quest [Secrets of the Well]?


    ¡°Sod off.¡±


    Jason looked up again at the bright circle of sky, then the dark circle of the tunnel. With a groan, he started probing the pitch-black hole with his hands.

 Chapter 4: Cannibals and Spelunking

    Jason slowly crawled his way into the dank tunnel, a circular pipe of wet and slimy brickwork. It was wide enough to push himself along, but tight enough that he was pressed against the clammy sides. The darkness engulfed him as he moved away from what meagre light reached the bottom of the well. Edging down the tunnel, touch was the only sense with which he could navigate. With the ubiquitous smell of wet rot, he wished his nose was as useless as his eyes.


    ¡°This is not what I planned to do with my day.¡±


    If it turned out to be a dead end, he would be forced to shimmy backwards, the tunnel far too tight to turn around.


    ¡°Admittedly, my plans for the day were fairly loose, but cannibals and spelunking aren¡¯t things you just casually slide into the schedule.¡±


    Talking to himself didn¡¯t help much, but any distraction was a welcome bulwark against the encroaching claustrophobia. The gloom of the well had seemed stifling, but the dark of the tunnel was much deeper. He felt panic¡¯s icy fingers crawl over his flesh as the tunnel closed in on him. He knew it wasn¡¯t actually getting smaller, but his rationality seemed powerless in the cold, wet oblivion.


    His unravelling nerves were reaching their limit . He was ready to start pushing his way back and risk the cannibals when his hand came down on slimy, wet wood instead of slimy, wet brick. There was still no light, so he probed with his hands. He had reached the end of the tunnel, but had no idea what kind of space it opened into. He had a feeling of open space, but in complete darkness it could well have been his imagination.


    His hands felt out some kind of platform made of wooden planks. It was wet and a little slimy, although it felt reliably solid under Jason¡¯s hands. The surface of the wood was rough, like sandpaper. Some kind of long-enduring adhesive had been used to apply sand or something similar, improving friction on the wet planks. Jason had seen something similar on bushwalking tracks. Feeling around as he crawled free of the tunnel, he felt the planks were lined up to make a walkway, a metre and a half wide.


    It felt like there was enough room to stand, but even with the sand coating he didn¡¯t trust the slick wooden path in the dark. He continued forward as he had in the tunnel, hands exploring in place of his eyes. Just a short way down the path he found a vertical metal rod sticking out the walkway, at the edge to his left. His hands traced the shaft upwards to a hooked end, from which was hanging some kind of metal box with a loop on top.


    Item: [Crude Magic Lamp] (iron rank, common)


    A simple lighting device fuelled by low-level magic. (tool).


    Effect: Casts light.Current charge: 00%. Requires a [Lesser Spirit Coin] to replenish.


    Jason tried using the glowing window as a light source, but even hard up against the lamp it failed to produce so much as a murky outline. Jason fumbled about to unhook the lamp from the pole.


    You have acquired [Crude Magic Lamp].Current charge: 00%. Requires a [Lesser Spirit Coin] to activate.Expend 1 [Lesser Spirit Coin] Y/N?


    ¡°Please and thank you.¡±


    As the lamp lit up, Jason discovered the hard way that he had been holding the front of it pointed directly into his face. He screamed as light blasted into his eyes, dropping the lamp from his hands. It clattered away as he fell back onto the wooden pathway, moaning with hands over his eyes.


    ¡°Good job, genius,¡± he croaked, waiting to recover. ¡°Light a lamp right in front of your face. Real smart idea.¡±


    He tentatively opened his eyes and saw the space around him illuminated from somewhere below. The light was largely obscured, but compared to complete darkness, even some shadowy outlines were bliss. It was at least enough to recognise that he was in a natural cavern. It didn¡¯t have the conveniently smooth floors of a video game cave, which was presumably why someone had put in the walkway, raised on thick wooden posts. Jason was already laying on the walkway, so he rolled over to reach down and fetch the lamp from where it had fallen. The walkway was only about an arm¡¯s length above the cave floor, so he fetched it up easily enough.


    Jason pushed himself to a sitting position and examined the lamp, careful not to blind himself again. As the name suggested, the crude magic lamp was a simple affair, looking rather like a miner¡¯s tin lamp. It had three boxy, metal sides, a glass front in a loop handle on the top. Dropping it didn¡¯t seem to have harmed the glass at all. Inside, the light came from what looked like a round stone, glowing like a light bulb. Using the lamp to get a better look at the cave, it was spookier than Jason would have liked, with plenty of dark crevices and ominous shadows.


    ¡°Hello?¡± he called out. Between the racket he had made and the light of the lamp, there was little point trying to hide from any denizens occupying the cave. The quest drove him down into the cavern, rather than back into the cannibal maze. He was hoping that meant whatever was at the end of the cave was worthwhile. A pirate ship filled with enough treasure to stop the local country club from foreclosing on the family home would be ideal. He would be willing to accept someone who doesn¡¯t eat people.


    ¡°Is anyone down here?¡± he asked. ¡°If you want me to kill ten goblins in return for an uncommon spear, I¡¯m only really equipped for light gardening.¡±


    He thought about the evil trowel, now ready at hand in case of sudden attack.


    ¡°It could be evil gardening.¡±


    Since the beam of the lamp lit up the cave like a lighthouse on a dark night, there was no point being stealthy. His hope was that he could bait out whatever creatures were lurking into the light. They would probably be adapted to darkness and if he could dazzle them it would at least be some advantage.


    The idea of sneaking through in pitch blackness gave him the feeling that he wouldn¡¯t even know how he died. And ¡®don¡¯t die¡¯ was the bonus objective after all. In video games, Jason was the kind of player who could take it or leave it with secondary goals. In this one instance, his motivation levels had reached a previously unseen zenith.


    He started following the walkway, taking care with his steps. The sand coating had worn away in a lot of places, leaving patches of the wood slick and frictionless, from years in the bleak, damp cavern. The cave turned out to be something of a natural tunnel, rough speaking, through which the walkway followed.


    He made his way slowly and carefully until it came to an end at a brick wall, set into the side of the cave. In the middle of the wall was a hefty metal door with a big wheel set into it, like a bulkhead door on a submarine. Both door and wheel were rusty and didn¡¯t look to have been opened in some time.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re getting somewhere.¡±


    Setting down the lamp, Jason grabbed the wheel with both hands and pulled, but it didn¡¯t budge.


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡±


    He yanked on it harder and harder, until his feet were braced against the door as he hauled sideways with his full body weight. He felt a little give, then a little more, each accompanied by an unwilling metal groan. Finally the wheel jerked loose and Jason could turn the reluctant mechanism with heavy jerks.


    Panting from the exertion, Jason shouldered open the door. Like the wheel it resisted, and he had to shove it open in fits and starts. His shoulder grew sore as he repeatedly rammed it into the door. Finally, the door gave way with a shriek and he stumbled through the door.


    Quest: [Secrets of the Well]


    Objective complete: Explore the well 1/1.[Awakening Stone of the Stars] has been added to your inventory.Bonus quest objective (don¡¯t die) still available.


    ¡°Awakening stone of the stars? Is that like magic version of those celebrity house maps?¡±


    He went and retrieved the lamp from where he had set it down, pulling the object from his inventory. It looked kind of like a fist-sized marble, black, but containing what looked like tiny stars.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of the Stars] (unranked, epic)


    An awakening stone that unlocks the power of the stars. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 0 unawakened essence abilities.You do not meet the requirements to use this item.


    That seemed more complicated than Jason wanted to get to when there was a door right in front of him with the promise of (hopefully non-cannibal) civilisation. The interior was dark, so he stepped inside and started panning the light beam of the lamp. It was a room, thankfully, not just more cave. It was like a large parlour from a stately home, but after a tornado passed through. Furniture was upended, tapestries and paintings ripped down from the walls. Bookshelves had been toppled, their contents tossed around the room. There was an ornate chandelier that had crashed down from the ceiling, scattering shattered crystal across the polished floor.


    Searching through the mess by the light of the lamp, there was an overturned couch in the middle of the room. Under it, Jason found a man unconscious. Heaving the couch off of him revealed that he was sprawled in the middle of an elaborate pentagram, set into the floor in brass or copper. The man was youngish, maybe thirty, clean shaven with an olive complexion and a handsome face. To Jason¡¯s eyes he looked rather Mediterranean. The good-looking kind with the dark wavy hair. Oddly, he was wearing what looked like honest-to-goodness wizard robes.


    Jason set down the lamp to examined the man. He had a strong pulse and regular breathing, but was showing early signs of extensive bruising and his body temperature felt way too high. As Jason was examining him, his eyes flickered open.

 Chapter 6: Potent Potable

    Jason, as a rule, enjoyed waking up. He loved the brief hazy moment between dream and reality, shrouded in warm, soft bedding. Even awaking in the soft grass of the hedge maze hadn¡¯t been an unpleasant experience. It was very different from regaining consciousness at the bottom of a dark well, soaked in filthy water and entangled in the corpse of a dead snake. He ignored the screens that had popped-up while he was unconscious. They shrank away to hover inconspicuously in the periphery of his vision.


    His left arm was pinned under some rubble, a chunk of fallen masonry from the well from above. He didn¡¯t feel any pain from it, which was good, then realised he didn¡¯t feel anything at all from it, which was bad. When he tried pulling it free the pain arrived in full force, his screams reverberating up through the well.


    Holding his left arm as still as he could, he rolled the chunk of masonry off with his right. It wasn¡¯t insurmountably heavy, but he had to hold back more screaming with gritted teeth. He couldn¡¯t examine the freed arm properly in the dark, but it was hot and swollen to the touch. Even probing it gently with the fingers of his good hand sent ripples of pain radiating through it. He was confident it was broken and started carefully applying all the healing ointment he had left. The swelling reduced and the skin cooled, but the arm was still delicate and painful to move. The ointment didn¡¯t seem effective on the bone-deep injury it couldn¡¯t reach.


    There was so much of the snake that he was laying on its dead body rather than the bottom of the well. Jerking his foot free of its coils sent fresh pain spiking through his arm. It took multiple attempts to struggle to his feet, using his good arm to yank himself upright with one of the wall rungs. Each time he achieved some precarious stability, his stomach roiled and he threw up, dropping  back to his knees. Vomit spewed out in fits and starts, even as the motion drove new pain into his injured arm.


    He finally made it to his feet, holding himself up, using a rung for support. He drew ragged breaths, exhausted just from the effort of standing up. For the first time since climbing down the well he was grateful for the cold walls, ignoring the wet as he pressed his back into the cool surface. His head swam, pulse pounding through it like a hammer. His stomach churned with the threat of secondary eruptions.


    It wasn¡¯t the worst he¡¯d ever felt. The worst was after eating one of his Great Aunt Marjory¡¯s casseroles, which led him to taking up residence in his parent¡¯s bathroom for ten hours. For all her efforts to push Jason into the waiting arms of the Lord, the closest she came was food poisoning so bad it had him praying for death.


    Jason looked down at the snake, its incredible length piled up at the bottom of the well. It was big enough that there wasn¡¯t anywhere for Jason to stand except on the snake itself. The largest individual piece of shattered masonry had crushed the creature¡¯s head against the bottom of the well. Either the hefty chunk or the snake itself could have killed Jason, but wild luck led to one danger handling the other.


    He glanced up at the blue circle of sky, uncertain of how long he had been unconscious. He had to decide between climbing back up the well or going back through the tunnel, neither of which seemed easy with a busted arm. He put off the unpleasant choice and looked at the windows he had been ignoring.


    You have defeated [Umbral Mountain Snake].Would you like to loot [Umbral Mountain Snake]?


    ¡°Sure,¡± he said wearily, then froze. Belatedly remembered that monsters dissolved into stinking smoke when they were looted, but to his relief and surprise, that didn¡¯t happen. All he felt was the snake shift a little under his feet. He looked over the list of items he got from the snake.


    [Night Scale Leather] has been added to your inventory.30 [Dark Quintessence Gems (Iron)] have been added to your inventory.10 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Unlike every other monster Jason killed, the snake didn¡¯t turn into a stench cloud and didn¡¯t produce a monster core.


    ¡°I need to learn the rules of this place.¡±


    He took a look at the next screen.


    Quest: [Time to Run]


    Hidden objective discovered: Kill [Umbral Mountain Snake] 0/1.Hidden objective complete: Kill [Umbral Mountain Snake] 1/1.Main objective reward increased from rare magical dagger to epic magical dagger.Objective complete: Escape [Umbral Mountain Snake] 1/1.[Night Fang] has been added to your inventory.Quest complete.00 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    ¡°Hidden objective? I just fell on it; that seems kind of cheap. Wait, why am I complaining? Get it together, Jason.¡±


    He checked the last window.


    Quest: [Secrets of the Well]


    Bonus objective complete: Don¡¯t die 1/1.[Dark Essence] has been added to your inventory.Quest complete.100 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re only going to complete one quest objective, ¡®don¡¯t die¡¯ is a winner.¡±


    There were new items in his inventory, but his only interest was in something that could fix his arm. Looking over the icons in his inventory, nothing stood out. Suddenly Jason remembered the wizard who drank what he called a recovery potion. He looked up at the ladder leading out of the well and realised that between his bad arm and what was probably a concussion, he was more likely to fall back down than reach the top. A return to the tunnel wasn¡¯t an appealing prospect, but at least he couldn¡¯t fall if he was already on his hand and knees.


    The tunnel proved trickier than he hoped, every nudge sending agony through his cradled arm. He had to stop frequently and let the waves of pain subside before moving on. Finally he reached the wooden walkway, collapsing onto his back. There was light, the lamp laying where he had cast it aside in his mad flight from the snake.


    After resting awhile he pushed himself stumblingly upright and started shambling down the walkway, lamp in hand. He moved slowly. He¡¯d learned his lesson about the slippery wood, but also it was the top speed he could muster. Eventually, he reached the still-open metal door.


    ¡°How did a snake get this open?¡±


    He glanced at the wheel mechanism on either side. Part of the wheel was wet with what may have been saliva.


    ¡°Did it use its mouth? No way.¡±


    Not sparing more than a moment on curiosity, he made his way to the desk he had seen the wizard get the potion from. It wasn¡¯t hard to find, being one of the few pieces of furniture not overturned. Jason¡¯s eyes avoided the body still on the floor as he navigated the debris of the trashed room. The drawer was still open, and inside was a small rack for vials like the one he had seen the wizard drink. Only one vial remained and Jason carefully picked it up.


    Item: [Recovery Potion (bronze)] (bronze rank, rare)


    Potent potable with strong healing and mana recovery effects (consumable, healing).


    Effect: Recovers health. Effect reduced on silver-rank or higher individuals.Uses remaining: 1/1.


    The vial was quite small, about the size of a rifle cartridge. Jason pulled out the stopper and tipped it back in a gulp. It tasted remarkably like strawberry schnapps and Jason¡¯s unruly stomach settled the instant the potion arrived.


    ¡°Nice.¡±


    The stinging sensation Jason associated with magical healing started seeping into him, especially his head and injured arm. It was worse than what he had experienced before, whether because of the nature of the injuries or the potency of the potion. It didn¡¯t bother him; compared to the pain he was already in, it was nothing more than a tickle.


    You have used a recovery potion, restoring health, stamina and mana.Until the remnant magic fully dissipates, consuming further health, stamina or mana potions will result in toxic side-effects.By using a potion above your current rank the effect is increased, but the residual magic will take longer to dissipate.


    He lay on the floor taking exhausted breaths. His head was still full of cotton wool, but the constant throbbing was gone. His arm didn¡¯t seem to be broken anymore. The pain was gone and mobility was restored, but it still felt delicate and weak. In the periphery of his vision was a trio of small icons slowly shading over. When he focused on them they grew larger for him to examine. They were all squares with a picture of a potion on each, one red, one yellow and one blue. They were mostly greyed-out, but the grey was slowly dropping off as a timer underneath each counted down, with just under ten minutes remaining.


    ¡°Cooldown timers. That¡¯s fancy.¡±


    He pushed himself to his feet, much easier now than back in the well.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he told himself. ¡°Damaged, but operational. So what next?¡±


    He shone the light around until he found the dead body of the wizard, walking over to look closer. There was an eerie stillness to it that only came from death.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he told it. ¡°I think you might have had it coming, but I didn¡¯t want it to go that way.¡±


    He knelt down and closed its eyes.


    Would you like to loot [Builder Cultist]?


    ¡°What¡¯s a builder cultist?¡±

 Chapter 7: Spoils

    Would you like to loot [Builder Cultist]?


    The idea of rifling through the pockets of a corpse filled Jason with disgust. Would the system just loot the body like it did with monsters? Corpse-robbing was a nasty business, but Jason had no idea what kind of place he was in, or how to leave it without being eaten. He was going need every advantage he could get his hands on. He thought about the snake back in the tunnel.


    ¡°It won¡¯t skin him, will it?¡±


    He took a step back.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Loot the body.¡±


    [Landemere Vane¡¯s Key Ring] has been added to your inventory.[Robes of the Astral Verdict] have been added to your inventory.4 [Gold Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.16 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.138 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.437 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.228 [Lesser Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    ¡°Where were you carrying all that? That''s about eight-hundred coins.¡±


    The robes the wizard was wearing had vanished, although he turned out to be wearing a full set of clothes underneath. Jason pulled the robes back out of his inventory and held them up to examine. They were dark blue, but covered in the blood of their former owner.


    Item: [Robes of the Astral Verdict] (bronze rank, rare)


    Robes designed for summoning. (armour, cloth).


    Effect: Increases the damage dealt by dimension spells.Effect: Summoned creatures have increased damage reduction.Effect: Damage reduction against disruptive-force damage.


    Jason wasn¡¯t ready to wear the clothes he took from a person he killed, especially when they were still wet with his blood. He returned the robes to his inventory and started searching about for something to cover the body. There was a fallen tapestry he dug out and laid over the corpse. Partly he felt it was the decent thing to do. Mostly, he didn¡¯t want the body out in the open while he searched the room, always at the edge of his vision. He needed to find anything he could to aid his escape from this place and its cannibalistic inhabitants.


    He started by examining the magic circle in the middle of the room. It was large, around three metres across, the metal set directly into the floor. The lines were intricate and complex, like someone had started with a pentagram and gotten severely carried away. It was also damaged. Some of the metal had been pried up, other sections warped as if by great heat, although there was no indication of burning anywhere.


    The circle wasn¡¯t useful to him, so he started going through the rest of the room. He starting with the big desk the potions had been in. There were no more potions, but there were a few tins of healing unguent, which he took. Unlike the plain tins he got from monsters, these tins were branded with some kind of logo.


    ¡°Greenstone Alchemy Association,¡± Jason read from the bottom of the tin. ¡°I guess alchemy is a thing, too. Maybe I can pick up a crafting skill.¡±


    The rest of the drawers contained piles of notes and diagrams that seemed related to the magic circle. Oddly, Jason could read the individual words despite never having seen the language before, but they didn¡¯t make any sense to him as a whole. From what he could gather they were on some set of magical principles, as arcane to him as high-end theoretical physics. During his brief stint at university he studied political science. Regular science had never appealed.


    He moved on, searching through toppled bookshelves and overturned tables. There were a variety of what looked like curios and display pieces, mostly tossed to the floor and broken, but nothing useful. He picked up a few of the books, flipping through the pages. There were a lot of them scattered around the room, their bookcases knocked over or even smashed. They seemed to be written in a variety of languages, but Jason had no problems reading any of them. Each new and unfamiliar text came as easy as if he¡¯d been reading it his whole life.


    ¡°That¡¯s a little disconcerting.¡±


    Although he could read the words, that wasn¡¯t the same as understanding it. Every book he picked up seemed to be about magic theory, making them as impenetrable as any advanced textbook from a field he knew nothing about.


    Moving a large, overturned table from where it had been tossed against the wall, Jason discovered a display cabinet with a glass door. Despite the table that had crashed into it, the cabinet was wholly unaffected, the glass remaining clear and uncracked. Inside were four books, each on their own small easel stand. Compared to the other books Jason had found, these looked more impressive, with intricately embossed leather covers.


    Trying to open the cabinet, he found it was locked shut. After a few attempts to break the surprisingly sturdy glass, he remembered the key ring he had looted from the dead body. Pulling it out of his inventory he discovered it was like a dungeon keeper¡¯s key ring from an old movie; a huge array of keys dangling from a large metal hoop.


    Item: [Landemere Vane¡¯s Key Ring] (normal rank, common)


    The keys for various locks throughout the Vane Manor, as well as personal keys for Landemere Vane¡¯s possessions. A mixture of ordinary keys and magical keys. (tool).


    Effect: Open specific locks.


    Jason looked over at the covered body laying on the floor.


    ¡°Was that your name? Landemere Vane?¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°Sorry I killed you, Landemere. But you tried to kill me first.¡±


    He looked away from the covered corpse and focused on the task at hand. The keyhole on the cabinet door was quite small, so he tried the more delicate looking keys until the lock clicked open.


    The cabinet wasn¡¯t very large but there were only four books in the entire case, set out for display rather than efficiency. The embossed leather didn¡¯t have titles, instead bearing patterns like the magic circle on the floor. Jason took out one of the books at random.


    Item: [Astral Magic II] (bronze rank, uncommon)


    A magical book that can impart the knowledge of intermediate level astral magic. (consumable, skill book).


    Requirements: Bronze rank, ability to use skill books, basic ritual magic theory, intermediate ritual magic theory, basic astral magic theory.Effect: Imparts intermediate astral magic theory.You do not meet the requirements to use this item.


    Jason was familiar with skill books from video games that instantly gave out spells or special abilities. He couldn¡¯t try this one because he didn¡¯t meet the sizeable list of requirements.


    ¡°Does that mean I can be a wizard if I find the right book?¡±


    Jason started checking the remaining books. From the descriptions the four books covered two different fields of magic, with one book at basic and intermediate level for each subject. Of the four books, Jason could only use one.


    Item: [Ritual Magic I] (iron rank, common)


    A magical book that can impart the fundamentals of performing magic rituals. (consumable, skill book).


    Requirements: Ability to use skill books.Effect: Imparts basic ritual magic theory.You are able to use skill book [Ritual Magic I]. Use Y/N?


    Reading over the description, he lingered on the requirement of being able to use skill books, which he apparently met. Remembering his character sheet he pulled it up and started looking through the listings under racial abilities.


    Ability: [Mysterious Stranger]


    Language adaptation.Essence, awakening stone and skill-book absorption.Immunity to identification and tracking effects.


    ¡°Language adaptation. Is that why I can read everything?¡±


    The ability seemed to give him the power to use skill books, along with whatever essences and awakening stones were. He looked at the book in his hand. According to its description it would give him knowledge. That meant it would alter his brain, but didn¡¯t his ability to read weird languages mean it was already affected? Was it already affecting his decision making?


    For the time being, he stowed the books in his inventory. He could always look at them later. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything else he could make use of, so he decided to take stock.  He found an undamaged chair and table, setting them up as far from the body as he could. There were a lot of tables for one room, although it was a large room.


    After sitting down, he started pulling out the items he had picked up but not looked at yet, placing them all on the table. He began with the items he looted from the snake. Mercifully, the night scale leather wasn¡¯t as drippy as the snake had been after it was skinned.


    Item: [Night-Scale Leather] (bronze rank, uncommon)


    The skin of an umbral mountain snake. (crafting material, leather).


    Effect: Crafting material for clothing, armour and accessories.


    It was dark and matte, thick and cool to the touch. It was also surprisingly flexible. Like the snake, it was much longer than it was wide,  coming out of his inventory rolled up like a traditional bolt of cloth. It was bound by a length of thick cord.


    ¡°Did I loot the string from the snake too? That¡¯s weird.¡±


    The snakeskin was listed as a crafting material, as was the dark quintessence, which turned out to be small black gems.


    Item: [Dark Quintessence] (iron rank, common)


    Manifested essence of darkness. (crafting material, essence).


    Effect: Crafting material for items with darkness attributes.


    They had the look of uncut gemstones, but the shine of polished onyx. They even came with a pouch to hold them.


    ¡°This is weird.¡±


    The rest of the items he received as quest rewards, mostly from quests he completed by accidentally braining the snake with a chunk of masonry. He thought the night fang would be crafting material like others he had taken from monsters, but it turned out to be a scary-looking dagger. It came in a sheath made of the same night-scale leather, which was also used for the dagger¡¯s grip. It was curved in the shape of a fang, and drawn from the sheath, turned out to be made of bone. It had a wickedly sharp edge, tapering to a point.


    Item: [Night Fang] (iron rank, epic)


    A dagger made from the fang of an umbral mountain snake. The magic of the blade allows it to retain the power of the snake¡¯s poison (weapon, knife).


    Effect: Inflicts [Umbral Snake Venom].Effect: Attacks ignore bronze rank damage reduction and poison resistance.[Umbral Snake Venom] (damage-over-time, poison, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until poison is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    The knife even came with a belt of the same leather but there were no loops for it on Jason¡¯s drawstring pants. He put it back into his inventory, along with the dark quintessence gems and the roll of snakeskin.


    The remaining items were both quest rewards for exploring the well. The awakening stone of stars was a smooth, rounded stone about the size of a fist. There were tiny speckles in the stone that seemed to move as he stared at it, although the effect was slight enough that it may have been his imagination.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of the Stars] (unranked, epic)


    An awakening stone that unlocks the power of the stars. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 0 unawakened essence abilities.You do not meet the requirements to use this item.


    ¡°Essence abilities,¡± Jason read. ¡°Is that like magic powers? If I¡¯m going to be dealing with cannibal wizards, I could use some magic powers.¡±


    The last item was the dark essence. It was a cube about 15cm to a side, with a glossy sheen like polished jet. It seemed to be made of the same material as the dark quintessence, and given the names, he assumed they were related objects. He picked it up.


    Item: [Dark Essence] (unranked, uncommon)


    Manifested essence of darkness (consumable, essence).


    Requirements: Less than 4 absorbed essences.Effect: Imbues 1 awakened dark essence ability and 4 unawakened dark essence abilities.You have absorbed 0/4 essences. Once absorbed, an essence cannot be relinquished or replaced.You are able to absorb [Dark Essence]. Absorb Y/N?


    ¡°Are you what I need to get those magic powers?¡±

 Chapter 8: Dark Magic

    Jason frowned at the description of the black cube in his hands.


    ¡°Dark essence abilities. Sounds a bit sinister. How does that work, exactly?¡±


    Help: Essence Abilities


    Essence abilities are personal supernatural abilities. They come in a variety of forms, including passive abilities, special attacks and spells.Compared to time-consuming and preparation-intensive ritualised magic, most essence abilities can be used spontaneously.


    ¡°Wait, there¡¯s been a help function this whole time? Can you help me get out of here without getting eaten by cannibals?¡±


    You are able to absorb [Dark Essence]. Absorb Y/N?


    ¡°Oh, I see what''s going on here. You want me to accept the dark powers you provided, after following your plan got me here in the first place.  Making it seem like my only way out is to use the dark magic you conveniently provided. Classic seduction of evil routine. You could have at least been a little bit subtle. I think this is the point where you remind me how bad my situation is.¡±


    Zone: Vane Manor (Subterranean Ritual Chamber).


    ¡°Is that snark? Do I have a snarky user interface? Also, I know where I am.¡±


    He scowled.


    ¡°I have no idea where I am.¡±


    He looked at the dark cube he was holding in his hands. Despite the slickly-smooth surface it had no sheen, not reflecting the lamp light at all. If anything, it almost seemed to be absorbing the light.


    ¡°That¡¯s only completely ominous.¡±


    Jason picked up the lamp and panned it around the room. The magic circle, the covered body, the double doors leading into the inevitably perilous unknown. His whole reason for searching the room was to find any advantage before he went through those doors and his gaze drifted back to the cube.


    ¡°Why not?¡± he said. ¡°What¡¯s the point of going to magic land if you don¡¯t get a few magic powers?¡±


    He stood up, took a couple of deep breaths, then picked up the cube.


    You are able to absorb [Dark Essence]. Absorb Y/N?


    ¡°What could possibly go wrong? Don''t answer that, just absorb the essence.¡±


    The cube suddenly turned sizzling-hot in his hand and he dropped it to the floor.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡±


    Dark smoke started rising up off the cube and Jason backed away.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible I made a bad decision here.¡±


    The smoke coming off the cube was rising up in narrow streaks, like black streamers. They twisted in the air, heading in Jason¡¯s direction. He backed away further, but was quickly moving out of the light coming from the lamp he had left on the table. The smoke followed him into the shadows where he could no longer see it.


    ¡°Sure, just get the dark magic powers. Good choice, idiot.¡±


    He felt the smoke reach him because of the same scalding heat he had felt from the cube. He screamed as the black steam forced its way over his face, invading his mouth, nose and eyes. At some point he passed out from the pain, his next sensation being waking up on the floor.


    Sitting up, he probed his face with his hands. The sensation of pain was completely gone and nothing was sensitive to the touch. His eyes seemed fine and he realised he could see the room as if it weren¡¯t dark at all. The colours were a little washed out, but he could clearly see into the parts of the room previously cast in shadow.


    You have absorbed [Dark Essence]. You have absorbed 1 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 25% (1/4 essences ).[Dark Essence] has bonded to your [Speed] attribute, changing your [Speed] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all dark essence abilities to increase your [Speed] attribute.You have awakened the dark essence ability [Midnight Eyes]. You have awakened 1 of 5 dark essence abilities.


    There was a mirror on one of the walls. It was huge, double the size of even full-length mirrors Jason had seen. There was a spiderweb crack coming up from the bottom, but mostly it was fine. He moved over to it, checking his face for burn marks. It was a little hard to tell, under the encrusted blood and tunnel grime, but he appeared unmarked. His eyes weren¡¯t even bloodshot. The rest of him was just as dirty as his face, his skinny frame smeared with filth. The quest reward pants, originally white, were stained to the point that they looked like camouflage.


    It was the first time he¡¯d gotten a look at himself since arriving. He¡¯d been imagining himself looking like an action hero, heading into act three with masculine dirt stains reflecting enemies bested and challenges overcome. Instead he just looked grubby and ragged, the skin visible under the filth pale and taut. His Japanese facial features, inherited from his father, were even sharper than usual, making his face look gaunt. His bald head and absent eyebrows made him look manic and unhinged. His skinny body wasn¡¯t flattered by all the muck on it either, looking less action-movie and more refugee-documentary.


    He sighed.


    ¡°Alright, lets take a look at my shiny new magic power.¡±


    Ability: [Midnight Eyes] (Dark)


    Special ability (perception)Base cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%)Effect (iron): See through darkness.


    ¡°At least it isn¡¯t complicated.¡±


    He looked around the room some more, the shadows no longer hiding anything from him. It wasn¡¯t like a low-light filter, as the lamp didn¡¯t interfere with his sight at all. Its light was more like a beam that brought things into full colour, compared to the muted look of the areas covered in shadow.


    ¡°That¡¯s cool, I guess,¡± he said. ¡°A little disappointing for a magic power, but I guess I¡¯m not getting fireball from a dark essence.¡±


    He looked over at the table and the round stone still where he left it. The magic stone of something-or-other would apparently give him another power, so he walked over and picked it up.


    You have 4 unawakened essence abilities.You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of the Stars]. Absorb Y/N?


    He thought about the excruciating pain that came from absorbing the essence. On the other hand, there didn¡¯t seem to be any after-effects, and he did get a magic power out of it. Before he used it, though, he made some preparations. One of the chairs he had seen scattered around the room was a deep, comfortable-looking arm chair. It was extremely heavy, but he managed to drag it out from under a fallen bookshelf and flip it back upright. It was a huge wooden affair with plush, stitched-in cushioning. He was sick of falling over in pain.


    He sat in the chair, the awakening stone in his hand.


    ¡°Absorb.¡±


    Rather than turn hot and dissolve into smoke, the awakening stone grew cold before growing soft and melting in his hand like ice cream. It seeped into his hand, filling his arm with a bone deep chill that once again left him yelling out in pain. It was not on the same scale as the essence. He kept control of his faculties while frantically shaking an arm that felt like it had been plunged into ice water. Eventually the bone-deep chill receded and the pain passed, leaving him sprawled in the chair, heaving in breaths.


    You have awakened the dark essence ability [Cloak of Night]. You have awakened 2 of 5 dark essence abilities.


    Jason could feel a change within himself. It was something new, yet weirdly familiar, like when he was reading a language he¡¯d never seen before. The power was inside him, as if it had always been there, waiting to be awoken. He knew the power instinctively. It was waiting for him, eager to be used.


    He stood up and moved back to the mirror before using his new power. It responded immediately, as easy and natural as lifting his hand. Dark energy suddenly engulfed his body, hiding his visage in the mirror. It wasn¡¯t disturbing at all, feeling cool and refreshing. The energy coalesced into the form of a voluminous cloak, enshrouding his body and hiding his head within a deep, impenetrable hood. The cloak seemed more like an object of living darkness than fabric, dotted with tiny points of light. They shifted and twinkled, tiny stars in the night sky of the shadowy garb.


    Jason could feel the cloak, not like a piece of clothing, but like one of his limbs. He could feel its power. With a thought, the stars grew brighter to the point that they outshone the lamp. They dimmed until he couldn¡¯t even see himself in the mirror, disappearing into the shadows.


    Ability: [Cloak of Night] (Dark)


    Conjuration (darkness, light, dimension).Base cost: Moderate mana to conjure.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Conjures a magical cloak that can alter the wearer. Offers limited physical protection. Can generate light, or blend into shadows. Cloak can reduce the weight of the wearer for a low mana-per-second cost, allowing reduced falling speed and water walking. Cannot be given or taken away, although effects can be extended to others in very close proximity.


    ¡°Water walking,¡± Jason read. ¡°Now that¡¯s a magic power.¡±


    He looked around the room.


    ¡°That I can¡¯t try out right now.¡±


    He instinctively understood how to use the weight reducing aspect of the ability and hopped lightly into the air. He went up much higher than he normally would and dropped back down much slower.


    ¡°It¡¯s like being on the moon.¡±


    He bounced around the room with a goofy grin on his face until he remembered the dead body.


    ¡°Not the time to be having fun,¡± he scolded himself.


    He experimented further with the magical cloak. He could see through it as if it wasn¡¯t there, so even with his head covered it didn¡¯t obstruct his vision. He could make any or all of it lose physical substance, so if he wanted to grab it he could, or his hand could pass through, unobstructed.


    ¡°Nifty.¡±


    He could make it vanish with a thought and pull it out again, which he tried several times. After the third attempt he suddenly felt woozy and had to sit down. He went back to the armchair and fell into it.


    Your mana is low.


    ¡°I¡¯m out of mana already? Also, I have mana? Is there a mana bar or something?¡±


    Two horizontal bars appeared at the periphery of his vision. One was blue, but mostly empty, while the other was orange and about two-thirds full. Next to them was a silhouette of a person that was mostly green, but the head area and the left arm were yellow.


    ¡°Alright, so the blue bar is mana, the little body is health and the yellow bar is¡­ something?¡±


    Current stamina: 64%


    ¡°Okay, stamina. I think I¡¯m getting a handle on this. I don¡¯t seem to have a lot of mana, though.¡±


    Help: Mana


    Mana is a resource required for many essence abilities. Low mana will lead to mental exhaustion.Maximum mana is based on the [Spirit] attribute. Bind an essence to the [Spirit] attribute to increase maximum mana.Mana recovery is based on the [Recovery] attribute. Bind an essence to the [Recovery] attribute to increase mana recovery rate.


    Jason let out a yawn. He had gone through a lot and his time unconscious was hardly restful.


    ¡°One last thing,¡± he said, pulling one of the skill books out of his inventory. He walked over to the comfy chair and fell into it.


    Item: [Ritual Magic I] (iron rank, common)


    A magical book that can impart the fundamentals of performing magic rituals. (consumable, skill book).Requirements: Ability to use skill books.Effect: Imparts basic ritual magic theory.You are able to use skill book [Ritual Magic I]. Use Y/N?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    The book floated out of his hand and into the air. The cover flung itself open and the writing on it started removing itself from the page, changing from black to gold as the disembodied text floated into the air. The pages started turning, faster and faster, gold text pouring into the air. Turning pages flicked over in a rush as the golden text formed a corona around the floating book. Then the flutter of pages started slowing, until the last page turned and the book fell to the ground, every page blank.


    The cloud of golden text swarmed over Jason like angry fireflies, disappearing into his body as it landed on his flesh with stinging bites. His mind was bombarded with information too quickly to process, leaving it lost and adrift. The pain and disorientation finally passed, leaving him in general control of his faculties, but dizzy and confused. He had no idea if seconds or hours had passed. He was weary to the bone, limbs as heavy as his eyelids.


    Your stamina has been exhausted.


    Unable to keep his head up, he slumped over in the chair, fast asleep. After what felt like no time at all, he was jolted awake by a loud hammering. His head was still hazy, and he shook it clear in time to see two men storm through the now-broken double doors. The one in the lead was holding a hammer, the one behind, a shovel.


    ¡°Uh¡­ g¡¯day blokes. I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s any chance you¡¯re not cannibals?¡±


    The pair scowled, the one with the shovel moving forward as he hoisted it menacingly. Jason scrambled to pull the curved dagger out from his inventory. He used all his knife fighting expertise, which was none, and the shovel slammed into his face.


    Jason dropped the dagger, staggering back with his hands over his nose, blooding spilling between his fingers. The shovel came down a second time and everything went black.

 Chapter 9: Escape

    The circumstances in which Jason regained consciousness were unpleasant for a number of reasons. He was cramped up in some kind of tight space, forced into a foetal position. His head was spinning, and there seemed to be a little man inside it, trying to pickaxe his way out. His nose was congested with what felt like a fistful of bees, and to top it off, he had a sudden urge to vomit. He lay curled up in the constricted space, throwing up on himself.


    As the vomiting subsided he noticed the head section of his health silhouette was now a warning orange.


    ¡°I am getting knocked out way too much.¡±


    He then heard a male voice.


    ¡°He¡¯s woken up.¡±


    Jason''s eyes swam into focus, although they felt puffy and didn¡¯t seem to open properly. He was in what looked like a dog cage, too small to stretch out his limbs. His new ability to see in the dark was intact, allowing him to make out that his cage was on a dirt floor in some kind of cellar. The roof and walls were rough timber, and there was a pervasive smell of damp earth. There were four more cages in the cellar with him, each containing a person. One had a black guy, two had white girls. The last cage was bigger than the others, with thicker bars. Inside was an enormous, impossibly hairy man.


    ¡°A Wookiee?¡± Jason asked deliriously.


    ¡°What¡¯s a Wookiee?¡± the hairy man growled.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the black guy called out to him. ¡°Did they put a collar on you?¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­?¡±


    Jason¡¯s thoughts refused to walk in a straight line.


    ¡°Try and focus,¡± the man said. ¡°Looks like you were hit rather hard.¡±


    Jason ran his fingers over his face, feeling the dried blood thickly caked onto it. He yelled in pain as his fingers brushed against what turned out to be his very delicate nose.


    ¡°Did they put a collar on you?¡± the man asked again.


    Confused, Jason reached up and patted his neck.


    ¡°No,¡± he croaked. ¡°Why would they put a collar on me?¡±


    ¡°To suppress your essence abilities. You can still use them?¡±


    Jason nodded, which annoyed the man in his head who went on a pickaxe frenzy.


    ¡°Ow. Yeah, I can use them, but I only have two.¡±


    ¡°Can they get you out of that cage?¡±


    ¡°One lets me see in the dark and the other makes me sparkle, so probably not.¡±


    ¡°Sparkle?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d show you, but I think I might throw up again. Actually¡­¡±


    Jason vomited again, ending in a coughing fit, after which he passed out again.


    Jason swam at the edge of consciousness, hearing two people talk.


    ¡°He was in the underground ritual chamber?¡± a woman said. It was a controlled, elegant voice.


    ¡°Yes, milady,¡± a gruff male voice replied.


    ¡°You left him in quite a state.¡±


    ¡°Actually, milady, that¡¯s not much worse than how we found him.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t put a collar on him?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Mr. Caruthers only procured the four, milady. For the ones we were warned about.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± said the woman. ¡°Feel how weak his aura is. I doubt he has more than two or three abilities at most. Do you really think he¡¯s the one that killed Landemere?¡±


    ¡°That would be my guess, milady. He had more blood on him than wounds to produce it. He was also locked in the room with the young master¡¯s body.¡±


    ¡°How could he even do it?¡± the woman asked. ¡°He¡¯s so weak.¡±


    ¡°It seems the young master had mostly done himself in, milady. Summoning spell gone awry, from the looks of it.¡±


    ¡°Is that why all those little monsters are running around?¡±


    ¡°It would seem so, milady.¡±


    Quest: [No Shirt, No Shoes, No Service]


    Objective complete: Discover the reason lesser monsters have infested the area 1/1.[Simple Shirt] has been added to your inventory.Quest complete.100 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason stifled a yelp. He had been pretending to be unconscious when a bright blue screen appeared in front of him and his whole body went tense. The pair continued talking, however, as if nothing had happened.


    ¡°So whoever this is got lucky and killed my son when he was at his most vulnerable?¡±


    ¡°Not that lucky, milady. He met me.¡±


    ¡°Just so, Dougall,¡± she acknowledged. ¡°Do we know what Landemere was trying to summon?¡± the woman asked.


    ¡°I had a bit of a potter through his notes, milady. It was one of them entities from beyond the void.¡±


    Jason heard the woman sigh.


    ¡°Astral beings,¡± she muttered unhappily. ¡°I told that boy it would be the death of him.¡± She said. ¡°We¡¯re a nice, traditional blood cult family. This nonsense about ineffable ancients from outside reality was never going to work out. What did you do with Landemere¡¯s body?¡±


    ¡°Mulch, milady.¡±


    ¡°You mulched my son?¡±


    ¡°Well, he won¡¯t be mulched yet, milady. Composting isn¡¯t a quick process. I can fetch him out of the pile if you like, but milord wont be happy. He was quite specific as to the dispensation of the body.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what my stupid husband thinks; he married into the family. This is my manor, my family and we do things the traditional way. Goodness knows what poor Landemere will taste like after having gone in the mulch pile.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll give him a good and proper wash before I bring him into the kitchen, milady.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Dougall. Excellent work, as always. Now, do we know where this man came from?¡±


    ¡°No idea, milady. As you said, he¡¯s too weak to be an adventurer and he wasn¡¯t exactly well-equipped. He did have a good knife, though. Not sure if he took it from the young master, so I put it with the gear we took off these others.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think he¡¯s with them?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t think so, milady. He wasn¡¯t up to much.¡±


    ¡°Did he say anything?¡±


    ¡°I think he might have been about to, milady, but that was when he walked into me shovel.¡±


    ¡°Why did you take his shirt?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have one, milady. Didn¡¯t have the chance to ask why, on account of his walking into me shovel again. Do you want me to send him to the kitchen as well?¡±


    ¡°No. If he really did kill my son, I don¡¯t want him trotting off to death with his soul intact. Put him with the others for the blood feast.¡±


    ¡°Yes milady, although that will be one too many.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the extra blood will be a problem.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about the high priest, milady. You know how he gets.¡±


    ¡°Yes, quite right, Dougall. Very well. Pick out one of the others you like, and keep it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Very generous, milady. I¡¯ll take the elf, if milady had no objections.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure, Dougall? Elves are quite stringy.¡±


    ¡°Derrick was keen to try one, milady. I told him, of course, but you know how young ones are.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± she said. ¡°They never believe you until they suffer the consequences for themselves. Just look where it got Landemere, and my daughter isn¡¯t much better. If it wasn¡¯t for the cult, I swear I never would have had children. Go fetch my idiot son¡¯s body before you take the elf. I don¡¯t want him picking up any more flavour than he already has.¡±


    ¡°Of course, milady.¡±


    The pair left and Jason let out a long breath. He didn¡¯t know who those people were, but he heard enough to know that he wanted the hell out. He manoeuvred about for leverage and tried to force the door with his legs, but it wouldn¡¯t budge no matter how much strength he put into it.


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to work,¡± the black guy told him.


    ¡°Have you got a name?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯m Jason, and just thinking of you as the black guy is making me feel racist.¡±


    ¡°Rufus,¡± the man responded.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you¡¯ve got a better idea, I¡¯m all ears.¡±


    ¡°Afraid not,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Unless you¡¯ve got some spirit coins tucked into those pants, you won¡¯t get it open that way.¡±


    ¡°Spirit coins?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Sure, I¡¯ve got some, but how will that help? I don¡¯t think these cages are coin operated.¡±


    ¡°This guy¡¯s an idiot,¡± one of the women said.


    ¡°Not helping,¡± Rufus said through gritted teeth. ¡°Jason, you don¡¯t happen to have a silver or gold ranked coin, do you?¡±


    ¡°Hang on a sec,¡± Jason said, checking his inventory. There were sixteen silver coins and four gold ones, all looted from Landemere Vane¡¯s body. He took out one of the silver ones.


    Item: [Silver Spirit Coin] (silver rank, common)


    A distilled quantity of raw magic. (crafting material, currency).


    Effect: Used to fuel silver-rank magic items or as a ritual component.Effect: Consume to briefly increase all attributes to silver rank.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said. He had previously examined the lesser spirit coins, which didn¡¯t have an option to increase attributes. He tried to remember if there was a strength attribute.


    ¡°So, I consume this to increase my attributes?¡± Jason said. ¡°Consume, as in, eat?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jason, it¡¯s very easy,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You just put the coin in your mouth. Once you do, you¡¯ll only have a few moments to force open the cage.¡±


    ¡°So these attributes,¡± Jason said. ¡°I assume one of them is strength?¡±


    ¡°The power attribute increases strength,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The coin will increase them all, but only for a very short time.¡±


    Jason placed the coin uncertainly on his tongue, where is dissolved, like a soluble tablet. His body was immediately flooded with a tingling sensation and he felt an immense sense of power. His senses were sharpened. Eyes, already able to see through the dark, suddenly took in everything as if seeing it for the first time. His ears picked up ambient sounds he had previously missed. He could taste the blood, sweat and dirt on the air. It only lasted a fleeting moment before the world went back to normal, suddenly seeming dull and plain.


    ¡°Uh, Jason?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Yes, Rufus?¡±


    ¡°Did you use the coin?¡±


    ¡°I did, yes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to pressure you, but did you, perchance, forget to open the cage?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°I got distracted.¡±


    ¡°This is who you¡¯re relying on to save us?¡± the woman¡¯s voice spoke up again.


    ¡°Still not helping, Anisa,¡± Rufus told her.


    Jason took out a second silver-ranked coin and put it in his mouth. This time, as the sensation of power came over him, he placed his feet against the cage door, easily bracing himself in the tight confines. His feet pushed out with the temporary surge of strength, the hinges on the cage door immediately starting to warp. He pushed harder and the door fell away just as the strength drained out of him again.


    He crawled out of the cage and stood up. Waves of dizziness washed over him and he gripped the cage to stay upright. His body felt weak, even more than it had when he woke up.


    ¡°Are there side effects to those coins?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You used a coin with more power than your body could handle,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It will recover. A little more slowly, having used two of them in quick succession.¡±


    Jason looked over at the other cages, and a screen popped up.


    New Quest: [Escape!]


    You have been trapped in the cellar of the blood cult and you need to get away.


    Objective: Leave the grounds of Vane Estate without being caught 0/1.Reward: Essence.Optional objective: Rescue your fellow prisoners 0/4.Reward: Awakening stone.


    ¡°Good job,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Now you need to find something to get the rest of us out. Giving us some silver coins would work, if you have more. That won¡¯t be enough for Gary¡¯s cage, though. You shouldn¡¯t use more coins yourself until you¡¯ve recovered.¡±


    Jason pulled out the big key ring.


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping this does the job,¡± he said. ¡°Couldn¡¯t reach the lock from inside the cage.¡±


    ¡°Even better,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯d rather not have to fight our way out of here suffering the after-effects of using a coin.¡±


    Rufus pointing to the large, hairy man in the oversized cage.


    ¡°Him first,¡± Rufus said.


    Jason went over to the big cage, getting a better look at it¡¯s occupant. His body was size and shape of a professional wrestler and the parts not covered by his clothes were covered in fur. His head looked like a lion, complete with a glorious mane.


    ¡°So you¡¯re Gary?¡± Jason asked. He crouched down and started trying keys on the lock.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± the big man said. His voice had a deep, growling timbre.


    ¡°I¡¯m Jason,¡± he introduced himself. ¡°You look like Ron Perlman from that old Beauty and the Beast TV show.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what that means,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I¡¯d say good to meet you,¡± Jason said as he continued trying keys, ¡°but the circumstances aren¡¯t terrific.¡±


    ¡°Thanks for not just running off,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°Are you kidding? I need you lot to get me out of wherever it is we are.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in a storage cellar,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I can see that much,¡± Jason said. ¡°I meant this whole place. I have no idea where we are.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Did they kidnap you?¡±


    ¡°Someone did,¡± Jason said. ¡°I woke up in the hedge maze.¡±


    Gary the lion-man¡¯s voice seemed to be growly as a default.


    ¡°Look out!¡± Rufus called out and Jason turned to look around.


    There was a doorway that seemed to lead into another section of the cellar, through which the man Dougall had returned, shovel in hand.


    ¡°Cheeky little sod,¡± Dougall said.


    Jason tried to think quick, but his head was far from in its best state. Shoving the key ring back into his inventory, he got up from his crouch, but was hit by a dizzy spell and stumbled. The shovel came down and everything went black.

 Chapter 10: The Evil Pit of Evil

    Jason was jerked back into consciousness as his body choked out more vomit. His throat seared as his empty stomach tried to cast out what wasn¡¯t there, almost gagging him as it did. His head was filled with stabbing pain and when he opened his eyes everything blurred like he was underwater. The only clear thing was the little silhouette showing his health, the head now a glaring red. His thoughts skittered about like a roach, dashing out of reach as he tried to pin them down.


    Slowly, he came to something approximating his senses. There was a light source somewhere up ahead, but the light it put out was blood red. Otherwise, the tunnel was dark, but his new power allowed him to see through it. He was once again in a cage, but bigger than the last. It was the same kind of heavy cage the lion-man had been in, with thick, heavy bars. Apparently they didn¡¯t want him kicking the door open again.


    His cage was being taken down a wide, stone tunnel. It was more like a train tunnel than a cave, with an arched roof and flat floors. There was even a rail, like for a mining cart. His cage was on a platform, being pushed along the rail. Three more cages were being pushed the same way.


    The people doing the pushing were wearing bright red robes and ugly demon masks. More of them led the way up front, carrying lanterns with stained glass that produced the ominous red light.


    Jason wasn¡¯t thinking about what to do so much as desperately hoping the pain in his head would subside. He was concentrating on his breathing when a screen appeared.


    Quest: [Escape!]


    Objective failed: Leave the grounds of Vane Manor without being caught.Quest failed.


    New Quest: [The Blood Feast]


    You have been captured and are set to be sacrificed by a blood cult. You need to avoid becoming a sacrifice.


    Objective: Avoid being sacrificed 0/1.Reward: Essence.Optional objective: Save the other designated sacrifices 0/3.Reward: Awakening stone.


    The long tunnel ended in a pair of enormous stone doors into which impressive but grotesque images had been carved, depicting some kind of cannibalistic orgy. Four cultists stepped forward, two to a door, grabbing the handles and pulling back until the doors swung ponderously open. When they did, red light flooded the tunnel, accompanied by an incredible heat and a bitter smell. It washed through the doors and over the group like a wave, carrying with it a coppery taste that lay thick on the tongue.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of red flags,¡± Jason said.


    A fist landed hard on the side of his cage.


    ¡°Quiet,¡± a harsh voice barked.


    Beyond the doors was a vast, circular chamber, like a great cylinder carved straight out of solid rock. Some twenty-five metres across and at least twice as high, it was enough to boggle Jason¡¯s mind even through his punch-drunk haze. The walls were black, like some long-dormant magma chamber, but even starting from a natural cavern it would have been a monumental labour to bring it to its current state. Flat stone slabs, carved out of the same black stone, had been inserted into the walls like pegs. They made a punishingly steep set of stairs that wound their way up to the higher parts of the chamber.


    Dominating the room was a red pool of roiling, bubbling liquid, taking up almost all the floor space. It was the source of the light, along with the heat and the coppery stench of blood. The centre of the pool churned, as if on the point of boiling. The sound of thick, sloshing liquid echoed up through the chamber. The red light shone from deep within the pool, washing the whole chamber in red as if everything was coated in blood.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t good,¡± Jason heard from one of the other caged people. It was Rufus, who had told him how to use the spirit coins. The lion man was there in his own big cage, along with one of the two women. The other was nowhere to be seen. One of the robed cultists bashed on the side of Rufus¡¯ cage.


    ¡°I said quiet.¡±


    ¡°Or what?¡± the lion man grumbled. ¡°You¡¯ll sacrifice us in your creepy ritual pit?¡±


    The other prisoners were also dirty and ragged, but nothing like Jason. He had no shirt, no hair, there was blood and old healing ointment crusted all over him. His face was coated in blood from his broken nose, along with puffy black eyes and flecks of vomit.


    The rail that had carried the cages on platforms through the tunnel ended at the door. The cultists lifted the cages off, two people to each small cage, and four to the large ones. They carried them up the steep stairs, audibly straining at the effort. The lion-man¡¯s cage was the most troublesome, even with four people lugging it. The stairs wound up and around the circular wall, the group pausing after a quarter turn. They had reached a platform, set into the wall like the stairs, but much larger. It extended out well over the blood pit below.


    ¡°Leave the big one first,¡± one of the cultists said. ¡°No point carrying the heaviest one all the way to the top.¡±


    Jason recognised the voice of the woman he had heard in the cellar while pretending to be unconscious.


    ¡°Thank you, milady,¡± one of the cultists said gratefully. Jason recognised the voice as the shovel-carrying man she had addressed as Dougall.


    The cage holding the big man was left against the wall. Dougall and one of the other cultists walked over to the edge of the platform and took up a waiting position, facing out over the pool below. The rest continued on. The stairs continued to wind upwards beyond the platform, making another quarter-turn around the room before reaching a second platform.


    ¡°Leave the other big cage,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t he the one that killed the young master?¡± one of the cultists asked. ¡°You don¡¯t want to save that one for last?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to make you haul that thing all the way up for my own satisfaction.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, milady.¡±


    The four cultists roughly dropped Jason¡¯s cage up against the wall. As at the first platform, two cultists took up positions at the platform¡¯s edge while the rest of the cultists with the remaining two cages resumed the climb. Jason watched as they made another quarter-turn ascent to the next platform, which hid them from sight.


    Jason took a look around. His vision was still like looking through a stranger¡¯s glasses, but it was slowly improving. The platform he was on looked like rough-hewn obsidian, shiny and dark. He had no idea how the massive stone platform had been shoved into the wall like a six ton peg.


    Examining the cage, the bars were much thicker than the last one he had been in. Looking closer, there even seemed to be faint traces of magical engravings on them. Oddly, Jason recognised them as reinforcing magic. The knowledge from the skill book was making itself known. It was an odd sensation, remembering something he had never learned. He was certain the silver spirit coin he used before wouldn¡¯t be enough to break out, and he couldn¡¯t reach the lock through the narrow bars to try his key ring.


    Pulling out one of the gold ranked coins, he turned it over in his hand. Unlike the ones he got from looting monsters, this one was embossed with the profile of a serious looking man on one side and some kind of crest on the other, along with the engraved word ¡®Greenstone¡¯. His hope was that the gold coin would be powerful enough.


    He looked up at the two people standing at the edge of the platform. He couldn¡¯t tell if they were men or women in their hooded robes, but neither were paying attention to him. Instead they were at the edge of the platform looking out. If he could escape the cage quick enough, he thought there was a chance to rush at least one of them right off the edge


    He took a deep breath, focusing on the coin in his hand. He thought the silver coin had flooded him with strength, but compared to the gold, that had been a meagre trickle. It was like having a hurricane inside him and he lashed out with his feet, hoping it was enough to burst open the cage door.


    Instead of opening, the door shot off its hinges like it was fired from a cannon, metal screeching as the whole front of the cage was warped. The door moved almost too fast to see, barely deflecting as it slammed into one of the cultists, sending them flipping off the edge of the platform. They didn¡¯t even scream, dead the moment the cage door crushed the top half of their body.


    Startled, Jason crawled from the ruined front of the cage and to his feet. The other cultist reacted quickly, turning and rushing Jason. The coin¡¯s power was fading quickly and Jason threw out a fist with the lingering strength of the coin behind it. To his horror, his fist buried itself in the cultist¡¯s chest cavity. The cultist let out a gurgling sound and died, dropping off Jason¡¯s fist as the strength from the coin left him. Jason looked in horror at his own bloody fist.


    It wasn¡¯t just his newfound strength that left him as the power of the coin faded. The strain of the coin¡¯s power left him feeling enervated, barely staying on his feet. His eyes wanted to close, his body urging him just to lay down and sleep. He was jolted back to wakefulness by a powerful, roaring voice.


    ¡°THEY¡¯RE COMING FOR YOU!¡±


    Jason¡¯s head snapped up and saw multiple cultists coming back down the stairs. Looking around, the pair from below were coming up as well. Peering over the edge, he spotted the door below, on the far side of the blood-red pool. He had a terrible idea.


    ¡°Magic power, you¡¯d better work.¡±


    As he backed up, the starlight cloak formed around his body, shrouding him in light-speckled darkness. After a steeling breath, he ran to the edge, leaping out as he urged the cloak¡¯s power to reduce his weight. He sailed through the air, shadow cloak sweeping out behind him like a trail of stars. Floating over the bloody pool, he landed almost perfectly in front of the huge stone doors, still open.


    ¡°That went startlingly well.¡±


    He looked up at the stairs, spotting the cultists bolting down them in pursuit. He ran through the doors and into the tunnel, then stopped.


    ¡°Just run,¡± he told himself. ¡°You can¡¯t save them, you¡¯re terrible at everything. Just run.¡±


    Instead of running he ducked behind one of the heavy stone doors, which the cultists had not opened fully due to their enormous weight. He pressed himself between the wall and the door and waited. The cloak dimmed, going from bright stars to melding Jason into the shadows as he admonished himself silently.


    Well done, idiot. Now you¡¯re going to be tossed into a pit of blood by cannibals and then probably eaten. Good job.


    Cultists came rushing through the door, sprinting up the tunnel as fast as their bulky ceremonial robes would allow. None of them so much as glanced back at Jason¡¯s hiding spot. Jason stayed stock still as more cultists came through as he cowered behind the door.

 Chapter 11: Dashing Heroics

    Jason cautiously stuck his head around the door but didn¡¯t see any more cultists. Even going back into the chamber he didn¡¯t see anyone. Whoever hadn¡¯t chased up the tunnel were most likely on the platforms above. He made his way up the stairs as quietly as he could, still no cultists in sight as he reached the first platform.


    He dismissed the cloak as he approached the lion man¡¯s cage. It had the same heavy bars and large space as Jason¡¯s cage, but where Jason had been able to stretch out, the lion-man barely fit.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said as he fished the key ring from his inventory. ¡°I¡¯ve been hit on the head a lot today, so I don¡¯t remember your name.¡±


    ¡°Gary,¡± the lion man said, a low, rumbling growl to his voice. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you were coming back.¡±


    ¡°I tried to talk myself out of it, believe me.¡±


    ¡°Instincts of a hero,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I¡¯d probably put it down to compromised judgement,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been knocked out several times today.¡±


    Jason kept trying keys.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure one of these will work,¡± he said. ¡°I was hoping to do this quietly but I still have some more coins¡­ oh, there we go.¡±


    The lock clicked open and Gary squeezed his enormous frame through the door. Inside the cage, he had looked like a professional wrestler. Towering over Jason, it looked like he¡¯d eaten a professional wrestler.


    ¡°Is there a key for my collar on that thing?¡± Gary asked. Around his neck was a thick iron choker.


    ¡°No idea,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Give me a look at that.¡±


    Jason handed over the key ring. It had an unhelpful abundance of keys and Gary started looking over them for what he needed. Despite his lion-like head, his hands were fairly normal, albeit huge, and hairy. While he went through them, Jason looked around. There didn¡¯t seem to be any cultists coming down the stairs or back in from the tunnel. What he did find was some kind of ceremonial bowl built in to the top of the cage. Inside was a round crystal, very dark red in colour. He picked it up.


    Item: [Awakening Stone of the Feast] (unranked, common)


    An awakening stone that unlocks the power of consumption. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Unawakened essence ability.Effect: Awakens an essence ability.You have 3 unawakened essence abilities.You are able to absorb [Awakening Stone of the Feast]. Absorb Y/N?


    He shoved the stone into his inventory.


    ¡°None of these are for a suppression collar,¡± Gary said. ¡°They got these collars especially for us, so whoever you took the keys from mustn¡¯t have been in on it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I think he was on the outs with the family a bit,¡± Jason said. ¡°He seemed to have his own thing going on. What does that collar do exactly?¡±


    ¡°It suppresses all essence abilities,¡± Gary said. ¡°Some race powers, too, but not all of them.¡±


    ¡°Does it suppress you from being a huge guy who can kick the crap out of people?¡±


    A grin Jason could only describe as predatory crossed Gary¡¯s leonine face.


    ¡°No it doesn¡¯t.¡±


    Gary took the lead as they went up the stairs toward the next platform, which they reached unchallenged. Jason¡¯s cage was empty, the bars on the front bent outwards. The dead cultist was still laying on the platform with a hole in his chest. While Gary knelt down to examine it, Jason checked the top of his cage. There was another ceremonial bowl, but it had been dislodged. Jason looked around a bit and found another awakening stone of the feast, where it had fallen to the platform when he kicked his way out of the cage. He slipped it into his inventory.


    ¡°What happened to this guy?¡± Gary asked.


    Jason held up a still-bloody fist. Gary looked from the Jason¡¯s hand to the corpse to the blasted-out cage.


    ¡°I think at this point,¡± Gary said, ¡°they may be wishing they¡¯d just let you go. How did you get mixed up in this, anyway?¡±


    ¡°Not really the time,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Right. Good job, though.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a good job,¡± Jason said. ¡°I killed someone.¡±


    ¡°What do you think they dragged us out in cages for?¡± Gary asked. ¡°It wasn¡¯t to dance for their entertainment.¡±


    ¡°Killing them in return doesn¡¯t make us any better than they are.¡±


    ¡°Sure it does,¡± Gary said. ¡°Better at killing. Look out!¡±


    Jason turned to see three cultists coming down the stairs. Gary stepped forward to meet them, grabbing the first pair by the throat. He lifted them up, one dangling from each hand as he walked them over to the edge and dropped them into the blood pool below. As Gary walked off, Jason was left face to face with the third cultist, still on the stairs.


    Jason¡¯s eyes went wide with panic. He dropped to his knees, hands held out in supplication.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t kill me. I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    The cultist¡¯s surprise registered even through the loose robes and mask. Jason used that moment to shove a fist right into the cultist¡¯s crotch. A strained groaning came from behind the mask as Jason lashed out a second and third time, leaving the cultist doubled over. Jason stood up, grabbed the cultist by the robes and shoved him right off the side of the stairs.


    You have defeated [Blood Cultist].


    ¡°Did I just hear you begging?¡± Gary asked, walking back.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a lie,¡± Jason said. ¡°I really don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    Gary laughed as he led the way to the third platform, which was now unattended. Whoever had been manning it had either pursued Jason out the door or been thrown to the pit below.


    Gary and Jason walked over to the cage, which contained Rufus. Jason now knew the right key to open the cages, which he used promptly. Rufus crawled out the door and stood up, giving Jason his first clear look at him. Rufus had dark skin, a bald head and was stupidly handsome. Roughed up and grimy from his ordeal, he looked like an action hero heading into act three with masculine dirt stains reflecting enemies bested and challenges overcome.


    ¡°That¡¯s not fair,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What isn¡¯t?¡± Rufus asked, his voice like dark chocolate.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jason muttered. ¡°Let¡¯s just go.¡±


    ¡°Too bad I don¡¯t have a weapon,¡± Rufus said, and Jason produced the evil trowel.


    ¡°It¡¯s not much,¡± Jason said, ¡°but it is suspiciously sharp.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± Rufus said gratefully, looking it over in his hand. ¡°It is suspiciously sharp, isn¡¯t it.¡±


    Gary and Rufus lead the way up, Jason pausing to snatch a third awakening stone from the top of Rufus¡¯ cage. As they ascended the stairs, a lone cultist walked casually down to obstruct them. The cultist pulled her hood back and took off her mask, revealing long, dark hair and the face of a young woman. She pulled a short sword out from within the folds of her robes.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got this one,¡± Rufus said, stepping past Gary. He brandished the trowel in the woman¡¯s direction.


    ¡°Alicia Vane, I presume?¡± he said.


    ¡°I was disappointed that I wouldn¡¯t get to cross swords with the famous Rufus Remore,¡± she said with a sneer. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m lucky after all.¡±


    Rufus didn¡¯t respond, instead lunging forward. What followed was a blaze of movement so fast Jason had, at best, a vague grasp of what was taking place. They bobbed and weaved, both restricted by the width of the stairs. Between them was a blur of motion, sword against trowel. Despite the inferior weapon and the lower ground, the cultist was being pushed back.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Alicia,¡± a voice came down from above. Jason recognised it as the woman from the basement. With a look of reluctance, Alicia disengaged from her fight with Rufus and started backing up the stairs. Rufus lazily tossed the trowel into the air, where Gary smoothly snatched it and launched it out with a flick of his powerful arm. The practiced ease of the pair¡¯s teamwork took Alicia by surprise; she failed to react before the trowel lodged itself in her throat.


    ¡°You¡¯ll die in pain for that, you hairy brute,¡± the woman¡¯s voice came fiercely down. As the woman yelled, Alicia dropped her sword, clutching at the trowel buried in her throat as she staggered and fell off the stairs.


    Rufus moved forward, snatching up the dropped sword as he went. he led the way up to the final platform. The last cage, and the woman inside it,  were against the wall like all the others. The platform was slightly longer than the one below, with some kind of ritual altar on the end. There were two figures standing in front of it. Rufus and Gary stepped onto the platform first, while behind them Jason pulled a gold spirit coin from his inventory and discreetly palmed it.


    The final two cultists had both removed their masks and hoods. The woman seemed much younger than Jason expected for someone with adult children. To Jason¡¯s eyes she looked to be in her early thirties, no older than her son Landemere. She was beautiful, with the same olive skin and dark hair as her daughter. The man next to her, by contrast, was plain. In his ceremonial robes looked like a chartered accountant at a costume party.


    Despite his appearance, the man quickly demonstrated his power was not to be dismissed. He threw out his arms and Rufus and Gary were both thrown back, slamming into the wall. Glowing chains emerged from the stone to wrap around their limbs, binding them in place. Jason, now the last one left, looked nervously at the now helpless pair.


    ¡°You¡¯re still causing trouble,¡± the woman accused Jason. ¡°First my son, now my daughter? They may have been worthless, but weren¡¯t for the likes of you to kill.¡±


    ¡°Not a lot of pictures up on your fridge, I¡¯m guessing.¡±


    ¡°SILENCE!¡± the man roared. ¡°You think you can stop what I will do today? You think any of you can stop me?¡±


    Whether due to the absurdity of the situation, the concussion or just pure adrenaline, Jason couldn¡¯t take the man seriously. Even with the power he had just demonstrated, he just seemed like a petty little man who hated to be ignored.


    ¡°Mate,¡± Jason said, ¡°I don¡¯t know if anyone told you, but you¡¯re very melodramatic.¡±


    The man¡¯s face flashed with fury.


    ¡°You will bow before the magic of Darryl Caruthers, worshipping my name as I...¡±


    ¡°Wait, wait, hold on,¡± Jason interrupted, holding up a hand. ¡°Did you say your name was Darryl Caruthers?¡±


    ¡°You have heard of my greatness!¡±


    ¡°Sorry, mate, no. It¡¯s just that Darryl Caruthers isn¡¯t exactly a high priest of evil kind of name.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jason gestured at the woman.


    ¡°I mean, what''s your name?¡±


    ¡°I am Lady Cressida Vane,¡± she sneered.


    ¡°See, now there¡¯s a quality high priest name,¡± Jason said. ¡°High Priestess Lady Cressida Vane. Just listen to it; you can practically hear the tyranny.¡±


    ¡°Stop babbling,¡± Darryl scolded. ¡°This doesn¡¯t¡­¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they put you in charge?¡± Jason asked Cressida, ignoring Darryl. He gave her a sympathetic look. ¡°They didn¡¯t want a woman in charge, did they?¡±


    Darryl¡¯s face was starting to redden with anger.


    ¡°That has nothing to do with¡­¡°


    ¡°Oh, be quiet, Darryl,¡± Cressida spat out. ¡°You and I both know who should be running things, but they refused to let a woman take a seat at the Red Table. If I was¡­¡±


    ¡°Stop being hysterical, Cressida,¡± Darryl said.


    ¡°Hysterical? I should¡­¡±


    Neither had noticed Jason edging closer from the moment he started provoking them, or when he slipped the gold coin in his mouth as they turned on one another. Strength flowed through him, again, but this time joined by pinching, cramping pain. It was too soon since he used the last coin, and his body was paying the price. He fought through it and stepped between the bickering pair. They both looked at him in surprise as he shoved a hand out either side, one slamming into each of them.


    The result was like firing them from a catapult. They both hurtled through the air horizontally, not even arcing down with gravity before they smashed into the sides of the chamber. The sheer force crushed them into the hard stone, from which they tumbled down, out of sight.


    You have defeated [Blood Cult Leader].You have defeated [Blood Cult Leader].

 Chapter 12: Sanguine Horror

    ¡°That was amazing!¡± Gary said, coming up to slap Jason on the back. Jason staggered forward to support himself on the altar at the end of the platform.


    ¡°The way you made them disregard you as a threat by appearing weak and harmless,¡± Gary praised. ¡°Feeble and helpless, even touched in the head a little. It was masterful how impotent you came across. Even after you kept escaping from the cage they had no respect for you as a threat whatsoever.¡±


    ¡°Please stop complimenting me,¡± Jason said. The strength of the coin was gone, and the backlash of two in quick succession was enervating. His mana and stamina bars had drained to almost empty, and adrenaline was the only thing keeping him awake.


    ¡°How did you get down off that wall?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The magic died with him,¡± Rufus said, also approaching. ¡°Which was lucky, because it doesn¡¯t always work that way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d have had a right problem getting us down,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°How about someone gets me out of this cage?¡± a female voice asked, impatiently. It wasn¡¯t the same voice that had been dismissing him back in the cellar. That person must have been the one whose place Jason took.


    Jason staggered over to the cage, swiping the stone on top into his inventory as he took the keys out. The woman inside the cage was pretty with strawberry blonde hair and a button nose. She was clearly unhappy, but that just left her looking rather adorable. Jason opened up the cage and let her out.


    ¡°Thanks for the rescue,¡± she said to Jason, tamping down her annoyance, before blasting it full force at Rufus and Gary.


    ¡°What the hell were you two doing? I had to get saved by a random homeless man?¡±


    ¡°He only seems like that,¡± Gary said. ¡°It¡¯s all a cunning ruse.¡±


    Jason left the three of them talking while he wandered back to the altar at the edge of the platform. It was decorated with grotesque carvings that appeared to feature teeth very heavily. On top of the altar was a thick book, left open halfway through. Glancing over the text, he could only understand fragments. Having used the ritual magic skill book he took from Landemere, the knowledge it imbued him with offered some insights, but this new book was still above his head. The contents seemed to involve a more specific field of magic, operating at a higher level than the skill book allowed him to grasp.


    ¡°What have you got?¡± The woman asked, walking up to the altar next to him.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Jason said, pushing the book in front of her. ¡°Looks like they were trying to make something, but it¡¯s well beyond my expertise. I only found out magic exists today. I¡¯m Jason, by the way.¡±


    She gave him an odd look.


    ¡°Farrah. Thanks again for the rescue.¡±


    ¡°No worries. I figured the best way out of wherever we are was to get you three to help me. Can you make anything out from that book?¡±


    She turned her attention back to the pages in front of her.


    ¡°You¡¯re right about them making something,¡± she said, flipping through pages. ¡°Something not very nice.¡±


    ¡°I got that much from context,¡± he said, waving his hand at the chamber around them, black stone reflecting blood-red light from below.


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Farrah laughed.


    While she continued examining the book, Jason looked around some more, noticing Gary and Rufus were gone.


    ¡°Where¡¯d the others go?¡± he asked.


    ¡°They went to see if those cultists you led off are coming back.¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I completely forgot about them,¡± Jason said.


    Looking around some more, he found a small white sack next to the altar. He picked it up and looked inside, seeing a white, crystalline powder. He pinched some between his fingers.


    Item: [Salt] (normal, common)


    Ordinary salt (crafting material).


    Effect: Common ingredient for use in cooking or magic rituals.


    ¡°Salt?¡± he muttered curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s good for making quick and easy magic circles,¡± Farrah explained, not looking up from the book. ¡°A lot of ritual magicians keep some around. Me included.¡±


    Jason dropping the sack back down next to the altar. There didn¡¯t seem to be anything else of interest, but he noticed that Farrah had the same iron collar as Gary and Rufus.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose the key to your neck thing is here somewhere,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Cressida had it,¡± Farrah said.


    Jason glanced at the wall where Cressida had crashed into it before dropping out of sight.


    ¡°Oh. Sorry I pushed her into the pit.¡±


    ¡°Things would have gone a lot worse if you hadn¡¯t,¡± Farrah said.


    Jason looked over at the stairs leading down.


    ¡°Can I ask you something about Gary?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Are there a lot of lion people running around, or was he cursed or something?¡±


    Farrah looked up from the book, again giving Jason a curious gaze.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never seen a Leonid before?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not local,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s coming across,¡± she said. ¡°Leonids are a normal race you¡¯d see anywhere in the world.¡±


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Jason said.


    She frowned, curiously, but turned back to the book while Jason continued to look around. He peered over the edge, looking down at the red pit far below. It could have been his imagination, but the room seemed to be getting hotter. The sloshing noise of the pit below seemed louder as well. He spotted Rufus and Gary making their way back up the stairs.


    ¡°The others are coming back up,¡± Jason said to Farrah.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°That seems rude,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said, ¡°I mean I figured what the cultists were up to.¡±


    ¡°Bad?¡±


    ¡°Very bad.¡±


    She waited for Gary and Rufus to arrive before explaining.


    ¡°No sign of the other cultists,¡± Gary said, ¡°and one of the wagons was gone. I¡¯m guessing they came back, saw their high priest splattered on the ground and decided to make a run for it.¡±


    Quest: [The Blood Feast]


    Objective complete: Avoid being sacrificed 1/1.Reward: [Blood Essence].Optional objective complete: Save the other designated sacrifices 3/3.Reward: [Awakening Stone of Adventure].Quest complete.100 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason''s eyes lit up at the sight of another essence, but it wasn¡¯t the time to start going over his loot and he closed the window.


    ¡°I know what they were doing here,¡± Farrah told Gary and Rufus.


    ¡°I¡¯d assume some kind of summoning ritual,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°More like trying to create something,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s called a sanguine horror; an artificial creature made from alchemy, blood and things best left unmentioned.¡±


    ¡°Sounds friendly,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°It¡¯s an apocalypse beast,¡± Farrah said. ¡°A world ender. A hive mind made up of carrion leeches that rot your flesh as they drain you dry. It feeds on blood to multiply itself, growing in mass and power until there¡¯s nothing strong enough to stop it. Then it spreads and spreads until there¡¯s nothing left to consume.¡±


    ¡°Why would anyone create something like that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They presumably had some way to control it,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Use it as a weapon.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a big gamble with an apocalypse beast,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Maybe that¡¯s possible before it gets too powerful. Until it feeds enough to grow strong it remains vulnerable.¡±


    ¡°Still seems like way too high a chance of going wrong,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Rufus said, ¡°have you noticed it¡¯s getting hotter in here?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said at the same time.


    ¡°It¡¯s more noticeable closer to the pool,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°The smell is stronger down there too,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°They should probably be tossing us into the blood pit by now,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Is something going wrong because we interrupted them?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re overlooking something,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Are we sure we interrupted them? They were going to throw the four of us into the pit, right?¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, ¡°how many people did we throw in?¡±


    Farrah¡¯s pretty brown eyes went wide.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± she said, turning back to the altar and started madly flipping through pages of the book.


    As the others waited, a screen appeared in front of Jason.


    New Quest: [The Sanguine Horror]


    Destroy the sanguine horror before it becomes too grave a threat.


    Objective: Destroy the [Sanguine Horror] 0/1.Reward: Essence.


    ¡°Oh crap,¡± Jason said.


    Farrah snapped the book shut. It was a hefty tome and she tucked it under one arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure we just finished their job for them,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll appreciate it,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Are we the blood cult now?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°We have to get down there and stop it while it¡¯s still weak,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Will the book help?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°If we have to do it, we have to do it,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Failing that, we go find someone stronger to deal with it. A lot stronger.¡±


    ¡°Do you think Emir has arrived yet?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He¡¯s weeks away at best.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to handle this ourselves,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I don¡¯t trust the competence of the locals.¡±


    ¡°This guy¡¯s alright,¡± Gary said, dropping a hand on Jason¡¯s shoulder that almost knocked him over.


    ¡°I¡¯m not local,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m concerned that we don¡¯t have our abilities with these collars,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You¡¯re sure there¡¯s nothing in the book about how to fight it?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not,¡± Farrah snapped. ¡°I¡¯ve had it for about eight minutes and it¡¯s written in a language that you haven¡¯t even heard of. So maybe there¡¯s something in there, but I¡¯m not going to find it by randomly skimming through a few pages.¡±


    ¡°Did you check for an index?¡± Gary asked.


    Farrah¡¯s eyes landed on Gary like attack dogs.


    ¡°I guess there¡¯s no time for research,¡± Gary said, quickly heading for the stairs.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Rufus said, following after Gary.


    Farrah watched them vanish down the steep staircase, then turned to the back of the book. Jason narrowed his eyes as he watched her.


    ¡°Are you checking for an index?¡±

 Chapter 13: This is the Part Where We Step Back

    The three former captives pounded down the stairs as Jason followed unsteadily behind. As they went down the steep staircase, the smothering heat rose up to engulf them. The air became wetter and heavier until even breathing was a chore. The copper taste of blood felt like it was coating Jason¡¯s tongue. The pool was churning loudly, as if something was thrashing just below the surface. The sound echoed loudly, especially as they neared the base of the chamber. Near the end of the stairs they stepped over the corpse of High Priest Darryl, splayed out like a discarded puppet.


    Jason touched a finger to the body as they passed.


    Would you like to loot [Blood Cult Leader]?


    Jason gave his mental assent as they continued down the stairs.


    [Recovery Potion (Bronze)] has been added to your inventory.3 [Gold Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.11 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.216 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.341 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.471 [Lesser Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Like Landemere Vane, the high priest had been holding more than a thousand coins on his person. As to where he had them stowed away, Jason could only guess.


    ¡°Does everyone here have an inventory?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Farrah asked loudly. It was hard to hear over the wild splashing of the blood pit as they drew closer.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Jason said loudly.


    Jason¡¯s real interest was in the recovery potion, which he took form his inventory and tipped down his throat as soon as they reached the bottom of the chamber.


    Farrah saw Jason tip back the potion and threw out a hand in a warning gesture.


    ¡°Jason, don¡¯t¡­¡±


    The potion was already making it¡¯s way down Jason¡¯s throat.


    ¡°What?¡± Rufus asked, as he and Gary turned around to look.


    ¡°Jason just drank a potion,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Right after using a spirit coin?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Is that bad?¡± Jason asked ¡°Actually, why didn¡¯t the potion do anything?¡±


    The others only answered in sympathetic wincing. Moments later, his stomach was filled with cramping pains. He doubled, felt his body desperately wanting to vomit, but unable to do so.


    You have used a recovery potion while your body is flooded with residual magic.Recovery potion has failed to take effect.You have been afflicted with [Mana Toxin].[Mana Toxin] (affliction, magic): You cannot regain mana. Recovery items will have no effect. You will suffer damage when using mana.


    Jason groaned. The initial pain passed, but now his stomach felt as awful as his head.


    ¡°I should have thought to warn you when you didn¡¯t know how to use spirit coins,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you had any potions. Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Honestly,¡± Jason croaked, ¡°it isn¡¯t going to affect me that much. There¡¯s only so much worse I can get.¡±


    Rufus nodded, and they turned to the giant pool of churning red liquid, Jason very much at the back. The space near the large doors leading out was the widest area around the pool, with most of the room having only a small lip between the edge of the red liquid and the wall. When they first entered the chamber, the pool had been churning in the middle. Now the whole thing was like a pot of water threatening to boil over, splashing red liquid over the sides.


    ¡°That can¡¯t all be blood, right?¡± Jason shouted over the noise.


    ¡°It isn¡¯t,¡± Farrah called back. ¡°Mostly it¡¯s an alchemical mixture, although there is a lot of blood in there. At least a dozen people¡¯s worth. Maybe twenty.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure we need to fight this monster?¡± Gary asked. ¡°I¡¯d feel a lot better without this collar on my neck.¡±


    ¡°We all would,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Gary said. ¡°If I¡¯m going to fight something called an apocalypse beast, I¡¯d rather have my powers.¡±


    ¡°We do what we can with what we have,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Complaining about what we don¡¯t have doesn¡¯t help.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t actually called an apocalypse beast,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That¡¯s more of an informal category.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we need,¡± Gary said, ¡°Pedantry.¡±


    ¡°Did you say podiatry?¡± Jason yelled. The churn of the blood-like pool was growing louder and louder. ¡°Is there something wrong with your feet?¡±


    ¡°I said pedantry!¡± Gary yelled back.


    ¡°Will you both please shut up!¡± Rufus bellowed.


    ¡°If we let this entity go,¡± Farrah yelled, ¡°it will get out and start feeding on the local animals. The more it feeds, the stronger it gets. If it eats its way through a village or a town, then it will get too strong for any of the local powers to stop it.¡±


    ¡°Can we even do this with our abilities sealed away?¡± Gary asked. ¡°A few cultists is one thing, but a world-destroying blood monster? We have one sword between us. Going for help might not be the worst idea.¡±


    ¡°Real help is a long way from here,¡± Farrah said.


    The pair looked to Rufus for the deciding vote, who turned his attention to Jason.


    ¡°You¡¯re the reason we aren¡¯t all monster soup right now,¡± Rufus shouted. ¡°The decision is yours.¡±


    Jason looked at the three of them looking back at him. They clearly had no idea of the magnitude to which he was out of his depth.


    ¡°What are our actual chances?¡± Jason yelled.


    ¡°Terrible, Gary said.


    ¡°Not good,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Getting better,¡± Farrah said, pointing. They all looked and saw Cressida¡¯s body hadn¡¯t fallen into the pool, but onto the stone floor at the edge of the chamber. Unfortunately, it was on the far side. That portion of the floor had barely a lip of stone between the pool and the wall, but Cressida had landed lengthways along it.


    ¡°She has the key to the collars,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If I can get this thing off my neck, I can blast whatever crawls out of this pit back into blood soup.¡±


    ¡°Not sure I¡¯d want to walk around the edge of that pool,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sometimes all your choices are bad, I guess.¡±


    ¡°We do it, then,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Farrah, go for the key, but be careful of the pool. Ideally you¡¯ll have it and be back before this thing emerges, but Gary and I will stall it if we have to. Jason, what kind of combat abilities do you have?¡±


    ¡°None,¡± Jason shouted ¡°I was taken out multiple times by a guy with a shovel. I am very bad at fighting.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Rufus shouted back. ¡°Just stay back and try not to die.¡±


    Farrah was already moving, putting the book on the ground and setting off around the pool, not waiting for Rufus¡¯ to finish talking. She carefully hugged the wall, wary of the churning blood pit. Suddenly the blood, which had been roiling like a stormy sea, went as still and serene as a sheltered pond. The roaring noise they had all been shouting over immediately fell silent.


    ¡°Here we go,¡± Rufus said, his voice an intrusion to the sudden quiet.


    Ripples disturbed the edge of the pool, and something emerged from the blood.


    ¡°Is that a leech?¡± Jason asked. It was the right size and shape for a leech, but had the gaping, tooth-ringed maw of a lamprey.


    ¡°I do not want that thing crawling up my leg,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s a consensus opinion,¡± Jason agreed.


    A second leech crawled out, then a third. They came two at a time, then five, ten until they were spraying out like runoff from a storm drain. They piled on top of one another, forming squirming, writhing mass.


    ¡°We should probably attack while it¡¯s still forming,¡± Rufus said to Gary. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you want to go first?¡±


    ¡°How am I supposed to fight a pile of leeches?¡± Gary asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think the sword will work. Also, you have our only sword.¡±


    Strips of blood-soaked cloth, long and thin like bandages, started pushing their way out of the leech pile. They wrapped themselves around the leeches, pushing the pile into shape.


    ¡°Any idea what it¡¯s doing?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°None,¡± Gary said. ¡°Jason?¡±


    When Jason didn¡¯t answer, they turned to look around, finding Jason was no longer there.


    Gary look up the stairs and out through the door, seeing no trace of Jason.


    ¡°He¡¯s done a runner!¡±


    There was no time for distraction and they turned back to the monster forming in front of them. More bloody strips were emerging from the pile, pushing into what they started to recognise as a humanoid shape. It was only a crude approximation, splitting at the seams as leeches spilled out between the bandages. It shambled forward, barely in half-steps, shedding leeches as it struggled to keep balance.


    ¡°Just stay close enough to keep its attention,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem very fast and we just have to stall it.¡±


    ¡°Or I could punch it,¡± Gary said. ¡°It¡¯s a person shape, now. I know how to punch people.¡±


    ¡°What? No¡­¡±


    Gary¡¯s fist slammed into the creature, passing straight between the red-stained bandages and burying itself in the creature¡¯s chest. It seemed to have no impact and Gary staggered back. His arm emerging from the leech monster with a sucking noise like pulling out a leg stuck in mud. It was covered in leeches, burrowing through his fur to sink teeth into flesh. He staggered about, yelling more in anger than pain as he started ripping them off. Chunks of flesh and fur went with them, clenched in rings of teeth.


    The bindings around the mass slowly tightened, giving it a more discernibly humanoid shape. It grew faster and more coordinated. Frowning, Rufus tossed aside the sword and picked up the heavy book Farrah had left behind. Winding up as he lunged at the creature, he took a huge, two-handed swing.


    The book slammed into the creature¡¯s torso, sending it staggering back. The bindings loosened, leeches once again spilling out of the main mass. The floor was now covered with them, crawling at Gary and Rufus, seeking out their legs.


    Rufus watched with satisfaction, stepping back from the seeking leeches.


    ¡°And she said the book wouldn¡¯t help.¡±


    Rufus failed to notice the leech crawling over the book until its teeth buried themselves in his hand, causing him to yelp as the book dropped to the floor. He tore the creature off his hand, a chunk of flesh going with it. He reached down for the book, but there were leeches crawling all over it.


    ¡°Help!¡± he heard Farrah call out, and he looked around. Gary was still wildly ripping leeches off his now blood-soaked arm. Farrah was most of the way around the pool, but bloodied bandages, like those wrapping the leech monster, had emerged from the pool and were trying to drag her in.


    Rufus looked around for where he had dropped the sword, picking it up and hurling it through the air. His confident throw was on the mark, dropping only a few feet from Farrah. She hauled back on the bandages trying to pull her into the pool, leaning hard for the sword.


    The leech monster, in the mean time, had once again tightened its bindings and started walking toward Rufus. He skittered back, still faster than the creature but its speed increased with every step.


    Rufus stumbled, falling onto his back with the creature still coming at him, when a bright light descended from above. Jason, starlight cloak floating around him at maximum illumination, drifted down to land between Rufus and the sanguine horror. Tucked under one arm was a small sack. Reaching into the sack, Jason grabbed a fistful of salt and tossed it at the horror. The creature recoiled and Jason did it again, forcing the creature back again.


    ¡°I¡¯m really glad that worked.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Rufus asked, getting lightly to his feet.


    ¡°Salt,¡± Jason said, throwing out another handful.


    ¡°Did you use mana while suffering from mana toxin?¡± Gary asked, wandering over. His arm was drenched in blood and still looked to be bleeding freely, but the leeches were gone and he didn¡¯t seem worried.


    ¡°Seemed time sensitive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Oh, this hurts. I was pretty much bottomed-out on mana in the first place.


    Gary looked over Jason¡¯s cloak of stars.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding about a power that makes you sparkle.¡±


    Suddenly an explosion of light and noise erupted from the other side of the pool. A bright stream of lava cut through the air like it was coming from a fire hose, crashing into the leech monster. Jason¡¯s head pivoted, goggle-eyed to the source of the blast.


    ¡°Was that frigging LAVA?¡±


    Farrah, collar now gone, was holding a glowing red hand out toward the creature. She mumbled something and a second stream of lava blasted across the chamber. The blood pit audibly sizzled as the lava seared over it, scouring moisture from the air. After two bursts of white-hot lava, the leech monster was largely destroyed, the bindings holding it together completely unravelled.


    ¡°This is the part where we step back,¡± Rufus said, putting a hand on Jason¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°This is the part?¡±


    Jason could still feel the heat on his face as he staggered back behind Rufus, then back some more for good measure. He heard chanting from Farrah across the pool and looked over. There were several orbs of fire floating around her. One of the cloth strips burst from the pool to grab at her, but was intercepted by an orb, burning up on contact.


    She stopped chanting and Jason heard a rumbling from the direction of what was left of the leech pile. It started to scatter, but a cascade of lava geysered out of the ground underneath it. Gary, Jason and Rufus backed off even further as lava spattered around the geyser before it dwindled and came to a stop.


    Jason looked at the glowing hole left behind, jaw hanging slack. The red light from the blood pool faded and died, plunging the chamber into darkness. Only Jason¡¯s cloak and the remnant glow of lava provided any illumination.


    ¡°We need to get every leech!¡± Farrah called out. ¡°It can reconstitute itself, even from one!¡±


    Jason looked around the floor. The main mass of leeches had been incinerated, but many leeches had spilled onto the floor as Rufus and Gary stalled it. Salt bag tucked under his arm, he started flinging handfuls at the leeches while Rufus and Gary stomped them underfoot. While the leech mass had only recoiled from the salt, individual leeches vomited blood from their tooth-ringed mouths as they dried up and died.


    Eventually there was nothing left of the leeches but blood stains and ash.


    You have defeated [Sanguine Horror].


    Quest: [The Sanguine Horror]


    Objective: Destroy the sanguine horror 1/1.Reward: [Sin Essence].Quest complete.100 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason edged forward warily. He noticed a leech that had managed to get far enough away that it was burnt to a crisp instead of being completely annihilated. He poked it with his toe.


    Would you like to loot [Sanguine Horror]?


    Jason gave his mental assent.


    [Awakening Stone of the Apocalypse] has been added to your inventory.10 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100 [Iron Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason looked at the listed awakening stone. Apocalypse.


    That didn¡¯t sound wildly positive.

 Chapter 267 (Volume II): A Better Pants Solution

    Shirtaloon


    This is the beginning of volume II


    Jason regained consciousness surrounded by a fiery, transcendent energy, which immediately vanished and dropped him to the floor. The feel of cold tile on his body told him that he was naked, which he quickly confirmed by pushing himself into a sitting position and doing a quick visual inspection.


    There were a bunch of system windows but he minimised them for the moment as he looked himself over. There was no light in the windowless room but his perception power let him see perfectly in the dark. He seemed intact, but feeling the cool air on his head, he patted it and realised that his hair had once again callously abandoned him. He thought it might be because hair was dead material, but so were fingernails, as far as he knew, and those were still present.


    ¡°Weird. Still, you¡¯re alive, unexpectedly. Take the win.¡±


    His body still carried the scars of his previous encounters. The long scar across his abdomen from the elemental tyrant; the many small scars where shards of star seed had been forced out of his flesh. They were familiar, but there were new ones as well. His chest was marked by a series of roughly circular scars where the Builder¡¯s spikes had impaled his body. All in all, his torso was a mess.


    He got to his feet, memories swirling through his head. The last thing he remembered was charging through the window, the pain of the stone spikes spearing into his body. The mad whirl as he fell, then fading into darkness, only to wake up wherever he now was. His brain was telling him it had only been moments since he fell from the tower, but his soul was telling him otherwise.


    Jason didn¡¯t truly remember the original battle for his soul against the Builder. He had some mixed-up, hazy recollections as the star seed took over, then was forced out of his brain. The true battle had been in the spiritual realm, his soul a small ship rocked by the stormy seas of the Builder¡¯s will. Only by outlasting the star seed and cutting off the Builder had he been able to survive, but there were no clear memories of the confrontation. What remained were the feelings imprinted on his soul.


    He had a similar sense now, of his soul having experienced an encounter for which his mind had not been present. He felt a compelling sense of having been with someone else, someone who should be present, yet he was alone. He spread his aura out over the entire building, his aura strength more than up for the task. He sensed nothing but small animals, birds, rats and bugs.


    Mentally shaking off the odd feeling, he examined his surroundings. He was in a dilapidated room that was tiled on the walls and floor, completely empty except for Jason himself. The air was stale and clammy, with a taste of unhealthy growth on the air, like fungus or mould. There was a set of swinging double doors with small windows set into them. There was a lingering magic that was definitely the force that had delivered him here. It was fading quickly but he sensed the transcendent strength of it. By contrast, the ambient magic around him was otherwise incredibly anaemic, even compared to Greenstone. That was the default, for as far as his magical senses extended.


    He was trying to collect his thoughts when he felt something building within him that he had experienced enough to recognise as a skill evolution. Given what he had been through, it was hardly surprising, although one thing was new. Instead of the blue-grey light of iron rank, the radiance that shining from within his body was an amber colour.


    Outworlder racial ability [Inventory] has evolved to [Spirit Vault].


    Jason only glanced at the notice before minimising it with the others. He had too much to deal with as it was, sending his mind reeling. His team, his death and revival, the strange discordance between his mind and his soul. He needed time to spread everything out into manageable chunks that he could process.


    He had no idea of what fate had befallen his team. He was almost certain he had bought them enough time to complete their task, but how long they survived afterwards was up in the air. Had Clive been fast enough to open the portal before the Builder¡¯s wrath caught up with them? He had been confident enough in Clive¡¯s ability to knock out a speedy ritual that he threw away his life to give him the chance, but there were no certainties. Jason had no regrets, knowing the lives that failure would have cost if the world engineers were awakened.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he told himself, rubbing his hands over his face to shake the lingering sopor. ¡°Take stock, formulate a plan of action. What do I need and how do I get it? I need pants. Again. I need hair. Well, I want hair. I need to know what happened and where I am.¡±


    Jason had a better pants solution than the last time he¡¯d unexpectedly arrived somewhere, naked and bald. With a thought, dark mist engulfed him before disappearing as quickly as it had come, leaving Jason garbed in one of his prepared outfits. He went with a smart casual suit in the Vitesse style that looked much like a casual suit from his own world.


    It was one of many outfits supplied for his winter wardrobe by Gilbert, although he looked forward to replacing everything with bronze-rank apparel once he got back to Greenstone.  The iron-rank clothes had basic self-cleaning and repair enchantments, along with some very light protection. At bronze-rank, not only would those enchantments be stronger but it was more cost-effective to incorporate other utility magic.


    With his clothes sorted out, he moved onto hair, carefully applying Jory¡¯s hair-growth cream. He had no doubt that the result was an unruly mop, but it would suffice until he found a hairdresser.


    Meeting those simple needs left him feeling much more in control of his circumstances. He thought back to when he had first woken up in a new world, naked, bald and confused. Just the question of pants had been a tribulation, let alone the larger questions.


    Now, Jason was confident that he would better handle those larger questions the way he better handled the issue of pants. To figure out what happened, he started pulling up the system messages.


    You have died.All equipment has been returned to your inventory.[World-Phoenix Token] has been consumed.


    ¡°Bugger me. That explains how I survived, I guess; I didn¡¯t.¡±


    He only had a vague recollection of that system box appearing as everything faded out.


    You have been reborn.You have received the blessing of the World-Phoenix.If you accept the blessing, your outworlder racial ability [Astral Affinity] will evolve to [Nirvanic Transfiguration].If you reject the blessing, your ability will remain unchanged and can be evolved by normal means or other blessings in the future.


    Jason paced back and forth. Coming back from the dead was a pleasant surprise. The World-Phoenix token had always been a mystery, but in hindsight he felt it should have been obvious. Knowledge had told him that he lacked the faith to use it. He finally understood, since killing yourself to trigger it would require a lot of faith in it working.


    Jason stopped pacing as realisation passed through him like a bolt of lightning. He was focusing on the token bringing him back from death, the startling function momentarily pushing the function he already knew about from his mind. The moment he remembered, his whole body tingled with anticipation and he couldn¡¯t open his map fast enough. His eyes immediately shot to the listing of his current location.


    Zone: Casselton West Regional Hospital [abandoned] (maternity ward).


    He stared at the words like a deer in headlights. After a long, stunned moment he turned his eyes to the map itself and started zooming out. He expanded out from the hospital to the whole town, then the whole Casselton region. There was his home town, Casselton Beach. Large portions of the map were uncovered; most the of the region, as he had travelled through most of it at one time or another. He kept expanding out, through the mid north coast, all of New South Wales, then the whole of Australia. When he zoomed out to the whole world, the continents were all where they should be instead of the funhouse mirror of the magic world¡¯s geography.


    Jason stared for a long time, not daring to believe. Then he closed the map, pushed through what he now recognised as heavy hospital doors and started rushing through the abandoned hospital. He had been born there but it had been closed down some fifteen years ago, now mostly a place for High School kids to come and smoke. It had been emptied out, leaving nothing to obstruct him as he rushed to find a window.


    He found a patient ward, the windows opaque from years without cleaning. Without hesitating, he grabbed his sword from his inventory and smashed the scabbard into the window, sending glass raining down outside. He was on the fourth floor looking out on the semi-industrial part of West Casselton where the hospital had been located. It was deep into the night and the sky beat down with rain. Clouds obscured the moon and stars, but street lights reflected off the wet asphalt street. On the other side of the road was a takeaway store he remembered, closed for almost as long as the hospital. Next to it was the main depot for the Casselton regional bus service.


    ¡°I¡¯m home.¡±


    The words came out in a tremulous whisper, as if he were scared that to say them would somehow make them untrue. His mind was once again sent staggering.


    Jason¡¯s arrival in the magical world was a stark dividing line. What came before was so removed from what came after that the two seemed inimicable. Yet now he looked at his old world with his new eyes. The darkness did not obscure his sight, which was sharper than ever before. Colours had depth and nuance he had never realised, the air carried a complexity of scents he never realised. He could taste the ozone tang of water on the power cables, smell the grass of the overgrown hospital grounds. The damp and mould of the disused hospital interior, and even a lingering trace of disinfectant, some fifteen years after it was last used.


    His brother, Kaito, had once gotten reckless with his bicycle when Jason was nine years old. He was stuck spending a few days in the hospital, with Jason¡¯s sister driving him in every day to visit. Afterwards they would get chips at the takeaway store across the road. Now, under Jason¡¯s powerful new perception, the familiar store seemed almost alien.


    He took a long, deep breath. The ramifications of coming back were like a sudden storm at sea. He had no idea how to navigate what would be disorienting at best and deadly dangerous at worst. The things he had learned and the things he could do represented a fundamental shift in the general understanding of reality. His very existence would be an opportunity to the ruthless and a threat to those who already claimed to have all the answers.


    Those were just his concerns for the world he found himself back in. He had further concerns over his adoptive world. Most pressing was that he would have no idea how his team fared until he found his way back across the dimensional barriers of both worlds and the astral void between. He was determined to do so, but had little idea of how.


    Did they all survive? Did they know he had revived in his own world? While he had discussed the World-Phoenix token in broad terms with some of them, he played that particular card close to his chest. In any case, even he hadn¡¯t known the specifics. Only Knowledge had the full truth and he would make no prediction about what the goddess would do.


    Those concerns were only peripheral compared to what he had to deal with immediately. He had no idea what his situation would be coming home. Did people think he was dead? How was he going to explain everything? What did he even need to explain? For all he knew, time moved at different paces between worlds. He may have been gone a week of subjective time or ten years.


    Then there were his arrangements going forward. Whatever his circumstances, he wasn¡¯t going to go back to the stationary store and ask for his job back. He had a pile of solid gold in his inventory but that wasn¡¯t the same as having money.


    ¡°I can¡¯t just rock up to the royal mint with thirty million worth of gold bullion and no explanation of where it came from. They¡¯ll think I¡¯m a drug dealer.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t know much about the gold trade in Australia, or anywhere else, for that matter, but he did know there was an amount of regulation. A scrap gold buyer might be largely overlooked, but if he dropped an unmarked ten kilo bar at a booth in shopping centre, they would probably call the police.


    The larger gold exchanges were watched more carefully. A retail employee who went missing for a year and a half, then showed up with a bunch of gold bars he couldn¡¯t explain the origins of would quickly find himself in a room with federal officers. Maybe he could find a shady one willing to make a backroom deal, but Jason¡¯s ignorance would make any such attempt fraught with peril.


    Jason could have used a sounding board but Shade was locked away within his soul. His familiars had retreated into his soul at the time he died, and he could still feel their spirits within his soul. Their vessels were no longer present in his body, however, which allowed him to draw certain conclusions.


    Jason had come a long way in his understanding of magic, with Clive guiding his studies. His focus, like Clive¡¯s, had been on astral magic, but he still had a solid grounding in general magical theories. This gave him a better understanding of the processes involved with his summoned familiars.


    His familiar¡¯s vessels hadn¡¯t been literally contained in his blood, shadow and aura. Jason¡¯s magical body, like that of anyone iron-rank or above, was composed of the biomass that made it up and the magical matrix that governed that biomass. The magical matrix was responsible for the ways in which the body interacted with both the world around it and the soul within it.


    A familiar¡¯s vessel, on being summoned, was anchored to physical reality by attaching itself to aspects of the summoner¡¯s matrix, rather than the biomass. This was the reason that summoned familiar¡¯s gave enhanced abilities when their vessels were subsumed, as they enhanced the capabilities of the aspect to which they were attached.


    In Jason¡¯s current situation, that knowledge allowed him to make a deduction. Since the spirits of his familiars were ensconced comfortably within his soul but their vessels were gone, his revival had been in a whole new body. He had no idea if that was a function of the World-Phoenix token or just of his returning to his world. Any soul entering a world would build a new body for itself, as Jason¡¯s had when he first became an outworlder.


    If it was because of being an outworlder, it hadn¡¯t changed his racial abilities the way it had the first time. His soul had already been affected by passing through the astral, unconsciously drawing on the astral¡¯s power to grant itself the tools it would need to survive. His racial gifts remained as they were, aside from the one that had just ranked up.


    Jason pulled a chair out of his inventory and sat down. It was time to formulate a plan that went beyond pants. He went back to his original questions.


    ¡°What do I need and how do I get it?¡±


    He needed information. If nothing had gone wonky with interdimensional time-streams, it should be somewhere near the start of winter. The rain pounding down outside the broken window let in a damp cold that certainly fit, but he would need to be more accurate than that. He enjoyed the bleak cold coming in through the window, having spent the last year and a half roaming scorching desert, sweltering delta and hot, wet jungle.


    He also needed to know what happened regarding his status. Did the world think he was missing or dead? Was his outworlder self some kind of magical clone, with his original still living his life, oblivious.


    A lot of those answers could be had with an internet connection. Unfortunately, he had no phone, no money and no transport. He was hesitant to call in on family to get them, at least until he had a better understanding of his circumstances. Then he remembered a certain member of his family and reconsidered.


    Jason had two uncles, one of which was estranged from the family. Hiro Asano was the family¡¯s black sheep due to his involvement in organised crime. Hiro might simultaneously be a useful source of information and a method to convert some of his gold into cash. He would get well-below market rates for an illegal gold sale, but he just needed enough money to get by for a while.


    The only problem was that Hiro was in Sydney, hundreds of kilometres to the south. In theory, Jason could portal his way south, reaching Sydney in a few hops. He knew from Clive that all portal powers had the same range of around forty kilometres per rank at bronze, including rank zero. Fortunately, Jason¡¯s Path of Shadows ability was one of his highest rank powers, giving him a range of roughly two hundred kilometres. His only concern was if the power would work at all.


    Normally, portal abilities would take someone to any place they had been. Jason had never thought to ask if that included places they had been before they gained the power, or even before they were an essence user. It was something he would need to test.


    That, at least, gave Jason a tentative plan. Test his portal ability, cash up and get the lay of the land. It would do for his immediate, practical concerns. That left the more magical concerns and he resumed looking through the windows he had minimised.


    You have been reborn.


    He wondered why had he appeared in the abandoned hospital. It had been closed for years, after the new big regional hospital opened in Castle Heads. Was it random? If so, that would be quite the coincidence, arriving in the same hospital he had been born in.


    Something occurred to him and he backtracked to the room he had arrived in. On the outside of the room was a faded sign. MATERNITY THEATRE.


    Jason pushed the doors open and went through. He hadn¡¯t arrived on the floor, but in the air, where he immediately fell to the floor. He guessed the height was about right for a hospital bed.


    ¡°Was I reborn in the exact same place I was born the first time?¡±

 Chapter 268: Time to Front Up

    Jason went back to the chair he had left by the broken window and sat down. The cool, clean air coming in as the rain continued to hammer down was a stark improvement over what had been sealed away in the old hospital. Before he made a move, he needed to go through the system messages that he had been ignoring. He pulled up the first one.


    You have entered a region of magical desolation. The levels of magical density and magical saturation are extremely low, insufficient to produce spontaneous magical manifestations.Stamina recovery reduced by 50%.Health Recovery reduced by 75%.Mana recovery reduced by 99%.Consuming a spirit coin of your rank or ten spirit coins of one rank lower will restore your recovery rates to normal for eight hours. This duration is reduced by using active magic abilities.Rituals and summoning abilities require spirit coins to enact, in addition to any spirit coin cost they already have. Rituals will be unable to function without artificially enhancing the density of local ambient magic.Summoned familiars will need to consume a spirit coin of their rank or ten coins of one rank lower to sustain their vessels. Consumption of spirit coins will allow them to maintain their vessels outside of the summoner for one day before requiring additional coins. This duration is reduced by using active magic abilities.


    Clive had long surmised that the dimensional membrane of Jason¡¯s world was much more restrictive than that of Clive¡¯s own. The reduced levels of magic it would allow to seep in from the astral would account for the absence of magic that Jason had described. The analysis of Jason¡¯s interface ability was completely consistent with that hypothesis, reflecting a level of magic so low as to be, for most practical purposes, absent entirely.


    The absence of magical manifestation meant no monsters, no essences and no awakening stones. Unless someone already had magical tools and abilities, interacting with the world¡¯s meagre level of magic would be impossible.


    Fortunately, Jason was not short on spirit coins. The astral space had inverted the normal ratio of shops to monsters, leaving Jason with silver spirit coins numbered in the low thousands. He had enough bronze coins to use indefinitely, while his iron coin supply was enough to swim through like Scrooge McDuck.


    ¡°The Builder could learn a lot from Disney,¡± Jason muttered to himself, opening up his inventory to take out a coin. Doing so, he noticed that his supply of monster cores now occupied currency counters like spirit coins, instead of taking up space in his inventory slots. He presumed it was one of the effects of his inventory power evolving. It didn''t free up a lot of slots, given that the amount of cores he could store per slot had expanded greatly when he reached bronze rank. He currently had a thousand bronze-rank cores and dozens of silver-rank cores. As for iron-rank cores, he had long ago ditched them, even if it only freed up the one inventory slot.


    Spirit coins and monster cores were only the beginning of the treasures that had his inventory bursting at the seams. Between looting monsters and scavenging the astral space, Jason and his team had dumped all their iron-rank loot to make room for the good stuff. The treasure had been split between Jason, Humphrey, Clive and Belinda, who each had their own storage spaces. Even carrying just a quarter of the team¡¯s haul, Jason had essences and awakening stones enough to produce a dozen essence users with full sets of abilities.


    The essence users in question would be rather uniform, as the environment of the astral space produced a lot of duplicate essences. Half of them were plant essences, with most of the others spread between venom, might and a handful of animal essences. Those were all common-rarity essences, but he also had a few uncommon growth and life essences, plus a precious handful of more exotic ones.


    The rest of the haul was filled out by various magic items they had picked up. Most had been kept for selling, the team already having claimed anything they wanted for themselves. There was even more in the cloud house, which could serve as a large, if less convenient dimensional space. That was where they had kept items that would occupy the most space in their storage abilities, along with things they had a lot of but knew they wouldn¡¯t be using. Basic bronze-rank weapons and armour weren¡¯t fancy, but there was always a market of newly-ranked-up adventurers looking for relatively inexpensive gear.


    He moved on to the next system window.


    Title: [Indomitable]


    Your repeated defiance in the face of more powerful enemies and willingness to sacrifice everything for a cause has marked your soul. Your resistance to aura suppression is further enhanced and ignores rank disparity.Your aura signature has changed. Your unwavering resolve floods your aura and can be detected if your aura is examined by an aura sensing power or when projecting your aura. Allies within your aura have increased resistance to aura suppression.


    More than just the new scars on his chest, Jason could feel that his soul had once again passed through the crucible. He had been told that soul scars were rare, yet his soul had been battered and beaten to the point that his entire torso was a landscape of ragged marks and lumpen scar tissue. Even though his body was brand new, the tribulations of his soul were made manifest upon it.


    He wondered if the deepest damage remained hidden. Looking into the rainy night of his own world, he wasn¡¯t sure if he belonged after what he had become. Not as a magic being, but as a person. He was no longer human, but how much of his humanity had he thrown away?


    The first person he killed was Landemere Vane, by accident in a mad scramble to defend himself. It had shaken him to the core, leaving him a near-catatonic wreck. It was not the last, that first day, and Rufus had warned him that it would only be the beginning. He had been so self-righteous, looking down on Rufus, Farrah and Gary for their callous attitude, resolving to be different. Now he had killed as much as any of them, unsure if it was his naivet¨¦ or his decency that he discarded along the way.


    He would never know how many Ustei tribesman had fallen to his afflictions in the battle on the sand barge. He regretted his participation now, but that didn¡¯t bring the people he killed back to life. At the time he had been caught up in the wild rush of the adventuring life, not even considering the reality of what he was doing. That day he had just followed orders, killing wantonly and hadn¡¯t even felt bad. So much blood on his hands, yet he¡¯d been excited about his first attribute advancement instead of horrified at the slaughter he¡¯d participated in


    Maybe there hadn¡¯t been a better solution and the battle with the Ustei was inevitable. It was certainly true that they had to be stopped, but was any real attempt made at a peaceful solution? He wasn¡¯t foolish enough to think he was done with killing, but he at least wanted to be confident in himself that it was the right thing, instead of just accepting the assurance of others.


    He had made other mistakes on his search to find a balance within the violence. His callousness had grown and people had died at his hands that shouldn¡¯t have. The third-rate adventurers Thadwick sent after him could have been sent packing with the same ease that he slaughtered half their number. He had taken their lives, caught up in his own dark mythology. Killing had become easy, casual almost. He had told himself that it had been necessary to send a message to the next people who came after him. He ultimately realised he was caught up in his own ego and power.


    Rufus had warned him that he would need to harden himself to the realities of a violent world. It was simply necessity when monsters threatened innocent people and power turned the selfish into tyrants. What none of them had warned Jason about was going too far and become one of those tyrants himself. The god Dominion had seen it, and apparently approved.


    He had tried to balance himself out. He hadn¡¯t wanted to go after the desert bandits that took over a town, because he knew it would be too easy to justify the killing to himself. Yet, he still let himself be talked into it. The final count of bandits he killed came to thirty-seven. Three dozen people in a single afternoon. He could not say he went unaffected by the magnitude of his actions but the most damning thing was that he didn¡¯t regret them. It was a grim job carried out with grim satisfaction.


    The person that arrived in the magic world was not the person that returned. Looking out at the dark, starless sky of his own Earth, he couldn¡¯t help but wonder if his old world had a place for him. He wasn¡¯t sure he deserved one.


    Jason shook his head to dispel the dark thoughts. For all his dark deeds, he had done a lot of good as well. All he could do was move forward and continue trying to do his best. In the meantime, he brought up the next system window.


    You have received the blessing of the World-Phoenix.If you accept the blessing, your outworlder racial ability [Astral Affinity] will evolve to [Nirvanic Transfiguration].If you reject the blessing, your ability will remain unchanged and can be evolved by normal means or other blessings in the future.


    He had no idea what the World-Phoenix wanted from him, or why it had slipped him a token as his soul was dragged through the astral on his way to becoming an outworlder. According to Clive, the World-Phoenix¡¯s area of concern was dimensional stability. It¡¯s interests lay in events that impacted the astral and whole realities, with little care for mortal affairs. When the World-Phoenix did act on that small a scale, it was oblique and subtle. Was the World-Phoenix trying to make Jason the butterfly whose wings led to the rise of a hurricane?


    Jason had no insights into the World-Phoenix¡¯s objectives or intentions for him, which was exactly the problem. Entities existing in realms he couldn¡¯t imagine were playing games on a board he was too small to see. He had no interest in being someone¡¯s pawn and, if he could find a way, would rather flip the board over entirely.


    According to Clive, there was no way for a great astral being¡¯s blessing to be used as a means to control the recipient, beyond ordinary methods like gratitude and obligation. The ability, once granted, could not be revoked like that from a divine awakening stone. Some great astral beings were even known to give blessings to those that opposed their interests, when their ideologies meshed, nonetheless. Jason himself had already received a power evolution from a blessing, courtesy of a Reaper token. His system had not asked for confirmation at that time; apparently his use of the token counted as consent. He looked over the description of his potential new power.


    Ability: [Nirvanic Transfiguration]


    This ability will be evolved from the ability [Astral Affinity].Your body and soul will be combined into a gestalt entity both physical and spiritual in nature. This state will grant inherent resistance to effects that utilise the soul-body disconnect.The nature of your new body will render you immune to resurrection effects, including those of high-rank healing magic. If your body is discorporated, your soul will return to a purely spiritual state, unable to reinhabit a physical form or re-enter a physical reality. This prevents the natural formation of an outworlder body on entering a physical reality. These restrictions will change on reaching diamond rank.When suffering lethal damage, instead of dying, your new body will undergo a nirvanic rebirth, returning to a state of full integrity. This effect cannot be triggered again until you have increased in rank from the last time it was used. This ability will change on reaching diamond rank.The strength of your aura will significantly increase.Your resistance to hostile dimension effects and disruptive force damage will be increased. This is an enhancement of the [Astral Affinity] ability.The potency of your dimensional abilities and transcendent damage will be increased. This is a legacy effect of the [Astral Affinity] ability.Physical reality around you will be more stable. You will be able to sense nearby astral space apertures and proto-astral spaces coterminous to your location.You will be able to traverse astral space apertures, including those that are closed or have been sealed.You will be able to directly enter proto-astral spaces coterminous with your location or directly leave a proto-astral space to a coterminous location.While within the astral you will be able to create and maintain a small zone of physical reality around you. This does not grant the ability to enter or traverse the astral.


    The power seemed wildly suspicious. For one thing, no racial gift Jason had heard of came close to that complexity. It was more akin to an essence ability after ranking up multiple times. For another, it seemed very specific. It was clearly designed to push Jason into certain directions, for reasons that remained hidden from him. Whatever the World-Phoenix¡¯s agenda, Jason was certain this power was designed to serve it.


    Jason had two further misgivings. The major one was the removal of resurrection options. To someone from a world without magic, that might seem like a cheap cost, but Jason had already died twice. He knew full well that high-ranked healing magic had miraculous effects, to the point of bringing back the dead if the healer moved quickly enough.


    While the nirvanic rebirth effect was some compensation, it would take Jason decades to reach diamond rank, even under the far-from-certain assumption that he would at all. In all that time, he would have only one chance to revive at each rank, compared to the potentially countless times a healer could bring him back from the brink.


    His other concern was that it precluded using the outworlder effect of having his soul traverse the astral and form a new body in a new world. He didn¡¯t know if it was possible to engineer this effect without a transcendent power like the World-Phoenix token, but accepting this power would rule it out entirely.


    That was not something Jason was comfortable with. His intention was to settle affairs with his family, then find a way back to the magical Earth. He had expected to be higher rank before that ever became an issue. Bronze-rank seemed too low to find a means of traversing worlds, and there weren¡¯t any monsters to grind his way up with on his own Earth. Figuring out how to artificially trigger an outworlder effect was the only idea he had, thus far.


    Those concerns, plus a healthy scepticism about the agendas of great astral beings, left Jason unwilling to accept the power. The World-Phoenix certainly knew how to lay out tempting bait, however. Much of the ability seemed tailor made for taking the fight to the Builder¡¯s minions, which he suspected it was.


    The question was why. Was it to push Jason into taking the ability, or was fighting the Builder the entire point? Why would a great astral being even go to the effort for someone like him? Surely there was no shortage of powerful, knowledgeable people who would be willing to act on the World-Phoenix¡¯s behalf. He was self aware enough to realise that his ego was perhaps a touch over-sized, but even he would admit to being unremarkable on a cosmic scale.


    Jason had no intention of accepting that power without answering at least some of those questions. He didn¡¯t flat out decline it, either. There didn¡¯t seem to be a time limit on the offer, and if there had been, it would have tipped him into rejecting it outright. For the moment he could just leave things as they were, leaving the decision for when he had more information.


    Finally he moved on to the last window. This was a power evolution that he had received the old-fashioned way, by having the crap kicked out of him. He already had an instinctive sense of the power but Clive was right; having it all spelled out was extremely useful.


    Ability: [Spirit Vault]


    This ability is evolved from the ability [Inventory].You have a dimensional storage space.You may call up a gate and physically enter your dimensional storage space. Only you may enter; others cannot be invited or forcibly intrude. You may directly portal from within the storage space to another area using the location of the gate as a starting point, even if the gate is obstructed or destroyed, preventing ordinary egress.You may summon familiars within the storage space without the use of a ritual, although any material requirements of the ritual must still be consumed.


    ¡°See, now that¡¯s how a power evolution should work. Not eighteen different things, no over-the-top effects. No getting killed, no agendas. Just a nice bit of extra utility, with that little bit of flair that makes you excited to check it out.¡±


    He stood up from his chair and waved a hand over the floor and in response, a line of darkness appeared. He gestured upwards and an obsidian arch rose up, filled with darkness.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you familiar,¡± he told it. He went to step through, then stopped, picked up his chair and carried it through with him.


    He emerged from an identical arch into a luxurious gazebo, elaborately carved from marbled obsidian in swirling black and white. The gazebo was circular and had three more archways spaced equidistantly around it. The archway he had stepped through was filled with a starry void, while the next was filled with what looked like a vertical sheet of roiling blood. After that was one filled with pure darkness, much like his normal portal arches. The last had the blue and orange eye nebula that was Gordon¡¯s signature filling it.


    The floor was a tile mosaic that looked just like the personal crest on Jason¡¯s back; a daylight sky inside a cloak, surrounded by the night sky. More arresting was the environment in which the gazebo was located. Untethered from the ground, it floated through a dark, rain-filled sky. Neither rain nor wind encroached upon the gazebo¡¯s interior, despite the open sides. A large crystal that looked to have naturally grown down from the centre of the arched ceiling gave off a cool, pleasant light.


    Outside of the gazebo, numerous objects orbited around it, glowing with transcendent light like stars shining in the dark. Looking at them, Jason realised that they were the items stored in his inventory. He threw out the chair he was holding as an experiment and it gained its own halo of light and it joined the other objects in orbit. Jason spied a stack of sandwiches, gathered together gently glowing. With a simple thought from Jason, one of the sandwiches separated itself and floated to his hand.


    ¡°Nice,¡± he said, then took a bite.


    He turned back to the archways, clearly associated with his three familiars.


    ¡°Alright, mates. Time to front up.¡±


    Items started flying into the gazebo, vanishing into the three archways. Jason had enough materials to summon Shade and Gordon once each, and Colin twice. Along with the material components being consumed, the required spirit coins came hurtling up and in from somewhere below the floating gazebo.


    Leeches started spilling out of the bloody arch, forming a pile from which strips of ragged, bloody cloth emerged to start binding the pile into shape. Motes of blue and orange light started streaming out of the nebula arch like a swarm of fireflies, slowly coalescing into Gordon¡¯s form. A dark shape slowly pushed itself out through the final arch, taking the form of Shade. As his shadow familiar appeared, Jason¡¯s own shadow vanished. Additional bodies emerged from the arch, one after another, before melding together as one.


    ¡°It is good to see you alive again, Mr. Asano.¡±


    ¡°Good to be seen,¡± Jason said. ¡°It comes as bit of a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Not entirely,¡± Shade said. ¡°The World-Phoenix token in your possession was always a comfort to me, in regards to your safety.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jason said. ¡°You knew?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Shade said, in his usual dignified tone. ¡°I¡¯m not a scrub.¡±

 Chapter 269: The Single Greatest Thing on This Planet

    In the otherworldly floating gazebo, Jason was reunited with his familiars. While he was pleased to see them, the revelation that Shade had known the nature of the World-Phoenix token was startling.


    ¡°How long have you known what the token could do?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Several thousand years,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Millennia,¡± Jason said. ¡°It never occurred to you that I might want to know it could bring me back to life?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Shade said. ¡°I chose quite specifically to withhold that information from you.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, you are more than reckless enough as it is. Your propensity to pick fights you can¡¯t win was neatly demonstrated by your recent demise. If you realised you had a tool to bring you back from death, I have no doubt you would have been even more cavalier with your mortality.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, it is kind of hard to refute death,¡± Jason conceded.


    ¡°I hope that you will act with more caution in future. We all do.¡±


    Jason turned to the cloaked forms of his other familiars. Gordon was a disembodied cloak filled with power, while the leech swarm, Colin, was bound up in bloody rags in a cloaked, humanoid shape. Both of them nodded in agreement with Shade¡¯s assertion.


    ¡°My own familiars are ganging up on me. What a sad state of affairs.¡±


    ¡°Then I suggest you stop trying to get yourself killed,¡± Shade said. ¡°You are demonstrably good at it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you have any insight into the World-Phoenix, Shade?¡±


    ¡°Some,¡± Shade said. ¡°You are undecided about the power she has offered you?¡±


    ¡°Did you sense that through our connection, or did I miss something while my soul was making its way back across the astral?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I took the opportunity to reconnect with my progenitor while your soul was in its care,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°You saw your Dad; that¡¯s nice. He didn¡¯t give you any insights into what the World-Phoenix is after, did he?¡±


    ¡°It only said that the power was designed in negotiation between the World-Phoenix and the Reaper itself,¡± Shade said. ¡°I believe it withheld further information, knowing that I would pass it along to you.¡±


    ¡°More secrets. Wonderful.¡±


    ¡°The power evolution you have been offered is unusual,¡± Shade said. ¡°The basis is something I have seen from the World-Phoenix in the past, but the Reaper¡¯s hand in its design is clear.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°You have a habit of not staying dead,¡± Shade said. ¡°This is not something the Reaper likes. You have its gratitude, however. The Reaper rarely involves itself with the mortals that venerate it; the Builder is unusual amongst astral beings in this regard. The Reaper appreciates that without you, the souls of its followers would still be trapped inside the undying flesh abominations. So long as the ability assures that the next time you die you stay dead, the Reaper will see you compensated in kind.¡±


    ¡°This power would heal me up when I otherwise would have died,¡± Jason said. ¡°Doesn¡¯t he have a problem with me cheating death?¡±


    ¡°The Reaper does not care if you cheat death,¡± Shade explained. ¡°It only cares if you cheat being dead. There is a difference.¡±


    ¡°Then why prevent revival magic from working?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That can only be issued right after you die, right?¡±


    ¡°There are more potent diamond-rank resurrection effects that are permitted to be less timely,¡± Shade said. ¡°Such powers can return the soul after it has left the body, instead of merely restoring the body before the soul has departed. Such powers touch upon the domain of any local god of death, who may intercede for good or ill, as they choose.¡±


    ¡°So, this ability would put me back together while my soul was still around,¡± Jason said. ¡°Once it¡¯s gone, though, it¡¯s gone.¡±


    ¡°The aspect of the ability you are being offered that prevents resurrection is not an artificial restriction. It is a function of the combined physical and spiritual state you would attain on accepting the power; body and soul as a single, gestalt entity. One of the ramifications of this state would be that once the physical element dies and it becomes fully spiritual, it stays that way. Rather than an ordinary soul, you would  be closer to an astral being, like myself. You would be no more able to resurrect than I am.¡±


    ¡°But I could become someone¡¯s familiar?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Shade said. ¡°We have reached the limit of my knowledge on the topic. One more thing to mention, however, is that the ability description only briefly touches on the resistance to effects that impact the soul-body connection.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s important?¡±


    ¡°Much in the way your interface ability¡¯s description leaves out the rather important aspect of looting, this ability does not express the value of the inherent resistances that come from being a physical and spiritual gestalt. This particular aspect of the ability is something that would become increasingly valuable as you increase in rank, when dealing with astral affairs, high-rank astral entities and certain high-rank ability effects. Entities that are both spiritual and physical in nature have significant advantages when operating on an interdimensional scale. This aspect is not something that would help you much at your current rank, but would show its value over time.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that your dad made sure this power is the good stuff, in return for making sure I stay dead next time?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That is a part of it,¡± Shade confirmed. ¡°Clearly, the power is designed to serve several agendas. Those of the World-Phoenix and the Reaper, certainly. But also to serve yours.¡±


    ¡°Because it would give me the tools to fight the Builder?¡±


    ¡°In part,¡± Shade said. ¡°There is a balance between great astral beings, just as there is a balance between the gods of a world. They keep one another in check. This is why the great astral beings do not give power evolutions to their favoured supporters that contain as much magic as they can stand without it destroying them.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense, I guess. Checks and balances.¡±


    ¡°This ability you have been offered is a product of a bargain struck between great astral beings. It operates outside of that balance. There is a price to taking it, but the power is far greater than you would normally receive.¡±


    ¡°That much I figured out,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The ability seems to be an enhanced variant of an ability that the World-Phoenix frequently blesses those who serve its interests with. These are generally high-ranking individuals whose tasks involve traversing the astral. Your intention is to find a reliable path between this world and the one you just left, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason confirmed.


    ¡°That is what makes this power most advantageous to you. This ability will not give you the power to traverse realities, but it will make otherwise unfeasible solutions more viable.¡±


    ¡°So you think I should take the ability?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°My inclination would be to decline,¡± Shade said. ¡°The benefits are many, but the danger it poses to your long-term survivability is not a risk I think you should take. On the other hand, the Reaper has become increasingly dissatisfied with the rising impermanence of death over the last few millennia. Its tolerance for cheating death has been waning and it informed me, while I was waiting to be resummoned, that the Reaper is finally taking steps. I suspect your multiple resurrections are at least part of the impetus.¡±


    ¡°Great, so I¡¯m the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back.¡±


    ¡°More precisely, the World-Phoenix. The Reaper doesn¡¯t want the World-Phoenix to continually resurrect you or any of its other pawns. The World-Phoenix has always acted with decorum in regard to its right to do this, but the Reaper is concerned that the Builder¡¯s actions may provoke an unwelcome response.¡±


    ¡°What kind of steps is the Reaper taking?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Pressuring death gods to make resurrection magic more difficult, more costly and less reliable.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that invalidate certain essence powers?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said. ¡°Essence powers have a natural balance. In any location where the local death god impedes resurrection, that same change will enhance the non-resurrection effects of relevant abilities.¡±


    ¡°And the Reaper pushed this power onto the World-Phoenix to offer me?¡±


    ¡°The only requirement the Reaper made was that you stay dead next time. The rest of the power comes from the World-Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°Which raises the question of what the World-Phoenix wants,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not above helping someone out in return for mutual benefit, but there¡¯s a difference between cutting a deal and being pushed into one without being told the details. Also, I¡¯m not sure what I have to offer. I can¡¯t imagine anything I can do that can¡¯t be done better by someone else. I doubt the World-Phoenix is hard up for volunteers.¡±


    ¡°The World-Phoenix does not like to act directly,¡± Shade said. ¡°It prefers to set things in motion that will ultimately achieve the end it desires.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Jason said. ¡°What does that mean for me?¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Shade said, ¡°is that the World-Phoenix believes that you will naturally act in a way that furthers its goals, so long as you have the tools and the opportunity. Therefore, it has tried to give them to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to reject the power out of hand,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not ungrateful for the coming back from the dead thing. I¡¯m not just going to go a long with what it wants, no questions asked, though. It is true that she couldn¡¯t use the power to unduly influence me, right?¡±


    ¡°Blessing powers to not offer control over their recipients,¡± Shade confirmed.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to leave it be, for the moment, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can reassess it later.¡±


    ¡°Prudent,¡± Shade said approvingly.


    ¡°What¡¯s say we get out of this weird dimension and hit the road, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now you¡¯re back in action, I have some more flexibility in my transport options. Having you turn into a magical carriage would look a bit odd driving down the street, though. Even a horse would be more subtle, but not great in the rain.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can manage,¡± Shade said.


    Jason¡¯s familiars returned to his body and he went back through the archway, emerging back in the empty hospital ward.


    ¡°I believe that I can manage an acceptable form of conveyance,¡± Shade said from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Exactly how much control do you have over the form of mount you take?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Your ability defines the general parameters,¡± Shade said. ¡°Within those parameters, the choice of form is mine to make. In the astral space, for example, I could have transformed into any animal that was suited to jungle travel. I chose the mantis beetles, but could have easily taken the form of a large serpent or an arboreal climber.¡±


    ¡°My original intention was to try portalling directly to Sydney to look for my uncle,¡± Jason said. ¡°Since I have you, I think I might head back to my home town and check on the family. The question is whether I portal straight there or catch a ride. What kind of mount is appropriate to a hospital environment? You¡¯re not going to turn into an ambulance, are you?¡±


    Three of Shade¡¯s bodies emerged from Jason shadow and melded together into the form a sleek, black, two-door sports car.


    ¡°Strewth,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade, you look like a space ninja¡¯s car. Is this an actual car that exists somewhere?¡±


    ¡°So long as I adhere to the basic properties of the conveyance ascribed by your ability, I am able to conform to my own sense of design aesthetics,¡± Shade the car said. ¡°Does it meet with your approval?¡±


    ¡°Does the super-sweet talking car meet with my approval? Shade, you may be the single greatest thing on this planet. That definitely answers whether I¡¯m going to ride or try a portal.¡±


    The car transformed to a cloud of shadows that returned to Jason¡¯s own shadow.


    ¡°That¡¯s going to make parking easy,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think it¡¯s time to get out of here.¡±


    From his inventory he retrieved his magic umbrella. It could shield him from water when he was completely submerged, so it would be more than up to the task of handling the rain. He leapt through the window as he opened the umbrella, his shadow cloak appearing around him as he drifted to the ground like Mary Poppins.


    He followed a concrete path through the overgrown grass of the hospital grounds to the street, not bothering to hold the umbrella floating dutifully behind him. He popped a bronze spirit coin into his mouth to normalise his recovery rates as he gently expanded his aura. Not sensing any other auras within it, he had Shade once again take the form of a car. Slipping inside, he settled luxuriously into the soft, shadow stuff seats.


    The interior was opulent, in Shade¡¯s usual colourations of black and white. Looking over the dash, it appeared to have the full functionality of a car.


    ¡°Shade, is that a sound system?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I adhere to the parameters of the form I have taken. That includes something called Bluetooth functionality, which does not appear to involve teeth or the colour blue.¡±


    ¡°Nice. Can you drive yourself?¡±


    ¡°I can.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I should have had you turn into an ¡¯81 Trans Am.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for making a shadowy flight into the world of a man who does not exist.¡±


    ¡°That has not alleviated my confusion.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a turbo boost button?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    ¡°Oh well,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s hit the road.¡±


    ¡°I need to work on my driving skills,¡± Jason said as he drove through the rain. It was only a short half-hour to his home town of Casselton Beach, the wet conditions only adding a few minutes.


    There was nothing wrong with Jason¡¯s abilities as a driver, if his only concerns were driving like a normal person. His problem was the speed and power he could feel within Shade¡¯s car form. Despite making very little noise, Jason could feeling the speed and power waiting to be unleashed. It was a hunting cat, poised and eager to pounce. The potential of it taunted Jason¡¯s ordinary driving skills, which would definitely not be able to handle them.


    ¡°I am perfectly capable of moving effectively and efficiently at speed without requiring input from a driver,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Says the guy with no turbo boost button,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I do not see how that is relevant,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Maybe I could find a driving skill book. No, that¡¯s pretty unlikely.¡±


    Jason had used some skill books to give him basic proficiency with alchemy and artifice. Anything he made would be laughable to an expert like Jory but at least he could make some basic consumable items, if he could find the materials. They would be of low quality, but a mediocre healing potion was still better than no healing potion.


    His skill-book based crafting skills were certainly not up to the task of making a skill book, however. That required the skill not just to craft the book¡¯s enchantments but to integrate the proficiencies and knowledge of whatever expert was providing the contents.


    The impressive functionality of Shade¡¯s car included projecting a head-up display on the windscreen. That gave him his first taste of hard information regarding his return, including the date and time.


    ¡°It¡¯s my sister¡¯s birthday next week,¡± Jason said. ¡°How did you even get this information? Do you have wi-fi or something?¡±


    ¡°I will remind you that it is your ability that is responsible for my shape-changing,¡± Shade said. ¡°Do you have wi-fi?¡±


    Jason though back to his old quest ability and its power to sense things from the world around him that he otherwise could not.


    ¡°I actually might,¡± Jason said thoughtfully. ¡°Magic wi-fi. It¡¯s probably not Windows compatible. I definitely seem to be running under a proprietary OS.¡±


    It had been late November when Jason left and now it was early June, a year and a half later. It was fully dark but not too late, being a little before nine. He still wasn¡¯t sure what he would do when he arrived at his parents house. He still intended to get more information before making his grand reappearance.


    ¡°There is something I think you should know,¡± Shade said. ¡°You asked if you missed anything while your soul was traversing the astral. The Reaper placed another soul alongside yours, which accompanied it into this world. It was not a soul I recognised but I believe this soul is most likely now an outworlder, here on your world.¡±


    ¡°I think I knew that,¡± Jason said mused. ¡°I arrived with this lingering sense that someone else should have been there with me. Finding out who they are and why they are here should be at the top of my priority list. Why would your dad send a soul my way? Isn¡¯t that antithetical to his whole purpose?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Shade said. ¡°It was the price the Reaper paid to have a say in the power offered to you.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s to help the World-Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°The Reaper does not like your continual return from death, but it is grateful for releasing the souls of the Reaper¡¯s cultists trapped in the flesh monstrosities. As am I, by the way. My progenitor is not without a sense of reciprocity.¡±


    ¡°Any ideas on how we can find this outworlder?¡±


    ¡°It would depend on the conditions by which they were inserted into the world,¡± Shade said. ¡°The World-Phoenix token placed you at the spot you were born, but this other soul is likely to have appeared at a random location.¡±


    ¡°Well, an outworlder should stand out at least. How hard can it be to find one weird person using the internet?¡±


    Jason received a startling message as he reached the outskirts of his home town.


    Contact [Erika Asano] has entered communication range.Contact [Ian Evans] has entered communication range.Contact [Emi Evans-Asano] has entered communication range.


    Jason took in a sharp breath. The names of Jason¡¯s sister and her family had been darkened on his contact list since it appeared with his evolved interface. They lived in Melbourne and had most likely come north to visit. They probably had some time off and had come back to Erika¡¯s home town for her birthday next week.


    Contact [Kaito Asano] has entered communication range.Contact [Amy Asano] has entered communication range.


    Jason¡¯s brother and his wife lived next to Jason¡¯s parents, so it made sense that they would come into range at the same time. He drove through the empty streets of Casselton Beach towards his old street. The dark, the rain and his enhanced senses made the familiar unfamiliar.


    He pulled to a stop across the street from the house where he grew up. Instead of getting out, Shade transformed into a cloud of darkness that retreated into Jason¡¯s shadow, leaving Jason standing and taking his umbrella back out.


    The dark and quiet car had drawn no attention and Jason stood away from the street lights, the moonless, rainy night making him all but invisible. The first thing he noticed was the cars in the driveway. Neither of his parents cars were present, although they may have been in the carport. In their place were what he recognised as the cars of his sister and her husband. He had no idea why they would both bring their cars if they drove all the way up from Melbourne.


    Jason let his aura senses wash over the house. He sensed two adults, who were wrangling with a child. He could feel the tiredness and frustration in the auras of the adults and the defiance of the child. She was apparently not a big fan of bed time.


    Although he had never sensed the auras before, there was a familiarity to them. He had no doubt that it was his sister, Erika, her husband, Ian, and their daughter, Emi. There was no one else present; his parents were nowhere to be seen.


    He had not seen his brother Kaito, or his wife, Amy, since before they were married. Jason turned his gaze to the house next door, where they lived. His wife¡¯s parents had retired early and moved to Tasmania, selling their house to their daughter. Their generous price gave the young family a financial head-start at a time when few young people could afford a home.


    He brushed his senses over the house, sensing two adults and two sleeping children. They just had one at the time Jason left, the younger child only being a few months old. The auras of the adults were drenched in the tiredness of dealing with a new baby.


    Jason turned his attention back to the house he grew up in. Had Erika and Ian bought his parents house, the way that Kaito and Ami had brought hers? Erika certainly had the money for it, but what about her TV series?


    ¡°Will you go in?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I need to know what they think happened. I need to come up with some kind of story that fits.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t tell them the truth?¡±


    ¡°Eventually,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I¡¯m not just going to rock up and say ¡®hey, it turns out I¡¯m alive and a wizard now, also, magic is real, there are alternate universes and your most fundamental understandings about reality fall somewhere between breathtakingly incomplete and utterly wrong.¡¯¡±


    ¡°Perhaps a more measured approach would be best,¡± Shade agreed. ¡°You will travel to the city you mentioned, as planned?¡±


    ¡°Sydney, yeah.¡±


    ¡°Will you be trying out a portal, or do you want to drive?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long drive,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I think I could use that right now.¡±

 Chapter 270: Some Secrets Change You Forever

    Jason let Shade drive through the dark and the rain. The dark did not obscure his vision, but he trusted Shade more than himself to drive safely in the wet. He also didn¡¯t want to drive distracted; his visit home had left him contemplative and sober.


    ¡°We should do this trip again when the weather¡¯s better,¡± he said. ¡°And during the day. The Pacific Coast Drive is one of the greats.¡±


    As Jason¡¯s soul had grown stronger, the connection to his familiars had grown stronger in turn. Even with the current strength, the connection wasn¡¯t the equal of a bonded familiar, but he could feel them more than ever. They could likewise feel him and the emotional turmoil raging beneath his placid fa?ade.


    They did not know Jason¡¯s complicated family history, and he doubted Colin and possibly Gordon could even understand if they did. What they did understand was the feeling it engendered. He felt them urge him on with feelings of support, smiling as he sent back his own feelings of gratitude. It was a comfort to have his strange but loyal companions on side.


    Despite the wet conditions, Shade had no regard for speed limits and every confidence in his ability, so Jason had arrived in Sydney before the bars stopped accepting people. Sydney was also suffering a downpour, so Jason¡¯s umbrella was floating along behind him.


    The Stone Wall was a bar in Sydney¡¯s King¡¯s Cross. A remnant of the wilder days before the lockout laws, it was a bastion of the old rough and dirty days. Working the door was a small mountain, in the form of a M¨¡ori dressed all in black.


    ¡°Hey, bro,¡± the bouncer said. Despite his towering figure, he had a high-pitched voice. His thick New Zealand accent made his use of the word ¡®bro¡¯ friendly and amiable, rather than frat-boy douchebag. ¡°How¡¯s your umbrella stay up like that?¡±


    Jason glanced at the magic item floating next to him. ¡°Probably magnets.¡±


    ¡°Sweet. You coming inside?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for Hiro Asano,¡± Jason said. ¡°Last I heard, he was running this place.¡±


    ¡°No worries, bro; I¡¯ll give him a call. Who should I say is looking for him?¡±


    ¡°His nephew.¡±


    ¡°Okay, give me a sec.¡±


    The big man fished a phone from his pocket and made a call.


    ¡°Hey, it¡¯s Taika. I¡¯ve got someone here looking for you. Says he¡¯s your nephew.¡±


    The bouncer looked Jason over.


    ¡°Good-looking half-Japanese bloke, yeah.¡±


    ¡°he covered the phone with his hand.


    ¡°Are you Kaito?¡± Taika asked


    ¡°I¡¯m the other one. Jason.¡±


    The bouncer went back to his call.


    ¡°He says he¡¯s the other one. Yeah, Jason.¡±


    The big man winced at whatever came through from the other end, then put his phone away.


    ¡°He¡¯s says Jason is dead, bro. He sounded pretty angry that someone was claiming to be his dead nephew. Said he¡¯s sending Growl down here. My advice to is make yourself scarce before he gets here.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, but I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. I¡¯m Taika, by the way. Like the director, but I don¡¯t make films.¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°You really Hiro¡¯s dead nephew?¡±


    ¡°The trick is to not stay dead.¡±


    ¡°I can see how that would be useful. You might be needing that soon.¡±


    On cue, a hulking white guy came striding out of the bar. He wasn¡¯t as big as Taika, but looked like a clump of muscle that gained sentience, bought a tank top and started getting tattoos.


    ¡°Is this the guy?¡± Growl asked in a voice that could have surfaced a gravel road.


    ¡°This is the guy,¡± Taika said.


    ¡°I thought you might have warned him to run,¡± Growl said.


    ¡°I did,¡± Taika said. ¡°He responded with a casual lack of concern that suggests either he has no idea what he¡¯s in for or that he knows something we don¡¯t.¡±


    Growl looked Jason up and down.  Even after growing a few centimetres taller with his ascension to bronze rank, Jason was not a large man. His lean muscle was well hidden under the excellent drape of his suit.


    ¡°You think this guy is some kind of arse-kicker?¡± Growl asked sceptically.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen movies, bro. Huge white dude goes to beat up a little Asian bloke? He¡¯s probably one of them secret kung-fu guys. Trained in a hidden mountain temple or something.¡±


    Jason watched the exchange with a bemused smile.


    ¡°What are you smirking at?¡± Growl asked him. He grabbed Jason by the arm and dragged him towards an alley. Jason let himself be pulled along, out of sight of the street.


    ¡°Mr Asano doesn¡¯t like people pretending to be his dead family members,¡± Growl said. ¡°First, you¡¯re going to tell me what you¡¯re up to. Then I¡¯m going to make very clear the degree to which Mr Asano is upset.¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m here for is easy,¡± Jason said with a sinister chuckle as his face took on a malevolent cant. ¡°My job was to get you away from Asano while the others go in through the back.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Growl asked, then his eyes went wide. He swore as he sprinted out of the alley. Jason followed at a casual stroll. When he reached Taika, the big man was looking at the door Growl had just barrelled through.


    ¡°Did you kung fu Growl?¡±


    ¡°I just told him a little porky pie,¡± Jason said, moving under the awning over the door and closing his umbrella. ¡°Nice to meet you, Taika. I¡¯m going to go in.¡±


    ¡°Okay, bro.¡±


    Jason followed Growl¡¯s aura through what turned out to be a loud and crowded bar. There was enough people that no one noticed the umbrella vanish as he returned it to his inventory. Growl had rushed past a pair of beefy men standing in front of a doorway, who blocked Jason¡¯s way when he went to follow.


    Jason couldn¡¯t be bothered dealing with them, giving them just enough aura suppression to severely unnerve them without causing any real harm. The pair, suddenly terrified of Jason for reasons they didn¡¯t understand, quickly moved out of his way. Jason went through the door and up the stairs, where he heard an angry voice.


    ¡°No, no one has come in through the back. With the security door back there, they¡¯d have better luck coming through a wall. This is why you never move up, Growl. The only muscle you never work out is your damn brain!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on him, Uncle Hiro,¡± Jason said stepping into the office where Growl was looking sheepish. Sitting behind a desk was Jason¡¯s uncle. Hiro¡¯s criminal connections had made him a black sheep of the family and Jason hadn¡¯t seen him since before he had left for university seven years ago.


    ¡°Jason?¡±


    Hiro came around the desk, tilting his head back and forth as he examined Jason¡¯s face.


    ¡°Is it really you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s me, Uncle Hiro.¡±


    Hiro blinked a couple of times, then collected Jason into a hug before letting him go, putting his hands on Jason¡¯s shoulders.


    ¡°You can go, Growl.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Growl asked.


    ¡°Yes, Thomas.¡±


    Growl flinched at the use of his real name and slinked away.


    ¡°How did you get past the guys downstairs?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m very intimidating,¡± Jason said unconvincingly.


    Hiro closed the door behind Growl and waved Jason into a seat. Hiro¡¯s office was decorated quite differently to the grimy aesthetic of the downstairs bar. It had exposed brick, stained wood and subdued art. His chair was old school leather, practically a throne.  Jason¡¯s own chair was very comfortable, by the standards of someone who didn¡¯t own a house made of magic clouds.


    ¡°It¡¯s incredible to see you Jason,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Even before all this, it had been too long. The memorial service was the first time I saw your father in years. We keep in touch at least a little, now. Your grandmother still won¡¯t have anything to do with me.¡±


    ¡°You did send a huge man to beat me up,¡± Jason said. ¡°You aren¡¯t exactly a model citizen.¡±


    ¡°I am sorry about that, but you handled Growl well enough. He¡¯s not sharp, but that¡¯s acceptable in a blunt instrument.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s a giant tool either way,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Still a smart-arse, I see.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I took a look at dumb-arse but decided to go the other way.¡±


    Hiro chuckled.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely you, alright. You¡¯ve changed a lot since I last saw you, though. You finally grew into that chin.¡±


    ¡°Why is everyone so focused on my chin?¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding? You could have drilled for oil with that thing. Did you have some work done?¡±


    ¡°What work?¡±


    ¡°Like chin-reduction surgery.¡±


    ¡°I did not have chin-reduction surgery!¡±


    Hiro chuckled, then his face grew more serious.


    ¡°What happened to you, Jason? Where have you been? Why hasn¡¯t anyone heard from you?¡±


    ¡°Those questions have very complicated answers,¡± Jason said. ¡°For the moment, let¡¯s just say that I¡¯ve been doing some work in a place completely cut off from outside communication. I didn¡¯t even know people thought I was dead until I talked to your guys downstairs.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the rest of the family tell you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only one who knows I¡¯m back. What does everyone think happened to me?¡±


    ¡°There was a gas explosion in your building. It wiped out your apartment entirely and a good chunk of the one around yours, but you were the only death.¡±


    ¡°My building didn¡¯t have gas service,¡± Jason said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°That¡¯s what your sister said. She threw up a big stink about it, but the feds were adamant.¡±


    ¡°Feds?¡±


    ¡°Your apartment blew up when there was one of those terrorist response exercises going on nearby. It was one of the first ones, actually.¡±


    ¡°What terrorist response exercises?¡±


    ¡°You really were out of contact weren¡¯t you?¡± Hiro asked. ¡°It¡¯s been going on for more than a year, now. The army has been deploying forces all over the country for what they¡¯re calling terrorist response exercises. It¡¯s been happening in other countries, too, all over the world. There¡¯s all this speculation going around that there¡¯s some kind of anticipated attack, but more than a year later and nothing. But since one of them took place near your apartment at the same time, the federal police got involved.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°A lightning quick investigation,¡± Hiro said. ¡°They said it was a gas explosion and closed it out by the end of the day. Erika pushed for more information, but the feds pushed back. Hard, from what I hear. They told her to back off in no uncertain terms.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s only very suspicious,¡± Jason mused. Clearly, the destruction was caused by the astral event that sent him hurtling into another reality, but why were people covering it up? Was there someone out there who knew about magic and spent their time hiding any manifestations of it?


    ¡°Why come to me?¡± Hiro asked. ¡°I¡¯m flattered, but why not your parents or your sister?¡±


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ve been out of contact. I need to know what I¡¯m walking into before I make my grand reappearance. I figured you could help me, and would be more willing to take ¡®please don¡¯t ask¡¯ for an answer.¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯ll help.¡±


    ¡°Is Erika living in Mum and Dad¡¯s house now?¡±


    ¡°She is,¡± Hiro said. ¡°You went by?¡±


    ¡°I took a look, but didn¡¯t go in. Where are Mum and Dad living? Don¡¯t tell me they moved to Tasmania, too?¡±


    Hiro face took on an awkward expression.


    ¡°Sorry, Jason, but your parents divorced a year ago. I¡¯m not really sure of the details, but your father bought a large property as a landscaping project and he¡¯s been living in a little cottage on-site. Your mother moved up to Castle Heads.¡±


    ¡°Damn,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°So, what do you need?¡± Hiro asked. ¡°Some cash? A place to stay while you get organised?¡±


    ¡°They would both be great,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been working, but they didn¡¯t pay me in Australian dollars.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t do a currency exchange?¡±


    Jason placed a gold bar on Hiro¡¯s desk.


    ¡°I was hoping you could help me move it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Obviously I don¡¯t expect market rates.¡±


    ¡°Jesus, Jason. What have you gotten caught up in? I¡¯m meant to be the dodgy one.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t been doing anything criminal,¡± Jason said. ¡°Except secretly leaving the country, I guess, but that wasn¡¯t really my choice. I¡¯ve been doing security work. In Africa.¡±


    Hiro reached forward, using both hands to heft the ten kilo bar that Jason had lightly rested on the table with one.


    ¡°You were paid a bar of gold to secretly leave the country, and what? Be a security guard?¡±


    ¡°Security contractor.¡±


    ¡°A mercenary? Jason, do you have any idea how insane that sounds?¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°Uncle, you¡¯re smart enough to know that I¡¯m skirting around the edges of the truth. It isn¡¯t that I want to hide anything from you, but that the reality would make what I¡¯m telling you now seem as extraordinary as eating a microwave dinner and going to bed early.¡±


    ¡°Jason, seeing you eat a microwave dinner would be extraordinary. Why don¡¯t you try me?¡±


    Jason shook his head. ¡°I¡¯m not looking to lie to you, Uncle Hiro, but I need to give things more consideration to before I start telling anyone anything.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Hiro said. He took a money clip from a drawer and tossed it over the desk to Jason. Then he tapped his fingers on the gold bar.


    ¡°Leave this with me and I¡¯ll see what I can do. It¡¯s not my area, so I¡¯ll have to ask around. Just so you know, I may get asked where it came from by people I can¡¯t keep the answer from.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can handle people.¡±


    Hiro looked at his nephew. There had always been an insecurity buried under the layers of lunatic wit, but no trace of that remained. There was an almost domineering confidence in the way he carried himself. In his line of work, Hiro had developed a good instinct for dangerous people. Those instincts were screaming at him right now.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have Taika take you somewhere you can get some sleep,¡± Hiro said. ¡°I have a townhouse I keep for important guests. Do you have a phone?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you get one. A laptop, too. If you need anything else, Taika will sort you out.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°You know, I¡¯d like to hear what really happened, some time.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯d be glad once you did,¡± Jason said. ¡°Some secrets change you forever.¡±

 Chapter 271: It Would Be Weirder If Magic Wasn’t Responsible

    Annabeth Tilden was woken by her phone.


    ¡°Damn it, Anna.¡±


    So was her wife. Annabeth snatched the phone off the night stand and stumbled into the bathroom, closing the door before turning on the light and answering.


    ¡°What?¡± she answered grumpily.


    ¡°Boss, I was going over the grid feed for the night and I found something. The monitoring agent passed it off as a glitch, which is why I¡¯m only seeing it now, but I took a closer look and I think it warrants investigation.¡±


    Annabeth groaned but nodded to herself.


    ¡°Alright. Run me through it, Keti.¡±


    Ketevan wasn¡¯t in the habit of making unfounded leaps, with Annabeth placing a lot of trust in her analytical abilities.


    ¡°We got a hit on the grid on the Mid North Coast but it definitely wasn¡¯t an event. It was incredibly localised and lasted for less than a second.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a random reaction spike. What makes this different to the ones we see all day, every day?¡±


    ¡°Two things,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°One is that there was an almost identical hit in France at the same time. The other is the strength of the reaction. The grid registered it as being above category five.¡±


    ¡°There is no above category five.¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s only been the one category four and the Poms needed a Brimstone missile to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Actually, they needed several.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°Send an investigation team. If there¡¯s something there, look into it personally.¡±


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason whispered. ¡°Bring the car around. Make sure there¡¯s room for our hefty new friend.¡±


    Several shadow bodies discreetly separated themselves from Jason¡¯s shadow as he made his way outside, where Growl was taking over from Taika on the door.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we¡¯ll get a lot of traffic just before lock up when it¡¯s coming down like this on a weeknight,¡± Growl was saying. They glanced out as the rain continued pouring down on the street.


    Jason nodded a greeting at the pair of huge men, and held a hand out for Growl to shake.


    ¡°No hard feelings, mate?¡±


    Growl clasped Jason¡¯s hand in his own meaty paw and shook it.


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad I didn¡¯t handle you in the alley,¡± Growl said. ¡°Mr Asano wouldn¡¯t have been happy once he realised you really were family.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have beaten you up too badly.¡±


    Taika laughed and Growl nodded at the door Jason had just emerged from.


    ¡°What did you do to the guys inside?¡± Growl asked. ¡°You scared the crap out of them,¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a body language trick,¡± Jason said. ¡°It triggers instinctual fear reactions.¡±


    ¡°I told you, bro,¡± Taika said. ¡°He learned secret kung fu in the mountains. I¡¯ll go get a car.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take mine,¡± Jason said, nodding at the black car pulling up in front of the bar. Unlike Shade¡¯s previous sports car form, he was now in the shape of a sleek but roomy four-door sedan, although it still maintained aggressive lines.


    ¡°That¡¯s a choice ride,¡± Taika said. ¡°You got a driver or something?¡±


    ¡°Or something,¡± Jason said.


    In the dark and the rain, the windows looked like black glass and they couldn¡¯t see inside. Jason went around to the driver side door and Taika opened the passenger door. He looked around the interior of the car.


    ¡°You got one of them self-driving cars,¡± Taika. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could buy them yet.¡±


    ¡°I know a guy,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s not strictly allowed, though, so keep it under your hat, yeah?¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Taika said and clambered inside. The massive M¨¡ori man was a snug fit, but settled in comfortably. ¡°This is nice. These seats are really plush.¡±


    Taika directed Jason on a short drive to what looked like a dilapidated brick building, but the heavy security door had a gleaming keypad beside it. Taika punched in a code, telling Jason what it was so he could come and go freely. The interior was a stark contrast with the outside, the old brick storehouse had been renovated into a modern, open-plan townhouse. The downstairs was divided into sections by furniture, gym equipment, free-standing bookcases and a quartz top kitchen island. The floors were polished wood and a set of stairs led to a mezzanine upper level.


    ¡°There¡¯s one bathroom through that door,¡± Taika pointed out, ¡°and one more upstairs with the bedrooms.¡±


    Taika pointed out the computer tablet on the wall.


    ¡°All the smart home functions go through that tablet,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s a computer upstairs, but I¡¯ll bring a laptop and phone in the morning. There¡¯s food in the fridge and you can order delivery though the tablet.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I¡¯ll have to thank Uncle Hiro for putting me up somewhere nice.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯ll be happy having you around for a bit,¡± Taika said. ¡°I know he regrets being estranged from family.¡±


    ¡°I know the feeling,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you have family nearby, Taika?¡±


    ¡°I do, yeah. Me and my brother got caught up in some gang stuff back in New Zealand. Dad got us out and brought us over here. Now I do security for Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°You like working for my uncle?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s honest work, mostly,¡± Taika said. ¡°Mr Asano runs the legit businesses. It¡¯s good to have someone out front with clean hands, yeah? We even work with the cops sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, bro. If a rich white kid takes some dodgy eccies and has a seizure, that¡¯s as bad for the cops as for us. There¡¯s no stopping the party drugs, so they look the other way and we make sure they find the blokes flogging off the bad stuff. The cops get to make some arrests and we stay out of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. Thanks, Taika.¡±


    ¡°Boss said that I¡¯m at your disposal for as long as you¡¯re in town. I¡¯ll have that phone and computer for you in the morning. If you need anything tonight, I¡¯m in the apartment building next door, in 2C. Your uncle lives in the penthouse.¡±


    Jason waited until Shade, who had a body hidden in Taika¡¯s shadow, told him that the big man had arrived in his apartment.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Lets go out.¡±


    When Taika entered the townhouse in the morning he found that Jason had moved the dining table to create a central open space, which he was making use of. Wearing loose pants and a plain tank top, Jason went through a graceful and deliberate kata with an impressive sword in his hand. On the sound system, some kind of meditative music was playing.


    Jason gave no indication of having noticed Taika¡¯s arrival, which was novel to Taika. Most people reacted to the arrival of a hundred and fifty kilos of M¨¡ori. Taika moved over to the lounge area and placed the phone and laptop boxes he was carrying onto the coffee table. He glanced over at the gym equipment in the corner, noticing it had been moved since the previous night. All the weights had been set to maximum, which even Taika would have trouble with.


    Taika had taken the laptop and phone out and was setting them up when Jason walked over. Taika looked around but no longer saw the sword.


    ¡°I knew I was right about the secret kung fu. That was a sweet looking kata.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more of a meditative sword dance,¡± Jason said.


    Taika gave him an assessing look, glancing at the door.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see your car outside.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be there if I need it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a mysterious guy, bro.¡±


    ¡°No, I just fake it for the ladies,¡± Jason said, flashing a grin.


    Taika laughed as he handed Jason the phone.


    ¡°I put my number in the contacts, along with your uncle and current numbers for your parents, your sister and your brother-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Not my brother, or my sister-in-law?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano said that might be touchy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°Put them in.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Taika said. He took back the phone and programmed in two more numbers from a piece of paper.


    ¡°All done,¡± Taika said. ¡°Mr Asano never did say what the issue was exactly,¡± Taika said leadingly.


    ¡°I used to be in a relationship with my now sister-in-law, before she married my brother,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Your brother married your ex? That¡¯s not cool. How longer after you were with her did they get together?¡±


    ¡°During.¡±


    ¡°Oh, damn. That sucks, bro.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°So is there anything you want to do today?¡± Taika asked. ¡°I¡¯ve set up an appointment with a lawyer this afternoon so you can sort out the legal stuff about you not being dead anymore. Mr Asano wants to have dinner with you, and you can talk about what you asked him for then.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think I¡¯ll spend the day on the internet, catching up on what I missed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been away for a year and a half, yeah?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°Yep. No TV, no movies, no internet. Not even a radio.¡±


    ¡°Damn. You missed the last season of Game of Thrones.¡±


    ¡°Was it any good?¡±


    ¡°It was real good. Extending it to thirteen episodes so they could properly develop the climax was a smart move, after how much they¡¯d been rushing things.¡±


    ¡°Last I heard, they were cutting it down to six episodes.¡±


    ¡°Someone leaked the scripts and the internet went crazy. They rewrote the whole thing and everyone really liked how it turned out.¡±


    ¡°Nice.¡±


    ¡°Okay. I¡¯m going to go. You need anything, give me a call. Otherwise, I¡¯ll pick you up for lunch before I take you to see the lawyer, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Jason said.


    Taika called Hiro, neither aware of the shadowy creature hiding a body in each of their shadows.


    ¡°Are you getting Jason settled?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°No worries, Boss. Well, maybe some worries.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Your nephew¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s certainly different to what I remember. You think there¡¯s a problem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a lot of little things. He disappeared, yeah, and now he¡¯s back and all mysterious and stuff? What if he¡¯s EOA?¡±


    ¡°Clearly he¡¯s been through something,¡± Hiro said. ¡°It¡¯s a big leap from there to the EOA, though.¡±


    ¡°We know they¡¯ve been sniffing around,¡± Taika said. ¡°You saw how jumpy it¡¯s made Growl. What if your nephew is their foot in the door?¡±


    ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be their style. They¡¯re known to be domineering. What makes you think Jason is EOA?¡±


    ¡°When I checked on him this morning, I saw someone had put all the weights up to maximum. You nephew isn¡¯t exactly a huge bloke.¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯s one of the EOA¡¯s juiced-up thugs?¡±


    ¡°I like your nephew, Boss, but he feels dangerous.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not one of their juicers,¡± Hiro said. ¡°That drug cocktail they put them on messes up their heads.¡±


    ¡°Like brain damage?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°Exactly like that. Did Jason seem brain damaged to you?¡±


    ¡°No, Boss; he seems pretty sharp. I can¡¯t help but feel like he seems dangerous, though.¡±


    ¡°I thought the same thing. Keep an eye out, but make sure nothing happens to him. If the EOA do get it in their heads to make use of him, it¡¯ll be by grabbing him, not recruiting him.¡±


    ¡°No worries, boss.¡±


    The abandoned hospital¡¯s helipad was still serviceable and Annabeth Tilden¡¯s helicopter landed mid morning. She was dressed in a sensible suit, as was the woman waiting for her with a powerful torch in hand. They looked like government functionaries, which was exactly the intention.


    Annabeth didn¡¯t bother asking questions over the noise of the winding down helicopter, instead letting Ketevan lead her inside, guiding the way by torchlight. They went downstairs and set off down a corridor.


    ¡°What do you have, Keti?¡± Annabeth asked. ¡°I¡¯ve got the Engineers of Ascension pushing into Sydney that I have to keep an eye on, now the Children¡¯s Hospital miracle debacle and whatever this thing here is.¡±


    ¡°The hospital miracle thing is ours?¡±


    ¡°A hospital full of kids were mysteriously cured by an angel made of stars, Keti. It would be weirder if magic wasn¡¯t responsible.¡±


    ¡°That really happened?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The media doesn¡¯t even need to sensationalise. Not that they aren¡¯t trying, bless them. Whoever¡¯s responsible clearly doesn¡¯t give a crap about the mess they¡¯re making, but that¡¯s Aram¡¯s mess to sort through. What do you have for me here?¡±


    ¡°It definitely wasn¡¯t a glitch in the grid,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°The magic event is over, but it was so powerful that we can still read the residual magic like it just happened. After our investigators picked up on it, I sent in an after-action team to see what we could learn.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Well, you remember that I told you the event was localised?¡±


    ¡°No. You woke me up in the middle of the night.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Ma¡¯am. Well, it turned out to be very, very localised.¡±


    Ketevan turned off the torch when they reached the maternity ward, where a number of lamps had been set up to illuminate the area. The after-action team looked like a forensics team as they bustled about. In the maternity theatre, a flat board had been set out and a magical diagram drawn onto it. Floating above the circle was a horizontal figure that looked to be made of fire.


    ¡°What am I looking at?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°As best we can tell,¡± Ketevan said, ¡°this is the echo of a variant incursion event.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a rather extreme variant,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Ketevan agreed. ¡°I told you about the rated strength, which still registers above five in every test we run. The proto-astral space existed for less than a second, which is quite a lot less than the usual forty-three hours. And, of course, instead of covering kilometres, it was the size and shape of a person.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suggesting a person came through,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°Or something person-shaped,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°Maybe it was an angel made of stars.¡±

 Chapter 272: Not the Regular Sort of Dangerous

    ¡°How¡¯d it go?¡± Taika asked as he drove Jason through the city. They were in one of the cars Hiro kept in a pool for his staff, a luxurious town car Taika had picked for the roomy interior.


    ¡°There are some hoops to jump through in legally coming back from the dead,¡± Jason said. ¡°That lawyer you set me up with seems to know his business.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s good,¡± Taika said. ¡°We¡¯ve got some time before you meet your uncle for dinner. Is there anything you wanted to do?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know where I could get some powdered silver?¡±


    ¡°I know a guy.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, bro. No worries.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to ask what it¡¯s for?¡±


    ¡°A job like mine,¡± Taika said, ¡°you learn when to ask questions and when not to.¡±


    ¡°You seem like a really good employee,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why your uncle pays me the big bucks.¡±


    For each of his shadow bodies subsumed into Jason, Shade could mask his summoner from one form of sensory perception. He could muffle Jason¡¯s sound, mask his scent and even eliminate the heat radiated by his body. The only senses Shade could not mask were aura senses and direct looking at him.


    While Shade couldn¡¯t prevent direct observation, observation through a secondary medium was another matter entirely. How effective the obfuscation was depended on the medium in question. A magical telescope, for example was something that Shade could hide Jason from entirely, as if he were invisible. Non magical means, such as an ordinary telescope, Shade couldn¡¯t block at all.


    Electronic devices, like cameras, proved to be something of a middle ground. Shade could not totally remove Jason from their detection, due to the lack of magic to interfere with, but he could still interfere with the complex process of data translation involved in electronic devices. The result was Jason appearing as little more than a blur to someone watching the feed. In shadowy conditions that Jason¡¯s magic cloak could make the most of, it was the next best thing to true invisibility.


    This was not Shade¡¯s first time in a technologically advanced world and he had a solid grasp of his limitations, which he and Jason had discussed at length. One advantage Shade offered was an uncanny sense of when they were being observed. Jason¡¯s aura senses could do this for living observers, but Shade could sense any camera systems pointed in their direction.


    Jason was uncertain if his personal immunity to tracking powers extended to his phone, so he decided to take precautions. After obtaining some powdered silver with surprising ease, along with a few other relatively ordinary materials, he had Taika leave him back at the townhouse until it was time for Jason to meet his uncle.


    Shade had ascertained that there were no cameras, other than the one in his phone, the webcam in his new laptop and the one on the desktop computer upstairs. Jason left them all upstairs on the mezzanine while he worked on his new phone case downstairs.


    Clearing a space on the polished hardwood floor, Jason made preparations for the first of several rituals. First, he took out the mana lamps he had left to charge the night before. He would need them to temporarily upgrade the anaemic ambient magic to perform even the most basic rituals.


    The same lack of magic made the lamps very slow to accumulate charge, however, so he would need to work with haste. He was going to miss Clive, with his quick-fire ritual drawing and power to balance out ambient magic. He didn¡¯t activate the lamps immediately, wanting to be as ready as he could so as to not waste their limited uptime.


    The ritual Jason wanted to perform required magically-charged silver powder. Since he couldn¡¯t source it locally, he would need to take some ordinary powdered silver and add the magic himself. It was the kind of peripheral skill he hadn¡¯t picked up from his skill book knowledge. It was Farrah and later Clive pushing him into expanding his knowledge base  that prepared him for these circumstances.


    That was not to say that skill books didn¡¯t have their place. His skill book-derived knowledge of artifice would let him craft a very simple magical item using the magically-charged silver.


    He started by using the engraving pen he had just purchased to carve a magical diagram onto the back of his new phone case. He had practised with it first, quickly becoming comfortable with its use. The superhuman coordination of his speed attribute and the accelerated learning speed of his spirit attribute allowed him to swiftly become comfortable with simple physical tasks.


    His hand moved with confidence as he engraved the phone case. One of the advantages of skill book knowledge was that it was imprinted like a computer file, so he could easily engrave the magical diagram from memory. Like most protection-type diagrams, it was an elaborately embellished pentagram, which made for a visually pleasing design.


    He set out the other things he would need. Chalk, a bag of powdered lesser monster cores and some iron spirit coins. He wondered if there was a way to charge the lamps faster with spirit coins, which was something he would need to look at later.


    Jason drew out a ritual circle on the hardwood floor with chalk, then activated the mana lamps. He used powdered monster cores to adjust to the ambient magic, which was an easy task given the magically inert conditions. It wasn¡¯t something he¡¯d done a lot, normally relying on Clive¡¯s power to render the step unnecessary.


    ¡°Next time I get killed and sent to another universe, I¡¯m taking Clive with me.¡±


    Jason¡¯s thoughts drifted to the other soul who had apparently arrived with him. If it really was an outworlder, Jason still had no idea how to track them down. Searching for a mysterious, naked, bald person with magic powers on the internet had brought up an unhelpful plethora of results.


    Setting the mana lamps to raise the ambient magic to just the minimum level for iron-rank rituals would still only give Jason a few minutes. In that time he needed to charge the silver powder with magic using one ritual, rebalance the ambient magic with a quick second ritual, then use the magically charged silver in a third ritual. He activated the mana lamps, getting results in just a few seconds.


    You have entered a region of normalised magic. Your recovery rates will remain at normal levels without spirit coin consumption.


    Despite the time constraint, he didn¡¯t hurry. He knew that taking the time to do it right would get better results than rushing the job.


    ¡°Slow is smooth, smooth is fast,¡± he muttered to himself as he worked with careful deliberation.


    He successfully charged the silver with magic from the spirit coins. He used a simple cleansing ritual to purge the residual magic from that first task, then performed a third ritual as the last step. His hands moved over the ritual circle like an orchestra conductor as he chanted out the ritual. When he uttered the final syllable, the magically-charged silver power became a liquid and crawled onto the phone case in the middle of the ritual circle. The liquid flowed into the engraved diagram and instantly turned solid, leaving a silver diagram set into the black case.


    ¡°I think it looks good,¡± Jason said, picking it up and turning it over in his hand.


    ¡°It is aesthetically satisfactory,¡± Shade agreed.


    ¡°Of course you think so,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s mostly black.¡±


    ¡°If you are unhappy with my design choices, I can make some modifications to the vehicle shapes I take,¡± Shade said. ¡°Gordon was watching something called ¡®The Love Bug,¡¯ on television this morning. I could probably do something like that.¡±


    ¡°Uh, no,¡± Jason said. ¡°Consider my criticism withdrawn with apologies.¡±


    Jason turned off the mana lamps.


    You have entered a region of magical desolation. The levels of magical density and magical saturation are extremely low, insufficient to produce spontaneous magical manifestations.


    He returned the mana lamps to various places around the townhouse, as separate as he could make them. The further apart they were, the less they would fight over what little magic there was as they charged.


    Jason then took his new case and picked up his phone.


    ¡°I have no idea if this will work,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It should be sufficient to prevent non-magical tracking, along with most iron-rank tracking effects,¡± Shade said. ¡°Anything more powerful will be a large enough effect to be caught up in your personal immunity.¡±


    ¡°Magical tracking,¡± Jason said. ¡°Am I reading too much into what uncle Hiro said about the federal police covering up my disappearance when I left this world?¡±


    ¡°It is best to gather more information,¡± Shade said. ¡°If your world is less ignorant of magic than you initially believed, your actions at the hospital will draw out those who know.¡±


    ¡°Any nibbles, yet?¡±


    ¡°I have not seen anyone with auras above normal rank amongst the investigators, but there are some amongst them who seem out of place compared to the others. I am continuing to look into it.¡±


    ¡°Should we have left more of your bodies at the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Two more would be useful. I will only be able to take the form of a motorcycle instead of a car with fewer bodies on hand, however.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Send the bodies over now.¡±


    Two shadow figures slipped out of Jason¡¯s shadow and quickly vanished. Jason retrieved his phone and placed it in his newly enhanced phone case. A few seconds later it rang.


    ¡°G¡¯day Uncle Hiro.¡±


    ¡°Hi, Jason. Did you do something to your phone?¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°Were you tracking it? I just installed some security, thanks for helping me test it.¡±


    Jason made his way to the apartment building next to his town house, where Hiro¡¯s penthouse apartment turned out to occupy the entirety of the top floor. It was large, open and modern in design, with lots of white, cool grey and metal. Jason drooled over the kitchen where a personal chef was working on their dinner.


    ¡°You had a haircut,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°It got a bit out of control in the process of coming back,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°But you¡¯re letting the beard grow in?¡±


    Jason rubbed the stubble on his chin.


    ¡°I started wearing one while I was away.¡±


    ¡°Do you go all bushy, or more of a sculpted, archvillain look?¡±


    ¡°Villain all the way,¡± Jason said.


    Hiro led Jason to the entertainment lounge. Showing off the bar, Hiro drank Tasmanian whisky while Jason eyed-off the white chocolate liqueur. He made himself a cocktail that was milky, smooth and sweet.


    ¡°So, I¡¯ve been looking into moving this gold bar of yours,¡± Hiro said as they sat. ¡°There is someone who can take it off your hands, but he wants to meet you in person.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I should.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Hiro confirmed. ¡°Jason, I operate on the periphery of legality. I¡¯m useful to the people I answer to, at least in part, because I stay more or less clean. This guy I¡¯m talking about is not clean. He¡¯s serious. Dangerous. If you need money, I can help you out.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that, Uncle. I¡¯d like to go through with it, though.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Hiro said, not trying to argue further. ¡°We¡¯ll go after dinner.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. There¡¯s something I¡¯d like you to ask you about, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°What can you tell me about the EOA?¡±


    Hiro frowned.


    ¡°Where did you hear about the EOA?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been getting the lay of the land. I heard about them, and something about drugged-up thugs. That¡¯s all I know, though.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a gang. Or an organised crime outfit. There are a lot of stories, but not a lot of hard information. Word is that they have international backing, although from who I have no idea. They started taking things over in Perth, maybe two years ago. Melbourne a year after that. Now, they¡¯re eyeing us off here, in Sydney.¡±


    ¡°They just move in and take over?¡±


    ¡°Word is that they¡¯re strange. Dangerous, and not the regular sort of dangerous. They have some kind of drug regimen they use to turn their muscle into ¡¯roid freaks.¡±


    Hiro was watching Jason carefully as he gave his explanation.


    ¡°I¡¯m not one of them, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°Would you tell me if you were?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. I genuinely only heard of them for the first time today. What does EOA stand for?¡±


    ¡°No idea,¡± Hiro said. ¡°You are into something, though, aren¡¯t you? Coming back from the dead with a walk full of swagger and pockets full of gold. Sleek sports cars and anti-tracking software. It¡¯s all very James Bond.¡±


    ¡°I might tell you about it, someday,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Is someone going to come looking for that gold bar?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just one bar,¡± Jason said. ¡°And, no. I obtained the gold quite legally. I just didn¡¯t bring it into the country legally.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t explain where it came from, I never left the country legally in the first place and I was dead.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Hiro chuckled. ¡°How many of those bars do you have?¡±


    ¡°More than your dangerous associate can handle. I¡¯ll have to find a way to legitimise it if I¡¯m going to get any use out of it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about gold regulation,¡± Hiro said. ¡°I know some good lawyers, so I¡¯ll see if they know someone who works in that field.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, although I don¡¯t anticipate it being a simple process.¡±


    ¡°How much gold do you have, if you don¡¯t mind me asking.¡±


    ¡°The bar I handed to you,¡± Jason said, ¡°plus thirty nine just like it.¡±


    Hiro took in a sharp breath of air.


    ¡°You have four hundred kilos of gold? That¡¯s a market price of¡­¡±


    ¡°More than thirty million,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯ll have to be a very good lawyer.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. The lawyer I sent you to today was adequate?¡±


    ¡°He was great,¡± Jason said. ¡°My legal status should be cleaned up without too much fuss.¡±


    ¡°Any more thoughts on when you¡¯ll let the rest of the family know you¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Erika¡¯s birthday next Friday,¡± Jason said. ¡°I thought I might start by seeing her then, and go from there.¡±


    ¡°A birthday present she¡¯ll really appreciate,¡± Hiro said. ¡°She wasn¡¯t happy with the investigation into your death. She didn¡¯t let it go for a long time, and was never truly satisfied.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s always been good to me,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you know what happened with her TV show when she moved home?¡±


    ¡°She has a new one now. Beachside Kitchen with Erika Asano. She films outdoors, on the boardwalk right by the Surf Club. Big audience, cooks huge batches of food to give out.¡±


    ¡°I hope she wasn¡¯t meant to be filming yesterday. It was really coming down when I got back.¡±


    ¡°She takes winter off. They asked her to be a judge on one of those cooking shows where they vote people off, but she turned them down.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°She hates those shows.¡±

 Chapter 273: Boogie Man

    Taika was driving Hiro¡¯s large town car, with Hiro and Jason in the back.


    ¡°The advantage of being on the legitimate side of the business is that I can be more conspicuous about enjoying the fruits of my labour,¡± Hiro said. ¡°The man we¡¯re going to see doesn¡¯t live in a penthouse apartment, but don¡¯t think that means he¡¯s not influential and powerful. Especially don¡¯t make the mistake of thinking he isn¡¯t dangerous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the ramifications of crossing powerful criminals,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I received an unfortunate lesson,¡± Jason said, not explaining further.


    ¡°You seem fairly comfortable with my criminal entanglements,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Your grandmother would be disappointed in you.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t exactly be out of her way,¡± Jason said. ¡°She always liked Kaito better.¡±


    ¡°The same with me and Shiro,¡± Hiro said. ¡°He was the favourite, I was the disappointment and your father laid low in the middle. Ken didn¡¯t really grab attention until he married a white girl so young. Everyone was expecting an explosion, only to be startled at how well your mother and mine got along. No one was expecting that.¡±


    ¡°They both wanted diligent little Japanese children,¡± Jason said. ¡°They got Kaito, so they were willing to put up with me.¡±


    ¡°They care more about you than you think, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yes. They had many regrets after you were gone. They even softened their stance on me. Not a lot, but they¡¯ll at least talk to me. They still won¡¯t be happy to know you and I are spending time together. I never would have expected you to become entangled in this kind of life.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I only touched on criminal affairs peripherally in the course of my other work.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t go underestimating the man we¡¯re about to meet. His name is Ari, and while he might live in a poor suburb, he is anything but. I didn¡¯t want to involve you directly, but he insisted on meeting you first. Since he did, he must have tested the gold and found it to be what you said it was.¡±


    ¡°You left it with him? That¡¯s more than eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars worth of gold.¡±


    ¡°Australian market price,¡± Hiro qualified. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to a gold seller in the shopping centre, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, the fact that it is so much money is what stops him from just taking it. I suspect he wants to meet you to feel out what kind of backing you have. If he thinks you¡¯re weak, he¡¯ll try and rip you off and push to see if you¡¯ve got more. Don¡¯t show any weakness and don¡¯t let him shake you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t worry about that, Uncle Hiro.¡±


    The expensive car looked increasingly out of place as it drove through the Western Suburbs, pulling up in front of a house obscured by large bushes rising over a high wooden fence with flaking white paint. The street was dark, the street lights somewhat dimmer than normal.


    ¡°Ari likes to let his dogs intimidate people as they come in,¡± Hiro warned.


    Jason concentrated his aura senses, feeling nine people in the house and four dogs in the yard. He sent small, directed aura pulses at the dogs, letting them feel the strength and inherently domineering nature of it.


    Taika open the gate in the fence, allowing Hiro and Jason to go through. A concrete path ran up the front yard to the door, with an overgrown lawn on one side and a chain-link enclosure on the other. Inside the enclosure was a concrete floor and long, aluminium kennel, padded heavily with old blankets. In contrast to the disregard clearly held for lawn maintenance, the enclosure and the kennel within was clean and cared for. Taika and Hiro looked warily at the four German Shepherds hunched submissively on the floor of the enclosure in a line.


    ¡°What¡¯s up with the dogs?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Hiro said with worry in his voice. ¡°Every other time I was here they tried to claw their way through the fence to get at me.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they¡¯ve gone through obedience training,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Dogs have sharp instincts,¡± Taika said, glancing at Jason. ¡°Something¡¯s got them spooked.¡±


    ¡°I guess we go knock?¡± Hiro suggested. ¡°Normally dogs barking is the doorbell.¡±


    They went up to the door, Taika stepping forward to knock. A man opened it up, looking past them with a confused expression at the dog enclosure. Jason noticed the man was wearing socks but no shoes. Taika gave him a greeting nod.


    ¡°G¡¯day, Petros.¡±


    ¡°Hello Taika,¡± Petros responded. He was a big man, although didn¡¯t look so in front of the mountainous Taika. He spoke softly, with a slight Armenian accent. He turned to Hiro.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± he greeted. ¡°This is your nephew?¡±


    ¡°This is Jason, yes.¡±


    ¡°The boss said to bring you in as soon as you arrived,¡± Petros said, moving deeper into the house. Hiro motioned to Jason and followed, with Taika bringing up the rear.


    The exterior of the house was in desperate need of paint, which fit right in with the neighbourhood. The interior was like a different world, having clearly been gutted and rebuilt from the frame out. Past the door was a tiled entryway, where shoes were lined up on racks.


    ¡°Shoes off, please.¡±


    Jason took his shoes off along with Taika and Hiro. He slipped them into his inventory instead of onto the racks, using Taika¡¯s bulk to hide the action. Petros then led them deeper into the house, at which point the purpose of removing their shoes became clear. The tiled foyer gave way to a hallway with rich carpeting that would be easy to dirty and hard to clean. The walls were wood panelled, with soft sconce lighting to provide a warm environment.


    Petros led them into a room large enough to occupy the bulk of the house, where Jason could see into kitchen and dining rooms, plus doors that presumably led into bedrooms. The room was a large lounge area, with a giant television, bar and multiple, luxurious couches and chairs. In the centre of the room was a large table with a sunken area with a felt surface set into it. The table cellar had an elaborate board game laid out on it, with four people sitting around playing.


    Jason even recognised the game, due to an old friend from school named Greg. He had regularly roped Jason and Amy into board games that would last upwards of three, six and even eight hours. He absently wondered where Greg was now; the last he heard, Greg was studying law.


    Four more men were playing a video game on the large television. Everyone in the room was a burly man, except for one of the people at the table. He was slightly older, with less of an obvious-henchman air about him. Jason picked him out as Ari.


    ¡°Hey boss,¡± Petros said. ¡°Mr Asano is here.¡±


    Jason had guessed right as the man turned to give the entrants an assessing gaze, before getting up. He was lean, around forty five, with thinning hair. He was wearing neat, comfortable pants and a simple shirt.


    ¡°Ari,¡± Hiro greeted neutrally.


    ¡°Hiro,¡± Ari said in turn, then glanced back at Petros.


    ¡°The dogs?¡± he asked.


    ¡°They looked scared, boss,¡± Petros said. ¡°Like when Vermillion comes.¡±


    Jason felt every aura in the room except for Ari and his own tremble on hearing the name Vermillion. Even the stalwart Taika radiated trepidation.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Ari mused. Unlike Petros, there was no trace of accent, although Jason knew from Hiro that he was an old school Armenian gangster. Ari turned his gaze back to the visitors.


    ¡°My dogs aren¡¯t scared of a lot,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re definitely not scared of you, Hiro. They probably should be scared of you, Taika, but they¡¯re not.¡±


    His gaze settled on Jason.


    ¡°There¡¯s only one person that scares my dogs; a man I do business with from time to time. When he comes here, you don¡¯t hear a peep out of them. They¡¯re trained guard dogs, and trained well, but they will have no part of this man.¡±


    ¡°Animals have good instincts,¡± Jason said. Ari¡¯s gaze remained on him and he met it with casual relaxation.


    ¡°They do,¡± Ari agreed. ¡°But the thing is, this man does not just scare my dogs. He scares my people and he scares me. I feel no shame in admitting it. This man, Vermillion, is the boogie man. Isn¡¯t that right, Hiro?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Hiro said. He was clearly unhappy at the turn the conversation was taking but Ari paid it no mind, keeping his gaze locked on Jason.


    ¡°Now my dogs are scared,¡± Ari continued, ¡°but this man isn¡¯t here. You are. Are you a boogie man too, Jason Asano?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said softly.


    Ari grinned, letting out a chuckle as he turned away.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know what to make of it,¡± he said. ¡°Hiro calls me up and says he wants to move some gold. Obviously, I want to do my due diligence and what do I find but Hiro¡¯s dead nephew, mysteriously returned to life and wandering about with a giant gold bar. You understand why this raises a lot of questions.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said. ¡°but since I¡¯m here, I¡¯m assuming you had the gold assayed and were satisfied.¡±


    ¡°I did. You¡¯re certain no one is going to come looking for it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Where I got it from, it wasn¡¯t valued very highly. That¡¯s how I picked up so much for a relatively small cost.¡±


    ¡°You have more?¡± Ari asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡±


    ¡°Enough that I¡¯m not willing to pull it out until I get a better deal and a good money launderer.¡±


    Ari laughed.


    ¡°The thing about this man who scares my dogs,¡± Ari said, veering the conversation back to the previous topic, ¡°is that it isn¡¯t just my dogs that get scared. I told you this, but I don¡¯t think you understand. This man is a predator. You can feel it in your bones, like something crawling under your skin. Being near this man is like being a mouse under the gaze of an owl.¡±


    He once again turned to focus on Jason.


    ¡°My dogs might be scared, but is it really of you?¡±


    Ari stepped right into Jason¡¯s personal space, staring him in the eye.


    ¡°You don¡¯t scare me, Jason Asano.¡±


    Jason gave Ari a slight smile.


    ¡°Would you like me to?¡±


    Ari took a step back and started laughing.


    ¡°Would you like me to?¡± he repeated back, still laughing. ¡°You know, Hiro, you said your nephew wasn¡¯t in the game. He¡¯s into something, though, yes? He¡¯s got the stuff.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t like to talk about his time away,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°But I do want to talk about it,¡± Ari said. ¡°Are you EOA, Jason Asano?¡±


    ¡°If I told you no, would you believe me?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°If I asked you hard enough, I¡¯d be confident you were telling the truth,¡± Ari said.


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping it doesn¡¯t come to that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Then you will need to answer my questions,¡± Ari said, his mirth dropping like a mask to reveal naked threat. ¡°You¡¯ll need to assuage my curiosity.¡±


    ¡°Ari,¡± Hiro said. ¡°This isn¡¯t what we agreed.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve got EOA pushing in and your boy turning up, all but waving a banner that reads ¡®very suspicious man.¡¯ Mr Tollman told me personally to get some answers, Hiro.¡±


    Hiro blanched.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jason,¡± Hiro said. ¡°I know you don¡¯t want to talk about it, but you need to answer Ari¡¯s questions.¡±


    There was a shift in the room. No one moved but everyone felt it as Jason slowly unleashed his aura. Normal humans couldn¡¯t detect aura, unless it was projected in a specific way. It was a simple use of basic projection control, one of the first things Farrah had taught to him. It was a tool that essences user used to intimidate normals, which, is exactly what Jason was doing.


    With the progression of his aura manipulation skills, Jason could expertly express his aura slowly and deliberately, allowing the same domineering force that intimidated the dogs to press down on the normal rank auras the men in the room didn¡¯t realise they even possessed. Only Taika and his uncle were exempted, but they couldn¡¯t miss the growing dread shown on the faces around them.


    ¡°Is this what you were talking about when you said that man scared you?¡± Jason asked. He spoke quietly but his words reverberated with his aura, feeling like a shout to the beleaguered criminals. He was the smallest person in the room, yet he felt larger than Taika. Everyone in the room was transfixed by Jason¡¯s suddenly tyrannical presence.


    Jason stepped into Ari¡¯s space, the way Ari had to him. His aura settled on Ari¡¯s soul like a knife at his throat.


    ¡°Is this how your boogie man makes you feel, Ari? Do you still have any questions for me?¡±


    Ari wordlessly shook his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. You can give my uncle the money for the gold; I¡¯ll see myself out.¡±


    Jason turned to his uncle.


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably want to chat with Ari once I¡¯m gone,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll make my own way back. Taika can give me the money later.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a car,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make do,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for this, Uncle. I¡¯ve caused you trouble.¡±


    Jason walked out. Hiro nodded at Taika to follow but Jason was already closing the door behind him. When Taika opened it, Jason was nowhere to be seen.

 Chapter 274: More Plausible Than the Reality

    Hiro returned home to the apartment building he owned. His penthouse floor was only accessible by his private elevator or through the regular elevator by using an access key. He walked straight to the bar and poured himself a stiff drink. It had been a strange night.


    The entertainment lounge had one wall made up of windows looking out onto the balcony. Just as he was about to sit, Hiro spotted a silhouette out there, easy to miss on a moonless night. His first thought was to shout for Taika but he recognised Jason¡¯s figure, leaning on the railing as he looked out over the city. Hiro opened the sliding door and stepped outside.


    ¡°How did you get up here?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been nothing but generous, Uncle Hiro,¡± Jason said, neither answering the question nor turning around. ¡°All I¡¯ve brought you in return is trouble.¡±


    Hiro stepped up next to Jason at the railing, resting his drink on it.


    ¡°You¡¯re family, Jason. All you ever have to do is ask.¡±


    Jason turned giving his uncle a smile.


    ¡°I admire you for feeling that way after the way the family has treated you. I was less magnanimous, with less reason to be.¡±


    ¡°Your brother stole the girl you loved since you were ten years old, Jason. That¡¯s seriously not okay.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s nice to have someone actually say it. My own mother more or less told me to suck it up and be happy for them.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? I¡¯m going to be honest, Jason; I never liked your mother.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jason asked with a chuckle. ¡°You always hid it so well.¡±


    ¡°I swear that the only reason she kept the baby was your father being Japanese.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare say yellow fever,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not that crass,¡± Hiro said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she was entranced by the idea of an adorable Japanese baby, though.¡±


    ¡°In her defence, Erika was very adorable,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen the pictures.¡±


    ¡°She really was,¡± Hiro agreed with a reminiscent smile.


    ¡°How did things go after I left you with those hoodlums?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Hoodlums?¡± Hiro asked. ¡°Jason, we don¡¯t carry money out of banks in a big sack with a dollar sign on it.¡±


    ¡°How am I meant to know that?¡± Jason asked. ¡°If I was a criminal mastermind, I wouldn¡¯t need your help.¡±


    ¡°Taika has your money,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Full market price.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That¡¯s highly suspect.¡±


    ¡°After you left, Ari called our boss. He told Ari what to pay you, but he also wants to meet you. You should know that the man we talked about, Vermillion, will probably be there.¡±


    ¡°He works for your boss?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Hiro said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure who Vermillion works for exactly, but my boss is very careful about how he treats them and their secrets. All I know is that there¡¯s some kind of group that has no interest in criminal enterprises themselves, only maintaining some useful contacts. I don¡¯t know if they¡¯re government spooks or a bunch of shady rich people who occasionally need some dirty work done. They¡¯re way above the likes of my boss, though, let alone me. Vermillion is someone from that group the boss calls on for favours, from time to time. He scares my boss as much as everyone else.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to cause you more trouble than I have, so set up a meeting with your boss. In the meantime, I¡¯ve brought a lot of strangeness to your door. I know you must have questions.¡±


    ¡°I thought you came to me because you knew I wouldn¡¯t push.¡±


    ¡°And you haven¡¯t, which I appreciate. But fair is fair, Uncle, and you deserve some answers. That said, there are things I think it¡¯s better you don¡¯t know. Some secrets open doors that can¡¯t be closed again.¡±


    ¡°Jason, you¡¯re being very clandestine. Faking your own death, the self-driving car, the secrets practically dripping off of you.¡±


    ¡°The James Bond thing again?¡±


    ¡°The James Bond thing,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Did you go off and join ASUS or something?¡±


    ¡°Nothing so safe,¡± Jason said lightly. ¡°As you said, there¡¯s a very big secret hanging over me and I¡¯m starting to suspect that there are powerful people invested in keeping it.¡±


    ¡°This organisation that Vermillion belongs to?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Jason said. ¡°More likely, they¡¯re only part of a wider circle. I don¡¯t know who these people are or what they would do if they found out you knew the things I¡¯ve been keeping from you. But if you¡¯re willing to take the risk, I¡¯m willing to tell you everything. To answer all your questions.¡±


    He let out a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been unreserved in helping me,¡± Jason continued. ¡°I fear that all I¡¯ve done in return is bring danger to your door. If you get involved in my affairs, you¡¯ll have no more protection than what I can personally offer. Ignorance is an uncomfortable shield, but it may be the best one you have.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Hiro said. His curiosity was enough to strongly war against his prudence. ¡°How about I ask you some questions and you tell me when we¡¯re nudging into dangerous territory?¡±


    ¡°That works,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know you must have some pressing questions. Things haven¡¯t quite seemed rational since I showed up, have they?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where you¡¯re wrong,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Things have been getting strange for a while now. We¡¯ve all felt it, like something in the air. This EOA group with their juiced-up thugs. The army running around with their terrorist readiness exercises that are so transparently a cover up for something. This guy Vermillion and whoever¡¯s behind him. There¡¯s a game I can¡¯t see and the rules are changing. Then you show up and you seem to understand what the new rules are.¡±


    Hiro flashed Jason a self-deprecating grin. ¡°This probably sounds like nonsense to you.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know exactly what you¡¯re talking about. It just worries me that this was happening before I ever left and I didn¡¯t know. I need answers, but for now, you were promised yours.¡±


    Hiro rubbed a hand over his face, unsure of where to start. With Vermillion, he felt like he had brushed up against a dangerous truth long before Jason returned. He couldn¡¯t help but think of the similarities Ari saw between the mysterious man and Hiro¡¯s now mysterious nephew. Ari certainly seemed to be scared of Jason in the same way, if not more. Unlike Vermillion, however, Jason had not scared Hiro himself or Taika. He had also not unleashed that strange effect until he needed it. In the presence of Vermillion, by contrast, Hiro felt like a prey under the gaze of a predator every moment in his presence.


    ¡°Did you really make Ari¡¯s dogs go submissive like that?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason answered.


    ¡°And the thing you did that scared Ari and his guys. That was the same thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s the same thing Vermillion does?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t be certain,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s highly likely, though.¡±


    ¡°And what is that thing?¡±


    Jason gave his uncle an awkward smile.


    ¡°This is where we head into dangerous territory, Uncle. I¡¯ll try and explain enough to give some understanding, but I¡¯m going to start out very vague. If you want more details, you can have them. But be certain before you ask for them.¡±


    ¡°How dangerous is this secret you¡¯re not telling me, Jason?¡±


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know. I have no idea about the local situation, which I¡¯m hoping this Vermillion character can help me to rectify.¡±


    Jason took in a cleansing breath of winter night air, only to find it not so cleansing. The city was far from what he was used to, be it the rich, pleasant scents of the astral space jungle, or the waters of Greenstone. Whether the waters of the delta or the ocean, the magic carried down the Mistrun River left even bog water smelling oddly fresh and clean.


    Making things worse was Jason¡¯s enhanced senses of smell and taste. Taking a deep breath of city air was like coating his tongue in old motor oil.


    ¡°You alright Jason?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Where I¡¯ve been, it¡¯s hard to get in or out. There¡¯s no internet, phone, television, radio. No communication of any kind. My chance to leave came unexpectedly and I don¡¯t know how things ended up after I was gone. They might think I¡¯m dead.¡±


    ¡°Why would they think that?¡±


    ¡°Because I died.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s put that aside for the moment,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Put it aside? You just told me that you died!¡±


    ¡°I got better, obviously. Uncle, it might be best if I try and give you some kind of overview. While I was away ¨C in fact, the reason I left ¨C was that I became part of¡­ lets call it a community. I never realised it existed here, and in secret, until I joined it myself, over there. I haven¡¯t even confirmed that it¡¯s here, but what you just told me seems to.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going to brush off the whole faking your death thing, I want to go back to what you did to Ari¡¯s dogs. And to Ari. Is it like pheromones or something? Did the CIA MK-Ultra you with designer drugs until your body odour triggers a fear response?¡±


    ¡°That sounds more plausible than the reality,¡± Jason said with a chuckle. ¡°But no; it¡¯s something else. As for what, that would be crossing the informational Rubicon. If you want to know¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Hiro said firmly. ¡°One of the reasons I¡¯ve been successful doing what I do is knowing when not to go deeper. And these waters are getting very deep.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s wise,¡± Jason said with relief. ¡°I hope. It could be that I¡¯ve already implicated you, just by coming back. The whole family, in fact. There¡¯s a chance that some will see my return as a threat, an opportunity, or both. Those with poor intentions and few scruples may try pulling you in as leverage.¡±


    ¡°You worry that not telling us what you¡¯re involved in might get us blindsided?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Ultimately, though, knowing won¡¯t help you. You aren¡¯t equipped for what¡¯s out there and I can¡¯t get you ready in any kind of practical time-frame. All I can do is protect you if someone comes after you.¡±


    ¡°I have Taika and Growl,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Taika isn¡¯t just big. He¡¯s smart and observant.¡±


    ¡°So I noticed,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s not enough, though. Not even close.¡±


    ¡°So, what are you doing about it?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made a move already, to try and draw people out. For the moment, I¡¯m keeping an eye on you. If trouble comes while I¡¯m in the city, I¡¯ll know and be there faster than you can imagine.¡±


    ¡°Are you having me watched?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°They must be good,¡± Hiro said. ¡°My security hasn¡¯t caught so much as a whiff of them.¡±


    Jason chuckled again.


    ¡°And they won¡¯t. Suffice to say that I¡¯ll be informed immediately if anything outside of your security¡¯s purview comes along. I¡¯ve already done something eye-catching that should draw out some of the players to where I can get a look at them. That will hopefully give me some inroads to what is happening here.¡±


    Annabeth walked into the conference room where an investigation team was waiting to update her. It was a six person team, specifically put together to investigate the children¡¯s hospital event in Sydney. Also present was Ketevan, who was leading the other hospital investigation, up the coast. Annabeth took the position at the head of the table.


    The lead investigator of the Sydney incident was a rugged-looking man named Aram, with a bushy beard and a large frame. He looked like he would be more at home in faded overalls than a suit and tie. Like those of the other people in the room, Aram¡¯s outfit was a suit of mid-range quality, designed to evoke the feel of a faceless government agent.


    In Aram¡¯s case it didn¡¯t work well, but despite his appearance, he was a consummate professional. After making sure everyone was on the same page with the basics of the investigation, he started detailing their progress to Annabeth.


    ¡°We¡¯ve looked into the families and other connections of the people in the hospital,¡± he explained. ¡°There were a couple of hits, but we looked into them and ruled them out as potential instigators of the event.¡±


    ¡°But that is only our Network personnel, right?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s correct,¡± he confirmed. ¡°That¡¯s allowed us to rule out any of our people, but we don¡¯t have membership rosters for the Engineers of Ascension. As for the Cabal and the smaller collectives, there¡¯s no telling.¡±


    ¡°But you are looking into that, yes?¡± Annabeth prompted.


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am. We¡¯ve made it very clear that we will be finding the responsible parties and the other groups seem to be cooperating. A lot of them don¡¯t like it, but they know that this kind of overt action crosses our bottom line. None of them want us coming down on their heads.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your take on their responses?¡± Annabeth asked him.


    ¡°My instincts are telling me that this isn¡¯t coming from an established group. They may be capitulating, but they aren¡¯t hiding their displeasure at our heavy-handedness. No one¡¯s stepping on eggshells. That¡¯s not to say we aren¡¯t continuing to be thorough. My instincts have been wrong before.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Annabeth approved, glancing at Ketevan, before turning her gaze back to Aram. ¡°You think this is related to the other incident?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say more likely than not, at this stage,¡± Aram said. ¡°The timing suggests it¡¯s not a coincidence, although everything is still on the table until proven otherwise.¡±


    ¡°Ketevan does have one theory,¡± Aram said. ¡°Keti, if you would?¡±


    Ketevan nodded.


    ¡°I had this idea about the event in the hospital,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking into it, but we have limited information. It hasn¡¯t happened in centuries, that we know of. I haven¡¯t found in what records we do have anything to contradict what we¡¯ve seen.¡±


    Annabeth frowned, guessing Ketevan¡¯s theory.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say the idea didn¡¯t occur to me,¡± she said. ¡°What about the simultaneous event in France? Isn¡¯t that contradictory?¡±


    ¡°Not if two of them came at once,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°We don¡¯t know that isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± one of the junior investigators broke in. ¡°I¡¯m missing something, and I don¡¯t think I¡¯m alone.¡±


    The other junior investigators nodded their agreement. Annabeth panned a gaze over them.


    ¡°We¡¯re talking about outworlders,¡± she said.

 Chapter 275: I Suggest You Be Very Polite

    Jason was standing on the edge of the roof, atop a tall building in the Sydney CBD. Shade was beside him as they looked toward an adjacent building. To normal sight it was unremarkable, but to magic senses the building was lit up like a giant candle. The top floor was a dancing flame of overlapped enchantments.


    ¡°I see what you mean,¡± Jason said. ¡°It does seem like a lot of trouble to go to if it isn¡¯t their headquarters.¡±


    Shade had been watching the people who had investigated the hospital incident. Jason¡¯s suspicions about the existence of native magic were confirmed when Shade spotted a pair of essence users. Their iron-rank senses had no chance of detecting him and he followed them to the building he and Jason were now looking at.


    While Shade could evade even most bronze-rank senses, he didn¡¯t risk approaching the enchantments in place on the Building¡¯s upper floors. They weren¡¯t very advanced, falling easily within Jason¡¯s level of ritual magic expertise;  just basic protection and detection enchantments, made permanent through artifice no greater than Jason¡¯s skill-book derived skills.


    What the magical protections lacked in individual sophistication, they made up in the complexity with which they were interwoven. Having so many effects integrated into one another without mutual interference was an impressive feat. Breaking through or sneaking past any individual effect would be a breeze for Jason, but with them pressed so snugly against one another, he could easily trigger one defence in the process of breaking through another.


    Jason postulated that the simplicity of the rituals was not from lack of proficiency, but a need to work with the low density of ambient magic. Whoever devised the protections made the most of the restriction to low-rank formations and integrated them together, a feat not possible with more powerful effects. The low-rank magical array made it easier to avoid tricky magical interactions. Only something on the level of Jason¡¯s cloud flask had the capacity to neatly amalgamate more powerful magic.


    The more he examined the magical emplacements, the more impressed he became. The cumulative effect of such basic abilities would be surprisingly tricky to deal with, reminding Jason of Clive¡¯s insistence on Jason gaining a deeper understanding of magic. Based on his early knowledge of ritual magic, coming from skill books alone, Jason would have dismissed the danger of the simple enchantments. Only his study into the underlying principles of ritual magic allowed him to recognise the trap.


    ¡°What do they have in the way of numbers?¡± Jason asked. Shade had tasked one of his bodies with watching the comings and goings since finding the building.


    ¡°I have, thus far, noted eight different bronze-rankers, almost two dozen iron-rankers and one silver.¡±


    ¡°A silver,¡± Jason said, frowning.


    ¡°Their auras all show signs of heavy monster core use,¡± Shade said. ¡°It seems to be the primary method for advancement.¡±


    ¡°Where are they getting monster cores?¡± Jason wondered aloud. ¡°I can understand how I didn¡¯t know about the secret society of magic people, but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d have missed monsters spawning all over the world.¡±


    ¡°It would appear that your world has mysteries we need to unravel,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°So it would,¡± Jason said, fishing his phone from his pocket to check the time.


    He would have preferred to keep the phone in his inventory, but that would have cut it off from the networks. This was not just a factor of the dimensional displacement of his personal storage space, but also the state of stasis objects entered while in his inventory. He would like to experiment with the basic artifice technique that his magical watch used to keep time when stored away, but he didn¡¯t have the materials.


    It was almost time for the appointment Hiro had set up for Jason with the leader of Hiro¡¯s criminal organisation. Jason didn¡¯t know how the local organised crime was structured but he didn¡¯t much care. He had been surprised that, rather than some clandestine meeting spot, the meeting was in the heart of the city, in a building not far from the one he was standing on.


    Jason leapt off the roof as his shadow cloak formed around him. He had, in his personal opinion, grossly underutilised the ability to glide that it acquired at bronze-rank. The only properly tall building he had encountered after obtaining the power was the tower in the astral space, which he¡¯d been a bit busy to take advantage of. He¡¯d only had one opportunity to jump off of it, and instead of being held aloft by his cloak, he was weighed down by the nest of stone spikes impaling his body.


    His cloak spread out wide, like a pair of giant wings made of darkness and stars, with Shade gliding alongside. It was eerily quiet, with only the distant sounds of the street below.


    ¡°This a decidedly indiscreet practice in the middle of the day,¡± Shade pointed out.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I couldn¡¯t hear you over the sound of how awesome this is.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, I¡¯m not physically capably of giving a weary sigh, but if I were, I would be doing so quite pointedly in response.¡±


    Jason laughed as he started testing out his control over the glide. As with most powers, he had an instinctive proficiency. While he would obviously improve with practice, basic control came to him quite naturally. He quickly got a handle on turning in a curving arc, descending to gain speed and even catching updrafts to regain a little altitude. After playing around for a while, he opened up his map ability and set a waypoint for his destination.


    As he neared the ground, Jason projected his aura in a directed fashion that normal people could sense. He did so to two points, well to either side of his chosen landing point. He tried to be subtle yet attention-grabbing, so that all eyes turned away as he dismissed his cloak and dropped the last few metres into a silent landing. The momentary flash of aura passed, leaving the people on the street looking slightly disoriented.


    ¡°This is not a reliable method for avoiding attention,¡± Shade said quietly enough that only Jason could hear.


    ¡°You worry too much. If someone sees me, they won¡¯t believe their eyes, especially if I gaslight them a little.¡±


    ¡°I am your shadow, Mr Asano, not your conscience.¡±


    ¡°Yet here you are chiding me,¡± Jason said merrily as he tugged his jacket into place. A suit generally wasn¡¯t the best hang gliding outfit, but Gilbert¡¯s suit, as always, was easily up to the task. The design had more flair than a design from his own world, but Jason didn¡¯t hate being a little flashy.


    He made his way into the nearby building entrance, across a large and pleasantly light-filled atrium to the reception desk.


    ¡°Jason Asano for Victor Tollman,¡± he said.


    Victor Tollman was a large man. In his football days he¡¯d been a decent ruckman. His gym work became a little harder and a took little longer with each passing year, but he maintained excellent health and physique well into his fifties. He had a friendly face and salt and pepper hair, with a neat beard to match.


    He was sitting in his office, in a huge leather chair that seemed large even to his sizeable frame. If not for the swivel base, it would have made a halfway decent throne. His desk was a piece of oak the size of a single bed.


    Victor was watching a live feed of the reception security cameras, but the image was distorted, centred on the man standing in front of the reception desk.


    ¡°Can you hide from cameras like that?¡± Victor asked the man standing beside him, likewise watching the screen.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vermillion said.


    Vermillion had pale skin, dark hair and narrow but sleekly-handsome features. He was tall and looked to be in his mid-twenties, although Victor suspected the man was older. He wore an impeccable black suit that cost more than Jason¡¯s last car. Of course, Jason¡¯s last car had been a rather dismal bomb, which he hadn¡¯t given a thought to with Shade on hand.


    ¡°Is he one of you?¡± Victor asked.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Vermillion said, ¡°but most likely not. I¡¯ll know once he gets up here.¡±


    ¡°What else might he be?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve warned you about fishing for information, Victor,¡± Vermillion gently admonished. ¡°Too much knowledge and too little power is a volatile admixture.¡±


    ¡°Instead of withholding knowledge, you could just give me power,¡± Victor suggested.


    Vermillion shook his head, a faint smile on his lips. ¡°You¡¯re relentless, Victor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the footy player in me,¡± Victor said. ¡°You¡¯ve got to be hungry if you¡¯re going to win.¡±


    Jason followed a blank-faced office worker from the elevator and down a corridor that terminated in a large set of wooden double doors. The functionary dramatically pushed them both open to grant access to the room beyond. It was more akin to one of Emir¡¯s cloud palace lounges than an office, taking up a full third of the top floor, with two stellar corner views. It resembled the inside of a gentlemen¡¯s club, with multiple sets of leather chairs and couches, a movie projector and two separate bars.


    If it was a gentlemen¡¯s club, though, the gentlemen in question were of the unrefined sort. The walls were covered in paraphernalia glorifying football. From the preponderance of Collingwood merchandise, Jason guessed that Victor Tollman was originally a Melbournian.


    The only part that looked even remotely like an office had a leather throne behind what was either a very robust desk, or a somewhat rickety boat. Walking around from behind it were two men, who Jason turned his attention to as the office worker left, closing the doors behind her.


    The larger of the two men was older, but vigorous, judging by sight and aura both. He reminded Jason of Hiro¡¯s thug, Growl, but with fewer steroids and more brains. The younger man looked like a sexy mortician. His aura was bronze-rank and rather disconcerting in its familiarity. It reminded Jason of the vampires he had fought in the past, but without the wild savagery of those turned by a monster. This man was clearly of a different breed, with a clean, controlled aura.


    The younger man stayed back while the older one came forward to boisterously shake Jason¡¯s hand. The physical contact brought up the man¡¯s information.


    Victor TollmanHuman (normal rank)


    ¡°G¡¯day, mate,¡± Victor greeted.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I¡¯d known you were a Collingwood supporter, I might not have come.¡±


    Victor snorted derision.


    ¡°Go the mighty pies,¡± he said with a grin, then moved aside, a clear invitation for the other man. The tall, pale man stepped forward and Jason offered his hand. After a brief pause, the man shook it.


    Craig VermillionGreater Vampire (Human, araneid bloodline, bronze rank)


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± Jason introduced himself. ¡°Just call me Jason. Mind if I call you Craig?¡±


    The tall man¡¯s lips pressed thinly together but he otherwise didn¡¯t react as he let go of Jason¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I go by Vermillion, professionally.¡±


    ¡°No worries, mate,¡± Jason said with a grin. Jason had grown a few centimetres taller with the ascension to bronze rank, but he was still towered over by the two men.


    ¡°You can just call me Vic,¡± Victor said. ¡°Let¡¯s park it, yeah? One of the good things about being rich as buggery is owning good chairs.¡±


    They sat down in a trio of lounge chairs around a low table.


    ¡°Would you like some refreshments?¡± Victor asked. ¡°There¡¯s nothing really worth drinking at noon on a Tuesday, but I can have someone bring in water, coffee, tea¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thank you,¡± Jason said. ¡°You asked to see me, presumably because you heard about what happened with Ari.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Victor acknowledged.


    Jason then turned to Vermillion.


    ¡°How much does he know?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s had a glimpse,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°He knows what I am and that there are other things out there. Enough to see that there are dangers he is unequipped to combat.¡±


    ¡°Dangers you are equipped to meet,¡± Jason chuckled. ¡°In return for certain accommodations.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vermillion said unashamedly. ¡°What have you told your uncle?¡±


    ¡°That if I tell him anymore, he may find himself involved with those dangers you mentioned.¡±


    Victor didn¡¯t show it on his face, but Jason could see the frustration in Victor¡¯s aura. He guessed that Victor was unaware that his emotions could be read through his aura. Vermillion presumably kept quiet about it for his own advantage. As for Vermillion, his controlled aura revealed none of his emotions, at least to Jason¡¯s aura senses. It was an unusual level of control for a someone not an essence user.


    ¡°Those dangers may not be something you can keep from your uncle¡¯s door,¡± Victor said. ¡°The EOA have seized control in Perth and Melbourne, and now they¡¯re making no secret of their overtures into Sydney.¡±


    Jason had already guessed that the EOA to be more than ordinary criminals, although it was postulation based on very little information. It was starting to look like his world had an entire ecosystem of hidden magic, which Jason needed to learn about before he stumbled into trouble.


    ¡°What is it that you want from me?¡± Jason asked Victor.


    ¡°I have a level of cooperation with Vermillion¡¯s organisation,¡± Victor said. ¡°They are unwilling to expand the scope of that when the EOA come knocking at my door. When I heard that someone else from his general circle was affiliated with one of my employees, I wanted to see if we could come to an arrangement.¡±


    ¡°We cannot,¡± Jason said flatly. ¡°I¡¯m not going to step into your fight.¡±


    Victor could not provide Jason with the kind of information he needed. Further, he wanted Jason to jump into a fight without understanding the sides, which was the opposite of Jason¡¯s own intentions. It was Vermillion who had something to offer Jason.


    ¡°What about your uncle?¡± Victor asked.


    ¡°He is under my protection,¡± Jason said. ¡°That protection does not extend to you or your interests.¡±


    ¡°I can offer you substantial benefits,¡± Victor said. ¡°You would be surprised at what I can accomplish, when sufficiently motivated.¡±


    ¡°You would be surprised at what I can accomplished, when sufficiently motived,¡± Jason said in turn. He didn¡¯t reinforce his words with his aura, but it wasn¡¯t necessary. Although it didn¡¯t show in his body language, a ripple of fear passed through Victor¡¯s aura.


    Jason had once fought a team in a mirage chamber, using movie-monster theatrics to stir fear and disorient them. It only worked because they were as na?ve as he was, and he cringed when thinking back to what he now considered a buffoonish display.


    While it had barely been a year since then, it had been a year in which Jason had walked though blood and death. He no longer had to make a foolish imitation of being dangerous; his experiences, attitude, training and transformed body had brought about a transfiguration.


    Jason¡¯s old, frivolous self had increasingly become a mask he had to put on, and with months of constant fighting, he hadn¡¯t put it on in a while. Wading though a sea of monsters, the only people around him had been his trusted friends and most reviled enemies. After all that, the mask didn¡¯t fit as neatly as it used to.


    To the kind of people who recognised it, Jason unconsciously radiated danger. Even with his aura hidden, it was in his body language. It was in he way he moved and the way he watched everything around him. It was in his confidence, an unassailable self-assurance. Ari had picked up on it even before Jason unleashed his aura, and Victor was a lot sharper than Ari.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to go over some of the things I could do for you,¡± Victor said. ¡°And your uncle, as well.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said firmly. ¡°I suspected that you might have some kind of offer along those lines, but I want to be unambiguous in rejecting it. I know this isn¡¯t what you want to hear and I want this to be an amicable relationship, but I¡¯ve just got back from further away than you know there is distance to go. I don¡¯t know the local situation or the local players and I¡¯m not even going to consider intervening until I have a better understand of the pool I¡¯m paddling in.¡±


    Jason gave Victor a genuine smile, to cut the tension.


    ¡°To be honest, Mr Tollman ¨C Vic ¨C I came here for two reasons. One was to give you some face, so as to not cause trouble for my uncle. The other was to meet Vermillion.¡±


    Jason turned to the pale man, who had been largely content to sit back, eyes never leaving Jason.


    ¡°I¡¯d like to meet privately for a more frank discussion, Mr Vermillion.¡±


    ¡°An information exchange?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°If Vic, here, can convince you to make another pitch on his behalf once I have a better lay of the land, I¡¯ll listen. I don¡¯t see myself agreeing, but you¡¯ve approached me with courtesy. It¡¯s only fair that I reciprocate.¡±


    Jason stood up. Victor and Vermillion did the same and Jason shook hands with Victor again.


    ¡°It was good to meet you, Vic. I¡¯m sorry I can¡¯t give you what you want, but I¡¯ve learned some hard lessons about carelessly picking my fights before.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Victor said congenially.


    ¡°If you¡¯re willing to have a further meeting,¡± Jason said, shaking Vermillion¡¯s hand, ¡°I¡¯m sure you can find my number.¡±


    After having one of his staff escort Asano away, Victor walked behind his desk and fell into the big chair.


    ¡°That bloke feels unnerving,¡± Victor said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s the real thing, though. Are you sure he¡¯s not just bluffing about being from your circle? It seemed like he was fishing for information.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain,¡± Vermillion said. He had never encountered an aura as strong and rigidly controlled as Asano¡¯s. It was like an impenetrable sphere, perfectly formed and revealing only what it wanted you to see. It was also stronger than any tier two aura he had encountered by an order of magnitude.


    He had almost mistaken it for a tier three aura, and had no doubt that if Asano wanted to hide it from him, he could have. Asano clearly wanted Vermillion to see that he was an essence magician, and not one to be trifled with. Vermillion was frequently the front man for the Cabal¡¯s dealings with the other groups, and Asano was wholly unlike the essence magicians he had encountered from the Network. While he was still an essence magician, Vermillion had no doubt that Asano was a different breed entirely.


    ¡°Are you going to meet with him?¡± Victor asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°Will you try an convince him for me?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°If he were to pit himself against the EOA, it would cause dangerous ripple effects. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s part of the local ecology. If it weren¡¯t for the family connection, I doubt we would ever have heard of him.¡±


    ¡°So, why is he trying to sell gold?¡± Victor wondered.


    ¡°That is a curiosity,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°It¡¯s why I bought it. My people are analysing it, chemically and otherwise. This man may be operating independently, although I¡¯m not sure how it¡¯s even possible for someone of his nature to get that strong without support.¡±


    ¡°How strong?¡± Victor asked. ¡°If he¡¯s alone, would he even be of use against the EOA? How dangerous can one man be?¡±


    ¡°Very, I suspect,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°But you¡¯re right that taking on an organisation like that alone is a futile gesture. Overcoming the locals would only bring greater threats down on him.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me to roll over for the EOA?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes the harder path runs right off a cliff, Victor.¡±


    ¡°How would he stack up compared to you, if it came to a fight?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s capable of,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I would avoid one, if possible. My instincts tell me that if I couldn¡¯t¡­ I suggest you be very polite with his uncle.¡±

 Chapter 276: A Leather Coat and Tight, Black Pants

    Days went past as Jason fell into a routine. In the mornings he would do strength  training with the equipment in the townhouse, which was barely adequate for his bronze-rank might at maximum weight. Then he would ride to Rushcutters Bay Park to do some running along the waterfront.


    He rode Shade in motorcycle form, as he only had one of Shade¡¯s bodies on hand. Shade still kept bodies on Hiro and Taika, while four were assigned to investigating the nest of local essence-users he had found. That left the last with Jason, which was enough to take the form of a sleek, black motorcycle. Jason had gone out and purchased some bike leathers and a helmet for the purpose.


    He would wrap up his daily training with some meditation. This was the third pillar of advancing abilities, along with physical training and pushing himself to the limit. As normal for adventuring, being caught up in something like the astral space was heavy on the limit-pushing, with less time for other forms of training. Now that he was away from that, he had the time to balance himself out.


    After all the monster fights and the confrontation with the Builder, he could feel the unsettled power within him, waiting to be consolidated. While he was not anticipating monster fights any time soon, he did anticipate his abilities advancing at least one small stage in the short term, maybe even two for the lower ones that were close to advancing already.


    His time in the astral space had not been without cost, but it had also massively accelerated his growth. Not only had he crossed the threshold into bronze, but he had jumped into fighting silver-rank monsters much earlier than expected as the magic of the astral space had escalated. The results were striking, bringing him all the way into the lower-mid range of bronze rank.


    Jason Asano


    Race: Outworlder.Current rank: bronzeProgression to silver rank: 25%


    Attributes


    [Power] (Blood): [Bronze 3].[Speed] (Dark): [Bronze 2].[Spirit] (Doom): [Bronze 2].[Recovery] (Sin): [Bronze 3].


    Racial Abilities (Outworlder)


    [Party Interface].[Defiant].[Spirit Vault].[Tactical Map].[Astral Affinity].[Dark Rider].


    Essences (4/4)


    Dark [Speed] (5/5)


    [Midnight Eyes] (special ability): [Bronze 5] 09%.[Cloak of Night] (special ability): [Bronze 4] 12%.[Path of Shadows] (special ability): [Bronze 4] 41%.[Hand of the Reaper] (special ability): [Bronze 2] 94%.[Shadow of the Reaper] (familiar): [Bronze 4] 98%.


    Blood [Power] (5/5)


    [Blood Harvest] (spell): [Bronze 4] 64%.[Leech Bite] (special attack): [Bronze 4] 14%.[Feast of Blood] (spell): [Bronze 3] 02%.[Sanguine Horror] (familiar): [Bronze 4] 89%.[Haemorrhage] (spell): [Bronze 3] 92%.


    Sin [Recovery] (5/5)


    [Punish] (special attack): [Bronze 4] 15%.[Feast of Absolution] (spell): [Bronze 4] 03%.[Sin Eater] (special ability): [Bronze 3] 79%.[Hegemony] (aura): [Bronze 5] 04%.[Castigate] (spell): [Bronze 4] 31%.


    Doom [Spirit] (5/5)


    [Inexorable Doom] (spell): [Bronze 4] 97%.[Punition] (spell): [Bronze 3] 74%.[Blade of Doom] (spell): [Bronze 4] 26%.[Verdict] (spell): [Bronze 2] 82%.[Avatar of Doom] (familiar): [Bronze 4] 16%.


    After his training routine, Jason would move onto the business of the day. This usually meant burying himself in the internet, catching up on all the things he¡¯d missed. Of particular interest were the ¡®terrorist readiness exercises¡¯ taking place around the world, including in Australia.


    They had started not long before Jason¡¯s departure, but after his year and a half absence, their escalating rate and continued lack of explanation from world governments was drawing more and more media attention, despite obvious attempts to downplay their importance. Given that one of these incidents was taking place very close to his home at the exact moment Jason had been sucked into another universe, he was deeply interested.


    From what he could gather, the exercises involved setting up a restricted area, completely blacking out any attempts to surveil, to the point of using signal jammers and even shooting down camera drones. What they were doing was a mystery he would look into, when the opportunity presented itself. From the rates of occurrence he was seeing, it was only a matter of time.


    He also did some online stalking of his family. He watched a few episodes of his sister¡¯s new cooking show, checked out the websites for his mother¡¯s real estate agency and his father¡¯s landscaping business. His father had started a photo blog where he went through the process of developing a double block he bought from a plain stretch of even land into a lush garden home. At least, that was the plan, as he was still in the early stages.


    There were other things Jason needed to do, such as continuing the legal process of returning from the dead. Taika had been put at Jason¡¯s disposal, serving as driver and rather excellent body man, making many suggestions for how to resolve any minor issues Jason had.


    Although Taika looked like a professional wrestler, with his towering height and broad physique, he was actually a friendly, chatty and intelligent man whose company Jason quickly came to appreciate. He would usually arrive at the townhouse in the mid-morning, after Jason¡¯s training routine was done, to see if Jason needed anything. One such morning, they sat on the couch playing video games.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the courses in this one as much,¡± Taika said. ¡°I think the Wii version had the best track selection in the whole series.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t argue,¡± Jason said. ¡°Trying to get an online game of that now is a bit rough, though.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±


    Jason¡¯s phone rang, which was unusual. He had, thus far, only received calls from Taika and Hiro. He got up from the couch and answered it.


    ¡°Hello?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, this is Craig Vermillion.¡±


    The vampire¡¯s tone was more personable than the controlled clip he had used when they met in person.


    ¡°Mr Vermillion.¡±


    ¡°Craig is fine, when I¡¯m not on the job. I have to play it sinister and mysterious around the normals. Maintain the mystique, you know?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°If you¡¯re still looking to meet, are you free for lunch?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to explode when sunlight hits you, are you?¡± Jason asked, drawing an odd look from Taika.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Vermillion said, amusement in his voice.


    They made plans to meet at a caf¨¦ and Jason went outside, Taika with him.


    ¡°You need a ride, bro?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve got my bike,¡± Jason said, nodding at Shade¡¯s bike form. Like all of Shade¡¯s vehicle forms, it looked like he¡¯d stolen the plans from Batman.


    ¡°Sweet bike,¡± Taika said. ¡°That wasn¡¯t out here when I came in.¡±


    ¡°My friend left it out here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I thought you were going to say it was a self-driving bike.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know they were a thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to look into it.¡±


    While Taika moved forward to admire the motorcycle, Jason switched his outfit, mist obscuring him for a few seconds while Taika was looking the other way. When Taika looked back, Jason was in his driving leathers and helmet.


    ¡°How did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You changed your clothes.¡±


    ¡°Nah, mate. I was always wearing this.¡±


    Taika frowned.


    ¡°You¡¯re a mysterious guy, bro. There¡¯s a lot about you that doesn¡¯t add up.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°Mate, you¡¯ve got no idea.¡±


    ¡°When you picked a caf¨¦, this isn¡¯t what I expected,¡± Jason said. Vermillion had led him from the crowded downstairs area to a private upstairs with empty tables and a window wall looking out over the street. The d¨¦cor was subdued, with hardwood floors and earthy colours.


    ¡°I own the place,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°It offers comfort and convenience for private business.¡±


    ¡°Just give me a second to change,¡± Jason said, mist shrouding him to replace his bike gear with a casual winter suit. Vermillion was dressed much more casually than their last meeting, with plain slacks and a woollen sweater.


    ¡°Are you alright leaving your motorcycle on the street like that?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a motorcycle,¡± Jason said, but offered no further explanation. Vermillion looked out on the street, seeing that the bike was no longer where Jason had left it.


    ¡°I always envied the convenience of conjured vehicles,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a thing, here?¡±


    ¡°Only one that I know of, here in Sydney. It¡¯s unusual where you spent your time away?¡±


    ¡°Vehicles specifically, yeah, but there¡¯s lots of magic items, magical beast riding. My mate Humphrey rides around on a shape-changing dragon.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a baby dragon.¡±


    They sat at a table with comfortable chairs.


    ¡°Someone will come up shortly to take our food order,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°What kind of dietary restrictions do you have?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is it a liquid diet? I don¡¯t know a lot about vampires. The only ones I¡¯ve met were created by a giant blood spider. We didn¡¯t really talk, since they were trying to kill me and my friends.¡±


    ¡°Lesser vampires,¡± Vermilion said. ¡°They were created by a giant spider? This also happened during your time away?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was a rough day, but vampire monster army? That was some epic stuff.


    ¡°And where was that?¡±


    ¡°Would you believe an abandoned jungle city in a pocket universe?¡±


    ¡°Not really¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just say southern Africa, then. More or less. What did my gold tell you?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think I have your gold.¡±


    ¡°I got full market price for that gold, which I shouldn¡¯t have, given its shady origins. That means that someone higher up stepped in. It could have been Tollman, looking to make a good first impression, but he would have said something when he was trying to recruit me to his cause.¡±


    ¡°Why would I want it?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°Best guess? You ¨C or the people behind you ¨C saw an essence user acting outside of the norm, almost like he didn¡¯t know what was what. But how could someone like me be an independent? Where would they get the resources? Why are they doing something as petty as selling mundane gold? So you bought it and you¡¯ve probably put it through every test you can conceive of.¡±


    ¡°You seem very confident,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°I do, don¡¯t I?¡± Jason said, looking smug. ¡°I¡¯ll confess that I¡¯m curious about what you found.¡±


    Vermillion shook his head.


    ¡°My people are very interested in where that gold came from,¡± he said. ¡°Apparently we tried to trace where it came from and the results were extremely anomalous.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet they were,¡± Jason chuckled. ¡°Who are your people, exactly?¡±


    ¡°The Cabal,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I would have thought that was obvious.¡±


    ¡°Never heard of them,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been out of town.¡±


    ¡°The Cabal is everywhere.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been really far out of town,¡± Jason said. ¡°I suspect your concept of everywhere is due for expansive revision.¡±


    ¡°By all means, expand my horizons,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°I can do that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d like to get a handle on the local colour, first.¡±


    ¡°If you genuinely don¡¯t know what the Cabal is,¡± Vermillion said, ¡°then you certainly have some catching up to do. How much do you know?¡±


    ¡°Just imagine that I got sucked into an alternate universe and came back with magic powers to find out there was magic hidden in my world all along.¡±


    Vermillion raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Hypothetically,¡± Jason added.


    Vermillion leaned back in his chair.


    ¡°I can certainly tell you what isn¡¯t any great secret,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°To people like us, anyway. To regular people it would be the biggest secret in the world, but we¡¯re a long way beyond regular people.¡±


    ¡°Vast magical power does change your perspective, somewhat, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°The first thing you need to know about the magical world is that there are three dominant forces within it. There are smaller, localised groups, scrabbling after table scraps. They know about magic, but that knowledge is fragmentary at best and they have little, if any magic they command for themselves.¡±


    ¡°Like our friend Victor.¡±


    ¡°Exactly like our friend Victor,¡± Vermillion agreed. ¡°There are also some groups that orbit the larger organisations. Families that have known the truth for centuries, that kind of thing. They vary in power, directly related to their influence within the groups to which they are attached.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s these three big groups that are the real players?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°The oldest, and most reclusive, is the Cabal. I¡¯m a member, and my knowledge is extremely limited. Most of what I do know, I¡¯m not allowed to share.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°What¡¯s the outside perspective of your group?¡±


    ¡°The Cabal represents the old magic of this world. Things older than history that dwell in the dark places.¡±


    ¡°Like vampires,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes. Proper vampires, not the puppets of some essence magician.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard of essence users making vampires,¡± Jason said. ¡°Where I¡¯ve just been, it¡¯s frowned upon.¡±


    ¡°As it is, here,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°These lesser vampires, running around killing people. Even putting aside the moral repugnance, which I don¡¯t think you should, it just makes things harder for those of us doing the right thing.¡±


    ¡°I was meaning to ask about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about your views on killing and eating people, because I take a dim view on it. People have tried to kill and eat me before and I didn¡¯t care for it.¡±


    ¡°That is the purview of lesser vampires,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°They can¡¯t feed without killing, so we put them down whenever we find them.¡±


    ¡°And what about you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You do drink blood, yes?¡±


    Vermillion was about to answer when a waitress came in from downstairs. She only had one menu, which she handed to Jason.


    ¡°It¡¯s your place,¡± Jason said. ¡°What¡¯s good.¡±


    ¡°Beef carpaccio,¡± Vermillion said without hesitation.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said, handing back the menu without looking at it.


    ¡°Same for me,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Thank you, Anika.¡±


    The waitress withdrew downstairs.


    ¡°Blood is an unfortunate necessity,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°There is no need to kill for it, though. In fact, people can¡¯t wait to give it away.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve cultivated entire subcultures,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°With a leather coat and tight, black pants, we get more blood and sex than we can consume. Literally more. I know people who have done their best to thin out the supply, as it were, but they didn¡¯t even make a dent. There are always more young people, looking for a thrill.¡±


    ¡°Is it harmful?¡±


    ¡°No more than donating blood,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°In fact, being fed on actually heightens resistance to most diseases.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°It surprised us too,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Back in the eighties, the Cabal conducted some studies into the potential dangers of blood-borne disease transmission by our more sanguinely-oriented members. It turns out that rather than spread disease, the people we feed on are statistically less likely to get some of the nastier diseases floating around.¡±


    ¡°You conducted studies?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t have them published, obviously. They were conducted with rigour by experts in the field, however, and disseminated through our own channels.¡±


    ¡°And obviously, sunlight is not an issue for your kind,¡± Jason said. It was the kind of cold, clear winter day where the sky was pristine blue. Sunlight washed in through the large window, pleasantly lighting up the room.


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of magic,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Weaker members of my kind are affected by sunlight, and I¡¯ve heard of stronger vampires being affected by it in unusual situations where the magic around them is more powerful.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Jason mused. ¡°I¡¯d have to assume the ambient magic infuses the sunlight with properties antithetical to your condition. I have a friend who probably understands the process. How harmful is sunlight, exactly?¡±


    ¡°When it¡¯s strong enough to affect us, we¡¯re weaker and slower. Not down to a baseline human level, but I couldn¡¯t speak for some of those higher-magic situations. I don¡¯t know the circumstances in which they took place, so I¡¯m largely going from second-hand knowledge. It also makes our more unusual powers harder or even impossible to use.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem hesitant about sharing your weaknesses,¡± Jason observed.


    ¡°These aren¡¯t secrets,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Once you¡¯ve spent any time in the magical community, you won¡¯t find that information hard to come by.¡±


    ¡°But you aren¡¯t affected by this level of magic?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Only the weakest of our kind are.¡±


    ¡°But your Cabal doesn¡¯t have just your kind, do they?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Aside from individuals looking to follow their own paths, all the old magic falls under our aegis. We have many factions, within our ranks, but we unified as the normals became more dangerous with the rise of technology.¡±


    ¡°Old magic, as opposed to new magic?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°You are an essence magician, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That is what we call the new magic.¡±

 Chapter 277: A Knife in Its Sheath

    Vermillion and Jason paused their conversation as the waitress brought their food, along with wine.


    ¡°Magic has always been a difficult and esoteric thing,¡± Vermillion explained after the waitress left, while Jason nibbled appreciatively at the food.  ¡°Some five centuries ago, a new kind of magic appeared. People with no connection to the old ways could suddenly wield a variety of easy to use mystical powers. At that time, they were a limited threat. They were collected into various secret societies around the world, hoarding their knowledge. Most importantly, they seemed to have a limit on their power. While it can take centuries, many of the Cabal¡¯s members can slowly accrue power over time. I have been a vampire for seventy years, which is long enough to reach the second tier of power.¡±


    ¡°How do you name the tiers?¡± Jason asked. While the naming conventions would be subjective, the thresholds between magical ranks were not.


    ¡°There have been many terms of categorisation, across culture and language,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°I was taught to call them ranks,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°As the magical communities have become increasingly interrelated,  the need for a shared terminology has led to numeric designations that are widely recognised. Whether you call them tiers, categories, realms or ranks, like you, the same numbers are recognised across the board.¡±


    ¡°So, what are the numbers?¡±


    ¡°It starts with zero,¡± Vermillion explained. ¡°That¡¯s people who don¡¯t have enough magic to cross the first, transformative threshold and become a true entity of magic. This is the one tier where the lines can blur a little.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Take blood servants for example.¡±


    ¡°Blood servants?¡±


    ¡°Normal humans who have partaken of vampire blood, without going through the process of transformation. They gain superhuman strength and speed, depending on the strength of the blood. They may even reach the power of the first or even second tier, but this is temporary. Without regular infusions of vampire blood, that power fades.¡±


    ¡°That can¡¯t be good,¡± Jason said. ¡°As far as I¡¯m aware, backsliding in rank has extremely deleterious effects.¡±


    Jason had heard about the side effects of ex-clergy who had offended their gods and been stripped of divinely-gifted essences. This caused frequently debilitating imbalance in the body and soul.


    ¡°Very much so,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°There is also a strongly addictive aspect to vampire blood, which is why the cultivation of blood servants is a widely frowned upon practice in modern times. Just recently, we had a problem with someone quietly building up a large force of blood servants.¡±


    ¡°So, the other tiers are what you¡¯d expect, lowest to highest?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°That puts you and I at tier two of five.¡±


    ¡°Not six?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Six? I know there is a small handful of category four creatures within the cabal, but they spend decades at a time in magical sleep, slowly accumulating the magic required to operate for even a short time. The fifth tier is a myth itself, let alone beyond. From everything I¡¯ve ever heard, category five is the limit.¡±


    ¡°The mortal limit,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯d be very interested in hearing more about that,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Consider it a teaser for what I can offer when I¡¯m looking for a favour from the Cabal.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I suspect my people will be very interested. In the meantime, I¡¯ll continue my explanation of new magic.¡±


    ¡°Please do.¡±


    ¡°For centuries, the power of this new magic was trapped at the lowest tier.¡±


    ¡°That changed, though, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Our people investigated the rise of this new magic, which took place over the space of several decades, all around the world. Even amongst civilisations not yet discovered by the wider world, such as the indigenous cultures of this region of the Pacific. What our inquiries ultimately uncovered was that one person was responsible for all of it.¡±


    ¡°One person?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. One person, whose command of this new magic was more potent than anything seen since. Someone who could change their face and speak any language. We believe this person seeded these secret societies of new magic. Providing what we now know to be the essences that facilitate new magic. For centuries, though, new magic was limited and weak. It had few users, none of whom possessed any great power. But as you said, that changed.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t certain, but the change appears to have been a fundamental one to the very nature of the world. Somewhere around the turn of the nineteenth century, some manner of global threat began to manifest. It was at this point that we realised that these secret societies had been prepared specifically to combat this threat.¡±


    ¡°What kind of threat?¡±


    ¡°Monstrous entities. Myths come to life. These secret societies had some way of seeing them coming and preventing them from arriving. We only saw what happened when they failed, which was the appearance of strange creatures.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Jason said. ¡°The more they confronted these threats, the stronger these new magicians became.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I only know limited amounts about these threats, but I know they have grown stronger and more frequent over the last century or so. Over time, these secret societies realised that they were all akin, using the same methods and powers. The means by which they detect the threats is the same.¡±


    ¡°Which is what?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Some manner of mystical grid, crossing the entire globe. We believe it was set up by the person who founded the societies, in preparation for their future purpose.¡±


    ¡°So, these secret societies all work together, now?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°They call themselves the Network. With their growth in number and power over the last century, they have become the strongest of the three major magical factions.¡±


    ¡°The terrorist readiness exercises,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The increasing rate of these threats has made the Network stronger,¡± Vermillion said, ¡°but the danger is escalating faster than the network¡¯s power to meet it. They needed to scale up their operations to a level they simply couldn¡¯t as a hidden organisation. More and more creatures were slipping through the cracks. It became harder and harder to hide. A little over three years ago, they made a very dangerous decision and revealed themselves to a variety of world governments.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t turn to the other magical organisations?¡±


    ¡°The Cabal would never expose themselves to that degree,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°As for the third organisation, covering up magic is not in alignment with their principles.¡±


    ¡°And who are this third organisation?¡±


    ¡°The Engineers of Ascension,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°The Engineers of¡­ are you talking about the EOA?¡±


    ¡°The very same,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°As you have no doubt surmised, they are much less reticent about revealing themselves than the other organisations. While their true nature remains hidden it¡¯s only barely.¡±


    ¡°Victor Tollman wanted me to stand against the EOA,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m confident in my abilities, but I can¡¯t take on one of the dominant magical forces on the planet by myself.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, perhaps not,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°The EOA is very decentralised as a movement. They tend to operate in clusters, which makes them flexible and resilient as a whole, but they¡¯re much less protective of their individual members. They seem to like the freedom, but it makes dealing with them inconsistent, although with fewer repercussions. If you take out some Cabal or Network members, those organisations will come down on you like the fist of god.¡±


    ¡°To make an example,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly. The EOA is more likely to cut their losses, write them off as having overestimated their abilities. While they work toward broad goals, they are, by their nature, self-serving.¡±


    ¡°And what is that nature, exactly?¡±


    ¡°The Engineers of Ascension are largely made up of those who came to magic from outside the normal channels. I mentioned the smaller groups, fighting for scraps left by the old magic of the Cabal and the new magic of the Network. The EOA were formed by the strongest of those groups. Their magic is cobbled together from what they¡¯ve managed to beg, borrow or steal. It might make them seem like poor cousins, and many from the cabal and the Network see it that way.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t agree with your Cabal brethren?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I think that dismissing the EOA is foolish. They have been the driving force of magic innovation in modern times. New magic seems set in its forms, while the cabal is set in its ways. The EOA are pushing boundaries. Not without consequences, but also not without results.¡±


    ¡°The drugged-up thugs I¡¯ve been hearing about?¡±


    ¡°Magical enhancement is the core of their magical research. In that case, old school alchemy combined with modern pharmaceutical approaches.¡±


    ¡°Magical performance enhancing drugs,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°The EOA¡¯s desire to research blood servants has caused some conflicts with my organisation. We don¡¯t like it when people kidnap our people to use as research materials.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re willing to take that risk?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The EOA has been behind the pack from the beginning,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°A large part of their ability to keep up is a willingness to go further than the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°Further how?¡±


    ¡°Magical body modification. Reanimating the dead. Nothing is off the table in the pursuit of transhumanism through magic.¡±


    ¡°Engineers of Ascension,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re trying to magically engineer themselves to a higher state.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°The EOA knows they can¡¯t compete with the history of the Cabal or the resources of the Network. They know they have to chart their own path, into areas the hegemonic powers won¡¯t touch. There¡¯s a price to that, but they¡¯ve proven themselves willing to pay it.¡±


    ¡°They want to be the next stage of humanity,¡± Jason said. ¡°What does that have to do with taking control of criminal underworlds?¡±


    ¡°Their driving goal is to prepare for magic being revealed to the world,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that put them in direct competition with the other organisations, who are trying to hide it?¡±


    ¡°It would, if the EOA ever made attempts to reveal it, but they don¡¯t. They believe that the wider revelation about magic is inevitable, so they¡¯re happy to play along with keeping it a secret. They¡¯re far more loose with it than the rest of us, but they¡¯re careful not to cross anyone¡¯s bottom line. They¡¯re convinced that the truth will come out, despite what anyone might do to hide it. If anything, the longer that takes, the longer they have to prepare.¡±


    ¡°Are they right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I know my people are becoming increasingly concerned, and the Network has already taken drastic steps. Once the Network started involving governments, we moved past the point where so many people know that it¡¯s not really a secret anymore. Add in the progress of technology and its almost surprising that it hasn¡¯t come out yet. In my opinion, these terrorist readiness exercises are the last gasp of the secret world before it comes out into the open.¡±


    ¡°So, what do the EOA want?¡± Jason asked. ¡°How are they preparing for the truth to come out?¡±


    ¡°They believe that once magic is out in the open, there will be a fundamental shift in how societies function.¡±


    ¡°They think those with magic will be a new ruling class?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, magic will be on par with money and political power,¡± Vermillion confirmed. ¡°The EOA are the poor third cousin in the magical community, but they¡¯re still swimming in the big kids¡¯ pool. They¡¯re looking to position themselves for when the truth comes out and the Network had already insinuated themselves with political powers, so the EOA are working on private powers. Organised crime is really a second-tier priority, to which they¡¯ve relegated their lesser members. The real game is the uber-wealthy.¡±


    ¡°I can see how it would be an easy pitch,¡± Jason said. ¡°Offer the people who can buy anything the thing that can¡¯t be bought.¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°The EOA have made some solid strides into longevity treatments with minimal side-effects, compared to their more radical developments in body modification. Once magic comes out, they¡¯ll be able to market it openly.¡±


    ¡°The other organisations aren¡¯t competing with them over influencing the wealthy?¡±


    ¡°The Network seems satisfied with political influence,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°At least, as far as I know. They seem focused on their mission, but they may be making plans behind the scenes. As for the Cabal, we¡¯ve had a tight grip on old money since literally the invention of money.¡±


    ¡°And religion, too, I¡¯m guessing.¡±


    ¡°I can neither confirm, nor deny,¡± Vermillion said with a smile, leading Jason to chuckle.


    ¡°The pie is large enough that no one is willing to go to war over a larger slice,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°So long as nothing comes along to change that balance, the revelation should be fairly smooth, for the magical community. As for the normals, that¡¯s a whole other issue. Who knows what kinds of chaos will happen, not to mention the dangers we¡¯ve always been wary of. Magical power and ideology have traditionally been highly reactive compounds.¡±


    ¡°There have been issues in the past?¡±


    ¡°There have. I¡¯m not looking forward to when aggressive countries start weaponising magic. The Russians already keep invading people and I hesitate to even talk about North Korea or the Middle East. The US is bad enough with combat drones. Do you want to see magic combat drones?¡±


    ¡°Does it make me a bad person if I say yes?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I mean, magic, flying death robots? You have to admit, that¡¯s pretty awesome.¡±


    ¡°Not if you¡¯re some kid in Yemen who¡¯s learned to fear the sky,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°That¡¯s disappointingly fair,¡± Jason conceded.


    ¡°Those are the basics you need to know about the secret world of magic. I still have no idea how you could possibly have reached your level of strength without knowing any of this. The Network has a tight grip on new magic, although you are different than they are, for the most part.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s something in their auras that isn¡¯t in yours. I¡¯ve only seen one of their members of any real power that didn¡¯t have it. He¡¯s not the strongest, being a low end category two, but he also seems more capable than the others.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Jason mused, absently tapping a finger to his lips. His guess was that the local essence users used monster cores heavily, while one of them was advancing himself without.


    ¡°I think my people know more about where you¡¯ve been than they¡¯re telling me,¡± Vermillion confessed.


    ¡°What did your people tell you?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not much,¡± Vermillion admitted. ¡°That¡¯s par for the course, with the Cabal, but I like knowing that they¡¯ll protect my secrets as fastidiously as the organisation¡¯s. I¡¯m pretty sure they have some idea of where you¡¯ve been. They told me to do my best to maintain a friendly channel of communication.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve done a bang-up job,¡± Jason said with a friendly smile. ¡°I am going to be checking up on local vampire dining habits, though. Thank you for all this information.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t revealed anything that you couldn¡¯t easily learn elsewhere,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°One piece of advice: If you¡¯re going to affiliate yourself with one of the organisations, it has to be the Network. The reasons should be obvious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an essence user,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re the group with the means to make me stronger.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Even after learning that essences were behind new magic, we never bothered to acquire that power for ourselves. We just don¡¯t have the means to develop it. The EOA has a small handful of essence users, but they aren¡¯t strong. My people are definitely interested in you, but they wanted me to point you in the Network¡¯s direction. A show of good faith.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it,¡± Jason said, reaching across the table to shake Vermillion¡¯s hand.


    He stood up, then paused, his face taking on a fierce expression.


    ¡°Have you set up an ambush?¡±


    Vermillion was unsure what to make of Jason Asano, who was a nest of strange dichotomies. At a glance, Asano was open and friendly, even a little hapless. This was belied by the intelligent eyes, whether they were taking everything in or focused in an incisive gaze. Although his body language was casual, Vermillion had no doubt that Asano was listening intently. He could almost see the cogs turning behind his eyes, giving him the impression that for every one thing he said, Asano took away three.


    That fortress wall of an aura was nowhere on display, completely undetectable to Vermillion¡¯s senses. He was beginning to understand what normals felt like under his own aura manipulation. Asano had the feeling of a knife in its sheath, which Vermillion was not unfamiliar with. He had met many dangerous people in his long life. It made little sense, then, that Asano could be so unversed in the wider magical world.


    Vermillion¡¯s initial thought was that Asano was feigning an implausible level of ignorance. As he continued to talk and Asano continued to listen, he eventually concluded that Asano genuinely didn¡¯t know even the most basic aspects of what he was being told. He was clearly no stranger to magic, however.


    Asano¡¯s history gave away little. Until a year and a half ago, he had been, to any and all investigation, an ordinary man. He grew up in a small town, attended a private school for the kids of wealthy seachangers. Went to the University of Melbourne, dropped out after one semester and got a menial job in retail.


    Then his apartment was mysteriously destroyed during one the Network¡¯s sham terrorist exercises, in which he apparently died by magical mishap. He mysteriously returned a year and a half later, with no more explanation than his departure, but a lot more power.


    The persona Asano generally affected was in line with his history, prior to his disappearance. Was it always something he put on, having held this power before he went away? Vermillion guessed not, given what seemed like an authentic lack of knowledge. Asano had gone somewhere and been profoundly changed, but where?


    Vermillion suspected the Cabal knew, but kept it from him. It was more likely out of habit than maliciousness, but still rankled. Most likely, it was related to whatever threat the network was facing off, given that it seemed to be the source of their power. Given that Asano¡¯s power was the same, that made sense.


    Asano was unlike any member of the Network Vermillion had met, however, and he had met his share. Even compared to the tier three essence magician stationed in Sydney, Asano was a different breed. His aura was clearly discernible as tier two, but far too powerful for that. It was closer to the strength of a tier three, but with more control than he had seen from any tier. The control of other essence magicians he¡¯d seen were lumps of  iron ore next to Asano¡¯s expertly forged sword.


    Over the course of their conversation, Vermilion came to believe that despite the danger behind his eyes, Asano might actually be as friendly as what he initially assumed to be his artificial persona. He was certainly easy to get along with. Then, as they were about to part, Asano¡¯s gaze turned as sharp as a knife.


    ¡°Have you set up an ambush?¡± Asano asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°If I was going to set up an ambush, I wouldn¡¯t do it in my own place. I¡¯d also bring a lot more people, if I was ambushing you.¡±


    ¡°There are a lot more people.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking abou¡­¡±


    Vermillion trailed off as a number of magical auras came into range of his senses. They were converging on the caf¨¦ from the outside, as well as the alley running behind. He recognised the auras, the blank power of the EOA¡¯s alchemically juiced-up thugs.


    ¡°I think things are about to go very poorly,¡± he said.

 Chapter 278: Underworld Bargain

    ¡°I don¡¯t recognise the auras,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Engineers of Ascension,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Their alchemically-enhanced foot soldiers. This may not go well.¡±


    ¡°I can live with that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sooner or later, I¡¯ll have to make an example of someone.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t prison rules, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not to you,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m all alone and surrounded by dangerous people who, as it turns out, are already in gangs.¡±


    Vermillion frowned.


    ¡°Will you at least allow me to try and de-escalate the situation?¡±


    ¡°This is your establishment and I¡¯m your guest,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll defer to you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Jason sat down again, his back to the door as he watched casually out the window and poured himself another glass of wine. Vermillion pulled out his phone.


    ¡°Anika, some people are about to come in. Please direct them upstairs immediately and try not to disturb the customers. Thank you.¡±


    Shortly thereafter, a dozen men came up the stairs. They each had the swollen musculature and vacant stare of a homoerotic action figure. Each was wearing a tight, white t-shirt and dark green cargo pants. They looked like someone was cloning thugs and selling them in job lots.


    Only one of the men had clear, intelligent eyes. He was just as muscular as the others, but wore a shirt and slacks, with leather shoes instead of sneakers. He stood at the front, directing his gaze at Vermillion, who stepped forward to meet him.


    ¡°Mr Kissling,¡± Vermillion greeted coldly.


    ¡°Mr Vermillion,¡± Kissling responded. ¡°We¡¯re sorry to intrude, but we need to take the man sitting behind you.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t react, continuing to watch the street below with a glass of wine in his hand.


    ¡°We have no quarrel with the Cabal, and will be happy to compensate you and your organisation for your cooperation in this matter.¡±


    ¡°This man is in my establishment, at my invitation, as my guest,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Your words may be polite, sir, but your actions are just the opposite. If you wish to take this man, you have to go through me.¡±


    ¡°You may wish to think though the ramifications of denying us, Mr Vermillion. I know that your group is remaining hands-off in regards to the activities of mine. If you stand in our way now, you are making a choice for your entire faction.¡±


    ¡°Am I meant to allow any trespass the EOA wishes to make because they claim it involves larger political forces? That is a cheap tactic, Mr Kissling.¡±


    ¡°It is no cheap tactic, Mr Vermillion. Your Cabal has sensibly chosen to step aside as we pursue our interests, but this man has not. He is a legitimate obstacle to our intentions.¡±


    ¡°I think, Mr Kissling, that you are labouring under a misconception. I was present when Victor Tollman asked Mr Asano for his assistance in resisting your encroachment. Mr Asano flatly declined.¡±


    ¡°The fact remains that his uncle is a part of the regime we are going to displace. Will he just stand aside when we come for his uncle?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps rather than take actions we all come to regret,¡± Vermillion suggested, ¡°we can sit down and discuss a compromise.¡±


    Kissling rubbed his chin as he considered it, his henchman army lined up behind him like soldiers in a row.


    ¡°It can¡¯t hurt to at least talk,¡± he said. Vermillion nodded gratefully, leading Kissling over to the table, where they sat down to join Jason. Jason didn¡¯t react, continuing to look out the window, sipping at his wine.


    ¡°Good day, Mr Asano,¡± Kissling said. ¡°We have no more quarrel with you than with Mr Vermillion or his people. The crux of the matter is whether you will interfere with our interests. If I can¡¯t get assurances from you, then I am going to have to disappoint Mr Vermillion and become more direct.¡±


    Jason turned to face Kissling. Jason¡¯s aura remained undetectable but his eyes were cold as they looked over Kissling like he was a slab of meat, hanging from hook.


    ¡°Mr Vermillion said that you were labouring under a misconception,¡± Jason said lightly. ¡°In actuality, you are labouring under two.¡±


    ¡°And what is the second one?¡± Kissling asked.


    ¡°That he is protecting me from you. He is, in fact, protecting you from me.¡±


    Vermillion winced.


    ¡°I could warn you about what would happen if you and your people took action against me or my uncle,¡± Jason continued, ¡°but I realise that until someone is foolish enough to try, people aren¡¯t going to take me seriously.¡±


    ¡°Do you really expect to intimidate me?¡± Kissling asked.


    Jason let out a weary sigh, which he had to fake since he no longer needed to breathe.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re one of those people who don¡¯t listen so much as wait for their turn to speak,¡± Jason said. ¡°When I came home, I wasn¡¯t looking to go murdering anyone. I wanted things to be simple. I never want to kill people but in the end, the result is always killing and killing and killing. I think, at this point, I just have to accept that it¡¯s inevitable. If it¡¯s not you, it¡¯ll be someone else.¡±


    ¡°I think we can try and find a middle ground,¡± Vermillion interjected. ¡°Mr Kissling, your people are going to move in and take control of the local criminal element. I think we can all agree that this is an inexorable outcome. You, Mr Asano, want your uncle, and presumably his people, to be safe. Would you both consider that an accurate description of our current circumstances?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kissling said and Jason nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Then here is what I propose. The EOA will buy out Hiro Asano¡¯s interests in the city, for extremely generous compensation. Any of Hiro Asano¡¯s people will be free to leave unmolested or transition into the new administration as they choose. The Cabal will vouchsafe Hiro and his people from reprisals from Victor Tollman and his organisation or the Engineers of Ascension. This will remove any reason for you, Mr Asano, from intervening in Engineer of Ascension affairs. What do we think about that?¡±


    ¡°A chance for my uncle to go completely legitimate and come back to the family,¡± Jason mused, nodding thoughtfully to himself. ¡°I like it.¡±


    ¡°I would need to have a better definition of Hiro Asano¡¯s people,¡± Kissling said. ¡°You could interpret that as the entire organisation he works for. Then, moving in at all would constitute breaking the deal and the Cabal is well within their rights to intervene under the guise of protection.¡±


    ¡°It will count Hiro himself and anyone who works for him directly,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°It will include direct subordinates and low level staff in his legitimate business interests, that your people, Mr Kissling, would be assuming control of.¡±


    ¡°And your uncle will go quietly?¡± Kissling asked Jason.


    ¡°He already knows that things are changing in ways he doesn¡¯t understand,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll make sure he goes along. That does not mean he¡¯ll turn against his former associates, however. He will not aid you against Tollman¡¯s organisation.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need his help,¡± Kissling said. ¡°We just need people like you to stay out of our way.¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± Jason said, offering his hand over the table. Kissling shook it.


    Michael KisslingElite Converted (bronze-rank)


    Jason schooled his face to not let the surprise show, but he spotted that Vermillion had noticed something. Kissling was nothing like the converted Jason had encountered in the astral space, at least to his magical senses. Kissling¡¯s followers had the familiar, automaton-like presence, but they were of an entirely different nature, magically speaking.


    These were clearly altered through methodology wholly unlike the modified clockwork cores the Builder cult employed. It would appear that the Engineers of Ascension had developed some alternate means to affect people in a similar way. As to how harmful that process was and if people were volunteering he would have to look into later. At the very least, Kissling seemed to have gone through the process with his mind intact.


    After the deal was struck, Kissling turned to Vermillion.


    ¡°Will your organisation stand as guarantor for this compact?¡±


    ¡°It will,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°We will take on the protection of Hiro Asano and his people, as well as enforce the other stipulations, should either party choose to contravene this agreement.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Kissling said, standing up. ¡°I¡¯m glad we didn¡¯t have to go through any unpleasantness.¡±


    Vermillion and Jason also got to their feet.


    ¡°I would not consider your marching a small army of your drones through one of my places of business to be without unpleasantness,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Although you avoided anything drastic, do not expect this to go unanswered.¡±


    Kissling frowned, but nodded his acknowledgement. He led his people downstairs and away, while Jason and Vermillion watched through the window.


    ¡°How long were you in action?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°In action?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve fought three wars,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°One as a human, one otherwise and one half and half. I know what a man fresh from a life of constant battle looks like.¡±


    ¡°Half a year,¡± Jason said softly.


    ¡°Did you win?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I had to die to get there, but we won.¡±


    ¡°You died?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to give it up,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m worried that dying is becoming habit forming.¡±


    ¡°Habit forming?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Coming back from the dead is kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°You are an odd man, Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a vampire,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good time to be a vampire,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Anne Rice, Twilight. Bram Stoker was a debacle for us, and the less said about Bela Lugosi the better.¡±


    ¡°Really? Twilight?¡±


    ¡°Twilight was fantastic for us.¡±


    They watched Kissling and his people climb into a series of SUVs and drive off.


    ¡°So who do you think sent Kissling our way?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Why did he approach here instead of the townhouse where I¡¯m staying?¡±


    ¡°My guess would be that they were operating on very limited information.¡±


    ¡°The obvious culprit is our friend Victor,¡± Jason said. ¡°If he can provoke the EOA into attacking you and me together, it draws two reluctant but powerful allies to his side.¡±


    ¡°Possibly,¡± Vermillion said, ¡°but perhaps not probably. Victor likes to amplify his larrikin persona to make others underestimate him, but he is, in reality, both careful and deliberate. Setting the EOA on us would be a desperate gamble that could easily alienate the very people he¡¯s trying to ally with. Desperate gambles aren¡¯t the way he does things.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯s desperate enough,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I still think not,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Kissling won¡¯t be a big shot in the EOA. If he wasn¡¯t hungry to prove himself, he never would have risked this blowing up in his face. Whoever put him onto us most likely knew this and Victor lacks the knowledge of EOA members.¡±


    ¡°Then who?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You think the Network has found out about a rogue new magician?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°That would be Annabeth Tilden¡¯s call and she definitely isn¡¯t stupid enough to provoke the Cabal like that.¡±


    ¡°Then who is?¡±


    ¡°Only low-level idiots with ambitions above their station, like Kissling. No, I think that whoever sent Kissling our way doesn¡¯t fear the Cabal because they¡¯re part of it.¡±


    ¡°Internal strife?¡±


    ¡°The Cabal is like an old, aristocratic family,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°To outsiders, we present a united front. Within, however, is turmoil, ambition and backstabbing. We¡¯re the most fractious of the three major factions because we have history enough that some internal squabbling always takes place within a broader context.¡±


    ¡°So, you think this wasn¡¯t really about me,¡± Jason said. ¡°You think it¡¯s about you.¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I¡¯m afraid some of my fellows are eyeing you off as an opportunity to advance at my expense.¡±


    Two vampires met in a booth, in an upscale basement bar with old wood and dark lighting.


    ¡°Kissling was a disappointment,¡± one of them said. His clothes were as sleek as his youthful features and slick, dark hair.


    ¡°It was always less likely to work than not,¡± the other said. He looked to be a well-preserved middle age, with distinguished salt and pepper hair and a grey suit that complimented without being ostentatious. ¡°I¡¯m surprised Kissling even tried at all.¡±


    ¡°So what now?¡± the younger one asked. ¡°Do we just let it go?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. If that essence magician really is an independent operator, that means there¡¯s a source for new magic outside of Network channels. I¡¯m not willing to let Vermillion take all the credit for bringing that into the Cabal.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°I think we need to see what this essence magician is capable of,¡± the older one said. ¡°Let¡¯s throw something at him and see how he handles it.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°The Blood Riders.¡±


    The younger vampire looked askance at the elder.


    ¡°I think that is a very bad idea,¡± he said.


    ¡°The Blood Riders are being left to rot,¡± the older vampire said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what happens to them.¡±


    ¡°My concern isn¡¯t what happens to them,¡± the younger vampire said. ¡°My concern is what they¡¯ll do. They must be desperate after being cut off from their blood supply.¡±


    ¡°Which is why they¡¯ll do what they¡¯re told, if they think there¡¯s a fresh supply on offer.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re stable,¡± the younger one said. ¡°Using them is courting disaster.¡±


    Calmly and smoothly, so as not to alarm with sudden movement, the older one drew a pistol and shot the younger in the head.


    ¡°I just knew you¡¯d be a tattletale.¡±


    He put two bullets in the heart and two more in the head.


    ¡°That should hold you until I can find a saw.¡±

 Chapter 279: Time to Rip Off the Band-Aid

    ¡°So, that¡¯s the long and the short of it,¡± Jason said. ¡°The EOA buy you out. Generously. I know it¡¯s heavy-handed of me to take control of your affairs like this, but this is the only safe way out. It also means I can avoid killing a bunch of people.¡±


    Jason and Hiro were in Hiro¡¯s sprawling apartment. After Jason explained the arrangements he had made, Hiro spent a long time processing it in silence. Jason waited patiently.


    ¡°You¡¯ve learned more about the EOA than before, haven¡¯t you?¡± Hiro finally said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason answered. ¡°They aren¡¯t something that Victor Tollman can resist. He just doesn¡¯t have the tools. Unless people like Vermillion and myself choose to step in, and it would take more than just us.¡±


    ¡°At which point it wouldn¡¯t be a matter of stopping someone from taking over but choosing who does,¡± Hiro reasoned.


    ¡°Yes. In any case, neither Vermillion nor I will be lending our assistance, let alone anyone else.¡±


    Hiro absently rubbed a hand over his mouth as he continued to think things through.


    ¡°Did you ever happen to find out what EOA stands for?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Engineers of Ascension,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Sounds like a cult.¡±


    ¡°Not quite, but I sense a little bit of cult flavour,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve had some experience with cults.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve had experience with cults?¡±


    ¡°A couple,¡± Jason said. ¡°One was the kind who live out in the desert and eat people. The other was more about your classic religious extremism.¡±


    ¡°Terrorists?¡±


    ¡°Basically, yeah.¡±


    ¡°I have to admit, I¡¯m really curious about your time away,¡± Hiro said. ¡°How did you get those scars, for example?¡±


    Jason had two visible scars on his face, where fragments of star seed had pushed their way out of his body. The marks that experience left on his soul were now scars on his body. Mostly it was his chest, but he had a small scar on the side of his chin where his beard no longer grew in and one that bifurcated one eyebrow. They weren¡¯t glaring blemishes, but they weren¡¯t hidden, either.


    ¡°There was a local crime lord,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You told me you had a run in with someone like that.¡±


    ¡°I did something he didn¡¯t like, so he had me kidnapped and handed over to someone rather unusual, knowing he would do worse to me than anything the crime lord could dream up.¡±


    ¡°Were you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Tortured,¡± Jason said. ¡°To be honest, I was unconscious for most of it.¡±


    ¡°Those aren¡¯t your only scars,¡± Hiro realised.


    ¡°There might be one or two more. I got lucky, though. The bad guys had some kind of falling out. One of their henchmen did a runner and they were afraid he was going to tell people where I was.¡±


    ¡°And they were right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Turns out the henchman tried to kill me once, but I let him live. He was apparently a live by a code type. So, while the bad guys were getting into it over what to do, I had a chance to get free.¡±


    ¡°What happened to them?¡±


    ¡°I caught the crime lord and he caught the bad end of the barbaric local legal system. The torture guy got away, but he was way too big a deal for me to handle anyway. I did manage to scuttle some very big plans of his, later. A lot of his time, resources and people went down the drain. I still couldn¡¯t touch him, but I managed to hurt him some. It¡¯s a better chance than most get.¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d been through some things,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to telling you more,¡± Jason said. ¡°Once you¡¯re out of the EOA¡¯s path, I¡¯ll be more comfortable about sharing some secrets. You aren¡¯t going to fight me on this deal, are you, Uncle?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Hiro said wearily. ¡°Honestly, it¡¯s a relief. I¡¯ve felt the changes coming for a while; I knew something was different about it. It feels like the pressure is constantly building and I¡¯d like to get out before something blows up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad you feel that way,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just one man and I don¡¯t think I can protect you against a whole organisation. Even if I hadn¡¯t made this deal, I¡¯d be stuck with the choice of leaving you defenceless or bringing even more of them down on you as they try to deal with me. I¡¯m glad that Vermillion was there to broker it, because I¡¯m still all sharp edges after too much fighting. Left to my own devices, I would have made things worse.¡±


    ¡°I feel bad not standing by Victor, though,¡± Hiro said. ¡°He¡¯s been good to me.¡±


    ¡°Vermillion and I are going to talk to Victor,¡± Jason said. ¡°We won¡¯t support him in resisting the inevitable, but we¡¯ll back him up if we can convince him to facilitate a smooth transition. With us standing behind him, he can do very well out of this. As will you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have a lot of capital and a lot of business experience,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll land on your feet. I¡¯m hoping you¡¯ll come up the coast with me. The family will be happy to have you out of your sordid life of hookers and blow.¡±


    ¡°Your entire understanding of crime comes from eighties action movies, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Hiro chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m learning,¡± Jason said defensively. ¡°Just today I discovered that not all gang-bangers are white guys in torn leather vests.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve actually been thinking about packing it all in for while,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Heading up the coast, buying up some land and opening a resort. I know good contractors and how to wrangle a land deal. I have some connections that could really help me out. It¡¯s an idea I¡¯ve been playing with, ever since things started getting weird.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good plan,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to leave without settling things properly with Victor though,¡± Hiro said. ¡°It feels like running away. I want to go with you, when you meet with him.¡±


    Jason thought it over for a moment.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said.


    Vermillion was wearing a blousy black shirt and painted-on jeans as he stumbled out of the backroom of a basement club he owned, with two pretty young women and one pretty young man. He made sure that they had biscuits and juice before arranging them all rides home. His aftercare was quite similar to the Red Cross following a blood donation. He was changing into clothes that he was willing to be seen in out on the street when something unusual appeared in front of him.


    You have received a voice chat request from [Jason Asano]. Accept Y/N?


    He glanced over at his phone, sitting on a dresser.


    ¡°That¡¯s highly unusual. Er¡­ accept?¡±


    ¡°Craig,¡± Jason¡¯s voice came into his head. Vermillion had experienced telepathy before, although this was the first time it came with an operating system.


    ¡°Jason?¡±


    ¡°G¡¯day. I¡¯m going to bring my uncle along when we go see Victor, so can you swing by his place so we can all go together?¡±


    ¡°I know where it is,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°That¡¯s a good idea. Victor respects Hiro¡¯s opinion, and knowing that Hiro has taken the out will make it easier for Victor to do the same.¡±


    ¡°Unless it backfires and Victor sees Hiro as a traitor,¡± Jason said, playing devil¡¯s advocate.


    ¡°It¡¯s worth the risk,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you tomorrow.¡±


    Vermillion was back in tall, dark and mysterious mode when he arrived on Hiro¡¯s balcony by means unknown. He was wearing a dark suit, his hair expertly groomed. Taika and Hiro did not notice his arrival until Jason opened the balcony door.


    ¡°Do you need an invitation, out of curiosity?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Only as a matter of manners.¡±


    ¡°Then, by all means, come in.¡±


    Hiro and Taika were nervous, but Vermillion¡¯s aura was toned down from the aggressive and intimidating norm he employed against his criminal associates. Both of the normal men had an expression of waiting for the other shoe to drop.


    ¡°Shall we?¡± Jason asked, gesturing at the elevator. As they rode down, Taika kept glancing at Vermillion.


    ¡°How¡¯d you get up on that balcony, bro?¡±


    ¡°Taika!¡± Hiro scolded.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve got to ask, boss. There¡¯s some spooky stuff going on lately and I¡¯m not sure I can protect you properly.¡±


    ¡°I respect your work ethic,¡± Vermillion complimented, ¡°but a man in my position keeps his capabilities as secret as he can.¡±


    Jason silently nodded his agreement. He had been very careful about using his portal arch because it was a powerful trump card, especially if no one knew that he had it. After testing to make sure it wasn¡¯t impaired by the weak local magic, he had refrained from using it again, relying on Shade for transport.


    Taika took the wheel of Hiro¡¯s large town car, with Hiro next to him in the passenger seat. That left their backs to Vermillion in the rear with Jason. Although Vermillion¡¯s aura was subdued, out of courtesy to Jason, he still maintained a certain level of unnerving pressure. He had an image to uphold, after all.


    ¡°Could we swap some aura manipulation tips later?¡± Jason asked quietly. He modulated his voice low enough that only enhanced senses would make it out clearly. ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at using my aura as a weapon, but I don¡¯t have a lot of practice using it on regular people, so it¡¯s bit of a blunt instrument. I appreciate the nuance of your fine control in projecting on normals.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that. I¡¯d love to pick up some of your high-end control. It¡¯s like an iron sphere.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±


    ¡°I have a club full of blood groupies who get off on aura manipulation. You¡¯ll get all the practice you can handle.¡±


    ¡°Are they a bunch of emo kids?¡±


    ¡°Some,¡± Vermillion admitted. ¡°There are all manner of thrill-seekers in my circle, though. Hedonism comes in many flavours.¡±


    Hiro and Taika rode in silence, the unintelligible murmurings in the back making them all the more nervous. Then the murmuring stopped as Jason spoke out loud.


    ¡°What are those auras?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I don¡¯t recognise them.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°Just be ready to drive,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°I am driving, bro.¡±


    ¡°I mean really drive.¡±


    ¡°What was that about auras?¡± Taika asked. ¡°Are there crystal therapists coming after us?¡±


    Vermillion let out a dark chuckle that chilled Hiro and Taika to the bone.


    ¡°You were going to tell them after the EOA deal was done, right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but I think it¡¯s time to rip off the band-aid,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s at least two dozen of them, so I don¡¯t think holding back will be an option.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-nine, by my count.¡±


    ¡°Twenty-nine what?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Blood servants,¡± Vermillion explained. ¡°People who have drank the blood of a vampire without going through the turning process.¡±


    ¡°Did you just say vampire?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about vampires or whatever,¡± Taika said as the car sped up, ¡°but there¡¯s a bunch of bikers riding up on us.¡±


    In the thick traffic, it had taken Taika a while to notice the bikers converging on them. Although he had sensed their auras for a while, Vermillion now turned to look through the window.


    ¡°The Blood Riders,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re a motorcycle gang entirely turned into blood servants. My people forced the ones behind it to cut the bikers off. It seems that someone is trying to get some final work out of them before the strength leaves them.¡±


    ¡°Does that help us?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Vampire blood is addictive, which is how vampires control their servants. Most likely, they were told that if they deal with us, their supply gets restored. They were probably told to be discrete, but blood servants get very focused when their supply is on the line. Once the effects start wearing off, they become aggressive and unstable.¡±


    ¡°Not so good at following directions,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I¡¯d bet that whoever sent them hasn¡¯t dealt with desperate blood servants before. They¡¯re nice and obedient while the blood keeps coming, but they get very stroppy when it stops. Otherwise, they¡¯d never come at us in the open like this. The Network is not going to be happy, however it plays out.¡±


    ¡°Uh, Jason,¡± Taika said. ¡°There¡¯s two more bikes.¡±


    ¡°More bikers?¡± Vermillion asked


    ¡°No, bro,¡± Taika said, sounding off-kilter as he watched the mirrors. ¡°These look like your bike and the riders all look like they¡¯re wearing a big, black coats or something.¡±


    ¡°Ah, my ride is here,¡± Jason said, then let out a gleeful laugh. ¡°This is going to be wild.¡±


    ¡°Your ride?¡± Hiro asked, then goggled as Jason was shrouded in dark mist. At the same time, bullets started hitting the car.

 Chapter 280: Bullets, Bikes and Blood

    Hiro flinched as a bullet shattered the back window of the car.


    ¡°Is anyone hit?¡± he asked, ducking down as he turned to check on Jason and Vermillion in the back. Vermillion was rubbing the back of his head, looking disgruntled. In spite of the sudden chaos, Hiro was startled to see a figure draped in shadow where his nephew had been.


    ¡°Taika,¡± Jason¡¯s voice came from the impenetrable darkness of the hood. ¡°Keep driving and I¡¯ll do my best to keep them off you. Hiro, call the police.¡±


    ¡°You seriously think the police can help?¡± Hiro asked incredulously.


    ¡°No, but a bunch of bikies attacked your car. You don¡¯t want to be the guy who didn¡¯t call the police.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, keep them off me?¡± Taika asked wildly.


    The traffic along the multi-lane toll road had turned into chaos as the gunfire erupted from the bikers pulling out pistols and even sawn-off shotguns. Accidents were taking place already as cars swerved into one another in the mad panic to accelerate away. Some even wiped out the bikers that were the source of the chaos.


    More bullets struck Hiro¡¯s car. Hiro hunkered down but that wasn¡¯t an option for the hefty Taika. Vermillion shifted position to shield the big man from the shots coming from behind. He winced when struck by gunfire, but while the non-magical bullets dug into his flesh, they were stopped dead by the strength of his bones. His vampiric regeneration pushed the bullets back out quickly, in any case.


    Fortunately, firing a gun from a moving bike at a moving vehicle was not a recipe for pinpoint accuracy and more bullets hit random vehicles or nothing at all than Hiro¡¯s car. Even so, the sheer number of bikers firing off shots meant that both Vermillion and Jason were struck multiple times. Jason¡¯s cloak, however, shot out tendrils of shadow-stuff that intercepted the bullets, stopping them dead.


    ¡°Good thing they don¡¯t have magic bullets,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°You can get magic bullets?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The Network can make them. I¡¯m not sure how.¡±


    ¡°Small mercies, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m more curious about where they got that many hand guns. This is Australia.¡±


    ¡°Left over from the smuggling ring that was shut down a few years back,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°They were having them sent from Austria to Sydney through the mail.¡±


    ¡°How do you get hand guns through the mail?¡±


    ¡°I remember that,¡± Hiro said. He had pushed his seat right back and was doing his best to squeeze himself under the dash to make as small a profile as possible. ¡°Victor rose up not long after that, after the cops busted the whole thing open. People appreciated someone who could keep a lid on things.¡±


    The two big, black motorcycles and their shadowy riders pulled up on either side of Hiro¡¯s car.


    ¡°Are you sure they¡¯re with you, bro?¡± Taika asked nervously.


    ¡°Yep. I¡¯m going to go do something about these bikies. Uncle Hiro, get right down.¡±


    ¡°Way ahead of you,¡± Hiro said in a voice shot with adrenaline and fear.


    Two shadowy shapes moved away from Taika and Hiro as the bodies Shade had hidden in their shadows returned to Jason. Jason opened the door of the moving car and the two bodies slipped out to take the form of a third bike and shadowy rider, already on the move. That made three sleek, black motorcycles racing alongside the rapidly accelerating car.


    Now six of Shade¡¯s bodies were either bikes or riders, with the last being Jason¡¯s own shadow. It rose up and engulfed him, Jason immediately emerging from one of the dark riders on the back of a bike. The rider diminished to form Jason¡¯s new shadow as Jason took its place on the back of the bike. Under Shade¡¯s control, the bike didn¡¯t so much as waver during the process. Racing on the back of Shade¡¯s motorcycle form, Jason¡¯s cloak lit up with stars as it flared out behind him like the tail of a comet.


    Jason had been a decent rider, once upon a time. As a boy, he had spent a lot of time riding on the farm of an uncle on his mother¡¯s side. It had been a number of years since then and those were dirt bikes, as opposed to the powerful, oversized street bike form that Shade had assumed.


    Riding on asphalt was easier than the rough dirt trails and loose sand he had experience with, but the wild traffic and gun-toting bikers were an exciting new hazard. Jason left the control mostly to Shade, broadly guiding his familiar by shifting his weight and leaving his hands free.


    Two bikers rode up on either side of Jason, firing pistols. Despite the cloak largely trailing behind him, it still shot out tendrils to intercept bullets from all angles. The bikers were ostensibly out of reach, but Jason extended his shadow arms in each direction, grabbing the handlebars of each bike. He yanked them hard to the side, causing the front wheels of both to turn sharply. At speed, this caused both to flip immediately and Shade deftly slalomed between the tumbling bikes before swerving in the direction of more bikers.


    Jason had used his clothes-changing ability to slip on his combat robes while he had still been in the car. Unlike scholarly robes, these were designed for combat, so while they were loose fitting, it was not so much they got tangled up in the wheels. The outfit custom-designed for him by Gilbert had sheaths across the chest for his throwing darts. They were incorporated directly into the custom armour, eschewing the need for the bandoleer he had used at iron rank.


    Taking a dart marked with a green cord, he threw it into the wheel of an approaching motorcycle, which was immediately tangled in conjured vines, flipping over violently. Using a shadow arm, he jammed a red-tagged dart into the fuel tank of another bike, which exploded impressively.


    Their auras told Jason that the bikies were at the low end of bronze, so they would likely survive a motorcycle crash. A motorcycle explosion, maybe not. He had not returned to his home world the same as he left and had no qualms about killing these men. If someone came after him, that was the life of an interdimensional man of mystery. Endangering others to get to him, though, was where he drew the line.


    The traffic had started to clear, as accidents caused obstructions and lucky drivers managed to escape down exits from the toll road. As a results, the remaining cars were clear to accelerate to even more dangerous speeds, only to catch up with the traffic ahead, triggering a fresh round of chaos.


    Jason¡¯s shadow again rose up into the form of a shadow rider and Jason vanished into it, emerging from another, bringing him closer to more bikers. He reached out with a shadow arm and punched a biker in the face before snatching his sawn-off shotgun. The disrupted bike crashed while Jason moved the shotgun into a firing grip in his hand.


    He hadn¡¯t fired a shotgun since he was a teenager, again on his uncle¡¯s farm, but the cut-down double barrel wasn¡¯t a complicated weapon. Using Shade¡¯s superior mobility and control, he positioned himself to fire into the front wheel of one bikie then another, causing a pair of crashes before stowing the shotgun in his inventory.


    After that, Jason started testing his abilities. He started with blood magic, which he knew to be effective at least against lesser vampires. He reasoned that blood servants should, if anything, have even less resistance.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    Jason¡¯s guess was borne out as a bikie started convulsing, blood spraying from his mouth and nose. He lost control of his speeding bike, which toppled over into a crash. For the next, Jason tried a different spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Jason was unsure if the vampire blood in the blood servants would count as an affliction, but suspected it might given Vermillion¡¯s description of the side effects. This proved to be the case as the biker¡¯s life force started bright red, with a dark red taint that was almost black that drained out and over into Jason¡¯s outstretched hand. Jason sensed the bikie¡¯s aura drop from the low end of bronze, though iron and down to normal as it did.


    The holy afflictions Jason¡¯s power left behind started inflicting transcendent damage with Jason¡¯s bronze-rank power on the suddenly normal-rank enemy. The biker''s body lit up like a thermite reaction, cutting a trail of blinding light as his bike continued forward until it toppled over.


    Jason didn¡¯t restrict himself to stealing guns and flinging spells. With a biker coming up behind him, Jason activated the gliding power of his cloak, the momentum lifting him up into the air off his bike. His own bike raced ahead as the biker appeared under him and Jason extended his shadow arms down to grab the handlebars, pulling himself down to land on the seat, behind the startled biker. He shoved the biker off and assumed control of the motorcycle.


    Jason laughed like a madman, almost surprised the outlandish manoeuvre had worked. His bronze-ranked attributes had made it possible, the spatial awareness of his spirit and the agility of his speed attribute combining to superhuman effect. Momentarily clear of other bikers, he glanced forward to see how well he had distracted the bikers from his uncle¡¯s car. Most of them were now focused on him, although some were still in pursuit of the car.


    Through the back window, he could see Vermillion, still body-blocking bullets for Taika in the driver¡¯s seat. Jason watched as a biker drew close to the rear of the car, at which point Jason sensed threads of magic emerging from the window, originating at the tips of Vermillion¡¯s fingers. They were invisible to the naked eye, but the magic imbued into the silken threads was clear to Jason, although clearly not the biker. They invisibly drifted around him with no reaction before going taught, slicing through flesh like a knife through vegetables. The bloody wreck that was the biker lost control of his bike, which toppled over to gruesome effect at the speed he was going.


    Jason was forced to drive the ordinary motorcycle himself, recklessly pushing toward the closest surviving biker. He jumped up, standing on the bike in a dangerous balancing act briefly before leaping to the next biker, powerfully pushing off as he used the bike as a stepping stone before landing on another of Shade¡¯s bike forms. The disrupted biker wobbled dangerously and Jason swerved in to finished the job with a backhand to the face. The biker lost control and crashed, Shade expertly avoiding being caught up in it.


    ¡°We¡¯re about to have eyes on us,¡± Shade warned from Jason¡¯s shadow. Jason looked up to spot an approaching white helicopter bearing a news network logo.


    ¡°I guess I should tone down the magic,¡± Jason said, dimming his cloak down to black.


    Annabeth Tilden was eating lunch and playing go with her wife in the comfortable private lounge in the rear of her wife¡¯s art gallery when her phone rang. They looked at the phone on the coffee table and saw it was the office.


    ¡°At least it isn¡¯t two in the morning, this time,¡± Susan said.


    ¡°Keti, what is it?¡± Annabeth answered, her eyes going wide at the response. ¡°What channel?¡±


    She turned on the television. Soon she was watching coverage of a wild, running battle between motorcyclists on a Sydney toll road.


    There was a swath of leather clad bikers on low-slung chopper-style motorcycles, many of whom were firing hand guns. Most eye catching was a man in black whose hooded cloak trailed through the air behind him, in constant threat of being dragged into the back wheel of his huge, black street cycle. There were flashes of gunfire, none of which phased the dark figure, as he rapidly dispatched the bikers by means hard to make out. The news camera seemed to have a hard time keeping the man in focus, but every time he swerved into the direction of a biker, the biker crashed spectacularly.


    ¡°Dear gods,¡± Susan said as the footage cross cut to the trail of crashed cars and bikes left in the rolling battle¡¯s wake.


    Annabeth took a long, steeling breath, the phone still held to her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m coming right in,¡± she said over the phone.


    Even in a blood frenzy, the remaining bikers finally realised that their pursuit was futile. Jason likewise took off, flanked by the dark riders. He didn¡¯t return to Hiro¡¯s car under the gaze of the eye in the sky, instead opening up a voice chat with Vermillion.


    ¡°How are you?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°These clothes are done for,¡± Vermillion said wearily. ¡°The one I took to the head rang my bell pretty good. I really need someone to eat.¡±


    ¡°You mean something to eat,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said.¡±


    ¡°Can you deliver Taika and my uncle to the cops safely?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I can liaise with the Network, who I imagine are spitting blood right now. I¡¯ll have to face the music at some point anyway, given it was blood servants that attacked us. They will be looking for an explanation from my organisation, since we¡¯re the ones with the blood servants.¡±


    ¡°What will their attitude towards me be?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°It probably depends on how much that news helicopter saw. I¡¯ll try and set up a meeting on neutral ground.¡±


    ¡°That would be good,¡± Jason said. ¡°I owe you one for looking out for my uncle.¡±


    The helicopter continued to trail Jason and the dark riders until they moved under an overpass and didn¡¯t emerge out the other side.

 Chapter 281: A Good Friend and Very Bad Enemy

    A sleep-deprived Annabeth Tilden was shotgunning coffee.


    ¡°More,¡± she demanded hoarsely as she finished, sending her assistant to replenish her supply. One of the side effects of being an essence user was an ability to resist the effects of caffeine, leading many coffee drinkers to ramp up their intake. This was bad enough at category one, but if she ascended to category two, coffee would no longer have any power to perk her up. As it was, she was adding stamina potion like a shot of whisky.


    Annabeth was not in her office but in a conference room several floors down. Members of the Cabal were not just going to walk into the mystical defences of the top floor. She was slumped forward, elbows on the desk as she rubbed her temples, which did nothing to alleviate the stress headache.


    The door opened to admit the Cabal representative, Vermillion. She had actually come to sympathise with the man over the course of the day, despite his organisation being the source of her current tribulations. Not only had he been caught up in it directly but also, like her, he had the highest-ranking members of his organisation dropping dissatisfaction onto him from a great height. Also like her, it was his job to somehow sort the whole mess out.


    The footage had become an international news story. A violent gun battle on the streets of Sydney. A mysterious figure leaping from motorcycle to motorcycle amidst a hail of bullets, taking on a notorious biker gang by the dozen before vanishing without a trace. There were countless bizarre details, all of which were being overanalysed by media organisations around the world at that very moment.


    Why did the rider seem impervious to bullets? Was their strange outfit some kind of body armour? What was the large, intimidating motorcycle they were riding? It was powerful, agile and did not conform to any model of bike that anyone could find, meaning it was either heavily modified or completely custom.


    The only thing that barely salvaged the debacle was that while there were a lot of phone camera recordings coming out, on top of the news helicopter footage, barely a few seconds of clear footage was captured. Be it the news camera or the phone cameras of the people involved, none of them were able to focus correctly on the enigmatic rider as he dealt with the bikers one by one. Aside from a few scattered moments, every record had strange, unfocused distortion.


    This made the few clear images that anyone had managed to capture get all the more attention. The strange spectacle of a biker seeming to spontaneously combust, burning up from the inside atop his bike had been posted online and picked up by the news.


    Another short scrap of phone footage was causing particular problems. By the time the news helicopter started recording, the rider¡¯s cloak was black, trailing out behind him. Someone in one of the cars, though, had captured several seconds of the cloak lit up with shifting stars before their recording likewise became distorted. It was the only clear image of the rider, their unusual outfit and their unique bike. Most importantly, it was the only clear image of the rider trailing a comet tail of stars behind them.


    The inevitable comparisons to Batman were something Annabeth could live with, since it muddied the waters. After the footage of the cloak of stars appeared online, though, the figure was dubbed the Starlight Rider by the media. Immediate comparisons were drawn to the stories of an angel made of stars from just a few days earlier, the incident that became known as the Sydney Children¡¯s Hospital Miracle. With the connection made between the SCH Miracle and the rolling gun fight, Annabeth¡¯s job was made all the harder.


    Vermillion not only had to work with her to try and keep a lid on things, but bear the responsibility of the Blood Riders instigating the latest and most public debacle. As much as she hated her situation, she was glad not to be in his shoes. This whole affair could ¨C and probably would ¨C get her demoted. She had heard stories about the ways that the Cabal showed their displeasure, and while they were only rumours, she did not envy Vermillion, whatever the truth. Her sympathy for the man did not mean she would let up in getting what she needed from the Cabal, however.


    ¡°Well?¡± she demanded of him.


    For his part, Vermillion was having as bad an afternoon as Annabeth. A figure from the murky reaches of the Cabal¡¯s upper levels had arrived to take charge, reducing Vermillion himself to a glorified message boy. It left him off the hook for cleaning up the huge mess, but also without a means to redeem himself after what happened under his watch. He would be held to account for the Network being handed the very last thing the Cabal wanted them to have: a justification to interfere with the Cabal¡¯s affairs.


    ¡°A delegation of my people have agreed to come in to answer for the Blood Riders,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°When?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°Our own investigation is ongoing. You will have answers when we have answers to give.¡±


    ¡°And how long will this investigation take?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°We are confident we know who did this,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°They have already been taken in hand and we are confirming the details now.¡±


    ¡°That quickly?¡±


    ¡°It was not a grand scheme. It was the ambition of a fool who did not realise what they were setting in motion.¡±


    ¡°And how do I know that you aren¡¯t just drumming up a scapegoat?¡±


    ¡°As you know,¡± Vermillion said, ¡°we do not like outside influence in our affairs.¡±


    ¡°You have always been fastidious about handling internal affairs internally,¡± Annabeth acknowledged.


    ¡°In this instance, however, we recognise that our internal affairs have significantly impacted the Network¡¯s core tenets. I¡¯ve been told that we¡¯ll be handing the perpetrator completely over to you.¡±


    ¡°Perpetrator, singular? You expect us to believe that one person is responsible for all of it?¡±


    ¡°The person in question did try to rope in an ally,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°As best we can determine, this person immediately saw how wrong it would go and was killed for trying to interfere. You don¡¯t have to take our word for it, though. You can use whatever means are at your disposal to get the truth from the man in question.¡±


    ¡°Any means? You¡¯re truly giving him up instead of just a supervised interrogation?¡±


    ¡°Normally, we protect our own,¡± Vermillion said, ¡°but this man has violated our own core tenets. No one is happy about how these events have gone. You will not be expected to show this person the courtesy you would otherwise extend to our members. How you question him and what to do with him when you¡¯re done is up to you.¡±


    ¡°And if we choose to give him back?¡±


    ¡°That would be one of the crueller choices,¡± Vermillion said.


    The decision had been made to cut out the cancer and leave it to the Network, in hope of avoiding more painful procedures down the line. The man in question was never a Cabal elite, instead a relative made into a vampire from compassion. Without being turned, he would have died from a fatal medical condition.


    Annabeth was satisfied with the Cabal¡¯s gesture, at least until she actually got her hands on the man in question to learn more. She turned the conversation to another topic.


    ¡°Why did you just let these blood servants keep running around?¡± she asked. ¡°You had to understand that depriving them of blood would make them dangerous and volatile. I¡¯m surprised your people didn¡¯t kill them.¡±


    ¡°It was discussed,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°In the end, it was Cabal members who approached the gang with promises and offers. Even if the members in question were far outside what would have been permitted if they hadn¡¯t operated in secret, the Cabal was nonetheless responsible. Killing these men for becoming the thing we made them was ethically unsound.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to talk to me about mercy?¡± Annabeth asked. ¡°Even disregarding the dead bikers, we have six civilian fatalities and we aren¡¯t even done counting the injured. This disaster has been broadcast to every corner of the globe, on my watch. Everyone from the Steering Committee to the Network Council to the god damn Prime Minister has crawled up my arse and set up a ¡®punch Anna in the colon¡¯ booth. That¡¯s what your mercy has done.¡±


    ¡°Some violent lashing out would not fall outside the expectations of a known criminal motorcycle gang,¡± Vermillion explained. ¡°If not instigated to this, it would have remained contained. I was already in the process of arranging to have them arrested so they could go through the withdrawal period in custody, where they could be locked up without hurting anyone.¡±


    ¡°That didn¡¯t really work out, did it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Vermillion conceded. ¡°Unfortunately, I was overruled on who should administer the winding down of the Blood Rider project. The ones who started it all were placed in charge of closing it all down. It was meant to save face and be a lesson.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a recipe for disaster,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°And now it¡¯s been cooked up, and a disaster is what we got.¡±


    ¡°Quite,¡± Vermillion agreed.


    ¡°What about this rogue essence-magician?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°He is not opposed to meeting you,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I had already advised him to seek you out prior to this affair.¡±


    ¡°Out of the kindness of your heart, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°A weapon you are not equipped to wield is at least as much a danger to you as to your enemy,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I don¡¯t know where this man came from, but he¡¯s a naked edge, fresh from battle. A well-sharpened edge, at that. He went through them like a chainsaw through butter. Thirty blood servants and I don¡¯t think he even saw them as a threat. I think he was testing out different ways to kill them, to see what worked. As it turns out, all of it did.¡±


    ¡°So, he¡¯s a maniac.¡±


    ¡°I told you, Mrs Tilden, he¡¯s fresh from some kind of battlefield. His instincts are still to react to any threat with definitive force.¡±


    ¡°You think being bloodthirsty gets him a pass?¡±


    ¡°I think that if we can help him rehabilitate, he¡¯ll be a valuable ally,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°If we forcefully suppress him, on the other hand, we¡¯ll make a profoundly dangerous enemy. I suggest trying to understand him before taking action.¡±


    ¡°Well, if it¡¯s understanding I need,¡± Annabeth said, ¡°I think I know where to start.¡±


    In a police station, Vermillion and Annabeth watched Hiro from the next room, through the interrogation room security camera. Hiro¡¯s body language revealed none of the turmoil they could both read in his aura. From the moment he arrived in the police station, Hiro had played confused victim flawlessly. Once he found himself in an interrogation room, he had asked for a lawyer and said not another word.


    ¡°Hiro Asano has not been inducted into the secrets of our world,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°By your own rules, that makes him hands off.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll acknowledge that if his nephew kept him in the dark like you said, that¡¯s a good sign that the boy can act with decorum,¡± Annabeth conceded. ¡°Will he continue to do so after today, though?¡± Annabeth asked. ¡°He¡¯s certainly going to tell his uncle, now.¡±


    ¡°Of course he will,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°But Hiro hasn¡¯t been told yet. Is today the day to play fast and loose with the rules?¡±


    ¡°There is such a thing as discretionary power, Mr Vermillion.¡±


    ¡°Mrs Tilden. You, like everyone else, saw this man¡¯s nephew take apart a magically empowered gang of hardened bikers like they were a nice, crumbly cheddar. What you didn¡¯t see and I did was how he reacted when that situation began. He wasn¡¯t scared when they came on us. He wasn¡¯t worried, or even concerned. He was excited.¡±


    ¡°He killed a dozen people.¡±


    ¡°Easily, and without hesitation. I would be very careful about how you treat his uncle.¡±


    ¡°You need to bring him to us,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°I told you that I¡¯ve already agreed to set up a meeting. We can discuss the terms of that meeting now, if you like.¡±


    ¡°Terms? He can¡¯t go running using magic to kill people on television. He comes to us or we go get him.¡±


    ¡°Despite the nature of his power, Mrs Tilden, he isn¡¯t one of your people. Somehow he gained the power that only your people wield without learning of your organisation before I told him about it yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Do you think I care? Do you think that the people I answer to care?¡±


    Vermillion turned his head from the viewing window to look at Annabeth, his face softening.


    ¡°Mrs Tilden. Anna. We¡¯ve known each other for a number of years and have, I think, a good working relationship. As such, I hope you take this advice in the spirit it is given: Do not provoke Jason Asano. I¡¯ve seen only a little of his power and a little of his mind, but it has been my experience that he treats kind with kind. Show him courtesy and you¡¯ll receive it in turn. Come at him with force and you¡¯ll be smeared across a highway on the news.¡±


    ¡°The Network is not a gang hopped up on vampire blood, Craig. If we decided to deal with him, there¡¯s nothing he can do to stop us. Even if he¡¯s inclined to stand against us, he won¡¯t try once he realises the magnitude of what he¡¯s up against.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Vermillion said, ¡°but I don¡¯t think so. He may have the blood of the Japanese in his body, but he has the spirit of Ned Kelly in his soul.¡±


    ¡°Ned Kelly made a stand against the authorities, getting friends, family and innocent bystanders killed in the process.¡±


    ¡°And became a folk hero, none of which invalidates my point. In case it sways your decision, it is the official position of the Cabal that Jason Asano¡¯s liberty and independence be respected.¡±


    ¡°How did you get your people to agree to that?¡±


    ¡°I convinced them that a favour today will pay dividends tomorrow. I strongly recommend that you take the same attitude.¡±


    ¡°If the Cabal thinks they can use him to establish their own branch of essence magicians, they¡¯re in for disappointment.¡±


    ¡°That kind of ambition is above my pay grade, Mrs Tilden, but if that is their intention, then I¡¯m confident that you¡¯re correct. I¡¯m simply of the opinion that Jason Asano will make a good friend and a very bad enemy.¡±


    Annabeth gave a weary sigh.


    ¡°Do you know where he is now?¡±

 Chapter 282: Flavour Text

    The art gallery displayed no more signage than a plaque beside a nondescript door. It was the kind of place that if you didn¡¯t know it was there, then you weren¡¯t meant to. For many years, it had served as a money laundering operation for some of the Network¡¯s shadier revenue streams. Now that the government was secretly but wholeheartedly involved in the Network¡¯s activities, such clandestine operations were rarely necessary. The gallery was free to operate without dabbling in illegality.


    Jason was strolling through, browsing the paintings. As he lingered in front of one, the gallery owner, Susan, approached. She was an elegant woman whom Jason judged to be in her late thirties or early forties. She cut an impressive figure of poise, grace and appealing but understated clothing choices.


    ¡°This is my wife¡¯s favourite piece,¡± she said. ¡°Is there something in particular that you¡¯re looking for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking to make a very specific statement,¡± he said.


    ¡°This piece is from Taverny¡¯s ¡®Seychelles Gothic¡¯ series, where he seeks to visually recontextualise the archipelago. This is a quintessential example of Taverny¡¯s use of framing and light contrast. If you told me what kind of statement you were looking to make, perhaps I could point you in the right direction. Only a fragment of the collection is on display, so I¡¯m sure we can find something to fit your needs.¡±


    ¡°My intention is to make a potent statement on the sanctity of family,¡± he said. ¡°I thought I would have more time to arrange things, but events are moving apace. Sadly, nuance must give way to blunt symbolism to make my position swift and explicit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that the Taverny sends that message,¡± she said. ¡°I have a number of works that touch on the theme of family and may interest you.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be depicted in the art,¡± he said. ¡°Show me something unconventional,¡± he said. ¡°Something whose very purchase makes it worthy of discussion.¡±


    Susan gave him an assessing look. His suit was sharp and flattering, but also slightly strange. The cut defied contemporary trends in tiny ways; a lapel angle here, a seam line there. The result gave the odd illusion of an arrow in flight. The man wearing it was young and Asian, probably mixed-race. His accent was Australian, clearly educated. He had sharp, handsome features and dark, penetrating eyes.


    ¡°I might have a work that interests you,¡± she said. ¡°I cannot guarantee I can sell it to you, however.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°There is an unusual condition attached to this painting.¡±


    Moving through to an office tucked discreetly into the rear of the gallery, he stopped dead still, eyes transfixed on a painting. It depicted four uniquely-stylised pillars situated between two planets, on a background of stars. The content arrested his attention, and while it had no trace of magic, something about it left him completely convinced that it was not the work of an ordinary artist.


    ¡°The most enigmatic piece in the collection,¡± Susan said. ¡°The artist is new and critical reaction is split. Some find her subjects prosaic, while others find her brushwork almost hypnotically beautiful. The two works in our possession were sent to us only days ago, by the artist herself.¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°The artist is as mysterious as her art,¡± Susan said. ¡°We know almost nothing about her, not even her full name. She simply goes by Dawn.¡±


    ¡°How much?¡± he asked.


    ¡°There is no price,¡± Susan said. ¡°The artist gave me two paintings, on the condition that this one be hung and given to the person who can name the four pillars depicted within it. I can sell you the other, which is¡­¡±


    ¡°Jason, Colin, Gordon, Shade,¡± he said without hesitation, not taking his eyes from the painting.


    Susan was a woman of composure, but flashed a startled expression.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said. ¡°How did you know that?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m the subject. Show me the other painting.¡±


    Hiro and Taika walked out of the police station to find Vermillion waiting for them. They were nervous, but felt none of the bone-deep fear he normally induced. Since Jason had arrived, he had shown them nothing but politeness and respect, although he remained as mysterious as ever. Hiro spoke quietly to his lawyer, who quickly made himself scarce.


    ¡°Vermillion,¡± Hiro greeted. ¡°Are you responsible for getting us out? I was worried once they put me in an interrogation room, but they let us out surprisingly quickly.¡±


    ¡°As far as the civil authorities are concerned, you were just one more victim trying to escape,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°By the time anyone started recording the incident, the bikers were after your nephew and not us in the car. The lack of firearms or other contraband in your car saved many awkward questions and I barely had to step in to see things smoothly through.¡±


    ¡°I told you, boss,¡± Taika said. ¡°Not having guns will solve more problems than having them.¡±


    ¡°As for less conventional authorities,¡± Vermillion continued, ¡°I have convinced them to leave you be, at least for the moment. It¡¯s Jason they want to speak to.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where he is?¡± Hiro asked. ¡°Is he alright?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I¡¯ve been keeping in contact with him via unconventional means, so he knows what¡¯s happening and he¡¯ll meet us shortly. For now, he¡¯s sending a car. The police are keeping yours, for the moment. Because of the bullet holes.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Taika said, ¡°we need to have a talk about what happened. Why aren¡¯t you all shot up? What was that you were saying about vampires?¡±


    Without Vermillion¡¯s aura pressing down on him, Taika¡¯s exasperation about the strangeness he was caught up in came out.


    ¡°Jason has asked that I help him explain everything to you, given that there are certain gaps in his knowledge base,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°There are still things to be done first, however. I¡¯ve rescheduled the meeting with Victor Tollman; we¡¯ll be going there directly from here.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t that wait?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Today¡¯s events are a riptide, creating dangerous waters that you can¡¯t see unless you know what you¡¯re looking for. Jason wants you out of those waters as quickly as possible, and I want the same for Victor. He¡¯s become something of a friend and I believe you have the best chance of persuading him to get out of the water before he drowns.¡±


    A black town car pulled up on the street. It had sleek and aggressive lines; clearly a luxury car but not one Hiro recognised.


    ¡°This is Jason¡¯s car,¡± Taika said, having ridden in this variant of Shade in the past.


    Hiro didn¡¯t even recognise the manufacturer¡¯s badge on the front, even after stepping up to examine it. It looked like a starry sky with a floating cloak containing a daylight sky. It didn¡¯t belong to any car maker he was familiar with and he was familiar with most, at least at the high end.


    He guessed that it was from one of the boutique companies that made short production runs of wildly overpriced custom cars. The license plate was in the thin, European style, white on black. He noticed the plate number, 5H4-D0W.


    ¡°Shadow?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that, boss?¡± Taika asked. ¡°Oh, right; the plates. I noticed that too. The numbers for letters thing is a bit naff though, right? It¡¯s not 2004.¡±


    Vermillion got in the back with Hiro, while Taika took the passenger seat.


    ¡°There¡¯s no driver,¡± Hiro said. He had heard about Jason¡¯s self-driving car, but it was still startling when the car pulled into traffic with no one in the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Are we sure this is safe? I¡¯ve heard these self-driving systems can go wrong when faced with unexpected situations.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find,¡± a voice came from the dashboard, ¡°that this self-driving system is quite capable of handling any situation you can imagine, along with many that you cannot.¡±


    ¡°Boss, the car is talking,¡± Taika said. ¡°It¡¯s like Team Knight Rider.¡±


    ¡°Team Knight Rider?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Yeah, Boss. It¡¯s the best one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s really not,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°The best what?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a TV show about talking cars,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t watch television,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°Bro, you¡¯re missing out. You know, if someone told me last week I¡¯d be talking to you about Team Knight Rider, I¡¯d have said they were crazy. You¡¯re alright, bro. It¡¯s a bit weird that you think vampires are real, though.¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°You know any vampires?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°I am a vampire.¡±


    ¡°The sun¡¯s out, bro. If you were vampire, you¡¯d catch fire or blow up or something.¡±


    ¡°It would be best, I think,¡± Vermillion said, ¡°to wait until Jason is with us before we get into explanations.¡±


    ¡°This is too much,¡± Hiro said. ¡°A few hours ago, there were people shooting at us from motorcycles. Now we have talking cars and people claiming to be vampires? I need time to stop and sort all of this out in my head. I need some time and I need some answers, instead of a constant deluge of new questions.¡±


    The car stopped at traffic lights and Jason slipped into the driver seat.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± he said.


    Annabeth managed to carve out a few minutes to call her wife.


    ¡°I¡¯m probably not going to be home tonight,¡± she told her.


    ¡°I knew that was coming when I saw the news,¡± Susan said. ¡°I bet the conspiracy theorists are all over it.¡±


    Annabeth groaned.


    ¡°You have no idea how annoying they are when they¡¯re right,¡± she said.


    ¡°Well, it doesn¡¯t match up to your day, but I had an interesting encounter of my own.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°You know that strange painting I told you about? Someone claimed it. He was a rather odd man. Very intense. He claimed to be the subject of the painting, even though there were no people in it.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Annabeth asked, her instincts tingling. ¡°Tell me about him.¡±


    ¡°His name is Jason Asano.¡±


    The car took off again as the light turned green. Jason was in the driver¡¯s seat, but was leaving control to Shade.


    ¡°Uncle, Taika,¡± he greeted. ¡°Thanks for looking out for them, Craig.¡±


    ¡°Craig?¡± Hiro asked, looking at Vermillion.


    ¡°Sorry, Vermillion,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll keep it professional, yeah?¡±


    ¡°I think the mystique went out the window when we started talking about Team Knight Rider,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°Ick,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why they kept trying to use Mustangs instead of a Trans-Am is beyond me. I¡¯m certain that¡¯s why all the follow ups failed.¡±


    ¡°Could we please stop talking about Knight Rider?¡± Hiro asked. ¡°There¡¯s something somehow even less plausible we need to discuss.¡±


    ¡°There is,¡± Jason acknowledged, the amusement gone from his voice. ¡°Shade is taking us somewhere we can have a talk, given that what I have to tell you is the kind of thing that requires proof.¡±


    ¡°Shade?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°The car,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m assuming you were talking about Knight Rider because he spoke to you.¡±


    ¡°Jason, what¡¯s going on?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Well, you know those things I said I didn¡¯t want to tell you about? It¡¯s time to tell you about them.¡±


    ¡°Because of the people that attacked us?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°The public nature of the attack has kicked the hornets¡¯ nest. Although the attack didn¡¯t involve the EOA, they¡¯re going to approach things differently in the current climate. When they move in on Sydney¡¯s underworld, they¡¯ll be less tolerant of the resistance Victor is looking to put up. I want you to help me convince him that his efforts are futile.¡±


    ¡°At which point Vermillion will handle Victor¡¯s next move, and I¡¯ll see to your safety. For now, I¡¯ll get you out of Sydney. Today. You too, Taika, now you¡¯re caught up in this. We can organise the details of the handover to the EOA later. For now, I¡¯ll explain what¡¯s going on and then we¡¯ll go see Victor.¡±


    Vermillion¡¯s phone rang and he pulled it out to check the caller.


    ¡°I have to take this,¡± he said, then answered the call.


    ¡°Mrs Tilden,¡± he greeted.


    Annabeth¡¯s voice came angrily through the phone without preamble. Jason¡¯s bronze-rank hearing was easily able to make it out.


    ¡°Do you know where your friend Asano was while we had his uncle in custody?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He was laying low after what happened,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I would have thought you would appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know where he was laying low.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°My wife¡¯s art gallery! At the very moment you were convincing me to treat him respectfully, he was standing next to my wife.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Jason, did you threaten my counterpart at the Network¡¯s wife?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s there?¡± Annabeth asked. ¡°Where are you?¡±


    ¡°Hand me the phone,¡± Jason said. Vermillion gave Jason an assessing look, then passed it forward.


    ¡°Mrs Tilden,¡± Jason said into the phone. ¡°This is Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°What do you hope to accomplish by threatening my family?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not threatening anyone,¡± Jason said cheerfully. ¡°Susan¡¯s great, by the way; you did well there. I merely wanted to make it clear that while I don¡¯t have the resources or personnel to protect my family from an organisation like yours, anyone who tries to use them as leverage will start a wave of reprisals that stains Sydney Harbour red with blood.¡±


    Hiro and Taika looked on, wide-eyed as Jason cheerfully threatened to slaughter people¡¯s families.


    ¡°You think it¡¯s that easy?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Jason said. ¡°When the time comes for us to meet, I simply want to avoid the tedium of explaining why trying to use my family against me is a Very Bad Idea.¡±


    ¡°Why are you treating us like an enemy, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve dealt with forces more powerful than myself before, Mrs Tilden. They have this habit of thinking they can get what they want from me without repercussions. Disabusing you of that notion now will be less costly for us both than doing so later.¡±


    ¡°Category two is powerful, Mr Asano, but we have stronger just here in Sydney, let alone around the country and the world. We¡¯ve been building up for twice as long as this country has existed, and you think you can stand up to that with what you picked up in a year and a half?¡±


    ¡°Mrs Tilden, Australia has been inhabited for more than 60,000 years. It doesn¡¯t impress me that your organisation has been around since before white people got here. I¡¯ve faced an enemy more powerful than you can comprehend and it¡¯s 2-1 in my favour. Your group isn¡¯t a potential enemy, Mrs Tilden; you¡¯re flavour text. If we can get along, maybe even do some work together, that¡¯s great. But I don¡¯t need you and I don¡¯t fear you.¡±


    ¡°Are you quite done with the monologuing Mr Asano?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°It felt good, I won¡¯t lie,¡± Jason said. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m wrong and your organisation will spank me like a baby. You don¡¯t want to test me and be wrong, though, Mrs Tilden.¡±


    ¡°You need to come in and talk to us about what happened today.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t, but I¡¯ll let my new friend Craig set something up. In the meantime, I have some affairs to attend to, so I¡¯m going to go. Congratulations on Bella getting the lead role in the play, though. That niece of yours is a real go-getter.¡±


    Jason hung up the phone and handed it back to Vermillion.


    ¡°Can they track that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t know anything about the Network.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°After I arrived, I did something to draw them out and started having their people followed. That was some good work, Shade. Nice and thorough.¡±


    ¡°Did you just threaten that person¡¯s niece?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just keeping them from threatening my family,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to hurt anyone else¡¯s. It¡¯s why I need to get you out of the EOA¡¯s path. If they see you as a part of my family, rather than an independent obstacle, they won¡¯t come after you.¡±

 Chapter 283: Time For Context

    Shade pulled into an underground parking structure where they wouldn¡¯t be seen and parked. Jason and Vermillion got out of the car, the others following suit. Hiro and Taika both looked stressed.


    ¡°I know things are coming thick and fast,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s overwhelming, but I¡¯m afraid that there are miles to go before you sleep.¡±


    He looked at Vermillion.


    ¡°Have you ever done this before?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Inducted someone? I have, and it¡¯s rarely a smooth process. The gullible ones are the worst, because they¡¯ll believe in the supernatural nice and quick, but convincing them the supernatural stuff they already believe in is wrong can be tricky.¡±


    ¡°Supernatural?¡± Hiro asked. ¡°Are you going to tell us that you¡¯re a vampire too, Jason?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m more of a ninja warlock. I know how it sounds. Long story short: Magic is real, the soul is real, vampires are real. Lots of stuff is real. Werewolves?¡±


    ¡°Not in this country,¡± Vermilion said. ¡°There were some werecrocodiles, back before my time, but they were mostly wiped out during colonial days.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Jason said. ¡°Anyway, magic is real, is the gist of it.¡±


    ¡°This is some crazy stuff, bro,¡± Taika said. ¡°If you want us to believe magic is real, then you¡¯re going to have to show us some magic. Like, proper magic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re here. Shade, why don¡¯t you start?¡±


    The car they were standing next to exploded in a mass of darkness that was drawn into Jason¡¯s shadow like he was sucking it with a vacuum cleaner.


    ¡°My car isn¡¯t a car,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s my friend Shade. Come out and say hello.¡±


    Shade¡¯s shadowy form rose up from Jason¡¯s shadow, taking on depth and substance while still being a figure of manifested darkness.


    ¡°It is nice to formally meet you,¡± Shade said. Hiro and Taika glanced over from where they were waving their hands through the space the car had just been.


    ¡°I knew¡­¡± Hiro started, before trailing off. Jason waited patiently for him to continue.


    ¡°I knew there was something going on that went beyond normal understanding,¡± Hiro said. ¡°None of what I came up with seemed believable. Even seeing your car disappear, I mean¡­ magic? Really?¡±


    ¡°It does seem pretty out there, bro,¡± Taika added.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°You need to see something truly impossible.¡±


    He waved his wand over the ground, creating a line of crawling darkness like black fire. At an upward gesture from Jason, an obsidian arch arose from the dark line, which itself moved up to fill the arch.


    Hiro and Taika walked around it.


    ¡°I¡¯d ask how you did that, but you¡¯re going to say magic, right?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°A door,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t go anywhere,¡± Hiro said, shifting his gaze from one side of the portal arch to the other.


    ¡°If you step through, you¡¯ll see the truth,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d call it a leap of faith, but faith isn¡¯t really my thing. So let¡¯s call it a step into a wider world.¡±


    ¡°You want us walk into that?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Think of it as your last chance to turn back. If you want, you can ignore everything I¡¯ve just said. Go live a normal life and try not to think about it. Or, you can move forward.¡±


    ¡°When you said you weren¡¯t going to tell me,¡± Hiro said, ¡°you said that one of the reasons was that I wasn¡¯t ready to face the dangers involved. What¡¯s changed?¡±


    ¡°I said I couldn¡¯t do it in a reasonable time frame,¡± Jason said. ¡°Once you¡¯re out of the EOA¡¯s path, we¡¯ll have the time.¡±


    ¡°To do what?¡±


    ¡°To give you magic powers,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You can do that?¡± Vermillion asked. ¡°Turn them into essence magicians?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°If it¡¯s something they want.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s an essence magician?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Step through the arch and find out,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Boss,¡± Taika said. ¡°This whole thing is messed up. I¡¯m just gonna go with it. See where it takes me.¡±


    ¡°Taika!¡± Hiro called out as Taika stepped through the arch and vanished. He didn¡¯t even have to worry about fitting, as he did with most doors. The arch was large enough to accommodate even a leonid or a draconian, to which the mountainous M¨¡ori was actually comparable in size.


    ¡°Vermillion, would you check on him?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s a portal,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard that some of your kind have them, but I¡¯ve never actually seen one before.¡±


    ¡°Then this¡¯ll be fun for you.¡±


    Vermillion shook his head with a chuckle.


    ¡°Knowing you is an exciting lifestyle, Jason Asano.¡±


    He shared a grin with Jason and stepped through.


    ¡°Jason, this is insane,¡± Hiro said. He was still walking around the archway, staring disbelievingly at the object that Taika and Vermillion had vanished into.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°Just be lucky that you¡¯re getting a nice, gentle introduction to magic.¡±


    ¡°This is gentle?¡± Hiro asked. ¡°We were attacked by a bikie gang!¡±


    ¡°Just be glad no one tried to eat you. I¡¯ll tell you about my introduction to magic later on. For now, it¡¯s time to go. You aren¡¯t going to leave Taika hanging, are you?¡±


    As he said it, Taika came back through, looking around wildly, then throwing up.


    ¡°Holy crap, bro!¡±


    He went back through the arch, vanishing again.


    ¡°See? No worries,¡± Jason laughed.


    Giving Jason a trepidatious look, Hiro steeled himself and stepped through. Passing through the veil of darkness in the arch, he emerged atop a tall building in the CBD. Jason followed him through, to find Hiro also emptying his stomach. Vermillion was nearby looking peaky. Eventually Hiro recovered, wiping his mouth on a handkerchief.


    ¡°Where are we?¡± he asked.


    ¡°On top of Victor¡¯s building,¡± Jason said.


    Hiro looked at the arch, walking unsteadily around it.


    ¡°Can I go back, like Taika?¡±


    ¡°Go for it.¡±


    Hiro went back through the arch, returning moments later and throwing up again. He staggered to the edge of the building, gripping the railing as he looked out at the city.


    ¡°This is crazy. It¡¯s not possible.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I used magic,¡± Jason said. ¡°Being impossible is kind of the point.¡±


    ¡°You said you¡¯d give us magic,¡± Taika said. ¡°Will we be able to do stuff like this?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s an element of randomness to what kind of powers you end up with.¡±


    Jason turned to Vermillion.


    ¡°I¡¯ve shown you one of my trump cards, here,¡± he said.


    ¡°I recognise that. You know I won¡¯t keep it a secret from my people, but I will remember that you were willing to share this.¡±


    ¡°Consider it thanks for looking after my uncle,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There is one more thing,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Victor.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Uncle Hiro, I know you just had your understanding of the nature of reality rewritten, but we have things to do. So, ask any questions you have now and I¡¯ll answer them. Once you¡¯ve had time to process, you can go ahead and ask me some more.¡±


    Hiro rubbed his temples.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where to start. How did you find out about magic?¡±


    ¡°I was in a magical accident.¡±


    ¡°Your apartment.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It sucked me into a magical alternate universe.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°You were serious?¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°Bro, everything you say is weirder than the last. And the last thing was that magic is real. This is trippy.¡±


    ¡°This is¡­ I don¡¯t know what to ask,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°I do,¡± Taika said. ¡°You said we could get magic. How?¡±


    ¡°There is more potential power in your soul than you can imagine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can use objects to unlock that potential.¡±


    ¡°Is that where your power comes from?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Will our powers be like yours?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t have the right items to give you powers like mine, but you don¡¯t want them. I¡¯m very specialised.¡±


    ¡°In what?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Things best explained when I have time for context,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie,¡± Victor said. ¡°This feels like a betrayal.¡±


    With Vermillion, Jason, Hiro and Taika lined up in front of him in his office, it had the feel of a confrontation.


    ¡°Victor,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Things in my world just got a lot more complicated. If you don¡¯t let me negotiate a way out for you, things will end badly.¡±


    ¡°So now you¡¯re spruiking for the EOA?¡± Victor asked.


    ¡°No, Victor,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I don¡¯t need to. No one who can stop them is willing to stand in their way, and any support you might have been able to wrangle has gone now.¡±


    ¡°Because of that rolling fight on the news?¡± Victor asked.


    ¡°Yes. The people who keep that kind of thing off the news are on the warpath. Everyone else is hunkering down until the storm passes.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m the one who suffers.¡±


    ¡°Victor,¡± Hiro said. ¡°The things I¡¯ve seen today. If that¡¯s what¡¯s coming for you, there¡¯s no stopping it.¡±


    Victor¡¯s gaze panned from Hiro to Vermillion.


    ¡°He knows?¡± Victor asked. Vermillion nodded.


    ¡°How much?¡± Victor followed up. ¡°Did you tell him more than you¡¯ve told me? What happened to needing dispensation from your people?¡±


    ¡°I was the one who l told my uncle, Victor,¡± Jason said coldly. ¡°I don¡¯t belong to Vermillion¡¯s group. If you have a problem with that, you can take it up with me. I¡¯m here because Vermillion and Hiro don¡¯t want you in the path of what¡¯s coming. I don¡¯t care if the EOA bury you, so long as my uncle is well out of it.¡±


    Victor paced back and forth, angrily rubbing his forehead.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me I have no recourse, but won¡¯t tell me why. You realise that sounds like you¡¯re feeding me a line, right?¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°Gordon,¡± he murmured.


    A cluster of darkness appeared, shifting into the form of a cloak, within which a nebula of orange and blue light lit up in the shape of an eye. Around it, four spheres, likewise in the form of glowing eyes, slowly floated around it.


    The others in the room were all wide-eyed at the sudden manifestation of the familiar. The floating cloak-entity was unmistakably alien and unfathomable, seeming to contain mysterious depths.


    ¡°This is my friend,¡± Jason said. ¡°Notice that he contains what looks a lot like the Helix Nebula. The one they call the Eye of God. I won¡¯t show you what he can do because it would be rather destructive.¡±


    Jason gestured with his hand and Gordon vanished again. Hiro, Taika, Victor and Vermillion were all staring as the space it had just occupied.


    ¡°I speak from experience when I tell you that standing up to vastly more powerful forces comes with a price. If you¡¯re willing to pay that price, then I won¡¯t stop you. But if you try, expect to fail. You pay the price either way. Vermillion can¡¯t tell you, Victor, but I can. There are forces out there far more powerful than you know, and sooner or later, the world is going to find that out. You have three options here. One, fight and die. Two, take the money and run. Grab everything you can and get to high ground before the wave hits. Three, throw your lot in with the EOA. If you want to go deeper into the world you¡¯ve only caught glimpses of, they¡¯re the only one¡¯s who can offer that.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve said everything you can,¡± Vermillion told Jason and Hiro. ¡°Leave me with Victor, for now. Mr Asano, I¡¯ll contact you to sort of the specifics of your own arrangements with the EOA.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take you to put your affairs in order?¡± Jason asked Hiro. They were driving back to Hiro¡¯s apartment building, once again in the care of Shade¡¯s car form. Taika and Hiro had shown some hesitancy about it when the car appeared from a swirling mass of darkness, but they had, after all, ridden in it before. Jason was in the driver seat, with Hiro and Taika in the spacious and comfortable rear.


    ¡°I keep my business under careful control,¡± Hiro said. ¡°If they are really going to come in and take over, the actual logistics are simple, just a matter of business transfers.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be fairly compensated for everything,¡± Jason said, ¡°or they¡¯ll find my next negotiating position to be significantly more aggressive.¡±


    Hiro and Taika shared a glance at the sinister expression on Jason¡¯s face.


    ¡°My real concern is my people,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°I made it clear that they were to be treated well,¡± Jason said. ¡°Whether they want to stay under the new management or move on, they¡¯ll be taken care of.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be just a matter of signing some papers and walking away,¡± Hiro said. ¡°I need to speak to my people; explain the transition to them in person. Even if I get out of Sydney, I¡¯ll need to make repeated trips back to go through it all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°You just need to get the ball rolling well enough that we can leave town for the moment.¡±


    ¡°I can get the administrative affairs ready today and take tomorrow to talk to my people. I can be ready to go the day after.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°I need to deal with the ramifications of today¡¯s excitement. We leave in the morning, the day after tomorrow.¡±

 Chapter 284: Brown Trousers Time

    Jason was perched on a rooftop, looking at his uncle¡¯s town house from across the street. Shade appeared next to him.


    ¡°Find anyone else?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said. ¡°Just the one iron-ranker inside.¡±


    ¡°Meaning that that he¡¯s either alone, or whoever else they sent is powerful and capable enough to escape our senses.¡±


    Jason had no intention of staying in the town house under current circumstances, but wanted to retrieve his mana lamps if possible.


    ¡°I only spotted one silver-ranker during my investigation of the Network¡¯s personnel,¡± Shade said. ¡°Her aura control was insufficient to avoid my detection.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the ones who can escape your senses we need to worry about,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Shade said. ¡°I would recommend either having me go, or sending Taika.¡±


    Although incorporeal, Shade¡¯s bronze-rank vessel could exert enough physical force to manipulate objects. He could also store limited amounts in his own dimensional storage space.


    ¡°You go,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can use you as a conduit to talk to whoever¡¯s in there. It¡¯s possible they sent an iron-ranker in the open to show they want to talk without applying pressure.¡±


    ¡°The influence of Mr Vermillion?¡± Shade posited.


    ¡°Or wariness. They don¡¯t know what I can do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think finding out will make them any less cautious,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason chuckled. ¡°Probably not.¡±


    Shade sent one of his bodies into the townhouse, silently collecting the mana lamps. The iron-ranker didn¡¯t sense Shade, but noticed the change as the lamps stopped absorbing ambient magic. Standing in the middle of the townhouse, he looked around. Suddenly there was a shadowy figure that hadn¡¯t been there a moment earlier.


    ¡°Did the network send you?¡± Jason asked, speaking through Shade. There was no friendliness in the cold flint of his voice.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the man said, looking over Shade. ¡°Am I addressing Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°My name is Michael Aram. Annabeth Tilden asked me to speak with you. We didn¡¯t think you were likely to come back here, but hoped you might.¡±


    ¡°I came to retrieve something I left behind.¡±


    ¡°I did notice a change in the magic. May I ask what that was?¡±


    ¡°Mana lamps,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is that a thing you have here?¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Aram said. ¡°So, you really did¡­ go over there. The other world.¡±


    ¡°What do you know of other worlds?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Wait, worlds plural?¡±


    ¡°Not that much then. What do you want, Michael Aram?¡±


    ¡°Mrs Tilden asked me to open a dialogue. If you really are an outworlder, you no doubt acquired knowledge and resources along the way that would be of immense value to us. We, in turn are essential to you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°We are the only source of monster cores.¡±


    Jason let out a murderous chuckle.


    ¡°You think I need monster cores?¡±


    ¡°If you want to get stronger.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need cores to get stronger, just sufficiently powerful enemies to fight. Which means I might have some use for your organisation, even if you don¡¯t like I do with it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve only been gone a year and a half,¡± Aram said. ¡°How can you have gotten as strong as you have just from fighting? We have a member who refuses to consume cores, and it¡¯s taken him eight years to reach category two. Since then, he¡¯s been bottlenecked.¡±


    ¡°You really do need what I know, don¡¯t you?¡± Jason asked, his voice becoming more relaxed. ¡°There are things you can help me with, and I am inclined toward collaboration. My concern is that your organisation will try to hold me upside down and shake all the goodies out. I¡¯m not going to just waltz into that spider¡¯s nest of enchantments on your headquarters, without a care in the¡­ what the¡­?¡±


    The shadowy figure of Shade¡¯s body dashed away, leaving Aram alone.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡±


    Jason was kneeling on the sloped roof with his eyes closed, channelling his sight and voice through Shade at he conversed with Aram. With his heightened senses and ability to sense both auras and magic he was far from oblivious to his surroundings, but he only sensed the attack at the last moment. It came fast and seemingly out of nowhere, Jason only detecting it as an aura bore down on him, trying to shock him with silver-rank suppressive force.


    It was almost the exact same manner as the last time he was attacked out of nowhere by a silver ranker, but Jason was a very different person from the time he was kidnapped. The attacking aura smashed into the iron shell that was Jason¡¯s own aura and rebounded, giving Jason a warning instead of freezing him in place.


    Even so, Jason¡¯s silver-rank attacker was faster than him and already moving as he reacted. He managed to avoid the hand reaching for his head, but was unable to avoid it gripping his shoulder.


    You have been attacked. Attacker has been afflicted with [Sin].Special attack [Dark Slumber] has inflicted [Sopor Toxin] on you.You have resisted [Sopor Toxin].[Sopor Toxin] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].You have gained an instance of [Integrity].Special attack [Dark Slumber] has inflicted [Vulnerable] on you.An instance of [Resistant] has been consumed to negate [Vulnerable].Special attack [Dark Slumber] has inflicted [Sluggish] on you.You have resisted [Sluggish].[Sluggish] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].You have gained an instance of [Integrity].


    Jason¡¯s affliction specialisation paid off against the special attack. His stacked resistance effects and ability to ignore rank disparity allowed him to resist two of the three afflictions and negate the third.


    He reacted instantly, slipping free of the hand and dropping off the nearby roof edge, not even bothering to take a moment to look at his attacker. His cloak formed around him as he dropped, but he didn¡¯t reduce his weight to slow the fall. Instead, he formed a shadow arm and used it to grip the roof as he dropped, letting it stretch out before using it to spring back upwards. He sprung back over the rooftop just as his attacker peered over the edge. The attacker caught a raking slice across the torso from Jason¡¯s conjured dagger, stumbling back as Jason landed lightly on the rooftop.


    Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin] on [Network Assassin].Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Price of Absolution] on [Network Assassin].Weapon [Ruin, the Blade of Tribulation] has inflicted [Ruination of the Flesh] on [Network Assassin].Weapon [Ruin, the Blade of Tribulation] has inflicted [Ruination of the Blood] on [Network Assassin].Weapon [Ruin, the Blade of Tribulation] has inflicted [Ruination of the Spirit] on [Network Assassin].[Amulet of the Dark Guardian] has bestowed five instances of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] on you.


    Jason alighted back on the rooftop, his cloak floating around him. He eyed off his opponent, satisfied at the silver ranker¡¯s failure to resist even a single affliction. His ability didn¡¯t give him a name even after coming into contact with the man. His ability to extract information was hampered by the enemy¡¯s superior rank, although the more generic label of Network Assassin told him a lot, too. Just as Landemere Vane had been described by his power as a Builder Cultist, knowing their affiliation could be more useful than a name.


    The silver-ranker looked around thirty, but there was no telling with an essence user. He had short-cropped hair and black, paramilitary attire. His tactical armour wasn¡¯t magical, easily sliced through by Jason¡¯s dagger.


    The man glanced down at the wound on his chest and back up at Jason. He looked startled that his silver-rank flesh had posed little more resistance than his non-magical armour.


    ¡°You should come with me, Asano. We want to work with you, not force you into anything.¡±


    ¡°I could tell from the way you sneak-attacked me on a rooftop,¡± Jason said. The man had a slight French accent, but that could have been a ruse. If Jason was a German assassin, he¡¯d probably fake a French accent too.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to convince you. We couldn¡¯t take the chance you¡¯ll say no. Don¡¯t do this the hard way.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know me, but the hard way is kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t a question of whether you get away, Asano. It¡¯s a matter of how much you get hurt coming with me.¡±


    ¡°Pain I can handle. Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    Spell [Inexorable Doom] has inflicted [Inexorable Doom] on [Network Assassin].Spell [Inexorable Doom] has inflicted [Inescapable] on [Network Assassin].[Amulet of the Dark Guardian] has bestowed two instances of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] on you.


    ¡°The hard way it is,¡± the man said, holding up his hands to conjure knuckledusters on each hand, with three sharp tines sticking out of each. He leapt into the attack as mirror images appeared around him, all springing on Jason.


    Jason lifted up his hand, which was oozing blood from the palm. A cone of leeches sprayed out over the images. Most passed through illusory doubles, including one in the position of the original body. His attacker¡¯s real body staggered back as leeches clamped onto it, while the rest of the leeches were scattered across the roof by the spray.


    [Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Network Assassin].[Bleeding] already in effect, [Bleeding] is refreshed.[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Leech Toxin] on [Network Assassin].[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Necrotoxin] on [Network Assassin].[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Bleeding] on [Network Assassin].[Bleeding] already in effect, [Bleeding] is refreshed.[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Leech Toxin] on [Network Assassin].[Sanguine Horror] has inflicted [Necrotoxin] on [Network Assassin].


    Jason regretted that Colin didn¡¯t trigger his amulet, but he was satisfied enough with his familiar¡¯s storm of afflictions. Jason was a true affliction specialist now, able to lay on plenty of afflictions himself.


    The enemy was only briefly startled and didn¡¯t bother futilely plucking at the leeches easily biting through his clothes. He didn¡¯t fail to notice Gordon manifest into being and nimbly dodged the four beams of energy firing at him from Gordon¡¯s floating eyes.


    The assassin jumped back while throwing out his hands and his own swarm of creatures appeared. Tiny, metal hummingbirds with long needles for heads, they buzzed with the flapping of their tiny metal wings as they darting out, spreading out to engulf Jason.


    ¡°Gordon,¡± Jason said calmly. Two of the familiar¡¯s orbs launched forward, coming together just as they met the swarm. The resulting explosion of resonating-force annihilated the metal creatures, although many of the leeches scattered over the roof were likewise eliminated.


    The assassin used the explosion to mask another special attack, with a storm of needles raining on Jason. His cloak intercepted the projectiles, but their silver rank power still pushed through more often than not. Their damage was diminished, however, and by the time they chewed through the Guardian¡¯s Blessings, the damage was minimal.


    An instance of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] has been consumed to absorb damage. [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] has bestowed [Blessing¡¯s Bounty] on you.


    Even that damage was quickly repaired by the ongoing healing effects of the Integrity buff, which continually replenished his health, stamina and mana, along with the healing of the Guardian¡¯s Blessing. The needle storm was never intended to be the real threat, however, just keeping Jason off balance to set up the assassin lunging in with his claw-like weapons.


    Sophie would have been more than a match for the silver-ranker, in speed and skill both. As it was, the silver ranker had the clear edge in speed, while Jason¡¯s experience and technique were clearly dominant. Month after month, day after day and even hour after hour of battle in the astral space had sharpened Jason¡¯s skills to a razor¡¯s edge.


    When he first started training, he had na?ve ideas about being some kind of perfect counter-attacker. Then, the practical realities of combat slowly pounded into his head that he was not an anime character. Training with Rufus and Sophie, then battle after battle after battle had allowed him to refine that original idea into a more practical form.


    Jason and Sophie practiced the same, highly versatile combat style, but they did so in different ways. Sophie used the versatility to constantly dominate, adapting her attacks into what was worst for her opponent at any given moment. It was her style before gaining powers, which only enhanced its effectiveness by piling on speed and mobility.


    Jason likewise moulded his approach to his powers. With his cloak and his stretching arms, his approach leaned heavily on deception. Hiding unconventional movement and posture behind his abilities, he was hard to pin down and full of unpredictable attacks. The fact that he rarely went for more than superficial wounds with his daggers also opened up a world of attacks that others would find inconsequential.


    Jason used all this to full effect against the assassin. Leaping between Shade¡¯s bodies, masking his posture and movements behind his voluminous cloak. Reaching out with his shadow arms to make attacks that shouldn¡¯t be possible.


    Jason dominated the fight. Despite the assassin¡¯s advantage in speed, his claw weapons never landed on Jason, even getting caught up in the cloak, which Jason used to yank him off balance. When the assassin tried to yank the cloak back, it passed through his fingers, insubstantial.


    This did not mean that Jason was relaxed. He was fully aware of the power disparity and knew that only a handful of blows from the silver-ranker would breach the protection of his amulet and take him down.


    The assassin continued to strike out literally and figuratively, hitting air as his attacks passed through the cloak. Jason¡¯s body was never exactly where it seemed, and every failed attack was followed up with a counter attack. Realising he was outclassed, the assassin tried to back up and regroup his thoughts. Jason didn¡¯t allow it, moving onto the offensive.


    Every moment that ticked by was gold for Jason as his afflictions became more and more entrenched on the enemy. Likewise, Gordon was lashing out with two beams from his remaining eye orbs, although the disruptive-force damage was specialised against magic, adding only minimal damage to the silver-ranker. If Gordon didn¡¯t share Jason¡¯s power to ignore rank disparity as Jason¡¯s familiar, the damage would have been almost ignorable.


    Eventually, the assassin became aggravated at Gordon, throwing out a stream of shimmering force needles that managed to harm the incorporeal familiar. Jason had Gordon unmanifest, returned to Jason to bolster his aura strength. Neither Jason nor the silver-ranker could suppress one another despite an ongoing struggle, so they were each affected by the other¡¯s aura. In this, Jason had the advantage, as his aura seemed to take full effect. The assassin¡¯s aura inflicted a weakening debuff that Jason¡¯s continually resisted, actually making him stronger.


    Although he had seen it before, Jason was still amazed at the resilience of a silver-ranker. His opponent was fighting through what would have killed the most resilient bronze-rank anything long ago. The man looked almost undead under the ravages of Jason¡¯s necrotic damage.


    Jason had more skill, not just with his combat skills but also in the tactical use of his abilities, outplaying one power after another despite his own being lower rank. The assassin, like most humans, was heavy on special attacks, and Jason was unsure if he was holding back the more dangerous ones. The idea seemed to be capture, rather than kill, after all.


    Ultimately Jason was not Sophie. Stand-up fights were where she excelled, while he was all about making the most of complex environments. The rooftop on which they fought offered nothing more than a slight slant, the open space very much to his disadvantage. If not for Shade¡¯s bodies spread over it for shadow jumping, the fight would have gone far worse.


    His original plan had been to turn the fight into a chase. Drown his opponent in afflictions, then make for more complex environments as they did their work. Unfortunately, not all of the assassin¡¯s powers were effectively handled by Jason, with one making his plan unworkable.


    The most effective power the assassin employed was a tether power, much like that used by Belinda. It did not impede him as long as he remained close, but trying to leave the rooftop brought about dangerously escalating damage. The tether even tracked him through teleports and he wasn¡¯t willing to risk a portal.


    If the power managed to follow him, that kind of distance would cause the tether to kill him instantly. He knew that it would be possible to destroy the conjured rod to which the  tether was affixed, but he also knew that would likely cause a powerful explosion. He would mostly likely survive the silver-rank blast, but it would hit him hard enough that the silver-ranker would have a chance to end the fight.


    Jason was willing to stick out the fight, as his position improved with every passing moment. He was accumulating power while his opponent accumulated afflictions. Crucially, this included an affliction from his Hand of the Reaper power that simultaneously chipped away at the assassin¡¯s speed advantage and ability to hold off his afflictions.


    [Rigor Mortis] (affliction, unholy, stacking): Penalty to the [Speed] and [Recovery] attributes. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Each time a new instance is inflicted, deals necrotic damage for each existing instance.


    Jason was satisfied with how the fight was progressing. The silver-ranker was a monster core user, with the typical weaknesses that entailed. Rufus had long ago explained that without being forced to use all their abilities in order to advance, monster core users tended to develop certain flaws.


    One was that they weren¡¯t as intimately familiar with their powers as someone better trained, using them less effectively and often more as an addendum to their combat instead of an integrated aspect. The big one was they developed a habit of using whatever subset of their powers had proven the most useful early in their careers, often ignoring the others and missing out on the powerful synergies of a comprehensive power set.


    Jason, by contrast, had used almost every power in his repertoire, from using his perception power to observe the magic of special attacks and dodge them through his array of afflictions to his familiars.


    His only regret was that he had been forced to blow up much of Colin¡¯s leech supply before the apocalypse beast could have a definitive impact. Colin was normally Jason¡¯s strongest weapon, but he didn¡¯t regret the explosive attack, however. He¡¯d seen the effects of a swarm attack too often to underestimate one from a silver-ranker.


    Jason had forced the assassin into a race against time; silver-rank speed and endurance against circumstances that were turning the fight further and further against him with every passing moment. Even when he managed to land an occasional hit on Jason, the afflictions were multiplying so much on the assassin that his amulet quickly replenished the shields.


    Jason used his Punition spell for a burst of damage, harming the assassin further for each of the afflictions on him. Then Jason drained the afflictions away with Feast of Absolution and leaving a brutal mess of holy afflictions in their place. The assassin felt the power burning away at his insides and saw the light shining from under his skin.


    Knowing that his one advantage over Jason was the raw power of his rank, the assassin bet everything on a last-ditch, desperation move. He had hoped that Jason would be stupid enough to smash the tether rod, but he hadn¡¯t. Betting his own resilience, battered though it was, the assassin smashed the rod himself. The resulting blast unleashed a shockwave that sent both Jason and the assassin tumbling off the roof and down to the street below.


    The assassin realised that his gamble had paid off as he was the first to recover and push his way painfully upright. Despite the ravaging power still coursing through him and all the shields and healing Jason had put up, the sheer superhuman fortitude of a silver-ranker was that remarkable.


    That was not to say that Jason wasn¡¯t recovering quickly. He was, by that point, drenched in ongoing healing effects from the afflictions he absorbed and the power of his amulet. The assassin wasted no time, reconjuring his fist weapons without spikes before leaping on Jason and brutally wailing into his head, relying on the obvious healing Jason was getting to keep him alive.


    As for keeping himself alive, the assassin pulled out a cleansing potion worth more than most cars and tipped it down his throat. His possession of two such potions was what had kept him from abandoning the fight as Jason layered affliction after affliction on him.


    To the assassin¡¯s horror, the potion he expected to wash away everything Jason had done like a cleansing flood only partially eliminated the afflictions. The terrifying light continued to glow under his skin, even if it was greatly diminished. He wouldn¡¯t be able to take the other cleansing potion immediately and drank a powerful healing potion to keep himself alive.


    Aram had recorded almost all but the earliest moments of the fight on his phone. At a far remove, neither his aura nor his non-magical recording device had been spotted. He had been watching in disbelief as Asano fought not just evenly but at an advantage against a category three, their ranks clear to Aram as he felt their powerful auras clash. The category three looked to be on his last legs when he blasted them both off the roof, his superior endurance turning the tide as both men were hit hard. The category three recovered faster and brutally attacking Asano.


    He watched the man take a potion, which diminished the eerie glow coming from within his body, followed by another that partially healed the man¡¯s ravaged body. Even after, the man looked less like a living being and more like a glowing zombie. As he was taking the potions, three men pulled up in a pair of cars. Clearly they knew the man, who yelled a series of angry instructions, although Aram was too far away to make them out.


    The man jumped into one of the cars and tore off at speed, leaving the three men behind. Aram wanted to step in, but the three men were all category twos. He couldn¡¯t handle one, let alone all three. He watched them inject the contents of a huge syringe into Asano before placing a collar around his neck and bundling him into the boot of the remaining car before taking off in a different direction to the man that had fought Asano.


    Aram sent the video file to Annabeth and then immediately called her.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± she asked, not bothering with a greeting.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, check the file I just sent you,¡± Aram said gravely. ¡°I think it might be brown trousers time.¡±

 Chapter 285: The Complete Set

    ¡°Look at the way he moves,¡± said Nigel, the combat instructor of the Network¡¯s Sydney branch. ¡°That fighting style isn¡¯t an extension of ordinary martial arts.¡±


    A cluster of Network analysts and investigators were watching the footage Aram had captured of Asano¡¯s rooftop fight. They had already seen it three times.


    ¡°It looks like stage combat,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°Like the whole thing was choreographed.¡±


    ¡°His fighting style is designed from the ground up to incorporate superhuman capabilities and supernatural powers,¡± Nigel assessed. ¡°I don¡¯t think he learned that on our world.¡±


    ¡°You think this supports the outworlder theory?¡± Aram asked.


    ¡°I do,¡± Nigel said. ¡°The category three is completely outclassed in terms of skill. He only won because of the vast gulf in power between categories two and three. Trying to jump categories at that level is dancing on a knife edge. When facing that kind of strength alone, you can¡¯t make any slip ups. Let them outpace you, you¡¯re done. Fail to counter one ability, to anticipate one move and you probably won¡¯t get a second chance. Asano made one mistake and that was all it took to turn the tables, because a category three¡¯s bare hands are stronger than most special attacks.¡±


    ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough,¡± Annabeth said as the footage finished again. ¡°Nigel, work with the analysts, get me anything and everything from that footage I can use. Aram, get me an update on the search for that car. Keti, with me.¡±


    Annabeth marched out of the room, Ketevan in tow.


    ¡°Keti,¡± she said wearily, ¡°update me on the biker siege.¡±


    ¡°The police standoff with the survivors of the tollway fight is ongoing. Media presence is exactly as bad as we projected. We¡¯re coordinating with the Cabal on resolving the outcome. Mr Vermillion has assured us that the bikers are all going to have a violent drug reaction and die very shortly, including the ones in police and medical custody.¡±


    Annabeth took a short moment to play out the scenario in her mind.


    ¡°The story will be an undirected, mass reaction to a bad batch of drugs leading to tragic and violent outbursts,¡± she said thoughtfully. ¡°We can work with that. It¡¯ll play well with the conservative crowd; let them distract everyone with a crackdown on drug enforcement.¡±


    ¡°Mr Vermillion wanted to express that the Cabal takes responsibility for the problem. He also wanted to know where Jason Asano was.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we all. What about this vampire they claim is responsible for unleashing the Blood Riders. Are they any closer to handing him over?¡±


    ¡°Mr Vermillion says it will be by the end of the day.¡±


    The biker battle footage was still being looped on the international news and now  phone footage was cropping up depicting flagrantly magical events. Fortunately, the central figure was just as blurry and indistinguishable in those as in the news footage and the panicked, amateurish camerawork made it all the less clear. The problems stemmed from the few scraps of clear footage, along with eye-witness accounts gaining media coverage. Fortunately, the outlandish claims were being widely dismissed.


    Then came the revelation that one of the French branches of the Network had snuck a category three operative into the country without notifying them and kidnapped someone without any of the Australian branches being any the wiser. If Aram hadn¡¯t been present, the operative could have spun any kind of tale as to why they arrived on the Sydney branch¡¯s doorstep on the verge of death. If not for the Australia¡¯s strongest healer being stationed in its largest city, the French agent would be dead.


    Annabeth stormed into medical, looking for said healer. She found her sprawled on a couch in the medical admin, looking like she¡¯d run a marathon. There were a few empty potion bottles lying on the floor, along with a pair that still contained mana potion. Gladys had an old lady name and an old lady age, but her category three powers gave her the looks of an Olympic beach volleyballer, with an athletic body, vibrant skin and dark, lustrous hair.


    ¡°Well?¡± Anna demanded.


    Gladys forced her eyes open unhappily.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell him you were too exhausted to fully heal him?¡±


    ¡°I am too exhausted to fully heal him.¡±


    ¡°Good. Just being collared doesn¡¯t stop him from being dangerous and I doubt the shackles will hold him. Keti, have him moved to containment. Do not give him a spirit coin if he asks.¡±


    Ketevan left and Annabeth turned back to Gladys, still laying back on the couch.


    ¡°He was really that damaged?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m amazed he survived long enough to get to us. I¡¯m constantly astounded at the resilience of category three essence magicians, and I am one. I just never want to test that kind of trauma on myself. I completely tapped myself out keeping him alive.¡±


    ¡°What made it so hard?¡±


    ¡°For one thing, those conditions were too resistant to my abilities. I should have been punching down on category two magical ailments. The real problem, though, was the condition type. It was holy.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t say holy, Gladys. We say luminous.¡±


    ¡°Stick your nomenclature guidelines up your arse, Anna. It was holy and it was brutal. I only have one power that removes holy conditions and I can¡¯t use it in quick succession. I had to keep healing him between uses to keep him alive while I slowly cleared the conditions off in chunks. Even then, if the damage condition hadn¡¯t been dropping off by itself, I¡¯d have run out of steam before the job was done, even with mana potions.¡±


    ¡°What about cleansing potions for him?¡±


    ¡°He took one before he came, which is the only reason he got to us still alive. I shoved another one in him every time he could take it. What the hell did this to him?¡±


    ¡°You saw the news?¡± Annabeth asked. ¡°The man knocking over blood servants like bowling pins?¡±


    ¡°It was that guy?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I really want to get a hold of him, but our French friend had accomplices bundle him up and take him away. Answers are only the beginning of what I want from the Frenchman. I¡¯m going to juice him like an orange.¡±


    ¡°Are you allowed to do that?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t even request entry to Australia, let alone notify us. I¡¯m very much looking forward to discussing protocol violations with whichever French prick has the plums to pick up the phone and complain.¡±


    ¡°And the man who did this to him was taken away?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Annabeth said unhappily. ¡°We have people looking, but we don¡¯t have a lot to spare while we scramble to clean up the original crap storm. I told the Steering Committee that letting the EOA get their hooks in the media barons was a bad idea. Anyone with a functional brain could see that, but them? No, they¡¯re too clever to bother with a blatantly obvious threat.¡±


    ¡°You have an issue with the Steering Committee, Mrs Tilden?¡±


    The cool, amused voice was a stark contrast to Annabeth¡¯s increasingly wild ranting. She whirled around, trying to school her expression before giving up and letting the rage spill over.


    ¡°You know what, Keith?¡± she asked. ¡°I do. I¡¯ve got a list of emails so long you could deforest a national park and not have enough paper to print them all out. Every one of them is a warning about the problems we need to solve today so they don¡¯t blow up on us tomorrow. The EOA¡¯s influence in the media. The government weakening our position with our international partners. THE FRIGGING BLOOD RIDERS! I warned the committee about the Cabal playing fast and loose months ago, and do you remember what you told me, Keith?¡±


    ¡°Not precisely,¡± Keith said, his amusement gone in the face of his unhinged subordinate.


    ¡°You said ¡®don¡¯t rock the boat, Anna. We don¡¯t want to cause trouble with the other factions, Anna.¡¯ Well, the boat¡¯s goddamn capsized, Keith, because I warned you yesterday, now it¡¯s today and everything blew the fuck up! And I know who¡¯s going to eat it for this, and it sure as hell won¡¯t be you, will it Keith?¡±


    ¡°Anna¡­¡±


    ¡°Keith, did you come here to tell me what a terrible job I¡¯m doing? To replace me? No, no you didn¡¯t, because you need a goat you can stake out to shoulder all the blame when the International Committee comes slavering for meat. You think I don¡¯t know that I¡¯m done after this? You¡¯ve got two options, you little prick. Kick me out now, or shut your face while I do my last job however I damn well please.¡±


    The young man in the sharp suit looked like he¡¯d been blasted by a gust of wind, while Gladys was tiredly clapping from the couch, even letting out a feeble, laughing cheer.


    Keith turned a glare on Gladys, who fired an insolent glare right back.


    ¡°Go on, little boy,¡± she told him, getting up from the couch to stand next to Annabeth. ¡°Try and tell me off. Then go explain to the Steering Committee how their category three healer heard about their intentions for my good friend Anna and we ran off to join the Fiji branch and live on a beach. I¡¯m pretty confident they¡¯ll take us.¡±


    Keith frowned unhappily.


    ¡°You¡¯re right that people are watching, Anna,¡± he said, ¡°but you and I both know that if anyone can salvage this, it¡¯s you. Yes, if this goes wrong, I can¡¯t shield you. If you manage to get the lid back on the pot, though, this is your way up. Committee membership. A say in all those decisions you keep protesting.¡±


    A lot of the hot air deflated out of Anna.


    ¡°Are you blowing smoke up my arse, Keith?¡±


    ¡°Regardless of what you might think, Anna,¡± Keith said, ¡°there are those of us that believe you can be a valuable voice on the committee. I know you¡¯re having a rough day, but I need a little less conversation and a little more action, please. A seat at the big table is on the line and not every committee member is as accommodating as I am.¡±


    ¡°If you say hysterical woman¡­¡± Gladys warned.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t dream of it. I¡¯m going to take one of the small offices until this thing is sorted. If you need any extra resources, come to me and I¡¯ll clear it. Today, you get anything and everything you need. Just ask and I¡¯ll make it happen.¡±


    Anna looked a little sheepish at her blow up.


    ¡°Thanks, Keith. Sorry I kind of exploded on you.¡±


    ¡°Kind of?¡± Keith asked with a chuckle. ¡°I get it, Anna. You were proved right about all the wrong things and now you¡¯re the one stuck holding the bag. Now that you¡¯ve blown off some steam, are you ready to get back to work?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Anna said. ¡°I¡¯ll get it done. Can you try and figure out who the hell sent this French operative here?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll even try and figure out why,¡± Keith said.


    ¡°Oh, I know why,¡± Anna said. ¡°The French caught their outworlder and they wanted the complete set before anyone could confirm what they were.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re convinced this Asano is an outworlder?¡±


    ¡°Go take a look at the footage Aram took of their fight,¡± she told him. ¡°Talk to Nigel. He thinks the guy¡¯s fighting is literally out of this world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that,¡± Keith said. ¡°I¡¯ll stop interrupting and let you get back to it. Just remember that some of us do have your back, Anna.¡±


    He left, leaving Annabeth and Gladys together.


    ¡°Am I crazy, or did he quote Elvis in there?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Gladys said. ¡°I actually slept with Elvis. Young Elvis, too, not squishy Elvis.¡±


    Annabeth gave her a sideways look.


    ¡°He was rubbish,¡± Gladys continued. ¡°Now Marlon Brando; that guy knew his business. Turns out he was cheating on Rita Moreno with me, though, and then she went and slept with Elvis. She didn¡¯t like it any more than I did.¡±


    Jason groggily came to in the boot of a moving car. From the rough ride that finally shook him awake, he knew they were on a gravel road. He felt the familiar sensation of a suppression collar, which didn¡¯t worry him. At this point he used them on himself for aura training.


    Even a powerful version like the one the Builder had crafted and put him in was something he could negate for at least a few crucial moments. Short of a collar designed to suppress gold-rankers, he was confident that he could deal with it. His problem was that once he did, anyone nearby with aura senses would know about it, while he wouldn¡¯t sense who was in the car until he pushed off the suppression.


    He didn¡¯t know what condition the silver-ranker was in after their battle. He knew the man had to be in a bad state, but what healing did he have access to? Even if he survived, it should have taken a powerful ally or significant resources to keep him alive. He might not be fully recovered.


    Jason, on the other hand, felt physically in top form, to his surprise. Much of Colin¡¯s biomass had been destroyed and would need to slowly recover before restoring Jason¡¯s full regenerative power, which left a question of why. He would need his system interface back before he got answers.


    He knew that the best time to act was while they were still on the move, when his enemies had limited resources in place to deal with him. When he made his move, it would need to be definitive. Once he did, his enemies would learn that suppression collars couldn¡¯t truly suppress him. That was not information he was willing to let out.


    He pushed out with his aura, negating the bronze-rank suppression collar with ease. Immediately he sensed three bronze-rank presences in the car, but not the silver-ranker. Given that the silver-ranker had snuck up on Jason before, though, it did not mean he wasn¡¯t present.


    With the return of his interface power, a system message popped up.


    You have been afflicted with a massive dose of [Carfentanil].You have resisted [Carfentanil].[Carfentanil] does not take effect.You have gained multiple instances of [Resistant].You have gained multiple instances of [Integrity].


    Apparently they had tried to sedate him before putting the collar on, allowing his Sin Eater power to absorb the affliction. That had given him enough stacks of Integrity to heal him up, explaining his current condition. Even after the collar suppressed the ability that bestowed them, the buff effects apparently continued to work, restoring Jason to full health.


    He sensed the reactions from the auras in the front of the car as they became aware of his own. Shifting himself around, he got himself some leverage and pressed his legs against the lid of the boot. After only a few seconds, his superhuman strength was enough to force open the lock and the boot popped open. He conjured his cloak as he pushed himself out of the moving vehicle, which allowed him float into a gentle impact on the gravel road.


    The car pulled to a rapid stop. It was night, with no lights in the middle of nowhere other than those of the car. The overcast winter sky blocked out the stars, the moon a diffuse glow behind the clouds. With his ability to see through darkness, he could clearly make out the three people in the car, one for each of the bronze-rank auras.


    The silver-ranker was not present. For the moment it didn¡¯t matter if he was dead or just absent, so long as he wasn¡¯t around to pose a threat. As for the three bronze-rankers, Jason was about to fill the final moments of their lives with misery, torment and fear.

 Chapter 286: More Valuable Than a Life

    The building looked like any of the other industrial warehouses around it. The inside, however, was an operations centre for the Cabal. Three reinforced security doors lay between the exterior and a set of concrete stairs leading down to a square, concrete room, behind a fourth, even more secure door. The room was empty apart from a cot fixed to the wall and the vampire sitting on it. His hands were held in alchemically-treated handcuffs while his legs were chained in similarly treated manacles.


    His clothes were bloody and bedraggled, although the injuries that left them in that state had already been healed by his vampiric regeneration. The effort of doing so had left him hungry and only blood fresh from the source could slake vampiric thirst. They had only allowed him to feed on a live goat which, compared to human blood, was like drinking raw sewerage.


    The door opened to admit Vermillion. He had a folding chair that he opened up and placed so he could sit facing the prisoner.


    ¡°Hello, Clinton.¡±


    ¡°You must be loving it,¡± Clinton said, sneering at Vermillion. ¡°Seeing me like this.¡±


    Vermillion sighed.


    ¡°You think any of this is good for me?¡±


    ¡°You have the satisfaction of seeing a rival brought low.¡±


    ¡°Rival?¡± Vermillion said with a pitying look. ¡°That¡¯s what you think? Clinton, before you perpetrated this spectacularly woe begotten disaster, I never gave you a second of thought any time you weren¡¯t standing right in front of me. Is that what this is all about? Trying to prove that you¡¯re better than me?¡±


    ¡°My lineage alone makes me better than you,¡± Clinton said. ¡°My uncle turned me, and you know who he is. We don¡¯t even know who made you into one of us.¡±


    Vermillion shook his head.


    ¡°The Cabal doesn¡¯t care where we came from, Clinton. We each have to prove our worth. You gave the Cabal your measure, yesterday, and this is where it¡¯s gotten you.¡±


    ¡°My uncle won¡¯t stand for this.¡±


    Vermillion shook his head, not bothering to respond. He stood up, left the cell and walked up the concrete stairs. Another man was waiting at the top with a grave expression.


    ¡°Craig,¡± the man greeted.


    ¡°Franklin.¡±


    ¡°Sorry again about all this.¡±


    ¡°It is what it is,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Instead of complaining about what we can¡¯t fix, we need to get on with fixing what we can.¡±


    Franklin nodded soberly. He made his way down the stairs and into the cell.


    ¡°Hello Clinton,¡± Franklin said, claiming the seat left by Vermillion. Franklin¡¯s features had a vague resemblance to Clinton, but Clinton¡¯s appearance was middle-aged, while Franklin looked no more than thirty at most.


    ¡°Uncle Frank, you have to get me out of this.¡±


    ¡°I tried to keep you from getting into it,¡± Franklin said. ¡°You never met the requirements for the clan to consider making you one of us, but I convinced them to be compassionate. The only reason they let me turn you was that without it, you would have died.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve proven myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Franklin said. ¡°You¡¯ve certainly made your value clear. Your ambitions have outstripped your abilities at every turn. The unrelentingly disappointing results of every task assigned to you has demonstrated the value of the clan¡¯s recruiting policies. Getting involved with the Blood Riders was very nearly the final straw and I had to fight to give you the chance to clean up your own mess. I warned you that this was a final chance for you, and what did you do? You caused a disaster.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a few dead bikers.¡±


    ¡°Innocent people are dead, Clinton. The Network is on the warpath. We¡¯re burning political capital like kindling to stop this from permanently hurting the Cabal¡¯s position in this city. This entire country. The world is watching and not just the magical world.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my fault. If people didn¡¯t show so much favouritism to Vermillion, I never would have needed to make such bold moves.¡±


    ¡°Bold? It is that what you call the most idiotic act of self destruction I can conceive of? Did someone put you up this? I know your not smart enough to be a conspirator, but if someone used you, then they found a fine tool indeed.¡±


    ¡°It was Vermillion that pushed me to this!¡±


    ¡°Vermillion? I suppose I can see that. He draws favour because he¡¯s competent; cautious and meticulous, with excellent foresight. A poster child for everything you lack. He might be careful and patient enough to set you up for this without it being tracked back to him, but he¡¯s smart enough to know that this has a million unseen ways to go wrong. He¡¯s in the doghouse now for failing to stop you before you caused this debacle.¡±


    Clinton sneered, only to be startled as Franklin slapped him hard across the face.


    ¡°You¡¯re happy? Do you have any idea of what I owe him, now? You¡¯re my responsibility, which means the blame for your actions falls on me. I¡¯m in a worse position than Vermillion because of this. So now I have to make a gesture to prove my loyalty and contrition, both to the clan and to the Cabal.¡±


    ¡°What kind of gesture?¡± Clinton asked warily.


    ¡°A sacrifice. After all the trouble you¡¯ve caused me, you will finally demonstrate some worth. Like everything else about you, it¡¯s only your relationship to me that gives you any value at all. The Cabal and the clan are both severing ties with you. You¡¯re being handed over to the Network. My facilitation of this is my show of loyalty and contrition. One of many that will continue until long after you¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already done, Clinton. You were never going to get out of this with a clean death after killing Julius. He had some actual potential, which is why we had him riding herd over you. We wanted him to see what not to do, but you taught that lesson too well. Then, true to form, you mess up disposing of the body. I mean, bloody hell, boy. If you¡¯re going to saw a man into pieces, get some garbage bags or a plastic sheet or something. I mean, pillow cases? You can¡¯t even fail properly. You are the worst vampire in the world.¡±


    ¡°My actions were decisive and ruthless,¡± Clinton argued. ¡°Those are the things a vampire should be.¡±


    ¡°In control is what a vampire should be, Clinton. That was never you. I should have refused my sister. I apologise for not letting you die the death of a normal man. You would have died quietly and been remembered fondly.¡±


    ¡°Surely there¡¯s something that you can do,¡± Clinton begged.


    ¡°I will be paying for your sins for a long time, Clinton. I have neither the ability nor the desire to absolve them. Even before this, you were baiting the EOA into making a move on Vermillion. That is an act directly in contravention of Cabal interests, in service to your personal ambition. If Vermillion hadn¡¯t defused the situation, you¡¯d have antagonised the Network, the EOA, our own people and a potentially valuable ally all in one fell swoop. Thankfully ¨C and true to form ¨C you failed. But for some inexplicable reason, this was the one time that you didn¡¯t let one knock back stop you and did what it took to aggravate them all anyway. You even went above and beyond, throwing them into a frenzy. At least you can die knowing that your actions left a large footprint.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t hand me over,¡± Clinton said angrily. ¡°I¡¯ll tell the Network every clan and Cabal secret I know!¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Franklin said sadly. ¡°As much as I hoped that time would temper you into steel, I knew from the beginning that you were pig iron. This is why you were never inducted into our greater secrets. You can¡¯t give the Network information they don¡¯t already know, although I expect they will be very thorough in checking.¡±


    Franklin got to his feet.


    ¡°This is the last time we¡¯ll meet, Clinton. Anything you have left to say, say it now.¡±


    ¡°Uncle, it wasn¡¯t my fault¡­¡±


    ¡°I meant something new, Clinton. I¡¯ve heard that many times before.¡±


    Franklin made his way back upstairs, where Vermillion was waiting for him.


    ¡°That can¡¯t have been easy,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°It was a long time coming,¡± Franklin said. ¡°All of our problems today can be laid at the feet of my mercy. How bad is it?¡±


    ¡°Bad,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Magic came within a hair¡¯s breadth of being revealed today, and the Network are on the warpath. The big question mark is this man Asano. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯ll do after what happened.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Network take him?¡±


    ¡°I believe the answer to that is complicated,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Not least by the question of whether or not they can hold him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that Sebastian isn¡¯t with us,¡± Luc said. He was in the front passenger seat.


    ¡°You think any of us like it?¡± Paul asked. He was driving the car along the gravel road, through the open landscape of the Australian Bush. The dark sky hid the panorama, forcing him to drive carefully.


    ¡°You saw the condition Sebastian was in,¡± Paul said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen anyone more in need of healing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly my problem,¡± Luc said. ¡°We all saw what the target did to Sebastian. What if he wakes up?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not going to wake up,¡± Nicolas said from the back seat. ¡°With what we pumped into him, I¡¯m amazed he¡¯s still alive, category two or no. When he finally comes to, I won¡¯t be shocked if we need to get the brain damage healed.¡±


    The three Frenchmen were driving along a rural gravel road in rural New South Wales, heading for a largely disused airstrip. With an overcast night sky and an absence of population centres by design, the headlight of their car was a lonely ship in a sea of black.


    ¡°What I hate is that we have to fly back out,¡± Paul said.


    ¡°Nothing to be done about it,¡± Nicolas said. ¡°You can¡¯t force someone through a portal, even if they¡¯re out cold.¡±


    ¡°What about Sebastian?¡± Luc asked.


    ¡°What about him?¡± Paul asked. ¡°He told us to go without him.¡±


    ¡°I know he said that, but are we really going to just leave him?¡± Luc asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re damn right we are,¡± Nicolas said. ¡°At this point he needs to be extracted diplomatically, not tactically. It¡¯s out of our hands. Our job is to get the target home without the locals pinning us down. Sebastian left us his phone so that none of us¡­¡±


    He looked pointedly at Luc.


    ¡°¡­would be stupid enough to try and make contact.¡±


    ¡°Is the target going to stay unconscious all the way to France?¡± Paul asked.


    ¡°I have some top-ups to keep him out,¡± Nicolas said. ¡°He¡¯s not waking up any time soon.¡±


    Suddenly all three felt an aura sweep over them from the boot of the car.


    ¡°That¡¯s not possible,¡± Nicolas said. ¡°Even if he did somehow wake up, he¡¯s collared.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there was something wrong with the collar,¡± Luc said.


    ¡°You think they sent us all this way without checking the collar?¡± Paul asked.


    ¡°Pull the car over!¡± Nicolas ordered.


    As they argued, they heard the boot spring open. Paul pulled the car to a rapid stop, throwing up gravel as he braked hard and the three piled out of the car. They saw the open boot and looked around in the darkness.


    ¡°I can¡¯t see a thing,¡± Luc said.


    ¡°He¡¯s going to be a pain to track down like this,¡± Nicolas said. ¡°Paul, give us some light.¡±


    As they peered out into the black, Paul raised an arm above his head and a large, flaming sphere appeared, floating in the air and shedding a red light. Shockingly, it revealed that the group was surrounded by figures of inky darkness, almost on top of them.


    They all reacted immediately. Luc transformed his body into solid stone, while Paul summoned a whip made of fire. Nicolas conjured an assault rifle and started wildly spraying bullets all round them. As bullets were directly conjured into the gun, he was not forced to pause and reload, feeding his mana into it as quickly as the conjured weapon would take it. The muzzle flash caused a blinding strobe as  he swept the gun back and forth, spewing bullets in every direction. When Nicolas finally stopped and the blast of gunfire was replaced by eerie silence, the dark figures were gone, as if they had never been.


    ¡°What were those things?¡± Paul asked.


    ¡°You think I know?¡± Nicolas asked.


    ¡°I think you killed them, or drove them off,¡± Luc said. As he did, blue and orange lights lit up in the distance, drawing the attention of all three. Focused on the distance, they only noticed the shadowy figure moving behind them in the red light when they turned after feeling the sting of a blade slicing along their skin. Nicolas and Paul both received cuts on the neck, but Luc¡¯s bubble shield briefly flared into visibility. It intercepted the attack before it even reached his stone flesh.


    The light that had distracted them had dimmed into nothingness.


    ¡°Not much of a wound,¡± Paul said, patting his neck. ¡°I¡¯ve had plenty worse.¡±


    ¡°I bet Sebastian had too,¡± Nicolas said. ¡°This prick uses poison, genius.¡±


    ¡°Should we start searching?¡± Luc asked.


    ¡°Forget that,¡± Paul said. ¡°We knew going in that this mission had a high failure chance. I¡¯m not fighting the guy that did that to Sebastian in the dark.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Nicolas said. ¡°Let¡¯s just get in the car and go.¡±


    As their short debate over what to do came to an end, the blue and orange lights appeared again. There was one larger light, with four smaller ones orbiting it. Two of the smaller lights broke away from the others and started flying towards them. They were not slow, but did not match the speed of a bullet or even an arrow.


    ¡°Block or dodge?¡± Luc asked, even as the other two were scrambling out of the light¡¯s path. The two lights made a direct line for their car, merging together just as they impacted it. The resulting explosion blasted Paul and Nicolas, even having fled, although they were only sent tumbling with minimal damage.


    Luc was closer but also barely hurt. His bubble shield absorbed enough of the blast, which seemed poorly suited to penetrate the magical shield. The sheer power of the blast did make it collapse, but what little force remained splashed against Luc¡¯s stone body, leaving small cracks in it. Luc felt a flicker of panic, realising that the blast was clearly more effective against his stone body than the magic shield, but it was a spent force.


    The car, unlike its former occupants, was far more than superficially damaged. It had been torn open like someone with fat fingers and no coordination had tried to split a sandwich with someone by pulling it in half. It was certainly no longer driveable.


    Lying in the light scrub off the side of the road where he had been thrown by the explosion, Paul yelled out in fresh pain. Nicolas scrambled to his feet as Luc went to check on him, only for a shadowy figure to appear behind Nicolas, lashing out several times before vanishing as Nicolas echoed Paul¡¯s exclamations.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Luc asked in a panic as he helped Paul to his feet. ¡°This shouldn¡¯t be possible! He¡¯s meant to be collared!¡±


    ¡°What do we do?¡± Paul called out to Nicolas, but Nicolas had no answers. He stared at the wreckage of the car under the bloody illumination of the fiery orb, the car¡¯s own light having died. The only answer came from a voice as cold and dark as the black winter night.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    Luc had strong defensive powers, with his magical shield and his earth form powers. His means of attack were powerful but simple, and he generally relied on his teammates to pin down the enemy for him to finish off. His teammates had died around him, however, without his catching more than a glimpse of their attacker. There had only been the merciless voice chanting sinister incantations as Paul and Nicolas fired powers wildly into the dark to no discernable effect, until they succumbed to death.


    Luc broke down as his companions ended their screaming, leaving dark carcasses of blackened flesh with the unnerving stillness of death. More lights lit up on the empty road, this time not blue and orange but the silver pinprick of stars. The night sky, hidden beyond the dark clouds of winter, had taken the form of a man. Luc remembered the stories of the starlight angel that had been on the news. He knew that for him, this was no angel of mercy.


    He didn¡¯t fight back, merely watching the approaching figure with defiance. He wasn¡¯t even thinking of it as the target anymore. It was more like a monster, born of the dark. It moved slowly, finally appearing before him, all darkness and stars. It moved over Paul¡¯s body, then over Nicolas. It reached up and pulled a suppression collar from the impenetrable dark of its hood. The collar then vanished from its hand and it turned its attention to Luc.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to tell me the things I want to know,¡± came the hard, ruthless voice.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care if you collar and torture me,¡± Luc said. ¡°Even without my powers, my body can take the pain.¡±


    ¡°I believe you,¡± the voice said as Luc felt something crushing down on his aura like a fist around an egg.


    ¡°Can your soul?¡± the voice asked.


    Jason discovered that the advantage of holding a person¡¯s soul in his hand was that the person was quite incapable of lies and evasions going undetected. He didn¡¯t feel good about executing the man in cold blood after exhausting his knowledge. Being honest with himself, he didn¡¯t feel all that bad, either. The ability to negate the effects of suppression collars was a trump card for Jason¡¯s most vulnerable moments, as his current circumstances neatly demonstrated. The secret was more valuable than a life, at least the life of a man that had kidnapped him.


    Before he died, the man filled in many important details for Jason, both about why the men had come for him and about the Network. For centuries the Network had been a series of independent secret societies and apparently old games of competitiveness and resource hoarding continued through to the present. It was a more fractious organisation than Vermillion¡¯s description had led him to believe, although Vermillion was an outsider and total accuracy was not to be expected.


    This did not automatically mean that the local branch would be an ally, rather than an enemy. Given what the man had revealed, he hoped they would be. The most important thing he had learned from the Frenchman was that the Network branch in Lyon had the other outworlder in its custody. Jason hoped that the factional conflict was sufficient that the local Network would help him take the outworlder from the Lyon branch, as he knew that trying it alone was suicide.


    Jason failed to learn anything else about the other outworlder as the Frenchman knew nothing about them. He suggested that their leader, Sebastian, might, but he had gone to the local Network branch for healing. The man Jason questioned suspected that the local branch would detain Sebastian to squeeze some concessions out of the French, given that they were not meant to be in the country at all.


    He opened his map ability to check his destination. He could get back to Sydney in a couple of portal jumps, as he had visited places in his range in the past. He was even within range of his uncle¡¯s farm, where his mother grew up. He could use some time to think; to consider what he¡¯d learned and weigh his options. He had Shade take a car form and take off back toward Sydney.


    His demolition of the biker gang and what he did to his attackers, even the one that most likely survived, demonstrated the kind of threat he presented to those who chose to provoke him. Now was the time to show that he wasn¡¯t just a mad dog and could be reasoned with. He¡¯d shown plenty of big stick and it was time for some juicy carrot. He needed to test the waters with the local Network branch and, if possible, ask Sebastian some pointed questions. It was time for a meeting with Annabeth Tilden.


    As he sat in thought, Shade taking care of the driving, Gordon manifested in the seat next to him. Unlike normal vehicles, Shade was able to contain Gordon¡¯s incorporeal form without him passing right through. Gordon¡¯s floating eyes looked at Jason expectantly and Jason nodded, pulling out his phone.


    Jason had looted it from one of the bodies before he had Colin and Gordon annihilate them. Their bodies were not sufficiently composed of magic to dissolve into rainbow smoke, but his power did save him rifling through their pockets. He had retrieved his own phone, plus theirs and the key to the suppression collar around his neck.


    He had crafted some single-use keys that probably would have worked, but he wasn¡¯t entirely confident that his self-made product  would work. He also didn¡¯t have a lot of them.


    After the bodies were disposed of, he had Gordon break the car down into chunks of scrap he threw off into the scrub. It was possible someone could use a GPS record to track the spot, but there was nothing left that could cause him any problems.


    Getting rid of the bodies sent his thoughts drifting to his own corpse, left behind in the astral space. It probably did dissolve into rainbow smoke, at least partially. He had known for a long time that he was no longer a human, but thinking about his body dissolving like a monster brought it home in a fresh way.


    He had used a precious droplet of crystal wash to prevent his phone from picking up a corpse smell. He loaded up a movie, which Shade was able to project onto the windscreen.


    ¡°This one¡¯s called Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,¡± Jason told Gordon. ¡°It¡¯s a good one.¡±

 Chapter 287: Uncontrolled Factor

    Annabeth¡¯s eyes snapped open. As a category one, her senses were only slightly heightened, but something had triggered an instinctive reaction and awakened her. Straining her aura senses, she couldn¡¯t detect anything that might have set them off.


    Next to her, Susan remained in blissful slumber. Anna silently slipped out of bed, taking a pistol and a flask from her nightstand. She took a swig of the flask, the stamina potion kicking her senses fully awake. She would have preferred a spirit coin, but the Network insisted on using the whole stockpile to make bullets or use in rituals. Her pistol was loaded with exactly those magical bullets, as well as being enchanted itself.


    Wearing only her underwear, she slunk downstairs, spotting a light from the kitchen. Moving into it without a sound, she found someone peering into the fridge, which was the source of light.


    ¡°You broke into the wrong house, mate.¡± she said, levelling her gun.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Jason complained, turning to the kitchen island and putting down a plate holding a sandwich. ¡°Your condiment selection is terrible. Susan clearly didn¡¯t marry you for your culinary skills.¡±


    He looked over at her, standing in her underwear with a gun pointed at him.


    ¡°Still, I can see the appeal,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°I mean, a beautiful woman in her underwear pointing her gun at me?¡±


    He took a big bite of his sandwich.


    ¡°I love my life,¡± he mumbled through the food.


    ¡°You¡¯re Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°Yep. Have been for a while, which makes it easy to remember.¡±


    He frowned at the sandwich in his hand.


    ¡°With what you had in the fridge,¡± he said, ¡°I could barely assemble an above average sandwich, and I do not appreciate being reduced to mid-tier sandwiches. I¡¯ll add it to the list of things the Network needs to answer for. Did you get this bread from a supermarket?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Annabeth asked. ¡°How are you here? You were kidnapped, drugged and collared.¡±


    ¡°Silver-rankers kidnap me from time to time. It¡¯s kind of my thing. You should just go to a bakery. You¡¯ll be supporting local business and you won¡¯t get bread that tastes like sadness.¡±


    ¡°Silver-rankers?¡±


    ¡°Right, uh, tier three? Category three? Is that what you call it? If I hadn¡¯t spent the last six months in a pocket universe fighting evil, I¡¯d at least have a decent sauce on hand.¡±


    ¡°What about the people that took you?¡±


    ¡°The three French guys? You don¡¯t need to worry about local authorities stumbling into them. I¡¯m more interested in the fourth one, Sebastian. You do have him, right? He and I never got the chance to talk.¡±


    ¡°What do you want with him?¡±


    ¡°My needs are many and varied; he¡¯s just a part of it. Craig Vermillion seems to think that you and I can help each other. I¡¯m hoping that he¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°So you broke into my house?¡±


    ¡°I wanted a meeting on my terms. If I wandered into your headquarters, you might start thinking like your counterparts from Lyon.¡±


    ¡°You know about that?¡±


    ¡°I had a little chat with the blokes who took me for a drive. If you¡¯re looking to dig deeper, these might help.¡±


    He took out two mobile phones and placed them on the counter.


    ¡°One of these belongs to Sebastian, the other to one of his flunkies. I reset the unlock codes to 0-0-0-0.¡±


    ¡°You can hack phones?¡±


    ¡°I know a few simple unlocking rituals. One of the more esoteric ones got the job done. One of the cheaper ones, which was nice, although I don¡¯t have any shortage of iron-rank spirit coins. That¡¯s category one, I guess. Like you. And that gun. Magic guns are a thing, I guess. You do have spirit coins, here, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. What¡¯s with the iron-rank, silver-rank thing? Is that what they call the categories in the other world?¡±


    ¡°Yep. They named the ranks after the colours of spirit coins. They¡¯re all crystal, but the category ones look like iron, twos like bronze and so on. It¡¯s the same colour that shines out of you when your attributes advance or you get a gift evolution. You do understand these concepts, right?¡±


    ¡°We call it minor threshold advancement.¡±


    ¡°See? We¡¯re learning from each other already. That gun isn¡¯t conjured, right?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°One of the French blokes kept conjuring guns. Is there a gun essence?¡±


    ¡°There is.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. I have this mate who theorised that different worlds had different essences.¡±


    ¡°You really were over there, weren¡¯t you?¡± she asked, finally lowering the pistol she had been holding on him the whole time. ¡°What was that you said about a pocket universe?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I spent about a year in the other world, then another six months a small side-reality. To be honest, I was only fighting evil at the end. Mostly it was just monsters.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine the kind of experiences you must have had.¡±


    She looked down at his t-shirt, emblazoned with the text I WENT TO A MAGICAL ALTERNATE UNIVERSE AND ALL I GOT WAS VAST COSMIC POWER.


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure that I want to,¡± she added as Jason flashed her an impish grin.


    ¡°Look,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a lot to offer your organisation. Knowledge, insight. Smouldering sensuality. You know it; the French certainly know it. I¡¯m sure you recognise the potential of someone who¡¯s been where I¡¯ve been. On paper, your Network and me are a good fit, but the relationship has started out very poorly.¡±


    ¡°We would like to work with you, obviously,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°You have a demonstrated penchant for public chaos that troubles us, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said. ¡°But since you have a demonstrated penchant for kidnapping me, I wouldn¡¯t go claiming the moral high ground.¡±


    ¡°That was the Lyon branch.¡±


    ¡°And why should I think you will act any different than the people who sent that French prick to kick my arse?¡±


    ¡°You kicked back pretty hard. If we didn¡¯t have a category three healer, he would have died.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a silver-rank healer? Nice.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s more subtle than roaming the halls of a hospital playing faith healer,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°She does help regular people, then?¡±


    ¡°Of course. What¡¯s the point of having healing magic if you can¡¯t help the people that need it most? We run a private clinic that allows us to find and help needy people without the news talking about angels made of stars. We can quietly find patients and clean up any troublesome hospital records. Do you realise how much what you did has hurt the operation of the children¡¯s hospital? There¡¯s investigations, oversight, the media debacle. Yes, you helped some people that really needed it, but you hurt people, too. Do you have any understanding of consequences?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ traditionally been a weak area for me,¡± Jason said, head bowed in contrition. ¡°I like that clinic you mentioned. I¡¯d like to get in on that, if we end up working together.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the things you have to offer,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°What is it that you want from us?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not smart enough to figure that out, I don¡¯t want to work with you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The Lyon branch,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°We¡¯re pretty sure they have an outworlder. You want that outworlder.¡±


    ¡°Bang on,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not what you¡¯d call happy with the Network right now.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not over the moon with you, either,¡± she said. ¡°Killing people on the news. Playing angel at a children¡¯s¡¯ hospital.¡±


    ¡°The latter was to draw you out so I could investigate you,¡± Jason said. ¡°As for the bikers, I did go overboard, there.¡±


    ¡°Overboard? Six innocent bystanders were killed and we still don¡¯t know how many were injured.¡±


    Jason paled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said. ¡°I really am. I didn¡¯t think when they attacked. I just fought. I¡¯m not used to worrying about collateral damage.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s why we have rules.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to work for your organisation,¡± he said, ¡°but I will work with it, if we can hammer out an arrangement. Including rules. I think that some boundaries might be good for me, right now.¡±


    ¡°Then we need to have a conversation somewhere other than my kitchen,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°While I¡¯m wearing clothes.¡±


    ¡°Do you sleep in a bra?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That can¡¯t be comfortable.¡±


    ¡°I just kind of crashed out,¡± Annabeth said defensively. ¡°Someone¡¯s antics didn¡¯t leave me time to sleep for two days. Finally I get to bed and you pop up in my damn kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, plucking a fistful of spirit coins from his inventory and placing them on the table. ¡°By way of apology.¡±


    ¡°So, what now?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m taking my uncle and getting out of Sydney for a while. If your people come after me, I know that a deal is off the table and we go to war. If not, we can work something out.¡±


    ¡°War?¡±


    ¡°If the Network is going to keep coming after me,¡± Jason said, ¡°I¡¯m not just going to sit back and wait.¡±


    ¡°You lost to one category three. You can¡¯t take us all on.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to fight you to beat you,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just need a press conference. If I go public, you¡¯ll have bigger problems than me to deal with. Also, I can start flogging Starlight Rider merch. That¡¯s a whole thing.¡±


    ¡°I can talk cooperation,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°I have people that I answer to, though. They don¡¯t like uncontrolled factors, and you¡¯re an uncontrolled factor in an absurd shirt.¡±


    ¡°I do have a way of frustrating authority figures,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°I¡¯m not what you¡¯d call sorry about that, but I do recognise that my personal proclivities make things more difficult. Talk to your people and ask what they¡¯d like to see as a gesture of good faith. I¡¯ll see what I can do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll want a similar gesture from us, too right?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I want everything you know about this outworlder in France.¡±


    ¡°What do you know already?¡±


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Jason said. ¡°All I know is that when I came back, someone came with me.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know anything ourselves.¡± Annabeth said. ¡°We¡¯re working on that. I¡¯m pressing Sebastian and my boss is pressing his boss. They haven¡¯t even admitted to having an outworlder yet. In the meantime, how do I contact you?¡±


    ¡°I left my phone number on the whiteboard on your fridge. I also added some things to your shopping list. Get your kitchen in order, lady. Your pasta sauce selection alone is a travesty. Buy some damn tomatoes.¡±


    ¡°Your sister¡¯s a TV chef, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Does she know you¡¯re back?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to get some things settled before I come back from the dead. I don¡¯t want to bring my mess down on my family. Will your people come looking for trouble?¡±


    ¡°I think everyone will be happier if our interactions are civil,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°There¡¯s been far too much action going on. What do you think of Craig Vermillion as a middleman for the moment?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll use Cabal personnel?¡±


    ¡°They owe us big, and they know it.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°I¡¯m going to work under the assumption that I can walk down the street without the Network trying to drag me into a van. But don¡¯t think that I¡¯ll keep letting your people come after me without reprisal. I¡¯m going to let you get back to bed. Stay in touch.¡±


    He closed the fridge, which was the only source of light. Annabeth found the light switch in the dark but he was gone by the time she flipped it. Her supernatural senses hadn¡¯t been able to track him when he was standing in front of her, let alone when he vanished in the dark.


    ¡°Go to bed, right,¡± she muttered.


    Flicking the light back off, she trudged back upstairs, not for her bed but for her phone.


    ¡°I should have shot him.¡±


    In Hiro¡¯s apartment, Hiro clasped Jason in a hug.


    ¡°We heard some kind of explosion outside and saw those men pile you into their car. I didn¡¯t know what to do, so I contacted Vermillion. He said to hold tight.¡±


    ¡°Sorry to worry you, Uncle. I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Taika said. ¡°You¡¯re our guide to all the crazy stuff that¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°Well, I shouldn¡¯t be dragged away any time soon,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You were literally just dragged off,¡± Taika said. ¡°What happened, bro?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s political. Some people from France wanted me and weren¡¯t too worried about it being on a voluntary basis. They¡¯ve been handled, for the moment, at least. Has anyone bothered you?¡±


    ¡°Vermillion brought the EOA people around and we came to a preliminary agreement.¡±


    ¡°They gave you good terms?¡±


    ¡°Very. It seems like Vermillion talked Victor around and the EOA are feeling generous now they¡¯re looking at a smooth transition.¡±


    ¡°How did he get Victor on board, do you know?¡±


    ¡°He said that the EOA can give Victor something that he¡¯s always wanted but Vermillion was never permitted to give himself.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Jason said.


    He knew that Victor wanted to learn more about the magical world, but the Cabal had always kept him at a remove. From what Vermillion had told Jason, the EOA had no such qualms.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve made contact with certain people and, for the moment, we should remain unmolested. In the morning, we¡¯re going to pack it up and head for home. Have you made your arrangements, Taika?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, bro. I talked to my family. I don¡¯t want them anywhere near this.¡±


    ¡°Good call. We¡¯ll be on the road for a few hours tomorrow. I can give you a proper introduction to the world I¡¯ve landed you all in.¡±


    In front of Hiro¡¯s apartment building, Jason looked at the cloud flask in his hand with dissatisfaction. Instead of the cloud stuff emerging when he opened the stopper, he received a system message.


    Cloud constructs cannot operate in zones of barren magic.Add vortex accumulator to cloud constructs to allow operation in zones of barren magic.


    Vortex Accumulator requirements (bronze rank):


    1 [Magic Essence].1 [Gathering Essence].100 bronze-rank [Vortex Quintessence Gems].1000 [Bronze Spirit Coins].Bronze-rank vortex accumulator will allow for cloud constructs of up to current rank (bronze) forms to function in zones of extremely low magical density. Higher-rank materials will be required for it to operate in higher-rank forms.


    ¡°That¡¯s suspicious,¡± he muttered to himself.


    ¡°What is?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°My magic item here needs a bunch of very expensive materials for an upgrade. Materials I just so happen to have on hand. I¡¯m starting to wonder if it took a look at my supplies and decided to scam me.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°I get that a lot.¡±


    Jason had fed a lot of materials into the cloud flask to enhance its utility, mostly varieties of quintessence gems, but also crystal wash and various kinds of magical metal, stone and fabric that helped create surfaces that were not just soft and malleable. It was difficult to chop vegetables when the knife just pushed them through a countertop made of nice, soft clouds. Emir had warned him that the most powerful upgrades would require full essences, such as his current circumstance, but the specifics were a little coincidental.


    A magic essence wasn¡¯t an oddity, as they were common and Jason had several on hand. The gathering essence, on the other hand, was a rare essence that he also coincidently happened to have.


    In the only instance of it ever happening in his experience, the blood weaver his team fought in the astral space had produced not one but three essences when looted. While not an unheard of event, it was a less common occurrence than even a legendary essence appearing.


    As for the vortex quintessence gems, Jason had a goodly amount after fighting dangerous silver-rank monsters called vortex elementals. All his vortex gems were silver-rank, though, rather than bronze.


    ¡°Can I set up a silver-rank accumulator before I rank up the flask to silver?¡± he asked.


    Vortex Accumulator requirements (silver rank):


    1 [Magic Essence].1 [Gathering Essence].100 silver-rank [Vortex Quintessence Gems].1000 [Silver Spirit Coins].Silver-rank vortex accumulator will allow for cloud constructs of up to silver rank forms to function in zones of extremely low magical density. Higher-rank materials will be required for higher-rank forms to function.


    ¡°A thousand silver coins,¡± he muttered. ¡°That¡¯ll take a good chunk out of the supply.¡±


    Taika and Hiro looked at each other as Jason continued to mutter seeming nonsense to himself while staring at what looked like a boiling flask in his hand. Then they watched as he started pulling objects out of the air, like a stage magician.


    He started with a funnel, which he placed into the end of the flask. Then he started shoving silver coins into the funnel by the fistful, followed by what looked like opals. Then there was a blue, glowing cube, which dissolved into mist, followed by another cube that was black and white that likewise dissolved into the flask. Afterwards, he took out the funnel and replaced the flask¡¯s stopper.


    ¡°Sorry about this,¡± he said to Hiro and Taika. ¡°It needs a few minutes to percolate, but it should be fine now. You can bring down the bags.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a weird bloke, bro,¡± Taika said and headed back inside.

 Chapter 288: Agendas

    ¡°Finally,¡± Jason said. He was standing in front of Hiro¡¯s apartment building with the cloud flask in his hand.


    Vortex accumulator (silver rank) complete.Available forms (iron rank): Cloud house (grand), cloud house (adaptive).Available forms (bronze rank): Carriage house (grand), carriage house (adaptive).


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said happily.


    ¡°Are you certain you should do this in front of the apartment building?¡± Shade asked from his shadow. ¡°We are fully exposed to the street.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯d best take it around the side,¡± Jason said. ¡°Flaunting it out in the open might not be the best idea.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing exactly?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°I told you,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sorting out a ride.¡±


    ¡°Will it be like a magic carpet or something?¡± Taika asked. He had luggage for himself and Hiro piled outside the building entrance.


    ¡°Sadly, no,¡± Jason said. ¡°It will be a bit more roomy, though.¡±


    Jason made his way around the side of the building, between the apartment complex and the townhouse in which he had been staying. He pulled the stopper from the cloud flask and two wisps of cloud-stuff came snaking out to form two separate shapes, floating above the opening. One was a house and one was a long, wheelless vehicle, looking oddly like a hovercraft tour bus. He waved his hand through the vehicle image and then set the flask on the ground where cloud stuff started streaming out in earnest.


    ¡°It¡¯ll take about ten minutes,¡± Jason said to Hiro and Taika.


    The three men watched as the stream of cloud-stuff slowly compressed itself into the form of a huge recreational vehicle. It was double-decked and generally enormous, at four metres high and fourteen metres long. The driving station was visible through a glass bubble sticking out from the top level of the vehicle¡¯s front.


    ¡°Bro, that¡¯s one of them super-expensive motorhomes. How¡¯d you fit it in a bottle? Oh wait, magic. I¡¯m still getting used to that.¡±


    ¡°These things are basically a luxury yacht on wheels,¡± Hiro said. ¡°They normally go for upwards of three million, but I¡¯m guessing this one cost a little more.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not clear on the exchange rate,¡± Jason said. ¡°I won this one in a competition and I¡¯ve still been sinking money into it. Often literally.¡±


    ¡°What kind of competition?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Retrieving the symbolic weapon of an ancient order of assassins from a pocket universe.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea how to respond to that,¡± Hiro said. ¡°I no longer have any basis for what ridiculous is.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s with the license plate?¡± Taika asked, prompting Jason and Hiro to look. It read RPR-MAN.


    ¡°Are you a repair man?¡± Taika asked. ¡°That seems odd to put on an expensive magical motor home.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what that¡¯s about.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not repair man,¡± Shade said, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°It¡¯s Reaper Man.¡±


    ¡°Shade, have you been messing with my cloud flask?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said. ¡°I think it recognises that I¡¯ll be the one driving.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m starting to have some suspicions about the cloud flask, though. It seems awfully reactive for a magic item.¡±


    ¡°The cloud flask is a profoundly sophisticated item, bound to your soul. What you perceive as reactions to its environment are, in fact, effected by your unconscious control.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that I¡¯m the repair man,¡± Jason reasoned.


    ¡°It¡¯s Reaper Man,¡± Shade insisted. ¡°I am quite certain it refers to me.¡±


    Hiro and Taika were watching the pair converse, their eyes glued warily on Shade. It was not the first time they had encountered him, but they were still unnerved by having the magical entity in their midst. Jason glanced in their direction.


    ¡°Blokes, I know this is all still fresh, but you¡¯re in the shallow end of the pool. You haven¡¯t even met Colin, yet.¡±


    ¡°Colin?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s my other mate. He¡¯s still recovering after fighting with that prick who kidnapped me.¡±


    ¡°Is he going to try again?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Jason said. ¡°The local authorities have him in custody. Of course, those local authorities might try and kidnap me themselves, but hopefully they decide to go in another direction.¡±


    A sleek, black, two-door car pulled up in front of the apartment. Jason wasn¡¯t a car person and didn¡¯t recognise it, but it was clearly an old classic. Vermillion emerged, walking around the side of the building where the others were gathered. His attention was immediately drawn to Shade, while Jason eyed off Vermillion¡¯s car.


    ¡°Nice car,¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°1967 Maserati Ghibli,¡± Vermillion said proudly. ¡°I¡¯ve actually had it since ¡¯67, too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little on the nose isn¡¯t it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I mean, if you asked me what kind of car a vampire drives, that¡¯s exactly what I¡¯d think of.¡±


    ¡°I do have an image to maintain,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°And I don¡¯t think you¡¯re the one to go throwing stones over ostentatious black cars. Hello Shade.¡±


    ¡°Mr Vermillion,¡± Shade returned the greeting.


    Vermillion greeted Hiro and Taika, inquiring how they were handling the recent revelations they had experienced. Their still uneasy reaction to him, once an object of deep fear for both, told Vermillion more than their mumbled responses.


    ¡°Is this yours?¡± Vermillion asked Jason, looking over the huge, white motorhome.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Is it that crazy expensive European model? I didn¡¯t pay you that much for the gold.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s custom,¡± Jason said. ¡°Very custom. I brought it back with me.¡±


    ¡°You brought a motorhome back from an alternate reality?¡±


    ¡°I brought the power to teleport back from an alternate reality and this is what surprises you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of perspective,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Teleport powers I can see in a magical alternate universe. RV dealerships seem like they¡¯d be less prominent.¡±


    ¡°They had all kinds of magic vehicles,¡± Jason said. ¡°There were magical carriages that were kind of like old-timey cars. I had a friend who used to drive us around a river delta on an airboat to do jobs. It was great.¡±


    ¡°An airboat? Like an Everglades-style airboat?¡±


    ¡°Yep. There was kind of a hover version for travelling through the desert, too. Oh, and giant sand barges. It was very Jabba the Hutt. Oh, and an underwater subway. That was awesome.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to see all that,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°I have recordings of a lot of it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll show you some time. So what brings you by? Is it about the Network, or are you just sending us off?¡±


    ¡°Annabeth Tilden did contact me.¡±


    ¡°What do you think of her?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s one of the good ones,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Be aware that she has people she answers to, however. She may be in charge of direct operations for her branch, but the people above her have the ultimate oversight.¡±


    ¡°Is that why she wanted you to play go between?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Someone outside her chain of command?¡±


    ¡°I think she¡¯s sensitive to what happens if you get pushed too far. She was very happy that you didn¡¯t lay your kidnapping at the feet of the entire Network.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not ruling anything out, at this stage,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ve never been kidnapped before.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it sometime.¡±


    ¡°We might have that chance sooner rather than later,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I actually came to tell you about my demotion. After everything that happened, it¡¯s been decided to give someone else oversight of the Cabal¡¯s Sydney operations. I¡¯m being moved to somewhere more modest.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re banishing you to the middle of nowhere?¡±


    ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be too bad,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°It¡¯s a little tourist town up the coast. We¡¯re anticipating a rise in magical activity in the near future, so they¡¯ve decided to assign someone to keep an eye on things. Namely, me.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°I see. Well, would you like to travel with us, then?¡±


    ¡°I have my car,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°Oh, I can sort that out,¡± Jason said.


    The size and weight limit of Jason¡¯s inventory slots had increased with his rank and he successfully managed to fit Vermillion¡¯s car. He lifted up the front end with his formidable strength and pushed it into the inventory window, causing the car to vanish.


    ¡°What did you do to my car?¡± Vermillion asked as Taika and Hiro goggled at the space it had been in. They were still far from inured to Jason¡¯s casual use of magic.


    ¡°I just stored it,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s fine. Probably.¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll pull it back out when we get there. Come on, let¡¯s check out the new wheels. I haven¡¯t had a chance to test this thing out, yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certainly curious,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Why does the license plate say repair man?¡±


    Annabeth stood at the end of the table addressing the Steering Committee.


    ¡°Asano knows his value to us,¡± she said. ¡°Or at least he¡¯s made some good guesses. Look at the coins I just handed out. He left those for me on my kitchen counter. We¡¯ve had them checked and they¡¯re authentic, category one spirit coins. Note the personalised design.¡±


    Keith peered at the coin between his fingers, depicting a man giving a thumbs up. On the other side was embossed text.


    PRODUCT OF JASON


    G¡¯DAY MATE!


    ¡°He didn¡¯t just leave these on a whim,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°He wanted us to see them. These are personalised, which means he not only has however many coins he brought back with him, but a looting power. If he¡¯s figured out that looting powers are the only source we have for spirit coins in our world, and that our branch doesn¡¯t have one, he knows that his value to us is immense. Even if he doesn¡¯t, the actions of Lyon branch highlight how valuable he is. If we get Asano on board, our reliance on the international committee for spirit coins is ameliorated, if not eliminated entirely.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s attractive, certainly,¡± a committee member said. ¡°But in return he wants to put us at odds with the Lyon branch. The European branches are just as strong as the Asian branches. I¡¯m not willing to accept that kind of risk.¡±


    The committee member, Miranda, had once been Annabeth¡¯s counterpart at the Melbourne branch. Her overly-aggressive methodology was viewed as a problem but her political connections made getting rid of her less than easy. Instead, she was promoted to Sydney¡¯s steering committee. This was an increase in authority, but removed her from direct operational control, as well as having the rest of the committee to balance out her inclination for direct action. Since her arrival, she had been at constant loggerheads with Annabeth, to the point of resisting anything she proposed as a default position.


    ¡°We have leverage to push the Lyon branch,¡± Keith said. ¡°They massively violated protocol in sending operatives here. Especially a category three assassin. Who we have in custody, for even more leverage.¡±


    ¡°But we have to answer for the other operatives,¡± Miranda said. ¡°We have to assume they¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure they are,¡± Annabeth said, ¡°but we aren¡¯t responsible for that. They made a move on a politically independent entity, outside of our knowledge and in violation of our territory. If anything, their death in our backyard is another mess the Lyon branch has to answer for.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d still be making a political enemy of a powerful branch,¡± Miranda said. ¡°All for someone you admit won¡¯t join our ranks and capitulate to our authority.¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t be unleashing him on the world,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°He¡¯s already out there. Check the news. Every behavioural concession we get from him is a win.¡±


    ¡°We can take him in hand forcibly,¡± Miranda said.


    ¡°Go to the holding cells and ask our guest how well that went for him,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°He came crawling to us just to survive.¡±


    ¡°We know he cares about family,¡± Miranda said. ¡°We can leverage them.¡±


    ¡°And he can leverage magic itself,¡± Annabeth countered. ¡°What happens when he starts a national tour of children¡¯s hospitals and talk shows? Are you going to threaten the family of the guy curing adorable kids of leukaemia?¡±


    ¡°Then we act directly,¡± Miranda said. ¡°If we take him alive, we can extract his resources. The Lyon branch clearly think he¡¯s valuable enough, even unwilling, to take the risks they took.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting we kidnap and torture him?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. He¡¯s already threatened the secrecy of magic and left a trail of bodies behind him,¡± Miranda said. ¡°Bringing him in is our responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Miranda,¡± Keith said. ¡°No one at this table believes you want to bring him in out of duty. Let¡¯s at least be honest with one another.¡±


    While Jason had added enough extra materials to the cloud flask to have the interior of the adaptive form mask itself as thoroughly as the exterior, he declined to have it do so. One thing he had missed since reviving was the luxurious comfort of cloud furniture. As they boarded, the sides of the vehicle extended out to create interior space, like an ordinary, high-end motorhome.


    Vermillion frowned oddly as he stepped inside. Jason realised why as he followed, immediately feeling better about the exorbitant resource cost of the vortex accumulator.


    You have entered a region of normalised magic. Your recovery rates will remain at normal levels without spirit coin consumption.


    The interior of the motorhome was a mansion on wheels; two levels of opulence plus a roof deck on top. There weren¡¯t stairs, but an elevating platform moving between the three levels.


    ¡°Bro, your magic RV has an elevator.¡±


    On the lower floor was a luxurious lounge, bar and kitchen and dining area, all surprisingly roomy once the walls were extended. The level above had a main bedroom with a sprawling bed, plus a second one with single beds and a bathroom. It also had the driving station at the front, which felt more like the cockpit of a spaceship, looking out through the curved glass oval. The roof deck had comfortable seating and another bar.


    Jason had a large amount of control over the interior, able to reconfigure entire rooms. The four explored the vehicle, Jason relishing the chance to introduce the others to the luxuriant joys of cloud furniture. The interior was mostly cloud white but with embellishments in glorious sunset colours of orange, gold, blue, red and purple.


    ¡°It feels like I¡¯m in the womb,¡± Taika said happily from his cloud chair. ¡°Except there¡¯s a bar. It¡¯s not easy finding chairs that are comfy for someone my size.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t drink anything from the bar,¡± Jason warned him. ¡°It¡¯s magic-infused alcohol. It¡¯ll probably kill you.¡±


    ¡°Even your booze is magic?¡± Taika asked. ¡°That¡¯s hardcore.¡±


    Once the cloud flask had been ranked up to bronze, Jason had been able to store things in the cloud constructs even when it was in the flask. He didn¡¯t have the chance to stock up on amenities, since he had ranked it up in the astral space. It had some drinks his team had used to celebrate their rank ups, but mostly just lower-value loot that was stored in the motorhome¡¯s discreet storage spaces. They themselves were dimensional spaces that could be contained within a dimensional space when the cloud construct was stored in the flask, which had excited Clive immensely. It was a feature only something as sophisticated as the cloud flask was capable of.


    ¡°This is nice,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Really nice, but why aren¡¯t you just teleporting?¡±


    ¡°A few reasons,¡± Jason said. ¡°For one, I¡¯ve been hankering to test this thing out for a while. For another, things have been chaos over the last few days.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a severe understatement,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°Exactly, Uncle Hiro,¡± Jason said. ¡°Some luxurious, uninterrupted hours on the road is a chance to give you a proper explanation of what happened to me and how we ended up where we are. So, let¡¯s get going, yeah? Shade, get behind the wheel. You can drive this thing right?¡±


    ¡°I am certain I can manage, Mr Asano.¡±


    Despite what the other organisations believed, there was a peak leadership structure that existed within the Engineers of Ascension. It had been quietly making preparations for years and a group of the top leadership were meeting in an office in New York City. There were four of them, two men and two women, each in an immaculate suit. They were sitting at a conference table, watching footage of the Sydney tollway shoot out, intercut with images from phone footage of the Starlight Rider and coverage of the hospital miracle.


    ¡°This man threatens our agenda,¡± Mr North said. ¡°We cannot allow him to beat us to the punch.¡±


    ¡°Do we kill him?¡± Mrs West asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s an unknown factor,¡± Mr East said. ¡°Too much could go wrong. The better response is to accelerate the timetable.¡±


    ¡°That will still take months,¡± Mrs West said. ¡°What about a more immediate response?¡±


    ¡°The Network will not allow these public displays to continue,¡± Mrs South said. ¡°We keep our hands clean and allow them to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Mr East said. ¡°I formally propose we move up the timetable. All in favour?¡±

 Chapter 289: Hegemons

    The magical motorhome made its way north along the coast. On the bottom floor, the windows had turned opaque as Taika, Hiro and Vermillion watched some of Jason¡¯s earliest recordings on a hologram-like recording crystal projector. Jason¡¯s clean-shaven, iron-rank appearance was somewhat different to his currant visage.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with your Nephew¡¯s chin, boss?¡±


    Vermillion sensed an unusual surge of magic from above. He got up and rode the elevating platform up through a veil of sound-suppressing mist to the middle floor. There, in a room with three single beds, he found Jason¡¯s disconcerting magical companion that was a nebula within a floating cloak. It¡¯s four disembodied eyes were affixed on the television on the wall, which was playing the old Music Man movie from the sixties. Vermillion had actually seen it during the original cinema run.


    He could feel the magical surge coming from the next room and he touched the orange patch of mist on the white wall, next to the door. The mist door dissipated, allowing him access.


    Jason was sat cross-legged on a large bed. There was an amber light shining from within his body, just dimming as Vermillion entered. It was clearly the source of the magic as he sensed the surge dim with it.


    ¡°Are you all right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just consolidating the gains from my recent fights.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d care to tell me how essence magicians get stronger?¡±


    ¡°You, I¡¯d tell,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Cabal, though, they have to pay for the good stuff.¡±


    ¡°I think they know already,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Institutionally, I¡¯ve found that we overvalue secrets as a commodity. Maybe you could answer another question.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Why is a whatever your friend is watching The Music Man?¡±


    ¡°Gordon likes old movies,¡± Jason said. ¡°Mostly family movies and musicals. I have no idea what he gets out of them.¡±


    ¡°Gordon?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s his name.¡±


    ¡°His name¡¯s Gordon.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°You live an odd life, Jason.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea,¡± Jason said with a laugh.


    ¡°Did your magical recreational vehicle come with the television installed?¡±


    ¡°Are you familiar with quintessence?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    Jason plucked one that looked like a sapphire from his inventory and tossed it to Vermillion.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen these,¡± Vermillion said, peering at it closely. ¡°We call them affinity gems. I¡¯m pretty sure the Network is the main supplier.¡±


    ¡°Well, I collected a truckload of them where I¡¯ve been. Since the magic flask that makes this vehicle can absorb items to gain new functions, at some point I just started shovelling in the low-rank stuff to see what happened. I¡¯m still figuring out all the utility options, like the crystal recording projector you were watching downstairs.¡±


    ¡°You might want to keep quiet about this thing,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°People will come after you for this alone.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t do them any good,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s bound to me and me alone. I don¡¯t suppose people will believe me if I tell them that, though, will they?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Vermillion chuckled.


    ¡°What do you think of these paintings?¡± Jason asked, gesturing at the wall behind Vermillion.


    Vermillion turned to examine them, hanging side by side on the wall. He could immediately tell that the artist was the same and the brushwork seemed familiar, confirmed when he checked the signature in the corner.


    ¡°This is by Dawn,¡± he said. ¡°An unusual new artist. Polarising, enigmatic.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re know her work?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°A passing familiarity. When you get to my age, you develop a variety of interests, and art is timeless.¡±


    He more closely examined the first painting, which showed two planets. At first glance, they both seemed to be Earth. Then he noticed that one had an accurate representation of the continents, while the other was slightly, but noticeably off. In between the two planets, against a dark void, were four pillars.


    The leftmost was filled with indistinct dark shapes and bright stars. The next depicted a grotesque, Lovecraftian mass of monstrous leeches with rings of lamprey teeth. The third was dark but contained an eye-like nebula, immediately making him think of the entity in the next room. The last was similar to the first with its dark and indistinct shapes, but without the stars shining within.


    He turned his attention to the second picture, which he realised depicted the planet from the first picture with the distorted versions of Earth¡¯s continents. Orbiting the planet were a swarm of strange, floating cities. They ranged in style from ancient, with castles built of stone, through industrial age to modern and even sleekly futuristic. There was a nameplate in the frame giving the painting¡¯s name.


    ¡°The Invasion of Pallimustus,¡± he read. ¡°A lot of her critics have dismissed her work as fantasy kitsch because of works like this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think she¡¯s painting for art critics,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you know how long she¡¯s been working?¡±


    ¡°I think her works first appeared around a year ago. A year and a half, maybe.¡±


    ¡°I need to find this woman.¡±


    ¡°I can make some inquiries, although she¡¯s famously reclusive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate that.¡±


    Vermillion¡¯s gaze went back to the first image and the pillar that reminded him of Gordon. Then he glanced at the first pillar of darkness and stars. His thoughts drifted back to Jason¡¯s spectacular demolition of the Blood Riders and his startling appearance as he did so. If the first pillar represented Jason, then, and the third Gordon, Shade would fit the dark column at the end. That left the most horrifying of the four, with the mass of toothy leeches.


    ¡°Do you have a third mysterious companion?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°Colin,¡± Jason said. ¡°He took a hit when that category three came after me, so he¡¯s resting up.¡±


    Vermillion turned from the painting to look at Jason.


    ¡°Mind if I sit?¡±


    The cloud bed shrank into an armchair and another one rose up under Vermillion.


    ¡°That¡¯s handy,¡± Vermillion said, settling into the chair. ¡°So, you fought a category three essence magician.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he was crap. Last time I fought one, it took my whole team and we barely managed. I almost took this guy down solo. If he was even halfway decent he would have kicked the snot out of me.¡±


    ¡°If you get the chance, will you kill him?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°As long as people come at me and not my family, I¡¯m not going to hold grudges.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°You killed the others, though. The ones that took you away.¡±


    ¡°I could have just gotten away. But as I told my uncle, some secrets are dangerous to learn, and they learned one of mine.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°What is it you¡¯re working up to?¡± Jason asked.


    Vermillion nodded to himself.


    ¡°I watched you handle those bikers. You would have done the same to the EOA muscle in my cafe, right?¡±


    ¡°They came after me.¡±


    ¡°And you would have killed them, just like the bikers. I haven¡¯t known you long, Jason, but I¡¯ve seen people like you before. I¡¯ve been where you are.¡±


    ¡°You have not been where I¡¯ve been.¡±


    ¡°No? Drenched in battle? Possessed of powers that make you a danger, yet people keep coming, no matter how many you put down. Sound familiar?¡±


    ¡°A little,¡± Jason conceded.


    ¡°I understand where you are, Jason, and I¡¯d like to give you some advice. But I also understand that we don¡¯t know each other well and it will probably come across as patronising.¡±


    ¡°You know what?¡± Jason said. ¡°Last time I switched worlds and friends gave me good advice, I was stupid enough to think I knew better. If you have some words of wisdom, I¡¯m willing to at least listen.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°You need to stop killing people.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°You tell yourself that you do, but there¡¯s always a good reason to kill the next guy that comes along. Maybe you need to stop them from coming back for revenge later. Maybe they¡¯re the kind of bad that the world is better off without. Maybe you need to keep a secret. There¡¯s always a reason, but the real reason is that it¡¯s just easier. Somewhere along the way you lose that revulsion you had for taking a life. But you need that thing, to be a person.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m not a person?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying you won¡¯t be, if you keep down this road you¡¯re on. Take it from someone who already walked it; the further down you go, the harder it is to come back. You need to start choosing not to kill people. Not just when killing them isn¡¯t the right choice but even when leaving them alive is the wrong one. If you can get away with not killing them, even if that comes with a price, then let them live.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not some wild killer who can¡¯t stop myself.¡±


    ¡°No? Turn on the news, Jason. It¡¯s been nothing but all the people you killed for days, and they aren¡¯t even the latest people you killed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not good at leaving people alive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Once the fight starts, my powers aren¡¯t designed to leave survivors.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s all the more reason to avoid fighting altogether. I know hitting back is your instinctive reaction, but you¡¯re not at war. You need to stop dealing with the world like you are.¡±


    Vermillion got up from his chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to leave you be,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry if I crossed a line. It¡¯s just something I wish someone had told me a long time ago.¡±


    Jason sat staring at the four columns in the painting. His senses detected no magic, yet it felt like there was something hidden away, like the embedded image in a magic eye poster. He couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that if he could look at it in just the right way then secrets would be revealed.


    Eventually he gave up, although only for the moment. He rode the elevating platform up to the roof deck and looked out at the Pacific Ocean. The winter air was cold but his bronze-rank body would not be uncomfortable even in almost any climate that Earth could offer. He would no longer need the bracelet in his inventory that had shielded him from the desert heat during his time in the other world. That said, he would certainly not throw it away, given the sentimental value.


    Once again his thoughts turned to the magical world and the friends left behind. He hoped they fared well and that they knew he was gone but not dead. He was troubled by the second painting, the one he had purchased after claiming the first under such odd conditions. The world it depicted was quite obviously the magical one on which his life and very nature had changed forever.


    The symbolism was clear and the continents matched up with those on his map ability. Although he was no longer there, he was still able to call up the map of it. Even more, once he had two world maps to access, his inventory had labelled them. One, Earth, and the other Pallimustus, the name marked on the painting. He had never learned the name of the planet while he was there, as the inhabitants all just called it ¡®the world.¡¯


    He would need to find the artist, Dawn. Whatever connection she had to the other world, it was the closest he had to a clue on how to get back. In the meantime, though, his own world had affairs that needed tending. He had once thought to come home and resolve old wounds of the heart before leaving again, perhaps forever. Inevitably, life had become more complicated.


    He had no idea what the World-Phoenix wanted out of him, and for the moment he didn¡¯t care. The revelation that his world was full of magic, weak and thin though it may be meant that he would not be satisfied leaving his family unprepared. If the revelation of magic to the wider world was truly inevitable, then he wanted his family to be ready for the changes to come.


    In this regard, dealing with the magical hegemons was an inevitability. The Cabal was the one to which he had the least inherent connection, but they were the group he had the more pleasant encounters with, through Vermillion. One man, however, was not the same as the organisation behind him. This was especially true when, by his own admission, they kept many secrets to which Vermillion himself was not privy.


    The Engineers of Ascension represented the closest to Jason¡¯s own motivations. They were preparing for the coming changes, which was what Jason wanted for his family, but he was deeply hesitant regarding the group. The strange drone men he met, and the circumstances under which he met them, left him deeply wary of the EOA¡¯s methodology and values.


    That left the Network. They were the best fit for Jason, being essence users, but he had many well-founded reservations. For one thing, there was the mystery of how they made their members stronger. From his few brief encounters, it seemed that advancing through monster cores was the norm. Annabeth had not infused her aura with cores but she had the anaemic aura of a fresh iron-ranker. He suspected that a set of essences was mandatory for executives of the Network.


    He could forgive some of their heavy-handed approach in regards to Jason himself. He had certainly caused some very public trouble, and was even responsible for a number of innocent deaths. While he had never invited the biker attack, he had gotten caught up in his own power trip instead of putting an end to it as quickly and efficiently as possible. People without the power to protect themselves had been the ones to pay the price of that.


    From the Network¡¯s perspective, he was a powerful and reckless force that had appeared out of nowhere. He had trouble arguing against that assessment and it was not a surprise that they wanted to rein him in. His problem was that there did not appear to be a unified set of values. One branch might be acceptable to work with, while another would try and throw him in a hole.


    Annabeth Tilden seemed to be a more or less decent person trying to do a job he had made far from easy. That was a long way from the assassin who attacked him from ambush. Although ostensibly united, his interrogation of the man who was trying to transport him back to France revealed that the branches were caught up in often deep rivalries, especially across geographical lines.


    Each continental zone apparently had rivalries within it, ranging from the friendly to the stark. Across continental boundaries, branches might be even more antagonistic with each other than with the local arms of the other hegemonic powers. The arrival of the assassin and his attempt to take Jason had apparently been as much an attack on the Sydney branch as on Jason himself. This was according to the man he questioned; Jason felt differently on that particular point.


    The complicated interplay of the Network¡¯s internal factions made Jason wary of becoming involved, but he was choosing to do so for several reasons. One was that the Sydney branch, from what he could tell, seemed decent. He was reserving final judgement until he saw more of how they operated. Another was that an affiliation might stave off some of the other groups who saw Jason as an opportunity rather than a danger. Their inclination to follow the Lyon branch in taking a shot at him might be curtailed by a Network connection.


    Most importantly, the Network apparently had access to monsters. Monster cores were coming from somewhere, and Jason had developed a rough hypothesis. Vermillion had already told him that the Network was somehow intercepting monsters. Jason suspected that these monsters, unable to manifest normally, were somehow appearing in astral spaces, which the Network was entering in order to exterminate them. The terrorism readiness exercises would be cover for mobilising against those threats in populated areas as they seized control of apertures that were forming.


    Jason had studied enough astral magic to know that regular astral spaces were unlikely to be the culprits. There was such a thing as a proto-astral space, more unstable and short-lived than a regular astral space. He postulated that for some reason, these proto-astral spaces were forming on the border of his world¡¯s physical reality with accelerated frequency.


    One of the key reasons Jason felt confident about this was one of the many effects of the racial gift evolution he had still neither accepted nor refused.


    You will be able to directly enter proto-astral spaces coterminous with your location or directly leave a proto-astral space to a coterminous location.


    The power to access those spaces for himself certainly seemed like solid bait for taking the power. Until he better understood the World-Phoenix¡¯s motives, however, he still declined to even consider taking the power.


    For the moment, his intention was to do exactly what the Network wanted and quietly go away for a while. Once they had some kind of framework for cooperation, things could move forward from there. He had caused the Network a lot of trouble and was not opposed to extending them some of his resources by way of apology. He would not forget, however, that the Network had their own amends to make.


    The possibility of cooperation came down to two factors, both related to the Lyon branch. If the locals were willing to stand up for their international counterpart¡¯s actions, he was done with them. If they were willing to stand against them on his behalf, though, he was willing to reciprocate that goodwill. The second factor was the related issue of the other outworlder. He needed to know if the locals would help him, remain neutral and stay out of his way or actively obstruct him. This was the crucial element that would determine his relationship with the local branch of the Network.


    For the moment, it was time to put that aside. He was on his way home and his sister¡¯s birthday was tomorrow. He needed to figure out exactly how to make a grand reappearance.

 Chapter 290: Guity Conscience

    ¡°How long since you¡¯ve been back?¡± Jason asked Hiro as the motorhome drew closer to their hometown of Casselton Beach.


    ¡°Your memorial service. There wasn¡¯t a body, obviously, so no burial or cremation.¡±


    ¡°The body is just a vessel,¡± Jason said. ¡°It probably sounds weird, me talking about a soul, but I know more intimately than most.¡±


    ¡°It still¡­¡±


    Hiro shook his head.


    ¡°It still doesn¡¯t seem possible. I mean, you¡¯ve shown me the impossible and I still have trouble believing it.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jason said. ¡°Don¡¯t go losing your sceptical outlook just because your nephew turned out to be a wizard.¡±


    ¡°See, this doesn¡¯t help,¡± Hiro said. ¡°You go out of your way to make it seem absurd.¡±


    ¡°It is absurd,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re in a magic motorhome made of clouds being driven by the son of Death.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°Actually, that might be a bridge too far,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot to ease you into. How¡¯s Taika doing?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s gotten on board weirdly fast,¡± Hiro said. ¡°His father did me a good turn and I promised to keep Taika out of trouble. Give a good job, make sure he doesn¡¯t get pulled too deep into the life. I have no idea how I¡¯m going to explain all this to his Dad. Have we pulled him into something dangerous?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s on me,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been treating this world like the rules are the same as the other one and they¡¯re not. I need to get my head around that before even more people get hurt. I¡¯ve been on a war footing in my head and that needs to stop. If I keep being violent, then I¡¯ll just bring violence down on us all.¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°I got you and Taika caught up in my mess. I¡¯ve been telling myself that I¡¯ll do what it takes to keep you safe, but in my head that meant being willing to go further and hit harder than the other guy. I¡¯ve realised that¡¯s less about being willing to do whatever it takes and more about getting caught up in a story I¡¯m telling myself. It¡¯s an ongoing problem I have that always seems to blow back on the people around me rather than myself. A willingness to do what it takes means that if what it takes is eating some humble pie, I have to be willing to do that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll figure it out,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°I used to think I was so clever. A natural politician. The reality is, even in a simpler society I was out of my depth and here I¡¯m just flailing, like an angry child with a gun.¡±


    ¡°Maybe going home is what you need,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Step away from all the magic and madness. Let yourself get grounded for a while. No one brings you down to Earth like family.¡±


    Jason suddenly burst out laughing.


    ¡°What?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°I just realised that I¡¯m more nervous about seeing my sister than when I had to go see a bunch of gods.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah; gods are real. Just not local, that I¡¯m aware of. I mean, they could be. I won¡¯t know unless one of them rocks up to say g¡¯day, which puts me in the same boat as everyone else, I guess. I think I might go check in with Taika and see how he¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°Wait, gods?¡± Hiro asked incredulously as Jason wandered toward the elevating platform.


    ¡°Don¡¯t feel bad,¡± Jason said. ¡°Atheism¡¯s a valid position to hold, based on the information you had available. It¡¯s wrong, though. I¡¯ll tell you all about it later.¡±


    Jason rose to the upper level, where Taika and Gordon were sitting in front of the television on the wall.


    ¡°The reason it¡¯s the best one is because there¡¯s five of them,¡± Taika said. ¡°If one man can make a difference, then five people can make five times as much difference.¡±


    ¡°Taika,¡± Jason said disapprovingly. ¡°Are you introducing Gordon to the wrong Knight Rider?¡±


    ¡°Your magic bus yacht has good internet, bro. Who¡¯s your provider?¡±


    In winter, Casselton Beach went from sleepy tourist town to outright hibernation. The marina was at only a fraction of capacity, with only a few charter boats still operating, catering to seasonal fishers. With the warmth of spring, wealthy pleasure boats would return as wealthy holidaymakers arrived like bears emerging after their winter slumber.


    Jason had hired out a marina berth for his cloud house, much as he had done in Greenstone. Shade drove the motorhome directly onto the water, to the alarm of Taika and Hiro, but it floated perfectly well. Then Jason ushered everyone off and he pulled out the flask to start the transformation from motorhome to houseboat.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a magic item,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Are there many like that¡­ where you¡¯ve been?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty special, even over there,¡± Jason said. ¡°I won it in a contest.¡±


    ¡°Like a raffle?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Jason laughed. ¡°Where are you staying?¡±


    ¡°The Cabal bought a place. It turns out there are a lot of expensive homes around here, once you get out of the town proper.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Lots of rich people keep holiday homes here.¡±


    ¡°I have to go see your mother,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°You bought it from my Mum?¡±


    ¡°She is the pre-eminent upscale realtor in the Greater Casselton area.¡±


    ¡°Just because it says that on her website doesn¡¯t make it true.¡±


    ¡°The house is close to town, but apparently secluded enough that people won¡¯t notice the donors coming and going.¡±


    ¡°As in blood donors?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I only need to feed around once a week, unless I get very active. Recruiting locals is not a good idea, so the Cabal will send along one of the people we¡¯ve cultivated for the purpose each week. They get a nice drive and enough money to live on for a month, so they aren¡¯t exactly losing out. They don¡¯t even have to do the driving themselves, since we aren¡¯t going to send them on a road trip woozy from donating. They get a driver.¡±


    ¡°You know, I did check out that club of yours,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You did? My people didn¡¯t notice.¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t meant to,¡± Jason said. ¡°I wanted to make sure you weren¡¯t lying about not killing people.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s the trust?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°I trust,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I also verify. Tell me your people didn¡¯t run my whole life through a sieve and I¡¯ll apologise.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not worth that kind of effort,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°Is that right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes it is.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s my mother¡¯s middle name?¡±


    ¡°How would I possibly know that?¡± Vermillion asked.


    Jason looked at him from under raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Okay, it¡¯s Marie,¡± Vermillion admitted. ¡°Can I have my car back, please?¡±


    ¡°You know, I¡¯m going to be dealing with your mother a lot as well,¡± Hiro said as they watched Vermillion drive off. ¡°If I¡¯m going to start up a development here, working with her commercial office just makes sense.¡±


    ¡°Is that going to work out?¡± Jason asked. ¡°As I recall, my mother came down firmly on your mother¡¯s side regarding your vocational choices.¡±


    ¡°Once your grandmother comes around, Cheryl won¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    ¡°And Nanna¡¯s going to come around, is she?¡±


    ¡°She cares more about being right than anything I might have done. The prodigal son contritely returning home having learned his lesson is exactly what she wants.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, good luck with that,¡± Jason said sceptically.


    ¡°You know, we¡¯re both here to make awkward homecomings,¡± Hiro said. ¡°I¡¯m going to start by going to see Ken.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to wait until tomorrow night and pay Erika a visit,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll wait until her birthday celebration wraps up. It¡¯s falling on a Friday, so she¡¯ll probably be having a party. If you go see dad, he¡¯ll probably drag you along.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Hiro said. ¡°To annoy your mother, if nothing else.¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°I want to say that I can¡¯t believe they got divorced, but I can.¡±


    ¡°What will you be doing before tomorrow night?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Oh, I have some things to do.¡±


    Kaito was on his way home when the phone affixed to his dash rang and he tapped the screen to answer.


    ¡°Hey, Ames,¡± he greeting.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Amy said, Kaito recognising the particular brand of weariness in his wife¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Council meeting?¡± he asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re all morons,¡± she said. ¡°Why did I run for mayor again?¡±


    ¡°Because the mayor was a moron.¡±


    ¡°Right. Can I just dissolve the senate and rule with an iron fist?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Casselton Regional Council has a senate, Ames.¡±


    ¡°Boo. How are the girls?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been good,¡± he said.


    ¡°You sound weird,¡± Amy said. ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m having a¡­ I thought¡­ I don¡¯t know. I¡¯m having a weird day.¡±


    ¡°Weird how?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it tonight. I¡¯m on my way home now.¡±


    ¡°You should go talk to Erika,¡± she said.


    ¡°Maybe I will.¡±


    ¡°See if you can talk her into cooking,¡± Amy said.


    ¡°Your ulterior motive is revealed,¡± Kaito said. ¡°You know it¡¯s her birthday tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Tell her I¡¯ll get her TV show a tax break.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve told her that before,¡± Kaito said.


    ¡°Tell her I¡¯m not lying this time.¡±


    ¡°But you are lying this time.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. I can¡¯t force that through the budget.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do. We¡¯re coming up on home; see you tonight, love.¡±


    ¡°Love you.¡±


    He ended the call and pulled into the driveway of his house. A glance in the mirror showed that he was looking haggard. He looked over the house next door, seeing his sister sitting by the window in her lounge room, typing away on her laptop. He pulled out his phone and called her.


    ¡°Hey, brother,¡± Erika greeted, waving through the window. ¡°What¡¯s up?¡±


    ¡°Mind if I come over for a cuppa?¡±


    ¡°No worries. I don¡¯t need to pick Emi up from football practice for an hour.¡±


    Kaito extricated his two daughters from their safety seats, leading Hana by the hand and carrying Jace across the yard and up to the door, where Erika opened it to greet them. Erika brewed some tea while Kaito settled the girls in the lounge. Erika and Kaito then sat in the dining area where they could keep an eye on them.


    ¡°What¡¯s got you so frazzled, brother? You don¡¯t look so good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been¡­ seeing things. Since this morning. The first time I thought it was a weird reflection, then that I just saw something wrong. I mean, it had to be my imagination but I just kept seeing him, over and over.¡±


    ¡°Him?¡±


    ¡°Jason. I went out, late this morning. Some shopping, some chores. Everywhere I go, there he is. I know I¡¯m just seeing things but I can¡¯t stop seeing them anyway.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Erika said. ¡°Maybe you should talk about this with your wife. See if you can¡¯t figure out some reason you might feel guilty about something.¡±


    ¡°Erika.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t ¡®Erika¡¯ me. You know what this is, Kaito. Ultimately, it¡¯s better that she ended up with you than Jason, but that was going to be a train wreck in the best case scenario. The way you actually did it? It¡¯s like you found a psychological warfare specialist to devise the most effective way to hurt him, and you never had the chance to make amends for that.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d never agree to see us.¡±


    ¡°Because he knew that he¡¯d stab you in the face.¡±


    Kaito sighed.


    ¡°You really think that she¡¯s better with me than him?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Long term, yeah,¡± Erika said. ¡°Jason was a lot to deal with. He had a lot of hard edges and he never stopped pushing. I like Amy, I do, but she was always going to get consumed in Jason. But you¡¯re Jason with the hard edges sanded down. You know when to stop.¡±


    ¡°There was no stopping Jason,¡± Kaito agreed.


    ¡°Yes, there was, Kaito. You and Amy stopped him like a speeding car hitting a wall. He was finally starting to get it together when¡­¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said. ¡°I know you¡¯ve heard this from me before and I don¡¯t mean to go dredging up the past. We all have sins behind us.¡±


    ¡°I just never had the chance to make amends.¡±


    ¡°I hate to break it to you, Kaito, but that isn¡¯t the tragic part.¡±


    ¡°I know, I¡­¡±


    He was interrupted by his phone.


    ¡°It¡¯s Benny,¡± he said. ¡°I should take this.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± she said.


    Kaito took the phone into the kitchen. Shortly after, Erika started hearing incredulous sounds coming from Kaito.


    ¡°They what? Yellow? Wait, the bad guy from those movies? I¡¯m not coming in if there¡¯s paint fumes. I have the girls with me. Because she¡¯s the frigging mayor, Benny.¡±


    Kaito came out of the kitchen looking disgruntled.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Benny¡¯s been maintaining the helicopter in the off season, but he went in today and someone had painted it bright yellow.¡±


    ¡°Someone painted your helicopter?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They got into the hangar somehow, painted it yellow and wrote the name of the villain from those superhero movies across it. What do superheroes have to do with my helicopter?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about Thanos?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the purple one with the weird skin beard.¡±


    Erika erupted into laughter.

 Chapter 291: Uncommon Mistake

    ¡°You should come to your sister¡¯s party tomorrow night instead of just showing up after,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°Not a good plan,¡± Jason said. ¡°Ooh, smell that. I missed garlic.¡±


    They were in the kitchen of Jason¡¯s cloud houseboat as Jason prepared an evening meal.


    ¡°How much garlic are you putting in there?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°Sopa de ajo literally means ¡®soup of garlic,¡¯ so a lot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a costume party,¡± Hiro said. ¡°You could come in disguise.¡±


    ¡°Erika does love those,¡± Jason said. ¡°What would I go as, though? I¡¯m not looking to steal Erika¡¯s thunder on her birthday. I wouldn¡¯t want anyone finding out who I was in the middle of it and causing a huge commotion. It¡¯s not like I packed a Zorro outfit and I¡¯m not running around in the outfit they keep showing on the news.¡±


    ¡°I got you this,¡± Taika said, putting a shopping bag on the table. He took out a spring- action lightsaber toy. ¡°I went with the red blade because your outfit seemed pretty dark.¡±


    ¡°You think I should go as a lord of the Sith?¡±


    ¡°Bro, you pretty much are a lord of the Sith. You look less evil without the villain beard, though.¡±


    ¡°I needed to shave it for something I was doing today. I¡¯ll grow it back after dinner.¡±


    ¡°You can just grow back hair?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°I have some magic hair growth ointment.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± Hiro said. ¡°So, are you going to go to the party?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I would like to see how they¡¯re doing before I come back from the dead.¡±


    While the meeting with his sister awaited him in the evening, the morning found Jason uncharacteristically restless and nervy. He went through his training routine, including combat training with Shade. Shade had a comprehensive expertise with the Order of the Reaper¡¯s techniques and his ability to generate physical force and create multiple bodies made him a useful instructor.


    Jason used his meditation session to settle himself. Afterwards, to keep himself distracted, he decided to undertake a project he¡¯d been thinking about and create a simple but original magical item. The magic theory collection he inherited from Farrah didn¡¯t have any advanced materials on artifice, the study of magic item creation. It did have some comprehensive, foundational works, however.


    Farrah¡¯s ritual magic specialty was related to formations and arrays, which had some interdisciplinary crossover with artifice. Formations were permanent or semi-permanent ritual effects, while arrays were formations layered in sequence or even atop one another. The array of ritual effects on the Network¡¯s headquarters was beyond Jason¡¯s ability to decipher, but he had no doubt that Farrah would have handled it easily.


    After Clive¡¯s months of tutelage, Jason was able to take in the fundamentals of artifice theory in a few hours. His existing skill book knowledge was incredibly useful in enhancing comprehension, as was his spirit attribute. Improved memory and learning speed were both aspects of spirit attribute enhancement that frequently went overlooked by adventurers. Jason learned of it from Clive, during one of many early attempts to get Jason more engaged with magical theory.


    Jason¡¯s project was to create a new variation of his throwing darts, the simple magic item he knew best. His plan was to combine some simple magic with materials produced by the chemical and engineering knowledge of his own world.


    After plotting out the initial test design, he needed some materials. Some were basic stuff he had taken into the astral space and he had a decent amount of leftover. He¡¯d done a good job of hoarding his limited resources, always prioritising powers over wasting his consumables. Many of the non-magical materials for his project would require a trip to the hardware store.


    He left the houseboat and was walking along the pier when he heard someone yell out.


    ¡°Kaito!¡±


    Jason turned at the sound of his brother¡¯s name, but what he saw was someone jogging along the pier, waving at him. Jason recognised him as Lawrence, one of his high school contemporaries.


    ¡°Kaito,¡± Lawrence greeted as he caught up. ¡°Hey, man. I haven¡¯t seen you in what? Six years.¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°How¡¯ve you been, Lawman?¡±


    Lawrence laughed.


    ¡°Lawman,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard that in a long time. I¡¯m just back in town selling my old man¡¯s boat. You¡¯re looking good, man. I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve got, what? Three kids now?¡±


    ¡°Two,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Right. I never picked you for the settling down type. With that Amy girl, too. She did get hot that last year of high school, but hadn¡¯t you left by then? I thought she¡¯d end up with your brother.¡±


    ¡°So did he,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, you dog,¡± Lawrence chortled. ¡°I was sorry to hear about your brother, though.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°We should catch a drink while I¡¯m in town.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°Two kids, man. Just getting a good night¡¯s sleep is a win.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no thanks,¡± Lawrence said. ¡°This is why I like a nice, clean, child support payment. I haven¡¯t seen any of mine and I¡¯m not going to. I make sure the baby-mamas know better than to let the little filth balls anywhere near me if they want those payments to clear nice and promptly.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯ve found the lifestyle that¡¯s right for you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Damn right. All it took was a few loans from my dad and I¡¯ve got a thriving business. Alright, I¡¯ll see you around, brother!¡±


    Jason watched with distaste as Lawrence walked away. It felt like the man¡¯s personality somehow left an oily residue.


    Jason went to a hardware store to make some purchases. When he arrived at the one he knew, it turned out to have been replaced by a fish shop. Jason was reminded that the world hadn¡¯t sat still in the six years since he last came home and he had to look up a new hardware store on his phone. He could only find one of the big warehouse chains having presumably squeezed out the local proprietors. At least the large store was able to supply him with the things he was looking for.


    After returning home, he didn¡¯t immediately dig into his purchases. He found himself processing having been mistakenly recognised as his brother. It was a little unnerving as it was usually a mistake made only by the deeply racist. For all of Lawrence¡¯s many faults, that was not one of them. Lawrence hadn¡¯t known Jason or his brother well and it had been a long time ago, but it was still startling.


    Jason found himself in front of a mirror. Now that he looked, he could see the resemblance. The physique-refining process of going up two ranks had significantly enhanced the family resemblance. His skin was clearer, the chin less pronounced. Jason¡¯s face was still more angular than his brother¡¯s. His mouth moved more easily into a grin than Kaito¡¯s signature, easygoing smile. He flashed that smile in the mirror with the open, inviting casualness that Kaito naturally exuded. It was something Jason had spent years working to emulate.


    Looking at that smile in the mirror, he really did look like his brother. The smile fell away, the sparkling eyes replaced with a cold stare. He frowned unhappily and the mirror dissolved back into cloud-stuff, sinking into the wall.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Hiro asked as he and Taika returned to the houseboat. Jason was on the deck stirring the contents of a large tub with a stick.


    ¡°Making a ballistic gel mixture,¡± Jason said. ¡°I couldn¡¯t get exactly what I was after at the hardware store, but I picked up what should be a good substitute. Once I make some adjustments based on what I found in the internet, anyway. Did you get a good car?¡±


    As Hiro¡¯s last car had not been released from the police due to having been shot a number of times, they had been out procuring a new one. Hiro¡¯s brother, Jason¡¯s father, had driven them to Castle Heads, which was the wealthiest of the small towns making up the Greater Casselton area.


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t a problem,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°That Castle Heads is a fancy town,¡± Taika said. ¡°It¡¯s all boutique stores and big houses. You don¡¯t see a lot of small towns with European car dealerships.¡±


    ¡°I called in on your grandmother while I was there,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Jason said. ¡°How did your Mum respond to you turning over a new leaf?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a work in progress,¡± Hiro said evasively. ¡°Your father wanted to come check out where we were staying. I told him I¡¯d show him around on Sunday, so no getting nervous and backing out on the big reveal.¡±


    ¡°It never crossed my mind,¡± Jason lied.


    Jason sat on a chair in his room. He¡¯d distracted himself with his project for a while but once again his mind was occupied by the upcoming reunion with his family. If it were just that he¡¯d been away, that was one thing. But even without them thinking he was dead, there was a lot of baggage there.


    On first arriving in town, Jason had sent Shade to seek out watch over his sister, his father and his niece. If the Network or anyone else made a move against them, he wanted to be ready to respond. Thus far, he had respected their privacy enough to have Shade keep what he saw to himself.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°Your niece seems likely to become involved in an altercation in the immediate future.¡±


    ¡°Is it Network?¡±


    ¡°Not that I am aware of,¡± Shade said. ¡°Perhaps you should see for yourself.¡±


    Jason closed his eyes and sank his consciousness, projecting his senses through Shade¡¯s distant body. It was occupying an innocuous shadow on the grounds of Jason¡¯s old school. He immediately spotted his twelve year-old niece, Emi, in the same academy uniform he once wore. She was marching up to a group of boys picking on another student.


    ¡°Leave him alone, Bryce,¡± she said to the obvious ringleader. Bryce was quite a bit larger than her but she positioned herself between him and the boy slinking against the wall in fear. She planted her feet in front of Bryce and tilted her head back to glare up at him.


    ¡°Screw off, Emi,¡± Bryce said.


    ¡°Not going to happen, Bryce,¡± she said,


    ¡°Are you looking to get beaten up?¡±


    ¡°Where did you learn to bully people?¡± she asked. ¡°Eighties movies? Do it online like a regular person.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not afraid to hit a girl, Emi.¡±


    Emi smiled at him like he was an idiot.


    ¡°The way I see it, Bryce, you have three options. One, you walk away. Spoiler: this is the smart choice. Option two is that you and your friends beat up a girl, which will not go well for you. Option three is a girl beats you up, which will go even worse. So, are you going to back it up or get yourself in more trouble than your daddy can get you out of?¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m afraid of you?¡± Bryce snarled.


    ¡°No,¡± Emi said. ¡°I think you¡¯re afraid of what happens when my mum changes her mind about catering your mum¡¯s party, though. How does your dad normally take it when you stop your mother from getting something she wants. Sorry, step mother. The new one is quite pretty, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Bryce paled.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to let you go this time,¡± he said, and started to leave. ¡°Count yourself lucky.¡±


    Emi turned her gaze to the boy up against the wall.


    ¡°Thanks Emi,¡± he said miserably.


    ¡°Grow some balls, Hunter,¡± she told him. ¡°Your name literally means someone who kills things.¡±


    Jason withdrew his senses from Shade with a chuckle.


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t changed,¡± he said happily.


    ¡°She seems quite intelligent for her age,¡± Shade said. ¡°I believe I recognised some behavioural traits, there.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s smart like her Mum.¡±


    Jason stood and opened up his inventory to the outfit tabs. His old iron-rank combat robes had significantly more grey than his black bronze-rank one and were distinct enough from the images of the Starlight Rider that he was satisfied. He closed his inventory and went out where Hiro and Taika were watching more of Jason¡¯s interdimensional travel vlog.


    ¡°Bro, your friend looks like Ron Perlman from that show with the woman from Terminator 2.¡±


    ¡°Gary? Yeah, he¡¯s a great guy. Where did you put that lightsaber?¡±


    ¡°Still in the kitchen,¡± Taika said.


    ¡°So you¡¯re going to the party?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I wanted to go too,¡± Taika said. ¡°I don¡¯t have a costume or know any of your family, though. I just like parties.¡±

 Chapter 292: It’s Complicated

    The naked woman¡¯s feet trailed on the floor as she was dragged through concrete halls, not cooperating even enough to stumble along. The closest thing she had to clothing was the collar around her neck. They only used category two guards for her, which tied up some of their most valuable personnel. After what she did to the category ones in her first escape attempt, though, it was a necessary allocation of resources. They dumped her in a room that was a plain concrete cube. They moved her around a lot, never anywhere better.


    The magical array securing the complex had been engraved right into the concrete. Every door was magically locked, which meant that the collared inmates would be unable to open them, even if they had the chance. Her captors were unconcerned about letting the inmates see it, since they were all collared and unable to so much as explore the array with their mystical senses, let alone grasp their function.


    They were trying to keep her on edge, never giving her anything reliable or consistent, even in the miserable conditions. Sometimes there was a steel cot with no bedding, other times a plain mattress on the floor. She was never left in the dark and her sleep never went uninterrupted by blasting music or being hosed down with water. They knew she could handle the wet and the cold, denying her bed, blanket or clothes. All she wore was the suppression collar.


    The only exception were brief interludes where she was given a warm bed and uninterrupted rest. These brief interludes were fleeting promises of what capitulation could offer.


    Two men watched her through a security monitor. Adrien was older, his stern features unflinching as he observed the woman on the screen. Michel was younger and visibly uncomfortable.


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know if she can understand what we¡¯re saying to her,¡± Michel said.


    ¡°She understands,¡± Adrien responded without turning his gaze from the monitor. He had no need to look to sense his subordinate¡¯s distaste for the methodology being employed.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t working,¡± Michel said.


    ¡°She¡¯s strong,¡± Adrien said, ¡°but that¡¯s good for us. The impediment is hope. It¡¯s only been a few days and she still thinks there is something other than surrender. In time, the hope will die.¡±


    In her concrete box she was biding her time, reserving her strength. Her collar-suppressed senses were unable to explore the magic engraved into the walls and floors and ceilings. Instead, as they dragged her through the hallways that made up the concrete warren, she mapped the engravings with her eyes the same way she mapped the layout.


    Her escape attempts were never the earnest attempts to break free that her captors believed. She had let them think she was turned around in the rat nest of subterranean tunnels. It never occurred to them that her understanding of ritual emplacements was sufficient to grasp their function from visual inspection alone. Each escape attempt, a seeming scramble to find a path out, was actually to get eyes on crucial elements of the magic array that her captors had not led her past themselves.


    Just as she plotted out the layout of the complex in her head, she plotted out the workings of the magical array. She was approaching the point where she would understand enough of it to extrapolate the rest, after which point it became a matter how to turn it to her own ends. In the meantime, she would endure whatever indignities they chose to inflict.


    Erika put her phone away.


    ¡°Mum sent her apologies,¡± she said, leaning into her husband, Ian. ¡°Via text.¡±


    The party was in full swing as people swarmed in, out and around their house. There were two barbecues roaring in the gazebo, which also contained the beer fridge. Eskies scattered about contained even more booze, as no one got to touch Erika¡¯s kitchen fridge.


    She was dressed as the Riddler, complete with green bowler hat. The long, green coat covered in question marks helped with the winter cold, although the roaring barbecues kept the gazebo toasty and there was a fire pot on the patio.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably for the best,¡± Ian said, lifting off her green bowler hat to kiss the top of her head. He was dressed as a pirate.


    ¡°Your dad would be enough to set her off,¡± Ian said, ¡°but he brought his brother with him too. I think he was trying to cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she wearily agreed.


    ¡°Look at it this way,¡± Ian said. ¡°Emi is staying at Ruby¡¯s house, your mum isn¡¯t here to get in a fight with your dad. You have two dozen people here who love you and all your potential friction points are gone. You can just have a drink, and then another drink and have a nice time.¡±


    ¡°How do you always know what to say?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Well, you¡¯re smarter than me, so I just wait for you to get tired and then be as supportive as possible.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a sly one, Ian Evans,¡± she said.


    ¡°I had to be, to get the best woman in the world to agree to marry me.¡±


    ¡°Charmer.¡±


    ¡°Sadly, she died and I had to settle, so you lucked into all this,¡± he said, gesturing up and down his body. She flicked him on the nose.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    They started making their way around the guests, Erika receiving birthday congratulations as she checked out the various costumes. Most were store-bought or minimal effort and she felt a longing for her big parties in Melbourne. On balance, though, she liked where she was. The costumes might have been better in Melbourne but she preferred the people inside them here. Old friends and family were better than people looking for networking opportunities.


    ¡°Greg¡¯s done well,¡± Ian pointed out.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s an impressive Iron Man outfit,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s Greg in there?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°That must have taken him weeks.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s very lonely,¡± Ian said.


    ¡°Just because he can spend so much time on an impressive costume, that doesn¡¯t mean he¡¯s lonely,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Must be a coincidence, then,¡± Ian said.


    ¡°You¡¯re so bad,¡± Erika scolded.


    ¡°Who¡¯s that in the Sith outfit?¡±


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Erika said. ¡°The lightsaber¡¯s a bit naff, but the rest of the outfit is incredible. That cloak seems really spooky.¡±


    ¡°There is something about it, isn¡¯t there?¡± Ian said. ¡°Shall we pop over and say, g¡¯day? See who¡¯s under there?¡±


    They made their way in that direction but the person somehow slipped away unnoticed.


    ¡°Did you see him go?¡± Erika asked as they arrived at the spot he¡¯d been standing in.


    ¡°No,¡± Ian said, looking about in confused. ¡°I could swear I was looking right at him, too.¡±


    Jason spent most of the party in the shadows, using a combination of his cloak and subtle aura projection to make people overlook him. He watched his sister and her husband, glued to one another the entire night. He watched his father, Ken, who brought Hiro but left early. He went next door to watch his grandchildren while their parents joined the party.


    Kaito was wearing a pale suit and pastel shirt. Just as Jason had rejected his mother¡¯s attempts to impart Japanese culture, Kaito had rejected their father¡¯s attempts to impart pop culture. Jason observed that his brother¡¯s grasp of classic pop-cultural knowledge still appeared to begin and end with Miami Vice. Kaito¡¯s wife, Amy, was dressed as the fourth Doctor Who. This permitted her a long coat and longer scarf to hold off the winter chill.


    Amy had wavy brown hair and fair skin. She was pretty, but only by Earth standards; compared to the supernaturally beautiful women of the other world, she was rather plain. Nonetheless, Jason was stopped dead as she walked into view. Feelings he had convinced himself were long dead surged up within him.


    Jason and Amy, the girl next door, had been best friends going back as far as Jason could remember. They were inseparable growing up and careened together into the confused hormones of adolescence. She had a crush on Kaito from an early age, which only complicated Jason¡¯s already complex feelings toward his brother.


    As she had matured and moved past Kaito¡¯s disinterest, she had eventually come to reciprocate Jason¡¯s feelings. It was only years after it came crashing down that Jason came to accept that he had been the one pushing their relationship in that direction. He realised that she went along as much to avoid losing him altogether as anything else. If they had been older and wiser, they both might have handled things better. He certainly wouldn¡¯t have leveraged their friendship the way he had, a shame he carried to the present day.


    It was the end of their first semester of university when things came to a head. They had both moved to Melbourne to study, him at the University of Melbourne and her at La Trobe. She returned home for the semester break, while Jason stayed in Melbourne to revel in his newfound freedom.


    Jason was unsure exactly what happened between her and Kaito during that semester break and had no interest in learning more. The fallout had been bad enough, with Jason dropping out but staying in Melbourne, while Amy transferred to a university in Sydney.


    Aside from one disastrous trip home in the immediate aftermath, Jason had not returned to his hometown until now. He watched his brother and sister in law from the shadows, unseen.


    Erika and Ian looked for the man in the strange cloak, asking their guests if they knew who it was, but no one could tell them and he wasn¡¯t seen again as the party wound down. In the aftermath, Erika stood in the lounge room, taking stock of the mess. She tiredly rubbed the back of her neck and when she looked up, suddenly the man in the cloak was standing at the far end of the room.


    ¡°You kept vanishing on us,¡± Erika said.


    He hit the spring action on his plastic lightsaber.


    ¡°The dark side of the force is a pathway to abilities that some would consider¡­ unnatural.¡±


    Erika found the voice familiar, but couldn¡¯t place it.


    ¡°The party¡¯s over and it¡¯s time to go home,¡± she said. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    Jason pushed back the hood of his magical cloak.


    ¡°Hello, Eri.¡±


    Erika stood stunned as Jason waited, not saying any more as she stared at him, wide-eyed. She took one hesitating step forward, then another, before hurriedly shuffling across the room.


    ¡°Jason?¡± she asked, her voice soft as if afraid that to speak too loud would scare him off.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± he said with a warm smile.


    Her hands went up, unsure whether to hug him or grab him or just poke him to see if he was real.


    ¡°How?¡± she whispered.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯ll be plenty of time for explanations.¡±


    Her eyes searched his face, as if it held the answers to questions plaguing her for a year and a half. It was not quite the same face she remembered. She took in the beard, the two small scars. The eyes were the same, dark and penetrating. So was the vaguely smug, perpetual half-smirk.


    ¡°Where the hell were you, you frigging arsehole?¡± she asked, throwing herself into him and embracing him in a fierce hug. His body felt different.


    ¡°Have you been working out?¡± she asked.


    He chuckled, returning the hug.


    ¡°Work keeps me fit,¡± he said.


    They stood in the lounge, Erika clinging to him like she was afraid he¡¯d disappear again. Ian¡¯s slightly inebriated, sing-song voice came drifting in from the hall.


    ¡°Erika¡­ who¡¯s ready to walk the plank?¡±


    He walked into the room with a plastic cutlass on one hand and a bottle of rum in the other, wearing only some pirate-themed boxer shorts and a tricorn hat. He spotted his wife hugging the man in the dark cloak.


    ¡°What the¡­ Jason?¡±


    ¡°What the hell kind of answer is ¡®it¡¯s complicated,¡¯¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°A complicated one,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you everything, I will. It¡¯s just has to come in stages.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Because some things you need to see for yourself before you can accept them,¡± Jason said.


    Jason sat across from Ian and Erika at their dining table. Ian had made a quick trip to obtain pants, while Erika held Jason¡¯s hand across the table, as if afraid he¡¯d make a break for it.


    ¡°You expect me to just accept that?¡± Erika asked. ¡°I knew there was something shady about what happened. I was looking into it for months. There was some kind of crazy cover up¡­¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You know? But you let me keep thinking you were dead?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know then,¡± Jason said. ¡°I had no say in what happened. I only got back a week ago and I¡¯ve been playing catch up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been here a week? Back from where?¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll give you the broad strokes, but you probably won¡¯t believe me. When you just lay it out, it comes across as quite ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°Compared to a conspiracy where I had to back off instead of getting murdered?¡±


    Jason¡¯s face took on a sudden savagery unlike anything she had ever seen from him in the past.


    ¡°Who threatened you?¡± he asked, his voice full of dark promise.


    ¡°I was looking into it with this cop, back in Melbourne,¡± Erika said. ¡°He pretty much torpedoed his career trying to help me. He finally told me to back off because people who dug too hard were turning up dead. I know that sounds like some crazy conspiracy.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I know who that was. Broadly speaking. I¡¯m sorry you¡¯ve been caught up in all this.¡±


    ¡°In all what? Seriously, Jason. You fake your death and vanish? What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t fake my death, Eri. Look, this is going to sound insane, even by murderous conspirator standards. It started when I got caught up with this¡­ let¡¯s call him a fringe religious extremist. He never intended to get me involved, it just happened by accident. Next thing I know, I¡¯m a very long way from home, with no way back.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t pick up a phone?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°No phone, no internet, no radio.¡±


    ¡°Where were you? The Sahara desert?¡±


    ¡°No, the Kalahari.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s further south.¡±


    ¡°I know where the Kalahari desert is, Jason. You¡¯re telling me you¡¯ve been in Africa this whole time?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to tell anyone when you left?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t leave, Erika. I was taken.¡±


    ¡°You were kidnapped?¡±


    ¡°Not on purpose, but essentially, yeah.¡±


    ¡°To Africa.¡±


    ¡°More or less.¡±


    ¡°More or less? You know they have phones in Africa.¡±


    ¡°Not where I was. That would be the less.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t go somewhere there was one?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated.¡±


    Erika let out a groan.


    ¡°What happened to your apartment?¡± she asked. ¡°You¡¯d better not say gas leak.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a gas leak. I¡¯ll tell you all about it, but not tonight.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you want me to say,¡± he said.


    She groaned again.


    ¡°You look different,¡± she said. ¡°You sound different.¡±


    ¡°Part of my training,¡± Jason said. ¡°I do a thing with my breathing that makes my voice different.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± Ian said. ¡°It¡¯s deeper, with a little hint of reverb. It¡¯s sexy.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said brightly.


    ¡°How I can be sure it¡¯s even you?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Because you want to punch me in the face,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know that feeling.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said. ¡°I do want to punch you in the face. How about you keep telling us your ridiculous story instead.¡±


    ¡°Alright, so this guy took me by accident. I¡­ managed to get away, but it turns out he has a whole family of nutjobs and they catch me immediately. That was when I met these other people they caught, and these people were private security contractors. They¡¯d been hired to look into this crazy family living out in the desert and got themselves caught.¡±


    ¡°Private security contractors?¡± Ian asked. ¡°You mean mercenaries?¡±


    ¡°Whatever you want to call them,¡± Jason said. ¡°Mostly they work for the local authorities. They helped me get out of the situation I was in and recruited me.¡±


    ¡°They recruited you to be a mercenary?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did they mistake you for someone else.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°This is not helping my self-esteem, Eri.¡±


    ¡°Your self-esteem doesn¡¯t need it. You¡¯re telling me you¡¯re a mercenary?¡±


    ¡°Not right now,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was the only way we could think of that might get me a way home. These people, they trained me up over a few months. They became my friends.¡±


    ¡°They taught you to shoot people?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more of a knife guy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a knife guy,¡± Erika said lightly. ¡°ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR GODDAMN MIND?¡±


    ¡°I warned you it would come across as ridiculous,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t wrong,¡± Erika said, swiping the bottle of rum from her husband and taking a swig.¡±


    ¡°Alright, go on,¡± she said.


    ¡°So, I worked this job for a while until I stumbled into a way back home. That was a week ago. I¡¯ve been staying with uncle Hiro while I get a handle on everything.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Hiro knows?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s just him and you two. No one else, yet. Not from the family, anyway.¡±


    ¡°This is a lot to take in, Jason,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°I know. It¡¯s only going to get worse once we start going through the details.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we just leave that for tonight¡± Ian interjected. ¡°How about we just be happy that Jason has come back to us.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to need your support when it comes to Mum and Dad, Eri. And Kaito.¡±


    ¡°Oh, carp,¡± Erika said. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a huge mess.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason agreed. She squeezed his hand.


    ¡°Are you still saying carp instead of crap.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes,¡± she said. ¡°Carp is worse than crap.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a chef,¡± Jason said. ¡°Show some professionalism.¡±


    ¡°No. Carp is the worst.¡±


    ¡°And people say I¡¯m weird,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You came back from the dead claiming to be a knife mercenary,¡± Erika exclaimed. ¡°Knife mercenaries and coming back from the dead aren¡¯t actually things that exist.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said awkwardly. ¡°This is going to be an interesting week for you.¡±


    ¡°Do you have somewhere to stay?¡± Erika asked. ¡°Your old room is a guest room, now. Emi had Kaito¡¯s old room, because it¡¯s the biggest.¡±


    ¡°I have a houseboat at the marina.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re living on a houseboat?¡± she asked. ¡°Like the Highlander? TV show Highlander, obviously.¡±


    ¡°That was never a good TV show,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s be honest; it was never a great movie,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°I liked that movie,¡± Ian said.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Jason agreed.


    ¡°It was a good idea with a middling execution at best. Search your feelings, boys; you know it to be true. A lot of that movie coasted on the soundtrack.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hell yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°I haven¡¯t heard a Queen song in a year and a half.¡±

 Chapter 293: A Big Dose of Normal

    Jason returned to Erika¡¯s house in the crisp air of the winter Saturday morning. After giving his sister a night to process his sudden return, he was expecting a thorough grilling. He wanted to bring her into the fold as quickly as he could but knew that dumping everything at once was a recipe for disaster. He didn¡¯t want her making any mistakes because of something Jason communicated poorly.


    Erika had arranged for their parents to come over to let them know about Jason¡¯s return, with Kaito and Amy scheduled to arrive after. Jason, Ian and Erika were waiting in the lounge room, in Erika¡¯s plush chairs. They weren¡¯t cloud furniture, but they were the next best thing. Erika¡¯s phone bleeped and she checked the text.


    ¡°Oh, bloody hell.¡±


    ¡°Mum?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s too busy, apparently,¡± Erika said. ¡°She told me that she¡¯d be here. I told her it was important.¡±


    ¡°Are you really surprised?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It would be nice if she actually did surprise me for once and didn¡¯t blow me off,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°You should have had Kaito set it up,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯d turn up for that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Erika said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think of that.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll stick with the plan,¡± Jason said. ¡°Dad should be here soon, with Uncle Hiro. Then we can bring Kaito and Amy over.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright to see them?¡± Erika asked. ¡°It¡¯s been a lot longer than just since you died. Went away. Oh, carp. I still haven¡¯t got my head around this.¡±


    ¡°When I was so far away that I didn¡¯t have the choice,¡± Jason said, ¡°it put a lot of things into perspective. Mum wasn¡¯t wrong that the best thing to do was just accept it, but she really needed to wait a year before giving it. Maybe two. You know she¡¯s the one who actually told me about it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason said. ¡°She always liked Amy but she was with the wrong brother. It kind of felt like she was calling to say that I was never good enough and now she had proof.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to see why you rushed back and hit town like a thunderstorm,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°It took me years to move past what happened,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you that. You were propping me up the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure that you have moved past it?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°But at this point, staying away hurts more than coming back.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do about Mum?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a busy woman, obviously,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯ll figure it out eventually.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just going to not tell her?¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we tell Kaito that she already knows and let nature take its course?¡± Jason suggested.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that a little cruel?¡± Erika asked. ¡°Wait a second. Kaito said he kept seeing you the other day.¡±


    ¡°That was fun,¡± Jason chuckled. ¡°I shaved for that.¡±


    ¡°He thought he was going crazy.¡±


    ¡°That was the basic plan,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Did you turn his helicopter into the Thanos copter?¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°Did you have to explain it to him?¡± he asked.


    ¡°His wife did.¡±


    Jason smirked.


    ¡°Jason, if you just came home for some petty revenge, you may as well have not come,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Of course I didn¡¯t,¡± he said. ¡°Petty revenge is just a perk.¡±


    ¡°You did do a pretty good job with the helicopter,¡± she acknowledged.


    ¡°It¡¯s the off season,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯s using it right now and it¡¯s not even proper paint. It¡¯s water soluble and will practically just hose off.¡±


    ¡°So what¡¯s the big mystery?¡± Ken asked as he came inside and hugged his daughter. ¡°Hiro was so adamant about me coming along that I thought he was roping me into smoothing things over with your grandmother for him. I told him he was better off asking your Uncle Shiro.¡±


    ¡°No, this is more than that,¡± Erika said, leading him into the lounge.


    ¡°So what¡¯s is going on?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Hello Dad.¡±


    Ken went dead still on hearing Jason¡¯s voice behind him. Slowly he turned around, as if fearful of what he would see. His breathing became ragged as he saw Jason standing in the doorway. After a moment of shocked stillness, Ken exploded forward to catch his son in a huge hug. Jason caught the familiar smell of old spice and soil as he returned the hug.


    ¡°Is it really you, boy?¡± Ken asked, not releasing Jason.


    ¡°It¡¯s me,¡± Jason said.


    Ken continued to hold onto Jason like he would never let go.


    Things with Jason¡¯s father went very differently than with Erika. She had launched into an interrogation almost immediately, where Ken only wanted to know two things: was Jason alright and was he back to stay. He couldn¡¯t stop grinning as his teary eyes drank in the son that had been returned to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to disappear any time soon,¡± Jason assured him. ¡°Not like last time. Things are kind of up in the air right now, professionally, but I¡¯m looking to base myself out of Casselton Beach for at least the near future.¡±


    ¡°Professionally?¡± Erika asked. ¡°You know, I¡¯ve been going over what you told me yesterday and the more I think about it, the more it comes off as a pile of hot nonsense.¡±


    ¡°How much did you tell her?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°About what I told you, at first.¡±


    ¡°None of the really implausible stuff, then,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the implausible stuff?¡± Erika asked, her voice rising an octave.


    She turned to Jason and saw that he was looking suddenly nervous.


    ¡°They¡¯re here,¡± he said.


    Shortly thereafter, there was a knock on the door, followed by the sound of it opening.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Kaito¡¯s voice called out. ¡°We¡¯re arrived for the mysterious family meeting.¡±


    ¡°Lounge room,¡± Erika called back, glancing at Jason only to realise that he¡¯d vanished like a ghost.


    ¡°Do you know who that car outside belongs to?¡± Amy asked as they came in. ¡°It looks like the Batmobile.¡±


    ¡°Hey, Dad,¡± Kaito greeted. ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Better than alright,¡± Ken said. ¡°Who has the girls?¡±


    ¡°Mrs Glenn.¡±


    ¡°Mrs Glenn,¡± Ken chuckled. ¡°She used to look after you when you were little.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s great with the girls,¡± Amy said. ¡°The only concern is that she¡¯ll get too attached and flee the country with them.¡±


    ¡°You should be safe there,¡± Erika said. ¡°I doubt Mrs Glenn knows a good passport guy.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure,¡± Amy said. ¡°She seems like a woman with a history.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s the big mystery?¡± Kaito asked.


    ¡°That would be the owner of the car outside,¡± Erika said. ¡°He seems to have disappeared on us. Again.¡±


    ¡°Can you blame me?¡± Jason asked from the doorway. ¡°I¡¯m nervous and love dramatic entrances.¡±


    Amy and Kaito turned around, wide-eyed.


    ¡°G¡¯day, Kaito, Ames. How¡¯ve you been?¡±


    Kaito pointed at Jason.


    ¡°You¡­ but¡­ did¡­ how¡­?¡±


    ¡°I guess we know who painted the helicopter,¡± Amy said. ¡°Not dead, then?¡±


    ¡°I tried it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Wasn¡¯t for me.¡±


    Despite her light voice and flippant words, Amy¡¯s face was stricken, her eyes panning over Jason, cataloguing the changes from the boy she remembered.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we all sit down?¡± Ken suggested.


    After Jason talked the rest of his family through essentially the same thing he told Hiro and Erika, he left them alone in the lounge to digest while he went out into the back yard. It was the same backyard he had growing up, although there was a strange sense of alienation. Part of that was his heightened senses; he was literally looking at his childhood haunt with new eyes.


    There were also the details that showed the passage of time. The old, dilapidated fence had been stripped out and replaced, although he guessed his father had done that. The Gazebo had been rebuilt from scratch, clearly to better suit Erika¡¯s style of culinary entertaining.


    The lemon tree was bigger and showed signs of care. Erika clearly wanted those lemons and had taken the time to foster fruit growth. The flower garden their mother had always insisted she¡¯d find time for was now a herb garden. The patio furniture had been replaced; their mother had purchased for appearance, where Erika and Ian purchased for comfort. The wood and cloth folding chairs were a little daggy, but nice to sit in.


    He could sense his family inside the house. Their emotions were practically being shouted through their auras. There was a lot of confusion and no small amount of suspicion, mainly from Erika and Amy. They were the smartest and knew him the best; they had immediately realised how much he was withholding, not that he made any great attempt to sell his story to them.


    The first one to make his way outside to join Jason was Kaito. They each claimed a folding lounger and neither spoke for a long time.


    ¡°That was a prick move with my helicopter,¡± Kaito said, finally breaking the silence.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like yellow?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not that. Pulling a prank that my wife had to explain to me. Reminding me of all the things you and her have in common.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re reading too much into it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No I¡¯m not,¡± Kaito said. ¡°You might have forgotten how much you and I look at the world the same way. We just act differently on what we see.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s a matter of values,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Jason, is this one thing going to hang over us for our entire lives?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, brother, it is,¡± Jason said. ¡°You don¡¯t get to talk to me about prick moves. Remember that one of the things you and Amy have in common is that you worked together to gouge the heart out of my chest and back over it with a school bus.¡±


    ¡°We could have done things better,¡± Kaito said. ¡°It was always going to be bad, though. I am sorry, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Nobody cares if the guy who stabbed them in the back is sorry, Kaito. They care that they got stabbed in the back.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know how stifled she felt by you?¡± Kaito asked.


    ¡°I realised,¡± Jason uncomfortably conceded. ¡°Eventually.¡±


    ¡°There was no good way it was going to go.¡±


    ¡°So you decided to go with the worst way, yeah? Thanks for that.¡±


    Kaito sighed and got to his feet.


    ¡°I was hoping that you coming back from the dead meant we could, I don¡¯t know. Move past it.¡±


    ¡°We can,¡± Jason said, also standing. ¡°But I had to say those things, brother. I¡¯ve been waiting six years. I¡¯m probably going to say them again. In fact, I suspect I¡¯ll be kind of an arse about it.¡±


    ¡°As long as you stick around to say them, I¡¯ll listen,¡± Kaito said, offering his hand. Jason shook it.


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll go complain to my wife,¡± Kaito added.


    ¡°Oh, you prick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m probably going to be a bit of an arse as well,¡± Kaito said.


    Kaito went back inside, sharing a look with Ken, coming out. Jason hadn¡¯t paid a lot of attention to reading emotions through auras and was unable to read the complex interplay between the two men conveyed through that brief glance.


    Ken pulled his son into another long hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I didn¡¯t stand up to your mother more,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Dad.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ken said, pulling back to put his hands on Jason¡¯s shoulder and look his son in the eyes. ¡°It was my job to hold the family together and I let you be pushed out.¡±


    ¡°Dad, none of it was easy and we all made mistakes.¡±


    ¡°And it was my job to rise above them, which I didn¡¯t.¡±


    Ken brushed hid fingers over his son¡¯s scars, bisecting one eyebrow and leaving a hairless line in his beard.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Ken asked softly.


    ¡°Honestly?¡± Jason said. ¡°No.¡±


    Jason sat back down, Ken claiming the chair vacated by Kaito.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the person I want to be right now,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve done things. Had things done to me. I¡¯m not making great choices right now and I¡¯m hoping that being home will help me to get back some of what I lost along the way.¡±


    ¡°This mercenary work,¡± Ken said, broaching the topic like an animal handler trying to catch a wild creature. ¡°You saw fighting?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Did you¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We¡¯re here, son. I¡¯m here. Whatever you need.¡±


    Jason looked over at his dad.


    ¡°You know what I really need?¡± he asked. ¡°I need a big dose of normal. I need the things I¡¯m cranky about to be that my brother married my ex. I need my problems to be finding out of season chutneys and my mum being disapproving and stand-offish. Hell, I need Koji to come by and hypocritically accuse me of being a banana. Is he still in town?¡±


    ¡°Your cousin? Sure. Shiro bought the caravan park a couple of years ago and left Koji to run the place. Into the ground, mostly.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Shiro bought the caravan park? I thought he was all about those high-end developments.¡±


    ¡°He is,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s going to replace the caravan park with a bunch of fancy holiday homes? Try and turn Casselton Beach into the next Castle Heads?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. Your mother¡¯s snobbish hands are all over the project.¡±


    Jason sighed. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to tell Mum that I¡¯m back.¡±


    ¡°Erika said she was meant to be here,¡± Ken said. ¡°Of course she¡¯s too busy for her son who came back from the dead.¡±


    ¡°In fairness, she doesn¡¯t know that¡¯s what this was about.¡±


    ¡°Erika said she told her how important it was,¡± Ken said. ¡°But nothing¡¯s more important than whatever your mother has going on.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you and Mum got divorced, Dad. I know that I was the catalyst.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault, Jason. Your death just brought things that had been building up for a long time into the open.¡±


    Ken got up from the chair.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to just be complaining about your mother the whole time, so I¡¯ll let someone else have their turn.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ll be time enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m looking to stick around for a while.¡±


    ¡°Plenty of time to pile on that normal you¡¯re looking for,¡± Ken said. ¡°And I will, believe me. I love you, son.¡±


    ¡°Love you, Dad.¡±


    Erika came out and claimed the seat next to Jason.


    ¡°How was it with Dad?¡±


    ¡°It was good,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Did he complain about Mum?¡±


    Jason just chuckled.


    ¡°You can expect a lot of that,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Is he okay?¡±


    ¡°None of us were great after you died. He blamed himself for you not coming home after Amy and Kaito. Not as much as he blamed Mum, but still.¡±


    ¡°I wish things hadn¡¯t gone the way it did.¡±


    ¡°And you found a wish-granting genie out in the desert, did you? Or are you just whining about things you can¡¯t change?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a genie,¡± Jason said. ¡°Too far south. Also, real genies don¡¯t grant wishes. They¡¯re pretty much just elementals spirits with an overdeveloped sense of self-importance, from what I hear.¡±


    ¡°Oh look; it¡¯s a stream of utter nonsense spoken with total conviction. You really are back. I still don¡¯t understand why you weren¡¯t able to at least get us word that you were alive.¡±


    ¡°You will,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you everything, and soon.¡±


    ¡°Why not now?¡±


    ¡°Because what I have to tell you isn¡¯t something you can just accept. Especially from the guy spouting utter nonsense with total conviction. Extraordinary claims and extraordinary evidence, you know?¡±


    ¡°You have some extraordinary claims to make?¡±


    ¡°You have no idea. The other thing is that I just want things to be normal. Or as close as I can get. At least for a little while. Before things start becoming strange.¡±


    ¡°You know, Jason,¡± Erika said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure you¡¯re being vague and ominous enough. Any chance you could crank that up?¡±


    ¡°Ask and ye shall receive, little sister.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t actually mean¡­¡±


    ¡°Change is coming, be we prepared or not¡± Jason intoned, leaking a little of his aura to add gravitas. ¡°You¡¯ve heard the stories of the starlight man.¡±


    ¡°You mean that Starlight Rider guy? That¡¯s all that been on the news for days.¡±


    ¡°People are going to look back and realise this was the beginning.¡±


    ¡°The beginning of what? And stop using that voice. You¡¯re just daggy, not creepy.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait until I show you what¡¯s coming,¡± Jason said in his normal voice. ¡°You won¡¯t believe me if I just tell you. But change is coming, Eri.¡±


    ¡°What change? What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Everything. Everything is going to change. I need to get the family ready for that.¡±


    ¡°Jason, you sound like a crazy person.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll sound worse before I¡¯m done. For today, just let it go. We¡¯re just going to go around in circles if you keep hammering away.¡±


    Erika groaned.


    ¡°You¡¯re a pain in my arse, you know that? Not even twenty-four hours since you sprang back to life and I¡¯m ready to kill you all over again.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been done before.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known you your whole life, Jason. Don¡¯t try to distract me with your nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Just give me some time, Eri, Please.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said unhappily. ¡°We need to talk about Emi right now, though. She took her Uncle Jason¡¯s death very hard and me running around playing conspiracy theorist didn¡¯t help. She¡¯s finally back in a good place and I don¡¯t want her to get off track. You know the academy has her in their advanced program.¡±


    ¡°Of course they do,¡± Jason said, smiling. During his most self-pitying moments, his razor-sharp little niece had been a big part of keeping his head, if not above water, then at least not too far below the surface.


    ¡°How do you want to tell her?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Come back tonight, for dinner, Erika said. We¡¯ll herd the mob out and it can be you, me and Ian when she gets home from her friend¡¯s house.¡±


    Jason got up from his chair.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go then,¡± he said. ¡°Text me a time and I¡¯ll be here.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t done yet,¡± Erika said. ¡°There¡¯s one more person who hasn¡¯t gotten you alone.¡±


    Jason turned his gaze toward the house.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure she¡¯d want to speak with me,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to speak with her.¡±


    ¡°No one is going to pretend this situation is easy, Jason. Or normal. But she¡¯s not going anywhere, so unless you¡¯re looking to disappear again, you have to face her sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going anywhere. I have things to do here.¡±


    ¡°Then you and Amy will have to figure out how to be in a room together.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Send her out.¡±

 Chapter 294: Moppet

    Jason stood on the patio, looking out at the yard. He sensed her approach but didn¡¯t turn around.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure it was really you,¡± Amy said, talking to his back. ¡°The others don¡¯t realise how different you are, yet. There¡¯s the physical stuff. The chin, obviously, but the beard hides that a little. The scars. You¡¯re a little taller. But that¡¯s not all. You move differently. Sit differently. You don¡¯t watch your surroundings the same way. It used to be with curiosity but now it¡¯s something else. Wariness? At first I thought you might be some kind of impostor, trying to scam the family for money.¡±


    ¡°But now you know it¡¯s me.¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jason turned to face her.


    ¡°What clinched it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re hurt and angry. You can talk about letting it go and moving on, and you¡¯re trying. It¡¯s not so easy, though, is it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I am sorry I hurt you Jason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you hurt me too. It¡¯s one of those things, isn¡¯t it? You don¡¯t want to but you¡¯re just so damn good at it.¡±


    ¡°I know you had Erika in Melbourne, but did you have anyone for support while you were away? You don¡¯t do so well all on your own, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I have friends. Good friends. I had to leave them behind, though. I came back as unexpectedly as I left.¡±


    ¡°You never did explain that properly,¡± Amy said. ¡°Or at all. You¡¯re lying about Africa.¡±


    ¡°Everything I said is accurate.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the same as telling the truth.¡±


    ¡°No it¡¯s not,¡± he agreed.


    She sighed.


    ¡°You know, you weren¡¯t the only one to lose the most important relationship in your life.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t the one who destroyed it,¡± he said.


    ¡°You did your part,¡± she countered. ¡°You¡¯re too smart and introspective to not have figured that out by now.¡±


    ¡°Leaving me I understand,¡± he said. ¡°But the way you did it? You knew me better than anyone. You had the knowledge and the tools to hurt me more than anyone else could. And you did.¡±


    ¡°I told myself it had to be a clean cut,¡± she said. ¡°That if I didn¡¯t put a thorough end to it, then there would always be something there.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t clean,¡± Jason said. ¡°And there will always be something there.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± she said. ¡°We both hurt one another when that was the opposite of what we wanted. After you died, Kaito and I had a lot of talks about what we did. To you.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t just hurt, Amy. Take it from some who¡¯s been destroyed more than once; if you wanted thorough, you got exactly what you were after.¡±


    ¡°What happened to you, Jason?¡±


    ¡°You did, remember?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t pay for that crazy car in the drive. Where do you make that kind of money?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working.¡±


    ¡°As a private security contractor, you said. Did you find some gold out in the desert or something?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes.¡±


    ¡°You never used to lie to me.¡±


    ¡°I still haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you still holding back? You can talk about reconciliation all you like, but I see the anger behind those eyes. You¡¯re seething with it.¡±


    Jason turned away again.


    ¡°My anger can hurt people, Amy.¡±


    ¡°Really? You¡¯re the Incredible Hulk, now?¡±


    Jason had excellent aura control. There was only one person who could make him lose it enough that it flared out, sending Amy staggering back. He quickly restrained it, knowing he should feel sorrier than he was. He turned to see her looking at him fearfully.


    ¡°What was that?¡± she asked


    ¡°I told you my anger can hurt people. Not a metaphor, Amy.¡±


    He strode into the house.


    Keith knocked on the open door as he appeared in the doorway of Annabeth¡¯s office.


    ¡°What did I tell you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°They went for it?¡± Annabeth asked, getting up from behind her desk.


    ¡°The committee has tentatively approved opening preliminary negotiations with Asano.¡±


    ¡°Tentative, preliminary negotiations?¡± Annabeth asked. ¡°You don¡¯t want to qualify that some more?¡±


    ¡°Seriously, Anna,¡± Keith said with a voice full of weariness. ¡°Learn to take a win.¡±


    ¡°What about Miranda?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°She was a loud voice, but also a solitary one. There¡¯s a reason that no one else spoke up at that meeting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because hedging your bets is always a sign of decisive leadership.¡±


    ¡°Good job on the biker spin,¡± Keith said, firmly changing the subject. ¡°Getting the State Police Commissioner to start talking up a drugs crackdown was a solid move. ¡®Drug-fuelled biker frenzy¡¯ is a nice sound bite.¡±


    ¡°Riling up reactionary sentiment about drug use may not be great for society,¡± Annabeth said, ¡°but it sure helps us right now. The Cabal stepped up on this one and largely cleaned up their own mess. Craig Vermillion really has them convinced that Asano represents an opportunity and they know that their relationship with Asano goes out the window if we set him on a war footing.¡±


    ¡°I think the opportunity he represents is what got us over the top,¡± Keith said. ¡°When you look at what he did to our French guest, it¡¯s clear that putting him down would cost us. Inversely, that means he¡¯s potentially a treasure-trove.¡±


    ¡°How are things going with the Lyon branch?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°Slowly. They haven¡¯t gone much past admitting they have someone, somewhere in custody. They refuse to say who or why, despite the fact that we know. Did you get anything from the Frenchman?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not talking. No surprises there.¡±


    ¡°Can you go harder?¡± Keith asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need the International Committee strictures to know not to torture people, Keith. Interrogation works; it just takes time. Right now he¡¯s still waiting for his branch to get him back. Once he realises that we¡¯re not giving him back any time soon, the doubt will start to seep in. When we get him to engage, we¡¯re on the path. We¡¯re not giving him back any time soon, right?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not. We¡¯re milking this debacle for everything we can get. The Lyon branch is actually offering some generous concessions; they really want us to stop asking about their prisoner.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me that the committee isn¡¯t going to give him up without pushing the Lyon branch on their outworlder.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t. They¡¯ve realised how important the outworlders are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that they have. That any of us have for that matter. I had my team put together a dossier on everything we have on outworlders. I¡¯ll forward it to you, but the gist is that the Network may be about to go through the largest change since the manifestations started escalating more than a century ago.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s already happening,¡± Keith said. ¡°We have kept the lid on this incident, but sooner or later, the secret will break. Once we revealed ourselves to the governments, it was only a matter of time.¡±


    ¡°What happens when it really breaks?¡± Annabeth asked. ¡°I know there are plans in place.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you know what they say about plans,¡± Keith said. ¡°I¡¯m not allowed to share them below the committee level, anyway. That¡¯s true for every branch.¡±


    ¡°You think Miranda is adhering to that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s her mistake to make,¡± Keith said. ¡°You need to focus on cracking the Frenchman and making some kind of agreement with Asano. Obviously he won¡¯t be joining the fold, after what happened.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can mash our problems together¡± Annabeth said. ¡°I¡¯m willing to bet that Asano left quite an impression.¡±


    ¡°Does he know Asano got away from his men?¡± Keith asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°So, if Asano walked in on him, apropos of nothing¡­¡±


    ¡°It might give him a jolt we can use,¡± Anna said. ¡°We just have to convince Asano that he can walk in here without us closing a net on him. So, who is going to do the negotiating?¡±


    ¡°You and me, plus a government liaison.¡±


    Anna groaned.


    ¡°I know,¡± Keith said.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been pressuring us to send the Frenchman back home. I hate this government so much. There isn¡¯t a foreign interest they don¡¯t fall over themselves to capitulate to. If they saw a rerun of ¡¯Allo ¡¯Allo they¡¯d try to smuggle secret plans to the French hidden in a sausage.¡±


    ¡°A rerun of what?¡± Keith asked.


    ¡°Never mind.¡±


    ¡°Also, Gladys,¡± Keith said. ¡°She pushed her way into it and the committee isn¡¯t willing to push back. They know the Brisbane branch has been trying to poach her again.¡±


    ¡°When are we meeting with Asano, then?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already contacted Vermillion,¡± Keith said. ¡°He¡¯s going to set up a time for us, then we¡¯ll go up the coast.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re giving him home ground advantage?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°Unless you want to meet him in your kitchen again.¡±


    Ian and Erika watched out the window as Jason pulled his absurd black sports car into the driveway.


    ¡°That¡¯s his car?¡± Ian asked as the gull wing door on the driver¡¯s side opened vertically and Jason stepped out.


    ¡°He¡¯s too young for a mid-life crisis,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°How much do you think it cost?¡±


    ¡°No idea.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s a private security contractor?¡± Ian asked. ¡°I guess shooting brown people for Americans is lucrative. It seems weird. Jason was always so progressive.¡±


    ¡°He was also poor,¡± Erika said. ¡°I love the boy, but he was always better at holding ideals than living up to them.¡±


    They met Jason at the door and let him in.


    ¡°How did you afford that car?¡± Erika asked without preamble.


    ¡°Shooting brown people for Americans,¡± he said, stepping into the foyer. ¡°Don¡¯t you remember how poor I used be?¡±


    Erika and Ian shared a surprised glace as they went inside. They made their way into the kitchen where Ian started brewing some tea.


    ¡°You¡¯re on time,¡± Erika said to Jason. ¡°Emi isn¡¯t home yet.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, you do, do you?¡± Erika asked. ¡°How is that, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Mysteriously,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m very mysterious now.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m not?¡±


    ¡°I think you should tell us what you were up to all this time,¡± Erika said. ¡°You have no idea what I went through when I thought you died. People were clearly lying and there was some kind of crazy conspiracy theory cover up. I thought I was going crazy.¡±


    ¡°It did seem like she was going crazy,¡± Ian agreed.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to worry about that any more,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now that I¡¯m back, I won¡¯t let anyone treat you that way.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your protection, Jason,¡± Erika said. ¡°I want to know what¡¯s going on so I can protect my family for myself.¡±


    ¡°You will,¡± Jason said. ¡°Consider this a warning, though; once I tell you, there¡¯s no going back.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°It means that when I tell you everything, everything changes. It will upend your most fundamental understandings of the world you live in.¡±


    Erika narrowed her eyes at Jason.


    ¡°Did you join a cult?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t join a cult, Erika.¡±


    ¡°You are talking a little like someone who joined a cult,¡± Ian said. ¡°It would make sense that you were gone for so long. Cults like to isolate people from their support networks while the indoctrination takes place.¡±


    ¡°I did not join a cult,¡± Jason insisted.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re still an atheist, then?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Not as such,¡± Jason admitted.


    ¡°You joined a cult,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t join a cult!¡±


    ¡°It really sounds like you joined a cult,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°I did not join a cult. I¡¯m not an atheist because I met a¡­¡±


    Jason cut himself off, letting out a frustrated sigh.


    ¡°Look, set aside a day,¡± he said. ¡°Make sure Emi is taken care of and you have no other commitments. I¡¯ll tell you everything. It¡¯ll take some time to go through it and even more to process it. I¡¯m not kidding, Erika. This will change your life.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to explain why you were talking about that starlight person on the news?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll explain it all. Answer every question.¡±


    ¡°Will your cultist friends be there?¡±


    ¡°I should have thrown away that stupid token,¡± Jason said.


    Erika and Ian watched through the window as Emi was dropped off by her friend¡¯s mother. She eyed off the black car in the driveway, walking all the way around it before making her way up to the door.


    ¡°Whose car is that?¡± she asked her parents.


    ¡°We have something to talk to you about,¡± Ian told her and the family made their way into the lounge. They sat on the couch, Emi in the middle with a parent on either side.


    ¡°You two are acting weird,¡± Emi said. ¡°This is how you told me about Uncle Jason. Did someone die?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ian said with a chuckle. ¡°Nothing like that.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯s kind of the opposite,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Someone came back to life?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°Still sharp as a tack,¡± Jason said, appearing in the lounge room doorway. Emi went dead still, staring at him for several seconds. Then she burst forward like she was fired from a rocket, Jason crouching to catch her in a huge hug.


    ¡°Hey, moppet,¡± he said. It was a long time before she let him go, after which she stepped back to critically looked him over, while holding both of his hands in hers.


    ¡°You look different,¡± she said.


    ¡°I am different.¡±


    ¡°Did you get some work done?¡± she asked, letting go of a hand to experimentally poke his chin.


    ¡°I did not have any work done,¡± came his indignant answer.


    ¡°Must be an optical illusion with the beard,¡± she said. ¡°Where did the scars come from?¡±


    ¡°I did some things that certain people didn¡¯t like,¡± Jason said. ¡°They did some things that I didn¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°They hurt you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you hurt them back?¡±


    ¡°They got caught and punished by the local authorities,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Is that your car outside?¡±


    ¡°Would you like a ride? If your parents say it¡¯s alright.¡±


    Emi turned to look at her parents, who glanced at each other before nodding.


    ¡°Not too long,¡± Erika said. ¡°Back in time for dinner.¡±

 Chapter 295: Always Tell the Truth if You Can Get Away With It

    Jason led the uncharacteristically docile child outside and they got into his car. She goggled at the gull wing doors and sleek interior. She was even more startled when the car took off without Jason touching the steering wheel. For a long while they drove in silence, Emi watching Jason contemplatively. She kept one of his hands in a tight grip.


    ¡°Why did you go away without telling us?¡± she asked finally.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get to choose that,¡± he said.


    ¡°We¡¯re you kidnapped?¡±


    ¡°Kind of, yeah.¡±


    ¡°By the people who did that to your face?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°That was someone else.¡±


    ¡°Where were you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Africa.¡±


    ¡°Someone kidnapped you and took you to Africa?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°And you couldn¡¯t contact us in all that time?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m twelve, not an idiot. You expect me to believe that?¡±


    He chuckled.


    ¡°You will,¡± he said. ¡°Once you hear the whole story.¡±


    She lapsed into silence again and it was a little while before she spoke. When she did, her voice was almost a whisper.


    ¡°Why did you let me think you were dead?¡±


    He looked at her face as she wiped moisture from her eyes with the back of her hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that,¡± he said. ¡°If I had the choice, I would never let that happen.¡±


    ¡°Mum went through a crazy conspiracy phase,¡± Emi said. ¡°Turns out she wasn¡¯t so crazy.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    ¡°What aren¡¯t you telling me?¡± she said.


    ¡°Lots of things,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a lot to show you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking around something,¡± she accused.


    Jason turned away from her to look out the window, letting out a sigh.


    ¡°I am,¡± he said. ¡°You really want to know?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°What if I told you that magic was real?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nonsense,¡± she said.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Jason said. ¡°What if I told you that it was true anyway?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d need some compelling proof,¡± Emi said. ¡°The weight of evidence for an extraordinary claim must be proportioned to its strangeness.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quoting Laplace? You couldn¡¯t go with Sagan and at least pretend you¡¯re not that much smarter than me?¡±


    ¡°Stop dodging, Uncle Jason,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m going need an explanation better than magic.¡±


    ¡°Or some evidence proportioned to its strangeness, right?¡±


    ¡°If you could prove magic is real, then you¡¯d make millions of dollars and be all over the news.¡±


    ¡°I did make millions of dollars and get all over the news,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The news has been nothing but that thing in Sydney for days.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason agreed.


    She narrowed her eyes at him, looking eerily like her mother.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you¡¯re the Starlight Angel?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°I prefer Starlight Rider,¡± Jason said. ¡°Angel comes with connotations I¡¯m not entirely comfortable with.¡±


    Shade pulled to a stop and the doors opened. They had driven to Castle Bluff, Shade stopping at the impressive coastal lookout. Jason got out and Emi followed. Although the mid north coast enjoyed mild winters, there was no one else around as the day turned into evening. Emi took his hand and they sat on one of the public benches set up on the lookout. The sun was dropping low behind them, leaving the sky over the Pacific a rich purple.


    ¡°Do you believe in magic, Emi?¡±


    ¡°Of course I don¡¯t. You got weird, Uncle Jason.¡±


    Jason took a deep breath to steel himself.


    ¡°I have secrets,¡± he said. ¡°Secrets that I haven¡¯t told your parents about, yet. I will, but I think you can handle them a little better than they can. Take a look at my car.¡±


    They turned around on the bench to look at the car.


    ¡°Pack it up, Shade.¡±


    The car exploded into a swirling mass of darkness that swept over and vanished into Jason¡¯s shadow. Emi leapt to her feet, staring wildly between Jason and the spot the car vanished from. She walked over, feeling the air with her hands as she stepped cautiously through the space it had just occupied.


    When she turned back to Jason, he was draped in his combat robes, his starlight cloak shining and a huge, dark motorcycle next to him. He pushed the hood back off his head to reveal his face.


    ¡°You¡¯re him,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°I¡¯m him,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Magic.¡±


    ¡°Magic isn¡¯t real.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a sensible position to hold in the absence of evidence to the contrary,¡± Jason said.


    Emi warily moved closer to him, looking him over. His cloak shone with starlight and there was a sword at his hip. She trailed her fingers over the snakeskin leather of his robes, shaking her head.


    ¡°The Starlight Angel was able to heal people,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said.


    ¡°Can you heal people?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What about Grand Nanna?¡±


    When he had last seen his maternal grandmother, she had been in the early stages of Alzheimer¡¯s. Jason¡¯s mother had her placed in a hellaciously expensive private care community in Castle Heads.


    ¡°Is she still at Garden Shore?¡± he asked.


    Emi nodded.


    Jason called up a portal arch, startling Emi once again. He reached out and took her hand.


    Garden Shores was an expensive assisted living community with extensive staff and state of the art medical facilities. A small number of large cottages nestled amongst a sprawling garden of native plants, situated along a picturesque shoreline of craggy rocks. Behind them were various buildings for administration and other services.


    In a secluded part of the garden, in a copse of eucalypts, a line of shadow drew its way across the ground. An arch of glossy obsidian rose up from the shadow, the darkness rising up to fill the arch. A short while later, Jason and Emi emerged from the dark arch, her hand grasping his in a rictus grip. She looked around, wide-eyed, before doubling over with nausea.


    ¡°It¡¯ll pass,¡± Jason said. ¡°Most people throw up, the first go around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± Emi, standing up straight but looking peaky. The same fortitude that made her adore theme park rides helped her to endure her first taste of dimensional translocation. She turned her gaze back to her surroundings, then immediately began moving off, touching the grass and the trees.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a holodeck, Emi,¡± Jason said, amusement in his voice. ¡°We¡¯re really here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s thirty kilometres,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Did you drug me?¡±


    ¡°You think I drugged you?¡±


    ¡°Getting dosed with something that makes me suggestible and knocking me out long enough to bring me here is still more plausible than magic powers. A hallucinogenic makes more sense than your car disappearing, and the nausea could be a side effect.¡±


    ¡°I went through what you¡¯re going through now,¡± Jason said. ¡°The sceptical mind, as it turns out, does not handle the truly outrageous all that well.¡±


    ¡°Are you complaining that I¡¯m not more gullible?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not at all. You¡¯re going to experience a lot of strangeness and sorting out the real from the unreal is only going to get harder.¡±


    ¡°So why should I believe it wasn¡¯t drugs?¡±


    ¡°Think about your own thought processes. They¡¯re lucid, clear and analytical. Which is weird, because you¡¯re twelve. Shouldn¡¯t you be obsessed with a boy band or video games or something?¡±


    ¡°Just because you were basic at twelve doesn¡¯t mean the rest of us have to be, Uncle Jason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting owned by someone who can¡¯t reach the high shelf. Loving this day.¡±


    ¡°Get to the point, Uncle Jason.¡±


    ¡°Right, yes. Your thoughts. Lucid, analytical. Admittedly, it¡¯s a subjective viewpoint, but if you were dosed up on the kind of drugs that made the impossible possible, then your head shouldn¡¯t be as clear as it is.¡±


    ¡°You isolated me,¡± Emi said. ¡°Took away any comparative viewpoints to measure against.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Jason conceded. ¡°I originally intended to show your parents all this first, but I think that you and I can show them together. You can help me.¡±


    ¡°You really haven¡¯t told Mum and Dad?¡±


    ¡°The only ones from the family who know are you and your Great Uncle Hiro. Come on; let¡¯s go see Nanna. I haven¡¯t been here in a long time, so I¡¯ll need you to tell me which one of these is hers.¡±


    Emi led the way, leading Jason by the hand.


    ¡°Mum doesn¡¯t let me see Grand Nanna very often,¡± Emi said as she looked around to get her bearings in the evening twilight. She didn¡¯t show any nervousness except for the tight grip she kept on his hand. Jason could feel her trepidation at the thought of her great grandmother¡¯s condition through her aura.


    ¡°She¡¯s gotten pretty bad,¡± Emi said. ¡°She¡¯s usually thinks that I¡¯m Mum or Grandma when they were little.¡±


    Jason nodded. He had only seen the early stages, but had kept up an email correspondence when he set off for university. Her emails had become increasingly incoherent over time before stopping altogether. He felt pangs of shame that he had let his bitterness and self-pity stop him from coming back home to see her when she could have used it the most. He wondered if that was why he had brought Emi here, despite the trouble it would inevitably stir up.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jason said, stopping. ¡°Before we go see Nanna, I should make a phone call.¡±


    Jason¡¯s phone was in the clothes he had switched out for his combat robes to impress his niece with and he had to fish it out of his inventory. As soon as he did, it bleeped with messages from his sister.


    ¡°Missed a call from your Mum,¡± Jason said, even as Emi¡¯s phone started to ring. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that¡¯ll be her.¡±


    Emi nodded as she took her phone out, then handed it to Jason.


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re the responsible adult,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°Says the girl who¡¯s twelve going on forty,¡± Jason said, taking the phone. ¡°Erika, hey.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to come back, Jason. Also, did you give me a fake number? When I tried to call you it said your phone was out of area.¡±


    ¡°I think we were going through a tunnel. We¡¯ve got one thing to do before we come back.¡±


    ¡°What tunnel?¡±


    ¡°Oh, here¡¯s that tunnel again.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any tunnels around here.¡±


    Jason hung up and handed Emi back the phone.


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad man,¡± Emi told him.


    ¡°I prefer naughty,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s sexier.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Jason, I¡¯m twelve.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that. I mean, you¡¯ve had the talk, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Stop being gross.¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    He took his own phone and called a number that Craig had provided him.


    ¡°Asano?¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you prefer Annabeth or Anna? I¡¯m going to go with Anna. Anna, I¡¯m here with my niece and I thought you¡¯d like a heads up.¡±


    ¡°About your niece?¡±


    ¡°No, about curing my grandmother¡¯s Alzheimer¡¯s. I thought maybe your lot would like to cover it up so it doesn¡¯t make as big a hullabaloo as the last thing.¡±


    Silence came from the other end of the line.


    ¡°Anna?¡±


    ¡°Do you have any concept of how many problems I have with what you just said?¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you might want to swear, but I¡¯ve got you on speaker and my niece is twelve, so you probably shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Garden Shores Assisted Living Community, just outside Castle Heads. Thanks, Anna.¡±


    Jason hung up over the bluster coming from the other end.


    ¡°Who was that?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°You know the Men in Black?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That was them. Well, the People in Black.¡±


    They avoided the reception building as Emi led them to the cottage occupied by Jason¡¯s maternal grandmother. Jason had his cloak dimmed down to black and occasionally wrapped it around Emi as a staff member passed them by.


    ¡°How did they not see us?¡± Emi whispered as they watched a pair of orderlies wheel a laundry basket toward the utility building.


    ¡°My cloak makes us harder to see in the shadows,¡± Jason said. ¡°With magic.¡±


    They reached the door and Jason took out a small crystal key, one of the single-use opening devices he made for dealing with normal and iron-rank locks.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if this works,¡± he said, touching it to the card-reader lock on the door. The key evaporated into the air and red light switched to green and Jason lightly pushed the door open. He glanced at Emi, who was staring at where the key vanished.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot to take in, isn¡¯t it?¡± he said softly. ¡°Just be thankful that no one is trying to eat you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it later,¡± Jason said, leading her inside.


    Emi slowed down and Jason accommodated her, still reassuringly holding her hand. Together they moved into the lounge room where they found Jason¡¯s grandmother watching television, glassy-eyed. She didn¡¯t react to their presence at all and Emi shrank behind Jason. He looked down at his niece.


    ¡°Once I do this, we¡¯re going to leave immediately, okay? We don¡¯t want to be around to answer questions.¡±


    Emi nodded.


    ¡°Are you ready for this?¡± he asked. She nodded again.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Come on, Uncle Jason.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Here we go.¡±


    He raised an arm in the direction of his grandmother.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Emi¡¯s eyes turned into round headlights as a feeble red life force emerged from the old woman in the armchair, with unpleasant colours teeming through it. The tainting colours started leaking out in a stream that moved across the room and into Jason¡¯s hand, pouring out of her and into him until the red glow of her life force was clean, even looking a little firmer than before.


    You have cleansed all instances of disease [Alzheimer¡¯s Disease] from [Glenda Pottsworth].You have cleansed all instances of disease [Arthritis] from [Glenda Pottsworth].You have cleansed all instances of disease [Liver Cancer] from [Glenda Pottsworth].Your stamina and mana have been replenished.Stamina and mana cannot exceed normal maximum values. Excess stamina and mana are lost.Cleansing afflictions has triggered [Sin Eater]. You have gained an instance of [Resistant] and [Integrity] for each instance of affliction cleansed.


    Jason¡¯s grandmother looked at him with confused eyes, seeing only a form shrouded in darkness. Jason took out a healing potion, moved forward and tilted her unresisting head back to tip the potion into her mouth. After making sure that she swallowed it, he grabbed Emi¡¯s hand and quickly led her outside.


    Emi was still dazzled by the magical light show, not resisting as Shade emerged to take his car form and Jason put her in the passenger seat. Jason got behind the wheel but let Shade drive them away. They had been there long enough for Jason¡¯s portal ability to come off cooldown but Jason wanted to give Emi the car ride back to process. As it was, he was already regretting letting her see so much so quickly.


    ¡°What was that stuff you gave her?¡± Emi asked, after a long time.


    ¡°Healing potion,¡± Jason said. ¡°I took away the Alzheimer¡¯s but I have no idea how much damage it did to her brain. I¡¯m not sure how much she¡¯ll get back from healing it. I can¡¯t be sure what the results will be.¡±


    Emi lapsed back into silence, Jason leaving her be.


    ¡°What do I tell Mum and Dad where we went?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That we went to Castle Bluff, and then to see Grand Nanna,¡± Jason said. ¡°Always tell the truth if you can get away with it.¡±

 Chapter 296: Discretion is a Good Idea

    Erika had put together a simple dinner of salad, tartiflette and buttermilk pie. Tartiflette was a potato, bacon, onion and cheese casserole that made a great winter warmer. They sat somewhat awkwardly at the table, talking around the topic of Jason¡¯s mysterious return to life.


    Jason and Erika had grown up with their mother¡¯s strict rules about not bringing conflict to the dinner table. While Jason never saw a rule he wouldn¡¯t obnoxiously flout just because, it helped him out in this particular instance. He was happy to ask Emi about her life, having been transplanted from Melbourne to Casselton Beach. It was the opposite of his own trajectory.


    ¡°I like the weather here,¡± she said. ¡°It rains more in summer than winter, which is weird. That rain we got last week was really heavy, though.¡±


    Jason absently wondered if his arrival had somehow impacted the weather patterns, Clive would have been able to figure it out.


    ¡°Are you alright Uncle Jason?¡± Emi asked, reading his expression.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was just thinking about a friend. I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll be able to see him again?¡±


    ¡°Can you not call him because he¡¯s in the place you were?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°So, did you do much cooking while you were away?¡± Ian asked Jason, diplomatically seeking common ground between the siblings after the tension between Jason and Erika.


    ¡°A bit,¡± Jason said. ¡°I got to try a lot of new things, but the ingredients were largely local. That friend I mentioned grew up on an eel farm and taught me a few ways to cook them that aren¡¯t awful. Again, the ingredients aren¡¯t something I can get my hands on here, but I took notes with some potential substitutes and variations. I¡¯m hoping to find the time to try some things out, now that I¡¯m home. Do you know an eel guy, Eri?¡±


    ¡°I know someone who can sort you out,¡± Erika said. ¡°You know who will be happy your back? Wally.¡±


    ¡°Wally! He moved over to the new show with you?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t just move to the show, but into town, too. He bought one of those fancy beach cottages.¡±


    ¡°He was lucky to pick one up,¡± Jason said. ¡°They almost never go on the market.¡±


    ¡°The Green family sold up and Mum gave him an early heads-up.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s nice of her,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know, I saw Lawrence Green the other day. He thought I was Kaito.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t he quite slimy?¡± Erika asked. ¡°I went to school with his cousin.¡±


    ¡°Still is,¡± Jason said. ¡°If anything, he¡¯s even more oily. You could lubricate an engine with his personality.¡±


    ¡°Wally¡¯s husband bought the coffee shop off old Mrs Russel,¡± Ian said. ¡°You can finally get a good cup of coffee in this town.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take your word for it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m lucky I¡¯m not a coffee drinker, since they didn¡¯t have any where I¡¯ve been staying.¡±


    ¡°Just like phones,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said. ¡°The tea was crazy good, though. There was this river, running through a valley with all this tea growing up the slopes. I went through there once, not long after I arrived.¡±


    ¡°Arrived where, exactly?¡±


    ¡°A place called Greenstone,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to see it for yourself, soon. I kept a vlog.¡±


    ¡°A vlog?¡± Erika asked. ¡°They don¡¯t have radios, but they have the equipment for vlogging?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll make sense once I explain everything. Did you figure out a day the two of you can both get free? I said you should have someone look out for Emi, but I think she should be involved from the start.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Erika said. ¡°If it has to be a whole day, then we can¡¯t do it on a weekday and I¡¯m not waiting until next weekend.¡±


    ¡°Tomorrow it is,¡± Jason said. Erika narrowed her eyes at him, looking for evasiveness.


    ¡°So long as nothing comes up,¡± he added innocently.


    The house boat produced by the cloud flask was more impressive than what it had been at iron-rank, which was already quite luxurious. It was still a far cry from the sprawling wings and towering spires of Emir¡¯s cloud palace, but it was still a small floating island, with multiple levels of open deck and tinted wraparound glass. There was even a glass-walled room beneath the waterline.


    The rooftop surfaces were covered in solar panels, which Jason could sense drawing in ambient magic like an overactive mana lamp. It left the surrounding ambient magic even more anaemic than normal as the houseboat guzzled it up.


    It seemed designed to largely suck the ambient magic down vertically, drawing it down from the air in a great column. Anyone with magical senses would notice it from halfway across town. It was far more draw than the motorhome variant, presumably because it was normalising magic across the larger space of the houseboat.


    The decks and interior of the houseboat was littered with lush, green, leafy plants. Jason had largely transplanted them from the jungle astral space, although he had avoided the magical ones. Emir had given Jason a notebook that detailed all his experiments into different kinds of plants with his own cloud flask. It detailed his experiments with different kinds of flora, magical and mundane. It had exhaustive lists of how different plants withstood being stored away in the cloud flask, weathered the sea air or adapted to various climates.


    ¡°If you aren¡¯t going with magical plants,¡± Emir had told him when handing over the notebook, ¡°I¡¯d just give the section on getting the plants installed a read. You can shovel a bunch of earth, water, light and shield quintessence into the cloud flask and any non-magical plants you want will thrive. Once you start looking into magical plants, that¡¯s the time to give it a proper read. There are a lot of quirks you need to be aware of.¡±


    Jason arrived back at the house boat mentally weary but let out a contented sigh as he drank in the sight of it. It was big enough that Jason¡¯s winter arrival proved to be a good thing, with the neighbouring berth available for Jason to rent when the houseboat spilled over into the neighbouring slip.


    He stepped onto the lower deck and then made his way inside. was all light woods and white leather, plus tasteful teal embellishments. The cloud constructs could have their interiors and exteriors set to adaptive or grandiose independently and he had the house boat set to full adaptive.


    The various surfaces were indistinguishable from actual woods and leathers, courtesy of the materials he had shovelled into it as reference. Along with quintessence, different kinds of magical and mundane woods, stone, metal and fabric had been consumed by the cloud flask. It could dissolve and consume whole blocks of stone, sucking it into the flask.


    More than once, Jason had used the flask to remove obstructions as his team explored the astral space. It was a win-win, since generally the obstacle was something sturdy enough that other methodologies would be slower or ineffective. Clive had posited that Emir¡¯s cloud flask had consumed ludicrous quantities of materials and was always encouraging Jason to throw things in.


    While he missed the plush comfort of cloud furniture, Jason maintained the houseboat internals in a camouflaged state, with the exception of his own bed. He would continue that at least until his family were up to speed on magic. While his sister might feel like he was stonewalling, he was even more anxious than her to get everything into the open.


    The goal was to resolve everything, if not neatly, then with as little mess as he could manage. Throwing explanations in between meetings with vampires and crime bosses the way he had with Hiro, or getting bystanders caught up like with Taika was precisely what he sought to avoid.


    Ideally, that issue would be settled by the time the weekend was over. He was unsure how much his powerful but inexpert healing would help his Nanna, but it had the potential to cause, as Nanna herself would say, a kerfuffle.


    Jason could sense Hiro and Taika watching more of his recording crystals in the media room. Leaving them be, he made his way to the upper deck where he opened a portal arch and entered his spirit vault, the enhanced version of his old inventory ability.


    The personal space was apparently different from an ordinary dimensional boundary, like that sealing off an astral space. Unlike that sort of boundary, Jason could maintain his familiars on one side, while he was on the other. This allowed Shade to keep watching his family and the house boat while Jason was safe inside the vault. His familiars were an assuring presence each time he retreated into the spirit vault for meditation.


    Since his soul underwent changes after overcoming the star seed, Jason¡¯s meditation had taken him to an internal world; a garden of the soul where his abilities were represented by beds of flowers. At bronze rank, that garden had expanded, given them room to grow. Trellises created tunnels of flowers in bold colours of red, white and black, allowing him to walk through the living pathways of his own power.


    The boundary of the garden was still the wall surrounding it, a stone facade covering a darker and stranger substance underneath. The facade was increasingly crumbling away, exposing more of the eerie material beneath. It was like darkness itself made substantive. A black hole, frozen and harnessed to build an unassailable boundary, then hidden behind an acceptable face. Compared to the cracked and battered stone, the dark walls beneath promised invulnerability to those within and annihilation to those who attempted to breach it.


    In the time since he acquired the spirit vault, he found that it went through a change. The vault took the form of a gazebo of marbled black and white obsidian. It floated in the sky, which was a reflection of the world outside. The first time he had used when it had been dark and raining. During the day the sky was bright with sunlight, but Jason¡¯s favourite times were clear sky nights. With no town to cause light pollution, the sky was a sea of stars. There might be a wisp of cloud, lit up by the light of the moon and he would sit beneath it, meditating in absolute, uninterruptible peace.


    Over several meditation sessions, the gazebo had started descending. At first there seemed to be nothing but endless sky below, but slowly the garden appeared. He sensed it before he saw it, after which he then went out to look over the edge and down.


    The garden itself was different to his experiences in the past. Instead of dark earth, it rested on dark clouds, heavy with the promise of storms. Slowly the gazebo had descended until it settled in the middle of the garden, in a space that fit it perfectly. Henceforth, every time Jason stepped into the spirit vault, it was already in what was now a sky garden. The line between his internal and external worlds was becoming hard to tell apart.


    It was a scary yet exhilarating feeling, like falling, but there was still a sense of disconnect. It made him think of the power the World-Phoenix had offered, uniting body and soul into a merged gestalt. The connection between that feeling and the offered power made him wonder if the World Phoenix had a hand in evolving his inventory power into the spirit vault. Clive had told him that a great astral being shouldn¡¯t be able to impact his gift evolutions without his knowledge, but even Clive couldn¡¯t be right all the time.


    Jason arrived through one of the four arches holding up the gazebo roof. There was an arch for each of his familiars and one for Jason himself. The contents of his inventory still floated in the air, orbiting the space just above the gazebo. He could see them clearly as he left the gazebo to walk around the garden.


    Just strolling through the garden was a meditative experience, now. He could even direct the power he was consolidating in specific directions by where he chose to go in the garden, although powers he had been using were easier to promote. He had consolidated the gains of his recent challenges and now all his abilities were at least passed the third of what Clive called the minor thresholds. His most-used abilities, his vision and cloak, had passed the halfway mark of the fifth threshold.


    Until he found a new challenge, his abilities would not advance further. He hoped to find that challenge working with the Network, but if the Network decided to become that challenge instead, then so be it.


    Jason spent the night in meditation rather than sleep. The more powerful he became, the less he needed to rely on sleep, although it was never wholly inescapable. Slumber was an intrinsic part of the mortal existence, even for those imbued with mystical power.


    Sleep was part of the magical cycles of an essence user, even when their superhuman recovery attribute kept them awake and alert. Going too long without it would increasingly impair their ability to control even the passive magic their body. With a cloud bed to come home to, though, Jason did not begrudge the need for sleep.


    Emerging through the archway from his spirit vault the next morning, his phone immediately started beeping. He went through the voice messages; an audio mosaic of his sister narrating events surrounding their Nanna through a series of increasingly angry and erratic messages.


    Nanna had somehow switched doctors, without her family ¨C who held her power of attorney ¨C being notified. Her new doctors had whisked her away to the Casselton Regional Hospital, where they were being decidedly less than forthcoming.


    In spite of this, and to Jason¡¯s surprise, Erika had apparently managed to extract Nanna¡¯s medical state from the people he strongly suspected to be the Network¡¯s people. Jason¡¯s takeaway was that Nanna was lucid, lacking in almost any memory of the last few years and very spotty about the few before that.


    Between Jason and Emi¡¯s visit to Nanna, Jason¡¯s mention of the Starlight Angel that cured people and his ongoing mysteriousness, Erika was putting together things that added up to impossible answers. Her inability to subsequently reach Jason had led to each message exuding more frustration and rage than the last.


    He sighed. He knew that curing his Nanna would cause trouble. All he could do was step in and sort it out as best he could. His immediate thought was that Erika would push Emi for information but he immediately dismissed the notion. Putting too much pressure on her daughter was something Erika would never do. Even so, he did want to intervene before she started asking her daughter about their visit with Grand Nanna, though. His intention had never to cause friction between mother and daughter.


    ¡°Shade,¡± he said. ¡°Remind me to give you my phone when I go into the spirit vault. You can tell me if I get any important messages.¡±


    He made his way into the bar lounge, where Hiro was working on a laptop with headphones on while Taika was on another laptop, talking with his Mum over a video chat. Like her son, she was basically a chocolate wall with a friendly expression. Jason walked up behind Taika and gave his Mum a wave.


    ¡°Hello, Mrs Davison.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hello, Jason. When are you going to bring my boy back to Sydney so I can meet you in person?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure we¡¯ll have business there soon enough. Hiro needs to go back into Sydney soon and I¡¯ll probably go along.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been showing me around your houseboat, if you can even call it that. It¡¯s more like a palace.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the palace comes in a few years. If I can get the parts. You know, you could come to us. The weather¡¯s very nice here, even in winter.¡±


    ¡°Bro,¡± Taika complained and Jason chuckled.


    ¡°I have to go see my Nanna, Mrs Davison,¡± Jason said. ¡°You have yourself a lovely day.¡±


    ¡°I will, sweetie.¡±


    Jason tapped Hiro on the shoulder, gesturing for him to follow. Hiro took off his headphones and they went out on the deck.


    ¡°You heard about your grandmother?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You know, trying to explain to your sister that you¡¯re unavailable because you¡¯re meditating inside a magic archway is not easy.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I need to bring her in sooner, rather than later. I¡¯d like to do it today, after things are sorted out at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°I would have gone to the hospital, but I figured I¡¯d wait for you. Are you responsible for what happened?¡±


    ¡°You make it sound like a bad thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going now, if you want to join me.¡±


    ¡°I will, yeah,¡± Hiro said.


    Jason opened up a portal arch.


    ¡°Not by car then?¡± Hiro asked, looking at the portal warily.


    ¡°This is quicker,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Not that much quicker,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°Come on, Uncle Hiro.¡±


    Moments later, Jason was looking at a wide-eyed man in one of the men¡¯s toilets at the Greater Casselton Regional Hospital in Castle Heads.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked him as the portal sank into the floor and Hiro rushed into one of the stalls. ¡°You¡¯ve never seen two grown men emerge from a magic portal before?¡±


    The man scrambled to escape the bathroom as Hiro emerged, taking some paper hand towel to wet and wipe his face over the sink.


    ¡°I hope he washed his hands,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a hospital.¡±


    Hiro gave him a sideways look. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re worried about?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jason said. ¡°They have those disinfectant dispensers all over the place. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about that guy telling people?¡±


    ¡°About the two men who appeared in a men¡¯s room through a magic portal? Not especially. Would you believe it?¡±


    ¡°What if those men in black guys hear about it? You said they¡¯re here, right?¡±


    ¡°The Network? Well, my portal is one of my trump cards, but Craig knows, which means his group knows, which means it isn¡¯t really a secret anymore. Plus, I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s a very valuable ability. It¡¯ll show what I have to offer when I sit down to negotiate with the Network. What they¡¯ll bring to the table are things like health care for Nanna that¡¯s better than money can buy.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Hiro said. ¡°I have to imagine that discretion is a good idea.¡±


    ¡°I can assure you, Mr Asano,¡± Shade said from Jason¡¯s shadow, ¡°it is an idea that has been put to him on several occasions. He seems to hold little affection for it.¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who turns into a giant, black mid-life crisis,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Through your ability,¡± Shade pointed out.

 Chapter 297: The Cold Eyes of a Stranger

    Erika, Ian and Kaito were gathered in a waiting room with Jason¡¯s mother, Cheryl, and her brother, Robert. Emi had been left with Amy and her children. This was something Erika had come to regret, given her increasing suspicions surrounding Jason and the visit Emi had paid to her Grand Nanna the previous evening.


    Jason arrived in the waiting room at a stride, Hiro trailing behind. The shocked expressions of his mother and maternal uncle made them look like they¡¯d just been slapped.


    ¡°G¡¯day all,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s a nice pantsuit, Mum. Uncle Robbo, it¡¯s been a while. Doctors still giving you the run around? I¡¯ll go see if I can¡¯t give them a kick in the bum.¡±


    Erika, Ian and Kaito had all turned to Cheryl who was still looking at Jason like she¡¯d seen a ghost. Jason started marching off again, then stopped and snapped his fingers like he¡¯d just remembered something.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± he said, turning and absently pointing a finger at his mother. ¡°Not dead. Obviously. Forgot to say. We can talk in a couple of days; I¡¯m a bit busy at the moment. You know how it is.¡±


    He then resumed marching away from his startled family, with Hiro staying behind but Erika quickly trailing after him.


    ¡°This is how you let Mum know?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Apparently,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯s hard to pin down.¡±


    ¡°This is because of how she treated you after, you know.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not unaware of my own motivations, Erika.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s another mess I¡¯ll no doubt be left to clean up. Do you ever leave your phone on?¡±


    ¡°I was meditating in an alternate dimension, Eri. The Telstra network doesn¡¯t cover that.¡±


    ¡°I am not going to let you distract me with your lunacy.¡±


    ¡°You say that,¡± Jason said, ¡°but we¡¯ll see.¡±


    He spotted the ward reception and went over.


    ¡°I need to see the doctors for Glenda Pottsworth,¡± he demanded of the nurse there.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to wait,¡± he said. ¡°As I told the rather assertive young lady beside you, the doctors will make themselves available when they can.¡±


    ¡°Tell the doctors that Jason Asano is about to start poking around and see if that doesn¡¯t free them up,¡± Jason said, not waiting for a response before walking away.


    Erika followed again and pulled him up short.


    ¡°You did have something to do with this,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason admitted.


    ¡°What the hell is going on, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Look, Emi asked me if I could help Nanna. I wasn¡¯t sure; Alzheimer¡¯s is a tricky one, but I thought maybe I could. I gave it a go and it looks like it worked.¡±


    ¡°Like what worked? What did you do.¡±


    ¡°The doctor¡¯s here,¡± he said, looking over at a door marked staff only. Moments later they saw a doctor through the glass in the door, who and buzzed himself out to join Jason and Erika in the corridor.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡± the doctor asked. The man had no magic, but Jason had sensed the man¡¯s nervous fear approaching. It seems the Network had told him at least something about Jason.


    ¡°Eri, go back and tell the others that we¡¯ll have news soon.¡±


    ¡°If you think I¡¯m leaving you alone for¡­¡±


    The look Jason turned on her wasn¡¯t backed up by his aura, but the unflinching authority in his gaze made him seem for a moment like a total stranger, taking her aback.


    ¡°Tell the others that they¡¯ll be able to see Nanna soon,¡± he reiterated. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right, doctor?¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t turn away from his sister to ask him, but the man hopped nervously like a raw recruit on a parade ground.


    ¡°Of course, Mr Asano.¡±


    Only then did Jason turn to face the man.


    ¡°There¡¯s somewhere you can brief me on my grandmother¡¯s condition?¡±


    ¡°Follow me, please.¡±


    He led Jason through the doors, when he suddenly stopped dead when his senses picked up something. It was retracted and hard to sense, but not hard enough. It was unmistakably a silver-rank aura.


    Jason turned a look on the doctors that could melt steel, fear crossing their faces.


    ¡°I hope you haven¡¯t done something very, very stupid,¡± Jason snarled.


    The increasingly skittish doctor led Jason to a small office that contained the silver-rank aura Jason could sense, leaving him outside the door and scuffling off. Jason was ready to unleash Colin if these people were foolish enough to try something on as he opened the door.


    Inside was a woman with magically perfected looks he had come to expect from silver-rankers. She had shampoo commercial dark hair and flawless, alabaster skin, but Jason was well past the point of being distracted by such beauty. He had kept more than his share of company with beautiful people.


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± she greeted.


    ¡°Random silver-ranker who better not try anything with this many of my family in the building,¡± he greeted back coldly.


    ¡°That¡¯s not my intention at all,¡± she said. ¡°Take a seat.¡±


    The diminutive office she had appropriated only had space for two to sit with a small desk in between. Trying to dodge Colin in the limited area would be an exercise in futility, which gave him a level of comfort as he took a seat.


    ¡°My name is Gladys Williams,¡± she introduced herself. ¡°Silver-ranker. That¡¯s what you call a category three, right? Based on the spirit coin of that rank?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason answered coolly.


    ¡°You really aren¡¯t worried about the power disparity, are you?¡± she asked. ¡°Most cat twos get real nervous this close to a three.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be the first category three that I¡¯ve killed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a healer, you know. I can counteract a lot of the powers you use.¡±


    Jason took on the grin of a cat who had just spotted a mouse with a pronounced limp.


    ¡°So did the first silver-ranker I killed,¡± he said. ¡°He died screaming his lost faith to the sky. The archbishop wasn¡¯t much of a martyr in the end.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not talking about any of our local religions, are you?¡±


    ¡°No. Now you¡¯ve got some nuggets out of me, it¡¯s time to tell me about my grandmother.¡±


    Gladys nodded.


    ¡°Have you ever tried healing Alzheimer¡¯s before?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Chronic problems usually get dealt with before they get to that stage in the other world. There¡¯s a god of healing who seems like a good guy.¡±


    ¡°You say that like you met him.¡±


    ¡°Briefly. Friend of a friend.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you¡¯re making things up or not. Your aura is like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen. Anna will want you to commit to helping our people learn to do that with their auras.¡±


    ¡°We need to settle things regarding my grandmother before I¡¯m going to talk about any kind of arrangement with your organisation.¡±


    Gladys nodded.


    ¡°After examining her,¡± she said, ¡°As best I can tell, you sucked out all the sickness and then fed her a potion.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Was that not the right approach?


    ¡°It¡¯s not the worst approach you could have taken,¡± Gladys said. ¡°The basic idea is sound. Excise the disease and then repair the damage. Alzheimer¡¯s is tricky, though. Especially with advanced cases like your grandmother.¡±


    ¡°I was worried about that,¡± Jason admitted, his expression softening. ¡°Healing magic restores the body using the soul as a blueprint, but I was concerned about what years of dementia had done to affect her soul.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s precisely the issue,¡± Gladys said. ¡°You seem to know a bit about magical healing.¡±


    ¡°Just some foundational magic theory,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you have some kind of treatment?¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Gladys said. ¡°As it is, she¡¯s more or less fully lucid. The memory gaps aren¡¯t going to come back. What we can do is a regime of regular therapy and some more nuanced magical treatment. Over the next few months we can work on consolidating body and soul into a healthy balance and prevent complications from arising in the future.¡±


    ¡°So, my grandmother needs to be in the Network¡¯s care.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not just saying this for leverage, Mr Asano. I have better ethics than that. Since you seem to have some grasp on the theory, I can take you through it in more detail, if you like.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯d like.¡±


    After Jason appeared, only to leave again immediately, there was a commotion as his siblings tried to explain his revival to his mother. This was made harder by not really understanding it themselves.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯d actually shown up to the family meeting ¨C which I made very clear was important,¡± Erika told her, ¡°then you could have asked him these questions yourself, Mother.¡±


    The doctor re-emerged, giving the family some vague explanations that Ian immediately picked out as sketchy. As a doctor himself he knew when another medical professional was talking nonsense, plus every doctor involved with his wife¡¯s grandmother was someone he didn¡¯t know. He had only been working in the area for a year, but as a regional physician he had made a point of making connections in the local hospital.


    Erika had insisted that they wait for Jason before Ian started throwing his weight around, and shortly after Jason arrived, the doctors told them they could see Nanna Glenda.


    ¡°No more than two or three at a time,¡± the doctor insisted. ¡°She¡¯s lucid, but has a lot of confusion and memory loss. You need to be gentle.¡±


    ¡°Mum and Uncle Robbo,¡± Kaito said. ¡°You¡¯re her children, so you go first. Erika and I will go after.¡±


    Right after Cheryl and Robert were led away, Jason was suddenly back without any of the family having noticed him arrive.


    ¡°Jason, what is going on?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving,¡± he said.


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Jason, what¡¯s going on?¡± Ian asked. ¡°I have no idea who these doctors are, I¡¯m certain they¡¯re lying and the whole debacle is shady as a long autumn dusk. Why are they suddenly cooperating?¡±


    ¡°Have Uncle Robbo take Nanna to stay with him,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll pick up Emi and take her back to my place. Once you¡¯re done here, bring Hiro, yourselves and Dad to my place. It¡¯s at the marina; Hiro can show you. I¡¯ll explain everything. Really everything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want Emi to be part of that,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°She already is,¡± Jason said. ¡°She knows more than you do.¡±


    ¡°Jason, we¡¯re her parents,¡± Erika said fiercely. ¡°That should have been our decision to make.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason acknowledged contritely. ¡°I acted on impulse, sorry.¡±


    Kaito looked on, excluded, but didn¡¯t speak up.


    ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± Jason said to Erika. ¡°I¡¯ll see you soon. Can you call Amy and tell her I¡¯m coming?¡±


    ¡°How did you know Amy has her?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you? I¡¯ve got magic powers.¡±


    Jason walked from his car parked out front to Kaito and Amy¡¯s front door. It was a house he had visited almost every day of his childhood, and approaching under current circumstances felt very strange. The strange swirl of emotions was mirrored in Amy¡¯s aura, inside. She had apparently seen him arrive, so he waited by the door instead of knocking and she opened it.


    ¡°What did you do to me last night?¡± she asked. ¡°I wasn¡¯t just imagining it, right?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°So what was it?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t believe me if I told you. Well, not without some convincing, but that will have to wait.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re giving me? You really weirded me out, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Well you threw my heart into a wood chipper, carved my family in half and sent me spiralling into a years long depression during which I basically scuttled my whole life.¡±


    Her gaze drifted over to Jason¡¯s car.


    ¡°Your life seems to be going alright.¡±


    ¡°That didn¡¯t come cheap, Amy.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re rich now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I meant.¡±


    ¡°Then what did you mean, Jason?¡±


    Jason untucked his shirt and lifted it up to reveal a torso covered in small scars, plus one thick, savage one extending diagonally across his abdomen.


    ¡°Jason, what the hell happened to you?¡± she asked as he dropped his shirt back down.


    ¡°You know the saying about not knowing who you are until you¡¯ve walked through the fire?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I found out who I am.¡±


    ¡°And who is that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Someone who doesn¡¯t get to live a quiet life. I wanted this to be you and me, Amy. Why wasn¡¯t I good enough?¡±


    His morose expression transformed into a sparkly-eyed smile and moments later Emi came pounding down the stairs.


    ¡°Uncle Jason!¡±


    He caught his niece in a hug.


    ¡°Ready to go see my house boat?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Is it all mouldy and gross?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°No, it is not,¡± he said indignantly.


    ¡°Boo,¡± Emi jeered.


    ¡°At least wait until you see it,¡± Jason complained. ¡°Say goodbye to your Aunt Amy.¡±


    ¡°Bye, Aunt Amy.¡± She said at they set off for his car. ¡°Uncle Jason, tuck in your shirt. You look unemployed.¡±


    ¡°I prefer to think of myself as independently wealthy.¡±


    They started walking across the front yard to Jason¡¯s car and Amy called out after them.


    ¡°Jason.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± he asked, pausing and turning around.


    ¡°I know I did everything wrong,¡± she said. ¡°How badly I hurt you. You didn¡¯t deserve that just because I didn¡¯t know how to end things. I really am sorry.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said.


    Her memory of his impish grin went back longer than most things she could remember. When he flashed it for her briefly, it wasn¡¯t the same. He looked at her with the cold eyes of a stranger.


    ¡°It just doesn¡¯t matter anymore,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Come, Uncle Jason,¡± Emi said, tugging on his hand.


    ¡°I do not look unemployed,¡± he merrily complained to his niece, letting himself be dragged towards the car. ¡°I look like a dashing man about town¡­¡±

 298: Looking Down the Point of a Sword

    ¡°So, how are you doing after yesterday?¡± Jason asked his niece as Shade drove them toward the marina.


    ¡°It¡¯s weird,¡± Emi said. ¡°I kind of like having this big secret.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s time to let your Mum and Dad in on the secret,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you think you can help stop your Mum from throwing me in the ocean?¡±


    ¡°No promises,¡± Emi said with a laugh.


    ¡°I need to introduce you to some of my friends,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re a bit strange, but I think you¡¯ll get along.¡±


    ¡°Strange how?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°Strange like magic. First is my friend Shade. He¡¯s made of shadows.¡±


    ¡°Made of shadows?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He can also turn into a car.¡±


    Emi started looking around the car interior.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re inside him right now. You can say hello, if you like.¡±


    ¡°You want me to talk to your car?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Like in that terrible TV show Pop keeps trying to make me watch?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not terrible,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know your pop had me watch it when I was a kid and I loved it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a DVD box set, Uncle Jason. It might as well be chiselled on stone tablets.¡±


    ¡°If you will be more comfortable, Miss Emi,¡± Shade said, ¡°I am happy to initiate the conversation.¡±


    The car talking caused Emi to jolt in her seat.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to be worried about Shade,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s very nice. He¡¯s been a good friend, even if he does occasionally keep things from me.¡±


    ¡°If I told you about the World-Phoenix token,¡± Shade said, ¡°You would have gone and gotten yourself killed even earlier.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean killed?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°See?¡± Jason said. ¡°Now look what you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°I thought the idea was to tell them everything,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Yeah, but the order¡¯s kind of important, Shade.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Jason, what does your car mean by getting killed?¡± Emi insisted. Jason could sense from her aura that the slight strain of worry in her voice was only a shadow of her true fear. After getting her Uncle Jason back, the thought of losing him again shook her to the core.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said, patting his chest with both hands. ¡°Look at me. Here I am, nice and alive.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not an answer,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re trying to distract me.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re too clever for my own good,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let me tell you about my other friends. Taika is really nice; he¡¯s fairly normal.¡±


    ¡°Taika like the director?¡±


    ¡°This one doesn¡¯t make movies, although he is from New Zealand. Then there¡¯s Gordon.¡±


    ¡°Is he from New Zealand too?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure where Gordon¡¯s from,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The realm of the All-Devouring Eye,¡± Shade said. ¡°Colin also originates from there.¡±


    ¡°The realm of the All-Devouring Eye?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s in the South Pacific,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Uncle Jason, why do you tell such obvious lies?¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s harder to notice the subtle ones,¡± Jason said. ¡°Tell the truth as much as you can, and if you have to lie, make it obvious. That makes it easier to slip the important lies past people.¡±


    ¡°Miss Emi, I¡¯m not entirely certain that your Uncle Jason is a good role model,¡± Shade said.


    Annabeth accepted the video call and Gladys¡¯ face appeared on her laptop.


    ¡°Well?¡± Annabeth asked without preamble.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t find him at all like you described,¡± Gladys said.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°You said amiable, right?¡±


    ¡°He was oddly charming,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°Emphasis on the odd.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t find that at all,¡± Gladys said. ¡°With a category three in front of him and his family in the next room, he was hard and sharp. It was like looking down the point of a sword. I swear he was ready to fight right there. Have you seen his aura, Anna?¡±


    ¡°No. He¡¯s a category above me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never felt anything like it,¡± Gladys said. ¡°It feels like a weapon and I swear it was almost as strong as mine. Add in that insane control and I don¡¯t think I¡¯d win, aura to aura.¡±


    ¡°We knew he was dangerous.¡±


    ¡°This is more than dangerous, Anna. I don¡¯t think he¡¯s stable. Right now, he¡¯s looking down the barrel of a world full of forces he doesn¡¯t understand and he doesn¡¯t know how to protect his family. He¡¯s flailing in ignorance and he knows it, so he¡¯s going overboard because it¡¯s all he has. He¡¯s fully aware that it¡¯s a flimsy shield, so he¡¯s doing everything he can to prop it up. I don¡¯t think he¡¯d be an entirely reliable ally.¡±


    ¡°You think we shouldn¡¯t try to pull him in?¡±


    ¡°Oh, we definitely want him on our side,¡± Gladys said. ¡°His aura control techniques alone leave us in the dust. Also, not for nothing: that is not a man I want to make an enemy of. What he needs more than anything else is someone he can trust, and if we can provide that, I think the dividends will be amazing.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°That will be a big ask after what the Lyon branch did, though.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Gladys said. ¡°Right now, he¡¯s a gun ready to go off. It¡¯s kind of sexy.¡±


    ¡°Gladys¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, I know. I¡¯m not a cradle robber, Anna. Give it a decade, though, and that boy might be in some trouble. Have you considered trying to honey trap him? I bet you won¡¯t have trouble finding people willing to throw themselves in front of that bus.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had people running background,¡± Anna said. ¡°It seems that he had a family rift stemming from his long-term girlfriend, who is now his sister-in-law.¡±


    ¡°Ouch.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Annabeth agreed. ¡°Our analysts suggest that he likely has a deep sensitivity to betrayal in general and romantic betrayal especially. Even if we play it fairly straight and just make sure an agent is available and open to forming a relationship, he¡¯s likely to be sensitive to that kind of manipulation. If something went wrong, that could be very bad.¡±


    ¡°How bad?¡±


    ¡°Marching through our headquarters with a chainsaw bad,¡± Annabeth said


    ¡°Probably best be careful, then,¡± Gladys acceded. ¡°Especially while he¡¯s on a hair trigger.¡±


    ¡°Our analysts think that an open alliance with well-defined terms is what he¡¯ll respond best to.¡±


    ¡°Well, he has a lot to bring to the table,¡± Gladys said. ¡°I was able to probe his magical knowledge a little.¡±


    ¡°He was only gone a year and a half,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°How much can he have picked up?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d be surprised,¡± Gladys said. ¡°I was. He claims to only have a basic grounding in different kinds of magic, but I think that¡¯s more than enticing enough.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Anna mused. ¡°Our definition of the basics is different to someone from a magical alternate reality.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, we bring things to the table as well,¡± Gladys said. ¡°He seems to genuinely appreciate our treatment of his grandmother. Fortunately, he was smart enough to feed her a healing potion as soon as he removed the disease. Getting that healing in immediately gave us a good head start on the treatment. Now she just needs some regular, specialised therapy.¡±


    ¡°I suggest you start charging him for it, preferably in magic materials,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°That won¡¯t alienate him?¡± Gladys asked.


    ¡°It keeps the arrangement honest and keeps it out in the open,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what we want.¡±


    They arrived at the marina and Emi goggled at Jason¡¯s opulent boathouse.


    ¡°How much money do you have?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a huge pile of gold, so a lot.¡±


    ¡°You have a huge pile of gold?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Actually, let me show you a trick.¡±


    He took a bar of gold out of his inventory. To Emi, it looked like he plucked it out of thin air.


    ¡°I know that could be just slight of hand,¡± he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s too light,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°The gold bar?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yeah. It should be heavy.¡±


    ¡°Jason held out the ten kilogram metal bar. Emi took it in her hands, but it immediately slipped through. Jason reached out with a shadow arm and caught it, then put it back into his inventory.


    ¡°See?¡± he said.


    ¡°Your arm got longer,¡± Emi said. ¡°And it tuned black.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°Magic powers, remember.¡±


    ¡°How did you get them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain all that when your parents get here.¡±


    ¡°Can I get them?¡±


    ¡°Not until you¡¯re older,¡± Jason said. ¡°At least a few years.¡±


    ¡°Really? How many years?¡±


    ¡°It depends on when your body is able to accept them. For most people that¡¯s around sixteen or seventeen, but that¡¯s just the centre of the curve. My friend Rufus had to wait until he was nineteen.¡±


    ¡°Do lots of people have them in Africa?¡±


    ¡°Lots of people have them in the place I¡¯ve been all this time,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the same thing as saying yes,¡± Emi said, causing Jason to chuckle.


    ¡°You¡¯re trouble, you know that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Is trouble good?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Trouble is very good,¡± he said, ruffling her hair. ¡°You¡¯ll understand everything soon. As to whether you believe it, that¡¯s another thing. For now, let¡¯s go take a tour of the houseboat, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Is it a magic houseboat?¡±


    ¡°Can you keep a secret?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Look who I¡¯m talking to; of course you can. Don¡¯t tell anyone, but this houseboat may be the single most magical item on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Are there a lot of magical items on Earth?¡±


    ¡°A lot more than I thought, as it turns out¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You realise that if magic exists,¡± she said, ¡°it changes everything we know about the universe.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t so much change it as expand it,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s just that the things we don¡¯t understand turns out to be a larger pool than we realised. There are ways to explore beyond the boundaries of our universe. And it¡¯s not like the scientific method is invalidated all of a sudden. In fact, I have a friend who is basically a research scientist, but his area is magic. Well, aspects of magic. As with science, there are many fields of study.¡±


    Jason took her around the houseboat, which Emi found suitably impressive. One of Shade¡¯s bodies accompanied them, giving Emi a look at his normal figure. In the kitchen they met Taika, who they caught raiding the houseboat¡¯s supply of coconut rum balls.


    ¡°There are a weird number of homemade snacks on this houseboat,¡± Taika said.


    ¡°You should see our house,¡± Emi told him. ¡°Those snacks tend to be healthier than what I¡¯m seeing here, though.¡±


    ¡°I need extra carbs and protein,¡± Jason said defensively. ¡°I have a condition.¡±


    ¡°What condition?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°Super powers,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°He does,¡± Taika said. ¡°A bunch of bikers attacked our car and he went all magic and stuff. I didn¡¯t get to see much at the time because I was concentrating on driving but it was all over the news.¡±


    ¡°That really was you on the news?¡± Emi said.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Taika said. ¡°He got shot a whole bunch of times.¡±


    Jason felt a streak of panic shoot through Emi¡¯s aura and gave Taika a withering glare.


    ¡°Taika,¡± he said through gritted teeth. ¡°Maybe we don¡¯t tell my twelve year old niece about the horrifying situation we were in?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re impervious to bullets, bro. That was a horrible situation for me, but you seemed to be having fun.¡±


    ¡°Taika, maybe it¡¯s time for that errand?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. No worries, bro. You got the cash?¡±


    Jason took an envelope stuffed with hundreds from his inventory and handed it over.


    ¡°Damn, bro. How much to you want me to get?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a list in the envelope,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°Your family members have left the hospital and will be here in around twenty minutes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Shade.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°I have multiple bodies,¡± Shade said. ¡°Your Uncle has had me watching out for your mother, your grandfather and yourself since his arrival in this township.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been watching me?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°I have been hidden in  the shadows around you, even your own.¡±


    ¡°Have you been watching me pee?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano asked me to remain at a remove during your more delicate moments,¡± Shade said. ¡°I feel that this compromises my ability to secure your person to the fullest extent of my capacity, but I have complied.¡±


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to let you watch her pee.¡±


    ¡°Miss Asano, I¡¯m older than your species. I can assure you that I take no interest in your biological necessities. If you could convince your Uncle¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said definitively.


    ¡°Wait, if you¡¯re with me all the time,¡± Emi asked, ¡°Can you turn into a car and drive me places?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°A car takes multiple bodies, while only one stays with you,¡± Shade said. ¡°I could turn into a motorcycle.¡±


    Emi¡¯s head turned to Jason on a swivel, adorable eyes glistening with hope.


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± he said.


    Ian was driving back to Casselton Beach from the hospital on the outskirts of Castle Heads. Hiro was in the passenger seat while Erika and her father were in the back.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure we should have rushed off like this, Erika,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°Dad,¡± Erika said. ¡°I want answers. Uncle Robbo is taking Nanna back to his place, so there¡¯s no point hanging around the hospital. Ian, you¡¯re driving too slow.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve ever noticed those signs with the numbers on them next to the road, dear,¡± Ian said, ¡°but they have to do with how fast cars are allowed to go.¡±


    Erika groaned her complaint while Ken and Hiro chuckled.


    ¡°You¡¯re a braver man than most, Ian,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°This family needs more women,¡± Erika muttered.


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking to have another kid,¡± Ian said, ¡°I still have my sexy pirate outfit. It kind of went to waste the other night.¡±


    ¡°Quite enough of that kind of talk, thank you,¡± Ken said. ¡°Her father is right here, Ian.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Ken.¡±


    ¡°Of course, if you are looking at giving me another grandchild, I could be convinced to cover my ears.¡±


    ¡°Dad, ick.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying right here in the car, Sweetie,¡± Ken told Erika. ¡°Although, you could drop Hiro and myself off while you two go¡­¡±


    ¡°Dad!¡±


    ¡°You know, you were conceived in a ¡¯76 HJ Holden¡­¡±


    ¡°DAD!¡±


    Ian and Hiro were laughing in the front, as Erika glared at her father.


    They arrived at the Casselton Beach marina, Hiro directing Ian where to park.


    ¡°Should I just look for that crazy car of Jason¡¯s?¡± Ian asked.


    ¡°It might not be here,¡± Hiro said. ¡°You¡¯ll be able to see it easily.¡±


    ¡°Holy crap,¡± Ken said as the houseboat came into view. ¡°Is that it?


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Hiro said, pointing. ¡°The jetty access is just there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Jason¡¯s houseboat?¡± Ken asked.


    ¡°How is that anyone¡¯s houseboat?¡± Ian said. ¡°That¡¯s bigger than our actual house. By a lot. Should we buy a bigger house?¡±


    They piled out of the car as another car arrived and parked just one spot along. It was Taika, driving Hiro¡¯s new car.


    ¡°Oh, hey boss,¡± Taika greeted and Hiro made introductions.


    ¡°What are you up to?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Jason asked me to stock up the bar. He said he didn¡¯t have any regular booze, just the magic stuff.¡±


    ¡°Magic stuff?¡± Ian asked.


    ¡°Right, you¡¯re here to learn about all that,¡± Taika said. ¡°I think alcohol was a good idea.¡±


    The others offered to help Taika, each taking a crate of drinks from the car while Taika carried one under each arm.


    ¡°How much did you actually buy?¡± Hiro asked, seeing that they were leaving at least as many behind. As well as filling the boot, the crates were loaded up in the back and passenger seats.


    ¡°This is just the plonk,¡± Taika said. ¡°It¡¯ll probably be two runs for mixers and stuff.¡±

 Chapter 299: What Your Uncle Has Been Telling You

    Erika approached the houseboat flanked by her family and the towering figure of Taika, all carrying crates of alcohol. Jason and Emi came out to meet them, standing on the lower deck that was level with the jetty. Jason waved them aboard.


    ¡°Thanks for helping with the drinks,¡± he said. ¡°We may as well do this whole thing in the bar lounge. We¡¯ll probably need those drinks by the time we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a bar lounge?¡± Ian asked.


    ¡°Look at this place,¡± Ken said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing they started with a bar lounge and built a houseboat around it.¡±


    ¡°Jason, are you finally going to stop dodging me?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he said. They spotted immediately that he was more subdued than his usual self, gently holding his niece¡¯s hand.


    ¡°How¡¯s Mum?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Freaked out,¡± Erika said. ¡°Her son just came back to life and her mother¡¯s Alzheimer¡¯s is miraculously cured. All she got in explanation were second-hand accounts of the vague nonsense you told us. Why did you do it like that?¡±


    ¡°If she doesn¡¯t want to show up for family meetings, then that¡¯s what she gets,¡± Jason said, his father nodding in approval.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Erika said. ¡°This isn¡¯t like sorting out Great Aunt Marjory subscribing us all to Christian Quarterly. You came back from the dead.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Twice, thus far.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, twice?¡±


    ¡°First things first,¡± Jason said. ¡°Before we can start, I need to change your understanding of what is and isn¡¯t possible.¡±


    ¡°Are you completely certain you didn¡¯t join a cult?¡± Ian asked.


    ¡°You have to see for yourself, Dad,¡± Emi said, standing next to Jason.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Jason said. He traded Erika¡¯s crate of alcohol for her daughter and led them across the lower deck and through the tinted glass doors that slid open at their approach. Inside was a sprawling lounge, with soft chairs of white leather and glass walls running around three sides. They put the crates down by the bar and looked around at the opulence.


    ¡°There¡¯s a bloody mezzanine,¡± Ian said, causing the rest to turn their gazes to the upper level. ¡°God damn, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Hiro, Taika and Emi have already seen what I¡¯m about to show you,¡± Jason said. ¡°Today we¡¯re going further than what I¡¯ve revealed so far. It¡¯s going to take a while, so expect to be here for the day.¡±


    ¡°What about all the stuff you told us before?¡± Erika asked. ¡°Being a mercenary in Africa.¡±


    ¡°Everything I told you is true,¡± Jason said, ¡°but also incomplete. There¡¯s something very important that I left out, and much more to tell. I¡¯m going to begin by showing you something. Then something else and something after that. One impossible thing after another until your perspective of impossibility itself undergoes a fundamental change.¡±


    ¡°Bro, you sound like one of those guys with a TV show that explains magic tricks. You¡¯re pretty big into melodrama, hey.¡±


    ¡°Taika, I¡¯m trying to set a mood here,¡± Jason complained as his family chuckled.


    ¡°Sorry, bro.¡±


    ¡°Stop dancing around it, Jason,¡± Erika said. ¡°What is it you¡¯re going to show us?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. He opened up a portal arch, which rose up from the floor. The black obsidian arch, filled with darkness, was incongruous with the lavishly appointed lounge.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be waiting on the other side,¡± Jason said and stepped through.


    The others went through the same startled examination of the arch that Taika and Hiro did on their first exposure to it. They walked around, examining the arch Jason had vanished into from both sides, peering into the darkness. Erika checked the floor for a mechanism it had used to rise up while Ian ran his fingers over the arch.


    ¡°This is solid stone,¡± Ian said. ¡°is he a magician now?¡±


    ¡°Not a magician, Dad,¡± Emi said. ¡°A wizard.¡±


    ¡°A wizard,¡± Erika said disapprovingly. ¡°I don¡¯t know what your uncle has been telling you, Emi, but he is not a wizard.¡±


    ¡°Come find me then,¡± she said and dashed through the portal herself.


    ¡°Emi!¡± Ian called out, then immediately followed her through the arch.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Ken asked as his family vanished one by one.


    ¡°It¡¯s a lot, I know,¡± Hiro told his brother. ¡°I also know from experience that once you step through that door, everything changes. I don¡¯t think there is a way to prepare for what comes next.¡±


    Ken nodded at his brother, squared his shoulders and marched resolutely into the portal. That left Erika with Hiro and Taika.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± Taika said. ¡°I¡¯m going to get the rest of those drinks.¡±


    Hiro gave Erika a sympathetic smile, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking for answers in a world that¡¯s making less sense with every passing day,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve been there. Very, very recently. We both still have a lot to learn.¡±


    He held out his hand for her to take and led her toward the arch.


    The point at Castle Bluff had a paved and railed lookout area that ran along the cliff face. Further back was a park where much of Jason¡¯s family was throwing up on the grass. The winter wind was blowing in off the ocean, making the park trees hiss like snakes as the wind savaged its way through the leaves.


    Jason stood at the railing looking out. Emi was beside him, holding his hand as the wind whipped her hair around her head. There was no one else out on the bluff on the blustery day.


    Despite being the last of the family to arrive, Erika recovered the quickest, looking around disbelievingly at their surroundings. The portal was still there, taunting her with its impossibility. As she stared at it, Taika emerged, putting a hand to his stomach until it settled. He glanced around, nodding with approval, then made his way toward Jason.


    ¡°Did you want me to go get the mixers and stuff, bro?¡± Taika half-yelled over the wind.


    ¡°Leave it for now,¡± Jason said. Despite not speaking loudly, his voice oddly cut right through the wind.


    ¡°When we get back, stick around, yeah?¡± Jason said to Taika.


    ¡°I thought maybe it was a family thing?¡± Taika said.


    ¡°I got you caught up in all this,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll see you through all the way, brother.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, bro. Alright, I¡¯m going to go do a mixer run while you¡¯re showing them stuff here, yeah?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have time,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re a stubborn bunch. I mean, look at them. They just got teleported and they¡¯re staring at the sky like it owes them money.¡±


    Taika glanced over at Jason¡¯s family, who were starting to recover and, as he said, looking at their surroundings in suspicious disbelief.


    Erika, having recovered, also made her way to Jason, held out a hand towards her daughter. Emi ignored the hand, moving past it to embrace her mother in a huge hug.


    ¡°Emi,¡± Erika said, staring at Jason over her daughter¡¯s head. He had turned from the railing and leaned back against it, watching her with sparkling eyes. There was an ease to the way he leaned against the rail, a confidence like nothing she¡¯d seen from him before.


    Confidence wasn¡¯t an area in which Jason had ever been lacking, but this man before her was different from the cocky boy who thought he was smarter than everyone. This was deeper, less forced and more assured, as if he feared nothing the world could throw at him. She felt it strange that she suddenly had that certainty about him, to the degree of it being suspicious.


    ¡°What you¡¯re feeling is my aura,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not that nonsense they take photos of in new age shops, but the real thing.¡±


    ¡°Jason, that¡¯s ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny it, but look at where we are Eri. How did we get here?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t explain that,¡± she said, ¡°but it definitely wasn¡¯t through the power of reflexology and crystal healing.¡±


    ¡°Try the archway again,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll get used to the queasiness and disorientation, I¡¯m told. Not entirely, but it gets easier.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re told?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suffer from it,¡± Jason said. ¡°A quirk of constitution. Seriously, give it another few goes.¡±


    ¡°I will!¡± Emi said rushing off to the portal. She started dashing rapidly in and out until she staggered away with a goofy grin, dizzy from the disorientation. Jason and Erika looked on, standing side by side.


    ¡°You know I¡¯m the coolest uncle ever, right?¡± Jason asked Erika as he slipped an arm around his sister¡¯s shoulders. ¡°Eri, magic is real. I know that¡¯s crazy but crazy is where I¡¯ve been living for a while, now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s beyond crazy,¡± she said.


    ¡°Oh, this is only the beginning,¡± he said.


    Emi fell over in the grass, dizzy, while her father went to make sure she didn¡¯t roll over into someone¡¯s vomit. The rest of the family had recovered and were approaching Jason, still looking around in disbelief.


    ¡°Vermillion,¡± Annabeth greeted over the phone. ¡°I was sorry to hear you were demoted.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not without its benefits,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°You should see the house they¡¯ve put me up in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°Would you be willing to play host for when we talk with him?¡±


    ¡°He insists on hosting you himself, on his houseboat,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°He¡¯s not willing to accept neutral ground? That doesn¡¯t speak well to his willingness to come to an accommodation.¡±


    ¡°His position,¡± Vermillion said, ¡°is that he has one houseboat and you have the rest of the planet, being an international network of secret magicians. Who have already tried to kidnap him once, you might recall. I think you should just concede the point, Anna.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk to my boss and get back to you. Did he agree to a day?¡±


    ¡°Tuesday,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°From what I can see, he¡¯s eager to get this done.¡±


    ¡°The day after tomorrow,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°We can work with that.¡±


    Jason needed the family to get it in their heads that magic was genuinely a thing. They were a sceptical bunch, with Erika especially reaching for mundane explanations much as her daughter had. Back at the marina, in preparation for some dramatic show and tell, he had Shade scout the area around the houseboat for potential eavesdroppers. Even on a late Sunday morning, the marina was winter quiet.


    In the parking lot, Jason began by demonstrating his inventory. He took things in and out, including Hiro¡¯s car. He showed them Shade turning into a car and returned the houseboat to the cloud flask and bringing it out again, now with magical cloud interior.


    Back on the houseboat he moved around the interior, transforming rooms as they watched. He ran a power drill through his hand, which had trouble fighting through his damage reduction, then chugged a bottle of household bleach, which his powers turned into healing that restored the injury on his hand.


    They returned to the bar lounge, now made up of cloud stuff in gorgeous sunset colours. After everything they had seen, Jason gave them time to let it all sink in.


    Taika was freshly back from his second run of mixers and was putting away all the fruit, sugar syrup, soda water and other drink ingredients. Ken was looking shell-shocked, Hiro sitting with him and talking quietly. Ian was sitting with his daughter while Erika and Jason made cocktails at the bar, side by side as she continued to grill him.


    ¡°I swear, Jason,¡± Erika told him. ¡°You better not have met some ridiculous illusionist and conceived all this as a mad, elaborate prank. I will go to the hardware store and buy one of those big PVC barrels, knock you out, throw you into the barrel, fill it with concrete, borrow Wally¡¯s boat, take the barrel out into the ocean and drop you to the bottom of the Pacific. You¡¯ve disappeared once; it won¡¯t seem that strange.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s suspiciously well thought-through,¡± Jason said. ¡°Ian, has your wife been killing people and dumping them in the ocean?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Ian said. ¡°They changed all the judges on Kitchen Conquest because the network refused to bump their pay and definitely not for any other reason. I didn¡¯t tell him anything, honey.¡±


    ¡°Is this really the time for jokes, husband? Jason, pass the sliced limes.¡±


    ¡°Sweetie,¡± Ian said, ¡°Jason came back from the dead and is apparently an indestructible wizard now. Once your brother turns into Gandalf the White, I think we¡¯re in uncharted territory, decorum-wise.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t kill me anyway,¡± Jason said. ¡°Hand me the rum. No the white rum. Never mind.¡±


    His arm extended to grab the bottle from the end of the bar.


    ¡°Apparently he¡¯s also Mr Fantastic,¡± Ian said.


    ¡°How could being dropped into the ocean inside a solid block of concrete not kill you?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Well, the pressure might get me, if you dumped me in the Marianas Trench. Is Wally¡¯s boat big enough to get out there? Anyway, my mate Gordon would get me out before I got too deep. He¡¯d make pretty short work of concrete. And I don¡¯t breathe anymore, so that¡¯s not an issue.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t breathe?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Gordon?¡± Ian asked at the same time.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think we¡¯ve reached the portion of the proceedings where we need to sit down and have it explained from the start, if only to organise what is a lot of crazy. Let¡¯s all go to the media room, since I¡¯m going to start things off with a video presentation.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Erika asked. ¡°Like one of those employee induction videos, but for magic?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more of a magical hologram than an actual video,¡± Jason said.


    The group settled into the couches and recliners of the media room and Jason took out a carousel of recording crystals, plucking a crystal from the very first row. A projector emerged from the floor and he slotted it in before taking a seat between his sister and niece on one of the couches.


    An image appeared in front of them, an opulent living space in cool ocean greens and blues. Jason was in front of it, but Jason as they remembered: clean-shaven, prominent chin.


    ¡°Hello,¡± image Jason said, waving out from the image. ¡°I¡¯m not sure if, or when you¡¯ll be seeing this, but I didn¡¯t die, or whatever you think happened to me. You probably know that, since the only way you¡¯re likely to see this is if I give it to you.¡±


    He let out a dissatisfied groan. His voice was also the way they remembered, less deep and resonant. The group all looked at Jason¡¯s current self for comparison.


    ¡°Maybe I should have scripted this,¡± image Jason continued. ¡°Oh, well. Where should I start? It¡¯s been about two months since I arrived here. Where is here? That¡¯s complicated. I¡¯ve made some friends. I just got a new job, although I haven¡¯t started yet. They¡¯re meant to be sending my ID over today. The application process involved sort of a week-long retreat, which I got back from a couple of days ago.¡±


    Image Jason took a deep, centring breath.


    ¡°I still needed to breathe, at that stage,¡± real Jason pointed out.


    ¡°I suppose I should start with that complicated question of where I am,¡± image Jason said. ¡°Right now, as you can see, I¡¯m in an expensive hotel suite. It isn¡¯t actually mine; that¡¯s across the hall. This one belongs to some of those friends I mentioned. They went three-bedroom, which came with this nice, open living area.¡±


    The image panned off Jason, turning toward a pair of open French doors leading onto a balcony. The recording moved forward, giving them a view of a cerulean sea.


    ¡°Nice, right?¡± Jason¡¯s voice came from the recording. ¡°One of my new friends is kind of a big deal, so he got the best room in the house. We¡¯re on an artificial island, which is pretty crazy, given the size. At some point I¡¯ll do a tour video. The subways here are amazing.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± a woman¡¯s melodic voice came from the recording. ¡°Who are you talking to?¡±


    Erika and Emi both felt Jason flinch when they heard her speak.

 Chapter 300: The Moments That Decide Who You Are

    It was a strange closing of the circle as Jason watched his recordings with his family. Seeing himself with no way of ever knowing if the moment he was now experiencing would ever happen.


    There was over a hundred and fifty hours of the recordings. Most of the early recording were of Jason exploring areas of Greenstone as he gave an in-depth narration of his experiences to date. His family did one of the few things even less plausible than magic by taking a genuine interest in a family member¡¯s holiday videos.


    They watched until the early evening, at which point Jason put a stop to it, not replacing the latest crystal after it was done. There were protests, but Erika and Jason shared a look, his eyes flicking in Emi¡¯s direction. Erika picked his signal that not all the records were tween appropriate and helped quell the other¡¯s insistence on continuing.


    ¡°There is plenty more where that came from and it¡¯s all here waiting for you,¡± Jason said. ¡°In the meantime, there is more you need to know. Specifically, about the state of the world here and now. You¡¯ve all just become part of a wider reality, and you need to understand the new world you¡¯re living in.¡±


    Jason proceeded to explain the three hegemonic powers, how he had healed Nanna and the treatment she would need to give her the most effective recovery.


    ¡°Why are you telling us all this?¡± Ian asked. ¡°You said yourself that at least some of these groups have a vested interest in secrecy.¡±


    ¡°Because the secret is going to come out,¡± Jason said. ¡°Probably sooner than later. After the circumstances of my disappearance, Erika ran into that secret herself, before being crudely warned off. When the world finds out, it will be an incredibly unstable time. I want the family ready when that time comes.¡±


    ¡°What about Kaito and Mum?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring them in,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell them everything, the same as with you. But the people in this room will be responsible for keeping the family safe. Over the next few weeks and months, each of you will obtain magic for yourselves. We¡¯ll select those powers together, from what I can get access to, and I¡¯ll train you to use them. Emi too, but only once she¡¯s old enough.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to give Mum and Kaito powers?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about Kaito and Amy,¡± Jason said. ¡°They have two young children, which leaves them essentially zero time to train. If I have enough resources to be going on with, then maybe. Mum, definitely not. I don¡¯t have the time or patience for her trying to take charge of everything.¡±


    ¡°Can you show us an essence?¡± Emi asked. ¡°We saw them in the recordings, but I want to see one in person.¡±


    Jason took a plant essence from his inventory and handed it to her. The cube was a dark, earthy brown riddled with green like roots in soil.


    ¡°This is a plant essence,¡± he explained as the group gathered around the object Emi was holding in her hands. Jason pulled out some others and passed them around, along with some awakening stones.


    Finally, Jason sent everyone off, except for Hiro and Taika.


    ¡°I¡¯ve thrown a lot of crazy stuff at you today,¡± he told them. ¡°It¡¯s going to take a while to sink in. Take the night; you¡¯ll think of a lot of things you want to know. I suggest you write them down and you can bring them to me whenever you like. Except Tuesday, when I¡¯ll be negotiating with a secret organisation working with the government to keep magic a secret from the world. I never got to do that at the office supply store, but I was only an assistant manager. That¡¯s probably store manager level stuff.¡±


    Erika and Ian informed Emi that no, she was not allowed to stay on the houseboat with Uncle Jason as she had school in the morning. They took Ken with them to drop off on the way home. One of the advantages of a small town was nothing really being out of the way.


    Jason, Hiro and Taika kicked back in the lounge.


    ¡°So you really healed all those kids in the hospital?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I didn¡¯t know the local players, so I needed to flush them out. If I can heal a bunch of kids while I¡¯m at it, then all the better.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to do it again?¡± Taika asked. ¡°There¡¯s a lot more sick kids out there.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t do it like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°The media and political storm I kicked up was so big it impacted hospital operations. I¡¯m told the Network has ways to do the same thing without kicking up a stink.¡±


    ¡°And if that doesn¡¯t pan out?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Then we¡¯ll see,¡± Jason said. ¡°Taika, now that you know more and you¡¯ve heard what¡¯s coming, you should give some thought to your own family.¡±


    ¡°What happens if all this magic stuff comes out into the open?¡± Taika asked. ¡°Are they in danger?¡±


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°It could be anything from a blip on the radar to the end of civilisation. It might be just one more thing the rich people keep to themselves and a month later we¡¯re back to obsessing over celebrity scandals. Or it could be a new world war as everyone grasps for new power. I hate to think about what happens when religion gets involved. If we¡¯re really lucky, it could be a dawn of peace and prosperity as magic helps us overcome disease, poverty and climate change.¡±


    ¡°Where would you put the odds of that?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s seems pretty unrealistic,¡± Jason said. ¡°And that¡¯s coming from an interdimensional warlock ninja who came back from the dead. Twice.¡±


    ¡°Did you really come back from the dead?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Jason said, tugging at the collar of his shirt. It revealed a scar at the base of his throat. ¡°I got impaled through the throat. Amongst other places.¡±


    ¡°How did you come back?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a secret I don¡¯t have all the answers to,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to answer that.¡±


    ¡°Can you do it again?¡± Hiro asked, but Jason responded only with a saturnine smile.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Something I¡¯ve been thinking about, then. You know I¡¯ve been talking about a legitimate development project once the EOA handover is completed.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What if it was a residential community? Like the gated communities in America, except built to keep out dangerous magic rather than ethnic minorities. Is there some way we could plan to bake in magical protection, right from the planning stage? Secretly build a place where our friends and family can be safe if things do go bad?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting idea,¡± Jason said, thoughtfully rubbing his chin. ¡°A very interesting idea. I¡¯d need to advance my understanding of array and formation magic, but I just so happen to have an excellent library of appropriate theoretical texts. I¡¯ll have to do some reading before I can tell you how viable that is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I need an answer today,¡± Hiro said. ¡°I need to finalise things in Sydney before I even look at what comes next. I¡¯d like to head into Sydney later in the week, if that works for you. I know enough now that I don¡¯t want to meet them without you watching my back.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jason said. ¡°Set something up and let me know a time. Anything Wednesday or later works for me.¡±


    Casselton Beach had pleasant winters, but it was shaping up to be an especially fine day. The sky was crystal clear and the weather was projecting a high of 26 degrees. When Shade took his car form, it was open top, Jason patting the door appreciatively.


    ¡°Have I ever told you how awesome you are, Shade? Because you¡¯re awesome.¡±


    Jason took the wheel himself as he threw on some music and enjoyed the drive out of town as he headed for his father¡¯s new place. It was just a few minutes out of Casselton Beach, which was still enough to leave the small town behind and hit pleasantly pastoral countryside.


    Ken had picked out a good-sized patch of land that occupied an entire hilltop. It had panoramic views on all sides, with a vast open sky overhead, although parking was not ideal. There was a short, gravel drive off the access road on the far side of the property from the cottage where Ken was living. Jason parked next to his father¡¯s flat tray Land Cruiser.


    Jason picked his way through an expansive landscaping project that was currently little more than a hilltop covered in dirt, large holes and a scattering of native trees. Jason walked around dug-out dirt beds as he navigated towards the little wooden cottage where his father was living. Even the grass was largely torn out, with only some of the native trees left intact. They dotted the property, all the works careful to avoid their root systems.


    Jason knew enough to realise how ambitious the project was. His father was literally reshaping the hilltop in preparation of establishing the foundational infrastructure. It was something that would take years to reach fruition.


    The old wooden cottage was the exact opposite of Jason¡¯s lavish magical home. He could just imagine the interior, all worn down wood and faded furniture. The only new things would be the big TV and the extra shelves for all the DVDs. Give his father a bunch of solar panels and the complete series set of Magnum P.I. and Ken would happily wait out the zombie apocalypse.


    Jason found his father in a folding camp chair outside the cottage, overlooking the property with a pensive look. He had an old car stereo sitting on a brick and set to a golden oldies station. It was wired up to a loose car battery. Ken had watched Jason pick his way across the property, then got up to hug his son as he arrived.


    ¡°You know, Dad, both of those things are meant to be in an actual car.¡±


    ¡°If I wanted a car up here,¡± Ken said, ¡°then there¡¯d be a car up here.¡±


    Jason chuckled as he moved to stand side by side with his father and look out over the property.


    ¡°This is ambitious,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°After what happened with you and then your mother,¡± Ken said, ¡°I didn¡¯t know how to go forward. I wasn¡¯t feeling that excitement for any of the projects I was being offered. I needed something different; something I could lose myself in. I didn¡¯t have any passion left. I¡¯ve been lucky enough that money wasn¡¯t a problem, so I packed in the business and went looking for that something. This is what I found.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still getting ready to put the bones into place,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Ken said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I know how to do this after what happened yesterday, though. The things you showed us. The world just changed around me, Jason, and once again I have no idea how to go forward from here. How do you go back to living a normal life after learning those things?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can trust me on that one. Life is different now and there¡¯s no going back. Change doesn¡¯t have to be bad, though. I¡¯m back, and I come bearing gifts.¡±


    He took out an essence and placed it in his father¡¯s hands.


    ¡°You have no concept of what it¡¯s like to wield magic,¡± Jason said. ¡°It isn¡¯t that much of a sensation, at first. You can feel it inside you but it¡¯s just a seed. As you grow stronger you can feel the power. You make it your own and then, when you use it¡­¡±


    Jason shook his head, a smile on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s like feeling the universe wash through you. I don¡¯t know if there¡¯s a drug that feels that good, which is probably for the best.¡±


    ¡°Jason, I¡¯m fifty-six years old. I don¡¯t know that I¡¯m up for whatever it is you have planned.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the best part,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll be healthy. Strong. Strong enough to maybe help me put aside old grudges. It¡¯ll be awkward and uncomfortable. You¡¯ll fight with Mum, I¡¯ll fight with Kaito. And Mum, probably. But we¡¯ll be there for one another. There are strange days ahead, and there will be things that I need to do.¡±


    His voice dropped to a whisper.


    ¡°There are things I¡¯ve already done. I¡¯m not sure who I am anymore, Dad.¡±


    Ken placed an arm around Jason¡¯s shoulders as his son¡¯s quiet voice broke.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, son. You can tell the others as much or as little as you¡¯d like. But whatever you tell me, I¡¯ll listen, and you will never have to be ashamed.¡±


    After unburdening his sins to his father, Jason was fearful of how Ken would look at him afterward. For a long time, Ken looked at his son in silence, Jason¡¯s nerves fraying like old wires.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you that the things you¡¯ve done were right or wrong,¡± Ken said finally. ¡°You can¡¯t change the past, only the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have these choices all over in the future,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not na?ve enough to think I can avoid that anymore.¡±


    ¡°Jason. In life, there are things that you want to do, and things that you need to do. That¡¯s true whether you¡¯re a dimension-hopping wizard or a landscape architect who only gets more handsome with age. Next time you¡¯re in a position to kill ¨C every time you¡¯re in a position to kill ¨C then you have a choice to make.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not always a choice, Dad.¡±


    ¡°Like I said: some things you need to do. That¡¯s not unique to you; it¡¯s something plenty of people face. Soldiers, cops and yes, magicians from another universe. But don¡¯t fool yourself into confusing what you want with what you need. If you get the choice and you realise that you want to kill someone, don¡¯t think about whether to kill them or not. Think about whether you want to be the person that killed them or if you want to be the person who showed mercy. You¡¯re more important than them and what they deserve. Those will be the moments that decide who you are, son, and every choice is a chance to turn a little more in one direction or the other.¡±


    ¡°The two wolves,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Ken said. ¡°You¡¯ve got the good wolf and the bad wolf fighting inside you. You get more chances to feed them than most, and it sounds like maybe you¡¯ve been feeding the wrong one.¡±


    After letting everything out to his father, Jason finally felt a crack in the angry vigilance that he hadn¡¯t been able to shake. He needed to start acting smarter and more diplomatically if he was going to keep his family safe and get them ready for the future. Playing chicken with ancient orders of magic would only hurt them in the long run.


    He was back on the road when his phone rang and Shade closed the hard top on the car to cut down on wind noise. It was Erika.


    ¡°Jason, I¡¯ve got a production meeting running long and Ian can¡¯t leave the practice. Can you pick up Emi from the academy for us? She stays late for the advanced program, so she can¡¯t take the bus back.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Erika said. ¡°Normally I¡¯d ask Mum, because even she¡¯s never too busy for granddaughter time, but she¡¯s with Nanna out at Uncle Robbo¡¯s farm.¡±


    ¡°No worries, Eri. You¡¯ll come and pick her up from my place?¡±


    ¡°Damn right I will,¡± Erika said. ¡°I¡¯ve been writing down questions all day. Oh, Wally says g¡¯day, by the way. He asked if you¡¯d to do an episode; we¡¯re filming all next week.¡±


    ¡°Give him a firm maybe,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what my next few weeks are going to look like.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll call ahead to the school and put you on the list of people allowed to pick Emi up. You¡¯ll need to check in with the office, the first time.¡±


    ¡°No worries. See you this afternoon, Sis.¡±


    Jason took the turn for Castle Heads as Shade retracted the roof once more.


    ¡°Back to school,¡± Jason mused.


    Arriving at the academy, Shade, for once, was not wildly out of place. The cars present to pick them up all cost more than a teacher¡¯s annual salary, from dark German sedans to bright Italian sports cars.


    ¡°Who needs a Lamborghini here?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I bet none of these pricks need to outrun bikers hopped up on vampire blood.¡±


    Most of the students had been picked up an hour earlier, with only those in extra-curriculars or the advanced program like Emi still around. That left a handful of cars in the largely empty parking lot, with a cluster of parents gathered outside, chatting as they waited. There were also what appeared to be a number of household staff sent to pick up young scions, who had also formed their own little group.


    Jason parked and made his way to administration to register himself.


    ¡°I thought Mrs Asano¡¯s other brother died,¡± the elderly receptionist said.


    ¡°Well, we all thought you died in 2006, Mrs Wilkins, yet here we both are.¡±


    ¡°Oh, now I recognise you. The one with the mouth. You know, we all really liked your brother and sister, here.¡±


    ¡°Story of my life, Mrs Wilkins.¡±


    Jason headed back outside to wait for Emi. He felt the gathered parents turn their attention on him through their auras. One of the people wandered over.


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± the man said. ¡°You look a lot like someone I used to know.¡±


    ¡°G¡¯day, Silas,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Jason, that¡¯s really you? You look good, man. Especially given that I went to your memorial service. What happened to the whole being dead thing?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard the saying ¡®too sexy to die?¡¯ Not just a saying, as it turns out.¡±


    ¡°Well, you did me a solid,¡± Silas said. ¡°You remember Asya Karadeniz? She¡¯s looking good too and I almost got a leg over with the whole shared grief thing.¡±


    ¡°You and Asya? Does she have self esteem issues, these days?¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be nice,¡± Silas said wistfully.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you here to pick a up a kid? You should try and sound less date-rapey.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my little cousin,¡± Silas said. ¡°He¡¯s on the soccer team. With your cousin, I think.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Jason said, remembering that Toby would be sixteen, now.


    Jason had two cousins, on his father¡¯s side; the children of his Uncle Shiro. Like His sister and himself, the brothers were separated by about a decade. The older, Koji, was Jason¡¯s age and they had spent a lot of time together as children, although not by choice. The younger, Tobio, had been ten the last time Jason saw him.


    Jason was contemplating how to handle meeting his cousin when Emi arrived in the parking area.


    ¡°Uncle Jason!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s me,¡± Jason said. ¡°Good seeing you, Silas.¡±


    ¡°See you around, I guess. Congrats on not being dead.¡±


    Emi was positively bouncing as he climbed into the car.


    ¡°Shade, you¡¯re a convertible now? That is so cool!¡±


    ¡°Good afternoon, Miss Emi.¡±


    ¡°I came up with so many questions,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°So did your mother, apparently.¡±


    ¡°So that Farrah lady is really cute. Are you and her a thing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you want to ask? An alternate magical universe and that¡¯s your first question.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a no,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°No, we weren¡¯t a thing. She was a friend and a teacher. She meant a lot to me, but not like that.¡±


    ¡°Was?¡± Emi said, her excitement doused in cold water.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll see that when you watch more of the recordings.¡±


    ¡°About the recordings,¡± Emi asked. ¡°Does it magically translate? I assume they don¡¯t speak English in an alternate universe and it would explain why everyone¡¯s speech is out of synch, like a seventies kung fu movie.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly right,¡± Jason said. ¡°They weren¡¯t much more expensive than regular ones, and you were the intended audience, so I had to. The hardest part was calibrating the crystals to English, which took ages.¡±


    ¡°How did you talk to people there in person? Did you have a magic translator item?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty good with languages,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Emi asked in Japanese. ¡°Mother told me that you were bratty about learning when you were at my age.¡±


    Jason was getting better at paying attention to when he was switching languages and taking more active control over it.


    ¡°Your mother and your Uncle Kaito used to talk behind my back, except right in front of me using Japanese,¡± Jason said, also in Japanese


    ¡°You do speak it! You sound a little like the translation recording crystals, though. Do you have a translation power?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°What languages can it do?¡±


    ¡°All of them, as far as I¡¯m aware.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to find anime dubs even more annoying now, I guess. Okay, next question: Your friend Gary is really furry. Does he give good hugs?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re amazing,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s like being wrapped in a blanket made of friendship. But not as weird and creepy as I make it sound.¡±

 Chapter 301: I’m Mysterious Now

    On the way back from picking Emi up at school, Jason suggested they take advantage of the warm day. Casselton had pleasant winters as it were and the afternoon temperature had climbed into the high twenties. The unseasonable heat was begging the beach town¡¯s residents into the cool waters of the Pacific.


    On hearing that Jason didn¡¯t have any swimwear, Emi had insisted on stopping to pick some up. CB Surf and Bike sold mostly surf gear in the summer and mountain bike accessories during the winter. Most of the winter tourism was from mountain bikers taking advantage of the mild weather and preponderance of bush trails that snaked through the Casselton region.


    That left a limited selection of surf wear, given the season, but it was not an issue to pick up some boardshorts. He also grabbed rash shirts for himself and his niece, which would cover up his scars as well as protect them from abrasions if they took a spill during the surprise Jason had planned.


    On reaching the houseboat, Emi¡¯s own swimwear and a change of clothes was retrieved from her house via portal. She and Jason were soon skimming across the water on a pair of black jet skis, heading away from the marina. They moved parallel to the shore, past the big houses with small private docks and the scraggly stretch of bush where kids were playing in the creek outlet. The kids looked up as Emi whooped and hollered at them from the back of her jet ski, returning Emi¡¯s wave.


    Jason and Emi continued on, out in front of the small town¡¯s eponymous beach. It looked like they weren¡¯t the only ones taking advantage of the heat after school, with the white, sandy shore full enough that the Surf Life Saving Club had people out on full patrol. They rode their jet skis into the shore, leaving them as they wandered up to the caravan park tuck shop across the road and Jason purchased them an ice cream each.


    Emi was approached by some of her friends who were also at the beach. Emi had lived in Casselton Beach for a year and, like both of her uncles, was quick to make friends. She happily showed off the jet skis, which rapidly cemented Jason as the cool uncle. Emi and Jason took off again, Jason steering them back toward the houseboat when Shade informed him that Erika was wrapping up at work. Jason and Emi each claimed a bathroom to shower in, emerging not long before Erika¡¯s arrival.


    ¡°You need to talk to Mum,¡± Erika told him as she stepped from the pier onto the lower deck.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, thanks for asking,¡± Jason said. ¡°Yourself?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been calling me constantly since yesterday,¡± Erika said. ¡°If she weren¡¯t dealing with all of Nanna¡¯s stuff she wouldn¡¯t leave me alone at all.¡±


    ¡°When can we go see Grand Nanna?¡± Emi asked emerging from the houseboat to join them on the lower deck.


    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Erika told her. ¡°I¡¯ll pick you up from school and we¡¯ll go straight out to Great Uncle Robbo¡¯s farm.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just teleport?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°Sorry, Moppet,¡± Jason said, ruffling her wet hair. ¡°I¡¯ve got an important meeting tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Jason,¡± Emi complained, straightening her hair with her fingers.


    ¡°Erika, I¡¯m a little surprised you didn¡¯t send Mum here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh yeah, to the magic houseboat made of clouds,¡± Erika said. ¡°As if springing your resurrection on her at the hospital wasn¡¯t bad enough. I know you and Mum have issues, but dragging this out is just being a dick.¡±


    ¡°Mum, you said a bad word,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°Emi,¡± Erika said. ¡°What did I tell you about swearing?¡±


    ¡°That it¡¯s an arbitrary assignment of negative value to words with no inherent negative value based on outmoded moral strictures,¡± Emi groaned.


    ¡°Good girl,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°You know my teachers don¡¯t see it that way,¡± Emi muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s why you have to use your judgement,¡± Erika said. ¡°Social context is important. At Uncle Robbo¡¯s farm you hear all kinds of words not appropriate for the school setting.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Robbo keeps trying to get me to drink beer,¡± Emi said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a healthy educational environment.¡±


    ¡°He used to do that to me too,¡± Jason said, then switched to a gravelly voice. ¡°Go on, Jason, just a sip. It¡¯ll put hair on your chest.¡±


    ¡°He said the exact same thing to me,¡± Erika laughed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want hair on my chest,¡± Emi said. ¡°Also, beer definitely doesn¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Emi,¡± Erika said. ¡°I need to talk with your uncle for a bit, so go get a start on your homework.¡±


    Emi grumbled but retrieved her school bag and made her way up to the top deck while Erika and Jason went inside.


    ¡°I¡¯ve curated the next set of recording crystals to avoid things Emi isn¡¯t ready for,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve set the crystals out in the media room, so once Dad and Ian get here, you can dive straight in while I go see Mum.¡±


    ¡°What is it that you¡¯ve taken out?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Some of the things I did. And were done to me. The real nasty stuff isn¡¯t until later, but I don¡¯t think Emi is ready for my ruminations on the ethics of killing people. Especially since those early ones are me being foolish and na?ve about it.¡±


    Erika frowned.


    ¡°Then you really did¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°A lot?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The brother and sister looked at each other in silence for a long time.


    ¡°With everything going on around you after coming back,¡± Erika finally said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure if I asked you how you¡¯re doing. Are you okay, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Being home helps,¡± he said. ¡°I had a good talk with Dad. I spent a few hours out at his hill.¡±


    ¡°You visited the dirt pile,¡± Erika said. ¡°You can see how many years it¡¯ll take to get that into any kind of reasonable shape.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s certainly ambitious,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think it might go faster than you think, though.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about magic?¡± Erika asked. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I¡¯m talking about magic like it¡¯s a regular thing. You know you¡¯ve turned my life insane, right?¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°When will you tell Kaito everything?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. I¡¯m hoping to get a much better understanding of the local situation tomorrow, after which I¡¯ll be in a better position to make decisions going forward.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Erika said. ¡°Jason, about those crystals you didn¡¯t want Emi to see.¡±


    ¡°Shade has them,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just ask and he¡¯ll give them to you.¡±


    Jason sat in his mother¡¯s darkened apartment watching a crystal recording that heavily featured Farrah. Her guidance had been so important to him in his early days in the other world, although it wasn¡¯t until after she died that he realised how often she had been right and he had been wrong. It hadn¡¯t stopped him from running his mouth, as projecting confidence had never been an issue for him, even when he had none.


    Shade told Jason that his mother was arriving and he shut off the recording, returning the projector to his inventory.


    Cheryl trudged from her car into the elevator, her head swirling with revelations and stress. She hadn¡¯t been into the office in two days, which was completely unlike her, even over the weekend. After her mother¡¯s miraculous recovery, she had been spending her time at Robert¡¯s farm, helping her mother get settled.


    As if that weren¡¯t enough, her dead son had returned to life, only to vanish on her all over again. After the shellshock revelation at the hospital, she had been trying to get more information out of her other children. Kaito didn¡¯t seem to know any more than Cheryl herself, while Erika was being obstructionist. Her own daughter refused to tell her where she could find the son impossibly risen from the grave, with their last few phone calls devolving into screaming matches.


    She tapped the key card to access her apartment.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to bother with the alarm,¡± a voice said as she stepped inside. ¡°It¡¯s already off.¡±


    Her son¡¯s voice was deeper than before. She looked at the silhouette sitting in the dark in one of her arm chairs. She flicked on the light, revealing him in full. She had only seen him briefly in the hospital, but now she started cataloguing the changes. Along with his voice was the beard and the small scars on his face. The eyes were the same, dark and hostile.


    ¡°Son.¡±


    ¡°Mother.¡±


    ¡°I thought I lost you.¡±


    ¡°You did,¡± Jason said, getting up out of the chair.


    She moved forward to hug him, only to be struck by a wave of dread that sent her staggering back. Her hair stood up on end as her instincts screamed danger, until the sensation passed. Looking around, there was no indication of what had caused the sensation, yet she was certain it had come from her son.


    ¡°What was that?¡± she asked, rattled.


    ¡°Explanations will come,¡± he said. ¡°Not tonight.¡±


    She was unsure of what to do with herself, standing in the middle of the room but not willing to try moving forward again.


    ¡°How did you even get in here?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Mysteriously,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m mysterious now.¡±


    She was having a hard time recognising her own son, but she caught a glimpse of the boy she remembered in the moment of silliness.


    ¡°Jason, after you died¡­¡±


    ¡°You still had the son you liked, so no big loss.¡±


    ¡°How can you say that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Years of observational evidence. Kaito and Amy I get. We made choices that hurt each other. Their choices a lot more than mine, but we were all young and stupid. It took me a long time to get there, but I¡¯m ready to try forgiving them. It¡¯s not as easy as I thought it would be ¨C I haven¡¯t moved past it as much as I thought ¨C but I can do it.¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°But you,¡± he continued. ¡°You weren¡¯t young. You weren¡¯t mired in hormones, love and friendship all tangled up in a rat¡¯s nest. You were meant to be the detached one. I know parents have favourites, Mum, but you could have tried to hide it at least a little.¡±


    ¡°What I was trying to do was hold the family together through what was obviously going to be a crisis.¡±


    ¡°And how did you do it? The same way you did everything: by stepping on me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I know you loved me, Mum,¡± Jason said, voice dropping soft and low as he bowed his head. ¡°But I also know that you really didn¡¯t like me.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t how it was, Jason.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m pulling that out of thin air? You spent twenty years showing me how you felt.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t the easiest child, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t realise it was hard,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s egg on my face, I guess. Sorry, just forget everything I said, then. Good seeing you, Mum.¡±


    She skittered out of the way as he made for the door and opened it.


    ¡°I came back home for reconciliation,¡± he said softly, pausing in the doorway. ¡°I know I haven¡¯t helped, here, but there were things I needed to say before I had any chance of moving forward.¡±


    Cheryl steeled her nerve and rushed at her son, grasping him tightly in a hug.


    ¡°My boy has come back to me,¡± she whispered, sending a shudder though his body.


    ¡°You need to stop bothering Erika,¡± he said softly as he extricated himself. ¡°I¡¯ll be around for a while, so look after Nanna. We¡¯ll see each other again soon.¡±


    Ken and Ian left the houseboat after another session of watching recording crystals, Ian taking Emi home with him. Erika remained behind, watching one of the recording crystals she retrieved from Shade. The recording was of Jason in what she had come to recognise as his lodgings in the strange, magical city he had been living in.


    ¡°I killed some people today,¡± image Jason said. ¡°They weren¡¯t the first, and they were coming to kill us. I was on a job, escorting a shipment of magic coins.¡±


    He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.


    ¡°This is my life, now. We were in these amazing sand skimmers, which is like an airboat, but for sand. Then we got attacked by ¨C get this ¨C sand pirates! Crazy right? They swept in and we fought them off. It was awesome.¡±


    He hung his head.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t until after I got back that it occurred to me that I¡¯d just killed eight people. And it was fun. Fun. Even now, I have trouble feeling bad about it. It¡¯s not like they were going to let us live, but protecting ourselves should be a grim necessity, right?¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to become afraid of what I¡¯m turning into. What happens when I stop caring about human life altogether? I¡¯m dangerous now. If I ever get home, will you even recognise the person I¡¯ve become?¡±


    The recoding came to an end and Erika sat staring into the space it had been. Caught up in her thoughts, she was startled when Shade appeared at the door.


    ¡°Mrs Asano, your brother will shortly be arriving in the lounge.¡±


    She was waiting for Jason when he appeared through a portal arch.


    ¡°You saw Mum?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t show her the crazy teleport door, did you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m still processing all of this,¡± Erika said. ¡°Emi¡¯s young and she adapts quickly, but Ian and I are feeling pretty adrift.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°The world is a different place, now.¡±


    Erika thought back to the troubled boy on the recording, afraid of what his family would see in him. The man in front of her was certainly changed. For good or ill, she didn¡¯t know.


    ¡°How did you cope in that place?¡± she asked. ¡°You were completely alone.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°There were friends to help me. True companions, life and death. Rufus, Gary, Jory, Humphrey. Did you get to the recordings with Clive, yet?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t mention Farrah,¡± Erika said. ¡°That seems odd given that she clearly was a mentor, even if you were the same age. Did you and her¡­?¡±


    ¡°No. She was very important to me, a teacher and a friend. Neither of us wanted more than that.¡±


    ¡°That Cassandra woman seems to pop up a bit. You didn¡¯t mention her, either.¡±


    ¡°That we wanted,¡± Jason said. ¡°She dumped me, eventually. Spoiler alert.¡±


    ¡°You want to talk about it?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d like that.¡±


    After Erika left, Jason sat on the top deck, reading from one of Farrah¡¯s more basic theory texts on magical formations. The heat of the day had cooled with the coming of night but it was still a pleasant evening. In any case, Jason¡¯s bronze-rank body would take a considerable amount of cold to be uncomfortable. His phone rang and he looked at the listed caller.


    ¡°Anna,¡± Jason greeted as he answered. ¡°Last minute scheduling conflict?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to talk about the other outworlder,¡± Annabeth said and Jason sat up in his chair.


    ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°I know that getting them out of the Lyon branch¡¯s hands is important to you. We¡¯ve managed to get the international committee to agree to pressure the Lyon branch, but the Network isn¡¯t one large hierarchy. It¡¯s a network of old secret societies and the international committee is more like a United Nations than an overlord. The branches are members, not subordinates, so they can only put as much pressure on Lyon as the members are willing to accept.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re looking for a demonstration that my cooperation is valuable enough for this committee of yours to go to bat for me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m looking for,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°If you have something like that for us tomorrow, we can get the ball rolling.¡±


    ¡°As it happens, I did prepare something,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll send you a cloud drive link.¡±


    Moments later, Annabeth had her phone on speaker as she scrolled through a file on the screen.


    ¡°Is this what I think it is?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Thousands of known essence combinations, plus some basic notes on the general tendencies of those combinations.¡±


    Jason¡¯s living documents of Magic Society knowledge on monsters and essences wouldn¡¯t update while in another universe, but the information already recorded was more than enough to be going on with. In preparation for the meeting, Jason had Shade transcribe the contents of the magic tablet into a digital document.


    ¡°Is that the kind of gesture you¡¯re talking about?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°This will do nicely.¡±

 Chapter 302: Hardline Position

    Jason woke early, did his weight training and then went through his combat training. Now that Shade was able to exert an amount of physical force, he could leverage his knowledge of Jason¡¯s martial art style to use multiple bodies and spar as part of advancing Jason¡¯s skill set. As Jason¡¯s skills progressed, Shade was moving into more big-picture aspects of the training.


    ¡°You need to develop your skills in a different direction to Miss Wexler,¡± Shade said. ¡°She uses the versatility of the style to develop what is essentially a specialty variant tailored directly to her proclivities and capabilities. There is no way she can remember the vast breadth of techniques that the style includes, but her focus gives her a specialised expertise.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been practising since she was a child,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t match that experience with anything but time, skill book or no.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Shade said. ¡°Your personal advantage is that you are learning the style more in line with the original intention.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason prompted.


    ¡°As should be clear from the skill books retrieved during the Reaper trials, the Order of the Reaper¡¯s techniques are designed foundationally to include skill book use. Developing that many techniques to a useable state simply isn¡¯t possible without the memory-enhancement that comes of a high-rank spirit attribute. At your rank, skill books are the only way. Of course, incorporating those skills requires a specialised training regimen in and of itself, which Mr Remore was serendipitously able to provide.¡±


    ¡°So I should be leaning into the breadth of techniques, rather than nailing down favourites like Sophie?¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Shade said. ¡°Versatility and adaptability should be your watchwords. As we continue to practise, I will endeavour to bring out your full range of techniques.¡±


    After combat training, Jason went for a run. His bronze-rank speed and stamina attributes allowed him to set a relatively distant destination like Castle Bluff. Making his way out of town, he was pounding along next to the highway when a car passed in the other direction before it turned around and drove up to him. Jason¡¯s enhanced perception had allowed him to recognise the driver as his old friend Greg, who he hadn¡¯t seen since heading for university in Melbourne, while Greg had gone to Sydney.


    ¡°Jason?¡± Greg asked disbelievingly after pulling over and getting out of the car.


    ¡°G¡¯day Greg,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Since you left for Melbourne or since you died?¡±


    ¡°Both, I guess,¡± Jason said. ¡°How¡¯ve you been, mate?¡±


    ¡°Alive. Consistently. What is a dead guy doing running along a highway in the middle of nowhere?¡±


    ¡°Fitness and wellbeing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m bit of an exercise nut, now.¡±


    ¡°Where are you going?¡±


    ¡°Just running out to Castle Bluff and back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s something like thirty kilometres.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think I was running fast?¡±


    Greg rubbed his temples.


    ¡°This is insane,¡± he said to himself. ¡°I¡¯m going insane. I got in a car accident and now I¡¯m in some weird purgatory with my dead friend and his surprisingly toned calves.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Greg, just calm down, mate. Take a deep breath.¡±


    ¡°Says the revenant from beyond the grave!¡±


    ¡°Okay, look. I¡¯ve got an important meeting, later, so I need to get going, but let¡¯s swap digits and I¡¯ll give you a call. We can hang out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we can hang out,¡± Greg said. ¡°HOW ARE YOU ALIVE?¡±


    ¡°Because of the mystic powers I obtained in a magical alternate universe.¡±


    Greg shook his head.


    ¡°I see you haven¡¯t changed. Except for the beard. That does a really good job of breaking the lines of your chin. Or did you have some work done?¡±


    ¡°I did not have any work done!¡±


    Annabeth was making final preparations to leave when a woman in her mid twenties knocked on the open door. She was wearing an elegant pantsuit, which stood out considerably more than the bland, off-the-rack varieties the Network typically mandated. It was not an outfit that would be mistaken as the garb of a mid-level government worker. Her Mediterranean heritage had left her with a swarthy skin tone and dark hair, which were set off attractively by the maroon of her outfit.


    ¡°Miss Karadeniz,¡± Annabeth greeted, continuing to transfer items from her desk to her briefcase. ¡°What brings you back to Sydney from the vaunted heights of the International Committee office?¡±


    ¡°The IC wants a representative in this negotiation. And please, Anna, since when is it Miss Karadeniz?¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re all fancy now,¡± Annabeth said with a smile.


    ¡°I was always fancy,¡± Asya said, causing Anna to chuckle.


    ¡°It seems odd that they sent someone from magitech research,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just an administrator,¡± Asya said. ¡°My job is to keep the people doing the real work happy and funded.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you come from the Mid North Coast?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I requested the slot,¡± Asya said. ¡°I actually went to school with Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. I even had bit of a thing for him, but he was obsessed with some basic white girl. There¡¯s no accounting for taste.¡±


    ¡°You can offer us some insight, then,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°Contrast him with his pre-magic self.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why they approved the assignment, although it has been a number of years. I went to his memorial service, so I was quite startled to hear his name in relation to the Sydney incident.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve read the reports?¡±


    ¡°Oh yes,¡± Asya said. ¡°His showing up in your kitchen was interesting. I wouldn¡¯t be too worried about reading it as a threat. He always did like to unbalance others for social advantage. Also, he¡¯s unlikely to despoil a kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it. About my wife; I don¡¯t particularly care about the kitchen.¡±


    Asya laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the paintings he obtained from your wife,¡± she said.


    ¡°You think they matter?¡± Annabeth asked. ¡°I figured it was just a power play, to show us we aren¡¯t untouchable.¡±


    ¡°Jason prefers having more than one reason to do a thing,¡± Asya said. ¡°Both paintings were by the same artist, as your wife no doubt told you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, some kind of wannabe Banksy, playing it all mysterious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate if you could task some people with looking into the artist more closely.¡±


    ¡°I can do that,¡± Annabeth said and fished out her phone to make a call.


    ¡°Aram,¡± she greeted. ¡°Do a deep dive into the artist whose paintings Asano purchased from my wife. Dawn, that¡¯s the one. Thanks.¡±


    Annabeth returned her phone to her pocket.


    ¡°Done,¡± Annabeth said.


    Keith arrived outside the office.


    ¡°Miss Karadeniz, always a pleasure.¡±


    Annabeth¡¯s office had been Keith¡¯s when Asya was still a member of the Sydney branch.


    ¡°Mr Culpeper,¡± Asya greeted.


    ¡°Anna,¡± Keith said. ¡°How would you feel about riding up the coast with Miss Karadeniz? The contingent has grown sufficiently that an extra car might not be a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°How many people are we up to now?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s us three,¡± Keith said, ¡°plus the government liaison.¡±


    ¡°Who did they send?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°Gordon Truffett,¡± Keith said.


    Annabeth and Asya both groaned.


    ¡°He¡¯s not that bad,¡± Keith said, at which both women gave him a flat look. ¡°Okay, he¡¯s a little pushy.¡±


    ¡°Why would they pick someone like him?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°I heard he¡¯s close to the Prime Minister,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°The Prime Minister chose him personally,¡± Keith confirmed.


    ¡°Then I will ride with you, Asya. If you don¡¯t mind.¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡°Who else?¡±


    ¡°Gladys is coming along,¡± Keith said. ¡°She¡¯s going to check in on Asano¡¯s grandmother. We¡¯re also bringing Nigel.¡±


    ¡°What for?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°We suspect Asano has a means to advance without monster cores. I thought bringing our own non-core obsessive might prompt Asano to open up.¡±


    Annabeth and Asya had also never used monster cores, but that was a matter of policy. All executive-level Network personnel were given essences to raise them to category one, but cores were mostly saved for the lower-ranked enforcement team members who served on the frontline of Network activity. Only committee members like Keith were raised up to category two with cores.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Asya said. ¡°Jason could be quite passionate when he got caught up in something. Nigel might get him to drop some useful nuggets without costing us any concessions.¡±


    ¡°How well do you know him, exactly?¡± Keith asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a long time,¡± Asya said. ¡°I think making too many assumptions based on the way he was seven years ago has the potential to cause more mistakes than playing it by ear.¡±


    ¡°Probably sensible,¡± Keith said. ¡°Shall we go, then?¡±


    While Keith¡¯s car was an unremarkable sedan with government plates, Asya¡¯s car had the appearance of a 1962 MGA Roadster. It was another hot day and they had the soft top down, Annabeth and Asya enjoying the coastal drive.


    ¡°So you¡¯re from Casselton Beach?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Asya. ¡°I¡¯m not poor.¡±


    Annabeth gave her a sideways glance.


    ¡°My family didn¡¯t invent capitalism,¡± Asya said unashamedly. ¡°We just won it. Of course, I know my way around Casselton Beach. It¡¯s where all the interesting boys came from. Children are so often tedious.¡±


    Annabeth gave Asya another look.


    ¡°I won¡¯t apologise for being exceptional amongst my peers,¡± Asya said.


    As they reached the outskirts of Casselton Beach, Annabeth started feeling slightly ill. Gladys called her on the phone.


    ¡°Are you feeling that?¡± Gladys asked as Anna put the phone on speaker.


    ¡°You too?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s worse for me. I think something¡¯s wrong with the magic, here.¡±


    ¡°Was it like this when you were here last time?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come here last time,¡± Gladys said. ¡°The hospital is in a different town.¡±


    Annabeth turned to Asya.


    ¡°Is there something weird with the magic in this town?¡±


    ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of,¡± Asya said. ¡°I¡¯ve been here since getting essences, but there wasn¡¯t anything like this.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Vermillion will have answers,¡± Annabeth said.


    Vermillion¡¯s home was a mansion nestled amongst rich bushland, just a few minutes out of Casselton Beach. The Network negotiation team arrived at his place prior to the meeting and he met them in his wide driveway. Asya parked her car, got out and gave Vermillion a quick hug.


    ¡°This is where the Burman family used to live,¡± Asya said. ¡°The first time I ever got drunk was in this house.¡±


    ¡°Small world,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°How¡¯s the car treating you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I love it,¡± Asya said. ¡°I did have a few modifications made.¡±


    ¡°I could tell,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°That engine noise is artificial, right?¡±


    ¡°No slipping anything past you,¡± Asya told him.


    ¡°If that were true, I¡¯d still be in Sydney,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°I am finding this to be a nice change of pace, though, and if it¡¯s excitement I want, I suspect that Jason will provide more than enough, sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what¡¯s responsible for the magical deficit in Casselton Beach?¡± Keith asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s Jason,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°He apparently decided to monopolise the local magic. Fortunately, this place is just outside the field of magic consumption. I don¡¯t want to fall into a torpor like those crusty old world vampires.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do about the magic?¡± Keith asked. ¡°It put me through a loop, and I¡¯m only category two. I hate to think what Ms Erstweller will go through.¡±


    ¡°I can tough it out,¡± Gladys said.


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem,¡± Craig said. ¡°While most of the town is magically anaemic, you¡¯ll find Jason¡¯s houseboat to be quite comfortable.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s concentrating the magic on his house boat?¡± Keith asked. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Magically, I¡¯d assume,¡± Asya said. ¡°Shall we go?¡±


    For the trip from Vermillion¡¯s place, the government liaison, Gordon, was displaced from the front passenger seat to make room for Vermillion. Despite his protests, he wound up in the middle of the back seat between Gladys and Nigel the combat trainer.


    ¡°What exactly is your purpose in this negotiation?¡± Gordon asked Gladys unhappily.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to keep you alive when Asano pimp slaps you across the room,¡± Gladys said.


    ¡°You do seem to lack a basic sense of self-preservation, Mr Truffett,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Most people would be wary about offending a category three, given that they could pull you apart like toffee on a hot day.¡±


    ¡°Asano had something that I don¡¯t understand, medically,¡± Gladys said. ¡°He has scars.¡±


    ¡°Why is that unusual?¡± Keith asked from the driver seat.


    ¡°You don¡¯t get into any fights, so you probably wouldn¡¯t know,¡± Gladys said. ¡°Nigel, you were a soldier. Have any scars?¡±


    ¡°Used to,¡± Nigel said. ¡°During the change when I ascended to category one they went away. Now I don¡¯t get them, no matter how bad the injury. Magically or naturally healed, they don¡¯t leave a mark.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious as to what kind of injury leaves a permanent mark on one of us,¡± Gladys said. ¡°I¡¯d rather know what does it ahead of time than figure it out after some of our people run into it.¡±


    ¡°And we front-liners appreciate the concern,¡± Nigel said.


    It only took a few minutes to drive into Casselton Beach and down to the marina.


    ¡°Is that thing Asano¡¯s houseboat?¡± Annabeth asked as she stepped out of Asya¡¯s roadster.


    ¡°Now we¡¯re talking,¡± Asya said. ¡°I wonder where he picked it up?¡±


    ¡°I suspect availability is limited,¡± Vermillion said as he got out of Keith¡¯s sedan.


    They made their way along the dock to find an eerie shadow figure waiting on the lower deck. It had the shape of a man wearing a cloak. but seemed to have a negative presence. It was as if instead of existing, it was a hole in the fabric of the universe.


    ¡°I am Shade,¡± it said in a cold, oddly British voice. ¡°Given the warmth of the day, Mr Asano is taking a swim after his morning run. Please come aboard.¡±


    The Network group glanced at one another while Vermillion stepped aboard.


    ¡°Hello, Shade,¡± he said.


    ¡°Good day, Mr Vermillion.¡±


    The others stepped onto the lower deck and felt a sensation like stepping from the desert heat into an air conditioned room.


    ¡°Oh, wow,¡± Gladys said. ¡°It¡¯s like I just ate a spirit coin.¡±


    ¡°You should find the condition on board quite acceptable,¡± Shade said. ¡°Please follow me.¡±


    The group followed the floating shadow around the lower deck to the far side of the houseboat where they found Asano relaxing on a pitch black air mattress in the water. He was wearing only a pair of boardshorts, with his toned torso marred with scars on full display. The peppering of smaller scars were dominated by a large, ugly line running from his right hip, across his abdomen and around his left midsection. It looked like the kind of wound that a person was unlikely to survive to have scar over.


    The air mattress turned onto a cloud of darkness and Asano vanished into it, immediately emerging from their shadowy guide like he was stepping through a door. He grabbed a towel hanging on the deck rail, rubbing it over his head before draping it over his shoulders.


    ¡°Best come in, then,¡± he said, moving up to the tinted glass wall, which slid open to access the bar lounge. ¡°Lovely to see you, Asya. If I recall correctly, you had ambitions to join ASUS.¡±


    ¡°I was headhunted for a more exciting opportunity,¡± Asya said as the group followed him in. The interior of the houseboat simply but expensively appointed in white leather and rich wood.


    ¡°I can imagine,¡± Jason said, moving behind the bar. ¡°Fighting monsters is definitely more exciting than exploiting our international neighbours to enrich the government¡¯s corporate donors.¡±


    ¡°I have to protest to that description,¡± Gordon said.


    ¡°Protest away,¡± Jason said, putting a series of glasses on the bar and scooping ice into them. ¡°Who are you, exactly?¡±


    ¡°I represent the government in these negotiations. Gordon Truffett.¡±


    ¡°Well, now you¡¯re Other Gordon,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve already got a Gordon, and he¡¯s more important than you.¡±


    ¡°Is this how you start a negotiation?¡± Other Gordon asked indignantly.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Give and take is part of the process. Hey, Gordon.¡±


    Another dark, cloaked figure appeared, although this one was quite different to Shade, who seemed to have vanished when no one was looking. The new presence was a disembodied cloak, within which swirled an eye-shaped nebula. Four glowing orbs floated around it.


    ¡°This guy thinks you should be Other Gordon,¡± Jason said, pulling a large pitcher from one of the two large refrigerators. Gordon responded by turning on Other Gordon, making a slow, menacing approach. Nigel stepped between them.


    ¡°Alright, Gordon,¡± Jason said and the figure vanished. ¡°Sorry, Other Gordon. Looks like actual Gordon¡¯s taking a hardline position.¡±


    Other Gordon was holding himself stable with a white-knuckle grip on the back of a chair. Jason poured lemonade into each of the glasses, taking an approving sip. Vermillion and Asya took glasses without hesitating.


    ¡°This lemonade is incredible,¡± Asya said. ¡°I definitely want to stock some of this. Where did you get it from?¡±


    ¡°Lemons,¡± Jason said. ¡°The secret is to put the lemon peel in with the sugar for about twelve hours so the sugar soaks up the fruit oil. That¡¯s where the flavour is. Now, I need to show Anna how to make a proper sandwich, but we can talk while I do. Why don¡¯t we start with introductions?¡±

 Chapter 303: Otherwise Best Avoided

    ¡°I think we should start,¡± Keith said, ¡°by getting everyone on the same page in terms of who we are and what we do.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s my cue to go,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Now that the meeting has been facilitated without anyone trying to kidnap anyone else, I¡¯ll bow out to allow you to share secrets without concerning yourselves over a third party.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Craig,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ll catch up later, yeah? Hang on; I¡¯ll put your sandwich in some paper.¡±


    Jason wrapped Vermillion a sandwich and Shade escorted the vampire away, leaving Jason with the Network contingent. Jason was standing behind the bar while the others had taken seats at Jason¡¯s invitation.


    ¡°How about I get the ball rolling?¡± Jason said, continuing to assemble sandwiches. ¡°We can go through my story, I can tell you what I¡¯ve figured out about your little club and then we can do questions and corrections as you tell me about yourselves.¡±


    ¡°Before we begin,¡± Gladys said, ¡°I¡¯d like to ask about your scars. My understanding is that scars shouldn¡¯t be possible for people like us.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Because we heal using the soul as a template,¡± Gladys said.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t that answer your question?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Gladys said. ¡°You¡¯re saying that your soul is scarred?¡±


    ¡°I think marked might be a more accurate term,¡± Jason said. ¡°Soul scars are usually what they call it in the other universe but I have more experience with this than most. The soul is a resilient thing and it can¡¯t truly be harmed by external forces. Even the most extreme, which I have tested quite thoroughly.¡±


    ¡°Then what causes those marks?¡± Gladys asked.


    ¡°Your soul is who you are, at the core,¡± Jason said. ¡°Some experiences change you, fundamentally. Standing against an enemy you didn¡¯t think you could survive. Enduring a tribulation you thought would annihilate you. The scars left behind might be from the wounds you suffered, but the reality is that you put them there yourself.¡±


    ¡°Psychological scars made manifest,¡± Gladys reasoned.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I spent some time with a healer well-versed in soul trauma. I learned a lot from him.¡±


    ¡°What about that tattoo on your back?¡± Nigel asked. ¡°We use magic tattoos ourselves, but nothing that elaborate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve used a regular magic tattoo in the past,¡± Jason said. ¡°I lost it when I ranked up to bronze. From category one to two.¡±


    ¡°The same happens with ours,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°This one on my back is different,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s called a personal crest and it¡¯s a physical representation of my soul. It allows me to prove that I¡¯m me, regardless of how much my aura might change. It¡¯s impossible to replicate, as far as I¡¯m aware, which stops some shape-shifter from assuming my identity. Of course, that¡¯s only if someone checks it. If a dragon takes my shape to steal biscuits, for example, then people probably won¡¯t go to the bother.¡±


    The Network team shared uncertain looks.


    ¡°Dragon?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°His name¡¯s Stash. Adorable little fellow, but he does get up to mischief.¡±


    ¡°You expect us to believe in dragons?¡± Other Gordon asked.


    ¡°Mate, I got sucked through a dimensional flare into an alternate universe. If you¡¯re going to balk at the first magical creature that comes along, then you might as well just sit there quietly and be grateful your name isn¡¯t Other Colin.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I think, Mr Truffett,¡± Keith said, ¡°we might be best served by listening instead of talking.¡±


    ¡°Can I get a better look at your tattoo?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure turning my back on you lot is the smartest choice,¡± Jason said, ¡°but okay.¡±


    He came out from behind the bar and turned around, giving them a clear view. The crest took up his entire back, depicting a starry night sky dominated by a disembodied cloak. It was not unlike Gordon in appearance, except that instead of an eye-shaped nebula there was a bright, daylight sky contained within it. The crest shimmered and moved slightly as they observed it. After a moment, Jason turned back around and retook his position behind the bar.


    ¡°That¡¯s what your soul looks like?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°From the outside,¡± Jason said. ¡°From the inside it¡¯s more like a garden.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen the inside of your soul?¡± Gladys asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had some experiences that have developed my capacity for self-reflection,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m sure we can talk about the specifics at a later date. What you need to know now is that I went to a magical alternate universe, died a couple of times, obtained magical power and knowledge and came home.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, died?¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°Dead. Croaked. Shuffled off. Do I have to do the whole parrot sketch? The important thing is that I came back stronger every time, so I¡¯d advise against killing me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a claim,¡± Keith said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you have any way of substantiating it?¡±


    ¡°Mate, it¡¯s death; you don¡¯t get a receipt. I don¡¯t think. Shade¡­?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Shade¡¯s dad is in charge of the afterlife,¡± Jason said. ¡°He refuses to tell me what happens to souls when they die, though. My personal recollection is hazy at best.¡±


    ¡°That is not for the living to know,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°What do you mean, in charge of the afterlife?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°Are you familiar with great astral beings? They¡¯re kind of like super gods. Your regular gods, that you¡¯ll find on any world with enough magic, are on a scale of your Zeus, Odin, etc. Great astral beings operate on more of a cosmic scale. That¡¯s your ¡®knocking out a universe in seven days¡¯ crowd. Shade¡¯s progenitor is the Reaper, who takes charge of the dead. We haven¡¯t met, but he seems like a stand up guy. He might be a little cross with me because I keep dodging him, though.¡±


    ¡°These are some outrageous claims you¡¯re making,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°Even by our standards.¡±


    ¡°Which means you¡¯re either telling us fibs,¡± Asya said, ¡°or giving us insights into some of the most fundamental questions about reality.¡±


    Jason flashed her a grin.


    ¡°Stick with me and I¡¯ll show you the cosmos,¡± he said.


    ¡°I might just hold you to that,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°Do you have the means to travel between worlds?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°My journey was unexpected, in both directions. I am, however, going to find one.¡±


    ¡°You told one of my people that there was more than one other world,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason confirmed, ¡°although I only visited the one. I don¡¯t know much about the others. What¡¯s relevant to our dealings here is what I brought back with me. I have a few material resources, but that¡¯s a minor matter. More important to us all is the knowledge.¡±


    ¡°What kind of knowledge?¡± Keith asked.


    ¡°Before I go into that,¡± Jason said, ¡°I¡¯d like to explore your side of things for a moment, now that we¡¯ve discussed mine. Let me begin by going over what I¡¯ve been able to surmise about your Network.¡±


    ¡°Please do,¡± Keith said. ¡°I¡¯m curious as to what an outsider has been able to piece together.¡±


    ¡°Well, I think the seeds of your organisation were planted somewhere in the vicinity of half a millennium ago, probably by one or more outworlders who roamed around founding secret societies. These secret societies were most likely predicated on the existence of essences, although that¡¯s a guess. At that time, I imagine there were few, if any opportunities to encounter monsters or other magical resources. Essences were probably hoarded and used by only a few, maybe even one person for each of the secret societies.¡±


    ¡°Did you get this information from Vermillion?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°Some of it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I filled in a lot of the blanks he didn¡¯t know myself. Now, I¡¯m guessing that when these secret societies were founded, they were each given access to something. Some means of detecting and interceding in certain magical events. Events that either began happening or started to significantly escalate in frequency, somewhere around the turn of the twentieth century.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not inaccurate,¡± Keith said.


    ¡°The incidents in question are, I¡¯m assuming, the formation of short-lived, proto-astral spaces. I¡¯m not sure what you call them locally, but I¡¯m talking about unstable dimensional pockets attached to the world. I¡¯ve only encountered the stable variant myself, although I have studied the theory.¡±


    ¡°We call them dimensional incursions,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°The primary purpose of the Network is to find the incursions, enter them and prevent the entities there from making it into our world.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Each incursion contains a number of hostile entities,¡± Annabeth explained.


    ¡°Monsters,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We use the term dimensional entity, or DE,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°We send tactical teams to eliminate them. The secondary entities are inconsequential, but each incident has one or more of what we call an anchor dimensional entity, or ADE. If we take it or them out, then whatever is left disappears into the ether when the incursion space breaks down.¡±


    ¡°How long does that take?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Forty-three hours, as a baseline. Slightly longer with a more powerful ADE, but fifty-one is the record. That was with a category four ADE.¡±


    ¡°Gold rank?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You have people strong enough for that?¡±


    ¡°There has only been one category four incursion to date,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°It took a small army of category three tactical personnel plus a large amount of military firepower to handle it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been working on magically enhanced heavy ordnance ever since,¡± Asya said. ¡°We aren¡¯t equipped to tackle an increase in incursions of that level, though.¡±


    ¡°When we fail to eliminate the ADE,¡± Nigel said, ¡°any DEs still around when the incursion space breaks down are injected into our world.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve prevented this in all but a few, isolated incidents,¡± Keith said. ¡°Luckily, they were each in remote locations where there were minimal casualties and we were able to cover. Mostly.¡±


    ¡°We use the incursion space to harvest magical materials,¡± Asya explained. ¡°Those materials are critical to maintaining our ability to resist incursion events. Essences and awakening stones are the most valuable materials, as you might imagine.¡±


    ¡°Over the last century,¡± Annabeth said, ¡°both the number and strength of the incursions have been escalating, just as you said. We¡¯ve managed to keep up thus far, given that more powerful incursion spaces mean better harvests. We¡¯re reaching the point where we don¡¯t have the resources to raise our people beyond category three. There¡¯s been talk of pooling resources to try and get a small number of our most exceptional people worldwide to category four, but negotiations aren¡¯t going well.¡±


    ¡°Trouble choosing which branch gets the category fours?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Keith said. ¡°The obvious solution is to place them directly under the command of the International Committee and dispatch them globally at need. Unfortunately, the more powerful branches in the US, China and Russia are pushing back on that. Since they are the primary source of spirit coins, they can¡¯t just be ignored.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have spirit coin farms,¡± Jason said. ¡°That makes sense. Earth doesn¡¯t have the magic and coin formation takes months, so you can¡¯t do it in the proto-astral spaces. Are you getting your coins from loot powers?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Keith said. ¡°And the major powers make a point of trying to poach anyone who gets such a power to maintain their monopoly. They offer the kind of terms that are hard to turn down, although naturally many do. None of the Australian branches currently have anyone with a looting power.¡±


    The others all turned an unfriendly glare on Other Gordon.


    ¡°The last two we had,¡± Keith said, ¡°the government facilitated their exchange to the US, in return for political concessions.¡±


    ¡°Not even something that would help us do our job,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Those deals were made in good faith,¡± Other Gordon defended.


    ¡°You¡¯re not on TV, Truffett,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with the transparent lies.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, what we want from you,¡± Keith said, turning back to Jason, ¡°is anything that will help us deal with the incursions. If you really do have a looting power, then supplying us with spirit coins is something we would be more than willing to demonstrate our appreciation of.¡±


    ¡°The real holy grail is the category three bottleneck, though,¡± Asya said. ¡°If any of that knowledge you brought back can help our people reach category four, we¡¯ll give you whatever you want. Enough hard currency to sink a container ship. Exemption from polygamy laws. Bora Bora.¡±


    ¡°Miss Karadeniz may be somewhat exaggerating,¡± Keith said, ¡°but the magical deficit of our world creates choke points that significantly impact our operations. If you have any means to alleviate this, you will find us to be extremely generous.¡±


    The Network contingent looked at Jason with anticipation, all but hanging off their seats as they awaited his response. He took a bite of his sandwich, paused to look at the sandwich appreciatively and then resumed thoroughly chewing it.


    ¡°Mr Asano¡­¡± Keith began as Jason swallowed, holding up a finger to indicate a pause as he slowly drained his glass of lemonade.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s refreshing,¡± Jason sad happily.


    ¡°Mr Asano¡­¡±


    ¡°Hold on a sec,¡± Jason said, retrieving the pitcher from the refrigerator and slowly pouring himself another glass. ¡°Anyone else want a top up?¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± Asya said, eyes twinkling as she returned her glass to the bar. Annabeth flashed Keith a look of apology as she did the same.


    ¡°It¡¯s really good,¡± she confessed.


    ¡°I can¡¯t wave a magic wand and solve your problems,¡± Jason said as he finally emptied the pitcher. ¡°Well, not all your problems.¡±


    A wooden box appeared in his hands and he came around the bar to sit it on the table, where he slid off the lid.


    ¡°Two thousand iron rank spirit coins,¡± he said. ¡°Category one, I guess.¡±


    He took out a much smaller box and opened it as well.


    ¡°Two hundred category two.¡±


    Next to the boxes he placed a pouch down with a clink. The crystal spirit coins had a different sound to ordinary metal coins. It was distinctive and almost ethereal, like fine wind chimes in a delicate breeze.


    ¡°Twenty category threes,¡± Jason catalogued. ¡°Call it a goodwill gesture for the trouble I¡¯ve caused. I think you know what is spurring my goodwill in this instance.¡±


    ¡°The other outworlder,¡± Annabeth said as Keith goggled at the boxes, running his fingers over the neatly stacked rows of coins.


    ¡°That¡¯s very generous,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a middle of the road bloke,¡± Jason said. ¡°I like to think I make a good friend and a bad enemy. I¡¯m otherwise best avoided, since I tend to cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve noticed,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°Now there¡¯s your big problem,¡± Jason said. ¡°Getting your people over the line into category four. I can¡¯t help you with that. I daresay you have a better understanding of core-based advancement than I do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s disappointing, I won¡¯t lie,¡± Keith said.


    ¡°What I can do,¡± Jason said, ¡°is help you to sidestep that problem entirely.¡±

 Chapter 304: Terms

    Jason looked over at Other Gordon.


    ¡°Are you sure that this guy should be hearing all this?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Participation in formal negotiations with outside parties is part of our agreement with the government,¡± Keith said.


    ¡°You know that when word about magic goes public, that¡¯s where it¡¯s coming from, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Oh, we know,¡± Keith said. ¡°But that decision is settled, regardless of our personal viewpoints.¡±


    ¡°I resent the implication that¡­¡± Other Gordon started, only to trail off as a room full of hostile eyes turned on him. ¡°The Prime Minister will hear about my treatment here!¡±


    ¡°And do what?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Crap his pants in McDonalds again?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an urban myth,¡± Other Gordon said.


    ¡°Sure it is,¡± Jason said, turning back to the others. ¡°So, your real problem with the capabilities of your higher-rank members isn¡¯t a matter of enough cores to break through to category four. My understanding is that monster core use is your primary means of advancement?¡±


    ¡°We call them magic cores, but yes,¡± Gladys said.


    ¡°I can tell from your auras that only some of you have been using cores. Just looking at the group of you, I¡¯m assuming that essences are a privilege of rank. Anna and Asya, you are clearly sitting at baseline, with no advancement at all. Do you even have all your abilities awakened?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Asya said. ¡°And you¡¯re right. Anna and I are executive level, while Keith is committee level. Nigel and Gladys are in the tactical and medical tracks respectively, which have their own standards, although Nigel is out of the ordinary.¡±


    ¡°I heard you had one guy doing things differently,¡± Jason said, looking at Nigel. ¡°So, you¡¯re him, yeah? What¡¯s stopped you from sucking up cores? I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s been slow going.¡±


    ¡°It has,¡± Nigel admitted. ¡°When I was first brought into the Network, I did all the research I could on magical combat. I found a number of references to non-core advancement in the oldest records, but it was like someone had gone through and excised them.¡±


    ¡°Nigel¡­¡± Keith said warningly.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr Culpeper,¡± Nigel said, ¡°but I¡¯m not letting this opportunity pass by, even if it is a controversial position. Mr Asano, I believe that core-based advancement was originally introduced as a method to control members through the magic core supply, only for that truth to be lost somewhere across the centuries and leave us with core-based advancement as the only path.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can¡¯t speak to the history of your organisation beyond the broad guesses I¡¯ve already made,¡± Jason said. ¡°All I can do is to tell you is that there¡¯s another way. It isn¡¯t faster and it doesn¡¯t make your abilities any more powerful, but the end results are individuals that are much more capable.¡±


    Jason took a sip of lemonade before continuing.


    ¡°That man who attacked me, who you currently have in your possession. He¡¯s silver rank. Category three. He should have had no problems handling me. Yes, he was trying to take me alive rather than take me out, which meant he couldn¡¯t use a kill move with his opening attack, but he had me in one of the worst circumstances I could be in for a fight. He should have trounced me, but he didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying he was weak?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°Profoundly weak,¡± Jason said. ¡°Same for his minions who tried to drag me off to France.¡±


    ¡°Where are those individuals?¡± Other Gordon asked.


    ¡°Last time I saw them they were heading up to Hanging Rock,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Hanging Rock?¡± Other Gordon asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not offering a quick solution,¡± Jason said, ignoring Other Gordon. ¡°I can¡¯t really help your people who already use cores. What I am offering is a thorough solution. I can help you to bring up a new wave of people who are stronger than the last, using their powers to the fullest. I was taught using some of the best methodology for creating powerful essence users there is. I can¡¯t train them as well as the people who trained me could, but I can still pass along the lessons I learned. I also have some tricks of my own that should prove useful.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re willing to train our people up to the standards of the other world?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°As best I can,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll start with you, since you¡¯ve been trying to reverse engineer the process yourself. I suspect that with some supplemental techniques, you¡¯ll start leaping forward in advancement.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just teach the people already using cores?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Cores impede other forms of advancement. Once you go cores, you don¡¯t go back, which is why professional adventurers on the other world don¡¯t use them. They sell them or save them for their families so they can get the benefits of being essence users without putting themselves in danger. Basically, cores are what you give your Mum so she doesn¡¯t have to fight monsters.¡±


    ¡°None of this changes the issue of not reaching category four,¡± Keith said. ¡°You said you have a means to sidestep that problem.¡±


    ¡°If you have sufficiently capable people,¡± Jason said, ¡°then you don¡¯t need category fours. As I am right now, I could handle most silver-rank monsters alone. Category three, sorry. Don¡¯t you find the number system less evocative and harder to remember? Sorry, I¡¯m digressing. So, I can handle most category threes, and so long as it isn¡¯t out on an open salt flat, I¡¯d be willing to at least try any of them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re that confident?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± Jason said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t hold true if you jump it up a rank, though. I don¡¯t expect to do solo takedowns of category four monsters unless they happen to be very and specifically susceptible to my particular power set. A team of well-trained, silver-rank essence users should be able to handle almost any gold-rank monster, though. It¡¯ll take probably more than half a decade to get there, but if I teach your people the foundational approach, then it should just be a matter of time before they get there themselves. I¡¯m talking just about power use, here; I¡¯m sure you have plenty of capable people to instruct them on combat skills.¡±


    ¡°That we have covered, yes,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what I¡¯m offering,¡± Jason said. ¡°Everything you need to transform your roster of essence users over the next decade. There are other things, but they¡¯re all secondary. I¡¯m offering you the chance to transform the magical world.¡±


    ¡°You talk about big results,¡± Other Gordon said. ¡°But you only promise them years in the future. This all sounds like a con.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re such a politician, Other Gordon. The Network doesn¡¯t need a sound bite solution they can sell to people who aren¡¯t paying that much attention. They need a fundamental change in the underlying infrastructure of how they operate. If they can¡¯t see the value in that, I¡¯m not the one losing out.¡±


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°Your friends here had me kidnapped, Other Gordon, so they don¡¯t get to claim the moral high ground on this one. I¡¯m not making any concessions for the purpose of proving that I¡¯m on the level. You can accept it or not. If you can¡¯t give me what I want, I¡¯m happy to walk away. I¡¯m pretty sure I can get everything I need on my own, just with a little more effort.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t find retrieving the other outworlder so easy without us getting them released,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jason said. ¡°But the hard way is kind of my thing. You haven¡¯t seen the list of who bet against me and lost, Anna. If I have to make a whole new list in this world, then so be it.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s not go making any hasty decisions,¡± Keith said. ¡°You¡¯re saying you¡¯ll help us rebuild our entire tactical program if we get the other outworlder released?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Getting the other outworlder released is what brings me to the table. You don¡¯t get to ransom them to me.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have them,¡± Keith said.


    ¡°The man responsible for kidnapping me is sheltering in your headquarters at this very moment. The person who kept him alive is in this room. You¡¯ve got the same letterhead on the official stationary, so don¡¯t try selling me on their part of the Network not being your part of the Network. I had the crap kicked out of me, got collared and shoved into the boot of a car. You should be grateful that I¡¯m not holding you responsible for that.¡±


    ¡°We have wide-ranging concerns that go beyond just you,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°We can¡¯t just drop everything and work towards your agenda.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about you, your problems or your perspective,¡± Jason said. ¡°This negotiation isn¡¯t about trading football cards. Your Network is holding a person against their will for no more crime than having something you want. The only reason I¡¯m here to negotiate instead of in some shady rendition site is because the people you sent after me were pathetically weak.¡±


    Jason took a floral shirt from behind the bar and slipped it on, buttoning it up as he continued to talk.


    ¡°I know I come across as a light-hearted guy, with the lemonade and the sandwiches and the jokes.¡±


    Although his voice remained jovial, there was an undercurrent to it that tickled the hairs on the back of his guests¡¯ necks.


    ¡°I recognise that this may have led to the gravity of my concern on this matter being undercut. Allow me to rectify that. I am going to get that outworlder, whoever they are, out. That¡¯s just a fact. Maybe I die trying, but I¡¯ve died before and it hasn¡¯t stopped me yet. If you help me, then we can put any unpleasantness behind us. If you won¡¯t, but you don¡¯t turn yourselves into obstacles, then okay. It¡¯s your organisation and I can¡¯t expect you to go against your own team. But when I say gods help anyone who gets in my way, I¡¯m being very specific. I know exactly what it means and that truly is what it¡¯s going to take.¡±


    As Jason talked, his aura ramped up until it was bearing down on the Network contingent like a weight. Only Gladys was able to truly hold up and even she was feeling pressured. The normal-ranked government official panicked and ran out the doors, sprinting around the outside deck towards the dock. The incongruent menace pouring off the barefoot man in a Hawaiian shirt and board shorts somehow made it all the more eerie.


    The pressure receded, leaving the iron-rank Asya and Annabeth taking deep breaths, as if they¡¯d just breached the surface of the water. Keith wasn¡¯t looking much better, while Gladys looked at Jason warily. Nigel was staring at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°Can you teach me to do that?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°To a degree,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t replicate all the conditions that led to the current condition of my aura and you don¡¯t want me to. Some things aren¡¯t worth the price.¡±


    ¡°And what is it that you want in return?¡± Gladys asked, taking over while the others were still recovering. ¡°You haven¡¯t told us, yet.¡±


    ¡°Nothing onerous,¡± Jason said. ¡°Mostly I want monsters.¡±


    ¡°You want us to catch monsters alive?¡± Keith asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I want dibs on killing any category three monsters in Australia. Further afield, if you can swing it. I want right of refusal on category twos as well.¡±


    ¡°You want in on fighting the dimensional entities?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m open to negotiation on dividing the loot, but I have no issue handing off most of the cores and spirit coins. I just need enough to meet my own needs. Aside from that, I have a few other requirements.¡±


    Gladys turned and looked at the wall.


    ¡°What is your shadow creature doing to Truffett?¡± she asked.


    ¡°He just mana drained him until he passed out,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can¡¯t have him causing trouble. He¡¯ll recover quickly on the houseboat.¡±


    ¡°Asya, go check on him,¡± Gladys said. ¡°Upper deck.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an elevator just through there,¡± Jason said, pointing to the inner door. ¡°Show her, please Shade.¡±


    ¡°How many of those shadow creatures do you have?¡± Gladys asked as Asya followed Shade deeper into the houseboat.


    ¡°Just one.¡±


    ¡°I sensed another one outside,¡± Gladys said.


    ¡°Shade is an excellent multitasker.¡±


    ¡°What are your other requirements?¡± Keith asked, getting the negotiation back on topic.


    ¡°Small things,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have some gold I¡¯d like the Royal Mint to take off my hands without my getting audited or accused of arms smuggling.¡±


    ¡°Gold from the other world?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see that being a problem,¡± Keith said. ¡°What else?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to get my family ready for when magic goes public,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Network¡¯s support isn¡¯t strictly necessary, but it would be useful. You would also get to keep an eye on things, to head off any potential information breaches.¡±


    ¡°Again, not a deal-breaker,¡± Keith said. ¡°It seems like what we need to hammer out are the specifics regarding your participation in our incursion response program.¡±


    ¡°How much are you allowed to decide now?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m empowered to make a preliminary agreement that I can put before the Steering Committee of our Branch and the International Committee. We aren¡¯t looking to monopolise everything or we¡¯ll just get more branches following Lyon¡¯s lead.¡±


    ¡°You know that all this is predicated on the other outworlder,¡± Jason said. ¡°I need to see some movement on that or we don¡¯t have any kind of deal at all.¡±


    ¡°I can make that plain to the committees in question,¡± Keith said. ¡°For now, I¡¯d like to get some specific terms down that I can take back with me.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s get down to it, then.¡±


    As he and Keith moved to a table, Asya returned.


    ¡°How is he?¡± Gladys asked.


    ¡°Snoring,¡± Asya said. ¡°Loudly.¡±


    ¡°You realise that he will be the one responsible for getting your gold organised,¡± Annabeth told Jason.


    ¡°What gold?¡± Asya asked.

 Chapter 305: Section

    Sitting at a table in the bar lounge of his houseboat, Jason spent considerable time hammering out details with Keith and Annabeth. For loot distribution, Jason would keep a percentage for his own needs and trade the rest for more ordinary remuneration, such as money or use of the Network¡¯s wide-ranging influence. Legally it would all go through his status as a security crisis contractor to one of the Network¡¯s front companies.


    Other stipulations involved agreements on services and tertiary benefits Jason could access through the Network, as well as restriction on Jason¡¯s behaviour regarding secrecy.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need the family members you¡¯ve informed already to agree to formal non-disclosure agreements,¡± Keith said. ¡°We¡¯ll do that through the government¡¯s existing classified information frameworks.¡±


    ¡°I still have more people to tell,¡± Jason said. ¡°My brother, my sister-in-law and my mother.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t love that you decided to tell so many people,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°We can live with it, though, so long as that¡¯s the end.¡±


    Eventually they came to a general accord.


    ¡°I¡¯m comfortable taking what we have to the committees,¡± Keith said, slipping the computer tablet he was taking notes on back into his briefcase. ¡°Fair warning, though, Mr Asano: The committees are committees. They¡¯re going to want to change some details just to feel like they¡¯re in control.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve made my bottom line clear,¡± Jason said. ¡°If your committees want to make themselves feel like they¡¯re in control, I can probably accommodate a stipulation or two. If they want to make me feel that they¡¯re in control, you¡¯ll find me significantly less receptive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Mr Asano,¡± Keith said, standing up. ¡°To be clear, my goal isn¡¯t to make them or you happy. It¡¯s to fulfil the Network¡¯s mandate of keeping people safe and maintaining secrecy.¡±


    ¡°I can respect that,¡± Jason said, standing to shake Keith¡¯s hand. As he did, Keith, Annabeth, Gladys and Nigel all received notifications on their phones, the same alarm-like sound for each. They glanced at each other as they took their phones out the check the messages.


    ¡°Is that notification of one of your incursion incidents?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Keith said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to skip the niceties and go, I¡¯m afraid. Asya, I¡¯ll have to leave Mr Truffett to you.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°Can I tag along?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯d like to see one of these proto-astral spaces for myself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s appropriate until we¡¯ve finalised our arrangement, Mr Asano,¡± Keith said.


    ¡°Perhaps it¡¯s fair if Mr Asano gets a look at what he¡¯s agreeing to throw himself into,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°It might help if you can go to the committee with a sense of his true abilities,¡± Nigel added.


    ¡°Come on, Keith,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll even give you all the loot. You want another big pile of spirit coins, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly tempting, Mr Asano, but this wouldn¡¯t be a sightseeing trip. It¡¯s a category three incursion.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Jason said.


    Keith turned to Annabeth.


    ¡°You are head of operations, Anna,¡± he said. ¡°If you¡¯re okay with it, I¡¯ll defer to you.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°Don¡¯t make me regret this, Asano.¡±


    ¡°Looks like the location isn¡¯t to far,¡± Nigel said, looking at his phone. ¡°Accessibility might be an issue and they¡¯re sending a helicopter.¡±


    ¡°Where are we heading?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Dorrigo National Park.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°I love it there.¡±


    ¡°You might like it less crawling with interdimensional monstrosities,¡± Keith said.


    ¡°Wow, you do not know me at all,¡± Jason said. ¡°If we¡¯re going to chopper out, I¡¯ll go grab your car.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, grab my car?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never encountered a proto-astral space before,¡± Jason said. He was speaking through the headphones they were each wearing as their helicopter flew over mountains. ¡°I¡¯ve read about them, but that¡¯s no substitute. What can I expect to walk into?¡±


    ¡°Incursion spaces can take a number of forms,¡± Nigel said. ¡°Most common is some variant of the space it¡¯s connected to, although those variants can be very extreme. The magic is usually very thick, although occasionally it¡¯s very barren. Kind of like your town.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t quite the same feeling,¡± Gladys said, ¡°although the results were much of a muchness.  Did I sense the solar panels of your houseboat sucking up all the magic?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°When an astral space has low-magic conditions like that,¡± Nigel said, ¡°the real challenge is environmental. We need to use spirit coins to keep our personal magic levels stable. In those cases, the ADE is usually the only monster that spawns, which is a blessing.¡±


    ¡°What did ADE stand for again?¡± Jason asked. ¡°After dinner something?¡±


    ¡°Anchor Dimensional Entity,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°If you¡¯re going to join in our operations, Mr Asano, you¡¯ll need to act with some professionalism.¡±


    ¡°When you see me get down to business, Anna, you may find you prefer this side of me. Nigel, what about the proto-spaces that aren¡¯t magical deserts.¡±


    ¡°Then we tend to have the opposite problem,¡± Nigel said, ¡°and the incursion space is swarming with DE activity.¡±


    ¡°Which is definitely preferred,¡± Keith said. ¡°The higher the magic, the more bountiful the harvest. Inert magical materials, essences, awakening stones. We have specialist harvest teams that work alongside the tactical teams to make the most of every incursion.¡±


    ¡°It may seem like we¡¯re profiting off the danger to our world,¡± Annabeth said, ¡°but those resources are critical to protecting it.¡±


    ¡°I believe you,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know what it takes to fight monsters and Earth is a magical wasteland.¡±


    There were already multiple military helicopters on site when they arrived, descending into a valley. There was no single open space large enough for all of them, so multiple clearings were being used. It was a full scale military operation, one of the ¡®terrorist readiness exercises¡¯ that Jason had heard about.


    Nigel and Gladys hurried ahead along a bushland trail toward the main area of operations. Anna, Keith and Jason made their way at a more measured pace.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been working with a special military unit formed for exactly this purpose,¡± Annabeth explained. ¡°We provide the military with category one enhanced firearms. The military¡¯s primary role is to protect the harvest teams until the ADE is neutralised, at which point our tactical teams will cooperate in maximising harvest yields and any necessary mop up.¡±


    ¡°Are you going in?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the training,¡± Keith explained. ¡°We¡¯d just get in the way of the people who know what they¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°My job is administration and logistics,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°As Operations Director, my job is to get the right people to the right place with the right resources and let them do their thing.¡±


    As they drew closer to the centre of operations, the ambient magic grew stronger.


    You have entered the vicinity of a proto-astral aperture. The ambient magical saturation has increased. Your recovery rates will remain at normal levels without spirit coin consumption.


    They arrived at a bustling military camp Jason was startled to realise was only about an hour old.


    ¡°These military guys sure set up fast.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve had a good amount of practise.¡±


    ¡°So they all get magic guns?¡±


    ¡°All the ones who go in,¡± Anna said. ¡°It¡¯s why spirit coins are important. That¡¯s what we make magical ammunition from.¡±


    As they reached the edge of the camp they were approached by a pair of armed military personnel. Jason could sense the low-level magic in their sidearms.


    ¡°Mrs Tilden,¡± one of the soldiers greeted with rigid politeness. ¡°Is this Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± she said.


    ¡°Come with me, please. Mr Asano, please follow Private Cowell.¡±


    The private led Jason through the camp to where Nigel was gearing up outside a tent while barking directives at a mixed group of people in military camo and paramilitary black. Nigel¡¯s own gear was black; fatigues under magical tactical armour. Unlike the soldiers, he carried no firearms, just a magical, thigh-mounted knife.


    Nigel¡¯s gear was very basic magic. Humphrey¡¯s power to conjure weapons for his summons produced items very much of the same kind. Even basic, though, they were still bronze-rank items and would do the job for which they were intended.


    The private deposited Jason nearby as Nigel dismissed the squad leaders and marched off with Jason in tow. They arrived at a group dressed in the same black tactical gear as Nigel, although most were holding guns. Jason could sense they were all bronze-rank essence users and, except for Nigel, core users.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be with my section for protection,¡± Nigel told Jason.


    ¡°What am I protecting you from, exactly?¡± Jason asked, which drew a chuckle from Nigel¡¯s section.


    ¡°Mr Culpeper¡¯s directive was to keep you safe,¡± Nigel said. ¡°That¡¯s what I intend to do.¡±


    ¡°No offence, Mr Thornberry,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I¡¯m safer alone.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Thornton, not Thornberry,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°Who am I thinking of?¡± Jason wondered aloud. ¡°Sorry, I¡¯ll just stick with Nigel.¡±


    ¡°We carry out tactical operation in nine-man sections,¡± Nigel explained.


    ¡°Hey,¡± the solitary female member complained.


    ¡°Sorry, Darce,¡± Nigel said. ¡°We operate in an eight-man, one Darcy section, broken into three groups by broad power type. We¡¯ve got heavies, who have the powers to give and take the big hits. That¡¯s Darce, Jonno and Higgy.¡±


    ¡°Higgy?¡± Jason asked. Higgy was a good-looking man of Indian descent.


    ¡°H.I.G.,¡± Nigel explained. ¡°Handsome Indian Guy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not Indian, Thorny,¡± Higgy complained. ¡°I¡¯m from bloody Woolloongabba.¡±


    ¡°Then we¡¯ve got our scouts,¡± Nigel continued, ¡°who are what it says on the tin. They have powers that make them fast and ¨C if they can keep their damn mouths shut ¨C quiet.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of my things as well,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°One of?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°I have a lot of things,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We prefer to get really good at one,¡± Nigel said. ¡°Our scouts are Orange, Green and Woolzy.¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m from Woolloongabba,¡± Woolzy said.


    ¡°Which is bullcrap,¡± Higgy said. ¡°Why couldn¡¯t I be Woolzy?¡±


    ¡°Me and Higgy were recruited together,¡± Woolzy confided. ¡°He got the looks and I got the talent.¡±


    ¡°Talent for riding my coattails,¡± Higgy muttered.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you two,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°Why Orange and Green?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± Nigel said, ¡°they have the same last name and one of them is from the town of Orange, so we call him Orange.¡±


    ¡°Are you from a town called Green?¡± Jason asked Green.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Green said, without further explanation.


    ¡°Do you have the same first name?¡± Jason asked them.


    ¡°Nah,¡± Orange said. ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°Okay then,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Saving the best for last,¡± Nigel said, ¡°due to me being one of them, is the hitter group. We¡¯re the sweet, meaty chunks of this stew and we¡¯re all about that damage.¡±


    ¡°Meaning they aren¡¯t worth a damn without the rest of us,¡± Orange said.


    ¡°The other hitters are Cobbo and Digit,¡± Nigel introduced. ¡°I recommend against asking about Digit¡¯s moniker.¡±


    ¡°Suffice to say,¡± Digit said, ¡°that there are certain services one might procure from a lady of negotiable chastity for which it behoves one to check the quality of said lady¡¯s cuticle care.¡±


    ¡°Meaning don¡¯t let a prozzy stick a finger up¡­¡± Orange said before Nigel cut him off with a sharp glare.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure he gets the idea, Orange. Now, this time around, our goal is to introduce Mr Asano here to exactly what it is we do and bring him back very not dead. Mr Asano, we can get you suited up if you like, although I imagine you have your own gear.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said as dark mist appeared to engulf him. A few seconds later it passed to reveal Jason in his combat robes and cloak. He pushed the hood back off of his head.


    ¡°That¡¯s a neat trick,¡± Higgy said. ¡°Ever tried it in a phone booth?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I totally should,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I can find one.¡±


    ¡°Are you that bloke from the news?¡± Woolzy asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What¡¯d a bunch of bikers come after you for?¡± Orange asked.


    ¡°It was a huge bloody balls up,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was hanging about with my mate Vermillion, who¡¯s a vampire, but I don¡¯t hold that against him. Some other prick vampire didn¡¯t like it, so he sent some bikers to mess me up. Problem is, this other vampire¡¯s thick in the head and doesn¡¯t realise a very obvious problem. If you take a bunch of bikers addicted to vampire blood, cut off their supply and then tell them you¡¯ll turn it back on if they do a thing, they get really worked up about doing that thing. The inevitable happens, the bikers go nuts and suddenly they¡¯re firing guns from the back of motorcycles in the middle of the highway when every sod and his mum are out driving to bloody brunch. Now, I¡¯ve got my uncle in the car and I¡¯m not going to let a bunch of bikies shoot him full of holes, so I step out. Suddenly I¡¯m all over the telly.¡±


    Nigel was quietly observing as Jason¡¯s mannerisms shifted more in line with those of his section, along with some subtle changes in his aura that brought it more into line with theirs.


    ¡°Is that the guy who runs Club Vermillion you¡¯re talking about?¡± Woolzy asked. ¡°I always wanted to check that out, but it¡¯s a Cabal club. Normies and Cabal only.¡±


    ¡°I get in,¡± Higgy said.


    ¡°That¡¯d be bloody right,¡± Woolzy complained.


    ¡°Is that a magic sword?¡± Jonno asked, looking at the hilt poking out from under Jason¡¯s cloak.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°A mate made it for me.¡±


    ¡°Nice,¡± Jonno said. ¡°They won¡¯t give us anything bigger than a knife.¡±


    ¡°Jonno,¡± Darce said, ¡°you conjure an M61 Vulcan. That¡¯s a Gatling gun from a jet fighter, yet you won¡¯t shut up about getting a bigger knife.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you don¡¯t need a rotary cannon,¡± Jonno complained. ¡°Sometimes you need a big knife. A sword would be even better.¡±


    ¡°Do you know how to use a sword?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Could you teach me?¡± Jonno asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t answer that,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°Hey, Asano,¡± Orange said. ¡°How come you sound like an Aussie but look like a Jap?¡±


    ¡°I dunno, Orange,¡± Jason said. ¡°How come you sound like an arsehole but look like¡­ actually, that checks out.¡±


    The section all laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, fair enough,¡± Orange grumbled.


    The Network¡¯s paramilitary nine-person sections were assembled, along with their actual military counterparts. The organisational structure seemed quite similar, with the Network appearing to have adapted much of theirs from the military. The sections formed by military personnel were based on weapons rather than essence abilities, with the heavies, scouts and hitter groups of the Network sections replaced with gunner, scout and rifle groups respectively.


    ¡°Once the boffins get the aperture opened up,¡± Nigel explained, ¡°SOP is to secure a beachhead on the other side and assess local conditions. Once we have a stable landing point, we go hunting the ADE while the harvest sections get to work. Lucky for us, the ADE radiates a nice, detectable signal. That means we can go after it and the harvest teams stay out of its way. Green is our signals man, and he¡¯s going to lead us right to it, aren¡¯t you, Green?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Asano, you need to do as I say, when I say it, no complaints,¡± Nigel said. ¡°Your job is to do what you¡¯re told and not die.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie,¡± Jason said. ¡°Those are both things I¡¯ve struggled with in the past. Since I¡¯m a self-invited guest, though, I¡¯ll do my best.¡±

 Chapter 306: Core Users

    As a Network team set up a ritual to open the aperture to the proto-astral space, Nigel talked Jason through the assembled force. The Network¡¯s tactical presence consisted of two platoons of three nine-person sections. Four of the six boasted silver-rank tactical division members, while a specialist medic section also had Gladys.


    ¡°Those five make up the entire category three contingent of the Sydney branch,¡± Nigel explained. ¡°The network does not hold back with category three incursions.¡±


    Jason hadn¡¯t known how many silver rankers the Sydney branch had, as Shade had only spotted Gladys during their time in Sydney. The tactical personnel either spent their time at another facility or practised better informational security than the healer.


    ¡°So you¡¯re the only section with no category three?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Thorny¡¯s the only category two the Ditto trusts to run his own section,¡± Digit said.


    ¡°Ditto?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°DTO,¡± Nigel explained. ¡°Director of Tactical Operations, Koen Waters. He¡¯s the strongest of our category threes. That¡¯s him there, giving orders.¡±


    Nigel pointed out the four people radiating silver-rank auras. One of the men was an Indigenous Australian issuing instructions to the other three.


    ¡°Once we go through the aperture, he¡¯s the man on the ground with the final say on all operational decisions,¡± Nigel said. ¡°Master under God, as it were. Sections are expected to operate independently, though, since all the magic in dimensional spaces tends to fuzz-out comms. It¡¯s not like they don¡¯t work at all, but they have a habit of being unreliable, especially when a lot of powers are being thrown around.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jason said, ¡°I might be able to help, there.¡±


    ¡°Help how?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°I have a power that can serve as a communication system. I got a bump in the numbers it can affect when I hit bronze, but I never had the people to make the most of it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the range?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°About a half-dozen klicks, under normal conditions,¡± Jason said. ¡°With this much magic, at least a dozen, maybe fourteen.¡±


    ¡°Klicks,¡± Orange said. ¡°Look at you with the military lingo.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because I¡¯ve seen a war movie any time in the last thirty years,¡± Jason said. ¡°I guess you do seem like someone who doesn¡¯t get closer to movies than running a dog fighting ring in an old Blockbuster store.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Nigel scolded as the team cracked up laughing. ¡°Give me a rundown of this ability.¡±


    Jason explained his party interface¡¯s voice chat function to Nigel, who then took him to do the same for the DTO.


    ¡°It can do a sixty-person raid group, with each member able to access two discrete channels,¡± Jason explained. ¡°Each of up to six ten-person parties gets their own, plus another one that¡¯s group wide. That won¡¯t let us include the military, but it should just cover your Network contingent.¡±


    Jason invited Koen and Nigel to a group. The two men were startled as they encountered his interface but Jason quickly demonstrated the functionality.


    ¡°This is in line with powers I¡¯ve seen from some international branches,¡± Koen said. ¡°We¡¯ve never had access to it before, which makes you my new favourite person, Asano. Comms is the second biggest operating concern we have.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the biggest?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Where to take a dump in active combat,¡± Koen said. ¡°That being a non-factor for essence users does more to ease our operations than any power in our roster.¡±


    Koen called back the other section leaders so that the tactical sections would be expecting it when Jason sent out raid group invites. Gladys was very different from Jason¡¯s previous experiences. The air of flirtatiousness was replaced with one of cool professionalism. Jason warned Koen that going through the aperture would most likely break the link, but Koen wanted to do it anyway. Getting the people used to the power before they went through would save trouble when it was reapplied on the other side.


    Jason returned to Nigel¡¯s section while Nigel remained with Koen, discussing revised operating procedures given access to reliable communication.


    ¡°So, you have video game powers?¡± Digit asked Jason. He was Nigel¡¯s second in command of their section. Nigel¡¯s official rank was section leader, while Digit was section second. That was equivalent to a corporal and lance-corporal, respectively.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Jason said, glancing over at Koen and Nigel. ¡°Why does Nigel get his own section when he¡¯s only a category two?¡±


    ¡°They were in the army together,¡± Digit said. ¡°When Koen was bumped from Chief Training Officer up to Director of Tactical Operations, he recruited Nigel to replace him. Most of us actually grew up in Network families and got our essences without any kind of combat experience. We have people from the families who¡¯ve been trained, of course, but we like to pull in more contemporary soldiers like Koen and Thorny to keep us current.¡±


    The aperture to the proto-astral space wasn¡¯t visible to the naked eye, although magical senses made it extremely easy to see. It was a more tenuous bridge across dimensional boundaries than a normal aperture, appearing to Jason¡¯s senses as if it might collapse at any moment.


    It couldn¡¯t be traversed in its natural state and a team of network ritualists worked to stabilise and open the aperture. It was a similar process to opening up the archway into the astral space the Order of the Reaper had occupied, with the aperture at the centre of a large magical diagram. Mana lamps were unnecessary, as the aperture itself provided all the magic needed.


    Jason watched with interest as the ritual was carried out, after which the aperture took the form of a normal, open astral space aperture. Jason went through with the rest of Nigel¡¯s section.


    You have entered a zone of extreme magical saturation. Magical manifestations will occur at an increased rate.


    They arrived in a lush jungle, the air heavy with magic and humidity both. Through the canopy he glimpsed a large tower made from crude brickwork. The bricks were little more than crudely shaped rock held together with roughly slathered-on mortar.


    ¡°We see a lot of repeat scenarios,¡± Nigel explained to Jason. ¡°Usually the geography is similar, thus we¡¯re still in a valley. Jungle could be better, but could be worse. Good news: Probably no weird magic to impact our items and abilities. Bad news: This jungle will be crawling with venomous monsters. All kinds of serpents, primates with poisonous wrist barbs, giant bugs, big cats. Those are the least likely to have poison, but don¡¯t rule it out.¡±


    As Nigel went though his explanation, he led his people and Jason away from the aperture to allow more people to pour through. Nigel¡¯s section took up a perimeter position alongside the other Network tactical sections as the military teams moved in; first the combat soldiers and then the logistics people, alongside the Network¡¯s own auxiliaries.


    ¡°That tower in the distance,¡± Nigel pointed out, ¡°means we¡¯re dealing with giants, based on the scale and construction methods. A lot of the category two roamers we see will probably be troll and ogre variants. Jungle giants are smaller than most variants, around three metres tall. They¡¯re faster than the typical giant; not what you¡¯d call agile, but they¡¯ll surprise you if you aren¡¯t careful. Expect some exotic abilities like poison breath and camouflage. Trust your aura and magic senses over your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Good to know,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know, poison and giants are right in my sweet spot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to take your word for it,¡± Nigel said. ¡°Your job is to observe, not to fight.¡±


    ¡°Will do,¡± Jason conceded. ¡°There¡¯ll be other chances.¡±


    ¡°The category three anchor entity will most likely also be some kind of giant,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°ADEs, plural,¡± Green corrected him. While the others were watching the jungle around them, he was occupied with a computer tablet in his hands. The tablet had magic engraving carved directly into the back, looking like an odd combination of magical diagram and simplified circuit board.


    Each Network section had what they called a signaller which, in Nigel¡¯s team, was the laconic Green. The signaller had two primary tasks. One was to maintain communications gear, which was notoriously unreliable around heavy magic, while the other was to track the anchor entities that were the ultimate goal of the operation.


    ¡°I¡¯m tracking three ADE readings,¡± Green said. ¡°That might be three big ones or three clusters, moving in groups.¡±


    ¡°My guess would be small groups of stronger trolls or ogres,¡± Nigel said. ¡°That¡¯s a good thing. Multiple ADEs means we have to track them all down but they¡¯ll be individually weaker. When we¡¯re dealing with category threes, we like them as weak as we can get. Increased numbers we can live with since, as you can see, we have numbers of our own. We throw almost everything we have at category three incursions.¡±


    ¡°What do you keep in reserve for other incursions if they happen?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We have four reserve sections on standby,¡± Nigel said. ¡°They¡¯ll be able to handle anything below a category three incursion if one pops up.¡±


    A ground base was assembled in startlingly little time, this time Jason getting to watch as Network members who could manipulate earth or even directly reshape it into simple buildings went to work. Koen did multiple comm checks with Jason¡¯s power while this was going on and once the military took over for the Network teams maintaining the perimeter, Koen sent the sections out into the jungle. Before being sent out, each section was supplied with poison resist and antivenom potions.


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Jason said when they were offered to him. ¡°Poison works like a recovery potion on me.¡±


    Nigel¡¯s team all turned to him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked. ¡°I told you that poison¡¯s kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°Is anything not your kind of thing?¡± Darce asked.


    ¡°Store-bought mayonnaise,¡± Jason said. ¡°Make it yourself or don¡¯t use it. Oh, and canned beans.¡±


    ¡°I like canned beans,¡± Cobbo said. It was the first time Jason had heard the flat-faced, taciturn man speak.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make you some proper baked beans,¡± Jason promised. ¡°It¡¯ll change your life.¡±


    ¡°Make double-sure to keep Asano safe,¡± Koen said over voice chat as the Network teams started making their way into the jungle. ¡°He¡¯s not just a VIP observer, now; he¡¯s our communication¡¯s hub.¡±


    Nigel¡¯s team was not assigned to pursue any of the ADE targets. That was left to the four groups with silver-rankers, while Gladys¡¯ team acted as a roving support unit. Nigel¡¯s team was tasked with sweeping an extended perimeter of the camp, reducing the number of bronze-rank threats the military needed to deal with. The iron-rank bullets in the military¡¯s guns would hurt a bronze-rank monster but they would blow through an expensive stockpile of ammo for each one they dropped.


    Nigel¡¯s team carried bronze-rank carbine weapons, although most had them slung away. Nigel and Jonno both conjured their own guns, which would consume their mana for ammunition instead of expensive, bronze-rank bullets. Higgy carried a conjured shield and no weapon at all.


    ¡°I don¡¯t love being called Higgy,¡± he confided in Jason as he conjured his shield, ¡°but at least they didn¡¯t go with Captain America.¡±


    Darce, Digit and Cobbo also had conjured weapons; a whip, bow and spear, respectively. Only the scout team of Orange, Green and Woolzy kept their guns in hand.


    Darce had preternatural control over her segmented iron whip, which she quickly demonstrated as they made their way through the jungle. Lesser monsters started coming out of the jungle every few minutes, their fearless, berserker rage completely at odds with their lack of threat. The others left them to Darce and her dancing whip, which struck them down out of their air.


    Jason was astounded at the sheer number of monsters in the proto-astral space, trumping not just the other world but even the magically-saturated astral space in which he had spent months in constant battle. He had wondered how they managed to collect enough cores to field such a large force of bronze-rankers, but that quickly became clear. Jason¡¯s ability to loot extended to the entire raid group, to the delight of Koen. He did have to revise procedures on the fly again as loot rained down on anyone who touched a kill.


    Jason was reduced to a magic wi-fi hotspot as he withheld from joining the fights, even against powerful bronze-rank monsters like a hydra and a hulking bog ogre. His only active contribution was to drain poison from the team to save on their consumables.


    The section¡¯s teamwork was something Jason paid significant attention to as they took down monster after monster. His own team had refined their teamwork to the point of excellence, but in a very different way to the Network operatives.


    Jason¡¯s team was a collection of individuals who learned to dynamically reconfigure their approaches to build varying synergies that maximised their potential in any given circumstance. It was an approach that made the most of each individual¡¯s full suite of abilities, which both promoted versatility and helped advance those abilities to higher ranks.


    The Network section¡¯s teamwork had clear origins in military tactics, with the group forming a lean, effective unit able to act in perfect unison. Their coordination was all about coming down on any threat like a hammer, taking it out before it had any chance to respond. Each member only used a handful of powers, but each one was a force multiplier to the team¡¯s effectiveness.


    The scouts rarely used their guns with the expensive ammunition, instead baiting monsters into overlapping fields of fire from the other team members and their conjured weapons, throwing in some effects to hinder and control. Orange, as it turned out, was an affliction specialist like Jason. His abilities were more about inflicting debuffs than damage, though, setting enemies up for the team.


    The team was highly offence-oriented, with three Onslaught confluence essences amongst them. Jason knew that was a favourite amongst humans in the other world, due to its synergy with the human aptitude for special attacks.


    Watching the team of core users work together, Jason started to realise that they were making the most of their nature as core users. He knew from his own training, where he had many discussions with Rufus, that core users often focused on subsets of their essence abilities. Without the need to use every essence ability  in order to advance them, they could ignore whole sections of their power set.


    Rufus had always framed this as a universal bad, as they were wasting elements of their kit and leaving potential synergies on the table. Watching the military-style tactics of the team, though, Jason recognised that his own team would never be able to fight in that manner if they wanted to advance their abilities. The core users could ignore this restriction to develop an incredibly focused approach.


    It was not something Jason would ever go for himself, since it would be hampering his own advancement, but he couldn¡¯t help but admit that it was effective. Jason had been expecting a bunch of second-rate core users, but was forced to acknowledge that they had made the most of their advantages.


    Jason also suspected that the uniformity of their approach would make it much easier to swap personnel between teams. The more individualistic nature of an adventurer team made it hard to accommodate new or temporary members, and losing a member could be crippling. The Network, he imagined, would find this much less of a problem.


    One thing that stood out was Nigel. Jason had originally thought it was the lack of proper training techniques alone that was slowing Nigel down, but it became clear that fighting like a core user was also impeding his progress. Nigel would need to fight more like an adventurer and less like a soldier if he was going to start advancing his abilities more quickly.


    While he came to admire the tactics of the core-users, he also spotted a critical weakness. If that weakness came into play on this expedition, he knew he might not remain an observer after all.

 Chapter 307: What You Call Observing

    Jason saw flashes of what Nigel¡¯s team could bring to the table if they fought more like adventurers. While the general approach was for focus fire tactics, they each had specialties that were pulled out against various creatures.


    The scouts rarely used their firearms full of expensive ammunition, instead using their powers to support the team in combat when they weren¡¯t actually ranging ahead in search of threats. Jason was surprised to find that two of them were affliction specialists. Green was a wide-area type, using various word-of-power abilities to impede enemies.


    Orange was more focused on singular targets, like Jason. His evil-eye power set did little damage, though, instead setting his team up to enhance their focus-fire strategies by making enemies more susceptible to damage and impeding defensive abilities.


    The last scout, Woolzy, was a fast-moving melee striker with the Swift, Foot and Knife essences combining to form the Master confluence. Of all the team, he was the most adventurer-like in his tactics, using bursts of staccato movement to set up assassination-style special attacks. He would only conjure his twin knives right before striking, leaving them buried in the victim.


    Woolzy¡¯s role was to beat fast and agile monsters at their own game before they used their mobility to outmanoeuvre the team. He guarded their flanks, leaving them free to rapidly focus-fire through the primary enemies.


    His speed was very different from Sophie¡¯s flowing, uncatchable grace. While Jason knew that Sophie would envy Woolzy¡¯s powerful attacks, Jason much preferred her ability set. He did admit to himself, though, that he possibly had his own case of burst damage envy.


    Other members had their own times to shine. The shield-wielding Higgy would also erupt into bursts of speed, but to intercept attacks, rather than deliver them. Like Woolzy, his job was to let the team do their job unfettered, intervening to absorb the attacks into his shield. Every hit seemed to charge it up, as every so often he would unleash an overwhelming counterattack in the form of a conical wave of force.


    Darce had the most exotic power of the team, summoning a brass steam golem to give them more frontline presence. Her summon had a number of differences from observations Jason had made of other summons. The steam golem was cheaper to summon, mana wise, but had a limited power supply. That supply was rapidly consumed, and all the faster if the golem used its special attacks like firing scalding steam.


    The golem¡¯s weak longevity was paired with a much shorter cooldown, though, of half an hour compared to the usual six, and Darce didn¡¯t need a summoning circle to call it out. All this, plus the need to give it more direction than a normal summon, led Jason to believe it wasn¡¯t an actual summon. He suspected it was an ability he had heard of but never seen before, known as a puppet power. Rather than summoning an independent creature, it created a very sophisticated conjured object.


    The meat and potatoes of Nigel¡¯s section was the hitter team consisting of Cobbo, Digit and Nigel himself. Cobbo used conjured spears, mostly throwing them with almost bullet-like speed. He would occasionally make devastating charging attacks or conjure a pike when monsters charged the team in turn.


    Digit used a conjured bow, making flashy special attacks, while Nigel was quite conventional with his conjured rifle. With his black paramilitary gear and assault weapon, he would fit right into an autocratic dictator¡¯s extrajudicial death squad.


    Nigel showed more of his capabilities when the team was attacked on all sides by a wave of small and weak, but multitudinous monsters. His rifle vanished as he tossed it aside and conjured a pistol in each hand. He moved forward slowly while continuously turning around, pistols blazing in every direction as he shot the leaping stoat monsters right out of the air.


    Nigel wasn¡¯t looking to aim, firing to either side and even backwards, yet every shot landed on target. Bullets even whizzed past his own team on their path to dropping one monster after another. Jason continued to not participate in that encounter, although he did call up Gordon who used pinpoint beams to strike down any of the diminutive monsters that drew too close.


    Jonno also used a conjured assault rifle for most tasks, and likewise had other gun forms available at need. Unlike Nigel¡¯s pistol configuration, Jonno''s other weapon was a  rotary barrelled machine gun, which he slung from his hip like it was an eighties action movie.


    ¡°Bit of a mana hog,¡± Jonno explained, ¡°so I only pull it out for the big stuff.¡±


    That gun was to be outshone when the group encountered a trio of silver-rank jungle trolls, half the height again of a human. Jonno conjured up a third gun, so large that even hip-slung it seemed like he should be toppling over. The rotary machine gun was already an image of excess, while this was a full-blown rotary cannon.


    Jonno didn¡¯t fire immediately, instead letting his team go to work. Darce called up her golem, which launched into one of the trolls but was quickly being overpowered. Higgy used his charged shield to send one stumbling back while Nigel conjured a grenade launcher to blast the third. A grenade to the face rang the troll¡¯s bell, but was far from a kill shot and they could visibly see it start to heal.


    The purpose of their stalling tactics was to give Orange time to cast a curse spell three times over, chanting the same words for each.


    ¡°Let the scales of power sway.¡±


    ¡°They all landed,¡± he said, clearly surprised that none of the spells were resisted. He didn¡¯t know that Jason¡¯s aura had already lowered the resistances of the trolls. ¡°You¡¯re good to go.¡±


    The barrels on Jonno¡¯s ridiculous weapon spun up with a whir before erupting with thunder as a terrifying storm of bullets started chewing into the trolls. Jason realised that Orange¡¯s curse must have temporarily negated the damage reduction from rank disparity.


    The silver-rank monsters weren¡¯t especially tough examples of their rank, but they still had silver-rank physical fortitude. This was the only reason they weren¡¯t instantly turned to chum by the ludicrous weapon, Jonno¡¯s endless stream of bullets was cutting through them like a saw through a tree.


    Jonno¡¯s mana was depleting at an absurd rate. Before that moment, Jason didn¡¯t realise someone could blow through mana so fast he could pick it up with his magical senses. From the look of Jonno, it was doing a similar job with his stamina.


    Jason grabbed a silver-rank recovery potion he had taken from the archbishop of Purity and held it up to Jonno¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Drink,¡± he ordered.


    Even the over-ranked potion bought Jonno only seconds more uptime with his crazy gun, but seconds were critical as the trolls finally collapsed under the barrage. Jonno¡¯s gun vanished and he collapsed right after, Jason helping him stay upright. As Jason pulled a camp chair from his inventory for Jonno to rest, the remainder of the  team swarmed the trolls, pouring flasks of liquid over them that started combusting shortly after exposure to air.


    ¡°You have to torch them,¡± Nigel explained as they watched the trolls burn. ¡°Otherwise you can kill them and they¡¯ll still heal up.¡±


    ¡°D&D rules,¡± Jason said. ¡°Burn the trolls.¡±


    Jason recognised that Jonno¡¯s huge gun filled the same role as Farrah¡¯s lava cannon: a showstopping power that devoured mana like pigs with a fresh corpse.


    ¡°We need to make sure the bodies are properly burned up or they won¡¯t stay dead,¡± Nigel reiterated. ¡°Jungle trolls are one of the physically weakest varieties but their recovery strength is incredible. Fire, fortunately, shuts down the regeneration of just about anything you can get to burn. This bronze-rank everburn oil can be made fairly cheaply, so we all carry it for regenerators.¡±


    Jason suspected that the alchemists of Earth were on the same path as Jory of making the most of lesser ingredients. His magic senses were sharp enough to differentiate Jory¡¯s bargain potions from the good stuff and he got a similar feeling from  most of the alchemical items he had seen in the Network¡¯s possession.


    ¡°Are you alright, Jonno?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You look like you¡¯ve run a marathon.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be right,¡± he said. ¡°Thanks for that potion.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°Don¡¯t go taking another one any time soon, though. That was a category three recovery potion.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I can feel it,¡± Jonno said. ¡°Good thing mana recovers so much faster here.¡±


    ¡°You should see Mr Asano¡¯s houseboat,¡± Nigel said. ¡°It has the same mana recovery effect.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Jonno asked. ¡°How do I get one of those?¡±


    ¡°Go to an alternate reality and then enter a contest to go to a pocket dimension where you compete against the most skilled young essence users in the world to pass a series of trials laid down centuries earlier by an ancient order of assassins that worship the lord of the afterlife,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No one¡¯s selling them online?¡± Jonno asked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t checked,¡± Jason said with a laugh. ¡°Maybe one of those companies that makes custom super yachts can help you out. In the meantime, wait until that potion is out of your system and then eat this.¡±


    Jason handed over a bronze spirit coin, which Jonno held up to examine.


    ¡°Is that you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. Jonno turned the coin over and read the text embossed onto the back.


    PRODUCT OF JASON.


    G¡¯DAY MATE.


    ¡°You are a weird bloke,¡± Jonno told Jason. ¡°And that¡¯s coming from a guy who just killed a bunch of trolls with his magic airplane gun.¡±


    Nigel checked in on Green, who was the team signaller. As the signaller, it was Green¡¯s job to pay attention to the ADE tracking, even when hunting it wasn¡¯t their job. He did so with a computer tablet that seemed to merge magic and technology, something Jason was fascinated to explore later.


    ¡°Those category threes weren¡¯t one of the ADE groups were they?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°No, Boss.¡± Green said. ¡°All three ADE signals are well clear of us. These were definitely ordinary roamers.¡±


    Nigel bowed his head unhappily.


    ¡°Problem?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Only the ADE should be at the category cap for the incursion space,¡± Digit explained. ¡°We¡¯re seeing more and more roamers breaking that rule, though. Word is that it¡¯s a sign that we¡¯re going to start to see category four incursions. They had one in the UK a couple of years ago.¡±


    ¡°That kind of speculation is above our pay grade,¡± Nigel said firmly.


    ¡°All due respect, boss,¡± Cobbo said, ¡°but since we¡¯re the ones standing at the front, we¡¯re the first people who get to speculate. If that¡¯s above our pay grade then they¡¯re free to pay us more.¡±


    The rest of the section, on the lookout for more monsters, nodded.


    ¡°We have more immediate concerns,¡± Nigel said, opening up the voice channel to Koen. ¡°Koen, we just ran into some category three jungle troll roamers. The ADE will probably be something with more grunt.¡±


    After reporting in, the section was back on the move.


    ¡°Those category three monsters mean that the anchor monsters will be stronger?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s been the experience so far,¡± Nigel said. ¡°We won¡¯t be dealing with category fours, but it¡¯ll be from the more dangerous end of category three. It might not be so bad individually, seeing as there¡¯s more than one ADE, but the rules went out the window once a category three roamer showed up. Mr Asano, I¡¯d advise you let us escort you back to the camp.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather stay,¡± Jason said. ¡°It sounds like you might have need of me.¡±


    Nigel let out a reluctant sigh.


    ¡°Mr Asano, I don¡¯t doubt you¡¯re a capable combatant. I¡¯ve seen the footage of you fighting the category three from France. But I have orders and you don¡¯t have the coordination with our units. I don¡¯t doubt you can tear up some monsters, but I am not going to lose people because you wandered into their field of fire and they held back.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll stay out of the fray, but I¡¯m not going back to camp.¡±


    While the silver-ranker led teams continued to track the anchor monsters, Nigel¡¯s section became more aggressive in their sweep of the extended perimeter, bringing their patrol range closer the camp. If a category three reached the camp, iron-rank bullets were not going to stop it. There were bronze-rankers amongst the Network¡¯s harvest teams who were trained enough that they could step up if needed, but probably not without casualties.


    Given the situation, Koen had ordered the harvest teams back to camp.


    ¡°Nigel,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s another category three 900 metres in that direction,¡± he said, pointing. ¡°It looks like it¡¯s approaching one of the harvest teams as they¡¯re pulling back.¡±


    ¡°And how do you know that?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible I have some friends looking around,¡± Jason said innocently.


    Nigel frowned but ignored Jason¡¯s behaviour for the moment to stay focused on the priority of keeping the harvest teams safe.


    ¡°How reliable is your information?¡±


    ¡°100%¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Alright. Section, move out, double time. Don¡¯t think we won¡¯t be having a conversation about this later, Mr Asano.¡±


    As the team moved rapidly through the jungle, they saw a distress flare rise up into the sky.


    ¡°Looks like the DE found them,¡± Nigel said, glancing at Jason to find that he wasn¡¯t there. ¡°Bloody hell, Asano.¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said over party chat. ¡°I thought it was more important to move fast and I didn¡¯t think asking you would facilitate that.¡±


    The team came across a clearing where a toad the size and shape of a Volkswagen Beetle was belching out poison gas. It was adding to an already huge cloud of sickly green that filled the clearing and was now spreading further into the jungle.


    Although it was silver-rank, it was far less dangerous than even an individual troll, at least to the team. The monster¡¯s only true threat was its breath, which failed to penetrate a shimmering screen manifested by Higgy. Orange again stripped the rank-disparity damage reduction and an onslaught of special attacks made relatively short work of it. Just as they were wondering how to find Asano and the harvest team in the lingering miasma, a big black ute came rolling out of the greenish cloud. It had no driver but stricken harvest team members were piled into the tray with Jason standing over them, holding out his hands.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    With the incantation, the red glow of life force emerged from a member of the harvest team, tainted with green murk. The stain was extracted, rising up to be absorbed into Jason¡¯s waiting hand.


    While that was still being completed, Jason chanted the incantation again and a second person started to be cleaned alongside the first. Then a shadow hand emerged from Jason¡¯s torso for a third simultaneous cleanse, followed by a another. As the fourth began, the first finished and Jason moved on to another harvest team member with his first hand.


    With four going at once, the nine-person harvest team was cleansed of the silver-rank poison before it was able to finish them off. Many of them were a lot worse for wear, however, only being iron-rank. If Jason hadn¡¯t prioritised their cleansing over the bronze-rankers, then it would not have gone as well.


    Jason hopped down off the ute as it pulled to a stop in front of the team. As several of the team started checking on the poison victims and feeding them potions, Nigel marched up to Jason.


    ¡°Mr Asano, I thought we had an understanding. Is this what you call observing?¡±


    ¡°I observed that these people were going to die,¡± Jason said. ¡°If we¡¯d had this conversation before instead of after those people would be corpses, not survivors.¡±


    ¡°Better to ask forgiveness than permission?¡± Nigel said. ¡°We have standing operating procedures for a reason, Mr Asano. A silver-rank monster isn¡¯t something you cavalierly take on.¡±


    ¡°No, Nigel. It¡¯s something you don¡¯t cavalierly take on. If I couldn¡¯t take on monsters like that alone, I¡¯d have died a dozen times over. Look, I¡¯ll admit that I wasn¡¯t expecting much from your Network teams and you¡¯ve really turned me around. Your tactics are perfect for sweeping through monster infestations this thick.¡±


    Nigel opened his mouth to speak but Jason fired off a harmless but startling burst of aura to silence him.


    ¡°While I have been impressed with your methods, I¡¯ve already seen the problem and you should know what I¡¯m about to say. Your teams are great a mopping up the trash, but this strategy won¡¯t hold up against the really powerful stuff. If a monster is tough enough to withstand your hammer-blow tactics ¨C and it¡¯s a big hammer, I¡¯ll grant you ¨C then you¡¯re going to get hit back hard. Am I wrong?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve taken out four category threes just today,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°I saw,¡± Jason said. ¡°And I saw what it took to get there. You¡¯re going to need people who can take on trolls solo, even at category two.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying you could have taken one of those trolls by yourself?¡± Nigel challenged.


    ¡°I could have taken all three by myself,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s not bragging; it¡¯s just the kind of level you get to when you master all of your powers. I¡¯m not saying every bronze-ranker ¨C category two ¨C should be able to take out every category three. I have powers to shut down regenerating creatures, but throw me up against a silver-rank rock monster and then I only have a chance because I have an arsenal of weapons and tools that the Network just can¡¯t compete with.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t match up to your gear,¡± Nigel said. ¡°But we have training and discipline.¡±


    ¡°You were at that meeting on my houseboat,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your existing methods are reaching their limits as the monsters keep growing stronger. What happens when the category three monsters aren¡¯t on the weaker end of the spectrum?¡±


    ¡°We adapt our tactics,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°Look, the Network has kept a lid on all this for centuries, which is incredibly impressive,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°I thought I¡¯d need to rebuild your whole tactical division from the ground up,¡± Jason said. ¡°That was na?ve, dismissive and insulting, for which I apologise. Even if I had my team here, we couldn¡¯t mow through monsters with the efficiency that yours does. What you need is a supplemental program. A smaller cadre of people who don¡¯t fight like soldiers. Not regular soldiers, anyway.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about a special forces unit,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°A special forces unit with training and tactics built around hitting fewer but stronger targets. Powerful monsters require adaptable strategies that leverage every advantage from every team member. That¡¯s how adventurers fight and I¡¯ll help you get there because you¡¯re going to need it. Even if the monsters are getting stronger, the solution to your problem isn¡¯t category four personnel. In fact, I¡¯ve heard that would be a bad idea. The Cabal¡¯s category fours can¡¯t survive on Earth without going into hibernation because the magic is too low-grade. I have to imagine that essence users would fare just as badly, if not worse.¡±


    ¡°You think that specially trained category threes are a viable alternative?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°Yes. Right now, your team can take on a category three at category two. You need a team that can take on a category four at category three, which is a whole different scale.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have whole teams of category threes.¡±


    ¡°We can work on that too,¡± Jason said. ¡°My big concern was not having enough monsters to go around, but that¡¯s clearly not an issue.¡±


    Woolzy walked over from where he had been checking on the harvest team.


    ¡°Boss, they¡¯re going to pull through but they¡¯re not in much of a state to move. Either we need the healer support team or we move them on Jason¡¯s¡­¡±


    He looked around and then at Jason.


    ¡°Where did that ute go?¡± Woolzy asked. ¡°That¡¯s pretty short-lived for a conjured vehicle.¡±

 Chapter 308: Not the Monster

    ¡°Here¡¯s the situation,¡± Koen said through voice chat. ¡°The ADEs are river hydras. Big ones. Lots of regeneration, lots of poison, lots of heads. We¡¯ve got two that are ideally placed. Far enough apart that we can take them on separately but close enough that we can take out one and intercept the other before it gets near the camp. The other one is more of a problem. It lies on the other side of the camp and seems to be moving in that direction.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the approach?¡± one of the silver-ranked section leaders asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need both platoons to hammer our way through all that regeneration, even with fire powers to slow it down,¡± Koen said. ¡°All sections will meet up at the designated rendezvous point. The camp will need to fend for itself against whatever else comes its way and I¡¯ve already issued orders for the camp to withdraw from the incursion space.¡±


    ¡°What about the other ADE?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°We have two options on that,¡± Koen said. ¡°Option one is we carve off some of our forces to stall it, buying time for the camp to fully extract. I do not like this option, since it diminishes our strength and distances the second group from the healers. Both of those factors will increase the chance of casualties, given that these things spew clouds of category three poison gas. I don¡¯t want to lose anyone today¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s option two?¡± Another of the section leaders asked.


    There was a pause, as if Koen was reluctant to say.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a worse choice,¡± Koen said finally. ¡°Asano, how strong are you? No flexing, no bullcrap. Honest assessment. How good are you really?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got to be kidding,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°Asano,¡± Koen said, ¡°you took on a category three essence user alone.¡±


    ¡°He lost,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯re strong enough to stall out the other ADE?¡± Koen asked.


    ¡°Koen,¡± Nigel said, ¡°you can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    ¡°By which you mean Director of Tactical Operations Koen, right Nigel?¡± Koen asked. ¡°We may not be in the military anymore but there is a chain of command that I will use to beat the English out of you if you interrupt me one more time. Mr Asano, can you do it or not?¡±


    ¡°Director Koen,¡± Nigel said, his anger held back behind clipped, disciplined speech. ¡°Sir. Mr Culpeper directly and personally ordered me to keep Asano safe and you want to send him into danger.¡±


    ¡°I have complete operational authority for a reason, Section Leader Thornton, because sometimes the man on the ground has to make the call. My current options are to balance casualties in our own forces against casualties in the withdrawing camp against one man that isn¡¯t one of mine.¡±


    ¡°Does the man in question get a say?¡± Jason asked, having let the two men argue amongst themselves.


    ¡°Go ahead, Mr Asano, although let me be clear that Nigel isn¡¯t wrong. I am looking to put you at risk in order to keep my own people safe.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the candour,¡± Jason said. ¡°I came here to see what the Network is capable of and I am impressed. I¡¯ve also seen the weaknesses, though. I know how to help you and now is the time to show you what that means.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you getting yourself killed in an attempt to raise your value in our eyes,¡± Koen said. ¡°Unless you¡¯re genuinely confident of surviving, I don¡¯t want you anywhere near that thing.¡±


    ¡°This is the point I¡¯m trying to make,¡± Jason said. ¡°You need to see that we view these circumstances very differently. This situation might seem exceptional to you, with all these category three monsters running about, but I have a word for days like today.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Koen asked.


    ¡°Tuesday.¡±


    Against Nigel¡¯s protests, Koen sent Jason after the third hydra. At Koen¡¯s insistence, Jason went to the rapidly evacuating camp on the way, to pick up an observer. She was a scout from one of the harvest teams and apparently excelled at stealth.


    Kylie Chen was bronze rank. While she did have abilities and training that could be turned to combat, she was not a primary combatant. Her skills and abilities were best suited to quietly scouting out potential opportunities for the harvest teams. Her kit included strong perceptual abilities that allowed her to find plants, minerals and other materials with magical properties.


    She had a dark essence, like Jason, and could hide herself even from silver rank monsters. Although he had been reluctant to bring her along, Jason was less grudging after his own senses couldn¡¯t pick her up until she was almost close enough to touch. The silver-rank assassin from France had not accomplished better.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± Jason asked her. Around them was a storm of activity as the support teams were evacuating the camp back through the aperture.


    ¡°I might not be much help in a fight,¡± Kylie said, ¡°but I¡¯m confident in not being caught.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    They left the camp on foot, Jason getting out of sight before having Shade emerge. He didn¡¯t want the commotion of his familiar taking a monstrous form and disrupting the evacuation. Darkness exploded out of Jason¡¯s shadow, coalescing into a pair of mantis beetles. It was a form Jason was experienced at riding from his time in another astral space jungle.


    ¡°I hope we mix up the environment next time,¡± Jason muttered to himself as he used his cloak to lightly jump into the saddle. He was surprised at the lack of trepidation from Kylie as she curiously climbed onto the dark carapace of the other beetle and settled herself.


    The beetles scurried into jungle too thick for more conventional vehicles, moving swiftly through difficult overgrowth. Sweeping blade-arms opened up otherwise inaccessible pathways. Gordon floated next to Jason, keeping up with the swift beetle by transforming into his nebula state to make rapid dashes. He used his force beams to dispatch any low-rank monsters fast enough to keep up with the beetles or dashed right through them to the same effect.


    Twice along the way they stopped for Jason to deal with bronze-rank monsters. One was a mud elemental that fell to Jason¡¯s sword, while the other was a pack of simian-shaped lizards. They were loaded up with afflictions and quickly handled.


    ¡°It¡¯s up ahead,¡± Kylie announced, showing off the perceptual powers of a scout. Soon after they heard the sound of something large and heavy forcing its way through the jungle. Kylie pulled out a hand camera from a small belt bag.


    ¡°Stay well clear and keep hidden,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be running off to rescue you when you catch a dose of poison breath, no matter how heroic it would make me look. Well, maybe if you can set me up with good backlighting.¡±


    ¡°You seem very relaxed for someone about to fight what sounds suspiciously like a kaiju,¡± Kylie said.


    ¡°I¡¯m a man¡¯s man,¡± Jason said. ¡°The only thing I fear is a frank discussion about my feelings.¡±


    Jason warned Kylie to get ready and dropped lightly to the ground as the beetles turned into clouds of darkness that returned to Jason¡¯s shadow. Kylie stumbled, but was prepared for the drop and managed to remain upright.


    ¡°Don¡¯t put yourself in danger trying to get good footage,¡± Jason warned, the jokiness now absent from his voice. Without waiting for a reply, he started walking into the jungle.


    Kylie wasn¡¯t getting great footage. She had some impressive shots of reptilian heads larger than she was snaking through the jungle, but little else. Between the dense jungle and the obscuring clouds of poison gas, visibility was poor.


    Knowing she would need another approach, she reached into a small bag at her belt and took out a headband stitched with magical symbols and slipped it on. A cable dangled from the headband and she plugged it into the camera, which she returned to the belt bag. The camera was now recording her perceptions directly.


    Her senses were much more capable of seeing what was happening than the camera itself. The racial gift she obtained when awakening her Vision confluence essence gave her the unusual capability of awakening a perception power from each essence, where other essence users only had the one. There was a lot of overlap, with so many powers enhancing her magical and aura senses, but the effects grew with each one to be far more powerful than her rank suggested.


    This allowed her to gain a real sense of just how powerful Asano¡¯s aura was. Auras had a quality to them that was separate from their strength, that clearly indicated an essence user¡¯s rank. Asano¡¯s aura bore the unmistakable feel of category two, while easily reaching  category three in strength.


    All auras with a power, she had discovered, had a flavour to them that reflected their magical effects. Asano¡¯s was no exception. His aura had an overwhelming feel of domineering judgement, as if Asano himself was the arbiter of objective right and wrong. It was the most arrogant aura she had ever encountered and she felt it react to her senses, which flinched from it like fingers from a hot stove.


    Kylie¡¯s superior senses had helped her to hone the control of her own aura, which was a key part of her formidable stealth abilities. Compared to Asano she was a second-rater and he was the first person whose emotions she was completely unable to read. Even category three agents allowed her to snatch glimpses of what was happening behind their eyes, but Asano¡¯s aura felt like a solid wall around something mysterious, dark and dangerous.


    Like most of the Network members in the incursion space, she had no idea who this strange essence user was that the higher-ups seemed to consider so important. He wandered around like he was in charge, with his strange robes and eerie cloak. Rumour was that he was from another branch that Sydney either had or was trying to recruit. She hadn¡¯t really cared until she encountered his bizarre aura and sensed the incredible magic of the equipment he wore.


    The items weren¡¯t just powerful but incredibly well refined. It made it hard for anyone with lesser senses to even realise how potent the magic on them was. The man was a walking treasure trove and she wasn¡¯t sure that anyone but her realised.


    She returned her concentration to the fight, which she was tracking through her senses, eyes closed. She could sense the bulk of the dimensional entity¡¯s main body and its necks that were incredibly long and flexible. The seven heads crashed through the jungle trying to chase down Asano, who repeatedly vanished from one spot to appear in another. As for the hydra¡¯s poison breath, Asano was not just ignoring it but absorbing it, and transforming it into some kind of health and mana recovery effect.


    Asano was lashing out at the creature repeatedly with a weapon in each hand. One was a dagger and the other was a strange whip that, ironically, took the form of a hydra. Both weapons easily landed against the monster¡¯s bulk. She could also sense some kind of swarm creature crawling all over the hydra. She sensed echoes of Asano¡¯s aura from it, meaning it was likely a familiar and not just a summon.


    Summons and familiars were both rare. Very few people had the knowledge to perform the rituals involved, which seemed to influence which essence users could awaken such powers. Asano, strangely, had three; the swarm, the shadow that could turn into beetle mounts and the nebula monster than guarded them on their journey through the jungle. It was another reason to be curious about the odd man.


    Asano¡¯s weapons seemed to have little effect on the hydra, although they certainly agitated it, sending it thrashing through the jungle in pursuit of Asano. He dodged the creature well but there were seven heads snaking through the trees in pursuit. He took a few hits as he dodged a toothy mouth but a giant head crashed into him sending him flying like he¡¯d been hit by a truck. He seemed to have some kind of shield that, with each hit, transformed into a healing effect.


    After one such hit, one of the heads clamped down on his leg, huge teeth sinking into it and it lifted Asano up through the canopy and into the air. Asano¡¯s nebula familiar launched all four of the orbs floating around it at the creature, which  collided in pairs to trigger two explosions with potent magical force. The hydra dropped Asano, who did not fall but slowly drifted. She could sense that it was the magic of his cloak holding him aloft as he chanted a spell.


    She felt the life force drained out of the hydra. It flowed out of the monster and into Asano, completely restoring his leg. He then dropped out of the air and back through the canopy.


    The hydra¡¯s body was lumbering and Jason easily sprayed Colin all over it. The heads, by contrast, were as quick as the body was slow, with Jason taking multiple hits in the course of locking in his afflictions. The creature was powerful enough that even with the shields his amulet was creating with each affliction, the monster punched through those shields in short order.


    The hit that breached the armour left him dizzy and the monster clamped onto his leg, rearing its head to haul him up and over the treetops. If not for Gordon¡¯s orb explosions freeing him, the leg would have been torn right off.


    Jason¡¯s Feast of Blood power didn¡¯t actually drain blood but life force to heal him and, as of bronze-rank, grew stronger for each instance of poison on the target. Since both Colin and Jason himself had left the hydra riddled with poison, one casting was enough to completely heal him.


    Things became easier over time as another of Jason¡¯s bronze-rank powers came into play. Rigor Mortis was an unholy affliction left behind when Jason made attacks using the shadow arms of his Hand of the Reaper ability. Rigor Mortis inflicted a stacking penalty to the speed and recovery attributes. It was only a small penalty, but as the afflictions built up, the hydra became easier to dodge and slower to chew through the afflictions already impeding its regeneration.


    Gradually, Kylie came to sense that something was profoundly wrong with the hydra. It was slowing down and becoming sluggish, giving Asano an easier time of avoiding it. Further, there was some kind of malediction taking over its body with increasing speed. It wasn¡¯t recovering the way it should and the magic afflicting it kept growing and growing.


    What was, at first, a small collection of minor effects had escalated into a magical force that rivalled anything she had ever sensed. It was a cancer, chewing at the hydra from the inside like a carnivorous tumour. Then Asano cast a spell that she felt resonate with the afflictions. Each one enhanced the spell¡¯s power only a little, but there were so many that the spell ravaged the hydra to the point that she was amazed it clung to life.


    At this point, the fight was effectively over. The hydra struggled to move it¡¯s sluggish heads in pursuit of Asano, but could barely move. She was expecting Asano to back off, but he was not done. To her shock, he cast a spell that drained all the horrifying afflictions from the hydra.


    Startlingly, Asano devoured all that terrible power, feeding on the misery and suffering of what had once been an enemy, but could now only be described as a victim. Even so, he was still not done. In the wake of the darkness drained from the hydra, Asano had left something in its place. A power, bright and terrible, appeared inside the hydra. It was unlike anything she had ever sensed, a force that felt like it could burn a hole in the universe.


    A calm had come over the jungle as the hydra lay prostrate and unmoving. Her incredible hearing heard Asano¡¯s voice in the eerie stillness, alien to his warm, joking tone from earlier. It was as cold, dark and merciless as the bottom of the ocean.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement, and the judgement is death.¡±


    She felt something rupture the very dimensional fabric of the incursion space, right above the hydra. Power, like that now inside the hydra but far stronger, came from the dimensional rent, smashing into the hydra like the fist of god, sending a blinding glow shining up through the jungle canopy.


    When Jason returned to Kylie, he found her huddled against a tree, wide-eyed and shaking with fear.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he told her. ¡°The monster¡¯s gone.¡±


    He moved forward to help her to her feet but she scuttled away from him like an insect.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, realisation dawning. ¡°It¡¯s not the monster you¡¯re afraid of.¡±

 Chapter 309: Letting Him Run Rampant

    In the Network¡¯s Sydney branch offices, several people were sat around a conference table while an image displayed on a screen. Keith, Annabeth, Gladys, Koen and Nigel were all in attendance, as was Eustace Brown, the grizzled director of the Harvest Division, and Asya, the International Committee representative. The recording made by Kylie Chen was garbled nonsense to anyone without the ability to sense magic, as the true recording was of her magical perceptions. The display was simply the magitech medium used to present it.


    ¡°What exactly was that?¡± Keith asked as the  recording came to an end. The recording was deeply immersive, allowing them to experience the recorder¡¯s perceptions and, to a limited degree, their emotions.


    ¡°It was proof that we need to get Asano on side,¡± Koen said. ¡°Not because of his personal power but because he can teach his training methods. Two years ago he was selling staples and making occasional appearances on a cooking show. Now he¡¯s one of the most powerful essence users on the planet. It took two platoons to take out one of those hydras and we only avoided casualties because we have a top-flight healer. He did the same thing alone and under-ranked. If he can teach our people to do that, and without cores, our monster escalation problems are over.¡±


    ¡°Can we expect our people to reach that standard, though?¡± Annabeth asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Gladys said. ¡°Not unless they have the right power set.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Koen said. ¡°If we examine what we just experienced, it becomes clear that Asano¡¯s maledictions start weak but grow exponentially more powerful until they rival what even the most powerful category three is capable of. I¡¯ve seen this type of specialist before, although never to this extreme.¡±


    ¡°What about that power at the end, with the glowing light?¡± Keith asked. ¡°Do we know what that was?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an extremely rare damage type,¡± Gladys said. ¡°It ignores all forms of protection and resistance. The only other essence user I¡¯ve seen use it was in the US. He was a proper religious type. ¡®Essences are god¡¯s test to see who is worthy of the power,¡¯ that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Because that never ends badly,¡± Annabeth muttered.


    ¡°That guy called it god fire,¡± Gladys said. ¡°As for whether a god actually gave it to him, who knows?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve yet to confirm the existence of any deific beings,¡± Keith said, ¡°so I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a productive line of discussion.¡±


    ¡°I agree that we need to reach an accord with Asano,¡± said Eustace, head of the Harvest Division. ¡°Rope him in, whatever it takes. That haul was like nothing we¡¯ve ever seen. Even putting aside the incredible materials, we looted what are now some of the best magic items in our arsenal. Two category three guns with poison effects that use mana instead of bullets for ammunition. From testing, they aren¡¯t as mana efficient as conjured firearms, but even so it¡¯s a game changer. There was also some category three leather armour that not only protects against poison but heals the wearer and repairs itself. Plus, a very rare, healing and recovery focused essence.¡±


    ¡°Asano didn¡¯t take any of the harvest,¡± Koen said. ¡°I offered, after what he did with the hydra, but he said a deal¡¯s a deal. The leather armour and the essence came from the hydra he killed, plus a category three core and more than a thousand spirit coins. He even said that he was tempted to just filch the essence for himself. It¡¯s not like we¡¯d know, because he loots right into a storage space.¡±


    ¡°The man is a like a hydra himself,¡± Eustace said, ¡°except instead of heads he has ridiculous utility powers. Did we confirm he has a portal ability yet? Allowing anyone connected with his communication ability to loot a dimensional entity is basically gold raining from heaven. The only challenge is figuring out how to collect it all when the tactical teams are leaving a trail of treasure like Hansel & Gretel came from a Saudi oil family. This guy is what I¡¯d wish for if I found a genie in a bottle.¡±


    ¡°That communication ability is also incredible,¡± Koen said. ¡°I¡¯d put Asano on the response team of every incursion space if I could.¡±


    ¡°I disagree,¡± Nigel said. ¡°Yes, Asano brings a lot to the table. And I like the guy. I¡¯d have a beer with him any day, but I don¡¯t want him watching my back.¡±


    ¡°Explain,¡± Keith said.


    ¡°He¡¯s unreliable. He acts without warning, only follows directions as long as he doesn¡¯t think he knows better, and he¡¯s the type to always think he knows better. He¡¯s powerful, but I¡¯ll take someone I can trust standing behind me over someone who¡¯ll be amazing if he doesn¡¯t wander off first.¡±


    ¡°I will acknowledge he would be better employed to operate independently,¡± Koen said. ¡°Nigel, even if you don¡¯t want to fight with him, would you be willing to train with him? You¡¯re head of the training program and don¡¯t use cores. That puts you in the best position to pick up and pass on his methods.¡±


    ¡°That, I can do,¡± Nigel said. ¡°When my people aren¡¯t on the line, I¡¯ll work with him, no worries. It¡¯ll let me offset any problematic attitudes he tries to introduce to our people about discipline and following orders. But if you put him in the field, I don¡¯t want him attached to my section. Trying to incorporate him into a chain of command would be futile. He¡¯s too arrogant.¡±


    ¡°He never much cared for authority,¡± Asya said, speaking for the first time in the meeting. ¡°He always liked to question and provoke.¡±


    The recording had shaken Asya quite badly. The man she met on the houseboat was a natural progression from the boy she had known. The sexy, impish grin and intelligent eyes full of insolence and promise. Treating conversations like prize fights, constantly streaming nonsense to throw off the opposition.


    The man in the recording was something else entirely. The malevolent power and the grand destructive force that followed. The chilling voice chanting a sinister incantation to mercilessly finish a monster already on the precipice of death. The incongruity with the Jason Asano she knew left her unnerved.


    ¡°It seems like the French were onto something, trying to snatch up Asano,¡± Keith said. ¡°Clearly, though, active cooperation is more valuable than forced capitulation. I think I¡¯m just about ready to recommend we do whatever it takes to get a deal.¡±


    ¡°We should,¡± Eustace said. ¡°Someone told me that Asya made a joke about giving him Bora Bora. If that¡¯s in any way possible, I say we do it. Just one incursion with a looting power and it¡¯s clear how China and America have become so dominant, poaching everyone with a loot power from other countries. I¡¯m not sure there can be a price that isn¡¯t worth paying, given the riches we can expect to reap. We need to lock this down before the US and China come sniffing around.¡±


    ¡°As the IC representative,¡± Asya said, ¡°I can¡¯t advocate tying this up in factional politics. It¡¯s only right for your branch to claim some benefits, but if you try and keep the pie to yourselves, you¡¯ll get cut when others come to take their own slice.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Asano will want to give the Lyon branch as much as a crumb,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°After what they did, the only reason he¡¯s open to collaboration is that he wants us to deliver the other outworlder.¡±


    ¡°Asano made it clear that he wants access to dimensional entities,¡± Keith said. ¡°Presumably, that¡¯s tied to his advancement methodology, which we¡¯ll learn for ourselves soon enough. He needs us to access the dimensional spaces.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s less of a certainty than you¡¯re suggesting,¡± Gladys said. ¡°He¡¯s given me a peek at his magical knowledge. Now that he knows about the grid and we¡¯ve shown him how to access apertures, he may have everything he needs to access incursion spaces himself.¡±


    ¡°Tapping into the grid?¡± Keith asked. ¡°Is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°The grid is designed to be accessible to anyone with the requisite knowledge,¡± Asya said. ¡°Given that he¡¯s been to a place that makes our magic look like bronze age technology, it seems likely that he could.¡±


    Keith let out a sigh.


    ¡°My largest concern,¡± he said, ¡°is oversight. Our only leverage in enforcing any agreement is the ability to take what we provide away. If that isn¡¯t a real threat, what reason does he have to abide to our agreement?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had analysts poring over his whole life for a week,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°Our profile suggests that loyalty is a core value for him. Their analysis is that if we play it straight with him, he will hold up his end.¡±


    ¡°For how long?¡± Keith asked. ¡°What happens when we deliver the other outworlder? What happens if we can¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re increasing pressure on the Lyon branch,¡± Asya said. ¡°They can¡¯t just kidnap anyone they want something from.¡±


    ¡°Tell that to Miranda Ellis,¡± Annabeth said darkly.


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason she was moved out of the Melbourne branch,¡± Keith said, ¡°but now isn¡¯t the time to revisit old grudges. After seeing Asano in action, I think I can get the Steering Committee to move forward on making a final agreement with him. What about the International Committee?¡±


    ¡°My recommendation will be to go along with that,¡± Asya said. ¡°I¡¯m just a representative, though. The actual decision will be made above my head.¡±


    ¡°You should realise that we¡¯re playing with fire, here,¡± Nigel warned. ¡°I think, after watching this recording, we all realise that Asano is dangerous. Do we really want him running around unchecked?¡±


    ¡°The agreement is what keeps him in check,¡± Keith said. ¡°What¡¯s your alternative? Some kind of enforcement?¡±


    ¡°If we went down that road ¨C which I strongly recommend against,¡± Koen said, ¡°then we need to avoid the mistakes of the Lyon branch. From a tactical perspective, we hit him hard and fast, with overwhelming force. I¡¯m talking all of our category threes, including Gladys. He can build up to endanger a category three but he¡¯s vulnerable in the early stages of a fight. We don¡¯t give him a chance to ramp up to the power level he showed against the Lyon branch operative and the Hydra. And I¡¯m not talking about capture. We put him all the way down and make sure he stays there.¡±


    ¡°Agreed on both counts,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°We shouldn¡¯t do this, but if we do, we do it thoroughly. Our analysis is that he¡¯ll play it straight if we do, but if we turn on him and he¡¯s not dead, he will hurt us. Really hurt us.¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯ll go after our families?¡± Keith said.


    ¡°No,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°I think his threats to my wife were just a message not to go after his own family. He knows the way to really hurt us is by going after our secrets. He¡¯s threatened as much in the past. Once he¡¯s curing children¡¯s cancer on television, we can¡¯t touch him, while he can blow us wide open. Or he goes to the Cabal. Maybe the EOA. You think they won¡¯t welcome him with open arms?¡±


    ¡°Imagine if he really can access the grid and dimensional spaces,¡± Gladys said. ¡°What wouldn¡¯t the EOA give him in return for that? They¡¯d want him more than Eustace and his obvious man crush.¡±


    ¡°Hey, if it gets him on board,¡± Eustace said, ¡°I¡¯ll take one for the team.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Gladys said. ¡°Maybe not quite as much as Eustace.¡±


    ¡°Surely there¡¯s a middle ground between war and letting him run rampant,¡± Nigel said.


    ¡°Not from his perspective,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°What did we ever do other than threaten his sister and try to kidnap him? What reason does he have to answer to us?¡±


    ¡°When I was in school,¡± Asya said, ¡°I was in debate club with Jason. He was always better at winning over audiences than judges, because his arguments sounded logical but were really about passion. You could feel him believing things so hard that you started to believe them too. We were debating democracy versus authoritarianism, and the way he talked about the difference between obedience and loyalty¡­¡±


    She stood up.


    ¡°As far as I¡¯m concerned,¡± she said, ¡°this discussion is over. If we act in good faith, I believe that he will too. If you go the other way, don¡¯t tell me, because I will warn him. I¡¯m heading back to Canberra to make my report to the IC in person.¡±


    The others watched as she marched out of the conference room.


    ¡°So,¡± Gladys said, turning to Anna. ¡°You took my advice and went with the honey trap.¡±


    ¡°I did no such thing!¡±


    Paul Abreo was part of the Steering Committee for the Lyon branch of the Network. He had wanted to talk to the Operations Director, Adrien Barbou, in person, but the man was spending all his time working out of the black site. With the International Committee ramping up scrutiny, Paul didn¡¯t want to risk the site¡¯s location being exposed by a visit and instead called Adrien on the secure line.


    ¡°Adrien, it¡¯s time to bring this to an end.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m close,¡± Adrien said. ¡°She¡¯s ready to break. I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°Close isn¡¯t good enough, Adrien. The IC is coming down on us hard.¡±


    ¡°Once she breaks, we can share what we get out of her and they¡¯ll shut their mouths.¡±


    ¡°The Sydney branch is cutting a deal with their outworlder,¡± Paul said. ¡°It¡¯s already showing results. They¡¯re not going to back down when they¡¯re getting voluntarily what we can only potentially get through rendition.¡±


    ¡°You have to keep them off my back long enough to finish this,¡± Adrien said. ¡°You think this outworlder will give us anything after what we¡¯ve done? If he has the support of the International Committee, he¡¯ll probably leverage what he can offer to sanction us. All we can get, we¡¯ll have to get from her, or the other branches will leave us behind.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know that, Adrien? The simple fact is, we took a risky shot and we missed. At this stage, cooperating with the IC will get us more than resisting them will. It¡¯s time to hand the girl over.¡±


    ¡°Give me a week,¡± Adrien said. ¡°If I can¡¯t do it in a week, I¡¯ll hand her over.¡±


    ¡°The Steering Committee has made their decision, Adrien.¡±


    ¡°One week.¡±


    Paul grumbled through the phone.


    ¡°Three days,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s as much as I can give you. More than that and the Steering Committee will send people in to remove you from your position.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Paul. You won¡¯t regret this.¡±


    ¡°See that I don¡¯t. You owe me for this one, Adrien.¡±


    In his office, underground with concrete walls, Adrien hung up the phone. His fury showed only through his stillness as his mind ticked over. He unlocked the bottom drawer of his large oak desk and took out a steel lockbox with magic engravings that would destroy the contents if anyone forced the lock.


    He took the box to the elevator. There were no buttons, only a locked panel that he opened with a key. Behind the panel was a card reader, through which he swiped his identification, a hand scanner that he pressed his palm to and a voice scanner, into which he spoke his name. A light turned green and the elevator doors closed, the lift ascending up to the surface.


    The elevator emerged on the grounds of an abandoned water plant that looked to have been left unattended in the countryside for decades. He wandered through a hole in the chain link fence, beyond the range of the hidden cameras. He then opened the lock box, took out a satellite phone and an envelope containing a number, which he dialled.


    ¡°Ms Ellis,¡± he said, when the line was picked up. ¡°This is Adrien Barbou. I¡¯d like to talk about your proposal.¡±

 Chapter 310: Old Testament Power

    Erika stormed upstairs and threw open the door to her daughter¡¯s bedroom. Standing in front of a monitor, Jason and Emi were holding plastic guitars and playing a rhythm game. Taika was sitting on the floor behind a plastic drum kit. All three turned to guiltily face the door.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Erika scolded. ¡°We have thirty family members in the back yard and you¡¯re in here?¡±


    ¡°Those may not be unrelated facts,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Well, nanna just arrived, so get your arse downstairs.¡±


    Emi and Jason immediately perked up, putting aside the guitars.


    ¡°I¡¯ll head back to the houseboat,¡± Taika said.


    ¡°You can stay if you like, Taika,¡± Erika said. ¡°I didn¡¯t see you arrive.¡±


    ¡°I left a portal open in your bedroom,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    Erika marched to her own bedroom and opened the door to find a shadowy archway at the end of her bed.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± she asked, turning her glare on Jason.


    ¡°No one¡¯s going to come in here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Excuse I,¡± Taika said as he brushed past and paused in front of the portal. ¡°We¡¯re heading into Sydney tomorrow, yeah, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Taika said. ¡°You have a lovely home, Mrs Asano.¡±


    Taika disappeared through the portal.


    ¡°Come on, Emi,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s go see Grandnanna.¡±


    Arriving downstairs and going through the kitchen, Jason was intercepted by one of his cousins. Koji was the son of Ken¡¯s brother, Shiro. Being Jason¡¯s age, they had spent a lot of time together as children, without ever really being friends.


    ¡°So here he is, back from the dead,¡± Koji said. ¡°I guess there¡¯s no keeping Bananaman down.¡±


    ¡°Koji,¡± Jason said, ¡°You do realise that you¡¯re implying that I¡¯m too invested in white culture by referencing a British cartoon series from the 1980s that you and I used to watch together, right?¡±


    ¡°I see dying didn¡¯t make you any less of a smart arse,¡± Koji said.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s pretty set in stone,¡± Jason said. ¡°Still, I won¡¯t begrudge you going the other way.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Koji asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s calling you a dumb arse, Uncle Koji,¡± Emi explained.


    ¡°Oh Jesus,¡± Koji said. ¡°You¡¯re going to turn out just like him, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You hear that?¡± Jason asked Emi. ¡°Uncle Koji thinks you¡¯re going to be super good-looking. Let¡¯s go find Nanna.¡±


    ¡°I hate you so much,¡± Koji said. ¡°I¡¯m glad you¡¯re not dead, though.¡±


    ¡°Love you too, cousin.¡±


    They went out into the back yard where a huge family barbecue was in full swing. He nervously met with his grandmother, who was lucid and happy to be so. She had almost no memory of the last several years and was happily catching up with all her family. Things got a little awkward, given that she didn¡¯t remember that Amy was no longer with Jason but Kaito.


    Jason found himself answering the same questions over and over. His story started with the one he had originally given his sister, but as his frustration grew, the story started to morph.


    ¡°I got one of the men who killed my wife, but the other one clubbed me over the head,¡± he explained to one of his cousins. ¡°Now I can¡¯t form short term memories so I have to keep meticulous records as I put the pieces together in my quest for revenge.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that the plot of the film Memento?¡±


    ¡°Never heard of it,¡± Jason said, then gave a knowing look. ¡°Or maybe I have and don¡¯t remember.¡±


    Jason spotted Erika scowling at him from across the yard and he ducked out of sight, finally grateful for the crowded yard. Emi continued to trail along behind him.


    ¡°Uncle Jason?¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°What were you busy doing, yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Fighting monsters.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°What are monsters like?¡±


    ¡°Scary.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any recordings of them?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your mother wants you seeing them. Neither do I, for that matter.¡±


    ¡°What if I can talk dad into letting me?¡±


    ¡°No dice, Moppet. Convince your Mum and maybe we can talk.¡±


    Emi¡¯s face took on a pout.


    ¡°Where did you find monsters?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s not my secret to tell,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m hoping you¡¯ll learn that soon, though.¡±


    Jason was somewhat uncomfortable, the attention of everyone present prickling his aura senses. One particular strand was focused on him like a laser beam and he looked over at his mother.


    ¡°Emi,¡± he said. ¡°You go see if you can¡¯t convince your Mum now. I should go talk to mine.¡±


    He made his way up to Cheryl, whose hands were clasped together around an untouched glass of wine.


    ¡°G¡¯day, Mum,¡± he said softly. ¡°I was kind of a prick the other night. Of course, you were kind of a prick for most of the twenty-tens, but maybe we can start treading some fresh ground. How about we find somewhere quiet inside and I tell you about what I¡¯ve been up to.¡±


    Cheryl flashed a well-recognised look of dissatisfaction at Jason¡¯s poke, but visibly calmed herself.


    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± she said.


    ¡°We can use Erika¡¯s room,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s something there you need to see.¡±


    Soon after, a startled Cheryl emerged through the portal onto the houseboat. As she leaned against the wall trying not to vomit, Kaito¡¯s voice drifted in from the media room.


    ¡°What the hell is that? Is that a lion man?


    ¡°It looks like Ron Perlman from Beauty and the Beast,¡± Amy¡¯s voice came after.


    ¡°From the movie? That can¡¯t have been Ron Perlman.¡±


    ¡°Not the movie, Kai. The TV show. The old one, not the new one.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more than one?¡±


    Jason, Hiro, Taika and Vermillion met the EOA contingent in the downstairs bar of Hiro¡¯s establishment. It was closed and empty, pending the change in ownership. The EOA representative was Michael Kissling, who had once come for Jason in Vermillion¡¯s caf¨¦.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to try and drag me off again, are you?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s come to our attention that the attempt would be unlikely to go well,¡± Kissling said wryly.


    Jason had no expertise in the field of managing criminal or legitimate enterprises, so he hung back with Taika as Hiro and Vermillion went over documents and signed contracts.


    ¡°So, you fought a bunch of monsters, right?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that scary?¡±


    ¡°Terrifying,¡± Jason said. ¡°The trick is to start with the little ones and work your way up.¡±


    ¡°How little?¡±


    ¡°You know that rabbit from Holy Grail?¡±


    ¡°Bro, that thing¡¯s savage.¡±


    Jason¡¯s phone rang with a number he didn¡¯t recognise but he answered it anyway.


    ¡°Johnson Deli, where we give you the big sausage,¡± Jason answered, getting an odd look from Taika.


    ¡°Sorry, I think I got a wrong¡­ wait, Jason?¡±


    ¡°G¡¯day Asya. How¡¯d you be?¡±


    ¡°This is how you answer your phone?¡±


    ¡°No, you really did use the wrong number. I¡¯m actually doing temp work in a deli. Crazy coincidence, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lunatic, you know that?¡± she laughed. ¡°Look, I¡¯m on my way back to Sydney from the International Committee office in Canberra and we¡¯ve gotten some movement from the Lyon branch about the outworlder. Can you meet me to talk in person? I can drive up to Casselton Beach once I¡¯ve been to the branch office in Sydney.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m in Sydney myself,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Great! Can you meet me at the Sydney branch in, say, three hours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not quite ready to walk into the lion¡¯s den yet,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You realise that if we¡¯re going to work together, there has to be at least a level of trust,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°Tell me that there wasn¡¯t a discussion about killing me off to forestall trouble and I¡¯ll take you up on that.¡±


    ¡°Neutral ground, then,¡± Asya said. ¡°You set the place.¡±


    ¡°Yarranabbe Park.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll see you in three hours.¡±


    Jason wandered back just as Vermillion and Hiro settled up. Hiro was looking like the cat that got the cream, while Kissling was throwing uncertain glances in Jason¡¯s direction.


    ¡°We¡¯re happy?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Very,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Their lawyers didn¡¯t try to sneak anything through.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not out of practice?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You haven¡¯t practised law in a long time.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Hiro asked. ¡°I got more out of my law degree as a morally questionable business developer than I ever did at my old firm. Besides, it¡¯s plain they went out of their way to make it clean and unambiguous.¡±


    ¡°The EOA clearly has no interest in provoking a visit from you,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°After the bikers, I think they realised that if we hadn¡¯t reached an accord the last time you met, it would not have gone the way they expected.¡±


    ¡°We should go see my Mum now,¡± Taika said. ¡°Jason¡¯s got a date later.¡±


    ¡°I do not have a date,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t just arrange to meet some lady in the park?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You should have heard him, all smooth,¡± Taika said. ¡°He was all ¡®let¡¯s not meet at the office. We should go somewhere more intimate.¡¯ You¡¯re good with the ladies, bro.¡±


    ¡°I am not going to entertain this kind of talk,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Who are you meeting?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°Just someone from the Network,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Anna Tilden?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°Asya Karadeniz.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Elegant beauty, I like it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a professional interaction,¡± Jason insisted.


    ¡°And what¡¯s your profession, exactly?¡± Vermillion asked. ¡°Interdimensional man of mystery? That definitely doesn¡¯t sound like someone that mixes business with pleasure.¡±


    ¡°That sounds sweet,¡± Taika said. ¡°You should get a theme song, bro. Something funky and sexy. Seventies-style.¡±


    ¡°Can we just go see your mother?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I brought West Indian lime and coconut squares.¡±


    In the medical department of the Network¡¯s Sydney branch, Kylie Chen was sitting alone in a dark room. She trembled not from the cold but from the battle in the incursion space playing over and over in her mind. The door opened and someone came in, turning on the light.


    ¡°Hello, Miss Chen,¡± came the visitor¡¯s sympathetic voice. ¡°How are you holding up?¡±


    ¡°Ms Ellis,¡± Kylie said standing up from the edge of the bed in the presence of a Steering Committee member.


    ¡°Please sit,¡° Miranda said. ¡°After everything you¡¯ve been through, I won¡¯t make you stand on formality.¡±


    Kylie hesitantly lowered herself back onto the edge of the bed and Miranda sat companionably next to her.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through what you did,¡± Miranda said. ¡°I¡¯ve experienced the recording for myself. If we had any idea what kind of monster he was, we never would have let you go with him.¡±


    ¡°The recording device doesn¡¯t get everything,¡± Kylie said in a tremulous voice. ¡°Did you know he doesn¡¯t use cores? Like Section Leader Thornton, but far more powerful.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not all, though,¡± Kylie said. ¡°There¡¯s something in his aura. I don¡¯t know what it is, but it¡¯s more powerful than anything I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    ¡°His aura strength is incredible for a category two, yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more than that!¡±


    Kylie¡¯s voice was frantic, almost panicked, like she was desperate for someone to understand.


    ¡°Help me to understand,¡± Miranda asked.


    ¡°This thing inside him,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s like an echo of power not just above his category but beyond the very concept of categories. It¡¯s almost¡­ godly.¡±


    ¡°You think he possesses some kind of divine power?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how else to describe it,¡± Kylie said. ¡°When I was a girl, my grandmother used to take me to church. The priest was one of those sulphur and brimstone types, you know? I think he moved to America and joined one of those fundamentalist denominations. When Asano used that strange, bright power at the end of the fight, I was that little girl again, having nightmares of fire and judgement. It was like the fist of god coming down to punish the wicked. That¡¯s what the thing inside Asano feels like. Old Testament power.¡±


    Miranda nodded.


    ¡°He¡¯s dangerous,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s why the committee has decided to act but we need to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kylie agreed, nodding her head. ¡°You do.¡±


    ¡°We need to keep our hands clean. The International Committee wants this man, regardless of the threat to us, so we need to do this delicately, and at a remove. This information is at the Steering Committee level only. We¡¯re only bringing in people who understand the threat and that we can trust. We can trust you, right, Kylie?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Miranda said. ¡°When the time comes, and that will be soon, I¡¯ll deliver you a message with instructions. You need to obey them without hesitation, however startling they may be. Until then, complete discretion. Speak of this only with me. Do you understand?¡±


    ¡°One of the Lyon branch¡¯s members grew a conscience,¡± Asya said. They were sitting on a bench with the outdoor fitness equipment at Yarranabbe Park. After arriving at the park, they had found one another through their auras.


    ¡°His name is Michel,¡± she said, ¡°and he¡¯s been at a black site the Lyon branch maintains.¡±


    ¡°A black site? Like the CIA?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a facility whose existence wasn¡¯t divulged to the International Committee. Even our new informant doesn¡¯t know the location. The personnel, other than the Operations Director and the Steering Committee aren¡¯t allowed to know its location. Workers are taken in blind.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s where they¡¯re holding the outworlder?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She took a folder from the briefcase she brought with her and handed it over.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been putting her through rendition,¡± Asya said. ¡°What the Americans call enhanced interrogation, but she hasn¡¯t cracked yet.¡±


    ¡°She?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a name. Everything we do have is in there. He even managed to sneak out a picture, which isn¡¯t flattering. They don¡¯t exactly have her in the best conditions.¡±


    Jason opened the folder to look at the photograph that was the first thing in the file. Her hair was cut down to stubble and her face was covered with grime, but he still recognised the features.


    ¡°Jason?¡±


    He looked like he¡¯d been hit with a taser, his face twitching and the folder slipping between trembling fingers to spill papers onto the ground.

 Chapter 311: My Turn

    In the houseboat, Erika pulled up Jason¡¯s number on her phone.


    ¡°I would recommend against calling Mr Asano at this moment,¡± Shade¡¯s voice came from behind her, making her jump.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Erika asked as she turned to look at the nerve-wracking figure. Jason¡¯s bizarre yet ever-courteous shadow monster friend was very high on the list of bizarre things she needed to adjust to.


    ¡°Mr Asano just received some important news.¡±


    ¡°More important than his mother, brother and sister in law trying to get their heads around magic being real?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°I have seen Mr Asano walk into battle knowing that death was more likely than not. I¡¯ve seen him walk alone into a town that has been taken over by bandits and kill them all. I¡¯ve seen him fight with thousands of lives on the line and watched him sacrifice his life to save them. I have never seen him as agitated as he is at this moment.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all crazy,¡± Erika said. ¡°You saw him die?¡±


    ¡°I see that you wish to be a good sister,¡± Shade said. ¡°You see how damaged he is and you want to help but his experiences are outside of your understanding. I too, am concerned and would like to help you remedy this shortfall.¡±


    ¡°How so.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano has vouchsafed certain recordings with me, that your daughter does not see them.¡±


    ¡°He told me. She¡¯s already tried to convince me to let her watch them.¡±


    ¡°I think, perhaps, that you should be the one to watch them,¡± Shade said. ¡°I hope it will build a bridge between you. Mr Asano has shown you the fantastical and wondrous, while avoiding the suffering he has experienced. I have seen that you want to be good family to him, but what he¡¯s been holding back lays between you. I would like to help you bridge that gap, for his sake.¡±


    Shade held out a hand made of shadow, dark as an arm-shaped void. On the palm rested a small cluster of recording crystals.


    ¡°Begin with these,¡± he said.


    Jason was pacing back and forth in front of the bench, clenching and unclenching his fists as shame and rage warred on his face. Asya looked on in silence, picking up the dropped folder. She took a closer look at the photographs in the folder. A naked woman in a concrete room. A close up of her face, with the shaved head and the suppression collar. Clearly, Jason had not realised who she was until he saw the pictures.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing our best to get her out,¡± Asya assured him, which was the truth. The international committee had been convinced by the reports of Jason¡¯s contribution to the incursion event and were willing to make heavy concessions for his voluntary cooperation.


    She strongly suspected the International Committee¡¯s global executives had already looked the other way at the Lyon-branch¡¯s promises of torture-extracted dividends. She believed that had changed once Jason presented both a more reliable and a more palatable option.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing the best you¡¯re willing to do,¡± Jason said, still pacing.


    ¡°Jason, we¡¯ve essentially finalised our agreement at this point.¡±


    Jason stopped moving as she spoke. She could feel the unsteadiness of his aura where she normally couldn¡¯t sense it at all. It was stifling, like being in the middle seat of a car between two overweight people. He turned his gaze on her, filled with fury.


    ¡°The agreement doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jason said. ¡°As of right now, I have one priority: protect my family, whatever that takes.¡±


    He marched over and jabbed at the photograph in her hand.


    ¡°She is family,¡± said in a voice that poured ice water down her back. ¡°If I have to burn your Network to the ground to get her back, then I will.¡±


    He winced, then shook his head as if throwing off befuddlement. His aura settled until she could no longer feel it pushing uncomfortably against her. His eyes softened from angry to hurt and vulnerable.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said in a tired voice, backing off from her personal space. ¡°My first reaction is always to fight, these days. To be willing to go further and do worse than the other guy.¡±


    He rubbed his temples.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the Incredible Hulk,¡± he said, more to himself than to her. ¡°I know that my anger doesn¡¯t make me stronger, as much as it feels like it should. All it does is cloud my judgement and stop me from making the considered choices that will actually get me what I want.¡±


    ¡°Who is she?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°When I went to the other world, she was a teacher and a friend. She taught me to wield my aura but also just how to live in that world. The stronger I grow, the more I realise just how much she set me on the right path. Even after we lost her, it¡¯s like she¡¯s still teaching me.¡±


    ¡°Lost her?¡±


    ¡°She died,¡± Jason said. ¡°Like me. And she came back to life here, also like me. Now it¡¯s my turn to help her in a strange new world but while I¡¯m having family barbecues and going on jet ski rides she¡¯s being tortured in a concrete hole!¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re working on it,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not enough, anymore,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know you have no incentive to help her other than the benefits I¡¯m offering in return, so let me be plain: There is no agreement until Farrah is safe and here. The only things I need from the Network are definitive assurances and a definitive timetable. If you can deliver that, I¡¯ll do my best to stop her from taking revenge on you all. We have no other business until that is done, and here¡¯s my timetable: You have until I come up with a better way to get her back myself, at which point, I will.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t wait for a reply, calling up a portal and stepping though, after which it descended into the ground and vanished. Asya looked around as Yarranabbe Park had a lot of long sightlines. No one seemed to have noticed.


    She let out a long sigh, setting down the folder and running her hands over her face. She took the folder and put it back in here briefcase and pulled out her phone.


    Jason portalled to Hiro and Taika, and then back to the houseboat. There was a ten minute wait between portal uses and it didn¡¯t have the range to reach Casselton Beach in one hop. This meant a ten minute layover half way. Hiro, Jason and Taika emerged amongst trees on a small hillside that led down to a sandy beach.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m getting used to that,¡± Taika said as they emerged from the portal.


    ¡°At least I¡¯ve stopped throwing up,¡± Hiro said, although he was leaning against a tree with a pale face.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of trippy,¡± Taika said, slightly wobbling in place. ¡°And I think it makes me hungry.¡±


    Jason pulled out a cardboard food carton and handed it to Taika, who opened it up to see pieces of crumbed and fried meat, still steaming hot.


    ¡°Is this chicken?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°Blood-seeker pheasant,¡± Jason said. He had cooked it from meat he looted from the incursion space and had been happy with how it turned out.


    ¡°Never heard of it,¡± Taika said and took a bite. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s super good. Where are we?¡±


    ¡°Just up from Tuncurry,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice. I¡¯m going to go check out the beach.¡±


    As Taika wandered down the slope and out of the trees, Hiro was watching Jason.


    ¡°Are you alright,¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°Bollocks you are,¡± Hiro said.


    Jason let out a groan.


    ¡°I just found out that I¡¯ve been failing someone very important to me very, very badly.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do about it?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. If I go off on a tear like I normally would, throwing around as much weight as I can bluff people into thinking I have, that will only make things worse. I have all this power but it¡¯s not enough.¡±


    ¡°Is there ever enough power?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°There are people who are basically demigods but I don¡¯t know if I¡¯ll ever be that strong. Very few ever get there, or so I¡¯m told. For all I know, they have just as many problems, but on a scale that would crush me underfoot in an instant.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should focus on what you can do for now,¡± Hiro suggested, ¡°with the power you have today.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I need time to stop and think,¡± he said. ¡°I haven¡¯t been doing enough of that but I can¡¯t mess this up.¡±


    He released his frustration by fiercely kicking a tree, sending leaves tumbling to the ground.


    In his spirit vault, meditation helped Jason deal with the storm reeling through his brain. Farrah. Alive and in his world, but caught up in circumstances that filled him with white hot rage. His body was almost twitching with the need to roar off and start tearing his way through everyone who could get him closer to her. Instead, he pulled out a bronze-rank suppression collar, snapped it around his neck and went back to meditation.


    In Greenstone, when Jason felt frustrated like this he would go on a monster hunt. Moving from town to village in the delta, clearing out every adventure board notice and moving on. At least there he could channel his pent-up aggression into something that helped people.


    Until he had access to the proto-astral spaces, that was not an option. Opening an aperture would not be a challenge for his current understanding of astral magic, but he would need to tap into the Network¡¯s detection grid. For the moment, seeing the Network people was not a good idea.


    He¡¯d snapped on Asya, who had done nothing more than exactly what he wanted and deserved none of his ire. She could not mask herself from his aura senses and he had felt both her sincerity and her attraction, although he only needed one of them. His life had complications enough.


    Only when he thought he could see a member of the Network without dangling them from a building and demanding answers did he emerge from his spirit vault, although he did not leave his cabin on the houseboat. Shade was waiting to report.


    ¡°Your brother, your mother and your sister-in-law all wish to see you, Mr Asano. They have many questions, although your sister felt that now was not the time.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like her.¡±


    ¡°She has been watching some of the recording crystals you redacted from the main collection. I believe she has a greater appreciation of what you have been through and how you have been affected. She had the others direct their questions toward your uncle and your father, who is also aboard, as well as herself. She has now left, however, to pick up Miss Emi.¡±


    Jason frowned and left his cabin.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The media room.¡±


    Jason took the elevating platform down and went into the media room, where Hiro, Cheryl, Kaito and Amy were in a heated discussion. When the mist door evaporated to admit Jason, they fell silent.


    ¡°I know you have a lot of questions,¡± Jason said softly. ¡°Unfortunately, this is not the time for answers.¡±


    ¡°Not the time?¡± his mother exclaimed. ¡°If you think¡­¡±


    Cheryl was quieted by Amy putting a restraining hand on Cheryl¡¯s arm, but Amy¡¯s gaze was locked on Jason, searching his expression and body language.


    ¡°We¡¯ll come back another day,¡± Amy said firmly.


    ¡°Amy, are you kidding?¡± Kaito asked.


    She turned to her husband.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on with him, Kai,¡± she said, ¡°but today is not the day to push.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said as Kaito gave his wife an unhappy look. ¡°Shade, please show our guests out.¡±


    Ken had been elsewhere, playing with his granddaughters. The children were delighted by the spongy cloud house, which was also pleasantly child safe. As they left, Jason returned to the elevating platform and back into his cabin. A cloud chair rose from the floor and he fell into it.


    ¡°Alright, Shade. What have you managed to turn up?¡±


    ¡°Still very little, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Should I have had you send more bodies?¡±


    ¡°I would need to send most of them to have a significant impact,¡± Shade said. ¡°Sending them all to France would hamper my ability to react to events locally. In any case, the problems I¡¯ve encountered over the last several days are not ones that numbers could solve. I need to be wary of the magical protections around Network facilities, as well as being careful of their silver-rankers. It means I have to primarily seek information from the lower-rank members, largely outside of their work hours.¡±


    ¡°Which has limited value,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Shade agreed. ¡°The Lyon branch practices excellent operational security. While I have heard mention of the site in which I believe your friend is being held, the location seems to be closely guarded, even amongst branch personnel. I believe that with persistence, I will catch them moving staff to the site. It is likely to take more time than you are willing to accept, however.¡±


    ¡°I figured as much,¡± Jason said. ¡°I need to get stronger, Shade. Strong enough that no one would even think of acting against me.¡±


    ¡°There is no strong enough that no one will defy you, Mr Asano. The Builder possesses power beyond your ability to conceptualise, yet you defied him and you won, because he confronted you in a world of limits.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of great astral beings,¡± Jason said, ¡°why would the Reaper let Farrah go? Doesn¡¯t that directly contravene his agenda?¡±


    ¡°All the great astral beings are allowed to make exceptions with their power,¡± Shade said. ¡°It is the only currency they can trade with one another, for what else is denied them? It may seem, from a limited perspective, that this world and the events you are caught up in are important, but there are more universes than you have names for numbers. There are countless strange events and exceptional circumstances. At every moment, each of the great astral beings is taking countless actions. The Reaper making an exception like this has never happened in all the time humans have existed on your planet. If you looked across the cosmos in its entirety, however, you would find The Reaper is releasing souls at every single moment of every single day.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°For his greater purpose. Individuals do not matter other than as representatives of larger trends. I believe that your friend was returned as part of a bargain with the World-Phoenix. She makes sure that you don¡¯t become a revolving door of resurrection and he provides you with someone to aid you in whatever agenda she has in mind.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m that important,¡± Jason said. ¡°And coming back from the dead isn¡¯t a dance craze. People can¡¯t just start doing it because they saw me.¡±


    ¡°You are a small piece in a machine so large that you will never see its mechanisms in action,¡± Shade said. ¡°A brick cannot hold back a flood, but a wall can. But I would advise against trying to see through the actions of beings whose scope and age may not even have limits, be that into the future or into the past. Except for the Builder.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s different about the Builder?¡±


    ¡°He is an ascended mortal,¡± Shade explained. ¡°For reasons unknown to me, the original Builder was sanctioned. I do not know what that means, other than that the old Builder is gone and the great astral beings raised a mortal to take the vacated position.¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Jason said. ¡°That might explain some of the behaviour. Still, he was awfully Thadwicky for an immortal being, raised up or not. Did the vessel impact his decision making?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Shade said. ¡°While I cannot speak with knowledge as to the Builder¡¯s own circumstances, I am, myself, multifarious in nature. I occupy multiple bodies, which perhaps allows me some insight. On rare occasions, one of my bodies has become partially isolated and subject to conditions that have altered its behaviour. Each time I have reincorporated such bodies, I endured a period in which I would consider my judgement compromised. I cannot speak to a great astral being experiencing the same as a regular astral being like myself, however.¡±


    ¡°So, the Reaper just taped Farrah to my soul on the way through the astral?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°And that¡¯s a normal thing?¡±


    ¡°On a cosmic scale,¡± Shade said. ¡°On the scale of even the two worlds you have inhabited, it is exceedingly rare.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s happened before.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Jason was about to ask another question when his phone rang. It was Annabeth.


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re contacting me with good news, Mrs Tilden,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t got her out yet, Mr Asano, but the International Committee has agreed to form a contingent to press the Lyon branch in person, after their encroachment into our territory. That means some of our people, plus some IC heavy hitters. And you, if you want in.¡±


    ¡°When?¡±


    ¡°How quickly can you get to Bankstown Airport?¡±


    ¡°Very.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯d say pack a bag, but I understand that bags aren¡¯t really your thing. Once you reach the airport, call me and I¡¯ll give you more specific directions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    ¡°Oh and Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Miss Karadeniz went to bat for you in a very big way, today. I just thought you should know that.¡±

 Chapter 312: Visually Distinctive Henchman

    After deliberating, Jason decided to only leave one of Shade¡¯s bodies behind, in order to keep tabs on things in his absence. He had no idea what he would face in France but when things inevitably went wrong, he wanted his options as full as possible. Before leaving for Sydney, he portalled to his sister¡¯s house. As he emerged from the portal, Erika gave him an unhappy look.


    ¡°Uncle Jason,¡± Emi scolded.


    He noticed that the family was sitting on the floor around his portal, puzzle pieces scattered everywhere.


    ¡°Did my portal arch come up under your puzzle?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Maybe you can redo it at my place. I¡¯d like you to stay there for a few days.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Erika asked suspiciously.


    ¡°I¡¯m going away for a little while. Probably a few days, if it goes well. I¡¯d feel better if you were staying somewhere more secure.¡±


    ¡°Back to the other universe?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°No, Moppet,¡± Jason said. ¡°If only it were that easy. I¡¯m going to France.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s in France?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°A friend in need,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all about it when I get back, but I¡¯d feel a lot better if you moved into the houseboat until then.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not just going to abandon our daily lives and hide out in your magic houseboat because you aren¡¯t here, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°But knowing you¡¯re there, at least at night, would give me some peace of mind.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind sleeping in one of those cloud beds,¡± Ian admitted, after which Emi threw up her arms and cheered.


    ¡°Cloud bed! Cloud bed! Cloud bed!¡±


    Erika groaned her reluctant capitulation.


    ¡°Fine,¡± she said. ¡°Under the condition that you answer the damn phone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m taking most of Shade¡¯s bodies with me,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I¡¯m leaving one with Emi, just in case. He can reach me where phones can¡¯t.¡±


    Erika wrapped her brother in a hug.


    ¡°Are you doing something dangerous?¡± she asked


    ¡°Probably,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°Just come back to us faster this time, okay?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather you get someone better to help you and have them do their best,¡± she said. ¡°You can be kind of hopeless.¡±


    ¡°Harsh,¡± Jason said with a chuckle. ¡°As it turns out, though, that¡¯s exactly the plan.¡±


    In the underground parking structure of the Network¡¯s Sydney branch, Miranda and Kylie were in Miranda¡¯s car. Miranda handed Kylie an envelope and a packet.


    ¡°The envelope is your instructions in detail,¡± Miranda said. ¡°Make sure you destroy it when you¡¯re done. The packet is for him.¡±


    ¡°Is letting him out really the best way?¡± Kylie asked.


    ¡°What we¡¯re doing here requires a patsy,¡± Miranda said. ¡°He¡¯s gone after Asano before and if he¡¯s in one of our holding rooms that¡¯s a solid alibi. Don¡¯t worry, Kylie. You don¡¯t need to do anything to any of our people. You just need to let the Frenchman go. He is still network, after all.¡±


    Kylie nodded, although she still looked uncertain.


    ¡°Just remember the threat that Asano poses,¡± Miranda said and Kylie¡¯s dull gaze grew sharp. ¡°Good girl. Just remember, your envelope has a key card and door codes, none of which are tied to you. Memorise the codes and the security protocols and then destroy the envelope before you begin. Once you release the Frenchman and give him the packet, get out and destroy the key card as well.¡±


    ¡°What will you be doing?¡± Kylie asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m stuck with the rough end of this operation,¡± Miranda said. ¡°I need to deal with Asano without any of our people getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Kylie asked. ¡°He¡¯s so powerful.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve done a tactical analysis based on your recording,¡± Miranda said. ¡°Your contribution has been critical to protecting us from him. Now go; we need to move.¡±


    Kylie nodded and got out of the car and Miranda drove off.


    Jason portalled as close as he could get, not having been to Bankstown Airport before, then drove the remaining distance.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t she arrive with me?¡± Jason asked Shade.


    ¡°You were delivered using the Word-Phoenix Token,¡± Shade said, ¡°and subject to its specific properties.¡±


    ¡°So I was reborn on the same spot I was born,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Shade said. ¡°Given the results, it seems probable that your friend, Miss Hurin, was delivered into the world as a normal outworlder. Without a geographically specific inciting incident, such as the failed summoning that triggered your becoming an outworlder, she was likely delivered into this world at random.¡±


    ¡°I guess my return wasn¡¯t a sufficiently impactful event to glom onto,¡± Jason said. ¡°And here I thought I was special.¡±


    The Bankstown airport was better suited to discreet private charters than Sydney International, which suited the Network¡¯s needs. Annabeth had sent Jason directions to avoid the passenger terminal and approach a small, quiet entrance to the airfield. She was startled to see his approaching car explode into darkness, only for him to stride out as the swirling darkness was sucked into his shadow.


    ¡°That¡¯s a little more flashy than other vehicle conjurations that I¡¯ve seen,¡± she said.


    ¡°My driver understands the most vital aspect of being an essence user,¡± Jason said. ¡°Of all the things I learned in the other world, it stands above all the others.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not about being good,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s about looking good.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to regret having to deal with you, aren¡¯t I?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Very frequently.¡±


    Jason could feel Annabeth¡¯s worry about his attitude in her aura. When he forcibly set the tone light, he also felt her relief. Asya, unsurprisingly, had warned her colleagues about his reaction.


    She led him toward one of the private hangars, pointing out one made of tan-painted aluminium. The sign listed it as belonging to the generic-sounding GDR Services, which was the corporate face of the Network¡¯s legitimate operations. Since involving the government, almost all of the Network¡¯s activity had been brought under that umbrella.


    ¡°You¡¯re coming to France?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Just seeing you off,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°I¡¯m Operation Director for the Sydney branch. Heading up the coast to your hometown is one thing, but traipsing off to France is another. Keith Culpeper and Asya Karadeniz are committee level representation, which is over my head anyway; I just supplied some staffers . Michael Aram you met briefly.¡±


    ¡°The guy I was talking to when the Frenchman ambushed me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°He¡¯s quite intimidated by you, so please don¡¯t make things hard on him. There¡¯s also Ketevan Arziani, who you¡¯ve yet to meet. She¡¯s my right hand, which means she gets to run off to France while I stay here and do the actual work. It feels like it should be the other way around. We¡¯re also sending a unit of four from Tactical Division. We can¡¯t spare any category threes, but these are category twos with experience in personal security.¡±


    They entered through the open hangar doors, where ground crew were loading luggage onto a private jet. Jason recognised Asya and Keith chatting with another pair, while the obvious security locked eyes on Jason and Annabeth as soon as they came into view.


    Jason¡¯s attention was more arrested by the plane than the people. His magical senses revealed that magic was incorporated into the construction from the frame out.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see that we can still impress someone who¡¯s been to a magical world,¡± Asya said, watching his gaze linger over the plane. He turned to her, his face apologetic.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about earlier, Asya,¡± he said. ¡°You did something to help me and I responded like a savage and I apologise. Also, thank you, which I should have said earlier instead of snapping at you. Not my finest hour.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not, but I appreciate you saying.¡±


    ¡°Maybe I can hold it over you the next time the Network needs a favour,¡± Asya mused.


    ¡°Deal. How about we make some introductions and then you tell me about this plane? It¡¯s nice to meet you in the flesh, Mr Aram.¡±


    Jason offered his hand and Aram shook it. He had only spoken to Aram through Shade in the past, as a precaution against an ambush. It hadn¡¯t helped, since Jason had been ambushed be someone else entirely. Channelling his senses through his familiar was a distraction his enemy had used against him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t intervene that day,¡± Aram said. ¡°I saw them bundling you into the car after the category three left.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t go fighting category twos when you¡¯re only a one, Mr Aram,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not unless you have a gold spirit coin and they¡¯re stupid enough to let you get real close.¡±


    ¡°Gold?¡± Aram asked. ¡°Is that the colour of a category four coin?¡±


    Jason took out a gold spirit coin and flicked it into the air, the other essence users watching it like cats tracking a toy being dangled in front of them. Jason snatched it out of the air and held it up for them to see.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of these,¡± he said, returning it to his inventory.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have any,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°The British have some from looting a category four ADE a few years ago.¡±


    Jason was introduced to the remaining people and then they boarded the plane. Along with the Network¡¯s contingent were the plane staff, made up of the pilots and a pair of flight attendants.


    ¡°Fancy,¡± Jason said, looking around at the lavish interior. There were only a handful of seats, along with a couch and a television on a low, long cabinet. Doors led to the cockpit in one direction and more of the plane¡¯s amenities in the other.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason said. ¡°How long until you can turn into one of these?¡±


    ¡°I imagine silver rank,¡± Shade said, the others sharing looks as the voice came out of Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°The best I could manage right now would be ultralight aircraft.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still pretty good,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°This plane is a product of my department,¡± Asya said as they took their seats. She claimed one directly facing Jason. ¡°Research Division has been divorced from specific branches and brought under the umbrella of the International Committee. That way, breakthroughs are shared by the entire Network.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s part of a gradual progression by the Network away from the factionalisation of the past and towards truly becoming one organisation. This very trip demonstrates that there¡¯s still a long way to go.¡±


    ¡°Unsurprisingly,¡± Ketevan said, ¡°The main resistance comes from the branches with the most power in the existing framework. The Americans, the Chinese, some of the older European branches.¡±


    Ketevan¡¯s formal title was Assistant to the Director of Operations, Sydney branch. Jason guessed that she was around thirty, with an athletic build, broad shoulders and short brown hair. Her features were more handsome than pretty, Jason suspecting that she would be deeply striking should she ever reach higher rank.


    ¡°So, what does your magic plane do?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Can it shoot lightning?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Asya said with a laugh. ¡°We went for more common use upgrades. It may not shoot lightning, but it can absorb it to help charge the batteries.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty sweet,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The big advantages are general performance increases and the hybrid magic-electric power plant.¡± Asya explained. ¡°This plane is capable of low supersonic speeds, cruises at fifteen thousand metres and can circumnavigate the globe without stopping to recharge, all with zero emissions.¡±


    ¡°And you harvested the materials from proto-astral spaces?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°What does it use for fuel?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You don¡¯t have a lot of spare spirit coins, right?¡±


    ¡°A mix of regular electricity and lightning affinity gems,¡± Asya explained. ¡°One of the keys to efficient magical technology is to lean on the magic as little as possible. Let the technology do the work and use magic to skip over the places where the tech would otherwise bottleneck.¡±


    ¡°Lightning quintessence and no lightning gun? Talk about your missed opportunity.¡±


    While Jason distracted himself with light banter, his insides were roiling. He was one of the few people for whom Farrah¡¯s return from the dead was not the most arresting point. His failure to be there for her as she was captured and subjected to ongoing suffering and indignity filled him with shame. The idea of failing to liberate her now filled him with fear.


    These feelings were a cancer eating him up from the inside, even as he plastered on an unconcerned smile. Asya went along with his fa?ade, although he could tell from her aura that she saw through it. She was doing her best to keep him distracted, which he appreciated.


    Miranda¡¯s satellite phone rang right on schedule.


    ¡°Well?¡± Adrien Barbou asked without a greeting.


    ¡°It¡¯s in motion,¡± Miranda said. ¡°Your man is being liberated as we speak. Just make sure that portal is ready to go.¡±


    ¡°Just make sure you rendezvous with Sebastian first,¡± Adrien warned. ¡°If he isn¡¯t there, no portal.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the deal,¡± Miranda said. ¡°I¡¯ve put everything in motion and there¡¯s no going back, now.¡±


    ¡°Then I suggest you hope that your arrangements for Sebastian are sufficient,¡± Adrien said. ¡°What about the plane? Are you certain they won¡¯t detect anything?¡±


    ¡°The explosives are completely conventional,¡± Miranda said. ¡°They can sense all the magic they like and they¡¯ll get nothing. Are your people in place?¡±


    ¡°The EOA¡¯s people are on the water right now,¡± Adrien confirmed. ¡°So long as the flight path you gave us was accurate, they¡¯re where they need to be.¡±


    ¡°I gave you everything you need to track the transponder,¡± Miranda said. ¡°In case they somehow mess up and don¡¯t detonate, I also had a timer placed. Even if your people don¡¯t come through, the Indian Ocean will do the job for us.¡±


    ¡°While I appreciate the inclusion of a contingency, Ms Ellis, that attitude does not fill me with confidence,¡± he said with rising scorn. ¡°Trying to kill someone and walking away, assuming everything went to plan is the quality control of a Bond villain. I suggest you either learn to embrace thoroughness or find yourself a visually distinctive henchman and start building a death ray.¡±


    ¡°Coming from the guy whose category three assassin couldn¡¯t kidnap one category two, even when he got the drop on him.¡±


    ¡°I chose discretion,¡± Adrien said. ¡°There were only so many resources I could deploy unnoticed.


    ¡°Keep telling yourself that,¡± Miranda said. ¡°You just worry about your end of the plan and make sure that portal is ready.¡±


    High above the Indian Ocean, the occupants of the Network¡¯s plane were relaxing into the twenty-two hour flight.


    ¡°And the waterfall just started up again?¡± Ketevan asked.


    ¡°Blasted me right out of the mountain,¡± Jason said. ¡°It felt like being shot from a cannon. It wasn¡¯t just water spewing out, either. A bunch more of those monsters came out but most died on impact with the ground.¡±


    ¡°But you were fine,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°Slow fall was the one power I¡¯d actually used enough to have a decent handle on,¡± Jason said. ¡°Good thing, too, because I was all tangled up in arms and legs with the other guy, plus I¡¯d just been fired out the side of a mountain. It¡¯s quite disorienting. Only a handful of the monsters survived by landing in the water and they still took some bad hits from that height, so we managed to finish them off.¡±


    ¡°And they were shark crabs?¡± Ketevan asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a great monster,¡± Jason said. ¡°Tough carapace, and rough if it gets a hold of you with that mouth, but it¡¯s slow and clumsy. There¡¯s a sand variant that¡¯s even bigger and buries itself in sand. I fought one of those later, once I knew what I was doing.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the biggest monster you ever saw?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°Oh, this is a good one,¡± Jason said, ¡°I came across this one thing. It wasn¡¯t actually a monster but a magical, carnivorous plant. I never actually saw the whole thing because it was a giant root system. Shade, what was that thing called?¡±


    ¡°A blood root vine,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°That¡¯s it, yeah. Blood root vine. It had been growing for centuries and was the size of a small town, but completely underground. You didn¡¯t realise you were over it until its tentacles burrowed up for you.¡±


    ¡°That big?¡± Ketevan asked.


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°You hadn¡¯t signed on at that point, had you Shade? You were still running the contest.¡±


    ¡°The trials were not a contest,¡± Shade said. ¡°The contest was Mr Bahadir¡¯s contribution to the proceedings.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Jason said. ¡°I should explain from the start; it¡¯s not like we¡¯re going anywhere.¡±


    Suddenly an explosion ripped through the plane.

 Capter 313: Of Course It’s Him

    Jason came to his senses, which were an incoherent storm of sensations as he tumbled wildly through the air. His head was ringing, wind roaring over his body and through his ears. All the could see was a spinning blur of sky.


    His starlight cloak manifested and he righted himself with a jolt as he moved from a tumble to a controlled glide, the cloak spreading out to either side like wings of night. Getting control of his descent was far from a smooth process as he was so far above the clouds that the very concept of up and down was elusive in the blue expanse and the chaos of the disintegrating plane.


    He could only have been out for a few seconds, since the plane was still falling out of the sky around him. It had broken into two main pieces but was also a cloud of loose debris. The cloak started intercepting stray shards of metal but his body was already a roadmap of cuts and bruises, along with two more significant injuries.


    One of those injuries was from a scrap of twisted fuselage impaled into his abdomen. He was largely unconcerned, no longer having internal organs there. The scar the metal was digging into was proof he¡¯d suffered worse and he paid it no more mind than the time it took to yank the chunk free of his body.


    The other major injury was a deep slash to the side of his neck. If not for the combination of his exotic physique, bronze-rank power attribute and Colin¡¯s healing, it would certainly have killed him. The confluence of those factors made what would otherwise have been lethal an inconvenience at most. The magic imbued into the plane had already allowed it to inflict damage like an iron-rank weapon, and without his bronze-rank damage reduction, it may have taken his head clean off.


    The remaining bruises, abrasions and lacerations were inconsequential to him, although not to his suit. It did not self-repair anywhere near as quickly as his armour and would be out of rotation for a while. His injuries would heal much faster, Colin¡¯s regenerative power already hard at work. It was most likely the reason he regained consciousness so fast after being knocked senseless by the blast.


    Dark mist appeared around his body, clinging tenaciously to him even through his downward glide. When it vanished a few moments later, Jason was garbed in his full battle attire. Rather than the loose outfit dragging, the magic shifted it to act almost like a wing suit as it recognised the conditions and adapted. Once more he was delighted by the care Gilbert had put into the bespoke garb.


    Grabbing a healing potion vial from his belt, he shoved the whole thing in his mouth and crunched down, the healing potion trickling down his throat. He didn¡¯t want to spill it and his bronze-rank damage reduction prevented the glass from cutting the inside of his mouth. He felt the healing power flood his system, supplementing Colin¡¯s efforts as the two major wounds started closing.


    Spitting out broken glass and the small stopper, he pushed his aura senses to the limit as he looked around. There had been thirteen people on the plane, including himself, but he was only sensing four other auras. He had awakened immediately, so they should all be within his sensory range. The ones he couldn¡¯t sense were most likely dead.


    He couldn¡¯t sense any normal-rank auras. The pilots and the flight attendants had probably died in the initial explosion. There had been six bronze-rankers, including himself, Keith and the four-man security team. Ironically, all but one of the other bronze-rankers seemed to have died, while all the iron-rankers survived.


    Jason guessed that the source of the explosion was close to where the security team had been sitting on the plane. The other bronze-rankers, himself and Keith, were with the iron-rankers in different section of the plane.


    Jason looked closer at the auras. At fifteen kilometres up, the air was freezing and it would be hard to breathe, if that was something he needed to do. The iron-rankers who did would have a harder time of it.


    He sensed the only other bronze-rank aura close by. It was one of the security people, against Jason¡¯s expectation, which probably meant that Keith was amongst the dead. That man was in a similar position to Jason, having survived the blast due to his powers and luck. The atmosphere didn¡¯t appear to bother him and he was now using a slow fall power.


    The three iron-rankers had fared much worse. He could tell from their auras that they were all injured and unconscious, plunging uncontrolled through the air. At least their incredible altitude gave Jason time to act.


    ¡°Your cloak¡¯s slow fall drains your mana exponentially as you include more people,¡± Shade reminded Jason, who was angling his glide descent in the direction of the closest iron-rank aura. The parameters of Jason¡¯s weight-reduction power was something he had tested extensively in the course of his ongoing training to explore the limits of his abilities.


    The wind roaring past his ears should have made Shade¡¯s words unrecognizable but Jason heard him clearly. His bronze-rank spirit attribute enhanced his perception enough that he could pick up the sounds before the high-altitude winds and their rapid descent carried them away. No only that, it could filter out the extraneous noise, allowing Jason to ignore it and focus on what he wanted to hear.


    This was not something anyone could do and was a result of sensory techniques that Farrah had taught him during his initial training. They had not had any real effect at the time, but his trust in her led him to diligently practise until he reached bronze rank and the results spoke for themselves.


    Since he had found out she was alive, he had found himself constantly reminded of everything she had done for him. Much of it was groundwork he never understood the value of until months after her death. Even as he was falling from an exploded plane, he couldn¡¯t help but think of what he owed her. He was going to make sure that no one stole his chance to show his gratitude, regardless of what they put in his path.


    ¡°You have a suggestion?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I can help them arrest their fall,¡± Shade said. ¡°I cannot fly as fast as they are falling, however. You will need to get my bodies to them.¡±


    ¡°On it.¡±


    One of the advantages of Jason¡¯s cloak obtaining a gliding power was an instinctive grasp of how to navigate a fall through the sky. Otherwise, he¡¯d have been reduced to skydiving technique he¡¯d picked up from watching action movies.


    He angled himself to plunge down, employing his cloak just enough to impart the control he needed, along with deflecting tumbling debris. Compared to the insensible flailing of the unconscious iron-rankers, he was able to easily outpace them.


    His first target was the most injured, which was Annabeth¡¯s assistant, Ketevan. All of the iron-rankers were in a very bad way, but he could sense her aura dim as her life teetered on the edge. She had a chunk of fuselage stuck in her gut, like Jason had suffered, but worse. She also lacked his rank and other advantages, making her wound far more dangerous than his.


    He was careful in his approach, so as not to slam into her, getting a tap in the unmentionables from a wind-thrashed arm for his trouble. Pulling her close, he shoved a bronze-rank potion into her mouth and clamped it closed with his hand, smashing the vial as he¡¯d done in his own mouth. The glass might cut her, but it was damage that would soak up very little of the potion¡¯s healing strength.


    He kept his hand in place over mouth until he sensed the magic start to reinvigorate her waning life force. One of Shade¡¯s bodies crawled from Jason onto Ketevan, taking the form of a black parachute pack.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can you control the parachute while they¡¯re unconscious?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Wait until she recovers some more before pulling the chute,¡± Jason said. He himself waited a little longer for the healing potion to do some repairs before reefing the chunk of debris from her abdomen. She woke with a scream, eyes confused as she gasped in the thin, rushing air.


    ¡°Go for it, Shade,¡± he said and a black parachute opened up, yanking her away from Jason who continued to plummet downwards. He spotted Keith, who had suffered a similar slash to the neck as Jason but didn¡¯t enjoy Jason¡¯s advantages. He was a third of the way to decapitated, his clearly dead body trailing blood as it fell.


    Aram and Asya received the same potion-parachute combo as Ketevan, except that Jason gave them iron-rank potions instead of over-ranked ones. Their injuries were not as life threatening, so a bronze-rank potion that would prevent them from using more potions for a good while was a poor choice. The stronger potion had helped pull Ketevan out of immediate danger, but until her body processed the residual magic, potions would be unable to heal her further.


    Jason fed potions to each of the three iron-rankers and equipped them all with Shade parachutes. By the time he was done they still had not yet descended to the cloud layer. Shade controlled the parachutes to keep the iron-rankers close, while the bronze-ranker used his slow fall power to match their descent speed. He had strong lateral control that reminded Jason of Sophie¡¯s gliding power and he suspected the man to have a wind essence.


    While the three iron-rankers recovered their senses, Jason sent the bronze-ranker a party invitation so they could communicate over the rushing wind. He didn¡¯t bother with the others because even though they had regained consciousness, they were too disoriented to accept the invitation. The bronze-ranker had participated in the incursion event with Jason, so he wasn¡¯t surprised by it.


    [Bruce Corwin] has been added your party.


    Jason and Bruce discussed what to do next.


    ¡°That was a conventional explosive or we would have sensed it,¡± Bruce said through voice chat. ¡°If I was hitting someone without using magic, I¡¯d have a follow-up team with magic aplenty to make sure the job was done.¡±


    ¡°Sounds reasonable,¡± Jason agreed. He was far from his field of experience and was willing to defer to the trained expert, even if they had missed the bomb.


    ¡°My guess would be a second aircraft, someone on a boat, or both,¡± Bruce said. ¡°They may have even been tracking our transponder and triggered the explosion remotely.¡±


    ¡°We should hope for a boat,¡± Shade said. ¡°I don¡¯t have enough bodies to make a boat viable for the open ocean if we hit rough weather. If our antagonists have chosen to supply one, then you will need to pacify them and seize it.¡±


    ¡°I like that plan,¡± Jason said. ¡°Bruce, you keep an eye on this lot. The parachutes will take care of themselves, so you¡¯ll just need to handle any airborne threats. Is that in your skill set?¡±


    ¡°I have the powers for that,¡± Bruce said confidently. ¡°Should I be the one to go, though?¡±


    ¡°Can you take on a boat full of magical hostiles alone?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Can you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve dealt with sand pirates before,¡± Jason said. ¡°The water variety should be about the same, right?¡±


    ¡°Sand pirates?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to drop down and see if I can¡¯t secure you a landing zone.¡±


    Jason turned off his slow fall and angled his body down.


    Jason¡¯s sharp eyes picked out the yacht as soon as he dropped below the cloud layer.


    ¡°We¡¯ve got a boat,¡± he told Bruce through voice chat. ¡°I¡¯ll probably drop out of voice range before I reach it, given the low magic. Seriously, though, who takes a luxury yacht to shoot down an aeroplane?¡±


    ¡°The French?¡± Bruce suggested. ¡°We can¡¯t be certain that the boat you¡¯re seeing is involved, though.¡±


    ¡°True, but I¡¯d take those odds. I¡¯ll check it out before I do anything drastic.¡±


    He descended further as the ocean below and the boat floating in it became clearer to see. As he dropped down to a low altitude he spotted a swarm of small objects rising from the yacht. As they rose up to meet him he realised the they were drones.


    They were not just technological objects but also magical, lighting up to his magic senses. As they drew closer, he spotted the shimmering magical bubbles around them and the glowing sigils carved into their surface.


    ¡°Are they little, magic attack drones?¡± he wondered. ¡°That¡¯s kind of cool. Still, can¡¯t be having that. Pop out, if you would please, Gordon.¡±


    Gordon manifested beside Jason, keeping pace with Jason using a continual series of magic dashes. As Jason suspected, the drones moved up and started attacking, projecting rapid-fire streams of tiny needles imbued with lightning magic. The drones were, impressively, bronze-rank constructions, but their inundation of attacks proved a poor tactic against Jason. His cloak sheathed itself around him and his descent was not slowed at all as the attacks were expended harmlessly against his cloak.


    The drones were steel wrapped in protective bubbles, on which Gordon went to work. His disruptive-force breams cracked the magical shields while his resonating-force beams made short work of the reinforced drones underneath. The four beams swept through the drone swarm in pairs, efficiently wiping out what Jason hoped was an outrageous wealth of magical devices.


    As he drew closer to sea level at a rocket pace, more attacks launched from the boat below. These were not light attacks but a trio of shoulder-mounted rockets imbued with silver-rank magic. At first, it looked like they were going to fly right past him, and not even that closely. It seemed like they were quite carelessly aimed. Then they locked onto not Jason but Gordon.


    Jason immediately recalled his familiar, not trusting Gordon¡¯s intangibility to endure the silver-rank magic he sensed from the rockets. As soon as Gordon was gone, the rockets stopped adjusting their trajectories and flew straight, making them easy to dodge. He was worried that they would go after the people above, but was out of voice range to warn them.


    ¡°Gordon, see if you can¡¯t grab the attention of those rockets and dog fight them down. Their tracking systems can¡¯t be that complicated.¡±


    Gordon reappeared and started dashing up after the rockets. Jason pulled out his old non-magical telescope. Slowing his descent into a glide for stability. He eyed off the yacht below, which he realised was even bigger than he originally thought. It was the class of profoundly expensive super yachts that even all his gold might not be enough to buy.


    He picked out a shadow on the sun deck made by an awning, then used his cloak to shadow jump directly onto the yacht. He immediately reconjured his cloak, which blended him into the shadows as he listened to voices coming from the deck below.


    ¡°Where did he go?¡± one voice asked. ¡°Why didn¡¯t the rockets go after him? They have magically enhanced tracking systems.¡±


    ¡°How would I know?¡± a second voice asked. ¡°You made a big deal about these weapons to the Network man and they don¡¯t do a thing.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re powerful weapons!¡± the first man insisted.


    ¡°Then maybe you got broken ones because these didn¡¯t do a thing,¡± a third man said.


    ¡°You¡¯re taking his side? You told me just this morning how impressed you were with the drones.¡±


    Jason recognised that the three men were arguing in French. It was the result of his practise at actively listening to people to recognise the languages his power translated for him. It had been a reason to watch some of the foreign films he always told himself he should be watching instead of trashy action films. He ended up compromising by watching trashy, foreign-language action films.


    The three men talking were silver-rankers, but not essence users. Their magic had the same feel as the EOA thugs that Vermillion had once talked him out of fighting. There were others around the yacht, which was no smaller or less well-appointed than his houseboat, at least from a non-magical perspective. The yacht was an ordinary vehicle, unlike the plane that had been taken out.


    The bulk of the auras were bronze-rank, except for the three silvers continuing to argue on the deck.


    ¡°Where did he go?¡± one of them asked.


    ¡°You think I know? Maybe he turned invisible or teleported onto the boat.¡±


    ¡°We need to find him before the boosts wear off. We shouldn¡¯t have taken them so early.¡±


    ¡°We needed to fire the rockets.¡±


    ¡°For all the good they did! I don¡¯t want to come back down in the middle of a fight. They said he was dangerous.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know it was him.¡±


    ¡°Of course it was him. You think we got lucky and he died in the plane explosion? If that was going to kill him, they wouldn¡¯t have sent us out here to finish him off with all these weapons that don¡¯t do a damn thing. Now we do it our way, so get everyone to start searching.¡±


    The three split up and started yelling orders to search the yacht to the other dozen crew Jason could sense, but it was unnecessary as Jason emerged from the shadows and dropped lightly to the lower deck, landing in front of the three men.

 Chapter 314: The Price of Transgression

    Jason had just dropped lightly down to the lower deck as the boat rolled under his feet on the open ocean. The three men were startled as the object of the search they just ordered alighted right in front of them. He pushed the hood of his cloak back off his head to reveal his face and they looked each other over.


    Jason saw that the magic flowing through them was complicated and felt more like the magic of an item than a living thing. Essence users, vampires like Vermillion and true magical creatures like Stash and even monsters had a magic that felt alive. In these men, the magic was more like their body parts had been used as the material for inert magical items while those body parts were still attached.


    Most intriguing to Jason was that the three men were flooded with a power that was artificially raising their rank. It felt very much akin to someone using a spirit coin, but the power was not draining out of them after only a few moments.


    More people were arriving to form up behind the first three. They were all bronze-rank, with less complicated magic and without the power boost flowing through them. Their magic felt like the EOA thugs he hadn¡¯t fought at Vermillion¡¯s caf¨¦. They were a variant of converted, which were magically modified people he had seen the Builder cult use. The Builder¡¯s examples had been more improvised, using a modified core with extremely negative side effects. The Builder¡¯s forcibly-implanted cores essentially hijacked the body and trapped the soul, leaving mindless drones.


    The ones he had seen on Earth had critical differences. For one thing, his aura senses revealed that the soul was empowered, like an essence user¡¯s, rather then sealed away to serve as little more than a magical battery. The Earth converted were also more holistically imbued with magic, rather than it all stemming from a central core. He could sense the distinct magic in their flesh, their bones and even their skin.


    There seemed to be two grades of converted. One was simpler, which was the bulk of the people he could sense on the yacht. The three leaders had more sophisticated magic inside them, along with whatever power was artificially raising them to silver rank.


    Jason spoke to them as the group eyed him off. His voice was sober and almost soft, with none of its usual bombast. It nonetheless carried over the noise of water slapping into the boat, a trick of voice projection that he had picked up while learning to speak without using air from his lungs.


    ¡°My name is Jason Asano,¡± he said, ¡°and you¡¯ve come here to kill me. You won¡¯t.¡±


    He subtly employed his aura to hold their attention without provoking them, although they were clearly on the verge of launching themselves at him.


    ¡°Here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen instead,¡± Jason continued. ¡°You¡¯re going to try and kill me. I¡¯m going to make an example of one of you and then offer the survivors the chance to surrender which, to be clear, means answering my questions and handing over this boat.¡±


    ¡°You seriously think you can intimidate us into just giving up?¡± one of the three leaders asked.


    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯d like it if I only have to kill one of you, but I imagine it will take all three of you before the others fall into line.¡±


    Jason mentally dubbed the three leaders as numbers One, Two and Three. He could learn their names if they were smart enough to surrender. They wore heavy seaman¡¯s clothes, heavy, warm and topped off with woollen beanies. Everyone on the yacht was a man and, aside from Jason, a heavily muscled one. It looked like someone had found a fishing crew at a gym with lax steroid abuse policies.


    Under the clothes of the man Jason had mentally dubbed number one, a sigil of light started glowing. It looked to Jason exactly like a magic tattoo. Jason felt magic surge from the tattoo and into the man, who was suddenly propelled forward into a magical charge.


    A second tattoo lit up on the man¡¯s arm, which was wreathed in fire as it passed through Jason¡¯s empty cloak. Jason had already shadow jumped through it, moving the moment he sensed the surge in magic. In another shadow a freshly conjured cloak hid him as he examined the man more closely with his magical senses.


    Unlike the body-horror converted of the Builder, the Earth converted seemed to have the power to accept multiple magic tattoos. Normally one was the limit and the ability to have more could turn these converted into second-rate essence user knock-offs. They would have few and less sophisticated powers, but if they could be produced in high numbers it would be an incredible force.


    He could only sense a few tattoos on each of them, though, and he knew from experience that magic tattoos had much longer cooldowns that essence powers. Of course, it was possible that limit had been broken as well.


    The three were looking around for where Jason had vanished to, shouting at their subordinates to spread out and search.


    ¡°So much for making an example of us,¡± said Number One. ¡°He flees at first sign of trouble.¡±


    A line of darkness snaked from the shadow cast by the deck above, an arm holding an ornate black and red dagger. It made two shallow cuts on Number One¡¯s leg and tried to withdraw, but was grabbed by the silver-rank reflexes of Number Two. Despite the shadow arm¡¯s intangible nature, a small tattoo on the back of the man¡¯s hand was glowing and the hand had no trouble gripping Jason¡¯s shadow arm. The arm and the dagger both vanished as Jason relinquished the conjured items.


    ¡°He can hide in the shadows,¡± Number Three said. ¡°Enhance your vision.¡±


    ¡°That will cost us boost time,¡± Number One pointed out.


    ¡°Which gets us nothing if we spend it poking uselessly into corners,¡± Two pointed out, supporting Three. The eyes of Two and Three started glowing bright blue, as did the previously invisible tattoos around their eyes. One¡¯s eyes reluctantly lit up after. Looking around again, they spotted Jason standing casually in the shadows.


    Once their gaze locked onto him, Jason ducked through a nearby pair of sliding glass doors that opened at his approach to reveal the yacht¡¯s main saloon. It was a larger version of the bar lounge on Jason¡¯s houseboat, which Jason dashed into while casting a spell on Number One.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    The doors slid closed behind him, only to open as the trio rushed past their onlooking subordinates.


    ¡°Should we help?¡± one of the henchmen asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get in our way,¡± Number Two warned them.


    Inside the saloon, soft lights and the tinted windows made for few shadows and Shade¡¯s bodies started moving around the room to give Jason shadow jump options. The saloon furniture would give Jason the advantage when he could just shadow-jump around it. Combined with the room¡¯s extravagant size, he decided it would make a good place to face off with the trio of converted.


    They chased him in and he cast a second spell on Number One, before jumping from one of Shade¡¯s bodies to another and casting a third. The trio were clearly used to working as a team, spreading out for maximum coverage and limiting Jason¡¯s room to manoeuvre. When Number two started using his ability to strike intangible objects to attack Shade¡¯s bodies, Jason decided to switch it up again.


    His primary goal was achieved, with the affliction suite in place on Number one, so it became a matter of waiting. Recalling Shade¡¯s bodies, two of which were a little ragged from taking hits, he went through a door and deeper into the yacht.


    The trio chased him through the door, up stairs and out onto the top deck, where he leapt right off and out over the water. Using his shadow arm and slow fall, he reached out to the lower deck and pulled himself back aboard, continuing the merry chase.


    The trio pulled their subordinates into the pursuit with shouted orders, sending them scattering across the yacht to keep an eye out. In the mean time, Number One was increasingly suffering from the afflictions Jason had locked in place.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t I healing?¡± he asked out loud. His veins and flesh were increasingly becoming deathly black as the necrosis claimed his body at an accelerating rate.


    ¡°Because you don¡¯t get to heal anymore,¡± Jason said reappearing in front of them. ¡°You¡¯re dead and you just don¡¯t know it yet.¡±


    ¡°Fix him,¡± Number Two demanded. His body language screamed that he was itching to leap after Jason once more but he held himself back. He clearly understood that Jason was more likely slip away than hold still to have a remedy shaken out of him.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help him, now,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s dead, whatever I do.¡±


    ¡°If I die, you¡¯re coming with me,¡± Number One snarled.


    ¡°We both know that isn¡¯t true,¡± Jason said. ¡°Those of you still alive have another chance to surrender.¡±


    ¡°Keep chasing him,¡± Number One snarled, fearless even in the face of death. ¡°All that teleporting has to cost him. His mana can¡¯t last forever.¡±


    Two and Three did as instructed, resuming the pursuit as Jason went back to fleeing all over and through the huge yacht. At one point, two of the bronze-rank henchmen chased him through a door to a dead end and he used his aura to suppress theirs, debilitating them with a soul attack. As he rushed past them, they each pulled out an injector even as they doubled over in pain and jabbed themselves in the legs.


    The magic of their bodies advanced immediately to silver rank, as if they¡¯d both just consumed spirit coins, but there were also differences. Their auras remained at bronze-rank and felt divorced from the magic of their bodies. Jason¡¯s soul attack was not repelled but ignored, as if their bodies were now operating independently from their souls, operating on animal instinct. The men were slack-faced with empty eyes, more like the converted the Builder used.


    They stood up straight with no indication of pain, even as wild magic coursed through their bodies. Whatever boost they injected themselves with was clearly less stable than what the trio of leaders had taken, and with far greater side effects. Jason quickly got himself away from the spooky, zombie-like henchmen.


    The pursuit eventually brought Jason back to the body of Number One, who had expired on the lower deck. Two and Three arrived to see Jason draining the remnant life force from Number One¡¯s corpse.


    ¡°As your life was mine to reap, so your death is mine to harvest.¡±


    ¡°You have the choice,¡± Jason called out to them as the corpse at his feet withered to a dried-out husk. ¡°Surrender, or one of you is next. With you guys as my mana supply, I can do this all day. Can you say the same about those boosts you¡¯re on? How long will they hold out, exactly? Is there blowback afterwards?¡±


    Number Two snarled but Three grabbed his arm.


    ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Three said fiercely. ¡°We aren¡¯t catching him and we used our boosts early so we could use those rockets.¡±


    ¡°You want to surrender?¡± Two asked incredulously. ¡°After what he just did to Henri?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll do the same to us.¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯ll die.¡±


    Two yanked his arm free and rushed at Jason, who didn¡¯t run. He held up his hand, his palm slick with blood as leeches started spraying like water from a garden hose. Shade appeared behind Jason, who stepped back, rising up from Number Two¡¯s own shadow and making two shallow cuts with his dagger. Two was madly yanking leeches from his face as he yelled more in panic that pain.


    Three and henchmen following the noise watched in horror as Two staggered around while Jason added more spells. Rather than run them around again, Jason was using Colin for a more brutal approach, rapidly overloading Two with afflictions. Some of the henchmen moved to go after Jason but Three ordered them back. Two¡¯s gaze fell on the ocean water and he had a revelation, launching himself toward the edge of the yacht.


    ¡°Drop,¡± Jason commanded and the leeches fell instantly to the deck as Two threw himself over the side.


    ¡°Come back,¡± Jason commanded. The seawater splashed onto the deck by ocean swells was already having a negative effect on his leeches, killing off a decent number of them. A bloody strip emerged from the pile of Colin and flew over to Jason¡¯s hand. The leeches melted into a ball of blood and were drawn along the bloody rag as if sucked through a straw.


    Jason then went to the side of the boat where Two was treading water, glaring at him with a face already blackened with necrosis. At bronze-rank, just as at iron, Colin remained the most powerful weapon in Jason¡¯s arsenal.


    With killing number one, Jason had wanted to drag it out, to show the others his suffering. With number two he wanted to close it out quickly and demonstrate the threat he posed, so he cast another spell.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    Two screamed as Punition piled on damage for each of the many afflictions on him.


    ¡°We surrender!¡± Three called out. ¡°Can¡¯t you let him live?¡±


    ¡°When I warned you,¡± Jason said without turning around, ¡°it was not because I would refuse to stop. It was because I didn¡¯t have the option. When I fight, I fight to kill. My powers offer me no alternative.¡±


    He turned around to face Three.


    ¡°There is a price for transgressing against me. How many more of you are willing to pay it?¡±


    He glanced back at the man suffering in the water, rising and falling with the ocean swells.


    ¡°Feed me your sins,¡±


    Jason drained Two¡¯s afflictions and left new ones in their place, which glowed as the started annihilating him from the inside out. Two was strong and resolute, but the transcendent damage was where the screaming began.


    ¡°We surrender, damn you!¡± Three called out. ¡°Stop it!¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop it,¡± Jason said, his voice devoid of mercy. ¡°I can only finish it. Mine is the judgement, and the judgement is death.¡±


    Behind Jason transcendent light shone down on Two. When it faded shortly thereafter, nothing was left by empty ocean.


    [Elite Converted] has been wholly annihilated. It has been looted automatically.413 [Euros] have been added to your inventory.[Satellite Phone] has been added to your inventory.[Cellular Phone] has been added to your inventory.


    Jason turned his gaze on Number Three.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for us to have a talk.¡±


    ¡°How did you do that?¡± Bruce asked, looking at the EOA thugs lined up on the deck. Most were on their knees, although two were on their backs looking decidedly unwell.


    ¡°We had an amicable chat,¡± Jason said, ¡°and they decided the most prudent course was to come quietly.¡±


    ¡°Amicable,¡± Bruce said, looking at the black stain on the deck. He knew the smell of death and the black residue stank like the Devil¡¯s armpit.


    Bruce had been anxious about what they would be dropping into after the powerful rockets had come their way. He¡¯d been able to shoot them down before they struck the semi-conscious iron-rankers but it left him with trepidation about what awaited them below.


    Once he dropped back into range of Jason¡¯s voice chat, he was told to land directly on the top deck. His wind gliding power let him do so without trouble and the strange, self-guiding parachutes did so almost as easily.


    Both sides had people in recovery. The Network¡¯s iron-rankers were given another round of potions, except for Ketevan who remained the most badly injured but was not yet ready for another. On the EOA side, their leader was clearly exhausted, while two of his men couldn¡¯t even stand, their auras flickering unstably.


    ¡°I told you at the start what surrender means,¡± Jason said to Three. ¡°I take the boat and you talk. If I think you¡¯re holding back, we go back to the other thing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll talk,¡± Three said. ¡°Just leave my people alone.¡±


    ¡°Your people?¡± Bruce snarled. ¡°You killed our people. My team. My friends. I should execute the lot of you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t vent your rage on the snake¡¯s body,¡± Jason said. ¡°Save it for when you take the head. Which Number Three here is going to tell us all about.¡±


    ¡°Number Three?¡± Bruce and Number Three asked simultaneously.


    ¡°Sorry, I was just calling you that in my head,¡± Jason said. ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Reynaldo Agostinelli.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Reynaldo,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a lot of questions. Bruce, use the sat phone on the table there to check in with your people so we can figure out our next move.¡±


    Bruce picked up the phone, only for it to start ringing.


    ¡°Expecting a call?¡± Jason asked Reynaldo.


    ¡°It will be the man who sent us,¡± Reynaldo said. ¡°The Network man, Adrien Barbou. We should have checked in by now.¡±


    Jason knew that Barbou was the Operations Director of the Lyon branch, Annabeth¡¯s direct counterpart. Shade had not managed to spot him in the time he had been watching the Lyon branch.


    ¡°The Network set this up?¡± Bruce asked, disbelievingly. ¡°Why would he work with the EOA?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Reynaldo said. ¡°They tell us what to do, not why.¡±


    Jason took the phone from Bruce and answered it.

 Chapter 315: The Time For Bold, Decisive Men

    ¡°Twelve hundred kilometres is the best you can do?¡± Miranda complained. ¡°And you have to wait an hour between portals? That¡¯s pathetic.¡±


    ¡°Pathetic?¡± Remy asked incredulously. ¡°Let¡¯s see your portal power, bitch.¡±


    ¡°Remy, calm down,¡± Sebastian said, then turned on Miranda. ¡°And you keep your damn mouth shut. You don¡¯t like it, go catch a plane.¡±


    ¡°I though we¡¯d be portalling straight to France,¡± she said. ¡°Where even are we?¡±


    ¡°Kakadu National Park,¡± Remy said. ¡°We¡¯re in one of the most beautiful places on Earth and you complain. One of the most iconic locations in your own damn country and you don¡¯t even recognise it. How self-absorbed are you?¡±


    They were atop a high rock formation, overlooking a river forest gorge. In the far north of Australia it was still scorching hot despite the season and the winds blowing across their high vantage offered pleasant relief.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t an essence user in the world that can portal sixteen thousand kilometres,¡± Sebastian told Miranda. ¡°There¡¯s only a handful of people that can do a tenth of that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the Chinese have someone they¡¯re trying to get to category four who can do a few thousand at a time,¡± Remy said, ¡°but that might be just a rumour. Maybe a category four could do sixteen thousand, so feel free to leave and go find one.¡±


    ¡°So much for the great portal master Barbou promised,¡± Miranda said. ¡°Nothing but excuses.¡±


    ¡°Ellis,¡± Sebastian warned. ¡°One of us is going to keep your mouth shut. I recommend it¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°I got you out of that place and this is how you treat me?¡± Miranda asked.


    ¡°You got me into that place.,¡± Sebastian said. ¡°When you told us about the outworlder, you failed to mention that he was a god damn monster.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault a category three can¡¯t take out one category two. You even had the jump on him and you messed it up,¡± Miranda said. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think I¡¯ve joined a ship of fools.¡±


    Sebastian and Remy shared a glance. Remy nodded and Sebastian shrugged, before raising his arm in Miranda¡¯s direction. Tiny metal hummingbirds were conjured all around him, buzzing forward to plunge their needle beaks into Miranda¡¯s flesh. Sebastian followed up by dashing forward and kicking her square in the chest, sending her sailing over the side of the rock formation, bouncing off it time and again as she tumbled.


    ¡°She was right,¡± Sebastian said. ¡°It is easy to take out a category two.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for the best,¡± Remy said. ¡°No way we¡¯re hopping all the way across Asia and Europe without killing her. A personality like that is practically a suicide note.¡±


    ¡°Adrien won¡¯t be happy about losing her contacts still in the Australian branch if the outworlder survives,¡± Sebastian said.


    ¡°You think he will? The EOA sent a dozen guys, armed up with drones and those silver-rank tracker rockets. And that¡¯s for after his plane gets blown out of the sky.¡±


    ¡°That little prick is a survivor,¡± Sebastian said. ¡°A hundred says he lives.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that action.¡±


    ¡°We should let Adrien know about Ellis,¡± Sebastian said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll be worried,¡± Remy said, pulling out his phone. ¡°The only thing he really wanted out of her was getting you free.¡±


    Remy held up his phone, peering at it.


    ¡°No signal,¡± he said. ¡°Can you give me the sat phone?¡±


    Sebastian looked at the spot Miranda, who had the satellite phone, had gone over the edge.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    When Jason answered the satellite phone, he didn¡¯t have a chance to speak before the person on the other end started speaking in French.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you checked in?¡± the voice on the phone end demanded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all about it when we meet in person,¡± Jason said.


    There was silence on the other end for a long time until the same voice spoke again.


    ¡°Am I speaking to Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± Jason said. ¡°Am I speaking to Mr Barbou?¡±


    ¡°So you got them to talk. I would have much preferred you just slaughter them all.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to take such drastic action, Mr Barbou.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now that I¡¯m alive, your prisoner is of little use to you, if any. Whatever you might force from her, the Network will get from me quite freely. I¡¯m going to make you an offer, which I hope you take.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Give her up to me, as soon as I arrive in France. I won¡¯t retaliate and I¡¯ll make sure that the Lyon branch doesn¡¯t get shut out from all the things I¡¯ll be providing the Network.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like something the other branches or the International Committee will sign off on,¡± Barbou said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have what everyone wants, which means I get what I want, so long as I¡¯m willing to share.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a peaceful offer from the man who killed a bunch of people on television.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to do things better. Less killing, more diplomacy.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s to stop you from coming after my head the moment you have her?¡±


    ¡°My need to make a deal ever again. However all this plays out, word is going to get around about what happens between you and me. If I turn on you immediately, my word becomes worthless. That puts my arrangement with the Network under threat, along with any other deal I might want to make in the future.¡±


    ¡°So, you offer forgiveness?¡± Adrien asked.


    ¡°Call it what you like. I¡¯ve been trying to teach myself to let go of the past so it doesn¡¯t poison my future. You and I can go at it, but I don¡¯t care about taking you down. I care about getting her away from you. If letting you go gets me that and coming after you just endangers her, I¡¯m happy to take her and never see you again.¡±


    ¡°You do remember that I tried to have you kidnapped, then I tried to have you killed. Minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the first on either count,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m still alive and have a new boat, which is how it usually goes. It¡¯s not always a boat, just whatever valuable stuff they have on them. Look, give her up. She has no value to the Network while I¡¯m in play, which is why you¡¯re trying to kill me but that isn¡¯t working out. I can¡¯t speak for the Network, but as you said, you¡¯ve come at me twice now and you¡¯ve seen the results. I think you¡¯re beginning to understand what happens if you don¡¯t turn her over to me.¡±


    ¡°I have to say that your timing is unfortunate.¡± Adrien said. ¡°The truth is, Mr Asano, that if you made me this offer as little as three days ago, I¡¯d probably have taken it. Unfortunately, the pressure coming down from the International Committee forced me to take steps I can no longer walk back. Otherwise, I never would have risked making these arrangements personally and you and I would have never had this scintillating chat. The Network won¡¯t let me go, even if you do, and I¡¯ve made promises I need your fellow outworlder to keep.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no place you can hide that I won¡¯t find sooner or later, Barbou. There¡¯s no place you can run that I can¡¯t follow.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t be so sure,¡± Adrien said. ¡°Some things are beyond even your abilities, as wondrous as I¡¯m sure they are.¡±


    ¡°There are still ways we can settle this,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know you don¡¯t think so, but you actually can still walk this back.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, I think you¡¯re about to find that even you have limits.¡±


    ¡°Pushing my limits is kind of my thing. If you continue on this path, then you will be the means by which I demonstrate that to the magical world at large. Don¡¯t become the example for the next person.¡±


    ¡°And I thought I was arrogant,¡± Barbou said. ¡°Good hunting, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason looked at the phone in his hand after Adrien ended the call, resisting the urge to crush it in his hand. He handed the phone to Bruce.


    ¡°Unless he was lying,¡± Jason told him, ¡°Barbou is going rogue from his own branch. Contact your people. This is going five kinds of sideways.¡±


    Adrien was standing on the roof of the abandoned water treatment plant that sat above the subterranean black site. Asano¡¯s continued survival was a frustration but a result he had accounted for in planning his contingencies. The extra days that Paul had bought him with the International Committee was enough to move his loyalists from the black site before Paul realised he was turning on the Network altogether. Once they extracted the asset securely, he could leave it behind.


    He made another call on his phone to his EOA contact. The head of the cell he was working with absurdly insisted on going by the code name Heron.


    ¡°Heron, your people failed,¡± Adrien said without preamble.


    ¡°Your phone etiquette is very poor,¡± Heron said. ¡°Perhaps it was not me that failed but the weapons you supplied.¡±


    ¡°We can ascribe blame later,¡± Adrien said.


    ¡°Says the man who¡¯s idea of saying hello is to accuse my people of failure.¡±


    Adrien rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I apologise, Heron. Right now, we need to focus on what comes next. Asano survived, which means the IC will come down on us so that he doesn¡¯t break the deal with them.¡±


    ¡°You mean come down on you,¡± Heron said.


    ¡°He took at least some of your people alive, Heron, and they¡¯re talking. If they know about me, you can be certain they know about you. Look, we¡¯ve been working on this for a long time and the outworlder is just a bonus. You want the knowledge and expertise of my people on essence magic for the Engineers of Ascension.¡±


    ¡°If we can bring the secrets of essence magic to the EOA,¡± Heron said gleefully, ¡°we¡¯ll be propelled to the top levels of the EOA power structure. So long as you hold up your end. Access to the network¡¯s grid. The means to enter incursion spaces. The ways to use essences.¡±


    ¡°My bridges are burned, Heron,¡± Adrien said. ¡°Our fates are connected, now. Only by making you thrive will I thrive in turn.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Heron said. ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°I need a team of your elite people to move the asset. She¡¯s a security risk and not all of the personnel here are loyal to me over the Network.¡±


    ¡°Sending them right to the black site is an overt move,¡± Heron said.


    ¡°The time for secrecy is over,¡± Adrien said. ¡°It¡¯s the time for bold, decisive men to take action.¡±


    ¡°Do we really need her?¡± Heron asked.


    ¡°My people can give you everything the Network has,¡± Adrien said. ¡°She is the key to the things the Network doesn¡¯t. Yet. The other outworlder is alive and the Network is realising the potential he offers. If we don¡¯t have her, the EOA falls behind all over again.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Heron said. ¡°I actually have a strong team on standby, close to your location.¡±


    ¡°Heron,¡± Adrien said. ¡°Did you have a strike team ready to take me out if I double crossed you? I respect that.¡±


    Adrien frowned as he sensed magic from below. It shouldn¡¯t be possible for him to sense the painstakingly contained magic unless something went very wrong with the magical array.


    ¡°Heron, I think you should tell your people to hurry.¡±


    A disgruntled-looking Sebastian reached the top of the outcropping after climbing all the way back up.


    ¡°Are you sure you couldn¡¯t portal down?¡± Sebastian asked.


    ¡°I have never been to the bottom of this outcropping,¡± Remy said. ¡°You cannot portal where you have never been. This is a rule of portals. You know this.¡±


    ¡°Then couldn¡¯t we have both gone down and portalled to our next destination from there?¡±


    Remy though it over for a moment.


    ¡°Yeah, that could have worked. Did you get it?¡±


    Sebastian took a fistful of smashed electronics from his pocket.


    ¡°She landed on it.¡±


    Farrah hadn¡¯t quite completed her mental map of the facility¡¯s magic array, but once they started prepping to move her to another facility she knew she had to act. The first part was the hardest, taking out a pair of bronze-rank guards. Fortunately, one panicked when she made her move and unleashed his strongest attack and she shoved the one she was choking out with her handcuffed arms into its path. Her arms were burned a little but she ignored it. Fire wouldn¡¯t have hurt her if her powers were active.


    While the second guard was aghast at killing the first, Farrah took advantage of his shock and moved in, making a weird standing jump because of her leg chains. She grabbed his face, yanking his weight onto one leg as she hooked her own leg behind  it and pushed forward. He was slammed into the concrete floor with a jolt and she smashed his head repeatedly into it until she was sure.


    That gave her clothes and the keys to her manacles, but not her suppression collar. Forcefully removing it would most likely kill her, so she would have to get a key. The man in charge of the facility, Barbou, had been the one questioning her and kept the key on his person at all times. She would either need to find him or some magical resources to knock out a skeleton key, but she had never found a magical workshop in either her fact-finding escape attempts or as they had dragged her around the facility.


    She found some tools in a maintenance storage cupboard and claimed a hammer and chisel. They allowed her to start making small but critical changes to the magic engravings on the walls, carefully altering the flow of magic in the facility¡¯s whole magical array. The magical flow was accumulating and redirecting in ways it was not designed for, and enough small changes would get big results as the excess magic stacked up.


    It was a delicate balance as she needed to avoid just breaking the array and having the power drain out. The goal was for magic to gather at roughly the same rate in various points around the facility. That is was working was impressive, given the simple tools at her disposal.


    Fortunately, this type of magic was her speciality and before the alarm went out and they realised she was loose, the facility was experiencing areas of dangerous magical build up. Even as security personnel started pounding through the halls, explosions started reverberating through the underground facility.


    Personnel were rushing through corridors filled with concrete dust from the repeated explosions. The staccato flickering of the lights was inducing panic; each moment of darkness was a reminder of how far underground they were. Whole chunks of floor, wall and ceiling had become rubble underfoot. In the chaos, her stolen uniform and cap allowed her to blend in, just another panicked staffer.


    After setting in motion the chain reaction of blasts from the magical array, she had no more control. She was even caught in the periphery of a blast and slammed into the opposite wall, almost falling unconscious.


    She wanted to evacuate with the actual staff, but the exits were the one place security was making strict checks. Instead, she managed to find her way to Barbou¡¯s office, in which she had been questioned several times as he tried carrot over stick. She didn¡¯t expect the key to be present but she spent a few precious moments searching the desk, just in case.


    After unsurprisingly not finding it, she made for the strange room that held the non-magical elevating platform. She knew she wouldn¡¯t get it to operate and didn¡¯t try, instead chiselling the lock on the ceiling hatch and pulling herself up and through. There she found a metal rungs set into the concrete that led up the long shaft and started to climb.


    At the top she used the chisel to pry open the doors and then forced them open with raw strength. She felt weak without her strength-enhancing ability but she still had the power attribute of an essence user at the peak of bronze.


    Shoving open the doors, she staggered into the light. She was in some kind of abandoned building, which was surrounded by a metal mesh fence and then forest, with only one road leading away. Unfortunately, she was not alone.


    Barbou was standing with a dozen heavily muscled men and women in dark clothes.


    ¡°Well,¡± Barbou said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you industrious?¡±

 Chapter 316: Technical Issue

    The transport helicopter touched down at a small airstrip in Sri Lanka. It was small and set amongst an expanse of grassland. The air was hot, thick and heavy with a tang of fuel, although the helicopter stirred it up. There was one hangar and a small, prefab office building. The runway itself was a line of hard-packed earth rather than asphalt.


    Jason and the other survivors of the plane attack disembarked the helicopter and were met by Chathura, a local Network agent. He started leading them toward the smaller building.


    ¡°We¡¯re still prepping your plane,¡± Chathura said loudly over the noise of the winding-down helicopter. ¡°You¡¯ll be wheels up in twenty-five.¡±


    ¡°We were negligent and only looked out for magical threats,¡± Bruce told him. ¡°I hope you¡¯ll be more thorough than we were.¡±


    Bruce did not hide from his failure, being part of the security team which had failed to detect the bomb. Their oversight had gotten his team and a committee member killed, along with the crew of the plane. Once things calmed down enough that he had time to think, guilt had overtaken Bruce. He didn¡¯t shy away from it, instead owning the shame and letting it feed his resolve to do better in the future.


    Jason did not feel guilt at having been the impetus for the trip in the first place. He was ready to pay the price to get Farrah back, be that a fresh stain on his conscience from a killing spree or sacrificing some pride and giving up on vengeance. Unfortunately, he wasn¡¯t the one paying.


    The Network was at a body count of eight. While Jason felt responsible, as the impetus for the trip, he did not assign himself the blame. That, he placed on the people that took Farrah and planted the bomb; Adrien Barbou, anyone that worked for him and anyone he worked for.


    Jason admitted to himself that he was glad his offer to let Barbou walk away in return for Farrah had been refused. He knew that he shouldn¡¯t be. Intellectually, he understood that if the offer was accepted, Farrah would be free and clear. But inside him was a visceral instinct that urged him to kill everyone between him and Farrah until she was free and all the people that hurt her were dead.


    That, however, was an implausible power fantasy. He¡¯d indulged in them before, to the cost of himself and others. He thought he could outplay Elspeth Arella and Lucian Lamprey, both seasoned politicians. The reality was that he got himself tortured and Sophie almost condemned to a life of exploitation and depravity. He¡¯d only escaped through luck and protected Sophie by hiding under the skirts of Emir. He¡¯d caused the problems and failed to be the solutions.


    He was determined to avoid the same mistakes with Farrah. He was going to play it straight and clean, doing whatever it took to get her free. No tricks, no shortcuts. Any sacrifice he had to make personally, he would. His concern was the people around him. The aircrew hadn¡¯t deserved their fate, just for flying him.


    He had a burning desire to make Barbou suffer everything done to Farrah ten times over but schooled himself to keep focused on the actual objective. Freeing Farrah took precedence over everything. His desires, his pride and his emotional satisfaction were nothing compared to that. He was still willing to let Barbou go if it guaranteed Farrah¡¯s safety and freedom.


    First, he needed to reach France. The airstrip did not inspire confidence. The lush, tropical surrounds were gorgeous, but not what he wanted in an international airport.


    ¡°Seems a little out of the way,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Strictly speaking, this airstrip doesn¡¯t exist,¡± Chathura explained. ¡°It was built as part of a poaching operation but the poachers are long gone.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Bruce asked.


    ¡°Very,¡± Chathura said. ¡°Before we started working with the government, this place was a way station for us for dodging customs. We still use it when we don¡¯t want the government dogging us with questions. They like to be involved, which means slowing everything down.¡±


    ¡°We appreciate the alacrity,¡± Asya said. She had regained her senses on the yacht while awaiting the helicopter and all the surviving Network members had been healed up, at least physically. Emotionally, they remained shaken from the ordeal.


    ¡°Your Director of Operations is waiting to talk to you,¡± Chathura said. ¡°We have a video conference set up in the office. It seems that you weren¡¯t the only ones to experience some excitement.¡±


    Farrah didn¡¯t fight like Sophie or Jason. Their power sets encouraged agility and speed. Farrah¡¯s powers gave her enhanced strength and heavy stone armour, which lent itself to a very different style, more akin to Humphrey¡¯s. That was not to say that she was any less skilled, at least than Jason. What might seem like a crude, brawler style at first glance made expert use of weight, leverage and strength.


    Constrained by the collar Farrah did not have her full, power-driven might, nor the mass of her stone armour. That was not enough to invalidate her fighting style, though. Her peak bronze attributes were superior to those of the EOA thugs, and even if they weren¡¯t, she¡¯d fought monsters and people both that met or even matched her strength and weight.


    There were more ways in which Farrah was unlike Jason. She didn¡¯t stop to banter, immediately leaping into action. She hurled herself forward, charging toward the closest thug like a freight train. Dropping her centre of gravity right before impact, he tumbled over her like she¡¯d hit him with a car, the impact barely slowing her down. As he fell to the ground behind her, she was already crashing into the next thug. It was a glancing blow as she spun around and behind him, with an elbow to the ear as a going away present.


    Her goal was Barbou and the key to her suppression collar. She knew that if she didn¡¯t get it off, there was no overcoming this many enemies. Breaking through the two thugs opened a path and she made straight for him, who raised a hand and blasted air in her direction.


    Recognising the shimmer of a compressed air attack, she juked left. If it had caught her square she would have been sent tumbling back. As it was, it still arrested her forward momentum. It was enough time for the rest of the thugs to charge in for the attack while Barbou launched himself into the air and started hovering out of her reach.


    Farrah was not a large woman, but she was stronger than the burly men coming at her. Where Jason or Sophie might dance around them, Farrah met offence with offence. The first thug was left staggering off, clutching an elbow now bending the wrong way. The next collapsed with a knee in the same condition while the third one hadn¡¯t guarded his face well enough and had a pair of thumbs dig into his eyes.


    Despite her good start, Farrah was fighting against the inevitable. The leader of the thugs ordered half his men to dose up and they injected themselves with a boost that ramped them from bronze-rank to false-silver while the rest kept her occupied.


    This was a special purpose squad, made up entirely of elite converted. They did not lose their rationality when they boosted and they had magic tattoos, adding a handful of magical abilities to their options. One used a power to conjured a rope that he used to catch one of Farrah¡¯s arms it. Once Barbou was out of reach the fight was already over. She made them pay a blood price for victory, though.


    When she was finally unconscious on the ground, Barbou descended back down.


    ¡°Thanks for your help,¡± the leader of the EOA said sarcastically. His name was Pavel and his French was lightly accented with Russian.


    ¡°Your elite team leaves a lot to be desired,¡± Barbou said, looking around. ¡°One small woman with her powers suppressed took out half of your team.¡±


    Fully half of the thugs were sitting or lying around, being tended by the rest. One of the ones that hadn¡¯t boosted himself had been killed outright.


    ¡°If only we had an essence user to help us,¡± Pavel said. ¡°I lost a team member because you lacked the courage to fight one power-suppressed woman. The survivors of my team will heal in time, but I think you need to supply some of those famous magic potions the Network has.¡±


    ¡°You think I just carry a bunch of healing potions around?¡± Barbou said.


    ¡°A self-serving prick like you?¡± Pavel said. ¡°Yeah, I think you do.¡±


    Barbou gave Pavel a flat look, then broke into a chuckle.


    ¡°Yes, very well.¡±


    The abandoned water treatment plant had the two large vans that the EOA team had arrived in parked just inside the gate. Barbou moved over to a storage shed that looked like it hadn¡¯t opened in decades, but the door slid open on a perfectly lubricated rail with barely a rumble of ball bearings. Inside was Barbou¡¯s own car, a high-end Mercedes. He retrieved a padded box from the glove compartment containing a rack of vials, which he handed over to Pavel.


    ¡°Get your men on their feet and we¡¯ll head straight for the fortress.¡±


    ¡°¡­we have her in custody,¡± Annabeth continued, ¡°but Sebastian was out of the building before anyone was the wiser. Miranda was quite thorough in her preparations. Miranda herself was long gone before any of it happened and we have no idea where she is. If she¡¯s smart she¡¯ll stay under whatever rock she¡¯s crawled under and never come out. If I get my hands on her I¡¯m going to tear her hair out and strangle her with it.¡±


    ¡°So, what now?¡± Ketevan asked.


    ¡°Asano,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°I assume that your intention is to continue to France?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°A plane is being made ready as we speak. The good news is that the Lyon branch had contacted the IC and is ready to fully cooperate. The bad news is that their operations director has gone rogue. The international Committee is assembling a response force to hunt him down; a multi-branch group from across Europe. If he¡¯s defected to an EOA cell then he will potentially hand off dangerous secrets. Not just those of an Operations Director, either.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s trying to pass my friend off to the EOA since she has limited value to the Network?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That may only be the beginning, from what I¡¯m learning,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°You¡¯ll be briefed further on landing. For now, get on your plane and go. If the rest of you would go, I¡¯d like a word with Asano.¡±


    Chathura led the other out, leaving Jason alone with Annabeth on the screen.


    ¡°Thank you for getting our people out,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°Mr Corwin said that if it weren¡¯t for you, you and he would have been the only survivors.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t do anything for the others,¡± Jason said. ¡°And don¡¯t let Bruce sell his contribution short. My familiar was only able to stop one of the rockets that went by me. If Bruce hadn¡¯t stopped the others, they would have found targets. Without him, there really wouldn¡¯t have been other survivors.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saying,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°There was one other thing I wished to discuss, which was the security of your family. It¡¯s unlikely but not impossible that Miranda, Sebastian or both will attempt to use them as some kind of leverage. I¡¯ve dispatched a security team to watch over them and I suggest you enact whatever measures that you have in place.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Anna. I set things in motions the moment you told us that Sebastian was loose.¡±


    Emi arrived in front of her mother¡¯s Castle Heads restaurant on a jet black motorised scooter. As she was taking off her helmet, she was approached by a pair of uniformed police officers.


    ¡°Miss, I¡¯m afraid you can¡¯t ride a motorised scooter in New South Wales, especially at your age. I know that a lot of stores are claiming it¡¯s legal, but that isn¡¯t the case.¡±


    Emi absently meandered with a thoughtful expression, placing the officers between herself and the scooter. They turned to watch her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re talking about, officers,¡± she said, scratching her head with one hand while the helmet was tucked under the other arm.


    ¡°The scooter you were just riding,¡± one of the officers said.


    ¡°What scooter?¡± she asked, the picture of innocent confusion.


    ¡°This scoo¡­ where did it go?¡±


    While the two officers were looking at the spot the scooter had vanished from, Shade took the helmet from Emi and placed it into his storage space before snaking back into her shadow. The officers turned back to Emi.


    ¡°What happened to the scooter?¡± one of them asked.


    ¡°Are you alright, officers?¡± Emi asked. ¡°Has it been a long shift?¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s your helmet?¡± the other officer asked.


    ¡°What helmet?¡±


    ¡°Young lady, what¡¯s your name?¡±


    Emi pulled out her phone and started recording video.


    ¡°Put that away,¡± one of the officers said.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to fine me for riding an imaginary scooter,¡± Emi said, ¡°then I¡¯m going to film this interaction for the hearing where I contest it. Would you please point to the scooter that you allege I was riding?¡±


    ¡°You little¡­¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not worth it,¡± the other officer said, putting a restraining hand on her partner¡¯s arm. Just let it go.¡±


    ¡°You could have handled that in a much less provocative manner,¡± Shade told her.


    ¡°You seemed to go along with it quite smoothly,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°I know a man with similar proclivities. We should go talk to your mother.¡±


    Behind her restaurant, Erika was talking to Jason through Shade while Emi was inside, devouring a panna cotta.


    ¡°This might take some getting used to,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s some stuff going on, so you¡¯ll need to raise the bar for how quickly you can adjust to things. Talking through Shade is like using a phone, except he¡¯s way, way better. Also, could you give me a panna cotta too?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you on a plane to France?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in Sri Lanka right now,¡± Jason said. ¡°There was a technical issue with the plane and they¡¯re switching us to a new one. Just give one to Shade, who can store it there, and bring it out here. It¡¯s super handy.¡±


    ¡°You can teleport a dessert to Sri Lanka?¡±


    ¡°I have the power. Like He-Man, but with desserts instead of startling homo-eroticism.¡±


    ¡°Jason, I¡¯m doors open in less than two hours. I don¡¯t have time for you to be you. What¡¯s this about?¡±


    ¡°You promise not to freak out?¡±


    ¡°No. Tell me anyway.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so this didn¡¯t really come up in conversation, but last week I got a little bit kidnapped.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Erika exclaimed.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I unkidnapped myself almost immediately, and the guy responsible has been locked up ever since.¡±


    ¡°You were kidnapped?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a whole thing, but we need to push on to what¡¯s happening now. The guy escaped, which is not great, obviously. It¡¯s just a precaution, but some security people will be arriving very soon to make sure he doesn¡¯t come after you.¡±


    ¡°Why would he come after us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he would,¡± Jason said. ¡°He may even think I died when my plane blew up.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±

 Chapter 317: The Long Game

    In the time it took Jason¡¯s plane to arrive in France, circumstances on the ground had gone through significant changes. The Sydney Network team was met by a driver who took them in the direction of the Network¡¯s Lyon branch to participate in an operational briefing.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful city,¡± Jason said as they drove.


    ¡°It¡¯d be a nice posting if the local branch wasn¡¯t a nest of vipers,¡± Asya said. ¡°We¡¯ve come a long way from debate club. Back then, I never would have anticipated a mid-air rescue from an exploding plane.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure the local branch has been taken in hand?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Quite certain,¡± Asya said. She had been briefed by the International Committee while they were still in flight, passing the information on to Jason and the members of the Sydney branch.


    The Lyon branch had discovered that their Operations Director had gone rogue and sold them out to the EOA. Their Steering Committee realised that unless they came very clean, very quickly, their branch was going to be purged. That was a rare event, given that the International Committee itself did not have the authority. Only by agreement of the majority of the Network¡¯s member branches could one of those members be acted on punitively. Scrambling to avoid that fate, the Lyon¡¯s branch had invited the International Committee in, giving them free reign to sweep in and administer operations until local affairs were back in order.


    The Network office was not located in one of Lyon¡¯s gorgeous buildings but a disappointingly plain office park. As with the Network¡¯s Sydney branch, Jason could detect a magical array protecting the core sections of the building. They were taken to an area on the ground floor that did not contain sensitive operations and was not within the array¡¯s protective magic.


    In a briefing room full of milling people, Jason was given several introductions. One was to Hector De Lange, a Belgian man from the International Committee who was in charge of proceedings. Another was to the leader of the International Committee¡¯s assembled tactical response team, Acting Director of Tactical Operation Karen Espinoza. She was introduced to him by Bruce as the acting Ditto.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that you can fight like a category three or better,¡± Espinoza said to Jason.


    ¡°It takes the right circumstances,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Well, we¡¯ve put together a multi-branch platoon of three nine-person sections, with four category threes to a section,¡± Espinoza said. ¡°I¡¯m willing to take you on, if you want it. I¡¯d like you see what you can do for myself.¡±


    Espinoza was a bullet of a woman, all no-nonsense capability. Most of the silver-rank tactical personnel Jason had seen looked like models for a line of military-style fashion. Even with the beautifying effects of silver-rank, Espinoza was every-inch the soldier.


    ¡°I¡¯d like that, Acting Director,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure you want me. Whatever objectives you might have around Barbou and whoever he¡¯s with, my only objective is getting my friend back. Most likely that puts us on the same team, but if it comes down to getting her back or catching Barbou, there are circumstances that could put us at odds. You¡¯re probably better off without that kind of liability in your ranks.¡±


    Espinoza gave Jason an assessing look.


    ¡°I appreciate your forthrightness,¡± she said. ¡°if you¡¯re not part of my tactical operation, what do you intend to do, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Whatever it takes, to get my friend back,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m hoping that what it takes is letting you and your team do your thing, but I get a feeling that it won¡¯t go that smoothly.¡±


    ¡°It never does,¡± Espinoza said. ¡°Alright, Asano. I don¡¯t want you running around rogue if I can help it, so how about this: attach yourself to my team, and if you¡¯re going to go off the reservation, let me know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re being awfully accommodating, Acting Director.¡±


    ¡°Just call me Espinoza,¡± she said. ¡°My information is that you¡¯re the solution to our escalating monster level problem.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ve been told to keep you safe and happy. Frankly, I¡¯d rather keep you where I can keep an eye on you. If you¡¯re going to cause me problems, I at least want to see them coming.¡±


    ¡°That sounds fair,¡± Jason said.


    Hector and Espinoza called the room to order and began a briefing into the upcoming operation. Everyone was seated, Jason at the back with the Sydney branch, with Asya sitting next to him.


    ¡°The Lyon branch, as it turns out,¡± Hector said, ¡°had been hiding more than an off-the-books black site. We knew of the existence of this black site, although not its location. That, as it turned out, was just another layer of misdirection, designed to keep us from realising a deeper secret. A member of the Lyon branch¡¯s Steering Committee will explain. Mr Abreo, if you would?¡±


    A haggard-looking man moved from the side of the room to take Hector¡¯s place behind the speaker¡¯s podium. He had a core-fused bronze-rank aura and being in a room full with more than a dozen silver-rankers wasn¡¯t serving to reduce the stress that looked to have kept him from a good night¡¯s sleep.


    ¡°My name is Paul Abreo, and as Mr De Lange said, I am part of the Lyon branch Steering Committee. Unfortunately, many of the decisions that led to us all being here today were, at least in part, mine. I¡¯ve been asked to provide some context before Mr De Lange goes into the detail on upcoming operations.¡±


    He tapped the touch screen on the podium and a map appeared on the wall monitor behind him.


    ¡°In 1948,¡± Abreo said, ¡°local Network operatives discovered a number of anomalous factors with an incursion space dimensionally coterminous with an area near Saint-¨¦tienne. Not only did it have multiple apertures in the region, which is unusual in and of itself, but the incursion space remained stable past the normal window. In short, it had become a permanent dimensional space.¡±


    Jason had wondered if earth had any proper astral spaces from the moment he learned about the proto-astral spaces. Now he had his answer.


    ¡°The Steering Committee of the Lyon branch at that time,¡± Abreo continued, ¡°made the decision to monopolise the dimensional space and any potential benefits it offered. Which meant hiding it from the rest of the Network. At the time, the Network was much more fractious than¡­¡±


    ¡°Justifications can come later,¡± Hector interrupted. ¡°Relevant details, Mr Abreo.¡±


    Abreo sighed, clearly reluctant.


    ¡°In order to monopolise the space,¡± he said, ¡°it was required to hide the astral space from the Network. Obviously, the fact that every branch has access to the Grid was a problem, given that the Grid¡¯s express purpose is to identify and monitor dimensional spaces. As this predated computer monitoring, there was some leeway. The initial action was to disable the grid in that local area, claiming that there was an infrastructure collapse. While the branch told the International Committee that they were working to fix it, they were, in fact, developing the means to falsify the Grid being active.¡±


    Abreo paused, looking around the room with trepidation.


    ¡°They were successful,¡± he said. ¡°That sector of the grid has been offline for the last seventy years.¡±


    That statement triggered a susurrus of murmured disbelief.


    ¡°The prevailing wisdom of the time,¡± Abreo spoke loudly over the noise, ¡°was that with a dimensional space already in place, another one was not going to appear, rendering the Grid pointless in that area anyway.¡±


    Abreo¡¯s excuses only fuelled the fire as the room full of Network members exploded with outrage. Asya, sitting next to Jason, leaned over for an explanation.


    ¡°We Network members may be prone to inter-branch politicking,¡± she said, ¡°but we¡¯re united by a sense of duty to protect our world. None of us are too good to be at least a little self-serving, but this violates the core tenets of our unifying purpose. There¡¯s no way they don¡¯t purge the Lyon branch after this.¡±


    Hector stood up to calm the group down.


    ¡°There will be time for recriminations later,¡± he said. ¡°Right now, there¡¯s work to do. Mr Abreo, please continue.¡±


    Hector once again ceded the podium to Abreo, who was now faced with a deeply hostile audience.


    ¡°Over time, our branch developed the dimensional space, which came to be referred to as the dimensional fortress. It was named as such both for the nature of the dimensional space and for its purpose as an ultimate fallback in the case of catastrophic events that seem more likely now than even then.¡±


    Jason leaned closer to Asya.


    ¡°Catastrophic events?¡± he asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s been growing concern that the escalation in dimensional incursions may outstrip our ability to intercede,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about a monster apocalypse.¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± she said and Jason turned his attention back to Abreo.


    ¡°¡­came under the influence of each succeeding Operations Director,¡± Abreo was continuing. ¡°Which brings us to Adrien Barbou. I considered this man a friend, so I was betrayed as much as anyone by the revelation that he was working with the EOA. Once I realised this, I naturally contacted the International¡­¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Abreo,¡± Hector said, standing up. ¡°I think I can take things from here.¡±


    He replaced Abreo at the podium while Abreo stood to the side, flanked on either side by bronze-rankers who did not look to be his subordinates.


    ¡°Adrien Barbou,¡± Hector said, ¡°was part of the highly secretive and highly selective group of Lyon branch staff who knew of and worked in the so-called dimensional fortress. We now believe that he has been cultivating loyalists from within the Network¡¯s ranks and that he stepped this activity up after being made Operations Director. It is highly likely that anyone and everyone in the dimensional fortress is one of his, not one of ours.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the big deal about this dimensional space?¡± someone asked from the front. ¡°What¡¯s so important about an incursion space that doesn¡¯t go away?¡±


    ¡°The key feature of the permanent dimensional space,¡± Hector said, ¡°is that it appears to have a naturally heightened level of magic. That means the environment is beneficial for essence users, as well as producing magical materials. More importantly, dimensional entities manifest directly into the space. Primarily category ones, but also category twos on a regular basis and on two occasions, category threes.¡±


    It sounded to Jason like the magical density of the space was similar to that of Greenstone.


    ¡°The dimensional fortress is a DE hunting reserve,¡± Hector continued, ¡°and over the last seventy years the Lyon branch has stockpiled resources. Most critically, they have figured out how to use the space to generate spirit coins.¡±


    ¡°Spirit coin farm,¡± Jason murmured to himself in surprise.


    ¡°The dimensional fortress is possibly the most important strategic asset on or adjacent to the planet Earth,¡± Hector said. ¡°Right now, Barbou is holed up inside it, having sealed the apertures from the inside. He clearly recognised that he was tipping his hand in being so overt in his attempt to kill Mr Asano, who we have with us here today and is the second most important strategic asset we know of. Or, Barbou possibly tried to kill him because he was ready to make his move. Whatever the case, it precipitated some kind of incident at the Lyon branch black site. We¡¯re still figuring out exactly what happened.¡±


    ¡°What about the outworlder he was holding at the black site?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We have confirmed that she was a prisoner of Barbou and the EOA when they entered the dimensional fortress,¡± Hector said.


    ¡°What does he hope to achieve?¡± a person down the front asked. ¡°Can¡¯t we just guard the apertures so he can¡¯t come out?¡±


    ¡°That is what we¡¯re doing right now,¡± Hector said. ¡°We have teams that we know Barbou hasn¡¯t compromised, preventing his escape from the dimensional space. Calling it a dimensional fortress is not just for show, however. He has sealed the apertures from the inside and we can¡¯t get in. We have ritual specialists working on it as we speak, but they aren¡¯t optimistic. Right this second, none of us can do anything but sit on our hands and wait.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point?¡± the person at the front asked. ¡°If he¡¯s stuck in there, why bother with it at all?¡±


    ¡°Barbou has been recruiting from within the Network,¡± Hector said. ¡°He¡¯s been working towards the entire staff occupying the dimensional fortress being personally loyal to him. He most likely has full control of the space. Our current thinking is that he¡¯s playing a long game. Either he believes that the EOA will come into conflict with the Network and liberate him or that the dimensional space escalation problem is far worse than is generally accepted and the dimensional fortress will become a key refuge that he can leverage. He has the resources there to remain inside without external supply. In fact, the dimensional space was a major source of resources for the Lyon branch. He simply doesn¡¯t need to come out.¡±


    Hector tapped the podium touch screen and four points lit up on the map.


    ¡°These are the locations of the apertures to the dimensional space,¡± he explained. ¡°As we speak there are people attempting to breach the seals on those apertures. We are on standby until one of those apertures is opened.¡±


    The back and forth of the briefing continued but the details mattered little to Jason. He spoke up again when Hector called for questions.


    ¡°Where does the outworlder fit into this?¡± he asked. ¡°How did she end up involved?¡±


    ¡°For that, you¡¯ll have to ask Mr Abreo,¡± Hector said, gesturing for Abreo to return to the podium.


    ¡°We first became aware of the outworlder when the twin anomalous signals appeared on the Grid simultaneously, in Australia and here in France. Our signal was right near the edge of the Saint-¨¦tienne dead zone, close to one of the apertures. Our original suspicion was that it was somehow related to an attempt to investigate the dimensional fortress by another branch that went awry. Our people were stationed close, near the aperture, and we moved quickly, finding the woman unconscious. We secured her with a suppression collar and moved her to the black site.¡±


    Jason kept his aura restrained but everyone in the room felt it boil like a witch¡¯s cauldron.


    ¡°Once we realised what she was and the potential she represented,¡± Abreo said, ¡°we were already past the point of diplomacy. In any case, we were used to having resources the rest of the Network did not and knew that if we were open about it, the International Committee would remove her in order to improve the general capacity of the other branches to resist the incursions.¡±


    The room was once again unsettled at the naked betrayal of their core purpose.


    ¡°We realised that the Australian signal was likely another outworlder. As we hadn¡¯t heard anything, this meant that either the local branch there was hiding him, like we were with ours, or their outworlder was still at large. Adrien advocated for having the Australian outworlder captured or, failing that, eliminated. The Steering Committee reluctantly agreed, under the stipulation that we send a stealth specialist, rather than the more aggressive team Barbou wanted. The goal was to remain unnoticed, or at least unidentifiable, even in failure.¡±


    ¡°Which went out the window when I left your guy limping to the local branch while I killed his support team,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sorry, allegedly killed his support team. I totally didn¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the outworlder?¡± Abreo asked, turning pale.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said, standing up. ¡°So, just to be clear. You found my friend unconscious, slapped a collar on her, realised she wasn¡¯t what you thought but you¡¯d already screwed her over too much to cooperate and decided to torture what you could out of her. Would that be an accurate description?¡±


    Abreo stood trembling, too scared to answer.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Hector said. ¡°I understand that you¡¯re emotional, but please restrain your aura.¡±


    Jason turned a look on Hector that made him flinch before he got himself under control.


    ¡°Somebody show me one of these apertures,¡± he growled.

 Chapter 318: A Moment For Drastic Measures

    The aperture was in a tent that had been set up around it, with a makeshift military camp assembled around that. The story was the usual terrorism readiness exercise. The tent was almost of circus proportions, easily fitting a Network ritualist, Hector, Espinoza, plus Jason, with Asya as an escort and Abreo, with a pair of burly bronze-rankers as an escort. On top of that was the ritual circle around the aperture.


    The aperture normally would have been invisible, but the ritual circle drawn under it was causing it to crackle with energy, revealing its circular shape.


    ¡°Sir,¡± one of the Network¡¯s ritualists said, ¡°we just don¡¯t have a way in. I don¡¯t see a means to break a ritual on the other side of the aperture from this side.¡±


    ¡°How long will it take to change that?¡± Hector asked.


    ¡°How long did it take to go from dial phones to cellular phones?¡± the ritualist asked. ¡°Unless you have a whole new field of magic sitting around somewhere, we¡¯re done here.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Hector said. ¡°You¡¯re meant to be the great font of knowledge from another world. Do you have a whole new field of magic sitting around somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said, not moving his eyes from the aperture.


    ¡°Then by all means, proceed.¡±


    Jason looked down at the purpose-built wooden boards with the ritual circle drawn onto them. They were tightly slotted together so as to not break the ritual circle drawn onto them. Jason broke the ritual himself by drawing his foot through a chalk line in the magical diagram and the visible magic it contained faded and dispersed.


    ¡°Turn off those mana lamps until I need them,¡± Jason instructed. ¡°I¡¯m going to have to start with a harmony ritual to balance out the ambient magic, which I won¡¯t need them for.¡±


    The harmony ritual was one of the few lesser rituals that didn¡¯t require iron-rank magical density. It served the same function as Clive¡¯s Mana Equilibrium racial gift, except it took more effort, more time, some lesser spirit coins and wasn¡¯t as effective.


    Clive could level out the ambient magic with a snap of his fingers, doing such a thorough job he never needed to adjust his ritual circles. Even after performing his first ritual and having the mana lamps turned back on, Jason still needed to use powdered lesser monster cores to gauge how his second ritual was interacting with the ambient magic.


    ¡°This will open up the aperture?¡± Hector asked as Jason¡¯s ritual become more and more complex. He was constantly referencing Clive¡¯s notes, which Jason was lucky to have access to. Clive had kept them with Jason¡¯s books on astral magic, which was beneficial to Jason after losing Clive as a resource.


    ¡°It won¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°The purpose of this ritual is to figure out what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    When he enacted the ritual, it seemed at first like the one the ritualists had used, leaving magic crackling over the invisible aperture.


    ¡°So much for that,¡± the ritualist said, happy not to have been shown up.


    ¡°Wait for it,¡± Jason said, eyes still locked on the aperture. Slowly there was a shift in the magic and the crackling energy started forming into distinct shapes. Eventually the aperture was covered in floating, glowing runes that shifted, merged, split and transformed in complex patterns.


    Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow to stand next to him, to the surprise of the other people in the tent except for Asya.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Jason asked him.


    ¡°I have little grasp of ritual magic,¡± Shade said. ¡°To my eye, however, it does seem less sophisticated than the seal locking the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason said. ¡°By a lot. That said, Clive and Emir¡¯s team took months cracking that seal. Testing, analysing, retesting. Even if I wasn¡¯t reliant on mana lamps for that, which I very much am, it will be time consuming. It may not be months, but I¡¯m not Clive. Unless I get lottery win lucky, it¡¯ll be weeks.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying you can open it?¡± Hector asked.


    ¡°Very eventually,¡± Jason said and turned to Abreo. ¡°If you¡¯re holding anything back, Abreo, now is the time to talk.¡±


    Jason walked over to stand in front of Abreo, who shrank away only to bump into one of his unmoving escorts.


    ¡°If I discover that you could have helped me here and you didn¡¯t,¡± Jason told him, his voice low and resonant, ¡°the Network can¡¯t protect you from me. I will do to you what your men failed to do to me and take you away. The subsequent final few weeks of your life will be an experience that cannot be described, only felt. Do you know what it¡¯s like to have your soul scoured, Mr Abreo? It changes you. Marks you. No healing potion or magic power can undo it.¡±


    Abreo¡¯s gaze lingered on the scars on Jason¡¯s face as he trembled, almost shaking. Fear stained his aura like a poison, even as Jason¡¯s aura ground Abreo¡¯s into nothing, pressing on his soul like a knife to the throat.


    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything, I swear! don¡¯t know a way in. That was all Adrien¡¯s to manage. Oh god, please believe me!¡±


    Abreo¡¯s guards were wide-eyed at the display of aura power, but when they glanced at Hector he shook his head, signalling them not to intervene. Jason relaxed his aura suppression and turned back to the aperture.


    ¡°Taking weeks to get through is better than not getting through at all,¡± Hector said. ¡°They¡¯re bottled up and not going anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Not good enough,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Obviously, we¡¯ll be looking for alternatives,¡± Hector told him, ¡°but it¡¯s exceptional enough that we can get in there eventually. Getting through right now is impossible. We need to accept that and direct our energies where they can actually accomplish something.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been my experience,¡± Jason said, eyes once more glued to the aperture, ¡°that much of what people call impossible is an unwillingness to accept the price of moving forward.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°I worry that you are going to make a decision with long-term ramifications in the heat of the moment.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a smart guy, Shade,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m going to do.¡±


    Ability: [Nirvanic Transfiguration]


    This ability will be evolved from the ability [Astral Affinity].Your body and soul will be combined into a gestalt entity both physical and spiritual in nature. This state will grant inherent resistance to effects that utilise the soul-body disconnect.The nature of your new body will render you immune to resurrection effects, including those of high-rank healing magic. If your body is discorporated, your soul will return to a purely spiritual state, unable to reinhabit a physical form or re-enter a physical reality. This prevents the natural formation of an outworlder body on entering a physical reality. These restrictions will change on reaching diamond rank.When suffering lethal damage, instead of dying, your new body will undergo a nirvanic rebirth, returning to a state of full integrity. This effect cannot be triggered again until you have increased in rank from the last time it was used. This ability will change on reaching diamond rank.The strength of your aura will significantly increase.Your resistance to hostile dimension effects and disruptive force damage will be increased. This is an enhancement of the [Astral Affinity] ability.The effect of your dimension effects and your transcendent damage will be increased. This is a legacy effect of the [Astral Affinity] ability.Physical reality around you will be more stable. You will be able to sense nearby astral space apertures and proto-astral spaces coterminous to your location.You will be able to traverse astral space apertures, including those that are closed or have been sealed.You will be able to directly enter proto-astral spaces coterminous with your location or directly leave a proto-astral space to a coterminous location.While within the astral you will be able to create and maintain a small zone of physical reality around you. This does not grant the ability to enter or traverse the astral.


    Of the many effects of the strange ability offered to him by the World-Phoenix, the ability to pass through sealed astral space apertures had seemed like a minor consideration. In this moment, it was a more crucial power than coming back from the dead.


    ¡°You held well-reasoned reservations about that power,¡± Shade said. ¡°The wiser course would be to take some time to cool down and consider the consequences of claiming this power.¡±


    ¡°I already know the ramifications of not taking it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Farrah in the hands of that man for weeks while I pick a lock, when I could have slipped in the window.¡±


    ¡°Have you not considered that you may have been offered this power in anticipation of this very scenario?¡± Shade asked. ¡°The World-Phoenix may well have placed her where she arrived as part of engineering this result.¡±


    ¡°Of course it has,¡± Jason said. ¡°But even if that is the World-Phoenix¡¯s plan, my knowing that doesn¡¯t mean it won¡¯t work. This is what I need right now and what did I say, Shade?¡±


    ¡°Whatever it takes,¡± Shade said. ¡°This is not a trivial choice, Mr Asano. Jason, this will change you. Fundamentally.¡±


    Jason finally tore his eyes from the aperture to look at Shade.


    ¡°You¡¯ve never used my first name before.¡±


    ¡°It is a moment for drastic measures, Mr Asano. I believe that you have the potential to reach the pinnacle of power and throw off the shackles of a mortal lifespan. This is a decision that may follow you for eternity.¡±


    Jason looked at Shade for a long time, then turned back to the aperture.


    ¡°Shade, do you remember what my Dad said about big decisions?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°He advised that you consider the person you want to be.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m going to live with this forever ¨C and I think that¡¯s a much bigger if than you suggest ¨C then I want to be the man who chose to do whatever he could to save his friend.¡±


    ¡°Then you have your decision,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose anyone wants to fill me in on what you¡¯re talking about?¡± Hector asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said.


    You can accept ability [Nirvanic Transfiguration]. Accept Y/N?


    Jason mentally accepted the offer and silver light immediate started shining from within his body. Light started pouring from his mouth and his eyes, shining through his skin to make his veins and even his skeleton visible. The pain began early, not just to his body but his soul, but this was something he had endured in the past.


    The other people in the tent looked on, startled, as the light shining from him grew brighter. They backed off as Jason¡¯s clothes disintegrated around him, his skin becoming increasingly translucent. The veins and arteries in his body were absorbed, vanishing as his body moved even further from the human norm. Only his bones and the scars on his body remained visible in his increasingly transparent flesh.


    The ritual on the aperture was washed away and the onlookers abandoned the tent entirely as they sensed the strange vortex of magic centred on Jason. Shortly thereafter, the tent itself was disintegrated like his clothes. The Network¡¯s tactical units scrambled to surround him at a safe distance, a firing line of magical guns pointed in his direction.


    Jason¡¯s flesh completed the transition to translucency, making his scars standing out all the more. The onlookers watched as the white bones of his skeleton were transformed into silver metal.


    Once that process was complete, an amorphous murk appeared within his translucent form, like a stain. It started moving to the surface of his body and splattering out, landing on the ground in gobbets of rancid ichor. The horrific stench of it was something every essence user recognised, having been through their own purges.


    ¡°Is he ranking up?¡± Hector asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Asya said, standing beside him. ¡°Is that what ranking up to category three looks like?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Hector said. ¡°No, it is not.¡±


    For Jason, the process rivalled the star seed implantation for pain to both body and soul, his mouth wide open in a silent scream. It felt like his body and soul were being torn apart and then woven back together. He staggered then fell to his hands and knees, mind consumed with nothing but pain. He forced himself back to his feet, defiant.


    The onlookers saw three globes of energy inside of Jason¡¯s translucent body, circling each other behind his rib cage. One was a sphere of pure darkness while another was a glistening orb of blood. The third was a blue and orange eyeball that gave off a sense of depth and power, as if to probe too close with their magical senses was to risk annihilation on gaining its attention.


    Jason¡¯s body once more started to take on a fleshy opacity. The crest of his back, which had vanished with his flesh, manifested within him before moving out as his skin once more lost its translucency. The light coming from his body slowly dimmed to nothing. It left him standing naked, surrounded by people pointing guns at him. Most of the ichor had been forcefully ejected, but enough was left to mar much of his skin with the unpleasant residue. The hair from all over his body had once again fallen out.


    He was unsteady on his feet, stumbling and almost falling as he took a step. He felt profoundly different both to himself and the people around him. For him, it was like being connected to the universe around him, his magical and aura senses both massively enhanced. He even felt something odd that he suspected to be the dimensional membrane separating physical reality from the astral. The aperture that had once only appeared to his magical senses was plain to see for him now.


    For the Network personnel with aura senses, Jason was a transformed being. His aura had always been powerful but now it felt like a solid object, as real as the ground beneath their feet.


    He pulled one of his precious few vials of crystal wash and tipped it over his head., cleansing the ichor from his body. He ignored his nakedness and the gun-toting people all around him. Shade emerged from his shadow.


    ¡°Might I suggest some of Mr Tillman¡¯s pilatory unguent,¡± Shade suggested. ¡°Then, perhaps, some pants.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said, pulling out a tin of Jory¡¯s hair growth ointment. ¡°Could you?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Shade said, taking the tin. He judiciously applied it to Jason¡¯s head and eyebrows while Jason recovered, feeling completely spent. Shade, unlike Jason, could use the ointment without worrying about hair growing out of his fingers.


    Dark mist surrounded Jason, and when it disappeared, he was wearing his battle robes and Shade was trimming his unruly hair and bushy, alchemically-grown eyebrows. Hector strode over, Asya trailing behind.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Hector said. ¡°What exactly just happened?¡±


    ¡°Something I¡¯ll explain later,¡± Jason said, then pulled out a recovery potion and swigged it. ¡°After I deal with your rogue personnel.¡±


    He marched over to the aperture and vanished into it.


    ¡°Your Operations Director wasn¡¯t kidding when she warned me he was a handful,¡± Hector told Ketevan in the camp¡¯s commend tent.


    ¡°In fairness,¡± Asya said, ¡°his friend has been kidnapped and it¡¯s clear that she¡¯s very important to him. Not to mention that the people behind all this fall under our umbrella. You think he cares about which branch they¡¯re from or if they¡¯ve gone rogue? From his perspective, the Network had kidnapped and tortured his friend, then kidnapped and tried to kill him. I¡¯m not sure I¡¯d be putting up with us if I were him.¡±


    ¡°He needs us,¡± Ketevan said.


    ¡°Does he?¡± Asya asked. ¡°I don¡¯t know what the World-Phoenix is but from what I could tell, it offered him a power I certainly don¡¯t understand. With backing like that, even if he¡¯s reluctant to accept it, what can he get from us that compares?¡±


    A network functionary burst into the tent.


    ¡°Mr De Lange,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ve been interrogating the original aperture monitors, who are all Barbou¡¯s people. They bolted after the dimensional space was sealed off but we managed to snag a few and we¡¯ve gotten one of them to talk.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t they go through with the others?¡± Hector asked.


    ¡°Some did, from what we can tell,¡± the functionary said. ¡°The rest had various tasks to perform. One of which was providing a car when Barbou left the dimensional space from a different aperture, just prior to it being sealed. He was alone. No EOA, no prisoner. His people gave him a car and that was the last they saw of him.¡±

 Chapter 319: Foiled Plans

    The pair monitoring the aperture from inside the astral space weren¡¯t even iron-rankers. Two of Shade¡¯s bodies shot out from Jason¡¯s shadow as he emerged from the aperture and used mana-draining attacks, which knocked them unconscious as they had no mana to drain. Jason barely paid them attention as he conjured his starlight cloak and looked around.


    The astral space seemed to be an interconnected collection of dilapidated manors and crumbling castles, rising up through an impenetrable fog. They were strung together like a spider¡¯s web by a network of bridges, none of which looked safe to walk on. Some were rotted wood, others stone arches, pockmarked by erosion. As for the buildings themselves, half or more of each structure had collapsed in sections, exposing the interiors.


    The fog below completely shrouded the ground, if there even was one. Astral spaces obeyed their own rules and the fog might hide nothing but an endless drop into nothingness. The sky was dark and stormy, filling the air with drizzle. There was a wet chill in the air, the unpleasantness of which seemed to ignore Jason¡¯s bronze-rank resistance to extremes of temperature.


    The aperture emerged into a room in a wooden manor. The exterior wall had collapsed, giving him a panoramic view of the surrounds, although enough roof remained to keep the drizzle off him. On the floor was a magic circle, the seal put in place on the aperture.


    ¡°This astral space seems well-suited to your combat style,¡± Shade observed. ¡°Complex environments full of dark corners.¡±


    Jason nodded. According to the Network intelligence, there were an unknown number of iron and bronze-rankers, plus ten or more of the EOA¡¯s elite converted.


    ¡°Are you going to unseal the aperture?¡± Shade asked and Jason spent a moment considering it.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason decided. ¡°A small army of Network jackboots doesn¡¯t advantage me. We¡¯re here for Farrah, not to bring in the EOA or the Network¡¯s rogue personnel. The element of surprise is more valuable than numbers if we don¡¯t share priorities.¡±


    ¡°We scout the area, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s go find her.¡±


    Jason had reunited with the body Shade had sent to France some time ago, giving him access to six of Shade¡¯s incarnations. Five of them went out to explore the astral space, while the last remained with Jason, who set out himself.


    Things had started to go wrong in the astral space when Barbou quietly slipped away. At first it was thought something happened to him and a search was carried out, until they discovered that he had slipped away before the seals were in place. This had come as a surprise both to the EOA and the bulk of the traitorous Network personnel. They had aligned themselves with Barbou in the expectation that he would be leading them during their time inside the dimensional space.


    The EOA realised that he had left after interrogating one of the pairs monitoring the seal. They were only iron-rankers and Barbou had not provided them with any direction beyond sealing the aperture behind him after he left.


    In the wake of unified leadership, the remaining people split into influence factions to fill the power vacuum. The EOA and bronze-rank Network personnel united to cow the iron-rankers and the normals, many of whom wanted to leave the dimensional space and surrender to the Network. It was not a good start, given that the goal was to settle in for months, if not years before events outside brought the dimensional space into play.


    Word started coming in that something had been spotted moving in the shadows, in more than one location. Since no one had been able to pin down whatever it was, it was assumed to be a stealth-type category two monster. Once they realised that there was more than one of them, they started sending out people to find and stop them. The direct manifestation of monsters in the dimensional space was a threat that would cost them to ignore.


    ¡°It appears to be working,¡± Shade said. ¡°They¡¯ve split into smaller search groups.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Keep track of Farrah while I start thinning out the herd. Once she¡¯s isolated enough, let me know and I¡¯ll move in.¡±


    They didn¡¯t see the shadowy arm move up from below the ledge. They only noticed something amiss as one of the category ones was pulled over the edge, plummeting down into the fog with a scream. One of his companions ran to the edge to look, even as the category two leader yelled out a warning. The reckless man was yanked off as well, following the first into the fog below.


    The three remaining Network operatives clumped together in the middle of the room, eyeing the edge without approaching. They still maintained a watch on the other directions, guns at the ready, and immediately spotted a figure stepping into a doorway from which the door had long since rotted away. It was only vaguely humanoid in shape, wrapped in bloody, ragged cloth and they opened fire with their enchanted weapons immediately. The bullets hammered into the cloth but were absorbed to minimal effect.


    They could sense the category two strength from the entity with their aura senses and as it moved into the room, the leader threw out a power. It was a concussive sphere of compressed air that struck the creature and blasted it apart, far more effectively than they had anticipated. Gobbets of flesh scattered all through the room, only for them to realise they were not the remains of a creature but a swarm of leeches. They now clung the walls, floor and ceiling on the side of the room that held the exits.


    Beams of blue and orange light, as if from some futuristic energy weapon cut down the normal and iron-rankers as they fled. Trailing behind them was a nebulous entity, the orbs floating around it being the source of the deadly beams. It barely shimmered at the occasional magic bullet passing through it as the fleeing victims desperately fired behind them in retreat.


    Four of the EOA¡¯s elite converted were moving through the remains of a once-vast castle. They discovered a strange entity stalking them through the shadows, only visible as what looked like a cluster of distant stars in the night sky.


    The category two guns Barbou had given them had no effect. The bullets did not pass through the entity to strike the wall behind but stopped dead, silent until they fell harmlessly to the floor. The entity tracked them as they moved, disappearing from one shadow and appearing in the next.


    ¡°It won¡¯t come out of the dark,¡± one of them said. ¡°Just stay away from the shadows.¡±


    ¡°Look around, genius. It¡¯s all god damn shadows.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not even attacking,¡± a third one said. ¡°Maybe we should just ignore it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re literally here to find whatever monster was snaking around in the shadows,¡± the last one said. ¡°Now that¡¯s done, how is ignoring the thing an appropriate next step?¡±


    ¡°Well shooting it didn¡¯t do anything,¡± the third one said. ¡°I¡¯m not the one who assigned all the guys with vision tattoos in the other groups.¡±


    ¡°So what do we do?¡± the second one said.


    ¡°Uh, guys? Where did it go?¡±


    They looked around, realising that every shadow was empty. After the starlight entity had been dogging them so closely, its sudden absence was disconcerting. Then they heard a scream from nearby.


    The EOA member stumbled over the edge, plunging down with a scream.


    ¡°Bitch!¡± his companion said, swing a backhand blow at Farrah, who had just shouldered the man off the side of the building. Her hands were cuffed but she used her bound arms to intercept the strike and entangle his. She then slung him into a fireman¡¯s carry and tossed him off the side after his fellow.


    She had picked her moment well. They were leading her through what she assumed was an astral space, given the unusual environment. There were more precarious narrow spaces than not and she had played docile prisoner until one of them got sloppy and moved too close to an edge. She was now free, but the keys to her cuffs and manacles had gone over the edge with the two men


    A group of EOA and Network operative found each other, both having lost members. Many were still in the process of having their flesh blacken with rot.


    ¡°You have healers right?¡± one of the EOA asked.


    ¡°He took out the healers first.¡±


    ¡°He?¡±


    ¡°It had a man¡¯s voice when it was chanting those creepy spells. It¡¯s an essence user. Probably the one Barbou warned us about.¡±


    ¡°Essence user, nothing. It¡¯s some kind of shadow monster.¡±


    ¡°Shadows don¡¯t use huge scary knives. It looked like a sacrificial dagger and I¡¯m not looking to be anyone¡¯s sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a guy. I¡¯m sure I hit him with my barbed spear power. That must have hurt.¡±


    ¡°It did,¡± came a cold voice. There was a resonating quality to it that immediately arrested the attention and sent a chill down the spine.


    ¡°You¡¯re Asano, aren¡¯t you?¡± the man with the spear power asked. He was one of those marked with blackened flesh. ¡°If we can make you bleed, we can make you die.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be the first. Your blood is not yours to keep, but mine on which to feast.¡±


    The man¡¯s life force emerged from within his body as a red glow and a good portion of it streamed away to be devoured by the darkness. As it did, the man¡¯s flesh was visibly dessicated.


    ¡°There!¡± one of them shouted, pointing in the direction of the stream of life force. Bullets and powers erupted in that direction, just as the draining power came to an end. A shadowy figure emerged from the other direction, dashing forward to bite into an exposed neck with an ornate black and red dagger.


    Farrah stopped and hid as she spotted a strange figure crossing the wooden bridge in her direction. It looked like a cloaked humanoid, but made entirely of manifested darkness.


    ¡°Miss Hurin,¡± a voice spoke. ¡°I have been sent to assist you.¡±


    Farrah stepped out from behind the half-shattered wall.


    ¡°Assist me how?¡±


    The figure tossed a small object at her, but rather than catch it she dodged out of the way. What landed on the ground was a small key. Looking closer, it was crudely made, but conformed to the common design for a suppression collar skeleton key. She picked it up and pressed it to the collar at her neck, which clicked open.


    She snatched it off and threw it over the edge of the building, where it fell away into the fog. She immediately felt the relief of magic flowing into her for the first time in what felt like years. Her mana stores had long dried up, leaving her with a constant pounding headache, but finally they started to replenish. She turned to the shadowy figure, which maintained a respectful distance, halfway across the bridge.


    ¡°My name is Shade. May I offer you a recovery potion?¡±


    ¡°You said you were sent to assist me,¡± she said warily.


    ¡°That is correct,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Who sent you?¡±


    Outside the astral space, the ritualist team that had been examining the apertures were reporting to Hector. They were standing in front of the aperture Asano had entered while the logistics team was preparing to assemble another tent.


    ¡°We have no idea what Asano did,¡± the lead ritualist said. ¡°It didn¡¯t open the aperture for us, though. We¡¯ve explored every option in our knowledge base and the simple fact is, those apertures are not going to open.¡±


    The aperture suddenly opened, a dozen people pouring out of it, looking variously terrified, half dead or both. Moments later they were surrounded by guns pointed at their heads.


    ¡°We surrender. Just keep whatever you sent in there away from us!¡±


    On his way to the to Swiss border, Adrien Barbou stopped his car to use a wi-fi hotspot and logged into a private chat room. Soon after, a second person entered and sent a video chat invitation. He accepted and the face of a stern-faced woman appeared on his screen.


    ¡°Mrs West,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s done. My remaining Network contacts have informed me that they accessed the dimensional space faster than anticipated, but things have otherwise played out as you directed.¡±


    ¡°The outworlder, Asano?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That works in our favour,¡± West said. ¡°The more value he has for them, the more they will believe that our goal was to obtain the other outworlder. Once they believe they have foiled our plans, they won¡¯t be looking for our true plot. You did maintain that the outworlder was our goal to everyone involved, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mrs West. No slip ups.¡±


    ¡°Good. You¡¯ve done well, Adrien.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you were willing to sacrifice a team of elite converted,¡± Adrien said.


    ¡°The category twos will soon be out of date,¡± Mrs West said. ¡°Anything below a category three is expendable for the plan. Now that your part with the Network is done, you¡¯ll learn the rest once you arrive here. Your contact will meet you in Zurich, as arranged.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mrs West.¡±


    In a Los Angeles branch of the Network the Operations Director was standing by the window, her assistant, Cleary, standing next to her.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, we need to accelerate the recruitment of the outworlder. Once he¡¯s acquired the other outworlder, Asano may turn his attention to Network activity. If he teaches the other branches how to accomplish non-core advancement, it will erode our advantage. Just having them know it¡¯s possible is bad enough.¡±


    ¡°They always knew, Cleary. Most branches have someone determined to crack non-core advancement. It¡¯s not like the process is hard to figure out. Physical training and meditation are hardly esoteric practices. They just lack the specific techniques to make those practices efficient.¡±


    ¡°Which Asano had already agreed to give them.¡±


    ¡°Which he won¡¯t, because he¡¯ll be joining us. Timing is everything, Cleary. He was never going to be responsive until the other outworlder was recovered. Now she has been, the time to take advantage has come. The Sydney branch has failed him and the Lyon branch has made an enemy of him. He is now primed to deal with the people who know what they¡¯re doing.¡±

 Chapter 320: Quite the Year

    Farrah felt a freakishly strong aura from above and looked up to see a sight that stirred a strong memory. A man was slowly descending through the air using a cloak made of star-filled darkness. He landed lightly on the bridge, in front of the shadow creature. Aside from the cloak, he was wearing dark combat robes and a sword at his hip that she immediately recognised. He pushed back the hood and she saw a face both familiar and alien.


    The shadow man, Shade, had said the man¡¯s name but she still had trouble believing, even as she looked right at him. The smug, perpetual half-smirk was the same, but was situated over an only slightly immodest chin. That chin had a scar, with another scar bisecting an eyebrow. The most startling physical feature was the eyes, which were silver and faintly glowing. Compared to the aura coming off the man, though, the eyes were perfectly mundane.


    She had never felt a bronze-rank aura even close to that potent. It was domineering, indomitable and resolute, with an undercurrent she recognised with a shock as divine. There was the unmistakable feel of an essence user¡¯s aura, but also distinctly something else. Like the man¡¯s appearance, his aura was at once recognisable, yet also strange and new to her. It was solid in a way she had never felt from any other aura, as if it wasn¡¯t a projection of a soul but the soul itself, standing right in front of her.


    ¡°What are you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What?¡± the man said. ¡°Not even who? Wow, that¡¯s rough.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not doing a great job of mimicking him,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re going by vague description.¡±


    ¡°Also harsh. You¡¯ve missed a lot, Farrah.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re too tall,¡± she said. ¡°Your complexion is too clear. I¡¯m not sure what the scars are about, but it takes a lot to scar an essence user. Your voice is too deep, I can¡¯t even describe how wrong the aura is and the eyes are way off. You couldn¡¯t even get the rank right. It¡¯s like you copied him but couldn¡¯t help making him more impressive than he really is.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is just getting hurtful,¡± he said and turned to Shade. ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my eyes?¡±


    ¡°They changed when you took the power,¡± Shade said. ¡°I didn¡¯t mention it when it happened because there were other considerations.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have said something when you were doing my eyebrows.¡±


    ¡°You were quite focused at the time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair. Do they look good?¡±


    ¡°They set off your dark hair quite nicely. You really should grow the beard back in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll just let it come back on its own. I only have so much of Jory¡¯s hair cream.¡±


    ¡°Hello?¡± asked the seemingly forgotten Farrah.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re the only one who gets to be rude?¡± he asked. ¡°You know you died, right?¡±


    ¡°The memories are hazy, but yes,¡± she said.


    ¡°I spoke at your memorial, you know. I was kind of amazing. Rufus said it was worth you dying just to hear my beautiful words. Gary blubbed like a little boy with a skinned knee. Snot got all in his fur, it was a huge mess.¡±


    ¡°Is it really you?¡± she said.


    He flashed a familiar grin.


    ¡°I knew my charisma would shine through.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine any shape-shifter with so little dignity as to talk that much crap,¡± she said. ¡°What about Colin?¡±


    As soon as Shade told him he found her, Jason had started rushing through the astral space, chaining shadow jumps to reach her as quickly as he could. He leapt off a castle rooftop, floating downwards as he saw her staring at Shade with suspicion. She sensed his aura and looked up, watching him like a stranger, even as he landed and revealed his face.


    She was not looking her best, thin, dirty and hair reduced to a thin fuzz. At least they¡¯d given her some clothes, some track pants and a t-shirt, but she was still barefoot. She looked at him with wary eyes.


    ¡°What are you?¡± she asked.


    He realised that for all that she laid the groundwork for who he was, she had missed most of his transformative experiences. It was no surprise she looked at him like a stranger. His personal crest could not be falsified, but she had never seen it. His aura and even his rank were sun and moon to what she knew, let alone his appearance. The cloak of stars certainly helped, but if he was going to convince her he was himself, he needed to really be himself. He started talking.


    He watched recognition and hope slowly dawn on her face as he bantered.


    ¡°What about Colin?¡± she asked.


    He held up his hand, the palm growing slick with blood that coalesced into a leech with horrifying lamprey teeth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to cut myself to pull him out, now,¡± Jason said. ¡°The benefits of ranking up.¡±


    She started at the leech in his hand, which rocked back and forth in a way that was somehow merry, despite coming from a tiny blood-sucking monster.


    ¡°I think he missed¡­¡±


    She rocketed forward with peak bronze-rank speed, almost bowling him over as she threw her arms around him, gripping him like he was a security blanket. Colin was knocked away, deftly caught by Shade. Jason felt her whole body tremble as she sobbed into his shoulder.


    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± he said softly, gently placing his arms around her.


    After a bronze-rank spirit coin, a recovery potion, Jason¡¯s third-last vial of crystal wash, most of his remaining hair ointment and a surprisingly proficient hair cut from Shade, Farrah was looking more like herself. Not exactly what he remembered, with the jeans, blouse and jacket, but a lot closer than her recollection of him.


    Her own clothes were long gone. Her stone chest dimensional space was her human racial gift tied to her earth essence, which would have been empty anyway. Jason had removed its contents a year earlier.


    Jason hadn¡¯t had the presence of mind to prepare clothes for her. Shade had taken the initiative to procure the ensemble, leaving the appropriate cash in the till of the shop he took them from.


    They sat on the edge of a brick rooftop, legs dangling off the side. She leaned against his arm, reassured by the physical contact.


    ¡°How long?¡± she asked.


    ¡°A year,¡± he said.


    ¡°It must have been quite the year,¡± she said.


    ¡°You have no idea. Luckily, we¡¯ll have plenty of time for me to explain it all. Also, quite a lot of recordings.¡±


    ¡°You kept making those recordings for your family?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. They¡¯ve even started watching them.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Oh, crap,¡± Jason said, realisation dawning. ¡°Farrah, this astral space isn¡¯t attached to your world. It¡¯s attached to mine.¡±


    ¡°That was your world?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You didn¡¯t realise it was a different reality?¡±


    ¡°I was collared and spent almost every moment either unconscious or thrown in a hole,¡± she said. ¡°So, you got home.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Look, we should really get moving. There¡¯ll be more time for explanations on the way home. We¡¯re on the wrong side of the planet right now.¡±


    Jason had experienced an oddly emotionless clarity in the moments after his own captivity, but when the emotions finally came, they crashed down like a tsunami. He wanted to get Farrah out of the astral space and past the inevitable Network attention before it all caught up to her. He suspected that Farrah was mentally stronger than him, but there was no avoiding the aftermath of the trauma she had suffered. In his case, it had been months before he came up for air.


    He got to his feet and helped her to hers. They had only just set off when he sensed a large number of auras spreading out through the astral space, some of which he recognised.


    ¡°Looks like the bad guys unsealed the aperture that was securing this astral space,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯re about to run into some people but they¡¯re allies. I¡¯ll get us past them as quick as I can.¡±


    The Network platoon¡¯s tactical leader, Karen Espinoza, was leading the team through the astral space after the inhabitants unsealed it and rushed out. She paused at another cluster of corpses, these ones both desiccated and blackened with rot.


    ¡°What the hell kind of powers does this guy have?¡± her second asked. ¡°Did he seriously do all this alone?¡±


    ¡°This environment is probably as good for him as it is bad for us,¡± Espinoza said. ¡°The more extreme the location, the less effective orthodox tactics are. I¡¯ve been advising massive expansions to our tactical doctrine for years, and I¡¯m far from alone. We¡¯re far too reliant on conventional, military-derived tactics. Hopefully Asano turning up will actually be a spur for change.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s only category two.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Imagine if we could all fight like him. Category three monsters can soak a lot of damage, even from category three bullets. He¡¯s clearly more reliant on powers than weapons, which is what we need at the high end. Thus far we¡¯ve basically been throwing money at the problem. We may as well be using gold bullets.¡±


    They continued to clear the space around the aperture to secure their beachhead, as exploring the kilometres of space within would take considerable time. They encountered Asano as he was on his way back to the aperture, calling out ahead so as to avoid friendly fire.


    ¡°You found her,¡± Espinoza said. ¡°That¡¯s mission accomplished for you. Thanks for doing most of ours along the way.¡±


    ¡°I was in the neighbourhood,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°De Lange will want to debrief her,¡± Espinoza said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t much care, to be honest,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯s done being beholden to Network personnel.¡±


    Farrah¡¯s eyes took in everything as Shade drove them through Lyon.


    ¡°The magical carriages here are better than the ones back home,¡± she said. ¡°And they don¡¯t use magic. You know, we all thought you were talking nonsense about your world and what could be done without magic.¡±


    ¡°Wait until you see the plane,¡± Jason said.


    She turned to look at him.


    ¡°Can I use a power on you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± he said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you want to know what it is before accepting?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s you,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t need to.¡±


    She looked at him in silence for a long time.


    ¡°You¡¯ve changed,¡± she said. ¡°You were so skittish back then. You hid it well but scratch the surface and there was the fear.¡±


    ¡°We have a mythic warrior here who uses his fear as a weapon, turning it on his enemies.¡±


    ¡°What kind of warrior?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s this super-rich guy that dresses up like a bat and goes around punching the poor.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a terrible myth.¡±


    ¡°He has special boomerangs.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how that matters.¡±


    ¡°Well if you take this stance with Batman, I am not going to try explaining Zatanna¡¯s pants situation.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Farrah said. ¡°What a tragically familiar feeling.¡±


    Jason grinned, inwardly crowing as he kept her from dwelling on her ordeal. He¡¯d essentially blasted through the Network, demanding a plane from Hector before dramatically driving away in Shade. His goal was to lean into the strangeness of a world that was new to her to distract her at least until they were on the plane and she had time to sit with what she¡¯d been through, and hopefully get some sleep.


    ¡°So, about that power,¡± she said.


    ¡°Go for it. Shade¡¯s the one driving.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never used this before,¡± she said.


    [Farrah Hurin] is attempting to use ability [Power Bond] on you.[Power Bond] will enhance some of your abilities for the duration of the bond and give [Farrah Hurin] access to your knowledge. This is restricted to your knowledge of concepts external to yourself. This ability cannot read your thoughts or access your knowledge of yourself.[Power Bond] can be rejected or ended at any time by you.If you do not implicitly trust [Farrah Hurin], this ability will fail. Subconscious distrust will prevent this power from working.


    Jason was extremely curious about the new outworlder powers replacing Farrah¡¯s human abilities but was wary of conversation drifting in a traumatic direction. He had his own strange new power to worry about, as well.


    You have been affected by [Power Bond], connecting you to [Farrah Hurin]. You may end this connection at any time.


    ¡°So, that power lets you gain knowledge?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°It should glean certain amounts of knowledge from someone, based on what they are thinking about, but not their actual thoughts.¡±


    ¡°How does it work?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going by instinct, here,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯m thinking back to when we met you and learned you were an outworlder. Rufus said that every outworlder gets a power that acts as a guide to their new world. I think this is mine, tapping into the knowledge of someone I trust and turning them into my guide. Try focusing your thoughts on a topic. Any topic, it doesn¡¯t matter what.¡±


    ¡°I can do that,¡± Jason said. He considered for a moment, thinking of common aspects of his world. Looked around, he picked cars. He started concentrating on the idea of cars and Farrah¡¯s eyes immediately went wide and she started jolting in her seat for a few seconds.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Jason asked as the fit passed.


    ¡°I am,¡± she said although she looked exhausted.


    ¡°So, do you know about cars now?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I do,¡± she said.


    ¡°Think you could drive one?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I think the ability operates similarly to a skill book, although I can¡¯t be sure, having never used one. The difference seems to be that a skill book gives specific and specialised knowledge, even skills, while this ability gives more of an overview. I understand what cars are and how they operate, more or less. There¡¯s a lot of peripheral information that didn¡¯t make sense to me, and won¡¯t until I get a lot more knowledge.¡±


    ¡°There is a lot to learn,¡± Jason said, concentrating again. Once more Farrah was jolted in her seat.


    ¡°That¡¯s exhausting,¡± she said unsteadily. ¡°I should be judicious in what I want to learn, because I can only do that so often.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Jason said. ¡°Essentials first.¡±


    ¡°Do you really consider Magnum P.I. to be essential?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°I¡¯m not even clear on what television is, exactly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s essential,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s going to come up a lot.¡±


    Farrah was astounded at the plane, promptly learning about them from Jason. It left him worried about his own rather sketchy understanding of aerodynamics. If she was going to be learning about his world from him, she might end up with some strange ideas.


    Following her initial outburst of emotion when they first met, Farrah had shown almost no signs of distress over what she went though. This started to worry Jason as they boarded the private plane and took to the skies. It was just the two of them, plus the pilot, co-pilot and one attendant who had apparently been instructed to be as non-intrusive as possible. After the plane settled into its flight, Farrah took Jason¡¯s advice and went into the sleeping cabin.


    Unguarded in her slumber, Jason felt the brutal nightmares through her aura.

 Chapter 321: Full Houseboat

    Jason had his own unfortunate experiences with how essence users dealt with extreme trauma following periods of captivity. In the time he had spent recovering, he had learned a lot from the priest of the Healer and Rufus'' mother, Arabelle Remore. In the weeks he had spent receiving their care, they had elucidated how the response and recovery of essence users tended to go.


    Essence users went through their own variation on shock, as compared to normal people whose souls had not been magically reinforced. Following the trauma, essence users gained a grace period where their minds were stabilised by their souls. It was a defence mechanism that gave them a chance to seize a critical moment and escape their circumstances.


    The price of which was that once the grace period was passed, their souls would enter a recovery state. Their powers were negatively affected and their mental state crashed, leaving them both fragile and vulnerable. Jason had experienced this himself, and it was not long into the first leg of their return to Australia that Farrah experienced that crash for herself.


    Jason knew that there was little he could do for her at the moment, other than keep her safe. He didn¡¯t disembark as the plane stopped to refuel, remaining outside the sleeping cabin like a loyal guard dog. Only once he got her somewhere that she truly felt secure would she set out on the long path to recovery.


    What that would look like, Jason was unsure. He didn¡¯t have access to experienced professionals like Arabelle or Carlos, the priest of the Healer that had helped him. He snorted a laugh at the irony of him, of all people, being disappointed at the lack of a priest.


    Jason didn¡¯t bother waiting for the flight to arrive, portalling directly off the plane with a blank-faced Farrah. The interior of the houseboat managed to rouse a reaction as she looked around at the white and sunset colours of the cloud-stuff. He could sense the presence of his sister and her family but didn¡¯t announce his presence as he arrived in an empty cabin.


    ¡°Cloud house?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°I won Emir¡¯s little contest.¡±


    ¡°You met Emir?¡±


    ¡°Sure did,¡± Jason said. ¡°We have a lot to catch up on. I¡¯m sorry I won¡¯t be able to help you as well as Arabelle would.¡±


    ¡°Rufus¡¯ mother? How much did I miss?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to tell you all about it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s get you settled in a room and I¡¯ll make us some¡­¡±


    Jason¡¯s phone had been lost in the plane explosion and after jetting across the world and back, he didn¡¯t even know what time it was.


    ¡°¡­lunch,¡± he guessed, based on the day outside.


    Now that Farrah was secure, Jason''s next concern was her recovery. Even if he could find a local trauma counsellor he could trust, the circumstances made it very tricky. Anyone who already knew about magic would still have a lot of catch-up to do and would come from one of the local magical powers. Jason didn''t trust the Network or the Cabal to not view Farrah more as an opportunity than a victim, even if they did have the qualified staff.


    Jason could find an unaffiliated specialist himself, but there was no way to help Farrah properly without inducting that person into the secrets of magic and alternate universes. That would cause problems with traumatising his new trauma counsellor and he needed someone who could help her with the culture shock.


    In many ways, Jason himself was the best choice to help her as he had some relevant experiences, but that did not make him the equal of the people who had helped him through those experiences. He did not want to mess Farrah up more than she already was.


    In the end, he decided to compromise. He would reach out to the Network and ask their healer, Gladys for potential options. First, he would need a new phone.


    ¡°Uncle Jason!¡±


    The moment Jason appeared in the houseboat¡¯s galley, his niece apparently confused the concepts of hugging and rugby tackles as she launched herself in his direction. He stood solid as a wall as she crashed into him, ruffling her hair affectionately.


    ¡°Uncle Jason¡­¡± she complained., straightening it with her fingers. He chuckled as he looked to her mother making lunch. Ian walked in from outside, holding the book he was reading. Ian greeted him with a welcoming smile, while Erika was giving him a scolding look.


    ¡°You have a lot of explaining to do,¡± she told Jason. ¡°Like what¡¯s going on with those sunglasses.¡±


    ¡°Jet lag,¡± Jason lied. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you all about my trip later. You know, it¡¯s sometimes eerie how much you look like Mum when you¡¯re cranky.¡±


    ¡°You do kind of look like Nanna,¡± Emi said, examining her mother¡¯s face.


    Erika¡¯s nostrils flared and her eyes went wide.


    ¡°Now you really look like Nanna,¡± Emi said as her father held laughter back with tightly pressed lips.


    ¡°Explanations will have to wait, a couple of days,¡± Jason said. ¡°I promised the men in black I¡¯d stopped randomly telling people stuff before they enter into a secrecy agreement.¡±


    ¡°Since when do you have any respect for authority?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m always conscientious and respectful,¡± he lied, moving around the kitchen counter to catch his sister in a hug. She didn''t return it, so as not to get food stains on his clothes from her hands as she mixed spices.


    ¡°Once Emi goes off to play with Shade,¡± he whispered to her.


    ¡°Suffice to say,¡± Jason said, ¡°that a friend of mine was in need of help and I helped her.¡±


    ¡°This is a mysterious magic friend?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Yes, although that requires its own explanation. I¡¯ll make sure you¡¯re up to speed before she¡¯s ready to start meeting people. She¡¯s in a rough way, right now, so don¡¯t expect her to pop out and say hi. I''d appreciate if you could knock some food up for her. She doesn''t, strictly speaking, need to eat, but she could use the comfort in comfort food.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s here?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a she?¡± Ian asked as sat his book on the counter and Jason glanced at the cover.


    "The Shipping News," he read from the cover. "I didn''t like it."


    ¡°No?¡± Ian said. ¡°I¡¯m quite enjoying it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a problem of expectations,¡± Jason said. ¡°From what I saw people saying on the internet, I was anticipating more action.¡±


    ¡°You know, you left Mum, Kaito and Amy in quite an uproar,¡± Erika said as Jason washed his hands to assist Erika. ¡°Letting them in on it and then running off to Europe.¡±


    ¡°I know I need to talk to them,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I have my own priorities, right now.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re coming around this afternoon,¡± Erika said. ¡°I could have warned you if you had a phone. Why do you not have a phone, again?¡±


    ¡°I left it on the plane,¡± Jason said as he started chopping vegetables. ¡°You could have told Shade. Actually, Shade could have told me.¡±


    ¡°Your instructions were to respect their privacy and only inform you if their activities put them in danger,¡± Shade¡¯s voice came from Erika¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°You know, I don¡¯t love the constant surveillance,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Non-negotiable,¡± Jason said, the usual joviality in his voice displaced by a hard edge that made them all turn their heads at him, Erika and Ian then sharing a glance. Jason kept chopping vegetables, seeming not to notice.


    "Your knife skills are coming along," Erika said, watching Jason''s hands move in a blur.


    ¡°The advantage of superhuman reflexes.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Jason,¡± Emi said, ¡°is it fun being a superhero? I bet it¡¯s lots of fun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a superhero, Moppet.¡±


    ¡°You use the special powers you got in an alternate reality to protect people from danger while wearing an elaborate costume that hides your identity,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°She¡¯s got you there,¡± Ian said. ¡°You even have a superhero name. You know they¡¯re still trying to figure out who the Starlight Rider is.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a good hero name,¡± Jason complained. ¡°It sounds like a B-story hero that got cancelled in the seventies once the publisher realised it was a gay allegory.¡±


    ¡°Are we still going to have those people follow us around?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure yet,¡± Jason said. ¡°While I¡¯m here, I¡¯m all the security you need. I¡¯ll probably be taking some trips, though, so we¡¯ll see. I was planning to sort a lot of that out this afternoon but someone set up an impromptu family reunion. I have things to do today.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Erika said. ¡°You do.¡±


    Kaito and Amy pulled into the marina behind a woman with long, dark hair in a classic convertible.


    ¡°Is that Asya Karadeniz?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Kaito said. They pulled up just along from Asya as she was getting out of her car. She had a briefcase and an expensive, flattering pantsuit.


    ¡°Hello Asya,¡± Kaito said, getting out of the car. ¡°You¡¯re looking good.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hello Kai, Ames,¡± she greeted them, her eyes walking up and down Amy¡¯s outfit as a small smile crept onto her mouth. ¡°It¡¯s been since the memorial, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kaito said.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°Work stuff,¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you¡¯d be here when Jason asked me to come. Besides, I never properly thanked him for saving my life the other day.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what?¡± Kaito asked.


    ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s all classified, but maybe he¡¯ll tell you if you ask. Or maybe he won¡¯t; I don¡¯t know if he still tells you everything like he used to. I only heard what happened between you third-hand, although your marriage itself speaks volumes. Funny how things work out, isn¡¯t it? You even asked me out a few times, didn¡¯t you Kai? I¡¯m going to go ahead, so I¡¯ll see you aboard.¡±


    They watched her set off down the dock.


    ¡°You asked her out?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°What do you think she meant by Jason saving her life?¡± Kaito asked.


    ¡°Multiple times?¡±


    ¡°It was back in school,¡± Kaito said. ¡°It kind of threw me. I¡¯d never been knocked back by a girl from a lower year before.¡±


    ¡°How many lower year girls did you ask out, creeper?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s seven months younger than me,¡± Kaito said. ¡°She¡¯s older than you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you remember her birthday?¡±


    ¡°When did I ever not remember your birthday?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Amy said. ¡°Don¡¯t think I didn¡¯t see you watching her sashay down the dock.¡±


    ¡°How was that a sashay?¡± Kaito asked. ¡°It was a saunter at most. Her shoes were too sensible for a proper sashay.¡±


    ¡°She never wore heels,¡± Amy said wistfully. ¡°She was always an annoyingly elegant giraffe.¡±


    ¡°You two didn¡¯t get along in school, did you?¡± Kaito asked.


    ¡°Not especially, no.¡±


    Jason and Erika watched Ian and Emi roar off on a pair of black jet skis.


    ¡°I wanted to have a talk,¡± Jason said, ¡°but we only have a few moments. Kaito and Amy are here, along with the person I¡¯d actually planned to meet this afternoon.¡±


    Erika went to the side of the houseboat to look around at the car park where Kaito and Amy were talking to an attractive Turkish woman in a business suit.


    "Did Shade tell you they were here?"


    ¡°I sensed them. I have magic powers, remember?¡±


    She moved back and brushed his arm, as if to reassure herself he was really there.


    ¡°You feel different somehow,¡± she said.


    ¡°I am. Come around for a drink tonight and I¡¯ll catch you up on everything. I need a favour.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but you have to do one for me.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Wally has been bugging me about getting you on the new show. We¡¯re filming new episodes all week, down next to the surf club.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± he chuckled. ¡°If you can herd the family away tomorrow so I can get some things sorted out, I¡¯ll be there Monday.¡±


    Kaito and Amy stepped onto the houseboat just as an unfamiliar woman looking sleepy and with dishevelled hair stepped out of a cabin.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked warily.


    ¡°I¡¯m Amy, this is Kaito,¡± Amy said. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    She peered at them blearily.


    "Wait, you''re the brother," she said, pointing at Kaito before turning her finger on Amy. ¡°Which would make you the one who¡­¡±


    ¡°Jason told you about us, then?¡± Kaito said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Just to be clear, I¡¯m on his side, so as far as I¡¯m concerned, you can both jump overboard and drown each other.¡±


    She wandered back into the cabin, the misty door sealing it off.

 Chapter 322: A Wizard Did It

    Amy and Kaito watched Farrah go back into her cabin.


    ¡°Do we know who that was?¡± Kaito asked. ¡°She seemed kind of familiar.¡±


    ¡°It was hard to tell with the Japanese horror movie hair, but yeah.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Kaito said. ¡°What about that woman from Jason weird hologram recordings? The one he said shoots lava.¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right,¡± Amy said. ¡°What the hell has Jason got himself involved in?¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t she meant to be in another universe?¡±


    ¡°You realise how insane you sound, right?¡± Amy asked.


    ¡°Ames, I don¡¯t know what¡¯s happening. We went through a doorway that led to the other side of town. How do you explain that away?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all I¡¯ve been thinking about for days,¡± she said. ¡°The problem is, every explanation I come up with seems less plausible than the last. If we¡¯re talking about Jason setting up a wormhole generator in Erika¡¯s bedroom, magic seems less ridiculous, somehow.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s past time that Jason gave us some answers.¡±


    The arrival of Jason¡¯s mother had not worked to alleviate Jason¡¯s stress. With everyone in the bar lounge, he strove to explain things thoroughly. The constant stream of questions kept derailing things until he held his head between his hands and let out a groan.


    ¡°Mum, the answer is the same as it has been for your last five questions: because magic. You want to know why? Because a wizard did it, that¡¯s why. And that wizard is me! I¡¯m the wizard. Magic is real and I have it. I¡¯m a magic man.¡±


    He conjured his sinister dagger of red crystal and black obsidian.


    ¡°See this?¡± he continued his rant. ¡°This is my magic knife. Don¡¯t touch it because it¡¯ll kill you super dead. Why? Because it¡¯s magic.¡±


    He casually tossed the blade away and it vanished in the air. He then tossed his sunglasses aside in the same manner.


    ¡°My eyes turned silver yesterday. That¡¯s just what my life is now. Can you guess why? No, you can¡¯t because it was magic, which hours of explanation is apparently insufficient to drill it into your tiny frigging brains! Asya. Could you explain how I saved us when someone detonated a bomb in our plane? Actually, let me: it was magic. And awesomeness. All of you look around. You¡¯re sitting in chairs made of clouds.¡±


    He gestured down with both hands and all the cloud furniture sank into the floor, dumping the occupants. Jason gestured up and the furniture returned, lifting the fallen people as it arose.


    ¡°This whole houseboat is A: magic, and B: not a houseboat. It¡¯s a big magic cloud that I keep in a bottle like it¡¯s a genie.¡±


    At this point, everyone was looking on with scared expressions as Jason continued to fly right off the handle. He gestured to his left and Shade emerged from his shadow.


    ¡°This is Shade. Some of you have met Shade. His dad is what happens to you after you die, which is especially relevant to me because I¡¯ve died twice already. The second time I came back from the dead, I even brought a friend. I should be with her right now because she spent the last two weeks getting tortured, but instead, I''m here teaching Intro to Sorcery to people who think I¡¯ve got nothing better to do than answer their questions about the nature of the bloody universe. Well, I do and I''m sorry about catching you up in all this, Asya. I didn''t realise I''d be having quite so many guests when I asked the Network to send someone. I should just let my friends take care of them. This is Gordon.¡±


    Gordon manifested on Jason¡¯s right with a surge of Jason¡¯s aura that washed over the room like a wave.


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure what Gordon¡¯s deal is,¡± Jason said, ¡°except he loves Judy Garland and he¡¯s a reality assassin. I don¡¯t know what that means, exactly, but it sounds really scary once you start to learn about reality, which I have because I¡¯m an interdimensional warlock ninja.¡±


    Jason held out his hand, which became wet as blood seeped through it. Everyone in the room recoiled as leeches started spilling out of his hand to pile up on the floor. Bloody rags emerged from the pile to start binding it into shape.


    ¡°This is Colin,¡± Jason said. ¡°He needs a moment to gather himself together. When a super god was trying to possess me, he¡¯s the one who had my back. He¡¯s been with me from almost the very start and he has two purposes in life: adorable little dances and devouring every living thing on a planet.¡±


    Jason threw his arms out to his sides.


    ¡°I try to be a good guy, but it turns out I''m really bad at it and kill a lot of people. I''ve been back less than three weeks and I don''t know how many people I''ve put in the ground. Asya, do you have numbers on that?¡±


    ¡°Uh... somewhere between thirty and fifty is the estimate,¡± she said.


    ¡°Those people had it coming,¡± Jason said. ¡°Some of them really had it coming and the only thing I feel bad about is that I don''t feel bad about killing them. So here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen now. Anyone who has questions can go to the media room and watch the recordings as much as they like. There¡¯s about a hundred and fifty hours of them and no one gets to ask any more questions until they¡¯ve watched them all. If anyone tries asking me questions before then, they¡¯re getting a demonstration instead of an answer, and I showed you my portal ability instead of my other powers for a reason. You do not want a demonstration.¡±


    Jason gestured and a portal arch rose from the floor, which he stepped through and vanished. His familiars followed, leaving a room of shell-shocked people staring at the arch, which remained in place. Erika was the first to recover, turning to Asya.


    ¡°So you and Jason went to school together?¡± she asked pleasantly.


    ¡°Um, yes,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°It¡¯s nice to reconnect with old friends,¡± Erika said, her voice then taking on the same flinty tone as Jason¡¯s. ¡°Now tell me about the exploding plane.¡±


    Jason stepped out into his soul garden. The sky reflected the sunny day outside his spirit vault, a warm breeze carrying the scent of flowers. He was glad that the garden didn¡¯t smell of blood and death, which he would have expected.


    What it did smell like was Farrah. He knew that outworlders had a distinctive scent to them, which had been described as being like springtime, but it was hard to notice his own scent. It was only after catching her smell, once she was cleaned off, that he really experienced the fresh, clean scent for himself.


    The garden had the same clean aroma, which combined with the unseasonal warmth to give the feel of a spring day. He took a deep, cleansing breath, something he hadn¡¯t done in a long time, and let the stress wash out of him.


    The rear of the bottom deck had been lowered into the water to allow Ian and Emi to ride their jet skis directly onto it. The jet skis both burst into dark clouds that coalesced into the form of two of Shade¡¯s bodies. One disappeared into Emi¡¯s shadow, while the other vanished into the shadow of the upper deck. Ian and Emi were towelling themselves off when Erika came out, blatantly ogling her husband as he wiped down his wet body.


    ¡°Do it slower,¡± she said, a lecherous smile on her face. Ian started pulling the towel back and forth across his back to create what he mistakenly thought to be a sensuous look.


    ¡°Gross,¡± Emi said, wrinkling her nose at her parents making eyes at one another. ¡°Where¡¯s Uncle Jason?¡±


    ¡°He got a bit frustrated with everyone,¡± Erika said. ¡°I think we forgot while dealing with all the craziness he brought with him that he is dealing with his own stuff. He went through one of his arches but it won¡¯t let anyone else in.¡±


    ¡°That must be his special place,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°Special place?¡± Erika asked, turning her attention from her husband.


    ¡°He told me about it,¡± Emi said. ¡°It¡¯s a place that¡¯s not really real that only he can go to. I¡¯m going to go have a look.¡±


    Emi left her parents behind to go into the bar lounge, still wearing her swimsuit and rash shirt, with a towel slung over her shoulders. Ken had arrived with Kaito and Amy¡¯s girls, the older of which, Hana, was telling her parents about her day with Poppy. It was a story with all the clinical accuracy one would expect from a four-year-old.


    ¡°¡­and then we ran under the sprinkler and a hippo came out.¡±


    ¡°A hippo,¡± Kaito said. ¡°That must have been exciting.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Hana said, stomping her foot. ¡°She was a stupid hippo!¡±


    Everyone was actively avoiding the darkness-filled obsidian arch with their eyes as if ignoring the weird magical thing in their midst could make it disappear. The only exceptions were baby Jace, who was straining her arms in its direction from within her mother¡¯s firm grip, and Asya. Her eyes were locked thoughtfully on the arch as Emi wandered in. Emi didn¡¯t recognise her, so immediately wandered over and stared at her.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Emi asked.


    Asya turned a curious gaze on Emi.


    ¡°I¡¯m Asya. You must be Emi.¡±


    ¡°According to who?¡± Emi asked, voice filled with suspicion.


    ¡°I work for some people who¡¯ve become very interested in your uncle. Also, you brought snacks out to our security people in their car. That was very nice of you.¡±


    ¡°They were healthy snacks, so it wasn¡¯t that nice,¡± Emi said. ¡°You¡¯re one of the men in black? Aren¡¯t you meant to try and blend into the background?¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°Oh, please,¡± Emi said. ¡°No one wears an outfit that makes them look that good by accident. I like your shoes, though. They¡¯re nice, but you can still run in them if you have to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± Asya said with a dry chuckle.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°I was meant to be going over some points of an agreement with your uncle and my organisation, but I wandered into a family reunion.¡±


    ¡°That was Mum,¡± Emi said. ¡°Nanna found out about all the magic stuff only for Uncle Jason to run off to Europe. She¡¯s been constantly pestering Mum ever since, plus she¡¯s figured out that Grandnanna was healed with magic.¡±


    ¡°They sent me because I went to school with your uncles and Aunt Amy,¡± Asya said. ¡°I grew up in Castle Heads.¡±


    Emi narrowed her eyes at Asya.


    ¡°Did you make out with Uncle Kaito?¡±


    ¡°No, I did not,¡± Asya said, affronted. ¡°I was hoping Jason would have time for me today before I left,¡± Asya said, ¡°but I don¡¯t think things will be very productive today.¡±


    Emi turned to the archway.


    ¡°He¡¯s in there? It looks just like his teleport archways,¡± she said.


    ¡°Have you ever gone through one?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°Lots of times,¡± Emi said. ¡°Fourteen. I think that¡¯s a lot compared to most people, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never travelled like that,¡± Asya said wistfully.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t? Don¡¯t your secret magic people have a bunch of teleporters or something?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Asya said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Ask Uncle Jason. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll take you.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡±


    ¡°Kind of like a theme park ride, except you get the whole ride in one second. You¡¯ll probably throw up the first time. And the second time.¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Emi said. ¡°I¡¯m not a scrub.¡±


    ¡°Emi,¡± Erika said with an admonishing tone as she walked into the bar lounge. ¡°Leave Uncle Jason¡¯s friend alone, go shower off that saltwater and put on some clothes.¡±


    Emi glanced at the archway sitting dominant in the middle of the room before trotting off without another word. Erika moved closer to Asya, joining her in observing the arch.


    ¡°I always wondered how Jason ended up the way he is,¡± Asya said absently. ¡°After meeting your daughter, I¡¯m starting to suspect that it¡¯s you.¡±


    Farrah didn''t have Jason''s connection to the cloud house, so her senses were unable to penetrate the walls to see if his family were still around. She''d been sitting in a cloud chair in a daze, aside from the curry Jason had delivered for lunch that had briefly roused her with its vibrant scents and startling, complex flavours.


    She suddenly found herself restless and left through the exterior wall that shimmered as she passed through. Jason¡¯s cloud house was far smaller than Emir¡¯s palace but the basic functions were the same. Meandering slowly around the lower deck, she contrasted the exterior of the houseboat to the interior.


    The inside was familiar to her, not just from knowing Emir but from a magical aesthetic. The exterior of the houseboat, like Jason¡¯s world itself, was a fa?ade belying the magic it secretly held.


    She leaned again the wall, feeling lost in so many ways. She finally understood what Jason had felt when they first met. Captured by people with poor intentions with no understanding of what was happening or why. He had done the rescuing in both cases, which irked her, although the thought drew a smile in spite of herself.


    The world around her had felt alien, as if its very nature was to reject her. The zone of magical density created by the houseboat was comforting, feeling more like home. It was an impressive feature, like a giant, perpetually active mana lamp. Emir had always been reticent about letting her poke around but perhaps Jason would be more amenable.


    She resumed her slow wander, the glass exterior of the houseboat darkened from the outside to prevent anyone from seeing in. One of the walls shimmered and a dripping wet, naked child passed though it, pointing a finger at her.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead. Well, obviously you¡¯re not dead, but you died. You are Farrah, right?¡±


    ¡°I am. And you¡¯re naked.¡±


    The child yelped and ducked back through the wall, returning moments later with a towel wrapped around her.


    ¡°How are you alive?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    ¡°You must have come back with Uncle Jason right?¡± Emi interrupted.


    ¡°Yes, I¡­¡±


    ¡°But he didn¡¯t know because you didn¡¯t arrive in the same place,¡± Emi reasoned, against cutting off Farrah¡¯s response. ¡°You¡¯re the friend he needed to help in France, which he must have only just found out about, which is why he rushed off all of a sudden.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t really need me to answer, do you?¡±


    ¡°You must have been in trouble and then he found out and got super-intense, which I could tell even when he was talking through Shade.¡±


    ¡°Shade?¡±


    ¡°Something really bad must have happened to you.¡±


    Emi clasped Farrah in a fierce hug as Farrah looked down at the tiny dynamo before awkwardly patting her on the head.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re Emi?¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Uncle Jason told you about me?¡± Emi asked, still violently comforting Farrah.


    ¡°He did,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I see now that he might not have been telling me as much as warning me.¡±


    Emi¡¯s towel came loose and dropped onto the deck.

 Chapter 323: The King of Everyone

    Jason¡¯s spirit vault had undergone considerable change, which he discovered on his first entry since accepting the World-Phoenix¡¯s power. Fusing the physical and spiritual aspects of his being had a considerable impact on his spiritual space.


    The garden itself didn¡¯t occupy any more space, which seemed to be a function of rank, but it was much changed from his last visit. It was now a largely hanging garden, with flower-wreathed bamboo trellises hanging over long sections of flagstone paths. The design was dense but immaculate, allowing the sun passage through the various trellis coverings and open sky areas to create artworks of sunlight and flowers.


    In the section of the garden where the flowers represented his blood essence abilities, red flowers covered walls running either side of narrow pathways of blood-red flagstone. Overhead, more red flowers made a canopy that only allowed in dappled sunlight, giving the overall impression of walking through an artery.


    The area dedicated to his sin essence had starkly contrasted flower beds of black, red, white and gold. Archways of hanging flowers carved the light into hard segmentations of light and shadow.


    The dark essence area was now underground, the pathway leading into a subterranean cave system. Luminescent fungus and white flowers that shone like moonlight covered the walls while the floor of the cave was covered in silver grass that apparently required no photosynthesis. Even with the glow of flowers and fungi, it was hard to see in the dark and irregular natural caverns. Even Jason¡¯s power to see through darkness was suppressed, although it started working when he concentrated on it. It was, after all, his soul and he was ultimately in control.


    The doom essence area used medium-sized trees to create different levels of light throughout. The paths were simple grass trails between bushes and trees. Some of the bushes were explosions of red and orange that, under the light coming through the trees looked like a fire. Other places had tall, narrow hedges covered in gold, white and silver flowers. The unobstructed light shining on them gave them an appearance reminiscent of Jason''s transcendent finishing attacks.


    A creek now led into the garden from under one of the walls, winding through the various sections of the garden and crossed by a series of small bridges. In the doom section, the bridges were rustic wood. The sin area had bridges of marbled black and white obsidian. In the blood section, the creek was only heard and not seen, adding to the sensation of being inside a living vein.


    The creek ultimately dropped from a small waterfall to pool in an underground fairy grotto, the only part of the dark section open to the sky. Even the dimmer parts of that chamber were filled with a rainbow of luminescent fungus, giving it an ethereal beauty.


    As far as Jason could tell, the creek represented a trickle of power sourced directly from the astral. He suspected it was the reason he hadn''t needed to take a spirit coin to stave off the magic deficit of Earth during the long plane flight.


    At the heart of the garden, the gazebo had not only been fully integrated into the garden but transformed into a sprawling pavilion complex, centred on a three-storey pagoda. The marbled obsidian was more white than black, compared to the dark stone of the gazebo, and overgrown with vines and flowers.


    Exploring the pagoda, the ground floor was the storage space for his inventory items. To outside observation the bottom floor had walls, but the inside was a different story. Instead of walls, the interior was a platform situated in a starry void. The contents of his inventory floated nearby and beyond that spread out an infinite expanse of stars, galaxies and nebulae. It was like standing in the centre of the universe.


    ¡°Bigger on the inside,¡± he muttered. ¡°I suppose I am too, for that matter.¡±


    There were two exits, in the form of apertures that reminded Jason of his portal arches. One was the archway through which the garden outside could be seen. The other was a ring floating in the ceiling, situated over an elevating platform, which Jason rode up to the next floor.


    The second and third floors of the pagoda were open to the air, much like the old gazebo. The second story was a sitting area, complete with furniture, while the third storey was a meditation room with a luxurious floor of white moss that rivalled his cloud house for softness. Heading back down, he paused in the sitting area and looked at the chairs.


    ¡°Why more than one chair?¡±


    He considered the changes to his soul garden had gone through since arriving back home. Until he gained the spirit vault, it had been an unchanging place, aside from the expansion when he ranked up. These new and rapid alterations were obviously a reflection of the changes to his soul. What he needed was some quiet time to adjust and consolidate but there were too many claimants on his time.


    With that thought, his mind turned once more to things the new garden had mercifully distracted him from. He was soon back to dwelling on the frustration of his outburst toward the family.


    ¡°Damn it,¡± he scolded himself, his hands wringing impotently at his sides.


    ¡°You have a lot to deal with,¡± Shade said. His familiars had been comfortingly following him around like apocalyptic ducklings. ¡°Miss Hurin¡¯s care, the Network, your family. The changes to the very nature of your being.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The man who tried to kidnap you and is now at large,¡± Shade continued to list off, ¡°the EOA, the World-Phoenix, the mysterious painter¡­¡±


    ¡°I said I know,¡± Jason snapped, then his whole body sagged. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Shade. Without you, I wouldn''t have kept my head above water this long. You deserve the opposite of being yelled at. How about a raise?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t pay me,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been giving the money to Gordon every week to pass along, haven¡¯t I Gordon?¡±


    Jason¡¯s nebulous familiar gave no reaction.


    ¡°See?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No one will blame you for getting overwhelmed,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t know my mother that well,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t allow myself to unleash like that. What if I lose control of my aura and give someone an aneurism? It¡¯s stronger than ever and I¡¯m increasingly finding it getting off the leash when I become emotional. The whole reason I ducked in here was that I could feel myself losing what little remained of my cool. The power disparity means that I don''t get to be the one who can''t control himself.¡±


    He groaned, running his hands over his face.


    ¡°Shade, I don¡¯t know what to do. I don¡¯t see a path where I can do all the things I need to do without my head popping like a pimple from stress.¡±


    Emi marched into the crowded bar lounge, dragging Farrah by the hand. After drying and putting on clothes, Emi had taken Farrah literally in hand and marched her into the bathroom of Emi¡¯s cabin. She brushed out Farrah¡¯s depression hair, returning her at least a semblance of the appearance she had in Jason¡¯s recordings.


    This allowed everyone who had seen the recordings to recognise her on her arrival in the bar lounge, leaving everyone but Asya startled by her arrival. This was double for Erika and Ian who, like Emi, had watched enough of them to learn Farrah¡¯s fate. Asya had at least seen her when arranging Jason¡¯s flight back to Australia.


    Farrah¡¯s gaze was drawn to Asya, whose iron-rank aura stood out amongst the normals. Farrah could feel the curiosity and nervousness of the woman, along with a faint strain of fear and hostility. It wasn¡¯t that she viewed Farrah as a danger, but saw her as a more nebulous kind of threat. It wasn¡¯t something Farrah could unravel without knowing the woman and circumstances more.


    ¡°They¡¯ve all seen Uncle Jason¡¯s recordings, so they all recognise you,¡± Emi explained, ignoring the room¡¯s occupants as she pulled Farrah in the direction of the arch. ¡°Not all of them know you¡¯re meant to be dead, though.¡±


    For her part, Farrah was arrested by the incongruous obsidian arch in the middle of the room. She had once found an identical one under a lake, the object of a mission her team had been sent on by Emir.


    ¡°How can this be here?¡± she whispered to herself.


    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Emi asked as they reached the arch. ¡°Uncle Jason makes them.¡±


    ¡°Farrah?¡± Erika asked, the first to gather her wits.


    ¡°That¡¯s my Mum,¡± Emi explained.


    ¡°Jason¡¯s sister,¡± Farrah said, turning to Erika. ¡°He always spoke warmly of you.¡±


    ¡°Erika Asano,¡± she introduced herself. ¡°Jason told us you were dead.¡±


    ¡°I was,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I thought you said we couldn¡¯t go in,¡± Emi said to her mother. She was arm-deep in the shadow gate.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t working for us,¡± Erika said, reaching out herself. Her hand was stopped dead on reaching the darkness filling the arch.


    ¡°That¡¯s weird,¡± Emi said. ¡°Farrah, let¡¯s go find Uncle Jason.¡±


    Emi stepped through the arch, dragging Farrah through behind her. After they vanished, Asya stepped up next to Erika and likewise put her hand up against the darkness. It felt like cool, heavy crystal under her hand, completely unyielding.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you can tell me what¡¯s going on?¡± Asya asked Erika.


    ¡°I think it might be better to watch Jason¡¯s recordings from while he was away,¡± Erika said. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯d mind you seeing them.¡±


    Jason was continuing to explore his new, densely packed garden.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°I believe that something unexpected is about to happen.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    [Emi Evans-Asano] has entered your [Spirit Vault].[Farrah Hurin] has entered your [Spirit Vault].


    ¡°What?¡± Jason exclaimed. ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±


    He was suddenly reminded of the moment he accepted the blessing from the World-Phoenix. At the time, his only concern had been getting to Farrah and he had closed the text wall his interface produced without looking at it. He wondered if there was a message log and his interface promptly supplied one, allowing him to find the discarded message.


    Ability [Nirvanic Transfiguration] has amalgamated your body and soul into a state that is both physical and spiritual. This state has altered your [Spirit Vault] ability to be a physical space that others can enter.Only those who implicitly trust you will be able to enter your spiritual vault. Anything short of complete trust will prevent them from entering. You may seal the vault against any or all individuals. It is not possible to break into the spiritual vault by anyone without existing access to your soul, such as through a star seed or divinely-granted essence ability.Anyone in your spiritual vault is under your power. They cannot use abilities or affect anything within the vault, including you and each other, with limited exceptions.You and your familiars can affect people within your vault in almost any way, except for violating their souls, although you can attack their souls. They may be protected from your influence through a connection to a foreign element in your soul, if present, such as a star seed or divinely-granted essence ability.You can expel or trap anyone within your spiritual vault, although individuals with a significantly greater soul sense than you may be able to force their way out. Individuals may resist expulsion through a connection to a foreign element in your soul.


    ¡°Damn.¡±


    In his astral space, the normal rules of reality didn¡¯t apply and he controlled it all. He closed his eyes and the pavilion came into view, with Emi and Farrah looking around in surprise. Farrah looked much improved, the simple change of brushing her hair making a huge difference. She was still haggard but much more like her old self. That was a startling turnaround in just a day and one he didn¡¯t put much stock in. He knew that her ordeal wasn¡¯t something to simply brush off.


    Jason vanished from where he was standing to appear in front of Emi and Farrah.


    ¡°Ladies,¡± he greeted. ¡°I¡¯m a little surprised to see you here.¡±


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Farrah asked as Emi goggled at Jason¡¯s teleportation.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in dimensional spaces created by essence abilities before,¡± Farrah said, ¡°and this isn¡¯t that. My aura and magic senses aren¡¯t even working. Is this some spatial treasure the Order of the Reaper left behind?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is the inside of my soul.¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± Farrah said, then shrugged. ¡°I suppose that¡¯s never stopped you before.¡±


    Jason threw her a grin.


    ¡°I see this one dug you out,¡± Jason said, ruffling Emi¡¯s hair as she crankily pushed his hand away. ¡°How are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Not the best I¡¯ve ever been,¡± she admitted. ¡°You?¡±


    ¡°I''m not going to complain, with everything you''ve just been though,¡± Jason said. ¡°Who am I kidding? Of course I am, but that can wait. You have no idea how happy I am to have you here.¡±


    ¡°Can you show us around, Uncle Jason?¡± Emi asked.


    "Sure, although this is quite new to me," Jason said. "I''ve been experiencing a lot of changes lately. How about we take a look around together?"


    Emi slipped her hand into Jason¡¯s and the trio started walking around the garden.


    ¡°So, this is what your soul looks like,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s oddly tranquil. I would have expected something a little more erratic.¡±


    ¡°I can''t imagine why,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m a beacon of peace and harmony.¡±


    They wandered the garden, Jason and Farrah keeping the topics light due to Emi''s presence. He thought back to the description of why they had accessed his spirit vault. The realisation that they trusted him to that degree filled him with warmth, soothing the raw nerves that had led to him hauling off on his family.


    Emi delighted at every new sight, Jason saving the best for last. He finished the garden tour at the fairy grotto, then took them into the bottom floor of the pagoda to look out into the universe.


    ¡°It might be more impressive if your boxer shorts weren¡¯t floating past,¡± Farrah said. Jason made a downward gesture and his inventory items dropped out of sight.


    ¡°I really needed this,¡± he said, squeezing Emi¡¯s hand. ¡°Emi, can you go tell your Mum that I¡¯ve calmed down and I¡¯ll be out in a while?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said cheerily, skipping out of the pagoda. The archways for his familiars and the vault doorway were still present in the pavilion. Once she was gone, Jason let his true weariness be revealed on his face.


    ¡°Something to eat?¡± he offered Farrah.


    ¡°Is it actual food, or will I be nibbling on bits of your soul.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s food,¡± Jason said. ¡°My personal storage space is wrapped up in here.¡±


    They took the elevating platform up to the sitting area and settled into chairs that looked like bamboo but had the soft comfort of cloud furniture. The elevating platform descended and a tray of sandwiches came sailing up through the hole, settling onto the table in front of them.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re out and about,¡± Jason said. ¡°If it were me, I¡¯d be hiding in my room for weeks. I know, because that¡¯s what I did when it was me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not you,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I want to take control back. Get productive, do some good. That¡¯s not so easy in a world you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was bad enough in your world, only for me to come back and discover I never really knew my own.¡±


    ¡°You know more than me,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ll be relying on you to guide me through it.¡±


    "If you''re looking for productive, I think I have something. Back in Greenstone, I liked to blow off steam by monster hunting. Vent some frustration and help people at the same time by clearing off the adventure boards. The monsters here appear in proto-astral spaces, which is why no one knows about it. There''s some kind of planetwide detection array they use to find and eliminate the monsters before the proto-spaces shoot them out into the world."


    ¡°A planet-sized magical array? I¡¯d love a look at that.¡±


    ¡°We can probably swing it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was meant to be meeting with a rep from the local Adventure Society equivalent today. She is out there, but my sister decided to invite my whole family around for a big group talk about magic being real.¡±


    ¡°The iron-ranker,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°She can get us into some proto-spaces,¡± Jason said. ¡°I still need to sort out the details, though. My family kind of took over everything and I just lost it and started yelling at them. They wouldn¡¯t have understood much and believed even less.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You¡¯re sinking all this time and energy into getting them caught up on magic, making sure they¡¯re safe and understand what¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°Something like that.¡±


    ¡°Well, you need to stop,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Just because you came home with a pile of magic powers, that doesn¡¯t mean you¡¯re suddenly the king of everyone. There¡¯s only so far you can be responsible for and to your family. They have to make their own choices and you don¡¯t get to tell them what to do.¡±


    ¡°My coming back into their lives has caused chaos and brought danger.¡±


    ¡°Are you an idiot?¡± she asked. ¡°Life is dangerous and you can''t change that, no matter how much you twist yourself up in knots trying. Do you think you''re the first adventurer to bring some weird crap back to hang around their family''s necks? Every adventurer that comes up from nothing has some variation on this, and yes, your story has some surprising turns, but so does everyone else¡¯s. You¡¯re a little weird, Jason, but you aren¡¯t that special.¡±


    ¡°So what do I do?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The same thing everyone does. You essence your family up, train any of them that are worth a damn and send the rest monster cores every now and again. Beyond that, you have to let them be responsible for themselves or it all goes wrong. If you¡¯re too controlling, they get stifled and inevitably someone makes a stupid choice and betrays the family, be it on purpose or inadvertently.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple.¡±


    ¡°Yes it is,¡± she said, then poked him in the forehead. ¡°That is where things keep getting complicated. You need to get out of your own way, magic up the family and let them loose to make their own mistakes, while you focus on what you need to do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not even sure where to start,¡± Jason said.


    "I suggest with how we even ended up here," she said. "We''re in the wrong damn universe."

 Chapter 324: I Came Back to Show You Wonders

    Shade informed the family members who were variously preparing dinner, looking after infants or watching recordings that Jason was about to emerge and they should gather in the bar lounge. As such, they were waiting for him when he stepped out, Farrah right behind him.


    ¡°Firstly, my previous statement about asking questions before watching all the recordings stands. Second, this is Farrah. You should all recognise her by now. Let me be plain in stating that she is family. Anyone who has a problem with that can get off my boat. Third, I need most of you to sod off, so you¡¯re getting off the boat anyway. I have important stuff to do and can¡¯t be dealing with you every bloody hour of every bloody day.¡±


    Most of the occupants were herded off the boat by Shade, although Jason made sure to give his dad a hug first. Erika and her family were currently living onboard, so they stayed, along with Asya. Once peace descended on the houseboat, Jason, Asya, Farrah and Erika moved to the kitchen where Jason started assisting Erika''s dinner preparations. Brother and sister side by side behind the counter, finding an old, easy familiarity.


    ¡°So,¡± Jason said to Asya. ¡°Did Erika shake the story of my France trip out of you?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do any shaking,¡± Erika said, only for Jason to give her a sideways look.


    ¡°There may have been some mild jostling,¡± she confessed. ¡°What she told me was insane, though. Aeroplane bombs, kidnapping, secret societies. Did you really kill that many people?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said grimly.


    Erika nudged him with her arm.


    ¡°Are you okay, little brother?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m heading in that direction,¡± he said, with a glance at Farrah.


    ¡°And you were kidnapped?¡± Erika asked Farrah.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Lucky for me, they didn¡¯t have any of the magical torture techniques from our world. An essence user can withstand mundane techniques well enough if you¡¯ve been trained to. Especially if they¡¯re trying to break you down mentally instead of physically.¡±


    ¡°You never trained me like that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You wanted us to torture you?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°No, now that you say,¡± Jason said. ¡°How did they catch you in the first place? You should have been able to take those guys apart.¡±


    ¡°When I woke up,¡± Farrah said, ¡°my brain was telling me it had only been moments but my soul had a longer story to tell. That was disorienting, to say the least, and I wasn''t thinking clearly. Plus, I was in a newly-formed body and I wasn''t human anymore, so it all felt very strange. My old racial gifts were gone and I felt all these blessings ready to evolve my new outworlder ones. In the state I was in, I made what turned out to be a very bad choice.¡±


    ¡°You accepted them all at once,¡± Jason surmised.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I wasn''t exactly in a sound state in the first place and six gift evolutions at the same time were too much and I passed out. ¡°When I woke up I was collared and in a box.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that,¡± Asya said. ¡°They were rogue elements of my organisation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s okay,¡± Farrah said, to Jason¡¯s surprise. ¡°I¡¯ve seen churches and Adventure Society branches go rotten from the inside. So has Jason, for that matter. The mission doesn¡¯t stop being worth doing just because some of the people doing it go astray.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Asya said. ¡°The Adventure Society are the people responsible for fighting monsters in your world?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I¡¯d appreciate learning some more about how you do things here.¡±


    Asya explained the nature of the Network, with Jason occasionally contributing to help translate concepts for Asya or Farrah to understand better.


    ¡°Asya is here to nail down an agreement for working with them, so I can get to the monster hunting,¡± Jason said. ¡°I also agreed to teach some of their people the things that you, Gary and Rufus taught me. I¡¯m assuming you¡¯ll want in as well.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you just join their organisation?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°The Network isn¡¯t as open to independent action as the Adventure Society,¡± Jason said. ¡°They tell you what to do, how to do it and expect you to obey.¡±


    ¡°Why would anyone agree to that?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Because they control essence distribution,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°This is why I¡¯ve been negotiating an agreement more in line with Adventure Society standards,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I definitely want to be part of that, then, yes,¡± Farrah said. She shared a smile with Jason as they sensed the elation in Asya¡¯s aura. After all the trouble the Lyon branch went through to forcibly extract information from the two outworlders, she was going to close the deal on voluntary cooperation. If the Lyon branch hadn¡¯t been so paranoid about their secret astral space, things might have gone very differently.


    ¡°I was thinking that we could take a trip to Sydney tomorrow,¡± Jason said. ¡°Finalise the details, take a look at who you want us to train, and where. Erika, I¡¯d appreciate you helping Farrah to get some clothes.¡±


    ¡°That works for me,¡± Asya said. ¡°The International and Sydney Steering Committees have essentially agreed to the current draft of the agreement and they empowered me to finalise the arrangements here unless you wanted to change things up. I daresay that the inclusion of Miss Hurin is large enough a revision to put it off, but I can¡¯t imagine them being anything but happy.¡±


    ¡°They bloody well should be,¡± Jason said. ¡°Farrah¡¯s probably forgotten more than I¡¯ll ever know about magic. So, we¡¯ll meet you in Sydney tomorrow, Asya?¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯d like to travel with you, if I may. I¡¯m staying with my parents for a little while in Castle Heads. The Network wants to maintain someone locally and I was the natural pick.¡±


    ¡°Do your parents know about magic? Jason asked.


    ¡°No, but I¡¯ll have a wing of the house to myself, so privacy won¡¯t be an issue.¡±


    ¡°Oh, just a spare wing they happened to have hanging off the side of the house,¡± Jason said. ¡°We should probably take a look at the details of the revised agreement.¡±


    The current state of the agreement was dominated by loot distribution. Jason was allowed to keep any personally looted items and received merit points for anything looted by others using his ability. He could trade in loot for more merit points or his merit points for any materials the international committee had access to.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Jason said. ¡°This way, the Network gets the bulk of the items, which is what it needs, and I get a massive pool to select the items I need from. Who determines the merit value of goods?¡±


    ¡°We actually have a valuation system in place, for trading between branches,¡± Asya said. ¡°America exports a lot of gun essences, for example, which is why we have so many amongst our members.¡±


    ¡°That seems fair,¡± Jason said.


    Dinner was a large affair, with Erika¡¯s family, Farrah, Jason and Asya. Hiro and Taika came back, having been out scouting potential locations for his land investment. Hiro explained his plan of building an Asano family compound to the others over dinner.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If you''re not going to go for combat abilities, you should get Jason to give you an essence set suited for wide-area arrays.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°It¡¯s long term or permanent magical installations,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That¡¯s my magic specialty, so I can teach you all about them.¡±


    ¡°Essences are the magic cubes that give you powers, right?¡± Hiro said. ¡°Are yours suited to that kind of magic?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I have volcano powers.¡±


    ¡°I was envious of her powers from the outset,¡± Jason said. ¡°She is seriously terrifying. It¡¯s awesome and I haven¡¯t even seen her fight flat knacker yet.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t really seen you fight, either,¡± Asya said to Jason. ¡°All we have is the footage of you fighting the category three, and the magical recording of your fight with the hydra.¡±


    ¡°Hydra,¡± Emi said. ¡°Like what Heracles fought?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said, waggling his eyebrows at her. ¡°It was a river hydra, with poison breath and regenerating heads.¡±


    ¡°Did you cut the heads off and burn the stumps?¡± Emi asked. ¡°You know that Iolaus was the one who did that, right? He was Heracles¡¯ nephew.¡±


    ¡°You can be my assistant, Emi,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I bet I¡¯m way better than stupid Iolaus,¡± she sulked.


    ¡°What¡¯s a category three?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°A silver-ranker,¡± Jason said. ¡°He got the jump on me, but he wanted me alive and was Greenstone tier.¡±


    ¡°You beat a silver-ranker solo?¡±


    ¡°It was more of a no-score draw,¡± Jason said. ¡°He knocked me out and left me with his lackeys while he went off to get healing.¡±


    ¡°What kind of idiot tries to take an affliction specialist alive?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°You got kidnapped? Didn¡¯t they collar you?¡±


    Jason¡¯s eyes moved in Asya¡¯s direction.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you the details later,¡± he told Farrah.


    ¡°You live a crazy life, Jason,¡± Ian said. ¡°Planes exploding, kidnapping, rolling gunfights with bikies. I don¡¯t want my daughter put in that kind of danger.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid the world will be facing that kind of danger, sooner or later,¡± Asya said. ¡°My organisation is doing their best to hold back the tide, but magic is rising in our world. It''s reaching the point where we predict that containing all the monsters will become impossible sometime in the next decade. The truth is, we don''t contain most of them now.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The grid only extends over the landmasses,¡± Asya explained, ¡°and the surface of the Earth is seventy percent water. Sea monsters are real and we¡¯ve been covering them up for centuries. Also, every year we¡¯re covering up more and more sightings of monsters that have spawned on the moon. The people who think the moon landing was faked aren¡¯t even close to the real conspiracy.¡±


    ¡°Moon monsters?¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s awesome. Is there a secret Network base on the dark side of the moon?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Asya said. ¡°Not that they¡¯ve told me, anyway.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s disappointing.¡±


    ¡°And now we¡¯re having a serious conversation about moon monsters,¡± Erika said. ¡°Jason, you were always a source of weirdness but this is getting out of hand.¡±


    ¡°Can I be your assistant when I get magic powers?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± Farrah asked her.


    ¡°I¡¯m twelve.¡±


    ¡°You still have a few years until you¡¯ll get essences. Have you started her training yet, Jason?¡±


    Emi¡¯s eyes went wide as saucers as her head swivelled to look at Jason.


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be anything strenuous,¡± Jason said. ¡°A little martial arts and some free running. Really, it would just be some good exercise.¡±


    ¡°Farrah,¡± Erika said, ¡°didn¡¯t you say that your training involved torture resistance?¡±


    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t do that,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We didn¡¯t do it for Jason. We could tell that he was soft.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    ¡°Although he did turn out to be startlingly diligent for someone who seems like he¡¯d give up almost immediately,¡± Farrah continued.


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡±


    ¡°Frivolous,¡± she carried on. ¡°Flighty. The constant barrage of inane chatter.¡±


    ¡°This is just getting hurtful.¡±


    ¡°You meet him and think he¡¯d fold like a camp chair,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We have this friend, Rufus, though. He knew from the beginning that Jason had what it took.¡±


    ¡°Finally,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Rufus is the sexy one, right?¡± Ian said, having seen Rufus in the recordings.


    ¡°Really Ian?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Ian said. ¡°I¡¯m secure enough in my sexuality to acknowledge a beautiful man.¡±


    ¡°Every damn universe,¡± Jason muttered.


    Sunday morning still found the Evans-Asano family lodging in the houseboat. Erika had talked about going back to their home after Jason¡¯s return but her husband, daughter and the idea of giving up cloud beds brought her around.


    When Asya arrived for their day trip to Sydney, Jason, Ian and Emi were nowhere to be found. They managed to find Farrah, watching Jason¡¯s recordings in the media room, but she didn¡¯t know where they went.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Erika said. ¡°Where are my brother and my suspiciously absent husband and daughter?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve gone out.¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Out?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mrs Asano.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that you¡¯d like to elaborate?¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Shade said. ¡°I would not like to elaborate.¡±


    ¡°Meaning Jason is dong something dodgy and asked you to cover.¡±


    ¡°I prefer to think of it as maintaining security without compromising privacy.¡±


    ¡°Shade, if you don¡¯t tell me where my daughter is right now, I¡¯m going to have Asya and Farrah here teach me how to use magic and then shake the shadow out of you until you¡¯re a pale, skinny white guy who I will then proceed to beat with a cricket bat.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a plausible scenario, Mrs Asano.¡±


    ¡°You want to test me, shadow man? I don¡¯t care who your dad is or what you¡¯re made of because I will find something to shove my boot right up into.¡±


    ¡°Mrs Asano, you¡¯re wearing deck sandals. Also, if you go to the rear deck, you will find your errant family members returning.¡±


    The three women made the way to the rear of the houseboat and immediately spotted a trio of figures flying several metres above the water. The water below was being disturbed by the air apparently pushed out by heavy devices on their arms and backs. The three figures dropped down onto the deck, where the jet suits dissolved into darkness that disappeared into Emi, Ian and Jason¡¯s shadows.


    ¡°What the actual hell is going on?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s an actual¡­¡±


    Jason was silenced by the death glare that came from his sister, grateful when it was turned on her husband.


    ¡°Emi found this video on the internet,¡± Ian said. ¡°It was these mountain rescue guys in England using jets suits and we wondered if Shade could turn into something like that. It turns out he could.¡±


    ¡°You let our daughter go flying off in one of those things?¡±


    ¡°It was perfectly safe,¡± Ian said. ¡°Shade took over when we were going to crash into the water or a tree or whatever. If we were going to. That totally didn¡¯t happen.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re meant to be the responsible adult,¡± she told him, waving her arm at Jason and Emi. ¡°It¡¯s clearly never going to be these two.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jason said, then held up his hands in surrender as Erika turned her gaze back to him. She returned her glare to her husband.


    ¡°What were you thinking?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That jet suits are super sweet,¡± he whimpered honestly.


    ¡°And that justifies the danger you put our daughter in?¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t in any danger, Eri,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You keep out of this,¡± Eri told him.


    ¡°No, Eri, I won¡¯t,¡± Jason said. She open her mouth to bite back but something in his eyes stopped her cold. It wasn¡¯t hostile but it was unflinching.


    ¡°In the care of me and Shade,¡± Jason continued, ¡°Emi is safer in the middle of a gunfight than alone in the playground of her school. I''m done playing by Earth rules, Erika. Magic is real, magic is awesome and it''s the new reality you live in, like it or not. I know it seems strange and alien and dangerous but it''s the thing that will keep our family safe. You will never catch a disease that can''t be cured. You¡¯ll never be permanently disabled in an accident. A hundred years from now, your family, your daughter, will be alive and well. When you¡¯re sixty, you¡¯ll look better than you did at thirty. If you want to give Emi a sibling at that point, you still can.¡±


    He glanced at Farrah, who gave him an encouraging nod.


    ¡°It¡¯s a time of miracles, big sister. I¡¯ve been focused on the dangers but I came back to show you wonders. I got distracted and lost track of that somewhere along the way. I want you to trust me, Erika. Life is about to get amazing.¡±

 Chapter 325: Mercy

    ¡°That¡¯s a neat bit of work,¡± Farrah said, taking in the Network¡¯s Sydney branch with her magical senses. Standing outside the building, she observed the magical array shielding the upper levels. ¡°Whoever put this in place did a great job of working with the low magic area and interweaving low-level magical formations. You¡¯d still need spirit coins to maintain it with the magical density this low, but it must be very efficient.¡±


    ¡°By necessity,¡± Asya said. ¡°The Sydney branch doesn''t have its own source of spirit coins and is reliant on the International Committee. The astral space that the Lyon branch was hiding will be used to set up spirit coin farms, using records left behind centuries ago.¡±


    ¡°I can help you set those up,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Not for free, mind you.¡±


    ¡°We were rather hoping that one of you would have some insight,¡± Asya said happily.


    For the first time, Jason let himself be taken into the Network¡¯s local headquarters, with himself, his sister, Asya and Farrah going through a conventional security sweep and being given visitor lanyards.


    ¡°This is an uncanny feeling,¡± Erika said. ¡°The months I spent trying to find out what happened to you. The truth was more absurd than I could have imagined, and now I¡¯m going into the belly of the beast.¡±


    Jason grabbed her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. The elevator rapidly rose up through the building, Jason feeling it as they entered the area of the security arrays. Without Farrah''s expertise, he would still be hesitant about entering. Annabeth Tilden and Ketevan Arziani met them at the elevator as they reached the upper floors.


    ¡°Congratulations on the promotion, Anna,¡± Jason said after introductions were made.


    Jason has already learned of the shifting circumstances in the Network¡¯s Sydney branch. With the death of Keith and the disappearance of Miranda, two slots had opened on the eight-person Steering Committee. Anna, already in line for the promotion, was immediately stepped up. Her deputy, Ketevan, now occupied Annabeth¡¯s former position as Director of Operations.


    The second committee seat had been filled by someone transferred from the International Committee as an unofficial liaison. The Sydney branch¡¯s access to the two outworlders was of eminent importance and granting the International Committee some access and influence opened up better access to resources.


    ¡°I just wanted to thank you again for saving my life,¡± Ketevan said to Jason. ¡°If there¡¯s ever anything I can do for you, please let me know.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, ¡°I think my friend here would love a look at that grid of yours.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind meeting whoever set up the arrays here, too,¡± Farrah added.


    ¡°Easily done,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°Our magical emplacements team normally don¡¯t like to hear from the operations side but I¡¯m certain they¡¯ll be eager to pick your brain for otherworldly knowledge.¡±


    ¡°The intention was to finalise the agreement today,¡± Annabeth said, ¡°but there¡¯s been something of an issue.¡±


    ¡°Is this to do with me?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Actually, no,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°The IC and the Steering Committee had approved the final terms you worked out with Asya. The issue is that the Americans and the Chinese won¡¯t let the agreement go through until they¡¯ve had a chance to send representatives to meet with you both. They both have teams on route to Australia as we speak.¡±


    ¡°They want a chance to poach us for themselves before we make a deal with the International Committee?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the case,¡± Annabeth said unhappily.


    ¡°They have the pull to shut down the agreement until then?¡±


    ¡°Not in terms of codified authority,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°The United States and Chinese branches are both more unified on a national level than most other regions of the world and they''ve used collective resources to incentivise high-value members into joining their branches. Add in that they''ve been doing it for a century and those two countries represent a massively disproportionate section of the magical materials supply. This is especially true of spirit coins since they spare no expense to recruit anyone with a looting power.¡±


    ¡°Those abilities are inevitably worth whatever it takes to recruit the people that have them,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°You will be even more valuable, so you can anticipate a generous offer.¡±


    ¡°The International Committee would appreciate the chance to counter thereafter,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°That¡¯s annoying,¡± Jason said. ¡°I want to get this settled so we can get down to the business of training people up and taking monsters down.¡±


    ¡°What we can do today is get some of the legal issues out of the way,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°Firstly, we¡¯ve established a legal identity for you, Miss Hurin. We can take you through the details and give you the appropriate documentation today.¡±


    ¡°I need your help to exist?¡± Farrah asked, then looked to Jason. He nodded and they both leaned against the wall, to the confusion of the others. Farrah initiated her ability, gaining an understand of identity documentation from Jason.


    ¡°Okay, I understand,¡± she said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Farrah has a power that lets her learn things that I already know.¡±


    ¡°Is that a special thing that the two of you have?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°It requires a certain level of trust to work,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Similar to entering Jason¡¯s magical space. Since he¡¯s the only person in this world that completely trusts me, he¡¯s the only one it will work with here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll also have you sign secrecy agreements,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°All of this will involve government officials. Miss Hurin¡¯s documentation involves government bureaucracy, obviously, and the secrecy agreements are made in accordance with the Official Secrets and Unlawful Soundings section of the Crimes Act. Once that''s done, we''ll be free to tell you everything about magic without restriction since you will then be legally liable if you do the same.¡±


    ¡°This is the template we intend to use for your entire family,¡± Annabeth explained. ¡°We suggest that once they¡¯ve signed the agreement, we run them through the same structured information seminar we place new inductees to the Network through. It''s basically an eight-hour introduction to the magical world, and we have one tailored for the families of Network members. Once everyone has signed, we can set up a session.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± Erika said. ¡°Jason has told us a lot but he¡¯s been all over the shop with his explanations. Some structure would be appreciated.¡±


    ¡°It would be best if everyone else could sign up together,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°Mr Asano did contact us to ask for a preliminary briefing just for you Mrs Asano.¡±


    ¡°You did?¡± Erika asked Jason.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to be in charge of family wrangling,¡± Jason told her. ¡°That works best if you¡¯re ahead of the curve.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to do a full seminar,¡± Asya said, ¡°I might have my parents inducted as well. Since I¡¯ll be staying with them for a while, it would be better to avoid any unfortunate surprises.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d also like to brief you, Mr Asano, on the fallout from events surrounding the France excursion,¡± Annabeth said.


    ¡°Well, how about we get the paperwork out of the way first,¡± Jason said. ¡°Then Erika can take Farrah clothes shopping while you get me up to speed on the rest.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re just going to send the women off clothes shopping while the important man does the important work?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Yep. Begone, woman.¡±


    ¡°You know sexism humour is tired and lazy, right?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can take Farrah shopping; just give me back the money I budgeted.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you meant ¡®begone woman¡¯ ironically,¡± Erika said. ¡°I just didn¡¯t get it. That¡¯s funny stuff.¡±


    The detainment suite in which Kylie Chen had been placed was more like a motel room than a prison cell. Aside from the lack of a window, it had a bed, fridge and bathroom. A chair to sit in and watch the decently sized television or play the attached game console. The television had access to various streaming services, but otherwise, there was no internet connection.


    Kylie was far from in any mood to binge-watch a TV series. After discovering that she''d been used as part of a plan that killed several Network personnel ¨C people she knew ¨C she had been trapped in a prison of self-recrimination. She went through the events that brought her to this point over and over in her mind.


    The Frenchman¡¯s cell had been far less nice than hers, much closer to the prison model. It also had more secure magical protections, which she had unsealed using the instructions provided by the committeewoman.


    Despite Miranda Ellis¡¯ assurances, Kylie had been wary of the French prisoner. In most cases she withheld her prodigious senses, refraining from spying on people¡¯s emotions. More than concerns about privacy, knowing the true emotions of the people around her had always been a disheartening experience. She did not hold back against the Frenchman, however.


    Examining him as she read the packet Miranda had given her to pass along, she sensed the exact moment he resolved to kill her, escaping before he had the chance. Being category three, he had not anticipated her having the perceptual strength to read his emotions.


    She had raised the alarm herself, knowing that she would be punished for her terrible mistake, but Miranda¡¯s preparations had been thorough. The Frenchman was gone by the time security dealt with the impediments Miranda had put in place, although not without killing a few of them on his way out.


    Since then, Kylie had been dwelling on the fact that if she¡¯d read Miranda¡¯s emotions, she might not have been taken in so easily. Miranda had apparently known of her aversion, as well as the fear of Asano that had driven her to accept Miranda¡¯s plan so readily.


    The door opened and she looked at it curiously, as it was off-schedule for her meals. When she saw the man that stepped through, her blood ran cold. Asano didn''t move further into the room, standing just inside the door. Kylie jumped out of her seat, retreating to the opposite side of the room from Asano.


    ¡°Can I sit?¡± he asked with an awkward smile.


    ¡°If I say no, will you leave?¡± she asked.


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you want,¡± he said. ¡°I asked to see you after I was briefed on the recent excitement. My sister and my friend are out shopping and I had a little time, but if you don¡¯t want to speak to me, I¡¯ll go.¡±


    He waited, and when she didn¡¯t respond for a long time, he opened the door to leave.


    ¡°Wait,¡± she said hesitantly and he turned his head back to look at her.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± he asked. She nodded and he closed the door again before moving into the room. He turned the seat around so that he could face her if she sat on the bed, moving it away a little to giver her space. She didn¡¯t sit on the bed, instead retreating into the corner like a scared animal.


    ¡°Have they told you what happened since you turned yourself in?¡± he asked.


    After her experiences with Miranda and the Frenchman, she did not hesitate to explore him with her senses and was startled by what she found. He felt profoundly different from the last time she had seen him. More than just a different person, he felt like a different kind of entity altogether. It was to the point that she suspected him of being an impostor, some kind of bizarre interrogation tactic. It didn¡¯t matter since she had already told them everything, whether they believed it or not.


    Looking closer she felt something in his aura. It was an aspect of his aura she had noticed before that her instincts told her would be difficult, if not impossible to replicate. It was like an authentication mark on his soul, unchanging even when his soul underwent a grand transfiguration. The man sitting in front of her was Jason Asano, but transformed from the man she met less than a week earlier.


    Once she believed it was him, she started realising the similarities, alongside the differences. His aura was still domineering and resolute, with dangerous and powerful undercurrents. More powerful than ever, it felt like a solid wall in front of her. Even her powerful senses were unable to penetrate it and grasp his emotional state.


    ¡°What happened to you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°People had my friend and I had to become something new to get her back.¡±


    She didn''t ask if he succeeded. She would never put herself in between that man and whatever it was he wanted and would pity anyone that did.


    ¡°Did the Frenchman come after you?¡± she asked. She still had some desperate hope that Miranda¡¯s plan and her part of it was at least partially authentic and that she wasn¡¯t just a fool and a traitor.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°As best they¡¯ve been able to figure, the person who convinced you to release him never intended to send him after me. That¡¯s what you said the idea was, right?¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Miranda Ellis and the man she released haven¡¯t been heard from since,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rather than send the man for a second round with me, she had a bomb placed on the Network plane carrying me to France. I lived, obviously, but eight Network personnel did not. The entire flight crew, most of the security team and one Steering Committee member.¡±


    She flinched.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°They don¡¯t tell me anything, in here.¡±


    ¡°Did you know that the Frenchman killed more Network personnel as he escaped?¡±


    ¡°They told me,¡± she said. ¡°Is that why you¡¯re here? To get revenge by telling me about all the people my mistake got killed.¡±


    ¡°You feel responsible for the people on the plane?¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯d read her aura, I might have known that she was deceiving me.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Because people can be vile inside their own heads.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your sensitivity must almost be akin to mind-reading, except you feel people''s baser instincts instead of their loftier thoughts. You get all our ugly urges without the higher ideals that keep us from savaging each other like animals. Or capitalists.¡±


    ¡°Not yours,¡± she said. ¡°Your aura was already too strong, too controlled. All I caught was glimpses of your emotions. Now I get nothing but what you let people see. Your aura is unlike anything I¡¯ve even seen.¡±


    ¡°That makes you all the more scared,¡± Jason realised. They both knew that her emotions were an open book to him.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± she asked again.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure myself, to be honest. They told me about you and I felt compelled to see you. Realising how scared you were of me in that dimensional space shook me a little. Not as much as you, obviously. I¡¯m not responsible for your decisions. I am, at least partially, though, the impetus that led you to where you are now.¡±


    He rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°We¡¯re all responsible for our own choices,¡± he said. ¡°Inevitably we make bad ones. Sometimes we pay for that and sometimes others pay for us. I¡¯ve been thinking a lot about my own choices, lately. The people I¡¯ve killed and the smaller number I¡¯ve let live. Once you¡¯ve done it enough, killing becomes easy, in the moment. Satisfying, even. Vanquishing your enemies can be intoxicating.¡±


    He paused in recollection, Kylie only watching him and not speaking.


    ¡°I was on a job, early in my career,¡± he said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t much more than a year ago, although it feels like forever. There was a man that tried to kill me and I let him live. I was still doing that, then. This man went on to be a henchman for a local crime lord and rose up the ranks rather quickly, being an essence user. When the crime lord had me kidnapped, later, I don¡¯t know if the he was aware of my connection to the man.¡±


    Jason got up and went to the fridge, opening it up and taking a bottle of water.


    ¡°Do you mind?¡± he asked. She shook her head.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said, returning to his seat.


    ¡°The Frenchman wasn¡¯t the first silver-ranker to kidnap me,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sorry, that¡¯s a category three. I was category one back then, so I didn¡¯t resist as well as I did the Frenchman. Of course, that time I was still kidnapped but I got my arse kicked first, so maybe there¡¯s something to be said for going quietly.¡±


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°Anyway,¡± he continued, ¡°I was quite thoroughly at the mercy of this crime lord, and he was not a man of mercy. In fact, he had a rather unpleasant device designed to not just torment my body but also my soul. Their plan was to hand both over to a¡­ well, that doesn¡¯t matter. Suffice to say, I was in a bad situation.¡±


    He opened the bottle of water and took a sip.


    ¡°One of the people guarding the location I was held turned out to be the man whose life I¡¯d once spared. He chose to run off and tell my friends where I was, in return for not executing him when I had every chance and right to do so. His sneaking off panicked the people holding me and they had a falling out, giving me the opportunity to escape. Otherwise, I never would have been able to endure what they put me through.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You got the Network¡¯s people killed, so your fate is theirs to decide. I¡¯ve asked Annabeth Tilden to be lenient with you, for what it¡¯s worth. The choice to be merciful saved my life once and that¡¯s a path I¡¯d like to find my way back to. Maybe one day you¡¯ll have the chance to make a better choice and help others, instead of hurt them.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t help me,¡± she said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to help you,¡± he said. ¡°I had a sense that speaking to you might assist me in coalescing some thoughts that have been floating around in my head for a while.¡±


    ¡°Did it?¡±


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Jason asked, getting up out of the seat. ¡°As you said, it doesn¡¯t help you.¡±


    He returned the chair to the position he found it. Kylie had not moved from her place in the corner. He knocked on the door and it was opened from the outside. He paused as he was about to leave, turning his head back towards her, still in the corner.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I derailed you quite so badly, Miss Chen,¡± he told her. ¡°We can never see all the consequences of our actions. Something we¡¯ve both learned the hard way, I suppose.¡±


    In the corridor, Michael Aram was hurrying towards him as the security guard closed the door behind him.


    ¡°Mr Aram,¡± Jason said with a smile. ¡°Good to see you well.¡±


    ¡°Anyone who saves my life can call me Mike,¡± Aram said. ¡°We¡¯ve just got a category three hit on the grid. Kete¡­ Ms Arziani was wondering if you and your friend were interested in jumping in.¡±

 Chapter 326: Ideal Circumstances

    Jason ignored the sound and motion of the transport helicopter as he read from the book in his hands.


    ¡°Is that Pashto?¡± Aram asked loudly over the helicopter, peering at the open pages.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You speak Pashto?¡±


    ¡°I speak everything,¡± Jason said. ¡°Magic powers, you know?¡±


    ¡°Right. Why are you reading a book in Pashto?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a favourite of mine. I finally get to read it in the original language.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s it about?¡±


    ¡°Imperialist foreign influences in nineteenth century Afghanistan.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a real page-turner. The profile I read about you said you were all about terrible eighties pop-culture.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s in my profile?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re very thorough.¡±


    ¡°Then I imagine it included that I was, albeit briefly, a political science major in university.¡±


    ¡°That was in there,¡± Aram said. ¡°You dropped out after one semester, right?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t making great life choices in that particular stage of my life. I didn¡¯t choose my major by picking it out of a hat, though. My interests go beyond Thundercats and the A-Team.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it,¡± Aram said. ¡°The Network is laying a heavy bet on you. It¡¯s a little worrying if the person we need to be a transformative influence is taking his own influences from the Transformers cartoon.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you can forget about the Transformers G1 stuff,¡± Jason said. ¡°Pure nostalgia goggles. Transformers Prime is where it¡¯s at. It¡¯s a far superior series and has the best depiction of Starscream across the entire franchise.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not filling me with confidence, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°You can call me Jason, Mike.¡±


    Jason and Farrah had been flown from Sydney to South Australia, with Michael Aram as an escort. The Sydney branch had negotiated with the Adelaide branch to let the pair accompany the tactical response team into the incursion and they were flown to a military base in South Australia where they joined the response team in a series of transport helicopters.


    Their destination was near the top end of the state, deep into central Australia. Scrubby flatland spread out for miles, red earth dotted by patches of yellow grass and pale green scrub. Nearing the astral space aperture, Jason encountered something unusual.


    You have entered a region coterminous with a proto-astral space. You can enter the proto-astral space directly.


    Jason¡¯s new physical state came with new physical sensations. The world around him felt different, although he knew the difference was him. The wall between dimensions was thin enough that he could feel it. He ignored the sensation and didn¡¯t try crossing over, as that was a rabbit he wanted to keep in the hat.


    As the response team¡¯s support unit¡¯s set up camp and prepared to open the invisible aperture, Farrah looked around at the landscape.


    ¡°This looks kind of like the western edge of the Greenstone Desert,¡± Farrah said. She and Jason had passed through the fringes of that territory not long after Jason¡¯s arrival in the other world.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re up for this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hungry for it,¡± she said. ¡°I might even try out some of these new abilities. I¡¯m going to miss the old ones, though. Losing the personal space is rough. I would say it had all my stuff, but I think I saw some familiar-looking books floating around in your soul pagoda.¡±


    ¡°When we cleared out your things,¡± Jason said, ¡°Gary and Rufus thought I should have your books. You were always trying to get me to study magical theory.¡±


    ¡°Did you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going with astral magic as my specialisation, for obvious reasons. Also, that¡¯s Clive¡¯s specialty, so he¡¯s taught me a lot. Rufus and Gary took the rest of your things, although I think they gave a lot of it to Padma.¡±


    ¡°You met Padma?¡±


    Padma was a young graduate of the Remore Academy that Farrah had taken under her wing. She had come to Greenstone with her team for Emir¡¯s competition, only to be shattered on hearing of her mentor¡¯s death. As someone Farrah had also mentored, Jason had felt a kinship with the younger adventurer.


    ¡°Your parents, too,¡± Jason said. ¡°They came to Greenstone with Rufus¡¯ parents.¡±


    ¡°It feels unreal, talking about my memorial service.¡±


    ¡°I got to watch mine,¡± Jason said. ¡°One of my cousins recorded it on his phone, which seems a little tasteless. My Mum made the whole thing traditional Japanese, which I am not allowing the next time I die.¡±


    Farrah frowned as she thought of something, giving Jason an assessing look.


    ¡°If you have all my books,¡± she said, ¡°Did you look at the one bound in black leather with a rose embossed on the cover?¡±


    ¡°I glanced at it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what to do with it. I mean, it felt wrong to throw it away, but I wasn¡¯t going to read your porn book.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not porn. It¡¯s sex magic.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if that¡¯s better or worse.¡±


    ¡°Sex magic is worth learning. Aside from the obvious benefits, it¡¯s quite multi-disciplinary. It touches on recovery magic, buff magic, aura manipulation. Specialisation is important in magic, but it pays to be at least a little grounded in other fields.¡±


    ¡°I have been dabbling in artifice a little,¡± Jason said. ¡°I used a skill book so as not to soak up too much of my time.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re good to broaden the knowledge base,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Don¡¯t use them as an excuse to skimp out on theoretical studies, though.¡±


    Aram waved at them as he approached, along with an Indigenous Australian man in paramilitary gear with a silver-rank aura.


    ¡°This is the Ditto, Tom Cotsworth,¡± Aram introduced. ¡°Ditto means Director of Tactical Operations,¡± he explained to Farrah.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Cotsworth greeted.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Jason said, shaking the man¡¯s hand. ¡°I¡¯m Jason Asano and this is Farrah Hurin. Do you prefer Ditto, Cotsworth, or Ditto Cotsworth?¡±


    ¡°Mate, if you can clean up the category threes and keep my people out of harm¡¯s way, you can call me Susan for all I care. You two are the mysterious specialists who¡¯ll be roaming about the country taking first crack at all the big ones, yeah?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s us,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re confident that you can do it with just the two of you?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s more of a take turns situation, yeah?¡± Jason said, looking at Farrah.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get dismissive,¡± Farrah admonished. ¡°With a bad match up, a silver-rank monster could still take either of us down. Mostly you, but still.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°But if they don¡¯t push us at least a little, then what¡¯s the point?¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Farrah acknowledged.


    ¡°So, how do you want to arrange us?¡± Jason asked Cotsworth. ¡°It¡¯s your show and we¡¯re at your command.¡±


    ¡°We are?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Within reason,¡± Jason told her. ¡°They¡¯re going to assume a certain amount of operational discretion on our part.¡±


    ¡°I can tell that you two are going to be a headache if I try and keep you on a leash,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°Since it was made very clear that your inclusion is mandatory and I¡¯m to extend every courtesy, how about you two take point and show us how they do it in wherever the bloody hell they found you two?"


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I want,¡± Farrah said ¡°I could really stand to kill some things.¡±


    ¡°Bonza,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound at all like some lunatic powerhouse gearing up to plunge my life into chaos.¡±


    The inside of the astral space was indistinguishable from the outside, with the same, flat scrubland.


    You have entered an unstable physical reality. Your presence will decrease the rate at which it will destabilise.


    Jason ignored the message and looked around. It was almost entirely open ground, so the horde of monsters was not hard to find, some two or three kilometres off into the distance. Jason¡¯s bronze-rank perception was more than enough to make them out clearly.


    A tightly packed herd, they were grotesque mockeries of normal animals. There were horses with spider legs and mouths that split wide like a crocodile¡¯s. Snakes, each with a mouth that ran along its back, the full length of it¡¯s body. Lizards with three heads and no eyes. Floating over the herd as if swimming in the ocean were barb-tailed mantas.


    Amongst the hundreds of animalistic monsters were several hulking creatures that stood three, four, even five metres high. There were giant, lumpen toads, and hairy humanoids that looked like sasquatches. One was a vaguely humanoid creature with bright red skin whose entire upper body was a bulbous cross between a toad and fish head.


    ¡°Looks like three gigantoads, two yowies and a yara-ma-yha-who,¡± Cotsworth said.


    ¡°Yowies¡± Jason said, looking at the sasquatch creatures. ¡°No kidding.¡±


    ¡°No tricky powers, the yowies,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°Not real fast, either. It takes an awful lot of punishment to drop one, though, and if they hit you, you¡¯re done. Proper done. Pulverised flesh scattered over a hundred metres of ground done.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take them, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°What about the others?¡±


    ¡°The toads will shrug off little hits, but get a good enough whack to penetrate the skin and you can do some real damage. They¡¯re not zippy but they can make a good-size jump, so make sure they don¡¯t land on you. Aside from that, watch out for the poison spit. Big, awful gobbets of the stuff, about the size of a wheelbarrow load.¡±


    ¡°And that red thing?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Yara-ma-yha-who,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°Not as tough as the others but it¡¯s the worst of the bunch. It¡¯s plenty strong and while it might look clumsy, it¡¯s actually quite agile. It can also make some big jump attacks, with more precision than the toads, so watch out for that. The big danger is its tentacle fingers. They¡¯ll latch onto you and suck out your blood like you¡¯re a cherry smoothie.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take that one first,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You want to start with the hairy ones and we split the toads?¡±


    ¡°Sounds good,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you want to take the front, I¡¯ll come in from the back. There¡¯s bit of an army between us and them, though. I think we¡¯ll be relying on the expertise of your people to thin out those numbers, Cotsworth.¡±


    ¡°Let me try something,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They don¡¯t seem to have noticed us, yet, so do you mind me getting their attention, Ditto?¡±


    Cotsworth took a look at his teams forming up as they came through the aperture.


    ¡°We¡¯re almost in and formed up,¡± he said. ¡°Facing them as a horde like this, we¡¯re going to set up for continual waves of fire, but we also like to make an early strike it mass horde scenarios. We have an area specialist who I¡¯d like to put alongside you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the host,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I would appreciate going first, though.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Cotsworth said.


    ¡°Let me set up communication, first,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve been briefed on this, Ditto?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°I spoke with Koen Waters, my Sydney counterpart. He said good things, which is why I¡¯m willing to be accommodating. He also told me not to keep you on the shelf.¡±


    Jason sent out party invitations to the two platoons of Network personnel, which was one less than the Sydney team. While Cotsworth ran the sections through comm checks, he sent one of his silver-rankers to move forward with Farrah.


    ¡°I¡¯m Farrah.¡±


    ¡°Melinda. Just Mel is fine.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your approach?¡±


    ¡°Chains of fire spears. You?¡±


    ¡°Fire bolt chain.¡±


    ¡°Oh, classic,¡± Mel said. ¡°You must have it up to category three, if you¡¯re chaining.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Farrah confirmed.


    ¡°I thought you felt close to ranking-up from your aura. There¡¯s a pair of category threes up in Darwin who¡¯ve got fire bolt and it¡¯s apparently something to see. It¡¯s not often we get them all gathered up like this for big chains. You should start, because my spears do more damage if the targets are already burning. Normally I get the fire essence users in the ranks to spray things down first, then move in to sweep up. This should be much more convenient.¡±


    ¡°That works out nicely,¡± Farrah said.


    The two women made an odd pair, both with the refined good looks of multiple rank-ups. Farrah was dressed casually wearing jeans and an open check shirt over a white tee, hair cinched back at the neck. Melinda had short-cropped hair and was covered neck down in what Jason continued to think of as death squad apparel. The black tactical armour worn by the Network¡¯s silver-rankers was magical, although only bronze-rank gear.


    ¡°Time to try something new,¡± Farrah said as Jason moved forward to join them.


    ¡°Mind if I take a look?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Farrah said and Jason pulled up her ability description through his party interface.


    Ability: [Ghost Fire Mystic]


    Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Spiritual Flame].Create threads of ghostly flame. Flames are incorporeal and non-harmful to ordinary individuals but are highly effective against incorporeal entities. Threads can be used as a whip, rope, web or other cord-based objects.This ability gains an alternate function to draw magic diagrams, including ones that float in the air. Power-amplifying diagrams for fire abilities have increased effect when created with this ability.


    Farrah drew a magic diagram in the air with her finger, reminding Jason of the many times he had seen Clive do the same. Instead of Clive¡¯s golden light, though, Farrah drew in threads of red and yellow flame that glistened like liquid.


    When she was done, she used an ability from her potent essence, Boost, which caused an amber light to shine from within her body. Boost was similar to the Bolster power that Neil possessed, in that it enhanced the next ability used. The key difference was that Boost only worked on the user.


    Only after drawing out the ritual diagram and using her support ability did she hold up her hand and chant a quick spell.


    ¡°Fire Bolt,¡±


    Fire Bolt was from a family of ultra-quick attack spells commonly possessed by spell casters and used as a basic attack. It could be fired as far as the eye could see and was very quick to use, but traditionally lacking in power. Stacking enhancement effects the way Farrah had done was common practice.


    The ball of flame that shot out of Farrah¡¯s hand was larger than what Jason had seen from other fire essence users, due to the Boost ability. Once it hit the ritual circle, the circle was consumed as the ball grew larger still, trailing flames like a comet at it shot low over the ground in the direction of the monster horde. It also changed colour, moving from orange through yellow to a bright yellow-white.


    ¡°That¡¯s a strong one,¡± Mel said.


    In the distance they heard the roar of monsters as the higher-ranked enemies sensed the approaching magical attack.


    ¡°My Fire Bolt ability has already gotten to silver,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Even so, it should only kill the lowest-rank stuff outright. You want to follow on so you can chain off the weak ones while they¡¯re still burning, Mel?¡±


    Mel grinned, not bothering to respond. She raised her hand and chanted a spell.


    ¡°Blazing Spear.¡±


    A spear that looked to be made of molten metal appeared in front of her and shot off after the fire bolt. It didn¡¯t appear to have any concerns about gravity, flying in a perfectly flat trajectory.


    The fire bolt reached the monsters first, landing on a spider-legged horse that let out an alien shriek as flames engulfed it, as if it had been covered in accelerant. New bolts of fire shot out from the burning monster at other nearby monsters, who suffered the same fate. Fire bolts then emerged from them, continuing to chain from creature to hideous creature as flames overtook the horde like a rising tide.


    The blazing spear propagated in much the same way, striking a burning monster, around which more spears were conjured to spread out and out, chasing after the wave of fire bolts. The collaboration of the two basic attack spells, chaining over and over, was devastating to the weaker members of the horde.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Jason said, watching the carnage. The iron rankers amongst the horde were falling like raindrops, with the bronze-rankers mostly surviving but in such a wrecked state that the Network team with their firearms should have little trouble mopping up. The larger monsters were burning, but they seemed largely unfazed. The fires on them soon went out, revealing some discoloured skin and scorched hair, but little more than superficial damage.


    ¡°Now for the finishing touch,¡± Farrah said. She held her hands out to her sides, palms up, slowly raising them as she chanted a spell.


    ¡°Let the fires rise and claim their ashen due.¡±


    In the distance, the horde was a sea of flame emitting horrifying shrieks of agony, heard, even from so far away. With Farrah¡¯s spell, the fire started burning brighter, the screams growing louder before starting to fall silent. Jason took another peek at her abilities.


    ¡°What spell was that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Look for yourself,¡± Farrah said.


    Ability: [Rising Flames] (Potent)


    SpellCost: High mana.Cooldown: 3 minutes.Current rank: Silver 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Damage dealt by all instances of [Burning] inflicted by you slowly increases.Effect (bronze): Shortly after an instance of [Burning] reaches maximum damage potential, it detonates, consuming the instance of [Burning] and dealing all potential damage immediately.Effect (silver): When instances of [Burning] detonate, they inflict damage in a small area around the victim.


    ¡°Strewth,¡± Cotsworth said, walking up to Jason as he looked into the distance, scratching his head. ¡°Looks like the rest of us can knock off. Good luck with the big ones.¡±


    Aside from a few bronze-rank monsters barely clinging to life, only the silver-rankers were left.


    ¡°You know,¡± Jason said to Farrah, ¡°I have a power that, when you stab someone, makes the bleeding slightly worse. How is that fair?¡±


    ¡°Always with the complaining,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The circumstances just happened to suit my abilities.¡±


    ¡°The circumstances being an army of monsters.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You have your own ideal situations. Put three people in the dark and you¡¯ll probably kill them. Eventually.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s hilarious,¡± Jason said as he was shrouded in dark mist. ¡°At least my ideal circumstances can include having mana left four minutes into the fight.¡±


    ¡°Your fights take longer than four minutes?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°Maybe your abilities are terrible.¡±


    When the mist dispersed moments later, Jason¡¯s casual outfit had been replaced with his combat robes, his starlight cloak already draped over him.


    ¡°Shade, if you would?¡± he asked.


    Two of Shade¡¯s bodies emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow to take the form of robust dirt bikes, naturally all in black.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to ride this,¡± Farrah said as Jason mounted up.


    ¡°Do not be concerned, Miss Hurin,¡± Shade said. ¡°Straddle me firmly and I will take good care of you.¡±


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason admonished. ¡°Time and place.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, that level of innuendo is beneath you. Or, at the very least, it should be.¡±


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Jason said. ¡°That was low humour and we need to focus on the job at hand. Farrah, go ahead and put Shade¡¯s throbbing machine between your legs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m feeling very uncomfortable,¡± Farrah said.

 Chapter 327: The Blood and Death Guy

    Three black, oversized dirt bikes roared across the red landscape. One had an uncertain-looking woman, another a shadow figure and the third a man in a robe trailing a cloak of darkness and starlight behind him like a comet¡¯s tail.


    ¡°Your vehicle forms aren¡¯t normally this loud,¡± Jason shouted.


    ¡°I will remind you that I transform through your power,¡± Shade said. ¡°If any of the traits I take on are yobbish in nature, while I might be the one bearing it, you are the one responsible.¡±


    ¡°Are you calling me a yobbo?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the maternal side of your family, Mr Asano. Your mother may try and hide it, but you come from bikes and beer stock.¡±


    ¡°Wait, I like that side of my family.¡±


    He pumped a fist in the air.


    ¡°TEAM YOBBO!¡±¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with you?¡± Farrah yelled at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m a man of the land!¡±


    Farrah shook her head, turning her attention back to not falling off her bike. The supernatural suspension of Shade¡¯s dirt bike form made it a minimally taxing endeavour but she still didn¡¯t trust the artificial mount. Even with magical assistance, the rough ground made for occasional sharp bumps.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have turned into a heidel?¡± Farrah yelled at her bike.


    ¡°Mr Asano¡¯s power allows me to take forms appropriate to the environment,¡± Shade said. ¡°A heidel is out of the question in this world, but I could manage a camel.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a camel?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like a horse¡¯s gangly, awkward cousin,¡± Jason shouted from alongside her.


    ¡°What¡¯s a horse?¡±


    They were drawing closer to the few surviving monsters. There was a candy red fish-toad with tentacle fingers, four giant toads, and a half-dozen of the looming, hairy yowies.


    Farrah¡¯s bike slowed to a stop while Jason and the other dark rider swerved wide in the direction of the hairy giants. Shade turned from a bike to a cloud of darkness that disappeared into Farrah¡¯s shadow as she conjured a set of full body armour around her. It was made of glossy obsidian shards swept into wing shapes with a red glow shining from between the segments.


    In her hands she conjured a giant, obsidian weapon that only vaguely resembled a sword. The double-edged blade was segmented like her armour, with sections of serrated obsidian teeth over a magma-red glow.


    As the two remaining motorcycles swooped around the toads, one of the humungous creatures leapt in their direction. Despite having the size and mass of a quaint rural cottage, it hurtled itself through the air with alarming speed. It was on target to crash into Jason, whose bike exploded into darkness. The dark cloud engulfed him just before the creature landed and smothered it.


    On the second motorcycle, Jason emerged from the shadowy rider, occupying its place as the rider vanished into his shadow. Taking control of the bike, he swerved it hard to circle the huge toad. It didn¡¯t move, sedentary outside of its ability to make repositioning leaps. Rather than move into the attack, it struck out via the bulging pustules all over its body, which burst explosively to spray pus over Jason.


    You have been afflicted with [Congealing Toad Venom].You have resisted [Congealing Toad Venom].You have gained an instance of [Resistant].You have gained an instance of [Integrity].


    Resisting silver-rank poison was nothing new to Jason, with his ability to ignore rank disparity and his stacked resistance bonuses. That made the worst part of the attack the stench, which was akin to rotting whale blubber. It wasn¡¯t rainbow smoke bad, but it was enough that Jason had once cancelled a beach holiday over a similar aroma.


    Not letting the bursting pustules bother him, Jason made a quick lap around the creature, his shadow arm stretching to score its skin with his dagger while he chanted spells. The dagger barely penetrated the coarse, damp skin, but Jason had never needed deep cuts. In the short time it took him to loop the toad and ride off in the direction of the yowies, he had locked in his full suite of afflictions.


    ¡°This mounted combat thing might really work out.¡±


    Farrah was squaring off with her own leaping monster. The bright red fish-toad-humanoid abomination called a yara-ma-yha-who launched itself toward her. She didn¡¯t have the mobility of the bike or even the mobility of not being encased in stone armour, so she didn¡¯t dodge. Instead, two halves of an obsidian dome rose from the ground to close over her.


    The three metre tall monster landed on the dome, the impact spreading spiderweb cracks across its surface. Perched on the dome, the monster immediately started hammering away with tentacle hands balled into fists. It clearly had the strength to smash through in short order, but the dome exploded outward, tossing the monster back and peppering it with obsidian shards that dug into its flesh, although not deeply.


    From within the expanding cloud of obsidian fragments, Farrah pointed to a spot on the ground.


    ¡°Flame of the earth, await the call.¡±


    The monster¡¯s agility was incongruous with its awkward-looking physique, but it twisted in the air to land on its feet. Farrah, predicting its landing point, had used her spell to create a glowing sigil on the ground, right under its feet. She snapped her fingers, no mean feat in a stone gauntlet, and a magma geyser erupted from the ground. The force of the magma stream staggered the monster, the molten rock clinging to its body.


    Farrah strode forward, three flaming orbs manifesting and floating over her head. They each shot fiery beams at the monster, which ceased scraping at the magma with its hands and rushed forward at her instead. Farrah stomped her foot as she moved and obsidian shards erupted from the ground in a curtain, adding to the fragments already embedded in the monster¡¯s flesh.


    The creature quickly moved aside, dodging much of the cloud of shards only to see another ability coming for it. Something underground was rapidly digging its way forward. The monster moved again but the burrowing thing changed tack to keep pursuing. Finally, the monster grabbed a huge rock like it weighed no more than dollhouse and hammered it down, trying to kill whatever was hidden in the ground.


    After the rock slammed into the ground, it was broken apart as a two metre obsidian column smashed through it as it rose from the ground in front of the monster. The column then shattered, burying yet more shards in the monster as Farrah chanted a follow-up spell.


    ¡°Children of the volcano, be reborn in fire.¡±


    All the shards of obsidian, almost a patina coating the front of the monster, suddenly turned into molten magma. The small globules of molten rock started merging together burning all the hotter with each addition.


    The entire front side of the monster was turned to molten slag, catching fire and drizzling onto the ground like syrup to reveal the creature¡¯s hideous innards. Even so, the monster did not die. Monsters may have lacked an essence user¡¯s arsenal of powers, but their resilience put all but the most indestructible essence users to shame. At silver rank, any monster took a lot of killing.


    Farrah didn¡¯t let up, approaching now with her sword. Swinging it in a wide, horizontal sweep, the segments of blade whipped away, strung along a cord of glowing magma. It wrapped around the monster twice, the serrated edge digging into flesh. It was especially vulnerable in its ruined front. The sword retracted, cutting into the monster like a saw as it shrank back to the hilt.


    Even that didn¡¯t kill the monster, but the creature was no longer a threat, laying almost helpless on the ground.


    ¡°Time to try another new trick,¡± Farrah said to herself and the sword in her hands transformed. Instead of a sword, it became an unwieldy saw blade on a heavy handle, the glowing hot edge spinning rapidly. Too awkward for a fight, it was just the thing for dismembering a monster already all but done.


    Physically tougher and stronger than the other monsters, the yowies were still less powerful, lacking the speed or special abilities to leverage that might. At silver-rank, strong and tough wasn¡¯t enough anymore, which was perfectly highlighted by an enemy like Jason.


    Literally riding rings around them on his bike, he quickly loaded them up with afflictions before leaving them to percolate, heading after the remaining toads. He started with the one he had already gone to work on. Loaded up with afflictions that built up while Jason handled the yowies, the toad¡¯s flesh was already covered in ugly splotches of dead flesh. Jason¡¯s Punition spell delivered an immediate burst of necrosis for each affliction, which was enough to finish the toad off.


    Farrah was coming away from having killed the most dangerous monster and was eyeing off the two toads closest together.


    Leaving them to her, Jason took the last one. Once again, he rode around the monster on his bike, shadow arm flicking out to land a pair of knife wounds. He had the arm emerge from his cloak, using his own hands to keep control of the bike as he rode it wildly over the uneven ground. This was more familiar to him than his fight against the bikies, having learned to ride dirt bikes on Uncle Robbo¡¯s farm as a boy.


    The toads had thick skin, but as Cotsworth had told them, their insides were much more vulnerable. Jason¡¯s afflictions ravaged the toad¡¯s insides and he didn¡¯t wait long before switching to the second phase. After hitting it with his Punition spell, he used his Feast of Absolution to drain the noxious afflictions. For each instance of curse, unholy affliction, poison and disease removed, three holy afflictions were left in its place.


    Penance inflicted inescapable transcendent damage that diminished over time. Legacy of Sin made the target count as more damaged than they were for execute attacks, which only added to the fact that by the time Jason laid it on, the target was already plenty damaged.


    Against lower-rank monsters, Jason had needed to work to use his finisher. Most monsters were done by the time he was ready to pull it out. Finally faced with silver-rank enemies, the power of the finisher was truly something he could use to close out a fight.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement, and the judgement is death.¡±


    A column of transcendent light crashed down on the toad, descending like the judgement of the heavens.


    Ability: [Verdict] (Doom)


    Spell (execute).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Bronze 3 (99%)Effect (iron): Deals a small amount of transcendent damage. As an execute effect, damage scales exponentially with the enemy¡¯s level of injury.Effect (bronze): Damage scaling is increased by instances of [Penance] on the target.


    As of bronze rank, the triple-stack scaling of damage and the two afflictions made Jason¡¯s finisher a force of absolute annihilation, wiping the toad from existence.


    You have defeated [Gigantoad].[Gigantoad] has been wholly annihilated. It has been looted automatically.8 gobbets of [Silver Toad Jelly] have been added to your inventory.[Healing Unguent (Silver)] has been added to your inventory.[Monster Core (Silver)] has been added to your inventory.10 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Since his Punition spell had a cooldown, it would take him a moment to go through each of the yowies he had left behind, so after felling the toad, he pointed a hand in their direction.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    One of the yowies stumbled as clumps of hair started falling out of stricken flesh.


    Farrah didn¡¯t bother messing around with the last two toads, deciding to go all out. She started by drawing a fire diagram in the air and then activating a power. Amber light shone from her body, before turning silver as her aura went from bronze-rank to silver. Then she cast a spell.


    ¡°Burning heart of the world, show your might.¡±


    The first toad had leapt at her while she was drawing the diagram, but she didn¡¯t dodge, raising an arm in its direction. A metre-wide stream of lava erupted at the toad, coring its weak insides like an apple after punching through its tough skin. Pus and jelly rained down on her as she pointed her hand at the second toad. Another burst of lava made short work of it.


    Afterwards, she dismissed her armour. Lava Cannon was a mana-devouring spell at bronze-rank, but artificially raising it to silver with her Limit Break power made her mana drop off like a calving glacier. She stood bent over in a recovery position, hands on knees as Jason arrived on his bike. Seeing her covered in toad goo, he cast his cleansing spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    ¡°How do even your healing powers sound evil?¡± she asked as Jason tossed her a recovery potion.


    ¡°I used it on the fourth toad,¡± Jason said. ¡°That should tell you what you need to know.¡±


    ¡°I saw that big column of smiting power,¡± she said. ¡°Was that transcendent damage?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my finisher,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What happened to you being the blood and death guy?¡±


    ¡°I also offer absolution,¡± Jason said. ¡°But absolution comes at a price.¡±


    ¡°I see you¡¯re still the melodrama guy,¡± she said, looking in the direction of the yowies. ¡°What about those ones?¡±


    Jason glanced back and cast another Punition spell.


    ¡°I¡¯ll finish them once they get over here,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let me just loot this lot, first.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any more crystal wash, do you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got two left,¡± Jason said. ¡°I figured I¡¯d save them for rank-ups.¡±


    ¡°Good idea.¡±


    Speaking of rank-ups, though, I¡¯ve got that feeling¡­¡±


    Amber light started shining out of his body.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t even wait for me to meditate,¡± he said. ¡°That ability was right on the cusp.¡±


    Ability [Verdict] (Doom) has reached Bronze 3 (100%).Ability [Verdict] (Doom) has reached Bronze 4 (00%).All [Doom Essence] abilities have reached [Bronze 4].Linked attribute [Spirit] has increased from [Bronze 3] to [Bronze 4].


    Jason leaned forward on the bike, letting Shade support him through the disorientation.


    ¡°Mid-fight rank up?¡± Farrah said. ¡°It seems that you aren¡¯t taking these monsters seriously or your soul wouldn¡¯t be relaxed enough for that to happen.¡±


    ¡°The fight is basically over,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Looks like your monsters feel the same way.¡±


    Jason turned to take a closer look at the hairy monstrosities.


    ¡°Have they turned around?¡± he asked. ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell with all that hair and how slow they are.¡±


    ¡°I think they have,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why would you run when you can¡¯t actually run, you stupid monsters?¡±


    He took off on his bike, leaving Farrah with Shade, who emerged from her shadow to take the form of a black horse with a white mane. It was sleek and beautiful, with hair so shiny Farrah could vaguely see her reflection in it.


    ¡°Now, this is more like it,¡± she said.

 Chapter 328: A Lot of Anomalies

    While Farrah and Jason fought the silver-rank monsters, Cotsworth looked on through the monitor displaying what the camera drone above the fight recorded. Although the transmission was occasionally spotty due to magical interference, he had a fairly clear vantage on what was taking place. Mel was standing next to him, likewise looking on.


    ¡°They certainly don¡¯t fight like us,¡± she said. ¡°Taking on multiple category threes is incredible. I can¡¯t imagine keeping up that kind of output over the long term, though.¡±


    "Hurin is probably exhausting herself quite quickly," Cotsworth observed. "She''s well-suited to blitz-attacking the most powerful enemies but would fare worse in a general DE sweep. Asano is a different beast altogether. At a glance, he doesn''t seem to be doing anything."


    ¡°Poison?¡± Mel posited. ¡°He only ever makes two attacks against an enemy, which are presumably special attacks.¡±


    "I believe that affliction specialist is the term," Cotsworth said. "The Perth branch has one. It''s hard to even notice that their abilities are taking effect, but they also shine against the most powerful enemies, although it does take longer to drop them. The advantage is that they are highly resource-efficient, which is presumably why we''re seeing Asano move from one fight to the next, here."


    ¡°There¡¯s talk of new strategic approaches based on the way these two fight,¡± Mel said. ¡°Any truth to the rumours, sir?¡±


    ¡°I believe that is the idea. What do you think?¡±


    "I don''t see throwing out our existing approach," she said. "Her methods are too resource-intensive and he''s too slow for a large scale sweep and clear. They are taking us to school on the big stuff, though. Developing some strike teams specialised in eliminating ADE targets could really do some work. To be honest, I don''t see why it hasn''t happened already."


    ¡°There¡¯s been a lot of push for it from the branches,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°The International Committee has been pushing back, though. Threats of reduced resource allocation for branches employing what they call ¡®unnecessary high-risk¡¯ practices.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a load of crap.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°The IC doesn¡¯t like it any more than we do. It¡¯s the Chinese and the Americans threatening to withhold resources if the rest of the world doesn¡¯t play by their rules.¡±


    ¡°Bunch of pricks,¡± Mel said. ¡°They poach all the looters, then leverage them to hold it over the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why Asano represents a chance to make a change,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°Word is, the Sydney branch is willing to share him and his looting abilities with the rest of the country.¡±


    Even as they spoke, the tactical teams were using their connection to Jason to clean up the loot from the army of dead monsters. They stuck to the periphery, making sure to stay clear of Jason, Farrah and the silver-rank monsters.


    "These two can also provide specific tactical guidance," Cotsworth continued. "If we''re trying to work up new strategies blind, it''s not worth the backlash. If we can quickly and efficiently work up new approaches, though, suddenly it''s a lot more viable."


    ¡°And what happens if the US or China swoops in and takes these two away?¡± Mel asked.


    ¡°Then we¡¯re back where we started,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°At the beck and call of the superpowers.¡±


    As they continued to watch the fight play out, the head of the support team approached.


    ¡°Ditto Cotsworth,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re getting some odd readings off the dimensional space.¡±


    ¡°Odd how?¡± Cotsworth asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been observing the integrity of the space, as per normal. A dimensional space normally takes forty-three hours to break down, with a natural variance. When we first came in, our readings came back normal, but now our projections are off. It¡¯s looking like this space might last as much as sixty hours, maybe a little over.¡±


    ¡°Explanation?¡±


    "I only know of one-dimensional incursion phenomenon that has operated outside of the normal time frame," she said, looking into the distance at the ongoing fight. "I can''t confirm that the change happened when they entered the astral space, but I can''t rule it out, either. I will say that the Sydney branch didn''t record anything like this the last time Asano entered a dimensional incursion space. It could be the other one or it could be unrelated."


    ¡°Alright,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°Just record everything so we can hand it off to¡­¡±


    He trailed off as a blinding column of light appeared in the distance.


    ¡°Uh, sir,¡± Mel said. ¡°I think I may have noticed the effect of his abilities.¡±


    ¡°Eleven silver rank monster cores,¡± Jason listed as he lay the loot out on the table. ¡°Thirty-one tubs of toad jelly, not sure what that¡¯s for.¡±


    ¡°You put it in tubs?¡± Cotsworth said.


    ¡°It came that way,¡± Jason said. ¡°We took our cut of the silver spirit coins and we¡¯re keeping the lower rank ones we looted ourselves. I daresay the army of monsters will give you enough to be going on with. Three tins of healing ointment, that¡¯s the good stuff, so save it for your category threes. Lucrative loot, from those toads. A spool of bark-thread hair from one of the yowies. The big red thing didn¡¯t cough up anything too special, sadly.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll make sure everything is tallied up,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°I understand you¡¯ve got a preliminary arrangement with the International Committee about the harvest results.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be finalised until I tell the yanks and the Chinese to get on their bikes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t anticipate being tempted away?¡± Cotsworth asked.


    "I don''t see what they have to offer that I''m not already getting from the International Committee. Sure, they could offer me more of it but if I wanted more I would have negotiated harder. Maybe they have some big secrets they could bring me in on but that doesn''t sit well with me. At the end of the day, the job is to protect people from monsters and that means all the people. We have a lot to offer and the rising tide should raise all ships. From what I''ve heard, that isn''t the way the US and the Chinese will want to go."


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie, that¡¯s exactly what a lot of us wanted to hear,¡± Cotsworth said.


    By the time the plane returned Jason and Farrah to Sydney it was late in the evening. Erika had refused the ride home offered by the Network in favour of a hastily-arranged induction briefing on magic. She had a lot of questions.


    Jason portalled them back to Casselton Beach, with a ten-minute mid-way pause on the secluded beach he had been using as a discreet stopover point.


    ¡°Maybe you should have dropped us closer to the chip shop,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying not to be too blatant about magic,¡± Jason said. ¡°Any more.¡±


    After returning to the houseboat, he set up a video call with the Network headquarters in Sydney.


    ¡°Gladys,¡± he greeted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry our meeting today got put off.¡±


    ¡°Getting interrupted by alien invasions from another dimension is something you get used to around here,¡± Gladys said.


    They spoke for a while about Jason¡¯s grandmother and her ongoing treatment, which was going well.


    ¡°I still wouldn¡¯t go dropping any bombs about magic being real quite yet,¡± Gladys advised. ¡°With her advanced stage of Alzheimer¡¯s, her grasp of reality was fragmentary at best. Give her time to adjust before letting her know that everything she knows about actual reality is wrong.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for taking such good care with her treatment.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for saving at least some of our people. I knew that Miranda was a sea skank but I didn¡¯t think she was bad enough to murder our own. Keith wasn¡¯t a bad young lad and he didn¡¯t deserve to go out like that.¡±


    ¡°Any trace of her yet?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s like she dropped off the face of the Earth. Anna said the Lyon branch is missing a portal user and we haven¡¯t caught that Sebastian guy¡¯s scent either. Best estimate is that they either have or still are portal hopping to whoever is behind it all.¡±


    ¡°Any movement on figuring out who that is?¡±


    ¡°Still just postulation at this point,¡± Gladys said. ¡°Barbou sacrificed EOA and Network personnel. It could be some faction in either organisation, the Cabal or some smaller group looking to make a big play. Don¡¯t anticipate learning more until they make their next move.¡±


    ¡°I really don¡¯t like that Barbou got away,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m worried enough about Farrah without having the guy who tortured her still out there somewhere.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s the reason you wanted to meet with me, yes?¡± Gladys asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°How is she doing?¡±


    "To all appearances, like nothing happened," Jason said. "That just worries me all the more. As much as she might brush it off you don''t go through something like that ¨C for weeks ¨C without it leaving an impact. I''m worried she''s burying a psychological cancer that won''t show itself until it metastasises."


    ¡°Well,¡± Gladys said, ¡°the first thing you need to do is put away your assumptions. Culture plays a huge role in our psychological makeup and she¡¯s from an entirely different world. We also don¡¯t know how much having magic affects the way we process trauma. The short-term effects seem positive, but the long-term implications remain a mystery because we don¡¯t have the research base yet. It could be that our minds just handle it better, or we may pay for those short-term protections down the road.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re saying no one knows and there¡¯s nothing I can do.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying don¡¯t push her to respond the way you think she should. Listen to what she tells you. Watch for what she shows you. Be there for her if and when she needs you. And don¡¯t underestimate the power of shared experiences. You went through some stuff yourself, while you were on the other side, right?¡±


    ¡°Where did you hear that?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t need anyone to tell me when you¡¯re running around like an angry thorn bush,¡± she said. ¡°Your friend isn¡¯t the only one in need of recovery. My recommendation is for you both to take things easy for a good long while. Springtime is coming to that nice little town of yours. Enjoy it.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, his mind churning over.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not what you wanted to hear,¡± Gladys said. ¡°You want to be active and do something for your friend. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is step back and not make things worse.¡±


    Lance Houseman entered the hotel room in Sydney where his assistant, Franklin, was waiting. Lance was a broad-shouldered man whose silver rank made him look thirty, while his true age was almost double that. Franklin was a slender, iron-rank, black man holding a computer tablet. Both men wore impeccable suits.


    ¡°Room¡¯s clean, sir,¡± Franklin said.  ¡°The locals didn¡¯t try anything, magical or otherwise.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯d be stupid if they did,¡± Lance said. ¡°You¡¯ve gone over the materials?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Franklin said.


    ¡°Then let¡¯s take a seat and go over them. Did anything happen while we were in the air?¡±


    ¡°Asano worked with the tactical team of another branch. This time he brought the woman he liberated with him.¡±


    Franklin handed over a file as they sat down, side by side, in the large suite¡¯s comfortable armchairs.


    ¡°This is everything we have on her, which is, essentially, nothing. The most concrete thing we have is an analysis of her abilities, courtesy of a drone recording. I¡¯ve put the raw footage and an analysed break down of it to your laptop but, in brief, she¡¯s a blitz attacker. Highly capable, extreme damage output. She seems to have an ability to ignore rank barriers as there was no noticeable damage impedance from the silver-rank monsters. That¡¯s possibly just a factor of the poor video source, however.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s another Trelawney, then.¡±


    ¡°Initial assessment is that she¡¯s potentially more capable than Trelawney, although that assessment has received some pushback.¡±


    ¡°Of course it has,¡± Lance said. ¡°Our people aren¡¯t used to not having the best there is, but this woman comes from a world where our best is the norm. Value assessment?¡±


    ¡°Our best guess is that she¡¯s very close to crossing the line to silver-rank. Tactically she would be an asset, but no more than any other top-flight silver. It¡¯s the knowledge she brought back from the other world that¡¯s valuable. Our assets inside the Sydney branch claim that Asano has asserted that her value in this regard is higher than his.¡±


    ¡°And what about him?¡± Lance asked. ¡°Did we finally get a look at his abilities?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir, although not a good one. We believe he¡¯s an affliction specialist so his abilities have limited visual effect. Most of them, anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    "His abilities appear to work in stages. Initially, his powers inflict a rapidly accelerating necrosis, which he puts in place before moving on to other combatants. Then he comes back and switches to attacks based around what we believe to be oblivion energy."


    ¡°He¡¯s wiping stuff out of existence?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. Allow me to show you a clip.¡±


    Franklin pulled up a video file on his tablet, showing a man on a motorcycle trailing a dark cloak of stars behind him as he circled some stricken-looking hairy giants. A huge column of light crashed down on the giants, one after another, wholly eradicating each one.


    "That''s a lot of oblivion energy, if that''s really what it is," Lance said. "We''re sure this guy is bronze-rank?"


    "There are a lot of anomalies in that regard," Franklin said. "He also seems to ignore rank suppression, which is possibly due to items or a learned ability from the other world. We have no information on anything like that existing, but our knowledge of the other world is centuries out of date. It may well be a more recent development. The analysts think it''s more likely a result of individual abilities, though. We do have one of our own who can do that, after all."


    ¡°What else?¡±


    "His aura is highly anomalous. He did something we don''t understand while he was in France that had a physiological effect similar to a rank-up. Since then, he appears different, magically. His aura was already reported to be significantly more powerful than his rank suggested and now it''s something else entirely. It apparently still reads as bronze rank but with a strength that easily matches silver. One of our informants referred to it as feeling like¡­"


    Franklin scrolled through his notes on the tablet.


    ¡°¡­being bludgeoned to death by the Ten Commandments,¡± he read.


    ¡°How colourful.¡±


    ¡°As best we can tell, he¡¯s bronze-rank. With the unusual factors surrounding him and the borderline strength of the other outworlder, our analysts suggest treating them as silver, from a tactical perspective.¡±


    ¡°What do they make of Asano¡¯s tactical value?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a full handle of his abilities yet, but early assessment places his value at extremely high. High endurance, escalating damage, oblivion energy. He¡¯s built for taking down ADEs. His high mobility and stealth capabilities are just sweeteners. The problem is his behavioural profile.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s erratic. Rash. It¡¯s hard to predict when he¡¯ll fight versus when he¡¯ll talk. He¡¯s willing to accept extreme consequences for bold moves. Strongly anti-authoritarian. Even so, he¡¯s made connections in the Network and the Cabal. He values friendship over alliances. He also appears to be suffering from post-traumatic stress we believe stems from an extended period in some kind of combat zone.¡±


    ¡°They think he¡¯s been to war?¡±


    ¡°Or something like it,¡± Franklin said.


    ¡°What¡¯s the suggested approach?¡±


    "Personal benefits won''t win him over," Franklin said. "He seems to value relationships, so offering benefits for the other outworlder and his family will be better received. It''s all in the packet I left in your room. He doesn''t respect politeness. Be honest, show strength. He''ll respect that. Do not threaten him, however. He cannot be intimidated and he''ll see it as a challenge."


    ¡°He sounds like a huge pain the ass.¡±


    ¡°That sums up his behavioural analysis, quite neatly, if more colloquially than the written report.¡±

 Chapter 329: Pitch Meetings

    The film crew set up next to the Surf Club, with a crowd on onlookers gathered around. The kitchen set was put out, with the fridge and oven hooked up.


    ¡°Today we have a special guest,¡± Erika said to the cameras. ¡°As viewers of my previous program may remember, I would occasionally have my little brother on before his untimely passing. As it turns out, he faked his death in circumstances he is yet to adequately explain, so for the first time on Beachside Kitchen, please welcome my brother, Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°What kind of introduction was that?¡± Jason asked, walking into shot.


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯d like to explain to the viewers what you¡¯ve been doing for a year and a half?¡±


    ¡°Time and place, Eri!¡±


    ¡°Then I hope you¡¯ve got a better recipe than you do an explanation,¡± Erika said. ¡°It¡¯s dessert week on Beachside Kitchen and Jason will be helping me make a Russian honey cake. Before that, though, we¡¯ve each picked out a simple dessert recipe that we¡¯ll each be making. What do you have for us, little brother?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going with a brioche frangipane apple pudding, how about you?¡±


    ¡°I thought I¡¯d pay deference to the lovely warm spell we¡¯re enjoying here in Casselton Beach by making a simple and summery key lime pie.¡±


    ¡°West Indian lime pie,¡± Jason corrected.


    ¡°Most people will know it as a key lime pie, Jason.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in Australia, Eri, and in Australia they¡¯re called West Indian limes, not key limes. Ergo, West Indian lime pie.¡±


    ¡°Ergo? Are you trying to make the viewers hate you? Key lime pie is universally acknowledged as a delicious summer dessert, while the internet will tell you that West Indian lime pie is a gross sex thing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the internet, Eri. Everything is a gross sex thing,¡± Jason said, pulling out his phone. ¡°You probably made that up anyway, so I¡¯m going to look it up.¡±


    His expression froze for a moment, then he put his phone away and flashed the camera a big smile.


    ¡°So today, Erika will be making a delicious key lime pie¡­¡±


    Out of shot, standing next to the executive producer, Taika leaned over to whisper a question.


    ¡°You don¡¯t put the bickering in the show, do you?¡±


    ¡°We edit it back for the airing,¡± Wally said, ¡°but we do a special cut for the website. It¡¯s a massive traffic driver every time he¡¯s on. The audience love them together. I¡¯d have him co-host if he¡¯d just agree to it. Selling stationary and he doesn¡¯t want to be a TV star. I don¡¯t suppose you could try talking him into it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, bro. He doesn¡¯t sell office supplies anymore.¡±


    Several hours later, Jason was dealing with a group of stern Chinese men who did not look like big Beachside Kitchen fans. The man at the front was the leader of the group and one of only two that had spoken during the meeting. The only flower among the rocks was being the leader¡¯s beautiful, young-seeming daughter, wearing the same sharp suit and sharp expression as the rest.


    ¡°You are a fool to reject our entreaties, Mr Asano,¡± he said.


    ¡°I was already a fool, Mr Li, so it wasn¡¯t out of my way.¡±


    A smile teased the corner of his daughter¡¯s lips but she quickly schooled her expression. They were standing in the conference lobby of Castle Head¡¯s largest business resort, although the only other one was just marginally smaller. Li and his daughter were both silver-rankers, while their unspeaking flunkies were all iron.


    ¡°You will come to regret being so flippant,¡± The elder Li said and marched away. The flunkies followed in lock-step, but his daughter remained behind.


    ¡°I always do,¡± Jason confided in her. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s a lie; I thought it would sound cool. To be honest, I¡¯m killing it.¡±


    ¡°You are an unconventional man, Mr Asano,¡± the younger Li said. ¡°Although we have not come to an agreement today, I hope you will consider yourself open to perhaps a more modest collaboration in the future.¡±


    ¡°Modest isn¡¯t really my thing, but I¡¯ll try and be open-minded. You know, I respect the approach you¡¯re taking. You figured out that you didn¡¯t have anything that would swing me, so your Dad comes in all bluster, making me feel powerful in rejecting him. Then you step in, reasonable, graceful and measured, to keep the door open.¡±


    She gave him a wry smile.


    ¡°Did it work?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Jason said with a grin. ¡°I¡¯d give you my phone number but something tells me you already have it. How about you give me yours?¡±


    She gave him a sunbeam smile and handed him a business card with both hands. Jason looked it over, seeing her work numbers on the front. He chuckled as he turned it over and saw another number, hand-written in pen and labelled ¡®personal.¡¯


    ¡°Is your dad really like that, or was it a show for my benefit?¡±


    ¡°This approach was his design,¡± she admitted, ¡°although he was playing to his strengths.¡±


    ¡°I think you both were,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And what do you think my strengths are, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Most things, from what I can tell. Not blending in, though. I have trouble imagining a crowd where you don¡¯t stand out.¡±


    ¡°Daughter!¡± her father barked from the lobby entrance. ¡°We are leaving!¡±


    ¡°I have to go, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I am genuinely disappointed, Miss Li. I look forward to seeing you again.¡±


    As the Beijing Network delegation left, Jason wandered over to one of the lobby couches and crashed down.


    ¡°Strewth, that was a good plan.¡± Jason said. ¡°I think they may have sent the most beautiful woman in China.¡±


    ¡°She is silver-rank, Mr Asano,¡± Shade pointed out. ¡°She most likely heard what you just said.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Whatever will I do now she¡¯s heard me call her the most beautiful woman in China.¡±


    ¡°Ah, you intended her to hear. I may have spoiled your intentions by drawing attention to it.¡±


    ¡°No, I expected you to point that out.¡±


    ¡°Then why say it?¡±


    ¡°Because she doesn¡¯t need me to tell her how gorgeous she is. But this way I get to do it while demonstrating that I thought things through this far, knowing that she¡¯s listening to us right now.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you concerned she might see you as smug?¡±


    ¡°I am smug, Shade. I find it best to put that right out there, given it¡¯s a core character trait.¡±


    ¡°When will you let her know about the melodrama?¡±


    ¡°Ideally while I¡¯m rescuing her as she¡¯s falling off a building.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s a silver-ranker, Mr Asano. I imagine she would rescue herself.¡±


    ¡°That does make it tricky,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°How hard would it be to arrange another rolling motorcycle shootout?¡±


    ¡°I believe events of that nature are best left to occur organically,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°How often does something like that happen organically?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Well, Mr Asano,¡± Shade said, ¡°how has your week been so far?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping we could meet on your remarkable houseboat,¡± Lance Houseman said in a neutral accent. It reminded Jason a little of Farrah, whose translation ability made her English somewhat flat. Not everyone had Jason¡¯s aptitude for forcing some local flavour through the sieve of a magical translation.


    The American¡¯s accent was not the result of a translation power, however. It was the classic mid-Atlantic banality, designed not to offend anyone yet slightly annoying everyone. Or perhaps that was the work of the smug self-confidence, Jason considered. He wondered, for a moment, if that was how people saw him, then dismissed the thought.


    They were sitting in a Castle Heads caf¨¦, the American with a long black and Jason with an iced chocolate, piled high with cream. Houseman had chosen to meet him alone.


    ¡°Your people have been examining my houseboat for days,¡± Jason said. ¡°You should ask them.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t us,¡± Lance said. ¡°You might want to look to the Chinese for that.¡±


    ¡°You just lied to me, Mr Houseman,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not a great start.¡±


    Jason sipped at his ice chocolate, getting whipped cream on his nose but seeming not to notice. The American¡¯s attention was drawn to it, distracted, but he didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we get straight to the point,¡± Lance said. ¡°My understanding is that you¡¯re not a man to beat around the bush.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re not a man to act incautiously,¡± Jason said. ¡°All those category threes lurking around. Do you really think I¡¯m that dangerous?¡±


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t, you wouldn¡¯t be worth my time, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Sure I would,¡± Jason said. ¡°I could be a bumbling fool and you¡¯d be here, so long as I was a bumbling fool with a looting power. Even if that¡¯s the only worthwhile thing I picked up over there, that¡¯s money in the bank.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you want money, Mr Asano. We can offer you more than the locals, no question, but you don¡¯t care because you don¡¯t need it. You¡¯re waiting to hear what we can give you that they can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m waiting for you to leave. I made a deal that I can¡¯t close because you and your people are obnoxious enough to insert yourselves where you aren¡¯t wanted. I guess I am the magical equivalent of an oil-rich nation.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a cheap shot, Asano.¡±


    ¡°You present such an easy target. I¡¯ve heard that the Chinese and US branches are a lot more unified than most of the Network.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with a strong national identity.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. You know I¡¯m Australian, right?¡±


    ¡°Australia is the kiddie pool. We look at you and see a man with infinite potential, but you¡¯re stuck teaching the children to swim. You need come and join the adults who already know how or you¡¯ll never fulfil your potential.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t realise you could explain it with an easy to understand metaphor; you¡¯ve totally turned me around.¡±


    ¡°Sarcasm is also cheap.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re treating me like an uneducated white voter. We may keep voting our own idiots in, Mr Houseman, but we¡¯re not America yet.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have a problem with my country, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Mate, everyone has a problem with your country. You made children fear the sky and that was your last president. Do I even need to talk about this one? We know you haven¡¯t read him in on magic because it¡¯s still a secret.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, you sound like a hipster art student. One semester of political science does not make you Noam Chomsky. Whatever you may think of my nation¡¯s politics, our magical community is something else entirely.¡±


    ¡°For now.¡±


    ¡°If you remain here, Mr Asano, you¡¯ll spend all your time lifting others up. Come with us and you¡¯ll be the one who rises.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very capitalist pitch,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re proposing I choose selfishness over helping others.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very high-minded for someone who tried to sell gold to Armenian gangsters.¡±


    ¡°Everyone¡¯s a hypocrite, Mr Houseman. I¡¯m not responsible for the largest military and the largest economy on the planet, so my selfish choices can only hurt so many people. Selfish choices is your country¡¯s political doctrine at this point.¡±


    ¡°We need to move on from this unproductive topic, Mr Asano. You can hate our politics all you like, but as you just pointed out, we have the money and we have the power. This is as true of magic as it is of everything else. If you ever want to get your friend home, you¡¯ll need the greatest knowledge base and the largest pool of magical resources on the planet. That¡¯s us.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of my friend,¡± Jason said. ¡°You should call off your people looking for the chance to approach her separately. You won¡¯t like what happens if you if they do.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t threaten me, Mr Asano. We aren¡¯t some half-baked French traitors trained in the worthless strategies that we forced on them. Our silver-rankers are more than capable of fighting on your terms. I know you aren¡¯t stupid enough to think you can beat one of them, let alone a small army of them. You can feel them around us. This is how many silver-rankers we had to spare for this trip.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to fight you,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to give the world the tools to stand up to you.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t as valuable as you think, Mr Asano. Don¡¯t throw away a golden opportunity out of stubbornness. Think about your family. You can essence them up here, but we can make each and every one of them a powerhouse. They can all have mansions in Miami with a cupboard for monster cores in every one. We¡¯ll turn them all into silver-rankers, guaranteed. No expense spared.¡±


    ¡°And all I have to do is clip a leash on my neck.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to put you in a box,¡± Lance said. ¡°I¡¯m offering you freedom. Freedom, within a much larger framework.¡±


    ¡°So, a big box, then.¡±


    Lance shook his head.


    ¡°It pains me to look at someone like you, with all you could be, running around like a racehorse with blinders on. All you can see is the narrow path someone else has put in front of you. I want to open your eyes and let you see the world.¡±


    ¡°As long as I follow the tour guide¡¯s directions,¡± Jason said.


    Lance sighed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to bring this up,¡± he said, ¡°because I knew it would be a delicate topic. Your friend, Farrah. She¡¯s been through a lot. I wanted this to be a pleasant surprise after you signed on. We have expert counselling services that specialise in magic-related trauma. Our people can help her recover after the terrible circumstances she experienced because they have the training, the knowledge and the experience to give her the help we both know she needs.¡±


    ¡°You seriously think that I would trust your people to crawl inside her head?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I think we¡¯re done here.¡±


    ¡°Negotiation is a long road,¡± Mr Asano. ¡°We¡¯ll talk again.¡±


    ¡°Mr Houseman, I apologise for my ambiguity. I don¡¯t actually think that we¡¯re done here. I know we are. Definitively. This is a hard no.¡±


    Houseman stood up and adjusted his jacket.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to hear that, Mr Asano. You¡¯ll come to realise that we aren¡¯t trying to recruit you because we need you. We¡¯re doing it because you need us.¡±


    Jason remained seated, spooning some cream into his mouth.


    ¡°That¡¯s alright, Mr Houseman. The hard way is kind of my thing.¡±


    Houseman went outside and got into the back of a black Mercedes that drove away. Jason felt the nearby silver-rank auras retreat.


    ¡°He said silver-rank, rather than category three,¡± Shade observed.


    ¡°I noticed that, too,¡± Jason said. ¡°Did you spot that one aura?¡±


    ¡°The silver-rank one that was free of monster core residue?¡± Shade asked. ¡°Yes, I did. It was holding back, mostly likely outside of what they believed to be the range of your aura senses.¡±


    ¡°It seems that he wasn¡¯t lying when he said that I¡¯m not as valuable as I think. The Americans already have the training methods for non-core advancement.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not overly surprising,¡± Shade said. ¡°If they could figure out the right meditation techniques it wouldn¡¯t be that hard. It¡¯s unlikely they have a means as quick as using cores unless they have information from another world like you, but it would at least be an acceptable pace.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Jason said.


    He had learned that many branches had someone like Nigel who attempted to muddle through advancement without cores. They even had an informal network where they shared insights. Jason highly suspected that, like anyone with looting powers, the Americans snatched up anyone who made real progress.


    Being in Castle Heads already, Jason offered to pick Emi up from school. Erika agreed, especially since they were still living in Jason¡¯s houseboat. When Jason and his niece arrived home, they heard music blasting from the rear of the houseboat.


    Jason sensed Hiro in his cabin with the soundproofing to maximum, while Farrah and Taika appeared to be dancing on the rear deck. Farrah shut off the sound system as Jason approached, rushing up to him.


    ¡°Tina Turner is old!¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We need to get her essences, now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the Network will be okay with that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Did you ask?¡±


    ¡°Did I ask if it was okay to give Tina Turner a set of essences? No, I did not.¡±


    ¡°Well, you have the speaky thing in your pocket, right?¡±


    ¡°You want me to call up a secret society of wizards whose core purpose includes hiding magic to ask if we can give magic to an internationally famous singer?¡±


    ¡°That would be great, thank you,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a suggestion,¡± he said, running an exasperated hand over his face.


    ¡°It can¡¯t hurt to call, can it, Uncle Jason?¡±


    ¡°You too?¡± he asked Emi. ¡°Don¡¯t give me the puppy dog eyes, that isn¡¯t going to ¡­ oh bloody hell.¡±


    He jabbed a finger at his niece as he fished out his phone to make a call.


    ¡°I cannot believe I¡¯m doing this. It¡¯s only because I need to call Anna anyway, and you both owe me for¡­  Anna, G¡¯day.¡±


    ¡°What can I do for you, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°You can just call me Jason. Look, I¡¯ve been asked to check if it¡¯s at all possible to give essences to Tina Turner.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not,¡± Annabeth said with a laugh. ¡°The international Committee had to put a stop to giving celebrities essences in the eighties.¡±


    ¡°It did happen, then?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Annabeth said. ¡°Willie Nelson, Christie Brinkley. They should have been more careful with the essences they gave Ozzy Osbourne.¡±


    ¡°Is that why he¡¯s not dead? What about Australians?¡±


    ¡°Well, the Perth branch is almost entirely made up of Cricketers everyone thinks are dead. They keep proposing to magic up Steve Waugh and I know at least one instance they tried to give Boonie essences on the sly.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s a no on Tina Turner?¡±


    ¡°Maybe take it up with the Americans. Did you talk to our foreign guests, yet?¡±


    ¡°I did, but found their proposals unappealing. I¡¯ll come to you and finalise our agreement tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fantastic,¡± Annabeth said, not hiding the relief in her voice. ¡°They couldn¡¯t tempt you away?¡±


    ¡°You helped me get Farrah back,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know you and the International Committee had your own agenda, but you helped us and lost people in the process. I won¡¯t forget that.¡±

 Chapter 330: Moving Forward

    On the top deck of the houseboat, Asya, Farrah and Jason were enjoying lunch as they looked over the final version of the agreement with the Network.


    ¡°While we have the agreement documented,¡± Asya said, tapping the papers on the table, ¡°it¡¯s a fiction, legally speaking. What court could we pursue violations in? In the end, it¡¯s just a symbol of intent.¡±


    ¡°I like that though,¡± Jason said. ¡°For all intents and purposes, it¡¯s a handshake deal. It¡¯s held together by integrity, and I¡¯m all about integrity.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°When I sell out my principles, they stay sold. Although, if I sold out that principle, then they wouldn¡¯t stay sold because that principle is no longer in effect, which means my principles would get unsold, meaning that particular principle was in effect, which would mean¡­¡±


    His ramble trailed off as he scratched his head in confusion. ¡°Ethics is hard.¡±


    Farrah shook her head.


    ¡°You know,¡± Asya said to Jason, ¡°I never gave you a proper thank you for saving my life.¡±


    The mock confusion dropped off Jason¡¯s face as he looked her square in the eyes.


    ¡°I know that you were the one that pushed to get my chance at freeing Farrah. You never have to thank me for anything again. Ask and I¡¯ll be there.¡±


    ¡°An infinite supply of favours?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°Friends don¡¯t count favours,¡± Jason said. ¡°They just show up.¡±


    ¡°Is that what we are?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look down on friendship,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s the foundation of every positive relationship. I love my dad, I love my sister and my niece. While I love my Mum and my brother too, even after everything, it isn¡¯t the same with them. They¡¯ll always be family, but the friendship isn¡¯t there. Some family you want to see every day, and some you only see at Christmas. That extends to every relationship, from lovers to co-workers to people you escaped a cannibal cult with.¡±


    ¡°That was weird way to meet,¡± Farrah said. ¡°One of these days I¡¯ll be the one saving you.¡±


    ¡°Friendship,¡± Jason continued, ¡°is having people to share the best and the worst days of your life with. Friendship is knowing there will be someone you can rely on, no matter what. Friendship can let you travel back in time.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jason said, frowning. ¡°That last one might just be Final Fantasy VIII.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate having Jason as a friend,¡± Farrah said. ¡°When I was a stranger he risked everything to save me, when he had every expectation of getting killed. Once I was a friend he brought me back from the dead.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that was technically me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Shut up, I¡¯m telling a story.¡±


    ¡°As you were,¡± conceded an admonished Jason.


    Farrah walked Asya off the boat.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a threat to you,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I never thought you were,¡± Asya said, drawing a chuckle from Farrah.


    ¡°I can help you with aura control,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯ll make your emotions less of an open book.¡±


    Asya¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°Does Jason¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said. ¡°His strongest talent is weaponising his aura but he excels in every facet of aura manipulation, including reading emotions through auras. He restricts himself, of course, to respect the privacy of others, but when someone is weaker than him and has poor control, clear and strong are like shouting. He cannot help but overhear.¡±


    Asya buried her face in her hands.


    ¡°Don¡¯t walk off the deck,¡± Farrah warned. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it. It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve made any secret of your intentions, even disregarding magic.¡±


    ¡°Should I just ask him out?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I think there¡¯s a good chance he¡¯d say no for the simple fact that he doesn¡¯t need any more complications in his life. On the other hand, do you want someone else sweeping in and taking your opportunity?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Asya said firmly.


    ¡°Then make a social overture. The worst thing that can happen is he says no.¡±


    ¡°What if it makes things weird?¡±


    ¡°Your biggest risk is him feeling smug that a woman like you would be interested in him. It would just get lost in his regular smugness, so it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s always been very confident.¡±


    ¡°Or seemed that way,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He¡¯s good at masking his fear and uncertainty, even in his aura. It¡¯s like the first person he convinces is always himself.¡±


    ¡°Well?¡± Cleary asked.


    Houseman was talking over a secure video link with the Assistant Director of Operations, Los Angeles Network branch.


    ¡°He¡¯s too inculcated with anti-American sentiment. As if his government was any different. They¡¯re just worse at it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate,¡± Cleary said, ¡°but we¡¯ve come across principled people before. We don¡¯t land every fish.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure we can afford to let this one off the hook. I think he intends to democratise some of the advantages that we¡¯ve been keeping to ourselves. He potentially poses a threat to our position.¡±


    ¡°We can live with that,¡± Cleary said. ¡°We anticipated leaking some of this in the next few years anyway. Things are coming to a head and we¡¯ve heard China was looking to make some overtures to the world at large as part of their goals to become the sole hegemon once magic goes public. If we can¡¯t beat them to that punch, we can at least take some wind out of their sails by letting the treasures they were going to bestow come from a source that doesn¡¯t pose us any threat.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying we should walk away? We don¡¯t want to consider taking the outworlder off the board?¡±


    ¡°Are you advocating that?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Houseman said. ¡°The guy unnerves me. I was told about his aura beforehand but nothing prepares you for experiencing it for yourself. If he stands and fights, we can put him down, no question. If he runs, though, our security team isn¡¯t confident of containment. My instincts tell me that he is not an enemy I want out there in the dark.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the man on the ground, so your opinion holds a lot of weight. It also aligns with our own concerns. The International Committee knows what the outworlders represent. The IC may just be there to rubber stamp the things we want but they¡¯ve had a taste of the good stuff, now. They¡¯ll buck if we¡¯re that blatant about snatching it away from them. If the outworlders come to us on their own, that¡¯s one thing, but us taking them out is another.¡±


    ¡°We could blame it on the Chinese.¡±


    ¡°Too risky. That¡¯s my sense, anyway. Our response will have to be decided above the branch level, so we¡¯ll take your report to the National Council. Anticipate them wanting a video briefing from you. I imagine the response will be to let it go, though. We have no idea what kind of tricks he brought back from the other world. In the meantime, hold tight, stay quiet and don¡¯t cause trouble.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like we won¡¯t get any nuggets of gold that he drops on the International Committee anyway,¡± Cleary said. ¡°In fact, we get first pick off the pile. Most likely we¡¯ll shift our approach to dominating the International Committee¡¯s interactions with the outworlders.¡±


    ¡°I know that decision is above my head,¡± Houseman said, ¡°but I think that would be the sound approach.¡±


    Jason and Farrah were sat at a table in the houseboat, going over lists.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to trade some of these essences with the Network,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You have far too many growth and plant essences. You can certainly use some of them, but you should swap them out for a selection of common essences before we take a proper look at what we give to your family.


    ¡°The renewal essence I have I want to give to Taika,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was thinking an immortal confluence.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s generous,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Renewal essences can sell for as much as top-rarity ones.¡±


    ¡°Taika has already agreed to be the head of security for my family,¡± Jason said. ¡°I want him to have top flight powers, plus I feel responsible for dragging him into this.¡±


    ¡°That puts him on the list of people we train instead of feed up with cores,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We need to determine which members of your family go on that list.¡±


    ¡°The only ones I¡¯m willing to consider are Erika, Ian and, eventually, Emi. The rest get cores, end of story. My guess is that Erika and Ian won¡¯t go for it, though. Just convincing them to let us train Emi will be a thing.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re too old anyway, to be honest,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Even with a power to use skill books to catch up with, this world doesn¡¯t have the skill books. If you want family members who are trained properly, you need them to be Emi¡¯s age or younger and start training them now.¡±


    ¡°That would mean expanding the pool of family members who know the truth,¡± Jason said. ¡°We just promised the Network to be careful about that.¡±


    ¡°We also promised to train up a group of young people from the Network¡¯s families,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You and I will do better to retain a level of independence, but your family joining the Network as a whole would be nothing but beneficial.¡±


    ¡°You think the Network would go for that?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯d do it just to sink their roots into you,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Good point,¡± Jason said. ¡°They have the experience and resources for a mass induction, too. All I could do would be to set up a movie theatre and show them all my holiday vlog.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to train Hiro in array magic,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That should be more manageable than adventurer training, especially with the right essences.¡±


    There was a whiteboard next to them with two columns labelled trade and keep. As they went through Jason¡¯s essences, picking combinations for his family, they had been sorting the essences into the two columns.


    Jason glanced at the keep column, where the first three listed essences had been reserved by Farrah for Hiro. Two were amongst his highest-rarity essences, the vast and rune essences. The third was the common, but still valuable, magic essence. That would produce the Prosperity confluence, which was shared by Neil from his team back in the other world. The resulting powers would be very different, though, being a combination hand-picked by Farrah to synergise with array magic.


    ¡°I¡¯d love to have a set like that myself,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but it¡¯s not suited for adventuring. It¡¯s a classic crafting combination, with almost everyone who has it being a core user. Not to say that it can¡¯t be used in a fight, although it seriously lacks efficiency when operating on less than a battlefield-scale conflict.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s common, then?¡±


    ¡°The vast essence is of the highest rarity, so common isn¡¯t the right word. It¡¯s probably the most widely-used combination involving that essence, though. Anyone who has it is never lacking for work in any high-magic regions. You¡¯ll see why as Hiro and I work on your family compound project together.¡±


    The park at Castle Bluff had an oddly elaborate obstacle course, courtesy of a town councillor obsessed with fitness. Since he was so adamant about acquiring funding for healthy school lunch program and child fitness initiatives, he had no concerns about retaining his seat year after year. Now in his seventies, he could still be found using the obstacle course himself every week. Jason and Farrah knew him enough to say hello after using the park for mobility training every day for weeks.


    They picked up Emi from school and, wary of being seen using portals, drove to Castle Bluff Park. On this day there was a pair of people mover vans following them around.


    ¡°Is this the best use of our time?¡± a man said as people clambered out of the van. ¡°I don¡¯t see why we couldn¡¯t do all this in Sydney.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the ones who rocked up early and I¡¯m not shifting my schedule,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not on a monster hunt, you don¡¯t skip training,¡± Farrah added. ¡°You can either join in or stand around and complain.¡±


    ¡°Bugger it, I¡¯m in,¡± Cotsworth said. ¡°I want to see what kind of routine you get up to.¡±


    The Director of Tactical Operations for every Network branch in Australia had descended on Casselton Beach to discuss a nationwide training program. They arrived three hours early, which was how they ended up trailing along behind Jason and Farrah.


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Koen Waters asked Jason. He inclined his head in the direction of a gaggle of teenagers holding up phones. Around half of them were wearing uniforms from local private schools.


    ¡°High school students,¡± Jason said. ¡°They started filming us last week. I had Shade check them out but they¡¯re just putting our training up on line. We make sure not to show them anything too outlandish. Are you going to join us?¡±


    ¡°No thank you,¡± Koen said. ¡°I have my own routine.¡±


    ¡°Well if you¡¯re just hanging about, take the others and try out that food truck over there,¡± Jason advised, pointing. ¡°I recommend the kimchi fries.¡±


    That evening, the assembled Network personnel were gathered in the media room of the houseboat.


    ¡°Can I buy one of these chairs off you?¡± Cotsworth asked, luxuriating in the cloud furniture.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Technically, they¡¯re not chairs. They¡¯re part of the houseboat, which is not technically a houseboat.¡±


    Behind him was a screen with paused footage from one of his most recent forays into a proto-astral space.


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve all been analysing the way Farrah and myself fight but tonight we¡¯re going to go over that together, along with comparisons of our approach versus the standard Network tactics. We have two goals to achieve before you leave at the end of the week. One: build a framework to train your future tactical units to include strike teams specialising in the elimination of high-rank dimensional entities. Two: develop a retraining program to establish those specialist teams using existing tactical personnel in the short term.¡±


    He sent a mental command and the media player produced by the houseboat started producing an image.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to start by looking at Farrah. In the fight we¡¯re about to watch, observe how many different essence abilities she uses and contrast that with your standard tactics. Note that instead of using her abilities to occasionally supplement attacks, she chains abilities, one after the other¡­¡±

 Chapter 331: Flemish Baroque

    In the office at her restaurant, Erika was talking to Jason through an incarnation of Shade. After weeks of such communication, it was starting to feel normal which, when she thought about, was rather concerning.


    ¡°I told him you had contacts,¡± Erika said. ¡°What was I supposed to say? That your eyes changed when you became a gestalt entity of body and spirit? I don¡¯t even know what that means.¡±


    "Well," Jason said, "it basically means that¡­ actually, I''m still kind of figuring it out."


    ¡°When will you be back?¡±


    ¡°Not until I pick up Emi at school. Will you be coming to the houseboat for dinner?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, although I¡¯m concerned about bringing him to the houseboat. Ian hasn¡¯t forgiven me yet for making him go home and give up the cloud bed.¡±


    ¡°You know that you¡¯re welcome to keep staying here.¡±


    "I just want to maintain some normalcy," Erika said. "Is that so bad?"


    ¡°I get it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just know from experience that when you stop obsessing over normal and give yourself over to magic, life gets amazing.¡±


    ¡°You realise you¡¯re starting to sound religious when you talk like that.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of religious, did anyone tell Great Aunt Marjory about magic yet?¡±


    ¡°No, and we¡¯re not going to,¡± Erika said. ¡°If she finds out that you came back from the dead, heal the sick and can walk on water, she is not going to keep the secret. Will anyone on talkback radio believe her? Probably not, but she¡¯s already intimated that the devil sent you back. I don¡¯t want her roaming around town yelling ¡®false prophet¡¯ at passers-by."


    ¡°That¡¯s fair.¡±


    ¡°You know, Jase, what you said about giving over to magic. It¡¯s not all good. It¡¯s getting harder to go around living my life with everything I¡¯ve learned. How do I treat everything as normal when I know about teleporting, secret monsters and alternate worlds. You¡¯re a sorcerer. It suddenly hit me the other day that you can cure cancer with a literal magic spell. How am I meant to go around living an ordinary life like that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not. There¡¯s a clock running on ordinary life for everyone. The difference is that you get a head start, with the time, knowledge and resources to get ready. I¡¯ve just been waiting for you to accept that so we can move on to the next step.¡±


    ¡°Like Taika.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s he doing?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s monstering it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t know who taught that guy to fight but he can fight. A lot like Farrah, actually, so she¡¯s helping him adapt to his new strength and speed.¡±


    When they had discussed essences with Taika, he had ended up not going for the combination Jason had picked out for him. After discussing his options, he had forgone the renewal essence and the immortal confluence it would bring. He had picked out for himself the more economical combination of might, swift and bird that produced the garuda confluence.


    ¡°Garuda is the devourer of snakes, bro. That¡¯s hardcore.¡±


    ¡°I hope there¡¯s more to your decision than that,¡± Farrah had told him.


    ¡°Bro, Garuda is the fastest and strongest warrior there is. Speed, strength, skill. No offence, but those powers you picked out would just make me the big, tough, slow guy. I don¡¯t want to accuse you of looking at me and immediately thinking that but you looked at me and immediately thought that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the kind of reasoning we wanted to hear,¡± Farrah said approvingly. ¡°Also, don¡¯t call me bro.¡±


    Farrah had been concerned that the bird essence might produce some abilities that were less combative and more like the power to talk to birds. That was fine when there were intelligent, magical birds flapping about, but seagulls were less likely to be a combat asset and more likely to keep asking for chips.


    Jason had traded with the Network to obtain the much rarer wing essence. The resulting combination would still produce the garuda essence, with a result very much in line with Humphrey. He also had the might and wing essences leading to a supernatural creature confluence, in his case, dragon.


    Jason and Farrah had anticipated a power set similar to Humphrey¡¯s, producing a mobile, high-resilience brawler. They had only awakened around a third of Taika¡¯s abilities, but the results, thus far, were falling completely into line. Clive had taught Jason about shaping a power set not by seeking out specific powers, but by aiming for powers within a certain scope.


    This was proving out with Taika. Jason was deeply familiar with the Humphrey-style group role, while Farrah knew how to fight like Taika, adapting his approach to his new abilities. His performance had helped convince the Network to grant him a spot as an external auxiliary to their tactical teams. He lacked the independence of Jason and Farrah but had gotten to go face to face with monsters. After the usual reaction of being taken aback when faced with a living, drooling creature, he started going to town on the iron-rank monsters.


    There was quite a crowd when Taika had undergone his essence rituals. Jason''s family all knew that essences were coming to them and were anxious to see what it looked like. At first, they were quite enthusiastic, up until Jason was hosing the gunk off the newly iron-rank Taika on the rear deck. It was universally agreed that it was the worse thing any of them had ever smelled.


    ¡°So, are you spending your day training Taika and the magic soldiers of tomorrow?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°No, I¡¯ve largely offloaded that on Farrah. She has more experience with the training methods than I do, but I translate concepts better. We¡¯ve fallen into a rhythm where she does the initial training and I help clarify things to the recruits.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing with your day, then?¡± Erika asked. ¡°Clinic?¡±


    ¡°Yep. I have to say, it feels good to be helping people without killing things. I did a lot of that in my early days over in the other world. I kind of lost track of that as life took over and it¡¯s nice to get back to it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m proud of you, little brother,¡± Erika said. ¡°It¡¯s the one part of all this that isn¡¯t horrifying.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be the only part. I mean, look at how awesome Shade is. He¡¯s like a phone, except snide and somehow British.¡±


    ¡°And flies my daughter around in a rocket suit. Which you have not done again, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course he hasn¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°Have you, Shade?¡±


    ¡°I find it best not to involve myself in family disputes,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°See?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That was not a denial.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t see you complaining when he was a bunch of horses running along the beach at sunset.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re allowed to take horses on that beach,¡± Erika said weakly.


    ¡°The medication will make you feel a little loopy,¡± the nurse said. ¡°You might also have some mild hallucinations. Most patients report seeing a red glow, possibly some other colours.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t go in with her?¡± the girl¡¯s mother asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid no one can be in the treatment room,¡± the nurse said. ¡°That¡¯s for legal and medical reasons. You did sign the non-disclosure, yes?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± the mother said. ¡°It was very strongly-worded.¡±


    The nurse glanced over at the receptionist, who nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯re working with experimental procedures,¡± the nurse said. ¡°The company is protecting millions, sometimes billions in investment. We¡¯re able to provide you with free care only because you¡¯ve agreed to provide testimonials once the product rolls out. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be more than enthusiastic once you see the results for yourself.¡±


    Several minutes later, the young girl was sitting upright on an examination chair, disoriented from a potion that would dull her senses and leave her memory hazy. Her head was held in place by a head frame, like that of an optometrist, on which she was resting her chin. She was also holding onto handles on the side of the frame, which helped her not topple over from the potion-induced dizziness.


    ¡°That¡¯s excellent,¡± the nurse said. ¡°You may hear something behind you but I need you to keep your head in the frame and not look back, alright?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± the girl agreed in a doped-up, sing-song voice.


    Behind the exam chair, a hidden door opened in the wall and Jason stepped silently into the room, his cloak of stars already in place. That way, if he was spotted, it would fit into the hallucination story the clinic was selling. Since his display at the children¡¯s hospital, numerous individuals had subsequently come forward, claiming to have been healed by, or even be the Starlight Angel. With the waters already muddied, a few extra stories wouldn¡¯t blip on the radar.


    Jason murmured his spell as quietly as he could get away with and still have it work.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, I see the colours,¡± the girl said. ¡°I feel funny.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing great, sweetie,¡± the nurse said.


    After he was done, Jason retreated through the door, which closed silently behind him. All through the clinic, other essence users were doing similar things. they had even taken to wearing dark cloaks with sequins to further the Starlight Angel narrative.


    Jason was the only person at the clinic whose cleansing power actually replenished his mana rather than burning through it. This made him one of the clinic¡¯s most valuable assets. The ability to clear out poisons and toxins was valuable, with the inability to heal injuries his only major shortfall.


    Dealing with highly visible wounds was a trickier prospect for the clinic than largely invisible afflictions. They did not deal with normal injuries, as that would rapidly get them exposed, leaving such cases to ordinary hospitals. Instead, they specialised in ¡®experimental procedures¡¯ that would allow otherwise permanent injuries to recover fully over time.


    The clinic did have an emergency department, where arrangements had been made to redirect the worst injuries before they reached a hospital.  Those cases had a frequent occurrence of the person¡¯s injuries turning out to be not as bad as the initial EMT assessment.


    After Jason was done, the girl was given a bed in the recovery ward for observation. This allowed the staff to watch for any adverse reactions to the magic while adding enough medical rigmarole to make the results seem like less of a miracle cure.


    The private clinic was almost the size of a full hospital, but operating without fanfare or even signage. Network-affiliated personnel in hospitals around the country made quiet referrals and transfers to clinics all around the country, making sure any inconvenient medical records discreetly disappeared.


    Jason increasingly spent his mornings and early afternoons at the Sydney clinic while Farrah settled in at the Network¡¯s training facility outside the city. In the afternoon they would portal back, pick up Emi from school and do their own daily training routine, much of which had to be hidden from prying eyes.


    They would start with Emi in Castle Bluff Park for physical training, followed by meditation. They would then return her to the houseboat, her home or her mother¡¯s restaurant before engaging in heavier training. Weights could be done on the houseboat, while the more extreme mobility training required portalling to a remote location.


    Farrah had claimed a section of ground on Ken¡¯s property and used her Earth-shaping power to create an outlandish obstacle course that looked more like an art installation than anything navigable by people. Ken would often watch, astounded by the acrobatic prowess of the two bronze-rankers.


    Any of these processes could be and were interrupted by dimensional incursions which, given the scope of the whole country, were taking place every day. The most common were category one incursions, which Jason didn¡¯t participate in. Farrah did in the course of training up recruits, who were exposed to carefully curated iron-rank monsters.


    Most days had a category two somewhere in the country, with Jason participating in almost all of them so that the Network could make use of his communication and looting services. It didn¡¯t take long before he had participated in incursions across each of the eight states and territories, showering riches down on the country¡¯s various branches.


    Jason and Farrah both took the lead in category three incursions. Rather than take on the silver-rank monsters they were best suited for, they started going for less ideal matches to push themselves. Jason only did this to a limited degree, as many silvers still provided him with plenty of challenge.


    Farrah would go further, taking on creatures like yowies where it was not her skill but her resource management that was pushed to the limit. Her power set gave her the strength to overpower even the stronger silver-rank monsters in short order, but doing so exhausted her reserves. The challenges that would help her cross the line into silver were not ones of power but of endurance.


    Weeks became months as winter moved into spring. Jason and Farrah settled into life on Earth, with Farrah¡¯s fa?ade of being alright following her ordeal slowly becoming reality. They did not lose track of the idea of finding a way back to the other world, however, as they went over the large collection of astral magic books they had every night.


    Spending the increasingly pleasant evenings on the open top deck of the houseboat, they studied the books together. Farrah had the superior grasp of theory but Jason was the astral magic specialist. He also had the advantage of much of his learning coming through the same books they were studying. Clive had seen little point in educating Jason in astral magic that would soon be obsolete when Knowledge had provided such an unparalleled asset.


    Jason had the original books on astral magic given to him by Knowledge, which were riddled with notes made by Clive both before and during their time in the astral space.


    "Astral magic isn''t my area," Farrah said, "but even I can tell this is far more advanced than what we had in the past."


    ¡°That¡¯s what Clive said,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°How smart is that guy?¡± she asked, shaking her head in disbelief as she read through his notes. ¡°This is beyond advanced and he deciphered it like it¡¯s nothing. Every book I pick up is full of brilliant insights. The guy¡¯s a monster.¡±


    ¡°Good thing, too,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s the reason that Greenstone wasn¡¯t wiped out and a bunch of diamond-rank super golems aren¡¯t rampaging across your world. I just wish I knew if they made it out alive.¡±


    ¡°They did,¡± a voice drifted up to the top deck. Jason and Farrah had both sensed a person on the marina, but the unfamiliar, normal-rank aura had caused them to dismiss it. They went to the edge of the deck to look at the person standing on the dock in front of the houseboat.


    It was a woman who looked around thirty, with alabaster skin and long, ruby hair. She was wearing a white summer dress with orange and yellow accents.


    ¡°Permission to come aboard?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Jason asked.


    She frowned.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to do this later.¡±


    ¡°Do what?¡± Jason asked, then his and Farrah¡¯s phones started beeping, the message that meant there had been a dimensional incursion.


    ¡°Another day, Mr Asano,¡± the woman said as she walked away. ¡°It was nice to finally meet you, though.¡±


    ¡°But not me, apparently,¡± Farrah muttered.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Jason called out.


    ¡°Your favourite painter,¡± she called back, without stopping or turning.


    ¡°You¡¯re Peter Paul Rubens?¡± Jason asked in a confused voice.


    The woman stopped and turned around to give him an incredulous look.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You claim to be a man who died in 1640 and you¡¯re the one who looks surprised?¡±

 Chapter 332: Not Ready to Leave

    Despite their outward dismissiveness, Jason and Farrah had no trouble finding challenge from silver rank monsters, although in very different ways. Farrah was all about frontloading damage, making endurance the key for her while Jason was just the opposite.


    The start of a fight was the most dangerous time for him. The enemy was at their strongest, with full reserves, while his abilities lacked immediate impact. His one instantaneous damage power required considerable setup, which left an eruption of Colin and Gordon''s exploding spheres as his only blitz moves.


    The longer a fight went on, the better for Jason as the enemy grew weaker and he grew stronger. The best way for Jason to challenge himself, then, was to fight weaker enemies in higher numbers, consigning himself to a constant state of the beginning portion of fights.


    When he had taken such fights against bronze-rank monsters, it had been a frustrating experience. They lacked the fortitude to survive long enough for Jason¡¯s full abilities to come into play. In most instances, Jason had to work hard to even use his execute before the monsters died, making it a hard power to advance.


    Even that required effort incommensurate with the results. Starting all the way back at iron-rank, his powers had often felt pointlessly elaborate, when a simple chunk of immediate damage was so much more effective. Watching Humphrey carve through monsters had been an almost emasculating experience, with his team deliberately leaving him monsters to kill on his own. Only against the toughest monsters did he feel like he was truly contributing, leaving him as an addendum to his own team.


    It was once they started challenging silver-rank monsters that Jason felt his powers come into their own. Even the weakest silver-rank monster had a startling resilience, which meant that Jason was no longer racing to use all his abilities on an enemy before it died. At the same time, adventurers Jason had long envied, like Humphrey, were no longer taking down one or more enemies with a single sword-swing.


    Although fighting packs of silver-rank monsters was objectively more difficult than their lower-rank equivalents, Jason finally felt like he was truly pushing himself. No longer was he reaching the end of the fight just as he was hitting his stride. In his latter days in the astral space, and now the proto-spaces of Earth, he felt that he was becoming the adventurer he was meant to be from the beginning.


    ¡°I think we told you this from the beginning,¡± Farrah said as Jason shared his feelings on the flight home from the latest proto-space. ¡°Affliction specialists are kind of a waste at low rank.¡±


    ¡°I still need to work on fighting in the open,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade does a great job of letting me jump between his bodies, always moving where I need him. I need to work on making the most of the opportunities he sets up for me.¡±


    ¡°Stick to bronze-ranks for that, for now,¡± Farrah advised. ¡°Until you¡¯re better at it, taking on silvers in the open is too much of a risk unless they¡¯re as sluggish as a yowie.¡±


    Jason had been incorporating Shade¡¯s mount forms into his combat style more and more against the larger, slower monsters. The new approach was a way to develop in a new direction using enemies he was traditionally strong against,  which typically didn¡¯t help his advancement.


    To make the most of his superhuman coordination and reflexes, he sought out environments to practise this new methodology. He went out bush to find improvised obstacle courses for Shade¡¯s motorcycle and horse forms, along with more alien and exotic animals.


    ¡°They have mantis beetles on Earth?¡± Farrah asked, having joined him one such excursion.


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Jason said.


    "So, Shade can take forms from other worlds?"


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Then why can¡¯t Shade take a heidel form?¡±


    ¡°Technically, the shape-changing is Mr Asano¡¯s power,¡± Shade said. ¡°You will need to ask him.¡±


    ¡°Magic¡¯s very complicated,¡± Jason said. ¡°Who amongst us can truly claim to understand all its vagaries?¡±


    In Jason¡¯s cabin, the furniture was currently configured into a pair of large armchairs in which Jason and Farrah were sitting. They were looking at the two paintings on the wall, specifically the one titled The Invasion of Pallimustus. It depicted a series of orbital cities floating around Farrah''s homeworld.


    ¡°And that woman who came by painted this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Jason said. ¡°She goes by the name Dawn, although she¡¯s suspiciously elusive. The Network and the Cabal have been trying to find her for months and coming up empty.¡±


    ¡°She was definitely a normal person,¡± she said. ¡°Unless she¡¯s so powerful that she can fool our senses, but that would have to be diamond rank. My perception power enhanced my aura senses when it hit silver and with your soul strength, your senses aren¡¯t much weaker.¡±


    ¡°Can a diamond-ranker even survive in magic this low?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Farrah said. ¡°When it comes to diamond-rankers, the rules you and I live by are more like guidelines. For all I know, she¡¯s somehow artificially reduced her rank.  More likely, she¡¯s fronting for someone else, though. Since when do you and I warrant the attention of a diamond ranker?¡±


    Jason nodded at the painting.


    ¡°Since that became an issue, I suspect. Assuming it¡¯s actually happening. If your world really is suffering an invasion, I¡¯m guessing the painting is a metaphor. Rather than an invasion from space, I would put money on it being dimensional.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think that?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already helped stop one dimensional invasion and I doubt we were the Builder¡¯s biggest concern or he would have sent more powerful people. Plus there¡¯s the fact that someone clearly wants us involved. Maybe because we¡¯re outworlders.¡±


    ¡°Someone?¡±


    ¡°My money would be on the World-Phoenix,¡± Jason said. ¡°Otherwise, what reason would she have to intervene in my affairs. I¡¯m less than a speck of dust for a being like that to brush off its shoulder.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s happening right now?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know any more than you,¡± Jason said. ¡°My intuition says no. Why bother to tell us about it when we don¡¯t have a way back, yet.¡±


    "You still think the astral magic books will have one?" Farrah said. "There''s a lot of information about dimension crossing, but breaching an astral space is very different from crossing realities."


    ¡°When Knowledge gave me those books, she was the only person in the world who both knew that I had the World-Phoenix token and what it would do. I suspect she chose the contents of those books very carefully. I just need to study them until I understand it. Thankfully, I have Clive¡¯s notes to guide me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not ready to leave yet, though.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Once we find our way back, there¡¯s no telling if I¡¯ll ever be able to return to Earth. Even if I can, it could easily be decades. Before I go, I want to make sure my family is equipped for whatever comes their way once magic comes out into the open.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t even started giving them essences, yet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m leaving that decision to Erika. I feel like I don¡¯t have the right perspective. I think she¡¯s coming around, though.¡±


    Asya and Farrah arrived at the marina together, getting out of Asya¡¯s car.


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t asked him out?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°The timing just hasn¡¯t been right.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been months. ¡®Timing¡¯ clearly means that in all this time, you¡¯ve never worked up the nerve.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Asya said. ¡°Okay, yes. But it is unnerving. He knows what I''m feeling every time I stand in front of him.¡±


    ¡°He knows what you¡¯re feeling right now,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Your aura training is coming along nicely but Jason¡¯s so good in that area and his soul is so strong. If it¡¯s even still a soul anymore.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°The body and soul are intrinsically connected but there¡¯s still a dichotomy between them. One is physical and temporary. The other is spiritual and eternal. Jason doesn¡¯t have that dichotomy anymore. He¡¯s flesh and spirit in one; the physical embodiment of his soul.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean his soul is now temporary?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Even he isn¡¯t sure exactly what price he paid to come get me.¡±


    ¡°You can feel the difference,¡± Asya said. ¡°From before and after he did whatever it was he did to get access to that astral space. He didn¡¯t hesitate for a second. Did you and Jason really never¡­?¡±


    ¡°Why do people keep asking that. Do you not have friends in this world? There¡¯s no one I¡¯d rather have beside me when the world burns down, but he isn¡¯t even close to my type. I mean, Jason¡¯s great, but he¡¯s also a lot.¡±


    ¡°Some of us want a lot.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you standing in the car park talking to me? He¡¯s over there on the appropriately ostentatious houseboat.¡±


    As they were about to head off down the dock, a car pulled up beside them and Jason¡¯s old friend Greg stepped out. He was visibly nervous at the sight of the two startlingly attractive women.


    ¡°Hello, Greg,¡± Asya said. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    ¡°Asya,¡± Greg greeted uncertainly. ¡°Miss Hurin.¡±


    Greg had gone to school with Asya and Jason. Farrah, he met only briefly, although he had driven past her and Jason on their insane runs to Castle Bluff. He fished a large, squared-off bag from the back seat of his car.


    ¡°I, uh, didn¡¯t realise you¡¯d be here,¡± Greg said to Asya.


    ¡°Jason said you were bringing some board games for us to play,¡± Asya said. Somewhere inside of Greg, his fifteen-year-old self let out a whimper.


    ¡°Yep,¡± he said, his voice oddly high.


    Craig Vermillion pulled up on the other side of Greg, also getting out of his car. Greg looked from Asya¡¯s 1962 MGA Roadster to Craig¡¯s 1967 Maserati Ghibli, then at his 2017 Ford Taurus.


    ¡°I¡¯m the boring one, aren¡¯t I?¡± he asked. ¡°This is high school all over again.¡±


    Asya gave him a smile.


    ¡°Come, on, Greg. If all your friends are cool, what does that say about you?¡±


    ¡°That they need a designated driver.¡±


    They made their way along the dock to the houseboat. As Greg was still in the dark, magic-wise, the houseboat''s interior was disguised. Jason had turned the bar lounge into a bar and game room, with two large game tables with the tops that had been removed to reveal sunken, felt-lined interiors. Another table was covered in snack trays.


    Jason and Taika were waiting when they arrived, Jason mixing up cocktails behind the bar as Taika clipped cup holders onto the sides of the tables


    ¡°Your houseboat comes with a dedicated board game room?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of modular,¡± Jason said. ¡°At this point, it pretty much comes with everything.¡±


    ¡°This houseboat is crazy.¡±


    ¡°He has a whole other superyacht he has moored at Castle Heads," Asya said.


    The EOA, as it turned out, took Jason at his word when he told them he was taking the yacht he took over following the plane attack. As part of a scramble to avoid retaliation for their participation in Farrah''s incarceration, they had signed it over and sailed it to the east coast. Not knowing what to do with it, Jason left it at the Castle Heads marina. There he didn¡¯t have to rent a second slip for the huge vessel, the way he did with the houseboat at Casselton beach. Giant yachts were much more the norm there.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Greg said, ¡°not to put too fine a point on it, but are you a drug dealer?¡±


    ¡°No, although funny story: you remember how we used to play El Grande all the time back in school?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Greg said.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, ¡°not long after I got back, I was selling some gold to these Armenian mobsters and they had El Grande set up. Proper game table and everything; I thought of you immediately. Why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    ¡°Armenian mobsters?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, bro,¡± Taika said. ¡°I was there for that. All these hardcore-looking blokes hanging about, looking like they¡¯re going to break your legs. Then you spot the board game and realise that we''re not all so different after all. It was kind of heart-warming.¡±


    ¡°Selling gold?¡± Greg asked, still looking at Jason like he was an alien.


    ¡°I did some work out of town while everyone thought I was dead. That¡¯s where I met Farrah, actually. Anyway, I came back with a bunch of gold bars I picked in the Kalahari ¨C not really meant to talk about that ¨C and I needed some walking around money. You know my uncle Hiro was always a bit shady and he hooked me up.¡±


    ¡°This all sounds completely ridiculous.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got no idea, mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to tell you the big stuff. Can I?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Asya said firmly. ¡°Like I told you when you wanted to tell the butcher: you made a confidentiality agreement.¡±


    ¡°But the anecdote didn¡¯t really work unless¡­¡±


    ¡°Then the answer is to not tell the anecdote,¡± she said.


    Greg took the games out of his bag, one of them catching Jason¡¯s eye.


    ¡°That one¡¯s about hunting a vampire, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Greg said. ¡°It¡¯s an all-versus-one game.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a bit insensitive,¡± Jason said, glancing at Craig.


    ¡°Why?¡± Greg.


    ¡°Uh, no reason,¡± Jason said, Asya glaring at him again.


    Shortly thereafter, Ian, Erika and Emi came aboard, Emi moving straight to Jason.


    ¡°Virgin pi?a colada,¡± Jason said, handing her a readied drink. ¡°At least, I think that¡¯s the virgin one. If not, don¡¯t tell your Mum.¡±


    ¡°Stop corrupting my daughter,¡± Erika scolded. ¡°Greg, it¡¯s great to see you. I meant to tell you how amazing that costume was that you wore to my fancy dress party.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Greg said. ¡°I was worried an elaborate Iron Man costume might make people think I was lonely enough to have time to make it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Erika said with a straight face. ¡°Nobody thought that.¡±

 Chapter 333: Decision

    As everyone packed up to go home, Greg found Jason in the kitchen.


    ¡°This was really great,¡± Greg told Jason. ¡°Most of our old friends left for university and never came back, and I¡¯ve never been great at making new ones. There was Amy, but after what she did, forget that.¡±


    ¡°You came back so you could inherit your dad¡¯s law firm, right?¡±


    "Yeah, but that''s not working out. David''s big-city career didn''t work out, so he''s back. Dad hasn''t exactly said it, but he was always the favourite, so¡­"


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a big bible guy, as you know,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m starting to come around on the idea of killing all the firstborn sons, though. Also, your dad sucks. Is your mum still super hot?¡±


    ¡°Dude, that¡¯s not cool.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying, your mum is super hot.¡±


    ¡°How would you feel if I went and hit on Farrah?¡±


    ¡°Mate, if you¡¯ve got the courage, then go for it.¡±


    ¡°I do not. She¡¯s super cute, though. Is she an athlete or something?¡±


    ¡°Private security contractor.¡±


    ¡°Like a mercenary?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. She was one of the people that trained me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s the mysterious job?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little more complicated than that, but more or less.¡±


    ¡°I do like your friends,¡± Greg said. ¡°They¡¯re a little weird, but cool weird, you know. You¡¯ve always been good with people like that. Are we going to do a night like this again?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t guarantee a regular schedule, but I¡¯d like that a lot. My life is aching for some normalcy.¡±


    ¡°Well, mine is aching for some weirdness,¡± Greg said.


    ¡°I can probably arrange something like that.¡±


    Jason¡¯s guests left, with Shade serving as designated driver for Craig, Ian and Asya since the only ones who hadn¡¯t been drinking alcohol were Greg and Emi.


    ¡°What if a cop pulls us over and there¡¯s a shadow man in the driver¡¯s seat?¡± Ian asked after Greg had driven away.


    ¡°You mean Paul?¡± Erika asked. ¡°Nah, he¡¯s running bingo tonight.¡±


    Erika remained behind as Jason wanted to discuss the family¡¯s essence situation. After seeing the others off, Jason, Erika and Farrah settled into comfortable chairs to talk.


    ¡°I know we said that we would hold off on the family¡¯s essences until you felt the time was right,¡± Jason told Erika. ¡°We¡¯re going to move forward with Hiro¡¯s, though.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been teaching him formation magic,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He¡¯s still a novice, but he¡¯s far enough along that with the right essences and awakening stones, he¡¯ll be setting himself up as a good formation specialist. After some trading with the Network, we have those ready to go.¡±


    ¡°Hiro has purchased some land and he and Farrah are going to start planning out the development,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We need to know what capabilities Hiro will be bringing to the table before then,¡± Farrah added.


    ¡°He¡¯s bought land, already?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°A nice stretch of clifftop land down the coast, nestled right in a gap between national parks. A development group bribed the Deputy Premier to get it approved for commercial development, only to pull out of the project very suddenly, for undisclosed reasons. They sold the land to Uncle Hiro for a steal.¡±


    ¡°And you expect the family to move there?¡±


    ¡°I have no expectations,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯ll be available to the family, which I suspect they¡¯ll be glad of sooner than I¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°You really think things will get that bad?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t see a scenario where magic goes public and it¡¯s a safe, smooth transition, though. Even if there aren¡¯t any magic complication, which seems unlikely at best, there¡¯s no telling what kind of social upheavals could take place. If everything works out, then great. If not, we¡¯ll have a sanctuary.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough of your society to see that while you claim to be equal, you are anything but,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°The families connected to the Network will be the new oligarchs,¡± Jason added. ¡°We don¡¯t have to join them but we don¡¯t want to be beholden to them. We need an infrastructure in place to pass magic on to the next generation. The Asano estate will be the centre of that.¡±


    ¡°The Asano Estate,¡± Erika repeated. ¡°This is really happening, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Everything is going to change, sooner or later,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think that the reason you¡¯re dragging your feet on the essences is that you understand that. You know that once we start magicking-up the family, we''re on a road away from normal that doesn¡¯t loop back.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Erika said. ¡°Ian and I have been talking about this a lot. I told you that it was hard living an ordinary life knowing everything I know, now. I don¡¯t like that feeling.¡±


    Jason narrowed his eyes at his sister.


    ¡°You¡¯ve decided something,¡± he realised.


    "I don''t want to dabble," Erika said. "We don''t, me or Ian. I know you''re looking to bring Emi all the way in¡­"


    ¡°I would never do anything with her you were against,¡± Jason said. ¡°But whatever you may want, a day will come where she has to make her own choices. I think we both know how that¡¯s going to go and I want to give her every advantage.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Erika said. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯ve decided that we want to go all the way in too. If we¡¯re going to live lives of magic, we want to do it properly.¡±


    ¡°We can make that work,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Monster hunting isn¡¯t for you, but we can set you up with support combinations. Jason has already picked out an essence set for you, based around magical cooking.¡±


    ¡°Magical cooking?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°I picked it up while I was away, so I get to teach you for once. You can be the world¡¯s first magic celebrity chef.¡±


    ¡°Be serious, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I am. The Network is going to be looking for ways to normalise magic, once it goes public. The idea of dimensional pockets full of monsters is going to freak people out. A TV chef making meals from ingredients taken from those same places will let them shift the narrative.¡±


    ¡°You want me to be a propaganda tool?¡±


    "How else do you expect to get through to people?" Jason asked. "Facts and reasoned argument?"


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Erika acknowledged. ¡°I take it you¡¯ve made plans for Ian, then?¡±


    ¡°Ian¡¯s a doctor,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s no reason that has to change. The Network has been integrating healing magic and medical science for decades. We¡¯re looking to give him some healing powers and take him to the clinic I work at. They can teach him to incorporate magic with the skills and knowledge he already has.¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯ll like that,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°I would have discussed it with him before this,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I didn¡¯t want to push you faster than you wanted to go.¡±


    ¡°What about Emi?¡± Erika asked. ¡°What plans do you have for her?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have anything set in stone,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯ll probably be three years at least before she can receive magic, so we have plenty of time. We want a power set that doesn¡¯t waste her cleverness and also keeps her safe.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a combination we¡¯ve been considering,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s a known combination that uses magic to protect other people. Unlike most protection-type combinations, it¡¯s more about standing back and directing events, rather than getting up close with enemies.¡±


    ¡°Why does she have to have enemies?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°She doesn¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°But she will. I think you know that.¡±


    ¡°She already wants to do what you do,¡± Erika said. ¡°She should be too old to want to fight monsters when she grows up. It all still sounds ridiculous. Not many of your recordings had monsters in them. You mostly just talked about them a lot.¡±


    ¡°Did you show her the recording of you murdering the Geller kids?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t murder any kids,¡± Jason assured her, glaring at a grinning Farrah. ¡°It was a combat trial in sort of a magic hologram arena. No one was hurt, let alone died. And you know I hate that recording, Farrah. I definitely didn¡¯t bring it with me.¡±


    ¡°She hasn¡¯t seen you fight, then?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him fight,¡± Erika said softly.


    Farrah felt the turbulence in Erika¡¯s emotions and threw a questioning glance at Jason.


    "There were a bunch of criminals that were forced out of Greenstone," he explained. "They went out into the veldt and turned bandit. The Adventure Society did a sweep and my team was assigned with clearing out a village that they¡¯d completely taken over. I did the job alone and my team recorded it.¡±


    ¡°You showed her a recording of you killing a bunch of people?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°You know how absurd what we do sounds to people from my world,¡± Jason told her. ¡°I needed Erika to know the seriousness of what you and I do.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t try and feed me crap,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You didn¡¯t have to jump all the way to a killing spree for that. You wanted someone to tell you that you weren¡¯t a bad person, in spite of the things you¡¯ve done. So here you go: you¡¯re not a bad person. Gods, Jason, you don¡¯t go showing normals things like that.¡±


    ¡°I needed her to understand who I am, now,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Farrah said, shaking her head. ¡°I forgot who I''m talking to. You''re the guy who was lecturing me about killing when he had no damn idea what he was talking about. You don''t want to be told that you''re not a bad person; you want to be told that you are. Inside that twisted mind, you still haven''t balanced yourself out, have you?"


    ¡°I¡¯ve killed a lot of people, Farrah.¡±


    ¡°A lot of people have it coming. You and I are going to talk about this later. At length.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m meant to be the one helping you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Clearly, I¡¯m a lot more together as a person than you are,¡± she said.


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I should probably go,¡± Erika said, suddenly feeling sidelined.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told us what your decision was,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Maybe now isn¡¯t the time,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°You might as well tell us,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If you¡¯re waiting for this guy not to be caught up in self-indulgent introspection about how grimdark he is, it¡¯ll never be the right time.¡±


    ¡°Grimdark?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You need to stop watching movies with Taika and start watching them with Gordon.¡±


    ¡°And you need to make it through a whole conversation without it getting repeatedly derailed,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Coming from the woman who just accused me of excessive brooding.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m just going to go,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason and Farrah said, turning on her.


    ¡°Sorry, Sis,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve made an important decision and I want to hear it.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Erika said nervously. ¡°You intend to go back, don¡¯t you? To the other world.¡±


    Jason and Farrah shared a glance.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason confirmed, ¡°but we don¡¯t know when or even if that will be possible.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Erika said, ¡°when you do, we want to go with you.¡±


    Jason opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again as the ramifications of his sister¡¯s simple statement of intent played through his mind.


    ¡°Great,¡± Farrah said. ¡°There¡¯s a lot you should know before making a final choice like that, though. For one thing, we don¡¯t know if or when we¡¯ll ever come back here.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve thought about that,¡± Erika said. ¡°Ian doesn¡¯t have any close family, and if Uncle Hiro¡¯s plans work out, we can go without worrying about ours. I don¡¯t love the idea of never seeing Dad again, but even so, we want to do it.¡±


    Erika watched Jason¡¯s expression, which held a deep frown.


    ¡°Farrah¡¯s right that there¡¯s a lot you need to know before even considering it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve only seen a tiny fragment of that world myself and I¡¯ve seen how dangerous it can be.¡±


    "Jason and I aren''t important there, the way we are here," Farrah said. "We would be much less able to protect you."


    ¡°You can tell Ian and me all about it,¡± Erika said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯ll change our minds, though. We don¡¯t want to spend our lives in the house I grew up in. It was the comfort we needed after you died and Mum and Dad got divorced, but we always intended to show our daughter the world. It just turns out that the world is a lot bigger than we ever realised. If there¡¯s a magical world, we want to see it.¡±


    ¡°This world will be getting more magical in the years to come.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not the same and you know it,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason admitted.


    ¡°If nothing else,¡± Erika said, ¡°Emi will want to go with you. I don¡¯t want to tell her she can¡¯t when I feel the same way, and I won¡¯t let you take my daughter away.¡±


    ¡°I would never do that.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Erika said, shining a warm smile on Jason.


    He stared at his sister for a long time, searching her face. He could feel the resolve permeating her aura.


    ¡°We can look into it,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s a ridiculous amount to go over, while we don¡¯t know if we even will find a way back. Even if we do, there¡¯s no telling if we can bring you along.¡±


    ¡°If you can get back, the rest of us can,¡± Farrah said. ¡°All we have to do is trust you.¡±


    Jason looked at her for a moment, then nodded. He made a gesture and an archway rose from the floor.


    ¡°When I first showed you this,¡± Jason said to Erika, ¡°You couldn¡¯t go in.¡±


    ¡°That goes to the special place that Emi talked about?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°The only way in is to trust me completely. Back then, there were still a lot of mysteries surrounding me. You didn¡¯t understand what I¡¯d been through or what I was doing since getting back. Now, you¡¯ve seen all the recordings and asked me all your questions. So here¡¯s my question: can you trust your little brother?¡±


    Erika stood up, reaching for the arch with a trepidatious hand. She inched it forward, but unlike the past, it didn''t stop. Her finger passed into the darkness and vanished. She looked over at Jason, who gave her an encouraging nod. She stepped through.


    ¡°This is really your soul?¡± Erika asked as they roamed through the gardens of Jason¡¯s spirit vault.


    ¡°A representation of it, anyway,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is it so hard to believe?¡±


    ¡°Not really,¡± Erika said. ¡°It¡¯s ostentatious and full of twisty paths.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s lovely,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°To get in I have to trust you,¡± Erika said. ¡°Not put up with your nonsense.¡±


    They reached the edge of the garden, where the walls showed signs of battle damage, revealing an eerie darkness within. Erika ran a hand over a ragged gash in the dark brickwork, as if she could feel the brutal attack that made it.


    ¡°If you really want to go to the other world,¡± Jason said softly, ¡°then you have to understand that there will be dangers. Threats unlike anything in your world.¡±


    ¡°You mean our world,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°The brother who was a part of your world died. I belong somewhere else. If you want to as well, I¡¯m willing to help you. Tomorrow we¡¯ll sit down with Ian and really talk about the ramifications of you doing this. Then we get onto essences. We need you as full of magic as we can get you.¡±


    Jason frowned, tilting his head. Since his transfiguration, his senses were able to extend outside the spirit vault and he sensed an aura approaching the houseboat.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°The painter,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯s back.¡±


    Jason had Erika wait behind while Jason and Farrah left the spirit vault. They found the woman waiting on the dock, ruby hair shining in the moonlight.


    ¡°Are you a celestine in disguise?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Permission to come aboard?¡±


    ¡°Give me a moment,¡± Jason said. ¡°I need to deal with something.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you shouldn¡¯t portal your sister home,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I think you should let her know the stakes you¡¯re playing for.¡±

 Chapter 334: What You Have to Do

    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, sitting around a table with three women. ¡°This is complicated.¡±


    ¡°I may be getting used to being the most ignorant person in the room,¡± Erika said, ¡°but that doesn¡¯t mean that I like it.¡±


    ¡°How drunk are you?¡± Jason asked Farrah.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Farrah said, moving her head like she was trying to balance it on her neck.


    ¡°Me too,¡± Jason said. ¡°I mean, yes, I wore a suppression collar to turn off my poison resistance, but I only drank that one bottle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s two bottles,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Really? I thought I was seeing double.¡±


    ¡°Are you seeing two of anything else?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°No, but I think I might be bad at counting. Do you want me to sober you up? I have magic powers, you know.¡±


    ¡°No! There¡¯s hardly any bronze-rank booze left.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t pay any attention to these two,¡± Erika confided loudly to Dawn. ¡°They¡¯ve been drinking.¡±


    ¡°I think we should start by you telling us exactly who you are and why you¡¯re here,¡± Jason said to Dawn. ¡°Eri, we can catch you up on context later. Spoiler: she¡¯s an alien.¡±


    Dawn looked at Jason from under raised eyebrows.


    ¡°You¡¯re weird,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your aura is normal but there¡¯s nothing in it. It¡¯s like trying to eat a very realistic wax fruit, but that¡¯s okay. I¡¯m playing up being drunk so you underestimate me. I¡¯m very clever.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing a really good job,¡± Farrah assured him.


    ¡°Thanks! So, who are you, lady?¡±


    ¡°What if I called myself a prophet?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°I could call myself Barry Van Dyke,¡± Jason said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean I replaced Jan Michael Vincent in the lead for the fourth series of Airwolf.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Erika asked. ¡°You¡¯re bringing up Airwolf?¡±


    ¡°Eri was not happy with the fourth season,¡± Jason confided.


    ¡°All the flight shots were reused footage,¡± Erika decried. ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Eri, we¡¯ve been over this. It was broadcast television in the eighties. They wanted enough episodes for a syndication deal on the cheap.¡±


    ¡°What about Caitlin, Jason? They blew up Ernest Borgnine¡¯s body double, but what happened to Caitlin?¡±


    ¡°I told you: it was broadcast television in the eighties. They didn¡¯t care about the female characters.¡±


    ¡°Am I meant to be following any of this?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°No, just ride it out,¡± Farrah advised. ¡°Do you watch television?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen some Tina Turner concert recordings but otherwise I don¡¯t see the appeal,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Oh, they¡¯ve jumped to Knight Rider; that usually means they¡¯re winding down.¡±


    ¡°They brought Bonnie back,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°She never should have left,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not arguing that she should have,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t hear you complaining about April, though.¡±


    ¡°April can bugger off.¡±


    ¡°She did,¡± Jason said. ¡°You realise that she was an early female character who excelled in STEM fields,¡± Jason argued.


    ¡°So was Bonnie! Who they had her replace because Bonnie wasn''t blonde!¡±


    ¡°They brought her back,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Hoff and Edward Mulhare were all ¡®bring back that lady,¡¯ and they did. Eddie Mulhare was a sexy-arse ghost.¡±


    ¡°He was a sexy-arse ghost,¡± Erika agreed.


    Farrah interjected to try and bring things to a close.


    ¡°Maybe we should stop talking about nonsense, and talk to the weird magic woman instead.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Erika complained, turning to Dawn. ¡°So, what¡¯s your deal. And no mysterious prophetess nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you¡¯re here to play enigmatic guide leading us forward through vague clues, you can get on your bike and trundle off.¡±


    Dawn was taken slightly aback by the suddenly hostile brother-sister duo.


    ¡°You¡¯ve already surmised who sent me,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve also surmised that your boss wants something.¡±


    ¡°It wants you to save the world,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°From what?¡± Jason asked. ¡°If the EOA¡¯s built a weather machine, I¡¯m one-hundred percent in.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid it¡¯s more drastic than that,¡± Dawn said. ¡°A magical link has been forged between this world and Pallimustus.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to jump in real quick,¡± Erika said. ¡°Who exactly is this boss and what is Pallimustus?¡±


    ¡°She works for the World-Phoenix, who is basically an interdimensional super god,¡± Jason said. ¡°Pallimustus is the name of Farrah¡¯s world.¡±


    ¡°Super god?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°Regular gods are more along the lines of your Zeus, Thor, Brian Dennehy, etc.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Brian Dennehy was a god,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Who am I thinking of then?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Bacchus?¡± Erika suggested.


    ¡°He did look like a man who enjoyed the odd sandwich,¡± Jason said, then turned to Dawn, ¡°Actually, since you¡¯re here, do you know if there are any local gods?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t enough magic, yet,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Yet?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°The link between worlds,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It¡¯s been siphoning off magic from Pallimustus to this world for centuries. It was slow, at first, but the rate of transfer has been rapidly escalating over the last century and a half.¡±


    ¡°The proto-spaces,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s where they¡¯re coming from.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Each proto-space that breaks down without the anchor creatures being destroyed deposits its magic into your world. Individually that has little effect, but after centuries, the magical density of your world has started to rise. This strengthens the link, which feeds the loop. More spaces appear, collapse and dump even more magic into the environment at an ever-increasing pace.¡±


    ¡°Someone knew this was coming,¡± Jason said. ¡°There were outworlders who built the grid and established the Network in preparation to stop it.¡±


    ¡°That is our understanding,¡± Dawn said. ¡°However, they were unable to prepare a response to proto-spaces appearing coterminous with the depths of the oceans. The proto-spaces that open there go undetected and deliver magic into your world.¡±


    ¡°Most of which is covered in water,¡± Jason said. ¡°Meaning that the Network¡¯s mission of containment was completely stuffed from the start.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°What they have accomplished is to slow the rate at which your world¡¯s magical density has risen. For now, it remains low, but is approaching a dangerous threshold.¡±


    ¡°The proto-spaces,¡± Jason said, eyes going wide. With the information Dawn had provided, his study of astral magic allowed him to connect the dots to form a terrible revelation.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Farrah asked him.


    ¡°I just realised what happens once the magical density crosses the minimum threshold for iron rank,¡± Jason said, making it Farrah''s turn to be startled.


    ¡°No more proto-spaces,¡± she realised. ¡°Direct magical manifestation.¡±


    ¡°There will most likely still be proto-spaces forming for the more powerful manifestations,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Lower-rank monsters, essences and awakening stones will start manifesting directly, however. Once that begins, there will be no way to prevent the magic they bring with them from accelerating the rise in magical density even further.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not following much of this,¡± Erika said. ¡°From what I understand, though, you¡¯re saying our world is going to be more magical? Is that bad?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bad,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Monsters randomly appearing in the streets,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The societies of your world are not prepared for that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not even the real problem,¡± Jason said. ¡°Worlds aren¡¯t built to handle extreme changes in magical density. The dimensional membrane ¨C that¡¯s the inbisible¡­ inbisivle¡­ the thing you can¡¯t see that keeps the magic out. If that goes sploot, the whole planet gets washed away like a sandcastle when the tide comes in.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Erika said. ¡°You¡¯re saying the planet is going to be destroyed?¡±


    ¡°If we don¡¯t find a way to stop the magic coming in,¡± Jason said. ¡°If we can trust what this lady is saying. I think she might not be real.¡±


    ¡°How long until that happens?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°It''s hard to be certain,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The World Phoenix reinforced the dimensional membrane of your universe billions of years ago, which is how your world has endured thus far without overt effects. So long as the Network continues to intercept what proto-spaces they can, direct manifestation will begin in roughly a decade. The breaking down of the dimensional membrane will start causing weather effects at some point after that. Minor, at first, but conditions will escalate. Half a century from now, the geological effects will begin. The dimensional membrane will lose integrity entirely at around the two-hundred and fifty-year mark, but your planet will be uninhabitable for at least a century before that.¡±


    ¡°So, monsters on the streets in ten years,¡± Jason said. ¡°Then it ramps up into a constant sequence of disaster movies and no more people in a century and a half.¡±


    ¡°Assuming nothing intervenes to move the clock one way or another,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°What about that power your boss gave me?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That stabilised physical realities, right?¡±


    ¡°That might work for a proto-space, Mr Asano. It won¡¯t work for an entire planet.¡±


    ¡°Is it just the planet, or a whole universe thing?¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, the effects are localised,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The likelihood of a chain reaction affecting the universe at large is very small.¡±


    ¡°Very small isn¡¯t nothing,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re totally going to save the universe, which will totally get me some action. I¡¯ll be all ¡®hey, ladies, I¡¯m the guy who saved the universe,¡¯ and they¡¯ll be all ¡®that sounds like hot nonsense, but you¡¯re way better looking than Kaito, so let¡¯s make out.¡¯ Then I¡¯ll be all ¡®I can¡¯t do that; I respect women,¡¯ and they¡¯ll be all ¡®it¡¯s totally our choice.¡¯ Since I¡¯m all about female agency, I have to go along with it at that point because it¡¯s the feminist thing to do, so we¡¯ll go the supermarket and buy all the whipped cream¡­¡±


    ¡°Moving on from that grotesquery,¡± Farrah said, ¡°you mentioned a link between worlds. Are we to assume that the link is both the cause and solution to the problem?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The link is predicated on the history of your two universes and the connection they have always shared. Allow me to explain. Your two universes, like all universes, were created from a seed, what you might know as a singularity. These seeds are created by the Builder.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Jason said. ¡°I had a fistfight with the guy who created the universe?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°The Builder you know is not the Builder who created your universe. That Builder was sanctioned by the other great astral beings for treating your two universes as an experiment.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot to unpack there,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s start with what sanctioned means.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Dawn said. ¡°All I know is that for all intents and purposes, the old Builder is gone. A new one was then chosen from amongst the half-transcendents.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a half-transcendent?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Do you know what that is, Farrah?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°A half-transcendent is someone who has surpassed diamond-rank,¡± Dawn said. ¡°They have moved beyond the structures of power that you know of but they have yet to transcend physical being. That requires more than simply a growth in power. This is what the great astral beings provided, in return for the new Builder taking up the role of his predecessor.¡±


    ¡°What was that about treating our world as an experiment?¡± Erika asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can express the degree to which I don¡¯t like the sound of that.¡±


    ¡°The Builder¡¯s role is to create universe seeds,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Each one new and unique, which had been the case until your two universes. What he did was to not just create identical seeds, but to create them by reproducing elements of existing worlds. This does not literally translate to specific elements of those other worlds appearing in yours, but the potential is there. Think of it as having those elements built into the DNA of the universe. They may express themselves or they may not. If and when they do, it may be in very disparate ways. This is especially true given that one of the worlds was given a more rigid dimensional membrane, which is why your world has less magic than Pallimustus.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying we weren¡¯t even the proper experiment?¡± Jason asked. ¡°We were the control?


    ¡°What¡¯s DNA?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of like the magic matrix in your body,¡± Jason said. ¡°Except instead of magic, it¡¯s goop that gives you eyebeams when you fall in a vat of toxic waste.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what that means,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°People always say to that to me. And they keep telling me my name. I meet someone and they¡¯re all ¡®you¡¯re Jason Asano.¡¯ It¡¯s like I¡¯m a soap opera character that was presumed dead and then came back with amnesia and was played by a different actor.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s totally like that,¡± Erika said, laughing. ¡°That makes a super amount of sense.¡±


    Dawn ran a hand over her face.


    ¡°What it means,¡± she said, ¡°is that the intrinsic elements that make up your world share certain traits inherited from other worlds. Take elves, for example. They have existed longer than either of your worlds, yet they appeared natively in both. In Pallimustus they evolved into one of the worlds natural, intelligent species, while on Earth they appeared in the form of myth and legend. This is true for many things.¡±


    ¡°I noticed that,¡± Jason said. ¡°When I was in the other world, I was constantly surprised when things matched up to my old world. Elves are kind of like the way we count time of people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know any elves,¡± Erika said, ¡°but that sounded kind of racist.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I have lots of elf friends. Hold on, if the world just makes things happen, is that some kind of pre-destiny?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Think of it as a voice in the back of reality''s head, pushing it in certain directions. This largely affects things without agency, such as geological forces, which is why the two worlds have similar size and geography. It will affect people as well, but this is extremely rare and always those who are susceptible, for whatever reason, to outside influence. Those who believe they see visions of the future or receive messages from a higher power. They are not, strictly speaking, incorrect. In a broad sense, at least. They have a habit of becoming invested in details largely conjured in their own minds.¡±


    ¡°Like how God hates gay people and poly-cotton blends,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Are you following this okay?¡± Jason asked Erika.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Erika said. ¡°It might go better if I hadn¡¯t had so many cocktails.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hold on,¡± Jason said, then chanted a spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Erika blinked as if she¡¯d just stumbled into the light, shaking her head as the haziness of alcohol was drained away. Then she gave Jason a flat look.


    ¡°Feed me your sins?¡± she asked.


    ¡°So overdramatic,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°It¡¯s the chant for my spell,¡± Jason said. ¡°I didn¡¯t get to pick it.¡±


    ¡°They have a habit of becoming invested in details largely conjured in their own minds,¡± Dawn said pointedly.


    ¡°Bloody women,¡± Jason said. ¡°I need to start hanging out with some dude-bros. I bet Kaito knows some.¡±


    ¡°You would hate hanging out with dude-bros,¡± Erika said. She got up and went behind the bar to mix herself another cocktail, now that she¡¯d sobered up.


    ¡°No, it¡¯ll be great,¡± Jason insisted. ¡°I¡¯m turning over a new leaf. I¡¯m going to start talking about my man-cave and asking people how much they lift. It¡¯ll be less than me because I¡¯m super strong. Women are objects!¡±


    ¡°Might I remind you two that we¡¯re talking about the end of the world?¡± Farrah said pompously.


    ¡°And banter is how we save it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Have you not seen a superhero movie? There''s a big sky-beam or a magic rock and we win through the power of quips.¡±


    ¡°I saw one,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It seemed to hinge on people¡¯s mothers having the same name. It may be because I¡¯m from another universe, but it seemed like several hours of nonsensical rubbish.¡±


    ¡°Wait, that¡¯s the superhero movie Taika showed you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯m going to have a serious talk with that man.¡±


    ¡°You leave Taika alone,¡± Erika said. ¡°He¡¯s lovely.¡±


    ¡°He thinks Team Knight Rider is the best one,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Okay, we need to stage an intervention,¡± Erika said as she finished making her cocktail, immediately drained half of it and started making another one. ¡°Anyone else want one?¡±


    Dawn looked at them like they were monkeys throwing their own poop.


    ¡°This is who the World-Phoenix is relying on to save the world,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Farrah assured her. ¡°The day I met Jason, he saved my whole team pretty much by acting like this. So, how are we meant to save the world, exactly?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Jason said. ¡°Emi thinks I¡¯m a superhero, which is super adorable. I pretty much have to save the world now.¡±


    ¡°Around half a millennia ago,¡± Dawn said, ¡°an outworlder came from this world to Pallimustus and fell into the service of a Pallimustus deity. When he acquired the means to return to his own world, he came back with tools and a mission from that deity. He set up a global magical infrastructure that would strengthen the bond between the two worlds. Over the centuries, more and more of the magic building up on Pallimustus was siphoned into this world.¡±


    ¡°The monster surges,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯ve been taking longer and longer. The magic that fuels them has been siphoned off to here, which siphons more and more as the dimensional membrane weakens.¡±


    ¡°What does that accomplish?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The current Builder is the original source of the magic techniques through which the link was strengthened,¡± Dawn said. ¡°He passed that knowledge along to the deity behind all this. Much of which is now in your hands, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Jason said. ¡°As soon as that knowledge entered Pallimustus, the goddess of knowledge had access to it. She found a reason to pass it to me, knowing that I would inevitably get home where I could do something about it.¡±


    ¡°The link is a threat to Pallimustus as well,¡± Dawn said, ¡°but of a different nature. The delay in the monster surges also destabilises that world¡¯s dimensional membrane. The longer the delay, the more dangerous the things that can finally make it through.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about an increase in diamond-rank manifestations during the monster surge,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°That is only a by-product,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The goal is¡­¡±


    ¡°The invasion of Pallimustus,¡± Jason said. ¡°Like your painting.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The god Purity has struck a bargain with the Builder. Purity lays the groundwork for the Builder and the Builder helps Purity cleanse the world of what Purity has come to see as the unclean elements. The Builder takes the world¡¯s abundant astral spaces and leaves Purity to rebuild civilisation in his own image.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s insane,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The other gods won¡¯t stand for it.¡±


    ¡°There was already some kind of religious council formed to deal with the church of Purity when I left,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Purity has long made preparations in secret,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The church is more prepared than anyone realises, except for Knowledge. That goddess has likewise been making secret preparations to combat Purity.¡±


    ¡°Why not just warn everyone?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°She has rules,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure telling everyone would be such a huge deal that it violates her central tenets. She¡¯s big on people learning things for themselves¡±


    ¡°Exactly right,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Transcendent beings are power incarnate but they have limitations that do not bind we physical beings. The most she can do is prepare to act once the knowledge is widespread. When the invasion begins and Purity reveals his hand in full, so shall she.¡±


    ¡°So, our part is to find this link enhancer and shut it down,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You have the tools.¡±


    ¡°I can learn the astral magic, given enough time,¡± Jason said. ¡°How are we meant to find this link biggerer?¡±


    ¡°She said a global magic infrastructure,¡± Farrah said to Jason. ¡°Sound familiar?¡±


    ¡°The Network¡¯s grid,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Even if the two aren¡¯t connected,¡± Farrah said, ¡°I¡¯ll bet we can use one to find the other. Once you figure out what it is we¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°I was already hitting the books,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t have to change anything there. I definitely haven¡¯t been slacking off to read Farrah¡¯s sex magic book, especially not the thing on page 41 with the chilled fruit.¡±


    ¡°This world is doomed,¡± Dawn muttered.


    ¡°It''ll be fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I''m great at fighting evil. I mean, did I hurt the bad guy? No. Did he kill me? Yes, he did. But we won! Will I get credit? Probably not. All the women will be like ''hey, Humphrey, your shoulders are obviously so large because of a glandular condition, but we¡¯re totally into that.¡¯ Then Humphrey will be all ¡®sorry, gaggle of women, but I have to mourn my even more handsome friend,¡¯ and they¡¯ll be all ¡®hey, we¡¯re super ready to comfort you,¡¯ and he¡¯ll be all ¡®well, I suppose my handsome friend did show me how to whip cream.¡¯ Then they¡¯ll go off to a local purveyor of dairy goods and¡­¡±


    ¡°I think I can feel myself becoming lactose intolerant,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°I think it may be time to go,¡± Dawn said. You now know the task ahead of you and the agenda of the World-Phoenix that has been concerning you. All she wants is to protect your world, and for you to be her instrument.¡±


    ¡°Was that a knob joke?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Now that events surrounding your return have largely settled, it was time to show you the path forward. It¡¯s possible my timing was not ideal.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯d be way more suspicious sober.¡±


    ¡°When we¡¯re done, can the World-Phoenix send us home?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°The objective is also the reward,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You will return home before your task is done.¡±


    ¡°Well, this is a sobering conversation,¡± Jason said. ¡°Literally; I think I do need another drink. Dawn, you don''t know anywhere I can stock up on bronze-rank booze, do you? I''m running low. Actually, at this point, I need to start in on the silver-rank stuff. I don''t want to go collaring myself every time I drink. I lost the key for a while. It was in the component bowl with the sheep tokens, which is why it took me so long to find. Nobody wants sheep.¡±


    Dawn shook her head.


    ¡°There¡¯s an alchemist in the Network¡¯s Stuttgart branch,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m sure your Network allies can make a connection.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thanks, dimensional space lady.¡±


    ¡°You know what you have to do, now,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°I would like to know why you don¡¯t do it yourself, though.¡±


    ¡°Several reasons,¡± Dawn said. ¡°For one thing, there are rules about how much the great astral beings and their higher agents can intervene in physical realities. If the World-Phoenix had servants native to this world it would be possible, but this world does not produce high-rankers. Also, you see how little power I have.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were just hiding it,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°If I were here in person, the disparity between my power and the lack of magic in this world would be crippling, spirit coins or not. This is only an avatar I am projecting from outside your reality. You lack the knowledge to understand how impressive that is, so let me assure you that the answer is very. Even if either I or my dimensional vessel breached the dimensional membrane of your world, in its delicate state, the raw power would be like dropping a stone on a pane of glass. The best I can do is share knowledge.¡±


    As Jason and Farrah were showing Dawn off the houseboat, Dawn paused on the lower deck before stepping onto the dock.


    ¡°May I ask a question for my own edification, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Go for it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You knew the vessel that the Builder took in Pallimustus, yes?¡±


    ¡°Actually, there were two and I knew them both,¡± Jason said. ¡°The first I didn¡¯t know well, although he did knock me unconscious with a shovel several times.¡±


    ¡°That guy?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°The second was Thadwick, who I knew a bit better. Dated his sister for a while. I did, I mean, not him. That would be weird. Why do you ask?¡±


    ¡°When great astral beings interact with physical beings, or even each other, they use living vessels,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°Unlike temporary, lower-rank vessels, long-term vessels such as myself do not burn out. The astral being can possess and release us harmlessly many times, over many years. It takes decades, often centuries before the strain threatens permanent damage and a new vessel must be arranged.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°One of the side effects of inhabiting physical bodies is that the astral beings have to operate by the same means the bodies do,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The result is that we vessels shape the behaviour of the great astral beings while they inhabit us. Permanent vessels are carefully chosen, while temporary vessels pose a choice. Either sacrifice a follower who thinks exactly the way they want their followers to think, or use an expendable vessel.¡±


    ¡°Ooh,¡± Jason said. ¡°That explains why the Builder was such a tool bag.¡±


    ¡°In the case of very strong personalities,¡± Dawn said, ¡°rapidly switching from one vessel to the next can create a lingering effect, where the first vessel¡¯s personality affects the second one.¡±


    ¡°I think I see where this is going,¡± Jason said with a chortle.


    ¡°Those of us who serve as vessels like to stay in touch because there are few who truly understand our experiences,¡± Dawn said. ¡°My friend Shako is the primary vessel of the Builder in this region of the cosmos, as I am for the World-Phoenix. He described his last experience of being the Builder¡¯s vessel like having a toddler running around in his head making all the decisions. I was curious as to what manner of man was the vessel that prompted such a reaction.¡±


    ¡°He was the worst,¡± Jason said. ¡°Literally the worst. There''s a guy punching a baby who''s all ''take that, baby,'' yet can still console himself with not being Thadwick. Thadwick sold out his friends, his family and his entire world. That guy sucked. His whole family did, to be honest, except for his mum and his sister, but a bloke doesn''t kiss and tell. His sister, I mean. I didn''t sleep with his mum, although she''s very attractive. Like, very, but she does have the silver-rank thing going on.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough information, thank you,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The issue of the vessel was a matter of some curiosity in our little circle.¡±


    ¡°Can I ask you a question?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°You seem to know a lot,¡± Jason said. ¡°Did you know that Farrah was in this world and where to find her?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Dawn said, letting out a wincing sigh. ¡°Yes, but¡­¡±


    Jason¡¯s fist crashed into her nose, sending her crashing over the rail and into the water.


    ¡°Yeah, she¡¯s definitely dead,¡± Jason said. Using his cloak¡¯s weight-lowering power he was standing on the water over her corpse.


    ¡°You killed her?¡± Erika asked in horror.


    ¡°This was just an avatar projection,¡± Jason said. ¡°I doubt I could hurt her actual self with a magic rocket launcher.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to loot her,¡± Jason said. ¡°She should have told me about  you.¡±


    ¡°I don''t know if that''s such a good idea,¡± Farrah said.


    Jason reached down and touched the floating body. He then walked back to the houseboat as the corpse dissolved into rainbow smoke behind him. Erika, never having seen it other than in projections, watched with a mix of fascination and horror.


    10 [Diamond Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100 [Gold Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1,000 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.10,000 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100,000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    ¡°Ooh, jackpot.¡±


    On a dimensional ship within the astral void, a ruby-haired woman shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°That little fuc¡­¡±

 Chapter 335: The Direction We Want Them to Go

    ¡°You can¡¯t just go around killing people,¡± Erika said.


    She stood next to Farrah as Jason stepped off the surface of the water, rainbow smoke rising up behind him.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to go back with us to my world,¡± Farrah said, ¡°Then you¡¯ll have to learn the same lessons that he did. Starting with yes, he can just go around killing people.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a person,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was a projection. I didn¡¯t kill her so much as smash her phone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s still not cool,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°She knew that I was being tortured and could have told Jason on the day we arrived,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The next time I see her, I might punch her nose through her brain.¡±


    ¡°You know what is cool?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Sleepy time.¡±


    ¡°We have a lot to talk about,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°We have a lot to sleep off,¡± Jason said. ¡°Tomorrow, Sis.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go thinking you can skip out on that,¡± Erika warned.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°Stay here so I can¡¯t slink off. I¡¯ll portal in your husband and aggressive strain of hugging vine.¡±


    ¡°Emi will be in bed by now,¡± Erika said.


    Jason gave her a flat look and opened up a portal. Moments later, a pyjama-clad rocket flew out to grab Jason in a hug.


    ¡°What¡¯s that smell?¡± Emi asked, wrinkling her nose the lingering scent of rainbow smoke. ¡°It¡¯s super nasty.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s your mum,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯s been concealing it all this time through an unhealthy overuse of scented hand soaps, but now her secret¡¯s out.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean to Mum, Uncle Jason,¡± Emi scolded. ¡°She looks cranky. What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything,¡± Jason asserted, throwing out his arms, indignantly. ¡°Maybe we talked about Airwolf a little.¡±


    ¡°Which season?¡± Emi asked in the tone of a drill instructor as he handed a recruit just enough rope.


    ¡°Fourth,¡± Jason mumbled


    ¡°What was that?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°Fourth,¡± Jason reluctantly confessed.


    ¡°What were you thinking?¡±


    ¡°I had a lot to drink.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s no excuse,¡± Emi scolded. ¡°Really, what is that smell. It¡¯s like an animal died inside a slightly larger animal.¡±


    ¡°It was a magic phone lady I broke,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Okay. Can we stay here tonight?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Erika said. ¡°Go get your dad.¡±


    In the sober light of morning, the previous night¡¯s revelations played through Jason¡¯s head. His spirit attribute had improved his memory to the point that even magical alcohol didn¡¯t impair it, at least of his own rank. If it was brewed from silver-rank ingredients, the story could easily change. He had no hangover, as his recovery attribute was more than up to the task of refreshing him over the course of a night¡¯s sleep.


    On the top deck of the houseboat, all the current occupants were sitting around a table sharing a buffet breakfast courtesy of Jason. Erika was a little too seedy for extravagant morning cookery. Ian and Emi, Farrah, Hiro and Taika rounded out the group.


    ¡°So,¡± Jason said. ¡°It looks like we have to save the world. It seemed hilarious a few drinks in, but all of a sudden we¡¯re responsible for seven billion people.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by save the world?¡± Ian asked.


    ¡°What do you mean by we?¡± Erika asked. ¡°Fighting evil seems like more of a you job. I might cater, but I¡¯ll leave confronting the forces of darkness to you.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear, are we seriously talking about saving the world?¡± Ian asked. ¡°That¡¯s not a metaphor or something, right.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason said. ¡°Literally save the world.¡±


    ¡°From what?¡± Ian asked. ¡°Climate change?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s like an extra, additional climate change that will eventually wipe out the planet. Basically, some bad guys in an alternate universe are doing something that is slowly destroying our world as a knock-on effect.¡±


    ¡°Destroying the world is collateral damage?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°To these guys, yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve fought them before. They¡¯ve killed thousands. They killed Farrah.¡±


    All eyes turned to Farrah.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°If you¡¯re going to come back from the dead, you have to die of something, first. I¡¯ll get mine back by stopping what they¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°How long do we have before the world ends?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Years,¡± Jason said. ¡°Quite a lot of years, but the longer we take, the more damage we can¡¯t take back.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°It''s a marathon, not a sprint,¡± Jason said. ¡°It''s going to take me years to learn the magic involved properly.¡±


    ¡°It seems crazy,¡± Ian said and Jason laughed.


    ¡°You should see it from my perspective. I mean, I have a healthy ego, but surely there has to be someone better, right?¡±


    ¡°Why is it you?¡± Hiro asked. ¡°Why not someone else?¡±


    ¡°Because the full answer isn¡¯t here,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We were told that we would need to return to my world before the task was done.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re talking about decoupling worlds,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re the ones with the tools, the knowledge and the experience of walking both worlds.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like there isn¡¯t someone better,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°I think its awesome,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°Of course you do,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re twelve.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s face it, Jason,¡± Erika said. ¡°So are you.¡±


    ¡°I did think it was awesome,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve sobered up, I¡¯m just terrified. I can¡¯t get my head around the responsibility. Two years ago, before I went away, would any of you have wanted me to be the one responsible for every life on Earth? That¡¯s the kind of thing they put your face on the money for and I am not the guy whose face you put on the money.¡±


    Farrah took a spirit coin from her pocket and slid I across the table, with the image of Jason on it face up.


    ¡°Rufus would trust you with that responsibility,¡± she said. ¡°We met you almost two years ago and he knew immediately that you could be great.¡±


    ¡°Immediately? You mean when the cannibals had us in those cages and instead of escaping I was hit upside the head with a shovel?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Maybe not immediately,¡± Farrah conceded. ¡°But from the first day. You saved all our lives.¡±


    ¡°He did?¡± Erika asked. ¡°Jason, you were always kind of vague about events before your recordings started.¡±


    Emi picked up the coin and peered at it.


    ¡°Uncle Jason, this has your old chin.¡±


    ¡°He never told you the story of how we met?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°He said you all escaped some cannibal cult together.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some things in my career, but nothing like that kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Maybe skip that particular detail at breakfast,¡± Jason said with a shudder as he recalled the horrifying image of the Vane Estate kitchen.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ll take you through events from the beginning, at least from my perspective. For me, it started when my team was hired to investigate this family of reclusive aristocrats, living out in the middle of the desert¡­¡±


    Jason had fed enough magic quintessence into his cloud flask that the houseboat could produce a more-than-adequate ritual room. Combined with the vortex accumulator gathering magic, it made for a space of balanced ambient magic, ideal for conducting rituals.


    It also had an adjacent room with enclosed shower stalls for post-ranking-up needs. Water infused with crystal wash sprayed not just from above but all around, making for a cleaning experience second only to an undiluted supply of crystal wash.


    Jason drew out the diagram for the essence ritual with a stick of chalk, the room allowing him to do so with minimal adjustments for ambient magic. Once again, Jason appreciated how good it was to have Clive making the same thing possible in the middle of the wilderness using his abilities.


    Hiro, Ian and Erika looked like it was laundry day, wearing a selection of old and faded ultra-casual wear. Jason had made it clear that whatever they were wearing, they wouldn¡¯t want to wear it ever again. Emi was giggling at them as she stood out of the way with Farrah.


    Mostly, though, Emi¡¯s attention was on the party interface Jason had given them all access to. Emi¡¯s status screen allowed them to realise that Jason¡¯s power would let them know when Emi could safely absorb essences, saving them from a periodic, if cheap and simple testing ritual.


    ¡°So,¡± Jason asked. ¡°Who goes first?¡±


    Hiro and Ian both turned to Erika.


    ¡°Oh, great,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve done this before, Farrah¡¯s done this before and it¡¯s a nice, safe ritual.¡±


    Jason picked up one of the nine essences on a table beside him and led his sister to the middle of the ritual circle, avoiding the lines and the small piles of spirit coins. He handed her the essence.


    Item: [Feast Essence] (unranked, uncommon)


    Manifested essence of bountiful consumption (consumable, essence).


    Requirements: Less than 4 absorbed essences.Effect: Imbues 1 awakened feast essence ability and 4 unawakened feast essence abilities.You have absorbed 0/4 essences. Once absorbed, an essence cannot be relinquished or replaced.


    ¡°We¡¯re starting with the feast essence,¡± Jason told her, ¡°because we¡¯ve chosen the order to do the best job of setting your powers in the direction we want them to go.¡±


    Jason and Farrah had debated the relative merits of the common feast essence versus the higher-rarity hunger essence. Hunger was the more popular of the two because it had a stronger combat role, often producing an arsenal of drain attacks. For this reason, they had gone with the more broadly-aspected feast essence, given the goal was a power set built around cooking magic.


    ¡°In isolation, for example,¡± Jason explained, ¡°the knife essence, which is next, could very easily give you some mundane special attack. With a feast essence under your belt, though, that next power is more likely to go in the direction we want.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t any guarantees, however,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We can try and guide the direction for the powers you get, but being too rigid will only backfire.¡±


    Although they had already seen Taika go through the process, Jason¡¯s family watched with fascination as Jason conducted the ritual and the essence cube melted, sinking into Erika¡¯s flesh.


    You have absorbed [Feast Essence]. You have absorbed 1 of 4 essences.Progress to iron rank: 25% (1/4 essences).[Feast Essence] has bonded to your [Recovery] attribute, changing your [Recovery] from normal to [Iron 0]. Master all feast essence abilities to increase your [Recovery] attribute.You have awakened the feast essence ability [Feeding the Multitudes]. You have awakened 1 of 5 feast essence abilities.


    Ability: [Feeding the Multitude] (Feast)


    Conjuration (boon).Cost: Varies.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Iron 0 (00%).Effect (iron): You can replicate an amount of food up to a plate¡¯s worth. Mana cost increases with each replication of the same food, with the cost significantly reduced if the food was prepared by you personally. The taste of the food is identical to the original but nourishment and magical effects can only be copied by expending a spirit coin for each perfect duplication. You can replicate food made with normal or iron-rank ingredients, with the appropriate rank of spirit coin required for true replication.


    ¡°Right in the sweet spot,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s exactly the kind of power we¡¯re looking for.¡±


    Human racial ability [Essence Gift] has evolved to [Gourmet & Gourmand].


    Ability: [Gourmet & Gourmand]


    Transfigured from [Human] ability [Essence Gift].Your senses of taste and smell are enhanced. You may have an additional enhancement effect from magical food without negative effect. You process the remnant magic from potions at an accelerated rate, allowing you to safely consume further potions of the same type after a shorter delay.


    Jason and Farrah shared a glance. They immediately recognised that Erika''s abilities were both heavy on resource consumption, a risk Farrah had warned of when they chose the feast essence. In the other world, it would not have been a problem. On Earth, she would be deeply reliant on Jason to supply her with what she would need. If her awakenings continued in this vein, it would add a new wrinkle to the discussion over Erika''s family joining them on the return to Pallimustus.


    The ritual room balanced out the magic as Jason cleared the ritual circle and drew a fresh one. Erika¡¯s remaining essences were absorbed one after another, with results in line with what they were hoping for.


    ¡°As long as we aren¡¯t too specific with our objectives,¡± Farrah said, ¡°organising a general direction for powers isn¡¯t that hard.¡±


    ¡°Clive told me much the same thing,¡± Jason said.


    From the knife essence, Erika gained the power to conjure multiple knives of various types, from combative to culinary in purpose. From the dance essence, she gained the power to telekinetically control small objects and the ability to split her concentration over them. Her confluence essence, bounty, gave her the power to imbue ordinary food with magical effects.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Jason asked as her confluence essence appeared and was absorbed.


    ¡°Amazing,¡± Erika said. ¡°I feel like I could run a marathon.¡±


    As soon as she said it, her face was stricken with a startled and queasy expression. Jason and Farrah pointed at the shower room door and she bolted for it. Ian moved to go after her and Jason stopped him.


    ¡°You may not want to see your wife like that.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my wife and she probably needs me,¡± Ian said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how I see her.¡±


    They watched Ian follow into the shower room, hearing some very unpleasant sounds emerge during the short moment the door was open.


    ¡°He¡¯s a good husband,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°He''s one of the good ones, alright.¡±


    Jason then turned to Hiro.


    ¡°Alright, Uncle,¡± he said. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re up.¡±

 Chapter 336: The Dangers of What I Do

    ¡°I have some mixed feeling about this essence,¡± Jason said, turning the translucent cube over in his hands.


    They were still in the ritual room. Hiro''s essences had been done and they had moved onto Ian. It was the third essence for Ian''s combination after they had already imbued him with the first two.


    Jason had kept the renewal essence that Taika declined, and given that Ian was a doctor, healing seemed the obvious power set to aim for. There were many potential healer combinations, each one fitting a specific niche. As Ian was not looking for the role of combat medic but a more traditional doctor role, Farrah had suggested a specific combination.


    ¡°There¡¯s a popular combination that is the first choice for a behind-the-lines healer for anyone who can get their hands on a renewal essence,¡± she explained. ¡°You don¡¯t see adventurers using it because it largely avoids combat powers unless you pick the right kind of awakening stones.¡±


    The renewal essence was first, then the life essence. The third was one that gave Jason pause.


    ¡°The pure essence,¡± he said, continuing to stare at it as he turned it over again and again in his hands. ¡°It has some specific connotations for me.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen your recordings. The church of Purity turned out to be evil.¡±


    ¡°There was something not in the recordings,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was right near the end and I didn¡¯t put it in. The others didn¡¯t see her because it was before I started recording, but you remember Anisa, of course.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Anisa?¡± Erika asked, looking up from where she was running her fingers over her skin. After recovering from ranking up to iron, she was revelling in the new sensations of being a magical being. Hiro was still in the shower room, while Erika, Ian and Emi had been joined by Ken, who had arrived to watch for himself. He was still uncertain about getting in on the strange magic powers.


    ¡°Remember I told you about when my team first met Jason,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The priestess guiding us was named Anisa and she was part of the church of Purity.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t trust people who talk about purity too much,¡± Erika said. ¡°Take your eyes off them and suddenly they¡¯re rounding people up into camps.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said,¡± Jason agreed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t care for Anisa,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure Rufus needed to kick her out, but she was not a good person to work with. Did she turn out to be one of the bad ones when the church of Purity turned out to be corrupt?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said, sparing a glance at Emi while deciding whether to continue. ¡°She turned out to be a chief henchwoman and we ended up fighting her in the astral space.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°We won,¡± Jason said. ¡°She was with her boss at the time, who was a silver-rank essence user. We knew he¡¯d be very hard to deal with, so we decided to¡­ handle Anisa first.¡±


    ¡°Oh no,¡± Emi said. ¡°I¡¯m only twelve and have no idea what an obvious euphemism is.¡±


    ¡°Emi,¡± Jason said, ¡°there¡¯s a time for being serious.¡±


    Everyone in the room turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You fought the silver-ranker, after?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°How was that?¡±


    ¡°Hard,¡± Jason said. ¡°Nothing like the chump they sent after me here and even that guy beat me. He was a healer, so between his silver-rank toughness and his powers, he was damn near immortal. That did mean he didn¡¯t have as much attack power to throw at us and even then our front liners had trouble holding on. We¡¯re getting sidetracked, though. The point is this pure essence, not some dead archbishop of Purity.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a divine essence,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s got nothing to do with the god, despite the name.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t help but hesitate, though.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m starting to feel concerned,¡± Ian said. ¡°If you were going to hesitate, I¡¯d really prefer you¡¯d have done it before we were halfway through.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is completely the right choice; it¡¯s just my hang-up. I don¡¯t normally know the people I¡­¡±


    He frowned.


    ¡°Enough of that. Let¡¯s get you some more magic powers!¡±


    Ian¡¯s essences were soon complete and he made a beeline for the shower room, Hiro already having left.


    ¡°How much crystal wash did you put into the flask?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Enough to last a few years, so long as I¡¯m careful,¡± Jason said. ¡°Dad and Emi get to rank up here, but the others can use their own showers.¡±


    ¡°That gunk will be hard to clear off with regular soap and water.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair point,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll buy them some steel wool.¡±


    Jason and Farrah¡¯s phones simultaneously bleeped with messages. They both looked at their screens, then shared a glance.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to postpone the rest of the magic talk,¡± Jason said to Erika and Hiro. ¡°I know that the timing isn¡¯t great, but it¡¯s a category three, which means all hands on deck. In the meantime, stay on the boat and take a rest. There¡¯s a big lunch spread set up in the lounge.¡±


    ¡°First, though,¡± Farrah said, ¡°You eat like an essence user.¡±


    She handed Erika and Hiro a spirit coin each.


    Monsters swarmed through the uneven, bushland scrub. They crawling out from gullies, over ridges and through dense patches of prickly vegetation. They took the form of bugs, from giant beetles to horrifying desert mantises to things with no Earthly counterpart. Millipede-like creatures, except that instead of a singular body, five bodies spread out from a central hub, like the limbs of a starfish. Each body-limb ended in an acid-spitting mouth with gnashing mandibles. They weren¡¯t quick but they were the size of trampolines and hard to approach without being intercepted by acid spit.


    The silver rank monsters were low, flat and dark-shelled, like scorpions. They lacked pincers, each instead boasting a trio of over-long scorpion tails that ended not in piercing barbs but raking claws. The tails could reach out twice the length of their bodies, which were roughly the size of a mattress.


    They were not agile, but their raw speed was in the mid-range of silver rank, making them hard for Jason to pin down. Their hard shells made penetrating them difficult, so even if a hit landed, his special attacks only worked if damage got through. For this reason, he pulled his sword out rather than conjure his dagger.


    The sword Gary made, Dread Salvation, was designed to help Jason in his most troubling fights. For every hit that landed, only for the target to be immune via impenetrable armour, the sword built up a charge of resonating-force. That damage type was ideally suited to getting through armour, doing extra damage and resonating through. Jason gave up the afflictions of his conjured dagger, but the numerous creatures were weak for silver-rank monsters.


    Weak silver-rank fortitude was still silver-rank fortitude, however. It took every affliction he could lay on to deal with them, but his spells were fortunately much easier to land. With only a few ranged monsters spitting poison barbs or acidic bile, there was little to interrupt him.


    Even with his sword, the trick was landing hits on the speeding swarms. Although their patterns were simple, their pace was a major threat to Jason as he faced them like a bullfighter. He took a number of brutal hits before he started to master the timing. The advantage of the burst attack nature of the creatures was that Jason had time to recover.


    Now he was solidly into the mid-range of bronze, his toughness was much improved. More effective was the increased power of Colin¡¯s regeneration and the health drain of his Leech Bite special attack. His power to drain afflictions and convert them into stamina and mana kept him going when other parts of the Network¡¯s forces were forced to bow out.


    Jason was only part of the response team. Farrah¡¯s peak bronze-rank speed attribute and sweeping attacks with her telescoping magma sword gave her the edge to sweep through whole clusters. Although her reflexes were up to the task, her mobility was lacking and the monsters were left trying to overwhelm her powerful armour. Like Jason, they were ill-suited to punching through a hard shell.


    Jason and Farrah each had their own challenges to overcome in the fight. Farrah''s challenge was to hold as much mana in reserve as she could to last out the fight. This meant largely sticking to her sword, but her immobility would sometimes lead multiple groups of the silver-rank monsters to converge. At that stage, she was forced to spend as little mana as she could fending them off as efficiently as possible with her costly powers.


    The outworlders were used to being the stars of the show, but in this instance, it was the Network teams that were truly stepping up. Their disciplined, focus-fire attacks surprised Jason and Farrah with their effectiveness against the silver-rankers. Against the hordes of lower-ranked monsters, the Network¡¯s tactics demonstrated why the organisation put so much stock in them. The hordes were swept away with an efficiency that neither Jason nor Farrah could have matched, even with their whole teams present.


    Jason had his shredded combat armour pegged up on the rear deck of the houseboat, hosing off the blood. The monster blood was long gone but Jason¡¯s remained. It would disappear itself into rainbow smoke after being away from his body for an hour or so, but he¡¯d rather have it gone from his outfit by then.


    Ian and Erika found him, no shirt, hosing off the ragged remains of the outfit. The crest tattoo covering his back was in full display, as were his torso scars.


    ¡°I know girls like scars, Jason,¡± Erika said, her light tone not entirely masking her concern, ¡°but that might be a bit much.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Jason replied. ¡°I finally get some ab definition and it looks like someone scribbled all over them.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that thing?¡± Ian asked, indicating the armour. ¡°Is it the hide of some monster?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s made from monster hide,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s my armour. You¡¯ve seen me wear it.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Erika said. ¡°That¡¯s your armour?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°The armour you wear?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how armour works.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s cut to ribbons,¡± she said.


    ¡°It was a rough one,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°Farrah¡¯s already meditating on it to consolidate her gains. I¡¯ll join her, once I¡¯m done here.¡±


    ¡°Were you wearing the armour when that happened to it?¡± Ian asked.


    "I''m fine," Jason said. "Look at me; no new scars."


    ¡°Isn¡¯t armour meant to withstand attacks like that?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said, ¡°but so am I.¡±


    Erika looked over her brother, who was, himself, dripping wet. The water at his bare feet was stained red.


    ¡°I¡¯m not foolish enough to try and make you stop,¡± Erika said. ¡°I don¡¯t want Emi catching you all bloody and hurt, though.¡±


    ¡°Me either,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not until she¡¯s older, has essences of her own and needs a lesson in the dangers of what I do. Shade is entertaining her at the other end of the boat.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to survive until Emi is that old?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°This is the way I fight, Eri. It¡¯s bloody and grim and you want no part of it.¡±


    ¡°But our daughter will,¡± Ian said.


    "She won''t fight like me," Jason said. "I''ll make sure her powers reward her attentiveness and quick-thinking. She''ll be all about keeping herself and others safe."


    ¡°I do like the sound of that,¡± Ian said. ¡°The sound I like better is her finding a nice man to stay home and raise our grandkids while she¡¯s a high-flying doctor, overpaid economic consultant or whatever else she wants.¡±


    ¡°You might find she¡¯s better off in the other world,¡± Jason said. ¡°All of you may be. The other world has its dangers, yes, but that danger is a known quantity. This world will soon be going through a period of upheaval and we don¡¯t know what dangers we¡¯ll be dealing with.


    ¡°Who knows,¡± Jason said. ¡°What I do might seem exciting, but maybe something else will capture her imagination.¡±


    ¡°More than being an interdimensional superhero,¡± Erika said. ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll do,¡± Jason said, turning off the hose. ¡°It took bit of a beating, so it probably won¡¯t come right until tomorrow.¡±


    "That thing self-repairs?" Ian asked.


    "All good light armour self-repairs," Jason said. "It costs more but savings in avoided repairs more than pay it back. Heavy stuff is harder to make self-repair, and mine does operate faster than normal because it¡¯s partly made from hydra skin.¡±


    ¡°Like the twelve tasks of Heracles hydra?¡±


    ¡°Heracles fought a river hydra,¡± Jason said. ¡°My armour has marsh hydra skin, but they¡¯re very similar breeds. A river hydra was actually the first monster I fought after coming back to earth.¡±


    "As I recall," Ian said, "even Heracles had some trouble with that," Ian said. "It was one of the tasks that were discounted because he had help."


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what to tell you,¡± Jason said. ¡°I did it solo, so I guess Heracles is a scrub.¡±


    ¡°He was the son of Zeus.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m the son of Cheryl, and I know which one I¡¯d bet on in a scrap. I mean, Zeus, obviously; the bloke chucks lightning. But still, Mum is quite stern.¡±


    ¡°Zeus isn¡¯t real, is he?¡± Ian asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was talking to this¡­¡±


    He trailed off as he sensed a surge of magic from above, where Farrah was meditating. He chortled as he used his bronze-rank prowess and parkour skills to swiftly clamber up the outside of the houseboat. From the roof deck, silver light was already brightly shining.


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Jason said, tossing Farrah a bottle. As Farrah tipped the crystal wash over her head where it started methodically coating her body, the foul ichor splattered over the top deck was already being absorbed and cleansed by the houseboat.


    ¡°That is a foul smell, even by rank-up standards,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s a higher-rank thing or a first rank-up after becoming an outworlder thing.¡±


    ¡°You did pump out a lot of foul muck that first time,¡± Farrah said. ¡°How was bronze-rank for you?¡±


    ¡°Normal.¡±


    ¡°I know we¡¯re meant to be teaching your family about aura senses and the rest of the things a new iron-ranker needs to know,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I need to meditate and consolidate this rank, though, so I¡¯ll have to leave that to you.¡±


    Farrah was talking with a huge grin on her face. Despite saying she was going to rest and meditate, what she did was throw her hands up and out in front of her, aimed out over the side of the roof deck.


    ¡°Burning heart of the world, show your might.¡±


    A stream of lava spewed out of her hands and over the water, throwing up steam as it splashed down and cooled. She kept the stream going as she let out a victorious whoop.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s safe,¡± Jason said. ¡°Also, you just ranked-up. You¡¯re going to be short on¡­¡±


    The stream of lava stopped and Farrah fell over, unconscious.


    ¡°¡­mana,¡± he finished. ¡°I hope no one saw that.¡±

 Chapter 337: We Were All Monsters

    ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± Farrah said as she and Jason drove to Kaito and Amy¡¯s house. Given the short distance, they didn¡¯t portal over so Jason had it ready in case of emergency.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I still say we could go with the chimera confluence for Kaito.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been over this,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That¡¯s an adventurer¡¯s confluence.¡±


    ¡°We could put him in front of some monsters,¡± Jason said. ¡°He might thrive. Think about it. Venom attacks, gas cloud attacks. He¡¯d be an affliction specialist, like me.¡±


    ¡°Did you even get that third essence?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have snake and rat essences. Maybe the Americans could get me a skunk essence.¡±


    ¡°I think you should stick with the essences you¡¯ve picked out, rather than try to make a petty point,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason grumbled.


    ¡°The reason I asked if you were sure,¡± Farrah said, ¡°is that you¡¯ve already been through two rank-ups and he¡¯s still better looking than you.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to apologise for having eyes. You must have noticed that your rank-ups are making you look more like him.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t make it something I want to talk about,¡± Jason said, just as his phone rang. ¡°Oh, good. Someone who wants to talk about something other than how handsome my brother is.¡±


    ¡°If this world had gods,¡± Farrah said, ¡°I¡¯d be praying that they were calling to talk about your brother.¡±


    Jason threw her a look of mock anger as he took out his phone and put it on speaker.


    ¡°Keti,¡± he greeted. ¡°What can I do for you?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this I¡¯m hearing about a light show at the marina?¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Farrah got a little over-excited after she hit silver.¡±


    ¡°Farrah is category three?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Hello, Ketevan.¡±


    ¡°Congratulations,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°Look, we¡¯ve passed it off as a cashed-up bogan playing around with propane but try not to make too big a spectacle. You¡¯re lucky we swapped out the police department with our people.¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡±


    ¡°For a small town like Casselton Beach, yes,¡± Ketevan said.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why Paul got transferred to Coffs,¡± Jason said. ¡°I appreciate the effort you¡¯ve put in.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to discuss the changes in your capabilities with the tactical department, Farrah,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°How powerful are you, now?¡±


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ll need a few fights to settle into my new levels.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll let you know, as always,¡± Ketevan said.


    ¡°Alright, thanks Keti,¡± Jason said.


    Oddly, Jason had found that combinations were harder to devise for non-combatants than for adventurers. Farrah had advised him to focus on what the individual was already capable of, thus Erika¡¯s cooking magic set and Ian¡¯s healing combination were right out of the Magic Society common combinations list. Ian¡¯s confluence, ministration,  was one of the most healing-focused confluences on that list.


    The living document couldn¡¯t get updated from a universe away, but the existing archive was intact. Jason and Farrah had been parcelling out chunks of information on known essences in return for various concessions from the Network. On Anna¡¯s advice, much of that had been with the Americans and the Chinese, helping to smooth some ruffled feathers.


    Both factions were maintaining a presence in Sydney, as between them they had finagled some forty percent of the spots in the International Committee¡¯s training program. Jason, but mostly Farrah, taught the Network¡¯s young new essence users to fight like adventurers. They also spent time helping existing teams adapt their tactics, giving them a stop-gap until the young ones came into their own.


    Jason found preparing the rest of his family to be less straightforward. They wouldn¡¯t have the training, which made picking out essences all the more difficult. Jason found himself paying attention to the technology essence, which seemed to be analogous to the magic essence in that it was common but highly regarded.


    Also like the magic essence, it often defined the nature of someone¡¯s powers. Where magic would often lead to a skill evolution toward spells, the technology essence promoted conjuration abilities.


    Technology was an essence that the Magic Society records had no insight on. That left them relying on the Network''s knowledge or experimenting with them on the parts of his family he was less enthused with. Farrah, thus far, had steered him away from that course.


    The vehicle essence was known to Pallimustus, but there were not a large number of known combinations, despite it being common. For Kaito, they picked out a combination that was both known and comprised of common essences. The vehicle, wind and swift essences combined into the soaring confluence, which was a known non-combat combination focused on flight.


    On Farrah¡¯s world, that combination meant exotic magical flight vehicles. On earth, the results were somewhat different. Kaito demonstrated this after recovering from taking in his essences and downing a spirit coin. He used his very first ability to conjure a helicopter in his backyard. He then immediately dropped onto the grass, having consumed almost his entire mana supply.


    "What did you do to my fence?" Erika asked. Ian was at work and Emi at school, but she had come to offer moral support to her brother. If that took the form of laughing at him as she hosed foul gunk off of him in the backyard, then so be it. She was less amused when the tail of the helicopter toppled the fence between her and her brother''s yards.


    ¡°That¡¯s a big vehicle,¡± Jason said. ¡°How can he manage something like this at iron rank?¡±


    "There are some mitigating factors," Farrah said. "Firstly, his essence combination is very flight-oriented. Something less specialised, like your ability to turn your familiar into a mount, is less effective when working with flight. He doesn''t face that restriction. The other thing is that power sets don''t balance individual abilities as much as the power set as a whole."


    ¡°Clive explained that to me,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, most of Kaito¡¯s powers will be weaker?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen power sets like this before,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They have one very impressive power, while most of the others are minor powers that supplement the main one. Kaito, you can expect most of your abilities to affect your conjured helicopter in some way. Speed boosts, conjured weapons, that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Weapons?¡± Kaito said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen a power set with no combat abilities at all. Even Ian¡¯s will have a few, and he has as pacifistic a power set as you¡¯ll ever see.¡±


    Kaito took another spirit coin from Jason, standing up after putting it in his mouth. He smacked his lips unhappily.


    ¡°It¡¯s like licking a battery,¡± he said.


    Kaito walked around the helicopter currently filling his backyard.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty sexy, I¡¯ll give you that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It looks a lot like the FCX-001,¡± Kaito said absently as he moved around it.


    ¡°Oh, the old FCX-001,¡± Jason said. ¡°I totally see it now.¡±


    Kaito threw his brother a cranky glance.


    ¡°The FCX-001 is a concept helicopter by Bell,¡± Kaito said, at which Jason and Erika both perked up.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kaito groaned. ¡°The same company that made the Bell 222 that Airwolf was based on. The FCX-001 is much more impressive than that, though.¡±


    ¡°Than Airwolf?¡± Erika asked. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem likely.¡±


    ¡°It does look like half-helicopter, half spaceship,¡± Jason conceded.


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the looks,¡± Kaito said. ¡°The real thing is just a concept. Morphing rotor blades, advanced anti-torque innovations, augmented reality piloting. It¡¯s literally a helicopter from the future.¡±


    ¡°Time for a ride, then, yeah?¡± Erika said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t fly it,¡± Kaito said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how to start trying to register this thing.¡±


    ¡°Kai, it¡¯s a magic helicopter,¡± Erika said. ¡°You don¡¯t register it. You fly it upside down while yelling woo like you¡¯re Nature Boy Ric Flair.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Kaito asked.


    Kaito and Erika continued to argue while they looked over the helicopter before opening it up for a look inside. Amy had been quietly watching from the side without talking but didn''t notice Jason when he slipped away or when he quietly approached her.


    ¡°You¡¯re a problem,¡± he said. She didn¡¯t show it but he felt the slight startlement in her aura. She turned to face him.


    ¡°What kind of a problem?¡± she asked.


    ¡°For the others, it was relatively obvious which way to go. Cooking, for Erika. There¡¯s a bunch of druid-type choices for Dad. Farrah even managed to find a flying vehicle combination for your husband.¡±


    ¡°Your brother.¡±


    ¡°Brothers don¡¯t do what Kaito did. My brothers are in another universe.¡±


    ¡°Do you even understand why he slept with me back then?¡±


    ¡°Because he¡¯s a dick.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I did it,¡± she said. ¡°I was selfish and cowardly and stupid enough to convince myself that the way to solve my problems was by blowing them up. He did it because you intimidate him. The insecurities floating around the back of his head told him that sleeping with me meant he was as good as you.¡±


    ¡°Are you high? Did this whole thing happen because you confused the two of us six years ago and you haven¡¯t realised yet? On what planet is Kaito insecure about me?¡±


    "You seriously never saw it?" she asked. "You were always insightful but you were both blind spots to each other. Think about the way he was back in school. Always doing everything he could to fit in, to be accepted. He never had the courage to be himself and live with people liking or hating it. You did. Aggressively. That always intimidated him."


    ¡°Why? Everybody loved him.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone, Jason. Kaito could get any ordinary girl he wanted, but someone like Asya wouldn¡¯t spare him a second glance. She had handsome boys with the right clothes and the right opinions coming out of her ears. She was looking for someone who charted their own path. Why did you think she and I didn¡¯t get along? I had you on the shelf and she was trying to take you off before I was ready to.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like a positive thing.¡±


    ¡°It was high school, Jason. We were all monsters. I know you think that people hated you in school and you were the misunderstood loner, getting by on cleverness and guile. I hate to break it to you, but that was just some teen angst crap. Most people didn¡¯t like you because you were a bit of a prick and thought you were too good for everyone.¡±


    ¡°That seems harsh,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Too bad,¡± Amy said. ¡°Now that all this time has passed, have you and Asya¡­?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not? I haven¡¯t seen her much since she came back, but she clearly still has a thing for you.¡±


    ¡°I know, but it isn¡¯t fair.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°I can read her emotions and she can¡¯t read mine. I¡¯ve learned that successful relationships require a balanced power dynamic. Otherwise, one half will just get crushed when the other half bangs his brother like a drum.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to get past that someday,¡± she said.


    "No, I''m not," Jason said. "I just have to live with it until you die of old age. I''ll give you magic enough that you should comfortably see a hundred, but not much more.¡±


    ¡°And how long will you live?¡±


    ¡°Assuming I don¡¯t get killed too often, then centuries. Forever, if I can swing it.¡±


    ¡°Are you serious?¡±


    ¡°Amy, you¡¯ve seen glimpses of a wider cosmos. I¡¯ve had it crawl into my body and try to steal my soul. Language lacks the mechanism to represent the magnitude of it. Our minds are too limited to grasp the scope. Only the soul can truly understand, but that¡¯s not a viewpoint you want, believe me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right that I don¡¯t understand. I want to, though. I want to see a wider world. If there really are all these magnificent things, I want to see them for myself.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    "I said no. You''ll get more than most because you''re family and I''ll see you safe. You¡¯ll see things, as the world starts to change, but you¡¯ll see them on the news, with everyone else. I will never show you the true wonders that are out there. You¡¯ll keep seeing only glimpses, knowing that amazing things are out there while you¡¯re trapped in whatever¡¯s left of this world¡¯s mundanity.¡±


    ¡°You really have changed, Jason. You never used to have this vindictiveness inside you.¡±


    ¡°It was a parting gift from my closest friend,¡± he said, turning to look at the helicopter. ¡°Looks like your husband is going to take us for a ride.¡±


    Right after he spoke, the door of the helicopter slid open to reveal Kaito.


    ¡°Come on, honey,¡± he said. ¡°Erika won¡¯t leave me alone until I fly this thing. Jason, we can do her magic when we get back, right?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°No rush.¡±

 Chapter 338: Options

    ¡°I told you before we went on our helicopter ride that you were a tricky one to find a combination for,¡± Jason told Amy. They were in her kitchen, along with Farrah, while Kaito watched the girls in the back yard.


    "The issue is that you don''t have the training to be a fighter," Farrah said. ''With utility sets, the best bet is to leverage life skills but you''re a politician. I''m not saying that doesn''t involve skills, but not the kinds that are as easy to leverage as being a cook or a sailor."


    ¡°We have a combination here that we think will work for you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a combination that political leaders in my world often use,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s centred around knowledge and perception.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want that?¡± Amy asked. ¡°I¡¯m comfortable with my political capabilities as they are. What if I want some proper magic powers. Fireballs and lightning bolts.¡±


    Jason and Farrah shared a glance, Farrah snorting a laugh.


    ¡°Jason said you might say something like that,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That¡¯s why we prepared another option for you to choose from. Just to be clear, I don¡¯t think this is the way you should go. This is a raw combat combination and you have two little girls. It¡¯s not the time to go throwing yourself into danger with no training.¡±


    ¡°Which is something we¡¯ve also taken into account,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ve picked out a combination based around what I call the Thadwick Principle. It¡¯s all about maximising damage output and minimising skill requirements.¡±


    ¡°The idea,¡± Farrah said, ¡°is that you pump out a lot of power very quickly. We¡¯re envisaging a scenario where your family encounters some manner of unexpected threat and you can respond with extreme power. You won¡¯t be up for an extended fight, but you¡¯ll be able to finish a short one definitively. This is something like my approach, by the way.¡±


    ¡°The combination is built around the gun essence,¡± Jason said. ¡°Guns are relatively easy to learn to at least a competent level. They also make a strong platform for humans, who are better at magical special attacks than full-blown magic spells.¡±


    ¡°The big thing you¡¯ll need to learn is mana management, which I can teach you,¡± Farrah said. ¡°As I said, the burst of power approach is how I operate.¡±


    They waited for Amy to respond as she considered their proposal.


    ¡°Guns,¡± she said finally. ¡°That isn¡¯t exactly fireballs and lightning bolts.¡±


    ¡°You understand the basics of an essence combination,¡± Jason said. ¡°Three essences, combining to make a fourth.¡±


    He plucked three cubes out of the air to plonk on the table, one after another. The first was gunmetal grey.


    ¡°Gun essence,¡± he said.


    The next cube looked like glass containing a swirling mix of red, orange and yellow.


    ¡°Fire essence.¡±


    The last was a dark blue cube with lightning arcing about on the inside from a central orb, like a plasma sphere.


    ¡°Lightning essence,¡± he said. ¡°Your husband conjures up a helicopter. What we¡¯re talking about here are flamethrowers and lightning guns.¡±


    Amy trepidatiously reached out to pick up the lightning essence, then turned it over on her hands as she examined it.


    ¡°It¡¯s tingling my fingers,¡± she said.


    Jason and Farrah waited. Amy had seen essences before, but this was her first time holding one in her hands.


    ¡°Lightning gun?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Lightning gun,¡± Jason said.


    Amy nodded to herself, a smile playing over her lips.


    ¡°Alrighty, then.¡±


    As they rode back toward Ken¡¯s property in Shade¡¯s car form, Jason bowed his head, rubbing his fingers into his temple.


    ¡°Part of me still wants to have nothing to do with them,¡± Jason said. ¡°I left and cut them out of my life for years and I¡¯m not entirely convinced that wasn¡¯t better.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a mess,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but if you start carving up your family, you can¡¯t do the things you want to do.¡±


    Jason, Farrah and Hiro had been going through long discussions about the future. Jason was no longer hopeful of going back to the other world but certain it would happen. He needed to know that the family left behind would be able to handle whatever came in the wake of magic going public.


    Originally, that had been built around Erika and her family, but if they ended up joining him in the other world, that would obviously change. He was not fully convinced that was a good idea.


    "It¡¯s coming up on time for you to put aside family concerns, at least for the moment," Farrah said. "We''ll essence up your parents and then it''s time to focus on our development. I need to get a handle of my new power levels and it''s past time you did some more aura work. You''ve been putting it off."


    Since accepting the World-Phoenix¡¯s blessing and the transfiguration it engendered, Jason¡¯s aura had become more powerful than ever. It had reached the point where his once-excellent control was no longer able to finesse his aura as well as it had in the past. Even before that point, he had occasionally lost control during moments of emotional distress.


    Farrah had given Jason his original training, which he had supplemented with his own practise and occasional help from others. Danielle Geller, especially, had given him some useful guidance around the time she recruited him to teach aura control himself. She helped him come to grips with his enhanced soul power after his encounter with the Builder¡¯s star seed. It had reached the point where his aura strength was outstripping his ability to control it with precision, a situation he found himself in once again.


    After discussing it with Farrah, they had decided that Jason needed a new aura control paradigm, stripping his old habits to the bone and retraining from scratch. The key to their approach would be him learning to wield his aura on normal humans with art and finesse. If he could control fine applications of his aura with precision, his gross applications would become all the more refined.


    For this reason, they had recruited Craig Vermillion. Jason had been impressed from the beginning with Vermillion¡¯s nuanced aura control and wished to learn from him. Vermillion, in turn, was interested in applying techniques from the other world. As Jason was impressed with his fine control, Vermillion wished to learn Jason and Farrah¡¯s methods of weaponising auras.


    The first meeting between Farrah and Craig had not gone well, but Farrah had arrested her sword-swing when Jason interposed himself. It took some time to convince Farrah that Craig wasn¡¯t an irredeemable predator. Her feelings were so strong that Jason was left wondering about vampires in the other world.


    He had not met any vampires before Craig other than the controlled minions of a blood weaver monster. Was there something about the higher magic of Pallimustus that affected vampire behaviour, or was it a matter of prejudice? He wondered if the troubles with essence-born vampires and monsters like the blood weaver had tainted public opinion on vampirism.


    It was possible that the differences were societal in nature. In a world of forensic science and erotic vampire novels, had the vampires of Earth simply adapted to a more effective lifestyle?


    Vermillion¡¯s new lifestyle of lazy days and his secluded mansion had grown on him quickly. He showed no signs of missing the stern agent of the Cabal Jason had first met and his laconic attitude had won Farrah over.


    ¡°Once we¡¯ve done Mum and Dad¡¯s essences, I¡¯d like to pull back from the family stuff,¡± Jason said. ¡°From time to time I¡¯ve found myself getting caught up in events and I¡¯ve found it beneficial in those times to get back to basics. Put aside everything else for a while and focus on the fundamentals. I loved those early days, training with you and Rufus and Gary.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d crack immediately,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You were weirdly driven, though.¡±


    ¡°Erika¡¯s going to be like that, too,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve seen what her daughter is like. Erika won¡¯t like using cores.¡±


    ¡°Emi is oddly intense, even in the early training we¡¯ve given her,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Right now I see her as the only one who should forgo cores, and that¡¯s only because we have the time to train her properly. We don¡¯t have skill books to cover, the way we did for you.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll give them some training, though,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Farrah agreed. ¡°Erika will realise that she has enough to learn just mastering the utility uses of her powers. We¡¯ll help them with the combat aspects, but only enough to get by. Unless they¡¯re fighting monsters on a regular basis, it isn¡¯t worth the training time, otherwise. Despite what Rufus will tell you, sometimes core advancement is the best choice.¡±


    ¡°I still need to teach them all about the most basic stuff,¡± Jason said. ¡°They can sense auras now, which is going to weird them out. I don¡¯t think we told them they don¡¯t poop anymore.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t the Network offer to take all that off your hands?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Hey, you¡¯re right,¡± Jason said, brightening up. ¡°I forgot after Erika dragged her feet, but they wanted to do a big, ¡®welcome to magic¡¯ seminar.¡±


    He took out his phone and called Ketevan. Anna¡¯s former deputy had filled her spot as Director of Operations smoothly as Anna moved up into the steering committee.


    ¡°How bad is it?¡± Ketevan said by way of greeting. ¡°Please tell me you didn¡¯t sink your town into the ocean like Atlantis or something.¡±


    ¡°Nothing like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Does that offer to run my family through the Network family induction program still stand?¡±


    ¡°As in, we tell them how to navigate the magic world instead of you?¡± Ketevan asked. He was able to hear her sitting up straight in her chair, just from the change in her tone.


    ¡°I¡¯ll set it up immediately,¡± she said. ¡°When can they come in? We could send a bus. Or a helicopter. Actually, I¡¯ll send a team to you. What¡¯s the time? Right, I¡¯ll have them come in overnight and we can do it first thing. You won¡¯t be there, right?¡±


    ¡°I will not,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Great! I mean, that¡¯s fine. We¡¯ll rent a space, I¡¯ll send you all the details.¡±


    ¡°Actually, can you just run it all through my sister?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No problem whatsoever. We have all her contact details.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just to let you know, I¡¯m in the process of shoving a bunch of essences up in them. I¡¯m mostly done, now.¡±


    ¡°We really would have liked you to consult with us on that.¡±


    ¡°Well, we can do that for anyone else,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll tell Erika to expect your people to get in contact.¡±


    After ending the call, Jason leaned back into the seat. The shadow-stuff seat Shade produced was akin to cloud furniture in comfort and he felt the tension melt out of him.


    ¡°Once we give Dad his essences,¡± he said, ¡°we can do Mum last and we¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Do you want to go over your father¡¯s essences again?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Not after what you were like with Uncle Hiro,¡± Jason said. ¡°Every time we finalised the essences to give him, you started swapping them around.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always wanted to have an apprentice with the right essences for array magic,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I didn¡¯t expect it to be an old man but your uncle¡¯s a dedicated learner. I just want to make sure we had the best combination for him.¡±


    ¡°Do you realise what I had to trade away to get another renewal essence?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing a pile of stuff you didn¡¯t want anyway.¡±


    ¡°A big pile,¡± Jason said. ¡°A really big pile.¡±


    ¡°Anyway, it left you the vast essence to give to your father.¡±


    "What was the final combination we gave Hiro again? At this point, I don''t even remember and I conducted the ritual."


    ¡°The final combination was renewal, rune and balance to make the prosperity confluence.¡±


    ¡°Why did we pick balance over magic again?¡±


    ¡°It will help with getting formations to adapt to their environment. Since we now know that the magical density of your world is in flux, you¡¯re going to want stability and flexibility in your permanent magical emplacements.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said wearily. ¡°I know I should care. Uncle Hiro deserves that but the tank is empty. I¡¯ll care tomorrow. Next week at the outside.¡±


    ¡°Leave Hiro to me,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°We still have to do your parents, though. Are you sure about your mother¡¯s combination?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯s such a Japanophile that she¡¯ll take a lotus confluence over anything, even if it¡¯s a terrible fit. Sword and water are cheap essences, and even after trading so many away, I¡¯m still thick with plant essences.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Japanophile?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m selling the land,¡± Ken told Jason. ¡°In the end, it was a project to help me get over the loss of my son, and my boy came back to me.¡±


    Ken caught Jason in a hug. Even when the family wearied him the most, his father¡¯s warm and undemanding support was a balm.


    ¡°I¡¯ve decided to look towards the future, instead of the past,¡± Ken said. ¡°I¡¯m going to help Hiro in his project. We¡¯re going to build something for the family.¡±


    ¡°You were hesitant about taking essences,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s going to be a major magical endeavour.¡±


    Ken shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about it a lot,¡± he said. ¡°There was a time that you needed me and I wasn¡¯t there. That¡¯s not happening again. If this is your world, now, then I¡¯m in. All the way.¡±


    Jason¡¯s face broke into a smile and he hugged his father again.


    ¡°You know,¡± Jason said, ¡°Kaito can conjure a helicopter out of thin air, now.¡±


    ¡°Is it Airwolf?¡± asked, Ken, the original sinner of his children¡¯s obsession with eighties action-adventure shows.


    ¡°Kind of,¡± Jason said. ¡°It the same company who made the Bell 222 except it¡¯s a concept helicopter. They haven¡¯t even made a working prototype, yet, according to Kai. It kind of looks like a sci-fi submarine¡±


    ¡°Nice. Does that mean I could magic up a talking trans-am?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already got a talking car, Dad. You don¡¯t want a Team Knight Rider situation.¡±


    ¡°No, you don¡¯t,¡± Ken said, shaking his head. ¡°That boy Taika, what is in his head?¡±


    ¡°I know he got involved in some bad stuff when he was younger, back in New Zealand,¡± Jason said. ¡°His father got him out and brought the whole family to Australia. Probably because he heard about the Team Knight Rider thing and knew his son was on a bad path.¡±


    Farrah shook her head.


    ¡°Can we just move on to the magic powers, please?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You know,¡± Ken said, ¡°I saw those mirage chambers in your recordings. You could use them to make a show about a knight with a talking horse that solves crime.¡±


    ¡°A black horse with red eyes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Ken agreed and Farrah put an exasperated hand over her eyes.


    ¡°They picked the wrong guy to save the world,¡± she grumbled.

 Chapter 339: I Need Time

    Jason heard Hiro, Ken and Farrah having a discussion as he trudged through his houseboat toward the bar lounge.


    ¡°¡­point of setting it up this way is so that it can be modified as magical conditions change,¡± Farrah was explaining.


    ¡°Do you expect magical conditions to change?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Farrah looked up at Jason as he made his way through the door.


    ¡°For now,¡± she said, ¡°let¡¯s just say that I¡¯m confident they will.¡±


    Jason slumped into a chair and Shade approached, placing on the table a tray bearing an immaculately-plated omelette, a large glass of juice and a neatly folded cloth napkin.


    ¡°Thanks, Shade,¡± Jason said with a tired smile. ¡°You¡¯re getting pretty good at this.¡±


    ¡°I have been watching the old episodes of Mrs Asano¡¯s first cooking show on the internet,¡± Shade said. ¡°It has many useful tips for people new to the methods and ingredients of this universe.¡±


    Farrah, Hiro and Ken shared a look and got up, Hiro and Ken greeting Jason on their way out. Farrah dropped down into the seat opposite Jason.


    ¡°You look tired for a man who slept this late,¡± she said. He didn¡¯t answer immediately, having a forkful of omelette in his mouth. He took his time, chewing slowly before putting down his fork and dabbing at his mouth with his napkin.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been thinking about when you and I first met,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not the very first part, with the sacrificing and the shovel.¡±


    ¡°I think that was mostly you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the little village with the waterfall.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t I see that village getting destroyed in your recordings?¡±


    ¡°It was,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You seem to have some fate with that village,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Every time you go there, you¡¯re protecting it from monsters.¡±


    ¡°Not protecting it well enough. At least the people got out, but their homes were razed to the ground. The Duke sent funds, so hopefully they¡¯re back and resettled by now. I was thinking about before all that, when the three of us were passing through. I was so lost, still half-convinced that I¡¯d gone mad. I knew almost nothing of where I was and what was happening and what I did know, I didn¡¯t believe.¡±


    ¡°I remember,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You were kind of a mess. Although, you befriended that whole town in about a day.¡±


    ¡°Those people were the first thing that made sense to me,¡± Jason said. ¡°They reminded me of Uncle Robbo. My mum¡¯s whole side of the family, really, except Mum herself. I used to spend a lot of time with them because it annoyed her. She didn¡¯t like to be reminded that she came from common stock.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve met your Uncle Robbo I think twice,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I still like him more than her.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a common reaction. So, I was in this village, with no idea of what to do and caught up with strangers that, to me, were very strange indeed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not strange,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°That depends on context.¡±


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I used to think everyone from your world was strange, but it¡¯s really just you, your sister and your sister¡¯s kid. You¡¯re all weird, irrespective of context.¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Jason said. ¡°The point is that I was feeling completely adrift. No direction, no purpose. That was when Rufus told me something that was really important to my time in your world. This one too, really.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I mostly remember Rufus kicking Anisa off the contract.¡±


    ¡°He told me that your world was a chance to reinvent myself. To become the person I wanted to be, without the baggage of my old life. I didn¡¯t always succeed, but I always tried.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Now, you find yourself back here and weighed-down with all that baggage you put aside.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I don¡¯t think reconnecting with who I used to be is intrinsically bad, though. Back then I was a na?ve idealist who had never had his principles put to the test. It felt like every time my ideals were put under strain, they crumbled. I think it¡¯s good for me to take another look at those principles. Yes, they were foolish and innocent, but they also represented ideals that I think are worth striving for.¡±


    ¡°You want to be the best of both worlds,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°The problem is, it feels like I¡¯m becoming the worst of them. All the baggage from here bringing out the reactionary aggression that kept me alive over there.¡±


    ¡°The solution seems obvious,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Ever since you returned to your world, you¡¯ve been introducing your family to magic, dealing with a world you never realised was full of magic, working to rescue me. Usually, more than one of those at the same time.¡±


    ¡°You went through worse after getting here.¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but at least what I went through was simple. You¡¯ve been fighting through a tangle and we both know you get caught up in your own head, while I can think in nice, clean lines. I see my direction and I walk it, while you can¡¯t help diving into the weeds. You need to step away for a while and find your way back to a straight path.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to start by letting Erika take over the family stuff and pulling out of Network activity while I get my aura control in order. Then I might take off for a bit.¡±


    ¡°Some time to clear your head would do you well. You may wish to get away from home altogether.¡±


    ¡°I think I will. I¡¯ve been to another world, yet there¡¯s so much of this one I haven¡¯t seen. It might just be time to remedy that. I¡¯ll need you to watch over things while I¡¯m gone. I¡¯ll take most of the Shades with me but I¡¯ll leave one so you can always reach me and I can check in. One for Emi, too. If something happens, Shade can get her to you.¡±


    ¡°How long will this sojourn of yours be?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°As long as it takes that I can come back without losing myself.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Erika said. ¡°Everything that¡¯s going on and you want to take a gap year to bum around backpacking?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not for a few weeks, but yes.¡±


    They were on the roof deck of the houseboat as Jason explained his intentions.


    ¡°Do you really think that now is the best time to be traipsing off?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have responsibilities that I¡¯m not ready to meet. I need time, Eri. Time away from monster armies and interdimensional invasions. From secret societies and from family so caught up in their own revelations that they don¡¯t stop to think about what I¡¯ve been through even when I recorded THE ENTIRE BLOODY THING!¡±


    He got out of his chair and paced to the edge of the deck, drawing a sharp breath he didn¡¯t need and slowly letting it out. He leaned on the railing, looking out over the water. The day was overcast, painting the sea grey.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, any emotion washed out of his voice. ¡°That wasn¡¯t for you.¡±


    ¡°Yes it was,¡± she chuckled. ¡°I want you to yell at me. You always box everything away and hide it behind a clown mask. I¡¯m glad that you trust me enough to open up.¡±


    ¡°I need time, Eri,¡± he said again, still staring out at the ocean. ¡°I¡¯m dangerously off balance and I can¡¯t afford to be. My mistakes can really hurt people and my failures¡­¡±


    He hung his head.


    ¡°How am I meant to save the world?¡± he asked, his voice cracking. ¡°How can that be on me? Two years ago I was selling staples and rubber bands. You know what a mess I was. How can anyone expect me to not bugger this up?¡±


    Erika moved up to Jason and put an arm around his shoulder.


    ¡°I always knew you could do great things, Jason. I was more thinking state parliament than fighting evil, but still.¡±


    He snorted a laugh, in spite of himself.


    ¡°This whole thing is absurd,¡± he said. ¡°It has been from the beginning. I took a lot of stupid risks because in my head, it never felt quite real. Then Farrah died and all of a sudden it was, but I just kept taking risks because I felt invincible. Then I was grabbed and someone tried to feed me to the Builder. That hit me for six, but eventually I was back to risk-taking because that¡¯s what had to be done. And we did get it done.¡±


    Erika sighed.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been so caught up in all the strangeness you brought home that we never thought about the fact that you went through all of that and more. And you had to do it when you were lost, alone and in danger. We see the way you are, now, and don¡¯t think about how you must have been then. You didn¡¯t start your recordings until you¡¯d moved past the worst of it. Now I can¡¯t help thinking about how much you didn¡¯t put in them.¡±


    ¡°There was some crazy stuff,¡± Jason said. ¡°Me and this guy, Hiram, got shot off the side of a mountain by a magic waterfall. It stopped all of a sudden and we were trying to figure out why when it started up again. We were fine, because magic powers. That was my third day.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine.¡±


    ¡°¡±That¡¯s nothing,¡± he said. ¡°I met gods, Eri. Actual, honest-to-goodness gods. Standing in their presence, you can feel the divine power blasting over you. It¡¯s like a tsunami with a superiority complex. If they want it to be, anyway. They can tone it down, but they generally don¡¯t. Reap the wonder of the masses and whatnot.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to respond to that,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°You said you want to come with,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you do, you¡¯ll see them for yourself. Gods aren¡¯t shy.¡±


    She sighed again.


    ¡°I want to be here for you, little brother. But you talk about these things and I don¡¯t know how to empathise, as much as I want to. You¡¯re describing things so far removed from anything I know. I guess that¡¯s the problem, isn¡¯t it? Farrah is the only one who really understands what you¡¯ve been through.¡±


    ¡°In so many ways,¡± Jason said. ¡°We both know what it is to wake up in a strange world. What it is to die. I died, Eri. I know you¡¯ve all been ignoring it because here I am alive and I¡¯ve been known to say some outlandish things, but it happened. I died. It was violent and painful and I never expected to come back from it. I felt that certainty that my life was over.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just the things that were done to me, either. It was the things I did. I killed people. I saved people. I¡¯ve been a hero saving lives and a monster reaping them from the dark. I found companions who mean everything to me; only you and Emi mean as much.¡±


    ¡°I want to see that world,¡± Erika said. ¡°I want to share your experiences. See those wonders and understand those horrors.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s still what you want when the time to go back comes,¡± he said, ¡°then I¡¯ll take you. There¡¯s still plenty of time to decide, one way or the other. I can¡¯t make promises about the other side, though. It¡¯s a world where my power is insignificant.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t not go,¡± Erika said. ¡°Not now that I know what¡¯s out there. Ian¡¯s the same. I know he plays the straight man to his wife and daughter but he has a beautiful passion in his soul. I married him for a reason. And as for our daughter, well. At this stage, if we tried to keep her from the other world, she¡¯d never forgive us.¡±


    ¡°Farrah and I have been talking,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you¡¯re really serious about coming with us, you need to start making some big choices now.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°Taking Emi out of school. She already knows more than most kids do by the time they leave high school and what they have left to teach her won¡¯t matter in the other world. She needs proper, intensive training.¡±


    ¡°Only if she¡¯s going to fight monsters,¡± Erika said. ¡°I don¡¯t want that for her.¡±


    ¡°Mum had specific ideas about what she did and didn¡¯t want for me,¡± Jason pointed out. ¡°It didn¡¯t work out so well for her, but I suppose it won¡¯t be like that for you and Emi. She¡¯s nothing like me.¡±


    ¡°Point taken,¡± Erika said. ¡°I just want her to be safe. I know you said that safe may not be an option, though, even if we stay here.¡±


    ¡°Just start giving the idea of home schooling some thought,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know how big a move it is. It¡¯s deciding the future of your family in a single moment.¡±


    ¡°Home schooling,¡± Erika said. ¡°You can¡¯t train her if you¡¯re off who knows where.¡±


    ¡°Farrah can train her better than I can. And I won¡¯t be gone forever. While I am, I¡¯ll need you to step up and take the family in hand. Did Ketevan call you, yet?¡±


    ¡°Yesterday afternoon. I had to dampen her enthusiasm. She would have had us all in a room at 6am, given her way.¡±


    ¡°I think she wants to steer you away from my influence,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a sound approach to most things,¡± Erika said, squeezing her brother¡¯s shoulder warmly. ¡°I really am glad you¡¯re opening up, Jase. I want to be there for you; you just have to let me. Tell me that you aren¡¯t leaving just to run away.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not running,¡± he said. ¡°I know who I was here and who I was there. I need the time and the space to figure out who I am in both. Who I want to be, and how to be that person.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Erika said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to take a lot of Uncle Jason time before you go, you realise.¡±


    ¡°There are worse burdens,¡± he said.


    Sitting in a meditative pose, Jason opened one eye to watch Farrah floating in the air.


    ¡°You¡¯re not concentrating,¡± she scolded, her eyes remaining closed.


    Levitation, Jason had discovered, was a perk of reaching silver-rank. It was an intrinsic property of a silver-rank soul, allowing the aura it projected to physically affect the environment. Jason¡¯s aura, despite being stronger than Farrah¡¯s, could not equal the feat. It was a quality versus quantity issue, where Jason lacked not the aura power but the inherent properties of a silver-rank soul. Which hadn¡¯t stopped him from wasting a good amount of time trying to replicate it anyway.


    ¡°You need to get back to aura training,¡± Farrah admonished. ¡°This levitation isn¡¯t even a practical ability. It requires intense concentration, has minimal effect and is easy to disrupt with just some basic aura suppression.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but floating as you meditate looks super cool.¡±


    When rebuilding his suite of aura control techniques from scratch, Jason drew on various sources of knowledge, experience and inspiration. Farrah¡¯s instruction was the bedrock, as her mastery of orthodox aura control technique made for a grand foundation onto which he could build more exotic approaches.


    That began with his own experiences. He had seen a lot and frequently used his aura in combat. His soul had been savaged to the limit of tolerance and, with help, come back stronger than ever. All of that gave him a wealth of personal experience to incorporate into his new aura control praxis.


    Vermillion also had contributions to make. While the vampire¡¯s aura operated somewhat dissimilarly to an essence user¡¯s, he had numerous insights into fine aura control, have spent decades using it on normals without them ever being the wiser.


    A source of inspiration was the sole diamond-ranker Jason had met, the Mirror King. His aura had felt like a part of the world around it, as if his very nature was in perfect symbiosis with the world. Jason had only been an iron-ranker at the time, with only the beginnings of the aura strength he now possessed. He didn¡¯t know if the Mirror King¡¯s aura truly did merge into the world around it or if it was some manner of exquisite technique. Either way, he kept the Mirror King in mind as he established not only a new baseline for his aura techniques but set a path for further growth.


    The final pillar on which Jason supported his new techniques was Shade. The elusive shadow entity had a natural proclivity for stealth and years of practise that put the Mirror King to shame. He had an extensive knowledge of Order of the Reaper stealth techniques and the accumulated knowledge of previous essence users he had also served as a familiar.


    Shade¡¯s own aura-masking prowess was something Jason had never been able to emulate as Shade method of producing an aura was more alien than Vermillion¡¯s, or at least, it had been. With the World-Phoenix¡¯s blessing, Jason¡¯s spiritual nature had grown much closer to that of an astral being. The methodologies didn¡¯t directly translate, but Jason was able to glean at least some insights from Shade¡¯s bounty of knowledge and experience.


    Over the course of a month, Jason spent almost every moment either in seclusion on the houseboat or discussing aura techniques with Farrah, Shade or Vermillion. Whenever he took a break, he sought out  his niece, not for training but simply for family time. He had already passed Emi¡¯s nascent training program fully into Farrah¡¯s hands. The only other exception to his dedicated training was a weekly gathering of friends and his closest family.

 Chapter 340: Walkabout

    Jason had satisfied himself that his newly refined aura control techniques were adequate. It was now time for a test, which was something Vermillion had devised. That had brought Jason, Vermillion and Farrah to a large shopping centre in Sydney where they had sat on a bench, not far inside the entrance.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure this is the best idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I don¡¯t get this right, the Network won¡¯t be happy.¡±


    ¡°There has to be a failure condition,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°If there¡¯s no pressure, it isn¡¯t a proper test of your abilities.¡±


    ¡°A gold-ranker can use their aura to pass through a crowd unnoticed,¡± Farrah said. ¡°A high-end silver can do the same, and you¡¯re approaching that level of aura strength.¡±


    ¡°Strength aside,¡± Jason countered, ¡°I don¡¯t actually have a silver-rank aura. Otherwise, I''d be able to levitate."


    ¡°Levitation is a capability inherent to silver-rank auras,¡± Farrah said. ¡°What you¡¯re attempting here is a matter of strength correctly applied. You¡¯re used to masking your aura when you¡¯re sneaking around. This is a more sophisticated version of that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an understatement to the point of being a lie,¡± Jason said.


    Farrah had originally trained Jason in the three basic functions of aura control: projecting his aura, retracting his aura and suppressing the auras of others. All aura control techniques were variations or extensions of those three. After Farrah¡¯s death, Jason had mostly developed his skills through experience, with only occasional external guidance.


    With the experience he had under his belt, plus the assistance of his companions, he had rebuilt his skill set from the ground up, learning to express the three basic functions in more sophisticated ways.


    What he was about to attempt was a technique that required the precise and nuanced application of all three functions at once. Firstly, he needed to blend projection and retraction, seemingly contrary effects, to merge his aura into the ambient magic. He had no illusions of matching the Mirror King¡¯s achievements in this area, but that had been the inspiration for what he was attempting.


    The other ¨C and trickiest ¨C aspect of what he was doing was an application of aura suppression. It needed to be delicate, complex and painstakingly precise as it directly impacted the aura senses of others.


    A person''s aura senses were largely a function of their aura itself. Even normals could sense auras on some level if the auras were strong and directed enough. For most practical purposes they were aura blind unless someone with aura control didn¡¯t want them to be.


    After a lengthy discussion with Vermillion on how vampires manipulated auras, Jason had been working on variations of aura suppression that manipulated the aura senses of others, rather than suppressing their whole aura. This was an area in which vampires naturally excelled, while Jason had not realised it was even possible. Farrah had never introduced him to it because essence users could usually only match what a vampire could manage at much higher rank. Jason¡¯s absurdly ramped-up aura strength changed that.


    He could not directly mimic the techniques of vampires or high-end essence users. Shade had techniques that outstripped both, to the point of being able to confuse digital recordings, but Jason could not match that either. Instead, he blended aspects from all three to develop a bespoke technique tailored to the unusual properties of his unique aura. This was the theme of all his new aura control skills.


    The goal of his current activity was to pass through a crowd of normals unnoticed. It was not, strictly speaking, invisibility. Rather, the idea was to prevent the perceptions of others from registering his presence. The crux of the process was enacting the technique while keeping the people he was enacting it upon from noticing. If they sensed his manipulations, the effect would be the exact opposite of the desired outcome.


    With his current prowess, Jason was only willing to attempt it with normal people, who were effectively aura blind and had the least chance of sensing what he was doing. Even then, he was far from certain it would work. It would take considerably more practice before he could use it on even freshly-minted iron-rankers like his family.


    ¡°Do I have to use the cloak?¡± he asked. ¡°That seems like asking for trouble.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll only know it¡¯s working if you use the cloak,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Otherwise, they won¡¯t know you anyway because you¡¯ll just be some guy.¡±


    Jason frowned but didn¡¯t argue further as he got to his feet. He closed his eyes and extended his senses through his aura, feeling the people around him. Relaxing his body and soul, he let himself become one with his surroundings, his aura blending into the ambient magic. He could feel how inexpert he still was but he sensed at least a basic level of success.


    Next, he started oh-so-delicately affecting the auras around him. Like all applications of aura stealth, it was a deeply inefficient process that took a disproportional level of strength for his aura to operate unnoticed. With such precise work, even Jason''s powerhouse aura was barely able to effectively impact the normal auras around him without it going awry. A month of practise was not enough to act with greater efficiency.


    Jason''s starlight cloak appeared around him and he started walking through the shopping centre. Despite the starlight rider making his first public appearance in months, not a single person looked his way. On the contrary, their eyes seemed to slide off him, looking elsewhere without registering anything strange.


    Shade, for his part, made sure that Jason showed up as no more than a blur on the shopping centre¡¯s security cameras. Jason was not sure if he would ever be able to replicate such an ability.


    Jason walked the full length of the shopping centre, then went up a level and came back the other way. As a final test, he dropped off the mezzanine and floated down to  Farrah and Vermillion, still undetected. His cloak vanished as he sat back on the bench with the others.


    ¡°That was good,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°A little too good, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Too good?¡± Jason asked.


    Vermillion handed a wad of cash over to Farrah.


    ¡°I told you that aura control was his strongest skill,¡± she said.


    ¡°You bet on me getting in huge trouble with the Network?¡± Jason asked Vermillion.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°The Cabal is happy to step in and cover for you.¡±


    Erika and Ian were hosting the farewell barbecue for Jason¡¯s departure. Emi, who normally clung to him like a limpet, was still angry about his leaving again. He could sense her watching him from her bedroom window. The backyard was packed full of friends and family, which made it a mixed bag both in terms of who knew about magic and who Jason wanted to avoid. It had been made very clear that there was to be no talk of magic, although Jason was not confident that would hold up. Once a few more beer kegs were emptied, he expected some slips, but everyone would be blotto by that point anyway.


    As Greg and Jason waited their turn to get sausages from one of the grills, Greg leaned close and spoke in a low, conspiratorial voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with Farrah?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure she got hotter. Like, getting some work done hotter, but didn¡¯t disappear long enough to have work done, the way you did.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t have any work done,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known you since we were fourteen, Jase. Hormones don¡¯t shave half your chin off.¡±


    Jason gave up trying to respond. After getting his sausage, he left Greg peering suspiciously in Farrah¡¯s direction and made some more rounds of family members.


    ¡°G¡¯day, Nanna,¡± he said to his paternal grandmother, grinning at the glare it earned him. ¡°Sorry, Grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Save your common colloquialisms for your other grandmother,¡± she said. ¡°She¡¯s classless enough to like them.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not a yob, Grandmother. She had Alzheimer¡¯s.¡±


    Grandmother Asano raised her eyebrows at Jason, then glanced over at his other grandmother, chugging a beer.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°She might be bit of a yob.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know anything about her miraculous recovery?¡± Grandmother Asano asked. ¡°Medically, it doesn¡¯t make any kind of sense.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s a miracle,¡± Jason said. ¡°Didn¡¯t you hear what Great Aunt Marjory said?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather listen to the whine of the drill about to lobotomise me than that woman. The results would be essentially the same.¡±


    Jason snorted a laugh, the corners of his grandmother¡¯s lips turning up on her otherwise stern face.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you took the time to finally learn Japanese during your mysterious absence?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I might have picked up a few things.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°I wanted to read manga in the original language. Are you a proper One-Punch Man fan, Grandmother, or do you only watch the anime like a prole?¡±


    ¡°You make me wish I¡¯d taken worse care of myself,¡± she said. ¡°Then I¡¯d have a walking stick to hit you with.¡±


    Jason chuckled as he leaned in to kiss her on the cheek.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too hard on Hiro while I¡¯m away,¡± he told her.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with my reprobate son in whatever means I deem appropriate,¡± she said.


    ¡°Okay, but just remember that he¡¯s doing better,¡± Jason said. ¡°Don¡¯t be so eager to punish him for his old ways that you push him back into them.¡±


    ¡°And how did you become so wise all of a sudden?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The usual way,¡± he said. ¡°I made a lot of mistakes.¡±


    Over the course of the afternoon and into the evening, Jason endured a cavalcade of awkward conversations with distant relatives. Asya was a late arrival and took him aside for some magic-related chat.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working some bureaucratic wheels,¡± she said. ¡°It took me longer than I liked, but I finally got approval.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason prompted.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s hard to maintain a friendship when you have to keep almost all of what you do secret,¡± she said. ¡°I had Greg vetted and approved for essences.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? How did you get them to swallow that?¡±


    ¡°You going on walkabout has them worried,¡± she said. ¡°They haven¡¯t liked not having your looting services during your month of seclusion. If it wasn¡¯t for the strike teams Farrah set up doing so well, the Sydney steering committee would be getting downright obstreperous. You¡¯re lucky you have Anna on the committee now. She may not love the way you do things but she understands how valuable you are and trusts that you¡¯ll be loyal.¡±


    ¡°Where does that trust come from?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Me,¡± Asya said.


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing the fact that I never really asked much from them is a factor.¡±


    ¡°Yes. One they¡¯ve come to regret, in fact. If you¡¯d gotten more out of them, there¡¯d be more of an obligation to not wander off.¡±


    ¡°Funny, that,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s almost like I didn¡¯t want to be pinned down.¡±


    "I''d appreciate it if you threw the International Committee the occasional bone while you''re out and about," Asya said. "There are branches all around the world that would love for you to drop in on their incursions."


    ¡°You mean they¡¯d like my looting power to drop in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good way to spread some goodwill,¡± Asya said. ¡°If we¡¯re extra lucky, having a branch-agnostic running around like Santa Claus might even foster some inter-branch unity.¡±


    ¡°No pressure, then. I think I can manage something like that.¡±


    He glanced over at Greg, who spotted him and nodded a greeting.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to run Greg through your Network program,¡± he said. ¡°I doubt your bosses want me teaching anyone from scratch.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± Asya said. ¡°He¡¯s approved for essences but he won¡¯t be cleared to actually get them until he¡¯s been through our welcome to magic induction. We¡¯ll have him ready by the time you get back. You¡¯ll need to supply the essences yourself, by the way.¡±


    He gave her a warm smile.


    ¡°Thanks, Asya. You keep going to bat for me, time and again. Don¡¯t think I haven¡¯t noticed. How about you and I do something fun together after I get back?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d really like that,¡± she said, flustered.


    ¡°I still need to do a few hello and goodbyes,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m going to break the news to Greg, by the way.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯d prefer to do that,¡± she said.


    ¡°I reckon you would,¡± Jason said.


    She snorted a laugh.


    ¡°You can be incredibly obnoxious, you know that?¡±


    He responded only with a flashing grin as he wandered off. Greg meandered over and took his place.


    ¡°Asked him out yet?¡± Greg asked her.


    ¡°How is that your business?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I started watching you moon over that guy ten years ago,¡± he said. ¡°He was missing, presumed dead, but then he mysteriously reappears. Now he¡¯s going to vanish again for who knows how long. What does it take for you to make a move, lady?¡±


    ¡°It''s a lot more complicated than you realise. And I don¡¯t exactly see you with a full dance card, Greg.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, ¡°but I''m the stand by himself in the corner guy. You¡¯re not meant to be here with me.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t put yourself down like that,¡± she said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just put me down?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you shouldn¡¯t pile on to yourself.¡±


    ¡°Just give it a few more years of standing in the corner,¡± Greg said. ¡°Piling onto yourself will be what passes for date night.¡±


    ¡°Ew.¡±


    After making sure he spoke to everyone, Jason made a discreet exit. Most of the people there were less interested in Jason than they were a booze-up anyway, so he was able to grab Greg and slip away unnoticed.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re going for a ride,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, you need a designated driver.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we don¡¯t need any driver.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do I finally get to see the famous self-driving car? Where do you store that thing? It''s never parked at the marina."


    Jason let out a chuckle.


    ¡°Are you ready for your life to be changed forever?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Only since I was fourteen,¡± Greg said. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Greg, I know you¡¯ve picked up on a strange vibe around me and the people I know.¡±


    ¡°You faked your death and came back under circumstances I¡¯m still not exactly clear on,¡± Greg said. ¡°I could be in a coma and pick up vibes that strange.¡±


    ¡°Well, tonight¡¯s the night you learn what¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Alright, then. What¡¯ve you got?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s start with the fact that magic is real and Asya is part of a secret society that hides it from the world, but she got permission to let me tell you all about it.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Greg said. ¡°That¡¯s a bit odd. Did someone slip you a baked good of dubious provenance?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t do anything,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m immune to ordinary drugs.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I have vast magic powers,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m kind of a warlock ninja. I¡¯ll explain everything, but we start by getting in my car.¡±


    ¡°What car? Seriously, are you on some kind of hallucin¡­¡±


    Greg trailed off as a cloud of darkness erupted from Jason¡¯s shadow and took the form of a large supercar.


    ¡°What the¡­?¡±


    ¡°This is your yacht?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°Yep. I was flying to France with Asya because Farrah was being held by some bad guys¨C¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t sweat the details; you can ask Asya later. Anyway, someone put a bomb on the plane and it blew up in the air, so¨C¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±


    ¡°If you keep interrupting I¡¯ll never get through this,¡± Jason said happily, relishing his friend¡¯s flabbergasted state.


    ¡°You were in a plane that blew up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it was pretty rough, and they had guys waiting for survivors in the water. On this very boat, in fact. So, I dropped down onto the boat and took care of business.¡±


    ¡°You skydived out of an exploding plane?¡±


    ¡°The others skydived; I just dropped down. Magic powers, remember? Anyway, long story short, I beat the guys so badly that when I told them I was taking the boat, they apparently thought I meant literally. They signed it over to me and drove it here after I¡¯d gone off to get Farrah.¡±


    ¡°Jason, every single thing you¡¯ve told me tonight is insane nonsense.¡±


    ¡°I know, believe me. And we¡¯ve only just scratched the surface. You remember the Starlight Rider?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do,¡± Greg said. ¡°It was all over the television for weeks. Wait, are you saying¡­?¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s got two thumbs and killed a bunch of bikers hopped up on vampire blood? This guy.¡±


    Greg shook his head.


    ¡°You¡¯ve shown me some crazy things tonight, Jason, but this all sounds like crazy fanfic drivel.¡±


    ¡°I know. I probably should have let Asya and her secret society bring you in easy, but I kind of love just throwing all the madness out there and watching people ¨C in this case, you ¨C slowly realise it¡¯s all true. Come on; I''ll pass you off to Asya and she can help you break it all down."


    Jason opened a portal arch.


    ¡°After you, my friend,¡± he said.


    ¡°After me what?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m taking you back to my sister¡¯s house,¡± Jason said. ¡°You left your car there and I want to say goodbye. I told everyone I¡¯m leaving tomorrow but I¡¯m heading out tonight. Oh, sorry. I forgot to tell you that¡¯s a teleportation gate.¡±


    After fobbing a somewhat disoriented Greg off on Asya, Jason brought Erika and Emi through the portal to his yacht. Emi stood apart from Jason, glaring at him. He gave her an awkward smile.


    ¡°There will come a day, Moppet, when you and I will have grand adventures.¡±


    ¡°Why not now?¡± she pouted. ¡°You could take me with you.¡±


    ¡°This is something I need to do for myself,¡± he said. ¡°Only you and Farrah will have Shades with you, so only you two can talk to me whenever you want.¡±


    ¡°You say that like you don¡¯t have a phone,¡± Emi said.


    Jason didn¡¯t make any further progress before Erika said it was time to go and led her daughter back through the portal, leaving Jason alone. He was about to close the portal when Emi barrelled out of it to clasp him in vice clamp hug.


    ¡°I love you, Uncle Jason. You have to come back, okay?¡±


    He ruffled her hair.


    ¡°I love you too, Moppet.¡±

 Chapter 341: Too Valuable to Lose

    In a Chinese village levelled by a powerful earthquake, the villagers watched as an alien figure used a beam of energy to cut through the girder blocking the hole in which a child was trapped. It was a floating cloak, containing not a person but an energy that looked much like the Helix nebula, commonly known as the Eye of God. Floating around it were eye-like orbs, which fired the beams that were cutting away the debris.


    At first, the villagers had been afraid of Jason and his terrifying companion, but as they used their powers to retrieve person after person trapped within the rubble they became optimistic, albeit warily so.


    The beams of Jason familiar, Gordon, made short work of the collapsed girder, revealing the narrow hole underneath. Jason could easily see through the darkness to the top of the little boy¡¯s head and extended his shadow arms down to pluck him out. As soon as he was free, his mother rushed forward to embrace him as the villagers looked on. They were all as dirty as Jason was under his cloak.


    her office, back in Australia, Sydney Network branch committeewoman Annabeth Tilden was watching a video file. It was news footage, intercepted without ever going into public distribution. It had been send by the Beijing Network branch, along with an angrily-worded message.


    ¡°¡­took responders several hours to reach more isolated areas in the wake of the catastrophic earthquake. The collapse of the bridge you see behind me devastated this small village but the villagers themselves attribute the low number of casualties to a number of mysterious individuals, several of which they describe as appearing supernatural in nature. This is not the first¡­¡±


    Anna closed the video file with a sigh and added it to a folder with the others. One of the more disturbing elements was that the news footage was not in Mandarin but in English. Not only was Jason being far too prominent in his actions but clearly someone wanted to publicise them in the west. Not all of them had been intercepted before going online.


    ¡°Jason may be playing rather loosely with the secrecy provisions of our agreement after our people attacked him in Hanoi,¡± Ketevan said, ¡°but at least he hasn¡¯t been showing off the stars in his cloak since then. No one has connected the stories to the Starlight Rider.¡±


    ¡°Yet,¡± Anna said. ¡°And they weren¡¯t our people in Hanoi.¡±


    ¡°How many times have we had to explain that the people who went after him were Network but not our Network?¡± Ketevan asked. ¡°I¡¯m not so sure he¡¯ll still see us an ally once he¡¯s done with his journey of self-discovery or whatever he¡¯s doing is.¡±


    ¡°I swear, I want to fire a missile at the Hanoi branch.¡±


    ¡°The International Committee more or less did,¡± Ketevan reminded her.


    A month earlier, in Hanoi, Jason had underpriced the yacht in order to sell it off quickly. He decided to start his trip by playing tourist but quickly sensed the people following him.


    The capture team had two category threes and a dozen category twos. They realised that Asano had clearly sensed them and they were forced to shed slower members as they pursued the elusive target through the city.


    They finally tracked him down in the Hong River Slum Town, a bizarre mix of urban, industrial and rural. Illegal dwellings were bunched in with small farm plots, stores and even factories. Dirt roads and irrigation ditches defined the thoroughfares, with everything from the buildings to the very ground marking poverty, pollution and dilapidation. It was a backwater oddly located in a city of seven and a half million.


    Without street lights, it was a dark and dangerous place at night, more for the environment than the residents. For the capture team, though, darkness was not an issue. Only one of the category threes, Thanh, had managed to maintain the chase all the way, courtesy of speed powers granted by his light essence. The same light essence was able to illuminate the area with his aura.


    Thanh¡¯s aura didn¡¯t simply radiate light. Over a wide area, all darkness was banished. It seemed to have no source and was simply everywhere, filling every nook and cranny with soft illumination.


    As the space lit up, Jason was revealed to be standing right in front of the capture team. The only remaining patch of darkness was inside the hood of his cloak, in which only a pair of silver eyes could be seen.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised anyone was this stupid,¡± Jason said in Vietnamese. His skill at actively using his translation power with specific languages was improving, although he was stubbornly clinging to syntax that gave an odd mix of perfect pronunciation and deeply odd grammar. Rather than try to adapt, the way Farrah had so quickly, he had made it into a rather obnoxious signature.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone would be stupid enough to cross the International Committee after they gutted the Lyon branch like a fish,¡± he continued.


    ¡°You no longer need to concern yourself with things like that,¡± Thanh said. ¡°You belong to us, now, so you don¡¯t make decisions anymore.¡±


    ¡°It could be the Chinese,¡± Jason mused, ignoring the man. ¡°They might be using you as a cat¡¯s paw to test my capabilities without it blowing back on them. Maybe the EOA, looking to take me off the board before I start looking for them over their part in holding my friend prisoner. It could be that there¡¯s no one and you¡¯re really this dumb. I mean, you let me lead you by the nose until half of your team was left behind. Your trackers kind of suck, by the way. I had to aura project like a lighthouse for them to keep up and it was still hard to avoid escaping by accident.¡±


    ¡°You are arrogant,¡± Thanh said. ¡°That is your Japanese blood speaking.¡±


    ¡°Strewth, racist enough for you, mate?¡±


    ¡°We have studied your methods, Asano. You are a creature of the shadows. Without them, you are vulnerable and exposed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got me there,¡± Jason said. ¡°I definitely didn¡¯t train with someone from a family of essence-user instructors the equal of anyone on two worlds who laboriously drilled me on how to fight when I was caught out of my element.¡±


    ¡°You like to jabber and distract,¡± Thanh said. ¡°We know this about you. Quick words cannot change that we hold the advantage in numbers, in power and in the environment. There are no shadows for you to cower in.¡±


    They were on a dirt road, with a heavily polluted irrigation ditch running along one side and a ramshackle slum house on the other. The six category twos were arrayed in front of Thanh, with Jason standing before them in his combat robes and cloak. With the appearance of the light, the attention of the locals had been grabbed and they were variously hiding, fleeing or even recording the proceedings.


    ¡°Can you blur me in those videos?¡± Jason asked Shade, under his breath.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mr. Asano. This silver-rank light is having an extremely deleterious effect on my capabilities. I will be unable to manifest any of my bodies or run interference on detection abilities. I can only remain is the hood of your cloak, which remains impervious to the shadow deletion. Otherwise I would not even be able to speak with you.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°Part of why we left was to throw ourselves into training, right? This should push our limits nicely.¡±


    ¡°This may be throwing ourselves a tad hard, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Maybe, but that guy Lyon sent left a lingering unpleasantness. I¡¯d like to¨C¡±


    ¡°You have the nerve to stand in front of me and talk to yourself?¡± Thanh yelled, anger scoring his face. His aura blasted out, only to stop dead against Jason¡¯s like it was a brick wall. Jason¡¯s aura wasn¡¯t strong enough to suppress the silver-ranker¡¯s and eliminate the light, but it was definitely stronger, leaving Thanh visibly unnerved.


    ¡°KILL HIM!¡± Thanh screamed, forgetting that their purpose was to take him alive.


    A grab-bag of powers came Jason¡¯s way. One of the bronze-rankers underwent a bizarre transformation, his arms turning into snakes and his legs into those of a grasshopper. He pounced at Jason, who intercepted the snake fangs with his cloak as the man landed in front of him. He then pushed into the man and rammed a conjured dagger up under the man¡¯s jaw to pierce his brain.


    Bronze-rankers couldn¡¯t fight through what should have been lethal blows the way a silver-ranker could. The man with a dagger piercing his brain was tough enough to cling to life but fell limp. Jason grabbed his collapsing body and used him as a shield to soak up the other attacks coming his way. A fire bolt spell, a spiked ball on a chain and a laser beam of light from the silver-rank Thanh all impacted against the body.


    The bronze-ranker in Jason¡¯s arms did not survive the attacks and Jason rushed forward, still using him as a shield. He rammed the corpse into one of the other bronze-rankers, leaving them both to topple over as Jason spun away, positioning himself so the group was obstructing one another¡¯s sightlines as much as possible. His dagger, in a backhand grip, ran across the next victim¡¯s throat before jabbing back into the side of the neck. Jason let him go as the man stumbled backward, clutching desperately at his throat with one hand as the other scrambled for a healing potion.


    The shock of Jason¡¯s counter-blitz only lasted moments and a fresh wave of attacks was already on its way. To an observer, it might seem that Jason was dangerously outmatched. From Jason¡¯s perspective, the attacks were the wild, inexpert flailing of amateurs. That was not to say they were without strategy. The elimination of the shadows had a large impact and it wasn¡¯t the only trick that seemed tailor-made for him.


    Clearly, the enemy had learned of his fight against the last silver-ranker and the tether power that had pinned him down. One of the bronze-rankers had a similar ability and Jason had neither shadow nor cover to avoid it. Jason tossed his dagger into the air and a shadow hand emerged from his cloak to snatch it. His normal hands each pulled a throwing dart from the sheaths on his chest and flung them out.


    The first was an explosive dart, thrown directly at the tether rod. The blast from a tether rod being destroyed had caused him to lose against his last fight against a silver-ranker, but this time he was triggering it himself. The second dart was thrown at the ground, right in front of the rod. This was the dart Jason had developed after that same fight, using the artifice knowledge he gained from a skill book. It hit the ground and a door-sized wall of magically reinforced ballistics gel sprang into being, right as the tether rod exploded.


    The force from the blast sent the person who used the ability flying, along with another of the bronze-rankers. It didn¡¯t kill them but Jason knew for himself how disorienting that blast could be. It would give him some breathing room with the other three who, like Jason, were protected as the blast hit the gelatin wall. Gobbets of the ballistics gel rained thickly but harmlessly over them.


    As the fight resumed in the wake of the blast, Jason¡¯s cloak protected him from some attacks, although its shadowy substance was also negatively impacted by the light. Its true value was to obscure his true body position, causing others to simply miss. He had long incorporated unexpected movements into his technique, with hours upon hours of flexibility and balance training. Between that and his cloak¡¯s ability to spread out and dance to Jason¡¯s whims, it was tricky to pinpoint his body¡¯s exact location at any given moment.


    Jason¡¯s magical senses tracked incoming magical attacks before they were made. This included conjured and magical weapons, while mundane weapons would be useless. Knowing where the attacks would be, he was in a constant state of moving to where they wouldn¡¯t, never stopping still.


    The result was that he seemed impervious to attack, moving like a ghost through projectiles and weapon swings. Part of it was that he truly did avoid many blows. Another part was that his cloak masked the blows that did land, while he gave no indication of being harmed.


    For his part, his dagger flashed out to land again and again. His shadow arm extended at need, giving his dagger no less reach than the guy with the spiked ball and chain. It flailed like an unattended hose with the water turned to full, yet in the seeming randomness, his dagger bit flesh time after time, riddling the enemy with afflictions.


    Jason also pulled out the hydra whip he looted from his very first bronze-rank monster, wielding it with a second shadow arm. The semi-autonomous heads thrashing wildly as they lashed out with savage teeth. The whip couldn¡¯t pile on bonus afflictions like the dagger but a single special attack could be delivered once for each of the five heads. The targets were somewhat random amongst whichever enemies were in range but that was only a minor disadvantage.


    The whip could also be used to intercept attacks. Having the hydra¡¯s property of regeneration, it quickly recovered from most damage. Only the fire attacks of one of the bronze-rankers and the searing light from the silver-ranker¡¯s attacks left lingering damage.


    Jason largely left the silver-ranker alone. Thanh was hanging behind the others making ranged attacks instead of diving in, which was exactly what Jason wanted. He only made occasional feints in Thanh¡¯s direction so that he stayed on the move. So long as the silver-ranker didn¡¯t plant his feet to play as a rapid-fire turret, Jason could handle it. So long as he was careful, the bronze-rankers were a useful tool for interrupting the silver-ranker¡¯s sightlines.


    Jason had seized the momentum of the combat and was not letting go. The problem for his enemies was not that they didn¡¯t know how to fight, as they had clearly received meticulous combat training. The problem was that combat training was derived from Earth methodologies. The way they moved, the way they fought, even the way they thought was based around a paradigm on a baseline human, with the powers incorporated as an addendum.


    At iron-rank, that wasn¡¯t too much of a liability, but bronze was the point where an essence user truly became more than human. If they continued to think and fight like a human, they were wasting huge portions of their potential.


    Jason had been trained as an essence user from the ground up. The confluence of attributes, perception and powers worked together to comprise a series of force multipliers, the results of which demonstrated exactly what made Farrah and himself so valuable to the Network. It wasn¡¯t just improved meditation techniques to get people off cores but a holistic method of going from ordinary warrior to magical weapon.


    Jason¡¯s enemies suffered a disconnect between their powers, their physical abilities and the way they sought to use them. They looked buffoonish next to Jason, who was combining and interweaving powers. He relied on his enhanced perception over his ordinary senses. His every motion made use of his superhuman agility and flexibility. Each physical attack was delivered with an appreciation of the power he could put behind it and the strain his body could take in landing it.


    His enemies had the potential but they squandered it. They were humans with abilities while Jason was a superhuman, through and through. The results were stark, as even without shadows or pulling out his familiars, he gave the bronze-rankers a brutal education on the differences in approach.


    Even so, a less-than-stellar silver-ranker was still a silver-ranker. The ability to banish shadows truly was an impediment to Jason, even if it wasn¡¯t the defining factor his opponent had anticipated. Like his subordinates, Thanh squandered much of his potential, but a silver-ranker had far more potential to squander.


    Thanh was clearly a ranged attacker, staying back and flinging beams of light and crystal shards in Jason¡¯s direction. He clearly wasn¡¯t as secure as he should be in his silver-rank resilience, wasting his silver rank strength. If he had moved in hard on Jason with his superior strength, toughness and reflexes, he would have prevented Jason from going wild on the bronze-rankers at least. Instead, Jason used the bronze-rankers as cover and shields to intercept Thanh¡¯s ranged attacks.


    The ability to use the bronze-rankers as human shields was just the beginning. Jason loaded them up with afflictions, hitting them with spells even as he danced amongst them. They were incubators for the afflictions building up, each one charging the protective power of Jason¡¯s amulet.


    Despite his superiority, Jason went far from unscathed. As many hits as he avoided, there were just too many enemies and much of his fight was about minimising hits that couldn¡¯t be dodged. The relatively weak-but-rapid attacks from the silver-ranker alone packed a dangerous punch against Jason, even in his magic armour.


    If Thanh had challenged Jason alone, he would have had a very good chance of winning. With silver-rank powers, silver-rank attributes and the power to deny any shadows, he held no shortage of advantages. The bronze-rankers seemed like another advantage, but they were, in fact, the equalisers.


    The crucial thing that made the bronze-rankers liabilities to their leader was that they were the means by which Jason could endure hit after hit. Each affliction Jason incubated on the bronze-rankers added a shield to Jason¡¯s amulet. As Thanh punched through the shields, they transformed into healing. Jason¡¯s Leech Bite attack drained health to further top him off. When that wasn¡¯t enough, his Feast of Blood gave a burst of drain-healing. If it still wasn¡¯t enough, he drained the afflictions from a bronze-ranker. His Sin Eater power turned every affliction he drained into ongoing recovery of health, stamina and mana.


    With each bronze-ranker that he drained, Jason¡¯s regeneration grew stronger. The downside was that as each enemy succumbed to the holy afflictions left in place of the original ones, it became easier for Thanh to land hits.


    Once the bronze-rankers were all dead, there were no more obstacles to Thanh¡¯s attacks. In spite of this, the precision of his attacks dropped as his frustration rose. It had reached the point where Jason¡¯s armour was ragged and he should have died a dozen times over. Jason had fed on the life force of the bronze-rankers and used them to build up an absurd level of regeneration. If Jason didn¡¯t have them to use, Thanh¡¯s chances would have been far better.


    Despite all of that, defeating a silver-ranker was no mean feat. Even if Thanh was getting sloppy, Jason was out of human shields and Thanh¡¯s attacks were outpacing his healing. Jason focused on trying to take down Thanh but the man had a number of slippery movement powers. It slowed down his attacks to use them, but it didn¡¯t stop them altogether.


    If not for extensive training with Sophie, Jason would have been at a loss to counter the man¡¯s speed. As it was, he wasn¡¯t landing hits, only applying as much pressure as he could, employing every trick he knew to fight a faster opponent. The key was forcing them into rapid direction changes, which exhausted them much faster.


    Energy attrition was not wildly effective against Sophie, whose endurance almost matched Jason¡¯s. While a silver-ranker¡¯s endurance was formidable, Jason could sense it slowly but surely diminishing. For his part, the same effects that restored Jason¡¯s health were keeping his mana and stamina topped off.


    The goal was to tire the silver-ranker out, getting him to pause long enough to spray him down with Colin and move the fight into the end game. The man clearly knew Jason¡¯s tactics and would be aware of his most dangerous familiar, thus would not let himself be blindsided. Only by forcing the situation would Jason use Colin effectively, and missing would mean the silver-ranker could easily avoid him.


    Things were not going Jason¡¯s way, as Thanh had his own plan. While Jason was trying to run out the clock of Thanh¡¯s mana, Thanh wanted to overwhelm Jason¡¯s health regeneration before that happened. The silver-ranker had the attribute advantage and things were going his way.


    Amongst Thanh¡¯s suite of powers was a burst of ultra speed, such as Sophie, Rufus and Danielle Geller all shared. Thanh appeared to lack any big-hit powers but it allowed him to cue up an array of projectiles to fire the moment the power ended. From training with Rufus and Sophie, Jason recognised the telltale blur and threw himself out of the way, but there was no truly dodging that level of speed. Each time it happened, Jason was ravaged with attacks. The only blessing was that each use was a devastating drain on Thanh¡¯s mana.


    As Thanh landed hit after hit, Jason felt the jaws of death growing ever closer. Rather than let them feast, Jason chose to turn the tables and feast on death instead. He paused, startling Thanh enough that a light beam missed wildly as Jason chanted out a spell.


    ¡°As your lives were mine to reap, so your deaths are mine to harvest.¡±


    Ability: [Blood Harvest] (Blood)


    Spell (drain).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Bronze 6 (09%).Effect (iron): Drain the remnant life force of a recently deceased body, replenishing health, stamina and mana. Only affects targets with blood.Effect (bronze): Affects all enemy corpses in a wide area.


    The bronze-rankers were half-rotted away, half dissolved into nothingness as Jason had not used his finisher on any of them. Thanh watched in horror as the blood-red glow of their remnant life rose up from their bodies and was drained into Jason, a series of bloody trails moving through the air and seeping into Jason¡¯s body.


    Thanh¡¯s senses told him that under the ragged armour and bloodied skin, Jason was more than just physically recovered. Jason¡¯s mana and stamina had already been diminishing far slower than Thanh¡¯s own and now both pools were completely replenished.


    Thanh was not yet fully exhausted but had thrown no shortage of mana at Jason in the form of magical attacks. All his hyper-speed burst attacks had been undone, leaving only their mana deficit behind. As he watched Jason fully restore himself using the ruined carcasses that had only minutes ago been his team, Thanh¡¯s will broke.


    Jason felt the moment his opponent¡¯s morale crumpled as the man¡¯s aura turned to glass. Jason slammed his own aura down like a hammer, shattering that glass to pieces as Thanh had been activating a movement power, trying to flee. His aura, now a paper tiger, collapsed under Jason¡¯s assault.


    Thanh felt a sensation unlike any he had experienced, like a knife pressed against the throat of his soul. He could sense that it would dig in if he moved even the tiniest bit in the wrong direction, flooding him with fear.


    Thanh froze on the spot, hearing footsteps slowly approach from behind on the gravel road. The light from his aura was gone but motes of light flew out from Jason¡¯s cloak to bathe the road in starlight.


    ¡°I think we need to return to our previous conversation,¡± Jason said, his voice a glacial inexorability. ¡°You need to tell me why you violated the International Committee¡¯s edict.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Thanh said. ¡°They just told me to capture you.¡±


    Jason only scraped a pinprick against Thanh¡¯s soul but it was the most violating thing the man had ever experienced. He shrieked in fear and pain, even though the sensation lasted but a fraction of a second.


    ¡°I really don¡¯t know!¡± Thanh begged. ¡°They tracked your boat, that¡¯s how they knew you were coming. That¡¯s all I know, I swear!¡±


    Thanh still couldn¡¯t see Jason standing behind him and his aura senses were clamped down by Jason¡¯s aura suppression. As for his magic senses, with the absence of the light, Shade was once again masking Jason¡¯s presence. This left Thanh¡¯s nerves rising toward panic, as all he could sense was the razor claw gripping his soul.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to kill you,¡± Jason said finally. ¡°You should be doing your real job, which is not trying to hunt me down. It¡¯s protecting people from the dangers they don¡¯t even know are there and your power is too valuable to lose from that fight. I suggest you go back to your job and be very, very diligent about carrying it out.¡±


    The pressure suddenly vanished from Thanh, who immediately shot off like a rocket. A path of light spread out under his feet as he fled with all the speed he could muster.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason said. ¡°Have Farrah tell the Network what happened. Make sure they buy up the recordings of all these people. Tell them to be generous about it, too. They could use the money.¡±


    ¡°I imagine the Network will want to speak to you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to speak to them. Remind them that part of the agreement was that the Network would stop coming after me and let them know that if they are going to be sloppy about the terms, then so will I.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll like that,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°I¡¯m done caring about what people like,¡± Jason said. ¡°If they want something from me, they can pay for it.¡±


    The stars from Jason¡¯s cloak that were floating around him returned to the cloak, then dimmed down to nothing. The street was once again plunged into darkness.


    ¡°¡­should be doing your real job, which is not trying to hunt me down. It¡¯s protecting people from the dangers they don¡¯t even know are there¡­¡±


    Adrien Barbou closed the video file with a sigh, created a folder and moved the file into it. He pressed a button on his desk.


    ¡°Fiona, please arrange a meeting with Mrs. West at her earliest convenience.¡±

 Chapter 342: All I Can Do is My Best

    Jason walked down the single street of the dilapidated, West African township. Buildings of clay brick and rusted, corrugated iron were silent and the streets empty. The only people he could see were amongst the tents set up at the far end of the town, where people in hazmat suits were bustling about. They had too much to do, too few people to do it and too little to do it with.


    He made his way down the dusty street, the heat pounding down like a blacksmith¡¯s hammer. It wasn¡¯t until he drew close to the tan tents, set up in neat rows that the busy humanitarian workers noticed him. A hazmat-suited woman rapidly approached and started yelling at him in French.


    ¡°What the hell do you think you¡¯re¡­¡±


    She trailed off as she met his eyes, seeing their silver colour.


    ¡°Are you him?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Dr Chloe Baudrillard. What do I call you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably best I don¡¯t leave a name. It¡¯s one less thing when people come asking about me.¡±


    ¡°People are going to come asking?¡±


    ¡°Once you see what I can do, that won¡¯t seem strange.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard the stories. From people I trust, but it doesn¡¯t seem possible.¡±


    ¡°A place like this could use a little impossible, don¡¯t you think?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re damn right it could. If you can do what they say¡­¡±


    ¡°I can. But only for as long as people don¡¯t come looking for me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I was told that keeping quiet was your rule but I can¡¯t promise that we can stop people from talking,¡± she said. ¡°All I was told was to give you whatever you need and stay out of your way. But as I said, people talk, and I''ve heard about the man with the silver eyes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to build a legend,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just looking to help people. The goal is to do as much good as we can for as long as we can, right?¡± Jason asked.


    "Yes," she said. "Yes, it is. So what do you need?¡±


    ¡°Some privacy and all the sick people you¡¯ve got.¡±


    She led Jason forward, but after a short distance, he stopped.


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I need to see someone,¡± he said. ¡°Go to where I need to be and I¡¯ll find you.¡±


    She frowned, turned to look at the tents and then back to Jason but he was already gone.


    ¡°What the¡­ does he think he¡¯s Batman?¡±


    Elsewhere in the camp, Jason stood outside a tent and let a little of his aura show. Shortly thereafter, another hazmat suited woman appeared, this one with a bronze-rank aura.


    ¡°So you¡¯re here,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You realise that the Network isn¡¯t exactly slacking off on this, right? We are helping. We just aren¡¯t making a spectacle of it.¡±


    ¡°I respect that,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re both working in secret, only at different points on the scale. The simple fact is, secrecy is costing lives.¡±


    ¡°If the secret comes out, you think it will make things easier once the world descends on us?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a hospital full of camera phones and media saturation,¡± Jason said. ¡°We have leeway here and we should use it.¡±


    ¡°You think we don¡¯t want to march through here, raising people up off their sickbeds? We have to look beyond today, to the next outbreak and the next one. Plus, there¡¯s only so much mana to go around.¡±


    Jason plucked a wooden box out of the air, sliding off the lid to reveal stacks of bronze-rank coins.


    ¡°Would this help?¡±


    The woman didn¡¯t answer for a moment as she looked at the coins, then shook her head as if to clear it.


    ¡°You¡¯re willing to just hand these over?¡±


    ¡°You want some iron ones as well? Actually, give me a list of everywhere I can find Network personnel working on this and I¡¯ll make some drop-offs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s very generous,¡± she said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that what you¡¯re doing puts us all in jeopardy.¡±


    ¡°You could look at it as a safety precaution,¡± Jason said. ¡°if anyone latches on to your activities, you can pass it off as the work of the magic healer roaming around.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as you make out,¡± she said.


    ¡°It never is. All I can do is my best, based on what I know and what I can do.¡±


    "Well," she said. "I don''t like what you''re up to but it''s not like I can stop it. And I am going to take these coins."


    Jason walked into the large tent, Chloe beside him in her hazmat suit. There were people laid out in rows, letting out a discord of feeble moans.


    ¡°Are you sure you want to see?¡± he asked. ¡°Once you do, you¡¯ll never see the world in the same way again.¡±


    ¡°You think I should choose ignorance?¡±


    "As a rule, no, but It''s not so easy to pick up your regular life after peeking behind the curtains of the universe."


    ¡°Just do what you came here to do.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said.


    Jason moved to the first patient, who was agitated and delirious. The man¡¯s aura was in chaos and Jason used his own to guide it back to calm. After months of practising, his aura control had eclipsed his abilities of the past.


    From Chloe¡¯s perspective, Jason¡¯s mere presence calmed the man, lulling him into sleep. Then it passed through the room like a wave, the pitiful moans dropping away. Then Jason raised his hand, speaking words in a language she didn¡¯t recognise.


    Red light started glowing from within the patient and Chloe''s attention was transfixed. Looking at the light felt like looking at the man''s beating heart, although it was stained with black taint. As she watched, the taint seeped out of the light, streaming up into Jason''s waiting hand. It only stopped once the red light was clean, at which point it retracted into the man''s body. Still unconscious, the patient looked immediately better.


    Chloe looked on in disbelief as Jason went through the patients, one by one. He didn¡¯t so much as glance at her until he had gone through every patient.


    ¡°You have more tents, right?¡±


    Despite their misgivings, the aid workers had cleared out to let Jason loose on the patients after getting implausible but emphatic word from other camps. Now that he was gone, they were swarming over the patients, running tests multiple times out of raw disbelief. Chloe suspected that she herself was in some stage of shock, the unreality of it all being disorienting. She hadn¡¯t run tests to check the results of the strange man¡¯s actions but every instincts told her that the stories she heard were true.


    "What you did in there, I can''t explain," she told Jason at the edge of the camp. "It looked like you were healing people with a magic spell."


    ¡°It did, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°You were right,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how to just move on after what I saw.¡±


    ¡°I imagine you¡¯ll be busy in the next little while. By the time you have a chance to stop and think about it, you can just pass it off as some weird trick.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s going to work. Not if you really cured those people. Was that you in Sydney, last year? Healing all those kids at the hospital.¡±


    ¡°I try to be more circumspect, now, but¡­¡±


    They both turned to look at the frenzy of activity in the camp.


    ¡°Sometimes people just need helping,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason agreed.


    ¡°Are you going to more camps?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t keep you, then,¡± she said. ¡°There¡¯s no shortage of people that need you.¡±


    He narrowed his eyes at her.


    ¡°You¡¯re really not going to ask, are you?¡± he said.


    ¡°Ask what?¡±


    ¡°You know what.¡±


    ¡°You can tell?¡±


    ¡°I can feel it in your aura.¡±


    ¡°Oh, my aura.¡±


    ¡°You just watched me heal the sick by casting spells, but auras are where you draw the line? I¡¯m not talking about the aura photographs you can get in a new age shop.¡±


    Jason let his aura gently brush against hers, another example of his new level of delicacy. He was unable to hide the intrinsic properties of his aura when projecting it in such a way, however. She felt the domineering nature of his aura power, Hegemony, along with the unyielding resolve that came from all that his soul had endured.


    ¡°So that¡¯s you,¡± she said after recovering from the strange sensation.


    ¡°There are more jokes than my aura might imply.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s time for you to go,¡± she said.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you ask me to heal you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve given us miracles enough. What¡¯s a little cancer next to what these people are going through? I can go home and do all the chemo I like. All they can do is lay there and hope not to die. You should be moving on to more of them.¡±


    Jason gave her a warm smile and held up a hand, repeating the chant in the language she didn¡¯t understand.


    As with the patients before her, her red life force was brought out, cleansed and returned to her. She felt like a fresh breeze had just passed through her whole body.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good egg, Chloe Baudrillard.¡±


    He plucked a pen and notebook from thin air, scribbling a note and tearing out the page before handing it to her.


    ¡°You¡¯ll be busy with this for a while, but when you¡¯re done, come find me. I¡¯ll show you how to heal in ways you never imagined. You do want to do what I just did, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I could¡­¡±


    ¡°Some variation on it, yes. If I show you how.¡±


    She looked down at the paper in her hand.


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± she read.


    ¡°That¡¯s my name,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯d appreciate you keeping it under your hat.¡±


    She looked up from the paper, her eyes searching his face for answers.


    ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°Because you didn¡¯t ask,¡± he said.


    A black UTV, something between a quad bike and a car, was moving along a road of red dirt, between vibrantly green bushes and trees. The man in the driver seat was not driving but instead narrating to the recording crystal floating over his head.


    Losing power due to low levels of ambient magic was a problem for magic items, especially weaker and cheaper ones like recording crystals. Fortunately, Jason¡¯s inventory was able to replenish the depleted magic of objects, so long as Jason himself wasn¡¯t mana-starved. Since his transfiguration, Jason¡¯s more spiritual nature meant that he no longer needed spirit coins to keep his magic levels up, or even consume them for food, so that was not an issue. The steady trickle of power from the astral he now enjoyed sustained him both physically and magically.


    ¡°You could use a non-magical recording solution,¡± Shade suggested as Jason put the recording crystal away.


    ¡°Recording crystals adjust to the movement of the vehicle so there isn¡¯t a jiggled image,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Are you suggesting my suspension system is insufficient?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°Not in the least,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is as comfortable a ride as I could hope. As always, Shade, you excel.¡±


    As they continued on, a magic item on the passenger seat began glowing with silver light and made a low hum. It looked something like an oversized compass.


    ¡°It¡¯s not even two o¡¯clock and this is the second one today,¡± Jason said, picking up the device. The grid compass was something Farrah had devised after digging into the nature of the Network¡¯s detection grid. There was some resistance to giving her access from certain elements of the Network, but that changed as sections of the grid started experiencing failures. At that point, Farrah became a valued part of a multi-branch investigative task force.


    When it started happening, Jason had offered to return immediately.


    ¡°Not wanting to seem rude,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but you won¡¯t actually be able to help. This is an array magic thing and you just don¡¯t have the expertise.¡±


    ¡°The gird involves astral magic too, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the astral magic part works fine. It¡¯s the bones that need looking at. Not everything is about you, Jason.¡±


    The grid compass alerted Jason to proto-space formations in the vicinity by tapping into the grid. At the pivot-point of the needle was a crystal that glowed different colours, according to the strength. Smaller crystals gave a rough indication of distance by how many lit up.


    ¡°Seventy klicks,¡± Jason said. ¡°Silver rank, too.¡±


    The UTV pulled to a stop and Jason got out, returning the charging plate to his inventory. The vehicle transformed into a cloud of darkness, most of which disappeared into Jason¡¯s shadow. The remainder took the form of Shade.


    ¡°My supply of coins is getting low,¡± Shade said. ¡°I¡¯ll need more if we¡¯re going to fly.¡±


    ¡°Ask and ye shall receive, my friend,¡± Jason said, producing a box of coins.


    Neither Shade no Jason needed coins due to the low-magic conditions, although Jason still needed coins if he wasn¡¯t consuming large amounts of food. He had no shortage since he was interceding in proto-spaces at least once and often two or even three times daily. What Shade did need coins for was to supplement high-energy forms like flying vehicles. Only once he was silver-rank would Shade be able to fly in an energy-efficient manner.


    When he jumped in on proto-spaces, Jason was leaving behind the bulk of the silver-rank loot for the locals and satisfying himself with bronze-rank spoils. Leaving behind the best goodies with no work required for the Network made for exasperated responses from the local branches, but no actual complaints. Not since leaving China, anyway.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jason said, pulling a completed recording crystal from his inventory, ¡°take this too, please.¡±


    Shade put the coins and the crystal in his own dimensional space. It was significantly smaller than Jason''s but could be accessed through any of his bodies. This meant that Jason could send his recording to his niece via Shade. She sent him back gifts in return, like biscuits she made with her mother.


    Shade then took the form of a new vehicle, an ultralight trike. Basically a seat with a motor behind it, with glider wings over the top, it was also black with a few white embellishments.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure black is especially safety-conscious,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I could transform into a regular tricycle instead,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°No, this is good,¡± Jason said.


    Using the road as a runway, they were soon soaring over the landscape. Seventy kilometres would be roughly a half-hour trip.


    ¡°I know its probably time to be looking towards heading home,¡± Jason said, enjoying the wind flowing over him. "I''m having an absolute blast, though. I would love to bring Erika''s family on a trip like this. Minus the monster-slaying and horrifying misery of the plague camps, obviously."


    ¡°You have responsibilities, as vaguely defined as they are, right now,¡± Shade said. ¡°I believe that Dawn will eventually contact you again for further explanation, and the failures in the grid are an increasing concern. The two factors may not be unrelated.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing. I don¡¯t want to leave while this outbreak is still ongoing, though. It¡¯s nice to use what I can do to help solve a non-magical problem that affects so many people. It¡¯s exactly what I imagined back in Greenstone.¡±

 Chapter 343: A Modern Myth

    ¡°¡­spokespersons from M¨¦decins Sans Fronti¨¨res and the World Health Organisation have both dismissed claims of miracle healing, stating that the success in containing the outbreak is due to experience and the protocols established during the 2013-2016 outbreak. Evangelical aid group Samaritan¡¯s Purse has officially echoed these statements, but unnamed sources within the organisation have made reference to what they describe as divine visitations¡­¡±


    Mr North paused the recording playing on the wall monitor. The Four Cardinals of the EOA, Mr North, Mrs South, Mr East and Mrs West were seated around a square table. Lined up on the opposite wall to the large monitor were their various subordinates.


    ¡°Preparations are taking longer than expected,¡± Mr North said. ¡°We need to reassess our response to Asano¡¯s activities.¡±


    ¡°Before we start looking towards action, we need a revised time frame for our agenda,¡± Mrs South said. ¡°When will we be ready to act?¡±


    ¡°Disabling the grid is proving more difficult than anticipated,¡± Mr East said. ¡°To date, we have been successful in shutting off only localised areas.¡±


    He glanced at Adrien Barbou, standing against the wall with Mrs West¡¯s other flunkies.


    ¡°The information provided by Mrs West¡¯s new subordinate has been useful in accelerating our progress in that regard. Our problems have come in enacting a wide-scale loss of grid functionality.¡±


    ¡°Surmountable problems, I assume, or you would have reported your inability to complete your task to us,¡± Mrs West said.


    ¡°Our original estimates were based on the scale of the grid,¡± Mr East explained. ¡°Only once we attempted to scale up did we discover the key issue. The grid appears to have some manner of self-repair function. Whoever originally devised it apparently anticipated localised failures and developed a system by which surrounding areas compensate and restore the damaged areas. The Lyon branch had to repeatedly disable the grid to hide the astral space that formed in Saint-¨¦tienne.¡±


    ¡°And the solution?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°The same thing that is impeding us will also enable us to achieve our goal with less direct intervention than originally anticipated. We have been making attacks on grid infrastructure, disabling various sectors around the world as we mapped out the nodes critical to the self-repair function. Once we¡¯ve identified them, then simultaneous strikes on these critical nodes will cause the entire infrastructure to fail.¡±


    ¡°What about the risks of this mapping process?¡± Mrs South asked.


    ¡°Obviously,¡± Mr East said, ¡°this has come at the risk of exposing our activities to the Network. Their response teams are active but our contacts within the Network have kept them from intercepting our activities. Mrs West¡¯s new associate maintains a number of Network contacts and has been useful in this regard.¡±


    The cardinals glanced at Barbou, standing against the wall with the others.


    ¡°If the Network traces your activities back to us before we act, they will intervene,¡± Mrs South said. ¡°Again, I ask for a timeline. Our original intention was to have made our move by now. How much longer do we have to risk discovery?¡±


    ¡°I anticipate two more months,¡± Mr East said.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Mrs West, will you add your resources to Mr East¡¯s efforts, in order to keep the Network from drawing too close while he completes his work?¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Mrs West acceded.


    "Then that leads us back to the issue of Jason Asano. Now that our time estimates have been extended, we need to revisit the impact of his activities on our intentions. He is far more brazen than the Network about employing his capabilities and that is entering the public consciousness. Thus far, the attention had been minimal and contained but we need to formulate a response before that impacts our own goals negatively. I know you have each had your people analysing the issue, so I suggest we listen to the potential responses they have devised.¡±


    The other cardinals nodded their assent.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Mr North said, turning to one of his own subordinates. ¡°Keenan, we¡¯ll begin with you. What is your proposed response?¡±


    One of Mr North¡¯s subordinates stepped forward.


    ¡°The mistake that every person to antagonise Asano has made,¡± he said confidently, glancing as Barbou, ¡°is that they have always employed half-measures. Asano needs to be dealt with using direct and overwhelming force. I have developed a proposal by which we incite the Network branches here in the US to eliminate Asano using their own category threes. We already know that the US elite operatives have superior capabilities, commensurate with Asano. Unlike the category threes of the French and Vietnamese, Asano will be unable to overcome one of them, let alone multiples.¡±


    ¡°You advocate elimination,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°I do, sir. If you¡¯ll allow, I can elaborate on my plans to spur the US branches into action, predicated on Asano¡¯s known anti-American prejudice.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps before that,¡± Mrs West interjected, ¡°we might hear from an alternative perspective.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Mrs South said.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°Adrien,¡± Mrs West said. ¡°Please share your proposal.¡±


    Barbou stepped forward, throwing Keenan a glance as Mr North¡¯s subordinate stepped back.


    "To contextualise my proposal," Barbou said, "I feel I should first respond to the idea of employing direct force against Asano. Frankly, that is the most idiotic path we could conceivably pursue. Every man, woman or force that has been pitted against Asano has fallen short, myself included. He¡¯s been outranked, outnumbered, ambushed, suppressed and blown up. The last category three we know to have confronted him not only stood above him in rank but possessed specific counters to Asano¡¯s key abilities. That man did not suffer so much as a scratch at Asano¡¯s hands, yet to this day, he remains terrified at the idea of ever encountering him again.¡±


    Barbou threw another look at Keenan.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying that I believe Asano could defeat a team of category three elites from the US Network.¡±


    He turned his gaze back to the cardinals.


    ¡°The point is that I neither over nor underestimate Asano. Putting him down might work. Might. But that is not a reliable basis on which to move forward. Assuming nothing goes wrong in my associate¡¯s plan to push the Network into mobilising some of their most powerful assets, Asano would definitely not defeat them. But does he need to? Victory may not be possible, but escape might be. We already know that he is highly elusive, even from category three senses.¡±


    Barbou panned his gaze across the cardinals.


    "Asano can demonstrably poach from any dimensional incursion at will and seems to be doing so for the purpose of growing stronger. Right now he''s remaining relatively predictable, but if he wanted to be more evasive about it, he certainly could be. I can¡¯t speak for you, but I don¡¯t want that man out there going hardcore guerrilla warfare, building up his strength in the darkness, waiting for the moment to hit back.¡±


    He once more looked to Keenan.


    "What do we do if we strike out and miss, only for him to come back stronger than ever? Right now, his power is limited but incredibly strong for his rank. Do you want to take that man on at category three? I don''t. What do we do if it reaches that point? Convince the US networks to bring one of their category fours out of stasis?¡±


    ¡°You know about those?¡± Mr North asked. ¡°The Americans were only participating in the debate over resources to create category fours to hide that they already have them and that they¡¯re useless without gold spirit coins. I didn¡¯t realise the international branches were aware of that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not widely known,¡± Barbou said. ¡°There have always been rumours within the Network. I just happen to know that they are true.¡±


    Keenan snorted derision.


    ¡°You¡¯re so well informed about the US branches?¡± he asked. ¡°You French are a bunch of second-raters compared to the Network branches here. Why would we believe that you knew anything?¡±


    Barbou gave Keenan the smile he would give an obnoxious child he was trying to indulge so they wouldn¡¯t throw a tantrum.


    ¡°As a whole,¡± Barbou explained, ¡°Americans dislike the French. Individually, however, American women like French men and American men like French women. When chosen well, of course. Their operational security is far less stringent than the United States branches like to tell themselves.¡±


    A smile played across Mr North¡¯s lips.


    ¡°An issue the Americans have had with multiple countries,¡± he said. ¡°Their field operatives are solid, but their management has had¡­ issues.¡±


    ¡°My proposal,¡± Barbou said finally, ¡°is the exact opposite of bringing the hammer down. We help Asano.¡±


    Aside from Mrs West, that earned raised eyebrows from the cardinals.


    ¡°I¡¯m intrigued,¡± Mrs South said. ¡°Please expand on that.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to stop what Asano is doing,¡± Barbou said. ¡°We need to change the way we look at the situation. We¡¯re worried about him stealing our thunder, but there¡¯s plenty of thunder to go around. So long as he isn¡¯t forced to go public before we¡¯re ready, he¡¯s laying the groundwork for everything we need to do.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying we use him,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°Exactly. When the time comes, we reap the benefits of every child he rescues from earthquake damage and camp full of sick people he cures. All we have to do is make sure that he stays a rumour, while still working his way into the public consciousness.¡±


    ¡°A modern myth,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°Precisely. The Network has all the government influence but we have the media power, which is exactly what we need. We spin Asano, let him prime the pump for when we draw the water. And if he needs to be dealt with then, we let the public do it. We have footage of Asano killing people in nicely graphic ways.¡±


    Mrs South narrowed her eyes at Barbou.


    ¡°You were the one who prompted the Vietnamese to go after him, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Barbou said with a smile. ¡°I was just fortunate enough to get a hold of the footage before the Network eliminated it all.¡±


    Flying through the sky on Shade, the ultralight trike, Jason felt it as he approached the region coterminous to the proto-space and put away the grid compass.


    ¡°Alright, Shade,¡± he said as his cloak manifested around him. Shade¡¯s vehicle form turned into darkness and returned to Jason¡¯s body as the starlight cloak swept out like wings of night and Jason started gliding. Shade could not transition into the astral space, even hidden in Jason¡¯s shadow as he normally was. Only when fully unmanifested could Jason carry his familiars across.


    Gliding through the air, Jason let his aura bleed into the ambient magic. Spending time around proto-spaces had actually been excellent for his aura control, with his aura being the means he used to insinuate himself through the dimensional membrane. He felt out the dimensional barrier separating Earth''s physical reality and the proto-space, then passed through it like a curtain of water.


    Gliding through the air, the African landscape sprawled out below him blurred and was replaced with an entirely different vista. The terrain below him was now a snow-strewn taiga, looking more like Russia than Africa, although one feature was native to neither. Odd, alien ziggurats dotted the landscape, dusted white with snow.


    Shade re-emerged, retaking the form of the ultralight trike, already in flight. Settling back into the seat, Jason pulled out a computer tablet. This was the standard issue magitech tracker that the Network used to track the anchor dimensional entities that were the key to containing proto-spaces. Shade did the flying as Jason navigated them in the direction of their targets.


    Shelia was the Director of Tactical Operations for the network¡¯s Monrovia branch and was first through the aperture once the ritual team cracked it open. The taiga terrain was fairly hospitable, albeit cold after arriving from an African late summer. She immediately started organising the teams that followed.


    After the sweeper teams secured the area around the aperture on the inside of the proto-space, the support teams were brought in and started setting up camp. Assessments were quickly made.


    ¡°Director,¡± one of Shelia¡¯s subordinates said as he approached. ¡°The detectors aren¡¯t registering an anchor entity. We can move straight on to farming the rest of the monsters. Also, the stability readings say the space will hold for more than sixty hours.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s still here,¡± Shelia said. ¡°Was there any indication that anyone else had opened the aperture?¡±


    ¡°None. I would go as far as to say that there was definitively no prior use of the aperture.¡±


    Shelia sighed.


    ¡°How is he getting in and out?¡± she mused.


    ¡°I could just leave through the aperture you¡¯ve conveniently opened up there,¡± Jason said, emerging from the shadow of an awning set up by the support teams. A dozen guns were instantaneously pointed at him.


    ¡°Harsh,¡± he said. ¡°Lovely to see you again, Shelia.¡±


    ¡°I take it that you have dealt with the anchor dimensional entity, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Actually, it was a triple, so I snagged a few silver spirit coins for myself. I still left most of them for you, of course. They were all on top of those weird ziggurats, so you shouldn¡¯t have any trouble finding the loot. I did take an essence for myself, though. I didn¡¯t realise that a hair essence was a thing, so I couldn¡¯t help myself. I did leave you that sun essence the other day, so I don¡¯t feel super bad. Do you think I could do a Medusa confluence with this hair essence? Probably add in snake and earth, is what I¡¯m thinking.¡±


    Shelia plastered on a transparently false smile.


    "We''ve been instructed to extend you every courtesy, Mr Asano. By all means, feel free to immediately depart via the aperture."


    ¡°Well, gee, Shelia. You almost make a guy feel unwanted.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been specifically directed not to express that sentiment.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Someone felt the need to go out of their way to tell you to not tell me that my presence was unwanted?¡±


    ¡°They did.¡±


    ¡°They mustn¡¯t be aware of our great dynamic.¡±


    ¡°They are. The aperture is right there, Mr Asano.¡±

 Chapter 344: Breakneck Pace

    ¡°Do have any idea of the disarray you¡¯ve thrown my life into?¡± Chloe asked.


    Outside of her hazmat suit, she had plain, blockish features and light clothes for the Moroccan heat. She was sitting with Jason at a teahouse in Marrakech.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m well aware of how magical revelations in the middle of a crisis can throw you off. Whether you sink or swim teaches you a lot about yourself.¡±


    ¡°Well, thank you,¡± Chloe said. ¡°While I may have felt like I was going insane for a while, I can¡¯t begin to express our gratitude for what you¡¯ve done. For me, obviously, but the outbreak went from potentially years to months.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just a man who happened to have a useful gift,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s the people who don¡¯t have my advantages yet throw everything into helping others that truly warrant praise. The ones working day in and day out, putting themselves at risk. You and your colleagues can¡¯t just magic away sickness. Not to mention that there are others like me, working on less self-aggrandising and more long-term efforts.¡±


    "I was surprised that you found me here," she said. "I intended to go find you in Australia, once I¡¯d been home.¡±


    ¡°I just happened to be in Marrakech and sensed your presence.¡±


    "You sensed my presence? One person in a whole city?"


    Ability: [Midnight Eyes] (Dark)


    Special ability (perception).Base cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 0 (00%).Effect (iron): See through darkness.Effect (bronze): Sense magic.Effect (silver): Enhanced aura senses.Ability [Midnight Eyes] (Dark) cannot advance further until all attributes have reached silver rank.


    Perception powers were always the first to rank up and Jason¡¯s ongoing aura control practise had caused his perception power to even further outpace his other abilities. The effect of a silver-rank perception power enhancing his aura senses was far more impactful than he realised. Combined with the raw strength of his soul and his semi-spiritual nature both enhancing those senses already, the effect was a level of sensory overload that left him almost debilitated for the better part of a week.


    The attribute that governed perception was spirit, and while Jason¡¯s was in the upper echelons of bronze, it wasn¡¯t enough for him to handle the explosion of sensory input when his power crossed the threshold into silver. Fortunately, it took place as he meditated in a random patch of African wilderness, far from prying eyes and ill intentions.


    It was like going from black and white to colour as he realised that the aura senses he already had were crude and oblivious. He could now sense the auras of everything around him. He had thought that only living things with souls had auras, with some magic-based exceptions, but the trees, grass, even the wind had echoes of aura.


    It wasn¡¯t the true auras he was already aware of but some kind of intrinsic nature related to the interplay of physical reality and the astral that lay hidden beyond it. He suspected that his own nature gave him some unique insight that perhaps others might not share.


    His familiars had stood guard as he spent days acclimatising to his new senses. After so long working on aura control, he found his senses to be powerful enough that he now required sensory control. The advancement of his perception ability did more than enhance sensitivity. He now had much more control of how all his senses operated. This only added to the disorientation as he grew used it.


    While he needed to be more conscious of his senses, as he got used to the changes he realised just how much of a difference it would be. His hearing could filter out sounds and focus on distant noises. His vision could adjust to see or ignore different light spectrums. His smell and taste could block out specific sensations, which was critically useful given his new sensitivity.


    The most overwhelming aspect of his new aura sense was the sheer range. His unique advantages and the raw soul power he possessed allowed his senses to spread over a huge distance. If he had been in a city instead of the empty wilderness, he would have half-expected a brain aneurysm.


    After the initial onslaught of sensation, he spent hour after hour, day after day in meditation as he brought his senses under control. The initial experience was like being in a kaleidoscope at a heavy metal concert held in a compost silo. Over the course of a week, he learned to draw back and filter the raw sensations and started to explore the potential of his newly enhanced senses.


    Auras, he discovered, were far more sophisticated and nuanced than he previously realised. He had become satisfied with his aura control after months of practise, only to realise that he was only beginning to master control. His new awareness revealed how far he had yet to go.


    In the week he spent in the wilderness, working on his sensory control, he had dropped off the radar of those tracking his activities. He stopped poaching proto-spaces and appearing at humanitarian aid stations. He decided it was for the best, at least regarding the outbreak.


    The outbreak was being brought under control to the point that his contributions would no longer be worth the attention they brought, especially as there was an increasing movement on the internet connecting his various activities. Despite not using his cloak, the connection was being made between his camp visits and the Starlight Angel persona that had dominated the Australian media nine months earlier.


    Jason refocused on developing his abilities, starting with his new sensory power. He made quiet appearances in larger and larger population centres, learning to balance the sensitivity so he wouldn¡¯t get overwhelmed. He worked his way up to Marrakech and was getting ready to meet people when he recognised Chloe¡¯s aura and decided to say hello.


    ¡°No one is sure what to make of you,¡± Chloe said. ¡°None of the testing we¡¯ve done in the wake of your activities makes any kind of sense. If we tried writing papers on it, they would never pass peer review. On myself, included. It¡¯s like the cancer was never there. I keep waiting to wake up and realise that it really is impossible and I was dreaming the whole thing.¡±


    ¡°I was semi-convinced it was all me going insane until my friend died and brought me down to Earth,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll actually meet her soon; she¡¯s on her way here now.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say she died?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but she got better. Eventually. I come back much quicker every time I die.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jason had pulsed his aura like a beacon as he sensed the plane arrive carrying Farrah and the others, along with sending enough bodies that Shade could take the form of a car large enough to carry them comfortably.


    As they arrived outside the teahouse, Jason assessed their auras. Farrah was still in the early stages of silver rank, although her progression would largely stall until they found their way back to her homeworld. Erika and Ian were both midway through iron, having taken cores regularly in the time he¡¯d been away. Emi¡¯s aura was still normal rank but he could sense some lingering magic attached to it.


    Emi had frequently talked with Uncle Jason via Shade. She was especially excited about her ritual magic lessons with Farrah, which had taken the sting out of not being old enough for essences. She had recently moved onto some very basic practical elements, the residual effect of which Jason realised he was sensing.


    Prior to his aura senses being enhanced, that wouldn''t have been possible. He was even able to recognise that elements of her aura were still in flux. He suspected that once they stabilised, she would be ready for essences. He would need to examine her aura further to get a sense of how long that would be. He knew a simple ritual that could check, but he wanted to ask Farrah if high-rankers could just tell through their aura senses.


    Farrah and Erika¡¯s family came in and spotted them, Jason and Chloe getting up to greet them. Emi lunged forward to trap Jason in a hug. As he wrapped his arms around his niece, he gave the others a bright smile.


    ¡°Dr Baudrillard, let me introduce you to my family,¡± Jason said in French. ¡°This is my sister, Erika, her husband, Ian and their daughter, um¡­¡±


    Jason took on an absent-minded expression, then his face lit up with recollection.


    ¡°¡­Ellie,¡± he said. ¡°This is my niece Ellie.¡±


    ¡°B¨ºte comme ses pieds,¡± Emi said to him.


    ¡°What do you mean, dumb as my feet?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a French insult,¡± Chloe said after snorting a laugh.


    Jason turned to Ian.


    ¡°Sorry, I didn¡¯t ask,¡± he said. ¡°How¡¯s your French, Ian?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, isn¡¯t it dear?¡± Erika said in French.


    ¡°Er¡­ oui,¡± Ian said.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with English,¡± Chloe said, using the language by way of demonstration. She had only a slight accent.


    ¡°This is actually our daughter Emi," Erika correctly introduced. Emi was glaring at her uncle but had to lean back to do so, unwilling to relinquish her grip on him.


    ¡°And this is Farrah,¡± Jason said, ¡°who is my friend from an alternate reality.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Chloe asked.


    ¡°You know, Jason,¡± Farrah said, ¡°I think I¡¯m coming around on not letting you introduce people to magic. You just love throwing the wildest stuff at them and watching them get confused.¡±


    ¡°You should probably leave it to the professionals and just satisfy yourself watching reaction videos online,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jason said, mock-hurt. ¡°Oh, and family, this is Dr Chloe Baudrillard, of Doctors Without Borders.¡±


    ¡°Lovely to meet you,¡± Erika said, shaking her hand, then moving over to hug Jason over the top of her daughter.


    ¡°You know, Jason,¡± Farrah said, ¡°the Network doesn¡¯t like you just arbitrarily offering magic to people.¡±


    ¡°Tell them that I don¡¯t like that they occasionally try to kill and/or kidnap me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°She told them to stick it up their¨C¡±


    ¡°Emi!¡± Erika scolded.


    ¡°They¡¯re happy you told them at all,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I think Anna sees you as a puppy resistant to toilet training.¡±


    They settled in and arranged for drinks, Emi boxing Jason against the wall like she was afraid he¡¯d run off. They had remained in contact via Shade, But it wasn¡¯t the same as meeting up in person. Since Farrah had been heading to Greece to investigate a grid failure, she had brought along her new apprentice, knowing that Jason was only a hop across the Mediterranean. Since Emi''s parents were not going to just let their daughter traipse off to Europe, they decided to make a family reunion of it, after which they would return to Australia together.


    Jason was eager to discuss the grid failures with Farrah, who had largely shut him out of the investigation to let him focus on getting his head right. In the wake of her captivity, he had supported her as much as he could as she slowly opened up. She recognised that what he needed was space to settle himself.


    He could have made an issue of inserting himself into the problems with the grid but he knew she was doing what was best for him. He trusted her to call on him if he was actually needed.


    Chloe departed, having her own travel plans. Before they parted ways, Jason reassured her that there were secrets and wonders waiting for her in Australia.


    ¡°She seems nice,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°She¡¯s been sick,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Did you heal her of something?¡±


    Farrah¡¯s senses were also enhanced enough to notice the lingering turbulence in Chloe¡¯s aura.


    ¡°She had cancer,¡± Jason explained. ¡°She decided to use what time she had to help people, which is why I wanted to help her.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been vetted by the Network, now,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They didn¡¯t turn up any problems.¡±


    "Gladys is actually excited to work with her," Ian said. He himself had been working with Gladys at the clinic following Jason''s departure.


    "Let''s forget about all that for now," Jason said. "I''ve planned a family trip to the Ouzoud Waterfall. No monsters, no Network. Just some quality family time. I''ve seen some beautiful things while I''ve been out and about, and it''ll be nice to see some more together."


    Alone in a sleeping cabin on the Network¡¯s private plane, Jason contemplated the journey now coming to an end. He had two goals starting out, the first of which was coming to terms with the feeling of being caught between two worlds. His need to reconcile the person he had become in the other world with who he needed to be in his original one was his main impetus for starting the journey.


    Moving across Asia, through the Middle East and into Africa, it was fighting the outbreak where he finally felt things coming together. Bringing magic from one world to another in a way that wasn¡¯t about violence and death was exactly what he needed. It took him back to his early days in the other world, using his powers to heal people.


    As his adventuring duties grew more pressing and the church of the Healer started living up to their responsibilities, that early motivation had fallen to the wayside. Now he had come back to that place, reclaiming some of the innocence he had drowned in blood. Not all the changes he went through in the other world were good ones.


    It would take time and pressure to know if he¡¯d really found the balance he sought when his journey started. For the moment he felt that he had, which was enough to be going on with. That left the secondary goal of advancing his abilities.


    In the other world, whenever things got too much he would head out into the delta, clearing every adventure board he could find of monsters. It allowed him to channel all his negative feelings, venting them in a way that was at least a little productive. Those were the times he pushed himself the hardest, always rushing to the next monster.


    This journey had not been exactly the same, but the ability to chase down proto-spaces instead of monster notices had the same side-benefit of grinding out the advancement of his abilities.


    He had been back in his own world for nine months and bronze-rank for a year. Contrary to his expectations, his homeworld had not stalled out his advancement. The magically-saturated proto-spaces had even more monsters than the astral space in which he had reached bronze-rank. The problem was that, unlike the astral space, they weren¡¯t disastrously escalating in power to match his growing strength. Few bronze-rank monsters posed a threat to his current skills and abilities.


    Jason Asano


    Race: Outworlder.Current rank: bronzeProgression to silver rank: 72.5%


    Attributes


    [Power] (Blood): [Bronze 7].[Speed] (Dark): [Bronze 8].[Spirit] (Doom): [Bronze 7].[Recovery] (Sin): [Bronze 7].


    Racial Abilities (Outworlder)


    [Party Interface].[Defiant].[Spirit Vault].[Tactical Map].[Nirvanic Transfiguration].[Dark Rider].


    Essences (4/4)


    Dark [Speed] (5/5)


    [Midnight Eyes] (special ability): [Silver 0] 00%.[Cloak of Night] (special ability): [Bronze 8] 97%.[Path of Shadows] (special ability): [Bronze 8] 42%.[Hand of the Reaper] (special ability): [Bronze 8] 76%.[Shadow of the Reaper] (familiar): [Bronze 9] 04%.


    Blood [Power] (5/5)


    [Blood Harvest] (spell): [Bronze 7] 68%.[Leech Bite] (special attack): [Bronze 8] 86%.[Feast of Blood] (spell): [Bronze 7] 37%.[Sanguine Horror] (familiar): [Bronze 7] 98%.[Haemorrhage] (spell): [Bronze 8] 84%.


    Sin [Recovery] (5/5)


    [Punish] (special attack): [Bronze 8] 84%.[Feast of Absolution] (spell): [Bronze 7] 66%.[Sin Eater] (special ability): [Bronze 7] 79%.[Hegemony] (aura): [Bronze 8] 24%.[Castigate] (spell): [Bronze 8] 83%.


    Doom [Spirit] (5/5)


    [Inexorable Doom] (spell): [Bronze 8] 89%.[Punition] (spell): [Bronze 8] 50%.[Blade of Doom] (spell): [Bronze 8] 66%.[Verdict] (spell): [Bronze 7] 11%.[Avatar of Doom] (familiar): [Bronze 7] 91%.


    Jason had spent about a year and a quarter going from iron to bronze, which was a completely normal timeframe. The standard progression from bronze to silver was three years, although that was a highly flexible number. The two most impactful factors were opportunity and dedication. Monster surges could shave months off that time and Jason had experienced a private monster surge that had lasted for months. If it had come at the end of his progression through bronze instead of the beginning, he probably could have broken some kind of speed record. He wondered if Farrah knew what the record was.


    The latter stages of a rank were much harder to push through than the early ones. If he kept up the pace he had taken up during his journey then he could probably close out bronze-rank in half a year. A year and a half for the entire rank was already a breakneck pace to reach silver, which he would be extremely happy with.


    His concern was the warning they had received from Dawn. He needed to solve an issue that, ironically, would give him exactly what he needed. If the magical density of the proto-spaces escalated he would have the monsters he needed to halve his time to silver.


    The repercussions, however, were not worth it. It would take time before the Network was ready to handle more powerful monsters and failing to shutdown proto-spaces would only accelerate the problem. He was concerned enough with the grid blackouts, and now that his time away was over, it was time to involve himself. As if in answer to his ruminations, there was a knock at the door.


    ¡°Come in,¡± Jason said, having sensed Farrah on the other side, and she stepped inside.


    ¡°Alright,¡¯ Jason said. ¡°Time to catch me up.¡±

 Chapter 345: Grand Tour

    ¡°It¡¯s definitely sabotage,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The Network is convinced that the EOA is behind it and I have no reason to doubt them. They know the local politics a lot better than me.¡±


    ¡°As it was explained to me,¡± Jason said, ¡°the EOA¡¯s agenda is built around the knowledge of magic going public. Are they tired of waiting and trying to accelerate the process?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the prevailing assumption,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Our best guess is that they¡¯re trying to get lucky and have a proto-space go uncaught while the grid is down in an area. That happening at the bottom of the ocean is one thing; we have crazy sailor stories in my world and we know monsters are real.¡±


    ¡°But if it happens in the middle of a city¡­¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The grid has a self-repair function, so the blackouts don¡¯t last more than three or four days. If we don¡¯t start intercepting these attacks, though, sooner or later a proto-space will appear in an area where the grid has gone dark and we won¡¯t know until it¡¯s too late.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about the actual infrastructure of the grid,¡± Jason said. ¡°How does that work, exactly? Are there a bunch of secret chambers buried all around the world?¡±


    "It''s quite fascinating," Farrah said. "At least to someone with my specialty. It''s unlike anything I''ve seen before. The locals barely understand it and neither do I. The more I study it, the more I learn, and world-ending consequences aside, I''m loving it. The principles on which the grid is built are as revelatory to my understanding of formation magic as those books you have are to astral magic. Probably more so."


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a claim. What makes it so unique?¡±


    ¡°The grid infrastructure isn¡¯t like a normal formation array of permanent ritual circles. Each node is enormous and not made from a ritual circle at all. It¡¯s like the landscape is somehow operating as a series of ritual circles. We¡¯re talking about nodes the size of cities, with elements made up of mountains, hills and rivers to function as giant formation arrays.¡±


    ¡°Like feng shui or leylines or something.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ve been reading up on those since I started investigating the grid. That Li Li Mei who tried to rope you onto China¡¯s team sent me some materials on Chinese geomancy. She asked about you, you know.¡±


    ¡°What I have can¡¯t be taught,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Nor should it be. What about Asya?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not so easy,¡± Jason said. ¡°I mean, yes, she¡¯s smart, gorgeous and I must have been blind back in school. But there¡¯s an unfair dynamic when I can constantly sense her emotions.¡±


    "That should be less of an issue," Farrah said. "I made her a bracelet that gold-rankers with no aura control use to keep their auras from popping regular people''s heads. She can''t use her aura and it tamps down her own aura senses, but if she wears it around you, you shouldn''t be able to read her. Not unless you actively try, anyway. Your aura senses must be monstrous now."


    ¡°You¡¯ve got no idea,¡± Jason said, then went on to explain his troubles adapting to his new sensory strength. Afterwards, they got back onto topic as Farrah continued to explain about how the grid functioned.


    "These giant nodes in the landscape have the nuance and flexibility to adapt as the landscape shifts over the centuries. I''m still only starting to get my head around it. The brilliance it would take to devise a system like this is staggering."


    ¡°How do you build something like that into existing landscape?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I suspect that whoever built the grid actually shifted the landscape to make it work.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s possible? I know earth shaping is a thing, but that kind of scale? Again and again, all across the world?¡±


    ¡°A gold-ranker with the right powers and enough time could manage it. Eventually. From what records the Network has of their founder, it was a process of many years.¡±


    ¡°The grid is low-level magic, though, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes. The power level is low which allows it to operate continuously with your world¡¯s low magic. The principles behind it though, have a level of subtle sophistication that screams of whoever designed it being diamond rank. The way it blends into the ambient magic so undetectably. Even you can¡¯t sense it, right?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°What your describing reminds me of the Mirror King¡¯s aura. That had the same property of blending in with the ambient magic. I drew inspiration for my new aura control techniques from that.¡±


    ¡°You met the Mirror King?¡±


    ¡°Only briefly. If the grid really was designed by someone on his level, how does that work? Dawn said that a diamond-ranker here would be a huge problem.¡±


    ¡°My guess would be that the designer was not the same person that put the grid in place. It¡¯s more likely that a diamond-ranker designed it and someone else brought it here and adapted it. Even that much suggests an incredibly capable expert, and they would have to be gold rank to alter the landscape like that. It would still take years, probably decades and they would need a stockpile of gold spirit coins. When the magic is as low as it is in your world, substituting higher numbers of lower-ranked coins wouldn¡¯t be enough.¡±


    ¡°What do you think happened when they ran out?¡± Jason wondered. ¡°Leave the world again? It was hundreds of years ago, but a gold-ranker can live that long, right?¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re still alive, they almost have to be gone,¡± Farrah said. ¡°An essence user needs three coins a day in the course of normal activity. A low-ranker can get away with lower-rank coins or lots of regular food, even in this world, but not a gold-ranker. That¡¯s over a thousand gold coins a year. If they¡¯re largely inactive they could probably cut it by a third but that¡¯s still hundreds of thousands of coins if they¡¯ve been here since the grid was put in place.¡±


    ¡°You think someone brought that many coins with them?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not totally inconceivable but I have to imagine even a diamond-ranker would have trouble collecting that much as a lump sum. At that rank they operate on more of a barter system for valuable items and materials. Only a fraction of what Emir gets paid is in spirit coins.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably not here anymore, then,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°More likely they either left this world or got magic-starved and died. I¡¯ve heard it¡¯s a rough way to go but it almost never happens in my world. There¡¯s usually magic enough and gold-rankers don¡¯t have trouble finding work. I¡¯ve only heard stories of it happening to outcasts, like people with restricted essences.¡±


    ¡°So, what is the Network doing about the sabotage?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The problem is that for all the adaptability of the grid that prevents incidental disruption, a concerted effort can shut things off fairly easily.¡±


    ¡°And if the nodes are as big as you say,¡± Jason said, ¡°There¡¯s no way to guard them.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Farrah said. ¡°What¡¯s worse is that we don¡¯t even know if we¡¯re even registering all the blackouts. The Lyon branch was able to mask their suppression of the local grid for years. The International Committee is still riding herd over the French branches but a lot of their members have mysteriously vanished.¡±


    ¡°Has Adrien Barbou resurfaced?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, but we think either him or others from the Lyon branch are helping whoever is behind this, based on their knowledge of the grid.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s worked with the EOA before,¡± Jason said. ¡°What¡¯s the Network doing about the EOA?¡±


    ¡°Piling on the pressure but it¡¯s going nowhere. The EOA claim that they¡¯re too cellular in nature to coordinate systemic attacks on the grid.¡±


    ¡°But you think they¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a growing sense that the EOA might not be as fractious and scattered as they appear. We¡¯ve seen indications of an underlying authority guiding their actions.¡±


    ¡°I really hope it¡¯s not the Builder,¡± Jason said, shaking his head.


    ¡°You think it could be?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen some of the EOA¡¯s modified people. The process seems to be entirely different, but I¡¯ve seen the Builder modify people as well. Maybe Dawn knows more. Have you seen her since¡­?¡±


    ¡°Since you punched her so hard she died? No. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d want to see us after that, either. Once I found out that she hid where I was from you, I wanted to punch her too.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should try and contact her,¡± Jason suggested. ¡°If proto-spaces start dumping monsters into the world, not only does the world turn into chaos but the timeline for world collapse gets accelerated. Some more direction might help us onto the right path.¡±


    ¡°I suspect she¡¯ll contact us when she feels like and not before,¡± Farrah said. ¡°For now, leave investigating the EOA to the Network. You and I may have the edge in a fight but we¡¯re out of our depth when it comes to the interplay between sprawling global organisations. I¡¯ll keep studying the grid and you focus on hitting silver as quick as you can. You¡¯ll also need to catch up with the Network and what your family has been up to.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Your father and your uncle have been industrious.¡±


    ¡°This is incredible,¡± Jason said.


    Although Ken and Hiro were his ostensible guides through the new family compound, it was Emi who was dragging him by the hand, pointing everything out. It was hard to believe that six months ago, this had been undeveloped bushland. Now there was what looked like a whole resort village nestled amongst the trees. The construction was all wood and tile, blending magnificently into the winding gardens and thick bushland. Given how all the plant life was thoroughly grown in, it looked like it had been in place for years.


    There was a main village thoroughfare, with sprawling buildings of rustic wood. Their huge windows only seemed to reflect the gardens and never the other buildings. It added to the feeling of being integrated with nature and Jason could sense the minor but effective magic responsible.


    Making their way down the thoroughfare, Jason¡¯s guides pointed out multiple gathering halls, an administration building, a food court. Atop the food court was a restaurant, although it was as empty and unused as everything else, thus far.


    ¡°A food court and a restaurant?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Sometimes you want a communal experience and sometimes you want something fancier and intimate,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°I see your lips moving, Dad,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I¡¯m hearing Erika¡¯s voice come out.¡±


    ¡°Of course we consulted the family chef on dining arrangements,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°Down there are the training facilities,¡± Emi said, pointing out a side street off the main thoroughfare.


    ¡°There¡¯s also some magic facilities down there that Farrah said we probably won¡¯t need for a long time but are best incorporated into the core design of the compound.


    ¡°The Network office is down there, too,¡± Emi pointed out.


    ¡°The Network office?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just Asya and Auntie Farrah,¡± Emi explained.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Auntie Farrah, now.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s reliable,¡± Emi said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t keep vanishing for months or years at a time.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can you still call this a compound? You built an entire small town.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much,¡± Hiro said. ¡°All this is just the communal facilities, branching out from the main thoroughfare.¡±


    He pointed out some of the streets leading off between the large main buildings.


    ¡°Sports facilities down that street, recreational facilities like the spa and gym down that one.¡±


    ¡°The spa is huuuge,¡± Emi said. ¡°There¡¯s saunas and massage rooms and creepy old man balls bath houses.¡±


    ¡°Emi!¡±


    ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°Every time you see those bath houses in a movie it¡¯s full of saggy old men in the nude. It¡¯s gross.¡±


    ¡°That one is Hiro¡¯s personal project,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°I am not a saggy old man,¡± Hiro said, and not without reason. Both Ken and Hiro had regained the healthiness of their youth after claiming essences. If they were able to rank up to bronze, the body transformation might even turn back the clock somewhat.


    ¡°The medical centre is down with the spa, too,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Ian is in charge of that one, although we had a lot of input from Gladys when we were putting it together.¡±


    "We''ve had a lot of useful input from various Network people," Hiro added. "They''ve got families who''ve been working with magic for generations, so they helped us avoid a lot of pitfalls. They tried to slip in some surveillance, too, but Farrah gave them a sharp slap on the wrist for that."


    ¡°All the buildings there behind admin are storage facilities,¡± Ken said. ¡°Farrah wanted to make sure we had plenty of storage for food, construction materials and magical supplies. All magically enhanced, not just warehouses and refrigerators. Once we¡¯ve stocked up, we can hole up here by the hundreds for months, if need be.¡±


    "Here on the main thoroughfare we have a three-storey pub," Ken said. "It''s directly connected to the cinema behind it so you can have a meal and a beer while you watch a movie."


    ¡°Once you get away from the central part of town,¡± Hiro said, ¡°you start getting to the residential areas. Only the main family house is here on the thoroughfare, which is that building there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a house? It¡¯s huge.¡±


    ¡°The other residential areas have been built in clusters. There¡¯s three bushland pods, two beach pods and the clifftop pod. We ended up buying every scrap of land we could here. There were a few residences and holiday homes, but they were happy to sell at the prices we offered. We knocked them all down and worked from scratch.


    ¡°How did you afford all this?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Even with my gold money on top of your original capital, this is way more than what you were talking about when I left. That¡¯s even without the magical infrastructure, which may not be visible but I can sense it. You must have forked over quite a bit to the Network for all this.¡±


    ¡°Actually, a lot came from Craig Vermillion and his mysterious sources,¡± Hiro said. ¡°Farrah has been in charge of acquisitions and knows more about that side of things than I do. I do know that she traded off most of the magic coins you left behind. She didn¡¯t keep much more than a supply for those of us with essences.¡±


    ¡°Using our abilities also saved us a lot of issues,¡± Hiro said. ¡°I¡¯ve been pretty much doing as I¡¯m told with the magic parts. Farrah has been teaching me but I still only understand part of what she¡¯s doing. As for the physical construction, buildings and landscape, Ken has been an absolute beast.¡±


    ¡°The ability to move earth and facilitate plant growth is incredible,¡± Ken said happily. ¡°I¡¯m like a one-man landscape and construction company with a time machine.¡±


    After taking Jason through the core section, they took him to see the residential areas. The homes there consisted of more wooden buildings that blended into the bushland, a series of small housing estates built in clusters. Each home was unique, rather than build to a template, giving each area a natural and eclectic feel.


    There were beach homes in a row, fronting directly onto the sand, as well as multi-story houses surrounded by lush bushland. His favourites were the slightly more remote clifftop homes that had been dug into the rock, with balconies that emerged from the cliff face.


    Farrah joined in to guide Jason through the magical aspects, replacing Ken and Hiro. Emi understood the magical elements better than her great uncle, despite only a passing instruction in array magic and accompanied Jason and Farrah.


    Farrah explained the security features of the compound, with some of the design choices making more sense as they went. The nodal nature of the layout, for example, was a defensive measure. Rather than a singular area with traditional fortifications, the central area plus each of the residential hubs was an individual core of magical defences. If one of the nodes had its defences compromised, the others were able to reinstate and reinforce them.


    Farrah also took him through the more secretive aspects that only Ken, Hiro, Emi and she were aware of. Neither the network nor any other members of the family knew that the clifftop excavations had been a front to establish a tunnel system. It linked the various compound nodes, as well as serving as secure service tunnels for the magical infrastructure.


    Each of the subway-sized passages contained a two-way tramway combining magic and technology. The tramway was currently inactive, as were the lights. Emi was delighted as Jason used the floating motes of his star cloak to light their way as they travelled on foot.


    ¡°Seriously, how much did all this cost?¡± Jason asked.


    "The Cabal was very interested in accessing some magical resources," Farrah said. "I brokered some three-way deals with the Cabal and the Network. You are going to have to do an awful lot of looting, now you''re back, by the way."


    "That''s fine," Jason said. "I want to keep up the monster-hunting anyway."


    ¡°I really mean a lot,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I made some promises.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay. You did an amazing job with all this. I can¡¯t believe this was all done in six months.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate your uncle¡¯s and father¡¯s contributions,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Your uncle found us a lot of very discrete construction workers who didn¡¯t ask questions, which we needed them not to. Your father¡¯s contacts with experts in your world¡¯s construction and engineering fields were invaluable during the design stages. As for building it all, Ken¡¯s talent for building with magic is every bit the equal of yours with aura control. Also, I¡¯ve seen construction golems who don¡¯t work as hard as him.¡±


    The single biggest secret of the compound Farrah saved for last. Another secret tunnel, separate from the others, was a long passage that ran from the main residence out into the ocean. Like the other tunnels, it had a two-way tramway that was not yet active, leaving them to go on foot.


    A few hundred metres out, the underground tunnel ascended into a glass one that ran along the seafloor. Like being at an aquarium, there were numerous seas creatures floating near the tunnel and Jason could sense the subtle magic attracting them.


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice touch,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That was my idea,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°It was?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It really was,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I did a little neatening up of their design but that¡¯s all. Emi and Hiro designed and implemented the fish attraction together.¡±


    ¡°Good job, Moppet,¡± Jason said to a beaming Emi.


    Two kilometres out from shore, the glass tunnel ended not with any kind of sealed environment but simply stopped, terminating at a vertical sheet of water beyond which was open ocean.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Jason asked.


    "A discrete place to put your cloud house," Farrah said. "You can set it up right at the end of the tunnel. Air-sealing magic like this is very efficient when set up correctly. Even on your world, it can just run off the ambient magic."


    Jason walked up to the wall of water and poked it with his finger. It was rather cold.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty awesome,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve wanted to test the cloud house out underwater since Emir told me it could work like that. I was half-tempted when I moved back to Casselton Beach.¡±


    ¡°Having it all the way out here will also stop your cloud house from disrupting the magic of the compound with its vortex accumulator.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to ask about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I could sense the magical defences and utility magic hidden throughout. Is there enough ambient magic to fuel all that?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I actually used some of what I learned studying the grid to create a version of your cloud flask¡¯s vortex accumulator, except less potent and much larger. I set up several of them in empty areas and the power feeds into the compound.¡±


    ¡°We should just be calling it a town,¡± Jason said.


    "Even with the magic we have feeding it, it still isn''t enough, Farrah said. "I''ve made accommodations accordingly. For one thing, the town''s entire magical infrastructure can operate at various levels. The town is uninhabited at the moment, so we''re running at no magic. No ordinary power, either. We''re still finalising the design on the magically-enhanced solar panels that will power it all. I''m working with a Network magitech expert, provided by Asya."


    ¡°Will the magic need spirit coins to run once it¡¯s all going?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°At the lowest level of actual operation only specific functions will require spirit coin supplementation,¡± Farrah explained. ¡°I¡¯ve also designed it from the onset to adapt as the magical density of the world goes up.¡±


    ¡°So, the worse things get, the more ready we are to face them,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going to get worse?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, Moppet,¡± Jason said, tussling her hair. ¡°Uncle Jason and Auntie Farrah are going to save the world.¡±

 Chapter 346: New Groove

    Jason, Farrah, Emi, Ken and Hiro were standing on the thoroughfare of what Jason had started thinking of as Asano Town. He was about to open a portal to Casselton Beach when Farrah¡¯s phone bleeped.


    ¡°Category three incursion,¡± she said after checking the message. ¡°Ready to get back in the saddle?¡±


    ¡°Listen to you, category three,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve gone native.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve gone native? You were frying giant worm meat in a village stall on your second day in my world.¡±


    ¡°So, how do we get to Sydney?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I have the range to portal straight there, now, but I can¡¯t send a silver-ranker.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I have a guy.¡±


    ¡°You can portal us, though, right?¡± Hiro asked. ¡°You¡¯re our ride.¡±


    ¡°Wait, this is your guy?¡± Jason asked as he sensed the approaching aura.


    ¡°He¡¯s here?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°See how fast the helicopter is? His partner bought out his half of their helicopter charter and he¡¯s been working for the Network instead. They pay better.¡±


    ¡°He has Greg and Asya with him,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re making their way toward bronze, but I¡¯m not sensing cores from them.¡±


    ¡°You can tell that from here?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°I can barely hear it and I have silver rank perception. It¡¯s quiet for a helicopter, but it¡¯s still a helicopter.¡±


    Jason gave her an odd look.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I was just thinking about our time together in your world. The fact that you now have a basis for comparison on helicopter noise blows my mind. You¡¯re wearing jeans.¡±


    ¡°I like jeans. I see you finally stopped wearing the clothes you picked up on the other side.¡±


    ¡°I kept getting into fights. There¡¯s only so much damage that basic self-repair can do and I only have a couple of suits left. Why are Greg and Asya not using cores? Do you have Greg fighting monsters?¡±


    ¡°He wanted to fight monsters.¡±


    ¡°Of course he wanted to fight monsters. He¡¯s a huge nerd.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s actually pretty good. Not at, you know, stabbing, but he¡¯s got a versatile flex-support power set. It¡¯s more about timing and judgement.¡±


    ¡°I have one of those on my team,¡± Jason said. ¡°I wonder how she¡¯s doing. I¡¯m not sure I approve of Greg going out in the field, though. What about Asya?¡±


    ¡°The Network has been gearing up for problems ever since the grid blackouts started. They¡¯ve been putting anyone willing to do it up for training. We have three training streams, now. One core users looking to retrain, one for people going from scratch using our methods and one for core users focused on unconventional approaches.¡±


    ¡°Unconventional, how?¡±


    ¡°Like your brother. We¡¯re using cores to raise his abilities while his training is being adapted from military pilot training. He¡¯s doing great as utility and air support.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s going into proto-spaces?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°He has kids. Little kids. What if something happens to him?¡±


    ¡°What if something happens to you?¡± Farrah countered. ¡°You think Emi is ready to lose Uncle Jason again? And look at everything going on here.¡±


    She gestured around at the village that had been built in his absence.


    ¡°You are the pillar on which all this rests. With time, the Asano clan will be able to stand on their own, but they aren¡¯t there, yet.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not a clan.¡±


    ¡°Tell that to the Japanese.¡±


    ¡°What do the Japanese have to do with it?¡±


    ¡°You really need to talk to Keti.¡±


    Kaito¡¯s helicopter swooped over the village to settle on the helipad on the roof of the main residence.


    ¡°Should there really be just this one big residence in the middle of the village?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It¡¯s a little elitist, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been calling it the Mayor¡¯s House,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Who¡¯s the mayor? Please don¡¯t say Amy.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s Erika. She wrapped up her TV show and she¡¯s kind of taken over family affairs.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s good,¡± Jason said.


    The pair leapt up the several stories to the rooftop helipad, Jason with bronze-rank strength and his cloak and Farrah with raw muscle. The side of the helicopter slid open to reveal Greg and Asya inside.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you worried about hitting the helicopter blades, jumping up like that?¡± Greg asked loudly over the spinning rotors.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason yelled back. ¡°If you¡¯re doing your mobility training properly, that should never be a danger. Farrah, have you been letting him skip out on mobility training?¡±


    ¡°Of course I haven¡¯t.¡±


    Jason and Farrah stepped into what seemed more like the passenger compartment of a private jet than a helicopter. Jason even focused his senses to check there wasn''t any dimensional manipulation going on. The door slid shut behind them on its own, completely silencing the exterior noise. Greg and Asya were already seated, wearing the black fatigues standard for Network tactical response teams.


    ¡°You need to take that off,¡± Farrah said to Asya, who glanced awkwardly at Jason before nodding and removing a black cloth bracelet. Jason had been able to sense the basic properties of her aura but with the bracelet¡¯s removal, Asya¡¯s emotions became plain. It was mostly nervousness.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Jason greeted as he sat down opposite her. A smile played on the corners of his mouth.


    ¡°Hi,¡± she said.


    ¡°Sure glad this isn¡¯t awkward,¡± Greg said with a grin as he shifted into the seat next to Asya.


    ¡°Go away,¡± she told him and he moved back out.


    ¡°I am never getting out of high school,¡± he grumbled.


    Emerging from the aperture into the proto-space, Jason looked around. Craggy cliffs of dark grey stone rose up to his left and right, while the line of sky between them roiled with storm clouds and rumbled with thunder. He immediately moved deeper into the gorge as more people streamed from the aperture. The bottom of the gorge was a trickling stream running over loose rocks.


    You have entered an unstable physical reality. Your presence will decrease the rate at which it will destabilise.


    "Not a great spot for base camp," Jason observed. His cloak appeared around him and he jumped straight up. Shadow arms extended from his cloak to either side and he used them to grab the rock walls to fling himself higher. In the last six months, he had used them more and more independently of his real arms.


    During his time away, Jason had done more than simply advance his abilities. Just as he had worked on his aura control, his proficiency with his other powers had improved. This wasn¡¯t just advancing his essence abilities but enhancing his skill in wielding them.


    Shooting over the top of the gorge, he looked out over the landscape as he slowly drifted down to one side. It was a blasted land of dark soil and bare stone, with only a few blackened trees dotting the landscape. From what he could see, the gorge he was standing atop was part of a greater spiderweb of crevasses and gullies.


    Farrah flew out of the gorge on fiery wings, flanked by a handful of Network scouts who shot away immediately. Farrah¡¯s flame wings were not great for flying, lacking strength, control and speed. She generally avoided flying with them once she armoured up, as they were barely able to lift her. The wings had other virtues, however, and Jason¡¯s power had given them a solid indication of who was responsible.


    Ability: [Wings of the World-Phoenix]


    Transfigured from [Outworlder] ability [Wings of Fire].Conjure fiery wings that allow flight. While wings are active, add disruptive-force damage to all fire and heat damage inflicted. This effect consumes mana.The wings can be detonated to inflict fire and disruptive force damage on nearby enemies while subjecting self and allies to a powerful healing effect and a cleanse that affects magic and poison. The strength of the healing effect on yourself is significantly higher than on allies and highly effective on catastrophic damage and wounding effects.Subsequent conjurations of the wings will have diminished bonus, slowly recovering strength over 24 hours. Wings cannot be detonated again until ability strength is fully recovered.


    The wings made Farrah¡¯s flames much more effective against incorporeal creatures and magical defences, although it further added to her mana-consumption issues.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of silver-rank monsters in this space,¡± Jason said. ¡°Are we sure this is a silver-rank space?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± a silver-ranker said, rising out of the gorge on a gust of wind. It was Koen Waters, the Sydney branch¡¯s Director of Tactical Operations. ¡°Non ADE cat-threes started appearing in category three incursion spaces before you two came along. It¡¯s been escalating over the last year, though, especially while you were off playing David Carradine.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°I¡¯ve been here a year and I still have no idea who you people are talking about.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t seen Kung Fu?¡± Koen asked.


    ¡°Is that another old TV show?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°What is wrong with you people? Jason¡¯s sister made me watch some Airwolf and it was terrible.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think there are a lot of cat-threes?¡± Koen asked Jason.


    ¡°I can sense them. And your people down in the gorge. You¡¯re earth-shaping space for a base camp?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll set up on top as well,¡± Koen said. ¡°It¡¯ll be a little bit before we secure the space and get to sweeping, but you being here means we don¡¯t have to rush. The extra time you extend incursion space stability, plus the looting, makes it worth having you here even if you spend the whole time in a lounge chair.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll skip the chair and go clean up some of those silvers,¡± Jason said and dashed away.


    Koen sighed as he watched Jason zip over the ground at a fleeting pace.


    ¡°I see he didn¡¯t work on his collaborative skills while he was away. Can he really sense monsters from here?¡±


    ¡°Did you just sigh?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Er¡­ no.¡±


    ¡°Are you still breathing?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t still need to breathe at silver rank. Have you not been doing those exercises I taught you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to check on how the camp setup is going,¡± Koen said, gesturing with his thumb and then jumping back into the gorge.


    Jason could have used Shade for transport but decided to set out on foot. During his time away he had worked on his ability use, but not everything was new. Back in the Mistrun Delta, Jason had developed a running technique that used his cloak to increase speed, conserve energy and navigate terrain. With his speed attribute at the top end of bronze, he revisited that technique with the enhanced agility, reflexes and straight-line speed that entailed.


    The result was that he moved across the rough ground of the proto-space like a ghost, all but skimming through the air. The hopping, slightly uneven gait of the past was now smooth like a hovercraft on a cushion of air.


    Approaching the first silver-rank monster, he sensed a gaggle of smaller, weaker iron-rank monsters around it, along with a few bronzes. The main monster turned out to be a giant black lizard with silver-white glowing eyes, while the supplemental creatures were elementals. Wind and lightning elementals danced on the air like dandelion petals, while earth elementals swarmed around the creature''s feet.


    ¡°Gordon,¡± Jason said, not slowing down and the familiar appeared next to him. Gordon¡¯s ordinary floating speed could not match Jason¡¯s so he kept pace by chaining his dash ability.


    The monsters sensed their approach as soon as Gordon appeared, the elementals stirring into a frenzy. They rushed forward and Gordon gave up dashing as they entered his considerable range. Four bright beams of energy, two orange and two blue, swept through the iron-rank monsters with annihilative force.


    The blue beams of disruptive-force were doom for the amorphous wind and lightning elementals, disposing of them with a crackle like insects hit with a bug zapper. The orange resonating-force beams dug into the earth elementals like they were drilling for oil. The few bronze-rank elementals lasted a little longer, but Gordon was at the high-end of bronze and the perfect weapon against such creatures.


    Jason ignored the elementals, moving directly on the lizard that was the size of a school bus. Jason sensed the magic precursor of an attack and juked sideways, not slowing as lightning erupted from the lizard¡¯s eyes and flashed past him. He arrived in front of the lizard as he conjured a dagger into his hand.


    ¡°Shade.¡±


    Several of Shade¡¯s bodies surrounded the creature. In the past, Jason would have used them to stage hit-and-run strikes, landing a couple of special attacks and then backing off to cast spells before moving on and letting his affliction suite do its work.


    This was not what Jason did to the lizard. His dagger flashed out to make sewing-machine strikes; quick, shallow, in an unceasing staccato. Hit after hit, each one delivering the afflictions of a special attack plus the afflictions of the dagger. Instead of pre-emptively dodging with shadow jumps, he relied on his skill to avoid the lizard as he kept making attacks.


    The oversized lizard thrashed with limbs and tried to bite at him but Jason used its size against it, staying tucked in close, his dagger never stopping. It repositioned to get a better angle on Jason and only then did he shadow jump to one of Shade¡¯s bodies, the needlework of his dagger barely pausing.


    Although Jason had seized the initiative, the lizard still posed a threat to Jason. It did not have the reflexes of a silver-rank essence user but was still devilishly quick for its size and its strength would have given even Farrah pause. When it caught Jason with a tail lash, it shattered the accumulated shields from his amulet and hammered his torso like a speeding car.


    He was sent careening through the air before the lightness of his cloak let him drift to a floating stop. The healing from Colin and the converted amulet shields went to work as Jason floated in the air where he¡¯d been slapped. He extended his hand toward the monster.


    ¡°Your blood is not yours to keep but mine on which to feast.¡±


    Life force drained out of the lizard and into Jason. The lizard retaliated by opening its mouth and spitting out ball lighting that floated toward Jason, who was exposed as he drifted in the air. Jason used his cloak as a shadow to jump through, right before the ball lightning exploded in the space he had just occupied. He emerging from one of Shade¡¯s bodies as a new cloak manifested around him, immediately resuming his attacks.


    The rapid-fire strikes from his dagger represented a fundamental change in Jason''s approach to combat. He had long ago given up on rapid kills as impossible due to his lack of immediate damage attacks, consigning himself to the slow and steady path to victory. As he took the time to reassess his abilities, had reassessed that presumption as well and developed a new combat dynamic.


    From the very beginning, Inexorable Doom had been Jason¡¯s signature ability, with only his familiars being more iconic. It had been critical to his combat style, allowing him to back off as it piled on more of every affliction he levied. He used it on the lizard, along with other affliction spells, chanting the incantations even as he dodged limbs and the lizard¡¯s bite while dishing out more attacks. This time, however, it was merely an addendum.


    Jason didn¡¯t care if his sewing machine attacks were weak, so long as they riddled the lizard with afflictions. Faster than Inexorable Doom could match, the monster was staggering already as a tide of necrosis washed over it. Jason leapt lightly up and then kicked off the lizard with both feet, sailing back thanks to the lightness from his cloak and cast another spell.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    Punition dealt damage based on afflictions in place, which devastated the lizard, leaving it a stumbling wreck. Even so, silver-rank fortitude persisted. Sensing its demise, the lizard made a final play. Around a third of the elementals were yet to be swatted by Gordon and they suddenly drew closer to the lizard, like dinghies caught in a whirlpool. They struggled to escape but the force pulling them in didn¡¯t allow it and they were absorbed into the lizard¡¯s body.


    Jason sensed the power building inside the monster and returned to his normal weight, dropping agilely to the ground and opening the portal arch to his spirit vault. He ducked inside, Gordon and Shade¡¯s bodies following quick behind. From inside his spirit vault, Jason sensed the destruction of the archway. The darkness inside the matching arch inside the vault vanished, leaving the archway empty.


    You have defeated [Lesser Stormchar Lizard].


    Jason used his portal ability, Path of Shadows on the empty arch. On the battlefield Jason had just left, an archway rose up from the floor of a newly-formed crater. Jason stepped out and looked around. Extending his senses he found a scrap of blackened flesh and brushed his fingers over it.


    Would you like to loot [Lesser Stormchar Lizard]?


    Striding out of the crater, Jason turned his eyes to the sky, looking at the distant drone Koen had sent to follow him. Behind him, rainbow smoke rose up from points around the crater like streamers, from every place an exploded piece of monster had scattered. Then he skimmed off over the ground in the direction of the next silver-rank monster.


    At the base camp. Koen was rewinding the footage from the drone.


    ¡°What are you looking for?¡± Nigel asked him.


    ¡°The timestamp,¡± Koen said, pausing the footage. ¡°We just watched a solo category two wipe out a swarm of elementals and a cat-three the size of a train car in forty three-seconds.¡±

 Chapter 347: Get to the Chopper

    Kaito had been supplied with a variety of awakening stones loaded towards producing useful complements to his main power. Koen Waters had seen potential in Kaito¡¯s abilities and had the Network recruit him and provide the stones to complete his power set. They started with common stones, like awakening stones of the gun and various elemental stones. Less common were the awakening stones of vision and reach.


    The result was a comprehensive suite of abilities that turned Kaito and his helicopter into a high-utility asset for the Network. His helicopter was not well-suited to confronting powerful monsters but was highly effective at escaping pursuit and handling the kinds of weaker enemies that appeared in greater numbers than their more powerful counterparts.


    The true value of Kaito''s contribution was twofold, with neither factor being the hunting of monsters. One was that he could swiftly and safely deploy tactical units or supplies throughout an incursion space, while the other was the improvement it brought to the command and control capabilities of the incursion response team.


    Kaito¡¯s vehicle was sized in between a military transport helicopter and a large commercial helicopter while being faster and more agile than both. He was able to modify the helicopter literally on the fly, reconfiguring the interior to meet his needs moment to moment. From luxuriously-spaced passenger transport to efficient troop seating to cargo space, complete with loading platform, the helicopter could perform whatever role was asked of it.


    What really excited the Director of Tactical Operations was the helicopter''s value as a mobile command relay. The helicopter had a communication system that was as useful, if not more so, than Jason¡¯s party interface. It was able to augment ordinary comms technology to operate reliably in magically saturated areas. It could also serve as a sensor platform, courtesy of Kaito¡¯s powers. His abilities were able to collect and relay video feed and sensor data from the helicopter itself, as well as remote auxiliary units.


    Those auxiliary units were the two semi-autonomous drone variants Kaito could produce with abilities from his vehicle essence. One type was a trio of small attack units, mounted with infantry-grade guns. The more useful consisted of a half-dozen observation drones that had no weapons but could travel extended ranges at high speed. They carried high-grade video and audio systems, along with the sensor capacity to track magic and auras.


    Kaito¡¯s observation drones were an improvement over the two varieties the Network used. The non-magical ones they employed had significant reliability issues in magical zones. The magical ones were much better but were fuelled by spirit coins, a limited and costly resource. Kaito¡¯s drones used his mana and could reliably transmit video, audio and sensor data to the helicopter, the base camp or both.


    The sensor suites available to the drones and the helicopter itself came courtesy of Kaito¡¯s perception power that was akin to something many summoning specialists gained access to. Rather than enhance his own senses, at least at iron-rank, it bestowed the perception power on something else. Instead of a summon, as was typical, the subject was the sensors of his helicopter, providing magic and aura senses that outstripped a normal iron-ranker. More mundane sensor systems came as part of the helicopter conjuration power, although those systems were magically enhanced.


    Drone control and secondary system management were all controlled from the cockpit. Rather than a physical dashboard of displays and screens, there was only a sleek and minimalist dashboard of controls. All systems were monitored through augmented reality glasses that could provide or eliminate any and all displays as needed, from drone feeds to helicopter systems.


    Control of the secondary systems could be carried out by the pilot, but they were most effective when managed by a co-pilot, for which reason the network had supplied the helicopter with a crew. Kaito¡¯s three-person crew ended up being Asya and Greg, who had both known Kaito for years, along with a category three whose job was to step in when something big and nasty appeared.


    Greg took the co-pilot slot. Kaito had been teaching him how to fly a helicopter but his true role was to manage the drones, sensors and comms. He had been chosen both for his existing connection to Kaito and what turned out to be a prodigious talent for multitasking.


    Asya was combat support. She was somewhat superfluous, with the category three on board, but in addition to being groomed for higher rank, her power set gave her a useful niche. With her gun, gathering and adept essences forming the master confluence, she was rapidly becoming an expert sniper and general support gunner.


    She had actually finalised her own repertoire of abilities with this role in mind, completing her power set only after being assigned to the helicopter. She had chosen some awakening stones specifically to add some heavier weapon options to her original, precision sniper approach.


    The silver-ranker wasn''t a ranged attacker like Asya. Ruth didn''t look like a Russian bodybuilder so much as like she¡¯d eaten a Russian bodybuilder and wanted to fist-fight an army transport to work off the carbs. It would have been a one-sided victory, given the silver-ranker''s abilities. Her might, swift, and hand essences combined to form the onslaught confluence, making her a powerhouse of speed and strength with battering ram fists. She excelled in intercepting and putting down dangerous attackers, which was exactly her role on the helicopter¡¯s crew.


    Despite having arms the thickness of Greg''s head, Ruth was incongruously sweet and friendly, with unassailable confidence that her lower-rank companions found reassuring.


    Kaito¡¯s helicopter moved high over the ground in the proto space, with a section of Network troops in the back. An occasional wind or lightning elemental would approach, at which point Kaito¡¯s supplemental abilities came into play. An expensive awakening stone of dimension had given Kaito a retractable gun for his helicopter that fired rapid streams of disruptive-force ammunition, which was effective at dissuading even the bronze-rank elemental variants from approaching. It wasn¡¯t enough to kill them but it convinced them to veer off in search of weaker prey.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a category two flier, coming in fast at 10 o¡¯clock,¡± Kaito said as a signal appeared on the cockpit sensors. The current cockpit configuration had four seats for the crew, with a bare-bones troop transport set up in the main compartment.


    ¡°Fast or tough?¡± Ruth asked.


    ¡°Fast,¡± Kaito said. ¡°You¡¯re up, Asya.¡±


    A small panel next to Asya opened up, letting in a rush of air. Asya conjured a sniper rifle and slid the barrel out through the panel, eyeing down the sight.


    ¡°Altering trajectory to give you a shot,¡± Kaito said and soon after, a black lizard with huge wings fell into Asya¡¯s sights.


    Asya had an ability to ignore rank disparity that was more like Farrah¡¯s than Jason¡¯s in that it was an essence ability, rather than an evolved racial gift. Even so, getting a one-shot kill on a bronze-rank monster was unlikely given the toughness of monsters.


    Asya still could have gone for the kill, her power set allowing her to gather and condense ambient magic for a single, potent shot. If she could land the headshot, it should be enough to drop the creature, given that flying monsters weren''t usually as tough as their land-bound counterparts.


    Instead of risking a high-impact shot on the monsters relatively small head, she aimed for the broad wings. She used a special attack that erupted in a proximity burst, only needing to get close. The power didn¡¯t match a direct hit but it tagged one of the creature¡¯s wings, not crippling it but causing it to drop away, rapidly losing altitude.


    ¡°Nice,¡± Kaito said, then noticed Greg staring into space.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Kaito asked.


    ¡°I just watched Jason through one of the drones,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯d only seen him fight in some patchy drone footage from before he left. It doesn¡¯t seem like him, all black-clad and ominous.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly like him,¡± Kaito said. ¡°Such a melodramatist.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to see that footage,¡± Ruth said. ¡°Can you send it to me?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Greg said.


    Ruth put on the augmented reality goggles hanging on the back of Greg¡¯s seat in front of her.


    ¡°Cancel that,¡± Kaito said. ¡°We¡¯re coming up on the drop point.¡±


    Greg radioed the section of troops in the rear, telling them to prepare for deployment. Kaito dropped the helicopter to two-hundred metres and brought it into a hover. Normally he would go lower but there were a lot of flying monsters in this particular proto-space.


    In the rear compartment, the side of the helicopter slid open as a panel on the floor slid away to reveal what looked like a small wind turbine pointing up. It started blasting air, which oddly collected in front of the open side panel, shimmering in place.


    ¡°Go!¡± the section leader called out and the first trooper dashed through the shimmering air and out of the helicopter, falling away. Some of the shimmering air attached itself to him as he passed through it. The whole section jumped out, one by one, plunging toward the ground.


    Right before the landed, the shimmering air around them tightened into a cushion, depositing them softly onto the ground before dissipating in a rush of wind. Back on the helicopter, the side door closed itself and Kaito set course for the next objective.


    ¡°I have to say,¡± Jason said from the rear of the cockpit, ¡°I¡¯m kind of annoyed at how well this worked out.¡±


    The helicopter crew all turned to look at him in surprise.


    ¡°I was going to give you the rat, snake and skunk essences,¡± Jason continued. ¡°I wish I had, now, to be honest.¡±


    ¡°How did you get in here?¡± Kaito asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got magic powers. How do you not know that at this point?¡±


    ¡°I have security abilities,¡± Kaito said. ¡°Sensor abilities.¡±


    Ruth chuckled, sharing an amused look with Jason.


    ¡°The tyranny of rank, little brother.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the little brother,¡± Kaito said.


    ¡°That may be true out in the world, Kai,¡± Jason said, ¡°but not here. This is my kingdom.¡±


    Jason and Asya were walking along the Castle Heads shorefront. Grass led down to white sand on one side of the street, while the other had caf¨¦s and storefronts. Asya and Jason were heading for the ice cream shop.


    ¡°This is my kingdom.¡± Asya quoted. ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°A bit much?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°A bit? That was cringeworthy. Not as sad as Greg constantly telling people to ¡®get to the chopper¡¯ in a sketchy accent, but not good.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was cool,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It was not. It was also rather mean.¡±


    ¡°Kaito deserves it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a boy¡¯s complaint. It¡¯s time for you to be a man.¡±


    ¡°Ouch. Greg thought it was cool.¡±


    Asya gave him a flat look.


    ¡°I¡¯m torpedoing my own point here, aren¡¯t I.¡±


    ¡°Greg is great,¡± Asya said. ¡°But he¡¯s also a little bit twelve years old. The man wears Ninja Turtle shirts to briefings.¡±


    ¡°To briefings about fighting monsters from another dimension using magic powers. Ninja Turtle shirts should be the uniform.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Ketevan is going to like dealing with the both of you at once,¡± she said with a laugh.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on with Greg¡¯s abilities, though?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Wasn¡¯t that combination meant to give him the magitech confluence?¡±


    ¡°It did.¡±


    ¡°Every magitech guy I¡¯ve seen in the Network is all about high-tech gadgets and stuff. They¡¯re half James Bond and half Iron Man. How did Greg end up all steampunk Tesla?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like his electrified nail turret?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s awesome, I¡¯m just saying.¡±


    ¡°You know, we still need to talk about Network business. That is technically what we¡¯re meeting about.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t tell you another heroic story about my trip away?¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Asya said with an accommodation Jason immediately found suspect. ¡°Did you happen to run into Li Li Mei while you were passing through China?¡±


    "Who?" Jason asked innocently. "Oh, the Network rep who came here that one time. I don''t recall her being super-pretty at all."


    ¡°Is that right?¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Jason said. ¡°Time to dig into that Network business you say?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Asya said, pointing at the shop they were now standing in front of. ¡°It¡¯s time for ice cream.¡±


    ¡°Right, yes,¡± Jason said, pushing open the door.


    ¡°How long were you in China for?¡± Asya asked as they went inside.


    ¡°You know, I might just go vanilla. People look down on it as a plain flavour, but a proper vanilla can be really delicious¡­¡±


    On the roof deck of the houseboat, Asya and Jason were sitting next to one another at a table. Asya was taking him through the important things he had missed during his time away.


    ¡°¡­escalating rate of manifestation, which you¡¯ve already seen for yourself. The new training programs are starting to pay off but it¡¯s going to take time in areas outside of Australia. The new training protocols we''ve developed with input from Farrah are showing their effects here, but the international partners now have to go back and work with their own people. Even then, we''re talking about training programs that have been developed and implemented in a critically short time. The largest deficit is experience."


    ¡°There¡¯s only one solution to a lack of experience,¡± Jason said, ¡°and that¡¯s to go out and get it.¡±


    "We''re projecting significant problems. In the short term, we''re anticipating a sharp increase in casualties."


    ¡°That¡¯s realistic,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Network is never going to fight the way they do in the other world and they¡¯d be foolish to try. They need to learn from what Farrah can teach them but find a way to use it that works for them. All Farrah was really trying to impart were principles, as well as things like improved meditation methodology. She can¡¯t turn the whole Network into adventurers in six months.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s on us, now. You know, the original idea was for you to do the teaching.¡±


    "You''re better off, believe me. It''s a matter of temperament."


    ¡°Oh, I believe you.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    ¡°The last thing we need to discuss is the image you built up during your time away.¡±


    ¡°I was trying to avoid building an image.¡±


    Asya opened a video depicting a man in starlight cloak fighting people in a Vietnamese slum.


    "For the most part," Jason added. "If the Network doesn''t want me showing off, you should stop trying to kidnap me."


    ¡°We came down on the Hanoi branch the same way we did Lyon. Disturbingly, we got the exact same result, once we started digging."


    ¡°Meaning what?¡±


    ¡°Adrien Barbou.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding. I thought he hadn¡¯t resurfaced.¡±


    "We''re keeping it quiet, for now. We believe he''s working with the EOA, feeding them information from his old Network contacts. We''re currently attempting to infiltrate those contacts to get something concrete we can slap the EOA with. We can''t just accuse them of orchestrating the blackouts and go after them with no evidence because the Cabal won''t stand for it. The Network is the strongest of the world''s magical triad but we aren''t stronger than the other two put together. If we start acting unilaterally against the EOA, the Cabal will side with them out of fear we¡¯ll go after them next.¡±


    ¡°Why are you even telling me?¡±


    ¡°Our analysts think that Barbou has taken it upon himself to become your publicist.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    "We constantly monitor media for potential breaches," Asya explained. "When you went more overt after Hanoi we paid additional attention to any media attention related to your activities. We realised that someone was putting the pieces together and quietly dropping breadcrumbs for others to find."


    ¡°Why?¡±


    "We don''t know. We stumbled into the idea that Barbou might be the man behind the curtain because we''ve been looking into his old contacts. As for his motivations, the best we''ve come up with is that a magic man secretly running around the world doing good deeds fits the EOA agenda of bringing magic into the light. They might have seen us not clamping down on you and tried to run with it.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s making me look good?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s arguable. We¡¯re seeing a lot of fringe chatter around the Starlight Angel/Starlight Rider persona, but conspiracy types don¡¯t tend to look at things in a positive light.¡±


    "I was healing the sick."


    ¡°But did you make them sick, as an excuse to implant tracking devices? Were you testing a bioweapon for use when your people start the invasion?¡±


    ¡°They think I¡¯m an alien?¡±


    ¡°You are an alien.¡±


    "I am now, but they don''t know that. I''m from the Mid North Coast, not the mid-north of Andromeda."


    ¡°You really don¡¯t know anything about astronomy, do you?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not an alien!¡±

 Chapter 348: What’s Left of Your Principles

    ¡°Chloe, it¡¯s good to hear from you,¡± Jason said as the video chat opened. ¡°How¡¯ve you been?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been staying with my sister,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s been nice but I am increasingly ready to go.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°As a guy who ran away from his family for six months, I completely understand.¡±


    ¡°Well, whatever your reasons, the entirety of West Africa benefited, even if they don¡¯t know it. Which is actually why I called you?¡±


    ¡°The outbreak is flaring back up?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s about you. I¡¯ve been talking to my colleagues and a lot of them have been contacted by an investigative journalist.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think they had those anymore. Isn¡¯t it all just ideologues and regurgitated press releases now?¡±


    ¡°It depends on who is willing to pay, and someone is putting up for some airline miles on this one. The people I¡¯ve talked to haven¡¯t been talking, but sooner or later, someone is going to.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of someone pushing me into the spotlight from the shadows,¡± Jason said ominously. ¡°He¡¯s an enemy I picked up along the way.¡±


    ¡°I have to think that someone like you has a different kind of enemy to someone like me,¡± Chloe said. ¡°My biggest enemy beat me out for the good parking space at the hospital where I used to work.¡±


    ¡°My enemy held my friend prisoner and¡­ let¡¯s just say yes, different kinds of enemy.¡±


    The meeting room of the Four Cardinals of the EOA seemed cavernous, with high ceilings and wide walls while being almost entirely empty. There was a large monitor on one wall, a square table in the middle that seemed diminutive given the scope of the room and an exterior wall, made entirely of glass.


    Mr North and the new Mr East stood in front of the wall, taking in the panoramic view of Los Angeles as they awaited their final two companions.


    ¡°You realise,¡± Mr North said, ¡°that if we tie you or Mrs West to the demise of your predecessor, the consequences will have a resounding finality.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Adrien Barbou said.


    ¡°Then let me compliment you on your thoroughness, Mr East. My investigators rarely find themselves at such a loss.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, Mr North.¡±


    Mr North gave a saturnine smile.


    ¡°I do so hope there won¡¯t be any problems stemming from a leadership change at this critical time, Mr East.¡±


    ¡°I think you will find, Mr North, that a change was exactly what was required. I called this meeting for a reason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m positively dripping with anticipation.¡±


    Mr North did not probe further, awaiting the remaining members of their collective. He had long ago schooled himself out of dangerous curiosity and exploitable impatience. When Mrs West and Mrs South arrived together, the four took their places around the square table. Their subordinates were not present at this meeting and the four were alone in the large room.


    ¡°The meeting is yours, Mr East,¡± Mr North said. ¡°The agenda is yours to set.¡±


    ¡°In the process of auditing the activities of my predecessor,¡± Barbou said, ¡°I have come across a number of unfortunate irregularities.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Mrs South prompted. ¡°What manner of irregularities?¡±


    ¡°It would appear,¡± Barbou said, ¡°that the previous Mr East had rather drastically overstated the problems in enacting the final stage of our plan. It seems that he was stalling the process to give certain factions within the Cabal time to prepare.¡±


    ¡°What factions are those?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°Unknown. I have only just made these revelations and immediately moved to lock down all of the previous Mr East¡¯s subordinates for investigation and table this meeting. I felt it prudent to discuss these issues before launching an internal investigation and enacting inquiries into the Cabal.¡±


    ¡°A choice wisely made,¡± Mrs West said.


    ¡°You have evidence of these improprieties on the part of your predecessor?¡± Mrs South asked.


    "I do," Barbou said. "As the materials are sensitive, rather than digital transmission I am having the full details hand-delivered to each of you on secure drives."


    ¡°Prudent,¡± Mr North said. ¡°If Mr East truly was stalling, then do you have a revised time frame in which we can enact the next stage?¡±


    "We could begin immediately," Barbou said. "I would recommend, however, that we wait two weeks. This will give me time to root out any more surprises the previous Mr East left behind and vet his people. It would also allow me to bring my project from before ascending to my new role to fruition."


    ¡°You¡¯re ready to move forward with that?¡± Mrs West asked.


    ¡°Yes, although I won¡¯t make the final move without consensus. This will go further than the Network is willing to tolerate.¡±


    ¡°And will prime the world for our next move with a conversation of what is and is not possible,¡± Mrs West said.


    ¡°There is another problem the late Mr East was either hiding or unaware of,¡± Barbou said. ¡°One that potentially means cancelling everything.¡±


    Eyebrows raised all around the table.


    ¡°Go on,¡± Mr North said.


    "I''ve been personally re-examining every aspect of the grid blackout program, now that I have control of it. Mr East''s grasp of the magical mechanics involved was not as comprehensive as either we would like or he portrayed. In addition to the fact that we are ready to go, he failed to grasp the full ramifications of dropping the grid in its entirety.¡±


    ¡°Which are?¡±


    ¡°My predecessor indicated that it would take the grid between one and two weeks to reactivate following a total shutdown. Enough time for dimension incursion spaces to deliver monsters across the world and definitively proving the existence of magic. We already know that the results of this will be damaging. The reality is that the grid will be down for months. At least two, most likely three or four. It could be longer, or even permanent. That¡¯s a low but real probability. This is all assuming that the Network fails to find a way to repair the damage and return the grid to functionality, which would alter our timelines, obviously.¡±


    ¡°Months,¡± Mrs South said. ¡°That wouldn¡¯t be damage. Months of monster hordes being spewed into the world would be an apocalypse.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little dramatic,¡± Mrs West said.


    ¡°No,¡± Barbou disagreed. ¡°Mrs South is right. I¡¯ve seen the dimensional spaces, the armies of monsters. Months without the grid to intercept them will change civilisation forever. It could potentially end it.¡±


    ¡°Assuming that the Network can¡¯t get the grid active again,¡± Mrs West said.


    ¡°How likely is that?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°A year ago, I would have considered it highly likely,¡± Barbou said. ¡°The outworlders have changed that. My contacts tell me that the outworlder once in my custody has been advancing the Network¡¯s comprehension of the grid in leaps and bounds.¡±


    ¡°Farrah Hurin,¡± Mrs West said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what her name is,¡± Barbou said. ¡°Only what impact she has on our plans.¡±


    The other three looked to Mr North, the first among equals. They waited as he sat in thoughtful silence, tapping a finger against his lips. Then the finger stopped.


    ¡°One week,¡± Mr North said. ¡°If we can move now, then we go at the earliest reasonable opportunity. Is that sufficient to root out any further problems regarding your predecessor, Mr East?¡±


    ¡°If you are willing to loan me some of your excellent investigators, Mr North. I am still building my own cadre of reliable people.¡±


    ¡°Done,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Mrs South, please coordinate with Mr East and take charge of looking into the Cabal¡¯s activities.¡±


    ¡°Are we truly going to gloss over this?¡± Mrs South asked. ¡°Our goal was to forge a place in a world turned to magic, not to burn that world down.¡±


    ¡°A wide-scale collapse of civic and social infrastructure does not obviate our objectives,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°You would leave us ruling over a pile of ash?¡± Mrs South asked.


    ¡°So long as we rule,¡± Mr North said. ¡°The complete collapse of the systems on which the Cabal and the Network have built their power bases will, at the last, bring us to parity. As the world rebuilds, we will finally stand as one of the tallest pillars.¡±


    Mrs South took a long, slow breath, then stood up.


    ¡°We are not the people we set out to become,¡± she said. ¡°In the beginning, our goal was to democratise magic. To take it from those who were hoarding it for themselves. Somewhere along the way, instead of defeating them, we became them. I have no illusions that I am good and I can live with that. I gave up on pulling down the tower for the chance to live on top of it, looking down at others like ants. But there is a difference between looking down on ants and using a glass to burn them. I may have given up on making the world better but I won¡¯t be party to burning it down.¡±


    In the wake of her tirade, the other three shared a look, then turned their gazes back to Mrs South.


    ¡°Are you certain?¡± Mr North asked. ¡°You understand the consequences of standing on what¡¯s left of your principles. You won¡¯t affect change. You won¡¯t make anything better for anyone but whoever we find to fill your seat. Someone who we will make sure does not share your compunctions. Only if you participate do you have any chance of steering events in the direction you want them to go. You can¡¯t stop it, but perhaps you can ameliorate it. Only by standing with us will you have the chance.¡±


    ¡°Mrs South,¡± Mrs West said, her face filled with reluctance. ¡°Audrey. If you go against us, you change nothing. You won¡¯t leave this room and you know that. I understand that staying the course might feel like a stain but do you want to die clean or actually make some kind of difference?¡±


    Mrs South turned around, placing her back to the table.


    ¡°I¡¯ll die clean.¡±


    ¡°¡­amateur footage of a figure that looks to be wrapped in an eerie garb made from the night itself. It doesn''t move like a human and what it does to the people in this video is not something a human can do. Perhaps not even something any human would, given the horrific results. The Vietnamese government denies this incident took place, claiming the video is a hoax, but we have found what we believe to be the site of this altercation and spoke to local residents. As you¡¯re about to see, these people believe the impossible is not as impossible as most of us believe¡­¡±


    Anna sighed, pausing the footage. She was in her office with Asya and Michael Aram, who was temporarily serving as Anna¡¯s assistant. Her normal assistant was not cleared for the information anticipated to pass over Anna¡¯s desk in the near future.


    ¡°How much traction is it getting?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s getting a lot of promotion amongst susceptible demographics,¡± Aram said. ¡°The mainstreaming of conspiracy rhetoric in the US is helping this along, and with their cultural influence, it¡¯s spreading far and digging deep. Most outlets are dismissing it but they¡¯re all playing it because it¡¯s content that gets people talking. The footage from the rolling gunfight here in Sydney is getting more play than ever.¡±


    ¡°How bad is this?¡± Anna asked Asya.


    ¡°The International Committee is throwing a fit,¡± Asya said. ¡°Not the local one in Canberra but Brussels, Berlin, Shanghai, New York, Johannesburg, Cairo¡­¡±


    Asya shook her head in resignation.


    ¡°There¡¯s an emergency video conclave going on as we speak,¡± she said. ¡°It was decided that there wasn¡¯t time to convene in person. I¡¯m not privy to what they¡¯re discussing, but the preliminary directions they¡¯re issuing speak volumes.¡±


    ¡°Which are?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°All branches are being instructed to prepare to enact breach protocols.¡±


    ¡°This is it, then?¡± Aram asked. ¡°The IC is ready to bite the bullet and go public?¡±


    ¡°The consensus is that the Engineers of Ascension will do it if we don¡¯t. Expect direction soon, and in the meantime, get ready to start working with local government officials. Those channels are going to be critical, now.¡±


    ¡°I think I always knew,¡± Anna said, looking at the frozen image of a cloaked Jason on the screen. ¡°From the moment that lunatic popped up, he was always going to be the one to bring it all down.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s fair,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± Anna said. ¡°It¡¯s hardly a secret that you¡¯re looking to be the coulis on his panna cotta.¡±


    Asya¡¯s body language closed off.


    ¡°I¡¯ll thank you to show some professionalism, Committeewoman Tilden. If I have any further directives from the International Committee, I¡¯ll see you receive them.¡±


    Anna winced as Asya stiffly left the office.


    ¡°Stress,¡± Anna said, pinching the bridge of her nose, ¡°is not improving my work performance. Aram, sort out a car. I''m going to be spending a lot of the upcoming time in the office, so I''m going to see my wife while I still can."


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Aram left, but shortly thereafter came running back, his feet pounding the tiled corridor.


    ¡°I take it this isn¡¯t about the car,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°The grid went down,¡± Aram said, his face flushed.


    ¡°A blackout here in Sydney?¡±


    Blackouts in major cities were always the most dangerous.


    ¡°Not a blackout,¡± Aram said. ¡°The grid went down. The whole grid. Everywhere.¡±

 Chapter 349: Contingencies

    ¡°I¡¯m sure Uncle Jason will be here soon,¡± Erika said to her sullen daughter.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what the big deal is,¡± Emi¡¯s friend Ruby said. ¡°You¡¯re always talking about your uncle but he¡¯s never around.¡±


    The beach birthday party was going well, although the ongoing absence of her uncle was increasingly ruining the birthday girl¡¯s mood.


    ¡°Mrs Asano, Miss Emi,¡± Shade said. ¡°Mr Asano is on his way.¡±


    ¡°Who said that?¡± Ruby asked, looking around. ¡°Is there a British man hidden somewhere? Is it a birthday surprise, because that would be weird.¡±


    ¡°Shade,¡± Erika hissed. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°The time for secrecy is over, Mrs Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°Mr Asano is coming to bring your family to the compound. Prepare them to go.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    She looked up, hearing a commotion, her eyes following the startled gazes and pointed hands to the street that ran along the beachfront. A huge black motorcycle hurtled along at a pace definitely outside the speed limit, a cloak of stars trailing behind like a comet¡¯s tail.


    The bike swerved off the road, over the grass and off the grassy embankment. Instead of dropping down to the sand, the bike erupted into a cloud of darkness. The rider glided through the air, his cloak swept out like wings of night, absorbing the cloud of shadows. The rider landed in front of Emi, the cloak draping around him. In the middle of the sunny day, surrounded by colourfully-clad children, it looked deeply incongruous.


    ¡°Sorry I¡¯m late,¡± Jason said. He ignored the crowd of people pulling out their phones to record.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Erika asked as her husband rushed up to join them. Ruby¡¯s parent likewise rushed over the sand, protectively standing in front of their daughter.


    ¡°Questions can wait,¡± Jason said. ¡°Right now, we go.¡±


    Erika opened her mouth to ask a question, processed what Jason had said and then paused.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said, nodding.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± Ruby¡¯s father asked. ¡°You¡¯re that thing from the news. The one that kills people!¡±


    A pair of silver eyes, shrouded in darkness turned on him and he felt a weight pressing down on his soul.


    ¡°Then you should probably watch your tone,¡± Jason said in the voice he normally saved for people about to die.


    ¡°Uncle Jason, that¡¯s my friend¡¯s Dad!¡±


    He looked down at his niece, then pushed the hood back off his head.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said. ¡°Happy birthday, Moppet, but we have to go. We¡¯re all moving to the compound. Today.¡±


    He opened a portal arch, which drew an audible reaction from the crowd.


    ¡°I need to round up the rest of the family,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll explain later, but things are about to get very, very bad.¡±


    Emi pushed past Ruby¡¯s parents to grab her friend by the arms.


    ¡°They have to come too,¡± she insisted.


    Jason looked at the fierce determination on the face of his niece and grinned.


    ¡°I have to get the rest of the family, so the portal closes in one minute,¡± he said. ¡°You have until then to convince them to step through.¡±


    ¡°I am not letting my daughter step into whatever the hell this is!¡±


    More of the Asano family were rushing up as Ian tried to calm down Ruby¡¯s father and Erika spoke to her mother. Some of the Asano family knew what was going on, while others did not and were startled to see Jason clad in magical darkness.


    ¡°Son, what¡¯s going on?¡± Ken asked as he ran onto the sand. Jason had rushed right past him earlier, up on the grassy embankment that bordered the beach. He had been with Hiro, who was following close behind his brother. Behind him was Taika, who had made an executive decision after seeing Jason in full regalia, as well as the portal he opened.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got the cake!¡± he yelled out carrying the box containing the birthday cake Erika had made. He took it straight through the portal without bothering to wait for anyone else.


    Jason turned to Ken and Hiro.


    ¡°Help me get the ones who don¡¯t know about everything through the portal,¡± he said. He was struck by the family resemblance as the brothers both nodded and got to work, turning to the still-gathering family members.


    Every Network facility on the planet was a frenzy of activity, and they were not alone. All around the world, military units that had worked with the Network were scrambling to expand their readiness for what was to come. Government bodies globally were enacting protocols developed with the Network, attempting to set logistics into place, rapidly introduce emergency legislation and accelerate a program of public awareness that the world was about to face an unprecedented threat.


    The public awareness component was the first to face a crucial impediment. As governments tried to broadcast public service announcements, media companies resisted, unleashing a barrage of legal challenges.


    Those challenges didn¡¯t completely shut down the flow of information but it was inflicting critical gaps in the knowledge that was going out to the public. With genuine information patchy and inconsistent, those gaps were being filled with speculation, conspiracy theories and outright disinformation. The results in different parts of the world ranged from social media flame wars to panic on the streets.


    The legal obstructionism of the media barons was clearly not going to hold up, with the first cases being struck down in hours. Every delay was costly, however, as proto-spaces appeared undetected around the globe. In less than three days, they would start spilling monsters directly into the world.


    Farrah had been part of an international task force with hundreds of members from Network branches all around the world to investigate the blackouts. While they had considered a complete collapse of grid functionality a low-probability outcome, contingency plans had been put into place and were currently being carried out.


    The core of the response was a program to actively search for proto-spaces by getting Network ritualists out into the field. Farrah¡¯s expertise and her studies of the grid had made her a lead in the contingency project, developing a ritual for just that purpose. It had to be simple enough to be employed by those with minimal ritualism skills, efficient enough that it wouldn¡¯t break the spirit coin bank yet wide-area enough to actually be worth using.


    Farrah had given Jason an item for his trip that allowed him to track proto-spaces, but replicating that item was not a viable solution. On top of the cost to mass-produce it, it was only able to find proto-spaces and not the apertures into them.  Only Jason had the power to enter the spaces directly.


    Although it was only a side project to the investigation into the grid blackouts, Farrah had taken the contingency ritual through several iterative improvements before disseminating it. It was simple enough that a ritualist in every branch had been made proficient in its use, which was paying off as they taught it to others in turn.


    The contingency plans being put into action were a poor substitute for the grid. In addition to tying up personnel and consuming resources, they could only monitor tiny slices of area compared to the coverage of the grid. As a result, the decision had been made to focus on thorough scanning of population centres over maximising total coverage. The result was that Network ritualists would be deployed prioritising population centres. Major cities were critical both for population and infrastructure, which made preventing monster outbreaks critical.


    The tradeoffs for this approach were not easy to swallow. The Network had the people to cover major cities in most of the developed world, but rural and isolated areas would be left unprotected. The impact on agricultural regions would be extreme once hordes of monsters were roaming the countryside but covering expansive regions with minimal population wasn¡¯t a viable option. The problem was the food shortages that this would eventually lead to.


    Some areas of the world lacked the proper Network coverage to cover even the major population centres. The area most impacted by this was Russia, which was largely dominated by the Cabal. The Network branches there had always been operating in a borderline state of effectiveness and the new challenges would be something they were not equipped to meet. The International Committee was working to remedy this but there were already too many fires to put out.


    The situation in Russia was part of the impetus for the Network to reach out to the Cabal. The places where the Network was weakest were often those where the Cabal was strongest and the idea of supplementing Network assets with cabal resources was being actively explored.


    ¡°Asano,¡± Anna called out as she emerged through the rooftop door. Kaito turned from where he was directing people as they loaded crates onto his helicopter.


    ¡°Committeewoman,¡± Kaito greeted after jogging from the helipad to meet her.


    ¡°I heard that some of my fellow committeepersons had conscripted you to take their scattered family members to their family compounds.¡±


    The members of the Steering Committee were all old family Network, including Anna herself. The kind of work the Asano family had done on their own compound, the old families had put in place decades ago. They didn¡¯t have the expertise of Farrah as a guiding hand, but the accumulated knowledge and resources of generations was not to be dismissed.


    ¡°You have your own family,¡± Anna continued. ¡°Things are going to get rough and you should make sure they¡¯re taken care of.¡±


    ¡°Jason is dealing with that,¡± Kaito said. ¡°He¡¯ll see them right and then come here to help with logistics. Right now, I¡¯m needed here. There¡¯s a lot more people than just our families who are going to need help.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Anna said. ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice that you aren¡¯t ferrying committee family members.¡±


    ¡°Farrah told them all to go jump,¡± Kaito said. ¡°She scares them.¡±


    ¡°She should. You¡¯re moving resources for the dimensional space detection contingency?¡±


    ¡°People, resources, whatever it takes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll let you get back to it, then,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Jason said he¡¯ll come here once our family has been rounded up,¡± Kaito said. ¡°He can move a lot of people through those portals of his, you should get him ferrying people. Let him sort out those committee people¡¯s families, if only to stop them throwing their weight around.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t your brother only portal to places he¡¯s been before?¡±


    ¡°Farrah had him scope out all the Network family compounds for reference before he went on his trip,¡± Kaito said. ¡°He can portal right to them.¡±


    Kaito turned and headed back for the helicopter. As he approached he snapped his fingers and it started spinning its rotors.


    Anna returned to the chaos of the operations centre, where Ketevan was marshalling the chaos like a general in the midst of battle. As Director of Operations, she had a lot more to do than Anna, whose oversight role had been reduced to Asya looping her in on International Committee directives as she passed them onto Ketevan. It had always been the case the IC didn¡¯t have actual authority over the branches but with a global crisis, any branch not getting with the program was dooming the people they should be protecting.


    Anna waited for a rare lull and made her way into what used to be her own office.


    ¡°Keti,¡± Anna said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty much useless at this point. Do you have anywhere I can make myself useful?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°We¡¯ve got a bunch of people coming in from the EOA looking to defect.¡±


    ¡°Defect?¡±


    ¡°The rank and file didn¡¯t know what the people in charge were doing. Once the grid went down, orders started coming in and a lot of them didn¡¯t like it when they realised what was happening. They¡¯ve started to approach Network branches all over looking to contribute.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a concern about infiltration?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°Of course there is,¡± Ketevan said. ¡°Right now, though, we need warm bodies and information, and they have both. I¡¯d love for you to take that whole mess off my hands.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Anna said. ¡°Point me in the right direction.¡±


    While the Network was in chaos, in a quiet, still and largely empty stretch of Arizona desert, an old shed sat a few miles from a town that wasn¡¯t much more than a gas station, a bar and a pervasive sense of having been left behind by life.


    No one had gone to the old building in years and the gate lock on the chain-link fence had long ago rusted shut. None of the locals remembered it being anything but abandoned, with the only surprise being that it hadn¡¯t fallen down yet.


    The building was largely empty, which made the two things that were present stand out. The more ordinary one was a 2002 Pontiac Firebird in pewter metallic, covered by a dusty car sheet.


    The other object was significantly more extraordinary, and likewise covered in a sheet. It was a glass cylinder filled with a liquid that only looked like water, radiating cold despite not being connected to any kind of cooling device. The truly unusual part was the naked woman floating in the liquid, neither truly alive nor truly dead.


    What the sheet did not cover was the magical diagram that had been cut into the concrete floor, seemingly with a saw, in a circle around the glass cylinder and its bizarre contents. It was covered in dirt and dust, as were the piles of spirit coins placed in locations around the circle.


    The small town did not have anyone with magic, regardless of what old Raquel would claim about her psychic powers. There was no one to sense the disembodied soul approach from the west, enter the building and slip into the body in the tank.


    After sitting dormant for many years, light started shining from the lines of the magical diagram on the floor. One by one, the spirit coins within it disappeared and the liquid within the tank started to glow. Finally, the now embodied soul, opened her eyes. The glass shattered sending icy liquid flooding across the floor and she staggered out, eyes blinking in confusion. She moved to the car, leaning heavily on it as she worked her lungs for the first time.


    Eventually her mind and body came into sync as her soul imprinted her memories onto the still-pliable brain. She was disoriented, uncertain as to how long the process had taken by the time she regained lucidity. She had never really expected it to work, but after what happened, she knew it was her only chance. If she had played along, they would have watched her every moment, ever ready to swing the axe. Better to take the risk and seize the initiative.


    She pulled the cover off the car and peered into the side mirror, seeing a face fifteen years younger than it should be looking back. It was not the face of Mrs South, which was a name she had now surrendered. She was once again Audrey Blaine, and she was hungry.

 Chapter 350: Humanity

    ¡­brother of celebrity chef Erika Asano, shown here actually appeared on his sister¡¯s cooking program. He was declared legally dead for a year and a half after an explosion in his apartment building, which the Victoria Police at the time put down to a gas explosion. Subsequent enquiries have revealed that the building in question had no gas service, pointing to a quick and quiet cover-up. This in turn leads to questions about how long authorities have known about Asano and what appear to be his extraordinary abilities¡­"


    ¡°You¡¯re more famous than Eri now, little brother,¡± Kaito said. ¡°Why did you make a big display on the beach like that? It wouldn¡¯t have taken you that much longer to do it quietly. Hell, with the commotion, it probably would have gone faster. Then you show your face with all those people using camera phones.¡±


    Jason and Kaito were watching news footage with the augmented reality goggles provided by Kaito¡¯s helicopter as they rapidly flew over the Australian outback. A passive ability from his swift essence let Kaito¡¯s helicopter outpace any ordinary helicopter, even at iron-rank. He had several active abilities that could give it a further boost but he was holding off on those.


    Endurance was the theme of the day as they used Kaito¡¯s helicopter to sweep the country for proto spaces. Even at Kaito''s speed, they couldn''t cover the whole country, but while Jason was busy shepherding the Steering Committee members'' families around, Kaito and the operations team were plotting out a plan that maximised coverage. Instead of a grid sweep, they would hop from one population centre to the next through inland Australia.


    The Network ritualists would stick to the coast, which required the least travel and had the most people. All in all, Australia had it quite lucky. Despite a landmass comparable to the contiguous United States, Australia had only a fraction of the population, almost all of which clung to the coast.


    The logistics of sweeping for proto-spaces wasn¡¯t easy, but it was less troublesome than if the country wasn¡¯t mostly empty. The simplified search ritual Farrah developed was being deployed alongside anyone with even a rudimentary grasp of ritual magic. Even Emi had been roped in, with Taika, Greg and the silver-ranker, Ruth as her protection detail. The now thirteen-year-old, courtesy of Farrah¡¯s personal instruction, was a better ritualist than many in the Network.


    Jason and Kaito weren¡¯t the only ones being sent inland to patrol the smaller centres, but they were the most efficient. Kaito¡¯s speed and Jason¡¯s ability to duck into a proto-space, assassinate the anchor monsters and leave again allowed them to cover more space than any other team in the country. Their schedule was to go inland across New South Wales, up through the Northern Territory, back east into Queensland and then loop back south through New South Wales to Sydney. They would be covering as much as a quarter of the country, or at least as much as they could before monsters started turning up.


    The grid compass Farrah had given to Jason for his walkabout originally worked by tapping into the Network¡¯s grid, alerting him to nearby proto-spaces. She had modified it to directly sense proto-spaces itself, which diminished its effectiveness, but not so much as to make it useless. It continued to trade off range for the inability to detect apertures, making it mostly useful to Jason.


    Other teams were roaming around, some of which had been given replica dimensional compasses. They were markedly less effective, however, lacking both Kaito''s mobility and Jason''s ability to enter a proto-space directly. This forced the other teams, on finding a proto-space, to take the time to hunt down the aperture and open it. Only then could strike teams move in to hunt the anchor monsters and negate the threat.


    Fortunately, the strike teams had been retrained by Farrah and were able to act with speed and confidence. It wasn¡¯t a match for Jason entering the astral space directly and hunting the anchor monsters with Shade¡¯s vehicle forms, but it was better than what had been possible a year earlier.


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand why you let people film you with your hood down,¡± Kaito said.


    ¡°What I can do is terrifying,¡± Jason said. ¡°Even in the other world, the way I fight had people comparing me to the monsters. In a very short amount of time, this world will start seeing monsters.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to be lumped in with what¡¯s coming,¡± Kaito realised. ¡°You¡¯re using this time before the dimensional entities start arriving to have the media humanise you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. For whatever reason, the EOA had been playing me up instead of shutting me down in terms of media coverage. I might as well use it."


    Audrey Blaine felt very odd as she drove along an Arizona highway. Her new body had been in stasis for more than a dozen years, the last remnant of a secret program whose progenitors were all dead. That was something she had made very sure of, a long time ago.


    Thirty years ago, a very secret collaboration of personnel from the Network, the Cabal and the Engineers of Ascension had been enacted, without their parent organisations being made aware. Researchers from each group came together in an attempt to take projects from each faction that had plateaued in their development and push them forward using the knowledge and the resources of the others.


    The resulting advancements in EOA and Cabal projects benefited both groups without either realising the source of the breakthroughs. The comparatively limited advancement of the Network programs proved the group¡¯s downfall as disgruntled Network researchers leaked the group¡¯s existence.


    The three factions proceeded to eliminate the group, with Audrey in charge of the EOA purge contingent. The EOA was delighted with what the group had delivered to them but were unwilling to allow the potential security risk should their long-term goals be compromised. The work done already was enough for the EOA to move forward on their own.


    That assignment had been the start of her rise as she ruthlessly excised the researchers. Her ambitions were what led her to assemble her own team to poach what they could, even as she was praised for destroying everything. In the wake of the program¡¯s seeming destruction, Audrey¡¯s hand-picked people continued.


    In the end, she became wary of her own researchers as her rising career brought increased scrutiny and their skeletons remained buried out in the desert. She purged everything except for one thing, the body she was now inhabiting.


    The body in the tank was based on a research path the original team rejected due to the extreme incorporation of Cabal and Network materials and methods. As this meant it couldn¡¯t be introduced to the mainstream EOA, the research path was redirected, despite the promising results. Audrey¡¯ own team had no such compunctions.


    The body in the tank was cloned from Audrey¡¯s own DNA by her team, who accepted means and methods that the original team had rejected. Biological material provided by the Cabal was heavily incorporated, its mystical properties maintained by processes learned from the Network.


    The EOA¡¯s modern converted people were much more advanced than the early version developed by the original secret research collaboration. The ability to create stable, silver-rank converted was the impetus for finally putting their plans into motion. Plans that had originated back with the crude, early, iron-rank converted.


    Even so, the converted remained relatively simple and almost synthetic in their powers and development. They were the result of external forces being applied to individuals, rather than building such individuals from the ground up.


    The key to the EOA methods had been the soul modification methods developed by the original team. Once they discovered that the critical element to accessing the soul was consent, the secrets of the Cabal and the Network allowed them to unlock the path to change, transforming ordinary people into magical powerhouses.


    Audrey¡¯s body was new to her but of an age with the early, iron-rank converted. Unlike the converted, though, her body¡¯s abilities were more holistic, inherent and exotic, courtesy of the biological material provided by the Cabal. She didn¡¯t know what had gone into the inception of her body, and even its creators had been unsure of what it would be capable of.


    The reason Audrey had kept this one project hidden away after eliminating even her own team was the magical connection she had to it. Audrey was the basis for the bulk of the body¡¯s biomass. The magic matrix that governed it, something possessed by all living things, was based on Audrey but reinforced using Network methodology.


    Audrey¡¯s team believed that the result was a latent bond that would allow Audrey herself to occupy the empty vessel should anything happen to her original body. This was similar to an ability some members of the Cabal enjoyed, creating empty vessel replicants of their bodies to be inhabited after death.


    So long as their souls never made it to the astral, this did not draw the attention of the Reaper. Once a soul entered the astral it was the Reaper¡¯s to govern, but until then it was the affair of the local death god, if any. The Reaper¡¯s concern was not with cheating death but coming back from it once the soul passed on to the astral.


    The bond served as a tether for the soul, guiding it to the new body. It was the reason she had refused the magical augmentations that her position in the EOA offered. Although the potential of the bond was untested, she did not want to risk severing it. It was the reason why she had looked the eldest of the Four Cardinals, despite Mr North and Mrs West both being her senior.


    After all those years, Audrey had finally tested it out, with success that both surprised and relieved her. Her new body felt strong and potent, although it was possessed of an unnerving power that she was yet to understand. She felt like a child wearing new clothes that had been bought for her to grow into.


    One thing about her body she was very aware of, was that it was hungry for power. The car had contained a small fortune in spirit coins taken from the Network years previous; mostly bronze coins but even some precious silvers. The first thing she had done after steadying herself enough to move around properly was to shove bronze coins into her mouth, one after the other. Each left the electric tingle on her tongue of licking a battery but their power felt hollow, like diet soda of the soul. Ten of the coins vanished into her mouth before she was sated. She felt a craving for the silver coins but steeled herself to keep them in reserve.


    Her senses were far more powerful than those she had had in her old body. More than once as she drove along the highway she had been forced to pull over with vertiginous sensory overload. Even the monochrome, empty desert was capable of overwhelming her. She saw things far in the distance; colours she didn¡¯t know existed. The dry air on her skin told a story of the weather and her location that she understood on an instinctive level. She had the concerning sensation of the instincts behind that sense not being entirely human.


    Sitting the driver¡¯s seat by the side of the road as her dizzyingly overwhelming senses settled once more, she considered her options moving forward. The smart move would ordinarily be to stay dead, collect the resources she had hidden away and live quietly on a beach somewhere. With the complications likely to arise from her new body and a world facing a monster apocalypse, this was not a viable approach.


    The EOA¡¯s plan was precipitously close to the next phase, the media interference preventing the Network from effectively seizing the initiative before the monsters started to appear. She couldn¡¯t go back the EOA, nor would she. There was the Cabal, with whom she had contacts, and they might even see her as one of their own, now. She had no idea what their response to the EOA¡¯s actions would be, though, and she would be tarred with the same brush, even after leaving them.


    That meant the Network. She didn¡¯t have as strong connections there but she did have leverage. The information she possessed was exactly what they were going to need. Even so, she hesitated. They would likely be even more hostile than the Cabal and there was an outside chance some local goon might decide to torture what she knew out of her. It was unlikely anyone would take the risk with what was currently at stake, but it was something she was wary of.


    She thought about what she had done, standing up to the other cardinals. She was not a decent human being. The decent part was long gone and now the human part was gone with it. But there had to be a line. She wasn¡¯t going to become a monster, which is why she could not tolerate letting civilisation crumble in a grasp for power.


    She''d had to walk to the gas station to get the car running. The petrol in the can in the shed had long since degraded. Fortunately, the money stash had not. She¡¯d bought a cheap burner phone while she was there but she didn¡¯t have any of her contacts saved. Like everyone else, she had given up memorising phone numbers years before. She did know where to find the Network branch in Phoenix though, so once her head cleared, she started up the car and continued on.


    Jason and Kaito were flying over an Indigenous community in the Northern Territory that wasn¡¯t large enough to be spared a Network presence, which was true of most of the outback. Jason blurred and vanished from the passenger seat of the helicopter as he phased into the proto-space. It was something that continued to unnerve Kaito, even when he knew it was coming.


    Kaito landed to rest and recover some mana, consuming an iron-rank coin for himself and feeding one to the helicopter through a slot on the outside of the helicopter. The slot had originally been in the cockpit but every person who saw him use a spirit coin on the helicopter made a coin-operated joke. Now, when he conjured the helicopter, the coin intake was located in a discreet spot on the exterior.


    Twenty minutes later, his helicopter detected a strong aura burst a few kilometres away and he moved to pick Jason up. Jason had emerged from the proto-space after hunting the anchor monsters.


    ¡°Any problems?¡± Kaito asked as Jason stepped aboard.


    ¡°Nah, the anchor monsters were only bronze. No flyers, either, so Shade just flew me right over the trash. It would be nice if I could bring you into the spaces with me."


    ¡°We both know that won¡¯t be happening.¡±


    Jason could only transition into proto-spaces alone and there was no way Kaito trusted Jason enough to enter his spirit vault.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°There is an issue that has arisen at the family compound.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t we decide to call it Asano Village?¡±


    "That proposal was rejected," Shade said. "Discussions are ongoing, although the situation is generally too chaotic for such organisational concerns. There is still some contention as to the necessity of moving to the compound, despite your warnings and demonstrations."


    ¡°People have been watching the stories that say I¡¯m either a hoax or a killer?¡±


    ¡°They have,¡± Shade said. ¡°The latest family-related problem is quite different, however. A woman has arrived from Japan claiming that she wants to test your worthiness to carry the Asano name.¡±


    ¡°Bugger that,¡± Kaito said. ¡°No one gets to tell us if we can carry our own damn name.¡±


    Jason glanced at his brother and they shared a nod.


    ¡°Damn right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What would you like me to do until you get back, Mr Asano?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°Find that lady and tell her to park her worthiness where the sun doesn¡¯t shine.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Shade said. ¡°If you do not mind, however, I would prefer to paraphrase.¡±

 Chapter 351: Media Blitz

    Jeremy Westin was surprised to find a freshly-sealed road leading all the way into the isolated bushland area. He followed it to a gate in a chain wire fence, where a sign marked further progress as a private road. There seemed to be something off about the fence but he would need to look closer to identify what it was.


    Next to the gate a was a security booth. It was circular and made up almost entirely of mirrored glass that didn¡¯t allow him to see inside, giving it an unnerving panopticon effect. The fence intersected the circle in the middle, leaving half of the building on each side of the fence. The glass building was incongruously modern amongst the pleasant, bushland surrounds. He wondered about the legality of something that could throw off blinding reflections, although it didn''t seem to be doing that at all, despite the sunshine beaming right onto it. Taking a second look, the lack of glare coming off of it was actually quite unusual.


    Jeremy pulled up in front of the gate, turned off his car and waited. No one came out and he wondered if the small building wasn''t the security station he assumed but some kind of art installation. He stepped out, looking closer at the fence. Instead of the traditional chain-link pattern, the wiring on this fence was deeply varied, as if someone had tried to make a tapestry from a wire fence. The fence also looked a little different in texture and colour to steel mesh he¡¯d seen in the past, but that could easily be a matter of the galvanisation process.


    The wiring was shaped into what looked like ideographs from a language he didn¡¯t know, and not the same ones in a loop. He suspected that someone who knew the language in question would be able to read the fence like a book, although what language that was eluded him. The closest thing he had seen was hieroglyphs developed by Catholics trying to convert First Nations people in Canada.


    He heard a helicopter faintly overhead, although he didn¡¯t spot it when he craned his neck to look for it. He walked up to the glass building, of which the only non-glass portion was a steel section on each side where the fence terminated against the wall. There did not appear to be doors. Walking around as much as he could, the building seemed to be made from two complete, unbroken glass curves, one on each side of the fence. He tried cupping his hands to peer through the glass but its reflective surface was impenetrable.


    It turned out that there was a door, so seamlessly integrated that Jeremy had missed it entirely. A panel of glass retracted, slightly, with a  quiet hiss of air, before sliding out of the way. It would have revealed the interior of the building if not for an interior wall made of M¨¡ori.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Taika said. ¡°Who are you, and why can¡¯t you read the sign? It¡¯s a private road, bro. How about you bugger off so I can go back to looking up photos of Jason Statham with hair?¡±


    Jeremy opened his mouth to speak but a voice behind him beat him to the punch.


    ¡°He¡¯s a journalist. Telling them to leave just encourages them.¡±


    Jeremy turned around to see the person behind him. He recognised the face of Jason Asano from the storm of media surrounding the reveal of the two personas, the Starlight Rider and the Starlight Angel. First had come the Angel at the children''s hospital, then the Rider in a rolling gunfight on motorcycles. From the beginning, there was debate over whether the two were the same, given that one brought life and the other death.


    Rumours linking them to events across Asia and then Africa only fuelled speculation, culminating in the West Africa EVD outbreak. Despite denials from humanitarian workers, rumours persisted of a man who passed through the camps like a miracle healer.


    The person healing people in camps was not draped in starlight but described as a mixed-race Asian man. The parallels with the first stories of the Starlight Angel were obvious, however. It was in the wake of this that a small team of journalists starting putting the pieces together and bringing all the events to light. They dug up amateur phone footage, suppressed news stories and myriad firsthand accounts.


    Debate flared as to whether the reported events really did or even could take place. The stories and even the footage was so fantastical that most of it was dismissed as hoaxes and film manipulation. Was the Rider, filmed horrifically killing groups of people, the same Starlight Angel being praised as a merciful messenger from God? The reported appearance of other figures, including the dark riders shown in the helicopter news footage from Sydney only muddied the waters.


    When the government started releasing a series of inconsistent and ominous public announcements, suddenly there was an explosion in new information about the enigmatic man of starlight. New stories, new footage. A whole slew of reports from China, reportedly suppressed by the government, of a man helping earthquake victims with superhuman powers.


    Then the Rider revealed his identity in a small coastal town in New South Wales, captured in a bevy of phone footage. It was so blatant that there was little doubt that the Rider revealed himself to the world on purpose, but he literally vanished. Recordings of the incident showed many people, primarily Asano¡¯s family, appearing to vanish through a magic archway.


    Once again there were claims of hoax and doctored footage. Even so, the media immediately turned piranha, descending on the sleepy beach town in a frenzy. What they discovered was that every member of the Asano family had decamped from the town entirely, leaving reporters to scour the town for whatever they could find.


    Information started coming in thick and fast. Jason Asano was the brother of a celebrity chef, and footage of his appearances was being juxtaposed with footage from his activities as the Rider. The joking man bantering with his sister as they demonstrated recipes together was a world away from the one massacring drug-fuelled bikers or fighting like a demon when corner and outnumbered in a Hanoi slum. There was no recorded footage of him ever healing anyone, despite the repeated stories.


    The fact that he had been declared legally dead in a hastily covered-up explosion was a key focus of media analysis. Some even postulated that the current Jason Asano was actually an impostor, citing physical differences from his television appearances before and after his reported demise.


    Jeremy had sent one of his junior reporters to Casselton Beach, along with the gaggle from other outlets, where unusual stories were turning up from interviewed townsfolk. Asano driving around in a variety of black supercars or being filmed performing elaborate feats of parkour in a park. Some local teenagers found their view counts hitting the stratosphere as their recordings of Jason''s parkour antics were revealed in the mainstream media.


    Those videos fuelled further speculation regarding an unknown woman apparently putting Asano¡¯s young niece through a rigorous training program, including after Jason stopped appearing. That the timing coincided with the activities around the world only cemented Jason as the man of mystery.


    Interviews with locals revealed that Asano had been living on an enormous houseboat that appearing out of nowhere one morning and was now gone, just as mysteriously. The houseboat seemed to be a hub of strange activity, from a science-fiction looking helicopter coming and going to strange lights at night to people flying over the water in jet suits that had yet to be released anywhere in the world, let alone, Australia.


    The sum total of all these oddities was a media vortex that threatened to swallow up the public warnings being issued as people tried to find the man who could reportedly perform miracles. As a professional participant in the media landscape, Jeremy recognised that something with a lot of power was pushing the Asano narrative hard. There was a lot of interest in the story, to be sure, but his seasoned sensibilities told him that someone wanted the story painting over whatever else might be going on.


    Even so, investigating that meant, like everyone else, investigating Asano. Doing his legwork, he managed to dig up some information about land purchases by Asano¡¯s uncle. Looking into Hiro Asano, he discovered that Hiro had been connected to organised crime in Sydney, until just before Jason Asano rose from the grave. At that point he completely extricated himself and moved back to his hometown, living on Jason¡¯s houseboat


    Further digging led Jeremy to well-buried records relating to a construction project on the expensive chunk of bushland Hiro had purchased. Suspecting this to be the location of the vanished Asano family, Jeremy had come to investigate and now found himself face-to-face with Jason Asano.


    There was no indication of how Jason had arrived unnoticed. There was no other vehicle and they were standing in open bushland. At a glance, he seemed a world away from the stories surrounding him, leaning casually against Jeremy¡¯s car in shorts, sandals and a Decepticons t-shirt. He had a look of amusement on his face but something in his eyes left Jeremy unsettled. It left him feeling naked, as if Asano was looking at his very soul.


    ¡°Hello, Mr Westin,¡± Jason said. ¡°Taika, this is Jeremy Westin. He runs an independent news website called The Westin Front; one of a handful trying to squeak around the media monopoly and do some actual journalism. His speculation about the terrorist readiness exercises has been way off the mark but he¡¯s usually pretty good.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re Jason Asano,¡± Jeremy said.


    ¡°So people keep telling me, but I saw on the news that I¡¯m actually someone else.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°No. Everyone changes, Mr Westin. I¡¯m not exceptional in that regard.¡±


    Jeremy heard fake coughing behind him.


    Cough ¡°¨Cload of bull shi¨C¡± cough.


    Jeremy turned to look at the giant M¨¡ori. He turned back to Asano to see that his car had vanished.


    ¡°My car.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll take mine,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yours?¡±


    A terrifying cloud of shadows erupted from Asano, then coalesced into what looked an oversized black hypercar that would not have looked out of place in a batman movie.  The gullwing doors opened of their own volition and Jason ducked into the driver¡¯s seat. Jeremy stood frozen on the spot, eyes like poached eggs. He almost stumbled over when Taika gave him an encouraging slap on the back. Jason leaned over in the car to speak to Jeremy though the open door.


    "Mr Westin ¨C can I call you Jeremy? Jeremy, I don''t have a lot of time, for reasons that will become apparent with tragic alacrity. That means that I need you to make a choice now: either get in and learn the single biggest secret on this planet or I give your car back and you leave. You¡¯re the first to find us, but your contemporaries will be close behind and I can give one of them the story instead.¡±


    Jeremy blinked, still getting over the one-two punch of overt magic and a back slap that seemed to have realigned several vertebrae. He warily entered the car, looking around at the interior like it would champ down and bite him. The gullwing doors closed and his face showed a trapped expression.


    ¡°So what do you think of the security booth?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What? Uh, it¡¯s an odd piece of glasswork. That reflective treatment seems unusual.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not actually glass,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s the cool thing. It¡¯s an aluminium-based ceramic. With a few tweaks.¡±


    In front of them, the gate started rolling aside and Jeremy¡¯s eyes fell on the fencing again.


    ¡°Tweaks?¡± he asked. ¡°Like the wire on the fence?¡±


    ¡°Good eye,¡± Jason said as the car started moving. Jeremy noticed that Asano wasn¡¯t touching the steering wheel or the pedals, but he¡¯d conjured the car out of solid shadows, so that wasn¡¯t really worth mentioning.


    ¡°Things are about to get crazy,¡± Jason said. ¡°The big news companies are using me to mask the very important warnings trying to go out, although I think the government announcements are doing better in countries where more than two companies are owning ninety percent of the media. I don¡¯t have to tell you that.¡±


    ¡°Why are you showing me these things?¡± a rattled Jeremy asked.


    "Because either today or tomorrow, an interdimensional war with an endless, unrelenting enemy is going to start across the world."


    ¡°What?¡±


    Jason drew into the main thoroughfare of the family village, parking in front of the large residence. Erika was waiting for him out front. The street was awash with activity, with many stopping to look as Jason pulled up. Mostly they were Asanos, but not all. Jason spotted Taika''s mum loudly directing people as she organised something inside of the gathering halls. She gave Jason a wave and then went back to yelling at some of Jason''s cousins who had paused in the process of carrying a table.


    ¡°What¡¯s up, Eri?¡± Jason asked as he stepped out of the car.


    ¡°Shade tells me you¡¯ve been explaining magic to a reporter.¡±


    ¡°Someone is clearly building up a specific narrative. I figure that we use the attention on me to put our own out there.¡±


    ¡°Ignoring the fact that what you just described is the network¡¯s job, not ours, Shade told me that you were doing the explaining yourself.¡±


    ¡°Who else was going to do it?¡±


    ¡°Shade, or anyone else that isn¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°He needs to know.¡±


    ¡°Assuming that¡¯s true, you¡¯re literally the worst person to explain it to him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that bad.¡±


    ¡°So you haven¡¯t been dropping bombs with zero context to see how googly you can make his eyes go?¡±


    ¡°Shade, you¡¯re a traitor,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Fun is for people with time,¡± Shade said from Erika¡¯s shadow. ¡°We have very little of it, so I decided that your sister would be the better introduction for Mr Westin. All you did was unnerve the man for your own amusement.¡±


    Jason groaned his concession and he and Erika turned to where Jeremy was still in the car. Jeremy yelped as the car dissolved into darkness around him and he fell to the ground while the shadows were being drawn into Jason¡¯s shadow. Jason helped Jeremy to his feet as a motorised scooter came zipping along the thoroughfare.


    ¡°Uncle Jason!¡±


    Emi didn''t fully stop the scooter before stepping off, allowing the momentum to carry her into a power hug.


    ¡°G¡¯day, Moppet,¡± Jason said, returning the hug. "I thought you''d be off working for the Network."


    ¡°Farrah had them assign me to Coffs because it¡¯s closer to home. I have my own security escort!¡±


    ¡°Someone reliable, I hope.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Ruth and Greg, since they aren¡¯t working with Uncle Kai right now.¡±


    Jason could sense them both, meandering in the direction of the main thoroughfare. Emi didn''t need constant guarding when she was with family.


    ¡°Speaking of Kai,¡± Erika said, ¡°Jason, how long before you two are back in the air?¡±


    ¡°Enough time to sleep,¡± Jason said. ¡°Once Kaito is back at full charge, we¡¯re back at it. The goal is to set up a series of potential teleport destinations so I can get around the country by hopscotching portals. I can portal to anyplace I can halfway remember, so I¡¯m just hanging out on various places while Kaito takes a break. ¡±


    ¡°Let me take care of the journalist,¡± Erika said. ¡°Emi can take you to our other guest and then I¡¯ll bring the reporter back to you for an interview before you hit the sack.¡±


    ¡°The other guest being our Japanese visitor?" Jason asked. He could already sense an unfamiliar silver-ranker. She was a core-user but her aura had none of the usual sloppiness. Instead, it was clean and sharp.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Erika confirmed.


    As Jason¡¯s thoughts drifting to core users, he noticed the absence of his sister in law.


    ¡°Amy¡¯s not here?¡± Jason asked.


    "She''s still organising civic preparedness for when things kick-off," Erika said.


    The Casselton region was too scattered to warrant a permanent Network scanning presence. The Network had foisted the area onto Jason, despite his having evacuated his family. It wouldn¡¯t take too much of his time to portal in and check the area for proto-spaces every couple of days between patrols. The concern was that a manifestation out of his dimensional compass range could lead to a dimensional breach in a neighbouring area. Once the monsters arrived, there was nothing to stop them from wandering in.


    For this reason, Amy, as mayor, was preparing to commandeer all the accommodation in the tourist towns of Casselton Beach, Castle Heads and Casselton North. They all fell comfortably inside the range of the compass, if used in the central town of the three, Castle Heads.


    Once people started realising the new reality about to descend on them, Amy would be ready to collect most of the regional populace into the three towns. It wouldn¡¯t prevent monsters arriving from out of range but was better than just leaving people to their fates. Few small towns had as much protection.


    ¡°Alright, Jeremy,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave you in the capable hands of my sister while I go deal with the Next Damn Thing. Emi, lead the way.¡±

 Chapter 352: Grandmotherly Advice

    ¡°We¡¯ve got her in the guest wing of the main house,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°There¡¯s a guest wing?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s better than the holding cells, plus only Farrah would be able to get her in there.¡±


    ¡°There are holding cells?¡±


    ¡°Farrah thought we would need somewhere to handle intruders until we figure out what to do with them. Plus, a drunk tank. We even have a magically reinforced divvy van. It¡¯s all in the administration quarter.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s thorough planning, I guess.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s up here,¡± Emi said as she pointed at the section of the main residence ahead of them. Jason stopped walking.


    ¡°No she¡¯s not,¡± he said.


    ¡°She¡¯s meant to be,¡± Emi pouted.


    Jason ruffled his niece¡¯s hair and she shoved his hand away, annoyed.


    ¡°It seems she wanted a look around. You run off, Moppet, and I¡¯ll sort it out.¡±


    ¡°I want to see.¡±


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason said.


    Shadows emerged out of Jason and Emi¡¯s shadows, wreathing Emi in a jet suit that took off and flew her away with a yelp.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get you Uncle Jason!¡± her voice rang out of the village as Jason laughed, giving her a wave as she disappeared over a rooftop.


    Asano Akari watched a girl spitting invective fly past the rooftop on which she was crouched. She frowned at the unusual sight.


    ¡°There are dark days ahead,¡± a voice said and she stood up, whirling to face it. She hadn¡¯t sensed his presence at all, despite her silver-rank hearing and aura senses. She still couldn¡¯t make out his aura despite his being close enough that she should be able to smell him, which she couldn¡¯t.


    ¡°We should take our fun where we can get it,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s sadness enough to come.¡±


    ¡°You are Asano Jason.¡±


    ¡°Seriously, what is with people? Do I have amnesiac tattooed on my forehead?¡±


    ¡°I am Asano Akari,¡± she said.


    ¡°G¡¯day. I know we named this place Asano Village but you came an awful long way to visit.¡±


    Examining the woman, Jason was struck by how much the woman resembled the sword at her hip. Her body and aura both were lean and sharp. The way she moved was swift, precise and efficient. Her hair was cinched back in a practical ponytail, her clothes were sleek and fitted while her face had the polished perfection of silver-rank. Although they did not look the same, Jason couldn¡¯t help but be reminded of his first encounter with Sophie. This woman was all sharp edges.


    He glanced at the sword hanging from her belt. It was a chokut¨­, a Japanese straight sword, and his magical senses told him it wasn''t conjured. It was a genuine magical item of exquisite craftsmanship, at least physically. For the magical component, he would need to look closer.


    People with weapon essences fell into three camps. One conjured their weapons, usually with multiple options for multiple situations. Another used the best weapon of their type that they could find, using their abilities to enhance them further. The last type did both, using their real weapon personally and employing conjured weapons for various unusual attacks and abilities. The weapon essence users Jason knew well, Valdis and Gary, fell into the second category, although he had met individuals of all three types.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been told why you''re here," Jason said, "but that didn''t come across as very flattering as regarding your intentions. How about you tell me about why you''ve come here and we go from there."


    She looked Jason over. He looked like anyone off the street with his casual clothes, but his undetectable aura gave that the lie. He seemed to be standing at ease, but she could spot his careful balance, ready to move in an instant.


    ¡°You are of the assassination type,¡± she said.


    ¡°If you could call a man with an axe a tree assassin,¡± Jason replied. ¡°It takes some hacking away to get the job done.¡±


    ¡°You accumulate damaging effects instead of making a decisive strike. Unusual for someone with a focus on stealth.¡±


    ¡°Really? When you¡¯re waiting for a monster the size of a traditional rustic cottage to die, good stealth feels like exactly the thing you want, trust me.¡±


    ¡°Many believe that our powers reflect our true natures. Your way of fighting lacks honour.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason agreed with a chuckle, looking at the sword on her hip. ¡°Honour is how people with fancy swords fight people with sticks and claim it¡¯s a fair fight.¡±


    ¡°That is a poor characterisation of honour.¡±


    ¡°And you came to my house to tell me I have none, which is a poor demonstration of respect.¡±


    Akari nodded, acknowledging the point.


    ¡°I passed the first test, then?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Something along the lines of not flipping out when provoked?¡±


    ¡°The assessment is ongoing,¡± Akari said.


    ¡°Then the next question is what gives you the right to come here to judge me and mine?¡±


    ¡°My family has been part of the Network of centuries. When you rose to prominence, we investigated your background and we do, indeed, have a shared ancestor.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fun fact that doesn¡¯t answer my question. How far back is this ancestor, out of curiosity?¡±


    ¡°Early Edo period,¡± she said.


    ¡°The seventeenth century? Not exactly second cousins, then, are we? Which makes me wonder again why I should give a damn about anything you have to say about how we do things here.¡±


    ¡°My family believes in honour, dignity¨C¡±


    ¡°You keep talking about your family but I didn¡¯t ask about them and I don¡¯t care. State your business.¡±


    She gave him a flat, steely glare that had no discernible impact.


    ¡°We have neither the right nor any interest in telling your family how to behave,¡± Akari said. ¡°How you handle your affairs is your concern and your concern alone.¡±


    ¡°Glad we got that settled,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t know where you parked but the guy at the gate will let you out. I think they¡¯ll start closing airports pretty soon, so you might want to get a move on.¡±


    ¡°My family is well known in Network circles,¡± she said.


    ¡°Aaaand we¡¯re back to the family. If there¡¯s any kind of point you¡¯re edging up on, that would be great. It¡¯s kind of a busy week for me.¡±


    "You have started to shape your family into a clan," she said. "How you conduct yourselves is not our affair, but you share our name. If you flounder and collapse, that reflects on us, fairly or not. We don¡¯t care what you do, only that you are strong. Right now, your nascent clan stands or falls with you.¡±


    ¡°So you came to make sure I had the goods so this whole project doesn¡¯t collapse in a pile and make you look bad.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°So what happens now?¡± Jason asked. ¡°We fight?¡±


    ¡°That would be pointless,¡± Akari said. ¡°Your capability in that area is well-documented, but you cannot carry a clan on the strength of arms alone. You need leadership. Management. Foresight. You need to choose subordinates well and raise your people up as a whole. You have to weather setbacks and resolve challenges. Know when to stand firm and when to bend. This last one is something we have heard may be your weakness, yet can be the most important.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like the kind of assessment where you do a quick few interviews and pass out a survey,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No. It will be extensive, carried out in a time of challenge and transition. If you can thrive in the coming days then we will be satisfied.¡±


    ¡°And why should we put up with any of this?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You have no authority over me or my people and acting like you do is kind of giving me the irk.¡±


    ¡°For the duration of the assessment, you will have something that your fledgling clan very much needs: an additional, expert category three.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll come work for us while you¡¯re doing your little checks?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll actually do what you¡¯re told? We already have the obnoxiously independent leadership position filled.¡±


    ¡°I will act is directed, within reason, and make clear beforehand when asked to operate beyond the limits I am willing to tolerate.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll take it to the family and we¡¯ll talk it out. What happens if we tell you to take a hike?¡±


    ¡°Then I will leave and we will hope that your clan is consumed in the coming crisis, which is an acceptable demise that will not reflect poorly on us. Should you survive, once things have settled, then further action will be considered.¡±


    ¡°Good to know.¡±


    Jason sought out his paternal grandmother. Her name was Yumi, although anyone that used it got a glare that stung like a slap across the ear. Yumi had been fully versed in magic during Jason¡¯s time away, through the Network¡¯s induction program.


    She had one of the bushland residences, nestled amongst the trees. Jason sensed her up on the balcony and leapt two stories up with his cloak floating around him, which disappeared as he alighted on the wooden floor.


    ¡°Polite people knock,¡± Yumi told him from over a cup of tea. She was sitting at an outdoor table made from native wood.


    ¡°I was hoping you could help me with something, Grandmother.¡±


    ¡°This is about our visitor?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only member of the family who was actually Japanese. I was hoping you could share some insights.¡±


    Yumi had come over from Japan with her late husband, shortly before their first child was born. Things had not been easy for Japanese immigrants in the seventies, but they had thrived, eventually becoming naturalised citizens.


    Jason talked Yumi through his conversation with Akari.


    ¡°What do you think she really wants?¡± Jason asked. ¡°There¡¯s no way the Japanese Network gives up someone of her skill and power now. Even if she was already on her way here when the grid went down, they should have had her on a plane home immediately. They definitely shouldn¡¯t be offering her up for some open-ended service to a fledging Network family in a different country.¡±


    Yumi had quietly taken in Jason¡¯s explanation and did not respond immediately, sipping delicately at her tea.


    ¡°Jason, I have heard it said that you and Miss Hurin are extremely valuable to the Network. Without your usual braggadocio and nonsense, how valuable are you, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Priceless,¡± Jason said. ¡°So long as we cooperate, we represent knowledge and resources that doesn¡¯t stop paying off. We¡¯ve been offering it on the cheap, too, because protecting the world from monsters is the goal, not a means to profiteer from.¡±


    ¡°There is your answer, then,¡± Yumi said. ¡°The Asano Network family in Japan want to use our connection, tenuous as it is, to gain advantages from you.¡±


    ¡°Then why come in so aggressively like this?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°To save face. Their intention is to offer you a service in providing an expert when you need it most. They most likely believe that you will feel obligated to return the favour should their darkest day come to pass. This woman is not here to judge you but as an overture. How she is conducting herself is simply a show of strength, so as for her Asano family to not show weakness in front of ours, maintaining their face."


    ¡°Do you think we should accept that overture?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That depends,¡± Yumi said. ¡°Would she truly be an asset to us?¡±


    ¡°With the state the family is in and what is about to happen? Absolutely. It will be years before we produce our own people even close to her calibre."


    "Then are you willing to reciprocate, when the time comes?"


    ¡°I think that¡¯s something I can live with,¡± Jason said. ¡°Provided there aren¡¯t any unseen dangers lurking below the surface.¡±


    Yumi nodded her approval.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°Make sure that this isn¡¯t an attempt to lure you into some specific troubles.¡±


    ¡°If I find something out, we turn her away, then?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Yumi said. ¡°If she¡¯s hiding something then we don¡¯t reject her. If they are dealing with us in bad faith, we close our fist around them.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Jason said. ¡°We don¡¯t turn her away but demand more.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Yumi said. ¡°So long as you are confident of handling whatever mess they want to bring you into, we milk them for all they¡¯re worth.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call a meeting of the family to make a final decision, then.¡±


    He moved to jump off the balcony when his grandmother spoke and he paused.


    ¡°Jason,¡± she said. ¡°Did I ever tell you that you were my favourite grandchild?¡±


    ¡°No, Grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Good, because you¡¯re not. You are coming along, though.¡±


    Jason chuckled and leapt over the railing, leaving his smiling grandmother behind.

 Chapter 353: A Bloke With Vast Cosmic Power

    On a busy Sydney street, people backed off as an archway filled with darkness rose up in the middle of the footpath. Some quick thinkers immediately pulled out their phones, so when, after a few moments, two figures emerged from the arch, they were able to capture it. One was wearing dark robes and impossibly draped in a starry void, while the other was looking rather shell shocked.


    Jason pushed the hood back from his head as he looked around.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t pick very well,¡± he said. ¡°Nowhere to park. I feel bad about disrupting traffic.¡±


    He walked into the street where the cars were only crawling along, standing in the path of a car so it stopped. The car ahead slowly moved forward to a full car length, at which point Jason took Jeremy¡¯s car from his inventory, which dropped about thirty centimetres to the road with a crunching sound.


    ¡°Oops. How¡¯s your suspension? Never mind, just hurry. We¡¯re holding up traffic, here.¡±


    He turned to Jeremy, who was throwing up in the gutter as more people pulled out their phones.


    ¡°Get it together, mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve got a story to do. Time to get moving, cobber.¡±


    Jason helped Jeremy to his feet and led him into the driver¡¯s seat of his car. While a queasy Jeremy was getting settled, Jason looked at the car he had forced to stop. The driver had opened the door to half get out and was also filming with his phone. Jason wandered over to him.


    ¡°Sorry about this mate. You know what it¡¯s like finding a park, yeah.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really him.¡±


    ¡°Yep. What¡¯s your name, mate?¡±


    ¡°Sanjit.¡±


    ¡°Nice to meet you, Sanjit. Sorry about Jeremy, there. It¡¯s his first time teleporting and he¡¯s not handling it all that well.¡±


    ¡°How do you do those things?¡± Sanjit asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got magic powers, Sanjit. Seems crazy, I know, but the spectrum of what constitutes crazy is about to be drastically realigned. There might be some panic, and people always hoard toilet paper when that happens, so I¡¯d advise stocking up now and beating the rush. Hang on a sec.¡±


    Jason moved up to Jeremy¡¯s car, where Jeremy had finally settled into the driver¡¯s seat, wide-eyed.


    ¡°Time to get a shuffle on, bloke,¡± Jason said through the window.


    Jeremy gave a dazed nod, started his car and slowly edged it forward. Jason went back to Sanjit.


    ¡°I¡¯m suddenly worried if he¡¯s okay to drive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Looks like I¡¯ve caused bit of a hullabaloo, so I¡¯m going to make myself scarce. It was nice to meet you, Sanjit.¡±


    ¡°Uh, you too. You¡¯re not what I expected.¡±


    Jason chuckled and shook Sanjit¡¯s hand.


    ¡°I¡¯m just an ordinary bloke with vast cosmic power, trying to get by.¡±


    Jason flashed him a grin and then went back to the portal, where people were experimentally poking it with their fingers.


    ¡°Excuse I,¡± Jason said as he stepped through it and vanished, the portal descended into the ground, leaving a line of darkness that then too disappeared.


    Returning to Asano Village, Jason was ready for some overdue rest, but first arranged a meeting of the family decision-makers to take place after he woke up. He took the secret tunnel tram from the main residence, out under the water to where his cloud house now sat at the bottom of the sea. The hidden tram system had been brought online with the rest of the village''s magic infrastructure.


    Farrah¡¯s systems were collecting and delivering magic from elsewhere to fuel it, but certain systems had to be supplemented with spirit coins. Fortunately, Jason had no shortage of iron and bronze coins. The handful of systems in the village requiring silver coins remained dormant.


    When Jason had emptied the cloud flask into the water, the cloud house had taken the form of a series of domed rooms, connected by short tunnels. The cloud-stuff domes could be shifted between opaque and transparent and Jason preferred to leave it transparent. When the sun was bright and at the right angles, light reached the depths to illuminate the rooms with a constantly shifting blue light that Jason loved. Other times, the cloud house produced downward-directed, glow lamps that floated over the domes to produce a similar effect.


    The reaction to Jason¡¯s lighting solution was mixed amongst the few who knew of the cloud house¡¯s location. Erika found it distracting while Emi shared her uncles love of the cool, shimmering colour.


    Dealing with the reporter and Akari had bitten off a couple of hours of what should have been Jason''s time to sleep, or his personal equivalent. Under Farrah''s direction, he now entered more of a recuperating trance state that enhanced recovery and maintained a subconscious awareness of his surroundings, even passively expanding his senses. It wasn¡¯t the same as being fully alert, but he was easily roused by unexpected stimuli.


    It was the middle of the day but Jason was far from the only one whose sleeping patterns had been thrown out of whack. All around the world, Network personnel and others were in a mad scramble to prepare for what was coming. Their efforts were impeded by the chaos in the media, of which the news vortex surrounding Jason was only a part.


    Key to the problem was mixed messaging. Some countries had media alerts going out where physicists were talking about dimensional invasion to general disbelief. Others were trying to promote readiness in the population while being vague on the nature of the threat. Add in obfuscating media companies across the globe and it was a giant mess that failed to prepare or inform. There was no way that the media obstructionism would last but the clock was running down before monsters started appearing.


    The first recorded incident of monsters manifesting happened in Angola, while Jason was resting. Gem-like monstrosities and blighted earth elementals appeared en masse at a diamond mine. By the time footage started reaching the internet, there were incidents on every continent. Even an Antarctic science team recorded monsters from afar as they evacuated their research station.


    In most places around the world, the Network¡¯s plans to protect the major population centres proved to be effective. Active searching for proto-spaces around populations centres was working and the spaces were being shut down. People were finally heading for the major centres, although that presented logistical issues of accommodation and overcrowding.


    The positive part was that the Network partnerships with civilian governments and the military over the last few years had put in place contingencies that were being immediately enacted, with logistical efforts in the safe zones and Network-supported military response to the monster waves.


    It was far from enough to handle the events without loss, however. The death toll rapidly climbed as monsters appeared in isolated and rural areas. The populations were smaller than the cities but whole towns were wiped from the face of the Earth before the overextended response teams were able to intervene.


    The day the monsters arrived, the course of human history was irrevocably changed. Those protected in the safe zones watched monster movie footage play across the news as people flooded into the cities. Then, an entirely different kind of movie started playing out.


    All over the world, individuals with abilities beyond those of ordinary people started appearing to fight the monsters. These were not the black-fatigued essence users of the Network but colourfully garbed people who appeared in small teams, acting independently of the military and government response.


    ¡°Superheroes,¡± Jason murmured. ¡°That¡¯s genius.¡±


    In the media room of the main residence of Asano Village, Jason was observing a bank of monitors, alongside his closest family members.


    ¡°Genius?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Think of all the garbled coverage leading up to this,¡± Jason said. ¡°All the uncertainty and confusion. Now the monsters have come and magic is out there for everyone to see. How are the world governments going to explain this? Are they going to walk people through the complexities of the magical secret societies? The Network, the grid, the secret history? All while people are panicking as monsters emerging from the countryside to slaughter them?¡±


    ¡°People are idiots,¡± Yumi said. ¡°They always choose a simple lie over a complex truth. Someone wanted this chaos so they can take control of the messaging by giving people a simple answer.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said. ¡°The world just went crazy and people aren''t ready to hear about a complex history of secret societies. Superheroes are a paradigm that people can get their heads around. All you need is someone with magic powers, well-defined abdominals and some bright, stretchy fabric.¡±


    ¡°Who are they?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°The Engineers of Ascension,¡± Jason said. ¡°The EOA defectors already let the Network know that the media meddling was in preparation to seize control of the narrative with big moves once the monsters started appearing. Now we¡¯re seeing how. What has been the one consistent thing in the news over the last few days?¡±


    ¡°You,¡± Erika realised.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯ve been slowly building up public awareness of me for months, in preparation for today. They were priming the world to accept people with extraordinary powers.¡±


    ¡°How powerful are these superheroes?¡± Hiro asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve gotten word from a major defector to the American network that the EOA has reached a new threshold in their magical enhancement program. It''s a program to enhance people with magic other than essences and its significantly more intrusive. Caustic alchemy baths, surgery to engrave magic runes onto bones. Magic tattoos are the easy part. The result is people who are strong and fast, with a few extra abilities from the magic tattoos I mentioned. These new ones will be silver-rank, and based on what we¡¯ve seen in the past, probably able to boost themselves higher temporarily.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t have the experience that Network people have,¡± Yumi assessed. ¡°They¡¯re going to lose some, but that might work for them. A few heroic sacrifices will go a long way.¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s a reason all those old comic books had the hero looking defeated on the cover.¡±


    ¡°There are teams of these heroes appearing all over the world,¡± Erika said. ¡°They have this many?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how many of them will be at this new level of power,¡± Jason said. ¡°When they were mobilising them in preparation, a lot of the EOA caught wind that something bad was happening and either fought against it or completely defected to the Network. None of these new silver-rank ones, though. Whether through loyalty screening or brainwashing, they knew which side their bread was buttered on and kept their mouths shut.¡±


    ¡°If the EOA had so many defections, it sounds like they messed up,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°No,¡± Yumi said. ¡°They knew the price and were willing to pay it. They came in ready to make sacrifices in order to grab the initiative.¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly what they¡¯ve done,¡± Jason said. ¡°Their so-called superheroes are dominating the narrative,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Piggybacking off of you,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°I¡¯m only a part of it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Most likely it was opportunism. If I hadn¡¯t come along, it would have made marginal difference to their plan.¡±


    ¡°So, what now?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°The Network has me on standby right now,¡± Jason said. ¡°They want me ready to go when silver-rank monsters appear. They also want to establish that the government response can be effective by publicising operations against lower-rank monster swarms, which, in fairness, they are the best at. They don¡¯t want to play into the EOA¡¯s narrative.¡±


    ¡°Does it matter who is telling the story?¡± Ken asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t everyone be out there, doing what they can?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Yumi said. ¡°Public reaction is going to be critical in how the long-term response is formed.¡±


    ¡°This is too big for small groups of people to be the centrepiece of the response, even people with powers like Farrah and myself,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s the outcome the EOA wants because a broad, military-based response favours the Network. They want to use public opinion to push governments into directing resources their way.¡±


    ¡°This seems like the worst time to be haggling over political points,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason said, ¡°but the EOA set this into motion, to the point of a revolt forming in their own ranks. Expecting them to act in the public interest now is futile. People are dying and the ones with power are fighting over more power. Some things even an interdimensional monster invasion can¡¯t change.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Yumi said. ¡°We should have that meeting you scheduled.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think now is exactly the time,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Yes it is,¡± Jason said. ¡°We need to discuss a powerful new asset that we may very well need in this new world.¡±


    After bringing the extended Asano family into the village, along with a handful of others, a village committee had been formed to manage the village¡¯s affairs. It had originally begun as a meeting to decide on a name for the village, ultimately settling on Asano Village. Jason had originally wanted that name before later proposing ¡®Jason¡¯s Magic Buff Emporium,¡¯ which was resoundingly overruled.


    Under Erika''s direction, the committee subsequently evolved into a formalised management group. Specific roles were introduced and membership underwent some early shifting as people took up or begged-off various responsibilities. Erika controlled food logistics, Ken had land development and Hiro was in charge of magical infrastructure. Jason¡¯s paternal grandmother, Yumi, was in charge of medical. A retired doctor, she managed the administrative aspects while Ian was in charge of operations. There were numerous other roles, held both by Asano family members and by other families also in the village.


    The extended Asano family made up the majority but there was a scattering of others as well. This included the family members of Asya, Taika, Greg and Emi¡¯s friend Ruby. Kaito¡¯s best friend and former business partner, Benny, had also brought his family as had Erika¡¯s old producer, Wally. Although many of them were left confused, they had all been strongarmed into heading for the village by their family members in the know.


    Asya''s mother, Rabia, was the member of the village committee representing the non-Asano families and had been working with her daughter over the last few days to introduce everyone at the village to magic. They were using a heavily accelerated version of the Network''s induction program.


    Jason''s role on the committee was not as a permanent member. Although he had become the de facto patriarch of the nascent Asano clan, he was too busy to be involved in the day-to-day management of the village. His formal role was to break voting deadlocks on the committee and set the direction for the family as a whole. He anticipated more than ample outside input in this regard. Generally, the committee would only call on him as needed.


    In the meeting of the village committee Jason had called, he presented Akari Asano¡¯s proposition of remaining in Asano Village to the group. Debate went around the table but was dominated by Yumi, who highlighted the lack of downside to such a potentially important gain. Consensus was swiftly reached.


    ¡°We¡¯ll accept her provisionally for the moment, then,¡± Jason said, right as his phone alarm started going off.


    ¡°Grandmother,¡± he said as he checked his phone. ¡°I¡¯ll have you deal with Akari for now, if you don¡¯t mind. It looks like I have work to do.¡±

 Chapter 354: A Very Long To-Do List

    Strategy meetings to develop effective responses to the monster waves were taking place all over the world. At one such meeting in Sydney, Network and military personnel were discussing the responses still being rolled out, less than a day after the monster waves had begun. Sydney¡¯s Director of tactical Operations, Koen Waters, was addressing a meeting being held in a large briefing room.


    "In most instances, we anticipate tried and tested methodology to be effective. Existing sweep and clear tactics are the most effective means to rapidly exterminate waves. We foresee three main scenarios where alternative approaches will be more effective. One is when the monsters are clustered together even more than usual and in wide-open spaces. This is a best-case scenario for us because a small number of high-category-operators specialised in area coverage can clear these scenarios. After that, a small team for mop up will be all we need."


    "How often can we expect to see this best-case scenario?" Annabeth Tilden asked.


    ¡°In the outback, quite frequently,¡± Koen said. ¡°There¡¯s an awful lot of flat and empty out there and those are the areas with no dimensional space patrol coverage. This is good news. Australia¡¯s geographically-condensed population will see us through this far better than many other nations.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your opinion on the best way to spin this to make us seem in control?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Other Gordon,¡± Anna said. ¡°This is a strategy meeting, not a political one. What¡¯s scenario two, Koen?¡±


    Other Gordon fumed, about to shoot back when he felt the oppression of Koen¡¯s aura, leaving him flustered.


    ¡°Scenario two is when the landscape is just the opposite. Complex terrain, poor sightlines. It¡¯s a bug hunt where the bugs are the size of a bread truck and setting up ambushes.¡±


    An Army Major spoke up.


    ¡°Military vehicles are much easier to use when not trying to get them through the apertures,¡± he said. ¡°To what degree do you anticipate that compensating?¡±


    "We''re rolling out the magically enhanced heavy ordnance program that has been in the works since the category-four incident in England. Major, you should see magically enhanced, vehicle-mounted weapons arriving at bases before the end of the day. Numbers are still limited but we expect them to have an increasing impact as more enhanced weaponry is mobilised. At the end of the day, though, the best solutions are the small-group special strike teams we''ve been training up over the last nine months. The ones we''re training from scratch aren''t ready for deployment, but the retrained teams are already showing positive results."


    ¡°You anticipate things being under control, then?¡± Other Gordon asked.


    "Not even close," Koen said. "I''ll be discussing the key problems after outlining the scenarios, the third one of which is the problem of power. High-category dimensional spaces contain primarily category-two dimensional entities, along with one or more category threes. Our specialist strike teams have the strength to handle them but not the numbers, while our combined military/Network sweeper teams have the numbers but not the strength."


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t this scenario be combined with either of the other two?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Koen said. ¡°A scenario one and three combination is harder to deal with than a one, but still manageable. It¡¯s combining two and three where things get rough. As we speak, that is the exact situation we''re facing at a location in the Blue Mountains. We have multiple strike teams en route, plus Jason Asano."


    ¡°This is the man from the news?¡± the major asked.


    "It is," Koen said. "With every analysis we''ve made of Asano''s capabilities, he has turned around and outstripped our projections. Personally, I''m hoping that he never stops, because we do not have what we need to meet the challenges ahead. Too few people, too few resources, too little power."


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming this meeting wasn¡¯t called just for you to explain how buggered we are,¡± the major said.


    ¡°It was not,¡± Koen said. ¡°There is a response that is being tried in some other parts of the world. Africa and Russia are already reporting positive results, only a day into the monster wave. They¡¯ve been drawing on external support.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me you aren¡¯t talking about the EOA and their bloody superheroes,¡± Anna said. ¡°League of Heroes my arse.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Koen said.


    ¡°I think we need to consider that option,¡± Other Gordon said. ¡°They¡¯re getting a lot of positive traction.¡±


    "Not an option," Anna said. "Even if we were willing to overlook that they were responsible for this in the first place and then responsible for neutering an effective response in the lead-up, they aren''t willing to work with us. Even in situations where we have arrived together at the same events, they overtly operate alone, with their media teams in tow."


    ¡°Their numbers are actually smaller than their media presence would suggest,¡± Koen said. ¡°They do not present the kind of help we need. The Cabal does, and they already have strongholds in the kind of remote, isolated areas where we need increased strategic options.¡±


    ¡°So they can claim the credit, too?¡± Other Gordon asked.


    ¡°Actually, just the opposite,¡± Koen said. ¡°The cabal¡¯s concern is that their members will get lumped-in with the monsters. If we help keep them hidden until the world has a better handle on everything that¡¯s going on, they¡¯re offering their secret support.¡±


    ¡°Then as the governments representative, I approve,¡± Other Gordon said. ¡°Further, we should be pushing the narrative with our own media teams.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Actually, I agree with Mr Truffett,¡± the major said.


    ¡°Who?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°Me!¡± Other Gordon roared.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Anna said. ¡°But no, to media.¡±


    ¡°Mrs Tilden,¡± the major said. ¡°Your organisation is used to secrets, but the time for secrets is over. Mr Truffett is not wrong that we are fighting a war on multiple fronts, one of which is public opinion. If we let the Engineers of Ascension control the narrative, that is a beachhead from which they¡¯ll launch their invasion. The military has long had protocols for embedding press. We¡¯ll use them and show the real face of this conflict.¡±


    Anna sighed unhappily but didn¡¯t argue back.


    ¡°We¡¯re willing to discuss it,¡± she said.


    A flight of transport helicopters flew over forested mountains. Jason and Akari Asano were just two of a gaggle of essence users, mostly bronze and silvers from strike teams trained by Farrah. Jason and Akari were in Kaito¡¯s helicopter, along with one of the strike teams.


    The helicopters were on route to where an advanced team had been setting up a landing zone ahead of the monsters'' predicted path. The monsters were spread out over a large area, that they were currently flying over. It would be a lengthy and laborious task to dig them all out.


    The silver-rank section leader leaned over to speak to Jason.


    ¡°I know you do best working independently. You want us to drop you off here?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯d be great,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to jump out here,¡± he told Akari, then turned to the cockpit door.


    ¡°HEY KAI. OPEN THE SIDE DOOR.¡±


    The cockpit door slid open. Kaito¡¯s flight crew, Asya, Greg and Ruby were in front with him.


    ¡°I can hear you,¡± Kaito said. ¡°No need to shout.¡±


    ¡°WHAT? I CAN¡¯T HEAR YOU OVER THE HELICOPTER!¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Kaito called back. Switching the helicopter controls over to Greg, Kaito got up and stood in the cockpit doorway.


    "I THINK SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH YOUR HELICOPTER," Jason yelled into the near-silent helicopter. "IT''S NOT NORMALLY THIS LOUD."


    Kaito frowned at him in confusion.


    ¡°I WAS WONDERING ABOUT THAT MYSELF,¡± Greg yelled from the front.


    Kaito looked questioningly at the Network strike team, who all put their hands over their ears and shook their heads.


    ¡°What the hell is going on?¡± Kaito asked, looking around at his helicopter with worry. ¡°Is it a magic thing?¡±


    Then saw the confused expression on Akari¡¯s face and turned a glare on Jason.


    ¡°You¡¯re an arsehole.¡±


    The helicopter was filled with laughter as a grouchy Kaito went back to his seat. Slapping a hand on the console, the side door of the helicopter opened up. Still moving at speed, it filled the space with loud, rushing air.


    ¡°GET THE HELL OFF MY HELICOPTER,¡± Kaito yelled back, then the cockpit door slammed closed, cutting the cockpit off from the rushing air.


    Jason nodded at the door to Akari and they jumped out. Jason made sure he stayed close to her as they dropped, since the cranky Kaito had not activated the slow-fall power of the helicopter. Despite not having a slow-fall power of her own, Akari had leapt from the helicopter with no hesitation. As they closed on the ground, Jason reached out to grab her with a shadow arm and pulled her into his body, using his cloak to arrest their fall.


    Jason dropped them lightly into an area with lighter tree coverage and they both turned their heads to the right. A silver-rank monster had sensed their descent and was making a swift but silent path through the trees.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you can do,¡± Jason said and Akari nodded, moving forward.


    Despite being a silver-rank monster, it was smaller than most iron-ranks at half the length of a person. A thin, dark green lizard, it had four long legs with feet almost like hands and a flexible tail the ended in a spine-covered bulb. It was quick, jumpy and did a decent job of hiding its aura. There were other silver-rank monsters nearby and it seemed to have tried to use their auras to mask its own. Once it was close, however, they were able to differentiate it.


    Jason faded into the shadows as the creature sprung to the attack, engaging Akari in a battle of mobility, speed and quick defences. Physically weak for such a powerful monster, it boasted a suite of special attack forms instead. It shot venomous spines that rapidly regrew on the bulb tail and spat clouds of poison gas that lingered, complicating the environment. It could also spit out a trio of barbed tongues to make flexible, piercing attacks.


    Akari was a swordmaster, very much in the vein Jason was familiar with from the other world. She had the ubiquitous combination amongst such essence users of the Sword and Adept essences, in her case matching it with the Magic essence to produce the Master confluence. Forgoing other common choices like the Swift or Foot essences denied her the selection of mobility powers they offered but her adept essence had clearly enhanced her agility. She sprang around the trees almost as easily as the lizard, both of them treating the trees like solid ground and barely putting a foot to soil.


    The advantage of her magic essence was that it expanded her repertoire in the face of more exotic abilities. Like other swordmasters, she met attack with attack, her Magic essence giving her more interesting options. It also provided her with a blinking teleport, compensating for the lack of a dedicated mobility essence.


    Jason was familiar with the power, which was better in a close-range fight than the teleport Humphrey had from his own magic essence. Akari''s ability did not offer long-range travel at higher ranks. Instead, it became more and more effective as a combat ability than Humphrey¡¯s or Jason¡¯s teleports. Akari left behind after-images that exploded with force and appeared phasing through the lizard, inflicting damage as she passed through it in a briefly incorporeal state.


    Akari¡¯s sword sliced through the clouds of poison, which split with the blade¡¯s passage and dissolved into nothing. Clusters of spine projectiles were deflected by force waves from her swinging sword. The tongues only made one attempt to stab at her, which she nimbly dodged past before bringing her sword down on them. It didn¡¯t sever the silver-rank flesh but it did leave the tongues cut and bloody. The lizard snapped them back into its mouth and didn¡¯t send them out again.


    The silver rank monster was trickier than most, but at the trade-off of much less fortitude. Its silver-rank body was still bizarrely tough for its size but it couldn''t take the punishment of a larger monster and Akari eventually landed enough clean hits to take it down.


    Akari was a classic swordmaster, the type that was very popular on Adventure Society teams. If they had the ability that matched their high-skill power sets, and Akari certainly did with hers, then their balance of strength and endurance were always welcome. She couldn''t frontload damage like Farrah or Humphrey or have the endurance of Jason, but she occupied an efficient middle ground of power and longevity.


    ¡°You¡¯d do very well in the other world,¡± Jason told her and she gave him an inquisitive look.


    ¡°You really went to a whole other reality?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± he said with a sad smile. ¡°I miss my friends but I don¡¯t know when I¡¯ll get back to them. I have responsibilities here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going back?¡±


    ¡°Someday.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°Figuring that out is on a very long to-do list, and not at the top. Ready to loot your first monster?¡±


    Akari was connected to Jason through his party interface. With Kaito on site, it was not needed to provide comms for the response team, so it was just the two of them. Since they weren''t in a proto-space, the lack of magic made the range of Jason''s power too small anyway, for effective communication or for looting.


    Akari touched the monster and the loot prompt appeared in front of her.


    Would you like to loot [Toxic Hopper Lizard]?


    ¡°Yes,¡± she accepted and then she grimaced at a face full of rainbow smoke, followed by a huge sack of coins landing on her head, staggering her. They were closely followed by a pair of green, lizard skin boots.


    ¡°The trick is to move away before activating the loot power,¡± Jason told her. ¡°Also, if you don¡¯t have a storage power, be sure to dodge.¡±


    ¡°You could have told me those things beforehand,¡± Akari said, leaning against a tree.


    ¡°Is that some humanity poking out from that taciturn exterior? ¡®Look at me, I¡¯m a very stern clanswoman with a sword. I¡¯m very good at stabbing.¡¯¡±


    ¡°I am very good at stabbing,¡± Akari said. ¡°You would do well to remember.¡±


    Jason let out a chuckle.


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem too sloppy, so let¡¯s split up a little. I¡¯ll keep you in loot range; we won¡¯t run out of monsters.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to keep things taken from monsters in.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said, tossing her an empty dimensional bag.


    ¡°What¡¯s this?¡± she asked picking it up.


    ¡°Dimensional bag,¡± he said. ¡°Bigger on the inside.¡±


    She held it up in front of her, looking at it with a sceptical expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that this thing is a bag of holding?¡± she asked and Jason narrowed his eyes at her.


    ¡°Do you play Dungeons & Dragons?¡± he asked.


    Her face froze for an instant before she schooled it back into a mask.


    ¡°No.¡±

 Chapter 355: Another Step Forward

    Akari watched in horror as the leeches crawled off the dried-out remains of what had been, a short while ago, a very intimidating monster. The leeches formed a pile from which a bloody rag shot out to wrap around Jason¡¯s hand. The pile then rapidly melted into blood that flowed up and through the rag to finally seep into Jason¡¯s skin and disappear.


    ¡°Colin can¡¯t pop in and out as easily as my other familiars,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s likely as not on account of him being physical, as opposed to incorporeal. When he does come out, though, everybody sure does know about it. Am I talking like a cowboy? It feels like I¡¯m talking like a cowboy. A magic cowboy. That¡¯s pretty cool. I bet you could do a great quick-draw combo. On the cheap, too. Gun and swift essences, obviously, but what about the last one? Eye or hand would both work, I reckon. What do you think?¡±


    ¡°Are you an insane person?¡±


    ¡°Probably. This whole ninja warlock thing doesn¡¯t seem very plausible.¡±


    ¡°We just watched a leech monster devour a two-headed dinosaur.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem very plausible either,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°Good point.¡±


    ¡°We just saw that,¡± she said, pointing at the huge ruined monster, ¡°and you¡¯re casually discussing some hypothetical essence combination?¡±


    ¡°Lady, you¡¯re silver rank. Category three, whatever. Please tell me they didn¡¯t just pump you full of monster cores without ever putting you in front of an actual monster?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. I¡¯m just not used to someone who fights like you. You¡¯re worse than the dimensional entities.¡±


    ¡°Well, that''s downright rude, Ma''am.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking like a cowboy.¡±


    ¡°Counter argument,¡± Jason said in an increasingly sketchy American accent. ¡°What if I double down and get a big hat?¡±


    ¡°What is wrong with you?¡±


    ¡°It took the Network a while to figure that one out. It turns out that once you pass a certain threshold of handsomeness, it starts affecting the ambient magic.¡±


    ¡°You are the most aggravating person I have ever met.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not even top three for me. At least you¡¯ve calmed down some.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m calm?¡± she asked incredulously.


    ¡°Perhaps calm isn¡¯t the right term. At ease, maybe. At least you¡¯ve stopped thinking about the fact that every other time you¡¯ve gone on a monster hunt, there were a lot fewer monsters around you and a lot more allies.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to be supportive? This is the way you do that?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the type to respond to regular sympathy, especially not from a man famous for his lack of sincerity. You¡¯re not my first tsundere.¡±


    ¡°I am not¡­ are you looking to get buried in the forest, never to return?¡±


    "Oh, you can bury me in the forest but I wouldn''t be so confident on the never-to-return part. Resurrection is kind of my thing."


    ¡°You¡¯re saying you can¡¯t be killed?¡±


    ¡±Oh, I can be killed just fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°It does make me a little cranky, though, so I¡¯d advise against it. Now, I¡¯d love to keep on chatting away, but we do have to deal with the monsters bearing down on us right now.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t sensed them yet?¡±


    Akari concentrated on extended her senses, detecting a swarm of weak but multitudinous auras coming their way. She recognised them as wisps from their aura as they were a creature she had encountered in the past. They normally appeared in one of two circumstances: either in swarms or as bait, luring victims into ambushes by more dangerous monsters.


    Individually, wisps were feeble and frail creatures whose only attack was a mana drain. Their level of threat was based on the combination of their rank and numbers, as well as how well-equipped their would-be victims were to fight incorporeal entities. Any form of magic attack could affect incorporeal creatures to some degree, but only specialised attacks were truly effective.


    Akari had attacks effective against such creatures and the approaching auras were universally bronze-rank. This meant they posed only a limited threat to her, even in the massive numbers she could sense. Her concern was Jason, who was no higher rank than the monsters. He was also known, from her family¡¯s investigations, to specialise in fleshly enemies with few area attacks.


    She shifted a tense gaze from the direction of the approaching swarm to glance at Jason, going wide-eyed as she spotted him standing with a sandwich in one hand and what looked like iced tea in the other.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked and he looked down at his hands in confusion.


    ¡°Do you not know how sandwiches work? How sheltered was your upbringing? Were you raised in some isolated mountain fortress? Was there a hot springs episode?¡±


    ¡°I am not an anime character,¡± she said through gritted teeth.


    Jason flashed her an impish grin.


    ¡°Boys, why don¡¯t you go out and save the nice lady the trouble?¡± he asked. Gordon and a handful of Shade¡¯s bodies emerged and dashed off into the trees. Akari tracked them by their auras and magical emanations as they clashed with the approaching swarm. Gordon¡¯s beam attacks vaporized the creatures as they repeatedly passed through the swarm, while the Shades eradicated every one he encountered with a touch. His ability to mana drain outstripped theirs easily and it turned out that they were highly susceptible to their own form of attack. As each was drained in an instant, they dissolved into barely perceptible motes of dust.


    Akari sensed the pair of familiars methodically eliminate the wisps like they were painting over an exposed wall until there was nothing left to sense. She and Jason moved to the location of the startling brief battle as Jason¡¯s familiars returned to him.


    ¡°Good job, blokes,¡± Jason said as the familiars disappeared back into him. Still eating his snack, a pair of shadow arms emerged from his cloak to trail their fingers through the dust as he walked over the battle site.


    Would you like to loot [Greater Forest Wisp]?


    He left the area before triggering the looting so the rainbow smoke wouldn¡¯t impair the enjoyment of his sandwich. Once he did, the colourful mist rose up and out from the tree canopy over quite a large area.


    ¡°I reckon we swing east, where those things came from next,¡± he asked. ¡°I suspect we¡¯ve pretty much cleared out this direction. What do you think?¡±


    After regrouping with the main Network force, Jason sent most of Shade¡¯s bodies out to sweep the region for monsters. The Network teams were regrouping and switching to a mop-up protocol as they hunted down any straggling monsters. They were easy to miss in the sprawling forest region and he coordinated with other essence users deploying their own scouting abilities, like Kaito and his drones.


    The base camp was being packed up, although the tactical teams remained on standby in case they needed to move rapidly if the scouts found something unexpected. Jason sat in a quiet corner, meditating to consolidate the gains of his latest experiences.


    Akari joined him in meditation, hers differing in that she had laid out a mat with a ritual circle stitched into it and was holding a monster core in her hands. After joining up with the Network team, her reserve that Jason had cracked open went back in place, although she was not quite as cool with him. That was not the same as friendly, though, as she remained wary of the strange man who mixed absurdity, power and horror in equal measure.


    Individual essence abilities each felt different as they ranked up. As another of Jason''s crossed the threshold to silver, he felt an icy cold within the depths of his soul, although it did not offer pain or discomfort. It was a part of him, and a part he felt warmly about, despite the chilly sensation.


    Ability [Shadow of the Reaper] (Dark) has reached Bronze 9 (100%).Ability [Shadow of the Reaper] (Dark) has reached Silver 0 (00%).Ability [Shadow of the Reaper] (Dark) has gained a new effect.


    Ability: [Shadow of the Reaper] (Dark)


    Familiar (ritual, summon)Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Summon a [Shadow of the Reaper] to serve as a familiar.Effect (bronze): Summoned familiar has bronze-rank vessels with additional abilities.Effect (silver): Summoned familiar has silver-rank vessels with additional abilities.Ability [Shadow of the Reaper] (Dark) cannot advance further until all attributes have reached silver rank.


    Akari sensed the shift in Jason¡¯s magical state, even catching a glimpse of his normally hidden and rather intimidating aura.


    ¡°What ability was it?¡± Akari asked.


    ¡°One of my familiar summons, Shade,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll need to resummon him before he can use his new strength. I¡¯ve been trading resources in preparation for resummoning all my familiars ever since I first started working with the Network.¡±


    "Is it resource-intensive?" she asked. "I''ve known very few essence users with familiars, most of them ritualists in support teams."


    Jason nodding, knowing that was typical across the Network.


    ¡°I have most of what I need,¡± he said. ¡°Silver-rank materials are still somewhat thin on the ground, though and the materials for Gordon are proving especially tricky.¡±


    ¡°Which one is Gordon?¡±


    ¡°The one who looks like he has the God¡¯s Eye Nebula inside him.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s called Gordon.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have to let what he is define him,¡± Jason said. ¡°Unfortunately, it does define how to summon his silver-rank vessel. I¡¯m pretty sure the Americans and the Chinese have what I need but I¡¯m not on great terms with either of them. I kind of hauled off on Americans when they tried to recruit me.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I made some implications about their policies as a nation.¡±


    ¡°You think your government would be any better if they had America¡¯s global power?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, like a child admitting he hadn¡¯t made his bed.


    ¡°What about the Chinese?¡±


    ¡°There have been allegations that I may have filmed some things while I was passing through their country. Footage that possibly might have mysteriously found its way to the international press.¡±


    ¡°What kind of things?¡±


    ¡°Camps, mostly. Not the toasted marshmallow kind. You might have seen some of it on the news a few months back.¡±


    ¡°Is there anyone who doesn¡¯t immediately dislike you?¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? People love me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sold on this idea,¡± Jason said. He was back in Asano Village, walking alongside Farrah. He had placed the cloud house back in its flask and set it up in a grassy field just outside the village for a special event, at Farrah¡¯s insistence. He had set it up in the form of a single hall, with an open space and amphitheatre seating.


    The vortex manipulator was sucking ambient magic in through the building¡¯s roof, disrupting the village¡¯s magic but it was a temporary necessity. Conducting a silver-rank ritual would otherwise require heavily charged mana lamps.


    As they left the village thoroughfare, Jason and Farrah were far from the only ones walking over the grass toward the hall. Members of the Asano family and other village residents were collectively moving across the field to head inside. Many of them were pointing out Jason to one another since he was now a celebrity who many of them had barely met.


    ¡°Most of these people haven¡¯t seen some proper magic,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They¡¯ve seen magical effects on the news and here in the village, but now they can see a proper ritualist at work.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a proper ritualist?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re adequate.¡±


    Jason grinned as Farrah¡¯s disapproving expression, knowing how demanding Farrah¡¯s standards as an instructor could be. Her adequate was high praise.


    ¡°It means a lot coming from you,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let it go to your head.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that resummoning Shade is the ritual to introduce them with, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It can¡¯t be as bad as with Colin, right? You¡¯re not going to bleed out your butt hole and pass out, right?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bleed out my butt hole.¡±


    ¡°You bled out of everywhere. We thought you might be dead.¡±


    ¡°It went a lot better when I resummoned him at bronze-rank.¡±


    ¡°You know, having a familiar of higher rank than you can be strenuous at higher ranks,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s one of those awkward aspects of being close to a rank-up. You should be fine, given your soul strength, though. Maybe not when you¡¯re pushing up against diamond, I don¡¯t know, but that will be a good problem to have.¡±


    ¡°Yes it will,¡± Jason agreed.


    They went into the hall where people were being organised into the seating. Managing the villagers was the village committee role of Jason¡¯s Nanna, who was very lively after months of recovery from her Alzheimer¡¯s. She had a small staff who were making sure people found places to sit without contention.


    The villagers watched as Jason and Farrah set up the ritual circle on the stone floor the cloud house had replicated for the hall, tracing out lines with chalk. It was a large and complex ritual circle with silver spirit coins and silver-rank dark quintessence gems set out in many small piles.


    ¡°You know you can get ritual bowls to hold those things,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Kind of like those little bowls Greg uses for board game bits, except magic and expensive.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think those can be sourced locally,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Farrah acknowledged.


    ¡°Okay, I think we¡¯re good,¡± Jason said as they completed adjustments to the ritual diagram. Farrah moved over to Erika, who took over crowd control, telling everyone to settle down as Farrah subtly quieted the group with her aura.


    ¡°What you¡¯re about to witness is magic,¡± Erika announced. ¡°Proper, wizards and spell-book magic. You are all going to watch in silence, or There Will Be Repercussions.¡±


    Farrah emphasised Erika¡¯s words with a slight aura surge and the audience felt like gravity was pushing them into their seats. Farrah and Erika took their own seats at the front, next to Emi, leaving Jason alone in the middle of the hall with the ritual circle, in total silence.


    He started chanting, his intonations cold as the merciless void of space. As he chanted, the ambient magic was stirred up to the point that even normal people could feel it, but Jason¡¯s aura was projecting out, leaving them frozen in place.


    ¡°I call to the realm beyond cold and darkness, where death has no meaning for life has no place. Let mine be the dark beyond darkness, falling on the final road to the end of all things. Let mine be the shadow of death.¡±


    The shift in the ambient magic started to affect physical reality as the hall grew dim. With the final word of the chant, the hall was plunged into darkness yet not a sound disrupted the ritual, the onlookers still arrested by Jason¡¯s aura. A point of cool celestial starlight appeared on the floor and started slowly tracing out the magic diagram until the ritual circle was shedding dim light throughout the hall.


    In the darkness between the lines, the piles of coins and quintessence sank into the floor like they were melting. Jason¡¯s aura faded, only for a new one to take its place, spreading out from the ritual circle. It had the feel of an infinite void, inexorably waiting for all things to enter, patient with the certainty that they inevitably would.


    A dark figure rose up from the centre of the circle. Then another and another, shadowy forms barely visible in the light of the glowing circle at their feet. The only truly discernible features the dark figures had was that they seemed to be wearing cloaks, within the hoods of which were bright, silver eyes.


    Jason could see much more clearly than the others and was startled by what he saw. Not only were the eyes mirrors of his own but Shade¡¯s new bodies kept coming and coming. At bronze rank, Shade had seven bodies and Jason had expected around a dozen or maybe fifteen at silver. New bodies kept rising up to crowd the circle until thirty-one Shades were standing in the room.


    With each new body, Shade¡¯s intimidating aura grew stronger, until the last body finally appeared and it vanished, like a magic trick. The light returned to the hall, the ambient cloud house lighting that was familiar at least to Jason and his closest companions. The dark bodies rushed forward in a wave, vanishing into Jason¡¯s shadow until only one remained, standing in front of him.


    ¡°Another step forward,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yet many are to come,¡± Shade answered. ¡°This world is large and not the only one demanding your attention. And beyond them lies the infinite.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little above my rank, right now,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Since when did that ever stop you?¡± Shade asked.

 Chapter 356: Tactical Flexibility

    The residents of Asano Village spilled out of the hall into the blessed sunshine, freed from Jason¡¯s domineering aura and the unnatural darkness they had been plunged into. Even though the darkness had faded, reaching sunlight coming down from open sky still felt like an escape.


    Once outside, many made a beeline for the village, putting the amazing but unnerving demonstration of magic behind them. Others stopped to watch as Jason returned the solid building they had just been occupying to a flask, like putting a genie back into a bottle. Jason¡¯s other close friends and family had seen it before and had already paused their other activities longer than they should, thus were rushing back to resume them. The exceptions were Farrah and Emi, who stood by Jason as the building slowly dissolved into cloud-stuff that snaked its way into the bottle.


    ¡°You got the recordings for Terrance alright?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t checked them but it should be fine,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Once I get back to Sydney I¡¯ll give them to him. You really need to rank up that portal ability, Jason.¡±


    ¡°One power at a time,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to put Shade through his paces, now that he¡¯s ranked up. You¡¯re higher-rank than me now, Shade, so I¡¯m anticipating you doing most of the work while I slack off.¡±


    ¡°Miss Emi,¡± Shade said. ¡°If you find yourself in need of a shadow-based familiar once you obtain essences, I think you and I should talk.¡±


    ¡°Traitor!¡± Jason exclaimed.


    After returning the cloud house to its hidden location underwater, Jason wanted to go out and explore Shade¡¯s expanded limits and capabilities. In the village thoroughfare, Shade took the form of a motorcycle which Jason climbed on and they took off.


    The front gate at the edge of the property was around three kilometres from the village proper and there was a large crowd on the other side as Jason pulled to a stop. On either side of the road, tents and campers had been clustered.


    Once the location of the Asano compound had been released in the press, panicked people had come seeking the Starlight Rider¡¯s protection rather than head for the designated safe zones. Mixed in were some with fringe opinions about him that Jason had no interest in. As he pulled up behind the gate he spotted signs and placards welcoming the messenger of God, decrying the Antichrist and an oddly large number mentioning chemtrails.


    ¡°Has Kaito been leaving condensation trails with his helicopter?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°What¡¯s the chemtrail thing about, then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Shade said. ¡°Something I have learned in my very long life is that not all knowledge is worth possessing.¡±


    ¡°A font of wisdom, as ever, Shade.¡±


    Aside from the would-be refugees and the loons, there was a contingent of press, present, in what Jason suspected to be one of the least coveted jobs in the current media landscape. He looked over at the sketchy portable toilets that someone was charging for the use of and confirmed that suspicion on the spot.


    Numerous people had attempted to bypass what seemed like the simple security of a chain-link fence, even if it was a rather odd one. What they discovered was that anyone who attempted to climb over it passed unconscious, courtesy of the mana-draining field Farrah and Hiro had built into it.


    In one instance, a press helicopter had attempted a flyover of the property, only for the pilot and passengers to wake up in a different state with no helicopter, no recording equipment and no idea what happened.


    Those who tried to cut their way through the fence suffered considerably worse, discovering that the fence wasn¡¯t so much electrified as it shot lightning bolts.


    The village largely ignored the people gathered outside so long as they adhered to two rules: leave a space around the security room and keep the road clear. This second rule was currently being broken by the press gathering in front of the gate to shout over one another, firing questions at Jason.


    ¡°You¡¯re obstructing a public thoroughfare,¡± Jason said. His voice was soft yet somehow carried across the whole group, which fell into silence as Jason¡¯s aura descended. He could see frantic eyes light up with the desire to mob rush the gate as it started to slide open but Jason continued to use fine aura control to not just keep them in place but have them scramble back off the road.


    Before he set off, Jason looked around the reporters for the one that was holding up the best against his suppression. He relaxed the strength of his aura against that one person to almost nothing and the man fought through the fear to yell out a question.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t allowed press into the compound since before the dimensional invasion began. What are you hiding?¡±


    Jason turned, his silver eyes falling unerringly on the man despite his position at the back of the pack. Then he grinned.


    ¡°What I¡¯m hiding is my family. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve heard, but there are monsters about.¡±


    Without waiting for a response, Jason¡¯s bike shot off like a rocket.


    ¡°¡­but there are monsters about.¡±


    Anna muted the television on the wall of her office with a groan.


    ¡°Why does he keep running into the press?¡± she complained. ¡°He has magical stealth powers.¡±


    ¡°Because I asked him to,¡± Terrance said.


    ¡°You did this?¡±


    ¡°Of course I did,¡± Terrance said. ¡°The EOA went to the trouble of legitimising him, after all. We¡¯ve been doing the faceless government response thing and I get it: we want to show everyone that there¡¯s a system in place and that society isn¡¯t crumbling around us. Yet. But the EOA has been kicking us up and down the street with the good-looking superhero act and we need a human face for people to get behind.¡±


    With the Network transitioning their Media Interdiction department into the more traditional Media Relations department, the new Director of Media Relations was Terrence.


    ¡°Publicity is a secondary concern at this point.¡±


    ¡°Right up until it isn¡¯t,¡± Terrance said. ¡°Did you know the superheroes are claiming credit for the grid?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re admitting to taking it down?¡±


    ¡°NO, they¡¯re claiming that they were secretly keeping away the monsters until terrorists took down their early warning system.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re claiming to be us?¡±


    "Anna, if they convince the public that they''re us, it''s only a matter of time before governments start switching their support from us to the EOA."


    ¡°That¡¯s insane.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they care. They know that we¡¯re busy protecting the world with a massive outlay of people and resources. They¡¯re busy taking credit for it using a few flashy idiots in spandex with dedicated media crews.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not actually wearing spandex, are they?¡±


    ¡°No, their costume design is actually pretty fabulous,¡± Terrance conceded.


    ¡°You do realise,¡± Anna said, ¡°that if you go with Asano, your human face of the Network is not actually human.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s from a small town, Sweetie, not space.¡±


    ¡°Never mind. He¡¯s not actually Network, either.¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± Terrance said. ¡°Asano is charismatic, great at handling the press and he has this light and dark thing that plays amazingly with most of our test demographics.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done focus groups?¡±


    ¡°Of course we have. He tests low with older people, which is partly just racism and partly a religious-based backlash to everything going on. That¡¯s actually a positive, though, because it shows that he¡¯s the face of magic, not the EOA¡¯s knock-off Justice League. He does great with the other demos, though because he has these dichotomies that balance each other out across the board. The lefties love supporting him because he¡¯s not white and it makes them feel good about themselves. The conservatives are on board because of the footage we¡¯ve leaked of him riding around the outback on a motorcycle, tearing through monsters.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been releasing our combat footage?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that. He¡¯s got that easy-going larrikin thing that makes him relatable, but he¡¯s also shrouded in mystery. His powers are dark, dangerous, which brings in the edgelords but he¡¯s also running around healing people like emo Jesus. Actually, Farrah should have some footage for me that will let us show off that dark power thing a little more.¡±


    ¡°You want to play up the dark powers when people are scared of monsters running around?"


    ¡°People need to know that someone is going to save them right now. The EOA has been selling this superhero narrative and people are eating it up, so we have to sell it better. They¡¯ve been showing off a bunch of second-rate supermen but they¡¯ve forgotten that people like Batman more. Asano is an Australian, multicultural, yobbo Bruce Wayne.¡±


    ¡°And you can sell this? I¡¯ve met the man and he¡¯s mostly pushy and weird.¡±


    ¡°You think I picked him on a whim?¡± Terrance said, ¡°I¡¯m a professional, Anna. I watched every bit of footage we have on him, went over action reports and interviewed anyone I could find who has dealt with him. Then I interviewed him.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°He becomes what he needs to get what he wants. He might seem off-kilter to you, but that''s because he wants you off-kilter. With regular people, he''s relaxed and charming. When he needs to be in control, he''s fierce and domineering. He¡¯s confident, he¡¯s handsome and he¡¯s exactly what we need right now.¡±


    ¡°Handsome,¡± Anna groaned, slapping a hand over her eyes.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s a tasty treat, alright. I mean, those eyes; it''s like he''s hunting you. Gives me the shivers."


    "Oh no."


    "The sexy shivers."


    ¡°Terrance,¡± Anna said disapprovingly.


    ¡°And have you seen his brother? We should get some publicity shots of them together. Maybe after spraying them with water.¡±


    ¡°Terry¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be the creamy filling in that sandwich any day. Plate me, I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to call HR again?¡±


    "Don''t be such a prude, sis. It''s just you and me."


    ¡°Do you want me to tell Mum how you¡¯ve been acting at work?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I damn well would,¡± Anna said.


    "You know, Anna, she keeps complaining that you''re never home for dinner. She likes having everyone together but you''re always here."


    ¡°Yes, well sometimes I have work late. It¡¯s the monster apocalypse.¡±


    ¡°You know the nomenclature guidelines don¡¯t like that term,¡± Terrance said.


    ¡°I will not be lectured on appropriate language in the workplace by you.¡±


    Jason could have easily tested Shade¡¯s abilities in Asano Village but a motorcycle ride in the warm sun of late summer was a balm after the intensity that followed the grid¡¯s collapse. Jason had spent almost every waking moment patrolling for proto-spaces or flying off to help put down monster waves. He knew that he would inevitably be called up again, but for the moment he enjoyed the simple pleasure of the wind on his face.


    Jason took advantage of the respite, riding to a little coastal town that made Casselton Beach look big. Normally there would be a few tourists and locals enjoying the white sand and clear water but the town had been evacuated. No small number of them were now in tents in front of Asano Village¡¯s main gate.


    He stopped riding at the edge of town and started walking down the only street. The only noise was the sound of the ocean and the quiet emptiness in the middle of a bright, sunny day was eerie.


    ¡°My world is never going back to the way it was, is it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said, a body emerging to glide along the ground next to Jason. ¡°But you will have to become far stronger if you want to hold those responsible to account.¡±


    ¡°Assuming I ever reach that kind of level, who will I have become? Sometimes I look at the way I conduct myself and feel like I¡¯ve become a caricature of myself.¡±


    ¡°Magic pushes people to extremes,¡± Shade said. ¡°Power gives people the chance to be what they truly desire. It strips away the layers they place between their deepest selves and their behaviour.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like what that says about me.¡±


    ¡°You could have done far worse, Mr Asano. The perfectly righteous man is a myth. I¡¯ve encountered people on myriad worlds and beyond the truly good ones are those doing their best, in spite of their flaws. I¡¯ve seen gods consumed in pettiness and rank villains become vaunted messiahs. What I have never seen is a perfect person, from base mortal to great astral being.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying to stop worrying about what I¡¯ve done in the past and focus on doing my best in the future.¡±


    ¡°I am. I have high hopes for you, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°But higher hopes for my niece.¡±


    ¡°If a better ship comes along, it¡¯s only natural to board it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s talk like that that makes me like Colin and Gordon more than you.¡±


    They made their way down to the beach.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a new ability,¡± Jason said, ¡°but what kind of vehicles do you think you can manage with all those extra bodies?¡±


    ¡°The existing rank restrictions on the forms I can take remain,¡± Shade said. ¡°The ability that lets me use such forms is yours, not mine, so flight and submarine forms will still take more bodies to achieve lesser effects.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°What kind of limits can you hit with your new body count?¡±


    ¡°I can probably manage a small private plane by employing almost all of my vessels, although that would be forcibly using my higher-rank to push the limits of your lower-rank ability. The energy I would consume in doing so would make the spirit coin cost of that extremely prohibitive until you rank up.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯re really waiting on me, then. I don¡¯t suppose you could manage a giant rotary cannon if we pulled up a tank or something?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been over this, Mr Asano. I can mimic attack forms that are a permanent part of the structure, but not special and projectile attacks. I can create claws or a battering ram but not poison breath, shooting spines or projectile weaponry.¡±


    ¡°I thought maybe with the rank up¡­¡±


    ¡°You want to replicate your brother¡¯s entire power set with one racial gift, yes. Give it up, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my ability. Maybe when I rank up.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we should move on to an ability I actually do possess?¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Shade¡¯s new plethora of shadow bodies meant that Jason could expand the people he kept a Shade in the shadow of. He could now include his father, his sister¡¯s entire family and Farrah without losing too many bodies for practical purposes.


    As for actual new abilities, Shade had gained two on reaching silver rank. One was that any of his shadow bodies could teleport to any of his other bodies. This meant that Jason could deploy Shades all over and call them back at need, or send a group of them to help a family member should they run into trouble.


    The range of this ability was equivalent to a portal ability of one rank below Shade¡¯s vessel. This meant that at the baseline of silver-rank, the range was the same as Jason¡¯s portal had been when it first reached bronze, which was roughly forty kilometres.


    Shade¡¯s other new ability had the same range limitation. Within that range, Shade was able to act as a medium for any of Jason¡¯s non-combat abilities. This meant that he could shadow jump to one of Shade¡¯s bodies, ignoring the usual requirement of the target shadow needing to be nearby. This massively expanded his non-portal teleportation range, which could be critical when he ran into the cooldown of the portal.


    During the motorcycle ride, Shade had left a shadow body behind every few kilometres. Jason stepped into the Shade next to him and appeared next to the most recent body left behind. He stepped back immediately and proceeded to hop from body to body until he arrived back in Asano village.


    ¡°No portal arch, no cooldown,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t bring people along, it ups the mana consumption and the range isn¡¯t ideal, but still, this is awesome.¡±


    ¡°It does offer additional tactical flexibility,¡± Shade said. ¡°I will be able to go to areas you cannot see directly and provide you with shadow jumping options. It is an adequate use of the power.¡±


    ¡°Calm down, mate. Don¡¯t get too excitable.¡±


    Jason stepped back into Shade, jumping back to the beach and began testing other abilities. Another aspect of using shadow bodies as a medium for his powers was that Jason could use his non-combat abilities from Shade as if they were his own body, once again within the same range limit.


    His perception power worked, so when he shared the senses of one of Shade¡¯s bodies he had his full perceptual range. His Hand of the Reaper ability did not, as the afflictions it could apply apparently marked it as a combat ability.


    The most unexpected result was when he manifested his cloak over Shade, for the simple reason that he was able to do so even while having one conjured on himself. To date, he could only have one cloak because he had to occupy it. With Shade''s new capability, that was no longer a hard limit.


    He had most of Shades bodies teleport to him, aside from the ones attached to family members, then conjured cloaks on all of them. The mana cost of conjuring his cloak was only moderate but having conjured twenty-seven in short order had carved off a serious chunk of his mana.


    ¡°Strewth,¡± he croaked, with a slight headache from dumping so much mana in an instant. It had been even more than an extreme mana cost spell, like summoning Shade in the first place cost him. Fortunately, he was near the peak of bronze and his mana pool was rich, courtesy of his high spirit attribute.


    Once his cloak ranked up, it would cost a moderate amount of mana for a silver-ranker, which would make it more prohibitive until he had a silver-ranker¡¯s mana pool. It was one of the difficulties of being on the cusp of ranking up.


    Jason popped a bronze-rank spirit coin in his mouth to help him recover.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ll go home for a rest,¡± he said, right as his phone started beeping an alarm.


    ¡°Oh, bloody hell.¡±

 Chapter 357: Broken

    One of the best-known locations in the Australian outback, Broken Hill was a carefully chosen target.  Its rich history and iconic desert landscapes had woven it into the fabric of Australia¡¯s soul. It was also one of the centres to which isolated people from across that region of the outback had been gathered, exploding the population from less than twenty thousand to almost thirty-five thousand.


    The Network presence was minimal, with only a single tactical section to protect the support team whose core duty was to check for dimensional incursions. With resources stretched thin, only when a dimensional space was detected would a substantive force be brought in.


    The personnel in charge of organising the massive influx of people were regular civil servants, military logistics specialists and no small number of volunteers. There were builders knocking up prefab domiciles and companies donating materials, tools and machinery. Like in other safe zones being set up around the world, people were coming out to show how many were willing to step up and help one another.


    Major population centres around the world were being turned into military green zones, while the most rural areas were being abandoned. Broken Hill fell somewhere in the middle, having been placed under Network protection but with only a fraction of the resources allocated to a major city.


    The Network had become known to the public as the Global Defense Network in the weeks since the monster waves began, the terrorist readiness exercises claimed as preparation for the worst-case scenario now being faced. The sympathetic portion of the media referred to the ¡®supernatural task forces¡¯ the GDN fielded as the government response to an unimaginable threat. Their practicality and professionalism were intended to instil confidence but this was continually being upstaged by the flashy antics and expert media manipulation of the EOA¡¯s League of Heroes.


    The EOA¡¯s agenda of positioning themselves as a top power player that matched or even eclipsed the Network was built around taking a leading position in responding to the monster waves. This involved a two-pronged attack of raising themselves up as they simultaneously tore the Network down.


    The EOA¡¯s goal wasn¡¯t to convince the governments of the world that they were better than the Network. The governments knew full well that the Network¡¯s power, resources and reach easily outstripped the EOA. The EOA¡¯s goal was to swing public sentiment so ferociously in their direction that the governments were forced to give the EOA a seat at the table, shifting support, resources and influence away from the Network.


    Various targets around the globe were selected to further this purpose and Broken Hill fit their criteria perfectly. It was under Network protection, but with minimal Network presence. They had a support team to scan for proto-spaces and a nine-person tactical section to protect them. Otherwise, Broken Hill was staffed by regular military, civil servants and volunteers.


    In addition, Broken Hill was geographically isolated in a very large nation where the Network had limited magical transport options. These factors tallied up to make Broken Hill a soft target for the EOA¡¯s plan. If the Network suffered a catastrophic failure in one of their supposed safe zones, only for the League of Heroes to step in, it would be a major blow to the Network. If it repeatedly happened worldwide, it went from a major blow to a crippling one.


    While the network had been scrambling to save as many people as possible, the EOA had been choosing their targets and carefully infiltrating them. The EOA¡¯s ¡®League of Heroes¡¯ was the right hand distracting the audience, their clandestine operations were the left hand performing the trick. The volunteer staff and even the military personnel stationed at Broken Hill had no shortage of EOA plants.


    The infiltrators in Broken Hill were meticulous and patient. The government and Network personnel were more wary of panic amongst the population than sabotage, leaving the EOA¡¯s people safely undetected. Not even Jason, briefly passing through, had picked out their duplicitous emotions amongst the tens of thousands in the overstuffed town.


    The EOA played their roles well, not jumping at the first proto-space detected in the region. Earnest volunteers, they worked as hard as anyone to support the team that arrived to intercept the monster wave. It even included the famous Starlight Rider, tearing across the desert on a motorcycle, his cloak of stars flying behind him.


    They would only get a single shot and the EOA waited for the right proto-space, lucking out perfectly when one appeared right on top of Broken Hill itself. It was then that the EOA struck. Communications were taken over and the tactical section ambushed and eliminated, as was any military personnel not already suborned. Black-clad paramilitary soldiers swept in from the desert on trucks to contain the town, claiming to be government reinforcements.


    The civil and civilian camp workers were not taken in by the obvious lie but were forced to go along by the lack of outside contact and large number of armed soldiers. They made various attempts to get word out but every phone line was cut and every signal jammed.


    In the general chaos of the monster waves, it took a day before the Network realised that Broken Hill had become unreachable. They sent an emergency investigation team who managed to scout out the situation and get word back that someone had taken control of Broken Hill, but it was already too late. The EOA had stalled long enough for the proto-space to start disgorging monsters onto the town in flashes of rainbow light.


    Kaito¡¯s helicopter flew directly inland at a pace no ordinary helicopter could match. Other teams were approaching Broken Hill from Adelaide, which was closer than Sydney but Kaito would still beat them onsite. Jason and one of Sydney¡¯s strongest tactical sections were in the back, the mood sombre. Everyone on board was concerned for the tens of thousands of people they feared being too late to help.


    The back section of the helicopter was in a utilitarian configuration with simple chairs for the soldiers to strap into. Jason sat with them, no one uttering a sound. Jason handed out spirit coins, none of them having eaten actual food in weeks. With the status of agricultural areas ranging from under threat to evacuated to under attack, food shortages were already becoming a factor and essence users were all under direction to live exclusively on spirit coins.


    It was a small drop in the bucket compared to the food needs of the population at large but every bit would help in what could be a long and harrowing ordeal. The regular consumption of coins would also help the essence users stay fresh and ready for their continuing struggles.


    The obvious drawback was the increased need for coins, so China and the US opened up their vaults to keep other parts of the world supplied. France was also contributing, having converted the permanent astral space in Saint-¨¦tienne to a dedicated spirit coin farm. There had been a lot of awkwardness when Farrah had arrived to help them set it up during Jason¡¯s sojourn, even with the original Lyon branch members having been replaced by the International Committee.


    Jason was likewise pumping out as many coins as he could manage. When finding and shutting down proto-spaces before they could pop, he was taking the time to wipe out any lower-rank monsters he could quickly knock over for the loot. In this, Gordon¡¯s sweeping beams were the most effective and the familiar was closing in on his next rank. Jason was still short on the resources required to resummon him, though, but it was hardly the time to be seeking them out.


    A wall panel slid open to reveal a screen and Greg¡¯s voice came through a speaker.


    ¡°Communications just opened with Broken Hill but our people aren¡¯t responding. What is coming out is a live news transmission.¡±


    The screen blinked to life, showing camera footage of a street filled with chaos, apparently shot by a reporter hiding inside a heavily damaged building. It was far from the only one, some buildings showing collapsed walls while others were on fire, sending up plumes of black smoke. Corpses lay bloody and burned in the street and screams of pain and fear filled the air.


    In the middle of the street, a colourfully-dressed man with steel gauntlets was trading blows with a rock monster that had a glowing red gem in its chest. The monster had the edge in strength but the superhero was faster, hammering steel-clad fists on the stone body of the monster. It was a long way from an essence-user fight, at least one Jason or Farrah would be involved it. No powers were on display, just two supernatural beings pounding away at each other.


    As they fought, the reporter¡¯s commentary came through.


    ¡°¡­government¡¯s unpopular reliance on the so-called Global Defence Network has led to tragedy here in Broken Hill. Claimed as a safe zone, all they accomplished was luring people to their deaths. If not for the rapid intercession of a League of Heroes team, this reporter would already be counted amongst the dead¡­¡±


    There were actual snarls in the helicopter as people who had thrown everything they had into protecting the populace were badmouthed even as innocents died. Jason opened his map ability, watching the kilometres tick down. Kaito was downing mana potions as quickly as he could while pushing the helicopter to its limits with his abilities, yet their speed felt excruciatingly slow.


    With his eyes on the map, Jason felt it as he crossed the distance threshold he needed. His current portal range was four hundred kilometres, and once they got that close to Broken Hill he released his safety belt as he stood up.


    The others knew from the briefing that Jason would be heading out alone. He wasn¡¯t taking anyone else because he couldn¡¯t portal the silver-rankers, which was a good part of the elite section, and he wouldn¡¯t take the bronze-rankers and isolate them from the team.


    They were quietly glad, as for all their specialist training, they would not plunge into a high-grade monster wave with just their small group. The Adelaide teams would arrive not far behind them for a joint operation.


    The side door opened, the influx of air at their incredible speed causing the helicopter to lurch. Jason kept his feet by gripping the seat belt he had just removed and then flung himself out the door. Gliding towards the ground, he spotted a pleasant enough spot running alongside a creek and rapidly descended there before opening a portal arch and stepping through.


    The EOA¡¯s superhero program involved all their latest breakthroughs in human enhancement. Their bones were engraved with magic sigils in a series of deeply invasive surgeries. Their flesh was treated and retreated with alchemical baths, deep-tissue injections and magical radiation therapy. Their blood was drawn out and magically altered using modified dialysis machines.


    The body modifications were only a part of the procedure, as without similar changes to the soul the massive bodily augmentations could not be handled by the subjects. Volunteers to the program were subjected to magical sensory bombardment while their bodies were undergoing the treatments. For those able to truly open themselves to the changes the result was soul mutation. Many washed out of the program, unable to truly let go and open up their souls. These unfortunates were inevitably crippled by the incomplete enhancement process, which was hideous enough that most of the ones who didn¡¯t die asked to be killed. The EOA complied.


    The EOA¡¯s methods were akin to some of what Jason had experienced inadvertently, although their methods where much cruder and without the months of treatment Jason was given afterwards to help him through the trauma. They also lacked the strength his soul had already gained from ranking up. The result of the EOA''s practices were souls that did grow stronger but were warped in the process.


    Decades of advancement had managed to reduce the impact on the mental state of the recipients, although the specific means were a closely guarded secret. The recipients themselves remembered only strange feelings, having been in induced comas through the process. Only echoes remained in their souls.


    The earliest iron-rank subjects had suffered from twisted minds, which manifested in ways ranging from catatonia to malevolent and depraved tendencies. As the program developed, advancements were made and the later, Bronze-rank subjects showed significantly better results. While the successful subjects often lacked imagination and critical-thinking skills, they made for excellent dumb muscle.


    The latest iteration of the process had entirely eliminated the mental problems through the production of a mysterious and extremely secretive implant. The silver-rank enhanced were mentally normal to all tests, without sacrificing any of the abilities the earlier iterations shared. They were even possible to produce in larger numbers than previous iterations, allowing for the heroes deployed across the world.


    The silver-rank enhanced, like their lower-rank predecessors, were able to use alchemical boosts to enhance their rank temporarily but the key material for the boosts were spirit coins. Without access to gold spirit coins, the ability of the silver-rank enhanced to boost themselves was purely theoretical.


    What they did have at full strength were magic tattoos. Unlike the magic tattoos Jason was familiar with, these were designed specifically to work with the enhanced, allowing them to carry multiples of each without the magic coming into conflict. Hidden away beneath their costumes, their magic tattoos gave the enhanced access to more exotic powers than just silver rank strength, toughness and speed. Each of the superhero-branded enhanced was given a standard suite that allowed them to project energy beams from their eyes and fly for short periods.


    The enhanced had enough of each tattoo to put on a show or to use in a critical moment, but not to employ continually. Although an essence user could only use one tattoo, the silver-ranked enhanced were able to have eight. Even with this advantage, the lack of boost serum meant the superheroes were no match for an equivalent-rank essence user.


    Once alerted to the appearance of monsters in town the EOA¡¯s media teams moved in on a helicopter and in cars. The media teams were staffed with bronze-rank enhanced and would be able to handle themselves, whatever they told the audience. When the media were in place, the superheroes activated their first flight tattoos.


    The heroes flew over a town of people who were fleeing and screaming in response to the multitude of rock monsters pursuing them through the streets. Some of the monsters were hulking, vaguely-humanoid elementals with no heads and giant, opalescent crystals embedded in their chests. Others were basketball-sized flying creatures of crystal and stone, the crystals of each small monster being either blue or red. The smaller monsters with blue crystals conjured up icicles and shot them like arrows, while the red-crystal monsters sent out motes of fire that burned flesh and buildings alike.


    The larger monsters, despite their larger crystals, seemed to have no attendant power. They were rampaging around using pure, brute force, smashing through walls and using cars as bludgeons. They seemed more interested in destruction than in killing while the smaller monsters hunted people almost exclusively. Only the fire types would throw flames at the surroundings if no people were around to offer themselves as targets.


    The silver-rank superheroes had strength and fortitude in the upper ranges of silver but their speed was closer to the baseline. Even so, they were weaker but faster than the silver-rank monsters.


    Each superhero wore magically-enhanced metal gauntlets so as to not use their bare hands against monsters. Without their boost serum, they were equivalent to a mediocre essence user who never used their abilities properly. Only the occasional burst of eyebeams supplemented their brawling combat.


    The did not have the strength or the numbers to handle the monsters. The proto-space they had forcibly unleashed on Broken Hill was a category three, and a strong one at that. The larger monsters were silver-rank and there was no shortage of them. The smaller monsters were all bronze-rank.


    This was acceptable to the EOA, however. The objective was not to save the people of Broken Hill but to be seen stepping in when the Network had failed. They would pass off the death toll on the Network''s failure, played alongside their own people fighting a desperate, but ultimately doomed battle. The EOA media teams were more than happy to make their narrative explicit, as their target demographic were not the strong thinkers.


    ¡°The valour of the League of Heroes is clear but they can only do so much. If the governments of the world would offer them support, perhaps such tragedies could be avoided. So long as they continue to prop up the failing Global Defense Network, how many of the so-called safe zones will suffer the fate of Broken Hill? Is Melbourne or Sydney next?¡±


    The armed militia of the EOA had already long fled, leaving the locals and refugees to their fate. The population of the town, scared and scattered, were buoyed by the arrival of the heroes, only to quickly realise that they were little help. Instead of going after the small monsters hunting people, the heroes rushed into visually exciting clashes with the large monsters destroying the town while leaving the people largely alone.


    On the outskirts of town, an obsidian arch rose from the ground. Jason stepped out, his cloak manifesting around him as he surveyed the scene of death and destruction. Despite all the things he had seen, it was an apocalyptic display that gave even him pause.


    ¡°Shade, bring the bodies you have protecting the family here. We¡¯re going to need them all.¡±

 Chapter 358: Never Enough

    Lauren Chamley and her family hunkered in the bathroom of their house, fearfully checking through the windows from time to time. Crammed in with them was another family, monster wave refugees that the Chamleys had taken in. Many of the families in Broken Hill had opened their homes, although there were never enough places. Most of the people brought in from the surrounding areas had been staying in a tent camp on the outskirts of town.


    On one of her periodic checks, Lauren discovered that the house had been set on fire and realised they would need to flee. Knowing it would take both of their cars to carry everyone, she checked the driveway. Of all the terrible crashing they had heard from inside the house, two of those crashes had apparently been the cars. One of them had the back end stomped into the concrete driveway, while the other had wound up in the neighbour¡¯s wall, upside down.


    The two families reluctantly left the burning house on foot, aiming to get away from the town and the monsters ravaging it. They ducked through yards and took any cover they could find to hide their passage. There were simply too many of them though, leading to their quick discovery.


    Although the people they were killing didn''t know it, the rock and crystal monsters were unusual for elemental creatures. Most elementals were an unusual type of monster. With their kind, the magical manifestation that would normally create a monster body only created a monster core before mindlessly animating elemental material around it.


    These monsters were not actual elementals but true, fully manifested monsters. Although their bodies were of elemental substances the crystal in their forms contained a motive spirit, the false soul that most monsters possessed. What this meant was that rather than mindlessly aggressive elementals, the crystal monsters had minds, if animalistic ones.


    Unfortunately, the minds of the small floating monsters had a deep-running vein of sadism, delighting in the pain and suffering of their victims. Rather than go for the kill, they played with their victims like a cat toying with a captured mouse.


    The two families were not attacked immediately, the monsters that found them hovering ominously to delight in their fear. This proved lucky as an oddly quiet passenger bus became very loud by smashing through a fence, ramming the monsters and sending them flying.


    More monsters were approaching and the bus interposed itself between them and the families. It was a strange design, sleek and black like a bullet train designed by a ninja. The bus door opened to reveal the friendly but anxious face of their neighbour, Griff, who ushered them aboard.


    ¡°Our car is in your house,¡± Lauren told him as she waved her family inside.


    ¡°Yeah, that was the point we got out,¡± Griff said.


    The bus took off the moment the last person was in, at which point they noticed it had no driver. The bus was half full of townspeople and was already on the hunt for more survivors. Looking out the windows they saw the monsters peppering the bus with attacks, only for black tendrils to rise out of the bus and intercept them.


    ¡°What is going on?¡± Lauren asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t know, don¡¯t care,¡± Griff said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen more of these busses running around, though. It looks like they¡¯re collecting survivors.¡±


    ¡°Look!¡± Lauren¡¯s daughter yelled, pointing out the window. Everyone followed her gaze to a dancing figure of darkness and stars, striking down monsters with a sword shimmering with power. The figure moved with impunity, slaying another monster with every flowing motion.


    ¡°It¡¯s him, right?¡± Griff asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s him,¡± Lauren said. ¡°I saw him when he was here a couple of weeks ago. Thank God.¡±


    ¡°I probably wouldn¡¯t say that to his face,¡± said a voice that sounded vaguely like a butler. ¡°He has a thing about gods.¡±


    In the almost two months since Shade had reached silver-rank, Jason and Shade had continued to uncover the nuances the familiar¡¯s new abilities. One of those discoveries was that if all the shadow bodies involved in creating a vehicle wore starlight cloaks, the properties of the cloak were bestowed upon the vehicle. This was protecting the buses and the survivors inside from the projectile attacks of the monsters.


    It took six shadow bodies to form a bus. This was enough for five buses and one body left over to be Jason¡¯s own shadow, allowing him to coordinate the others. Conjuring all those cloaks had been extremely draining, but the presence of so many aggressive enemies also provided a solution. Every attack against an ally within Jason¡¯s aura inflicted an instance of the Sin condition on the enemy making that attack. With all the attacks hitting the buses, that loaded up the monsters with afflictions.


    This was something Jason had been taking advantage of more and more. A Shade body wrapped in a starlight cloak was hard to distinguish from Jason himself unless they were standing still in good light. This made them excellent decoys soaking up attacks and triggering Jason¡¯s aura¡¯s retaliation. On stronger enemies, this gave Jason a chance to frontload his afflictions, while he had another strategy for the weaker ones. It was a strategy that had sent two of his lingering abilities skyrocketing to the front of the pack.


    One of the buses tore away, leaving behind the cluster of now-afflicted little monsters that had been attacking it. Jason tossed his sword into the air and caught it with a shadow hand as he threw his real arms out to the side.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    The rock and crystal monsters were immune to Jason¡¯s necrotic damage and bleeding powers, but they were subject to the curses levied by his aura. This means that they could be drained away.


    The unliving monsters had no life force, so the afflictions were dragged directly out of the crystals in their bodies. The Sin curses flowed out of all the monsters at once and into Jason''s waiting hands, flying through the air like a black and purple spiderweb.


    Ability: [Feast of Absolution] (Sin)


    Spell (recovery, cleanse, holy).Base cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Cleanse all curses, diseases, poisons and unholy afflictions from a single target. Additionally, cleanse all holy afflictions if the target is an ally. Recover stamina and mana for each affliction cleansed. This ability ignores any effect that prevents cleansing. Cannot target self.Effect (bronze): Enemies suffer an instance each of [Penance] and [Legacy of Sin] for each condition cleansed from them.Effect (silver): Increase cost to moderate to affect all afflicted enemies and allies in a wide area.


    [Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off as damage is dealt.[Legacy of Sin] (affliction, holy, stacking): You are considered more damaged for the purposes of execute ability damage scaling. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Jason had been startled at how swiftly the ability had climbed up once he started using it in this fashion. Even though he¡¯d had to use it on one monster at a time before it ranked up, no cooldown meant that he could fire it off in quick succession. Many fights had been nothing but his aura and his cleansing power, topping off his mana and leaving behind the transcendent damage holy affliction, Penance. That affliction was now burning through the gathered monsters.


    Being smaller and only bronze-rank, without the immense vitality that came at silver, the transcendent damage burned through them in short order. They started dissolving into rainbow smoke, and since enemies wholly annihilated by transcendent damage were auto-looted, this was something that Jason had taken advantage of every time he encountered weak, swarming monsters. As Gordon ran around beaming them down, Jason would take out as many as he could using Shade decoys, his aura and his affliction drain.


    Feast of Absolution¡¯s ascension to silver demonstrated once again why it was arguably Jason¡¯s most potent ability. It was the often-overlooked passive it was paired with, however, that gave Jason his first taste of true silver-rank power.


    Ability: [Sin Eater] (Sin)


    Special ability (recovery, holy).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Increased resistance to afflictions. Gain an instance of [Resistant] each time you resist an affliction or cleanse an affliction using essence abilities.Effect (bronze): Gain an instance of [Integrity] for each affliction you resist or remove using essence abilities.Effect (silver): Health, mana and stamina gained through your own essence abilities of the drain and recovery type can exceed the normal maximum. Excess health, stamina and mana deplete over time until the normal maximum is reached.


    [Resistant] (boon, holy, stacking): Resistance to afflictions is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Consumed to negate instances of [Vulnerable] on a 1:1 basis.[Integrity] (heal-over-time, mana-over-time, stamina-over-time, holy, stacking): Periodically recover a small amount of health, stamina and mana. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Now, instead of wasting all the mana and stamina that Feast of Absolution was feeding him, he could absorb it all, even if it started draining away immediately. More importantly, he could use his health draining abilities while fully recovered, stocking up hit points like a D&D character to absorb hits that would normally take a silver-ranker to survive. That would be less of an issue once he reached silver, but while he remained at bronze-rank it was potentially an immeasurable boon.


    Jason had long employed a drain-heal method of staying alive in fights, but without the fortitude of silver-rank, he was always running on a knife¡¯s edge. If not for Colin¡¯s regeneration, his incredible amulet and his custom combat robe he would have fallen many times.


    As monsters disintegrated around him, Jason¡¯s shadow detached from his body and turned into a motorcycle. He leapt on and rocketed off in pursuit of another bus being harassed by monsters. As he went, he struck down the monsters he passed with his sword like a hooligan hitting mailboxes with a baseball bat.


    He could sense the silver-rank monsters and the superheroes fighting them. It was his first time encountering them in person and he made a startling discovery, but it was not the time to explore it. Since the silver-rank monsters seemed uninterested in the populace, Jason left them for the heroes and continued scooping up survivors.


    The five buses could not be everywhere and had to head to Jason¡¯s still-open portal to empty themselves of passengers periodically. Jason did his best to shield survivors until a bus could arrive, shepherding them together in readiness to board quickly. He could only cover so much ground, though, and throughout the town he sensed lives being snuffed out in quick succession. He had to rely on his meditative techniques to keep his mind clear, knowing that bad decisions made in anger would cost lives.


    On Kaito''s helicopter, the passengers were still watching the live feed from the town.


    ¡°¡­ Jason Asano, the Starlight Rider, has arrived to join the other heroes in trying to save the town. Despite his valiant efforts, however, the situation only serves to highlight how one hero has been propping up the failing Global Defense Network. Even as we watch, the¨C"


    Suddenly the cracked door they were filming through was swung wide open.


    ¡°Why is there a bunch of people with magic powers hiding in here, pretending to be a news crew, while people who don¡¯t have any powers are dying out there?¡± Jason growled. "You are going to get out of here and start helping people to safety.¡±


    He pointed to one end of town.


    "Find anyone not on a bus and get them to the portal down that end of town. If I find you hiding again ¨C and I will ¨C you''ll wish the monsters got to you first, you cowardly sacks of shi¨C¡±


    The feed cut out, replaced by a pair of news anchors.


    ¡°Uh, we seem to be having technical difficulties, but I¡¯m sure our news team will be fine with Jason Asano watching over them. Going to Michael for analysis of the unfolding situation¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­military and GDN personnel are rapidly setting up a camp to receive them, even as more Broken Hill residents emerge from the portal you¡¯re seeing on screen. We are standing some four-hundred kilometres from Broken Hill, yet the people escaping are claiming that they travelled that distance instantaneously through the mysterious arch believed to be one of the Starlight Rider¡¯s many abilities. There seems to be a strong nauseating factor to the exotic form of travel as many of the escapees are demonstrating, right on the grass¡­¡±


    Terrance was talking on his phone as he watched the coverage.


    ¡°Make sure the coverage highlights the difference between the EOA fighting monsters and Jason rescuing people. I want to see interviews with every person from Broken Hill with the power of speech. No, don¡¯t send a news crew to the town, you maniac. Take a footage feed from Kaito¡¯s drones and have a panel of analysts dissect how useless their superheroes are.¡±


    Just as he ended the call, Aram came rushing into Terrance¡¯s office.


    ¡°New development?¡± Terrance asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re pretty sure the EOA are responsible for the Broken Hill disaster.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Terrance said. ¡°I do not want a single word of that getting into the press. No pointed suggestions, no leaks, nothing.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it bad for them?¡±


    "The moment accusations start, the EOA will turn it around to accuse us of setting them up. Salacious accusations going back and forth slide right into their tone of discourse, not ours, which will make us look desperate."


    ¡°We have proof!¡±


    ¡°So does climate change and how¡¯s that going? If I hear anyone on our side peddling a line about the EOA being behind this, I will personally have wild monkey sex with your father.¡±


    ¡°My father¡¯s dead, you arsehole.¡±


    ¡°Then he won¡¯t struggle, will he? Get back to work.¡±


    Jason was tireless as he went through Broken Hill, constantly draining afflictions to amass stamina and mana. He would lure monsters to a bus to draw them away from scattered survivors and then afflict and drain them in clusters, before sending the buses to collect those survivors.


    His incredible senses allowed him to tag monsters and survivors on his tactical map ability, the sight of which constantly threatened to crush his spirit. As fast as he worked and as hard as he fought, it was never enough. Again and again, the red dots of an unfriendly intersected with the green dot of a friendly, which then blinked out.


    The superheroes had finally finished off the silver-rank monsters and had started chasing down the smaller ones, but they were built for cinematic battles, not efficient sweep-and-clear. Only the arrival of Kaito and the Network strike teams would be able to carry that out successfully, their numbers and practised tactics outpacing what Jason could accomplish.


    When reinforcements finally came into range of his voice chat power, Jason was filled with relief at the assistance and remorse that he couldn¡¯t do more. It hadn¡¯t been that long but it felt like an endless slog as more and more lives faded from his senses. He opened up a voice chat to start relaying the situation they were flying into.


    Finally, Jason found himself in the remains of the town, every civilian in it either dead or evacuated. He had used his portal again and again as it reached capacity. At his current rank, a thousand normals could go through before hitting the limit, which put the survivor count, based on portal use, at less than twenty-thousand survivors.


    He had swept the town and patrolled the outskirts multiple times to make sure, as had Kaito with his drones. He stood amongst the ruins and the dead, feeling empty and at a loss. They didn¡¯t have hard numbers yet but he could see with his own eyes the bodies piled up in the burned-out remains of the tent camp. Based on that and his portal count, he estimated somewhere between ten and fifteen-thousand had died.


    Jason instinctually wanted to collect up the bodies instead of just leaving them where they lay, but there would be an organised operation to collect and identify the dead that he would only muddle up if he interfered.


    His gaze turned to the superheroes, standing together with their media team who were pointing a camera his way.

 Chapter 359: Media Landscape

    Smoke rose from smouldering buildings into an orange sunset over Broken Hill.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason said quietly as he looked over at the EOA media team. ¡°Please find an ordinary handgun and discreetly leave it nearby.¡±


    Jason had spotted enough armed dead that it would not be a difficult task. He had seen the military personnel, mostly clustered around their post near the tent city. Many of them had been killed by firearms rather than monsters. Only a handful of the military had survived, isolated and armed with weapons that couldn¡¯t harm the monsters. He got them out with the other survivors, although a few had insisted on trying to fight. Rather than let them learn the hard way, he had Shade knock them out and then shoved them on a bus with the others.


    He had also seen some black-clad corpses other than the Network¡¯s tactical section, which were likely part of the group responsible for the Broken Hill tragedy. Not all of them had managed to safely extract, whether due to monster attacks or the military and Network personnel not going down as easily as anticipated.


    One of Shade¡¯s bodies slipped away, unseen in the growing shadows of evening.


    Penelope was the leader of the EOA¡¯s media team.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that talking to him is a good idea,¡± she said.


    ¡°It¡¯s all upsides,¡± said, Garret, the leader of the superhero team. ¡°You said yourself that we were having trouble finding stand-out personalities in our hero ranks. If we can associate ourselves with Asano, that might change. He¡¯s the face of magic right now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s going to be very accommodating,¡± Penelope said.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, too. If he accuses us of setting all this in motion, we use it to tar the Network. One way or the other, it¡¯s a win for us.¡±


    ¡°We could make a point that he¡¯s a better fit for the League of Heroes than the Network,¡± Penelope mused. ¡°There¡¯s no way he jumps ship, but we have been working to paint him as being one of us who only works for them. An actual interview might help push that along.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Garret said. ¡°We win every way.¡±


    They were speaking quietly as the face of the media team, Davina, was giving a voice over for the live feed as the camera recorded Jason.


    ¡°As the sun truly sets on Broken Hill, we can only wonder if the historic town will ever see a new dawn after the catastrophe it has suffered. For all his valiant efforts, Jason Asano, the Starlight Rider, stands in the ruins of the Global Defense Network¡¯s failure. Again, we apologise to viewers for the graphic images on display¡­¡±


    As Davina continued to narrate, Penelope silently grabbed her attention, communicating her intentions with hand signals. Davina nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to approach Mr Asano with the head of the League of Heroes team, Garret Dunhurst, a.k.a. Skybolt. Skybolt, this will be your first time meeting with your fellow hero, is this correct?¡±


    ¡°It is, Davina, and I only wish it could be under better circumstances. Unfortunately, the crisis we all face means that every hero is facing terrible circumstances and the Starlight Rider is no exception.¡±


    Davina, Garret and the camera operator approached Jason. They could only see the silver eyes under his hood, the light on the camera failing to penetrate it.


    ¡°Mr Asano, despite working side by side with your fellow heroes, the death toll is clearly in the thousands. Do you think that closer collaboration with your fellow heroes might reduce the impact should further GDN safe zones be compromised?¡±


    Seconds ticking over in the dead air as they awaited Jason¡¯s response.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°You think we¡¯re heroes?¡± Jason asked in a voice of weariness-infused gravel. ¡°Stepping forward is the absolute minimum to expect of people with our abilities. To do any less would make us nothing but worthless cowards. If you want to see heroes, look to the people who have no powers yet they step onto the same field as us. And why do they do that? For no more reason than there are people in need of help. They don¡¯t have the strength to face what we can face, but here they are, making the ultimate sacrifice.¡±


    He gestured at the ruined town around them.


    ¡°If you want to find heroes, go digging through the rubble. They¡¯re piled high. You think we compare to them because we run around in costumes, fighting monsters?¡±


    ¡°We protect the people,¡± Garret said.


    ¡°We aren''t the ones that will get the world through this calamity,¡± Jason said. ¡°We can help some people, yes, but we''re just a symbol. The people of the world will get through this disaster not by waiting for some fool in a costume like me to save them. They¡¯ll get through this by coming together, the human race united. A network of people who are heroes not for the powers they possess but their willingness to raise one another out of the darkness.¡±


    Garret could feel himself losing control of the narrative and tried to guide Jason towards making an accusation.


    ¡°Those people will need leadership and guidance. Heroes to show them the way. Surely you recognise that without us, the body count today would have been much greater, perhaps even total.¡±


    ¡°Leadership and guidance,¡± Jason repeated. ¡°That¡¯s the kind of language you hear from dictators. In the free world, we choose our leaders, they don¡¯t choose us, but I can see why you would think that way, given where your powers come from. We may accept your League of Heroes because the monsters are here and we need everyone we can get. But I won¡¯t forget who unleashed those monsters in the first place so that you could run around playing super friends. There will come a day when the monsters aren¡¯t looming over us and the people hiding behind you will face a reckoning.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear,¡± Davina said, ¡°Mr Asano, are you claiming that there is some kind of secret cabal behind the League of Heroes who brought the monsters down on us all? That is quite the accusation, for which I assume you have some amount of proof.¡±


    The chuckle that came from inside Jason¡¯s dark hood could have frozen water.


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to prove anything or convince anyone. The day will come when the people hidden in the dark will die, alone and unknown. And no one will ever hear about it.¡±


    ¡°You were just talking about dictatorship,¡± Davina said. ¡°Now you¡¯re talking about extrajudicial murder?¡±


    ¡°Someone needs to hold the men behind the curtain to account, but if you don¡¯t like it, who¡¯s going to stop me?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Your heroes, here?¡±


    A pair of silver eyes fixed on Garret.


    ¡°Are you going to stand in my way, Spybolt?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Skybolt.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. I¡¯ll be the villain to your hero, but you¡¯d best stop me now. You¡¯re as strong as you¡¯re ever going to get, while my power grows with every passing day.¡±


    He turned back on the reporter.


    ¡°What about you, Davina? You¡¯re one of the league¡¯s secret heroes. Are you going to stop me?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you got this idea about me having powers came from but you are completely wrong.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Shade, if you would?¡±


    A shadowy figure emerged from the camera operator¡¯s shadow, taking the camera off his shoulder and focused on Davina. A shadow arm shot out from Jason and picked up a nearby pistol, which Jason then pointed at the reporter as Shades rose up behind her and Jason both. With silver-rank reflexes, Garret interposed himself between Jason and the reporter but Jason was already disappearing into his own Shade.


    He emerged behind the reporter, shooting her in the back of the head without hesitation. Garret had the reflexes but not the awareness to stop it, taking just too long to realise where Jason appeared from. Davina staggered forward a few steps, groaning loudly as she held a hand over her head where she was shot.


    ¡°You¡¯re a maniac!¡± she spat at Jason, turning around to face him. He pulled his hood back to reveal his face, his eyes were bloodshot, red and puffy from tears. In an instant, he went from faceless menace to a man shattered in grief at the tragedy around him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said bitterly. ¡°If that bullet to the head left you with a headache, maybe you don¡¯t have powers. That¡¯s why you hid instead of stepping out to help these people, right?¡±


    ¡°You can stop your play, Asano,¡± Penelope said. ¡°The studio cut the broadcast.¡±


    Jason didn''t bother to say anything more, opening a portal and stepping through.


    They arrived a short distance from the camp containing the Broken Hill survivors. Jason started walking in that direction over the yellow, shin-high grass.


    ¡°You did grab the memory drive from the camera, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Shade said. ¡°I am uncertain how it will help, though, given that the footage went out live.¡±


    ¡°Never underestimate the value of the unedited original,¡± Jason said. ¡°There was probably a broadcast delay on the live feed, so there¡¯s no telling how much they managed to edit our little play.¡±


    ¡°I cannot help but notice that with your ability to control your physiology, as grief-inducing as the day''s events were, you should neither get bloodshot eyes nor produce tears.¡±


    ¡°The dead deserve tears,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your father best take care of them or he and I are going to have words.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you are ready to threaten the Reaper, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    He tucked his hood back up over his head as they drew closer to the camp.


    ¡°This is a wagonload of horse manure,¡± Terrance said. ¡°I have work to do.¡±


    ¡°Not if you get removed from your position, you don¡¯t,¡± Anna told him as they walked the halls of the Network office in Sydney. ¡°Make no mistake, if this workplace mediation doesn¡¯t go well, you will be replaced.¡±


    As a publicity man, Terrance was forced to admire Anna¡¯s choice of tearing him down in the halls where anyone could and would overhear. It sent a message that the upper management was accountable, the general staff were respected and that family was not a shield against bad behaviour. That did not mean that he wouldn¡¯t argue back.


    ¡°We have more important things to deal with than someone¡¯s feelings getting hurt.¡±


    ¡°Terry, you threatened to have sex with the man¡¯s dead father. I¡¯ve worked with Aram a long time and he¡¯s a good man whose father was incredibly important to him. You are going to apologise and you are going to god damn mean it or I will throw you out of the building myself.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t force me to be sincere.¡±


    ¡°Terry, we all need to be at our very best. If people refuse to deal with you, people that you need to rely on, then things are going to get missed. If they have someone who has authority over them and is free to abuse them, that is going to detract from their performance. This isn¡¯t you and me in the backyard. These are people that work hard, work well and are deserving of your respect. The problem here, Terry, is you, and I will excise that problem one way or another. If you can¡¯t get your head around that and realise that you need to do better, then I do not want you here. Which, in case you¡¯re not paying attention, means that you won¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°You''re not the only member of the Steering Committee, Anna. Some of the others like the way I do things.¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯ll interfere when I try to fire you,¡± Anna acknowledged. ¡°But do they have the stones to interfere when I throw you off the roof?¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, Anna.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll survive,¡± she said. ¡°You can go liquid form.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll take me hours to pool myself back together after a fall like that. That¡¯s assuming I don¡¯t lose any of myself down a storm drain again.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Anna said. ¡°I¡¯ll have the stuff from your office boxed up and waiting for you.¡±


    Jason quietly arrived at Asano Village in the washed-out light of predawn. He had spent the night in the survivor¡¯s camp but not to sleep. He hadn¡¯t been sure what solace he could offer the survivors but all he had left to give was his time. He then spent additional hours in debrief and even more time talking to the press.


    Erika, Emi and Ken gathered around him, catching him in a supportive embrace. They moved to the lounge of the village¡¯s main residence, Emi sitting on a couch between Jason and her mother, each of them holding one of her hands.


    For all that Emi¡¯s intelligence and maturity was beyond her age, the things she had seen that day had been a lot for a thirteen-year-old. Erika had told Emi she shouldn¡¯t watch the news but hadn¡¯t stopped her. They had all been glued to the television, catching every glimpse of Jason amongst the violence and the ruins and the death.


    Jason and his family sat in awkward silence. Like much of the country and even the world, they had been watching him on the news all day. It began with the early scraps of action captured by the hiding EOA team, then the interviews with survivors. Footage from Kaito¡¯s drones had been fed live to the press, showing Jason moving like a dark, flittering bug in his desperate striving to extricate survivors.


    Many countries around the world had fought back against the EOA¡¯s media control, including Australia. The Emergency Communications Act had passed with overwhelming support in Parliament, despite unprecedented pushback from the media on all fronts. Not only did the law enact massive emergency funds for the public broadcast network but required government information updates to air daily on all free-to-air networks and instituted an Office of Media Disinformation with fierce enforcement powers.


    Privacy advocates pushed back against what they termed draconian measures against press freedom, which the media companies got entirely behind with complaints about editorial independence. The wake of tragedy, however, was always the easiest time to curtail civil liberties. Broken Hill was the largest of Australia¡¯s disasters, but not the first.


    ¡°I''m not going to keep Shade¡¯s bodies with you anymore,¡± Jason said finally. ¡°I like being able to communicate and know that he¡¯s there if something happens. It¡¯s become clear to me, though, that I need to stop splitting my power.¡±


    Shade had called his bodies back to Jason but it had taken time for them to get into range. They could only merge from forty kilometres away and had merged into an unmanned surveillance plane, moving at speed before travelling the last leg through the portal. In the time it took, there was one less bus picking up survivors than there could have been. Jason couldn¡¯t help but think of the lives that he failed to save.


    ¡°We understand,¡± Erika said.


    His mind kept going back to the waterfall village where he had fought the elemental tyrant as the villagers evacuated. He had saved everyone that day. Everyone. All it had cost him was a scar. He was so much more powerful, now, yet he had done so much worse. He was unmarked but thousands of people were dead. He knew that one monster was different from an entire proto-space worth, but that didn''t offer him solace.


    ¡°I need to get stronger,¡± he murmured, head bowed.


    ¡°You¡¯re already strong, son,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen power so vast that my mind is too limited to comprehend the scope of it. I¡¯m a grain of sand before that. A bug on a windshield.¡±


    ¡°What will you be if you get that kind of power?¡± Erika asked. ¡°You¡¯re talking about god-like power, right? Is that what you want for yourself? If you become that powerful, will we be the grains of sand to you?¡±


    Jason looked up her with tremulous eyes.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said.


    ¡°Power isn¡¯t everything, Jason,¡± Erika told him, nodding at Emi¡¯s small hand in his. ¡°Power can¡¯t offer you that.¡±


    He tilted his head as he sensed a familiar aura approaching.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ken asked.


    ¡°Someone I know just arrived at the village gate.¡±


    ¡°As in the gate three kilometres away?¡± Erika asked. She and Ken both had aura senses, but theirs barely covered the room.


    Jason''s senses had grown to incredible proportions. They were based in his aura strength, although they reached further than his aura, like a radar sending out signals. He was still getting a handle on them, though.


    In the familiar calm of Asano Village, they weren''t onerous. In Broken Hill, the monsters and the chaos was overwhelming but he¡¯d pushed himself to endure extending his senses to the limit. He had to know where the survivors needed him most.


    Jason stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be back in a moment,¡± he said, opening a portal and stepping through, emerging outside the village gate. Most of the people camping there had long gone as food shortages became worse. They had been forced to the cities where the government was rationing out food supplies after seizing control of the supply chains. Only the most committed and unhinged people remained outside Asano village.


    A car had stopped in front of the gate and the security guard on duty had emerged from the booth. It was some distant cousin Jason didn¡¯t really know, looking at him nervously.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll handle this.¡±


    Dawn stepped out of the car, an expensive but ordinary European sedan.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about what you went through today.¡±


    ¡°Save your sympathy for the families of the dead.¡±


    ¡°Very well. I was hoping you might put me up for a little while. A normal-rank avatar isn¡¯t up to the rigours of an increasingly dangerous world, as you well know.¡±

 Chapter 360: Instability

    In the Sydney branch¡¯s media operations centre, Terrance was going through the footage Jason had stolen from the EOA at Broken Hill again, discussing it with his publicity staff.


    ¡°The key to what he¡¯s doing here is that he¡¯s not telling us what the EOA¡¯s secrets are, which would get people immediately calling bull. He¡¯s ¡®inadvertently¡¯ letting slip in his anger that he knows what the EOA¡¯s secrets are. Instead of people denying what he¡¯s telling us, he¡¯s got them wondering what he¡¯s keeping to himself.¡±


    He pointed at one of his staffers.


    ¡°Hailey, what is number one on trending right now?¡±


    ¡°Which platform?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Just pick one.¡±


    ¡°Alright, boss, just a moment¡­ number one is #scottbaioeyebeams.¡±


    ¡°Scott Baio? The Charles in Charge guy? You know what I¡¯m looking for, Hailey.¡±


    ¡°Number three is #wheredothepowerscomefrom.¡±


    ¡°Where do the powers come from?¡± Terrance repeated. ¡°When the monster waves started, people were asking about the powers but it was one more thing in a world gone crazy. Now people are getting a handle on monsters and superheroes, so it¡¯s time to refocus that question, which is exactly what Asano just did.¡±


    The doors opened up and Aram came in.


    ¡°The Steering Committee wants an in-person update,¡± he said.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Terrance said. ¡°Hailey, take over the analysis. Pay particular attention to the way that instead of going against the EOA¡¯s hero narrative, Asano played into it to give himself the authority he then used to undercut it. Seriously, I could kiss that man. I mean, I couldn¡¯t, he was very clear on that, but still¡­¡±


    Jason and Dawn were riding the underground tram out to the cloud house.


    ¡°You¡¯re getting close to silver-rank, now,¡± she said.


    ¡°Events have accelerated my advancement,¡± he said flatly. ¡°If I had the choice, I¡¯d rather it take longer and not have all the death.¡±


    Globally, the death toll from the monster waves was over two-hundred thousand, although those were soft numbers. The count was potentially much higher.


    ¡°You have a question for me,¡± Dawn said. ¡°One that you need to ask before we can move forward.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about Farrah?¡±


    "You realise that you could have asked that instead of punching my nose through my brain."


    ¡°No regrets. I bet you were all ¡®that little bastard¡¯ afterwards.¡±


    ¡°Of course I wasn¡¯t,¡± she lied. ¡°I¡¯m an ancient and powerful being, so I¡¯m a little more mature than someone who just turned twenty-six. I noticed that you didn¡¯t celebrate your birthday last week.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a celebratory time. I never liked my birthday anyway.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s on April Fool¡¯s Day?¡±


    ¡°It might seem like a fun combination but it¡¯s not,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why didn¡¯t you tell me about Farrah?¡±


    ¡°Because of you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°If I had come to you when you first arrived back, what you have done?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have gone and got her.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You¡¯d have died trying. Think about the state you were in when you got back. No local resources, no allies, no information, no understanding of the magical society of your world. You were also still very much caught up in a war mentality. Your first instinct to every obstacle was to murder it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have found a way.¡±


    ¡°You did, when you were ready. You had allies, information and a more balanced mindset.¡±


    "You could have shown me how."


    ¡°And would you have trusted me enough to listen?¡±


    He grimaced.


    ¡°No,¡± he acknowledged.


    "She was sent here to help you, not just as a warrior but as a friend. She understands what you''ve been through because she has been through much the same. Most of all, she is someone you can trust. It took time to get there, even with your family. Except for your niece, but she couldn''t offer you the support you needed."


    ¡°I know what Farrah represents,¡± Jason growled, then his face softened. ¡°And I am grateful that she was brought back.¡±


    ¡°You can thank the Reaper for that,¡± Dawn said. ¡°He was the one who offered. He wanted to avoid the World Phoenix sending your soul zipping back and forth across the astral with her tokens every time she needed you in one world or the other.¡±


    ¡°And now I have to figure out how to astral travel fully intact or not at all,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You will.¡±


    The tram tunnel emerged from underground into the underwater section.


    ¡°This is rather nice,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°I like it. I have more questions for you.¡±


    ¡°The Builder did not violate the agreement,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Then how are the Engineers of Ascension making converted with his clockwork cores?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know everything, Mr Asano, and I can only tell you so much of what I do. What I can tell you is that the Builder has not intervened in this world any time in the last five centuries or so.¡±


    ¡°Unless he found a way to sneak past you.¡±


    ¡°Sneaking past me is possible,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Sneaking past the World-Phoenix is not.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying you can¡¯t help me figure out what¡¯s going on, then?¡±


    ¡°I am not saying that. I would direct you to the defector from the EOA leadership who is working with the American Network branches. She has insights into their enhancement program from its very origins.¡±


    ¡°How exactly is it that you get your information?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you that.¡±


    ¡°Is it just a bunch of people?¡±


    ¡°It is not just a bunch of people.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to tell me who they are because then I could just go ask the bunch of people myself, right?¡±


    ¡°It is not just a bunch of people!¡±


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s not. I totally believe you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m beginning to understand why the Builder was so caught up in killing someone as insignificant as you.¡±


    ¡°Rude.¡±


    The tram came to a stop at the end of the tunnel and they went through the airlock into the cloud house. Jason looked around as he did every time he entered, still happy with the configuration of interlinked domes.


    "This is rather nice," Dawn said, the air shimmering with light passing through the water outside. "It reminds me of home a little."


    ¡°And where¡¯s home?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The city-universe of Interstice,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s minute by the standards of a normal reality, but quite large by the standards of a city. It is also profoundly magical, yet unique in that monsters do not manifest there. Many consider it to be the capital city of the astral, at least the portion of it that we know. The astral is more vast than even a diamond-ranker like myself can conceptualise.¡±


    ¡°So, the astral has its own societies, then?¡±


    ¡°Many worlds are more familiar with astral travel than the one you have known. Pallimustus has rather undeveloped astral magic, although the Builder¡¯s intervention is changing that. Even now, your friend Clive is deciphering and disseminating more advanced astral knowledge.¡±


    ¡°You know about my team?¡±


    ¡°They are all doing well. They do not know that you are alive again, however.¡±


    ¡°Knowledge must know I¡¯m not dead. She knew about the token your boss gave me.¡±


    ¡°She knows. She just isn¡¯t telling.¡±


    ¡°Bloody transcendents and their bloody games,¡± he muttered, shaking his head.


    They went through a tunnel into a lounge room, each sitting in a comfortable cloud armchair.


    ¡°I¡¯d offer you refreshments but I don¡¯t keep any on hand,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rationing, you know.¡±


    "¡­consistently gaining ground in defining the discourse," Terrance reported. He was standing in the Steering Committee meeting room giving his report.


    ¡°The EOA was always running on a clock before they lost control of the narrative,¡± he continued. ¡°We¡¯re seeing them pay for it now. Even in the beginning, certain areas were resistant to their obfuscation. In the US, for example, the EOA has incredible media dominance but the Emergency Broadcast System cut through a lot of the noise. Now that countries are enacting media intervention laws like our Emergency Communications Act, the EOA can¡¯t muddy the waters so easily.¡±


    ¡°We know the EOA have been insinuating themselves into states who have long felt that the Network was a tool of the west,¡± Anna said. ¡°Certain states are even looking to oust the Network and have the EOA fill the role. This is the EOA¡¯s endgame, as far as we can tell. What is your assessment, based on media analysis, for further action on this front?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°If the projections of the grid coming back up inside of two to three weeks hold up, then I think the EOA are pretty much out of steam in terms of infiltrating governments. I would be looking out for a reorientation of their plans moving forward. There is no way they don¡¯t know about the grid projections, so we¡¯re keeping a sharp eye for a shift in messaging that might indicate whatever new approach they¡¯re going for.¡±


    "Alright, thank you, Terrance," The committee chairwoman said. "So long as nothing else terrible comes up, I don''t anticipate there being any problems.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Terrance exclaimed. ¡°Why would you say something like that?¡±


    ¡°Why are you here, Dawn?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure that you could find a nice, secure spot in any of the big cities.¡±


    ¡°I warned you in the past of what is happening to your world as the magical density grows.¡±


    ¡°You did.¡±


    ¡°Most of the astral spaces on this world were already going undiscovered, under the water,¡± she said. ¡°With the deactivation of the grid, the rate of magic being introduced to your world increased by a third, which is a not-inconsiderable amount.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s accelerated the process,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not hard to surmise.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worse than that, I¡¯m afraid. I¡¯ve been studying the effects on your world and the rate of acceleration seems to have crossed some manner of threshold.¡±


    ¡°Meaning something¡¯s happened that won¡¯t get fixed when the grid goes back up? I don¡¯t suppose you ever considered helping with that. Or warning us what the EOA was up to?¡±


    ¡°I am an astral magic specialist, Mr Asano. While I am not unversed in array magic, I am used to operating with higher-order magic, meaning higher-rank rituals in high-magic zones. Your friend, Farrah, is more conversant with lower-order array magic than I am and better suited to the task. As for warning you, there are rules on how much I am allowed to interfere.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a convenient excuse for acting when you want to and ignoring us when you don¡¯t.¡±


    "Then where do we draw the line, Mr Asano? Where would you like the intervention of higher-order beings to stop? Do you want the World-Phoenix coming in and solving all your problems? Of course, what constitutes a problem and an acceptable solution would be for us to decide. What if it was the Reaper instead? The Builder? How much freedom are you willing to give up? Knowing you, Mr Asano, I''m guessing not very much. There are lines that we do not cross and I recommend you be grateful for that. As it stands, my presence here is already edging that line. I am a servant of the World-Phoenix, whose authority is dimensional integrity, so I have some leeway on how free I can be with information pertaining to that. Anything else I need to be more careful with. I can help you connect dots but not draw the dots myself. Even then, I must be cautious.¡±


    Jason looked unhappy but nodded, acknowledging the point.


    ¡°If you¡¯re an astral magic specialist,¡± he said, ¡°how about you help me get my head around these books that Knowledge gave me?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Wait, yes? As in yes, you¡¯ll help me out without buggering about being mysterious?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ great. Thank you.¡±


    ¡°I will need some local accommodation.¡±


    ¡°We can do that. The food won¡¯t be terrific; we¡¯re rationing the same as everyone else.¡±


    ¡°This avatar can be sustained on spirit coins.¡±


    ¡°No worries, then. Now, back to what you were saying about some kind of change that won¡¯t be fixed when the grid goes back up. Are you talking about direct manifestations, with no proto-spaces?¡±


    ¡°No, that is still a number of years away. A smaller number, now, but there is time for more pressing concerns. What I am talking about is something even I have not seen before. Do recall that I told you about the previous Builder creating this universe as an experiment?¡±


    ¡°Something about making it using existing realities as a template instead of starting from scratch?¡±


    ¡°Precisely. I have been examining the dimensional integrity of this world and I believe that the increased magic from the current circumstances has triggered a unique symptom of instability based on templates from which your world was constructed. Once the grid is back up, the acceleration in magic will be arrested somewhat as the proto-spaces it detects are once more being intercepted. At that point, I believe the instability will show itself, like a dimensional whiplash effect.¡±


    ¡°Show itself how?¡±


    ¡°By the flaws introduced in the way this universe was constructed manifesting directly. Pockets of reality, warping into patterns based on the templates on which this reality was designed."


    ¡°What will that look like?¡±


    ¡°Like an astral or proto-astral space. Different geography, climate, magical conditions. Except there will be no dimensional boundary. Instead of being connected to your world, these zones will be part of it, the space they occupied being reshaped on the most fundamental level.¡±


    ¡°What about people in that space?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Will there be monsters?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. What the previous Builder did here was drastic enough that he was removed and replaced. This is, as far as I am aware, unprecedented. If the World-Phoenix knows more, it has not shared that information with me.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t feel great, does it?¡±


    ¡°No, it does not.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Farrah said the grid reactivation team is hoping to get it back up in less than two weeks. Until just now, I thought that was a good thing.¡±


    ¡°All you can do is warn the world. I am not withholding information here; I truly do not know. You will need to discover how to deal with whatever comes for yourselves, although I have a place that you can start.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to connect some dots for me?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It is time for Akari Asano to tell you why she is really here.¡±

 Chapter 361: Supernatural

    Really?" Dawn asked. Shade''s motorcycle form made almost no noise but with the rush of air, she spoke loudly.


    "What?" Jason asked back.


    "You have a portal power."


    "Which I might need to use in an emergency."


    "Your familiar can turn into a car."


    "On a beautiful day like this?"


    "Or more than one motorcycle."


    "I don''t know what you''re complaining about," Jason said. "Emi loves the sidecar."


    Dawn''s senses relied on projecting her aura through her avatar, but Jason sensed nothing, even as his emotions were laid bare.


    As well as Jason hid it, his tangled nest of grief, frustration, and shame were plain for her to see. She had been observing him long enough to know that banter was a key coping mechanism of his and she let herself fall into it as they rode through the bushland separating the communal area of Asano Village from the residential clusters.


    The roads were only months old but well made, the product of Ken''s earth manipulation powers and a construction crew brought in by Hiro. The workers had been told that they were the day crew. The extra work they found done each morning was attributed to the night crew, who they never saw. They were paid well to not ask questions, so they overlooked the myriad incongruities that came from the night crew being Jason''s father and his magic powers.


    Jason and Dawn followed the road as it wound through pleasant bushland and climbed to the clifftop residential cluster, the most remote of Asano Village''s mini-suburbs. Jason pulled the bike to a stop where a large yard spanned the gap between the road and the cliff-hugging house. Aside from a tiled path leading to the front door, the yard was all open grass.


    There was an outdoor cabinet next to the door, up against the stone wall of the house. It had a magic lock that any essence-user could open with a little mana. Jason did so, taking out a pair of silver-rank suppression collars, along with two swords covered in faintly-glowing runes.


    Item: [Practise Sword] (bronze rank, common)


    Practise sword designed to allow full-contact attacks in safety (weapon, sword).


    Effect: All damage dealt by this weapon is negated, replaced with a mild stinging sensation.Effect: Inflicts [Minor Stun]. Strength of stun is based on the amount of damage that would have been dealt.[Minor Stun] (affliction, magic): Causes loss of function in the area of the body affected. Affects a larger area of the body when used against targets lower than bronze-rank. Delivers debilitating disorientation when used on vital areas.


    Dawn waited at the edge of the yard with Shade, who had returned to his natural form of a shadow with silver eyes. Jason moved to the middle of the yard, letting out a pulse of aura, even though he knew Akari would have heard his approach. He clipped one of the suppression collars around his neck.


    The collars Akari brought with her from Japan were more artistically designed than others Jason had seen. Most suppression collars were thick, plain and not designed with the comfort of the wearer in mind. These were more like jewellery, with elegant engraving and silver gilding. It would not be hard for him to shrug off the collar''s effect but he let it work.


    Akari emerged from the house wearing a dark blue kendo gi. Her hair was in a practical ponytail that always reminded him of Sophie, despite Akari''s hair being shampoo-commercial shimmering black instead of metallic silver. Jason was wearing track pants, sneakers and an H.R. Pufnstuf t-shirt. She wordlessly took one of the swords and the other suppression collar, snapping it around her neck.


    Jason and Akari squared off in the middle of the yard, each watching for openings. When they had started practising together, they had been evenly matched. Akari was a specialised swordswoman but had been caught up in human fighting styles designed around human limitations. She made good use of her speed, but her superhuman body was capable of far more than she was using it for.


    Jason, by contrast, made complete use of his peak bronze-rank attributes. They were not the equal of her silver-rank attributes but his were fully leveraged when he fought. Her highly aggressive approach was not inherently bad but was poorly-suited to confront Jason''s style heavily employing feints and counterattacks.


    Jason was hard to read for the aggressive Akari, who found herself repeatedly baited into missteps and overextensions. Almost every loss she suffered found her admonishing herself for exposing herself.


    Jason''s strange, chimeric style would shift from approach to approach in ways that should have been discordant yet were somehow natural and smooth. In one moment it resembled kendo and the next, capoeira. Bursts of direct, rapid aggression gave way to elaborate and outlandish movements that seemed more like dance or acrobatics than combat. It shouldn''t have worked, yet because of his superhuman capabilities, it did.


    As weeks turned into months, Jason would arrive again and again at her door to fight. With Akari''s unflinching analysis and unswerving dedication, she rapidly addressed the flaws Jason had revealed in her combat style.


    Jason was diligent in his swordsmanship, but for Akari, the sword was the core of her being. She learned to leverage her own attributes in her own way while modulating her forceful aggression into precision and care, improving her ability to read feints, avoid dangerous counterattacks and adapt to Jason''s unconventional style.


    Akari had been training in the sword as long as she could remember. Jason had little to offer in improving her technique, but the principles of the way he fought helped her to reforge herself with the tools she already possessed. A lifetime of training gave her the means to awaken her potential; Jason merely provided the impetus.


    Jason had likewise learned from Akari. He tended to overcomplicate and get caught up in trying to be clever when clean, simple and direct was the superior choice. He did not share Akari''s immersion in the way of the sword, so he did not make the same strides as her, but she helped him work on the weakest area of his technique, which was efficiency.


    After two months, he went from winning four in ten spars to one in twenty when they faced off in the open yard. That ratio shifted significantly upward when they moved into the bush, however, where even without his powers, Jason moved like a ghost. The dedication Akari put into being a swordswoman, Jason put into being a predator.


    As Dawn watched on they had a typical spar, with Jason infuriatingly hard to pin down. Akari was relentless, however, punishing every mistake Jason made with his wild combat style. Jason still managed to goad her into an opening, turning the tables with a flurry of counterattacks. Even on the back foot, however, Akari was calm, efficient and precise. What had once been a desperate defence was now clinical in execution, dismantling Jason''s momentum as she inexorably turned the tables back.


    Landing a clean hit on Jason''s leg arrested his mobility as the stun inflicted by the sword took effect. This signalled the end as Jason at his best was barely able to hold her off. A strike to his other leg dropped him to the ground, where her sword down on his head.


    The magic of the sword meant he didn''t feel more than a mild sting from any of it, pain an iron-ranker could ignore, let alone a peak bronze-ranker. The finisher was disorienting stun effect to his head that delivered a bout of debilitating vertigo. He lay on his back, giggling like a child who had spun themselves dizzy as he felt the world turn wildly around him.


    Akari took Jason''s sword and unclipped his suppression collar. The training device had a simple clasp to keep it closed, with no key. She looked down at him as Jason pushed himself onto his elbows, still grinning with a giddy expression.


    "Sometimes I suspect you''re losing on purpose just to get hit in the head with the training swords."


    "No worries on that front," Jason said. "If I did that, you''d use your real sword on me."


    "Just as long as you know," she said, helping Jason unsteadily to his feet. It left them standing close to one another.


    "I should have been there with you," she said softly.


    He gave her a smile devoid of his usual smirking undertone.


    "It''s not like you were taking a spa day. Broken Hill didn''t stop every other threat out there and you had your own people to help."


    "You shouldn''t have had to face that alone."


    "I didn''t. I just got there a little earlier. Once the troops arrived I was pretty much reduced to opening portals and directing bus traffic."


    Akari frowned.


    "You don''t always have to be self-effacing, you know. It''s the most Japanese thing about you, but it feels wrong when you do it."


    He flashed her a grin.


    "I''ll keep my shameless braggadocio completely unearned, thank you very much."


    "Definitely wrong."


    She shook her head, then turned to look at Dawn.


    "Who''s your friend?"


    "Your new housemate. We don''t have enough places to give every swinging single their own crash pad. Let''s go say g''day."


    They walked across the lawn to meet Dawn as Akari removed the collar from her own neck.


    "Asano Akari," Akari greeted with a respectful bow.


    "This is Dawn," Jason introduced. "She may seem ordinary, but I assure you that she is not. In fact, she is, quite likely, the most remarkable human being on this planet."


    "May I ask how so?" Akari asked. Her demeanour around Dawn was significantly more respectful than her casual attitude with Jason.


    "Well, for starters, she''s neither a human being nor on this planet."


    "I think I''ll step in," Dawn said. "Jason is notoriously bad at explaining things. My name is Dawn, as he said, and I am a diamond-ranker from outside of your reality. This body you see is an avatar; a near-powerless projection of my true self, which is residing outside of your reality."


    "To be honest," Akari said, "what both of you said seems extremely outlandish."


    "It does, doesn''t it?" Dawn said and held out her hand. "Give me a sword."


    That got raised eyebrows from Jason and Akari both.


    "Are you sure?" Jason asked.


    "Quite," Dawn said.


    "I''m just asking because of that time I punched you so hard that you died."


    Akari turned to give Jason a wide-eyed look.


    "It''s fine," Jason told her while gesturing at Dawn. "Look, she''s fine."


    "My new avatar can leverage my senses much better," Dawn said, giving Jason a flat look.


    "In case I try to punch you in the face again?"


    "I was more worried about Miss Hurin."


    "Good call. Farrah definitely wants to take a swing too."


    "Miss Asano," Dawn said. "Would it be accurate to say that you learn what you need to know about a person through their sword?"


    "It would," Akari said.


    "What does my sword tell you?" Jason asked.


    "That you always make the outrageous choice, even when the simple one is better. That you overcomplicate everything and will often make two moves when all you need is one."


    "Meaning that you''re all flash and no bang," Dawn said.


    "Hey," Jason complained. "What did I ever do to you?"


    "You killed me."


    "So what? I''ve died twice; you need to get over it."


    "I truly hope you survive to diamond rank, Mr Asano. I am looking forward to you and I having a very different conversation."


    "Are you going to kick my arse?"


    "Across reality and back."


    "Like Star Trek, except the warp drive is a sexy lady," Jason said with a creepy smile.


    "You are disgusting," Akari told him.


    Jason flashed her an impish grin.


    "Give her a sword," he said.


    "Are you certain?" Akari asked.


    "It''s fine. I already killed her, so how bad can it get with stun swords?"


    Dawn gave Jason another flat look.


    "Very well," Akari said. She moved to put the collar back on her neck but Dawn gestured for her to stop.


    "It''s fine," Dawn said.


    Akari gave Dawn an assessing look, then nodded, handing the collars to Jason and the second sword to Dawn.


    "It might be a little heavy."


    "I''ll manage," Dawn said, holding it in two hands.


    The two women moved to the centre of the yard while Jason stood next to Shade.


    "I would ask if you really needed to antagonise both women," Shade said, "but I have known you long enough at this point."


    Jason responded only with a chuckle, then his face turned dark.


    "What''s the count?" he asked.


    He had one of Shade''s bodies keeping an eye on the Broken Hill death count as it was updated.


    "Nine thousand confirmed, with an estimated total of twelve to fifteen thousand."


    "Damn it."


    "The survivor count came to over nineteen thousand," Shade said. "No small part of that is down to you."


    "To us," Jason said. "Without your buses, that number would have been halved, easily."


    Akari watched Dawn, standing in front of her, sword held in both hands. Every sense she had told her that Dawn was a normal person but Jason had said she was anything but. Akari had learned that while Jason liked to lie frequently and transparently about inconsequential things, he was honest about the ones that mattered. As such, she didn''t take the woman in front of her lightly.


    With no collar, Akari opened by slamming both her aura and sword down at Dawn. She missed, without being entirely sure how. The fight that followed was the single most bewildering combat of Akari''s life.


    Dawn was slow and weak, yet she seemed to know every move Akari made, not just before she made it but before she even thought of it. Every action Akari took, Dawn and her sword were exactly where they needed to be, as if by coincidence.


    Akari''s silver-rank speed and strength massively outstripped the other woman, but Dawn was always in exactly the right spot, in exactly the right pose. She could not block, yet her sword deflected Akari''s just enough to turn hits into hair''s breadth misses. Akari felt as if she were trying to cut down the wind, her blade passing through the air again and again.


    Dawn even managed to slip past Akari''s defences to land hits, although the damage was negligible. The magic swords translated damage into a stunning effect, but Dawn''s damage was so light it left Akari with barely a noticeable tingle.


    Eventually, Akari made a mistake and Dawn''s sword came up under her chin. Even that was not enough, only the rank of the sword allowing for a mild buzzing sensation in her jaw. Akari stopped anyway, stepping back and bowing deeply.


    "I am a magical swordswoman," Akari said, "yet I cannot find any word that better describes your ability than supernatural. Will you teach me?"


    "I will," Dawn said, "but that will have to wait. The time has come to discuss your true reason for coming to Australia."


    Jason wandered over, looking Dawn up and down.


    "You let me hit you, didn''t you?"


    "It was something you needed to get out of your system. I didn''t think you would do it hard enough to kill me."


    "Well, I had been drinking. And I really, really wanted to punch you in the face."

 Chapter 362: Arms Race

    Akari led Jason and Dawn into the clifftop house. What was remarkable about Asano Village''s clifftop homes was that most of their space was underground, dug into solid rock. The underground portion then emerged from the cliff face with a glass wall offering views over the Pacific Ocean.


    Without access to magic, the construction of the cliff houses would have been dangerous and the results unstable. Since magic was involved, it was simply impressive, which Jason was reminded of as he walked up to the glass wall in Akari''s underground lounge room.


    "This is nice," he said. "If I didn''t already have a place, I''d definitely pick one of these."


    "Where do you live, exactly?" Akari asked. "I thought it was in the main residence, but it''s not, is it?"


    "No," Jason said. "I have a little spot tucked away."


    Jason turned from the window and they sat in the lounge chairs around a coffee table, although no one took out refreshments.


    "As I stated outside," Dawn said to Akari, "the time has come for you to make plain your purpose in coming to Australia. Normally I would not have revealed as much as I have about myself to you, but you are the gateway to preparing for the next challenge this world will face."


    "Meaning what, exactly?" Akari asked.


    "Meaning that the Tiwari clan''s guardianship is coming to an end."


    "Tiwari?" Jason asked. "That''s an Indian name, not a Japanese one."


    "Yes," Akari said. "Centuries ago, the Network founder came to Japan, creating the secret societies that today are Japan''s Network branches. The founder brought with him the Tiwari family. They were the guardians of an ancient object of incredible power and he brought them to Japan to keep it hidden. After centuries of intermarrying the locals, while the name and bloodline remain, they are, by any discernable measure, Japanese."


    "What is this object?" Jason asked. "Dawn has been maddeningly vague."


    "A door," Akari said. "No one is exactly sure where it leads, only that it is a world not our own. Further, when the door is moved, it opens to a new location. As best as anyone has been able to determine, wherever it is, it leads to an equivalent point in another world."


    "Is it Farrah''s world?" Jason asked Dawn.


    "No," Dawn said. "In fact, Akari is incorrect. The door does not lead to another world, but a hidden aspect of this one. It gives access to the building blocks with which this universe was constructed."


    "You''re talking about the templates that the original Builder used," Jason said.


    "Yes," Dawn said. "The door is a tool for accessing the fundamental underpinnings of not just this reality but the other to which it is connected."


    "And this place can be physically entered through this door? Is it some kind of sub-dimension?"


    "The specifics are significantly above your current grasp of astral magic," Dawn said. "Sub-dimension is a sufficient explanation for now."


    "That sounds like it would be dangerous to mess with," Jason said.


    "Yes," Dawn agreed. "Your world and your friend Farrah''s have always been connected. They were built that way. That connection is woven into the fabric of your two realities. It causes echoes from one to the other."


    "I noticed from the start that odd things seemed to work the same way in both worlds," Jason said. "Everything from the people of that world appearing in our legends to the way we keep time being identical."


    "That is a factor of the resonance," Dawn said. "Echoes between worlds constructed on the same model, imprinting on one another."


    "Which is how you get a lion-man named Gary, I suppose."


    Akari was listening in silence. She quickly realised that she was being made privy to some of the greatest secrets that existed and while she was missing many of the specifics, she followed as best she could.


    "Someone came to this world centuries ago," Dawn said. "They brought with them the door now in the Tiwari clan''s possession. The connection between realities is a fabric that stretches across the universe. That door is a tool that can modify small portions of that fabric. On a universal scale, it can only affect a fragmentary space, but that is enough to strengthen the link between two connected points."


    "Such as two versions of the same world," Jason said.


    "Precisely."


    "Why didn''t you tell me any of this before now?" Jason asked.


    "Because I did not know," Dawn said. "While you have been treating the symptoms of the problem at hand, I have been seeking the cause. The strands connecting the two realities lay thick across your universes. The strands connecting this planet, in this universe, to it''s equivalent in the other universe have been enhanced. It only affects the area around this planet, although if the link is not returned to its natural state, there could be catastrophic knock-on effects as the fabric of the link begins to fray."


    "I''m assuming that''s a metaphor. Also that it''s really bad."


    "If this planet is lost, the rupture in this reality could potentially chain through your universe and cause it to collapse entirely. The other universe has a dimensional membrane supple enough to endure the backlash, but this one may not."


    "So, the escalating magic is only here, on Earth," Jason said. "It''s not affecting aliens and such, but if we lose the Earth, we may lose the universe."


    "I have touched on this when we spoke in the past," Dawn said. "To return the link to its normal state, you must rectify the problems here, then return to the other reality and do so on the other side."


    "Save the universe, no pressure. How do I do that, exactly?"


    "The original connection between universes is an intrinsic element of the design by which the original Builder created both realities. When the templates on which it is based are made manifest, the components of that link are brought into physical being. The door is a tool that makes those templates manifest, allowing the collection of those components. Collect enough and the door can be used to modify the link."


    "How exactly do you find this stuff out?" Jason asked. "Is there an online encyclopaedia for wizards or something? Is it subscription or can you just use a free account?"


    "Do you know what an astral resonance imprint beacon is?" Dawn asked.


    "It''s kind of a recording probe, right?" Jason said. "It''s sensitive to astral forces and if you''re crazy good at understanding astral effects, you can interpret the readings."


    "You''ve been studying your astral magic books," Dawn said.


    "I''ve had to distract myself in my downtime somehow," Jason said. "Normally I''d cook, but there''s all this rationing going on. If I''m following all of this correctly ¨C which is a big if ¨C then this magic door can rewrite the DNA of the universe."


    "Very broadly speaking and on a very small scale, but something like that," Dawn acknowledged.


    "Which means the Builder made this door, right? The current Builder. Unless there''s someone else out there who can fiddle with reality on that level."


    "There is not," Dawn said. "That being said, I believe that it was not a follower of the Builder who brought the door here, however. It was an outworlder, like you, but one who had entered the service of one of the other world''s gods."


    "Purity has been working with the Builder," Jason said.


    "This person likely modified the link in the other reality first, then came here and did the same. This set in motion the magic siphoning from the other reality''s version of this planet to this one. The impact was slight, at first, but it''s been escalating. Over the last century and a half, that escalation has become precipitous, leading to a rise in the number and the strength of the proto-spaces being formed."


    "The person who did all this," Jason said. "Is it the same one who built the grid and founded the Network?"


    "I believe so."


    "Why?"


    "Balance," Dawn said. "The architect of this plan does not want the planet destroyed, at least not until they are done with it. They need it in place to soak up the magic that would normally accumulate around the other world until it triggered a magic surge."


    "Which is why the grid never covered the ocean," Jason reasoned. "It was never intended to stop all the magic, just regulate it. The grid ¨C and by extension, the Network ¨C is a safety valve designed to keep things under control once the magic started building to dangerous levels."


    "This was my conclusion as well," Dawn said. "The grid could have covered the oceans if the original designer had wanted it to do so. Giving the Network the tools to traverse aquatic environments and confront monsters there would certainly have been within their capabilities."


    "We''re still soaking up the magic from Pallimustus that would normally become a monster surge," Jason said. "Is that why the monster surges have been taking longer and longer?"


    "Yes," Dawn said. "With how much magic Earth is siphoning right now, the monster surges have stopped altogether. They won''t resume until the enhanced link to Earth is reduced to its original state, at least on this side of the link."


    "They haven''t had the surge yet?" Jason asked.


    "No."


    "That makes it something like fifteen years, now. They must be going nuts. And once we shut off the spigot on this end, won''t they get the hum-dinger of all monster surges?"


    "Yes. They have been on the cusp of a monster surge so long that once it happens, there will be an unprecedented breach in the dimensional membrane in the vicinity of their planet. This will allow the Builder''s forces, which are already poised for an invasion, to come through with all the magical manifestations."


    "I thought your boss and the Builder had a non-intervention deal. It feels a lot like he''s still rummaging about in both worlds."


    "That accord prohibits only direct intervention. It does not cover the use of mortal agents or events already set into motion."


    "It sounds like he''s already off to the races," Jason said. "That deal doesn''t sound super-helpful."


    "The deal more thoroughly prohibits intervention in your world. Even my involvement is pushing the boundary, even at a remove. If not for dimensional integrity being the direct purview of the World-Phoenix, I would not even be allowed this much."


    "Yeah, I''m sorry. I know you''re here to help."


    Jason grimaced.


    "If I''m following this correctly," he said, "To save this world, I need to doom Farrah''s world to an interdimensional invasion."


    "If it makes you feel better, letting your world die would have the same effect," Dawn said. "It would just take longer."


    "Great."


    "You will need to rectify the enhanced link on this side first, which will at least slow down the damage to your world as it exposes the other. Then you must go there and resolve the link on the other side."


    "You told us we''d have to go back."


    "Yes," Dawn said. "At the time, I had discovered that the link would need to be adjusted at both ends. Now I know why and how."


    "I need to go get the magic door."


    "The door is only the beginning," Dawn said. "To use it to modify the link, you must do what was done when the link was first modified. Collect the elements of the link left behind by the original Builder in the templates on which your world was constructed. Gather enough and you can restore the link to its original state."


    "Oh, a fetch quest, great. If I kill ten boars, do I get a green-quality spear?"


    "Originally, you would use the door to give us access to those templates. Circumstances have changed."


    "The EOA," Jason realised. "They plugged the safety valve. You said that when the grid went back up, there would be a magical backlash."


    "Yes," Dawn said. "The templates, and the manifested link components within them, will start to appear randomly, reshaping your world. You will no longer require the door to access them, although it will still be necessary to rectify the link."


    "Isn''t that good, in a way?" Jason asked. "We should be able to gather these link components more easily."


    "As will anyone else," Dawn said. "These components will be the most magically dense objects on your world. Do you think it is more likely that the magical factions come together for the greater good, or leap into a magical arms race?"


    "Oh, crap."


    Jason and Dawn took the time to fill Akari in on at least the broad strokes of what she had heard. The didn''t go into too much detail, just enough to give her a general understanding of what was happening and what was at stake.


    "You need me to convince the Tiwari to give you the door," she said.


    "Yes," Jason said. "What I don''t understand is what led to you coming here. I think we can safely put aside the pretence of assessing the worthiness of my family."


    "That is not as much pretence as you may think," Akari said. "We take the honour of our name seriously."


    "Well I have to save the universe, so let''s put that aside for right now. Why are you here?"


    "The founder left the Tiwari clan with a prophecy," Akari said. "When monsters walked the world, a man of two worlds would close the door forever. They believe that man is you. Given your name, they came to us in the hope of approaching you. We have been Network allies for many years, but the revelation of the door and the clan''s origin was news to us. I was sent to assess not your clan, but you. To see if you could be trusted with this secret."


    "Which obviously I can, because I''m terrific."


    "You are a hard person to like," Akari said.


    "I have to assume that''s another level of control," Jason said. "If they wanted to shut the link down once it had served its purpose, the person most likely to have the ability and knowledge would be an outworlder."


    "Yes," Dawn said. "The conditions for an outworlder to be sucked between worlds rather than simply annihilated are quite specific but with the link in the state it is in, those conditions being met somewhere in your world were an inevitability."


    "Are you sure?" Jason asked. "Seems like bit of a gamble."


    "A gamble one might be willing to make if they were willing to live with your world being destroyed if it didn''t pay off. Or perhaps they were relying on forces recognising the danger and taking steps to rectify it. The goddess of Knowledge gave you a trove of astral magic knowledge to take home. The World-Phoenix made sure you would get there. I don''t think the Builder was happy that you were the agent the World-Phoenix chose, but it seems likely in hindsight that he did anticipate her actions."


    "Meaning your boss got played," Jason said.


    "Yes," Dawn said. "The Builder, for all his seeming short-sightedness and frustration, seems to be getting everything he wants. Even you, saving your world, serves him by setting in motion his invasion of Pallimustus. The bargain that keeps him from intervening in this world limits the World-Phoenix''s ability to act against him, now."


    "You''re telling me that getting obsessed with me was all an act?"


    "Probably not," Dawn said. "I suspect that obsession was inherited from his vessel. As it served to mask his true intentions, it could be that he deliberately inhabited a vessel that would make him appear foolish. Or it could be happenstance."


    "So, what now?" Jason asked Dawn. "We go to Japan and take this door?"


    "First, warn the Network about the template manifestations. There is no telling exactly what will happen but there will hopefully be a need for large-scale evacuations."


    "Hopefully?" Jason asked.


    "As opposed to people being dissolved into nothingness as the reality around them is reshaped."


    "Yeah, that would be bad," Jason said.


    "Next, we need to collect the door," Dawn said. "It needs to be in your possession before the templates begin to manifest. If the magic factions discover it and learn what it can do, they will start fighting over it."


    Jason and Dawn both turned to Akari.


    "What?" Akari asked.


    "Are you going to warn your people about how important the door is?" Jason asked. "If they know, then they will extort everything they can for it."


    "Only a few members of the Asano clan know of this and they will act with honour," Akari insisted.


    "And what about the Tiwari clan?" Jason asked. "Will they share your unflinching honour?"


    Akari frowned.


    "I would like to think so," she said, "but I cannot speak for them."


    "I''d like to get in a room with that EOA defector at some point, as well," Jason said. "I want to know where they''re getting the Builder''s clockwork cores from."


    "That doesn''t matter at the moment," Dawn said. "You don''t have time to visit the United States. There are now larger concerns at play than the Engineers of Ascension."

 Chapter 363: Sword-Fighting With No Shirt On

    ¡°I know Broken Hill must have been rough,¡± Ketevan said, meeting Jason in her office.


    ¡°Not as rough as it was for the people who lived there,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Even so, I understand if you need to take some time before getting back into action. That being said, if you are up to it, we could always use you.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I came in to tell you that I need some time away from Network activity. Also, a flight to Japan and back would be good. With air travel restricted I can''t just go buy a ticket. I could use Shade, but until I catch him in rank that would leave me shovelling coins into him like an old-timey train driver.¡±


    ¡°Japan?¡± Ketevan asked. ¡°Is this a family thing? Something to do with Akari? She''s been doing some impressive work for us, helping to shut down proto-spaces and clear dimensional entity waves. We can manage without you, but losing you both at this point will make a dent in our capabilities, I won''t lie.¡±


    ¡°It''s a larger concern than family,¡± Jason said. ¡°We need to have a meeting. You, me Anna and Farrah to start with. It''s about preparing for what happens when the grid comes  back up.¡±


    ¡°We''ve been holding discussions about what happens following the grid-reactivation since it first went down.¡±


    ¡°Those plans are going to need revising.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn''t have agreed to this,¡± Jason said as Kaito flew him and Farrah back towards Asano village. They were in the cockpit, catching a ride as Kaito moved a load of supplies north for Network ritualist teams. ¡°I should have pushed the issue and had us on a plane to Japan already.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think you realise how much attention is on you now,¡± Kaito said. ¡°They''re saying that Broken Hill is the fifth-largest loss of life from a single incident since that start of the monster waves. There''s been nothing else on TV. Interviews with survivors, footage from the evacuation. Every channel has you taking out monsters and shoving people onto buses.¡±


    ¡°Footage from your drones,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Don''t look at me,¡± Kaito said. ¡°That was Terrance.¡±


    The cockpit seats had a two-by-two configuration, with Kaito and Farrah in the front seats. Jason was in one of the rear seats, with Terrance in the other.


    ¡°You should see the tracking data for your online footprint,¡± Terrance said. ¡°There''s enough footage and interviews that people are doing deep-dive analysis of your performance vs. the League of Heroes. They went after the big monsters while you worked on helping people, which did not go unnoticed. I made very sure of that.¡±


    ¡°I''m so glad that all those dead people were good for your optics,¡± Jason snarled.


    Farrah turned around in her seat, patting Jason on the arm. When he first arrived back on Earth, his anger would have let his aura loose. Months of renewed training let him keep it under control.


    ¡°I sympathise with those poor people, of course,¡± Terrance said, ¡°but we need to strike while the iron is hot. The press has been wanting access to interview you for months and now is a perfect time. After Broken Hill¡­¡±


    Terrance trailed off as Jason turned a withering stare on him. He didn''t lose control of his aura, instead, he used it with pinpoint efficiency. Terrance had never sensed Jason''s aura before but now he felt it like an icicle spike, pressing into his throat.


    ¡°If I hear the phrase ''thoughts and prayers'' pass your lips,¡± Jason said coldly, ¡°you will not like what happens next.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Terrance said with a visible gulp. ¡°Obviously the press will be instructed to be sensitive about it.¡±


    Jason had agreed to participate in a press day while the Network prepared to send him to Japan. More than just arranging a plane, there were diplomatic issues with Japan''s Network branches and even the Japanese government. Jason had become a figure of prominence and, more importantly, power. If he wanted to move openly, it involved obtaining government permission; there was a level of nervousness engendered when a one-man army applied for a visa.


    ¡°How is this press day of yours going to play out?¡± Jason asked Terrance.


    ¡°We already have some selected press en route to Asano Village,¡± Terrance said.


    ¡°They get vetted at the gate,¡± Farrah said. ¡°By me.¡±


    ¡°That''s fine,¡± Terrance said. ¡°In fact, if you could make the magic as overt as possible, that would work nicely. Then you, Jason, give them a little tour. Your sister will make an appearance. A celebrity chef talking about rationing, making it clear that there''s no special treatment.¡±


    ¡°There''s lots of special treatment,¡± Kaito said.


    ¡°The idea is to make it feel like there isn''t,¡± Jason explained. ¡°Our people really are rationing, so there''s no catching us out on that.¡±


    ¡°Make sure you go through the medical centre as well. Let them talk to your brother-in-law and that Doctors Without Borders lady you brought back from Africa.¡±


    ¡°She brought herself from France,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Don''t care. I want sound bites for Doctors without Borders, Africa and Ebola. I want to hear the phrase ''experience with handling a crisis,'' on every nightly news program. I want interviews with the people being treated talking about how grateful they are.¡±


    The Asano Village Medical Centre was well staffed and well-stocked, so the Asano family had offered it up to the Network as a medical way station for those suffering exotic attacks that couldn''t be resolved by the people in the field. Many of the strange poisons and diseases monsters inflicted were easily remedied by Jason if he was on site.


    ¡°You''re sure they''ll say what you want them to?¡± Kaito asked.


    ¡°Very,¡± Terrance said. ¡°After the tour you''re going to do sit-downs with all of them, followed by one in-depth interview.¡±


    ¡°With who?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Jeremy Westin,¡± Terrance said. ¡°He''s independent but a friendly, and he''s the only member of the press who has been inside the village before.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°What''s the tone we''re going for? Sober in the face of current circumstances but with enough lightness for a humanising touch?¡±


    ¡°That''s exactly what we want,¡± Terrance said. ¡°They''re going to ask you about the League of Heroes, too.¡±


    ¡°How do you want me to approach that?¡±


    ¡°Respect and solidarity while undercutting them with backhanded compliments.¡±


    ¡°You want me to neg them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but don''t go after the League of Heroes directly. Shining a light on the EOA itself works much better. Highlight the EOA as the organisation behind them, inferring that the league is a puppet organisation.¡±


    ¡°They are, so it shouldn''t be hard. Point out the shiny fruit of the league while letting people see the rotten tree they''re growing on.¡±


    ¡°To help with that, I''ve set up a video chat with the EOA defector in the US before you meet with the reporters. It should give you some ammunition.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Thanks, Terry. I genuinely appreciate that.¡±


    ¡°Enough to consider how we introduce you to the press?¡±


    ¡°No. I do not practise sword-fighting with no shirt on.¡±


    ¡°It''d be a great visual. Pouring a bottle of water over yourself after working up a sweat.¡±


    ¡°I don''t sweat.¡±


    ¡°You don''t sweat?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°We could make it look like you sweat. I could rub oil on you.¡±


    ¡°You know, I thought it was strange when your sister gave me the number for the Network''s human resources department. Now I get it.¡±


    The Network office in Asano Village was not large but did include a secure communications room. One of the few areas in which Earth magical development outpaced that of Pallimustus was in communications, due to incorporating magic and technology together. As a security specialist set up the secure link with the Network branch in Arizona, Jason and Asya were in the main office area, leaning side-by-side against a desk. Between them, their hands gently touched.


    ¡°We haven''t had a lot of alone time over the last couple of months,¡± she said. ¡°I can''t help but think I moved a little too slow.¡±


    ¡°Seizing the moments when you have them can be important,¡± Jason agreed.


    ¡°How are you?¡± she asked softly. ¡°Have you even slept since Broken Hill?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± he said.


    Broken Hill had only been the day before. After hours of speaking with survivors in between debriefs at the evacuation camp, he hadn''t gotten home until first light. Then Dawn arrived and they spoke with Akari before he portalled to Sydney mid-morning. Now it was late into the afternoon and soon the press would be arriving.


    ¡°You need to take some time,¡± she said. ¡°I know you aren''t as fine as you make out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you''re interested me making-out, are you?¡±


    ¡°Time and place, Asano,¡± she said, a smile teasing the corner of her lips. ¡°This is a professional environment.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn''t call myself a making-out professional. I''m more of a gifted amateur.¡±


    ¡°Gifted, are you?¡±


    ¡°Well, enthusiastic, at the very least.¡±


    ¡°There is something to be said for keenness.¡±


    ¡°I have a whole book on sex magic.¡±


    ¡°You what?¡±


    ¡°Farrah gave it to me. Kind of.¡±


    ¡°She what?¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ it''s not what it sounds like.¡±


    The woman on the screen looked around Jason''s age, although he knew that was not the case. From what he had heard from Asya, Audrey Blaine, the EOA defector, inhabited an artificially constructed body. The result of some shady EOA/Cabal/Network joint research program from years ago, she was forced into it to save her life after the EOA killed her off for refusing to go along with the plans that subsequently killed hundreds of thousands around the world.


    A mothballed reincarnation program from years ago, it had been a gamble at best. The body that had been pickled in a jar for well over a decade was apparently not without quirks. The Network was still trying to figure out exactly what she was and what she could do.


    In the meantime, Audrey was being kept under comfortable but thorough guard as she coughed up the EOA''s secrets. There was no question that the EOA knew about her revival by this stage and would kill her all over again if given the chance.


    ¡°It seems that you and I are in a very small club, Ms Blaine,¡± Jason said, by way of introduction. ¡°Not many people come back from the dead.¡±


    ¡°I''ve heard that you claimed to have died,¡± she said. ¡°Your companion that Adrien Barbou was holding in France, too. How did you manage to revive?¡±


    ¡°Oh, various means,¡± Jason said. ¡°A friend of mine''s dad rules the afterlife but he refuses to help me out, so I''ve been making other arrangements. Barbou really is with the EOA, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, and he''s very much in the ascendant. You know that he was playing with you in France, right? Exposing our people so you thought the EOA''s objective was the astral space and your outworlder friends, while our larger plan came to fruition.¡±


    ¡°You mean their larger plan,¡± Jason said. ¡°You''re not EOA anymore, right?¡±


    ¡°Old habits.¡±


    ¡°I did realise that I was a cat chasing a string,¡± Jason said, ¡°but only in hindsight.¡±


    ¡°For such a stealthy man, you are very loud, Mr Asano. You make a useful distraction. I understand you''re looking for some juicy nuggets to use against my former organisation in the press.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but that is a secondary concern.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Tell me about the implants being used in the silver-rank converted.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ¡°The superheroes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the category three enhanced. You want to know what the implants are.¡±


    ¡°I know what the implants are,¡± Jason said. ¡°I want to know where you got them.¡±


    ¡°You know what they are, do you?¡± she asked, scepticism plain on her face and in her voice.


    ¡°Clockwork cores,¡± he said. ¡°they are produced by artificial life forms called clockwork kings, which are themselves created by an entity called the Builder. We don''t get along.¡±


    ¡°Clockwork king,¡± Audrey said thoughtfully. ¡°Is that what it''s called? It was dug up in the eighties, buried with a bunch of Assyrian relics more than two millennia old. The archaeologists thought they''d found an alien robot. It took decades before we figured out how to get anything out of it. Part of a joint program with the Cabal and the Network to advance our various research projects. That was the beginning of the human enhancement project, although we were never able to use the implants ¨C clockwork cores, you called them? We were never able to use them properly until we advanced the other aspects of our enhancement program. We didn''t get them to category three until around two years ago, at which point we were able to properly integrate the implants. It solved a lot of issues with the earlier iterations.¡±


    ¡°The EOA isn''t in contact with the Builder, then?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know who that is. If whoever or whatever that is has any involvement with the EOA, then I suspect only Mr North would know. He''s the oldest of the EOA''s leaders and I''m not exactly sure what he is. I don''t think he''s human, at least, not entirely. Of course, neither am I, anymore.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Tell me more about this enhancement program.¡±


    ¡°I have to go,¡± Asya told Jason as he emerged from the secure communications room. ¡°I''m crewing your brother''s helicopter again.¡±


    ¡°I''m going to be busy,¡± he said. ¡°I may not see you for a while.¡±


    ¡°Aren''t we all?¡± she asked sadly.


    The loons outside the gate knew something was going on, becoming riled up with the arrival of each additional news crew. Security let the press through the gate so as not to be harassed by the people outside it but they were told to wait until all seven crews arrived. They got out of their vans to film B-roll and establishing shots of the gate, the mirrored security room and the people of the other side of the gate causing a ruckus.


    ¡°It''s actually not glass,¡± the security guard explained after being talked into an interview. ¡°The whole building is made from an aluminium-based ceramic, along with some magic, but I don''t know how that works.¡±


    ¡°You''re not well-versed in magic?¡± the reporter asked.


    ¡°I don''t even have any essences,¡± the guard said.


    ¡°Essences?¡± the reporter asked.


    ¡°Oh,¡± the guard said, looking stricken. ¡°I don''t think I was meant to say that.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, Toby,¡± Jason said, having arrived unnoticed in the midst of the reporters. ¡°I''ll take it from here.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Jason,¡± Toby said as he slunk back to the security room.


    The reporters all turned on Jason, who was wearing a light, casual shirt and slacks. The camera people stopped filming the guard and B-roll to focus on Jason as well.


    ¡°Essences are the source of the powers possessed by members of the Global Defence Network,¡± Jason said. ¡°I''m not, strictly-speaking a member, but my powers also come from essences.¡±


    He plucked a green cube from the air and handed it to one of the reporters crowding around him.


    ¡°You might say that essences are the natural form of magic. Human beings are actually inherently connected to magic of this type, developing powers in symbiosis with these essences when absorbing them.¡±


    The reporter stared at the object in her hands.


    ¡°Are you saying that anyone can gain superpowers if they have one of these?¡±


    ¡°Ideally, you''ll have three,¡± Jason explained. ¡°Absorbing essences is an easy and actually quite exhilarating experience. You can look at it as the natural method of obtaining powers, without the time-consuming and invasive procedures of the human conversion process that the EOA uses.¡±


    ¡°The EOA?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I''m sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°Once you get deeply involved in all this, it''s easy to forget that the magic societies aren''t common knowledge. The EOA are the Engineers of Ascension, which is the organisation behind the League of Heroes. I understand that the name comes from the desire to modify the human race to gain power - which they''ve done very well at, if the league is anything to go by.¡±


    ¡°Then your powers come from an entirely different source?¡±


    ¡°Oh, goodness, yes,¡± Jason said with a light laugh. ¡°The EOA have spent decades overcoming the flaws in their human modification program, for which you have to admire their dedication. Most would look at the price of progress and give up under the accusations of playing God but they were unflinching in their resolve. Today, they hardly lose anyone to the process, and without it, we wouldn''t have the League of Heroes we see today.¡±


    ¡°Where do these essences come from?¡± one of the reporters asked as they passed the plant essence around.


    ¡°We can talk about that as we head into the village proper,¡± Jason suggested as darkness flooded out of his shadow to take the form of a bus.


    After the footage of Broken Hill was broadcast everywhere, Shade''s sleek, bus form was intimately familiar to professional media personnel like the news crew. Although Jason said nothing about it, and indeed, they had been warned that it was a delicate topic, the bus invoked memories of Jason''s actions during the disaster.


    ¡°Before we hop aboard, we do need to do a quick security check,¡± Jason said. ¡°My friend Farrah, whom you can see approaching, will be responsible for that.¡±


    The reporters looked around, not spotting anyone. Jason casually pointed up and the reporters followed with their gaze to see a woman descending from the sky with wings of fire. The reporters nudged their crews to aim the cameras upward.

 Chapter 364: Candid and Authentic

    Emi and Akari had arrived together in the main thoroughfare of the village, where Jason and Erika were speaking with one of the reporters. Akari was the one due to be interviewed, but the reporter had been waylaid.


    "That story you did last November on mining deregulation was an exercise in buffoonery," Emi said. "I don''t even think you''re a corporate shill; you''re just gullible. Have you even seen the foreign ownership statistics or do you only look at press releases and regurgitate them like a mother bird?"


    "Look, Little Miss," the reporter said, "clearly you''ve¨C"


    "Little Miss?" Emi asked, nostrils flaring. "At least I have the decency use a person''s name, Mr Denier. Do I look like the protagonist of a book written by a nice English lady in the fifties?"


    "Now that you say it," Jason said, earning him a glare that had him holding his hands up in surrender.


    "Emi¡­" Erika said with the disapproving tone only a mother can truly master.


    "What?" Emi asked. "You want me to ignore the fact that this guy is facilitating foreign interests selling our country''s mineral wealth to other foreign interests while paying roughly the same tax as a guy cutting keys in a booth at the shopping centre?"


    "That''s rather an oversimplification," the reporter, Denier, said.


    "Which is necessary with someone who is obviously simple," Emi shot back. "You''ll probably be on TV tomorrow describing the EOA putting weird alien implants inside people to stop them from going insane when they cut them open to carve magic runes on their skeletons as a good idea. I''ll have to tune in and watch, so which network were you from? The Wrong Side of History Channel?"


    "Emi," Erika said. "Isn''t it time for you to go to Coffs Harbour and make sure there aren''t any monster waves coming?"


    "Fine," she grumbled. "I''ll go find Uncle Kaito."


    "Feel free to edit that out," Jason said as they watched Emi stomp off in the direction of the main residence.


    "She''s a pistol, no mistake, but she can go off on political rants when she may or may not have all the facts at hand. No idea where she gets it from."


    "Wait," Denier said. "Is she really the one making sure that no monsters invade Coffs Harbour?"


    "How''s your dimensional membrane protrusion precursor analysis theory, Mr Denier?" Jason asked.


    "My what?"


    "That''s what I thought. When you''re better at magic than my niece, feel free to question her credentials. Until then, how about we stick to qualified opinions?"


    "NOT REALLY HIS AREA!" Emi shouted from the steps of the house.


    "That''s enough out of you!" Jason yelled back at her. She stuck out her tongue in response and he did the same.


    "I see you are as vigilant as ever about the dignity of the Asano name," Akari observed dryly.


    "I didn''t pull out my apocalypse beast, did I?" Jason asked. "And he loves meeting new people. But also, eating new people, so¡­"


    "Did you just say apocalypse beast?" Denier asked.


    "What?" Jason asked. "No idea what you''re talking about. Let''s go take a look at the medical centre and you can talk with Akari along the way."


    "That would be good," Denier said as Jason led the way. ¡°Miss Asano, as a relative outsider, here, how have you found living with your Australian relatives?"


    Akari cast a glance at Jason.


    "Challenging."


    Erika, being the experienced media personality, had taken to attaching herself to the tour. She wanted to at least reel in her brother''s impulsive nature, which was going roughly as well as expected. As the reporters interviewed people at the medical centre, she leaned close to Jason.


    "You did tell Craig and his anaemic friends to stay inside today, right?" she whispered.


    "Of course," Jason said.


    Vermillion had been unhappy about giving up his country mansion but turned out to be quite satisfied with one of the clifftop houses. Since it was not practical to keep shuffling blood donors up from Sydney, he had a sufficient retinue living with him to keep him fed, although he, too, was rationing.


    The Cabal was keeping very quiet in Australia but in other parts of the world, they were more active. Individual factions were assisting against the monster waves in places like Siberia and the South Pacific where the Network were at their least influential and spread the thinnest. Having Vermillion present gave Jason a line on Cabal activity, and while it didn''t impact his activities for the moment, if the Cabal became a flashpoint then he had the inside line.


    Ian came over and kissed his wife.


    "Any idea when the circus is going to shuffle out?" he asked. ¡°We need to get these people ready to transport."


    "I think Terrance is around here somewhere," Jason said. "He''s on press-wrangling duty, so I''ll go find him to play bad-guy and kick them out."


    "Actually, could you go do that, Honey?" Ian asked. "Some of the patients wanted to meet Jason and I thought that might look good for the cameras."


    "Why would they want to meet me?" Jason asked.


    "Because you''re the hero of Broken Hill."


    "No, I''m not!"


    Jason''s raised voice caused the attention of the reporters.


    "I do not want to hear that phrase spread around," Jason said, his voice low and fierce.


    "You don''t always get to choose," Erika told him.


    After leaving the medical centre, Jason led the reporters back to the main thoroughfare where Taika was standing in front of a series of vehicles, looking self-satisfied.


    "What is going on?" Jason asked.


    "Team Knight Rider," Taika said. "It''s sweet, right?"


    "No, it isn''t. Shade, why would you even participate in this? Most of these vehicles aren''t even black."


    "I know," one of the cars said unhappily. "I lost a bet."


    Jason put a hand over his eye and let out a groan before looking over at the camera crews who were still filming everything.


    "Did you really have to do this today?" Jason asked Taika.


    "A bet''s a bet, bro," Taika said, handing Jason his phone. "Take my photo."


    "I don''t think that''s necessary," Shade said. "I''m certain that Mr Asano requires my services in some capacity."


    "No, I''m taking the photo," Jason said. "A bet is a bet; he''s not wrong."


    "This is all very undignified," Shade said.


    Jason took the photo and handed Taika back the phone.


    "Okay, Shade. Knock that off and come give these nice reporters an interview."


    "You have been an enigmatic figure for some time now," Jeremy Westin said. He and Jason were sitting comfortably, facing one another in the lounge of the main residence of Asano Village. The sun had long since set and the other reporters were gone. Along with Jason and Jeremy were the cameraman, Terrance, and Erika.


    "Are you looking to lift the veil of mystery, Mr Westin?" Jason asked.


    "I imagine you''ll still have no shortage of secrets when we''re done, Mr Asano. I''d like to start by going through some background and then what the public has seen of you, from your perspective. As you might imagine, there has been no small amount of inquiry into your background. Until just a few years ago, you were a relatively ordinary person, with an ordinary job. The most unusual thing about you was your occasional appearances on your sister''s cooking program."


    "I did see the interview with my old boss, Sadiq," Jason said. "That part where he was cranky about me not giving notice once he found out I was alive was classic Sadiq. Someone should make a workplace sitcom about that guy."


    "That brings us to the key point," Jeremy said. "Your disappearance and apparent demise. The destruction of your apartment and the subsequent cover-up. Then you''re gone, presumed dead, for a year and a half. You come back ten months ago and immediately we get the first appearance of the Starlight Angel, or Starlight Rider. Do you have a preference for either moniker?"


    "Jason''s fine. If you really insist then I prefer to avoid the religious connotations."


    "Yet, that does seem to be a problem for you. You have been hailed as the messenger of God and Satan both."


    "Jeremy, I''m not interested in telling anyone what they should or shouldn''t believe," Jason said, prompting a startled cough from Erika.


    "Sister, dear," Jason said. "You''re a professional. I think you know better than to step on the audio."


    "Sorry," she said. "I thought I heard a bull defecating."


    Terrance paced back and forth. He was in the main residence with Erika, Farrah and Jason.


    "What the hell is Team Knight Rider?" he asked.


    "It''s a TV show from 1997 that got cancelled after one season," Jason said.


    "Why did you stage that scene? You did stage it, right? You didn''t just lead a bunch of reporters into the middle of your farcical personal life."


    "Of course I staged it," Jason said. "You think Shade goes around making dodgy bets? You wanted humanising. A little unexpected weirdness feels candid and authentic. If something or someone comes across as too polished and too perfect, people react negatively. I''m sure you know that better than me."


    "I''m fairly sure you had not perfect covered. What was that thing with your niece?"


    "That was entirely her," Jason said.


    "Seriously, mining deregulation?"


    "What do you want me to say?" Jason asked. "Contemporary youth are showing an increased level of political engagement."


    "And that bit about the EOA and alien implants?" Erika asked.


    "Okay, it was mostly her," Jason admitted.


    "That girl is a menace," Terrance said.


    "Did you just call my daughter a menace?" Erika asked.


    "Your daughter is¨C"


    "¡­an unabashed delight," Jason interrupted, completing his sentence before the man finished digging a shallow grave. "She also has a doting uncle who gets very cranky when people say bad things about her. An uncle who, on an unrelated note, has killed dozens of people."


    "You''ve killed dozens of people?" Terrance asked.


    "I downplayed the number when they asked me about it in the interviews," Jason said.


    "Why do people keep threatening me with violence?" Terrance complained, looking at Jason. "They don''t threaten you."


    "Did you not hear what I just said about the dozens of people? Everyone who has threatened me is either dead or a god-like being from beyond reality. Or had their power stripped by an invasive procedure. Oh, or had their soul devoured by one of those god-like beings I just mentioned. That was a rough way to go, but I wasn''t directly involved. Actually, there is one guy who wound up fine. His name''s Jerrick and I almost killed him but I kept him alive for evidence on this thing I was working on. Then there was a political cover-up and he lost his job but he''s doing alright. Even helped me out one time when my soul was being tortured, because of the time I didn''t kill him. There were these other guys I killed in a shopping arcade while I was bringing him back and I think it left an impression. They gave him his job back for that. Helping me, I mean, not watching me kill a bunch of people."


    "Uh¡­" Terrance said.


    "Invasive procedure?" Farrah asked. "Are you talking about skeletal suppression?"


    "Yep," Jason said.


    Farrah noticed the confused expressions on Erika and Terrance.


    "It''s a similar process to what the EOA apparently does as part of their enhancement process," she explained. "They cut you open and carve magic right onto your skeleton, except, instead of giving you powers, they enchant suppression collar magic right onto your bones. Assuming you survive, it permanently suppresses all your magical abilities."


    "That sounds horrifying," Erika said.


    "It''s not used very often," Farrah said. "Normally, if you''ve done something bad enough to warrant it, they just execute you."


    "Even in Farrah''s world it''s considered ethically sketchy, and that''s saying something," Jason said.


    "Are you saying that my world is immoral?" Farrah asked.


    "Every time I killed people I got rewarded," Jason said.


    "That means you were killing the right people," Farrah told him. "I thought you moved past this kind of thing."


    "I don''t ever want him to move past that kind of thing," Erika cut in. "If he becomes a remorseless killer, he''s not really himself any more, is he?"


    "That''s true," Farrah acknowledged. "Who did they do skeletal suppression to?"


    "Lucian Lamprey," Jason said.


    "The Director of the Magic Society?"


    "Yeah," Jason said. "He helped that crime boss to kidnap me."


    "You didn''t mention that in your recordings."


    "It wasn''t exactly the best time for me."


    "That''s understandable."


    Terrance moved next to Erika.


    "How much of this are you following?" he asked.


    "It''s best not to try with Jason. Just let him run around, nod occasionally and wait for him to tire himself out."


    "Like a toddler."


    "Yep."


    "I don''t suppose you know how to get your brothers into some kind of water fight?"


    Erika turned to give Terrance a flat look.


    "I had to ask," he said.


    "It''s time for me to get out of here," Jason said. "I have a plane to catch."


    "Get a good night''s sleep first," Erika said. "The plane will wait for you. I know you have magic stamina or whatever but you still haven''t slept since Broken Hill. Your amiable fa?ade is getting a little pasted on."


    "My amiable fa?ade is fine."


    "You just explained to your publicity guy how all the people that crossed you died horribly. Now he thinks that if he''s mean to your niece you''re going to kill him and bury him out in the bush."


    "That''s not really what I was thinking," Terrance said. "I am now, though."


    "Don''t be ridiculous," Jason said. "I wouldn''t bury him out in the bush. I''d feed him to Colin."


    "You didn''t show Colin to the reporters, did you?" Farrah asked.


    "Of course not; you know what Colin''s like. He''s super friendly but also a terrifying apocalypse monster that feeds on blood and flesh."


    "What about Terrance''s bones?" Erika asked.


    "Colin''s a little trooper, so I''m sure he''d manage," Jason said. "He''s got all those teeth, remember?"


    Jason forewent his semi-sleep trance for actual slumber. With Farrah nearby and secure in his hidden, underwater cloud house, he was able to let go of his defensiveness and get some genuine rest. He had been half-expecting nightmares but mental exhaustion won out. In the morning he called to say he was ready for the plane and meditated while it was prepared.


    After Broken Hill, Jason''s meditation pushed his abilities closer to the precipice of silver, with two of them tipping right over. The ability that allowed him to shadow teleport and open portals, Path of Shadows, crossed the threshold to silver. He could now portal a silver ranker, albeit only one, and his range immediately doubled from four-hundred kilometres to eight-hundred. On the downside, portals beyond the bronze-range of four-hundred kilometres increased the cooldown from ten minutes to an hour, although after ten minutes he would once again be able to portal at the shorter range.


    His other ability was his aura, Hegemony. Already possessing a terrifying strength, it now reached new heights of potency. It also gained new effects with its new rank, one extremely useful and one much more niche.


    Ability: [Hegemony] (Sin)


    Aura (holy, unholy).Base cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Allies within the aura have increased resistance to afflictions, while enemies within the aura have their resistance to afflictions reduced. Enemy resistances are further reduced for each instance of [Sin] they are suffering from.Effect (bronze): Inflicts an instance of [Sin] on enemies that make physical or magical attacks against allies within the aura. Instances applied in this way cannot be resisted.Effect (silver): Aura can be extended over a larger area before aura strength becomes compromised. Transcendent damage dealt by enemies within the aura is downgraded to either resonating-force or disruptive-force damage, depending on the source.


    Ability [Hegemony] (Sin) cannot advance further until all attributes have reached silver rank.


    Transcendent damage was rare below silver rank, Jason being unusual in that regard. Although it was an effect that would rarely see use, it could prove critical. One of the known properties of transcendent damage was that complete annihilation of the physical body would prevent most resurrection effects. Since such a revival ability was now one of Jason''s trump cards, the prospect of transcendent damage negating it was a sizeable threat. Now, so long as his prodigious aura was not suppressed, that threat was neutralised.


    Farrah had spent most of her time in Sydney and was happy to stay in a cloud bed once again. They had both slept until late morning, after which Jason was finally able to return Farrah to Sydney via portal, although she alone was the portal''s limit. He had previously attempted to portal himself while Farrah resided in his spirit vault, but the portal had collapsed in the attempt.


    Feeling buoyed by his new gains, when the call came to tell him the plane was ready, he cheerfully sought out Akari and Dawn in their clifftop house. Dawn immediately noticed the changes in Jason, congratulating him on his advancements.


    Jason opened another portal direct to the Network''s hangar at Bankstown airport, where they found Asya and Michael Aram waiting for them, along with Akari. As portalling the silver-ranker consumed all the portal¡¯s capacity, he sent her first while he and Dawn followed after waiting out the ten minute cooldown.


    "Seeing us off?" Jason asked.


    "Tagging along," Asya said. "Akari is a member of the Kobe branch, while Dawn and yourself aren''t network members at all. Michael is representing the Sydney branch and me, the International Committee."


    "I hope this flight goes better than our last one together," Jason said, shaking Aram''s hand.


    "We''ve had the plane very thoroughly checked," Aram said, "but I''ll be relying on you to save me again if things go awry."


    "We''re also here to help things go smoothly from a diplomatic perspective," Asya said. "We''ve prepared a gift for when you meet Akari''s father, the clan head."


    "Thank you, but I''m comfortable with the gift I''ve prepared," Jason said.


    "May I ask what you''ve chosen?"


    "Just a couple of things I picked up along the way," Jason said.


    "He refuses to tell me," Akari said.


    "It''s a surprise," Jason said.


    "I am deeply concerned," Akari said, getting a laugh from Asya.


    "Uh oh," Jason said. "I think they¡¯re teaming up. Mike ¨C can I call you Mike? ¨C I think we need to form a man alliance."


    Jason threw an arm around Aram''s shoulders and started leading him toward the plane.


    "We can do manly men things, like talk about trucks."


    "Um, I don''t know anything about trucks," Aram said.


    "Me either," Jason confessed. "Or fishing. Are you a fishing guy?"


    "I''m more of a theatre guy."


    "Yeah? I saw a great production of Wicked Sisters at the Seymour Centre just before the monster waves started."


    "In the Reginald Theatre? I saw that too. It really was good."


    Still with one arm slung over Aram''s shoulders as they headed for the plane, Jason used his other arm to punch the air triumphantly.


    "Manliness!"

 Chapter 365: Warmth and Levity

    As the plane flew north over Queensland, Asya looked to where Jason was sitting on the floor, meditating, as he had been since reaching cruising altitude. Akari stepped up next to her.


    ¡°I know he seems frivolous,¡± she said, ¡°but I''ve discovered that he devotes much of his inactive time to training. His diligence in that regard surprises even me, and I was raised in a life of training.¡±


    ¡°I rejected cores because I wanted to learn the right way,¡± Asya said, ¡°but I have other responsibilities. I''ve been through the tactical training program but crewing Kaito''s helicopter hasn''t given me the chance to confront monsters that I need. I see people who gained their essences long after me hitting category two because they use cores. I''m the only one on the flight crew still category one.¡±


    ¡°There is no shame in using monster cores to grow,¡± Akari said. ¡°The danger is in letting them be the only source of your strength. You must be vigilant that you do not let your capability flounder and make sure that you grow not just your essence abilities but your mastery of them.¡±


    ¡°I''m sorry, I didn''t mean to offend you,¡± Asya said. ¡°You''re a core user and so much stronger than me.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± Akari said. ¡°Like you, I have seen core users whose skill fails their power. There are more of them than there are of those who reach their potential. The training programs Miss Hurin instituted have been helping but you can''t turn a culture of decades around overnight.¡±


    ¡°The current crisis is finally showing people what Jason and Farrah said from the beginning,¡± Asya said. ¡°Of course, not everyone needed teaching. Finding out just how many of the American network members don''t use cores has been revelatory.¡±


    The monster wave crisis had every Network branch pulling out all the stops, and with that came the revelation that the US and the Chinese had been using some variation of Farrah''s training program for as much as a century. They had inserted themselves into her instruction programs not to learn but to refine their techniques.


    This was paying off as China and the United States demonstrated that, like Jason and Farrah, they had people capable of operating independently of teams. They avoided it where possible but in emergency situations, they could deploy people capable of facing groups of monsters alone. Both countries had silver-rankers who were not the failures Jason had so far encountered but were clearly around his level of skill. Given that they were also a rank higher, they were also demonstrably stronger. Some were even powerhouses on the level of Farrah.


    Jason had become something of the face of magic internationally, but both China and the United States were pushing their own people. They weren''t the only ones, but they were having the most success, courtesy of powerful rosters of essence users. This meant that, like Jason, they could overshadow the generic supers put forward by the League of Heroes.


    Jason had been asked about his US and Chinese counterparts during his interviews, where he openly stated that many of them were more powerful than him. It was another tool he used to highlight the legitimacy of the Network over the EOA.


    The two women felt a surge of magic come from Jason, who was still consolidating his development from the long, desperate intensity of the Broken Hill battle. He opened his eyes, which were sparkling with triumph.


    ¡°I''m so close to silver I can taste it,¡± he said.


    ¡°Another ability reached category three?¡± Akari asked.


    ¡°My cloak. Combining it with Shade''s bus form really gave it a workout.¡±


    Ability: [Cloak of Night] (Dark)


    Conjuration (darkness, light, dimension).Base cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 0 (00%).Effect (iron): Conjures a magical cloak that offers limited physical protection. Can generate light over an area or absorb light to blend into shadows. Cloak can reduce the weight of the wearer, allowing reduced falling speed and water walking. Cannot be given or taken away, but the effect can be extended to others in close proximity, with an ongoing mana cost rising exponentially with each affected person.Effect (bronze): Cloak reflexively intercepts projectiles. Highly effective against rapid, weaker attacks, but less effective against powerful, singular attacks. Cloak allows gliding.Effect (silver): Cloak passively manipulates physical space, slightly shifting the trajectory of incoming attacks. Manipulation can be actively managed for more directed effect or to allow passage through spaces normally too small to physically traverse. Cloak allows flight for a low ongoing mana cost, increasing to a moderate ongoing mana cost while in direct sunlight.


    Ability [Cloak of Night] (Dark) cannot advance further until all attributes have reached silver rank.


    Looking over his upgraded ability, Jason noted that the wording had changed from earlier iterations of the ability. Partly that was due to mana costs for lower-rank effects being removed. He couldn''t help but wonder, however, if the changes were purely due to ranking-up or whether his perception of his own powers was impacting the description. His thoughts turned to Clive and how excited he would be to figure it out.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°Hmm?¡±


    He looked up, distracted.


    ¡°What are you thinking about?¡± she repeated. ¡°You looked sad all of a sudden.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about a friend,¡± Jason said. ¡°We really could have used him in all this. He''s probably the only guy I know as smart as my niece. She''d still eat him for breakfast, though.¡±


    Jason narrowed his eyes at Akari, then conjured his cloak around him.


    ¡°Punch me in the face,¡± he told her.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I got a new ability I want to try,¡± he said. ¡°Punch me in the¨C¡±


    Akari dashed forward, supernaturally quick to jab Jason in the middle of the face, sending him reeling and letting out a nasal moan.


    ¡°Ah, you hit me in the eye.¡±


    ¡°I was aiming for your nose.¡±


    ¡°You clipped the nose pretty good,¡± he said, the blocked-nose tone of his voice backing him up as he crouched over, both hands clasped over his face. ¡°Clearly, I''ll have to get the hang of this ability. Thank you, by the way.¡±


    ¡°You just thanked me for punching you in the face,¡± Akari said.


    ¡°Well, I was asking for it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think I might just focus on the fact that my cloak will let me fly, now. Can''t wait until we land and I can try it out, but honestly, I think I''ll get more practical use out of flying with Shade. It''s weirdly anti-climactic.¡±


    He looked at Asya, who was looking back at him with amusement.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You''re kind of honking when you talk,¡± she said with a giggle.


    ¡°I got punched in the face!¡±


    ¡°Also, you asked someone to punch you in the face.¡±


    Next to Asya, Akari snorted a laugh.


    ¡°Girls are mean,¡± Jason complained.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Asya said. Didn¡¯t you tell me that you don¡¯t use breath and vocal chords to speak anymore?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said, still holding his nose.¡±


    ¡°So, why would your voice go funny unless you were deliberately putting it on?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Asya moved up through the plane and took the phone handset from the flight attendant. Her eyes went wide as she listened to the person on the other end.


    ¡°Give me the details,¡± she said.


    A while later, she moved back to the other passengers as the plane changed course. Akari and Jason were sat on the floor, meditating, while Aram was badly losing a game of chess to Dawn.


    ¡°You¡¯ve really never played this before?¡± Aram asked.


    Jason and Akari opened their eyes, focusing on Asya. Despite the aura-suppression bracelet that helped her mask her emotions from high-rank essence users, Jason and Akari both felt her inner turmoil.


    ¡°Why are we changing course?¡± Aram asked.


    ¡°We''re shifting west, to Indonesia,¡± Asya said, looking rather lost as she took a seat. ¡°There¡¯s been an incident and we need to intervene.¡±


    ¡°Why us?¡± Akari asked.


    ¡°Because they¡¯re calling in everyone on this side of planet,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°That bad?¡± Aram asked.


    ¡°In Indonesia,¡± Asya explained, ¡°there¡¯s been something of a balance of forces between the Network and the Cabal. The Network has been protecting the urbanised areas and offering substantial support for the Cabal facing monster waves in remote areas.¡±


    ¡°There''s tension?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°In most places around the world, either the Cabal or the Network is the dominant force,¡± Asya explained. ¡°The monster waves have seen unprecedented collaboration, with whichever force is stronger taking the lead, although that is usually the Network. The secondary force acts in support and that''s been working.¡±


    ¡°But you said balance of forces,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Cabal and the Network have been struggling for control in Indonesia?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Asya said. ¡°Those tensions have been put aside during the monster waves, but they haven¡¯t been put away. Thus far, it''s been fine, or that''s what we thought. It turns out that the government there has been ramping up their support for the Network. They''re trying to establish their authority in the magical community by picking a side, but neither they nor the Network branches affiliated with them realised how much hidden power the Cabal possessed. Some of the Indonesian branches got forceful, only to bite off more than they could chew. A lot of the smaller branches weren''t happy, even throwing in with the Cabal.¡±


    ¡°A Network civil war,¡± Aram said, his expression troubled. ¡°There''s been actual fighting?¡±


    ¡°It''s worse than that,¡± Asya said. ¡°The larger Network branches there knew the International Committee wouldn''t stand for what they were doing with the monster waves going on, so they kept the whole thing under wraps. It''s not like anyone was going around to check on them with things the way they are, so long as they kept reporting that everything was fine. None of this has hit the media, so no one was the wiser and they''ve managed to keep the conflict secret.¡±


    ¡°Surely the smaller branches reported that the main branches were off the reservation,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°They did,¡± Asya admitted awkwardly. ¡°It was passed off as the little fish complaining and the usual tension between the Network and the Cabal.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Aram asked. ¡°What is the International Committee doing?¡±


    ¡°Fighting the monster apocalypse, Michael,¡± Asya said. ¡°We''re all stretched a little thin right now and things are going to fall through the cracks.¡±


    ¡°It''s a civil war in our own organisation!¡± Aram exclaimed. ¡°That''s a bloody big crack.¡±


    ¡°Blame can wait until we have time to judge with consideration,¡± Akari said. Despite her still being sat cross-legged on the floor, her calm voice carried an authoritative weight.


    ¡°Rather than look back with recrimination,¡± she continued, ¡°we need to look forward, to the challenges ahead.¡±


    ¡°That''s my concern as well,¡± Jason said. ¡°Asya, please tell me that what I''m thinking is wrong.¡±


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Aram asked, having calmed down a little.


    ¡°If there''s a problem with patrolling for proto-spaces,¡± Jason said, ¡°branches are under instruction to report to the International Committee and request immediate assistance,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, damn,¡± Aram said, following Jason''s train of thought. ¡°If they have a problem with checking for spaces but don''t report it to avoid scrutiny¡­¡±


    ¡°That''s exactly what happened,¡± Asya confirmed. ¡°It''s the worst-case scenario. Makassar, in South Sulawesi. One and a half million people. A category-three dimensional space started dumping monsters into it less than an hour ago. Network responders are onsite already but the logistics of evacuating or protecting a population of that size and that density is a nightmarish quagmire. They were a million and a half before the city was declared a safe zone. Now we¡¯re looking at a sweep-and-clear operation through a city full of civilians and monster wave refugees.¡±


    Only Dawn kept her composure at the thought of monsters spilling into a heavily populated city. The others were pale and shell-shocked.


    ¡°It still gets worse,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°How?¡± Aram asked.


    ¡°There''s another dimensional space, practically on top of the first one. Between them, they''ll box the city in. The second space is projected to cross the breakdown threshold within the next hour and start spilling out monsters within two.¡±


    ¡°Twin dimensional spaces,¡± Aram said. ¡°That''s rare.¡±


    ¡°It used to be,¡± Jason said. ¡°I''ve encountered it a half-dozen times when sweeping for proto-spaces over the last couple of months. There should still be a chance to shut it down if they''ve detected it, right?¡±


    ¡°Early responders detected it, but there''s no way they can shut it down in time,¡± Asya said, then paused as if afraid to continue. Finally, she spoke.


    ¡°It''s a category-four space,¡± she said.


    Silence followed Asya''s revelation. One or more gold-rank monsters, surrounded by silvers, was not something that could be quickly readied for, certainly not within an hour.


    ¡°I can extend the duration of proto-space stability,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can we get me there in time?¡±


    ¡°We don''t think so but we''re trying,¡± Asya said. ¡°We''re on route to Darwin right now. We''re going to throw you out of the plane instead of taking the time to land and a portal specialist will meet you on the ground. He''s been to Makassar and will send you directly. Forces are being readied to take on a category-four anchor monster, whether we catch it in the dimensional space or not. The Guangzhou branch is already preparing magically-enhanced heavy munitions.¡±


    ¡°It or them,¡± Aram said. ¡°Multiple anchor monsters are more the norm than the exception, these days.¡±


    Jason turned to Dawn.


    ¡°If you have any more tricks or secrets, now is the time.¡±


    Dawn frown, her expression conflicted.


    ¡°You know I can''t intervene,¡± she said, ¡°as much I might want to. The most I could tell you is that The United States of America and China branches of the Network have undeclared assets. Those assets are difficult and costly to field but could be critical. Perhaps you can pressure China into deploying them, but most likely they will deny their existence. They will keep them in case what is happening to Indonesia happens to them.¡±


    ¡°What kind of assets?¡± Aram asked.


    ¡°I''ve already said more than I should,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I will not speak on it further.¡±


    ¡°People are dying,¡± Aram said. ¡°This is no time for secrets and games.¡±


    ¡°If she says she won''t say more, trying to change her mind will only waste time we don''t have,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°At this point, we''ll take what we can get,¡± Asya said, standing up. ¡°I''ll go see what I can do.¡±


    She headed for the front of the plane where the phone was located. Jason looked at Akari, both of them still sitting on the floor.


    ¡°Get your mind settled and whatever rest you can,¡± he told her. ¡°I don''t think either of us are ready for what we''re about to see.¡±


    It had barely been days since Jason had been desperately fighting to save lives in Broken Hill. In its wake, he had been seeking out warmth and levity while his insides were pulled taut like a bowstring. As he pictured the lives being lost at that very moment, the bowstring snapped.

 Chapter 366: An Intelligent King

    One proto-space had already disgorged its monstrous contents onto the city of Makassar. A second one, with even stronger magic, was on the verge of doing the same. This proto-space was a troubling reflection of the city it was about to open up on, except that the buildings were grown over with rainforest and the sky was cast over with volcanic ash. The city was not as hot as its normal-world counterpart but was weighed-down with oppressive humidity.


    In the heart of the city, four figures stood atop a building. They were roughly the shape of a human but twice the height and covered in brown and green scales. Their faces were the most inhuman part, long and dominated by large, toothy mouths. Above the mouths were eyes filled with intelligence and cunning.


    They all wore clothes and chitin-like armour, conjured by just one of their magical abilities. They could also conjure up various weapons, from swords to magical firearms, although none had chosen to do so at that moment. They were looking down at the aperture that the humans had opened, surrounded by the corpses of those same humans. Only a handful had managed to escape back through the shimmering circle.


    The only living things in front of the portal were monsters. They had the look of dinosaurs, although not species a palaeontologist would recognise. The toothy jaws of the long-necked quadrupeds made plain that they were not herbivorous. They also moved faster than dinosaurs were thought to, with silver-rank flesh being stronger yet more supple than that of the prehistoric creatures they resembled. It left them looking like giant, single-headed hydras.


    Although they were the largest and most numerous of the dino-monsters, they were only one type of many, each a monstrous variant of something someone from earth might recognise. Featherless, bronze-rank raptors, a third the height of a human, that hunted in packs. Horn-headed triceratops variants whose beaked mouths were lined with pointed teeth. Tyrannosaurs whose tiny arms ended not in hands but puckered sphincters that shot poison darts to slow their prey.


    Every type appeared to be a meat-eater, built to prey on the mammalian monsters that also populated the proto-space and were themselves not weak. Lanky, giant apes using agility, cunning and powerful fists to escape or even overcome their would-be predators were just one species struggling to survive in the unusually Darwinian monster ecology.


    Monsters of any kind rarely preyed on one another, but the three varieties in the crowded proto-space seemed to operate in a hierarchy. At the bottom were the mammalians, which were either bronze or silver-rank. Preying on them were the dino-monsters, ranging from the bronze-rankers at the bottom of the heap to the peak predators, like the tyrannosaurs. Those even went after some of their fellow dino-monsters, as well as the mammalian varieties.


    At the top, above even the largest and most savage dinosaur monsters, were the humanoid dino-men. They were not as strong or as tough as the larger dino-monsters, and far fewer in number. What they had did have was intelligence and unusual magical abilities. This ranged from the power to conjure weapons and armour to their most powerful ability: controlling the unintelligent dino-monsters.


    One of the dino-men was not like the others. Standing above the intelligent silver-ranked dino-men was the only one of their number to be gold-rank. Quickly dominating the others, he had chosen the smartest and strongest to serve him personally, while the rest were sent to gather the unintelligent monsters together.


    Under the gold-ranker¡¯s direction, they had pushed back the human incursion and held the aperture secure. They awaited the point where the proto-space delivered them to another world, more vast than the one they knew.


    ¡°Will more of the humans come?¡± One of the silvers asked. He had chosen the name Silha for himself. The other silver-rank male had named himself Kowal, and the female, Chesh. The gold-ranker they referred to as King.


    King had been the anchor monster for the proto-space, the one the humans needed to kill to prevent the monsters from entering the human world. Although the proto-space was about to break down and no longer had an anchor monster, King could still feel the proto-space through the lingering connection.


    ¡°I don''t know if more will come,¡± King said. ¡°We have passed the point of no return. Even if the humans managed to kill me now, it would change nothing. I suspect they know this and prepare for our arrival, instead of further, futile expeditions.¡±


    ¡°What will we find on the other side?¡± Chesh asked.


    ¡°I, like you all, am less than two days old,¡± King said. ¡°I know no more than any of you. Not how I came to know what a day is, the language we are speaking or even the concept of a language. What I do know is that the humans will not tolerate our existence. If we are going to make a place for ourselves, we must carve it from their flesh and wash it clean with their blood.¡±


    ¡°They will be many, won''t they?¡± Silha asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± King said, looking down at the aperture. ¡°And they will be gathered around the other side of the hole they made in the wall of this world. If we are close to that hole when we cross over, we will be overwhelmed. We must move, so that when we do pass from this world to the next, we do not arrive in their midst.¡±


    ¡°If we leave, more may enter through the hole,¡± Kowal said.


    ¡°It is too late for them to accomplish anything,¡± King said, looking down at the dino-monsters teeming around the aperture. In range of the dino-men, they were under control and placid, despite their highly aggressive nature.


    ¡°Our unintelligent brethren will suffice to occupy any humans that enter, at least in the time it takes for this world to end and pass us into the one that follows.¡±


    Taking King''s lead, the four quickly departed the vicinity of the aperture.


    On the Network plane, Akari watched Jason, who hadn''t spoken since the discussion on the Makassar disaster. Still sitting on the floor, he wasn''t meditating. He was just staring into space, stern-faced. She was struck by how different he looked without the usual lively eyes and perpetual half-smirk. Instead of looking at the world like there was a joke only he could see, there was a determination in his silver eyes that slightly unnerved her. Even without his aura behind it, as she couldn''t sense it at all, when his eyes flicked in her direction it made her feel like a prey animal.


    ¡°We''re here,¡± he said, standing up. The action looked oddly inhuman as he rose straight up from his cross-legged position without using his hands for balance or support. The smooth, confident motion of it made Akari think of a camouflaged praying mantis, revealing its presence with sudden movement.


    The Network plane boasted a feature uncommon in most private jets: a quick-deploy hatch in the floor. It was in its own small compartment so as to not disrupt the rest of the plane when the hatch opened. Jason strode towards it even as the pilot announced that they were approaching the drop zone.


    Asya joined the pair in the drop compartment, standing by the button for the hatch as Jason and Akari stood on top of it. Jason was shrouded in mist for a few seconds, his combat robes in place when it dispersed.


    ¡°Stay safe,¡± Asya told them, her eyes on Jason.


    ¡°The objective is to keep other people safe,¡± he said as he grabbed Akari''s hand. ¡°Hit the button.¡±


    Asya gave him a worried look, lifted the clear cap and slammed her palm onto the big red button. The floor hatch slammed open and Jason and Akari were dumped into the skies over Darwin. Jason let his shadow arm extended to keep his grip on Akari''s hand when dropping from the plane yanked them apart. He would need to pull her close when he decelerated their drop. In the meantime, they both angled their bodies into a streamlined free fall.


    As they drew closer to the ground, Akari sensed the silver-ranker below them and they aimed for that spot, an empty beach. As they dropped further and further without Jason pulling out his cloak, Akari became increasingly concerned. The ground seemed to be lunging up at them.


    ¡°JASON!¡±


    He didn''t turn his head, although she knew his sharp senses heard her despite her voice immediately being carried off in the wind rush of their fall. His eyes were locked on the ground below as she called his name again and again, not eliciting so much as a sideways glance.


    She was about to flatten her body to slow the descent when he seemed to sense it. Instead of conjuring his cloak, however, he shocked her with a burst of overwhelming aura suppression that jolted her into holding her descent angle, along with a tug on her arm form Jason.


    Finally Jason yanked himself to her with his shadow arm and his starlight cloak came into being, unfurling like wings of night. Gravity''s hold was drastically lessened and they rapidly decelerated, barely a hundred metres from the ground. They were travelling at ninety metres per second before Jason opened his cloak and even magic could decelerate them only so much. It took only seconds before they crashed into the soft sand, their superhuman bodies soaking the impact.


    They landed on a beach that would normally be full of tourists, but the crisis had even the locals staying in their homes. Akari stood, stunned for a moment, before wheeling on Jason.


    ¡°What are you thinking?¡± Akari demanded.


    ¡°Seconds matter,¡± Jason said, providing no further explanation as he strode toward the man jogging over the sand in their direction, waving a friendly hand.


    ¡°Hi, I''m Remy. You two came in pretty hot.¡±


    ¡°Portal,¡± Jason demanded.


    ¡°Jeez, so much for small talk,¡± Remy said and started drawing a circle in the air with his arm. ¡°You''re lucky I can even hit this distance. My ability only got stronger a little while ago. Normally the Network stops giving out cores once you hit silver, but those of us with portals are the chosen few. Especially now.¡±


    A shimmering sheet of rainbow light appeared in front of him and Jason marched through without hesitation.


    Jason stepped out of the portal, which led to the inside of a ramshackle slum house in Makassar. It was largely empty, aside from a rotting mattress and the stench of urine.


    ¡°We''re in a slum near Paotere Harbour,¡± Remy said after coming through the portal behind Jason. ¡°There''s a command post there; you should be able to sense the essence users from here.¡±


    Jason was already moving, kicking the rotten door right off its hinges and dashing out. His cloak spread out like wings, whipping him into the air and then launching him over the rooftops. He did not pause to revel in the sensation of personal flight, his attention being elsewhere.


    You have entered an area coterminous to a proto-space.The proto-space is in the final stages of breaking down and can no longer be prevented from purging into your current space.If you enter the proto-space, the breakdown will be decelerated and the manifested entities within will be purged into your current space at a reduced rate.


    ¡°A thank you would be nice,¡± Remy called after him, having emerged from the portal after Jason. He turned to Akari, who had followed close behind. ¡°Your friend is kind of a dick.¡±


    Akari followed Jason outside and leapt up, hopping rapidly over the corrugated rooftops of the slum. She chased after him, likewise detecting the cluster of essence users. She also detected essence-users clashing with monsters all around. It seemed that the slum had already been evacuated, having neither normal-rank auras or signs of having been ravaged by monsters.


    Jason quickly reached Paotere Harbour, clustered with wooden pinisi ships crammed against one another. He could see that the boats were being used to evacuate civilians while the open space of the docks had been occupied by a Network command post. Jason''s distinctive appearance was well known and Akari arrived to join him as he was being shown to the camp''s command tent.


    ¡°Is it true that you can stall out a dimensional space?¡± the commander asked after the briefest introductions.


    ¡°It''s too late to stop the monsters coming out,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think I can slow down the rate at which they emerge, though. I''m not sure by how much.¡±


    ¡°Whatever you can do, we''ll take, but we haven''t been able to secure the aperture. The other side is packed tight with category three-dimensional entities.¡±


    ¡°Not an issue,¡± Jason said. ¡°I''ll buy you as much time as I can.¡±


    ¡°I don''t suppose you have any of those magic buses on hand for moving evacuees?¡±


    Jason closed his eyes, exploring his sense of the proto-space that none of the other essence users could even detect without rituals. In most cases, a proper astral space would cut Jason off from his familiars, while a proto-space would not. Jason had become familiar enough with them to tell if it would be any different which, in this case, it was not. He would miss Shade in the proto-space but others needed what his familiar could offer more.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said, marching outside. ¡°Clear me some room.¡±


    The commander ordered space clear as Shades started emerging from Jason, only one remaining as Jason''s shadow.


    ¡°I''m going to need some mana,¡± Jason said, turning his head to where people were being evacuated by boat. He took to the air, his cloak winging him out over the water where he landed on the mast of a pinisi boat, perched like a dark bird. He had picked out the boat with the most wretched-looking passengers.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    He drained all the sickness from the slum residents, turning it all into mana. His Sin Eater power meant that he could absorb it all, exceeding his normal mana limit, although it would leak away over time. He intended to use it well before that happened.


    Returning to the shore, he conjured cloaks over the thirty Shades standing by, barely having enough mana for all of them, even after collecting extra. Immediately afterwards, the Shades started merging to form five buses with shadowy, starlit exteriors.


    ¡°All yours, commander,¡± Jason said. Shade had experience coordinating with Network forces from Broken Hill and knew what to do.


    ¡°We can get you to the aperture,¡± the commander said. ¡°Fair warning, though, establishing an arrival zone wasn''t going well, last I heard.¡±


    ¡°I''ll make my own way,¡± Jason said.


    Jason''s figure blurred as the air around him seemed to slowly bend. They felt him project his aura which seemed to merge with the world around it, blending until it was once again undetectable. Then the warped space snapped back into place and he was gone. The commander and the other Network staff were left staring at the empty space Jason had just vacated.


    ¡°He can just go into dimensional spaces on his own?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Akari, said, distracted by the essence users she could still sense fighting to keep the waterfront evacuation zone free of monsters. ¡°Where can you use me?¡±


    ¡°What''s your specialisation?¡± the commander asked her.


    ¡°Killing things.¡±

 Chapter 367: Hunted

    The proto-space version of Makassar was overrun with rainforest growth, the sky filled with volcanic ash. Four humanoid dinosaur hybrids were moving through the city, the gold-rank King in the lead. There were more of the silver-rank dino-men scattered through the proto-space as well.


    King and his subordinate monsters were moving away from the aperture and the horde of humans they anticipated being on the other side. They did not want to be dumped amongst them when the proto-space shifted them into the larger reality. The powerful legs of the monsters sent them thundering through the city at pace until King suddenly stopped.


    ¡°What is it?¡± asked Chesh. The only female of the group, she was the leader of King¡¯s silver-rank cohort, having proven her strength against Kowal and Silha.


    ¡°Something has changed,¡± King said, tilting his head as if listening for something. The former anchor monster could still sense the condition of the proto-space. ¡°There¡¯s something here that¡¯s slowing down the passage to the next world. The time between each of our brethren crossing over will be longer, making them vulnerable to those awaiting us on the other side.¡±


    ¡°What is doing this?¡± Kowal asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± King said. ¡°I think some manner of unusual being has intruded upon this world. Spread out, find the others. Tell them to find this being and destroy it.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything else we can do?¡± Chesh asked.


    ¡°As this realm breaks down, breaches will form. Tell the others that if they find a stable breach, send our brethren through. Make sure they know only to go if it is stable. If it is changing in shape or size they must avoid it at all costs, for it will kill them.¡±


    As he appeared in the proto-space, Jason realised that it was a warped version of the equivalent space in normal reality. This was something he had encountered before and while it was uncommon, it was not so uncommon as to put him off. This version of Paotere Harbour was post-apocalyptic, with the wooden boats smashed, rotted and half-submerged. The buildings he could see were in disrepair and overgrown, reminding him of the astral space in which he had spent half a year. These buildings were not ancient stone ruins, however, but the modern constructions of his own world.


    The ambient magic was thick and rich, more than any place he had been before. The magical strength to sustain gold-rank entities would actually be useful to him, making his relatively low power level harder to sense. Like a quiet noise hidden by a louder one, the potent ambient magic would mask his presence.


    The ambient magic that supported the gold-rank monster that was somewhere in the proto-space was not present on Earth. Once it crossed over, the monster would rapidly become starved for magic. The damage it could do until it did, especially in a densely populated area, meant that waiting it out would not be an acceptable approach for the Network forces. They would need to find a way to kill it without wiping out half the city themselves.


    Jason had two goals in the astral space. One he completed just by arriving.


    You have entered a proto-space in the process of dissolution.As the physical space breaks down, dimensional apertures will appear, including stable apertures that allow monsters to escape to the coterminous reality. Other apertures will be unstable, containing profoundly destructive dimensional forces.[Nirvanic Transfiguration] will slow the process of dissolution but cannot arrest it. Apertures from the proto-space will appear at a reduced rate.[Nirvanic Transfiguration] will allow you to actively stabilise or destabilise nearby apertures.


    So long as Jason remained in the proto-space, the monsters from it would arrive in more of a drip-feed than a wave as their escape points appeared more slowly. Given the preponderance of silver-rank monsters, every moment he could stall their emergence would give the Network more breathing room to protect the civilians.


    That would buy time for his second objective: to kill as many silver-rank monsters as he could before they reached the real Makassar. He had no illusions that he could match the Network¡¯s ability to sweep and clear but he would do his best. As for the gold-ranker, he would need to avoid it.


    Even if he had been silver-rank instead of at the peak of bronze, there was no way for him to overcome a gold-rank monster. The jump from bronze to silver was something he had learned to overcome but silver to gold was on a whole different scale. If he was silver rank and the designated damage dealer in a whole team of silvers it might be different. With others protecting and facilitating him it might be possible, although at the early stages of silver that would be a sketchy proposition at best.


    Jason knew full well that if the gold-ranker found him, he was dead. He had one chance to resurrect before silver-rank, though, and if this was how he spent it, he could accept that.


    All of these thoughts passed through Jason¡¯s head in a moment. He could sense the monsters heading in his direction, probably attracted by the magical distortion of his arrival. He had emerged on the open ground of the docks and standing in the open was a quick path to being swarmed and killed, so he looked around for the shadow of the closest building and then stepped into Shade and vanished.


    A dino-man who had chosen the name Loth for himself watched rainbow smoke rise up over a nearby rooftop. He had seen its like before, with monsters dissolving into the smoke sometime after death. What was new was the sheer amount, as if many monsters had died all at once.


    He had been told of a being that was slowing their passage to the next world, so he was leading a group of the unthinking dino-monsters in search of a stable portal. All that rainbow smoke was likely to be related to the unknown being, however, and the priority was to hunt it down. If he destroyed it, he might get the chance to join King¡¯s cohort.


    He had almost thirty dino-monsters under his control, although they were spread over a goodly area as they picked their way between the city buildings. The streets were broken and overgrown, some worse than others. It ranged from almost intact with maybe some grass growing through a crack to full-blown trees rising through holes in shattered concrete.


    Loth¡¯s control over the monsters kept their aggression in check, although if pushed too close together, their base instincts would take over. That meant he had to spread them out, which the terrain made even worse. The outermost monsters of his group were at the very limits of his control range, where his dominion over them was weakest.


    The bulk of Loth¡¯s forces were long-necked sauropods, the most common of the silver-rank monsters. He also had two triceratops-like, horn-faced chargers and one of the tyrannosaurus variants with the spike-projector forelimbs.


    Loth marched confidently amongst his monster force. Although he mentally urged them to pick up speed, there was only so fast the hefty quadrupeds could go. The silver-rank monsters were fast for creatures of their size, though, imitating a small earthquake as they moved through the streets.


    Suddenly Loth regretted collecting only the strongest of the dino-monsters, now that he needed information. The lower-rank creatures were smaller, quicker and would have made passable scouts.


    His herd of monsters was powerful but a sleeping person would feel its approach. His concern was that the unknown being would flee, although if it was responsible for the rainbow smoke he saw, perhaps not.


    He could communicate with the dino-monsters but they were not intelligent. The larger ones were little more than sacks of angry meat being driven by instinct and hunger. The pack hunters were cunning and at least smart enough to be acceptable for scouting.


    Loth and his monsters were closing in on the area he had seen the rainbow smoke when he heard one of his dino-monsters yell in pain and rage. Loth sent an admonishing jolt of mental force, thinking one of the monsters at the edge of his range had loosened from his control and become aggressive.


    Wary of a chain reaction of his monsters started fighting, Loth made his way quickly in the direction of his unruly monster. What he found was a sauropod thrashing its necks around angrily, seeking out an enemy it apparently couldn¡¯t find. Loth spotted the source of its rage: a black rot spreading from one of its rear legs to the rest of its body.


    After realising it was not obstreperous monsters but an attack, he conjured a magical firearm. It was long, stylised with a dinosaur motif and shot heavy, poisoned spikes. He went on the lookout for whatever was responsible, assuming it to be the unknown being. Some distance away, he heard another cry of rage and pain.


    Loth found himself running back and forth as more of his monsters were afflicted, one after another without catching so much as a glimpse of the one responsible. Packed close together, the instincts of the monsters took over as Loth¡¯s control slipped further and further away.


    The rage and pain of the afflicted creatures caused them to lash out and the others fought back, rapidly turning the monster-filled streets into a meat grinder. The critical point came when the tyrannosaur was afflicted and went berserk, annihilating what remained of Loth''s hold on the monsters. Loth climbed the tallest nearby building to get up and out of the chaos.


    As he looked down at the mess, he failed to see any trace of what was attacking his monsters, forcing him to escape them. Then a jolt passed through him as he realised that he wasn¡¯t being attacked at all. He was being hunted.


    The madness below accomplished the twin goals of depriving Loth of his minions and isolating him from support. His instincts told him to turn around and he saw a dark figure walking across the rooftop, silver eyes shining under an otherwise impenetrable hood. Loth raised his gun and fired, the spike passing through the figure as if it were an illusion. Then he realised it was not a dark figure but a figure made of darkness, with no more substance than air.


    As he made the discovery, Loth felt a blade slice between the armour plates covering his back. It was a shallow cut, barely breaking through his scales to strike flesh. He whirled but found no one. He turned back to the dark figure but it too was gone.


    Loth cast his gaze around, looking for any sign of his attacker. Normally his senses were sharp but he could detect nothing. Pain bit his ankle and he looked down to see a long, narrow line of darkness that ended in a hand gripping a dagger slick with Loth¡¯s own blood. He was barely able to spot it before it snaked off the edge of the roof.


    Rushing to the side of the rooftop, he wasn¡¯t foolish enough to stick his head over. He extended his gun instead, firing spikes from the muzzle into any lurking ambusher. Unfortunately for Loth, the spikes did little to the lurking ambusher in question.


    The spikes easily pierced the bloody rags shrouding the figure perched on the lower ledge but did little to the leeches inside. Strips of wet, red cloth shot up, wrapping around the gun and Loth''s arms and he scrambled back over the roof. The gun was pulled from his hands as his retreat dragged the bloody rag entity over the edge of the roof. It was half the size of Loth, whose silver-rank strength was easily up to the task.


    Loth desperately yanked off the strips of cloth wrapping themselves around him but more and more kept shooting out from the entity. As fast as he worked, they grabbed his arms, legs and torso faster than could get rid of them. They were not much of an impediment to his movement, because of his strength, but they were dragging the entity closer and closer to Loth, even as he continued to back across the roof. He didn¡¯t know what would happen if the entity reached him but every instinct screamed at him not to let it.


    Giving up on pulling the strips off by hand, Loth conjured a sword and raised it into the air, ready to swing down and sever the strips. Before he could, a set of vibrant energy beams struck the blade, spoiling his grip.


    Turning to the new enemy, Loth saw that it was a floating cloak occupied not by a person but by an unnerving glowing eye. Four more eyes floated around it, which were the sources of the beams still firing in his direction. In his moment of distraction, the rag-entity reached him and leeches started squeezing out between the cloth strips like the flesh of a soft fruit being squished in a fist. They swarmed over him and he collapsed, screaming. He never heard the spells being chanted at him.


    Jason stood at the edge of the building, watching the monsters tear one another apart. Jumping off the roof, he dived in to accelerate the process. Since arriving in the proto-space with only one of Shade''s bodies, the way he fought reminded him of his earliest days as an adventurer. His skills were greater, his abilities more advanced and his attributes well into the superhuman range, but there was an old-school feel of desperately walking on a knife-edge.


    Only against the largest groups, organised by one of the intelligent monsters did he hunt. Otherwise, he threw himself into the fray to get the most done in the least time. He paid the price, frequently pushing it too hard and getting slapped down. His armour was hanging off him in ribbons, despite its self-repairing properties, and he was painted red in his own blood. Jason had been damaged enough to kill him a dozen times over but his defensive measures and self-healing kept him going.


    When the last of the large monster clutch was dead, Jason held out his hands to either side of him.


    ¡°As your lives were mine to reap, so your deaths are mine to harvest.¡±


    The remnant life force of the monsters rose up and flooded into Jason, taking his health far beyond its ordinary limit and into the realm of role-playing game hit points. This had already proven key to surviving long enough to drain health when fighting against the gangs of silver-rank dino-monsters.


    Without an army of Shades to play decoy and escape hatch, Jason found himself with less margin for error at the same time he was pushing the boundaries of what he could take on at once. As a result, he was relying on drain and recovery powers to get him through situations where he would normally rely on stealth and evasion.


    Jason left the dead monsters behind, already on his way to the next fight. Shade lingered, flickering over the battlefield to touch each of the dead monsters.


    Would you like to loot [Tri-Horn Charger]?


    As of his rank-up, Shade could use Jason¡¯s non-combat abilities, including the power to initiate looting. So often, when dealing with proto-spaces, Jason was faced with too many monsters and too little time. As he left fallen monsters behind to confront the next ones he left potential loot to literally go up in smoke. Now that Shade could trigger the looting for him, that was no longer the case.


    Since Shade had ranked up, Jason had accumulated more than his inventory could store, most of which he shovelled onto the Network. Given the circumstances, the Network was hungrily devouring every resource it could get its hands on, making Jason a more critical asset than ever. He also stowed an amount in the storerooms of Asano village, which had its own magical maintenance costs.


    Jason did keep certain choice items and materials for himself, though. Colin¡¯s silver-rank vessel had two fairly straightforward requirements, which Jason had already collected. One was a wheelbarrow-load of silver-rank blood quintessence and the other, disturbingly, was a portion of Jason¡¯s own skin. The materials for Gordon''s next vessel were less gruesome but more elusive, evading Jason despite all the looting.


    Jason¡¯s looting ability always had a merciful ability to be used at range, helping him avoid mouthfuls of rainbow smoke. That range was limited but could be extended through Shade''s presence, like Jason''s other non-combat powers. After Shade queued up all the looting dialogue boxes, Jason accepted them all at once and items started appearing in his inventory as his currency counters ticked up.


    Jason was well away by the time he triggered the looting. As rainbow smoke drifted up around him, Shade was about to leave when he spotted a green blur shooting at him. He dashed for the nearest shadow but was too slow, the blur grabbing his head in a clawed and scaled hand. Shade struggled to escape using his incorporeal nature but the claw was reinforced with magic that held him inescapably in place.

 Chapter 368: Gamble

    King stood on a rooftop, clutching Shade¡¯s head in his hand.


    ¡°You can hear me through this vessel, can¡¯t you?¡± King asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason¡¯s voice came from Shade.


    ¡°I am going to find you and kill you.¡±


    ¡°Probably, yes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You do not fear death?¡±


    ¡°Strike me down and I shall become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.¡±


    ¡°You are a fool,¡± King snarled.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the circumstances in which you came into being. You were doomed to a short and tragic life from the very start.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what my life will be.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do. This world has the magic to keep you alive but the one you will soon find yourself in does not. You will rapidly grow weaker until it becomes bad enough that the humans can kill you. Hope that they do it quickly because they will study you if they can, in ways that strip away dignity and leave only pain. I¡¯ll do my best to stop them if I am still alive but I can make no promises. I fight for the humans but I cannot speak for them.¡±


    ¡°You speak like you are not one of them.¡±


    ¡°I was. Now I¡¯m something else. Not to say that I¡¯m better than they are, because I¡¯m not. I just convince myself I am, sometimes. If it were up to me, I¡¯d give your people a patch of land and leave them be. Let them see to one another when the time came. Do you understand how your kind end?¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± King snarled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I respect the desire to escape what others tell you is inevitable. My choice would be to give you a place for you to find your own way but the humans would never tolerate that.¡±


    ¡°I have known this from the beginning,¡± King said. ¡°Only by purging the humans from it can we claim a place for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°There is no place for you except here, and soon even that will be gone. Only you have the strength to withstand the humans on the other side and that strength will leak from you like blood from a wound. The only questions are how ugly your demise becomes and how many humans you take with you.¡±


    ¡°As many as I can.¡±


    ¡°I thought as much,¡± Jason said. ¡°I imagine I¡¯d feel much the same in your situation. I can¡¯t even offer an alternative. When you appear on the other side, they will try to kill you, use you or both. I¡¯ll do my best to stop you but we both know I can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Then until this world ends, we will try to kill one another.¡±


    ¡°Fighting you is a gamble I don¡¯t want to make,¡± Jason said. ¡°Come for me if you want but I''m coming for everyone else. Do you have a name?"


    ¡°They call me King. You?¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°Whatever my fate, Jason Asano, you will die before you see it.¡±


    ¡°That seems a likely order of events. I can¡¯t stop you, King. But you can¡¯t stop me, either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you.¡±


    ¡°That won¡¯t be enough.¡±


    Still dangling from King¡¯s hand, Shade¡¯s body self-destructed, dissolving into nothing.


    Jason still had a lot of mana from draining the monster corpses with Blood Harvest, so reconstituting one of Shade¡¯s bodies was not too draining. He had Shade self destruct the one body in the proto-space with him since if the monster could catch Shade there was every chance he could track him back to Jason.


    Not wasting time in getting back on the move, Jason started putting distance between himself and the gold-ranker. The broken and overgrown city offered shadows aplenty and even across stretches of open ground, Jason was far from sluggish.


    ¡°If he knows that you are avoiding him and hunting the others, he may collect the other intelligent monsters together,¡± Shade said. ¡°From what we¡¯ve seen, they seem to be small in number.¡±


    ¡°If they all cross over together, I can live with that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Asya said that the Network is mobilising the magically-enhanced heavy weapons and you¡¯ve seen the details of that program, the same as me.¡±


    ¡°The weapons are far from discriminatory,¡± Shade said. ¡°If they are targeting the gold-ranker, any silver-rankers will likely be caught up in the destruction.


    "Exactly. If they''re all in one spot, that''s fewer missiles the Network has to throw around.¡±


    "King may be wary of an attack of this nature," Shade said. "This may be why the intelligent monsters are not gathered together."


    ¡°Or it could just be that they¡¯re trying to get as many monsters under their control as they can. I¡¯m doing what I can here but this whole space will last another few hours at best. I¡¯ll barely make a dent in the numbers in that time, so most of these monsters are going to cross over. If they¡¯re all gathered up for the Network to drop magic napalm or whatever on, all the better.¡±


    They had already seen signs of dimensional collapse in the form of blank, white void spaces that were the natural apertures forming as the proto-space collapsed. The voids were plain and empty to the eye but Jason¡¯s magical senses warned him of dimensional forces within, of such wildly destructive might only transcendent damage could surpass it. Jason and Shade had watched an entire building collapse when a large white void appeared over key structural points, instantly annihilating them.


    Only a fraction of the apertures were safe to pass through. Jason experimented with exerting influence over the voids, having only used his ability to affect proto-spaces passively in the past. He could only actively affect a void when he was relatively close, within a few dozen metres. It was a useful range, but far less so than the passive effect that impacted the entire proto-space.


    After a little practise, Jason could render the aperture safe or turn a safe one dangerous in only a moment. Most of the voids he encountered were dangerous and the ones that weren¡¯t, he made dangerous. He was not going to leave gateways out of the proto-space open behind him if he could avoid it.


    Such apertures were the normal means by which monsters escaped a dissolving space. Jason was familiar with the process from his time shutting down proto-spaces for the Network, at which he was now an old hand. He knew that more and more apertures would appear, more and more of which would be stable. By the time the space was in the final stages of breakdown, safe apertures would be everywhere. Until that happened, Jason would buy what time he could.


    After the talk with King, Jason skipped over the next two clusters of monsters he encountered. Moving past them undetected, he put them between himself and the gold-ranker hunting him. He and Shade then encountered another large group led by one of the intelligent dino-men. This one had discovered a stable and very large aperture capable of taking in two of the giant monsters at a time. He was pushing his monsters through in a rush, like a drover sending cattle across a ford.


    Jason moved forward as swiftly as he could undetected, suppressing his ability to affect the void. It meant a few more monsters crossing over but if he got his timing right, that would be a cost worth paying.


    The dino-man was caught up in herding his monsters through the aperture, pushing them faster and faster. He had packed them tighter than he really should, straining himself to push their aggressive instincts away from fighting each other in close confines and towards rushing the aperture.


    When the two monsters currently moving through the aperture were torn to ribbons by the dimensional forces suddenly churning within he was startled. About to urge his monsters to stop, he was instead sprayed with leeches from a figure moving out of the shadows and struck with beams from afar.


    The animals he had pushed into rushing the aperture kept going as the dino-man¡¯s concentration was lost. They too were shredded by the aperture, even as the dino-man was shredded by Jason. Eventually, the monsters, as dim-witted as they were, grew wise and stopped charging forward but not until around a dozen had run in with results akin to a giant, dimensional wood chipper.


    The dino-man controlling them had fallen quickly to the combined onslaught of Jason¡¯s more attack-oriented fighting style that rapidly loaded afflictions with a multitude of dagger strikes before following up with the powerful spell combination of his affliction, drain and finisher.


    With Colin piling on, it went even faster. The ambush had been effective in cutting the dino-man off from using its abilities as it fell to panic under a pile of leeches and it lacked the physical fortitude of its larger, less intelligent brethren. At the peak of bronze, Jason had reached the stage where he could blitz physically weaker varieties of silver-rank monster.


    With the one controlling them dead, the other monsters were freed to follow their instincts, which were aggressive at the best of times. With the danger of the aperture and the close proximity they had been pushed into, they immediately attacked one another.


    Jason joined in the chaos to clean up the remaining monsters. He went largely unnoticed as he made minor attacks on the giant beasts while they violently crashed into one another.  Even so, he was hammered more than once, more by accident in the crush than by deliberate strike. The shield power of his amulet, his stacked-up health and his drain and recovery powers kept him fighting.


    Once it was over, he drained the remaining life force from the monsters with Blood Harvest and left Shade to loot as he moved on. He took a fresh direction, knowing that the gold-ranker would likely find the battle site. He didn¡¯t want to leave a discernible path for him to follow.


    Jason was feeling the mental strain as he continued his unrelenting battle through the proto-space. His nerves frayed, knowing the gold-ranker could find him at any moment and that every monster he failed to kill likely meant lives lost once it crossed over. He was painted red with his own blood while his robe looked as bloody and torn as Colin¡¯s rags.


    In the hours since he had spoken with King, the proto-space degradation had accelerated, leaving it an obstacle course of white void spaces.  It was past the point where Jason had time to destabilise every safe aperture he found. He knew the effectiveness of his stalling was almost at an end as monsters would already be pouring through myriad apertures across the proto-space.


    Jason''s presence continued to slow the dissolution, though, even this close to the end. Every minute there was no portal strong enough to allow a gold-ranker to cross was a small victory. It also brought Jason and King closer together as the proto space shrank, the void devouring the proto-space from the edges in. The sky was no longer overcast with ash but a blank white as the sky literally came down on their heads.


    King stepped back from the aperture, his simple proximity causing it to lose stability.


    ¡°It was the strongest portal we could find,¡± Chesh said. King¡¯s other two cohorts had already crossed over.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think any will be strong enough to let me leave until this world¡¯s final moments,¡± King said.


    ¡°We never found the unknown being slowing it down.¡±


    "Jason Asano no longer matters," King said. "This world''s end and our passage from it are inevitable. I can still sense the effect he has on this world, which will deliver him to me eventually unless he flees, which he will not."


    ¡°You seem certain.¡±


    "Like you, I came into this world with knowledge I do not understand the origins of. One of the things I know is arrogance. I felt it when I spoke with Jason Asano, enough to know that he will struggle to the bitter end."


    ¡°Do you think he truly can come back from death?¡±


    ¡°I was given just enough knowledge to understand how much more I do not know, so I cannot speak to what is or is not possible. If he truly can rise from the dead, I will kill him as many times as it takes.¡±


    Jason and King both had been pushed together as the void closed in until they found themselves at either side of a rubble-strewn city block where patches of void had collapsed all the buildings. They stood, looking at one another, down a long street where rubble rested in grass grow through the cracked surface of the road. The world around them was silent as the void made no sound and King was the last remaining monster.


    The others had flooded out of the apertures, with even the encroaching void becoming stable enough to serve as a giant aperture, closing in on them. It was almost stable enough for even King, which both Jason and King could sense.


    ¡°You cannot stop me,¡± King said. ¡°The void itself is already becoming the final gateway.¡±


    Jason and King walked towards one another as the void continued to close in on them. It was tight enough that Jason could exert his will to destabilise the entire void around them. He couldn¡¯t seal the passage but he could trigger the lethal roil of uncontrolled dimensional forces, turning the giant aperture into a mouth full of gnashing teeth.


    The proto-space you are in has reached the final stage of dissolution. You are no longer able to directly transition out using [Nirvanic Transfiguration]. You will need to exit through an aperture.The final aperture of the proto-space is extremely stable. It will consume increasing amounts of mana to enforce an unstable state.


    It didn¡¯t matter that he was locked into the space with King. Only by staying could he maintain the instability, which was the only weapon he had against the gold-rank monster. He only needed to hold on for moments as the void continued to encroach. King and Jason moved toward one another as the space went from the size of a block to a warehouse to a cottage.


    ¡°I am faster than you can imagine,¡± King said. ¡°The moment you open a space for yourself to escape, I will go through before you¡¯ve realised I moved.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m not going to,¡± Jason said. ¡°This space will close in on us and send us to the other side. After we pass through the dimensional forces, I doubt there will be enough of us left to spill onto the ground when we arrive.¡±


    ¡°You seem certain you will come back from death,¡± King said. ¡°Are you just as certain that you won¡¯t be dragged off into the afterlife when you pass from this world to the other?¡±


    "No," Jason said, "but stopping you is worth the gamble. If I die forever, there are others to take up my responsibilities. You may be the only hope for your people but I am not the only hope for mine.¡±


    The two continued to walk forward as the void closed in, arriving face to face.


    ¡°My brethren are slaughtering the humans as we speak,¡± King said.


    ¡°I guarantee they are paying the price,¡± Jason said, his voice not aggressive but sad. ¡°So much death, and for what? It accomplishes nothing.¡±


    ¡°If we truly are as doomed as you say, then we shall write our story across the soul of the human race in blood.¡±


    ¡°Death is a poor legacy.¡±


    ¡°We shall see how you tolerate your own.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t even feel the blow that killed him, clawed fingers burying themselves in his head. His body dissolved into darkness, taking the form of a large bird filled with sparks of stellar light.


    [Nirvanic Transfiguration] has protected you from death.You have taken the form of a star phoenix. All equipment has been returned to your inventory.Your current form is impervious to non-transcendent damage. You have a short time to move to safety before returning to your normal form.This effect has been expended until you increase in rank.


    Jason¡¯s starlight phoenix form hovered in front of King. Jason¡¯s aura and the instability of the space around them was undiminished.


    ¡°I¡¯ll kill you as many times as it takes!¡± King announced, then opened his mouth to give a magically-empowered roar. Sonic forces that would have annihilated Jason¡¯s ordinary form passed harmlessly through his phoenix state.


    The void closed into to the size of a large room, the dimensional forces starting to wash over them. King conjured a sword and started pouring the magic he had been reserving for the other side into it, causing it to glow with transcendent light. As he brought it down, Jason¡¯s aura turned the transcendent light blue, the same as Gordon¡¯s disruptive-force damage. Again, it would have killed Jason in an instant in his normal state but was harmless to the phoenix.


    King howled as the void crashed in on them and the proto-space came to an end.

 Chapter 369: Dying of Thirst in the Desert

    Outside of the collapsing second proto-space, the sky grew dark over the real city of Makassar. A beautiful sunset contrasted the horror below, with large portions left looking like the bombed-out capital of a failed state. When the sun had risen it had been a thriving city, one of Indonesia¡¯s most secure safe zones ¨C at least, publicly. The consequences of the Network and the Cabal waging war in the shadows had scarred the city with fire, destruction and death.


    The Network and their military allies had acted quickly and international support was swiftly mobilised but the damage was largely done. The first proto-space emptied itself of monsters and the belated response was not enough to stave off disaster in a city of so many. Moves were rapidly made to secure the populace and contain the threat but the monsters were already loose.


    Death and tragedy were everywhere, with too many civilians and not enough people to protect them. Mad panic clogged the streets before organised evacuations could be set up, leaving countless people out in the open. Only a tsunami of support from around Indonesia and its neighbouring countries prevented the city from becoming an abattoir.


    The city was out of control but there was at least a sense of progress against the bronze-rank monsters of the first proto-space. The few silver-rank monsters had been a key priority, found and eliminated with overwhelming force.


    Then silver-rank monsters started manifesting out of the second proto-space. The first proto-space had appeared at the south-east of the city, while the second covered the west and the north. The Network knew it was coming but had to direct the bulk of their forces toward the immediate threat. The second wave of monsters would be greater but people were dying to the first already. Even the minimal resources they dedicated to preparing for the second wave stretched them dangerously thin.


    Despite the conflict between local Cabal and Network forces, they were forced to join hands against the danger. As international support started rolling in, the tension was somewhat alleviated as the reinforcements were a buffer between them.


    Casualties amongst the Network teams started to tick up, as monsters started emerging from the second proto-space. Silver-rank monsters, in ever-increasing numbers, were not something that any Network force was equipped to handle. It became a race between international support arriving and the monsters of the second proto-space appearing, both escalating as one hour became two became three.


    It was the first time a category four proto-space had reached the point of depositing its monsters, at least on dry land. The international response was likewise unprecedented as people and resources from around the globe descended on Makassar.


    The head start the monsters had and the logistical problems of a densely-populated city made things hard for the Network forces. Lingering tension with their Cabal allies only added to already troubled communication as outposts were established around the city. Looming over all of it was the threat of the one or more gold-rank monsters the Network knew to be coming.


    The decision was made to give up on trying to eradicate the monsters from the west and north until enough international support to sweep the silver-rank monsters without disastrous casualties. A defensive line was set up and the Network focused on evacuating as many civilians as possible either across it to the relatively secure parts of the city, or out of the city entirely.


    The silver-rank monsters did not make the task easy and only so many people could be effectively evacuated. Despite rising casualties, the network kept going with desperation. On top of the silver-rank monsters roaming around, they had no idea when a gold-rank would appear. At that point, the section of the city it arrived in would be a full-blown war zone where any remaining civilians would be disregarded. Stopping any gold-rank monsters would be the priority, whatever the cost.


    In the evacuation effort, the five Shade buses were present and active but far from the only magical vehicles. The fastest support to arrive from other parts of Indonesia and neighbouring countries were those with magical vehicles of their own. There were helicopters similar to Kaito¡¯s and buses like Shade. There were cars and vans, armoured personnel carriers, planes, tanks and boats.


    Shade was not even the only intelligent vehicle, although most were conjured and very much in need of drivers and pilots. They ranged in style from ordinary-looking vehicles to highly exotic. Some were sleek and futuristic while others looked like post-apocalyptic battle wagons. There were even plainly fantastical variations, such as a plane in the form of an iron eagle, complete with articulating wings.


    Eventually, the horrifying decision was made to withdraw all forces from the zone around the second proto-space. Dinosaur monsters were pouring through sheets of rainbow light, the one-way apertures leading from the proto-space. All Network forces pulled back behind the established defence lines, with only drones being sent in to catalogue the threats and horrors beyond. The civilians left behind would have to find a place to hide, escape on their own or die.


    At a command post, Asya¡¯s role as an International Committee member was convincing branches outside of Indonesia to send whatever resources they could. China had completely denied having a secret weapon, as expected, although revealing that she knew managed to shake loose some of the powerful nation¡¯s more public resources.


    China had already sent a host of silver-rankers south, with more being prepped for departure. They were also sending a veritable arsenal of resources, from spirit coins to weapons to the results of their magical heavy weapons program. Missiles and vehicle-mounted weaponry designed to handle category four threats had been loaded onto transport planes and were en route.


    Australia sent other assets, including a freshly bronze-rank Kaito. He flew north with a helicopter-load of the strongest silver-rankers Australia had to offer, including Farrah. Over the last eight months, Kaito had been practically force-fed monster cores and his bronze-rank speed got resources on-site with haste. On arrival, he was immediately recruited into the evacuation units, while Farrah was moved to the defence front.


    Above the restricted zone, one of the drones monitoring the situation was a cutting edge, magically-enhanced, silver-rank surveillance model. It had even grounded some bronze-rank fliers by hitting their wings with its onboard weapon systems.


    The early and timely arrival of several such drones was courtesy of the United States. What their operators were doing in the region with such advanced surveillance magitech had not been explained and, given the circumstances, no one asked.


    The drone detected a category four magic surge, sending an alarm to its operator at a Network control post. The operator sent word and his small tent was soon crowded with people. The outpost commander, the tactical commander and the International Committee liaison all came in to watch the monitor, as did Farrah, who no one was stupid enough to try and stop.


    ¡°So this is it,¡± outpost commander said in a voice full of trepidation. ¡°A category four.¡±


    ¡°Your friend Asano bought us valuable time,¡± the tactical commander told Farrah. ¡°In those extra hours, the heavy weapons from China arrived. I sent coordinates and they¡¯re being prepped for deployment.¡±


    ¡°We need to know what we¡¯re dealing with,¡± the outpost commander said. ¡°One of the dinosaur monsters, but bigger? Are we going to have some kind of Godzilla turn up?¡±


    ¡°Could be, given the size of that aperture,¡± the committee liaison said. On the screen in front of them, the rainbow light gold-rank aperture reached from the ground to the height of a four-storey building.


    ¡°I think one of the intelligent monsters is more likely,¡± the tactical commander said. ¡°Probably their leader.¡±


    The tactical commander had been focused on the intelligent monsters due to their organisation of the larger ones. Thus far, the smarter monster had been consolidating rather than making large moves, as if waiting or preparing for something. This had led to a theory discussed amongst the tactical commanders of the defence-line outposts that the gold-rank monster would be their leader.


    Farrah remained silent. Rather than the gold-rank monster, there was someone else she wanted to see emerge from the proto-space. She already had people keeping tabs on the Shade buses, which were connected to Jason. They couldn¡¯t communicate with him in the proto-space but they could at least sense his general condition. Farrah had made sure that if anything drastic happened, word would be sent to her.


    Finally, something emerged from the rainbow aperture. It was diminutive compared to most of the dinosaurs but at twice the height of a human, it was undoubtedly monstrous. It staggered from the light, slow and awkward. As it moved stumblingly forward, barely staying on its feet, it revealed a zombie-like appearance, with almost half of its flesh stripped away.


    It''s left arm was gone entirely and the flesh from the left side of its head was stripped to the bone. It was clad in the twisted remains of armour, most of which was missing, revealing wounds that even silver-rankers wouldn¡¯t live through. Its skeleton was on display in numerous places and it¡¯s insides dangled out in front of it as it plodded one foot haltingly after the other.


    ¡°Undead? The outpost commander postulated.


    ¡°The drone is detecting life force,¡± the drone operator said. ¡°That thing is somehow still alive. It¡¯s in a bad way, though.¡±


    ¡°I think we can all see that,¡± the committee liaison said.


    ¡°It¡¯s more than just what we can see,¡± the operator said. ¡°Whatever happened to that monster left it with a severe magical deficit. It¡¯s trying to absorb ambient magic to fuel its recovery but the ambient magic is too low. It¡¯s a man dying of thirst in the desert.¡±


    ¡°You can tell all that?¡± the committee liaison asked. ¡°How sophisticated is that drone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to disclose that information.¡±


    ¡°What was able to do that to a gold-rank monster?¡± Farrah wondered aloud.


    ¡°We have been getting reports of monsters arriving already dead,¡± the tactical commander said. ¡°The ritualists have been guessing that there¡¯s a problem with the apertures. If that¡¯s what happened to the gold-ranker, we may have just gotten very, very lucky.¡±


    The tent got a little more crowded as Akari burst in.


    ¡°Is he back?¡± she asked Farrah.


    ¡°It turns out the gold-rank monster arrived all messed up,¡± Farrah told her. ¡°The commander, here, thinks we got lucky.¡±


    ¡°You think it was Asano?¡± the commander asked. ¡°Even if he¡¯s the most powerful category two on earth, he¡¯s still a category two. Doing that to a category four is impossible.¡±


    ¡°Impossible is kind of his thing,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He does the impossible and then follows it up with either something idiotic or¡­¡±


    She grinned as a dark shape emerged from the rainbow aperture.


    ¡°¡­an obnoxiously dramatic entrance.¡±


    They watched the drone footage as a large bird made of star-filled darkness flew slowly out of the rainbow light. It circled in the air over the gold-rank monster as the light inside collected together into two points, close together. The darkness reshaped itself into a cloak, fully enveloping a humanoid figure. The two points of light inside the hood were its only feature, forming a pair of bright silver eyes.


    ¡°The fidelity on this drone camera is amazing,¡± the committee liaison said.


    ¡°That¡¯s what you took away from what you just saw?¡± the outpost commander asked.


    ¡°I just think we could really use some of these,¡± the liaison said. ¡°Who do I talk to about getting some?¡±


    ¡°You would have to speak to my commanding officer,¡± the operator said.


    ¡°And how do I contact them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not at liberty to disclose that information. The monster appears to be speaking, so I¡¯m activating audio surveillance.¡±


    On the screen, they saw the monster talking. As the audio kicked in they heard guttural words in a growling language, spoken in a voice filled with rage and pain.


    ¡°Does anyone understand that?¡± the tactical commander asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to tell,¡± Farrah said. ¡°A lot of its mouth is gone, but I believe it said something about killing Jason over and over.¡±


    ¡°I warned you,¡± Jason told King. ¡°Your demise would be ugly and killing me would accomplish nothing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not done killing you!¡±


    Despite his words, King was a spent force, barely able to take staggering steps in Jason¡¯s direction. He conjured up a sword not for a weapon but for a walking stick, which proved to be a mistake when expending the mana worsened his condition. His recovery attribute was the hardest hit by the weak ambient magic and the one he needed the most. It was also the one most reliant on ambient magic, however, which left King¡¯s path to recovery cut off.


    ¡°I CAN¡¯T BE KILLED BY THE LIKES OF YOU,¡± King screamed, as much plea as assertion.


    ¡°I sympathise with your fate, so I¡¯ll make it as quick and painless as I can.¡±


    Jason raised an arm, pointing it at a spot over King¡¯s head.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement, and the judgement is death.¡±


    He brought his hand down like a gavel as transcendent light shone down from the sky onto the almost helpless King.


    The spell was not boosted by any of Jason¡¯s abilities yet was the single most powerful casting of his execute Jason had ever done. Execute powers inflicted exponential damage based on the condition of the target and the gold-ranker had survived damage that would kill any silver-ranker, monster or essence user. Half of King¡¯s flesh was already gone and he looked more like an unliving revenant than a living creature.


    Even if Jason didn¡¯t have the ability to bypass rank suppression, the transcendent damage of his spell did. King was completely obscured in the radiant light of gold, silver and blue. When the light faded away, even the gold-rank monster had been unable to withstand it and was completely gone.


    You have defeated [King of the Dinosaurs].You have acquired a new title: [Giant Slayer].


    [King of the Dinosaurs] has been wholly annihilated. It has been looted automatically.[Armour of the Dinosaur King] has been added to your inventory.[Monster Core (Gold)] has been added to your inventory.10 [Gold Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1000 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.10000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    You have defeated a significantly more powerful enemy. Your [Defiant] ability has refined additional loot from [King of the Dinosaurs]:


    [Soul-Imprinting Triune] has been added to your inventory.100 [Gold Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1000 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.10000 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason had not needed to breathe for more than a year, but he took a long, deep breath and slowly let it out. In the wake of his transformation and return to physical form, his body felt like lightning was running through it.


    A horrified scream rang out and he turned his head. The drone he sensed hovering in the air was not the only thing drawn to the gold-rank aperture and Jason turned to see one of the intelligent, silver-rank dino-men looking at him in aghast disbelief.


    Jason conjured his dagger and went to work.

 Chapter 370: Enough Power

    As Jason drained the life force from the dead monsters around him, the drone came down to hover in front of him.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Farrah¡¯s voice came through it. ¡°I can direct you back to the defence line.¡±


    ¡°Shade has brought me up to speed,¡± Jason said. ¡°A lot of civilians were abandoned on this side of the line and a lot of them are still here, in hiding. Only the intelligent dinosaur-people have aura senses worth a damn, so there are a lot of survivors.¡±


    ¡°You need to come in for a debrief,¡± another voice said.


    ¡°Here¡¯s my debrief. The gold-ranker is dead and there aren¡¯t any more. There¡¯s a lot of scared people here, so I¡¯m going to go get them. If you feel like helping at all, let me know and I¡¯ll be happy to coordinate with.¡±


    ¡°Bugger it, I¡¯m in,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Farrah,¡± Asya¡¯s voice came through. ¡°I think you might be going a little native. How are you, Jason?¡±


    ¡°There are people who need me in action more than I need rest.¡±


    ¡°Akari will be in too," Farrah said. "Can you send some Shades our way?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s sending bodies as the buses finish their current runs elsewhere. I¡¯ll have him divert some to you.¡±


    Asya¡¯s expression was dark as she left the drone operator¡¯s tent.


    ¡°He is not alright, whatever he might say.¡±


    ¡°Of course he¡¯s not,¡± Farrah agreed. ¡°I bet that on the inside he¡¯s tangled up like a sack of loose yarn you found at the back of your grandmother¡¯s cupboard.¡±


    ¡°He needs to stop and rest,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°That¡¯s the thinking of someone who wants what¡¯s best for him,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We need to think about what¡¯s best for all the people in the restricted zone.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what he¡¯s been through, Farrah. Whatever happened in there with him and that category four monster, it turned him into a bird. That¡¯s not how his flying power works.¡±


    Farrah had a very good idea why Jason turned into a bird but she was the only one Jason had told the true nature of his ability to so she kept it to herself.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t come in because he knows that when he stops, he¡¯s staying stopped for a while,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He needs to keep holding down the lid before it boils over.¡±


    ¡°Quite so,¡± Shade said, appearing next to them. ¡°Mr Asano is quite strained but I have been with him long enough to know that he will not let himself rest until the job is done.¡±


    ¡°Clearing this city of monsters will take days, at best,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°Best not dally, then,¡± Shade said. ¡°I have already acquired Miss Akari.¡±


    Asya grimaced but gave a nod.


    ¡°They won¡¯t resume evacuation until sweeper teams start clearing out the restricted zone,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can divert some resources to help in the meantime. I can probably get the Americans with their drones to look for survivor clusters.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re talking,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Shade, let¡¯s go.¡±


    While the Network held off on more evacuations, just as Asya said, they didn¡¯t waste time forming teams to clear out the restricted zone in preparation for doing so. That left Jason, Akari, Farrah and five buses marauding around, collecting survivors. The strike teams coordinated with them whenever they came across civilian clusters, While Jason¡¯s mini-team directed strike teams toward monster herds.


    Farrah rested on one of the buses more than fought, keeping herself fresh for when they needed maximum killing at maximum speed. Akari rested when she could, her endurance giving her a solid uptime. Jason never stopped at all and barely remained within the vicinity of the buses. He stayed in contact through his party interface while serving as scout and pathfinder.


    Jason, Farrah and Akari fought only as necessary, but necessary turned out to be a lot. Active monster-slaying they left to the Network, yet they racked up no shortage of kills since the monsters were also going after the survivors. Fortunately, Jason had a new weapon against swarms of monsters.


    New Title: [Giant Slayer]


    Overcoming a much stronger enemy has left a permanent mark on you that can be sensed by others. This may trigger a fear reaction from the unintelligent and the weak-willed if your aura is significantly stronger than theirs. Your actual rank being lower than theirs does not diminish the effect.


    Jason was aura-blasting herds of unintelligent dinosaurs into leaving an area, giving them the breathing room to get survivors out of whatever hole they were hiding in and onto a bus. If there was an intelligent dino-monster controlling them it didn¡¯t work, but that let Jason know that there was prey to hunt.


    On the day after the gold-rank monster fell, enough strike teams made up of Network silver-rankers were combing the restricted areas that other evacuation measures were authorised. The Cabal had participated in monster clearing but not civilian evacuation, as they often seemed like monsters themselves. Some complained that they seemed less like monsters than Jason Asano but exceptions were not made.


    Even before the official resumption of evacuation in the restricted zones, a handful of others had joined Jason in bucking the Network¡¯s direction and running evacuations early. These were mostly silver-rank teams with at least one vehicle power.


    Farrah went off for sleep on the second day, rejoining after half a day of rest. Akari did the same on day three. Jason not only didn¡¯t rest but barely even paused, replenishing himself on enemies and continuing to push forward. By the fifth day, even Farrah started looking at Jason with concern.


    "Most of the survivors have been collected," she told him as he dropped off a busload of evacuees. "Most of the monsters are gone."


    ¡°Guarantee me that if I stop, no one will die that would have lived if I hadn¡¯t,¡± he said.


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°Then you know I can¡¯t stop.¡±


    He offered no further explanation and stepped back onto the bus. Farrah and Akari shared a concerned look as they followed.


    They had all seen piles of dead in the previous days that dwarfed Broken Hill, with none of them coming out mentally unscathed. Jason barely spoke and as survivors became more scarce he increasingly threw himself into eradicating every monster they encountered. Giant dinosaurs were wiped from existence with cold, brutal efficiency. Jason¡¯s intensity was starting to scare the survivors they found.


    The network forces had previously mapped out zones in the city and as the work progressed they started declaring them monster free. Holding teams were emplaced to make sure they stayed that way. A team of local network officials came by, flanked by silver-rankers to debrief Jason. He asked if they were the ones responsible for what happened and did not like their political answer about national sovereignty and passing off blame onto the Cabal. The silver rankers overlapped their auras to shield the officials from Jason¡¯s aura pressure before Jason stormed back out into the city.


    Adrien Barbou, now going by Mr East, looked at the paused image of a starlight bird and a zombie-like monster. Standing next to him was Mr North.


    ¡°Perhaps I was wrong in opposing the idea of killing him,¡± Barbou said.


    ¡°Asano did not overpower the category four monster,¡± Mr North said. ¡°He used environmental dangers, circumstance and opportunity.¡±


    ¡°It could be argued that the ability to do so is more of a threat than raw power, in which he does not fall short anyway. He is strong for his level and his power continues to grow


    ¡°Reports are that he will soon cross into category three, possibly even as a result of current events.¡±


    ¡°Enough power trumps all,¡± Mr North said, ¡°and new power will not be enough for what comes next.¡±


    Barbou narrowed his eyes at Mr North before schooling his expression. A smile teased at Mr North¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°Speak your mind, Mr East.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°I said speak,¡± Mr North demanded, his voice full of grave promise.


    ¡°It has occurred to me,¡± Barbou said reluctantly, ¡° that perhaps events have not slipped as far from their design as we all think. I have wondered, on occasion, if someone not only knew from the beginning what the ramifications would be but was also engineering those events to go exactly the way he wanted. If what seemed like plans going awry were actually masks in masks in masks. We are about to make what should be our endgame but you are looking further to things that are, to the rest of us, obscured in the dark.¡±


    ¡°I like you, Mr East. You see things that others overlook. You take fragments and recognise at least some of the whole.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to kill me, now?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr East. Good help is hard to find.¡±


    The aftermath of the Makassar disaster would affect the city for years to come but Jason¡¯s part was done after eight days. The trip to Japan was postponed as he headed for home with Akari and Farrah in the back of Kaito¡¯s helicopter, Kaito having configured the main section into a luxurious passenger compartment. Asya had remained behind as the requirements on the ground turned from the tactical to the logistical.


    Jason had draped his heavily-damaged combat robe over his chair and was standing, looking at it. The robe, custom made for him by Gilbert Bertinelli had been a quiet champion for him but the magic in it had died. Despite its considerable powers of self-repair, Jason had pushed it close to destruction many times, many of them during his desperate struggle in the latest proto-space.


    Jason had a magic item that could increase the rank of a high-quality item and he had intended to use it on the robes once he reached silver rank. Now it was impossible and he carefully folded what was left of the garment and returned it to his inventory. He admonished himself for mourning the loss of a piece of clothing when tens of thousands were dead.


    Farrah stood up and moved next to where he was staring at a now-empty chair. Although she had not been with Jason as he fought alone in the proto-space, they had faced the horrors of Makassar together. Once they found a school where a class full of children had hidden in a courtyard. The monsters had found them first and now Jason and Farrah had seen things they could never unsee. They gently leaned into each other for comfort.


    ¡°I miss Gary,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I could use a big hairy ball of happiness right now.¡±


    ¡°I hesitate to say it,¡± Jason said, ¡°since we could all use some comforting thoughts right now, but Gary didn¡¯t take losing you well. I doubt he took losing me much better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to see the look on his face when he sees us again.¡±


    Jason turned his head to give her a sad smile.


    ¡°That¡¯s a nice thought,¡± he said. ¡°Now I have something to look forward to.¡±


    Jason stood under a dome in his cloud house, looking up at the water. From before Broken Hill and through a week in Makassar he had only slept once, keeping himself fuelled on spirit coins, as well as the mana and stamina he drained. Now that he was back, he still hadn¡¯t slept.


    In his time as an essence user, Jason had become completely convinced that essences did something to the mind that helped it process trauma. There was a limit, however, that in the wake of Broken Hill and then Makassar he had slammed into like it was a solid wall.


    He knew that compared to the people in both places who lost their lives or their entire families, he had nothing to complain about. He had the power and the resources to keep himself and his family safe, which was exactly what had been done with Asano Village. It made him feel all the more guilty that he had done that while thousands of other families died.


    He sensed Dawn at the airlock and opened the cloud house to her with a thought. Moments later she found him, standing in the same spot he had been in when she last left him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to come to you like this after what you¡¯ve been through,¡± she said.


    ¡°What I went through is nothing,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Makassar death toll officially crossed a hundred and fifty thousand today and they¡¯re still counting the dead in piles. Literal piles of bodies.¡±


    His voice cracked as he spoke, almost descending into sobs.


    ¡°I know,¡± Dawn said softly. ¡°It doesn¡¯t change the fact that you¡¯ve seen horrors people never should. You need time to recover, which makes what I have to say hard.¡±


    ¡°I need to go to Japan,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes. The grid could start going active in less than a week. Farrah estimates a little more, but time is short. We need that door before the world discovers it and its potential.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°First you have to sleep,¡± she said. ¡°A lot. After that, you need some meditation. It will help you get back into balance, but you know that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll cross into silver. I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you¡¯ve been stalling,¡± Dawn realised. ¡°Silver rank feels like a reward you don¡¯t deserve.¡±


    ¡°Everyone else got misery and death,¡± Jason said. ¡°I get strength and power? How is that fair?¡±


    ¡°You can be a fool of the highest order, Jason Asano, but even you¡¯re not fool enough to think the cosmos is fair.¡±


    ¡°It should be.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like the way of things, then change them. All you need is enough power.¡±

 Bonus Chapter: Silver

    Jason was on the roof of the main residence in Asano Village. There was a helicopter pad and, as would soon become important, the facilities to clean a helicopter. He didn¡¯t use the cloud house to meditate because the supply of diluted crystal wash that was the fuel for its cleaning functions was a limited resource. Once he crossed the line to silver, there would be quite a mess.


    Jason had fed everything from purgation quintessence to high-grade cleaning chemicals into the cloud flask, to lessen its reliance on crystal wash. There had been some measure of success but it was ultimately stalling the inevitable. Jason had searched for a local substitute for crystal wash but there was, in the end, nothing quite like the original.


    For this reason, Jason chose not to cross over into silver-rank in the cloud house where the finite supply of crystal wash would be tapped to clean some of the most intransigent filth it was possible to create. Instead, Jason chose the helicopter pad atop the main residence with its high-pressure cleaning systems. Farrah was watching over him, keeping her distance at the edge of the roof. She was not going to let anyone or anything interfere in one of the most important moments of Jason¡¯s life.


    Standing at the edge of the roof, Farrah turned when she felt a surge of power behind her. What she saw was Jason in a cross-legged meditation pose, radiating silver light and floating an arm¡¯s length over the surface of the helipad. He unfolded his legs and dropped lightly to the rooftop.


    Jason and Farrah shared a smile but she didn¡¯t move closer, knowing the process had only just begun. Soon enough, Jason moved into the purge phase of his rank-up, his body excreting much of its mass right through the pores of his skin. Although it had already diverged quite a lot from a human¡¯s, there was still flesh, blood and bone in Jason¡¯s bronze-rank body. It was broken down and purged, oozing out of his skin until the skin was rendered down as well.


    Jason¡¯s body was rendered down to a glowing entity of light, shining through the filth that stubbornly clung to it as it floated in the air. A tide of magic washed out of him, arresting the attention of everyone in Asano village with magic or aura senses.


    All around the village, those who had been given essences turned their head in Jason''s direction. Some of the more distant ones set out to investigate, while the closer ones scrambled to get away from the crushingly oppressive strength of the aura projection. In the medical centre, the handful of network personnel present felt like someone had walked over their grave.


    Jason¡¯s aura continued to dominate the village as his body was remade within the silver light, growing from a kernel until a whole new body was in place, hidden under the muck. The light faded and he dropped to the rooftop, staggering but managing to keep his feet. Soon after, Farrah was washing him down with an industrial hose that would not have been out of place on a fire truck.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± she asked loudly.


    ¡°Like an inmate in a dystopian sci-fi prison movie,¡± he called back as the powerful stream of water blasted him.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t pass out. That was good.¡±


    ¡°I did get a bit woozy but my energy is coming back fast.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your silver-rank recovery attribute at work.¡±


    He had also consumed a silver-rank spirit coin.


    ¡°You should take down some proto-spaces to get a handle on your freshly-advanced powers,¡± Farrah suggested. ¡°Especially since a good handful of your abilities ranked-up in a rush at the end.¡±


    ¡°No time,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to head for Japan today.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going with you. I¡¯ve been cooped up with a bunch of ritualists for months but now there¡¯s nothing more to do than wait for the grid to come back online. Now that you¡¯ve hit silver-rank, it¡¯s time for you and me to do some damage.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a diplomatic trip,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Right up until it isn¡¯t,¡± Farrah countered. ¡°We should take my little apprentice, by the way.¡±


    As Farrah continued hosing him off, Jason thought about how adrift he had felt when he arrived in the other world. If Emi truly became an adventurer and joined his return to the other world, he wanted her as prepared as possible.


    When Farrah was done, a thin film of hard-to-remove gunk still coated his new body. That much wouldn¡¯t be too taxing for a diluted crystal wash shower in the cloud house to remove. Jason opened up a portal to the cloud house but paused before stepping through.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°We¡¯ll have to talk to her mother.¡±


    Jason felt like a live battery as he showered in the bathroom dome of the cloud house, still jittery from ranking up. Moving from bronze to silver was a significant jump in power and he could feel the magic moving through his body like an electrical current. He could feel the ambient magic in the world around him, in the air and the water splashing against his skin. Jason¡¯s ability to control his own physiology had reached a new level and he was able to regrow his hair simply by concentrating.


    As he was towelling himself off, he sensed Asya, Dawn and Farrah approach the cloud house through the underground tunnel. He also sensed something with them on the tram car. It appeared to be a large crate of magical materials. With his spirit attribute now silver-rank, his perception no longer strained under the constant threat of sensory overload. He¡¯d been working on managing it ever since his perception power ranked up, but now what took effort was a matter of ease.


    Jason moved through a tunnel from the bathroom dome into a lounge dome, pouring a tray of drinks as he waited for Shade to show them in. Farrah arrived carrying the crate, which was more a challenge of awkwardness than weight, given her prodigious strength. Although they were both silver-rank now, Jason''s raw physical power was still no match for Farrah.


    ¡°That¡¯s quintessence,¡± Jason said, his magical senses recognising the contents of the crate. ¡°It¡¯s all silver rank. That¡¯s a fortune.¡±


    ¡°The international community wanted to show their appreciation for your efforts in Makassar,¡± Asya said. ¡°You saved a lot of lives, both in stalling out the second proto-space and dealing with the category four.¡±


    ¡°I got lucky,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was a confluence of circumstances unlikely to be repeated.¡±


    ¡°Not long after we met,¡± Farrah said, ¡°I mentioned to Rufus that you were lucky. You know what he told me?¡±


    ¡°Knowing Rufus, probably something he heard from his grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Of course it was,¡± Farrah chuckled. ¡°He said that great adventurers are the ones that turn opportunity into fortune. Or something like that. The point is that when the same thing keeps happening, good or bad, eventually you have to accept that it¡¯s not luck. It¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°You were not chosen by the World-Phoenix,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You were an opportunistic selection made available when you were drawn between worlds by happenstance, but we could have done far worse.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We would have preferred Kaito, obviously,¡± Dawn added, ¡°but you can¡¯t have everything.¡¯


    ¡°That is ice cold,¡± Asya said with a wincing chuckle as Jason looked at Dawn, slack-jawed.


    ¡°What kind of thing is that to say?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You punched my nose through my brain,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°What?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re still complaining about that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Coming from someone still angry they reused footage for the fourth season of Airwolf,¡± Asya said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Jason, but that show was bad even before they cut the budget.¡±


    ¡°I could swear this conversation started by thanking me for being great,¡± Jason said. ¡°It seems to have taken a turn.¡±


    ¡°Nothing says thank you like a giant crate of quintessence,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°As I said,¡± Asya explained, ¡°the international community wanted to show their gratitude. The International Committee, the branches, everyone. China seemed especially grateful to avoid questions about a powerful secret weapon they didn¡¯t have to pull out.¡±


    ¡°Asya had them dipping into their supplies for the good stuff,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°We know you¡¯ve been trying to trade for certain hard-to-find materials for months,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°What I¡¯ve been after isn¡¯t enough to fill that crate,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I suggested we add in what you need to upgrade the cloud flask,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Dawn gave us the specific requirements.¡±


    ¡°Farrah, that¡¯s a fortune in materials on your world,¡± Jason said. ¡°On this one it¡¯s priceless.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Asya said, ¡°I¡¯m not sure you understand how nervous the Network is about category four threats. Every solution we have is expensive, untested and almost certainly going to have outrageous collateral damage. At category four, even a monster dumb and slow enough to stand in front of our heavy weapons is still an iffy proposition. One that¡¯s smart and fast? The Chinese sent us a magically enhanced nuclear device. It was our final contingency.¡±


    ¡°Also, shut up and take the loot,¡± Farrah said. ¡°What kind of idiot complains about a huge pile of treasure?¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell us you didn¡¯t pay a price in Makassar?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°Of course I did,¡± Jason said. ¡°But so did thousands of others, starting with the citizens of Makassar. Are they all getting crates full of treasure shipped to them?¡±


    "You were Rufus'' student more than mine," Farrah said. "It seems you''ve picked up his habit of measuring himself by his failures. No matter how powerful he becomes, how skilled he is, he always focuses on the times he fell short. The people he couldn''t help. I''m sure you saw it after I died.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason acknowledged.


    ¡°It¡¯s the thing that makes him weak and holds him back,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You have your own flaws to be getting on with, so don¡¯t go taking his too.¡±


    ¡°What flaws?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Are you serious? You believe in freedom but have the heart of a tyrant. You¡¯ll do what you think is right, regardless of what it costs or who gets in your way. That would be obnoxious enough if you were always right but you have a nasty habit of getting confident first and informed second. Do have any idea how much damage a self-righteous person with real power can do? Remember Anisa?¡±


    Farrah shook her head.


    ¡°You have to recognise how much potential you have by now,¡± she continued. ¡°You¡¯re like Rufus in that so long as you get out of your own way, you¡¯re going to be one of the greats. More than me or Gary or even Emir. You just have to avoid destroying yourself along the way. Also, like Rufus, you''re kind of a diva.¡±


    ¡°A diva?¡±


    ¡°You were prone to melodrama long before you had magic,¡± Asya said. ¡°Also, your signature power is a sparkly cape.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a cape!¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± Asya said. ¡°The evacuees of Makassar are getting crates of food shipped to them because that''s what they need. You got shipped a crate full of treasure because that¡¯s what you need. While you¡¯ve been here ranking-up, Dawn and I have been briefing the Network on what happens after the grid comes back online. We need you as strong as you can be for that.¡±


    ¡°Unless you think you¡¯re strong enough,¡± Dawn added.


    ¡°There is no strong enough,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Which brings us back to you shutting up and taking the damn loot,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You can be such a pain to deal with sometimes. You turn the easiest thing in the world into a huge deal."


    Jason looked around and saw three faces in agreement.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason capitulated. ¡°Give my thanks to whoever sent all this stuff.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Terrance is going to have you record a bunch of thank you videos,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°That¡¯s what he thinks,¡± Jason muttered, wandering over to the crate. He hefted it up and shoved it into his inventory before opening his spirit vault and walking in, leaving the three women behind.


    ¡°Where is he portalling to?¡± Asya asked.


    "It''s not a portal," Farrah said. "That leads to his spirit vault. It''s the inside of his soul. Kind of. I think. I''m not entirely clear on the specifics.¡±


    ¡°Jason¡¯s semi-spiritual nature had allowed one of his abilities to create an actual physical realm,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°You might consider him to be a living astral space.¡±


    Asya looked at the archway.


    ¡°His soul is through there?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more complicated than that,¡± Dawn said, ¡°but, broadly speaking, yes.¡±


    ¡°Are we allowed to go in?¡± Asya asked. ¡°He didn¡¯t say anything either way.¡±


    ¡°You can only go in if you trust him,¡± Farrah said. ¡°And I mean really trust him, no reservations. He¡¯s the god of that world and has complete power over you in there. Unless you have complete faith in him, your own soul won¡¯t let you in. Jason¡¯s opinion is that anyone who can get in is allowed in.¡±


    Farrah turned her gaze on Dawn.


    ¡°Maybe she¡¯s powerful enough to not fall under control.¡±


    "My true body, yes," Dawn said. "This avatar is incapable of entering Jason''s vault. Or, more precisely, doing so would sever its link to my true self and it would die.¡±


    Asya moved hesitantly to the arch and raised a hand. It reached the darkness inside and stopped like it hit a wall.


    ¡°Complete trust isn¡¯t easy,¡± Farrah reassured her. ¡°It¡¯s okay to like him as much as you do and still have reservations.¡±


    ¡°Can you get in?¡±


    ¡°When Jason and I were strangers and he was all but powerless, he threw himself into danger to save me and my companions. The kind of trust we¡¯re talking about comes from either a closeness you don¡¯t have yet or from walking through fire together. Just because you aren¡¯t there yet doesn¡¯t mean you don¡¯t care about him.¡±


    ¡°It means I have reservations.¡±


    "Of course you do," Farrah said. "Only Erika, Emi and I have been in there. If you had that kind of trust at this point in your relationship, that would not be healthy. You actually getting through that archway would probably scare him off.¡±


    ¡°It would denote an inappropriate level of emotional investment,¡± Dawn agreed. ¡°Farrah does not want from him what you do. To trust as a friend and a companion is no small thing but does not require the same vulnerability as the kind of connection you want.¡±


    ¡°I trust Jason with my life,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You probably would too, but the heart is a whole other thing. You¡¯re ready to start exploring that, but it¡¯s just that: the start. You are where you should be.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Asya said disconsolately.


    ¡°You should totally pin him down and knock one out though,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He¡¯s stressed and you¡¯re so horny it¡¯s leaking out of your aura, even with that suppression bracelet.¡±


    While Asya looked scandalised, Farrah threw her the best impish Jason grin she could muster and ducked through the arch.


    Jason¡¯s spirit vault had undergone another expansion and evolution with his ascension to silver-rank. The first thing Jason noticed that it was moving away from the stark black, white and red colours that had defined the previous iterations. Now the colours were more natural, and varied, less of a confronting assault on the senses.


    The central pavilion was now a vast and elaborate series of interconnected, open-air buildings drawing on a mix of Asian and European styling. Jade, marble, bamboo and wood abounded, while at the centre there was still a four-sided pagoda.


    The bottom floor of the pagoda held the four archways that were the centrepiece of the spirit vault. One archway was for Jason himself, through which he and Farrah emerged, while the others were for his familiars.


    Even after dismissing their bronze-rank vessels, Jason could sense Colin and Gordon through the arches. Only if they decided to forgo being his familiars would that connection truly be lost as new astral beings took their places.


    Materials started flying down from a hole in the ceiling, above which was the storage area higher in the pagoda. Blood quintessence flew down like a swarm of insects to dive into the archway that belonged to Colin. So long as he had the materials, Jason didn¡¯t need the ritual to summon new vessels for his familiars, using the archways instead. He had only used the ritual with Shade as a publicity exercise.


    Colin''s arch was the familiar obsidian, but instead of being filled with darkness like Jason''s portals, there was a sheet of wet blood. In the past, Colin''s new vessels had emerged in a rapidly escalating stream of leeches that piled up. This time, something wholly different emerged.


    It was a humanoid figure, wrapped in a hooded cloak over combat robes, all dark red leather in shades of dried blood. It stepped forward with none of the clumsy stumblings of Colin''s bronze-rank form, striding confidently up to Jason. It raised hands with the red-purple hue of a bruise and pushed back the hood. The face underneath was identical to Jason¡¯s except for the skin, which was the same dark colouration as the hands, and the eyes, which were glistening red orbs.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you fancy,¡± Jason said with a smile and held out a hand, palm up. ¡°Would you like to show off a little?¡±


    The Jason-clone exploded into a fountain of leeches, one of which landed on Jason¡¯s hand and he stroked it gently with his thumb.


    ¡°G¡¯day, little mate.¡±


    The scattered leeches all shot out streamers of red leather, glistening wet, that converged on a central point and dragged the scattered leeches together, reforming the humanoid shape. The whole process happened in a flash, taking only a few seconds. Then Colin stepped forward and melted into Jason¡¯s body, vanishing in an instant.


    Jason felt a connection to his familiar¡¯s biomass much greater than in the past. His new silver-rank body was akin to that of Colin¡¯s and rather than it vanishing entirely, like a normal summoned familiar, Colin seemed to at least partially have merged with him. It didn¡¯t bulk him out, but his already heavy body grew heavier still.


    He suspected that his growing symbiosis with Colin was not just a factor of Colin¡¯s growing strength but also Jason¡¯s nature, blending spiritual and physical elements. He anticipated that more so than Shade or Gordon, there would be additional effects that he would need to explore over time.


    One effect that was a result of Colin¡¯s new rank he could already sense and his body became shrouded in dark mist. His clothes vanished into his inventory, which in his spirit vault meant whipping off his body and flying up through the hole in the ceiling. Then his body became covered in a slick coating of blood, seeping through the pores in his skin. That blood thickened and solidified into a leather combat robe. It looked much like the one worn by Colin¡¯s new humanoid form, minus the hood and with an even darker red colouration.


    Item: [Sanguine Raiment] (silver rank, conjured)


    Conjured robes with the power and resilience of an apocalypse beast (armour, cloth/leather).


    Effect: Increased resistance to damage. Highly effective against cutting and piercing damage, less effective against blunt damage.Effect: Heal over time effects have increased strength and duration. This effect scales with the amount of familiar biomass being shared with the summoner and amplifies the passive healing the familiar provides.Effect: Drain abilities have increased effect. This effect scales with the amount of familiar biomass being shared with the summoner.Effect: Resistance to blood effects is significantly increased.Effect: Can be used to make ranged grapple attacks. Health is continually drained from grappled enemies.


    The mist faded and Farrah looked Jason up and down. He conjured his cloak to complete the ensemble, shadow draped over dark red.


    ¡°Nice to see you embrace the ¡®I¡¯m coming to kill your children¡¯ look,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad, is it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You¡¯re now the first person I¡¯d think of if I woke up to find my livestock drained of blood, but it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Wow. Alright, let¡¯s see what Gordon has got going on.¡±


    As with Colin, materials came flying down and into Gordon¡¯s arch, a dark void containing the familiar eye nebula. Gordon¡¯s new vessel floated out, looked much the same as before, with a disembodied cloak containing the blue and orange nebula in the chest. The difference was that instead of four blue and orange eye-spheres orbiting him, there were now six. The orbs were also slightly different than before as instead of half being predominantly orange and the other half blue, all six were an even mix of the two.


    Gordon drifted closer and Jason reached out to touch him, to get a sense of the familiar¡¯s new abilities. Unlike his other powers, the abilities of his familiars were not included with the description of the power that summoned them. When he touched Gordon, a list of the powers appeared and Jason raised his eyebrows as he read them.


    ¡°Bloody hell, Gordon.¡±


    ¡°You look different,¡± Erika said as Jason walked into the study of the main residence. She put down the computer tablet she was working on and studied Jason¡¯s face.


    ¡°I am different,¡± he said.


    ¡°You know if this keeps up, you and Kaito will look like twins.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not uncommon,¡± Farrah said, following Jason through the door. ¡°Siblings who are essence users often become quite similar, physically.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Jason said unhappily.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why you¡¯re complaining,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You¡¯re the one who wins in that deal.¡±


    Erika and Farrah laughed at the affront on Jason¡¯s face, which then settled into a serious expression.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°We need to talk about Emi,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What about her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to start taking her with me more as I do things. If the day does come where we¡¯re in the other world, she needs as much experience under her belt as she can get.¡±


    ¡°Jason, I look at how different you are from the brother I grew up with. How much death have you seen in the last week? If you tell me that it didn¡¯t mess you up, I¡¯ll call you a liar and you want to drag my thirteen-year-old daughter closer to that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about the violent stuff,¡± Jason said. ¡°My friend Humphrey was fifteen when he received his essences but his mother wouldn¡¯t let him become an adventurer until he was seventeen. She spent years before and after he claimed his essences in training and preparation, not just fighting but taking him around the world. Letting him experience different cultures and see the aspects of being an adventurer that aren¡¯t about fighting and killing.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s easy to say,¡± Erika said. ¡°What happens when things go wrong?¡±


    ¡°Of course they¡¯re going to go wrong,¡± Jason said. ¡°Hiding her away just means that she won¡¯t be ready when they do. You said that I¡¯m not the person I was before and that¡¯s true. I was thrown into this with no foundation under my feet and I¡¯ve been tumbling ever since. I want to give her the grounding that I never had.¡±


    ¡°We want to give her that,¡± Farrah added. ¡°Jason talked about his friend Humphrey and my friend Rufus experienced much the same. Your daughter isn¡¯t exactly a princess, Eri, but she isn¡¯t exactly not, either.¡±


    Erika rubbed a hand over her mouth thoughtfully.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it,¡± she said. ¡°That being said, not liking something doesn¡¯t make it go away. When are you leaving?¡±


    ¡°This afternoon,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Then the answer is no,¡± Erika said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to allow this without taking the time to think it through and discuss it properly with my husband.¡±


    ¡°We can push it back to the morning,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Give you the night.¡±


    ¡°We can?¡± Jason asked, looking at Farrah. ¡°Alright, but I¡¯ve delayed longer than I should already. We leave first thing, with Emi or without her.¡±


    A plane that looked more like a spaceship designed by ninjas hovered over the helipad of the Asano village main residence. The air rushing down to keep it aloft tore at the clothes of the people gathered underneath and made it impossible to talk. There were eight people present: Jason, Farrah, Dawn, Asya, Akari, Emi, Erika, her husband, Ian, and Jason and Erika¡¯s grandmother, Yumi.


    Yumi was unrecognisable from her previous self, now that she had received a full set of essences. Concerned about the infirmity of age, she had chosen essences designed to work around it. After lengthy discussions with Farrah, she chose the blood, flesh and bone essences, giving her the avatar confluence. As a result, she had been able to remake her body into an idealised version of her younger self, looking no older than Jason.


    A heavy platform descended from the bottom of the plane, attached by cable on each corner. Ian kissed his wife and daughter a silent goodbye and watched as the others rose into the body of the plane. The moment the platform sealed them inside, the rushing air died off, allowing them to speak.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go sit down so Shade can get some altitude without tipping us over,¡± Jason said.


    The Japan party had expanded, Erika only allowing Emi to go with parental supervision. As Ian was busy with the medical centre, she decided to join the trip herself, passing the administrative tasks of the village over to her sister in law. Yumi had also gotten wind of the trip and added herself, which Jason had not resisted.


    As they made their way from the room with the entry platform to the passenger compartment, the others looked around Shade¡¯s plane form. It was the size of a private jet, and with Jason now silver-rank, there was no costly drain on his mana.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realise there were this many shades of black,¡± Yumi observed, looking around at the plane¡¯s d¨¦cor.


    They settled into the flight and Yumi started probing Jason as to the actual purpose of the trip. Jason remained evasive, as the magic door that was their objective was a secret restricted to himself, Dawn, Farrah and Akari. He was happy to run the others on the plane around in conversational circles as it kept his mind occupied. The bloody events of the past week continued to prey on his mind and he found surrounding himself with friends and family to be a welcome distraction.


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t Mike with us this time?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Aram is still in Makassar,¡± Asya explained. ¡°There¡¯s going to a be a huge international contingent there for months, if not years. At least, there should be.¡±


    ¡°Problems?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The Indonesian government has been making noise about the Network coming in and taking over,¡± Asya explained. ¡°They¡¯ve been trying to seize control of Network assets, which has gone exactly as well as you¡¯d expect. There¡¯s also the lingering hostility with the local Cabal. The next battle in Makassar will be a diplomatic one.¡±


    A few hours into the flight, one of Shade¡¯s bodies appeared next to Asya.


    ¡°Miss Karadeniz, Mr Aram wishes to contact you quite urgently. If you would please follow me to the communications compartment.¡±


    Asya followed Shade and came back a few minutes later as the plane shifted course. Jason frowned, remembering the news that caused a course-change on their last trip to Japan.


    ¡°Please tell me there isn¡¯t another gold-rank proto-space that got missed,¡± he said to Asya.


    ¡°No,¡± she said, her expression grave. ¡°The next battle in Makassar won¡¯t be political after all.¡±


    On top of a semi-ruined building in Makassar, a portal arch rose up and Jason stepped through in his dark robes and starlight cloak. Jason had brought his full contingent of Shades, having left the rest of the passengers in Dili, which was just inside Jason¡¯s new maximum portal range for reaching Makassar. His portal was only strong enough to transport one silver-ranker, so he had Farrah stored in his spirit vault. Now that they were both silver-rankers, that no longer prevented his portal ability from working. He opened another archway to let her out and they moved to the edge of the building.


    The news out of Makassar had been horrifying and seeing it for themselves was even worse. From their vantage on the rooftop, they could see two-storey monstrosities of dead flesh and ugly steel. Zombie giants of flesh augmented by iron implants shambled through the streets.


    Around the giants, the multitudes of dead victims of Makassar yet to be extracted from the ruins rose to join them as shambling dead. Jason¡¯s fist clenched at his side as the bodies of the people he had failed to save the first time around were desecrated. He could sense the death magic emitted by the giants being invested into the corpses.


    ¡°For all that they¡¯re monstrous,¡± Farrah said, ¡°those things aren¡¯t actual monsters.¡±


    Jason pushed aside his fury, focusing on one of the giants. There was plenty of magic coursing through it, but as Farrah said, it was not the magic of a monster. It had the artificial feel of a living thing altered through magic, something Jason was familiar with.


    ¡°This feels like the Builder¡¯s magic,¡± he said, his voice carrying the hard chill of permafrost. ¡°Someone made those things.¡±


    Extending his senses to the limit, he could sense the Network and Cabal presence already in conflict with the zombie giants and the army of the dead being animated around them. He vaulted off the edge of the building, gliding with his cloak as he aimed for the closest zombie giant.


    Jason could sense it was silver-rank, as was the death magic it invested into the zombies rising up around it. That posed a potentially larger threat than the dinosaur monsters, through strength in numbers alone. The early death toll estimates were between one and two-hundred-thousand, which would be an ocean of silver-rank zombies. They knew the zombies would be far weaker than even the most meagre of silver-rank monsters, but a tsunami of them would be a terror to anyone without the power to deal with them.


    Jason grimaced as he approached the ground, furious at being forced to take the fight to what had become victims in both life and death. Despite their unliving flesh, he did not draw his sword, having left it in his inventory. Instead, he conjured his dagger as he landed on the ground in front of the giant.


    Gordon manifested next to Jason and immediately fired orange beams at the ordinary zombies slowly staggering in their direction. Each orb could now fire whichever of the two beam options was appropriate instead of being locked in, on top of the entirely new functions they had gained at silver rank.


    With Gordon holding the slow-moving horde off, Jason chanted a spell at the giant.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    After Jason chanted his spell, blood started flowing from the giant. Not the thick, black blood of the dead, but bright, red and fresh. Jason¡¯s Haemorrhage spell added a new affliction at silver rank.


    [Blood From a Stone] (affliction, magic): Negates immunity to blood and poison effects. This includes intrinsic immunities, such as from not having a biology or corporeal form. Entities without blood can bleed while under this effect. Cannot be cleansed while any blood or poison affliction is in effect.


    Jason cast another spell.


    ¡°Carry the mark of your transgressions.¡±


    [Mortality] (affliction, magic): Negates immunity to curses. This includes intrinsic immunities such as from not having a soul or not being alive. Cannot be cleansed while any curse affliction is in effect.


    The giant slowly turned on Jason as his dagger shot out on the end of a shadow arm. His Hand of the Reaper power also added a new affliction to any attack made with his shadow arm.


    [Weakness of the Flesh] (affliction, magic): Negates immunities to disease and necrotic damage. This includes intrinsic immunities, such as from not having a biology or corporeal form. Cannot be cleansed while any disease affliction is in effect.


    Jason went to work locking in the rest of his affliction suite, the sluggish monstrosity being strangely helpless for its rank. It had the resilience and strength of a silver-rank monster but the speed of an iron-rank, posing Jason no threat.


    ¡°Gordon,¡± Jason said and the familiar floated into the air, halting its beam attacks. All six of Gordon¡¯s orbs left his orbit and flew down to disappear into the dead flesh of the giant. Although it would take a minute for Gordon to conjure up new orbs, the new affliction they delivered was worth it.


    Six black butterflies with blue and orange wing colouration in the familiar eye pattern were conjured on the body of the giant, immediately flying off to land on and disappear into nearby zombies. Shortly thereafter, butterflies started manifesting on them, finding more zombies as they spread and spread until butterflies were streaming out of the entire zombie horde and the sky was thick with the beautiful orange and blue creatures.


    The effect on the zombies was significantly less appealing than the colourful display in the air above them. Like the giant, their bodies started flowing with red blood and their already rotting flesh underwent rapid decomposition.


    [Harbinger of Doom] (affliction, unholy, stacking): Continually drain mana from the victim to conjure a butterfly that seeks out nearby enemies. The butterflies are incorporeal and deal disruptive force damage in a small area when destroyed. Butterflies that contact enemies inflict one instance of each non-holy affliction present on the enemy it manifested from, including [Harbinger of Doom]. This effect cannot be cleansed while any other non-holy affliction is in effect. Additional instances can be accumulated. At the time of manifestation, one butterfly is generated for each instance of this affliction.


    Jason¡¯s full suite of afflictions was carried by every butterfly, moving out like the tide. He didn¡¯t even bother to fight anymore, watching the giant in front of him with malevolence as its body rotted. Even the iron and steel components of its body were bleeding and rotting as if they were flesh.


    As the monster crumbled in front of him, Farrah approached. She had used her own chaining area attacks, so the zombies were not just rapidly decomposing but on fire as well.


    ¡°We need to find who did this,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah agreed darkly. ¡°These people had it bad enough, without being turned into grotesque, undead puppets. How do we find them, though?¡±


    ¡°I only know one group with access to the Builder¡¯s magic,¡± Jason said. ¡°We let the Network dig into it while we go to Japan.¡±


    ¡°You think this is an attempt to stall us?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible. We¡¯ve delayed too much, in any case. We can see what the Network has dug up by the time we¡¯re done in Japan. Two angry people can¡¯t match the investigative power of the entire Network, after all.¡±

 Chapter 371: Old Affairs

    The Four Cardinals of the EOA were sitting at the desk in their meeting chamber. On the wall, a news report was on the large screen.


    ¡°¡­Asano is believed to be responsible for what people are calling ¡®the Butterflies of Makassar,¡¯ which look so beautiful when filmed from high in the air, but once the colourful wave passed, only black-stained bones are left in their wake. Recently, in the wake of another humanitarian disaster, Asano was recorded warning the League of Heroes that his power was still growing. Many are speculating that we¡¯ve seen exactly that as Asano joined top Global Defense Network members in putting a stop to the tide of wandering dead. GDN members from China and the US have made a big splash¡­¡±


    Adrien Barbou silenced the report with a remote control. Although he was the new Mr East, he was already no longer the latest Cardinal to join the ranks. The new Mrs South spoke up.


    ¡°The Network will try and pin this on us,¡± she said.


    ¡°Was it us?¡± Barbou asked.


    ¡°Of course it wasn¡¯t,¡± Mrs West barked. She was unhappy with the ally she had cultivated in Barbou being poached by Mr North but was not foolish enough to take it up with Mr North himself. Instead, she kept her ire for the new Mr East. ¡°Why would we be insane enough to bring the world down on us when we¡¯re about to make our final move?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Mr North said, ¡°I suspect we may bear a connection to this that could lead us to being liable if we don''t get to the one responsible first.¡±


    ¡°What connection?¡± Mrs West asked.


    ¡°We have not explored necromancy as a path to power in some years,¡± Mr North explained. ¡°There was a time, however, when we did conduct some experiments using some of the unique methods to which we have access. I believe what we witnessed in Makassar was an extension of those long-discarded experiments. I can only postulate that the person continuing that research saw hundreds of thousands of dead as an opportunity for field trials.¡±


    ¡°You know who this is?¡± Mrs South asked.


    ¡°I have my suspicions. I believed the individual in question was long dead.¡±


    ¡°He was part of the joint research program,¡± Barbou guessed.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mr North said. ¡°The previous Mrs South was meant to have scrubbed all traces of the project but developments surrounding her defection have shown us that she was less thorough than she reported. Mrs South, I will be expecting you to root out any more remnants your predecessor left unchecked. Mr East, I will give you what I have and you can try and beat the Network to the punch and find our necromancer first.¡±


    ¡°The Network has the old Mrs South,¡± Barbou said. ¡°I¡¯m unlikely to find him first unless you know something to give me a head start.¡±


    ¡°I do not,¡± Mr North said. ¡°I fully anticipate the task being impossible, but we might get lucky. Mrs South, your task will be to dig up anything you can that your predecessor left on the joint research project. If the Network attempts to paint us as the perpetrators of Makassar, I want ammunition that paints us all the same colour.¡±


    ¡°And what about the final step in our plan?¡± Mrs West asked. ¡°Will you be conducting that yourself?¡±


    ¡°I will leave the endgame in your capable hands,¡± Mr North told her. ¡°I am handing off full control of the final stage to you.¡±


    ¡°You are?¡±


    ¡°I am aware that with the rapid changes in our leadership structure under the pressure of current events, you have not been entirely satisfied with the outcomes,¡± Mr North said. ¡°I can think of no better demonstration that you are valued and trusted than to give you complete control over the final stage of the plan. You are versed in all the particulars and familiar with all the players. I have been preparing you for this for a long time, Mrs West.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Mrs West said, visibly shaken. ¡°But if I¡¯m going to be in charge of the final stage, then what are you going to be doing?¡±


    ¡°Revisiting old affairs,¡± Mr North said. ¡°The time has come to make an acquaintance I have been anticipating for centuries before he was even born.¡±


    The Network¡¯s category three tactical operatives once more poured into Makassar from around the world. This time the focus was on those with powers to contain the specific threat at hand, although most silver-rankers had some answer to numerical danger. Most essence abilities were tactical in nature and affected a small handful of targets at best. It was at silver-rank that most essence-users found themselves better equipped to confront groups.


    The undead were not a danger in the way the monsters had been. The city had been evacuated of the living and the risen dead had individual strength akin to a low-end bronze monster, and a mediocre one at that. They also were slow and completely lacking in exotic or even basic ranged attacks. This meant that bronze-rankers could be mobilised to add to the damage.


    Unfortunately, the one area the zombies were at a silver-rank standard was in resilience. With silver-rank damage reduction and silver-rank durability, the ocean of animate dead was a difficult tide to push back. Rather than pour on less effective damage, the bronze-rankers were used to bait the unthinking undead, luring them into clusters to maximise the area attacks of the silver-rankers.


    The undead were little threat to even bronze-rankers. The danger was not in confronting the hordes forming across the city but containing them. So long as they were kept from the evacuation points containing the city¡¯s surviving populace, the animate dead were a horrific but unimposing enemy.


    After exhausting their mana and stamina, bronze and silver-rankers alike were pulled back to recover. The Network spared no expense in their use of spirit coins and potions to get them heading back out as quickly as possible. The biggest problem in dealing with the undead was their numbers and toughness although, in certain corners of the city, the dead were being swept aside as if by a cleansing wind.


    A healer from the United States with the life essence had an aura that infused the people around him with life energy. Normally this increased the effectiveness of healing powers, which he could employ discriminately to affect only allies or everyone within the range of his aura. As one of the USA''s elite, he fully explored the capability of his powers and found a potent interaction. When his life magic came into conflict with the death magic animating the zombies, the reaction was literally explosive, sending detonated gobbets of dead flesh scattering over the area. He could literally annihilate waves of undead, simply by walking amongst them as flying chunks of rot struck his force field and fell to the ground.


    As the rest of his essences were magic, renewal and immortal, his abilities didn¡¯t just prevent him from becoming exhausted and needing to stop. He could also replenish other essence users, allowing him to keep them in the field for longer. He was one of a handful that, like Jason, combined a highly effective strategy with unflagging endurance.


    The USA and China both finally demonstrated their power on the world stage, where Jason had so long been the focus of attention. Names that were already well known in their home countries were shown in their full power and glory since media were cleared to film from the air due to a lack of airborne danger.


    Just as Jason, the US and Chinese silver-rankers were much more capable than the world standard. They demonstrated the fundamental truth that only in finding the synergies within their own power set would an essence user truly become capable. Even so, only a few floated to the top as the richest cream, demonstrating both power and endurance.


    Even with an estimated two hundred thousand zombies, there was a constant influx of powerhouse individuals who could fully unleash against a sluggish enemy with no tricks beyond numbers and toughness. Within twenty-four hours, the operation went from desperate containment to a mop-up. The strange, undead giants were dead and the zombies they had animated were reduced to a handful of isolated pockets.


    Jason left the cleanup to others, portalling back to Timor-Leste where he had left the others in the capital while he portalled to Makassar with Farrah. Shortly thereafter, a sleek black jet was winging them in the direction of Japan once more. Also aboard with Jason and Farrah were Asya, Akari, Dawn, Erika and Emi. Also joining them was Jason¡¯s grandmother, Yumi, whose essence combination had restored her youthful body.


    ¡°Do you think someone is trying to distract you from Japan?¡± Farrah asked Jason as they all sat together in a passenger cabin.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I won¡¯t rule it out for the undead, given that someone was acting with deliberation, but I would count it as extremely unlikely. As for the original monster wave, not a chance.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Akari said. ¡°No one is going to wipe out a city just to distract one person. With all the pieces that would have to be moved into place for a result that could only be counted as unreliable, it¡¯s simply not a feasible hypothesis.¡±


    ¡°Good points,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If anything it would have been an assassination attempt. Bait Jason out, have him burn through his mana and strike while he''s exposed.¡±


    ¡°That didn''t happen, though,¡± Emi said, as her mother gave her a concerned glance. For the most part, Emi was staying quiet, listening and learning. She knew that her access to the adult conversations was predicated on not interrupting, however much she might really want to.


    ¡°Jason¡¯s new level of power meant that he was never pushed in terms of tactics or resources,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They may have given up without trying after seeing his new power level.


    ¡°It still seems like a stretch,¡± Jason said. ¡°The most likely scenario is that it had nothing to do with me. I¡¯m not much more than a face on TV to most people. The real game is the EOA-Network-Cabal triangle. Makassar happened because, even now, they are jostling each other over petty power-grabs instead of what they should be doing. Outside of a PR perspective, they don¡¯t care about me that much.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Asya said. ¡°Jason matters a great deal to the Network internally, but because he¡¯s always refused to subject himself to it, he¡¯s immaterial to the political conflicts with the EOA and the Cabal. He¡¯s been a part of this for less than a year, compared to decades or even centuries of tension and contest. Although he provides the Network with a lot, it¡¯s not enough to tip those ancient scales.¡±


    ¡°I am left wondering how someone even got all of those unliving giant things into Makassar,¡± Akari said. ¡°They are neither subtle nor small and there were so many of them.¡±


    ¡°Questions the Network is better equipped to deal with than us,¡± Jason said. ¡°We should leave the investigation to them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure they¡¯d want you anyway, after what you told that reporter,¡± Asya said. ¡°Terrance was fuming when he called me after to give me an earful.¡±


    ¡°Let him fume,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What did you say?¡± Yumi asked.


    ¡°That every magical faction bears some of the responsibility for Makassar,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What you said was ¡®blood is on every hand,¡¯ which is going to be hitting news reports right around now,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not untrue,¡± Jason said. ¡°The EOA caused the situation with the monsters while the Network and the Cabal were so busy scrabbling over petty territorial concerns that they let disaster through the gate they were meant to be guarding.¡±


    ¡°I believe Terrance wanted to lay this at the EOA¡¯s feet.¡±


    ¡°HE DOESN''T GET TO!¡± Jason roared, leaping out of his chair. ¡°You tell Terrance that if he''s more interested in looking like the good guys than being the good guys, the relationship between the Network and myself is about to undergo a fundamental shift. If he wants me to spin the death and subsequent defilement of hundreds of thousands then he is free to come find me and see how that proposal goes when he makes it in person!¡±


    Jason stormed out of the cabin towards the private sleeping cabins in the rear.


    ¡°Is Uncle Jason alright?¡± Emi asked, her voice hesitant in the tense atmosphere.


    ¡°He¡¯s alright,¡± Erika said, reaching out to give her daughter¡¯s hand a squeeze. ¡°He just saw a lot of bad things lately. I¡¯d be more worried if he wasn¡¯t upset.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t witness what was done to those poor people without getting angry,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Unfortunately, we have nowhere to put that anger right now and we need to be cool-headed for when we arrive in Japan. I think your uncle is just trying to burn off some frustration, even if he doesn¡¯t realise that¡¯s what he¡¯s doing.¡±


    Farrah stood up.


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± she said, ¡°I¡¯m going to take some time for myself. I¡¯ve only seen a zombie horde like that once before, when I was a new adventurer, and this was much worse. Your movies fail to capture the true horror of watching people reduced to grotesque marionettes.¡±


    She also headed for the sleeping cabins.

 Chapter 372: End Run

    As Shade, in his plane form, continued winging towards Japan, Jason was laying on the bed in a small sleeping cabin. Fresh from the land of the dead that Makassar had become, his mind was troubled. He looked at the door; there was no knock but he felt Asya¡¯s presence on the other side.


    ¡°Come in,¡± he said.


    She entered hesitantly, unconsciously touching a hand to the aura-suppression bracelet that kept her from broadcasting her emotions. She had aura control training but Jason¡¯s senses were strong enough that he would passively pick up on them anyway until she was stronger.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry to disturb you,¡± Asya said. ¡°Erika thought that maybe you need someone to talk to instead of brooding it out. She said that was your go-to move but you don¡¯t have another six years to learn it isn¡¯t very effective.¡±


    Jason chuckled, despite himself, and sat up on the bed. He patted the spot next to him, even though there was a free chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to be healthier,¡± he said and she sat down.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to complain,¡± he continued. ¡°Not when I¡¯ve just been to a place where not only did so many die horribly but they weren¡¯t even allowed to rest in peace.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re entitled to your feelings,¡± Asya said. ¡°Just because someone else is miserable doesn¡¯t mean you aren¡¯t allowed to be unhappy for yourself. You just have to keep it in perspective.¡±


    He gave her a sad smile, bumping his shoulder genially into hers.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said. ¡°I learned back in debate club that you were smarter than me. And better organised. It¡¯s why I always tried to throw you off with weirdness.¡±


    ¡°You try and throw everyone off with weirdness.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I eventually spotted the little streak of weird in you too. You hide it under all this well-groomed competence but I remember when I was using the difference between vehicle Voltron and Lion Voltron as an analogy for the positive aspects of authoritarianism and you completely turned it around on me, without missing beat.¡±


    ¡°I remember that,¡± she chuckled.


    ¡°I almost asked you out after that.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Princess Asya was not meant to have even heard of Voltron, let alone know that much about vehicle Voltron, even though it¡¯s the crap one. Be still my heart.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t ask me out.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said, shoulders slumping. ¡°You know how it was.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she said sadly. ¡°Can I be honest?¡±


    ¡°Always.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve always hated Amy¡¯s guts.¡±


    Jason burst out laughing.


    ¡°I think we can add character judgement to the list of things you¡¯re better at than I am. Although I''m pretty sure, at this point, the list is just most of the things."


    ¡°Don¡¯t sell yourself short, Jason. Do you have any idea how intimidating you are?¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. I have spooky magic powers.¡±


    ¡°Not like that,¡± she said. ¡°Not to strangers. I¡¯m talking about to people who know you. I was born with every advantage. My family had money and influence. My education was the best, not just the academy but private tutors, international study trips just for me and my brothers. I had so much going for me and I worked so hard to make the most of it. I had this life plan. Federal police. Federal bureaucrat. Federal office. I was going to be Prime Minister one day.¡±


    ¡°I believe you,¡± Jason said sincerely. ¡°If that still happens, please do something about media monopolisation.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see what I can do,¡± she laughed, ¡°but don¡¯t get your hopes up. When the Network recruited me, I discovered a whole new world where I could not just do but become things I never imagined.¡±


    ¡°When I discovered magic I found out I could get hit with a shovel a lot and then sacrificed.¡±


    ¡°My introduction was more measured,¡± she said, ¡°but it was also more shackled. You were thrown in a world full of wildness and danger and you didn¡¯t just survive, but thrive.¡±


    ¡°Technically I didn¡¯t survive,¡± he said.


    ¡°Life threw you in the fire and you came out reforged. You came back, striding across the world like you owned it. You were always confident, Jason, but there was a hollowness to it. After getting to know you, I realised that a lot of it was fa?ade. Not anymore.¡±


    ¡°I was a teenager. Of course it was empty confidence.¡±


    ¡°When the Network recruited me, I was so impressed with myself for becoming a person worthy of being drawn into a world of magic. But you were literally drawn into a world of magic, facing dangers and having experiences I can¡¯t imagine, even now. Being a functionary for the Network seemed so amazing until you let me see your recordings. The things you saw. The things you did.¡±


    Jason bowed his head.


    ¡°There¡¯s so much those recording don¡¯t show,¡± he said. ¡°I was so scared. And when I thought about coming home, I was thinking of Erika cooking barbecue by the beach while I played with Emi. Not wading through an army of the dead that I failed to save in the first place."


    He bowed his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m built for this,¡± he whispered. ¡°I¡¯m not the guy who saves the world. I¡¯m the comic relief sidekick.¡±


    ¡°No one is asking you to save the world.¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t told you the real reason we¡¯re so adamant about getting to Japan, have we? I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve realised it¡¯s more than just visiting the Asano clan.¡±


    ¡°I assumed you¡¯d tell me when you are ready. My being part of the Network complicates things, I know.¡±


    He turned to look directly at her.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always found that trusting in people, rather than the groups they belong to, has always steered me right. I don¡¯t trust the Network to do what¡¯s right or best, but I trust you to at least try.¡±


    She smiled.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a comic relief sidekick, Jason. You¡¯re a bunny-ears lawyer.¡±


    ¡°You think so?¡±


    ¡°No one is ambivalent to you Jason. I hate to break it to you, but as long as I¡¯ve known you, everyone has either really liked you or really didn¡¯t but put up with you for one reason or another. Anna would put you in a rocket and fire you into the sun if not for the loot hose you¡¯ve been spraying into her branch.¡±


    ¡°I got that impression.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been on both sides of that coin. When you first swaggered into debate club, spewing nonsense at a hundred kilometres an hour, I wanted you gone so badly. Your actual debate skills were never great, but you always had that way of pulling people into your pace. So I tolerated you until I realised I wasn¡¯t just tolerating you anymore. You¡¯d dug under my skin, like a tick.¡±


    ¡°Like a tick? Any chance of getting a better simile?¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± she said with a grin. ¡°You are everything I should hate. I prepare, you improvise. I¡¯m professional; you¡¯re casual to the point of self-destructiveness. I always take the best path while you blow up the path, use it to make a new path that¡¯s all wonky and doesn¡¯t go the right way, yet somehow you get where you¡¯re going. Mostly.¡±


    ¡°The trick is to not worry about the destination.¡±


    ¡°I always worry about the destination. You take the risks I never would, with the courage to accept the consequences I never could.¡±


    ¡°You make me sound kind of awesome.¡±


    ¡°This would be the part where you tell me the things you like about me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I hated you too. So stuck up, as if meeting people¡¯s expectations was some kind of higher calling. Obviously, I was attracted anyway. I was sixteen and you were so smart and sharp, like an evil lady torturer. Plus, you already looked like the winning entry in a design an absurdly gorgeous woman contest.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you understand how compliments work.¡±


    ¡°I told you that I hated you at the start. I thought you were just another rich-prick automaton, built from your parents'' money. Then I started catching glimpses behind the curtain. Why did a rich girl in 2010 know anything about Tom Selleck¡¯s moustache? Then there was the way you throw yourself so hard into everything. You put on this reserved face but you show your passion with how much you invest in everything you do. That was kind of annoying in debate club but watching you kite surf was one of the sexiest things I have ever seen. How were you that good?¡±


    ¡°I took lessons.¡±


    ¡°Of course you did. It makes total sense that you tried to join the Federal Police, overshot and wound up in the magic police. I bet you overdid it there, too.¡±


    ¡°I originally signed up for tactical,¡± she admitted. ¡°I wanted to learn how to use my powers properly. They let me do the training because they let anyone with an essence set, but they pushed me into a management track. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise since I never ended up using cores.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°That drive you have is still very sexy.¡±


    ¡°Most men I meet don¡¯t like that about me,¡± she whispered. ¡°They want to slow me down, bring me to heel. They look at everything I¡¯ve done for my own ambition like I¡¯m filling out my wife resume and expect me to give it up and settle down.¡±


    ¡°You must know a lot of really dumb guys.¡±


    ¡°My mother likes to set me up. I never really got over this weirdo I knew in high school, though.¡±


    ¡°He must have been really good looking.¡±


    ¡°He had a chin that could cut glass, but he¡¯s had a lot of work done.¡±


    ¡°I have not had any work do¨C¡±


    His indignation was cut off by a pair of soft lips pressing into his.


    When Jason and Asya returned to the main cabin, all eyes turned to them.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    Erika shook her head, although a smile played at the corners of her mouth.


    ¡°You could at least be a little discreet,¡± Yumi told him.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason whispered. ¡°Did you soundproof the cabin like I told you?¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t soundproof social cues, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s fair. Where¡¯s Emi?¡±


    ¡°In the cockpit,¡± Shade said. ¡°I¡¯m teaching her to fly a plane.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice.¡±


    Jason and Erika were sitting in the cockpit together while Emi was back telling her great grandmother all about what she¡¯d learned. They relaxed with glasses of ice tea and looked out at the open sky.


    ¡°So, Asya,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Uh, yeah. I know it doesn¡¯t seem like the time.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s exactly the time,¡± Erika said. ¡°I¡¯ve been watching you pull deeper and deeper into yourself, Jason and I¡¯ve seen where that leads when the only ones relying on you are me and Emi. I don¡¯t want to see that when the stakes are so much higher. In times like these, you should take the joys you can find.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    ¡°Maybe next time don¡¯t take them in a confined space with my daughter nearby.¡±


    ¡°Sorry. It wasn¡¯t really planned.¡±


    ¡°So, is this a thing, now, or were you just blowing off steam?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t talked about it but it¡¯s a thing. I¡¯d be lying if I said I didn¡¯t have concerns, though.¡±


    ¡°Like your plans to traipse off to another universe?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Are you worried that she¡¯ll want to go with you, or that she won¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Both, somehow, if that makes any sense. My biggest worry is that she¡¯s more invested than I am, emotionally. I¡¯m not saying I don¡¯t feel anything, but she¡¯s further down that road than I am.¡±


    ¡°Baby brother, it doesn¡¯t matter where you are now. It matters where you¡¯re going. If you both end up in the same place, then great. If not, then you have bigger concerns than a relationship that didn¡¯t work. Try and figure it out before you drag her off to another universe, though, yeah?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°She had a thing for you back in school, right?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t wholly unreciprocated,¡± Jason said. ¡°But then Amy¡­¡±


    ¡°Did it never occur to you that Amy finally taking you off the shelf right as you took a healthy interest in someone else wasn¡¯t a coincidence?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a complete idiot.¡±


    Erika looked at him from under raised eyebrows.


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡±


    Emi was back in the cockpit while Jason watched her listen to Shade''s flight instructions with an adorable look of concentration on her face. Asya opened the door, calling Jason back into the main cabin with the other passengers.


    ¡°I was just contacted by the Network,¡± Asya explained. ¡°Details are still sketchy, but it¡¯s looking like as many as nineteen countries are about to divest themselves from the Network.¡±


    ¡°Divest themselves how?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°The information I have suggests it will vary by country,¡± Asya explained. ¡°We don¡¯t have anything solid yet but none of it is good. Reports are ranging from expelling Network personnel to forcibly seizing Network infrastructure.¡±


    ¡°Doing that now is madness,¡± Akari said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°The grid is about to come back online. Assuming you knew that, it would be the perfect time to swoop in.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Asya said. ¡°The EOA are making their end run. All the countries in question are having them take on the Network¡¯s responsibilities.¡±


    ¡°The EOA doesn¡¯t have the people or the resources,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Or access to the grid.¡±


    ¡°Which is about to put the Network in an awkward position,¡± Asya said. ¡°Does the Network fight the local government and stay present anyway? If we do, suddenly we look like a despotic force and support for us around the world dries up. If we accept being tossed out, suddenly we have a nasty choice. Either leave those nations to be overrun by monster waves, or give the EOA the tools, knowledge and access to the grid to stop them.¡±


    ¡°Giving the EOA the legitimacy and power it has always been after,¡± Jason said. ¡°Which countries?¡±


    ¡°Indonesia is the lynchpin,¡± Asya said. ¡°They aren¡¯t happy about magical factions either ignoring or running roughshod over them. The EOA swooped in and made similar approaches to other nations. Venezuela, Myanmar, North Korea, Iran, Turkey, the Philippines, Taiwan.¡±


    ¡°Taiwan?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The Network is very established in China.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°What is the Network¡¯s response?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t change what we have to do,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not unless Japan is on that list.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not,¡± Asya said.


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s not like we could do anything about it, anyway. We do what we can do and leave diplomacy to the diplomats.¡±

 Chapter 373: Giving Face

    ¡°Are we landing at Kansai International Airport?¡± Emi asked as she emerged from the cockpit. ¡°It¡¯s on an artificial island.¡±


    Jason looked up from the book of astral magic theory he was reading.


    ¡°Sorry, moppet,¡± Jason told her. ¡°I¡¯d love to do some exploring with you but we¡¯ve already had too many delays. Dropping right out of the sky should be fun, though, right?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, right out the sky?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to fly right over Ashiya and jet suit down,¡± Jason explained.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Erika said. ¡°I must have totally forgotten when you explained that YOU¡¯RE GOING TO THROW US ALL OUT OF AN AEROPLANE!¡±


    ¡°Totally understandable,¡± Jason genially acknowledged. ¡°It¡¯s a busy time for everyone, so slips of the mind are only to be expected. Do we have an ETA, Shade?¡±


    ¡°I will be starting the descent to drop height in approximately nine minutes,¡± Shade said.


    "You''ve told them we''re about to arrive, right?" Jason asked Akari.


    ¡°Yes, I already got the estimated time from Shade and notified my father,¡± Akari said. "He was a little thrown when I told him how we''d be arriving, but we''re part of the Network, so very little is truly extraordinary."


    ¡°Oh, so you told her about the jumping out a plane thing,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°We can¡¯t go keeping things from her, Eri,¡± Jason said. ¡°It may be distant but she¡¯s family.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m your sister!¡±


    ¡°Exactly. Family is important,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Erika said. ¡°Is there any chance you could drop Jason out of the plane now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Mrs Asano, but I believe Mr Asano is a necessary presence when we meet the Asano clan.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she grumbled.


    In a smaller cabin at the rear of the plane, Jason and Akari went over some last-minute details in preparation for meeting the Asano clan. It wasn¡¯t anything they hadn¡¯t already gone over but Jason wanted to be fresh when they hit the ground. When they were done, they stood up to join the others in the main cabin.


    ¡°Before we go,¡± Akari said, ¡°are you sure that you¡¯re up to this?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to take offence at that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that you¡¯ve been through a lot recently. Broken Hill and then Makassar, twice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s bad, yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°But that¡¯s the job.¡±


    ¡°Is it your job? You never actually joined the network.¡±


    ¡°No, I joined the Adventure Society, which means putting myself between the bad things and the people who aren¡¯t equipped to face them. Jumping worlds doesn¡¯t change that.¡±


    ¡°And this Adventure Society is some bastion of virtue, compared to the network?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, but they let you make your own choices. You just have to be willing to live with the consequences. My friend Rufus taught me that.¡±


    ¡°He also picked up some of Rufus¡¯ bad habits," Farrah said, opening the door. "Get in here; we''re about to jump out of a plane."


    Jason and Akari went in finding the rest of the passengers waiting for them.


    ¡°You know, it¡¯s a lot easier to deflate Rufus¡¯ sense of self-importance,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He¡¯s not actually responsible for saving the world.¡±


    ¡°What exactly are you saving the world from?¡± Asya asked. ¡°The monster waves?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a symptom,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can leave that to the Network, ultimately. My concern is that they¡¯re going to make the disease worse.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°Imagine a house on stilts,¡± Jason said. "There are so many stilts that the house is nice and stable until someone comes along and starts messing with the stilts and introduces a decaying factor. Magic termites or something. Things get wonky and people start taking a look at the stilts. They figure out how to slow down the decay, but then they realise that the stilts are made of solid gold. Do you trust them to leave the gold where it is because it¡¯s keeping the house from collapsing?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s saying,¡± Farrah said, ¡°that after the grid comes back up, there¡¯s going to be a magical gold rush. Unfortunately, every lump of gold that¡¯s dug up brings your world a little closer to collapsing. There¡¯s a lot of gold down there, so it won¡¯t seem like anything is happening at first. By the time you start noticing the effects, it will be too late.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why you didn¡¯t tell me before. You don¡¯t trust the Network.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I trust people, not institutions. I¡¯ll trust the people in the Network or the Adventure Society, but as a whole, you have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°The Network won¡¯t do something destructive to the world,¡± Asya said. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I hope that¡¯s true,¡± Jason said. ¡°But when they see the Cabal and the EOA reaping the benefits, will the Network really stand still? Every branch?¡±


    Asya looked uneasy, not answering. Jason put comforting hands on her shoulders.


    "I''ll give you a proper, thorough explanation once we''re on the ground and settled. I just need to get my hands on something before anyone else finds out about it.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°We are approaching the drop zone.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Everyone hold still while Shade suits us up.¡±


    Jason and Farrah could both fly but were put in jet suits anyway, for better flight uniformity.


    ¡°This is awesome,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°It¡¯s reckless,¡± Erika said. ¡°Planes are meant for landing.¡±


    "Technically, he''s not a plane," Jason said. "He''s the living shadow of death itself. Actually, that doesn''t make it sound safer, does it?"


    ¡°No,¡± Erika said, drilling a glare into him. ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I anticipate it being a novel experience,¡± Yumi confided in Emi. ¡°I¡¯ve been back to Japan several times since I was young, but this promises to be a rather unique visit from the outset."


    ¡°See?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Even Nanna is keen.¡±


    Yumi¡¯s glare joined Erika¡¯s in latching onto Jason.


    ¡°See?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Even Grandmother is keen. It feels weird calling you Grandmother when we look the same age. Can I just call you Yumi?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Yumi said definitively.


    ¡°Are we okay to use these from all the way up here?¡± Emi asked. ¡°All the videos I¡¯ve seen of suits like this are really low altitude and usually over water.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just a safety precaution,¡± Jason said. ¡°They can go way higher, so we can ignore that restriction.¡±


    ¡°That really seems like something we shouldn¡¯t ignore,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Shade is very reliable,¡± Jason assured her.


    ¡°Mrs Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°Be confident that I will not let anything happen to Miss Emi. As with the plane form which you currently occupy, these jet suit designs incorporate magic along with design aspects from a reality more technologically advanced than your own.¡±


    ¡°How do we get out of the plane?¡± Emi asked. ¡°Do we use that platform we boarded with, under the plane?


    Erika spotted Jason¡¯s grin and a look of horror crossed her face.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± she warned him.


    ¡°It¡¯s just efficient, Eri,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade, if you would?¡±


    The plane around them exploded into a cloud of darkness, dumping the passengers into the sky.


    In the city of Ashiya, near Kobe, the Asano clan compound had been constructed across hills overlooking Osaka Bay. In a place where space was at a premium, the land value alone was astronomical, let alone the buildings that occupied it. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright and built twenty years before World War Two began, the famous American architect¡¯s mastery of spatial composition incorporated the hills into the design of the buildings. The compound had four levels, yet no individual location was greater than two storeys.


    With Shade controlling the flight suits, eight figures dropped out of the sky. Jason, Akari, Asya, Dawn, Farrah, Yumi, Erika and Emi, all flying in a V-formation as they swooped over the landscape to touch down in a courtyard in front of a waiting group, also of eight. The jet suits landed in front of the group in a line, keeping their distance so as not to blast too much air over the people awaiting them.


    The jet suits turned into shadows, all zipping into Jason¡¯s shadow like they were being sucked into a void. This left Jason flanked by friends and family, all dressed formally. Jason was wearing one of his remaining suits from the other world, a dark and dignified outfit designed specifically for such meetings. Jason¡¯s general lack of formality had left him little reason to pull it out previously.


    Both groups stepped forward and Jason noticed that the other group had been matched to his own, including a female elder and a girl in her early teens. They even matched up in rank, except for Dawn¡¯s counterpart. Despite Dawn being, by any detectable measure, normal rank, her counterpart was a woman who looked to be in her mid-thirties but whose rank was near the peak of silver. Outside of Dawn¡¯s true rank, the woman was the most powerful member of either group. She also bore a solid resemblance to Akari.


    All of the Asano clan wore western-style business attire. The man in the middle, Jason¡¯s counterpart, was Akari¡¯s silver-rank father and patriarch of the Asano clan. Like Jason¡¯s eldest paternal uncle, Ken and Hiro¡¯s older brother, the patriarch was named Shiro.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shiro greeted with a polite bow.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Jason greeted back, reciprocating the bow.


    ¡°First,¡± Jason said, ¡°allow me to apologise in advance. In spite of my heritage, I do not know your culture well and am certain to make blunders in my decorum. Please know that any slight is unintended and is a result of my ignorance alone and not any absence of respect.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Asano. I too would like to apologise for the pretence under which I sent my daughter to you. We presumed to judge your worthiness to the Asano name, only for you to make that name echo across the world.¡±


    ¡°These are difficult and dangerous times, Patriarch. I understand your position and the need to act delicately. I took no offence at all.¡±


    Jason took an elaborate wooden box from his inventory. It was unremarkable magically, being only a mildly-reinforced iron-rank container. It looked well-made but otherwise ordinary. What made it special was twofold: that it had come from the other world, as well as the gold-rank magic detectable on the object within.


    ¡°I offer a gift as a gesture of respect to the Asano clan,¡± Jason said, gently setting the box down between them. ¡°This container comes from another universe. It was the packaging for a suit of armour that was made for me there and I have long used it to organise many magical items from the other world. The armour that came with it was ultimately destroyed in the category four astral space in Makassar, so it seemed appropriate that I use it to store a new set of armour I obtained there.¡±


    Jason opened up the box, revealing the folded set of armour mixing cloth, leather and hard chitin plates. It had been worn by the dinosaur man, King, and almost destroyed passing out of the astral space. A gold-rank item was a gold-rank item, however, and over time, it repaired itself and was fully restored.


    ¡°It is called the Armour of the Dinosaur King. I hope that should any member of your clan reach category four, this armour can help vouchsafe their life.¡±


    Jason felt tremors run through the auras of the Asano clan members at being presented a set of gold-rank armour, although their demeanour did not shift, aside from the briefest glare Shiro flashed his daughter, standing next to Jason. The patriarch took out a box of his own, this one a plastic container with an image Jason recognised on the side. The patriarch looked embarrassed as he placed it next to Jason¡¯s box.


    "Next to your gift," Shiro said, "I can only make a paltry offering in reciprocation. This is a framed set of animation cels from Beast King GoLion.¡±


    Jason¡¯s face lit up in a grin.


    ¡°Seriously? That¡¯s awesome.¡±


    ¡°You need not be polite, Mr Asano. Our gift pales in comparison to the treasure you have given.¡±


    Jason gave Shiro a smile.


    ¡°I disagree, Patriarch. The true worth of a gift is not in the value but the sentiment. Does not a mother value a handmade card from their child over an expensive one bought from a store? My gift is simply something that I came across in my travels, while your gift demonstrates thoughtfulness, care and effort. My father will be truly delighted when I show him what you have given me."


    Jason picked up the box containing the Asano clan¡¯s gift and placed it in his inventory. The woman standing next to Shiro conjured a silver cabinet and placed Jason¡¯s gift inside, after which the cabinet vanished.


    Jason gave another respectful bow.


    ¡°Your consideration humbles me, Patriarch.¡±


    ¡°As your generosity does me, Mr Asano.¡±


    Shiro turned to the woman who had conjured the cabinet, a silver-ranker standing across from Farrah. She bore quite a resemblance to Akari.


    ¡°This is my younger daughter, Asano Mei,¡± Shiro introduced. ¡°Please allow her to escort you to your accommodations while I take the chance to catch up with my long-absent elder daughter. You can rest after your journey and I will have refreshments sent to you. Later, if you are amenable, I will give you a tour of our home.¡±


    ¡°We thank you for your hospitality,¡± Jason said, allowing himself and the rest of his group, barring Akari, to be led away.


    Most of Shiro¡¯s party left as well, once Jason and his group were out of sight. That left Akari, Shiro, and the powerful silver-ranker that was Akari¡¯s grandmother. Shiro cracked a huge smile and gathered his daughter in a huge hug.


    ¡°I missed you, child.¡±


    "And I, you, father."


    ¡°This man you have brought back. He is not what I expected.¡±


    ¡°He never is,¡± Akari said.


    ¡°He may not know our ways, but he does know how to give face.¡±


    ¡°I will admit that surprised me,¡± Akari said. ¡°I half expected him to arrive in a floral-print shirt, board shorts and sandals. I even suspect he¡¯s putting on a more formal display just to mess with me, having guessed what I reported back to you. I am sorry about my judgement on the gift. I don¡¯t know what he originally intended to offer, but I doubt it could be as grand as a treasure taken from the first category four monster to arrive on Earth. He didn¡¯t tell me that he even had it, let alone that he would gift it to us.¡±


    ¡°He put on quite the display,¡± Akari¡¯s grandmother said, claiming her granddaughter for a hug of her own. ¡°It makes me wonder what he wants from us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the Tiwari clan,¡± Akari said. ¡°He knows more than I was willing to communicate until I saw you in person.¡±


    ¡°Because of this Dawn person?¡± Shiro asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You were very vague, only stating that we must show her the utmost respect of an elder. Are you ready to tell us more?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Akari said. ¡°Let us go inside and I will explain everything.¡±

 Chapter 374: Not in a Position to Criticise

    In a quiet dojo, Akari and her father faced off, each wearing a gi, a suppression collar and holding a wooden sword. The swords and the room were both parts of an integrated magical system where the swords would not deal damage but inflict numbing pain that would briefly paralyse, in accordance with both the location struck and the force of the strike.


    At the side of the room, Jason was in a relaxed kneel, also wearing a gi and suppression collar. Kneeling to one side of him was his grandmother, Yumi, with Emi on the other.


    ¡°I have always held, Mr Asano,¡± Shiro said, ¡°that to truly know a person, you must cross swords with them. To master the blade, you must put yourself into it, mind and spirit in alignment. To a blade master, your sword is who you are.¡±


    ¡°That would mean that you can only really know someone if they happen to be really good with a sword,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty small sample size.¡±


    Shiro chuckled.


    ¡°Sadly true.¡±


    ¡°What if I got one of those bendy swords you hide in a belt?¡±


    Shiro laughed again.


    ¡°Simply suggesting it tells me a great deal about you, Mr Asano. If you actually did it, that would tell me something more. Should you then wield it against me, I would truly have your measure. This method is more flexible than you may think. For example, my daughter has been away for some time. If and how her sword has progressed in that time will enlighten me both on her and on you, who has been her sparring partner in that time.¡±


    Jason took the cue to fall silent as Shiro refocused on his daughter. They started circling one another with careful footsteps.


    ¡°Where has my aggressive daughter gone?¡± Shiro provoked. ¡°Has your time away filled your heart with doubt?¡±


    ¡°You are the teacher and I the student, father,¡± Akari responded calmly. ¡°It is not for me to instruct you on the difference between hesitation and consideration.¡±


    ¡°Interesting,¡± Shiro said. ¡°Are you a man whose sharpest blade is his tongue, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Yumi said, answering for her grandson. Emi smothered a little laugh.


    ¡°Have you lost your boldness, Daughter?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I have merely learned to spot the difference between boldness and reckl¨C¡±


    Without warning, Akari shot into action mid-sentence, launching into a barrage of strikes that had her father moving back in measured steps as he fended off attacks. It was spectacular to behold, as the speed and agility of silver-rankers made a swordfight more akin to film choreography than a fight between normal humans. Not only were reaction times, balance and spatial awareness vastly heightened, but even if the swords were real, no single blow would land a debilitating strike. Silver-rankers were just too hard to put down.


    The factors affecting the combatants led to longer exchanges, with greater risks taken and the action-movie clashing of blades in rapid succession. Akari¡¯s father calmly withstood his daughter¡¯s barrage, slowly clawing back control of the lengthy exchange. He had been on the end of such turnarounds many times while sparring with Akari during her residence at Asano Village. Shiro launched into a counterattack, making his own sequence of unrelenting attacks until Akari deftly disengaged, dancing lightly back.


    ¡°You have sharpened your aggression from a blunt stick to a sharpened stick,¡± Shiro told his daughter. ¡°It is not a sword yet, but you have made impressive progress. It seems that broadening your experience has had a positive influence. Let us see which other flaws you have managed to work on.¡±


    Moving to attack Akari, Shiro started incorporating quick footwork, small but critical shifts in position as he threw attacks based less around speed and more about unexpected angles and nuanced variations. Akari countered by defending with efficiency, exploiting the lack of same in her father¡¯s approach until he backed away.


    ¡°Adequate, Daughter.¡±


    Shiro continued to spar with his daughter until he finally nodded with satisfaction.


    "In a very short time, you have made progress in tempering your aggression, responding to unusual attacks and utilising your physicality. I see that you have been diligent, Daughter, and I am curious about your recent sparring partner.¡±


    Shiro turned to Jason.


    ¡°Are you stronger than my daughter, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°When your daughter came to visit my family, the flaws in her mindset were obvious. Too reckless, the under-use of her superhuman physicality. A lack of experience against people using anything other than clean, efficient fighting styles. The technique you drilled into her over the years was carrying her, which had allowed her to avoid her shortcomings. You might say that she was an excellent sword being poorly wielded. Fortunately, my own approach was very suitable for exploiting those flaws. Once I started hammering on them, she adapted and my early victories became a cavalcade of defeats. Akari is far more formidable than I am."


    ¡°You use her first name?¡±


    ¡°Impolitic, I know, but when everyone is named Asano, a logistic necessity.¡±


    Shiro turned back to Akari.


    ¡°And you, Daughter, how would you assess Mr Asano¡¯s ability as a swordsman?¡±


    ¡°You and I live our lives around the sword, Father," Akari said. "Jason does not. He accepts that he will never be a sword master the equal of you and I and embraces the limitation. He trains his swordsmanship for practical purposes rather than as a way of life, and his practical purposes are not to be found in an empty dojo."


    ¡°Meaning?¡± Shiro asked.


    ¡°If you ever fight him for real, Father, do it where you can see him.¡±


    Shiro let out a chortle, taking the training sword from Akari and holding it in Jason¡¯s direction. Jason stood, bowed and stepped onto the tatami mats, claiming the sword.


    ¡°Tell me, Mr Asano,¡± he said. ¡°Is my daughter saving you face or are you truly more at home in a more real-world environment?¡±


    ¡°Definitely saving face,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m quite rubbish.¡±


    ¡°He also lies,¡± Akari said. ¡°He always keeps a trick in reserve and fights without honour.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason agreed merrily. ¡°Honour was invented so that people who own swords could get people who own sticks to fight without cheating. I¡¯m very pro-cheating.¡±


    ¡°Do not bother trying to unbalance my father with words, Jason,¡± Akari said. ¡°His will is as sharp as his blade.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s holding a blunt training sword,¡± Jason said. ¡°Also, how do you know I''m not just stalling for time while Farrah uses earth magic to dig a tunnel under us and draw a ritual circle on the underside of the floor?"


    ¡°What?¡± Shiro asked as Jason let out a chuckle.


    ¡°Mr Asano, you seem like a different person to the one who arrived at my home yesterday.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in favour of letting people know what they¡¯re going to get with me, Patriarch, and letting them take it or leave it. However, I wanted to demonstrate the high regard in which I hold your clan and make my arrival as respectful as I was able.¡±


    ¡°I see. You hold my clan in high regard?¡±


    ¡°While you¡¯ve had your daughter observing me, I¡¯ve done my homework on you, in turn. Your clan has spared nothing in dedicating their time, resources and people to combat the troubles the world faces now. I have seen Akari working with the Network in Australia. She fights with dedication, and not for pride or reputation but to help people as best she can. She¡¯s a credit to herself, your clan and to you, her father.¡±


    ¡°Your sharpest blade truly is the one in your mouth, Mr Asano. Let¡¯s see how you do with the one in your hand.¡±


    Shiro and Jason walked through the grounds of the Asano compound, Jason still rather woozy.


    ¡°I apologise for striking you so many times in the head, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°The tingle of those training swords gives you a bit of a buzz, once you get used to them. You know, you¡¯re a lot more relaxed than I was expecting. Akari took weeks to loosen up even a little.¡±


    ¡°As you have placed effort into accommodating our sensibilities, I try to accommodate yours, in turn. I was unsure what to expect, to be honest. Your media appearances, reports from the network, what my daughter told me and the footage I have seen of you in battle all paint pictures that don¡¯t quite line up. I was hoping that, in person, I might find the connective tissue.¡±


    "Sometimes I''m not sure how it all comes together either," Jason admitted. "In the other world, I resolved to remake myself, only to come home and find myself falling into old patterns. Before the current crisis, I went walkabout, to try and settle myself.


    ¡°Walkabout?¡±


    ¡°A solitary journey, usually a rite of passage into manhood. I¡¯m still pretty much a man-child so I¡¯ve tried it a few times, now. It never seems to take quite right, but it¡¯s stopped me from cracking so far.¡±


    ¡°You are new to magic, yet in just a few years have seen more than most,¡± Shiro said. ¡°It is easy to forget that, given that your name has become so synonymous with magic.¡±


    ¡°Our name,¡± Jason corrected.


    ¡°Just so.¡±


    Jason looked around at the western-style home.


    ¡°I was surprised to find your home is built in the western style. By one of the most famous architects in the world, no less.¡±


    "Frank Lloyd Wright spent several years in Japan, in the early twenties,¡± Shiro explained. ¡°Less well-known than his role as an architect, he was also a rather prolific dealer in Japanese art. A number of his designs remain here, although ours is the only extant residential building. My mother assisted him with some trouble he was having with the Cabal, who were much less reclusive a century ago.¡±


    ¡°The Cabal?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll spare you the details for the sake of dignity. Suffice to say it involved a kitsune and a significant quantity of lard.¡±


    ¡°Kitsune are real?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Have you had many dealings with the Cabal?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°My friend, Craig, is a vampire, but that¡¯s about it.¡±


    ¡°They are a strange and eclectic group, taken as a whole. My understanding is they were the magical factions of ancient times, only coming together in the face of external threats. Their internal politics are fractious and uneasy but they are the object of romance and legend. I admit that they have always fascinated me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time our discussion turned to my reason for coming to Japan,¡± Jason said. ¡°I take it that Akari has appraised you of everything.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You have surprisingly won my daughter over, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Alright, this is getting silly,¡± Jason said. ¡°Almost everyone here is an Asano. Although I realise it denotes a level of intimacy, is there any chance I can convince you to take a cue from my culture?¡±


    ¡°First names? I suppose we can be considered family, of a kind. I propose that you and I take that step and see how others react.¡±


    ¡°That works for me. Shiro.¡±


    ¡°Then let us return to the topic at hand, Jason. The truth is, our intention was always to bring you here, to settle an old debt to the Tiwari clan. We had no idea that the stakes would turn out to be so high. You truly believe that the world is in peril?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen a being with power beyond the gods trying to strip an entire planet for parts. I fought him, hand to hand.¡±


    ¡°How did that go?¡±


    ¡°Very badly. All my attacks bounced off and he easily killed me.¡±


    ¡°Killed you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve died three times, so far. That was number two.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an extraordinary claim.¡±


    ¡°Extraordinary claims and fields of death are my life, now. Even though it wasn¡¯t so long ago, and didn¡¯t last so long, I miss the life of light-hearted adventure and quips. I want to see this world safe and go back to exploring the other one.¡±


    ¡°You really think you can go back?¡±


    ¡°At this point, it¡¯s inevitable, assuming someone doesn¡¯t kill me in a way that sticks. But first, I need that magic door the Tiwari have been looking after.¡±


    ¡°Arrangements are being finalised as we speak,¡± Shiro said. ¡°I will take you to meet them after lunch. In the meantime, I would like to discuss what happens after the grid comes back online.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure exactly what will happen,¡± Jason said. ¡°What we do know is that certain elements that make up the fundamental building blocks of our world will be rendered physical. This should be something that only the Tiwari door can accomplish, but our world has gone rather awry.¡±


    ¡°What exactly is the danger?¡±


    ¡°There will be objects that manifest in affected areas. It¡¯s a component of the dimensional makeup of our world, affecting the dimensional membrane that separates our physical reality from the astral.¡±


    ¡°I confess that I am not well versed on these concepts,¡± Shiro said.


    ¡°Basically, the dimensional membrane is like the skin of our universe, keeping the insides in and the outsides out. These objects I¡¯m talking about also make up the link between this reality and the other one to which we are connected. That link had been stable for billions of years before someone came along and interfered with it. Now, centuries later, it¡¯s reached the point of continuous dimensional spaces and monster waves.¡±


    ¡°And these objects represent some kind of new threat?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly. The objects represent a source of unparalleled power. They¡¯re like a diamond spirit coin combined with a category five monster core, in a form that can be used at need and the rest kept for later.¡±


    Jason had an increased understanding of the astral magic involved since he had been studying with Dawn¡¯s assistance. His knowledge was still shallow but was quickly accelerating.


    ¡°That kind of power would be world-changing," Shiro said. "It would let us move past the category three threshold we¡¯ve been stuck behind.


    ¡°Yep, and they¡¯re going to start popping up in the middle of these events that we don¡¯t yet understand. Every faction will be scrambling for them, even though every one they take will make the world a little less stable.¡±


    ¡°How many of these objects are out there waiting to be exposed?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°Millions. Billions, maybe. But that will just give people an excuse to take them and say it doesn¡¯t matter because so many are left.¡±


    ¡°The Network won¡¯t be any different,¡± Shiro said. ¡°They will scramble after them like the other factions, if only to avoid being overtaken.¡±


    ¡°I agree. Unfortunately, I am not in a position to criticise ¨C not that it¡¯s ever stopped me before. I also need to collect them, to realign the link between worlds. My understanding is that the door can be used to accelerate the process, meaning I need to take it off the board before the other factions become aware of that fact.¡±


    ¡°Yet, you trust me with this information.¡±


    ¡°Honour may not be for me, but it is for Akari. I¡¯m betting it is for the man who raised her, as well.¡±


    ¡°The temptation you describe is great,¡± Shiro said. ¡°I am not sure how well my honour will hold up.¡±

 Chapter 375: Honour

    ¡°Where are our guests now?¡± Noriko asked. She was the strongest member of the Asano clan and the patriarch¡¯s mother. Noriko and Shiro were in a room with the rest of the clan leadership, eight elders kneeling around a low table.


    ¡°Lunch is being prepared, hosted by my daughters,¡± Shiro said. ¡°Jason is taking a call from the Network.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re monitoring it?¡± Noriko asked.


    ¡°We are,¡± Shiro said, ¡°although that does not make me comfortable. We are hosts.¡±


    ¡°You will need to swallow much more than that before we are done,¡± Noriko said. ¡°Akari told us the basics of what is to come, but if the power on offer is as formidable as what Jason described to you, then we have no choice but to pursue it.¡±


    ¡°Akari will not like going against him.¡±


    ¡°If this far-flung relative speaks the truth at all,¡± one of the elders said. ¡°It could be some elaborate ruse at our expense.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a risk we can afford to take,¡± said another. ¡°If the power is truly as Shiro has described, we cannot afford to step back from it.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Noriko said. ¡°Not only must we fully pursue the opportunities that will be available to all, but we must seize the one that only we have a chance at. It will allow us to not just keep up with those standing at the peak but potentially raise our entire clan to stand at the absolute pinnacle.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t just wish to go after the magic that is coming,¡± Shiro realised. ¡°You are suggesting that we seize the object that Jason has come for from the Tiwari?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Noriko said.


    Shiro frowned unhappily.


    ¡°You wish to repay a debt with betrayal?¡± he asked. ¡°This, on top of betraying those we entertain as hosts.¡±


    ¡°To do any less would be a betrayal of our own people,¡± Noriko said. ¡°There is no honour in weakness and in the chaos to come, only the strongest shall rise. The rest will be lucky to survive and I refuse to abandon the fate of the clan to luck.¡±


    ¡°What about Network repercussion?¡± an elder asked.


    ¡°You think the Network will stand by Jason and his intentions when they see the EOA and the Cabal grabbing the power to push themselves to category four?¡± Noriko asked. ¡°As much power and knowledge as he apparently represents, he is not worth giving up category four power for. Jason will either be forced to accept the Network¡¯s intentions or stand aside.¡±


    ¡°He will not stand for it,¡± Shiro said. ¡°I can be certain of that much from Akari. She will react poorly to this.¡±


    ¡°You are her father and will take her in hand,¡± Noriko said. ¡°One of your roles as her parents is to guide her through the hard but necessary choices.¡±


    ¡°I guided her onto a path of honour. Turning her from it is not so simple as you make out.¡±


    "Yes, it is," Noriko said. "Do not confuse your own reluctance for difficulty. Mei and Akari are obedient girls."


    ¡°How will Asano react?¡± an elder asked. ¡°We have all read Akari¡¯s reports from Australia. It does not seem out of character for Jason to do something rash.¡±


    ¡°Then he will reap the consequences,¡± Noriko said. ¡°He will be cautious while he has family here.¡±


    ¡°Hostages?¡± Shiro asked. ¡°Putting aside honour is one thing, but do you intend to burn our name in effigy?¡±


    ¡°One of my roles as your parent is to guide you through the hard but necessary choices, Shiro. This is not a time for hesitation or half-measures. The world is changing and we must be ruthless if we do not wish to be cast aside by those with the will to rise to the top.¡±


    ¡°Are we not being pre-emptive?¡± Shiro argued. ¡°All we have is one conversation with Jason to go on. He could be exaggerating or blowing things out of proportion.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± an elder said. ¡°We should learn more before acting.¡±


    "Those are the words that will doom our clan!" Noriko pronounced. "All across the world, people are readying to act with boldness. If we hesitate when faced with an opportunity like this, then we are truly without hope."


    Shiro hung his head, seeing that he would not be able to turn events.


    ¡°Jason¡¯s senses are sharp,¡± he said. ¡°Our preparations must be carefully conducted.¡±


    ¡°Do not tell Mei and Akari anything,¡± Noriko said. ¡°So long as they believe we are going along with Jason¡¯s intentions, they will be a mask for our own.¡±


    Jason was on a video conference call, Asya standing beside him. There were a half-dozen people on a screen in front of him, including Terrance, Anna and Ketevan from the Sydney branch of the Network. The others were all from the International Committee¡¯s offices, each one much higher up in the organisation that Asya.


    ¡°You messed up really badly with those comments about sharing the blame, Jason,¡± Terrance said. ¡°Coming right in front of the announcements about the EOA cutting deals with all those countries, you as good as legitimised them.¡±


    ¡°Yes, because my influence is so all-encompassing that one remark from me can change the fate of twenty countries,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s hot nonsense. I may have spoken in anger but I didn¡¯t lie, Terrance. The EOA might have dropped the grid, but Makassar is on the Network and the Cabal.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who is responsible, Jason,¡± Anna said. ¡°The important thing right now is undercutting the EOA¡¯s influence and you gave them a boost, instead, right when they needed it most. Because no, you can¡¯t sway the fate of twenty countries alone, but you are a voice that people listen to.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m going to try and give that voice some integrity,¡± Jason said. ¡°Yes, pushing it all onto the EOA right now would help the Network, but if you keep compromising your principles to meet the needs of the moment, eventually you don¡¯t have any principles left. You wake up one day with blood on your hands, not recognising the person in the mirror.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all well and good to talk about ethics,¡± Anna said, ¡°but we have to deal with the reality right now. And right now, the reality is that this move by the EOA has them gaining massive amounts of ground on the Network and you helped with that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not part of the Network,¡± Jason said. ¡°I quite specifically didn¡¯t join because I didn¡¯t want to be making a choice between the right thing to do and what I was told to do.¡±


    ¡°That is actually our reason for contacting you,¡± said one of the International Committee members. It was a stern-looking woman, the first member of the IC to speak since the initial introductions.


    ¡°The agreement you reached with the Sydney branch has been deemed to be no longer feasible,¡± she explained. ¡°The time has come for you to truly come under the Network¡¯s umbrella. To become a member with all attendant responsibilities and privileges.¡±


    ¡°You know that isn¡¯t happening,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Either way, our agreement with you is annulled, as of now,¡± the IC member stated.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason said and ended the call without further discussion. Then his face contorted in anger.


    ¡°Jason?¡± Asya asked, having remained silent through the process.


    ¡°They know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure how, but they know what¡¯s up for grabs once the grid comes back up. They know I won¡¯t stand for it so they¡¯re cutting ties now. The next step will be to undermine my influence. They¡¯re going to start portraying me as a fringe, rogue element. Probably some kind of extremist.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be sure of that.¡±


    ¡°I am. I understand that this puts you in an awkward position.¡±


    ¡°You know I wasn¡¯t the one to tell them, right?¡± Asya asked, uncertainty and anxiousness on her face.


    He stepped forward, catching her in an embrace.


    ¡°Of course I know that,¡± he said, comforting her with a firm but delicate hug, their bodies fitting into one another. ¡°I told you that I trust people over the organisations they belong to. This is why. I trust you.¡±


    ¡°So, what now?¡±


    ¡°Now it¡¯s time for you and the others to go,¡± Jason said. ¡°Things are about to get very ugly.¡±


    Akari and Mei approached the rooms where Jason and his companions had been staying and Jason let her in.


    ¡°Where are the others?¡± Akari asked on finding only Jason inside.


    ¡°They decided to go play tourist while I take care of business,¡± Jason explained. ¡°Any danger that finds them with Farrah there will soon wish it hadn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Security didn¡¯t notify us of their leaving the premises,¡± Mei said.


    ¡°They went with my shadow friend, Shade,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s very stealthy. He could be right there in the room with you and you wouldn¡¯t even know.¡±


    Akari narrowed her eyes at Jason.


    ¡°Jason, what are you doing?¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s any consolation, later,¡± Jason said, ¡°Your father was heavily against it.¡±


    Akari frowned, confusion and worry passing across her face.


    "It hardly takes two of us, now that you are the only one travelling to the Tiwari clan," Akari said. "Mei, you escort Mr Asano while I inform Father of the change."


    Mei looked from Jason to Akari with concern, having no idea what was causing the tension between them.


    ¡°Very well,¡± she said.


    ¡°Father, he knows,¡± Akari said, striding into the patriarch¡¯s study without knocking or preamble. Shiro was leaning against the desk, wiping a cloth carefully down the length of an unsheathed sword.


    ¡°Who knows what?¡± Shiro asked, not looking up from his task.


    ¡°Jason knows what you are going to do.¡±


    Shiro slowly raised his head to look at his daughter.


    ¡°And what makes you think I¡¯m going to do anything?¡±


    ¡°He sent all his people away in secret and made some thinly-veiled implications.¡±


    ¡°What did he say?¡±


    ¡°He made the point of saying that his familiar can be in a room and you wouldn¡¯t even know it was there.¡±


    Shiro let out a laugh.


    "He sent you on a fishing expedition, Daughter. His task is an important one and he is being appropriately cautious. He''s doing the right thing. Return to your task."


    ¡°Are you sure, father?¡±


    ¡°Quite certain, Akari. Attend your duties.¡±


    She gave a slight bow, then left again. Shiro put down the Blade walked over to the door and closed it, before pulling out his phone to call Noriko.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Noriko answered brusquely.


    ¡°Asano knows.¡±


    ¡°How certain are you?¡±


    ¡°He most likely had his familiar watching our meeting.¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be possible,¡± Noriko said. ¡°We have embedded protections in place.¡±


    ¡°It occurs to me that Jason¡¯s companion, Farrah Hurin, is the foremost expert in array magic on the planet. Are you willing to bet that she couldn¡¯t have circumvented our magical defences?¡±


    ¡°Do you know if he¡¯s warned the Tiwari?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    There was a period of silence as Noriko processed the new information.


    ¡°It¡¯s not too late to turn back to the honourable path,¡± Shiro said. ¡°Choosing the path of power makes sense when there is power to be had, but if not, why throw away our honour for nothing.¡±


    ¡°The fact that this is an opportunity we cannot afford to miss has not changed,¡± Noriko said. ¡°It will just cost us a little more blood.¡±


    ¡°You want to move forward, whatever the cost? Whatever the risk?¡±


    ¡°The cost of not seizing this chance is worth any risk.¡±


    ¡°I disagree,¡± Shiro said. ¡°I¡¯m putting a stop to this before it begins. It¡¯s not too late to do nothing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll do no such thing,¡± Noriko hissed.


    ¡°I have always valued your guidance, Mother, but I am the patriarch of this clan, not you.¡±


    "If the puppet cuts its own strings, Shiro, it falls down, helpless. Do as you''re told."


    ¡°You are that unwilling to compromise?¡± Shiro asked, voice heavy with resignation.


    ¡°My will is unbending, son. This is not news to you. Your choices are either to work for the betterment of the clan or throw it into chaos for some Australian you met yesterday.¡±


    Mei was driving a black town car into Kobe. Shiro and Akari sat together in the back, with Jason across from them.


    ¡°You look conflicted, Shiro,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Do I?¡± Shiro asked. ¡°Is that why you sent my daughter to see me?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I think the man who raised Akari will want to be able to look her in the eye tomorrow. There is still a window to stop this before it starts.¡±


    Akari watched the two men warily but did not interrupt, despite her burning curiosity.


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop this, Jason,¡± Shiro said.


    ¡°That is unfortunate.¡±


    Shiro sighed, turning to look at his daughter. Jason said nothing, sitting casually.


    ¡°I can speak for most of the clan,¡± Shiro said with the weariness of a tired old man. ¡°Most of our oldest and strongest warriors will remain loyal to my mother, however, and I¡¯m sure you know that with essence users it is a power game, not a numbers one.¡±


    ¡°The tyranny of rank,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the concept.¡±


    ¡°So those are my options,¡± Shiro said. ¡°Keep the clan together, throw away our honour and who knows how many lives of an ally clan to whom we are in debt, or split the clan. Tiwari blood will be spilled either way, and our clan could very easily meet its end.¡±


    ¡°Father, what are you talking about?¡± Akari asked.


    ¡°Your grandmother wants to take the magic door by force,¡± Jason explained. ¡°She will not be dissuaded, despite your father¡¯s considerable attempts to persuade her to maintain the clan¡¯s honour.¡±


    ¡°Father, is that true?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Akari.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t even do any good,¡± Jason said. ¡°According to the Tiwari, I¡¯m the only one who can use the door.¡±


    ¡°You did contact them, then?¡± Shiro asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Their patriarch was hard to convince that you would throw away your honour, Shiro.¡±


    ¡°Why can only you use it?¡± Shiro asked. ¡°The prophecy about a man who walks between worlds?¡±


    "After your meeting," Jason said, "I spoke at length with the Tiwari patriarch through an intermediary. The prophecy is a poetic way of describing a very real magical restriction."


    ¡°Was it left here for you?¡± Akari asked.


    ¡°Partly, I suspect,¡± Jason said. ¡°I imagine the first choice was that the Network founder would return for it, using the restriction as a security system. Another outworlder being sent here was probably a less-than-reliable backup plan.¡±


    ¡°So, how do you see this going?¡± Shiro asked. ¡°My mother will not be inclined to accept the Tiwari¡¯s claim. Even if she does, that just means she¡¯ll try and capture you as well, Jason.¡±


    ¡°It will take a lot to make her back down,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m hoping that the combination of the Tiwari being ready, the fact that she can¡¯t even use the door and the threat of a schism in the clan will be enough to get her to back down. I¡¯ve convinced the Tiwari to let your clan leave in peace if they are willing to do so. The friendship between your clans is dead either way, however.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll turn on my mother and start a civil war inside my clan?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping that you¡¯ll save your clan¡¯s soul, Shiro, as well as its people. Once the fighting starts I won¡¯t stop until the job is done.¡±


    ¡°My daughter told me not to fight you unless I can see you,¡± Shiro said.


    ¡°You won¡¯t see me,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll see your clan staggering out of the dark, dead on their feet.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very confident.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m either right to be or I¡¯m not. Do you really want to find out, Patriarch?¡±


    Shiro looked into Jason¡¯s cold, silver eyes. He had never sensed so much as an echo of Jason¡¯s aura but suddenly he felt something his senses could barely touch, like an object just beyond the reach of his fingers. It was deep, like a dark abyss, with the promise of power and danger.


    ¡°Are you still human, Jason?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not anymore.¡±

 Chapter 376: They Get to See What I’m Like

    The Tiwari clan seat was located in Arima Onsen Town, nestled in beauteous nature amongst thickly forested hills. The car taking Jason to meet the clan made its way north toward Kobe¡¯s Kita-ku ward also contained the Asano clan patriarch, Shiro, and his two daughters. The elder, Akari, was sitting next to her father, unsettled at the discussion between Shiro and Jason. The younger sister, Mei, was driving the town car, with Shiro and Akari facing Jason in the back.


    ¡°So, what exactly was the plan?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Use stealth specialists to follow us to where the Tiwari clan is hiding the door,¡± Shiro said. ¡°Two of them, each category three.¡±


    ¡°It seems that either your mother doesn¡¯t trust you or someone else is trying to horn in,¡± Jason said. ¡°Or both. There are currently four silver-rankers following us. That I¡¯ve noticed, at least.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t sense them,¡± Shiro said. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°They are all in cars,¡± Jason said. ¡°It could be that a bunch of silver-rankers all wanted to visit the same hot spring town at the same time and are driving there individually,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade, go take a look. If they are here for us, go with plan C. Variant three, please.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you want to make that level of commotion?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°If the Network wants to tear up our arrangement, they get to see what I¡¯m like operating without shackles.¡±


    ¡°Not having access to military supplies will make replenishing supplies for plan C harder.¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯ll just make it less legal,¡± Jason said. ¡°It won¡¯t be hard.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°What¡¯s plan C?¡± Akari asked.


    ¡°Plan C is all about Shade,¡± Jason said. ¡°He can turn intangible, store objects in his own dimensional space and is very, very hard to detect. We loaded Shade up with a bunch of useful items and came up with a series of plans where Shade plants objects near targets.¡±


    ¡°Like cameras?¡± Akari asked. ¡°That would be useful. Is that what the C stands for?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, pulling out a palm-sized black box with a small antenna. It had a switch and a button under a plastic flip cover, as well as a green indicator light.


    ¡°Everything is in place,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°That was quick,¡± Shiro said.


    ¡°I was already moving when the discussion began,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Plan C does not stand for plan camera,¡± Jason said, flipping the switch on the device, and causing the light to go from green to red. ¡°It stands for C4. Give me the timing, Shade.¡±


    He lifted the cover over the button.


    ¡°Now,¡± Shade said.


    Jason pressed the button and a trio of simultaneous explosions rang out behind them.


    Shiro and Akari both craned their necks to look out the back.


    ¡°I¡¯d make sure we get out of the area before the authorities get involved,¡± Jason told Mei, in the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°It¡¯ll be quite the commotion.¡±


    ¡°Commotion?¡± Shiro said, looking aghast at Jason. ¡°Do you know what you¡¯ve done?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jason said with a friendly smile. ¡°I made sure they were shaped charges, so the silver-rank shrapnel I made will have passed right up through the cars Shade attached the charges to the bottom of. It¡¯ll hit anyone inside like a, well, bomb, while not impacting nearby civilians. Too much. Any shrapnel that makes it above a certain height will break down into metal powder, too light to fall down and hurt anyone.¡±


    ¡°Silver-rank shrapnel?¡±


    ¡°Yes, my artifice abilities are very basic, but investing some caltrops with a few simple properties is within my capabilities.¡±


    ¡°How can you set off bombs in Japan?¡± Shiro asked.


    Jason looked Shiro square in the eye, the friendly, casual expression vanishing into an icy glare.


    ¡°I need something to save the world and you want to take it for your own power? The Network wants to drop me to scrabble over magical scraps, disregarding their very purpose? I can handle that kind of greed but this is what handling it looks like. The gloves are off, Shiro. I don''t want to kill anyone but if saving this world from people like you means wading through a river of their blood, I will. Speaking of which, any lethal casualties, Shade?"


    ¡°No. The silver-rankers were each travelling alone, presumably to avoid low-rankers being detected. The blast itself had minimal impact on them but the magical shrapnel was much more effective. Their lives are not endangered but their ability to continue is certainly impacted and they are no longer following.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jason said. ¡°Collateral?¡±


    ¡°I selected a moment to avoid collateral damage, although there was some cosmetic damage to surrounding vehicles.¡±


    ¡°The concussive redistribution magic on the container for the shaped charge directed the sound and force up," Jason explained. "Even more focused than a regular-shaped charge. More power where you want it and less collateral damage. A little simple magic goes a long way when you use it right."


    ¡°There was also some minimal property damage. Nearby civilians are unsettled, with a few minor injuries from low-speed traffic collisions in the ensuing chaos. One elderly man was having heart problems so I fed him a potion. Civic authorities have begun to arrive.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Shade," Jason said. ¡°Excellent work, as always.¡±


    As their car left the area quickly, Akari and Shiro continued to look at Jason with horror, while his hard expression returned to the friendly one from before, as if nothing had happened. He pulled out a sandwich, took a bite, and then looked at them apologetically.


    ¡°Sorry, did you want one?¡± he asked with his mouth full. ¡°I have more. Salad, ham. One with three different kinds of salami.¡±


    They both shook their heads. Jason took another bite and then looked at Shiro.


    ¡°So what now?¡± Jason asked. ¡°What¡¯s your mother¡¯s contingency for her scouts getting taken out?¡±


    ¡°Contingency?¡± Shiro asked. ¡°This is not our area of expertise. We¡¯re monster-hunters, not special-forces soldiers. If the scalpel doesn¡¯t work, my mother will use the hammer. If she can¡¯t follow us to where the Tiwari are storing the door, she will likely use our silver-rank forces, most of which are loyal to her, to attack the Tiwari directly, capture the patriarch and have him reveal the location.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Call your mother and give me the phone.¡±


    ¡°You want me to call her?¡±


    ¡°If we have any chance of ending this peacefully, we need to talk without being able to stab each other.¡±


    Shiro nodded.


    ¡°She wouldn¡¯t hesitate to try and solve you out of the equation, given the chance.¡±


    He dialled and handed Jason the phone.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be calling me,¡± Noriko¡¯s voice came through by way of a greeting.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t be blowing up cars on the streets of Kobe, either, yet here we are.¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± she hissed. ¡°You aren¡¯t one of us. You don¡¯t deserve that name.¡±


    ¡°I have zero interest in joining your clan, Noriko. The question is whether you are going to destroy that clan.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing this for the clan. My son is weak, which is how you managed to turn him against me.¡±


    ¡°Shiro didn¡¯t turn against you, Noriko. He wants to save the soul of your clan. If you attack the Tiwari, even if you win, the Asano clan will never be what they were.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a century older than you, boy, and you seek to lecture me on the soul of my clan?¡±


    ¡°You do have a wealth of experience over me,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°If I can see that your clan teeters on a precipice, then surely you can too. If you attack the Tiwari, then you create a schism in your clan at the same moment you create a dangerous enemy, and for what? A magic door you can¡¯t use.¡±


    ¡°So you say.¡±


    ¡°The Tiwari have had this object for centuries,¡± Jason said. ¡°You think they haven¡¯t tried to access its power? If they had succeeded, they would be ruling the world with their gold-rankers, not calling in favours to have your clan bring me to Japan.¡±


    ¡°Even if the Tiwari do not lie and the item is locked,¡± Noriko said, ¡°we will find a way.¡±


    ¡°Will you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°After the infighting and the retaliation from the Tiwari clan? After I tell the world about the door and the fact that you have it? How many category-five dimensional magic experts do you have, Noriko?¡±


    ¡°We will do what we must.¡±


    ¡°And is what you must do push forward, past every sign you should stop? Your plan was already sketchy. Now your scouts are gone, your clan''s support has evaporated and the Tiwari know you''re coming."


    ¡°My clan must seize this opportunity, whatever the cost.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the opportunity, Noriko. The opportunity is in stepping back and keeping your clan whole. You already know more about what¡¯s coming that almost any faction on earth. Take the time to prepare and get a head start when the time comes to start racing after resources, with the full strength of your clan. Shiro might be against attacking and stealing from the Tiwari, but he won¡¯t stand by while everyone else grabs for power. You aren¡¯t choosing between having the door or not, Noriko. You¡¯re choosing between facing what¡¯s to come with a full and ready clan, and scrabbling after leftovers with your handful of silver-rankers while dodging Tiwari vengeance.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t want people going after these objects of power.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not stupid enough to think I can stop them, though. Your clan included. I have also secured the assurance that the Tiwari will not seek retribution so long as you do not attack them.¡±


    ¡°I have only your word on these things.¡±


    ¡°You have little more than my word on almost any of it,¡± Jason said. ¡°The power you seek, my word on it. The danger it poses, my word again. You chose boldness because you didn¡¯t have time to verify and now you¡¯re mired in a bog of my design. Will you be sucked under and drown if you move ahead or am I lying and solid ground awaits you?¡±


    ¡°You like to hear yourself talk.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Especially when I¡¯m right. Go home and take all the advantages or fight and give them up. I¡¯ll be waiting for your decision with the Tiwari clan.¡±


    Jason hung up the phone and handed it back to Shiro, before turning to Akari.


    ¡°I never wanted to back your grandmother into a corner. All I wanted to do was show her that backing off isn¡¯t the weak, short-sighted move but the smart, forward-thinking one.¡±


    He then turned to Shiro.


    ¡°This is where we part. Go home. I hope this is the last time I have to deal with your clan, Shiro, because next time there will likely be blood. I¡¯m sorry it ended like this, Akari.¡± A Shade body emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow and Jason vanished into it.


    Jason rode in a Shade car toward the Tiwari clan seat, which was the palatial Arima Grand Resort.


    ¡°How did I do?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You were somewhat unfocused,¡± Shade critiqued. ¡°Your strengths are playing to emotion and controlling pace, which lends itself to a more rambling style of argumentation. Presenting the facts to demonstrate one choice is objectively better is not your strength. That being said, it was an adequate performance.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll only know how adequate it was once the decision is made,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is she taking precautions in case you¡¯re watching?¡±


    ¡°None that I have noticed.¡±


    ¡°I might take a peek, then.¡±


    Jason closed his eyes and saw through Shade¡¯s eyes.


    Noriko was standing beside a parked van, arguing with the silver-rank clan elders, their strongest combatants. The general consensus was to withdraw, while she tried to convince them to push on.


    ¡°It is probably all bluff,¡± she said.


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± an elder said. ¡°I am unwilling to risk the clan on ¡®perhaps.¡¯ Unless everything goes perfectly, the boy is lying and this magic door gives us vast power, this act will split the clan and throw away our face forever.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± another said. ¡°We can struggle for power with everyone else without destroying who and what we are in the process. We even have a lead on everyone else. We should be dedicating ourselves to making the most of it.¡±


    The arguing continued but ultimately the choice was made to abort the attack.


    ¡°I will contact Shiro and that obnoxious brat,¡± Noriko said.


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t bother with me,¡± Jason¡¯s voice said as a dark figure with silver eyes stepped out of the dark.


    ¡°You can watch us through your shadow beings,¡± Noriko said.


    ¡°Yes. Your strategic situation was rather untenable, should you have decided to go through with the attack. I am not here to crow, however. My Asano family and your Asano clan henceforth have no connections, Noriko.¡±


    ¡°If we meet again, it will be as enemies.¡±


    ¡°I hope that day never comes,¡± Jason said. ¡°You should hope for it more.¡±

 Chapter 377: Fanboy

    The Arima Grand Resort was a palace hidden in a forest, the most opulent of the many accommodations in Arima Onsen Town. With magic now out in the open, Jason didn¡¯t have to go to the bother of hiding it as he approached the resort, Shade transforming from car to a cloud of shadow right outside the lobby, from which Jason strode as the dark miasma was sucked into his shadow.


    Ignoring the resulting stares, Jason made his way across an atrium larger than most homes, spotting someone hurrying to intercept him. It was a young man of maybe twenty, with an earnest, nervous aura. It showed plainly in the anxiety on his face, but his aura was solidly controlled. If Jason senses weren¡¯t so much more powerful than the freshly bronze-rank young man, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to read his emotions at all. Most interestingly, his aura contained no trace of monster cores.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± the young man greeted with a respectful bow. ¡°My name is Tiwari Itsuki.¡±


    Jason returned the bow, a smile playing on his lips. The young man¡¯s aura shuddered with anxiety.


    ¡°I apologise for being the one to meet you but preparations are being made should events go unfortunately. Would you please follow me?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jason said, following the young man who did a mostly adequate job of hiding his nervous energy. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be too worried, Mr Tiwari. I¡¯m confident that the Asano clan has reconsidered their path going forward.¡±


    ¡°Truly?¡± Itsuki asked as he led Jason across a lobby full of people staring at them.


    ¡°I just came from a chat with Asano Noriko. It could have been a bluff but I believe the Asano clan will be packing up and going home without paying you that visit.¡±


    ¡°I knew you would do something,¡± Itsuki said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t go crediting me too much.¡±


    Itsuki guided Jason out of the lobby and into the internal halls.


    ¡°There¡¯s no reason to be modest, Mr Asano. I¡¯ve been following your exploits through the news, obviously, and all the network reports I could find. I actually asked my father if I could be the one to meet you. I¡¯m taking you to the family¡¯s private residence at the rear of the resort grounds.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have to disagree about modesty,¡± Jason said. ¡°Always either be modest or wildly self-aggrandising. Avoid anything in between, for there lies mediocrity.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ an unusual perspective.¡±


    ¡°If it comes up,¡± Jason said, ¡°tell them to put that on my tombstone.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not what you expected?¡±


    ¡°Not quite. I¡¯d heard some things from Asano Akari, but they seemed a little outlandish. I¡¯d thought she was joking.¡±


    ¡°You know Akari?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen her in person since she left. I suppose I won¡¯t be able to at all, now.¡±


    ¡°It might be a bit awkward, yes,¡± Jason said, sensing the sadness suddenly suffusing the young man.


    ¡°I see you didn¡¯t use cores to reach bronze-rank,¡± Jason said, changing the subject. ¡°Sorry, category two.¡±


    ¡°We have been using the otherworld terminology since we started training our people with the Hurin techniques.¡±


    ¡°The Hurin techniques? They named them after Farrah?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano. I had long considered myself unlucky, being unable to absorb essences until I was nineteen. The timing was perfect for the new techniques, however, and I was sent to Sydney with the first international representatives for training. I was in the same training group as Taika Williams.¡±


    ¡°You know Taika? Have you and I met before?¡±


    ¡°I attended some lectures you gave on aura control at the Sydney branch but this is our first time actually meeting.¡±


    ¡°Sorry I didn¡¯t recognise you. I¡¯ve been rude.¡±


    ¡°There were over a hundred people in attendance and I was just a fresh iron-ranker. There is no need to apologise.¡±


    ¡°I did mostly leave training people to Farrah. I¡¯m a bit rambling and unfocused to be a good instructor, which worked out better for you, I think, getting Farrah instead. I taught some people aura control in the other world for a while and they paired me with someone to keep me on track. That turned out to be a good idea.¡±


    ¡°Miss Asano told me that you are difficult to keep on any track you don¡¯t want to be on, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°That sounds about what Akari¡¯s assessment would be. That¡¯s why they had my friend Humphrey riding herd on me.¡±


    Jason face took on a sad, reminiscing smile.


    ¡°They way things are going, here,¡± he said, ¡°I can¡¯t wait to go home.¡±


    ¡°To Australia?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Itsuki looked at the expression on Jason¡¯s face and didn¡¯t probe further. They left the main resort building through a side door and Itsuki took the driver¡¯s seat of a waiting golf cart. The resort was a sprawling complex made up of multiple huge buildings set into the forested surrounds, rising up the side of a large hill.


    ¡°You must have been quite active to reach bronze-rank in what? Five months?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve done my duty as a member of the Network as best I can,¡± Itsuki said.


    Five months was basically unheard of, even in the other world. Jason knew that ranking up in five months was only possible with a vast number of monsters. Even then, the boy would need an impressive level of talent and, more importantly, dedication. Only the kind of consistent conflict Jason himself faced living in an astral space could grant that kind of advancement, which meant the boy had to be all but living in proto spaces.


    That kind of drive suggested an implacability rather at odds with the nervous young man driving the golf cart. Either he had unexpected depths or the off-kilter predilections of a serial-killer, redirected into monster hunting. Either way, he was someone worth paying attention to.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind,¡± Jason said, ¡°would you be willing to share your essence combination?¡±


    Itsuki¡¯s aura shuddered and his nervousness was made plain on his face.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright to say no,¡± Jason chuckled.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s just a little embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t worry about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a friend, once of the most skilled essence users I ever met. Someone who taught me, in fact. He has a story about a lesson he learned getting showed up by a man with the duck essence.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± Itsuki said. ¡°It¡¯s just¡­ my essences are dark, blood and omen, with a doom confluence.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said. ¡°You really have been following my exploits, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    Itsuki¡¯s face went red.


    ¡°I¡¯ve never met a fan, before. Do you have any of my merch? The proceeds go to charity, which is the only reason I went along with Terrance and his nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Terrance?¡±


    ¡°Never mind. You didn¡¯t get the knockoff stuff from China, did you? I¡¯m sure the Network there is behind it, not that they¡¯ll admit it.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, please.¡±


    Jason laughed, slapping Itsuki on the shoulder.


    ¡°I¡¯m just messing with you, bloke. Are you an affliction specialist?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nice. We should find some time to swap notes, maybe clear out a proto-space together.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°If events don¡¯t overtake us, sure. No promises, though. Events overtake me quite a lot. Just earlier I was setting off a bunch of car bombs.¡±


    ¡°That was you?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Only had to use three, because two of them were in the same car. They definitely weren¡¯t just some couple going on holiday right, Shade?¡±


    ¡°I am quite certain of their sinister intentions,¡± Shade said. ¡°Unfortunately for them, it takes a lot to catch up to you in sinister intentions.¡±


    ¡°Oh!¡± Itsuki exclaimed, almost driving the cart off the path. ¡°You¡¯re Shade, the shadow familiar.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Shade said. ¡°I am starting to see why people telling you your name all the time is annoying, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason laughed as Itsuki went pale.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Jason told him. ¡°Do you have a familiar? They¡¯re pretty rare on this side.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano, I do. My father made sure I had the ritual training to make it possible. I only have the one, though, and it does not communicate. I don¡¯t exactly know what it is.¡±


    ¡°We can take a look later,¡± Jason said. ¡°See if we can¡¯t figure it out.¡±


    ¡°I apologise, Mr Shade,¡± Itsuki said. ¡°I¡¯ve watched the ritual of your summoning many times.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s not creepy at all,¡± Jason said.


    The golf cart rode up the hill through the complex that was oddly like a small town, if there was a small town occupied exclusively by billionaires. They arrived at the rear of the complex, which was the highest point on the hill. Compared to a palatial buildings elsewhere, the Tiwari residence was smaller, more modest and had more traditional Japanese influence in the architecture than western. More modest meaning that it was a giant mansion, rather than a hotel for people who thought the Palace of Versailles was an adequate start.


    Jason could sense the protections embedded into it. They were not so intricate and formidable as a Network branch office but he would still have to be careful should he attempt to intrude, unnoticed or otherwise. It had not been enough to prevent Shade entering to approach the clan Patriarch, so that Jason could clandestinely warn him of the Asano clan¡¯s intentions.


    The defences seemed to be in an active state, which probably mean they were burning through spirit coins. As he watched, the defences started spooling down.


    ¡°They must have heard the Asano clan isn¡¯t coming,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What makes you say that?¡± Itsuki asked.


    ¡°The magical protections are being wound down.¡±


    ¡°You can read our magical defences just from looking?¡±


    ¡°The benefits of a grounding in magical theory were explained to me many times,¡± Jason said. ¡°It turned out to be very true. I take it that you were only taught the practical basics of rituals?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Try studying up on the theory. It¡¯ll be worth it, I promise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Itsuki said. ¡°There is only so much material I can get my hands on.¡±


    They stopped outside the building and went to the doors on foot, where two men were standing guard in black suits. They bowed as Itsuki and Jason approached.


    ¡°Lord Itsuki. The defences are being stood down to readiness condition two. Your father wishes you to bring Mr Asano to the patriarch¡¯s office.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ryuhei.¡±


    Itsuki was like a different person in front of the doormen. All traces of nervousness gone from his face and his aura was brought under control. If Jason¡¯s senses weren¡¯t so powerful, he wouldn¡¯t have been able to read him at all.


    ¡°That is some impressive aura control,¡± Jason said. ¡°You learned Farrah¡¯s lessons well.¡±


    ¡°And yours, Mr Asano. The compliment is great, coming from you. Miss Hurin once told me that your aura has strength and power enough to be used as a weapon itself.¡±


    ¡°I prefer not to,¡± Jason said. ¡°Some weapons are best left in their sheath.¡±


    The inside of the Tiwari residence was busy, although the people hurrying about frequently took a look at Jason and Itsuki as they passed by. Jason assessed the building as being deeply modernised, under a fa?ade of old-world dignity. Jason¡¯s silver-rank perception picked out surveillance systems and communication signals imperceptible to a normal human, all hidden under traditional Japanese d¨¦cor. Itsuki led Jason to an elevator, where a man with an expensive suit and a discrete earbud stopped them. Jason could sense that he was silver-rank.


    ¡°Uncle Souta,¡± Itsuki greeted.


    ¡°Itsuki,¡± the man said, then bowed respectfully to Jason, who reciprocated.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Souta said. ¡°My name is Tiwari Souta. I am afraid that you will need to disable whatever means you are using to obfuscate our security before moving forward. I apologise, but given the circumstances, we are wary of allowing anyone with the name Asano access to our clan leadership.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Souta! Mr Asano was the one who warned us!¡±


    ¡°Decorum, Itsuki,¡± Souta scolded.


    ¡°Apologies, Uncle.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s perfectly understandable,¡± Jason said. ¡°Dial it back, please, Shade. In fact, you may as well pop out.¡±


    A Shade body emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t do to go smuggling people in, so let¡¯s get out in the open, yes? Front and centre, gents.¡±


    Gordon manifested next to Shade, while Jason pointed an arm down the hallway, palm out. Glistening blood seeped through the skin of his palm and then started spraying out in a stream, unsettling Itsuki and Souta. The blood congealed into a robed figure that looked identical to Jason, except for the red-purple colour of its skin.


    ¡°Gentlemen, meet Shade, Gordon and Colin. My closest companions.¡±


    Jason and his familiars all lined up together, looking like a blood clone, and a shadow clone and an alien void monster.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure about this,¡± Souta said.


    ¡°If you accept me, you accept them,¡± Jason said. ¡°Literally, since they are my familiars. If you don¡¯t accept them, then you might as well tell me where the door is and I¡¯ll make my own way.¡±


    Souta looked over the four of them, lingering on Gordon, who looked like a floating violation of the laws of physics.


    ¡°If you had not revealed them, would we have any means of detecting them?¡±


    ¡°No, but your patriarch certainly knew about Shade. I¡¯m pretty certain that Itsuki, here, could have told you about the others, if you didn¡¯t know already. Don¡¯t go crediting me with too much honesty.¡±


    Itsuki had been looking at the familiar¡¯s with distracted amazement, only looking up when his name was called.


    Souta looked at Itsuki sternly but Jason could sense the man¡¯s mix of exasperation and affection. He tapped his earbud, then nodded.


    ¡°Very well. Please come along.¡±


    Jason¡¯s familiars unmanifested. Shade returned to Jason¡¯s shadow, Gordon vanished and Colin was reabsorbed, then Souta, Itsuki and Jason entered the elevator.


    ¡°Do you get heavier when Colin is inside you?¡± Itsuki asked.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Jason said. ¡°I didn¡¯t used to, when he would just disappear, as much as it seemed like he was entering my body. Now we seem to merge more physically than before. I¡¯m not sure if it¡¯s him or me that changed, or a little of both.¡±


    The elevator ride was short and they walked down another hall towards a set of double doors.


    ¡°Is your father the patriarch?¡± Jason asked Itsuki.


    ¡°No, my uncle is. Father is the youngest brother, Uncle Souta is in the middle and Uncle Denji is the patriarch.¡±


    ¡°Your father has two older brothers as well?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Itsuki, are you trying to steal my identity?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Mr Tiwari,¡± Jason asked Souta. ¡°Does Itsuki have a poster of me on his wall?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Itsuki said unconvincingly.


    ¡°It¡¯s the one where I¡¯m on the roof of a building like Batman isn¡¯t it? I always thought that one was over the top.¡±


    ¡°That one was your idea,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Quiet, you.¡±


    They reached the doors where a pair of men in black suits stood guard.


    ¡°I love the men in black look your security people have going on,¡± Jason said. ¡°Very intimidating.¡±


    The men opened the doors to allow them into a large office where the back wall was made entirely of glass, looking out over the resort as it sprawled down the hillside. Two men were waiting for them, both silver-rankers, bearing no small resemblance to Souta.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± the patriarch, Denji greeted. He moved forward to shake hands rather than offer a Japanese bow. ¡°It is good to meet you in person, although your shadowy go-between was quite remarkable. And stealthy.¡±


    ¡°I have a friend who could recommend ways to keep him out,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me for asking her not to.¡±


    ¡°You speak of Miss Hurin,¡± Denji said. ¡°My nephew holds you both in high regard. I understand she is also in Japan?¡±


    ¡°She is making sure that my friends and family don¡¯t suffer the undue attention of the Asano clan. Given our shared ancestry, our meeting was rather disappointing.¡±


    ¡°Disappointment is the order of the day,¡± Denji agreed. ¡°I have just gotten off the phone with Asano Shiro, who I have known since we were boys. It is sad to lose a friend and an ally, but their intentions today are beyond forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°Shiro was against the move from the beginning,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± Denji said. ¡°It¡¯s his mother. I do not know how you convinced that woman to back off.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything. She merely came to see the consequences clearly.¡±


    ¡°That seems rather easy, given the woman in question.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking much the same thing. I suspect that she¡¯ll come for me again, once I have the door.¡±


    ¡°That would not surprise me, although perhaps the fear of Network retribution will stay her hand.¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. The Network and I will be increasingly at odds, from now on. Which puts you in something of an awkward position, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Not at all,¡± Denji said. ¡°Our clan¡¯s first duty is to the Network¡¯s founder and the task left to us, not the Network¡¯s modern incarnation.¡±


    ¡°And that task is protecting the door?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Denji said. ¡°Until someone that can use it arrives.¡±

 Chapter 378: A Very Bad Mistake

    Itsuki left Jason with the three elders, the Tiwari clan patriarch and his two younger brothers. The patriarch was Denji, the middle brother Souta and the youngest, Itsuki¡¯s father, was Koya. The office of the patriarch was a large room with a desk over to one side and a lounge area off on the other, with armchairs in a semi-circle around a coffee table, looking out through the window wall.


    Denji invited Jason to sit and they all took lounge chairs as a security guard in an expensive black suit came in with a tray of tea. Jason nodded his gratitude and took a sip, then murmured something too softly for even silver-rank perception to make out.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if you are aware of how monumental your arrival is for our clan,¡± Denji said. ¡°Since we learned of your existence and that you met the conditions of our long-held purpose, there has been much discussion within the clan. Not everyone is happy or even accepting of your arrival. You represent the destiny of the clan, which is a concept that not everyone in the clan has comes to terms with.¡±


    "Some of your members don''t want me to take the door?"


    ¡°In practical terms,¡± Denji said, ¡°we are no different from any of the other Network clans. The door remains hidden and untouched, with very few clan members even knowing its location, let alone having seen it. Even so, being keepers of the door gives us a sense of purpose. Many of our members are fearful of what it means should that purpose come to an end. When who and what you are came to light, many sought to discredit you and claim you were not the object of prophecy.¡±


    ¡°And you put stock in this prophecy?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°In honesty, Mr Asano, the prophecy is a simple concept to placate the clan. The elders have passed down the records from the founder, which give a more comprehensive explanation. This is not something shared with the clan at large, which has unfortunately led to duty sometimes drifting in the direction of faith. Some of our members may even intend you harm.¡±


    ¡°I learned that as soon as I tasted the tea,¡± Jason said with a smile.


    ¡°The tea?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about yours,¡± Jason said, ¡°but mine has rather a lot of poison in it.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Denji asked, leaping to his feet.


    ¡°It¡¯s actually not bad,¡± Jason said, taking another sip.


    You have been afflicted with poison [Serpent Nettle Extract].You have resisted [Serpent Nettle Extract].[Food Poisoning] does not take effect.You have gained an instance of [Resistant].


    ¡°Serpent nettle extract,¡± Jason said. ¡°I assume I¡¯m respected enough that it¡¯s a category three poison they used on me.¡±


    The faces of all three Tiwari elders were darkened with rage.


    ¡°Serpent nettle extract is a poison our alchemists harvest from plants in some of the more common proto-space environments in this area,¡± Souta said. ¡°You might call it a Tiwari clan specialty. This definitely came from within the clan.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s jumping to conclusions,¡± Jason said. ¡°Someone could easily obtain some and use it to sow discontent. That¡¯s what I¡¯d do.¡±


    He took another sip.


    ¡°Why are you still drinking it?¡± an aghast Koya asked Jason. ¡°Serpent nettle extract is the most potent venom we¡¯ve ever encountered!¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jason said setting the cup down with distaste, ¡°the flavour profile starts out well but that aftertaste leaves something to be desired. If there¡¯s any poison in yours, I¡¯d give it a miss. I don¡¯t want to be rude, being your guest, but is there any chance of a palate cleanser?¡±


    Souta stepped forward, took an eyedropper from his pocket and squirted some clear liquid into Jason¡¯s cup. A sickly green mist rose up, letting off an unpleasant stench.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said, holding his nose. ¡°That¡¯s the aftertaste.¡±


    ¡°The smell is unpleasant but harmless,¡± Souta said. ¡°That was definitely serpent nettle extract.¡±


    Souta squirted liquid into the other cups, but only Jason''s evidenced a reaction.


    "It was Noguchi," Souta said. "He served the drinks, so he had to know which cup to give Mr Asano."


    Souta said no more, striding toward the door.


    ¡°Mr Tiwari,¡± Jason called after him and he stopped.


    ¡°I had my friend go after the server as soon as I tried the tea,¡± Jason continued. ¡°Please allow him to guide you.¡±


    ¡°Your friend?¡± Souta asked and one of Shade¡¯s bodies emerged from Souta¡¯s shadow.


    "This way, Mr Tiwari," Shade said and started gliding down the corridor. After a wide-eyed glance at Jason, Souta followed. Koya and Denji, in the meantime, were giving their own shadow wary looks.


    ¡°I¡¯m beginning to be very glad that I¡¯m not Noriko Asano,¡± Koya said.


    ¡°You seem oddly relaxed, given the attempt to murder you,¡± Denji said to Jason.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll tell me if it¡¯s anything beyond internal clan politics,¡± Jason said. ¡°I respect anyone with the decency to try and kill me directly, rather than go after my family. I¡¯ll try and kill them right back, if it¡¯s appropriate, but I won¡¯t hold it against them. Noriko Asano was all for going after my family, so she¡¯s going to cop it when she inevitably comes after me again.¡±


    The two brothers looked at Jason¡¯s friendly smile much differently than when he first arrived. They had the expressions of people who suddenly found themselves holding a snake by the tail.


    ¡°We are truly sorry, Mr Asano,¡± Koya said. "You gave us a warning when the Asano clan were going to come after us and we repaid you with enmity. I¡¯d like to assure you that this was not the clan leadership.¡±


    ¡°That being said, while the clan elders may not be to blame,¡± Denji said, ¡°we are responsible. Such is the nature of leadership.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Jason said. ¡°The simple fact is that I¡¯m not interested in what my taking the door means for your clan, as callous as that sounds. Do you know why I need it?¡±


    ¡°According to the clan records,¡± Denji said, ¡°the magic of our world would become imbalanced and require intervention. Someone would appear to make that intervention and he intended it to be himself. He believed that if something happened to him, someone else would appear, however.¡±


    ¡°And something did.¡±


    ¡°We do not know what, however. There have long been rumours of betrayal by aspects of the Network, but this was the mid 16th century. The Network was still a collection of unaffiliated secret societies, without a fragment of the power required to take down the founder.¡±


    The office door burst open as Itsuki rushed in.


    ¡°Mr Asano!¡±


    ¡°Itsuki!¡± Koya scolded. ¡°What are you doing, coming into the patriarch¡¯s office like that?¡±


    ¡°Uncle Souta said that Mr Asano had been poisoned,¡± Itsuki said.


    "I''m quite fine," Jason assured him. "Thank you for your concern."


    ¡°Souta told you that?¡± Koya asked his son.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me, as such,¡± Itsuki admitted. ¡°I might have just overheard.¡±


    ¡°And he didn¡¯t sense you listening in?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Not bad. Patriarch, given the circumstances, I think it might be best to cut through the niceties and go directly to the door right now.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Denji said, then shook his head. ¡°After all this time, it¡¯s not how this moment was meant to go.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Star Wars fans feel like this every time a new movie comes out.¡±


    Jason¡¯s companions emerged from Jason¡¯s portal onto one of the Arima Grand Resort¡¯s helipads, the one reserved for the Tiwari clan¡¯s private use in the middle of a wide lawn. Waiting with Jason were Itsuki, Koya and Denji. Only Farrah didn¡¯t come through, as she would need her own portal. While Jason waited out the cooldown on his portal power, he introduced the others to the Tiwari family.


    ¡°I cannot express enough our dismay at the attempt on Mr Asano¡¯s life,¡± Denji said.


    ¡°The what?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°It was just poison,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine,¡± Erika said with relief. ¡°I once saw him drink bleach to make a point, and I¡¯m not sure that even counts as poison. I¡¯d have said it was more caustic than poisonous.¡±


    ¡°Bleach is corrosive,¡± Emi said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s poison if you drink it, though.¡±


    ¡°Why exactly are people trying to kill you?¡± Yumi asked.


    ¡°They probably met him,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Rude,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You punched my nose into my brain.¡±


    ¡°That again?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯ve died three times so far, and you don¡¯t see me complaining.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Asya asked. ¡°You kind of bring it up a lot.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because if people realise I just keep coming back, they¡¯ll realise there¡¯s no point killing me in the first place.¡±


    Denji and Koya shared an uncertain look as they witnessed the exchange, while Itsuki had a wide grin on his face. Jason used his portal again and Farrah stepped through.


    ¡°Any issues?¡± Jason asked her.


    ¡°I told you over the phone,¡± Erika said. ¡°Nothing happened¡±.


    ¡°One of the Asano clan came sniffing around,¡± Farrah contradicted. ¡°Just a bronze-ranker.¡±


    ¡°When was this?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want to worry you,¡± Farrah told her. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; he didn¡¯t get any messages back and I was thorough. No one will realise it¡¯s a corpse; they¡¯ll just think someone burned some rubbish.¡±


    ¡°You killed someone?¡± Erika asked her.


    ¡°I¡¯m fair game,¡± Jason said, then his voice turned cold. ¡°You are not.¡±


    ¡°He has to be decisive when protecting the family,¡± Yumi approved. ¡°If we show weakness, we¡¯ll be treated as weak.¡±


    Jason introduced Farrah to the Tiwari clan.


    ¡°You know, Miss Hurin technically meets the requirements for the prophecy as well,¡± Itsuki pointed out. ¡°Depending on how important you consider the ¡®man¡¯ part of ¡®a man who walks between worlds.¡¯ Given that I don¡¯t think they technically walked, it means there is leeway for interpretation.¡±


    ¡°Actually, there is more to the requirements than that,¡± Denji said. ¡°You have never been to see the door, Itsuki, but you will soon learn.¡±


    ¡°I get to go?¡±


    ¡°You will, in fact, be the last Tiwari to see the door, if things otherwise go as planned.¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s the way it always goes,¡± Jason muttered. ¡°Alright, everyone back off so we can get this show on the road.¡±


    Everyone backed away onto the surrounding lawn and darkness came storming from Jason¡¯s shadow, Shade taking his sleek plane form.


    ¡°The door isn¡¯t here?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Yeah, I thought they¡¯d have it in a basement or something,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The greatest security is secrecy,¡± Denji explained. ¡°From the beginning, the door has been hidden on an uninhabited island in the Pacific Ocean.¡±


    Jason and the others descended towards the water in jet suits, hovering over the water as Shade took the form of a large, twin-level motorboat. They settled onto the large upper deck.


    ¡°This is rather convenient,¡± Koya said as the jet suit evaporated around him.


    ¡°That was amazing!¡± Itsuki said. ¡°Will my familiar be able to do things like that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade¡¯s ability to take different transportation forms actually comes from one of my abilities. It was a gift from Shade¡¯s dad.¡±


    ¡°Your familiar has a father?¡± Denji asked.


    ¡°Yeah, his old man is Death,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What do you mean, Death?¡± Koya asked.


    ¡°You, know, Death,¡± Jason said. ¡°Scythe, robes, that Ingmar Bergman film. No wealth no land, no silver, no gold; nothing satisfies me but your soul. Death.¡±


    ¡°As usual,¡± Shade said, ¡°what Jason is describing is only true from a very specific point of view.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m like Obi-Wan Kenobi,¡± Jason said cheerfully. ¡°Let¡¯s get this boat moving!¡±


    Soon the boat was roaring over bright, clear water, between towering islets of stone. They passed by small, uninhabited islands covered in lush greenery. Denji directed Shade on where to go as Erika spoke to Jason.


    ¡°We had a plane and those jet suits,¡± she said. Why do we need to go anywhere by boat.¡±


    ¡°Look around us, Eri. How can we not go by boat?¡±


    ¡°I thought you were in a hurry.¡±


    ¡°I am, Eri. But I also want to have a nice, fun day before I find myself annihilating monster victims animated as walking corpses again. Let me have this one.¡± She pulled him into a hug.


    ¡°Of course, little brother.¡±


    Jason moved over to the railing, joining Farrah in leaning up against it and looking out.


    ¡°This is what adventuring in my world is meant to be,¡± he told her. ¡°Exotic locales and ancient treasure in hidden ruins. Looking at all this tropic beauty, the horrible things we saw just a few days ago seem so far away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a nice change from the dark days behind us,¡± Farrah agreed, ¡°but I fear there are more to come. For now, though, let us take our joys where we can find them.¡±


    ¡°Deal,¡± Jason said, turning to look at Asya and flashing her a grin. She was sitting on a bench than ran along the side of the motorboat¡¯s upper deck and he sauntered over to join her, their bodies leaning into one another.


    ¡°How glad are you right now that you never joined the Federal Police?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how much the network is for me, either,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t like the direction they¡¯re taking. You need to explain why this is so important.¡±


    ¡°I told them I have to save the world,¡± he said. I¡¯m not sure how to raise the stakes from there. I mean, yes, I might be saving the universe, but probably not. Dawn thinks it should be able to handle Earth¡¯s destruction.¡±


    ¡°You were very vague about the details.¡±


    ¡°Because I didn¡¯t want an army of Network goons racing me to this door.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re an army of goons, now?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d prefer the term faceless henchmen?¡±


    ¡°How about faceless henchpeople?¡±


    ¡°I can work with that.¡±


    ¡°Jason!¡± Itsuki exclaimed, arriving above deck after exploring the boat. ¡°Your familiar is incredible!¡±


    ¡°Mate, you seriously need to learn to how to read body language,¡± Jason said, disentangling himself from Asya.


    ¡°What?¡± Itsuki asked with an oblivious expression.


    ¡°Never mind,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know, I actually met Shade before he became my familiar, even though I summoned him. I had recently met this new friend, Emir, who was holding a competition. I originally met Farrah and her companions because they were working for him, as it happens, but they were out of town when he arrived and he came looking for me¡­¡±


    The boat was anchored in a lagoon at an uninhabited island, waiting for low tide. Jason had suggested Shade take a submersible form but Denji explained that there were magic protections they would need to move past. As a result, Jason, Erika, Emi, Asya, Farrah and Itsuki were swimming in the turquoise waters.


    Yumi and Dawn were chatting with Denji and Koya, who were startled at the revelation of Dawn¡¯s true identity, much of which she had to explain to them. She was a treasure trove of knowledge about the very concepts around which their clan had been built and found her company a revelation.


    Sunset colours were working their way into the sky as the tide grew low enough to largely reveal the sea cave into which they would be heading. The swimmers reboarded and they beached the boat, which then vanished into Jason¡¯s shadow, depositing the passengers onto the soft sand. Sorting out who would and wouldn¡¯t go into the cave, Emi protested when told she wouldn¡¯t be going in.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hidden away this whole time! What was the point of bringing me?¡±


    ¡°I know, Moppet, and I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°I knew that people would probably try to kill me, because they usually do, but I didn¡¯t expect the whole Asano clan to turn on us. Akari¡¯s Nan really buggered up the trip. But this is a sacred place for the Tiwari clan, not a tourist spot.¡±


    Koya and Denji shared a glance, both nodding.


    ¡°Since she is your niece, Mr Asano,¡± Koya said, ¡°we are willing to bring her along, given your status in this. She can bear witness, alongside my son.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Jason said. ¡°But I want quiet, and I want respectful, young lady. Is that understood?¡±


    Emi nodded eagerly, a huge grin on her face.


    ¡°I also need your mother¡¯s permission,¡± he added, upon which Emi turned a weaponised expression of longing on her mother.


    ¡°Is it safe?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°For her, yes,¡± Denji said. ¡°Only Jason will face any challenges within.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jason said with exaggerated panic. ¡°Is it safe for me?¡±


    ¡°I believe so,¡± Denji said.


    ¡°You believe so? I¡¯m not feeling the confidence.¡±


    ¡°Stop being a coward,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Cowards live!¡±


    ¡°Well, you keep dying, so clearly that¡¯s not you.¡±


    ¡°Why am I always the one who has to save the world,¡± he muttered petulantly. ¡°No one tells Kaito he has to save the world.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Erika asked.


    "For him, it''s all, ''Kaito, fly around in your helicopter with your wavy hair,'' and ''Kaito, team up with this hard-edged, implausibly attractive detective and solve crimes.''"


    Watching the exchange with increasing misgivings, Denji leaned towards his brother.


    ¡°Have we made a very bad mistake, here?¡± he whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably fine,¡± Koya said. ¡°I was having Itsuki tell me about anything he learned from the Asano girl while she was living with them in Australia. Some of the things she told him are starting to make a lot more sense.¡±


    ¡°I hope you¡¯re right.¡±

 Chapter 379: An Unexpected Direction

    Jason walked over the surface of the water with his niece, his cloak wrapped around them both to keep her body light. The Tiwari patriarch also walked over the water, while Itsuki and his father rode in an inflatable dinghy. Motes of light emerged from Jason¡¯s cloak, spreading out to illuminate the cave in soft starlight.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve always thought so,¡± Jason said. ¡°So much of what I do is ugly, so I quite like this.¡±


    Some distance into the cave, the floor rose above the water level due to the low tide and all five people stood on the wet sand from which the water had receded.


    At the back of the cave was a hewn wall carved from the solid stone, with metal rungs set into it. Jason spotted the pockmarks where the rungs had corroded away and been replaced several times over the centuries.


    ¡°There¡¯s no magic here,¡± Jason said, tilting his head. ¡°It¡¯s deeper. Much, much deeper.¡±


    ¡°You can sense that?¡± Koya asked.


    ¡°Barely, and only because I was looking for it. The logistical problems involved in sinking a mineshaft on a tropical island are formidable. Without magic to keep the shaft sealed and reinforced, maintenance must be an issue.¡±


    ¡°The founder didn¡¯t want anyone to notice a patch of magic in the middle of nowhere by happenstance,¡± Denji explained. ¡°The wall holds back the high tide and there¡¯s a shaft on the other side, going deep enough that the magic down there is undetectable from the outside. Unless your magical senses are absurdly powerful, anyway.¡±


    ¡°How are your senses so strong?¡± Itsuki asked Jason.


    ¡°Supernatural senses ¨C that¡¯s your magic and aura detection,¡± Jason explained, ¡°are a function of your aura, like a radar tower sending out signals. Except not, but for the purposes of this analogy it¡¯s close enough. A stronger aura is like a stronger radar emitter, giving you¡¯re a more powerful sense of your surroundings.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love to have senses that strong,¡± Itsuki said.


    ¡°Be careful what you wish for,¡± Jason told him. ¡°Not every power is worth the price.¡±


    Jason leapt lightly up to the top of the wall and used an extending shadow arm to pull Emi up after him. He opened his inventory and took out a necklace with a blue jewel.


    ¡°This will let you breathe if the air gets a bit sketchy down there,¡± Jason said as he affixed it around her neck. ¡°Ready?¡±


    Emi flashed him a grin and they jumped off, Jason¡¯s cloak allowing them to float down. Motes of light from Jason¡¯s cloak trailed them like fairy dust as they descended for what felt like an eternity until they finally emerged from the shaft into a large chamber and set down on the floor.


    Jason¡¯s starlight motes spread out to reveal a five-sided room. Each wall was made up of liquid-smooth marble whose colouration reminded Jason of the light generated by transcendent damage. The marble was white with streaks of blue, silver and gold, with an aperture in each wall the size of a human head. There was a soft white light shining from each of the five apertures.


    This far down, the magic was not just detectable but intimidating. Between gods and the Builder, Jason had experienced enough transcendent-rank power to recognise it when he experienced it. Fortunately, he could also sense that it was at some kind of remove, preventing it from overwhelming him. He glanced at Emi, who didn¡¯t even seem to notice it due to her lack of aura senses. She was eagerly looking around the room.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the door?¡± she asked. ¡°Has the door been a metaphor this whole time?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to wait until the others get down here,¡± Jason said. He could sense the three clansmen slowly descending the shaft.


    ¡°If they tell us the door was inside us all along,¡± Emi said, ¡°I¡¯m going to need you to beat them up.¡±


    Jason laughed, tousling his niece¡¯s hair.


    ¡°Uncle Jason,¡± she complained, pushing his hand away.


    The three Tiwari men dropped through the ceiling on the end of magical ropes, their feet slipped into loops at the end.


    ¡°How does this work?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite simple,¡± Denji explained. ¡°You can sense the power of it, yes? How it¡¯s sealed away?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You stand in the middle of the room and concentrate ¨C after the rest of us are out of the way.¡±


    Jason looked around the clean pentagon that made up the room.


    ¡°Out of the way where?¡±


    ¡°We can stand in the corners, where the walls meet,¡± Koya said. ¡°So long as we¡¯re clear of the apertures in the middle of the walls, we¡¯ll be unaffected.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find the power quite easy to access,¡± Denji said. ¡°Enduring it is up to you.¡±


    ¡°So, I just want the door to open and it does?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That sounds suspiciously like the door was inside me all along.¡±


    Emi snorted a laugh.


    ¡°That¡¯s not how it works at all,¡± Denji said. ¡°Be aware that the power you will be exposed to is vast. None of our people have ever been able to endure it and enter the door. Only on hearing about your powerful aura did we seriously consider that you might be the person we were waiting for. That will hopefully allow you to resist the power long enough to gain passage.¡±


    The others moved to the side of the room, at the point where two of the pentagonal chamber¡¯s five walls met.


    ¡°You are responsible for the safety of my niece while I¡¯m otherwise indisposed,¡± Jason told the Tiwari men. ¡°I recommend you take that responsibility very seriously.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Koya said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is not a matter of course. You keep her safe or you¡¯ll wish your clan had used a better poison on me.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Jason, don¡¯t be a dick. They know you¡¯ll wipe out their whole clan if anything happens to me. You don¡¯t have to rub their noses in it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry Moppet.¡±


    The Tiwari men looked from Jason to his niece with pale expressions.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said, rubbing his hands eagerly as he made his way into the centre of the room. ¡°Let¡¯s give this a try.¡±


    Jason moved into the middle of the room and extended his senses. The power in the room answered immediately, transcendent light beaming out from the apertures in each wall, meeting in the middle to shine directly on him. The power crashed over him in a tsunami of pure, clean, magic, drowning him in it like the aura suppression of a god. Even Jason¡¯s powerful aura was like a paper boat in a hurricane, blasted away in an instant.


    Jason forced his eyes open to check on the others, who were unaffected as promised. He paid them no more mind, gritting his teeth as he stood against the storm of magic. It was not Jason¡¯s first transcendent-rank rodeo, however, nor his first time having his aura pounded down to nothing. It felt like he was being squeezed in a giant fist but he endured with little more than a grim expression. Suddenly the light vanished and Jason vanished with it.


    Jason felt like something was trying to pull his body apart but the sensation passed after just a moment. His vision swam into focus and he found himself in an alien landscape filled with amber light. A pair of windows popped up to obscure his view.


    You have entered a space of combined physical and astral nature. You have gained an instance of [Dimensional Discorporation] and will periodically gain additional instances until you leave this space.You are a gestalt entity combining physical and astral nature; [Dimensional Discorporation] has no effect.You have resisted [Dimensional Discorporation].You have gained an instance of [Resistant].You have gained an instance of [Integrity].


    Jason dismissed the first window, reflecting on the foresight in the ability the World-Phoenix had designed for him. It irked him to be dancing to someone else¡¯s tune but he was forced to admit that, as much as he mistrusted anyone or anything with that much power, the World-Phoenix had given him much. From coming back from the dead to bringing him home, it had asked no more in return thus far than things he would have done anyway.


    Closing the first window cleared his vision a bit and he glanced around, discovering the place he found himself in was very much not the subterranean chamber he had just come from. The amber light that was the first thing he¡¯d noticed was thick to the point of rendering the world around him monochromatic. Just as thick as the light was the aura suffusing everything, so powerful it seemed almost solid.  He was on a small rise under an open sky, the terrain around him generally flat but uneven ground. It was covered in grass, with fragmentary ruins sticking out of the turf.


    Seeing no immediate threats, or much of anything at all, he took a look at the second window.


    You have entered a domain of the Builder.By entering this domain you have subjected your soul to the influence and authority of the Builder. You have gained an instance of [Builder¡¯s Dominion].Your soul has learned to reject the influence and authority of the Builder; [Builder¡¯s Dominion] has no effect.You have resisted [Builder¡¯s Dominion].You have gained an instance of [Resistant].You have gained an instance of [Integrity].


    ¡°Dawn didn¡¯t warn me about that,¡± Jason snarled. ¡°I think we need to have a little conversation.¡±


    ¡°As do you and I,¡± said a voice. Jason looked in that direction to see a man emerge from behind the shattered remnant of a vaguely Greek column. The man had a sharp suit, an expensive haircut, dark eyes and a predator¡¯s smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s about time you showed up,¡± the man said. ¡°I¡¯m a busy man, Mr Asano, but I knew you¡¯d get here eventually. I was confident that whoever sent you back to this world would make sure you were up to the task, which is why I never bothered to stop my people from trying to kill you. If they succeeded, you weren¡¯t good enough for what needs to be done anyway.¡±


    ¡°You have me at a disadvantage,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, you have no idea,¡± the man said, grinning like a snake who found a nest full of baby mice. ¡°I have many names, but the one you are most likely to know is Mr North.¡±


    ¡°The leader I was told the EOA didn¡¯t have,¡± Jason said. ¡°You have a lot to answer for.¡±


    ¡°But now is not the time,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s your choice to make?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s yours, but you¡¯re a smart man, Mr Asano. More or less.¡±


    Jason paused to take stock, pushing his senses to their limits. Detecting anything through the oppressive aura suffusing the space around them was like pushing through treacle but he managed to get a read on Mr North.


    ¡°You¡¯re gold rank.¡±


    Mr North¡¯s only response was another Cheshire grins.


    "What are you?" Jason asked. "You''re not an essence user. Some kind of native magical creature? But Earth doesn''t have those. And there''s something else¡­"


    Jason¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°You¡¯re a familiar. A bonded familiar but your bond has been severed.¡±


    ¡°Your senses are as sharp as advertised, noticing that much in this place. I was a rune spider, originally, although I¡¯ve come so very far from those days. Becoming a familiar offers a creature like me many opportunities if you look at things in the long term. You do have to pick your essence user with care. Someone who will rank up well, obviously, but there are other pitfalls. As I came to discover.¡±


    ¡°Your essence user died?¡±


    Jason¡¯s first encounter with a native magical creature had been the familiar of Landemere Vane, both the first person he met from another world and the first person he killed. Vane¡¯s familiar had tried to take revenge, only to fall victim to aging masonry.


    ¡°My essence user did die,¡± Mr North said. ¡°That was not until after our bond was severed, however. You¡¯ve heard of bonded familiars parting ways with their essence users, yes?¡±


    ¡°I have. The connection is intimate, so when the familiar and the essence user become irrevocably at odds, the bond breaks.¡±


    ¡°My essence user was blinded by faith. Sacrifice after sacrifice, giving up power and prestige to lift up a bunch of savages.¡±


    ¡°The Network founder was your essence user,¡± Jason realised. ¡°That¡¯s how you knew about this place.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Mr North said. ¡°It¡¯s so nice to talk to someone quick on the uptake. My own minions were quite disappointing before Adrien Barbou came along. Thank you for putting him in a position to come my way. If the Lyon branch¡¯s plans had worked out better, I¡¯d have missed out on a quality subordinate.¡±


    Jason narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re what happened to the Network founder, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Trussed him up and handed him off to some gentlemen in Philadelphia. This was back in the colonial days, long before the Network proper. They didn¡¯t have the power to take him down, of course, leaving me to do all the work. I felt bad, later, about the unpleasant end my bond-mate come to. We were so close, once, after all. I was quite angry at the time, though, and I¡¯ve been reaping the benefits of that deal ever since. It gave the US network branches quite the head start, once the magic started ticking up.¡±


    ¡°The US network branches are feeding the EOA resources and information?¡±


    ¡°Only a few critical members,¡± Mr North said. ¡°For the most part, their animosity to my little organisation is quite genuine. Feel free to tell them; they¡¯re a little too unified at the moment. A little internal strife would serve me well.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here and what do you want?¡±


    ¡°For you, obviously. This world needs saving and I¡¯ve put a lot of work into it. I need to make sure you do it right.¡±

 Chapter 380: Parade of Delights

    In an otherworldly realm washed in amber monochrome, Jason was face to face with Mr North, the head of the Engineers of Ascension.


    ¡°Saving the world the right way requires your guidance, does it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You¡¯ll forgive me for not taking you at your word.¡±


    ¡°Repairing the link between worlds is just the beginning,¡± Mr North said. ¡°If you make a mistake now, we¡¯ll all pay for it later.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re an altruist.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not inconsistent with selfishness to save the planet you¡¯re standing on, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°What is this subsequent threat I need to be wary of?¡±


    ¡°While I recognise that being more forthcoming would help establish trust,¡± Mr North said, ¡°that isn¡¯t a feasible approach at this time. If you learn too much now, things won¡¯t go the way they need to. Suffice to say that you will learn, in time, and you won¡¯t be happy about it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not exactly selling it, here.¡±


    ¡°I know having things kept from you isn¡¯t what you want, Mr Asano, but it¡¯s what you need. It won¡¯t feel like it, but I¡¯m helping you right now. Even telling you this much may be compromising too much.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here?¡± Jason asked. ¡°If you wanted to not tell me things, you could have done that from home.¡±


    ¡°I need to set you on the path. The day will come, Mr Asano, when you and I become allies.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re responsible for hundreds of thousands of deaths.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t deny it. Not to you, anyway. That doesn¡¯t change the reality.¡±


    ¡°I could just kill you here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You could try,¡± Mr North said. ¡°I¡¯m gold rank but not an essence user. The odds would be in my favour but you¡¯ve beaten long odds before. You have a way of coming through in the critical moments I won¡¯t underestimate. It would be a risk, though. You have responsibilities. Will you put your ability to meet them in jeopardy just to punish me for past injustices?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ve got plenty of injustice left in you,¡± Jason said. ¡°How much death and misery is prevented if you die in this hole?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just the opposite, Mr Asano. You¡¯re here to save the world this time, but I¡¯m the only one getting ready for next time.¡±


    ¡°Which you aren¡¯t going to tell me about.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    At his side, Jason¡¯s fingers twitched, eager to conjure his dagger and lunge at the man in front of him.


    ¡°How do you see this going?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re here for the door,¡± Mr North said. ¡°I¡¯m here to make sure you don¡¯t just claim it but absorb it.¡±


    ¡°Absorb it?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s critical that the door cannot be taken from you by anyone. It has to become a part of you.¡±


    ¡°How does a door become part of me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a literal door, Mr Asano, although it often appears as such. It¡¯s an astral construct with the power to manifest in physical reality in the form of a portal. Much the same principle as your portal archways.¡±


    ¡°This door is an object of the Builder.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The Builder has tried to worm his way into my soul before. I¡¯m not giving him another shot.¡±


    ¡°It has?¡±


    ¡°Someone tried to shove a star seed up in me.¡±


    ¡°And it didn¡¯t work?¡± Mr North laughed. ¡°Mr Asano, you are a parade of delights. It seems that I couldn¡¯t have asked for anyone better. You need to take this particular object off the Builder¡¯s hands.¡±


    ¡°So say you. You could easily be his lackey, setting me up for a fall. You don¡¯t seem to be bothered by the Builder¡¯s influence in this place.¡±


    ¡°My bond-mate¡¯s deity and the Builder long ago came to an accord regarding your world and the other. While my bond-mate is long dead, I still enjoy an amnesty from the Builder¡¯s incidental attentions.¡±


    ¡°Again, I have nothing to go on but the word of a man who should be on trial in The Hague.¡±


    ¡°Let me show you, and you can decide for yourself. I¡¯ve made no small preparations for this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go along with this. For now.¡±


    Mr North grinned.


    ¡°If you were near the end of silver, instead of just the beginning, this would be a very different conversation, wouldn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a conversation.¡±


    ¡°So intimidating.¡±


    ¡°Just get on with it.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Follow me, Mr Asano. We need to go to the heart of this little realm.¡±


    The amber-lit terrain was uneven but mostly flat grassland, dotted with fragmentary ruins. As he followed Mr North, Jason¡¯s eyes picked out chunks of ruin sticking out of the ground that looked Greek, Cambodian and Mayan, along with more alien elements that would not have looked out of place on the cover of some Lovecraftian fiction.


    ¡°You are not what I expected, Mr North.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the only person I¡¯ve seen in centuries who has been to my home world, Mr Asano. I feel like I can be myself around you. With the EOA I have this need to be the stern and sinister authoritarian figure, which can be fun, but it gets tiring after a while. That being said, I¡¯ve heard you¡¯re not above playing the sinister authoritarian yourself. You should consider joining, now that you¡¯re no longer affiliated with the Network. I know that might seem like an outrageous proposition but have you considered that if you were part of the leadership, you could take the organisation in a more positive direction. You wouldn¡¯t even have to take orders from me. We could be partners. Maybe even friends.¡±


    ¡°Do you know what a nightmare hag is, Mr North?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s some kind of fear monster, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an astral being, not a monster, but yes. It takes things from your deepest fears and makes them manifest. Would you like to know what it showed me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I grasp the purpose of this conversational segue but do tell.¡±


    ¡°It showed me a version of myself that could be friends with you.¡±


    ¡°You do realise how self-centred it is that your greatest fear is some version of yourself, right?¡±


    Mr North led Jason to a small dell that had been hard to notice with the light washing out the geographical features. At the bottom was a series of large standing stones, arranged in a circle. The stones were the same marble as the walls of the pentagon room through which Jason had entered the realm; white with veins of blue, silver and gold. The stones hadn¡¯t been polished slippery smooth, however, looking rough-hewn and weathered.


    Mr North made his way down the slope of the dell, with Jason following after. Mr North pointed out a series of wooden crates on the grass inside the stone circle.


    ¡°Prying this place out of the Builder¡¯s control and into yours will be an intricate and elaborate process,¡± Mr North said. ¡°I¡¯ve been gathering the materials we need for longer than you¡¯ve been alive. I¡¯ll start talking you through the process as we start unpacking it all.¡±


    As they reached the circle of stones, Jason reached out and touched one.


    Item: [Fundament Gate] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    ???. (???, ???).


    Effect: ???.Effect: ???.


    Your soul¡¯s ability to resist the Builder¡¯s influence and your [Spirit Vault] ability allow you to incorporate this item into your spirit vault. Doing so will purge the Builder¡¯s influence and the item¡¯s effects, instead altering your abilities.This item¡¯s impact on your abilities will be diminished due to your rank being lower than that of the item. The effect will further increase as your rank increases.Once incorporated, this object cannot be removed or made use of by anyone else. Incorporating this item into your spirit vault will affect the following abilities:


    [Spirit Vault]: Your ability to sense Builder-related items and resist their effects will be significantly increased. You will be able to directly attack Builder-related items using soul attacks.


    [Path of Shadows]: This ability will gain an additional effect. If you can comprehend the fundamental aspects of an area of physical reality, you can open a portal to a manifested space where those fundamental aspects can be accessed. Such spaces will be semi-physical and semi-astral in nature and will negatively affect anyone without both a physical body and an astral affinity.


    Jason appeared to be staring blankly as he read the screen Mr North couldn¡¯t see.


    ¡°What are you spacing out about?¡± Mr North asked. ¡°We have hours of work ahead of us. I just hope your astral magic is up to scratch or this will take even longer.¡±


    Jason ignored him, still staring into space.


    ¡°Asano?¡±


    Jason reached out and touched the stone again and darkness started spreading over it like a shadow was passing over. White stone became opaque, like smoked glass, with the blue, silver, and gold veins becoming twinkling lights within the darkness. The stone had turned completely dark and the other stones started following suit.


    Mr North turned his head wildly, watching the stones change.


    ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I hate to break it to you, Mr North, but smugly thinking you know what the enemy  you¡¯re trying to turn into an ally will do is a good way to get slapped down. I learned that the hard way myself.¡±


    Jason waved his arm and an obsidian portal arch rose up in the middle of the circle. The stones started to break down, dissolving into dust. The dust was drawn through the air, as if by a vacuum, getting sucked into the dark portal.


    ¡°WHAT DID YOU DO?¡±


    ¡°Since we won¡¯t be needing them anymore,¡± Jason said as he picked up one of the wooden crates, ¡°I¡¯m just going pop these into the old dimensional space. Waste not, want not, yeah?¡±


    Mr North looked on in horror as the stones crumbled away, while Jason started shoving crates into his inventory.


    ¡°You¡¯ve ruined everything.¡±


    ¡°Oh, calm down. You wanted me to absorb the magic door, right? I¡¯m absorbing the magic door.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just absorb it because you want to!¡±


    ¡°No, you can¡¯t just absorb it because you want to. I¡¯m a man of many talents. Cooking, absorbing magic doors...¡±


    Jason frowned, pausing with another crate in his arms.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°Two talents. And my sister is better at one of them, but still. I hope Kaito isn¡¯t any good at absorbing magic doors. Probably not; that would be weird.¡±


    The obsidian arch of the portal was slowly transmuting as it absorbed the dust from the stones, turning from pure black to a smoky crystal with blue, silver and gold shimmers within.


    ¡°Why are you talking nonsense?¡± Mr North asked. ¡°This space is going to break down, and us with it!¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Hang on a bit.¡± Jason quickly stowed the last two crates, the last of the stones crumbling to nothing as he did. He then looked around.


    ¡°Seems fine to me.¡±


    The ground lurched and the amber light started taking on streaks of red tint.


    ¡°Oh, there it is,¡± Jason said. ¡°Come on; out we pop.¡±


    He then stepped through the arch into which all the stones had vanished. Mr North looked around at the space unravelling around them and scrambled after him.


    In the pentagonal room at the bottom of the shaft, Emi was running her fingers over the smooth marble, marvelling at the slick smoothness, almost devoid of friction.


    ¡°The wall is getting warmer,¡± she said.


    ¡°Oh?¡± Koya asked and the three Tiwari men put their hands to the wall.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Denji said.


    ¡°Does that mean Mr Asano did something?¡± Itsuki asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we came here for,¡± Denji said. ¡°Let¡¯s hope he did it right.¡±


    ¡°The wall is changing colour,¡± Emi said, stepping back from it warily, the others joining her.


    They watched as the white marble walls turned grey, as if the vital essence were being leeched from them. The apertures in the middle of each, still emitting a soft glow, started to dim. Once the light of the apertures had completely gone out and all the colour was gone from the walls, the walls crumbled like sand, spilling onto the floor. Behind them was the plain stone from which the shaft had been dug, identical to the stone under their feet.


    In the middle of the room, a line of dark appeared on the floor, from which rose a portal arch, instead of the familiar obsidian, the arch was murky crystal with lights shining dimly within. The dark void filling the portal was the same, from which Jason stepped out to be caught in a limpet hug by his niece.


    ¡°Look out Moppet,¡± Jason said, lifting her up, still attached to him, and moving her out of the way. Another person stumbled out, after which the portal disappeared into the floor.


    Mr North¡¯s expression became stern as he stood up straight, panning the room with a stern glare as he adjusted his tie and cuffs. The grinning, languid man Jason had met was nowhere to be seen, Mr North¡¯s sharp eyes taking in the scene before settling on Jason.


    ¡°For all our sakes, Mr Asano,¡± he said, his voice gravel hard, ¡°I hope you haven¡¯t made a terrible mistake.¡±


    ¡°Caution has its place,¡± Jason said, ¡°but the first step of doing the impossible is having the nuggets to try.¡±


    ¡°I will take my leave.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be today, Mr North,¡± Jason said, ¡°but the day will come where you and I have a reckoning.¡±


    ¡°I know you like to be dramatic, Mr Asano, but you¡¯ll find yourself with much bigger problems than me to deal with. Assuming you didn¡¯t just ruin everything.¡±


    Mr North directed his arms at the ground and threads of web shot from his sleeves. He used it to draw a complex sigil on the ground, which lit with pale blue light when it was completed. He stepped onto the sigil and it rose into the air, swiftly carrying Mr North up and into the shaft.


    ¡°Who was that?¡± Denji asked. ¡°Where did he come from?¡±


    ¡°Magic Spider-Man?¡± Emi suggested.


    ¡°That was Mr North, the head of the EOA,¡± Jason explained.


    ¡°And you let him go?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s category four, Patriarch,¡± Jason said. ¡°He let us go.¡±


    ¡°How can he be category four?¡± Koya asked. ¡°How would he sustain himself?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s had access to the door for centuries. I imagine he has a stockpile of the objects the magical world will soon be fighting over.¡±

 Chapter 381: Collateral Damage

    Dawn, Erika, Yumi and Asya were on the sandy beach of the lagoon, waiting for the others to emerge from the sea cave. Jason and the others emerged on black jet skis that dissolved into darkness as they beached themselves on the sand. Erika snatched her daughter into a worried hug and Farrah slapped Jason on the arm.


    ¡°Got it done?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said.


    Dawn had been staring at Jason even before they left the cave, her gaze unerringly locked onto his aura through the stone.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± Dawn asked him. ¡°The transcendent strain in your aura has been strengthened. It may only offer flavour, rather than power, but it is a startling thing to detect in an aura at your rank. It might be intimidating but it will also draw attention.¡±


    ¡°Probably for the best that he can hide his aura so well, then,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Dawn said. ¡°What does have power is the force inside your aura antithetical to the Builder. Most people wouldn¡¯t recognise it, but I¡¯m familiar enough with the Builder to know what it is. It was there the first time we met, but now the glowing ember is a burning flame.¡±


    ¡°The Builder and his freaky cyborg army killed a lot of people in the other world, including both Farrah and myself,¡± Jason said. ¡°I am antithetical to the Builder.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be lucky if any of the Builder¡¯s adherents don¡¯t attack you on sight after sensing that aura,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll consider myself lucky if they do,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rooting out those infiltrating pricks is something I¡¯ve done before and I¡¯ll be more than happy to do again.¡±


    ¡°So, this is it,¡± said Denji. ¡°Our clan has fulfilled its purpose. Now I am unsure of what course to chart.¡±


    As Tiwari clan patriarch, it was Denji¡¯s duty to lead a clan now riddled with fissures. Large portions of the clan had treated their long-held purpose as mythological, so Jason¡¯s arrival had left many uncertain or angry. Denji would be required to lead his clan to a new purpose.


    ¡°The first thing is to consolidate the clan in the wake of our new reality,¡± Denji¡¯s brother, Koya, said. ¡°Things will be uncertain as we choose our own destiny, but we must move forward together.¡±


    ¡°Father is right, Uncle Denji,¡± Itsuki said. ¡°We will all be together.¡±


    ¡°We are far from a unified force, son,¡± Koya said, ¡°I think it might be a good time to broaden your horizons. Mr Asano, I was hoping that you might take Itsuki under your wing for a time.¡±


    Itsuki¡¯s eyes went wide at the idea.


    ¡°You might not want to do that,¡± Emi said. ¡°He may learn more about the A-Team than magic powers.¡±


    ¡°The old Liam Neeson movie?¡± Itsuki asked.


    ¡°Oh, holy, crap,¡± Jason said. ¡°What have you been teaching this boy? He definitely needs to have his education expanded upon.¡±


    ¡°Did I miss something?¡± Koya asked.


    ¡°Clearly,¡± Erika said. ¡°Does your son even know who George Peppard is?¡±


    ¡°The male lead from Breakfast at Tiffany¡¯s?¡± Koya asked. ¡°What is going on?¡±


    ¡°You can just ignore them,¡± Yumi said. ¡°My grandchildren have skewed views on certain cultural properties. You should also ignore Breakfast at Tiffany¡¯s. Mickey Rooney as a Japanese man? Excruciating.¡±


    ¡°You know what¡¯s worse?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That movie where Obi-Wan Kenobi plays a man named Koichi Asano.¡±


    ¡°That movie,¡± Denji growled. ¡°I can only imagine how aggravating it must be to have your name being used like that.¡±


    Asya wrapped her arm inside Jason¡¯s.


    ¡°If I had a bingo card for you,¡± she told him, ¡°I¡¯d have just crossed off ¡®get the patriarch of an ancient Japanese clan to complain about old movies during a treasure hunt on a deserted tropical island.¡¯¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very specific bingo card.¡±


    ¡°Yours would be,¡± she said. ¡°There really is no one quite like you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m not like the other girls,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°If you two are going to make out,¡± Emi said, ¡°could you save it for the plane? Also, can we get a plane?¡±


    ¡°Shade is my familiar, Moppet. You can¡¯t just tell him to¡­¡±


    Darkness streamed out of Jason¡¯s shadow to take the form of a plane, blasting down air as it hovered in place. One of Shade¡¯s bodies emerged from Jason and stood next to Emi.


    ¡°Would you like to come aboard, Miss Emi?¡± Shade said loudly, over the rush of air.


    ¡°Traitor,¡± Jason accused.


    The Tiwari men were returned to Japan and Itsuki went off with his father to pack his things. Souta Tiwari, who had been looking into Jason¡¯s poisoning, met them on arrival. He offered to report to Jason, who said that he was uninterested in Tiwari clan affairs. Jason already knew everything from the Shade dwelling in Souta¡¯s shadow and it truly was internal Tiwari affairs. Jason had bigger things to deal with than some disgruntled clansmen, although if they¡¯d gone after his family, instead, it would be a different story.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Souta said as they waited for Itsuki to return. ¡°The Japanese authorities came to find you during your absence. We truthfully told them that you had already departed, but it might be time for you to bring this trip to Japan to an end.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did set off a bunch of car bombs, so I can hardly blame them. Good thing you tried to murder me or I¡¯d feel bad about bringing that to your door.¡±


    Souta gave Jason an awkward smile.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mate. We¡¯ll be off and away promptly.¡±


    Koya looked at his son, madly shoving things into the dark, floating orb that was the aperture to Itsuki¡¯s storage space.


    ¡°This is an important opportunity, son, but while I know you admire Mr Asano, do not lose sight of how dangerous he is.¡±


    ¡°We are all dangerous, Father. We¡¯ve both killed many monsters.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I mean. You need not fear the man who kills, for all you need to do is be better. Fear the man who kills, then smiles and laughs like it is any other day. That man has no lines, whatever he might tell you. Or tell himself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s like that,¡± Itsuki said. ¡°Look at the things he¡¯s done. It¡¯s clear how hard he¡¯s trying to be a good man.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Koya said. ¡°Good men don¡¯t have to try.¡±


    On the way back to Australia, Jason, Farrah and Dawn sequestered themselves in a cabin to discuss the next move.


    ¡°If you absorbed the door, you should have some idea of how it operates,¡± Dawn said to Jason.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he agreed, ¡°although how to operate it properly is another matter. I¡¯m going to need to advance my knowledge of astral magic or I¡¯ll just fumble around, accomplishing nothing.¡±


    ¡°I can continue to help you with that,¡± Dawn said. ¡°In the meantime, Miss Hurin can work on our own system to tap into the grid, now that you have lost access to Network resources.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to need access?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°As best I can understand,¡± Jason said, ¡°the underlying makeup of reality is made of nodes, of which just this planet has an incalculable number. Fuelling those nodes are what you might call reality cores. Batteries for the universe. These are the things that everyone is going to be fighting over.¡±


    ¡°These events you described taking place after the grid goes back up,¡± Farrah said to Dawn. ¡°They¡¯re going to reveal these reality cores?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°As best as I can determine, each event will reveal one, which you can expect the magical factions to be fighting over.¡±


    ¡°What about the proto-spaces?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°They will continue, and we need to use them,¡± Dawn said. ¡°They represent the points at which the dimensional membrane around this reality is most strained. There, rituals to find the altered nodes will be more effective, allowing us to detect them over a wider area.¡±


    ¡°As best we can tell, the Network founder used the door to create the imbalance in the link and then founded the Network to slow down the damage once it escalated,¡± Jason explained. ¡°The whole reason the link between worlds is out of whack is that the door was used to modify specific nodes. That¡¯s what we need to track down: the nodes the founder modified, so we can restore them to what amounts to factory default.¡±


    ¡°It will be quite hit and miss at first,¡± Dawn said. ¡°As more of the link is normalised, the rest will start to stand out and our successes will accelerate at the end.¡±


    ¡°Which will stop it siphoning magic from my world,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That will finally trigger the oversized monster surge, giving the Builder¡¯s forces a chance to invade.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°This world is just collateral damage. Unfortunately, the only way out is through. Someone like me coming along to fix the link was part of the plan. I¡¯m going to be the trigger that starts the invasion.¡±


    ¡°There is no other option,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°The only way out is through. We need to identify the nodes and fix the link, hopefully before the magical factions plunder too many of the nodes and the whole system is thrown off.¡±


    ¡°What if one of the nodes we need is affected by these events?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We will need to figure that out as we go,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Even I can¡¯t know that until I see it for myself. I suspect, though, that we will have an amount of leeway.¡±


    ¡°Meaning we don¡¯t have to hit every node?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That¡¯s some welcome breathing room.¡±


    ¡°These are just educated guesses,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It could well be that I am wrong and every affected node must be restored.¡±


    ¡°I guess we have a plan, then,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If we¡¯re going to be running around in proto-spaces, though, won¡¯t the Network get grouchy?¡±


    ¡°Let them,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°A support team might be useful,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Silvers would be best, but we have bronze-rankers we can trust. They can help keep the monsters and the Network off our backs while we¡¯re operating in proto-spaces.¡±


    ¡°We can talk about it after we get back to Australia and take stock,¡± Jason said. ¡°There are a lot of things up in the air right now.¡±


    Jason sat alone in his cloud house, in a dome beneath the water offshore of Asano Village. Emi was giving Itsuki a tour while Jason meditated, feeling completely safe for the first time since his second battle in Makassar. Some of his abilities even ranked up, although he knew that speed to be an illusion.


    Early in a rank, abilities always went up faster, but with every rank, the later thresholds become harder and harder to pass. His powers might go up two or three ranks quickly now, but it would be a decade or more before they started reaching gold. He could only hope that the challenges ahead were enough to accelerate the timeline a little.


    He had a monitor manifest out of a cloud wall and started watching the news. It was story after story on the changes currently rocking the world as everyday life and magic continued to collide.


    ¡°¡­it has been almost twenty-four hours since the last new monster wave, with waves that appeared before that point continuing to be dealt with across the globe. A Global Defense Network spokesperson claimed that under normal conditions, monster  waves would no longer appear, although she did stress that regions that have ejected the GDN presence are not operating under normal conditions.¡±


    A picture of the League of Heroes logo appeared on the screen.


    ¡°Questions continued to be asked about the League of Heroes that have taken over in the wake of GDN departures, specifically about the organisation behind them, the Engineers of Ascension. There is also the enigmatic and reclusive Cabal, although they are yet to make any visible attempts to seize political power. The EOA, as they are commonly known, was first revealed by Jason Asano, who himself is coming under fire amid accusations of a series of car bombings in Japan¡­¡±


    Jason flicked off the screen with a mental command and it sank into the cloud wall. He got up, walked through the cloud house, following the tunnel linked to the central underwater dome. He then took the tunnel to the airlock, leaving the cloud house for the tunnel system running under Asano Village. He took out the cloud flask, removed the stopper and placed the end into the physical aperture next to the airlock. The cloud house started breaking down and flowing into the flask.


    Jason hadn¡¯t yet used the new form of his cloud flask, the palace, which became available when he had raised the flask to silver rank. He didn¡¯t expect the palace form to be as grand as Emir¡¯s, since Emir had already taken his flask to gold rank. The cloud house form had become more impressive at bronze-rank and Jason imagined the palace form would operate on the same principle. Even so, he did not anticipate being disappointed to only get a small palace.


    He did not test the palace form after the cloud house had returned to the flask. Instead, he placed the flask in his inventory and sat in the small, underground tram cart that would carry him through the tunnels to Asano Village.


    As he neared the village, he sensed Annabeth Tilden arrive at the main gate. The serene bushland of Asano Village allowed Jason¡¯s senses to be quite alert to distant events, compared to a crowded city where stimulus was so much heavier. His silver-rank spirit attribute helped him filter it all, but only at higher rank would he be able to actively monitor a whole city when he blanketed it with his senses.


    Leaving the secret tunnels in the basement of the main residence, Jason hunted up Farrah and they went outside. Shade took the form of a car and drove them out to the main gate, where Annabeth was waiting in her own car. The Network Sydney branch committeewoman was accompanied by Nigel, the man in charge of the branch¡¯s tactical training, along with a pair of other silver-rankers.


    Nigel had worked closely with Farrah as they revamped the Network¡¯s training program, with Nigel himself, a rare non-core user, soaring up to silver rank after using Farrah¡¯s training methods. Nigel had reached his rank in almost as little time as Jason.


    Jason and Farrah stepped out of the cloud of darkness that their car turned into, while Anna and Nigel got out of their own car. Nigel conspicuously placed himself in a position to intervene if Jason or Farrah made a move on Anna. The other silver-rankers stayed close to her person. Looking on were some lingering fringe types, religious zealots and conspiracy theorists still camped outside the main gate, although most had moved on.


    ¡°Really, Nige?¡± Jason asked, looking at Nigel in between himself and Anna.


    ¡°I hate it when people call me Nige.¡±


    ¡°I hate it when people betray me, so I guess we¡¯re both out of luck. Hello, Anna.¡±

 Chapter 382: I Intend to Do Damage

    Annabeth Tilden and three silver-rankers were standing outside the main gate of Asano Village, facing Jason and Farrah.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t betray you, Mr Asano,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°No?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Then I guess the GDN spokesperson on the news stating that our association had been ended due to my increasingly dangerous and radicalised behaviour was a terrible mix up. I¡¯m surprised Terrance made that kind of slip.¡±


    ¡°You set off car bombs in traffic,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do worse before I¡¯m done,¡± Jason said. ¡°The thing is, Anna, I am dangerous and radicalised. I have been from the beginning. Remember when I first came back? Faith healing my way through a hospital and rolling a rolling gunfight in the streets? Since I started working with the Network I''ve been holding back but now you¡¯ve cut those fetters. You opened the floodgates, Anna. You don¡¯t get to complain when the water come through.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be like this, Asano.¡±


    ¡°As long as I eat the fact that you¡¯re attacking me in the news, stay quiet and do as I¡¯m told? Why are you here, Anna?¡±


    "Can we talk where there aren''t a bunch of hungry loons filming us on camera phones?" she asked. Just as she said, the fringe elements camping outside Asano Village had no short of people filming them as they spoke.


    ¡°The village is for guests, friends and allies, Anna. I¡¯m not saying the village¡¯s defences are impregnable, but if you want in, it¡¯ll take more than the four of you.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t your enemy, Jason. I¡¯m here to try and stop us from reaching that point. There are forces larger than either of us who see you as an antagonistic force, but if you¡¯re willing to make some concessions, we can stop this from escalating into conflict.¡±


    ¡°Concessions?¡± he growled, taking a step forward that prompted her bodyguard, Nigel to step between them. Jason stopped, closed his eyes and after a moment, the tense rage passed out of his shoulders.


    ¡°This is you, genuinely trying to help me,¡± Jason said softly. ¡°You want to mend fences; I understand that. I respect it. I¡¯m sorry, Anna, but they haven¡¯t told you why they turned on me in the first place, did they? It wasn¡¯t about car bombs.¡±


    ¡°Then what?¡±


    ¡°Those greater forces you mentioned? I¡¯m not sure how much they know, yet, but it¡¯s only a matter of time before they realise that I have something they want. Something everyone will want. People are going to make some bad choices trying to get it and they will reap the consequences.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡± Anna asked.


    Jason smiled.


    ¡°Since I came to this world,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ve been playing the essence user. It made sense to affiliate myself with the Network, given that their first priority was protecting the world from magic. That¡¯s already changing. What¡¯s coming will be a gold rush and an arms race, all in one. The old priorities will be gone.¡±


    ¡°So you say,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Believe me or not, I don¡¯t care,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t need the Network or anyone but the people already standing with me. I¡¯m done playing essence user and following the rules of this world. I¡¯m an adventurer again.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°Adventurers get the job done,¡± Farrah said stepping up next to Jason. ¡°We don¡¯t have oversight or chains of command or public relations departments. We do what it takes, whoever or whatever gets in our way. The Adventure Society sees the job that needs doing and finds the people to do it. Right here, right now, the Adventure Society is us, and we¡¯re the people for the job. We¡¯re going to do what needs to be done and we¡¯ll go through anyone or anything in our path, without hesitation, remorse or mercy. I like you, Anna, so I¡¯m hoping that¡¯s not you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what a threat sounds like, Anna,¡± Jason said. ¡°This world needs saving. I don¡¯t know if the people behind you understand the true threat or not and I don¡¯t care anymore. Just don¡¯t get in our way.¡±


    ¡°And what exactly does the world need saving from?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°The dimensional incursions are getting worse,¡± Farrah said, ¡°and the rate at which they¡¯re getting worse in increasing. When we first arrived here, category three incursions were moving from the exception to the norm. Now we¡¯re starting to see category four incursions. Do you really think they¡¯re going to stop?¡±


    ¡°Are you claiming you¡¯re going to stop the monsters from coming at all?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°It could just be that we stop them from getting worse.¡±


    ¡°Then why not work with us?¡±


    ¡°Anna, I¡¯ve worked with a lot of good people at the Network. You¡¯re one of them. But not a lot of the goods ones end up in charge. Think about the other members on the steering committee. Do you trust them to do the right thing? Someone knows that when I do what I have to do, the power you¡¯re about to start fighting over will no longer appear. Anna, tell me that the people in charge will choose to address a looming threat over immediate gain.¡±


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t.¡±


    "Then you need to look at your own loyalties and priorities. When you go home to Susan and look her in the eye, I bet you feel proud at the work you''ve done each day. You should. If you want to keep feeling that way, maybe start thinking about how much you let the International Committee dictate your choices.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not my conscience, Jason. I make my own choices.¡±


    ¡°Yet you came here to convince me to let you make mine?¡±


    ¡°There are people following you who will be caught up in your mess. Asya Karadeniz is throwing away her future by quitting the Network. Don¡¯t take her down with you.¡±


    "I actually hope you''re right, Anna. I hope the Network doesn''t lose its way. But the fact is, the Network and the monsters they fight were both incepted by the same person. Your house was always built on sand."


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°The Network was never intended to protect the world from monsters. It was a regulatory measure so the dimensional incursions didn¡¯t destroy the world too quickly. A stop-gap until either someone like me came along to turn things back or the world was destroyed. Either result gets what the founder wanted, which is to open the gates of an entirely different world to invasion.¡±


    ¡°Even if all that were true, and I¡¯m not acknowledging that it is, it doesn¡¯t matter. It doesn¡¯t matter what someone centuries ago intended when it¡¯s the people of today that control the Network¡¯s destiny.¡±


    Jason smiled.


    "I like that," he said. "I hope you have ambition, Anna. With people like you at the helm, the Network really could be what I think we both want it to be."


    ¡°Then instead of moving away from it, move closer. With what you have to offer, you could be a positive influence. Help me to make the Network everything it should be.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to work, Anna. We both know that I chafe under restriction. I¡¯m self-aware enough to know that I¡¯m more trouble than I¡¯m worth in an organisation. As soon as the group¡¯s ideals and mine come into conflict, we both know what I¡¯ll do. Call it independence or arrogance, but I work better from the outside.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s arrogance,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Whose side are you on?¡± Jason asked her.


    ¡°Justice.¡±


    Jason chuckled and stepped towards Anna, only for her silver-rank bodyguard, Nigel, to move into his way.


    ¡°If I wanted her dead, Nigel,¡± Jason said, ¡°You wouldn¡¯t see it coming, let alone have a chance to stop me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Nigel,¡± Anna said and he begrudgingly let Jason past. Jason held out his hand and Anna shook it.


    ¡°I hope that we can work together again, someday, Anna. You¡¯ll soon be learning why it can¡¯t be today, though.¡±


    ¡°If you really do need to save the world, you can¡¯t do it alone.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not alone,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Anna said. ¡°But I know you feel isolated right now, Asano, and perhaps inclined to lash out. Just give your actions some consideration before you do anything drastic¡­¡±


    She looked around at the people filming them with their phones.


    "¡­like having a conversation like this in front of people who are probably live-streaming it. But I guess that was the point of having it here, wasn''t it?"


    ¡°If you play by your opponent¡¯s rules, Anna, they get to decide who wins.¡±


    ¡°The idea is for all of us to win, Jason. There doesn¡¯t have to be sides. I know you like playing chaos bringer but that will lash back on you to. And the people around you.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°A lesson I never seem to learn properly,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°I¡¯m not your enemy, Anna. But if your organisation comes for me, it will be, and this is not the time for half-measures.¡±


    Anna frowned.


    ¡°I hope things go well for both of us,¡± she said.


    ¡°So do I.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so certain the network will be at odds with you?¡±


    ¡°Dawn briefed you on the events about to take place. There¡¯s no preventing them, only managing them, at least until I put a stop to them for good. What she didn¡¯t tell you is that each event will contain a treasure that offers a path forward to those bottlenecked at the upper reaches of power. We¡¯ve started calling them reality cores.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that there¡¯s a way beyond category three?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you understand the ramifications,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Network will be fighting the Cabal, the EOA and each other over the reality cores but they also won¡¯t want me to turn off the spigot. Saving the world will stop it from getting fresh wounds for them to dig through for power.¡±


    Anna looked around at the people filming them again.


    ¡°Jason, do you have any idea what you¡¯ve done by releasing this information? Even if you¡¯re lying, you¡¯ve done incredible damage.¡±


    ¡°The Network, the Cabal and the EOA are about to start strip mining this planet for the things holding it together, even as forces threaten to tear it apart. I intend to do damage.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time for me to leave,¡± Anna said. ¡°After this conversation, I have to go get demoted.¡±


    ¡°I hope that isn¡¯t true,¡± Jason said. ¡°We need people like you.¡±


    Jason had called a family meeting in the sitting room of the main residence, with Erika, her husband, Ian, Emi, Jason and Erika¡¯s father, Ken, their uncle, Hiro and grandmother, Yumi. They were all sat in armchairs and on couches while Jason and Farrah stood before them.


    ¡°I have something to tell you about how you¡¯re going to spend the next few months,¡± Jason said, ¡°and I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to like it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to stash us away somewhere,¡± Yumi said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What if we say no?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Then things will be awkward when I do it anyway.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Ken asked.


    ¡°Because I have something that people will want me to give them. Once they realise I can¡¯t, they¡¯ll want me to use it for them. If they take hostages to try and make me, I have to be able to say no. If you all are the hostages, I don¡¯t trust that I can.¡±


    ¡°We built Asano Village to keep us safe,¡± Hiro said.


    ¡°And when the Network was at our backs, that was enough,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Now that they¡¯re at our gates, it isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Where is this deep, dark hole you want to throw us in?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°The safest place I have access to. You can spend the time preparing for what comes after, if you still intend to travel with us to the other world. Emi can prepare for her chosen essences, since the ones I picked out were apparently not good enough.¡±


    ¡°Uncle Jason, you only picked those out to keep me safe,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Erika said. ¡°Emi, you¡¯re taking those.¡±


    Ian placed a hand on his wife¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Eri, we need to let her be what she wants to be, not what we want her to be.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have plenty of time for discussion on that topic,¡± Jason said. ¡°Emi won¡¯t be ready for essences for about another year. As for you, Ian, I suggest you get ready to introduce some medical knowledge to a population that relies largely on magic and faith.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that matters,¡± Ian said. ¡°Working with essence users, I¡¯ve learned that their bodies defy my medical understanding.¡±


    ¡°Do you remember my friend Jory, from my recordings of the other world?¡± Jason asked. ¡°He is all about helping regular people, who do fall under your expertise. I think you¡¯ll be the most exciting person he¡¯s ever met in his life.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes. Just before I last saw him, the church of the Healer gave him a mandate and funding to spread his methods around the world. You¡¯re going to be a busy man. What all of you need to do is start learning some languages. Fortunately, you¡¯re all essence users, except for Emi, who¡¯s already been learning for months. I¡¯m not sure I ever explained what a spirit attribute is, but you have one and it will positively affect your memory. You¡¯ve probably already noticed.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s it?¡± Erika asked. ¡°You¡¯re locking us away and we don¡¯t get a say in it?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°And what if something happens to you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Actually I¡¯m pretty safe,¡± Jason said. ¡°Word will soon be getting around about the magic door I have inside me. Not only will people want me alive to use it, but they will, eventually, want me to save the world with it. They¡¯ll just want me to hold off until they¡¯ve harvested as many reality cores as they can.¡±


    ¡°So, they¡¯ll lock you up in a deep, dark hole, too,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Probably, yeah. That¡¯s why I need you safe.¡±


    ¡°What about Mum? Kaito?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll be safe here,¡± Jason said. ¡°It won¡¯t be long before anyone who would go after my family realises that the people I would potentially compromise myself over aren¡¯t here anymore.¡±


    ¡°And until they figure that out?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll be operating a team out of the village in the short term,¡± Farrah said. ¡°By the time we move on, anyone who would try will have investigated enough to know.¡±


    ¡°And what if they decide to try anyway?¡±


    ¡°Then things will get ugly,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Why can¡¯t you take everyone?¡± Emi asked. ¡°You¡¯re putting us in the cloud palace, right? Won¡¯t there be room?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not putting you in the cloud palace,¡± Jason said. ¡°I considered it. Taking the whole family and stashing you at the bottom of the sea. But if the whole family vanishes, people are going to wonder why and go looking. If they find you while I¡¯m on the other side of the planet, I can¡¯t protect you.¡±


    ¡°Where do you want to put us, then?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s another reason I chose all of you and not any of the others,¡± Jason said. ¡°All of you have been able to enter my spirit vault.¡±

 Chapter 383: A Chance to Control the Narrative

    Amy and Kaito had taken over the main residence of Asano Village when Erika''s family was stashed away, cementing Amy''s position as de facto mayor. Jason had claimed the bushland house previously occupied by his grandmother, where he delved into the study of astral magic. He wanted to be closer than where he had kept the cloud house underwater, so he could respond to threats rapidly without using his portal. He missed the cloud bed but had hung a hammock as a makeshift replacement


    Jason put one of his many theory texts back into his inventory with the others. It was an evolving collection, starting with what Knowledge gave him and then adding in notes first from Clive and then Dawn. After studying for most of the day, he was mentally exhausted enough that he felt low on mana. A glance at the mana bar at the periphery of his vision told him otherwise. He contemplated the interface elements that were so familiar now that he would only really notice their absence.


    The mana bar, the stamina bar and the little human shape that indicated his bodily health. He had come so far from when those elements had first appeared. Jason was still human-shaped, just like the health indicator, but he was so far from human anymore.


    Dawn walked in and saw that he wasn¡¯t reading. She had also been staying in the house, to the slight chagrin of Asya. Asya had left her position with the Network but Jason did not want her living with him. Not only was it far too early in the relationship but Jason didn¡¯t want the distraction. He considered himself a disciplined man, but given the choice between dry magical theory and the soft lips of a beautiful woman, he knew he wasn¡¯t that disciplined.


    ¡°Need a break?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said.


    ¡°Your ability to concentrate at your rank is much improved over baseline but even if you don¡¯t really have a brain anymore, keeping the mind fresh is important for learning. Taking regular breaks is sensible.¡±


    Jason nodded wearily and stumbled out on to the balcony to take in the scent of the bush. Dawn had been living with him for weeks, forcibly dragging his understanding of astral magic upward. Before they could use the magic door to start modifying nodes, they had to find the right nodes by conducting astral magic rituals in proto-spaces, where the dimensional walls were stretched thin.


    Sending Dawn¡¯s avatar through proto-space apertures would be a questionable proposition so Jason would be required to carry out the necessary rituals. Farrah would obviously assist, being the superior ritualist, but astral magic was Jason¡¯s field, not hers, and his understanding of it had surpassed her basic knowledge.


    Jason appreciated the education, knowing exactly how valuable Dawn¡¯s tutelage was. Jason chuckled to himself in anticipation of telling Clive about it. That did not make it any easier to slog through text after text as his understanding of astral magic grew.


    It had been weeks since Jason has entered a proto-space to fight a monster while he awaited Farrah devising their own means of monitoring the grid. She knew the system the Network used well enough to replicate it easily, having used her own time on earth to explore magitech. The delay came from the need for additional functionality, over and above the Network¡¯s base system.


    The most important additional feature was the ability to differentiate proto-spaces, not just by rank but by certain requirements determined by Dawn. Only some spaces would help them find the reality nodes Jason needed to modify using the magic door.


    Another source of delay, but one both Jason and Dawn approved of, was an idea Farrah came up with while working on the grid detection system. The original plan was to turn the former Network liaison office in the village into a tracking station, until Farrah struck on the idea of incorporating the system into the cloud flask. Once she had a viable design, they needed to find the right components and feed them into the cloud flask. The incredibly sophisticated item would then be able to reproduce the functionality.


    Jason was uncertain of the idea at first, but Farrah told him about the many times that Emir had done similar things with his own cloud flask, giving Jason a sense of assurance. If his cloud constructs were able to track events on the grid, they would have the flexibility to operate from the road.


    While Jason and Farrah were engaged in their various tasks, a combat team was being put together. Asya, Jason¡¯s old friend Greg and Kaito had all worked together while working for the Network, and now they had left, formed the core of the new team. To their number was added Itsuki and Taika, leaving them with a lot of versatile attack options but lacking defensive and healing specialists.


    The healing was resolved with an arrival from Japan. In the wake of Jason¡¯s visit, Shiro and his mother had entered a leadership battle for control of the clan and Shiro was concerned for the safety of his daughters, despite their silver-rank strength. He had contacted Jason, asking him to once again take in his daughter Akari, this time accompanied by her sister, Mei. Not only were the sisters both silver-rank, but Mei was a healer.


    Jason had warned Shiro, in no uncertain terms, that placing his daughters in Jason¡¯s company could be placing them in even greater danger. Shiro requested that Jason accept them anyway, sparking suspicion that Shiro was attempting to plant spies in Jason¡¯s camp. After the two women arrived, Jason rudely and forcibly scrutinised their auras as he questioned them, only after which was he finally satisfied they were not spies for their grandmother.


    The arrival of Akari made the depth of Itsuki¡¯s crush on her painfully apparent, but Jason noted that for all of Akari¡¯s eye-rolling, he frequently spotted the pair together. Jason discussed the inclusion of Itsuki, Akari and Mei at length, both with the people themselves and their fathers, who had placed them all in his care. All three had lost their mothers young and were subsequently raised by stern, warrior men.


    To Jason¡¯s surprise, both Shiro and Koya strongly advocated their children¡¯s inclusion in Jason¡¯s team. This was the point where Jason discovered that Network families shared the trait with adventurer families of pushing their little birds out of the nest.


    Itsuki was becoming antsy as days and weeks passed without his entering a proto-space. He was used to plunging into one after the other, which is how he had reached bronze-rank at an almost unheard-of pace. For this reason, Jason had Itsuki work extensively on meditation, consolidating the powers he had rushed to rank up.


    ¡°Something is troubling you,¡± Jason said to Itsuki one day as they sat on the balcony of Jason¡¯s house. He had invited Itsuki to his house to discuss affliction specialist tactics but decided to ask the young man about the strain of uncertainty in his aura.


    ¡°It¡¯s more than just Akari being here or it being so long since you did any monster hunting,¡± Jason clarified, and Itsuki nodded.


    "It''s something my father said before I left Japan.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°He said that I should be careful of you.¡±


    ¡°Sound advice,¡± Jason said with a chuckle.


    ¡°I told him that you obviously work hard to be a good person.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for noticing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have my slip-ups but I do make a conscious effort.¡±


    ¡°He told me that a good person doesn¡¯t have to try to be good.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Jason said with a frown. ¡°I¡¯ll have to respectfully disagree with your father on that; what you just described tells me a lot about your father¡¯s life. He was born into money and influence. When everything comes easy, it¡¯s easy to be good. It costs you nothing, or so little as not to matter. I learned this for myself in the other world.¡±


    Jason gave Itsuki a smile tinged with sadness.


    ¡°I would probably have said something similar, a few years ago. It was only when things got hard and I was truly put to the test that I discovered how fragile what I thought of as my bedrock principles really were. It was profoundly disappointing. Do you know what the opposite of good is, Itsuki?¡±


    ¡°Evil would be the obvious answer, but that¡¯s not the answer you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. The opposite of good is easy. That may have been the moral of the last Harry Potter book, now that I think about it. Anyway, people don¡¯t do bad things because there is some antagonistic force driving them to sin. They do them because when the right thing is hard, making little compromises doesn¡¯t seem so bad. A shortcut here, a little selfishness when no one will ever know. Every step makes the next one a little easier.¡±


    ¡°That happened to you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, which is why I try hard to be diligent, now. I¡¯ve learned enough about myself to know that I¡¯m better off avoiding slippery slopes. I have arrogance and pride enough I could slide very low. I don¡¯t want to speak poorly of your father, but claiming that there is some inherently good person out there who never has trouble making the right choice is na?ve. But don¡¯t take my word for it either. If you want to do things that are truly important, you¡¯ll learn for yourself when the time comes and you have to make the hard choices.¡±


    Itsuki looked conflicted.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I feel better.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jason said. ¡°Be wary of anyone who is completely certain of the right path. I have been, from time to time, which has done some damage along the way.¡±


    Erika, her family and the others remained sequestered away in Jason¡¯s spirit vault. Jason wanted to give the impression to the world that they had been stashed in some quiet corner of the earth, rather than being carried with him, and he did not doubt that amongst the residents of Asano Village were people acting as eyes for external powers.


    Jason and Farrah regularly visited them in the spirit vault, both to help with the sense of isolation and to bring supplies. Jason¡¯s silver-rank soul garden, inside his spirit vault, was larger and more elaborate than previous iterations. He had even found that he could manipulate it to a degree, adding living quarters to the multi-level central pavilion.


    Jason¡¯s spirit vault could only be entered by those who trusted him completely. Erika and Emi had been able to enter from the beginning, as had Jason¡¯s father, Ken. Ken¡¯s brother Hiro turned out to be able to as well, having come to trust Jason, who had taken him from his old life and help restore him to the bosom of his family. Jason had hidden his secret delight when his grandmother, Yumi, had been able to enter.


    Only three people not amongst Jason¡¯s blood relatives had managed to make their way into the spirit vault. Farrah was one and Asya was another, having finally made her way inside as her relationship with Jason deepened. The third person was Ian, Erika¡¯s husband. Farrah had been surprised at how easily Ian had entered the vault and asked him about it.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known Jason since he was twelve years old,¡± Ian had told her. ¡°I¡¯ve seen him at his highest and his lowest points. At the end of the day, what matters is that I know he would do anything for my little girl. We¡¯re here right now because Jason doesn¡¯t trust himself to choose the entire world over my wife and daughter. What matters next to that?¡±


    Even Dawn was uncertain as to exactly what form the next magical events would take. All she knew was that the underlying patterns on which the world was built, taken from other, older realities, would start to make themselves known. As weeks passed since the last monster waves were suppressed, some started to believe that the promised events would not come to pass.


    That hope was first dashed in the historic Russian city of Kostroma. In a single moment, late in the morning, the entire city was sealed off in a dome. Investigation over the subsequent hours revealed that the dome was actually a sphere completely encapsulating the city. Forty-three hours after the sphere moved into place, it vanished revealing an interior vastly changed. Buildings had been remade, similar to their original forms but with new architectural styles and entirely new materials, rendering them alien in nature.


    Like the Network, Cabal and EOA, Jason, Farrah and Dawn had travelled to Kostroma to investigate while the sphere was in place, keeping themselves low-profile. When the sphere dropped, they made their way inside.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen this kind of construction before,¡± Farrah said as they rode into the affected area on black motorcycles, using Jason¡¯s party interface to communicate. ¡°Not the architecture, but magical construction methods were used to create these buildings.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t look new,¡± Jason observed. ¡°There¡¯s weathering. Years of it.¡±


    ¡°That would appear to be the nature of the events,¡± Dawn said. ¡°They remake the affected area in the image of worlds used as patterns when the original Builder created this universe.¡±


    ¡°What about the people?¡± Jason asked.


    It didn¡¯t take long to find out, for them or the other people streaming into the city. Russian authorities had sealed off the area around the sphere but had chosen not to obstruct any of the magical factions. As for Jason and his companions, they had no trouble circumventing the restrictions. What they found as they immediately encountered people was that the residents were no longer human. People were getting up from where they had apparently fallen unconscious, out on the street or in their cars. It had apparently happened quickly enough to cause traffic accidents.


    "Is that a leonid?" Jason asked, looking at a huge, hairy, lion-like woman.


    As they saw more and more people, Jason realised they had been transformed from human to entirely different humanoid species. They spotted elves and the dark-skinned runic people, with their tattoo-like rune markings that faintly glowed. They saw most of the species from Farrah''s world and more besides, although most of the people had turned into leonids. As the recovering residents realised what had happened to them, they started to panic.


    "I had been uncertain as to what would happen to the people," Dawn said. "I had feared they would die if caught up in the changes. This is drastic but better than death."


    ¡°Is there any way to undo this?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Maybe with the magic door?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You could no more undo this than unscramble an egg.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s time to go,¡± Jason said. ¡°If we run into anyone from the magic factions it will just cause problems. If we can¡¯t help these people, we can at least avoid making it worse.¡±


    Flying back toward Australia, Jason rubbed his forehead as he sat, his expression dark.


    ¡°This is a disaster,¡± he said. ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to parse the ramifications. We already treat other ethnicities so poorly and now this? It¡¯s going to be a horror show.¡±


    ¡°They were all essence-capable species, like humans,¡± Dawn said. ¡°None have high levels of inherent magic. I suspect any magical entities in the city were unaffected, be they essence-users, Cabal or modified EOA members. They were likely rendered unconscious with the rest, though.¡±


    ¡°I recognised some of those races from my world,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Not all of them, though.¡±


    ¡°It looked like the pattern expressed by the event was taken from a leonid-dominant area,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°What about animals?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t spot any but there has to have been cats and dogs and birds. How many rats are in a city?¡±


    ¡°It is likely that some, if not all of the animals were also affected,¡± Dawn said. ¡°They will be unlikely to pose a threat, however. They will likely be transmogrified into creatures of similar ecological niche and magical power.¡±


    ¡°I even saw draconians,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They¡¯re pretty rare on my world. I didn¡¯t see any celestines, though.¡±


    ¡°Probably due to the unusual origin of the celestine species,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Unusual origin?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯ve never heard of that.¡±


    ¡°Me either,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°A little ironic, given that should the two of you were to breed, a celestine would be the result. An outworlder breeding with another species will produce offspring of that species. Should two outworlders have a child, the result is a celestine. Of course, celestines can have more children with their own kind, which is how celestines propagate. I, myself am a product of two outworlder parents.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of a shame people aren¡¯t turning into celestines,¡± Jason said. ¡°If everyone was turning into elves and celestines, there''d be a lot less trouble. Not none, but people would be less prejudicial to a bunch of attractive people."


    ¡°It will make an interesting change to the magical landscape if they start getting essences,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Other races mean other abilities.¡±


    Jason lifted his head, wide-eyed.


    ¡°Shade,¡± he said, ¡°Can you please make a video call to Anna Tilden?¡±


    Moments later, Jason was looking at Anna¡¯s face on a wall monitor.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect to hear from you anytime soon, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re a long way from Russia, Anna,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I assume you¡¯re being kept in the loop.¡±


    ¡°People turning into some kind of monsters,¡± Anna said. ¡°Information is sporadic, this early. Are you there?¡±


    ¡°We were. They aren¡¯t turning into monsters, Anna. They¡¯re turning into other species. Species that can use essences to awaken powers; usually different from those that humans do.¡±


    Anna sat up straight behind her desk.


    "I thought that might get your attention," Jason said. "Those people will be incredibly valuable to the Network."


    ¡°Why would you tell me this?¡±


    ¡°So you have a chance to control the narrative. If the Network sees their value, those people are less likely to be rounded up into camps. If the Network gives enough of them power, it¡¯ll be harder to persecute the rest.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the influence to make that kind of thing happen.¡±


    ¡°But you have the voice to make yourself heard. If it works out, maybe that influence will come.¡±


    Anna nodded.


    ¡°I can try. Thank you, Asano.¡±

 Chapter 384: You Shouldn’t Lie to Your Wife

    With the monster waves gone, recovery efforts were underway. The death toll continued to grow as the full depth of the monster wave catastrophe was assessed, blowing past early estimates to cross the two million mark as abandoned rural areas were once more made accessible.


    Stalled distribution lines for food and other necessities were opening up again, complicated by a global economy more ravaged than the global populace. Calls for unprecedented social welfare programs were being enacted immediately in some areas and determinedly opposed in others. In the United States, such proposals were the latest battle line in a growing culture war, with claims of socialist takeovers driving massive protests against proposed aid programs.


    There was no shortage of people calling for such programs to be enacted, though, leading to open clashes between protesters. While the cities had been relatively safe, they had all suffered some level of overcrowding and food shortage.


    In the midst of recovering from an unprecedented global disaster came the events in Kostroma, with more locations following after. Although the magical factions between them did a solid job of controlling the media, once footage started spilling onto the internet, the media companies started jumping in with both feet, airing constant footage of people and places transformed.


    In the weeks following Kostroma, none of the handful of subsequently affected sites around the world were as large. A small town in the United States; an almost uninhabited stretch of land in Africa. A section of Alaska that was uninhabited except for wildlife. These places were much easier to contain, the magical factions doing a much better job of keeping the media out and their response hidden.


    There was no warning of a transformation event and no escape once the sphere locked in. Once people realised that there was no way to protect themselves from the transformation, new waves of unrest began. Reactions to the transformed, as they quickly became known, varied widely, from the accepting to the violent. A staging site outside of Kostroma processing the affected residents was attacked by a violent mob, with the Russian government denying involvement, despite a failure to crack down on the activity.


    In the midst of this came the first footage of the magical factions in open conflict. As Dawn had predicted, a single reality core appeared in each of the affected zones and the factions immediately scrambled after it.


    Part of this was Jason¡¯s doing. His conversation with Anna, as predicted, had proliferated wildly. What was a closely-held secret about the spoils of the transformation events became open knowledge to every EOA cell, Network branch and Cabal group. With category four power on the table and the competition fierce, all pretence was dropped in pursuit of the reality cores.


    Reality cores were roughly the size and shape of an ostrich egg, glowing with transcendent light. The Cabal claimed the ones in Kostroma and Africa, the Network the one in the USA.


    As fifth, sixth and seventh locations became affected, it was harder to keep track of who was claiming what from the outside. Despite Jason and his companions never participating, Jason and Asya followed events closely. Itsuki, arriving at Jason¡¯s house in the village, found them watching yet another news report.


    ¡°If we aren¡¯t getting involved,¡± Itsuki asked them, ¡°then why is all this so important?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the balance of power,¡± Asya explained. ¡°One faction gaining too much strength could easily lead it either dominating or being allied against by the others. Skirmishes over specific objectives could deteriorate into outright magical war.¡±


    The second major population centre to be affected was Pudong, China. It was transformed into a crystal city filled with people who mostly turned into an earth-affinity species with gemstone-like scales covering their bodies. Neither Jason nor Farrah had seen the species before, although Dawn was familiar with them. Much larger than Kostroma, millions of people were affected in Pudong and international groups were already voicing concerns about the Chinese response.


    While the Network leadership caught up in competing for reality cores, the rank and file were refocused on their long-held duty of intercepting dimensional incursions before they became monster waves. This duty, however, came with some unexpected changes.


    Rebooting the dimensional detection grid had apparently activated previously unknown elements, namely, grid coverage of the oceans. As if the systems had been there, waiting and dormant all along, suddenly underwater dimensional incursions were detectable.


    Given the surface area of the Earth, the Network had always estimated that two-thirds of dimensional incursions went unchecked, with monster waves appearing in the unseen depths. When the monsters had been category two, living and dying in the ocean depths, the Network had only ever dealt with the occasional category three that lasted much longer and sometimes became a threat to shipping. Now that category three monsters were emerging more frequently as category four incursions increasingly took place, the network was forced to respond.


    In the short term, monster surges were often being allowed to take place. This was not a change from before the underwater grid activated and getting the resources to fight category-four monsters underwater was tricky. When it wasn¡¯t possible, the monsters were allowed to emerge so the low magic would choke the category fours and the rest could be cleaned up by difficult but manageable operations.


    Stockpiled essences that offered any help were broken out and assigned to new trainees in a recruitment storm made possible by the network¡¯s now public operations. Water essences had always been useful and were in short supply but there was a large stock of aquatic essences that were previously unvalued. More promising recruits were given more desirable essences like shark, turtle and octopus, while less appealing ones like coral and manatee went to those filling out the numbers in a crisis.


    New recruits could only help down the line, though, even being rushed through accelerated training programs. The Network needed new infrastructure, logistics and protocols, but most of all, more warm bodies to cover what was suddenly a tripled number of incidents. Part of this was supplied by Network personnel ousted from countries like Iran and Venezuela.


    Thus far, the EOA had managed to keep up with the challenge, now that they had claimed the Network¡¯s role in those regions, although how long that would last was an open question. Surprisingly, they were much more prepared than the Network for underwater operations, as if somehow they had known what was coming beforehand.


    The open nature of the magical threat and the fresh memory of the monster waves also made it much easier for nations to fund and mobilise support, be it for the Network, the EOA or the Cabal, who were still working with the Network in many areas. In Africa, especially, the Network and the Cabal were in defiance of the conflict between their organisations as they continued to work together in relative harmony. Only the appearance of reality cores brought about any discord, although, for the moment, the cooperation was holding.


    Although it required more tweaking than Farrah had wanted, she finally completed a design for a grid detection system that Jason¡¯s cloud constructs were able to replicate. Jason decided that was a good time to leave Asano Village behind, protecting it by having no high-value targets present.


    He considered taking his mother, concerned someone might see her as a potential hostage, but anyone who went to the trouble would certainly know beforehand of their estrangement. There were definitely spies amongst the residents, including Kaito and Amy. Both had been approached to spy on Jason by people who understood their fraught history. Both had the presence of mind to accept the generous offers, while immediately telling Jason so he could feed disinformation.


    Kaito was coming with Jason as part of his support team, while Amy was remaining behind to administer the village and watch over their children. They said their goodbyes to one another away from Jason, although they knew that his senses picked up everything in the village.


    ¡°It¡¯s creepy knowing that he¡¯s kind of watching us right now,¡± Amy said to her husband as they embraced outside their eldest daughter¡¯s bedroom. ¡°He told me that he wasn¡¯t the person I knew anymore and he was right. He¡¯s almost alien.¡±


    ¡°He can only sense our auras, and only if he¡¯s paying attention,¡± Kaito assured her.


    ¡°So he says,¡± Amy countered. ¡°The truth is that we don¡¯t know what he¡¯s capable of. You and I both have magic, now, but can you do anything like the things he does? He turned into a bird made of outer space. He used those butterflies to wipe out whole sections of a city. Yes, they were those awful undead things, but what if they weren¡¯t? What if he starts doing that to regular people?¡±


    ¡°People have had power like that long before Jason came along. The whole Cold War was a bunch of people playing chicken with nuclear annihilation.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s Jason, Kai. I still know him well enough to realise how wrong it could go. He''s rash and impulsive. He gets caught up in ideas and stops looking at the consequences, without generals or launch codes or anything else to stop him.¡±


    ¡°We have to trust him, Ames.¡±


    ¡°Do we?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned enough about all this to know that yes, we do.¡±


    ¡°There was a time I relied on him more than anyone,¡± Amy said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I can go back to that.¡±


    ¡°Let me do that. You just concentrate on looking after the people here.¡±


    ¡°You just make sure you come back to me. You have two little princesses that will be waiting for you.¡±


    In the city of Bregenz, Austria, a Network team had sealed off the road running up past Sacred Heart Church, along with the church itself and the surrounding area. The Commander of Tactical Operations was named Franz, who watched as the ritualist team worked on opening the aperture that had appeared. The tactical teams were ready to move in; one nine-person section of category threes and two sections of category-twos, each led by a category three. There was also a military contingent, armed with magical firearms.


    Franz was glad not to have been assigned to the response teams put together for the transformation events. Working for the Network gave him a sense of purpose and he was much more interested in protecting people by fighting monsters than chasing after power by fighting people. Despite having plateaued at category three, he had no ambitions to rise higher.


    Few people could even dream of the lifespan and power that Franz already enjoyed. Since magic had come out in the open and his status was no longer a secret, even his mother-in-law had stopped telling his wife she could do better.


    Franz knew that many of the Network¡¯s tactical members were annoyed at being left out of the hot new action, but he knew them to be fools. It wasn¡¯t like participating meant anyone involved would get a taste of whatever power the higher-ups deigned to let trickle down. More likely was that even if one of the events did take place in Austria, what waited for them was death.


    It wasn¡¯t monsters they would be facing at they fought over reality cores. The so-called superheroes of the EOA weren¡¯t a grave threat but he had heard strange stories about the Cabal. Even worse, he¡¯d heard about Network branches fighting one another, although any talk like that was quickly hushed up.


    Franz was leading a team about to enter a dimensional incursion space, work he was more than happy to get back to after being sent to a series of little mountain towns littered with dead. One of his people pointed up and Franz used the telescopic vision of his perception power to spot a helicopter, high in the air. It rapidly descended but made oddly little noise. Franz¡¯s magical senses told him it was a category two conjured object.


    The helicopter was large but sleek, with tinted glass making up a large portion of the fuselage. It dropped down to hover above the street, where more than two dozen guns were pointed at it. A side door opened, revealing a figure they all recognised.


    With his blood-red robes and dark cloak, Jason Asano was a red lightsaber away from being the next disappointing Star Wars villain. He dropped lightly from the helicopter and walked over to Franz, somehow knowing that he was in charge.


    Franz looked at the bright silver eyes in the otherwise impenetrable darkness of the hood. Jason then pushed the hood back off his head to reveal a face with sleek black hair and the too-polished handsomeness of a category three. The man gave him a friendly smile.


    ¡°Hello, Franz. Can I call you Franz? I know there are standing orders not to let me into any dimensional spaces, but you know that¡¯s just the Network wanting me to haul off on one of their teams so I look bad in the press.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know what I think,¡± Franz said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t? It¡¯s what you told Maria. You shouldn¡¯t lie to your wife, Franz.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening my family?¡±


    "No, Franz. I just want you to know that I came here knowing exactly what I was walking into. If I have to go through someone, it''ll be you, straight up."


    ¡°I appreciate that.¡±


    Franz looked at the others leaving the helicopter.


    ¡°You have four category threes, including yourself,¡± Franz said. "I have twelve, including me. Are you confident with three-to-one odds, Mr Asano?"


    ¡°Actually, it¡¯ll just be me, so twelve-to-one odds. Also, yes. And call me Jason.¡±


    Franz looked at Jason, whose expression and body language was completely relaxed, except for the silver eyes locked onto Franz like sharp, pointed icicles. Franz relied on his aura senses to guide him in uncertain situations but he couldn¡¯t sense Jason at all. He couldn¡¯t read the other category threes behind Asano either, the one he guessed was Farrah Hurin was even using her aura to prevent him from reading the category twos. It was a skilful demonstration of aura control.


    With Asano, who wasn''t just hard to detect but a ghost to his magical senses, invisible to all but his eyes.


    ¡°Mr Asano, how do you see this going if I tell you no?¡±


    ¡°Franz, I¡¯m asserting right now that I¡¯m going to go through that aperture and that you can¡¯t stop me. Either you assume that I¡¯m right and let me through, or don¡¯t and you¡¯ll find out for certain.¡±


    Franz looked into Jason¡¯s unflinching eyes again and slowly nodded.


    ¡°Alright, let them through,¡± he announced.


    ¡°Boss, the standing orders are¨C¡±


    ¡°I know what the standing orders are. If this guy wants to clear some of the monsters for us, I¡¯m going to let him. You don¡¯t like that, Baumgartner, feel free to try and stop him.¡±


    The hood crawled back over Jason¡¯s head on its own and Jason slowly turned to look at Baumgartner, his silver eyes seeming disembodies in the darkness of the hood. Baumgartner looked back nervously, frozen on the spot.


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s a no,¡± Franz said. ¡°Any chance you could leave a guy some loot in there?¡±


    ¡°I think I can manage that,¡± Jason said. ¡°You made a wise choice, Franz.¡±


    Shade¡¯s bodies emerged from the shadows of every one of Franz¡¯s silver-rankers, including Franz himself. As Jason strode toward the aperture, the bodies returned to his own shadow in a swarm.

 Chapter 385: The Decision Has Been Made

    At Jason¡¯s request, Kaito didn¡¯t conjure a new helicopter on entering the proto-space. Farrah carried a device that she and Jason had built together to find the optimal spot within the proto-space for Jason to conduct his ritual and they would inevitably encounter monsters along the way. They viewed it as a chance to put the bronze-rankers on the team through their paces.


    The extradimensional realm diverged heavily from the physical reality outside, the Austrian city replaced with a primordial jungle in which ancient ziggurats poked out of the canopy. The environment was sweltering with both heat and humidity.


    ¡°This air is hard to breathe,¡± Kaito said. ¡°It¡¯s heavy.¡±


    ¡°My clothes are getting sticky,¡± Itsuki said. ¡°It may impair my mobility.¡±


    ¡°You still sweat because you ranked up so quickly,¡± Farrah told him. ¡°You clearly focused strictly on advancing your essence abilities. You need to take the time for exercises that will help your body become more magical. I gave you the basics in training but you¡¯ve clearly neglected them.¡±


    "Sorry Miss Hurin," Itsuki said, looking every inch the chastised schoolboy. The Asano sisters, Akari and Mei, watched him with amusement.


    It was a silver-rank proto-space, so only the anchor monsters holding the space together and possibly a few others would be silver-rank. For this reason, Jason and the other silvers didn¡¯t engage, letting Kaito, Asya, Greg and Itsuki do the sweeping.


    They each had their own motifs in their power sets, but Itsuki was the odd man out in more ways than one. The others heavily featured conjured tech in their power sets, which was common for Earth essence-users even without the technology essence. Itsuki¡¯s powers were more fantastical in nature. Added to the fact that the others had worked together before and were comfortable with one another, Itsuki literally and figuratively stood apart.


    Of the four bronze-rankers, Kaito was the least comfortable due to operating outside of his helicopter. He was very much in the support vein but Jason and Farrah wanted him to experience less than ideal conditions. His vehicle essence powers were not useless without it, however, allowing him to conjure surveillance drones to scout for threats and gun drones to handle them.


    Although she was a sniping specialist who favoured strong, singular long shots, Asya conjured a carbine rifle more suited to the closer confines of the jungle. It was a futuristic weapon with glowing blue bits, which Jason strongly approved of.


    The person with the actual technology essence, Greg, was ironically the one calling up the most outmoded technology. He conjured an entire outfit from a version of the nineteenth century that only ever existed in pulp novels and old film serials. He had a long brown coat, vest and bowler hat with a pair of goggles slung around the brim. He had a backpack covered in loose flaps and the whole ensemble had enough pouches and pockets that it looked hard to walk in.


    Greg also conjured a gun that looked like a replica from a fifties sci-fi movie but made of brass. Greg reached back to rummage through his backpack, pulling out a cable and plugging it onto the base of the strange gun¡¯s grip, causing it to hum with power.


    Itsuki¡¯s powers were more classically magical. Although they shared the dark essence, Itsuki didn''t have a cloak like Jason. Instead, he transformed himself into a semi-translucent figure, like a statue made of smoked glass. It made him much harder to sense, allowed him to blend into shadows and, as of bronze rank, made him semi-tangible. This reduced the effect of many attacks on him while also allowing him to go places he otherwise couldn''t. So long as he moved slowly, he could pass right through barriers like cages or thorny bushes.


    Itsuki was used to playing stealthy scout, much like Jason, which was a poor fit with the others. They already had Asya¡¯s enhanced perception from her master confluence and Kaito¡¯s drones, making Itsuki¡¯s potential contribution limited.


    Itsuki had been startled and delighted to experience Jason¡¯s party interface, which had given him a whole new perspective on his own abilities. Shade had identified Itsuki¡¯s summoned familiar as a darklight ogre, which was a defensive combat familiar whose abilities compelled enemies to attack it while inflicting debuffs on any that did.


    Using Magic Society records, Jason had identified the ability that summoned Itsuki¡¯s familiar and discovered that the familiar would gain new forms as Itsuki ranked up, eventually becoming something called an eclipse titan.


    Once they started encountering monsters, Greg¡¯s gun was revealed to fire arcs of electricity that chained from one monster to the next. It did minimal damage but delivered a paralysing jolt, setting up monsters for follow-up attacks. A well-aimed burst of gunfire from Asya or a stream of heavy bullets from Kaito¡¯s gun drones finished the job, their smooth teamwork showing off their experience working together.


    Jason and Farrah assessed the bronze-rankers as the team progressed towards the location for the ritual.


    ¡°Itsuki will have to work a little to find his path,¡± Jason assessed. ¡°This isn¡¯t a great team composition for him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Farrah said. ¡°His family has clearly been feeding him ideal scenarios to rank him up quickly. A little hardship will knock some unwanted sensibilities out of him.¡±


    Itsuki slowly learned to adapt to his teammates, using stealth to approach monsters detected by the others and lay on afflictions. He was more of a team player than Jason, whose afflictions were damage-focused. Itsuki softened the enemies up with more debilitation effects than damage, luring enemies into kill boxes for the others before he vanished as the damage poured in.


    Once the team reached the site for the ritual, they needed to clear the space for the largest magic diagram Jason had ever worked with. Kaito and Greg¡¯s experience setting up landing zones came into play. Kaito used an ability from his soaring essence to launch himself into the air, at which point he conjured his helicopter around him. He then flipped it, the blades reconfiguring to maintain its hovering while upside down and descended the helicopter into the jungle canopy. As the rotor blades dropped into the trees, they worked as a giant saw, rapidly clearing the area. Kaito even moved the helicopter around, still upside down, to clear a wider area.


    ¡°I was once shot off the side of a mountain by a waterfall experiencing intermittent service failure,¡± Jason said, watching the upside-down helicopter-turned-power-saw. ¡°I¡¯ve come back from the dead, fought interdimensional dinosaurs and met my evil magic clone. Somehow, this is still the most ridiculous thing I¡¯ve ever seen.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s very precise,¡± Akari¡¯s sister Mei said. ¡°You don¡¯t see a lot of that in upside-down helicopters.¡±


    Rather than dismiss his helicopter, Kaito cleared a secondary space in which to land it. While he was doing that, Greg swapped the cable running from his backpack to his gun for a hose, turning it into a flamethrower to clear the ground now littered in shredded trees, leaving behind nothing but charcoal and ash.


    Kaito brought his helicopter back to blow away the burnt debris while Greg moved on to the second cleared space. In short order, the pair had cleared out two spaces, one for the ritual and one for the helicopter.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got the logistics down,¡± Jason told Greg as Farrah used an earth-shaping power to flatten out the cleared ground, ready for the ritual.


    "This is what we were doing while you were bludging, taking a gap year despite only having completed one semester of university a half-dozen years ago," Greg told him.


    ¡°That does sound pretty slack,¡± Kaito agreed.


    ¡°I was helping earthquake victims and healing people with Ebola,¡± Jason said. ¡°And it was only half a year.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you told us you were doing,¡± Greg said. ¡°I bet you actually spent most of the time in a resort in Bermuda.¡±


    ¡°What I told you? It was on the news.¡±


    ¡°Because the EOA put it there,¡± Farrah contributed, continuing to flatten out the ground. ¡°There¡¯s no reason to suspect anything they¡¯re behind, right?¡±


    The three Japanese members of the team, Akari, Mei and Itsuki looked on as the others continued to rib Jason.


    ¡°Are they always like this?¡± Mei asked her sister. ¡°It seems very disrespectful.¡±


    ¡°I believe it¡¯s an Australian cultural practice,¡± Akari said. ¡°You get used to it.¡±


    ¡°Do you really?¡± Itsuki asked.


    ¡°Not really,¡± Akari admitted. ¡°They¡¯re all very strange.¡±


    ¡°I thought Miss Hurin was from another universe, not Australia.¡±


    ¡°She seems quite proficient at assimilating.¡±


    Carrying out the ritual went smoothly. While Jason did so, with Farrah¡¯s assistance, the rest of the team patrolled a wide perimeter to keep any wandering monsters away. If the ambient magic was too badly stirred up, they would need to start over.


    Greg¡¯s abilities were especially useful, as his power set focused on control and area denial. As such, he was given the largest area of ground to cover. Given time to set up, he conjured iron rods that ended in spheres, which he planted at regular intervals. They would make paralysing electricity attacks, while automated turrets he emplaced behind them would follow up. Looking like gatling coil guns from the nineteenth century, they could rapidly shoot electrified nails.


    When a large pack of iron-rank monsters appeared in his patrol area, Greg deployed a shaft from the top of his backpack. It sprouted helicopter blades, allowing him to swoop over the pack and strafe them with his flamethrower. Only a trio of the toughest monsters survived and Greg landed, at which point the rotor blades were flung from the shaft. Two of the monsters were killed while the third was outright decapitated.


    After the ritual was complete, the team climbed into the helicopter and headed back for the aperture.


    ¡°A couple more rituals and we should be able to triangulate the first node I need to modify,¡± Jason said. ¡°As for how many nodes it will take in total, I have no idea. That means a lot of proto-spaces.¡±


    "Are people just going to let you us in, the way they did here?" Itsuki asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°We went to the extra effort here to make a point that we will be peaceful in our operations. Sooner or later, though, someone is going to take a hard stance.¡±


    ¡°What happens then?¡± Itsuki asked.


    ¡°We hurt as few people as we can but we don¡¯t stop. The Network rank and file are just doing their jobs and don¡¯t seem interested in impeding us, at least until the people at the top start paying attention to anything but the transformation events.¡±


    ¡°You think they¡¯ll eventually try and stop us?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Even if they don¡¯t realise it now, what we are doing will turn off the reality core spigot. If we¡¯re lucky, they won¡¯t twig until we¡¯re close to the end and the transformation events start slowing down. At that point, someone will definitely put it together. My concern is that someone clearly knew more about what¡¯s going on than is good for us. We may start meeting real opposition much earlier.¡±


    ¡°And then we fight?¡± Itsuki asked.


    ¡°Not if we can avoid it,¡± Jason said. ¡°We can¡¯t fight the whole Network.¡±


    Itsuki nodded.


    ¡°That task force we met outside the aperture,¡± he said. ¡°Are you really strong enough to take on twelve category threes alone?¡±


    ¡°Of course not; it was all bluff. Well, mostly bluff. I mean, I¡¯d have to cheat, certainly. Probably.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of training,¡± Farrah interjected. ¡°Those men were traditional essence users from this world. Their training is all about group tactics for monster elimination, not intelligent, singular enemies with a wide variety of powers. They aren¡¯t ready for someone who fights like Jason.¡±


    ¡°Basically, they¡¯re specced for PvE, not PvP,¡± Jason said. ¡°Once Farrah and I return to her world, I won¡¯t be able to swagger around like that. I¡¯m making hay while the sun shines.¡±


    ¡°I imagine he¡¯ll swagger about anyway,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He¡¯s just going to get slapped down when he does.¡±


    Things were tense when Jason and his companions returned to the aperture but they were allowed to depart unchallenged. Soon after, Kaito¡¯s helicopter landed next to a tour bus on an isolated stretch of road near the Czech border. Kaito dismissed the helicopter and they piled into the tour bus, which was a luxurious, twin-level cloud coach on the inside.


    ¡°Were there problems with the Network?¡± Dawn asked by way of greeting as they arrived.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, falling into a soft cloud chair. ¡°The extra legwork seems to have done the trick. This time.¡±


    ¡°Now that we are in the right region,¡± Dawn said, ¡°you can ideally utilise Kaito to beat the local branches to new apertures. Did you take notes?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Jason said.


    "Good. Hopefully, the results of these rituals help us refine exactly which nodes we are looking for. Until we get more data, we can''t even be certain we''re after the right nodes."


    An attention-getting supercar drove through the town of Conrad, Montana, making its way to an oilseed refinery on the outskirts. It parked in front of the administration building and a man in a sharp suit named Emerson Cleary stepped out, bringing a briefcase from the passenger seat with him. He took a small box that barely fit from the vehicle¡¯s meagre trunk space and carried it inside, holding it by the handle on top.


    The office was a cheap but functional prefab affair, with a middle-aged receptionist talking on the phone. Cleary sat the box on the desk and pressed his finger on the phone cradle, hanging up the call.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡± the receptionist asked indignantly as she gave him an unfriendly look up and down, before looking out the window at his car. ¡°Who exactly do you think you are?¡±


    ¡°Where can I find Mr Tallman?¡± Cleary asked.


    ¡°I¡¯d asked if you checked the shop where they sell manners, but clearly not,¡± she said.


    The office manager hurried in from the back, his body language obsequious.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Sir, I¡¯ll take you to the special projects building at once.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t logged him in as a visitor, yet,¡± the receptionist said and the manager turned on her.


    ¡°I swear to God, Janet, if I find a single record of this man ever having been here you will be unemployed by the end of the day. You are not to so much as breathe a word of this to anyone.¡±


    ¡°If you look in the parking lot, Darren,¡± she said, ¡°You¡¯ll see thirty or so dusty trucks and one shiny, red mid-life crisis. I think people might notice.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Janet! Can I take your briefcase or your box, Sir?¡±


    ¡°Reach for that box, Darren,¡± Cleary said, ¡°and you and Janet will both be dead before your hand gets there.¡±


    Darren went pale.


    ¡°This way, please, Sir. May I ask your name?¡±


    ¡°Probably best that you didn¡¯t, Darren.¡±


    None of the employees ever went into the special projects building, which was a small brick hut in a corner of the industrial lot with no signage. Darren hovered curiously as Cleary stood at the door until Cleary glared at him and he skittered away. Cleary went inside, where he stepped into the silent elevator and descended deep into the Earth.


    When the elevator reached the bottom floor, Cleary walked down a corridor with lights that lit up at his approach and dimmed once more behind him. Eventually, he reached a circular room with several doors. One of them opened and a pasty-faced man appeared.


    ¡°Deputy Director Cleary,¡± he greeted, although his eyes were locked on the box. ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±


    ¡°This is it,¡± Cleary confirmed.


    ¡°I would have thought they would send more security.¡±


    ¡°They did,¡± Cleary said. ¡°You just haven¡¯t seen them.¡±


    ¡°I see. This way, please.¡±


    The man opened a door and led Cleary through. After walking down another hallway they reached a second door, beyond which was a large room, mostly empty. There was a table and chair, but what drew the eye was a pair of large cylinders, situated in the middle of elaborate magical circles. The cylinders were filled with milky liquid and what appeared to be human forms could just be made out through the white murk.


    ¡°So this is them,¡± Cleary said.


    ¡°Yes. I need written confirmation of the orders before we can move forward.¡±


    Cleary set the box and his briefcase on the table and opened the briefcase. He took out a folder and handed it to the other man, who started looking through it. As he did, Cleary opened the box, revealing an object the size of an ostrich egg, shining with transcendent light.


    ¡°Are we waking up both?¡± the pasty man asked.


    ¡°Just one, until we secure a larger supply.¡±


    ¡°Very well. When do we start?¡±


    ¡°Immediately,¡± Cleary said. ¡°The decision has been made to bring Jason Asano¡¯s project under our control.¡±

 Chapter 386: First Priority

    In Switzerland, the resort town of Interlaken and the lakeshore villages around Lake Brienz had been evacuated during the monster waves. Determined an insufficiently populous area to warrant its own safe zone, the locals had been sent to the closest established safe zone, in the city of Thun.


    A month after the last monster wave, people were cleared to return to their homes. Buses started shipping residents back to their villages, where they would be left to assess the damages. There was a lot of destruction, as the evacuations had been done promptly but the scent of people had been left behind. Monsters denied their prey had taken their frustrations out on the buildings.


    The act of god claim made by insurance companies was currently under attack from around the world, on multiple fronts. In the wake of the monster waves and now the transformation events, many countries were already ramrodding legislation to render the claim invalid, along with a barrage of lawsuits. No few of them were attacking the act of god claim on the grounds that with magic at large in the world, although such grounds were not considered to have a high chance of success.


    For the immediacy, none of these events helped the people on the buses moving around Lake Brienz. In one of them, a passenger pointed out an isolated building by the lakeshore that seemed untouched.


    ¡°Was that large chalet there before?¡± she asked her husband.


    ¡°Of course it was,¡± he said. ¡°You think someone came here and built a chalet with monsters running around everywhere?¡±


    Inside what looked like a chalet in the Swiss alps, Jason languidly stretched out in a cloud bed, Asya moulding herself to his body almost as well as the cloud-stuff the bed was made of.


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have to go fight evil,¡± he said contentedly, ¡°I could stay like this for a long, long time.¡±


    ¡°Lazy,¡± Asya teased, kissing his neck. ¡°Since we will, eventually, have to get out of this bed, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to talk to you about. Something important.¡±


    ¡°Is it the hot chocolate?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Shade promised to stop letting Colin help anymore. He means well but doesn¡¯t understand that not everyone needs that much protein in their diet.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she giggled, a tinkling water sound. ¡°I¡¯m talking about when you leave. For the other world.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re taking your sister and her family by stashing them in your spirit vault. I want to go with you.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± he said. ¡°Please tell me I¡¯m not the reason you¡¯re asking.¡±


    ¡°I like you quite a lot, Asano, but not enough to leave my family and everything I¡¯ve ever known. I want to go to the other world because it¡¯s another world. A whole new universe, full of magic and miracles. Literal miracles.¡±


    "That''s true," Jason said thoughtfully. "You can just hang around in the local worship square for a bit and some god will show up and do something flashy."


    ¡°I want to see things that aren¡¯t possible here. To do things that almost no one from our world has ever done.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Jason said with a grin. ¡°Magic and wonders. That is a good reason.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ll take me with you?¡±


    Jason could feel her anxiousness in both her body and aura as she waited for his reply.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you what I told Erika,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s still time until I go back. Think it over. Ask me any questions that come up. We can talk about it again when the time comes and as many times as you like before that.¡±


    ¡°Is that a provisional yes?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s provisional yes,¡± he confirmed with a chuckle. He felt her body move next to his as her tension melted away and he pressed his lips to hers.


    The Los Angeles Network branch¡¯s plane was no small private jet but a full-sized plane the size of a passenger jet. Based off a corporate jet variant of a passenger liner, it was build to include magic from the frame out and could serve as a mobile command post for Network operations. Amenities included the shower facility from which Jack Gerling emerged, rubbing his bushy beard unhappily.


    ¡°That gunk doesn¡¯t come out easily,¡± he growled like a bear. With his towering bulk and hirsute body, he didn¡¯t just sound like a bear but also looked like one.


    The other Network members on the plane looked at the brutish man with trepidation. Even disregarding magic, he looked like he had shambled out of the woods in search of food. Once magic was taken into account, it became even worse.


    The US branches of the Network had been pooling resources for years, giving up enough monster cores to raise countless essence users to category three. Finally, they managed to get two people across the threshold of category four. Jack Gerling was one of those chosen, due to his rare and powerful essences.


    His might essence was common but no one would complain at its inclusion. His potent essence was extremely rare and the vast essence was so unheard of that they had to go through records hundreds of years old to identify it. The result was the onslaught essence and Gerling¡¯s powers turned him into a walking bomb. Now that he was category four, he could down the plane he was on and everyone in it with no more effort than it took to snap his fingers. This fact was not lost on the Network staffers currently onboard.


    One of the network staffers approached Gerling.


    ¡°Sir, Deputy Director Cleary has asked that you join him for a meal.¡±


    Gerling scowled.


    ¡°What kind of meal?¡±


    ¡°His exact words were ¡®an ass-load of fried chicken and hot sauce,¡¯ sir.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? I like the sound of that.¡±


    Greg stepped onto the upper-floor balcony of the chalet. His hands were wrapped around a mug of hot chocolate, warming them against the crisp morning air. His bronze-rank body could easily endure the cold but he still enjoyed the comfort of its warmth. He moved next to Jason, standing at the balcony to take in the view of the lake.


    ¡°See the village across the lake?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It¡¯s empty.¡±


    ¡°Evacuated?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°Yeah. They¡¯re coming back, though, even as we speak.¡±


    ¡°Maybe that means the world had turned a corner from the monster waves.¡±


    ¡°I hope so,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°If we can shut down these transformation events, it really will have. I¡¯m so tired of dark days, but at least we have the power to do something about it. Most people are stuck hoping that people like us will get it done.¡±


    ¡°Not a good time to feel powerless.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°My first night, in the other world, my friend Rufus told me that I had a choice. I could let other people protect me or take the power to control my own fate.¡±


    ¡°Meaning essences.¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a responsibility that comes with that, though. When the bad things happen, we have to stand between them and everyone else.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure everyone sees it that way.¡±


    ¡°Rufus does,¡± Jason said. ¡°He carries it around like a weight. I try to follow that example.¡±


    ¡°I know. Farrah says you shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Farrah doesn¡¯t lead,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯s smarter than anyone on her own team and she¡¯s smarter than me but she doesn¡¯t lead. I¡¯m responsible for all of you and she¡¯s smart enough to avoid carrying that. She might tell us to let go of that burden but she knows we won¡¯t. She just wants us to not carry so much of it that we break.¡±


    They stood in silence for a long time, looking out through the pristine air. Greg didn¡¯t drink from his mug, letting it sit on the railing, nestled warmly between his hands.


    ¡°Was it on the news?¡± he asked Jason.


    ¡°Was what on the news?¡±


    ¡°That people are bussing back into the local villages.¡±


    ¡°I can feel them. Buses full people, working their way around the lake. Auras full of hope and trepidation. Uncertain of what they¡¯ll find but yearning for home.¡±


    Greg panned his gaze around the lake, not spotting any movement. If there were busloads of people out there, he couldn¡¯t see them.


    ¡°You can sense them from here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Greg looked at Jason, frowning.


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about me,¡± Jason said, smiling as he continued to look out over the lake.


    ¡°Sometimes I wonder if you¡¯re getting a little too far from human, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not human.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean human as a species,¡± Greg said. ¡°I mean the experience of being a human.¡±


    ¡°Same answer. I¡¯m not a human. If I keep looking at the world as if I were, I¡¯m not sure I can do the things I need to. I hope Makassar is the worst thing I ever experience but I have to assume it won¡¯t be. I need to be able to handle the next thing, and the thing after that.¡±


    ¡°So you just become detached from everything?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, turning to his friend with a smile. ¡°I just pick my attachments carefully. I¡¯ve seen what I¡¯ll become if I don¡¯t have them. As time goes by, I¡¯ve been missing my friends in the other world more and more. I¡¯m starting to realise that monsters aren¡¯t the only things we¡¯re meant to protect each other from.¡±


    Greg looked down into his steaming mug.


    ¡°Stopping you from turning into a spooky murder machine is a lot of responsibility,¡± he said.


    ¡°You should try needing to save the world.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please,¡± Greg scoffed. ¡°A drama queen like you? You¡¯re loving it.¡±


    Jason let out an affronted laugh.


    ¡°Is that how it is?¡±


    ¡°You know it is,¡± Greg said with a grin then sipped at his hot chocolate, before spitting it over the balcony and peering into his mug.


    ¡°What is in this? Is that beef stock?¡±


    ¡°I apologise,¡± Shade said, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°It seems I had not excised all the cocoa that Colin supplemented after all. I shall fetch you a fresh cup.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Greg said, still making a face as Shade floated away with the cup. ¡°Am I imagining things, or is Shade getting quite butlery?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s become fascinated by the profession,¡± Jason said. ¡°He likes the quiet, dignified competence of duty. It hasn¡¯t made trying to get him to be more relaxed any easier.¡±


    ¡°You always try and turn everyone into you,¡± Greg said. ¡°Maybe instead of trying to pull everyone into your pace, you should appreciate them for what they have to offer the way they are. If Shade wants to be Alfred to your Batman, let him.¡±


    ¡°I wish I had a secret cave lair. Behind a waterfall.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re standing in your magical, shape-changing, chalet that turns into a hovercraft tour bus. There was also mention of turning it into a palace?¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t tried that, yet. I¡¯ve never actually needed a palace for anything.¡±


    ¡°No one has ever needed a palace, Jason. They just wanted a lot of golden sconces more than they wanted poor people to have food.¡±


    ¡°Still a dirty socialist, then?¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how many princes and wealthy aristocrats you can make friends with before it becomes hypocritical. It¡¯s not really a hovercraft, by the way.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The tour bus form the cloud flask makes. It¡¯s not really a hovercraft. Now that it¡¯s silver-rank, it could actually fly if the magic here wasn¡¯t so thin. It¡¯ll have to wait until I go back to Farrah¡¯s world.¡±


    Jason felt a nervous tremulation in Greg¡¯s aura. Jason waited for his friend to speak.


    ¡°So, ah, has Asya talked to you yet?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°About going to the other world?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°She has. Have you both been working up to ask me?¡±


    ¡°We figured one of us should soften you up by sleeping with you first,¡± Greg said. ¡°I won¡¯t lie: I¡¯m glad she volunteered.¡±


    Jason burst out laughing.


    ¡°And he¡¯s president?¡± Gerling asked as he tossed the bone from a drumstick into the large bin Cleary had made sure was on hand.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cleary said, then bit into a chicken wing. Cleary had replaced his suit with a more casual shirt and pants before joining Gerling in a fried chicken dinner, although Gerling was consuming the bulk of the piled tray.


    ¡°The TV guy?¡± Gerling asked, grabbing another piece.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s our country you¡¯re talking about?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And he beat Bill Clinton? I bet Hillary would find it weird being back in the White House without being president. I thought they¡¯d get divorced after she was impeached over the intern sex thing.¡±


    ¡°The nineties were a simpler time,¡± Cleary said.


    ¡°You¡¯re alright, Cleary,¡± Gerling said as Cleary tossed his own chicken bone into the bin. ¡°I appreciate you sitting down and eating with me. My last handler would have thrown me the chicken like I was a monster in a pit. Most people are scared of me.¡±


    "Oh, I''m definitely scared of you," Cleary said. "I won''t lie to you, Mr Gerling: my job is to make you as amenable as possible to the requests of my superiors. What that means is if you want something, my job is to get it for you, as close to the way you want it as is practically possible. I think keeping things friendly between you and I will make it a better experience for both of us, and if that means eating some delicious fried chicken, I''m willing to take that hit."


    ¡°Good to hear,¡± Gerling said with a bellowing laugh. ¡°The last guy was a little too much stick and not enough carrot.¡±


    After years of working to get a pair of category four essence users, the US Network branches discovered an unhappy reality: without a supply of gold spirit coins, they would be power-starved, rapidly weaken and possibly die. The Network researchers managed to place both men in magical stasis, itself quite resource hungry, forestalling their demise.


    The supply of gold spirit coins was exceptionally small, meaning the category fours could only be temporarily revived for critical missions where overwhelming force was required. It also meant that, despite their world-beating power, the category fours were beholden to whoever could provide the coins to keep them alive. Gerling¡¯s previous handler had enthusiastically waved that sword of Damocles, forgetting that it was a lot easier to replace a handler than a category four essence user.


    ¡°Things are different, now,¡± Cleary said. ¡°These new reality cores not only mean that we can keep you out of stasis but that we should be able to add more category fours to the roster.¡±


    ¡°And you pulled me out to fight for them?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The Cabal is slowly-but-surely gaining an advantage in these transformation spaces. They seem to have some kind of connection to them, which our researchers suspect is related to the origins of the cabal¡¯s various factions.¡±


    ¡°Bunch of creepy weirdos,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I don¡¯t mind kicking their asses back and forth a little.¡±


    "We aren''t actually certain how effective the reality cores will be in enhancing their power," Cleary said. "We have people looking into it, obviously. We estimate that our essence users will get stronger using cores faster than they will. Reality core power can be directly consumed with a simple ritual, like a supercharged monster core gobstopper. If the Cabal can leverage them effectively, though, we may need to initiate large scale interdiction before they become too powerful."


    ¡°Large scale interdiction?¡±


    ¡°War, Mr Gerling.¡±


    "Well, damn; count me in. I''m the most powerful thing on this whole goddamn planet, so let me loose."


    "That''s far from our ideal scenario and, for now, we aren''t even pitting you against the Cabal."


    ¡°That¡¯s not the first priority?¡± Gerling asked. ¡°If they¡¯re sending me, that usually means it¡¯s the first priority.¡±


    ¡°There is, potentially, an additional source for the reality cores. One that will produce them faster, more reliably and, best of all, exclusively. It might even be possible to shut down the transformation events and leave us with the sole means to reach the highest levels of power in the world.¡±


    ¡°That sounds just dandy,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°Yes it does,¡± Cleary agreed. ¡°We can stop pretending the International Committee has any purpose other than doing what we say, that the governments of the world work with us instead of for us and that the other magical factions have any reason to exist at all.¡±


    ¡°Well, damn,¡± Gerling said. ¡°We¡¯re looking to take over the damn planet?¡±


    ¡°We already have, Mr Gerling. The goal is to reach the point where we can stop pretending we haven¡¯t.¡±

 Chapter 387: Node Space

    The Network team from the Potsdam branch reached the aperture on Babelsberg Park and found it already open. The residue of the ritual used to open it was on the ground and in front of it was a Japanese woman with a category three aura, meditating with her eyes closed.


    As trucks and helicopters arrived she gave no reaction, remaining cross-legged on the grass until the Operations Commander approached her and she opened her eyes, dexterously rising to her feet by uncrossing her legs.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± the commander asked.


    ¡°Asano Akari.¡±


    ¡°Asano? As in¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He asked me to stay here to prevent children from wandering in. I¡¯m sure you can take care of that, now.¡±


    She turned to enter the aperture but the commander called out to her.


    ¡°Miss Asano.¡±


    She turned back.


    ¡°Our people are tracking you by the proto-spaces you¡¯re visiting. There are a lot of Americans and International Committee people around, talking to our high-ups. I don¡¯t know what they have planned, but tell him.¡±


    ¡°Why tell me this?¡± she asked.


    ¡°There are people that don¡¯t like the way the Network has treated him. A lot of people. I was sent to Makassar, both times. I saw him going places no one else could go, saving people we had all written off. Days of it. Never stopping, never resting. He drives himself like a workhorse and then we turn on him? A lot of us think that isn¡¯t right.¡±


    Akari stared at the man and then gave a slight nod.


    ¡°I will relay your words to him. I know they will mean a lot.¡±


    Akari moved to the aperture and stepped through.


    Cleary and Jack Gerling were in a hospitality suite at the Network¡¯s Berlin branch.


    ¡°You¡¯ve reviewed the briefing materials on what we know of Asano¡¯s abilities?¡± Cleary asked.


    ¡°Such as they are,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Too many holes, damn stealth types. He¡¯s got a lot of escape options. You have no idea what that power where he turns into a bird is about?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t. We anticipate that you will be able to handle most of his methods through simple power disparity.¡±


    ¡°His aura is really as strong as all that?¡±


    ¡°We estimate its strength to be somewhere in the range of what would normally be the zenith of category three. Added to his superior control, we strongly recommend against aura conflict. You should focus on areas in which your superiority is clear. Power, speed, strength. Direct confrontation. The two largest threats to that are if he escapes through ordinary evasion or his portal ability.¡±


    ¡°You have countermeasures?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°We do, and we plan to catch him coming out of a dimensional space. We¡¯ve been tracking his patterns. He¡¯s been going into a series of incursion spaces, using his team to keep monsters clear of his location while he conducts a large ritual in each.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡±


    ¡°We think he is trying to stop the transformation events.¡±


    ¡°I want to see one,¡± Gerling said. ¡°People turning into elves and rock people and whatever. Can you get me an elf?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Cleary said. ¡°Just one?¡±


    Gerling laughed.


    ¡°One will do for now. Can¡¯t get too distracted on the job.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that. Asano¡¯s pattern is to enter multiple incursion spaces, perform his ritual and then move on. First Austria, then Switzerland and now Germany,¡± Cleary said. ¡°He¡¯s been responding quickly, entering spaces before our people get there, in most cases.¡±


    ¡°Why don¡¯t our people stop him?¡±


    "He and his companion, Farrah Hurin, have a lot of goodwill amongst the rank and file. They''re role models to our younger people. Asano has used interviews to characterise himself as a symbol and credit our personnel as the true protectors of the planet. Given the way that the upper echelons of the Network have been pushing the lower over the last year, it inclines them to give Asano leeway."


    ¡°Meaning they won¡¯t stop him unless we ride them.¡±


    ¡°There have been some who diligently attempted to stop him. After a series of brief altercations with Farrah Hurin, no one else made the attempt.¡±


    ¡°Not Asano himself?¡±


    ¡°Asano claims that he is unable to stop his powers once they affect a person. It could be a lie and he doesn¡¯t attack our people to maintain it. It could be genuinely true and he wants to avoid killing our people to maintain their goodwill.¡±


    ¡°I have trouble believing that one woman could beat a whole section of category threes.¡±


    "I believe it was more that she made some quick examples and the rest were reluctant, given that she was just one of four category-threes in their group. The Japanese sisters are largely unknown but all our people have seen what Jason Asano does to the things he fights. The news played the footage of him killing that category four monster in Makassar on a loop. The most powerful monster ever to set foot on Earth and it looked like he tossed it through a wood-chipper. No one wants to end up like that.¡±


    ¡°That was when Asano used that power to turn into some kind of magic bird,¡± Gerling said. ¡°The briefing notes had nothing about what that power was.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Cleary said. ¡°There are too many unknowns about him, which is why we brought you here. Nothing solves a problem as well as true power.¡±


    Having finally isolated what they hoped was the first node Jason needed to modify to repair the link, Jason and his team returned to Austria. Kaito¡¯s helicopter set down in the Ziller Valley, in an isolated and open space close to the river. Accompanying Jason was the whole group; Dawn, Farrah and the Asano sisters, along with Greg, Asya, Itsuki and Kaito.


    Kaito left his helicopter parked on the grass, ready for everyone to jump in at need. The others would remain while Jason entered alone, for the simple reason that only he could enter the space where the node could be modified. He had experimented with node spaces in preparation, opening the door to acclimatise to the conditions without making any changes.


    Only Jason and Farrah were able to enter a node space once Jason opened the door. This was a result of their astral affinity, the mechanism preventing non-outworlders from using the door. Farrah could only withstand conditions within the node space for a limited time due to the corrosive aura it contained. Jason was able to withstand it but Farrah¡¯s aura was ground down, after which the space started to have a deleterious effect on her body. For this reason, only Jason was going to go in, while the others would wait outside.


    ¡°It will take you time to understand what you are seeing in there,¡± Dawn advised Jason. ¡°I have pushed as much theory into your head as I can but knowing the theory is not the same as applying it. Take as long as you need to be certain of every change you make. What you are about to do is outside even my experience.¡±


    Jason solemnly nodded and began opening the portal. He ran a hand over the ground and a line of silver light appeared running along it. From the line rose an arch of smoky glass with blue, silver and gold light twinkling within, the new material from which his portal arches were made. Instead of filling with the familiar dark void, though, it filled with a sheet of silver light. A powerful aura spilled from it and, except for Dawn and Farrah, Jason''s companions all took an involuntary step back.


    "See you soon," Jason said and then stepped through the door.


    ¡°What kind of anomaly?¡± Cleary asked. He was in the Berlin branch¡¯s grid monitoring station, hovering over the chair of an operator.


    ¡°At first I thought it was the start of a transformation event,¡± the operator explained nervously. ¡°Then I realised it was too small. Much too small, as in, not much bigger than a person.¡±


    ¡°Where a normal transformation event is the size of a city,¡± Cleary said and patted the operator on the shoulder. ¡°You did well to bring this to my attention quickly.¡±


    Cleary left the monitoring centre, just one small part of the Berlin branch¡¯s extensive complex. Waiting outside were Cleary¡¯s functionaries, who trailed him as he strode away.


    ¡°Prep helicopters and a full operations team,¡± Cleary instructed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to use the locals,¡± Cleary¡¯s assistant said. ¡°Our own forces are still being cleared.¡±


    ¡°They haven¡¯t been cleared yet?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a heavily armed contingent of non-governmental soldiers with magical abilities, sir. The German government, the Berlin steering committee and the International Committee are dragging their feet. They¡¯re trying to dig up our objective and you said secrecy is paramount so I chose discretion over applying pressure.¡±


    Cleary nodded.


    ¡°It was the right choice but now we have a window of unknown duration. Use the local teams and prep them for departure.¡±


    ¡°Destination?¡±


    ¡°The Ziller Valley.¡±


    ¡°Austria?¡± the assistant asked. ¡°That will add complications.¡±


    ¡°Handle them. Speed over everything.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure any complications are dealt with by the time you¡¯re in the air, sir.¡±


    ¡°Where is Gerling?¡±


    ¡°The spa facility, sir. Would you like me to send someone?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go,¡± Cleary said. ¡°Get going; I want wheels up in ten.¡±


    The landscape Jason found himself in was an alien reimagining of the space by the river he had just left. Like the space in which he claimed the door, it was washed into monochrome by the light than shone with no apparent source. In this case, the light was silver instead of amber, giving everything a blank metallic sheen.


    The surroundings looked vaguely natural at a distance, but up close it was clear that everything was composed of tiny cubes, as if the entire landscape had been built from tiny, silver Lego bricks.


    Jason felt the aura of the place trying to suppress his own, giving him the unusual sensation of feeling feeble before an overwhelming power. It had only been a couple of years since Jason was freshly-arrived in the other world, feeling vulnerable and exposed every day. In this place, that feeling came back. It was as if he were standing before the full vastness of the cosmos and being shown his tiny, irrelevant place in it.


    Shaking off the sensation, Jason extended his aura out, pushing back against the oppressive force to expand his senses. The first thing he detected was points of power, buried everywhere under the landscape. Unlike the transformation events that revealed only a single reality core with each event, the doorway gave Jason ready access to a treasure trove. He left them where they were as he started to move.


    Exploring the space with his senses, he walked slowly, trying to understand the complexities of the world around him. He slowly began to marry what he was perceiving with the theory he had learned but it was slow going. He took his time, examining tiny aspects of the magic flowing through the place like duelling orchestras.


    When he finally managed to truly grasp the nature of just one tiny aspect, fitting it to the theory Dawn had been stuffing into his head, it felt like a triumph. It was a first step, allowing him to move onto the next.


    Kaito¡¯s drones were the first to detect the approaching helicopters and he warned the others. Farrah looked unhappily at the door standing out in the open. Jason¡¯s party interface had terminated the moment he entered, leaving no way to communicate with him.


    ¡°We can¡¯t let him walk out of there not knowing,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°His freedom is paramount,¡± Dawn agreed. ¡°The question is how powerful the forces approaching are. If they aren¡¯t too¡­¡±


    Farrah looked at Dawn, who had trailed off, wide-eyed.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Gold ranker,¡± Dawn whispered.


    Farrah froze for a moment and then turned to the others.


    ¡°Everyone into the helicopter!¡± she yelled, shoving Dawn in the direction of the vehicle. ¡°Get in it and go, all of you! As quick as you can!¡±


    ¡°What about you?¡± Kaito asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll get Jason and we¡¯ll portal back to the cloud house,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Rendezvous there, no more questions. As fast as you can go, gods dammit!¡±


    Without another word, Farrah plunged into the portal. Dawn hurried toward the helicopter.


    ¡°Move!¡± she ordered. ¡°We may already be moving too late!¡±


    They clambered into the side door of the helicopter and it lifted into the air, even before Kaito slid into the pilot seat. Using every power at his disposal, Kaito accelerated the vehicle, sending it firing through the air faster than any ordinary helicopter could match.


    ¡°What is happening?¡± Akari asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a gold-rank essence user on one of those helicopters,¡± Dawn said.


    "A category-four?" Akari asked, her face turning pale. "Since when do they even exist?"


    ¡°China and the United States both had people reach gold-rank several years ago,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°They have been keeping them in magical stasis since then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s true, then,¡± Asya said. ¡°They really do have them.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Now that they are operating openly, I am more free to speak on it.¡±


    ¡°Why weren¡¯t you before?¡± Greg asked.


    ¡°There are rules by which I am required to operate,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°They are a frustrating but necessary restriction for someone like me to intervene in the affairs of your world.¡±


    ¡°They must be using reality cores to sustain the category four,¡± Asya reasoned.


    ¡°It seems likely,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°How many are we dealing with?¡± Itsuki asked.


    ¡°One,¡± Dawn said. ¡°One is all it takes.¡±


    She bowed her head, crestfallen.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said.


    ¡°For not telling us earlier?¡± Asya asked. ¡°You told us what you could on the way to Makassar.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry for what is about to happen. The gold-ranker has left his helicopter. Everyone get out the gold spirit coins that Jason gave you and eat them when I say.¡±


    Gerling hurtled through the air, periodic explosions throwing him onward, faster and faster. For all its speed, Kaito¡¯s bronze-rank helicopter, even with Kaito using every power at his disposal, could not match the crude explosion-flight of the gold ranker. The helicopter opened up with weapons and deployed drones to intercept but Gerling went through them as if they were a light pattering of rain. When Gerling struck the helicopter, it exploded in a burst of force and fire, tiny pieces scattering across the sky.

 Chapter 388: Loaded For Battle

    The alien landscape of the node space was an uncanny mix of familiar features washed out in metallic silver light. A close examination of the ground, rocks and plants did not help, being made up of tiny blocks that gave it the feel of a low-resolution image. Jason wandered over to the river, which he found looked like mercury under the monochrome light.


    Jason was uncomfortably uncertain about how to identify if he had the right node, figure out how to alter it and finally repair it without making things worse. Even the terrifyingly knowledgeable Dawn had limited advice. She told him to trust his senses over his eyes and to take his time, matching the theory he had been taught to the reality he encountered. Once he understood one on terms of the other, he would be ready to intervene. To Jason, that sounded a lot like ¡®get in there and figure it out, idiot.¡¯


    He wandered in search of some core area; a big magical-looking thing he could interact with. Eventually, as his aura adapted to the harsh conditions of the space¡¯s own corrosive aura, he realised that the entire space was the core he was seeking out.


    Despite all the magical theory he had studied, he was unprepared for the discovery that the very land he was walking through was the mechanism he had been searching for. The work of the original Builder was so vast and more nuanced than Jason could even begin to comprehend. For a moment, he despaired of ever understanding enough to begin his task, let alone complete it.


    Schooling his negative thoughts he renewed his determination, once more probing the space around him with his magical and aura senses. He stopped looking for individual elements and started looking at everything as a collective whole. His more holistic approach swiftly reveal incongruities in the otherwise exquisite design.


    The original artistry of the place, expanded over billions of years from the reality seed from which his universe had been created, was far too sophisticated for Jason to interfere with in any way beyond crude bumbling. Fortunately, this had also been true for whoever had made the changes Jason had come to correct.


    The design of the space was so magnificent in its sophistication that it blurred the lines of what constituted the natural world.


    ¡°I hope the intelligent design people don¡¯t find out about this.¡±


    Jason was looking at the blueprints of reality. The underpinnings of matter and energy; the book in which the laws of physics were written. Incepted as a seed from which the entire universe sprouted, it was like looking at the results of a self-learning program that had been running for eons. Jason was staggered at a mind that could accomplish all that, if such a thing could even be called a mind. Jason was filled with awe and ¨C for the first time since learning of its existence ¨C respect for what the Builder was.


    Seeing the result of the Builder¡¯s core purpose, creating universes, it brought home to Jason the vast alien consciousness that even the newer, once-mortal builder must possess. It reinforced what Dawn had told him about great astral beings needing mortal vessels not just to interact with physical reality but even to think on a mortal scale. Jason had thought that the Builder he encountered had been using the bodies he inhabited as interchangeable puppets. Now he realised that Thadwick and the other body he used may have had much more of an effect on the Builder than he previously imagined.


    ¡°You picked a dud vessel there, mate,¡± Jason muttered to himself. He had to wonder how much the cultists who prepared Thadwick to serve as a vessel understood the process. Then he remembered that this was done right after Rufus had wiped out the local leadership. It was likely that they had managed to dig out the mechanisms for creating vessels without grasping the ramifications of who they selected to be the raw material. Choosing the most expendable person had ramifications that were unfortunate for the Builder¡¯s cult but a blessing for Jason himself.


    The inexpert alterations Jason sensed in the node space were marring the sublime intricacy of the original work. This made the crude flaws in what was otherwise a perfect system easy to pick out. Like a scratch in a record, they threw off the harmony of the pattern with a jolt.


    Jason and his team had been unsure of how reliable their method of identifying the correct nodes was. They had been successful the first time out, but whether this would continue or if they just got lucky, he didn¡¯t yet know.


    Dawn had advised Jason to take his time to comprehend the space properly and that was exactly what he did. The more he examined the perfection of the design, the more the changes he spotted seemed blasphemous. The door Jason had used to access this space was created by the second Builder, which made sense to Jason. He could not imagine the person who created the magnificence around him giving some idiot the tools to vandalise it.


    Jason wasn¡¯t sure how long he spent working to understand the node space with what amounted to meditative examination. He had an eerie feeling that time flowed differently within it, although that was more likely to be his imagination than the reality. Sensing the space around him and trying to transpose that with his understanding of astral magic theory was challenging. It was the difference between having an anatomy textbook open in front of him and a surgery patient open in front of him. Fortunately, his goal was not to make changes but undo the damage that had already been done.


    Jason¡¯s examination finally helped him understand that if he could delicately undermine the changes that had been made, the space would heal itself. Rather than relying on Jason¡¯s ham-fisted fumbling, it would be more like plucking a splinter than stitching up a wound. The actual mechanism for making changes was ostensibly easy, just a little well-placed aura pressure, but Jason did not rush. Measure twice, cut once was good advice for the building blocks of a house, let alone the building blocks of the universe.


    Finally, Jason made his first adjustment; a tiny, delicate and oh-so-careful change. He then watched and waited, hoping he hadn¡¯t made things worse. Straining his perception to the limit, he finally sensed signs that the affected area was returning to its natural state as the garish wound settled back into its pristine surroundings. He continued observing until he was certain that he wasn¡¯t just imagining the gradual shift change before moving on to do it again.


    In the space between Jason¡¯s magical archway and the operations camp rapidly established by the Network tactical support team, Gerling dropped the ragged, unconscious Asano sisters on the ground. Network personnel moved forward to clamp category-three suppression collars onto their necks, while someone brought Gerling a folding chair and a can of beer. Cleary came out of the command tent and walked over as Gerling sat down, unconcerned as he waited for Jason to emerge.


    ¡°We¡¯re looking at using reality cores to potentially develop category four suppression collars,¡± Cleary said, looking at the unconscious sisters. "More category four essence users is obviously the priority but we''re sure the Chinese have their own category fours already, which are most likely being woken up like you."


    "You want to lock them down if we can, instead of killing them?" Gerling asked. ¡°Seems like an unnecessary risk.¡±


    ¡°Not my call,¡± Cleary said. ¡°A category-three collar is all we need for Asano, in any case. We didn¡¯t find any trace of Farrah Hurin, so we suspect she went in to warn him and he¡¯ll know what he¡¯s walking into. He could emerge at any moment.¡±


    ¡°What about the others?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°The unknown entity, Dawn, appears to be have been killed by the explosion. We¡¯re taking samples from what¡¯s left of her but it¡¯s not much. The category twos survived the explosion, probably by consuming high-rank spirit coins, according to early examination of the bodies. Between the explosion and the subsequent weakening effect, though, only one survived the fall. It was the Tiwari boy, using a teleport power to escape the helicopter right before you hit it.


    ¡°He got away?¡±


    ¡°No. He¡¯s stealthy but our category-threes tracked him down. He¡¯s under interrogation now.¡±


    ¡°Bring him out,¡± Gerling said. ¡°The bodies, too. You said you wanted Asano humbled, right? Let¡¯s show him the extent of his failure.¡±


    Farrah was increasingly suffering as she forced herself onward through the alien silver landscape. Her excellent control over her aura prevented it from collapsing suddenly, eking out every scrap of strength before it finally gave way. She continued searching for Jason regardless, even as the mystical corrosion started impacting her body. She finally found Jason returning to the door, having rectified the node as best he could.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked her moving close and pushing his own aura out to protect her. The overextension meant that his own aura was being chewed away but he ignored it, leading Farrah back in the direction of the door.


    ¡°The Network will be waiting outside,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They have a gold-ranker with them.¡±


    ¡°China?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°What about the others?¡±


    ¡°They fled in Kaito¡¯s helicopter. I don¡¯t know if they got away.¡±


    ¡°If they got caught, I¡¯ll open a portal for you to get them out through while I distract the gold-ranker. I¡¯m what he¡¯s here for. If they go away, I¡¯ll open a portal for us to get out through.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t risk yourself. You¡¯re the one who can fix the world, now.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t kill me. They need me alive.¡±


    ¡°Do they need your arms and legs?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been through worse than anything they can do, and I still have tricks up my sleeve.¡±


    Jason and Farrah stepped out of the magic door, which descended into the ground and vanished. Farrah had her obsidian armour and sword already conjured, while Jason had his blood robes, cloak and his dagger. He also had two orange and blue orbs with an eye pattern floating around him. Jason¡¯s familiar, Gordon, could surround himself with six orbs; three primarily blue with some orange and thee primarily orange with some blue.


    As of silver-rank, and while Gordon was subsumed into Jason, Jason was now able to call up one of each orb for his own use. Just like Gordon, he could make attacks with them or use the new functions available as of silver rank. One orb could trigger the butterfly effect that spread Jason¡¯s afflictions, while the other could turn into a floating shield.


    There was a Network operations camp set up nearby, the layout familiar to Farrah and Jason both. It was some distance away, as the magic door had been given a lot of space. The only things nearby were the folding chair containing Gerling and the people around him, living and dead.


    The Asano sisters were alive but much worse for wear, collared and sprawled on the ground. Itsuki was also collared and unconscious, his wound suggesting he went down fighting. Jason could sense their auras, suppressed though they were. He could not sense Kaito, Asya, Greg or Dawn. There were three corpses on the ground, too damaged to recognise, but he knew.


    In the folding chair was a man sitting amongst Jason¡¯s beaten and killed companions with a can of beer in his hand, as if he were at a casual barbecue. He was a hairy behemoth, in plain fatigues who tossed aside the can as he rose slowly from the chair. The can landed on a body whose long dark hair hadn''t all been burned away.


    Inside Jason¡¯s spirit Vault, Jason¡¯s family looked up at a sky filling with angry red clouds as thunder pealed. The floral scent of the gardens turned coppery as the flowers faded and the plants grew savage barbs.


    A scared Emi hugged her father tightly. They all knew they were in Jason soul.


    ¡°Daddy, what¡¯s happening to Uncle Jason?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Sweetie,¡± Ian said, placing a comforting hand on his daughter¡¯s head. ¡°I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Gerling was around ten metres away from Jason and Farrah and took a few steps forward.


    ¡°Look at you two, all loaded for battle. You think you can beat me?¡±


    ¡°Let the others go,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have what you want. They get you nothing, now.¡±


    ¡°If it were up to me, I¡¯d go for it,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Personally, I¡¯d like for you and me to rumble. I want to see all this power you¡¯re meant to have for myself. But the big boys back home don¡¯t want you beaten. They want you broken. Humbled. You¡¯ve been walking around, doing whatever you want for far too long. It¡¯s time for you to learn that you don¡¯t run this world, Asano. We do.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to kill anyone else,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gerling acknowledged. ¡°It¡¯s not exactly out of my way, though.¡±


    ¡°Get them out,¡± Jason told Farrah silently through the voice chat of his party interface and then burst into action, charging directly at Gerling as Shade bodies spread out beside him.


    A wild grin erupted on Gerling¡¯s face and he threw a fist at Jason from which a bolt of force shot out. Jason moved to step into a Shade body and shadow-jump away, only for it to fail. He felt some oppressive magic shut him down the moment he tried and the force bolt exploded as it struck him, throwing him through the air.


    Jason used his silver-rank agility to acrobatically adjust his trajectory, flipping in the air to land on his feet. The simple attack was not a high damage one but coming from a gold-ranker it still felt like being hit with a hammer. He resumed his charge, not seeming to dodge a second bolt but when it struck Jason it passed right through.


    At silver rank, one of the effects of Jason''s cloak was to give him some limited ability to manipulate space. It had taken him some time to get a handle on it, but now Jason could dodge attacks in such a way as they seemed to hit. It was an ability with limitations and restrictions that Jason expertly hid, making what was little more than a magically enhanced dodge appear as a mysterious defensive power.


    Missing his attack didn''t dismay Gerling, instead, delighting him as he launched himself forward to meet Jason in a rush. He tried to crash-tackle the smaller man but Jason managed to evade. Some strange magic was preventing his shadow jumps but that was not the extent of his evasive skills. Using Shade¡¯s bodies for pure obfuscation, Jason stepped through them, one of many dark figures for Gerling to pin down.


    The gold-ranker¡¯s first approach was to swing with his fists as they shimmered with force. Jason had more skill, more combat experience and was devilishly elusive. It still wasn¡¯t enough in the face of the gold-ranker¡¯s raw speed and a fist soon landed in Jason¡¯s gut, sending him tumbling across the grass.


    Gerling followed up quickly, punting Jason before he had a chance to get up. Once more, Jason rolled across the ground after suffering a savage blow. Gerling leapt into the air and used a special attack that drove him down like a hammer, Jason barely rolling away as Gerling¡¯s boots hit the ground. The attack still caused a small crater, the secondary force shattering the shield Jason managed to interpose using one of the orbs floating around him. Jason was showered in earth and once more sent tumbling away.


    Lying where he fell, Jason raised an arm in Gerling¡¯s direction but it wasn¡¯t aimed at the gold-ranker. While Gerling had been kicking Jason along the ground like a ball, Jason had been taking the blows, letting them knock him further and further from Itsuki and the Asano sisters. Farrah had made her way to the prisoners and Jason raised a portal arch right next to them.


    Gerling turned and looked, not rushing after Jason or the portal as he stood and laughed. The arch rose up like normal, but instead of filling with a dark portal, it remained empty and inert.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t seriously think we¡¯d try this without doing something about those portals, right?¡± Gerling mocked.

 Chapter 389: Going For Gold

    Jason and Farrah both extended their senses when the arch remained empty and the portal failed to open. If they hadn¡¯t been so shocked by their captured and dead companions they might have paid more attention to their surroundings but it was only now that they detected the magical devices set up in a wide circle around them. Farrah was familiar with the magic and knew it would be made up of a series of magic rods hammered into the ground, just out of sight.


    ¡°It¡¯s a dimensional condensation net,¡± she told Jason through their party chat. ¡°Keep him distracted while I take it out.¡±


    Jason cast a spell at Gerling.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    Gerling glared at him.


    ¡°A category three actually affecting me with his crap?¡± Gerling said, and then looked down at his arm. While kicking Jason across the ground, he hadn¡¯t even noticed Jason getting in the two shallow cuts. Wounds that shallow should have already healed, demonstrating the noxiousness of Jason¡¯s abilities, something Gerling had been thoroughly warned about. Gerling looked back up at Jason even as Jason rapidly chanted more spells.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    ¡°Bear the mark of your transgressions.¡±


    Fresh blood leaked from the two cuts and a symbol was branded onto the back of his hand by a small flash of transcendent damage.


    Despite knowing full well the nature of Jason¡¯s power, Gerling didn¡¯t rush, staring down Jason.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your aura,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I can feel it. Judging me. I¡¯m not yours to judge, Asano.¡±


    Gerling projected his aura to suppress Jason¡¯s and was startled at the result. He had heard that Jason¡¯s aura was strong but he wasn¡¯t prepared for the degree to which that was true. Gerling¡¯s gold rank aura was stronger but far from overwhelming, despite the full rank of difference. Even that gap was made up by the difference in aura control. Gerling¡¯s aura control skills were adequate but Jason¡¯s were immaculate. Trying to suppress Jason¡¯s aura was like trying to grip a wet, frictionless ball that kept slipping through his fingers.


    Jason gave no reaction to Gerling¡¯s attack, as if he hadn¡¯t even noticed. Instead, he looked at the conjured dagger in his hand as it started to transform. The sinister blade grew longer as it extended into a sword shape, also changing colour. It turning from obsidian black and blood red to pristine silver. The red embellishment remained but the barbed motif was smoothed into clean lines, as well as bright red runes set into the blade.


    Ability: [Blade of Doom] (Doom)


    Conjuration (holy, unholy, curse, disease, poison).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.


    Current rank: Silver 1 (19%).


    Effect (iron): Conjures [Ruin, the Blade of Tribulation]. Attacks made with Ruin will inflict an instance of [Vulnerable] and refresh any wounding effects on the target. Wounding effects refreshed by Ruin require more healing than normal to negate. Ruin is an unholy object.


    Effect (bronze): Ruin inflicts one instance each of [Ruination of the Blood], [Ruination of the Flesh] and [Ruination of the Spirit].


    Effect (silver): Blade gains a second form: [Penitent, the Blade of Sacrifice]. Attacks made with Penitent will inflict an instance of [Price in Blood] and refresh any wounding effects on the target. Wounding effects refreshed by Penitent require more healing than normal to negate. Penitent is a holy object.


    [Vulnerable] (affliction, unholy, stacking): All resistances are reduced. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Consumed to cleanse instances of [Resistant] on a 1:1 basis.


    [Ruination of the Blood] (damage-over-time, poison, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until the poison is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    [Ruination of the Flesh] (damage-over-time, disease, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until the disease is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    [Ruination of the Spirit] (damage-over-time, curse, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until the curse is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    [Price in Blood] (affliction, holy, blood, stacking): This affliction is applied equally to the person it is inflicted upon and the person who inflicts it. This affliction cannot be cleansed while a person who shares it is alive and is immediately negated if the person who shares it dies. Damage between people who share the affliction is increased, including damage sources in place prior to this effect. Damage from holy sources is further increased. Only damage actually inflicted is increased; damage negated by damage reduction and protection abilities is not. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    The second form of the Blade of Doom power was a double-edge sword with a double-edged power. The Price in Blood affliction caused both the deliverer and the recipient to hurt each other all the more, making avoiding damage a critical objective. It was a massive gamble against a gold-rank enemy but silver-rank attacks against such a foe were like digging through a brick wall with a spoon and Jason needed to hold Gerling¡¯s attention.


    Jason stilled the storm of fury in his soul, tapping into his meditative techniques to push the rage and pain from his mind and let a calm settle over him. He knew that control was what he needed, while the illusory strength of passion would only hurt him. If he were alone he might have been consumed by it but he still had people he needed to get out alive and couldn¡¯t allow himself the indulgence. A calm came over him as his silver eyes locked onto Gerling and he started walking slowly forward. Gerling grinned, rushing at Jason to swing a fist at lightning speed.


    Gold rankers were absurdly fast. Jason had seen Emir move at full speed a few times and, to iron-rank Jason, it had been indistinguishable from Sophie¡¯s movement powers. The speed attribute alone of a gold-ranker was almost a teleportation power. Even at bronze-rank, the speed of a gold-ranker would be little more than a blur. Only at silver could Jason¡¯s reflexes keep up at all, and even then it was like moving through molasses.


    Jason had every other advantage. His skill, both in terms of fighting technique and the use of his abilities, was as far above Gerling¡¯s as Gerling¡¯s raw power was above Jason¡¯s. Jason¡¯s powers were also better suited to a close-quarters fight. His cloak hid his movements and manipulated space, while his weapon gave him the reach on the unarmed Gerling.


    Gerling¡¯s powers, on the other hand, made him more of a siege weapon than a duellist. His explosive powers were better suited to assaulting an army than a person. Even so, he was simply so fast, so strong and so tough that it didn¡¯t matter. Jason landed half a dozen hits with his sword, massively accelerating his already locked-in suite of powers and Gerling was barely impaired.


    It took Gerling time to hit Jason, whose skill and abilities made him frustratingly evasive. When the hit landed, however, the result was devastating. Gerling¡¯s strength, enhanced by an explosive fist power and Jason¡¯s own damage-accelerating power left Jason as little more than a bloody mess, bouncing along the ground like a skipping stone.


    Instead of following up, Gerling dashed off to arrive in front of Farrah. She had been making her way to one of the buried rods restricting Jason¡¯s portal, using her lava cannon power to devastate the team of silver-rankers that moved to intercept her.


    ¡°Hello, hot stuff,¡± Gerling said and swung his fist.


    Farrah did not fight like Jason, as reflected by her equipment. Where Jason conjured sleek robes and a wispy cloak, she conjured heavy obsidian armour. Instead of a dagger, she conjured a huge sword that could extend out into a barbed lava whip. She did also have orbs floating around her, but instead of glowing eyes, they were searing flames.


    Jason''s style was elusive, deceptive and mobile. Farrah, by contrast, was all about power; not just using it but also dealing with it. For all the power at her command, she had won it fighting monsters that were stronger and tougher than she was, just like Gerling.


    Gerling was surprised at his inability to land a solid hit as Farrah slight but efficient movement always managed to deflect his hits or shift her angle just the right way to negate the bulk of the damage. Only the explosive power shrouding his fists had a major effect, blasting off chunks of her armour.


    Farrah drew on her vast combat experience and moved with the hits, letting it lead her into counterattacks. Like Jason, Farrah was much more adept with her powers than Gerling. Her whip sword made of lava and obsidian danced like a monstrous snake as it drew blood, while the burning orbs floating around her lunged in to burn his face, distracting him. The attacks had full effect, as well, the damage reduction from his superior rank not being a factor.


    Ability: [Limit Breaker] (Potent)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: None.


    Current rank: Silver 2 (07%).


    Effect (iron): Ignore rank disparity in resistances and damage reduction.


    Effect (bronze): Increase the effect of abilities by increasing their cost.


    Effect (silver): The enhanced state from consuming a spirit coin lasts for significantly longer and the after-effects are reduced.


    Farrah attacks also left Gerling covered in burning flames. Momentarily being placed on the back foot enraged him and he clapped his hands together to create an explosion that swept out in front of him. At the same time, though, a wall of obsidian rose up between him and Farrah. He sneered as the explosion blasted the wall to fragment, only to be startled when the fragments flew the wrong way. Even as the force of the explosion passed through the shattered wall and knocked Farrah off her feet, the fragments of wall blasted back into Gerling, digging into his flesh. Lying on the ground, Farrah quickly chanted a spell.


    ¡°Children of the volcano, be reborn in fire.¡±


    The shards of obsidian buried in Gerling¡¯s flesh melted into magma, inflicting a pain even the gold ranker couldn¡¯t ignore. Farrah got to her feet as Gerling yelled in rage and pain, stumbling back, not even hearing the quiet chant behind him.


    ¡°Your blood is not yours to keep but mine on which to feast.¡±


    At silver-rank, Jason recovery powers were terrifying to behold. Far from appearing near death, he now looked completely fresh, his conjured robes and cloak covering the blood coating his body underneath. The life force he drained from the gold-ranker brought his health back up to full and beyond, with his Sin Eater ability allowing his health to surpass its normal maximum.


    Jason didn¡¯t launch Colin into the fray, and not just because Gerling was covered in flames. Area attacks were a critical weakness for swarm-type enemies and Gerling seemed to be all about explosions. More importantly, Jason was going to need the healing his familiar provided by remaining subsumed. Knowing he would need to rely on himself, he used a damage spell that took advantage of the afflictions still accumulating on Gerling.


    Ability: [Punition] (Doom)


    Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Silver 1 (09%).Effect (iron): Inflicts necrotic damage for each curse, disease, poison and unholy affliction the target is suffering.Effect (bronze): Inflicts or refreshes the duration of [Penitence].Effect (silver): Damage per affliction can be increased by increasing the mana cost to high, very high, or extreme. This reduces the cooldown to 20 seconds, 10 seconds or none. Consecutive, extreme-cost uses have a shorter incantation.


    [Penitence] (affliction, holy): Gain an instance of [Penance] for each curse, disease, poison or unholy effect that is cleansed from you. This is a holy effect.[Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off as damage is dealt.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    Jason¡¯s abilities were largely mana efficient, a trait shared by most affliction specialists. Punition stood out as his big, instantaneous damage spell, although it required set up to be effective. As of silver-rank, it became a mana sink giving him a large hammer to swing when he needed to go all out.


    Against a silver-rank opponent, even a moderate time under Jason¡¯s afflictions would have placed them in a bad position. Gerling, however, demonstrated the near-indestructibility of a gold-ranker, showing the marks of both Jason and Farrah¡¯s attacks without yet being impeded by them. Even Jason¡¯s newly-enhanced Punition spell failed to make a sizeable dent in the gold-ranker¡¯s condition, although it was enough to surprise their powerful enemy.


    Gerling was frustrated at how much he was being shown up by the two silver-rankers that should have been overwhelmed by his power to the point that he hadn¡¯t treated them as real opponents. As he was filled with anger, that changed. He hammered his fists together and a powerful blast exploded out, sending Farrah and Jason flying.


    The two silver-rankers scrambled to their feet as Gerling strode from the cloud of earth and dust thrown up by his power. He was still wreathed in fire from Farrah¡¯s abilities but his disregard and iron glare made the flames seem more like his power than hers. He stomped his foot and the ground in a wide area around her exploded up, throwing her into the air and battering her with both force and magically-empowered rocks that exploded as the came near her.


    At the same time, Gerling threw a fist in Jason''s direction and he was blasted with a broad wave of force. If he had not been denied shadow-jumping he could have avoided it but was instead battered and blasted back.


    This was the signal of a change in the tenor of the fight as Gerling unleashed one area attack after another in an unrelenting assault that gave neither Jason nor Farrah time to recover and rally. It was a terrible strategy against enemies of a similar rank as such abilities were high cost and relatively low damage, which is how the silver-rankers survived the barrage. Jason¡¯s stacked rapid healing effects kept him healing through the damage while Farrah¡¯s armour and magically enhanced toughness allowed her to endure.


    Network personnel were watching from the nearby camp. The second in command of the Berlin forces threw an unhappy glance at Cleary, on the other side of the camp.


    ¡°Boss,¡± she told her commander, ¡°this isn¡¯t right. I¡¯m pretty sure we¡¯re working for the bad guys, here.¡±


    ¡°Tell me something I don¡¯t know,¡± he growled.


    ¡°Maybe we don¡¯t have to?¡±


    ¡°What are you suggesting? That¡¯s a category four over there and I have zero interest in having my head crushed in his fist like a soft fruit.¡±


    ¡°Those things stopping them from escaping. Maybe we could take one out.¡±


    ¡°How? By taking out our own people guarding them? Look, I¡¯m not opposed to doing something. Just come up with an idea better than that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we just need the right opportunity, Boss. If it doesn¡¯t come, it doesn¡¯t come, but if we¡¯re ready and it does¡­¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± the commander said. ¡°Spread the word. Careful and quiet.¡±


    Jason and Farrah¡¯s superior skills were overwhelmed by the combination of power disparity and cheap tactics, Gerling having enough area abilities to almost stun lock them both. Their attempts to push back fell short, Jason barely managing to stay alive, throwing out Punition and his health drain spell every chance he could. He called out Gordon, who chained his shield orbs to protect himself and Jason, as well as inflict his butterfly effect on Gerling. After three attacks, each one destroying a shield orb, a disruptive force blast from the gold ranker left the incorporeal familiar ragged. Since it took a full minute to recover a destroyed orb, Jason called Gordon back into himself before the familiar¡¯s vessel was destroyed.


    The butterflies manifesting on Gerling did not impair the gold ranker; instead, they flew off in every direction. The Network forces had staged teams near the buried rods preventing Jason¡¯s portal from working and the butterflies went in their direction. Some of the butterflies were caught up in Gerling¡¯s area attacks and others were shot down by the Network troops using disruptive force attacks that caused the butterflies to detonate. As Jason¡¯s powers kept multiplying the butterfly affliction, though, more and more butterflies went out, increasing the pressure.


    Farrah burned through her mana re-conjuring armour over and over as the explosive attacks broke it apart. As the area attacks drew close to the Asano sisters and Itsuki, who had made their way to the inactive portal as they watched the conflict. Farrah knew she had to push back before their collared companions were caught up and killed. After withstanding another attack, Farrah took out a gold spirit coin and slipped it into her mouth.


    Farrah¡¯s body was immediately flooded with power, her Limit Breaker ability handling the gold-rank energy in a smooth flow, compared to the brutish force other essence users experienced when using a coin. She leapt through the air using a special attack, her sword lighting up with white-hot flames as Gerling''s latest area attack failed to knock back the momentum of her enhanced attack and forcing him to take it head-on.


    Unfortunately, he could. Even with her attributes raised to gold, Farrah was not a match for a true gold-ranker, although the boost was enough to push him with her greater mastery of both fighting technique and ability use. In the break, Jason made his way for the closest buried rod, hoping to disrupt the effect.


    Gerling was not unaware of Jason¡¯s actions and used one of the long cooldown abilities from his vast essence. A void sphere appeared in the middle of the area they were fighting, creating a massive gravitational pull towards it. Gerling and Farrah both resisted, Gerling only partially affected by his own ability while Farrah dug her sword into the ground as an anchor. Itsuki and the Asano sisters braced themselves against Jason¡¯s inactive portal arch.


    Jason and the Network troops around the perimeter of the battle zone suffered the full brunt, all being dragged to the sphere, which then exploded. Jason and the other silver-rankers survived, although all were savaged by the raw power of the blast that scattered them back around the battlefield. All the bronze-rankers in the Network teams sucked in were dead.


    At the camp, Cleary ordered new teams in to replace the one that had been guarding the buried rods. The commander stormed up to him, furious.


    ¡°Are you joking? Your guy just took out half my entire contingent, a lot of them dead. Now you want me to send more in there?¡±


    ¡°Unless you want to be the next on the list when my category-four friend comes back, yes.¡±


    The commander bared his teeth but finally turned away.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he announced to his sections. ¡°Everyone head to your assigned back-up points.¡±


    The commander glanced back at Cleary.


    ¡°And remember what you were just told,¡± the commander said to his personnel. ¡°Move out.¡±


    Cleary frowned, uncertain of what the commander had been referencing but put it to the back of his mind as he returned his attention to the fight. The fact that there was a fight at all, rather than a one-sided hammering was not a part of his plans.


    Jason managed another draining spell on Gerling, instantaneously flooding Jason with healing. Despite the massive health drain, it barely seemed to affect Gerling. Despite Farrah¡¯s flames and Jason¡¯s afflictions, Gerling was still going strong, the absurd resilience of a gold-ranker proving dominant. If Jason had a whole team of silver-rankers to hold up Gerling, he could probably do the damage required to take him down but just himself and Farrah were not enough. Even with his afflictions running rampant, Gerling was still going strong.


    Butterflies were landing on the silver rankers lying hurt on the ground, even as the freshly-healed Jason stood up, delivering affliction packages that would most likely kill them before they got help. Jason used his Feast of Absolution power, replenishing his mana and stamina as he drained the afflictions from them, making sure not to include Gerling. Gerling was not hurt to the point that switching from the sinister afflictions to holy ones would be effective.


    Farrah was winding down, her gold-rank power fading away. Soon it would be gone and she would be weaker than before, so Jason made another run at the buried rods, even as reinforcements from the camp moved around the outside of the battlefield to guard them.


    Farrah was sent hurtling off as her power faded and Gerling hit her square in the chest with a potent ability. Gerling then zipped to intercept Jason, grabbing his neck from behind and tossing him back, far from the buried rods. Gerling moved over Jason and planted a foot on his chest.


    ¡°You¡¯re done, Asano. You put up a good fight. If we were the same rank, you¡¯d have won. But we¡¯re not. Power is always king.¡±


    ¡°In the other world, they call it the tyranny of rank,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Tyranny of rank? I like that.¡±


    ¡°I hope you like your flesh melting off. Good luck clearing those afflictions.¡±


    ¡°What did I just tell you? Luck doesn¡¯t matter. Skill doesn¡¯t matter. Only power matters.¡±


    Jason face filled with anguish as he felt a familiar surge of power from within Gerling, the reason that Gerling had been chosen as the gold-ranker they awoke. Gerling, it turned out, shared a power with Humphrey, also gaining it from the might essence. That power was called Immortality, which instigated an incredibly powerful healing effect. It was a power known by the Magic Society, so after Humphrey had looked it up, Jason learned that, at silver-rank, it gained the ability to purge all afflictions, ignoring any and all effects that prevented cleansing. Jason had encountered a similar effect used by the archbishop of the church of Purity.


    ¡°That power,¡± Jason said. ¡°A friend of mine has it. I know that it can bring you back from the dead at gold rank.¡±


    ¡°Now you know that killing me wouldn¡¯t have helped you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now I get to kill you twice.¡±


    Gerling chuckled as he took a battered and singed but still functioning suppression collar from a belt satchel. As he bent down to put it on, explosions erupted around the edge of the battlefield.


    Moments earlier, Cleary had been watching with satisfaction as Gerling ended the fight. Farrah was badly hurt, her collared companions rushing to check on her. Asano was seemingly immortal but Gerling now had him literally underfoot. Too late, Cleary spotted the new teams at the buried rods digging into the ground before they all started running.


    ¡°What are they¡­?¡±


    Grenades the teams had just dropped into holes alongside the rods started going off. The empty space in Jason¡¯s inactive portal was suddenly filled with darkness, the Asano sisters dragging Farrah through, Itsuki following after. Cleary watched in horror as Jason slipped out from under Gerling¡¯s foot and flung himself at the portal.


    Gerling was only startled for a moment and he still had gold-rank reflexes. He threw out a hand in Jason¡¯s direction and fired a force bolt. It flew past Jason, exploding between Jason and the portal, flinging Jason back even as Gerling moved forward. Gerling grabbed Jason¡¯s head in a huge, meaty hand, clamping the suppression collar into place with the other.


    As soon as Jason¡¯s powers were cut off, the portal descended into the ground and vanished. Furious, Gerling hammered his fist into Jason¡¯s head until Jason fell unconscious, and then hammered it some more.


    Jason woke up in a transport container, reinforced with what looked like a roll-cage, to which Jason had been very thoroughly chained, hands and feet. Jason waited to recover some more before acting, his portal still being a couple of minutes from being usable again and knowing that he would need to move fast. His powers were suppressed but Colin, inside him, was still healing him at a formidable rate.


    The container was on the move, on a transport helicopter Jason guessed from the motion. Gerling was likely to be close by but Jason wasn¡¯t going to risk extending his senses until he was prepared to act.


    It was hard to sense if his powers were off cooldown while they were suppressed but this was something Jason was used to, having long used suppression collars in his aura training. That was how he could be sure when his portal was ready and he could begin to act.


    Jason plotted through his series of rapid actions, ready to execute them as quickly as possible. He started by pushing off the silver-rank suppression effect with his aura, then conjuring his cloak and using the space distortion ability to slip out of the manacles and leg chains, even as he called up a portal. He dove through it just in time as the container was ripped apart to reveal Gerling, who had sensed Jason¡¯s aura when he overcame the collar. All Gerling found was Jason¡¯s portal, descending into the floor.


    ¡°What the fu¨C¡±

 Chapter 390: Prepare For the Rematch

    The cloud house was in a vacant lot of an abandoned Austrian town. Inside, Farrah, Itsuki and the Asano sisters waited anxiously. The portal had closed right behind them and Jason¡¯s fate was unknown. Farrah had taken out some suppression collar skeleton keys she had made herself after seeing the crude ones Jason had made. She unlocked the collars around the necks of the others, then magically examined them for tracking magic. The cloud house should be more than capable of blocking it but she wanted to be careful.


    Ten minutes after they arrived, the portal reappeared and Jason stumbled through, the portal sinking into the floor immediately after. Farrah immediately wrapped him in a fierce hug. Once she let him go, Jason opened his spirit vault, concerned about whether his mental state, the suppression collar or both had affected his family within.


    Heading into the vault, he immediately spotted the differences. The colour seemed washed out of everything, from the drab flowers to the grey sky. Rain was falling, which was not something he had seen before in his spirit vault. As soon as he emerged from the portal in the central pavilion, his family rushed up to him from where they had been clustered together in a small sitting area, under the pavilion.


    ¡°Jason, what happened?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°Come out into the cloud house,¡± he said. ¡°We need to talk.¡±


    ¡°What in the god damn hell?¡± Cleary asked angrily, sitting in the transport helicopter as it approached the Berlin Network headquarters. ¡°Our own people betrayed us and let Asano get away.¡±


    ¡°No, they didn''t," Gerling said. "They let his companions get away but we got Asano. Him getting loose was on us. He clearly had some means to disable a suppression collar."


    ¡°He was searched,¡± Cleary said. ¡°Thoroughly. If he had a magic key jammed up his ass, our sensors would have found it when we checked him.¡±


    ¡°Lack of intel, then,¡± Gerling said. ¡°It must be some ability.¡±


    ¡°To ignore a suppression collar?¡±


    "Who knows what abilities he learned in the other world? His aura was like nothing I''ve ever seen, both in power and control. Based on the aura surge I felt when he was escaping, it''s probably related to that."


    ¡°How can you be calm?¡± Cleary asked. ¡°He got away.¡±


    ¡°My job was to catch him and I caught him,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Containment was your area and I¡¯m the talent, which means your head is the one on the block.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to kill those traitorous bastards,¡± Cleary spat.


    ¡°No you¡¯re not,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You shanghaied a bunch of the Berlin branch¡¯s tac-teams, got half of them killed and sent the other half to die. Are you that surprised they screwed you? I would have. Now you want to what? Take them back to their branch and execute them in front of the rest? They will string you up.¡±


    ¡°Not with you there.¡±


    ¡°If you want to go after them, that¡¯s all you,¡± Gerling said. ¡°They¡¯ve already demonstrated what they¡¯ll do when you push them hard enough, even when I am right there. Frankly, I admire them for having the sack to go for it.¡±


    Cleary scowled unhappily but fell silent, calming himself with deep breaths. Only once the helicopter was about to land did he speak again, the tense rage in his voice replaced with weariness.


    ¡°Did I hear you call yourself the talent?¡±


    ¡°I regretted it immediately,¡± Gerling admitted.


    In the cloud house, Jason¡¯s family and other companions sat in morose silence. Emi was curled up against her uncle, clutching onto him.


    ¡°What about the bodies?¡± Ian asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll make sure they¡¯re sent home, with respect,¡± Jason said.


    In the frenzy of the moment, Jason had been moving too fast for the horror of what had happened to catch him. Now that he¡¯d stopped still, it came on in force. The image of the dead bodies at the man¡¯s feet was seared into his brain. He lost track of them in the fight, unsure even how intact they were after all the area attacks being thrown around.


    ¡°What about Dawn?¡± Akari asked.


    ¡°What was with us wasn¡¯t really her,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I don¡¯t know how long it will take but she will be back.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there something you can do?¡± Erika asked. ¡°You came back from¡­¡±


    She struggled to say the words.


    ¡°¡­Farrah came back. Isn¡¯t there some way for Kai to come back too?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Eri,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The circumstances were very specific,¡± Farrah added and the group fell silent again.


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Akari asked.


    ¡°First thing is we lay low,¡± Jason said. ¡°That gold-ranker is still out there and the resources the Americans have at their disposal are not to be underestimated. We have to be extremely careful.¡±


    He winced, his expression filled with sorrow and self-recrimination.


    ¡°The way we should have been already,¡± he said. ¡°I should never have let you all participate.¡±


    ¡°It was our choice,¡± Akari said. ¡°You think you are the only one with the right to fight for their world? That only you are doing this for the right reasons? Kaito, Asya and Greg weren¡¯t just doing this to help you with a personal project, Asano. We all came into this understanding what was at stake and the price we might have to pay.¡±


    Jason stared at her with a deer in headlights stare, then gave the faintest of acknowledging nods.


    Things had not gone well at the Berlin branch, forcing the American contingent to hurriedly board their transport plane and decamp for the Ramstein Air Base in Germany''s south-west. Despite Gerling''s warning, Cleary had been startled at the Berlin branch¡¯s fury. If not for the presence of the gold-ranker, he realised that they may not have been allowed to leave at all.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to regroup anyway,¡± Gerling told him. ¡°Asano is not going to continue his current approach. We need to consolidate our resources here in Europe before we get the whole continent up in arms because of how we¡¯re riding roughshod over their branches.¡±


    "They''ll do what they''re told,¡± Cleary said.


    ¡°I think that you¡¯re overestimating how much crap people are willing to eat,¡± Gerling said. ¡°You think most of the Network cares about reality cores that the vast majority of them will never so much as lay eyes on? That¡¯s the obsession of the few who will actually get to reap that power. Maybe you can¡¯t see it because you¡¯ve been living through it, but those monster waves and these transformation events are terrifying to the people who don¡¯t have the power to fight against them. That¡¯s what the actual people who make up the Network care about, not which branch has the most category-fours for some pissing match.¡±


    ¡°Are you questioning our purpose here?¡± Cleary asked him.


    ¡°No,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I¡¯m just pointing out that it¡¯s our purpose. I hate to break it to you, Cleary, but however we end up spinning it, we¡¯re the bad guys. I¡¯m on board with that and you need to be as well.¡±


    In Sydney, the steering committee of the local Network branch ended their meeting. All but one of the members shuffled out of the conference room, leaving Annabeth Tilden alone to exhaustedly rub her temples. Her brother, Terrance, came in after the committee members had left.


    ¡°Well?¡± he asked.


    ¡°We confirmed Asano escaped,¡± Anna. ¡°He¡¯s probably going to go on some kind of rampage.¡±


    ¡°I hope not. He¡¯ll die, and if what he¡¯s doing is important as he claims¡­¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Anna said. ¡°Ketevan has already made a formal request to Berlin for the return of the bodies to Australia. The bastards killed Asya.¡±


    ¡°What is our stance going to be?¡±


    ¡°Our steering committee is adopting a wait-and-see approach.¡±


    ¡°Meaning they¡¯re going to chicken out until they find a bandwagon to jump on,¡± Terrance said. ¡°Our people aren¡¯t going to like that. Do you know how many of them have fought alongside Jason? Worked with Farrah on restoring the grid? Flew with Kaito or got a medivac to the Asano compound? If we lay down on this, we may have a rebellion on our hands.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know this?¡± Anna asked. ¡°What do you think I¡¯ve been trying to hammer into the heads of the steering committee?¡±


    ¡°Maybe you shouldn¡¯t bother,¡± Terrance said.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°The Network is fracturing, Anna. Maybe it¡¯s time for a management restructure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hearing similar talk out of Europe,¡± Anna said. ¡°The Berlin branch is furious about the International Committee forcing them to help the Americans and getting a bunch of their people killed. A lot of other branches are up in arms over the allocation of resources to fighting over reality cores instead of monster wave recovery. Now that we can monitor the oceans with the grid, there¡¯s a lot of call for shifting priorities back to our traditional role.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not going to happen. We¡¯re out in the open, now. The leadership has been hiding their power and now they¡¯re looking to flex in front of the whole world. They don¡¯t care about stopping monsters as much as accruing political power.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what worries me,¡± Anna said. ¡°There¡¯s talk of pressuring the International Committee to censure the US and China and force them to go back to the old priorities. That would be great except that neither one is going to roll over and show their stomach.¡±


    ¡°No, they won''t. From their perspective, the International Committee serves them, not the other way around. It''s just always been easier for them not to make a point of it. If the IC actually pushes it, the Network will fracture back into factions.¡±


    ¡°That may be inevitable. There has always been a disconnect between the leadership and the bulk of the Network¡¯s personnel, but now the leadership is throwing its authority around like never before. This couldn¡¯t have come at a worse possible time.¡±


    There was a hard knock on the door and Michael Aram opened it and came in before waiting for a response.


    ¡°Anna, I¡¯ve been contacted by Craig Vermillion.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t exactly on the best terms with the Cabal right now,¡± Terrance said.


    ¡°He knows,¡± Aram said. ¡°He knew you would trust me and asked me to set up a discreet meeting. I think you¡¯ll want to hear what he has to say.¡±


    Gerling had been assigned a pair of assistants to see to his needs. They were both young Network functionaries, iron-rank admin staff with no tactical training. One was David, a man who Gerling disliked for his annoyingly transparent ambition, but was enthusiastic about meeting Gerling¡¯s requests. Fiona was a plain but highly competent woman that Gerling appreciated for her ability to know when to be around and when not to be, compared to the stifling David.


    Gerling was walking through an aircraft hanger to meet Cleary when his assistants approached him.


    ¡°We¡¯ve found an elf for you, sir,¡± Fiona told Gerling.


    ¡°We have?¡± David asked.


    ¡°It turns out that one of the early reactions of people transforming into strange new species is¨C¡±


    ¡°Rich people paying to have sex with them,¡± Gerling realised.


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Fiona said. ¡°Brothels are opening up like mushrooms after rain in the transformation zones and we have contracted someone who has quickly come into high demand, despite her considerable rates.¡±


    ¡°Excellent work.¡±


    ¡°Contracted?¡± David asked. ¡°I thought we were just going to grab some elf.¡±


    Gerling and Fiona both turned on him with disdain.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m a rapist?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°You kill a lot of people,¡± David said uncertainly. ¡°I thought you did what you wanted. Isn¡¯t that what power is for?¡±


    ¡°And you think what I want is to rape people? Fiona, get this guy replaced.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°You just said that you wanted us to get you an elf!¡± David whined.


    ¡°I assumed not raping people went without saying,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Fiona, make sure the next guy understands that.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    ¡°Oh, and how did you go with getting the people I asked to have sent from the States?¡±


    Fiona checked her watch.


    ¡°They should be wheels down in about seven hours, sir.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Sir¡­¡± David said.


    ¡°Make sure the next person isn¡¯t like this idiot,¡± Gerling said to Fiona, gesturing at David. ¡°Is he someone¡¯s nephew or something?¡±


    ¡°His father is the Director of Tactical Operations in New York.¡±


    ¡°Ah. Probably just fire him, then, rather than fire him out of a cannon.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a cannon, sir,¡± Fiona said. ¡°I can probably find someone who can conjure one.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± David asked as Gerling chuckled.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Just reassign him to someone who¡¯ll appreciate a sycophant.¡±


    ¡°Very well, sir,¡± Fiona said. ¡°Is there anything else?¡±


    ¡°Not unless you have anything else for me,¡± Gerling said.


    Fiona waved her hand and a portal appeared. She reached in and pulled out a can of beer. Gerling laughed as he took it.


    ¡°You want to come work for me permanently, Fiona?¡±


    ¡°I would very much like that, sir.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± David complained.


    Gerling left his assistant and former assistant behind as he made his way to the office that Cleary had appropriated in the hangar. Cleary was standing over a desk with a monitor set into it, poring over a map on which transformation zones were marked. He looked up as Gerling came in without bothering to knock.


    ¡°You requested a training team be sent here from the US?¡± Cleary asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You asked specifically for people that trained with Asano and Hurin in Australia. You want to learn more about them from people who know them?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Those people learned the techniques taught by Hurin and Asano and then brought them home. I want to learn about how they fight and how to fight like them.¡±


    ¡°You beat them both.¡±


    ¡°I should have annihilated them both. You don¡¯t understand how much more powerful than them I am. My old instructor always said that I was coasting on the power of my attacks but I never listened and now Asano and Hurin made me look like a fool. Feel like a fool. You concentrate on finding them; you don¡¯t need my help for that. I need to prepare for the rematch.¡±


    ¡°Interesting choice of venue,¡± Anna said. She was in the townhouse that was previously the home of Jason¡¯s Uncle Hiro, now apparently owned by the vampire, Craig Vermillion.


    ¡°After the EOA purchased all of Hiro¡¯s assets, I quietly picked this up off them through an appropriate series of cut-outs,¡± Craig said. ¡°I like to have an off-the-books spot with the little comforts.¡±


    They sat down in the lounge.


    ¡°Before we begin,¡± Craig asked, ¡°is it true about Asya?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Craig bowed his head.


    ¡°These are dark times, Anna.¡±


    ¡°What do you want, Craig? I have enough on my plate to be going on with.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s worse than you think. You are aware that the Cabal has been coming out on top in the contest for the reality cores.¡±


    ¡°I genuinely don¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°You should. The Network is not the only one threatening to fracture over the behaviour of its most powerful members.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Do you know how vampires grow more powerful, Anna?¡±


    ¡°Time, right? But then you get too powerful and the ambient magic can¡¯t sustain you.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Craig said. ¡°The old ones have all been slumbering since they reached what you call category four.¡±


    Anna¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°Reality cores,¡± she whispered in horrified realisation.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Craig said. ¡°It¡¯s not as simple as handing over a core but some of the Cabal¡¯s upper echelons are working on imbuing blood with that power, which should be able to start waking them up. I¡¯ve heard the rumours of the Chinese and Americans having people of that level and they¡¯re probably stronger than an equivalent vampire. How many do they have, though? Two? Three? Five? I promise you that we have more.¡±


    ¡°How many more?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure any one person knows,¡± Craig said. ¡°The Cabal is a nest of secrets.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me this?¡± Anna asked. ¡°You¡¯re Cabal. You¡¯re a vampire.¡±


    ¡°And I like the world the way it is. Was, before the damn EOA messed everything up. Even as bad as things have gotten, do you think I want the planet ruled by people with eight-century-old social values and a thirst for human blood?¡±

 Chapter 391: Finish the Job

    No one paid attention to one more man in a dark suit and dark glasses. There was no shortage of them as the funeral was conducted under a bright, clear sky, despite the winter. Jason¡¯s use of aura control had progressed to the point that even in a crowd with many essence users he could manipulate their perception to go unnoticed, even standing right amongst them.


    It helped that all the essence users were lower rank than Jason. The network leadership would never allow precious silver-rankers to take time away when there could be a transformation zone to fight over at any moment. The Network members were mostly from the ranks, crowding the grassy, outdoor venue for Kaito¡¯s service. In the months he had been one of them, Kaito had flown them into hot zones, evacuated them when injured and delivered critical supplies in the midst of danger.


    Jason watched Amy, standing stony-faced at the front. Someone had given her an aura suppression bracelet so her emotions weren¡¯t on open display in front of all the essence users present.


    Publicly, Jason was a wanted criminal, internationally. A rogue element, responsible for bombings in Japan and killing Global Defense Network personnel in Austria. The Network leadership knew that with the failed capture attempt and the death of Jason¡¯s brother, lover and friend, they had declared war. Accordingly, they sought to sever Jason¡¯s influence and connections inside the Network.


    Ostensibly, this meant that the Network was on the lookout for Jason at events like his brother''s funeral. In reality, they knew that even a gold-ranker had failed to pin him down, with no shortage of people having died in the attempt. Most Network members didn¡¯t even agree with what the Americans had done, especially those from the Australian branches that had worked alongside Jason and his brother. The last thing the people looking for Jason wanted was to find him.


    After the service, many people came up to Amy, offering their condolences. Her eyes went wide when she found Jason standing in front of her. She glanced at the people around them.


    ¡°How are you here?¡± she asked in a conspiratorial whisper. ¡°Why aren¡¯t people jumping all over you?¡±


    ¡°A trick of perception. So long as no one draws too much attention to me, they won¡¯t notice that it¡¯s me.¡±


    ¡°So I could yell out and people would try and grab you?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why shouldn¡¯t I, then? You were meant to bring the father of my children back home.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said, his voice cracking.


    She scowled as they continued to converse in hushed tones.


    ¡°What are you going to do about the people that killed him?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The man in question is powerful. Far more than me but his time will come. First, I have to finish the job that Kaito and I started.¡±


    ¡°Is it worth it?¡± she asked.


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Things are going to get worse before they get better,¡± he said, ¡°but Kaito played his part in getting us all past this. I know it isn''t a comfort, but he died for something that truly matters. To give his children a future.¡±


    ¡°I know it was his choice to go,¡± she said. ¡°Even so, I can¡¯t help but hate you for taking him.¡±


    Jason nodded but said nothing else. If his words couldn¡¯t make things better, he kept his mouth shut.


    Michael Aram discreetly approached Annabeth Tilden after the service, as she was walking back to the car with her wife. He was in charge of security and media management for the event.


    ¡°Committeewoman,¡± he greeted her, with a respectful nod.


    ¡°What is it, Aram? Shouldn¡¯t you be answering to Ketevan?¡±


    ¡°She asked me to keep you in the loop. Some of our security personnel have glimpsed a blurred artefact on the camera feeds.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s here, then,¡± Anna said. ¡°What did Keti tell you to do?¡±


    ¡°Pretend he isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Good. If he didn¡¯t want us to know, we wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Is he provoking us?¡±


    ¡°Not at his brother¡¯s funeral. He¡¯s probably going to pay me one of his unexpected visits. Thank you, Aram.¡±


    Aram left them and they reached their car, the driver opening the rear door to admit Anna and her wife. As they sat, a shadow emerged from Anna¡¯s shadow to sit opposite them and Jason appeared from within it.


    ¡°Anna,¡± he greeted, then turned to Anna¡¯s wife. ¡°Susan. We haven¡¯t met since I obtained those paintings from your gallery.¡±


    ¡°The paintings by Dawn,¡± Susan said.


    ¡°Have you actually met the artist?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Susan said. ¡°She always worked through an intermediary.¡±


    "I''ll introduce you if I get the chance. She was killed alongside my brother but she''ll be back, sooner or later."


    Susan frowned but Anna forestalled questions with a shake of her head.


    ¡°Are you here to kill us?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m here to thank you for getting the bodies sent home,¡± he said. ¡°It would have been awkward to make arrangements myself, given the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Asya was a friend,¡± Anna said. ¡°Were you and her¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m doubly sorry. There was talk of using the bodies or this funeral as bait,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thank you for putting a stop to that particular idea. My sister-in-law and I have our issues but she deserves to say goodbye to her husband in peace.¡±


    ¡°You should know that the Americans may soon be too busy to direct more attention your way,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Cabal leadership are looking at waking up old vampires, and both the Network and the Cabal are seeing dangerous splits between the leadership and the bulk of their membership. Medieval bloodsuckers and a potential magic civil war, all while the world is slowly being transformed.¡±


    ¡°You know a lot. Have you been talking to Craig Vermillion?¡±


    ¡°No, Anna. I¡¯ve been spying on you.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Then you know about the gift I got for you?¡±


    ¡°I do. And thank you, even if it does play into your agenda.¡±


    ¡°Be careful with it,¡± Anna said. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely convinced it isn¡¯t a trap.¡±


    ¡°The same has occurred to me. I¡¯ll be cautious.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, the days ahead are going to be dark and full of chaos. Probably worse than what we¡¯ve seen, if Vermillion¡¯s estimate on the number of ancient vampires is even close to accurate. Is what you¡¯re doing going to stop it?¡±


    ¡°I can stop the transformation events and cut off the reality core supply. Eventually. It just got harder now that I have to change up my methodology to avoid being hunted down. People want what I have and it doesn¡¯t stop with the Americans. Being distracted by wider events isn¡¯t the same as giving up.¡±


    Anna nodded.


    ¡°There was some concern that you would lash out in revenge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not strong enough to go after the gold ranker.¡±


    ¡°I meant against the Network at large.¡±


    ¡°Without the Network¡¯s tactical team having the courage to defy the gold-ranker, I would have lost even more people. I know that they were acting against the Americans rather than for me, but I¡¯m grateful, nonetheless. I won¡¯t repay that with ill-placed vengeance.¡±


    ¡°A lot of people will be glad to hear that.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t deny I felt a powerful urge to start clearing out Network branches one by one,¡± Jason confessed. ¡°It was a closer thing than I¡¯d like to admit, but there would be no coming back from that. Having power gives me a chance to do the things I need to, even when others say I shouldn¡¯t. Unfortunately, it also gives me the power to do things I want to, even when people are right that I shouldn¡¯t. It''s a path to making costly mistakes.¡±


    ¡°It was the Americans who did this, Mr Asano, not you.¡±


    ¡°I could have done it differently. More carefully. I have to, now, but I could have from the start and kept others out of it. Not considering the consequences of my actions to the people around me is a lesson I¡¯ve failed to learn before and this time it wasn¡¯t just a close call. The people around me paid the price for my arrogance and short-sightedness. Perhaps this time I will finally learn.¡±


    ¡°What will you do now?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll make use your gift. Force the Americans to refocus their gold-rank assets on the transformation zones instead of me. Then I¡¯ll get back to the job that my brother, Asya and my friend died for.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°And to you, Mrs Tilden.¡±


    Jason¡¯s shadow rose up to engulf him and he was gone.


    A contingent of people from two Japanese clans had arrived in Australia and settled in Asano village. First were members of the Asano clan forced out by Noriko Asano as she wrested control of the clan from her son. There were only a handful of them, being the former clan head, Shiro, and his closest family.


    Shiro¡¯s daughters, Akari and Mei, had been travelling with Jason since his trip to Japan. He had sent them to Asano Village due to the clan turmoil and now had followed with the rest of their family. Jason met with Shiro, without anyone in the village being aware that he had returned.


    ¡°Thank you for seeing my daughters safe in the most trying of circumstances,¡± Shiro said as they met in the house Shiro and his family had been assigned. It was a large home out in the bushland, surrounded by trees. ¡°I know you lost people of your own.¡±


    ¡°It was fortune, rather than any capability of mine,¡± Jason said. ¡°You should thank the Network tactical team that unravelled the trap.¡±


    ¡°You are modest. My daughters have told me of how powerful that category four was and you fought him, face to face.¡±


    ¡°Did they tell you I lost? It was an escape, not a victory.¡±


    ¡°Nonetheless, Akari wants to keeps helping you. She knows how important what you are doing is.¡±


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already made that mistake before. The way we will be operating now, Akari can¡¯t participate. It will just be Farrah and myself.¡±


    Shiro nodded.


    ¡°I am glad, to be honest. I know I should let my daughter make her own choices but I would rather have her close and safe. Thank you for giving us sanctuary in hard times.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m honestly not so sure how secure this sanctuary is,¡± Jason said. ¡°Farrah is working on activating some of the stronger defences as we speak but forces are emerging that are stronger than any of us. I¡¯m afraid of this village becoming a target.¡±


    ¡°We will do our best to defend it, if it comes to that,¡± Shiro said.


    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Having more silver-rankers here gives me some peace of mind.¡±


    The second contingent from Japan had arrived with the Asano clan, despite their recent conflict. The Tiwari clan''s core leadership had tried to dig out those who had acted against Jason, only to find much of the clan turning against them. Playing on the unrest stirred up by Jason¡¯s interaction with the Tiwari leadership, the leadership of the Network¡¯s Kobe branch had taken advantage.


    The network supported a coup by a hidden faction of the Tiwari clan, in return for information about the magic door they had been guarding for centuries. Handing the door over to an outsider had been more contentious to the clan than the patriarch has realised and he found his entire family expelled. The two former patriarchs, Asano and Tiwari, realised they were in similar circumstances and both turned to Jason.


    "They call fulfilling our ancient purpose a betrayal while selling out everything we are to the Network," the ousted patriarch explained to Jason. There were more exiled Tiwari than Asano clan members and they had been assigned to a cluster of houses in the village¡¯s beachfront area.


    Koya Tiwari, Itsuki¡¯s father, also thanked Jason for bringing his son alive through such a dangerous trial.


    ¡°He is not happy that you are leaving him behind,¡± Koya said. ¡°I confess that I am.¡±


    While Jason had quietly met with the exiled patriarchs, Farrah had been activating additional defences around the village. These were protections that she had put in place from the beginning but never activated due to the cost. Afterwards, as she and Jason flew away from Asano village in Shade¡¯s plane form, she discussed an issue with Jason that had come up during the activation.


    ¡°Is there a problem with the defences?¡± Jason asked, seeing Farrah¡¯s troubled expression.


    ¡°Just the opposite,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It worked too well. I was able to put the stronger defences in a semi-dormant state that consumes minimal resources, only becoming active and power-hungry as needed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s great. Which makes me wonder why we didn¡¯t do it that way in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Because we couldn¡¯t. The ambient magic was too low, even with the magic-collecting systems built into the village¡¯s infrastructure.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that the ambient magic is rising?¡±


    ¡°We built those defences a year ago and since then we¡¯ve had the monster waves and the transformation events. I think they are causing a more precipitous rise in the magical density than any of us realised, even Dawn.¡±


    Rainbow light burst into place in the middle of the plane, fading after an instant to reveal Dawn. Her new avatar projected a silver-rank aura.


    ¡°Miss Hurin is quite right,¡± she said.

 Chapter 392: Inevitability

    As Jason and Farrah flew through the air in Shade¡¯s plane form, the sudden manifestation of Dawn¡¯s new silver-rank avatar took them aback, and they shot out of their chairs.


    ¡°I have some questions,¡± Jason said to Dawn. ¡°They can wait until you get some clothes, though.¡±


    ¡°I apologise for the impropriety,¡± Dawn said as Jason turned around and pulled some of Farrah¡¯s spare clothes from his inventory, handing them backwards.


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know what that¡¯s all about. Waking up naked in other universes is kind of my thing. Welcome back, by the way.¡±


    ¡°I made some enquires while I was using my true body again,¡± Dawn said as she quickly slipped on jeans and a t-shirt. ¡°I have something for you, next time you return to Australia.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve just come from there,¡± Jason said. ¡°We probably won¡¯t be back for a little while.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t urgent,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It¡¯s personal, rather than a part of our task.¡±


    ¡°You told us you couldn¡¯t create an avatar above normal rank,¡± Farrah said to Dawn. ¡°I take it this new one being silver has an unfortunate connection to the rise in Earth¡¯s magical density.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Each proto-space that becomes a monster wave pushes more energy from the astral through the dimensional membrane of this world, degrading the membrane as it does. The inactivity of the grid only saw an increase in monster waves by a third, given how many go unnoticed in the depths of the oceans, but that increased activity appears to have crossed a threshold, accelerating the degradation.¡±


    ¡°Which is triggering the transformation events,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn confirmed. ¡°They are an unintended consequence of the original Builder¡¯s designs for this universe being affected by the rising magical density and the influx of magic through the link to the other world. It also means that I can project a more powerful avatar into your world without causing further damage.¡±


    ¡°Does the damage done already mean that the transformation events will continue, even after we normalise the link?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Dawn said, ¡°but unlikely. The most probable case is that the transformation events will end once any one of the three factors is removed. Since the intrinsic makeup of your reality and the magical density can¡¯t be undone, that leaves restoring the link to its original state, or as close as we can manage. Without surges of magic coming from your world, Miss Hurin, it should stop triggering the events.¡±


    ¡°Does this accelerate the timeline for the destruction of Jason¡¯s world?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It will still be decades before the planet becomes uninhabitable, but even if the link is repaired on the most optimistic schedule, earth¡¯s dimensional landscape will forever be altered. Dimensional instability. There is little chance of completing the work before Earth¡¯s magical density crosses the iron-rank threshold.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean what I think it does?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Direct magical manifestation?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn confirmed. ¡°No more proto-spaces. Monsters, as well as essences and awakening stones, will start directly manifesting. Once that happens, repairing the link on this end will be critical to prevent even more accelerated degradation of the dimensional membrane. Additionally, once the changes to the link on this end are completed, you will have slowed things down enough that you will have years in the other world to fix the link on that side.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t directly manifesting monsters be good from a safety perspective?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°Instead of silver and gold-rank proto-spaces, they¡¯ll be dealing with iron-rank monsters, maybe the occasional bronze.¡±


    ¡°I mentioned dimensional instability,¡± Dawn said. ¡°By that stage, the dimensional membrane of this world will be poked full of holes. There will be  isolated zones of bronze, silver and possibly even gold-ranked magical density that remain permanently in place.¡±


    ¡°Like my world,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°It will lean more toward the lower ranks overall than yours, but yes,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°My world can¡¯t handle that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yet it must,¡± Dawn said. ¡°What I am describing is, at this point, an inevitability.¡±


    ¡°If gold-rank monsters just start showing up,¡± Jason said, ¡°we don¡¯t have the people to deal with them. They¡¯ll render whole sections of the world uninhabitable.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said.


    Jason let out a groan as he slumped back into one of the planes luxurious black chairs.


    ¡°This is getting further and further out of hand. I was meant to save the world but it just keeps getting worse and all I¡¯ve accomplished is leading people I care about to their deaths.¡±


    Dawn frowned.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The USA,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The Network is currently splitting down the middle over the its role with everything that¡¯s going on. New alliances are being formed across old branch and geographical boundaries while the rank and file versus leadership are the new fault lines. What this adds up to is someone we worked with in Australia getting her hands on the location of the US Network¡¯s reality core secure storage and giving it to us. That¡¯s every reality core from every US branch, aside from the ones being experimented on or use to wake up however many gold-rankers they have.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to steal them,¡± Jason said. ¡°The hope is that will force the Americans to go all out collecting more.¡±


    ¡°Meaning using their gold rankers to fight for cores in transformation zones to replenish their stocks,¡± Farrah clarified. ¡°Which would give them less time to get in our way.¡±


    ¡°We know the information is unreliable,¡± Jason said. ¡°The information made it to Australia, there¡¯s a good chance it was planted as a trap or the leak was discovered and the cores have already been relocated. Even so, we think it¡¯s worth the risk for the pressure it would put on the Americans and take off us.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± Dawn asked. ¡°You admitted your self that the information is questionable at best. It also distracts you from your purpose. You need to examine your own motives, both of you. Is this truly the best option or is it simply the revenge you have the strength to take since you can''t go after a gold-rank enemy?"


    Jason looked like he¡¯d been slapped and was about to shoot back invective before stopping himself.


    ¡°Bloody hell,¡± he muttered unhappily.


    ¡°No, the objective is worthwhile,¡± Farrah insisted.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said, ¡°but is it a plausible outcome? Honestly? Dawn¡¯s right that we aren¡¯t thinking straight. There are too many variables.¡±


    ¡°I can crack any magic protection the ritualists of this world can throw out,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°But can you do it while dodging all the non-magic protection?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Drones, motion sensors, biometric locks. What if it¡¯s an underground bunker with one way in and forty silver-rankers around it? What if we carve our way through all of that ¨C which we can¡¯t ¨C and the cores are already gone. The American silver-rankers might not be Adventure Society elite standard but they¡¯re a lot better than anyone else we¡¯ve seen here.¡±


    ¡°We can scout it out. Formulate a plan.¡±


    ¡°And how long do you spend on this operation?¡± Dawn asked. ¡°Time is more critical than ever.¡±


    ¡°I just¡­¡±


    Farrah clenched her fists in front of her.


    ¡°¡­I just really want to kill someone for what they did.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± Farrah asked testily, rousing an angry expression from Jason.


    "Yes, Farrah, I do. It was my brother. My girlfriend. My childhood friend. You think every fibre of my being isn''t baying for blood? My family are still living inside my soul and they''re scared because the sky is red and every single thing in there is razor-sharp."


    Jason¡¯s aura came pouring out in an angry wave, crashing over Farrah before he forcibly reined it in.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Farrah said faintly. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯re both on edge. I say some stupid things at the best of times.¡±


    ¡°You should redirect your destination,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Start looking for the next node.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Jason said wearily. ¡°We¡¯re already on course. The next place we need to look is in a sandwich.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot,¡± Dawn said as she, Jason and Farrah emerged from a shop called the brown jug in Sandwich, Massachusetts, with a large bag of sandwiches.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked. ¡°So, they don¡¯t capitalise the name of their shop. These sandwiches still look pretty good.¡±


    ¡°They do look quite good,¡± Farrah agreed.


    ¡°And how often do you get to eat a sandwich in a sandwich?¡± Jason asked. ¡°The concept itself is like a sandwich.¡±


    ¡°Please stop saying sandwich,¡± Dawn said.


    In the time it had taken them to reach Cape Cod, the Network had already set up operations and breached the aperture that Jason and Farrah were targeting. For this reason, they had decided to wait for them to wind down after killing the anchor monster.


    With how thin the Network was stretched at the current time, they would not be as thorough about sweeping proto-spaces for loot and Jason was going to wait for them to go in and out before making his own intrusion. Even if there was little time left, Jason''s ability would extend the stability of the space.


    That left the trio meandering down the streets of Sandwich, eating what Dawn was forced to acknowledge was a pretty good sandwich. Wandering by the town pond, Jason found an unobserved spot to let his family out of the spirit vault where they had spent weeks in isolation with very few reprieves. He hadn¡¯t even risked letting them out for Kaito¡¯s funeral service and their time in his spirit vault had grown less pleasant in the time since Kaito¡¯s death. Jason might be able to hide it on the outside but his rage and shame were made manifest for the people living inside his soul to see. A summer outing in Cape Cod was a blessed relief.


    ¡°How many awful sandwich jokes has Jason made?¡± Erika asked as Jason handed out food from the bag.


    ¡°All of them, as far as I can tell,¡± Farrah complained.


    ¡°I¡¯m eating a sandwich in Sandwich,¡± Jason said. ¡°How can I not make a meal out of that?¡±


    ¡°I stand corrected,¡± Farrah complained.


    Erika watched her brother. His eyes that weren¡¯t really laughing and the smiles that didn¡¯t turn the corners of his mouth quite the way they should. She had seen him at his lowest and knew that for all he had changed, for all his power, there were still dark holes into which he could descend. She wasn¡¯t sure if the fa?ade he was putting up was healthy but at least he was trying. She remembered the times when he hadn¡¯t been.


    As they had an impromptu picnic on the grass, Erika pointed a nervous Emi toward her uncle, standing alone as he stared out over the water.


    ¡°You need to tell him,¡± Erika said.


    ¡°Can¡¯t you do it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Erika told her daughter. ¡°You have to take responsibility for your own choices.¡±


    Emi had a hesitant path to Jason, slipping her hand into his. He smiled sadly as he continued to stare out at nothing.


    ¡°Uncle Jason.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Moppet.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t think I want to fight like you do. I don¡¯t want to be an adventurer.¡±


    Jason turned to look at his niece, looking back with fearful eyes. Jason crouched down, gave her his first unabashedly happy grin in a long time and swept her up in a hug.


    ¡°After Uncle Kai,¡± she explained as Jason continued to hold her tight, ¡°I don¡¯t think I want to kill things.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not disappointed?¡±


    "Not even a little bit," he said. "You have to do what you want to do, Moppet. Not what you think I want you to do."


    "But you spent so much time training me. You even took me out of school."


    Jason let go of the hug and held her by the shoulders, locking eyes with her to convey his sincerity.


    ¡°You think that was a waste? You got lots of exercise, learned self-discipline and magic. What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°Does this mean I have to stop learning magic?¡±


    "Don''t be silly," Jason said, tussling her hair. "The other world has a whole Magic Society, you know that. Farrah''s already a member. They''ll be ecstatic to get a brilliant young lady like you on the books."


    ¡°I can still go to the other world?¡±


    ¡°I need you where I can keep you safe, Moppet. I have friends I can trust there.¡±


    Jason felt lighter as he let his niece walk him back to the group. He knew there was a lot of himself in her and was happy that she wouldn¡¯t insist on following his path and paying the price it cost to walk it. Even so, he would see her trained properly. He knew that he likely had a little Clive on his hands and she would inevitably want to explore a world full of mystery and magic. He would make sure she was ready.


    Jason¡¯s family were only out a short time, for the sake of caution, before returning to the spirit vault. Farrah went with them, so she could be carried into the proto-space with Jason. When he entered a proto-space alone, he didn¡¯t even need an aperture. They had only used apertures in the past to let the rest of the team in but Jason was not going to do that again.


    The reason he hadn¡¯t directly entered proto-spaces in the past was that he needed space and uninterrupted time to conduct the rituals that would help him find the next node. This had been the main role of the team and their absence would make things harder, especially without Greg and his excellent zoning abilities. Now, half the team was dead and Jason would no longer risk anyone else. That left no reason to use apertures and deal with the Network.


    Shade had been keeping an eye on the Network¡¯s operation, notifying Jason as it wound down and they withdrew. They even sealed the aperture back up to avoid mishaps, leaving only a pair of guards behind at the aperture site.


    Jason took that as his opportunity to enter, picking a spot well away from any essence users he could sense due to his inability to hide his aura while transitioning through the dimensional boundary.


    Jason let his aura blend into the ambient magic until he felt almost indistinguishable from the world around him. As he reached what felt like a oneness with the universe, his body blurred and vanished as he slipped through the membrane of reality. He let Farrah out of the spirit vault immediately on arriving in the otherworldly space. It was a primordial realm of rocky terrain, turgid water, stunted plants and hot, heavy air.


    ¡°That was weird from the inside,¡± she told him. ¡°It was like your whole soul garden suddenly expanded off into the horizon for a moment. There was this strange sense of being connected to the whole of reality. Is that¡¯s what it¡¯s like for you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d more describe it as tingly,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Tingly?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°You have the soul of a poet.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say I had the soul of a connectedness to all things?¡±


    ¡°Just shut up and get on with saving the world.¡±


    Jason and Farrah had been forced to devise new approaches to making sure the ritual was not interfered with by wandering monsters. What they came up with was a trio of solutions, the use of each being predicated on the strength of the proto-space. The first option was for low-ranking proto-spaces where the monsters were weak. In such cases, Jason would just blast out his aura at full strength and range, which would scare off any low-ranked monsters. Farrah would mop up the monsters that still approached.


    The next approach was for more powerful proto-spaces where the monsters could pose a potential threat. In this case, Jason would still project his aura, but modulated to seem weak and vulnerable. Then he would open up a can of afflictions on the would-be predators and let butterflies of doom deal with them, clearing out a large enough space for Jason to work.


    The final approach was for the strongest, gold-rank proto-spaces, should they run into one. If possible, they would avoid them altogether, with alternate avenues being worth more than the risk of being eaten.


    Whatever the approach, Farrah¡¯s role was playing cleanup and intercepting any monsters that still wandered by. It wasn¡¯t as reliable as having a team patrol the zone, but even if there were some interruptions, they were confident they could make it work. In this particular instance, they were lucky in that the Network had abandoned it and the monsters were low-ranked. It was only the first of many times they would go through the process, but this time, at least, it went off without a hitch.

 Chapter 393: The Edge of Madness

    Jason, Farrah and Dawn travelled from place to place, in search of nodes to repair. They used the grid interface in the cloud house to choose their next destinations, refining their accuracy as they learned more from each proto-space and node they explored. After the USA was Canada, Tanzania, Myanmar and more.


    They lived an isolated life, along with Jason''s family, as people meant nothing but danger. Seeking help from others was exposing vulnerabilities, while those who genuinely willing to help would themselves be in danger by association.


    Their methodology would start by using the cloud house¡¯s grid interface to detect a suitable target area, then travel there and set up the cloud house as a home base. This allowed Jason¡¯s family to safely live outside of Jason¡¯s spirit vault, which was slowly becoming less inhospitable but was still far from welcoming.


    Once they arrived in a region, Jason and Farrah would wait for proto-spaces to form, in order to go in and identify the right node. They became increasingly proficient at the sequence of entering a space, performing the ritual and getting out before the Network was any the wiser. When possible, they covered any trace of the rituals, hoping to keep the Network unaware of their patterns.


    The current lifestyle of Jason and the others afforded a lot of downtime as they travelled or waited on proto-spaces to manifest. Jason and Farrah took the time to maintain a regimented training schedule, which was not always possible when things were busier. Farrah had constructed a new set of exercise equipment for their heightened attributes, as any non-magical weights heavy enough to be valuable were too heavy to be practical.


    Other time was spend on magical theory. Dawn continued to teach Jason while Emi learned from Farrah. After making her decision not to follow her uncle, Emi had been reinvigorated, going as far as choosing a magical specialty. Farrah advised against making the choice too quickly, wanting her to see the breadth of options the other world had to offer.


    ¡°Fortunately, thirteen-year-olds are famous for taking good advice when presented with it,¡± an exasperated Farrah told Jason while they were doing their physical training, which made him laugh.


    ¡°What is it that she wants to learn?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a very niche field related to mine,¡± Farrah explained. ¡°I¡¯m a specialist in formation magic and arrays. Permanent and semi-permanent versions of ritual magic, which is one of the core magical fields. It¡¯s less specialised than, say, astral magic, which is why I have a broader knowledge base than you¡¯re developing, able to tap into a lot of areas.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°What Emi is looking at is a specialised version of my field called formation interactivity. You understand that putting magical formations close together is tricky because they interfere with each other, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Formation interactivity is the study of the effects of having formations close to one another. At a basic level, it¡¯s about reducing the effects so that formations can be used in closer proximity. Advanced applications involve generating positive interactions but that is not a developed area of study. It''s also notorious for being one of the most impenetrable branches of magic, which is why it''s underdeveloped."


    ¡°And my niece has got it into her head to be a groundbreaker,¡± Jason said.


    "She''s implausibly smart, I''ll admit," Farrah said. "Even so, that field is a career. If that''s the way she wants to go, she wouldn''t have time to be an adventurer. That''s locking yourself in a room and never coming out research."


    "I assume your intention is to keep working on her foundational skills until you get her into a Magic Society branch and broaden her horizons?"


    "That''s exactly my intention. My concern is that she''s as stubborn and unpredictable as you and your sister."


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine,¡± Jason said.


    While the cloud house life was largely isolated from the world, the internet was a window into what they were missing. There was always at least one online news feed running somewhere and as weeks passed they became increasingly happy to be missing it all. As they hid away, quietly completing their tasks, the world was ever more precipitously teetering on the edge of madness.


    ¡°Is that a centaur?¡± Jason asked, glancing at a wall monitor after emerging from the showers post-workout.


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said, likewise emerging. ¡°It¡¯s a lot of centaurs.¡±


    ¡°I know Salzburg has an old-world charm,¡± Jason said, ¡°but there weren¡¯t centaurs around when we were in Austria, right?¡±


    ¡°There were,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Like other members of the Cabal, they have become experts at hiding their presence over the centuries.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯d have to,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can¡¯t hide being half-horse with a pair of extra-loose slacks. My friend Craig once told me that all Cabal members can pass as human, shape-change into humans or otherwise have the means to remain hidden from the world. Usually a combination of illusion powers and isolation. Hillfolk, haunted houses, mysterious things in the woods and so on.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an incomplete but sufficient description,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Where do creatures like that come from?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°The Cabal has always struck me as odd. How does a low-magic world have such overtly magical creatures? It hasn¡¯t even developed non-human essence-using species.¡±


    ¡°Like so many of this world¡¯s issues,¡± Dawn said, ¡°It stems from the same original sin.¡±


    "Original sin?" Jason asked. "Are you going native on me, Dawn?"


    ¡°The connotations of the term are usefully descriptive,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It goes back to the way the original Builder constructed the seed of this universe using the patterns of existing worlds. There is a reason the other great astral beings intervened. This world is now ravaged by the ramifications of that choice while yours, Miss Hurin, is also being affected. Soon, it will also experience the consequences of the Builder¡¯s experiment in full force.¡±


    ¡°Which we¡¯re going to unleash,¡± Farrah said unhappily.


    ¡°You have to cut someone to perform surgery,¡± Jason said. ¡°If there¡¯s a better option, you take it, but sometimes there just isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Dawn agreed.


    ¡°So, the Cabal members are echoes of the worlds the original Builder based this on,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn confirmed. ¡°Even before the magic started to rise, beings started to arise from the incongruities that resulted from the unconventional means by which your universe was established. It was rare, but over hundreds, thousands, millions of years they slowly emerged. Like other living things, they evolved. From simple magical entities to complex beings, they adapted to their environments over countless generations while still being shaped by their origins. Because they were rare, even with the power they possessed, those that adapted to remain hidden are the ones that survived.¡±


    ¡°So, they really are connected to the transformation spaces,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°After a fact, yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°All magical things will grow stronger over time as the ambient magic rises. Part of the reason that earth¡¯s essence users are mediocre is that most of them spend most of their time suffering low-level magical starvation. These transformation zones seem to affect Cabal members even more than the rising ambient magic.¡±


    ¡°Which is why they¡¯re winning out in the competition for reality cores,¡± Jason said. ¡°The transformation zones they¡¯re fighting in make them stronger.¡±


    ¡°If the Cabal is looking to revive a bunch of ancient vampires, isn¡¯t that bad?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it is, yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°There nothing we can do about it, though, except to keep doing what we¡¯re doing. We¡¯re two people, not an army that can run around competing for cores all over the world.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It is wise to focus on what you can do and not concern yourself with what you cannot.¡±


    The first node Jason successfully identified and repaired, right before fighting the gold ranker, turned out to be one of the ones they needed to find. The process wasn¡¯t always reliable, with the nodes in the USA and Myanmar being false positives that didn¡¯t need repairing. The only gains were that with each failed node, they would be better at eliminating further false positives as they refined the process of identifying further nodes. The nodes in Canada and Tanzania had been modified and Jason managed to rectify both.


    As they worked, the descent into chaos that began with monster waves and transformation events started to escalate. In just a few weeks, things had grown increasingly worse as sections of major cities started to be caught up in transformation zones.


    The Bankstown area of Sydney was turned into a city of low-level volcanic activity and stone buildings. The people there were primarily turned into the smoulder race, with onyx skin and glowing, fiery eyes. The area affected included Bankstown airport, which was the Sydney Network branch¡¯s major transport and logistics hub. Not only did the Network¡¯s non-essence user staff get transformed but their planes were turned into bird-like magical constructs. This rendered them inoperable without an essence user with the ability to use specialised magical tools, an ability that rarely appeared on Earth.


    Earth had taken a magitech route, combining technology with magic. In terms of accessibility, convenience and cost, this was objectively better than relying on purely magical devices. Magitech communication was much more convenient and vehicles didn¡¯t require someone like Clive with a special power to operate.


    Pallimustus also had vehicles that could be driven by anyone but only operable in zones of high magical density. Only something like the vortex accumulator in Jason¡¯s cloud constructs could circumvent this problem, which was a level of magic engineering undeveloped on Earth. Magitech was much more suited to earth¡¯s conditions and advanced in different directions.


    Bankstown airport was now covered in stone buildings, lava pooling in random areas and a bunch of giant metal birds that couldn¡¯t move. This hurt the Sydney network branch, especially as they joined a growing movement actively working against the Network¡¯s global leadership.


    Three factions quickly emerged: The Chinese branches and those who allied with them, forcibly or not; the USA, who did not accept allies, and most of what was left. This faction was the largest, but also the most scattered and least stable. The people attached to the International Committee split rather evenly between the three factions.


    The first two factions were focused heavily on claiming reality cores and accordingly became open rivals. The third faction took the name the Network had publicly been using, the Global Defense Network, and continued to intercept proto spaces. What they did do was change the American spelling of ''defense'' and change it to the international ''defence.'' Most government bodies continued to work with this faction, providing much-needed legitimacy and support.


    Sometimes the transformation events were relatively peaceful, although this was rare. Coconut Grove in Miami, Florida was transformed into an elven utopia, with beautiful architecture interwoven with rich, sprawling gardens. The residents were transformed into beautiful elves which, while still traumatic, could have been far worse.


    More common were cases like West Canfield, Detroit. The people were turned into goblins and their homes into underground warrens, which rapidly devolved into a lawless combat zone into which the National Guard was sent to restore order. After the first hideous former humans were gunned down, things devolved quickly.


    Transformation zones fluctuated in area, from one or two kilometres across to engulfing entire large towns. Less-developed areas, like farms and countryside, tended to have larger areas affected, while events in cities were more contained. Despite the smaller scale, though, once major cities were impacted, it was as if an invisible line between stability and chaos had been crossed.


    Conflict between the magical factions become more heated and harder to hide from the population at large. As open battle spilled out of the transformation zones, the people of the world realised that a war was being fought and that their only parts were innocent bystander or collateral damage. EOA superheroes fought the essence users of the Network, who themselves were caught up in infighting.


    Driving the escalation was the knowledge that with each passing day, the mythological beings of the Cabal were growing in power as they operated more and more in the open. Centaurs, ogres, fairies and more variously delighted and horrified as they were spotted by the media and had their images revealed to the world.


    The Cabal would have been dominating already except that, like the Network, current events had revealed old fault lines in their organisation. Factional infighting abounded as conflicts older than any living civilisation were taken up once more.


    Government forces stepped in as best they were able as cities rapidly turned into battlegrounds. Government-Network alliances were strained or broken, which was often the best-case scenario. In China and the US, Network Deep State actors rapidly seized control.


    The Global Defence Network faction did their best to hold everything together. The other Network factions were focused on their conflicts with each other, the EOA and the cabal as they fought over reality cores, allowing the GDN to claim the grid infrastructure and continue to intercept proto-spaces. Rapidly forming new agreements with world governments, they avoided the reality core war. The biggest problem was that many of their silver-rank personnel had been pulled into other factions, making higher-rank dimensional incursions difficult and dangerous to handle.


    Emergency powers were enacted and martial law was put into place. The cities, which had been largely shielded from the monster waves, were now battlegrounds and people were fleeing into rural areas to escape the fighting. Jason, meanwhile, continued his work as weeks turned into months. At the same time he arrived in his latest location, Venezuela, the ancient vampires the non-Cabal factions had been worrying about made their presence known in the city of Venice.

 Chapter 394: Trying to Be Merciful

    In Venezuela, Jason identified and repaired another node. He was starting to get used to the process and had gotten the time required down to under an hour. After leaving the node space, he opened a portal back to the cloud house, currently disguised as a complex of hastily-erected prefab buildings in the mountain town of Galipan.


    Close to Caracas, Galipan had long been a tourist staple but was rapidly turning into a refuge for mid-level government and military officials from Caracas and La Guaira. After a transformation event triggered open battle between the magical factions, many low-to-mid-level authority figures had immediately looked to escape.


    Galipan had been overlooked by the upper-level officials, allowing the middling people to move in and force the locals out, claiming the inns and residences for themselves. The new prefab buildings were assembled for their support staff, not the displaced locals.


    Jason¡¯s family had been laying low in the cloud house as Jason and Farrah once more went through a series of proto-spaces to pinpoint the right node. Dawn remained with the cloud house to intercept any danger, now that she possessed a silver-rank avatar.


    No one left the cloud house other than Jason and Farrah. A bunch of foreigners would not be out of place back when it was a tourist village but now they would stick out like a sore thumb. They were all caught up watching the news from around the world as order continued to deteriorate.


    Cities fell under martial law or became outright battle zones with soldiers fighting essence-users fighting superheroes fighting all manner of strange creatures. Channel after channel, news site after news site showed the world descending into disaster and unrest.


    ¡°¡­the ¡®puppet presidency¡¯ riots continue in many major US cities, with the new administration¡¯s attempts to mobilise the National Guard in response meeting resistance from some state governors¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­spokesperson stated that there was no internal strife in the CCP after the recent leadership changes, but with China¡¯s media blackout continuing, there is no way to know the true state of¡­¡±


    ¡°¡­infighting within the Global Defence Network has been blamed for the new monster surge in the small island nation¡­¡±


    The family all sat together in the lounge room, watching as the world fell apart.


    ¡°It¡¯s like watching the end of the world,¡± Erika¡¯s husband Ian said as Jason, Farrah and Dawn returned to the cloud house.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to avoid,¡± Jason said and his family turned to look at the returning trio.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± Jason¡¯s father Ken asked.


    ¡°Another one down,¡± Jason said. ¡°Time to pack up and move on.¡±


    ¡°Not quite,¡± Dawn said. ¡°There is still one more thing to deal with.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jason asked, then tilted his head as if trying to hear something in the distance.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said as something entered the range of his aura senses, moving fast. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of it.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Some EOA lackeys,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ve had a good run but someone was bound to find us eventually and the EOA is working with the government here.¡±


    ¡°Why would the EOA go after you?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°I thought North wanted you to do what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    "So he said," Jason told her. "Could be he was lying. Could be that he wants to test my ability to affect Builder magic after absorbing the door. Most likely is that he just hasn''t told his organisation anything about it."


    ¡°What if his organisation ends up stopping you?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Then Jason was never strong enough to get the job done anyway,¡± Dawn said, then turned to Jason. ¡°Deal with them and then we can depart.¡±


    A full twenty superheroes in matching pseudo-military outfits flew through the air, soaring up the mountain. As they closed in on the town of Galipan they slowed down and released a camera drone, in accordance with League of Heroes media protocols. They made their approach to the town low and slow, making sure the people there had the chance to notice them and to pull out their phones. The flying superhumans paused, hovering over the town and the new expanse of prefab constructions.


    ¡°Which one is it?¡± one of them asked their leader. ¡°Should we start searching them?¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± the leader said, nodding in a certain direction. The others looked, seeing a figure flying slowly towards them. It had a cloak of void black, spread out like wings, over a robe the colour of dark, dried blood. From within the cloak¡¯s hood was a pair of silver eyes that shone like starlight, while two blue and orange orb-eyes floated around him.


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± the leader announced loudly, making sure his voice would be picked up on phone cameras. He spoke in English, which told Jason that this was all for the publicity.


    ¡°I am Autoridad,¡± the leader announced. ¡°We are taking you and your associates into custody.¡±


    Hovering in the air, the heroes spread out in a semi-circle around Jason. Jason¡¯s wing cloak held him up and he looked almost like he was underwater as his cloak floated around him. The heroes had more sober and sensible outfits than their US counterparts, with their costumes bearing a militaristic and authoritarian style. The Venezuelan flag prominently on display. Venezuela was a country that had ousted the Network in favour of the EOA and their superheroes, an arrangement that was holding even through the current chaos.


    ¡°How much do you know about the process that gave you¡¯re your extraordinary abilities?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Did you know that the earlier, weaker versions of the process had a habit of turning people insane? The reason your generation doesn¡¯t is that there is something inside you called a clockwork cor¨C¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t here to listen to you Asano,¡± Autoridad cut him off. ¡°Surrender or don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to explain why coming after me is a bad idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to be merciful. I don¡¯t know what will happen when¨C¡±


    Jason was cut off again as eyebeams blasted from Autoridad in his direction. One of the orbs around Jason became a shield of force, rippling like water as it intercepted the blast.


    ¡°Look, banana republic General Zod,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is your chance to walk away. Fly away, whatever. Please take it.¡±


    ¡°You essence magicians all think yourselves so powerful. You mentioned the weaker versions of us that came before. You know that they can boost their strength, yes? You may be arrogant enough to think that you¡¯re stronger than all of us, but we now have a boost strong enough to work on us. Using the power of reality cores, we can become far more powerful than you.¡±


    ¡°Why are you the only one who gets to monologue? I thought I was the villain, here, superhero.¡±


    Autoridad reached for an injector pen in a sheath on his belt.


    ¡°Don¡¯t do it,¡± Jason warned.


    Autoridad ignored Jason and grabbed the injector pen. Then he dropped it as he and all the other superheroes simultaneously started having seizures and fell from the sky. They landed hard on the street below as people filming with their phones scattered out of the way. Jason floated down into the midst of the fallen heroes who continued to twitch on the ground.


    Jason¡¯s cloak vanished as he alighted upon the ground, revealing an unconcerned face to the people filming him as he panned his gaze over the heroes. Silver liquid seeped out of their tear ducts as their twitching seizures come to a stop, along with their lives.


    ¡°So that¡¯s what happens,¡± Jason muttered absently. Leveraging his soul attack was apparently quite effective against clockwork cores, due to the effect absorbing the door had on his ability to affect the Builder¡¯s magic. How it would fare against star seeds he didn¡¯t know but was looking forward to finding out.


    The town was silent, people moving out of his way as he ignored them, walking over to one of the buildings. His family stepped out of it and he started absorbing the building into his cloud flask.


    Once more flying over the ocean in Shade¡¯s plane form, Jason, Farrah and Dawn were in a small conference cabin, discussing their next destination.


    ¡°After refining the search parameters with the details from the last node,¡± Farrah said, ¡°we¡¯ve got two viable target regions to search for the next. One is in Australia, the other in Europe.¡±


    ¡°I would like to go home,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know the village has been kept out of everything we¡¯ve seen on the news but I¡¯d still like to check on it. There¡¯s also whatever mysterious thing Dawn arranged for us while she was between avatars.¡±


    ¡°The question is Europe,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Venice had been entirely taken over by vampires. Are they looking to establish a safe haven for themselves and that''s the end of it or is this just the beginning? Should we go now, before things get worse or give it time and wait for things to settle?¡±


    Jason absently tapped a finger to his lips as he considered.


    ¡°Craig Vermillion suggested there¡¯s a lot more of these old vampires than we¡¯ve seen,¡± he said. ¡°Especially in Europe. I think I¡¯d prefer to know what we¡¯re walking into, even if it¡¯s bad, rather than be caught up in some kind of vampiric uprising.¡±


    ¡°If we were,¡± Farrah said, ¡°maybe we could make a difference.¡±


    ¡°We are making a difference,¡± Jason said. ¡°The sooner we cut off the reality core supply, the sooner the vampires go back in their box.¡±


    ¡°Those cores aren¡¯t like spirit coins,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It will take time before they are consumed. Once the Cabal rouses their vampires, it will be some time before they return to slumber.¡±


    ¡°All the more reason to get this done, Jason said.


    ¡°We have had distraction enough,¡± Dawn agreed. ¡°We are trying to help this entire world, not just some of the people on it.¡±


    ¡°Australia it is, then,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s time to explain what you arranged for us. You said it was personal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain after Mr Asano¡¯s sister is done with him,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You and I should give them some privacy.¡±


    There was an angry hammering on the cabin door and they could all sense Erika¡¯s aura on the other side of it. Dawn and Farrah left the cabin, letting Erika in. Erika marched in and tossed a computer tablet on the table, paused on a video.


    Jason didn''t ask, instead, reaching out to unpause the tablet.


    ¡°¡­disturbing footage and viewer discretion is advised. It would appear that the world¡¯s first superhero has gone full villain, killing an entire team of Venezuela¡¯s superheroes. The Venezuelan government have released a statement saying that this will impact their ability to prevent monster waves¡­¡±


    Jason paused the video again and met his sister¡¯s glare with a blank expression.


    ¡°What is it, Erika?¡± he asked softly.


    ¡°You¡¯re just killing people on the news, now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What is my daughter meant to make of that, Jason? You know how much she looks up to you. She was scared of telling you that she didn¡¯t want to go fight monsters with you and now she sees you slaughtering people on television?¡±


    ¡°Did they have the audio of that footage? They weren¡¯t just coming for me, Erika. They were coming for all of us. I won¡¯t let that happen. Not again.¡±


    ¡°And what? You¡¯ll kill whoever it takes to make that happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Erika had been turned from angry to unsettled at the quiet determination with which Jason answered her questions.


    ¡°You were worried about the things you¡¯ve done changing you,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You were right to be.¡±


    With a worried look at her brother, Erika left the cabin.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason whispered to the empty room.


    Craig Vermillion drove a small powerboat over Sydney Harbour, approaching a larger vessel and pulling up alongside. He tied off his own boat and hopped lightly from one to the other.


    The larger boat was a modified fishing boat, to which a powerful chain winch had been affixed for dragging heavy objects up from the depths. Craig made his way past the crew, human minions of the cabal, and into the captain¡¯s cabin.


    ¡°Craig,¡± the man inside greeted, getting up to shake Vermillion¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Franklin.¡±


    Craig looked at a large crystal bottle on the table, held securely in a foam-lined box. Inside the bottle was a purplish liquid.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Craig asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Franklin said.


    ¡°Literal blue blood.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how they make it,¡± Franklin said. ¡°I got a glimpse of one of their magic rocks. I¡¯d rather be well out of all this, to be frank. Which I am.¡±


    ¡°Still with that joke, Frank? You¡¯ve been telling it for, what? Forty, fifty years? Has anyone ever laughed?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not really the time for laughter, is it?¡±


    ¡°Not an excuse, Frank,¡± Craig said, then his shoulders slumped. ¡°You know, if you don¡¯t want to be part of this, you don¡¯t have to be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not one for rebellion, Craig.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be rebellion. You can just get out, let it all blow over.¡±


    ¡°Do you really think that¡¯s going to happen?¡±


    ¡°The reality cores will only last so long,¡± Craig said, gesturing at the bottle of modified blood. ¡°Once they can¡¯t make any more of this, the old ones will go back to sleep.¡±


    ¡°Assuming that your boy Asano somehow manages to undo all this mess.¡±


    ¡°He will.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s one man. He¡¯s powerful, but compared to the old ones? We already know he lost to his own group¡¯s essence magician. This is the way things are, now, Craig. We need to compete.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be an arms race.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Craig. It does.¡±


    Vermillion sighed.


    ¡°I¡¯m going,¡± he said. ¡°If I can¡¯t stop it, at least I won''t be a party to it.¡±


    ¡°You may come to regret that, Craig.¡±


    ¡°When you¡¯re as old as us, Frank, regret is an inevitability.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is.¡±


    Franklin took out a memory stick and held it out for Craig.


    "A list of safe houses and supply caches I don''t think are on the books," Franklin explained. ¡°No guarantees, though, so keep your eyes sharp. Security codes and protocols are all in there.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t be happy if they know you gave me this.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t tell them.¡±


    Craig took the stick with a laugh and shook his friend¡¯s hand again.


    ¡°Good luck, Frank¡±


    ¡°You too.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you won¡¯t come with me?¡±


    ¡°Get going, Craig. You want to be long gone when we wake this guy up.¡±


    Craig went back to his boat and took off. He took the battery out of his phone and threw them into the harbour. Behind him, the huge chain winch on the boat stirred into rumbling, diesel-powered action. Craig and his boat were nowhere to be seen by the time it hoisted what looked like a stone sarcophagus from the water.

 Chapter 395: Appreciation

    In Asano Village, a portal arch quietly rose up inside a house. Cheryl Asano, Jason¡¯s mother, froze as if time had stopped. She had seen little of her youngest son since his return from apparent death, except on the news. She hadn¡¯t seen him at all since her eldest son followed him out into an increasingly mad world, only to return as a corpse. She had only seen his famous portal a handful of times in person. Like most people in Australia, she had seen it on the news as thousands of Broken Hill residents escaped through it to safety. She had watched everything she could find online about her son over and over again.


    She gulped as her son stepped through the portal, his expression slightly surprised to find his mother standing right in front of him.


    ¡°Hello, Mother.¡±


    ¡°Jason, I¡­¡± She trailed off, not knowing how to begin.


    ¡°Hold that thought,¡± he said as Erika and Emi emerged from the portal. Neither had seen her since Kaito¡¯s death and, unlike Jason, immediately moved to hug her.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to quietly go round people up,¡± Jason said. ¡°Mother, we¡¯re using your place as a gathering point because it¡¯s more discreet. I don¡¯t know how many people are the eyes and ears of outsiders.¡±


    ¡°Jason¡­¡± she began but his shadow rose up, he stepped into it and was gone.


    Jason found Taika in the village¡¯s main security office and happily grabbed the big man in a huge hug.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about your bro, bro.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, mate.¡±


    Jason had originally intended to take Taika as part of the team travelling with him, only to change his mind. He had not wanted to entirely deprive the village of people he could trust and rely on. Given that Taika would likely be dead otherwise, he was relieved at how it worked out.


    ¡°Bro, I saw you killing those superhero guys with your mind. They say you''re a proper supervillain now but if the other guys are all dressed like tin-pot dictators, that pretty much makes you the good guy.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think I¡¯m bad for killing all those people?¡±


    ¡°They came for you and yours, bro. Put ¡®em down hard and don¡¯t look back.¡±


    Jason knew that for all his jovial personality, Taika had seen dark days long before Jason came along, He didn''t know the details but he knew Taika had left New Zealand to escape dangerous circumstances. Taika had become familiar with the cruelty and fickleness of death long before Jason.


    ¡°Taika, I need you to round up some people in the village and take them to my mother¡¯s place.¡±


    ¡°What do I tell them when they ask why?¡±


    ¡°That it¡¯s mandatory and you don¡¯t know. Don¡¯t mention me at all. Some of them will probably react poorly.¡±


    ¡°No worries, mate,¡± Taika assured him. ¡°I got you.¡±


    Jason was very good at hiding any kind of nervousness or uncertainty, both in his body language and his aura. He was visibly anxious as he sensed a group of people approach his mother¡¯s front door.


    They were the last to arrive by design, Jason having asked Taika to bring them last. There was no shortage of people present already, crowding even the generous, open-plan space of his mother¡¯s house. Already arrived were Amy and her daughters, too young to understand what was going on. The Japanese Asano sisters and Itsuki were both present, as were the family of Jason¡¯s deceased friend Greg. They had known Jason since he was a young teenager but now looked at him like a stranger. Between who and what Jason had become and the death of their son, Jason could feel the distrust and hostility in their auras plain and clear.


    Jason was anticipating worse from the people Taika was leading to the door. The Karadeniz family, Asya¡¯s parents and siblings, were taken aback as they saw all the people. When they spotted Jason amongst them, their expressions went dark.


    ¡°Mr and Mrs Karadeniz¨C¡±


    The long legs of Asya¡¯s mother let her stride across the room in just a few steps, loudly slapping Jason across the face. Jason had nothing to say, bowing his head the way he had before Greg¡¯s family. He felt that his eyes should be welling with tears but that was not something his body did anymore. It had been years since Jason had been a human but he had never felt as inhuman as at that moment.


    ¡°Why are we here?¡± Asya¡¯s father asked in a hostile voice.


    Jason nodded absently, more to himself than anyone else.


    ¡°I have some friends who have afforded us a unique opportunity,¡± Jason said. ¡°One that has, to my knowledge, never been afforded to anyone else on earth.¡±


    ¡°What kind of opportunity?¡± Greg¡¯s father asked.


    ¡°One for comfort, I hope,¡± Jason said as he raised a portal. ¡°Please all go through.¡±


    ¡°You seriously expect us to go through that?¡± Asya¡¯s mother asked.


    ¡°If you choose not to, I understand,¡± Jason said. ¡°If that is your decision, I won¡¯t tell you what you missed. I don¡¯t want you carrying that regret for the rest of your life.¡±


    ¡°Why not just tell us what¡¯s through there right now?¡± Asya¡¯s father asked.


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t think you¡¯ll believe me,¡± Jason said. ¡°Even if you do, I¡¯m worried about misunderstandings if you don¡¯t see it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t play games,¡± Greg¡¯s father said. ¡°You¡¯ve always liked playing games, Jason, but I won¡¯t stand for it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Asya¡¯s father said. ¡°What is on the other side of your magic door, Asano?¡±


    Jason stared at him, hollow-eyed, for a long time.


    ¡°Your daughter,¡± he said finally. ¡°Go through or not. All I¡¯m offering you is the choice.¡±


    ¡°What are you¨C¡±


    Shade rose out of Jason''s shadow. Jason stepped into him and was gone.


    ¡°Mum, are you crazy?¡± Asya¡¯s brother asked. ¡°He killed a bunch of people with his brain. That was two days ago.¡±


    Jason used his ability to shadow jump between Shade¡¯s bodies to avoid using up the energy of his portal. He appeared next to the other side of the portal, which was some twenty kilometres offshore from Asano village, atop a tower at the centre of his cloud palace.


    Jason had finally used the palace configuration of his cloud flask. It produced a sprawling construct, floating on the surface of the Pacific as ocean waves failed to so much as make it shudder. It was solid as an island but smaller than the palace form Emir preferred as Jason usually deployed his cloud constructs in their adaptive forms.


    The adaptive form offered both protection against search magic and camouflaged against direct observation. The palace was made up entirely in shades of blue and white that, from a satellite, would be indistinguishable from the water around it.


    Even in the adaptive form, the palace was still sprawling and huge. A series of concentric rings made up the four-storey buildings, connected by covered, open-air walkways like the spokes of a wheel. At the hub of the wheel was an eight-storey tower with a flat rooftop designed as a lookout. This was where the portal emerged, the salty ocean wind blowing over it in spite of the elevation.


    Jason waited, knowing that a discussion was taking place in his absence. Having finally admitted to himself that he was not as capable of moving people to act as he had once thought himself, he had left Erika and Emi to be his ambassadors. Even his short display with Greg and Asya''s families showed him that he would only make things worse. To Jason''s surprise, when someone finally came through the portal is was Asya''s father.


    ¡°Asano, what do you mean by saying my daughter is¡­¡±


    His words dropped away as he noticed the floating palace around him, the beautiful building made of clouds spread out before him. More people came through, spreading out along the balustrade that circled the tower roof and goggling at the palace. Erika moved over to stand beside her brother, hooking her arm into his elbow as they looked out at the palace below and the ocean beyond.


    ¡°You once told me that you came back to show me wonders,¡± she said. ¡°With all the horrors that magic has brought, it¡¯s easy to forget the marvels.¡±


    ¡°I thought I would be the only magical thing in this world,¡± Jason said. ¡°I wish I¡¯d been right.¡±


    There was a huge elevating platform in the centre of the flat tower rooftop and Jason directed everyone onto it. He could have opened the portal directly to their destination but he had wanted to prime them to witness the extraordinary. For that reason, he led them on a meandering path through the palace, picking up Ken, Hiro and Yumi along the way.


    The interior of the Palace was more colourful than the disguised exterior, with the glorious sunset colours that were cloud construct default. It was also filled with the plants Jason had harvested during his long stay in the jungle astral space of the Order of the Reaper, with lush green leaves and vibrant flowers. Since they were all non-magical plants, just feeding enough plant, earth and water quintessence to the cloud flask allowed it to maintain them. The jungle plants gave the palace a lush, tropical feel, complete with rich, fresh aromas.


    The group had lost any notion of interrogating Jason for the moment as they toured the wondrous space until Jason brought them to a vast and empty chamber. It was circular in shape, with a ceiling high above them. The only things in the room were Dawn, Farrah and three of Shade''s bodies. Each instance of Shade was standing in the middle of a hellishly complex ritual circle, all in a row. There was a fourth, empty ritual circle, positioned behind the line of three that Shade occupied. All four circles were piled high with spirit coins of all ranks, with even a diamond coin in each one.


    "I''m sure you have all seen my companion, Shade," Jason said. Shade was, indeed, a well-known figure, even having been interviewed once when Jason allowed a media junket in Asano Village.


    ¡°What you may not know that that Shade¡¯s progenitor ¨C his father, if you will ¨C is an entity that governs the souls of the dead.¡±


    This caused a stir in the group, Jason sensing grief, anger and disbelief in their auras.


    ¡°This,¡± Jason said while gesturing with his arm, ¡°is Dawn. She is a deeply remarkable person, not just for her origins and power but for her kindness. Recently she took the time to contact Shade''s father in order to give us all a gift. I don''t even know what price she paid for this gift, as she refuses to tell us. Suffice to say, I am quite certain it was great."


    ¡°What are you talking about, Asano?¡± Asya¡¯s father asked. His shock at their surroundings was wearing off and his patience with it. ¡°If this is some kind of nonsensical s¨¦ance¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what it is,¡± Jason said. ¡°What we have for you here is an opportunity that so many lost in grief can only helplessly wish for: a final chance to say goodbye.¡±


    As he sensed the sceptical affront rising from the group, Jason marched to the middle of the empty ritual circle and opened up a portal. This was not a normal portal, despite the identical look, but a medium for the ritual magic Dawn had put in place. It was an intricate work of magic far beyond Jason and Farrah¡¯s capabilities. He had been very careful crossing the sophisticated magic diagram, so as not to disturb it.


    Dark streams of power flowed from Jason¡¯s portal into the shadowy forms at the centre of the other ritual circles, which immediately started to undulate. The group looked on in trepidatious anticipation, disbelief mixed with hope, fear and confusion.


    Over the course of around a minute, the three dark shapes took on the forms of Asya, Greg and Kaito, but dark and semi-translucent, like ghosts. At first, they were unmoving, their expressions blank like dummies. Then they suddenly animated, roused from torpor.


    ¡°For the next nine hours,¡± Jason said, ¡°they will be here for you to say the things you need to say. This will never happen again, so don¡¯t leave anything unsaid.¡±


    At first, nothing happened. The three souls projecting into Shade¡¯s bodies as vessels were disoriented by the process and their loved ones were all in shock. Then Greg waved.


    ¡°G¡¯day, Mum.¡±


    Like a dam had broken, Jason felt a maelstrom of emotion bombard the room as the group swarmed the three souls. Projecting through Shade, the ghost-like figures were oddly soft to the touch, as if they were made from the same cloud-stuff as the palace. Dawn could have arranged a more realistic depiction but felt being too lifelike could be dangerous. Jason wholeheartedly agreed, wanting to avoid the desperate hope of resurrection.


    Dawn was the leader of the Cult of the World-Phoenix, albeit on a working sabbatical. Before creating her current avatar and returning to earth, she had contacted her counterpart in the Cult of the Reaper, convincing him to allow Shade, a shadow of the Reaper, to act as a vessel to project the souls of Jason¡¯s fallen companions.


    It was not a new or unique event, with contacting the dead having a long history. There were very strict rules, however, the most important being no discussion could be made on the nature of the afterlife. Other rules included the fact that each soul could only be contacted one time.


    Jason watched as the group converged on their dead loved ones, wandering over to stand next to Dawn.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can express the graciousness of what you¡¯ve done here,¡± he told her. ¡°All I can do is thank you.¡±


    ¡°When I came to you to save the world, you didn¡¯t negotiate or ask for payment. You didn¡¯t try and pass it off. You got to work. Call this my appreciation for that.¡±

 Chapter 396: Brooding Loner

    Vampires were neither strictly living nor strictly dead. Most of the undead were quite explicitly deceased, rendered animate by one force or another. In the case of vampires, however, that force was life energy, rendering them, to almost any test, alive. Some even considered themselves more alive than ordinary humans and treated their induction into the ranks of undead being as born again, much like an Evangelical Christian.


    Many such vampires counted their age from the moment they were turned, although Franklin was not one of them. He was not dismissive of the life he had lived and did not disdain his long-dead family. His last relative had been a vampire, like him; a nephew turned by Franklin himself to save the young man from an illness long-since cured by humanity.


    In more than a century of life, Franklin had learned that regrets were inevitable. He regretted not turning more of his family and he regretted that the one he did turn was such a disappointment. It was Franklin himself who had turned his nephew over to the Network to keep the peace after the latest in a long line of mistakes was too grave for the Cabal to ignore.


    That had been before the world changed and the Cabal grew ambitious. Magic was not just exposed to the world but growing in strength. A land of stone and fire had arisen right in the city, Bankstown turning into a place of pooling lava and dark stone. The people caught up in the change transformed into a species with dark skin and eyes of fire.


    Different forces, magical and otherwise took different attitudes to the transformed zones once any fighting over the reality core each held was settled. Most governments declared them disaster sites, off-limits to civilians, then worked with the Network to recover the transformed people and salvage whatever magical materials were found within. The EOA was generally the weakest competitor in the fight for reality cores and left once it was decided.


    The Cabal would usually wait until the fighting was settled and then start occupying the zones. For reasons unknown to them, the transformed zones made members of the Cabal grow stronger. Many of the Cabal¡¯s members had hit a ceiling in terms of power growth, as if the world were not magical enough for them to get stronger. In the transformation zones, this was no longer the case as stagnant power once more flowed through the Cabal¡¯s members. As more and more transformed zones appeared, the Cabal started moving towards overall parity with the Network that had been dominating for the last century.


    Within the cabal, the boost in power meant the least to the vampires, who suffered from a different kind of ceiling. Although their powers never stopped growing, once they crossed a certain threshold, the world''s magic was no longer enough to sustain them. As their might reached the invisible barriers imposed by reality that stopped the growth of others, they instead fell into torpor. This had placed the vampires in an awkward position within the Cabal, as the most powerful leaders of their faction inevitably surrendered their position to enter hibernation, lest they wither and die.


    The vampires were in a rush to awaken their ancient ones, as they feared that the growth of the other factions would eventually lead to all the cabal having greater power. If the vampires were going to dominate, they needed to awaken the old ones as quickly as they could. Other members of the Cabal reluctantly went along due to the need to compete with the Network.


    In the case of Sydney, the Bankstown transformation zone was not ideal for vampires. They were highly resistant to most forms of damage, but fire was one of those that had a greater effect. This meant that while the flowing lava streams weren¡¯t a wildly dangerous hazard, they made for an unnerving environment.


    This did not bother Franklin, especially. He was a peaceful man who did not share the ambitions of many others in the Cabal and had never been dissatisfied with the way things were. He only spent as much time in the transformation zone as was necessary for his role in the Cabal, which is why he was unhappy to have been made manservant to the arisen ancient one.


    Franklin had become sedentary over the decades, which had been costing him more and more in recent years. First, there was his nephew. As much as Franklin had despised the boy, Clinton had been the last family Franklin had. The end of his bloodline. Many vampires considered the other vampires they turned their children and Franklin had long considered this path, but again, his sedentary nature had left him not getting around to it. Another regret.


    When Craig Vermillion had come to him, Franklin belatedly realised that he should have gone with him. Afraid of change, Franklin had declined, not realising that there was no staying the way things were. Change was coming and it was a matter of choosing which change to involve himself with. He quickly came to realise that he had chosen poorly.


    Like many vampires, Franklin had considered himself a living witness of history. He discovered how na?ve he had been when confronted with a member of the British Empire born in the early years of the 16th century. Every moment was now filled with regret that he had not disappeared with Craig and the other cabal members with the foresight to see what was coming.


    The transformation events had changed the buildings of Bankstown into stone, usually very different from the ones that went before. The cabal had taken over the largest and most refined of them, a large stone manor, largely free of lava streams, with a luxuriously-appointed interior. It was the single aspect of the new world of which the ancient vampire, Lord Willoughby, unreservedly approved. There was no longer any utility infrastructure but that hardly concerned a man who had been hibernating in a sarcophagus since 1794.


    One of the things he most disapproved of was modern clothing. For this reason, a small army of Cabal members had been dispatched to find something acceptable. As Willoughby lounged in a sitting room, in what no one dared tell him was women¡¯s underwear, a parade of clothing was presented. Each person presenting hoped that they wouldn¡¯t be the next one thrown into a hard stone wall when the lord¡¯s patience wore thin.


    ¡°My Lord,¡± Franklin said. ¡°I humbly recommend a more considered approach. The world has undergone many changes during your slumber. The essence magicians have grown powerful in your absence and¨C¡±


    ¡°Considered?¡± Lord Willoughby roared. "I have already considered the state of this miserable world and found it wanting! Jumped-up colonials thinking they can throw off the yoke of the Empire? Upstart sorcerers who would challenge the supremacy of the world¡¯s hidden rulers? The clothes alone are a travesty.¡±


    Franklin didn¡¯t voice his doubts on the degree to which the Cabal were ever hidden rulers directing human society from the shadows.


    ¡°My Lord, even the mortals have developed in ways that may come as a surprise. The capabilities of modern technology¨C¡±


    ¡°Are worthless in the face of overwhelming magical power,¡± Willoughby cut him off.


    ¡°My Lord, I am merely making the humble suggestion that rushing to act before taking the time to learn may have unintended consequences.¡±


    "Do you think me a fool, Franklin? An ignorant buffoon, lost in time? Even in my day, we knew that if a servant kept insisting he was humble he was anything but."


    ¡°I apologise, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do, you gormless peasant. Have the glory devices been prepared?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve prepared the cameras, my Lord.¡±


    ¡°Good. The Cabal of these modern times is a fallen beast. If magic is no longer hidden, then there is no excuse for the world not being under our heel. We shall begin with essence magicians and then the colonial government. The world shall see the glory of the new empire.¡±


    Willoughby¡¯s eyes lit up as someone brought in what looked like actual colonial-era garb.


    ¡°Excellent, finally.¡±


    ¡°Costume shop?¡± Franklin asked.


    Having escaped the mad British Lord, Franklin was in a car with Nathaniel, the man who had brought in the approved outfit. Nathaniel was an ogre, when not in human form, and a long-time friend of Franklin and Craig Vermillion.


    ¡°Theatre costume department,¡± Nathaniel said.


    ¡°Smart,¡± Franklin said. ¡°Unlike me. I should have taken the advice of our mutual friend.¡±


    ¡°He betrayed the Cabal.¡±


    ¡°Did he? Or is he trying to save it?¡±


    ¡°Be careful who hears your words, Frank.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am, Nathan. I don¡¯t have a way to contract Craig, which I arranged in order to protect him. It means that I am unable to express the degree to which I regret my choice. It also means that I can¡¯t tell him that I could potentially arrange access to the reality core storage, should anyone be looking to get in there while a certain vampire lord was indulging himself in raiding the Network headquarters.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re taking a risk telling me this, Frank.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve lost too much by leaving everything around me to stagnate. It¡¯s time I started taking some risks. Is that something you can help me with?¡±


    ¡°I would never betray the Cabal,¡± Nathaniel said. ¡°Of course, if I just happen to run into my friend Craig, who knows what might come up in conversation.¡±


    Inside Jason¡¯s cloud palace, floating on the ocean, the friends and family of Kaito, Greg and Asya were taking the chance to say goodbye. They had nine final hours, which proved a boon as it took some more time to accept what was happening than others.


    Jason had created a large hall within the palace and once the ritual to call up the spirits of the dead was complete, he started modifying the cloud-stuff in the hall to fill the empty space with furniture. It was only moderately amazing to the group, most of which were getting their first exposure to the power of cloud constructs. After the ghostly souls of their loved ones returning, even the room transforming around them was only a mild wonder.


    The event was essentially a wake, with two exceptions: the deceased were both present and cognisant and there wasn¡¯t any food. Although the food shortages of the monster wave months were slowly be remedied, the chaos following the transformation events was interfering with food distribution.


    In that environment, Jason was not going to store a supply of food for entertainment purposes when almost everyone in his company was an essence user. Emi alone needed to eat, and only while she was outside of Jason¡¯s spirit vault. His soul realm turned out to suspend normal biological necessities, which left Jason both curious and glad. Curious, because he wondered what impact it had on the ageing process. Glad, because no one was going to the toilet in his soul.


    Jason himself stayed quietly out of the way of the reunions, to the point of using subtle aura manipulation to push himself out of everyone¡¯s attention. A lot of the people present blamed Jason for the three deaths. He didn¡¯t want them wasting the last time they had with their loved ones on recrimination for him. That could wait until after.


    As he watched everyone say their mournful goodbyes, he reflected on the people he had killed. From the beginning, he had worried about it becoming too easy and that had come to pass. Jason couldn¡¯t muster up any remorse for the people he massacred in Venezuela; only grim satisfaction that no more of his friends and family had been lost.


    Jason waited as everyone else took their turn, sitting in a chair at the edge of the room until Farrah approached him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not being considerate,¡± she told him as she sat on nothing, trusting him to create the cloud chair that rose up underneath her.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling yourself that you¡¯re being considerate and letting everyone else spend the time with them. The truth is that you¡¯re scared. Scared to face them; scared that they¡¯ll blame you. Scared that they won¡¯t,¡±


    Jason looked at her and then gave a slight nod.


    ¡°I suppose I am,¡± he acknowledged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t waste the time you have,¡± she told him. ¡°Who gets this kind of chance? Don¡¯t waste it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you still sitting here with me?¡± she scolded.


    Jason nodded, his cloud chair sinking into the floor as he stood up and made his way over to where people were surrounding the three dead guests of honour. Things grew quiet as Jason arrived near Kaito, whose soul was using Shade as a vessel.  His body was dark and semi-transparent, looking every inch the ghost that he was.


    ¡°That¡¯s some pretty rough sad face you¡¯ve got their little brother,¡± Kaito said. ¡°Who died?¡±


    Jason was taken aback by the flippancy of his dead brother, unable to find words to respond.


    ¡°This is what¡¯s great about being dead,¡± Kaito said cheerfully. ¡°No one will tell you how bad your jokes are.¡±


    ¡°Your jokes suck donkey balls,¡± Jason said and Kaito burst out laughing.


    ¡°There he is. Excuse me, everyone; I need to have a private chat with my adorable little brother.¡±


    ¡°Adorable?¡± Jason asked as they headed away from the others.


    ¡°I¡¯m dead, so I can call you what I like.¡±


    ¡°And here was me thinking that being dead might turn you into less of a tool bag,¡± Jason said. "I guess the afterlife isn''t turning into some enlightened being.¡±


    Kaito¡¯s image glitched like a television with a briefly-interrupted signal.


    ¡°Probably best to steer away from that particular topic,¡± Kaito said, looking queasy.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°Good thing Aunt Marjory isn¡¯t here.¡±


    Kaito laughed again.


    ¡°Did you know that she thought you were an angel?¡± he asked Jason.


    ¡°So I heard,¡± Jason said. ¡°I wish I¡¯d been there when she found out it was me.¡±


    The brothers sat down, facing one another.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I couldn¡¯t protect you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That was never your job,¡± Kaito said firmly. ¡°Your job is saving the world, so don¡¯t bugger it up. My wife and kids are on it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to see them safe,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Just make sure you and my wife don¡¯t comfort each other, reconnect and get married,¡± Kaito said.


    ¡°Oh, fuck you.¡±


    Kaito¡¯s laughter erupted through the hall, drawing all eyes.


    ¡°And here I thought that avoiding bad language was the one thing you did learn from Mum,¡± Kaito said.


    ¡°You¡¯re an arsehole.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t call me an arsehole. I¡¯m dead.¡±


    ¡°I should take out a sandwich and eat it in front of you.¡±


    ¡°Why would eating a sandwich annoy me?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re dead and you¡¯ll never get to eat a sandwich again.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re right. That would be a dick move.¡±


    ¡°You seem pretty happy for a dead guy but I won¡¯t ask how that works.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it,¡± Kaito said. ¡°You seem pretty cut up over me. It¡¯s nice to know you cared.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m cut up over the other two. I¡¯m faking it with you so Eri doesn¡¯t yell at me.¡±


    Kaito laughed before taking on a more sober expression.


    ¡°She¡¯s worried about you, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You killed a bunch of people on TV?¡±


    "They were coming for all of us, Kai. As a publicity stunt. I had to drop them fast before they loaded themselves up with magic PCP. I didn''t know it would kill them but I¡¯m glad it did. I won¡¯t let what happened to you happen again.¡±


    ¡°Did you tell her any of that or did you just go all emo and broody on her?¡±


    Jason bowed his head, not meeting his brother¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Kaito said. ¡°Jason, you¡¯ve always done whatever you set out to do. You have a way of looking at where you are, looking at where you want to be and finding the path between. A lot of people can do that but not everyone is willing to pay the price. Hell, you got together with Amy and she¡¯s been in love with me since she was twelve. It wrecked you, yeah, but you got it done. It¡¯s pretty bloody intimidating, little brother.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not always me who pays the price,¡± Jason said, his voice breaking as he looked at his dead brother.


    ¡°I know. You need to watch out for that, but don¡¯t let it stop you. It¡¯s what makes you special. It¡¯s why I¡¯m sure that you are going to save the world. If I¡¯m being honest, I think it¡¯s why I think I did what I did to you. With Amy. You always had this determination, like nothing scared you and nothing was impossible. I never had that kind of courage. I think¡­ I think I wanted to prove that I could overcome that. That I was better than you. Amy, I think was trying to escape it.¡±


    ¡°Escape me.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They were crappy reasons for the crappy thing we did. I¡¯m sorry little brother.¡±


    ¡°Well, I did get you killed by an exploding wizard,¡± Jason said with a smiling mouth and sad eyes. ¡°Your thing is still worse, but since this is the end, I guess I can forgive you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, little brother. That means a lot.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear,¡± Jason said, ¡°forgiveness is about me being the better man, not you actually deserving it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you arsehole,¡± Kaito laughed, then once more he turned serious.


    ¡°Jason, I have something to ask you. Call it a belated dying wish.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s a sandwich, I really can¡¯t do anything about that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the guy who¡¯s going to save the world.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s me. Unless you know something I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s you. I just want it to be the right you.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Do I have an evil twin Mum never mentioned?¡±


    Jason scowled.


    ¡°I bet she likes him more,¡± he muttered.


    Kaito grinned.


    ¡°This is exactly what I want,¡± he said.


    ¡°Your dying wish is me ragging on Mum? Done.¡±


    ¡°Not that, you unfilial prick. I want the Jason who saves the world to be the one inexplicably obsessed with terrible TV shows that are older than he is, not the guy with the dead eyes who kills without remorse. I know you''ve seen a lot of terrible things. I know you''ve had to do some of them yourself. I need you to rise above that stuff instead of letting it drag you down. We kind of all need that because we¡¯re relying on you, little brother.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not so easy, Kai.¡±


    ¡°I know. But set out to do it and you¡¯ll do it. That¡¯s what you do. Are you going to refuse the last wish of your brother¡¯s ghost?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know where to start. The things I¡¯ve done; the things I have left to do. It feels like I¡¯m being dragged into a swamp. I¡¯m not sure how to pull myself out.¡±


    ¡°By letting people help you, idiot. Being a brooding loner never works out. Even TV vampires figure than out by the end of the first season.¡±


    ¡°As if you¡¯d know.¡±


    ¡°I watched vampire TV shows,¡± Kaito said defensively.


    ¡°What vampire show did you watch?¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t heard of it.¡±


    ¡°Look at who you¡¯re talking to. You didn¡¯t watch any vampire shows. If you say frigging Highlander¡­¡±


    ¡°I thought that was a movie about wizards or something.¡±


    ¡°You think Highlander was about wizards?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t like wizards. I watched a vampire show.¡±


    ¡°What vampire show?¡±


    ¡°Forever Knight.¡±


    ¡°Forever Knight?¡±


    ¡°See, I told you hadn¡¯t heard of it.¡±


    ¡°All these years and only after you die do you reveal you did watch old TV shows after all? I can see why, given your choice. Forever Knight? A TV show based on a TV movie starring Rick Springfield - who they couldn¡¯t even get back for the show! The guy who sang Jesse¡¯s Girl was too busy for your terrible TV show.¡±


    ¡°You realise that if you knew as much about magic as you did about American television from the eighties and nineties, you¡¯d probably have saved the world already.¡±


    ¡°Forever Knight was Canadian!¡±


    On the other side of the hall, Erika had a tear in her eye and a smile on her lips as she watched her brothers loudly argue.

 Chapter 397: High Maintenance

    In the meeting hall of his cloud palace, Jason sat across from the spectre of his friend, Greg.


    ¡°I have no idea what to say,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Wow,¡± Greg said. ¡°I had to die to see it happen, but at least now I know what it takes.¡±


    ¡°I was going to get you a greeting card but I couldn¡¯t find one for getting you killed by a wizard with bomb fists.¡±


    ¡°And there he is.¡±


    ¡°I looked into some print shops for a custom card but with everything going on, the wait times are egregious. As for online, you can just forget about it. Shipping delays are crazy.¡±


    Jason¡¯s smile was a pained rictus; a poor disguise for his obvious guilt and grief.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want you mourning for me,¡± Greg said.


    ¡°You¡¯re dead,¡± Jason said. ¡°You don¡¯t get a say.¡±


    ¡°At least put aside the guilt. I chose this.¡±


    ¡°I gave you the choice.¡±


    ¡°And the alternative is what?¡± Greg asked. ¡°Do you even remember how miserable I was when you came back? I was never much more than an adequate lawyer and I¡¯d been all but pushed out of my father¡¯s law practice. I was staring down the barrel of a long, mediocre life. I lived more in the last six months than in the six years before it. Running around, fighting monsters with my magic powers. I got laid so much.¡±


    ¡°Mate¡­¡±


    ¡°I know, but I totally did. I met beautiful women from other dimensions and played board games with a vampire. I had magic powers. Steampunk magic powers. I got killed by a supervillain. I died fighting to save the world. Jason, if you told me everything that was going to happen ¨C every single thing, including how I died ¨C I¡¯d have made the exact same choice. I¡¯d have jumped at it.¡±


    ¡°Greg¡­¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare pity me. You made my life a triumph. My death, too, for that matter. Don¡¯t you ever try and take that from me by feeling like you somehow hurt me or made my choices for me. I died a hero, Jason, not a victim. You don¡¯t get to turn me into one inside your head.¡±


    ¡°You seem pretty determined to not let me get a word in edgeways.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ll just talk some crap. Look, we¡¯ve been putting up with edgelord Jason for a while now but it¡¯s time to knock off the melodrama. You¡¯re not Darkwing Duck, so stop swanning about pretending you¡¯re the terror that flaps in the night. You¡¯re a god damn chuuni. You were a chuuni in school, you were a chuuni when you got back from magic land and you¡¯re such a giant bloody chuunibyou right now that you don¡¯t even realise you¡¯re more chuuni than you¡¯ve ever been in your life.¡±


    ¡°Please stop being saying chuuni.¡±


    ¡°Jason you need the chuuni power.¡±


    ¡°Chuuni power?¡±


    ¡°The Cabal is digging up an army of ancient vampires. You think popping out of the shadows doing a Batman voice is going to help against that lot? They¡¯ve been pulling that trick since Constantinople; they¡¯re going to be better at it than you. If you want to beat them then you need to run your game, not theirs. Play to your own strengths.¡±


    ¡°Which are?¡±


    ¡°A vampire is basically an ancient super chuuni. And in the land of the chuuni, the genre-savvy man is king.¡±


    "So, you''re pretty much talking out your arse," Jason said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Greg said with a grin. ¡°Sounded good, though, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Not even a little. You just said chuuni about thirty times. You were babbling nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Well, you gave babbling nonsense up to go all edgelord drama queen. Someone had to step up.¡±


    Jason ran a hand over his face.


    ¡°Is this what it¡¯s like talking to me?¡±


    ¡°It used to be,¡± Greg said softly. ¡°Back when you were actually fun. Yeah, things have gotten bad. You¡¯ve lost people. But if you lose yourself, then everyone on Earth is completely buggered, so it¡¯s time to stop moping and put on your big boy pants. The floral print ones.¡±


    Jason and Greg looked at each other and both started laughing.


    ¡°You are really bad at the final guidance from a friend thing,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡±


    ¡°It was pretty much you just saying chuuni and edgelord over and over.¡±


    ¡°Take a look in the mirror, guy. You¡¯ve been acting like a chuuni edgelord over and over.¡±


    ¡°Harsh. You¡¯re way better at making me feel bad than your Dad, although he¡¯s giving it a good go.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about him. He¡¯s blustering because he¡¯s worried people will realise he¡¯s just happy that I was the one who died and not my brother.¡±


    Jason turned to glance at his mother across the room, in a group speaking with Kaito¡¯s spectre.


    ¡°Yeah, I know that story,¡± he said, then turned back to Greg.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to miss you, brother,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll think of you every time I play a new board game you¡¯ll never get a chance to try.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you prick.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have called me a chuuni so many times.¡±


    The streets of Sydney were much less congested than normal, in the wake of the transformation events. Government restrictions and business closures led to little enough traffic that the fleet of vehicles, mostly vans and SUVs, were able to sweep rapidly to the Sydney Network branch¡¯s building.


    Cabal members poured out of the vehicles, human forms transforming into a menagerie of bizarre creatures and mythological beings. At the head was the vampire lord, Willoughby. Oddly, there were what at least looked like ordinary humans operating camera equipment.


    The Network branch''s lower levels were largely filled with ordinary humans, many of whom had only learned the true nature of their organisation when magic went public. These were the administration offices for the businesses that had been both the source of funding and operational cover for the Network over the last half-century.


    The lower floors became a bloodbath as the Cabal stormed the building. They had clashed with the network numerous times over reality cores but this was something different. The Cabal had invaded the Network¡¯s home, intent on pulling them out root and stem. This was not a fight for riches or power but for survival. The Network¡¯s tactical squads swiftly descended from the upper floors to engage the invaders.


    Willoughby was startled by the resistance the Network put up. He had been warned repeatedly but he was not a good listener. Surprised was not the same as being defeated, however, and the vampire''s might was not to be overlooked. When a powerful conjured machine gun ripped holes in him, streams of blood flowed out of the wounds and through the air like ropes. They entangled the man with the huge gun and dragged him into Willoughby¡¯s waiting embrace. Draining the silver-ranker¡¯s blood rapidly restored his health and he pushed deeper into the building.


    Shade was the vessel through which Kaito, Asya and Greg were projecting their souls and had control of how realistic those projections were. He was keeping them ghostly to prevent their loved ones from thinking the soul projections meant that resurrection was possible, although some still hoped in spite of assurances that it wasn¡¯t.


    Shade¡¯s control meant that as Jason sat close to Asya, holding her hands in his, Shade could make them more solid, feeling like her actual hands instead of insubstantial ephemera.


    ¡°Greg and Kaito both told me I need to pull myself together,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is that what you¡¯re going to do as well?¡±


    ¡°Do I need to?¡± she asked. ¡°Trust me to find such a high-maintenance boyfriend.¡±


    ¡°High maintenance?¡±


    ¡°Oh, please, Asano. I love you but you are an absolute pain to deal with.¡±


    Jason¡¯s eyes went wide and she squeezed his hands.


    ¡°Yes, I said it,¡± she told him. ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯ll get another chance. I know you didn¡¯t get there yet, but you would have. I had no intentions of letting you go.¡±


    She tried to smile but didn¡¯t do a great job.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s out of my hands, now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°For what? I hate to break it to you, Asano, but not everything is about you. You weren''t a part of my life when I joined the Network. I made the choice to stand up and protect the world from whatever magic threw at it. I didn¡¯t want to die, but at least I died fighting for something worthwhile.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you to pull yourself together,¡± Asya said. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you to stay focused. Keep your eye on what we died for, not the fact that we died.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me going after the gold-ranker.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right. All that gets you is revenge and that¡¯s not for us. That¡¯s for you, and you have more important things to be getting on with. Don¡¯t take stupid chances that cost you everything and get you nothing.¡±


    ¡°He killed you.¡±


    ¡°And killing him won¡¯t bring me back.¡±


    She poked him in the forehead.


    ¡°High maintenance. I¡¯m dead and I still need to stop you from doing something stupid.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t going to go after him,¡± Jason insisted.


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really.¡±


    She gave him a flat look.


    ¡°I mean, if he came looking for me¡­¡± Jason admitted.


    ¡°Then you run. Run and hide like a scared little boy.¡±


    ¡°What if I can lure him into¨C¡±


    ¡°No. Promise me, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± he grumpily acquiesced. ¡°I won¡¯t fight the gold-ranker. It¡¯s not like I was going to anyway.¡±


    ¡°Oh, please.¡±


    Jason bowed his head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can do it, Asya,¡± he said, his voice barely a whisper. ¡°Everyone on Earth is relying on me, whether they know it or not, and I¡¯m just making it up as I go.¡±


    Asya¡¯s ghostly form grew more substantial and she lifted his face with her hands, resting her forehead against his.


    ¡°You always have been, for as long as I¡¯ve known you. How many times did I yell at you for insufficient debate prep? But it¡¯s gotten you this far.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve died,¡± he said. ¡°Kind of a lot, and the world is coming apart at the seams.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re going to save it. Then you¡¯re going to be obnoxiously smug about it, but try and tone it down. You¡¯re going to have trouble finding another girl willing to love all this.¡±


    She leaned back and gestured at him with a sweeping hand and he grinned at her.


    ¡°Is that so?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You should listen to Greg and your brother,¡± she said. ¡°Be the crazy weirdo I fell for.¡±


    ¡°I really want to kiss you,¡± he said, ¡°but I would actually be kissing Shade. I¡¯m pretty sure making out with your own familiar is crossing some kind of line.¡±


    The deadline for Greg, Kaito and Asya''s visitation drew close. Jason, Dawn and Farrah were meeting with them for the last time before handing them off to their families for their final goodbyes.


    ¡°You need to keep this guy in line,¡± Asya told Farrah. ¡°He¡¯s not as strong as you; he¡¯s just good at faking it.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    They made their last goodbyes and then the three ghosts went off to their loved ones, Jason heading toward Erika and the rest of the Asano family with Kaito.


    ¡°I love you, brother,¡± Kaito said as they walked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to bang your wife and raise your kids,¡± Jason whispered. ¡°I¡¯m going to make all three call me Daddy.¡±


    ¡°Oh my god, you¡¯re an arse.¡±


    As they waited out the clock for the three ghostly figures to reach the end of their time back on Earth, Shade quietly spoke to Jason.


    ¡°Mr Asano, there is a situation.¡±


    Jason wandered free of his family to speak with Shade in private.


    ¡°Something at the village?¡± he asked. He had left one of Shade¡¯s bodies at the village in case something happened while his family were all in the cloud palace.


    ¡°Not the village. The Cabal has initiated a full assault on the Network headquarters in Sydney. They are live streaming it and the news stations have picked up the feed. The military has been called out but this is far beyond them. The Cabal has one of the ancient vampires."


    Jason looked over at Kaito, Greg and Asya, talking with their families. Asya was keeping an eye on him and wandered over when she saw his expression. Kaito, Greg, Dawn and Farrah spotted her and followed.


    ¡°You have to go?¡± Asya asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°The Cabal and their old vampire are live-streaming an all-out attack on the Network headquarters in Sydney.¡±


    No one suggested not going. For all that they had fallen out with the Network, they all knew people there.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Asya said. ¡°Go save the day.¡±


    ¡°Kick some arse, little brother.¡±


    ¡°Just remember to play the hero, not the villain,¡± Greg said.


    Jason looked at them all for the last time.


    ¡°Whatever it is waiting for you on the other side,¡± he told them, ¡°I hope it¡¯s amazing.¡±


    He opened a portal and stepped through. His portal ability was just strong enough to send three silver-rankers, allowing Farrah and Dawn to follow before the portal closed. Kaito, Greg and Asya turned back to the group, all of which were looking at them.


    ¡°He¡¯s coming back,¡± Greg assured them. ¡°He¡¯s almost definitely not going to leave you out here in the middle of the ocean.¡±

 Chapter 398: Treachery or Cowardice

    Nigel and his nine-person tactical section were retreating down a hallway on the fourth floor of the Network building. They had rushed downstairs in response to the Cabal¡¯s attack, only to encounter the people of the lower floors coming up, transformed into ravening ghouls. Undead monstrosities with a frenzied hunger for living flesh, they poured up the corridor like a wave, ignoring the gunfire slamming into them.


    Becoming the undead had turned normal people into silver-rank creatures; far less powerful than even a weak silver-rank monster but still resistant to the attacks of bronze-rankers. The vampire lord knew this, so was surprised that the outnumbered tactical teams weren¡¯t immediately overrun.


    Nigel¡¯s tactical team retreated in good order, despite only two members being silver-rank. Nigel had been the tactical instructor for the Sydney branch prior to Farrah''s arrival and had worked with her to develop a retraining program for existing tactical teams while Farrah focused on new recruits. Nigel''s own team used a mixture of traditional Network methodology and Farrah''s more ability-centric approach to good effect. They had come a long way since they escorted Jason into his first proto-space.


    Their discipline leveraged their capabilities effectively, with Jonno and Nigel himself laying down fire from conjured assault rifles as they fell back. Thorny had grown an extra pair of arms and was firing four conjured pistols while Digit was sending arrows downrange that exploded in blasts of fire and electricity.


    Even with the gunfire laying waste to them, the ghouls kept coming. They wore the business attire of lower floor admin staff, with police and military uniforms mixed amongst them. The vampire lord had performed mass transformations on the dead killed by the Cabal, which was not limited to the Network staff. The police and military had been sent in as a response to the Cabal¡¯s brazen attack in the heart of Sydney, only to pay a deadly price at the hands of the vampire lord.


    Nigel knew at least one of the teams that rushed down from the upper floors had been overrun. As his team had been pulling back in the face of a ghoulish wave, he had glimpsed the ancient vampire biting into the neck of another team¡¯s section leader and none of the team were responsive to radio checks. As far as Nigel knew, essence users couldn¡¯t be turned into ghouls but he was worried they could be turned into something worse.


    The ghouls broke past the gunfire, rushing Nigel¡¯s team. The team stopped firing and Cobbo dashed forward from the backline to meet them. He wasn¡¯t running but hurtling through the air, his spear set like a jousting lance. It plunged into a ghoul and Cobbo¡¯s magically enhanced momentum stopped dead. The momentum all transferred into the ghoul, who was sent tumbling back into the others before exploding, ripping apart the closest ghouls and scattering the rest. It gave Nigel¡¯s team a reprieve as Cobbo fell back and the shooters resumed fire at the ghouls.


    They continued withdrawing to the stairwell, the elevators having been shut off to prevent the Cabal using them. The next time the ghouls drew close, Jonno dropped his conjured rifle and called up a comically large rotary cannon that mowed down the ghouls, ripped apart the wall behind them and shattered the glass on the exterior wall beyond. More of the seemingly endless ghouls came streaming into the hall, unintimidated by Jonno¡¯s absurd display of power.


    ¡°I¡¯m glad to see you changed your mind, Frank,¡± Vermillion said, shaking Franklin¡¯s hand. They were standing under a bridge, away from prying eyes.


    ¡°It was changed for me,¡± Franklin said. ¡°I should have listened to you, Craig.¡±


    ¡°It may be for the best you didn¡¯t,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Now we know your idiot ancient one pulled everyone off the storage facility to go attack the Network.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone,¡± Franklin said. ¡°We¡¯re going to have to fight our way in and out. It¡¯s our own people, Craig.¡±


    ¡°I know. But it¡¯s the only time security will be light enough for that to even be possible,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Franklin said, resignation in his voice. ¡°We need to go now. Our window is small.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Due to the propensity of proto-spaces and transformation events, five full tactical teams had been on standby in the building¡¯s upper floors and had moved down to confront the Cabal attack. Without the magical interference of a dimensional space or transformation zone, comms were working perfectly and the teams were able to coordinate.


    Unfortunately, they arrived downstairs into the midst of chaos. The vampire lord had transformed an alarming number of the dead into ghouls and the cabal was using them as cannon fodder. They refrained from engaging the Network teams, who they let exhaust themselves against the ghouls.


    The Network¡¯s Director of Tactical Operations, who the tactical teams called the Ditto, was Koen Waters. He had ordered the teams to make a slow withdrawal back upstairs, giving the people on the floors above time to reach the magical defences of the Building¡¯s uppermost floors.


    One of the five network teams was hit by the vampire himself and wiped out, while another lost cohesion and were broken up by the encroaching ghoul horde. The silver-rank section leader fell back with a couple of team members as the others were cut off, either caught by the Cabal or the ghouls or managing to escape. Some shot holes in the exterior windows, the bronze-rankers willing to risk a four-storey drop over facing the wave of undead.


    The remaining three teams, including Nigel¡¯s, successfully reached different stairwells around the building. They were all on the fourth floor and worked to secure the stairwell entrances before moving up. In the case of Nigel¡¯s team, this meant Darce hurriedly summoning her steam golem to serve as a bulwark for the door. As she did that, Orange crouched down and put his hands on the top stair leading down, using his ability to weaken materials on the stairs below.


    When Orange was done, he stood up and Nigel gave him an inquisitive look.


    ¡°What?¡± Orange asked in his abrasive bogan drawl.


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t the stairs collapse?¡± Nigel asked.


    ¡°The stairs will seem fine until a few of them get on there,¡± Orange said. ¡°Then they¡¯ll collapse and drop those undead buggers like sacks of sh¨C¡±


    ¡°We get the idea,¡± Nigel said. ¡°Good job.¡±


    Leaving behind the trapped stairs and the large summoned entity made of what looked like brass, they made their way up as Nigel reported in over the radio.


    ¡°Ditto, we¡¯ve secured the East stairwell as best we can at level four and are moving up.¡±


    ¡°Evac of floors five through eight is proceeding smoothly,¡± Koen responded. ¡°Converge on the ninth floor armoury; that will be our first fixed defence point.¡±


    The ninth floor was where the Network¡¯s emplaced magic defences began and their magical resources were stored. It was the place where the Network could best leverage their advantages to repel attackers. The only reason the tactical teams had descended from there was to protect as many people from the lower floors as they could.


    The team continued moving up. The stairwell was located on the building exterior and had glass on one side, allowing the team to look out at what was happening on the ground as the ascended. After the Cabal¡¯s open assault on a building in the Sydney CBD, authorities had intervened, cordoning off a large area around the building. The team saw where the cordon had been pulled back and expanded after an unsuccessful clash with Cabal forces.


    ¡°Since when do you have the level of fine control with your abilities to trap the stairs, Orange?¡± Digit asked as they double-timed up the stairs.


    ¡°I''m gettin'' good at me powers,¡± Orange said. ¡°I''ve been practising like Instructor Hot Stuff taught us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a pig, Orange,¡± Darce said.


    ¡°I only call her that because of her volcano powers,¡± Orange said. ¡°Do I also want to bang her like a drum? Yes, I do, but I''m a gentleman.¡±


    ¡°So that''s the secret to having you put in the effort,¡± Digit said. ¡°Have a beautiful woman to tell you to.¡±


    ¡°Mate, that¡¯s no bloody secret,¡± Orange said. ¡°Send a pretty girl my way and you can get me to do whatever you¡­ oh, bloody hell.¡±


    Each member of Nigel¡¯s section was keeping their head on a swivel and spotted the danger together. People with grotesquely elongated limbs were climbing up the exterior of building, their bare hands and feet adhering to the glass.


    ¡°The outside of the building is pretty reflective, right?¡± Darce asked. ¡°Do they even know we¡¯re in here?¡±


    Nigel raised his rifle and aimed at the window.


    ¡°They¡¯re about to.¡±


    ¡°My ghouls should have overrun this place by now,¡± Willoughby complained. ¡°What is taking so long?¡±


    ¡°Again, Lord Willoughby, it¡¯s the essence magicians. They¡¯re far more powerful than they were in your time.¡±


    ¡°This is my time, now. Who even are you? Where¡¯s my manservant?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Richard, my lord. No one has been able to find Franklin since we arrived.¡±


    ¡°Treachery or cowardice,¡± Willoughby spat. ¡°Either way, drag him in front of me the moment he¡¯s found.¡±


    Jason, Farrah and Dawn emerged on top of a tall building in the Sydney CBD, close to the Network building. Jason had first visited that rooftop to observe the building while still feeling out the Network, during his first days back on Earth. After getting their attention with his hospital faith healer stunt he had Shade follow the people who had arrived to investigate. That had led him to this rooftop.


    They were surprised to find they were not alone on the rooftop, finding an army sniper team. Jason was worried about what their reaction would be until he felt a flood of relief from the soldiers.


    ¡°You¡¯re Jason Asano,¡± one of them said.


    ¡°I¡¯m wearing his underwear, so I hope so,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Thank god you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you meant to try and take me into custody or something?¡±


    ¡°Bugger that,¡± the soldier said. ¡°There¡¯s something down there. Something bad. It¡¯s killing people and turning them into some kind of fast zombie.¡±


    ¡°Ghouls,¡± Dawn said. ¡°That will be people without magic that he''s transformed. They''re already dead and we can''t do anything for them now but give them peace. It''s the essence users we need to concern ourselves with. If he takes them alive, he can turn them.¡±


    ¡°I fought a monster called a blood weaver,¡± Jason said. ¡°It vamped people up but they could be cleansed if you got to them quickly enough.¡±


    ¡°Lesser vampires,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You will be able to do the same here. The curse can warp the body and mind but not the soul, unless the soul surrenders to it. If you can get to them before the curse fully claims the body, they can be saved. Once their bodies have gone from living to undead, we can only put them down with the ghouls.¡±


    ¡°How long do we have?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Hours,¡± Dawn said. ¡°If we act now, we should comfortably be in time. You just have to avoid getting killed while you work, but at least the curse will negate their essence abilities. You go through the building, finding and cleansing the lesser vampires. You will likely have to fight through ghouls and the Cabal to do it.¡±


    ¡°We go after the head vampire,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn agreed. ¡°I¡¯m confident that I can outfight it but even with fire powers to impede its healing I can¡¯t deal enough damage to kill a gold-ranker. That will be your job, Farrah. I¡¯ll set up the strikes and you hit with maximum efficiency.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Farrah said.


    The trio moved to the edge of the roof and surveyed the area. The military and police cordon was keeping people away, while the street in front of the building was strewn with blood and destroyed cars. There were only a handful of bodies, the ones too damaged to be worth turning into ghouls. There were holes in the building¡¯s glass exterior. As for the inside of the building, both Dawn and Jason had aura senses powerful enough to examine the interior.


    ¡°Ghouls and the Cabal have the first three floors and most of the fourth,¡± Jason said. ¡°It looks like the Network is moving its people to the upper floors where they have magical defences in place.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an armoury on level nine,¡± Farrah said, knowing the building much better than Jason. ¡°They¡¯ll set up their first proper defensive line there.¡±


    ¡°Then that¡¯s where I¡¯ll go,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll start at the bottom and make my way up. They¡¯re using the ghouls as meat shields so I can hopefully catch the vamp minions from behind.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll go straight for the old vampire,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The Network will fare better if we can keep him out of the fight.¡±


    ¡°The aura those ghouls are throwing off is very feral,¡± Jason said. ¡°The vampire has enough control to stop the ghouls going after the Cabal?¡±


    ¡°From how quickly he created them all,¡± Dawn said, ¡°he is likely from a bloodline that specialises in creating servitors. That is good for us because that kind of bloodline is weaker in direct confrontations.¡±


    ¡°How would I do against one of these vampires?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Your blood abilities won¡¯t be as effective on a gold rank one as those of your rank and lower,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Your powers that impair resistances and ignore rank disparity means your blood magic will still be an advantage but don¡¯t underestimate the vampire. Their attributes are similar to an essence user of their rank and they all have different blood powers, based on their vampiric bloodlines.¡±


    ¡°How would you rate my chances?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°If you used a vampire¡¯s minions to grow stronger before confronting a solitary vampire, you would most likely win. Without enhancing yourself, or against numbers, I would be far less optimistic.¡±


    ¡°So I need to pick my battles,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s nothing new.¡±


    Jason had several means of stealing the strength of his enemies. He was able to stack health through various drain powers and if he had enough dead enemies he could compensate for the most dangerous disparity with gold-rankers, which was speed.


    Ability: [Blood Harvest] (Blood)


    Spell (drain).Base cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (04%).Effect (iron): Drain the remnant life force of a recently deceased body, replenishing health, stamina and mana. Only affects targets with blood.Effect (bronze): Affects any number of bodies in a wide area.Effect (silver): Gain an instance of [Blood Frenzy] for each corpse drained, up to a threshold determined by current rank. After reaching the threshold, gain instances of [Blood of the Immortal] instead.


    [Blood Frenzy] (boon, unholy, stacking): Bonus to [Speed] and [Recovery]. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, up to a maximum threshold.[Blood of the Immortal] (boon, healing, unholy, stacking): On suffering damage, an instance is consumed to grant a powerful but short-lived heal-over-time effect. Additional instances can be accumulated but do not have a cumulative effect.


    From the beginning, Blood Harvest had been Jason¡¯s strongest recovery power, used to replenish himself after defeating enemies. Now it had a new purpose as a trump card for facing higher-rank foes. If he had the chance to eliminate enough lower-rank enemies first, he could compensate for a gold-ranker¡¯s speed by enhancing his own. He still wouldn¡¯t be able to match a gold-ranker, at least until he was much further into silver rank himself, but it would be enough to keep him from being wildly outclassed.


    Jason, Farrah and Dawn leapt off the edge of the building, each sprouting wings. Jason, in the middle, had wings of night formed from the cloak he conjured around himself. To each side of him were women with wings of fire, gliding in formation towards the Network building.

 Chapter 399: Comely Wenches

    Jason, Farrah and Dawn were gliding through the air towards the Network building. Twenty dark forms emerged from Jason, heading towards the bottom half of the Building. Shade couldn¡¯t easily penetrate the magically protected upper floors but his incorporeal form could easily scout out the rest. Once Shade had bodies all over the building, Jason could easily shadow jump to any of them.


    The vampires had naturally good aura control, if somewhat limited in scope, with Jason himself having learned some tricks from Craig Vermillion. The ancient vampire was projecting his aura strongly, flooding the building with fear and dread. It made him easy to find but he also sensed the approach of Jason and the others as they fended off his aura. Farrah needed to expend more effort than Jason and Dawn but still managed to resist the oppressive effects of the vampire''s aura.


    Jason headed for the ground while Dawn and Farrah went for the third floor. As they split up, Farrah used one of her powers on Jason.


    [Farrah Hurin] is attempting to use ability [Power Bond] on you.[Power Bond] will enhance some of your abilities for the duration of the bond and give [Farrah Hurin] access to your knowledge. This is restricted to your knowledge of concepts external to yourself. This ability cannot read your thoughts or access your knowledge of yourself.[Power Bond] can be rejected or ended at any time by you.If you do not implicitly trust [Farrah Hurin], this ability will fail. Subconscious distrust will prevent this power from working.


    Jason accepted the power.


    You have been affected by [Power Bond], connecting you to [Farrah Hurin]. You may end this connection at any time.[Power Bond] has used a random essence from [Farrah Hurin] to enhance one of your abilities at random. Ability [Sanguine Horror] has been enhanced by [Fire Essence]. While [Power Bond] is in effect, familiar [Colin] will be immune to fire and heat effects and inflict [Burning] when making attacks.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said, his dark hood hiding the wide grin on his face. ¡°Oh dear me.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t bother to hide as he alighted on the ground outside the building, a half-dozen more Shades emerging from his shadow. There was a small group of cabal members standing outside the door, none of them hiding their true forms. One was a cyclops, twice the height of a man, while the others looked like stretched-out humans with long, narrow limbs. The cyclops was silver-rank, while the others were bronze.


    When they noticed Jason''s arrival, the Cabal members didn''t move to attack. The long-limbed ones were fearful while the cyclops was angry, all of which Jason could read from their auras.


    ¡°Out and proud; I have to respect that,¡± Jason said, looking up at the cyclops. ¡°You¡¯re pretty awesome.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± one of the Cabal members asked. ¡°The Network betrayed you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I put my trust in people and not institutions,¡± Jason said. ¡°I still have friends here and I¡¯m not going to let your new boss eat them. Are you really okay with what¡¯s happening here?¡±


    ¡°Power always wins,¡± the cyclops growls in a voice of rumbling thunder. ¡°I want to test your power.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do,¡± Jason said, pushing the hood back off his head. ¡°Once you have, though, you¡¯ll wish you hadn¡¯t. If the Cabal is willing to pack up and go home, I¡¯m willing to let it.¡±


    The cyclops threw back its head to let out a booming laugh.


    ¡°You think you can kill us all?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We never wanted to be part of this,¡± one of the long-limbed Cabal members said. ¡°You don¡¯t know how strong the vampire is. Can¡¯t you feel it?¡±


    For all his aura¡¯s strength, Jason didn¡¯t have the power to suppress the vampire¡¯s gold-rank aura. His was too strong for the vampire to suppress in turn, even if it could. Only certain bloodlines possessed that aspect of aura control.


    ¡°I can feel it,¡± Jason said.


    He sent his own aura flooding over the building, overlaying it with that of the vampire. The domineering aspect of Jason¡¯s aura competed with the fear-drenched aura of the vampire. It wasn¡¯t exactly a positive sensation but Jason¡¯s aura did include protective aspects. The Network members in the building were given a sense of being shielded from a monster by a tyrant as Jason alleviated the vampire¡¯s oppressive force.


    The long-limbed Cabal members were looking at Jason with even more fear than before. The vampire hadn¡¯t spared his own people from the effect of his aura, so now they were suffering both his and Jason¡¯s simultaneously. The results were purely psychological but they were effective nonetheless.


    ¡°I have a thing about people turning victims into the undead and me having to put them all down,¡± Jason said. "If anyone but the old vampire and his ghouls choose to run, I won''t chase. Go inside and tell your people."


    ¡°Don¡¯t you dare,¡± the cyclops warned, sensing the fear from his minions. He had willpower to spare, impressively unintimidated by either aura.


    "I don''t want to get caught up in the middle of this," the long-limbed man complained. "Are you seriously alright with killing all these people?"


    A beam of light shot from the cyclops¡¯ eye like a laser and the long-limbed man screamed as his flesh burned.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the cyclops growled as the man tried to run but the beam tracked him until he fell dead to the ground.


    Jason tucked his hood back over his head and wrapped his cloak around himself as identical cloaks manifested on the half-dozen Shades standing with him. Moving fast, it would be hard to tell them apart from Jason, especially with Jason¡¯s aura washing over them all.


    Farrah¡¯s sword whip lashed out to shatter the glass, allowing her and Dawn to fly into the third floor unimpeded, where they sensed the source of the vampire''s aura. Unlike Jason, the vampire lacked the control to hide his location in an area flooded by his aura, instead, standing out like a beacon.


    Dawn and Farrah touched down in a wide hallway full of ghouls. Farrah stomped the floor and a wall of obsidian rose up to bisect the hallway lengthways, swiftly enough to crush several ghouls into the ceiling. The wall then exploded into shards, shredding the remaining ghouls into bloody chunks and the hallway fell silent.


    The door at the far end of the hallway opened and a man entered, unfazed by the bloody horror Farrah had made of the hallway. Looking like he stepped out of a period drama rather than the next room, he gazed at the women with a self-satisfied sneer.


    ¡°Finally something in this wretched modern world I can wholeheartedly approve of,¡± Willoughby said. ¡°A pair of comely wenches delivering themselves unto me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re going to like what we¡¯re here for,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I think I might,¡± Willoughby said. ¡°Women are no fun unless they struggle.¡±


    "I''m going to enjoy killing you," Farrah said.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy teaching you to use that sharp tongue for¡­ better purposes.¡±


    Farrah conjured her obsidian armour around herself as Willoughby dashed forward with the lightning speed of a gold-ranker, practically teleporting down the hallway. Almost instantaneous was not actually instantaneous, however, and while Farrah and the vampire traded barbs, Dawn had been muttering a spell incantation.


    Just before the vampire reached them, magic circles appeared on each wall of the corridor, shooting out a net of flaming threads that Willoughby crashed into like a fly into a spider¡¯s web. His momentum was arrested as he was tangled in the burning threads but he immediately started yanking himself free with his gold-rank strength. Farrah didn¡¯t waste the chance, though, and her whip-sword snaked out to wind itself around the vampire.


    Farrah¡¯s sword, when unextended, was a jagged-edge greatsword made from obsidian. In its whip-sword state, the obsidian teeth separated and were strung along a flexible cord of red-hot lava, like shark teeth on a necklace. The lava joined the flaming threads of Dawn¡¯s trap spell in burning the vampire but the damage was superficial. Willoughby strained against the sword wrapped around him and Farrah didn¡¯t leave it in place, knowing he would quickly burst the conjured weapon. Its flexibility and power were incredible but its durability was its weak point.


    When Farrah retracted her sword, the obsidian razors chewed up the vampire as if he was caught in an industrial accident. He rapidly healed, although the burnt portions of his flesh recovered more slowly. His regeneration was impeded as flames lit up from the corkscrew wounds left by Farrah¡¯s sword.


    Dawn had been casting a second spell as Farrah clashed with the vampire and steel rings appeared around Willoughby as he recovered. They immediately warped as the vampire flexed but it bought time for the women to make more attacks. Farrah stomped the floor and an obsidian spike drove up through the floor, piercing through the vampire''s crotch to impale him. Obsidians spikes then stabbed out of his body.


    It was one of Farrah¡¯s most powerful attacks, while also being very efficient in terms of mana cost to damage. The problem was that it was an easy attack to read and avoid, so it saw little use. Only when the enemy was large and slow or caught up by another ability was it useful, which made Dawn a valuable partner for Farrah.


    Despite the power of the attack, it barely impeded the vampire. There was a sharp crack of stone from inside the vampire¡¯s body as he once more moved to the attack and the impaling shaft was broken. Farrah stood strong against the gold ranker, fighting back as best she could. The speed difference was on full display as her sword hit nothing but air while his clawed nails tore strips off her obsidian armour.


    Farrah was not Willoughby¡¯s primary objective, however, as he had identified Dawn¡¯s control effects as his primary impediment to killing them. The vampire kicked Farrah square in the chest, sending her flying back past Dawn and out through the hole through which she had entered the building, falling out of sight.


    Dawn targeted Willoughby¡¯s brief moment of imbalance after the lunging kick, seizing the chance to step forward and place her hand against the vampire¡¯s chest. All the fire in the room, from the remnants of Dawn¡¯s flaming threads to the burning effects Farrah left behind on Willoughby¡¯s body vanished. Immediately after, an explosion under Dawn¡¯s hand sent the vampire hurtling back down the hallway. She followed up with a rapid series of rising hand gestures, each one causing a wall of flames to rise up one after another, blocking the path between themselves and Willoughby.


    Farrah flew back into the building, moving faster for having dismissed her damaged armour. Her flaming wings vanished and she conjured up a fresh set of armour.


    ¡°It¡¯s going well,¡± she said, eyeing the flaming barriers sealing the hallway.


    ¡°It¡¯s far from over,¡± Dawn warned.


    Dawn was a control specialist, able to do some damage but nowhere near enough to kill a gold-ranker. Unfortunately, her silver-rank control effects only lasted moments against gold-ranker and the most she could do was buy critical moments for Farrah to land her attacks. Even so, Dawn¡¯s precision and judgement had allowed her and Farrah to largely control the opening stages of the fight, although the vampire¡¯s gold-rank power meant that everything could change in a moment.


    Rather than rush through the sequence of flame walls blocking the corridor, Willoughby leveraged the advantage of his gold-rank physicality to smash through the walls of the adjoining rooms, which Farrah and Dawn heard as a rapid series of crashes. The vampire smashed his way back into the hallway, grabbed Farrah and kept going, battering her right through the opposite wall. Lifting her into the air by the neck, he slammed her into the floor so hard that they crashed through it, dropping to the level below.


    Kneeling on top of Farrah, Willoughby looked around at what should have been a small army of ghouls. Instead, the ghouls were once more unmoving corpses, withered and dry as if they''d been dead for months.


    His attention was drawn back to Farrah as she punched him in the ear. He pinned her arms under his knees and grabbed the face of her helmet, the obsidian cracking as he broke the faceplate right off. He raised a clawed hand to bring it down on her face when a flaming rope from the hole above wrapped around it. More ropes snaked around his other limbs and he was yanked through the hole and pulled up to the ceiling where the ropes were anchored. He was bound for only a brief moment before quickly breaking free.


    In the moment he was tangled up, Farrah was still lying on the floor below but sent a stream of obsidian shards up to bury themselves in the vampire¡¯s body. They joined the broken shards still in his body from his earlier impalement, but like that attack, the obsidian did not noticeably impede him. He dashed at Dawn, who calmly evaded his attacks.


    Unlike Farrah, who was at the beginning of silver rank, Dawn¡¯s avatar was closer to the peak. This meant that while her speed was no match for the gold-ranker, she was far better off than Farrah. The experience-born expertise of a diamond-rank essence user was enough to make up the difference with a vampire attacking like a feral beast, wildly swinging at her with clawed hands.


    While he was unable to hit her, he was so fast and so ferocious that Dawn could do nothing but avoid attacks. Farrah leapt up from the floor below to attack the vampire from behind but was intercepted. As she arrived behind him, Willoughby snarled and blood spurted from his back, shredding his clothes. Rather than splatter over Farrah, it coalesced into a blood clone between her and the vampire. It looked identical to Willoughby except for its purple-red bruise colouration, reminiscent of Colin¡¯s silver-rank form mimicking Jason.


    Both Dawn and Farrah sensed through the vampire¡¯s aura that creating the clone had cost him considerable power. As Dawn predicted, most of Willoughby¡¯s powers were related to creating minions, with little in the way of combat power. He had seen Farrah demonstrate that using ghouls was little use, while his freshly made lesser vampires had been blinked out of his senses steadily during the fight. It was a concerning development but one he could not turn his attention to as he fought the two women.


    Willoughby needed to distract one of the women long enough to kill the other as their double-team tactics were proving too effective. The blood clone was Willoughby¡¯s last resort, the creation which consumed a huge portion of his accumulated life force. Once he defeated the women he would need to feed on them to completion instead of turning them into lesser vampires. Even then, he would need blood infused with reality core energy as soon as possible.


    Unfortunately for Willoughby, a vampire¡¯s handful of powers paled compared to those available to an essence user. Farrah had a last resort of her own and, sensing Willoughby expend a huge portion of his power, slipped a gold spirit coin into her mouth. Her Limit Breaker power would greatly extend the time she could use the spirit coin boost to her attributes and the vampire swore as he sensed Farrah¡¯s aura grow sharply in strength.


    When Farrah used her Limit Breaker ability to confront a gold-rank essence user, she had still been outmatched. This was not the case against a gold-rank vampire, let alone a blood clone that was an inferior duplicate. As she tore through it, Willoughby realised he was not going to win and tried to flee, dashing past Dawn and aiming for the hole in the exterior wall.


    Free of the vampire¡¯s attacks, however, Dawn was once again free to use her powers and a web of steel-like thread filled the gap. The vampire crashed into them, trying to force his way through but they slowed him as Dawn cast a spell and more flaming ropes emerged from the floor, wrapped around the vampire and dragged him back inside.


    After that, it was just a matter of time as Dawn continued to impede both the vampire and the clone as Farrah lay into them with power fuelled by the spirit coin she consumed. As a finisher, she transformed the many obsidian fragments she had left in his body into lava, burning him from the inside out. In the end, the vampire was left as a burned wreck, bound to the floor by conjured steel wires it no longer had the strength to break.


    ¡°Don¡¯t kill it,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Wait for Asano. There¡¯s something I want to test.¡±

 Chapter 400: A Lot Like a Guess

    Jason stood in front of the Network building, the cyclops and other Cabal members still standing in front of him. The air stank of burned flesh from the one that had tried to flee and was slain by the cyclops for making the attempt, leaving a dozen more. Jason stood flanked by Shades as he squared-off with the people in front of him.


    The cyclops fired its eyebeam at Jason and one of the orbs turned into a shield to intercept it. The powerful beam swiftly annihilated the barrier but the momentary delay was enough for Jason to step into one of the Shades and vanish.


    The other Cabal members took the chance to scatter as the cyclops was focused on Jason, some dashing into the building while others ran into the streets or even started Spider-Manning their way up the side of the building. The cyclops panned its eye over the space in front of the building for Jason, blasting beams at the Shades and eliminating two of them before the rest vanished into shadows.


    Jason rose up from the cyclops¡¯ own shadow, between it and the building and immediately made a series of sewing needle dagger strikes into the towering creature¡¯s thigh while swiftly chanting spells.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    ¡°Carry the mark of your transgressions.¡±


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    The cyclops didn¡¯t enjoy the balanced attributes of an essence user, with speed being the price for its size and strength. It was fast for its size but still a brute, all power and no finesse. This made it easy pickings for Jason as he locked in his full suite of afflictions.


    At silver rank, Jason¡¯s affliction array was more terrible than ever. Not only was he able to bypass immunities that had previously stifled him, but he also had more damage effects than ever. His special attack, Punish, had been one of his bread and butter powers from the beginning and continued to be a core technique.


    Ability: [Punish] (Sin)


    Special attack (melee, curse, holy).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (07%).Effect (iron): Inflicts necrotic damage and the [Sin] affliction.Effect (bronze): Inflicts or refreshes the duration of [Price of Absolution].Effect (silver): If the target has any instances of [Sin] they suffer an instance of the [Wages of Sin] affliction. If the enemy struck has no instances of [Sin] but does have instances of [Penance], they do not suffer [Sin] or [Wages of Sin]. They instead suffer transcendent damage from this ability in place of necrotic damage and suffer an additional instance of [Penance] and instances of [Penance] do not drop off for a short period.


    [Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Price of Absolution] (affliction, holy): Suffer transcendent damage for each instance of [Sin] cleansed from you.[Wages of Sin] (affliction, unholy, stacking): Suffer necrotic damage over time. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off as damage is dealt.


    Punish was representative of the way Jason fought at his current rank. In the early stages of a fight, it added more necrotic damage than ever. Once Jason had cleansed an enemy, replacing the necrotic afflictions with the transcendent damage penance affliction, the special attack changed to support it.


    The cyclops reacted to Jason¡¯s attacks, wheeling in place, but his size was an impediment when Jason stayed close. He kicked at Jason, who easily dodged, and tried to back off to leverage his eyebeam. Jason stayed underfoot, frustrating the monoptical giant.


    One of Jason¡¯s orbs had been destroyed by the first eyebeam attack but the other one was still floating around him. It moved over to the cyclops and vanished as it applied the affliction that caused the cyclops to start spawning butterflies.


    [Harbinger of Doom] (affliction, unholy, stacking): Continually drain mana from the victim to conjure a butterfly that seeks out nearby enemies. The butterflies are incorporeal and deal disruptive-force damage in a small area when destroyed. Butterflies that contact enemies inflict one instance of each non-holy affliction present on the enemy it manifested from, including [Harbinger of Doom]. This effect cannot be cleansed while any other non-holy affliction is in effect. Additional instances can be accumulated. At the time of manifestation, one butterfly is generated for each instance of this affliction.


    ¡°Gordon,¡± Jason said and his familiar appeared. Four orbs manifested around Gordon instead of the usual six, with the two Jason had expended not yet recovered. Four was sufficient for Jason¡¯s needs, however.


    ¡°Open it up,¡± Jason ordered.


    One of the advancements Gordon had made at silver-rank was the ability to use any of his abilities via one type of orb, instead of having different orbs with individual functions. This meant that Gordon could use all four orbs to fire resonating-force beams at the building. Resonating-force was a damage type with superior armour-penetrating qualities and tore through non-magical concrete as easily as glass, opening the entire front of the building up as it threw out a cloud of concrete dust, obscuring Jason from the cyclops.


    Inside the building, most of the Cabal forces were gathered on the ground floor as the ghouls forced their way up. The Cabal members had already become aware of the events outside after some of the long-limbed people fled inside, and now the wall was stripped away by energy beams that passed right through it and swept over them as well. They rushed outside even as Gordon vanished back into Jason¡¯s aura and Jason sank into the cyclops¡¯ shadow. In the meantime, butterflies moved from the cyclops in the direction of the emerging crowd.


    Jason emerged from one of Shade''s bodies on the second floor, in a small janitorial storage room. On the other side of the closed door, he could hear ghouls rushing about.


    ¡°Gordon, if any of the people outside decide to run for it, have the butterflies leave them alone,¡± Jason said. One of Gordon¡¯s orbs briefly glowed a brighter blue, signalling his acknowledgement.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°Some Cabal members are climbing the exterior of the building and may circumvent the Network defenders to reach the people who have yet to reach the upper-floor magical defences.¡±


    ¡°Many of them?¡±


    "Only a few on each side of the building, all iron or bronze-rank. Some are less interested in breaching the building as much as escaping the fight between you and the cyclops. I recommend deploying Gordon."


    ¡°How cool was that cyclops?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That eyebeam?¡±


    ¡°I think, perhaps, you should try and maintain focus, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°What do you say, Gordon? Want to play window washer?¡±


    Gordon flashed a blue orb and passed right through the wall.


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The gold-rank vampire seems to have scattered his new lesser vampires amongst the ghouls,¡± Shade explained, having scouted the building as Jason confronted the cyclops. ¡°The vampire¡¯s ability to directly control this many ghouls appears to be limited. I believe the lesser vampires are acting as sub-commanders to keep the horde under control.¡±


    ¡°What am I dealing with on the other side of this door?¡±


    ¡°A number of ghouls led by one of the lesser vampires tried to ascend the stairs nearby but the stairs collapsed on them. They are forming a pile and climbing up over one another. The lesser vampire is someone I recognised from a network tactical team. We¡¯ve worked with him in the past.¡±


    "Let''s go save him, then," Jason said. "I''m just sorry we can''t do anything for the rest of them."


    Jason opened the door and stepped out into an open office space full of toppled cubicle walls teeming with ghouls. Only the closest ones noticed Jason¡¯s arrival until he raised his arm, palm outward, and strafed the room with leeches that erupted from his hand.


    This quickly drew the attention of the lesser vampire, easy to pick out for not being a twisted, animate corpse. The vampire dashed through the ghouls as Jason raised his other hand in his direction.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Nigel¡¯s tactical section checked the bodies of the long-limbed creatures sprawled on the stairs to confirm they were dead.


    ¡°What are these things?¡± Woolzy wondered out loud. ¡°I thought the Cabal were all myths and fairy tales and such. What¡¯s this meant to be? Once upon a time, Stretch Armstrong turned out to be kind of a prick?¡±


    ¡°Is anyone else feeling that aura?¡± Darce asked. ¡°It dropped down on us just as we started shooting.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Nigel said. ¡°Asano is here.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t suppose he¡¯s chucked in with the Cabal, do you?¡± Woolzy asked. ¡°I heard he was friendly with one of their vamps and we did kill his brother. And his girlfriend.¡±


    ¡°That was the Seppos and their bloody cat-four bloke, not us,¡± Orange said.


    ¡°Are you willing to bet your life on him making that distinction?¡± Digit asked.


    "If Asano was against us, his aura would feel a lot worse than arrogant," Nigel said. "Jonno, Thorny, check the exterior for more of those things."


    They had shattered the glass wall attacking the things climbing up the outside. Thorny gripped Jonno¡¯s arm as he leaned out to check the exterior, only to duck back in. One of the creatures fell past the window, almost taking him with it. He poked his head out again out, looking up to see a floating entity attacking the creatures clinging to the wall with energy beams.


    ¡°Asano¡¯s here, alright,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have to worry about the climbers.¡±


    Shade had scouted out each of the lesser vampires, which meant that Jason could jump directly to them. The problem was that after cleaning them he was left with a weakened, confused and vulnerable essence user, right in the midst of the enemy. He missed the presence of Kaito, who would have allowed him to throw them right out a window to be extracted by helicopter. He started locking them into storage cupboards, copy rooms and any other place he could find not overrun with ghouls.


    The only place in the building Jason avoided was the section of the third floor where he could sense Farrah, Dawn and the vampire. The ghouls were pushing further and further up the building, with Jason appearing and disappearing as he needed. On the eighth floor, he encountered some of the Network defenders, helping Koen Waters secure a stairwell being overrun with ghouls. Colin started at the top of the stairs and began devouring his way down, enhanced by the flame power he received from Farrah.


    Once Gordon returned, Jason had him use his resonating-force beams to bore a hole in the floor from the eighth floor all the way down to the ground. The butterflies that had multiplied on the Cabal members of the ground floor used the hole to start flooding up through the building, going to work on the ghouls.


    Jason arrived at the spot where Dawn and Farrah had what was left of the vampire. Farrah had called him over through the party chat but he hadn¡¯t arrived until most of the ghouls were cleared out. Once the Network teams could move back down and retrieve their formerly-vampiric companions he had stashed around the building, Jason sought out Farrah and Dawn.


    ¡°Why haven¡¯t you finished this guy off?¡± Jason asked after they exchanged stories. ¡°If you think keeping him alive because he might be useful later is a good idea, you need to watch more movies.¡±


    "A vampire is not alive," Dawn said. "Its body is a vessel for stolen life force."


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°This vampire¡¯s stolen life force is infused with reality core energy. I suspect that if you drain the life force from vampires, you may be able to absorb that energy yourself, accelerating the advancement of your abilities.¡±


    ¡°Hold up,¡± Jason said. ¡°You mean I can use this vampire like a monster core?¡±


    ¡°Very broadly speaking,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I¡¯m not entirely certain it will work but if it does, it will only be with vampires, who do not truly own the life force they contain.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to do that. Monster cores mess up your ability to advance without using more monster cores.¡±


    ¡°Reality cores have the same effect,¡± Dawn said, ¡°albeit to a lesser degree. In this instance, however, the vampires serve as a method of refining the energy. Their bodies should have already soaked up the elements that stain the soul and impede non-core advancement, like filters.¡±


    ¡°Should have?¡± Jason asked. ¡°That sounds a lot like a guess. You did just say the words ¡®I¡¯m not entirely certain,¡¯ which do not fill me with confidence.¡±


    ¡°There is a very good chance that there are more of these vampires than anyone realises,¡± Dawn said, ¡°and very few of them will be as weak as this one. If you can get even a little stronger, that may prove critical going forward.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s not worth risking your entire future over. Will he advance any faster than if he were using cores?¡±


    ¡°Almost certainly not,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Then why bother?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°Advancing through silver-rank takes years. Eating a few vampires won¡¯t make a big difference.¡±


    ¡°It does not have to be a big difference to be important,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You are both still at the early stages of silver-rank, where your growth is at its fastest. Asano¡¯s abilities are strong against vampires. Advancing them even a little will be to our advantage.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to tell someone else to cripple their potential when you¡¯re already diamond rank,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Jason said. As the two women argued, his gaze hadn¡¯t left the scorched, helpless vampire.


    ¡°Yes, Dawn¡¯s asking me to take a crappy risk, but we all know what¡¯s at stake. What¡¯s the worst that can happen? I have to rank up using cores from now on? I¡¯ll trade that for keeping the world safe.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know if we need to go around fighting vampires,¡± Farrah argued. ¡°Even if there are a bunch of them out there, how does that affect our objectives?¡±


    "Perhaps, not at all," Dawn said. "So long as you can convince Jason to not help people when there''s an uprising of gold-rank vampires going on, we may not have an issue. Of course, if they learn about the door and its ability to access reality cores, they may come after us."


    ¡°It¡¯s my choice,¡± Jason said, holding his hand over the vampire.


    ¡°Your blood is not yours to keep but mine on which to feast.¡±


    The life drain power was enough to finish the vampire.


    You have absorbed refined reality energy. It will be applied to advance your least developed abilities. The purified nature of the energy will not impede your ability to advance through non-energy absorption methods.You have absorbed insufficient energy to advance any of your abilities.


    Jason¡¯s tense shoulders slumped with relief.


    ¡°All good,¡± he said. ¡°Looks like I might want to hunt some vampires, if I get the chance.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Dawn said to Farrah. ¡°I told you it would be fine.¡±


    "And I bet the odds looked great when you weren''t the one taking the risk."


    ¡°What¡¯s done is done,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was my choice and it worked out, so there¡¯s no point arguing.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have let her pressure you into it.¡±


    Jason laughed as he gave Farrah a reassuring smile.


    "Do you think that she''s enough to force me into a choice I don''t want to make?" he asked. "If I can stand up to the Builder and I can stand up to the goddess of Knowledge, I can stand up to her."


    Farrah frowned but gave a reluctant nod.


    "Alright," Jason said turning back to the vampire. "Let''s see if I can shake the last bit of sauce out of the bottle."


    He held his hand out and cast another spell.


    ¡°As your life was mine to reap, so your death is mine to harvest.¡±


    The remnant life force within the vampire was drawn out and absorbed.


    You have absorbed refined reality energy. It will be applied to advance your least developed abilities.Ability [Verdict] had advanced from Silver 0 (93%) to Silver 0 (94%).


    ¡°Huh,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think I¡¯ll need to kill a lot of vampires.¡±

 Chapter 401: It’s Okay to Laugh

    Jason, Dawn and Farrah looked at the burned, drained remains of the vampire lord Willoughby.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t like the risk you took draining him,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Now that it¡¯s done, though, at least one of us has a path to advancement.¡±


    Since reaching silver-rank, Jason and Farrah had both reached the limits of their early-stage growth spurt. Pushing into the mid and late stages of silver rank would be difficult so long as they remained on Earth. At lower ranks, confronting higher-rank monsters was a path to rapid advancement that Jason especially had taken advantage of, but that was less viable at silver.


    Gold rank monsters were too powerful to casually confront, even for elite essence users. More well-rounded and with fewer exploitable weaknesses, many were even more dangerous than less-competent essence users of equivalent rank. Without a solid team of elites, going after gold-rank monsters was too risky.


    The traditional path to gold involved confronting many silver-rank monsters, ideally those who could pose a greater challenge than average. Gold-rank proto-spaces could offer silver-rank monsters in large numbers and had started to sporadically appear, but not often enough.


    Jason and Farrah would need to monopolise those spaces, which they didn¡¯t have time for, even if they didn¡¯t have to compete with the Network¡¯s strongest forces. After Makassar, even the fight over reality cores wasn¡¯t enough to distract the Network from descending on any gold-rank space with enough magically enhanced heavy ordnance to level a small town.


    For these reasons, Jason and Farrah had given up on growing their power further until they returned to Farrah¡¯s world. The revelation that Jason could advance by treating vampires as monster cores gave Jason, at least, a means of advancement.


    The biggest advantage of monster core advancement was that cores could be absorbed in larger quantities and slowly processed, compared to the constant need to seek out dangerous conflict. If Jason really could treat vampires like monster cores, then periodically hunting a few vampires before returning to the task at hand could pay off in half a year or so when his abilities grew stronger. Just ten or twenty percent further into silver rank would be a welcome jump in strength.


    That did not mean they were about to go off looking for every vampire they could. Dawn and Farrah''s victory was hard-fought, even with Dawn''s diamond-rank experience and peak silver-rank power. They had the advantage of numbers and a lot of fire abilities, while the vampire''s powers played little part. Other vampires would be stronger, which would make a hard fight even with the addition of Jason.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t go out of our way looking for vampires,¡± Jason said. ¡°We have our objective and I have a feeling that we¡¯ll be running into them one way or another.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I believe that future encounters are inevitable, if only because we are unwilling to conscience their behaviour.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said, one of his bodies emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The ritual effect in the palace has ended,¡± Shade said. ¡°They¡¯re gone.¡±


    Jason bowed his head, his lips pressed tightly together. After a moment, he nodded. The only three bodies of Shade¡¯s that Jason hadn¡¯t brought into battle were the ones being possessed by Kaito, Asya and Greg.


    ¡°Thank you, Shade. And thank your dad, when you get the chance.¡±


    ¡°The Reaper will not care,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°I¡¯d appreciate you doing it anyway.¡±


    Koen Waters, Annabeth Tilden and a tactical team were standing on the eighth floor of the Network building, standing next to a neatly circular hole in the floor, some two metres across. It descended through the building, all the way down to the lobby.


    ¡°What do we do about the hole?¡± Koen asked.


    ¡°For now,¡± Anna said, ¡°we hope it didn¡¯t take out anything structurally necessary.¡±


    Anna''s presence was the main reason for the security team since the ghouls had been eliminated and the surviving Cabal members had fled. A handful of ethereal blue and orange butterflies drifted up from the hole before dropping back down. They were overtly magical, with a glow to their vibrant colouration. There had previously been far more of the butterflies swarming the floors and reducing the ghouls to drained husks that were now scattered all through the building.


    ¡°How many dead?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve only done eyeball estimates but we¡¯re looking at maybe two-hundred. Maybe more.¡±


    ¡°That many?¡±


    ¡°We had a lot of staff on-site with the extra shifts we¡¯ve been running,¡± Koen said. ¡°We managed to evacuate a lot of them upstairs but then there were the police and military. The Cabal killed quite a lot of them before they all pulled back, and the vampire animated them all.¡±


    ¡°Do we know where the vampire is? Or Asano? I¡¯m assuming one killed the other.¡±


    ¡°We think they fought on the third floor. Asano was brief when we encountered him and he told us about recovering our people and hiding them. The fight seems to be over because we can¡¯t feel either aura, so I¡¯ve sent a section to check it out.¡±


    ¡°How are we doing on getting those people back?¡±


    ¡°Our sweeper teams have found them and are bringing them up as we speak.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Anna said. ¡°After what happened, we need to subject them to every medical test and magical healing known to humankind.¡±


    Koen¡¯s second-in-command, Manesh, was watching the hole and spoke up.


    ¡°Ditto, we have movement.¡±


    Koen went to look over the edge of the hole and then took several steps back as a dark figure swept up through the hole and landed in front of him. Jason arrived on dark wings, Dawn and Farrah quickly following with their wings of flame.


    ¡°G¡¯day, Koen, Anna,¡± Jason greeted as he pushed the hood of his cloak back. ¡°Did you find all your people?¡±


    ¡°You beat the vampire?¡±


    ¡°No, the ladies were the stars of that show while I played ghoul janitor. Did you find your people I stashed away?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re bringing them back now,¡± Koen said. ¡°Thank you for stepping in, especially after how our organisation has treated you."


    ¡°No worries.¡±


    "Thank you," Anna echoed while looking curiously at Dawn.


    ¡°Last time I saw you,¡± Anna told her, ¡°you were normal rank.¡±


    ¡°Coming back from the dead more powerful than ever is kind of our thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°How are you going to respond to the Cabal¡¯s attack?¡±


    Anna glowered.


    ¡°We lost a lot of people,¡± she said. ¡°Your intervention prevented the loss of many critical personnel, so our ability to respond to proto-spaces is undiminished. Step one is to recover any isolated survivors while making sure we can still do our job. Protecting the country from proto-spaces and preventing monster waves is the first priority.¡±


    Jason nodded his approval.


    ¡°What we¡¯ve lost,¡± Anna continued, ¡°is a huge portion of the administrative staff that allows an organisation as large as ours to function. A lot of our people died today and step two is counting the dead and securing our magical infrastructure. Also making sure that the hole in the middle of our building won¡¯t cause it to collapse.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can look at it as an opportunity,¡± Koen¡¯s second, Manesh said.


    ¡°What do mean?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°You could install an epic fireman¡¯s pole.¡±


    ¡°Manesh, a lot of people just died,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Seriously, mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°I love a fireman¡¯s pole as much as the next bloke, but time and place.¡±


    ¡°This coming from you,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°So, what¡¯s step three?¡± Jason asked Anna, forcibly changing the subject.


    "After we make sure we''re operational, it''s time to clean house properly. I''m going to dissolve the steering committee and take charge personally."


    ¡°You can do that?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°She has the support of the tactical department,¡± Koen said.


    ¡°Getting blindsided like this shouldn¡¯t have happened,¡± Anna said. ¡°It would take someone at the steering committee level to poke just the right holes in our security net without being noticed. We¡¯ve been worried about the committee for a while, with some throwing in with the leadership faction and now others selling us out to the Cabal. The International Committee has already fractured, take in those local IC people who went against the leadership and restructure.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bold,¡± Farrah said.¡±


    "We''re also going to work with some of the Cabal that split off because they don''t want to work with the old vampires," Anna said. "Craig Vermillion is running his own splinter faction. Between us, him and the EOA members that left, back when they realised their group caused the monster waves, we''re talking about a whole new group, with members from every major magical faction."


    ¡°That¡¯s oddly optimistic, in the middle of all this mess,¡± Jason said. ¡°Are there any more old vampires in Australia?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Koen said. ¡°He came over with the earliest colonial forces. My family has been part of what is now the Network since long before they arrived. I have family records of his being a menace until he grew too strong and went into hibernation.¡±


    Koen Waters was an Aboriginal Australian. Jason was startled to hear that the network predated colonisation and curious as to how that worked given Australia¡¯s history of violence and oppression to the indigenous population, but it was far from the time.


    ¡°Our contacts in the parts of the Cabal not on team ancient vampire confirm that this vampire was the only one in Australia,¡± Anna said. ¡°We¡¯re low priority compared to Asia and North America, but Europe has the strongest concentration, though. The southern hemisphere is mostly free of them, with the biggest concentration in South America.¡±


    ¡°Small mercies,¡± Jason said. ¡°How are you going to respond to the Cabal?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too early to say,¡± Anna said. ¡°They declared war today and hitting hard while they¡¯re on the back foot has emotional appeal, but as I said, our priority has to be preventing monster waves.¡±


    ¡°The transformation events are bad enough,¡± Koen said.


    ¡°We¡¯re certainly going to stop fighting over reality cores, now,¡± Anna said. ¡°I suspect the Cabal will too, at least for the immediacy. The EOA have been the poor cousins in that fight but it looks like the door may be open for them now, at least for a while.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re using the cores to create boost injections, allowing their superheroes to juice up to gold-rank temporarily.¡±


    ¡°We know,¡± Anna said. ¡°We all saw your encounter with the EOA in Venezuela.¡±


    ¡°You killed them with your brain,¡± Manesh as. ¡°It was scary as shi¨C¡±


    He stopped talking at a glare from Koen.


    ¡°So, what about you?¡± Anna asked. ¡°You never used that information I gave you.¡±


    ¡°Too much risk,¡± Jason said. ¡°Too many variables. That¡¯s why no one else was willing to take a shot, right?¡±


    ¡°We thought you might be willing to try.¡±


    ¡°I almost did,¡± Jason said. ¡°You gave it to me at my brother¡¯s funeral. Made me feel like I have to or I¡¯m letting him down. Kind of a prick move.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°No you¡¯re not,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t have to read your emotions to know that, although I can. It¡¯s time for us to go.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Anna said. ¡°I think Vermillion will want to contact you, once he knows you¡¯re in the country,¡± Anna said. ¡°Are you still using a phone or did you ditch it?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve still got my phone,¡± Jason said. ¡°The anti-tracking magic makes the roaming charges worse, somehow, but I still have about five million bucks left. I sank most of the cash from that gold you helped me flog off into building Asano village but I stopped paying attention to money a while back.¡±


    Anna took a notepad and pen from her jacket, scribbled a number down, tore out the page and handed it to Jason.


    ¡°Vermillion¡¯s burner.¡±


    ¡°Thanks.¡±


    A portal opened on the tower rooftop at the centre of Jason¡¯s cloud palace. Jason, Farrah and Dawn stepped through and Jason wandered to the balustrade, looking out over the ocean.


    ¡°They¡¯re gone,¡± he said as Farrah moved up beside him.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You alright?¡±


    ¡°I am,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m kind of annoyed that they used their final message to the living to tell me to get over myself.¡±


    Jason and Farrah shared a look and started laughing.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I feel lighter, somehow. Getting to say goodbye. Maybe it¡¯s okay to laugh when you can, even in the dark days.¡±


    ¡°I think that might be when it¡¯s most important,¡± Farrah said.


    Jason went and found all the people he had brought to his cloud palace, left somewhat at a loss by his departure. Some had gone off to explore the palace, although most remained in the hall where the ritual had been conducted. He rounded everyone up and then portalled them back to Asano Village before putting the cloud palace back in its flask.


    The families of Greg and Asya were no longer as contentious towards Jason. That wasn¡¯t the same as forgiveness but they¡¯d been admonished by their dead loved ones and saw the magnitude of Jason¡¯s resources. It was one thing to see him on the news and another to experience it for themselves. Between the portal, the cloud palace and the ability to call up the dead, they realised that some fights weren¡¯t worth picking.


    Once all the people were sent home, Jason wanted to leave before his presence called trouble down on Asano Village. Before that, though, he called Vermillion on the number Anna gave him.


    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± Vermillion said, sounding distracted. Jason could hear the roar of a car engine in the background.


    ¡°You sound busy,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Little bit,¡± Craig said. ¡°Didn¡¯t want to miss you, though.¡±


    ¡°Anna gave me your number. Said you might want to hear from me.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    The sound of gunfire came through the phone.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t playing a video game, are you?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Uh, no, I¡¯m not,¡± Craig said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re anywhere near Sydney?¡±

 Chapter 402: Dignified Moment

    ¡°This is not going to plan, Craig,¡± Franklin said, sitting in the front passenger seat as Vermillion was driving.


    ¡°You think?¡± Vermillion asked wildly as he kicked off what was left of the bullet-riddled, driver-side door.


    The streets of Bankstown had been transformed into a realm of stone and fire. The buildings were made from large bricks in dark shades of brown, red and grey. The cars parked on the street had been turned into stone carriages that a team of horses would be hard-pressed to budge. The car vermillion was driving, along with the ones chasing it, had been brought in from the outside.


    The streets they drove on, oddly, were still flat asphalt. Due to Bankstown being abandoned by all but the Cabal, this allowed for the cars to take a breakneck pace as they belted through the streets.


    ¡°Bryan, did you find that stuff?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°Come on, Vermillion,¡± complained the vampire in the back seat.


    ¡°Seriously, Bryan? This is not the time!¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s never the time, is it?¡± Bryan complained. Vermillion was about to fire back a retort when a fresh stream of bullets pierced through the car, one of which hit him in the back of the head.


    ¡°Damn it, Bryan.¡±


    Bryan didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Bryan!¡±


    ¡°You already have a cool vampire name,¡± Bryan complained.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a cool vampire name, Bryan. It¡¯s just my surname.¡±


    "Well, my surname is Slansky. No one is going to fear Slansky the vampire."


    ¡°My name¡¯s Frank.¡±


    ¡°And nobody fears you, Frank.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you might be surprised,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°Why would I want to be feared?¡± Frank asked. ¡°Have you ever tried to find four for a bridge game when everyone thinks you¡¯re going to eat them?¡±


    An arrow shot through the gap where the back window used to be, buried itself in Vermillion''s shoulder and then exploded, blasting the headrest from his seat and leaving his arm dangling from a strip of flesh. Blood spilled out, but instead of falling away, it transformed into flesh, restoring the massive wound in moments.


    ¡°God damn it, Bryan,¡± Vermillion yelled. ¡°Give me the damn stuff.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not responding to that name.¡±


    ¡°Are you¡­¡±


    Craig bit back his words.


    ¡°Night Stalker,¡± he said through gritted teeth. ¡°Can you please give Frank the stuff?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Vermillion,¡± Bryan said, holding out a crude ball of what looked and felt like putty. ¡°All you had to do was ask.¡±


    There was a thump as the roof bent inward under weight and a pair of huge, taloned claws pierced the roof as some manner of creature landed on it. Frank reached down by his feet and retrieved a sawn-off, double-barrel shotgun with glowing runes carved into the barrels. He casually pointed it at the roof and pulled both triggers, blasting most of the roof off. With a horrific screech, the gargoyle-like creature that had been on it flew off with its long, leathery wings.


    ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°One of those Network guys at the storage facility,¡± Frank said. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re the one that stole their car. Maybe that¡¯s why those Network guys are chasing us so hard.¡±


    One of the reasons the car had held up under repeated magical attacks was that of all the cars they could have stolen for the getaway, they found and took the only magical one.


    ¡°What were Network people even doing there?¡± Bryan asked. ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they be defending their headquarters right now?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think those are Network people anymore,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°The Network is fractured as badly as us, maybe even worse. I¡¯d heard talk of the higher-ups trying to recruit essence magicians but I didn¡¯t think they¡¯d have gotten anyone this strong. Are you still holding onto the stuff? Give it to Frank.¡±


    ¡°What do you want putty for anyway?¡± Bryan asked, holding out the ball again.


    ¡°Frank¡¯s bloodline lets him absorb materials and pass their properties onto his blood,¡± Vermillion explained.


    ¡°Why would you want your blood to be like putty?¡± Bryan asked.


    Frank bit his finger, drawing blood that flowed out of the wound and over the ball in his hand, which was swiftly melted down and absorbed, even the spilled blood crawling back into his skin. Frank then bit his finger right off before plucking it from his mouth and tossing it out the window. When one of the pursuing cars drove over it, an explosion underneath sent the car rolling out of the chase. Franks finger quickly grew back.


    ¡°You really thought that was putty, Bryan?¡± Vermillion asked.


    ¡°Night Stalker!¡±


    ¡°Night Stalker doesn¡¯t even sound like a vampire name,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°It sounds like a rapist from the eighties.¡±


    ¡°But not an actual rapist,¡± Frank said. ¡°More like a rapist from one of those daytime TV movies where a housewife learns that handsome men are all terrible.¡±


    ¡°You can both go fu¨C¡±


    He was cut off when Vermillion swerved hard and Night Stalker¡¯s head smashed the car¡¯s last intact window.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°That pothole had lava in it.¡±


    Jason, Dawn and Farrah stepped out of a portal near the border of Bankstown. Jason hadn¡¯t been able to send them to a familiar location like the airport because there were no familiar locations left. Bankstown had been transformed both physically and magically, down to the smallest particle.


    ¡°I think this is the right street,¡± Jason said, extending his senses. Dawn did the same while Farrah rolled her shoulders, shifting her body. She was still appreciating that she no longer suffered disorientation from teleportation after gaining the astral affinity of an outworlder.


    ¡°There they are,¡± Jason said. ¡°Oh, crikey.¡±


    Jason sensed a large number of magical auras moving at speed, along with a lot of overt magic being thrown around.


    ¡°Are those magic guns I¡¯m sensing being used?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I believe they are,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°He must have some Network people chasing him,¡± Jason, tilting his head as if trying to hear a distant sound more clearly. ¡°Yeah, those are essence abilities going off. Silver rank, damn. Who did Craig get cranky?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we should go find out,¡± Farrah suggested.


    ¡°Right, yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade, if you would?¡±


    Five Shade bodies appeared from Jason''s shadow and merged together, taking on the form of a huge, four-seater car. It had sleek, hypercar lines and a smattering of glowing white embellishments on what was, of course, a glossy black body.


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯m going to get sued,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is a straight-up Batmobile.¡±


    ¡°I could add non-trademarked badging,¡± Shade offered, ¡°but you would need a simple and elegant logo. Your personal crest does not translate into a clean, easily iconic symbol.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying I need a superhero emblem?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It would help,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Can we please go?¡± Dawn asked. ¡°We need to go catch up with them.¡±


    ¡°Good point,¡± Jason said, peering at the car. ¡°Which part is the door?¡±


    ¡°Where exactly are we going?¡± Frank asked as the careening chase continued.


    ¡°Away,¡± Vermillion said, swerving the car around a corner as they rushed through Bankstown¡¯s empty streets.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like ¡®away¡¯ being the most solid plan we have,¡± Frank said.


    An explosion to the right of the car tore up asphalt.


    ¡°You may have missed it, Frank, but even just ¡®away¡¯ is turning out to be a high bar.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even have the blood and cores, though,¡± Night Stalker said. ¡°We¡¯re the decoy car.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know that,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Do you not understand what a decoy is?¡±


    The gargoyle-like creature swept down once more but was met with a bloody mist that Night Stalker spat out and it backed off. Vermillion was about to turn the car hard into another corner when he was startled by something popping up in the middle of his eyeline.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    You have received a party invitation from [Jason Asano]. Accept Y/N?


    Vermillion moved his head to look around the obstruction but it kept moving to the middle of his view and he almost ran the car into a stone carriage parked on the side of the road.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Frank asked.


    ¡°Yes, god damn it,¡± Vermillion yelled.


    "Yes, what?" Frank asked.


    Missing the corner and then almost crashing had allowed the cars pursuing them to close in. Frank and Night Stalker were gearing up to fend off fresh attacks when a series of what looked like orange lasers started laying into the other vehicles, slicing them up like pieces of cake.


    ¡°What¡¯s doing that?¡± Frank asked.


    Watching out the back window, Night Stalker saw the source of the attacks.


    "It looks like a space cloud on top of the Batmobile shooting lasers."


    The lack of cars didn¡¯t entirely end the pursuit as the most powerful Cabal members and essence users who had been in the cars gave chase on foot, moving at speeds comparable to a car. There was also the large gargoyle creature still flying after them.


    Gordon made short work of the non-magical cars, although the people inside proved more resilient as they sprung from the wreckage to continue pursuing Vermillion¡¯s car.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised Craig¡¯s car is still running,¡± Jason said. ¡°It must be one of the Network¡¯s magically-enhanced ones, right?¡±


    ¡°I imagine so,¡± Farrah said.


    Vermillion¡¯s car was a wreck on wheels, missing two of the doors and most of the roof, the rest riddled with damage. The fact that all four wheels were intact was too much of a miracle to be anything but magic.


    Jason and Dawn both snapped their heads to the left at the same time.


    ¡°That may be trouble,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll deal with it,¡± Jason said. ¡°You two make sure our enthusiastic joggers don¡¯t run down his car. He almost crashed back there, so I¡¯m not sure he¡¯s the best driver.¡±


    Farrah strained her senses and picked up what the others had already sensed.


    ¡°A conjured Vehicle. Vermillion isn¡¯t the only one bringing in reinforcements.¡±


    Vehicle specialists were more common on Earth than Farrah¡¯s world. Many were flyers like Kaito and his helicopter, but land-based vehicles were much more the norm, trading off the capability to fly for an increase in combat power. The common thread for vehicle specialists was that their vehicle-based powers were awkward to use but proportionally more powerful than more convenient power sets.


    Australia didn¡¯t have a lot of vehicle users, compared to China who boasted a higher percentage of them than any other major nation. Combined with China¡¯s population, this made for a powerful force. Jason had occasionally seen them in action in large, multi-national actions like Makassar.


    Because of Australia¡¯s deficit, Jason quickly guessed the identity of the silver ranker coming his way in a huge armoured personnel carrier. It wasn¡¯t someone he¡¯d worked with personally but Kaito¡¯s specialised training had been carried out by the senior vehicle specialist.


    Jason opened the car door and hopped out, using weight reduction to drift a moment and slow down before dropping his feet to the asphalt. Gordon waited on his left, with Shade on his right. A short time later, a huge, futuristic armoured vehicle roared around the corner before slowing down to a stop.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± an amplified voice boomed from the vehicle. ¡°I have no quarrel with you. Please walk away and don¡¯t involve yourself in this affair.¡±


    ¡°Andreas Kosmopoulos,¡± Jason responded, his own voice booming in a trick of voice projection. ¡°You¡¯re chasing a friend of mine. I¡¯m not going to let that go.¡±


    ¡°He stole from us.¡±


    ¡°Putting aside that the goods in question were plundered from reality itself and that none of you have a right to them,¡± Jason said, ¡°he stole from the Cabal. Last time I checked, you were a member of the Network. Brisbane branch, if I remember rightly.¡±


    ¡°These are dangerous days and the old order is breaking down,¡± Kosmopoulos responded. ¡°If the ship is sinking, you find anything you can that floats.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve grabbed an anchor, Andreas, not driftwood. Let go, before clinging to it drags you under.¡±


    ¡°And what would you know, Asano? Running around the world, not having to watch everything you¡¯ve come to rely on crumble and break. You were never in the Network. You never understood what it meant to be a part of it. How much was lost when it crumbled. Human civilisation is over; people just don¡¯t know it yet. Now it¡¯s about monsters claiming the biggest pile of the rubble that they can.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you feel that way,¡± Jason said. ¡°I haven¡¯t given up quite yet and I¡¯ll never give up on my friends.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re powerful, Asano, but this is a bad fight for you. Only a fool fights a vehicle specialist on the road. My vehicle has no blood to poison or flesh to rot. It¡¯s shielded against teleportation and intangible creatures, so neither you nor your familiars can breach it.¡±


    A panel in the massive vehicle¡¯s roof opened up and a huge rotary cannon emerged.


    "It has weapons you cannot endure," Kosmopoulos continued. "The matchup is bad for you, Asano. Leave."


    ¡°Your one of those people that sees a guy on the TV and thinks ¡®I could take him,¡¯ aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Very well, Asano. Bear the consequences of your actions.¡±


    The rotary cannon spooled up and started spitting bullets. Gordon turned into a swirling nebula and dashed away before reforming, while Jason ducked into Shade and vanished. The gun started tracking Gordon, but six orange beams bore down on the weapon and sheared it off. A force field snapped into place around the vehicle and a new gun that immediately started firing was conjured in place of the damaged one.


    Gordon sank into the ground, avoiding the bullets, and started popping up in random places to blast six blue beams at the force field, only to vanish into the ground as the gun rapidly swung in his direction.


    The silver-rank bullets fired specialty ammunition that added disruptive-force to the impact of the bullets, ideal for an incorporeal creature like Gordon. Sensitive to the dangerous damage type, he used dashes to avoid them. In between dashes, he fired bursts of the same damage: blue beams of pure disruptive-force that were highly effective against the force field.


    The armoured vehicle started moving again, heading once more in pursuit of the other vehicles. As the force field collapsed, Jason appeared from behind a stone carriage and used his cloak''s weight reduction to leap high into the air. His shadow arms reached out, grabbed the now-unshielded APC and dragged him to it. Its exterior immediately electrified and he tumbled, twitching off the back to face plant the street as the vehicle roared away.


    ¡°Not my most dignified moment,¡± he muttered into the asphalt.

 Chapter 403: When Someone is Under Your Gun

    Jason pushed himself to his feet with a groan, his body still tingling from the electrical attack. The magical APC, looking like something from a sci-fi movie, had left him behind and was roaring around a corner in pursuit of the others.


    "It''s possible that you have been looking down on Earth''s essence users too much," Shade suggested.


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°If you would?¡±


    Shade took the form of a motorcycle and Jason climbed aboard as Gordon disappeared into Jason. Two of Gordon¡¯s orbs appeared in his place and started orbiting around Jason as the motorcycle took off. The APC was fast but the much smaller bike was both faster and more manoeuvrable, leading Jason to soon catch up.


    A machine gun emerged from a recessed panel atop the APC and started firing backwards, one of the orbs turning into a shield to intercept the bullets. The disruptive-force added to the damage quickly destabilised the shield but Jason started swerving left and right to buy more time before it collapsed.


    The shield collapsed and the second orb took its place, although it, too, was swiftly chewed through. Bullets started hitting Jason and his cloak intercepted the attacks, but as with the shields, the disruptive force on the bullets was effective at negating much of his cloak¡¯s protective power. That left a good portion of the kinetic impact to slam into Jason.


    Without a bunch of handy minions to afflict, Jason was at his weakest with both his physical fortitude and regenerative powers at their lowest point. That being said, at silver-rank the lowest point was still very good and Jason endured the barrage to draw closer to the vehicle.


    ¡°Let¡¯s give him some more targets,¡± Jason said and six more bikes appeared alongside him, with Shade¡¯s bodies riding them. Jason conjured up starlight cloaks on each and they started weaving amongst each other, making which one was him harder to pick out. The machine gun started spraying them all, but with the bullets more diffuse, the cloaks were better able to endure them.


    Jason cast a spell at the APC but as he did, the force field Gordon had torn down earlier snapped back into place around the vehicle.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    You have afflicted target with [Blood From a Stone].You have afflicted target with [Necrotoxin].You have afflicted target with [Sacrificial Victim].You have afflicted target with [Bleeding].Target is fully shielded.[Blood From a Stone] does not take effect.[Necrotoxin] does not take effect.[Sacrificial Victim] does not take effect.[Bleeding] does not take effect.


    ¡°Bloody hell.¡±


    Jason had been spoiled by an aspect common to his spells, which was affecting targets directly, without an intermediary like a projectile. This was common in low-impact spells, the signature of affliction specialists like himself. Powers that provided comprehensive shields, however, were highly effective against such spells. Sadly for Jason, such powers were common, especially amongst healers. Jason had learned the frustration of that in the mock battles between his team and that of Prince Valdis of the Mirror Kingdom.


    ¡°Go again, Gordon.¡±


    The nebulous familiar appeared and jumped out ahead of the APC in a series of dashes before once more blasting the vehicle''s force field with blue beams. The front-firing rotary canon reappeared to harass him, preventing Gordon from constantly barraging the force field. Gordon also had two fewer beams, due to the orbs Jason had consumed as shields.


    Seeing the limited effectiveness of his approach, Gordon instead fired two of his remaining six orbs at the shield, the orbs coming into contact just before they reached it and exploding with blue energy. The powerful blast of disruptive-force caused the APC¡¯s shield to immediately collapse again but Gordon was largely disarmed until his orbs recovered, which would take a minute for each. He fell back to be subsumed once more into Jason.


    The APC had not been idle while Gordon worked. A roof panel slid aside and a stream of micro missiles fired up into the air before turning back and raining down on Jason and the Shades just as Gordon returned.


    ¡°Is this a bloody anime?¡± Jason decried as the bikes spread out. Gordon¡¯s last two orbs manifested beside Jason and started firing orange beams to intercept the missiles, the pinpoint beams intercepting the ones tracking Jason himself. The bulk of the projectiles hammered down on the Shades, however, rocking them with explosions.


    Inside the APC, Andreas Kosmopoulos was watching the rear monitor where the chasing motorcycles had disappeared into a dust cloud as the missiles blasted the road.


    ¡°Did we get him?¡± asked the other person in the APC, a Cabal member named Javier.


    ¡°No,¡± Andreas said. ¡°There¡¯s no way that Jason Asano went down from that.¡±


    The driver¡¯s station in the APC was a futuristic command station with multiple screens and glowing control panels. There were no vulnerable windows in the vehicle, the exterior monitored through a series of external cameras. Asano was frustratingly hard to pin down, the vehicle''s normally excellent tracking systems having trouble targeting him. Even his image on the cameras was something of a blur, and the heat tracking wasn''t able to pick him up in the dust cloud.


    Andreas glanced at the recharge time on the shield. One of his most critical defensive measures, it had now been rapidly brought down twice. His only consolation was that he was confident in the resilience of his vehicle. While Asano¡¯s powers were famously destructive to life, the APC had no blood to bleed and no flesh to rot.


    The conjured vehicle of a true specialist like Kaito or Andreas differed from most conjured items. The APC was much more powerful than something like Jason¡¯s dagger but it held commensurate weaknesses. It was critical to many of Andreas¡¯ other abilities that were either diminished or didn¡¯t function at all without it. The biggest drawback was that once destroyed, there was a considerable cooldown before it could be called up again. There were other conjured vehicles he could use but these would only be lesser placeholders.


    On the rear monitor, Asano emerged from the dust cloud. His decoy bikes were gone but he appeared unharmed. Andreas was retasking the rear gun when the damage report monitor started flashing red.


    ¡°Multiple abnormal conditions detected,¡± came the APC¡¯s mechanical voice. ¡°Intrinsic nature compromised.¡±


    ¡°Intrinsic nature compromised?¡± Andreas wondered aloud. His APC had been subject to all manner of attacks over the years but this was something completely new.


    ¡°Andreas,¡± Javier called out in a panicked voice. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    A red liquid was leaking from between the spot where two wall panels joined.


    ¡°Some kind of mechanical fluid, probably,¡± Andreas said. ¡°Asano is using some kind of attack I¡¯ve never seen before.¡±


    ¡°Additional abnormal conditions detected. Intrinsic nature further compromised.¡±


    Javier transformed into a wolfman, occupying more of the interior space but the APC was designed for moving groups of people. He sniffed at the liquid. Meanwhile, Andreas tried to get to the bottom of the continuing alarms.


    ¡°Define error ¡®intrinsic nature compromised,¡¯¡± he commanded.


    ¡°Mechanical systems are now subject to biological vulnerabilities on multiple parameters.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Andreas asked.


    ¡°It means that your vehicle is bleeding,¡± Javier growled with his wolf mouth.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have any blood,¡± Andreas said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the guy who fought a zombie army with magic butterflies really cares.¡±


    Vermillion¡¯s stolen car was being pursued by multiple silver-rankers on foot. Three were vampires, including the one that had transformed into the gargoyle-like creature harassing them from the air. The other two were essence users, poached by the Cabal.


    Vermillion¡¯s stolen car had endured a lot of abuse but the pursuers had avoided using their most powerful attacks for fear of damaging the stolen goods, not realising those goods were not in the car at all. Finally, the car succumbed to a death by a thousand cuts and the engine gave out, the car slowing to a stop in the middle of the street.


    A new black car dashed up, skidding to a halt in between the bullet-riddled car and the people chasing it. Dawn and Farrah stepped out, facing off against the pursuers. Seeing that Vermillion and the others in the broken car were not running, the pursuers slowed down to face off with the new arrivals. Vermillion, Frank and Night Stalker moved out to stand with Dawn.


    ¡°Farrah,¡± Craig greeted. ¡°It¡¯s been a while.¡±


    The two essence users and the two vampires on foot came to a stop. The gargoyle-like creature flew down and transformed into a naked man.


    ¡°Larry,¡± Frank admonished. ¡°Put on some damn pants.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to tell me what to do, traitor,¡± Larry said. ¡°Besides, the ladies might like what they see.¡±


    Dawn and Farrah looked Larry up and down, shared a glanced and both smirked derisively.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Larry said, moving his hands to cover himself before turning back into a leathery monster.


    One of the essence users hadn¡¯t shifted his gaze from Farrah.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about you for a long time, Hurin,¡± he said. ¡°Coming here, acting like you¡¯re so much better than us. Teaching us how to use our powers as if we¡¯re ignorant primitives. You¡¯re supposed to be so great; I¡¯d like to see it for myself.¡±


    Farrah conjured her obsidian armour and jagged sword.


    ¡°Happy to oblige,¡± she said.


    Farrah had never been plagued by Jason''s self-doubt and fears of moral decay. If someone wanted to make themself her enemy, she would cut them down and sleep like a baby that night.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to get violent,¡± the other essence user said. ¡°Just give us what you took and we can all walk away.¡±


    ¡°The hell we can,¡± one of the vampires spat. ¡°You think they can just take from us and walk away?¡±


    ¡°Their vampires are second-grade weaklings,¡± another vampire said. ¡°Why make concessions when we are stronger?¡±


    Each side had two essence users and three vampires, but the three Cabal vampires were silver-rank while Vermillion, Franklin and Night Stalker were only bronze.


    ¡°I hate to break it to you, but you got duped,¡± Vermillion told them. ¡°You chased the decoy. The blue blood and the reality cores are long gone.¡±


    ¡°Enough talk,¡± the first essence user said, raising his arm. An obsidian wall raised up in his face, which shattered as the lightning blast from his arm struck it. The shattered fragments then rocketed toward the essence user in a storm of razor-sharp stone. Dawn timed the casting of a spell to activate right as the essence user was distracted and he didn¡¯t notice the magic circle appearing under his feet. As the stone storm passed, webbing shot up from the circle to swiftly mummify him and Farrah smoothly followed up with a spell of her own.


    ¡°Fire bolt.¡±


    A blazing orb shot from Farrah¡¯s hand towards the essence user mummified in webbing. The webbing ignited immediately, throwing off an intense heat as it burned. Even so, it was being consumed slowly and kept the essence user bound as he had to force his way free.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s nice,¡± Farrah said, admiring Dawn¡¯s spell as her fire bolt chained to the other essence user and the vampires. One quick spell was far from enough to deter silver-rankers, even if vampires were more vulnerable to fire. Their skin burning, they lunged forward into the wall that was Farrah and Dawn, the two women proving as impassable as a steel barrier.


    One of the vampires was trapped in more threads that shot up from the ground, immediately igniting from Farrah¡¯s flames still burning on him. Another found Farrah¡¯s whip-sword wrapping around him, the obsidian fragments piercing his skin and the lava cord searing his flesh. The Vermillion and his companions teamed up to fend off Larry, the flying monstrosity.


    Bankstown was now supernaturally volcanic, which suited Farrah just fine. There was a pyroclastic flow running alongside the road and she dragged the vampire wrapped in her sword in that direction.


    ¡°This is going to be fun.¡±


    ¡°Catastrophic system failure,¡± the APC announced amongst a constant stream of warning messages.


    "Your machine has a penchant for the obvious," Javier growled. The APC was melting around them, the walls were dripping black, poisoned blood from panels starting to look more like distressed flesh than metal as it fell off in gobbets. Andreas was trying every weapon ability he had while feeding as much mana as it would take into the self-repair system. The APC continued to let out warnings.


    ¡°Self-repair has negated condition ''bleeding'' and will resume normal function. Condition ''bleeding'' has been applied. Self-repair system diverting resources to negate condition ''bleeding.'' Self-repair has negated condition ''bleeding'' and will resume normal function. Condition ''bleeding'' has been applied. Self-repair system diverting resources¡­"


    Andreas slapped his hand on the mute button. The rapidly degrading state of the APC was affecting the weapon systems but there were still enough to hammer Asano with bullets a flamethrower and even the occasional rocket-propelled grenade. He watched in frustration and disbelief as Asano stopped avoiding the attacks, only needing to periodically call up a new motorcycle as the one he was riding became damaged. Asano himself seemed invincible.


    ¡°Is that guy immortal?¡±


    With afflictions applied and his Inexorable Doom ability continually stacking more, Jason¡¯s protective amulet was rapidly ticking over.


    Item: [Amulet of the Dark Guardian] (growth, silver rank, legendary)


    Effect: For each instance of an affliction applied to an enemy, gain an instance of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing]. You may bestow all instances of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] upon another person by touch.[Guardian¡¯s Blessing] (boon, holy): Instances are consumed to absorb damage from any source. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. For each instance consumed, gain an instance of [Blessing¡¯s Bounty].[Blessing¡¯s Bounty] (heal-over-time, holy, stacking): Heal over time. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Each affliction became a shield and each shield became a regenerative effect, which was boosted in strength by the blood robes Colin allowed Jason to conjure. Added to the formidable resilience of a silver-ranker and the diminishing attack power of the heavily damaged vehicle, Jason was no longer in any danger, although a large number of Shade bodies had been chewed through. It would take a lot of time and mana to replenish them but for the moment, Jason had a fight to finish. From the back of his motorcycle, he cast a spell.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    Punition dealt damage for every instance of every affliction on the target. Jason sank extra mana into the spell and the APC¡¯s structure started to sag like a bouncy castle with a hole in it.


    Ability: [Punition] (Doom)


    Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Silver 2 (17%).Effect (iron): Inflicts necrotic damage for each curse, disease, poison and unholy affliction the target is suffering.Effect (bronze): Inflicts or refreshes the duration of [Penitence].Effect (silver): Damage per affliction can be increased by increasing the mana cost to high, very high, or extreme. This reduces the cooldown to 20 seconds, 10 seconds or none. Consecutive, extreme-cost incantations have truncated incantations.


    [Penitence] (affliction, holy): Gain an instance of [Penance] for each curse, disease, poison or unholy effect that is cleansed from you. This is a holy effect.[Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off as damage is dealt.


    Maximising the mana cost also maximised the damage and negated the cooldown, turning the spell into a high-damage mana-sink. He cast the spell again straight away, with the truncated incantation, then once more, the spell burning through his mana supply.


    ¡°Suffer.¡±


    ¡°Suffer.¡±


    With each spell, the APC deflated alongside Jason¡¯s mana supply, but to his surprise and admiration, it was not yet destroyed. Unsure if it would even work, he cast another spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Jason drained the accumulated afflictions from the APC, which apparently qualified as an enemy. He was unsure if it was because he¡¯d been able to levy afflictions on it or because it was a special kind of conjured object. Either way, Jason was replenished by consuming the massive array of afflictions he drained from it, filling his mana and stamina well past full. They continued to rise, along with his health, as the enemy afflictions were converted into a stackable recovery buff.


    The APC no longer looked like a stricken beast and more like the vehicle it was, albeit one that had been plunged into a lava pit. It was glowing bright with transcendent damage that cared nothing for active defence mechanisms and auto-repair systems as it chewed away at the metal. Jason cast the final spell.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement and the judgement is death.¡±


    The two men inside the APC were surrounded in transcendent light and the APC finally succumbed. They fell to the road as the moving vehicle around them vanished as the conjuration ended. That was not enough to injure someone of their rank and they quickly jumped to their feet.


    Looking around, they saw a dark figure walking towards them, the motorcycle behind him dissolving into a dark cloud and being drawn into his shadow. Silver eyes watched them from a dark hood as he slowly approached. With the cloak wrapped around him and his smooth steps, it was almost like he was floating. The intimidating visage was broken as Jason pushed the hood back off his head, revealing a face bloodied from a bullet that had hit him in the head.


    ¡°Hello, Andreas.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Andreas said warily. ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Kaito.¡±


    ¡°Not so sorry that you wouldn¡¯t try and kill his brother.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re protecting someone who stole from us.¡±


    ¡°Reality cores aren¡¯t yours to possess.¡±


    ¡°Only you get to have them?¡± Andreas countered.


    ¡°No one gets to have them,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re strip-mining reality. You think that won¡¯t have consequences?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve heard your claims,¡± Javier growled, still a hulking wolfman. ¡°No one believes you¡¯re going to save the world, Asano.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m going to save it anyway. Go home, Andreas.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re letting me go?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Do me a favour and remember that when someone is under your gun and you have a choice to make.¡±


    Javier looked from Andreas to Jason.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t just going to let this go?¡± he asked.


    Andreas looked at the wolfman.


    ¡°He beat me at my best, and now I¡¯m at my worst. You want to try him on, that¡¯s your business.¡±


    Javier turned to lunge at Jason but Jason¡¯s aura came crashing down like a hammer. With just one target and nothing else to distract him, Jason could apply his aura at full force.


    Title: [Giant Slayer]


    Overcoming a much stronger enemy has left a permanent mark on you that can be sensed by others. This may trigger a fear reaction from the unintelligent and the weak-willed if your aura is significantly stronger than theirs. Your actual rank being lower than theirs does not diminish the effect.


    The wolfman froze, trembling like a prey animal.


    ¡°Take him home, Andreas.¡±


    Andreas looked at the stiff Javier and felt the fear drenching an aura hunkered down like a mouse under the gaze of an owl. He turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±

 Chapter 404: When, Not If

    Farrah dragged a vampire out of the lava by the foot. He was still alive, or at least undead, due to his silver-rank fortitude. His normal vampiric healing was not kicking in, though, due to the burn damage.


    ¡°Why are you letting him out?¡± Night Stalker asked. ¡°You should finish him.¡±


    ¡°We came to save you, not to kill the people you robbed,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°What if they come after us again?¡± Night Stalker asked.


    ¡°Then you can lament your mediocre life choices.¡±


    ¡°Leave it, Bryan,¡± Franklin said.


    ¡°Forget this; I¡¯ll do it myself.¡±


    Night Stalker moved to grab the crippled vampire, only to find himself looking down the length of Farrah¡¯s sword.


    ¡°This is all very tense,¡± Jason said from behind the group, no one but Dawn having noticed his arrival. The car Farrah and Dawn arrived in had turned back into a group of Shade¡¯s bodies, one of which Jason had stepped out of.


    ¡°G¡¯day, Craig,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Vermillion said with a greeting nod. ¡°Thank you for the save.¡±


    Jason looked around at a section of street marred by magical battle. There were scorch marks everywhere, a takeaway shop had what was left of Vermillion¡¯s stolen car sticking out of it. The two essence users were battered but alive, both strapped down to the road by webs that had the gleam of metal. There were three vampires, all severely burned and far too hurt to keep fighting. Vermillion and his companions had torn and bloody clothes but their injuries had already recovered.


    ¡°This is Frank,¡± Vermillion introduced. ¡°And this is Night Stalker.¡±


    ¡°Night Stalker?¡± Jason said. ¡°Like the serial killer from the eighties?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s doesn¡¯t sound like a serial killer name,¡± Night Stalker insisted.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like a serial killer name. It is a serial killer name. There was a guy in the eighties who raped and killed a bunch of people in California. If you''re a vampire and you''re going to run around calling yourself the Night Stalker I''m going to put you down now and call it a public service."


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Jason. He¡¯s not running around killing people; he¡¯s just an idiot. How do you know so much about serial killers?¡±


    ¡°I went to school with this guy who collected serial killer trading cards. Greg and I used to¡­¡±


    Jason trailed off, hanging his head.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± he said. ¡°Craig, why are you chasing reality cores?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re forming an alliance, with members of the EOA and the Network. We have the numbers but the leadership factions of each have most of the strongest members. We need to get stronger, fast.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to be fighting in the transformation zones over cores?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect further help, then. Reality cores aren¡¯t for anyone to have. That goes for you as much as your enemies.¡±


    ¡°Our enemies are your enemies, Jason. Will you let them run rampant?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re squabbling over who gets to be captain of a sinking ship, Craig, and you¡¯re throwing people overboard to keep it afloat. Look at the state of the world. The army is fighting mythical creatures in the streets of Sydney. America is on the brink of civil war because the Network wasn''t careful enough with their secret coup. Europe is being taken over by vampires and China is reaching new heights of civic oppression keeping a lid on everything. Governments are turning tyrant or threatening to collapse entirely. We¡¯re on the verge of anarchy.¡±


    "Our alliance wants to remedy that," Craig said. "Keep preventing the monster waves. Protect the people. But we need the strength. Look, if you can tell me how to help you save the world or whatever, I will. I don¡¯t think I¡¯m what you need, though. So let us do what we can and you do what you can.¡±


    Jason turned away, running a dirty hand over his bloody face.


    ¡°Craig,¡± he said his voice weary. ¡°Going after reality cores is pulling down the roof to burn for warmth in winter.¡±


    ¡°And not going after them is putting down your sword while your enemy is picking his up.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter who wins if the world burns.¡±


    ¡°But it does if you save it,¡± Craig said. ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re doing, right? Saving the world. We¡¯re trying to make sure it¡¯s still worth a damn when you do.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Whose side are you on?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yours,¡± she said. ¡°Sometimes that means telling you to let something go and get on with the job.¡±


    Jason looked at her, his expression unhappy, but he didn¡¯t argue.


    ¡°People taking reality cores are bad," she told him. "But do you think that telling Craig not to do it matters in the long run? You''re frustrated that it''s happening. We all are. But this is not the place to make that stand because it gets you nothing."


    ¡°I likewise detest that the denizens of this world would ravage it for power,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You aren¡¯t going to convince them to stop, however. People will always ignore the greater dangers in pursuit of momentary concerns. Humans, elves, this world or another. It is true every time, in every reality.¡±


    ¡°The only way to stop people from taking reality cores is to cut off the supply,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Which we should probably get back to.¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡± Craig asked.


    Farrah winced.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡±


    Craig shared a look with Franklin and they flashed into motion, grabbing a startled Bryan, dragging him to the lava flow and shoving him in, head first. Jason, Farrah and Dawn shared a confused look.


    ¡°Craig?¡± Jason asked.


    The two vampires held Bryan under until he stopped moving, which didn¡¯t take long for the bronze-rank vampire.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Bryan was a plant,¡± Craig said. ¡°The faction of the Cabal loyal to the old vampires inserted him to infiltrate the new alliance forming against them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yeah. We didn¡¯t give him a heads up about hitting the reality core storage but brought him along so he would think he was in the inner circle. We were going to use him for misinformation but we can¡¯t let the old vampires know you can turn off the tap. They¡¯ll make you their number one priority.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I should be more careful.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t sense any duplicity from his aura,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Bloodline dominance?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Craig said.


    ¡°Which is what, exactly?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The dominus vampire bloodline allows those higher in the bloodline to completely control those below it,¡± Dawn said. ¡°When a dominus vampire creates another vampire, they can control it, along with any more that vampire subsequently creates.¡±


    ¡°Bryan was part of the dominus bloodline,¡± Vermillion confirmed. ¡°We¡¯re pretty sure that one of the old ones in South East Asia somewhere was controlling him.¡±


    ¡°Bloodline domination functions rather like a star seed,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°Like a star seed, it is intensely difficult to detect outside of special circumstances.¡±


    ¡°I had a bond with Bryan, using my bloodline,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°The bond was severed when the domination was put in place.¡±


    ¡°A star seed hides so well because it infiltrates the soul,¡± Jason said. ¡°How does this bloodline get in?¡±


    ¡°Only lesser vampires are transformed in body alone,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Greater vampires ¨C bloodline vampires ¨C are changed body and soul. It is why they cannot be forcibly turned, unlike lesser vampires. They have to accept the change.¡±


    ¡°We have to accept the gift,¡± Franklin corrected.


    ¡°Mate, I¡¯d return that gift,¡± Jason said. ¡°It makes you eat people.¡±


    After parting with Vermillion, Jason sent himself, Farrah and Dawn out to sea via portal and set up a cloud house. Distractions aside, they still had a node to repair and Jason needed to recover from the fight. A good number of Shade¡¯s bodies had been wiped out by the APC¡¯s weapon systems and it took most of Jason¡¯s full mana supply to reconstitute one. He had managed to replace a few using the mana he had after the fight, far above his normal maximum but there was still work to do.


    Jason went off to shower before he started meditating to replenish his mana as fast as possible. Midway through the shower, he swore out loud.


    Cloud flask supply of [Crystal Wash] has been exhausted.Supply additional [Crystal Wash] or an alternative cleansing agent to maintain cloud construct cleansing effect.


    He was surprised it had lasted as long as it had, the flask doing an effective job of diluting the huge quantity Jason had fed into it. That didn¡¯t stop him from being aggravated when it finally ran out.


    While Jason was showering, Farrah and Dawn went to the balcony to relax as they overlooked the Pacific. Farrah took the chance to ask some questions.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering about the vampires of this world. Do you know why they have so much more self-control than the vampires of mine? Is it the lower magic, somehow?¡±


    "That is one of two factors," Dawn said. "Magically-charged sunlight has a negative effect on vampires. In the short-term, this means their strength is greatly reduced in sunlight. In the long-term, it has a degenerative effect on their minds."


    ¡°Does that mean as the magic of this world gets stronger, the vampires will start losing control?¡±


    ¡°Eventually some of them will, yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°There is also the other factor to consider, however, which is strength of bloodline. The vampires of this world were spawned as echoes of other worlds. The oldest likely had the full strength of bloodline originators, so many of this world¡¯s vampires have much richer bloodlines that those of your world. It will shield them from sun degeneration.¡±


    ¡°So, even the old vampires now being woken up can be reasoned with.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Although, I would not hold out great hope. Their personalities may not have been warped due to their vampirism but they will still be huge arseholes.¡±


    Farrah raised her eyebrows at Dawn¡¯s unexpected vulgarity and they both started laughing.


    Jason trudged through the cloud house, where he encountered Dawn.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, looking up. ¡°Dawn, you don¡¯t know how to make crystal wash, do you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an alchemist.¡±


    ¡°But you could get the formula, right? Or something that works the same from another universe or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Not while I¡¯m in this avatar.¡±


    ¡°But if we killed you off, though, you could grab the formula from wherever and bring it back. Then we just have to find a decent local alchemist¡­ why are you looking at me like that?¡±


    Dawn walked away.


    ¡°Is that a no?¡± he called out after her.


    He continued on his way, finding Farrah on the balcony, lounging as she looked out over the ocean. He fell backwards as a deck chair made of cloud rose from the floor to catch him.


    ¡°All done?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Every Shade, present and accounted for. How goes the proto-space hunt?¡±


    Finding the right nodes to repair required carrying out rituals in proto-spaces. As they improved their understanding of the process through trial and error, they had a better grasp of which proto-spaces would help them and which ones would throw out false positives. It allowed them to be more discerning in their activities, making the search for each individual proto-space take longer but ultimately saving them time.


    ¡°We had one hit but it was a gold-rank space. You were still down a bunch of Shades and I thought trying it at anything less than full strength was a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°Bad ideas are kind of your thing.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°I suppose they are.¡±


    He pulled a silver spirit coin from his inventory and slipped it into his mouth.


    ¡°I miss cooking,¡± he complained. ¡°I really want to make a hazelnut dacquoise.¡±


    ¡°I miss home,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Did you realise that I¡¯ve spent more time in your world than you have in mine?¡±


    He sat up, looking over at her.


    "No," he said. "No, I didn''t. But yeah, especially if you don''t count all that time I was in an astral space."


    ¡°I¡¯ve found your world as wondrous as you did mine,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯m ready to go back though. More than ready. I want to see hairy idiot Gary. Rufus is no doubt hopeless without me. I want to see my parents. My city. We were so eager to escape it and now I¡¯m desperate to get back.¡±


    Jason¡¯s chair slid across the floor to arrive next to Farrah¡¯s and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get there,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s when, not if.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to have to play tour guide when we get there, you realise.¡±


    ¡°Oh, gods, no. I don¡¯t even want to think about the trouble you¡¯ll cause.¡±


    They both knew that their arrival in Farrah¡¯s world would not be a light, fun time, but they were happy, for the moment, to pretend. That their arrival would herald the worst monster surge in the history of the world was something to think about later.

 Chapter 405: Not Entirely Ethical

    Jason emerged from the water, up the ramp at the base of the cloud house that led into the ocean. The swim had been pleasant and relaxing, although his silver-rank body was far too heavy to float. He didn¡¯t need to breathe, however, so he was as happy under the surface as on it.


    Emi continued to splash about, under the supervision of her father, Ian, and discordantly youthful great grandmother, Yuri. It had taken some convincing before Erika had allowed her daughter to go swimming kilometres out into the Pacific, with Jason taking steps to assure Emi''s safety. He had put away the more modest cloud house and brought out the cloud palace. He configured it into a huge curve, forming an artificial lagoon, complete with underwater rooms that formed an artificial seafloor and a net at the lagoon¡¯s aperture. It formed a calm haven from the ocean waves, as well as any sharks foolish enough to come to the cloud palace in search of prey.


    The cloud palace was a haven in more ways than one. In just the two weeks they had been working to identify their target reality node in Australia, the deterioration of world order had rapidly escalated. Australia itself was fine, in no small part due to an absence of the vampire lords making themselves known globally in even greater numbers than had been feared.


    Several countries in Central America had already suffered total government breakdown, with several South American countries showing dangerous signs of following suit. America was a giant mess, already on the brink of mass civic conflict before vampires laid claim to Baltimore, Boston and Philadelphia.


    Using the two gold-rank essence users in their ranks, the vampires in Philadelphia were resisted and killed but they lost many silver-rankers in the process of taking down eleven vampire lords.


    China had been under a media blackout for months with the ¡®public protection measures¡¯ put in place months before letting almost no information out. The rest of Asia, as well as Africa, were both doing relatively well, with minimal vampiric activity, leaving the existing magical factions to continue fighting over reality cores. Russia and Europe were the exact opposite, suffering massive vampiric occupation.


    Europe was the global hotbed for vampiric activity, with vampire lords laying claim to major cities all over the continent. Governments were working with the other magical factions but Europe¡¯s Network branches had never been the powerhouses that China and the United States were. They would have trouble facing the vampires at the best of times, let alone in the midst of schism and factionalisation. Russia faced similar issues but oddly minimal resistance, with rumours of government collaboration with the vampires rapidly spreading.


    The entire European Union had declared states of emergency but no effective response had been found. The vampire lords were forming councils in the various cities they laid claim to and were difficult to respond to. With small numbers of extremely powerful individuals, the vampires were too strong to face with the Network''s elite forces but too few to face with overwhelming numbers.


    Overwhelming force was a response tried in several cities, but while the vampires were killed or driven off, the price was unacceptable. The vampires, with their small numbers, used the population and infrastructure as shields, while Network forces were forced to rely on magically-enhanced ordnance designed to combat gold-rank threats. As a result, victory meant liberating a smouldering ruin, full of the dead.


    Few nations were willing to pay that price after seeing the results and in many nations, the vampire lords were becoming de facto governments. Italy was the first nation to officially capitulate, in relatively bloodless fashion. France resisted hard but the razing of Paris and the vampires¡¯ bloody reprisals in other French cities effectively wiped out the resisting civilian authorities.


    In the wake of his final talks with Kaito, Greg and Asya, Jason felt lighter than he had since before the Broken Hill tragedy. He smiled, letting the sun dry him out as he watched Ian dive bomb Emi, joining her in the water. Jason would take all the good moments he could get. Farrah came up to stand next to him, but instead of swimwear, she had the robust clothing she preferred to wear under her conjured armour.


    ¡°Another one?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully I can pinpoint the node today.¡±


    Farrah gave Jason the location and he opened a portal. He couldn¡¯t travel to the destination directly but could get within a hundred kilometres. During his time sweeping proto-spaces with the Network Jason had travelled to a lot of Australia, and now his portal could range out to sixteen-hundred kilometres.


    They appeared in a small town still marred by damage from the monster waves. Shade bodies emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow and melded together to take the form of a helicopter. Other than being black, it looked exactly like Kaito¡¯s. Jason and Farrah boarded and headed for the proto-space.


    Some of the nations worst-hit by the current chaos had largely eliminated any Network presence, leading to a reappearance of monster waves. Australia was mercifully spared that, at least for the moment, despite the Chaos in Sydney and similar conflicts elsewhere. The leadership faction had moved to focus on reality cores, abandoning the old responsibilities to the larger but weaker faction, now going by the Global Defence Network.


    One of the GDN teams entered a category three-dimensional incursion space, at which point the ritualist squad leader reported in to the expedition leader.


    ¡°Sir, we¡¯ve done the checks and the readings are way off.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°The anchor monsters are already gone and the integrity of the space is too high. It won¡¯t break down until as much as twenty hours after it should.¡±


    ¡°Then it looks like we¡¯ve got an easy one.¡±


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    "He''s here. Tell everyone to pack it up. With how thin we''re spread, we can be more useful elsewhere than in a space that''s already been handled."


    Jason got a fix on the node and managed a successful repair before returning to the cloud palace with Farrah. Afterwards, they sat on a terrace discussing their work with Dawn.


    ¡°As I spend more and more time working within node space,¡± he said, ¡°it feels like I¡¯m getting a better grasp on astral magic. It¡¯s not like a skill book, imprinting knowledge, but more like being immersed in the primordial clay of reality is giving me a direct sense of all the theory I¡¯ve been studying. Concepts that were abstract and hard to grasp make sense to me now.¡±


    ¡°I believe the nature of your being also has an impact,¡± Dawn postulated. ¡°Normal physical beings have a perception of conventional reality that is a hindrance to understanding the higher concepts within astral magic theory,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It takes an extraordinary mind or highly unusual circumstances to overcome that. Your being, like node space itself, is a gestalt of the physical and the spiritual, rather than two halves like Farrah, myself or this universe. Even someone with astral affinity will have trouble enduring it, yet you have no discomfort, do you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°There''s an effect my abilities identify as dimensional discorporation, which sounds delightful. As you said, my unusual nature renders me impervious to it."


    ¡°It could be said that node space is more the place you are native to than normal reality,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I mean, it¡¯s fine to visit but I don¡¯t think I¡¯d stay.¡±


    ¡°The question is whether this improvement to your understanding of astral magic is improving your ability to identify and repair nodes,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I think it is,¡± Jason said. ¡°It feels like it is but I guess we¡¯ll see as we keep going.¡±


    ¡°I ask,¡± Farrah said, ¡°because I¡¯m worried about what happens when the ambient magic crosses the threshold where magic starts manifesting directly. No more proto-spaces will make identifying nodes harder.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how that will go,¡± Dawn said. ¡°What Jason is doing amounts to pioneering a new sub-specialty of astral magic. Or, perhaps more accurately, he¡¯s exploring a field that has always been taboo. This kind of interference with the physical/astral boundary is exactly what the World-Phoenix, and I as its representative, have always sought to sanction.¡±


    ¡°But you have to cut open that patient to perform surgery,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°If we haven¡¯t sufficiently repaired this end of the link between worlds before the magic here changes, we will find a new methodology. What it will cost us is time.¡±


    ¡°I guess I should pack up the cloud palace,¡± Jason said. ¡°With how things are going in Europe, maybe we should have gone there before Australia.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t regret it,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We cleared Australia¡¯s only vampire lord, which puts it in a good place. With how many vampires are coming out of the woodwork, it may be that Australia becomes a fallback position for humanity¡¯s magical forces. They¡¯re fractured and scattered now but the vampire lords are just too powerful. The magical factions will need to stop fighting and come together.¡±


    ¡°Assuming the Americans don¡¯t just nuke Venice,¡± Jason said.


    Five spears made of red crystal slammed into Jason, throwing him back and pinning him to the wall. One went through his gut, one through his chest and one each in an arm and a leg, immobilising them. One went for Jason¡¯s throat but he managed to dodge enough that it ripped a chunk from the side of his neck instead of piercing through the middle.


    ¡°You made a terrible mistake,¡± the vampire said as it walked slowly toward him.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said painfully through gritted teeth. ¡°I should have changed before going out. This outfit is ruined. Which is ironic, given that you¡¯re the one in need of a wardrobe update. I¡¯m sorry, mate, but if you think those lace cuffs are working for you, I¡¯ve got some bad news.¡±


    ¡°You are a fool.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a lot of things,¡± Jason said. ¡°Focusing on that one seems rude when there are so many options. I¡¯m quite peckish, for example, which you¡¯d know if you were polite enough to ask. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯ve got a sandwich on you? Probably not a sandwich guy, right?¡±


    ¡°I am going to turn you.¡±


    ¡°Could you turn me into a construction guy? You¡¯re damaging a museum, here. You know they have Carracci¡¯s The Choice of Hercules here? I love that painting, although his choice should definitely be to put on some pants. I know the Mediterranean is a pleasant climate but it would be nice to see one picture of Herc where he wasn¡¯t tackle-out. That¡¯s rough sunburn to get.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to hurt you before I turn you,¡± the vampire said as blood flowed from his hand, took the form of a sword and crystallised into a razor-sharp blade.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you''re talking about hurting my feelings?" Jason asked optimistically. The vampire raised its sword to strike when webbing wrapped around it and yanked it backwards, sticking it to a wall opposite where Jason was pinned. The vampire immediately started yanking itself free, even as a fire bolt struck the webbing, setting it and the vampire ablaze.


    The moment the vampire was pulled away, Jason cast a spell.


    ¡°Your blood is not yours to keep but mine on which to feast.¡±


    The red crystal spears in his body turned back into blood and were absorbed into his body, healing the wounds that they, themselves had made and freeing Jason. As the spell took effect, dark mist shrouded him, swapping out his bloody clothes as his blood robes and starlight cloak were conjured around him.


    ¡°You took your time,¡± Jason said as the mist vanished. Threads already on fire snaked in through a large hole in the wall, wrapped around the vampire as it pulled itself free and yanked it once more, this time right out of the building.


    ¡°He hit me through a wall with a sculpture of a naked guy hanging out with a naked little boy and some grapes,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It was more worrying than the vampire.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure I could stall the guy out until you stepped in. If I¡¯d tried to cast my spell with him right in front of me, he¡¯d have stopped me before I could finish the chant. I couldn¡¯t even shadow jump with those things in me. I think they stop teleportation.¡±


    ¡°How did you stall him out?¡±


    ¡°Talked a bunch of crap.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m sure you were fine. You played to your strengths.¡±


    Dawn came hurtling in through the hole, clearly not voluntarily as she went tumbling over the museum¡¯s display floor.


    ¡°Perhaps a little help?¡± she suggested, calm in spite of her dishevelled state as she lightly hopped to her feet.


    Jason extended a shadow arm and smashed the ceiling light. There were more lights in the large hall and darkness didn¡¯t impede a vampire, but that wasn¡¯t his goal. The dim light and sculpture exhibits turned the area into a playground of shadows into which Jason melted as the vampire stalked back in through the huge hole in the wall where Dawn had pulled him out.


    This vampire was stronger than the one they fought in Australia, turning its own blood into versatile weapons. With Jason added in, though, it was not as hard as the one Dawn and Farrah had faced without him. Dawn used control effects while Farrah staggered the vampire with blitz attacks. The final piece of the puzzle was Jason, taking the chances Farrah and Dawn provided to lock in his afflictions. The Farrah and Dawn kept it off balance until the afflictions overcame it.


    When the vampire went down, they were barely able to keep it alive. Fortunately, Jason¡¯s transcendent afflictions dropped off over time, allowing the gold-rank fortitude of the vampire to leave it barely clinging to life.


    ¡°I guess you drain it,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Dawn said, ¡°I would like to try something. Bring him and we¡¯ll go; he¡¯s not the only vampire lord in Naples.¡±


    ¡°What do you want to try?¡± Jason asked as he grabbed the vampire¡¯s scorched legs.


    ¡°Something not entirely ethical,¡± Dawn said.

 Chapter 406: Ahead of Schedule

    ¡°You want me to use this guy as a battery,¡± Jason said.


    The cloud house had taken the appearance of an unremarkable and isolated farmhouse in the Italian countryside. The gold-rank vampire they had captured was locked in a cell from which they were confident it wouldn¡¯t escape. By silver rank, the cloud house was starting to show its diamond-rank potential as it grew more powerful and sophisticated. A single gold-ranker wasn¡¯t powerful enough to force their way in or out.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said as they observed the vampire through a one-way window.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t wrong about it being ethically questionable.¡±


    ¡°Vampires feed on people,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Seems fair that you do the same to them.¡±


    ¡°And is that how we judge ourselves?¡± Jason asked. ¡°By the standards of bloodthirsty monsters?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn said. ¡°We judge ourselves by our actions. Not just the momentary ones but the larger scope of what we do. With what we are trying to achieve and the obstacles in our way, draining one bloodthirsty predator to get any advantage is a morally acceptable act.¡±


    ¡°And how far can we go?¡± Jason asked. ¡°How many bad people is it okay to lock up and torture?¡±


    ¡°All of them,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°What about good people?¡± Jason asked. ¡°How many can we sacrifice? Where¡¯s the line? What¡¯s the number?¡±


    ¡°There isn¡¯t a number,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Thinking there is some kind of objective value in all this that can be quantified is a fool¡¯s argument. Like all acts of morality, it¡¯s a matter of exercising judgement.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­¡±


    Jason¡¯s shoulders sagged.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m not so sure I trust my judgement.¡±


    ¡°Then it is good that you are not alone,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Miss Hurin was not sent to this world on a whim. She was sent so that you would have someone to rely on.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m the sidekick?¡± Farrah pouted.


    Jason looked at her thoughtfully, smiling as she grinned at him.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you. I¡¯m still not comfortable just draining this guy over and over, though. Also, I don¡¯t think he¡¯s got a lot left in him.¡±


    The vampire was not in good condition. Between Jason¡¯s transcendent damage and the fire powers of Farrah and Dawn, even a high rank essence user would have trouble surviving in his current state.


    ¡°We need to get some of the reality-core treated blood they drink,¡± Dawn said. ¡°He can work as a filter for you to top off, drain and then top off again.¡±


    ¡°You talk about getting at their blood supply like it¡¯s a simple thing,¡± Farrah said. ¡°There was a reason we didn¡¯t raid the reality core storage in America.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same circumstances, though,¡± Jason mused. ¡°The vampires don¡¯t have the ritual magic to emplace defences and mundane security measures won¡¯t stop us.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so certain about the magical defences,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The Cabal may have recruited useful Network defectors.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason acknowledged, remembering the silver-rank essence users they fought in Australia. ¡°If they can get top tactical personnel on board, recruiting some ritualists is certainly possible.¡±


    ¡°Especially given how badly the Network is struggling in Europe,¡± Farrah said.


    The vampire lords had repeated the attack on the Sydney branch all over Europe, with far greater success. Sydney suffered massive damage from one vampire, while in European cities two, three, even six vampires had attacked network branches to eliminate their primary rivals. The Network was holding on in backup locations and tertiary branches, continuing to shut down proto-spaces, but their efforts were growing desperate.


    ¡°I believe that the circumstances are different enough that the potential rewards outweigh the risks. Only the vampire lords themselves would be powerful enough to stop us and you¡¯ve seen their pridefulness for yourselves. They will not be as diligent as they should. At least until someone gives them a reason to.¡±


    ¡°A gold-rank vampire is only going to play guard if a stronger vampire forces them to,¡± Jason reasoned.


    ¡°And they won¡¯t be happy about it, so they probably won¡¯t be too diligent,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Still, it¡¯s a big risk.¡±


    ¡°We still have Jason¡¯s trump card, if something goes wrong,¡± Dawn said.


    Jason had a magic item in his possession that he obtained a long time ago, during the Reaper trials. It was a diamond-rank consumable item containing the power of sunlight, which Dawn confirmed would be highly effective, even against vampire lords.


    ¡°That¡¯s something I want to keep in my pocket in case we find ourselves in a bad situation,¡± Jason said. ¡°We only get to use it once.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re going to use it actively,¡± Farrah said, ¡°we should do it right.¡±


    ¡°What are you suggesting?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What if we track down the biggest storehouse of reality cores and vampire blood in Europe to hit. Except, we leak that we¡¯re going to hit it, so the vampires are waiting for us. But instead of trying to sneak in, we come in force. Carefully recruit some Network people and hit them hard. Use the item and wipe out as many of the bloodsuckers as we can.¡±


    ¡°In theory, that¡¯s good,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s a good chance that if we¡¯re recruiting, they¡¯ll catch wind of it, though.¡±


    ¡°Then we let them,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The vampires are prideful and won¡¯t back down. They¡¯ll bring even more of their number to utterly crush any opposition and prove their dominance. The more we can hit with the item, the more we can wipe out.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn said. ¡°That is getting too big. We¡¯re not here to kill vampires. Taking the chance to grow stronger when it costs us minimal time is one thing but taking the time to organise a large scale attack is too much of a distraction from our goal.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jason said. ¡°I like the idea of making a dent in the vampire population but that would be spending time we don¡¯t have to buy risk we don¡¯t need. I¡¯m willing to spend days on this while we¡¯re waiting for the right proto-space to pop. That kind of operation would take weeks of active effort, though. In the end, cutting off the reality core supply faster will ultimately save more lives than killing some vampires now.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯m keeping this plan in mind, though. If we see a good chance to try it, I want to revisit this conversation. Dawn, it feels like every time we¡¯re about to stage a great reality core heist, you throw cold water on it.¡±


    ¡°Boldness is a requisite of achieving our objectives,¡± Dawn said, ¡°but to be bold is to walk on a foolhardy edge. We must be vigilant that we do not slip off that edge.¡±


    ¡°We still require a supply of treated blood,¡± Jason said. ¡°We have to get it somewhere.¡±


    ¡°We conduct a smaller operation than Miss Hurin suggests. Something quicker and safer. Rather than hit one of the core vampire territories, we choose a peripheral target and raid the blood treatment centre there.¡±


    ¡°Will there even be one in a less important location?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Won¡¯t they just distribute the blood from a central, secure site?¡±


    ¡°Even the weakest vampire lord is an edifice of power and pride. None of them would allow anyone else to hold them hostage with the blood supply," Dawn said. "Every vampire lord requires a regular supply of treated blood, otherwise the low levels of magic will rapidly diminish their power until they return to a state of torpor. Given the enemies they are making of everyone, they cannot afford moments of weakness due to breaks in the supply chain. Reality cores they likely ship around, but none of the vampires will let themselves get too far from their blood supply.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a weakness that hopefully gets taken advantage of when the time comes to deal with them,¡± Jason said. ¡°Unfortunately, the world has too much happening all at once.¡±


    ¡°So we pick a city that''s big enough to have vampire lords, but small enough that the stronger vampires are elsewhere,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That rules out going back to Naples, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s too big and they¡¯ll be on alert after this guy disappeared.¡±


    They all looked in on the vampire, lying still in a miserable state.


    Jason had used the cloud flask to produce its vehicle form. Previous it had taken the form of a large tour bus, while now it was a medium-sized yacht, moored amongst other pleasure craft at a dock in Venice. The only reason anyone was using the boats now was to escape the city. The tourist boats around them were all empty, which their aura senses easily confirmed.


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure Venice was the best bet,¡± Farrah said as they sat in the boat making plans. ¡°Isn¡¯t this the very first city the vampires took over?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s the most damaged city. The Italian government hadn¡¯t thrown in the towel yet and supported the Network standing up to the gold-rankers. Those original vampire lords were also some of the strongest, though. They left a crumbling city for larger population centres.¡±


    ¡°Vampires view population as a commodity, like herds of cattle,¡± Dawn said.


    Jason and Shade had already done some initial scouting of the city. He had likewise been sceptical of Dawn¡¯s suggested destination but what he learned eavesdropping on lower-rank vampires validated her choice. Venice was a soft target that no one thought of as one because it was known that the strongest vampires had emerged from it.


    ¡°The original vampire lords here have moved on to larger cities, leaving the weaker ones to manage it,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you can call any of the gold-rank vampires weak. There are only two of them here.¡±


    ¡°Which makes it a good target,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Venice is a symbolic territory for the old vampires, not a valuable one. This is especially true now that the fighting has caused so much destruction. There is no glory in ruling over ruins.¡±


    While Dawn and Farrah remained hidden on the boat, monitoring the grid for proto-spaces, Jason went back out to investigate the city. Shade and his many bodies were an incredible boon on that front, with one body left behind so that Dawn and Farrah could speak to him through it and he could quickly shadow jump back to the boat.


    Roaming the city, he found that the streets and canals were largely empty. He sensed the people unfortunate enough not to have evacuated during the fighting huddled in their homes, only venturing out for food. The vampires allowed some remnants of civic authority to remain operating, organising food distribution stations, even importing food from other Cabal-controlled territories.


    Almost everyone out on the streets was a Cabal member, and most of those were vampires. There was no shortage of lower-rank vampires ready to cast off the veneer of civility and indulge their thirst for blood. Jason spotted more than one group breaking into a home and sending the occupants running before hunting and consuming them for sport.


    Jason itched to step in but unless he had some plan to liberate the city, all that would do is bring more trouble down on the residents. Even if he made just a few lower-rank vampires disappear without a trace, the gold-rankers would be unwilling to tolerate challenges to their authority and investigate thoroughly. The first one to suffer would be the closest innocent people the vampires could find.


    Jason and Shade trailed the low-ranking vampires around the city, gaining a better understanding of the city¡¯s state of affairs. It was like territory captured by an enemy army, with only the occupying forces out in numbers on the mostly empty streets. Many bridges and buildings had suffered catastrophic damage, with some canals flooding after being dammed by rubble. The vampires were pulling people out of their homes and forming work gangs to clear them out.


    The canals themselves were otherwise empty of activity. The famously filthy water was even running clear in the areas not stained by building debris. There were swans and Jason even spotted fish swimming about. It was an oddly bright point in a city that had otherwise become a dystopian nightmare. He hated that after years of wanting to visit Venice, this was the state in which he found it.


    Jason and Shade were also able to glean more information about the vampire lords themselves. The lords also needed more sleep than their less powerful brethren, despite the enhanced blood running through them. Vampire lords slept as much as twelve to fourteen hours, mostly during daylight.


    Continuing to observe the lower-rank vampires, Jason learned of a growing rift between the vampires and the rest of the Cabal. The vampires were a minority within the organisation as a whole but waking up the vampire lords had turned them into a ruling minority. There was growing dissatisfaction amongst the cabal¡¯s many other factions, who were being edged out of positions of authority. There was also, from what he was hearing, a sizeable portion of the vampire faction that, like Craig Vermillion, did not support the old vampires.


    Jason was scouting out the blood treatment centre set up in a medical clinic when Farrah called him back. He shadow-jumped back to the boat, arriving in the room where Farrah monitored the grid. It looked like the communications station of a spaceship, with screens and control panels everywhere. Farrah and Dawn were both watching different readings on the various monitors.


    ¡°You found a target proto-space?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s something else.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°A transformation event had happened in a space that was already coterminous to a proto-space,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Will they interact?¡± Jason asked.


    "From the readings that the grid is throwing out, yes," Farrah said.


    ¡°What kind of effect is it having?¡±


    ¡°That is way beyond my understanding of astral magic,¡± Farrah said. She and Jason both looked at Dawn.


    ¡°I believe,¡± Dawn said, ¡°that this world has decided to end ahead of schedule.¡±

 Chapter 407: Open Wound

    As they walked through an army base in Germany, a handful of male Network troops threw up fists as they spotted the huge and hairy figure of Jack Gerling. The Germans had been avid about expelling the American Network forces from their country until the rise of the vampire lords changed everything. The powerful US forces had been critical in helping Germany deal with powerful vampires across multiple cities, leaving it as one of the least ravaged nations on the continent. In return, Germany was now the US Network¡¯s key staging point in Europe.


    ¡°Beer and titties!¡± they called out.


    ¡°Beer and titties!¡± he responded with a grin, pumping his own fist into the air.


    His power and importance made him a recognisable figure on the base and he had gone out of his way to make friends with all the tactical teams. It cost him little to sow seeds that could potentially have him reaping a critical harvest in the future. He walked through the base, greeting various people as he went until he reached his personal quarters. The moment he stepped inside, the friendly expression on his face went blank.


    He was being more careful with his boorish fa?ade, having let it slip too much in the wake of the fight with Asano. The leadership was still very tight with the reality cores and the last thing he wanted was to be seen as too capable to control.


    The American Network''s leadership had made a priority of advancing more people to category four, especially with the rise of the ancient vampires. It wasn''t the disaster in the US that it was in Europe but it was bad enough and only getting worse. The Network had been keeping a collection of people just short of category four and already reality cores had allowed two of them to cross the threshold.


    This was in addition to the other category four who, like Gerling, had been woken up from stasis. Gerling was still the only one of the category fours the US Network had in Europe as the others were assigned to handle domestic problems. For the moment, Gerling was too valuable to be expendable.


    Already, though, he had seen signs of the leadership becoming nervous about the category fours and the danger of them seizing power. Until he could be certain of a regular reality core supply, Gerling would keep leaning into his more self-indulgent urges, playing the hedonist thug.


    His quarters on the base reflected this, being filled with personal luxuries he had obnoxiously demanded. His handler, Cleary, was more than happy to meet them, satisfied with the minor concessions he gained for providing them. Cleary, especially, had seen behind Gerling¡¯s mask and was looking to alleviate his suspicions. By being consistent with his self-indulgence, he would slowly but surely lead Cleary to dismiss any doubts.


    Battling Asano and Hurin had been a startling wake-up call for Gerling and although he maintained an outward display of hedonistic excess for his nominal masters, he quietly dedicated himself to growing stronger. The US had always had the best training programs, alongside China, and what Farrah Hurin had introduced to the Network had been used to refine them.


    Gerling had gone through the same training as everyone else but had always coasted on the explosive potential of his abilities. Those powers were the reason he had been chosen as one of the first to raise to category four. It was only after the magical deficit forced him to let himself be placed in stasis that he realised that he had also been chosen for expendability if something went wrong.


    Now, Gerling had a team of trainers helping him drive his abilities to new heights, refreshing the skills that had been drilled into him years ago and allowed to fall fallow. He kept his training quiet and his recreation loud, making sure to complain about the effort.


    Inside his quarters, his personal assistant was waiting for him. He had two of them but only cared about one. Fiona was smart and ambitious. Gerling was confident that she knew that she would go further with genuine loyalty than reporting on him to Cleary. She did make those reports, but they contained exactly what Gerling wanted them to.


    As for his other assistant, Gerling constantly amused himself by assigning the young man a series of lengthy and elaborate demands. To his surprise, his assistant¡¯s dedication and enthusiasm led to his unexpectedly fulfilling Gerling¡¯s often bizarre and indulgent requests.


    Fiona handed Gerling a memory stick.


    ¡°This is everything I could get on Asano¡¯s encounter with the EOA in Venezuela," she said. "Several essence users were using that small town as a retreat so there are quite a few testimonials there from people with magical and aura senses. There is also a lot of footage shot from phones.¡±


    Gerling took the memory stick, tapping it against his other hand absently, lost in thought. He had watched the news footage of Asano, killing the EOA¡¯s enhanced humans more than a dozen times. It was Asano¡¯s aura that concerned Gerling the most. Being a skilled essence user with excellent command of his abilities was something Gerling could accept. The raw power of his aura, however, overturned Gerling¡¯s understanding of what was and wasn¡¯t possible. What else was Asano capable of? Could Gerling obtain that power for himself?


    ¡°Anything new on here?¡± he asked, holding up the stick.


    ¡°Not any major details,¡± Fiona said. ¡°Additional confirmation that Asano killed them using his aura alone, based on what the witnesses were able to sense.¡±


    Gerling moved to a desk and plugged the memory stick into his laptop.


    ¡°Thank you, Fiona.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by the world ending early?¡± Jason asked. He, Dawn and Farrah were still in the cloud boat, discussing the overlap between a proto-space and a transformation event.


    ¡°These transformation events are well outside of my experience,¡± Dawn said. ¡°This event is still ongoing, so no one can enter the zone to confirm anything until it completes its transformation and opens up again. That being said, I have seen all manner of dimensional events and sufficiently unstable dimensional forces all have similar results.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Farrah prompted.


    ¡°Based on the readings we¡¯ve been taking from the grid, I believe that something very dangerous is happening.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous like a super monster wave?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Far worse, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Dimensional ulceration.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s bad,¡± Jason said with a wince.


    ¡°Can someone explain that to the person not specialised in astral magic?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Imagine an open wound in the side of the universe,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s very, very not good in a universe whose dimensional membrane is stable and healthy. In a fixer-upper universe like ours¡­ I don¡¯t even want to contemplate.¡±


    ¡°In the best case,¡± Dawn said, ¡°it will establish a second source of magic that will start feeding into this world.¡±


    "Like the dimensional link we''re going to all this effort to fix," Farrah said.


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Dawn confirmed. ¡°Except that this source will be impossible to cut off. Normally the World-Phoenix and her agents would work to remedy such a situation but Earth¡¯s dimensional membrane is like a thin sheet of glass, already full of cracks. Trying to repair it could shatter it entirely.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the best case?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°The worst case,¡± Dawn said, ¡°is that the dimensional membrane rapidly collapses and this world is annihilated. That subsequently tears a chunk out of this entire reality, chaining into the universe completely breaking down. It¡¯s more likely the damage will be contained to your planet, or at least your solar system, but it may end this entire physical reality.¡±


    ¡°So, worse than a super monster wave,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Considerably,¡± Dawn agreed.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming you have a plan,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d really like to hear a plan.¡±


    "It may be possible for you to stabilise the effects," Dawn said. "During a transformation event, the entire area is sealed. I believe this is because the area is drawn at least partially into what you, Jason, have been referring to as node space. The dimensional changes taking place are being affected by the proto-space coterminous to that area, causing what is already a reality-shearing transformation to go out of control."


    ¡°You think I can use the Builder¡¯s door to enter the sealed space,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The World Phoenix personally sculpted a racial gift evolution that would make you the perfect living tool for resolving problems in dimensionally unstable space. Your presence alone will be a help.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Jason said. ¡°You want me to go into a place that can¡¯t be entered and brave conditions that are completely unknown in an environment being torn apart and rebuilt at a level that makes subatomic particles seem shallow?¡±


    ¡°I know it seems too dangerous to¨C¡±


    ¡°Awesome,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Pardon?¡± Dawn asked.


    "No piles of victims turned zombies. No saving who I can while the dead pile up around me. Just going some crazy pocket dimension for some good, clean world-saving? Get it right and everybody lives?"


    Jason nodded his head, grinning.


    ¡°I think I¡¯ve needed this for a long time,¡± he said.


    ¡°You will have to go alone,¡± Dawn said. ¡°No one else can reliably survive the conditions within an active transformation event, except for the people who are part of it and they don¡¯t remember anything. They are, at the very least, unconscious. More likely, they exist in some kind of transitional state and you should avoid them as best you can. For your sake, as much as theirs. I was trying to tell you that it will be dangerous.¡±


    ¡°You were also telling me that I would have to do it anyway right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It needs to be done and only you can do it.¡±


    ¡°You know that the transformation event will be crawling with people gearing up to snatch the reality core, right?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°This will reveal Jason¡¯s door power to everyone. They won¡¯t understand everything about it, but the ability to enter transformation events is all they¡¯ll need. They¡¯ll start coming after him because they¡¯ll think he can give them a head start on core collecting.¡±


    ¡°If only they knew,¡± Jason said. ¡°Reality cores are pebbles on the ground in node space.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, there will be no getting past them unnoticed,¡± Dawn said. ¡°There will be considerable attention on the transformation space. You will need to enter swiftly, in case anyone attempts to intercept you before you do.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I need to go alone,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can¡¯t come in with me and you can¡¯t hang about with all the others outside.¡±


    ¡°Leave your family as well,¡± Dawn said. ¡°If the worst happens and you fail, I will make sure they and Miss Hurin are sent to the other world.¡±


    ¡°You can do that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°If this world¡¯s dimensional membrane enters a state of irreversible collapse, I no longer have to worry about damaging it. I can intervene directly and take them away in my dimensional vessel.¡±


    Jason gave her a warm smile.


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    Each transformation event had a tense prelude where the different magical factions arrived and everyone waited for the impassable barrier to drop so the search and fight for the reality core could begin. Fighting breaking out beforehand was more common than not. The rise of the old vampires had only added to the already strong position of the Cabal in these conflicts, as all their members grew stronger in transformation spaces.


    There were places where Network held the edge, however. In Europe, Jack Gerling was the single most powerful individual. The old vampires outnumbered him, but his abilities were specialised in devastating large numbers of enemies, levelling the playing field.  Rumours spoke to similar circumstances in China, although very little information got out. No one was even sure exactly how many gold-rank essence users they had, although no one doubted they had at least some.


    The transformation zone that appeared on the plains of western Slovakia was special because of the proto-space it formed on top of. This drew unusually large forces from every faction, all of whom could now tap into the grid. The EOA gained access when they took over Network duties at the request of several governments. The Cabal gained access more recently though Network defectors.


    None of the magical factions had the understanding of astral magic that Dawn or even Jason possessed. They could tell that the transformation space was unusual but most were postulating that the result would be additional reality cores, not an inexorable doomsday clock.


    The transformation zone was currently a glimmering dome several kilometres across. A giant rainbow under glass, it swirled with bright, wild colours. In the nearby city of Nitra, Jack Gerling was sitting at an outdoor caf¨¦, rather than hovering around the dome. Even if the event was unusual, it was unlikely to open up for days, like always. The estimations were that it would take more time than normal, not less.


    Nitra was something of a blessed city, being too small to host any ancient vampires but large enough to warrant Network protection during the monster waves. It was now a major centre for the Network after being pushed out of Bratislava by vampires. As a result, it had weathered the magical tribulations of the past several years in far better stead than most, allowing the residents to maintain at least some aspects of their normal lives.


    As he sipped at his coffee, Gerling¡¯s gold-rank perception allowed his eyes to pick out something moving through the air, despite its great altitude. It struck him as odd as normally planes stayed away from transformation zones, and this one was jet black. After months of investigating Jason Asano¡¯s behaviour, he knew what a black vehicle going somewhere it shouldn¡¯t meant.


    ¡°He¡¯s here.¡±

 Chapter 408: Looting a House Burning Down Around You

    In the Slovakian city of Nitra, Gerling stepped out into the street and launched himself into the air with gold-rank strength, sailing high over the rooftops. As he reached the top of his arc, he triggered an explosion that sent him rocketing through the sky. More explosions continued to send him hurtling in the direction of the giant dome out on the plains.


    Shade¡¯s plane form dissolved into a cloud of shadows from which Jason dropped out. The cloud trailed him like the tail of a dark comet as he descended, being absorbed as he plunged through the air. Jason allowed himself to freefall, angling his body towards the huge target of the dome.


    The auras gathered around the transformation zone told the story of the magical factions waiting to exploit it. The contentious Network factions were split into various camps. There were the American Network and the old leadership faction, still calling themselves simply the Network. Jason couldn¡¯t differentiate one from another just by the aura of essence users, while the other factions were more obvious.


    The breakaway Global Defence Network was not just comprised of essence users but also former EOA and Cabal members. Unhappy with the direction their factions had taken since magic was revealed to the world, they banded together and were the most numerous of the current magical factions. Their weakness was that for all their numbers, they had a limited number of powerful elites.


    Jason would be more sympathetic to their cause if they weren¡¯t here to plunder reality¡¯s treasures like everyone else. He understood their need for strength to compete with the other factions, but his time in node space gave Jason a better sense than even Dawn of what stripping the Earth¡¯s reality cores was doing. He couldn¡¯t bring himself to accept people tearing the fabric of reality apart for their own ends.


    Also present were the Cabal, split into vampire and non-vampire camps. It reinforced what Jason had learned in Venice about the Cabal¡¯s internal tensions. The last faction present was the EOA, who had long been the poor cousins in the fight over reality cores. That was slowly changing, though, as more of the magical drug that boosted them temporarily to gold rank was disseminated. This allowed them, at least briefly, to match up with the power of vampire lords.


    The EOA had largely abandoned the League of Heroes and the hero gimmick to operate more openly. It was a difficult position to maintain when other forces were demonstrably stronger than what were ostensibly superheroes. Now they were operating more like superhuman paramilitary, although their flight and eyebeam powers still maintained a very superheroic flavour.


    There were several gold rank auras present in the vampire camp, but the most powerful aura present was approaching at blistering speed from the direction of the nearby city. There were explosions of magic in the distance, one after another, which Jason sensed before the sound of them reached him. They were propelling the gold-rank aura was rocketing toward the dome at supersonic speed.


    ¡°He¡¯s here,¡± Jason murmured, his words whipped away in the speed of his descent. He angled his body down for maximum acceleration, trying to reach the dome before the gold-ranker that killed Kaito, Asya and Greg arrived. He aimed for the very peak of the dome, to avoid the factions gathered around it. He used his cloak to decelerate at the last moment but still landed hard on the glassy surface of the dome. Underneath, energy swirled like a rainbow lava lamp.


    Without hesitating, Jason opened the magic door, although its appearance was different from the norm. Ordinarily, Jason¡¯s portal abilities, be it the spirit vault, the node space door or a normal portal, took the form of an arch of dark, smoky glass with glimmers of transcendent light within. The node door he called up this time was set directly into the surface of the dome, the familiar glassy stone forming a ring. It was an aperture into the dome, exposing the rainbow energy otherwise trapped beneath the dome¡¯s surface. The exposed energy churned like a boiling cauldron.


    Gerling arrived next to the portal without slowing down, the impact releasing a massive gong-like sound, along with a shockwave that whipped at Jason¡¯s blood-coloured robes. Each standing on opposite sides of the portal, they stared each other down.


    ¡°I talked to my girlfriend after you killed her,¡± Jason said. ¡°She told me that I shouldn¡¯t go looking for revenge.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the strength for revenge.¡±


    ¡°No today,¡± Jason said as Shade¡¯s bodies emerged to stand around him. ¡°But you don¡¯t have a fancy teleport trap in place, either. I don¡¯t think you can catch me. Neither do you.¡±


    ¡°How did you get away the first time?¡± Gerling asked. ¡°It was something to do with your aura, right? Negating the suppression collar? Is it an essence ability that lets you do that? An outworlder power?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to answer your questions. I have more important things to deal with.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here? Finally joining the fight for reality cores?¡±


    ¡°Think what you want,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve warned you all and no one cares.¡±


    Gerling stared at Jason, his face conflicted.


    "I''ve been investigating you since we fought. You really are different from the essence users of this world."


    ¡°What does that matter to you? You¡¯re here for reality cores like the rest. You¡¯re all too obsessed with power to realise you¡¯re looting a house burning down around you.¡±


    Gerling looked down at the portal set into the dome.


    ¡°Are you really trying to save the world?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°From what?¡±


    Jason thumped a foot on the dome.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve noticed,¡± he said, ¡°but our planet is coming apart at the seams. I¡¯ve been trying to stop it from slowly disintegrating but now there¡¯s this thing and I have to stop it from quickly disintegrating.¡±


    ¡°Everyone thinks there will be more reality cores than normal when this dome opens.¡±


    ¡°Maybe there will be, I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°But if I don¡¯t go in there and fix this today, it won¡¯t matter what¡¯s in here.¡±


    Gerling turned his gaze from the portal back to Jason. They could both sense more auras rapidly ascending the dome in their direction.


    ¡°Go,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Do what you have to do.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°I have questions, but I¡¯ll catch you another day.¡±


    ¡°Leaving me to do this doesn¡¯t absolve you for killing my people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your absolution,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I want your secrets.¡±


    Jason would have fired back another retort but the auras were drawing close and he didn''t have time. Letting Gerling have the last word, he stepped over the portal and dropped inside, like falling through a manhole. Gerling was left alone with the portal.


    ¡°He talked to her after I killed her?¡± he wondered out loud.


    The atmosphere was tense and people from all the various factions stood around the portal. Everyone was looking at everyone else as they eyed-off the new entrance to the sealed transformation zone.


    ¡°Gerling, what happened?¡± asked a silver-ranker from the American Network.


    ¡°Someone opened a door,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Any of you want to go in, I¡¯m not going to stop you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the most powerful person here,¡± the silver-ranker said. ¡°You can beat everyone to whatever is inside.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want whatever¡¯s inside,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°You let fear guide you,¡± a vampire lord sneered.


    Gerling turned his gaze and his aura on the vampire, who met his eyes for a moment before flinching. Whatever else might be happening, Gerling was still the most powerful being out of everyone gathered atop the dome.


    ¡°If anyone is willing to play lab rat, go right ahead,¡± Gerling told the assemblage. ¡°Tell me how it goes.¡±


    He leapt back into the air and shot off with a series of explosions.


    Jason dropped through the portal, set into the ceiling of a small, windowless room. It had faded, floral-print wallpaper that was torn and peeling, revealing aged and cracked plaster underneath. A closed wooden door was the only visible exit.


    Jason¡¯s head swam, his vision unable to penetrate the shadows in the corners of the room. The only light was the multihued glow of the portal over his head. His conjured cloak and robes were gone, leaving him in his underwear with his boots and magical amulet.


    You have entered an extremely abnormal space.This space operates according to an abnormal magical paradigm. Essence abilities will not take effect.


    His aura and perception power were both gone. They were so much a part of him, an extension of himself that to suddenly lose them felt crippling. His basic senses were still enhanced by his silver-rank attributes.


    Both magical and physical aspects of this space are in a state of severe flux.Your ability [Nirvanic Transfiguration] has a stabilising effect on the immediate space around you. You may exert the influence of your soul to permanently stabilise areas of the affected space.Utilising your soul to express influence over this space brings a chance of permanent alteration to your physical and/or magical properties.


    ¡°Oh, what the bloody hell is this?¡±


    The method he used to cause changes within node space involved leveraging his aura as a tool, something Jason had become increasingly adept at. Now he could no longer do so due to the loss of his aura power, despite that being the entire point of coming into the transformation zone.


    The hope had been that stabilising the transformation zone would be much the same as rectifying a node, which was tricky but more or less safe, and something he had done before. Instead, he now had to figure out how to somehow imprint stability on the space by exposing his soul to unpredictable changes. If there was anything less than the whole world at stake, he¡¯d be inclined to flee immediately.


    He was currently in a small, enclosed space. His options of what to do first were experimenting with exerting control over the space with his soul and opening the door to take stock of his surroundings. Both approaches had merit, with the explore option potentially giving him a better understanding of what he was dealing with. Figuring out some kind of control, on the other hand, might give him a critical tool should he run into some kind of threat.


    He decided to stay put for the moment and take stock. He could still feel the presence of his familiars in his soul, but they were unable to manifest their vessels due to the negation of his essence powers. He hoped the vessels were simply suppressed and not destroyed. He lacked the resources to resummon his familiars and no longer had the contacts to source more of them.


    A quick test revealed that Jason¡¯s essence abilities might be gone but his outworlder powers remained intact. He was unsure if this was normal for racial gifts or the result of the Nirvanic Transfiguration power the World-Phoenix designed for him. Either way, it let him pull a fresh set of clothes from his inventory.


    ¡°At least I don¡¯t have to save the world in my underpants. It¡¯d be a good story, though. Maybe I should¡­ no, that wouldn¡¯t be sensible.¡±


    Jason also took out his sword, Dread Salvation. It had been roughly three years since Gary made him the sword but it felt like a lifetime ago. Dread salvation had been designed to help Jason in his moments of greatest need, a gesture of gratitude for helping Gary in his time of need. It did so by helping Jason fight enemies his powers were unable to hurt. Since reaching silver-rank, Jason hadn¡¯t pulled it out. Not only did Jason have the power to bypass such immunities, now, but the growth weapon was limited by Gary¡¯s skill at the time he crafted it, only able to grow to bronze-rank strength.


    Jason¡¯s reliance on his conjured weapon, currently denied to him, meant that his under-ranked sword was the only backup that he had. Even so, the familiar grip in his hand was a reassuring presence when he was alone in what was sure to be a bizarre realm.


    Further testing his powers, he pulled up his map ability. The racial evolution of his map power, which gave him access to a tactical mini-map, was not something he used very often. It allowed his aura and magic senses to map the location of anyone or anything they sensed, but Jason largely relied on his aura senses directly. It was most useful in tight, complex confines, such as stalking the vampires in the Network office in Sydney.


    The results of bringing up the map were a little disconcerting. Only the room he was in was marked on it. There was a fog covering the space outside the room, and the edges of the map were shifting and changing as he looked at them. He checked the listed location.


    Zone: Genesis seed (reimplemented).Warning: this location does not fully exist.


    It was the first time Jason had seen a special note like that for a location, especially one as disconcerting as ¡®does not fully exist.¡¯ Even remaining in a proto-space until it completely collapsed didn¡¯t give him such a warning.


    Continuing to test his available abilities, his power to turn Shade¡¯s bodies into vehicles was a nonstarter as Shade was unable to emerge in the first place. His last active power was his spirit vault, which he was unsure about trying. His spirit vault was the doorway to his soul, which he was wary about opening. The system message had warned him that exerting his soul in this place could permanently change him in unknown ways.


    Opening up his soul in this strange space was potentially dangerous, although it also could be the key to using his soul to stabilise the space, given that he was currently unable to wield his aura. After some consideration, Jason decided that with the circumstances, the restrictions on him and the stakes, he had to take some risks.


    He tried opening the spirit vault but the familiar archway didn¡¯t appear. Instead, the dilapidated room around him started to change. The walls slowly started transmuting into the familiar smoky glass, faintly radiating light, that his portal arches and the pavilion in his spirit vault were made of. As it changed, Jason felt his aura awaken, slowly giving him control over it once more.

 Chapter 409: Domain

    Jason was in a small room that was transforming from a dilapidated plaster box with peeling wallpaper to a stone room shaped by his own power. He had tried to open his spirit vault but instead, the space around him seemed to be turning into his spirit vault. It was more than a little disconcerting, although the benefits were obvious. One was that he may have stumbled onto the means by which he could stabilise the transformation zone before it gouged a wound in the skin of the universe.


    The other benefit was that Jason could once again express control over his aura. It lacked the specific powers that came from his aura essence ability but he was able to project the power of his soul outwards once more. It only extended as far as the transforming walls, which suggested that Jason could somehow claim dominion over the space by transforming it.


    The only part of the room not transforming was the wooden door. Jason was contemplating opening it when it exploded inward as some manner of monstrosity burst in, slamming Jason against the opposite wall. It happened too fast for him to get a sense of what he was fighting, other than it being big, fleshy and warm as it pressed him between its mass and the wall.


    He couldn¡¯t reach the sword at his hip so he employed wrestling techniques to wedge his arms between himself and his attacker, earning himself some literal wiggle room. This allowed him to slip out of the creature¡¯s press and take what little space he could in the enclosed room.


    The creature was comical in proportion: a blob of muscly flesh on a pair of ordinary human legs that looked far too frail to support it. It had no arms, no face, just a pink, fleshy mass. Jason wasn¡¯t even sure how it squeezed through the normal-sized door. As it awkwardly turned its legs in his direction, he drew his sword, which seemed to enrage the creature. The front of it opened like a mouth, the skin and flesh pulling apart with a wet ripping sound. Square, uneven, fist-sized teeth pushed their way through the meat at the top and bottom of the wound-mouth. It let out a scream of rage and pain that chilled Jason¡¯s blood.


    Jason backed up hard against the wall as it rushed him again, lifting both feet to intercept the creature, pushing back against it to maintain a gap as it pushed him harder into the wall. It snapped its mouth as Jason fended it off with his legs, his sword held overhead in both hands. He started stabbing down but the blade slid off its rubbery skin, leaving not so much as a scratch.


    The creature managed to get its mouth around one of Jason¡¯s boots, twisting to fling him around. He barely held on to his sword with one hand as the creature shook him like a dog with a toy. Using his silver-rank flexibility and strength, Jason flexed at the waist to extend his empty hand into the creature¡¯s mouth, grabbing one of the big square teeth. He used the leverage thus gained to plunge the sword into the creature¡¯s mouth, burying it deep into the flesh within. Yanking the blade savagely back and forth, he ignored the crushing force of the mouth on his arm and foot until the creature dropped dead. It¡¯s lifeless body landing heavily atop Jason.


    You have defeated [Living Anomaly].Would you like to loot [Living Anomaly]?Interaction with [Living Anomaly] has instigated random changes in weapon [Dread Salvation]. Further interaction will consolidate change.Ability [Nirvanic Transfiguration] has stabilised and refined changes to weapon [Dread Salvation].[Dread Salvation] transformation status: 0.4%.You have established a spirit domain. Expanding your spirit domain will define and stabilise unstable genesis space but trigger anomalous reactions from genesis space outside the spirit domain.Interaction with genesis space has instigated uncontrolled secondary evolution of ability [Spirit Vault]. Further interaction will complete evolution.Ability [Nirvanic Transfiguration] has stabilised and refined the secondary evolution path of [Spirit Vault].[Spirit Vault] evolution status: 0.003%.


    The first thing Jason did was loot the monster sprawled on top of him, which dissolved into the thickest rainbow smoke Jason had ever encountered. Unlike normal rainbow smoke, which was incorporeal and passed through any solid object before dissolving into the astral, this smoke was heavy, oily and seeped into the smoky glass bricks of the room. It also had, by some dark miracle, an even more repellent stench than regular rainbow smoke, which already smelled like hair being burned inside the carcass of a dead whale. Even with Jason not needing to breath, it was like the rancid stink was permeating his skin.


    [Spirit Vault] evolution status: 0.004%.[Stable Genesis Core] has been added to your inventory.10 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    Jason lay on the floor, feeling his injuries rapidly heal. The fact that Colin¡¯s regeneration was still in effect probably meant that the vessels of his familiar were intact and simply unavailable, which was good. He was unable to pull out Gordon¡¯s orbs, which meant that only the passive bonuses of his familiars were being passed along while the active ones remained sealed away with his essence abilities.


    After pushing himself up to a sitting position and shuffling back to lean against the wall, Jason took a closer look at the system messages. Using his sword on the creature had triggered a nascent transformation in the weapon, with his Nirvanic Transfiguration ability directing that change in a positive direction. The same was true for using his spirit vault power to stabilise the transformation space.


    He reminded himself to have Dawn thank the World-Phoenix for the power. He knew that it wasn''t generosity but the need for a tool that could repair the damage to Earth. Since he would have tried to do it either way, though, he was grateful for the ability. More and more he realised that it shaped him into exactly the right tool for the job. Without it, he would have failed long ago.


    ¡°Greg called me a tool more than once,¡± he sad to the empty room with a sad smile. ¡°I guess I can¡¯t begrudge some super god from taking it literally.¡±


    Jason¡¯s independent streak was strong but, for the moment at least, he and the World-Phoenix had the same objectives. He might not trust the great astral beings, with their alien minds and epoch-spanning agendas but he was forced to acknowledge that they had done a lot for him. Whatever their motivations, the World-Phoenix brought him both home and back from the dead, while the Reaper brought back Farrah. If the price for all that was saving a world or two, he was happy to pay it.


    Jason looked up to where the rainbow smoke from the living anomaly seemed to be absorbed by the space he had stabilised. There were a lot of unanswered questions about the living anomaly. Firstly, how did Jason''s power know it was called a living anomaly? Did his mind arbitrarily assign it or did Jason have some kind of extremely powerful divination power he was unable to actively employ? There was also the question of the anomaly''s rank.


    Jason''s aura senses had been restored alongside his aura, albeit in a similarly restricted fashion. It was definitely enough to recognise that the anomaly had been silver rank, though. Was that a coincidence? It seemed odd that a reality-reshaping event would be limited to silver-rank power. Was it a factor of earth''s low magical density or was it related to Jason himself? He searched through the system messages again.


    You have established a spirit domain. Expanding your spirit domain will define and stabilise unstable genesis space but trigger anomalous reactions from genesis space outside the spirit domain.


    Did the anomaly appear as a reaction to Jason using his spirit vault power? It made sense to Jason that if the anomaly was triggered by his action, the resulting reaction would share his power level. It seemed likely that more of those things would appear as he attempted to stabilise the space, so hopefully, they wouldn''t be much more powerful.


    It had been very weak compared to most silver-rank monsters, falling into the variety that normally appeared in large packs and was severely lacking in fortitude. Even so, the bronze-rank sword had trouble piercing the creature¡¯s skin, forcing Jason to attack its more vulnerable insides. The anomalies that appeared in the future were likely to be far more numerous as he expanded the stable area and more of them spawned.


    Jason looked to the door that had been shattered to splinters by the monster¡¯s entry. It was dark outside and without his perception power, the gloom obstructed his vision. The last thing he did before going out was taking the item he looted from the monster from his inventory to examine.


    Item: [Stable Genesis Core] (unranked, common)


    A refined vessel of transformative potential energy (consumable, magic core).


    Effect: Use to set up spiritual domains. Expanding spiritual domains requires additional cores based on the size of the spiritual domain.


    You are in the vicinity of your spirit domain. Cost to expand: 1 [Stable Genesis Core]. Would you like to expand your spirit domain?


    Jason declined for the moment but was satisfied to have what looked like a viable method to achieve his goal. He had come in with no solid idea of what to do but now there was a path ahead of him. As best he could determine, he would need to expand his spiritual domain using his spirit vault power, and then harvest the anomalies that attacked so he could expand it more.


    Either he would need to completely convert the transformation space or maybe just reach some kind of threshold that stabilised it enough that a wound wasn¡¯t torn in the side of reality. He just hoped that he could handle however many anomalies came at him while he didn¡¯t have his combat powers.


    Putting away the core, he got to his feet and resheathed his sword, the blood and gore on it having dissolved into smoke. He made his way to the door to find what awaited him. He emerged into what looked like a hotel hallway, in the same state of disrepair as the room he just left had been. The transformation brought about by his spirit vault had stopped inside the room.


    There was more peeling wallpaper and thin carpet with patches where the underlay or the floorboards underneath could be seen. There were fluorescent ceiling lights in the hall, most of which were dark. Only a few sporadically flickered, shedding intermittent light. If he had his shadow powers it would have been a welcome environment. Instead, he felt what he suspected others did when they knew he was out there, somewhere in the dark.


    Rather than immediately try and expand his spirit domain, he decided to explore a little. After leaving the room he was no longer able to project his aura, so he was left relying on his mundane senses. He had two directions to go, right or left, and chose left at random. He tried some of the doors he passed but they were all locked. He didn¡¯t try breaking in.


    As Jason moved further down the hall, he slowed and then stopped as a wrongness nagged at his senses. It was frustrating to be impaired by the dark for the first time in years and he was unsure what exactly had tripped his instincts. Looking around in the flickering light, he fixed on the walls, something about them not seeming quite right. He drew his sword and ran the tip gently along the wall, which scraped away the surface as if the walls were a fa?ade; a wet, thickly layered painting of a wall rather than the wall itself.


    He tried pushing his sword in deeper and it dug in with little resistance, but the reaction was immediate. The wall around his sword flinched like a living thing, drawing back and threatening to pull the sword from his hands. Pulling the sword free of the wall, he examined the blade to find it coated in a clay-like substance, mixed with what looked and smelled like blood. The wall returned to its original position, once more looking like a wall except for a hole leaking more blood.


    Jason took some cautious steps forward and the patchy carpet started squelching underfoot, having become the same paint-like substance as the wall. He backed off, back onto actual carpet. Checking that he¡¯d been passing through an actual hallway, he identified the point that ostensibly normal hallway gave way to a strange paint-flesh thing. Heading down the other way, he confirmed that in either direction, the hallway started turning strange at points equidistant from his spirit domain, the room in which he had arrived.


    Nothing else had attacked Jason during his exploration of the hallway, leading him to postulate that nothing would until he either expanded the spirit domain or delved further into the strange space beyond it. He stood outside the room he had arrived in, which was currently the extent of his spirit domain. Once more he took the stable genesis core from his inventory.


    You are in the vicinity of your spirit domain. Cost to expand: 1 [Stable Genesis Core]. Would you like to expand your spirit domain?


    ¡°Sure,¡± he said. Immediately the doorway stated transforming from dilapidated wood into dark, smoky crystal. The effect spread along the walls, floor and ceiling, extending down the hall. The dead or flickering ceiling lights were replaced with glowing crystals that spread cool light down the hall. From the dim reaches beyond, Jason heard the sounds of movement.

 Chapter 410: Needs of the Moment

    His silver-rank attributes placed Jason firmly in the realm of superhuman, but attributes alone were only potential. If not used to their maximum potential they were being wasted, which was what differentiated the best adventurers from the worst. This was something Rufus, Gary and Farrah had repeated over and over during his training. From the very start, they had been looking not just further ahead than Jason but even beyond their own progress at the time. Jason was now stronger and more experienced than they had been at the time.


    At iron-rank and even bronze, only specialists like Sophie engaged in wild acrobatics. At silver-rank, though, any essence user not moving like Spider-Man was squandering their potential. The might of the power attribute, fuelled by the recovery attribute, controlled by the speed attribute and guided by the spirit attribute. Just as essences formed a confluence, so did attributes combine into a greater whole.


    With his essence abilities sealed away, it was the skill and discipline hammered into him by Rufus, Gary and Farrah that carried him through. Armed with an under-ranked sword marginally better than his bare hands, his only means to confront the living anomalies was pure fighting.


    When Jason had used the first stable genesis core, his spirit domain had expanded outwards. The smoky glass with the glimmering internal light spread out from the room it had already taken over and both directions down the hallway. It stopped at the point where the normal hallway gave way to the bizarre materials Jason had already discovered.


    Your spirit domain has expanded.Interaction with genesis space has instigated uncontrolled secondary evolution of ability [Spirit Vault]. Further interaction will complete evolution.Ability [Nirvanic Transfiguration] has stabilised and refined the secondary evolution path of [Spirit Vault].[Spirit Vault] evolution status: 0.008%.


    Two anomaly creatures emerged, one from each end of the darkened hallway. Both were wildly different from the anomaly Jason already killed and each other, in both appearance and abilities. One scuttled across the ceiling like an insect, looking like an emaciated human with too many elbows and knees. It was fast but Jason knocked it off the wall before stomping and stabbing it to death in fairly short order.


    You have defeated [Living Anomaly].


    It was frailer than any silver-rank entity he had encountered but its inherent silver-rank damage reduction shielded it from much of the sword¡¯s damage. Jason¡¯s ability to ignore rank disparity only extended to his own body and his currently-sealed powers.


    The second anomaly was much harder to handle. It had human proportions but was featureless and androgynous. As he watched, it took on a more feminine body shape and launched itself at Jason with technique that he recognised. It moved the way he remembered Sophie moving and fought the way he remembered her fighting.


    Fake Sophie¡¯s bronze-rank techniques were no match for Jason''s silver-rank prowess as he defended himself from its attacks and quickly slashed the creature twice with his swords. Jason didn''t doubt that Sophie was, like him, far stronger than when they had last seen each other.


    Over time, Jason¡¯s fighting style had grown more offensive as he learned to incorporate more attacks without compromising his ability to evade or disappear into shadows. Although he would never come out swinging a club, there was more aggression in his techniques. Since Broken Hill and Makassar especially, the transition was not just a matter of technique but mentality.


    Now that he was fighting without powers, he moved away from the finesse of his normal style to a more brutal approach. One of the benefits of having learned from skill books was having a broad suite of techniques to mix up his style. His fighting style, The Way of the Reaper, had a very mixed martial arts sensibility of versatility and adaptation.


    Although Jason¡¯s speed and perception often made his fighting style seem like film choreography, that was when he had all his tools and powers at his command. Even pushing his silver-rank speed and strength to the limits, the living anomalies were silver-rank too. They might have been even weaker than equivalent-rank monsters but Jason was fighting them outnumbered, with what amounted to a sharp stick.


    The second anomaly changed again, this time taking the shape of Rufus. Rufus¡¯s sword skill, even at bronze, was a match for Jason¡¯s. Still, Jason was able to leverage his superior attributes and slowly overwhelm the Rufus clone until it shifted again.


    This time it was Farrah, bone splitting out through the creature skin to imitate her conjured armour. This fight swiftly proved futile for Jason. Unlike the Sophie and Rufus shapes, which reflected the bronze-rank powers Jason remembered, Jason remembered Farrah at her current strength. He was also unable to penetrate the armour with his sword.


    Suspecting that the anomaly was turning his own memories into weapons, Jason decided to try something unconventional. Gaining distance, he cleared his mind. After years of magical meditation, he could quickly and easily focus his mind on a singular thing, which is exactly what he did. Jason''s entire mind was consumed by a single image of the least dangerous thing he could imagine.


    The anomaly stopped dead still as its shape shifted from that of Farrah to that of Thadwick Mercer. Jason had never actually seen Thadwick fight, but as he had hoped, Jason''s disdain for Thadwick and his capabilities translated into the stolen shape. It even seemed to affect the creature¡¯s resilience as Jason¡¯s blade easily slid into its throat and it dropped dead.


    Jason consumed the two cores he gained from those two anomalies to further expand his spirit domain, which spread far enough to claim each end of the hallway. Three anomalies appeared, all from the same direction this time and he became increasingly pressured as he fought them.  After putting them all down, he took stock and explored the ends of the hallways.


    The smoky crystal had overtaken the corridor, pushing back the strange gooey material the hall was otherwise made from. As he checked the new boundaries of his spirit domain, he found that one end of the hall ended in a stairwell going up and down. He quickly determined that he was on the fourth floor of a five-storey building.


    A normal transformation zone maintained a close relation to the shape it had been in before being transformed. The pastoral plains this zone had covered had nothing remotely like a five-story hotel, dilapidated or not. Jason guessed that the transformation zone had been influenced by the proto-space it overlapped with.


    With no idea of how long he had to accomplish his task, Jason was concerned. He was confident he could control how much he expanded his spirit domain and how many anomalies accordingly attacked by how many cores he used at once. With no idea of how long he had to stabilise the transformation zone, he felt the need to accelerate his pace but wasn¡¯t confident about taking on more than a few of the anomalies. Even if they were much weaker than equivalent-rank monsters, Jason was much weaker than an equivalent-rank essence user at that moment.


    Checking the other end of the hallway, Jason found it looping around to other areas on the same floor. Not wanting to waste time, he decided to keep expanding the spirit domain at his current pace, facing two or three anomalies at a time. He hoped that something would change if he met some threshold of spirit domain size, giving him an exploitable advantage.


    He could use his aura within the domain already, albeit without the effects of his aura power. If the domain grew large enough, perhaps even his powers could be restored. Then he could tear through the anomalies like the devil riding a bloody wind.


    By the time he had claimed the entire fourth floor, he was not happy with his progress.


    [Dread Salvation] transformation status: 32.6%.[Spirit Vault] evolution status: 0.098%.


    He strongly suspected the evolution of his spirit vault was directly tied to his progress stabilising the zone. The minuscule percentage suggested he would need to accelerate. His only hope was his sword, which he hoped would open a new path. He moved up a floor and slogged his way through more anomalies to claim it for his spirit domain.


    [Dread Salvation] transformation status: 68.2%.


    Another floor would likely do it but Jason wanted to stop for a break. Even without using powers and his silver-rank recovery attribute, Jason felt exhausted. With the top floor claimed, he wanted to survey his surroundings from the roof. His aura could extend to any point within his domain and he could feel the roof above with it so he knew the rooftop was now within his domain.


    Making his way up the stairs and outside there was no sign of the dome that should have been blocking the daylight sky. Instead, the sky was dark and open, filled with unfamiliar stars forming unnerving, eldritch constellations. They reminded Jason vaguely of magical diagrams and he imagined any rituals based on them would be dark and twisted magic. Which probably meant he would end up with it, somehow.


    The stars offered just enough light to make out vast silhouettes moving in the distance, monolithic and alien. Jason couldn¡¯t see well enough to make out what any of the shapes were but they towered like skyscrapers. They could just as easily be giant robots, kaiju or Lovecraftian horrors, their distant shapes so vague in the darkness.


    ¡°As long as they¡¯re not from Evangelion,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°That show is way more messed up than Lovecraft.¡±


    Looking out at the vast space around him he probed the edges of the domain with his restored aura. With his experience working within node space he was able to get a sense of what was going on. The transformation space had inadvertently sliced open the astral space and blended the reshaping of the physical reality with that of the astral space. Now they were entwined and neither was able to close.


    His better understanding of the transformation zone brought good news and bad. The most critical thing was something of a clock on Jason stabilising the space. The astral space and the transformation zone spaces that had been blended together were slowly but sure destabilising. Eventually, both would collapse. The good news was that Jason could sense enough to know that it would take much longer than the two days a normal transformation remained sealed for. Even so, he knew that he would need to pick up the pace by a lot. Even if he had more time than expected, the expansion of the area due to the astral space¡¯s influence meant he had a lot of work to do.


    Jason looked down at the sword on his hip. One more floor and it should complete whatever change it was undergoing. Although it was a growth item, the sword was stuck at bronze-rank until Gary reforged it. Ideally, the transformation would throw off the shackles of that limitation and allow it to rise to silver rank, thus becoming a more viable weapon. At the moment it was barely better than Jason¡¯s fists and feet.


    If the sword became stronger, Jason could start using more stable genesis cores at a time. He already had a collection of the cores, having declined to escalate the expansion rate of the spirit domain with them. All that was left was to complete the sword transformation and see, so after a rest on the rooftop, he headed for the unclaimed third floor.


    Worried about the amount of work ahead, Jason used enough cores to send five anomalies his way. He realised his mistake immediately as each anomaly was strange and unpredictable making each combat a new experience. He only killed the last one after it half swallowed him, leaving him severely injured. A fleshy ball, it had a giant, toothy mouth that shot out tendrils to grab him and drag him in to be consumed. His legs were chewed up and partially dissolved in digestive acid before he killed the creature and dragged himself out.


    Jason lay on the floor of the newly extended portion of his spirit domain. Normally, after a fight, he would simply use his blood harvest power for massive recovery. It was a power he rather took for granted until it was gone. Having suffered enough damage than even Colin¡¯s regenerative power was taking time to heal him up.


    Jason pulled out a tin of healing ointment and started rubbing it on his legs. It was one of the most common items any loot power produced, and while it was of little use to Jason and his many recovery powers, it was a reliable source of cash if he needed some quick coin. Healing items were always welcome and Jason accrued so many that he donated most of them. In the other world he had handed them off to Jory¡¯s clinic, while in this one it was usually the Network or the Asano village¡¯s medical centre.


    Rubbing the unguent on his wounds, bereft of powers, took Jason back to his arrival in Pallimustus. He recalled the shock and confusion he experienced, convinced he had gone insane as one impossibility after another piled up. Once more he found himself in a place he struggled to understand, fighting to stay alive and find some kind of path forward. He was even mostly pantsless again, his trousers having been all but destroyed by the creature chewing on his legs.


    Recognising that massive downtime would not accelerate the end result, Jason went back to a slow and steady pace of slow expansion, fighting three or four anomalies at a time. Finally, as he had most of the third floor claimed, the got the result he¡¯d been waiting for.


    You have defeated [Living Anomaly].Interaction with [Living Anomaly] has instigated random changes in weapon [Dread Salvation]. Further interaction will consolidate change.Ability [Nirvanic Transfiguration] has stabilised and refined changes to weapon [Dread Salvation].[Dread Salvation] transformation status: 100%.


    ¡°Moment of truth.¡±


    Dread Salvation has undergone changes deeply affected by the powers of its wielder.


    Jason looked at the simple message.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    He held out his sword to examine it.


    Item: [Dread Salvation] (bronze rank [growth], legendary)


    A sword crafted with gratitude, in hope of it being the greatest use in the moment of greatest need. It was bound to its wielder and his powers by extreme and unusual forces; it carries the arrogance of one who would remake reality in his own image. Due to the lacking craftsmanship, most of its potential is sealed until the original craftsman demonstrates his growth by reforging the weapon (weapon, sword).


    This item is bound to [Jason Asano] and cannot be used by anyone else. This bond allows the weapon to share the wielder¡¯s ability to ignore rank disparity.Effect: You may imbue your aura into the weapon, increasing its damage for an ongoing mana cost. Damage and cost scales with the amount of aura strength imbued, up to the limitations of the weapon¡¯s current state. Aura strength over that required for the maximum damage output reduces the mana cost.Current rank: Bronze.Current maximum damage increase: Moderate.Current maximum mana cost: Low. Decreased from moderate by wielder¡¯s aura strength. Mana cost cannot be eliminated entirely, regardless of the wielder''s aura strength.Effect: ??? (Sealed).


    Growth conditions (silver): Sealed.[Dread Salvation] has reached the maximum potential of its current form. It must be reforged by the original craftsperson in order to advance further.


    Jason read over the changes to his weapon. It had lost its old abilities but that was not a concern, given their limited value to him. He suspected that the sword bonding to him somehow recognised that and changed accordingly, changing into a state that met the extreme needs of the moment. Even in its current sealed state, the weapon was far more useful.


    You have three soul-bonded items. You qualify to use the [Soul-Imprinting Triune].


    It was an item he had looted from the intelligent gold-rank monster, King. It was something he had been unable to use, thus languished in his inventory. Now that had changed and he pulled the item out to examine it.

 Chapter 411: A Beautiful Woman and a Sack of Cash

    Jason needed to claim most, if not all of the vast extradimensional space he found himself in. If he failed, a wound would appear in the side of reality leading to the Earth¡¯s rapid annihilation. He could bring about the transformation by expanding what his powers described as a spirit domain, something he only moderately understood. Thus far, he had managed to convert the top three floors of a dilapidated hotel, turning it into a cold place of dark crystal.


    His progress was far too slow but he had a new weapon - or an old one, reborn. The sword that Gary had forged in the hope of it helping Jason when his need was greatest. Now that it was newly-empowered, Jason believed it would live up to Gary¡¯s intentions. Before he set out to use it, though, there was more power to potentially invest in it.


    Standing by the stairs leading down to the second floor, Jason took an item from his inventory. The soul-imprinting triune had obvious religious connotations from the name but took the form of a plain pyramidal object, the size of a melon. Running his fingers over the smooth surface, Jason couldn¡¯t tell if the dark material it was made from was stone or metal, but it was quite heavy for its size. Jason had previously not met the qualifications for its use and had even vaguely considering scribbling numbers of it with a white marker and using it as a novelty four-sided die.


    Item: [Soul-Imprinting Triune] (unranked, legendary)


    An object with the power to allow imprinting of the soul on three soul-bonded objects. (consumable, magic core).


    Effect: Select three growth items that are soul-bound to you. These items will become a unified set. When all three objects are on your person (not contained within a dimensional space), each will gain an additional effect. The specific effects are determined by the types of objects included in the set and the nature of your soul.Current soul-bound items: [Amulet of the Dark Guardian], [Cloud Flask], [Dread Salvation].You meet the qualifications to use this item.


    The soul-imprinting triune would allow Jason to turn his soul-bound items into a set. It was an exciting opportunity but there was also one noticeable problem. One of the items, which were required to be carried directly on his person, was the cloud flask. There was no problem with his amulet or sword, but the cloud flask was the size and shape of a round-bottom boiling flask. It was not exactly the most convenient item to be carrying around in a fight. He needed to weight up the pros and cons of using the triune now.


    ¡°Pro,¡± he mused out loud. ¡°If I include the cloud flask, the extra effect might be a flying cloud, like Monkey Magic. I mean, yeah, I¡¯m not short on flying powers. I have Shade and I can fly with my cloak, but still. Definite pro.¡±


    There was no one to tell Jason off for having inappropriate ideas but he couldn¡¯t help but feel the shadows of Shade and Farrah looking at him with disapproval.


    ¡°Con, I¡¯ll have to lug the cloud flask around if I want to use the extra abilities.¡±


    Another pro to using the item was that it offered him power now. With his abilities sealed and the world itself at stake, he needed every advantage he could get. The attendant con was that there were no guarantees the effects would be any good. If he held off until he found a better-suited item, the dividends of patience could be great. Of course, he had no idea when or if he would get another soul-bound item, or if it would be any more convenient to carry around than the cloud flask.


    As he considered, Jason wandered back up the stairs to the rooftop. Looking out at the dark realm around him, it was largely hidden from his eyes by a pervasive gloom that seemed tangible. The starlight struggling to penetrate it barely let him make out vast silhouettes in the distance that could be diamond-rank monsters for all he knew. It was entirely likely that even at full strength his efforts to stabilise the vast area would be futile. In the face of that, there was little point in holding off on taking power he could get now for some potential power that may never come.


    The cloud flask was empty, the contents still in the form of a boat docked in Venice. Farrah, Dawn and his family were awaiting his return there. Jason couldn¡¯t even be certain that the triune could be used on the cloud flask without its contents, although, with the decision made, he was about to find out.


    Looking around at the flat rooftop of dark crystal, this was the substance that Jason¡¯s portals and the structures within his soul were made of. Originally it had been simple obsidian, but that changed after he absorbed the Builder¡¯s magical door.


    Jason held out his hand and concentrated, employing methods he used to manipulate reality in node space. He stood for a long time, pressing out with his aura as he tried to understand the nature of the otherworldly dimension he inhabited.


    The space was abnormally blended the physical and the spiritual, much like Jason himself. The immediate area was also part of the spiritual domain he had claimed, so he should be able to control it. He used his aura like a microscope, trying to grasp the fundamental underpinnings of the mutable reality of the transformation zone. He closed his eyes, his physical senses being useless in the endeavour.


    Slowly, he was able to make out some of the properties of the space around him, his experiences with node space and studies in astral magic being pivotal. It was far from a complete understanding but it was enough that he could get around some of the basic underpinnings of how the reality worked. Compared to a full-blown physical reality, the transformation zone, still in flux, was much easier to comprehend.


    Using the same mental commands that let him control his cloud house, combined with the reality-bending techniques he used in node space, he tried to make an active change. It took some time before he got it quite right, but finally, the crystal surface of the roof flowed like liquid, rising to take the shape of a table before once more setting firmly.


    Your understanding of your spiritual domain had improved. Evolution of ability [Spirit Vault] had advanced due to your insight.[Spirit Vault] evolution status: 1.784%.


    Jason took out his cloud flask and set it on the table. The sword came off his belt and the amulet from around his neck, both of which he laid out as well. He held the triune in his hands.


    You meet the qualifications to use [Soul-Imprinting Triune].Use [Soul-Imprinting Triune] on [Amulet of the Dark Guardian], [Cloud Flask] and [Dread Salvation]?


    Jason gave his mental assent and the triune started dissolving into a mist that spread over Jason and the objects on the table. They floated into the air and started drifting around Jason¡¯s body. Jason felt his soul reaching out to the objects, striving to deepen the shallow connection it already had to them. As it did, he could feel each of the three objects. The mist started condensing into lines, connecting Jason to his magical items.


    The amulet had the strongest affinity to him already. The last item produced by his old quest system before that ability evolved, the power had left him with a potent final gift.


    [Amulet of the Dark Guardian] has been added to set [Regalia of the Dark Hegemon].


    Item: [Amulet of the Dark Guardian] (silver rank [growth], legendary)


    A protective amulet with the power of a shadowy guardian. Has the power to express the will of the hegemon (jewellery, necklace).


    This item is bound to [Jason Asano] and cannot be used by anyone else.Effect: For each instance of an affliction applied to an enemy, gain an instance of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing]. You may bestow all instances of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] upon another person by touch.Effect (set bonus, Regalia of the Hegemon): For each instance of an affliction applied to an enemy, gain an instance of [Hegemon¡¯s Authority].


    [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] (boon, holy, stacking): Instances are consumed to absorb damage from any source. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. For each instance consumed, gain an instance of [Blessing¡¯s Bounty].[Blessing¡¯s Bounty] (heal-over-time, holy, stacking): Heal over time. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Hegemon¡¯s Authority] (boon, holy, unholy, stacking): All allies within your aura have increased resistance to aura suppression. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Consume instances of this boon to enhance your aura suppression strength.


    The amulet was a reproduction of Jason¡¯s personal crest on a delicate obsidian chain. As Jason¡¯s soul imprinted on it, the chain transmuted into the same dark crystal that made up the spirit domain around him.


    The cloud flask was the work of some unknown diamond-rank craftsman and felt more distant and nebulous than the amulet. Jason had been using it for a couple of years now and they had grown stronger together, but the flask still felt like it still had secrets locked away until they grew stronger still.


    [Cloud Flask] has been added to set [Regalia of the Dark Hegemon].


    Item: [Cloud Flask] (silver rank [growth], legendary)


    A vessel containing the power to generate sophisticated cloud constructs. Has the power to serve as a tool of the hegemon (vessel, tool).


    This item is bound to [Jason Asano] and cannot be used by anyone else.Effect: Use the energies within the cloud flask to create buildings and vehicles made of clouds. Available forms are restricted by rank.Effect: Items contained within the cloud construct when it is returned to the flask are stored in a dimensional space and cannot be recovered until another cloud construct is formed.Effect (set bonus, Regalia of the Hegemon): Shrouds the wearer in mist. Mist can be controlled through aura manipulation to condense into small cloud constructs. Constructs only provide effective defence against attacks lower than the rank of this item; attacks of its rank and above are minimally impeded. Shroud can be withdrawn into the flask.


    Available forms (iron rank): Cloud house (grand), cloud house (adaptive).Available forms (bronze rank): Cloud vehicle (grand), cloud vehicle (adaptive).Available forms (silver rank): Cloud palace (grand), cloud palace (adaptive).


    The cloud flask shrank down the size of a thumb, floated over to the amulet and attached itself to the crystal chain.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s convenient.¡±


    In Venice, Farrah, Dawn and Jason¡¯s family were in a cloud construct disguised as a yacht, watching a news website covering the transformation zone in Slovakia. There was little information as no media personnel were allowed close to the dome. Jason¡¯s arrival had been witnessed at a distance and they had seen many of the forces around the dome go running up the dome after him, despite the steep, slick surface. No information was coming out, though, reducing the coverage to little more than endless rounds of postulation.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure your uncle is fine,¡± Erika assured her daughter. ¡°You don¡¯t need to sit watching this for hours on end.¡±


    ¡°Your mother is right,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You know what he¡¯s like. He¡¯ll swagger back in, insufferably smug, and won¡¯t shut up about saving the world for a month. He¡¯ll probably even get some stupid new power or a crazy magic item or something.¡±


    Suddenly the cloud palace was flooded with Jason¡¯s aura, which everyone but Emi could sense.


    ¡°Is he¡­?¡± Farrah asked of Dawn.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t him,¡± Dawn said. ¡°This is the cloud construct.¡±


    The disguised exterior of the cloud construct rippled, like the surface of a pond after a stone was dropped into it, although no one was around at the abandoned dock to see. On the inside, the cloud stuff started to change. The white cloud stuff turned a dark but vibrant blue, while the sunset gold and blues become bright, wild colours and patterns of a space nebula. There bright reds and greens, yellows and purples, churning and flowing.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Erika asked. ¡°Did something happen to Jason?¡±


    ¡°Did he take a bunch of LSD?¡± her husband Ian wondered.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on,¡± Farrah said.


    The colours started to slow their kaleidoscopic swirling across the wall, the white colour coming back. The other colours became more subdued, although they were different from what came before, the sunset colours replaced with the brighter and more varied nebula shades. The sense of Jason''s aura diminished but didn''t vanish entirely.


    ¡°Do not be concerned,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It would appear that whatever Asano is experiencing, it has allowed him to forge a deeper connection with his cloud flask.¡±


    ¡°You know almost everyone here is an Asano, right?¡± Emi asked. ¡°You should call him Jason or you¡¯re just being rude.¡±


    Dawn was uncertain how to respond to that so she didn¡¯t and turned once more to Farrah.


    ¡°It would appear that you were correct, Miss Hurin, in positing that he would reap gains during this event.¡±


    ¡°See,¡± Farrah complained. ¡°Even dying makes him come back stronger. That guy could fall into a pit trap and he¡¯d crawl out with a beautiful woman and a sack of cash.¡±


    Inside Jason¡¯s spirit domain, his sword was taking longer than the other items to deepen the soul-bond. The sword felt the most discordant of the three items, filled with potential but hampered by the limitations of its form. It strained to exert the power constrained within it, yearning to be reforged.


    [Dread Salvation] has been added to set [Regalia of the Dark Hegemon].


    Item: [Dread Salvation] (bronze rank [growth], legendary)


    A sword awaiting the chance to be the iron fist of the hegemon. The original creator must demonstrate his growth and reforge the weapon for it to surpass its origins and fulfill its potential (weapon, sword).


    This item is bound to [Jason Asano] and cannot be used by anyone else. This bond allows the weapon to share the wielder¡¯s ability to ignore rank disparity.Effect: You may imbue your aura into the weapon, increasing its damage for an ongoing mana cost. Damage and cost scales with the amount of aura strength imbued, up to the limitations of the weapon¡¯s current state. Aura strength over that required for the maximum damage output reduces the mana cost.Current rank: Bronze.Current maximum damage increase: Moderate.Current maximum mana cost: Low. Decreased from moderate by wielder¡¯s aura strength. Mana cost cannot be eliminated entirely, regardless of the wielder''s aura strength.Effect: ??? (Sealed).Effect (Regalia of the Hegemon): Enemies struck with this weapon are subjected to a mild mana drain effect and are inflicted with [Hegemon¡¯s Tribute].


    [Hegemon¡¯s Tribute] (affliction, magic): Anyone affected by Hegemon¡¯s tribute is subject to a mild, ongoing mana drain effect by the wielder of [Dread Salvation] so long as they remain within the wielder¡¯s aura. If this affliction is cleansed or the subject dies, a final burst of mana is drained.


    Growth conditions (silver): Sealed.[Dread Salvation] has reached the maximum potential of its current form. It must be reforged by the original craftsperson in order to advance further.


    The items stopped floating around Jason as the mist that the triune had turned into faded away. They gently drifted back down onto the table as Jason looked over the extensive description windows. After reviewing it all, he placed the necklace with the amulet and the miniaturised flask around his neck. The sword he slid back into its scabbard. Then he looked out over the dark landscape that seemed a little less intimidating than before.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said to no one. As when he first arrived in Farrah¡¯s world, he found himself alone and talking to himself. He was eager for Shade to be released so he had someone to make wildly outdated and barely relevant pop culture references to.


    ¡°Time to get to work.¡±

 Chapter 412: You Have to Be True to Yourself

    The mist produced by his cloud flask in amulet form swirled around Jason, mostly gathering around his feet as if only slightly heavier than air.


    ¡°It¡¯s like there¡¯s a dry ice machine hidden in my underpants.¡±


    By concentrating, he could make the mist take various forms. A shield was easy to produce and an obvious use but he knew the defensive properties would be mediocre. He continued to experiment and established several things about his cloud flasks new abilities. He could send the mist to form a construct anywhere within his aura range that he could see, but once it was formed it could no longer move, dashing his hopes of flying on a cloud like the Monkey King. Floating furniture was easy and convenient, but fine, precision objects like keys or wire mesh were out of the question. What he could do was create multiple, small constructs at once.


    Sophie had an ability called cloud step that allowed her to treat the air as solid ground. Now that Jason could make cloud constructs, he could do the same with actual clouds allowing him to air walk on them like floating steps.


    His silver-rank agility would allow him to make acrobatic use of it in combat, although it would take some practise first. While extreme mobility had long been a part of his training, he was far behind Sophie in combat acrobatics.


    Fortunately, Jason anticipated no shortage of chances to practise. He made his way down the stairs, to the landing between the third storey, which he already claimed, and the second storey, where his spirit domain currently ended.


    You are at the border of your spirit domain. Minimum cost to expand: 3 [Stable Genesis Cores]. Would you like to expand your spirit domain?


    He gave his mental assent.


    How many [Stable Genesis Cores] will you expend to expand your spirit domain (26 available)?


    It had taken a total of nine cores to claim each floor, which thus far he had done in patches.


    ¡°Nine,¡± Jason said as he drew his sword. He started walking down the stairs as they transformed into dark crystal.


    Your spirit domain has expanded.Interaction with genesis space has instigated uncontrolled secondary evolution of ability [Spirit Vault]. Further interaction will complete evolution.Ability [Nirvanic Transfiguration] has stabilised and refined the secondary evolution path of [Spirit Vault].[Spirit Vault] evolution status: 1.936%.


    Jason concentrated his aura on the sword in his hand as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He fed as much of his aura strength into it as he could but its capacity was disappointingly limited.


    Damage of [Dread Salvation] has been enhanced to maximum current level.Current damage increase: Moderate.Ongoing mana cost: Low.


    He could already hear the anomalies scrambling in his direction. The first three reached him quickly, one humanoid, one snake with a giant eyeball instead of a head and one scorpion with no pincers but multiple tails. At the end of each tail, instead of a stinger, there was a baby¡¯s face, mouths wide open to reveal long, pointed teeth.


    Jason only reflected for a moment on the macabre creatures before rushing to meet them. The snake leapt forward and Jason met it with the sword point on, burying the blade to the hilt through the creature¡¯s bulbous eye. No longer subject to silver-rank damage reduction, the powered-up sword was finally showing its worth. With its damage enhanced, it plunged easily into the snake anomaly, killing it immediately.


    The scorpion skittered forward and Jason launched into a spinning flip, severing all three tails in a horizontal slash and landing in a crouch. Springing back up, he made short work of the humanoid anomaly, taking off an arm and then a head before it collapsed. He kept moving, wanting to catch out the anomalies before too many of them bunched together.


    By the time he was done with the entire level, Jason had dealt with sixteen anomalies on that floor. There didn¡¯t seem to be a set number of anomalies per genesis core used to expand his territory. As far as Jason could tell it was a combination of individual anomaly strength and total size of the domain. The larger it got, the more anomalies appeared per core used to expand it.


    Condensing his mist shroud into a chair, he sat down to take stock of what he had learned. For one thing, the anomalies were even weaker than he thought, despite their silver-rank auras. Aside from their silver-rank damage reduction, few showed any power beyond that of a bronze-rank monster. With his silver-rank attributes and newly empowered sword, Jason could easily mow through the living anomalies. He had a sneaking suspicion that things would not remain quite so easy as he continued expanding the domain.


    His other gain was a better understanding of what he could do and accomplish with his mist shroud. Even against the weak creatures, the objects he could create provided no real defence but were useful for obscuring vision and delaying an opponent for a brief but critical moment.


    Jason hadn¡¯t come out of the fights unscathed, so he rested in the chair long enough for Colin¡¯s regenerative powers to restore him. Then he stood up and moved to loot the scattered anomalies before heading for the last of the building¡¯s five floors.


    After Jason entered the portal set into the top of the dome, the factions waiting to exploit the transformation zone gathered around the portal. Each unwilling to surrender benefits to the others, they were still negotiating who should go in when the portal sealed, shortly after Jason had vanished through it. The ring of crystal set into the dome remained, but inside it, the roiling energy was cut off by the same glassy surface as the rest of the dome.


    Jason completed the ground floor at a run, hitting his stride as he made short work of the anomalies. The entire building was now incorporated into his spirit domain.


    You have overtaken a genesis space territory and purged all anomalous elements.Completed territory is being remade.


    Everything in the hotel had been changed into dark crystal as he claimed it but otherwise remained the same. Shortly after the last anomaly was looted and dissolved, that started to change as the entire building was restructured. The crystal started shifting around him, walls breaking apart and morphing into new shapes. He stood rooted on the spot, worried about getting caught up in the transformation.


    It quickly became apparent that the building was transforming into a larger version of the pagoda from Jason¡¯s spirit vault. As alcoves started appearing in the wall for flowers to grow out from, this became even more apparent. These were the same flowers that appeared in the gardens that sprawled around the pagoda in his spirit vault.


    Jason knew that his task was to stabilise the transformation zone that failed to consolidate due to merging with a proto-space. Now he discovered that meant turning the transformation space into an oversized replica of his soul. The problem was that, as far as he could tell, the proto-space had made the space inside the dome larger than the space it occupied outside.


    Jason had no idea how much territory he would have to claim to effectively stabilise the transformation zone. Enough to cover the original space or the expanded area created by the proto-space? What would happen when the dome no longer separated the space outside from the space inside? He was pretty sure that the same place trying to be two different sizes at the same time would be very, very bad.


    Finally, the changes to the building were completed, leaving Jason in a large atrium on the ground level. He could sense that the space around him had changed, becoming more stable. It had the heavy permanence of node space, rather than the chaotic fragility of a proto-space in the process of collapse.


    Looking around, the dominant feature of the atrium was the water spilling down from the mezzanine second level dropping into a pool in the middle of the atrium floor.


    Your spirit domain has claimed a territory.Territory has been renamed [Arrival Pagoda].[Spirit Vault] evolution status: 4.1%.Anomalies attacking as a result of further spirit domain expansion will have increased power.


    ¡°And there it is,¡± Jason said, reading the system message. ¡°I knew it was too easy.¡±


    When the portal atop the dome unexpectedly opened again, the various forces gathered around it watched one another nervously. They still wanted to stop anyone else from seizing whatever treasures lay within but also didn¡¯t want to miss another window for entry. The local faction leaders stood around the portal, only their most important subordinates with them by unspoken consensus. They came to an agreement and volunteered some bronze-rankers to go through. One vampire, one essence user and one of the EOA¡¯s personnel were selected, although the Network factions were unhappy about having one person represent them all. This was especially true when it was the network ritualists who had been trying to open the portal back up, albeit to little effect.


    The results of entering the portal were not good as the people who went in stumbled back out after only a few moments, looking as if they¡¯d been dipped in acid. This put paid to sending anyone else through until the Network faction put forward a proposal. Their ritualists would collaborate on finding a way to enter safely, on the condition that all the Network factions could send participants individually for the next attempted to go inside. That meant the old leadership faction, the Americans, the Global Defence Network and the Chinese, who had belatedly arrived.


    The Chinese Network branches had been keeping to themselves while an information blackout all but sealed off the country. Normally, other factions and governments would have taken the time and effort to pierce that veil but with the world in chaos, if anyone had, they were keeping to themselves. Rumours of what China¡¯s Network branches were up to ranged from they¡¯d been overrun by the Cabal to they had taken over their own country, more successfully than the Americans had with theirs.


    At first, the Slovakia transformation zone was one more event the Chinese didn¡¯t show up for, but following Jason¡¯s arrival and entry, they had mobilised their forces and claimed a site around the dome. Now the leader of the Chinese forces, Miss Li, proposed that the Network factions pool the knowledge of their ritualists to find a safe means of entry.


    The other factions reluctantly accepted and the Network immediately presented dimensional probes. It turned out that every faction had the same idea and had already been reinforcing the probes they used to test proto-space apertures in preparation.


    Jason explored the pagoda, which was a broad and elaborate residential complex. The dark crystal remained the primary construction material but now it was filled with furniture and plants everywhere. Flowering plants covered the walls like wallpaper, their bright colours forming nebula-like patterns.


    ¡°Gordon, were you in charge of the decoration?¡±


    The furniture was more subdued, with dark wood and light fabric, providing a sober contrast to the colourful flowers. What Jason liked the most was the breeze that gently tussled at his clothes and carried the delicate scent of flowers through the rooms and hallways.


    The building wasn¡¯t even the same shape as it had been, having changed from a rectangular box to an octagonal design. The roof was no longer accessible, being sloped instead of flat, but each floor had balconies running around the outside. As he wandered around, Jason found the hotel turned into what was a lot like a high-end apartment building.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to charge a lot of rent,¡± Jason mused as he walked through a wide hallway washed with cool light by crystals set into the ceiling. There was even a water feature that ran through the central hallways on every floor, all running down to a waterfall giving the hallway a courtyard feel with the plants and the high ceiling.


    Jason followed his senses to the fourth floor, where he had sensed the portal he arrived through open back up as the territory reshaped itself. Now, instead of a circle in the ceiling, it was a more familiar arch. It was set in place as a permanent fixture in a room dedicated to it and Jason looked around curiously.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of like a bathroom except with a portal instead of a place to do a poo.¡±


    As he watched the active portal, a small drone floated through and he grabbed it. Immediately it started dissolving like ice plunged into boiling water and was gone after a few seconds.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Well?¡± Miss Li demanded of the drone operator. They were next to the portal, the operator holding a tablet that should have been receiving data.


    ¡°No signal at all,¡± the operator said. ¡°Not even a destruct signal. I don¡¯t think anything can get through the portal.¡±


    Jason head popped up through the portal and looked around curiously.


    ¡°Oh, g¡¯day, Miss Li. It¡¯s been a while, do you remember me? It¡¯s Jason. Jason Asano.¡±


    Miss Li had been part of the team that attempted to recruit Jason to China¡¯s cause after the Network became aware of who and what he was. She glared at what looked like Jason¡¯s disembodied head, sticking out of the portal.


    ¡°I remember, Mr Asano. I also remember the discourtesy you showed my country during your unannounced visit.¡±


    ¡°My what? Oh, the thing where I sent all that concentration camp footage to¡­ um, I mean, what footage? I mean, I didn¡¯t say footage. Visit where, now? Uh¡­ how you livin¡¯ girl?¡±


    The vampires, essence users and EOA enhanced humans all looked at Jason in confused, awkward silence.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to go,¡± Jason said sheepishly and his head ducked back inside.


    Jason¡¯s head felt very tingly after being in a reality very different in nature to what his body was and he shook his head.


    "I kind of like it."


    He wondered about the events going on outside briefly before pushing them aside as irrelevant. Even in Jason''s domain, the caustic energy of a node space was still present, so they were welcome to try coming in.


    "That Miss Li still has that formal yet sultry thing going on. Too bad she''s evil."


    During the six months in which he wandered across Asia, Europe and Africa, Jason had spent a decent amount of that in China. He had not liked what he discovered about how the Network branches there were operating and sowed a few seeds of trouble before moving on.


    Another drone came through, suffering the same fate as the first.


    ¡°Good luck with that,¡± Jason said and left the room.


    He made his way down the levels of the pagoda, feeling relief at having a way out of the transformation zone. There was no telling exactly how much he needed to stabilise it to stave off disaster, so at least now he could push things as far as possible without getting himself killed and then leave, hoping that he¡¯d done enough.


    He reached the second floor and jumped off the mezzanine right before remembering he no longer had his slow fall cloak. His silver-rank body could easily endure the fall but his pride could not and he desperately formed a cloud bed to catch himself, right before he smacked into the ground.


    ¡°That worked out nicely,¡± he said, nodding his approval as he put his hands behind his head. He considered the pagoda-shaped residential complex, from the water feature hallways to the ubiquitous wall planters to the vast atrium with its own waterfall. He hadn''t found the source of the water, although he never really looked. At this point in his life, it wasn''t worth investigating ever little bit of magic or he''d never get anything done.


    ¡°None of this building is very pagoda-like on the inside,¡± Jason said, looking around. ¡°If all this was made by my soul, I think my soul might be a failed architect. I¡¯ll think going warlock ninja as a profession was the right call.¡±


    Jason looked at the double doors leading to the outside to whatever new challenges lay beyond.


    ¡°Don¡¯t open them both,¡± he told himself. ¡°You only need one door. Opening them both would be cheesy and melodramatic. For once, don¡¯t be a chuuni and go through one door like a regular person.¡±


    Walking up, he pushed both doors open.


    ¡°I guess, in life, you have to be true to yourself.¡±

 Chapter 413: One More Secret

    Jason looked around suspiciously at a mostly modern metropolitan street, with a few anachronistic quirks. Most of the buildings were three or four storeys high, packed close together and the ground level filled with storefronts.


    ¡°This was definitely farmland before the transformation zone appeared.¡±


    When he had been on the roof of the hotel before its transformation, Jason hadn¡¯t seen any of the cityscape that should have been easy to spot, even through the gloom.


    Looking over the city street, mostly everything looked modern but a few elements stood out as unusual. The streetlamps glowed with electric light, yet had a strange design like old gas lamps. In the window of one of the stores was a television that looked right out of the sixties.


    Most out of place were the cars, looking like set dressing for some retro-future film. A mix of familiar and strange, new and old, they blended the rounded designs of sixties cars with sci-fi elements like light shining out from between the body panels.


    ¡°There¡¯s kind of an old-school Batmobile thing going on,¡± Jason said, moving closer to examine a black car. ¡°Shade do you think¡­¡±


    Jason''s shoulders slumped as he trailed off, remembering. He could feel the familiars inside him but couldn''t call them out, which angered him more than having all his other powers sealed. More than the powers they offered, his familiars were his ever-reliable companions and without them he was alone.


    Having lost the taste for exploring, Jason looked around with more assessing purpose than curiosity. The Pagoda stood out on the city street. Prominently occupying a huge roundabout, the dark stone building was an archaic contrast to the city around it.


    Despite the familiarity of the city setting, there were discordantly alien aspects to it. The signage on the buildings was alien, and while Jason could read it with his translation power, he recognised neither the language nor the alphabet it used.


    Jason wandered around, alert but not tense. In each previous instance, anomalies hadn¡¯t appeared until he expanded his spirit domain, giving him the chance to explore first. He wasn¡¯t ruling out that changing but neither was he walking on a knife¡¯s edge in his readiness. He approached a shopfront and the door slid open. It looked like an ordinary clothing store inside.


    He explored a little further, finding another hotel, a caf¨¦ and what looked to be a pharmacy. As he moved, he could only see around a dozen metres through the gloom. Otherwise, all he could see were the stars in the sky and the pale glow of the street lamps, like a procession of willow-¡®o-the-wisps.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose there¡¯s a gun store around here.¡±


    High over Slovakia, a man flew through the sky, shrouded in a nimbus of light. Moving faster than the speed of sound, he slowed as the giant dome of the transformation zone came into view. Continuing to decelerate as he descended, he landed amongst the people gathered around the portal on top of the dome.


    Li Li-Mei bowed at the arrival of the man, whose handsome features had been rendered ageless by his gold rank.


    ¡°Mr Chen,¡± she greeted him.


    ¡°Little Mei,¡± Chen said warmly. ¡°How could I not come when you ask? And now you¡¯re so big and strong, am I not good enough to call uncle anymore?¡±


    ¡°Uncle,¡± Li said, blushing slightly. ¡°I am glad that we have been able to awaken you from your long slumber.¡±


    ¡°I wish my wife felt the same,¡± Chen said with a chuckle.


    The others around the portal had varying reactions to Chen¡¯s arrival. He shared acknowledging nods with the two Chinese gold-rankers that had arrived with Miss Li, theirs slightly deeper than his as a gentle acknowledgement of his primacy.


    Most of the other people gathered were the most powerful members of their factions present, most notably the vampire lords. None were happy that there were now three Chinese gold rankers. Not only did it give them the advantage in power but suggested that China had enough gold-ranked essence users to spare three of them for a single task.


    The ancient vampires, especially, were seething. Unused to accepting equals, let alone superiors, they nonetheless held back their usual domineering arrogance. The vampires had learned the hard way that one-on-one, a vampire was no match for an essence user of equal power. Normally they compensated with numbers, but six vampires against three essence users was a questionable risk at best. It was only made worse by the return of Jack Gerling.


    Drawn by the arrival of another gold-ranker, Gerling returned to the portal, arriving less aggressively than the last time by moderating the pace of his explosive-driven flight. Chen looked at Gerling as he arrived, giving him a nod.


    ¡°Mr Gerling. I would never have expected to meet you again after all this time. Still playing pig to catch the tiger?¡±


    ¡°Mr Chen,¡± Gerling greeted in turn. ¡°Still acting like a friendly neighbourhood uncle as you sail down a river of blood?¡±


    Both men laughed, their smiles not reaching their eyes.


    ¡°My old friend¡¯s lovely daughter has asked me to take a look and see if I can¡¯t find a way inside,¡± Chen said. ¡°If I can, would you care to join us? I think we can comfortably leave the leeches behind.¡±


    The vampires watching on stirred but held their tongues.


    ¡°If we can get in safely, then yes,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I¡¯ll take you up on that.¡±


    Gerling had been unwilling to test the waters alone, but if the old dog Chen and his aggravating shield powers were brought into play, that changed things considerably. There was, of course, the potential for betrayal, but the various Network branches were all aware of the common enemy. Category four essence users were few and far between, with this gathering of four possibly being unprecedented, while more vampire lords crawled out of the earth every day.


    Jason was standing outside the pagoda¡¯s front doors.


    You are at the border of your spirit domain.Your spirit domain occupies one territory. Expansion requires encroaching on the surrounding territory.Minimum cost to expand: 31 [Stable Genesis Cores]. Would you like to expand your spirit domain?


    Thirty-one cores were more than triple what the cost to claim each floor of the building had been, and that was the minimum to expand into the surrounding territory. He certainly wasn''t going to try using cores above the minimum amount when he had already been warned of stronger anomalies.


    He spent the cores and the ground around the pagoda started to change. Like a shadow passing overhead, transformation swept out, taking in the street, buildings and cars. To Jason¡¯s surprise, the shift wasn¡¯t all to dark crystal, the way the hotel had been. It was certainly an element, being incorporated into the road surface especially, but the environment, in general, went through a much more sophisticated transfiguration than the building had when the territory completed. Even so, Jason was certain that the territory he was now digging into was larger than this first section.


    What stood out the most was that while the streets were dark crystal, the buildings were made from a substance reminiscent of Jason''s cloud house. The materials were more solid, but the colours and textures of the buildings were very familiar, with lots of summer cloud white splashed with other wild colours. A large part of this was the largest structural change, which was a massive increase in plant life. Rows of trees ran down traffic islands between street lanes and planters lined the footpaths with bright flowers.


    All of this was easy to observe because the gloom was pushed back by the expansion of Jason¡¯s domain, allowing bright starlight to shine down. It left many of the colours seeming subdued and washed out but was a great improvement over the pervasive dark.


    The cars went largely unchanged, although their designs became sleeker and less rounded, with slick metallic paint jobs. Those with more pastel colours turned to mostly dark shades of red, green and black, although Jason spotted one that was a hot pink that he rather liked the look of.


    Your spirit domain has expanded.Interaction with genesis space has instigated uncontrolled secondary evolution of ability [Spirit Vault]. Further interaction will complete evolution.Ability [Nirvanic Transfiguration] has stabilised and refined the secondary evolution path of [Spirit Vault].[Spirit Vault] evolution status: 4.7%.


    That wasn''t a big boost to his skill evolution. It appeared that completing territories was much more effective than general expansion. Jason postulated that this reflected that claiming a sufficient number of territories was required to stabilise the space as a whole. This fit with Jason''s existing assumptions but it was nice to have some supporting evidence.


    The expansion extended to the end of the street some fifty metres away, beyond which the gloom continued to obstruct Jason¡¯s vision. Jason prepared himself for an onslaught of living anomalies but the freshly transformed streets remained silent. After waiting for a minute, sword in hand, Jason resheathed it and started walking around the outside of the pagoda, watching out for sudden attacks.


    The new territory he was encroaching upon was significantly larger than the building, which it completely surrounded. After completely circling the pagoda and seeing his domain spread the same distance in each direction, Jason set out towards the new edge of his spirit domain.


    Standing on top of the dome, Chen conjured up a large dark red cauldron that was filled with impenetrable darkness. The cauldron emitted a thick, coppery scent of hot blood. A red and white orb floated up from the pot, a grotesque bloodshot eyeball the size of a basketball. Chen cast a fairly lengthy spell and a shimmering red force field appeared around it. The cauldron vanished and the orb floated over to the portal and plunged into it.


    Jason grew increasingly wary as he moved closer to the new border of his domain without spotting any anomalies. His aura senses grew stronger and more widespread with each expansion of his domain but still stopped dead at the end of his territory. As he moved closer to the gloom surrounding his starlit section of city like a black fog, he started to make out what might have been shapes in the dark. Again he lamented to loss of his powers, knowing they could easily be fabrications of his anxiety.


    Once the shapes in the dark started to move, he knew it wasn¡¯t anxiety. All of a sudden, people started rushing out of the gloom; a rabid army of what looked like ordinary people sent into a frenzied rage, brandishing tyre irons, lengths of pipe, planks with nails and a panoply of sporting equipment. They came spilling out of the darkness like a wave.


    ¡°Oh shi¨C¡±


    The eye orb returned from the portal, its red shield gone and looking much the worse for wear, like half-melted ice cream in a flavour that no one wanted. Chen conjured the cauldron again and the orb disappeared into it. As it did, the information it had gathered entered into Chen''s mind.


    "I see," he said. "It seems that there are several challenges to safely traversing the space beyond the portal. One is a pervasive and powerful aura. It is definitely silver rank but for raw strength, it rivals a gold-rank aura.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like Asano¡¯s aura,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I tried to suppress it when we fought. It was like trying to crush an egg in your hand, only to realise it¡¯s a stone.¡±


    "I cannot be certain," Chen said. "The senses of my scouting orb were completely blocked. It could only detect the forces that pressed upon it directly. This is the second problem: I believe that essence powers are suppressed on the other side of the portal. My summon remained intact, so anything already in place is likely to remain, but I doubt new powers can be used."


    ¡°That¡¯s dangerous,¡± Miss Li said.


    ¡°But not a deal-breaker,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Even without powers, a gold-ranker puts most comic book characters to shame.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Chen said. ¡°The final problem, however, is the most pressing. I believe that the space beyond the portal is, for lack of a better term, a mix of reality and unreality. From what my orb could make out of the forces working upon it, reality is in an uncertain state within the dome.¡±


    ¡°Like being inside Schr?dinger¡¯s box,¡± Miss Li said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen said. ¡°It¡¯s as if the space on the other side of the portal is attempting to make things exist and not exist at the same time.¡±


    ¡°How does Asano withstand it?¡± Miss Li asked.


    ¡°One more secret he brought back from the other world,¡± Gerling said. ¡°You can add it to the list.¡±


    ¡°What do we do if we encounter Asano?¡± Chen asked Miss Li. ¡°Secure him?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Miss Li said. ¡°Help him. He¡¯s consistently maintained that he¡¯s trying to prevent some manner of doomsday and our analysts believe the probability of that being the case is high. So long as you are in there, if you meet him, help him. Otherwise, ascertain what gains can be made, with reality cores being the priority. For the first trip, scout and return. Once we have a better idea of what is in there we can plan accordingly.¡±


    ¡°Assuming we can get in there at all,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Are your shields up to the task?¡±


    ¡°I believe I have what we need," Chen said. "I have a shield that can protect against abnormal dimensional effects. The only drawback is that it consumes the shielded person¡¯s mana to negate the forces it blocks. I can place this ability on each of us before we go in but the mana consumption will likely be large. I can¡¯t supplement that, so you will need to manage your own mana. If you stray from the portal, make sure that you have enough to get back to it in time.¡±


    The wave of people flooded out of the gloom with roaring screams, descending on Jason. He didn¡¯t even consider trying to fight the horde pouring down the street, immediately turning to run. He made for the pagoda but even as he did, his aura senses picked up more people appearing from thin air in the buildings around him. They rushed out through doors and even leapt through windows, sending glass shattering. Even being on the upper floors didn¡¯t perturb them as they launched themselves out of second, third even fourth floors, with more leaping right off of rooftops.


    Jason was startled by their berserker rage that left them with no sense of self-preservation. Many were dying or crippling themselves as they launched from high places, with the survivors dragging themselves forward if they had to. Jason¡¯s first thought was that they were the people caught in the transformation zone, but to his senses they were identical to the living anomalies he had faced in the building. They might all seem like normal, if rabid people, but their auras were in no way human.


    None of the people seemed to be spawning inside the pagoda but Jason was cut off before he could reach it as more of the horde streamed around the sides. He immediately swerved and dashed into an alley, the frenzied mob on his heels. They weren''t a match for his silver rank speed but they were much faster than normal humans. Jason paused as one of them dropped down from the roof to hit the ground hard in front of him, then leapt over the berserk man''s grasping arms to keep running.


    His system had warned Jason that the living anomalies would become stronger. Instead, they seemed as weak or weaker, without any bizarre monstrous forms. Instead, they had strength in numbers. Jason went from fighting a few at a time in the hotel to facing what was easily hundreds, keenly feeling the absence of his powers.


    Emerging from the other end of the alley, he found more of the mob bearing down on him. He started to use his cloud construct, condensing his mist shroud into small steps that let him climb through the air where they couldn¡¯t follow. He headed for a second storey window where he didn¡¯t sense any of the horde, only for one to appear in a flash of rainbow light as he reached it, already charging. It crashed through the glass and tackled him out of the air, sending them both falling to the ground below.

 Chapter 414: Instinct is All We Have

    Sprawled on the ground, Jason was hammered by a crowd of people-shaped anomalies with planks and pipes and cricket bats.  His sword had skewered one of them right through the face, and it fell on top of him. Using it as a shield, he pushed up to his feet, although the corpse made a poor barrier. Attacks continued to rain down from every direction, pummelling his head, back and arms. One of the anomalies even bit into him like a zombie.


    You have been afflicted with [Streptococcus].You have resisted.You have been afflicted with [Reality Dysphoria].You already possess a gestalt physical/spiritual nature.[Reality Dysphoria] has no effect.


    Jason burst out of the crowd, running before too much of the anomaly horde crowded around him. He barrelled through groups of three or four charging at him while avoiding larger clusters as he sprinted for the pagoda. Even so, he continued to take repeated blows as he blasted past the anomalies.


    He was reminded of his first fight with a silver-ranker when his team fought the archbishop of Purity, Nicholas Hendren. Their bronze-rank attacks seemed futile as he took hit after hit without slowing down. Jason absently wondered if the rabid anomalies felt the same frustration as he continued blowing past them. He doubted they had much capacity to think at all.


    Jason''s domain beyond the pagoda wasn''t that large and, even impeded, he was moving with silver rank speed. He neared the pagoda swiftly but there was a crowd of anomalies around it as if they had anticipated his retreat. Not slowing down, Jason started condensing his mist shroud into steps, running over the head of the anomalies and onto the second-floor balcony.


    You have abandoned your incomplete spirit domain territory while anomalies are present.Your spirit domain will retract over time until you return or all anomalies are destroyed.If anomalies remain when all non-territory domain space has reverted to genesis space, anomalies will be able to attack your completed territory.


    ¡°Oh, strewth,¡± Jason complained, rolling his shoulders painfully. None of the attacks had been critical but he felt like he¡¯d been run over by a car. He was rapidly healing though, with the bite mark on his arm already closed. He turned to look out as the crowd of anomalies gathering like a sea around his pagoda. At least he could no longer sense new one spawning, although perhaps they would if he went back out.


    ¡°How am I going to deal with¡­¡±


    He trailed off as he sensed a new presence emerge from the portal, quickly followed by three more.


    ¡°Ask and ye shall receive, I guess.¡±


    Jason moved inside from the balcony and over to the elevator that provided an alternative to the stairs, pressing the button.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how they managed to get in, but I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    Chen arrived through the portal, followed by Gerling and then the other two category fours from China. Guo was one of China¡¯s weakest category fours, having earned his place in the program through family connections and was not widely respected by the others. The more capable Tran was Vietnamese, one of many talented essence users poached by China over the years.


    They looked around at the dark crystal room with the wall planters as they adjusted to the effects of the space. There was a white wooden door but no windows, while light came from a crystal set into the ceiling. Their mana was rapidly being consumed by the shields that Chen had placed on them, but a category four¡¯s mana pool was deep and being constantly replenished by their recovery attribute. It wasn¡¯t enough to remain perpetually, but they would have a decent amount of freedom to explore.


    Their powers were sealed off, yet the place was oddly comfortable. In the normal world, the low quality of magic meant that only the power of the reality cores sustained them, while the magic in this place was far richer. Aside from that was an aura pressing in on them that Gerling recognised. Like Jason had been on first arriving, their auras were completely suppressed and the ability to extend their aura senses with them. Only because the aura was imposing itself on them could they detect it.


    ¡°Asano,¡± Gerling muttered.


    None of them were able to exercise their own auras, making resisting the aura pressing on them unpleasant, but it didn¡¯t have any deleterious effect.


    ¡°Curious,¡± Chen said, looking around. ¡°This doesn¡¯t look anything like the agrarian land that the dome originally covered. Additionally, this room appears to have been built specifically to house the portal.¡±


    They glanced at the still-open portal and the rainbow light within. They had all dropped into it, yet found themselves walking out of an archway. It was a disorienting switch, especially in addition to the normal queasiness and disorientation of passing through a portal.


    "We''re on the clock," Gerling said. "Let''s go looking around."


    The normal procedure for the factions on entering a fresh transformation zone was to scour it for the reality core. This was usually an easy task due to the cores lighting up like a beacon to magical senses. The hope was that this still-changing transformation zone would have more cores but cut off from their magical senses they couldn¡¯t detect anything.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Chen said. ¡°We should remain as a group, at least until we have a better idea of what we¡¯re dealing wi¨C¡±


    He stopped as the door was flung open to reveal Jason Asano.


    ¡°Right, you lot,¡± Jason demanded. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    He turned to leave when Guo called out to him.


    ¡°You don¡¯t tell us what to do, Asano.¡±


    Jason turned back, pointed an arm at the portal and then closed his fist. The rainbow light in the portal vanished as it was sealed.


    ¡°I do now.¡±


    Guo used his gold rank reflexed to grab Jason by the neck, dash across the hall outside the room and slam him into the wall.


    ¡°You think I can¡¯t make you do whatever I want?¡±


    Jason looked at Guo calmly, even as he was held against the wall by the throat, feet dangling. His voice was in no way choked off as he spoke.


    ¡°While I have no doubt you have a gleeful aptitude for cruelty, I¡¯ve been tortured by the bloke who creates universes. Whatever you can do to me, I promise you that I¡¯ve been through worse. Those shields won¡¯t last forever, so, yeah; I don¡¯t think you can make me do whatever you want. Now, put me down or I leave you in here until you dissolve like a soluble aspirin.¡±


    Guo¡¯s hand closed tighter on Jason¡¯s neck.


    ¡°You¡¯ll die here too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve died before. It never seems to stop me.¡±


    ¡°Guo, that¡¯s enough!¡± Chen barked. He had let Guo off his leash long enough to get the measure of Asano and had found himself impressed. Guo would be an acceptable price to pay for the assistance of someone who clearly understood the space more than they did. Chen would happily kill Guo himself in trade for some of Asano¡¯s secrets.


    Guo reluctantly let Jason go, who dropped to the floor. Chen saw the heavy indentations of Guo''s hand already healing on Jason''s neck in a display of healing speed that rivalled a gold ranker.


    ¡°Do you have your powers?¡± Gerling asked, having noticed the same thing.


    ¡°No, but I have a little aura control.¡±


    ¡°A little bit?¡± Gerling asked, still feeling the power of Jason¡¯s aura overwhelming the room.


    ¡°That¡¯s not me,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s the place we¡¯re in.¡±


    ¡°Why does this place have your aura?¡± Chen asked.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m taking it over,¡± Jason said. ¡°The proto space and the transformation zone aren¡¯t playing nice. The instability is going to leave a wound in the side of the universe if we let it fester. I¡¯m stabilising this place as best I can.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°Yeah, because I¡¯m going to tell you that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Look, as I see it, you¡¯ve got three options. One, you kill me, I come back to life and get on with saving the world while your shields crap out and you all die. I don¡¯t know if you can come back from that, that¡¯s your business. Two, you all sod off looking for loot, although I haven¡¯t spotted any reality cores, so good luck. Then you eventually die. Three, you do what I say, maybe we save the world and I let you all out.¡±


    ¡°What guarantee do we have that you won¡¯t just leave us in here anyway?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m going to kill you, if you live long enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°But not today. The Cabal is under new management and I think we all know that war is inevitable. You¡¯re going to explode a lot of vampires before I put you down. Now, you¡¯re not the only ones on a clock, so get your arses in gear and come with me.¡±


    Jason rode the elevator in his magic interdimensional pagoda, along with four powerful magicians, including the man who killed his brother.


    "I used to work in retail stationery," he mused. "It''s been an odd few years.¡±


    ¡°Since we have agreed to help you,¡± Chen said, ¡°would you be willing to offer a little reciprocation?¡±


    ¡°For help saving the world that you live on?¡± Jason asked pointedly. ¡°What exactly do you have in mind?¡±


    ¡°You have repeatedly claimed that you are acting to save the world and our people are inclined to believe you. Beyond stating that claiming reality cores works against this end, however, you have offered up little information about the nature of the threat and how you will go about stopping it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that I¡¯ve been high-handed with my information,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s because I didn¡¯t want people like you trying to use me once you found out what you could use me for. With the events of today, though, I think its safe to say that I¡¯m now squarely in everyone¡¯s attention.¡±


    The elevator reached the ground floor and they stepped out, the gold-rankers looking around at the opulent atrium with the waterfall dropping into the middle of the floor.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to prevent a disaster from destroying our world,¡± Jason said. ¡°This place threatens to accelerate that disaster precipitously. Once it¡¯s dealt with, I¡¯ll explain everything. From a safe distance.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the concession,¡± Chen said. ¡°What needs doing now?¡±


    Jason pointed to the stone double doors.


    ¡°Outside there is a lot of things that look like angry people, but aren¡¯t. They aren¡¯t very strong but there¡¯s a lot of them. We have to kill them all.¡±


    When Jason gestured at the doors and they swung open, the four gold-rankers shot out like missiles, with appropriately explosive results. Given the space to move around and swing his sword, Jason could quickly carve through the weak anomalies but the gold rankers were so powerful that the tighter they clustered the better.


    Gerling didn¡¯t have his explosion powers but it was hard to tell as a single swing of his fist burst two or even three anomaly heads like an overripe melon being hit by a baseball bat. The Vietnamese man, Tran, moved in swift, jerking motions, efficiently striking out with his fist like a boxer. His hands never stopped moving as he moved through the anomalies like a threshing machine.


    Chen was even more clinical, wiping out anomalies faster than anyone. With his fingers clustered together like a bird¡¯s beak, his hands pecked holed in the faces of anomalies, with two more being killed before the first hit the ground. Chen and Tran both demonstrated that not every essence user from Earth lacked the skill to match their power. The other Chinese gold-ranker was clearly the least capable of the group but even he was a force to be reckoned with by dint of raw power.


    Jason participated, cleaning up the more scattered anomalies after the others passed through the crowd like a hurricane. Even with the gold rankers hammering away, there was no shortage of leftovers given the sheer numbers, Jason¡¯s sword flickered in the starlight, reaping anomalies at a pace that almost matched the weakest of the gold rankers.


    Soon the ground was painted with the grim remnants of the anomalies, which appeared human when intact but were revealed to be human-shaped masses of flesh once their facades were blasted apart by the violent attacks of the gold-rankers. Looking around, Jason reflected on the fact that his own body was much the same.


    They cleared out the open spaces and started going after the ones still in the buildings, with Jason directing the others to where he sensed them. More of the anomalies continued to spawn, but they seemed to do so at a rate commensurate with the number of live anomalies that had already invaded Jason¡¯s domain. When the place had been swarming, that swarm rapidly grew, the spawn rate diminishing as the gold-rankers aggressively thinned-out the numbers. After Jason sensed the last anomaly fall, he moved to the edge of his domain where it met the dark fog of gloom to be certain.


    You are at the border of your spirit domain. Minimum cost to expand: 78 [Stable Genesis Cores].Maximum strength of non-anomalies in your domain: gold-rank. On expanding your domain, anomaly strength will be proportional to the most powerful non-anomaly present.You have insufficient cores to expand your domain.


    Since the domain could be expanded, that meant the existing anomalies were finished. That the next set of anomalies would be gold-rank if the gold-rank essence users remained was not completely a surprise, as Jason had already postulated that the space was reacting to his rank.


    Gerling and Chen approached him as Guo and Tran were examined the dead anomalies.


    ¡°So it¡¯s done?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Jason said, looking up distractedly from his system window. ¡°No, it¡¯s barely begun. But you three have to leave. I¡¯ll open the portal back up.¡±


    ¡°We can return, once we¡¯ve replenished our mana,¡± Chen said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have to continue stabilising the zone and if you¡¯re here, the next lot of these things will be scaled to your power, not mine.¡±


    ¡°Can we not leave, have you trigger the next set of them and then return?¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°A loophole that makes things that easy makes me suspicious, though. We might have gotten away with it once, but I¡¯m not sure that this place would keep doing it.¡±


    ¡°You say that like this place has an intelligence,¡± Chen said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about intelligence,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I do know that cosmic forces can have a will. I¡¯ve experienced it for myself. There¡¯s something about this place. It¡¯s like the fractured dream of a wounded animal, lashing out in its nightmare.¡±


    ¡°That seems like a jump,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°But we¡¯re through the looking glass, here. Sometimes instinct is all we have, even if it¡¯s unreliable, and I don¡¯t think trying to loophole a gaping wound in reality is a risk I want to take.¡±


    ¡°And if I do?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°Then you¡¯re an idiot,¡± Jason said. ¡°And for all you¡¯re a huge bogan-looking prick, I don¡¯t think you are.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a bogan?¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Tran called out, striding towards the group with something bloody in his hands. ¡°Don¡¯t listen to him. This is why he wants us gone.¡±

 Chapter 415: Step Back

    Standing in the middle of the street, Jason looked at the spheres Tran was holding, still bloody from where they had been ripped out of the anomalies. Looking around, it wasn''t hard to spot more given the thoroughness with which many anomalies had been dealt with. The spheres were the size of the genesis cores Jason had been using, but instead of rainbow colours, the energy swirling within was black and red. Jason suspected that the process of looting them, rather than ripping them directly out of corpses, changed the cores. Since the cores he used were specifically stable genesis cores, it was likely these others were the unstable variety.


    ¡°These,¡± Tran said, holding one in each hand. ¡°I bet these are the secret of this place.¡±


    ¡°This place has a lot of secrets,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°As do you, Mr Asano,¡± Chen said.


    ¡°I bet this is how he imprints himself on this place,¡± Guo said, coming up behind Tran. He also had a bloody core in each hand.


    ¡°Guo,¡± Chen said. ¡°Perhaps you should see if you can¡¯t claim some of this place for yourself, the way Mr Asano had. You¡¯re so much stronger than him, after all, so it shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±


    Any essence user understood instinctively how to use actively use items, simply trickling a little mana into them. Even with all their essence abilities sealed that didn¡¯t change.


    ¡°I would very strongly recommend against attempting using those cores,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You just want me to play test subject,¡± Guo said, tossing the spheres at Chen who neatly stepped aside.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do it,¡± Tran said. ¡°Anything this Japanese can do, I can do better.¡±


    ¡°Oh, racism,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m sure that¡¯s going to help. Look, mate, you¡¯ll probably blow up or something.  There¡¯s a bunch of conditions you need to meet before you can start claiming territory here, none of which you meet.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just trying to hide the benefits you¡¯re taking for yourself,¡± Tran said.


    ¡°So much for believing me about saving the world,¡± Jason muttered and gestured at Gerling. ¡°If someone absolutely has to have a go, have this guy do it.¡±


    ¡°No chance,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°You¡¯ll probably be fine,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°No one is going to do anything with these spheres,¡± Chen declared, only to be proven wrong as red light surged from the spheres in Tran¡¯s hands. Guo, Gerling and Chan looked on while Jason ducked into an alley before peering around the corner.


    ¡°Tran, don¡¯t be a fool,¡± Chen said. ¡°Stop this now.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you sick of being a slave to reality cores?¡± Tran asked as the red glow spread from the spheres to engulf him. ¡°We should be taking a cue from the vampires. We have the power. We should be in charge.¡±


    ¡°We have a larger duty,¡± Chen said, even as he backed off. Guo and Gerling did the same. As they watched, the red light stopped spreading and was instead drawn into Tran¡¯s body. His body started bulging oddly, as if balloons were inflating inside it.


    ¡°I think he''s going to explode or go full Cronenberg,¡± Jason yelled in warning. Guo, Chen and Gerling retreated to the alley with Jason.


    ¡°What does Cronenberg mean?¡± Guo asked.


    ¡°We have more important matters to pay attention to,¡± Chen said. Tran had fallen to the ground and was thrashing around, screaming.


    ¡°He¡¯s talking about David Cronenberg,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°The man from Star Trek: Discovery?¡± Guo asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s where you know him from?¡± Jason asked incredulously. ¡°Weren¡¯t you in a fridge for years?¡±


    ¡°I like Star Trek,¡± Guo said defensively.


    ¡°He was in, what?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Two episodes?¡±


    ¡°Episodes five, nine and thirteen of season three,¡± Guo said.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°I like Star Trek,¡± Guo said again.


    ¡°Focus!¡± Chen snapped.


    ¡°Okay, I don¡¯t think your guy¡¯s going to blow up,¡± Jason said. ¡°His aura¡¯s changing into something.¡±


    ¡°Into what?¡± Gerling growled. Having his powerful aura senses barely functional felt like being blinded.


    ¡°Definitely some kind of anomaly,¡± Jason said. ¡°This place is taking him over. He¡¯s not the same as all these things we just killed though. It almost feels like¡­ oh, that¡¯s probably bad.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Gerling snarled.


    ¡°Based on his aura, I think he¡¯s somewhere between anomaly and vampire,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How is that possible?¡± Guo asked.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the land of make-believe and you idiots started poking random stuff,¡± Jason said. ¡°He could have turned into Starscream.¡±


    ¡°What is a star scream?¡± Chen asked.


    ¡°Screw this,¡± Gerling said and rushed out. Tran¡¯s body had returned to a normal-looking state and he stopped thrashing and screaming, laying still on the ground. Gerling ran up and stomped his foot down hard on Tran¡¯s chest, only for Tran to transform into mist. All Gerling¡¯s foot smashed down on were now-empty clothes. The mist cloud moved away and reformed into Tran¡¯s physical body, with red eyes, no clothes and a manic, predator grin.


    ¡°Go,¡± Chen ordered and also rushed out, Guo close behind. Jason remained in the alley.


    Gerling met vampire Tran¡¯s eyes and then collapsed to his knees, gripping in his head in both hands as he let out a roar of rage and pain. Tran¡¯s hands grew into claws as Guo and Chen attacked, Guo getting raked across the face before Chen sent Tran flying through the air with a kick to the chest.


    Chen''s gold-rank strength sent Tran flying, but Tran''s gold-rank agility allowed him to flip in the air and land in a crouch, facing Chen, who was already charging. Tran spat out a swiftly-spreading blood mist but Chen used his momentum to leap over it. Tran raked his own arm with a claw, sending an unnatural amount of blood spraying into the air. The blood droplets transmuted into a swarm of knuckle-sized mosquitos, latching onto Chen as he dropped from the air. Then Tran was hit by a flying car.


    Gerling had shaken off the mental attack, looked at the blood mist and grabbed the first thing that came to hand, which was an automobile. It slammed Tran into a building and through the wall.


    As Chen scraped off the mosquitos that had latched into his flesh, blood sprayed out with each one he tore away, Guo, with his slashed face and Gerling approached the hole in what was now a half-collapsed wall with a car sticking out of it.


    ¡°Watch out,¡± Jason called as he sensed a cluster of anomalies spawn inside the building and a large pack of hyenas poured out of the hole to attack the three gold-rankers. They were much faster and stronger than ordinary hyenas, jumping on Chen, who was still distracted by the mosquitos and Guo, who was just slower to react. The obliviousness of not having their usual senses was hurting them.


    Gerling dodged one charging hyena, pivoting his body to punt it away with a kick. The next hyena leapt at him and he grabbed it by the upper and lower jaw before ripping it clean in half.


    Tran followed the hyenas out of the hole, holding up a hand that had a fanged mouth set into the palm. A nine-foot tongue shot out like a whip, flicking towards Gerling. Gerling snatched it out of the air, only for fangs to stab out of the tongue and piercing his hand. Blood flowed from the small wounds abnormally fast and was soaked into the tongue. Gerling ignored it and yanked on the tongue, pulling Tran towards him.


    He lunged forward to meet the stumbling Tran with his fist, only for Tran to turn to mist and wash right over Gerling, reforming behind him. The mist left a caustic residue on Gerling¡¯s skin, which Gerling also ignored like his other wounds. Spinning to attack again, Gerling was caught out when Tran threw back his head and let out a horrifying shriek, high and glass-shatteringly piercing.


    Gerling was staggered as blood ran from his ears and he stumbled, off-balance. Jason, still watching from a distance, was only silver-rank and was far more affected by the shriek, clutching his head briefly before blacking out.


    Jason came to as he rapidly healed the damage, although he still couldn¡¯t hear and it felt like a spike had been driven through his head. Still disoriented, he wondered how he was even affected like that since he was long past hearing via a vulnerable eardrum.


    Pushing himself to his feet, his head cleared enough to remember the situation at hand. Chen and Guo were both tethered to the ground by red chains as they fended off the attacks of the hyena pack.


    Gerling was still fighting Tran but was the worse for wear. They had similar gold-rank attributes and were similar in combat skill. The difference was that Tran had vampire powers, while Gerling¡¯s powers remained sealed away.


    Gerling fought well but Tran had tricks to escape whenever Gerling threatened heavy damage, while Gerling could not boast the same. The gold-ranker looked like Jason felt, bloody and beaten, yet he struggled defiantly on.


    Jason wasn''t fool enough to try and help without pulling out the trump card he really, really didn''t want to but it was clear that the gold-rankers were going to lose. Gerling was suffering some kind of affliction, most likely the vampiric transformation curse. If enough of it affected him he would turn into a vampiric minion and Jason didn¡¯t have his cleansing power to stop it. Unhappily, Jason drew his sword and took a fist-sized lump of golden crystal from his inventory.


    One of Tran¡¯s claw hands savagely slashed Gerling¡¯s arm, leaving it hanging limp. Tran grabbed the other arm, yanked it and slammed a fist into the elbow, bending it the wrong way. After pair of brutal knee strikes to the chest, Gerling doubled over and Tran bit into his neck.


    Jason stepped out, striding towards the group fight, holding the crystal above his head and sending a trickle of mana into it.


    Item: [True Light] (diamond rank, rare)


    True light of the sun, trapped in a single moment (consumable, crystallised light).


    Effect: Consume to release the true light of the Sun.


    Vampires were largely unaffected by the sunlight of Earth because it lacked magical strength. The diamond-rank light shining from the crystal was an entirely different matter and Jason felt the vampiric Tran¡¯s aura melt away like an ice cube under the hot sun as the crystal started emitting light.


    The animals dissolved and scattered like mist in the wind, the chains binding Guo and Chan broke apart and melted into gobbets of thick, hot blood. Tran staggered, the diamond-rank sunlight making a mockery of his gold-rank strength. He struggled even to stand as Jason marched up, channelling aura into his sword.


    The sword cut Tran¡¯s head clean off and Jason sent the body sprawling onto its back with a kick to the chest. After kicking the head away from the body, he moved over the fallen Tran¡¯s torso as he tossed his sword into the air and caught it in a backhand grip. After plunging it into the vampire¡¯s chest, he yanked the sword back and forth to make a hole. He shoved the light crystal into the vampire¡¯s chest cavity, right up against the heart.


    As Jason stepped back, sunlight shone from within Tran¡¯s body, right through the skin. It started burning white-hot, from the inside out. The light of the crystal died after only a few moments but the damage was done and the vampire continued to burn.


    You have defeated [Reality-Dysphoric Anomaly].


    Jason watched the body blacken as Gerling, Chen and Guo recovered. The flames died out and Jason crouched to examine the body.


    Would you like to loot [Reality-Dysphoric Anomaly]?


    ¡°It seems we owe you debt, Mr Asano,¡± Chen said. ¡°I¡¯m glad you have secrets enough still to resolve our situation.¡±


    Jason slowly stood, his body stiff, turning to reveal a face twisted with anger and coated in blood spatter.


    ¡°Do you have any idea what I just gave up?¡± he demanded furiously. ¡°Do you know what we could have done with that? The day will come when all those ancient vampires outside decide that they want to run the show and the thing I just used to save your worthless hides would have been our best weapon. We could have baited them into a massive conflict and used it to cripple enough of them that we could maybe even end it all in one stroke! You came because you wanted a head start on plundering this place and you¡¯ve condemned the world to a war worse than it had any need to be.¡±


    Chen looked contemplative, Guo looked angry and Gerling actually looked a little ashamed.


    ¡°You think I wanted to save you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I halfway contemplated letting him kill you all first and if I wasn''t worried about you pricks all turning into vampire minions I probably would have. The only reason I used that crystal was that without taking him down, I couldn''t finish the job I came in here to do.¡±


    He turned to look at the pagoda''s upper floors, closed his eyes and then opened them again.


    ¡°The portal is open. Go, and don¡¯t come back.¡±


    Guo took a step toward Jason but Chen stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°You might need us again,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°Not worth the risk,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don''t have a magic crystal for every time you cause more problems than you solve.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Chen said. ¡°If we do not return with something to show for our efforts ¨C and our loss ¨C then it will be hard to convince our people not to come after you the moment you leave this place.¡±


    ¡°You''re going to do that whatever you bring back,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Chen said. ¡°But there is a difference between seeking an opportunity and needing to salvage at least something from a costly debacle. Take a step back and give our people some face; allow us to take back some of these cores from the anomalies.  Then we can step back in turn and not pursue you as furiously as we otherwise might.¡±


    Jason looked from Chen to the dead Tran and back.


    ¡°Are you serious?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You want cores after what they did to him?¡±


    ¡°They are dangerous, yes, but powerful,¡± Chen said. ¡°Unless you have some reality cores to offer instead,¡± Chen said.


    ¡°Do you see any reality cores lying around?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, but my senses are sealed. Yours are not.¡±


    ¡°Just take some of the bloody things and go,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We will be taking the body of our fallen companion as well,¡± Chen said. As soon as he did, Tran started dissolving into rainbow smoke.


    ¡°I¡¯ve stepped back far enough, Mr Chen.¡±

 Chapter 416: Guns & Money

    Jason, Chen, Guo and Gerling walked in the direction of the pagoda, through streets painted with dead anomalies.


    ¡°Just to be clear, you are renouncing any claim you might have to these bodies, outside of taking a few cores,¡± Jason said. His tone made it clear that it wasn¡¯t a question.


    A quirk of Jason¡¯s looting ability was that he could only loot his own or unattended kills. It was likely that once the gold-rankers left, all the anomalies would count as unattended but he wanted to make sure they relinquished the rights to them. He didn¡¯t want to risk being unable to loot enough cores to keep expanding his spirit domain.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Chen said. Jason knew that Chen had gleaned some insight into the nature of Jason¡¯s ability from the exchange but that wasn¡¯t enough to risk losing all the cores.


    Around the pagoda was the area where the dead anomalies were at their thickest, having gathered around it while waiting for Jason and the others to emerge. They had done so in a storm of violence, leaving a sea of the dead. Picking their way through the bodies, Guo gathered up a half-dozen of the unstable black and red cores in his arms. Chen only took a pair of them, one in each hand. He looked at Guo carrying so many and was met by a challenging glare.


    ¡°What?¡± Guo asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± said Chen, who then glanced at the empty-handed Gerling.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you going to join us, Mr Gerling?¡±


    Gerling looked at Jason, then at the core in Chen¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°I really think you should,¡± Chen insisted, ¡°if only for the sake of caution.¡±


    Chen¡¯s eyes flicked in Guo¡¯s direction and he shared a look with Gerling.


    ¡°Right,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Need to avoid any mishaps.¡±


    Jason observed the exchange and watched Gerling pick up a pair of cores.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Guo asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get out of here,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I¡¯m running low on mana and I don¡¯t want this shield to crap out.¡±


    Jason led them to the elevator, escorting them up to the portal room. Guo gave Jason a hostile glare.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to meet again,¡± Guo said. ¡°Things will be very different outside your private magic land.¡±


    Not waiting for a response, Guo carried his armload of unstable genesis cores through the portal. The other three watched the portal for reactions but there were no visible changes.


    ¡°Should we just leave these cores here?¡± Chen asked Jason. Having prevented Guo from suspecting the cores might be dangerous to carry through; neither he nor Gerling was going to take the same risk.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take them,¡± Jason said, collecting the cores from Chen and Gerling.


    ¡°How long should we wait?¡± Gerling asked. ¡°If those cores just explode immediately we should be fine, but if they do something weird on the other side, we might want to give it a minute.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have a minute,¡± Jason said. ¡°Get out or I shut the portal, wait for you to die and then loot your corpses before getting on with what I came here to do.¡±


    ¡°Close that portal on us and we¡¯ll make sure you die before we do,¡± Gerling said.


    Jason flashed him a snake¡¯s grin.


    ¡°Are you sure about that?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Think about what happens when we meet. You try to catch me and I escape immediately. You lose to a vampire and I kill it easily. Are willing to bet your life on my bag of tricks being empty?¡±


    Gerling¡¯s huge frame towered over Jason, who looked up unflinchingly at the face of his brother¡¯s killer. Chen reached up to put a hand on Gerling¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°That should be delay enough,¡± Chen said. ¡°Mr Asano, I hope the next time we meet it will be as allies. I believe you¡¯re an enemy I would rather not have.¡±


    ¡°Then you should be more discerning in the company you keep. That said, I imagine we will all stand together when the time comes. The vampires are too used to dominance to not try and take over and I suspect their numbers are greater than any of us realised.¡±


    Chen nodded and then stepped through the portal without another word. Gerling gave Jason an angry but conflicted look before following.


    Jason went about the laborious task of touching each of the dead anomalies to loot them. Eventually, the streets were cleared, the anomalies all gone up in rainbow smoke. All that remained were some unstable genesis cores violently expelled from the anomalies and not converted to stable ones when he looted the bodies.


    The haul was a huge boost to Jason¡¯s coffers, with ten silver spirit coins and an equivalent value of bronze and iron coming from each one. It reached the point that Jason was glad spirit coins appeared in his inventory as a simple counter or he¡¯d need a storage pit like Scrooge McDuck.


    There were also the expected stable genesis cores, although a good number of unstable ones had already been violent expelled from the anomalies and weren¡¯t converted by his loot power.


    Aside from the spirit coins and the cores, he looted quite a lot of healing unguent and a handful of other items. There were a few mana potions, as well as a shape-changing potion that would allow for minor physical changes. Jason was familiar with such potions from the other world, although he had never used one. They could be used for disguise or to make more combative modifications, such as claws or bone spikes sticking out from the body. It generally wasn¡¯t considered a strong combat tool, but with his powers sealed, Jason would take anything he could get.


    Jason¡¯s belt was enchanted to protect the potion vials in it from incidental damage. Jason hadn¡¯t used it since reaching silver rank because it was only iron-rank and the protections were ineffective against any threat that would push him hard enough to need a potion.


    With Jason¡¯s abilities replenishing him more effectively than potions, it was only useful as a sword belt and he hadn¡¯t been using his sword, either. In his current circumstances, though, Jason was almost entirely reliant on items to boost his combat ability, even if the items were less than ideal.


    The other objects he looted seemed to fit the retro-futuristic feel of the city before Jason started transforming it. One was a self-boiling kettle that looked halfway between a coffee machine from the fifties and a cartoon bomb.


    ¡°Does this really need to be silver rank?¡± he wondered, holding it in his hands. He shrugged, remembering that the other world had higher-rank cooking ingredients in high magic areas.


    What most caught his eye was the selection of weapons that he looted, nine of them in total. The most attention-grabbing was a very large gun and some kind of bazooka. To Jason, the firearm looked like a steampunk minigun, while the rocket launcher would be at home in a Jetsons spin-off movie where Elroy got drafted and went to war.


    Both weapons had a hopper on the top that looked suspiciously well-shaped to accommodate a genesis core. The minigun-looking weapon came complete with a shoulder strap so it could be carried slung and fired from the hip.


    Item: [Instability Regulator] (silver rank, epic)


    A device that regulates and discharges the energy from unstable genesis cores in a relatively safe manner. For safety reasons, do not discharge device in the direction of nearby people or objects (weapon, gun).


    Effect: Consumes an [Unstable Genesis Core] to fuel powerful energy discharges. Fully depleted cores are transmuted into [Genesis Reclamation Cores].


    The description didn¡¯t cover what a genesis reclamation core was, but he hoped it would help him accelerate claiming territory for his spirit domain. He had no idea how long the unstable transformation zone would hold together before it collapsed and tore a hole in the side of the universe.


    Jason turned his attention to the bazooka.


    Item: [Instability Agitator] (silver rank, uncommon)


    A weapon that further destabilises unstable genesis cores, shrouds them in a short-lived containment field and then launches them (weapon, grenade launcher).


    Effect: Converts an [Unstable Genesis Core] into an explosive projectile.


    To Jason¡¯s mind, it was inferior to the minigun weapon, although if he needed to blow up something really big, it might be useful. He thought of the vast and distant silhouettes he had seen from the roof of his pagoda and realised that he would probably need a bigger bazooka.


    The remaining weapons consisted of three identical ray gun pistols that looked right out of Buck Rogers, two in belt holsters and the other in a shoulder holster. There were two rifles, one in an old-school ray gun design like the pistols and one that had no barrel at all. He picked that one up to examine. It was largely silvery-metallic with rounded components, an aesthetic that continued to the orb on the end of a rod it had instead of a barrel.


    Item: [Arc Rifle] (silver rank, rare)


    Lightning rifle (weapon, grenade launcher).


    Effect: Consume mana to attack using electricity. Has a chance to chain attacks to secondary targets.Effect: Has a chance to inflict [Muscle Paralysis] on targets with musculature or equivalent organic functionality.Effect: Has a chance to deliver an electromagnetic surge to electronic devices.


    ¡°Lightning gun,¡± Jason said reverently. He immediately tested it out, firing a wild blast of blue-white lightning down the street. The arc bent in the air to strike a car by the side of the road.


    ¡°Homing lightning,¡± Jason said with a huge grin. The weapon consumed a large amount of mana even from a short burst, however. ¡°Let¡¯s call it an awesomeness tax.¡±


    The arc rifle had a bandolier it came with that didn¡¯t seem to attach to the gun in any way. Instead, it had some metal disks, the purpose of which Jason was unsure of until he spent some time examining them and realised they were magnetic.


    Jason put on the bandolier and slung the arc rifle onto his back where it neatly clamped into place. He pulled out the rifle and stowed it on his back multiple times, finding that quickly grabbing it or putting it away was easy and reliable. It always seemed to find the magnetic grips and was held in place with just the right amount of force.


    Given the smoothness of the action, he suspected the grips had some magic assistance for ease of use. Jason appreciated that more than a magic gun with extra features that might never get used. During his time on Earth, he had looted a lot of guns which he had handed over to the Network, many of which had pointless peripheral effects.


    The last two weapons were for melee combat. One was a heavy iron gauntlet that went up to the elbow. It had similar effects to the lightning gun but with less mana consumption and the ability to serve as armour. It was far too bulky for Jason though, so it was quickly dropped into his inventory. The last weapon was an electrified rod, only a little shorter than his sword. He already had his sword, so it likewise went into the inventory.


    After some debate, Jason risked trying to store unstable orbs in his inventory and found they were perfectly fine, even stacking safely in a single inventory slot and not occupying a lot of space. Then the heavy weapons went in.


    The pistols he equipped directly. The two in belt holsters went on his right hip and back, with his sword remaining on his left hip. He then slung on the shoulder holster for the third.


    Item: [Pulse Blaster] (silver rank, common)


    Energy pistol (weapon, pistol).


    Effect: Fires a blast of energy at the cost of mana. Basic blasts are an efficient balance of power to mana cost.Effect: Change up mana to fire a powerful but mana-inefficient blast.


    Jason had tried magic guns in the past. He had never used them in combat because his powers were always the superior choice, but he was capable enough. Even at bronze-rank, the proprioception and reflexes of his speed attribute combined with the spatial awareness and sharp senses of his spirit attribute had been formidable. Although he would be no match for a practised expert, now that his attributes were silver-rank, he was confident he would adapt quickly.


    With a small arsenal of guns at his disposal, Jason was much more confident about facing down another horde of anomalies. Ranged attack options and the ability to pull out the heavy weapons meant that, so long as he was careful, even a huge wave should be manageable. That was assuming, he reminded himself, that the next wave of anomalies was as weak as the last one.


    The last items Jason had to look at were the two that came from looting the gold-ranker-turned-vampire, Tran. Looting powers on low-rankers only rifled through their possessions and dimensional storage space, if they had one. High-rakers, including Jason himself, were different. From a purely physical perspective, there was little difference between the body of a gold-ranker and a monster and looting powers affected them the same way.


    Many silver-rankers and even some bronze rankers also had monster-like bodies made of what amounted to congealed magic. Jason himself had been like that from his very arrival in the other world, although his low-rank body had been made up of very impure magic. He still remembered passing out as his body instigated a massive purge on reaching iron-rank.


    Along with the usual pile of coins, Jason had looted two items from Tran. The first was a black and red bracelet, which he looted directly, while the second was produced by Jason¡¯s outworlder ability, defiant, which gave him extra loot from powerful enemies. That item was a lamp made from silver and gold, with sapphire settings.


    Neither item was useful to Jason in the immediacy but he anticipated both being valuable once he left the transformation zone behind. He put them in his inventory and turned his attention to once more expanding his domain.

 Chapter 417: Old Habit

    Jason expanded his spirit domain from atop a building, covered in guns and fully prepared to leap off into a superhero landing and start mowing down anomalies. His domain expanded out, adding more cityscape to Jason¡¯s incomplete second territory. The transformed landscape blended dark crystal construction with much brighter elements reminiscent of his cloud house. It also continued to bring more plant life into being, from rows of trees running down the streets to a garden-filled park.


    As the newly-claimed space was more city, Jason was anticipating another wave of urban-variant angry villagers which turned out not to be the case. When the anomalies arrived they were still human, but far fewer in number. Dressed in spacesuit-like outfits, they were armed with the same kind of weapons Jason had looted from the last set of anomalies. He didn¡¯t spot either of the heavy weapons fuelled by genesis cores, but most were wielding the same blaster rifle he had looted from the last set of anomalies. He spotted one holding a copy of the devastating lightning gun.


    Although the anomalies were only a fragment of what came before, it was still far from a small number. Jason¡¯s aura senses extended across his domain and he sensed them emerging all the way around what was becoming the vast circumference of his expanding territory. He wondered how vast it would be before his second territory was complete.


    The new anomalies weren¡¯t just different from the previous ones in outfit and weaponry but also behaviour. Instead of rabidly tearing off to search Jason out, they were smarter and more cautious moving in small groups, observing their surroundings with guns at the ready. Rather than make the splashy entrance he had originally intended, Jason retreated down through the building, a four-floor department store. As he made his way down, he paused after spotting a poster in the menswear section advertising the Bertinelli Collection. It wasn¡¯t the time to go browsing clothes, so he moved on.


    ¡°I have to check that out after I have this shootout with a small army of astronauts.¡±


    He paused again.


    ¡°I know the fate of the world is at stake and I might die, but sometimes I just love my life.¡±


    Jason waited for a group of the astronauts to walk past the doors of the department store before he approached the doors himself, causing the motion sensor to slide them open. He briefly peppered the astronauts with blasts from the pistols held in each of his hands before ducking out of the way as they swung their weapons to return fire.


    Of the group of five, Jason had taken out two with headshots before they started reacting, the energy from his guns blasting apart their helmets. His remaining shots were wild covering shots as he dashed out of the way, landing only glancing hits. The remaining three anomalies moved into the store, panning the room with their guns.


    The first floor was ladies¡¯ wear and Jason crouched down as he moved amongst racks of clothes. He sheathed his pistols and drew his sword as he pulled up his tactical map outworlder ability. It wasn¡¯t something that he used a lot but was perfect for a complex environment where he needed to track enemies with more precision than just his aura senses.


    Jason could already sense more anomalies approaching the store, drawn by the gunfire. The retro sci-fi blasters weren¡¯t as loud as ordinary guns firing supersonic slugs but neither were they quiet. He needed to take out the group he had already started on before more of them arrived.


    He emerged behind the astronauts as they moved down a tight row, sliding his blade into the back of the rearmost one¡¯s neck. By the time the other two heard it drop dead, Jason was already gone as they stopped in place, swivelling their guns back and forth. Since they were kind enough to stop moving, Jason took advantage by popping back up and shooting each of them in the head with a single pistol blast.


    Jason may not have had his cloak to blend into the shadows but he still had years of experience being a predator. The second group to arrive were killed without firing a shot. Jason then left the building as too many of the anomalies were converging on it. Making his way through the streets, dodging groups of anomalies, he went to the far side of his domain and lured more of the astronauts into a building to be killed off.


    He repeated the pattern several times, moving to new areas and wiping out two or three groups before abandoning his position. It didn¡¯t always go perfectly and several times he holed up to rub healing unguent onto a wound but he was operating effectively. His concern was the anomalies with the lightning guns, of which he discovered there were three. Scouting them out, he realised that not only did they have the powerful weapons but they looked to have reinforced space suits. How strong they were he could only find out by testing them.


    For his first attempt to take one out, Jason attacked on an open street. He picked his ambush location and waited for it to walk past, accompanied by a trio of rifle anomalies. He rose up and fired both pistols, landing multiple hits on the lightning gun anomaly''s head. The bolts struck the slow-moving astronaut¡¯s helmet straight on, which was scorched and blacked but not broken. The whole group turned their weapons on Jason, who ducked down and rolled away from the car.


    Energy blasts sizzled past Jason or were blocked by the car. The arc from the electricity gun curved to latch onto the car, just as Jason had intended. He had immediately realised on using the lightning gun himself that the homing feature was both a strength and weakness, due to its indiscriminate nature.


    Jason had been thorough in picking a spot with a ready escape path. He shot out the glass storefront next to him before dashing inside as energy blasts continued to fire in his direction. He holstered his pistols, pulled the minigun from his inventory. After slinging it over his shoulder he took out an unstable genesis core and dropped it into the hopper on top of the gun.


    The moment the first anomaly came into view, Jason opened up with the gun, firing rapid, powerful energy discharges at a blistering pace. It chewed through the visible anomaly before Jason walked the stream of deadly fire back and forth in an arc, blasting through the wall and the anomalies on the other side of it. Jason sensed the all go down immediately, even the armoured spacesuit of the lightning gunner having been ripped apart.


    Sensing another group approaching, Jason lugged the heavy weapon back out through the window and turned in their direction. Seeing the mess the gun had made of the anomalies, the car he had been hiding behind and even the wall on the other side of the street he didn¡¯t bother with anything tricky. He swung the gun in the direction of the corner they were approaching from and opened up as the anomalies came rushing around it.


    Although he was tempted to keep mowing down enemies, the minigun didn¡¯t come with a shield. He knew that if enough gathered together they would gun him down like a firing squad, so he returned the gun to his inventory and got moving.


    Jason managed to eliminate the other two other groups containing lightning gun wielders in similar fashion, although the last one left him in a bad position. The lightning gun chained an attack from the car Jason used for cover into Jason himself, inflicting him with muscle paralysis even as the minigun tore the anomaly apart.


    Jason fell to the ground, barely managing to pull out a pistol to shoot the lightning gun anomaly¡¯s companions as they rushed around the car to attack him. He managed to gun them down but took blasts to the leg, shoulder and gut in the process. After chugging one of his few silver-rank healing potions he painfully stowed the minigun and staggered into an adjacent building and rode its elevator up to the roof, then hit the emergency stop to prevent it from being used to follow him.


    As he holed-up, applying healing ointment to his wounds, he sensed the remaining anomalies converging on his location. He had killed most of them by that stage but there was still somewhere in the vicinity of three dozen moving in on him.


    Jason had the choice of trying to make a break for it wounded or giving himself time to heal more and the anomalies time to flood the building. He could risk trying to jump off the building, which would normally be fine but he was not going to be fully recovered either way. The risk was only moderate if he let himself heal up a bit but the consequences of getting it wrong were unacceptable. If he wound up crippled in front of a building full of enemies, he was dead.


    Deciding the best course was to let the healing unguent do as much work as it could in the time he had, on top of Colin¡¯s tireless efforts, he monitored the approaching anomalies using his tactical map ability. Displaying maps of each of the three floors of the office building side by side, he watched as they slowly but surely made their way up, searching for him.


    Jason was uncertain of how well he could handle them, given how many of them had come together. He would need to move before they completely converged on the rooftop. While Jason¡¯s raw physical and perceptual advantages helped him use guns with superhuman accuracy, he had no grasp of firearms tactics. He had been relying on variations of his usual stealth tactics, essentially treating the pistols as long, loud swords. It played to his strengths but would be less effective against larger groups where hit-and-run tactics would be harder to execute without being pinned down.


    Jason pushed himself to his feet, sore but functional. With a dozen anomalies on each floor, his strike and hide methods would only take him so far before it turned into a shooting gallery. He was going to have to push himself to the limits to succeed.


    He started by deactivating the emergency stop on the elevator and pressing the button for the floor below, then ducking out before the doors closed. He rushed down the stairs, stopping outside the door in the stairwell and pulling out the minigun again.


    He quietly made his way through the door into a large cubicle pen where the anomalies were all pointing guns at the elevator that had just opened up. Jason unloaded on the room, smashing apart cubicles and gunning down anomalies. Catching them by surprise, only a few got off wild shots before they were cut apart by the energy discharges from the gun.


    The minigun fell silent as the unstable genesis core was drained and Jason put the gun away. On his tactical map in the corner of his vision, he watched as the anomalies below swarmed towards the stairwell. He pulled out the sci-fi bazooka and another core, loading it into the top. Moving to the other side of the room, avoiding broken cubicle walls and massacred astronauts, he turned around and fired the weapon at the wall where the stairwell passed behind it.


    The stairwell had two dozen anomalies storming up it, but they were destroyed as a good chunk of that side of the building was eradicated. Jason was blasted through the wall by the backwash of the blast, blacking out.


    In the cloud yacht in Venice, Jason¡¯s family continued to watch coverage of the Slovakian transformation zone.


    ¡°¡­no idea where the tentacle monster on top of the dome came from but the gathered forces continue to fight it even as it continues to grow¡­¡±


    Jason came to half-buried in debris in the middle of the street. Dried blood flaked off his eyes as he forced them open and his head swam, the world seeming to spin around him. He tried pushing a broken lump of plaster-covered brick off himself but a stabbing pain in his arm made him stop. He was pointedly aware that without Colin healing him, even while sealed away, he may not have woken up at all.


    He shifted about enough to make sure nothing was stabbing into his body anywhere too serious and allowed himself time to heal until he could extricate himself. No anomalies showed up and would have likely have killed him already if any were going to. Finally, he dragged himself out of the debris and stripped off what remained of his clothes and sat all his weapons on the ground. The bloody, ragged remains of his outfit told the story of just how injured Jason had been, pushing even his silver-rank endurance to the limit. He left only his boxer shorts that had suffered remarkably little, the white with red love hearts pattern only a little bloodstained, despite the rest of him being largely coated red.


    Suddenly thinking of something he hadn¡¯t done in a long time, Jason pulled a recording crystal from his inventory and tossed it into the air. Despite it being so long, the old habit felt comfortably familiar.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done this in a while, the magic being kind of crap in my world so the recording crystals don¡¯t work so well,¡± he said to the crystal. ¡°I¡¯ll catch you all up at some point but I''m kind of in the middle of something right now. I guess I can hit the highlights. Farrah''s alive; that''s a winner. So am I, for that matter, which may be more surprising. I die kind of a lot. Is three times a lot? I mean, three isn''t a big number, but not many people hit the triple when it comes to carking it. I think three counts as a lot.¡±


    He controlled the crystal with a gesture to pan around.


    ¡°I''m saving the world, so I''d best get back to it. As you can see, I¡¯m standing in my underwear in the middle of the street, covered in blood, next to a building I just blew up. The street is in an extradimensional city I¡¯m taking over so a hole doesn¡¯t get blasted in the side of the universe. Mondays, am I right? Oh, wait, you have a six-day week. Still, it''s a day of the week, it''s not that hard to pick up from context.¡±


    Jason moved the crystal to focus back on him and waggled a disapproving finger at it.


    ¡°Clive, I know you''ve got questions but stop interrupting. People are trying to listen to the recording. Be courteous and wait.¡±


    Jason pulled out a flask of cleaning solution and poured it over himself. It was something he made himself, from his skill book-derived alchemy abilities. It was a poor substitute for crystal wash but Jason had to put something in his cloud house after the crystal wash ran out. It stung as it reached his various wounds, Jason wincing like an eighties action hero when the love interest treats his wounds.


    ¡°Jory, if you¡¯re watching this, I want you to know I have a new appreciation for the quality of your crystal wash. I am going to need quite a lot of it once I get back, by the way. Like, a lot. I don¡¯t want to go running out again, so waaay more than last time.¡±


    Jason tipped another flask of the cleaning solution over his weapons before putting them away.


    ¡°Anyway, none of my essence abilities work here, which sucks. I spent the last few hours fighting it out with a small army of astronauts with ray guns, which was pretty awesome. I''ll explain what they are later.¡±


    He took a look at the building he had been blasted out of. On the side where Jason woke up, it was utterly devastated. When he circumnavigated the building, he discovered that the other side was completely gone.


    ¡°Maybe I don¡¯t need a bigger bazooka. It¡¯s going to be hard finding something to loot.¡±


    Remembering the department store and its menswear section, he turned and trudged in its direction.


    ¡°Now, getting some magic weapons was useful and all, but now for the real boost in power. It¡¯s time for a pants upgrade.¡±

 Chapter 418: It’s Still Not About Killing Monsters

    The Bertinelli Collection in the menswear department of the department store Jason found had a very specific set of clothes. Modelled after the clothes designed for Jason by Gilbert Bertinelli in the other world, they fit like a glove. Unlike the originals, these were silver-rank, although none boasted any exceptional abilities. They were clothes, with some minor self-cleaning and self-repair functions, but mostly designed for casual wear. Gilbert¡¯s designs and material choices made then more durable than most but they were hardly adventuring gear. Many of Jason¡¯s original outfits had fallen to misadventure, in no small part because he and the threats he had faced had both come to outrank them.


    The silver-rank replacements felt perfect sliding on, Jason hoped they wouldn¡¯t dissolve the moment he left the transformation space. Erika wouldn¡¯t like it if Jason showed up naked on the news. He also looked around at the goods that weren¡¯t just ranked-up reproductions of his old clothes.


    Gilbert''s Resilient Attire For the Discerning Gentleman was a store that catered to the adventurer with armour that would put them in good stead, all the way until they ranked up. One of the first things Gary had warned Jason against was cheaping-out on equipment since it would cost more in the long term than investing in good gear from the start. The menswear department didn''t have any of the heavy armour, but there was some of the lightweight cloth armour that Jason preferred and was a particular specialty of Gilbert''s.


    Jason looked around at outfits he had seen in Gilbert¡¯s store but never purchased, along with some that he had. There was a copy of his old trap weaver armour, which had served him excellently at iron-rank. It had stronger self-repair enchantments than the clothes, along with a plethora of additional features. There was even a replica of his bespoke bronze-rank armour that had been destroyed in Makassar. He wasn¡¯t going to wear them, since they were at their original rank, but he took both if only for sentimental reasons.


    Jason loaded up his inventory¡¯s outfit tabs with new clothes and then looked over some of the silver-rank armour options, although the pickings were slim, being a menswear section rather than an actual armoury. There wasn¡¯t anything as fancy as his custom armour, but he picked up an outfit of black and dark green material. It highlighted Gilbert''s expertise in getting as much protection as possible without compromising flexibility.


    The outfit was a ranked up version of an inexpensive armour Jason had considered at iron-rank, before being convinced to splurge by Gary. It may have lacked features but even Gilbert¡¯s basic products didn''t skimp on quality. Jason took off the fresh clothes he had slipped on and suited up in the armour.


    ¡°It¡¯s still not about killing monsters,¡± he told his reflection in a wall mirror. ¡°It¡¯s about how good you look while killing monsters.¡±


    The next expansion of Jason¡¯s territory went smoothly, being a repeat of the rabid horde anomalies he had faced with the gold rankers. The minigun proved to be highly effective, mowing down anomalies like blades of grass. Using the gun to completely deplete the unstable cores converted them into something else.


    Item: [Genesis Reclamation Core] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    A magical vessel capable of reclaiming the energy of unseated reality cores (consumable, magic core).


    Effect: Can drain the energy from unseated reality cores, as well as individuals and objects that have consumed that energy. When completely charged, this item will transmute into a [Regenesis Core].


    Jason had no idea what a regenesis core was, but it seemed the reclamation cores could potentially drain the power from gold-rankers and ancient vampires, which represented a huge weapon against them. Jason resolved to use the minigun to create as many of them as he could.


    With his increased arsenal and a lot of territory left to claim, Jason conducted his next domain expansion with a large excess of the required stable genesis cores. Each expansion had increased the affected area, but adding all those extra cores caused the expansion to blow out to an area five or six kilometres across.


    The domain finally reached the limits of the city zone, which Jason estimated to be roughly the area covered by the dome in the real world. With so much expansion, Jason wouldn¡¯t be able to see what lay in the gloom beyond his new territory until he ventured out to the new border, but he had more important things to deal with. He sensed anomalies penetrating his domain from all around it and could immediately tell they were not like those that came before.


    Given the distances involved, Jason commandeered one of the cars out on the street. He could have used his silver-rank speed to sprint around but the cars were just there, so he decided to use them. They were rather science-fiction looking cars, which he didn¡¯t hate, but he had no keys. Seeing as it was part of his domain, he concentrated on controlling it and the door clicked open. It took longer to get the car to start but after a minute of prodding with his aura, the electric engine hummed to life.


    The ride wasn¡¯t as smooth as Shade¡¯s car forms but it was still an easy journey out through the streets of Jason¡¯s expanded domain. He stopped the quiet car a few hundred metres short of where he sensed the closest anomaly and progressed on foot. Compared to the human-shaped anomalies of the last few expansions, Jason could already tell these were different.


    Their auras were notably more powerful and there were far fewer of them, although fewer was relative. Jason''s spirit domain was now somewhere between five and six kilometres across and he sensed anomalies cross the border at fairly even distances, all around. He estimated the number of anomalies somewhere north of a hundred and fifty.


    Jason''s first objective was to scout out the enemy, catch one before they started converging and test its strength. He moved carefully, observing its aura. It was moving swiftly, although not at the breakneck rush the rabid anomalies had. He was in a more suburban area of the city without so many tall buildings, one and two-storey homes with one-floor businesses peppered amongst them. He found one three-storey apartment complex and went inside, using the roof as a vantage.


    What he spotted walking down the middle of the street looked like a werewolf, a hulking hybrid of man and beast that stood larger than either. It was bipedal, with long arms ending in brutal-looking claws. It would have stood some eight or nine feet tall if it hadn¡¯t been hunched forward.


    Jason was about to move when the anomaly sniffed the air and looked right up at him.


    ¡°Crap.¡±


    He pulled the pistols in his hip and shoulder holster, immediately firing at the werewolf. He wasn¡¯t anticipating much but wanted to compare them to previous anomalies. It was already moving fast before the first shots went off, sprinting at the building. Its shambling gait wasn''t wildly fast, but when it leapt at the wall and started climbing, its pace barely slowed. Strong claws digging right into the wall, the creature rushed up as Jason leaned over the side to rain down pistol blasts.


    The pistols singed hair but didn¡¯t seem to impede the creature at all, which vaulted onto the flat roof as Jason scrambled back, dropping his pistols. He smoothly pulled the lightning gun from the magnetic clips on his back and fired.


    Electricity blasted out of the arc rifle in a blinding flash, locking onto the werewolf anomaly like a tether. The creature was rocked back on its feet by the jolt of electricity but let out an angry growl as it pushed forward again. The air was filled with the stench of burning hair as the anomaly tried to push on with the electricity burning up its flesh, only to collapse on the rooftop.


    The muscle paralysis effect of the lightning gun had kicked in, leaving the werewolf struggling to swipe its claws vainly in Jason¡¯s direction, even as its arms savagely cramped up. Jason continued holding down the trigger to pump electricity into it.


    You have defeated [Living Anomaly].


    Jason slung the lightning gun on his back and picked up his dropped pistols before holstering them. The lightning gun had proved to be effective against the werewolf but it burned through far too much of Jason¡¯s mana for just one monster. He could potentially bank on the chaining effect to take on multiples at once, but the chains weren¡¯t reliable and there were still more than a hundred and fifty of the anomalies. He had some mana potions but nowhere near enough to fuel the lightning gun enough for that.


    The solution would have to be the minigun, which was an acceptable outcome. It ran on cores rather than Jason¡¯s mana and he wanted to deplete some of those cores anyway, so he set out to hunt the monstrous anomalies with his giant gun.


    The anomalies turned out to be all human-animal hybrids, mostly wolves and bears that fell quite easily to the minigun. Other proved much tricker, such as flying falcon hybrids that dodged the blasts of his unwieldy gun. Against them, Jason was forced to pull the lightning gun back out and burn through huge chunks of his mana.


    This was a trend as Jason''s powerful minigun made short work of the larger hybrids. More troublesome were the smaller, faster ones that were hard to pin down with the unwieldy weapon. The worst were the fox hybrids, who were only the size of children but still boasted strength at the low end of silver-rank. Their speed was closer to the high end, making them agile enough to avoid the heavy minigun.


    Jason¡¯s response was to drop the gun and pull out his sword. The fox hybrids were fast but lacked the strength of the bear hybrids and the savage claws and teeth of the werewolves. This meant that Jason''s armour held up relatively well to the fox hybrids but they were still strong and fast enough that many drew blood before Jason cut them down.


    Eventually, Jason took all the anomalies down. Things got hairy at the end as they started converging and attacking in groups, but the minigun was a specialty tool for handling clustered enemies. Only against a mixed group of five, including some devilishly elusive fox hybrids was Jason ever worried about the outcome.


    When the last anomaly fell, nothing happened. Jason had roamed close enough to the edges of the city to see that his domain now encompassed all of it, with a gloom-filled forest beyond. He had been sure that this would complete his second full territory but he had no response from the system. This meant that either the territory expanded beyond the limits of the city or there were still anomalies remaining.


    Just as he was considering the possibility of some stealth hybrid that had evaded his aura senses, something new came lumbering out of the gloom. Jason heard it first, a rumble of distant thunder, then another and another. Jason had seen enough monster movies to know giant footsteps when he heard them.


    The aura came next, pushing into Jason''s domain as if struggling to escape the gloom. It was like Jason''s aura in that, despite being silver-rank, it possessed strength far above the norm. Even Jason''s aura, for all its power, fell short of the sheer magnitude of what was emerging from the darkness beyond Jason''s domain. A giant leg appeared first, taller than a house and darker than night. It looked to be made from the same void-stuff as Jason¡¯s cloak, but without stars to light up the black emptiness.


    As it stepped out of the gloom, The creature¡¯s full, looming height was revealed to be the equal of Jason¡¯s towering pagoda. It was more than a kilometre away from Jason but he had no trouble spotting it, despite being a dark figure against a dark background. The size was a huge factor, but also it was limned in a silvery light that only highlighted how much of a void its body was. It made the entity look like a gateway to some dark dimension.


    The shadow giant had the proportions of a tall, thin man, with long arms that hung down at its knees, dangling limply as it walked. It moved with a slow inexorability, turning in Jason¡¯s direction. While it looked slow, that was an illusion of size, with the vast length of its stride actually propelling it quite swiftly.


    Jason moved himself to a place where he had a long line of sight on the monster, picking the grassy strip between where the city ended and the dark woods began. He pulled out the magic bazooka, having positioned himself hundreds of metres away. He had no interest in catching himself in the explosion again.


    He dropped in an unstable core and fired it with the lumbering giant not even trying to dodge. It was struck dead centre, its torso and head immediately wiped out in a blast that still had enough force to whip violently at Jason¡¯s hair and clothes, even from so far away. Gobbets of something black, wet and stinking rained down from the sky, the core explosion almost having evaporated the giant. Only its legs and its severed hands remained, all dropping to the ground. The legs toppled like felled trees, one of them crushing a house.


    ¡°That was surprisingly straightforward,¡± Jason said to himself.


    You have defeated [Greater Anomaly].You have overtaken a genesis space territory and purged all anomalous elements.Completed territory is being remade.Return to core territory to initiate transfiguration of new territory.


    Jason¡¯s first territory had undergone a wild transformation after completely claiming it, going from dingy hotel to opulent pagoda. It sounded like his second territory would undergo a similar change and he had no interest in being in the middle of a city folding in on itself like origami or whatever ended up happening. First, though, he had to loot the giant.


    ¡°Boss monster,¡± he said as he wandered towards the closest toppled leg. ¡°This is definitely a dungeon.¡±


    He frowned as a thought occurred to him.


    ¡°It better not drop loot boxes full of crap cosmetics.¡±

 Chapter 419: Open to the Unanticipated

    Jason examined the loot from the Shadow Giant as it dissolved into rainbow smoke behind him. It was a dark sphere, just large enough to fit in one hand. It was cool and glassy to the touch.


    Item: [Dark Orb] (unranked, uncommon)


    Contains the power to unseal the power of darkness. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Sealed [Dark Essence] ability.Effect: Unseals a random [Dark Essence] ability.You have 5 sealed dark essence abilities.Would you like to use [Dark Orb] Y/N?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Ability [Shadow of the Reaper] has been unsealed.


    The orb melted into Jason¡¯s hand in a sensation reminiscent of when he had absorbed awakening stones in the early days of his magical life. As the orb was fully absorbed, Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Shade!¡±


    Jason enfolded his familiar in a hug.


    ¡°Ooh, you¡¯re quite squishy. It¡¯s nice.¡±


    ¡°This is rather awkward.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s great to have a friend here, Shade. I¡¯ve been talking to myself a lot and what company I have had has been far from ideal.¡±


    ¡°We have been observing. Colin and Gordon are eager to help and unsealing either would have been more effective than me. While it is good to be liberated, you would be better served by a more combat-oriented companion.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the value of having someone to talk to. You know I don¡¯t always make the best choices when left alone.¡±


    ¡°Quite.¡±


    "You could have argued a little. Still, maybe the others will be next. There''ll be more boss monsters that drop these orbs, right?¡±


    ¡°It seems likely,¡± Shade said. ¡°We can reliably assert that the anomalies attacking your spirit domain are, at least in part, a direct reaction to your presence here.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it¡¯s some kind of test left behind by the original Builder? Or part of some safety mechanism in case something went wrong with his experiment.¡±


    ¡°I would not have the temerity to speak to the mind of a great astral being, particularly one who diverged from its intrinsic purpose. Some idiosyncrasies are to be expected from the new Builder, with its mortal origins, but for the original great astral beings, their purpose is their nature. What would divert them from that is beyond my understanding.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he got dumped.¡±


    ¡°That seems unlikely.¡±


    Jason and Shade stood on the top floor balcony and looked out over the city.


    Initiate transfiguration of new territory Y/N?


    The transformation of Jason''s second territory was very different from his first. In the dark sky, the constellations set out like magic circles started to shift. Moving to form a grand circle centred above the pagoda. Then, in the middle of the vast circle of stars, a tiny but blindingly bright light sparked into being before flaring out to take the form of a sun, shining in the dark and bringing daylight to the domain for the first time. A cerulean sky started expanding out to displace the dark of night.


    A column of glorious sunlight beamed down on the pagoda, then slowly expanded out to touch every part of the city, Wherever it reached, gold, silver and blue mist came steam up, as if the light were burning away its impurities, obscuring Jason¡¯s view.


    As the mist cleared, it revealed the transformed city. Previously, when he had claimed it for his domain, it had taken on the colours of Jason¡¯s cloud house. Now, as he completed the process of incorporating it into his spirit domain, it wasn¡¯t just the colours but the very materials of the cloud house that could be seen spreading out before him. The streets were dark crystal and the footpaths were light stone tiles, but the buildings were all constructed from clouds, like some make-believe kingdom. Gardens and greenery were more prevalent than ever, from planters lining the streets to traffic islands lined with trees and roundabouts containing flowering gardens.


    In the sky above, the sunlight-filled blue sky extended as far as the great circle of stars, at which point the previous void of night continued to surround it. Only Jason¡¯s domain stood in the light, while the night¡¯s gloom continued to hold sway in the regions around it.


    Jason and Shade observed the city made of cloud-stuff.


    ¡°It can¡¯t stay this way if I manage to solve this thing and the transformation zone¡¯s dome comes down, can it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We are meddling with the building blocks of reality,¡± Shade said. ¡°Anything is possible.¡±


    "It seems odd, though. What I''m trying to do boils down to resolving the incongruity between the world''s reality and the astral space reality after the transformation zone mashed them together. How is a magical fairy town not wildly incongruous? It looks like a children¡¯s book, or a mobile app hiding its predatory business model behind adorable graphic design.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps this is the middle ground,¡± Shade suggested. ¡°You are creating a bridge between the mundane and the magical. Like any bridge, it must cross between them and be anchored on both sides.¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll find out, sooner or later.¡±


    Your spirit domain has claimed a territory.Territory has been renamed [Soul Haven].[Spirit Vault] evolution status: 38.6%.Evolution of ability [Spirit Vault] is tied to the transformation zone. If the transformation zone is stabilised before the ability completes its evolution, the evolution will fail.


    Anomalies attacking as a result of further spirit domain expansion will have increased power.You have claimed sufficient territory to stabilise the transformation zone and separate it from the convergent astral space.Separating the space with the current territory will have a disruptive effect on the dimensional membrane of the surrounding reality. Claim additional territory to reduce the severity of this effect.


    Would you like to stabilise the transformation zone Y/N?


    Jason had ostensibly achieved his objective and discussed with Shade the ramifications of stabilising the transformation zone. They immediately agreed that Jason should push on, reducing the impact of doing so as much as possible. The dimensional stability of the world was at the breaking point, so they needed to minimise the damage as much as they could. Jason could live without the ability evolution, but with how much the degree of evolution had jumped with his second territory, he likely wouldn¡¯t have to.


    Soon Jason was driving through the transformed streets in one of Shade¡¯s car forms. The road surfaces were still dark crystal, now in flagstone-style bricks. The cars were gone from the streets and most of the storefronts were now empty. On spotting one that wasn¡¯t, Jason excitedly called for Shade to stop, leaping out while the car was still in motion. Jason dashed up to the door, holding himself back from smashing through the glass as he waited the second it took for the door to slide open. He rushed inside and madly searched, only to let out a cry of anguish as he found a small shelf label.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said his voice uncharacteristically soft as he emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow. "Sometimes in life, we all suffer setbacks. It is how we respond to them that helps us grow."


    Jason yanked the label from the shelf and threw it bitterly to the ground before storming out, leaving Shade behind.


    ¡°Of course," Shade said to the empty room, "some of us have more growing to do than others."


    He picked up the label and returned it to its place.


    CRYSTAL WASH OUT OF STOCK ¨C THANK YOU FOR VISITING JORY¡¯S FRIENDLY LOCAL PHARMACY.


    Most of Shade¡¯s utility came from facilitating other powers of Jason¡¯s, with his only direct attack being a mana drain. With the rest of Jason¡¯s abilities still sealed, what Shade could do was serve as a distraction and help Jason with stealth, masking his heat and scent. These both proved useful when Jason expanded his domain into the thick woodlands surrounding the city.


    The responding anomalies were more hybrids, stronger than those that had come before. With the tight confines and poor sightlines of the forest, the huge and heavy minigun was more hindrance than help, forcing Jason to turn to his sword. With Shade distracting the hybrids and confounding their senses, Jason was able to stage ambushes and manage their greater strength, expanding his domain twice more to claim the entire forest territory.


    The boss monster this time was not something he could just blast away with the core launcher. It was a single hybrid, no larger than the others, but with the speed of a fox hybrid and the strength of a bear hybrid. Jason fought it amongst the trees, a contest of agility, speed and skill that left him a bloody wreck by the time the creature fell.


    Your spirit domain has claimed a territory.Territory has been renamed [Tranquil Shadow Woods].[Spirit Vault] evolution status: 84.7%.Evolution of ability [Spirit Vault] is tied to the transformation zone. If the transformation zone is stabilised before the ability completes its evolution, the evolution will fail.


    Anomalies attacking as a result of further spirit domain expansion will have increased power.You have claimed sufficient territory to stabilise the transformation zone and separate it from the convergent astral space.Separating the space with the current territory will have a disruptive effect on the dimensional membrane of the surrounding reality. Claim additional territory to reduce the severity of this effect. Current severity reduction: 13.7%


    Would you like to stabilise the transformation zone Y/N?


    Jason looted another power-unlocking orb from the boss, this time a sin orb. It served as further confirmation that the transformation space was reacting specifically to him. He got lucky with the unlocked power, which was one of his special attacks, Punish.


    Punish was one of the few powers Jason had that could synergise with itself by inflicting necrotic damage while also applying the stacking sin affliction, which increased all subsequent necrotic damage. It was an ability representative of Jason''s earliest days as an adventurer when his power set was built around low but exponentially growing damage.


    The gloom-filled forest was replaced by woodlands where sunlight dappled through the canopy to create a magical twilight. Jason sat slumped up against a tree.


    ¡°You should rest,¡± Shade told him.


    ¡°I am resting.¡±


    ¡°Proper rest. Return to the pagoda and sleep.¡±


    ¡°We have no idea when this whole place will collapse in on itself. We may not have that kind of time.¡±


    ¡°This amalgamation of a transformation zone and a proto-space has already been in place longer than any previously recorded instance of either. It is showing no signs of instability. You have been awake for around sixty hours, discounting the time you spent unconscious, which was hardly restful slumber. Even essence users need sleep.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m barely an essence user, right now.¡±


    "Mr Asano, you have already accomplished your basic goal. If you strive for more without rest you may fail and lose everything. If you rest and the zone shows signs of breaking down, I will wake you and you can stabilise the zone."


    Jason opened his mouth to respond but all that came out was a yawn.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he conceded, pushing himself to his feet. He condensed the mist from his cloud flask to form a floating bed and fell into it.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said happily. ¡°That¡¯s the stuff.¡±


    ¡°Why were you on the ground, leaning against a tree, instead of using that already?¡± Shade asked.


    "Because I''d fall asleep. This is super comfy."


    Jason¡¯s domain expanded once more. As with previous territories, it transitioned unnaturally into a new biome at the territory¡¯s edge. In this case, the transition was to green, rolling hills washed by a chill wind. It was pastoral land, with patchwork fields, scattered barns and farmhouses visible in the distance. Jason¡¯s senses were alert for the appearance of the anomalies, but what he sensed first gravely startled him.


    ¡°Shade!¡±


    Shade transformed into a black horse with a white mane and leapt into a sprint the moment Jason leapt atop him. Turf flew up under his hooves as he quickly reached speeds a racing bike would have trouble matching.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think this would happen,¡± Jason yelled over the rush of air. ¡°I figured if I was going to find them, it would have happened by now. We¡¯ve expanded way beyond the original area of the transformation zone.¡±


    ¡°I believe that, in this place, we must always be open to the unanticipated,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°I fought a bunch of spacemen with ray guns, so you won¡¯t get any argument from me.¡±


    Jason felt the first anomalies cross the border into his domain as he arrived at a farmhouse, leapt off his horse and threw open the door. Rushing through the building to the auras he sensed, he found a group of people standing around, looking at each other in confusion. Each had pale skin and brassy, metallic hair matched perfectly by the colour of their eyes, marking them as not humans but celestines. They all turned as Jason burst in.


    ¡°Come with me if you want to live.¡±

 Chapter 420: I’m Going to Bet on Myself

    After a moment of stunned surprise, the family of celestines erupted in questions, from where they were to what had happened to them. Jason delicately used aura suppression to calm them down and fix their attention on him.


    ¡°I know you all have questions,¡± he told them. ¡°I have answers but first we need to go. There are dangers here and I need to take you somewhere safe.¡±


    The family was made up of an older couple, two young women, three young men and a pair of children. One of the young women narrowed her eyes at Jason.


    ¡°You¡¯re Jason Asano,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you on television.¡±


    ¡°Yep. Lovely to meet you. You may have noticed from TV that when I show up it''s because bad stuff is either about to happen or is already happening. We seriously need to go."


    ¡°Where¡¯s your magic cloak?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a longer story than we have time for right this second. Can you get this lot moving?¡±


    The woman seemed to be handling the situation better than her shell shocked family, so Jason deputised her as wrangler for the rest and had her lead them all outside. Shade was waiting in a helicopter form reminiscent of the one Kaito had used, but in more of a black and white, Airwolf colour scheme. It was a large design with enough room for everyone in the spacious passenger compartment.


    After shepherding the family aboard, Jason climbed into the back with them and the helicopter took off. One of the kids pointed out the window at something, drawing everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°There are people there! We need to help them,¡± the child said.


    ¡°They aren¡¯t people,¡± Jason said, who had long been tracking them with his aura senses. ¡°Look again.¡±


    Closer inspection of the creatures approaching the farmhouse revealed that only distance gave them the illusion of humanity. They were oddly-proportioned and way too large, like fantasy dwarves except three metres tall.


    ¡°What are those things?¡± the young woman who had helped Jason asked. ¡°Monsters?¡±


    ¡°Basically,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a little more nuanced than that, but for practical purposes, yes. I¡¯m Jason, as you know. May I ask your name?¡±


    ¡°Nikoleta.¡±


    ¡°Okay, Nikoleta, I know you have a lot of questions.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Where are we? How did we get here? What happened to our hair and eyes?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said with a sympathetic wince. ¡°Okay, you¡¯ve seen the transformation zones on the television right? The big domes that change places and the people caught in them?¡±


    ¡°We were in one of those domes?¡±


    ¡°You still are,¡± Jason said.


    Nikoleta looked out the window at the sky.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see any dome. I didn¡¯t think anyone woke up inside them, either.¡±


    ¡°This one is a bit different than normal,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s why I came inside to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think anyone go into the domes.¡±


    ¡°Then how?¡± Nikoleta asked.


    Jason flashed her a grin.


    ¡°I¡¯m not just anyone.¡±


    She narrowed her eyes at him again.


    ¡°You¡¯re quite full of yourself, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Jason let out a laugh.


    "Yes," he said. "Yes, I am."


    The transformation zone had turned the family from humans to celestines, whose astral affinity inured them to many of the dimensional space¡¯s deleterious effects. Many was not all, however, and they started to feel ill. Once Shade flew far enough to get them within the boundary of  Jason¡¯s claimed and much more dimensionally stable territory they immediately started to recover.


    They might not have been human anymore, but that very fact saved them. The connection they possessed to the astral as celestines protected them better than the shields the gold-rankers had used. As for the oppressive aura, Jason controlled that within his completed territory and could easily shield the family from it.


    Jason moved into the cockpit of the helicopter, sealing himself off from the family.


    ¡°Should we take them to the portal and let them out?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It feels like that would be sending them into the lion¡¯s den.¡±


    ¡°They are likely to be seized upon by the people outside,¡± Shade agreed. ¡°They are likely to taken away and studied.¡±


    "Let''s just leave them at a house, then," Jason said. "We''ll keep them here until we leave so there''s a chance to protect them."


    The helicopter set down in the residential area of the city and the family disembarked, looking around at the strange cloud houses. They were startled when the helicopter dissolved into Jason''s shadow.


    Jason took them into one of the houses. They reached out to touch the strange cloud-stuff it was made of, the adults wary but the children delighted. Jason hadn''t explored one of the houses before but it was very much akin to the cloud houses created by his flask. After they got used to their odd surroundings and settled into some cloud furniture, Jason took the time to explain their situation as best he could.


    While he did that, Jason had Shade scouring the spirit domain for food, hoping for a grocer or supermarket amongst the largely empty buildings. What he found was a large cluster of fruit trees in the forest territory and returned shortly afterwards, bringing back a large supply of pears, plums and peaches.


    ¡°It¡¯s all fruit starting with the letter P,¡± Jason commented as Shade delivered the food. ¡°Was it alphabetised? Is there a bunch of other fruit groves for the other letters?¡±


    ¡°This may not be the time, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Right, yes.¡±


    The family displayed a variety of responses to Shade. The older couple seemed to view him as some kind of demon and their circumstances in general as unnatural. The children were fascinated by their surroundings and the changes to themselves. Jason had a history of muddling explanations, so he was as plain and straightforward as he could be, which he admitted to himself wasn¡¯t very. He found it best to explain everything to Nikoleta after taking her aside as she was good at asking the right questions. He then left the rest of the family to her.


    Jason gave the best explanation he could in the little time he had, given that every moment he spent out of the newly expanded region of his spirit domain it was shrinking away. The family would be safe inside a completed territory but Jason needed to go. Flying back toward the conflicted domain space in Shade¡¯s helicopter form, Jason voiced a concern he had.


    ¡°Do you think there are more people out there?¡± Jason asked. ¡°We¡¯re lucky that this area was just some farmland with bugger all people.¡±


    Jason had asked about the family about neighbours and they said there were likely to be more survivors, depending on how big the dome was and exactly where it was positioned.


    ¡°There¡¯s no telling what will happen to anyone still in unclaimed territory when all this extra size from the proto-space goes away. You can¡¯t fit fifty kilometres of landscape inside five kilometres of space. Am I going to be killing people?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, while rescuing people is an admirable goal, you cannot know for sure how many of them are somewhere out in the unclaimed areas of the transformation zone. Only by completely taking over this zone could you do that and the attempt would be irresponsible.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason agreed.


    "Your priority must continue to be stabilising the dimensional boundary."


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Even at the cost of condemning some people to be annihilated.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°With every territory the anomalies grow stronger, increasing the risk of outright failure.¡±


    ¡°Bloody hell, Shade, I know!"


    ¡°Knowing the right choice is not the same as making it, Mr Asano. You may no longer be human, yet your human nature remains.¡±


    ¡°You say that like it¡¯s a bad thing.¡±


    ¡°It has good and bad points. Humans are poor at objectively assessing their circumstances. They can be irrational in ways that are destructive to themselves and the people around them. You know this.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. And thanks, Shade. For keeping me on the right track.¡±


    ¡°I am not infallible, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°No one is, Shade. Whatever the gods may think.¡±


    The new territory¡¯s anomalies turned out to be trolls. Powerful but huge and lumbering, they were the perfect chance for Jason to deplete more unstable cores with the minigun. He quickly fought through multiple domains to capture the next territory but was faced with a problem. Both the core-launching bazooka and the minigun were showing signs of physical stress. Jason had been using them extensively and they were now showing signs of breaking down.


    As he flew back to the house where the family was staying, he examined them both. The metal was starting to warp and the minigun would occasionally make new and unwelcome sounds while being fired. Of his other weapons, only his sword and the lightning gun were still proving effective against his increasingly powerful opponents, but each had its own issues.


    The lightning gun showed no signs of wear and tear, not needing to channel the immense power of unstable genesis cores that was wearing out the larger weapons. The mana consumption to kill rate simply wasn¡¯t enough to wipe out enough anomalies, though. As for the sword, it was reaching the limits of what enemies it could truly harm. If not for the special attack he unlocked, it might not have been worth using anymore.


    ¡°I have no idea how to repair the heavy weapons,¡± Jason said, ¡° and I haven¡¯t looted anything that could replace them.¡±


    As the anomalies grew fewer in number but individually stronger, the loot they dropped had changed from weapons and potions to awakening stones and essences, many of which were rare and valuable. The trolls had dropped might and blood essences, but much more valuably, renewal essences. Renewal essences were of the second-highest rarity but were considered as valuable as most legendary essences due to being the premier essence for healers. Jason had picked up four of them in the course of wiping out a territory¡¯s worth of trolls.


    The specific essences largely depended on the enemies, which was the norm, even if the drop rate was accelerated. The animal hybrids had dropped animal essences, along with essences like hunt, claw, might and swift. Jason had also managed to pick up three of the highly sought-after wing essences from them. Wing was an essence used in very desirable combinations, such as the dragon confluence that his friend Humphrey had and the phoenix confluence of Humphrey¡¯s sister. Their mother, Danielle, had acquired wing essences for her children at considerable cost.


    As for herself, Danielle had an even more valuable essence. Dimension was arguably the single most desirable of the legendary essences, and Jason had managed to loot four of them. They didn¡¯t seem tied to specific enemies but were simply more prevalent in the unstable transformation zone.


    They did little good for Jason in his immediate circumstances, though. They would make him wealthy after returning to the other world where their true value was understood, but what he needed at the moment was replacement weapons.


    "It may be time to give up on these weapons, Mr Asano," Shade suggested. "If the weapons break down while in use, they may fail explosively, given the forces they channel."


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can take another territory without them.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps it is time to accept that you have done enough. Your ability has completed its evolution.¡±


    The boss monster was another that fell to the core launcher but it was showing some dangerous warping. After claiming his new territory, Jason had followed Humphrey in gaining a second evolution of the same ability, although this was not something Jason knew, having shortly afterwards been torn from his friends. As with Humphrey, it was something Jason had been told wasn¡¯t possible. As for the nature of the ability, Jason was unsure what to make of it.


    Ability: [Spirit Domain]


    This ability is evolved from the ability [Spirit Vault]. This is a secondary gift evolution.You have a dimensional storage space.You may call up a gate and physically enter your dimensional storage space. Only those you allow may enter; others cannot forcibly intrude. You may directly portal from within the storage space to another area using the location of the gate as a starting point, even if the gate is obstructed or destroyed, preventing ordinary egress.You may summon familiars within the storage space without the use of a ritual, although any material requirements of the ritual must still be consumed.You may create spirit domains that reflect your nature and power. The maximum total size of your spirit domains created through this ability is a factor of your rank and soul strength. You may not convert existing spirit domains into your own.Your current spirit domain exceeds your maximum total domain size available through this ability by 963,241%. Increase your rank to increase available domain size.


    The ability was again not something that helped Jason immediately. He wasn¡¯t sure exactly how useful a spirit domain was outside if trying to patch a hole in the side of reality. It seemed unlikely that Jason would maintain his current domain size once the transformation zone was stabilised since it eclipsed the space of the dome covering it by a vast margin. It also exceeded the limits of his ability by a factor of almost ten thousand.


    It was another thing that he put aside as a concern for later. His immediate focus had to be what to do next, be it stabilise the zone immediately or push for more territory. Jason agreed with Shade''s points about the risks of pushing on but held two major reservations about stopping. One was the concern of finding more people, but Shade was right in that he couldn¡¯t let them take priority over the world at large.


    The greater consideration was how much damage would be done to the dimensional membrane of the world when Jason merged the transformation zone back into normal reality.


    Separating the space with the current territory will have a disruptive effect on the dimensional membrane of the surrounding reality. Claim additional territory to reduce the severity of this effect. Current severity reduction: 41.8%


    The counterpoint to these concerns was whether another territory was even possible. With his best weapons on the verge of collapse and even stronger enemies in the offing, each option had its own potential for disaster.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to bet on myself,¡± Jason decided. ¡°One more territory.¡±


    ¡°While it may be a risk,¡± Shade said, ¡°letting things stand as they are could well be the greater one.¡±


    ¡°That was my thinking as well,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was originally hoping to unseal more powers and clean-sweep this place but I think I¡¯m coming up on the limit. One last push before we bring this thing to a close. I just hope it¡¯s enough.¡±

 Chapter 421: No Perfect Options

    Jason was resting up before moving to claim one final territory. He was not far from the house containing the family he had rescued but he was giving them space to come to grips with their extraordinary circumstances. He was in the backyard of a nearby house, reclining in a cloud chair. The sky was a clear blue circle over his territory, encapsulated in a ring of endless night.


    ¡°There is something of a resemblance to your personal crest,¡± Shade observed.


    ¡°It kind of does,¡± Jason said, holding a hand out, palm up. An image of the crest tattooed on his back appeared over it. It was a night sky filled with stars and shadowy, indistinct figures, surrounding an empty cloak. Within the cloak was a bright, daylight sky.


    As essence users entered the higher ranks, they reached the point of affecting the world around them outside of their essence powers. At silver-rank, this was mostly just a power to levitate that helped their increasingly heavy bodies walk on weaker surfaces or even water, but it was easily disrupted. Relying on it in combat or to arrest a high fall was ill-advised.


    Those silver-rankers with a magically-induced personal crest could also project it, which had even less practical purpose. It did not obviate the need for the simple ritual that tested the crest against existing records for identification purposes.


    Jason closed his hand and the image vanished.


    ¡°I should get to it, I guess,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m worried about what will happen. Maybe I should open it up and get some gold-rankers in here. Maybe they could do more.¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps the corresponding increase in response from the transformation zone would bring disaster,¡± Shade countered. ¡°It would match their power, escalating the threat without tipping the balance in your favour.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m just second-guessing myself.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so certain. The price of my failure here is higher than ever and I¡¯ve made mistakes before.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re adventurer, Mr Asano. Get up and go do your damn job.¡±


    Jason sat up, giving his shadow a surprised look.


    ¡°That¡¯s not like you, Shade.¡±


    ¡°It''s what you needed to hear, Mr Asano. Left to your own devices, you tend to flounder. You lose direction, becoming uncertain and second-guessing yourself. I do my best but I am glad Miss Farrah was sent to help.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I owe your dad for that one.¡±


    Jason got to his feet and the cloud chair dissolved into mist, which seemed to be drifting down his body to gather around his feet, like a fog-based water feature.


    ¡°I should talk to the family about leaving first. Give them time to prepare themselves for what happens next.¡±


    ¡°Are your underpants on fire?¡± Nikoleta asked as she met him in the front yard of the house her family was staying in.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said and the mist shroud he hadn¡¯t bothered to dismiss was drawn to the miniaturised flask hanging from his neck chain. ¡°We should talk.¡±


    ¡°It would be best if it were just you and I again,¡± Nikoleta said. ¡°My grandparents are very religious and they¡¯ve seen and heard things about you that make them wary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shall we walk?¡±


    They set off along the street, down a footpath of lightly-coloured tiles.


    ¡°What happened to your eyes?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Um, I don¡¯t know. Shade?¡±


    ¡°Your eyes have changed again with your gift evolution,¡± Shade said from Jason¡¯s shadow. Nikoleta looked around a little nervously at the voice.


    ¡°I quite liked the silver,¡± Jason said. ¡°What is it now?¡±


    ¡°A shifting mix of gold, silver and blue. It is reminiscent of your transcendent damage abilities.¡±


    ¡°Shifting?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The colours are in a constant state of change,¡± Shade said. ¡°Also, the structure of your eye had changed. You no longer have irises or pupils. They are just coloured orbs, now.¡±


    That wasn¡¯t hugely startling, given that the eyes of essence users were one of the first aspects of their bodies to move past human limitations. As a result, eyes were the most common part of the body on essence users to undergo visible physiological changes.


    ¡°Does it look cool?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I think it would be better if they were black,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Look who I¡¯m asking. Nikoleta, what do you think?¡±


    They shared a look as she examined his face.


    ¡°It makes you look a bit¡­ inhuman,¡± she said, then self-consciously touched her face next to her own eyes. ¡°Not that I can say anything.¡±


    All of her family now had eyes and hair in a uniform shade of metallic brass, although the texture of their hair felt normal.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Jason said softly. ¡°With the life I lead, it¡¯s easy to overlook how overwhelming all this is when you first come to it. You have many strange things to come to terms with and it¡¯s only been a day. Did you sleep?¡±


    Nikoleta nodded.


    ¡°After the initial shock wore off, we all became very exhausted. And those beds are so comfortable.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said with a chuckle. ¡°They¡¯re nice.¡±


    He gave her a comforting smile.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said, ¡°but I¡¯m afraid your family¡¯s ordeal isn¡¯t done quite yet. I¡¯m going to go off and claim another area of territory, see if I can¡¯t find any more people like your family. Then I¡¯m going to bring all this to an end and take us out of here.¡±


    ¡°What happens then?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°As far as I know, what¡¯s going on here has never happened before. I¡¯m just doing my best to save the world without breaking anything it can¡¯t do without. Right now, we''re inside a giant dome, despite the sky above and all the land stretching out around us. My best guess is that when the dome comes down, this little city, town or whatever it is will stick around and the rest will go.¡±


    ¡°What will happen to us?¡±


    ¡°You see that tower?¡± Jason said, pointing to the pagoda, the top of which could be seen over the three and four-floor story buildings in the centre of the city. ¡°We¡¯re all going to be safe in there.¡±


    He managed to avoid adding the word ¡®probably.¡¯


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your farm will be back but that¡¯s far from the extent of your problems. Your family is a part of a unique magical event, which means that a lot of people with power will want to study you.¡±


    ¡°Study?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Best case scenario, they lock you up in a room somewhere and run every test known to science. Then a few that aren¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°And the worst case?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably best if we just focus on avoiding that.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°People trying to grab me is pretty much the default position, so I was already going to do a runner. Now, we just all scarper together. Assuming you want to. If you want to take your chances with whoever is out there, I can send you out of this place before I do anything.¡±


    ¡°What about after we run?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a couple of options. One is the place my family lives in Australia. Unless very serious people take a very serious run at it, you¡¯ll be safe there. It would be better if we could have you disappear into the population somewhere, but the changes you¡¯ve gone through are hard to hide. The alternative would be to sneak you into a more ordinary transformation zone, one in a populated area. The Network is taking all those people in, so you could mix into the crowd. If you got found out, though, you¡¯d already be in the hands of people you maybe don¡¯t want to be.¡±


    Nikoleta didn¡¯t respond after he finished, staring thoughtfully at the ground as they walked.


    ¡°There are no perfect options, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°You have already helped us. We are not your responsibility.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you are,¡± Jason said. ¡°When I was in a situation not that different from yours, I made the choice to be an adventurer. I don''t know how that translates into Slovak but it means that when there''s some crazy-dangerous magic and some innocent people, my job is standing in between it and them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking Slovak right now,¡± Nikoleta pointed out.


    ¡°I know, right? I have to practise to keep a handle on the whole translation thing. I was talking to this guy who was looking at me like he had no idea what he was saying. Turns out I got set off by his Kanji wrist tattoo and I was talking to him in Japanese. Which he didn''t speak. He was just kind of a tool bag.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Jason left Nikoleta to discuss things with her family and headed out for the next territory. Shade''s helicopter form landed close to the border of Jason''s spirit domain and he looked out into the gloom beyond. It looked like another cityscape, but even from just the darkened silhouettes, he could tell it was quite unlike the one he had already claimed.


    He crossed the border and moved into the dark territory. He couldn¡¯t see far but two things became quickly apparent. One was that the city seemed very industrial in design, not just in the metal and concrete construction but the design aesthetic. Metal plates and heavy bolts; he half expected to see a giant steam piston.


    The other aspect immediately apparent was that the city was long abandoned. Decades of corrosion and weathering had left the concrete pocked and crumbling, the asphalt potholed and every building a rusted husk.


    ¡°Find anything?¡± Jason asked. Shade had been spreading out his bodies to search the border areas as Jason explored at a measured and cautious pace.


    ¡°Nothing more than you,¡± Shade reported, ¡°but I believe I know the world that this territory was based upon.¡±


    ¡°Seriously? The original Builder based Earth and Pallimustus on already extant worlds but that was the better part of thirteen billion years ago. I know you¡¯re old but not that old, right? Any planet would be massively changed in that time.¡±


    ¡°I know it because it was one of the first worlds the new Builder plundered. It was a dead planet, so the other great astral beings allowed the Builder to break it apart and take what he wanted as part of the pacts by which they moderate one another. The Builder came to regret the concessions it made to the World-Phoenix for this, which is why it has become more circumspect. Now it plucks sufficiently stable astral spaces off the side of reality rather than trying to dig inside a reality and dismember worlds entirely.¡±


    ¡°He used to strip whole worlds?¡±


    ¡°Only dead ones, which turned out to be a poor beginning for his ambitions. When he used parts of dead worlds as the basis for the one he was constructing, it was like implanting dead flesh into living. There was a taint of death, pervading even the magic, forcing the Builder to seal away those parts of his constructed world.¡±


    ¡°Sealed away how?¡±


    ¡°Sealed in time. Not locked away but frozen and unchanging. Anything altered by external influence simply reverts to the state it was at the moment the seal was put in place. A perfect quarantine.¡±


    ¡°I knew time manipulation was possible,¡± Jason said. ¡°Danielle Geller¡¯s confluence essence is time, but her scope is very limited, even at silver rank. If she gets to diamond, will she be able to time travel?¡±


    ¡°Only forwards,¡± Shade said. ¡°Time can be sped up or slowed down. One can move forward, vanishing and then reappearing at some point in the future. Affecting the past, however, is impossible. Even the Keeper of Moments, the great astral being that governs time, cannot do such a thing.¡±


    ¡°Well, you say that, but your dad is the ferryman of the dead and he¡¯s not above occasionally sending someone back.¡±


    ¡°It is not so for the Keeper. The past is inviolate.¡±


    ¡°Probably what he told you,¡± Jason muttered.


    ¡°Getting back to the matter at hand,¡± Shade said pointedly, ¡°I believe it likely that the enemies in this place will consist of constructed life. A variation of undead that, like vampires, use life-force injected into the unliving to create a facsimile of life.¡±


    Most undead were simply corpses turned into a mockery of life by death energy, while vampires used stolen life force to largely replicate the function of a living creature.


    ¡°Are we talking some kind of artificial vampire?¡± Jason asked. ¡°How would an artificial vampire work? Like cloning?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe it will be vampire variants. I do know that what you call magitech on your world was quite advanced in this one, but my knowledge only goes so far. I was not in the Builder¡¯s constructed reality for an extended time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been there?¡±


    ¡°I have. As you know, I have been a familiar several times. One of my summoners sought out knowledge from a universe that had reached its end long ago. The only place the knowledge potentially remained was in fragments of the universe taken from it by the Builder quarantined in time.¡±


    ¡°Must have been really important information,¡± Jason said. ¡°Like a really good sausage recipe.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said. ¡°It was not a really good sausage recipe.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow,¡± Jason said. ¡°A really, really good sausage recipe. Nice.¡±


    ¡°I believe this conversation has officially scraped the bottom of the barrel,¡± Shade said. ¡°Perhaps it is time to start expanding your domain.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said unhappily. He was worried about the outcome of his final territory claim, given that he didn¡¯t want to risk using his most powerful weapon again. The core launcher had become noticeably warped when fighting the boss of the last territory. He was not willing to risk it blowing up in his hands unless he had no other option.


    Returning to the border of his domain, Jason claimed the first stretch of the next territory. As a precaution, he started by using the minimum number of stable genesis cores to claim the minimal area.


    As his territory expanded outwards to reveal the broken city, Jason smacked his lips thoughtfully.


    ¡°Do you still have that sausage recipe?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It was not a sausage recipe.¡±


    ¡°I could go a good meal right now. I mean, that fruit you picked was nice but I''d rather enjoy taking a sausage in the mouth.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t be juvenile, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°You think it¡¯s beneath me to say?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Asano. It is beneath me to listen.¡±

 Chapter 422: Stillness

    Jason kicked the zombie cyborg in the chest and it stumbled back off the edge of the roof, falling to the concrete below.


    You have defeated [Unliving Anomaly].


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this place,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s too bloody grimdark.¡±


    Somehow, having the gloom retract from the industrial ruins left it bleaker than when it was shrouded in darkness. Jason could now see across a cityscape of crumbling smokestacks and buildings more rust than iron. The sky, unlike the clear blue of his completed territories, was hidden behind ominous amber clouds that cast a pall over the city. The air was too hot, heavy with a stench of smoke and oil, despite the city¡¯s industries being decades past operation.


    The anomalies that came for Jason were universally unpleasant. Most common were the corpses animated through macabre cybernetics. Rather than sleek, cyberpunk prosthetics, these were crude iron, bolted directly into flesh. These anomalies were slow and clumsy but numerous and hard to kill. Jason mostly relied on his necrotic special attack to resume the decomposition of their corpse components, arrested by whatever process had turned them into their current state.


    With each cluster of the zomborgs, as Jason thought of them, there was usually one or more of another anomaly type. Larger, faster and more dangerous, they were a kind of Frankenstein''s monster if Frankenstein''s corpse supplier had been significantly less reliable. Collections of mismatched body parts stitched roughly together, they stood anywhere from six and a half to eight feet tall. They showed signs of the same kind of industrial-age cybernetics as the zomborgs, augmented with glass pipes pumping a sickly yellow liquid around their bodies.


    These anomalies, which Jason had dubbed ¡®bad franks,'' were as strong as they looked but also fast, despite their clumsy appearance. They were also smarter than the mindless zomborgs, although that wasn¡¯t saying much. It just meant it was harder to bait them into walking off buildings or falling into holes.


    Jason didn¡¯t use any of his guns to fight the anomalies. He¡¯d tried the lightning gun but it had little impact on the zomborgs and none at all on the bad franks. The minigun he kept in reserve as it was his best tool for whatever boss monster came out at the end.


    Groaning metal from below warned of more enemies making their way up through one of the city''s least-degraded buildings, which was still an edifice of dilapidation. The steel rooftop looked like it was covered in red dirt from all the rust power under Jason''s boots.


    Jason had already been tracking them on his tactical map and as they drew close to the building, he waited with his sword in hand. The largely intact rooftop was a good place to fight because the open space allowed for mobility and the powerful-but-stupid enemies could be lured into the places where it had collapsed. If he was lucky and had softened them up first, sometimes the fall even killed them instead of just forcing them to climb back up the stairs.


    Their numbers might have been a problem in an open space except for the power he unlocked after defeating the boss of the previous territory. The giant troll had dropped a blood orb that unsealed one of Jason¡¯s blood essence powers.


    Ability: [Blood Harvest] (Blood)


    Spell (drain, boon).Base cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (31%).Effect (iron): Drain the remnant life force of a recently deceased body, replenishing health, stamina and mana. Only affects targets with blood.Effect (bronze): Affects any number of bodies in a wide area.Effect (Silver): Gain an instance of [Blood Frenzy] for each corpse drained, up to a threshold determined by current rank. After reaching the threshold, gain instances of [Blood of the Immortal] instead.


    [Blood Frenzy] (boon, unholy, stacking): Bonus to [Speed] and [Recovery]. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, up to a maximum threshold.[Blood of the Immortal] (boon, healing, unholy, stacking): On suffering damage, an instance is consumed to grant a powerful but short-lived heal-over-time effect. Additional instances can be accumulated but do not have a cumulative effect.


    The zomborgs weren¡¯t subject to the effect of the spell but the bad franks were. Each time he used it both his body and his healing rate accelerated, and so long as he periodically killed and drained a new bad frank, the buffs kept getting refreshed. By the time blood frenzy stacked up to its maximum effect, Jason¡¯s speed and healing reached the peak of silver. It wasn¡¯t a match for even a low-rank gold, but it was enough to be competitive. It wasn¡¯t strictly needed against the franks and the zomborgs but when the time came to face ancient vampires, it would be critical.


    The zomborgs were a minimal threat, although a tenacious one with their ability to soak damage. Jason moved like a flash, staying out of their reach while his necrotic special attack rotted them away until they were just piles of bones and metal. As for the bad franks, they had strength and fortitude, but no skill. Once Jason matched and then eclipsed their speed, he quickly ran rings around them. They also had exploitable weak points, like the exposed pipes pumping fluid around their bodies.


    If he was fighting them one-on-one it would have been easy, but his individual superiority was thoroughly tempered by their numbers. If it wasn¡¯t for Shade providing distractions and alternate targets for the dim-witted enemies, he would have been overwhelmed, however fast he moved.


    Jason¡¯s biggest weakness was his inability to quickly deliver large amounts of damage and he struggled to clear out each cluster of anomalies before the next set found him. He felt like he was back at the beginning, after first arriving in the transformation zone. Fights were desperate struggles with weapons that were not quite good enough, and while he had some powers now, the enemies had grown far more dangerous.


    Jason wasn¡¯t even sure how many days he¡¯d been in the transformation zone, but in that time, much of the fat had been trimmed from his swordsmanship. On Earth, he''d found moments of desperation but he''d lost some of the grow-or-die sensibility that pervaded the other world. He''d only really felt it in moments, like the monster wave in Broken Hill and the gold-rank proto-space in Makassar. Now he had that feeling again, the transformation zone forcing him to fight differently, forcing him to grow in ways outside of his usual patterns. The price of failure was unconscionable.


    Jason emerged from the building with his armour in tatters and painted in his own blood. The wounds that produced it were long-healed and the ichor of the monsters had gone up in rainbow smoke, but his armour was so damaged that the self-repair function was impaired. He stopped to rest, even though it meant his stacks of blood frenzy dropping off. He could have all the stamina recovery in the world but some kinds of exhaustion went soul deep. Leaning heavily against a half-collapsed wall, he wiped down his sword with a rag and slid it back into its scabbard.


    Tired and sore, Jason felt weary down to the skeleton that probably wasn¡¯t made of bone anymore. He could sense more of the anomalies but none were moving in his direction for the moment, giving him room to rest and think. Something about the rooftop fight had felt wrong and it wasn¡¯t just his lack of powers. His mind played over the fight he had just been through as the anomalies came at him in waves. He¡¯d let himself grow frantic, too concerned with the capabilities lost to him to properly make use of the ones he had.


    He needed to go back to basics. To use what he had instead of lamenting what he didn¡¯t. He thought about the early days and his training with Rufus, Gary and Farrah. For all their constant drilling, they never focused on his essence powers, leaving them to Jason to understand for himself. What they had taught him were the universal aspects true to every adventurer. Whatever an adventurer¡¯s powers might be, their greatest weapon was mindset.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he murmured, pushing himself off the wall.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to stop for a little while,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Very well, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason went back into the building and climbed the metal stairs that groaned with every step. He moved to the middle of the roof and sat down to meditate, floating just above the powered rust coating the rooftop.


    Extending his senses as he stilled his mind, Jason felt the magic inside and around him. Starting with himself, he calmed the flow of magic in his body, guiding it to the optimal path. Then he moved his senses to the magic around him.


    The ambient magic was much stronger than anything he had encountered on Earth, or even in Greenstone in the other world. Only proto and astral spaces, with their connection to the astral, had the kind of magical richness of the transformation zone. This part of the zone felt inert and tainted, however. The death and decay of the city had permeated the magic itself.


    As it flowed in and out of his body like breath, he filtered and refined it, using his body as a distillery. The unwelcome aspects were purged while the purified magic was absorbed, circulated and let go. Slowly but surely, a tiny but noticeable area, barely beyond Jason¡¯s skin, became a shroud of untainted magic.


    Letting his spirit go where it willed in the mindlessness of meditation, Jason¡¯s aura took root in that thin shroud, seeking to influence the world around it. As it did, the very reality around him flinched, crushing in on Jason in a brutal magical backlash.


    Wrenched from his trance, Jason poured every scrap of strength in his soul into his aura as he fell to the roof, clutching his head and screaming. His aura pushed back against the power crushing in on him but it was an umbrella against a tidal wave. A hurricane of power was trying to rip the soul right out of his body and kill him, and all he could do was try and endure.


    A torment unlike anything he had felt since his soul battle with the Builder scoured at his spirit, trying to make him let go and die. Jason went into a mindless state, not from meditation but from the insensibility of a pain that went far beyond the physical. At the point he felt his grip slipping, about to let go, Jason felt the support of his familiars from within his soul. Like warm hands at his back, they helped him hold on even as he lost track of time.


    Jason regained consciousness sprawled on the rooftop, with no concept of how long had passed.


    You have forcibly unsealed aura ability [Hegemony].


    New Title: [Reality Hegemon]


    ??? - You have awakened potential your soul cannot sustain at its current rank.The maximum total size of your spirit domains has increased.The effect of your spirit domain on hostile intruders ignores rank disparity.


    Jason felt like his insides had been scooped out, tossed in a blender with a bunch of chillies and then poured back in. He closed the window, sensing anomalies converging on his position. Whatever just happened, it had gained the notice of every anomaly across the section of the city he had claimed for his domain. He could sense them all moving towards him in a beeline.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said, a rare strain of concern colouring his usually stoic inflection.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine,¡± Jason croaked, pushing himself into a sitting position. He floated slightly off the rooftop, stilling his mind once more. He slowly brought the chaotic flow of magic in his body back into line, reordering the flow. It was filled with the taint of the surrounding magic and he began filtering it out. He kept his mind calm, in spite of the anomalies he sensed reaching the building.


    ¡°Mr Asano¡­¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Jason continued to rectify his condition, even as he felt the fast-moving bad franks race up the stairs.


    ¡°Mr Asano!¡±


    The first bad frank burst through a doorway already smashed out by previous attackers. Shade had spread bodies out to distract the anomalies pouring up the building in numbers that threatened to collapse the stairs. Shade couldn¡¯t hurt the anomalies, but neither could they hurt him, their strikes passing harmlessly through his incorporeal form.


    [Unliving Anomaly] has attacked ally [Shade]. Ability [Hegemony] has inflicted [Sin] on [Unliving anomaly].


    As more bad franks and some zomborgs reached the rooftop, even the dozens of Shades were not enough to keep the anomalies distracted. A bad frank thundered towards Jason, still floating just above the rooftop in a meditative pose. The anomaly dropped an arm like the trunk of a falling tree but missed as Jason dropped to the roof, rolling out of the way and to his feet as his sword snaked out of its scabbard. The blade severed a fluid pipe in the monstrosity¡¯s arm and cut into its flesh.


    Having already stacked up some of the sin affliction from Jason¡¯s awakened aura power, the necrosis from his special attack rotted away the flesh around the wound. It turned into a wet mess like charcoal mixed into custard, sliding from the anomaly''s arm to spatter on the ground. The creature took another swing but Jason was already moving.


    Jason¡¯s unexpected ordeal hadn¡¯t made him any faster or stronger. It hadn¡¯t caused a sudden qualitative leap in his sword technique. Yet he felt like a different person as he moved amongst the enemy, his mind a leaf floating on a still, deep pond. He did not have the speed boost from bloody frenzy yet he somehow felt faster than ever, his thoughts calm even as his body moved like water, flowing and smooth yet torrential and rapid.


    He focused on the first bad frank and it went down. Even while continuing to avoid attacks he cast a spell, draining its life force and giving himself his first stack of blood frenzy.


    Even with his new state of mind, Jason was far from invincible. Once more he leaned against the outside of the building, painted in a fresh coat of his own blood. He was practically naked, his armour reduced to little more than decorative ribbons.


    He looked at his hands, rubbing his fingers together, feeling the sensation of it.


    ¡°I feel different,¡± he said.


    ¡°You are different, Mr Asano. Before you and I ever met, Mr Remore and Miss Hurin set you on a path towards a certain state of mind. It exists somewhere between concentration and meditation; a paradoxically simultaneous state of empty mind and full attentiveness. It is a state that only essence users, who have surpassed the limitation of the physical brain can enter, although many never do. It has many names; in Miss Hurin¡¯s world it is called the battle trance.¡±


    ¡°Rufus and Farrah never told me about this.¡±


    ¡°No. They set you on the path and let you walk it.¡±


    The more Jason grew stronger, the more he came to understand how many unspoken things Rufus and Farrah had embedded into the training they spent months pouring into him, hour after hour, day after day.


    ¡°Rufus and Farrah can do this?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I suspect Mr Remore may be better at it but you have seen Miss Hurin use it yourself. You have observed yourself how she lacks your mobility, yet finds her way to where she needs to be, precisely when she needs to be there. This is how.¡±


    "Dawn fought Akari," Jason said, remembering how Dawn and her normal-ranked body inexplicably out-sparred the silver-ranked swordswoman. "That never made sense. It was weird, as if the whole thing was choreographed or Akari was hypnotised or something."


    ¡°Yes. That was a diamond-ranker taking the effect to its absolute extreme. I suggest, now that you have touched on that state, that you discuss it with the two women on returning to them.¡±


    ¡°Assuming I get out of this place intact,¡± Jason said. ¡°I still have to claim the rest of this territory.

 Chapter 423: Whatever We Face

    Jason continued to extend his spirit domain over the industrial wasteland city, seeking to master the battle trance as he fought hordes of anomalies. Although he had touched upon the trance once, it was not a state that he easily found his way into. In some fights, he managed it and others not.


    ¡°My understanding of the state is limited, having never experienced it for myself,¡± Shade said. ¡°From what I do understand, forcibly trying to push your way into it will have little to no success. One of my previous summoners who could use the battle trance described it as finding the balance to stand on the surface of a pond and then letting herself sink into it.¡±


    Due to the nature of the transformation zone, the industrial city was a strange shape, existing in a ring around Jason¡¯s existing domain. Each time he expanded his domain further into it, he made his way around, dealing with the anomalies. It was grim work in a bleak environment with unpleasant enemies but he slogged through, increasingly eager to leave.


    When he claimed the final stretch of the city and cleared out the last of the anomalies, he sensed the boss make its appearance. After it was revealed to his aura senses, Jason went to scout it out. It was large, three metres tall and almost as wide. A hideously overdone version of the bad franks, it was a pile of mismatched, sick and fatty flesh, roughly stitched together. Only the crude iron exoskeleton bolted directly into the flesh held the blubbery mound in place.


    It had faces on both sides of its flabby head and three thick, stubby legs holding it up like a tripod. It was not an elegant design, forcing the awkward creature to lumber slowly around. The arms, of which it had four, were the only part of it not sagging with fat. Far too long for its body, they were made of hard, toned muscle.


    Held in its oversized arms were a pair of heavy gatling guns that looked quite similar to Jason¡¯s, although there were some important differences. Instead of a hopper at the top to seat an unstable genesis core, these were fed heavy bullets from a belt that ran out of the abomination¡¯s body, through the gun and then back into the anomaly.


    ¡°Is it some kind of freaky bullet golem? It''s a shame I can''t risk using the core launcher because that thing is not zippy."


    ¡°The arms seem much more flexible,¡± Shade observed. ¡°You should not underestimate its ability to manoeuvre those guns in your direction.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll do a better job than me at least,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°My minigun weighs about as much as an economy hatchback.¡±


    Jason rubbed his chin thoughtfully as they watched the boss anomaly shamble awkwardly down the street.


    ¡°You know,¡± he said, ¡°I can¡¯t use the core launcher.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°The thing is, though, I¡¯m not the only one here.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear,¡± Shade said.


    Jason sprinted through the building as bullets tore into it, ripping through the steel wall to chase him as the anomaly walked its gun after him, spitting flame from the rotating barrels as the bullets streamed out. When he came to a hole in the floor he didn¡¯t avoid it or leap over but instead dropped straight down to the floor below. The line of bullets continued to trail him, dropping down and following as he turned and ran back in the direction he had come from.


    Jason had found that while the abomination was oblivious to him up to a certain range. The moment he crossed that threshold, the anomaly¡¯s eyes locked onto him. Even through walls its gaze never wavered, as it immediately swung one of its guns on him.


    Jason had been ready and opened up with his own minigun, managing to destroy one of the monstrosity¡¯s guns before it fired. As it turned the other on him, though, Jason¡¯s minigun seized up. The tremendous forces that had pumped through it as Jason used it to kill hundreds, if not thousands of anomalies finally took it past its limits.


    Jason was forced to drop the weapon and run as bullets started screaming through the air, punching through everything in their path. Shade''s ability to hide Jason from abnormal senses could likely have shielded him from the abomination''s power to see through walls but that would defeat the point of playing decoy.


    A dark shape dashed from the shadows of a building to approach the boss anomaly. Shade took the core launcher from his personal storage space. Although it was much lighter than the minigun, it still pushed the limits of what Shade could lift with his limited ability to impart physical force.


    Shade dropped in an unstable genesis core and fired and, as Jason had anticipated, the launcher malfunctioned. It operated by agitating an unstable core, then wrapping it in a short-lived containment field and launching it. The containment field failed to activate and the weapon exploded on the spot, annihilating Shade¡¯s body and sprinkling the abomination across the city.


    You have defeated [Greater Anomaly].You have overtaken a genesis space territory and purged all anomalous elements.Return to core territory to initiate transfiguration of new territory.


    ¡°That was unpleasant,¡± Shade said, another of his bodies emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°Being torn apart by firmamental cosmic forces is not something I¡¯d care to repeat.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Jason said as he clambered out through a hole in the bullet-riddled building. ¡°Any lingering damage?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said. ¡°You can reconstitute the lost shadow body with mana as usual.¡±


    Jason found a gobbet of the boss anomaly and looted it, wisps of rainbow smoke appearing across the city where the remnants of the abomination were spread.


    100 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1000 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.10000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.[Doom Orb] has been added to your inventory.[Flesh Essence] has been added to your inventory.[Awakening Stone of Flesh] has been added to your inventory.


    ¡°That¡¯s a decent haul,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure that the doom orb is going to help me out, though. If I¡¯m breaking out of this place, I won¡¯t need to unseal any more powers.


    ¡°Perhaps you should keep it, then,¡± Shade suggested. ¡°A use can almost always be found for exotic items, even if that use was not what was originally intended.¡±


    ¡°Good point,¡± Jason said. ¡°Some exotic items are more appealing than others, though.¡±


    Jason went to the edge of his new territory, took out all his leftover unstable genesis cores and lobbed them into the gloom with all the silver-rank strength he could muster.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want those things going boom the second we¡¯re out of here. Do you think that gold-ranker blew up when he took them out?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Shade said. ¡°It seems equally likely that the cores disrupted his passage through the portal. He may have never come out the other side, his soul cast into the astral for my progenitor to claim.¡±


    ¡°What about the stable cores?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I have a boatload of them. I¡¯m kind of hoping they can help me stabilise the node space as I try to realign this link between worlds.¡±


    ¡°I think it will be safe,¡± Shade said. ¡°Perhaps they can even be used to repair some of the transformation zones. Miss Dawn would be better equipped to advise you in this.¡±


    ¡°That would be nice.¡±


    Nikoleta and her family gawked at the indoor waterfall in the atrium of Jason¡¯s pagoda, although after all they¡¯d been through it was just one more thing on the pile of absurdity.


    ¡°This is your last chance to leave this place before I bring down the dome,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what effect that will have. If you wish, I can send you outside first, but I can make no promises about what awaits you there either.¡±


    ¡°We have made our choice,¡± Nikoleta said, although her grandparents looked unhappy.


    ¡°Then I can offer you a suite to wait it out or you can observe from one of the balconies.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll watch,¡± Nikoleta said.


    ¡°Very well.¡±


    Jason was nervous and didn¡¯t want to pass that along to the family, so he was uncharacteristically subdued. They took the elevator to the top floor and Jason led them out to look over his domain. The city extended out a few kilometres, beyond which was the forest spanning into the distance. Rising up beyond that were the windswept, agrarian highlands where he had found the family, the only survivors of the zone he had discovered. Unseen beyond those highlands was the wasteland city, waiting to be transformed.


    ¡°Transfigure new territory,¡± Jason murmured. They could not see the subsequent changes, although there was an industrial clanking that must have been cacophonous to be heard more than fifty kilometres away, through a range of hills and small mountains. Jason could feel the changes through his connection to the spirit domain, knowing that the once wasted city was being restored to a pristine industrial hub.


    ¡°Not that it does me any good.¡±


    ¡°Pardon?¡± Nikoleta asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Jason said.


    Jason estimated that the dome in the real world covered an area equivalent to his first and second territories, the pagoda and the city around it. His expectation was that when the transformation zone and the proto-space were separated, the city would remain. The rest he expected to be caught up in the proto-space as it disentangled from the transformation zone. He might even need to enter the now-separated dimensional space and eliminate an anchor monster to prevent a monster wave.


    Your spirit domain has claimed a territory.Territory has been renamed [Steamforge Circuit].Anomalies attacking as a result of further spirit domain expansion will have increased power.You have claimed sufficient territory to stabilise the transformation zone and separate it from the convergent astral space.Separating the space with the current territory will have a disruptive effect on the dimensional membrane of the surrounding reality. Claim additional territory to reduce the severity of this effect. Current severity reduction: 79.4%Would you like to stabilise the transformation zone Y/N?


    ¡°That should be enough,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Are you talking to the thing that lives in your shadow?¡± Nikoleta asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s not a thing,¡± Jason said, not turning to look at her.


    ¡°He¡¯s not human.¡±


    ¡°Neither are you!¡± Jason snapped, drawing all eyes. He panned his gaze over them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve changed my mind. Shade, show them to a suite to wait this out.¡±


    One of Shade''s bodies emerged and led the family away as they threw wary glances back at Jason, who was quickly left alone. He thumped his hands angrily into the balustrade, then ran them anxiously over his face.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t deserve that,¡± he said.


    ¡°You are under an understandable amount of stress, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°No one could ask for more,¡± Shade said, another body rising from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Yes they could,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I do this and it isn¡¯t enough, that¡¯s game over. The world dies and not only did I fail to stop it but I probably sped it up.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, there are very few things in the cosmos that are truly new. I cannot say if what you are doing here is one of them but it is as far as I am aware and I have seen and heard more than you can imagine.¡±


    ¡°Great. I get to be the first guy to dissolve his planet in a new and interesting way.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano¨C¡±


    ¡°I get it, Shade, bloody hell.¡±


    ¡°Jason!¡± Shade yelled, causing Jason¡¯s head to make a startled swivel as he turned to his familiar.


    "No one could ask for more," Shade repeated, his voice once more composed. "Whatever we face here, we face together.¡±


    Jason felt the presence of his other familiars in his soul, silently supporting him. He looked out at his spirit domain.


    ¡°Stabilise the transformation zone.¡±


    Outside the dome, the vast corpse of the tentacle monster lay sprawled where it had slid off the dome, having been killed in a pitched battle with the gathered magical factions. The different factions had already carved large chunks of it off, taking them away to study, while others continued to pore over the corpse. It had rapidly grown to the size of a three-storey building, looking like a humungous sea anemone. Its massive trunk of a body was topped by a huge maw ringed by a forest of prehensile tentacles. The tentacles grabbed people, tossing them into the mouth, killing many before the assembled group finally killed it.


    Jack Gerling looked at it from the camp set up by the American Network. His explosive powers had been critical in slaying the massive creature that used to be the gold-ranker, Guo.


    While inside the combined proto-space/transformation zone, Gerling had felt small for the first time in a very long time. He contemplated the kind of magic involved, not just in transforming the gold ranker but the world itself in the form of transformation zones. The growing and unruly magic could reshape the world and the most powerful people on it, leaving them with no ability to resist.


    This was true for all but one person and his enigmatic struggle against cosmic forces Gerling did not understand. He didn¡¯t know how or why Asano was able to fight against powers that could reshape the world itself. His ability to open the previously impenetrable dome proved that he could, however. Gerling was determined to find out, and then find a way to take that power for himself.


    Gerling felt a shift in the magic a moment before he saw the dome change. The swirling rainbow of the colours inside went wild, gradually going dark around the edges. Deep within the dome, the colour coalesced and changed, turning from rainbow chaos into a nebula pattern. An aura erupted from the dome, Gerling¡¯s aura senses detecting its spread extending dozens of kilometres away. Gerling recognised the aura as belonging to Jason Asano.

 Chapter 424: You Really Aren’t Local

    Standing on the balcony on the pagoda¡¯s top floor, Jason surveyed his spirit domain, stretching off into the distance. He felt his connection to the vast territory, as if it were part of him.


    ¡°Stabilise the transformation zone.¡±


    A tremor immediately rocked the pagoda and did not pass, instead, continuing as a constant rumble. The entire pagoda felt like it was being hauled on a truck with mediocre suspension.


    You are using your spirit domain to stabilise and separate an intermingled transformation zone and proto-space. Dissolution of the proto-space will have a disruptive effect on the dimensional membrane of the attached reality.Consolidating the proto-space into a permanent astral space will lessen the detrimental effects of the process.Would you like to consolidate the proto-space into an astral space Y/N?


    Jason¡¯s eyes went wide, delighted at anything that would increase the chances of success.


    ¡°Yes!¡±


    Consolidating the astral space will require the consumption of [Stable Genesis Cores]. How many [Stable Genesis Cores] will you dedicate to this process?


    ¡°All of them!¡±


    1327 [Stable Genesis Cores] have been consumed. Proto-space apotheosis will take place alongside transformation zone reality integration.


    The rumbling tremor grew into a full-blown earthquake and Jason started seeing chunks of street tear themselves out of the ground to float into the air, shrouded in rainbow light. Tiles ripped themselves out from the footpaths and planters broke apart, spilling dirt and flowers as chunks of stone drifted upwards like errant balloons. Flagstones of dark crystal lifted out of the road to join them, and in every place that broke apart, rainbow light shone from the holes left behind. Jason watched the shattering of his domain spread out from the central site of the pagoda, accelerating as it extended throughout the city.


    An increasing density of rainbow light filled the air, obscuring Jason¡¯s vision as he stepped back from the edge of the balcony. The light filled the air but did not encroach on the pagoda, including the balcony space where Jason stood. The last thing he saw before his vision was obscured entirely was the spreading damage reaching the forest beyond the city.


    As the process continued, Jason¡¯s connection to his spirit domain delivered increasing levels of painful feedback. It started small, barely noticeable as the first chunks broke away. By the time he could no longer see past the edge of the balcony he was grimacing against the pain but it was nothing he couldn¡¯t endure. Even as it continued to escalate, he didn¡¯t let out a yell.


    If Jason¡¯s soul had been weaker, the pain the process was inflicting would likely have scarred it, pushing it to grow stronger. Compared to what he had experienced in the past, though, this was insufficient to even make a dent. Compared to the Builder¡¯s attacks or even the backlash from trying to forcibly manipulate reality with his aura, this pain was water splashing his feet at the beach. Rather than push back or try and shield himself from the pain, Jason delved into it with his senses, trying to better understand the process taking place.


    Everyone outside the dome was scrambling. Ritualists from different Network splinter factions were rushing to study the changes in the dome while others were preparing to either charge forward or run for the hills, depending on how the dome changed.


    Many more people had come for this transformation zone than those in the past. The original hope had been that multiple reality cores would appear when the dome finally dropped. As the dome remained in place longer and longer, eclipsing the duration of any previous one, those desires had grown more avaricious. The factions were now anticipating unknown treasures, untold knowledge and untapped power, all waiting to be seized. If they had to shake it out of Jason Asano, that was something they were willing to do.


    Gerling only paid half-attention to Cleary, his handler, as Cleary briefed him on the directives of the higher-ups. Gerling¡¯s assistant Fiona would summarise any relevant points afterwards and his gold-rank mind could easily split his focus anyway.


    He cared little for the priorities of the people ostensibly above him, but so long as they controlled the reality core supply, he had to keep up appearances. He could always grab some cores and go rogue but Gerling knew that was a foolish move until he had more long-term plans. For the moment, it would be borrowing trouble without anything worthwhile to show for it, so he continued playing the easy-to-please thug.


    ¡°Do you understand?¡± Cleary asked.


    ¡°Understand what?¡± Gerling asked. ¡°You did all that talking to tell me what I already knew. Go in when the dome drops, take anything I find and kick the crap out of anyone who gets in my way. Maybe I should be giving the briefings.¡±


    Cleary sighed.


    ¡°That¡¯s an¡­ adequate summation. Just don¡¯t start trouble you can¡¯t finish.¡±


    Gerling held up a tight fist.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t any trouble I can¡¯t finish.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t ignore the pain stabbing into his soul through his connection to the spirit domain. He followed it with his senses, using it as a path into the heart of the changes taking place.


    Jason had spent some time now in the study of astral magic theory, but it was his time exploring node space, coming to grips with the building blocks of reality where his understanding had truly grown. Being in node space was like brushing his fingers over the individual atoms of a molecule.


    There was a dichotomy between the astral and the physical, a duality that seemed not just naturally disparate but intrinsically opposed. The difference between the universe and the astral was the divide between physical and spiritual, between body and soul.


    Jason knew this separation was not absolute, despite almost every aspect of reality signalling that it was. His own body merged the spiritual and the physical into a cohesive whole. Knowing was not the same as understanding, however.


    Having extended his senses into the wild magic of the transforming domain, he observed from the inside the interplay of the astral and the physical as the transformation zone was extricated from the proto-space. The spirit domain was a part of him, giving him unique insight as it went through the process of merging with physical reality.


    Jason''s understanding underwent its own transfiguration as his perspective, so long contextualised only by physical reality, expanded exponentially. His grasp of the astral went through explosive expansion, giving him a new understanding of the most fundamental aspects of the cosmos.


    ¡°Some secrets are not meant for the likes of you,¡± a voice said and Jason withdrew his senses. Startled at the intrusion and angry at the interruption, he turned to face the owner of the voice.


    Jason had not sensed the man¡¯s approach nor the opening of the portal arch behind him. It was quite unlike Jason¡¯s portals, other than the general arch shape, looking like a pile of hard, earthen bricks stacked loosely in place. The portal energy in the archway was a swirl of reds, browns and yellows.


    The man standing in front of the portal had a shock of red hair and pale skin with a freckled complexion. His eyes were an inhumanly bright green. Compared to his striking features, his clothes were simple robes that were loose but not bulky enough to entangle, leaving him with excellent freedom of movement. It was much like the design Jason preferred, but while Jason favoured black, grey and red tones, this man¡¯s robes were in light, earthy shades. Combined with his hair and complexion, it made him look like a Scottish Jedi.


    ¡°Do you know Ewan McGregor?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That is what you¡¯re asking in this situation?¡± the man said, letting a little of his diamond-rank aura show.


    ¡°It¡¯s what came to mind,¡± Jason said. ¡°Obi-Wan Kenobi? Nothing? You really aren¡¯t local, are you?¡±


    ¡°I am Shako,¡± he man said. ¡°I am a servant of the Builder.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I picked up on your star seed when you tried to impress me by letting your aura poke out of your pants. Please tell me the builder didn''t just blow up my world by shoving a ranga through the dimensional wall.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shako said. ¡°This event provides a window through which I am able to enter and leave without harming your world, so long as I am gone before this space reasserts itself in physical reality.¡±


    ¡°So the Builder thought he¡¯d take the chance to send someone in and off me?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shako said. ¡°He sent me to deliver his thanks.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°The current Builder inherited the power of his predecessor, but also his responsibilities. He inherited the mistake that was this world. It costs him nothing but dignity should this world be annihilated but the dignity of a great astral being is no small thing.¡±


    ¡°Really? Sounds like a holdover from his mortal days, to me. What does an infinite being care about dignity? It seems a little petty.¡±


    ¡°Be careful with your words, mortal.¡±


    ¡°Mate, your boss sucks.¡±


    Shako¡¯s expression went very blandly diplomatic.


    ¡°You did not encounter him in the best of vessels,¡± Shako said. ¡°Thadwick Mercer lingered like a disease, affecting even subsequent vessels for a time.¡±


    ¡°Vessels like you?¡± Jason surmised.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shako confirmed and Jason laughed.


    ¡°You caught a dose of Thadwick, that''s hilarious. Also, tell your boss to shove it up his arse. Thadwick was a top-shelf prick but he didn''t turn your boss into a cosmic land bandit. He didn''t strip astral spaces off worlds, killing people in job lots from the fallout. How many people has it been across all the realities and all the worlds? Billions? Trillions? He can take his thanks for whatever he''s thanking me for and shove it so far up his quoit that it pops out his nose.¡±


    ¡°How¡­ colourful. You don¡¯t want the gift he offers as parts of his thanks, then?¡±


    ¡°Your damn right I don¡¯t. Thus far, everything the Builder has sent my way has impaled my body a whole bunch of times and even took a run at my soul.¡±


    ¡°This gift is sent with gratitude, not malice.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t? You should have led with that. I¡¯m definitely going to take the word of a guy whose boss tried to core me like an apple.¡±


    ¡°You would do well not to impugn my integrity, silver-ranker.¡±


    ¡°Mate, you''re a captain in the fleet of a cosmic pirate admiral. How many people have you killed in the name of your boss playing with blocks like an infant? I''d tell you to take your integrity and shove it up your boss'' arse, next to where he put his thanks, but you beat me to it. Probably by a few centuries.¡±


    Shako reached out and Jason lurched forward, his neck falling into Shako¡¯s grip. His aura crushed down, suppressing Jason¡¯s aura in an instant.


    ¡°So, more Vader than Obi-Wan,¡± Jason said, his voice unstifled by the grip on his throat. ¡°Obvious, now that I think about it.¡±


    Jason met the diamond-ranker''s gaze, unfazed by having his aura ground down to nothing.


    ¡°You think I won''t kill you for your insolence?¡± Shako asked.


    ¡°If you''re going to kill me, I can do bugger-all about it. I''m not going to pretend your boss is worthy of respect first because he''s not, and I don''t think it matters anyway. Your boss sent you here with orders to kill me or not. I''m willing to bet you follow them, either way.¡±


    Jason closed his eyes, letting his instinct guide him. He drew on his spirit domain and the vast quantities of power currently coursing through it as reality itself was reshaped. Melding it with his suppressed aura, Jason aura projected not his own aura but that of his entire spirit domain, pushing back against the suppressive force of the diamond ranker.


    Shako sneered as he felt Jason attempt to push back, but it dropped off his face as he felt the aura pressure him from all around. Jason¡¯s inexpert control of his spirit domain was not enough to push back the power of an ancient and powerful diamond ranker even a little, but even noticing that moment of pressure from a mere silver-ranker chilled Shako to the core.


    Shako¡¯s empty hand swung out, splattering Jason¡¯s head like a rotting melon. Jason''s neck chain fell to the floor as Shako then palm-slapped Jason''s chest, the whole torso exploding backwards, scattering across the balcony and into the rainbow energy outside. The force of the strike warped Jason''s sword, which was merely bronze-rank. It also fell to the floor.


    Jason¡¯s scattered body parts burned up in dark flame, limned in silver starlight, which merged to take the shape of a dark, star-filled phoenix. Shako started gathering transcendent light between his hands but the phoenix shot back, disappearing into the rainbow energy.


    Another portal appeared next to Shako¡¯s portal arch, this one a shimmering sheet of silver-grey light. Through it stepped Dawn in her true body. Her celestine form had ruby hair and eyes, glimmering like actual gemstones.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Shako.¡±

 Chapter 425: A Sliver of Hope

    Jason¡¯s star phoenix form was impervious to almost any form of attack, with transcendent damage being a critical exception. His aura could downgrade transcendent damage, but with a diamond-ranker suppressing his aura that would not come into effect. He chose, then, to risk diving into the storm of energy reforging his spirit domain as Shako gathered transcendent energy for an attack. As he disappeared into the rainbow chaos outside of the pagoda, Dawn¡¯s true form emerged from a shimmering portal.


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Shako.¡±


    ¡°Dawn,¡± Shako said, dismissing his gathered energy.


    ¡°I cannot imagine that this is what the Builder sent you here to do,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You have come into this world and killed Jason Asano. This is in express violation of the compact between the Builder, the Reaper and the World-Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°This is not Asano¡¯s world,¡± Shako countered.


    ¡°You may find it hard to convince the World-Phoenix and the Reaper of that.¡±


    ¡°He deserved death. That man has taken that which belongs to the Builder and turned it against his faithful.¡±


    ¡°Faithful? Is the Builder truly that obsessed with making a world so that he might become a god? He is already so much more. You realise the entire cosmos thinks he¡¯s gone mad.¡±


    ¡°You would belittle the Builder for what he has made?¡± Shako asked. ¡°Without the Fundament Gate he stole from the Builder, he would never have been able to affect this place and remake it.¡±


    ¡°Then you should be grateful that he took it. The Builder had billions of years to rectify the mistakes of his predecessor, but his inaction has allowed the task to fall to a boy.¡±


    ¡°You speak as if your World-Phoenix played no part.¡±


    ¡°The World-Phoenix acts in accordance with her purpose,¡± Dawn said, anger taking over her usually tranquil expression. ¡°The Builder has ignored his own purpose by leaving the situation alone and has now chosen to make use of it in service of his private intentions. This world would not be crumbling if the Builder had not struck a bargain with a lowly god to exploit it.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps I may have acted with haste,¡± Shako conceded.


    ¡°You and your master both have a habit of thinking like mortals. You get caught up in pride and focus on singular things when you need to take a larger perspective. You are like Asano in this way. I think, perhaps, that Thadwick Mercer was a more fitting vessel than you or the Builder are willing to admit. You pass off questionable decisions as his influence, yet is that truly the case?¡±


    ¡°I did not come here to be insulted or listen to your slander against my master, Dawn. There is only so much I am willing to tolerate, even from you.¡±


    ¡°Clearly,¡± Dawn said, looking pointedly at Jason¡¯s necklace and sword on the floor. They lay where they had fallen when Shako destroyed Jason¡¯s body. ¡°But you didn¡¯t come here to violate the agreement your master made, either.¡±


    ¡°I still hold that this is still not Asano¡¯s world. There is no violation.¡±


    ¡°Then your master and mine will have to settle this with the Reaper, then.¡±


    Shako expression took on an angry grimace.


    ¡°Perhaps I have pushed the boundaries of the agreement and a concession can be made. When Asano returns to the other world, no Builder cultist of a rank higher than his will attack him.¡±


    Dawn smiled.


    ¡°That is worth less than nothing. The Builder doesn¡¯t keep its own word, so why would it keep yours? Even if it does, so what? Your promise does not preclude diamond-rank allies or a hundred silver-rankers being sent after Asano.¡±


    ¡°You think the Builder so petty?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I would advise against trying to grab my throat for saying so, though.¡±


    Shako looked as if he had eaten something unpleasant as he swallowed his retort. Dawn waited as he took a moment to calm himself.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Shako asked, his voice measured once more.


    ¡°Asano claimed for himself something created by the Builder. A door.¡±


    ¡°The Fundament Gate. Asano should not have such access to the foundations of reality.¡±


    ¡°If the Builder didn¡¯t want mortals to have that kind of access, he shouldn¡¯t have given it to them.¡±


    ¡°It was an item; the Builder¡¯s to give or take. Asano should not have absorbed it.¡±


    Dawn laughed, bringing a surprised expression to Shako¡¯s face.


    ¡°If the Builder thought that mortals would only use what he gave them for the purposes he intended, then he is as great a fool as any of them.¡±


    Shako seethed at the continuing insults to the Builder but Dawn was not Jason. Shako showed not so much as the shadow of an aggressive move.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you bring up the Fundament Gate,¡± Shako said through gritted teeth. ¡°Asano had already taken it for himself and the Builder has neither claim nor control over it. Again, I ask, what is it that you want?¡±


    ¡°I wish to create an item that he can also absorb. One that lets him use the gate to anchor a bridge between Earth and Pallimustus, using the existing link as a basis.¡±


    ¡°An astral bridge is the domain of the World-Phoenix,¡± Shako said. ¡°You don¡¯t need the Builder for that.¡±


    ¡°Improperly anchored, the bridge will be vulnerable to tampering and destruction. The Fundament gate will allow him to securely anchor it in physical reality. Give me the designs of the Fundament Gate so the World-Phoenix may create a complimentary item that works with it.¡±


    ¡°That is not within my authority to offer,¡± Shako said. ¡°The door was the Builder¡¯s personal design.¡±


    ¡°But you do have it. You simply need permission to pass it along.¡±


    ¡°No. You ask too much.¡±


    ¡°Too much? I¡¯m not even done making demands and already you¡¯re refusing? Then the Builder¡¯s violation of the agreement will stand. This means that the cult of the World-Phoenix may intervene directly with the Builder¡¯s invasion of Pallimustus. We haven¡¯t raised our hands since before you were born, but you¡¯ve heard the stories, right?¡±


    Shako¡¯s expression went dark.


    ¡°In the face of an opportunity to be free to act directly,¡± he asked, ¡°why would you accept another concession? Why you would do this for Asano?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a friend.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be serious.¡±


    ¡°I originally wondered why the World-Phoenix assigned me this task personally,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I came to realise that it is not always good to become too separated from mortal sensibilities. Not a problem you seem to have, but I did and the World-Phoenix saw this. This is why she sent me to watch over a man whose sensibilities are very, very mortal.¡±


    ¡°Why would the World-Phoenix want you to become lesser?¡±


    ¡°Not lesser, Shako. Grounded.¡±


    ¡°When you are ascending to the heavens, grounded is lesser,¡± Shako argued. ¡°You and I stand on the cusp of true transcendence. Why should we care about mortal concerns?¡±


    ¡°Because if we don¡¯t understand the mortal parts of ourselves, it causes problems when we leave the last of our mortality behind.¡±


    ¡°What kind of problems?¡±


    ¡°Well, for example, we might go off and start looting worlds for parts so we can cobble them together in some mad desire to play god.¡±


    ¡°I will only tolerate these insults to the Builder for so long, Dawn.¡±


    ¡°We have not yet finished negotiating the consequences of the last time your patience expired,¡± Dawn said, her ruby eyes glimmering and her voice filled with cool but unmistakable menace. ¡°Are you so anxious to concede even more?¡±


    Shako took an involuntary step back.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Now, our time is limited and we should return to the topic at hand. The designs for the door.¡±


    ¡°I can likely obtain them for you,¡± Shako said, although his expression was unwilling. ¡°Again, though, I have to ask why. He has knowledge and power enough to build a bridge back to the other world using the link between them. He doesn¡¯t need this object you want to build for him. You realise that if he absorbs it, he would be intrinsically linked to the bridge he subsequently creates. If he dies, the bridge will collapse.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Shako narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°That¡¯s your intention,¡± he realised. ¡°You¡¯re looking past the Builder invasion of Pallimustus.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Asano is yet to realise that success in his current challenge will be the very thing that sets his next one in motion.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told him, have you?¡±


    ¡°I am forbidden. Jason does not always make the best choices and the World-Phoenix doesn¡¯t want him finding out and risking two worlds to avoid that outcome. This bridge will be his compensation. A sliver of hope in his darkest hour.¡±


    ¡°When the time comes, you won¡¯t help him?¡±


    ¡°It falls outside the World-Phoenix¡¯s authority and it will not be allowed. This is the most I can do.¡±


    ¡°And you would give up the chance to send all your forces against us for that?¡±


    ¡°The World-Phoenix is not the Builder. It prefers to avoid such crude methods. But I will need another concession.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°Allowance for me to go to Pallimustus.¡±


    ¡°Absurd. Do you think the great astral beings will permit a half-transcendent to intervene in a physical reality of that level? If you go, the Builder can send his own half-transcendents and by the time we''re all done fighting, that world will be a lifeless cinder. Neither of us wants that.¡±


    ¡°I will not confront any of your forces or deliver any material aid carrying the power of the World-Phoenix, any other great astral being, or otherwise disproportional to the existing power of the world in question. Under those terms, the great astral beings will allow it.¡±


    ¡°Then why bother going?¡±


    ¡°To warn them that you are coming. And when.¡±


    ¡°And you think I will allow this?¡±


    ¡°Allow? I¡¯m going to Pallimustus and you can do nothing about it. Your choice is whether I¡¯m bringing words or an army. Unless you genuinely believe the Builder can convince the others you did not violate the compact by killing Asano.¡±


    Once more Shako seethed in silence, before raising his eyes to glare at Dawn.


    ¡°I cared about you very deeply, once,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yet you never really knew me. It¡¯s a very mortal failing.¡±


    Shako frowned and then bowed his head. A presence came over him, transforming his aura from diamond-rank to transcendent. When he stood, his expression and body language were completely different. Gone was the frustrated rage, replaced with imperious stoicism.


    ¡°You are impertinent, servant of the World-Phoenix,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°My new friend has been a bad influence,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I believe you¡¯ve met.¡±


    ¡°You seek to provoke me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worked in the past.¡±


    ¡°I will not expose myself to further concessions,¡± the Builder said. He reached into his robes and retrieved a crystal holding it up in front of her.


    ¡°The designs of the Fundament Gate. You may have it, under the condition that it is designed such that once it is complete, Asano¡¯s ability to enter the fundamental realm and manipulate it is revoked.¡±


    ¡°Acceptable,¡± Dawn said. ¡°He only does so out of necessity and has no other reason to access it.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± The Builder said, handing the crystal over. ¡°You may travel to Pallimustus. So long as your actions are in accord with what we great astral beings collectively allow, I will not count it as a violation of the compact.¡±


    ¡°One more thing,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°You test my forbearance, servant.¡±


    ¡°Your servant is the one who made the violation. Be grateful the World-Phoenix is willing to accept any concessions at all.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°Your violation was in coming here and killing Asano. You have to leave him be in the other world.¡±


    ¡°He will come for my people. You expect them to lay down and die?¡±


    ¡°You will restrict your attempts to kill him to when he comes looking for trouble. That will be almost constantly, so that should not be an onerous concession. I won''t bother with specific terms as we both know there will always be ways around them. You will agree to abide by the spirit of the condition I''ve put forth.¡±


    ¡°Acceptable. Asano is no more threat to me than any other silver-ranker. He is irrelevant to my greater plans.¡±


    Dawn raised an eyebrow but did not argue.


    ¡°Then the terms are struck,¡± she said.


    Shako staggered as the Builder left him. He looked unhappily at Dawn, and then made for his portal, pausing before passing through.


    ¡°It was good to see you, Dawn. Even under these circumstances.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re only going to get worse, Shako. You chose a master poorly.¡±


    ¡°I chose the right one for me,¡± Shako said. ¡°You have no right to judge me.¡±


    Dawn nodded, acknowledging the point. Shako stepped through his portal arch and it sank into the floor, vanishing. Dawn looked down at Jason''s warped sword on the floor and picked it up, carrying it through her portal.


    Jason returned to the balcony as the duration of his star phoenix form came to an end. The man that killed him was gone, along with the portal he arrived in. Instead, there was a vertical sheet of silver-grey light. He looked around, finding only his necklace with his dark guardian amulet and the miniaturised cloud flask hanging from it.


    His sword was nowhere to be seen. He could still feel his connection to the soul-bound item, so it wasn¡¯t destroyed, but he could not sense its location. Without it, the additional effects of his other items would not take effect, so he couldn¡¯t call the mist shroud from his cloud flask.


    Unsure of what to do next, Jason could sense the spirit domain approaching the end of its transformation. He examined the shimmering sheet of light with his aura senses which confirmed his guess that it was a portal. Like Shako¡¯s, it was diamond-rank. As he was contemplating it, Dawn stepped out. It was the first time Jason had seen her true form, her red hair replaced with the gemstone hair of a celestine. She was wearing a flowing white robe trimmed with flaming colours of orange, yellow and red.


    ¡°Dawn? Looking good. You didn¡¯t see another guy around here, did you?¡±


    ¡°Shako is gone.¡±


    ¡°Good. I honestly didn''t think that guy would gank me.¡±


    ¡°You are forgetting the door you took from the Builder. Just touching on your aura will send any Builder servant into a fury.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. He did feel a bit like a boiling kettle, but I thought that was just about the thing between me and the Builder.¡±


    ¡°The star seed inside him reacted negatively to your aura. If he weren''t powerful enough to control the urge, he might have attacked you on sight.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t control the urge. He killed me.¡±


    ¡°You talked to him,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°You say that like it¡¯s an explanation.¡±


    ¡°Of why someone would want to kill you? It is.¡±


    ¡°That''s a little hurtful.¡±


    ¡°Jason, I have only a short time for explanations. I must leave before the transformation zone fully merges with your world.¡±


    She held up what looked like a small model bridge. It was contained in a crystal vessel, like a ship in a bottle.


    ¡°The World-Phoenix personally crafted this item moments ago. This is an object akin to the door of the Builder, and you can absorb it the same way. Once you have restored the link between worlds to its original state, or close enough that your world isn¡¯t in immediate peril, you can use it in node space to establish a bridge between worlds.¡±


    ¡°A bridge. As in, a walk back and forth bridge?¡±


    ¡°Not at first,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Once you establish the bridge on both sides, it will stabilise the link between worlds and prevent the link from being manipulated again. Over time, the bridge will repair the damage to your world¡¯s dimension membrane and, eventually, open a passage between the worlds.¡±


    ¡°How eventually?¡±


    ¡°Years. Possibly decades.¡±


    ¡°It won''t be my way back to Pallimustus, then.¡±


    ¡°It can be, if you act swiftly. When the link is restored to a close enough point to its original state, there will be a backwash of magic as your world stops absorbing all the excess magic.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve talked about that before. It¡¯s what will trigger the monster surge in Pallimustus and let the Builder invade.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But you can also use that surge and the incomplete bridge to travel to Pallimustus, so long as you do so before the magical backwash dissipates. The outworlder gift evolution the World-Phoenix designed for you will allow you to survive the journey. Anyone you carry inside your spirit vault will be safe.¡±


    ¡°Will you be coming with us? I know you won''t go by spirit vault but you have an interdimensional spaceship or something, right? I''m assuming that''s where that portal come from since you don''t have a portal power yourself.¡±


    ¡°It is, and I will be leaving for the other world. Ahead of you, in fact.¡±


    ¡°You''re going now,¡± Jason realised.


    ¡°You have everything you need to do what must be done. More than that, I trust you to do it. The other world needs me more than you do.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°After years of being in readiness for a monster surge that never comes, the other world will not be prepared when it finally does. We have a good estimate of how long you will take to repair the link so I¡¯m going to warn them that it¡¯s close.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see you there, then?¡±


    ¡°You will, although do not anticipate me solving your problems for you. I still have restrictions by which I must abide.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do. Can you check in on my friends for me?¡±


    ¡°I can and will.¡±


    Jason pulled a recording crystal from his inventory and tossed it to her.


    ¡°Show that to my mates, yeah?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°One last thing before I go. Once you complete the bridge on the other side, you will lose access to node space.¡±


    ¡°At that point, I won''t need it. What about the effect the door has on Builder minions?¡±


    ¡°The lost power to open node space will be channelled into enhancing that effect.¡±


    Jason grinned.


    ¡°I¡¯ll call that a win.¡±


    Dawn looked past Jason at the energy storm swirling beyond the balcony.


    ¡°I cannot delay any longer.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no worries. Oh, have you seen my sword? The other guy didn¡¯t take it, did he?¡±


    ¡°Your sword is in no state to be of use, so I have taken it,¡± she said walking up to the portal. ¡°It shall be waiting for you in the other world.¡±


    ¡°Nice. You know, for a super god¡¯s lackey, you¡¯re an alright sheila.¡±


    ¡°Better to be a queen than a pawn, Jason.¡±


    Before he could respond, she stepped through the shimmering portal and it vanished.


    ¡°Buggering off with the last bloody word, are you?¡± he said to the empty space the portal had occupied. A warm smile crossed his face.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he conceded. ¡°It was a pretty good exit line.¡±

 Chapter 426: End-User Licence Agreement

    Jason looked out at the swirling rainbow energy beyond the pagoda. A moment of desperation had led him to dive into it while in the star phoenix form following his latest resurrection. The energy that had passed through him in that unusual state had once more heightened his understanding of the astral energies at play.


    The gains were not worth the trade-off. Jason no longer had the safety net of his resurrection power, at least not until he ranked up in a decade or more. There was nothing he could have done in the face of a diamond-ranker and he still didn¡¯t know if that had been the Builder¡¯s intention all along.


    Had the Builder sent Shako ostensibly under a flag of resolving conflict that he might ¡®lose control¡¯ and kill Jason in anger? Was the entire purpose to try and strike at Jason when the agreement with the other great astral beings was arguably not in effect? No one was under the illusion that Jason would actually die, but now he would head back to a world full of the Builder¡¯s minions with permanent death very much a concern.


    Jason reached out a hand and let the rainbow light flow through his fingers, no longer fearful of the energies involved. He now understood both it and himself enough that he no longer feared contacting it. Jason¡¯s body, like the energy itself, was a gestalt of the physical and the spiritual, of matter and non-material forces not just paired like body and soul, but reforged into something else.


    Jason also had some ability to manipulate the rainbow energy. This was a combination of his nature, his understanding and one of the effects of the bespoke outworlder power the World-Phoenix designed for him.


    While within the astral you will be able to create and maintain a small zone of physical reality around you. This does not grant the ability to enter or traverse the astral.


    Jason didn¡¯t do anything with the energy as it washed between his fingers, not being foolish enough to interfere with the larger process going on. At first, it had seemed like the pagoda would remain unchanged, but this was not the case.


    Pagoda transfiguration will take place in stages. Please evacuate the third floor.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is that the European/Australian floor naming where it goes ground floor, then first floor, second floor, etc, so what¡¯s called the third floor is the fourth level of the building? Or is it the system they use everywhere else, where the ground level is the first floor, the second level is the second floor, etc?"


    Help: Localised Floor Designations


    Floor numbering begins on the ground floor, with the first floor above it being designated the ¡®first floor.¡¯ Would you like to change the numbering to an alternate system?


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I just don¡¯t want to evacuate the wrong floor.¡±


    The third floor is the fourth level of the building. Please evacuate any people and do not allow access during the transfiguration process.


    The Slovakian family was one level below that, on the floor made up entirely of residential suites.


    ¡°Shade, make sure our guests don¡¯t go wandering.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mr Asano.¡±


    After a short while, energy flooded over the pagoda balcony on the third floor, washing in and sending the pagoda through another transformation. After it washed back out, the system warned Jason to evacuate the top floor, then the others in descending order. He wasn¡¯t sure why the process started on the second-highest floor but it was likely because that¡¯s where the portal room was.


    Jason reunited with the family as they played musical chairs with the transforming pagoda levels. The transformed levels took a form much more like the city around it had been, constructed out of cloud-stuff in fairy tale colours, mimicking the makeup of the constructs from Jason¡¯s cloud flask. This was everything from walls, floors and ceilings to furniture and fittings.


    The transformation also came with a redesign. The ground floor remained much the same: an atrium with a waterfall in the middle of the room, spilling from the mezzanine above. The first floor continued to overlook the atrium but was an open space that was the new portal area. There were ten portal arches, all in the dark crystal of Jason¡¯s portal arch, but none of them were active.


    The second floor was taken up by what looked to be an administrative centre, with offices and a bullpen. The third, formerly the portal room level, was taken up by a single residential suite with multiple bedrooms. The top floor was a single bedroom residential suite. The entire pagoda was flooded with Jason¡¯s aura, which felt benevolent rather than hostile, except for on the top floor. There it was heavy and oppressive, except to Jason himself.


    There were also new levels underground, which were empty storage spaces. As with the top floor, Jason¡¯s aura was much stronger there.


    As Jason explored the pagoda in the wake of its latest changes, he felt the energy outside start to thin. It was imperceptible to ordinary senses, at first, but by the time Jason was again standing on the top floor balcony, it was visibly disappearing. He started seeing the city reappear through the swirling rainbow light and spotted the dome high above. As expected, the pagoda was placed directly under the dome''s peak. Unlike when he had entered, the dome was much darker, but with a swirling nebula of colour.


    Gerling could sense the change in the dome. It was the first time this idiosyncratic example held true to his experiences from other transformation zones, as it was the familiar feeling of a dome about to vanish, revealing what lay inside.


    Gerling was far from the only one poised to move after sensing the change, and when parts of the dome started to dissolve, all the people who had been wary after the dome¡¯s changes suddenly charged back up the sides, looking for holes to dive into. Gerling didn¡¯t join them, remaining impassively at the edge of the American Network camp. The other gold-ranker from the US, who had arrived just hours ago, did not share his reticence, tearing off at speed.


    ¡°Gerling!¡± his handler, Cleary yelled. ¡°Why aren¡¯t you moving?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go when I¡¯m good and ready,¡± Gerling snarled.


    ¡°Every major force in the world has bolstered their presence here, and you want to play wait and see?¡±


    Gerling looked at Cleary with disdain.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in there once. Rushing around is a good way to get killed.¡±


    "That was when it was active," Cleary said. "Now that the dome is coming down, normal magical conditions will reassert themselves."


    Gerling didn¡¯t bother to argue, closing his eyes and extending his senses. With the dome at its centre, Asano¡¯s aura had covered a geographically significant portion of western Slovakia. Gerling felt it now start to rapidly contract. He wanted to see what state it ended up in before he approached the swiftly-opening transformation zone.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take you for a coward,¡± Cleary said and Gerling¡¯s eyes shot open to get a missile lock on Cleary¡¯s face. Gerling¡¯s aura squeezed Cleary¡¯s like a car compactor until Cleary stood quivering on the spot.


    "I''m sorry, I was distracted," Gerling apologised. "I didn''t hear that last thing you said. Would you be so kind as to repeat it?"


    Cleary¡¯s mind was screaming at his legs to run but they wouldn¡¯t listen.


    ¡°Mr Cleary?¡± Gerling asked quizzically.


    Gerling released his aura and Cleary fled in a stumbling run.


    The rainbow light was gone and sunlight broke through the dome more and more as it dissolved away. It lit up the fairytale kingdom that Jason¡¯s city had turned into, with colourful cloud houses, tiled pathways, flowers, trees and parks. The designs were an eclectic hodgepodge of styles, drawing influences from across the world, with Middle-eastern influences bumping into Japanese, South American and European influences. It should have been a hodgepodge, yet somehow worked, the odd, magical materials and bright colours tying it all together.


    ¡°In an animated movie kind of way,¡± Jason mumbled to himself as he looked it over. He was anxiously awaiting system boxes that he knew would be coming.


    You have successfully separated the overlapping transformation zone and proto-space. Transformation zone is reintegrating with physical reality. Effects of the abnormal space are no longer in place. Your essence abilities are unsealed.Transformation zone was not fully stabilised. Reintegration with physical reality is having a localised disruptive effect on the dimensional membrane, risking rupture.Proto-space has been stabilised into a permanent astral space. This is stabilising the disruption and dispersing it to have a diminished effect over a wider area.


    Jason felt a tremble in the ambient magic. To him, with his soul strength and connection to the astral, it was a ripple in a pond. He could sense that it was happening on a massive scale, however, and worried that to others it would be a tsunami.


    While there were many silver and even gold-rank individuals around the dome, there were far more bronze and iron-rankers in the camps in supporting roles. When the world¡¯s magic became a tidal wave of chaos, the silver-rankers fared well enough and the gold-rankers were fine but the rest fell to the ground, screaming.


    Gerling felt some of the iron-rank auras get snuffed out as they couldn¡¯t handle the pressure and died. The normal rankers in the area, mostly in the nearby city of Nitra, did not seem to be affected in any impactful fashion, at least so far as Gerling¡¯s senses could make out.


    Gerling closed his eyes, expanding his aura over the American network¡¯s camp and trying to shield it from the effects. It was only partially effective, but that was enough to bring the bronze-rankers to their senses, while the iron-ranks went from tortured screams to pain-stricken moans.


    Jason jumped lightly off the balcony, grabbed the edge of the roof above with his restored shadow arm and flicked himself onto it. Standing at the peak of the slope, he observed his surroundings as the dome continued to dissolve over his head.


    Dimensional disruption has rendered the dimensional membrane more permeable, raising the baseline magic density level of [Earth]. Localised zones of increased dimensional permeability will have heightened levels of magical density.Once the new levels of ambient magic have normalised, [Earth] will no longer be subject to restrictions on mana, stamina and health recovery due to extreme low magic conditions.Due to increased levels of magic permeability, magic will no longer accumulate externally and manifest as proto-spaces. Magic will manifest directly in the world.[Earth] is currently subject to an abnormally large influx of magic. The newly permeable dimensional membrane is more vulnerable to excessive magic and will degenerate more rapidly.


    Jason¡¯s shoulder¡¯s slumped with relief. It was far from good news, but at least the world wasn¡¯t going to be destroyed this week.


    ¡°Congratulations, Mr Asano,¡± Shade said, manifesting from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°You just saved the world.¡±


    Jason let out a weary laugh.


    ¡°I thought it would feel awesome, but I¡¯m just tired.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it will feel better after you have time to rest,¡± Shade suggested.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time to rest,¡± Jason said. He could already feel silver and gold-rankers encroaching on his spirit domain.


    As anticipated, his domain now covered the space up to his second territory, which was the original stretch of city. The rest had been shunted into an astral space that he could sense, both with his power to detect astral spaces and through his connection to it. He felt the power of his spirit domain settling around him and it was accompanied by a wall of text.


    You have established a permanent spirit domain. The maximum total area your spirit domains can cover is limited by your soul strength and your rank. Current amount of maximum spirit domain established: 3266%. Increase your rank to increase your maximum total spirit domain size.This spirit domain has a connected astral space. The astral space gains the full effects of your spirit domain but does not count against your maximum spirit domain size. The portals in the [Arrival Pagoda] connecting to various locations in the astral space are now active. Any non-hostile may use the portals by default but you may individually grant or deny access or set alternate criteria for entry.The magical density of your spirit domains and the interconnected astral spaces is artificially limited to silver-rank. This only effects monster manifestations as non-monster manifestations are not connected to magical rank. Increase your rank to increase the level of monster manifestations that occur within your spirit domains.Monster manifestations will be shifted to outside of your spirit domain or into wilderness areas of the attached astral space. Monsters that manifest into wilderness areas of the astral space are not subject to the negative effects of the astral space.Anyone or anything hostile to you, your domain or any non-hostiles within your domains will immediately acquire the [Blood From a Stone], [Mortality] and [Weakness of the Flesh] afflictions. They will also continually accumulate instances of the [Sin] affliction, which they will clearly sense. Those that remain for extended periods will periodically accumulate instances of the [Wages of Sin] affliction. Any hostile actions against your, your domain or anyone within your domain will immediately accumulate additional instances of [Wages of Sin]. All spirit domain effects ignore rank disparity and cannot be resisted or cleansed but end immediately on departure from the spirit domain.Anyone who dies from the effects of the spirit domain will be consumed by transcendent damage. They will be looted and their possessions will be sent to the vault in the [Arrival Pagoda] of that domain space.Hostility is determined by the true intent of those entering your spirit domain. Their true intent cannot be hidden by any means, including self-deception. You may individually designate anyone within your spirit domain as hostile or non-hostile at any time.Those who truly venerate you while within your spirit domain will have instances of curse, disease, poison, holy and unholy afflictions periodically converted to instances of [Integrity].You can sense the location and aura of anyone within any of your spirit domains at any time, over any distance. There are no means to avoid this effect, regardless of rank or nature of the ability. At your current rank, this effect can cross the localised dimensional boundary of an astral space but not between universes. Increase your rank to sense your spirit domains in alternate realities.


    "It''s like an end-user licence agreement. Can I just hit ¡®I agree¡¯ and move on?¡±


    Jason understood what his spirit domain could do through his connection to it. The whole veneration aspect worried him a great deal so he put it aside to concentrate on the aspects that would keep him alive with as a good portion of the world¡¯s magical power descending on him.


    Broadly speaking, anyone who invaded the domain with hostile intent would get a warning as they accumulated the sin affliction. They would also get a set of Jason¡¯s afflictions that let his powers bypass immunities. If they ignored the warnings and refused to leave, they would suffer damage that continued to multiply until it killed them and their body was erased from existence.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite harsh.¡±


    Jason could already feel the power affecting the ambitious intruders looking for plunder. They were rushing through the city, some searching the houses on the outskirts while others, largely the more powerful ones, rushed towards the pagoda they saw towering over the city. The new buildings were no more than two or three storeys high, so it was easy to see.


    Waiting on the pagoda¡¯s roof, Jason returned his outfit to his inventory, calling his conjured blood robe and starlight cloak. Jason held out a hand, blood spraying out to accumulate into Colin¡¯s humanoid form. Looking like Jason minus the cloak, but with purple-red skin, he stood to Jason¡¯s left. Shade stood to Jason¡¯s right and Gordon also manifested, forming a line with the others as they awaited the gold-rankers, silver-rankers and ancient vampires running, riding and flying towards them.


    ¡°Shade, could you take the family down into the vault, please?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mr Asano.¡±

 Chapter 427: Negotiations

    Gold-rankers, silver-rankers and even a few bold bronze-rankers went storming into the dome as it broke down. Once it was entirely gone and the transformed area revealed for all to see, even more followed.


    Gerling still stood patiently, observing. Usually, a transformation zone turned an area into a supernatural reflection of its original state, but the Slovakian farmland had turned into a town from an animated movie, with colourful cloud houses, flowers and trees everywhere. It wasn¡¯t even the same as it had been while Gerling was inside.


    Even as Gerling observed, he sensed the bronze-rankers all turn back and leave the zone. Many of the silver-rankers were doing the same and Gerling moved to meet one returning to the American Network camp. Gerling led him into the prefab building that held the camp bar, went behind the counter and poured them a stiff drink each.


    "Thanks, Jack," the man said and they both knocked back their glasses with a gulp. Gerling poured them another glass each.


    ¡°What did you run into, Clint?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Clint said. ¡°As soon as I entered that weird town it felt like I was trespassing. The sense grew as I didn¡¯t leave and there was this growing sense of dread. More than that, though, it was like I was, I don¡¯t know. Setting myself up for retribution? The worst part, the thing that got me the hell out of there, is that I kind of felt like I deserved it. That creeped me right out and I bailed.¡±


    ¡°Like you deserved it? That retribution you felt coming?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It¡¯s like¡­ I¡¯m not sure how to describe it. It was as if I knew that my own choices were wrong and whatever happened to me, I had coming.¡±


    ¡°Like a sin,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s it,¡± Clint said. ¡°I never grew up religious, but yeah. It¡¯s like trespassing on that place is a sin. How does that work?¡±


    ¡°Sin is one of Asano¡¯s essences,¡± Gerling said. ¡°He did that to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to leave that guy to you,¡± Clint said. ¡°He¡¯s clearly above my pay grade, and my pay grade is pretty damn good.¡±


    Cleary opened the door and walked in.


    ¡°Wagner,¡± he said, looking at Clint. ¡°Why did you go in there, only to turn around and come right back?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s dangerous,¡± Gerling said. In a blur of gold-rank speed, he moved around the bar and interposed himself between Clint and Cleary. Cleary took a step back, still shaken from his last conversation with Gerling.


    ¡°We¡¯re missing our window.¡±


    Gerling tilted his head as he concentrated on his aura senses.


    ¡°The first silver-ranker just died trying to get back out,¡± Gerling said. ¡°The others are running for it but he went too deep.¡±


    ¡°Died?¡± Cleary asked. ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. It wasn¡¯t one of ours.¡±


    ¡°Goddamn it,¡± Cleary said, running a hand over his mouth. ¡°Wagner, the place is really that hostile?¡±


    ¡°Just walking in there felt like a sin,¡± Clint confirmed.


    ¡°Sin?¡± Cleary asked, sharing a look with Gerling. ¡°Asano?¡±


    Gerling nodded.


    ¡°He¡¯s clearly in control,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have taken control while you were in there?¡± Cleary asked. ¡°You¡¯re stronger than him.¡±


    "You may have noticed, Cleary, but Asano is neck-deep in mysteries. He had enough control from the start to be in control of whether we came or went. As much as I loathe to admit it, I wouldn¡¯t have gotten out of there without him.¡±


    ¡°And now he¡¯s what? Built a magical town in the European countryside?¡±


    Cleary shook his head with a sigh.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Cleary continued. ¡°I¡¯m going to put a moratorium on our people going in until we learn more,¡± Cleary said. ¡°No point sending our people to die when we don¡¯t even know what¡¯s in there. In the meantime, could you get closer and see if you can glean any information about the place? Your senses are better than most of the tests our ritualists can do.¡±


    Gerling nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go take a look.¡±


    Jason sensed the two elders of the Slovakian family taking on sin afflictions and mentally removed them from the list of people being attacked by his spirit domain. It seemed that Nikoleta wasn¡¯t kidding about her grandparents thinking ill of him.


    He could feel the intruders suffering the effects as they moved into the astral space. Some were turning back quickly while others only did once the ominous feelings they experienced became necrosis eating away at their flesh. Only those who had charged in towards the pagoda and then ignored the damage they were taking suffered greatly and the silver-ranked ones amongst them turned back.


    The silver-rankers had no trouble escaping if they left promptly and the gold-rankers could endure far more. Only the bold bronze-rankers who ignored the ominous feelings and kept going until the damage kicked in were killed.


    It was only a matter of time before the multiplicate effects of the damage overcame even the gold-rankers, but they were an order of magnitude tougher than even silvers. While the defensive measures of Jason¡¯s domain ignored rank disparity, they were still silver-rank effects. The gold rankers would be able to hold out for a considerable time.


    Two gold-rank essence users and three vampires approached the pagoda through the air. One of the essence users was Chen, who Jason already knew, while the other was white, which meant American. Chen was flying freely, while the other essence user was held aloft by mechanical wings. Two of the vampires were standing on a cloud of blood mist, while the last was on the back of a giant raven that had no trouble beating its wings to hover in place.


    They lined up in the air in front of the pagoda, where Jason and his familiars were lined up in turn. Jason pushed the hood back to reveal his face.


    ¡°Something I can help you with?¡± he asked casually.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Chen said. ¡°How much control do you have over this place?¡±


    ¡°Mate, when was the last time you have a little tug-a-lug?¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°You know, took a solo flight. Picked a pound of meat. Rubbed the lamp until the genie came out.¡±


    Chen took on an incredulous expression.


    ¡°Are you talking about¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Why would you ask that?¡±


    ¡°Based on how you kicked off this conversation, I thought that questions the other person definitely won¡¯t answer was the dynamic we were going with.¡±


    "Why bother letting this weakling prattle," one of the vampires said. "I will make him talk."


    ¡°No¨C¡± Chen said but the vampire had already leapt off the blood cloud at Jason. Vampires lacked the magical senses of an essence user, so it hadn¡¯t noticed the invisible bubble Jason had encapsulated the pagoda¡¯s roof in. It was a feature of his cloud constructs, just a normal wall with the transparency maxed out.


    After it had already jumped, the vampire¡¯s gold-rank sense of touch realised the bubble was there from the way air was moving around him. He shifted to landed gracefully on the dome instead of smacking into it and immediately started hammering on the slightly squishy, invisible dome of cloud-stuff with his fist.


    ¡°Colin,¡± Jason said.


    Red strips of bloody cloth shot out from Colin, wrapping around the vampire¡¯s arms, legs and head. It pulled itself free easily and leapt back to the mist cloud, but savage welts marked its skin where the clothing had been ripped away.


    ¡°You can force your way through this barrier,¡± Jason said. ¡°While you do that I¡¯ll drop down through the roof, which you¡¯ll need to break through as well. Then the next one and the next one. How long do you think you can stick around for? You category fours are tough but surely you realise the damage is increasing exponentially.¡±


    ¡°We would like to negotiate access to this space,¡± Chen said.


    ¡°Because that¡¯s how the Vikings did it,¡± Jason said. "They took their longboats, rowed over to England and negotiated the rape and pillage rights.¡±


    ¡°This man blathers nonsense,¡± the injured vampire said, even as its wounds closed up. ¡°We should act together. The barrier isn¡¯t that strong.¡±


    ¡°There are no treasures for you here,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You expect us to believe that?¡± the other essence user asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what you believe,¡± Jason said. "There''s a whole town of stuff that doesn''t help you at all but feel free to poke around for as long as it takes you to melt.¡±


    ¡°The good stuff is obviously in this tower,¡± the American said. ¡°I¡¯m coming around the vampire¡¯s plan. Let¡¯s smash our way in.¡±


    ¡°If that is what you intend, then I wish you luck,¡± Chen said. ¡°I disregarded Mr Asano¡¯s warning once before and almost lost my life, so I will not participate.¡±


    He turned to Jason.


    ¡°Is there truly no room for compromise, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°If I didn¡¯t have the power to hold you off, you¡¯d all be holding me upside down and shaking out the goodies,¡± Jason said. ¡°You come here to take my stuff, realise you can¡¯t, and then want to compromise? With the deepest respect, Mr Chen, go stick it up your arse.¡±


    Chen gave Jason a little smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes.


    ¡°Then I will take my leave,¡± Chen said. ¡°I can feel the power of this place affecting me more and more by the moment, so I shall withdraw. I recommend the rest of you do the same.¡±


    Chen left, leaving the three vampires and the other essence user. Not trusting the vampires and not liking the odds, the essence user followed Chen.


    ¡°We will go,¡± one of the vampires told Jason. ¡°The day will come when you will pay for your arrogance.¡±


    ¡°It usually does,¡± Jason admitted sadly.


    Shade¡¯s plane form rode high over the skies of Italy as Jason relaxed. He¡¯d managed to get away from his spirit domain using his portal ability, having scouted out potential portal destinations before arriving at the dome. He¡¯d known going in that he would be surrounding himself with what were, if not enemies, at least unhelpfully avaricious magical factions and would need an exit strategy.


    Before leaving, he had made contact with the Slovakian government, which the family of farmers had asked him to deliver them to. He could only assume that anyone else in the dome had died during the transformation, as they were not in the city and could not be found in the astral space. The astral space itself was a mixture of the environments that had been in his territories, but more integrated than the original concentric rings.


    Jason sent the family to their government representatives via portal, arranging a future meeting at the same time. Jason had, after all, essentially annexed twenty-six square kilometres of sovereign state. That subsequent meeting had not gone well.


    ¡°It¡¯s time, Mr Asano,¡± Shade said.


    Jason grinned, not getting up from the chair he was reclining in.


    ¡°This is nice,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯ll be good to jump out of a plane when I¡¯m not racing off to fight were-dinosaurs or take out the guys who blew the plane up. I can just enjoy it.¡±


    ¡°Shall we, then?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°Go for it.¡±


    The plane turned into a cloud of shadow that was absorbed by Jason as he arced through the air. He didn''t even break his pose at first, legs cross and arms behind his head. Eventually, he tilted his weight to flip himself over and look at Venice sprawled out below. Eventually, he conjured his cloak and directed himself to where he had left the cloud boat in which Farrah and his family were hidden, landing lightly on the deck. He went inside to an industrial clamp hug from his niece and greetings from the group relieved to see him.


    ¡°They¡¯re speculating on the news that someone kidnapped you,¡± Erika said. ¡°They still don¡¯t know who attacked the meeting with the Slovakian government.¡±


    ¡°It was the government themselves,¡± Jason said. ¡°When the Network split, the various Governments ended up working with different Network factions or turning to the Cabal or EOA. The Slovakians ended up with Network¡¯s leadership faction.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re calling themselves the True Network now,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Whatever they call themselves,¡± Jason continued, ¡°they don¡¯t have gold-rankers like China and the US. They¡¯re caught between them and the vampires, looking down the barrel of irrelevance. They thought I could help them tilt the scale. Actually had the nuggets to try and make a deal after I¡­¡±


    He glanced at Emi sitting on a couch next to him.


    ¡°¡­dealt with their tactical teams.¡±


    Jason shared a sanitised version of his experiences with his family and then the more thorough version privately with Farrah. With her, he didn''t skip over the elements like his death and what Dawn had told him.


    ¡°We have decisions to make,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It would make sense to move your family at Asano village from the village to this spirit domain of yours. With all the complications that would entail, though, that may be trouble.¡±


    ¡°That occurred to me as well, but I don¡¯ think it¡¯s worth it. There are eyes on the village and the spirit domain, and while we can get around them, it would be logistically challenging. There have been family members reporting to the factions from the beginning. What happens when the spirit domain sees them as hostile? Kick them out? Let them in anyway? Plus, who knows how many would want to take that leap. Asano village has been a haven as the world goes mad and I¡¯m sure a lot of them wouldn¡¯t want to leave.¡±


    ¡°All that would be time-consuming to deal with,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t fix the transformation perfectly,¡± Jason said. ¡°I stopped the end of the world from happening more or less immediately, but the clock is counting down faster than ever. I¡¯d like to move the family but I can¡¯t afford that kind of delay.¡±


    ¡°Magical manifestations have begun happening in the lowest-magic areas,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s mostly just lesser monsters and a few iron-rank ones but people are panicking. The Network factions are tracking them using the grid and there won¡¯t be any more monster waves, but now monsters are just turning up places.¡±


    ¡°So that¡¯s it,¡± Jason said. ¡°The non-magical world I left is now magical. People are going to start stumbling across essences. Monsters can show up anywhere.¡±


    "It was never really without magic," Farrah pointed out.


    ¡°It was to most of us,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The other thing to be aware of is the vampires. They¡¯re taking over more and more places, mostly here in Europe and in South America. The US have theirs largely contained and China seems to as well, although it¡¯s hard to tell with their media blackout policy. No one is sure what¡¯s happening in Russia, but the rumours are that the vampires and the rest of the Cabal have all but gone to war.¡±


    ¡°If the vampires and the rest of the Cabal split like the Network did, that¡¯s good for team anti-vampire apocalypse,¡± Jason said. ¡°We need to get back to fixing the link between the worlds before the vampires make any large, collective moves.¡±


    ¡°Indications are that it¡¯s close,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If even the public news knows that, war is probably imminent. What about our plan to raid the blood-enhancement site here in Venice?¡±


    "We''ll go ahead with it. That blood and those loose reality cores will be of use to us."


    ¡°That leaves the question of how to track nodes, now that we don¡¯t have proto-spaces to use.¡±


    ¡°That, I think I can manage. My time inside the dome cost me a life, but my understanding of astral forces and how they relate to node space was advanced quite a lot. I may be able to track nodes faster and more reliably than our old methods.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good to hear,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°There¡¯s something we need to sort out first, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°I picked up some loot while I was away.¡±

 Chapter 428: Another Day for Vampires

    Jason and Farrah were sitting in a cabin on the cloud boat, going over the gains from Jason¡¯s adventures in the transformation zone. The biggest were two items he had looted from the vampirically-transformed gold-ranker, Tran. The first was a bracelet; a simple loop of marbled red and black stone.


    Item: [Blade of the Blood Queen] (iron rank [growth], legendary)


    A bracelet bestowing a fragment of the power belonging to the Queen of Blood (jewellery, bracelet).


    Effect: Bladed weapons conjured with iron-rank or lower abilities while wearing this bracelet inflict a health and stamina drain when making attacks. The drain effect is enhanced on vampiric enemies and other enemies that hoard stolen life force. Rather than heal the wearer, the drained life force is stored within the bracelet.Effect: Each time a minor threshold of health is cumulatively drained, an instance of [Blood of the Immortal] is bestowed on the wearer. This does not consume the bracelet¡¯s stored life force. This effect does not occur if the wearer has no blood.Effect: Once the major threshold of health is cumulatively drained, the wearer may consume all life force in the bracelet at any stage to gain [Power of the Blood Queen]. This ability cannot be used if the wearer has no blood.


    [Blood of the Immortal] (boon, healing, unholy, stacking): On suffering damage, an instance is consumed to grant a powerful but short-lived heal-over-time effect. Additional instances can be accumulated but do not have a cumulative effect.[Power of the Blood Queen] (boon, unholy): [Power], [Speed] and [Recovery] attributes are massively increased. Damage reduction and resistance to blood effects are enhanced. While this ability is in effect, the drain effect applied to bladed weapons is enhanced and directly drains life force to the bracelet''s wearer instead of the bracelet. Life force drained while the wearer is uninjured increases the duration of this effect.


    ¡°It¡¯s a bit redundant for me,¡± Jason said. ¡°My blood powers do pretty much the same thing. One of them even gives me the exact same healing effect. The bracelet''s Sunday punch is stronger than what I have but you''ll get more out of it than I will. If you stack this on top of your existing self-buffs, you can probably take on an ancient vampire solo.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to rank it up,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Like I said, I¡¯ve got materials stacked up in piles. There were these nice rolling hills with a bunch of trolls. It was all might, growth and blood, in essences, awakening stones and huge piles of quintessence. I haven¡¯t seen so many since I looted a plant the size of a city.¡±


    Large quantities of blood quintessence and spirit coins were required to upgrade the growth item, of which Jason had plenty. It was always a relatively accessible form of quintessence and Jason had long been stockpiling it for resummoning Colin if needed.


    ¡°If we can get it up to silver-rank it should make a good dent in some vampires,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the only thing the vampire dropped,¡± Jason said, pulling out an ornate, four-sided glass lamp. ¡°It¡¯s not as powerful as the sun crystal I spent to get it, but as compensation goes, it could be worse.¡±


    The lamp was framed in silver and gold, with sapphire settings and a diamond in the centre, in place of a flame.


    Item: [Beacon of the Day] (gold rank, rare)


    Mana lamp variant that extends its coverage by enhancing only a specific aspect of magic density (tool, lamp).


    Effect: When inactive, the lamp accumulates and stores ambient magic. Rate of accumulation is dependent on the magical density of the local area.Effect: When active, the lamp enhances the magical density of sunlight in a wide area. The lamp does not generate sunlight itself. This has no other effects on local magical density.


    ¡°This is potentially a huge boon for us,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Only the weakest vampires will be affected by sunlight in most places on Earth. That will affect the iron-rank ones, and the bronze to a lesser degree. This lamp, though, could turn the tides against any vampire who thinks it doesn¡¯t need to fear the day.¡±


    ¡°The best part is that it¡¯s not an item we need to carry, so we can use it without getting magical backlash for not being gold rank ourselves. How much effect will it have on vampires?¡±


    ¡°Depends on the vampire,¡± Farrah said. ¡°A gold-rank vampire will drop down to the level of a mid-to-high silver in terms of attributes. Maybe even a low-rank silver, depending on the vampire and how strong the lamp is. They¡¯ll probably lose access to their bloodline powers as well, at least the more extravagant ones. Weaker vampires will be hit even harder, with iron-rank vamps being reduced to normal human levels and bronze not doing much better.¡±


    ¡°The lower rank ones were never that much of a concern anyway,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so quick to dismiss them,¡± Farrah said. ¡°While you¡¯ve been off saving the planets, I¡¯ve been looking into how the vampires are operating in cities they¡¯ve taken over like this one.¡±


    ¡°You have been careful, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve died so many more times than me,¡± Farrah pointed out. ¡°I may not have the stealth powers you do, but I¡¯ve been an adventurer for almost a decade. I know my profession.¡±


    Jason held up his hands in surrender.


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it. What did you find?¡±


    "I centred my attention on the blood treatment facility we found. In the two weeks you''ve been gone there''s been a big uptick in activity, specifically around lower-rank vampires. I''ve seen a lot of them going in and their aura are noticeably stronger when they come out. Also, their auras are less stable, more feral. What you''d expect from vampires in my world."


    ¡°You think they¡¯ve found a way to accelerate vampire advancement at the cost of self-control? Make the Cabal¡¯s vampires into a more powerful army?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s worse than that,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Almost all the vampires I¡¯ve been seeing are fresh. I think they¡¯re turning the populace and then trying to ramp up their power at the cost of them devolving into ghouls.¡±


    ¡°Like the ones we saw at the Network headquarters in Sydney,¡± Jason said, horrified realisation crossing his face. ¡°They want to do that to the entire city?¡±


    ¡°The ones still alive.¡±


    Jason woke up in a cold sweat. He didn¡¯t even think he could sweat anymore, his nightmares clearly having a disruptive effect on his equilibrium. His dreams had been plagued with images of the victims of Makassar, risen from the dead, blended his visions of Venice and other cities, overrun with unliving monsters.


    As his cloud bed wicked away the sweat, Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Mr Asano, Miss Hurin and your sister are at your door.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jason asked groggily. ¡°It¡¯s the middle of the night.¡±


    ¡°Your ill-resting slumber had an unfortunate effect on your aura, Mr Asano. Your control over it was uncharacteristically loose.¡±


    Jason sat bolt upright.


    ¡°Did I hurt anyone?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Asano. You have learned Miss Hurin¡¯s lessons well and the projection was not harmful. Miss Hurin and I have concluded that the local vampires have likely become aware of our presence in the city, however.¡±


    Jason stood up and blood oozed from the pores of his skins, transforming into his blood robes as he moved to the door and opened it.


    "Jason," Erika said immediately. "You scared the hell out of Emi, what did you¡­"


    She trailed off as he turned to look at her and she found herself facing the inhuman orbs of his eyes, swirling with gold, silver and blue energy. Jason turned to Farrah.


    ¡°We need to move,¡± Jason said and Farrah nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll help Erika gather the others up,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Pick an evacuation point and open a portal. I don¡¯t think your spirit vault will be very welcoming right now.¡±


    As with the transformation zone, Jason had scouted out several potential portal destinations before arriving in Venice. The vampire-controlled city was always potentially dangerous.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you take them,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to scout out this ghoul-conversion operation and record it. We can pass it along to the magical factions so they know what¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°Then we do it together,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ve confirmed that there are two gold-rank vampires in this city and it¡¯ll take days to charge up the mana lamp, even with the vortex accumulator on the cloud boat sucking in magic to feed it. Even after we took my new bracelet up to silver-rank yesterday, if they find us it will be life and death.¡±


    Jason opened his mouth to protest, then stopped. He used a meditative technique to calm his mind and disperse the rat''s nest of panic, rage, fear and disorder in his mind. Erika looked at him quizzically as he stood there, eyes closed and not moving. She looked at Farrah, who motioned her not to say anything. Finally, Jason opened his eyes again.


    ¡°Dawn isn¡¯t here to tell me not to do something stupid,¡± he said. ¡°I have you, Farrah, but you¡¯ll just help me do it better. We need to be our own voices of caution, now.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°There will be another day for vampires, and moving forward from the back foot isn¡¯t smart. We all get out of here together.¡±


    Jason sent his family through a portal and started absorbing the cloud boat back into the flask. As that was happening, a silver-rank vampire arrived to investigate the aura burst it had sensed, with a trio of bronze-rank vampires in tow. None escaped to report and Jason left through the portal.


    After relocating to Morocco, Jason sent word to all the factions of what the vampires were doing. Africa itself was largely vampire-free but it was also a stronghold for other elements of the Cabal, so Jason and Farrah didn¡¯t let their guards down.


    Jason was unhappy, their location a reminder of his last visit. His family had come to meet him after his world-spanning trip and they enjoyed a normal holiday together. It was not too long before the grid went down, making them the last days of planet Earth¡¯s old normal.


    Jason gave his family space as they were growing increasingly distant. His strange eyes and savage aura burst had made them understand he was no longer human more effectively than telling them over and over ever had.


    Emi¡¯s skittishness around him was like a knife to the heart. She had only ever experienced the benevolent aspect of his aura until his nightmare flashed the aggressive side of it. She hadn¡¯t been harmed but she was deeply affected.


    Jason had set up the cloud palace in the form of a sprawling but abandoned desert compound, far from anywhere. It gave his family all the space they needed. In the meantime, he worked on what would have to be his new methodology for finding the right nodes to repair.


    He started by absorbing the item Dawn had given him, that looked like a model bridge in a bottle.


    Item: [Firmament Bridge] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    ???. (???, ???).


    Effect: ???.


    Before absorbing it, he examined it with every tool of astral magic knowledge at his disposal, which was quite a lot at his current stage. Between Dawn¡¯s tutoring, the books from the goddess of Knowledge, covered in Clive¡¯s insightful notes and his increasingly intrinsic understanding of astral forces, those tools were quite formidable.


    It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t trust Dawn. It was that he knew that she didn¡¯t tell him everything and the entity she served was an unknowable enigma. She was also likely to do what she felt was in his best interests, over what he might choose for himself.


    Nothing he could detect told him anything was wrong with the item. In fact, under the scrutiny of his examination, the information window for it went from a bundle of question marks to a full reveal.


    Item: [Firmament Bridge] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    An item designed to establish reality bridges across the astral, connecting worlds. (crafting material, manifest ephemera).


    Effect: Used in the creation of specific astral constructs.


    Your soul¡¯s absorption of the [Fundament Gate], your gestalt physical/spiritual nature and your [Spirit Domain] ability allow you to incorporate this item into your spirit vault. Doing so will purge the World-Phoenix¡¯s influence and the item¡¯s base effect, instead, altering your abilities.This item¡¯s impact on your abilities will be diminished due to your rank being lower than that of the item. The effect will further increase as your rank increases.Once incorporated, this object cannot be removed or made use of by anyone else. Incorporating this item into your spirit vault will affect the following abilities:


    [Dark Rider]: Your familiar will be able to take the form of an astral vessel. Prior to reaching diamond rank, this vessel will not have any means of self-propulsion and can only follow astral channels.[Path of Shadows]: The maximum distance of your teleportation effects is increased and your teleportation effects are harder to interfere with. You can manipulate node space to anchor an astral bridge between two worlds. This ability effect can be used a single time and requires anchors to be established in the node space of each world individually. Once the bridge is established, it will slowly transmute from an astral channel to a permanent material bridge. This bridge will have a stabilising and restorative effect on the dimensional membrane of both worlds.[Hegemon]: Once the ability to create a bridge has been used, the power driving that effect will transmute, enhancing your ability to sense, manipulate and attack objects and individuals related to the Builder using your aura.


    In his cloud palace, Jason absorbed the item as Farrah stood by. He felt its connection to the power of the magic door he had absorbed, felt it become part of him. His understanding of the astral took another firm step forward.


    ¡°How is it?¡± Farrah asked.


    Jason opened a portal. Instead of the usual darkness, it had the same transcendent light as his eyes.


    ¡°It feels good.¡±

 Chapter 429: Less Freud and More God of Healing

    Jason emerged from a node space portal, satisfied with the results. He opened a regular portal and returned to the cloud palace, still masquerading as desert ruins.


    ¡°How was it?¡± Farrah asked as they sat down, looking out over the desert.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it¡¯s going to work,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rather than unreliably triangulating locations in node space through proto-spaces, doing it directly through node space is going to work much better. We could have saved ourselves months if I had understood enough to make that work.¡±


    ¡°Even Dawn didn¡¯t have that kind of knowledge,¡± Farrah pointed out. ¡°At this point, you probably understand the underlying makeup of physical realities better than anyone who isn¡¯t a servant of the Builder.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a big cosmos,¡± Jason said. ¡°For all we know, there are people like us dealing with the same problems in thousands of other universes. It feels like the great astral beings are focused on us, but we¡¯re probably just grains of sand on the beach they¡¯re walking along. Who knows how many places they¡¯re playing off against one another?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little depressing,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That we¡¯re so irrelevant in the scale of the cosmos.¡±


    ¡°I kind of like it,¡± Jason said, casting his gaze over the empty blue sky. ¡°It means that all that really matters is what we decide matters to us. We can let all the petty crap fall away.¡±


    ¡°Letting the petty crap fall away isn¡¯t traditionally your strong suit,¡± Farrah pointed out.


    Jason flashed a grin.


    ¡°Maybe it should be,¡± he said. ¡°Speaking of petty crap, what did you do with that vampire we caught before I went off to Slovakia?¡±


    ¡°Well, we beat the crap out of him, so he quite desperately needed to feed. But he eats people and we didn''t feed him any. Also, he would have needed blood enhanced by reality core energy anyway. He died, so I weighted him down and dropped him in the ocean.¡±


    ¡°After I¡¯ve knocked the kinks out of this new node-tracking methodology, we should take another run at some vampires. Maybe even go back to Venice, record everything. Did you contact the Network about what the vampires are doing?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I sent word to Anna back in Australia. She¡¯s passing it on to the other factions but she asked if we could get some solid evidence. There¡¯s not a lot of trust going around, so it¡¯ll take a push to get the other factions to ally against the vampires. She agrees that it would be best if that push isn¡¯t the populations of Europe and South America being turned into undead monsters.¡±


    ¡°Our concern is getting access to reality cores and maybe that blood. Draining a vampire to increase my abilities isn¡¯t a bad idea, but if I can use that energy to accelerate my work, that¡¯s even better.¡±


    Jason had a decent collection of the depleted unstable genesis cores, which had been transformed into genesis reclamation cores.


    Item: [Genesis Reclamation Core] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    A magical vessel capable of reclaiming the energy of unseated reality cores (consumable, magic core).


    Effect: Can drain the energy from unseated reality cores, as well as individuals and objects that have consumed that energy. When completely charged, this item will transmute into a [Regenesis Core].


    Jason still didn¡¯t know what the regenesis core would do, but he had hopes that it would help him repair the link between worlds. Another possibility was that they could be used to replace reality cores that had been plucked out of transformation zones, rectifying some of the damage.


    Transformation zones were already the sites of the highest magical levels on Earth. On most of the planet, the increased magical density had stabilised at a point lower than even Greenstone in the other world. The monster manifestations were lesser or iron rank, with the very occasional bronze. Transformation zones were turning into hotspots of heightened magical density, with mostly bronze but also silver-rank manifestations. There were even transformation zones where the magical density had yet to settle into its peak, leading to concerns of gold-rank manifestations.


    The one good thing about the changes to the world¡¯s ambient magic was that the vampires had become wary of transformation zones. The Cabal had largely taken over those zones, once the fighting over the reality cores was done, but heightened magic meant that the sunlight there had become increasingly harmful to vampires. They were forced to relocate into lower-magic zones.


    ¡°How are the others?¡± Jason asked. He was continuing to give his family space after spooking them.


    ¡°They¡¯ve been discussing potentially going back to Asano Village.¡±


    Jason nodded, sadly.


    ¡°They don¡¯t trust me anymore.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that they don¡¯t trust you,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They just don¡¯t understand what you¡¯re going through and how that¡¯s affecting your behaviour.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure that I do,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There¡¯s a transition that happens somewhere around silver and gold rank as your perspective undergoes a fundamental shift. You can feel yourself becoming more a part of the magic that permeates the world. Your power reaches heights that make you a living force of authority. You start thinking more like someone who is going to live for centuries, rather than decades. At least, some do. From what I¡¯ve seen, those in your world don¡¯t go through this. Not as early, at least. I think it¡¯s because they¡¯re weak, and it''s usually the strong who go through it at silver.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s psychological,¡± Jason said. ¡°It makes sense that different cultures go through different versions of what you¡¯re describing.¡±


    ¡°In my world, they call it the immortal mindset.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel like I¡¯m thinking as an immortal,¡± Jason said. ¡°It feels like I¡¯m still making the same impulse decisions that have cost me in the past.¡±


    ¡°You could have maybe been less antagonistic with the Builder guy who killed you. Then maybe he wouldn¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°The Builder sabotaged both our worlds, Farrah. You expect me to play nice?¡±


    ¡°To stop yourself from getting killed by diamond-rankers, yes. And don''t expect me to believe that his role in messing up the world is enough to act the way you did.¡±


    ¡°You don''t know how I acted.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, Jason. I do.¡±


    He nodded his acknowledgement, remaining silent for a moment.


    ¡°He tried to take my soul,¡± he whispered. ¡°I don¡¯t remember it, but I feel it. A power so vast there isn¡¯t a word that encapsulates the magnitude of it. Shivering like I was naked in a storm, knowing nothing except that if I gave in, I lost everything.¡±


    He touched the scar on his chin that cut a line through his neatly-trimmed beard.


    ¡°I won¡¯t ever take a step back from the Builder. I can¡¯t. Standing against it is engraved on my soul as much as the scars that fight left behind.¡±


    Farrah stared at him without saying anything.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I need more women friends,¡± she said grumpily, getting to her feet. ¡°Men are willing to melodrama themselves to death.¡±


    Jason watched her leave.


    ¡°Was that melodramatic?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I thought it was fine,¡± Shade said.


    Erika left Emi playing a board game with her father, part of the extensive collection Greg had bequeathed them following his death. She took a walk, in and out of the buildings, taking in the strange dichotomy of the cloud palace. The outdoor areas were every part of the abandoned buildings of faded stone, seemingly having been there for decades, if not centuries. Inside were the soft textures and fairy tale colours of the magical building made of clouds.


    The building was a reflection of the bizarre life she and her family now lived. They were hiding in ruins in Africa and before that was a superyacht in Venice and before that, her brother¡¯s own soul. The world had transformed in the last couple of years and timing with Jason¡¯s return stuck in her mind, even if she knew it wasn¡¯t fair.


    She had no doubts that Jason did his best for them, keeping them safe even as much of the world fell into misery, death and despair. That didn¡¯t make their situation easy, though. As days, weeks and months passed, it felt increasingly like they were watching the end times via internet news sites.


    ¡°I told you,¡± Jason said from right behind her and she started.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to put a bell on you, sneaking up on people like you¡¯re bloody Batman,¡± she said, turning around to face him.


    ¡°I kind of am Batman,¡± he said.


    ¡°You¡¯re Punisher if he were the Sorcerer Supreme at best. Also, kind of a dick.¡±


    ¡°Hurtful.¡±


    ¡°What did you tell me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That you would reconsider going to the other world.¡±


    ¡°Have you been having Shade eavesdrop on us?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but he only says anything if there¡¯s a threat. Farrah told me.¡±


    Erika bowed her head.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to seem ungrateful, Jason. It seemed like an adventure, back then. Now the world feels like its collapsing around us.¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    She raised her head to meet Jason¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°I look at you and I don¡¯t see my brother in your eyes anymore.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a superficial change, Eri.¡±


    ¡°I know. But you know that the eyes are a huge part of how we read people, and now you read as alien. I think you¡¯re underestimating how unnerving those eyes are. You look like you¡¯re just a vessel filled with magical stuff.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t making this any easier.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not apologising for who or what I am, Eri. It¡¯s up to you to decide whether to accept it or not.¡±


    ¡°Jason, it¡¯s not like that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Eri. I live a strange life and I have to be strange to live it. You can love me and still not want to be part of that.¡±


    ¡°No, Jason. We''re not trying to push you away. I''m not Mum. We just need some time to come to grips with things. For all the things you have to face, you''re going out there and facing them. You at least get to act, to take your fate into your own hands. We''re left hiding away, waiting for one storm after another to pass.¡±


    She leaned forward, resting her forehead on his chest.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going anywhere,¡± she said. ¡°We were just scared and talking. We don¡¯t want to go back to Australia and we still want to go with you. At this point, is it any more dangerous than here?¡±


    Jason wrapped an arm around his sister.


    ¡°Sure,¡± he said. ¡°But standing next to me might not be as bad there as it is here.¡±


    ¡°You got taller again,¡± she said, pulling him into a hug and resting her cheek against his shoulder.


    ¡°That was ages ago, when I ranked up. If you hugged your little brother more, you¡¯d have already noticed. How¡¯s Emi doing?¡±


    ¡°She''s scared and confused, Jason. I know she seems more mature than either of us, sometimes, but she''s barely a teenager. For some bizarre reason, she''s always looked up to you and you¡¯re not just Uncle Jason anymore. She sees things. On the news. We all do, and a lot of it is not flattering.¡±


    ¡°I was never a good role model, even before propaganda started flinging back and forth.¡±


    ¡°No, you were rubbish.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to agree quite so emphatically.¡±


    ¡°Jason, she¡¯s still figuring  who she is and who she¡¯s going to be. You¡¯re a big part of that, and it¡¯s not just the news that¡¯s unnerving her. The changes she sees in you are throwing her off much more than the rest of us and, to be honest Jason, we¡¯re all a little worried. I don¡¯t suppose you know a good therapist in the other world?¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I do.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°You saw her in my recordings. My friend Rufus¡¯ Mum. Ask Farrah; she¡¯ll tell you. She probably really can help Emi adjust over there. She helped me in that dark period you saw in the recordings after my first run-in with the Builder.¡±


    ¡°They actually have therapists?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re less Freud and more god of healing, but yeah.¡±


    Erika let him go.


    ¡°So, what next?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The end is closer than I thought,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can do what I need to do faster than before and I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be here to see the vampire war through.¡±


    ¡°How are we having a serious conversation that includes the phrase vampire war?¡± she asked and Jason laughed.


    ¡°Strange days,¡± Jason said casually. ¡°That¡¯s the Earth¡¯s fight, not mine, but I¡¯ll do my part before I go. Infiltrate a vampire monster factory; maybe stop them from turning someplace into a wasteland of the dead. I''ve seen enough of those. If I can show off what they¡¯re trying to do, maybe people will stop fighting each other and see the threat that faces us all.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not historically a strong bet for the human race,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°No, but I¡¯ll do what I can, steal some magic universe rocks while I¡¯m at it and save the world. Again.¡±


    ¡°Did you really save the world?¡±


    ¡°I really did,¡± he said with a weary smile. ¡°You know, when Dawn first told me I had to save the world, I thought it would be this awesome adventure.¡±


    ¡°But it wasn¡¯t?¡±


    He flashed a grin.


    ¡°Are you kidding? I was shooting werewolves and trolls with a steampunk minigun. It was the most awesomest thing that ever happened.¡±

 Chapter 430: Little Cost in Exploring

    Jason¡¯s spirit domain was a small city in western Slovakia. In the month since the dome around it came down, several gold-rankers had been exploring it, going in and searching, only to leave when the hostile effects applied to intruders grew dangerous. They would break into houses, smash their way into the pagoda and even dig up the ground in search of buried secrets.


    The buildings, being made of mutable cloud-stuff, would restore themselves promptly, but the streets and parks were left looking like they had been subjected to a bombing campaign. After arriving in the pagoda via portal, Jason took a look from the top floor balcony and was unhappy with what he saw. Erika and Farrah were with him while the rest of the family trailed behind Emi as she rushed off to explore.


    ¡°I knew it would happen,¡± Jason said looking out at the destruction. ¡°Doesn¡¯t mean I like it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like something from a Disney movie,¡± Erika said. ¡°Except someone blew it up. Are those all cloud houses?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s why they¡¯re still intact, or they¡¯d look as bombed out as everything else. What did they think? That I buried a bunch of reality cores like pirate treasure?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what they thought,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Are they still coming to look around?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. He was always able to sense people within his spirit domain, even from across the world. ¡°They tried to ransack the place but didn¡¯t find anything. After that, they started taking stuff, from the footpath tiles to whole trees, to magically examine. Cloud-stuff from the houses, too, but that just dissolves on them. You can see their camps set up, just outside the town limits, but they¡¯re silver-rankers at most. The EOA and the Cabal have buggered off entirely.¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t be able to keep any real number of gold-rankers occupied on fruitless searching,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The proto-spaces may have stopped but the transformation zones are still appearing.¡±


    ¡°What about vampires?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°The magic here is too strong,¡± Jason said. ¡°They could only come at night, and with the attention on this place, operating here is a risk. Slovakia isn¡¯t one of their strongholds; it¡¯s one of the few places in Europe where the Network continues to hold sway.¡±


    Europe was increasingly being overtaken by vampire rule, with much of the continent¡¯s broadcast media having gone dark. The information coming out online was mostly from private individuals, depicting the formation of a bloody dystopia. The world had become aware that the vampires were up to something, but how many believed the warnings they had spread through the Network, Jason and Farrah were uncertain of.


    Jason had been refining his methodology of identifying nodes for repair while Farrah collated information being released online to choose an appropriate target for infiltration and exposure. They dismissed Venice, worried that their earlier presence would have left the vampires there on higher alert. While they were at work on this, they were contacted and asked for a meeting.


    Jason and Farrah¡¯s old contacts in the Australian Network branches were now operating under the Global Defence Network moniker, incorporating disgruntled members of the Network, the EOA and the Cabal together. Annabeth Tilden had been asked to be a go-between to arrange a meeting and reached out to Farrah. Jason¡¯s spirit domain was selected for a location to make Jason and Farrah feel secure enough to agree.


    ¡°They won¡¯t arrive until after dark,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s grab the others and take a tour.¡±


    ¡°I would have like to see it in its original state,¡± Erika said sadly.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is just the outer area. They can¡¯t touch the true domain.¡±


    ¡°The astral space,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Shall we take a look?¡±


    They rode the elevating platform down to the mezzanine level, which was an open space overlooking the atrium. It was a garden and lounge area with couches and planters centred around a water feature. A channel of water emerged from the wall, bisecting the room and spilling off the edge, into the atrium pool below. The two halves of the room were connected by a pair of small bridges that crossed the channel.


    Lining the walls were ten inactive portal arches. Above each archway was a map, floating in the air like a hologram. They depicted a city laid out like a spoked wheel, with a different point marked on each portal¡¯s map.


    Jason moved to the archway where the very centre of the map was highlighted and with a wave of his arm, the portal filled with gold, silver and blue energy. They all made their way through the portal to emerge into a room that was identical except for only having one portal. Jason led them to an elevating platform that carried them to the top floor.


    ¡°This is the astral space?¡± Farrah said. ¡°It seems almost identical to where we left.¡±


    ¡°The arrival pagoda is the same,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll see the differences in a moment.¡±


    As with the original pagoda, the top floor was a private residence. Jason guided them out to the balcony, where they could see into the surrounding areas. An industrial city of brass, steel and a strange but beautiful blue metal, it had neatly cobbled streets and towering buildings. Unlike Jason¡¯s cloud house town where the pagoda loomed over everything, the pagoda here was dwarfed by buildings that turned the street below into a canyon.


    After leaving the others to crowd the balustrade and gawk, Jason prompted Shade. Darkness came pouring out of Jason''s shadow to form a large cloud, floating over the balcony. As it coalesced, Jason gestured at the balustrade, which sank into the floor. The dark cloud took the form of a dirigible, docked at the balcony.


    ¡°Uh, Jason,¡± Erika said, looking up at the vehicle.


    ¡°Pretty sweet, yeah?¡± he said.


    ¡°Totally,¡± Emi said, rushing in through the open door.


    Jason had been turning on all the cool uncle taps in the last few weeks. It hadn¡¯t restored their previous closeness, but she was, at least, less ill at ease around him


    ¡°Good job, Shade,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Asano,¡± Shade¡¯s voice came from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Erika said. ¡°You realise that floating around in a giant black zeppelin is proper bad guy behaviour, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I mean, proper villainous,¡± Erika insisted.


    ¡°It¡¯s a delightful passenger craft on which to spend a carefree afternoon with my family.¡±


    ¡°It''s practically a volcano lair. Next, you''ll be building a space station in the shape of your own head.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Jason said thoughtfully. ¡°Shade, do you have enough bodies to swing something like that?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I can''t wait for gold-rank. I need to start eating vampires.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°I mean training super hard.¡±


    Erika shook her head as she made her way aboard, mumbling.


    ¡°Giant black zeppelin, bloody hell¡­¡±


    The interior of the dirigible was akin to a luxury passenger train built entirely from black materials. Emi and Erika started referring to it as the Bat-Zeppelin. From the observation windows, they were able to look out at the astral space as the dirigible rose into the sky.


    As the map had depicted, the city looked like a wagon wheel from the sky. In the centre was the main city, a solid circle of steel and brass towers. From there, long strips of urbanised area extended out in all directions through forested and pastoral land until they reached a circle of city that ringed the forest, the low, grassy hills and the city at the centre of it all. Then the spokes continued outwards until they reached a final circle of urbanised area that enclosed all of the rest.


    Outside of the city centre, the buildings were not so large and were more residential, based on the look of them. They maintained the semi-industrial, steampunk feel of the central city, while also incorporating things like parks and gardens.


    The spokes and rings of the city created large but enclosed pockets of woodlands and pastoral ideal. Everywhere the city bordered a non-urbanised area, fifteen-metre walls of brick and metal protected the city. Placed along the top of the walls were automated turrets with rotary guns similar to the minigun Jason had used in the transformation zone. These shot conjured bullets rather than unstable reality creation energy.


    ¡°Look, there''s cottages,¡± Emi pointed out as they flew over one of the pastoral zones. ¡°They look adorable.¡±


    ¡°Treehouses, too, but they''re tricky to spot,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll show you later. These areas are subject to monster manifestations, though, so only powerful essence users could live out there.¡±


    The general design of the city, viewed from the air, was similar to a spoked wheel. Beyond the outer ring that was the edge of the city was more wilderness. Wild forest and windswept highlands extended off to the horizon.


    ¡°How big is it?¡± Erika marvelled.


    ¡°Astral spaces go a bit funny around the edges, especially the big ones,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The concept of space becomes a bit wonky.¡±


    Even Jason couldn¡¯t be certain of the astral space''s extent. Beyond a certain point, astral forces intruded and made reality an uncertain place to be. His mind drifted to the giant, alien shapes he had seen in the distant regions of the transformation zone. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if they were still out there, hiding in the distant reaches of the astral space.


    ¡°There¡¯s about seven hundred kilometres in each direction from the city you¡¯d be fine to roam around in before things started getting weird,¡± Jason said. ¡°So long as you don¡¯t mind the chance of bumping into monsters. The central city is about eighteen kilometres across, while the outer ring is about a hundred and sixty kilometres.¡±


    ¡°There are monsters here?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°Just one little pack of bronze ranks, thus far,¡± Jason said, and then pointed. ¡°They¡¯re over that way.¡±


    ¡°You know where they are?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°This is my domain,¡± Jason said. ¡°Until you reach the outskirts Farrah just mentioned, nothing can hide from me here. Also, inside the city is safe. Shade, take us down for a closer look at the walls.¡±


    ¡°Those guns are the kind of things the gold-rankers were looking for,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Yep, but they''re not getting into the astral space. The apertures ¨C the archways in the pagoda ¨C are sealed unless I open them. A seal can be cracked, given enough time, but time is something you don''t get when your flesh is¡­¡±


    He glanced at Emi.


    ¡°¡­just fine but you feel compelled to leave for undisclosed reasons.¡±


    ¡°They probably tried, though, right?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°Breaking in?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, but the portals are part of the pagoda, which is a cloud construct. Every time they tried to set out ritual materials to break in, the building absorbed them and stashed them in the vault. They smashed their way in and took them back, but it was still pretty funny.¡±


    ¡°The building can act on its own like that?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°No, I had to control it.¡±


    ¡°From Africa?¡± Erika asked.


    ¡°This is my domain,¡± Jason said. ¡°I could control it from Mars.¡±


    The dirigible had dropped low, close to the walls.


    ¡°Are those train tracks running along the top of the wall?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°Good eye, young miss,¡± Jason said. ¡°There''s a train system that runs through the city and around the inner and outer rings, connecting everything. There''s another track that runs inside the wall, so trains can pass one another by. It''s pretty cool.¡±


    ¡°And there are no people in this place at all?¡± Yumi asked.


    Jason¡¯s Grandmother now looked as young as Jason himself after recently monster-coring her way to bronze rank. She was the opposite of Jason, rarely speaking but always watching and listening. When she did talk, people listened.


    ¡°I considered moving the family here,¡± Jason said. ¡°They would be safer once they were.¡±


    ¡°Impractical,¡± Yumi said. ¡°Getting them here would be one thing, but hardly the biggest hurdle. You said that anyone with hostile intent would encounter the defences of the town outside, did you not?¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There are members of the family who do not like what has happened to it since magic was revealed. People not given essences who feel entitled to them. People who claim the village itself was a bad idea and that we should have gone to Sydney, yet will not leave the village themselves. People who are spying on their own family for outsiders.¡±


    Yumi glanced at Emi, then back at Jason.


    ¡°People who think you are an inhuman monster.¡±


    Jason resisted the urge to point out that he wasn¡¯t human and his body was, essentially, that of a monster.


    ¡°Every family has its petty and ungracious members,¡± Yumi continued. ¡°Ignoring them at a barbecue is one thing, but bringing them here is another, even if you can spare them from the attacks this place would levy on them. Then there¡¯s the fact that they would be in this huge, empty city all alone.¡±


    Shade returned them to the pagoda and Jason led them to an underground train station beneath it. Shade served as train operator, leading it through tunnels and along walls and elevated tracks. Being inside the city made the eerie emptiness of it unnervingly clear.


    ¡°How many people could live here?¡± Emi asked.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d have to survey all the residences.¡±


    ¡°It seems sad to just leave it empty like this,¡± Emi said.


    ¡°If you know a large, friendly population, let me know,¡± Jason joked.


    ¡°What about the transformed people?¡± Emi suggested.


    ¡°The people caught in the transformation zones?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Emi said. ¡°They were all turned into elves and goblins and fairies, so why not let them live in a magic city?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve been getting a rough shake,¡± Erika said. ¡°Rounded up into camps, forcibly recruited by different magical factions.¡±


    ¡°Ah, crap,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Network taking them on was something I suggested.¡±


    ¡°At least those people are getting essences and some power, even if they¡¯re under heavy restrictions,¡± Erika said. ¡°The rumours coming out of Russia and China are bad, and plenty of other places are confirmed as being just as harsh.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping that wouldn¡¯t happen,¡± Jason said. ¡°Of course, I always thought it would.¡±


    ¡°That kind of thing isn¡¯t practical, Sweetie,¡± Erika told her daughter.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Emi asked. ¡°Uncle Jason could make a big announcement that any of them who want to come can come. Any of them looking to cause trouble would get turned back. He could make it seem like anyone who didn¡¯t let them go were being tyrants, which they are. It wouldn¡¯t work everywhere, but in some places, it would.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not an idea without merit,¡± Emi¡¯s father, Ian, said.


    ¡°And if the nations of the world think that Jason is attempting to build a magical army?¡± Yumi asked. ¡°It could just heighten the oppression those poor people are under.¡±


    ¡°Just give them something,¡± Emi said. ¡°They¡¯re all after uncle Jason for one thing or another. Why not just give them something they want in return for a bunch of people they don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate the idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°There are complications, though. It would take lengthy negotiations, hammering out deals.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be you,¡± Erika pointed out. ¡°Craig Vermillion has been dealing with magical politics longer than Grandmother has been alive. Get some people you trust to hold discussions while you go off saving the world.¡±


    Jason turned to his grandmother.


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°There is little cost in exploring the idea,¡± she said. ¡°A practical solution will not come quickly or easily, however. Your involvement will need to be minimal.¡±


    ¡°Providing the venue and shiny trinkets to sell the natives.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade, turn us around. It¡¯s time we got back for our meeting.¡±

 Chapter 431: Intentions

    The transport Helicopter carried eight passengers, descending into what had once been a grassy paddock, close to the Global Defence Network camp.


    The helicopter landed and the passengers disembarked. Akari Asano was the first to step out, her eyes panning the landscape. She took in the pastoral surrounds and the city of Nitra in the distance. The research camps set up by the magical factions gave each other a comfortable distance, arrayed around the strange, colourful town she had observed from the air.


    Following Akari was Annabeth Tilden, Craig Vermillion and Taika Williams, the helicopter noticeably shifted as Taika¡¯s huge bulk exited. Now that he was bronze rank, Taika was still huge but was less rounded and more a mountain of muscle.


    With them were four others, one of whom was a representative from the Engineers of Ascension. He went by the name Alexander Clerck and rarely spoke. More imposing was William Spencer, an Englishman who was one of the much-feared ancient vampires. The others were wary of him, especially Vermillion, as the other vampire present.


    The last two members of the eight were former members of the EOA. They had been part of the exodus from that organisation when it was revealed to be behind the monster waves, eventually joining the GDN although neither possessed any magic.


    One of the pair, Dashiell Bexton, was wearing a white suit and pastel shirt. He was unhappily distracted by what the wet ground had done to his shoes and pants. The other, Adam Cosgrove, was a man in a slightly dishevelled suit who somehow looked like a neater one wouldn¡¯t fit him quite right.


    As the helicopter loudly wound down, a pair of SUVs came driving towards them from the nearby Global Defence Network camp. It threw mud up from the wet earth as it pulled to a stop and Akari made a horizontal chopping motion with her arm. A wave of force blasted the mud back to spatter over the vehicle saving them from an unexpected mud bath. Their liaison from the GDN stepped from the first SUV and ushered them into the two vehicles before driving them to the GDN¡¯s camp, where they were shown into a large prefab building and offered tea and coffee.


    ¡°Sorry, I only drink blood,¡± said the vampiric Spencer.


    ¡°Tool bag,¡± Vermillion muttered, then gave their liaison a winning smile. ¡°Tea, please. Lots of sugar.¡±


    ¡°Most weaker vampires know their place,¡± Spencer said.


    ¡°My place involves a power saw and your neck, so you should be happy I¡¯m going with a cup of tea,¡± Vermillion shot back.


    ¡°Craig¡­¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Anna, once you see me playing nice with a guy who tried to control you through your blood, I¡¯ll be happy to listen.¡±


    ¡°That was one lapse of judgement,¡± Spencer said, unapologetically.


    ¡°Give me a chainsaw and your head will lapse off your neck, you dusty old¨C¡±


    Taika¡¯s regional municipality of a hand came down on Vermillion¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°We get it, bro: you don¡¯t like him.¡±


    Vermillion seethed but fell silent. They all sat in folding chairs as the liaison briefed them on the situation around the magic town, including the disposition of the Network factions and the known effects of entering it.


    "The town''s defensive mechanisms seem to be of a type with Asano''s powers. We believe he can shield people from them on an individual basis, which we assume is what he will do for you, so you can meet him there without your flesh rotting off your bones."


    "You assume?" Spencer asked. "Assume is not a word that engenders confidence."


    ¡°Asano hasn¡¯t exactly been open to diplomatic contact,¡± the liaison said. ¡°We had to import you all from Australia just so he¡¯d meet with anyone.¡±


    ¡°Bro, the Network keeps trying to kidnap him,¡± Taika said. ¡°They even succeeded a couple of times, even if he does keep escaping immediately.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t us,¡± Anna said, getting a flat look from Craig.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she admitted. ¡°It was kind of us the first time.¡±


    ¡°So, how do we proceed?¡± Spencer asked.


    ¡°I would suggest a car,¡± Shade said, emerging from one of the room¡¯s shadows. ¡°Unfortunately, the road infrastructure has suffered some mishaps while Mr Asano was away.¡±


    Only the man calling himself Alexander Clerck had noticed his presence, but he had made no mention of it. Clerck was masking his own aura to pass himself off as one of EOA¡¯s enhanced humans.


    ¡°Shade!¡± Taika said. ¡°G¡¯day, bro.¡±


    ¡°Good day, Mr Williams. Mr Asano will be happy to learn of your presence. He requests that you all make your way to the pagoda at the centre of the city. He apologises for the condition of the roads but there have been a number of discourteous visitors in his absence.¡±


    ¡°What about the magic that eats people?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°It only affects those that are hostile to Mr Asano, his domain or any of his existing guests,¡± Shade said. ¡°Those with good intentions have nothing to fear.¡±


    ¡°And who decides if someone¡¯s intentions are good?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°They decide for themselves,¡± Shade said. ¡°I am sure the people here can direct you to the pagoda. They have taken quite a thorough look around, as you will no doubt see.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t Asano give us safe passage?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°He can, but he won¡¯t. He is letting your good intentions be the shibboleth.¡±


    Shade turned to Spencer.


    ¡°Why is there an ancient vampire amongst you?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s working with us,¡± Anna said. ¡°Is that a problem?¡±


    ¡°On the contrary,¡± Shade said. ¡°Mr Asano¡¯s last ancient vampire spoiled while he was here dealing with the transformation zone. He has been looking for a fresh one.¡±


    The rest of the group turned to look at Spencer as Shade vanished back into the shadows.


    "Is it just me, or did Shade seem kind of passive-aggressive?" Vermillion asked.


    ¡°It felt a little more like regular aggressive to me,¡± Spencer said.


    Vermillion turned to the liaison. ¡°What exactly did your people do?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re your people too, now, Craig,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m worried about,¡± Craig said. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re trying to make him mad.¡±


    ¡°Those were other branches and other Network factions,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Jason,¡± Craig said. ¡°That wasn¡¯t our Network that tried to kidnap you. Again. And kept your friend in a hole and tortured her for weeks. That was a different Network. Oh, the difference? Well, we don¡¯t like that other Network very much. I mean, yes, we work with them a bit, when we have to. Otherwise, how are we going to get those reality cores you told us not to take? What? Killed your brother, your friend and your girlfriend? That definitely wasn¡¯t us. I mean, yes, it was the Network, but there are degrees of separation¡­¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Craig,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Is it?¡± Craig asked. ¡°The guy built a magic town that eats people and we keep doing things that make him angry. And now we¡¯re going into that town?¡±


    ¡°You think this is news to me?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°Do you remember what he was like when he first got here?¡± Craig asked.


    ¡°Yes, Craig. He went to where my wife works. He showed up in my kitchen in the middle of the night.¡±


    "You should be grateful that''s all he did," Craig said. "I had to stop him from fighting an EOA collection team in the middle of a caf¨¦. You may recall what he did next from the news. A rolling gunfight in the middle of traffic? He came back to this world as a naked blade whose first instinct was to cut anything put in front of him. His family calmed him down but then we went and killed one of them, as part of what appears to be a campaign of methodically convincing him to massacre us all with his apocalypse butterflies.¡±


    ¡°Your point is taken,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Really?¡± Craig asked. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that every time the Network screwed him over and he let it slide because they¡¯re the ones fighting the monsters, someone would have said the point was taken. How far do you think we can push before Jason takes that point and impales us all on it?¡±


    The group of eight were in the back of a flatbed utility vehicle as they approached the edge of the town. After the ute slowed down and stopped, the liaison got out of the cab.


    ¡°This is as far as I go,¡± he told the people on the back. ¡°One of you will need to drive the rest of the way. The car is heavy-duty enough that you should be able to handle any terrain issues. If any of you feel like something is wrong, like you¡¯re trespassing, trust that instinct and turn back. If you ignore it, you won¡¯t like the results.¡±


    Another person from the camp rode up on a quad bike, which the liaison climbed onto and they rode away. The eight people left behind stood up in the back of the ute to look at where the gravel track turned to asphalt as it entered the town. Large portions of the road, along with footpaths and garden had been violently ripped up, making what should have been easy navigation more treacherous.


    "Anna," Craig said. "Explain to me again how we aren''t actively trying to piss Jason off. Or will you need to concentrate on driving us through his town that we dug up like a pack of malevolent monster moles?"


    Anna grimaced, not responding as she dropped off the side of the tray.


    ¡°If anyone needs to go back, just tap on the cab window,¡± she said, then climbed into the driver¡¯s seat and shut the door. She started up the ute and drove it carefully into the town, avoiding road hazards.


    The passengers tensed as they passed into the town and immediately encountered Jason''s aura. For Craig, Taika and Akari it felt benevolent, while the others felt more oppressed. None of them experienced the sense of trespass that the liaison described.


    Alexander Clerck looked around, curiously.


    ¡°Oh dear,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°She¡¯s not going to be happy about this.¡±


    This drew attention as the man had been all but mute through the entire journey from Australia.


    ¡°Something to share with the group?¡± Akari asked him. She, like the others, didn¡¯t trust the EOA representative amongst them.


    ¡°I was just marvelling at what Mr Asano has accomplished here. He¡¯s rather jumped the gun, however, and this will draw attention I hope he¡¯s ready to endure.¡±


    ¡°What kind of people has he drawn the attention of?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°I never said they were people,¡± Clerck said.


    Akari narrowed her eyes at Clerck.


    ¡°You know Jason,¡± she said.


    ¡°We met once, briefly. I helped him find something he was looking for.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell us that,¡± Akari said.


    ¡°It was less complicated, this way.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t make us any more inclined to trust you.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to trust me. This place knows my intentions.¡±


    ¡°Unless you can fool it.¡±


    ¡°Nothing can hide its intent, here, no matter how powerful,¡± Clerck said.


    ¡°So you say,¡± Akari said. ¡°Jason has enemies outside this world with power beyond imagining.¡±


    ¡°You speak of gods and beyond? Such entities cannot send their avatars into this place.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to believe this place is powerful enough to fend off gods?¡± Akari asked.


    ¡°Believe what you like,¡± Clerck said. ¡°It is not a matter of power, but of nature. A god cannot walk into this place any more than you can blink my eyes.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Taika asked.


    "It means that there are higher rules for higher beings," Clerck said. "What is impossible for us is negligible to them, while the same can be true for them and us, despite their power. We can enter this place, while they cannot.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Adam Cosgrove asked. He was not a magical being and had been keeping his mouth closed and his ears open around the incredibly powerful company he was in. He was both a former detective and a former EOA member, though, and his instincts told him that Clerck was more dangerous than the fourteenth-century vampire he was sitting next to.


    ¡°That will be clear soon enough,¡± Clerck said. "For now, I will reiterate that if this place does not reject me, then you can be assured that my intentions are not hostile, whatever my agenda may be."


    "Should we kick him out here?" Taika asked.


    ¡°If Asano¡¯s familiar didn¡¯t see fit to reject me, why should you?¡± Clerck asked.


    "Shade knows who you really are?" Taika asked


    "As I said: I have met Mr Asano once before."

 Chapter 432: I Need That Song to Play Out

    The ute pulled up a little way from the pagoda, due to the level of destruction around it. The gold-rankers trying to dig up any treasures had focused on the pagoda itself, the area around it looking less like an urban street than a motocross arena.


    Vermillion continued his discontented mumbling as he hopped out of the tray, while Anna got out of the cab, looking around. She was concerned that Vermillion may well be right about Jason¡¯s general receptiveness. She led the group in picking their way between the gaping holes and mounds of earth to reach the pagoda doors, which slid open at their approach.


    They stepped into the atrium, their attention caught by the waterfall spilling into the pool in the middle of the floor. Shade was waiting for them.


    ¡°This way, please. The conference room is on the second floor.¡±


    As they walked down the hall, Dashiell Bexton, one of the two normals in the group, ran his fingers over the wall.


    ¡°What is this made of?¡±


    ¡°Clouds,¡± Taika said.


    ¡°Clouds?¡±


    ¡°Clouds,¡± Taika confirmed


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Dashiell asked.


    ¡°Magic, bro. Are you new?¡±


    Most of the others had been inside cloud constructs before, although it was still an unusual experience. The ancient vampire, Spencer, was particularly unsettled. He came from a time when he was the dominant magical power and this was one more reminder that the world he had woken up in was very different.


    They entered a room that, in design, was an ordinary conference room. The colourful cloud-stuff from which everything from the furniture to the walls was made gave it a slightly alien feel, however. One wall was a window looking out over the hacked-up streets.


    ¡°Please sit,¡± Shade said. ¡°Mr Asano is on his way.¡±


    ¡°Ooh, I missed this,¡± Taika said, settling into a cloud chair.


    ¡°This is startlingly comfortable,¡± Dashiell said, turning to the other normal, Adam Cosgrove. ¡°Adam, we should have looked your old friend up a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not an old friend,¡± Cosgrove said. ¡°We just helped each other.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to think of us as friends,¡± Erika said as she walked into the room with Jason, Farrah and Yumi. ¡°It¡¯s very nice to see you again, Detective. Sorry, Mr Cosgrove. May I call you Adam?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Cosgrove said. ¡°It¡¯s nice to see you too, Mrs Asano.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Erika, please. Could you ever imagine we¡¯d be here like this, the last time we met in that caf¨¦?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re a long way from that day,¡± Cosgrove said. ¡°The whole world is.¡±


    ¡°Very true,¡± Jason said, holding out his hand. Cosgrove shook it. ¡°Thank you for helping my sister when no one else would.¡±


    ¡°Our interests happened to align. This is my partner, Dash.¡±


    Jason shook Dashiell¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Nice to meet you, mate,¡± Jason greeted him. ¡°Why are you participating in this?¡±


    ¡°Adam, here, is a goodwill ambassador,¡± Dashiell said. ¡°I thought it was a bit odd they wanted him just for his connection to your sister until your mate Vermillion started listing off all the stuff they did to you. It sounded like they needed all the goodwill they can get.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Jason said. ¡°Never picked up any magic during your time in the EOA?¡±


    ¡°All that human modification stuff sounded a bit iffy to us,¡± Dashiell said. ¡°We were really in it to peek behind the curtain.¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have been accepted anyway,¡± Alexander Clerck interjected. ¡°Independent thinkers are always rejected. We want our powered people to be compliant. The process also seems to dampen intellectual creativity, as well. These two were much better as agents.¡±


    ¡°You seem to know a lot about us,¡± Cosgrove said.


    ¡°Because of your connection to Mr Asano, here, tangential as it may be,¡± Clerck said, turning to Jason with a smile. ¡°And how have you been, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been paying attention,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do they even realise who you are?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all suspicious, but I don¡¯t think any of them have figured it out.¡±


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°My organisation wanted to get some information to you. I was aware this meeting was being arranged, so I presented myself to the fine people of the GDN who were organising it. I decided to deliver it in person because, to be honest, I wanted a look around. A spirit domain, Mr Asano? Very presumptuous.¡±


    ¡°Who is this guy?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°This is Mr North,¡± Jason said. ¡°First among equals of the EOA, if you¡¯re willing to believe that horse puckey. How are you doing, Taika?¡±


    Taika caught Jason in a big hug.


    ¡°All good, bro. You doing alright?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you know. Keeping busy.¡±


    Taika let out a rumbling chuckle.


    While Jason and the others greeted Akari warmly, most of the group was staring at Mr North. The revelation of his identity pushed even the presence of the ancient vampire temporarily out of mind.


    ¡°What?¡± Mr North asked innocently.


    Jason and his companions joined the rest in sitting around the table.


    ¡°Introductions, first,¡± Jason said. ¡°For those of us who haven¡¯t met, I am Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve seen you on TV, bro.¡±


    ¡°This is my sister Erika.¡±


    Jason glanced at Taika.


    ¡°You may have seen her on TV too,¡± Jason continued. ¡°This is Farrah Hurin and my Grandmother, Yumi Asano.¡±


    All eyes went to Yumi, who looked no older than Jason.


    ¡°Grandmother?¡± Dashiell asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s just shape-shifting,¡± Jason explained. ¡°She¡¯s really an old lady.¡±


    Yumi rapped Jason on the arm and he flashed her a grin. The grin faded as he turned back to his guests.


    ¡°Now, if someone would care to explain what the head of the EOA and an ancient vampire are doing here, that would be appreciated. I recognise that you haven¡¯t come here with hostile intent, so I¡¯m at least willing to hear you out.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about the vampires,¡± Anna said. ¡°It¡¯s no secret that they are ramping up for a play at global dominance while the opposing magical factions have made less than stellar progress towards unifying against them. You sent us some details of the operations in Venice and this was, as we¡¯ve discovered, only a tertiary program.¡±


    Jason turned to the vampire, Spencer.


    ¡°I assume your unexpected presence is to shed some light on this?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Spencer said. ¡°Not all of the Arisen, as we call ourselves, want to participate in this plan for global dominion. For one thing, vampires are increasingly territorial by instinct as we grow stronger. Working together does not come naturally.¡±


    ¡°Which is most likely why the vampires haven¡¯t made a move already,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°The ancient vampires are instinctually competitive with one another while their attitudes cause friction with the non-vampiric portions of the Cabal. The Cabal was always a loose collection of factions and, like the Network, has fragmented. Some have broken off to form a non-vampiric new Cabal, while others have joined the Global Defence Network.¡±


    "There are those of us who do not wish to participate at all," Spencer said. "We recognise that the world has changed and that we are no longer the dominant force on it. While most of the Arisen are blind to the new world and the dangers it presents to them, those of us that do see realise that the vampires cannot overcome all the forces arrayed against them. Even if they are scattered now, a common enemy will unite them. The only questions are how long a war takes, how much damage it does and what comes after.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re looking to stay alive once the vampires as a whole have lost,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Spencer agreed. ¡°We have no altruism or desire to help humanity. We simply recognise that so long as we are accepted, there will be power and influence for us to hold, even if we are not rulers. I will take some power over death, and there are others amongst the Arisen who have chosen the same. For most, however, they cannot overcome the inherent desire for dominion.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to sit here, in the middle of my personal magic realm and claim that dominion is not intoxicating. I understand that you make for powerful allies, both in personal capability and the information you bring to the table. My question is: what does any of this have to do with me? I¡¯m not opposed to facing off against some vampires when the opportunity appears, but I have larger concerns.¡±


    ¡°Larger than a world ruled by vampires and filled with unliving ghouls?¡± Spencer asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said, meeting his stare.


    ¡°Mr Spencer and¡­ Mr North,¡± Anna said, ¡°have brought critical information to us that warrants action. That is where you come in.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason asked, turning to face her.


    ¡°Spencer has revealed the location of the vampire¡¯s primary logistics operations. They¡¯ve created a secure location in which they are producing enhanced blood, lesser vampires and ghouls.¡±


    ¡°Lesser vampires?¡± Erika asked.


    Jason turned to Vermillion.


    ¡°Craig, could you explain the difference, just to make sure everyone is on the right page.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°At the top of the food chain you¡¯ve got the greater vampires. That''s me and dust-bucket over there. We went through a voluntary process of transformation and started weak, growing stronger over time. You can accelerate that process by drinking powerful blood, but there hasn''t been a lot of that floating around. Also, if you start preying on the Cabal or the essence users, you end up dead, rather than powerful.¡±


    ¡°It was easier in the past, when the Cabal was a series of fractious groups,¡± Spencer said.


    ¡°Probably one of the outside pressures that pushed the Cabal to unite,¡± Jason surmised.


    "Next," Vermillion continued, "we have the lesser vampires. These are the ones turned against their will. They start with whatever power level they had before being turned, although they lose their original powers. Unlike greater vampires, they do not gain bloodline powers to replace them. They¡¯re also more subject to control by greater vampires.¡±


    "The powers aren''t lost," Farrah said. "They''re sealed. Lesser vampires are vampires in body, but not in soul. It''s why they can''t grow stronger. It''s also why the process can be reversed if you get to them fast enough."


    ¡°Lastly you have ghouls,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°These depraved mockeries are what happens when you try and create a lesser vampire that''s stronger than the person you¡¯re trying to turn. Ghouls are harder to wrangle and significantly less intelligent, but if you want greater power from lesser materials, that¡¯s your option. You can make ghouls directly, or turn lesser vampires into ghouls.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what the vampires are doing,¡± Jason said. ¡°Turning Europe into a factory for ghouls and blood enhanced by reality cores.¡±


    ¡°At first it was of limited concern,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°Even considering all the newly-appeared Arisen and the existing Cabal, there were only so many greater vampires. There is a cost to creating minions, even for those with the ideal bloodlines, and the scale could only be so big.¡±


    ¡°Those of us preparing to switch sides,¡± Spencer said, ¡°were gathering information for when we did. Bringing a gift to the table would get us a better seat, after all. We discovered that operations were scaling up to a far greater degree than should be possible.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Jason asked.


    "We couldn''t find out everything before we were forced to make our move as the others grew suspicious," Spencer said. "We discovered two critical factors. One was that there is an alternate means for ghoul creation, requiring far less from each vampire per ghoul created. Second was that there is now a method for strengthening lesser vampires. It makes their behaviour more feral and ghoul-like, but they retain most of their intelligence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the results in Venice,¡± Farrah said.


    "Those smaller-scale operations are appearing across Europe,¡± Spencer said. ¡°We couldn¡¯t find out how these processes were developed.¡±


    ¡°Which is where I come in,¡± Mr North interjected. ¡°I believe you know, Mr Asano, about a joint research operation from decades ago, involving the Cabal, the EOA and the Network.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s where you developed the first magically-augmented humans,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Just so. There were many projects involved with that operation, including the animation of the dead.¡±


    ¡°Necromancy,¡± Farrah hissed.


    ¡°There was a researcher from that operation. We believed he was long dead, until the events at Makassar. We believe he was unable to resist so many dead as a test platform for whatever he has been working on in the intervening¡­¡±


    Mr North trailed off as he felt pressure bearing down on him. Jason¡¯s aura had blended with that of the entire down and was boiling over with fury. Cosgrove and Dashiell opened their mouths in silent screams, while even the more powerful people went off-colour. Only the gold-ranked Spencer and Mr North were able to fend off Jason''s aura with their own and even that was a struggle.


    ¡°JASON!¡± Erika yelled and the moment passed. Everyone but Jason slumped in relief, with even Spencer and Mr North having lost their equanimity. The two normal-rankers had fallen out of their chairs and were throwing up on the floor. Jason stood up and walked to the window, looking out with his back to the room.


    ¡°I apologise,¡± he said. ¡°I should not have lost control like that.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Mr North said. ¡°There¡¯s a reason you aren¡¯t meant to have a spirit domain.¡±


    Anna tried to get the meeting back on track, despite her pale, bloodless face.


    ¡°This man that North is talking about,¡± she said. ¡°Using information given to us by the former Mrs South, the Network has been looking for him since Makassar. We had some indications that he was with the Cabal but that¡¯s where we dead-ended.¡±


    ¡°Concealing information has long been the Cabal¡¯s greatest strength,¡± Vermillion said.


    ¡°Is this man in France?¡± Jason asked, still gazing out the window.


    ¡°How did you know?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°Because you would only come to me if you needed something. What can I do that no one else can? I can enter a sealed astral space, like the one in Saint-¨¦tienne where Adrien Barbou sent Farrah.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Spencer said. ¡°We never discovered how the process was developed, but we did discover where. After the Arisen took France, the astral space was used as a secure location for the main hub of the operation. That¡¯s where they develop the infrastructure for the satellite operations, as well as produce more empowered lesser vampires, ghouls and enhanced blood than anywhere else. We also believe that they¡¯re stockpiling enhanced blood there, as an emergency reserve.¡±


    ¡°So you want me to go there and put an end to it,¡± Jason said. ¡°That place is probably crawling with gold-rank vampires.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Spencer said. ¡°As I said, we are too territorial. There will only be a few. Two, maybe as many as five. They will likely be stronger than most, though.¡±


    ¡°And you expect me to beat them how?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t act like you haven¡¯t already decided to go, Asano,¡± Mr North said. Jason turned around to face him.


    ¡°There¡¯s a price,¡± Jason said. ¡°I want Adrien Barbou.¡±


    ¡°Revenge, Mr Asano? Aren¡¯t you above that kind of thing? You let Gerling skip off out of your transformation zone.¡±


    ¡°Gerling can fight vampires. Barbou isn¡¯t that strong.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my revenge,¡± Farrah said. ¡°And I¡¯m definitely not above that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°The answer is no,¡± Mr North said, not breaking his gaze from Jason. ¡°You¡¯re going to do this because it needs doing, Mr Asano, whether I give you Barbou or not.¡±


    ¡°And what is to stop me from holding you here and melting you in chunks until you give him up? Jason asked.


    ¡°The fact that you invited me here in good faith. You are going to let me go because you aren¡¯t willing to be the person who didn¡¯t. Of course, if you prove me wrong, that¡¯s exciting too. I¡¯d be willing to give Barbou up to see that.¡±


    Jason turned his gaze from Mr North, his face twisted in a frustrated snarl. Mr North laughed.


    ¡°And there he is. Be wary of your principles, Mr Asano. I might use them to be assured that you enter that astral space, but someone was already playing them like an instrument before I found you.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not going to tell you that. Like the World-Phoenix, I need that song to play out. We all do.¡±

 Chapter 433: Wash Them First

    Jason didn¡¯t ask any more about Mr North¡¯s cryptic clues. Unless he was willing to try and torture the information out of him he wouldn¡¯t be forthcoming and Jason wasn¡¯t ready to take that step. In any case, Mr North seemed to know more about spirit domains than Jason himself and had entered Jason¡¯s anyway. To assume the North had not taken precautions would be foolish.


    ¡°Will you act on our behalf?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll act on my own.¡±


    ¡°You will go to France, though,¡± she clarified.


    ¡°Yes. But I want something in return.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t force him to give up Adrien Barbou,¡± Anna said. ¡°We would if we could. We¡¯d quite like to get our hands on him ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Anna, don¡¯t you dare,¡± Farrah said quietly. ¡°Barbou belongs to me.¡±


    ¡°Spicy,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Jason, I like her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve paid the price for running my mouth when I shouldn¡¯t, Mr North. It¡¯s time for you to go before you learn that lesson for yourself.¡±


    "Do you regret it though?" Mr North asked.


    "Sometimes the cost of staying silent is worse than the cost of speaking up, whatever that price may be," Jason admitted. "It doesn''t make the cost any less real."


    You have designated [Rune Spider (variant)] as hostile.


    Jason gestured at the window and the transparent cloud-stuff dissipated, letting in the breeze.


    ¡°You can show yourself out, Mr North; I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll find your way. I have more to discuss with Mrs Tilden.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Mr North said. ¡°But since you and I are not likely to meet again before you return from the other world, a final piece of advice: don¡¯t build your bridge here. Put it somewhere that people aren¡¯t going to get hurt.¡±


    Mr North leapt out the window, which was restored at an absent gesture from Jason who was contemplating North¡¯s departing words. The implications of the insight he continued to demonstrate were troubling but Jason put them aside to concentrate on present issues.


    ¡°Anna,¡± Jason said, turning his inhuman eyes on her. ¡°You want me to do this, and I will. But I want something in return.¡±


    ¡°I told you that Barbou is not within our power to give,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m talking about. We¡¯ve been discussing opening this place up to the civilians affected by the transformation zones. A place where they can be safe and welcome.¡±


    Anna looked out the window at the ruined streets.


    ¡°Safe?¡±


    "Mr Spencer," Jason said, turning to the vampire. "I hope that you find equanimity with this world you have come back to after so long. Thank you for coming. I''ll see to the return of the others, so you may take the car if you wish."


    ¡°I¡¯ve been buried under a church since the rule of George the Second,¡± Spencer pointed out. ¡°I do not know how to drive an automobile. As I am faster than a car, however, I shall make do and walk. Like a peasant. You aren¡¯t going to make me jump out the window as well, are you?¡±


    ¡°Certainly not,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade, please escort the gentleman out.¡±


    After Spencer was guided away by Shade, Jason turned his attention back to Anna.


    ¡°I have something to show you.¡±


    ¡°How big is this?¡± Anna asked as she looked out over the city from Shade¡¯s zeppelin form. As with the world outside the astral space, it was deep into the night and the empty city was a sea of lights. The rest of the group were in the main passenger cabin while Jason and Anna spoke alone in a small observation room.


    ¡°The city is large enough that we can take in as many transformed as choose to come,¡± Jason said. ¡°For the foreseeable future, at least.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have anything like the authority to make something like that happen,¡± Anna said. ¡°Every country, every magical faction has their own policies and even laws regarding the transformed.¡±


    ¡°I know. It will be a lengthy and complicated process to even begin.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have time for that.¡±


    ¡°Nor the patience. I¡¯m better at spotting politics at work than wading in myself, I¡¯ve discovered. I¡¯m too enamoured of bold moves and more than a little imperious, at times. That¡¯s why I will give my Grandmother the authority to act on my behalf when it comes to administering this place.¡±


    ¡°Then shouldn¡¯t she be in here with us?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told her yet,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Are you certain she¡¯ll agree to do that?¡±


    ¡°She will if I threaten to do it myself.¡±


    ¡°The most I can do is start putting you in contact with people. Governments, the UN.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for you to get it done. What I want from you is to make sure that this is taken seriously.¡±


    ¡°People take you seriously.¡±


    ¡°This is a different thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Anna agreed. ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all anyone can ask,¡± Jason said.


    After a quick sky tour, the group returned to the pagoda for a social gathering in the mezzanine lounge with Jason and his family. Refreshments were set out, mostly magical fruit collected from the astral space. The forested areas had wild fruits and berries while the pastoral regions featured orchards.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I never had the chance to introduce your wife to Dawn,¡± Jason told Anna. ¡°She¡¯s gone off to the other universe.¡±


    ¡°And you will follow?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°In time. I¡¯m close to securing the stability of Earth, at least in the short term. I need to go to the other side to finish the job. To be honest, I¡¯m more than ready to go. I¡¯m tired, Anna. Tired of nothing but going from one fight to the next. Of always watching my back in case some gold-ranker finds me or the Network betrays me again. You know that I¡¯ll have to check out France to make sure it isn¡¯t some kind of ambush.¡±


    ¡°You really think I would do that?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember the night we met in person?¡±


    ¡°In my kitchen.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d just escaped a Network kidnap and extraction team, which was not the last time I was kidnapped by the Network.¡±


    ¡°That was the French and American branches.¡±


    ¡°If you hang the Network shingle, you¡¯re responsible for the Network¡¯s actions, Anna. Are you asserting that you¡¯ve never done something you disagreed with because one of your bosses told you to?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°So, yes, Anna. I really think you would do that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that it¡¯s come to that, Jason.¡±


    "I''m past sorry. If I didn''t have to stop the world from breaking down like a biscuit in milk, I''d be long gone already. I thought I''d stay and help with the vampires but once I''m done in France, that''s as far as I go. I probably wouldn''t even go that far if it weren''t for the man behind the Makassar undead. I won''t let him do that again."


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what he wants to do with these ghouls.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m doing this. Then I¡¯m finishing my task and leaving.¡±


    ¡°Will you ever come back?¡±


    "Yes, but not for a long time. You should hope that it''s long enough that I''m no longer looking to settle old scores because it will be long enough that I can."


    ¡°Speaking of old scores, I have news on Jack Gerling. He¡¯s gone rogue.¡±


    ¡°Rogue?¡±


    "Since the magic changed, gold-rankers can get by on silver-rank spirit coins now. Thirty a day isn''t cheap but it''s enough that they no longer need gold coins, let alone reality cores."


    ¡°What¡¯s he up to?¡±


    ¡°No one knows. From what I¡¯ve heard, he¡¯d been quietly suborning people for a while and took off with his assistant, a cluster of silver-rankers and a couple of the best ritualists the US had.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯ll be coming after me, if he isn¡¯t already.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    "Because, unlike the Network, he hasn''t been distracted by vampires and reality cores. Remember why you were kidnapping me in the first place? Before the world blew up, you all wanted my secrets. He still does."


    While the others were meeting and talking, Akari and Jason quietly took a walk outside. They discussed the combat trance that Jason had recently been able to touch on but was as-yet unable to fully use.


    "We call it the sword Zen, in my family," Akari said. "Obviously, people not dedicated to the sword call it other things. My father is the expert; I only managed to reach that state at Asano village. After Gerling killed Asya, Kaito and Greg, I went into intensive training with my father and finally managed to achieve it. I''m surprised you were able to, given that mastery of technique is not your central focus."


    ¡°I recently had the opportunity for some quite intensive experience with the sword,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°When this place was still covered in a dome, it sealed the powers of whoever was in here. My sword was all I had, at first, and even as more options became available to me, it remained critical until the end.¡±


    ¡°And how much fighting was there?¡±


    ¡°Quite a bit. I only achieved the combat trance at the end, when I was pushed to the absolute limit. I¡¯ve managed to touch on it since, but only sporadically. Farrah has helped but her combat style is, in many ways, the opposite of mine. It¡¯s almost like there¡¯s a translation issue.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have much more experience at this than you,¡± she said. ¡°My father is the expert. If you spent some time with him, it may help you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have that time, and I may not go back home for a while. Probably not until right before I leave this world.¡±


    ¡°I used to want to go with you,¡± Akari said. ¡°An alien world full of strangeness and adventure.¡±


    ¡°But not anymore?¡±


    ¡°My fight is here, now. The vampires are coming sooner, rather than later. You¡¯re not the only one standing up to save the world.¡±


    "I really would like to thank you again," Jason said to Cosgrove. They were still in the mezzanine lounge and dawn was starting to poke its head over the horizon. "You may as well all stay for the day. Craig will need to stay inside until it''s dark again at least."


    ¡°Damn right,¡± the vampiric Vermillion said. ¡°The magic here does bad stuff to the light. I can feel the dawn coming like a chill climbing up my back.¡±


    "It''s strange meeting you like this, Mr Asano," Cosgrove said. "Your disappearance set me on a strange path. It seems odd, now thinking back on how the cover-up of one little magic event involved so many people. Police, federal police, government. It seems like a lot of effort given that it''s all out in the open, now."


    ¡°It used to be a lot easier,¡± Vermillion said. ¡°In a world before mass communication and people carrying cameras around in their pockets. The Network¡¯s balancing act of keeping everything secret had been close to toppling for a long time.¡±


    Vermillion sat a hand on Jason¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Then this guy came along. I won¡¯t say he¡¯s the one who made them tip over but he definitely added some wobble.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to give you something, Mr Cosgrove. Your partner, too, as a gesture of my gratitude. Of course, the concern is that anything I gave you would be confiscated the moment you leave, so it needs to be something you can use here.¡±


    Jason gestured and a portal arch appeared. Two of Shade¡¯s bodies stepped out, each carrying a large duffel bag.


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to do it all at once, which isn¡¯t ideal,¡± Jason said. ¡°It also means that I¡¯ll be picking everything out for you.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Cosgrove asked.


    Shade set the bags on the floor and Jason crouched down to open one. He reached in and took out a cube shining brightly enough that it was hard to look at.


    ¡°I¡¯ve picked out two sets,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can choose between them for yourselves. One is the sun essence, the blood essence and the life essence. It combines into the avatar confluence and is about as perfect an anti-vampire set as you¡¯ll find. The other set are all cheap essences; gun, hand and adept, combining into the master essence.¡±


    ¡°The John Wick special,¡± Anna said.


    Jason put the sun essence back in the bag and closed it.


    ¡°If you¡¯re willing, I¡¯ll essence you both up before you go. There¡¯s enough awakening stones in there that we can send you off with a full set of powers. Rushing things like that isn¡¯t ideal, but I¡¯m guessing you former EOA guys are pretty far down the list when it comes to getting resources from the Global Defence Network.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Dashiell said. ¡°They say we¡¯re all one big family, but I haven¡¯t seen anyone that didn¡¯t come from the Network originally getting magicked up.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Sure, it¡¯s not,¡± Dashiell said. ¡°If Adam didn¡¯t know Mrs Asano, do you think we¡¯d be doing anything but scut work?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Cosgrove asked Jason. ¡°These are valuable resources.¡±


    ¡°Mate, I¡¯ve got them coming out my arse. Not literally; you won¡¯t have to wash them first.¡±

 Chapter 434: The Language of Passion

    Jason had been through months of unrelenting pressure, fighting and walking the knife-edge between life and death. He''d even slipped off it, although at least he had come back, unlike Kaito, Greg and Asya.


    Taking a day to spend time with friends and family was like opening a release valve. Although the setting was anything but, there was a blessed normalcy to sitting around talking, preparing a big meal together with his sister and niece. It wasn¡¯t anything elaborate, since all they had was a lot of fruit and the food they stocked for Emi, who couldn¡¯t live on spirit coins. Even so, the process was more important than the result and, with Erika on hand, it still worked out pretty well.


    Eventually, night came and Jason opened a portal to the Global Defence Network''s camp. Jason had a sense of loss as everyone but Farrah and his family made their farewells and stepped through. He felt the responsibilities he had been able to ignore for a day looming over him once more as his gaze lingered on the portal.


    ¡°Jason, are you alright?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time not to be,¡± he said dismissing the portal with a flicking gesture.


    Jason¡¯s father Ken was on a pagoda balcony, looking out over the heavily damaged town. He started slightly as Jason moved next to him, not having heard his son¡¯s silent approach.


    ¡°Time to go, Dad.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯d like to stay,¡± Ken said. ¡°I may not be a fighter but my abilities can repair all this damage.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, his voice soft but unyielding.


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about our safety.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone wants me, Jason. I can¡¯t open the portal to your magic city. I don¡¯t know and can¡¯t do anything special. I¡¯m not valuable to anyone.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re valuable to me. Normally I would let it go but Jack Gerling is out there and he¡¯s working towards his own agenda now."


    A rare expression of rage crossed Ken¡¯s face. Only his wife and the man who killed his son could put it there.


    ¡°Gerling has the strength to come in and take you hostage if I¡¯m not here. If you start fixing the town up, he¡¯ll learn that you¡¯re here sooner or later. Once he¡¯s dealt with, I¡¯ll take you up on it.¡±


    Ken placed a hand on Jason¡¯s back.


    ¡°Alright, son. You get that prick.¡±


    "You know I''m going to kill him, right? No prison can hold someone like that. Not in this world. Even if there were, the Americans would just step in and take back their errant gold-ranker.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of killing people,¡± Ken said. ¡°The world isn¡¯t the way we¡¯d like it to be, though; now more than ever.¡±


    ¡°I know. It feels like the stronger I get, the harder it is to roll the boulder up the hill.¡±


    Jason¡¯s spirit vault still remained after the ability went through its second evolution to become a spirit domain. It was still a sprawling garden centred on a pavilion but now it was more like a botanical garden that would have been right at home in Jason¡¯s magical Slovakian town. During his periods of turmoil it had gone through inhospitable changes, but now Jason was more settled and he had more active control over the space.


    He had been nervous about bringing them into the spirit vault after they¡¯d been living in the cloud boat for several weeks. If they no longer trusted him enough to enter, he wasn¡¯t sure how he would cope. If, deep down, they could no longer accept who and what he¡¯d become, he knew he¡¯d handle it badly, if he could handle it at all.


    Fortunately, that was not an issue and they entered Jason¡¯s spirit vault without problems. Whether he always held their trust or if enough time had passed since he scared them with his uncontrolled aura, he would rather not find out.


    He chose to wander through his own soul for the first time in a while, under a night sky reflective of the one over his town. Farrah walked alongside him.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m not looking forward to going back as much as you are,¡± he told her. ¡°I just need to not be rushing around, putting out fires.¡±


    ¡°You do remember that we¡¯ll arrive in the middle of the worst monster surge in the history of the world?¡±


    ¡°But that isn¡¯t on me to fix,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll do my part, sure, but I can be just another adventurer.¡±


    Farrah knew it wasn¡¯t the moment to prick a needle into that balloon, so she changed the subject.


    ¡°So, France, then,¡± she said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°How many times do the Network think they can come to us, apologise for the last crappy thing they did and then tell us to solve their problems.¡±


    ¡°You told them we¡¯d do this, and we should,¡± Farrah said. ¡°What¡¯s waiting in that astral space needs to be stopped.¡±


    "Yeah, but we''re not doing it their way. Even with the sun lamp, do you think taking on as many as five gold-rank vampires and who knows what else is a smart plan?"


    "Of course not. You have a better one?" she asked.


    ¡°Germany.¡±


    ¡°Germany?¡±


    The ancient vampires had, in general, not taken well to modern technology and what was, to them, its magic-like capabilities. Much of Europe had gone dark as they took down power and communications infrastructure, although their limited knowledge left patchwork pockets of communication in place.


    Only a handful of places maintained any level of normalcy. Slovakia was now too high-magic for even powerful vampires to retain their full strength during daylight. In Germany, different Network factions had collaborated to hold the country as a beachhead into Europe for the coming conflict.


    ¡°After they stopped digging through my spirit domain, the gold-rank Network people were all withdrawn,¡± Jason said. ¡°The US is focused on clearing out their domestic vampires before the conflict truly begins, while China is wary of Russia, which the Cabal pretty much openly runs, now."


    ¡°How does that help us?¡±


    ¡°Gerling was the only gold-ranker permanently stationed in Germany. They got lucky in that the area has a higher than average magic level, so only the strongest vampires can operate in daylight without dropping in strength.¡±


    ¡°But now Gerling has gone off on his own,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Leaving us with a small window before Germany gets reinforced to slip in and take some of what the US and China left behind.¡±


    ¡°Which is?¡±


    ¡°Magically enhanced heavy ordnance. It was developed to fight gold-rank monsters but now it¡¯s being stockpiled for use against the vampires.¡±


    ¡°You want to shoot a missile into the French astral space?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Jason said. ¡°What we¡¯re after is a magically-enhanced SADM. Basically, a nuclear bomb in a backpack. I sneak it into the astral space, set the timer and get out. Preferably without anyone realising I was ever there.¡±


    ¡°You think it will go that smoothly?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°A guy can live in hope, though.¡±


    ¡°Are you even sure they have this weapon in Germany?¡±


    ¡°Yep. I¡¯ve had Shade spying on all the Network camps since we got here and they¡¯re all based out of Germany. I know which base to go for and even roughly where on the base to find it.¡±


    ¡°We should be going before we miss our best chance, then,¡± Farrah pointed out.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason agreed, his voice heavy with reluctance. He cast his head back to look at the starry sky. ¡°It was a nice break, though, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°It seems we aren¡¯t the only ones looking to jump on the Network¡¯s moment of exposure,¡± Farrah said over voice chat. They were plunging through the dark sky over an airbase lit up below them. With their silver-rank perception, they were able to make out the battle being waged between base personnel and the attacking vampire forces, most of which was made up of bronze-rank ghouls.


    The base had the advantage of numbers, with no shortage of essence users, along with regular soldiers armed with magical firearms. The vampires had the advantage in individual strength, however, and the normal soldiers were especially imperilled. Unable to use anything stronger than iron-rank weapons, they were holding through training, disciple and superior numbers, focus-firing the unthinking ghouls.


    Jason¡¯s aura senses took in the base and he detected a pair of gold-rank vampires. It was likely that similar attacks were taking place at other Network strongholds in Germany or there would have been more.


    ¡°I think the vampire war just started,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Do we intervene or grab what we came for in the chaos?¡±


    ¡°What do you think?¡±


    ¡°I say we help,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We can¡¯t do anything about wherever else they¡¯re attacking, but losing Germany would be a huge blow for the side that doesn¡¯t eat people. I¡¯m always ready to kill some vampires. The sun lamp won¡¯t help us at night but all these flunkies will help me charge my bracelet and you to stack up power.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s clear out the riff-raff, then, and let the gold-rankers come to us.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re really going to take on gold-rank vampires, two-on-two,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°The person who thinks something is impossible fails before they even start,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°That person also doesn¡¯t get turned into a beverage for their hubris,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Just try not to think about that part.¡±


    The two gold-rank vampires were hunting the strongest essence users while their forces of lower-rank vampires, lesser vampires and ghouls overran the base. The Network¡¯s silver-rankers had gathered at the edge of the base to form a united front, inflicting enough harm that it took eating them for the vampires to recover.


    ¡°The rise of these new magicians in our absence has been a nuisance,¡± one of the vampires said as he dabbed his mouth with a napkin. ¡°I¡¯m starting to come around on them, though. Their blood is an absolute delight.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯re tasty,¡± the other said, roughly wiping the blood from his face with his sleeve as he tossed aside a loose arm. ¡°Ellie, this is taking too long. The normal humans and their magic weapons are doing far too well against the ghouls. You know what herding ghouls is like and we need to be sealed up in the transports before dawn.¡±


    ¡°My name is ¨¦lie, not ¡®Ellie.¡¯ I¡¯m not an English peasant girl.¡±


    ¡°Still bitter about the French Revolution? Just be glad you fell into slumber beforehand. Otherwise, those peasants you hate so much might have taken your head, Ellie.¡±


    ¡°¨¦lie!¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I said. Ellie.¡±


    ¡°¨¦lie.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that what I¡¯m saying?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    "It feels like that''s what I''m saying. Say it again?"


    ¡°¨¦lie.¡±


    ¡°And what am I saying?¡±


    ¡°Ellie.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just saying the same thing both times.¡±


    ¡°I hate English so much. Can¡¯t you learn French?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you learn Russian?¡±


    ¡°Why would I want to learn Russian? I already speak French.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the superior language. The language of passion, of sensuality. Everything you say in Russian sounds like you¡¯re telling off your dog when he doesn¡¯t deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Russian is the language of men, while French is the language of women!¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± ¨¦lie said with a smile. ¡°They do rather like it.¡±


    Andrei opened his mouth to retort but said nothing, turning his head.


    ¡°What?¡± ¨¦lie asked before noticing it for himself. The auras of the ghouls were growing weaker and then vanishing in a slowly spreading area. The vampires there were panicked and scattering, fleeing the area.


    ¡°What is that?¡± ¨¦lie asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t sense an aura,¡± Andrei said. ¡°Some kind of magic effect.¡±


    ¡°I take it back,¡± ¨¦lie said. ¡°These new magicians are trouble.¡±


    The vampires exploded into action, making their way across the base in a blur of speed, soon finding the source of the problem. They came to a stop as they found a sea of ghouls, wreathed in fire. Lighting up the dark sky above them was a swarm of orange and blue glowing butterflies that dropped onto the ghouls from which even more were rapidly spreading.


    ¡°I think this is fine,¡± Andrei said. The aura of the butterflies was clearly of a lower rank than him. So long as there were no gold-rankers or a large group of capable silvers, he was not concerned.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t worry you at all?¡± ¨¦lie asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve done most of what we came here for. Killed the strong ones and made a big, wet mess. We don¡¯t need the ghouls to trash all the magic weapons and it¡¯s easier to organise leaving if all these ghouls are burned up,¡± Andrei said. ¡°I hate those things.¡±


    ¡°The others are not going to like it,¡± ¨¦lie said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not our fault. We didn¡¯t set them on fire.¡±


    ¡°We should at least find out who did, though. I only sense one person behind the ghouls and she¡¯s weaker than us.¡±


    ¡°There are two,¡± Andrei said. ¡°The other one masks himself very well, despite also being weaker than us. I can barely sense him.¡±


    ¡°Trouble, then.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that man.¡±


    ¡°What man?¡±


    "The man with the magic butterflies, obviously. He''s the one from the events in Moravia.¡±


    ¡°Where?¡±


    ¡°Great Moravia.¡±


    ¡°Great Moravia hasn¡¯t existed for a thousand years. The Hungarians conquered it. Are you saying this man¡¯s a Hungarian?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s from that island. The one the English took and killed most of the black people.¡±


    ¡°That hardly narrows it down, Andrei. The damnable English."


    "You have a problem with colonisation?"


    "I have a problem with the spread of English cooking technique."


    "Perhaps we should focus on the present?" Andrei asked.


    "Who was that man again?¡±


    ¡°He was the one who went into the big dome everyone was so obsessed with.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t several of people go into that? I heard one of them came back and turned into a giant octopus.¡±


    "That doesn''t matter. There''s a man, he''s here and clearly, we need to kill him."


    Lower rank vampires came running out from amongst the ghouls only for bloody strips of cloth to whip out, grab them and drag them back, screaming.


    ¡°Yes, Andrei. I do rather see your point.¡±


    Announcement


    In preparation for the release of book 2 on May 18th, Chapters 114-189 will be coming down from Scribblehub following the release of tomorrow''s chapter. New chapters will continue to be released as normal.

 Chapter 435: Forthright Honesty

    The two ancient vampires watched their small army of ghouls burning and rotting at the same time. The ghouls were eerily quiet as they burned and died without making noise beyond the crackle and pop of flames burning their flesh. It was the screams of the lesser and lower-ranked vampires caught amongst the ghouls that punctuated the distant gunfire of soldiers and more ghouls fighting elsewhere on the massive base.


    Vampires did not have the power to sense magic, but their sensitivity to life force was very strong. The gold-rank vampires could sense the life force of their weaker brethren, caught amongst the ghouls. That life force was being rapidly drained, vampire by vampire.


    Above it all were the blue and orange butterflies, shining brightly in the night even with the glow of flames below them. Some of the butterflies flew in the direction of the two gold-rank vampires but Andrei held out a hand and blood droplets shot from his palm, exploding the butterflies before they came close.


    ¡°Keep an eye on them,¡± ¨¦lie said. ¡°There are quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thank you,¡± Andrei said. ¡°I hadn¡¯t noticed the giant swarm of glowing magic butterflies.¡±


    ¡°Something in there is draining life force,¡± ¨¦lie said. ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s a magician and not one of us?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Should we go in and fight them?¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s on fire,¡± Andrei said. ¡°I¡¯d rather wait for them to come out.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t disagree,¡± ¨¦lie said, ¡°but shouldn¡¯t we go in and save the other vampires?¡±


    The two vampires shared a glance.


    ¡°Life is challenge,¡± Andrei said.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be all the stronger for overcoming it on their own.¡±


    The ghouls were rapidly dropping, unmoving but still burning on the ground. After most of them had fallen, a cold voice rang out from within the ghoul pack.


    ¡°As your lives were mine to reap, so your deaths are mine to harvest.¡±


    Andrei and ¨¦lie shared another glance.


    ¡°Is he talking to us?¡± Andrei asked.


    They sensed what remnant life force remained in slain ghouls and vampires get sucked away all at once. They could even see it, moving through the air like red streamers. It gathering into a single point and was absorbed by a shadowy figure, standing amongst the dead. Even with their exceptional vision, the vampires could barely make it out.


    ¡°Are you, perchance, experiencing an ominous premonition?¡± ¨¦lie asked.


    ¡°Now that you mention it,¡± Andrei said, ¡°I do believe I am.¡±


    ¡°It suddenly occurs to me,¡± ¨¦lie said, ¡°that if two people less powerful than us decide to engage us in battle, they¡¯re either very foolish or know something that we do not.¡±


    ¡°That is very sound reasoning,¡± Andrei agreed.


    They looked behind them, then back at the shadowy figure standing amongst the dead ghouls. Now that most of them had dropped, they could also see more people, to match auras they had already sensed. There was another magician, clad in stone armour and wreathed in flame. Her aura held the promise of consuming fire, the last thing a vampire wanted to encounter. Behind her was a mound of glowing lava, moving like a living thing.


    A floating figure was surrounded by orbs that matched the colour of the butterflies. Its aura was alien, unlike anything the vampires had encountered before. The other looked human, aside from its red-purple skin, yet was anything but. There was hunger and blood in its aura that made even their own vampiric auras pale in comparison. They were also able to barely sense another aura, dark and hidden, seemingly many places at once.


    The dark figure at the front was difficult to sense at all and, despite their superior power, the vampires could barely sense the domineering will it was currently holding in restraint. They turned and dashed in the other direction as quickly as their gold-rank speed would let them.


    Jason and Farrah stepped out of the sea of burning ghouls. Jason pushed back his hood and absently scratched his head as he sensed two vampiric auras shooting off into the distance. Colin and Gordon, along with Farrah¡¯s magma elemental, were finishing off stragglers.


    ¡°They¡¯ve scarpered,¡± Jason said. ¡°They did a runner.¡±


    ¡°Saves us a fight,¡± Farrah said, dismissing her armour. ¡°Works for me. My bracelet is nice and charged up now and I didn¡¯t have to burn the charge fighting those two.¡±


    ¡°But why did they run?¡± he wondered.


    Farrah looked back at the carpet of dead ghouls and vampires, plus the ceiling of magic butterflies.


    ¡°No idea,¡± she said. ¡°Still, now we can go find your magic bomb. Should be easy enough to get it and go in the chaos.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°There are still some ghouls and weaker vamps running around but the Network personnel should be able to handle it.¡±


    Travis Noble was twenty-one years old and a category two magitech weapons engineer from California. He was also having a very bad month. The day after he arrived in Germany, his supervisor went AWOL when the base¡¯s category four essence user ran off and took a handful of people with him, including Travis¡¯ boss. Noble was perfectly happy when the Germans put one of their own experienced and qualified people in charge of his department, only for his bosses to insist that an American be in charge instead.


    That was how Travis wound up in charge of the Special Munition Stockpile Division, leading of a bunch of people that all hated him. The German¡¯s hated him because one of theirs was kicked out, while the other American¡¯s hated him for being queue-jumped by a guy on his first day. This didn¡¯t even make sense, as the regulations required the person in charge to be a magitechnician, while the other Americans were administrators and logistics supervisors. The lack of magitech experts was the reason Travis had been sent in the first place. This did not lead them to cut Travis any slack.


    The people he got on best with were the soldiers and tactical specialists who were guarding the stockpile but whose chain of command was separate from Travis'' departmental hierarchy. He now found himself huddled inside the main stockpile warehouse with the security detail, minus their silver-rankers who had left to meet up with the others on base and confront the vampires as a unit.


    The stockpile warehouse was the most secure building on the base, with magical protection designed to hold up against all but the most powerful attackers. Unfortunately, those most powerful attackers had turned up. The department staff were hunkered down in the offices, while Travis himself was in the main warehouse with the security team and the weapon stockpile, in case his expertise was required. Even in their current situation, Travis couldn¡¯t help but be distracted by the head of the security team, Ingrid. The defeminising tactical outfit currently left her almost indistinguishable from the male soldiers but Travis had been working up the courage to ask her out for a week.


    ¡°You know,¡± Farrah said as she drew a ritual diagram on the wall in chalk, ¡°this is some impressive protective magic.¡±


    ¡°You can get in, though, right?¡±


    Her head turned to give Jason a flat stare, her hand not pausing as she continued to draw without looking.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said, holding up his hands in surrender.


    ¡°You can get in, right?¡± Farrah muttered, turning her attention back to her work. ¡°You don¡¯t hear me questioning whether you can slowly and horrifically kill someone, making their final moments of life a terrifying ordeal of pain and despair. I just trust you to do what you do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful,¡± Jason said. ¡°I said I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Sorry enough to make a strudel?¡±


    ¡°If I can get the ingredients, sure. Food distribution is still a mess, although we do still have those nice apples from the astral space.¡±


    Farrah spoke a short incantation and previously invisible runes lit up all over the building before fading again.


    ¡°That¡¯ll shut it down for about an hour,¡± she said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to permanently drop the protections, given all the stuff in here.¡±


    ¡°Good thinking,¡± Jason said.


    They moved along the building to the main doors, which were large enough to drive a large truck through with clearance to spare. On top of being heavy, they were still locked, even with the magical protection gone. The lock broke as if it weren''t there as Farrah lightly pushed the sliding doors apart.


    When the walls lit up with magic runes that quickly faded, the security team¡¯s tension went from high to razor-sharp. Guns were hefted at the ready and they positioned themselves to shoot from cover on command.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening,¡± Ingrid whispered sharply to the magitechnician.


    ¡°Someone just dropped the magic defences,¡± Travis said. ¡°Someone who knows their business, because they were turned off, not broken through.¡±


    ¡°Could they have been turned off from the inside?¡± Ingrid asked. ¡°By one of your people?¡±


    ¡°The head of the German contingent is the only one other than me who could do that,¡± Travis said. ¡°You know him, right? Think he¡¯d betray us to the vamps?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Ingrid said, ¡°but today is not the day for assumptions. Bernd, Karl. Go bring Lukas here, and be careful. If he¡¯s betrayed us, he may have tricks up his sleeve.¡±


    Two of the security team made for the offices.


    ¡°Do you have a gun, techie?¡± Ingrid asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. ¡°And it¡¯s Travis.¡±


    ¡°Can you shoot it without hitting your own team?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Ma¡¯am. No promises on hitting the other team, though.¡±


    ¡°Just pull it out and do your best,¡± she said. ¡°No one is expecting much.¡±


    ¡°I wish women would stop telling me that,¡± Travis said. Ingrid gave him a sidelong glance, forcibly suppressing a snort of laughter.


    Travis opened his dimensional space, which took the form of a holographic cabinet with a door that slid open. He reached in and pulled out what looked like an oversized, high-tech revolver where the spinning bullet chamber had been replaced with a belt-feed mechanism. A long belt of ammunition dangled from it, each bullet engraved with intricate glowing runes.


    ¡°Is that a belt-fed pistol?¡± Ingrid asked.


    ¡°I call it the Compensator,¡± Travis said.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sorry,¡± Ingrid said.


    ¡°What? No, not for that. I''m fine in that area. Perfectly fine.¡±


    ¡°It''s alright,¡± she assured him.


    ¡°No, it''s... look, I''m better at building guns than using them, so I made one where aiming was less of an issue. To compensate for my crappy marksmanship.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°I don''t have a small...¡±


    Travis trailed off and everyone tensed up as they heard the main doors slide rapidly open. Voices started echoing through the large warehouse.


    ¡°So, we left the magical protections in place and broke the lock,¡± a man¡¯s voice said.


    ¡°You think a lock is going to stop anyone looking to rob this place?¡± a female voice shot back.


    ¡°I guess it didn¡¯t stop us.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t stop who?¡±


    ¡°Okay, it didn¡¯t stop you. I¡¯m breaking into the next place.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an astral space; that doesn¡¯t take skill. You¡¯re just using your absurd magic power.¡±


    ¡°I only got that magic power to go in that very same astral space and get you!¡±


    ¡°Oh, look at me. I¡¯m Jason and my version of a sacrifice is getting amazing magical powers, oh no.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to talk to me about sacrifice? Do you know how many times I¡¯ve died?¡±


    ¡°With how often you bring it up? Every time you go and get yourself killed you come back from the dead and somehow you¡¯re complaining?¡±


    ¡°The first time wasn¡¯t my fault! And the second time, I brought you back with me.¡±


    ¡°That was nice, actually, yeah. You know all the people in here are getting pretty nervous, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, hang on. Uh, excuse me, everyone. Please don¡¯t shoot us; we¡¯re just here to steal a nuclear weapon.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°I thought they might respond to forthright honesty.¡±


    ¡°Not about that. Now they¡¯re definitely going to shoot us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like it¡¯s going to hurt.¡±


    Ingrid stepped out of cover, levelling her rifle at Jason and Farrah. Farrah was no longer in her armour, while Jason still had his cloak and blood robes but the hood was pushed back to reveal his face. The weird energy in his eyes undercut what he hoped was a friendly expression.


    Jason¡¯s familiars had been returned to him, other than a few Shade bodies scouting out the base. Ingrid¡¯s gaze fell on Farrah¡¯s magma elemental in the warehouse doorway. It was a mound of lava the size of a bakery van with arms and what roughly looked like a face. She ignored it for the moment to stare at Jason.


    ¡°You¡¯re Jason Asano,¡± she said. Jason turned unhappily to Farrah.


    ¡°Is there something about my face that makes me seem really, really forgetful? People keep telling me my own name as if I somehow don''t know what it is.¡±


    ¡°You do seem like an idiot,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    ¡°Remember the day we met? You kept getting knocked out by that guy with the shovel. It wasn¡¯t a great first impression.¡±


    ¡°Okay, yes. Escaping took me a couple of goes, but I was new to a life of derring-do. And who was the one who beat the cult leaders? Oh, did I ever tell you what happened to that guy?¡±


    ¡°The one with the shovel?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. Turns out he joined the Builder cult and¨C¡±


    ¡°Excuse me,¡± Ingrid called out and Jason turned back to her.


    ¡°Oh, sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you could just point us to a conveniently-sized nuclear bomb, that¡¯d be great. Preferably one with instructions. They don¡¯t have to be in English.¡±


    ¡°You think I''m going to just hand over a nuclear weapon?¡± Ingrid asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Fortunately, you and your squad back there aren¡¯t dangerous enough that I¡¯ll need to hurt you badly when we take one.¡±


    ¡°What do you even want with a nuclear weapon?¡±


    Jason glanced at Farrah.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who said forthright honesty,¡± Farrah told him.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to blow up some vampires. They have a stronghold that only I can get to. So I¡¯m going to go there and nuke it into glass. The good thing is that the reason only I can get there is that it¡¯s sealed in an isolated dimension. That means no blow-back on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Why should I believe you?¡±


    ¡°Your belief is irrelevant,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re taking what we came for. We were hoping there would be a nice quiet vault to raid with no one here. You¡¯d be well-served by pretending we were right.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s who you are?¡± Ingrid asked. ¡°A man who comes in, using his power to take what he likes?¡±


    Jason bowed his head.


    ¡°I never wanted to be,¡± he said softly, and then looked up, meeting Ingrid¡¯s blue eyes with his alien gaze. ¡°But yes, that¡¯s who I am. So, shoot me or don¡¯t. Either way, we¡¯re walking out of here with what we came for.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Travis said, coming out of cover, waving his arms. ¡°Oh, this thing is heavy.¡±


    He set his gun down on a crate and moved up next to Ingrid.


    ¡°Techie, get back,¡± Ingrid hissed. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Uh, hi,¡± he said, ignoring Ingrid¡¯s order. ¡°G¡¯day, mate. That¡¯s your thing, right? You¡¯re super-Australian, even though you¡¯re kind of Japanese.¡±


    ¡°Okay, a few things, mate,¡± Jason said. ¡°One, Aussies hate it when seppos say g¡¯day. It¡¯s like nails on a chalkboard.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a seppo?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°You are, mate; don¡¯t interrupt. Two, I¡¯m not Japanese. I¡¯ve been to Japan exactly twice and someone poisoned me in a resort hotel. Didn¡¯t love it. Three, where did you get that gun? It looks super-sweet.¡±


    ¡°Jason¡­¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Right, sorry. Look, mate, what are you doing running out like that? We¡¯re having a very serious discussion, here.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re looking to blow up some vampires,¡± Travis said, ¡°I can help you. I¡¯m your guy.¡±


    ¡°Travis!¡± Ingrid barked.


    ¡°Ingrid, do you know who this is? It''s Jason Asano. He''s the world''s first superhero. He¡¯s been to another universe!¡±


    ¡°Travis, this is not for you to interfere with. You know the things they say about him.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all made up by people who want to diminish his influence,¡± Travis said.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say all,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Whose side are you on?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Farrah said. ¡°How about we all take a step back, put away our guns and our¡­¡±


    She looked around, seeing that she and Jason had already dismissed their conjured weapons. She looked back at the open doors of the warehouse.


    ¡°¡­giant lava monsters and talk about this calmly.¡±


    Farrah looked from Jason to Travis.


    ¡°Preferably you and me,¡± she said to Ingrid, ¡°while these two sit quietly and don¡¯t make trouble.¡±


    ¡°My job is to protect this facility,¡± Ingrid said.


    ¡°And that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You can¡¯t stop us with force, you have to know that. So your next option is negotiation. Buy yourself some time and mitigate as much damage as you can.¡±


    ¡°Why would you allow that?¡± Ingrid asked. ¡°There are vampires out there, as well as our silver-rankers.¡±


    ¡°The vampires are dead or escaped,¡± Farrah said. ¡°What¡¯s left of the base personnel are mopping up the scattered ghouls left behind. We didn¡¯t get here in time to save your silver-rankers, though, I¡¯m sorry. They¡¯re gone.¡±


    Ingrid paled but kept staring down the sight of her rifle at Farrah.


    ¡°How do I know that you weren''t the ones who killed them?¡±


    ¡°Because we didn¡¯t kill you,¡± Farrah said.


    Farrah waited a long moment until Ingrid dropped the barrel of her gun to aim at the floor.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Let¡¯s talk.¡±

 Chapter 436: Pertinent Factor

    ¡°There are offices in the back of the warehouse,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°We can sit down and talk there.¡±


    As acting head of security for the weapon stockpile facility, Ingrid directed her team to secure the warehouse now that Jason and Farrah were no longer the chief concern. Ingrid knew that there was nothing she could do to stop them, so trying was pointless. Negotiation was her only recourse.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about the door we left open,¡± Farrah said. ¡°My magma elemental will handle anything that comes that way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll forgive me if I don¡¯t put all my faith in a giant pile of lava,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°While I¡¯m sure it¡¯s very powerful, we don¡¯t know the conditions around the base.¡±


    ¡°I can help you with that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade, give¡­ Ingrid, was it? Give Ingrid a status update on the base.¡±


    Ingrid¡¯s people stirred as Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow and started reeling off the disposition of the surviving base personnel, ghouls and vampires located in it. Ingrid organised two teams of her people to go out and assist.


    "Tell you what," Jason said. "As a gesture of goodwill, I''ll send my lads off to help your people out. They can run around with your teams.¡±


    Jason conjured up Colin from his own blood, looking like a blood clone of Jason. Gordon manifested from Jason¡¯s aura, strange and alien. Two Shade bodies emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°My mates can help you out,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade can guide your people where they need to be, while Colin and Gordon can be the muscle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sending my people out with your pet monsters,¡± Ingrid said.


    ¡°Farrah,¡± Jason said, ¡°Are you getting an Anisa vibe off Ingrid, here?¡±


    ¡°A little bit, yes,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Didn¡¯t your friend Humphrey¡­?¡±


    ¡°He did, yeah. Let¡¯s hope this works out better.¡±


    Ingrid sent her team off and Jason sent his familiars out separately to operate alone.


    ¡°I have to say, I''m a little offended," Jason said. "You Network people are on our side, you know. At least, you should be. Except when you periodically decide to come after me for whatever reason, obviously. Because let me tell you, I''ve had about as much of that as I''m willing to put up with. The next time you all¨C¡±


    ¡°Not the time, Jason,¡± Farrah chastised.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    In a farmhouse in Austria, abandoned since the monster surges, Gerling and his people had settled in to plan their next move. Gerling was being briefed by one of the people he had recruited from the Network. Jeff Campbell was underwhelming as a combatant, but an expert at intelligence gathering.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°This comes from people we planted in the Network branches years ago and are now pretty highly placed in the Global Defence Network,¡± Jeff said.


    ¡°We planted?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°Sorry, Boss; that the US Network put in place. The plants are still using the old communications protocols, or they were, at least. I¡¯m pretty sure they know we¡¯ve gone rogue, by now, so anything they feed us going forward is questionable. This was the last intel we grabbed before the news went widespread. There is a chance this is some kind of trap, but I¡¯ve had enough independent verification that I¡¯m confident it¡¯s solid.¡±


    ¡°Do we have a timeline?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°No, Boss. You know better than most what it¡¯s like trying to get Asano to do what you want. When they went to pitch this to him, they rounded up everyone they could that he wouldn¡¯t punch on sight. Flew them all the way out from Australia.¡±


    ¡°And this permanent dimensional space in France. It¡¯s a known factor?¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss. It has two apertures, both of which have powerful sealing magic put in place when the Lyon branch was keeping it a secret.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to want to catch Asano inside,¡± Gerling said. ¡°You are looking into getting us past those seals, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jeff said. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking into high-level members of the Lyon branch from that time, but after they were found out, the International Committee spirited them away. My contacts in Europe aren¡¯t as solid as the US, so I haven¡¯t had any luck digging them out.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you smiling?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°Because the guy who was running the whole secret dimensional space project for Lyon was never caught. He got out early and defected to the EOA. He¡¯s currently one of their leaders and we have a line on him in Los Angeles.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s protected, I take it,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°Yes, boss. The best protection the EOA has to offer.¡±


    Gerling grinned.


    ¡°Is that all?¡±


    Ingrid took Jason and Farrah to the offices in the back of the warehouse, where the rest of the department staff were still holed up. They went into a conference room where Jason and Farrah were on one side of the table while Ingrid and Travis sat on the other.


    ¡°Who are you, exactly?¡± Farrah asked Travis.


    ¡°Travis Noble. I know who you are, of course. You¡¯re Farrah Hurin and you were born in a whole other universe. I¡¯d love to get your perspective on what¨C¡±


    ¡°Not the time, Travis,¡± Ingrid said.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Travis said.


    ¡°This is the acting head of the Special Munition Stockpile Division,¡± Ingrid said.


    ¡°Neither of you are the permanent occupants of your positions,¡± Farrah observed. ¡°Did your bosses go off to fight the vampires?¡±


    ¡°My commander did,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°The previous department head for the SMSD went AWOL with Jack Gerling.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me he didn¡¯t take a bunch of dangerous weapons with him,¡± Jason said.


    "That''s an odd position, coming from someone looking to steal a nuclear bomb," Ingrid said. "Why not just ask the Network for it, if you''re using it for legitimate reasons?"


    ¡°We don¡¯t work with the Network anymore,¡± Jason said. ¡°They asked us to do this and we agreed but we''re doing it our way. The Network is neither trustworthy nor reliable."


    "The Network has been protecting the Earth from magic for centuries," Ingrid said. "Surely you can see we''re needed now more than ever?"


    ¡°Which Network?¡± Jason asked. ¡°The GDN? The True Network? The Chinese, the USA? Not exactly acting on a singular purpose, are you? Which one do you even belong to?¡±


    ¡°This is a joint facility that ignores factional disagreements. To act with that singular purpose you wanted."


    ¡°Jason,¡± Farrah chided, ¡°we did not come here to make this woman question her loyalties. You¡¯re taking us further from what we want, not closer to it.¡±


    ¡°Ingrid, you won¡¯t get them on board with the unity line," Travis said. "The Network has kidnapped Mr Asano twice, along with killing his friend, his girlfriend and his brother. They only kidnapped Miss Hurin once, but they tortured her for several weeks. Sorry to bring it up.¡±


    Ingrid looked from Travis to Jason and Farrah.


    "Did that truly happen?" she asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said and looked Travis over. He looked about nine years old with his boyish features and overeager expression. She was catching the same smell off him she got from Itsuki, the Japanese essence user fascinated with Jason.


    ¡°Want to guess how much of that was for the sake of protecting the world from magic?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Farrah said forcefully. ¡°I get it, but that¡¯s not why we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jason said, standing up. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be helpful, here. You sort it out while I go help my pet monsters clean up the leftovers.¡±


    Shade rose from Jason¡¯s shadow. Jason stepped into it and vanished, after which Shade sank into Farrah¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Jason understands very well what it is to be powerless,¡± Farrah told Ingrid and Travis. ¡°Now that he has power for himself, he finds feeling powerless increasingly intolerable. It¡¯s something of a right of passage for the strong. Given how weak everyone in this world is, he feels a constant temptation to just do and take what he wants. He knows that it''s wrong but until we leave for the other world and he''s surrounded by people truly more powerful than him, he''s going to keep sliding."


    ¡°Why are you telling us this?¡± Ingrid asked.


    ¡°Because I need you to understand that we¡¯re not negotiating over what we came here for. We¡¯re taking it and you don¡¯t get a say. We¡¯re negotiating over how smoothly that goes and you have very little to offer.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s even less than you think,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°We can¡¯t access the most dangerous weapons. They¡¯re in an underground vault with physical and magical protections that make this warehouse look like an open-air caf¨¦. The only people who can access it are dead outside.¡±


    Farrah looked to her shadow, as if waiting for something.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ingrid asked.


    ¡°I was waiting to see if Jason would come back,¡± Farrah said, her voice cold. ¡°He can sense every aura on this base and individually observe them across distances that normally you don¡¯t see until category four. Your aura control is not bad but he knows that you just lied to me as well as I do. He¡¯s also listening to us through his shadow. I don¡¯t know if you¡¯re stalling for time or trying to bluff me but now we¡¯ve reached the point where negotiations have broken down. You are going to answer my questions and if you lie to me again, I¡¯m putting you down. If you refuse to answer, I¡¯m putting you down. If you try to stop me, not only am I putting you down but I¡¯m putting your people down and none of you are getting back up again. You have no further chances to push my forbearance, is that understood?¡±


    Ingrid stared at Farrah before finally and reluctantly nodding.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I can break into this vault but having you open it up would be much easier. What does that require?¡±


    Ingrid looked at Travis.


    ¡°As department head, he can do it,¡± she said. ¡°He requires two access keys, though, which we don¡¯t have.¡±


    ¡°Who does?¡±


    ¡°The commander and deputy base commander each have one, carried around their necks.¡±


    ¡°Silver-rakers?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Shade?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Mr Asano is working on it as we speak, Miss Hurin.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Shade. Next question.¡±


    Farrah turned to Travis.


    ¡°You seemed very convinced that you could help us. Why is that?¡±


    Ingrid gave Travis a sharp look and Farrah slapped a hand down on the wooden table between them. Under Farrah¡¯s palm, the wood started to blacken and smoke. Ingrid grimaced but said nothing.


    ¡°Travis?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I was brought here as part of a project to rework our enhanced ordnance,¡± Travis said. ¡°I was never meant to be in charge. I was chosen because of my college research on creating specialised weaponry using quintessence.¡±


    ¡°You studied magic in a school?¡±


    ¡°My family has been Network predating the War of Independence,¡± Travis said. ¡°The US has had magical teaching institutions for more than a hundred years. These days we mostly pass them off as fake colleges.¡±


    ¡°Fake colleges?¡± Ingrid asked, despite herself.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Travis said. ¡°Usually we pass them off as scams, like those institutions that give out shady doctorates to religious nuts so they can pass themselves off as scientists. Or the ones that are straight-up confidence schemes. There are so many and they hardly ever get cracked down on, so we pass ours off as just more of them. If the FBI or someone does take a look, they get gently nudged in another direction.¡±


    ¡°That sounds incredibly corrupt,¡± Ingrid said.


    ¡°You¡¯re surprised?¡± Jason¡¯s voice came from Farrah¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Jason¡­¡± Farrah said.


    Shade rose again and Jason emerged, this time with his hood up and his eerie eyes shining in its impenetrable darkness. He dropped two keys onto the table, both wet with blood.


    ¡°The gold-rank vampires got to them before we arrived,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    He vanished once again and Farrah turned to Travis.


    ¡°Tell me about your research,¡± she said.


    ¡°Well,¡± Travis said, ¡°the basic premise is to not just make weapons that have enhanced power but to have the exact right properties to face specific enemies. In the last few decades, the entities appearing in dimensional spaces have grown stronger at a rate that exceeds the weapons we''ve developed to fight them. Many people are working on ways to make weapons stronger but the tiers of magic always present a bottleneck in advancement. My approach is to avoid that bottleneck through specialisation. Improving effectiveness without needing to increase the power."


    ¡°Through quintessence, you said?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Travis said. ¡°Quintessence is perfect because it holds such specific energy. Take your standard magic energy pistol that fires off blasts of force and heat. They¡¯re efficient and effective against most things, but their power is limited. If we give up the force and heat for energy infused with sun quintessence, though, it loses out against most things but becomes much more powerful against vampires. I''ve already stocked an armoury here on base with anti-vampire weapons. Ingrid, could you take out your pistol?¡±


    Ingrid pulled her pistol and placed it on the table. Her assault rifle was leaning against her thigh, her hand having not moved from it since they sat down.


    ¡°I made this gun,¡± Travis said, tapping the pistol with a finger. ¡°Fire quintessence like this one has is much easier to come by than sun, but it¡¯s still quite effective against vampires. Plus, it retains more general usability because fire works pretty well against most things.¡±


    ¡°We were surprised at how well the normal soldiers were holding up against ghouls,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We need something a lot more powerful than a few enhanced guns, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s been my big project,¡± Travis said. ¡°It¡¯s why I knew I could help you. I¡¯ve been working on a nuclear device where the modifications are much more comprehensive than just adding flavour to the damage output. I¡¯ve been working on converting the power of a nuclear detonation into sunlight power, using a special matrix of category-three sun quintessence. Category four would have been better, obviously, but they won¡¯t let me have any until I get a working prototype.¡±


    ¡°If it doesn¡¯t work, why are we talking?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that it doesn¡¯t work,¡± Travis said. ¡°You''re not from our world and I don¡¯t know if yours has an equivalent, but a nuclear device is unconscionably powerful. Too powerful to just go setting off anywhere. It¡¯s why I¡¯ve been working on completely converting the output into energy that only affects vampires. The goal is to take it into the middle of a city, wipe out the vampires and leave the people and infrastructure untouched. It''s not currently usable because while it will wreck vampires, it''ll also turn wherever it is into a hole in the ground."


    ¡°Sounds like a winner,¡± Jason¡¯s voice came from Farrah¡¯s shadow. ¡°We¡¯ll take that, thank you.¡±


    ¡°You still need our cooperation,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°You can take the device, but that doesn¡¯t mean you know how to use it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to help,¡± Travis said.


    In a flash of movement, Ingrid had the pistol pointed at Travis''s head.


    ¡°Ingrid?¡± Travis asked, his voice having gone up an octave.


    ¡°Now,¡± Ingrid said, staring at Farrah. ¡°Let¡¯s revisit that negotiating position.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you shouldn¡¯t have done that,¡± Farrah said, getting to her feet. ¡°I can¡¯t help you now.¡±


    ¡°Without him, you can¡¯t make the device work,¡± Ingrid said.


    "It doesn''t matter," Farrah said. "You shouldn''t have turned on your own guy. You''re just one more Network lackey with no loyalty, now. Jason''s not going to concede anything, whatever you or I say. To be honest, I''m fine with that."


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a choice. If he thinks he can teleport in here and take my gun before I pull the trigger, he¡¯s very much mistaken,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°I have the swift essence. I¡¯m almost as fast as a category three.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re underestimating Jason¡¯s willingness to suffer the consequences of his principles,¡± Farrah said. "Put your gun down or he''ll kill you, whatever you do to Travis, here. I might even save him the time."


    ¡°Uh, I think there¡¯s a pertinent factor that both of you have already forgotten,¡± Travis said.


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± Farrah asked, her eyes not leaving Ingrid.


    Travis snapped his fingers and Ingrid¡¯s pistol fell to pieces.


    ¡°I made that gun,¡± he said.

 Chapter 437: More Focus on Nipples

    Travis skittered around to Farrah¡¯s side of the table.


    ¡°Ohmygodthatwasterrifying.¡±


    He warily glanced over at Ingrid.


    ¡°And weirdly kind of hot.¡±


    Ingrid and Farrah both turned flat looks on him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked them.


    ¡°I get it,¡± Jason said, appearing from the shadows and patting him on the back. ¡°Not super appropriate, but I won¡¯t go throwing stones in that regard.¡±


    Jason turned his gaze on Ingrid. All she could see under his hood was the shifting blue, silver and gold of his eyes.


    ¡°So, this is where you kill me and all my people?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°But I promised,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°We¡¯re thieves and she¡¯s doing her duty as best she can. Who am I to begrudge someone a bold, desperate move?¡±


    ¡°Yours keep getting you killed. How are people going to learn consequences?¡±


    ¡°How does dying teach you consequences?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re teaching the next person,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°If you kill them, how¡¯s the next person going to find out?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s usually someone who gets away. I really thought you¡¯d come down on the other side of this after she turned on one of her own people.¡±


    ¡°She sucks, yeah, but you don¡¯t execute prisoners because they suck.¡±


    ¡°I am never getting used to this world,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I want to go home.¡±


    ¡°We will. Soon. You probably still shouldn¡¯t execute prisoners there either, though.¡±


    ¡°What if she tries something again?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°At that point, she''s just asking for it,¡± Jason said.


    Farrah turned an eager gaze on Ingrid.


    ¡°So,¡± Jason said. ¡°Where is that vault?¡±


    Knowing he had limited time before Asano made his way into the astral space, Gerling had ¡®borrowed¡¯ the fastest magically-enhanced plane the Chinese Network had in Europe. The Chinese Network didn¡¯t share the joint operation bases in Germany with the other Network factions, having set up their own outpost in Austria. Just across the border from eastern Slovakia, it was another zone with higher than average magic.


    Gerling used the plane for a whirlwind visit back to the US, grabbing Adrien Barbou and getting back out of the country within an hour. Speed, however, came at the cost of discretion.


    ¡°You should have come along quietly,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Dead superheroes don¡¯t look good on the news.¡±


    Barbou was handcuffed and suppression-collared in a seat of the plane. His clothes were dusty and torn, with bloodstains being all that remained of superficial wounds that had already healed. Gerling was sitting across from him, their seats facing one another over a table.


    ¡°The Building did have a door, you know,¡± Barbou said.


    ¡°Not on the nineteenth floor,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I guess it doesn¡¯t have a nineteenth floor anymore, either.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a mindless thug.¡±


    Gerling sneered.


    ¡°You kept a woman in a basement and tortured her for weeks and you want to criticise me about brutality?¡±


    ¡°Is that what this is about? The outworlders? You¡¯ve run into Asano twice now, right? Are the other category fours making fun of you because you can¡¯t catch him?¡±


    ¡°Let me be clear, Barbou: you¡¯ll be doing two things during our time together. One, whatever the hell I tell you. Two, shutting the hell up. Note that neither of those things includes asking questions.¡±


    ¡°They do if you tell me to ask questions,¡± Barbou said. ¡°You need to be more precise with your rules, Gerling.¡±


    Barbou didn¡¯t see the punch coming, Gerling¡¯s gold rank speed having him back in his seat before Barbou¡¯s senses registered impact.


    ¡°I hear Asano is mouthy too,¡± Gerling said.


    Barbou winced as he pushed his nose back into line with his cuffed hands, which were wetted by the free-flowing blood.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to help me access the permanent dimensional space in Saint-¨¦tienne,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°You want to catch Asano while he¡¯s going after the vampires there?¡± Barbou asked with a wince. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be going after him, Gerling. Not yet.¡±


    ¡°And why is that?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s not lying about saving the world. I¡¯ve learned only a little about what he¡¯s doing and how. If he fails, we¡¯re all done.¡±


    ¡°I do believe that he¡¯s saving the world,¡± Gerling said. ¡°He keeps getting distracted, though. Not only is he going to France to kill some vampires but he didn¡¯t even head straight there. Right now, he¡¯s in Germany. The vampires started the war by hitting up the Network strongholds in central Europe and Asano is there fighting them off.¡±


    Gerling got up and left the cabin, coming back shortly with a beer.


    ¡°Picked up a taste for the German stuff while I was there,¡± he said, holding up the can. ¡°Hard to get reliably, just now, but my assistant is a resourceful woman.¡±


    He took an appreciative sip.


    ¡°Very nice. Now, Asano. He¡¯s letting himself be distracted, time and again, which tells me that whatever he¡¯s saving the world from, he¡¯s not in a rush. And the fact that he¡¯s always been vague at best about what he¡¯s saving it from and why tells me that there¡¯s a reason he doesn¡¯t want us to know. This means that whatever he¡¯s doing and however he¡¯s doing it, it¡¯s vulnerable somehow. The power can be taken from him and I¡¯m going to take it. I¡¯ll save the damn world myself.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t be taken,¡± Barbou said. His bronze-rank recovery had repaired his nose, Gerling having held back to teach a lesson rather than do real harm. Healing did not clean the blood from Barbou¡¯s nose, however, which had painted his mouth and chin red.


    ¡°What do you know about it?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°Not much,¡± Barbou said. ¡°My boss never told me much, presumably because of a potential situation like this one.¡±


    ¡°Your boss Mr North?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He doesn¡¯t share secrets but I¡¯ve put some pieces together. Things he¡¯s told me in passing or let slip in conversation. I think he¡¯s lonely.¡±


    ¡°Lonely?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite sure he¡¯s older and more powerful than anyone realises,¡± Barbou said, ¡°and I¡¯m certain he¡¯s not human. I believe he¡¯s older than the Network itself. He¡¯s mentioned the Network founder few times and I think Mr North knew him well. Hated him, but loved him too, I think.¡±


    ¡°Would your boss want you telling me this?¡±


    ¡°I''ve ever been a vessel subject to the prevailing winds,¡± Barbou said. ¡°Network, EOA. I''ll jump ship to the vampires if they win. Right now, the prevailing wind is you.¡±


    ¡°Then tell me more. Everything you know about Asano and his secrets.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what it is that Asano is using to save the world,¡± Barbou said, ¡°but originally it should have been possible to take it from him. Mr North always intended for Asano to have it, but it was always meant to be possible to take it away.¡±


    ¡°A contingency if Asano didn¡¯t do what North wanted,¡± Gerling surmised.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Barbou said. ¡°I only learned any of this because North was flustered when he returned after Asano claimed the item. Told me things I don¡¯t think he otherwise would. Asano somehow absorbed the item, permanently claiming its power for himself. That disturbed Mr North. I¡¯ve never seen him shaken like that, before or since.¡±


    ¡°So, the item is gone?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Barbou said.


    ¡°Convenient,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Your boss just happened to have a slip-up and reveal the exact right information to dissuade me from doing the exact thing you just told me I shouldn''t do?¡±


    ¡°The fact that I knew that is why I said it,¡± Barbou told him. ¡°If you want to argue yourself in circles to do what you want, regardless of the truth, you don¡¯t need me for that.¡±


    ¡°Very true,¡± Gerling said and punched Barbou again.


    ¡°Madam?¡± Farrah asked as she shrugged on what looked like an oversized and overstuffed hiker¡¯s pack. The pack was extremely rugged, due to the hundreds of kilograms it was holding up. It was designed such that only superhuman strength could carry it as a backpack.


    ¡°Medium Atomic Demolition Munition,¡± Travis explained. ¡°M.A.D.M. We call it the madam. Well, I do. The base commander called it ¡®stop fannying about and get back to work, Travis.¡¯ Or he used to, I guess.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he was talking about the bomb,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m pretty sure he was,¡± Travis said. ¡°Those were his exact words when I asked him about it.¡±


    ¡°He literally said your name,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I did think that was odd,¡± Travis admitted.


    Farrah ran both hands over her face.


    ¡°I know this feeling,¡± she complained.


    ¡°What feeling?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s just get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Travis said as they walked out of the vault. Farrah moved carefully as while the pack might have been easy to lift with her strength, the weight distribution threatened to topple her over. Jason was keeping an eye on Ingrid in the control room of the underground bunker that contained the vault.


    ¡°You can lock it up,¡± Travis called out and Ingrid pressed the button that set the ponderous door to slowly shut. She looked at the two access keys in the control console but didn''t take them.


    ¡°Go ahead,¡± Jason said. ¡°Give them to whoever ends up in charge of this place.¡±


    Ingrid hesitated a moment before taking the keys and hanging their chains around her neck. She ignored the blood as she slipped them under her tactical vest. All four people went up the stairs from the underground bunker, back into the main warehouse. Ingrid¡¯s security team looked unhappy but none were foolish enough to make a move.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry it worked out this way,¡± Jason said to Ingrid. ¡°Not enough that I won¡¯t do it, but still.¡±


    ¡°Individuals shouldn¡¯t have the kind of unfettered power that you have,¡± Ingrid told him.


    ¡°You''re right,¡± Jason said. ¡°But institutions inevitably focus more on perpetuating their influence instead of whatever their original ideologies may have been. People and rules. The answer is somewhere in the middle but it¡¯s always in flux and never quite right. People need rules or we turn into monsters, but if we choose rules over people, people get ground up in the machine. In the end, we do the best we can with what we have.¡±


    ¡°Do we,¡± Ingrid said.


    ¡°I hope we do,¡± Jason said. ¡°I''ll mess it up, you can trust that.¡±


    He glanced at Farrah.


    ¡°Find people you trust to keep yourself in check, Ingrid. Otherwise, you''ll find yourself pointing a gun at the nice boy who has a crush on you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Travis asked as he and Farrah stepped into the control room. ¡°I mean, who? What? I have no idea what you¡¯re¡­¡±


    He sighed.


    ¡°...oh dear.¡±


    ¡°You need to work on that aura control, Travis,¡± Jason said with a chuckle. ¡°Your emotions are a little too on your sleeve.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s get out of here,¡± Farrah said to Travis. ¡°Is there anything you need to take?¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Ingrid said. ¡°Travis, you¡¯re going with them?¡±


    ¡°Ingrid,¡± Travis said. ¡°After all this, the work I came here to do isn¡¯t going to resume anytime soon. I could sit around playing stockpile administrator while whoever ends up in charge sorts out the mess, but every single person in my department would be better at that than me. Instead of counting crates, I¡¯d rather use what I¡¯m good at to make a difference.¡±


    ¡°You just want to go off and play hero with your new celebrity friend,¡± Ingrid accused.


    ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± Travis admitted. ¡°But look around, Ingrid. The world could use a few more heroes.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°We could call you Gun Man, but he¡¯s a villain.¡±


    ¡°From Tongan Ninja?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Tongan Ninja?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Only about twelve times.¡±


    ¡°We should watch it on the plane,¡± Jason said. ¡°You need to grab anything on the way out?¡±


    ¡°My research notes. Oh, and my sandwich from the break room. It¡¯s hard to find good food, these days and I put a lot of effort into getting the ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Jason said as the pair headed off. ¡°You know where a guy can get some flour around here? I¡¯m going to make a strudel.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Travis said as they walked away. ¡°We are in Germany. Do you have apples?¡±


    ¡°Magic apples.¡±


    ¡°Oh, wow. Wait, aren¡¯t magic apples usually evil?¡±


    ¡°These are the good ones,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what you¡¯d tell someone if you wanted them to eat an evil magic apple.¡±


    Farrah shook her head and followed after them.


    ¡°Great,¡± she muttered. ¡°There¡¯s two of them now.¡±


    ¡°The runway is probably damaged and there¡¯ll be ghouls everywhere, alive or dead,¡± Travis said. ¡°Taking off might be hard. Maybe your familiar should turn into a helicopter instead of a plane. He can do that, right?¡±


    ¡°He isn¡¯t a runway kind of guy,¡± Jason said.


    Darkness stormed out of Jason¡¯s shadow and took the form of a plane hovering in the air.


    ¡°Your familiar turns into a VTOL private plane?¡± Travis exclaimed. ¡°It looks like a spaceship designed by a ninja. Are you Batman?¡±


    ¡°Batman doesn¡¯t have powers,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And Jason doesn¡¯t have ice skate boots,¡± Farrah added. Jason and Travis turned to look at her.


    ¡°Since when do you know anything about Batman?¡± Jason asked her. ¡°And why is that the first thing that comes to mind about him?¡±


    ¡°People kept talking about Batman,¡± she said. ¡°I looked him up. There was more of a focus on nipples than I expected.¡±

 Chapter 438: The Job That’s in Front of You

    After arriving in France, Jason created a modest boat from his cloud flask on an isolated stretch of the river Furan. The plan was to get some proper rest and make plans before heading downriver to Saint-¨¦tienne. It also gave Travis time to modify the nuke, as well as instruct Jason and Farrah on its use.


    The three were out on a covered deck. It was a cold winter day but that didn¡¯t worry the essence users. Jason and Farrah were in chairs while Travis sat on the floor in front of the semi-disassembled atomic device.


    ¡°The first thing I need to do is disable the function that stops it from being placed in dimensional spaces,¡± Travis explained. ¡°It¡¯s a safety feature to prevent people quietly pocketing a nuclear weapon but that¡¯s exactly what you¡¯ll need to do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that lugging it around on my back is a good plan,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sold on you going alone,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°The key is going to be stealth, not power,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I can be stealthy,¡± Farrah insisted.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said with a wry smile. ¡°The volcano essence is famous for its discretion. If we get discovered after sneaking into the middle of a vampire nest, we aren¡¯t fighting our way back out. If I get found, I can get myself unfound.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she conceded. ¡°But you have to promise me something.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s going to be people in there; regular people that they¡¯ve rounded up to turn into ghouls or lesser vampires. Even just to feed on. Don¡¯t try and rescue them.¡±


    ¡°Farrah¡­¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I know what you¡¯re like. You¡¯ll go in there, see people caged up or some such and get it into your head that you can somehow get them out before you set off the bomb. You can¡¯t. You have a problem with understanding your limits and that pushes you forward, but this isn¡¯t about you. It isn¡¯t even about the victims in that astral space. It¡¯s about all the damage the things in that place will do if they aren¡¯t stopped. It¡¯s about striking a heavy blow against the vampires, especially after the attacks in Germany. This is about arresting the momentum before they sweep over countless people.¡±


    ¡°But if I see a way¨C¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It''s not a choice of saving them or not, Jason. It''s a choice of a quick, clean death in white-hot fire or being turned into a monster. Or food. That''s all you can do for them.¡±


    Jason hung his head.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he mumbled.


    ¡°I need to hear you say it,¡± Farrah said, unyielding.


    He looked up at her with angry eyes.


    ¡°I said fine.¡±


    ¡°Promise me, Jason.¡±


    His face twisted in a snarl.


    ¡°I promise, alright? I¡¯ll go in there and kill a bunch of innocent people who, even as we speak, are probably hoping that people like us come along and save them.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Travis said, getting to his feet. ¡°I need to go in the other room. I left my thinly-veiled excuse to leave you two alone in there.¡±


    They watched him go, the tense atmosphere at least a little diffused.


    ¡°You¡¯re not a superhero, Jason, whatever they might say on the television. That¡¯s just an image being sold. A story you tell yourself.¡±


    ¡°Like adventurer? It doesn¡¯t matter what we call ourselves, Farrah. It¡¯s what we do that matters.¡±


    ¡°No, Jason. All that matters are the consequences of what we do. It doesn¡¯t matter if you try and save those people. It only matters if they get saved and they won¡¯t. Even if you somehow extracted them from the astral space, this is vampire territory, now. You think that the astral space apertures are just sitting out in the open with no vampires guarding them? You and I might be able to handle it, but what about the people you have somehow managed to sneak away from the army of enemies? You just told me that I couldn¡¯t go in because I wasn¡¯t stealthy enough.¡±


    ¡°I know all this, Farrah.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do; you¡¯re not an idiot. You have this bad habit of acting like one, though. That¡¯s fine when the only person you¡¯re putting on the line is yourself, but those days are behind you. Rufus told you from the very beginning that if you choose this life, you¡¯ll end up responsible for others. You can ignore that, and plenty do, but is that the person you want to be?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not,¡± Farrah said, her voice softening and her shoulders losing their tension. ¡°Look, Jason, I know that you want to be the guy who saves the day with some crazy plan. It¡¯s nice when you can do that. You saved my life because you walked back into a sacrifice chamber full of cultists when any sane person would have run like the wind. That¡¯s amazing, but sometimes there is no crazy plan. You have to do the job that¡¯s in front of you, even when doing the job is awful.¡±


    ¡°You sound like Rufus,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Sometimes I have to,¡± Farrah said with a smile. ¡°Look, I never liked the Network¡¯s plan to have us strike-force our way through this astral space. I don¡¯t think they ever really bought the whole saving the world thing. Their idea feels like a long shot they were happy to take because they know we¡¯re done with them and don¡¯t care if we die trying. If we do, they can just try the bloody invasion approach and spend the bodies it takes to get it done instead. But now we¡¯ve got Travis and his bomb. Sneak in, sneak out is a plan that actually sounds workable.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a good kid.¡±


    ¡°Of course you like him,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He''s basically you from when we first met. It''s a good thing he''s eavesdropping because he could stand to learn the lessons you have trouble taking in.¡±


    They heard the sound of someone tripping over in the cabin next to them.


    Jason went over the arming sequence with Travis until he was confident he would get it right, even if he found himself doing so under extreme conditions. Without more information about what awaited him in the astral space, he had to assume things would go wrong.


    ¡°I¡¯ve stripped out everything I put in to limit the physical blast,¡± Travis explained. ¡°The force quintessence you gave me should enhance the blast instead, although it was a bit of a rush job. Without extensive testing, I can''t be sure how effective it will be. I can guarantee you a great big blast, infused with a boatload of sun magic. It¡¯s only a question of how big. The best estimate I can give you is very.¡±


    Farrah handed Jason some sheets of paper.


    ¡°Study this,¡± she said. ¡°If you perform this ritual before placing the bomb, there¡¯s less chance of it being discovered in the time between you setting it and getting out.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯d only kept my damn tongue in front of the Builder¡¯s lackey, I could have set it off on the spot and made sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°There are worse ways to spend a life.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d held your tongue, you wouldn¡¯t have been you,¡± Farrah said. ¡°And if you weren¡¯t you, I¡¯d have died in the desert and some blood cultist would be running around with your apocalypse monster.¡±


    ¡°His what?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°She just said apocalypse monster. I worry if someone puts mayonnaise on my sandwich and you want me to ignore an apocalypse monster.¡±


    ¡°Stop talking about him like that,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll hurt his feelings.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an apocalypse monster,¡± Travis said. ¡°Do its feelings matter?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an apocalypse monster,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d say they really, really do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to go,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I think this warrants more discussion,¡± Travis said.


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°Just tell him the story while I¡¯m gone,¡± he said. ¡°Maybe show him some recording crystals.¡±


    ¡°While you just casually head off for a stroll, yeah,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Just remember that the priority is coming back alive.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m definitely not the kind of guy who goes off and gets himself killed all the time.¡±


    The astral space had two apertures. One was in Saint-¨¦tienne, while the other was more isolated. Jason chose the Saint-¨¦tienne aperture because it would likely be more guarded. He could gather intel that might help him and if he couldn¡¯t slip through undetected, the other aperture was still there to try.


    Saint-¨¦tienne was almost unrecognisable from Jason¡¯s previous visit. It had been a major centre of Network activity from the moment it was discovered that the Lyon branch had been hiding the astral space, just weeks after Jason¡¯s return to Earth. The Network¡¯s International Committee had purged the Lyon branch and seized control, turning the astral space into a spirit coin farm.


    The vampiric takeover in France had been one of the most hard-fought in Europe, pitting some of the Network¡¯s most powerful people and resources against many of the strongest ancient vampires to arise. The gold-rank vampires were relatively small in number, but without gold-ranked essence users to confront them, the Network had been pushed out in a series of destructive clashes.


    The Saint-¨¦tienne astral space was a critical strategic asset, so the city had suffered more than most in the struggle to control it. Jason found it looking more like Beirut in the eighties than the French metropolis it has been. The resemblance to a war zone didn¡¯t stop with the destroyed buildings, either. The city was thick with an occupying force, vampires of all ranks keeping both normal humans and ghouls both penned up cages.


    For the humans, their cages were more like chain-link pens that would be easy enough to escape for anyone willing to brave the razor wire at the top. The patrolling vampires were the true disincentive to escape. The ghouls were in actual reinforced cages with thick metal bars.


    The magic around the astral space was very low, barely increased despite the general increase in magic levels worldwide. This meant that even low-rank vampires were largely unimpeded by the sun. Combined with the presence of the astral space, it became obvious why the vampires had fought so hard to claim the area.


    Jason had no problems moving through the shadows of the ruined city, scoping out the terrible conditions. The humans in their huge pens were left largely exposed to the elements, with only a scattering of blankets. He sensed dead among them that the vampires hadn¡¯t bothered to remove; the old and young too weak to resist the winter.


    Examining the ghoul cages from relatively close, Jason realised that while they looking strong, they should not have been enough to hold the ghouls. The bars were magically enhanced, with faint runes carved into the metal.


    This started to answer the open question of how vampires, with their lack of ritual magic, managed to use the sealed astral space apertures. The Lyon branch had established permanent seals that could be open or closed but would take a very long time to break into with ritual magic.


    The Cabal, including the vampires, had little to no ritual magic expertise. The materials were generally sourced in proto-spaces, over which the Network had held a monopoly. Jason had heard of some vampires wielding blood magic but material reinforcement rituals, while ordinary to the Network, were beyond the Cabal.


    It seemed likely that the vampires had seduced away or suborned some of the Networks ritualists during their conquest of Europe. Jason had not extended his senses to search for essence users because vampires had sensitive aura senses and could possibly detect him.


    Exploring the occupied section of the city for more information, he discovered that it was serving as some kind of transport hub. Along with people being trucked in and ghouls being trucked out, there were also crates with some kind of equipment. Discreetly opening one for a look, it had the appearance of medical equipment. It was imbued with magic, however, and Jason suspected it was part of the program to make ghouls on a wider scale than vampires could on their own.


    While searching around, Jason spotted some of the ritualists he had postulated about. They appeared to be enslaved, iron-rankers with foot manacles being forced to perform magical tasks like checking and maintaining the ghoul cages.


    Leaving them be, with Farrah¡¯s admonitions echoing in his head, Jason turned his attention to the astral space aperture. He couldn¡¯t enter a true astral space from anywhere, the way he could with a proto-space, but he could ignore the seal on the aperture. He had magically examined the seal in the past and knew that with his skill level at the time, it would take weeks to crack the seal open with ritual magic.


    The essence users he¡¯d seen around didn¡¯t seem up to the task, having observed them at work. He guessed there were more capable ones inside the astral space, probably ones who had been part of the team managing the astral space before the vampires took over.


    The aperture was contained in the only newly-constructed building he had seen, which appeared to be a brick warehouse. From the crude and functional aesthetic, its construction had prioritised speed and sturdiness. The magical alarms in place were clearly slapped together, to the point that Jason could bypass them just by manipulating his aura a little.


    From listening in on the vampires, Jason discovered that the aperture was only periodically unsealed, at which point there would be a flood of activity in and out. During those periods, the aperture was heavily guarded and could be resealed at a moment''s notice, should anything like a Network attack take place. Outside of those times, the guard was reduced but not entirely removed.


    It was not hard to infiltrate the building and Jason slipped through the aperture without so much as a ripple of aura.

 Chapter 439: Going Suspiciously Well

    The astral space was a fog-filled realm of dilapidated manors and ruined castles, rising from a sea of mist. They were connected by crumbling stone bridges that spanned between them and Jason¡¯s instincts told him that descending into the mist would be a Very Bad Idea. With poor visibility and murky light, it looked like a place that should have had vampires all along.


    Jason¡¯s previous visit was one of his most violent episodes, slaughtering Network personnel and EOA superhumans alike in his bloody determination to rescue Farrah. The environment was perfect for a shadowy stalker of Jason¡¯s ilk, which had not changed. This time he didn¡¯t slaughter his way through but moved unnoticed; another unremarkable shadow in the mist.


    As he and Farrah had surmised, Jason found pens for humans, like those outside. For good or ill, these were mostly empty, while the ghoul cages here were filled to capacity. He estimated they would likely open up the astral space to ship out more people, soon. Jason unhappily but resolutely left them be, seeking out the place where the conversion process took place.


    The primary goal of Jason¡¯s mission was to eliminate the infrastructure that allowed the ghoul creation process to be franchised out. The secondary target was the operation already pumping out undead monstrosities, along with the man behind it all.


    The people of Makassar were victims twice over; once when they were killed and again when turned into the unquiet dead. They still haunted Jason¡¯s dreams and he would very much like to send the man who desecrated them to meet Shade¡¯s father. His preference would be for a long, personal encounter but he would accept nuking the man into atoms. Any ghouls and vampires that died in the process were gravy.


    Gerling and his small team of silver-rankers chose differently from Jason when it came to invading the astral space. They chose the more isolated aperture and they chose assault over stealth. After eliminating the vampires guarding the entrance, they put Barbou to work cracking open the seal.


    ¡°I can¡¯t even be certain that I will still be able to access it,¡± Barbou warned as he finished drawing the ritual circle. ¡°Unless they haven¡¯t reconfigured the seal at all since¡­¡±


    The moment he completed the seal, the invisible aperture shimmered into being.


    ¡°I guess they haven¡¯t,¡± Barbou said. ¡°That¡¯s just unprofessional.¡±


    The Chinese gold-ranker, Chen, was travelling along a French road in the back of a van. His fellow occupant was very unusual, but someone Jason would have recognised.


    ¡°You have executed the design adequately,¡± Shako said, looking at the device in the van with them, strapped in place.


    ¡°And if I do this, you will deliver me the power that Asano is using to save the world?¡± Chen said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shako said. ¡°While Asano is still able to act, I am unable to intervene. He stole the device to repair this world from its creator and antagonists prevent him from making another. Only if Asano dies and the device is lost will he be permitted to create another, for this world will still need to be saved.¡±


    ¡°Asano is elusive and resourceful,¡± Chen said. ¡°The place he has created for himself is a stronghold for him. This is a rare chance to catch him exposed, but could we not just send gold rankers into the astral space?¡±


    ¡°Asano is slippery,¡± Shako said. ¡°Even death has failed to stop him. He must be annihilated by forces that make sure his soul leaves for the realm of the dead, never to return.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t you go in yourself to make sure?¡±


    ¡°I am restricted twice over,¡± Shako said. ¡°This avatar you see before you is merely a weak projection. The entry of my true self would damage your already fragile world. I am also bound by the same restrictions that protect Asano. I can teach and guide, as I have in helping you construct this device, but I cannot act.¡±


    "I''m worried that this will be dangerous if our world truly is as fragile as you say," Chen said. "A dimensional bomb, fuelled by a reality core."


    ¡°It is not a bomb, as you understand it,¡± Shako said. ¡°It will break down the astral space, annihilating everyone and everything inside. Asano will be gone, Gerling will be gone and you will have struck a great blow against the vampire threat. Your nation will be on the path from leading the world to dominating it. Then you will save it, not just solidifying this outcome but positioning you as the most prominent member of the most dominant force on this planet.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do this for my own glory,¡± Chen said.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Shako said.


    ¡°Loud explosions are for the outside,¡± Gerling said. The vampires just inside the aperture had been eliminated with speed but Gerling held off on using his abilities. His explosive powers would be like sending up a signal flare.


    ¡°We move fast and take down who we must as quick and quiet as possible,¡± Gerling said. ¡°The objective is to find Asano.¡±


    Gerling had recruited someone very specific for the purposes of chasing down Jason. A silver-ranker with the light and trap essences, he was an expert in purging shadows.


    ¡°You realise this plan is idiotic,¡± Barbou said. ¡°You think you can just randomly find him by checking shadows? You don¡¯t even know if he¡¯s here yet, or been and gone.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re doing more than checking shadows,¡± Gerling said. ¡°We¡¯re going to lace the shadows around this aperture with light traps that will reveal his location to us.¡±


    ¡°And if he uses the other aperture?¡± Barbou asked.


    ¡°My second team is attacking it from the outside,¡± Gerling said. ¡°They¡¯ll use a device that destabilises apertures, making it unusable for hours.¡±


    ¡°You have a second team? Are you sure they can handle the forces at the other aperture?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re silver-rank elites from the US,¡± Gerling said. ¡°They scouted it out and signalled me the good-to-go before we came in.


    ¡°And if Asano doesn¡¯t show up in your window?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s already inside. You see, all those people studying the magic town Asano made haven¡¯t been idle. They might not have deciphered much, but they did find a way to tell whether Asano was in direct contact with the town. Something about magical resonance; I don¡¯t pretend to understand. What it means, though, is that they can detect when Asano goes out of range, and they¡¯re confident that Asano¡¯s range covers the planet.¡±


    ¡°So, if he¡¯s out of range,¡± Barbou realised, ¡°he¡¯s entered a dimensional space.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°Surprisingly well-prepared, for a semi-shaved ape.¡±


    Gerling punched Barbou in the face again.


    When Gerling had assaulted the area external to the astral space aperture, he had used his powers to full effect. With the aperture sealed, no communication was possible so he had been free to go all out. It had originally been a nondescript spot by an empty road, outside the city. After it was revealed to the International Committee, a secondary outpost was built, which had been taken over by the vampires. The outpost was now in ruins, and what was left was painted red by the combination of Gerling¡¯s explosive powers and the vampires that previously occupied it.


    Chen''s van arrived after the fact. The normal van was not as fast as a gold ranker but was far less suspicious should a gold-rank vampire be around with their powerful senses. There were plenty of delivery vehicles on the road since the humans the vampires held prisoner needed to eat or die.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t changed,¡± Chen said, looking around the ruined outpost. ¡°Such a barbarian.¡±


    The van had contained only Chen, Shako and a silver-rank driver, who was carrying the drum containing the dimension collapsing device.


    ¡°My information is that the seal is sophisticated and difficult to open,¡± Chen said as he and Shako looked at the spot in which the invisible aperture resided. Shako snorted disdain and held out a hand. Stone lines in the shape of a ritual circle rose from the concrete floor and the aperture bloomed into being.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t even need an incantation,¡± Shako said derisively. ¡°What passes for magic here is an embarrassment.¡±


    Chen went through the aperture to make sure nothing was waiting for them on the other side, found the vampires there dead and came back.


    ¡°Do we need to take it deep into the dimensional space?¡± Chen asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Shako said. ¡°You can set it off right on the other side.¡±


    ¡°You heard him,¡± Chen told the driver. ¡°Set the timer for ten seconds and get out.¡±


    ¡°This is going surprisingly smoothly,¡± Jason whispered. There was no one close by but he was not going to tempt fate and the hearing of gold-rank vampires.


    "This appears to be the least trafficked room within this central area," Shade said. "The bomb is unlikely to be discovered in the time it takes to exit the astral space.¡±


    They were in an old wine cellar, the racks mostly rotted and the only bottles remaining in shards on the floor. What had once been a manor above had been completely wiped away and replaced with the most disgusting place Jason had encountered since the kitchen of a cannibal cult. Somewhere between an abattoir and a manufacturing plant, it combined grisly exsanguination with industrial production.


    Jason completed the ritual to hide the bomb''s presence then activated it according to Travis'' instructions. He had gone over it again and again until he remembered the relatively simple process perfectly but he checked it against his notes anyway. Once he was certain, he set the timer and left.


    Slinking through the dark, he restrained his aura as much as he could, knowing there were gold-rank vampires about. Restraining his aura diminished his supernatural senses that relied on it, but he only needed to sense far enough to avoid danger. As he made his way from the most populated, and therefore dangerous, area, things were going suspiciously well. Just as he had that thought, he sensed a powerful wave of dimensional energy move across the astral space like a tsunami.


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± he complained. ¡°I didn¡¯t even say it out loud.¡±


    A dimensional event has triggered the collapse of the astral space you are in.Your ability [Nirvanic Transfiguration] has a stabilising effect on the immediate space around you and will maintain a section of physical reality around you that will not collapse.The presence of physical space that cannot be collapsed has anchored the collapsing astral space. Due to conditions in the physical reality to which the astral space is connected, a transformation event has been triggered.A transformation zone has been triggered. Due to being coterminous to an area of disintegrating dimensional space, the transformation zone will demonstrate abnormal properties.


    ¡°Are you kidding me? Again?¡±


    Jason looked around as the ubiquitous fog started to take on a rainbow hue. He was standing atop a stone spire rising from the fog and covered by a castle, most of which had collapsed away. The fog started to coalesce, almost into a liquid, and started rolling away from him to reveal more of the collapsed castle.


    The castle itself started to change, dissolving into mist as well, but this did not share the rainbow colour of the space around him. It even retained the shape of the castle from which it had dissolved and then expanded to replace the missing sections.


    The transformation zone has formed an abnormal genesis space. Your ability [Nirvanic Transfiguration] has stabilised a section of that space.Your ability [Spirit Domain] is asserting authority over the stabilised space and forming a spirit domain. Abnormal effects will not occur within your spirit domain but anomalous effects will attack your spirit domain in an attempt to homogenise it with the remainder of the transformation zone.


    Jason watched as a castle made of clouds was made from the ruins of what came before. The rainbow energy forming from the fog became a bubble surrounding the castle.


    You have established a permanent spirit domain. The maximum total area your spirit domains can cover is limited by your soul strength and your rank. Current amount of maximum spirit domain established: 3287%. Increase your rank to increase your maximum total spirit domain size.Once genesis space had formed territories, abnormalities will begin to attack your spirit domain. You may expand your spirit domain by expanding it into other territories within genesis space.


    Jason ran a hand over his face.


    ¡°Farrah is going to be so mad I didn¡¯t bring her. Wait, what about the nuke?¡±


    Outside the astral space, Shako looked at the dissolving aperture, his face filled with rage.


    ¡°No! What is this? WHAT DID YOU DO?¡±


    ¡°We have to go!¡± Chen yelled.


    The mass of dimensional energy was plain for both of them to sense, like the outer edges of a tropical storm. Shako ignored him and Chen shot away, as fast as his gold-rank speed would take him. Only when he was well clear of the dimensional forces did Chen stop and turn around. Initially invisible, those forces had taken on a rainbow hue before being sealed away inside the dome of a transformation zone as it shimmered into being. Chen trembled as he looked at it.


    ¡°What did I do?¡±

 Chapter 440: One of Asano’s Secrets

    By the time Jason expanded his spirit domain into a fourth territory, the enemies were growing truly dangerous. Although extremely weak for their rank, they were still gold-rank entities and with each territory Jason claimed, the attacking anomalies grew stronger. In the previous transformation zone, Jason had sent off the gold-rankers before the transformation zone reacted by making the anomalies that rank as well. Jason assumed that since the anomalies here were gold rank, the transformation zone was reacting to the most powerful of the vampires caught up in it.


    If it weren¡¯t for the fact that Jason retained all his essence abilities this time, he would have struggled to handle even the first territory. Possessing the spirit domain power from the inception of the transformation zone shielded Jason¡¯s territory from the negative effects of the transformation zone at large.


    The fourth territory was similar to the astral space it had been formed from, being filled with eerie, obscuring mist. It lacked the chasms spanned by crumbling bridges, but there were still crumbling gothic buildings. Most of it was made up of woodland, though, the mist drifting between trees with ethereal silver leaves. Every so often, Jason would find one with a pale white peach dangling from a branch, which he plucked and stowed away.


    Item: [Ghost Fruit] (gold rank, common)


    Fruit that contains an otherworldly power (consumable, food).


    Effect: For a moderate period after consumption, any magical damage inflicted by essence abilities or other innate powers adds disruptive-force damage in addition to the normal damage.


    It would have been useful for confronting the ghost-like anomalies that appeared to attack Jason but consuming gold-rank food would do him more harm than good. Fortunately, his powers were able to treat the incorporeal entities as if they were flesh and blood using the afflictions he had picked up at silver rank.


    [Mortality] (affliction, magic): Negates immunity to curses. This includes intrinsic immunities such as from not having a soul or not being alive. Cannot be cleansed while any curse affliction is in effect.[Blood From a Stone] (affliction, magic): Negates immunity to blood and poison effects. This includes intrinsic immunities, such as from not having a biology or corporeal form. Entities without blood can bleed while under this effect. Cannot be cleansed while any blood or poison affliction is in effect.[Weakness of the Flesh] (affliction, magic): Negates immunities to disease and necrotic damage. This includes intrinsic immunities, such as from not having a biology or corporeal form. Cannot be cleansed while any disease affliction is in effect.


    The afflictions led to the odd sight of ghosts dying like living creatures, leaving behind ectoplasm laced with blood and rot. With the sheer number of them, it left the misty forest dripping in foul goo.


    When the final ghost fell, Jason waited for the zone boss to appear, fingers crossed.


    ¡°Please be the marshmallow man. Please be the marshmallow man.¡±


    When he sensed another almost featureless ghost appear, only much larger, Jason was disappointed. He held his hands out to his sides and cast a spell.


    ¡°As your lives were mine to reap, so your deaths are mine to harvest.¡±


    By making them vulnerable to blood effects, Jason could drain the energy from the ghost-like anomalies as if it were life force, drawing it in and absorbing it in a huge wave.


    You have gained instances of [Blood Frenzy] through the ability [Blood Harvest].You have reached the maximum number of instances of [Blood Frenzy]. Further instances will be converted to instances of [Blood of the Immortal].You have gained instances of [Blood of the Immortal] through the ability [Blood Harvest].


    This was the secret to Jason fighting the gold-rank anomalies as they grew stronger. Blood frenzy was a buff that increased his speed and recovery, allowing him to at least partially keep up with a gold-ranker¡¯s speed, even if he couldn¡¯t quite match it. The heightened recovery attribute boosted the effectiveness of his many self-healing powers, including the potent healing of blood of the immortal. Triggered when Jason suffered damage, it was a potent but short-lived healing effect that would sustain Jason in the face of powerful attacks.


    Jason looked at his familiars.


    ¡°Alright, gents. Back to work.¡±


    ¡°Normally essence users caught in a transformation are rendered unconscious throughout the process but aren¡¯t changed,¡± Barbou said. ¡°The fact that we¡¯re awake tells us that this is an abnormal transformation zone, similar to the one in Slovakia.¡±


    He looked at Gerling.


    ¡°You¡¯re the only one with any experience inside a zone like this.¡±


    ¡°Our abilities were sealed away in the last zone as well,¡± Gerling said. Given the circumstances, he wasn¡¯t going to keep giving Barbou a hard time. The Frenchman might only be bronze-rank but he was a better ritualist than anyone Gerling had managed to recruit.


    ¡°What about ritual magic?¡± Barbou asked.


    ¡°We never tested it in the other transformation zone.¡±


    ¡°That should probably be our first step, then,¡± Barbou said. ¡°I¡¯ll try a loot ritual on one of these things that attacked us.¡±


    ¡°Asano called them anomalies,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°He has a power that gives him information on the things he encounters, so he¡¯d know,¡± Barbou said.


    They were in a strange village that looked like a tourist attraction because it was scaled for knee-high people. The anomalies that attacked them were tiny villagers with farm implements, although there had been a carpet of them they had to eliminate. Without powers, they had been forced to physically crush them, which was surprisingly difficult.


    While the power level of the anomalies was only around that of a low-end silver-rank monster, their true rank was gold and they proved rather resilient. Many of Gerling¡¯s silver-rank minions had been injured, as well as rather disturbed after killing all the tiny people with their bare hands. Barbou had carefully avoided the fight, atop one of the diminutive buildings.


    ¡°What are these things?¡± one of Gerling¡¯s men asked, holding up an orb swirling with black and red energy.


    ¡°PUT THAT DOWN,¡± Gerling roared. ¡°You want to be a goddamn tentacle monster?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where that thing came from?¡± Barbou said. ¡°Interesting. Did you learn anything from Asano about them?¡±


    ¡°I think he had some way of using them to claim territory,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°Which is presumably how he created his magic town,¡± Barbou surmised.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he used them in their current state, though,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I think he changed them, somehow, but he never told us how.¡±


    ¡°In fairness,¡± Barbou said, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have told you either.¡±


    Jason returned to the cloud castle at the centre of his new spirit domain before he expanded into the next territory. Under Jason¡¯s control, the castle had morphed from its original design in the classic Western-European style to more of a palace. It was now made up of wings centred on the same pagoda to be found at the heart of Jason¡¯s first domain.


    Rather than head for the pagoda, Jason went to check on the people housed in one of the palace wings. Jason had found more people turned into celestines, much like the farming family from his first domain. This time there were many more, the people who had been caged up in pens. Thus far, he had not encountered any of the ghouls that had been near them at the time.


    Jason would have liked to bring out his grandmother to take them in hand but his spirit vault wouldn¡¯t open in the transformation space. Being a part of his spirit domain ability, it was tied up in reshaping the space around him. Jason could take items for his inventory, though, so he provided what food he could and left them to their own devices.


    After checking on them and fending off most of their questions, he made his way to the pagoda. He rode the elevating platform to the top floor and surveyed his new domain from the balcony. Immediately around the palace were deep pools of water, spanned by narrow strips of land. When claiming that territory, anomalies had crawled up out of the water to attack.


    The subsequent territories were quite disparate, from the fog forest to a city reminiscent of Prague, but not the real Prague. It was more like Prague from espionage movies, all shadowy corners and cobbled streets glistening from rain that always seemed to have just happened.


    Jason took out one of the items he had taken from the ghost boss.


    Item: [Dark Orb] (unranked, uncommon)


    Contains the power to unseal the power of darkness. (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Sealed [Dark Essence] ability.Effect: Unseals a random [Dark Essence] ability.You have 0 sealed dark essence abilities.


    Like all bosses, its loot included an orb to unseal one of Jason¡¯s abilities, but this time he didn¡¯t need them. It was useless for its intended purpose but Jason took out another item; a doom orb left over from the last transformation zone. Jason completion of the transformation zone had changed it, however.


    Item: [Eye of Doom (dormant)] (unranked, legendary)


    Contains the potential to bestow spirit domains with the power of doom. Requires more energy before it can be used (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Spirit domain, [Doom] essence.Effect: Adds an additional passive effect to the wielder¡¯s spirit domains.Current power: 36%Consume essence orbs in order to increase power.


    The eye of doom looked just like one of Gordon¡¯s eye orbs. Jason touched the two orbs together and the dark orb melted into the eye.


    Eye of Doom has accumulated power.Current power: 48%Consume additional essence orbs in order to further increase power.


    Jason put the orb away and leaned on the railing, his mind troubled. He was unsure if the Earth¡¯s dimensional boundary could handle another shake-up, meaning that Jason would need to completely stabilise the transformation zone to prevent it from punching a hole in the universe. Even with his full powers, he was uncertain about his chances.


    With the anomalies growing closer to the strength of an ordinary gold-rank monster with each new territory, Jason was uncertain if he could claim it all. He had grave concerns about what awaited him in the final territories, which he had not risked claiming in the last transformation space.


    Jason had two points of consolation that gave him hope for success. One was that his spirit domain already had its defences in place, helping fight against the anomalies in great number. It was growing harder with each expansion, though, as the anomalies became more resilient to the silver-rank effects. The second consolation was the most powerful weapon at Jason¡¯s disposal.


    At first, Jason thought premature detonation of the nuke had triggered the transformation space, but while exploring the territories he found it again. Not only had the detonation sequence been cancelled but, like most things in the transformation zone, it had been changed. Jason took it out from his inventory to examine it again. No longer a backpack nuke, it now took the form of an unwieldy rocket launcher.


    Item: [Travis¡¯ Big Rocket] (silver rank, rare)


    Definitely not compensating for anything (consumable, bazooka).


    Effect: Launches a rocket containing vast and destructive powers of solar and kinetic energy.


    It was silver rank, as the original device had been, allowing Jason to make use of it. He just hoped that when the time came, it would be enough.


    Gerling was looking at two orbs, sitting on the ground in front of him. They were identical in size but differed in the colour of the energies swirling within. One was black and red, the unstable cores Gerling was familiar with. The other was filled with blue, silver and gold light.


    ¡°So this is how he did it,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°We can¡¯t be certain,¡± Barbou said.


    ¡°No, this is it,¡± Gerling said with certainty.


    Barbou¡¯s loot ritual had produced the refined version of the orb.


    ¡°This is what Asano used to claim the transformation zone for himself,¡± Gerling said. ¡°He has a loot power, so it was easy for him, but now it¡¯s my turn. I¡¯ve finally dug out one of Asano¡¯s secrets.¡±


    ¡°Even assuming you¡¯re right,¡± Barbou said, ¡°which is quite an assumption, by the way. There is limited power in this orb. You¡¯re going to need a lot of them if you want to start affected all this space around us.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯ll loot more,¡± Gerling told him.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need more spirit coins for that many looting rituals,¡± Barbou said.


    Gerling grinned.


    ¡°We still have our racial powers,¡± he said. ¡°And as it happens, Bennett, here, has a storage power as a racial gift, like Asano.¡±


    ¡°Sure do,¡± said Bennett, one of Gerling¡¯s minions.


    ¡°Bennett,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Adrien, here, is going to need some spirit coins. How many coins did we take from the base stockpile in Germany?¡±


    ¡°Roughly?¡± Bennett asked. ¡°A metric ass-ton.¡±

 Chapter 441: Swarm Against Swarm

    Jason ducked into one of Shade¡¯s bodies and vanished, right before a huge gobbet of webbing splashing into the shadowy familiar. Despite Shade¡¯s incorporeal form, the potent magic on the webbing sent him flying backwards and pinned his body to the wall of the vast cavern. The energy in the web rapidly burned away Shade¡¯s body, destroying it.


    Jason appeared from another of Shade bodies, right underneath the huge creature. He reached overhead to carve his knife through its hair to cut the skin, the long, steel-like bristles scraping his fingers. He shadow-jumped again as it moved to react. Jason¡¯s reflexes were already enhanced to the maximum but the spider still caught him with one of the blade-like protrusions on its leg as he jumped.


    This boss creature was not that much larger than the normal anomalies in the cave-system territory, but it was much more powerful. It had the full might of a gold-rank monster, complete with exotic abilities. These took the form of special webs, from fire webs that were harmful to Colin to dimensional webs that hurt Shade and Gordon.


    Jason had been forced to recall his familiars other than Shade, whose multiplicity of bodies gave him some leeway. Those bodies were being taken down, one by one, though. The advantage of recalling his familiars was that Jason could use the effects he gained from them personally. The two orbs provided by Gordon were valuable shields, intercepting many of the web attacks, although they could only hold up for so long before breaking down and needing to reform.


    The spider was also quick and agile for a spider the size of a transit van, but that was unsurprising from a gold-rank greater anomaly. The chitinous blade on its legs were swift and dangerous weapons, bleeding Jason again and again, although never scoring a decisive hit. Gordon¡¯s shields soaked the big hits Jason wasn¡¯t fast enough to avoid, while the smaller hits were rapidly healed.


    The combination of the blood robes Colin gave him and Colin himself boosted Jason¡¯s formidable regeneration and drain attacks. Jason afflicted up the spider, hit it with his big damage spell and then drained the curses, diseases, poison and unholy afflictions. This loaded Jason up with powerful recovery effects and the spider with transcendent damage.


    True gold-rank power was no joke, however, and that was not enough to finish the job. Jason went through multiple cycles of applying and then draining the sinister afflictions, both to build up a powerful stack of recovery effects on himself and load up the spider with holy afflictions. Only then did Jason move on to the final stage of the fight, transforming his affliction dagger to its second form, from an unholy dagger to a holy sword.


    Item: [Penitent, The Blade of Sacrifice] (silver rank, conjured)


    Conjured holy sword for those willing to pay the price for victory in battles to the death (weapon, sword).


    Effect: Attacks refresh any wounding afflictions on the target. Those wounding effects require additional healing to remove.Effect: Attacks inflict an instance of [Price in Blood]. This affliction is applied equally to the person it is inflicted upon and the person who inflicts it. This affliction cannot be cleansed while a person who shares it is alive and is immediately negated if the person who shares it dies. Dismissing [Penitent, the Blade of Sacrifice] does not remove this affliction.


    [Price in Blood] (affliction, holy, blood, stacking): Damage between people who share the affliction is increased, including damage sources in place prior to this affliction taking effect. Damage from holy sources is further increased by an additional amount. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Doom Blade''s second form was a risk versus reward weapon. The holy affliction it bestowed amplified all damage dealt and received, which is why Jason rarely used it. Only once he was confident in both the afflictions layered on the spider and his own ability to withstand the retaliation did he call it out.


    Despite the risks, Jason did not shy from the fight, moving in to strike at the spider, boosting the damage it was suffering with every cut. Finally, Jason opened up with his finisher, Verdict.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement and the judgement is death.¡±


    Amplified by the holy afflictions wracking the spider, the beam of transcendent light came down from the cavern roof like the judgement of a wrathful god, yet even that wasn''t enough to eradicate the spider entirely. Its gold-rank resilience proved its might once more, leaving Jason with the very unusual situation of waiting on the cooldown for his finishing move.


    Surviving was not the same as thriving, however, and the ruined spider was on the verge of collapse. Just as Jason thought he¡¯d won, the spider exploded with a force that shook the cavern. Stalactites came crashing down and Jason was sent flying, slapping into the cavern wall like a wet newspaper. There was more to the boss anomaly''s explosion than pure force, however. Its ravaged body had transformed into a storm of spiders that scattered through the cavern.


    Jason recovered his sensibilities quickly, this being far from the first time he had taken a mighty whack. He quickly took stock, assessing his heavily injured body and discovering the spider swarm encroaching on him. Despite his injuries, he waved his hand, spraying leeches all around to send swarm against swarm. It meant giving up the extra regeneration when he was badly hurt, but the spiders had to be dealt with and Jason had another plan.


    Jason¡¯s starlight cloak turned into wings and lifted him into the middle of the cavern. There was plenty of room for them to hold him aloft in the massive chamber as Leeches moved to attack spiders.


    The spiders, despite being tiny, were still gold rank and didn¡¯t fall quickly to Colin¡¯s afflictions. Indeed, since Jason was unreachable, they started savaging the leeches, which they outnumbered and outranked. Even so, the game little leeches were apocalypse beasts and did not go down easily.


    ¡°That¡¯ll do, Colin,¡± Jason said. The leeches gathered into small piles that shot rags up to Jason, then turned into blood and swiftly flowed up the rags to be reabsorbed. Some of the spiders tried climbing up but Jason let the rags dissolved and they dropped to the floor.


    Jason picked out a spider and cast a couple of spells in it. Inexorable Doom started immediately multiplying all the afflictions, while Haemorrhage applied the same afflictions as Colin, plus a bonus; the sacrificial victim effect, which made the spiders more susceptible to drain abilities. Jason then called out Gordon and had him send an orb to trigger the butterflies, spreading the afflictions through the spider swarm.


    The butterfly swarm spread, its exponential growth overtaking the spiders in number until every spider was loaded with a growing pile of afflictions. Jason was still heavily injured, but there was a solution for that and he cast a spell.


    ¡°Your blood is not yours to keep, but mine on which to feast.¡±


    Ability: [Feast of Blood] (Blood)


    Spell (drain, blood).Base Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Silver 3 (14%).Effect (iron): Drain health and stamina. Only affects targets with bleeding wounds or who are suffering from the [Bleeding] affliction.Effect (bronze): Drains additional health and stamina for each instance of poison on the target.Effect (silver): Increasing the mana cost to very high and the cooldown to 2 minutes allows this spell to target all viable targets in a wide area.


    Life force drained from the spiders and was soaked up by Jason. The gold rank anomalies were small but had life force to spare and the afflictions on them allowed the spell to drain even more. It was more than enough to fully replenish Jason¡¯s health.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Jason drained the afflictions from the little spiders the way he had again and again with their larger progenitor. The spiders were left glowing with transcendent energy of blue, gold and silver; a match for Jason¡¯s eyes.


    The gold-rank spiders were tough but there was still a limit to the vitality in their tiny bodies. Colin¡¯s afflictions and Jason drain had stolen much of it and the transcendent damage from the penance affliction burned away the rest. The spiders dissolved into rainbow smoke.


    You have defeated [Greater Anomaly].[Greater Anomaly] has been wholly annihilated. It has been looted automatically.[Sin Orb] has been added to your inventory.10 [Gold Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1,000 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.10,000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.Defeating a higher-ranked monster has provided additional rewards.[Hegemon¡¯s Vessel] has been added to your inventory.You have overtaken a genesis space territory and purged all anomalous elements.Return to core territory to initiate transfiguration of new territory.


    While Jason was happy to have claimed another territory, his concerns about the future fights continued to grow. This anomaly boss had the strength of a full-flight gold-rank monster, if not an especially powerful one. Even the previous greater anomalies hadn¡¯t truly shown the power of their rank but with each territory Jason claimed, the anomalies attacking it grew stronger. It was only a matter of time before even the ordinary anomalies reached that level.


    Returning to his palace at the centre of his domain, a small group of newly-transformed celestines approached as Jason arrived on Shade¡¯s motorcycle form. Shade returned to Jason¡¯s shadow as he started walking past the water fountain roundabout and toward the pagoda.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± the celestine ringleader said, matching Jason¡¯s pace. ¡°We have a lot of nervous and uncertain people, with little idea of what is going on.¡±


    ¡°Then I have some bad news for you,¡± Jason said, still walking. ¡°You¡¯ve got one more than you think.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what to do,¡± one of the other celestines pleaded.


    ¡°Go back inside and hope I figure out how to save the world. Again. Until then, there¡¯s not a lot of point making other plans.¡±


    The pagoda doors opened as Jason approached and closed behind him as he went inside.


    ¡°You were rather rude to those people who have undergone quite a lot of trauma,¡± Shade observed as Jason called up a cloud chair to sit in. They were on the balcony of the pagoda¡¯s top floor.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the time or the energy to be nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°I should have never come here. The vampires are a secondary concern to what I need to do.¡±


    ¡°If you weren¡¯t here, Mr Asano, who would stabilise this transformation zone?¡±


    ¡°Would it have even have formed if I wasn¡¯t here?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Something triggered it; you felt it, just like I did, and it wasn¡¯t the nuke.¡±


    ¡°That does not mean it is somehow related to you,¡± Shade said. ¡°That is a conclusion built on far too little evidence.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You want to bet on whether this would have happened if I¡¯d stayed out of it?¡±


    ¡°No, thank you,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    Jason winced unhappily and closed his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Shade. You¡¯re right. I was rude to them and I was rude to you. I¡¯ll go and try to calm them down. In a bit. I¡¯m just so bloody weary. I¡¯m tired of this fight, I¡¯m tired of this world and I¡¯m tired of being responsible for it.¡±


    ¡°We both know you won¡¯t put those responsibilities down, Mr Asano. Rest, as much as you can. You¡¯re going to need it.¡±


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Jason said with a bone-tired chuckle. ¡°I don''t see a path to win this, Shade. I''ve made so many mistakes. I should never have agreed to come here. I should have brought Farrah after I did.¡±


    ¡°There is always a path, Mr Asano. You may not like where it takes you or what you have to do to walk it, but it is always there. Defeating the Builder is something most would consider impossible, yet you''ve done it twice. He tried to claim an astral space and he tried to claim your soul. Despite his personal involvement, he was rebuffed in both instances.¡±


    ¡°Extenuating circumstances.¡±


    ¡°There always are, Mr Asano, or you would not have been in those situations at all. This world was going to rupture with the last abnormal transformation zone, yet you held it together. You''ve created your own spirit domain when your power is still so insignificant. That''s the most impossible thing of all and you don''t even understand what it means, yet.¡±


    ¡°But you do?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell me?¡±


    ¡°No. You''ve already placed a foot in a realm you aren''t ready for. I''m not going to place your head in after it. I also suggest you refrain from speaking on it at all once we reach the other world.¡±


    ¡°Fine. You know that in every situation you just listed there were extreme mitigating factors that made what happened possible,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Which you found and used every time.¡±


    ¡°Actually, that one time it was pretty much all Clive.¡±


    ¡°Do you think those mitigating factors aren''t here to be found now, or are you just too tired to seek them out?¡± Shade asked. ¡°I hate to break it to you, Mr Asano, but doing the impossible is kind of your thing. To be unfortunately colloquial, it is now time to nut up.¡±


    Jason''s eyes shot open and he stared at Shade.


    Jason made his way down to the celestines. He plastered on what he hoped was a convincingly optimistic expression and tried to settle them as best he could. He was making some headway when he stopped mid sentence, sensing a familiar presence enter his spirit domain.

 Chapter 442: Necessary Evil

    Mr North stepped from unclaimed territory into Jason¡¯s spirit domain. He was in the bottom of a rocky canyon, with sulphurous vents letting out steam from the volcanic activity below. He scaled the canyon wall with the same adroitness his true spider form would have had and then walked to the top of a nearby ridge. He looked out over the domain, spotting the pagoda at the centre of the palace complex.


    ¡°Oh, Mr Asano,¡± he muttered as the aura of Jason¡¯s domain washed over him. ¡°You are getting out of hand.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got no interest in being in your hand,¡± Jason said.


    Mr North hid his surprise as he turned to face Jason, who was wearing his blood robe and starlight cloak. His dagger was in his hand, although held casually at his side for the moment. Under the dark hood was the unnerving, unreadable light of Jason¡¯s eyes.


    ¡°Not many can sneak up on me, Mr Asano. Not in this world.¡±


    ¡°Those spider threads you have wafting around you are hard to spot,¡± Jason said. ¡°The trick is looking for the tiny bit of aura you put in them. A requirement to use them as sensory organs, I assume.¡±


    ¡°And you can push your senses to the limit here without fear of being noticed because this place is already flooded with your aura,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°In this place, Mr North, it doesn¡¯t matter if I¡¯m noticed.¡±


    ¡°I suppose not. You must be wondering why I¡¯m here?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m wondering if you triggered this transformation zone.¡±


    ¡°You think I would put the whole world in jeopardy like this?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve done it before. I haven¡¯t forgotten who disabled the grid and plunged the world into calamity, Mr North. The day will come when you¡¯re called to account for that.¡±


    ¡°It was a necessary evil, Mr Asano. I wanted to do things more gradually but your return forced my hand. When you were fumbling around in ignorance that was fine but your friend Dawn accelerated the course of events, truncating my timeline. The magical development of your world needed to be accelerated in turn and humanity needed to be united by a common enemy so they¡¯re ready when the next one comes.¡±


    ¡°You were getting ready for the vampire war?¡±


    ¡°Nothing that mundane. The people of your world remained stubbornly fractious in the wake of the monster waves, so I developed a means to infuse blood with reality core energy and slipped it to the Cabal. Finally, people are pulling together to face the threat.¡±


    Jason¡¯s grip on his dagger grew tighter.


    ¡°You¡¯re behind the ancient vampires?¡±


    ¡°I promise you, Mr Asano, the enemy you unleash will be far worse. This world needs to be ready. Of course, the vampires needed to a plausible threat without truly threatening humanity, which is why this astral space needed to be dealt with.¡±


    ¡°What is this enemy I¡¯m going to unleash?¡±


    ¡°That will be your necessary evil, Mr Asano. Or perhaps, necessary consequence would be a more appropriate descriptor. You¡¯ll be unwitting, after all. We can¡¯t have you killing the baby in an attempt to shield it from an abusive parent.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t trust me to make the right choice.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve already made the right choice, Mr Asano. There¡¯s no point complicating matters.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that my decision to make?¡±


    ¡°Yes, which is why we¡¯re keeping it from you. You¡¯ve had failures in judgement before.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying ¡®we.¡¯ Who else are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Your friend, Dawn. We¡¯ve never discussed it, or even met, but we both made the same choice for the same reasons. If you don¡¯t trust me, trust her. She set you on the right path, even if you¡¯re walking it faster than I¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know exactly how strong you are, North, but in this place, the advantages are all mine. You think I can¡¯t make you talk?¡±


    ¡°I think your instincts are telling you that I¡¯m right. I think you don¡¯t entirely trust yourself and I think you won¡¯t like you who become if you start torturing me for information. You¡¯d have to go hard, and you know that. Harder than you want. I also think you need me. Do you have the power to resolve what¡¯s happening here alone?¡±


    ¡°What has happened here?¡± Jason asked. ¡°This transformation zone didn¡¯t form naturally. If you didn¡¯t trigger it, who did? And why are you even here?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps we can discuss this somewhere more comfortable than a rocky outcropping?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade? Emi special, please.¡±


    Darkness emerged from Jason''s shadow and took the form of a rugged dirt bike, inevitably black, along with a sidecar.


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Mr North said, looking at the sidecar. ¡°Can¡¯t you just open a portal?¡±


    ¡°None of my archway abilities work here,¡± Jason said. ¡°My spirit vault, the node space door. I can shadow jump, but no portals.¡±


    He slung his leg over the bike and waited.


    ¡°You could always jog.¡±


    The deep astral did not have geography in any way that made sense from the perspective of physical reality. Only when the physical and the astral merged did concepts like distance become anything more than metaphorical. The borders of physical reality were a place such interactions took place, although border was something of a misnomer. Other such interactions were astral spaces, where physical and the astral were blended together, as well as the dimensional vessels used to navigate the astral.


    Such Dimensional vessels were essentially mobile astral spaces, and usually much smaller than astral spaces that formed naturally. The astral space Jason had fought the Builder over had once been an unconventionally vast dimension ship, until it was stolen and affixed to the world of Pallimustus, acting more like a normal astral space.


    The dimensional vessel Shako used to travel was another that belonged to the Builder, although much more modest in proportion. Like Dawn, he had left it close to Earth¡¯s unstable patch of dimensional membrane and projected an avatar through. After losing his temper, his avatar had been destroyed by the formation of the transformation zone and he was constructing another.


    Unlike Dawn, who had permission to be present and made the strongest avatar she could, Shako made the weakest, to support his case for non-intervention. It was skirting on the wrong side of the line but the World-Phoenix was notoriously averse to direct confrontation. Unless Shako was brazen about violating the agreement, she would not intervene. With Dawn gone and no one else to look over his shoulder, that was all the more true.


    The door to Shako¡¯s chamber opened and his servant, Keffin, entered, glancing at the half-formed avatar, currently in the form of a person-shaped being of light.


    ¡°Lord Shako,¡± Keffin said. ¡°Another vessel has approached and contacted us.¡±


    Shako snorted.


    ¡°The World-Phoenix called Dawn back to wring some minor concessions out of me again?¡±


    ¡°No, sir. The vessel is the Last Ferry.¡±


    ¡°Velius?¡± Shako said, pleasantly surprised. ¡°Great. Invite him aboard.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain that¡¯s a good idea, sir?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known Velius longer than you¡¯ve been alive, Keffin. He¡¯s an old friend.¡±


    ¡°That,¡± Mr North said as he clambered out of the sidecar, ¡°was very undignified. Also, it would have been faster to run, with my power level.¡±


    ¡°I gave you the option,¡± Jason said. ¡°At least I didn¡¯t make you wear a little helmet.¡±


    Jason led Mr North into the pagoda and up to the mezzanine lounge.


    ¡°If you didn''t do this,¡± Jason asked as they sat, ¡°then who did?¡±


    Mr North looked at the hood still shrouding Jason''s face and the blade still held in his hand.


    ¡°Must you be so cloak and dagger, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°I might be more amenable to jokes, Mr North, if you weren¡¯t one of history¡¯s greatest monsters. How many deaths can we lay at your door? The monster waves. The necromancer who animated the Makassar victims. He got his start in your house, Mr North. A house that, sooner or later, I am going to burn down.¡±


    ¡°So scary. I''m afraid that my little organisation is quite beneath you. I never intended them to be ready for today''s fights. Plus, they never really understood the consequences of my directives.¡±


    ¡°They were just following orders?¡±


    ¡°I take your point,¡± Mr North conceded. ¡°Even so, you have larger concerns.¡±


    ¡°Who triggered this transformation zone, North. And why are you in it?¡±


    ¡°I came for Gerling.¡±


    ¡°Gerling?¡±


    ¡°He''s in here with us, somewhere. He learned that you were coming here and wanted to catch you inside.¡±


    ¡°He did this?¡±


    ¡°No. He simply came for you.¡±


    ¡°How did he get through the seal?¡±


    ¡°He took Adrien Barbou to let him in. Blew up my office building to do it. I came to take Adrien back.¡±


    ¡°You really care about some lackey?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very old, Mr Asano, but in that time I¡¯ve had very few friends. Would you do any less for yours?¡±


    ¡°Friends?¡±


    ¡°Is that so hard to believe? I like Adrien.¡±


    ¡°You know that Barbou¡¯s a ship-jumper, right? He turned on the rest of the Network for the Lyon branch, on the Lyon branch for the EOA and is probably spilled every secret he had to Gerling.¡±


    ¡°I know, which is why I was careful about which secrets he had. I may have let one or two slip, but nothing critical. True friends, Mr Asano, are willing to accept their friends¡¯ faults. Something you, of all people, should be rather grateful for.¡±


    ¡°Then who triggered this transformation zone?¡±


    ¡°Another acquaintance of yours. Chen.¡±


    ¡°The gold ranker from China?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although he was merely a cat¡¯s paw. He used a magical device he doesn¡¯t understand, the designs of which were provided by a man from beyond our world. Does the name Shako mean anything to you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°He killed me once.¡±


    ¡°Well, he just tried again. I was scouting out the astral space when I saw Shako and Chen place the device in the aperture. Once the transformation zone triggered, I went in before it was sealed off.¡±


    ¡°Why would you do that?¡±


    ¡°Because I understand what is at stake if this abnormal transformation zone isn¡¯t smoothly resolved. The last one almost shook open the dimensional barrier keeping this world intact. It can¡¯t take another even like that.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said.


    The dagger and his cloak vanished as he stood up and walked over to lean on the mezzanine railing.


    ¡°It really was because I came here,¡± he said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have done it.¡±


    ¡°You have a hero complex, Mr Asano. It makes you easy to predict. Easy to manipulate. But look around. The world needs heroes.¡±


    ¡°Yet, you play the villain.¡±


    ¡°We each have our role.¡±


    ¡°What do you know about Shako?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I know he¡¯s a servant of the Builder, little more. That much I got from his aura.¡±


    ¡°The Builder isn¡¯t allowed to interfere with this world anymore,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s an agreement in place. The Builder isn¡¯t allowed to send people here.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Technically, he wasn¡¯t here. What I saw was a projection, much like those your friend Dawn used.¡±


    ¡°Will that count as a violation of the agreement?¡±


    ¡°Without knowing the specifics, I couldn¡¯t make an informed assessment. In my experience, it¡¯s a matter of what you can get away with and whether you were successful.¡±


    ¡°Velius,¡± Shako said as he welcomed the dark-skinned celestine with curly silver hair onto his dimensional vessel. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you again.¡±


    ¡°I wish I could say the same, Shako,¡± Velius said, his expression sober.


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Shako said. ¡°Is this about the agreement? I may have walked the line a little, but¨C¡±


    ¡°You already walked the line, Shako. This time you crossed it.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t act. I didn¡¯t go in person. I didn¡¯t even send an avatar with magic. Any fool with a sword could have killed it.¡±


    ¡°Your master agreed to abide to not just to the letter but the spirit of the agreement, Shako. Speaking of technicalities is essentially a confession.¡±


    ¡°That agreement was made to the World-Phoenix¡¯s representative,¡± Shako said. ¡°Why isn¡¯t she here? You represent the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°Whom is party to the same accord.¡±


    ¡°What does the Reaper care about Asano? Its only interest was in stopping the World-Phoenix from constantly resurrecting her pawns.¡±


    ¡°The Reaper''s interest is that a bargain was struck, so the bargain must be kept. Your master is young and has never shown the proper respect for the accords by which the great astral beings operate. You have inherited this tendency and it is time for the both of you to pay. One price that will serve for you both.¡±


    ¡°And what price is that?¡± Shako asked with a flinty expression.


    ¡°The price is you, Shako. It''s time for you to come with me.¡±


    ¡°You want me to go off with you? If you want me onto your vessel, Velius, you''ll need to drag me there yourself.¡±


    ¡°No, Shako. If you refuse, I will go back alone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought.¡±


    ¡°Carmen will be the one to come get you.¡±


    ¡°You''ll send Carmen?¡±


    ¡°I won''t need to. She''s aboard the Last Ferry.¡±


    Shako froze, his pale skin turning a whiter shade of pale.


    ¡°The Reaper is done indulging you and your master, Shako.¡±


    ¡°The Builder won¡¯t stand for this.¡±


    ¡°If he was going to intervene, he would have,¡± Velius said. ¡°You know that. He''s serving you up as the price for his own transgressions. So, will you be coming with me, or will Carmen have to come and get you?¡±


    Shako hung his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°What are you proposing?¡± Jason asked, still leaning on the rail as Mr North lounged behind him on a cloud couch.


    ¡°Do you have the means to stabilise this transformation zone more fully than the last?¡± Mr North asked.


    Jason closed his eyes.


    You have claimed sufficient territory to stabilise the transformation zone and separate it from the convergent astral space.Separating the space with the current territory will have a disruptive effect on the dimensional membrane of the surrounding reality. Claim additional territory to reduce the severity of this effect. Current severity reduction: 69.1%Would you like to stabilise the transformation zone Y/N?


    ¡°The means, yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°The strength, no.¡±


    ¡°What I''m proposing is to add my strength to yours.¡±


    ¡°You''re offering to help?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but will even that be enough?¡±


    ¡°Probably not,¡± Jason admitted.


    ¡°Then I¡¯m afraid our classic hero-villain team-up will need to be expanded. Gerling, the necromancer. The vampires, if they¡¯re up and about. Needs must, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Will they be active?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Until you, all I¡¯d found were transformed civilians. The would-be ghouls, waiting for conversion.¡±


    ¡°In a normal transformation zone, anyone with magic caught inside is rendered unconscious for the duration and left otherwise unchanged. That has not happened to you and I, so it stands to reason that others are similarly active.¡±


    ¡°My abilities are a large part of how this space operates,¡± Jason said. ¡°The door was a key component of making it work, although not the only factor.¡±


    ¡°Then we likely have you to thank for retaining our faculties. I don¡¯t have the answers, Mr Asano. Transformation zones were never a part of my plan. I didn¡¯t even know they were possible.¡±


    Jason turned around to face Mr North.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to work with you. Or Gerling, or vampires or your itinerant necromancer. Frankly, I want to kill the job lot of you.¡±


    ¡°Will you?¡± Mr north asked lightly.


    ¡°You know that I won¡¯t. I don¡¯t have a lot of options, do I?¡±


    ¡°At this stage, Mr Asano, I think we should be grateful to have even one.¡±

 Chapter 443: Balls

    ¡°This is the part where we go out and save the world,¡± Mr North said.


    He and Jason were still in the mezzanine lounge.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is the part where you stay here until I come back and get you.¡±


    ¡°You have something better to do?¡±


    ¡°Mr North, one of us saved the world from the convergence of an astral space and transformation zone threatening to open a wound in the side of the universe. The other one is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands. Probably millions at this point. Which one of us do you think should be in charge?¡±


    ¡°Really, Mr Asano? Do you think my way or the highway is going to get Gerling and the vampires on board? Don''t let your desire to kill us all prevent you from completing the task at hand.¡±


    Jason seethed but reluctantly nodded.


    ¡°I do have things to do before we take the next step, though,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How do you suggest going about finding the others?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°We keep expanding territory,¡± Jason said. ¡°Eventually, they¡¯ll be in it.¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate being walked through the process before I¡¯m thrown into it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do that when I get back, just stay here until then.¡±


    ¡°You want me to just sit here and twiddle my thumbs?¡±


    The floor morphed as a table made of cloud-stuff rose from it before solidifying into dark crystal embedded with shifting flecks of blue, silver and gold light. Jason took a notepad and pen from his inventory and dropped them on the table.


    "What are these for?" Mr North asked. "A confession of my heinous deeds?"


    ¡°You were round in the other universe a long time ago, right?¡±


    ¡°I was.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s your memory?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gold-rank, Mr Asano. My memory is so good that I could solve crimes alongside a straight-laced detective who can solve any murder except that of her own father.¡±


    ¡°You think pop-culture references will win me over?¡±


    ¡°My research on you suggests it¡¯s worth a try. How¡¯s it working?¡±


    ¡°Better than I¡¯d like,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°You know about the Order of the Reaper?¡±


    ¡°Reaper cultists. Assassins. Lost their way and became politically ambitious. Some kind of internal schism.¡±


    ¡°Write down everything you remember. It might prove useful when I go back.¡±


    ¡°And why would I do that for you?¡±


    ¡°A gesture of goodwill. Or don¡¯t do it; that¡¯s up to you.¡±


    Jason moved over to the elevating platform, his face still filled with frustration as it lifted him into the other levels. Once he was out of Mr North¡¯s sight, the expression vanished and a smile curled at his lips.


    Jack Gerling slumped against a jungle tree, exhausted.


    ¡°You did good, Jack,¡± said Bennett, one of Gerling¡¯s silver-rank companions. The others were off gathering up the dead anomalies for Barbou to use looting rituals on. Given the numbers, Barbou had been using the largest ritual circles he could make work to loot the anomalies in piles.


    In the jungle territory they were currently in, it was hard to find an open space to perform the ritual. They had resorted to hauling them all back to the previous territory Gerling had claimed, which was a wooden town on stilts set in shallow water. There was a town hall there with enough open space to manage.


    Gerling recovered quickly. With his gold-rank recovery attribute, the wounds he suffered at the hands of the boss anomaly closed quickly. It also rapidly purged the giant snake¡¯s poison and replenished Gerling¡¯s stamina. Approaching the giant anomaly, he threw his arms around it, just under the head, and started dragging it back to be looted as well.


    The looting rituals took hours, during which Gerling and his people left Barbour to work. As the anomalies weren¡¯t monsters, they didn¡¯t dissolve on their own an hour or so after death, giving Barbou time to get through them all. Gerling left Bennett and another flunky to watch Barbou as he and the others returned to the heart of Gerling¡¯s territory. Bennet would collect all the loot in his dimensional space when Barbou was done and follow.


    Gerling¡¯s central territory had originally been a village of undersized cottages, the anomalies taking the form of a horde of tiny people. Once he claimed it, it stayed small but transformed into an undersized, cyberpunk-style slum. Neon buildings and miniaturised strip joints spread out in a rat''s nest of streets and alleys, with the humans walking through them like giants.


    The only normal-sized building was a tower of glass and steel at the centre; the core of Gerling¡¯s domain. At the top of the tower was a luxurious penthouse where Gerling went to rest. The rest of his team not tasked with monitoring Barbou stayed in smaller, but no less opulent apartments a floor below.


    When Bennett brought back Barbou, he delivered the fresh pile of rainbow orbs looted from the anomalies. They were piled high on the floor, along with the orbs unused from before.


    ¡°Well, Jack,¡± Bennett said, slapping Gerling on the shoulder as they looked over the mound of spheres. ¡°No one can deny you¡¯ve got balls.¡±


    Gerling snorted a laugh. He didn¡¯t know what they were called but Gerling knew they were the refined versions of the black and red orbs that had turned Tran into a vampire and Guo into a tentacle monster. After witnessing those events it had been a risk to use the rainbow variant, but Gerling had been right. They were the key to seizing control of the transformation space.


    He was certain that Asano was out there, somewhere in the transformation zone. He didn¡¯t know what would happen when the territories met, but Gerling was confident. With each territory expansion, the anomalies attacking had grown stronger but Gerling had managed to kill three of the boss monsters. From each, he had gained a magical orb that had allowed him to unlock his powers. He knew Asano would have to deal with the same challenges, alone and at silver rank.


    Gerling had used two of the power-unlocking orbs and now Bennett had just delivered a third. The first power unlocked was from his vast essence and wouldn¡¯t have been Gerling¡¯s first choice. It was a leaping power that was useful for mobility and let him build up power for enhanced attacks with the leap. It made for a good opening move against larger and slower enemies like the anomaly bosses, but there were many more powers Gerling would have rather chosen over it. His goal was Asano, who was elusive enough that such a power was of little use.


    The second power he unlocked was more useful. From the potent essence, it allowed allies within his aura to boost their base attributes by consuming mana. Since their powers were all locked, giving them something to spend their mana on was valuable. At gold rank, the additional features of the power allowed the affected allies to add weakening effects to their attacks. It made them burn their mana even faster, but a silver-ranker not using their essence abilities had mana to spare.


    This had been a real boon claiming the territory they had just completed. Since Gerling¡¯s aura covered the entirety of his domain, this allowed his people to use the effect anywhere within it. They were able to spread out and confront the weaker anomalies in small groups or even alone. They were mostly combat elites trained by the excellent US training programs.


    Gerling wanted as many unlocked powers as he could get when he faced Asano. He had underestimated the silver-ranker once and was determined not to do so again. He took the latest orb and absorbed it, feeling the fog sealing another of his ability part like mist in the sunlight. He let out a sinister chuckle as he felt his Immortality power awaken once more.


    His gaze turned back to the pile of rainbow orbs on the floor. It was time for the next expansion.


    Jason sat on the top floor of the pagoda. He hadn''t yet looked at his latest haul from the spider anomaly or triggered the transfiguration of his latest competed territory. The sin orb that would otherwise have unlocked his powers should be enough to finish charging his eye of doom item, so he took both out and let the eye absorb the other sphere.


    Eye of Doom has accumulated power.Current power: 100%[Eye of Doom] is fully empowered. It may be consumed


    Item: [Eye of Doom] (unranked, legendary)


    Contains the potential to bestow spirit domains with the power of doom (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Spirit domain, [Doom] essence.Effect: Consuming the [Eye of Doom] will add additional effects to your spirit domain.


    Jason looked at the description. He was sure that it previously said it would add a single passive effect, not multiple general effects. He couldn''t help but wonder what changed. Was there something specific about the orbs he was feeding it or was something else at work?


    Jason leaned back into the plush cloud chair and considered the item in his hands. The unexpected change made him wary, but it should be safe to use, nonetheless. His identification ability had been unable to show him the effects of powerful items before, but it had never hidden effects entirely. The Eye of Doom, despite the sinister name, should be safe. The only questions were about the specific effects it would grant. Was there some side effect of a power that was somehow prohibitive?


    It was hardly the first time that a description had changed on him. His system was not an objective assessment of the world around him but a function of his own abilities; a power he possessed to sense the world around him that was coloured by his attitudes and unconscious perceptions. He often wondered how affected it was by his conditions and moods. It had always proven trustworthy, yet was, in some ways, an unreliable narrator.


    Even with those concerns, Jason once more put his trust in the ability, absorbing the eye, confident that it wouldn¡¯t harm him. The orb melted into his hand and vanished. Jason¡¯s head was immediately filled with searing pain, as if someone had scooped out his eyes, tipped his head back and was pouring a stream of lava into each socket.


    Jason came to his senses, sprawled in his chair and uncertain of how long he had been suffering. He minimised the message window for the moment, letting out a groan as he stayed slumped where he was. One of Shade¡¯s bodies stood in front of him.


    ¡°How are you feeling, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Like Farrah¡¯s magma elemental tried to shag my eye sockets.¡±


    Jason opened his eyes.


    ¡°Have they changed again?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It does seem to be a regular occurrence, Mr Asano. I know that unconventional eyes are not especially rare in essence users but the regularity with which yours change is reaching the point where I¡¯m becoming concerned.¡±


    ¡°Should I be concerned too?¡±


    Jason¡¯s eyes still ached, although the mind-shattering pain was gone.


    ¡°Do recall that truly permanent change is not to the body but to the soul. Your soul has been hammered into shape more than anyone else I¡¯ve encountered. You¡¯ve been carrying heavy burdens and you need time to stop and rest. Real time; not the lull between crises.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to save the world, here, Shade. There¡¯s another world waiting and I can rest when I get there.¡±


    ¡°I know, Mr Asano. But please keep in mind that it¡¯s a soul, not a whittling stick.¡±


    Gordon manifested himself and leaned down, positioning his dark, empty hood in front of Jason¡¯s face.


    ¡°Gordon?¡±


    ¡°You may want to check your eyes, Mr Asano,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Yeah, alright. Excuse me, Gordon.¡± Gordon moved aside and a stream of cloud-stuff rose from the floor and took the form of a long mirror. Jason looked into his own eyes, seeing they were now eye-shaped nebulas, identical to the one dominating the otherwise empty space inside Gordon¡¯s cloak.


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Jason said turning his head side to side. ¡°These look a lot more like eyes. Less uncanny valley. What do you think, Gordon? Thumbs up?¡±


    One of Gordon¡¯s orbiting eye spheres lit up blue, which was his signal for yes.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said. ¡°The cosmetic changes are a winner, if still a bit stingy. I thought the idea was for my spirit domain to get new stuff, though.¡±


    ¡°Your spirit domains are an extension of yourself,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Jason pulled the previously ignored message window back up.


    You have incorporated the [Eye of Doom] into your spirit vault. This has added additional effects to your spirit domains.Hostile individuals that enter, leave and re-enter your spirit domain immediately regain all previous negative effects inflicted by the spirit domain. Leaving the domain again will still remove all effects.You may remotely view any location within your spirit domain. This vision cannot be foiled or avoided by any effect. At your current rank, this ability cannot be used across dimensional barriers.You may exacerbate the effects of your spirit domain on any individual you can see within it, either in person or via remote viewing.


    ¡°That would have been nice to have before those gold-rank pricks went digging my other place up.¡±


    Jason closed his eyes and sent his vision skimming through his domain. He instinctively understood how and didn¡¯t find it disorienting at all. Reaching his latest territory, not yet fully claimed, reminded him of the task at hand. He returned his vision to his own body.


    ¡°One last goody and then we get back to work,¡± Jason said, pulling out the other item looted from the anomaly boss. It was another orb, this one composed of familiar dark crystal flecked with gold, silver and blue light.


    Item: [Vessel of the Hegemon] (unranked, legendary)


    Forge of the divine chariot (consumable, awakening stone).


    Requirements: Transcendent rank or growth-type vehicle or construct intrinsically connected to an entity with a spirit domain.Effect: Converts the interior of the vehicle or constructed into an extension of the connected entity¡¯s spirit domain.


    ¡°Huh,¡± Jason said, looking at the sphere in his hand. ¡°Forge of the divine chariot? It¡¯s a ball. Ever seen an item like this, Shade?¡±


    ¡°I have not,¡± Shade said. ¡°It is not unusual for a looting power to produce something specifically tailored to the looter, however.¡±


    ¡°It was a bonus item for taking down something higher-rank than me, so I guess that makes sense. Not sure how useful it is, though. Also, I¡¯m not in love with the term ¡®looter.¡¯ It makes me sound like I smash-and-grabbed a television.¡±


    Jason plucked the miniaturised cloud flask from his necklace and it expanded to normal size. It was a round-bottomed flask with a cylindrical neck, filled with swirling white and blue energy. Jason placed the vessel of the hegemon orb on it like an oversized stopper and the orb immediately started dissolving, getting sucked into the flask. The energy inside the flask transformed, taking on the nebula eye form it now shared with both Gordon and Jason.


    "That was pretty straightforward. We''ll have to wait until we''re back out where I left the cloud boat before we can see how it went."


    Jason touched the flask to his neck chain and it shrank back down, reattaching itself. Then he closed his eyes, which were starting to feel better, and spread his senses out over his domain.


    Initiate transfiguration of new territory Y/N?


    ¡°Yes.¡±

 Chapter 444: Which One of Us is the Villian

    Jason¡¯s latest territory finished transmuting.


    Your spirit domain has claimed a territory.Territory has been renamed [Geo-Thermal Metropolis].Anomalies attacking as a result of further spirit domain expansion will have increased power.You have claimed sufficient territory to stabilise the transformation zone and separate it from the convergent astral space.Separating the space with the current territory will have a disruptive effect on the dimensional membrane of the surrounding reality. Claim additional territory to reduce the severity of this effect.Would you like to stabilise the transformation zone Y/N?


    ¡°No.¡±


    Jason rode the elevating platform down from the top floor of the pagoda, stopping to pick up Mr North on the way.


    ¡°Your eyes have changed yet again,¡± Mr North said as they walked across the atrium to the front doors. ¡°What are you doing to them?¡±


    Jason turned his new eyes on Mr North.


    ¡°Would you like me to show you?¡±


    ¡°Do you always talk like someone from a nineties action movie right after you¡¯ve gotten a new power, Mr Asano?¡±


    Jason blinked, nonplussed.


    ¡°I think I do, yeah,¡± he realised. ¡°Still a chuuni, I guess. Greg would be happy.¡±


    ¡°Greg?¡±


    ¡°My friend. Gerling killed him. You know; the guy you want me to put aside my differences with to work together.¡±


    ¡°You need to do it, Mr Asano. You don¡¯t need to like it.¡±


    They went outside, to the driveway that looped around a fountain. A group of the celestines were outside, starting up at the top of the pagoda. Jason and Mr North followed their gazes, spotting a giant nebulous eye floating in the air over the pagoda.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Mr North said. ¡°I thought we were clear on which one of us is the villain.¡±


    ¡°We are.¡±


    "One of us has a giant eye at the top of their tower at the heart of their realm."


    ¡°It¡¯s not the Eye of Sauron,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It looks like the Eye of Sauron.¡±


    ¡°Well, it¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°I am not familiar with the Eye of Sauron,¡± Shade¡¯s voice said from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°I told you to read Lord of the Rings,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I got as far as Tom Bombadil and then read Remains of the Day again, instead.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason conceded. ¡°Shade, what is it with you and butler fiction?¡±


    ¡°Why would I want to read about elves and wizards?¡± Shade asked. ¡°Do have any concept how many elves and wizards I¡¯ve encountered over the millennia? Butlering is a noble profession of duty, dignity, professionalism and composure, where elves and wizards can and do conduct themselves in whatever disgraceful manner they care to. I¡¯ve seen where you scratch yourself in public, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Are you ever going to let that go? It was one time and no one was watching.¡±


    ¡°It was at the symphony, Mr Asano. A place for culture and comportment.¡±


    ¡°It was my private box.¡±


    ¡°That is not an excuse to scratch it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what¡­ You know butlering isn¡¯t a real genre, right?¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Given many of the ¡®real¡¯ genres,¡± Shade said, ¡°that is hardly an indictment. I am not responsible for the literary failings of your planet, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Are you two always like this?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just go,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade, a pair of ultralight trikes, if you please.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mr Asano. I will carry out this duty with dignity, professionalism and composure.¡±


    ¡°Sounding like a butler doesn¡¯t make you a butler. They have special schools.¡±


    ¡°That is not an absolute requisite,¡± Shade said. ¡°Also, I took an online course.¡±


    ¡°You took a butlering course online?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t ideal,¡± Shade acknowledged. ¡°In-person attendance wasn¡¯t viable.¡±


    ¡°Did you pay for that with my money?¡±


    ¡°Managing expenses appropriately is a core duty of household staff, Mr Asano. When was the last time you even checked your bank account?¡±


    Jason ran a hand over his face.


    ¡°Can we just go now, please?¡±


    Darkness sprang from Jason¡¯s shadow and took the form of two powered hang gliders with three-wheeled seats, ready to run down the long palace driveway and take off.


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just use a helicopter?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°Just be happy there isn¡¯t a sidecar,¡± Jason said.


    Jason¡¯s latest territory had been a network of underground caverns woven amongst deep canyons of red and yellow rock. After the transfiguration, it was a futuristic city primarily located underground but also settled on the surface which remained primarily barren and rocky. The exception was the previously desolate canyons which had become lush gorges, rich with plants fed by the rivers running through them.


    The bottom of the gorges were thick with the spray of rushing rivers and humid from the source of geothermal energy that powered the underground city. The walls of the gorges had building emerging from them all down the sides; glass-fronted homes offering spectacular views.


    Jason and Mr North descended into the city via elevator, finding the public spaces of the underground sections quite cavernous.


    ¡°Is this the kind of place that turned up in the other transformation zone?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°More or less,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s quite remarkable. Quite eerie, though, being desolate of people.¡±


    ¡°It is, a bit, yeah.¡±


    ¡°This region alone has to be larger than the dome covering the area in the real world. Do you think it will all be collected into an astral space again?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°The rules by which this transformation zone operates are a little different to the last.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°It could be because the zone is mixed with a permanent astral space, instead of a proto-space. It could be that last time I had to slowly develop the power to truly imprint myself on the territory. This time I walked in with it, which seems to have changed things from the start.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it has changed things for the others? Gerling, the vampires, the necromancer.¡±


    ¡°You know how you do something one time by accident and then you know everything about how it works?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Point taken, Mr Asano. What now?¡±


    ¡°I want to get a sense of this territory before I expand into the next one. With each new territory I claim, they grow stronger. If they¡¯re too strong, we¡¯ll want to fight a retreating battle, bleeding them as we go. Knowing where to retreat will be important.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a problem if the anomalies come here?¡±


    ¡°It will gradually reduce the size of the newly claimed space, but grabbing less of it at a time is better than losing it all. The completed territories, like this one, won¡¯t be under threat unless we let the anomalies attack the pagoda at the centre. If we reach that point, we¡¯re probably done anyway.¡±


    ¡°Meaning the world will be done with us.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How exactly do we expand territory?¡±


    ¡°Telling you that doesn¡¯t seem like the greatest idea in the world.¡±


    ¡°I was just curious, Mr Asano, not ambitious. I won¡¯t push.¡±


    Jason and North stood at the edge of the city, above ground. It was also the outer limit of Jason¡¯s current spirit domain. It was marked by a familiar gloom, masking what lay beyond but up close, they could make out at least some of it. It appeared to be another city, from the geometric shapes they saw looming in the dark.


    ¡°I like to scout out territories before I expand into them,¡± Jason said. ¡°Get a sense of what I¡¯m working with. It probably won¡¯t help but I do it anyway.¡±


    ¡°When cautiousness and recklessness are equally available options, caution is the wiser choice,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°Was that meant to be profound?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It sounds like it was meant to be profound when it¡¯s the very obvious position.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be rude.¡±


    ¡°I mean, be cautious if it costs you nothing? I¡¯ve got no problem with you saying it, but don¡¯t make it sound like it¡¯s some sage advice. Is this how you keep your organisation in line? Saying common sense stuff while doing a Morgan Freeman impression?¡±


    ¡°You realise that most people don¡¯t like you, right?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but at least the ones that do are decent people. Anyone who¡¯d put your poster up is probably on a watch list.¡±


    They made their way into the gloom and found that it was another city, but very different from the underground metropolis behind them. This one looked like the cover of a fantasy book, with floating buildings and winding, impossibly narrow spires reaching into the sky. Jason imagined that without the gloom it would be very beautiful.


    ¡°Is this an elf city or something?¡± Jason wondered as they wandered down a street made of machine-smooth flagstones.


    ¡°Far worse,¡± Mr North said. ¡°A messenger city.¡±


    ¡°Messenger?¡± Jason said. ¡°Like angels?¡±


    Henrietta Geller, the sister of Jason¡¯s friend Humphrey, was a summoning specialist. One of her summons was an angelic being with potent healing powers. Jason¡¯s system had identified it as a messenger.


    ¡°They have the look of angels,¡± Mr North said. ¡°They¡¯re a race with too much inherent magic to absorb essences. Quite isolationist, due to xenophobia, stemming from a thick streak of self-righteous tyranny. They remind me of you, which is why I doubt you''d get along.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m a tyrant?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, tell me that you don¡¯t have a habit of making declarations and then using your power and influence to enforce them.¡±


    Jason frowned but didn''t respond.


    ¡°Will the anomalies take the form of messengers?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°If this is a messenger city, then most likely,¡± Jason said. ¡°What kind of powers can we expect?¡±


    ¡°Flight, obviously. Damaging their wings can impede that ability, but not negate it entirely. It¡¯s mostly a magical power, despite the appearance.¡±


    ¡°Angels never were especially aerodynamic.¡±


    ¡°Aside from that, expect light-based attacks and healing as standard. Different varieties have other powers, often related to their wings. Shooting razor-sharp feathers, using them as weapons or shields, that kind of thing. Some know a specialised ritual that uses their inherent powers as a basis. It adds versatility and power to their capabilities, but has the usual drawbacks of combat rituals.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You know a combat ritualist?¡±


    ¡°I slept with his wife.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with your history, Mr Asano. That is definitely a lie.¡±


    Jason was about to respond when the gloom around them started dissipating, revealing the vibrant colours of the city. Both men started looked around, wary and curious.


    ¡°Is this you?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°It is not.¡±


    ¡°Then what is it?¡±


    ¡°If I knew that I¡¯d¨C¡±


    This territory has been claimed as part of a nascent spirit domain.Your spirit domain abuts this territory. You may contest this territory by expanding your own spirit domain into it prior to it being fully claimed.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said. ¡°I guess we have an answer on whether the rules changed for the others.¡±


    ¡°The anomalies carry within them vessels containing transformation energy,¡± Jason explained as he and Mr North hurried down a flagstone street, back toward Jason¡¯s territory. ¡°That energy is unstable if you ¡­¡±


    He trailed off as they approached the boundary of Jason''s domain, currently a shimmering curtain of blue-black energy. An angelic being manifested from the curtain, floating in the air, its wings spread out behind it. Threads Jason could barely see erupted from the ground under it, kicking up dust as they penetrated the flagstones. They wrapped around the creature and slammed it into the ground.


    The messenger anomaly started glowing with white light, but parts of the threads wrapped around it started glowing in turn, lighting up in runes of blue, red and yellow, drawn out by the threads. The white light dimmed and Jason held out a hand, the palm slick with blood. Leeches poured out to bury the messenger.


    ¡°As far as I can tell,¡± Mr North said, ¡°it has the power of a normal, gold-rank messenger.¡±


    ¡°Which is how powerful, exactly? You don¡¯t seem to have trouble suppressing it.¡±


    It was thrashing around under the pile of leeches, although it didn¡¯t scream or vocalise in any other way.


    ¡°It¡¯s in the range of a low-end gold-rank monster,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Their intelligence and ability to work in coordination are the biggest threats.¡±


    Jason started casting more spells to accelerate the death of the helpless creature yet even his escalating afflictions took far longer than he¡¯d like to finish the job. Only the exponential nature of the damage made it possible at all and he was once more reminded of his earliest adventuring days when killing a powerful creature felt like chopping down a tree with a spoon. After the messenger died, Jason drained and looted the creature and they passed through the dark veil into Jason¡¯s domain.


    ¡°Claiming a territory,¡± Jason said, resuming his explanation ¡°requires a stabilised version of the energy vessels I was talking about.¡±


    ¡°The ones from the anomalies.¡±


    ¡°Yes. If you just dig them out, they¡¯re unstable and do very bad things if you try to use them.¡±


    ¡°Giant tentacle monster bad?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a possible outcome, but not the only one.¡±


    ¡°Did you at least warn the man before letting him leave with those things in hand?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°His own fault, then,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t agree with my decisions,¡± Jason said. ¡°It makes me uncomfortable.¡±


    Jason explained that cores needed to be looted to stabilise, positing that someone else had figured that out and started using them. It was why he changed his mind about explaining the process to Mr North at all.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was possible for anyone else,¡± Jason said. ¡°It should only work with the conjunction of effects I have. The magic door and some of my other powers.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a hypothesis?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°Best guess? The ability I developed in the last transformation zone somehow affected this one. It¡¯s how I¡¯m able to use my full suite of powers when they were sealed away last time. The question is whether that¡¯s true for whoever else is out there. I know you¡¯re not an essence user, but have your powers been affected?¡±


    Mr North hesitated before answering.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he reluctantly admitted. ¡°My inherent powers as a rune spider remain intact, but the additional powers I¡¯ve developed in the years since I was a familiar are unavailable to me.¡±


    ¡°Gerling probably won¡¯t have his powers, then. I¡¯m not sure what kind of powers the necromancer has.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an essence user,¡± Mr North said. ¡°We were able to recruit him by being more ethically flexible than the Network.¡±


    ¡°Same for him, then. The vampires probably have their full powers, although the ambient magic here is gold-rank. If this sun above us counts as genuine sunlight, they¡¯ll be desperately avoiding the day, which works for us.¡±


    ¡°Do you know who claimed that territory?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°Someone with the power to loot.¡±


    ¡°Does ritual magic work if your powers are sealed?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall ever checking,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°If it does, it may be Gerling,¡± Mr North said. ¡°He had Barbou and a handful of silver-rankers with him. Barbou can perform a looting ritual and, as you said, he has most likely thrown in with Gerling for the sake of survival.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll find out soon enough,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What course of action are we going to take?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°I can contest the territory while whoever it turns out to be is still trying to claim it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just letting them do most of the work first.¡±

 Chapter 445: That Passion Didn’t Come From Nowhere

    Jason and Mr North were in an air-conditioned building at the edge of Jason¡¯s territory, watching the border where it met the claimed territory of persons yet unknown. It was one of the surface buildings of Jason¡¯s city, chosen for the second-storey viewpoint through a large window. They were relaxing in comfortable chairs.


    The boundary was represented by a dark blue curtain of energy until, after several hours, it started to retract. The space in between the territories started once more filling with gloom.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°Whoever claimed that territory can¡¯t hold it. They¡¯ve retreated into their completed territory and the claimed land is shrinking.¡±


    ¡°What should we do?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°How confident are you about taking on those messengers?¡±


    ¡°You and I make a good team, Mr Asano. My abilities are more about control than power, while you are an affliction specialist. Given enough time, you can kill even gold-rank enemies. I can reliably pin down three at a time, maybe four. You have no problems with those numbers, correct?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s not an issue.¡±


    ¡°Then I would say we can probably face up to six at a time. Seven would be a fight and more than that is entering perilous territory.¡±


    ¡°So, the danger is adds.¡±


    ¡°Adds?¡±


    ¡°Extra monsters wandering in while we¡¯re already dealing with others.¡±


    ¡°Ah, then yes. I''m afraid that, despite your considerable potency, eliminating even helpless gold rankers is not a swift proposition for you. It''s impressive enough that you can manage it at all but time will not be our friend.¡±


    ¡°Keeping the fights down to six or less should be manageable,¡± Jason said. ¡°We stay mobile, pick off the isolated ones. Remember that they''re not genuine messengers; they''re anomalies and will act as such. Right now, they''ll be invading the established territory of whoever tried the claim theirs.¡±


    ¡°So, we play vulture,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Picking the bones of what¡¯s left behind.¡±


    ¡°Yes, although I don¡¯t know how this will work,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve never had to contest a territory before. I wish saving the world had fewer learn-by-doing scenarios.¡±


    They left the building and moved over to the gloom.


    You are at the border of your spirit domain. Minimum cost to expand: 431 [Stable Genesis Cores].Adjacent territory has been expanded into by a nascent spirit domain. Also expanding into this territory will cause it to be contested.Claiming a contested territory requires the destruction of all normal anomalies, the greater anomaly that will manifest once all normal anomalies are destroyed and the defeat of the other claimant. Defeat can take to form of surrender or death.Expand your domain Y/N?


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Strips of leather shot out from Jason¡¯s blood robe, wrapping around the wings of a messenger from behind. He contracted the strips, squeezing the wings and yanking himself into the air. He landed both feet heavily into the angelic anomaly¡¯s back, using the momentum to stab into it with his conjured sword, held in a backwards, two-handed grip. Despite the added force, it barely dug into the gold-rank anomaly¡¯s flesh.


    Special attack [Leech Bite] has inflicted [Bleeding], [Leech Toxin], and [Tainted Meridians].Target is already suffering from [Bleeding]. [Bleeding] has been refreshed.Weapon [Penitent, the Blade of Sacrifice] has inflicted [Price in Blood].Weapon [Penitent, the Blade of Sacrifice] has refreshed all wounding effects of the target. All wounding effects on the target require additional healing to remove.


    The messenger flexed its wings, easily snapping the leather straps giving Jason the leverage to press his feet into its back. Immediately, its plunge towards the ground was arrested and its body flashed with blinding light. Everything went white.


    You have been afflicted with [Blinding Light].


    Jason immediately used his cloak as a shadow to teleport through, emerging from one of Shade¡¯s bodies that were scattered around the battlefield; an open-air temple amphitheatre. Shade was playing decoy and serving as a shadow jump platform for Jason. The gold-rank light attacks of the messengers were highly effective against the shadow familiar, however. This had thinned out the numbers of Shade''s available bodies.


    Gordon transformed into a nebula cloud and dashed to Jason¡¯s side, transforming the orbs floating around him into shields and using them to shelter Jason. Jason reached out blindly to Gordon, the incorporeal familiar''s touch tingling his fingers.


    You have bestowed all instances of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] to [Avatar of Doom].


    Beams of light came searing down on them, Jason was protected by Gordon¡¯s shields and Gordon by the barriers from Jason¡¯s amulet. Jason had passed them along as the light beams were dangerous to Gordon, who had used all his orb shields to protect Jason and left himself exposed. Gordon lacked the spare bodies that Shade possessed, so Jason passed along his amulet¡¯s protection.


    Neither Gordon¡¯s layered shields nor the amulet¡¯s protective blessing lasted long, the light beams burrowing through them in short order. There was just enough delay for the blinding effect to pass and Jason reabsorbed Gordon before the familiar took more hits. Jason suffering a couple himself as he went on the move again.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry that one got loose,¡± Mr North said as he and Jason sprawled on the amphitheatre steps. ¡°Constraining four at once is trickier than I had hoped.¡±


    ¡°There were eight of them,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was always going to be a rough fight.¡±


    ¡°I have touched all the bodies, Mr Asano,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Thanks, Shade.¡±


    Shade was able to serve as a vessel through which Jason could use his non-combat abilities. Most often that meant sharing his cloak or shadow jumping without line of sight, but it also allowed Shade to tag fallen enemies for looting. Jason had another use for the dead anomalies first, however.


    Most of Shade¡¯s bodies had been taken out in the fight. It would take a considerable amount of mana to replace them all but his Blood Harvest spell could reap mana from the dead. Even so, by the time he had drained the remnant life force from the bodies, Shade was still seven bodies short of his maximum.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± Jason said as he triggered his looting power and the anomalies started dissolving into rainbow smoke.


    Jason pulled out his phone and checked the time. Farrah had modified it so that it would still function inside his dimensional storage, preventing it from entering stasis.


    ¡°Nineteen hours,¡± he said.


    ¡°Nineteen hours?¡± Mr North asked. They were resting after yet another fight with messenger anomalies.


    ¡°Since we were scouting this territory out and the other side claimed it,¡± Jason said. ¡°A little over nineteen hours.¡±


    Mr North looked up at the sky.


    ¡°Bright sunshine, the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Days and nights don¡¯t obey the normal rules, here,¡± Jason said. ¡°If territories aren¡¯t linked, you step from one to the other and go from day to night. I think this territory might not have a night at all.¡±


    ¡°If the person trying to claim this territory wasn¡¯t Gerling but a vampire,¡± Mr North reasoned, ¡°that would explain why they failed to do much about the messengers. The light powers they possess would be bad for vampires even without perpetual, gold-rank sunlight.¡±


    ¡°It would explain why they retreated into their own territory and left so many messengers for us to find. If a vampire is making territory, I bet there¡¯s an awful lot of night going on.¡±


    ¡°You can shape the territory you claim like that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s subconscious, but when you transfigure a completely seized territory, I suspect it reflects on you in certain ways. I can¡¯t imagine a vampire with a spirit domain that¡¯s full of sunshine. Even a nascent spirit domain.¡±


    ¡°Nascent?¡±


    ¡°I think my impact on this space is allowing others to go through the process I went through of slowly developing the power to make a spirit domain. I¡¯ve already completed that path, but I¡¯m not sure they can.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°Because I''ve already claimed too much territory. They would need to take it from me to claim enough for themselves to complete the ability, but this place had my domain from the beginning. I think it might be the anchor making what they''re doing possible. I could be wrong, but I think without my domain defining the rules for this space, they would no longer be able to claim new territories.¡±


    ¡°So they think that they¡¯re doing what you did, but it¡¯s doomed to fail.¡±


    ¡°I could be wrong. I don¡¯t think so, though. There¡¯s a feel to this place, like being in node space.¡±


    ¡°Which requires the Builder¡¯s magic door to manipulate.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s my door now, and it¡¯s actively working on this space.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense,¡± Mr North said. ¡°The transformation zones are flaws in the original Builder¡¯s work. The seams coming apart as the dimensional membrane of this world thins and cracks.¡±


    Both men turned their heads as they sensed a new aura emerge from the edge of the contested space.


    ¡°The greater anomaly,¡± Jason said. ¡°The other anomalies spawned here must have been killed in the fully claimed space.¡±


    All normal anomalies have been eradicated. If the other claimant to the contested space is not within the space when the greater anomaly is destroyed, it will count as surrendering the territory.


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°The other guy has to come to us.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have your ability to inform them of the situation,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Will they even realise?¡±


    ¡°You know what magic¡¯s like. You let instinct guide you. They¡¯ll figure it out, sadly.¡±


    The greater anomaly looked much like the other messengers: a winged, androgynous humanoid draped in loose linens. It was larger than their normal two-metre height, Jason estimating around two and a half. The starkest difference was an additional set of gold-coloured wings, alongside the normal white ones.


    Jason and Mr North remained hidden, suppressing their auras to the maximum. To assist in this, Mr North had drawn out a ritual circle in webbing that would contain not just telltale auras but also sounds, scents and magic. They had decided to wait out the other claimant on the territory, rather than try and down the boss before they arrived. If they were in the middle of a brutal fight when the other party arrived, they¡¯d be fighting on two fronts, half-exhausted or worse.


    ¡°What do we do if the other person has the same idea?¡± Mr North asked. ¡°If I were a vampire looking to swoop in and take advantage, I¡¯d be hovering just outside the contested space, waiting to strike. Preferably, through a minion. Either that or give up because of the sunlight and move on to the next opportunity.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, but I don¡¯t think so,¡± Jason said. ¡°What you don''t feel is the connection to a territory you''ve claimed. You establish a link to your soul; giving it up is like cutting off a finger.¡±


    ¡°Vampires might give up a finger to stay out of the sun when the magic is this strong. When there¡¯s a boss monster and unknown enemies hidden somewhere, certainly.¡±


    ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see,¡± Jason said.


    The territory claimant turned out to be the necromancer, as identified by Mr North.


    ¡°Why would gold-rank vampires permit a silver-rank essence user to be the one to forge a spirit domain?¡± Jason said. ¡°Territorialism is in the blood.¡±


    ¡°My guess would be the need for someone who could withstand the sun.¡±


    The necromancer did not sneak into the contested zone, instead, arriving amidst a ghoul horde. Hundreds, if not thousands of ghouls emerged into the contested space. Neither Jason nor Mr North thought bronze-rank ghouls would let a silver-ranker beat a flying gold-rank entity, but they were swiftly proven wrong.


    Rather than as a fighting force, the necromancer used the ghouls as an energy source, drawing energy from them to fuel incredibly powerful magic attacks. With his first attack, as many as a dozen ghouls dropped, their magic completely drained as a sickly green energy emerged from them, gathered together over the necromancer and was flung at the anomaly. Even as those ghouls dropped, more came pouring across the territorial border.


    The messenger returned in kind, complex magical diagrams appearing in front of it to amplify its magical blasts. Amazingly, the silver-rank necromancer held his own, drawing on more and more of the ghouls to create powerful magic blasts or a green magic shield to protect himself.


    Jason¡¯s face curled into a snarl as more and more ghouls appeared, the number heading towards two thousand as they formed a sea of undead.


    ¡°Calm yourself,¡± Mr North counselled. ¡°You can¡¯t do anything for those people now.¡±


    ¡°How many?¡± Jason asked. ¡°How many people died for this sick piece of¡­?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, in this moment we need to be focused on his power. Obviously, the ghouls are a finite resource, but so long as he has them, he commands considerable combat strength.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s simple strength,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Or perhaps he¡¯s using it simply. Have you ever fought a necromancer, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I suggest you avoid it if possible. They are amongst those essence users least concerned with confronting an affliction specialist. Along with powerful resistances, they often have powers allowing them to shunt all the afflictions they suffer onto their unliving minions. It¡¯s likely that even if you caught him in a sneak attack, he¡¯d pass your afflictions onto a ghoul.¡±


    ¡°Assuming he has such a power unsealed.¡±


    ¡°Assuming, yes. Whatever the conditions, though, never forget that a necromancer is as strong as his undead are plentiful. You would need to eliminate his ghouls before moving onto the necromancer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve killed thousands of undead before.¡±


    ¡°Not while the man who animated them is right there. The correct approach is negotiation.¡±


    ¡°And if he tries to kill us?¡±


    ¡°Then we do what we must.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a comprehensive plan.¡±


    ¡°Step one is helping him fight. As distasteful as it is, Mr Asano, we will need the power he taps into through the ghouls for the fights to come. We have to help him in this fight so that resource might be preserved.¡±


    ¡°That ¡®resource¡¯ is people. People he herded up, killed and turned into twisted puppets.¡±


    ¡°Yes. We¡¯re here to save the world, Mr Asano. You need to come to terms with the fact that there is no line we can¡¯t cross in the face of that.¡±


    The ghouls parted like the red sea and the necromancer walked towards Jason and Mr North, who were standing by the body of the greater anomaly.


    ¡°Mr North,¡± the necromancer said. ¡°It¡¯s been so very long.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to forgive me if I¡¯ve forgotten your name across the years,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t forget things, Mr North. You never knew my name. Never cared. You were always obsessed with your human augmentation projects, with no time for my art. All anyone calls me now is the Necromancer, and you may do the same. There is a validating singularity to it.¡±


    The Necromancer turned to Jason.


    ¡°And the famous Jason Asano. That¡¯s quite the intimidating aura you have there. You really do want to kill me, don¡¯t you? Is it true that you¡¯ve come back from the dead?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Hardly diplomatic, yet you are restraining the urge. You don¡¯t think you can beat me with my little pets here.¡±


    Jason¡¯s face was hidden under his hood but his aura practically trembled with fury.


    ¡°We¡¯re here because we need your help,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°My help?¡±


    ¡°This place must be consolidated into one domain,¡± Mr North said. ¡°None of us are strong enough alone, which is what truly restrains Mr Asano. Caution isn¡¯t really his thing.¡±


    ¡°So, you are here to surrender your territory to me?¡± the Necromancer asked.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t work like that,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°What are you even doing here?¡± the Necromancer asked. ¡°Why are you running around with him?¡±


    ¡°I was caught up in this while on other business, although it has proven for the best. If we don¡¯t all work together, not only do we all die but the world goes with us. Whatever means you may have developed to preserve yourself through death is unlikely to survive that.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m to take your word for it?¡±


    ¡°Either that or fight,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°Even assuming you¡¯re telling the truth, why can¡¯t I be the one to claim this domain?¡±


    ¡°Because Asano¡¯s domain is the only thing making that possible,¡± Mr North said. ¡°His domain goes, so does yours. It feels like you¡¯re gaining power for yourself, but it¡¯s an echo of his.¡±


    ¡°What makes you so sure?¡± the Necromancer asked.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m the one who brought the power he¡¯s using into this world.¡±


    ¡°He can just hand it over to me, then. So long as someone has it.¡±


    ¡°If only it were that easy. Asano didn¡¯t just take the power but absorbed it. It was quite the surprise, believe me. It¡¯s part of him, now, and not coming out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve taken lots of parts that weren¡¯t meant to come out from people.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you could, with enough resources and a decade of astral magic theory. We don¡¯t have time for that, however.¡±


    ¡°What do I get for my participation, then?¡± the Necromancer asked.


    ¡°Amnesty,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°THE HELL HE DOES!¡± Jason roared. ¡°You expect me to just let this guy go, after what he¡¯s done?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hardly incentivised to go along then,¡± the Necromancer said. ¡°I¡¯m better off betting that you¡¯re lying, North, and taking all the power for myself.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t let you go,¡± Mr North said, glancing to Jason. ¡°That¡¯s a bridge too far for Mr Asano, I¡¯m afraid. Your research has doubtless shone some light on medical magic, however. Perhaps even medical science. We¡¯re offering you the Nazi scientist deal. You¡¯ll be quietly left to conduct your research, even funded.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to go along with this?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m sorry, Mr Asano, but this is how it has to be. We need him, so we have to make compromises.¡±


    Jason¡¯s eyes glimmered in his dark hood but he didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Mr North said. ¡°We have to hear you say it.¡±


    Jason turned to the Necromancer looking at him for a long time. He was wearing a long, outlandish purple coat. It left him looking as if he were cosplaying a necromancer instead of actually being one. He had the usual polished and youthful features of a silver-ranker, with no indication of any bizarre alterations he had made to his body using his dark arts.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason finally spate out.


    ¡°I said we have to hear you say it,¡± Mr North said.


    There was a long silence.


    ¡°Mr Asano, at least you can pick which Network branch he ends up with. You want the Americans or the Chinese to have him.¡±


    ¡°I want the grave to have him.¡±


    ¡°Not an option. Remember the stakes.¡±


    A low growl came from Jason¡¯s hood.


    ¡°Amnesty,¡± he said bitterly. ¡°The Nazi scientist deal. You have my word.¡±


    Jason spat out the last words like they were poison and Mr North let out a sigh of relief. He then turned back to the Necromancer.


    ¡°I know it¡¯s not ideal,¡± he said. But it¡¯s the only chance you have at a future. We live long lives.¡±


    When the Necromancer finally agreed, it surrendered not just the contested space but his entire domain.


    Your spirit domain has absorbed a nascent domain.Separating the space with the current territory will have a disruptive effect on the dimensional membrane of the surrounding reality. Claim additional territory to reduce the severity of this effect. Current severity reduction: 83.9%Return to core territory to initiate transfiguration of new territories.


    At Mr North''s suggestion, they rested back in Jason''s underground city. North made sure that Jason and the Necromancer were thoroughly separated before checking on Jason. He found him in a room, the anger he showed the necromancer nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Too much?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°A little hammy, but you do passion quite authentically. It will play well to a necromancer wearing an enormous purple coat.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t smile.


    ¡°That passion didn¡¯t come from nowhere.¡±

 Chapter 446: The Upstart Magician

    ¡°The necromancer was surprisingly easy to get on board,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s likely that the powers we¡¯ve seen are the extent of his unlocked abilities.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Or perhaps he wasn''t so much eager to join our side as to leave the one he was on. It takes an unusual gold-rank vampire to put aside their instinct to dominate and get along with each other, which is not a good environment for a disempowered silver-rank essence user. You sensed his aura; the necromancer is a lot more desperate than he lets on.¡±


    Jason nodded. They were still resting in Jason¡¯s futuristic underground city after slogging through the angelic domain of the messengers. That domain was a ring around the space previously belonging to the necromancer and now surrendered to Jason. Its perpetual daylight was a cage, trapping the vampires inside it.


    The original astral space had been perfect for vampires; the bleak, sunless light had been harmless. Now everything had changed and high-magic sunlight would severely weaken them, rendering them vulnerable to anomalies, let alone people like Jason and Mr North.


    The necromancer had already explained his experiences in the transformation zone under questioning from Jason and Mr North. They were reflective of Jason¡¯s experiences in the first transformation zone. He had awoken alone and discovered that his abilities were sealed right before being attacked by anomalies.


    He was able to handle the early, weak anomalies and, like Jason, he had a looting power. Humans received a racial gift evolution from each essence they awakened and the necromancer¡¯s death essence evolved a looting power that let him claim the spoils of death.


    The looting power was how the necromancer had managed to reach silver-rank over the years, cutting deals with smaller Network branches. Always at the mercy of the International Committee and the larger branches for resources, there was no shortage of groups looking to trade monster cores for the use of a loot power.


    This looting power led to the necromancer, like Jason before him, discovering the stable genesis cores. Using them, the necromancer claimed his first territory. When expanding into his second, he found ghouls and vampires alike locked in some kind of stasis. Using his knowledge of necromantic ritual magic, he was able to awaken the ghouls, gaining control of them in the process and using them to fully claim his second territory.


    He had not intended to wake the vampires but the power of the anomalies grew with each territory. In the third territory, the power of the anomalies was enough that even thousands of ghouls would have been chewed through eventually. The orb from the greater anomaly in the second territory had awoken the power to drain the necromantic energy from the ghouls and use it as a weapon. The ghouls were a finite resource, however, making it no more efficient than letting the anomalies kill them.


    The vampires he had found in elaborate coffins, underground in a crypt. He decided to awaken them to help him handle the increasingly dangerous anomalies while recognising the danger the bloodsuckers themselves represented. He had hoped that he could control them like the ghouls, but he went in knowing that they were likely too powerful for that. The ghouls were inherently subservient to necromantic commands, which was how the vampires controlled them. Vampires, on the other hand, were made to rule.


    After some internal debate, he had chosen to awaken all five vampires at once. He knew that even if he woke just one, he would still not be its match and it would likely kill the others and control him. By waking all five, they would be warier of each other than him. His leverage was that they would need him, so none would allow any of the others to fully control him, which granted him a measure of agency.


    The fact that vampires could not naturally manipulate mana like an essence user meant they were unable to use the genesis cores to claim territories. This gave the necromancer more leverage and his role had been to open new domains. He would lead the anomalies back to the Necromancer¡¯s core domain where the power of the vampires could handle them.


    The necromancer¡¯s territory was a land of perpetual night, much as the messenger territory was one of perpetual day. This suited the vampires perfectly. This methodology allowed the necromancer to claim his third territory with ease, but then they encountered the messengers.


    Not only was it a realm of clear skies and sunlight, but the anomalies were far more powerful than ever before. With each territory, they had grown stronger but this went from a step up to a soaring leap. Only after speaking with Jason did he realise that Jason''s domain was now adjacent to the messenger territory and the anomaly strength was based on that. With seven territories claimed, the enemies were naturally much more powerful.


    Jason was able to transfigure even the surrendered territory of the necromancer but had not yet done so. He was waiting until after attempting to recruit the vampires for that. If nothing else, he couldn¡¯t be certain what being in the transfiguration area would do to them, although he suspected it would be lethal.


    Jason could sense the necromancer roaming about the underground city and sent a Shade that he then shadow-jumped through.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have expected it to be so big,¡± the necromancer said. They were in a public area that was a massive internal space across a half-dozen levels, like a giant mall. Metal surfaces were everywhere, in silvery steel, along with smoothly polished stone. Slightly red-tinted lights lit up the cavernous space.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Do you always go around with that hood up?¡± the necromancer asked, looking at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure a guy in a purple coat who calls himself ¡®The Necromancer,¡¯ should be casting chuuni stones.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a chuuni stone?¡±


    Jason shook his head, pulled his hood back to reveal his face and gripped the Necromancer¡¯s upper arm.


    Todd ¡®The Necromancer¡¯ Halverson.Essence user (human, silver rank).Essence ability advancement impediment (monster core taint): 94%.


    Darkness emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow to take the form of a sinister black golf cart.


    ¡°Get on the golf cart, Todd.¡±


    Jason, Mr North and Todd the necromancer were in a car driving through the now-empty streets of the messenger city.


    ¡°What can we expect from the vampires?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Todd said. ¡°Your aura will have replaced mine in blanketing my domain, right? Combined with that ring of sunlight around the outside, they¡¯ll probably be agitated. I don¡¯t think we should be dealing with a bunch of ancient, agitated vampires.¡±


    ¡°We won¡¯t be,¡± Jason said. ¡°I will.¡±


    They found Todd¡¯s ghoul army standing around where he left them. Compared to their normal, barely-controllable ravenousness, they stood as if in a daze. They were located where they had fought the greater anomaly, next to the border between the messenger territory and that of Todd¡¯s former domain. The car pulled to a stop in from of them.


    ¡°If we end up fighting the vampires, I can¡¯t contribute without the ghouls,¡± Todd said.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t fighting the vampires,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re just going to talk. If I can get them on board, I¡¯ll bring them out. Otherwise, I¡¯ll transfigure the whole space they¡¯re in and see what that does to them.¡±


    ¡°I would advise against lying,¡± Todd said. ¡°The vampire¡¯s aura sensitivity is high and they¡¯re very powerful. They¡¯ll know if you aren¡¯t telling them the truth.¡±


    The dividing line between the two territories was stark, despite both being part of Jason¡¯s domain now. Looking up into the sky, there was a line where the blue sky suddenly transitioned to black night, the sunlight stopping dead. In the realm of darkness, the ground was dark soil, devoid of life. Black, purple and grey ziggurats and towers punctuated the landscape, their architecture gothic and almost organic.


    ¡°Looks like territory claimed by the undead faction in a strategy game,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Todd said. ¡°So badass.¡±


    Jason pinched the bridge of his nose.


    ¡°Is this what I sound like to other people?¡± Jason asked Mr North.


    ¡°More or less.¡±


    ¡°Bugger.¡±


    Mr North walked up to the border, stepping back and forth over it as he looked around.


    ¡°How very unusual,¡± he observed. ¡°Are you going to send your familiar to speak by proxy, Mr Asano? That would be safest.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re already watching us. And listening.¡±


    ¡°Oh? I don¡¯t sense them.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re in my domain, now,¡± Jason said. ¡°I''ve known where they were at every moment since Todd surrendered his territories.¡±


    Five figures emerged from behind nearby buildings. They looked warily at the sunlit other side as they approached the border but their auras gave away no emotions. One was wearing what looked like a period costume, much like the vampire Farrah and Dawn fought in Australia. The other three male vampires wore modern, exquisitely-tailored suits in black, black and black. The solitary woman wore a formal but contemporary ball gown of vibrant red. Somehow, it had remained immaculately clean.


    One of the suited vampires spoke as they drew close to the border where night met day.


    ¡°You¡¯ve turned coat, Necromancer.¡±


    ¡°For the moment,¡± Jason said, ¡°there is only one side. We all live or die together.¡±


    The vampires dismissed the necromancer. With his lack of power, without his domain and with his clear subordination to Jason, he vanished from the vampires'' attention. That was instead turned directly onto Jason.


    The vampires could not cross the border without being weakened but the same could not be said for their auras. Five overbearing gold rank auras pressed over and onto Jason. His eyes glowed brightly as he drew on his aura which suffused the entire domain. Even the five gold rank auras were pressed like boats before a tsunami, crashing back so forcefully that the vampires were literally staggered.


    ¡°Make no mistake,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re choice is not join or fight. It''s join or die.¡±


    ¡°Join what?¡± the female vampire asked. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°My name is Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°The upstart magician,¡± one of the suited vampires said. ¡°You were behind the events in Great Moravia.¡±


    ¡°Great Moravia?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Slovakia,¡± the female vampire said. ¡°Do try and learn the new names, Wassily.¡±


    ¡°Andrei said it was Great Moravia. Russian imbecile.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were Russian,¡± the vampire next to him said.


    ¡°I''m Polish.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that basically the same thing?¡±


    ¡°I''LL KILL YOU, YOU SON OF A DOG!¡±


    With a flash of gold-rank speed, Wassily had the other vampire gripped by the jacket.


    ¡°Wassily,¡± Elizabeth said. Her softly spoken word was carried on a wave of aura that stopped Wassily dead.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Wassily spat, shoving the other vampire away.


    ¡°You got lucky, Wassily,¡± the vampire said.


    ¡°That''s enough,¡± Elizabeth said. ¡°From you as well, Klaus.¡±


    ¡°Who even cares what the place is called, Elizabeth?¡± Wassily asked, returning to the previous topic. ¡°The names will change when we divide the lands between ourselves.¡±


    ¡°I would advise against counting unearned spoils,¡± Elizabeth said and turned back to Jason.


    ¡°Did you cause all this to happen to destroy our operations, here?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I did come here to sabotage your operations, but not like this. One of my enemies thought they could eliminate us all together while I was in here, not realising what their actions would bring about. The events here threaten to destroy the entire world.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t possible to destroy the world,¡± one of the vampires said. ¡°Nothing has that much power.¡±


    ¡°Not only is it possible,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I¡¯m not even certain it¡¯s avoidable. Have you ever gone to a high-up point and looked deep into the gloom beyond claimed territory?¡±


    ¡°Giant shapes in the dark,¡± Elizabeth said.


    ¡°That is what awaits us at the end,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t know what they are, but that¡¯s what we¡¯ll have to deal with. I barely held things together the last time, in Slovakia, and I never went as far as finding and confronting whatever waits at the end. That time, because I didn¡¯t finish the job, the world was shaken.¡±


    ¡°The increase in magic across the world,¡± Elizabeth said.


    ¡°Yes. The world cannot take another shake like that. If you want there to be a world left to rule, you need to add your strength and ours. There is also a powerful essence-user somewhere in here, and even altogether, we may not be enough.¡±


    Jason felt the eyes of the vampires on him. Their auras did not attack again but they picked over his own, looking for the telltale inconsistencies of deceit. They sensed the strength with which he restrained his emotions, terrifyingly strong for his rank. They could taste his frustration at needing their help and being forced to ask for it. The anger at being forced to let them go in return for their assistance when he would never have a better circumstance to fight them instead. They sensed him direct the same feeling at Todd beside him.


    ¡°Do you intend to betray us, Jason Asano?¡± Elizabeth asked directly.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. The frustration at his need to make a deal edged past his best attempts to mask his emotions.


    ¡°I cannot speak for the others,¡± Elizabeth said, ¡°but I will participate in this endeavour.¡±

 Chapter 447: Too Much Over Pride

    Announcement


    Book 2 of He Who Fights With Monsters is now available in ebook, paperback and audiobook, narrated by the wonderful Heath Miller. In celebration, I''m putting this chapter up early. I hope you enjoy.


    The lone female vampire was seemingly the one most feared by the other vampires. After she agreed to join Jason in his conquest of the transformation zone, the four males looked at her and went off by themselves to discuss. From their expressions, the discussion was forceful and unfriendly. In the end, two chose to throw in with Jason while the last two refused. One of the refusers was Wassily.


    ¡°What is it you think you can accomplish?¡± Jason asked them. ¡°You have no power, here. You¡¯re at the mercy of forces larger than yourself.¡±


    ¡°You think that you¡¯re a power greater than me?¡± Wassily asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°But I¡¯ve taken control of some of the power here. Enough that the ground you¡¯re standing on belongs to me.¡±


    ¡°Then come over here and show me your power, little boy. Or are you afraid to step into the dark?¡±


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve risked too much over pride too many times,¡± he said sadly. ¡°It always ends up being others who pay the price. I¡¯m done risking the fate of the world for my own short-sighted goals. So, if I have to work with the man who killed my brother I¡¯ll do it. If the price of saving everyone is letting you people walk away, I¡¯ll do that too. I came here to shut down your operation and that''s done. I can live with waiting to kill you down the line.¡±


    ¡°This is not the place to make a stand, Wassily,¡± Elizabeth said. ¡°There is too much going on here that we don¡¯t understand. We¡¯ve waited centuries to rule this world. You can wait a few days until this boy is no longer protected by the power he wields here.¡±


    ¡°Do you truly believe the world is in danger? The entire world. That¡¯s as nonsensical as it being a sphere.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re a flat-Earther? Oh, crap; you¡¯re all super-old.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, the world is a sphere?¡± the other refuser asked.


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s not a sphere,¡± Wassily said. ¡°If it was a sphere, people would fall off the bottom. That anyone believes that nonsense is a reflection of what happens when peasants run around without a firm hand at the tiller.¡±


    ¡°As much as I want to dive into this,¡± Jason said, ¡°and I really, really do, there are more important things at hand. Shade, if you would?¡±


    Darkness streamed from Jason¡¯s shadow, moved across the border into the night zone and transformed into three carriages, each tethered to black horses with glowing white manes and hooves.


    ¡°Those will protect you from the sun as we return to the heart of my domain,¡± Jason said. ¡°Anyone who remains behind will most likely die, and die soon.¡±


    The three vampires who chose to join were Elizabeth, Klaus and Georges. Jason had provided a carriage for each, both to avoid further conflict and to isolate them within the group. The carriages and the mystical horse-forms that drew them were shadow-stuff, made from Shade¡¯s bodies. They moved across the ground at blistering speed, largely ignoring the terrain. They were blacked out entirely to shield their occupants from the sun and Jason had timed their approach so that they returned to his core domain early in the night.


    The celestines once again emerged at Jason¡¯s arrival but Jason had Shade usher them back inside before letting any of his new allies out. The necromancer looked up at the eye floating over the pagoda.


    ¡°You know that looks just like¨C¡±


    ¡°I know what it looks like,¡± Jason said.


    Jason left his guests in the mezzanine lounge and ascended to the top floor. He took his usual place on the balcony and triggered the transfiguration of his new territories: the messenger territory and those surrendered by the necromancer.


    You have claimed sufficient territory to stabilise the transformation zone and separate it from the convergent astral space.Separating the space with the current territory will have a disruptive effect on the dimensional membrane of the surrounding reality. Claim additional territory to reduce the severity of this effect. Current severity reduction: 88.9%Would you like to stabilise the transformation zone Y/N?


    ¡°No.¡±


    It had to be a hundred percent. It was the only reason he would tolerate the people downstairs when he wanted nothing more than to kill them all.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°Mr North has requested to come up and speak to you.¡±


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    Jason could sense everything inside his spirit domain, including Mr North standing on the elevating platform, which he mentally ordered to ascend. While he waited, he closed his eyes. His vision extended out and he surveyed one of his new territories, which was a land under a perpetual eclipse.


    The macabre ziggurats and gothic towers of the necromancer¡¯s former territory were now alien and crystalline, glowing with eerie internal light. The dead earth was now covered in low plants that glowed with luminescent foliage. It was strange but beautiful.


    Jason had chosen to look at that spot because he could sense the two vampires that had refused to join. He had been wrong in thinking the vampires would die, but could tell from their auras that they were changed. Like the gold-ranker, Tran, the vampires had been claimed by unstable energy and transformed into anomalies. One was a hulking grotesque of unliving flesh, twice the size of a man and grossly misshapen. This was Wassily, although none of his former personality was evident on his new face.


    Wassily¡¯s face made plain the nature that the beauty of a vampire hid: power and hunger; the need to devour. The other vampire was similarly reflective of this, but in a very different way. The other vampire had turned into a cluster of blood ticks, each the size of a dining table. Only from their shared aura could Jason tell that they were a unified creature and the new form of the vampire.


    The auras of the former vampires were altered but recognisable. To Jason¡¯s senses, their auras were more vampiric than vampires. These were vampires with their veneers removed; their humanity stripped away to leave only the monstrous aspect.


    Jason was not taken aback by the distillation of their vampiric thirst. For all its clarity, it paled in comparison to the familiar living inside Jason. Compared to the apocalyptic hunger of a sanguine horror, even the most clarified vampiric thirst was laughable.


    Sensing the approach of Shade and Mr North, Jason opened his eyes, his perception returning to the pagoda. He turned from the balustrade to face the approaching pair and Mr North stopped, giving Jason an assessing look.


    ¡°You know that I was already gold rank when I came to this world, Mr Asano. I¡¯ve seen great adventurers in the other world.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The essence users of this world are garbage, as you know. The Americans and the Chinese are adequate, but under the guidance of Dawn and Miss Hurin, you''ve surpassed them in your time here. Once you return to my homeworld, you¡¯ll be able to go around without embarrassing yourself, but don¡¯t expect the kind of advantages you have here. Try taking on someone above your rank and you¡¯ll meet the Reaper without knowing what happened.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I thought it would be amazing to be a famous hero, but I was na?ve. Again. It¡¯s not clean. The situations are ugly and so are the solutions. People see things how they want to, even when the truth is both completely different and blindingly obvious.¡±


    Mr North smiled.


    "Yes, they do."


    ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to being just some guy again,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I think, perhaps, you¡¯re still a little na?ve, Mr Asano. I don¡¯t think you¡¯re as past playing hero as you like to tell yourself, even if you should be.¡±


    ¡°What did you come here for, Mr North?¡±


    ¡°I just told you that you shouldn¡¯t expect to be exceptional, but there is one area in which you are.¡±


    ¡°Aura strength, I know.¡±


    ¡°No. Well, yes, but that¡¯s not the point I¡¯m making. The strength speaks to what you¡¯ve endured, but not your capability. I¡¯m talking about the remarkable deftness with which you use such a powerful weapon.¡±


    ¡°Aura manipulation.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Who taught you?¡±


    ¡°Farrah. I picked up some more from others along the way. Dawn, my friend Craig.¡±


    ¡°The vampire?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Very smart. Not many in the other world get a chance to learn from them as vampires aren¡¯t exactly tolerated. And a diamond ranker, and not just any. Your aura manipulation is truly something to be proud of, Mr Asano. Gold-rank vampires are nothing to sneeze at. Their instinctive knack for certain aspects of aura use has confounded many an essence user. Lying to their faces, at a rank below them, no less? The picture you painted them with your aura was true artistry.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you came up here? To compliment me for being a good liar?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m advising you to lean into that strength, in the other world. Your peers will be highly capable, and you¡¯re a decent all-rounder, but every all-rounder needs something to set them apart. If you want to be truly great, leverage that advantage. Bring it into everything you do.¡±


    ¡°Auras have their uses, but they aren¡¯t applicable in every situation.¡±


    ¡°Not with that attitude. As it stands, you¡¯re wasting that strength.¡±


    ¡°So, you didn¡¯t come here to compliment me. You came to tell me I suck.¡±


    ¡°I came to remind you to be vigilant. Don¡¯t let the vampires know your true intentions.¡±


    Jason took a step forward.


    ¡°What do you know of my true intentions?¡± he asked, his voice turning icy.


    ¡°Mr Asano, I knew how this was going to end from the moment I was trapped in this place.¡±


    ¡°Do I have to kill you, Mr North?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Asano. You just want to.¡±


    They looked at each other in silence for a long time.


    ¡°Shade, take Mr North back downstairs.¡±


    Shade led North away again and Jason turned back to the railing, closing his eyes. Once again, his vision moved to the dark realm under the eclipse and the two former vampires. They were no moving together and seemed to be roaming the empty territory, looking for a means to assuage their hunger. They were moving roughly in the direction of the heart of his domain, although they would take a vast amount of time to reach it at their current pace.


    ¡°What do you think, Shade?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I cannot see what you see, Mr Asano, but I assume you are checking on the vampires who neglected to join us.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t vampires anymore.¡±


    ¡°I recall you saying something about taking risks over pride.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the same fight,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t think they have any intelligence left. Even if I can¡¯t win, I¡¯m confident I can escape.¡±


    ¡°Can you win?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°I think so.¡±


    ¡°Then we should go.¡±


    ¡°Yeah? Not the answer I was expecting.¡±


    ¡°Caution is not about avoiding battles, Mr Asano. It¡¯s about choosing them.¡±


    ¡°Alright, then. Let¡¯s go kill a Polish ex-vampire.¡±


    Jason opened a portal arch and stepped through.


    There were eight of the giant blood ticks and they moved quickly. Their flesh was soft but they had praying mantis-like arm blades of incredibly hard chitin. If not for the swarm of Shade bodies that spread out, their numbers and skittering speed would have overwhelmed Jason in short order. One of Shade¡¯s bodies was set off towards the other former vampire, racing along the ground in the form of a horse at speeds that would shame a motorcycle.


    Jason kept his other familiars unmanifested for the moment as he shadow-jumped to reposition, dodge and strike. He had two of Gordon¡¯s orbs around him to turn into shields and intercept attacks. They were hammered by arm blades and were not enough to intercept every attack but they shielded Jason from the worst hits.


    Jason¡¯s life drain and health regeneration abilities were in full swing as he made attacks and cast spells to lay his afflictions on everything. The gold-rank ticks were weaker individually than a gold-rank monster but as a cluster, they posed a significant threat to Jason. This was demonstrated when a blade arm shattered one of his orb shields and an immediate follow-up severed his arm, just below the shoulder.


    Straps of bloody leather shot out from Jason¡¯s robe, grabbed the loose arm and pulled it back into place.


    Familiar [Sanguine Horror] has consumed significant biomass to reattach your arm.Familiar can reconstitute biomass over time when subsumed into the summoner or by making life drain attacks.


    The early parts of the fight were even hairier than Jason had anticipated, but the ticks grew weaker with every passing moment. His rigor mortis affliction slowed down both the physical and the healing speed of the monsters, even as their bodies were increasingly ravaged. Their gold rank bodies seemed almost impervious to Jason¡¯s afflictions in the beginning, but their exponential growth was inexorable.


    Meanwhile, Jason was trying something new. In addition to his usual evasion tactics, he was more actively trying to use his aura to feint. It was something new and inexpertly applied, but several times it helped him dodge an attack that otherwise would have hit, or land an attack that would have missed.


    The first tick finally fell, then a second and a third. The transcendent light of his execute spell savaged them but didn¡¯t eradicate the corpses entirely, the way it did with most enemies. Even though transcendent damage ignored rank and defences, Jason¡¯s silver-rank power could only fuel it so much. Once more, he was astounded at what felt like the indestructibility of even weak gold-rank enemies. It was only when the final tick fell that the former vampire truly died. Like the spider anomaly boss Jason had fought, only by killing all of it was it truly dead.


    You have defeated [Reality-Dysphoric Anomaly].


    Jason didn¡¯t waste time, immediately using blood harvest to drain the remnant life force from the dead ticks, ramping up his speed and recovery power. He then shadow-jumped to the Shade he sent after the other vampiric anomaly, kilometres away.


    The ogrish monster proved the easier fight because it was alone and not fast for a gold-rank, while Jason was now boosted to near gold-rank levels of speed. His blood powers were effective against it and Jason pulled out his other familiars, giving him the edge in numbers.


    Even so, there was no such thing as an easy fight against a gold-rank anything. Jason took a couple of square hits that send him flying like a cricket ball, his muscle mashed and his bones broken. He had to recall Colin to consume more of his biomass before the hulking former vampire capitalised and devoured Jason altogether. When the brute was finally on the verge of death, Jason called Colin back out to replenish itself by gorging on the vampire.


    You have defeated [Reality-Dysphoric Anomaly].

 Chapter 448: Trust All the Way

    Jason was painted red, both from his own blood and that of his enemies. He ignored it for the moment as he pulled a clear crystal orb from his inventory.


    Item: [Genesis Reclamation Core] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    A magical vessel capable of reclaiming the energy of unseated reality cores (consumable, magic core).


    Effect: Can drain the energy from unseated reality cores, as well as individuals and objects that have consumed that energy. When completely charged, this item will transmute into a [Regenesis Core].


    Touching it to what was left of the vampire after transcendent damage and a very hungry Colin got to it, rainbow energy started to spill inside. Once it stopped, Jason tried to loot the creature, which dissolved into rainbow smoke.


    These remains have been drained of all magical energy. They cannot be looted.


    Only after moving back to the dead ticks was he able to drain more energy and completely fill the orb.


    Item: [Regenesis Core] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    Can serve as the basis of a reality construct (crafting material, magic core).


    Effect: Can be used as a basis for creating constructs that blend physical and astral components, such as dimensional vessels.


    Jason had around twenty of the empty reclamation cores. He had intended to farm vampires to charge them, in the hopes that they would help him stabilise the node space or repair the effects of transformation zones. Instead, they would help him build the bridge between worlds, using the existing link as a basis once he had repaired it.


    He understood the means to do so instinctively, courtesy of the bridge device that had been Dawn¡¯s parting gift. Like the Builder¡¯s magic door and the eye of doom, or even his essences, it was an item that he had absorbed into his soul.


    The regenesis cores were better than nothing but he was a little disappointed. The number of orbs he would need to fill was not worth the time it would take to hunt a sufficient number of vampires. He could hunt down reality core stockpiles to accelerate the process, but the latest transformation zone had finally taught Jason the lesson he had failed to learn over and over. It was time to stop being distracted and dedicate himself only to repairing the link between worlds.


    ¡°Not everything works out quite right, I guess,¡± he told himself. He had never run around draining vampires to enhance his strength the way that Dawn had wanted him to, either. Events simply overtook him. Even so, the number and difficulty of the fights in the transformation zones had been effective in once more pushing his abilities forward.


    Putting the orb away, Jason portalled back to the pagoda.


    The vampires in Jason¡¯s mezzanine lounge, Elizabeth, Klaus and Georges, had been waiting while Jason was upstairs, or so they thought. Their aura senses were unable to penetrate the walls, floors and ceilings of the pagoda, which left them uneasy and on edge.


    It also meant that they were unaware that Jason had left, come back and was showering off the blood of their former vampiric rivals upstairs. Shade had led the necromancer and Mr North to individual suites in the mid-levels, leaving the vampires alone.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Georges said. ¡°It feels like we¡¯re handing all the power to this infant magician.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not handing him the power,¡± Elizabeth said. ¡°If he didn¡¯t have the power already, he¡¯d be a drained-out husk right now.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t go out during the day because we¡¯re no use to him, in that case,¡± Klaus said. ¡°With no sunlight for him to hide in, we take him together. Whatever extra power this place gives him, it can only be so much. Otherwise, why would he need us?¡±


    ¡°We also need him,¡± Elizabeth said. ¡°Not only does he have power over this place but also knowledge of its rules. If nothing else, this strange realm may well collapse without him.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t believe this threat to the entire world nonsense,¡± Klaus said.


    ¡°Look at the world we¡¯ve returned to,¡± Elizabeth said. ¡°Even those without magic have power that was unimaginable in our time. They can fire a weapon from a boat at sea that can destroy a castle. Iron birds carrying people across continents. Talking to someone on the far side of the world as if they were standing next to you. Then there is the magic. It¡¯s everywhere, now, and even if we do not wish to admit it, some of these new magicians are stronger than us.¡±


    ¡°We have the numbers,¡± Klaus said.


    ¡°No we don¡¯t,¡± Elizabeth said. ¡°In the old days, only the strongest mattered. That is no longer the case, which is why we worked with the necromancer to create so many ghouls.¡±


    She got to her feet.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to smooth things over with Asano,¡± she said.


    ¡°Smooth things out?¡± Klaus asked.


    ¡°Are you fool enough to believe he isn¡¯t listening to every word we say?¡± Elizabeth asked. ¡°Plots and schemes are for behind closed doors, and this place has none. Not to him.¡±


    Jason was meditating, sitting cross-legged and floating at standing height above the top floor balcony.


    Ability [Hegemony] (Sin) has reached Silver 3 (100%).Ability [Hegemony] (Sin) has advanced to Silver 4 (00%).


    Although he hadn¡¯t been draining vampires, Jason¡¯s abilities had continued to advance. The challenges of the transformation space had advanced his abilities, although there was a definitive wall. After the early growth, things had slowed at silver three. Once they reached silver four, though, slow became all but a stop. On achieving that level, the advancement of each power came to a slamming halt, like a baby thrown at a wall.


    Jason Asano


    Race: Outworlder.Current rank: silverProgression to gold rank: 30%


    Attributes


    [Power] (Blood): [Silver 3].[Speed] (Dark): [Silver 3].[Spirit] (Doom): [Silver 3].[Recovery] (Sin): [Silver 3].


    Racial Abilities (Outworlder)


    [Party Interface].[Defiant].[Spirit Domain].[Tactical Map].[Nirvanic Transfiguration].[Dark Rider].


    Essences (4/4)


    Dark [Speed] (5/5)


    [Midnight Eyes] (special ability): [Silver 4] 02%.[Cloak of Night] (special ability): [Silver 4] 01%.[Path of Shadows] (special ability): [Silver 3] 87%.[Hand of the Reaper] (special ability): [Silver 3] 39%.[Shadow of the Reaper] (familiar): [Silver 3] 88%.


    Blood [Power] (5/5)


    [Blood Harvest] (spell): [Silver 3] 41%.[Leech Bite] (special attack): [Silver 3] 67%.[Feast of Blood] (spell): [Silver 3] 11%.[Sanguine Horror] (familiar): [Silver 3] 18%.[Haemorrhage] (spell): [Silver 3] 13%.


    Sin [Recovery] (5/5)


    [Punish] (special attack): [Silver 3] 59%.[Feast of Absolution] (spell): [Silver 3] 08%.[Sin Eater] (special ability): [Silver 3] 03%.[Hegemony] (aura): [Silver 4] 00%.[Castigate] (spell): [Silver 3] 04%.


    Doom [Spirit] (5/5)


    [Inexorable Doom] (spell): [Silver 3] 89%.[Punition] (spell): [Silver 3] 54%.[Blade of Doom] (spell): [Silver 3] 79%.[Verdict] (spell): [Silver 3] 12%.[Avatar of Doom] (familiar): [Silver 3] 14%.


    Jason had always been warned about the wall he would hit at silver rank. The transformation zone had pushed him hard and gotten him to the current stage, but it looked like he had reached his limit. There would be little more meaningful advancement without years of grinding, which was a task for the other world.


    He opened his eyes, again regretting leaving Farrah behind. He had done so for stealth concerns, which was hardly a factor at the moment. He had told himself over and over that it was the right decision with the available information, but had a feeling she wouldn¡¯t see it that way.


    Farrah looked from the deck of the cloud boat, her eyes panning over the dome in the distance, as they had a hundred times every day since it appeared.


    ¡°I am going to kick that idiot square in the¡­¡±


    Elizabeth moved in her ball gown like she was floating. With her pale skin, red lips, delicate features and midnight hair, she was every bit the vampire. Her face might have lacked the polished perfection of an essence user but her slight smile and smouldering eyes held the seductive promise of sultry intelligence. She was led out to the balcony by Shade to where Jason was sitting, floating in the air. He uncrossed his legs and set his feet on the floor.


    ¡°I realise that the other vampires are more rivals than companions,¡± he said, ¡°but I would like for you to get them settled. You clearly have primacy amongst them.¡±


    ¡°Easier said than done,¡± Elizabeth said. ¡°I am part of what puts them ill at ease. When there were four others, they had the confidence to eliminate me if united. With only two, certainty becomes insecurity.¡±


    ¡°Just do your best. I intend to continue resting for the day and move when the night comes again, out of deference to your requirements.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°There is something I would like to discuss with you in private, which is why I¡¯ve come to see you.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°I think you intend to kill us all.¡±


    ¡°I figured that out,¡± Jason said. ¡°The big clue was when you asked me if I was going to kill you all. You think I was lying when I said no.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I couldn''t sense that you were. Every instinct told me that you were telling the truth. That scares me.¡±


    ¡°You''re afraid of little old me?¡±


    ¡°You are an aspect of a larger concern. This new world has too many secrets and too much power. Now that the core ghoul expansion and blood enhancement projects have been put paid to, my expectations for vampiric victory have been diminished. Not to mention, I have no idea how many more like you are running around.¡±


    ¡°There''s not many,¡± Jason said. ¡°It''s basically just me and Tom Selleck. You''re looking to switch sides.¡±


    ¡°I''m strong and have valuable information. I also know I won''t be the first to join the human cause. The old factions have fractured and new ones are being formed. I believe there is a place for me in this new world, so long as I let go of ideas about the old one.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of humility for one of the old vampires.¡±


    ¡°I grew up as a woman in a time and place where that meant being utterly without power. I know how to persevere.¡±


    ¡°So, you want me to spare you. You¡¯re confident that I can kill you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a practitioner of vampiric blood magic. It¡¯s not the same as the magic you use, but there are enough similarities that I¡¯ve been able to learn things since awakening. I have some sense of the forces at work and how small we are before them. I believe that they could destroy this world, should they choose to. If you can control even the smallest measure of that power, that is not wise to stand against.¡±


    ¡°You put me in an awkward position, Miss Elizabeth. If I accept your offer, I¡¯m as good as admitting to having plans to kill you. If I reject it, you¡¯ll assume I intend to kill you and be an unreliable ally.¡±


    ¡°The assumption is made, either way, Jason Asano. You may as well take the path that benefits you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s that simple? If you get out of here, you promise to join team human?¡±


    ¡°I can offer you some assurance. I have a form of blood magic. It allows me to maintain a blood crystal that will attract my soul and create a new body for it should this one be destroyed. There¡¯s a price, of course, but when death is the alternative, what would you not surrender?¡±


    ¡°I can think of a few things.¡±


    ¡°My preference is to stow the crystal in a safe location, but we are short on those right now.¡±


    ¡°So, you want me to let you stash it somewhere.¡±


    She took a red, finger-sized crystal from her dress; Jason wasn¡¯t sure where exactly, not seeing any pockets. She held it out for him to take.


    ¡°Since my only recourse is to trust you,¡± she said, ¡°I may as well trust all the way and try to reap the benefits. I hope you don¡¯t think the other vampires joined you humans from a moral imperative.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been a fool more than once, but not that much of a fool. Joining the human side is not the same as joining me, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°I am not a part of the human factions. I''m not human at all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d wondered,¡± she said. ¡°Your aura isn¡¯t right for a human. I thought it was something to do with your magic, but my instincts were right. Even so, you came here on behalf of the humans.¡±


    ¡°A mistake I will not repeat.¡±


    Jason took the crystal, still proffered in her hand.


    Item: [Blood Rebirth Crystal] (gold rank, conjured)


    The rebirth stone of a vampire, crafted with blood magic (conjured, tool).


    Effect: Allows a vampire to revive from bodily destruction at greatly diminished power.


    ¡°This is quite the trusting gesture,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see as I have an alternative.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Do you have a last name, Elizabeth?¡±


    ¡°I did, long ago. I discarded the name and the memories that went with it, long before you were born.¡±


    ¡°Then I will leave it be.¡±


    ¡°Thank you. If I may ask, before I return to the lower floor, do you know what became of the others who chose not to join us?¡±


    ¡°They survived the transfiguration of my domain, but they were changed by it. Turned into mindless creatures of hunger.¡±


    ¡°They are still out there, then?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said as he leaked a little of Colin¡¯s aura from within him. ¡°There are things hungrier than vampires, Elizabeth.¡±


    The equanimity on her face was broken for the first time as her eyes slightly widened.


    ¡°I have to wonder, Jason Asano, if there isn¡¯t something inside you more terrible than all of us.¡±


    ¡°I wonder that myself, sometimes. It¡¯s time for you to¡­¡±


    He trailed off as he felt something shake his domain, although the vampire sensed nothing.


    A nascent spirit domain has expanded into your spirit domain. This has turned your border territory into a contested zone.Claiming a contested territory requires the defeat of the other domain holder. Defeat can take to form of surrender or death. Extended absence from the border territory will constitute a surrender.


    ¡°Asano?¡±


    He strode past her. In the direction of the elevating platform.


    ¡°Come with me,¡± he ordered. ¡°It seems that Mr Gerling has chosen our timeline for us.¡±

 Chapter 449: Time to Choose

    ¡°This is different,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I can feel it.¡±


    Gerling and his team were in a city of graceful, narrow spires and islands floating in the air on beds of cloud. Bridges connected the floating islands to each other, while columns of light connected them to the ground, with elevating platforms that rose up and disappeared into the clouds.


    The streets where bright and clean, with white marble buildings and roads of dark crystal flagstones. Trees lined the streets, their branches almost sagging with the weight of peaches and plums.


    ¡°It¡¯s like heaven,¡± said Bennett, Gerling¡¯s chief offsider.


    ¡°Right down to the absence of anomalies,¡± Barbou said. ¡°Gerling, can you sense any?¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t my domain, so my senses don¡¯t blanket the place,¡± Gerling said. ¡°This belongs to someone else, until we find them and take it from them. I truly hope it¡¯s Asano.¡±


    They started searching the city but found it to be empty, with no anomalies or domain holder to confront.


    ¡°He has to be here somewhere,¡± Gerling said. ¡°If he doesn¡¯t contest this territory, it¡¯ll become mine by default.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve made worse mistakes than defaulting on real estate,¡± Jason said, his voice coming around a corner. They hurried around to find Jason sitting at what looked to be an outdoor caf¨¦ with a large tree in the middle of the dining area. Its high branches and lush foliage offered shady refuge from the bright, clear sky. Jason was wearing a casual suit, as if enjoying a pleasant day on the Riviera.


    Gerling and his subordinates gathered up in front of the caf¨¦, looking at Jason.


    ¡°It¡¯s not open,¡± Jason said regretfully. ¡°I¡¯d love an iced tea.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to surrender, Asano.¡± Gerling said. ¡°Give up your domain and I¡¯ll let you live. You can¡¯t fight me, let alone the rest of us.¡±


    ¡°You Americans have the best training of essence users in the world,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Chinese are about on par with you, but you leave everyone else in the dust, even with the new training programs Farrah organised. It¡¯s been a few years and they¡¯re catching up, but they¡¯re not there yet.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother stalling, Asano. Now that I can invade your domain, there¡¯s nowhere to run. Nowhere to hide.¡±


    ¡°Would you mind not interrupting? I¡¯m trying to monologue here. At least wait until I¡¯ve explained my evil plan, strewth. Did you not get the white American protagonist handbook?¡±


    Gerling chose not to put up with any more of Jason¡¯s rambling and took a step towards him. Immediately, Jason¡¯s aura washed over Gerling and his team in a wave. Gerling fended it off with his own aura but the others looked like they were having seizures standing up.


    Gerling pushed out with his aura, extending it to the limit. Preventing his aura from being suppressed by Jason was not difficult due to the rank disparity, even with Jason¡¯s potency. His men couldn¡¯t use their auras at all, however, and shielding them with his own was much harder.


    ¡°As I was saying,¡± Jason said, as if their auras weren¡¯t locking horns like raging bulls. ¡°You Americans are trained quite well. The one area you fall short is aura control. You¡¯re not terrible, certainly, and in most cases you¡¯re at a sufficient competence level. But then someone like me comes along and suddenly all your little friends become liabilities. Unless you¡¯re willing to give them up to my soul attacks, which you really shouldn¡¯t. You can trust me on that.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Gerling snarled.  With a grimace he managed to surge his aura and free his people from Jason¡¯s aura suppression, cutting off the soul attacks. They all collapsed to the ground except for Adrien Barbou, who had not been attacked. He was standing over to the side, trying to look insignificant.


    ¡°G¡¯day, Adrien,¡± Jason said, unperturbed by his attack being arrested. ¡°Can I call you Adrien? We¡¯ve only spoken over the phone before, so this is our first time meeting in person. A bloke might think you were dodging him.¡±


    Gerling rushed at Jason, plunging into a spider web that he hadn¡¯t realised was there and getting stuck in it. He pulled himself free in a series of jerking movements, his gold-rank strength easily up to the task.


    ¡°We really are just here to talk,¡± Mr North said, emerging from the caf¨¦ behind Jason. Barbou¡¯s faced showed a mix of relief, confusion and fear.


    ¡°Hello Adrien,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°You,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°You know who I am,¡± Mr North said, sitting at the table with Jason. ¡°That saves an introduction.¡±


    ¡°Why are you with him?¡± Gerling asked, jerking his head at Jason.


    ¡°I¡¯m saving the world,¡± Mr North said. ¡°I¡¯ve been at it far longer than Mr Asano has. He¡¯s something of a Johnny-come-lately.¡±


    ¡°Some of us aren¡¯t centuries old,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Really, Mr Asano? Age discrimination?¡±


    ¡°SHUT UP!¡± Gerling roared.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said, dropping his half-smirk and smug body language. ¡°Gerling, it¡¯s time for you and I to come to terms.¡±


    ¡°Do please sit,¡± Mr North added. ¡°We can talk now and you¡¯ll still have the option to punch us later.¡±


    At his side, Gerling¡¯s hand squeezed into a fist as Jason and Mr North waited for his response, appearing completely unperturbed. Gerling loosened his fist with an unhappy grimace and took a seat.


    ¡°Cards on the table time,¡± Jason said. ¡°Gerling, you¡¯ve been expanding a domain, yes? You can feel the power growing inside you. That once it¡¯s complete, you¡¯ll truly be able to imprint yourself on this place.¡±


    Gerling nodded but said nothing, letting Jason continue.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been where you are, but there¡¯s a problem, in that I have something you don¡¯t. You know that I¡¯ve been telling people that I¡¯m saving the world, while being rather vague as to how.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°There was an artefact. A powerful tool created by the being who¡­ well, ¡®who¡¯ isn¡¯t relevant right now. Suffice to say, this being is powerful beyond imagining.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about a god.¡±


    ¡°Close enough, for purposes of this conversation,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I brought this artefact to this world when I arrived in it,¡± Mr North said. ¡°This was before the Network ever existed. It¡¯s founding was part of a larger plan; a regulatory measure as the world¡¯s magic increased. The purpose was to stabilise this world if it gained too much magic and started to unravel. As it quite demonstrably has.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard about the thing you¡¯re talking about,¡± Gerling said, looking at Jason. ¡°You absorbed it.¡±


    ¡°Adrien,¡± Mr North said with disappointed admonishment, before turning back to Gerling.


    ¡°The point,¡± North continued, ¡° is that the artefact in question allows Jason to edit reality, within very specific and limited parameters. He¡¯s been using it to undo certain changes made to this world long ago. Changes that have caused the rise in magic that, if not stopped, will destroy the world.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re trying to take magic away?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°That toothpaste is already out of the tube. But the Earth is at its limit, now and can¡¯t take any more increases in magic. Think of it like filling a water balloon at a tap. I¡¯m trying to turn the tap off before the balloon bursts.¡±


    ¡°And an event like this,¡± Gerling said, gesturing around them, ¡°is a sharp pencil, poking at the balloon.¡±


    ¡°The last abnormal transformation space did damage,¡± Jason said. ¡°I didn¡¯t do a perfect job of stopping it. This time, I have to, or the balloon pops. That means completely absorbing all of it into a single domain. That¡¯s the only way to make it stable enough when we merge this space back into the world.¡±


    ¡°Then surrender your domain to me,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I¡¯ll unify it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± Mr North said. ¡°There¡¯s a reason we brought up the artefact. Jason¡¯s unique abilities give him a measure of control over this space. His domain was baked into the origins of this one, which we believe to be the reason that others can make more of them.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± Gerling asked. ¡°It¡¯s already in place, now. Ceding it to me shouldn¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°It isn¡¯t just about forming a domain,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s about reintegrating that domain. The power the door grants me is critical to making that process go smoothly. It¡¯s probably required to initiate the process at all.¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡± Gerling asked. ¡°How many of your confident assertions are guesswork?¡±


    ¡°More than we¡¯d like,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°That¡¯s not a reason to take risks we don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°The risk is putting you in charge of everything,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Power is what matters in expanding a domain and you don¡¯t have the strength to make this work. I do.¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡± Jason asked. ¡°How many powers have you unlocked? Five? Six?¡±


    ¡°Three,¡± Adrien chimed in, earning him a glare from Gerling.


    ¡°Mine were unsealed from the beginning,¡± Jason said. ¡°All of them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crap. The last time, your powers were sealed as well.¡±


    ¡°This is not the same as the last time, Gerling,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you choose to fight, you¡¯ll find out for yourself. Mr North here will tie you up in webs while I kill and feed on your little minions, taking from their dead bodies the strength I need to kill you too. Which I will.¡±


    ¡°Then why aren¡¯t we fighting already? You gave up the element of surprise.¡±


    ¡°You said it yourself: power is what matters in expanding a domain. We have Mr North, three ancient vampires, the necromancer of Makassar and an army of ghouls. We could use your strength.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a real team of heroes you¡¯ve got there. Why should I be part of it? Your vampires aren¡¯t going to come out in the sun, and if I take you down, I¡¯m the only hope that¡¯s left. They¡¯ll fall in line behind me.¡±


    Jason closed his eyes and bowed his head, forcing down the first response that came to mind. Then he forced down the second and third.


    ¡°I told you once before, Gerling, that I was asked to put aside thoughts of revenge by someone whose wishes I am compelled to give weight. Let¡¯s end thing here, you and I. We do this, together, and then we each go our own way. You fight the vampire war and save the world from the bloodsucker apocalypse. I leave the Earth to finish what I started here and save it from crumbling from under you. We bury our past and go our separate ways, as soon as we¡¯re out of here.¡±


    ¡°And this little friendship circle starts with my handing over everything that me and my guys have fought for in this place? Everything we¡¯ve earned.¡±


    ¡°No, Gerling. Starting with me putting aside for good the fact that you killed my brother, my lover and my friend.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want your forgiveness.¡±


    Jason ran a frustrated hand over his face.


    ¡°Are you that obsessed with power?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Are you that insistent on being the only one that¡¯s special?¡± Gerling shot back.


    Jason stood up and started pacing, scratching absently at his head. Gerling stood up as well.


    ¡°Then I guess it¡¯s winner takes all,¡± Gerling said. ¡°We could have settled this without you two jabbering on.¡±


    Something appeared in front of Gerling¡¯s face.


    ¡°What the hell?¡±


    ¡°Just accept it, Gerling,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let me show you something.¡±


    [Jason Asano] has invited you to form a party. Accept Y/N?


    ¡°What is this?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s how I see the world,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t hurt you with it. I know you feel that.¡±


    Gerling frowned, conflicted. He didn¡¯t trust Jason but his instincts really did tell him it was safe. What decided it, though, was the chance to pry open some of Asano¡¯s secrets.


    Jason set out several items on the table. A spirit coin, a healing potion and a pair of minor magical gloves he had looted from an anomaly. He talked Gerling through looking at his own character screen and ability descriptions.


    ¡°This is how I know the things I know, Gerling. It¡¯s not just instinct.¡±


    Jason held out his hand for Gerling to shake.


    Jason Asano.Essence user (outworlder, silver rank).??? (spirit domain hegemon).


    ¡°This is my fight, Gerling. You have no concept of the enemies I¡¯ve made along the way.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve survived so far,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I haven¡¯t.¡±


    Still holding Gerling¡¯s hand, Jason concentrated.


    Jason Asano.Essence user (outworlder, silver rank).??? (spirit domain hegemon).Number of deaths: 4.


    Jason let go.


    [Jason Asano] has disbanded the party.You no longer have access to [Party Interface].


    Gerling felt an odd sense of loss as the power to see his abilities laid out in front of him was taken away.


    ¡°You have your own fight, Gerling. By the time the vampire war is over, you¡¯re going to be a hero to the world. Frankly, I¡¯m glad I won¡¯t be here to see it.¡±


    ¡°Yet, you¡¯re working with vampires now.¡±


    ¡°There has to be a world to fight over,¡± Jason said. ¡°Even they understand that.¡±


    ¡°And what happens to our little club once we¡¯re done and you have control?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already made deals,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not happy about them, but I can live with them.¡±


    ¡°You expect us to believe you¡¯ll just let us walk away?¡±


    ¡°It varies,¡± Jason said. ¡°The necromancer is getting thrown in a hole where he¡¯ll be stuck doing closely monitored medical research for the Network. The closest thing the vampires have to a leader will be switching sides.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure about that?¡±


    ¡°After the loss of the astral space facilities, she¡¯s a lot less confident in the her side¡¯s chances in the war. She won¡¯t be the first to defect. The smart ones know that the faster they come across, the better they¡¯ll be once everything is said and done.¡±


    Gerling took his own turn to pace as he mulled things over. His people were still lying around, feeling like they¡¯d been through a wringer.


    ¡°If I throw in,¡± Gerling said. ¡°If I give up my domain, I want something in return.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Teach me how to use my aura like you. Negate suppression collars. Attack people. How is your aura so strong?¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Mr North said. ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a path you want to go down, Mr Gerling. Mr Asano¡¯s power in that regard is a result of trauma the likes of which I cannot explain. Literally, I cannot. I don¡¯t understand what a person would have to go through to reach that point and it would be more likely to destroy you. I¡¯ve seen that kind of damage leave powerful essence users as broken wrecks. I have no doubt that Mr Asano himself was taken to the brink and took no small amount of time to recover.¡±


    ¡°But he did recover,¡± Gerling said. ¡°And now he has an incredible power.¡±


    ¡°I had a lot of help,¡± Jason said. ¡°Specialist care, for months.¡±


    ¡°I can take it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know how to do that to a person,¡± Mr North said. ¡°We¡¯re talking about scouring your very soul.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you want to know what it takes, Gerling, lower your aura defences and I¡¯ll give you a taste.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll just open myself up like that?¡±


    ¡°I told you, Mr Gerling,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Trauma.¡±


    ¡°Which you could easily be making up.¡±


    ¡°Gerling, how many scars do you have?¡±


    ¡°None, obviously. Essence users can¡¯t get¡­¡±


    Gerling was looking straight at Jason face, trailing off as he realised that the small scars on it shouldn¡¯t have been possible.


    ¡°How?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Some marks run deeper than others,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to lower my aura defences and you can see for yourself. Take a look at my soul, Gerling.¡±


    Jason¡¯s aura, which suffused the area as part of his domain, was suddenly diminished. None of it was emitted from Jason himself at all. Gerling, wary of a trap, slowly extended his own out to examine Jason.


    Gerling was no stranger to examining the souls of others. As a bully with power, he had often forcefully looked over the souls of the people around him. None of them were anything like Asano¡¯s.


    Jason¡¯s soul was scarred and pitted, like the wall of a fortress that had endured countless sieges and never broken. He could feel powerful forces within. Defiance, resolution. Power. A tyrannical force that would not be swayed by greater powers. There was also something else that made Gerling uneasy. It was faint, just an echo, not belonging to Jason but something that had touched him and left a profound mark. Something Gerling¡¯s instincts wanted to call divine but he refused to do so.


    Everything about Jason¡¯s soul hinted at a story Gerling could not see. Stories of endurance and suffering. Of enemies with impossible power, not just defied but overcome. Jason¡¯s soul told stories of victory, and the price he paid for it, time and again.


    Gerling pulled his senses back.


    ¡°That¡¯s my soul, Gerling,¡± Jason said softly.


    ¡°You said trauma,¡± Gerling said. ¡°If a few cuts on your face is all it takes to make your break open suppression collars, I¡¯ll take that hit.¡±


    Jason frowned and shrugged off his light jacket. He unbuttoned his shirt and opened it up, showing the myriad cuts where fragments of star seed had been pushed out of his body. A wide, bright scar ran from his right hip to wind around the left side of his torso. That was from his first fight with a silver-rank monster, when he was only iron-rank. His desperate scramble to distract it as villagers evacuated has almost cost him his life.


    ¡°If you want scars, Gerling, I can give them to you. I can rake your soul, if that¡¯s what you want, but now isn¡¯t the time for that. Now, it¡¯s time to choose. Are you going to stand with us or stand against us?¡±

 Chapter 450: Four-Score Men

    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is awkward.¡±


    Every person gathered in the mezzanine lounge of the pagoda had either tried to or succeeded in killing or kidnapping at least one other person present.


    ¡°Perhaps I should take the lead,¡± Mr North suggested. ¡°While I have tried to arrange several deaths amongst the group, I never tried to kill anyone here personally.¡±


    ¡°Whatever works,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just make sure no one tries it again while I¡¯m transfiguring the new territories.¡±


    Gerling¡¯s face creased with suppressed anger. Although he had ultimately agreed to participate, he was still not entirely at peace with his decision. He held his tongue, however, as Jason got on the elevating platform and ascended through the building.


    "Boss," Bennett said. "Are we seriously going along with that guy after all the time you''ve been setting up to hunt him?"


    ¡°If we don¡¯t bend to circumstance, Bennett, then we break,¡± Gerling said. ¡°We are dealing with forces here larger than all of us. Don¡¯t speak on that again.¡±


    ¡°Boss?¡±


    ¡°If Asano isn¡¯t listening to us, his shadow familiars are,¡± Gerling said. ¡°Watch your words with care.


    Jason completed the transfiguration of the territories surrendered by Gerling.


    You have claimed sufficient territory to stabilise the transformation zone and separate it from the convergent astral space.Separating the space with the current territory will have a disruptive effect on the dimensional membrane of the surrounding reality. Claim additional territory to reduce the severity of this effect. Current severity reduction: 97.4%Would you like to stabilise the transformation zone Y/N?


    "That was worth bugger all," he complained after looking at the percentage. "Gerling, your domains were crap."


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid he¡¯s unable to hear you from here, Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°If it would save you time, I can explain to him myself that he¡¯s a worthless aggregation of excrement whom the cosmos would be better for wiping off its shoe. Metaphorically speaking.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate the sentiment,¡± Jason said with a chuckle. ¡°I¡¯m afraid it wouldn¡¯t be productive at this stage,¡± Jason said. ¡°It seems that the severity reduction does not perfectly correlate related to how many domains are claimed. It¡¯s like a video game that immediately loads to ninety percent and then spends most of the loading time on the last ten.¡±


    ¡°It seems likely that broad reductions in severity are relatively easy,¡± Shade said, ¡°but seamlessly integrating this anomalous realm into physical reality takes considerably more effort.¡±


    ¡°Even so, we are close to the end.¡±


    Jason returned down the elevating platform to the others.


    ¡°It¡¯s done,¡± he told them. ¡°Now, what remains is to claim the final territories. It¡¯s almost complete, but completion grows harder the closer we get.¡±


    ¡°I have something I¡¯ve been wondering about,¡± Todd the necromancer asked.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Three of us built domains separately,¡± Todd said. ¡°For each of us, our domains expanded in rings until they ran into one another. Yet, now you¡¯ve taken over our territories, it¡¯s all just one set of expanding rings, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean that the entire geography of this place is undergoing massive changes?¡± Todd asked. ¡°Even the space it occupies in total would need to shift.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what¡¯s happening,¡± Jason said. ¡°I assume that, aside from Mr North, none of you has any grounding in astral magic theory. To my knowledge, most of it in your world was brought here by me, and I didn¡¯t share much.¡±


    ¡°You mean our world,¡± Elizabeth said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°A very bare-bones explanation of the astral is that the cosmos is like a bowl of dumpling soup. Physical realities, meaning universes like ours, with matter and energy and Knight Rider DVD box sets are the dumplings. The astral, which is raw magic that has no physical state, is the soup. You¡¯re all familiar with proto spaces and astral spaces. These are parts of a dumpling that the soup had made a bit soggy. They¡¯re part of the dumpling, but they work differently because of how they¡¯re affected by the soup.¡±


    Jason gestured broadly around them.


    ¡°This place is what happens when too much soup gets into the dumpling. It breaks apart. To drop the analogy, the magic of the astral realm renders the physical realm unstable and it breaks down. The rules of physical reality, as we understand them, go right out the window. We''re doing nothing less here than trying to rebuild the laws of physics by punching monsters and hoping for the best. That¡¯s about as likely to work as it sounds and I can¡¯t encapsulate how many things had to line up to give us a chance at this.¡±


    He glanced at Gerling.


    ¡°Adding more risk to the process is trying to fix Humpty Dumpty by pushing him off the wall again.¡±


    ¡°Humpty Dumpty?¡± asked Elizabeth.


    ¡°Right,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve been asleep for centuries.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an English children¡¯s rhyme,¡± said Georges, the Frenchman amongst the vampires. ¡°Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall; Humpty Dumpty had a great fall. Four-score men and four-score more, could not make him as he was before. It means something is irrevocably broken.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said. ¡°Broadly speaking, what I''ve been doing over the last year is trying to prevent what is happening in this place from happening on a global scale. I don''t think it would be exactly the same, but the entire planet becoming an abnormal transformation zone isn''t all that far off from what would happen.¡±


    ¡°How can you prevent that?¡± Elizabeth asked.


    Jason turned to Mr North.


    ¡°Would you care to explain?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Long ago,¡± Mr North said, ¡°probably in your time, Miss Elizabeth, someone was sent to our world from another to set the events of the past few years into motion. I came to this world as his companion.¡±


    ¡°Companion?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°His familiar,¡± Mr North said. ¡°I am not human.¡±


    ¡°Hardly any of us are, at this point,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do vampires count?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Elizabeth said firmly. ¡°Humans are herd animals.¡±


    Gerling¡¯s eyes hadn¡¯t left Mr North.


    ¡°So, you¡¯re responsible for putting the world in danger,¡± Gerling accused.


    ¡°I participated, yes,¡± Mr North admitted. ¡°When I say set the current events in motion, I mean quite thoroughly. My formerly-bonded essence user is known to the Network now as the founder, as in, the man who established the network itself. Your entire organisation was created as a pressure valve. A safety measure to regulate the speed at which magic was injected into this world.¡±


    Mr North hung his head.


    ¡°As the centuries passed,¡± Mr North said, ¡°I came to love this world. It can be ugly and cruel, and I have become both in my efforts to shield it, but it can also be wonderful. There is no magic dividing the weak from the strong. Humanity needs to advance as one to push itself forward.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really how it played out,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No?¡± Mr North countered. ¡°A diamond-ranker is a nuclear bomb that can walk around and do what it likes. No one individual in this world has the power they have in the other. Money and influence go far but no one here is immortal. There are no thousand-year kings. Until I came here and interfered with that order, this world had no taint of magic.¡±


    Mr North¡¯s animated body language suddenly stopped dead.


    ¡°That is why I turned against my essence user,¡± he said softly. ¡°Betrayed him to Mr Gerling¡¯s Network antecedents. This is the seed from which the advantage of the United States Network branches originates. I handed him over, both to stop him and to give myself the resources to begin my work.¡±


    ¡°What work is that?¡± Gerling asked. ¡°Making superheroes?¡±


    "In part, yes. I know what it looks like when essences are the source of power. I sought to democratise magic. Create a pathway to magic that I could give to everyone who wanted it, not just those who hoard and dole out essences as they please. It would give humanity more magic than I wanted them to have but that die had already been cast and I knew what was coming. What became the human augmentation project was centuries in the making and is yet to be perfected. I¡¯ve taken shortcuts that I wish, on balance, I had not.¡±


    ¡°You used Builder cores to somehow stop their power from driving them insane,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Modified clockwork cores, yes. My people discovered what is called a clockwork king, largely destroyed. It was here long before I ever arrived, for reasons unknown to me, but I exploited it. And Mr Asano, in turn, has exploited that to kill them with ease.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s how you killed those people in Venezuela,¡± Gerling said to Jason. ¡°You know their weakness.¡±


    ¡°And he can exploit it, because of an artefact my essence user brought from the other world. It was the tool he brought to set off the changes in the world¡¯s magic. It was also meant to be the most important tool to fix things if they went wrong. Which they did, but he was gone.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t use it?¡±


    ¡°I could not, or I would have. The founder was originally from this world. He was drawn into the other and then sent back, just like Mr Asano. This bestowed the founder with certain traits and the artefact was protected such that only someone with those traits could use it. This was so that if anything happened to him, someone else could be sent to take up his work.¡±


    Mr North turned his gaze on Jason.


    ¡°Enter, Mr Asano. I have been preparing for his arrival since long before he was born, yet he surprised me. I was expecting a zealot when what arrived was a na?ve fool with a hero complex. I had been anticipating an enemy, only to receive an ally."


    Jason¡¯s lips pressed together unhappily but he held his tongue.


    ¡°Mr Asano¡¯s disposition changed much for me,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Unfortunately, I did not understand who and what he was until it was too late. I had already set events in motion that changed the world.¡±


    ¡°You took down the grid,¡± Jason said. ¡°Initiated the monster waves and sent this world¡¯s magic careening out of control.¡±


    ¡°The dangers this world faces now are only the beginning,¡± Mr North said. ¡°Unfortunately, I have set in motion the very events I have sought to avoid. Mr Asano will repair the world, but the only way to do so is to set in motion that which I have been trying to stop. My actions, in trying to set the timetable of events, could have, perhaps been avoided. It is too late, now, and all we can do is weather each storm after the next.¡±


    ¡°What are you describing?¡± Elizabeth asked. ¡°You are being very vague on the nature of this threat.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Mr North said. ¡°As I will continue to be.¡±


    ¡°Those are the concerns of another day,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I hope you now understand why I¡¯m willing to strike bargains when I would rather see you all dead. Mr North has more to answer for than any of you, but the people in this room constitute some of the most powerful forces on Earth. We¡¯re going to need you all, in the future, as well as right now.¡±


    Jason walked over to the mezzanine railing and looked out over the atrium.


    ¡°I think there will be one or two more territories before we¡¯re done,¡± he said. ¡°Progress is slow, so it may be three; I can¡¯t be certain. With the extra territories I¡¯ve claimed, the strength of the anomalies will be greater than what we¡¯ve seen in the past. Expect them to have all the strength of category four monsters. Only by working as a team will we be able to beat them.¡±


    Jason turned to look at Adrien Barbou, standing at the back with Gerling¡¯s henchmen.


    ¡°Barbou, there¡¯s no point taking you. You¡¯ll die, and die fast. As for your people, Gerling, I¡¯ll leave that decision up to you.¡±


    Gerling turned to his own group, eight silver-rankers.


    ¡°I can enhance your powers,¡± Gerling told them. ¡°Give you the strength to contribute. Make no mistake, though: If you join, the chances of death are high. That¡¯s true for all of us, let alone, you. I won¡¯t force anyone, and I won¡¯t think any less of you for staying back. But you¡¯ve heard the stakes. There are worse things to die for than saving the world.¡±


    Gerling¡¯s men looked at each other. One of them looked reluctant as he spoke up.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, boss. I don¡¯t¡­ I don¡¯t want to die.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s okay,¡± Gerling said. ¡°When I asked you all to join me, this was never a part of the deal.¡±


    In the end, half of Gerling¡¯s eight participated. The other four stayed behind with Barbou in the pagoda, while Jason led the rest outside, where Shade had taken the form of a jet hovering over the driveway, a platform descending on cables to allow people to board.


    As the plane winged toward the new edge of Jason¡¯s domain, Jason sat alone in the cockpit, although Shade was doing the piloting.


    ¡°Mr Asano, may I ask what all of the explanation was in aid of?¡± Shade asked. ¡°It hardly seems worth the effort.¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly the point,¡± Jason said. ¡°If my intention was to kill them all, why bother?¡±

 Chapter 451 : The Very Opposite of Fantastical

    The sky was bleak, grey and sunless, reflecting the architecture of the city. The territory was another city, but the very opposite of fantastical. Uniform concrete buildings were set out in plain, hard lines, like a distillation of Soviet Bloc design.


    Just as the territory was a bland version of a human city, the anomalies were a bland version of human. Identical human men in identical black suits with sixties tailoring, they were a clone army of men in black. They fought with what looked like ordinary pistols, although they packed a gold-rank punch. In close, they used a martial arts style that was fast and efficient, but robotic and predictable.


    Once he had killed and drained enough to accelerate his speed, Jason was confident enough to engage them directly. Although the anomalies had gold-rank speed and strength, it was on the lower end of the scale and they lacked any exotic abilities. Jason was almost able to match them in speed and had a full host of powers to pit against them.


    His cloak intercepted bullets, and while many punched through its silver-rank protection, his blood robes soaked some more of the impact. His regeneration and drain rapidly healed what damage still made it through. Jason was long past the point where even moderate injuries were a distraction.


    Once he was in melee range, Jason''s cloak was once again key to his defence. It hid his unconventional movement, which was made all the more deceitful by feints. As his aura told one story, his body told another while the truth was something else entirely. He was still only beginning to use his aura feints effectively, but the minds of the clone-like anomalies turned out to be as bland as their appearance. Despite the precision and efficiency of their hand-to-hand skill, their lack of improvisation and imagination made their attacks predictable and their defences vulnerable to Jason¡¯s unorthodox style.


    Jason had been through thousands of enemies in hundreds of fights. His current strength was the product of battles with monsters, anomalies and the risen dead; vampires, superheroes and even other essence users. His fighting style, the Way of the Reaper, was too comprehensive to be mastered by ordinary humans.


    The myriad techniques and variations of his style went beyond martial arts. Its practices dipped into gymnastics, acrobatics parkour, stealth, climbing, even sleight of hand. There were too many techniques to remember without the enhanced memory of a magically-enhanced spirit attribute. There weren¡¯t enough hours in the day for the practice required not just to master but maintain that level of skill.


    Sophie and Jason both practised the Way of the Reaper, but in very different ways. Sophie came to it through training, taking a subset of the whole and building a style perfect for herself. As she moved through iron and bronze ranks she had expanded her repertoire, continuing to make the style her own without attempting to grasp the whole. She took what she needed, discarded the rest and was the stronger for it.


    Emir Bahadir had studied the style more than most outsiders to the Order of the Reaper. He had hypothesised that the style was originally intended to be learned through skill books. Only then, with the skills magically imprinted, could the full style be mastered. This was his conclusion after several years of searching for remnants of the style, with dozens of subcontracted adventuring teams investigating the ruins of the fallen order.


    Only through using skill books was Jason able to enjoy the level of proficiency he had obtained. He had dedicated considerable time and work into making the style imprinted on him his own and not just a series of programmed responses, but would never have Sophie¡¯s focused mastery. While it was an important cornerstone of his combat technique, it would never be the foundation that it was for her.


    Jason simply couldn¡¯t dedicate the training time Sophie could to a selected subset of techniques. He adapted to his circumstances, environments and enemies, using spells, direct combat, sneak attacks and skirmish tactics as he needed. For him, the movement and stealth techniques were just as important, if not more so, than the martial arts. The broad-spectrum learning from skill books was a good fit for him.


    Sophie was so good at what she did that she would pit her skills against any opponent, trusting herself and the abilities. Jason would assess an opponent and change himself, looking for the most appropriate of his available approaches. He would even switch it up against the same enemy as they adapted to him.


    Fighting the men in black anomalies, Jason began with skirmishing hit-and-run strikes while his enemies were faster than him. They roamed the city in groups of four and he took some hits along the way, but nothing he couldn¡¯t endure. He left each encounter with a slew of afflictions in his wake, letting them do their work as he moved on.


    Jason¡¯s biggest setback in the fight was the inability to the affliction-spreading butterflies. The anomalies gunned down the brightly glowing, blue and orange butterflies with machine-like precision before they could do their job. The only benefit was that the butterflies exploded on being destroyed, causing an amount of disarray in the orderly anomalies that Jason could make the most of.


    As anomalies started dropping from the accumulated afflictions, Jason drained them and grew faster. He started fighting more directly, matching his skills and powers against their clockwork techniques. He took a battering at first, sometimes being forced to escape, but slowly learned what did and didn''t work. The uniformity of the enemies meant that a trick that worked on one anomaly would be effective against them all as they never seemed to learn.


    Ultimately, these anomalies proved to be a weak match-up against Jason. His butterfly failure aside, his specific abilities were filled with answers to the challenges they posed. Being numerous but relatively weak aside from their resilience, Jason''s afflictions were able to chew through their physical fortitude. Once he caught up to them on speed, their intimidating fighting technique was something of a paper tiger while their firearms were a minimal threat.


    The others all had their own approaches, staying relatively close together at first before spreading out. By separating, the anomalies were less likely to converge into larger groups and overwhelm them.


    The vampires each fought using different powers, with the human-like anomalies serving as self-serving blood bags. Elizabeth was a master of luring groups into traps set out using blood rituals, fuelled by the blood on the anomalies already killed. Klaus fed on the anomalies¡¯ blood to grow stronger and faster, starting with a low gold-rank baseline and growing to dangerous levels as he fed again and again.


    The final vampire, Georges, also fed on the anomalies, to a different effect. With each feeding, he became more and more like them, taking on their rigid mannerisms and clean, precise movements. He even started to look more like them, with their bland faces and rigid body language.


    He started using their fighting style but, unlike them, was able to learn and innovate. He swiftly reaching the point of roundly besting them at their own game, even conjuring one of their pistols.


    Todd the necromancer had already ordered his ghoul army to move overland towards the sight of the battle before Jason had even expanded the territory. He consumed their energy rapidly but replenished their numbers by animating the dead anomalies. The zombie versions were only silver-rank and lacked their skills, but as cannon fodder and magic fuel, they got the job done.


    Gerling moved with his four offsiders, using his unsealed essence ability to make them more powerful. They were not a match for the anomalies, but Gerling was. He would act as the spearhead, charging in, ignoring bullets burying themselves in his flesh. A charging punch to the gut doubled-over an anomaly, followed by a thunderous uppercut that shot it into the air. Gerling grabbed its leg as it flew up and hammered it back down, slamming it over and over, as if shaking the dust from an old rug.


    Gerling¡¯s men capitalised on his powerhouse charge attacks and used their slight numerical advantage to maximum effect. Jason even supplied them with pistols looted from the anomalies, as those picked up directly would not work for the humans.


    Mr North offered roaming assistance. He used webs to set out magical rune traps to complement Elizabeth¡¯s. He bound anomalies in webs to help Gerling and his team when they struggled. He even took his true form of a car-sized spider from time to time, draining the anomalies of blood with the enthusiasm of the vampires.


    So long as Jason didn¡¯t retreat into his inner territories, the anomalies entering from the exterior of the domain would make their way around the ring-shaped territory in pursuit of him Going back to the first abnormal transformation zone, Jason had discovered that unless he retreated to his domain''s inner territories, the anomalies would not invade there.


    The latest territory was huge, being the outer ring of Jason¡¯s entire domain, and the fighting seemed endless. The essence users consumed spirit coins to maintain their energy, while the gold-rank blood of the anomalies was a feast for the vampires, possibly due to their human form. Even so, after a dozen hours with no end not in sight, the group started to flag. Of them all, only Jason was used to the ceaseless fighting.


    Jason had cleared out entire proto-spaces alone or with Farrah. During the monster waves he had fought for days on end in Broken Hill and Makassar, and clearing vast territories, full of anomalies, was familiar to him now. He also didn¡¯t need to rest for anything but mental exhaustion, able to replenish his stamina and mana at need by draining anomalies. He also didn¡¯t need to stop and let his recovery attribute heal his injuries. The closest they had to a healer was the necromancer, but his sinister life exchange powers were sealed and useless.


    The vampires had never faced armies of monsters, and Gerling had always been tactically deployed by the Network. Mr North was both literally and figuratively a spider in the centre of his web, rarely taking direct action.


    Oddly, it was the weakest members of the group who held up the best. Todd was relatively safe behind a wall of ghouls and felt less of the strain. Gerling¡¯s henchmen had participated extensively in both proto-space and monster wave clearing, with two of them having even fought at Makassar. This gave them similar experiences with endurance battles to Jason.


    Jason had Shade helicopter everyone but himself to the closest inner territory, while he remained behind. As the holder of the domain, the anomalies would not move inward so long as he didn¡¯t either.


    It took days of constant fighting before the territory was fully claimed and the greater anomaly appeared. Jason had been hoping for a UFO or a mothman, but it turned out to be a single, normal-sized man in black. His face was identical to the others, but his suit was of a more contemporary cut, compared to the sixties styling of the others.


    The subsequent fight turned out to be the greatest struggle the group had faced in all their time in the transformation zone. The anomaly wasn¡¯t especially powerful in and of itself. It was stronger and faster than the normal anomalies, but only at a low-mid gold-rank level. The problems it posed Jason and his team were twofold.


    The first was that it possessed a dazzling array of miniaturised high-tech devices. These ranged from a powerful energy pistol blasting heat and kinetic energy, a force field projector and even a short-range teleporter. These were the primary tools at the anomaly¡¯s disposal, although far from the only ones.


    ¡°Was that a shoe laser?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is it bad that I kind of want him to win?¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Asano!¡± Gerling roared.


    There was also a discreet jump pack on its back, to which was attached several small, disposable devices with powerful effects. A tube containing a small rocket killed one of Gerling¡¯s henchmen and severely injured the others, taking them out of the fight.


    The second problem posed by the greater anomaly was that it wasn¡¯t as mentally limited as its lesser cousins. It was able to innovate and adapting to Jason and the others over the course of the fight.


    Disaster struck when the anomaly charged up its pistol, teleported next to Todd and fired directly into his head, killing him. This put the pistol into some kind of charging cycle but the group couldn¡¯t take advantage as the now uncontrolled ghouls went into a frenzy. They only escaped due to the vampires managing to control at least a portion of the ghouls and they were forced to retreat. They were forced to leave Gerling¡¯s companions behind, who were inundated by the ghouls.


    Away from the greater anomaly, Jason handled the bulk of the ghouls with the doom butterflies that swiftly spread to annihilate the weak ghouls. By the time he was done, the greater anomaly had tracked them down and the butterflies swarmed it. It destroyed them with some kind of rocket but the resulting explosion massively weakened its force field, putting Jason and the others on the front foot as the battle resumed.


    In the end, it was the advantage in numbers that allowed them to kill it. Gordon¡¯s disruptive-force beams helped further weaken the force field. Mr North and Elizabeth set down traps they lured it into. By the time it was dead, every one of the survivors had taken severe damage. Jason¡¯s familiar, Gordon, had his vessel destroyed by the anomaly attempting to preserve its force field. This was a blow to Jason, who lacked the considerably rare materials to resummon him.


    They all healed rapidly, the anomaly containing more than enough energy for both the vampires to feed on and to fuel Jason¡¯s blood harvest spell. Gerling was the slowest to recover, relying only on his gold-rank recovery attribute, yet that was far from slow. His arm was blackened and almost torn off after suffering multiple hit¡¯s from the anomaly¡¯s energy pistol, yet was back to normal by the time they returned to the pagoda.


    The survivors were in the mid-level suites in the pagoda, recovering from days of combat. Gerling had lost half of his people and Jason had lost a familiar, albeit temporarily. They had agreed to a full day of rest before taking the next step.


    Jason wasn¡¯t going to risk transfiguring his new domain until they were ready for whatever came after, unsure what would happen once he completed his domain. Strangely, the distant shapes in the gloom seemed no closer than before, despite Jason having expanded into almost every territory. He did not estimate there to be more than one or two left at most.


    Would there be some terrible, astral guardian in the final territory? Were the shapes in the gloom echoes of astral beings that would never be seen and pose no threat? Jason was hoping for that one more than he was expecting it.


    There was still the remnants of a ghoul army running loose, although they were weak, scattered and uncontrolled. Until Jason resolved the transformation zone and reintegrated his domain with Earth, he would be unable to trigger the defences and eliminate them.


    After warning the others that they should take the time to mentally prepare to face unknown challenges, Jason spent the day in meditation, readying himself for whatever was to come.

 Chapter 452: Small Mercies

    Jason had made a tradition of triggering the territory transfigurations alone on his balcony, but he changed his pattern because he was unsure of what would come next. Shade''s VTOL plane form was hovering just outside the pagoda entrance, blasting wind. Jason went outside to join the three vampires, Mr North and Gerling.


    Standing with them, Jason closed his eyes and initiated the change. The others sensed nothing from Jason¡¯s newest and most distant territory, but Jason felt it immediately start transforming. To Gerling and the others, Jason was just standing still with his eyes closed. This continued as the remote territory took time going through the transfiguration process.


    ¡°Asano?¡± Gerling finally asked.


    ¡°Sorry, it¡¯s been done for a few minutes,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was just standing here like this to annoy you. I¡¯m saving the world, Gerling, not ordering a coffee. Shut up and wait.¡±


    Eventually, the process reached its conclusion.


    Your domain now encapsulates the entirety of the transformation zone and convergent astral space. You have successfully integrated and stabilised the physical and astral components of the space.Your domain now abuts the dimensional membrane between the physical and the astral. Due to the damaged nature of the dimensional membrane, an astral rift has formed, allowing the intrusion of external forces.To fully incorporate your domain into the physical reality without further damage to the dimensional membrane, excise the external forces maintaining the rift in order to close it.


    Jason opened his eyes. He could sense the dimensional rift at the boundary of his domain and he could sense astral entities pouring through. Most astral beings were unable to exist in a physical space, even one infused with astral energy like the domain Jason had formed from the transformation zone blended with a collapsing astral space. One that could was an astral being Jason was familiar with, although these were more powerful than the ones he had encountered in the past. His eyes snapped open.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    One of Jason and Shade¡¯s first interactions, before Shade had even become Jason¡¯s familiar, was Shade¡¯s warning Jason and his companions about vorger. Now Shade gave the same warning to Jason¡¯s new companions, making him want his old ones back.


    ¡°The vorger cannot exist in a true physical realm,¡± Shade explained as the plane flew rapidly in the direction of the rift. ¡°Until it is fully integrated with Earth, this space still contains some properties of the astral space we were all in when it formed. This is how they can exist here.¡±


    ¡°So, why don¡¯t we integrate the place, then?¡± Gerling asked. ¡°Shoving it back into Earth was the point of all this, right? Why not do that and kick these creatures out while we¡¯re at it?¡±


    ¡°Because something is maintaining the rift they¡¯re using to enter from the astral,¡± Jason explained. ¡°I can feel the rift. I can feel whatever¡¯s out there, waiting as it holds the rift open.¡±


    ¡°Whatever?¡± Gerling asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a vorger,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s something else. It feels familiar, but I can¡¯t quite sense it enough to recognise.¡±


    ¡°You said waiting,¡± Elizabeth said. ¡°Waiting for what?¡±


    ¡°For whoever defends this realm,¡± Shade said. ¡°It is common for astral beings that can enter semi-physical space to feed on physical beings. That energy anchors them and allows them to stay. When the vorger do this, they warp and deform flesh. If they do it enough, the person is turned into a flesh abomination, their soul forever trapped inside. They no longer control their own bodies, yet cannot pass into death unless someone kills them.¡±


    ¡°You want to avoid them doing that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen those abominations and you don¡¯t want to be one.¡±


    ¡°You still haven¡¯t explained why we don¡¯t just shut it all down and end this,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°Because we may have stabilised the transformation space, but now we have rogue elements running around inside it,¡± Jason said. ¡°We have to purge them and then we can finish it and finally get out of here. After that, we can go back to trying to kill one another.¡±


    ¡°The vorger are incorporeal,¡± Shade warned. ¡°Without a power that allows you to affect them, or an affinity to the astral, they can touch you while you cannot harm them in turn. They are, however, subject to spiritual forces. You all have strong auras. If you can wield them as weapons, they will be effective.¡±


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem for the essence users amongst us,¡± Mr North said, looking at Jason and Gerling. ¡°The rest of us have auras that are less actively controlled and more inherent to our nature.¡±


    ¡°You will likely be unable to make use of your auras in the appropriate manner,¡± Shade acknowledged. ¡°I recommend you leverage what abilities you have as best you can.¡±


    ¡°I think I can help,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I have a power that lets me pass off some power to others. You saw me using it to enhance my men. One of the things I can do with it is to invest you with a power that hurts ethereal stuff. It''ll shield you a little, but mostly add special damage to your physical attacks. Good for ghostly stuff and pretty good for breaking magic shields, too.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called disruptive-force damage,¡± Jason said and Gerling gave him an assessing look.


    ¡°Must be nice to have a power that gives you all the answers.¡±


    Disruptive force damage was a bane to incorporeal creatures, but Jason¡¯s best source was Gordon, who was still awaiting a resummons. He was not concerned about the vorger personally, though, as he had many tools to fight them. His ability to make soul attacks alone was even more dangerous to them than Gordon, with the only question being if they were strong enough to endure it.


    Unlike the anomalies, whose power was tied to the level of the transformation zone, these external invaders varied in rank. They were a mix of silver and gold-rank, the golds being the ones that gave Jason pause. The true threat was the entity just beyond his senses, however, due to not yet having entered his domain. He had a very bad feeling that the strain of power he sensed was diamond-rank, in which case all their efforts could easily be for naught. He did not voice this concern, since there was nothing to be done about it anyway.


    Unlike the anomalies that appeared all around a territory, the vorger poured in from a single rift in the sky over Jason¡¯s latest territory. They seemed to be no fewer in number, though, which meant that the ghost-like creatures formed a sea of translucent white, glowing faintly in the dark sky. They were eerily silent, even as they stormed out of the astral, giving them an uncanny air.


    The Communist Bloc style city had transfigured into a grim city of night, with dark, narrow alleys and moonlight glistening off rain-soaked streets. Jason immediately thought of the establishing shot of pretty much every Batman movie. It was a good environment for the vampires.


    Although the vorger seemed endless, they were being rapidly annihilated by Jason and his companions. Jason was the most prominent, with any vorger coming remotely close getting annihilated by soul attacks. Even the gold-rank ones put up little fight and the area around Jason became an empty bubble in a sea of ghosts as he moved around to sweep them up.


    The most prominent difference between Jason''s approach and the others was that when he assaulted the vorger with soul attacks, they made a noise. Normally silent, even as the others dispersed them by various means, Jason''s attacks made them let out a glass-shattering screech. Since Jason was wiping them out in job lots, the battle was punctuated by chorus bursts of ghostly death shrieks.


    Gerling required more effort than Jason to discorporate the vorger with his aura, but he quickly caught onto the means. Once he figured out how to make a powerful weapon of it, he was like a giant with a hammer smashing through them.


    Mr North and Elizabeth teamed up to use their unique ritual magic variations to set up defensive rituals, reminding Jason of Clive¡¯s combat style. Mr North created a web-pattern magic diagram set out in the middle of a street. He and Elizabeth stood in the middle of it and any vorger that came near found itself entangled in a web, despite its ethereal nature.


    Elizabeth in turn, set up five ritual circles around the central web diagram. From each, a nest of long red tentacles emerged to lash at the vorger. They were able to extend and snake off around corners and down alleys, as if infinite in length. They sought out the vorger, wrapped around them and squeezed, the ghostly entities popping like balloons. This proved a terror to the vorger, with only Jason¡¯s aura being more avidly avoided.


    The other vampires did not fare quite as well, at least at first. Gerling¡¯s power helped, but only so much in the face of the ghost tsunami. Georges, who could take on the powers and skills of things whose blood he drank, was troubled at first because the vorger had no blood to drink. Jason changed that for him, by casting a spell. Georges learned of it when he heard the icy voice Jason reserved for enemies.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    One of the vorger in Georges¡¯ face turned from translucent white to a red mist, with the familiar, coppery scent of blood. To Georges, it smelled amazingly appetizing and he sucked it in like he was playing tricks with cigarette smoke. Georges himself became a little translucent and suddenly he could touch the vorger as if they were physical things. Their touch was now harmless to him. Georges unleashed his inner beast, his gold-rank speed and vampiric ferocity tearing a path through the vorger.


    The last vampire, Klaus, suffered the worst. Jason also made some of the vorger in front of Klaus bleed, but consuming them was not as effective. Consumption made Klaus faster and stronger, neither of which was of great help against ghosts. Even if partially inured to their attacks by the energy infused into his body by Gerling¡¯s power, Klaus was slowly warped by the touch of one creature after another.


    Jason was unable to cleanse the effect with his power as the vorger¡¯s touch left behind an affliction of the magic type, which fell outside his power to dispel. This was common amongst cleansing powers, which tended to affect curses, diseases and poisons. Mostly, the kind of things Jason did to people. Magic cleansing was the purview of magic specialists like Clive, along with dedicated healers.


    When the vorger made a final surge, each combatant was isolated in a final effort by the ghostly creatures to overwhelm them. A massive wave attempted to inundate Jason¡¯s aura and overwhelm it, requiring him to dig deep and push back. He weathered the powerful and costly offensive in which countless vorger perished but was left mentally drained. He felt like he was low on mana, even though he was almost fully topped off.


    The vorger finally gave up and retreated, leaving only scattered stragglers behind. Jason and the others regrouped and started clearing the stragglers, aside from Klaus. They found what was left of him, transformed into a pile of formless, grotesque flesh. It was already dead.


    ¡°I believe,¡± Shade said, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow, ¡°that his vampiric nature has given him the mercy of death. Vampires sustain a false life using the life force they have stolen through blood. Once he was taken too far from his vampiric state, he could no longer contain that life force and it escaped, leaving the flesh to die.¡±


    Jason crouched to take a closer look at Klaus'' remains.


    ¡°I know we were ultimately enemies,¡± he said, ¡°but that¡¯s a rough way to go out. And rough ways to go are my bread and butter. At least his soul won¡¯t be trapped in a twisted prison of his own body.¡±


    ¡°Small mercies.¡± Elizabeth said as a spear plunged into Jason¡¯s back, bursting out of his chest.


    ¡°Which is more mercy than you¡¯ll get,¡± Gerling said, leveraging the spear shaft to heighten Jason¡¯s pain. ¡°It¡¯s time for this idiotic game of charades to end.¡±

 Chapter 453: Salus Mundi Suprema Lex Esto

    ¡°Do you have any idea how hard it was to get the materials for a category four suppression device?¡± Gerling asked, jerking the spear again. ¡°I¡¯m impressed that it takes something this strong to shut your powers down.¡±


    Jason collapsed to the ground, the spear still running through him. He groaned through gritted teeth. The surviving vampires and Mr North gathered around.


    ¡°Fortunately,¡± Gerling continued, ¡°there¡¯s been an upswing in category four proto-spaces. So while you were running around killing superheroes and playing with your magic door, I¡¯ve been getting ready. Even so, I never could get the materials for a suppression collar. It had to be something implanted.¡±


    Again he twisted the spear.


    ¡°To my delight, the implantation was allowed to be quite rough. As you¡¯re experiencing.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea what you¡¯re doing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m the only one who can¨C¡±


    Jason was cut off by Gerling¡¯s boot to the back of his head, crushing his face into the wet asphalt.


    ¡°You think you''re so special, Asano. The chosen one, destined to save the world because no one else can.¡±


    Gerling ground Jason¡¯s face into the street with his foot.


    ¡°You¡¯re not special,¡± Gerling said. ¡°The stuff you have is. So I¡¯m going to take it from you. I¡¯m going to take it all.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Impossible just means you haven¡¯t taken the time to figure it out,¡± Gerling said. ¡°While you were running around, claiming to be the Messiah, I was making preparations, as I said. This spear¡­¡±


    Jason groaned with pain as Gerling yanked it sideways like a boat tiller.


    ¡°¡­was only the start.¡±


    Gerling open a small leather pouch on his belt and took out a rainbow orb, the size of a large marble.


    ¡°This,¡± Gerling said, ¡°is much more impressive than its size denotes. I''d even say it''s the most impressive thing on this planet, for the simple reason that it can claim possession of anything else.¡±


    ¡°Contingencies on contingencies,¡± Mr North said. ¡°The spear was a failsafe, in case whoever ended up with the door proved unreliable or uncontrollable. I should congratulate you, Mr Asano, on being quite thoroughly both. Mr Gerling and I have come to an equitable arrangement where he will be my agent, and the face of saving the world going forward.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°The door is a part of me. It¡¯s part of my soul, now.¡±


    ¡°And this will draw it out,¡± Gerling said. ¡°I really hope it hurts.¡±


    ¡°Do you even realise who made this thing?¡± Mr North asked. ¡°The power of a great astral being is literally beyond your mind¡¯s ability to comprehend. It lacks the frame of reference to contextualise it.¡±


    The pained expression on Jason¡¯s face vanished as his eyes went wide.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said. ¡°I knew I sensed something I recognised.¡±


    The spear blurred and vanished, along with Jason¡¯s injuries as he got to his feet.


    ¡°I may not be able to contextualise the power of a great astral being, but I know even they can''t violate a soul. Maybe you could have sold me on it since I don''t know that much about great astral beings. Except that I''ve lived through the proof. The Builder huffed and he puffed but my soul was built out of bricks.¡±


    Jason pushed out with his aura at full strength. The diamond rank power that had him in its grip was reliant on his accepting the scenario, but even so, it was hard to push away. It was like being trapped under an unconscious person, who wasn¡¯t actively trying to keep him down but was so heavy they were hard to escape. Jason gave it everything he had, straining to push back. Only due to his abnormal strength and the unique traits of his aura was he able to force away the oppressive power.


    Title: Indomitable


    Your repeated defiance in the face of more powerful enemies and willingness to sacrifice everything for a cause has marked your soul. Your resistance to aura suppression is further enhanced and ignores rank disparity.Your aura signature has changed. Your unwavering resolve floods your aura and can be detected if your aura is examined by an aura sensing power or when projecting your aura. Allies within your aura have increased resistance to aura suppression.


    Gerling, Mr North and the vampires shimmered and vanished as the true scene was revealed. Jason was lined up next to Gerling and the vampires. In front of them was a nightmare hag, a diamond-rank entity that had little direct power but could manipulate fears. It looked a lot like Shade if he¡¯s been put through a heavy wash cycle; a ragged, shadowy figure. It had one arm outstretched, connected to Gerling and the vampires with three beams of silver-blue light. The luminescence of the light that had just been severed between Jason and the creature was still fading away.


    Mr North was also in the line of nightmare victims but had broken free of the trance state even quicker than Jason.


    ¡°You threw it off,¡± Jason said, bending over with a weary groan, hands on knees.


    ¡°I have accepted my fate, Mr Asano. I have nothing left to fear.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason grunted. ¡°How the hell are we supposed to kill a nightmare hag?¡±


    ¡°You know what this thing is?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve faced one before, but Shade knows more than me.¡±


    One of Shade¡¯s bodies emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°For diamond-rank creatures,¡± Shade said, ¡°nightmare hags are breathtakingly weak, at least in direct confrontation. They are, however, almost impossible to eliminate. More typically, they are bound and used for various purposes, as happened with the Order of the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°I thought they manifested your fears as a weapon,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That is their means of fighting, and what makes them so dangerous,¡± Shade said. ¡°They can manifest diamond rank spiritual constructs in the form of people¡¯s fears. Their method of feeding, however, is to place people in a scenario where their fears consume them.¡±


    ¡°If you''ve encountered one of these in the past,¡± Mr North asked, ¡°how did you handle it then?¡±


    ¡°Other people¡¯s fears are like a box of chocolates,¡± Jason said. ¡°You never know what you¡¯re going to get. It created a diamond-rank version of me that was a lot more like you. One that no longer sees lines to cross. Apparently, these hags being hard to kill doesn¡¯t apply to their own manifestations.¡±


    ¡°It killed that hag so that you would eventually become the same as the manifestation?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°It killed the hag because it refused to be controlled.¡±


    ¡°The manifestations are accurate, then,¡± Mr North said.


    ¡°I hope not,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade, any idea on how to handle this thing?¡±


    ¡°To anchor itself here, it will need to feed on at least one physical being,¡± Shade said. ¡°You and Mr North have denied it, leaving the others.¡±


    ¡°We have to save them?¡± Mr North said. ¡°Help them escape, somehow?¡±


    ¡°Shade, if this thing gets denied, it goes back through the rift, right? Job done?¡±


    ¡°That would be my understanding,¡± Shade said. ¡°I would like to be clear that this is not a scenario in which I am comfortable making definitive statements.¡±


    ¡°We stick to the plan, then,¡± Jason said, pulling an object from his inventory.


    Item: [Travis¡¯ Big Rocket] (silver rank, rare)


    Definitely not compensating for anything (consumable, bazooka).


    Effect: Launches a rocket containing vast and destructive powers of solar and kinetic energy.


    Jason slung the huge rocket over his shoulder.


    ¡°Curse my sudden, yet inevitable betrayal.¡±


    ¡°What is that?¡± Mr North asked.


    ¡°A sun nuke, by way of astral reconfiguration. I thought I¡¯d have a Godzilla monster or something as an excuse to fire this thing off, but having Gerling and the vamps just stand there in a trance is fine too. Can¡¯t dawdle, though. Got to get this done before any of them die or break free.¡±


    Jason opened a portal, which Mr North stared at.


    ¡°So, you can,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You shipped us all back and forth via vehicle to reinforce that you couldn¡¯t portal?¡±


    ¡°Got to have an escape plan. Are you going to fight for your life, Mr North?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Mr North said, his voice weary. ¡°You won¡¯t let me go and the world can¡¯t afford to lose you. The welfare of the world must be the supreme law. I knew from the moment I was trapped here that this moment would come, and perhaps it¡¯s for the best. I do have a conscience, you know. I suppose it¡¯s time to pay for my many mistakes. I do love my adopted world, you know.¡±


    ¡°I believe you,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sometimes the things we love are the things we hurt the most.¡±


    A window appeared in front of Mr North.


    [Jason Asano] has invited you to form a party. Accept Y/N?


    ¡°Why? Mr North asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m about to leave a henchman to kill all my enemies while I go away, assuming everything went to plan. Classic villain move, so I want some assurances.¡±


    ¡°That I die.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I considered letting you live, you know. I do believe you want to help.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t trust the way I might choose to help in your absence.¡±


    ¡°I like you, Mr North, in spite of everything. But I also fear turning into you. And I can¡¯t leave that behind me when I¡¯m gone.¡±


    [Noreth] has joined your party.


    ¡°Noreth?¡±


    ¡°The name my essence user gave me. It was very precious to me, once.¡±


    Jason nodded and handed the rocket to Shade.


    ¡°There is a vault,¡± Noreth said. ¡°It¡¯s hidden under one of the remote magic accumulators Miss Hurin set up to accumulate and feed magic your village in Australia.¡±


    ¡°How did you manage that?¡±


    ¡°With great difficulty. Even lacking the main village defences, Miss Hurin was not incautious about its protections.¡±


    ¡°How do I open this?¡±


    ¡°It will only open for two people. You and I.¡±


    ¡°Is it a trap?¡±


    ¡°It has traps. I advise you to have Miss Hurin assist you. Speaking of which¡­¡±


    ¡°Barbou,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Please ask her to make it quick and clean. Call it a final request.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask. If she says no, I won¡¯t push. She¡¯ll probably say no.¡±


    ¡°I know. Now, leave. You¡¯ve tarried too long already.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Goodbye, Noreth.¡±


    ¡°Goodbye, Mr Asano. Do better for this world than I did.¡±


    Jason moved to step through the portal when Noereth called out to him.


    ¡°Actually, Mr Asano, there is one more thing I¡¯d like to do, if you¡¯ll permit me.¡±


    Jason stepped out of the portal into the mezzanine lounge of the pagoda. Barbou and Gerling¡¯s men rushed up as Jason walked towards the elevating platform. Jason didn¡¯t so much as glance in their direction, instead, holding out a hand slick with blood. Leeches sprayed out over Gerling¡¯s men but left Barbou untouched. He skittered away fearfully as the others collapsed, screaming and yanking leeches off themselves. Jason rode the elevating platform up as his portal sank into the floor as the other end of it was destroyed.


    ¡°Thank you, Shade.¡±


    ¡°You are welcome, Mr Asano,¡± Shade¡¯s voice came from his shadow.


    Jason reached the top floor master suite, went into the study and took a red crystal from a drawer. It was the one that Elizabeth had given him, in order to survive whatever attack she assumed he had planned. It lit up as it activated, a beacon to draw in the soul after the vampire died. Jason took out a reclamation orb and touched it to the crystal. The crystal started growing dim as the orb started filling with rainbow light. It did not fill all the way before the crystal blackened and crumbled.


    You have defeated [Georges Albon].


    ¡°Georges?¡± Jason muttered. He extended his senses throughout his domain, which covered the entirety of the transformation zone. Neither Elizabeth nor her blood crystal appeared anywhere within.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason said. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve been played. Could a disembodied soul successfully leave the transformation zone, even while it¡¯s sealed like this?¡±


    ¡°The only way to trap a soul, Mr Asano, is in its own body, as with the flesh abominations. A god of death can guide a soul, but not bind one. The Reaper can open passages for a soul, but also cannot bind one.¡±


    ¡°Open passages?¡±


    ¡°I will not be drawn into speaking on the role of my progenitor, Mr Asano. You know this.¡±


    ¡°Fine. I think Elizabeth had her blood crystal outside the transformation zone this whole time. She somehow got Georges¡¯ crystal, maybe even made it herself. She passed it off as hers so I¡¯d think I had her at a disadvantage.¡±


    ¡°Then she has likely escaped.¡±


    The blast zone of the nuclear solar rockets was a crater. Ash and dust blocked out the sky and the former gothic cityscape had been levelled for kilometres. Noreth dug his way out of the ground from where he had buried himself deep, inside a cocoon of magical webbing. It was just enough that he survived given that, while the force of the rocket was immense, it was still only a silver-rank power. Noreth was gold rank, as were the preparations he made to shield himself.


    Even with his preparations, his cocoon had been crushed, as had Noreth himself. Buried underground, he had to wait for bones to snap back into place before digging his way out. Once he did, he started laying out a ritual circle with webs.


    There was a rush of rainbow light in the crater, not unlike the manifestation of a monster, but this was something else. Gerling appeared from the light, bare naked, his immortality power having brought him back even from full bodily annihilation. He was still coming to his senses, when webs started whipping out from a series of nearby ritual circles, binding him between them.


    ¡°I was a little worried you¡¯d come back before I was ready,¡± Noreth said. ¡°I was lucky, in this regard. Also, in that you never unsealed your strength power. You won¡¯t be able to pull yourself free, not without more tricks than you have in your bag right now.¡±


    ¡°What do you want, North?¡± Gerling snarled.


    ¡°You know I only came to this place for you, right? You took my friend.¡±


    ¡°Someone like you doesn¡¯t have friends.¡±


    ¡°I may be a monster, Mr Gerling, but not an unfeeling one. You took my friend and I came to get him back. Because of this, he and I will both soon be dead. I can¡¯t save either of us, Mr Gerling. Or you. When you think about it, you have led all three of us to our doom in this place.¡±


    ¡°We can team up. Fight Asano.¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Gerling. Mr Asano was kind enough to let me take a small measure of revenge on the man who brought us here. After that, I will take my own life.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be like this,¡± Gerling said.


    ¡°It didn¡¯t, Mr Gerling, but now it does.¡±


    Jason opened his eyes and his vision departed from the crater where Gerling died.


    Party member [Noreth] has died.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s it then,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Will you pursue Elizabeth after reintegrating the transformation zone?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m done with vampires and magic factions. It¡¯s time to finish the job and go home.¡±


    ¡°Home, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. This world isn¡¯t it anymore.¡±

 Chapter 454: Something Other Than Human

    ¡°Dr Asano, I would like to thank you again for letting us set up the interim government here. Best estimates are over a year before Paris will be restored to the point of initiating repopulation.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for helping push through the Transformed Relocation project with the UN, Mr President,¡± Yumi said. ¡°The first of the transformed will be arriving this week.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not entirely selfless, Dr Asano. We will be in Saint-¨¦tienne for a time, but for the transformed, it will be a home. Many have been treated poorly after losing their humanity and I believe that things will be more harmonious if we earn some goodwill.¡±


    Yumi and the interim French president walked along an empty street. The city of Saint-¨¦tienne was, for the moment, still largely empty. Most of it was occupied by Jason¡¯s spirit domain, which had remade the city. There were some remnants that the transformation zone hadn¡¯t absorbed, left in ruins by the vampire occupation. It was not back to the way it was. The new Saint-¨¦tienne was more like a French city as imagined by a man whose knowledge of France came from watching too many whimsical French films. The interim president was diplomatic enough not to point that out.


    The vampires had abandoned France after the transformation zone was unsealed and Jason¡¯s spirit domain became the centre of a new high-magic zone. It was retaken by eager Network forces, although it was made clear that Jason¡¯s spirit domain only answered to one man.


    ¡°If I may ask,¡± the president said, ¡°where is your grandson? He has never been big on public appearances but it¡¯s like he fell off the side of the world in the last few months. The Network would very much like to¨C¡±


    ¡°We are aware of what the Network would very much like,¡± Yumi said. ¡°Jason has not fallen off the side of the world quite yet. He has eschewed his worldly concerns, outside of preparing the clan for his departure.¡±


    ¡°If I may ask, Dr Asano, what exactly is this nebulous threat your grandson is saving us from? He¡¯s not exactly forthcoming on the details, which is why so many doubt him. I¡¯m an administrator, chosen both for my ability to get the reclamation up and running and for lacking the charisma come election time. I know little of magic and am just one more person struggling in a world that has completely changed.¡±


    "I think you might be a better politician than you claim, Mr President. I don''t understand all that much myself, but how long has it been since there was a transformation zone, anywhere in the world?"


    ¡°Forty-two days.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s where my grandson has been, Mr President.¡±


    ¡°United Nations Liaison to the Asano Clan?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who started taking over chunks of sovereign territory,¡± Anna told him.


    ¡°That was never my intention.¡±


    ¡°Then give it back.¡±


    ¡°Anyone who wants it can come and take it,¡± Jason said, his voice an iron fist in a silk glove. Jason led Anna from the helicopter pad outside the pagoda in Saint-¨¦tienne, taking her inside. The atrium was full of people, very few of whom were human. They walked through the crowd towards what was now a bank of elevating platforms, part of various design changes Jason had made to accommodate the clan. The pagoda was ultimately a cloud construct, even if it rarely showed, and could be altered with alacrity and ease.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised no one is looking at you,¡± Anna said as they navigated the crowd. ¡°You¡¯re more or less the head of state, at this point.¡±


    She was awkwardly stepping around delicate elves and huge leonids while they unconsciously parted for Jason. Anna quickly learned to walk right behind him.


    ¡°They don¡¯t see me. Or, more precisely, their minds actively ignore my presence. It¡¯s an aura manipulation trick I picked up some time ago from Craig Vermilion. There is a lot to learn from how vampires use their auras.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a new leader who had managed to rise up amongst the vampires,¡± Anna said. ¡°They¡¯ve separated from the Cabal, who pretty much rule Africa and Russia at this stage. She¡¯s concentrating power in parts of Europe and Central America, pulling back from aggressive action.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve met Elizabeth," Jason said lightly. They arrived at the elevating platform and got on, alongside several other people.


    "So I''ve heard," Anna asked. "I''d love to hear more."


    ¡°She and I spent some time together. I tried to kill her but she outplayed me.¡±


    ¡°Some of our intelligence suggests that she''s holding back until you''re gone. That she wants to avoid you trying again and knows that you intend to leave this world behind.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s more likely obfuscation,¡± Jason said. ¡°She''s probably just taking the time to consolidate her power.¡±


    ¡°Our analysts agree. The ancient vampires seem to have realised that they need to work together but that isn¡¯t natural for them. Many aren¡¯t happy about pulling back after the successful attacks on network holdings in Germany and want to take advantage of the civil war in the US.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not stupid enough to poke the dragon while it¡¯s chasing its own tail. Not my concern, in any case. The vampire war is your apocalypse, Anna, not mine.¡±


    ¡°And how is your apocalypse going?¡± she asked. ¡°A lot of very powerful people made very sure that I¡¯d ask.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all finished but the paperwork,¡± Jason said. ¡°I need to finish up in the other world but for practical purposes, the job is done. To the best of my understanding, the dimensional membrane stopping the earth from spilling out the side of the universe will slowly recover over the next couple of decades. At the very least, things here are no longer escalating. Barring some god-like dimensional entity showing up to make trouble, you can rest easy.¡±


    ¡°Some kind of public announcement would be nice,¡± Anna said. ¡°We can do it with the UN, make it nice and legitimate. There are a lot of worried people out there, and a lot of crazies stoking trouble. It would be nice if you could explain it all.¡±


    ¡°What do you want me to do, Anna? Go on TV and start talking about alien gods? You want the UN to endorse a message that goes directly against most of the world¡¯s religious beliefs? Remind me what the revelations about magic and monsters did for global religious harmony?¡±


    ¡°We can couch the language to excise anything contentious.¡±


    ¡°People never much liked the truth, Anna. There¡¯s little point feeding them half of it. Let them think what they want. I don''t care anymore."


    Anna looked at Jason¡¯s impassive face. She remembered the wild, animated man she had met just a couple of years ago. He seemed much older despite, if anything, looking younger. There was a tiredness to him, to the way his bizarre eyes watched the world around him.


    ¡°Coming back to this world has done more to you than going to the other one did, hasn¡¯t it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Any sign that Gerling or Mr North are still alive?¡± he asked, ignoring her question.


    ¡°I thought they were both dead. I heard you saw it with your own eyes.¡±


    ¡°I looted their bodies, but I¡¯ve been deceived before and death isn¡¯t always the end. I know that better than most.¡±


    ¡°There has been no sign of Gerling or Mr North. As best we can tell, they both are truly dead. I have no information on Adrien Barbou, either, past Gerling raiding the EOA headquarters and taking him. I don¡¯t suppose you know his ultimate fate.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead. That, I am certain of. Is the EOA showing signs of recovery?¡±


    ¡°No. Somehow, someone got access to the vast majority of their funds and siphoned them away. They lost half their leadership. More, once you realise how much Mr North kept from the others, which we¡¯re still only finding out about now. Recovery isn¡¯t possible and do many of its people are being absorbed into different Network factions.¡±


    Jason nodded absently but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Jason, we traced where the money went.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re taking in non-humans from all over the world, Anna. Even with the infrastructure I¡¯m bringing to the table, that takes a lot of funding.¡±


    ¡°The UN has offered to help with that.¡±


    ¡°Talk to my uncle Hiro. He¡¯s managing the relocation program on our end.¡±


    The elevating platform took them to the pagoda¡¯s portal chamber, now a warehouse-sized space occupying an entire floor. The walls had archways much larger than those Jason created himself, all of which were open portals. It was a hubbub of activity, with people, forklifts and even supply trucks coming in and out under the direction of a harried group of Asano clan members in visibility shirts.


    Jason led them to one of the portals where Asano clan members were checking everyone going in and out.


    ¡°Patriarch!¡± one of them said, startled as Jason stopped masking his presence from her. She was nineteen years old and Jason¡¯s second cousin. He had given up on trying to stop the clan members from calling him that.


    The clan structure had been instigated by the former members of the Japanese Asano clan, mostly Asano Akari¡¯s father. Nothing had been heard from the Japanese Asano clan, led by Akari¡¯s grandmother, Noriko.


    Jason had not been on board with formalising the clan at first but was railroaded by his grandmother. Yumi had told him that if wanted a say in how the clan was organised, he was welcome to increase his participation in administering it. Jason had declared surrender, washing his hands of the whole thing.


    ¡°We¡¯re going through to Slovakia,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jason¡¯s cousin said.


    Jason and Anna went through the portal, arriving in an almost identical portal room. They took an elevating platform up to what was now known as the Patriarch¡¯s suite on the top floor and Jason led them out to the balcony. Compared to her last visit, when it was ruined and empty, all was repaired and odd folk roamed bustled about the streets. Celestines and leonids, elves and even more exotic people. The once devastated landscape had been repaired under the attentions of Jason¡¯s father, Ken.


    ¡°It¡¯s looking better,¡± Anna said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°My father has found it very fulfilling. There¡¯s a lot of damage to be fixed around the world and my father¡¯s powers and experience are well-suited to handling them.¡±


    Anna turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°You wanted to take him with you,¡± she intuited.


    ¡°He has found a new purpose. I won¡¯t try and deny him that.¡±


    ¡°So it will just be your sister and her family leaving with you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯ve elected to stay.¡±


    Neither his face nor his aura betrayed his feelings on that.


    ¡°My sister had taken the food logistics of the relocation project in hand,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ll be seeing a lot of her in your new role, I suspect. Her husband is working with the new medical infrastructure and research team.¡±


    ¡°I heard you poached Gladys from the Network. Ketevan wasn¡¯t happy.¡±


    ¡°We need a lot of people with a lot of expertise. Learning the ins and out of many new species is quite the challenge, even before you start getting into essence users and any other magical quirks that may appear.¡±


    ¡°What about your niece?¡±


    Jason bowed his head.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the uncle she knew. Not even the one who came back, from before the monster waves. They love me, but they look at me and don¡¯t recognise these eyes. Or the man behind them. I scare them.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t lie, Jason; you scare us all. You went into that transformation zone with some of the most powerful beings on the planet and only two of you survived. One of you came out queen of the vampires and the other came out with a kingdom.¡±


    "I''m not a king. Mayor, maybe, although that''s my grandmother, really."


    ¡°Jason, unless you want to let the French and Slovakian authorities reclaim the land, you¡¯re a de facto head of state. They¡¯re playing nice now, while they¡¯re scared and happy that the vampires are staying away. The time will come, though, when they start looking to take that land back. And even if they don¡¯t, what will you do with it? You know you have more territory than the Vatican, right? That¡¯s not even counting those astral spaces of yours.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve left grandmother in charge of all of that,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯ll be more amenable to cooperation than I am anymore.¡±


    ¡°She can¡¯t do the things you can do.¡±


    Anna¡¯s aura senses weren¡¯t sophisticated enough to understand what Jason did but everything around her seemed to go still.


    ¡°Rather than try and get me to do the things I can do,¡± Jason said, ¡°you should be very glad that I¡¯ve elected not to. I¡¯m done with it all, Anna. I¡¯m leaving the clan with as many resources as I can and I am going. This world is better off without me, now, and I¡¯m better off without it.¡±


    ¡°This world could use you.¡±


    ¡°This world did. Goodbye Anna. Shade, take her to see Grandmother.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Shade said, emerging from Anna¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°One more thing,¡± Anna said. ¡°Some rumours I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    ¡°You mean you¡¯ve checked in with your spies within the clan.¡±


    She didn¡¯t deny it.


    ¡°Is your clan resuming the human augmentation research that the EOA was conducting? You¡¯ve been scooping up certain former EOA people the Network had its eye on. The Network has more expertise in this area. They¡¯re willing to collaborate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet they are. I don¡¯t trust you to avoid the same shortcuts that Mr North did,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have given the clan only a few hard rules to follow in my absence, and the way that research is conducted is at the top of the list. I¡¯ve already made sure it¡¯s impossible to replicate the existing process for creating silver-rank augmented humans.¡±


    ¡°The clockwork cores,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ve been debriefing ex-EOA as their organisation collapses in on itself. The source of the cores went missing, months before Mr North died. We believe he took it.¡±


    ¡°He did.¡±


    ¡°How much of North¡¯s assets did you get your hands on? Did you torture it out of him in the transformation zone?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t torture him, Anna. He was a monster that wanted to be a hero and got it very wrong. He hoped that I wasn¡¯t the same as him. I hope that too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a monster, Jason.¡±


    ¡°It feels like this world wants me to be. Do you remember what I used to be like? I got kidnapped, and a few hours later we were sharing some fun banter in your kitchen.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t fun for me, Asano. I was afraid you were going to kill my wife.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that reminds me. Shade, give her the painting on the way out.¡±


    ¡°Painting?¡± Anna asked.


    ¡°Something Dawn left behind. A gift for your wife.¡±


    Jason and Farrah had spent weeks drawing out the ritual circle by shaping and placing stones. They were using a football field in an isolated outback town in Australia, never repopulated after the monster surge. The entirety of the circle could only be made out from the air.


    Using their wings of fire and wings of darkness to survey their work, Farrah and Jason reviewed and tweaked the largest and most powerful ritual either would likely ever be involved in. At the very least, they wouldn¡¯t expect to top it before reaching diamond rank.


    After hours of work every day for the better part of a week, they were finally done. They sat in the sun-weathered wooden stands of the old football field, the last paint job flaked and gone before Jason was born.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re good,¡± Farrah said. ¡°A few more tests to make sure. The final assessment has to be yours, though.¡±


    Farrah was a better and more experienced ritualist than Jason, especially with a ritual of this scale. She was the one making sure that all the aspects worked together while Jason, as the specialist in astral magic, took the lead on the ritual¡¯s purpose and core design.


    ¡°We¡¯ve pretty much made a more elaborate Stonehenge,¡± Jason said. ¡°In a footy field. That¡¯s pretty awesome.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re opening a passage between realities and you think being in a dusty field in a town that was all but dead even before the monsters is what makes it impressive?¡±


    ¡°I do crazy dimension stiff all the time,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rebooting Stonehenge is a new experience for me.¡±


    ¡°So,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We can go whenever, now.¡±


    Jason looked up at the sky, clear and blue.


    ¡°I wanted to come back home better than I left,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now I think I¡¯m leaving it worse than when I arrived.¡±


    "We''ve talked before about Rufus telling you that there''d be hard choices," Farrah said. "I don''t think he quite had all we''ve been through here in mind but only the scale was off, not the sentiment. Sacrificing your sense of self-worth because that''s what it takes to do the right thing doesn''t make you bad, Jason. It just makes you feel bad."


    ¡°When I faced a nightmare hag in your world, my fear was power corrupting me. When I faced one here, my fear was not being as special as I thought.¡±


    ¡°I hate to break it to you, Jason, but you needing a little humility is not news.¡±


    ¡°Did someone tell you that you¡¯re good at cheering people up? They lied to you.¡±


    ¡°Jason, you¡¯re the second most important person in the world right now. That would mess with anyone¡¯s head. Add in the fact that you out-skill everyone here to an absurd degree, now. But don¡¯t worry; back in my world, I¡¯ll take you to Vitesse. In any big adventuring city, you¡¯ll just be some guy.¡±


    ¡°I am looking forward to just being some guy again,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be a problem. You¡¯re strong, I¡¯m not playing that down, but over there you¡¯re far from unique. You and I are what they call guild level.¡±


    ¡°Rufus told me to stay away from adventuring guilds.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because guilds in dinky little province towns are just pointlessly aping how they do it in the big cities. There, all the top adventurers are in guilds. Guild level means you have the skills to be recruited by a real guild. Once you see it for yourself, you¡¯ll see why we were so dismissive of the Greenstone adventurers.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re in a guild?¡±


    "Yeah. The Burning Violet guild. It''s an old guild but after Rufus'' grandfather became guild leader it became more and more associated with the Remore Academy. It¡¯s Rufus¡¯ family, plus allies like Gary and me. Gary''s around the bottom of guild-level, to be honest, because he''s as much a craftsman as an adventurer. Splitting your training time comes at a price."


    ¡°The guild must be strong if it¡¯s full of Remore Academy graduates,¡± Jason said.


    "It''s okay, but you''re underestimating the level of guilds in a city like Vitesse. Plus, most of the big-family graduates don''t join. They have family connections that lead into the more prestigious guilds, but connections only open the door. The Remore Academy gives them the skills to walk through it. Mostly it''s the lower-class graduates who join the Burning Violet guild."


    ¡°There are lower class graduates?¡±


    ¡°Sure. The Remore Academy has a huge scouting program, looking for people with potential. The academy does scholarships, puts them up in dormitories and trains them until they¡¯re trying to escape, free tuition be damned.¡±


    "You didn''t attend the academy, did you?"


    ¡°No. I was already an adventurer when I met Rufus and Gary.¡±


    ¡°Undead taking over a town, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. You know, it¡¯s funny; I used to think of that as this great horrible disaster. Compared to Makassar, though, it wasn''t even a big deal. The numbers were smaller and the Adventure Society sent a whole contingent of gold-rankers, so there was never any doubt about resolving it. That''s why they let low-rankers like us participate."


    ¡°That would be nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m looking forward to seeing people more powerful than me and being happy instead of afraid.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re ready to go. Just take a good look as you¡¯re saying your goodbyes. You won¡¯t be back for a long time. While you¡¯re doing that, I¡¯m going to Switzerland.¡±


    ¡°Switzerland?¡±


    ¡°So I can essence-up the most important person in the world. I¡¯m going to need some essences, by the way. And some awakening stones. The good stuff, too; no cheapies. I could have done this a year ago if you¡¯d told me she moved to Switzerland a quarter of a century ago. We didn''t have to worry about the Americans at all."


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You need to stay on top of these things, Jason.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m from another universe!¡±


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°You know I can¡¯t portal you all the way to Switzerland, right?¡±


    ¡°The United Nations is loaning me a plane. I promised Anna I¡¯d help with the protection magic on the new UN building.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re going ahead with that?¡±


    ¡°Well, with the US civil war still going on, it¡¯s not exactly a testament to peace.¡±


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to get caught up in more mess, Farrah. You know that.¡±


    ¡°I know, but Anna¡¯s a friend. While you were running around stomping out monster waves, I was working with her to get the grid back up and running. She¡¯s a good person, Jason.¡±


    Jason got to his feet.


    ¡°I know,¡± he said. ¡°But I¡¯m just done with it all. I have to let it all go.¡±


    She stood up as well and gave him a warm but concerned smile.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re ready for that?¡± she asked. ¡°The places, sure, but the people?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said sadly. ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    Jason made his farewells in France, on a warm autumn day. Taika complained about his mother and her opinions on French food. Travis wanted to go with Jason but knew that his contribution would be critical to the coming war with the vampires. He did, however, jump at the chance to give up his previous affiliation and work with the Asano clan. Jason extracted Travis¡¯ family from the United States personally.


    At the end, Jason drifted down the River Furan on a cloud construct pleasure yacht with his sister and niece. They didn¡¯t speak of magic or monsters or leaving. They enjoyed each other¡¯s company, played one of Greg¡¯s board games out on the deck. Jason ignored the occasional glance Erika made at his strange eyes and what he read in her aura when she did.


    After watching the sunset together, he opened a portal and sent them back to Saint-¨¦tienne. He was about to close it when a small figure dashed back through and clamped him in a vice hug.


    ¡°Goodbye, Moppet,¡± he said, tousling her hair.


    Jason¡¯s body no longer had the physiological mechanisms to produce tears. He had been something other than human for a long time, but never had he felt it more than in that moment.

 Chapter 455: Everyone Calls Me Gary

    In the city of Greenstone, Gary Xandier and Rufus Remore walked quietly along an empty street, the night lit up by magical lamposts. Gary was a huge lion man, yet looked sunken and small, with none of his signature boisterousness.


    ¡°It was a good service, I thought,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Good service?¡± Gary reacted angrily. ¡°Good service? He died saving this city and what does he get? A bunch of sneering nobles, glad to see him go. They hated him. They always hated him. Tiny people who tell themselves they¡¯re giants.¡±


    ¡°There were friends there too, Gary.¡±


    ¡°Farrah wasn¡¯t. She¡¯s dead, Rufus. Now Jason¡¯s dead. How long until Hester shows up at my door to portal me to your memorial service?¡±


    ¡°You could stick around. Watch my back.¡±


    ¡°I was watching Farrah¡¯s back. We both were, and what could we do? Watch her die, that¡¯s what. Adventuring was meant to be fun, Rufus. Remember that? See the world; help the people who need it. It turns out we¡¯re the people who need it, Rufus.¡±


    Gary hung his head.


    ¡°What will you do now? For a team, I mean. There¡¯ll be no shortage of takers back in Vitesse.¡±


    ¡°They can stay there,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯m going to stick around, work on the new training centre.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Gary said. ¡°Be a teacher, Rufus. Maybe we¡¯ll live long enough to be old friends.¡±


    A flatland of long, yellow grass spanned to the horizon under a wide-open sky. Little more than a few sparse trees broke up the endless sea of gold, shifting gently in the breeze.


    A remote village of low buildings was the sole population centre, with the few other building spread across the massive territory being ranches or other operations with no more than a handful of people. A lion-like leonid woman marched up to a cottage several kilometres outside the solitary village.


    Accompanying the woman was a human man, who followed her to the cottage door. The building was a small stone affair, with an attached smith¡¯s forge. The woman stood outside the door and bellowed a name.


    ¡°GARETH!¡±


    Inside, Gary winced. The door hit the wall as it was slammed open, Gary¡¯s hangover making it feel like it had hit his head on the way.


    ¡°Mum,¡± he groaned. ¡°Did you open the door by yelling at it? Also, you know everyone calls me Gary.¡±


    ¡°No, everyone calls you the perpetually drunken blacksmith who half-arses his work. Are you sleeping on a pile of your dirty laundry?"


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re here to wash it?¡±


    ¡°Although it might surprise anyone who knew you, you¡¯re a grown man, Gareth. You¡¯re old enough to do your own laundry.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here?¡±


    "Because somebody is too good to come visit his mother. Magda had to come get me, which does not reflect well on you as her employer."


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I pay her for.¡±


    ¡°No, you pay her to manage the business side of your smithy, which is hard to do when the smith spends all his time in a wine-soaked heap. You¡¯re not an onion Gareth, so stop trying to pickle yourself.¡±


    Gary patted around until his hand fell on an empty bottle and he held it up, even as he still lay in a pile of dirty clothes. He peered at the label.


    ¡°This is wine? I may have been ripped off.¡±


    ¡°You should listen to your mother, Gary,¡± came a familiar voice. Gary propped himself onto his elbows to see Rufus standing in the doorway, behind his mother.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to let you two boys talk,¡± Gary¡¯s mother said. ¡°Afterwards, Gareth, you and I are going to have some words about keeping a clean house.¡±


    Gary eventually managed to navigate himself to actual furniture and sit at his dusty kitchen table. He leaned over it, propping his head up.


    ¡°Gary, you aren¡¯t exactly looking your best,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°You are,¡± Gary said. ¡°Are you polishing your head again?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t polish my head.¡±


    ¡°Sure you don¡¯t. You hit silver?¡±


    ¡°The monster surge precursor signs have been going on for well over a year now, even if it increasingly seems like the surge will never come. There¡¯s been a noticeable increase in silver-rank monsters in Greenstone, which got me over the threshold.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were going to run your new school instead of going back to adventuring.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only a training annex, and I am. But you know what standards are like in Greenstone. All the good adventurers leave, so someone has to step up.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t a bunch come back for the monster surge?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been waiting for the surge for years at this point, Gary. These surge precursors have been showing for more than a year. It should have been weeks; months at the outside. People won¡¯t wait forever, especially in a place like Greenstone where all but the lowest ranks stagnate.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re leaving?¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m still getting the training annex ready. It won¡¯t go into full operation until after the surge. The academy won¡¯t send people before then. Danielle Geller left. Managed to hit gold rank, or so I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    ¡°Good for her.¡±


    ¡°You know, Gary, you were bronze-rank before I even had essences.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault you¡¯re immature,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Was I just called immature by the man who once forgot to wear pants to a fight?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m covered in fur, Rufus. It¡¯s easy to miss.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I remember what you were covered in. It matted in your hair and we had to buy crystal wash to get it out, remember?¡±


    ¡°Right, yeah. Farrah wanted to just cut it out of my hair with scissors. She would have left me looking like a sick stray cat.¡±


    ¡°Gary, you are a sick stray cat. Your mother asked me to come here from another continent. She¡¯s worried about you.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s my mum. That¡¯s her job.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t, Rufus. Just don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to push. I do have something for you, though.¡±


    ¡°The way this conversation is heading, I¡¯m not sure that I want it.¡±


    Rufus took a small object from his pocket and placed it on the table.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°You know what it is,¡± Rufus said.


    Gary picked up the monster core and held it between the thumb and forefinger of his huge hand. He turned it over, examining it before setting it back on the table.


    ¡°What do you want me to do with this?¡±


    ¡°If you want to push your smithing to the next level, you need to rank up. You¡¯ve been bronze rank for my entire adventuring career and you¡¯re on the very brink of silver.¡±


    Rufus tapped the monster core with his finger.


    ¡°If you¡¯re really done with adventuring, then this is how you rank up, now.¡±


    Gary looked at Rufus silently for a long time.


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing. Trying to wake me up by making me choose.¡±


    ¡°Gary¨C¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear it, Rufus.¡±


    Gary stood up, picked up the monster core and walked to the door of his modest cottage. He opened the door to reveal the huge span of yellow grass outside. He threw the monster core out into it with all his considerable strength.


    ¡°Rufus, you¡¯re my best friend in the world and I love you. But get out of my house.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where he is,¡± Magda said. The leonid woman had been approached in the village by an unusual man, asking after her employer.


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t been staying in his cottage,¡± Magda continued. ¡°He comes in every couple of weeks and works for a few days, then goes again. I¡¯ve just been going up to collect whatever he¡¯s made to sell twice a month.¡±


    Magda was nervous. The customer had the immaculate perfection of a very high ranker, so if he grew angry at Gary¡¯s less than excellent work ethic, there was little they could do about it.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± the man said, smoothly producing a gold-rank spirit coin. ¡°Go home for a while and¡­ Mr Xandier, was it?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Gareth Xandier. But everyone calls him Gary, except him mum.¡±


    "When Mr Xandier is ready for your services again, he will find you. It may be some time, so this should carry you in the interim."


    He held out the coin for her to take, but she hesitated.


    ¡°Young lady,¡± he said, despite looking half of her forty years, ¡°I assure you that I will take more offence at the rejection of my offer than the loss of the coin.¡±


    Magda¡¯s eyes went wide and she plucked the valuable spirit coin from his fingers, hurriedly, then was shocked at her own rudeness. He laughed lightly, holding up a hand to forestall her apology.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll have to go find him myself.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to hurt him, are you?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I probably am,¡± he said. ¡°But there¡¯s nothing you can do about that anyway, so you¡¯d best run along.¡±


    Gary was unconscious in a hammock strung between two trees. A sword buried itself in one of the trees, cutting the strap holding up the hammock and dumping Gary on the ground.


    Gary yelled angrily as he woke up, untangled in the hammock and tore it apart with his considerable strength. He scrambled awkwardly to his feet and looked around, seeing and sensing nothing. He was in a copse of thin, widely spaced trees and there shouldn¡¯t have been space to hide.


    He looked to the sword sticking out of the tree and yanked it out. He immediately realised it was his own work.


    ¡°This is one of mine,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re willing to admit that out loud,¡± a voice said from behind him.


    Gary turned to find a slender, handsome man standing before him. His clothes were as immaculate as his face, both out of place in the wild savannah. Gary couldn¡¯t sense an aura, which could have meant silver rank, but his instincts told him otherwise. This was a dangerous man.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t just go around buying terrible swords, Mr Xandier,¡± the man said. ¡°But I found that one to be especially infuriating.¡±


    Gary looked at the sword in his hands. It had gone into and out of the tree without so much as a blemish. He hadn¡¯t exactly put his heart and soul into making it but it was an entirely serviceable product.


    "It''s a perfectly adequate sword," he said, in defence of his work.


    Gary didn¡¯t see the blow coming or even feel it land. One moment he was standing there with a sword in his hands and the next he was tumbling across the ground. Only when he rolled to a stop did the sting of the strike hit him.


    "Adequate," the man said as if spitting out a slice of rotten fruit. "The next time I hear that word come out of your mouth, Mr Xandier, it won''t be a gentle tap like this one you get."


    He was already standing over Gary by the time Gary rolled over and painfully sat up.


    ¡°If you want your money back,¡± Gary told the man, ¡°go ask the guy you bought it off. Also, kiss my pert, hairy rump.¡±


    The man gave Gary an assessing look.


    ¡°You don¡¯t care what I do to you, do you? You have some sense of my power and it just doesn¡¯t matter to you.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Gary agreed. ¡°So, kill me or sod off; I¡¯ve already got a smug friend. He died, but I¡¯m not looking to refill the position.¡±


    The man continued to stare at Gary.


    "I see," he said. "You tried your hand at adventuring and it didn''t go so well. Lost people. I hate to break it to you, Mr Xandier, but that is hardly a fresh story. It''s been told forever and will be told again forevermore."


    Gary let himself fall back in the grass.


    ¡°Oh no, I¡¯m not special. Now you¡¯ve tracked me down for this great revelation, can we get back to the part where you leave me alone?¡±


    The man plucked a wooden chair out of the air and sat down next to Gary, still lying in the grass.


    ¡°Mr Xandier, my name is Virid Martine.¡±


    ¡°Gary. Stop calling me Mr bloody whatever.¡±


    ¡°Very well, Gary. Like you, I am a practitioner of the smithing arts.¡±


    ¡°Then make your own sword and leave me alone.¡±


    ¡°Gary, you will find that as you move into the upper realms of any craft, the principles you¡¯ve formed start to inform your work. Over time, this becomes the basis for the nuances that make your signature style unlike that of any other.¡±


    ¡°If I told you my core principle was solitude, would you go away?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯re here to talk about my core principle. It¡¯s a simple one, being the idea that all skill, from sword mastery to dance to cooking to smithing, has foundational skills from which everything else stems. No matter how sophisticated or advanced the technique, it is, in some way, an extension of the foundational techniques.¡±


    ¡°I hate to break it to you,¡± Gary said, ¡°but that principle is as much yours as it is everyone¡¯s who has ever done anything.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Virid agreed. ¡°One might consider it the core principle of all skill. Yet, despite knowing this simple truth, so many go on to disregard it. They rush towards complexity, always seeking to push the boundaries without fully exploring the depths that the fundamentals have to offer. In doing so, they fail to grasp that foundations are where the greatest depths lie. The very things they seek are fragments of a greater whole.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great story, really. I¡¯m not sure why you¡¯re telling me, but you¡¯ve given me a lot to think about. So, if you could just leave me to that¡­¡±


    The sword Gary dropped when Virid hit him came flying through the air to slap into Virid¡¯s waiting hand.


    ¡°Everything we make tells a story,¡± Virid said. ¡°About us, about who we are and how we look at the world.¡±


    He turned the sword over in his hands.


    ¡°This sword tells the story of a man who is patient. Who doesn¡¯t rush to the end but fully explores that place he¡¯s already at, knowing there is more to learn. A man who spent years honing the basics of his craft rather than move on to the new, flashy thing. It also tells the story of a man who no longer cares. His skills are ready to move on, to advance his mastery, yet he lacks the will. He¡¯s become lazy and careless, with only the dedication of the past allowing him to get by on a series of shamefully adequate works."


    Virid threw the sword and it shattered into pieces, falling into the grass.


    ¡°Because of my particular focus, I like to peruse the work of those still on the early stages of the path. When I saw this sword, I was infuriated. That someone whose steps on the path were so solid had lost their way.¡±


    Virid stood up, grabbed his chair and shoved it into the air, where it vanished. He then closed his eyes and stood in place, silently. Eventually, Gary sat up to look at him.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Looking for something,¡± Virid said. ¡°My aura senses are expansive enough that it can take a little time to hone in on something specific.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you should be practising that, then, rather than harassing people who were perfectly happy in their hammock before you showed up.¡±


    Virid¡¯s eyes snapped open.


    ¡°Happy? Are you genuinely going to sit there and claim to have been happy?¡±


    ¡°Comfortable, then.¡±


    ¡°Comfortable is an animal unaware it¡¯s waiting to be slaughtered.¡±


    With a gesture from Virid, a line of fire appeared in the grass but didn''t burn it. An archway of blackened metal arose from the flames, which themselves then rose to fill it.


    ¡°On your feet, Mr¡­ Gary. It¡¯s time to go.¡±


    ¡°I know how portals work,¡± Gary said. ¡°You can make me do a lot of things, powerful as you are, but you can¡¯t make me go through that thing.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Virid acknowledged. ¡°What I can do is other things, until you agree to go through on your own. Do you want me to do other things, Gary?¡±


    Gary¡¯s only response was a groan.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought. Now, get up.¡±


    In the chaos of a monster attack, no one noticed a fiery portal open in the middle of a village. Virid and Gary stepped out and Gary immediately started whipping his head around. The village had mustered some kind of defence, from the shattered palisades and pikes lying beside the dead, but that defence had been broken. Now the screams of villagers and the shrieks of monsters mingled in air thick with the coppery taste of blood.


    ¡°Do something!¡± Gary yelled. ¡°You¡¯re powerful enough! Fix this!¡±


    ¡°My help comes at a price, Gary.¡±


    ¡°Just do something!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t care what the price is?¡±


    ¡°NO!¡±


    Virid made a casual gesture and moments later, silence passed over the village. Looking around, Gary spotted metal spikes sticking out of the ground, impaling every monster in sight.


    ¡°There you go,¡± Virid said lightly. Gary flashed him an angry look and rushed off to start checking on people.


    Virid and Gary were walking on the battlements of a fortress town, designed to accommodate the local populations during monster surges. After the destruction of the village, Virid and Gary had accompanied the survivors there.


    ¡°The world is growing dangerous,¡± Virid said. ¡°This extended period of pre-surge monster activity is becoming worse than a monster surge due to its protracted length. It doesn¡¯t present the full threat of a surge, but the world cannot hunker down and wait out years of heightened danger. People, especially those with the least resources and greatest isolation, are becoming victims.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t seem to much care in that village,¡± Gary said. ¡°Putting terms on helping people as they died around us.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to judge me, Gareth Xandier. You don¡¯t know the things I¡¯ve done, but I know what you¡¯ve done. You¡¯ve sat around, slowly drinking yourself to death while people out there are suffering. You think you¡¯re excused because you don¡¯t have a portal power? Just being far away doesn¡¯t absolve you of failing to help any more than it does me.¡±


    ¡°Is this what your price is about?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m glad that you didn¡¯t ask what it was, Gary. It speaks well of you.¡±


    ¡°So, what have I put myself in for?¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to back out? I forced an agreement out of you under some duress.¡±


    ¡°We made a deal and you kept up your end,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to just go back on my word.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Virid said. ¡°As we¡¯ve both borne unfortunate witness to, there are many people in many places in need of help. We can¡¯t fight for them all but, as smiths, what we can do is give them the tools to fight for themselves. Weapons, armour, reinforced gates. Not big, flashy works. Basic things. Foundational.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Why me?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just you, Gary. Those of us that exist at the upper reaches of power like to step in during the monster surges but this time the challenges are greater. There are few of us and so many in need. We¡¯ve taken it upon ourselves to recruit people we feel are responsible and capable enough to help where they can.¡±


    ¡°You could have just asked.¡±


    ¡°Could I? I found you through your sword, Gary, and that sword told a story. It wasn¡¯t the story of a man ready to help. You had to see, to remember who you are.¡±


    ¡°And who is that?¡±


    ¡°Someone who cares enough that losing people can break him.¡±


    Five swords were floating in the air. Glowing yellow with heat. Like a symphony conductor, Gary waved his arms and they descended into the water troughs waiting below them.


    ¡°There are advantages to silver-rank,¡± he muttered to himself. He had held an instinctive aversion to using monster cores, but he knew he was never going back to adventuring. More than a year of travelling between remote villages and fortress towns, shoring up their defences had confirmed it. He could do far more swinging a hammer in a smithy than he could swinging one at a monster.


    That was not to say that he hadn¡¯t taken up his war hammer. Monsters had no interest in waiting for his work to be done before striking at towns, villages and homesteads.


    Gary finished the last of his work, nodding with satisfaction. This last batch of swords marked the end of another village''s worth of work and it would be time to move on. He placed the swords in a crate that he easily shouldered before heading out of the smithy.


    ¡°Fuzzy man!¡±


    The little elf girl clamped onto Gary''s leg like a limpet. He plucked her off by the back of her tunic and held her out, arms and legs wheeling.


    ¡°Hmm,¡± he said sternly. ¡°I seem to have developed an unseemly growth on my leg.¡±


    The elf girl¡¯s mother came along and took her little girl.


    ¡°Sorry, Gary.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Gary said with a chuckle. They walked towards the main street, Gary holding the swords on one shoulder and the woman holding her toddler, still straining to reach Gary.


    ¡°She¡¯s never seen a leonid before, and she won¡¯t like it when you¡¯re gone.¡±


    ¡°My being gone means you¡¯re more ready to face danger than when I arrived,¡± Gary said. ¡°I can¡¯t feel bad about that.¡±


    ¡°So, you still intend to leave in the morning?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Gary said. ¡°Providing my transport shows up on time for once.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little rude,¡± Virid said as the crate on Gary¡¯s shoulder opened and a sword floated out. It moved over to Virid, whose annoying enthusiasm for appearing from nowhere was undiminished.


    ¡°Not bad,¡± Virid said as he examined the blade.


    ¡°It meets your standards, then?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Well, my standards are very high.¡±


    ¡°Then you can offer me some guidance,¡± Gary said. ¡°Which is good, because I have questions.¡±


    ¡°I walked right into that one,¡± Virid complained. ¡°I¡¯m starting to regret you reaching silver-rank. Of all the people I¡¯ve recruited, you¡¯re the one who bothers me the most.¡±


    ¡°The others don¡¯t want you to help their craft along?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but their questions are shallow and lacking insight.¡±


    ¡°Or you just don¡¯t like the way they¡¯re developing as master smiths.¡±


    ¡°Which is the same thing. You know that most of them don¡¯t think that grinding out swords and pikes is helping them advance their skills?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Gary said. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to help me, you don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that,¡± Virid said hastily.


    The latest town to receive Gary¡¯s attention was the largest he¡¯d visited. Although the region was remote, the town was the trade and travel hub for all the little villages around it. Gary had been a part of converting the town into a semi-fortress town, and more than once had stepped out to face monsters that threatened it.


    The town was having a feast to celebrate the completion of the new walls, with tables and spit roasts set out in the central square. Gary was gesticulating with a full roast leg, spattering fat and sauce as he told a story to the people sharing his table. He stopped as his silver-rank hearing picked out familiar voices arguing.


    ¡°Your shields are magic,¡± Belinda complained to Neil. ¡°All they cost you is some mana. Every time one of my shields gets broken I need them fixed or replaced.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an adventurer,¡± Neil said. ¡°You can afford it.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not exactly scooping up coin running around after the herb witch, here,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Not all of us come from money, Neil.¡±


    ¡°Herb witch?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°Sorry, sweetie,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I¡¯m sure what you do is very important.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°Look, Neil,¡± Belinda continued. My point is that I use a lot of equipment sets, and since we hit silver I¡¯ve been running around with garbage. I need to find someone who can supply some quality work at a decent price.¡±


    ¡°Lindy, that¡¯s why we¡¯re here,¡± Jory said. ¡°I heard they have a travelling smith here who makes quality stuff.¡±


    ¡°You also said this was a defenceless town,¡± Neil said. ¡°We just spent quarter of an hour waiting to pass the checkpoint in their giant metal wall. We could have told them we¡¯re silver-rank adventurers.¡±


    "You can''t just go flaunting it," Jory said. "We''re not here to make a fuss. And don''t the new walls suggest that they do have a good metalworker here?"


    ¡°I will point out,¡± Belinda said, ¡°that none of my equipment sets, varied as they are, include walls.¡±


    ¡°You have a big shield,¡± Jory said. ¡°That¡¯s kind of like a wall.¡±


    ¡°Jory?¡± a booming voice called out.


    Jory looked ahead to where sounds of revelry were coming from the town square where lamps lit up the early evening. A huge, hairy figure was rushing down the street, brandishing a leg of meat like a weapon.


    ¡°Gary?¡±

 Chapter 456: I’m the Bait in Question

    At the Adventure Society dock in the city of Greenstone, Emir Bahadir¡¯s cloud palace had been replaced with a cloud ship that would dwarf an ocean liner. Humphrey, Sophie and Neil boarded via a cloud dock the led directly into the side of the ship where one of Emir''s staff led them inside. They were taken to the owner''s stateroom, which was less a room and more like three storeys of typical Emir excess.


    In an office larger than most homes, Emir was sitting behind a desk under a transparent ceiling that showed off the blue desert sky. The elevating platform deposited the trio as Emir was completing a meeting with the Deputy Director of the Adventure Society, Genevieve Picot. She was an elf whose appearance was uncharacteristically aged for a silver-rank essence user.


    Emir stood to shake her hand and she walked away, passing Humphrey, Sophie and Neil as they departed the elevating platform and she stepped onto it. Neil and Humphrey wore diplomatic expressions, while Sophie openly glared. Genevieve has been party to the political machinations that had made Sophie into a pawn, endangered with death and worse.


    ¡°Steady,¡± Humphrey murmured.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Sophie told him. ¡°If I go after her, it¡¯ll be a better plan than jumping her during some random encounter.¡±


    ¡°Sophie,¡± Humphrey admonished.


    ¡°Most people only think it through to the actual killing,¡± Sophie said casually as they walked across the office that was more like an ostentatious town square. ¡°It¡¯s planning what comes after that matters. That¡¯s where you get caught.¡±


    Humphrey shook his head as Neil snorted a laugh. Behind them, the staff member that escorted them up was descending with the Deputy Director. Emir moved forward to greet the three. The formal office furniture dissolved into cloud-stuff before reforming into a comfortable lounge suite.


    ¡°Sit, please,¡± Emir invited. Despite the appearance of ordinary armchairs and couches, the engulfing plushness of their true nature was luxuriously felt as the group sat.


    ¡°The time has come to leave,¡± Emir said, getting straight to the point. ¡°Jason¡¯s memorial is behind us and the Adventure and Magic Societies are finally done pulling you in for questions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s our duty to do everything we can,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Incredibly tedious duty,¡± Sophie said. ¡°They kept asking the same things, over and over. I know an interrogation when I¡¯m in one.¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t interrogations,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Just because they were too weak-willed to pull out the pliers doesn¡¯t mean it wasn¡¯t an interrogation,¡± Sophie shot back.


    ¡°What kind of life choices did you make?¡± Humphrey asked her.


    ¡°They weren¡¯t choices, rich boy.¡±


    ¡°That brings us to the main topic of discussion,¡± Emir interceded.


    ¡°It does?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Indeed it does,¡± Emir said. ¡°Miss Wexler, how much do you remember about your life before Greenstone?¡±


    ¡°Not much more than flashes,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I was barely more than a toddler when we came across. I remember the shipwreck and being found by adventurers and taken to Greenstone. Things before that are just fragments.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know the name of the city you were born in?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It was Kurdansk,¡± Emir told her. ¡°In the People¡¯s Holy Federation of Dreisil.¡±


    Humphrey snorted derision in an uncharacteristic display of contempt.


    ¡°People¡¯s Holy federation,¡± he muttered. ¡°The more they try to make a nation sound free and righteous, the more tyrannical and corrupt it is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I was travelling with my mother, not long before I first received my essences. Our airship docked there to resupply and the port master extorted the captain for so-called docking fees. I wanted to speak up but Mother stopped me. Said that¡¯s just the way it was, there. Bribes and graft, baked right into the civil structure of the city.¡±


    ¡°Have you not been to Old City?¡± Neil asked, Sophie nodding.


    ¡°At least the criminals in Greenstone have the decency to not pretend they¡¯re anything else.¡±


    ¡°Did you not hear the Duke just made the surviving member of the Big Three crime bosses the mayor of Old City?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Adris Dorgan¡¯s goal is legitimacy,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He needs to go straight in order to fulfil his ambitions. I don¡¯t like it, but it will take someone like him going legitimate to get Old City¡¯s into line after years of default criminal rule.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an oddly reasonable position,¡± Neil said. ¡°Your mother tell you that, did she?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said, his gaze flickering downward. ¡°Jason did. Well, then Mother said the same thing.¡±


    ¡°Jason and your mother always did think alike,¡± Neil said. ¡°She was classy, while Jason was¡­ Jason, but behind the curtain, I think his mind worked a lot like hers.¡±


    ¡°I noticed that too,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°You know, Humphrey,¡± Neil said, ¡°your father might be lucky Jason¡¯s not around anymore. I think we all saw where that thing with your mum was going.¡±


    ¡°Wha¡­?¡±


    Humphrey puffed up with rage, his eyes going wide. Sophie reached over to place a gentle, restraining hand on his arm.


    ¡°Neil, don¡¯t be an arse,¡± she said, turning to face him so Humphrey wouldn¡¯t see her trying not to laugh. She turned to Emir, who was watching leisurely as Humphrey sat glaring at Neil, who sat with a chastised expression but laughing eyes. She forcibly put the conversation back on track.


    ¡°Emir,¡± Sophie said. ¡°How do you know what city I¡¯m from when even I didn¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°Do you recall last week when I told you that I would like to dig into your background?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been doing it for six months, ever since we went into the astral space?¡± Sophie guessed.


    ¡°I have, yes,¡± Emir said. ¡°If we¡¯re going to catch the Order of the Reaper by the tail, we can¡¯t just keep following the trail they¡¯re marking for us. We need to find something they didn¡¯t put in our path and you¡¯re the only thing we¡¯re confident about fitting that description.¡±


    ¡°So, what?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°You want to send me to this city and parade me around until someone tries to kill or recruit me?¡±


    ¡°Our plans are a little more nuanced,¡± Emir said, ¡°but, essentially, yes. We intend to go fishing, Sophie, with you as the bait.¡±


    Humphrey leaned forward, his hostility switching immediately from Neil to Emir.


    ¡°What makes you think we¡¯ll let you use our team member like that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Neil agreed. ¡°We¡¯ve had our fill of sketchy plans with no margin for error. They¡¯ve cost us enough already.¡±


    ¡°I realise that,¡± Emir said, ¡°but¨C¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you do, Mr Bahadir,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You never lost a team member. Your adventuring stories are hilarious anecdotes about fighting monsters with ducks or accidentally kidnapping princes while robbing royal treasuries.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Neil agreed, suddenly in lockstep with Humphrey. ¡°Ours are about paying in blood and death so that our homes and families aren¡¯t annihilated by some god monster¡¯s version of a land grab,¡± Neil added.


    ¡°Down, boys,¡± Sophie said. They both turned to look at her, half out of their seats. She raised her eyebrows at them and they sat back down.


    ¡°I¡¯m the bait in question,¡± she told them. ¡°Let¡¯s at least hear the man out.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Neil yelled with angry sarcasm. ¡°Let¡¯s all be human bait.¡±


    He was sprinting alongside Humphrey through a maze of narrow alleys, dodging piles of rubbish and old crates as their feet moved rapidly across the rain-slicked cobbles.


    ¡°The choice was Sophie¡¯s to make,¡± Humphrey yelled back. ¡°Also, she¡¯s not human. Neither are you, for that matter.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an expression!¡±


    ¡°How about we get less arguing and more speed,¡± Sophie suggested. She was in front of them, lightly jogging backwards as she went slow to keep pace with the others. ¡°I know you don¡¯t have a lot of experience being chased but yelling loudly is not going to help. I suppose it¡¯s the fault of your upbringing.¡±


    They emerged from an alley onto a busy street, in the middle of a raucous parade. They slowed down and merged into the boisterous crowd, letting the flow take them away.


    ¡°What do you mean, upbringing?¡± Neil asked loudly to be heard over the parade.


    ¡°You two were brought up wealthy,¡± Sophie explained. ¡°You were raised being told that you¡¯d get everything you want by yelling loudly.¡±


    ¡°I believe,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°that your prejudice against the well-to-do is showing, Sophie,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I cannot speak for Neil, but I was raised in no such manner.¡±


    ¡°Well, I can speak for me and I wasn¡¯t,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Then why is it that rich people always end up yelling loudly about the things they want when they aren¡¯t just given them immediately?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°We do not!¡± Neil yelled, then slumped as Sophie gave him a pointed look.


    ¡°Perhaps some discretion?¡± Humphrey suggested. ¡°We have not escaped yet.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Neil said. ¡°Everyone¡¯s yelling. They¡¯re not going to find us.¡±


    ¡°They found us,¡± Sophie said and started pushing her way back out of the crowd. Humphrey and Neil didn¡¯t bother to look as they moved to follow.


    ¡°Was that strictly necessary?¡± Neil asked as he and Humphrey poured bottles of crystal wash over themselves. The yellow oil was rapidly purged from their bodies, which were stripped down to simple pants and no shoes. It left their muscular bodies glistening wet, rather than looking like marinated slabs of meat.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sophie said, her clothes still pristine. ¡°Completely necessary.¡±


    They were standing in a ramshackle wooden shed in the entertainment quarter of Kurdansk. Originally a warehouse district close to the Kurdan River docks, the large plots of relatively inexpensive real estate made it the most viable place for building large theatre halls. It was a heady mix of pleasure, criminality and money that made it a dangerous but alluring place where wealth and poverty collided.


    Sophie blended in easily, especially given that her dark-skinned, silver-haired celestine ethnicity was the most populous race in the city. She was the one who found a way to disguise the companions who stood out much more, by flaunting, rather than hiding them.


    ¡°You did impressively well,¡± Humphrey told Neil. ¡°For an elf, you have a surprisingly low centre of gravity.¡±


    The muscular elf shot Humphrey back a venomous glare.


    ¡°What?¡± Humphrey asked innocently. ¡°You want me to pretend I don¡¯t have the might essence?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Neil said. ¡°Yes, I do. We were putting on a show.¡±


    Humphrey turned to look at Sophie.


    ¡°Did it have to be oil wrestling?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure that being half-naked and covered in yellow grease was the best choice of disguise.¡±


    ¡°It worked didn¡¯t it?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I¡¯ll show you the recording crystal later; you both looked completely different.¡±


    ¡°You recorded it?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Sophie said quickly. ¡°What I did do was receive several lascivious invitations for you two.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Neil asked. ¡°What kind of women?¡±


    ¡°It was mostly men,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Women prefer more of a sleek, lean body, instead of¡­¡±


    She waved her hands at the two men whose torsos resembled inverted triangles made of abs and pecs.


    ¡°¡­all this. I mean, it¡¯s not bad but you¡¯ll find a lot of women will pick lithe over bulky. You look like a kilo of walnuts in a pair of quarter kilo bags.¡±


    Neil looked down at his body.


    ¡°Walnuts?¡± he asked, then over at Humphrey. ¡°Humphrey, do you wax your chest?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said hastily, shifting his gaze. ¡°The oil probably made the hair fall out. Do you wax yours?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an elf,¡± Neil said. ¡°We don¡¯t have chest hair.¡±


    ¡°Excellent work,¡± Emir said. ¡°You flushed them out.¡±


    ¡°What is our next move?¡± Humphrey asked.


    Sophie, Humphrey and Neil were finally safe in Emir¡¯s cloud ship, floating above the city. Out of the low-magic region of Greenstone, the full functionality of his cloud ship was restored. It was docked to a taller example of the many towers in Kurdansk¡¯s busy skyport.


    ¡°Your next move is to get out of the city,¡± Emir said. ¡°They made an open move and we have their tail now. Your part in this is over.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Neil said. ¡°My church has sent word. Asked me to join up with Jory while they have him running around isolated towns, teaching them to make cheap potions.¡±


    ¡°I thought he was working more like a lecturer,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°What do they need you for?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s taking a direct approach,¡± Neil said. ¡°The monster surge precursors are hitting these outlying communities hard and they need to be as self-reliant as they can with resources stretched thin everywhere.¡±


    ¡°They want to give Jory more protection?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Won¡¯t your church protect him?¡±


    ¡°We will,¡± Neil said. ¡°He¡¯s an important asset to the church. The Healer expects Jory¡¯s work to help a lot of people.¡±


    ¡°Jory wants protection he can trust,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Guards are fine but they won¡¯t fight for you the way a friend will.¡±


    Humphrey nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be parting soon, then,¡± he said. ¡°At least, for a while. Which brings us back to the question of what is next for Sophie and myself.¡±


    Sophie turned to Emir.


    ¡°Did you find anything out about my family here?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Emir said. His aura didn¡¯t betray the lie but that wasn¡¯t how Sophie had learned to spot them.


    ¡°You owe me, Bahadir,¡± she said. ¡°I talked my team into going along with this and you know why.¡±


    ¡°You need to be patient, Miss Wexler,¡± Emir said. ¡°This is not an affair for bronze-rankers to dabble in.¡±


    ¡°Yet, you had no compunction about staking her to a tree and waiting for predators to sniff her out,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Tell her what she wants to know, Mr Bahadir,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Unless you want my mother to come and ask.¡±


    ¡°I heard she reached gold rank,¡± Emir said. ¡°Please pass on my congratulations.¡±


    ¡°I will,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Last time I spoke with her over water link she expressed an interest in coming to see how I was doing here. You know she never approved of this endeavour.¡±


    ¡°Are you seriously threatening me with a single, freshly ranked-up gold-ranker?¡±


    Humphrey didn¡¯t say anything, simply giving Emir a wicked grin that startled Sophie. She had last seen it on the face of Jason Asano and it looked alien on the normally straightforward Humphrey. Even in her surprise, she didn¡¯t miss the subtle clenching of Emir¡¯s jaw.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Emir said. ¡°Just don¡¯t do anything stupid.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, gone?¡± Emir asked his acting chief of staff, Wilmont. Wilmont was an elf known for his unflagging composure.


    ¡°I did tell them that you would not like them disembarking,¡± Wilmont said. ¡°I sent word to you immediately, of course, but Miss Wexler was not to be deterred, despite Young Master Geller''s best efforts.¡±


    ¡°But he followed her anyway, of course,¡± Emir said, not asking.


    ¡°Indeed, sir. Young Master Neil remains aboard, preparing for departure. He will be transferring to the church of the healer''s skyship quite soon.¡±


    ¡°At least tell me my granddaughter didn¡¯t try to follow them.¡±


    ¡°She did,¡± Wilmot said. ¡°After the fact. As a member of the household, the staff felt more comfortable in more forcibly restraining Miss Ketis.¡±


    Ketis was Emir''s granddaughter, whom Sophie was training to use her martial arts, derived from a skill book, the way Rufus had once helped Jason. Emir hoped Sophie would be a more-or-less positive role model, which wasn''t working entirely as intended.


    ¡°At least there¡¯s that,¡± Emir said. ¡°You should have stopped the others too, Wilmont.¡±


    ¡°As Miss Wexler quite vociferously pointed out, Mr Bahadir, they are your guests, not your prisoners.¡±


    ¡°I meant stall them, not lock them up,¡± Emir said. ¡°Constance would have done it.¡±


    ¡°Miss Constance is not here,¡± Mr Bahadir. ¡°If I were as capable as her, then I would have already had her job instead of just filling in.¡±


    Emir rubbed his hands over his face in frustration.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he said. ¡°That was rude of me, Wilmont; I apologise. I just feel out of sorts without her by my side.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mr Bahadir. I am certain that Mr Morse will take pains with her wellbeing.¡±


    ¡°Then you don¡¯t know Cal,¡± Emir said. ¡°He¡¯s a firm believer in strength through adversity. It¡¯s why she asked him to help her.¡±


    Emir¡¯s chief of staff, and the object of his affections, Constance, had taken a leave of absence from Emir¡¯s staff. She had left with Emir¡¯s old teammate, Callum Morse, with the intent of not returning until she reached gold rank.


    After the trail of the energy vampire that possessed Thadwick Mercer went cold, Rufus Remore''s parents continued the investigation while Callum returned to his usual activities. An avid monster-hunter, he was one of the few gold-rankers that obsessively worked to raise his strength with the unflagging enthusiasm of a low-ranker. He agreed to assist Constance who had renewed her ambitions for gold rank as the world grew more dangerous.


    ¡°He best bring her back to me safe and sound,¡± Emir said, ¡°or he and I will have words.¡±


    ¡°You and he, sir?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Emir amended. ¡°Me, him and a bunch of gold-rankers I hire. I¡¯m not an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Would you like me to dispatch people in pursuit of Young Master Humphrey and Miss Wexler?¡± Wilmont asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Emir said wearily. ¡°I already had people waiting to follow them. They were obviously going to leave.¡±


    ¡°Then, if I may ask, Mr Bahadir, why not have them stopped yourself?¡±


    ¡°I can''t responsibly ask Sophie to let me put her in any more danger,¡± Emir said. ¡°If she insists on doing it herself, though, who am I to stop her?¡±


    ¡°Then why the exasperation, sir?¡±


    ¡°Wilmont, it would just be really nice, from time to time, to be surprised by someone making a sensible decision.¡±


    ¡°If I may be so bold, Mr Bahadir; if what you are looking for is sensible, you may have chosen the wrong profession.¡±

 Chapter 457: The Past Can Wait

    To all appearances, Marta Fries was an unremarkable resident of the city of Kurdansk. Like many of Kurdansk¡¯s celestines, she had dark skin and silver hair. Her small row house was no different to the others wedged together on the narrow street where she lived.


    The plain but powerful aura suppression bracelet on her arm hid her silver-rank aura but also impeded her aura senses, so she didn¡¯t sense the approaching bronze-rankers until they were close to her door. There was something unsettling about the celestine; a hint of familiarity that put Marta ill at ease. She didn¡¯t dwell on it or hesitate, immediately moving to her bedroom and pulling up the rug to reveal a trap door from which she took her emergency bag.


    Mara pushed aside the wardrobe to reveal the removable wall panel that she herself had installed. It had gone unused for the two decades since her friend Melody had used it in the course of faking her death. Marta now used it herself, swiftly disappearing into the night. She never sensed the gold-ranker who quietly watched her emerge into the alley.


    Sophie knocked again, this time hammering on the door with her fist.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think breaking this woman¡¯s door is the first impression you want to make,¡± Humphrey told her. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone is home.¡±


    ¡°If she knows something about my mother, I have to find out for myself.¡±


    ¡°I understand that,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but you can¡¯t conjure her into being by wanting it enough. You need patience.¡±


    She turned a glare on him and he met her gaze, unflinching.


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been a realist, Sophie,¡± he told her. ¡°In a city full of hidden enemies is not the place to lose that.¡±


    She grimaced but gave a reluctant nod.


    ¡°We¡¯ll try again later,¡± Humphrey reassured her.


    ¡°You needn¡¯t bother,¡± a male voice said as the door opened in front of them. The man behind it had an unexpectedly familiar face.


    ¡°Mr Morse?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°The resident is gone,¡± Callum Morse said. ¡°She¡¯s not coming back.¡±


    ¡°How do you know that?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Because I watched her leave for good,¡± Cal said.


    ¡°Are you tracking her?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Tell me where she is,¡± Sophie demanded.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Because you lack the strength to walk that road and I will not let you borrow mine long enough to get yourselves killed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to keep that from me?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Yes, he is,¡± a female voice came from behind. Another familiar face was walking up the narrow street behind them. It was Constance, Emir¡¯s hitherto-absent chief of staff.


    ¡°You only got this far because Emir asked something of you that he had no right.¡±


    ¡°We agreed to it,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It was our choice.¡±


    Constance shook her head.


    ¡°Miss Wexler¡¯s motivation is clear and understandable,¡± she said. ¡°You should know better, Mr Geller. You were raised better. Why would you go along with this?¡±


    ¡°Because she needs it,¡± Humphrey said, with a glance at Sophie. Constance waited for further explanation but all she got from him was a flat stare. She let out a weary groan.


    Emir was in the middle of a massage when his very relaxed body went very tense.


    ¡°Sir?¡± the masseur asked.


    Emir whipped himself off the table, snatched up a robe and threw it around himself as he almost skipped out of the massage room. The moment he had been waiting for had arrived as he sensed Constance returning to the cloud ship. She had reached gold rank and come home.


    Emir didn¡¯t even bother with an elevating platform. Remoulding the ship to open a hole under his feet and through the decks below, he dropped multiple levels. His robe was one of the things flapping around in his rapid descent to the docking chamber of the cloud ship.


    ¡°This is what you¡¯ve been up to?¡± Constance scolded as Emir landed in a crouch. ¡°What was the rule about wearing pants in front of the staff?¡±


    Emir looked up with a grin, which turned to a frown. Constance¡¯s normally neck-length brown hair was cropped short and her pale skin contrasted unflatteringly with the light green and brown armour she was wearing. What perturbed him was not her appearance but the fact that she and Callum were frog-marching Sophie and Humphrey in through the docking port, along with the embarrassed-looking people Emir had sent to trail them.


    ¡°What exactly is happening?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Do you seriously think that you should be the one asking that?¡± Constance asked. Emir had been longing to hear her voice, although not in that particular tone. ¡°Using bronze-rankers as bait?¡±


    ¡°We made our own choices,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°You¡¯re bronze-rank,¡± Constance said without breaking her gaze from Emir. ¡°You don¡¯t get to choose danger like that.¡±


    Sophie deftly twisted out of the grip Constance had on her arm, turning to poke Constance in the chest.


    ¡°We chose to put our lives on the line and one of us died saving a city full of people,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You want to shove us around, you¡¯re gold-rank and you can. But if you denigrate what we¡¯ve done and what it cost us then I will find a way to kick the crap out of you, gold-ranker or not. How¡¯s your poison resistance?¡±


    Callum snorted a rare laugh at Constance¡¯s nonplussed expression while Humphrey grinned proudly. Emir did his best to mask his expression, with mixed results. Callum put a calming hand on Constance¡¯s arm.


    ¡°They¡¯ve faced their own trials and made real sacrifices, Connie,¡± he said softly. ¡°They might be in dire need of guidance but we still have to respect that.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Emir said. ¡°Connie?¡±


    ¡°That being said,¡± Callum continued, ignoring Emir, ¡°respecting their experiences is not the same as letting them run off and get killed.¡±


    ¡°What were you thinking, Emir?¡± Constance asked, turning to Emir once more.


    ¡°How do you even know what¡¯s going on?¡± Emir asked her. ¡°You¡¯ve been gone for a year.¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯re the only one tracking the Order of the Reaper?¡± Callum asked.


    ¡°I did, yes,¡± Emir said. ¡°Everyone is looking at the Cult of the Builder, now. Adventure Society, governments, everyone. Are you saying you¡¯re running your own game? Why on your own? Why not throw in with me?¡±


    ¡°Because you aren¡¯t my only loyalty, Emir,¡± Callum said. ¡°I¡¯m part of the Cult of the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°Since when?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Since always.¡±


    ¡°You never told us that.¡±


    ¡°I told Gabriel and Arabelle.¡±


    ¡°Everyone on our team but me?¡±


    ¡°You have a big mouth, Emir. Especially when you aren¡¯t wearing pants.¡±


    Callum glanced over Sophie and Humphrey.


    ¡°Your judgement isn¡¯t always sound,¡± he continued, ¡°and you need someone to keep you in check.¡±


    ¡°Like Connie, here?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Callum said.


    ¡°Do you even want me back?¡± Constance asked Emir.


    ¡°How can you even ask that,¡± Emir said. ¡°I just jumped down five decks with no pants.¡±


    ¡°We all saw,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Perhaps some clothes and a little time will give us a chance to discuss things more calmly.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t lost all sense, then,¡± Constance told Humphrey. ¡°You realise I¡¯m going to tell your mother about this.¡±


    At that moment, Neil appeared via elevating platform, his possessions packed into the dimensional bag slung over his shoulder. He looked around at Emir in his robe, Sophie and Humphrey, Constance and Callum, plus a handful of Emir¡¯s silver-rank operatives trying to avoid anyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Did I miss something? I missed something, didn¡¯t I? Nobody tells me anything.¡±


    ¡°There are trails to follow, but they¡¯re dangerous for you, as you are now," Callum told Sophie. "You''re too weak and your team is scattered to the wind. Reach silver-rank, gather them together and I will give you what you need to take the next step."


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the right to keep knowledge of my family from me,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°But I have the power,¡± Callum said, ¡°and there is nothing you can do about it but wait. Concentrate on growing stronger.¡±


    ¡°Surprise,¡± Emir said. ¡°The guy obsessed with getting stronger suggests you go get stronger.¡±


    Sophie, Humphrey, Neil, Emir, Constance and Callum were sitting in one of the cloud ship¡¯s secondary bar lounges, Emir now wearing clothes.


    ¡°If it were your family, how would you take someone keeping it from you?¡± Sophie asked Callum. Emir winced, breaking his gaze from where it had been locked on Constance.


    "Not the approach to take," Emir told Sophie. "You and Callum have much in common when it comes to family."


    "I understand your frustration," Callum told her, seemingly unfazed. "But I also know the price of letting your emotions drive you places they should not. So, I''m stopping you, until you are ready. Hate me if you like."


    ¡°That woman knew my mother,¡± Sophie said. ¡°And you let her go.¡±


    ¡°She needs to go,¡± Callum said. ¡°You have brought attention onto her that will get her killed. She needs to disappear from more than you if she¡¯s going to live long enough for you to get your answers.¡±


    ¡°I could have had them today,¡± Sophie said.


    "No," Callum said. "If not for the presence of Constance and I, you and she would most likely be dead, along with Emir''s people trailing you."


    ¡°Then what do you expect us to do now?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Because I am done playing fish on a hook and I don¡¯t care about the stabby pricks of the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little curious about them,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If you¡¯re part of the Order of the Reaper, why are you letting us run in circles hunting for them?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a part of the Order of the Reaper,¡± Callum said. ¡°The Cult of the Reaper venerates the principles of the Reaper. The sanctity of death.¡±


    ¡°Sound like the church of Death,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°We have long worked alongside the church of Death. Our values and objectives are often aligned. The Order of the Reaper is an offshoot of the cult. They started as a faction that wanted to become more active. Specifically, to accrue political power.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to fit what I know of the Reaper,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Admittedly, that isn¡¯t a lot, but that shows how obvious it is.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Callum agreed. "The order split from the cult, mouthing affinity to the Reaper while abandoning the principles that come with it. They became self-serving assassins until they overreached and were forced to falsify their demise. The so-called last bastion of the order, that you explored beneath Sky-Scar Lake, was part of a faction that sought to retain ties with the cult. They counselled reconciliation and were sacrificed for it.¡±


    "How do we not know this?" Emir asked. "Jason''s Asano''s familiar should have had this information."


    ¡°The shadow of the Reaper that administered the trials was a familiar from a time before the cult and the Order segregated. It was set in place when the astral space was a trial grounds for our youngest recruits, from whom our larger secrets were kept. I suspect the order was careful in what they allowed him to learn, given that he was a part of the re-emergence plan taking place even now.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care about any of this,¡± Sophie said, standing up.


    ¡°Do not go out into the city looking for answers,¡± Callum warned. ¡°They left with the woman who disappeared and all that waits for you now is death.¡±


    Humphrey stood up as well.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it either,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°But you think I should let it go?¡± Sophie asked him.


    ¡°I think neither Mr Morse nor this city will give you the answers you want. But there are sources of knowledge greater than either of them.¡±


    Constance put a hand over her face and groaned.


    ¡°Must you, Mr Geller?¡±


    "This is my team, not yours," Humphrey told her. "You can disapprove all you like, but we get to make our own mistakes."


    Vitesse, the city of flowers. Located in what Jason Asano would know as the French Riviera, its iconic skyline was marked by huge towers with flowering vines spilling down the exterior. Known as the garden towers, most had every third or fourth floor dedicated to gardens using water, light and plant magic to create lush refuges of peace towering over the city below. They were residences for the city¡¯s wealthy elite, meaning aristocrats and adventurers, as well as headquarters for the city¡¯s key organisations.


    The Adventure Society and Magic Society both maintained entire buildings to themselves. The continental council for the Adventure Society sat in Vitesse, rather than the capital. The royal family maintained a tower as a palace, with most of the family residing there.


    The Remore family had no aristocratic title, while the Gellers had only a title from the small provincial city of their origin, refusing all others. Neither family was begrudged their residences in some of the city¡¯s premier towers, however. On a courtyard balcony thick with floral aromas, Danielle Geller was giving her son a disapproving look.


    ¡°I always intended for you to learn from Jason Asano,¡± she told him. ¡°You may have learned some lessons I did not intend, however. I¡¯m not sure I approve of this rebellious streak.¡±


    ¡°Yes you do,¡± Humphrey said.


    Danielle laughed, not denying it.


    ¡°Where is Miss Wexler now,¡± she asked.


    ¡°The temple of Knowledge,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Danielle said, nodding her approval.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t afraid she¡¯ll get information that will send us into danger?¡±


    ¡°Knowledge does not give you the answers you want,¡± Danielle said. ¡°She gives you the answers you need.¡±


    "Now is not the time to pursue this goal," Knowledge told Sophie. In the Vitesse temple of Knowledge¡¯s answer room, Sophie faced the manifestation of the goddess with the same boldness Jason once had. The goddess showed Sophie a different face to what she had shown Jason, now bearing the dark skin of the Vitesse locals.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the answer I came for,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Yet, it is the answer you have received,¡± Knowledge said. ¡°The time will come when your companions are made whole. That will be the right time to seek out your past.¡±


    ¡°My companions can¡¯t be made whole,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You know that.¡±


    ¡°You would presume to tell me what I know? You are as insolent as Jason Asano, but not as adorable.¡±


    ¡°Adorable?¡±


    ¡°It is time for you to go, Sophie Wexler. I will not set you on the path you want, but I do have one I think you will accept. The time has come for you to reunite with Clive Standish. He has found that the promises of those around him to be worth little and could use allies he can trust.¡±


    ¡°Clive is in trouble?¡±


    ¡°He is making trouble. Whose influence is responsible for that I think we both know. Seek him out, Sophie Wexler, for the past can wait better than he.¡±


    The city of Greenstone was in the far south of the continent that, in Jason¡¯s world, was called Africa. Compared to the low magic, largely empty south regions, the north was much more populous. The city of Rakesh, on the north coast, was the home of the Adventure Society¡¯s continental council. It was just one part of a sprawling campus combining the largest Magic Society and Adventure Society strongholds on the continent.


    Prani Ajus was a Magic Society official who had come to visit the astral magic research wing. One of the research wing¡¯s officials, Lorelei Grantham, spotted her and moved to intercept.


    ¡°Grantham,¡± Prani said. ¡°I have no need of you at this time. I am going to see Mr Standish.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s caught up in his latest round of research,¡± Lorelei said. ¡°You know what he¡¯s like. This might not be the best time.¡±


    ¡°Grantham, are you covering for him?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about, Lady Ajus.¡±


    "If you are going to lie, Grantham, do me the courtesy of making it vaguely plausible. Mr Standish hasn''t placed one of his insistent requests for fieldwork in more than a month."


    ¡°Perhaps he has come to accept that they will be rejected,¡± Lorelei suggested.


    ¡°That¡¯s what worries me,¡± Prani said. ¡°I will not permit him to go off on some aimless, ill-conceived mission of vengeance over some unimportant dead man.¡±


    ¡°We promised him he would have the chance to take the fight to the Builder.¡±


    ¡°Which he will,¡± Prani said. ¡°Vicariously. That man has an extraordinary mind and I will not allow some cultist to put a hammer through it. Now, enough delays. Take me to Standish.¡±


    Lorelei reluctantly led Prani through the building to where Clive was supposed to be working. Opening up the door to his workshop, she was surprised to find that he was. Behind a glass wall was a ritual room where Clive was standing in the middle of an elaborate ritual circle. With him in the centre of the circle was a metal arch, engraved with runes.


    The glass wall was designed to restrict any magic that might interfere with the rituals inside while allowing sound to pass through easily.


    ¡°Mr Standish,¡± Prani said. ¡°I would like a report on your current activity.¡±


    Clive turned from where he was examining the arch to look back through the glass.


    ¡°Oh, Lady Ajus. Hello, Lorelei.¡±


    ¡°Mr Standish,¡± Prani repeated. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°What I was told to do,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m unlocking the secrets of the astral magic the Builder cult uses. This portal arch, for example, is part of a transportation network the cultists and their church of Purity allies use to move about without drawing attention from the may people hunting them down.¡±


    ¡°Alleged allies,¡± Prani corrected.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Clive said with an insincere smile.


    ¡°And how are you progressing?¡± Prani asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± Clive said, ¡°why don¡¯t we find out?¡±


    He pointed a hand at the arch and it lit up with rainbow energy. Prani yelled as Clive stepped through immediately and she slapped her hand against the glass, which shattered. She dashed forward with silver-rank speed as the portal went dormant again in her face. She wheeled on Lorelei.


    ¡°Open it back up!¡± Prani demanded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how,¡± Lorelei said. ¡°I¡¯m an administrator, not a researcher.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in the astral magic research department,¡± Prani said. "Find someone who is."

 Chapter 458: Dragon Lady

    Belinda followed the signal of her magical device into a dusty desert gulch, a few dozen kilometres south of Rakesh. She roamed around, looking for the source of the signal. She and Clive had only been able to get an approximate location from the Magic Society campus and it was taking days to narrow it down.


    "Where is the stupid thing?" she muttered, part of an ongoing stream of disgruntled commentary. "Roaming the whole damn desert. Sand in places that sand is not supposed to be."


    The heat was not harmful to her bronze-rank body, but harmless was not the same as pleasant. After much searching, she found an old mine tunnel, filled with rocks and overgrown with scrubby bushes to disguise it. She used one of her powers, counterfeit combatant, which enhanced her strength and allowed her to toss out the large rocks.


    She tossed out a light stone that floated over her head and followed the tunnel into the yellow stone rock face. It led to a chamber that she doubted was ever part of the mine. It was too large and the floor was worked smoother than any non-magical tool could manage. In the middle of the room, a portal arch was set into the floor.


    Taking out some chalk, she started drawing a ritual circle.


    The Magic Society campus in Rakesh had magic in place to prevent portals from operating outside of certain designated zones. It was when Clive discovered that he was barred from those zones that he discovered exactly how ¡®insistent¡¯ the Magic Society was about his remaining on campus and focused on the tasks they fed him.


    It seemed mild at first, as if they simply wanted him to be working as hard as possible. His repeated requests to conduct fieldwork were denied and his escalating attempts to leave the campus revealed that he was a prisoner in all but name. It felt like a stark betrayal from an organisation to which he had given a third of his life, even if he was no longer an association official.


    Clive had always assumed that the Magic Society in Greenstone was an outlier in its corruption, courtesy of the man at the top. Now it seemed that the stain appeared in many places and many flavours. In Rakesh, where society was divided into castes, they apparently saw little problem with holding someone they felt lowly enough against his will.


    Since he was barred from any area his portal power would work, Clive was forced to make other arrangements. No one suspected that the portal network that the Builder cult used operated on such different principles to an essence user''s portal that it would not be subject to the campus defences. The defence magic impeded the cult portal network, but with the right boosting rituals at both ends of a portal, passage could be opened up. Clive recorded this in his personal notes but left it out of the ones he made for the Magic Society.


    Clive¡¯s assistant, Belinda, was not subject to the same restrictions as Clive. On the contrary, she was responsible for taking care of anything Clive needed done off-campus. She was not watched as carefully as Clive, the caste system that justified holding Clive leading them to dismiss her as unimportant. They did try to check any materials she brought in or took out, but she had a personal storage space. Even the  Magic Society couldn''t peek into that without killing her first.


    It took the better part of two months for Clive and Belinda to devise and execute their plan, from making certain he understood the portal functionality, to building a device that could track down another portal to use as a destination. The biggest risk factor was the time between when Belinda set out to find the destination portal arch and when they activated it. If anyone looked into why she hadn¡¯t returned to the campus for however long it took, the whole plan could have come crumbling down. In the end, Clive had been forced to make a move he did not want to make.


    Lorelei Grantham was the Vice-Dean of the astral magic research department, as well as the person who had recruited Clive out of Greenstone. Clive was fairly certain that the misrepresentation of what he would be walking into was perpetrated on her as well as him. Believing the lies herself made her pitch more authentic. Seemingly remorseful, she had paid close attention to Clive in the subsequent months, frequently shielding him from the attentions of Lady Ajus and other officials very interested in the research they pushed on him.


    Clive took a large risk by trusting Lorelei to cover for Belinda, especially since he told her very little of what he was up to. Belinda had repeatedly warned him against trusting anyone, suggesting that Lorelei had been expertly playing him from the start. He wasn¡¯t entirely sure that trusting her was the right move right up until he escaped through the portal, right in the face of Lady Ajus.


    Immediately after stepping out of the portal, Clive and Belinda started eliminating the ritual circle around it to prevent anyone from following him through.


    ¡°We should leave immediately,¡± Clive said as they. ¡°There¡¯s a chance that someone there could devise a means to reopen the portal from the other end.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you send me out to a hole in the side of a desiccated nowhere?¡± Belinda complained. ¡°I have sand and dust in places where neither are welcome.¡±


    ¡°We had to make sure the arch was both abandoned and intact, for one,¡± Clive said. ¡°All I could tell from the other end was that it hadn¡¯t been activated in years. I could have been damaged or obstructed.¡±


    "You think they can follow us without the ritual circle on this end?"


    ¡°I postulated a couple of ways it could be done before settling on this way,¡± Clive said. ¡°I didn¡¯t include them in my public notes but I¡¯m far from the only good astral magic researcher they have. I rejected those methods because there¡¯s a solid chance they would extend the transmission time of the portal.¡±


    ¡°Meaning that after you went in, it would take longer before spitting you back out?¡±


    ¡°Possibly,¡± Clive said. ¡°Another possibility is that I would have emerged from the destination arch over the course of several minutes.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean what I think it means?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°If you think it means my body slowly oozing out of the portal like slime being pushed through a cheese grater, then yes.¡±


    "I think avoiding that was a good choice," she concluded.


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Clive said.


    They finished up and Belinda led him out through the mining tunnel. Belinda tossed out a floating glow stone while the tall Clive was forced to periodically duck his head under wooden support beams.


    ¡°I hope Lorel¨C Miss Grantham doesn¡¯t get in too much trouble,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°She¡¯s probably in charge of trying to catch you,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You and Humphrey are way too trusting of authority figures. You don¡¯t have to be as suspicious as Sophie, but maybe take after Jason a little.¡±


    ¡°Actually, Miss Grantham helped me cover for your absence,¡± Clive said and Belinda stopped moving down the tunnel.


    ¡°What?¡± Clive asked, also stopping.


    ¡°What did I tell you right before I left?¡± Belinda asked him.


    ¡°To make sure I go to the right portal and don¡¯t land in a cultist camp.¡±


    Belinda gave him a flat look.


    ¡°Not to trust Miss Grantham,¡± Clive sullenly admitted.


    ¡°And what did you do?¡± Belinda continued the interrogation.


    ¡°You were gone for nine days. That wasn¡¯t going to go unnoticed.¡±


    ¡°You sent me to a portal hidden in an abandoned mine, lost in the middle of nowhere.¡±


    ¡°We needed one the cult and the church of Purity wasn¡¯t using,¡± Clive said. ¡°Every other portal arch in range was in active use. The point is that Lorelei covered for us. She even stalled Lady Ajus while I was activating the portal, all without ever asking what I was up to.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Yes, really.¡±


    Belinda rubbed her chin thoughtfully as she stared at Clive.


    ¡°I guess she wasn¡¯t faking it,¡± she mused.


    ¡°Faking what?¡±


    ¡°The way she¡­¡±


    Belinda looked at Clive, seeing genuine confusion in his face.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t notice?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Notice what?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°The way she looked at you.¡±


    ¡°What about the way she looked at me?¡±


    Belinda gave him an incredulous look.


    ¡°Oh, that poor girl.¡±


    The Pallimustus equivalent of the Mediterranean Sea was called the Gramid Passage. Due to the absence of an Arabian Peninsula, Israel and Palestine, it directly connected what Jason knew as the Indian and Atlantic Oceans. Danielle teleported Humphrey and Sophie across the Gramid Passage from Vitesse to Rakesh.


    ¡°We shouldn¡¯t keep Carlivexistrix waiting,¡± Danielle said. ¡°She¡¯s showing us a great courtesy, coming to meet us like this.¡±


    ¡°Clive would go mad seeing her,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°She¡¯s not a festival attraction,¡± Danielle admonished. ¡°Clive will have to live with the disappointment.¡±


    Humphrey produced floating platforms for the trio. They were flat metal disks, only just large enough to stand on. It was a common sight to see essence users riding them about as Rakesh had a sufficient level of magic to support their operation. In low-magic Greenstone, only people like Clive and Belinda, who possessed the appropriate essence ability, could use similar devices.


    Humphrey had been using them since he was a child, having travelled widely with his mother. Sophie had learned to use them during their holiday in the city of Pranay, after their first excursion in the astral space that would later claim Jason¡¯s life. Seeing her stare at the platform in her hands, Humphrey realised her thoughts and placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. She reached up to cover it with her own in a gesture of thanks, gifting him one of her rare smiles.


    She shook off the malaise and they got moving. The buildings of Rakesh were desert stone, plastered and painted in colourful murals. It reminded her of the Cavendish district in Greenstone that was similarly styled, especially the neighbourhood people called the Rainbow Road. Unlike the mishmash of colours in Cavendish, the murals of Rakesh were both far more expansive and far more coordinated. Travelling through the streets was a soothing passage as each district¡¯s dominant colours graduated into the next.


    Activity on the streets was busy but quiet, the local culture valuing calm decorum. It was a stark contrast to the raucousness of Greenstone¡¯s Old City where Sophie grew up. Most people were on foot or using animal-drawn carriages, their normal auras marking them as the teeming citizenry of the populous city. Essence users used floating platforms, either standing ones like the trio rode on or more elaborate models. Some were simple seats on a slightly larger platform, while others were ostentatious floating palanquins.


    ¡°Sophie, be sure to manage your behaviour in this city,¡± Danielle warned as they glided along the streets on their float platforms. ¡°Civic order is given much more precedence here than in most places. The culture is based around strict social hierarchies and respect for authority. Divergence from that is strictly punished, both socially and legally. There are allowances made for visitors, but visitors find themselves swiftly positioned in the hierarchy by their background and behaviour.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re only bronze-rank adventurers,¡± Humphrey warned her. ¡°That means a lot less here than in Greenstone. Mother is gold-rank and has already accrued some prestige here, so defer to her.¡±


    ¡°The Geller name is also worth something here,¡± Danielle said. ¡°It will help us, but we must also be careful not to tarnish it.¡±


    Danielle led them to a large area surrounded by a park of pleasant gardens and long, winding pools. Many people walked along or floated over the pathways, the park serving as a major junction for city travel. Dominating the park at the centre was a vast building with multiple wings. It was not painted but made of a rich white stone, topped by golden domes.


    Sophie and Humphrey followed Danielle as she made for one of the wings, approaching a pair of huge double doors, already wide open. Inside was a large atrium filled with plants that sat in pots, grew from wall alcoves and even hung from the high ceiling, either growing out directly or sitting in hanging pots. Doors led off in multiple directions and a pair of sweeping staircases curves up to the left and right.


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Sophie asked, looking around. There were no people at all inside.


    "I told you that this city is fixated on hierarchy," Danielle said. "This is a place for those who trying to place in a hierarchy would be an insult. Diamond rankers, mostly, but not exclusively."


    A door opened and a woman came walking out, a toddler waddling alongside, holding her hand. She had the ageless beauty of the magically preserved, with milk chocolate skin typical for the local human population. The toddler let out a yelp, pulled his hand free and started running across the floor, wrapping his arms around Humphrey¡¯s leg in a hug.


    ¡°Biscuit!¡± the toddler yelled.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in months and that¡¯s all you have to say?¡±


    ¡°Biscuit please!¡±


    Humphrey shook his head.


    ¡°Did you enjoy spending time with your mother?¡± Humphrey asked.


    The toddler transformed into a small bird and flapped up onto Humphrey¡¯s head, where he started chirping.


    ¡°You can¡¯t say this about your mother!¡± Humphrey scolded, throwing an apologetic look at Stash¡¯s mother, who was now standing next to Danielle and looking on in amusement. There was more chirping from Stash.


    ¡°My mother doesn¡¯t make biscuits either,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but you don¡¯t see me calling her that.¡±


    ¡°Can you understand his chirping?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The advantages of his being a bonded familiar instead of summoned.¡±


    Stash started chirping loudly.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any biscuits,¡± Humphrey said.


    After some more angry chirping, the bird flew off Humphrey''s head, transformed into a little grey puppy in midair and landed in Sophie''s arms. She took a biscuit from her jacket pocket and slipped it to him, which he happily munched on.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to spoil him,¡± Humphrey told her.


    ¡°Sophie is the best!¡± the puppy said and Humphrey narrowed his eyes at it.


    ¡°Since when can you use people talk in animal form?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t!¡± Stash insisted, spilling crumbs. ¡°Er¡­ woof?¡±


    Humphrey ran a hand over his face and turned to Stash¡¯s mother.


    ¡°Carlivexistrix, I apologise,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not doing the best job of helping your little boy grow up.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s just how they are at that age,¡± Stash¡¯s mother said. ¡°You should have seen Danielle, here. Your mother was an absolute terror. Also, please call me Carli.¡±

 Chapter 459: What Could Possibly Go Wrong

    ¡°Well?¡± Lady Prani Ajus demanded as she stormed into the large research room in the astral magic research department. Lorelei Grantham was there, along with a half dozen researchers poring over the notes left behind by Clive.


    ¡°We found something that Cli¡­ that Standish left behind,¡± Lorelei said. ¡°He obviously wanted it to be found. It¡¯s a means to track portal network activity. It only gives vague locations but we can use it to at least partially monitor Builder cult travel. This could be a critical asset against the Builder cult.¡±


    ¡°Does it cover the theory behind the operation of the portal network?¡± Prani asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Lorelei said. ¡°It¡¯s a practical guide to tracking. He left us a valuable assent for¨C¡±


    ¡°Irrelevant,¡± Prani said. ¡°There are people all over the world looking for ways to fight the Builder cult. What matters is unravelling the secrets behind the advanced magic they use. While the other branches waste time fighting a war that will be won sooner or later, we¡¯ll be pushing ourselves ahead for once the war is done.¡±


    Lorelei looked at Prani with disdain.


    ¡°Do you have a problem, Vice-Dean Grantham?¡± Prani asked.


    Lorelei choked back the bile-filled response struggling to escape.


    ¡°No, Ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Carli was much more approachable than I expected,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That¡¯s not what I expected from a dragon at all.¡±


    ¡°Everybody needs friends they can be relaxed with,¡± Danielle said. ¡°My family have been companions to Carlivexistrix since we first came to Greenstone. Her last child is still running around with my diamond-rank ancestor somewhere, as far as I know.¡±


    They were standing in the precisely cultivated gardens of the Magic Society campus, waiting for Clive and Belinda. Thus far, they had the distinct impression of being given the runaround. Instead of Sophie and Humphrey''s team members, what they got was a stern-looking Magic Society official. Humphrey and Sophie moved to meet her, while Danielle remained where she was, casually examining a water feature.


    ¡°You¡¯re Standish¡¯s team members?¡± the official asked. ¡°I am Lady Prani Ajus.¡±


    She spoke to Sophie and Humphrey, but her gaze lingered uneasily on Danielle.


    ¡°Also Belinda¡¯s team members,¡± Sophie added.


    ¡°Why is it that no one will so much as tell us where they are, let alone lead us to them?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°The situation is complicated,¡± Prani said, earning a derisive snort from Sophie.


    ¡°The situation is shady as shi¨C¡±


    ¡°Sophie!¡± Humphrey barked, cutting her off. ¡°I apologise, Lady Ajus, but I hope you can take it as an expression of our frustration.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that Mr Standish is currently engaged in a delicate matter,¡± Prani said. ¡°He won¡¯t be available for contact for some time.¡±


    ¡°Porky pies!¡± puppy Stash yelled out. ¡°Stick it up your bum, lady.¡±


    ¡°Stash!¡± Humphrey scolded. ¡°Who taught you to talk like that?¡±


    ¡°Telling people to bugger off is kind of my thing,¡± Stash said proudly. Humphrey and Sophie went stiff at the reminder of their lost companion.


    ¡°Lady Ajus, I apologise,¡± Humphrey said after an awkward moment. ¡°We will take our leave.¡±


    Prani¡¯s expression showed exactly what she thought of the group¡¯s lack of decorum, but again her gaze glanced over Danielle and she said nothing, turning and walking away without another word.


    ¡°What do you two think you¡¯re doing?¡± Humphrey hissed at Sophie and Stash as they walked back towards Danielle. ¡°What did my mother tell you about decorum?¡±


    ¡°That woman just lied to our faces.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°And how effective do you think your approach was in helping us find Clive? We¡¯ll probably need to leverage Mother¡¯s influence, which will not be made easier when the people she contacts hear about our behaviour.¡±


    ¡°You mean my behaviour,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°No, I mean our behaviour,¡± Humphrey told her. ¡°We¡¯re a team, Sophie. We stand and fall together.¡±


    They reached Danielle, who gave them a casual look.


    ¡°You will need to learn to control your impulses better,¡± she told Sophie.


    ¡°No I don¡¯t,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I need to get powerful enough that when some woman tries to hide my friends from me I can hold her upside down and shake her until she talks without people getting all whiny about it.¡±


    Humphrey very carefully didn¡¯t smile. His blank expression didn¡¯t fool his mother, who gave him a weary, disapproving head shake.


    ¡°Power,¡± Danielle said to Sophie, ¡°is certainly an intrinsic part of being an adventurer. As you rise through the ranks, however, you will find that so is diplomacy. This is why you''re still only a one-star adventurer.¡±


    ¡°What do we do now?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Head for the local Geller family and have them apply some pressure?¡±


    ¡°I think we should hear out the priest first,¡± Danielle said.


    ¡°Priest?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Behind us,¡± Sophie said. Humphrey turned and spotted a cleric in church of Knowledge regalia walking towards them.


    ¡°Good day, sir priest,¡± Humphrey greeted. ¡°I am¨C¡±


    ¡°He knows who we are, Humphrey,¡± Sophie cut him off. ¡°Church of Knowledge, remember?¡±


    ¡°Miss Wexler is correct,¡± the priest said, taking a small tube from within his robe and holding it out for Humphrey to take. ¡°My goddess simply asked that I deliver this.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°The current location of Clive Standish and Belinda Callahan.¡±


    The priest bowed and retreated without saying any more.


    ¡°What was that about?¡± Sophie asked as they watched the man turn and hurry away.


    ¡°If Knowledge seeks you out,¡± Danielle said, ¡°it¡¯s because she knows where you need to be.¡±


    Humphrey opened the tube and pulled out a map.


    ¡°Somewhere south of here,¡± he said, looking it over.


    ¡°Well, good luck,¡± Danielle said. ¡°I¡¯m going to teleport back to Vitesse.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not helping?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s only so much time I¡¯ll willing to spend coddling my son. You can teleport yourself around just fine, so I¡¯m going home. I have my own affairs to take care of.¡±


    Humphrey looked down at the map in his hands.


    ¡°This is the middle of nowhere. I can¡¯t teleport there.¡±


    ¡°Neither can I,¡± Danielle said. ¡°You think I¡¯ve been to every random patch of wilderness and can just teleport wherever?¡±


    ¡°Kind of, yeah,¡± Sophie said as Humphrey nodded his agreement. Danielle shook her head in exasperation.


    ¡°Ask Carlivexistrix to take you,¡± Danielle told them. ¡°Her territory is to the south and she¡¯ll be leaving today.¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°Riding a dragon?¡±


    Humphrey threw out his arms and let out a whooping noise.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to fall off,¡± Sophie yelled so he could hear him over the rushing wind as the dragon underneath them rocketed through the air.


    Carli¡¯s true form was that of a vast and majestic dragon, whose scales were not just rainbow colours but shimmered and changed in a magnificent display of beauty. Humphrey and Sophie sat side by side on her broad back without any form of harness, just an oddly grippy blanket Carli had provided them.


    ¡°Are you really going to act like this isn¡¯t amazing?¡± Humphrey yelled.


    ¡°It¡¯s just flying, Humphrey.¡±


    He looked at her with a disbelieving expression.


    ¡°No one is that jaded,¡± he told her. ¡°You won¡¯t break if you admit to having some fun, you know.¡±


    He gestured around them at the vast desert panorama expanding in every direction below, with white sand, yellow stone and the winding line of blue and green that marked the river and the narrow strip of fertility it brought.


    ¡°It''s alright to admit to enjoying something,¡± he told her. ¡°It won¡¯t stop people from thinking you¡¯re very tough.¡±


    Underneath them, Carli jerked once then again, leaving Sophie pressed up against a mortified Humphrey.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Carli¡¯s rumbling dragon voice cut through the wind. ¡°Air pocket.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how you aren¡¯t angrier,¡± Belinda said. ¡°They were holding you prisoner.¡±


    She and Clive were riding a skiff through a desert river canyon that towered over their heads. It was magically propelled but not especially fast. Clive had chosen it at the small village they bought it from because the low magic profile made it harder to track if they were being followed.


    ¡°From their cultural perspective,¡± Clive said, ¡°they were acting within appropriate boundaries.¡±


    ¡°So you think it¡¯s fine?¡±


    ¡°They lied to me, lured us into their territory and kidnapped me,¡± Clive said. ¡°Of course that¡¯s not acceptable, which is why I escaped. I won¡¯t say I¡¯m not disappointed in the Magic Society, but we can¡¯t blame the whole organisation for the actions of a few.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s crap,¡± Belinda said. ¡°The fact that you even think like that is how it keeps happening. After Greenstone and Rakesh, have you ever been to a Magic Society branch that wasn¡¯t shady as shi¡­ what is that?¡±


    Belinda pointed at two figures moving through the air above the canyon. They were both mostly human-shaped, although one had huge wings. She and Clive extended their senses and then both broke out in grins.


    ¡°What are they doing here?¡± Clive asked. ¡°How did they even find us?¡±


    Sophie and Humphrey glided down through the canyon, Humphrey with his wings and Sophie riding the air. She alighted onto the skiff with no more impact than a falling leaf while Humphrey''s landing almost tipped Clive over the side.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Sophie demanded after Belinda had righted the boat and Clive had recovered.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t my best landing,¡± Humphrey sheepishly admitted. ¡°I¡¯m more used to dropping down to attack things.¡±


    ¡°Like Clive,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t attacking Clive.¡±


    ¡°It looked like you were attacking Clive.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t attacking Clive!¡±


    Clive and Belinda shared a glance as they watched the pair. With the skiff stabilised, Belinda stood up and snatched Sophie into a warmly returned hug. The last few months was the longest time the pair had been separated since they were children.


    ¡°We¡¯ll lodge protests with the Adventure Society and Magic Society branches when we reach another city,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m not going back to Rakesh any time soon.¡±


    ¡°You should,¡± Sophie said. ¡°We should burn down that Ajus woman¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It¡¯s probably made of stone but there¡¯s magic. We¡¯ll figure it out.¡±


    ¡°No one is burning down anyone¡¯s house,¡± Humphrey said.


    They were in the courtyard of a tavern at a riverside town, deciding on their next move.


    ¡°Maybe we could go find Jory,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Sounds like he could use some help. Neil¡¯s probably with him already.¡±


    ¡°Jory?¡± Belinda asked, sitting up straight in her chair. ¡°He told me he was going to be giving out lectures, not fighting. He should have let me know.¡±


    ¡°When was the last time you got a letter from him?¡± Clive asked. ¡°It¡¯s possible Lady Ajus was intercepting our mail.¡±


    ¡°I think we should revisit the burning her house down plan,¡± Belinda said. ¡°We should take a vote.¡±


    ¡°We keep following the river to the border city of Oleyu,¡± Clive said. ¡°Until we get there, we¡¯re still in the Rakesh Magic Society branch¡¯s area of influence.¡±


    ¡°There will be a temple of the Healer there,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We can find out more about Jory¡¯s situation from them.¡±


    The city of Oleyu was unremarkable. It wasn¡¯t as big and important as Rakesh or Vitesse, or unusual like Greenstone. It was a pleasant, prosperous and moderately sized city built on river trade, with a mid-range level of magic.


    Clive, flanked by Sophie and Humphrey, was in the Magic Society building lodging a protest over his treatment by the Rakesh branch. He wasn''t optimistic about results as the Rakesh branch was one of the most powerful on the continent. Any official with authority stationed there had power and connections, so any consequences they faced would come from the Adventure Society, rather than other Magic Society branches.


    The Adventure Society didn¡¯t take kindly to its members being exploited, but for a bronze-ranker like Clive, it would take time before his complaint was given attention. As the monster surge precursor signs grew worse and the Builder cult remained a threat, inter-organisational conflict was a low priority.


    Belinda, meanwhile, was contacting Jory through a water link chamber. Communicating through watery clones was the most accessible form of long-distance communication and a major use for the magical stone that Greenstone exported. The green stone of the chamber Belinda was led into was a reminder of home.


    She stood on a small platform in front of a water pool and waited. It took a few minutes before the water flowed up into the shape of a person. The water took on colour until a somewhat wobbly replica of Jory stood before her, the blank expression turning into a grin as the connection was formed.


    ¡°Lindy!¡±


    She smiled at him, about to answer but he started babbling.


    ¡°I was so relieved when I heard you were alright. After you didn¡¯t respond to my last letter I tried contacting you but the Magic Society said that you were on some job with Clive and couldn¡¯t be contacted. I kept trying to get in touch but they stopped listening to me altogether. I was about to try contacting Emir Bahadir to see if he could help but ¨C¡±


    ¡°You do realise this chamber lets both of us talk?¡± she interrupted. Jory let out a sheepish laugh.


    After regrouping in the private dining room of a high-end tavern, Belinda explained Jory¡¯s situation to the others.


    ¡°Jory isn¡¯t doing anything dangerous,¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯ll just be in some isolated rural areas where his guards will need to handle monsters they come across. The areas are all low magic, so he should be fine. Mostly bronze and silver-rank monsters.¡±


    ¡°That might not be the case if these monster surge precursors keep getting worse,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Joining him might not be a bad idea.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not against it,¡± Belinda said, ¡°but I think it would be better off with only me joining Jory and Neil.¡±


    ¡°We just met up,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You want to run off again straight away?¡±


    ¡°You''ll get bored senseless playing guard duty, Soph, and you know it''s good that you haven''t had many chances in life to get bored. You know what happens."


    "You''re blowing things out of proportion," Sophie said.


    "Am I? Remember Charles and the moss cat?¡±


    ¡°How was I meant to know it wouldn¡¯t grow back?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It was growing off of a cat, Soph. It very obviously wasn¡¯t a real tomato.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a real cat!¡±


    ¡°I believe Belinda¡¯s point,¡± Clive said, ¡°is that she thinks you¡¯ll do better working with me.¡±


    ¡°On what?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working on something that might help us catch the Builder cult by the tail,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯ve managed to tap into the portal network that the Builder cult has been using to move around.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s amazing,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That will be a huge weapon against the Builder.¡±


    ¡°If I can use the information the way I think I can,¡± Clive said. ¡°Every request I made to do reconnaissance and field testing was denied. I eventually realised that the Rakesh Magic Society wasn¡¯t interested in the fight against the Builder. All they want is access to the cult¡¯s advanced astral magic, which is what they really recruited me for.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society will take a very different view,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive agreed, ¡°but after Rakesh, I¡¯m not willing to take that on faith. They might dismiss me as just some bronze-ranker from a provincial city. I want to walk into the Magic Society with everything on a plate, so they can¡¯t push it aside.¡±


    ¡°Will we get to kick the crap out of some cultists?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°She means will we have to fight any cultists,¡± Humphrey corrected.


    ¡°If everything goes right, then no,¡± Clive said. Then an uncharacteristically malevolent grin crossed his face. ¡°And what could possibly go wrong?¡±

 Chapter 460: Kind of His Thing

    Clive drove the flying, open-top carriage through the skies of Vitesse, docking halfway up one of the garden towers covered in flowers and greenery. He disembarked onto a balcony, along with Humphrey and Sophie, where they were met by an Adventure Society attendant.


    ¡°Young Master Geller, Mr Standish, Miss Wexler,¡± he greeted. ¡°Welcome back to the city, and congratulations on reaching silver rank.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ernest,¡± Clive said, handing over the control crystal for the carriage. ¡°Do you know where we¡¯re meant to go?¡±


    ¡°I believe Mr Cotezee is waiting for you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Ernest.¡±


    The trio made their way through the Adventure Society building to Miles Cotezee''s office. He was a senior administrator, his silver rank coming entirely from cores. His paper, knowledge, rune and scribe essence combination was more suited to battling bureaucracy than monsters. They found the man in his office behind a desk piled high with papers in a series of trays. He looked up as they entered, his sudden grin looking especially manic on his frazzled expression.


    ¡°Clive! And friends, obviously. How did we do?¡±


    Miles stumbled out of his chair and hurried around the table as Clive gave him a wary look. The man looked like he was ready to snap if he got bad news.


    ¡°Success,¡± Clive said. ¡°You can set up a presentation.¡±


    ¡°Already did,¡± Miles said. ¡°It¡¯s in¡­¡±


    He fished a watch from his pocket to check the time.


    "¡­a little over three hours. You should take some time to have some lunch and relax beforehand."


    ¡°You might want to join us,¡± Sophie suggested. ¡°You look like you could use a break.¡±


    Miles let out a mad cackle.


    ¡°Break? That¡¯s a precious dream. Just be back here in two and a half hours. Oh, and wear your guild pins. It¡¯ll lend a little authority to what you have to say.¡±


    ¡°What do we need more authority for?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Clive cracked the cult¡¯s portal network; how much more respect does he need to earn before people listen to him.¡±


    "However you look at it, you''re freshly minted silver-rankers," Miles said. ¡°I love you kids, I really do, but you¡¯re not in Greenstone anymore. If you want people to listen to you in this town, power is king. If you don¡¯t get it from your rank, get it from your name, your guild or wherever you can.¡±


    Miles frowned, remembering something.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your familiar?¡± he asked Humphrey.


    Humphrey held open his jacket to reveal the head and paws of a mouse sticking out of the lining pocket.


    ¡°G¡¯day bloke,¡± the mouse said.


    Humphrey shook his head and closed his jacket. The trio left Miles¡¯ office and made their way to one of the tower¡¯s many open balconies. Magical energy emerged from the rune tattoo on Clive¡¯s chest, passed through the cloth of his robe and coalesced into a tortoise the size of a sport utility vehicle, floating in the air beside the balcony. The tortoise¡¯s gently curved shell was covered in brightly glowing runes in a cornucopia of colours.


    This was Clive''s rune tortoise familiar, Onslow. The trio stepped off the balcony and onto his shell, at which point the familiar started descending through the air. They alighted in a public park where they hopped down from Onslow''s back. Clive fed him a lettuce leaf while scratching the back of his head.


    Clive was about to return Onslow to the tattoo when he spotted some children pointing. The rune tortoise was a non-threatening figure, despite its size, and covered in colourful, glowing runes that made him popular with children. Humphrey and Sophie shared a knowing look.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get you something to eat and come back,¡± Sophie told Clive, patting him on the shoulder.


    When they returned with a basket of sandwiches and drinks, Sophie and Humphrey found a gaggle of children riding Onslow around as he slowly floated around the park, just above the ground. Their parents were all gathered around Clive. In these situations, Sophie and Humphrey used to play a game where they guessed which ones were single mothers based on their body language but it had become far too easy to tell. Sophie pulled out a recording crystal and tossed it into the air where it floated over her head.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I thought Lorelei might like to see this,¡± Sophie said innocently.


    ¡°You are just trouble, head to toe,¡± Humphrey told her.


    Eventually, Clive noticed them and dismissed Onslow, the families going on their way. The trio sat on a blanket and enjoyed lunch, although they still had time to spare when they were done. They decided to walk a roundabout path back to the Adventure Society tower rather than fly. Teleporting into the tower wasn¡¯t possible.


    On their way back, they saw a priest in full regalia robes sprinting down the street like monsters were chasing him. Sophie and Clive looked around and saw that no one seemed to be paying him any attention.


    ¡°Does that guy need help?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He¡¯s a priest of Lust. I bet there¡¯s a¡­¡±


    He trailed off as a priestess, also in elaborate robes came running around a corner in pursuit of the priest.


    ¡°Come back!¡± she yelled after him. ¡°I¡¯ll help you with your ritual!¡±


    ¡°BEGONE, WOMAN!¡± the priest yelled back over his shoulder.


    ¡°Is that¡­?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°A priestess of Fertility, yes,¡± Humphrey confirmed.


    ¡°This is a fun city,¡± Sophie said.


    Riding one of the elevating platforms up through the tower Sophie, Humphrey and Clive took out their guild pins, affixing them to their clothes. Each one depicted violet flames in the shape of a flower. The shimmer of the magical material from which they were made gave the impression of dancing purple fire.


    The building seemed oddly busy, even for the Adventure Society. As they made their way to Miles¡¯ office they saw people rushing frenetically through the halls. In his office, Miles was somehow even more agitated than he had been just hours before. He was standing over his desk running his hands through his hair as he looked at the papers in front of him like they¡¯d slept with his wife. As the trio came in he looked up at them, wild-eyed.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Is there a problem with the presentation?¡± Clive followed up.


    ¡°Presentation¡¯s cancelled,¡± Miles said.


    "Cancelled?" Humphrey asked. "We''ve been scouting out that dam for two months. Clive finally figured out what¨C"


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter right now,¡± Miles said, moving around the table to close the door. ¡°Something big is going on. I¡¯m not sure what exactly, but rumour is that the monster surge is finally about to start.¡±


    ¡°And these rumours spread since we got here three hours ago?¡± Sophie asked.


    "The high-ups are keeping their cards close right now, but yeah," Miles said. "From what I''ve heard, there''s some undisclosed source of information that says the surge is going to begin within the next few months."


    ¡°People have been saying that for years now,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Yet none of those people triggered what¡¯s going on now,¡± Miles said. ¡°The Adventure Society has had the Magic Society cancel every booking on the water link chambers and all but taken them over. Almost all activities are being cancelled or rescheduled and orders are going out everywhere. Including for you three.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society doesn¡¯t give orders,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It gives contracts.¡±


    "The society is going into monster surge rules, Miss Wexler. Try turning down a directly issued contract today and see where that gets you."


    ¡°What¡¯s the contract?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°All three of you need to travel to some small town on the far side of nowhere,¡± Miles told them, turning to search through the unruly papers covering his desk.


    ¡°And then what?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°No idea,¡± Miles said. ¡°The contract just says to go there. All three of you. That¡¯s the entire directive.¡±


    He found what he was looking for, handing them a sheet of paper each with what little details there were.


    ¡°This is a nothing contract,¡± Sophie says. ¡°It just says head off to some little village.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know any more than you do,¡± Miles said, ¡°except for one thing. This contract didn¡¯t come down through normal channels. It came down from on high, and I mean proper high. The kind of people your mother couldn¡¯t get in to see, Mr Geller. People who shouldn¡¯t even know who any of you are. So I strongly recommend you take the contract and do exactly what it says without making a fuss.¡±


    ¡°Why is everyone looking at me?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°What about the dam project?¡± Clive asked. ¡°If I gave someone else the details, maybe they could take over.¡±


    ¡°Take over?¡± Sophie said, wheeling on Clive. ¡°After all the work we put in? This is your win, Clive.¡±


    ¡°As long as the work gets done,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°it doesn¡¯t matter who does it.¡±


    ¡°Yes it does,¡± Miles said. ¡°Miss Wexler is quite right to be concerned. Reputation is everything in this town. I know you¡¯re very enthused about the civic responsibility of adventurers, Mr Geller, but there¡¯s only so much good you can do if no one takes you seriously. If you want to fight the good fight, and I know you do, then you need to step out of your mother¡¯s shadow to be taken seriously in your own right.¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly what I meant,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Also, I¡¯m not letting some random person take all the credit.¡±


    ¡°Tell us about this village they¡¯re sending us to,¡± Clive said. ¡°What makes it special?¡±


    "No idea," Miles said. "My very strong suggestion is to go there and find out. There has to be something there. Oh, and someone will be going with you. He¡¯s being portalled in as we speak.¡±


    A small town on the far side of nowhere was having a celebration feast inside their new, reinforced walls. As evening fell, a trio of visitors arrived in search of a blacksmith. Jory, Belinda and Neil were startled to discover that the blacksmith was someone they knew.


    They hadn¡¯t seen Gary in two years, since Jason¡¯s memorial. The previously crestfallen leonid had regained his boisterousness, gathering all three of them into a bone-crushing hug before dragging them all off to the feast.


    ¡°What are you even doing here?¡± Gary mumbled through roasted meat. He had bitten it from a whole leg he was waving around that was the size of Belinda¡¯s arm.


    ¡°I¡¯m out here trying to figure out how to make cheap potions with the local materials,¡± Jory said. ¡°I should be teaching people how to do it for themselves but that¡¯s a process that takes time we don¡¯t have right now. What about you?¡±


    ¡°Same thing, but for weapons, armour and fortifications,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°A strange lady told me there was a blacksmith that could meet our needs here,¡± Jory said. ¡°Belinda needs a full refresh of her gear.¡±


    ¡°Strange lady?¡± Gary asked. ¡°Strange how?¡±


    ¡°She was too high rank to be out here,¡± Jory said. ¡°Even though I couldn¡¯t sense her aura, I could tell. Her clothes and the way she carried herself. A celestine, with hair like rubies.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure it wasn¡¯t a man?¡± Gary asked. ¡°I haven¡¯t seen a woman like you¡¯re describing, but there¡¯s a guy roaming about making trouble.¡±


    ¡°Unless it was disguise magic, I¡¯m sure,¡± Jory said. ¡°I figured she must have been sent out here because a gold-rank monster manifested.¡±


    "Makes sense," Gary said, then tore off another meat strip with his teeth. With his huge head and leonine features, it was somewhat terrifying to watch.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard about any gold-rank monster, though,¡± Gary said, still spraying slivers of meat as he turned to Belinda. ¡°So you need a set of silver-rank gear? I was set to pack up and move on tomorrow, but I can take a day.¡±


    ¡°I need a lot of gear,¡± Belinda said. ¡°A lot. A day might not be enough.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate your friend, here,¡± a smooth voice said. An immaculately groomed man in out-of-place city fashion sat down next to Gary. ¡°His skills have advanced in leaps and bounds in the last year or so.¡±


    ¡°This would be the guy roaming around making trouble,¡± Gary introduced. ¡°Virid, these are my friends. ¡°Belinda, Neil and Jory, this is Virid.¡±


    ¡°A pleasure,¡± Virid said. ¡°I¡¯m also curious about this unusual woman you mentioned. I didn¡¯t feel anyone like what you¡¯re describing and my senses are¡­ quite prodigious.¡±


    The three looked over Virid, just as alien to the remote town as the woman Jory described.


    ¡°What is going on out here?¡± Neil wondered aloud.


    ¡°Good question,¡± Rufus asked. ¡°What are you all doing here?¡±


    Everyone at the table turned to face the new arrival and Gary leapt up, clasping Rufus in a huge hairy hug, the meat in Gary¡¯s hand getting oil down Rufus¡¯ back.


    ¡°I seem to recall you not being a hugger,¡± Rufus gasped.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Gary said with a laugh. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°Adventure Society sent me,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They came to the training annex, told where to go with nothing about why and portalled me halfway around the world. The others are still caught up at the town entry checkpoint.¡±


    ¡°Others?¡± Gary asked, as arguing voices drifted in their direction, loud enough to be heard over the ongoing feat.


    ¡°You were lucky I was able to talk them down,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°All you needed was a little patience.¡±


    ¡°How was I meant to know they wouldn¡¯t take a bribe?¡± Sophie complained. ¡°Since when do village guards have integrity?¡±


    ¡°Small town people are good and decent folk,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They deserve our respect.¡±


    ¡°And city people don¡¯t?¡± Sophie demanded.


    ¡°In fairness, Sophie,¡± Clive interjected, ¡°would you trust you?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a terrible point,¡± Sophie admitted. ¡°Lindy?¡±


    Belinda rushed to catch her friend in a hug.


    ¡°What is everyone doing here?¡± Clive asked.


    Jason¡¯s old team, plus Rufus, Gary and Gary¡¯s mentor Virid were gathered at a picnic table left from the previous night¡¯s feast. They were discussing how they all ended up in the same place at the same time, in the middle of nowhere.


    ¡°The only clue we have to what brought us all here is this mysterious woman?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°Why us? Why here and why now?¡±


    ¡°Aside from Gary¡¯s new friend,¡± Clive said, ¡°there is something that connects us. Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°And the person we all met there,¡± Sophie added.


    ¡°The location may be a matter of discretion,¡± Virid suggested as the other fell into a sombre silence. ¡°Large cities have eyes and ears that even I can¡¯t escape, while the arrival of someone like me in a small one becomes fast news. Here, there is no one to tell.¡±


    "Quite astute," a female voice said. The group turned to see a celestine with alabaster skin, her crimson eyes and hair shining in the morning sun. They stood up arraying themselves in front of her. Virid was wary, not sensing her aura. He pushed out with his senses, turning whiter than she was at what he found.


    ¡°I¡¯m, uh¡­ I¡¯m going to go,¡± he said.


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn told him. ¡°You¡¯re not. Sit back down.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Gary watched the terrified Virid with shock, being the only one who knew that he was a diamond ranker. What did that make this woman? She looked Virid up and down.


    ¡°You don¡¯t look it,¡± she told him, ¡°but you¡¯re a smith?¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Good. Mr Xandier¡¯s skills may not be quite where I need them, so collaborating with you may bridge that gap.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d care to explain why you brought us all here?¡± Rufus asked, stepping to the fore.


    ¡°I need Mr Xandier to reforge a weapon for me,¡± she said.


    ¡°The rest of us aren¡¯t smiths,¡± Rufus said. ¡°What do you want?¡±


    ¡°To fulfil a promise,¡± she said. She took a weapon from the dimensional bag at her waist and held it out. Gary moved forward and took it, turning it over in his hands.


    The sword was bent almost in half. The craftsmanship was familiar, yet alien.


    ¡°What did this?¡± Gary asked. ¡°How did the blade not snap?¡±


    Gary¡¯s examination went deeper than simply looking. His forge essence abilities gave him insights into the nature of worked metals.


    ¡°It¡¯s soul-bonded,¡± he said. ¡°The sword bends but doesn¡¯t break, because so does the owner.¡±


    He looked up at Dawn.


    ¡°Which isn¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°No. I promised the owner I would have it ready and waiting when he arrived and only one man can reforge it.¡±


    ¡°This feels like my work,¡± Gary said, ¡°but I don¡¯t remember this sword.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been modified,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t soul-bonded when you made it, and it was ranked-up, being a growth item. Look again.¡±


    Gary looked back down at the sword in his hands, pushing his senses to the limit. Finally, he recognised it and his eyes went wide. His face came up filled with fury and he let out a roar that cracked the stone wall of the smithy next to him. Dawn''s hair and clothes whipped around her like she was standing in a hurricane, but she didn''t so much as lean back. The friends behind Gary covered their ears, deafened despite not being in the direct blast.


    ¡°Why do you have this?¡± Gary demanded, marching up into Dawn¡¯s face and waving the sword in front of her. ¡°How do you have it?¡±


    ¡°I told you,¡± she said calmly. ¡°I promised the owner I would have it waiting for him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who soul-bonded this weapon,¡± Gary growled, ¡°but the real owner is dead. So you¡¯d best tell me who gave you this or you¡¯re going to join him. I don¡¯t care who or what you are. I¡¯ll find a way.¡±


    ¡°Gary, no!¡± Virid warned, standing up.


    ¡°Sit,¡± Dawn barked and he plopped back down.


    ¡°The owner died, yes,¡± she said. ¡°But as it turns out, coming back from the dead is kind of his thing.¡±

 Chapter 461: Of Course He Doesn’t Have Pants

    In an abandoned outback town, there was something unusual on the dry grass of the football oval. Large stones were set into arches, forming a series of concentric circles. Next to the bar, the only properly-maintained building, was a long wooden grandstand, bleached by the sun. Jason and Farrah had been sitting on it for some time, talking.


    ¡°It¡¯s time,¡± Jason said and stood up.


    ¡°You know they¡¯re watching us, right?¡± Farrah asked as she did the same.


    ¡°Leave them to their petty squabbles. I¡¯m done.¡±


    ¡°Did you end up talking to Amy?¡± Farrah asked as they left the grandstand and started walking across the grass. ¡°I know you were in two minds about it.¡±


    ¡°I did,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not that there was much to say. It was just sad, more than anything. Once upon a time, we knew each other better than anyone. Than we knew ourselves. Now we barely recognise one another. I think we both felt the loss.¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t angry?¡±


    ¡°She was tired. Kaito made his own choice to stand up for his world and she knows that. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that her kids will grow up without their father.¡±


    They walked across the football field, through the stone structures Farrah had put in place. In the centre was an empty circle.


    ¡°You won¡¯t be back for a long time,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If you want a last look around, this is it. A day or two won¡¯t make a difference.¡±


    Jason opened a portal to his spirit vault and stepped through without looking back.


    Jason¡¯s spirit vault was increasingly becoming less of a vault and more of a realm. Not only was his rank growing but the racial power that created it had gone through a rare secondary evolution. He had absorbed the power of the Builder¡¯s dimensional door and the World-Phoenix¡¯s dimensional bridge. Most of all, his soul had undergone tribulations and come out all the stronger.


    The layout of his spirit realm reflected his spirit domains, with a pagoda tower at the centre made of dark crystal infused with sparkling, transcendent light. From there, a vast estate of cloud buildings sprawled out into gardens that ranged from wild groves to carefully cultivated gardens to a cave system filled with luminescent fungus.


    At the edge of his domain was a wall of darkness that seemed to devour the light around it. Even the starry void beyond was bright by comparison. The most prominent change brought about by the World-Phoenix''s bridge was that the wall now had an arched gate. Beyond the gate, a rainbow bridge extended into the star-speckled dark. In the distance, a stream of light, also filled with rainbow hues, extended into the void past Jason and Farrah¡¯s ability to make out where it began or ended.


    Jason had god-like control over his spirit realm and with a blur, he and Farrah were standing at the gate. It was a solid construction of the same dark, sparkling crystal as the pagoda. At a gesture from Jason, it sank into the ground, opening the dark wall that separated the physical space of his spirit realm from the astral void surrounding it. The rainbow bridge spanning out towards the distant stream of similarly polychromatic light.


    ¡°That¡¯s the link between worlds?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Beyond this wall is the deep astral,¡± Jason said. ¡°What we¡¯re seeing is more metaphor than reality. My spirit realm trying to quantify that which cannot be quantified.¡±


    ¡°So, how does this work?¡±


    ¡°However I like.¡±


    Jason flicked his hand in another gesture and his entire spirit realm started moving along the rainbow bridge. It accelerated more and more until Farrah realised that what she thought was a narrow stream of energy in the distance was planetary in scale, simply much further away than she realised. As they drew closer, they reached the point where all they could see was a vast rainbow wall in front of them.


    The spirit realm passed into the stream, the rainbow energy engulfing them but not crossing beyond the wall or an invisible dome above it. The gate rose back up and Jason turned away.


    The people observing the stone formation from several kilometres away in a helicopter watched as the ordinary stone transmuted into dark crystal, the inside of it speckled with shifting blue, silver and gold light. They reported that Jason Asano had left the Earth behind.


    Jason¡¯s team, plus Rufus, Gary and Jory, stood before Dawn in a confrontational array, with Virid sitting obediently at the picnic table behind them. The twisted remains of the sword Gary once gave Jason still rested in Gary¡¯s hands.


    The local townsfolk knew adventurer business when they saw it and had already given the group a wide berth. After Gary¡¯s stone-shattering roar from earlier, they gave it a wider one.


    ¡°Why should we believe you?¡± Sophie asked Dawn. ¡°If Jason¡¯s alive, where is he?¡±


    ¡°Jason is on his own world,¡± Clive said. His eyes moved side to side as he absently scratched his head, his mind putting the pieces together. He looked up, starting slightly as he noticed everyone looking at him. He turned to Dawn.


    ¡°You serve the World-Phoenix, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked her. She smiled.


    ¡°He wasn''t wrong about you being the smart one,¡± she said. ¡°I spent a lot of time with Jason''s collection of astral magic theory. Your notes are impressively insightful, Mr Standish. Especially given the level of astral magic in this world.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a world phoenix?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°A great astral being,¡± Clive said. ¡°I only know a little, but my understanding is that it¡¯s largely antagonistic to the Builder. Its domain is dimensional integrity, which directly clashes with the Builder¡¯s plundering of worlds.¡±


    ¡°Then where has it been all this time?¡± Sophie demanded. ¡°Is its other domain taking a nap when it should be getting off its butt and kicking the Builder in the fruit basket?¡±


    ¡°The World-Phoenix is famously indirect,¡± Clive said. ¡°It works through agents and pawns, which is why information about it is limited. The very fact that one of its agents is here at all is quite worrying. It makes me wonder what the Builder had planned that would warrant intervention.¡±


    ¡°You are right to worry,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°What does any of this have to do with Jason?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Jason always said he had a way back home,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°One that he didn¡¯t know how to use,¡± Sophie added. ¡°He showed it to me once. It was an item. Red, with a picture of a bird on it.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s true, then,¡± Clive said. ¡°World-Phoenix tokens really can bring back the dead.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°This is why they are handed out sparingly. Jason Asano was reborn in his own world.¡±


    ¡°I thought his world didn¡¯t have magic,¡± Gary said. ¡°What would someone like you be doing there?¡±


    ¡°Jason¡¯s world held many secrets. On returning, he found himself with responsibilities that someone of his rank should not have had to shoulder. Enemies whose power utterly dwarfed his own.¡±


    ¡°No change there, then,¡± Jory muttered. ¡°Still picking fights he can¡¯t win.¡±


    ¡°I never said he didn¡¯t win,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Jason managed to provoke my counterpart within the Builder¡¯s forces into overstepping his bounds. This has forced certain compromises on the Builder''s part, allowing for my presence here. There are extreme restrictions on my power to intervene directly on events but I have already started preparing this world for what comes next.¡±


    ¡°Which is what?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Sophie said. ¡°The issue is Jason.¡±


    ¡°Since I left Jason¡¯s world,¡± Dawn continued, ¡°he apparently provoked the man again. In recompense, I am allowed a single instance of intervention on behalf of this world, using the full measure of my power. I intend to use it well.¡±


    ¡°If you were in Jason¡¯s world,¡± Sophie said, ¡°why didn¡¯t you bring him back?¡±


    ¡°I told you that he has responsibilities,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Once they are complete, he will return on his own. Further explanation can be left to Jason himself, once he returns, other than to say that when he does, the monster surge will begin.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m thinking we should get those further explanations now,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I will explain the details to Mr Standish soon enough,¡± Dawn said. ¡°He¡¯s the only one who would truly understand what is happening anyway and can explain it for you in turn. As for further explanations, I have something that you will want to see more.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You¡¯re doing a lot of talking, but words are easy. I haven¡¯t seen anything to prove you aren¡¯t just playing some game with us.¡±


    ¡°And he said you were the na?ve one,¡± Dawn said to Humphrey. ¡°Mr Blacksmith, would you care to reassure them?¡±


    ¡°The sword,¡± Virid said, standing up. The group suddenly remembered the blade in Gary¡¯s hands.


    ¡°If it¡¯s truly soul-bonded to your friend and your friend is alive,¡± Virid continued, ¡°then it cannot be hidden from Gary in the process of reforging. It will give us a definitive answer.¡±


    ¡°Still,¡± Belinda said to Dawn. ¡°He could have at least given you a recording crystal to bring back to us for evidence.¡±


    ¡°He did,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I¡¯ve been trying to tell you that but you keep interrupting. No wonder you all became his friends. You¡¯re as bad as he is.¡±


    ¡°How much time did you spend with Jason?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°You just can¡¯t stop, can you?¡± Dawn asked. ¡°You genuinely all deserve each other. I spent more time with Jason than you, Mr Remore. My powers were severely restricted, however. For most of our time together, he was more powerful than I. Now, if you¡¯re all quite done, does anyone have a recording crystal projector?¡±


    Jason and Farrah lay back in lounge chairs made out of cloud stuff, watching the rainbow energies pass over Jason¡¯s spirit realm. Then they spotted a figure float swiftly past and they both sat up.


    ¡°Was that¡­?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°TV¡¯s Patrick Duffy, yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I didn¡¯t know he was an interdimensional being.¡±


    Farrah gave him a flat look.


    ¡°Or, it¡¯s possible that my spirit realm imprinting physical reality onto a non-physical space is causing anomalous manifestations projected from my psyche.¡±


    ¡°And what your mind threw out was Patrick Duffy?¡±


    ¡°He was in The Bold and the Beautiful, Dallas and Step by Step, Farrah. That¡¯s a daytime soap, a primetime soap and a classic nineties sitcom; all iconic examples of their respective genres. He¡¯s a titan of the industry.¡±


    ¡°Most of that is from before you were born. Your father has a lot to answer for.¡±


    ¡°Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it, which is probably why they rebooted Dallas. Also, you know a lot for someone who claims to hate television.¡±


    ¡°I really, really need to get back to my own world.¡±


    Clive¡¯s crystal projector was set on the picnic table Virid had been sitting at, the group now all gathered around it.


    ¡°I haven''t seen this,¡± Dawn admitted. ¡°We were both rather caught up in events and he handed it to me as I was leaving his world.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have an image projector?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s primitive magic,¡± Dawn said. ¡°My dimensional vessel doesn¡¯t have one. I could have gotten one while I was here, but it seemed right that you should all see it first. He made it for you, after all.¡±


    She placed the crystal in the projector and an image blinked to life over the table. It was Jason, covered in blood and dust, wearing nothing but boxer shorts with love hearts on them. He was sporting a slew of wounds, although they were closing at a rate fast enough for them to see.


    ¡°Of course he doesn¡¯t have pants,¡± Rufus laughed, the delight at seeing his friend thick in his voice.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done this in a while, the magic being kind of crap in my world,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, the recording crystals don¡¯t work so well. I¡¯ll catch you all up at some point but I''m kind of in the middle of something right now. I guess I can hit the highlights. Farrah''s alive; that''s a winner. So am I, for that matter, which may be¨C¡±


    Gary¡¯s hand slammed down, pausing the projection.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°She¡¯s alive. I¡¯ve spent quite some time with her, in fact. You could say she is a mutual friend.¡±


    Rufus and Gary shared a look; hope and joy tempered by a fear that all this was some cruel, elaborate ruse. Sophie, who had only heard about Farrah, reached out to resume the recording.


    ¡°¡­more surprising,¡± Jason continued. ¡°I die kind of a lot. Is three times a lot? I mean, three isn''t a big number, but not many people hit the triple when it comes to carking it. I think three counts as a lot.¡±


    He panned the crystal away from himself, showed off some kind of city street with an architectural style that none of them were familiar with. There was debris all over the street, courtesy of a collapsed nearby building. Jason panned the crystal back to himself.


    ¡°I''m saving the world, so I''d best get back to it,¡± he said. ¡°As you can see, I¡¯m standing in my underwear in the middle of the street, covered in blood, next to a building I just blew up. The street is in an extradimensional city I¡¯m taking over so a hole doesn¡¯t get blasted in the side of the universe. Mondays, am I right? Oh, wait; you have a six-day week. Still, it''s a day of the week. It''s not that hard to pick up from context.¡±


    ¡°Hole in the universe?¡± Clive asked. ¡°How is that even possible, and why is¨C¡±


    ¡°Clive,¡± Jason¡¯s projection cut in, wagging a disapproving finger. ¡°I know you''ve got questions but stop interrupting. People are trying to listen to the recording. Be courteous and wait.¡±


    The group burst out laughing at the expression on Clive¡¯s face, the tension they all had breaking like an overflowing dam. They watched Jason pull out a flask of cleaning solution and pour it over himself. He winced as it stung his wounds.


    ¡°Jory, if you¡¯re watching this, I want you to know I have a new appreciation for the quality of your crystal wash. I am going to need quite a lot of it once I get back, by the way. Like, a lot. I don¡¯t want to go running out again, so waaay more than last time.¡±


    Jason tipped another flask of the cleaning solution over some strange looking weapons before putting them away in his inventory.


    ¡°Anyway, none of my essence abilities work here, which sucks. I spent the last few hours fighting it out with a small army of astronauts with ray guns, which was pretty awesome. I''ll explain what they are later.¡±


    Jason reached up to the crystal and the projection ended.

 Chapter 462: Connotations

    A bird fluttered out of Humphrey¡¯s jacket, then transformed into a puppy as it landed on the table and started pawing at the projector. Humphrey scooped him up and petted him gently.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, little buddy,¡± he cooed soothingly.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Neil complained as the recording ended. ¡°That didn¡¯t tell us anything. I¡¯m so glad he¡¯s alive and I can go back to hating him.¡±


    ¡°Neil,¡± Humphrey scolded.


    ¡°What?¡± Neil asked.


    Clive shook his head while Belinda snorted a laugh. Jory was contemplating the return of the crystal wash vampire while Sophie was looking shell-shocked. Humphrey reached out to her but she flinched away. He looked hurt and she winced apologetically.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    Sophie couldn¡¯t get out any more words and left in a half-run. Humphrey moved to follow but Belinda placed a restraining hand on his arm.


    ¡°You¡¯d do more harm than good at this point,¡± she told him. ¡°She needs a friend, not¡­ whatever you are.¡±


    ¡°I have to do something.¡±


    ¡°You had plenty of time to do something,¡± Belinda said, the barbs in her voice dripping venom. ¡°If you''d mustered up some courage any time in the last two years then she wouldn''t have been stuck between a ghost and a coward. Now the ghost is coming back, so it''s time to give it up or rummage around those fancy pants and see if you can''t dig out some balls.¡±


    She snatched puppy Stash from Humphrey¡¯s arms and marched off in Sophie¡¯s direction, leaving a crestfallen Humphrey behind her.


    Rufus and Gary were looking at one another as if asking for permission to hope. Seeing Jason alive was one thing, but hearing about Farrah without seeing her had a fearful unreality to it. They shared the fear of their hope being cruelly snatched away.


    ¡°Mr Standish,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Perhaps you can join me for a lengthy discussion.¡±


    Farrah groaned as she watched Jason go through a meditative sword dance. Again. They were on a terrace in Jason¡¯s spirit realm, the rainbow lights of the world link washing over them.


    ¡°How long until we get back?¡± she complained.


    ¡°I told you that I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said, his smooth, graceful movements continuing uninterrupted. ¡°If that changes, I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to meditate all day, every day? I know training is important but you¡¯re getting worse than Rufus.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been on Earth too long,¡± Jason said. ¡°Standards are going to be higher than I¡¯m used to and I have no intention of falling behind. It wouldn¡¯t hurt you to do a little practise yourself.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Farrah conceded. ¡°At least change it up a bit, though. How about a spar?¡±


    ¡°As in a practise fight or a fizzy bath?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a spa bath here?¡± Farrah asked, perking up.


    ¡°There can be,¡± Jason said. ¡°How about we do both?¡±


    Farrah was disoriented as she suddenly found herself standing in front of Jason in a wide-open duelling area. She looked down to find her Earth clothes had been replaced with a training gi.


    ¡°Did you use your tin-pot god powers to change my clothes?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason said. ¡°You were wearing that the whole time.¡±


    Farrah conjured her sword.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to enjoy this.¡±


    Belinda walked through the dark outside the town, her way lit by a floating silver lantern shedding a clean, white-blue light that gave a refreshing feeling as its aura replenished her mana. This was Shimmer, her astral lantern familiar.


    She found Sophie sitting on a rock on a small rise, staring up at the night sky. She sat next to her friend, leaning into her by way of greeting.


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to talk,¡± Sophie said.


    Belinda passed Stash into Sophie¡¯s lap and plucked a bottle of amber liquid from her storage space. She took a swig and handed over the bottle.


    ¡°Who said anything about talk?¡± she asked.


    They sat in silence, passing the bottle back and forth as Sophie scratched the napping Stash behind the ears.


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ gods damn it,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen you in how long and that idiot still hasn¡¯t done anything,¡± Belinda complained. ¡°Humphrey¡¯s an idiot.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not an idiot.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re both idiots,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Since when do you dance about instead of taking what you want?¡±


    ¡°You know since when,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It¡¯s like Jason has been sitting between us this whole time and now¡­¡±


    Sophie took a big gulp, letting the silver-rank liquor burn her throat.


    ¡°And now he¡¯s coming back,¡± Belinda finished as Sophie handed her the bottle.


    ¡°What do I do, Lindy?¡± Sophie asked, her voice uncharacteristically small.


    ¡°The thing about death,¡± Belinda said, ¡°is that we don¡¯t look back at things the way they were. We tell ourselves the stories we want to remember and act like they''re real memories. After a while, we forget that they aren''t.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°That he¡¯s coming back and it¡¯s not about the stories anymore. I knew Jason better than you, Soph, because I wasn''t tied up in nine kinds of mess the way you were. You hated him, and then you¡­ I saw what he was, Soph, while he was always one story or another to you, even before he died. You thought too little or too much of him and never what he really was.¡±


    ¡°Which was what?¡±


    ¡°Some guy. He was kind of amazing and kind of a turd, but he was just some guy. But now he''s some myth in your head and you can''t expect him to live up to that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t seem to be coming off well in this description,¡± Sophie said, taking the bottle back.


    ¡°You weren¡¯t in a well place, Sophie. And Jason never really knew you, either. You spent your whole life building a fortress and he was long gone before you took it down. He was going through his own stuff, too. If you think either of you are the same people you were then you''re deluding yourself.¡±


    Belinda pushed herself off the rock, wobbly with drink.


    ¡°In the end, Humphrey and Jason don¡¯t matter,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s about you. Be who you are. Make sure you¡¯re chasing what you want and not what you think you should want. That will only hurt everyone, yourself most of all.¡±


    Belinda staggered off into the darkness in the vague direction of the town, her familiar bobbing after her.


    ¡°What if I¡¯m already hurt?¡± Sophie whispered.


    ¡°¡­which is why Jason¡¯s return to our world will trigger the monster surge,¡± Clive concluded. Some of the villagers had stopped to listen in with initial fascination, only to drift away as Clive started explaining astral magic to the group.


    ¡°Did the explanation have to be that long?¡± Neil asked. ¡°The monster surge isn¡¯t happening because of a bad magic thing that some stupidly powerful whatever made. Jason, being Jason, heard ¡®stupidly powerful,¡¯ immediately decided to annoy it and blew up its magic thing. Now the monster surge is back on, with a bonus invasion, and Jason¡¯s coming here to probably get us all killed.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t characterise that as entirely accurate,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Why is Jason building this bridge to this place anyway?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Where even are we?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not coming to this place,¡± Dawn said. ¡°What he¡¯s doing is outside of even my experience. He may arrive at the same place he arrived the first time, somewhere completely random or at a location equivalent to one of his¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Clive asked after Dawn trailed off.


    ¡°Some things are better not said aloud,¡± she said. ¡°Suffice to say, any potential location for Jason¡¯s arrival would be a guess on our part.¡±


    ¡°Then what are we doing all the way out here?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Does this town even have a name?¡±


    ¡°Of course it has a name,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I don''t exactly remember,¡± Jory admitted.


    ¡°Mr Xandier was here,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I needed his help and this place has fewer eyes and ears. I had enough influence with the Adventure Society to send you all here, so I did.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been warning the Adventure Society,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn acknowledged. ¡°This will not merely be cultists snatching away astral spaces. This will be war.¡±


    Dawn departed from the group to resume her work preparing the Adventure Society as best she could. Rufus returned to Greenstone, both to settle his affairs before Jason¡¯s arrival and in case it was the place he arrived. With no better plan than to wait, the others left for the city of Zartos. Home to Gary¡¯s mentor, Virid and the diamond-ranker¡¯s personal smithy.


    ¡°It¡¯s the best place to forge a great work,¡± Virid said.


    Gary and Virid spent days examining the sword, seeking to understand it. They carefully selected the supplemental materials they would use and familiarised themselves with the soul echo bonded to the weapon.


    The forging was a collaboration, not just between Gary and Virid but also Jason. In many ways, it was the soul-bond that guided the most critical aspects of the work and shaped the final result.


    Zartos was a subterranean city built around an underground river, largely populated by celestines. While Gary and Virid worked, the others enjoyed their reunion. None of them had felt entirely whole as a team since Jason¡¯s death. As with Rufus and Gary, the loss of a friend and companion had led to them taking separate paths where previously they would have resisted.


    Gary and Virid were sealed away in Virid¡¯s smithy for nineteen days before they finally emerged. The sword Gary showed the team was wholly unlike what it had been before. Before even its appearance, the blade had a domineering aura that gave a sense that even looking at it was somehow a transgression. There was a benevolence as well, but one looking down from above.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a weapon, Gary,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°A real aura from a weapon is quite a feat, especially an aura that strong.¡±


    ¡°The aura comes from the soul bond, and Virid covered many of my flaws,¡± Gary confessed. ¡°He pushed me to heights I could not reach alone. The soul bond also guided me. It¡¯s like the sword knew what it wanted to be.¡±


    The hilt was a simple design of milk-white metal with onyx embellishments and bone grip. The blade was a black so dark as to be unnerving, as if looking upon it was forbidden. Symbols were carved into the blade, starkly contrasted in white.


    ¡°That¡¯s the same language used in the brand Jason inflicts with his spell,¡± Clive said. ¡°The one that applies the mark of sin affliction.¡±


    ¡°That brand was on me once,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It actually means something?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an ideographic language,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°A what?¡± Sophie asked.


    Like Jason, Clive had the power to speak and read all languages. Unlike Jason, he had used it as a springboard for study.


    ¡°It¡¯s a language where a single symbol can embody a complex concept,¡± Clive explained. ¡°Whether a symbol is alone or contextualised by others can hugely impact the meaning. The symbol from Jason¡¯s brand translates to sinner, which makes sense. It¡¯s accompanied by an affliction called the mark of sin.¡±


    ¡°Are these symbols Jason¡¯s native language?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°This is something much older.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what it says,¡± Gary admitted. ¡°It just kind of felt right to mark them on the blade as I was working it. It¡¯s the soul bond. I named the original sword Dread Salvation, but I think it might have renamed itself and that¡¯s what we¡¯re looking at. What does it say, Clive?¡±


    ¡°Hegemon¡¯s Will.¡±


    ¡°You said one symbol conveys a complex concept, right?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It can,¡± Clive said. ¡°This language has the primary, conceptual symbols, and the secondary, contextual symbols.¡±


    ¡°The sword has six symbols,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That seems like a lot of context for a short name.¡±


    ¡°There are connotations,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°What kind of connotations?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°You felt the aura,¡± Clive said. ¡°That kind of connotations.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great,¡± Neil said. ¡°Sounds like Jason¡¯s time away gave him the humility he so badly needed.¡±


    The journey was proving immensely valuable to Jason. The tiny bubble of his spirit realm was a projection of his soul being cast through the infinity that was the deep astral, only the world link it clung to saving him from drifting helplessly forever. His soul was immersed in magic at its most pure and powerful, with even simple meditation accelerating his insights into the most fundamental aspects of cosmic power.


    His most common meditative technique was the dance of the sword fairy that Rufus had taught him. Jason was trying to use it to get a better grasp of entering the combat trance state, which he was still struggling to fully master. More than just a simple battle trance, he sought oneness with the cosmos that he was closer to now than he was likely to ever be again.


    ¡°You''re not Luke Skywalker,¡± Farrah called out from her lounger.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± he said, continuing his sword dance uninterrupted.


    ¡°Anakin, maybe. Prequels, not Clone Wars.¡±


    Jason stumbled.


    ¡°That¡¯s just low,¡± he muttered as she laughed.


    Farrah was less enamoured than Jason of the journey. For her it was more waiting, which she''d done plenty of while Jason was in the two transformation zones. She became increasingly agitated as her home, family and friends grew closer, yet felt so far away. Days turned into weeks as they continued their passage through the astral.


    Jason went back to his meditative dance as she was listening to music on a recording crystal, lounging in a deck chair made of clouds.


    ¡°This is not traditional meditative music,¡± Jason commented.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like Laura Branigan, that¡¯s not my problem.¡±


    Jason stopped his sword dance again.


    ¡°I¡¯m the one who¡­ you didn¡¯t give her essences as well, did you?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t do that without telling you.¡±


    ¡°No? Do we need to discuss Pat Benatar?¡±


    ¡°Who told¡­? I mean, I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°I should have worked harder to get you back home,¡± Jason said, shaking his head as he tilted it back to look helplessly at the rainbow sky. ¡°I think you¡¯ve gone native.¡±


    His eyes narrowed, still looking up.


    ¡°Was that a tree?¡±

 Chapter 463: What a Monster Surge Feels Like

    Gary and Jory and Jason¡¯s team were on the open deck of a skyship, heading into the range where they could portal to Vitesse.


    ¡°Is everyone feeling that?¡± Humphrey asked.


    "I am," Neil said, the rest of the group agreeing. A tremulation in the ambient magic started small but grew rapidly in strength and was shortly creating turbulence for the skyship.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Is this what a monster surge feels like?¡±


    "No," Clive said. "No, it isn''t."


    The rainbow light over Jason¡¯s spirit realm slowly faded out to be replaced with a blank grey. Even as it did, increasing amounts of foliage, branches and even whole trees were blasting past, their number increasing as the light faded. By the time the light was entirely gone, there was a constant stream of debris passing overhead, ripped through the air by devastating winds.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve arrived,¡± Jason said. ¡°In the middle of a storm. A cyclone, from the looks of it. There goes my plan to step out and take in a lungful of clean, fresh air.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t breathe.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah.¡±


    Belinda and Clive had already rushed below decks to see if they could help the engineers right the skyship as it moved from poorly controlled flight towards poorly controlled fall. Neil and Gary were ushering other passengers below decks while Sophie and Humphrey had jumped overboard, using flight, teleport and other movement powers to retrieve the few already bucked off by violent turbulence.


    There were other adventurers amongst the passengers who likewise stepped in to stem the chaos. Eventually, the ship righted itself and Clive and Belinda came back up, accompanied by the chief engineer.


    ¡°¡­I didn¡¯t even know you could do that with resonating cascade rods,¡± the frazzled engineer praised Belinda.


    ¡°Improvisation is a specialty of hers,¡± Clive said. ¡°If you ever need to take her prisoner, I¡¯d just have a guard hit her on the head every time she regains consciousness. And sometimes when she hasn¡¯t to make sure. ¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Belinda complained.


    ¡°I once saw her take down a trap barrier from the inside with a broken wand and a device for checking the freshness of fish,¡± Clive continued.


    The team regrouped on the top deck, along with key members of the crew and some other adventurers who had likewise helped out.


    ¡°Any idea what¡¯s happening?¡± the captain asked the chief engineer.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a problem with the ship,¡± the chief engineer said. ¡°Ship sensors are reading massive disruptions in the ambient magic as far as they¡¯ll reach. We¡¯ve managed to cobble together an adaptation to compensate but it won¡¯t hold. We need to get on the ground slow before we hit it fast.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the monster surge,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s starting.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve lived through three monster surges,¡± the captain said. ¡°Monster surges don¡¯t do this.¡±


    ¡°This one does,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°We picked something up on the ship¡¯s sensors,¡± the chief engineer said. ¡°Something big and strange, somewhere off to starboard.¡±


    They all looked but no one saw anything but clear skies.


    ¡°I think your sensors are wrong,¡± one of the adventurers said.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°You don¡¯t see it because it doesn¡¯t exist yet.¡±


    ¡°What is that supposed to mean?¡± the adventurer asked. ¡°You¡¯re talking out of your¡­¡±


    He trailed off as a rainbow light erupted in the sky, above and starboard of the ship. It was the rainbow light of a magic manifestation, but the size was almost incomprehensibly vast.


    "I don''t suppose there''s any chance that''s a really, really big awakening stone," Neil said.


    ¡°It has to be a diamond-rank monster, right?¡± one of the adventurers said. ¡°That¡¯s too big even for gold rank.¡±


    ¡°I saw a diamond-rank manifestation, two monster surges back,¡± the captain said. ¡°Even that wasn¡¯t this big.¡±


    ¡°Captain,¡± the chief engineer said. ¡°I take back what I said about getting onto the ground. Let¡¯s get out of here as fast as we can.¡±


    The captain and engineer ran off toward their stations.


    ¡°This is what Dawn warned us about, isn¡¯t it?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°I think so,¡± Clive said. ¡°I don¡¯t think being nearby is a good idea. We should go help the engineer keep this thing afloat while we get out of here.¡±


    ¡°Normal manifestations take a while, right?¡± Jory asked. ¡°Especially the big ones?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°Hopefully we¡¯re well away before something comes out of that light.¡±


    Jason opened a portal from his spirit realm and he and Farrah finally set foot back onto Farrah¡¯s homeworld. It was not a friendly welcome as they were immediately blasted with horizontal rain and the powerful wind that was tearing up the plants and trees of the tropical jungle in which they found themselves. Even as silver-rankers, they could barely stay on their feet because they didn¡¯t weigh enough. Farrah had to conjure her heavy stone armour while shadow arms reached out to anchor Jason to nearby trees and rocks.


    Farrah pointed to a rocky rise and they moved downwind of it, hunkering down as the storm raged past them. Their clothes were already drenched, clinging to their bodies as the couched down, out of the worst of the wind.


    ¡°I wish I still had my magic umbrella,¡± Jason said through voice chat. Trying to speak over the howling wind would be pointless. ¡°I left it with Emi.¡±


    ¡°It was iron-rank anyway,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It would have a hard time with a storm this strong. We¡¯re in a high magic zone and this storm has soaked up some of the ambient magic.¡±


    Jason pulled up his map power and zoomed out to a global scale. Their location was marked as somewhere in the Caribbean Sea. As he had never been to this world''s equivalent, he saw no details, only the outlines of landmasses. There seemed to be three additional major islands compared to Jason''s word, south of the Greater Antilles. Jason and Farrah were on an island sufficiently minor that at the current scale it didn¡¯t even appear on the map. Jason shared the ability to see the map with Farrah.


    ¡°The Sea of Storms,¡± she said. ¡°Makes sense. We¡¯re in the Storm Kingdom, which rules the islands of the Sea of Storms, along with many of the surrounding coastal regions.¡±


    ¡°Your world doesn¡¯t have Christopher Columbus or cruise lines, so it¡¯s probably nicer here than in mine,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so sure. We have magic and it¡¯s called the Sea of Storms for a reason. There are major storms every month or so during storm season, which is two-thirds of the year. And during that time, there¡¯s always at least one powerful, localised storm happening somewhere in the Storm Sea.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s nice otherwise?¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ve never been. Emir has, but he¡¯s not allowed back. He stole something from the royal family a few years back.¡±


    ¡°That rings a bell,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think he told me about that once. Speaking of Emir, how about we find the coast, pull out a cloud ship and change into some dry clothes?¡±


    ¡°I like this plan.¡±


    ¡°Shade, what do you have for us?¡± Jason shouted into the wind. Darkness spilled out of Jason¡¯s shadow, taking the form of a beetle the size of a short passenger bus. On the beetle¡¯s back was a dome of translucent chitin, the inside of which was hollow. The beetle had a pair of large, multi-jointed arms that were longer than its other legs.


    The translucent chitin opened a gap as the hard substance turned to liquid and flowed to make a round hole. The long arms picked up Jason and Farrah and deposited them inside as climbing or jumping in the blasting wind would be a difficult proposition. The gap closed behind them, shutting out the wind and rain and noise. Chairs made of soft, comfortable shadow-stuff rose from the dark chitin under their feet.


    ¡°Nice one, Shade,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It seemed appropriate for the terrain,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°This is a treasure beetle, right?¡± Farrah asked as she started stripping off her wet clothes and pulling dry ones from her dimensional bag. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of them but never seen one because they get hunted down as soon as they¡¯re found.¡±


    "I''m assuming that''s something to do with why they''re called treasure beetles," Jason said, turning to look away despite Farrah''s unconcern. He changed his clothes using his inventory system, dark mist emerging and swapping his outfits before dispersing again.


    "They''re very sensitive to materials with large amounts of magic," Farrah explained as she changed. "Ores, magic herbs, items left behind when some adventurer died alone. They can burrow very well and harvest herbs without damaging them using those big arms. They store them in the domes on their backs, which preserves the magic.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a walking treasure trove. Not a fantastic survival trait.¡±


    The skyship was shuddering as it pushed its speed while also running on jury-rigged modifications to handle the disrupted ambient magic conditions. Anyone not an adventurer or crew member had been banished below decks, although there had been few complaints.


    Belinda and Clive were working with the engineer in the bowels of the ship while the rest of their group was watching the manifestation they were hoping to escape before whatever was coming out of the rainbow light appeared. They realised that they had underestimated the size of it as they moved away rapidly yet it continued to loom large in the sky above them.


    ¡°On the bright side,¡± Gary said, ¡°this means Jason and Farrah are either here or will be soon, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Clive said,¡± Jory confirmed. ¡°Then it¡¯s just a matter of finding them.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be a mess getting information with a monster surge going on,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Especially this one. The Adventure Society is going to be tying up all the public water-link chambers, making long-range communication tricky. My family always has a private link chamber in our family compounds, although they will no doubt be busy as well.¡±


    ¡°Church of Knowledge?¡± Neil suggested.


    ¡°Jason had a way to come back before he left,¡± Sophie said. ¡°If she didn¡¯t tell us that after he died, why would she help us now?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s worth trying anyway,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Our best bet is the Adventure Society, though. If Jason checks in with any branch, his status will be updated across every branch. Then we¡¯ll know where to go.¡±


    "Look," Neil said, pointing. "I think it''s happening."


    The rainbow light started to fade and something was appearing in its place, shimmering into being like a ghost.


    ¡°Dawn was telling the truth,¡± Sophie said weakly. ¡°It really is a city.¡±


    As she said, an entire city was coming into being in the air, floating high above the ground. The underside was all rock as if the city had been ripped from the ground, while the rest was a stone city surrounded by high walls, with towers jutting out over the top.


    ¡°Well, damn,¡± Neil said.


    The island Jason and Farrah were on proved to be both small and uninhabited. Shade¡¯s treasure beetle form navigated the jungle terrain handily and they soon reached the coast where Jason opened up his cloud flask. The clouds streaming out were teased by the wind but no more, the cyclonic power of the storm insufficient to disrupt the cloud flask¡¯s magic.


    Soon, a very large pleasure yacht was resting calmly on a sea that was anything but. It wasn¡¯t in the Earth style but more like the ones Jason had seen at the Greenstone marina. He had spent a pleasant day with Cassandra Mercer on a smaller version of such a boat, not that long before she dumped him. Jason and Farrah went aboard and Shade took position as pilot.


    ¡°My map is a blank other than raw geography,¡± he said. ¡°Should we just steer towards a big island and see what we get?¡±


    Jason brought up a map of the Sea of Storms on the wall. Because the cloud flask was soul-bonded, it was able to replicate his map ability, at least to display a map. The more tactical functions, like enemy tracking, were still restricted to Jason himself.


    ¡°These islands here,¡± Farrah said, pointing off the coast of what on Earth was Venezuela.


    ¡°I think one of those is Aruba,¡± Jason said. ¡°Works for me. I¡¯m pretty sure the boat can handle the weather, so you can set out, Shade. What is this place we¡¯re going to?¡±


    ¡°The capital of the Storm Kingdom, Rimaros,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Rimaros?¡± Jason said. ¡°I met a woman named Rimaros. I heard she was the princess of something, which I guess is here. Hey, I know a local.¡±


    ¡°You might not want to lean on that connection,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We should keep our heads down and not make trouble. Which, I¡¯ll remind you, is kind of not your thing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I learned that lesson,¡± Jason said. ¡°I got to be a famous superhero and it turned out to suck. I say we find the nearest Adventure Society branch, quietly do our part with the monster surge, find our teams and finish up this magic bridge without making any waves.¡±


    ¡°You know it¡¯s never going to be that simple,¡± Farrah told him. ¡°You don¡¯t seriously think you can avoid being caught up in the Builder invasion, right?¡±


    ¡°A bloke can dream, can¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Are those airships coming out of the city?¡±


    One of the adventurers around them cast a spell and the air in front of them shimmered. When it settled, everything seen through it looked much closer and they could clearly make out the skyships. They rose over the walls of the city and even emerged from tunnels in the rock underneath.


    ¡°Am I mistaken in thinking that it looks like two of those things are coming right for us?¡± Neil said.


    ¡°No, you¡¯re not,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Sophie, go get Lindy and Clive.¡±

 Chapter 464: Strategic Doctrine

    ¡°Clive,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Is that a kind of skyship you¡¯re familiar with?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said.


    The group watched the two approaching skyships using the vision-magnifying spell one of the other adventurers around them had shared.


    The two approaching skyships were unlike any the group had seen. If Jason had been present he would have noticed a resemblance to old ironclad ships from the US civil war. They had a decidedly industrial look, with plenty of thick, crude metal plating and smoke pouring from a pair of stacks on the top. On the deck of the approaching skyships there were construct creatures, humanoid in shape but resembling their vessel in that they were made from crude industrial metal.


    ¡°The craftsmanship isn''t there to be true golems,¡± Clive assessed. ¡°Are those constructs what the Builder cult was using when they attacked the expedition from Greenstone?¡±


    ¡°Similar,¡± Neil said, ¡°although those were monster shaped, rather than people shaped. What¡¯s the difference between a construct and a golem?¡±


    ¡°Golems are a specific type of construct,¡± Gary explained. ¡°Usually shaped like oversized people, they¡¯re more powerful than most other constructs. They¡¯re less common because they¡¯re expensive and hard to make.¡±


    Gary was more familiar with Builder construct creatures than most, having studied them extensively in the wake of the expedition that claimed Farrah¡¯s life.


    ¡°Clive,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If our skyship gets attacked, can it stay in the air?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it can stay in the air even if it doesn¡¯t,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Can we outrun them?¡± Jory asked. ¡°For what look like flying lumps of iron, those airships seem fairly fast.¡±


    ¡°The crew is already pushing it harder than they should to maintain this speed,¡± Belinda said. ¡°If we don¡¯t crash first, they are going to catch us.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That narrows our options.¡±


    He turned to the other group of adventurers on the deck with them.


    ¡°We¡¯ll take the first airship. Are you good to take the second?¡±


    One of the adventurers stepped forward.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see as we have a choice,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ll get it done.¡±


    Humphrey nodded and then turned to his own group.


    ¡°Gary, Jory, are you in?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I may have given up adventuring,¡± Gary said, ¡°but I¡¯m not going to just stand around when trouble comes looking.¡±


    ¡°I need to stop spending time with you people,¡± Jory complained. ¡°I only ever get in fights when you¡¯re around.¡±


    ¡°Good man,¡± Gary said slapping on the back almost hard enough to send him over the side.


    ¡°Clive and I can port four people each,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯ll go first with Sophie, Gary and Lindy to claim some ground and Clive will follow up with the rest. Everyone ready up.¡±


    Everyone started grabbing gear from dimensional bags and storage spaces or conjuring it outright. Sophie pulled on a pair of tight, thin gloves while Jory put away his coat and pulled out another one, covered in pockets. Clive took out a wand and a staff and started drawing ritual circles in the air with his finger to attach to the ends of them. Gary wore armour that looked like an overheating furnace and took a shield and hammer from his dimensional bag. Belinda was engulfed in silver mist, which quickly faded to reveal a female leonid with forged armour, shield and hammer, courtesy of Gary. Gary¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°Oh, hey, Lindy,¡± he said. ¡°Uh¡­ how¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not really a leonid, Gary.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re essence users,¡± Gary said. ¡°It''s not who you are on the inside that matters. It''s what you look like that counts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to let that go?¡± Neil asked Jory.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jory said.


    ¡°You don¡¯t feel any need to defend your lady?¡±


    ¡°She can take care of herself,¡± Jory said. ¡°If she wants my help, she¡¯ll ask. She¡¯s not shy.¡±


    Leonid Belinda leaned down to give Jory a peck on the cheek.


    ¡°That tickles,¡± he said as her fur brushed his face.


    ¡°If we¡¯re quite done?¡± Humphrey asked. He had conjured up his dragon armour, the scales shimmering with rainbow colours, and sword stylised as a dragon¡¯s wing.


    Sophie, Humphrey, Gary and Belinda vanished as Humphrey teleported them to the closest skyship.


    From inside the massive yacht, Jason and Farrah lounged in luxury as they watched the storm rage outside. The wild seas and sweeping winds did not trouble the cloud ship, the interior resting as gently as a baby in a cradle even as the interior smashed through waves like a battering ram.


    ¡°I need to run you through some important aspects of local culture before we arrive,¡± Farrah said. ¡°With the monster surge there will be a lot of adventurers that aren¡¯t local, so people will be a little more accommodating in regards to etiquette, but that will only go so far.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°Easier to lay low if I know the rules. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d been to Rimaros, though.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t, but it¡¯s one of the big adventuring cities, like Vitesse. If we¡¯d had time to train you properly, you¡¯d have learned all this but you had more than enough to catch up on as it was.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Sexy teacher Farrah time it is.¡±


    ¡°Are you looking to get spanked?¡±


    ¡°Is that a trick question? I have been a naughty boy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough out of you,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡±


    Farrah shook her head.


    ¡°At least that brings us to the first and most important thing you need to know, which is that everything about you is bad and you shouldn¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little harsh.¡±


    ¡°Jason, Rimaros isn¡¯t some little provincial town where people will leave you be because you have a few high-rank friends. There is an expectation of respect to those both higher and lower rank than you. What this means is that if a gold-ranker messes with you, the Adventure Society will come down on them like a hammer, so long as you weren¡¯t acting like you. If you talk to gold-rankers like you talk to everyone with more power than you, they¡¯ll slap you through a wall and no one will say a thing because you were asking for it.¡±


    ¡°Sounds fair.¡±


    ¡°I wish Gary was here. We could bet on how many hours it takes for a gold-ranker to punt you into the ocean.¡±


    ¡°I can be respectful.¡±


    ¡°A conclusion based on what evidence?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful.¡±


    ¡°Look, just don¡¯t get up in anyone¡¯s face,¡± Farrah said. ¡°There¡¯s a lot of reasons not to go roaming around during a monster surge, especially this one. First and foremost is that whatever else we have going on, we¡¯re adventurers. This is the time where we step up and earn all the privileges we enjoy.¡±


    Jason nodded his agreement. He wasn¡¯t going to skip out on the monster surge, which was exactly the level of responsibility he wanted. After having the fate of the world on his shoulders, the idea of being an inconsequential, rank-appropriate part of a larger effort was exactly the palate cleanser he was looking for.


    ¡°There are other reasons for participating in the monster surge, of course. The chance to kill some of those Builder pricks is at the top of my personal list. Plus, if the Adventure Society finds out you did anything other than report to your nearest branch and do what you¡¯re told, you¡¯ll find things get tricky after the monster surge. Getting decent contracts suddenly gets hard and accessing society resources gets harder.¡±


    ¡°So, we¡¯ll report in, do our part and then move on,¡± Jason said. ¡°Two, unremarkable silver-rankers who came back from the dead. Maybe it won¡¯t be a big deal because Knowledge told people I was alive.¡±


    He thought about it for a moment.


    ¡°No, she didn¡¯t see me die,¡± he said. ¡°Knowing her, she¡¯d probably say something about being the goddess of Knowledge and not the goddess of Solid Deductions Made on the Basis of Reasonable Evidence.¡±


    ¡°Knowing her?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re acquainted,¡± Jason said. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say friends, though. There¡¯s some tension there.¡±


    Farrah put her face in her hands.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t even met a single person and you¡¯re talking about socialising with a deity,¡± she complained.


    ¡°It''s fine,¡± he assured her. ¡°I mean, have I met a bunch of gods? Yes, but it''s not like we hang out.¡±


    Farrah gave him a flat look.


    ¡°I told you, it''s fine. What''s the next thing I need to know about our destination? What''s the signature drink? Does it have coconuts? I love coconuts.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the signature drink.¡±


    ¡°What kind of half-baked training did you go through? I should make some notes for Rufus and his family¡¯s academy. They could do Responsible Service of Alcohol certifications. What¡¯s better than an adventurer? An adventurer with an RSA.¡±


    Gary''s huge hammer had its name, Gary¡¯s Medium Hammer, engraved on the metal shaft of the handle. Held in one hand, he smashed it down onto another of the crude metal constructs. Most of them were only bronze-rank, which was good because they were tougher than equivalent-rank monsters and there were a lot of them. The silver-rank ones scattered amongst them were extremely tough, along with being overpoweringly strong. If not for their relatively slow and clumsy movement, the numbers swarming the open deck of the skyship would have overwhelmed the team.


    Fortunately, Gary''s hammer was the right tool for the job. Ever since Farrah''s death, he had made his personal weapons specialised to fight constructs and the freakish cultists that incorporated construct parts into their bodies. Even so, the silver-rank constructs boasted an almost implausible resilience. Belinda was wielding a replica of Gary¡¯s hammer he had made for her but the rest of the team would exhaust themselves before dealing with all the constructs.


    The team had a lot of abilities that allowed them to endure, from cooldown reduction to mana recovery, in auras and active abilities. Even so, more and more of the constructs kept emerging from the lower decks, as if there was a barracks down there where the constructs were slowly waking up.


    For this reason, the group switched to a strategy based on using the strengths of the constructs against them. The power and resilience of the constructs also made them heavy. Combined with their chosen mode of transport, a skyship, the solution was made obvious by Jory. He had drunk a large potion that transformed him into a hulking brute even stronger than the constructs and started flinging them over the side. Even if they survived the two-kilometre drop, they were no longer an immediate threat.


    ¡°We aren¡¯t over a town or something, are we?¡± Humphrey yelled out to Clive. Clive was off the side of the skyship, floating on top of his familiar, Onslow. Clive looked down and saw only uninhabited, rocky badlands. Clive gave Humphrey the thumbs up.


    ¡°We¡¯re switching to a fall guy strategy!¡± Humphrey bellowed and the team moved into action. Humphrey had been the driving force in building a comprehensive tactical and strategic doctrine. Jason had been the driving force behind the names.


    Jory wasn¡¯t familiar with the team¡¯s strategies but was already ahead of the curve in throwing enemies overboard. Gary¡¯s powerful roar could blast the weaker bronze-rank ones off the ship in small clusters and Belinda, currently in leonid form, could do the same. Gary and Belinda were holding the line while the rest of the team went to work.


    Sophie seemed to be everywhere at once. One moment she was stalling a construct long enough for a team member to deal with it. The next she was positioning herself so that Neil could drop an explosive shield on her and blast one or even two constructs over the side. Then she leapt overboard herself, where Clive used his switch-teleport spell. Sophie was suddenly amongst the constructs again, having swapped places with a construct now plummeting towards the ground.


    Most of the team¡¯s familiars were also in play. Belinda¡¯s lantern was mostly serving to replenish mana as its attacks did little to the constructs. Her other familiar was replicating Humphrey, swinging a huge sword at the enemy.


    Onslow was hitting constructs with various elemental powers. At silver-rank, his abilities were more sophisticated, with control aspects to go with the existing raw power. Electricity attacks were especially effective on the metal constructs, although focus wind and water attacks also knocked them around and sometimes off the boat entirely.


    Stash was more elusive, mostly going unseen. Then a giant gird would scoop up a construct and drop it off the ship or a tentacle would snake over the side and drag one overboard.


    Occasionally a different and more dangerous enemy would arise from below decks. One was an ogre-like construct, obviously more powerful than the others along with being much better made. This was a true golem, not as clumsy or slow as the others.


    Belinda used her Pit of the Reaper ability to conjure an inverted, extradimensional pit of shadows over the ship. Shadow arms reached down from its maw, plucking up constructs and dragging them in. Many arms picked up the golem but couldn¡¯t haul it into the pit. It fought itself free of the arms with prodigious strength but it was too late. The skyship was still on the move and in the time the golem freed itself, the pit had been left behind. The golem fell through the air in the skyship¡¯s wake.


    The golem was not the last dangerous construct to emerge from the bowels of the ship. The next was much smaller, but also much prettier. A complete divergence from the heavy constructs and even the golem, this was a finely crafted and delicate sculpture. With many long, thin, interwoven parts, it looked somewhere between a winged insect and a chandelier. Sunlight glinted from its polished silver body, with many legs and four mantis-like blade arms. It was as much artwork as death machine.


    It could fly but mostly moved in fluttering hops, quickly darting about. It made its way around Belinda and Gary with flickering easy, darting right at Neil, who didn¡¯t bother to dodge. The blade arms moved in a blur, almost too quickly to see. Sophie, however, was moving fast enough to be all but invisible.


    ¡°Mine!¡± she called loudly as she blocked the flashing attacks of the construct with her hands. The construct had four blade arms but Sophie had hands, feet, knees, elbows and a forehead, all of which peppered the construct with attacks. Its body was sharp, yet even headbutting the creature left Sophie uncut as her powers negated retaliatory damage.


    Despite looking delicate, the construct was remarkably tough. Sophie didn¡¯t hit all that hard but every attack came with resonating-force damage, bane to even the hardest armour.


    Sophie had long ago accepted that her attacks would never deliver powerful, singular damage outside of careful setup and unusual circumstances. What her attacks did do was reliable damage, no matter how tough or strange the opponent. Her solution, then, was just to attacks a lot. The construct was fast but it was like lightning trying to outpace light. Slowly but surely, the construct was reduced to a ball of wiry scrap.


    The team were eliminating constructs faster than they were emerging from below and they finally took the fight below decks. What they found was an automated construct factory, which they decommissioned with some judicious violence directed by Clive and Belinda. Eventually, they found the only living enemy of the ship, which was a pilot. When they burst into the bridge he exploded as a huge crystal star erupted from his insides, ripping his body to shreds.


    ¡°Haven¡¯t seen that in a while,¡± Sophie said as she wiped pilot off her face. ¡°So, do we steer this thing into the ground?¡±


    ¡°Seems like a waste,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Especially when our own skyship is getting a bit wonky.¡±

 Chapter 465: I’ve Seen Your Best

    Farrah paused from her explanation of what Jason could expect from their destination once the cloud ship cleared the storm. In only a few moments they went from blasting horizontal rain and mountainous wave crests to calm seas and blue skies. They went out onto the deck of the boat to take a look, leaning against the railing as a cool ocean breeze pleasantly offset the warm air.


    Behind the yacht, the edge of the storm just stopped, as if trapped behind glass. Even the seas swiftly calmed beyond the boundary, massive waves dwindling to nothing in a boat length. All around was a bright sky and gorgeous turquoise water, the air undisturbed by the storm raging only hundreds of metres away.


    ¡°This doesn¡¯t seem natural,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And what¡¯s natural?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°This isn¡¯t Earth, Jason. Our magic doesn¡¯t come in discrete bubbles. If there isn¡¯t something strange and magical going on, people start investigating. Remember the expedition where I died? That started because magic water stopped turning up in the middle of the desert.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. I¡¯m still getting into that magic mindset.¡±


    He flashed her a grin.


    ¡°It¡¯s good to be back.¡±


    Jason and Farrah moved to a pair of loungers on the open deck with an awning to shield them from the bright sun. As they relaxed, Farrah continued preparing Jason for their destination.


    ¡°Adventuring culture in Rimaros,¡± Farrah, said, ¡°is a little bit notorious.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason prompted.


    ¡°They¡¯re obsessed with extreme specialisation.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t overspecialisation bad?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said. ¡°For one thing, it¡¯s tricky, expensive and unreliable. When you¡¯re picking up essence abilities, your power set tries to round itself out. Some people are more specialised than others but the abilities you gain as you fill out your set will naturally cover your weaknesses to some degree. If you want to get around that, you have to very carefully choose your essences and awakening stones and the order in which you use them. The Magic Society in Rimaros has been at the forefront of gaming essence ability acquisition for decades. Centuries, maybe; you¡¯d have to ask Clive.¡±


    ¡°But there are no guarantees, are there?¡±


    ¡°Just the opposite; it can go very wrong. You remember when I was first teaching you aura manipulation and I told you about high-rankers with no aura power?¡±


    ¡°Sure. You end up hurting normal-rank people because your aura is powerful and uncontrolled.¡±


    ¡°Most of those stories come from Rimaros. You have to severely interfere with your ability acquisition to avoid aura powers and perception powers.¡±


    ¡°But in Rimaros, that¡¯s what they do?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. They aren¡¯t trying to avoid aura powers, because that¡¯s idiotic, but sometimes things go wrong. And because the people with the money and connections to attempt this are from the top end of town, the failures still frequently get resourced enough to reach high rank. Usually through cores.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s so worth all that cost and effort and risk?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the idea of being the very best at something. Look at you, for example. You¡¯re an affliction specialist, except in Rimaros, you aren¡¯t. There, with your stealth, utility, mobility and summoning powers, you¡¯re a generalist. In Rimaros, there are no focused or wide area affliction specialists. There are only affliction specialists and dabblers. Every power that doesn¡¯t either inflict or interact with afflictions is a mark that you aren¡¯t good enough.¡±


    ¡°That''s bollocks. What about diminishing returns? Barely more than half my powers are affliction abilities and it¡¯s already a highly synergistic power set. Trading in everything else for more powers would just add lots of buggering about. Maybe an extra power or two to round out my weak spots, but ranking up is doing that just fine. Every ability I gave up would cost me more than whatever minimal power bump I got from another affliction power replacing it.¡±


    ¡°For people in Rimaros, that minimal power bump is enough to trade off the rest. Because then they''re the best at what they do.¡±


    ¡°So is Wolverine and he sucks. Magneto can just make him keep stabbing himself in the plums, only for them to grow back so can do it again.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I don''t like Wolverine,¡± Farrah agreed. ¡°Hugh Jackman was so much sexier in Kate and Leopold.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Jason said. ¡°The way that man talks about butter. I mean, bloody hell. What were we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Diminishing returns.¡±


    ¡°Right, yes. My power set brings a lot of assets to a team. This super affliction guy you''re talking about would need a whole team around him to be viable at all.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re getting it,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That kind of overspecialisation isn¡¯t practical on a wide scale. It¡¯s the people with the strongest backgrounds who get that level of attention and care, which is only a small portion of adventurers. The most prestigious teams will have one extreme specialist, with the entire team built around capitalising on their specialisation, whatever that might be.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the same strat in video games,¡± Jason said. ¡°It can be powerful, but you put a crack in that egg and the whole thing can fall apart.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not arguing,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Despite the sketchy basis for your tactical thinking, I agree that it¡¯s a terrible approach. It¡¯s building a strategy around everything going right when being an adventurer is about everything is going wrong. It''s not like the Adventure Society doesn''t understand that, though. The majority of Rimaros adventurers are no different from you or I. The reason I''m telling you all this isn''t because it''ll have a big impact on who we might work with. Those Rimaros elites won''t have anything to do with the likes of us.¡±


    ¡°You''re telling me because of attitudes.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You need to be aware that while not many adventurers in Rimaros will be specialised like that, it permeates their thinking and values. You will be judged based on your level of specialisation. You can overcome that with performance, of course.¡±


    ¡°Which is another reason not to stand out,¡± Jason said. ¡°If someone perceived as a generalist starts doing well, I''m willing to bet a certain section of the adventuring community will start paying some unwelcome and unfriendly attention.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but it makes sense,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯ve never actually been there; this is all second-hand information. Just don¡¯t go off on any of your ¡®here¡¯s why everyone but me is wrong¡¯ speeches.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    ¡°Could you strive for my best?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°It¡¯s just that, you know¡­ I¡¯ve seen your best.¡±


    ¡°Are you feeling that?¡± Jason asked, sitting up in his lounger. ¡°Something¡¯s going on with the ambient magic.¡±


    Farrah concentrated, making her magic senses as delicate as possible. The strength of Jason¡¯s soul didn¡¯t advantage his magic senses as much as his aura senses but it did still improve them. His unusual nature of being both a physical and spiritual entity also increased his sensitivity to magic, especially astral magic.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said. ¡°What is that?¡±


    Farrah was also an outworlder, and while not as sensitive to astral forces as Jason, still had an astral affinity that helped her detect the disturbance in the magic around them.


    ¡°Astral energy is seeping through the dimensional membrane and starting to raise the magical saturation,¡± he said. ¡°More magic is coming in and the monster surge is starting.¡±


    Unlike Jason¡¯s team, who had found themselves next to an abnormal manifestation, the ambient magic around Jason and Farrah was not as heavily disturbed. They shared a look, knowing that they had been the ones to trigger the events that would lead to a lot of death and destruction.


    ¡°It was going to happen, one way or another,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If it had taken longer, the surge would be even worse. We actually made things better by starting it off, even if it doesn¡¯t feel that way.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said giving her a sad smile. ¡°I have enough regrets that I don¡¯t need to borrow ones I didn¡¯t earn.¡±


    ¡°It should still be a while before the magical saturation starts causing manifestations,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We should get to Rimaros before things start going wild.¡±


    The first sign of civilisation that Jason and Farrah encountered were windmills the size of eight-storey buildings, standing on rocks jutting out of the sea. They were spaced out, roughly half a kilometre apart, in a line stretching out into the distance.


    ¡°Storm accumulators,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They drain magical energy from storms, which causes them to collapse before reaching population centres. Anywhere big enough uses them not just to shield the towns and cities but also fuel the magic infrastructure. It turns what should make it incredibly hard to live here into a massive asset.¡±


    ¡°What about places that aren¡¯t big enough to have these things?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I was mostly interested in the accumulators themselves because that kind of wide-area array magic is exactly my field. These things run in a twenty-kilometre ring around Rimaros, so we''re getting close. I¡¯d love to get a closer look at one, but I¡¯ll need to get permission. The protection on these things is no joke.¡±


    ¡°I suppose they¡¯d have to build their towns as shelters,¡± Jason said. ¡°Lots of basements and the like.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect to see that here,¡± Farrah said, pointing. ¡°This is Rimaros, the city of islands.¡±


    Jason¡¯s gaze tracked where she was pointing to a point in the sky. Courtesy of his silver-rank visual acuity he could make out an island floating in the sky. Nestled amongst tropical plants atop it was a small village. The underside of the island was a smoothly carved curve of stone, with two holes in the middle. A thick stream of water was spilling down from one hole, while the other had a stream rising from below to enter the island.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty neat,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Neat?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°It¡¯s a flying island.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying it¡¯s not great,¡± Jason said. ¡°I definitely want to take a look for myself but I own two interconnected pocket-universe cities. My bar for amazement has shifted up a little.¡±


    ¡°I suppose that¡¯s fair.¡±


    ¡°So, you said the city of islands, meaning there¡¯s more of those?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Rimaros covers a huge area based around three islands that hold the majority of the population. Those with enough money and power live on artificial islands, which can hold anything from a single estate to a small town. Some of them are in the water, which are for merchants and the like with money but limited connections. Also, adventurers in the silver-rank range who don¡¯t have strong backing and are just starting to make their way.¡±


    As the boat moved forward, they spotted more of the sky islands.


    ¡°The flying islands are for the cream of society, as you¡¯d expect,¡± Farrah continued. ¡°Big name adventurers, long-standing adventuring families and aristocrats, which are usually the same thing. Any family that becomes known for producing good adventurers usually finds itself inducted into the nobility. Any noble house without some good adventurers will find itself falling into obscurity sooner or later.¡±


    ¡°Where do the Magic Society and Adventure Society fit in?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°The Magic Society has the second-largest sky island in Rimaros, right after the royal palace. The Storm King is a gold-ranker, which you have to be before they¡¯ll let you take the throne. Most nations shield their royalty and bring them up with cores, but that disqualifies you from becoming monarch here. All the potential heirs from every branch of the royal family are adventurers trying to prove themselves. Not just in monster fighting but statecraft, diplomacy, administration. It''s a decades-long contest until the current monarch is satisfied, chooses an heir and steps down.¡±


    ¡°So, the Hurricane Princess is just one of many.¡±


    ¡°Yes, although the designated frontrunners are always the children of the current monarch. The Hurricane Princess is the title given to the firstborn daughter and the Storm Prince to the firstborn son. At least, the firstborn ones that are competing. Many royals bow out from the start, preferring to be adventurers or magical researchers or join a church.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t looked down on for that?¡±


    ¡°Not so long as whatever they do, they excel. There''s no shortage of people vying for the crown, so any path that brings prestige to the royal house is acceptable."


    ¡°And whoever wins, the king just steps down?¡±


    ¡°Or the queen, yes. Voluntary surrender of the throne is a cornerstone of their society. Besides, there are rumours of some diamond-rank ancestor quietly watching over things from behind who would step in if any of his descendants got power-hungry.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I bet every decent-sized country in the world has pretty much the same rumour.¡±


    ¡°Just about,¡± Farrah said with a laugh.


    ¡°I think we can happily stay out of that mess,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t anticipate bumping into Zara.¡±


    ¡°Zara?¡±


    ¡°The Hurricane Princess.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s Zara, is it?¡±


    ¡°Come on, I met her twice.¡±


    ¡°Did you give her any baked goods?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that got to do with anything?¡± Jason asked, avoiding Farrah¡¯s gaze. Then he changed the subject.


    ¡°Hey, you didn¡¯t talk about the Adventure Society,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°They''ve claimed what amount to dominion over one of the natural islands. They''re a largely independent district within Rimaros where all the shops and services for the rich and powerful are concentrated. They also have the main entertainment quarter, most of the magical trade and the second-largest skyship port.¡±


    ¡°Skyships?¡± Jason said, perking up. ¡°I just remembered; this thing can fly. I¡¯ve just never had it somewhere with enough magical density before. I¡¯ll have to shrink the size for the flying form, but still.¡±


    Jason hung his head. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll wait until we¡¯re leaving. A regular boat is less attention-grabbing than a flying cloud boat.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You¡¯ll have plenty of time to play with your boat later.¡±


    Jason blinked and then broke out in a happy grin.


    ¡°I will, won¡¯t I? No Network alternately trying to kidnap me or leech off me. No gold-rankers hunting me down. Just good, old-fashioned adventuring.¡±

 Chapter 466: Responsible Dad

    Two skyships moved side by side through the air. One was a traditional vessel crafted from wood with floatation crystals set into the hull. The other was a monstrosity of rough iron and heavy bolts. Despite their differences, both were running damaged.


    The wooden ship had been through rushed patchwork modifications to handle the unusual magic conditions it had passed through. It was too late to undo them now that the magic around them had normalised and the crew were doing their best to keep it running until they reached a port and could put it in dry dock for repairs.


    The other ship functioned through wholly different design principles and had no trouble handling turbulent magic. It had suffered battle damage, although the basic functioning of the ship was minimally affected. Clive and Belinda had been careful in destroying as little as possible in shutting off the construct factory that took up the bulk of the vessel.


    The wooden ship broke off from the other, diverting from its original destination due to the need for emergency repairs. The passengers and goods aboard would need to be transferred to another vessel before they could resume the journey to Vitesse. The iron ship was not equipped for living passengers, its internal space being taken up by industrial production infrastructure. The closest things to cabins were the storage racks for the constructs aboard.


    The iron ship was a prize vessel currently captained by Clive. The other iron skyship sent after them by the vast flying city had been crashed into the ground by the other adventuring party. Rather than deal with all the constructs aboard and the factory producing more, they searched out the ship¡¯s flight systems and destroyed them.


    Although they had then escaped back to the wooden ship, the other adventurers decided to descend to the ground and get left behind to hunt any constructs still functional after the drop. There was the threat of the floating city and the other airships it sent out, which fortunately had not yet been spotted again. The adventurers insisted on staying anyway, the silver-rankers were confident they would safely make their way out of the badlands.


    Below decks in the iron ship, the cavernous, industrial space was lit up by Belinda''s lantern familiar, Shimmer. Belinda herself was in the control room, steering the vessel while Clive was making sure none of the damage would send this ship plunging towards the ground as well.


    With only the team, Jory and Gary on board, it was good that the design of the ship meant that it could be operated by very little crew. The skyship had originally been piloted by a single cultist using the unthinking constructs for manual tasks, a role Clive and Belinda had passed onto Gary and Humphrey. They also had one more assistant who was more enthusiastic than actually helpful.


    ¡°Goodbye, rubbish!¡± yelled a four-armed, two-headed ogre as he threw a large metal object through a hole in the side of the ship.


    ¡°No!¡± Clive yelled out. ¡°Stash, that wasn¡¯t rubbish. Stop throwing things off of the ship.¡±


    ¡°I am strong and big and strong!¡± Ogre Stash in a booming voice as he held out four massive hands. ¡°Biscuits please.¡±


    ¡°You ripped a hole in the side of the ship,¡± Clive complained. ¡°That wasn¡¯t even battle damage.¡±


    ¡°I needed a place to throw the rubbish,¡± Stash complained.


    ¡°IT¡¯S NOT RUBBISH! You¡¯re stripping pieces off the ship and throwing them overboard! HUMPHREY, GET UP HERE.¡±


    A shirtless Humphrey, smeared with dark grease crawled up through a hatch in the floor. He had a large wrench in his hand.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked unhappily. ¡°I¡¯ve almost managed to get that panel off without damaging the thing you said I really need to avoid damaging.¡±


    ¡°Which is pointless,¡± Clive said, ¡°if your familiar keeps yanking random parts off the ship and tossing them out through the hole in the hull.¡±


    ¡°Gary was meant to be watching him,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Where is Gary?¡±


    ¡°Taking a nap,¡± Belinda¡¯s voice called out from the control room. ¡°I heard a rumbling and thought something had shaken loose, but it turned out he was just snoring really loud. I didn¡¯t have the heart to wake him.¡±


    Humphrey was looking at the hole in the hull.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t there before, was it?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said, his jaw clenched. ¡°No, it was not.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°What do you think happened?¡± Clive asked, turning to stare at ogre Stash.


    ¡°I¡¯m helping! Poo-head Clive won¡¯t give me biscuits.¡±


    Clive stepped up to the giant ogre, completely unintimidated.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you biscuits, you little¨C¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Humphrey said, stepping between them and holding up his hands. ¡°Stash, why don¡¯t you go up and see if Sophie has any biscuits.¡±


    The ogre rapidly shrank into a small bird, flapping its wings as it hovered in their air.


    ¡°Clive sucks donkey balls,¡± bird Stash chirped as it flew out the hole.


    ¡°Stash!¡± Humphrey scolded as the bird made good his escape.


    Humphrey leaned out of the breach to look down with trepidation where Stash had been throwing things. They had moved out of the sparsely inhabited badlands and were now passing over verdant lands as they grew closer to Vitesse. Now they had the ship to bring back they no longer intended to portal for the last leg of the journey. News of the city and the skyships it released had already been delivered to the Adventure Society by the passengers of the wooden skyship after it stopped in a major city.


    ¡°He was throwing things out of here?¡± Humphrey asked as he drew his head back from the hole.


    ¡°You need to get your familiar under control,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Belinda said, emerging from the control room. ¡°Because dragons are famous for responding well to being told what to do. Especially when they have Jason Asano as a role model.¡±


    ¡°It does feel like he takes after Jason more than me,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem fair.¡±


    Belinda laughed, slapping Humphrey on the back.


    ¡°That¡¯s because Jason¡¯s the fun uncle and you¡¯re stuck being the responsible dad. You need to impress the little guy.¡±


    ¡°Little?¡± Clive asked. ¡°He was a massive ogre. If this deck didn¡¯t have extra height to fit the constructs built in here, he wouldn''t fit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to run around trying to impress my own familiar,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°You should try impressing someone,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Has Sophie seen this whole half-naked, dirty workman thing you''ve got going on? If not, you should rectify that immediately because it''s a good look for you. Seriously, I''d find an excuse to head up on deck right now. Maybe tell her that Clive had you down that hatch and you need the space up there to do some stretches. Now that I say it, I might come too.¡±


    ¡°You''re piloting the ship!¡± Clive told her.


    ¡°We''re in the sky,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It''s not there''s anything to run into.¡±


    ¡°This is hardly the time,¡± Humphrey said and Belinda shook her head at him.


    ¡°I don''t know if you''ve noticed how our week is going,¡± she told him, ¡°but I suspect things will be going this way for a while. If you want time, Humpy, you¡¯re going to have to make it.¡±


    ¡°Please don''t call me Humpy.¡±


    ¡°Why not? I think it could catch on.¡±


    ¡°That''s why I don''t want you to call me that. Look, I get it. Believe me, I do. But right now we''re on a stolen boat and I''m worried my familiar threw something overboard that killed a farmer.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you remember that do you?¡± the increasingly cranky Clive asked. ¡°Lucky for you and your troublemaking lizard, I¡¯ve got it covered. Just watch.¡±


    Humphrey saw the large metal object Stash had thrown float up from the outside of the ship and he shuffled out of the way as it moved in through the hole. Outside of the hull, Onslow the flying tortoise was matching pace with the skyship, several more of Stash¡¯s projectiles floating around him.


    ¡°He can control metal with one of his shell runes now,¡± Clive explained. ¡°I had a bad feeling when your familiar tore open the side of the ship, so I sent Onslow out as a precaution.¡±


    More of the things Stash had thrown out of the ship were floating around Onslow and started moving back into the ship through the hole.


    ¡°Could he use that on armoured enemies?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s like telekinesis powers,¡± Clive said. ¡°People can block it with their aura. I normally have him use it to throw things at people or use tools. Now that Stash has stopped lobbing things off the ship I can get my non-useless familiar back to actual work.


    ¡°Stash isn''t useless,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He''s just been a bit excitable since he found out Jason is still alive.¡±


    Clive¡¯s expression showed his dissatisfaction but he nodded a weary acknowledgement.


    ¡°Haven''t we all,¡± he said. ¡°Just don''t let the little... don''t let him back down here.¡±


    ¡°I can probably manage that,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°When do you think we''ll see him?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Jason, I mean.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure. If the monster surge has really started, Jason''s out there somewhere but we''ll need to report in at the Vitesse Adventure Society branch. It''ll be hard to move around until it''s over.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t we just not report in?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said, his tone brooking no discussion. ¡°No one shirks, not during a monster surge. Especially this monster surge, given what we''ve learned and what we''ve now seen for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Besides,¡± Clive said. ¡°We''ll need the Adventure Society to find him since he could show up anywhere. Communications will be at a premium for a while but Adventure Society records are magically updated across all branches. Jason''s a registered member of our team so we can put in a request to be notified of any change in status. Going from dead to alive is a big change in status, so as soon as Jason turns up at a branch, we get notified.¡±


    ¡°Jason''s an adventurer,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It''s not just what he does, but who he is. My mother once said that Jason was the most natural-born adventurer she''s ever seen. She told me that because she said it would get him killed and, being Mother, she was right. We saw him die an adventurers death with our own eyes. Wherever he''s been, whatever he''s been through, I refuse to believe that''s changed.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I warned you to snatch up Sophie before we find Jason and she gets turned around. I''m starting to think that I should have warned her.¡±


    ¡°That''s not really a public conversation, Lindy,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Wait, what are you talking about?¡±


    ¡°Are you in love with Jason?¡± she asked.


    ¡°What? That¡¯s absurd.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t just hear yourself,¡± Clive said. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t spent the last year watching you and Sophie dance around each other like awkward teenagers, I¡¯d completely believe it.¡±


    Humphrey went pale.


    ¡°You know about¡­ I mean, there isn¡¯t anything to¡­¡±


    His shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Does everyone know?¡±


    ¡°Of course they do,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s completely obvious. But only I had to watch it every damn day. I spend one more night around a campfire with you two swapping winsome glances, I''m going to start throwing rocks.¡±


    ¡°What about Dawn?¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°You think her and Jason?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Not that,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Although, maybe, now you say it. But can''t she have the Adventure Society find Jason? She has more pull than any of us. She could find where he is, we go there and register with the local Adventure Society branch there and everything works out.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If Dawn is willing, it depends on how far into the monster surge he arrives. We aren''t going to wait around not participating. When the monster surge starts, you show up and do your bit. That''s just how it works.¡±


    ¡°We should be doing our bit with Jason,¡± Clive said and Belinda nodded her agreement.


    ¡°The Adventure Society isn''t entirely inflexible,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If he''s somewhere Mother has been, they might let her go fetch him back. It''s a question of whether the branch he¡¯s at permits him to go and if Mother gets enough time free. The demand on gold-rankers is especially heavy during monster surges.¡±


    Stash flew up to where Sophie, Neil and Jory were leaning on the rail of the open deck watching the land pass by underneath them. He turned into a puppy and landed in Sophie¡¯s arms to get a scratch behind the ears.


    ¡°Biscuit, please.¡±


    ¡°Did Humphrey say you could have a biscuit?¡± Sophie asked. Neil and Jory shared a look over how much she sounded like a woman who suspected her child had asked his dad for something first and was told to ask his mother.


    ¡°Yes!¡± Stash said. ¡°I¡¯m a good boy who helps out.¡±


    Sophie matched the innocent puppy eyes with a suspicious glare.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said finally and took a biscuit from the dimensional pouch on her belt. She smiled as Stash happily ate it from her hand.


    ¡°Look,¡± Jory pointed, Sophie and Neil looking up. A large orb was flying towards the skyship faster than the ship itself could move. The orb looked like a snow globe without any snow, containing a full-scale quaint little cottage.


    ¡°Well, she did say she would contact us again before we reached the city,¡± Neil said. ¡°It still seems weird that she flies around in a cottage, though. She¡¯s like the villain in a fable for kids.¡±

 Chapter 467: Surge Protocols

    From the deck of the cloud yacht, Jason and Farrah were standing with drinks in hand looking at the islands floating in the sky as they drew closer to the city of Rimaros. One of the three main natural islands had come into view, but since Farrah had no idea which one was the island housing the Adventure Society, Jason had arbitrarily picked the local equivalent of Aruba. Approaching from a distance, their silver-rank vision picked out a lot of colourful buildings poking out from a wealth of tropical bushes trees and flowers. The mix of rich greens and vibrant colours from buildings and flowers both left Jason with a huge grin on his face.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to like it here. I can¡¯t wait to buy some actual food. I hope they¡¯ve got coconuts. I really want to drink out of a coconut.¡±


    Neither Jason nor Farrah were fazed by the prospect of a monster surge, with Jason especially unconcerned. Between astral spaces, proto-astral spaces and monster waves, Jason hadn¡¯t seen what Farrah thought of as normal monster activity since iron-rank.


    For both of them, it was the prospect of the Builder invasion that held their attention, but until they found out what that entailed, they were looking forward to a relatively relaxing time. A monster had approached their boat at one point, some silver-rank creature from the depths of the ocean. Neither had wanted to go into the water and deal with it so Jason gave it a dose of his aura at full strength and it fled.


    Jason narrowed his eyes as he looked into the distance.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re about to meet the locals.¡±


    Farrah followed his gaze and eventually spotted something moving across the water. It was an essence user, presumably with the water essence by the way they were riding a column of water like it was a speed boat.


    ¡°You remember the aura etiquette I taught you way back when?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°It¡¯ll matter here.¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jason said.


    Greenstone had been a shambles as a society of essence users, but Farrah had nonetheless taught Jason about the importance of aura control and etiquette from the beginning. She had described it as a magical handshake, as well as the first way others would judge people. The polite way to maintain an aura was to have it withdrawn but not hidden, always under precise control. This allowed others to get a general sense of each other without seeming evasive or being obnoxious.


    Jason¡¯s aura shifted from that of an outworlder to a human, its domineering aspect toning down to a general rigidity and its unusual aspects, like the lingering traces from his contact with transcendent beings, nowhere to be seen. Jason''s control came across as adequate, if a little sloppy. It was much like his aura as Farrah remembered it from Greenstone, but scaled up to silver rank.


    She turned to look at him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Nicely done,¡± she said. ¡°That is some exquisite aura control.¡±


    ¡°Thanks,¡± he said brightly. ¡°I think it¡¯s best if you¡¯re the one to stand out while we¡¯re here. Outworlder, guild member, back from the dead. After that, also back from the dead seems practically mundane. Should I fake some monster cores into my aura?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d avoid changing anything too much.¡±


    "Yeah," Jason agreed. "The more I tweak my aura, the easier to see through it gets. Otherwise, I''d make it look like I have friendlier essences."


    ¡°Your aura does make you seem like a bit of a marbula right now.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a marbula?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s an iron-rank worm monster that secretes a glue-like ichor with a horrid stench. It¡¯s known for being weak and hiding from combat.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s harsh.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t overdo the aura disguise.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good like this, though?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡±  Farrah said. ¡°I think it would fool low-end gold-rankers unless they examined your aura closely, and that¡¯s not an aura worth examining. It won¡¯t fool anyone truly powerful or with really sharp senses, though.¡±


    ¡°I imagine those people see through everyone¡¯s secrets,¡± Jason said. ¡°I won¡¯t be special in that regard and I don¡¯t plan on being important enough that they care.¡±


    ¡°Yes, because plans always work out. Like when Rufus, Gary and I planned to take you to Vitesse.¡±


    ¡°That plan can still work,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s just been delayed a little. Delays are normal.¡±


    The man approaching in the distance was getting closer. He didn¡¯t hide his bronze-rank aura.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to let me take the lead here, right?¡± Farrah asked as they watched the essence user grow closer.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Jason said. ¡°On my world, you followed my lead. Now we¡¯re back on yours, it only makes sense for you to be in charge.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget your spirit domain.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks.¡±


    The buildings and vehicles created by Jason¡¯s cloud flask now contained the full power of Jason¡¯s spirit domain. He withdrew the domain¡¯s effects, although there was no retracting the domain¡¯s presence entirely.


    Shade, piloting the boat, was already slowing it down. The man riding a plume of water slowed himself and started moving backwards, his column of water holding him in the air as it matched pace with the boat. Jason stood slightly back and to the side of Farrah, implying a subordinate position.


    ¡°My name is Vidal Ladiv of the Rimaros Adventure Society. May I have permission to board your vessel?¡±


    He showed the respect of someone lower-ranked as he greeted them with a slight bow.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Please come aboard.¡±


    Vidal leapt from his column of water to the open deck of the boat. It had the looks of an ordinary pleasure yacht but there was a deep magic that his senses couldn¡¯t penetrate, and not just because the yacht was silver rank. There was some kind of aura to it, understated but powerful, giving him a strong sense of being in a territory to which he did not belong. Although it didn¡¯t impinge on him at all he could feel an ominous presence behind it, like seeing a vast, dark shape passing beneath a boat.


    There were two people on the deck and his casual senses couldn¡¯t push any further into the boat. He suspected it wouldn¡¯t work even if he pushed, which would be a large breach of etiquette in front of two people higher rank than him.


    One was a woman, clearly the leader of the two. She was relaxed and composed, clearly in a casual mode with her light blouse, loose pants and sandals. She had pale skin and her shoulder-length, strawberry blonde hair was loosely cinched at the back of her neck. Her aura control was pristine, revealing carefully controlled undertones of fire, earth and raw power. Vidal guessed her to have the powerful volcano confluence. He was also surprised to sense she was an outworlder, which would make a second one in the city.


    The man standing behind her was less impressive. His features were unfamiliar, so Vidal had no sense of where he was from. His dark hair was glossy and he masked an overly prominent chin with a neatly trimmed beard. Vidal couldn¡¯t help but wonder what his chin had been like if even reaching silver rank hadn¡¯t smoothed it into normalcy.


    Compared to the woman, the man¡¯s aura control was sloppy, giving even bronze-rank Vidal more insight than it should. The man deliberately showed off darkness and blood, while inadvertently revealing a core sense of self-preservation. His aura gave the impression of someone who would hide from potential dangers while opportunistically taking for himself.


    The man also had small but definite scars on his face, which Vidal had seen others fake to make themselves seem like hardened adventurers. It suggested that the man¡¯s magically modified eyes were fake as well. Vidal read the man as a petty and inconsequential figure who likely bullied the weak while sycophantically clinging to the strong.


    ¡°As I said,¡± Vidal told them, ¡°I am an official of the Rimaros Adventure Society, although today I also represent the Rimaros Civic Authority Council. I am here to notify you that full monster surge procedures are in effect in the city of Rimaros and all associated territories.¡±


    Neither the man nor the woman looked surprised or worried at the announcement.


    ¡°As monster surge procedures have been enacted in Rimaros,¡± Vida continued, ¡°all potential adventurers are being met as they enter the city and being informed of their responsibilities. If you will permit, may I ask a few questions and take notes?¡±


    ¡°By all means,¡± Farrah said, gesturing at the door into the yacht¡¯s lounge cabin. ¡°Would you like to come in?¡±


    Vidal¡¯s instincts warned him against going further into the boat but he was already in arm¡¯s reach of two silver-rankers, so there was no escape if they turned on him. He could most likely escape the man, being on the water where Vidal was strongest. He had no such illusions about the woman, however. If she wanted to trap him, he was trapped.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said and followed them inside. ¡°I¡¯d like to start with your names and whether you¡¯re adventurers. If you aren¡¯t, this will be a swift formality.¡±


    ¡°We are both adventurers,¡± Farrah told him as they moved into the lounge. ¡°I am Farrah Hurin, out of Vitesse. Burning Violet guild, although I don¡¯t have a guild pin on me right now. This is Jason Asano, out of Greenstone. Guild unaffiliated.¡±


    That made sense to Vidal. She seemed every inch the guild level adventurer, and from a city with high standards like Vitesse. Asano being from someplace Vidal had never heard of explained his lack of capability, but not why this woman was letting him follow her around. If the man''s one true skill was seduction that might make sense, but she should have no trouble seeing through the man''s emotions, given the disparity in their aura control.


    Taking out a notebook and pencil as they walked, Vidal was jotting details into it before they even sat down. Although the armchairs in the lounge were plush and comfortable, he sat stiffly upright.


    ¡°I need to take down your details,¡± he said. ¡°Then I shall explain the basic requirements placed upon you by the monster surge protocols. Of course, registering for monster surge activity is not mandatory.¡±


    ¡°We both intend to register.¡±


    "Excellent," Vidal said. "The Rimaros Adventure Society prefers if outside adventurers register within one day of being notified that the surge procedures are in effect. Consider this your notice, which means that you will ideally register by the end of tomorrow. The Adventure Society will be fully staffed at all hours during the surge, so you can do so quite late should that suit your needs. Are there any other adventurers aboard?"


    ¡°It¡¯s just us,¡± Farrah said. ¡°No one else, adventurer or otherwise.¡±


    ¡°And are you two a formally registered team?¡±


    "No," Farrah said. "We''ve both been separated from our teams for some time. There may be some issues with our records since we are both likely to have our status listed as deceased."


    ¡°Why is that?¡± Vidal asked, not looking up as he took notes.


    ¡°Because we died,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°You should know that part of registration will be having your identities confirmed, along with several other tests to weed out Builder infiltrators. I recommend you visit the temple of Death prior to registration and have them formally confirm that you are the people you claim to be, returned from death. Cases like yours are unusual but not unknown and we''ve found that involving the church of Death greatly accelerates the process. Given how busy things are likely to be, I venture you¡¯ll appreciate having done so.¡±


    "Thank you for the advice," Farrah said. "We will take up your suggestion."


    ¡°Good,¡± Vidal said. ¡°That is everything I need at this stage, but be aware that when you register, you will be put through a more rigorous assessment.¡±


    ¡°Because of the Builder cultists,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We completely understand.¡±


    ¡°So consider yourselves formally notified that surge protocols are in effect. Your names will be given to the local society branch and they will be expecting you. Do you have any questions before I go?¡±


    ¡°Which island is the Adventure Society on?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°We know it¡¯s on one of the main islands but we don¡¯t know which. Or even which one we are approaching.¡±


    ¡°The three public islands are called Livaros, Arnote and Provo,¡± Vidal explained. ¡°They¡¯re situated in a line running roughly east-west. We are currently approaching Arnote, the westernmost island. It¡¯s home to many of the wealthier citizens who do not have access to private islands. It is primarily residential and the least densely populated of the three. While there is not a lot of high-rank activity there, I do not recommend trying to throw your weight around as adventurers.¡±


    Vidal turned his gaze on Asano.


    ¡°There is a certain relaxed lifestyle on Arnote that is an important part of the Rimaros cultural identity. If you make trouble, you¡¯ll find that we are quite protective of it. There is also a minor branch of the royal family who maintain their primary residence on Arnote, so while you may not see the power hidden on the island, it will see you.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the guidance,¡± Asano said, speaking for the first time since Vidal¡¯s arrival. Vidal turned back to Farrah.


    "You are looking for the central island of the three, Livaros. How are you navigating?¡±


    "Jason here has a mapping ability," Farrah explained. "It''s useful but doesn''t show details until he visits a location; just landmasses. Along with his storage and portal abilities, it makes him useful to keep around."


    Vidal finally understood something that had been bothering him. Asano didn''t fit the company or the setting he was in. Farrah Hurin was clearly a skilled, guild-level adventurer and, from the presence of the boat, a well-resourced one. Someone like Asano was a liability unless he brought something unusual to the table. If he represented a series of excellent utility powers collected into one person, it made sense that she would use him as a glorified magic item. Even so, he marked Asano in his notes for a more critical assessment on registration, just in case.


    With that annoying curiosity solved, Vidal had everything he needed and was ready to leave. With the surge protocols in effect, he was one of many officials sent out to collect initial data, direct adventurers to register and notify them of the upcoming surge.


    ¡°Livaros is the primary destination for adventurers,¡± he explained, ¡°to the point that may just call it the adventurer island. Along with the Adventure Society campus, the island boasts the bulk of the services and businesses that adventurers and other essence users require. Every port around the island has an Adventure Society office and I strongly recommend you seek one out. Their entire purpose is to help adventurers find what they need in the city. They will help you find a berth for your vessel for the duration of the surge, as well as help you find any amenities and services you might need. They can also direct you to the campus administration for registration, of course.¡±


    Vidal stood up.


    ¡°If there¡¯s anything else you need, please remember the society offices. As I said, every port has them and they¡¯re easy to find.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I think that is everything we need for now.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Vidal said. ¡°And please, remember to visit the Adventure Society by the end of tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said to Farrah as they watched Vidal ride away on a plume of water. ¡°He was suspicious because you''re too good for me. This aura disguise thing might not be as effective as I thought. I may have attracted more attention than I avoided."


    ¡°How many times did I tell you that this isn¡¯t Greenstone? The Adventure Society officials here aren¡¯t just the daughters of crime lords, moustache enthusiasts and a random selection of Berts.¡±


    ¡°I miss the Berts. I¡¯d love to get a new wardrobe from Gilbert.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll find a perfectly satisfactory tailor here,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I think you¡¯ll find Vidal was underselling how impressive the adventurer island will be. We should go straight for Livaros.¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d say that,¡± Jason groaned. ¡°Look at Arnote, right there.¡±


    Jason waved his arm in the direction of the nearby island as if Farrah had somehow failed to see it.


    ¡°Look at the trees,¡± he said. ¡°The lush, green plants. The bright flowers, the colourful houses. Imagine yourself wandering down a sleepy street, drinking chilled fruit out of a coconut and feeling the ocean breeze on your face.¡±


    "We can go there once we''ve settled in. First, we get the lay of the land. Register with the Adventure Society and do some proper shopping. I haven''t seen a properly-stocked trade hall since before you and I met.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to live at some marina again,¡± Jason said. ¡°I want to find a nice little spot, maybe buy an out-of-the-way plot and put my cloud house on it. Arnote is perfect for that.¡±


    ¡°Livaros will have crystal wash.¡±


    ¡°SHADE! We¡¯re changing course!¡±

 Chapter 468 : Disappointed or Relieved

    Dawn¡¯s cottage bubble flying vessel floated over the deck of the skyship. Dawn emerged from the cottage, walked down the short garden path to the bubble surrounding it and stepped through, like passing through a waterfall. She dropped lightly to the deck and the bubble shrank before dropping into her hand. She then placed the vessel into a pouch on her belt.


    Sophie, Neil and Jory watched this happen, with a grimy and half-naked Humphrey coming up on deck just as Dawn was putting her astral ship away. Dawn looked over at Humphrey, then at Sophie.


    ¡°Did you ¡­?¡± Dawn asked her.


    ¡°This wasn¡¯t me,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Neil, Humphrey¡¯s pretty dirty. You should go help soap him up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a degenerate,¡± Neil muttered as he marched towards the stairs leading below. ¡°I¡¯ll go get the others.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for loaning me this, by the way,¡± Dawn said, handing Sophie a recording crystal.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jory asked.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about that,¡± Sophie told him. She deftly avoided puppy Stash, cradled in one arm, from snatching the crystal from her fingers and slipped it into a pocket.


    Soon the rest of the group was coming up on deck. Gary was yawning while Belinda argued with Clive.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be fine,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I put a metal bar there to hold the thing in place and tied a rag around it so it wouldn¡¯t slip.¡±


    ¡°That is not any way to fly a skyship,¡± Clive argued.


    ¡°I told you before: we¡¯re in the sky. There¡¯s nothing to run into.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even have a full handle on how this thing works,¡± Clive said. ¡°Not to mention someone¡¯s troublemaking lizard was tearing random parts off the ship.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lizard?¡± Stash exclaimed, leaping out of Sophie¡¯s arms. ¡°I¡¯m gonna catch it!¡±


    Puppy Stash scrambled across the deck, dodging between legs and disappearing down the stairs.


    ¡°I need a break,¡± Clive said. ¡°I hope we find Jason on a beach somewhere, grilling meat.¡±


    ¡°It does sound pretty likely,¡± Gary said. ¡°Remember when we were rushing to rescue him when he was kidnapped and found him adjusting his cufflinks with the bad guy tied up?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, and then he passed out for three days,¡± Neil said. ¡°What kind of idiot uses the last of his energy after getting tortured to put on a sharp suit?¡±


    The group gathered together on the deck, respectfully greeting Dawn.


    ¡°The reason I have come to you here,¡± Dawn said, ¡°is that it would not do you any favours if we were to maintain contact once all the eyes in Vitesse are upon me.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t knowing someone influential a good thing?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re silver-rankers,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯re better off without gold and diamond-rankers paying us attention.¡±


    ¡°More importantly,¡± Dawn said, ¡°so is Jason. He has a task to complete and until he does, it would be best if some of the secrets he brought back remain secret. Specifically, he took something the Builder left in Jason''s world. This item was supposed to give the Builder influence over whoever was forced to use it but Jason absorbed the item entirely, purging the Builder¡¯s influence and gaining an amount of power over the Builder¡¯s minions.¡±


    ¡°Well that certainly sounds useful,¡± Clive said. ¡°If that information gets around, the Adventure Society will tie Jason to a stick and start waving him at the Builder.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t they?¡± Jory asked. ¡°It sounds like Jason could be a powerful weapon. That shouldn¡¯t go to waste.¡±


    ¡°You think Jason is going to hide?¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You weren¡¯t there, Jory. Six of us went to battle against the Builder and his army of constructs, cultists and whatever it was he turned those priests into. Jason fought the Builder himself, and he died making sure that the rest of us succeeded.¡±


    ¡°And all this was after he was chained up while the Builder tortured his soul,¡± Neil added. ¡°Say what you will about Jason ¨C which I personally intend to do at length ¨C but the Builder threw everything you can throw at Jason and Jason came back for more. The Builder killed him. With his own hands, kind of. And that still hasn''t stopped the smug prick who probably came back from the dead just to keep annoying the crap out of everyone. Jason roaming around of his own volition will do more to hurt the Builder than anything the Adventure Society can dream up, I can promise you that.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s the nicest thing you¡¯ve ever said about Jason,¡± Clive said to Neil. ¡°While somehow still including the phrase ''smug prick.''¡°


    ¡°It¡¯s a low bar,¡± Neil acknowledged.


    Sophie stayed out of the conversation and was still watching Dawn.


    ¡°You want us to look for Jason instead of you,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It will be odd for you to have the Adventure Society track the status of your dead team member but not attention-grabbing. In any case, I am still in the process of travelling around and disseminating what information I can about the Builder¡¯s invasion.¡±


    ¡°What about that floating city?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°What¡¯s being done?¡±


    ¡°The invasion platforms are appearing all over the world,¡± Dawn said. ¡°They are the concern of the Adventure Society. Your concern is Jason.¡±


    ¡°There are more of those things?¡± Gary asked


    ¡°That¡¯s how the Builder is invading?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Flying cities?¡±


    ¡°Not all of them fly and not all are cities. The scale is roughly the same with each, but the power level is not. The strongest invasion platforms can only appear where the dimensional skin of your world is most permeable.¡±


    ¡°So, Greenstone doesn¡¯t have some diamond-rank sky city invading it,¡± Humphrey said with relief. Regardless of their feelings about it, every team member but Jason had been raised in Greenstone. The desperate battle where Jason died had been fought to protect it.


    ¡°What happens when Jason turns up somewhere?¡± Jory asked. ¡°They aren¡¯t going to let us just run off in the middle of a monster surge.¡±


    ¡°We can request a travel dispensation,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If we bring in this ship for the Magic Society to study, plus do some good work during the surge, the fact that our team member came back from the dead should be enough that either we can get him to us or go to him.¡±


    ¡°Young Master Geller is correct,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Using my influence might be faster, but faster is not always better. I shall provide Mr Standish with a discreet means to contact me should you find Jason¡¯s location or find yourselves in desperate need of assistance.¡±


    ¡°I thought you could only take action once,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You¡¯re willing to waste it on us?¡±


    ¡°Jason would not see it as a waste if it keeps you all alive,¡± Dawn said. ¡°In his time away, he came to understand how much he needs you all.¡±


    ¡°Maybe not Neil,¡± Belinda muttered.


    ¡°Jason has earned my help,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Both with the sacrifices he has made and the sacrifices to come.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Does that mean us? I don¡¯t want to get sacrificed.¡±


    Approaching the island of Livaros, Jason and Farrah immediately spotted the differences from Arnote, which they had left behind without making landfall. The shoreline was mostly cluttered with ports, docks and marinas, as far as they could see in either direction. There were a few places, though, where large houses sat behind pristine beaches or atop rocky cliffs. Some of the cliffs had skyships docked against them, presumably connected to the houses through tunnels inside the rock face.


    Moving their gaze inland, the island appeared to be a single sprawling city, albeit an affluent one based on the quality materials, craftsmanship and architecture of the buildings. White stone abounded, with wide, tree-lined streets. More skyships could be seen inside the city, docked to towers that loomed over the surrounding buildings.


    ¡°Is that a port for flying ships?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You¡¯ll see at least one in any city that isn¡¯t magically barren.¡±


    ¡°Okay, this is pretty great,¡± Jason admitted, mollified after not stopping at Arnote. ¡°Maybe I should get this thing flying.¡±


    Since passing by Arnote, the level of water traffic they saw had steadily increased. Once they were approaching the more populous Livaros, it had been joined by air traffic with skyships flying overhead and smaller flying vehicles moving between Livaros on the ground and the sky islands scattered around.


    The vehicles they were seeing ranged from magical boats to flying carriages to trained magical beasts. There was a preponderance of people riding different forms of a creature similar to a manta ray, in a plethora of sizes and colours.


    Smaller ones had a single rider and skipped over the water like a stone. Others carried multiple people surrounded by a bubble of air as in plunged under the water. Some were even flying through the sky, one of which was huge and carried more than a dozen people.


    ¡°I think you need to tone down the disguise a bit, before we arrive,¡± Farrah told him. ¡°I think keeping a low profile is the right move but you got caught up in the idea of disguising your aura. It¡¯s impressive, don¡¯t get me wrong, but it¡¯s not like people are out looking for you.¡±


    ¡°Builder cult.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but you¡¯re not hiding your name, are you? They won¡¯t be going around asking people if they¡¯ve spotted an outworlder with good aura control.¡±


    ¡°Fair point,¡± Jason acknowledged.


    ¡°What you can do with your aura is great,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Just because you can do something doesn¡¯t make it a good idea. How about instead of transforming yourself, you just act like a sensible person.¡±


    ¡°That''s not my strong suit,¡± Jason warned. ¡°I''m more familiar with plans that seem great in my head and more-or-less work but have unintended consequences because I really don''t know what I''m doing or just couldn''t keep my mouth shut.¡±


    Farrah turned to give him a flat look.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked with an innocent expression. ¡°I can be self-aware. Eventually.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying,¡± Farrah said, ¡°that acting like a sensible person makes for a better disguise than turning yourself into a creepy sleaze. Which I would have had time to explain if you''d shown me what you were going to do more than half a minute before the guy reached us.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± Jason said. ¡°I pretty much completely hid my sin essence.¡±


    ¡°Jason, I think you¡¯re underestimating what it takes to stand out in a proper adventuring city. How about you just try being yourself and take the time to get to know this place, its people and the culture before loudly explaining to the most powerful person you can find why they''re immoral.¡±


    ¡°I do like to try new things,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can give it a go.¡±


    ¡°And don¡¯t try to sleep with their princess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to sleep with their princess.¡±


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not going to sleep with their princess. I''m saying don''t try.¡±


    ¡°I won''t.¡±


    ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°But what if they have a lot of princesses?¡±


    ¡°Jason...¡±


    ¡°That Vidal guy suggested the royal family is pretty big. They might be hard to avoid.¡±


    Farrah shook her head.


    ¡°This is not going to go well.¡±


    As they drew closer to the island, someone was approaching the yacht on a small vehicle that looked to Jason like a bamboo jet ski.


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Jason said.


    The rider approached the yacht, turning and matching speed as it came alongside. A friendly voice called up from the water.


    ¡°Hello, onboard! I''m from the Port Esten Docking Office. Can I come aboard?¡±


    ¡°Certainly,¡± Farrah called back. ¡°You can dock at the rear platform.¡±


    Jason and Farrah moved to the rear of the yacht where a low docking platform for small watercraft emerged from the side of the yacht as a door opened in the hull. The rider approached on his personal watercraft and stepped onto the yacht, lifting the small craft out of the water and resting it on the platform. The vehicle was rather light, making it easy for his bronze-rank strength.


    The man was a celestine, with sea-green hair, matching eyes and an easy smile. He was dressed quite like Jason with tan shorts, a bright floral shirt and no shoes. His aura was non-threatening, with the unmistakable feel of heavy core use. This man was no adventurer.


    The man looked to be in his early thirty to Jason¡¯s eyes. For a bronze-ranker, that meant he was probably fifty or more. He looked around, taking in what appeared to be a painted metal hull, white in classic yacht style.


    ¡°Cloud ship, yeah?¡± he asked.


    ¡°How can you tell?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve worked the Livaros ports since I was a wee tacker,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen just about every conveyance ever put to water or sky. You see enough cloud ships and you learn to spot them, even when they''re disguised. We''ve got a few of them docked right now and there''ll be more with the surge supposedly about to jump off. Of course, we¡¯ve been told that before.¡±


    ¡°This time, you can believe it,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Yeah? Adventurers are you? Anyway, is this just a cloud ship or one of them fancy ones you keep in a bottle? Don¡¯t see a lot of those, even here.¡±


    ¡°Bottle,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Nice. Oh, I¡¯m Albert, by the way, but everybody calls me¨C¡±


    ¡°Bert?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, Al,¡± Albert said. ¡°You can call me Al.¡±


    ¡°And you can call me Betty,¡± Jason said, earning him a slap on the arm from Farrah.


    ¡°I¡¯m Farrah and this is Jason,¡± she said, giving Jason a scolding glare.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t tell if I¡¯m disappointed or relieved you¡¯re not a Bert.¡±


    ¡°You''re a bit of an odd duck, aren''t you?¡± Albert said, looking Jason up and down. ¡°Still, can¡¯t fault your taste in clothes. Are you fine folks looking to dock the boat and live on it, or will you put it back in the bottle and seek other accommodation?¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll put it away,¡± Farrah said, nodding her head at Jason. ¡°This one has ideas about buying a little plot of land on Arnote and living the quiet life.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t fault you there,¡± Albert said. ¡°I''d like to do that myself, someday. Got some family there. It''s not a bad choice, either. Most of you adventurer types like to stay in the action, so there''ll be competition for places on Livaros, be it in the marinas or the inns. There''s been a lot of activity lately, with the latest round of rumours about the surge. Arnote might not be as convenient to the Adventure Society but you shouldn¡¯t have trouble finding a place. Just make sure you don¡¯t go causing trouble.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯ve heard,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, what do we do now?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to bottle up your boat, then that simplifies things for all of us. I''ll guide you into port, you get rid of your boat and we''re all done. I can point you straight at the Adventure Society port office if you¡¯d like.¡±


    ¡°That would be great,¡± Jason said. ¡°We appreciate the¡­¡±


    Albert and Farrah looked at Jason, whose eyes had gone wide as he trailed off. He was frozen for a moment and then snapped into action. He pulled out his cloud flask and set it down and the still-moving yacht started the slow process of returning to the flask. It would take around ten minutes for the yacht to completely dissolve around them.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re jumping ahead there, friend,¡± Albert said.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason barked. ¡°Give us two of those bamboo watercraft. Once the cloud flask is done collecting the yacht, collect the flask.¡±


    Two patches of darkness moved from Jason¡¯s shadow to the water behind the yacht and turned into black replicas of Albert''s small vehicle.


    ¡°Sorry Al,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ll be making our own arrangements, but thank you. Farrah, we need to go.¡±


    Without waiting, Jason jumped onto one of the vehicles and it launched off towards the island, spraying water behind it. Farrah gave Albert an apologetic smile.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said. ¡°He can be a bit dramatic.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Albert asked.


    ¡°No idea,¡± she said and then jumped on the other black watercraft and immediately shot away.


    Albert shook his head and then pushed his watercraft back into the water.


    ¡°Adventurers,¡± he muttered to himself.

 Chapter 469 : More Paperwork

    Unlike most of the temples in Rimaros, the city¡¯s main temple of Knowledge was not to be found in the temple district on the island of Livaros. Instead, it could be found on the second-largest of the city¡¯s sky islands, one of the few which could be accessed by the public. The island was primarily known for being the location of the Rimaros Magic Society campus, which held ownership and control of the island.


    In a major city like Rimaros, the temple of Knowledge was an important resource for the many magical researchers and had a symbiotic relationship with the Magic Society branch. Within the temple was a chamber specifically for incoming portals. A portal appeared and two people emerged before it closed behind them.


    ¡°This had best be as important as you claim,¡± Rufus Remore said darkly. ¡°I have my own concerns.¡±


    Rufus was tall and lean, with dark skin and a bald head. He was wearing loose clothes, having come from the humid Mistrun Delta in Greenstone.


    ¡°I am a priestess of the goddess of Knowledge,¡± Gabrielle Pellin told him. ¡°I am fully aware of your concerns. You used to be more polite, Mr Remore.¡±


    Gabrielle was no longer the teenage iron-ranker that had been Humphrey¡¯s girlfriend. With age and rank, her already impressive looks had blossomed into dangerous beauty, with olive skin, chocolate hair and graceful poise.


    She led Rufus forward, out of the chamber and into the larger temple. It was mostly comprised of a vast library covering multiple wings, each with multiple storeys.


    ¡°How long have you known they were alive?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°When Jason Asano both died and came back to life, Mr Remore, he was beyond the vision of this world¡¯s gods.¡±


    ¡°But you knew.¡±


    ¡°I serve the goddess of Knowledge, Mr Remore, not the goddess of assumptions. If I told you that Jason Asano was alive and I was wrong, how would you feel about that? And as for Miss Hurin, that came as a surprise to even the goddess.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying they are already here?¡±


    ¡°As we speak, a local Adventure Society official is directing them to the island of Livaros.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in Rimaros?¡±


    ¡°We are. I imagine you will wish to greet them on their arrival at port.¡±


    Rufus frowned.


    ¡°I apologise, Priestess Pellin. You have done me a service, only to receive discourtesy in return.¡±


    ¡°The last member of my church you spoke with, you slapped in the face,¡± she said, her voice tinged with amusement. ¡°I consider discourtesy a welcome step in the right direction.¡±


    Contact [Rufus Remore] has entered communication range.Contact [Gabrielle Pellin] has entered communication range.


    The personal watercraft Shade had taken the form of all but flew over the water. Only magic kept the ultralight vehicle from flipping over. Jason was an experienced jet ski rider and this strange bamboo variant wasn¡¯t that different. He was in a half-crouch as it skimmed over the water, moving between larger boats as he made his way into port.


    Jason homed in on the familiar aura like a beacon until he spotted a bald, black head on the busy dockside. He conjured his cloak and launched himself into the air, then glided down to land in front of his friend. As the cloak dissolved around him, he flashed the stunned-looking Rufus a huge grin.


    ¡°G¡¯day, bloke.¡±


    Rufus looked Jason over. The strange eyes, the aura that had yet again gone through massive changes. Now they were equal rank, Rufus had a new appreciation for its oppressiveness. As Jason¡¯s aura withdrew to a discrete state, Rufus realised Jason had unveiled it so that Rufus would sense the personal crest marked upon it.


    ¡°Farrah thought I was a shape-shifter or something,¡± Jason said.


    Rufus clasped Jason in a fierce hug.


    ¡°Crikey,¡± Jason croaked. ¡°It¡¯s good to see you mate, but it feels like you¡¯re trying to juice me.¡±


    ¡°Farrah,¡± Rufus said, not letting Jason go.


    ¡°Look behind me, mate.¡±


    Rufus released Jason and looked out at the water. Farrah was just rising from her own watercraft on wings of fire, swiftly joining them on the dock. She and Rufus joined in a wordless hug.


    As they did, Jason turned to the priestess.


    ¡°Gabrielle,¡± he greeted.


    ¡°You were quite correct, Mr Asano. She is not the goddess of Solid Deductions Made on the Basis of Reasonable Evidence.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°Still don¡¯t like me much, do you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I am glad that you are no longer dead.¡±


    ¡°That''s still goodwill, so I''ll take it. I assume that your boss is responsible for getting Rufus here?¡±


    ¡°There was a brief window before the Adventure Society starts claiming the time of every portal user, including those belonging to the church. Even my trip here will last until the monster surge is done. My Lady sent Rufus Remore here as a gesture, having not let your companions know of your likely resurrection. Your other companions are currently indisposed and by the time they reach Vitesse, it will be too late to bring them here immediately. They will need to make their own way to you.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re all alright, then?¡±


    ¡°They are well and together.¡±


    Jason gave Gabrielle a bow of gratitude, startling her.


    ¡°Even though she already knows my gratitude, please convey my thanks to your goddess, Priestess Pellin.¡±


    ¡°I will do so, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Why did she send you too?¡± Jason asked. ¡°To keep an eye on me?¡±


    ¡°You have an important task to complete, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°And what do you know of that?¡±


    ¡°My goddess only told me that it is your secret to share or ¨C and she wished to voice her strong preference on this ¨C not to share.¡±


    Rufus and Farrah came up behind him, Rufus¡¯ arm slung over Farrah¡¯s shoulder. If the smile on his face was any wider, the top half of his head would have fallen off. He clasped a hand on Jason¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°You have to tell me everything,¡± he said. ¡°Everything.¡±


    The trio got some directions from the Adventure Society port office and started making their way through the city. There was a lot of personal transportation magic on display in boulevards and avenues thick with essence users. Some rode mounts, others magical carriages. Personal float disks were the most common, although there were some interesting variations. Jason was particularly taken with the ones that produced a mist that made it seem like the rider was drifting about on a cloud.


    ¡°Can you do a cloud thing?¡± Jason asked Shade.


    ¡°I can do a black cloud,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Never mind.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Farrah said, ¡°this is not the time to be playing Monkey Magic.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s monkey magic?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s talking about Sun Wukong,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a legend from my world.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said, ¡°I¡¯m talking about the old Monkey TV show, as you well know.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I was thinking,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Are you going to stand there and tell me the theme song isn¡¯t playing through your head right now?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason admitted. Rufus was looking at them in horror.


    ¡°Jason¡­ what did you do to Farrah?¡± he asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade, some horses, please.¡±


    ¡°Horses,¡± Farrah said as three dark horses with glowing white manes and hooves were formed out of Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with horses?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I thought the reason you couldn''t have Shade turn into a heidel in the other world was that your world didn''t have heidels,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Sounds about right,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Our world doesn¡¯t have horses.¡±


    ¡°You probably just haven¡¯t seen them,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Shade?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I am merely the vessel, Miss Farrah. The actual power belongs to Mr Asano, and any limitations he has, or chooses to impose, are his own.¡±


    ¡°Come on,¡± Jason said hastily as he mounted one of the horses. ¡°Can¡¯t hang about all day.¡±


    On the upstairs balcony of a caf¨¦, just outside the Livaros temple district, a table was covered in plates.


    ¡°This is fantastic,¡± Jason mumbled happily around a forkful of food. ¡°I¡¯ve been living almost entirely on spirit coins for the last couple of years.¡±


    ¡°Because of the food shortages you mentioned,¡± Rufus said and Jason nodded.


    ¡°His world was never equipped for monsters,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Once the concentrated, localised monster surges started happening, much of the trade and transport infrastructure collapsed.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like your world saw some dark days,¡± Rufus said solemnly.


    ¡°We¡¯ll explain more once we¡¯re a little more secluded,¡± Farrah said.


    Jason mumbled his agreement.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just focus on the happy stuff for now,¡± he said. ¡°Are there any more of those dumplings?¡±


    ¡°What we should focus on is getting ourselves organised,¡± Farrah said. ¡°As it stands, we don¡¯t have any place to stay and we remain, so far as I¡¯m aware, dead. As far as any records are concerned, anyway.¡±


    ¡°We need to update your status with the Adventure Society,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The others will be looking for that.¡±


    ¡°So, you met Dawn,¡± Jason said to Rufus. ¡°How¡¯s she doing?¡±


    ¡°She seemed normal,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Whatever that means for a diamond-ranker. They appear how they want to appear.¡±


    ¡°Dawn took a little while to loosen up, but she got there,¡± Jason said. ¡°Mostly. I think it was her boss¡¯ idea. Wanted her to reconnect with her mortality.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re about as mortal as it gets,¡± Farrah told Jason. ¡°Which is odd for a man who keeps coming back from the dead.¡±


    ¡°I was expecting something more ominous,¡± Jason said. ¡°Skull motif, lots of black.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said, ¡°That¡¯s more you and the god of Undeath.¡±


    Rufus, Farrah and Jason were standing outside of what looked like a rather nice memorial centre with lots of tasteful white stone and neatly manicured gardens. It was a long way from what Jason expected from the temple of Death. The trio stepped onto the grounds to start making their way through the pleasant garden pathways to the main building. As soon as he set foot on the path, Jason froze.


    You have entered a spirit domain.You may not claim this territory as a spirit domain unless it is surrendered to you.


    Jason cautiously probed with his aura but got no negative reactions.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you later,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Are these gardens laid out as an array?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Good eye,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The dead are stored in temples of Death, so they all have arrays of ritual formations to protect against any necromantic power, be it inadvertent or deliberate.¡±


    ¡°You can get accidental zombies?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s magic,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You can get anything.¡±


    ¡°So, does the god of Undeath get a temple?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It¡¯d be more of a secret thing that people try and wipe out as soon as they find it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It¡¯s the same for most of the purely harmful gods, although Undeath is one of the worst. They have to hide them because the Adventure Society, the churches and any local authorities will raze them to the ground. Unless the local authorities are in league with them, which is a complete mess.¡±


    ¡°That was actually how Rufus, Gary and I met,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We¡¯ve told you about the zombie plague we all ended up fighting together. There was a temple of Undeath at the heart of it all. The local mayor was the high priest; it was a huge mess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen that many undead,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I wish I could say the same,¡± Farrah said, Jason nodding his agreement. Rufus gave them both a worried look.


    The main building of Death¡¯s temple proved oddly pleasant, with clergy wandering around in white robes, open space and plenty of light.


    ¡°This is not a place for the dead,¡± an acolyte explained as he led Jason and Farrah through the halls while Rufus waited in the lobby. ¡°The dead have already passed on and their sacred remains are respectfully prepared for their ultimate disposition in the deep places of the temple. This place is truly for those who remain. A place to come together and celebrate their lost love ones and the life that remains.¡±


    ¡°Death care is really exploitative where I come from,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your goddess probably stops that kind of thing from happening here, right?¡±


    ¡°My goddess stops it from happening everywhere,¡± the acolyte said.


    ¡°Our definition of everywhere,¡± Farrah said, ¡°is more expansive than what you''re thinking of.¡±


    They were shown into an office where a bronze-rank priest got up from his chair to meet them. His hair and eyes were a matching sea-green colour and he had an easy smile. He appeared to be in his thirties, which meant closer to fifty for a bronze-ranker. Jason and Farrah shared a look.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going insane,¡± Jason said. ¡°People keep wondering and now it¡¯s finally happened.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry?¡± the priest asked.


    ¡°Your name isn''t Al by any chance, is it?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Ah,¡± the priest said. ¡°You must have met one of my brothers.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s happening again,¡± Jason muttered.


    ¡°I¡¯m Aldrich Albericci,¡± the priest introduced himself. ¡°But everyone calls me Al.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t happen to have seven brothers do you, Al?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°I do,¡± Aldrich said. ¡°Alvin, Alexander, Alan, Albert, Alistair, Alfred and¡­¡±


    Aldrich rolled his eyes.


    ¡°¡­Alejandro. He¡¯s the sexy one.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t all identical?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°No, we are,¡± Aldrich said. ¡°Mr Asano, Miss Hurin, please do sit.¡±


    Jason was shaking his head as he sat down across the desk from the priest.


    ¡°Is he alright?¡± Aldrich asked. ¡°He didn¡¯t come back from the dead a bit funny did he? We get that sometimes.¡±


    ¡°You know who we are,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You know why we¡¯re here, then.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Aldrich said. He took an envelope from his desk drawer and placed it on the table. ¡°Identity certifications for you both. It''s quite unusual for people to both die and come back from the dead outside of our goddess'' gaze. She is, however, still the goddess of Death. She knows of each time you have fallen and each time you have returned. She gave me specific instruction to ask you to be more careful, Mr Asano. She may not know the details, but she is aware that death is becoming an unfortunate habit for you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said wanly. ¡°Coming back from the dead is kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°She would rather it wasn''t, so please do her a favour and stop dying in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this,¡± Farrah said, taking the envelope.


    ¡°Helping the living with the affairs of the dead is why we are here,¡± Aldrich said. ¡°It''s just that when the living and the dead are the same person, there''s more paperwork.¡±


    As they were about to leave, something occurred to Jason and he turned around in the door.


    ¡°Al,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose one of your brothers is a tailor?¡±

 Chapter 470: Multi-Talented

    Rimaros was a city of well-trained and powerful essence users, meaning many strong auras and powerful senses. With the number of essence users present in the city, and more pouring in for the monster surge, it was a disorienting cacophony for those able to sense it. This was one of the main reasons that aura retraction was a key point of etiquette.


    While any essence user could sense auras, detecting the senses of others being projected out was something that required training. In Rimaros, the appropriate training was commonplace, which is why it was similarly impolitic for people to project their senses to the full extent. Jason appreciated the courtesy others showed in not blasting out their auras and their senses and returned the courtesy in kind.


    Standing in a crowd of adventurers, this was especially important. Jason, Farrah and Rufus were outside the administration building of the Adventure Society¡¯s main campus, which was the beating heart of the island of Livaros. Adventurers were streaming in from all over the city and beyond to register for the monster surge and even the exterior of the administration building was crowded almost shoulder to shoulder. Jason, Farrah and Rufus were stuck outside, waiting amongst the throng.


    Adventurers were being prioritised by rank by the Adventure Society officials managing the crowd, but there was no shortage of silver-rankers. It was a big change for Jason, after Greenstone and then Earth. In both places, silver-rankers were high ranking elites at the top of their respective societies.


    ¡°Notice how there aren¡¯t any iron-rankers around,¡± Rufus said. ¡°In a true adventuring city like Rimaros, they¡¯re considered not much different from normals. If you aren¡¯t careful in their training, iron-rankers can very easily die from the monsters that manifest in this region. It¡¯s why the training annex I¡¯ve been building in Greenstone will be so valuable. Part of what has made the Gellers so successful is that they realised long ago that the prestigious high-magic regions aren¡¯t better for everything.¡±


    ¡°Do you know if there is a branch of the Geller family here?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°Perhaps they could get word to Danielle Geller.¡±


    "I''m not sure," Rufus said. "It''s certainly worth exploring, once we''re done with this mess."


    Farrah looked over at the bronze-rankers, boxed out by the silver¡¯s being given priority.


    ¡°Bronze-rankers here,¡± she said, ¡°are much like iron-rankers in Greenstone. They¡¯re inexperienced and untested.¡±


    ¡°Here, and in places like Vitesse, iron and bronze-rankers are coddled. They have to be. When bronze and iron monsters do spawn here, it¡¯s in massive herds. They get thinned out and the low-rank adventurers are set loose on them. No autonomy, no spontaneity. It¡¯s why we jumped at the chance to get out from under supervision and come to Greenstone, and what makes the training annex valuable,¡±


    Farrah put a hand on Rufus¡¯ shoulder.


    ¡°We know, sweetie. Your family runs a school.¡±


    Jason snorted a laugh as Farrah turned back to him.


    ¡°Silver-rankers like us are the true backbone of adventuring culture in a city like this,¡± she explained. ¡°That¡¯s the rank where they can reasonably roam about without needing protection beyond their own team.¡±


    ¡°There are far more gold-rankers than you¡¯ll be familiar with seeing, here,¡± Rufus said. ¡°But that doesn¡¯t make them common. They¡¯re called on at need, but for ordinary gold-rank monsters, one or more teams of silvers are sent out, maybe with a gold-ranker leading a joint force. Actual gold-rank teams are reserved for the largest threats because calling on them usually involves an exchange of favours.¡±


    ¡°Those rules shift during a monster surge, though, right?¡± Jason asked.


    "Very much so," Rufus said. "During a surge, the golds put aside their interests and agendas and step up. They also aren''t the last line against the larger threats, since diamond-rank monsters usually only turn up during surges. That''s when the hidden diamond-rankers show themselves. You¡¯ll probably see a diamond-rank monster yourself before the surge is done. Hopefully from a very long way away.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the monsters that worried about,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ve seen worse than what a monster surge can throw at us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re underestimating the surge,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah told him. ¡°He¡¯s not.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the other thing the surge is bringing,¡± Jason said, looking at the crowd around them. ¡°They haven¡¯t announced the surge¡¯s bonus feature yet, have they?¡±


    ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I can hardly believe it myself, some of the things Dawn told us.¡±


    ¡°This certainly isn¡¯t going to be like the surges we remember growing up,¡± Farrah said. Both she and Rufus had lived to see two previous monster surges, neither while as adventurers. One had been while they were still toddlers.


    Rufus frowned at the crowd. Aside from dividing the crowd by rank, the society officials were organising into three queues. Local adventurers from guilds were getting priority in the fast-moving line, with local adventurers in the slower-moving second line. Outside adventurers were standing in the third line, occasionally spicing it up with a shuffle forward.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your coming back during a monster surge,¡± Rufus said. ¡°All I want to do is go off with you both and talk for a week.¡±


    ¡°This was always going to be the timing,¡± Farrah said, ¡°regardless of when we came back. We shouldn¡¯t get into it out in the open, though. We¡¯ll tell you about it later.¡±


    ¡°We need to get this registration done,¡± Jason said. ¡°Unless the Gellers can help, it''s how the others will find us since Knowledge won''t tell them."


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand what Gabrielle said when we asked,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Something about Knowledge not being a¡­ something. I don¡¯t think she knew either.¡±


    ¡°An SMS service,¡± Farrah said. ¡°She was talking about communication networks from Jason¡¯s world,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I miss my phone.¡±


    ¡°You mostly just called me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It had my games. Shrubberies vs. Skeletons might have been a knockoff but I maintain it was better than the original.¡±


    "How much of my money did you spend on microtransactions again?" Jason asked.


    ¡°You say that as if you paid attention to money,¡± Farrah told him. ¡°You didn¡¯t even pay attention to spirit coins after what you got from killing Dawn.¡±


    ¡°After he WHAT?¡± Rufus yelled out.


    ¡°Don¡¯t make a spectacle of yourself,¡± Jason told him. We¡¯ll tell you about it later.¡±


    ¡°We really need to get to later,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You said communication network? Are you talking about the magic item you mentioned that¡¯s like a water link chamber you carry it around in your pocket?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not magic,¡± Farrah said. ¡°We did use a bit of magic on ours, but most people don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°How is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°Jason once told us that we would find his world as wondrous as he found ours,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He wasn¡¯t wrong. The things they accomplish without magic are incredible.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re starting to incorporate magic into them now, too,¡± Jason pointed out. ¡°My world has less magic, but the combination of magic and technology will do a lot to close that gap.¡±


    ¡°It empowers normal and low-rank people much more than we see in our world,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The societies in Jason¡¯s world weren¡¯t built by immortals with vast personal power. They have to accrue power through money and influence, but even the most powerful rarely live to see a century. There is an inherent difference in how people look at things.¡±


    ¡°Is everyone there like Jason?¡± Rufus asked. He was growing concerned that Jason¡¯s world had somehow infected Farrah¡¯s mind.


    ¡°No, he¡¯s strange everywhere,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That¡¯s not a bad thing, though. The people from Jason¡¯s society weren¡¯t ready for the realities we face here, so the arrival of magic was handled poorly in a lot of ways.¡±


    Farrah put a comforting hand on Jason¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Jason had to step up and face challenges that people of our rank shouldn¡¯t have to. His family supported him but they weren¡¯t ready to accept the steps he had to take to keep his world safe. What he had to become to take them, and the sacrifices along the way.¡±


    ¡°You did plenty for my world,¡± Jason told her. ¡°You faced the monster waves. The army of the dead at Makassar. Without you, they may have never figured out how to repair the grid and bring the monster waves to an end. You did more than anyone actually from that world.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Farrah said, ¡°you¡¯re from that world.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said softly. ¡°Not anymore.¡±


    By the time Jason, Farrah and Rufus finally got into the administration building, it was well past dark. There was an array of officials directing adventurers, who took Farrah and Jason''s identity certifications before Jason was directed separately from the others. Rufus and Farrah were a registered team and part of a prominent guild, even if they were a long way from the guild''s seat in Vitesse. They separated but the trio would keep in contact through Jason¡¯s party interface.


    Jason was led to a small office. He was met with by an adventure society official who waved him to the chair across the desk from her own without looking up from the papers she was reading. Her silver-rank aura was marked by monster cores, marking her as a pure, albeit senior bureaucrat.


    Jason waited patiently as she continued to read from the sheaf of papers in her hand, moving through one page, then another. Occasionally she would shift her eyes briefly to give Jason a brief, assessing glance. The office was magically sealed and Jason¡¯s senses were blocked by the walls. He didn¡¯t try pushing them to see if he could get through the block, but he suspected not, given that it also cut off chat through the party interface.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± the official said, finally looking at him directly. ¡°There are quite a number of irregularities in your record. Let¡¯s start with the fact that you¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°I provided a certification of identity from the church of Death. I also have a personal crest you can check against Magic Society records.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the documents I''m holding in my hand, Mr Asano. Is this going to be an exercise in you telling me things of which I am already aware?¡±


    Jason forced down his instinctive response. She was clearly testing his equanimity.


    "I apologise," he said with a smile that didn''t reach his eyes. "This is a new process for me and I''ve never operated in a city like this before. I''m unfamiliar with the scope and scale of operations here and would welcome any guidance you were kind enough to offer."


    ¡°You¡¯re an outworlder,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You trained in Greenstone and came into contact with several families prominent outside of that little provincial town. The Gellers, the Remores. You were also present for an event in which many prestigious young people from around the world were competing for a prize. Which you, won, despite the considerable talent in competition with you."


    ¡°I had a Geller on my team and no shortage of luck. Your records are very thorough.¡±


    ¡°You were implanted with a star seed and made into a minion of the Builder before having the seed extracted.¡±


    ¡°Not that thorough, then. What you just aid isn¡¯t accurate. I was implanted with a seed under unusual circumstances but it didn¡¯t take. I got lucky.¡±


    ¡°You sound like a very lucky man, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve encountered some good fortune,¡± Jason acknowledged.


    ¡°Did you meet anyone from Rimaros around the time of the contest?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, actually. All the teams were split up and we worked with who we could find. There was this bloke. Defence specialist, what was his name¡­ Keane, that was it. He was from some city here in the Seas of Storms. Not sure if it was Rimaros or not, but your city is spread out. It covers a lot of territory, so maybe. I should look him up.¡±


    ¡°You, along with your team, made a second incursion into this astral space when it was unsealed a second time,¡± she said.


    ¡°That is correct,¡± Jason said. ¡°The first time was for the contest and the second time was just my team.¡±


    "The contest executed by Emir Bahadir.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t comment on her choice of verb, simply noting it away.


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    ¡°And how would you characterise your relationship with Mr Bahadir?¡±


    ¡°Friendly.¡±


    "Would you consider yourselves accomplices?"


    ¡°I cannot speak to what Mr Bahadir would consider,¡± Jason said. ¡°As for myself, I would call Mr Bahadir a benefactor. Gold-rankers don¡¯t need iron-rank accomplices.¡±


    ¡°I can think of many circumstances in which they would. That would be a failure of imagination on your part, Mr Asano.¡±


    "This doesn''t strike me as a conversation where imagination will serve me well," he lied.


    She leafed through the papers in her hand, skimming the contents.


    ¡°During this second instance in which you entered the sealed astral space, your team encountered the Builder cult.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You fought the Builder cult.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And out of your team, you were the only one to die.¡±


    ¡°Someone has to be the worst,¡± Jason said.


    "And your death was confirmed. Your team watched your body dissolve into smoke, like a monster."


    Jason¡¯s face fell.


    ¡°They saw that?¡± he asked softly, voice slightly breaking. ¡°They saw me¡­ they had to watch?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said coldly. "What if I put it to you, Mr Asano, that you were still an agent of the Builder at that time and that you turned on your team and was killed by them. That they only told others that you sacrificed yourself to protect their reputations. What would you say to that?"


    Jason felt rage rise up inside him like a wild tide but let none of it appear in his aura as he gave her another lifeless smile.


    ¡°I would say that unevidenced conjecture that impugns the reputation of a group of people who are objectively heroic for the very thing that makes them heroes is unbecoming of someone representing an organisation like the Adventure Society. Further, I would say that on a personal level you were a petty, bitter and envious little person who does not deserve the seat you are sitting in. If you were to put it to me.¡±


    ¡°Where have you been for the last two and a half years, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Home. See the family. You know how it is.¡±


    ¡°Would you care to elaborate?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I see. How did you come back from the dead?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°That is not an answer.¡±


    ¡°I spotted that too.¡±


    ¡°The more forthcoming you are, Mr Asano, the more we can help you.¡±


    ¡°Where I grew up, we call that kind of sentence a red flag.¡±


    "Your initial contact with one of our officials raised several questions. You were noted as being suspicious."


    "I am suspicious. We''ve just gone through my enigmatic past so you know that better than most. I''m a man of mystery."


    "A past on which you refuse to elucidate."


    ¡°A girl¡¯s got to have her secrets.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t painting yourself in a good light, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of my thing too. I¡¯m coming to realise it¡¯s something I¡¯ll just have to accept about myself.¡±


    ¡°You deceived our contact agent. He listed your race as human, not outworlder.¡±


    ¡°I was testing out some aura self-manipulation with Vidal. He was very professional. Observant, which is why it didn¡¯t go so well for me. My friend told me that I should just be myself, which is probably a good lesson for all of us.¡±


    She shuffled to another page of the documents in her hand, looking it over.


    ¡°Yes, Miss Hurin. She also died, quite some time before you. In another astral space, in another fight against the Builder cult. How did she come back from the dead?¡±


    ¡°Well, I was coming back from the dead myself, so not bringing her with me would have been rude.¡±


    "Your familiar is a shadow of the Reaper, yes? And not just any shadow but the very one that had, for centuries, previously managed the astral space in which you died."


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is it responsible for the resurrections of yourself and Miss Hurin?¡±


    "You caught me," Jason said. "My bronze-rank familiar brought both me and my friend who had been killed an entire year previously back from the dead."


    ¡°If not that, then how?¡±


    ¡°I told you. Coming back from the dead is kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°You seem to have a lot of things, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m multi-talented.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve read,¡± she said, once more looking to the papers in her hands. ¡°Stealth, utility, mobility, self-healing, cleansing, drain attacks. That¡¯s a lot of things that aren¡¯t afflictions for a so-called affliction specialist. It seems that you¡¯re quite the dilettante.¡±


    "Cleansing is affliction-related. Affliction-adjacent at the very least. Besides, I like to think of myself as versatile."


    ¡°No one cares what you think, Mr Asano. I am referring you to our Builder response team for assessment as a potential threat. If you are cleared, you will be assigned an action quota. You will need to report regularly to the jobs hall where you will be assigned contracts in order to meet this action quota. Is this understood?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Given the breadth of your abilities, you will be a liability for most tasks due to your inability to dedicate your disparate powers. You have mobility, navigational and storage abilities, so I am marking you down for solitary missions delivering supplies to isolated, non-critical areas.¡±


    ¡°I heard that team-based operations were the standard here.¡±


    ¡°You are not from here, Mr Asano. Do you have a problem with the tasks to which I am assigning you?¡±


    ¡°Not at all," Jason said. "It sounds like those people could use some help and maybe aren''t getting the attention they need, given how busy things are. I¡¯m happy to pitch in.¡±


    The official stared at him silently for a moment.


    "An admirable attitude," she said finally. "If it''s genuine. Outside this office, you will find a small security team who will escort you to our Builder response team for immediate assessment. If they fail to clear you, then what contracts you may or may not want will no longer be an issue. Good day, Mr Asano.¡±

 Chapter 471: Don’t Say You Weren’t Warned

    Jason stepped out of the assessment officer¡¯s office to find a stern-looking man and woman waiting for him. They each had a rigidly controlled silver-rank aura.


    ¡°So,¡± he said. ¡°Are you two generic security or are you part of this anti-Builder unit.¡±


    ¡°We are part of the Builder cult response team. Come with us, please.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Jason said. ¡°Take me to your leader.¡±


    The pair escorted Jason through the vast administration complex, down through multiple basement sublevels that grew increasingly grim and they went. As they went, Jason could feel a large dead zone below them where his senses stopped cold. Even more than the aura-blocking office walls of the assessor, this was a sealed environment.


    He was brought down to the same level as the dead zone, which began at a wall with a large metal door. It was thick and heavy, reaching from floor to ceiling and covered in intricate ritual markings. Perhaps Farrah could have made sense of them but they were far beyond Jason''s ritual expertise. Looking at the door, he got the sense of a magical bank vault.


    There were two guards outside the door. One was standing to the left of it, with the other inside a secure booth to its right. Both of Jason¡¯s escorts had to place their hands up against the glass of the booth, where a previously unseen ritual circle lit up with a green glow.


    After seeing the glow, the guard in the booth nodded at Jason¡¯s escorts. The guard by the door spoke into some kind of communications device and placed a crystal into a slot in the wall beside the door. The guard in the booth did the same on the other side and the cumbersome metal door slowly descended into the floor. Jason¡¯s escorts let him into the wide and high corridor of plain brick behind it.


    ¡°Not exactly a cheerful work environment,¡± Jason observed. ¡°You should get some potted plants in. Ones that don¡¯t need a lot of sun, obviously.¡±


    ¡°Introducing outside materials is a potential point of compromise,¡± the female escort told him.¡±


    "That sounds like a super fun workplace."


    After passing into the corridor, Jason entered the dead zone. His senses extended through the place but now everything outside it had been cut off. His perception was still politely withdrawn but the subterranean complex wasn¡¯t especially large, so he could sense everything within the limited area. There were two gold-rankers and fourteen silver-rankers, including his escorts.


    Most notable were nine people with Builder star seeds inside them, each of which had their auras strongly suppressed.  They were in poor condition and all separated, suggesting they were probably prisoners. Jason hoped that was the case, rather than the Builder having infiltrated the anti-Builder taskforce.


    There were also people in a similarly poor state who were converted. Rather than a star seed, they had been implanted with clockwork core, modifying them into bizarre amalgams of metal and flesh. These weren¡¯t the damaged and repurposed clockwork cores of Earth¡¯s superheroes, either.


    Fully intact cores turned people into something between victim and minion of the Builder. Jason had seen the results when he and his team fought the Builder in the past when the cult had converted their allies amongst the clergy of Purity. This replaced essence powers with less-potent physical transformations but raised their rank, trading long-term growth for immediate power and obedience.


    Jason¡¯s escorts led him down several corridors of dark grey brick and through multiple steel doors before stopping in a large room. It looked like a dungeon set up as an office, complete with a heavy wooden desk and a man chained to the wall.


    There were no chairs on the visitor side of the desk. Instead, there was only a large ritual circle, permanently set into the floor in brass and multicolour crystal. Jason recognised the ritual, realising it was at least one of the means by which they were testing people for Builder connections.


    Chained to the wall, the restrained man¡¯s body had metal rods jammed into the torso, arms and legs, the rods covered in glowing runes from which small amounts of mist was rising. Jason got the impression of something being drained from the man and he could feel the rods suppressing the star seed inside him.


    The other occupant of the room looked up from his desk as Jason and his escorts entered. He was a gold-ranker that looked no older than his early twenties but only the most oblivious person would mistake him for being Jason¡¯s age. There was an air about gold rankers that even normal rankers with no true aura senses picked up on, even if they mistook it for some kind of charisma.


    ¡°Thank you. Stay by the door please,¡± he told the escorts in a clipped, military voice. They nodded respectfully and closed the thick metal door before taking positions on either side of it. The gold-ranker then went back to going through the paperwork on his desk and scribbling notes in a book. He hadn¡¯t so much as looked at Jason.


    Jason shrugged his shoulders and moved over to the man chained to the wall, stepping around the ritual circle set into the floor. The prisoner was hanging limply, eyes open but not seeing. He wasn¡¯t dead but in some kind of catatonic state.


    "Your d¨¦cor is a bit garish," Jason said. "I was talking about some potted plants with your employees but that''s clearly not the ambience you''re going for.¡±


    ¡°You find it confronting?¡± the man asked without looking up.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been worse. But you already know that.¡±


    Jason tapped one of the rods with his finger.


    ¡°The ability to suppress star seeds without them self-detonating was something they were still working on when I was last in the world. It¡¯s come along.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen them detonate before.¡±


    ¡°I have. But you know that too.¡±


    The man finally looked up, although Jason didn¡¯t turn to face him, still looking at the catatonic prisoner.


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t you tell me something I don¡¯t know, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m not going to start satisfying your curiosity when you haven¡¯t even told me your name.¡±


    ¡°Most people show gold-rankers more respect.¡±


    ¡°When all I¡¯ve received is suspicion and rudeness? I¡¯m here so you can determine if I¡¯m a Builder puppet. I haven¡¯t been proven one yet.¡±


    ¡°If you had, Mr Asano, I think you¡¯ve seen that your treatment would go beyond rudeness. Stand in front of the desk.¡±


    Jason turned around.


    ¡°You mean walk willingly into your ritual circle, thereby making myself subject to its effects?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say please because I wasn¡¯t asking, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that if you want me in a soul projection ritual, you might want to use a smaller one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re familiar with soul projection rituals.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the first time I¡¯ve been suspected of being on team Builder. I¡¯m getting sick of telling you things you already know. But that¡¯s fine. Just don¡¯t say you weren¡¯t warned.¡±


    Jason stepped into the middle of the room.


    The gold-ranker raised his hand and chanted a few meaningless syllables. The ritual activated and Jason felt his aura unleash itself, not just at full strength but fed power and amplified by the ritual. The gold ranker¡¯s eyes went wide as the air turned thick as syrup and the glow stone in the ceiling dimmed. Murky darkness filled the room and figures began appearing within it.


    The figures were floating dark cloaks, speckled with stars. Inside the cloaks were what looked like portals to places filled with sunshine and blue sky. Around the cloaks were other things, blacker than night. They darted about, quick, and sinister.


    The two guards by the door had pressed themselves into the corners of the room, their faces stricken with fear. The man chained to the wall roused from his stupor, eyes clearing as he started thrashing in his chains and screaming a word over and over.


    ¡°REJECTOR! REJECTOR! REJECTOR!¡±


    The gold-ranker cancelled the ritual and Jason drew his aura back in as he casually adjusted his floral shirt. The prisoner continued screaming until the gold ranker marched over, grabbed his face and slammed it into the wall, knocking him unconscious. The gold-ranker then went to the closest guard, huddled in the corner. He yanked her to her feet and then did the same for the other.


    The door burst open, revealing a gold-rank woman.


    ¡°Keel,¡± the newcomer said. ¡°What are you doing in here? Whatever that illusion was, it sent the prisoners berserk. The ones with cores all had seizures and the ones with seeds woke up and won¡¯t stop screaming.¡±


    The original gold-ranker, Keel, turned to Jason who had a plate in one hand and a fork in the other.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I just remembered I had leftover strudel.¡±


    Jason was taken into a small, secure room with metal benches set into the stones walls. Inside, Farrah was already sitting down.


    ¡°Sure thing, Farrah,¡± she said to Jason. "I''m going to lay low and not make a fuss. Nice and quiet, that''ll be me."


    ¡°I told the guy to use a less powerful projection ritual,¡± Jason said. ¡°Have you found these people to be great listeners?¡±


    ¡°The lady I saw was nice,¡± she said. ¡°Is that strudel?¡±


    "I just remembered that I had some leftover. Splitsies?"


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    Jason sat down next to her and produced another fork. She grabbed it and he held the plate between them so she could dig in.


    ¡°They thought you might be a Builder puppet too?¡± Jason asked as she groaned happily around a forkful of fruit pastry. She nodded.


    ¡°I wonder how long this is going to take?¡± he wondered. ¡°They¡¯ll probably just leave us sitting here for a while and watch us.¡±


    Farrah threw Jason a curious glance and Jason pointed at a brick in the wall that looked like any other.


    The two gold-rankers, Keel and Liara, were watching Jason and Farrah through a seeing stone as Jason pointed it out.


    ¡°That man is trouble,¡± Keel said.


    ¡°Yes, but I don¡¯t think he¡¯s a servant of the Builder. Just the opposite, if anything. You felt that aura, just like I did. Its very nature rejected the star seeds and the clockwork cores. You were right about Asano. Whatever he¡¯s been through did something to him. Something that we can use.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. He¡¯s still only silver-rank and won¡¯t be able to help against the larger threats.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take something that works against the medium threats,¡± Liara said. ¡°And what was with that aura? Is he another fourfold?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Keel said. ¡°His aura is just that strong.¡±


    ¡°How? That strength was practically gold-rank. I¡¯m not sure I even tracked everything floating around in it before you shut the ritual down. That was the touch of gods in there, right?¡±


    ¡°His contact with gods was in his record. It¡¯s nothing we didn¡¯t know. What about the woman?¡±


    ¡°Her aura is outworlder now, instead of human, but clean. She doesn¡¯t have a personal crest, though, so we¡¯ll need to do some more identity verification. We did get something on the power screen ritual. We found traces from a Builder blessing but it wasn¡¯t like the ones we¡¯ve seen from cultists. This was custom. The thing is, though, every racial gift she has was evolved through a blessing.¡±


    ¡°The Builder shouldn¡¯t be able to bestow more than one blessing.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t. Each of those was from a different great astral being. They¡¯re relatively common from the Reaper and the Celestial Book but the World-Phoenix, not so much. As for the Legion and the All-Devouring Eye? The last I heard, they didn¡¯t hand out blessings.¡±


    ¡°Check that with the Magic Society.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I intend to. But whatever is going on with her, I don¡¯t think she¡¯s in the Builder¡¯s camp. The other beings wouldn¡¯t bless her like that if she was.¡±


    ¡°The Builder only blesses its own people.¡±


    ¡°Keel, I think we can safely say that Miss Hurin falls outside of normal circumstances. And she didn¡¯t lie. Did Asano?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Couldn¡¯t read his aura until it was projected and I didn¡¯t stop to question him once it was.¡±


    ¡°Did you power screen Asano before the soul projection?¡±


    ¡°No. We know he has a Reaper blessing but after what his aura did to the prisoners I¡¯m not going to bother. I¡¯m convinced he¡¯s clean. As you said, exactly the opposite of in the Builder¡¯s camp.¡±


    ¡°Which means she probably is as well,¡± Liara said. ¡°We should hold her until we¡¯ve confirmed her identity, at least. I have more records coming from the Magic Society so it shouldn¡¯t take long.¡±


    ¡°Agreed. That leaves the question of what to do with him.¡±


    ¡°I say we stick with your original intentions and make use of him. Both of them.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t make for a reliable asset and we don¡¯t know what the Builder is up to yet.¡±


    ¡°Let me run Asano,¡± Liara said. "We can leave him be for now. Eloise assigned him to solitary delivery missions, as directed. That will let him build up a network of local portal destinations and give any Builder cultists a chance to take a poke. The worst that can happen is we flush some of them out. Once we have a use for him, we step back in."


    ¡°What was Eloise¡¯s assessment?¡± Keel asked.


    ¡°He handled provocation well, but he was aware of what she was doing. He showed anger when she pushed but she thinks it was a show. With that aura of his, she couldn¡¯t read him properly. He¡¯s smart enough but he has impulse-control issues and trouble keeping his mouth closed. He has some connections but nothing local, as far as we can tell.¡±


    ¡°As far as you can tell?¡± Keel asked.


    ¡°The name, Jason Asano. I feel like I¡¯ve heard it before but I can¡¯t remember when.¡±


    ¡°You have the memory of a gold-ranker,¡± Keel said. ¡°If you can¡¯t remember, you¡¯re either imagining it or it was of incidental importance.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Liara said. ¡°It¡¯s been bothering me.¡±


    ¡°Go through his records if you like,¡± Keel said. ¡°I¡¯ll hand him over to you entirely. I have this feeling that I¡¯d end up killing him.¡±

 Chapter 472: Contribution

    Late into the night, the space outside of the Adventure Society''s central admin complex was still crowded with people. To Jason''s delight, some enterprising local vendors had wheeled carts into the Adventure Society campus that magically expanded into food stalls, creating an impromptu food market. Since he and Rufus were still waiting for Farrah to emerge, they roamed around, sampling local delicacies.


    The streets were lit up not just with plain street lights but different coloured glow stones that painted the primarily white stone buildings and tropical plants. The Adventure Society campus had plenty of wide boulevards and open spaces, which the people and the vendors gave a festival atmosphere.


    ¡°It''s good that people are enjoying themselves,¡± Rufus said. ¡°If Dawn''s warnings hold true, there are dark days for all of us ahead.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve had quite enough of dark days, thank you very much. If the Builder and his creepy steampunk cyborgs want to make things crappy for people, they need to go through me. I¡¯m appointing myself the defender of cheerfulness, friendly barbecues and nice afternoon naps. You have to help, by the way.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best,¡± Rufus said with a chuckle.


    ¡°They said Farrah should be out within an hour or two,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re waiting on more information from the Magic Society, though, and I have to imagine that delays are more likely than not with all these people swamping the admin staff.¡±


    ¡°I fear you¡¯re right,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Why is it so crowded?¡± Jason asked. ¡°The monster surge announcement is only hours old. Do even the locals get only a day to sign up?¡±


    ¡°No, they get more leeway,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They still want to get registered as quickly as possible, though.¡±


    ¡°They want first pick of contracts while everyone else is still signing up?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s part of it,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The real prize is the contributions leaderboard. Did they explain that to you?¡±


    ¡°Is that like action quotas?¡± Jason asked. ¡°They explained those.¡±


    ¡°Action quotas are the minimum requirements every adventurer has to fulfil during the monster surge,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The contribution board is an incentive system to keep us going beyond our quotas. All the contracts you take over and above your quota are assigned a contribution point value. Contribution points are tallied on weekly and overall leaderboards, with rewards given out at the end of each week and then major rewards at the end. And those rewards are worth going for.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s not all about duty, then.¡±


    ¡°It would be nice if every adventurer did their part because that''s what being an adventurer is. Not everyone is your friend, Humphrey, though. A little incentive goes a long way, and the incentives on offer aren''t that little. All the major societies, associations and governments give out hefty rewards during a monster surge. Of course, they get benefits as well. They all have interests that need protection and in return for their generosity, the Adventure Society assigns high contribution point values to the contracts that provide that protection.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t the big guilds monopolise the top of these leaderboards?¡±


    ¡°They do,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but that¡¯s okay. Guilds are looking for more esoteric rewards than cash or magic items. They want access to civic services. Organisational benefits from the Adventure Society, Magic Society, Alchemy Association and the like. Material rewards don¡¯t mean much to the top guilds because they¡¯re already able to get their hands on anything money can buy.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Jason said. ¡°All the material rewards are lower-rung prizes.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They land right where the small-time guilds and independent adventurers can get their hands on them. Plus, the guilds earn their rewards. Not only do they need to reach the highest points on the contributions but they have the highest quotas to beat before they even get on those boards.¡±


    Jason and Rufus were eating deep-fried sausages on sticks.


    ¡°In a city like this,¡± Rufus continued, gesticulating with his food, ¡°about three in ten adventurers are in a guild. One in ten is in what¡¯s considered a high-end guild. And that¡¯s not even counting all the outside adventurers coming in that make their numbers an even smaller slice of the adventurer pie. Yet guilds are given sixty percent of the quotas to fill. Guild adventurers enjoy more privileges than their independent counterparts but the monster surge is when every adventurer pays back. No exceptions. The guilds will be wringing themselves dry over the coming weeks.¡±


    Jason was peering at his half-eaten deep-fried sausage on a stick.


    ¡°This meat is pretty great,¡± he said. ¡°It''s like a saveloy except it doesn''t taste like the animal died in vain.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t meat,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It¡¯s made of vegetables.¡±


    ¡°This is made of vegetables?¡± Jason asked, pointing at his food. ¡°This thing here.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus confirmed. ¡°It¡¯s a mash sausage.¡±


    ¡°There are vegetables here that taste like this?¡± Jason asked, shaking his head. ¡°I like ratatouille as much as the next guy but my world got ripped off. Vegans would love it here.¡±


    ¡°What''s a vegan?¡±


    ¡°They need to let Farrah out,¡± Rufus said, sounding bloated. ¡°At this point, I¡¯m fairly certain I¡¯ve eaten my body weight in food.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hear it for converting organic material into autonomically mutable biomass,¡± Jason said. ¡°Were those dumplings sweet or savoury?¡±


    ¡°Both,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°As in, they have both sweet and savoury dumplings, or each dumpling is somehow both sweet and savoury? Actually, don¡¯t spoil the surprise.¡±


    Even in the small hours of the morning, the area around the main administration was still full of people. While Jason was waiting in line for dumplings, Farrah was released from the sealed underground complex of the Builder response team and contacted them via voice chat. She, like Jason, had been stuck eating spirit coins for most of the last two years and took to the food stalls with the same enthusiasm he had.


    ¡°You never used to mind living on spirit coins,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°You never used to wax your head,¡± Farrah shot back before happily biting into a grilled sandwich.


    ¡°I don¡¯t wax my¡­¡±


    Rufus shook his head in resignation.


    ¡°What are we doing now?¡± he said, firmly changing the topic. ¡°This city might be lively at all hours but that doesn¡¯t make this a great time to go hunting for a place to stay.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll hit the water,¡± Jason said. ¡°We can stay in the boat overnight while we travel to Arnote and find a place in the morning. Then we can just portal back to Livaros to take contracts.¡±


    ¡°Or shop,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you haven¡¯t run off to grab some crystal wash, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I do have some self-control, you know.¡±


    Rufus and Farrah shared a look.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked them.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Rufus said. ¡°What did you do?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do anything.¡±


    They both gave Jason a flat look.


    ¡°I didn''t do anything,¡± he said again. ¡°I''m just glad people are so open to magic in this city.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Farrah asked.


    After Shade turned into a shadow boat that carried them out onto the sea, Jason had used the cloud flask to create a yacht. Shade took the helm was steering them towards the island of Arnote. Jason and Farrah were enjoying the luxuries of the cloud vessel, many of which were unusual to Rufus.


    ¡°I''m not sure I understand this music,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Why are people shouting at this pale boy to play music?¡±


    ¡°To change rock ''n'' rolling minds,¡± Farrah explained. ¡°It''s a self-explanatory song.¡±


    ¡°Exactly how thorough was the Adventure Society''s identity check?¡± Rufus asked, narrowing his eyes at her.


    While Rufus was familiar with the many amenities of Emir''s cloud flask constructs, and while Jason''s lacked many of the same, it did boast some that Emir''s did not. This was a result of feeding the cloud flask elements only available in Jason''s world, including quite a lot of technology quintessence.


    The result of this was a variety of effects that could be replicated with magic but were made more convenient with a technological aspect. For example, the extensive media collection in Jason and Farrah¡¯s recording crystals could be accessed via menu screens. As Farrah and Rufus were catching up while Farrah shared her new musical tastes, Jason was on the upper deck, laying out a magical diagram.


    One of Jason¡¯s happy discoveries in his short time on Livaros was that such a cosmopolitan magical city was open to all manner of unusual situations. This included shadowy familiars being seen as perfectly acceptable customers, so long as they had the power to communicate and sufficient coin. In the time Jason had been dealing with the Adventure Society, Shade had been roaming the city¡¯s night markets. Along with other critical supplies, he had been purchasing the required materials to resummon Jason¡¯s familiar, Gordon.


    In Rimaros, finding the materials to summon any silver-rank familiar was a question of money, rather than time. Jason had looted his way through proto-astral spaces, monster surges and transformation zones, the more numerous and high-rank of which came after he stopped supplying the Network with funds. As a result, Jason¡¯s coffers were, relative to a silver-ranker, at Scrooge McDuck levels of overflowing.


    Monster surges represented a specific economic cycle. While the surges were costly to communities, the rebuilding afterwards was always a stimulus. Governments funded the rebuilding, the money largely sourced from special services offered to adventurers and the Adventure Society. With the increased looting opportunities that surges brought, there was not shortage of demand for such services.


    Jason had been going through what amounted to concentrated private monster surges for years. Outside of family wealth, only a gold-ranker who had been operating for a decade could compete with Jason¡¯s current prosperity.


    Colin, in the form of a Jason look-alike blood clone, was standing next to one of Shade¡¯s bodies as they watched Jason prepare to reunite their little family. Jason carefully completed the ritual circle and chanted out the incantation.


    ¡°When worlds end, you are the arbiter. When gods fall, you are the instrument. Herald of annihilation, come forth and be my harbinger. I have doom to bring.¡±


    Under the night sky on open water, the stars were bright. The city island of Livaros was beautiful at night with its cornucopia of lights, but without the light pollution, the sky was a sea of twinkling lights, ruled by the twin moons.


    As Jason completed his ritual, the light of the moon and stars dimmed as darkness shrouded the boat. Eventually, the light was fully expunged, only Jason¡¯s power to see through darkness allowing him to see. Two motes of light appeared over the ritual circle, one orange and one blue. More lights appeared, slowly at first but accelerating until the individual motes became a cascade of blue and orange radiance. It swirled together to take the form of an eye-like nebula that was a match for the ones in Jason¡¯s eyes. Finally, the light coalesced into Jason¡¯s last familiar, a dark cloak draped over the nebula and orbited by smaller nebula eyes. Jason broke into a huge grin.


    ¡°Welcome home, mate.¡±


    In the early light of morning, the cloud yacht was approaching the island of Arnote. Jason was on the deck cooking breakfast with ingredients that Shade had picked up in the night markets of Livaros.


    ¡°Fair warning,¡± he told the lounging Rufus and Farrah, ¡°I don¡¯t know what most of this stuff is, so it¡¯s going to be trial and error for a while.¡±


    The Sea of Storms was calm, as was normal in any part of it not being subjected to the magical weather for which it was named. After breakfast, as the cloud yacht pulled into a small port, Jason stretched his arms out lazily, finally feeling like himself again. Eating actual food, fresh from a crystal wash shower and with trusted companions by his side, he felt at home on this unfamiliar sea in a way he never had on Earth.


    Miles Cotezee looked up as Humphrey and his team, plus hangers-on in Gary and Jory filled up his office.


    ¡°Do you have any idea what you¡¯ve asked me to do for you?¡± he said without preamble. ¡°How busy I am right now?


    They had returned to Vitesse aboard a Builder airship they casually picked up along the way, which the Magic Society had been very happy to take off their hands. They had immediately started scooping up contracts that others had passed over for being a pain, portalling around to clear a half dozen of them in two days.


    Their behaviour made it obvious that they had wanted something from the outset, with Miles the one they sought to get it through. Travel dispensation to an as-yet-undisclosed location during a monster surge was no small request.


    ¡°Asking for a status update on a dead team member is weird,¡± Miles said without preamble. ¡°And another from your team, Mr Xandier, which involved some administrative hoops, given your inactive status with the Adventure Society. Fortunately, your prompt registration for the monster surge brought you some goodwill in the eyes of the society.¡±


    ¡°You have news?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°You know, Humphrey, I thought you took after your father, seeming like such a sensible young man. It turns out that you¡¯re your mother¡¯s son after all.¡±


    ¡°He asked if you have news,¡± Sophie said, placing both hands on the desk sitting between them.


    ¡°Calm down, Sophie,¡± Miles told her. ¡°It does seem that you are right. Your dead team members have arisen from the grave and are alive and well in Rimaros, in the Sea of Storms.¡±


    The group shared looks of relief and joy.


    ¡°I made another discovery along with information, though. Your other team member, Mr Xandier, has registered his participation in the monster surge in Rimaros, alongside the other two.¡±


    ¡°Rufus is there already?¡± Gary said. ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°You now know as much as I do,¡± Miles said.


    ¡°Rimaros is the other side of the planet,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Miles said. ¡°Which makes obtaining a travel dispensation quite the task.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything you can do?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Of course there is,¡± Miles said. ¡°It¡¯s me. Clive, the operation that was delayed when you were sent away is not only back on but has been given priority. You pull this off with the kind of success you outlined in your initial proposal and I can get you your dispensation. You¡¯ll have to travel by airship, though. I can¡¯t shake loose a gold-rank portal user for this. Not even your mother, Humphrey.¡±


    Humphrey nodded.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even seen her since we got back,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re keeping her busy.¡±


    ¡°So we just have to do whatever Clive was up to before we all met up?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Miles said. ¡°The remnants of the church of Purity have been quiet for years but we¡¯re anticipating a big move from them during the monster surge. The society is looking for ways to hit them before they hit us and your plan, Clive, is one of many proposals being put into action. The new priority comes with a new caveat, however.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°The society wants a three-star silver in charge of it and none of you are higher than two. Someone else will be in charge of your team for the course of the operation.¡±

 Chapter 473: Small-Town Lifestyle

    Jason¡¯s yacht arrived at the narrow reef passage to a lagoon on the island of Arnote. Normally inaccessible to large water vehicles, the cloud vessel had no problem skimming over obstructions that would ground vessels with all but the most shallow of drafts.


    Jason, Rufus and Farrah stood on the yacht¡¯s bow as it moved into the lagoon, taking in the postcard-perfect circle of white sand and turquoise water. To their left, pristine sands curved halfway around the lagoon. There they met the base of the cliffs that ringed the other half of the lagoon¡¯s span.


    Behind the beach was a town that rose up over low hills, with colourful houses set amongst palm trees and lush greenery exploding with tropical flowers. The cliffs weren''t a sheer drop. Instead, it boasted more plants and trees, with winding pathways offering passage from the beach to the houses built along the clifftop. A waterfall spilled over the edge, tumbling down over the rocks to join the water of the lagoon.


    ¡°I told you right?¡± Jason said. ¡°You can¡¯t go wrong with a lagoon.¡±


    ¡°It is very nice,¡± Rufus acknowledged. ¡°A little quiet.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve earned some quiet,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Yes, we have,¡± Jason agreed.


    Children were playing on the beach, their parents watching over them. They stopped to watch the boat, much larger than most vessels that entered their lagoon. The kids understood that a boat that big meant magic and magic meant excitement. Not everyone was looking for quiet.


    There was only one pier, which was far too small for the yacht to even pull alongside. What room there was had already been occupied by a handful of shallow-draft boats and a couple of magical water skimmers. Jason placed the cloud flask down to reclaim the yacht and opened a portal to the pier, allowing Farrah, Rufus and himself to step through.


    Jason glanced over at the beach, smiling as the parents stopped the kids from rushing over to harass the unknown adventurers. A laconic middle-aged man came strolling along the pier, biting into a piece of fruit in his hand. Like most of the local celestines, he had caramel skin. His lanky hair was the colour of iron, matching his eyes and his iron-rank aura. He was wearing only a pair of shorts and a straw hat.


    He stopped in front of the trio, looking from them to the yacht dissolving behind them. It was being drawn back into the cloud flask like a genie returning to its lamp.


    ¡°Adventurers, then?¡± he drawled.


    ¡°That¡¯s us,¡± Jason said. ¡°Looking for a nice, quiet place to settle in for the surge.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s nice and quiet you¡¯re after, you¡¯ve come to the right place,¡± he said. ¡°Just make sure that is what you¡¯re after, yeah?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get more excitement than we¡¯re looking for on the job,¡± Jason said. ¡°We want a place where we can leave all that behind. I¡¯m Jason; this is Farrah and Rufus.¡±


    The man swapped the fruit to his left hand to shake hands with Jason. ¡°Emmett Dillivan, but folks just call me Argy.¡±


    ¡°Argy?¡±


    ¡°Like the fruit,¡± Argy said, waggling his half-eaten fruit in front of him. It looked like a large tangerine. ¡°My family¡¯s grown them here longer than most can remember. Sell ¡®em at markets all over the island. Including here in Palisaros, if you¡¯re interested.¡±


    ¡°Believe that he is,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Palisaros is the name of your lovely town?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t know before you came here?¡± Argy asked.


    ¡°This one was just obsessed with finding a lagoon,¡± Rufus said, thumbing a gesture at Jason.


    ¡°And it was completely worth it,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a genuine paradise you¡¯ve got here, Argy.¡±


    Argy chuckled.


    ¡°It is at that,¡± he agreed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you know where a bloke could lease or even buy a plot?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll want to talk to Pelli,¡± Argy said. ¡°Once you¡¯re done with your ship in a bottle, I¡¯ll take you along.¡±


    ¡°We''d appreciate that, Argy,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is Pelli the local land broker?¡±


    ¡°Mayor,¡± Argy said. ¡°She has been since before my family started growing fruit.¡±


    Argy led them down the pier and into the town. Farrah and Rufus were largely silent as Jason and Argy chatted, forming an easy rapport, Jason happily falling into Argy¡¯s laconic pace.


    Argy led them onto streets that were sealed with something that felt like asphalt but was more on an earthy light brown colour, flecked with white. Argy exchanged greetings with people dressed in light clothes, with loose shirts and sarongs the norm for both men and women. There were also plenty of skimpier clothes in evidence, with many men wearing only shorts and woman in shorts or sarongs and bikini-style tops. Footwear was either none or sandals and many had straw hats like Argy¡¯s.


    None of the people were using transport, magical or otherwise. It was a small-town lifestyle with none of the residents in any kind of rush. Compared to Livaros, even more busy than usual with the impending monster surge, the town Palimaros was laidback and inviting.


    Jason sensed a handful of silver and gold-ranked auras around the town but the people on the street were mostly normals, or irons and bronze-rank, core users. The other auras noticed the presence of Jason and his companions as well, none of whom were hiding their presence or power. The people were mostly caramel-skinned celestines with hair and eyes in various shades of gemstones and metal.


    Argy played tour guide as they walked, pointing out the saloon and town eateries, as well as where to find the market. The colourful houses were two or three storeys high and big on open space with covered walkways, balconies and awnings abounding. Jason¡¯s senses picked up that they all had magical amenities, while some hid more impressive magic. Like the disguised versions of constructs from his cloud flask, they were more than what they appeared.


    As they made their way up a meandering hill, Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow and handed over the cloud flask.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said as the flask shrank small enough in his hands to be returned to the chain around his neck.


    Reaching the house at the top, Jason¡¯s senses revealed it to not be one of the more magical ones. What he did sense was the gold rank core user behind it.


    Although many looked down on those who rank up through monster cores, a gold-ranker who did so was impressive in their own way. The level of resources required to reach that stage was immense. On Jason''s world, only a handful had managed it, even with whole nations dedicating themselves to the effort.


    Argy didn¡¯t bother to knock or even approach the front door, directly leading the other around the outside. Moving behind the house to the garden, they found a woman crouched down, working in a vegetable garden with rich, dark soil. She had her back to them at their approach, which she didn¡¯t acknowledge. Argy stopped, gesturing the others to do the same and stood to wait patiently. Jason, Rufus and Farrah were smart enough to do the same.


    It was another celestine, this one with sapphire blue hair tied back behind her head. It was an unusual colouration amongst the locals but one Jason had seen a couple of times before. The female gold-ranker in the anti-Builder taskforce had it, as did the princess, Zara Rimaros.


    Eventually, the woman stood up, trowel in hand, before turning to look over the group. She has the youthful appearance of an essence user but Jason felt a profound age in those eyes. The way they looked at him reminded him of Dawn.


    ¡°Emmet boy,¡± she said, her elderly tone incongruous with her young face and voice. ¡°What are you doing bringing adventurers into my yard?¡±


    ¡°They''re looking for a place to stay through the surge,¡± Argy told her. ¡°Nice and quiet is what they said.¡±


    ¡°Step forward, then,¡± she said to Jason, Farrah and Rufus. ¡°Let¡¯s have a look at you.¡±


    The trio formed a line in front of the woman. She started by looking over Farrah and giving her an approving nod. Then she looked at Rufus, her gaze settling on his face.


    ¡°You look a lot like your grandfather,¡± she told him.


    ¡°You know my grandfather?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°That old bastard has been running around longer than I have. Still, shouldn¡¯t hold that against you. He teach you proper, boy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve done my best to learn from him, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°The name¡¯s Pelli and I¡¯ll thank you to use it,¡± she said sharply. ¡°How did he take you being a magic swordsman, rather than a swordsman straight up?¡±


    ¡°My father already fought that battle, ma¡¯am¡­ Pelli,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I see. I heard he¡¯d mellowed after he took over some little guild somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Vitesse.¡±


    ¡°Well, no accounting for taste.¡±


    She turned her attention to Jason, looking him up and down. Her eyes lingered on where the large scar on his torso was hidden by his shirt.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you just the tough little nut,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve seen some action, boy. Real action.¡±


    She didn¡¯t ask Jason anything so he decided to stay silent. She nodded.


    ¡°Are you going to bring trouble to my island, boy?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a place to leave trouble behind,¡± he told her.


    ¡°And why here?¡±


    ¡°I grew up in a little beach town,¡± he said. ¡°Not as nice as yours, but I had the chance to go back for a while a couple of years ago. It was a nice few months, before life came calling again. It was the last bit of peace I¡¯ve had in a while.¡±


    ¡°And what happened to your little town when less peaceful things came knocking at your door?¡±


    ¡°I saw it protected and left it behind before anything came looking for me. The town was fine when a lot of other places weren¡¯t so lucky.¡±


    Pelli nodded.


    ¡°That was your cloud flask boat down there?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It was.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be needing a house, then; just a patch. Won¡¯t be a problem if it¡¯s a little difficult, yes?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be fine,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name, boy?¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano.¡±


    She burst out laughing, surprising all present, even Argy.


    ¡°Oh, this¡¯ll be fun,¡± she said. ¡°Emmett, boy, take them up the clifftop. They can have the west side of the waterfall.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Pelli,¡± Argy said, throwing curious glances at Jason.


    Argy led the others back down the hill, through the town and up onto the cliffs. Although there were roads, he took them down to the beach and then up through the forested cliff-face pathway and its impressive views of the lagoon.


    ¡°This is a gorgeous town you have here,¡± Jason told Argy.


    ¡°We like it,¡± Argy said. ¡°How is it that Pelli knew your name, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°Until yesterday, I hadn¡¯t set foot on this side of the planet.¡±


    ¡°You have no idea?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°I didn''t say no idea,¡± Jason told him. ¡°I said not sure.¡±


    The cliff-side path led up to the neighbourhood that spread inland from the clifftop.


    ¡°This is the fancy part of town,¡± Argy explained. The houses here were slightly bigger and Jason sensed more magic from them, but they didn¡¯t look substantially different from the others. ¡°If you go back far enough you reach the royal estate. It¡¯s all walled off and you can only really get a glimpse of the grounds from the outside. You see them around town from time to time but mostly they keep to themselves.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the side branches right?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t presume to say,¡± Argy said. ¡°Just watch your manners if you see anyone with blue hair.¡±


    ¡°Like Pelli,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Argy said. ¡°She¡¯s probably got some blood ties to the royal family but no one¡¯s brave or stupid enough to ask.¡±


    Argy led them to a path that followed the clifftop edge, accessible to all the houses running along it. The adventurers could sense some kind of magic at the very edge of the cliff.


    ¡°There''s magic to keep people from falling off?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Kids and booze exist,¡± Argy told her. ¡°We find it''s for the best.¡±


    There weren''t any fences between houses and yards ran one into another. There were plenty of people outside, including a lot of children playing with pets or each other. Most of the pets were a breed of dog that looked like short-haired golden retrievers, but there were also playful lizards, six-legged rabbits and what looked like large otters.


    Argy exchanged waved greetings as they went until they arrived at an area of long grass beside the river that spilled over the cliff to the lagoon below.


    The river was about twenty metres across and had children splashing about with their pets. They looked upstream to where the river came out of the higher hills to split the neighbourhood in two. The halves of the small residential district were connected by a bridge and, further along, they could see a house that spanned the river itself, the water running beneath it.


    ¡°I like that house,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Mr Warnock''s,¡± Argy said. ¡°Adventurer, like you all, but gold-rank. Nice fella, though. Don''t look down on people, you know? Your spot is on the other side of the river.¡±


    Argy pointed across the water.


    ¡°Are you folks right to cross here or should we head to the bridge?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fine,¡± Rufus said. As silver-rankers, they could levitate themselves so long as they were able to concentrate without interruption. They floated over the river while Argy walked over the water using some manner of essence ability.


    On the far side was another open patch of long grass, but most of it was occupied by a fenced-off area in the middle. The metal bars of the fence prevented children from falling into the large hole in the ground but Jason could sense the barrier was a magic item producing an unseen magical dome.


    ¡°Cave goes into the cliff and out behind the waterfall,¡± Argy explained. ¡°Pelli had a magic barrier put in because the older kids were always daring each other to go down and getting themselves hurt. Broke my own leg, back in the day. Got me a kiss from Trudi Willix, so I¡¯m going to say worth it.¡±


    Jason walked to the edge of the cliff, Rufus and Farrah following. They looked out over the lagoon and out at the ocean beyond. Jason did something he hadn¡¯t done in a long time and took a deep breath. He wasn¡¯t even sure how, given his body no longer had lungs, but the warm air mixed with cool ocean breeze was a balm to the soul.


    ¡°This will do just nicely.¡±

 Chapter 474: I Don’t Need to Invent Icecream

    The kids playing in the river spotted Farrah disabling the magical barrier around the hole in the ground and came ashore to watch her uproot the fence.


    ¡°You can fix that afterwards, right?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Easily,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s designed to be easy to maintain, so I¡¯m not damaging it at all.¡±


    When she was done, Jason set down the cloud flask which started spilling out cloud-stuff to slowly form his new cloud house right over the hole.


    The three adults watched as one of the bolder children, egged on by her friends, came up to touch the cloud stuff as it was taking shape. She giggled as the cloud stuff passed through her fingers and shortly after, the children were charging at the walls and springing off like it was a bouncy castle. They only stopped when the house was complete and solidified into a shape that matched the surrounding houses. This drew a chorus of boos from the children.


    While the house was forming, the neighbours, keeping an eye on the kids, had come out to take stock of Jason and the others. The presence of Argy and Jason¡¯s friendliness quickly smoothed out any friction and they went away anticipating a neighbourhood barbecue.


    ¡°We only have so much time to make preparations,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It will only take a few days for the rising magical saturation to start triggering manifestations in earnest. As for the Builder¡¯s forces, who knows how or when they¡¯ll arrive?¡±


    Farrah nodded.


    ¡°We need to gear up first,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯ve been making do with what items we could loot, make or trade but Greenstone was bad enough and Earth was worse. Now we can finally get some equipment befitting our rank.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s take a little tour of the new homestead, grab some lunch at the market then portal back to Livaros.¡±


    They thanked Argy, who promised to spread the word about the barbecue.


    ¡°Tomorrow night, then,¡± Argy said. ¡°You are going to have enough food, right?¡±


    ¡°I was more thinking just some of the neighbours,¡± Jason said to Rufus and Farrah as he waved at Argy walking off into the distance. ¡°I get the feeling I should check out that market, maybe stock up the food supply a little more.¡±


    They went inside the cloud house, which was not disguised as a normal building on the inside and was overtly made from luxurious cloud stuff. Although still primarily cloud white, the supplemental colours had some differences to what Rufus was used to from Emir¡¯s cloud buildings.


    ¡°Yours doesn''t have quite the same sunset colours," he said as they walked through the house. "There are darker areas and the colours are a lot like your new eyes."


    ¡°Emir told me that each cloud flask will become different over time,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re bonded to the owners, who also make their own supplemental changes. Plus, mine is a little more bonded than most.¡±


    During his time on Earth, Jason had looted a vast number of quintessence gems. This was especially true in the latter stages of his time there when the loot was higher rank and he had stopped supplying the Network. Much of that quintessence had been fed right into the cloud flask and he had yet to test the full breadth of its capabilities.


    The idea of replicating a mirage chamber was especially appealing now that Jason has Rufus on hand. He was certain that Rufus could help him master the combat trance and a mirage chamber would be perfect. Adding a mirage chamber to the cloud flask¡¯s capabilities was not yet possible, however, and would have significant drawbacks once it was.


    Emir had given Jason a thick notebook with all his knowledge and experience from owning a cloud flask, which had been of immense help. This was how Jason knew a mirage chamber function was possible, if troublesome. The cloud flask would need to be gold-rank before it could handle the level of sophisticated magic involved in the complex simulation programming a mirage chamber required. Jason likening it to the CPU needing an upgrade.


    Even if it were viable, it would require a very large amount of extremely hard to get and very high-rank quintessence, along with other rare and expensive materials. Beyond the upfront costs, replicating the mirage chamber effect was extremely energy-intensive. Rather than fuelling it with a fortune in spirit coins, it was more cost-effective to hire out an ordinary mirage chamber.


    Outside of low-magic zones, where such chambers were rare and privately held, it was more feasible to simply rent one. The cost of adding one to a cloud flask was sufficiently prohibitive that even when he spent a year in Greenstone, Emir did not do so. He had training rooms with cloud-dummy opponents that were good enough that it wasn''t worth the effort and expense of a mirage chamber.


    Jason¡¯s cloud flask was already different to Emir¡¯s, with even the usage over time impacting its development. Emir preferred grandiose displays of overt magic and his cloud flask constructs were huge and eye-catching. Jason''s, even in grand palace mode didn''t match the size of Emir''s.


    At first, Jason had thought this was a function of rank, with his silver-rank flask not matching up to Emir''s gold. As he forged a deeper bond with the flask, though, he came to realise that the way he used it was shaping it over time. Jason had almost always employed the camouflage variant and it had become increasingly flexible and responsive in matching both the local environment and Jason¡¯s desires. Each time he created a new vehicle or abode, now, it was like everything in it was exactly how he¡¯d wanted it without consciously considering it.


    This was true once again as Jason and his companions checked out the latest cloud construct that would be their home, at least for a while. There were a lot more bedrooms than they needed, which Farrah pointed out.


    ¡°Our teams are going to find us eventually,¡± Jason explained, realising the cloud flask had responded to his desire for a reunion with his friends.


    ¡°Jory will most likely be with them,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯m surprised you didn¡¯t set up an alchemy lab that only makes crystal wash.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve put in the right quintessence in for that,¡± Jason said. "I still have a long way to go before catching up to Emir on that front. I managed to shovel a lot of stuff in but most of it was of low or mid-rank. Earth is only just coming into real magic. I did manage to dump in some higher-end stuff later on but it was fairly specific to where I picked it up.¡±


    ¡°The second transformation zone?¡± Farrah asked.


    "Yeah," Jason said. "Besides, I can''t have Jory turn up and immediately put him to the grindstone. I went ahead and made other arrangements."


    ¡°Jason, what did you do?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°And when did you do it?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°I was with you from the moment you left the Adventure Society building.¡±


    ¡°Shade is as eloquent and distinguished an agent as a person could ask for,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Asano,¡± Shade said from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°If anything,¡± Jason said, ¡°it¡¯s better sending him to get things done than going in person.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Remember the laying low plan?¡±


    "It''s fine," Jason assured her. "I''ve been careful. I remembered something Clive told me about a long time ago that would keep me from making a splash."


    ¡°Shade, I think he¡¯s ruining you,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Rufus told her with a laugh. ¡°There¡¯s no coming between an adventurer and their familiar.¡±


    Rufus was surprised at the dark expression that covered Jason and Farrah¡¯s faces, not knowing they were thinking of Noreth. The ambiguous antagonist had once been a familiar that turned on his adventurer, setting in motion events that, centuries later, led to a death toll of millions.


    "Let''s move on," Farrah suggested and they explored the unique feature of the house that came from the environment. There was an elevating platform that descended into the cave at a slight angle. Rather than seal off the natural walls, the house had left them on full display and illuminating them with colourful lights.


    The platform carried them down to a larger cavern that opened out behind the waterfall. The cloud house created a soft, level floor, and Jason could feel an invisible mist below the ceiling that wicked away any moisture that would otherwise drop into the room. The natural walls and ceiling were on full display and, like the cave shaft, lit up with multicoloured lights. The cavern had been made into a bar and dining lounge with cloud furniture, although Jason could reconfigure the room at will. The furniture was laid out to make the waterfall opening the focus of the room, the sunlight sparkling through the water like diamonds.


    ¡°I think we found the VIP room,¡± Jason said.


    The island city of Livaros was rich in both magic and people. Like many such cities, it had several open squares set aside for teleportation and portal arrivals. While the arrival of a portal was not inherently dangerous, it was potentially disruptive and could lead to accidents. Using such means of travel to arrive in public spaces other than portal squares was prohibited.


    When he had registered at the Adventure Society, Jason had been given an item that would give a visual indication at the Livaros portal squares before his portal opened there. The market district portal square lit up with bright silver light before Jason¡¯s portal arch rose from the ground and he stepped out, followed by Farrah and Rufus. Rufus took a moment to shake off the disorientation of dimensional travel that neither Jason nor Farrah felt, being outworlders with a shared affinity for astral energy.


    ¡°So, shopping,¡± Jason said. ¡°We can keep in contact with party chat and meet up before we head over to the jobs hall. If you don¡¯t have anything to buy, Rufus, get an ice cream or something.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s an ice cream?¡± Rufus asked.


    A look of panic crossed Farrah¡¯s face.


    ¡°Jason, you have to invent ice cream. You do know how to make ice cream, right?¡±


    "I don''t need to invent ice cream; this world has it already. I had something a lot like qulfi when I was in Jayapura. I have to imagine there are variants of ice cream all over.¡±


    Her shoulders slumped with relief.


    ¡°Since when do you care so much about food?¡± Rufus asked her.


    ¡°You can eat spirit coins if you like,¡± Farrah told him. ¡°I¡¯ve lived in the land of refined sugar.¡±


    Farrah''s dimensional bags were laden with her share of the spirit coins they looted on Earth. She had fought far fewer monsters than Jason, having worked on the grid while he was clearing proto-spaces. She had also missed both transformation zones but Jason never bothered to count up and just gave her half.


    As she roamed about the shops of Livaros catering specifically to adventurers, she had specific goals in mind.


    Farrah and Humphrey filled the same role, that of brawler. High durability melee attackers, their purpose was to dish out damage while being able to take an amount of punishment in return. Their power sets had differences, with Farrah having a variety of mid to long-range attacks while Humphrey had higher mobility, but on any team, their position would be to both give and take heavy hits.


    Once they started to supplement themselves with items, their differences in approaching the same role became increasingly apparent. Because items, unlike power, were purchased and could be changed, they had a level of flexibility and, with sufficient money, the wearer could even use multiple equipment sets to modify the way they filled their role.


    This was an expensive endeavour, leading to most adventurers gearing up to enhance the direction their powers already lead. Belinda was a victim of this with her focus on adopting various roles. Not only did she need a lot of equipment but ideally, the equipment would be good enough to help compensate always being an imitation of the real thing.


    Both Humphrey and Farrah combined durability with excellent attack power and the ability to operate at different ranges, either through mobility or ranged attacks. All of that came at the price of endurance, their mana and stamina unable to sustain them for long at full power.


    The items they sought out highlighted their different responses to this shared weakness, shaped by their specific powers and circumstances. For Humphrey, his team offered both exceptional mana recovery and accelerated ability cooldowns. He leaned into this and equipped items that would accelerate his mana and stamina recovery. This allowed him to extend his impactful presence in battle and bring some much-needed reliability to the team.


    Where Humphrey sought to mitigate the weakness, Farrah sought to enhance her strength. She had a handful of passive powers that amplified her basic attacks to levels that were acceptable, if not ideal. She generally used these to keep her true might in reserve for when it was needed most. In critical moments she would explode with power, unleashing overwhelming eruptions of damage.


    She doubled-down on this by picking up items that either boosted ordinary attacks or offered significant but short-lived power amplification. Her mana and stamina items were powerful and immediate, at the cost of less sustained recovery.


    Farrah¡¯s approach was the best fit for her powers and a good match for how adventurers operated in Rimaros. The local adventurers valued those who excelled in highly specific roles, even if that specificity came at a cost.


    Rufus did buy himself some upgraded equipment. Having spent most of the last few years in Greenstone he had neither the opportunity nor the need for quality silver-rank equipment. Rimaros during a monster surge was a very different story. He had less to buy than Farrah or Jason, though, and took the time to casually wander the market. At a nearby stall, he overheard another variation of the conversation he''d heard a half-dozen times already.


    ¡°No, I wanted a whole case.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a whole case; I have six bottles. That¡¯s the price for six bottles.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday, that was the price for a whole case.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday I had a whole case.¡±


    ¡°You told me that you had a barrel of the stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday I did. I¡¯m not responsible for your lack of decisiveness.¡±


    ¡°Who bought a whole barrel?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Some lord brokered it through the Alchemy Association, and it wasn¡¯t just me. If you want a crate¡¯s worth, I suggest you grab what people have on shelf right now. It¡¯ll be lean pickings until people get their next batches from the vats. Don¡¯t expect it any cheaper than here, though. I¡¯m only offering you this because you married my ex-wife.¡±


    ¡°Can I get a discount if I give her back?¡±


    ¡°Do that and I charge you double.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re already charging me double.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well it¡¯ll be double-double.¡±


    ¡°Do you mean quadruple?¡±


    ¡°Shut your smart mouth!¡±


    ¡°You know, this is why Ella left you¡­¡±


    Rufus shook his head and moved on.

 Chapter 475: Remaining Unremarkable

    While Farrah could easily slip into the role of a specialist, Jason could not do so as easily. No amount of items would turn him into the plague cannon the locals wanted in their affliction specialists, able to blanket groups or burn down individuals with equal ease, usually at range from behind the safety of allies, summons or both.


    One of the reasons Jason had seen so few affliction specialists was that Greenstone was primarily a human city and few humans pursued that path. Their aptitude for special attacks meant that an affliction specialist would often end up forced into melee.


    Jason wasn¡¯t even human and was familiar with that challenge. Elves and Runics were the most common affliction wielders, as their predilection for spells made a ranged power set much more likely. If Jason tried to be an affliction specialist in the Rimaros style, from behind a wall of allies, he would only justify his second-rate status by leaving most of his abilities unused.


    When gearing himself up, Jason didn¡¯t even try to pander to local sensibilities. He believed in the way that Rufus, Farrah and Gary had trained him and he wasn¡¯t going to turn away from that to play half-cooked adventurer.


    With his plethora of conjured and growth items, Jason had little use for more permanent items to enhance his general combat style. The only item he desired was the sword Rufus told him Gary had already reforged. Items Jason had enjoyed in the past, like the boots that enhanced his jumping, had been made largely unnecessary by his silver-rank attributes and abilities. As such, his item purchases were very much based on the idea of conditional use.


    For Jason, battle was about adaptation. Rather than going for fixed items, he stocked up on consumables that he could match to his needs in any given moment. First amongst these was a healthy collection of silver-rank throwing darts with various single-use effects. While not as cost-effective as the lower-rank variants that Jason could make himself, those were no longer good enough at his current rank. Buying from a capable artificer gave him a more powerful, varied and reliable selection.


    Jason made more purchases along the same lines, from magical explosives to an array of potions that could potentially come in handy. Jason was confident in any circumstance for which his powers were suited, so he focused on contingencies for circumstances that weren¡¯t.


    Standing in an alchemy stall with a bag of potions in hand, Jason''s mind was drawn back to his first proper fight with a silver-ranker. He and his team had fought the Purity Archbishop, Nicolas Hendren, who had carried on him a similar bag full of silver-rank potions. It had been an incredibly difficult battle, the silver-ranker seeming almost immortal in the face of Jason''s bronze-rank team. It reminded Jason that the essence users of this world were so much more dangerous than those of Earth and he resolved again not to underestimate any opponents he might face.


    Jason¡¯s consumable expenditure was rather excessive, made possible by his significant wealth and the dimensional storage his inventory offered, but he always wore a potion belt to keep critical potions in easy reach. He bought a new silver-rank potion belt to protect potions he wore from incidental damage.


    ¡°That colour matches your conjured robes very well, sir,¡± the shop attendant told him.


    ¡°My only concern is function,¡± Jason insisted. ¡°I only conjured my robes to test the fit.¡±


    ¡°Of course, sir.¡±


    ¡°Show me the black one again.¡±


    The potion belt was not the only permanent item he purchased, but the others all fell under his doctrine of conditional use. Being in the Sea of Storms, he splurged on several powerful items designed to aid fighting underwater or in heavy storm conditions. This was hardly an uncommon choice, so there were plenty of such items available, although the prices were high and quickly rising. Jason was far from the only outside adventurer looking to tool up for local conditions.


    Once he was done with his equipment, Jason moved on to more important matters. Leaving the market, Shade guided him to a nearby and very busy warehousing district. It serviced both the craftsman quarter and the marketing district he had just left behind.


    There was a bustle of activity as wagons and carts, magical and heidel-drawn, carried about large quantities of goods. Some wagons were even floating through the air, although they always remained over the streets. Jason assumed this was due to some manner of air traffic regulation.


    Arriving at a small warehouse, Jason waited out of the way, hidden in shadow until a magically driven carriage arrived and stopped in the yard outside the large freight doors of the warehouse. A man with a bronze-rank aura and finely tailored but unostentatious clothes stepped down from the carriage and Jason emerged from the shadows to meet him, Shade at his side.


    ¡°Good day to you again, Mr Shade,¡± the man said with a short bow. ¡°Mr Asano, I presume.¡±


    ¡°Indeed I am,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Mr Asano, my name is Mr Broyles. I am employed by Lord Casowich to manage and verify his acquisitions. I come to you with his compliments.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir. Perhaps we should step inside?¡±


    "By all means," the butler said and opened a normal-sized door next to the large freight doors of the warehouse with a rune-engraved key. It led into a small private office.


    ¡°It¡¯s all in there?¡± Jason asked, nodding in the direction of the main warehouse.


    ¡°It certainly is,¡± Broyles said. ¡°My Lord is very satisfied with the item, so long as its providence can be confirmed. Once it has, I am directed to grant you access to the goods.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Jason said.


    Broyles plucked a crystal from his personal dimensional space. He used it to test Jason, the crystal shining with a strong silver colour as Jason gripped it. Four markings appeared on the crystal at the same time.


    ¡°Silver rank confirmed,¡± Broyles said happily. ¡°And you¡¯ve reached the fourth threshold with all attributes, which I believe is known in adventuring circles as the wall. Congratulations, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Broyles.¡±


    Broyles took out another magical device, this one looking like a set of scales, with one of the two weight plates softly padded with cloth. The central stand holding the scale upright was topped with a clear crystal.


    Broyles set the scale on a table and took out a small box. Opening it revealed a padded interior and a single object: what looked like a diamond in the shape of a coin. Within the coin, like ink spilled into water, was the image of a man giving a thumbs up. Broyles pulled on a pair of white gloves, took the coin and held it up, comparing it to Jason. Jason gave Broyles a thumbs up, matching the image on the coin. With a slight smile, Broyles nodded and placed to coin onto the padded weight of the scale.


    ¡°Mr Asano, if you would please place your palm on the device.¡±


    Jason placed his hand on the unpadded plate. The crystal on the scale immediately lit up green.


    ¡°Perfect,¡± Broyles said, retuning the coin to the small box and the box to his dimensional spaces, followed by the scale device.


    ¡°That¡¯s everything?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°That is sufficient confirmation that the diamond-rank coin was looted by a silver-rank essence user.¡±


    ¡°I was actually bronze at the time, but I suppose you can¡¯t check that.¡±


    ¡°Sadly no,¡± Broyles said. ¡°The church of Knowledge has been reluctant to hire out its clergy for the purpose of authenticating valuables. Lord Casowich has already exhausted the local temple''s indulgence on that matter. Even so, a unique coin design, a diamond-rank coin produced by even a silver-rank essence user is quite exceptional."


    Broyles frowned.


    ¡°My lord felt ethically bound to have me inform you, on confirmation of the item¡¯s providence, that the goods you have asked for are most certainly not equal to the value of that which you have provided to him.¡±


    Jason smiled.


    "Mr Broyles, I hold that you cannot put a price on discretion and the chance to acquaint oneself with people of character and substance."


    Broyles returned the smile.


    ¡°Very good, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I do have one question, Mr Broyles.¡±


    ¡°And what is that, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°The other gentleman in the room. I assume he is here to safeguard the coin and the goods, should my intentions be nefarious?¡±


    Jason took an argy fruit from his inventory and tossed it casually over his shoulder. A man dressed in black and grey appeared and caught it.


    ¡°Fresh from the Arnote market,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re very good.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Broyles said, ¡°I believe you¡¯ve just embarrassed Mr Visk.¡±


    Broyles moved to the door leading into the main warehouse and unlocked it with his key. Visk, keeping an eye on Jason, sat the fruit down on the desk. Jason picked it up and bit into it.


    ¡°Everything inside is yours, Mr Asano,¡± Broyles said. ¡°You require no further transport for the goods?¡±


    ¡°I do not, Mr Broyles.¡±


    ¡°And you wish for us to dispose of the barrels afterwards?¡±


    ¡°That would be appreciated.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Then Mr Visk and I will leave you to your business. Any of the doors will open from the inside, so if you would close them behind you on your way out, that would be appreciated.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to do so, Mr Broyles.¡±


    Jason waited until Broyles and Visk had entered the carriage and driven off. He couldn¡¯t sense any other observers, either auras or the magic of spying devices, although that did not mean they weren¡¯t present. In Lord Casowich¡¯s position, Jason would have arranged a well-hidden observer to be found and an exceptionally well-hidden observer to not be.


    Jason had only revealed Visk to make a point, however, and felt no need to hide his objective. He had no doubt that Casowich had the resources to make a thorough investigation before Broyles arrived at the warehouse. He tugged the cloud flask from his neck chain and pulled a funnel from his inventory.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get started, shall we, Shade?¡±


    A flying manta ray swam through the air over Arnote. The creature¡¯s skin glinted like sapphires in the sun while the air in front of it shimmered in a wedge as the creature¡¯s magic cut through the sky. On the manta¡¯s back was a woman whose hair was an almost exact match for the creature¡¯s sapphire skin.


    The manta hovered over the yard of a hilltop house and the rider disembarked as another woman emerged from the building. The two women had a strong resemblance, with caramel skin and vibrant blue hair.


    ¡°Vesper,¡± Pelli greeted.


    ¡°Ancestor,¡± Vesper said with a respectful bow.


    ¡°Oh, now stop with that nonsense,¡± Pelli said, waving her hands at Vesper. ¡°You call me Aunt Pelli, like when you were a girl. I¡¯m just an old core user.¡±


    ¡°Wisdom and experience are both deserving of respect, Aunt Pelli. You have an abundance of both.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re calling me old?¡±


    ¡°Of course not, Aunt Pelli.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re calling me very old,¡± Pelli said, turning and shaking her head as she started wandering away. ¡°Abundance of experience, dear gods¡­¡±


    Vesper smiled to herself as she followed Pelli around the side of the house. Being teased by the old woman brought back fond memories of days spent in Arnote as a child. Pelli led them to the front yard where they could look out over the town spread out below them and across the lagoon to the cliffs.


    ¡°That house, next to the waterfall,¡± Pelli pointed. Vesper¡¯s silver-rank vision had no trouble making it out, seeing it looked much like the houses around it.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that where the waterfall cave shaft is?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Pelli said. ¡°I allowed some outside adventurers to set up a cloud house there while they¡¯re staying for the monster surge.¡±


    ¡°You know, Zara missed out on winning a cloud flask a few years ago. It went to some fool boy who got himself killed and it was lost.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t think much of him, then?¡±


    ¡°It was a rigged contest. He only won it because he¡¯s a friend of Emir Bahadir. Also, the boy was absurd.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he¡¯s matured.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dead.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t strike me as the sort to let that stop him.¡±


    Vesper narrowed her eyes and looked at the distant house again.


    ¡°Are you saying¡­?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That house was most likely made by the very same cloud flask you just mentioned.¡±


    Vesper ran a hand over her face.


    ¡°That¡¯s inconvenient. This is why you called me here.¡±


    ¡°I knew it was potentially delicate. Given that you¡¯re close to Zara and met the boy yourself, I thought it was best to see how you want to handle it. The things Zara has been saying, they are lies, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course they are; she met the boy twice.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good at least.¡±


    ¡°Is he here for her? Does he think the branch of the family here on Arnote is his way in?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± Pelli said. ¡°Of course, I¡¯ve been wrong before. But my instincts tell me that he has larger concerns than our little princess.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t see through his aura.¡±


    ¡°What rank is he?¡±


    ¡°Silver, but his aura is quite remarkable. Death is not the only trial the boy has faced.¡±


    Vesper rubbed her forehead as she frowned.


    ¡°We kill him,¡± she said. ¡°So long as he¡¯s dead or very far away, it doesn¡¯t matter what Zara has been saying.¡±


    ¡°You should never have let her do it in the first place.¡±


    ¡°You think I wanted to? You try getting that girl to do anything you tell her.¡±


    ¡°Tone, Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Aunt Pelli,¡± Vesper said, lowering her head.


    ¡°Killing the boy is not a good idea. He has Roland Remore¡¯s favourite grandson living with him, so a more diplomatic approach might be best.¡±


    Vesper groaned.


    ¡°This is going to be a mess,¡± she said. ¡°Perhaps we can politely suggest he go away and never come back. Do you know if he¡¯s registered locally for the monster surge?¡±


    ¡°I believe they came here fresh from having done so.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate. We could get him travel dispensation but not without people wondering why. If House Irios gets wind of this, things could get ugly.¡±


    "My dear," Pelli said, "I''m afraid you may need to deal with this one head-on."


    ¡°Gods damn that girl.¡±


    Pelli chuckled.


    ¡°You know, I remember another wilful young girl running around this island.¡±


    ¡°I grew up,¡± Vesper said.


    ¡°And into a fine young woman, might I say,¡± Pelli told her.


    ¡°Aunt Pelli, I¡¯m sixty-seven.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Pelli said. ¡°You¡¯ve got your whole life ahead of you. Do you expect to reach gold rank during the surge?¡±


    ¡°I hope so, but nothing is certain. This will not be a normal surge, Aunt Pelli. Even more so than people think. Have you been told?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m just an old woman on a hill. Who would tell me the important matters of state?¡±


    Vesper gave her ancestor a wry smile, then looked back across the lagoon to Jason¡¯s cloud house.


    ¡°If he didn¡¯t come for Zara, does he even know?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it,¡± Pelli said. ¡°I think he would be conducting himself a little differently if he did.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps it¡¯s time he did,¡± Vesper said. ¡°If I can¡¯t kill him or get rid of him, I can only try and convince him to quietly ride out the surge and leave. He¡¯s just one of countless silver-rankers, after all.¡±


    ¡°A sensible approach,¡± Pelli said, ¡°but one should not wager everything on hope. Some people are simply ill-suited to remaining unremarkable.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Aunt Pelli. I would welcome your counsel on this.¡±


    ¡°Of course, dear. We should start with deciding what to tell Zara. You can never be entirely sure what that girl is going to do¡­¡±


    Shirtaloon


    The fan-voted Dragon Awards are coming up, so if anyone was inclined to give me a nudge in the fantasy book category, that would be an absolute little ripper.


    Anyone so inclined can do it here: https://application.dragoncon.net/dc_fan_awards_nominations.php

 Chapter 476: A Damn Fine Way to Start Off a War

    The Vitesse branch of the Adventure Society was bustling with activity. Miles Cotezee walked down a hallway towards one of the large briefing rooms with an unusual adventurer at his side. The man was an elf with reddish skin, stark white hair and golden eyes. His sand-coloured leather outfit had many tribal marking stitches into it forming beautiful patterns matched by the tattoos on his skin. The buckle of his belt depicted purple flames in the shape of a flower, the symbol of the Burning Violet guild.


    He was lean and muscular, walking with an easy, languid grace. Nonetheless, Miles got the impression from him of a spring ready to launch. There was a quiet intensity to the man that reminded Miles of the man¡¯s father.


    They entered the briefing room, which was set up like a lecture hall with a stage at the front and rows of chairs rising up a staggered floor. Humphrey Geller and his team were already waiting, Humphrey himself standing alert and watchful as they came in. Clive was fiddling with a recording crystal projector while Sophie, Belinda, Neil and Gary were sat around a table and chairs Belinda had made with her power to create simple objects. The cards they were playing with were not made by her power, following a number of wager-related incidents.


    There was one member of the group absent, Jory, who had been summoned away by the church of the Healer. While Miles had been able to get travel dispensation to reunite Humphrey and Gary''s teams, Jory was not a member of either. While neither he nor Belinda was happy about being separated again, especially in such uncertain times, they each had their own responsibilities.


    Relationships amongst adventurers always had challenges. With travel frequent, those not in the same team could expect long periods of separation. For those that were on the same team, the logistics were easier but the dangers were far greater. Emotions overruling judgement could put the team in danger, while an acrimonious split could break teams apart.


    Everyone looked up as Miles and the adventurer entered, looking over the stranger. Only Gary recognised him, the elf and the leonid exchanging a nod of greeting. Belinda started packing up the cards and dismissing her conjured furniture.


    ¡°I know that having an outsider made leader of your team, even temporarily, is not a situation anyone wants,¡± Miles said. ¡°Now that you¡¯ve all been inducted into the Burning Violet, I was able to make sure it was someone from your guild."


    ¡°Hey, Ken,¡± Gary said. ¡°You¡¯ve been keeping busy, I see.¡±


    ¡°The hunt goes well,¡± the elf said. ¡°I was sorry to hear your path was darkened when the light of your companion was cast from it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯ve been some dark days,¡± Gary said, ¡°but the ones ahead are looking brighter. Farrah¡¯s back.¡±


    Ken stood up a little straighter.


    ¡°The lady of stone and fire has returned to the path? How did this come to be?¡±


    ¡°Not sure how, exactly. I¡¯ve got this friend whose disregard for the rules apparently extends to the laws of life and death. I¡¯d say it¡¯d get him into trouble but, from what I hear, he¡¯s running out of kinds of trouble to get into.¡±


    ¡°I think you might be underestimating him,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°It¡¯s some secretive whatever but I don¡¯t care,¡± Gary said. ¡°So long as my friends are alive and I can go find them, the hows and whys don¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°I am glad that your path has brightened, Gareth.¡±


    ¡°Ken, I told you to call me Gary.¡±


    ¡°Yet you persist in calling my aunt Sweet Buns,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°But she makes those really delicious sweet buns,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯m not being lascivious.¡±


    ¡°Your words do not tell the same story as the tone in which you use them, Gareth.¡±


    ¡°You did sound a little creepy,¡± Belinda told Gary.


    ¡°Lindy¡­¡± Gary whined.


    ¡°How about we all introduce ourselves?" Miles interjected. "Well, not me and Gary. We already know everyone."


    The elf nodded.


    ¡°I am Kenneth, son of Brian,¡± he said.


    ¡°As in, Brian, son of Kevin?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It is so,¡± Ken said. ¡°You know my father?¡±


    "No, but I''ve heard stories of his power and skill," Sophie said. "And yours. You beat Rufus Remore."


    Gary burst out laughing.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said. ¡°I wish I¡¯d gotten to see that, but I didn¡¯t know Rufus back then. Apparently, he was a one-man gang of assholes before Ken knocked the excess pride out."


    ¡°Rufus was a Thadwick?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t speak ill of the dead,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°That guy sold out his family, his world and his soul in that order. Now some monster is out there somewhere, using his body as a meat suit. There¡¯s only ill to speak.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps we should consider our team member who was once his companion and say nothing at all,¡± Humphrey said.


    Sophie winced, turning to look at Neil.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Neil lied.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± she said softly.


    ¡°Sorry, Neil,¡± Clive said.


    The team introduced themselves. They¡¯d been worried about whom they''d be saddled with, but if at least Gary knew him, they were willing to at least give him a chance. Not long after, more teams came shuffling into the room and sitting down. There was another team of silver-rankers and six teams of bronze-rankers. Once they had all arrived, the room was quite full.


    The team, plus Ken and Gary followed Humphrey¡¯s lead in sitting down in the front row, the bronze attendees knowing to leave it for the silvers. Miles stood in front of the assemblage to make an address.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to start with some background so that everyone is in the same place in regards to the operation you will be conducting,¡± he began. ¡°Some of what I have to say you should all already know, while some of you will be learning for the first time.¡±


    He paused, making sure he had everyone¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Roughly three and a half years ago, we first discovered the presence of the Builder cult and their intentions. Their goal was to tear strips off of our world with no regard for the death and destruction doing so would bring about. The cultists started taking people and torturing their souls until they opened those souls up to be implanted with star seeds that controlled them and turned them into slaves.¡±


    Miles paused, letting everyone dwell on the topic. Everyone in the room knew someone who had been affected by star seed implantation.


    ¡°What we thought was a distraction proved to be something far more insidious. As a world, we turned to our gods for help against this invader from beyond our world, and the gods answered. How could we know that one of them was a traitor? Purity stepped up to help purge the star seeds from the victims of the cult. This put them in a crucial position in the widespread response to the cult. It was only later that we realised that this was all part of a plan for the Purity church to serve as infiltrators, handing the cult our plans and secrets.¡±


    Miles¡¯ eyes fell on Clive.


    ¡°All around the world,¡± he continued, ¡°good people fought. Sacrificed. They uncovered the cult¡¯s secrets. One of those secrets is the reason we are here today.¡±


    Taking a moment, Miles panned his gaze around the room.


    ¡°Many of you have taken the fight to the Builder, but over the last couple of years, the Builder¡¯s activities have reduced. The Ecumenical Council had declared the church of Purity a fallen church. The gods have declared Purity as a fallen god. The church has been banished from every place where civilisation flourishes and once its remnants are but dried, dead leaves on the wind, the god itself will be sanctioned by the other gods.¡±


    Miles shook his head.


    ¡°You may be wondering what ¡®sanctioned¡¯ means and why the church must go before the gods can act. To be honest, so am I. I¡¯m just a small man and know not the ways of the gods. But those who do tell me that we need to eliminate the church, so that¡¯s what we¡¯re doing. Of course, most of the Purity church had no idea of what was happening in the dark corners of their faith and turned from their fallen on finding out. They suffered perhaps the greatest betrayal of all as their so-called god of Purity handed our world to a being that would taint our very souls.¡±


    For a man claiming to not know the ways of gods, the anger boiling up in Miles was making him sound rather like a preacher. He was tapping into the rage all of them felt, a rage born of ruined lands and fallen friends.


    ¡°But there are those who did not forsake their foul deity,¡± Miles continued. ¡°Even losing most, the number that remains loyal to their dark deity is great. We have been hunting them down, the Adventure Society, the Magic Society and the churches. Many of you have joined that very task, as you do again in joining this operation. Unexpectedly, we have had the greatest success in dealing with their gold-rankers. Their numbers were lower and every gold-ranker is a known quantity. With the churches and the Adventure Society working together, we have captured or eliminated many of them. Clive, if you would?¡±


    Clive got up and moved to the recording crystal projector, getting ready to use it.


    ¡°The church of Purity as much as abandoned their iron-rankers,¡± Miles said. ¡°Over the last several years, though, the bulk of their bronze and silver-rank loyalists have managed to avoid the forces seeking them out. Like the Builder cult, their activities have diminished over time. Partly this has been from their infrastructure being systematically eradicated and their resources taken or destroyed.¡±


    A projection appeared behind Miles, showing footage of smoke rising from the gutted ruins of a once-beautiful temple.


    ¡°I know that many have hoped that the reduced activity from the cult and the church reflects an end to their activities, especially with a historic monster surge upon us. Unfortunately, this surge is what they have been waiting for and it will be more historic than most of you are aware. The highest levels of the Adventure Society have access to a source with information that this monster surge will come with an invasion from the Builder¡¯s forces. This will not be more cultists, although have no doubt that the existing cultists will join in. These are forces from beyond our word, with power and numbers we don¡¯t yet know. We do know that it will be bad.¡±


    The image switched from the ruined church to a vast city island, sitting in the ocean. Then a sky city, floating in the clouds. Another was a mountain carved into a fortress city that descended from the air, crushing a forest underneath it as it settled on the ground.


    ¡°These appear to be staging platforms for the invasion,¡± Miles said. ¡°They¡¯re appearing around the world but, for now, are showing limited activity. Their scouts are attacking anything that comes close but otherwise remain passive. Our high-rankers are assessing the threat.¡±


    At this point, there was a lot of consternation in the room. Miles waited for it to die down before continuing.


    ¡°At this stage, we are not asking you to engage the Builder invasion. Your role, in this mission, is to eliminate a potential threat before it emerges to strike our backs when we need it least. Mr Clive Standish will be filling you in on the specifics.¡±


    Miles took Clive¡¯s seat.


    ¡°The missing forces of the church of Purity are our concern for this operation,¡± Clive explained. ¡°We believe that the church is hiding these forces in a series of magically hidden strongholds, awaiting the monster surge and the invasion. The reason we believe this is because we found one.¡±


    Clive tapped the projector and the image changed to an idyllic valley, shrouded in mist.


    ¡°This,¡± Clive said, ¡°Is beautiful and remote. It is also a lie. What you are looking at is an illusion on a grand scale, perpetuated by an illusion array so large they¡¯d have had to invent new kinds of rituals to make it work. Which is exactly what they did.¡±


    He tapped the projector and it showed an image of a river.


    ¡°Those of you versed in rudimentary magic theory will know that one of the ways in which ambient magic is most active is in the flow of water. Waterways, especially large ones, carry large amounts of ambient magic.¡±


    The projection became a vast dam.


    ¡°At the head of the valley I just showed you is a dam. That dam is collecting the ambient magic, converting it and feeding it into the grand illusion and masking the expansive population of Purity clergy that have been hiding there. What we have determined is that the illusion is incapable of masking anything stronger than a silver-rank aura, so we believe this is where at least a portion of their missing bronze and silvers adherents are. As best we can tell, no gold-rankers are amongst them, to avoid the expansive search methods the Magic Society has been employing. Their primary defence is secrecy.¡±


    ¡°Then how did we find them?¡± Someone called out.


    ¡°Several years ago, the Magic Society cracked the portal network that the cult and the church had been using,¡± Clive said. ¡°Eventually they figured out that we could track them through it, which we believe to be one of several reasons for their reduction in activity. Someone in the Adventure Society has been studying use patterns over the time we were tracking their activity and noted a number of anomalies. Some were nothing, but one turned out to be something.¡±


    Clive turned off the projector.


    ¡°You will be one wing of a series of groups forming a strike force that will hit the Purity stronghold and hit it hard. Mr Cotezee has marshalling instructions for your team leaders; to prevent information leaks, we leave in the morning.¡±


    When the teams had all shuffled out, Miles, Ken, Gary, and Jason¡¯s team were all that was left in the room.


    ¡°A few more of these briefings and there¡¯s no way the Purity church or the cult doesn¡¯t hear about it,¡± Miles said. ¡°You¡¯re a devious woman, Belinda Callahan.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± she said. ¡°You have all these bronze and silver-rankers sitting around before the fight with the Builder starts. Why not take the time to see which ones are playing for the other side?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re hardly sitting around, Miss Callahan,¡± Miles said. ¡°Unless you forgot, there¡¯s a monster surge going on.¡±


    ¡°How certain are you that no one will discover the trackers you placed on the chairs?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Almost completely,¡± Belinda said.


    "It''s quite brilliant," Clive said. "Belinda has a knack for using magic outside of its original purpose; this kind of tracking is normally used on pets and children, rather than enemies. The magic is faint, so as not to be obtrusive in a city full of essence users, but quite easily noticed by anyone with magic senses. At least, this is normally the case.¡±


    ¡°The thing is,¡± Belinda said, picking up the explanation, ¡°there¡¯s a monster surge happening. The magic of the trackers will blend right into the abnormalities in all the ambient magic right now. Unless they know exactly what to look for and how, even a gold-ranker would almost certainly fail to notice it. It¡¯s just a substance we left on the chairs, not any kind of device they would find on themselves. The only way they would find it is if they had some tracking-protection powers.¡±


    ¡°Which I filtered out when selecting teams for this,¡± Miles said.


    ¡°Any anti-tracking items are already being confiscated on entering the building as part of the new security measures,¡± Humphrey realised.


    ¡°What if they change pants?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Won¡¯t they leave the tracking stuff behind?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s one of the reasons we¡¯re setting a tight timeline,¡± Miles said. ¡°We want them acting in a hurry, surrendering caution for speed as any traitors rush to warn the church of the threat.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not perfect,¡± Belinda said, ¡°but chasing perfect is how you miss out on the good.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s only to give our gold-rank investigators a hand,¡± Miles said. ¡°Our Builder-response team only has a few of them and we don¡¯t have more gold-rankers to spare for this operation. We need to save them for the end.¡±


    ¡°Clive, Belinda,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You¡¯ve both done very well.¡±


    ¡°Of course I did,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Just because it¡¯s not a surprise,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°that doesn¡¯t mean your work is not appreciated.¡±


    ¡°The hard part,¡± Miles said, ¡°was getting enough of the higher-ups to approve this without letting the others know the true purpose. Getting them to go along with this and involve so many teams was tricky.¡±


    ¡°But worth it, right?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Absolutely,¡± Miles said. ¡°If we can wipe out this stronghold and root out a bushel of traitors, that¡¯s a damn fine way to start off a war.¡±


    ¡°Does this meant there won¡¯t truly be a battle?¡± Ken asked. ¡°Why did no one speak to me of the stratagem before I bought so many extra spears?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re the new guy,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Be nice,¡± Belinda chided. ¡°You were the new guy, once.¡±

 Chapter 477: It Will Not Be Fine

    Liara Rimaros made her way back to the royal sky island, half-asleep in the back of a flying carriage. She''d been working without rest as the city was overrun with adventurers that had to be filtered through for potential Builder cultists and was finally going home to sleep.


    The carriage was forced to stop on a floating platform close to the sky island for security inspection. No chances were being taken of an attack on the palace. Royal guards carefully inspected the driver and the carriage itself before opening the door. Liara herself stepped out and both she and the carriage interior were swept with inspection devices.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry for the trouble, Lady Liara.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, Jhalid,¡± Liara said. ¡°I completely understand.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, milady.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s that boy of yours, Jhalid?¡±


    ¡°A bit too much like his father, milady. Always learning the hard way.¡±


    ¡°You turned out alright. I¡¯m sure he¡¯ll grow into a fine young man.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, milady.¡±


    Liara was from one of the more remote branches of the royal family. She was not close enough to the main branch to be called a princess, although she was entitled to a home on the royal sky island and to participate in the contests for the throne in her youth. She had known she would not be a match for the advantages the Storm Prince¡¯s upbringing had given him and had instead set her sight on adventuring.


    That Storm Prince had predictably become the Storm King and Liara had never regretted her own choices. After adventuring her way up to gold-rank in less than two decades, the Adventure Society had recruited her for special operations. After years hunting down people with restricted essences, she had been moved to the Builder response team.


    After completing the inspection, Liara was allowed back into the carriage and it completed its journey to the royal sky island. The carriage flew towards one of the rings that allowed passage through the island¡¯s defences and set down in a carriage yard.


    The royal island was ostensibly a palace but was, in and of itself, a small city in the sky. In addition to the royal family, it held embassies from nations around the world and many of the oldest noble families kept townhouses on the island. By custom, the younger members of the high aristocracy were raised there, allowing for diplomatic training and fostering potential future alliances by marriage.


    Liara was no different. In her youth, she had been married to a local lordling to secure royal influence in that family''s affairs. Although she and her husband lived largely separate lives, especially now their children were grown, it was a cordial union. They were more friends and occasional lovers than true companions but they were happy.


    Rather than find transport, Liara used her gold-rank speed to flit through the streets, unnoticed by everyone but island security. She arrived at her townhouse to find her husband, Baseph, just leaving. He met her with a smile as she arrived.


    ¡°Hello Lee,¡± he said. ¡°I left you a note inside. Uncle wants me out managing the mines for the duration of the surge. I''m told that cousin Gibbie is having some problems and can¡¯t go.¡±


    Liara frowned.


    ¡°I think the problem might be your uncle telling Gibbie things he shouldn''t. Gibbie''s fruit basket was always missing a pair of firm plums but I can''t blame him this time. I don¡¯t think you should go either.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be safe. You know how fortified that place is. Most of the fortress is completely under the sea bed.¡±


    ¡°Alright, but don¡¯t take unnecessary chances. If you see anything that isn¡¯t just monsters, you contact the Adventure Society. Immediately.¡±


    ¡°You mean like a fish?¡±


    ¡°Baseph, look at my face.¡±


    ¡°Yes, dear.¡±


    ¡°How well do you think charm is going to work on me right now?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, dear. It won¡¯t be that bad, will it? I¡¯ve heard they¡¯re expecting activity from the Builder but they¡¯re saying it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Of course they¡¯re telling people that,¡± Liara said. ¡°They don¡¯t want to cause a panic. I can¡¯t tell you specifics, Bas, but it will not be fine.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Lee. I still have the signal stone you gave me, even if everything else fails.¡±


    ¡°If everything else fails, you¡¯ll be stuck in a hole at the bottom of the sea. I love that you think I¡¯ll somehow be able to save you from that but we all have limits. I¡¯m serious, Baseph. Anything strange, you send word to the Adventure Society. Even if you¡¯re almost sure it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said with a smile. ¡°I¡¯m lucky to have a wife that cares about me so much.¡±


    He caught her up in an embrace.


    ¡°Oh, and Vesper¡¯s inside.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s she doing here?¡± Liara wondered.


    ¡°Since when did Ves need a reason to come see you?¡± Baseph asked. ¡°Did something happen?¡±


    ¡°Yes. There¡¯s a monster surge on.¡±


    ¡°Dear, this is your sixth surge. I¡¯ve never seen you like this.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t just another monster surge,¡± she said.


    ¡°The Builder cult has been running around for years.¡±


    ¡°Not like this,¡± she said. ¡°Promise me you¡¯ll be careful.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I just did.¡±


    ¡°Bas, you have to promise me.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°I promise.¡±


    Liara found Vesper in the parlour, plundering the drinks cabinet.


    ¡°Hello, Lee. It¡¯s been a little while. Want one?¡±


    "Sure," Liara said as she flopped onto a couch. "Things have been rather busy, which makes me wonder what you''re doing here. Not that you aren''t welcome at any time."


    Vesper walked over from the cabinet, handed Liara a glass and sat down next to her.


    ¡°You do look exhausted,¡± Vesper said. ¡°Did you see Bas on the way out?¡±


    Liara nodded as she sipped at her drink. It made her eyes shoot wide open.


    ¡°Ves, I¡¯m not looking to get that relaxed. Can you even drink this at silver-rank without it killing you?¡±


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Vesper said. ¡°Poison resistance, you know? It has to be the hard stuff.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not hard; that¡¯s boat cleaner. Why are you here, Ves? I need sleep.¡±


    ¡°I need your help with something delicate. It¡¯s about the family and it needs to stay as quiet as possible.¡±


    ¡°What are you after?¡±


    ¡°I want you to pull the records of an Adventure Society member without anyone knowing about it.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do that if it¡¯s anyone sensitive. What¡¯s the name?¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano.¡±


    Liara blinked.


    ¡°I knew I recognised that name,¡± she said. ¡°Where do I know it from? It¡¯s been bothering me.¡±


    ¡°You know about Asano?¡±


    ¡°He was assessed for potential cult affiliation,¡± Liara said. ¡°Where did I hear that name from?¡±


    ¡°Zara,¡± Vesper said with a grimace.


    ¡°Zara? When would¡­?¡±


    Liara took a folder from the dimensional pouch at her waist, set aside a picture of Jason from the folder and started flicking through papers inside. Vesper picked up the picture which showed Jason with an idiotic grin, holding up a sandwich.


    ¡°Why are you carrying Asano¡¯s file around with you?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell you that.¡±


    ¡°Is that the only picture you have?¡±


    ¡°It was the one the Magic Society had on file,¡± Liara said, still flicking through pages. ¡°His abilities make him hard to track or record images of. You and Zara went off to the far side of nowhere and met Emir Bahadir. Was that place called Greenstone?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vesper confirmed.


    ¡°And then Zara came back and¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And it was Asano?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did they really¡­?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°And now he¡¯s alive again.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I¡¯m here.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Liara said. ¡°That¡¯s a mess.¡±


    She took another sip of boat cleaner.


    ¡°Is Asano making trouble?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Not yet. I only knew he was here because Aunt Pelli contacted me. He¡¯s set up in a house on Arnote. The cloud house Zara failed to win because Bahadir rigged the contest.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t be so sure,¡± Liara said, snapping the folder shut. ¡°The more you dig into our Mr Asano, the more interesting nuggets fall out.¡±


    ¡°Can I see that?¡± Vesper asked, reaching for the folder.


    ¡°No,¡± Liara said. ¡°The Builder response unit has access to Builder-related files that don¡¯t appear in general Magic Society and Adventure Society records.¡±


    ¡°Lee, it¡¯s me. And it¡¯s about the family.¡±


    ¡°Being royalty means we should be more fastidious about the rules, Vesper, not less. We have to be examples.¡±


    Vesper groaned.


    ¡°Lee, did you put the fun essence on the restricted list?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no such thing as a fun essence.¡±


    ¡°Clearly. Maybe I should kill him after all. If anyone finds out, it would buy us another couple of years with a second period of formal mourning. I just need to make sure it looks like an accident. Or a monster. There is a monster surge happening. One more death won''t be suspicious.¡±


    "Like your apparent desire to kill this man off, what Zara did is a violation of decency," Liara said. "You can''t just pretend you secretly agreed to marry someone who is now conveniently dead to dodge a political marriage. Also, killing him would be a bad idea."


    ¡°I know. He¡¯s running around with Roland Remore¡¯s grandson. It¡¯s why I¡¯ll have to be careful.¡±


    ¡°Please stop talking about murdering people.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to murder anyone,¡± Vesper said. ¡°I¡¯ll have him murdered. We have people for that, right? What about the Order of the Reaper? They¡¯re back, now.¡±


    "You stay away from them."


    ¡°You know something I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°I know a lot of things you don¡¯t, Vesper. Including morals, apparently. You shouldn¡¯t try killing Asano anyway. He probably won¡¯t stay dead.¡±


    ¡°You know how he came back?"


    ¡°No, but I saw his certification from the church of Death and it said he''s died four times. So far. It actually said so far on the certification. I''ve never seen that before."


    ¡°Four? You should ask the church of Death what''s going on there.¡±


    ¡°They never reveal details of resurrection, believe me. Especially since they announced that it would be harder a few years ago.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t that right about the time Asano died?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have anything to do with that. He might have his secrets but he¡¯s hardly worth the gods changing the rules of magic over.¡±


    ¡°Did you ask Asano how he came back?¡±


    ¡°All he would say is that coming back from the dead is kind of his thing. Once I saw his certification, that turned out to be not quite as facetious as I first thought.¡±


    ¡°Zara¡¯s formal mourning period is almost up,¡± Vesper said. ¡°The timing of his arrival is suspicious.¡±


    ¡°As I said: the boy has secrets,¡± Liara conceded.


    ¡°Which are?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Vesper. That¡¯s what makes them secret.¡±


    ¡°Lee, this matters. This is not the time to provoke House Irios or to give them any more leverage than they already have. Zara¡¯s little lie could turn into big politics. We need to know Asano¡¯s intentions before we decide what to do with him.¡±


    ¡°Then I recommend you talk to Aunt Zila. She is here for the surge, yes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard yes, although I haven¡¯t seen her.¡±


    ¡°Then I suggest you change that and hope she¡¯s willing to listen.¡±


    Jason looked happily at the row of barbecues set up in front of his cloud house.


    ¡°I think you might need some more,¡± Argy said, standing next to him.


    ¡°Argy, how many people did you invite?¡±


    ¡°About this many grills again should do it.¡±


    Jason looked at Argy, then back to the barbecues.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to need more food.¡±


    An hour later, Jason was unloading more tables, more barbecues and a couple of spit roasters from his storage space, with Argy helping him set up. Farrah and Rufus came out of the cloud house to look everything over.


    ¡°Is this a barbecue or a festival?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Good thing there¡¯s a lot of nice, open grass,¡± Jason said. ¡°Views are nice, too. This is going to be great.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Farrah agreed. ¡°Everybody is going to Wang Chung tonight.¡±


    Rufus turned from Farrah to Jason.


    ¡°What does your world do to people?¡±


    ¡°Rufus, you need to get over it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Farrah has joined the church of Airwolf and there¡¯s nothing you can do about it.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear,¡± Farrah said, ¡°I have absolutely not joined the church of Airwolf.¡±


    "It was the fourth season, wasn''t it? The reused footage wasn''t that bad."


    ¡°It was not the reused footage.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re more of a Greatest American Hero girl. I can get behind that.¡±


    ¡°I am, actually, yeah.¡±


    ¡°I hope the others find us soon,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I can¡¯t take being outnumbered like this.¡±


    "Oh, did you get in touch with your parents?" Jason asked Farrah.


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The water link chambers are booked solid. The Adventure Society said they¡¯d be notified along with our teams.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Jason said. ¡°We need to get you to them as soon as we¡¯re done in Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°You should try the church of Death again,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I was so caught up in seeing you that day that I didn¡¯t think while you were there. They won¡¯t be as busy as the Adventure Society. They may be willing to pass along word of your resurrection without it getting lost in the monster surge shuffle.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a great idea,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Tomorrow,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Tonight we¡¯re having a barbie.¡±


    ¡°I am not liking how alike you two are starting to sound,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°We know, Rufus,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to add a new rule to the drinking game,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to tell Gary.¡±


    She called out to Argy, still moving picnic tables.


    "Hey, Argy. Did you know Rufus'' family runs a school?"


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Argy called back. ¡°He mentioned it to me yesterday.¡±


    Jason and Farrah erupted with laughter.

 Chapter 478: A Story of War

    Jason¡¯s barbecue was in full swing, with people crowded along the cliff top and kids splashing in the river, letting it carry them into the magic barrier that stopped them from going over the waterfall and bounced them back. Jason had a steak sandwich in one hand and a drink in a hollowed-out coconut in the other.


    ¡°This is nice,¡± Rufus said as he, Jason and Farrah wandered about, meeting the locals. ¡°Tomorrow is the Adventure Society and work, so it¡¯s good to relax and go in fresh. It¡¯s a monster surge, so things are going to be hectic.¡±


    Jason and Farrah, who had been through proto-spaces and monster waves, shared a look. Compared to those, a monster surge was relaxing. The surge was on a much grander scale than the localised events the pair had been through but the individual experience was much less intense.


    ¡°I have to say,¡± Jason said, ¡°silver-rank senses are great for cooking. Having enhanced taste really helps get a handle on new ingredients. Speaking of which¡­¡±


    He waved at a local and wandered over, a woman of around thirty with no magic in her aura.


    ¡°Gwendi, you are an absolute princess,¡± Jason said. ¡°That sauce recipe¡­ I have no words.¡±


    ¡°Which is quite something, believe me,¡± Rufus added.


    ¡°It¡¯s always been a favourite,¡± Gwendi said. ¡°Did Mitras and Gelli say hello?¡±


    ¡°I got a wave as they ran for the river,¡± Jason said with a chuckle and Gwendi shook her head.


    ¡°No manners, those two. Oh, Jasil and Mr Walsh were looking for you as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll bump into them,¡± Jason said.


    Rufus contemplated Jason as they continued to circulate.


    ¡°How do you know so many of these people already?¡± he asked.


    ¡°All this didn¡¯t just happen, you know,¡± Jason said, waved his arm broadly at the picnic tables, grills, chairs, kegs of booze and everything else. ¡°You think I had time to do this much cooking? Look at that salad table. Little communities like this; they¡¯re great at coming together. Nicest people you¡¯ll ever meet.¡±


    The afternoon turned to evening with a glorious sunset descending past the western hills. Rather than put out glow stones, Jason conjured his cloak which looked a bit silly over his floral shirt and shorts, even with the hood pushed back. Motes of starlight emerged from his cloak and drifted over the area, adding to the starlight from the sky overhead.


    ¡°Show off,¡± Rufus accused him.


    "Every time," Jason told him with a smile that didn''t quite reach his eyes. "Somewhere along the way, I forgot that magic wasn''t all misery, danger and death. It''s good to be home."


    Jason dodged off to say hello to yet more locals, plastering on a smile as he waved at them. Rufus watched him go with concern.


    ¡°How bad was it really?¡± he asked Farrah softly.


    ¡°He wanted to bring his family with him,¡± she said. ¡°They didn¡¯t come because they were scared of him.¡±


    ¡°Because of the way his abilities are?¡±


    ¡°No. Just make sure Gary doesn¡¯t make any jokes about evil powers, alright?¡±


    Jason immediately got along with the local gold-ranker, Warwick Warnock. Despite having the name of a mid-tier supervillain he was friendly and humble, heavily dialling down his aura so as to not make anyone uncomfortable.


    While everyone with an aura followed the etiquette of keeping it restrained, there were different ways of going about it. There were ways of holding back power while still making sure people knew it was there. Warnock, kept his locked away tight, just as Jason had since his efforts at an aura disguise went awry with the Adventure Society official they had met on Jason¡¯s yacht.


    Jason sensed three more gold-rank auras approaching, one of which belonged to Pelli, the mayor. He quietly vanished into the shadows, leaving his sparkling lights behind and met them before they reached the gathering.


    Pelli was walking up the path from town with two more celestines. They both had emerald hair and matching eyes, neither with monster cores evident in their auras. Looking at them, especially the man, Jason noticed a number of incongruities. There was something odd about the way they carried themselves and how their auras were a little too perfect, even for gold rank. It reminded him of Dawn when she was stuck below her actual diamond rank.


    His suspicions were all but confirmed when he sensed the slightest whiff of the woman¡¯s aura brushing over his own before vanishing from his senses again. It did not reveal a diamond-rank power but he was certain they were reading his aura all but unnoticed, despite his power and control. Jason knew he could not shut out a sufficiently determined and powerful gold-ranker but he doubted that even the strongest could plumb the depths of his aura unnoticed. That would take a diamond-ranker.


    Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow, with three hands each holding out a drink for the new visitors.


    ¡°Shadow of the Reaper?¡± the man asked as he took the offered drink.


    ¡°Indeed, sir. My name is Shade.¡±


    ¡°Are you attached to the Order of the Reaper?¡±


    ¡°Previously, sir. I am satisfied that my service to that organisation has been sufficient and I have quite vehemently moved on.¡±


    ¡°They left him in a hole under a lake for half a millennium,¡± Jason said. ¡°As you¡¯re no doubt aware, the more politically ambitious faction threw the rest under the bus. Oh, a bus is¨C¡±


    ¡°I know what a bus is, Mr Asano,¡± the man said. ¡°I should have been more fastidious with my aura and body language, I see.¡±


    ¡°I know that story,¡± Jason said. ¡°You have me at a disadvantage, sir, which I can see becoming an unfortunate theme.¡±


    Jason then turned to Pelli.


    ¡°You do realise that this was meant to be a low-key gathering, Ms Rimaros? Or is it Mrs Rimaros?¡±


    "It is Pelli, thank you, young man. This is Zila and¨C¡±


    ¡°Soramir,¡± the man said.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said, looking at Soramir. One of the things Jason discovered in the last few days was that in the local culture, palindromic first and last names were assigned in adulthood rather than at birth and denoted important members of a given family. It was most common in small families where it might be a prominent adventurer or high-ranking civic official. The more prominent the family, the less common the practice.


    ¡°Are you sure you should have told him that?¡± Pelli asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve already been careless,¡± Soramir told her, ¡°which has made our intentions and our rudeness plain. We should at least refrain from compounding our discourtesy.¡±


    ¡°Mate,¡± Jason said, ¡°the last diamond-ranker I met killed me, so my standards of courtesy operate on bit of a different curve. Also, I¡¯ve been known to be a bit rude myself, from time to time, so no worries. It¡¯s lovely to meet you both. Let¡¯s all go take a sausage in the mouth.¡±


    In the dark of night, everyone had gone home. Shade was picking up rubbish while Jason was cleaning the barbecues. Rufus and Farrah had offered to help but Jason told them not to, knowing that he needed to be alone. One of Shade¡¯s bodies was holding up a dirty hotplate while Jason applied an alchemical cleanser and started scrubbing.


    ¡°Why,¡± he asked the empty air. ¡°I¡¯m just some guy.¡±


    ¡°We both know that isn¡¯t true,¡± Soramir said, suddenly next to Jason. ¡°I sensed your arrival in this world several days ago. I¡¯ve seen the things lurking inside you and even I don¡¯t know what all of them are. Your familiars alone are terrifying.¡±


    Still scrubbing a hotplate, Jason looked sideways at Soramir. The emerald hair and eyes the man had shown at the party had returned to their natural blue.


    ¡°I¡¯m no threat to you,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m no threat to your family. What do you care about me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re angry.¡±


    ¡°OH, YOU THINK?¡±


    Jason snatched the hotplate from Shade and flung it off the cliff. It struck the invisible barrier and bounced back, landing on the grass as Jason wheeled on the diamond-ranker.


    ¡°I was meant to be done with high-rankers,¡± he snarled. ¡°You have enough of your own to play with here. Why bother me?¡±


    ¡°My family has done you a disservice, Mr Asano. Brought you into something you neither asked for nor deserve. Because of that, you are a threat to us. Not a grave one, perhaps, but potentially an embarrassing one.¡±


    Jason closed his eyes, getting himself under control. For all his rage, his aura hadn¡¯t so much as twitched. After it had inadvertently spooked his family, Jason had resolved to never let it out of his control again, whatever his emotional state. Soramir was one of the few that could see right through him, however, seeing the pain and rage burning his insides like a furnace.


    ¡°I assume this is something to do with Zara,¡± Jason asked in a calm, soft voice.


    ¡°Yes. I would not normally involve myself in the affairs of the family like this but one of our descendants came to us because the family needed to take your measure. This is not such an easy thing to do.¡±


    ¡°Take my measure. You mean pry out my secrets.¡±


    ¡°I do. I was curious when the person my family wished to investigate was the same one who arrived in this world in such spectacular fashion. You were lucky to land in that storm or I wouldn¡¯t have been the only one to take notice.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t seem to matter anymore, does it?¡±


    ¡°I suppose not. You were meant to think we were just another pair of gold rankers.¡±


    ¡°Just another pair of gold rankers,¡± Jason said in a muttered echo, running a hand over his exasperated face before meeting Soramir¡¯s eyes again. ¡°I¡¯m a silver-ranker. Gold rankers shouldn¡¯t know my name, let alone you. How long until one of you kills me in a way that sticks?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still here. That says something.¡±


    "I''ve got something to say too, but I won''t. It wouldn''t be diplomatic."


    Jason gestured at Shade, who had retrieved the hotplate, and started cleaning off the dirt it picked up after being thrown.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been dead and gone and you aren¡¯t slapping me around,¡± Jason said, calm once more. ¡°That means whatever problems you¡¯re having aren¡¯t from something I did. What did Zara do, and how bad is this for me?¡±


    ¡°Are you familiar with the practice of political marriage?¡±


    ¡°The basic concept, sure.¡±


    ¡°Zara was matched with a formidable young man from a very powerful and important family. Their union would have created political stability leading into the monster surge which we now face.¡±


    ¡°Made all the worse by the Builder using it to jump in.¡±


    ¡°You jumped in as well.¡±


    ¡°All I¡¯m invading is the local crystal wash supply. I¡¯m not that hard to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Your soul says otherwise, Mr Asano. It tells a story of war.¡±


    Jason washed off the hotplate and set it back onto the barbecue while Shade pulled out the next one.


    ¡°So,¡± Jason said. ¡°What did she do to mess up this marriage arrangement? More importantly, what does that have to do with me?¡±


    "In our culture, it is common to enter a two-year period of formal mourning after the loss of a spouse. Or prospective spouse."


    Jason¡¯s hand stopped scrubbing.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid she did. Too publicly for the family to stop or rescind without making the political mess she made even worse. Which, of course, was her intention.¡±


    ¡°That is not an acceptable thing to do,¡± Jason said and went back to scrubbing.


    ¡°No,¡± Soramir agreed. ¡°It is not.¡±


    ¡°A little flirting and a plate of gem berry milk nut squares do not constitute a proposal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen cultures where that could be argued, but I take your point.¡±


    Jason let out a laugh that sounded like a sob as it trailed off and he hung his head.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t meant to be like this,¡± he muttered.


    "This is an issue that needs to be resolved," Soramir said. "If we had realised what had happened before you registered with the Adventure Society here, we could have sent you away quietly without anything coming of it.¡±


    ¡°You can still do that,¡± Jason said. ¡°You have the power to get me out of here, Adventure Society be damned.¡±


    ¡°Your absence is no longer enough. Even gone, it will only be a matter of time before your resurrection is noticed. Trying to cover it up now would only draw attention to it.¡±


    ¡°Too many fingers in the Adventure Society pie?¡±


    ¡°Just so.¡±


    ¡°What, then?¡±


    ¡°For now, continue as you have been. Be an overlooked adventurer. There is a grace period before you will be discovered by others in which the family will formulate a response. Pelli and Liara Rimaros will be your contact points going forward. The family will likely need your cooperation for whatever comes after.¡±


    ¡°And what do I get for my cooperation?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain they can compensate you to your satisfaction.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to negotiate, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Neither am I. I¡¯m here to clean barbecues, so pitch in or sod off.¡±


    ¡°This is not going well, is it?¡±


    ¡°I used to be better at hiding my emotions,¡± Jason said. ¡°I guess they used to be smaller. Not that there¡¯s any hiding from you.¡±


    ¡°What do you want, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t send me away?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s too late for that.¡±


    ¡°Then bring my team to me. They¡¯re in Vitesse. Rufus and Farrah¡¯s teammate, too. And Farrah¡¯s parents¡±


    ¡°That is manageable, although it will have to be after everything has come out. If you get special treatment before then, your anonymity will not hold. What else?¡±


    ¡°All I want is to meet my friends and be left alone. I don¡¯t want anything else from you or your family.¡±

 Chapter 479: Any Help They Can Get

    Farrah looked at Jason with concern as they sat around a table with Rufus, eating the breakfast Jason had just cooked. After leaving his own world, Jason had immediately undergone a shift in temperament. The dark clouds that had accumulated over the past few years had finally parted, only for their late-night visitor to summon them back. Jason was sitting sullenly, idly poking at a fried sausage with his fork.


    ¡°I never met this Hurricane Princess,¡± Farrah muttered, ¡°but I might just have to slap her into the goddamned ocean.¡±


    ¡°Jason, you just need to play along and ride this out,¡± Rufus said. ¡°From what you told us last night, they aren¡¯t trying to put you in a tough spot. If anything, they want you extricated from the situation as quickly as possible. You should let them do that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t like putting my trust in powerful people whose objectives aren¡¯t the same as mine.¡±


    ¡°But they are,¡± Rufus told him. ¡°You both want you out of this situation.¡±


    Jason tossed his fork down on the table and turned on Rufus.


    ¡°No, Rufus, that isn¡¯t what they want. They want to resolve the political mess their princess has stirred up by doing whatever gets them the most and costs them the least. Yes, that might mean getting me out of town as quickly and quietly as possible but it looks like that ship has sailed. Even if it hasn¡¯t, what if the best way to get me out of town is to kill me, burn me and sprinkle my ashes across the ocean? What if they decide to lean in and marry me off to their damn princess? Captain Diamond Pants took a rummage through my soul and seemed to like what he saw, so I¡¯m not ruling that out!¡±


    Jason was half out of his seat as he ran out of steam and fell back into the chair, his shoulders slumping. He ran both hands over his tired face.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Rufus,¡± he said. ¡°You didn¡¯t deserve that.¡±


    Jason got up and left the room.


    ¡°See?¡± Farrah said to Rufus as she got up to follow Jason out. She found him on the upper balcony of the cloud house, dangling his legs over the side as his head rested on the railing. She sat down and joined him but didn¡¯t say anything, waiting for him to talk. It took a while.


    ¡°My first instinct was to do something a little drastic,¡± Jason said finally. ¡°To resolve this my own way, on my own terms. But every time I do that, the solution has always caused more problems and it''s never me that ends up paying the price.¡±


    ¡°What kind of solution were you thinking of?¡±


    ¡°Writing a song called ¡®I¡¯m Jason Asano and I love Prostitutes,¡¯ getting blind drunk and then painting the lyrics on the market boulevard in giant letters until someone arrests me.¡±


    She laughed.


    ¡°Disgrace yourself out of eligibility?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯re underestimating the degeneracy of the aristocratic class. That¡¯s the kind of thing they brush under the rug all the time. They have their own rules for what is and isn¡¯t acceptable and there aren¡¯t many that you¡¯re qualified to break.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a noble lineage to disgrace?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. There¡¯s an expectation that adventurers, even ones raised to the nobility, will have a certain lack of decorum. There¡¯s only two real ways for someone like you to become truly untouchable. One is to be a pathetic adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t I already a dirty generalist?¡±


    ¡°That a prejudice of fools. If you want to write yourself off, you need to tank some missions, badly and very visibly. Which you aren¡¯t going to do.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to get out from under the bus by throwing the people I¡¯m meant to be protecting under it. That diamond-ranker knew what a bus was, by the way. I''m pretty sure that he''s done some dimensional travel.¡±


    ¡°Your world?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it. Mine isn''t the most advanced one out there and I doubt we were the only ones to invent the bus. Shade based most of his vehicle forms on some other world with better tech.¡±


    ¡°You think the diamond-ranker knows about Dawn?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. We didn¡¯t have a lot of time to discuss exactly what she¡¯d be doing here.¡±


    ¡°At least she didn¡¯t tell people about your role in... probably shouldn¡¯t say. Who knows if a diamond-ranker is listening?¡±


    ¡°It should be fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°Unless they¡¯re just listening listening, rather than using some kind of observation power. The balcony is still part of my spirit domain and I''m not sure if even gods can peek at us here.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t be sure, but maybe.¡±


    ¡°Maybe is a big enough deal as it is. Wouldn''t that make this house a throbbing great dead spot in the senses of those diamond-rankers?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°There was no real chance of dodging their attention, was there?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I was hoping they just wouldn¡¯t care because I¡¯m a silver-ranker. Then Princess Pain-in-the-Arse buggered that right up. You said there was something else I could do to turn myself into Mr Wrong?¡±


    ¡°Act above your station. This one is more in your area and you¡¯re already bumping into royalty.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I do that, then whatever inclination the royal family have to shield me from this evaporates and I still have no sense of the players and agendas involved. What happens when the family of whoever Zara was supposed to marry decides that I¡¯m an intolerable stain on the reputation of their house? What if the jilted fianc¨¦ decides the best way to hurt me is to send a couple of gold-rank uncles looking for you? They won¡¯t be stupid enough to touch Rufus, but it¡¯ll be open season on you and me.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s our move?¡±


    ¡°What Rufus said. We play the game, for now. We need to learn more and keep an eye out for opportunities to get some control. It¡¯s boldness to act in the right moment and recklessness to act in the wrong one. I need to stop being the latter and aim for the former.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry we ended up waist-deep all over again.¡±


    Jason flashed her a tired but genuine grin.


    ¡°At least it¡¯s not neck-deep. No one¡¯s asked me to save the world yet.¡±


    He pulled his legs in from the railing and hopped lightly to his feet.


    ¡°As much of a pain as all this is,¡± he said, ¡°it¡¯s just noise and nonsense. I say we let the politicians play politics while we just go be adventurers. At least for now.¡±


    Farrah also got to her feet.


    ¡°I hate that they¡¯re making you run around alone,¡± she said. ¡°You should be with us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re happy with the guild they¡¯ve attached you to?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a sister guild to our own. They help us when our members are in this part of the world and we do the same when they¡¯re in ours. They¡¯ll be good to us. It¡¯s you I¡¯m worried about.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry,¡± Jason assured her. ¡°It¡¯s me. What could possibly go wrong?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re really going to tempt fate like that?¡±


    ¡°Fate tempted me first. If I can fight the Builder, I can bloody well fight her.¡±


    ¡°You realise there¡¯s no actual god of fate, right? It¡¯s just a metaphor.¡±


    ¡°Good, because I''m pretty sure I couldn''t actually fight her.¡±


    Jason¡¯s portal arch opened in the teleportation square of the Adventure Society campus, which was still thronging with people. Jason, Farrah and Rufus made their way to the jobs hall that had as many people swarming it as had surrounded the administration building a couple of days before.


    ¡°Maybe we shouldn¡¯t have taken those days to relax before coming here,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯m not feeling very relaxed all of a sudden.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there was any dodging this particular bullet,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°What¡¯s a bullet?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s like an arrow but you don¡¯t need magic to make it not crap,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just get in there,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The longer we put it off, the more people wind up in front of us.¡±


    Once they got far enough into the crowd to join actual queues, Jason was separated from Rufus and Farrah. They got into the fast-moving line of guild members and associates while Jason was lumped in with the general populace. He at least got to skip ahead of the bronze and iron-rankers, so the wait was frustrating but not interminable.


    There was a lot of bravado on display, from peacocking auras to pride erupting into childish scuffles. The overworked Adventure Society officials were herding the adventurers like overworked school teachers, only stepping in when the scraps got out of hand. There seemed to be an unofficial rule that so long as no one pulled out powers, they''d be left to settle their differences.


    Unsurprisingly, the jobs hall was much larger than the one in Greenstone, spread out over four five-storey buildings. Each one had a large leaderboard set up showing the top hundred contributors by action quota. Inside, the normal contract posting boards had been removed and replaced with tables where officials were sat, handing out contracts and sending people off as quickly as they could. Each table had a thick book of contracts that was magically linked to a central archive, marking off which adventurer was assigned which task.


    Jason was sent to the fourth floor of the second building, where he found himself sitting before a harried-looking official who looked more exhausted than Jason had ever seen another essence user. He''d seen people come out of monster waves looking fresher.


    ¡°Papers,¡± the man said and Jason handed them over. The man checked them against his records, and then looked up at Jason.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been demarcated for resource and supply delivery contracts.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my understanding,¡± Jason confirmed.


    ¡°You confident going out alone?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the monster surge. We do the job and we don¡¯t get picky about it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯d be surprised. You¡¯ll only be assigned low-priority contracts because you¡¯re only a one star.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I imagine those people are tired of being overlooked and would welcome any help they can get.¡±


    ¡°Just remember that that help means delivering supplies, not killing monsters. Even if you try it and don¡¯t die, they won¡¯t count towards your action quota or leaderboard status. Speaking of which, normal rewards are suspended and will instead be handed out weekly, based on the aforementioned leaderboard status. Is that understood?¡±


    ¡°Seems clear enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°How many contracts can I take at once?¡±


    ¡°You looking to clear your weekly quota in a couple of days?¡±


    ¡°I figured it would be easier if I could do some kind of circuit rather than soak up time coming back here over and over. I don¡¯t much care about the quota.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh. I don¡¯t care if you¡¯re leaderboard-chasing or whatever. Just don¡¯t get yourself killed or half-ass the jobs chasing points.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    The official went through his book and eventually assigned Jason four contracts. He did this by scrawling Jason¡¯s name on a page and then plucking it from the book, where it was magically reconstituted. He laid the pages out in front of Jason.


    ¡°You should be able to do these at a run,¡± he said. ¡°Do them in the order I¡¯ve laid out for the best efficiency. You¡¯ll need to pick up the supplies here in the city first; it¡¯ll mostly be from the supply depots that have been set up. Addresses are on the contracts. Use your membership badge to confirm that you¡¯ve accepted.¡±


    Jason took out his silver badge with its single star and touched it to the first contract.


    Point of interest: [Livaros Supply Depot #3] has been added to [Tactical Map].Point of interest: [Mecilados Fortress Town] has been added to [Tactical Map].


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can work with this.¡±


    The Storm Kingdom held within its territories the coastal regions of the continents that bordered the Sea of Storms. One of the kingdom''s most outlying fortress towns was located in the northeast corner of the southern mainland.


    The coastal fort was caught up in a magical storm sweeping in from the sea, battering against the magical dome that capped the high walls of the fort. Normally the barrier was invisible but the magically-infused wind and rain made it plain to see, even as anything beyond it was obscured.


    As the storm raged, monsters emerged from the sea. Storm shabs were large abominations with shark bodies and crab legs, all covered in hard shell. More dangerous than the weaker shab variants, these silver-rank monsters fired arcs of lightning from protrusions on their shells.


    The typical approach of these monsters was to begin with electricity attacks, paralysing or killing their victims outright before them devouring them, alive or dead. With all their potential victims were behind secure walls, however, the monsters had to do things differently.


    More intelligent than lower-rank shabs, the monsters had waited for all of their number to emerge from the ocean before approaching the fort. Dozens of the shabs approached at the fort''s weakest point, which was the main gates, then began their siege together. Rather than the weak but quick blasts of electricity they used on their victims, they took the time to build up their magic. When they had gathered as much as they could, they unleashed it in powerful bolts of lightning that blasted the magically reinforced gates. Despite all that power, the gates held.


    The fort town was far from defenceless. Ritual circles became visible on the walls, sending out large bolts of fire and conjured force spears in retaliation, while essence users fired spells and ranged special attacks from the battlements, safe behind the barrier dome. Many of the essence users without ranged attacks fed their mana into turrets that were essentially oversized magic wands, blasting out magic from giant crystal tips.


    No essence users went out to face the enemies. These were not adventurers and would not survive diving into a sea of monsters. While the adventurers of the Sea of Storms might be powerful, these were craftspeople, merchants and minor nobility. Raised on monster cores, they were no more capable in battle than the aristocracy of Greenstone.


    The fort''s problem was not one of defences but resources as the protections incorporated into the walls consumed a lot of magic. While portions of that could be provided by essence users feeding in their own mana, not all of it could. Spirit coins and other sources of magic power were consumed not just to repel the attacks but to shield the fortress town from the power of the storm.


    The town had been promised additional mana accumulators that could concentrate ambient magic, along with new storm accumulators to harness the power of the storms. The outlying fort had been a low priority in a busy time, so those supplies had yet to arrive.


    This group of shabs weren¡¯t an existential threat to the fort, which would be able to hold them off. The danger was that killing the resilient monsters was consuming more and more of the fort¡¯s dwindling resources. These monsters would not breach the fortress town but their attack meant that the next group just might.


    The commander of the fort was Merrick Harlowe, a minor local lord and silver-rank core user. He watched unhappily from the walls while the defenders cheered as the town¡¯s defences took down the first shab. All he saw in the dead monster was the expenditure it had taken to kill it.


    Harlowe¡¯s head came up as he saw a flash of golden light, distinct from the electric arcs thrown out by the monsters. It was hard to see through the storm slapping against the dome barrier but he saw something moving out amongst the monsters. There were more flashes of gold and pain was added to the high-pitched shrieks of the monsters, loud enough to be heard over the storm.


    The attacks against the fort slowed and then stopped as the monsters started shooting lighting at something in their midst. The storm was picking up and the defenders lost sight of the monsters altogether, seeing only the flashes of the lightning and the bursts of gold light amongst them.


    The lord ordered the defences to be stilled, preserving their resources. Even if whatever was out there didn¡¯t kill the monsters, there was a good chance it would drive them off. He also didn¡¯t want to harm whoever or whatever had come to their aid, given that it was almost certainly an adventurer. Over time, the lightning amidst the monsters diminished and the screams of the monsters fell away. The gold flashes stopped and only the sound of the storm remained.


    A woman came close enough to the gates to be seen through the driving rain. She was a human with dark skin, her white hair and white clothes drenched in monster blood and rainwater. She looked exhausted, a bloody but beautiful white sword dangling from one hand.


    ¡°What are you waiting for?¡± the lord bellowed. ¡°Open the gates.¡±

 Chapter 480: Supplies

    Supply depot number three was in the same warehouse district where Jason had carried out his big trade, not far from the main markets of Livaros. He portalled to the destination square in the market and made his way on a black horse with glowing white mane and hooves.


    There were plenty of different means of transport in the city, from floating platforms to flying carriages to adventurers riding familiars, like Jason. One of the things Jason had learned was that permits were required for air travel in the city, so he stayed on the ground.


    Riding past the warehouse belonging to Lord Casowich, Jason thought back to his expensive deal. He had no idea how much attention it had garnered but he now had the royal family looking squarely at him. He hoped the diamond-rank coin and all the crystal wash drew attention from the other materials he acquired as part of the deal. Now more than when he conceived it on the journey between worlds, his personal project could prove important should he need to flee the Storm Kingdom.


    The supply depot was a city block worth of warehouses commandeered as a distribution centre for critical resources. Carts and wagons were rolling in or out the gates or taking to the air and flying away. It looked like everything was going to crash together any moment but Jason knew there was some pattern to the chaos as everyone and everything managed to careen around each other with no more incident than some angry shouts.


    Jason had Shade dissolve his horse form, the familiar vanishing back into Jason¡¯s shadow as Jason observed the activity. Standing out of the way, outside the depot yards, he closed his eyes and used his other senses to track the comings of the depot. He felt there was something to learn from the seemingly chaotic yet somehow organised tumult of activity and entered an almost meditative state as he studied it for several minutes.


    ¡°You lost, friend?¡±


    One of the depot workers had noticed Jason and come to see if he was alright. Jason¡¯s eyes snapped open and he gave the man a friendly smile.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡±


    Jason set off into the depot. Especially after having studied the patterns by which the place operated, Jason found his aura manipulation skills extremely handy for navigating. The same skills he could use to blend into a crowd let him subconsciously alert rushing depot workers to his presence, while their focus allowed him to read their intentions from their auras. Despite moving at a measured pace as people rushed around him, Jason was always where the workers weren¡¯t in any given moment, despite neither himself nor the people around him needing to move from each other¡¯s way. Like a languid fish swimming beneath a boat, he passed through the depot unnoticed and unremarked.


    Making his way into a warehouse, he saw essence users employing their powers to load supplies to or from wagons and carts. He saw telekinesis, superhuman strength and even someone teleporting crates. In a corner of the warehouse, someone summoned a golem and directed it to start loading goods.


    Jason¡¯s goal was a cluster of silver-rank auras with enough magical items on their persons that they had to be adventurers, although there were also core users amongst them. Most of them were smothering the magic items with their auras, a typical habit of stealth-focused adventurers, but that wasn¡¯t an obstacle to Jason¡¯s powerful senses.


    Guild elites were too valuable to turn into delivery workers, so these were most likely disregarded adventurers like Jason. He wasn''t sure about the core users, as they seemed more like ordinary people mixed in with actual adventurers, based on their mediocre aura control and lack of magic items.


    Jason went through the warehouse to a small distribution area where the adventurers were gathered in several queues. They were waiting to be handed off goods for transport and it quickly became evident that they all had dimensional storage spaces. Jason joined the end of the shortest queue.


    The adventurer in front of him was an elf with tawny, lightly-freckled skin. Her hair was cut short and practical, showing off a mix of autumn leaf colours. Like Jason, the beautification of silver rank had been immensely flattering without turning her into a Rufus or Sophie, who were absurdly attractive even at lower rank. There was a cute green frog with big eyes sitting on her shoulder.


    She turned to give Jason an assessing glance as he approached.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is this where we pick up goods for transport contracts?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± she said.


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± he said, offering his hand and she shook it.


    ¡°Autumn Leal,¡± she introduced herself. Jason¡¯s eyes flicked back to her hair but he didn¡¯t say anything about it.


    ¡°Is everyone here a portal user?¡± he asked instead.


    ¡°Don¡¯t I wish,¡± she said. ¡°If you can portal, these contracts are worth way more contribution points. Most portal users are on rapid-response duty, so most of us just have storage spaces and are here to be walking cargo holds. Some of us aren¡¯t even adventurers and do storage space transport for a living.¡±


    ¡°I was wondering about the core users. You¡¯re an adventurer, though, with that gear.¡±


    Autumn had the typical load-out of a spellcaster. Her clothes were magically reinforced cloth, loose enough to be unrestrictive but not so much as Jason¡¯s preferred combat robes. The colours were brown and green; not exactly camouflage but they would blend well into the local wilderness areas. She had wands strapped to each thigh and he could sense enchanted amulets, bracelets and anklets hidden under her clothes. Her boots were magical and practical. Around her waist was the magically shielded potion belt that was the most obvious giveaway for adventurers. Many wealthy citizens carried them as well, but they usually chose ones that were lower in capacity and higher in fashion.


    ¡°What about you?¡± she asked, looking Jason up and down. He was wearing tan shorts, a floral shirt, sandals and a straw hat.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Don¡¯t I look ready to spring into action?¡±


    ¡°If by action you mean a pitcher of ice tea, then sure.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s a good idea.¡±


    Jason plucked a coconut shell cup out of the air, fruit leaves and a straw sticking out from the top. He took a long sip, letting out a happy moan.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s the good stuff. You don¡¯t know where a bloke can get little paper umbrellas, do you?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re one of those people that never takes things seriously, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Things take me seriously,¡± Jason said with a smile not quite as light-hearted as he intended. ¡°I try not to encourage them.¡±


    He put his drink away and pointed at the front of the line they¡¯d been inching closer to as they talked.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re about to be up.¡±


    She turned her head to glance at the person in front of her. He was casually tossing crates into a black void on the floor as depot workers brought them to him and a supervisor checked them off a list.


    ¡°You know,¡± Autumn said, turning back to Jason, ¡°you¡¯ll never catch the attention of a guild like this.¡±


    ¡°I''m going to join a guild some friends are already in. It operates a long way from here, so I''m just looking to ride out the monster surge without getting killed or marrying a princess before I skip town.¡±


    ¡°Marrying a princess.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°You see that as a particular danger?¡±


    ¡°Admittedly, I¡¯ve only done one of those things before, but you can never be too careful.¡±


    ¡°There is some easygoing charm happening here but I''m not sure it''s enough to lure any princesses in.¡±


    ¡°Fingers crossed,¡± Jason said, pointing to the front of the line once more. The man in front had just left and the supervisor was looking at her. The frog hopped off her shoulder, growing to the size of a Saint Bernard as it dropped to the ground. It opened its mouth and Autumn took out the contract manifest, which she handed to the supervisor. Despite having been inside a frog, the papers were dry and unwrinkled.


    The supervisor went over the documents quickly before giving directions to his depot worker subordinates. Shortly after, pallets of supplies were arriving and the frog started whipping out its tongue to take them into its body.


    ¡°That¡¯s an interesting familiar you¡¯ve got there,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Dimension frog,¡± Autumn said. ¡°I may not have the rarest essences in the world but I was lucky enough to find this guy and that¡¯s enough for me.¡±


    She patted the frog affectionately on the back.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good boy, aren¡¯t you Neil?¡±


    ¡°That,¡± Jason said with a grin, ¡°is a superb choice of name.¡±


    The first depot was only Jason¡¯s first stop before he was ready to leave the city. He had three more stops to pick up additional goods before he¡¯d be ready to head out. The next stop was a second distribution centre, followed by a dock where he had to wait for the goods to be unloaded from a ship. The last pickup point was a temple.


    Jason had heard things about the temples of Fertility, although he¡¯d never seen one himself. Despite being a major deity, Fertility¡¯s temples were always tucked away in the far reaches of any temple district. The reason for this was that their decorations leaned heavily on murals depicting the process of fertility in action.


    The design of the temple was quite plain, fronted by a flat wall containing the main doors. Side walls moved back at forty-five-degree angles, allowing three walls of murals to be seen from the street. As Jason approached the temple he spotted a priest running off a trio of gawking teenage boys.


    ¡°Save it for the church of Lust you sweaty little mongrels!¡± he snarled after them as they fled, laughing loudly. Jason walked up to the priest, approaching with a casual wave.


    ¡°Uh, g¡¯day?¡±


    The priest turned to Jason with a smile, his anger evaporating like mist.


    ¡°Good day, sir. How can Fertility help you? Is it problems with your little man? We have pills that can solve that problem. For a modest donation, of course.¡±


    ¡°Hey, my eyes are up here, cobber,¡± Jason said as the priest stared at Jason¡¯s shorts. ¡°Why is that the first thing you assume?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what most men come here for.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not what I came for.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hasty, friend. If you¡¯d like to add a little pep to your¨C¡±


    ¡°My little man¡¯s pep is entirely adequate, thank you very much.¡±


    The priest gave Jason a sympathetic look.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, hasn¡¯t it? We can help with that you too. For a modest donation, of course. Naturally, you¡¯ll be absolved of all parental responsibilities. And rights, of course. Our clergy have to come from somewhere.¡±


    ¡°You have prostitutes breeding little priests?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to run you through some tests first, obviously. You don¡¯t seem to be human, despite appearances¡­¡±


    Jason held up his hands.


    ¡°Okay, mate, just stop. I''m an adventurer, here to pick up supplies for a delivery contract.¡±


    ¡°Well, why didn¡¯t you say so?¡±


    ¡°Because you wouldn¡¯t stop talking about my little man!¡±


    ¡°So, you do want the pills? There is a modest donation, of course¡­¡±


    ¡°There''s nothing wrong with my little man!¡±


    Confines were tight in the fortress town of Carazela, with space at a premium both in the building and on the streets to accommodate all the people taking shelter. A woman emerged from the stone communal shower building into a narrow street. The blood and rain had been washed from her white hair and dark skin. She was wearing fresh clothes from her dimensional bag; simple pants, shirt and shoes. It was all made of high-quality white fabric with gold trim.


    Merrick Harlowe had been waiting for her to come out. Merrick was only minor nobility from an outlying region, with less prestige than even a wealthy commoner in Rimaros but he was neither ignorant nor a fool. The woman might not have any markings on her outfit but he had seen her sword and armour and he saw her clothes now. He knew the garb of Purity¡¯s faithful when it was right in front of him.


    This left him in a difficult position. He should, by all accounts, press her on it. If she was a former member of the faith who had discarded the symbols but not the valuable clothes and tools, that was one thing. If her faith remained true, then she was an enemy.


    Merrick could not afford to look at her that way. Not only had she come to their aid in a moment of need but she was unquestionably strong. The fort had men that could match her silver rank but they were not the equal of this demonstrably powerful woman. The fort¡¯s silver rankers were both core users; a mason and a farmer who rarely ever used their abilities for combat. Now that she was inside the walls, she could take the fort apart single-handed.


    ¡°My presence makes you uneasy,¡± she said, her voice calm and strong. ¡°I¡¯ll leave.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Merrick said, holding up his hands. ¡°Please. The storm still rages and you gave us desperately needed assistance. Without your timely intervention, our circumstances would have become far more dire.¡±


    ¡°You exaggerate. Your walls are strong and high.¡±


    ¡°But our supplies are low. Our mana and storm accumulators are burning out. Our spirit coin supply dwindles and our food is running short. Many people are sheltering here and we''re running on a ragged edge. Your arrival could not have come at a more fortuitous time.¡±


    As he spoke, Merrick realised that he wasn¡¯t just spinning a tale. He didn¡¯t care what god she worshipped if it meant keeping his people safe.


    ¡°Please,¡± he said. ¡°We don¡¯t have much in the way of hospitality to offer, but allow me to show you what gratitude I can. My name is Merrick Harlowe, the local lord and commander of the militia here.¡±


    She gave him a smile that was like the sun coming out from behind a cloud.


    ¡°My name is Melody Jain. It¡¯s very nice to meet you, Merrick Harlowe.¡±

 Chapter 481: Enemies Even I Would Fear

    Jason left through the main doors of the temple of Fertility, his storage space freshly loaded with supplies. He was motivated, having discovered how critical the temple¡¯s delivery was during the monster surge. Fortress towns were of paramount importance during a surge, sheltering the evacuated populace of the surrounding villages and towns. Most of those people were normal citizens who could not live on spirit coins the way an essence user could, making the food supply a significant logistical problem.


    The temple of Fertility maintained a series of secure stations in the outlying areas where regular supplies runs weren¡¯t viable during a surge. These stations were much like fortress towns except that instead of people they contained the infrastructure to rapidly grow large amounts of food in a short time and relatively small area.


    These fortified farms were critical to preventing starvation in the more remote fortresses while being just as subject to monster attack. This meant that they not only required the resources to maintain their defences but also their ability to grow food. While the supplies could be at least somewhat intermittent, going too long without fresh magical provisions meant that whole crops would be lost. That, in turn, consigned people in the forts to a slow, hungry death.


    Leaving the temple, Jason had a renewed sense of purpose. It was a job well worth doing and, for once, he was the appropriate person to do it. The Builder and his interdimensional circus was the job of the people with the power to actually do something about it, at least until Jason was inevitably dragged back into it all.


    The royal palace was an opulent paradise the size of a large town, with marble buildings set amongst gardens landscaped to the level of art. The grounds were vast enough to have districts, from walking trails meandering through a rainforest to a sea of flowers. A painstakingly sculpted and maintained hedge maze formed a massive disorientation ritual. Ordinary mazes posed little challenge to those with potent magic senses.


    It wasn¡¯t just the look of the palace that made it feel like a slice of heaven. The invisible protective dome over the sky island also filtered the sunlight to fall on the palace exactly the way the designers intended, varying from district to district. Soft light fell on courtyards of people taking tea while bright rays lit up the gardens. Fresh aromas from the rainforest and the sweet scent of flowers wafted through the grounds on a meandering, magically cultivated breeze.


    While the palace seemed open and inviting, it was the most heavily defended area of the most heavily defended sky island in Rimaros. Only a small handful of people knew the full scope of the defences it could call upon at need.


    In Pallimustus, there was always tension in any powerful group between its members and the people who protected them. When power meant being a high-rank essence user, usually an adventurer, did such people truly need protection? If so, who would do the protecting? If the people protecting them were more powerful, then why were they not the ones in power? Historically, more than a few coups had been born from this very question.


    In many places, the role of guard had become ceremonial, more akin to servants than being required to repel attacks. In Rimaros, the solution came in the form of a guild. The Sapphire Crown was one of the most powerful guilds in Rimaros due to the support it received from the royal family, many of whom were amongst its most capable members. In return for the excellent support they received, all non-royal guild members were required to periodically serve within the royal guard.


    Membership in the Sapphire Crown was incredibly stringent, with most members coming from guild families. Loyalty was paramount and all members were put through rigorous examinations to shield against compromise. All members underwent examination quarterly but while serving in the guard, this increased to anywhere from monthly to weekly, depending on specific duties.


    Trenchant Moore stood out in the guild for being a human. Rimaros was one of the few cities where celestines were in the majority and humans were an even smaller minority in the royal guard than in the population at large.


    Amongst people that mixed darker skin tones with hair of metallic and gemstone colour, Trenchant stood out with his pale skin and dark hair. He was lean and angular, his features as sharp as the gaze of his icy blue eyes. If not for his gold rank, his white skin would have long ago tanned under the tropical sun.


    Trenchant was not currently serving in the guard, so was curious as to why he¡¯d been summoned to the palace. The guilds had huge activity quotas to fill during the monster surge and the royal family did not shield the Sapphire Crown from those requirements. As a gold-ranker, Trenchant was responsible for meeting a good portion of that quota.


    Not being on duty, Trenchant had a rare chance to appreciate the beauty of the grounds instead of being on alert for potential threats. Even so, he couldn¡¯t break the habit of sweeping his senses over the places where aesthetics had been chosen over security.


    Moving along an open walkway, he was headed for a building that was only small by palatial standards. It was a place where royal family members and upper-tier officials conducted high-level but generally unimportant business, usually related to administration.


    The choice of location, combining high security with low-key affairs, drew Trenchant¡¯s attention. Having served a guard on and off for decades, he knew that while such places were mostly used for mundane affairs, they were also the ideal place to hold significant meetings without drawing significant attention.


    He went in through the main doors to the security station where he was checked with several magical devices by the guards on duty. He knew them well but in their stoic professionalism, they treated him as a stranger.


    ¡°You¡¯re not on duty,¡± one of the guards said. ¡°You¡¯ll need to leave your sword.¡±


    Trenchant''s hand instinctively moved to the hilt of the sword at his hip, the reaction of a sword specialist when told to relinquish his blade. The guards moved their hands to their own weapons.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Trenchant said, unbuckling his sword belt.


    ¡°He can keep it,¡± a female voice said through the door. Trenchant recognised it as that of Vesper Rimaros.


    ¡°With respect, your highness,¡± Trenchant called back, ¡°the protocol is the protocol. I shall hand over my weapon.¡±


    ¡°Keep it and come in,¡± a male voice said, seemingly from all around him. He didn¡¯t recognise the voice but it carried an overpowering authority that left his instincts screaming to obey. He looked at the guards, themselves looking shaken. They shared a nod and Trenchant rebuckled his belt as a guard opened the door for him to move deeper into the building.


    Inside was a conference room containing two members of the royal family and several guards. The royals were Vesper and Liara Rimaros; there was no sign of the man whose voice had ushered him in.


    ¡°The rest of you can leave,¡± Vesper said, to the displeasure of the guards.


    ¡°Your highness, security protocols¨C¡±


    ¡°Out,¡± Liara barked.


    The guard looked unhappy but nodded his head as he waved his people out.


    ¡°My lady.¡±


    In the royal hierarchy, Vesper was the higher of the two princesses, but birthright was only part of the equation. Vesper was only silver-rank to Liara¡¯s gold, and while Vesper was a capable adventurer, Liara was a figure of accomplishment and respect in the Sapphire Crown, the Adventure Society and amongst adventurers in general. Power, not legacy, was ever the ultimate authority.


    ¡°Seal the room please, Trench,¡± Liara said. ¡°Then take a seat.¡±


    Trenchant activated the privacy enchantments on the room and then sat opposite the princesses at the conference table.


    ¡°You are no doubt wondering why you¡¯ve been called in here,¡± Liara told him.


    ¡°Yes, my lady.¡±


    ¡°There are sky pirates who have been spotted moving around in the outskirts of the kingdom,¡± Vesper said. ¡°It¡¯s a known group. We believe that they intend to prey on airships and lone adventurers doing supply runs to the fortress towns.¡±


    ¡°Scum,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°Taking from those who are in most desperate need.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Liara said. ¡°Normally, those supply runs have only silvers, maybe a low-value gold-ranker on board. These pirates, however, while a bunch of core-using trash, have two gold-rankers. With the demands on the time of gold-rank adventurers during the surge, the outer reaches of our territory aren¡¯t as defended as they normally would be. Add in a regular schedule of heavily supplied airships and the pirates have grown bold.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dedicating some adventurers to the supply ships to catch them out? Bait ships?¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society is, yes,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°But that isn¡¯t why I¡¯m here,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°Not all of it, anyway. You don¡¯t have secret meetings just over trapping some pirates.¡±


    ¡°We''re going to place you on a ship,¡± Vesper said. ¡°Unlike the other vessels, where the gold-ranker will be supported by silvers, yours will be a normal crew complement.¡±


    ¡°If I end up fighting pirates¡­ I can handle a couple of core-using bottom feeders, even if they are gold, but not while protecting the rest of the crew from whatever silver-rankers the pirates have. You know they don¡¯t exactly send the best adventurers on those runs. It¡¯s all utility powers and second-raters. A lot of them won¡¯t be adventurers at all.¡±


    ¡°Use your discretion,¡± Liara said. ¡°Don¡¯t risk the airship and the people aboard if you feel they aren¡¯t up to the task. Run, if that is the best course. We will stand by whatever judgement you make.¡±


    ¡°Then what is any of this in aid of?¡± Trenchant asked.


    ¡°There will be an adventurer on that ship. Silver-rank. We want your assessment of how he conducts himself. You are not to mention this aspect of your assignment, how it was assigned or by whom to anyone outside of this room. You are not to discuss it, even with us, outside of a secure environment.¡±


    ¡°On the understanding that I can only agree so long as no one with more authority asks me to break those terms,¡± Trenchant said.


    ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± Vesper said. Liara nodded.


    ¡°By what criteria do you want me to assess this man?¡± Trenchant asked.


    ¡°Any and all you feel warrant mention,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Should I protect him?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°No,¡± the male voice countermanded her. Trenchant still could not place where it was coming from. His gold-rank senses detected no one else in the room and no one should be able to listen in or communicate from outside it. The implications of that were not lost on him.


    Vesper and Liara shared a look.


    ¡°However foolish the man and his choices may seem,¡± the voice continued, ¡°let them play out to their conclusion.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t let him know that you¡¯re anything but an ordinary gold-ranker protecting the airship,¡± Vesper told Trenchant.


    ¡°He will know,¡± the voice said. ¡°Guard, your aura has the sharpness of a blade. You cannot hide it from him, even in a scabbard. If you do run into trouble and he wishes to work with you, accept it.¡±


    Trenchant looked to the two princesses. They nodded confirmation with troubled expressions.


    ¡°Who is this man you want me to look at?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± Vesper said. ¡°Outworlder. Go to the jobs hall and you¡¯ll be given the assignment.¡±


    ¡°If there are no more questions,¡± Liara said, her tone certain that there were not, ¡°then you may go.¡±


    Trenchant stood up, giving Vesper a short bow and Liara a slightly shallower one.


    ¡°Your highness. My lady.¡±


    Trenchant deactivated the privacy magic and left, after which Liara got up and turned it back on as Vesper stood up and paced. Soramir was suddenly in the room and took a seat, both women bowing to him.


    ¡°Ancestral majesty,¡± they greeted in unison.


    ¡°Do sit down, girls,¡± he said, waving them into chairs.


    ¡°Ancestral majesty,¡± Vesper said. ¡°May I ask why we¡¯re putting Asano into danger?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not,¡± Soramir said. ¡°We¡¯re giving him the chance to put himself into danger. I¡¯m curious what he¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°And if what he does is die?¡± Vesper asked.


    ¡°Then problem solved,¡± Soramir said. ¡°Little Zara mourned a dead man and a dead man he will be.¡±


    ¡°Then why not kill him ourselves?¡± Vesper asked.


    ¡°This again?¡± Liara asked. ¡°Vesper, we don¡¯t kill innocent people when what makes them inconvenient is something we did.¡±


    ¡°Actually, we do,¡± Soramir said, ¡°but other outcomes are generally preferable.¡±


    ¡°Why are we playing games?¡± Liara asked. ¡°Why are you testing him?¡±


    ¡°Liara, you have at least some sense of the boy¡¯s secrets,¡± Soramir said. ¡°It¡¯s why you sent Vesper here to go find little Zila, is it not? To dig them out?¡±


    Both vesper and Liara paled at their revered diamond-rank ancestor being called ¡®little Zila.¡¯ Soramir laughed as the princesses shared a look.


    ¡°You have dug out his secrets, then?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen the touch of allies and enemies on him that are not to be taken lightly. Enough to know that killing him ourselves would be unwise without learning more.¡±


    ¡°There are things about him that would be very useful to¨C¡±


    Liara was cut off by Soramir shifting his eyes onto her, the words dying in her throat.


    ¡°It is uncouth to share the secrets of others,¡± he told her. ¡°If it must be done then it must be done, but I¡¯ve already done more than enough. Poking through the soul of a junior was already crass, especially when I was careless enough to let him notice. If you can¡¯t tease out his secrets yourself, Liara then they aren¡¯t yours to know.¡±


    ¡°Majestic ancestor,¡± Vesper yet. ¡°You are so far above him that there is no etiquette you owe him.¡±


    ¡°This, Vesper, is your flaw. You assume knowledge before seeking it out. Jason Asano is already half a step into my world, to his suffering and regret.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Liara asked. ¡°Half a step into your world?¡±


    ¡°It means he has faced enemies even I would fear.¡±


    ¡°If he had enemies like that,¡± Liara said, ¡°there¡¯s no way he could survive.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t,¡± Soramir said. ¡°That¡¯s how little Zara got us into this mess.¡±


    ¡°Ancestor, if I may ask,¡± Liara said. ¡°Why are you involving yourself? Family politics are below you and I was surprised that Ancestor Zila intervened, let alone, you. Is it because of Asano?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I suspect him to be a remarkable young man, which is why I want to put him to the test. I believe him to be the kind who finds himself in the centre of things over and over. A pawn of fate. A common destiny for outworlders, although the boy does seem to especially excel in this regard.¡±


    ¡°What are your intentions for him?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°Marrying him into the family could potentially prove a very good idea. Or a very bad one. I think it best we find out.¡±


    ¡°You intend to bless the match with Zara?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°Even if the family was willing to go for that,¡± Vesper said, ¡°he wouldn''t be. She pulled him into a mess with people more powerful than him, which sounds like a pattern he¡¯s been in before, if what the ancestor says is true. He will not be grateful for Zara adding to his troubles.¡±


    Soramir gave Vesper an approving smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking of marrying him off to someone else in the family,¡± Vesper guessed.


    ¡°If he¡¯s worth it,¡± Soramir said. ¡°We¡¯ll watch him and see how he does. How he thinks. He could be a powerful asset or a dangerous threat, simply by his presence.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t see how he could be either,¡± Vesper said. ¡°He¡¯s just some silver-ranker. Zara pulled his name out of a hat because he conveniently died on the other side of the world with just enough accomplishments to be plausible.¡±


    ¡°And in ten years?¡± Soramir asked. ¡°A hundred? A thousand? That boy is going to go all the way or die trying. In fact, he¡¯s done so already and it hasn¡¯t stopped him yet.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be easy,¡± Vesper said. ¡°It sounds like he¡¯s going to be hostile after what we¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps he will blame Zara,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Zara didn¡¯t set a pair of diamond rankers on his path to pry out his secrets,¡± Vesper said. ¡°That was you and I.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t know that.¡±


    ¡°If he can¡¯t figure out that more than Zara is moving, we definitely don¡¯t want him marrying in,¡± Vesper said. ¡°I only briefly met him but he struck me as a fool, not an idiot.¡±


    ¡°He is angry at us,¡± Soramir conformed. ¡°He''s trying to put it aside because he knows that acting on it is not in his best interest but we took something from him. Something he''s been looking forward to for a long time, only for us to snatch it away the moment he found it.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re serious about potentially tying him to the family, ancestor,¡± Liara said, ¡°we cannot treat him as a tool.¡±


    ¡°We''re all tools, Liara,¡± Vesper said. ¡°This is why you make a better adventurer than politician.¡±


    ¡°Vesper is correct in this,¡± Soramir said. ¡°My attention must be on the greater threats we face, so I shall leave this affair in your hands and check-in as I feel the need. The two of you make a good pair. Vesper has a grasp of the political realities while you, Liara, have thoroughness and caution. And ethics.¡±

 Chapter 482: True Elites

    On the island of Livaros, the sky port was the busiest part of the skyline. Looming towers had skyships docked up and down their exteriors while more ships drifted in and out of the port air space. It was busy enough that Jason wondered how air traffic control was managed.


    The ships came in a startling array of designs. Some looked like ordinary ships, complete with sails, although Jason doubted they were propelled by anything so mundane as ordinary wind. Others were almost spaceship-like with sleek hulls of dark metal, but most fell somewhere in-between the sailing ship and UFO designs. The most common type of skyship looked like an ordinary sailing vessel but, instead of sails, had glowing crystals suspended from scaffolding outside of the hull. The crystals were the size of a small car and each ship using them had as few as three or as many as eight, depending on the size of the vessel.


    Jason happily gawped like a tourist as he wandered through the port at ground level. He was also dressed like a tourist, once again in shorts and a very pink floral shirt. He relied on his magical senses to avoid bumping into anyone as he craned his neck around, watching all the activity above. Unsurprisingly, even the low-altitude air traffic present in the rest of the city was heavily restricted here. The only flying vehicles, aside from the skyships themselves, were magical wagons moving up and down the outsides of the towers to load the airships.


    Dimensional storage was expensive, and people with personal storage spaces even more so. This was why some didn¡¯t even bother with adventuring and became professional porters. Most airships still used both, however, filling their holds with dimensional storage crates.


    Jason arrived at the tower he was looking for, a circular edifice of steel and glass that was the closest Jason had seen to contemporary architecture from his own world. The main difference was the massive freight doors through which wagonloads of goods were being hauled in and out. Not all of the wagons moving goods could fly and the interior of the building, as Jason discovered going in, was an array of large elevating platforms ringing the interior of the tower.


    In the centre of the busy room was a series of reception desks, all rushing through the queues assembled in front of them as quickly as they could. Jason spotted Autumn, the elf he had met the other day, in one of the queues as he joined. She was a few spaces ahead of him but after she was done, stopped to wait. Jason reached the desk, showed his delivery contracts and was given a boarding document. He then went over to talk to Autumn. Her frog, Neil, was sitting on her shoulder again.


    ¡°I thought you had a portal power,¡± she said.


    ¡°I''m a new boy,¡± Jason said. ¡°Unless they want me to portal around town, I need to do some travelling, first. I''m only shipping out, though. I''m getting dropped in the outer reaches and making my way alone from there. It''s all very scary.¡±


    ¡°You''re a stealth specialist?¡±


    ¡°A friend of mine told me that the powers you awaken reflect who you are.¡±


    ¡°I''ve heard that. It''s a common theory.¡±


    ¡°Well, it''s cowardice all the way for me, so, stealth powers.¡±


    ¡°Just be careful and I''m sure you''ll be fine. They wouldn''t send you out if they thought you''d die.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry; I have special skills. Did you know there''s a high-pitched shriek you can make that tricks monsters into thinking you''re a mewling infant and many of them leave you alone?¡±


    She gave him a sceptical look.


    ¡°It''s not even a power,¡± he continued. ¡°It''s just something I discovered by accident.¡±


    ¡°We''re probably on the same ship since we picked up our supplies together,¡± she said, ignoring his ongoing nonsense. ¡°Which ship do they have you on?¡±


    ¡°It''s called, hang on¡­¡±


    Jason checked his boarding paper and then frowned, his expression thoughtful.


    ¡°¡­Zila¡¯s Promise. Hmm.¡±


    ¡°Same here,¡± Autumn said. ¡°Is something wrong?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing,¡± Jason said, looking around and then pointing. ¡°Elevating platform six, that¡¯s us.¡±


    They went over to the platform and waited for it to come back down, all the platforms being in heavy use. They rode up, crowded in with wagons and carts. These were all magically propelled, even if they didn''t fly. From what Jason had seen, animal-drawn vehicles were a minority in Rimaros. In Arnote, around the town market, he''d seen wagons drawn by heidels. He still didn''t care for the creepy, two-headed lizard-horses.


    In Livaros, animal-drawn vehicles seemed to be a point of prestige and he''d occasionally spotted wealthy carriages, flying or otherwise, drawn by exotic animals or magical beasts. The rich seemed to share Jason''s aversion to heidels, but probably because poor people used them.


    ¡°You¡¯re not human, are you?¡± Autumn asked him as the platform ascended through the inside of the tower. They were close to the glass and got a good view of the city. The platform made regular stops for wagons, carts and people to unload onto the airships docked to the exterior of the tower.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, pulling out a sandwich. ¡°Want one?¡±


    ¡°I brought my own snacks,¡± she said, tapping Neil on the back. The frog opened his mouth and a bag larger than the frog himself emerged. Jason smiled as the bag warped to its full size. Watching larger items come out of small storage spaces was almost cartoon-like in how the object seemed so pliable only to spring into its normal shape and size, wholly unaffected by the process.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked him, then popped a glazed nut from the bag into her mouth.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want to know what I was thinking.¡±


    ¡°Now I really want to know.¡±


    ¡°I was just wondering about tying a giant firework to a cart so I could ride it and chase down a flightless bird.¡±


    Autumn blinked, nonplussed.


    ¡°That¡¯s really what you were thinking?¡±


    ¡°It probably wouldn¡¯t work. I¡¯d fly off the edge of a desert gorge, hover in the air briefly with a put-upon expression and then fall, kicking up a dirt cloud as I hit the ground.¡±


    ¡°A desert?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°In the famously wet and humid sea of storms.¡±


    ¡°I don''t make the rules.¡±


    ¡°Is this some kind of ruse to make people underestimate you?¡±


    ¡°You asked.¡±


    ¡°What about your eyes? Is that something to do with not being human?¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s just the side effect of a power.¡±


    ¡°A perception power?¡±


    ¡°Partly. It helps me sense dimensional anomalies. Astral space apertures, that kind of thing.¡±


    ¡°Why do I get the impression that you¡¯re never quite telling the truth, even when you aren¡¯t lying?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯m clearly a man of mystery. I lead a life of danger, excitement and baked goods.¡±


    ¡°I can tell by the way you¡¯re dressed.¡±


    ¡°How good is this shirt? I found it in one of the smaller market districts near supply depot seven.¡±


    ¡°Is it designed to repel any princesses that try to marry you?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t think they¡¯d like it?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t exactly scream ¡®man of action.¡¯ Don¡¯t princesses normally go for the manly, heroic type?¡±


    Jason immediately thought of Humphrey. He also vaguely recalled hearing something about Rufus and a princess.


    ¡°You may be right; let''s call that a bonus on top of getting to look so snazzy.¡±


    He jabbed his half-eaten sandwich emphatically


    ¡°I am not going to marry any princesses,¡± he insisted. ¡°That¡¯s how you end up slaying dragons and I¡¯ve got nothing against dragons. One of my friends is a dragon.¡±


    ¡°One of your friends is a dragon?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s a real little scamp. Loves biscuits. Proper biscuits, not scones. Ooh, I should make some savoury scones. I''m just getting back into cooking. Maybe I shouldn''t. I think that''s where the princess problem started in the first place.¡±


    Autumn was swiftly learning that, with Jason, it was tricky to stay focused as he hijacked conversations with nonsense.


    ¡°If you¡¯re not human,¡± she asked, ¡°what are you?¡±


    ¡°Rakishly handsome?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re silver-rank. Everyone¡¯s good-looking.¡±


    ¡°Ah, but it¡¯s not what you¡¯ve got; it¡¯s how you use it. Wait until you see me at the prow of the ship, wind tousling my hair. You won¡¯t even be wondering where the sheep got that spatula from.¡±


    ¡°The sheep?¡± she couldn¡¯t stop herself from asking.


    Jason flashed her an impish grin then turned his gaze upward, as if having noticed something.


    ¡°You¡¯ve done delivery runs like this in the past, right?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Not during a monster surge, but yes. It¡¯s not monster-hunting money but it¡¯s a way to make some relatively safe money if you have a storage power.¡±


    ¡°Do you know if these trips normally have a gold-ranker on them?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Sometimes,¡± Autumn said. ¡°No one guild level, if it¡¯s a gold. I don¡¯t want to say dregs but they aren¡¯t the best. I even saw one almost crash a ship because he got turned down for¡­ anyway, he got angry and lost control of his aura. Distracted the port pilot while he was bringing the ship into port and scraped the whole side of the ship against a docking tower.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not ideal.¡±


    ¡°I prefer not to have a gold-ranker because then you get high-end silvers instead. I''ll take a team of guild silvers over a garbage gold-ranker any time, even if they do look down on the rest of us. At least they''re professional when the monsters show up. Flying monsters are frequently attracted to skyships, so it''s all but guaranteed we''ll see them now.¡±


    ¡°What about sky pirates? I¡¯d love to see some sky pirates.¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a man of mystery and danger?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be happy to avoid them, thank you very much. Story pirates might be all about romance and swashbuckling but real pirates are all about murder and avoiding soap.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± he agreed.


    What Autumn said about the gold-rankers assigned to such missions didn¡¯t match what he sensed from the ships above them. There were multiple ships with rigidly-controlled gold-rank auras, far from the dregs that Autumn described. They were accompanied by similarly elite silver-rank auras.


    Given that he was sensing elites on multiple ships, was it a matter of increased security for the monster surge? That didn¡¯t track with Jason¡¯s understanding that the delivery missions were lower priority. Perhaps the ships in question weren¡¯t supply ships. What drew Jason¡¯s attention the most was a ship that had a single gold-ranker and no other auras of note.


    This aura put even the other gold-rankers to shame. Even compared to gold-rankers, Jason had never felt that his aura control fell short, but this man¡¯s control was on a whole other level. It felt less like observing an aura than it did like observing a sword. Jason kept hearing about the level of true elites, but now he understood what that looked like. The only gold-rankers he¡¯d seen that might come close were Rufus¡¯ father, Gabriel, and Gabriel¡¯s teammate Callum. He couldn¡¯t be sure, though, as he¡¯d last sensed their auras when he was an iron-ranker with feeble aura senses.


    ¡°I think we¡¯re here,¡± Autumn said as the platform stopped once more. It was on the level of the ship containing the remarkable gold-ranker, which didn¡¯t surprise Jason at all.


    ¡°Every bloody time,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Autumn asked.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jason said. He ate the last of his sandwich and pulled out a fruit drink in his coconut cup.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you found a line on those tiny umbrellas?¡±


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    ¡°Did you even check?¡±


    ¡°I did not, no.¡±


    Doors in the side of the building opened and the people on foot moved through while the wagons jostled for position. Unlike non-magical variants, they were better able to rotate in place, but it was still awkward.


    Through the doors was a metal walkway connecting the building to the ship, ending in a cradle in which the ship was resting. The walkway led directly on deck where the first mate quickly checked their papers and ushered them out of the way. They headed for the gold-rank aura near the stern of the ship.


    Trenchant Moore stood at the stern of the Zila¡¯s Promise, taking in the surroundings with his aura senses. There were gold-rankers accompanied by silver-rank guild teams aboard the other ships, ready to eliminate the pirates if they showed themselves. It was an operation that needed to be wrapped up quickly with the demand for capable gold-rankers rising every day.


    Adventurers and other essence users assigned to delivery contracts were boarding the ship. The adventurers with society-issued contracts sensed Trenchant¡¯s aura and approached. He confirmed their details and warned them to stay out of the crew¡¯s way. A couple tried to make more social approaches, guessing he was a guild member from his aura. Monster surges were a prime recruiting period for guilds and those hoping to score a membership would always be looking for opportunities. Trenchant rebuffed the smart ones with a standoffish attitude and the stupid ones with a burst of aura suppression.


    Trenchant¡¯s senses detected an unusual aura moving up through the tower on an elevating platform. It was silver-rank but with a strength rivalling that of a gold-ranker and the precise control to match. He was unable to see through the aura at all without pushing out his senses aggressively, which he would hardly do in the heavily crowded dock. If he distracted some port pilot in a critical moment it could lead to a crash. There had been a near-miss for that exact reason a couple of years ago, incurring expensive repairs and even more expensive port delays.


    It was the second-strongest silver-rank aura he¡¯d ever seen but had no trace of the overlap that marked a fourfold aura. This was a singular aura power with formidable strength in and of itself. It was exactly the kind of aura it would take to arrest the attention of whatever Rimaros ancestor was behind Trenchant¡¯s current task. As to which ancestor, Trenchant could only guess. As far as he had known, the only diamond-ranker in the city was the namesake of the ship he was on.


    As expected, the aura¡¯s owner boarded the Zila¡¯s Promise, approaching with a more ordinary adventurer. From the emotions in her aura, they were casual acquaintances, although she seemed to harbour a strong curiosity about her companion. Even up close, Asano''s emotions were completely hidden; his aura¡¯s control every bit the equal of its strength.


    At most, Trenchant could see that Asano was hiding his true strength and level of control, passing himself off as one of the less capable adventurers that otherwise occupied the ship. No one short of a gold-ranker would be able to see through it, and some of those would need to be up close. This image was reinforced by the man''s outfit, from the garish shirt to the open-toed sandals to the ridiculous beverage with fruit sticking out of it.


    The pair introduced themselves respectfully, confirming Trenchant¡¯s assumption of Asano¡¯s identity. He looked over the contracts from the two, seeing that Asano was to leave the ship mid-journey to make a solo trek through the outer reaches. During a monster surge, especially this one, it was a task that demanded guild-level skills. If Asano had been lacking in that regard, though, he wouldn¡¯t be worth paying attention to.


    ¡°There is a potential threat of pirates,¡± Trenchant told Asano. ¡°Security on the vessels delivering supplies to the outer reaches has been increased. What do you feel would be the appropriate action should the airship be attacked?¡±


    This drew the attention of the other adventurers, especially the ambitious ones that had failed to draw any kind of positive response from the gold-ranker.


    ¡°The same thing you do in every situation,¡± Asano said. ¡°Assess the circumstances and use your best judgement. There¡¯s no point deciding what to do now, out of context.¡±


    Trenchant nodded but gave no further response, turning around to look out of the stern at the city spread out below.

 Chapter 483: Diligent and Considerate

    The Zila¡¯s Promise departed Rimaros airspace, heading west. It ascended to an altitude where only the most exotic or dedicated monsters would encounter them. Trenchant Moore ordered the adventurers to stay out of the way of the crew and most stuck close to where the gold ranker stood at the stern of the vessel.


    Jason had a happy grin as he watched the city fall away and the Sea of Storms spread out below them. Once they moved into the clouds, he joined some of the other adventurers in sitting cross-legged on the deck, using the travel time to meditate.


    The more ambitious adventurers stayed close to Trenchant, trying to engage him with very little success. Some of them threw looks at Jason, wondering why he had warranted extra attention from the gold-ranker. Most of the other passengers were experienced professional porters, either part-time adventurers or not adventurers at all. Autumn was counted in that number and joined them in heading below decks where they played card and dice games.


    Several hours into the trip Jason opened his eyes and turned to look at Trenchant, who was already looking at him. Jason raised his eyebrows inquiringly and Trenchant gave a short nod. Jason got to his feet, walked to the side of the skyship and casually dropped himself over the side. No one noticed one of Shade¡¯s bodies move from Jason¡¯s shadow into one of those on the ship.


    Jason threw his arms out, revelling in the sensation as he plunged through the air. Black mist shrouded his body, looking like a dark comet as he continued to drop. The mist dissipated quickly to reveal Jason in his conjured blood robe and starlight cloak. A pair of nebulous spheres that looked much like his own eyes orbited around his body.


    Being a conjured item, Jason¡¯s robes were an adaptable item able to accommodate his newly purchased gear. Most prominent were the throwing darts sheathed diagonally across his chest.


    Rising from below was a flock of flying dinosaur fish, more than two dozen in number. Something between a swordfish and a pterodactyl, the beaks of the silver-rank monsters were long, narrow spikes. Their wings were huge and leathery with an array of bony spines running along their forward edge.


    The monsters were rising toward the airship at an angle with powerful flaps of their large wings, propelling them rapidly upward. Jason¡¯s cloak flared out around him as he descended on the reverse angle, rushing down to meet them. As he drew close, a storm of spines rushed ahead of the monsters, shot from their wings to pepper Jason. These were no ordinary projectiles and the monsters were able to redirect them as they moved through the air.


    Jason''s cloak wrapped around him, shielding him from the small but numerous attacks. By the time he passed through the squall of spines unharmed, he was almost upon the monsters.


    Jason didn''t avoid a direct confrontation, diving straight at the monsters. He aimed right for the vanguard creature but was startled by its long head shooting forward on a tether of flexible tendons, its beak stabbing out like a spear. It missed Jason entirely. The sharp beak shot past him, to the monster¡¯s confusion, before the tether snapped back like a bungee cord and the monster¡¯s head returned to its body.


    For adventurers and monsters both, higher rank meant an increasing reliance on supernatural senses. In the disorienting chaos of combat, even magically enhanced eyes and ears had their limits and could be deceived. Avoiding attacks that couldn¡¯t be seen and noticing enemies that couldn¡¯t be heard became increasingly important as enemies gained more exotic powers with each increasing rank.


    Aura was critical in fooling supernatural senses, requiring far more finesse than a silence ability or invisibility power. An expert using their aura to feint created a dissonance between the ordinary and supernatural senses but, even amongst high-rankers, few could execute such refined manipulation in the chaos of combat. It was rarely considered worth the effort for a technique that was occasionally useful but never completely reliable. Only combined with the right ability did that change.


    Ability: [Cloak of Night] (Dark)


    Conjuration (darkness, light, dimension).Base cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 4 (03%).Effect (iron): Conjures a magical cloak that offers limited physical protection. Can generate light over an area or absorb light to blend into shadows. Cloak can reduce the weight of the wearer, allowing reduced falling speed and water walking. Cannot be given or taken away, but the effect can be extended to others in close proximity, with an ongoing mana cost rising exponentially with each affected person.Effect (bronze): Cloak reflexively intercepts projectiles. Highly effective against rapid, weaker attacks, but less effective against powerful, singular attacks. Cloak allows gliding.Effect (silver): Cloak passively manipulates physical space, slightly shifting the trajectory of incoming attacks. Manipulation can be actively managed for more directed effect or to allow passage through spaces normally too small to physically traverse. Cloak allows flight for a low ongoing mana cost, increasing to a moderate ongoing mana cost while in direct sunlight.


    Prior to reaching silver rank, Jason had long anticipated the personal flight promised by his cloak power. In practice, it was actually of limited use. Far more often, Jason used some combination of leaping with weight reduction, gliding or Shade''s travel forms.


    The second aspect of the power allowed Jason to manipulate the space around himself. He could shift the trajectory of attacks without actually affecting the attack by magically manipulating the space between them to constitute a greater distance. The power could, in theory, allow him to dodge without dodging.


    While the power was ostensibly strong, the effect proved quite minimal, making it extremely difficult to use. It had taken months of fighting through astral spaces and transformation zones, along with significant self-healing from failed feints and dodges before Jason learned to unlock the power¡¯s potential.


    The result of combining his exhaustively practised skills, vision-obscuring and space manipulating cloak and his aura manipulation formed a formidably deceptive defence. Even so, the technique lacked the reliability of an essence power that just did a thing and worked. It was Jason¡¯s most skill-intensive technique, where he matched his proficiency against the perception and skills of his enemies. While it was working more and more, only in the still-inconsistent combat trance state had Jason truly felt like the technique was mastered.


    Even so, Jason continued to practise, fight after fight. Rufus had taught him to push himself to the limits and Jason has enough self-healing that his limits were pretty far. So, when faced with his first batch of monsters since returning to Pallimustus, Jason continued to push.


    In this instance, the technique worked and the strange springing neck attack passed by Jason as he plunged into the flock. He reached out with a shadow arm, grabbing the creature that attacked him and pulled himself heavily into a standing position of its back. The monster went into a frenzy, thrashing in the air and shooting out more wing spines that twisted in the air to turn on Jason. He ignored the projectiles as his cloak intercepted them and he conjured his dagger into his second shadow hand while casting a spell.


    ¡°Bleed for me.¡±


    Blood started seeping from the eyes of the monster, which only made its frenzied thrashing worse and it stopped climbing in altitude. Maintaining his grip using one shadow hand, he used his dagger in the other to leave a pair of shallow cuts on the monster¡¯s back. As he did, he cast a second spell.


    ¡°Carry the mark of your transgressions.¡±


    A brand was marked in the monster¡¯s flesh by a wisp of transcendent damage. The creature¡¯s flailing was no longer allowing it to maintain flight and it started to drop. The other monsters arrested their ascent, swooping around to assist their stricken flock-mate. They all fired their wing spines, which danced around Jason like a living cloud. They still failed to penetrate Jason¡¯s cloak as it swirled around him, the attacks revealing that the article of clothing it appeared to be was a lie. It shrouded him in the magical darkness that was its true nature.


    The other monsters continued to wheel around Jason and his unwilling mount, angling for a shot at Jason with their strange head-projectiles. As they jostled for position, Jason blasted out his aura at full strength. The raw power of it spooked the monsters, causing them to falter in their flight. They recovered immediately but were left in disarray.


    One the skyship, some of the adventurers had noticed Jason¡¯s casual departure and were wondering amongst themselves why he¡¯d jumped off the ship. Some of them asked Trenchant but he just told them to keep their attentions to their own affairs. They went back to muttering amongst themselves until every essence user on the ship felt an aura explode below them like a bomb.


    Jason launched himself from the back of the stricken bird while casting another spell.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    As he did, one of the eye spheres around Jason left his orbit and sank into the wounded monster. At the same time, Shade¡¯s bodies swarmed out of Jason¡¯s cloak to float amongst the birds in their disarray. The familiar was unaffected by the spines still flying around as they passed through his insubstantial bodies.


    Jason fell into one of Shade¡¯s bodies and emerged from another, on the far side of the flock. Again he used a shadow arm to grab a creature and pull himself onto its back. With his shadow arms as a tether, he stood astride the creature even as it bucked under him, surveying the state of his new mount¡¯s companions. They were starting to panic as radiant butterflies spread amongst them, bestowing their deathly payload and multiplying. It wouldn¡¯t be long until he was ready to take the extermination to the next stage; he just needed time for the afflictions to propagate and do their work.


    There was a Shade body near each of the monsters and shadow arms burst out from all of them, entangling the wings of the monsters. The arms lacked the strength to bind the monsters entirely but could at least impede their ability to fly as they wished.


    Ability: [Hand of the Reaper] (Dark)


    Conjuration (disease, magic, unholy).Cost: Low mana-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 4 (02%).Effect (iron): Conjure a highly flexible, semi-substantial shadow-arm that can extend or shrink. Conjured items can be conjured into the shadow hand. Can be used to make melee special attacks. Special attacks made using the arm inflict [Creeping Death] in addition to other effects.Effect (bronze): You can conjure a second arm. Special attacks made using the arms inflict [Rigor Mortis] in addition to other effects.Effect (silver): Special attacks made using the arms inflict [Weakness of the Flesh] in addition to other effects. Numerous additional arms can be conjured from nearby shadows but only arms directly connected to the conjurer can bestow afflictions and use melee special attacks. The rank of conjured arms not connected to the conjurer is one rank below that of the conjurer. Up to two arms may be directly connected to the conjurer.


    [Creeping Death] (damage-over-time, disease, stacking): Inflicts ongoing necrotic damage until the disease is cleansed. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Rigor Mortis] (affliction, unholy, stacking): Penalty to the [Speed] and [Recovery] attributes. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Each time a new instance is inflicted, deals necrotic damage for each existing instance.[Weakness of the Flesh] (affliction, magic): Negates immunities to disease and necrotic damage. This includes intrinsic immunities, such as from not having a biology or corporeal form. Cannot be cleansed while any disease affliction is in effect.


    The frantic monsters were no longer controlling the spikes that had been flying through the air, which had fallen away as the monsters tried to flee. The shadow arms gripping their wings meant they struggled to remain aloft, let alone control their flight. They kept getting in each other¡¯s way as they struggled to free themselves from the annoyance. Shade made sure to position his bodies to obscure the creatures¡¯ vision, exacerbating the problem. All the while, Jason¡¯s afflictions were marking their flesh with patches of dead flesh pustules seeping dark blood.


    The damage was progressing faster than was normal for silver-rank monsters. They had sealed their fate from the outset by levying hundreds of attacks against Jason with their spines.


    Ability: [Hegemony] (Sin)


    Aura (holy, unholy).Base cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 4 (03%).Effect (iron): Allies within the aura have increased resistance to afflictions, while enemies within the aura have their resistance to afflictions reduced. Enemy resistances are further reduced for each instance of [Sin] they are suffering from.Effect (bronze): Inflicts an instance of [Sin] on enemies that make physical or magical attacks against allies within the aura. Instances applied in this way cannot be resisted.Effect (silver): Aura can be extended over a larger area before aura strength becomes compromised. Transcendent damage dealt by enemies within the aura is downgraded to either resonating-force or disruptive-force damage, depending on the source.


    [Sin] (affliction, curse, stacking): All necrotic damage taken is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    All the monsters that attacked Jason were drenched in sin as the price of their transgression against him. As a result, Jason¡¯s other afflictions desiccated their life force with necrotic power as their bodies died for no more reason than Jason wanted them to. The afflictions continued to multiply with every passing moment, the damage rising at an exponential rate.


    Jason didn¡¯t want them to scatter too far but their suffering gave them powerful motivation to break away. The monster under him rolled and thrashed as Jason held on with his shadow arm and he let it go, his cloak taking the shape of dark wings, speckled with starlight. He cast another spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    The red glow of life force shone from each of the monsters, but every light was filled with black and purple taint. The taint drained away in streams to converge on Jason who absorbed it all. As the taint rushed out of the monsters, shining blue, silver and gold light was left its place. The glow of life force returned to the bodies of the monsters, taking the bright light into their bodies with it.


    Ability: [Feast of Absolution] (Sin)


    Spell (recovery, cleanse, holy).Base cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 4 (02%).Effect (iron): Cleanse all curses, diseases, poisons and unholy afflictions from a single target. Additionally, cleanse all holy afflictions if the target is an ally. Recover stamina and mana for each affliction cleansed. This ability ignores any effect that prevents cleansing. Cannot target self.Effect (bronze): Enemies suffer an instance each of [Penance] and [Legacy of Sin] for each condition cleansed from them.Effect (silver): Increase cost to moderate to affect all afflicted enemies and allies in a wide area.


    [Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off as damage is dealt.[Legacy of Sin] (affliction, holy, stacking): Target is considered more damaged for the purpose of execute ability damage scaling. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Transcendent damage started burning the monsters from the inside out and they began falling from the sky, screaming. Even before they died, rainbow smoke trailed behind them as they fell. None of them struck the water, burned into nothingness before reaching the sea below.


    You have defeated [Skyhunter Marlin].[Skyhunter Marlin] has been wholly annihilated. It has been looted automatically.[Monster Core (Silver)] has been added to your inventory.[Skyhunter Needle] has been added to your inventory.10 [Silver Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.100 [Bronze Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.1000 [Iron Spirit Coins] have been added to your inventory.


    As loot piled into Jason¡¯s inventory, Shade¡¯s bodies gathered around Jason and started vanishing into his shadow cloak.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°I will take the liberty of masking your enhanced mana and life force, since the adventurers on the ship may be able to sense them.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Shade. Diligent and considerate as ever.¡±


    Jason¡¯s mana had already skyrocketed from draining the afflictions of the monsters. His life force was quickly climbing due to the passive power that worked alongside his Feast of Absolution ability.


    Ability: [Sin Eater] (Sin)


    Special ability (recovery, holy).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 4 (02%).Effect (iron): Increased resistance to afflictions. Gain an instance of [Resistant] each time you resist an affliction or cleanse an affliction using essence abilities.Effect (bronze): Gain an instance of [Integrity] for each affliction you resist or remove using essence abilities.Effect (silver): Health, mana and stamina gained through your own essence abilities of the drain and recovery type can exceed the normal maximum. Excess health, stamina and mana deplete over time until the normal maximum is reached.


    [Resistant] (boon, holy, stacking): Resistance to afflictions is increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Consumed to negate instances of [Vulnerable] on a 1:1 basis.[Integrity] (heal-over-time, mana-over-time, stamina-over-time, holy, stacking): Periodically recover a small amount of health, stamina and mana. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Sin Eater transformed the vast number of afflictions on the monsters into a healing effect on Jason. He hadn¡¯t been injured, but the same power meant that Jason could exceed what would otherwise be his maximal life force, taking him from the range of an essence user into that of a large monster. The extra life force would allow Jason¡¯s body to completely resist injury until the extra life force was consumed or drained away over time. For the moment, though, it was unnecessary. The monsters had failed to injure Jason at all.


    Healers often awakened perception powers that let them sense life force, as did assassins and others with powers not unlike Jason¡¯s. As for his excess mana, anyone with sharp enough magic senses would notice the massive excess Jason currently possessed. Shade¡¯s ability to mask against various forms of detection would yet again prove invaluable.


    Jason reflected, far from the first time, how precious his familiars were. Their companionship as they nestled within his soul even more so than their powers. Jason had spent some of his darkest days alone but for the three lovable death machines he carried inside him.


    Jason sensed the last monster die out, its magic transformed into spirit coins and a monster core, deposited into Jason¡¯s storage space. Jason vanished, leaving behind a shadow cloak drifting in the sky that soon dissipated into nothing.

 Chapter 484: That Doesn’t Make the Pebble Important

    The Geller residence was high in one of the famous garden towers of Vitesse. During monster surges, the residence welcomed many guests, from the team members of family members to various allies. Humphrey Geller¡¯s team, along with Gary, were no exception and were housed in a small suite, befitting their status as silver-rankers. The bronze-rankers were in what amounted to dormitories on the lower floors.


    The suite was not large for a half-dozen people, at least by the normal kind of luxury that silver-rankers were used to. The residence was crowded, even with its expansive size, but no one complained. The Gellers didn''t make friends with adventurers unwilling to rough it and the breakfast buffet being communal wasn''t that rough.


    The suite seemed even smaller since Clive had filled it with blackboard stands, currently covered in complex notes and diagrams. He had been working on them non-stop, Belinda resuming her old role as assistant. Her originally patchwork understanding of magical theory had been thoroughly shored-up since becoming an adventurer and the pair sounded like they were speaking another language to the rest of the team.


    Even those with basic training in ritual magic, like Humphrey, Neil and Gary, were unable to follow the discussion the pair were having as they scribbled away on blackboards. The rest of the team prepared for the upcoming mission by going over maps and notes about the dam and what they knew of its defences.


    Humphrey was growing increasingly anxious at the close quarters. His problem wasn¡¯t being stuck with his friends but the inability to snatch a private moment. He didn¡¯t like airing his private, personal business in front of people, even if they kept sticking their heads in. That being said, he knew that circumstances wouldn¡¯t be changing any time soon.


    Humphrey stood up from the couch he was sitting on, putting down the notebook he was reviewing of his own observations made while scouting out the target site. He looked at Sophie, sitting at a table and going over sketches of the dam while absently sharing a sandwich with the puppy sitting in her lap. Humphrey walked over to her.


    ¡°Can we take a walk?¡± he asked quietly.


    The rest of the team pretended not to be listening in. Sophie looked up, her eyes flicking to Belinda, who gave her an urging nod.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said. She sat the remains of her sandwich on the table and got up. Puppy Stash pounced at the sandwich, bouncing off the magical bubble that suddenly appeared around it.


    ¡°Boo!¡± the puppy jeered at the laughing Neil, who had used one of his shield powers on the snack. Sophie and Humphrey left the room as Stash turned into a brightly kaleidoscopic tropical bird, flapping across the room to attack Neil.


    The halls of the Geller residence were busy and there was no shortage of people looking to greet Humphrey. He walked next to Sophie, neither of them talking to the other.


    "Roof garden?" she suggested finally breaking the silence as they searched for a private spot.


    ¡°It¡¯s been reserved for gold-rankers,¡± he said.


    In the end, they found a balcony that was just as crowded as everywhere else and jumped off. They both had flight permits from when they had been operating out of Vitesse with Clive. Humphrey called out his dragon wings while Sophie floated on the wind and they glided down to a nearby public park. They were not hard to find in the City of Flowers. Contrary to the Geller residence, the park was mostly empty; monster surges weren''t a popular time for family fun days.


    The pair found a park bench and sat next to each other in awkward silence. This was their first time truly alone since learning of Jason''s resurrection.


    ¡°You wanted to say something?¡± Sophie finally asked.


    Humphrey nodded.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t easy,¡± he said. ¡°So many things could go wrong if I mess this up.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to¨C¡±


    ¡°No!¡± he almost yelled, cutting her off. He then deflated like a balloon. ¡°I just¡­ for a long time, it was you, me and Clive, and Clive, well, you know.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll probably marry a research paper on the benefits of a stable domestic life.¡±


    Humphrey laughed.


    ¡°Something like that. What I¡¯m saying is that for a lot of the last couple of years, it¡¯s really been you and me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s changing,¡± Sophie said. ¡°In a big way.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m glad the team is coming back together,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°A lot of teams don¡¯t survive losing a member and we haven¡¯t worked together since Jason died. His being back is the best thing I could ask for.¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°Everything is a mess right now. The team coming together and Jason coming back while a monster surge and an invasion is going on? Things aren¡¯t going to calm down once we find Jason, either.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not exactly the calm things down type,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°It¡¯s bad enough when it¡¯s just him, but now there¡¯s Dawn and you just know he¡¯ll be up to his neck in the Builder invasion.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I don¡¯t see a lot of time for just you and me in all this.¡±


    Sophie¡¯s face fell.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying¡­¡±


    ¡°That I¡¯m not willing to give that up,¡± Humphrey said, determination shining through the nervousness on his face. ¡°I¡¯m not ready for there not to be any time for just you and me. I¡¯m not giving it up. Not for the monster surge, not for the team and not¡­ not for Jason. The only person who can make me give up on you and me is you. So, if you don¡¯t want¨C¡±


    Sophie cut him off with a kiss, gently cupping his face in her hand. She felt him go tense, then his whole body relaxed as he slipped his large arm around her.


    On a skyship flying high over the Sea of Storms, a crew member was fetching supplies from one of the lower decks. After the aura blast they all felt, the captain ordered the ship made ready for a monster attack. The gold-rank adventurer had assured the captain it was fine but she took no chances and ordered her crew to make ready.


    The crewman spotted movement in a dark corner. Shifting the crate he was holding to one arm, he rested a hand on the hilt of his knife and peered into the shadows. A man in a bright pink shirt, shorts and sandals emerged, holding a sandwich.


    ¡°G¡¯day, cobber.¡±


    The crewman relaxed.


    ¡°You¡¯re one of the adventurers,¡± he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s me. Dashing heroics at reasonable prices. Well, semi-reasonable. Can I give you a hand?¡±


    ¡°If you want to carry one of these crates, I won¡¯t say no.¡±


    ¡°No worries, mate.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t hard with Jason¡¯s silver-rank strength and he followed the crewman to the top deck with a crate tucked under his arm as he ate his sandwich. The adventurers were all at the ready, aside from Trenchant Moore. The gold-ranker didn¡¯t seem to have moved from where he stood when Jason had left the ship, standing at the stern with his hands clasped behind his back.


    The rest of the adventurers were lining the sides of the ship, their auras agitated and fearful. Jason helped the crewman with the crate, which contained mana storage batteries for the ship¡¯s deck turrets. Normally the turrets were retracted into the ship but the captain had the ship on alert. After dropping off the crate, he moved over to the closest adventurer.


    ¡°Everyone seems a bit excitable,¡± Jason said. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡±


    ¡°Did you not feel that blast of aura?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that, yeah. Almost dropped my sandwich. Still, it¡¯s just some adventurer, right?¡±


    ¡°How was that an adventurer? Only silver-rank, but that strong? And the way it felt; merciless, tyrannical.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little harsh,¡± Jason muttered. ¡°I don¡¯t think it was that bad. Slightly domineering, maybe.¡±


    ¡°Slightly? That was the aura of something without pity or compassion, as if it were tired of the things it met still being alive.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re definitely exaggerating.¡±


    ¡°It felt like a hand grabbing you and just squeezing until you ooze out between its fingers.¡±


    ¡°This is starting to get hurtful.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    Jason wandered over to where Autumn was standing next to her frog, currently ballooned up to be taller than Autumn herself. She felt Jason¡¯s aura approach and turned around.


    ¡°Jason! They said you went over the side.¡±


    ¡°Dropped my lunch,¡± he said, waving the sandwich in his hand. ¡°Got it back, then took a look around the boat. It¡¯s my first airship, so I¡¯m pretty excited.¡±


    She looked at him suspiciously.


    ¡°You¡¯re alight then?¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m usually in some kind of trouble.¡±


    His eyes flickered to Trenchant standing impassively at the rear of the ship.


    ¡°Make that always.¡±


    Someone called out, having spotted the trails of rainbow smoke below and behind the ship. Trenchant looked put upon as the adventurers, Autumn included, swamped the stern. He wandered over to Jason who was leaning on the ship¡¯s railing, letting the air wash over him. Trenchant stood next to him, also looking out. He tapped a brooch on his chest and Jason felt a subtle magic surround them.


    ¡°Privacy magic?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You lack subtlety, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a personal failing, I¡¯ll admit. In my defence, this was my first chance to cut loose since getting back.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been to our kingdom before?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been to your world before. First time visiting the Sea of Storms.¡±


    Trenchant turned to look at Jason, about to ask more when they both felt attention on them from the stern of the ship. The more ambitious adventurers had been paying close attention to Trenchant and the distraction of the rainbow smoke only lasted so long before they spotted him with Jason once again. Trenchant tapped his brooch, dissolving the screen shielding their words from eavesdropping.


    ¡°Do try to keep a hold of your sandwich next time, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best.¡±


    Fascinated by the flying ship, Jason started befriending the crew, assisted by some barbecued meat. It was leftover from his barbecue, kept hot and fresh in his inventory. He was listening to a sailor explain the operation of the skyship¡¯s weapons on the gun deck when the first mate called the crewman away.


    ¡°Thanks,¡± Jason said as the crewman departed. Then he stood with a sad smile on his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m worried that if you keep staring at the back of my head like that, you¡¯ll burn a hole in it,¡± Jason said. ¡°The problem with magic is that¡¯s a valid concern.¡±


    He turned around to where Autumn was leaning against a bulkhead, Neil the frog perched on her shoulder.


    ¡°You¡¯re not one of us, are you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Us?¡±


    "There''s only a handful of adventurers on this ship and we''re all ordinary except for the Siege Sword. And for you."


    ¡°The Siege Sword?¡±


    ¡°Trenchant Moore.¡±


    "You''ve heard of him, then."


    ¡°He¡¯s a famous adventurer. Which leaves me wondering what he¡¯s doing watching over a bunch of no-name people on a nothing run.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a nothing run,¡± Jason said. ¡°People need what we¡¯re bringing them. Desperately, from what I''m told.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Autumn said. ¡°That doesn''t make it important to the royal family, though. Which makes me wonder what such a powerful member of the Sapphire Crown is doing here.¡±


    ¡°Is that a guild?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the guild the royal guard belong to. Are you going to play ignorant about every little thing?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not local. Really, really not local. I come by my ignorance honestly.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t owe you answers, Autumn.¡±


    ¡°But I don¡¯t think you want me looking for them anywhere else, do you? That¡¯s why you¡¯re pretending to be some no-name adventurer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not pretending to be on a mission. I¡¯m on one. And don¡¯t go looking for answers elsewhere. It would be an annoyance to me but a danger to you.¡±


    ¡°Is that a threat?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, his voice weary. ¡°It¡¯s a warning.¡±


    ¡°Why should I believe anything you¡¯ve said to me. You¡¯ve been lying since we met.¡±


    Jason slumped against the wall, looking tired. It wasn¡¯t from the fight.


    ¡°You asked me what I am,¡± he told her. ¡°I¡¯m an outworlder. Heard of them?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It means I don¡¯t come from Pallimustus.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡±


    ¡°That I¡¯m from a place so far away that just coming here changes you forever.¡±


    ¡°Is that why Moore is on this boat? Because you¡¯re from some strange place?¡±


    "I doubt it. My kind may be rare but we aren''t unique. I''ve heard there are astral magic specialists who like to study us but fresh astral magic has been easy to come by, lately. I doubt I''m worth the effort."


    ¡°Then why is he here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I¡¯d never even heard of him until I met him. While standing next to you.¡±


    ¡°But he¡¯s here for you.¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Is he protecting you?¡±


    ¡°Testing me, I think. I doubt he even knows why. I think the person who sent him is deciding whether or not to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Why would someone want to kill you?¡±


    ¡°People always come up with something. In this case, it¡¯ll be political expediency.¡±


    ¡°If you warrant Trenchant Moore following you around, why are you running around pretending to be unimportant?¡±


    ¡°If a prince stumbles on a pebble, that doesn¡¯t make the pebble important.¡±


    ¡°You said that someone sent the Siege Sword on this mission.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re better off not knowing.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t many people who can send him anywhere. Is this something to do with princesses?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go putting stock in the things I¡¯ve told you now. I¡¯ve been lying since we met, remember?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right. I am better off not knowing.¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯re wiser than I ever was. If you can¡¯t afford trouble, you shouldn¡¯t borrow it. If you don¡¯t trust anything else I have to say, trust me on that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for trouble. Just the opposite. I don¡¯t want to be caught under the feet of giants.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a giant, Autumn.¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m the one caught underfoot.¡±

 Chapter 485: They Don’t Sent Their Best People

    On an island off the coast of Vitesse, there was an Adventure Society way station where various magical vehicles were stored. In Greenstone, with its weak ambient magic, only people with the right power could operate magical vehicles. In high-magic zones, magic vehicles were available to all, but the most powerful still required the appropriate power.


    Gary and Jason¡¯s team were in an open marshalling area, waiting for a pair of high-powered ground skimmers to be delivered. Clive and Belinda both possessed appropriate powers to pilot them. With them was an Adventure Society supervisor, Miles Cotezee, and their temporary team leader, Kenneth, son of Brian. The pair were discussing the mission with Clive and Humphrey.


    ¡°How many of the people from the briefings were found to be infiltrators?¡± Kenneth asked Miles.


    ¡°No one in the briefing teams turned out to be Purity or Builder agents,¡± Miles said. ¡°Their families and lovers were a different story and we dug out nine people working for one or the other. As planned, the speed and magnitude of the attack was too critical for them not to report immediately and they took risks that let us catch them out.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not to say we got all of them,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I know,¡± Miles agreed. ¡°But we plugged a few holes and we have some people to interrogate. Hopefully, we''ll learn something about their methods that will help us root out more infiltrators.¡±


    Gary and Neil were discussing their own matters of import.


    ¡°And it¡¯s a string on the end of a stick?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Kind of,¡± Gary said. ¡°It¡¯s not actual string, and it¡¯s usually a specially designed stick. It has a spool to hold all the special string. It needs to be quite long.¡±


    ¡°Specially designed how?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Uh, it¡¯s a bit wobbly.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s a wobbly stick.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also a hook on the end of the string. You put something on it that the fish will want to eat.¡±


    ¡°This sounds like a lot of trouble. Fish aren¡¯t that hard to kill.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about killing fish.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not?¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you let the fish go.¡±


    ¡°You let it go?¡±


    ¡°Only sometimes.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t catching it the entire point of the exercise?¡±


    ¡°Exactly. You can keep the fish if you want to eat it but, as you said, the purpose of the activity is the catching. If you let it go, it can make more fish or someone else can catch it again later.¡±


    ¡°This entire process sounds utterly pointless.¡±


    Sophie and Belinda were having their own conversation, under a privacy screen provided by one of Belinda¡¯s magic items.


    ¡°So, you didn¡¯t¡­?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have a lot of private space right now. Where would we?¡±


    ¡°As I recall, you¡¯ve been quite adventurous on that front in the past.¡±


    ¡°I don''t think Humphrey is quite ready for all that quite yet.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You get the pants off some of those rigid, straight-laced guys and you find they¡¯re into some crazy stuff.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey is not rigid.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, Soph. He''s a placard of rules some god brought to life to fight evil.¡±


    ¡°You be nice,¡± Sophie admonished. ¡°Look, I have no objection to it. It''s been a looong time, but where would we go? It won''t be in the suite with a bunch of adventurers waiting outside the door with silver-rank perception.¡±


    ¡°You can do it anywhere you like. Have you seen the two of you? We could charge tickets.¡±


    Sophie slapped her friend on the arm.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Just record it so we can make some money selling it after.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not!¡± Sophie said, then showed a wavering expression. ¡°I mean, probably not. I¡¯m definitely not going to show anyone.¡±


    ¡°Except me, right?¡±


    ¡°No!¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not showing anyone!¡±


    Late in the night, Jason was on the open deck of the skyship, looking up at the stars. There were crew on watch but the passengers were below deck, sleeping or socialising. His map ability showed that they were rapidly approaching his first destination and his time aboard the ship was coming to an end. Trenchant Moore came onto the deck, his aura masked so as to not be bothered by eager adventurers. He moved to stand next to Jason at the bow of the ship, activating his privacy screen to contain their words.


    ¡°Your people have brought me trouble I neither asked for nor deserve,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t even make a friend without being afraid to draw them into my mess. Which is really your mess. Or the mess of the people who sent you, anyway. Autumn was scared of me and she wasn¡¯t wrong to be.¡±


    ¡°What was that you were saying to Miss Leal about princesses?¡±


    ¡°So, they didn¡¯t even tell you why you¡¯re here,¡± Jason said. ¡°Was it to protect me or test me? Or a bit of both.¡±


    Trenchant looked at Jason for a long moment before answering.


    ¡°The instruction was to let you kill yourself, if that¡¯s what you ran off and did. I¡¯m not here to shield you from your own mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Makes sense. Too bad you can¡¯t shield me from everyone else¡¯s, but I suppose they don¡¯t care about that so much.¡±


    ¡°Would you have fought if we ran into the pirates?¡±


    ¡°There really are sky pirates floating around?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And they¡¯re out here preying on people who need help the most? That¡¯s a fight I wouldn¡¯t feel bad about. I¡¯m not going to and get myself killed over it, though.¡±


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to attack a fort town. They¡¯ll be going for the transports.¡±


    ¡°Thus all the high-end protection on those ships back at port.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society will not abandon the people caught far from the cities. Neither will the royal family. The elite adventurers will be needed soon, so they¡¯re being sent now before¡­ things escalate.¡±


    ¡°I know all about the invasion,¡± Jason said. ¡°No need to tease it out of me; your bosses already know. I¡¯ve had some run-ins with the Builder before and I¡¯m going to have some more before we¡¯re done kicking his little peons back to where they came from.¡±


    ¡°Who are you, Jason Asano?¡±


    ¡°A person who¡¯s tired of dealing with people more powerful than himself. I¡¯m just a guy looking to be an ordinary adventurer of his own damn rank. I want to take some contracts, help some people. Dashing heroics and witty banter; maybe a monologuing villain or two. I have no political ambitions and I do not appreciate being dragged into someone else¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t send someone like me after ordinary adventurers,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°They send me after people who make trouble.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t make trouble,¡± Jason said. ¡°Trouble made me. You tell those people that sent you that this particular puppet likes to strangle the puppet master with his strings.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have puppets? Oh, they¡¯re probably magic and don¡¯t have strings, bloody hell¡­ Look, just tell Soramir Rimaros that I¡¯m willing to dance to his tune as long as he doesn¡¯t make a spectacle of it.¡±


    Trenchant¡¯s aura showed no reaction to the name that Jason could sense but he didn¡¯t mask his body language quite as well.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s the depth of the brown stuff into which you¡¯ve been dropped. That thing you''re feeling right now, where you''re just realising the magnitude of what you''ve been dragged into? That''s where I live. You want to know who I am? That''s who I am. Go back and tell them that.¡±


    Jason vaulted over the side and dropped into the darkness, vanishing from Trenchant''s senses.


    Clive and Belinda each took one of the provided skimmers into their storage spaces. Neil then used his Bolster power, which enhanced the next subsequently used ability, on Humphrey. Belinda copied the spell with her Mirror Magic power and used it on Clive. As a result of the boosts, Humphrey¡¯s teleport and Clive¡¯s portal power could transport four silver-rankers each over longer than normal distances. This allowed them to move the group, minus the Adventure Society official, to a spot a dozen kilometres from their destination.


    They arrived in a clearing within the foothills of a heavily forested mountain range. Sophie and Kenneth moved swiftly to scout as Clive and Belinda pulled out the skimmers and triple-checked they were in working order. Neil, Gary and Humphrey went on alert, Neil and Gary¡¯s frivolous attitudes vanishing as soon as they arrived in the field.


    There were several reasons they were using a pair of skimmers instead of a single, larger vehicle. The skimmers were already pushing the size limit for objects that could be placed into magical storage and the approach to the dam was through a forest where large vehicles would be hard to navigate anyway.


    The main issue was that they planned to split the group and approach the dam from both ends, working their way into the middle. Dividing the group was a danger but they needed to complete their objectives before the defenders had time to call in reinforcements. If the Purity loyalists realised what the team was up to, even the attack on the valley would be a secondary priority.


    The team regrouped around the skimmers, ready to set out. Kenneth took out his watch and checked the time.


    ¡°The decoy attack on the valley has been going on for the last hour,¡± he said. ¡°While the hope is that this will have drawn away some of the dam¡¯s defenders, there are no guarantees. None of the attack teams know they are making a feint but that does not mean the enemy will fail to grasp our intent.¡±


    ¡°Especially since the team supposed to be in charge of the attack didn¡¯t turn up,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°The teams didn¡¯t learn about that until the last minute,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Even so, Belinda¡¯s concern is valid.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Kenneth agreed. ¡°There is a chance we may be facing even more defenders than anticipated. Even if everything went as planned and the people protecting the dam have been moved away, it won¡¯t be all of them. At the very least, those who remain will be on alert.¡±


    The team split up into two groups. Belinda and Clive were each necessary for a team, both to drive one of the skimmers and to provide ritual magic on site. Humphrey and Sophie went with Clive. The trio had worked together for the last couple of years and their teamwork was polished. Neil and Belinda had worked together extensively, but Gary and Kenneth were not team members. They didn¡¯t have the rapport the team built up spending six months embedded in a monster-filled astral space or any experience working together since.


    The two teams split up, the skimmers shooting off into the forest at different angles.


    The fortress town of Arcazitlan was hard to access, having been dug into the wall of a rocky gorge. This was why deliveries were made by adventurers rather than airships that could easily be crushed against a wall by the regular gusts sweeping the gorge. The inaccessibility was worth the extra trouble since the defensible position put less strain on the resources powering the fort¡¯s defences.


    While some monsters might seek easier prey than the hard to reach the fort, the same was not true of all. Arcazitlan was being attacked by bone feasters, emaciated humanoid monsters with dark purple flesh. Their bodies were narrow and withered; their bald heads had no eyes, nose or ears. All they had was a mouth that took up the entirety of what should have their face.


    The monsters had the power to rapidly grow bone to create exoskeletal armour, razor-sharp weapons or even utility tools. Hand and foot spikes strong enough to dig into rock allowed the monsters to clamber the steep, rugged incline of the gorge.


    No bigger than a person, the monsters weren¡¯t strong or tough by silver-rank monster standards. What they were was very fast and dishearteningly numerous, swarming up the wall of the gorge. To Jason, watching from atop the other side of the gorge, they looked like ants massing on the corpse of a dead animal.


    He watched the fort''s defences, which seemed to largely consist of force blasts that knocked away any monsters that reached the walls, slamming them into the opposite wall and then letting them drop to the ground below. Jason guessed it to be a relatively efficient defensive measure in terms of the energy consumed. The force wave itself wouldn¡¯t cost much and he also sensed the magic imbued into the opposite wall of the gorge. They weren¡¯t powerful effects; just enough to enhance impact a little and get through any resistance to non-magical damage.


    This would be effective against many monsters. Large monsters would find their own weight became an enemy, while the wall impact could easily damage the relatively fragile wings of flying creatures.


    The bone feasters were a dangerous foe for the fort, however. They were small, light and agile enough that their silver-rank fortitude could easily endure the fall. They also healed quickly, overcoming what damage they did suffer before climbing up again.


    As Jason continued to watch, the defenders realised that their force wave defence wasn''t going to eliminate the monsters. Runes on the fortress wall lit up and wind blades started shooting out, twisting in the air as they swerved out from the wall before turning in and slicing into the flesh of the monsters. A direct hit would kill one of them outright. Any impact, be it on a monster or the wall, caused the blades to explode in a ring of cutting force to lacerate the surrounding bone feasters.


    Unfortunately, the monsters adapted quickly. While they had been climbing the wall unadorned, they started shielding themselves in bone armour that slowed them down but protected their withered bodies. The blades still had a large impact but no longer killed the monsters outright, while the secondary effects were even more reduced. The monsters were slowed by the armour and the need to heal up at the bottom of the gorge before they resumed climbing. Even so, the attack continued.


    The commander of the fort, Mordant Kerr, stood on the battlement at the top, under an overhang of rock. In front of him was the magical wall plugging the gap between the overhang and the battlement. It would be easier for a monster to dig through the rock than the protective wall if not for the fact that the stone around the fort had been magically reinforced.


    Kerr¡¯s logistics officer, Luis, approached the commander.


    ¡°Sir, if we¡¯re going to use the scourging wind, it has to be soon. If we keep the blade runes running much longer, we won¡¯t have enough charge left in the mana accumulators to activate it.¡±


    ¡°And if we do use it?¡±


    Kerr was not a local, having come down from north of the Sea of Storms. That had been decades ago, yet his signature drawl was as strong as ever.


    ¡°It¡¯ll be everything we have, sir. Even the force wall won¡¯t last long. It¡¯ll be hand to hand with however many of them survive.¡±


    Kerr¡¯s eyes never left the figure standing on the other side of the gorge and the logistics officer followed his gaze.


    ¡°Is that another monster, sir?¡±


    It was hard to see, a person-sized patch of darkness, speckled with points of light.


    ¡°No,¡± Kerr said. ¡°It¡¯s an adventurer. Most likely the one with our fresh supplies.¡±


    ¡°If we use the wind, then, they can resupply us.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll have fresh mana accumulators but they¡¯ll be empty,¡± Kerr said. ¡°Ours might be on the verge of burning out but they still have charge, which is what matters until these monsters are dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Do you think he¡¯ll help us, sir? Is it even a he?¡±


    ¡°I can''t rightly tell my own self,¡± Kerr drawled. ¡°Man or woman, though, they ain''t likely to chip in. They''ll be waitin'' for us to clear the monsters out.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society don''t much care about us out here,¡± Luis said. ¡°They don¡¯t send their best people on delivery runs.¡±


    ¡°Which is why they tell ¡®em to leave the defendin¡¯ to the defenders,¡± Kerr said. ¡°Can¡¯t see their aura to tell if they seem worth a damn. They always send stealthers on these missions.¡±


    ¡°So, what do we do, sir? You need to decide about the scourging wind or time will choose for us.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ll have to risk using it,¡± Kerr said. ¡°Stop the blade runes and get the militia ready to¡­¡±


    The commander trailed off as a shadowy figure descended from above the overhang. Then the adventurer across the gorge vanished, emerging from the figure, the light-speckled shadow wrapped around it unfurling into wings of darkness and starlight. The adventurer hovered in the air, the slow undulating of the wings holding it aloft. The now-revealed adventurer was wearing a loose combat robe the colour of dried blood. Within a shadowy hood, two strange eyes met Kerr¡¯s gaze. Even right in front of him, Kerr couldn¡¯t sense any aura, which was why the monsters hadn¡¯t paid any attention yet.


    ¡°Stop the blades,¡± the adventurer said. The voice was male, cold and unafraid of what was probably a hundred monsters clambering up the wall below him. ¡°Just keep knocking them down and I¡¯ll handle the rest.¡±


    Kerr and Luis looked at the man, then shared a glance.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like just a delivery man,¡± Luis said.


    ¡°No, he does not,¡± Kerr agreed. ¡°I suspect, Luis, that you might owe the Adventure Society an apology in regard to the quality of personnel they dispatch in our direction.¡±


    Kerr met the adventurer''s gaze again.


    ¡°Alright, stranger; we''ll shut off the blades. Just don''t get us all killed, you hear?¡±


    The wings folded in, wrapping the adventurer in darkness and he dropped out of sight. Then they felt a powerful aura sweep out that made Kerr feel like a trespasser in his own fort.


    ¡°Sir, are you sure that wasn¡¯t a monster?¡±


    ¡°I don''t care if it''s the goddess of Pain''s firstborn daughter. Anyone who kills monsters and carries supplies will get a warm welcome from me. And from you. That''s an order.¡±


    ¡°I thought Pain was a god, sir.¡±


    ¡°Y''all think so here,¡± Kerr said. ¡°Where I come from, they know that Pain is a woman.¡±

 Chapter 386: An Old Friend That He Had No Time For

    The bottom of the gorge had a small river running through it, with a wide road running alongside it. The road was stone-paved and well maintained, its purpose being for bringing people into the fort from the surrounding towns and villages, along with their provisions and whatever herds the fort could manage to squeeze in. The bottom of the deep gorge was filled with shadow, which would make it a playground for Jason¡¯s shadow jumping.


    Descending through the air, Jason absently wondered how all the people and their belongings were brought into the fortress buried high into the gorge wall. It was a question to be put off for later as he landed amongst the monsters swarming over the ground below.


    The bone feasters were thin monsters with dark purple flesh and toothy mouths for faces. Their signature power was to rapidly grow hard and sharp bones from their bodies in all manner of shapes. Currently, they were all but encased in bone armour to shield them from the wind blades being fired from the fortress above, although the blades had, at Jason¡¯s request, been stopped. He didn¡¯t want them chasing after him as he descended.


    Jason had completely restrained his aura as he dropped, so as to avoid the attention of the monsters. They had neither eyes nor ears, so he knew their supernatural senses would be preternaturally sharp. He let gravity carry him down rapidly until his cloak slowed his fall as he neared the ground. A pair of Gordon¡¯s eye spheres manifested and started orbiting around him.


    As Jason alighted on the road, the horde of monsters all turned on him. Jason conjured his dagger as he unleashed his aura, taking the bone feasters aback. In the brief moment they paused, he sprang into action, his blade quickly finding a gap in the heavy bone armour of the closest monster.


    A dagger worked well against the monsters and their bone armour, compared to a spear or sword. So long as he was willing to move close to the monsters, the short blade was ideal for finding the small gaps in the armour. Unless the monsters wanted to render themselves immobile, that exposure around the joints was a necessary vulnerability.


    Jason wasn¡¯t inflicting major wounds, but that had never been his style. As much as he might like to land powerful, fight-defining blows, he had always been the tortoise and not the hare. He chanted quick spells even as his special attacks bit in, leaving behind a monster suffering little damage but marked for doom.


    There was no shortage of additional targets as the monsters moved in on Jason like the rising tide. He sent an orb at the first bone feaster he had dosed with afflictions, only for it to be stopped dead by the armour. Apparently the bones the monsters grew had significant magical properties to go with the physical resilience, which wasn¡¯t especially surprising. The monsters weren¡¯t physically powerful for silver-rank, making up for it with numbers and the quality of their abilities.


    He tried directing the orb to a gap in the monster¡¯s armour, but it was clearly aware of the threat. Bone filled in the joints as the orb sought a way in, rendering the monster safe, if immobile. The orb foiled, Jason brought it back to his side. As an exposed island with a hurricane of monsters bearing down, he had little time for experimentation.


    The numbers weren¡¯t an immediate problem for Jason because of the armour the monsters were encased in. Their only surpassing physical attribute was speed, which the heavy shells forced them to give up. Jason didn¡¯t let himself be pinned down and the shadowy gorge allowed him to teleport essentially at will. He popped up in one spot then another, laying on afflictions and leaving before getting swamped.


    He tried another approach as he was attacking another monster. He called out Gordon, who reclaimed his orbs from Jason as he manifested in the air over Jason''s head, bringing four more orbs with him.


    ¡°Drill a hole,¡± Jason directed.


    Orange beams blasted from all six orbs. The resonating-force of the beams was a specific form of damage, especially effective against rigid objects. It was prized for its ability to break through armour and the beams swiftly burrowed through the bone shell of one of the monsters. Gordon immediately slipped an orb through the rent in the armour before the monster had a chance to seal it off.


    While Gordon was digging through monster armour, the monsters started throwing ranged attacks his way, all made from bone. Darts, needle clusters and arrows shot from compound bows with purple sinewy strings all came his way. Despite Gordon¡¯s intangible nature, the magical bone projectiles were able to harm his ephemeral body.


    As soon as he had shoved an orb through one monster''s armour, Gordon turned the remaining five spheres into shields against the hailstorm of attacks. Much like the monsters and their bone shells, he took a turtling approach.


    Affliction-spreading butterflies spread out from the affected monster, triggering a wave of change in the behaviour of the bone feasters. Sensing the threat, they started casting off their heavy shells, leaving behind partial armour that was not as protective but freed up their movement. It would expose them to the butterflies but they didn¡¯t give the conjured blue and orange creatures the chance to reach them. Their speed restored, the monster backed away from their afflicted fellow, firing out needle clusters and heavy spears.


    The needles struck down the butterflies before they could reach any more of the bone feasters. That triggered explosions as the butterflies were destroyed, but the disruptive-force damage was most effective against magical protections and did little to the monsters. As for the spears, they slammed into the bone harvester spreading butterflies. It had cast off its armour and stood still, accepting the attacks. They had turned on one of their own to shut off the production of butterflies, with the monster making no attempt to avoid the spears that left it riddled and dead.


    Jason guessed that the bone feasters'' ability to sense magic was their strongest sense, clearly identifying that Gordon and his powers were the biggest threat to their numerical superiority. They were also smart, decisive and committed to the welfare of the group as a whole, the afflicted monster accepting its demise without hesitation.


    Jason saw that the monsters would be too wary to allow the butterflies to be effective. He could serve as a distraction, but with so many of the monsters, distracting some of them wasn¡¯t enough to risk subjecting Gordon to a storm of attacks.


    Jason could have made another attempt at using the butterflies but he had other options. He wasn¡¯t averse to doing things the long way, which had been his lot ever since iron-rank. He started by spraying leeches like a fire hose, scattering them over the monsters. Colin had no trouble crawling past the armour to find flesh to bite into now that their armour was less comprehensive.


    The monsters plucked leeches off themselves and crushed them but Colin used the life force he was draining from them to self-replicate. At silver-rank, the leech swarm familiar could replenish himself as fast as the bone feasters could destroy individual leeches, using the monster¡¯s own vitality as the fuel. In addition, for every leech they crushed, they suffered an instance of the sin affliction from Jason¡¯s aura. This made the necrotic poison Colin inflicted all the worse.


    The battle entered a new phase as Jason was pushed harder by the monsters. Their less comprehensive armour coverage made landing hits on the move easier but they were no longer awkward and sluggish. Where he had been dancing around them with near-impunity, they were now faster and more dangerous. They reacted to his attacks not just with evasion but retaliation, quickly growing weapons made of bone and purple sinew. They had all manner of weapons, from swords, spears and axes to brutal bladed whips. Ranged weapons were of little use when Jason was always surrounded.


    Jason¡¯s attributes were into the mid-range of silver-rank. That made him stronger than the monsters, whose physical power was at the bottom of what could be expected from a silver-rank monster. This was not unusual for monsters that spawned in such large numbers. Their reflexes, however, were a match for Jason¡¯s or better. Their skills were mundane and lacking technique, but those reflexes and overwhelming numbers quickly put Jason under pressure. If not for his ability to teleport around the shadowy gorge, he would have been swiftly ploughed under.


    The battle continued at length, Jason a fleeting shadow, dancing through the monsters as he drizzled afflictions amongst them. Colin continued to crawl through the bone feasters, moving from one to the next. They kept futilely yanking off leeches to little effect, although their numbers were so great that it was little help to Jason in terms of a distraction.


    While Jason was swift, unpredictable and evasive, the fight was anything but one-sided. For all his powers and skills made him devilishly elusive, avoiding every attack in a sea of monsters was trying to swim without getting wet. The sheer number of monsters carpeting the gorge was an inescapable reality.


    The entire battle took place with an eerie quiet. For all that their entire face was a mouth, the bone feasters let out no cries of rage or pain. Neither did Jason, silent as the darkness in which he shrouded himself, even as he suffered wound after wound. The only sounds were the dull scrape of metal sliding on bone as Jason slid his dagger into a gap or the magical hum as Gordon¡¯s shields intercepted a bone weapon.


    The bone feasters had stopped climbing the wall, leaving the fort for after they had dealt with the shadowy interloper. Even using two of Gordon¡¯s orbs as shields, he was struck by weapons from all sides. Slashed by swords and stabbed by spears, the humanoid monsters and their weapons brought Jason¡¯s martial prowess heavily into play.


    As it had in the past when fighting monsters in massive groups, Jason was eventually able to fall into a combat trance. It was not an unconscious or unthinking condition but a state of profound focus that drew out every scrap of his power, training and experience. He avoided strikes by a hair¡¯s breadth with deft and subtle movement. Acrobatic leaps made the most of his superhuman agility and strength, creating space and time to act as one acrobatic kick led into another, treating the monsters themselves as if they were solid ground.


    Even at the peak of his prowess, however, it could only take him so far. For all his capabilities, not every blow could be dodged and not every weapon deflected. Blades still cut his body and spears still pierced his limbs. Pain was an old friend that he had no time for, plucking weapons from his flesh without so much as a pause.


    One of the bone whips managed to catch him out, wrapping around a leg still extended from kicking away a monster. It dug into the limb, grinding flesh and arresting his movement, exposing him to further attack. The two orbs switched from shields to beam attacks, severing the bone whip and freeing Jason, although at a cost. Even being momentarily stuck in place, especially without the shields, opened him up to attack. He was quickly on the move again, but with a bevy of fresh lacerations and puncture wounds.


    Every so often, Jason would escape from the horde for a precious few moments. Sometimes he would disappear into the deeper shadows at the base of the gorge wall. Other times he would dash over the surface of the river, his cloak deflecting smaller projectiles and Gordon¡¯s shields the larger ones. Jason took these moments to chant out a spell critical to his survival.


    ¡°Your blood is not yours to keep but mine on which to feast.¡±


    Ability: [Feast of Blood] (Blood)


    Spell (drain, blood).Base Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Silver 4 (03%).Effect (iron): Drain health and stamina. Only affects targets with bleeding wounds or who are suffering from the [Bleeding] affliction.Effect (bronze): Drains additional health and stamina for each instance of poison on the target.Effect (silver): Increasing the mana cost to very high and the cooldown to 2 minutes allows this spell to target all viable targets in a wide area.


    The incantation was not strictly accurate, the spell draining blood-red life force rather than actual blood. It did look like streams of blood pouring through the air for Jason to consume, however. With so many bloodied and poisoned enemies, Jason¡¯s life force skyrocketed past what he should have been able to hold, courtesy of his Sin Eater ability. This, along with his formidable regeneration and constant life-drain attacks, was how he could continue endure the constant rain of assaults.


    After draining so much life force at once, Jason¡¯s vitality reached levels comparable to that of large monsters. It was the advantage such monsters had over essence users, although it paled in comparison to possessing essence abilities. Even the most exotic monsters lacked the cornucopia of powers that essence users enjoyed, which was why a well-trained adventurer could handle many monsters of the same rank. Jason was amply demonstrating that exact principle.


    What monsters did have was a vitality that exceeded that of almost any essence user. Even the superhuman endurance of a silver-ranker didn¡¯t compare to that of a monster, although the bone feasters were far from the best example.


    The bigger a monster was, the fewer powers they tended to have, but all the greater was their vitality. Even so, the small and numerous bone feasters outstripped ordinary essence users. They had killed one of their own by turning it into a spear porcupine. If it hadn''t stood still and accepted the attacks, killing it would have taken far longer.


    Jason was not unique in bolstering his life force, although it was most frequently found amongst guardian specialists. Like Jason, they tended to focus heavily on recovery powers, some even taking a secondary healer role. Jason¡¯s goal was enduring so many attacks that he was painted in his own blood, although it was barely noticeable. It blended with his blood robe and was covered over by his ephemeral cloak, his face hidden in darkness.


    Above the battle was the fortress town of Arcazitlan. In its military command post, the commander of the fort¡¯s militia was watching a projection of the battle taking place below. There were magical sensors throughout the gorge and its surroundings that warned them of approaching monsters and allowed them to observe from safety. They could even deploy tiny magical drones that were an advanced variant of recording crystals.


    The commander, Mordant Kerr, was surrounded by many of his militia officers as they joined him in observing the battle. With the monsters having paused their attack on the fort, its defenders were taking some much-needed rest. Even those that had not been operating the fort''s defences had been on high alert since the first approach of the monsters.


    Only the militia¡¯s core leadership gave up rest to observe the combat on which the fate of their fort relied heavily. While the adventurer¡¯s defeat did not mean the fall of their fort, it might mean the loss of their resupply. They watched the battle from a floating crystal, high above the fighting. Seen from overhead, the adventurer fighting with the monsters was a flickering shadow.


    ¡°This fight is weird,¡± said the logistics officer, Luis. ¡°There¡¯s barely any noise. It¡¯s creepy. And no one is killing anyone else; there¡¯s just fighting and fighting and nothing dies. The adventurer isn¡¯t, which is good since they seem to be stabbing him a lot. He just seems to be running around, though. None of the monsters are falling over.¡±


    ¡°Take a closer look at the monsters,¡± Kerr said in his distinctive northern drawl. ¡°They¡¯re dying, sure enough; they¡¯re just taking their time about it. Our new darkness-loving friend is an affliction user.¡±


    ¡°Since when do affliction specialists dive into the middle of monster hordes?¡±


    ¡°I said he uses afflictions,¡± Kerr said. ¡°I didn¡¯t say he uses the good sense the gods gave a plate of candied fruit slices. Ain¡¯t many as would take on that many monsters. I don¡¯t know what they¡¯re thinking, sending guild folk our way, but I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    The first time that streamers of blood flew out of the monsters and into a shadow to be absorbed by Jason, the room stirred.


    ¡°You¡¯re absolutely sure that this guy isn¡¯t worse than the monsters?¡± Luis asked.


    ¡°You¡¯d best hope that he is, logistics officer,¡± Kerr said. ¡°He¡¯s the one with the resupply you¡¯ve been complaining about all week."

 Chapter 487: Never Underestimate Adventurers

    Despite his mana-efficient abilities, Jason¡¯s reserves depleted as the fight dragged on. He and Colin had tainted dozens upon dozens of the monsters carpeting the bottom of the gorge, pushing Jason¡¯s mana towards empty.


    Jason was uncertain of how many monsters were swarming around like ants. Well over a hundred, maybe twice that. The earliest afflicted were ready to drop. He hadn¡¯t loaded them up heavily and they boasted silver-rank endurance but without cleansing, Jason¡¯s afflictions made their deaths an inevitability. He vanished into the shadows again, this time not draining life force but the afflictions from one of the monsters closest to succumbing.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    He only drained the afflictions of a single monster to replenish his mana and give his regeneration a boost by converting the afflictions into self-healing boons. This was useful as he continued to be hammered by attacks. While the monsters he already attacked were slowed down by his rigor mortis affliction, Jason was always going for the untainted ones, who were happy to pound away at speed.


    ¡°How is he still going?¡± Luis asked. ¡°How long has it been, now?¡±


    ¡°You should never underestimate adventurers,¡± Kerr said. ¡°Any fool can take in some essences. Using them properly takes training and experience.¡±


    ¡°This guy must be the best adventurer ever.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Kerr said. ¡°Never seen guild adventurers in action, have you? This feller¡¯s good, sure enough, but that¡¯s how the good ones are. That aura¡¯s a bit much, I¡¯ll grant you, but it takes more than that to get the job done.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that any guild adventurer could kill all these monsters?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. You have to match the powers to the monsters but this guy wouldn¡¯t have saddled up if it wasn¡¯t the right fight. These affliction types may not kill fast, but they¡¯ll keep killing all day if you feed them enough monsters to be getting on with. I¡¯ll admit that they normally do it from behind a wall of other fellers, but it takes all sorts.¡±


    Jason was monitoring the monsters with his aura. Every single monster had finally been tainted and one in every seven or eight had died already, with more dropping fast. He could have vanished and left the rest to die but there were two problems with that. One was that he didn¡¯t want the monsters resuming their attack on the fort. The other was that it was a long, slow grind to gold-rank and Jason had powers to level. This wasn¡¯t like Earth with its monster waves and proto-spaces. He needed to make the most of the monster surge.


    Jason vanished into a shadow and reappeared from another, halfway up the side of the gorge. He kicked off the rocky wall and moved through the air, his cloak unfurling into starlight wings to keep him aloft. Gordon emerged beneath him, all six orbs turning into shields as bone projectiles were flung at them.


    With so many monsters, the shields would only hold for a few moments but Jason didn¡¯t need long as he cast his spell. This time, it was the wide-area version.


    From their bird¡¯s eye viewpoint, the militia officers watched as Jason took position high in the air. With the bizarre quiet of the battlefield, he was close enough to the sensor that they could hear him chant his spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Red life force emerged from the monsters like a sea of blood, the dark magic of Jason¡¯s afflictions swirling within it. The black and purple taint erupted from the red sea like a giant monster, an outpouring of sinister power so thick as to obscure the monsters entirely. All that dark energy stormed up to Jason, driving into his body as he drank it all in.


    ¡°Sir, are you really sure he isn¡¯t¨C¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it, Luis. Just don¡¯t.¡±


    The first thing the Feast of Absolution power did was to swap out every poison, disease and unholy affliction plaguing the monsters for the burning light of transcendent damage. As the holy afflictions annihilated the monsters from the inside out, all the original afflictions flowed into Jason and were converted into boons. One was the resistance effect that didn¡¯t help Jason in his current fight. The other very much did.


    [Integrity] (heal-over-time, mana-over-time, stamina-over-time, holy, stacking): Periodically recover a small amount of health, stamina and mana. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Despite the all-devouring light inside of them, the monsters didn¡¯t let up their attacks. Gordon¡¯s barriers shattered under a barrage of spears, arrows, needles and darts and Jason called him back. This left Jason suffering the attacks himself, although his cloak was an admirable shield. The weaker attacks were stopped dead, even in massive numbers as clusters of bone needles were flung his way. Spears punched through his cloak, although many missed as it bent space to deflect them. The remaining attacks landed on Jason¡¯s body, but he could take the hits.


    Jason already had a huge store of life force and the weapons left him unharmed. His interface ability measured his wellbeing with a small humanoid figure at the periphery of his vision that marked damage to his body with colour-coding. He rarely paid it attention, since he generally didn¡¯t need help to know he¡¯d been stabbed. The excess life force, beyond his normal maximum, was now indicated by a red line over the little figure¡¯s head, like a hit point bar.


    The attacks on Jason left him unharmed, his hit point bar diminishing rapidly as the attacks landed. It didn¡¯t even hurt, a spear ramming into his torso bouncing off with no more sensation than a finger poke. The health bar climbed back even faster, though, with the absurd regeneration from more than a thousand instances of the self-healing integrity boon.


    Integrity was a short-duration boon but it dropped off one instance at a time. With so many instances, it would take a long while to get through them all. His conjured robes were not as resilient and he replenished them as he dropped towards the ground.


    As for the monsters, they were lighting up from the inside, burning with transcendent light. Those who had been afflicted the longest started dying even faster, their dead growing to a fifth of their original number before Jason had even descended to the ground. He dropped quickly, superhero landing amongst the largest field of dead, close to where he had first started fighting the monsters. The earliest afflicted, many had not survived to receive the holy afflictions. As the monsters surged his way, he cast a spell, still on one knee.


    ¡°As your lives were mine to reap, so your deaths are mine to harvest.¡±


    The dead monsters were withered with rot, the freshest kills missing chunks dissolved into rainbow smoke as transcendent damage finished them off. Whatever remnant life that remained rose from the corpses and was stolen away by Jason''s spell.


    Ability: [Blood Harvest] (Blood)


    Spell (drain, boon).Base cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 4 (04%).Effect (iron): Drain the remnant life force of a recently deceased body, replenishing health, stamina and mana. Only affects targets with blood.Effect (bronze): Affects any number of bodies in a wide area.Effect (silver): Gain an instance of [Blood Frenzy] for each corpse drained, up to a threshold determined by current rank. After reaching the threshold, gain instances of [Blood of the Immortal] instead.


    [Blood Frenzy] (boon, unholy, stacking): Bonus to [Speed] and [Recovery]. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, up to a maximum threshold.[Blood of the Immortal] (boon, healing, unholy, stacking): On suffering damage, an instance is consumed to grant a powerful but short-lived heal-over-time effect. Additional instances can be accumulated but do not have a cumulative effect.


    Jason''s life force was reaching a point where any more was overkill, but it was not the life force that he wanted from the Blood Harvest spell.


    You have gained multiple instances of [Blood Frenzy].[Blood Frenzy] has increased your [Speed] and [Recovery] attributes.Your [Speed] and [Recovery] attributes have reached the maximum threshold for your current limitations. Additional instances will be converted to [Blood of the Immortal].You have gained multiple instances of [Blood of the Immortal].


    Jason stood up, the monsters almost upon him. Instead of rushing out of the way, he held out the hand still holding his sinister black and red dagger. What looked like a sacrificial knife morphed into a holy sword of gleaming silver, blue glowing runes engraved down the length of the blade. The runes were the same symbolic language that the brand Jason¡¯s mark of sin burned into his enemies. In this case, they depicted the name of the blade.


    Item: [Penitent, The Blade of Sacrifice] (silver rank, conjured)


    Conjured holy sword for those willing to pay the price for victory in battles to the death (weapon, sword).


    Effect: Attacks refresh any wounding afflictions on the target. Those wounding effects require additional healing to remove.Effect: Attacks inflict an instance of [Price in Blood]. This affliction is applied equally to the person it is inflicted upon and the person who inflicts it. This affliction cannot be cleansed while a person who shares it is alive and is immediately negated if the person who shares it dies. Dismissing [Penitent, the Blade of Sacrifice] does not remove this affliction.


    [Price in Blood] (affliction, holy, blood, stacking): Damage between people who share the affliction is increased, including damage sources in place prior to this affliction taking effect. Damage from holy sources is further increased by an additional amount. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    It was a sword that escalated a fight with every strike by increasing the damage inflicted by both the recipient and the wielder. This meant that the monsters burning with holy afflictions would die all the faster, but every hit on Jason would be all the worse. With so many monsters bearing down on him, even his absurdly bolstered life force might not be enough if he kept taking hits the way he had been up to that point.


    There was only a brief moment between Jason casting the Blood Harvest spell and the monsters converging on him. With his speed attribute boosted into a range rivalling the lower reaches of gold-rank, though, it felt almost luxurious.


    As he moved to meet the approaching monsters, Jason was still immersed in the feeling of battle, slipping back into a combat trance state.


    The speed of the bone feasters was their strongest physical attribute and they relied on quick reflexes over skill. That speed had led to Jason being wounded over and over, but now he was a ghost, passing through their midst untouched. Their movements now seemed to him as sluggish as they were inexpert.


    Jason fell back into the combat trance that drew out every scrap of his potential which, with the increase in his speed, had taken a qualitative leap. Spears, swords and whips missed him by impossibly thin margins, while others seemed to land yet bizarrely slipped past as his cloak bent space around him. This was Jason in the full swell of power, immortal and untouchable.


    Jason¡¯s holy sword flashed out again and again. Each time it bit into flesh, the transcendent power burning in the monster it struck grew more violent. The most afflicted monsters were already falling dead, so Jason focused on those who were the least impacted. It was no longer a battle but an execution as Jason started using his Verdict spell to finish doomed monsters. Every time he used his execute ability, a column of transcendent light struck down like a sword from the heavens.


    Pulling out a bottle of crystal wash, Jason cleaned himself off. He luxuriated in the sensation of being truly, thoroughly and easily cleansed, which he had long missed in his time on Earth. The crystal wash in his cloud house running out was not the reason events on his homeworld had turned truly grim. It had been a milestone in things going so very wrong, though, with everything from food shortages to monster waves to vampires bringing misery and death.


    With crystal wash back in hand, purging the filth from his body, it felt like a chance to wash off the gloom of the past. There were more than enough troubles to be found locally, but Jason was determined not to fall into the same patterns of grim malaise. Having Farrah had held him together and now he had Rufus back as well. His team would follow and he was resolved to move forward with a renewed hopefulness, whatever he faced.


    While Jason washed himself off, Shade¡¯s bodies moved through the dead monsters. He touched each of them so that Jason could loot them all at once. Jason didn¡¯t do so immediately because it would fill the gorge with the foul stench of rainbow smoke and he didn¡¯t want to be standing in it at the time.


    He looked up at the small magical sensor he could sense floating in the air, knowing that the inhabitants of the fort had taken a bird¡¯s eye view of the battle. They no doubt had seen adventurers at work before but he decided that toning down the spectre of blood and death look would probably help with community relations.


    Jason¡¯s outfit-switching mist shrouded him, vanishing to reveal more casual attire. To keep things mellow he went with shorts closer to beige than tan, with a relatively subdued floral print on his shirt. Unlike earth, where he¡¯d kept his clothes buttoned up over the scar at the base of his throat, Jason now went happily open-necked.


    One of Shade¡¯s bodies floated up the fort¡¯s balustrade and Jason shadow jumped to it, arriving outside their force wall. He took out an argy fruit to eat, enjoying the juicy tropical treat after the exertion of battle.


    A handful of defenders watched him warily from the other side of the force wall. They were clearly militia conscripts; bronze-rankers with plain uniforms and the touch of monster cores in their auras. He gave them a casual nod as he waited for a commander to arrive, which only took moments.


    The man who arrived was a silver-ranker, also touched by cores but with a grizzled, middle-aged appearance. That meant he was old enough to have been around the block more than a few times and Jason wouldn¡¯t underestimate the man¡¯s experience.


    ¡°G¡¯day, bloke. I¡¯m Jason Asano, delivery boy.¡±

 Chapter 488: Better Strange Than Scary

    The fortress town of Arcazitlan favoured defence over comfort, with its stone chambers and claustrophobic corridors dug right into the stone wall of the gorge. This was worst in the spaces set aside for the civilians sheltering from the monster surge, with people crated-up like animals on a truck.


    Living underground required specialised infrastructure, all of which ran on magic. Magic lamps were required to light up the dark and air needed to be brought in, filtered and circulated, with the old air pumped out. Magical plumbing for water was crucial for both people and animals, for drinking and hygiene. Latrines and showers, food preparation and storage all needed magic to stay in operation. Without them, the underground fortress would become a crypt.


    As for the actual animals, herd beasts were also stuck in the tight underground confines. This made keeping them calm important since a stampede when there was nowhere to go was a horrifying meat grinder. There had to be magic to calm the animals or they would not accept being stuck underground, shoulder-to-shoulder, for weeks on end. Although they were penned up in stone boxes, illusions of the sky, complete with the warmth of the sun and a gentle breeze were matched with an artificial aura of calm. Their rooms were also shielded against aura penetration so they didn¡¯t panic if some monster or passing adventurer washed a menacing aura over the fort.


    All in all, the price of safety was extreme discomfort throughout a monster surge that would last weeks, possibly even months. People were crammed together almost as tightly as the animals. The areas set aside for the militia were much more open, with wider, higher corridors and generally more space to move around. Their off-duty spaces were just as cramped as those of the civilians but the operational areas were large enough that they could move quickly and in numbers at need.


    Mordant Kerr, the militia commander, was marching through the corridors from the command centre to the top of the fortress. That was the spot where the fortress wall and the gorge wall had a gap plugged by a magical barrier. Flanking Kerr was his second in command, Miranda Ramos, and his logistics officer, Luis Garz¨®n. Their feet carried them swiftly through the fort, although Luis¡¯ mouth was moving faster.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m just saying, pick one and stick to it. Do you have evil powers or holy powers? You can¡¯t just run around being a plague-bringer of doom, then turn around and start smiting people with the fist of the heavens. Also, I definitely heard him say he was eating sins, which is not a thing you can do and it¡¯s very weird to try. Also, what were their sins, exactly? They¡¯re monsters; eating people is what they do. It¡¯s like saying an apple is sinning for being juicy and delicious. Everything he sucked out of them was something he did to them in the first place. Who does all those horrible things to someone, calls them sinners and then absolves them by killing them all with the light of wrath?¡±


    ¡°Gods,¡± Miranda said.


    ¡°Since when do gods do any of that?¡± Luis asked.


    ¡°Try reading their books,¡± she told him. ¡°Pretty much any of them. Those early chapters are all violence and smiting. Lots of sinning and punishment until some prophet or whatever comes along to ask the god to stop murdering people. Then we¡¯re supposed to be so grateful they stopped killing us left and right that we worship them forever?¡±


    ¡°Randy,¡± Kerr said, his tone gently admonishing. ¡°You can think what you like, but I¡¯ve told you about that kind of talk amongst the troops.¡±


    ¡°He literally asked,¡± she said. ¡°You never complain about anyone else¡¯s religious beliefs.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got enough problems with monster hordes and sinister adventurers and their bloody holy fire¨C¡±


    ¡°Told you,¡± Luis said.


    ¡°Mouth closed, ears open, Luis,¡± Kerr said. ¡°Randy, what I don¡¯t need is some ticked-off god knocking on my door because my right-hand woman is turning all their followers into heretics and infidels.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how it works,¡± Luis said. ¡°Otherwise, she¡¯d have been squished by a giant sky fist long ago. The pamphlets alone¡­¡±


    ¡°Luis,¡± Kerr scolded. ¡°What did I just say about mouths and ears?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Mord.¡±


    Kerr gave him a side glance.


    ¡°Sir,¡± Luis corrected. ¡°I meant sorry, sir.¡±


    They reached the bottom of the stairs leading up to the top of the wall.


    ¡°Do I really have to go with you?¡± Luis asked as they moved up the stairs, immediately violating his implicit promise to shut up.


    ¡°You¡¯re the logistics officer and he has the resupply, Luis. So, yes, you really have to go with us.¡±


    ¡°But he creeps me out with all the darkness and the blood and the smiting.¡±


    They emerged from the top of the fortress and spotted the man in question. The on-duty defenders were arrayed in front of him, standing on the other side of the lightly shimmering force barrier. Instead of the expected sinister figure, shrouded in darkness, they had what looked, at first glance, like a lost civilian.


    The man had open-toe sandals, shorts and a shirt with a flower pattern. He was casually biting into a fruit as if he was at a market stall instead of a fortified stronghold halfway up a mountainous wall. He had dark, glossy hair and a neatly trimmed beard. His sharp features and prominent chin showed the polish of multiple rank-ups, although he hadn¡¯t reached the ethereal beauty many silver-rankers possessed. His most striking feature was the eyes that gave away his true nature.


    The man¡¯s eyes looked like the orbs they had seen floating around him during the fight, like a blue and orange nebula. The strange irises and void-black sclera undercut his otherwise casual appearance, marking him as an adventurer.


    Powers that changed the look of a person¡¯s eyes were far from unheard of, but for reasons unknown, it was rarely seen in monster core users. Even if they possessed the same power that changed an adventurer¡¯s eyes, a monster core user¡¯s eyes would usually remain untouched. The reason for the difference was something that even the Magic Society had yet to discover. As far as every known test could determine, the appearance didn''t impact the nature of the powers in question. Many times it wasn''t even a perception power that triggered the change.


    The other features that caught Kerr¡¯s eye were the scars the man had. A narrow blemish bisected one eyebrow and another marked a line in his beard on the side of his chin. A third was at the base of his neck, implying an impaling wound that would take at least a silver-ranker to survive. They were possibly affectations, but Kerr had seen plenty of fakes and these were either authentic or very well done. Most people willing to fake it went for big and impressive marks that stood out and told a story.


    The trio arrived in front of the man, the militia troops parting to let them through. The adventurer¡¯s eyes fell squarely on Kerr. Kerr could no longer sense any trace of the intimidating aura displayed in the fight. Having the man standing in front of him while his aura senses picked up nothing was slightly unnerving. As if sensing Kerr''s unease, which he almost certainly did, a neatly controlled aura appeared around the man as if it had always been there.


    ¡°G¡¯day, bloke. I¡¯m Jason Asano, delivery boy.¡±


    ¡°Mordant Kerr, fort commander.¡±


    The roof platform was a narrow strip where the aeronautically capable could arrive at the fortress. It was the only ingress point unless someone forcibly made a new one through the magically reinforced brick. A shimmering force wall cut off a third of the rooftop, reaching from the dark yellow brick underfoot to the hewn rock overhang above. Jason was standing on the outside third, the militia defenders inside.


    ¡°You¡¯re our resupply?¡± Kerr asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m all loaded up. Do you want to crack a window so I can pop through, or should I leave everything up on the roof here so you can come out and grab it once I¡¯m gone? I won¡¯t take it personally; you never can be too careful.¡±


    ¡°If you were a bandit, there wouldn¡¯t be much point coming after us. If you can do what you just did, the Adventure Society will pay you more than you can get raiding little towns for random supplies.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t be sure about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t go to them if I have a restricted essence combo, and after what you just saw, I can see how you might be wondering.¡±


    Luis opened his mouth to speak but closed it again at a sharp gesture from Kerr.


    ¡°We will check that you¡¯re not a shape-shifted monster,¡± Kerr said.


    ¡°You already are, I can sense it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade, please stop blocking their magic sensors.¡±


    ¡°It is impolite to use invasive detection magic without consent, Mr Asano,¡± a dignified voice came from somewhere around Asano.


    ¡°He kind of asked.¡±


    ¡°Telling is not asking.¡±


    ¡°He lives in a rock fending off monster hordes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Cut the man some slack.¡±


    While they watched Jason argue with the mysterious voice, one of Kerr¡¯s people came upstairs from the sensor room.


    ¡°Sir,¡± she reported, ¡°something is blocking our sensors.¡±


    ¡°Nothing new for someone with stealth abilities,¡± Kerr said. ¡°Just wait a moment, Adelina.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Now you¡¯re making things hard for the nice lady.¡±


    He gave Adelina an apologetic look.


    ¡°He¡¯s very protective,¡± Jason explained.


    ¡°Someone has to stop you from getting killed,¡± Shade complained. ¡°You¡¯re demonstrably not doing so.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯m trying to get killed.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps your memory is failing you, Mr Asano. All you had to do was show Shako a little deference, but you had to be insolent to a diamond ranker.¡±


    ¡°He works for the Builder! Also, he¡¯s kind of a prick.¡±


    The militia members shared odd looks as they watched Jason continue to argue with the disembodied voice, seemingly oblivious to their presence.


    ¡°Look,¡± Jason continued. ¡°We''re meant to be reassuring these people and now they think I''m a weirdo who talks to himself. Just let¡­ Adelina, was it? Lovely name, by the way. Just let Adelina do her job.¡±


    He flashed Adelina an impish grin, his strange eyes flashing. She returned a nervous smile with a slight blush.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Shade conceded. ¡°Don¡¯t blame me when they lock you in some magical trap room.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not going to lock me in a magical trap room,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why would they even have a magical trap room?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s for monsters that can move through the ground,¡± Adelina volunteered. ¡°The walls are magically reinforced but we don¡¯t have good attacking options inside the ground, so we open a gap in the defences and lure them into a trap room.¡±


    ¡°Adelina,¡± Kerr said. ¡°Why are you explaining the fort¡¯s defences to this stranger?¡±


    Her eyes went wide and she gulped.


    ¡°Perhaps you should go back down and try the magical sensors again.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± she said, scurrying back down the stairs.


    ¡°You really do have a magical trap room?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is there a trap door over it? Shade, does this world have rancors?¡±


    ¡°There is a bipedal lizard with an ogre bloodline that is quite similar.¡±


    ¡°How does a lizard get an ogre bloodline?¡± Jason asked. ¡°On second thought, don''t tell me. The answer will be weird and gross.¡±


    Adelina returned from downstairs, reporting to Kerr once again.


    ¡°He''s not human, sir, but whatever he is, it''s what he appears to be.¡±


    ¡°Should I feel violated?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Make a gap in the wall to let Mr Asano through,¡± Kerr instructed Adelina.


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    She flashed Jason a glance as she headed back for the stairs.


    Luis led Jason to a storeroom where he unloaded all the supplies from Rimaros. It was all for the magical defences, plus crates filled with spirit coins. The powerful defences like the force barrier, the magically reinforced walls and the wind blade runes took concentrated, heavy-duty magic. Rather than spirit coins, this meant mana accumulators, much like the one Jason had used to maintain his cloud house''s functions on Earth. They were far cheaper than the cloud flask, of course, which was exotic even in Rimaros, so they burned out over time.


    The spirit coins were to keep the essence users in the fort fed, as well as maintaining the less intensive magical amenities, like lamps, plumbing and air filters. Jason hadn¡¯t brought any regular food, only magical supplies, since the food came from the dedicated food farms scattered around. Jason was looking forward to seeing one in operation, which he would at his next delivery stop.


    After checking the supplies against their respective lists and making sure everything had arrived, Luis took Jason to Kerr¡¯s office, the commander wanting to speak with the adventurer. He sent Jason in as Miranda, was just coming out.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Luis asked Miranda in a half-whisper as the door closed behind her.


    ¡°About what?¡± Miranda asked.


    ¡°About Asano.¡± Luis clarified as the pair started walking away. ¡°What was that stuff about a diamond-ranker?¡±


    ¡°He was just talking nonsense. If he went mouthing-off at a diamond-ranker, he really would be dead.¡±


    ¡°I think Adelina might like him.¡±


    ¡°Nothing gets past you, does it?¡±


    ¡°But why? He¡¯s an evil weirdo and when he talks himself, something talks back.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just looking for things. It''s obviously a familiar; you''re not that dense.¡±


    ¡°I still think it¡¯s odd that she¡¯d like him.¡±


    ¡°Of course it¡¯s odd,¡± Miranda said. ¡°What woman was ever attracted to a powerful and mysterious stranger?¡±


    ¡°Wait, you don''t like him too, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. He''s an evil weirdo.¡±


    Jason took a chair in the small office at Kerr¡¯s inviting gesture.


    ¡°That was a deft, if rather unusual approach to putting my people at ease, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Better strange than scary,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Unless scary is what you¡¯re looking for.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done looking for scary.¡±


    ¡°Scary may not be done looking for you. Why did the Adventure Society send a guild member with our supplies?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not in a guild,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°Not yet. I¡¯m going to join the same one as my team, but some unusual circumstances have left me here, on the far side of the world. I¡¯m trying to get back to them or get them back to me; whichever works. It¡¯s tricky during a monster surge, as I¡¯m sure you can imagine.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society likes people to stay put and work hard.¡±


    ¡°As well they should,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Even so, you¡¯re definitely at a guild level of bringing boot and ass together. Why would they send someone like you out here on a delivery run?¡±


    ¡°There are reports of pirates targeting the supply ships,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯ve been loading the ships with some heavier hitters to try and catch them out.¡±


    ¡°I see. I assume you were told that you need to take our next supply request back to Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°I was.¡±


    ¡°Good. Luis will have that for you promptly. I was also hoping to presume upon you to deliver a package for me. To a friend in Rimaros. Mail is hardly reliable at the moment and even if the fort had a water link chamber, the service congestion in Rimaros is quite heavy.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society has taken control of all the water link services for the duration, or so I¡¯m told. What do you want me to take? I don¡¯t like putting mysterious packages into my storage space.¡±


    ¡°Just a letter and a recording crystal.¡±


    ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be a recording of the fight I just had, would it?¡±


    ¡°It would. This favour will not disadvantage you, Mr Asano. My friend is not placed in the very highest reaches of society but he¡¯s respected. More importantly, he has a lot of friends of his own, many of whom are in the highest reaches of society. He¡¯s a good man to know and a better one to be known by. Especially for an out of town adventurer without a lot of local connections.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like the kind of local connections I¡¯ve been making thus far, but alright, Commander Kerr. I¡¯m already playing delivery boy. Why not mailman?¡±

 Chapter 489: Going Overland

    Outside of the rocky gorge, the coastal landscape was filled with greenery, white sand and blue water. Jason stood on a hilltop, looking out at a gorgeous beach and the sea stretching out beyond it. Next to him stood his familiars. Shade had once preferred a shape akin to Jason in his cloak but now looked more like the silhouette of a butler. Colin was in a humanoid form, the leeches that made up his body having melded together into what looked like a blood clone of Jason himself. Gordon was the most alien, being a nebula draped in a cloak, surrounded by floating orbs.


    ¡°This is the life,¡± Jason said. ¡°Setting out together to have some adventures. No worlds to save; no gold-rankers to fight and no vampire uprisings.¡±


    "Mr Asano," Shade said. "While I am loathe to dampen your enthusiasm, I feel obliged to remind you that you do still need to anchor the bridge that will stabilise the other world over time."


    "The magic''s too messed up right now," Jason said. "There''s no way I get that right until the monster surge is over. That makes it a tomorrow problem. Today, our problem is where to stock up on local snacks for our tropical paradise road trip."


    Jason had dropped off the airship over the coast of what was, in his world, Honduras. He would need to make his way south through Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama to make his deliveries before portalling back to Rimaros. He wasn¡¯t sure how close the geography and climate would be, lacking familiarity with Central America in either universe. He was anticipating fewer resorts.


    They were not far from the Arcazitlan fortress. Shade had taken the form of a land skimmer to carry Jason along the road out of the gorge on a smooth cushion of air. The road was part of a well-maintained network running through the jungles and hills, although he had stopped shortly into the journey to take in the panorama as the road crested a hill. He had called out his familiars to share the moment with him, although he had no idea if any of them appreciated sightseeing as a pastime.


    Jason slapped Colin on the back.


    ¡°What do you say, blokes? Get moving?¡±


    ¡°Very good, Mr Asano.¡±


    Shade was the only one able to speak but the others had their own means of communication. Gordon lit up one of his orbs with blue light, meaning yes. Blood clone Colin opened his mouth and let out a noise that sounded like it rumbled up from the darkest pits of hell.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re hungry,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re always hungry. It¡¯s kind of your thing.¡±


    Colin opened his mouth again, this time releasing the shriek of a soul being dragged to damnation.


    ¡°Yes, I know the bone feasters were skinny, but at least there were a lot of them. We¡¯ll find someone for you to eat along the way. Would you like a sandwich?¡±


    Colin¡¯s response was a quiet, eerie sound, like wind whispering through a graveyard.


    ¡°Fine. A big sandwich.¡±


    Jason could have moved faster than his current travel speed by having Shade take the form of a flying vehicle. He was certainly interested in the local equivalents of planes, which he hadn¡¯t seen any of yet. Magical constructs built in the shape of flying creatures, they were typically private vehicles for wealthy families and high-ranking adventurers. Compared to airships, flying constructs were smaller and far less efficient in terms of capacity to cost, both for passengers and cargo. Jason appreciated the two advantages they had, though, which were speed and being giant robot birds. He would be willing to give up the speed.


    The airship that had carried Jason away from Rimaros had not been travelling at its maximum speed. One of the things Jason had learned while talking with the airship crew was that any magical vehicle became exponentially easier to detect the faster it was moving. During a monster surge, full speed ahead was a recipe for disaster. It was probably why he had yet to see one of the small, swift flying constructs.


    Since he wasn¡¯t going to have Shade rocket him across the sky, Jason took the approach that had been recommended by the Adventure Society, which was to stick to the roads and follow the route he¡¯d been given. He was allowed to take whatever pathway he wanted so long as he met his delivery deadlines but, for once, Jason decided on the path more travelled.


    He followed the roads using the land skimmer, which was more or less a hovercraft. Jason was familiar with the vehicle type from his time in Greenstone. He¡¯d ridden skimmers specialised for navigating wetlands and sandy desert, both of which were quite like airboats in their construction and operation.


    Shade took a more heavy-duty form that resembled a large, open-top car. It reminded Jason of a land speeder from Star Wars if the props guy only had black paint. Rather than pushing air out the back for propulsion, like the vehicles he was familiar with, this one moved through silent magic. Shade''s ability to take on the form of transportation was much stronger at silver rank, meaning he could replicate more magically sophisticated vehicles. This was especially true when not working with Greenstone¡¯s limited ambient magic.


    The forms Shade took were unable to mimic the weapons and defensive properties of similar forms of transport, with limited exceptions such as creatures with bladed arms or the impact bars of a vehicle. Even then, there was a fragility to such features that made them useful for little more than clearing rough terrain.


    The only means Shade had to improve the defensive power of these forms was for Jason to share his cloak power with each of the bodies Shade used to construct the form. This could be relatively mana intensive, such as when Jason shared enough cloaks for Shade to create several passenger buses. That was in the Battle of Broken Hill, where many civilians required evacuating and there were more than enough monsters to drain.


    ¡°Going overland is better anyway,¡± Jason explained, sitting in the back seat. One of Shade¡¯s bodies was pointlessly in the driver¡¯s position, with Gordon floating over the seat next to him. Colin was in the back, Jason¡¯s first familiar getting to sit next to him.


    "Every time some open-world game puts in flying mounts,¡± Jason continued, ¡°it¡¯s more convenient but also more boring. Plus, you miss out on all the awesome stuff you just fly over without ever getting to see.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, I don¡¯t believe any of us have played a video game.¡±


    ¡°Gordon gave it a go, bless him,¡± Jason said. ¡°I had to buy Emi a new controller. Having beams of destructive force instead of hands isn¡¯t super convenient.¡±


    The empty hood of Gordon¡¯s cloak dipped sadly.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, mate. How about we let you pick the music?¡±


    Jason pulled out his recording crystal stand, which was a series of rotating trays on a central shaft, with a handle at the top. Each time he tapped a finger to a compartment, it projected a listing of what the crystal inside had recorded on it.


    "I need to get an artificer to make some kind of music player," he mused. "Something I can slot all these into and make some playlists. So, what are you thinking Gordon? The Doors?¡±


    An orb glowed orange, a negative response.


    ¡°Beach Boys? Could be just right for a road trip along sandy shores.¡±


    Orange glow.


    ¡°The Hollies? A bit of Long Cool Woman in a Black Dress?¡±


    Orange orb.


    Jason tapped a finger to his lips thoughtfully.


    ¡°Okay, I think I¡¯ve got it. Marlena Shaw.¡±


    All of Gordon¡¯s orbs lit up blue and Jason laughed. He took out a small crystal projector and leaned over the front seats to rest it on the dashboard. Jason missed the amenities of a car, like a music system, but not enough to get Shade to take a car form. Shade had never so much as suggested it, knowing Jason wanted to put Earth and its problems behind him.


    Jason could have stealthed his way south. Even using Shade as transport, the familiar retained his ability to mask Jason from various forms of detection. Instead, he and his familiars were riding in the open-top vehicle along an empty road, California Soul blasting out of the crystal projector. He wasn¡¯t going to reach gold-rank hiding from monsters and the surge would be his last chance to see them en masse for a while.


    Ever since leaving Greenstone to spend months in an astral space, Jason had no shortage of readily accessible monsters. The astral space itself, then the proto-spaces of Earth, the monster waves and the transformation zones. For all the misery and tribulations he had been through, raising his rank at an impressive pace had never been an issue.


    Jason had checked on his team¡¯s status at the Adventure Society and they had all ranked up fairly recently. Even with the boost to advancement speed that humans enjoyed, Jason had beat out Humphrey and Clive by a good margin. After going through iron-rank at a sedate pace, Jason had raced through bronze.


    Now Jason was in a more normalised space and had hit the grind-wall on the long path to gold. Once the monster surge was over, it would take years to make real progress. Even so, he wasn¡¯t sad about that fact. After what he¡¯d been through, he was ready to slow down, if only events would let him. That wouldn¡¯t stop him from making the most of the monster surge while it lasted, though.


    The most disappointing part of the trip turned out to be the lack of people. The coast was dotted with abandoned towns and villages, the citizens having evacuated to fortress towns or one of the local cities. None of the cities could match the size of Rimaros and lacked the resources to supply the forts with all their needs. This was where Jason and adventurers like him came into play.


    Without people around, Jason was able to extend his senses to their full reach, the way he couldn¡¯t in a city. Mostly he just sensed herd animals that hadn¡¯t be taken away. They¡¯d been set loose outside the towns in hope of drawing monsters from the empty infrastructure. People were hoping to come home without some wandering monster having trashed it.


    The roads were excellent but the lack of other traffic was a little unnerving. Like the empty towns and villages, it reminded Jason unpleasantly of Earth when all the rural areas had been abandoned for the safe zones.


    He stopped regularly to go off and hunt packs of silver rank monsters. Once he detected a gold-rank one at the periphery of his perceptual range and withdrew his senses sharply. He turned down the music and slowed the skimmer to a crawl. Fortunately, the monster either didn¡¯t sense him or was one of the blessedly non-aggressive types. He marked the location on his map ability to share with the Adventure Society anyway.


    Gold-rank monsters could live for decades or even centuries before their bodies started breaking down, sending them berserk. As such, the Adventure Society often left the non-aggressive varieties alone, while keeping track of their location and age.


    Arriving in one of the small cities, Castistis, Jason was happy to see people again. He was far more thoroughly examined at the gate than he was at Arcazitlan fort, from magical scans to checking and rechecking his contract documentation.


    ¡°You all seem a bit jumpy,¡± Jason mentioned to a guard as she scanned his body with a fourth different device. ¡°Something happen?¡±


    "A vampire got in with a big batch of refugees," she told him. "Turned about a dozen people before we caught on. Those evacuation accommodations aren''t set up for pitched battle and things got bloody. We lost a lot of people, refugees and city guard both. Now we check everyone. Adventurers, nobility, it doesn''t matter."


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason said. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry. I can see why you¡¯d be careful.¡±


    She let out an unhappy snort.


    ¡°If you could maybe share that attitude with your adventurer friends, that would be nice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. I¡¯m not a local, though, so no promises.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t want to linger in the city. It was massively overcrowded from all the people taking shelter, which he had no intention of adding to. He would report the gold-rank monster he sensed and then get back on the road.


    The guards told him the personal flight was allowed, but vehicular flight required a permit. So advised, Jason set out across the city using his cloak wings, although their mana cost was greater when used in the sunlight. He wouldn¡¯t be able to take any detours unless he wanted to drop down to ground level and rest, but the city held nothing that seized his interest.


    The city was pleasant enough, especially seen from above, but was rather unremarkable. Compared to Rimaros and its sky islands, Castistis was small and lacked attention-grabbing features. It was just inland enough to be sheltered by hills, which was valuable in the Sea of Storms. The Buildings were low and widely spaced, with plenty of greenery. If not for the swarms of people it would have been open and inviting.


    Jason reined in his aura once more in the populated area. Relying on the directions the guards had given him, he swiftly made his way to the Adventure Society office, picking up the auras of the local adventurers as he drew close. He felt perceptions passing over him as well and he modulated his aura to seem capable but not elite. This matched most of the auras he sensed around him.


    Jason¡¯s experience of adventurers came from two extreme ends of the spectrum. Greenstone and Earth represented the bottom of the adventurer barrel. The mediocre aura control of most of the essence users Jason had met all but screamed sloppy skills and little, if any, proper training. On the other side were individuals like Danielle Geller and Rufus Remore, as well as the adventurers of Rimaros. Even the adventurers assigned delivery duty in Rimaros would have been absolute elites in Greenstone.


    In Castistis, the adventurers fell somewhere in the middle. Based on their auras, their skills were respectable, but not enough to make it in the big city. Jason knew that many adventurers had gone to Rimaros for the monster surge, hoping to be recruited into a guild. The adventurers here apparently understood their level.


    There were a few auras that stood out, their aura control a definite cut above the rest. He felt a cluster of them close together, presumably a team. There was one gold-rank aura present, which felt much akin to the mid-rage auras that were the norm there, but polished by experience.


    The Adventure Society building was a three-storey office without any attached buildings. Castistis was too small for a trade hall or even a dedicated building for the jobs hall. Jason landed out front and opened the doors just in time for a voice to come whining out of it.


    ¡°Do you know who my father is? You¡¯re courting death!¡±


    ¡°Oh, great,¡± he muttered under his breath. ¡°There¡¯s a Thadwick.¡±

 Chapter 490: Small

    The lobby of the Adventure Society office was not large, even though it served double duty as the public face of the society and the jobs hall. About a dozen adventurers were standing around inside, with even this small branch made busy by the monster surge. The team of silver-rankers whose auras marked them as a cut above the others were present, looking with weary expressions at two other adventurers, facing off.


    Jason had seen that expression before, on the face of Neil when Thadwick was about to do something stupid. Given that the team was superior to both of them, they were likely babysitting one or the other through the surge. Jason guessed it was the loud one.


    ¡°I am Argrave Mericulato, son of Ramon Mericulato. You think you can talk to me like that.¡±


    He was a celestine with onyx hair and eyes and pale skin. His almost petulant expression made Jason peg him as genuinely young, not just preserved by his silver rank. As for the smugly derisive look on the other adventurer, it was embarrassingly familiar as well.


    ¡°Wait!¡± Jason called out as he entered the lobby. He started marching across the room. ¡°You¡¯re the son of Ramon Mericulato?¡±


    The adventurer who had been loudly proclaiming his family connections turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°Who are you? Why are you interrupting me?¡±


    ¡°I apologise,¡± Jason said obsequiously. ¡°I was just startled to learn that you¡¯re the son of Ramon Mericulato. He¡¯s an inspiration to me ¨Cto everyone, really ¨C and even to meet his son is such an honour. I apologise if I¡¯ve disturbed you at all.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Argrave said, turning back to the other adventurer. ¡°This is how you show respect.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother with this man,¡± Jason said. ¡°Dealing with people who are small only serves to make you smaller. You need to be the bigger man, if only because you so very clearly are. People like him and me are beneath you. You have no need to bother with us."


    The idiot nodded at the praise, noticing neither the other adventurer opening his mouth to retort nor the pinpoint blast of aura suppression that silenced him before he spoke.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name,¡± Argrave asked Jason.


    ¡°Neil Davone,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s an honour to be known to someone with such a prestigious background.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Argrave agreed, then turned to the elite silver team. ¡°We¡¯re leaving. This nonsense is beneath me.¡±


    Argrave marched out of the room, pushing both double doors open as he passed through. One of the elite team members flashed Jason a grateful look as they followed, closing the doors behind them. Jason released the aura suppression on the other adventurer, who looked like he could breathe again after being caught underwater.


    ¡°What was that?¡± he asked angrily. There were a handful of other adventurers standing around, watching the whole debacle. Jason¡¯s slightly hunched stance and obsequious expression had vanished the moment the lobby doors closed. He gave the other adventurer a friendly smile.


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°Why would someone who can do that suck up to that little toad?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like I told him,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you get involved with someone small, it only makes you small as well. Take it from someone who¡¯s been caught up in pettiness and been made petty himself for doing so. I¡¯ve walked that road to the end and it doesn¡¯t lead anywhere good.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a smarmy little prick who doesn¡¯t know how to do anything other than trot out his family name.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°People like that are essentially high-maintenance pets. If you feed them a biscuit and leave them to their handlers, they¡¯re simple creatures and will wander off on their own. If you try to discipline them yourself, they won¡¯t stop barking and, sooner or later, you¡¯ll have to deal with the owner.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m just going to accept you crushing my aura like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said softly, the smile dropping from his face. ¡°I do.¡±


    Suddenly a sense of stillness came over the room that went beyond mere silence. The adventurers around them had a feeling that it was somehow related to an aura but couldn¡¯t sense the aura doing it, leaving them unnerved.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re smart enough to take some advice from someone who has been where you are and made mistakes,¡± Jason said, then held out his hand for the man to shake. ¡°I¡¯m Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°Liston Kitt,¡± the adventurer said, shaking Jason¡¯s hand. ¡°Which one of us did you give the fake name?¡±


    Jason flashed a grin.


    ¡°The name is real. I¡¯m the fake part.¡±


    Jason reported the gold-rank monster and got out of the city before he wound up in any trouble with entitled young adventurers and their more than capable entourages. Back in the land skimmer with his familiars, they started seeing more and more conjoining roads as they drew closer to an important transport hub. They passed several empty port towns, plus a large one that had the defences of a fortress town. It wasn¡¯t on Jason¡¯s delivery list, so he passed it by. Nearing the heart of the transport hub sector, Jason caught sight of an unusual building in the distance.


    A huge tower loomed over the jungle, allowing Jason to spot it long before the roadways brought him to it. It rivalled the skyscrapers of Earth for scale and was set out in the shape of an octagon. The walls were large panels of dark green glass, set into stone walls whose lighter shade of green was very familiar.


    ¡°Shade, do those bricks look like the ones they export from Greenstone?¡±


    ¡°There is a striking resemblance, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a long way to ship stone.¡±


    ¡°The tower should be the magical farm of the Fertility church,¡± Shade said. ¡°As the stone in question is valuable for the life and water affinities it inherited from the astral space apertures around which the stone is quarried, it would make sense to be used for this purpose.¡±


    ¡°I guess you don¡¯t spare the expense when you need to keep giant monsters away from the food supply,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was starting to think that I was rich but it turns out that I¡¯m silver-rank rich.¡±


    ¡°Given that you are quite early on the path to gold, Mr Asano, your fiscal gains have been respectable.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m not complaining. I¡¯m just seeing things like sky islands and skyscrapers made of magic stone shipped from the other side of the planet. It¡¯s becoming increasingly evident that this fish has found itself in a very large pond.¡±


    As the skimmer followed it towards the tower, Jason started sensing magical infrastructure. The road itself seemed to be some kind of magical conduit, part of a wide-scale mana accumulator feeding magic to the tower. Jason had seen something similar in the past when Farrah had used a similar setup to fuel the defences of Asano village.


    They started passing over large defensive formations embedded into the ground. Jason felt them sweep through the vehicle, his familiars and himself with potent magic; a protective array stronger than anything he''d encountered before. Perhaps Emir''s gold-rank cloud palace could match it, but Jason''s senses had not been advanced enough back then to compare.


    The magic wasn''t hidden but instead projected, to the point where even normal people might sense it.


    Any monster with even minor supernatural senses would easily detect the threat in time to flee, let alone Jason''s powerful senses. Jason recognised that the purpose was to deter monsters and save on the cost of activating the formidable protections.


    Jason pushed on, being very open with his aura as the magical arrays probed it. He could tell the defences were designed for far greater dangers than he presented and he didn¡¯t want any accidental misfires because he was playing games.


    Drawing close to the tower, the skimmer slowed to a stop in front of a bronze-rank elven woman in green robes, waiting for Jason¡¯s arrival. The robes were marked with a baby holding a grain stalk in each hand, the symbol of Fertility. Gordon vanished into Jason¡¯s aura and Colin soaked into Jason¡¯s skin. Shade and the skimmer both disappeared into Jason¡¯s shadow. Jason stood up as the skimmer dissolved around him.


    ¡°Are you the adventurer bearing our supplies?¡±


    ¡°I am. Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°It is good to meet you. My name is Flor. I¡¯m unfamiliar with the house of Asano. Should I address you as mister, young master or lord?¡±


    ¡°Lovely to meet you, Flor. My preference would be Jason, if that¡¯s not unduly informal.¡±


    ¡°Of course not, Jason. Would you please follow me?¡±


    The exterior of the tower had uniform windows of dark green glass, except for the bottom level and the two or three at the top. The ground floor had two doors set into each side of the building that Jason had seen, all heavy-duty metal engraved with protective sigils. Of the two doors per side, one was a large freight door and the other a normal-sized one. The priestess led Jason in through the closest of those.


    Inside, they followed one hall and then another until they arrived at an octagonal elevating platform shaft. She touched a crystal next to the shaft and they waited for the platform to descend.


    ¡°You¡¯re a few days ahead of schedule. That is much appreciated.¡±


    Although Jason felt like he was meandering, he had forgone the recommended method of stealthing carefully south while avoiding fights. Instead, he had lured in monsters with the skimmer moving at a fast, but not too-fast pace. As a result and even with stopping to fight, he was well under the delivery deadlines he''d been assigned.


    ¡°It¡¯s a beautiful part of the world,¡± Jason said. ¡°The wildlife is a little stroppy but the scenery is amazing. I¡¯ve been told that this isn¡¯t a highly-coveted job but I¡¯ve been more than satisfied with the experience.¡±


    ¡°That is a good attitude to have, although perhaps not one that will serve the ambitious.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m almost aggressively unambitious,¡± Jason said, before adding with a sullen mutter, ¡°for all the good it¡¯s done me.¡±


    The priestess gave him an assessing look but made no further comment.


    The elevating platform arrived from above and they stepped onto it. It carried them upward and the glass walls of the shaft gave Jason a good view of each storey. Above the ground floor, every level they passed was a single giant room, each containing what looked like a vast and densely packed hydroponic garden.


    "This method of alchemical cultivation is a little resource-intensive, thus the nutrient bath supplies we need on a regular basis," Flor explained. "Outside of monster surges, it is not a cost-effective method of cultivation and the alchemically-focused orders of the church use these facilities for research purposes. During a surge, however, this methodology allows us to grow enough food for a very large amount of people in a small and secure space. With the Storm Kingdom¡¯s civic authorities offsetting the costs, we, of course, do our best for those isolated in the fortresses and cities.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen similar techniques where I come from, although I¡¯ve never seen it on a scale like this,¡± Jason said. ¡°Those methods were non-magical, however, so the results here are no doubt more impressive. I imagine that accelerated growth rates are only the beginning of your achievements. There have been food shortage problems over the last few years where we could have used these techniques.¡±


    ¡°Are you speaking of another world?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re familiar with outworlders?¡±


    ¡°Familiar might be too strong a term,¡± she said. ¡°I have encountered just one in the past. I believe there is another residing in Rimaros right now.¡±


    ¡°At least one,¡± Jason said.


    They passed the third-highest floor of the building, which was very different and looked like some kind of industrial plant. The platform stopped at the penultimate floor and Flor led him out. This was a storage level that looked a lot like the supply depots in Rimaros.


    ¡°The top three floors are service levels,¡± Flor explained. ¡°The level below us contains the systems that deliver the resources stored on this level to the growing floors. We have a sorting area where you can deliver your supplies. The floor above contains the shrine, the living areas and the coupling rooms.¡±


    ¡°Coupling rooms?¡±


    ¡°Would you like to see them? You¡¯ll need to go through some testing first but you¡¯ll be absolved of all parental responsibilities, of course.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± she asked, looking him up and down. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind¨C¡±


    ¡°Very sure. Thank you, though.¡±


    She shook her head sadly.


    ¡°They say men only think about one thing,¡± she muttered, ¡°but show them one assertive woman and they shrivel up.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I love assertive women. Also, there¡¯s no shrivelling going on here.¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± she said sympathetically.


    ¡°There isn¡¯t!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy enough to prove¡­¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll just have to take my word for it.¡±

 Chapter 491: Uneasy Allies

    So much for drawing away the defenders," Neil said as the heavy land skimmer threaded a swift and dangerous path through the trees. In the driver''s seat next to him, Belinda was concentrating on controlling the skimmer. The heavy combat skimmer procured specifically for the mission had full-coverage armour and defensive weaponry. It was an advanced vehicle that only those with the right abilities could operate.


    ¡°In fairness,¡± Gary said, ¡°I haven¡¯t seen any Purity priests. Or anyone else alive, for that matter. Just these things.¡±


    Racing through the forest, harrying the skimmer, was a crowd of centaur-like construct creatures. Built from dark wood and mottled iron, they were fast, powerful and agile; perfectly suited to race through a forest. The bulk of the centaur constructs were bronze-rank, with about one on five being silver.


    Some of the constructs had bows that conjured arrows when the string was drawn back and were using them to pepper the skimmer with arrows. Others had spears and lances they used to attack the vehicle whenever they got close enough.


    The armour plating shielded the occupants, who were using open access panels to retaliate. Neil was using his shield powers as enemies tried to stab through the panels, his Burst Shield power blasting away attackers. Belinda was using the vehicle¡¯s weapon system; a triangular column on the roof. There was a sigil on each of its three sides, each one capable of a different attack. One was an electricity attack that arced from enemy to enemy, while another blasted streams of fire.


    These first two attacks had not proved highly effective against the constructs, so Belinda didn¡¯t waste the energy. The third option conjured heavy bolts with strong armour penetration, which dug into an enemy before exploding. They were proving much more effective, although Belinda tried not to overuse the weapon and drain the skimmer''s energy.


    The main attackers were Gary and Kenneth, son of Brian; the fourth and final member of the group. Gary was throwing his hammer, which bounced from one construct to the next, chaining through the centaurs before flying back to his hand.


    Each hit came with a resonating-force explosion, tailor-made for destroying constructs. Gary¡¯s weapon was specialised for fighting constructs, being the silver-rank variant of a weapon he made for himself following Farrah¡¯s death. It was enough to take out the bronze-rank centaurs in one hit, but not the silvers. It did inflict significant damage and send them tumbling into other galloping constructs.


    Kenneth likewise worked on thinning out the bronze-rankers, but mostly focused on slowing down the silvers. One of his special attacks involved a conjured harpoon that he threw into enemies, prioritising the silver-rank constructs. Once buried in a target, more harpoons were conjured around it, launching themselves at the centaurs around it. The secondary harpoons were connected to the initial target by magical ropes that dragged the subsequent targets. They all crashed into the first, binding them together in an awkward bundle. Bound up, the centaurs were stuck trying to fight their way free from one another, inflicting mutual damage even as they were left behind by the rolling combat.


    Ken had the skirmish confluence, which made him very useful in this kind of running battle. Many of his powers could trip up the enemy, literally and figuratively, keeping the skimmer from being overwhelmed by the huge herd of constructs. Leaving the destruction of the bronze-rank constructs to Gary¡¯s powerful attacks, Ken concentrated on stalling the silver-rank centaurs with trip-lines and net traps.


    ¡°I thought Purity and the Builder were meant to be uneasy allies,¡± Humphrey shouted from the roof of the skimmer as it raced through a gulch. ¡°If this many construct creatures are protecting the dam, it would seem we were wrong.¡±


    ¡°Making too many assumptions on not enough information is a poor pathway to knowledge,¡± Clive yelled back. "I''m not sure we should have let Sophie go off alone?"


    "Let her?" Humphrey asked. "Since when does she wait for anyone''s permission for anything?"


    "Is she going to be alright back there?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Humphrey said proudly.


    The centaur herd bunched together as they followed the skimmer into the narrow gulch, which was exactly what Humphrey wanted. He was ignoring the arrows bouncing off his dragon armour since they all came from bronze-rank constructs. Sophie was nowhere to be seen, having left the skimmer long ago to stall the silver-rank ones.


    As the lance-wielding centaurs thundered toward the rear of the skimmer, Humphrey stepped off, landing heavily in their path. The huge sword in his hands was in the shape of a dragon wing with rainbow scales. The blade was wreathed in fire.


    Humphrey stood his ground as the centaurs bore down on him in tight formation, shoulder-to-shoulder, lances out. The centaurs might only have been bronze-rank but charging attacks were their specialty and their weapons had greater reach than even Humphrey¡¯s huge sword. Dragon wings manifested on Humphrey¡¯s back and reached around him to form a wedge against the onrushing weapons, which were deflected away at an angle. The wings immediately swept back to reveal Humphrey already swinging his sword in a huge horizontal arc.


    The sword smashed through the tightly-packed front row of centaurs without even slowing down, passing through wood and steel like a hot train through butter. The centaurs all but exploded from the force, flames from the burning blade spreading to many of the scattering chunks, raining down as burning debris.


    That was not even the end of the attack as a wave of fire and another of force were sent hurtling along the gulch by the swing of Humphrey¡¯s sword. It wasn¡¯t as destructive as the original attack but still toppled the charging bronze-rank constructs like bowling pins.


    Humphrey leapt high into the air with his silver-rank strength and, with a powerful sweep of his wings, propelled himself forward. He swooped over the gulch, opening his mouth to breath fire like a flamethrower, blanketing the centaurs still pursing the skimmer.


    Unlike the flames from the skimmer weapons, the fire from Humphrey¡¯s powers had an extreme effect on the constructs. The silver-rank effect of his aura, Dragon¡¯s Might, transformed any flames created by his abilities from ordinary fire into dragon fire. Dragon fire was far more effective against any kind of flame resistance, from protective magic to flame-retardant materials.


    Wood quickly turned to ash and steel melted away as the silver-rank flames ravaged the bronze-rank constructs. Even the rocks were on fire, cracking and melting. In the wake of Humphrey''s sweeping flight over the gulch, all that remained was burning wreckage, scorched earth and dark smoke, rising into the air.


    More constructs were charging out of the forest and into the gulch. Humphrey turned to look for the skimmer, about to vanish into the woods again. Deciding that he¡¯d bought it enough time, he teleported onto its roof before it moved out of sight.


    Despite the construct centaurs moving through the trees in a tight herd, Sophie had no problems moving amongst them. If anything, it made her harder to hit with lances and bows, which were not designed for close-quarter fighting. So long as she avoided being trampled she was fine.


    She wandered through the herd like a breeze, graceful and untouched. Even when it seemed like she was struck by a charging construct she wasn¡¯t, the very concept of distance bending to her will. She ignored the weaker centaurs, knowing that Humphrey would turn them to piles of molten scrap.


    Sophie¡¯s biggest weakness was that she lacked the capacity to inflict decisive damage, whether up-front like Humphrey or building over time, like Jason. She did have powers that could land the occasional big, singular hit, but it required set-up, timing and usually team cooperation to make the most of those opportunities. She mostly tackled her low-damage problem by relying on her greatest strengths: speed and precision.


    Sophie¡¯s damage was small but she inflicted both resonating-force and disruptive force with every hit. That meant that whatever armour or magical barriers were in place, what damage she did do wouldn¡¯t be shrugged off. By hammering away with every part of her body she could rain down attacks at a blinding pace. She was too fast to stop and too elusive to pin down.


    The other key aspect of Sophie¡¯s approach was precision. Her attacks did not grow in power with ranks anywhere near as fast as the resilience of enemies did, so she needed to make every hit count. An ogre was incredibly tough. The side of its knee, not as much.


    Centaurs, as a construct design, had clear strengths and weaknesses. Their speed and charging power gave their attacks incredible impact damage, allowing even the bronze-rank variants to pose at least some threat to silver-rankers. Their weaknesses stemmed from their horse-like bodies.


    Against a small and agile enemy, fighting up close, their size and inability to quickly turn hurt them badly. Their designs gave them more flexibility than an actual horse, but it only ameliorated the problem, rather than solve it. Normally, this was not an issue while the constructs were moving at a gallop, as they were in pursuit of the skimmer.


    To Sophie, however, the pace of the centaurs was inadequate to deserve the word speed. Moving backwards or sideways, even throwing out rapid attacks, she could easily outpace both their movement and their reflexes. She danced around the charging constructs as if they were standing still.


    The other flaw in their horse-like bodies was that damage to their legs could be crippling. Sophie took full advantage of this by pounding on the legs with attack after attack. If the constructs had been actual centaurs instead of unfeeling automatons, they would have been frustrated at their inability to swat the fly buzzing around them.


    Compared to the brutal, fiery cataclysm Humphrey unleashed in the gulch, Sophie could have easily gone unnoticed by someone watching the herd pass by. Her attacks were pinpoint and her attitude methodical, hobbling one construct after another with the diligence of a tradesperson making their way through the tasks of the day. One by one, the silver-rank constructs were crippled and left behind.


    The constructs didn¡¯t have a key advantage that living silver-rank things did: the ability to rapidly heal. While some constructs had such abilities, they tended to be expensive, custom works. These centaurs were mass-produced models, their main advantage being numerical.


    With the silver-rank constructs either disabled or critically slowed, Sophie turned her attention to rejoining Clive and Humphrey. Before she left, though, she decided to thin out some of the weaker constructs while she was at it. She¡¯d already followed the herd to a gulch where she could tell Humphrey had been to work from the smoke rising out of it. It seemed like the best place to cluster the herd together.


    Sophie¡¯s Wind Blade power was something of an outlier amongst her other abilities. It was ranged, rather than melee, a direct magical attack and, when she drew on the higher-rank effects, quite mana hungry. One of Sophie¡¯s greatest strengths was that her abilities were mana efficient and her mana regeneration was strong. This played into the natural gift that celestines shared that made all their abilities more mana efficient.


    Wind Blade, even pulling out all the high-rank stops, didn¡¯t have a massive impact on enemies her own level. For clearing out a bunch of bronze-ranks, though, it was up to the task. First, she needed to reposition, so she launched herself into the air with a blast of wind. She then shot forward, flying much faster than Jason or Humphrey could with their respective flight abilities, arriving at the far end of the gulch, centaurs bearing down.


    Landing in their path, Sophie swept a long, horizontal kick that produced a blade of wind in the direction of the constructs. She could modulate the nature of the blades depending on how she produced them, with a long motion producing a wide, slow-moving blade. As of bronze-rank, the blades grew wider as they travelled, with the wider the initial blade, the faster it grew. By the time it reached the onrushing centaurs, the blade had become a wide but thin wave, like a huge scimitar stretching across the width of the gulch. Many monsters and any essence user could have easily avoided it, but the centaurs were charging in tight formation.


    Sophie had launched second, third and fourth blades by the time the first struck. Every part of a wind blade that hit a centaur exploded into a secondary explosion; circles of cutting force like the rings of a planet. If Jason had been present, it would have looked familiar. The wind-blade runes of the Arcazitlan fortress had much the same effect.


    Multiple blade waves devastated the charging constructs, although Sophie could not match the apocalyptic force with which Humphrey had left the gulch a smoking scrap yard. Only the low-rank of her enemies allowed her to partly mirror his success. Satisfied with her work, he launched into the air again and chased after the skimmer.


    ¡°Thank you for answering my questions on reproductive techniques,¡± Jason said to the priestess as darkness emerged from his shadow to take the form of a land skimmer.


    "I think you should be open to more practical instruction."


    ¡°Once again, I¡¯m just looking for information. But thank you. For the repeated offers.¡±


    In the outer reaches of the Seas of Storms, three invisible people moved through the air, over the road network cutting through the jungle. They were matching pace with an open-top land skimmer full of strange figures.


    ¡°That man is very strange,¡± one of the people said, his voice male. A privacy screen shrouded his words.


    ¡°He¡¯s just talking to his familiars,¡± a female voice responded. ¡°Everyone talks to their familiars.¡±


    "There is no way he understands what that thing is saying."


    ¡°I understand what my dog tries to tell me and that¡¯s just an ordinary dog.¡±


    ¡°Your dog doesn¡¯t sound like it keeps tortured souls in a jar.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± another female voice said, her tone making it clear that she was the leader. ¡°Stay focused. He may be silver-rank but his aura is strong and his senses are sharp. If he detects us, this whole trip goes to waste.¡±

 Chapter 492: Supply Chain Problems

    The next fortress town Jason visited wasn¡¯t under active attack, letting him get in and out quickly. Situated on the coast, it was connected to several storm accumulators. The offshore, windmill-like devices collected power from magical weather events for which the Sea of Storms was named. The prevalence of such storms in the local area was why an adventurer made the trip rather than an airship that could easily be caught up in the volatile weather.


    This particular town used the power it collected to charge mana batteries that other towns could use to power their defences, reducing their reliance on the kind of long-distance deliveries that Jason was making. Jason was just adding to local adventurers already delivering to surrounding areas. Jason handed over a fresh batch of empty batteries and collected charged ones to take to his next stop. One of the most isolated forts in the region, it was outside the range the local adventurers normally travelled. It would also be the last stop on Jason¡¯s route before returning to Rimaros.


    Far to the east of the forts being supplied by Jason was the fortress town of Carazela. One of the most outlying towns in the Storm Kingdom, its latest supply run was deeply overdue. The fort¡¯s defences had expired almost a week earlier and if not for a visiting essence user, either of the last two monster attacks could have overrun the town.


    As it was, several monsters made it over the walls and the fort¡¯s commander had lost people driving them back. The commander, Merrick Harlowe, sat on the balustrade atop the wall, weariness engraved on his face like a sigil. He raised his head, offering a tired smile as someone walked up to join him.


    Melody Jain was the essence user responsible for the fort lasting as long as it had without supplies. She had even made a run to the local Fertility food tower after the last attack, saving the civilians from starvation. She had fought hard and the stains and rents on her white leather armour told the story of the effort she¡¯d expended in shielding the fort and its people.


    Unlike her irrevocably stained armour, her white hair and dark skin were clean. Water was the one resource they had no shortage of and Melody liked to take showers. Merrick had no idea if she was a former adherent of Purity or a loyalist; he was afraid to ask and didn¡¯t really care. Either way, she had an affection for cleanliness that he guessed was a long-ingrained habit. He was certain that she hated wearing her marred armour, yet she always did, ever at the ready.


    Merrick looked at her white hair as she sat next to him, returning his tired smile with one of her own. She had cropped her hair short after a brutal head injury cut a good chunk of it away. The wound had been healed but she had trimmed her lopsided hair to a short pixie cut.


    Melody gave Merrick a look that was filled with regret.


    ¡°Merrick, I have bad news.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving,¡± he said, his voice devoid of surprise.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°I understand,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ve already done more than we had any right to ask.¡±


    ¡°I was hoping I could stay until new supplies arrived, but I have my own responsibilities. I¡¯ve put them off as much as I could. More than I could, if I¡¯m being honest.¡±


    ¡°Maybe those supplies will finally arrive before the next lot of monsters,¡± he said, forcing optimism into his voice that he didn¡¯t feel.


    ¡°We both know they won¡¯t,¡± Melody said softly. ¡°I¡¯ve heard things, and perhaps you have too. This isn¡¯t an ordinary monster surge. Some things are falling through the cracks. You and your people are one of them.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always hope.¡±


    She looked at him crestfallen.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    She trailed off, shaking her head.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Merrick asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t say. I shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    He let out a laugh, heavy with resignation.


    ¡°Ms Jain. Melody. Everyone here is going to be dead in a week. You don¡¯t have to fear your secrets spilling out.¡±


    She hunched forward, looking at her feet as she shook her head again.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good man, Merrick Harlowe. A decent and diligent man who looks out for his people. You wouldn¡¯t damn them to save them.¡±


    He sat up straight.


    ¡°Save them?¡±


    Melody continued to shake her head.


    ¡°I only have one thing to give, Merrick, and you don¡¯t want it. Your people don¡¯t want it. I won¡¯t make them into pariahs.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡±


    Still hunched over, she turned to look at him.


    ¡°You know what I¡¯m talking about,¡± she said.


    He looked away, running his hands over his face.


    ¡°Purity,¡± he said.


    ¡°I know you haven¡¯t been asking because you were scared of the answer. Were you afraid that I¡¯d leave or that you would have to make me?¡±


    ¡°Either. Both. So, you¡¯re still¡­¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s unwise to wear the symbols in these times, but the faith remains.¡±


    She stood up.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Merrick said, gently grabbing her forearm before snatching his hand away.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± he said, stepping back. She turned around with a beaming smile, placing he hand on his forearm.


    ¡°You¡¯ll never have to apologise to me, Merrick. I¡¯ve watched you give your all for the people here. You could take your strongest and make a break for safety but that never even crossed your mind. I have nothing but admiration for you.¡±


    He bowed his head.


    ¡°Do you have a way?¡± he asked, his voice barely audible. ¡°A way to save them?¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t recharge the fort¡¯s defences, Merrick. The power I have to offer becomes part of the people who claim it. Forever. It can¡¯t be given back, and it comes at a price.¡±


    ¡°What kind of power? And what kind of price?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you should ¨C¡±


    ¡°Tell me!¡±


    His words, loud and sharp, rang out across the wall. Sentries watching for monster attacks turned in their direction.


    Melody trailed her fingers down Merrick¡¯s arm and gripped his hand.


    ¡°I can¡¯t ask you to do this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you.¡±


    She let go and turned away, bowing her head again. He reached out with a hesitant hand, pausing before touching it softly to her upper arm.


    ¡°Melody, please. If you have a way to save my people.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± she said without turning around. ¡°Maybe ¨C maybe ¨C there is a way for them to save themselves, but I can''t¡­¡±


    ¡°Please, Melody. I¡¯m begging.¡±


    She slowly turned, bringing herself close to Merrick with a half-step.


    ¡°What do you know about the church of Purity?¡± she whispered. ¡°Do you have any idea of what you¡¯re asking?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking for help.¡±


    ¡°I belong to a group,¡± she said. ¡°An order. The Order of Redeeming Light. Have you heard of it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°We take the things that are unclean. Impure. We purify them. Turn them into clean weapons of righteousness against the very filth from which they came.¡±


    ¡°Like monsters.¡±


    ¡°They are the most pervasive impurity in this world.¡±


    ¡°And you have some of these weapons of righteousness?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve heard that my church is in league with the Builder?¡±


    ¡°I have, but I barely know what that means. We live simple lives out here, away from important people and their problems.¡±


    ¡°The Builder is very bad. Our entire church has had to do things to see it cleansed, things that others can¡¯t understand or forgive. But the Builder has something it gives to its soldiers. Something that makes them strong. My order has taken one of the things that produce this weapon and passed it through the purifying light of our redemption rituals. Now we can make people strong, without tainting them. Give this world a chance against the Builder. But the world hates us. Anyone who takes that power will be an outcast.¡±


    ¡°Better outcasts than corpses,¡± Merrick said. ¡°What is this weapon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called a redeemed core. If you give it to an essence user, they lose their powers but gain new ones. More importantly, they gain an entire rank. Immediately.¡±


    ¡°An entire rank?¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t work on gold-rankers.¡±


    ¡°But on silvers?¡±


    ¡°It will take them to gold-rank.¡±


    Merrick took a step back running his hands through his hair with a shocked expression.


    ¡°This is not a simple fix, Merrick, or some easy path to power. There are consequences, beyond how society will look at you. You give up all your essence abilities. You get new ones in return but not as many. You won''t be the equal of an adventurer of your new rank.¡±


    ¡°But strong enough to fight monsters.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But there is another price as well.¡±


    ¡°And what is that?¡±


    ¡°Faith. The taint of the Builder is gone but the new power has to come from somewhere.¡±


    ¡°From your god.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You must open your heart and your soul to Purity without reservation or his power cannot flow into you. You cannot toy with divine power. I¡¯ve seen what happens to those who try to claim this power with a deceitful heart. They become powerful but also mindless. Simpletons who know only how to obey and not to think. I would rather someone be honest and turn from my god than go through that.¡±


    ¡°I can worship your god. If he gives me the strength to save my people, he deserves my faith.¡±


    Melody looked around, wary of the sentries who might overhear. She moved closer to Merrick again, speaking in a whisper as she rested a hand on his chest.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple, Merrick. I¡¯ve already told you more than I should. More than I¡¯m allowed. I just¡­ I see you. I see your courage and dedication to these people. You are the kind of man this world should be celebrating, not leaving to his death.¡±


    ¡°Then give me this power.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t. If my people are going to expose themselves to help you, they have to know that you¡¯ll truly be with us.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t just be you, Merrick. It has to be all your silver and bronze people. If you want Purity¡¯s help, you all have to make a show of faith. Together.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell my people to do that.¡±


    ¡°I know. This is why I didn¡¯t want to say anything at all.¡±


    Merrick walked away from Melody, back to the edge of the wall. He leaned on the balustrade, looking out over the sea. The breeze tousled his hair, the magical barrier over the fort long-depleted.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t even have to be monsters at this point,¡± he lamented. ¡°Without the magical barrier, even a storm could deal with us.¡±


    ¡°There might be something else,¡± Melody said. ¡°If your people were willing to show their faith, then perhaps I can convince my people can help you, in ways I cannot alone.¡±


    ¡°What kind of ways.¡±


    ¡°If you and your people take the power, it will take a little time for you to adjust. Days, in which you won¡¯t be able to fend off monster attacks. But if my people knew they didn¡¯t have to fear you, we could stand for you, until you are ready. Perhaps even share some of what supplies we do have. I can¡¯t promise anything on my own, but¨C¡±


    Merrick turned around to meet her gaze, eyes steely.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell my people to do this,¡± he said. ¡°But I can ask.¡±


    Jason was riding along a wide jungle roadway when he sensed the approach of several essence users. He was passing by another fort town when four auras emerged and rushed towards him. They were essence users; three bronze and a silver. All had monster cores in their auras, so not adventurers.


    Shade pulled the skimmer to a stop, the vehicle and Jason¡¯s familiars disappearing as he waited for the approaching people. He stood in the road, letting them come to him. It did not take long, all sprinting up the connection road leading from the nearby fort town.


    ¡°Adventurer,¡± the silver-ranker said as they arrived. They had gone hard enough that the bronze-rankers were exhausted from pushing themselves to match the silver¡¯s speed.


    ¡°I take it that you are residents of that fortress town,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m the town commander. Are you a supply courier?¡±


    ¡°I am, but my supplies are not for your town.¡±


    ¡°Please,¡± the commander said. ¡°Our courier is more than a week overdue. The food came from the Fertility farm tower but our remaining mana batteries won¡¯t hold out through another monster attack.¡±


    ¡°And if I give you the supplies for another, even more isolated town, what happens to them?¡±


    ¡°Please, I¡¯m begging.¡±


    Jason frowned.


    ¡°I can¡¯t give you these supplies,¡± he said. ¡°They were provided by another fortress town that charges mana batteries, though.¡±


    ¡°They have access to storm accumulators?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then you can leave your supplies here and go back for more. All we need are charged mana batteries.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t make that decision,¡± Jason said. ¡°But I¡¯ve been there. I can portal you and I back there and you can plead your case to them for more supplies.¡±


    The commander¡¯s face lit up.


    ¡°You have a portal power?¡±


    ¡°I do. We can go right now.¡±


    Standing in the open gates of the town, Merrick and Melody were facing one another, his hands clasped in hers.


    ¡°Come back quickly,¡± he said.


    ¡°I will,¡± she told him with a smile. ¡°With good news, I promise.¡±


    He reluctantly released her hands and she left, moving quickly but stopping to look back more than once before she disappeared into the jungle. She picked up the pace until she was certain that she was beyond Merrick¡¯s aura senses. She slowed down and soon after, two women in white armour appeared. One wore tough but flexible leathers, like Melody, and handed her a fresh set from a dimensional bag. The other wore heavy armour made from the chitin of a monster, recoloured white.


    ¡°How did it go?¡± the leather-wearer asked as Melody stripped off her dirty armour.


    ¡°As planned,¡± Melody said. ¡°All the silvers and bronze-rankers.¡±


    The armoured woman chuckled.


    ¡°You¡¯re still the best, Mel. Should we let the next supply courier through? We kill too many and people might come looking.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Melody said. ¡°It¡¯s a monster surge and they send the expendable people for a reason. We¡¯ll shield the fort from the next attack, give them supplies and let them fend off the one after by themselves. Then we let a supply run through. We can¡¯t have them regretting their decision, after all.¡±

 Chapter 493: The Hitting It a Bunch Plan

    The original plan had been to sneak into the dam quickly and quietly in two small groups while the defences had been pulled away by the attack on the valley. From the outset, it was clear that the defences had been massively increased since Clive, Humphrey and Sophie first scouted it out. Their intent had been to launch the operation immediately after their original surveillance. Travelling to reunite the team, meet Dawn and then the start of the monster surge had caused multiple delays.


    The newly added presence of the constructs in such large numbers suggested either something had significantly changed or something important was happening. It was unlikely to be a reaction to leaking information about the attack on the valley because there hadn''t been time to emplace herds of constructs all through the territory approaching the dam.


    Guard squads of Purity loyalists were stationed outside the entrances at each end of the dam. Each squad was made up of one silver leading some bronze-rankers and were made short work of. Both teams needed to move fast because of the constructs they had left behind without eliminating.


    At one end of the dam, Belinda deftly negated the magic on the heavy security door and picked the mechanical lock. On the other, Clive and Sophie split those tasks between them. Both teams went inside and ruined the magic of the doors, sealing them shut against anyone trying to go through, friend or foe.


    The inside of the dam complex was cavernous, with huge open space and a ceiling that loomed high overhead. The dam spanned the entrance to a sprawling valley and the dam¡¯s interior followed that line in a huge, arcing curve. The roof, walls and floor were concrete, while huge devices of heavy industrial magic occupied the floor and stuck out from the walls. This was artifice on the largest scale; the kind used by cities to manage the infrastructure that supported their great populations. Here, it not only managed the water flow through the dam but the magic carried within that water; accumulated, refined and repurposed.


    Plan A, stealth, had gone out the window before the two groups even reached the dam. Plan B, blitz past the diminished defences was rendered laughable by defences that had been increased, not decreased. Purity loyalists were already bearing down on them. Some were clearly guards,  charging at them. Others looked to be artificers who served as magical technicians. They were abandoning the infrastructure they were modifying and running in the other direction.


    At one end of the dam, Sophie dashed forward while Humphrey poured out a circle of bone powder from a bag. Clive and Onslow stood protectively in front of him as he summoned his dragon warriors and Stash leapt from his pocket. The Shape-shifting little dragon turned from a mouse into a rune tortoise like Onslow. He couldn¡¯t match the full powers of the other familiar, especially when Onslow and Clive worked together, but he still made for a strong defensive bulwark.


    Humphrey took out a pair of twelve-sided dice and rolled them in the circle of bone power. Light rose from the upturned faces of the dice, one projecting a glowing green line drawing of a crocodile¡¯s head. The other was more of an indistinct brown blob. The dice flew back to Humphrey¡¯s hand and he returned them to his dimensional space as a column of light shot up from the circle.


    Sophie was already engaged with the approaching guards while Clive and the two Onslows were blasting magical attacks past her. Behind them, monsters were emerging from the light of Humphrey¡¯s summoning circle, one after another.


    They were crocodiles made of mud, anywhere from five to seven metres long. Bone protruded all over their bodies, mostly taking the form of scales that looked less crocodilian and more draconic. The bone scales, as well as the long teeth, were all topped with panels and caps of enchanted metal. One of Humphrey¡¯s powers conjured basic magic items for each creature he summoned.


    Despite having legs, the mud monsters slithered forward on a slimy path, like fat snakes or speedy slugs. They left a trail of mud behind them as they moved to attack.


    The guards had the numbers initially but the tables quickly turned as twenty of Humphrey¡¯s dragon bone mud crocodiles filled even the huge floor space of the dam¡¯s voluminous interior.


    The crocodiles didn¡¯t just clamp onto the dam guards but dragged them to the ground and into a death roll, sucking them into the mud of their elemental bodies. In doing so, the bony scales passed through the bodies of the guards, who disappeared into the creatures and didn''t come back out. Each monster had to pause and digest before moving onto the next victim.


    Only the bronze-rank Purity loyalists suffered this fate, although that was most of the guards. The silver-rankers amongst them were strong enough to fend off or avoid the sluggish monsters, despite there being so many. Humphrey, Sophie and Clive were much harder to avoid.


    At the other end of the dam, Belinda was taking frontline duties while Gary summoned an ally of his own. Using her ability to grow larger and stronger, she called up the heavy weapons and armour Gary had forged for her. Her echo spirit familiar, named Gemini at Jason¡¯s suggestion, mimicked her form and gear as it stood beside her. No longer bound by its iron-rank limitations, Gemini now had physical substance and could even emulate some of Belinda¡¯s abilities.


    Behind the pair, Gary was calling out his own summoned entity. A singular entity, compared to Humphrey''s small army, Gary''s forge golem was a towering edifice of crude iron. A white-yellow glow shone from between the heavy panels that made up its lumbering body. It was neither quick nor agile, but it was massive, at almost twice Gary''s height. While it was every bit as strong and resilient as it looked, more impressive was its most powerful attack. The panels on its chest opened up to reveal a cavity full of molten metal it could spray over enemies.


    ¡°This is wrong,¡± Clive said as he looked over a large device.


    They had partially fought their way along the dam and Clive had stopped to sabotage a large piece of equipment that looked like an industrial pump into which someone had stabbed a bunch of huge crystals.


    ¡°You can¡¯t sabotage it?¡± Humphrey called back from amidst the ongoing combat. His summons were still fighting more of the Purity loyalist guards, alongside Sophie and Humphrey himself.


    ¡°I can sabotage it, sure,¡± Clive said. ¡°But this isn¡¯t doing what we thought it was. Not just that, anyway.¡±


    Humphrey drew back from the fight to speak with Clive, leaving Sophie and his monsters to hold the line.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, boys,¡± Sophie yelled from the front, even as she continued acrobatically beating on the enemy. ¡°This is a great time to stop for a chat!¡±


    ¡°Have you noticed that these guards are fighting tooth and nail, even though they''re clearly outmatched?¡± Clive asked.


    A guard flew through the air, landing on the ground next to Clive. Immediately after, Sophie landed on the guard in a mount position and started beating him in the face.


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I didn¡¯t notice that at all.¡±


    She backflipped off the guard, then kicked him derisively in the head before disappearing back into the melee.


    ¡°I think that whatever they¡¯re doing here,¡± Clive said, ¡°these guards are trying to buy time for them to at least partially finish it. I think the artificers are trying to accelerate the process taking place here.¡±


    ¡°And what process is that?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Clive said. ¡°This whole dam should be collecting magic and using it to hide the valley and the Purity loyalists in it. That¡¯s only consuming part of the collected magic, however; the rest is being collected and funnelled somewhere else.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Clive said. ¡°Somehow, though, even more power has started coming in from the valley, on top of what¡¯s being drawn from the river. I¡¯m not sure of the source but there¡¯s something off about it.¡±


    ¡°Off?¡±


    ¡°How many times can I say I don¡¯t know,¡± Clive said. ¡°I''d have to examine this setup for longer to figure out what''s happening here.¡±


    ¡°Oh sure,¡± Sophie said as she sprang off the wall and kicked three people in the head before landing. ¡°Take your time; it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it''s not,¡± Clive said. ¡°Give me a moment to sabotage this and then we should get to the main infrastructure hub at the centre of the dam as quickly as possible. We can¡¯t just stand around.¡±


    ¡°ARE YOU KIDDING ME?¡±


    After fighting their way through to the middle of the dam, Humphrey, Sophie and Clive found the others, already waiting. Dead guards were strewn about and they finally found the technicians who had fled earlier. Some were dead while others had been strung up with rope and were being interrogated by Kenneth. Neil was making sure they survived the questions.


    Gary and his golem were clearing away bodies while Belinda examined a large magical device. It was large enough that it had clearly been constructed on-site but showed signs of recent and hasty modification. Parts had been crudely removed or added and there were magical diagrams scrawled all over it in chalk.


    ¡°Took you long enough,¡± Belinda said, not turning away from the device. ¡°Were you just standing around talking the whole time?¡±


    Sophie flashed a glare at Clive and Humphrey.


    ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Clive said as he joined Belinda. ¡°Any idea what they¡¯re up to?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m working on it,¡± Belinda said. ¡°This is weird, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Clive agreed. ¡°You saw the power being drawn in from the valley?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I figured out that whatever¡¯s going on, we don¡¯t want it to, so I went ahead with the sabotage.¡±


    ¡°Same.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the source of power in the valley?¡±


    ¡°As far as we know, there shouldn¡¯t be anything in the valley that could produce the amount of power this place is drawing in. It has to have been brought in since we scouted the area out.¡±


    Belinda walked Clive through what she¡¯d already learned examining the setup, the others quickly losing track of what they were talking about. The pair of magic experts pulled out various devices from their storage spaces as they tried to decipher the purpose of the huge device and its modifications.


    Sophie moved over to Ken and Neil as they brutally questioned a dangling artificer.


    ¡°Get anything out of them?¡± she asked.


    ¡°The path of the zealot is a rigid one,¡± Ken said. ¡°It affirms their resolve in times of trial. An admirable trait, but an impediment to our current endeavour.¡±


    ¡°He means no,¡± Neil said. ¡°They¡¯re not weak, I¡¯ll give them that.¡±


    ¡°That is what I just said,¡± Ken told Neil.


    ¡°And I translated it into the way normal people talk. Why does this group always need one guy who talks like he¡¯s from another world?¡±


    ¡°My manner of speech is rich with meaning and precise in that which it conveys,¡± Ken said. ¡°Perhaps you should take the time to listen instead of assuming that the people around you are simpletons.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what¡­¡±


    Neil groaned and stomped off.


    ¡°He misses Jason,¡± Gary said, approaching Sophie and Ken. ¡°Such a tsundere.¡±


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t like that term,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°That¡¯s because you are one,¡± Neil called back.


    ¡°You can participate in the conversation or go off and sulk,¡± Sophie told him. ¡°You can¡¯t do both.¡±


    ¡°Watch me!¡±


    Gary poked the artificer dangling unconscious from an overhead beam.


    ¡°Are you done with this one?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Ken said. ¡°We¡¯ll continue through the remaining survivors but I doubt that any will talk here. We¡¯ll take them back to the Adventure Society to be questioned properly. They¡¯ll break eventually.¡±


    ¡°Is this really necessary?¡± Humphrey asked. He had been looking at the carnage with a grave expression. ¡°Killing enemies is one thing, but torturing them is another.¡±


    ¡°What do you think is happening to people when you set them on fire with your abilities?¡± Sophie asked him.


    ¡°I know that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°But this doesn¡¯t feel right. Fighting the enemy is one thing. Stringing up helpless people and making them suffer is another.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sweet,¡± Sophie said, placing a hand on his arm. ¡°We¡¯re definitely torturing the evil zealots, though.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be torture,¡± Ken assured Humphrey, stepping out a puddle of blood left by the man he¡¯d just tortured into unconsciousness. ¡°Torture is, as a means, unreliable and inconsistent. I¡¯ve only taken this step here in the hope of extracting critical and timely information from people who do not want to give that information up. The Adventure Society has more humane and effective methods.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s always easy to find an excuse,¡± Humphrey said, stepping up into Ken¡¯s face. ¡°Your questions are over.¡±


    Belinda slid up to Sophie, speaking to her softly.


    ¡°Is it just me or does Humphrey get kind of sexy when he goes all ideological?¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. Jason used to do it too, but he just came off as kind of a prick.¡±


    ¡°You know we''re all silver-rank, right?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Just because you''re whispering doesn''t mean we can''t hear you.¡±


    A blushing Humphrey desperately looked at Clive to change the subject.


    ¡°What have you found?¡± Humphrey asked him.


    Clive glanced at Belinda, who shrugged back.


    ¡°This place is collecting magic,¡± Belinda said. ¡°We knew that going in. We thought it was all being used to hide the valley from magic detection but that¡¯s only expending part of the power, the rest of which was being collected.¡±


    ¡°Like water behind a dam,¡± Clive added.


    ¡°This new power source, coming from the valley, is very new,¡± Belinda continued. ¡°It¡¯s not an ongoing source, either. It came in one big lump and the dam¡¯s magical processing is being used to refine it. This lump only came in a matter of hours ago. When we leaked the attack on the valley to potential Purity and Builder spies, it seems they immediately moved into the final phase of whatever their plan here was. They¡¯ve been rushing to some final stage where all the power from the dam and the valley is being sent out and used for¡­ something.¡±


    ¡°Something?¡±


    ¡°The power collected here,¡± Clive said, ¡°both from the dam itself and the valley, is being refined and then sent back to the valley for whatever is going on there.¡±


    ¡°The place where we sent a bunch of teams on a feint attack,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°We have no idea what we¡¯ve sent them into.¡±


    ¡°What about the original plan?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Can we still use the power flowing through here to blow the dam up and flood the valley? The team leaders all have magical devices to shield their teams from the floodwaters. Won¡¯t that stop whatever the Purity church is up to?¡±


    ¡°Even if we don¡¯t know what they¡¯re doing,¡± Neil said, ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain that stopping it is good for us.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not enough power left to destroy the dam,¡± Belinda said. ¡°They¡¯ve been sending it all into the valley for whatever it is they¡¯re doing. We can¡¯t repurpose that power from here anymore.¡±


    ¡°What can we do?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Well,¡± Clive said, ¡°we think they couldn¡¯t avoid needing this central device here to regulate the magic being fed to whatever is happening in the valley. We can¡¯t redirect it, but we could potentially disrupt it.¡±


    ¡°So, we could just hit this big magic thing a bunch,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what that would do,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°We know that it would make whatever¡¯s going on down there not go the way they want,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I like the hitting it a bunch plan.¡±


    ¡°Again,¡± Clive said, ¡°we don¡¯t know what that will do. It¡¯s reckless.¡±


    ¡°As is failing to act at all,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°It¡¯s happening right now, right?¡± Gary asked. ¡°If we¡¯re picking between what the evil zealots want and something else, without knowing what either choice is, then I choose the something else.¡±


    Humphrey turned to Ken.


    ¡°The Adventure Society put you in charge of this team,¡± he said. ¡°The choice is yours.¡±


    ¡°Stuff that,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I say vote. Hands up who wants to smash the crap out of this thing?¡±


    Her hand was joined in the air by Neil, Gary and Belinda.


    ¡°That¡¯s a majority,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Whatever the Adventure Society might say, your team is not mine to command,¡± ken said. ¡°Whatever you choose, I shall abide, and it seems that your members have spoken, Mr Geller.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Gary said, hefting his hammer. ¡°I¡¯ve been wanting to hit these big magic machines since we got here but Belinda wouldn¡¯t let me. I''m going to start with one of them big crystals.¡±


    In the mist-shrouded valley below the dam, a picturesque rural village was being splashed with blood and death. Purity loyalists were desperately defending against teams of adventurers.


    ¡°Keep them away from the ritual site! It¡¯s almost complete!¡±


    As the battle raged, huge waves of magic surged from the woodland reaches of the valley. Transcendent lights of blue, silver and gold rose out of the forest canopy at points up and down the valley. Each of the large magic conglomerations twisted into a ring shape that floated high in the sky.


    Streams of magic continued to rise up, feeding the rings¡¯ power as huge portals opened within them. Winged, angelic beings started to emerge from each of the portals, filling the sky like a plague of sexy, feathery locusts.


    The fighting below stalled as the battling forces watched the angelic creatures emerge. The adventurers were filled with confusion and the Purity loyalists with triumph until the streams of energy feeding the portals started to flicker and pulse. The portals became unstable and the angelic creatures started flying swiftly away from them, even as more came through.


    Finally, the portals exploded. Violent eruptions of magic shot in every direction, turning angels into red mist and blasting craters in the ground. Adventurers and Purity faithful alike fled from wild blasts of magic shrieking through the air and thundering into the ground. Everything turned to chaos and destruction as the ground was thrown up in clouds of dirt, shattered houses and trees. Ear-tearing explosions smashed into the people on the ground and the angelic creatures in the air, their broken bodies raining from the sky.


    Eventually, the magic faded. The survivors had escaped; adventurers and Purity loyalists on the ground and the angelic creatures through the sky. Dust clouds still lingered, most of the village and the surrounding woods now a devastated moonscape of craters and desolation.


    Inside some of the craters, people started regaining consciousness, naked and hairless. These were not survivors of the battle, instead somehow left behind by the wild explosions triggered by the breaking of the portal rings.


    One of these people was a man with chocolate skin and a pro-wrestler physique. He came to, the dirt scattered over him falling away as he stumbled groggily onto his feet. Looking himself over, he saw his nakedness and ran his hands over his bald head. He talked to himself, disoriented, his high-pitched voice not matching his imposing physique.


    ¡°What the hell, bro? I¡¯m in the nicki-noo.¡±

 Chapter 494: I Liked the Fighting Better

    Jason was once more riding a land skimmer along the road network that wove through the local equivalent of Central America. Each side of the broad thoroughfare was lined with dense jungle. According to his map, Jason was less than an hour from the final destination on his journey before he could portal back to Rimaros.


    Something twinged at his aura senses, so light that he wasn¡¯t sure he hadn¡¯t imagined it. It was certainly closer than he wanted anything to get undetected. It could easily be an especially stealthy monster. If it was a gold-ranked one he was in trouble, although sneaky monsters were typically less effective in an open fight.


    Jason blasted the area where he¡¯d glimpsed the aura with a heavy fist of suppressive aura force and his magic senses felt something break. Three figures in white outfits became visible by the side of the road. One of them swept a sword from which a blade of light shot out and split Jason¡¯s land skimmer in half. Jason landed lightly on the ground as the vehicle dissolved into his shadow.


    He conjured his blood robes and cloak around him as he looked at the three people. They all wore white leather armour, a man and a woman flanking a second woman in the middle who was clearly the leader. She was scabbarding the sword she had used to destroy Shade¡¯s vehicle form.


    All three had stark white hair and their auras read as human, despite the man amongst them having the slender frame and tapered ears of an elf. It wasn¡¯t just their armour that was white but everything they were wearing, from the metal of their belt buckles to the blade of the woman¡¯s sword. Jason had only known one person to dress like that.


    ¡°You¡¯re as perceptive as promised, Asano,¡± the woman in the lead said.


    Jason¡¯s mind quickly processed. The white clothes; knowing who he was and where he¡¯d be. Along with making him realise something he should have already anticipated, it told him who they were and what they were doing.


    ¡°Purity church,¡± he said. ¡°The Builder sent you.¡±


    ¡°Laughably, the impure being is under restrictions as to who he can send after you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s laughable? A bunch of Purity adherents playing flunky to an ¡®impure being¡¯ and he¡¯s the one deserving of mockery?¡±


    ¡°None of his people could take you down under the restrictions he is under because his filthy minions are weak. He made a concession to our principles because we know exactly how to handle filthy little plague-bringers that hide in the dark. And as you can see, we''re all silver rank. There''s only the three of us; no overwhelming numbers. No excuses for your interdimensional friends to interfere in affairs that aren''t theirs."


    ¡°That¡¯s funny, coming from someone shacked up with the Builder. If I didn¡¯t¨C¡±


    Mid-sentence, Jason suddenly opened a portal. The Purity trio wasn''t caught unaware, the subordinate woman throwing an object as the portal arch rose from the ground. Jason dove for the portal but the thrown object moved in a flash, a conjured chain wrapping around his body before vanishing.


    You have been affected by item [Inescapable Chains].[Inescapable Chains] has been consumed to inflict [Inescapable]. This effect ignores resistances.


    Jason knew the affliction, as his own Inexorable Doom power could inflict the same one.


    [Inescapable] (affliction, magic): Cannot be affected by teleport or non-damaging dimension effects.


    It rendered the portal in front of him useless and prevented him from shadow jumping. They had come prepared, having an item that could negate one of Jason''s most critical techniques. It passed straight through his powerful resistances to sealed off any chance of easy escape while also crippling his normal combat style. The trio looked at him smugly, still not moving to attack.


    ¡°You should just come quietly, Asano. You can¡¯t win. That agreement made on your behalf might stop us from using gold-rankers but there was nothing about very expensive and specialised items. They hid us from your senses and now have cut off your ability to run or hop around in the dark. Combined with our abilities, which already counter yours, you have no chance.¡±


    Jason winced under his hood, the enemies not seeing it. Trying to take him alive made what would come next a much trickier proposition.


    ¡°The Builder wants me dead,¡± Jason said. ¡°Going along quietly doesn¡¯t seem like a good choice for my long-term health.¡±


    "We have a use for you, first. Come along and maybe you''ll find a chance to escape. Better than fighting and dying."


    ¡°I¡¯ve been taken prisoner and I¡¯ve fought and died,¡± Jason said as he conjured a dagger into his hand. ¡°I liked the fighting better.¡±


    The three Purity loyalists all drew swords. No one moved as they continued to eye each other off.


    ¡°What does Purity need with me?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t worthy of our god¡¯s attention, Asano. One of our members needs you to be her worm on a hook.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of that going around,¡± Jason said and dashed forward.


    The three Purity loyalists reacted swiftly, one of them throwing up a hand that flashed with blinding light.


    You have been afflicted with [Flash Blindness].


    Being reliant on sight in the midst of combat was something Jason had been trained well beyond. His other senses painted a perceptual picture he had long used when his eyes were insufficient or deceived. The sound of the blade; the resonance of the magic passing through its enchanted metal. The feel of the air being displaced around him and the intent in the auras too weak to hide from him. If anything, the impediment helped Jason slip into his combat trance state.


    Despite being one man with a knife against three people with swords, Jason held his own. Being surrounded by enemies was nothing new and his powers and skills combined to make him supernaturally elusive. Shade''s ability to suppress various giveaways prevented them from using the same senses Jason did to read the battle. His cloak masked his movement and feints made with his aura misled their magical senses.


    In many ways, Jason had blinded them more than they had him. Even attacks that should have landed missed as his cloak bent space around him. The bright swords of the Purity loyalists flashed with rapid and precise movement but it was as if they were stabbing at an empty cloud of darkness. On top of everything else, two of Gordon¡¯s orbs were intercepting attacks in shield form, buying Jason precious breathing room.


    Jason didn''t pull out his familiars for different reasons. With Colin, he needed to maximise his regeneration until he had built up the effectiveness of his drain attacks with afflictions. Also, Colin himself was very reliant on afflictions and Jason wanted to diminish the resistances of the enemy before deploying him to full effect. There was also the risk that the enemy would have some countermeasure to the leech swarm. They knew his abilities and came prepared; they would be fools to ignore arguably his strongest trump card.


    Similar factors led to him retaining Gordon. Having Gordon not manifest meant that Jason could use a pair of much-needed shields and Gordon added to Jason¡¯s already formidable aura strength. Jason was simultaneously suppressing three auras of his own rank, preventing three auras worth of benefits to the enemy and detriments to himself. These were not weak or inexpert auras, either. Their solid control lacked weak points that made them easy to collapse. Only consistent pressure and raw strength got the job done.


    There was also the likelihood that the enemy had attacks that could hurt Jason''s incorporeal familiars, Shade and Gordon both. Jason was saving Shade in case the fight went poorly and he needed to make an escape.


    Even with a combat trance pushing him to the limits of his capability, Jason was heavily pressured. Unable to shadow jump away, he stood his ground, every moment on a knife''s edge. The trio of loyalists showed off exceptional training that marked them as elite adventurers on top of being religious zealots. For all that Jason¡¯s training had been diligent and exceptional, that of the Purity adherents was no lesser.


    The difference between Jason and his opponents was the reason Rufus had founded a training annex in Greenstone. Elite adventurers from high magic zones trained in safety, too valuable to risk losing before they came into their true power. They were raised through the use of mirage chambers and carefully cultivated monster battles under the watchful eye of instructors.


    Jason, by comparison, had been fighting life and death battles from the beginning. Before he was an adventurer ¨C before he was even iron rank ¨C he had faced battles where he was unprepared, underpowered, outnumbered and outmatched. Fighting on the knife¡¯s edge was a place where he knew how to stay balanced.


    Jason¡¯s cloak and senses were doing some heavy lifting as the four silver-rank combatants flittered around one another like leaves in a wild gust. Jason¡¯s other abilities did not fare so well.


    Special attack [Punish] has inflicted [Sin], [Price of Absolution] and [Wages of Sin].[Sin] had been resisted and does not take effect.[Price of Absolution] had been resisted and does not take effect.[Wages of Sin] had been resisted and does not take effect.


    Unsurprisingly, worshippers of Purity had potent resistances. The only effects that managed to stick in the early stages of the fight were those that, like the affliction preventing Jason¡¯s shadow jumping, ignored those resistances. Each attack levied against Jason incurred the sin affliction from his aura. Unlike the same one from his special attacks, those afflictions went straight through their resistances. Further, each instance of sin on his enemies let Jason¡¯s aura diminished their resistances.


    One of the biggest problems that affected Jason when his afflictions were slow to build was that it hurt the effectiveness of his Amulet of the Dark Guardian. One of his most precious useful items, he had earned it alongside the first scar on his soul and its power grew with him over time.


    For every affliction Jason delivered, the amulet gave him a shield that could absorb damage and, after it had, became a short-lived healing effect. Each shield and heal was weak but Jason normally output a vast number of afflictions. The rapid acquisition and expenditure of the shields was a critical buffer to Jason''s ability to endure hits. Without it, Jason was working with a much smaller margin of error.


    The loyalists would not stand around and wait for Jason to build up power, however, and they had abilities of their own. Using their numbers to pressure Jason, they positioned him to suffer attacks that couldn¡¯t be avoided through small, evasive motions. Waves of searing light and short-lived, conjured sword-squalls burned and cut. Even with all his evasiveness, the swords of the enemy still managed to land some magic-infused attacks. The enemy was too skilled to dance in Jason''s hand.


    Jason couldn¡¯t avoid everything and was struck by savage special attacks that burned his flesh and even dispelled his cloak. He suffered extra hits even in the brief moment it took to conjure it again.


    Although his regeneration was potent, Jason was not building up fast enough. Without afflictions properly landing on his enemies, his drain attacks were too weak. Without the ability to jump out of the combat, he couldn¡¯t buy a moment to cast a more powerful drain spell. Even if he could have, its effectiveness would likewise suffer from the same absence of afflictions.


    Although it was looking bad, hope was far from snuffed out. Not every affliction fell short, especially as the resistance of his enemies slowly dropped.


    Special attack [Leech Bite] has inflicted [Bleeding], [Leech Toxin] and [Tainted Meridians].[Bleeding] is already in effect. [Bleeding] has been refreshed.[Price of Absolution] had been resisted and does not take effect.


    Tainted Meridians was one of Jason¡¯s silver-rank afflictions that had seen little use as it had minimal impact on monsters that used mana in a different way than essence users. Landing the affliction on his current enemies was much more useful.


    [Tainted meridians] (affliction, poison): Subject¡¯s stamina and mana costs for magical abilities are increased. The effect of drain abilities used on them is increased. Bleed effects on them cause mana loss commensurate with blood loss.


    Jason¡¯s only realistic chance at winning the fight was to out endure his enemies, but silver-rankers had no shortage of endurance. The tainted meridians afflictions would accelerate the clock Jason needed to run out.


    Tainted meridians taking hold marked the turning point in the fight as Jason¡¯s afflictions finally started to bite. As he continued to clash with the loyalists, dark blood and jagged rents marred their once-pristine white armour. Jason was bloodied himself, but it was soaked by his robes or hidden by his cloak, while he was healing.


    The enemy had been healing as well, at the start, having their own passive regeneration. Now that afflictions were taking hold, bleed effects were soaking the healing and leech toxin was refreshing the bleeds as the healing consumed them. As the fight dragged on, his enemies grew weaker as he grew stronger.


    He was about to move the fight into a new phase and start draining afflictions when his enemies beat him to it. One member of the trio created a magical dome around the three of them.


    "Gordon," Jason said, his familiar appearing and immediately blasting the barrier with six beams of energy specialised in breaching magic. Even so, the barrier was resilient, being a channelled ability. Channelling powers required the user to give up any other active abilities, but the power was worth the inconvenience when used well.


    The barrier was used very well, showing off the trio¡¯s teamwork. The moment it went up, the leader started chanting a spell incantation that chilled Jason to the bone. The last time he had heard it was the very first time he fought a silver-ranker, also from the church of Purity. He remembered its effects, which were a bane to almost every combat power Jason had.


    Jason realised that when they claimed their powers countered his, it had been no empty boast. A cleansing light washed out of the barrier, through his enemies and then through him.


    All of your afflictions on [Purity Priest] have been cleansed by an effect that ignores all cleanse prevention.All of your afflictions on [Purity Adherent] have been cleansed by an effect that ignores all cleanse prevention.All of your afflictions on [Purity Adherent] have been cleansed by an effect that ignores all cleanse prevention.All of your boons and the boons on your items have been negated by an effect that ignores dispel prevention.


    At the same time, the third loyalist cast a slow but powerful healing spell to follow up. With Jason¡¯s afflictions gone, it took full effect, erasing all the damage Jason had done. In moments, everything Jason had accomplished in the fight was washed away. He didn¡¯t hesitate, recalling Gordon and having Shade bodies flood out between himself and the barrier.


    This was the contingency for which Jason had been holding Shade. Jason burned a large chunk of his mana to manifest starlight cloaks over all the Shade bodies, then disappeared amongst them. His aura vanished, the enemies still inside the barrier losing all track of him.


    The one advantage Jason gained from his enemies bottling themselves up was that it finally gave him a chance to break away. The Shade bodies, Jason amongst them, dove into the jungle and scattered. The incorporeal creatures were unimpeded by the thick Panamanian jungle and Jason was not much worse off. His cloak bent space, not to ward off attacks but to allow him to slip easily through the dense jungle growth.


    The Shades and Jason alike melted into the shadows cast by the thick canopy overhead. If he could play hide and seek long enough in the jungle, Jason could wait out the duration of the affliction blocking his ability to portal away to safety.


    The auras of Jason¡¯s enemies were moving closer as he sensed them flying over the jungle. He knew that his own flight power was mediocre and unlikely to match their speed. As for staying in the jungle, even slipping through the growth like a ghost couldn¡¯t outpace their flying over it. He slowed down enough that the remaining Shades he hadn¡¯t sent out could muffle the sound of his passage through the harsh terrain.


    Tiny bird-shaped lights came darting through the canopy like phosphorescent hummingbirds, banishing the shadows around them. They spread out in a sweeping arc, quickly revealing which of the shadowy figures moving through the jungle were decoys. Jason kept moving but the glowing birds were both very fast and very numerous, tracking Jason down in far less time than he was happy with.


    He called out two of Gordon¡¯s orbs, using them to shoot down the birds they lit up his hiding places but more quickly came. It was immediately evident from the auras converging on him that the birds were giving away his position the moment their light fell on him.


    Running out of options, he blasted the light birds closest to him to restore the shadows and then dove into a thick mud pit. Unfortunately, the three Purity loyalists were not the Predator and Jason was not Arnold Schwarzenegger. While the conjured birds were deceived, the loyalists were not fools. They realised Jason had to be hiding to escape the reach of the birds and started sweeping his last confirmed area.


    They slowed down their flight and brought out what looked like miner¡¯s lanterns, if miners were extravagantly wealthy and made their tools from silver and gold. They started slowly panning over the jungle with beams from the lanterns. Jason had no doubt this was another item procured to overcome one of his advantages, likely Shade¡¯s ability to mask his presence from various means of detection. This aspect of the familiar¡¯s power was more versatile than strong, so Jason was sure a specialised tool would penetrate it.


    Jason was running out of options and it was coming down to luck as he waited for a chance to sneak away in a moment he was overlooked or the sweeping beams passed him by. The moment didn¡¯t come as one beam, then a second and third settled on him. Moments later, his three pursuers descended through the jungle canopy on wings of light.


    Laying filthy in the mud, Jason glared up at the three loyalists.


    ¡°Look at you,¡± the leader said. ¡°It was always going to come to this.¡±


    Jason got to his feet and conjured his blade into his hand.


    ¡°It always does,¡± he said, flashing a savage, bloody grin before it disappeared into his hood as he conjured up another cloak.


    The leader sighed.


    ¡°Very well,¡± she said. ¡°Melody will have to be disappointed. Kill him.¡±

 Chapter 495: That Usually is My Day

    The gold-rankers secretly trailing Jason watched with surprise as three people appeared out of nowhere.


    ¡°This is it,¡± Liara Rimaros said. She was with two members of her old team, from when she had been a restricted essence enforcer for the Adventure Society. Like many gold-rankers, the current disposition of their team wasn''t about everyday monster-hunting because there weren¡¯t enough gold-rank monsters to hunt with the power to push them closer to diamond.


    Most gold rankers didn''t even chase after diamond rank. Those that did, like Emir''s teammate Callum, spent much of their time in extremely high magic zones. These were places where the average power of monster manifestations excluded all but a few specialised population centres. These were wild frontier towns, where even silver-rankers were asking for death by roaming without protection.


    Gold-rankers in civilised society pursued more civilised agendas. It might be mastering a craft, founding a township, garnering political influence or duty to a nation or guild. Their teams came together at need, whether for the occasional monster hunt or to assist a member with their individual goals. With lifespans extending into centuries, monster surges often served as reunions.


    Liara had needed to make sure that neither Jason nor anyone waiting to ambush him would detect his observers. With her team in the city for the surge, she had access to people whose abilities she knew and trusted. Jana and Ledev were a brother and sister pair that, along with Liara herself, had made the hunter component of their specialised hunter-killer team. Together, they had been following Jason from the moment he left the airship.


    ¡°Do we move in?¡± Jana asked.


    ¡°Let¡¯s wait and see what happens,¡± Liara said. ¡°Surprisingly, they¡¯re only silver-rank, so we can afford to let it play out.¡±


    They listened to the conversation between Jason and what turned out to be Purity loyalists, instead of the expected Builder cultists.


    ¡°Who could possibly put restrictions on the Builder that it would adhere to?¡± Ledev asked. ¡°And why would they do it for this guy?¡±


    ¡°They intend to take him alive,¡± Liara said. ¡°That¡¯s better than we hoped for. It means we don¡¯t have to intervene to save him and we can track them back to their nest.¡±


    The three Purity adherents hovered in the air above Jason. They had little room to move under the jungle canopy, even if the wings of light holding them aloft were intangible and unaffected by the trees. Jason knew that even though it was tactically unsound, his enemies couldn¡¯t resist the chance to look down on him. Being one himself, he could easily spot a showboat.


    Unleashing his aura, Jason didn¡¯t suppress all three but focused on the leader. His power gripped her like a fist crushing an egg and he unleashed a soul attack that left her face twisted in a silent scream.


    The attack on their leader gave the others pause for only a fleeting moment, but it was a moment Jason ruthlessly took advantage of. A shadowy arm shot out, grabbing the stricken leader and dragged her down out of the sky. Jason tossed her into the mud pit that he had just climbed out of and the mud immediately started to roil madly, like a bubbling cauldron. The wasn¡¯t boiling but filled with leeches that immediately inundated the leader, her already dirty armour now painted in dark, clingy mud.


    The leeches dug into her flesh. They wriggled through the rents left in her armour by Jason¡¯s dagger and squirmed into her boots and sleeves, clamping onto any exposed skin. Lamprey teeth dug into her hands, face, even her eyelids as she thrashed to get out and free of the tiny carnivores.


    The other two zealots were only startled for the most brief of intervals and weren¡¯t shocked into anything as stupid as freezing in place and calling out their leader¡¯s name in anguish. Trusting their leader to handle her own problems, they turned their focus on Jason and moved to the attack.


    The less than ideal tactical positioning of the zealots bought Jason time as he ducked into the jungle, his cloak allowing him to slip through the dense growth. It was not much of an impediment to his enemies and their silver-rank power but it bought Jason the time to pull a potion vial from his belt and swig the contents.


    It was a general power-enhancing potion that boosted his basic attributes. This gave the same comprehensive enhancement as a spirit coin, but instead of a quick spike, the power was smoothly distributed. It didn¡¯t give Jason the same level of power jump as a gold spirit coin would, keeping him inside the silver range. The effects would last much longer, however, with far less debilitating after-effects.


    It was a highly expensive potion, the silver-rank variant costing more than the gold-rank coin it was roughly comparable to. Jason was not short on money, however, and his current situation was the kind of desperate situation where it seemed very much worth the price.


    Jason had a brief window while the strongest member of the enemy trio was caught up extracting herself from a pit of Colin. Silver-rankers moved fast and her companions were crashing through the jungle as Jason barely had time to get the potion down. They came charging through the undergrowth like rhinos but, rather than flee, Jason moved to meet one and they crashed together. Using her own charge to get inside her sword reach, he rammed home his dagger.


    In the terrain, Jason''s short dagger was far better than the zealots'' swords and he jammed it right into the throat of the woman that slammed into him. Impaling the throat of a silver-ranker was far from enough to kill them, or even impede them that much, but Jason knew from experience that there was more to it than that.


    Outside of protection specialists, very few people, even at silver rank, had suffered the kind of countless attacks that came with Jason''s self-healing combat style. For all his evasion techniques, every time he slipped up, misread an attack or was simply outplayed, his body had paid the price. His experience had allowed him to move past instinctive reactions to wound that to even a bronze-ranker, were critical. His opponent lacked this experience and couldn¡¯t help but clutch at her savagely pierced neck,


    Jason¡¯s experience was his strongest advantage against enemies that were well trained but hadn¡¯t spent their entire careers going from one life and death battle to the next. One of the lessons that came from walking that line over and over was that the difference between victory and defeat often came down to just a few critical moments.


    This was why Jason worked so hard to buy even fragments of time and strove to make the most of each. He had bought one moment with his aura attack, another with his dive into the jungle and the zealots handed over a third with their poor positioning. With each one he¡¯d bought a key advantage; boxing up the leader, boosting his power and seizing the initiative. Now was his moment to own the fight.


    Jason positioned himself between the two zealots and a nest of shadow arms snaked out of his cloak to entangle the loyalist that didn¡¯t have a gaping wound in his neck. At the same time, Jason landed more attacks on the one he¡¯d already stabbed; sewing machine pricks, quick and shallow, as he tried to load her up with afflictions. Even with his boosted power, though, the results were patchy at best. His resistance suppression powers were weaker at a baseline level than the Purity zealot¡¯s resistances.


    Despite snatching the battle¡¯s momentum, Jason was in a bad way. He had been about to replenish his reserves in the first stage of the fight when the shield delayed him. The powerful heal and purge powers used within than shield turned delay into denial. Jason was left ragged and spent while his enemies were fully healed and free of the afflictions on which Jason''s powers relied. The only measure by which they remained depleted was their mana supply.


    Shade emerged from the jungle, reconverging after scattering in Jason¡¯s failed attempt at escape. He couldn¡¯t physically hurt them, but his ability to drain mana attacked their biggest current weakness.


    Jason had a brief window in which he had the edge, between the absent leader, his potion boosted-power and his control of the fight¡¯s momentum. He had while it lasted to redo all the gains the purge spell had wiped away. He gave it his all, snatching every moment and seizing every advantage in a desperate attempt to turn his current momentum into victory.


    Every trick and every tool was used. He threw out darts that created shadows, explosions and decoy auras. One type entangled the enemies in vines, which was especially effective in their present terrain. He even pulled out an electricity gun, half-melted from overuse. It wasn¡¯t powerful enough to inflict real damage but the surprise factor of an attack so removed from his abilities was one more advantage he could make use of. He wasn¡¯t willing to give any of them up as he scraped the barrel for everything he had.


    It wasn¡¯t enough.


    Resetting Jason¡¯s buffs and afflictions at the moment he was at his lowest and about to replenish himself had reset a battle already stacked against Jason to an even more lopsided starting point. All his skills, tools, tactics and powers could accomplish no more than forestalling the inevitable. Jason¡¯s enemies couldn¡¯t match his experience or skill, but the difference was a matter of degrees, not orders of magnitude.


    The zealots were highly capable, with an abundance of resolve. They didn''t let Jason''s cockroach survivability diminish their patience and push them into sloppy mistakes. While they might not have Jason''s experience of life and death battles, they did understand oppression. They knew well that patience would inevitability give them victory.


    The leader escaped Colin, her powerful resistances shrugging off almost all the poison the toothy leeches inflicted. The game familiar continued to hold her up for a while, taking his blood clone form and binding her up in strips of bloody cloth. Eventually, though, she burned most of his body mass away with searing light and rejoined her companions.


    Shade had likewise taken hits for the team. As Jason had feared, his opponents had attacks that could cut down Shade¡¯s incorporeal forms. When only a few remained, Jason recalled them. Like the portion of Colin¡¯s biomass Jason always retained, it was enough to reconstitute them both without the need to resummon them. Gordon was already stashed away because he didn¡¯t have extra bodies to lose. Jason also needed the shields from the borrowed orbs.


    Jason had made impressive headway in afflicting the two enemies he confronted himself. It was a struggle between his ability to impart his various maladies and their ability to resist and purge them. Being Purity worshippers wasn''t for nothing and they both had cleansing powers, although Jason was able to impede them. The silver-rank effect of his Inexorable Doom spell was an additional affliction that helped lock the other maledictions in place.


    [Persecution] (affliction, curse, stacking): Subject gains resistance to incoming boon, recovery, cleanse and heal-over-time effects. These resistances cannot be voluntarily lowered. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Even with his advantages, Jason felt the momentum turn against him like a vast ocean vessel, slowly but unstoppably changing course. Purity¡¯s most zealous worshippers had too many purgation tools at their disposal, both abilities and items. Their teamwork let one cover the other to drink a quick potion. As a result, Jason hadn¡¯t done enough by the time the clock ran out.


    The leader rejoined her companions just as the effect of Jason''s potion was coming to an end. His temporary strength turned to weakness; nowhere near the after-effects of a spirit coin, but still damning in his current circumstance. He was too weak to fight all three and he couldn¡¯t have outrun them at his best. He¡¯d failed to turn the fight around or drag it out long enough that he could once again use his portal.


    The portal he opened was still in place, back on the road. The other end was in his cloud house and Jason had been hoping that Rufus and Farrah would come through from the other side. It was a slender hope, though, as they had missions of their own. Neither would slack off during a monster surge.


    In the end, Jason was tired and hurt, weak and ragged. Even so, he kept fighting, futile as it was. He¡¯d reached his desperate bottom line, but they wouldn¡¯t be able to catch him without killing him.


    ¡°What is he doing?¡± Ledev asked as he watched from high in the air with Liara and Jana. ¡°He knows they want him alive, so why would he fight to the death?¡±


    ¡°Because he knows we¡¯re here,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°There¡¯s no way he sensed us,¡± Ledev said.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t,¡± Liara said. ¡°The Purity loyalists showed him we were here.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know either,¡± Jana said.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t have to,¡± Liara explained. ¡°Asano is aware that we know how the Builder¡¯s people react to him. He knows we have access to his assigned route. He also knows that if anyone can find people suspected of working with the Builder to leak information to, it¡¯s the anti-Builder taskforce. As soon as these people were waiting for him, he realised that we were fishing for cultists with him as bait. He even said as much.¡±


    ¡°He thinks we¡¯ll step in and save him,¡± Jana realised.


    ¡°Forget it,¡± Ledev said. ¡°He thinks he can force our hand, but if he wants to die, let him. It¡¯s more valuable to follow them back to their people than tip our hand.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t just let him die,¡± Jana said. ¡°I¡¯m going to help him, Led. And so are you.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Ledev groaned.


    ¡°There is more to Asano than I¡¯ve been allowed to tell you,¡± Liara said. ¡°I think the lengths the Builder is going to over one silver-ranker makes that plain enough. Even if he weren¡¯t, though, we placed Asano in this situation. We¡¯re taking him back out of it.¡±


    Jason could barely stay on his feet, but his strange eyes were alive as they glared at the zealots from the darkness of his hood. Even run ragged, Jason was making the Purity adherents pay a higher price than they wanted to take him down. They thought it was the last, prideful gasp of a dying man, unaware he was waiting for someone else to make themselves known. While he remained defiant, he was starting to worry that they either weren¡¯t there after all or would just let him die. Then three gold-rank auras locked into the Purity loyalists.


    The Purity people didn¡¯t go easy but the gold-rankers and their surprise attacks took them prisoner, hurt but alive. After making sure the trio were thoroughly locked up in suppression gear, Liara, Ledev and Jana dragged them back to the road. Jason was leaning heavily against a black land skimmer, covered head to toe in mud, blood and exhaustion. With Colin¡¯s biomass severely depleted, Jason was reduced to drinking a healing potion, and it wasn¡¯t his first. He¡¯d taken three of healing and two of mana in as quick a succession as he could without poisoning himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m an idiot,¡± he said. ¡°I should have seen this coming from the moment you saw those Builder cultists react.¡±


    Ledev and Jana threw curious glances at Liara.


    ¡°They don¡¯t know,¡± Jason realised, watching Liara¡¯s teammates. ¡°They¡¯re not in the anti-Builder unit? Are they your own team?¡±


    The stealth specialists revealed nothing from their auras but lacked Liara''s political training to mask body language.


    ¡°They are your team,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is a private thing. Oh, crap. The old man really is deciding whether to¨C¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Liara said, cutting him off. That told Jason more about how much Jana and Ledev knew.


    ¡°You really think I¡¯d go along with that?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Especially after today?¡±


    Ledev''s face was filled with growing disapproval as he listened to Jason and Liara talk.


    ¡°You¡¯re speaking with a princess of the Storm Kingdom,¡± he told Jason. ¡°You need to address her with respect.¡±


    ¡°Respect is earned,¡± Jason said wearily. ¡°And lost.¡±


    Ledev opened his mouth to retort but stopped at a gesture from Liara.


    ¡°You knew we were here,¡± Jana said. ¡°If you¡¯d gone quietly, we could have tracked them back to their base and then rescued you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Because that¡¯s what selling me out to the Builder cult engenders: trust.¡±


    ¡°I know we haven¡¯t treated you well, here, Mr Asano,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°I spotted that too,¡± Jason said. ¡°But I won¡¯t claim to be innocent of using others without thinking of the consequences.¡±


    He frowned, then narrowed his eyes at Liara.


    ¡°Except you did think about it, didn¡¯t you. By now, you must know pretty much everything I¡¯ve ever done in this world. You¡¯ll know that I have a history of reacting badly when powerful people try to use me. You want to see if I¡¯ve learned better. Except it¡¯s not you. The old man is having me tested, and not just by you. Do say hello to Trenchant when you debrief him.¡±


    ¡°You think you warrant that kind of attention and effort?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°You think very highly of yourself,¡± Ledev said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not news to anyone,¡± Jason said. ¡°And I never asked for all that effort. I was looking for a nice, quiet stay in your very lovely kingdom.¡±


    ¡°There are no quiet stays in a monster surge,¡± Jana said.


    ¡°It depends on your standards. By mine, a monster surge is plenty relaxing. The Builder invasion will be rough, though. I¡¯ll give you that.¡±


    ¡°You think a monster surge is relaxing?¡± Jana asked.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve got the Adventure Society and all these gold and diamond-rankers to save the world so you don¡¯t have to do it yourself. They have a great spice market on Arnote; I¡¯m going to put together a mix for cheese enchiladas when I get back.¡±


    ¡°You were right that I¡¯ve learned a lot about you,¡± Liara said. ¡°And today, I learned more. People the Builder wants to kill personally don¡¯t get nice and quiet, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Then you should check my files again. He¡¯s already killed me personally and it didn¡¯t take. Now he¡¯s sending henchmen. He has no idea how to dark lord properly; he¡¯s doing it all backwards.¡±


    ¡°You and I need to have a long talk, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°No, we don''t, Princess of the Storm Kingdom. You just want to.¡±


    He let out a long sigh.


    ¡°Look, I¡¯m tired and I still have a job to do, so I¡¯m going to make my last delivery and go home. Come find me in Rimaros and maybe I¡¯ll muster up the energy to get angry and say something stupid. I have a lot of practise.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Jana asked and Jason gave her a quizzical look.


    ¡°That¡¯s what?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°An organisation key to orchestrating an interdimensional invasion is targeting you specifically for death. You barely survived their ambush and you¡¯re just going to what? Go about your day?¡±


    Jason gave her a tired but friendly smile.


    ¡°Lady, that usually is my day. If I stopped working every time some evil church or the local Magic Society director had me kidnapped, I¡¯d never get anything done. This was meant to be a nice break for me, where people like you deal with the global conspiracies and forces from beyond reality. But your princess, here, went and hung a pork chop around my neck. Now I¡¯m going to be hip deep in zealots, cultists and evil magic robots from space. Again.¡±


    Jason opened the door of the skimmer and slumped into the back seat.


    ¡°You can¡¯t just leave,¡± Ledev said. ¡°We¡¯re not done with you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bloody right you¡¯re not,¡± Jason said, without turning around to look. ¡°You people are following me until I¡¯m done in case someone else tries to kidnap me. You¡¯re the ones who told these pricks where to find me, after all. We¡¯re only an hour out of the next fort town anyway.¡±


    Ledev looked incredulously at the top of Jason¡¯s head, laid back on the plush seat of the skimmer. He opened his mouth to talk but again Liara silenced him, putting a restraining hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± she said. ¡°We owe you that much.¡±


    Jason sat up, turned and gave Liara a long, assessing look. Unlike the others, he could not read her sincerity or lack of same at all. He gave her a small nod, turned back and waved his hand forward. The land skimmer started moving, soon zipping away down the road. Ledev''s face still showed his anger at Jason''s insolence, while Jana looked sceptical and confused.


    ¡°Did he say he was kidnapped by a Magic Society director? And what¡¯s a robot?¡±

 Chapter 496: Unyielding Faith

    What had once been an idyllic, mist-shrouded valley was now a bombed-out wasteland of craters, broken buildings and broken bodies. The mist had faded away, the air now filled with an ozone tingle of lingering magic and the iron taste of blood. Little more than a few buildings, lucky to have even one wall left standing, was all that remained of the village. Adventure Society and Magic Society personnel swarmed what was left like ants on a corpse.


    The Adventure Society staff were mostly hauling away the dead, piled onto wagons that floated over ground too rough for wheels. The Magic Society investigators were conducting magical analysis even as the dead were being carted off around them.


    While the adventurers who had participated in the battle had casualties, they had managed to avoid all but a few fatalities. The Purity loyalist had more fallen amongst their number but most of the dead were the angel-like beings that had come through the sky portals. Torn apart and dropped out of the sky, large portions of their bodies had been annihilated, leaving only macabre remnants behind.


    ¡°They call themselves messengers,¡± Clive explained as he and the rest of the group picked their way through the carnage. ¡°They¡¯re too inherently magical to use essence magic and they aren¡¯t native to our world.¡±


    ¡°Your sister can summon one, right, Humphrey?¡± Belinda asked.


    Humphrey¡¯s sister, Henrietta, was a summoning specialist, with an array of summoning abilities and familiars. It was an unusual specialty that made her something of a one-woman team.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a true messenger,¡± Clive said. ¡°Messengers are living things from physical reality. A summoning ability essentially creates a controlled monster. It might have the shape and the power, but it¡¯s not the real thing.¡±


    ¡°Is that what happened here?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Some kind of mass summoning?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°If the messengers here were just summoned fakes, the dead ones would be going up in rainbow smoke by now. Those rings were portals bringing the messengers from somewhere. Even with the kind of magic that dam had gathered up, it shouldn¡¯t be possible.¡±


    ¡°Jason came here,¡± Sophie pointed out. ¡°Twice.¡±


    ¡°These are not ordinary times,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Clive agreed. ¡°This monster surge is unlike anything we¡¯ve ever seen. It is a time where the impossible had become possible, at least for a  while. Every surge weakens the dimensional wall between our universe and the deep astral, but this time it¡¯s been shredded. It will take a while to repair itself. Until it does, we¡¯ve got the worst monster surge in recorded history to deal with, plus whatever manages to invade through the gaps. First the Builder and now these messengers.¡±


    ¡°Which leads to the question of their intent,¡± Ken said. ¡°The Builder¡¯s purpose is clear: the plunder our astral spaces. What do these new beings want?¡±


    ¡°All the ones that survived flew away,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯ll find out when some of them are captured.¡±


    ¡°We already know what they want,¡± Gary said. ¡°They were called here by Purity extremists. They¡¯re going to declare everyone and everything they don¡¯t like to be unclean and try to wipe it off the face of the planet.¡±


    ¡°There has always been a question as to why Purity chose to take a part in this affair,¡± Ken said. ¡°Pitting itself against the entire world, with only something it should detest as an ally. Perhaps we finally caught a glimpse of their ultimate objective.¡±


    ¡°Even if as many of those messengers came through those rings as the valley teams reported,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°that¡¯s not enough for the Purity church to take on a whole world full of adventurers and other churches.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re assuming this is the only place they¡¯re doing it,¡± Clive said. ¡°We forced their hand, here, and they opened the portals ahead of plan. What if there are places like this all over the world? What if they were waiting for the conflict with the Builder to reach full swing before swooping in with a global army of messengers?¡±


    ¡°Why would these messenger things participate?¡± Neil asked. ¡°What¡¯s in it for them?¡±


    ¡°And why are they called messengers?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°What¡¯s the message, and who is it from?¡±


    ¡°What I¡¯m about to say is broadly generalising,¡± Clive said. ¡°Very broadly, since we¡¯re talking about a people spread across multiple realities. From what I understand, however, the messengers have a very rigid and uniform culture. They are also one of the few intelligent beings known for interdimensional travel. It''s the main reason they are so well known."


    ¡°We get it,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It¡¯s not a research paper, Clive. You can just explain things without needing to qualify every detail.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Clive said. ¡°By and large, messenger culture has a single, unifying idea: that they are the highest form of life and that they represent the will of the living cosmos.¡±


    ¡°The cosmos is alive?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Not that I¡¯m aware of,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Since when does something not being true stop people from believing in it?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Very true,¡± Ken agreed. ¡°Once people invest enough in an idea, true or false no longer matters. They have made it such an intrinsic part of their identity that any challenge to that idea¡¯s validity is viewed as an attack. Once it takes hold in an entire culture, that culture becomes very dangerous to its neighbours.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem with the messengers,¡± Clive said. ¡°Their idea is that they are born perfect and that this makes them inherent rulers.¡±


    As they made their way through the valley, the remains of messengers were still being hauled away. Sophie watched a floating cart, piled high with bodies, driven past them by an Adventure Society official.


    ¡°So much for that,¡± she said.


    ¡°Has Purity decided that these things should be in charge and started to bring them in?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s for the Adventure Society to find out,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s out of our hands, now. There¡¯s no way they leave this in the hands of a silver-rank team.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be a team,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I imagine they¡¯ll either set up a new department, like the Builder response units, or roll it in with the Builder response and bump their resource and staff allocation.¡±


    ¡°You said that they can travel between dimensions,¡± Belinda said to Clive. ¡°Wouldn''t that make them showing up here a lot less impossible than you said? And what do they need portals for, then?¡±


    "It''s not that they can travel between dimensions inherently," Clive said. "One of the things that makes them unique is that their bodies and souls aren''t separate the way they are for almost every other physical being. Nor are they beings of pure astral energy, like disembodied souls or ordinary astral entities. They¡¯re something in between, neither fully physical nor fully spiritual in nature. They are gestalt beings, body and soul fused together. Only through death do their souls become completely spiritual.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Neil said. ¡°What does that actually mean?¡±


    "It means," Clive said, "that they can endure dimensional forces far beyond what we can. More even than a celestine, like Sophie, with her inherent astral affinity. Dimensional travel is hard. Even if you can punch through the dimensional membrane and escape physical reality, that puts you outside it. No physical reality means your body stops existing, leaving your soul to drift off to wherever souls go when we die."


    ¡°That¡¯s what happened to Jason, right?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Except for the soul floating away part.¡±


    "Yes," Clive said. "Outworlders are plucked out of their worlds and sent down a channel of magic to another one. Their bodies stop existing, exactly like I said, but their souls form a new one to inhabit when they arrive. It''s very similar to the process of a monster manifestation. Of course, all essence users go through the same process of forming a body out of magic as they rank up; we just do it more gradually. Jason being an outworlder simply gave him a head start."


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that we¡¯re all monsters?¡± Sophie asked.


    "There are some differences, but it''s a matter of details and specifics," Clive clarified. "We''re more similar to summoned familiars."


    "What does any of this have to do with dimensional travel?" Belinda asked. "Is it that these messengers don''t get turned into dimensional breakfast spread the moment they head out into the astral?"


    ¡°It¡¯s not quite that simple,¡± Clive said. ¡°They are far more resilient to dimensional forces, but even they can¡¯t just roam around the astral without being annihilated. For beings like us, we would require some manner of dimensional vessel. Essentially, a small astral space that can fly around with a pocket of reality for us to live in.¡±


    ¡°Wasn¡¯t the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space some kind of broken dimensional vessel, like what you¡¯re describing?¡± Sophie asked.


    "Yes," Clive explained. "So, it doesn''t even have to be that small. These messengers, though, can use much harsher means of dimensional travel. Something close to the randomly forming magical streams that carry outworlders between worlds, although it would need to be more regulated and more stable. Methods like that would destroy any of us, but the messengers can endure it because of their gestalt nature. Of course,  creating the kind of dimensional stream is beyond any astral magic we have here. Or had here, before the Builder showed up."


    "But these messengers have it, and they''ve given it to the church of Purity," Ken said.


    "So it would seem," Clive said. "Even with the right knowledge, it would require an almost unconscionable amount of power and resources to accomplish. Even the dam wasn''t enough and they had to sacrifice gods know how many people. Even then, it''s not a means of dimensional travel that we could use. Only the messengers can survive that kind of journey."


    "And these messengers traverse worlds to imposing their own ideology and order?" Ken asked.


    "I don''t think they came to increase their between-meal snack options," Neil muttered.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Ken,¡± Clive said. ¡°Also, as Gary suggested, they¡¯ll fit Purity¡¯s ideals far better than the Builder. Having them come in and take over may well be the god¡¯s true goal.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s bad, right?¡± Neil asked. ¡°That sounds bad.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t change anything,¡± Sophie said. ¡°There¡¯s a bunch of pricks coming to our world and we need to punch them a whole lot.¡±


    ¡°We may be getting ahead of ourselves,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°For all we know, the messengers here are the only ones, and a large portion of them were killed before they could escape. This might be a negligible threat.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Gary said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if you¡¯ve been paying attention for the last few years, but if you bet on things not getting worse, it won¡¯t be your money you lose. It¡¯ll be your head.¡±


    The group made their way out of the destroyed village and through a woodland path where more wagons of dead were being taken out. These, unlike the ones they¡¯d seen previously, were covered with tarps. The dripping blood gave it away; the smell of death was too pervasive to pinpoint a specific source.


    They arrived in a large forest clearing. One of the main ritual sites used to create the portal rings, the ground had been covered in massive ritual circles. It was also covered in blood. Like everywhere else, the original state only remained where not cratered with damage from the ritual being sent awry by Clive and Belinda¡¯s sabotage. It seemed to have been less heavily affected, though, and was crawling with Magic Society investigators. It looked like the bodies had already all been removed from this area, to facilitate the investigation. The last of them had been those they had seen being taken away along the forest path.


    "Does it seem to anyone else like there''s a surprising amount of blood on the ground?" Humphrey asked.


    ¡°There was a battle,¡± Ken said.


    ¡°And people have a lot of blood in them,¡± Neil said. He was a healer and knew this better than most.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Sophie agreed. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised at how much there is once you take it all out.¡±


    The rest of the group all turned to look at her.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Over here,¡± someone called out to them. Miles Cotezee was weaving his way through the craters and the investigators poking around at any trace of ritual circle left behind. He signalled them with a reserved wave as he approached.


    ¡°Any word on what the power source here in the valley was yet?¡± Clive asked immediately.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Miles said gravely. It was a change from his general air of tiredness at the bureaucratic lot that was his life as an Adventure Society official.


    ¡°You know how this place was where all the Purity loyalists brought their families?¡± Miles asked. ¡°We thought it was to keep the most zealous worshippers safe, but it turns out these evil bastards were just stocking firewood.¡±


    Clive went pale.


    ¡°What?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Ritual sacrifice,¡± Clive said darkly. ¡°Everyone has magic in their bodies. Even normals. Like the blood Sophie was talking about, there¡¯s a surprising amount once you take all of it out. I''ve never seen it done myself but it''s one of the worse ways to go. What''s left after is¡­¡±


    They all turned to look back the way they came, where they¡¯d seen the covered wagons.


    ¡°We need to burn what¡¯s left of this filth religion to the ground,¡± Miles snarled. ¡°There were kids on those wagons. What used to be kids. I¡¯m never going to unsee that.¡±


    ¡°Can these people get any more foul?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°I thought I¡¯d met some detestable gutter scum in my life but this is something else. How many people are we talking about?¡±


    ¡°Too many,¡± Miles said. ¡°With what¡¯s left of them and the general destruction, we¡¯ll never have solid numbers.¡±


    ¡°They sacrificed their own families?¡±


    ¡°From what we¡¯ve been able to tell,¡± Miles said, ¡°most of them went willingly. The parents, anyway. That¡¯s the kind of faith we¡¯re dealing with. It looks like not all of them were willing to lay down for the cause, though. A lot of these people didn¡¯t go quietly, so it wasn¡¯t all unyielding faith.¡±


    ¡°Most of Purity¡¯s worshippers turned aside from the god as the truth came out,¡± Ken said. ¡°I knew that only the most zealous orders remained with the church, but I had no idea the ramifications would be this.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not a religion anymore,¡± Neil said. ¡°I¡¯m part of a church and I won¡¯t let them say that they¡¯re the same as me. They¡¯re just some kind of death cult, now.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an opinion being mirrored by anyone who had to see this mess,¡± Miles said. ¡°That¡¯s not what I called you in here for, though. This is way bigger than any of us, now.¡±


    ¡°Our goal hasn¡¯t changed,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We want our team member back.¡±


    ¡°Funny you should say that,¡± Miles said. ¡°Come with me.¡±


    He led them away from the main area and onto a forest path out of the clearing.


    ¡°We¡¯ve set up in another clearing that wasn''t full of dead... where we¡¯re processing the people who arrived at the bottom of the craters.¡±


    ¡°Any idea who they are?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Or where they came from?¡± Clive added.


    ¡°Yes, and yes,¡± Miles said. ¡°The who is outworlders. A hundred and nineteen outworlders, all arrived at the same time. As for the where they¡¯re from, that¡¯s what you¡¯re here for.¡±


    ¡°Why us?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Because when we told them they¡¯d been brought to another world, they all asked about Jason Asano.¡±

 Chapter 497: Something He Could Never Get Back

    What looked like a refugee camp with rows of tents had been set up in a forest clearing. Adventure Society and Magic Society officials were managing a group of people variously panicked, nervous or demanding. Miles led Humphrey, Gary and the others around the outside of the camp towards the largest tent.


    The outworlders were easy to pick out by their auras. Species was a relatively subtle aspect of a person''s aura but being surrounded by outworlders made it stand out. All of the outworlders looked human and were either bronze or silver rank, aside from a small handful of normals. Most of them carried a heavy taint of monster core use in their auras, including all of the silver-rankers. The bronze-rankers with auras not saturated in cores also showed more evidence of proper training with their aura control.


    The largest tent in the camp was the administrative centre and the group was about to enter when someone called out from within the camp.


    "Hey, Clive! I slept with your wife, bro!"


    The group turned to where an Adventure Society functionary was telling a huge man to be quiet. They weren¡¯t sure at first, as the voice was oddly high-pitched for a man who matched Gary for size. Very unlike Gary, he was hairless and had chocolate skin. Clive looked at the crowd between them and the man, then at Miles and chanted a spell.


    ¡°Exchange your fates.¡±


    Miles and the big man swapped places, depositing Miles in the middle of the camp and the man in front of them. Like all the suddenly-arrived outworlders, he''d been given clothes, but he was too big for anything but Leonid outfits. Unlike Gary, who had permanently adopted the colourful fashion of Greenstone, most Leonids went with revealing outfits of leather straps, which the big man was now stuck wearing. He looked like he¡¯d been dragged away from either a very good or very bad time, depending on his personal proclivities.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± Miles called out, now in the middle of the camp. ¡°Come on, guys.¡±


    The big man was nonplussed at the teleport but recovered quickly.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re Jason¡¯s team yeah? Plus Gary the sexy lion-man and some rando."


    ¡°You know us?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Sure do. You¡¯re Humphrey. And you¡¯re Sophie, the tough one. Belinda, the smart one and Neil. I thought you were meant to be fat, bro, but you seem pretty ripped. What do you lift? Oh, and Clive. Sorry about your wife, bro.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a wife!¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t work out? Makes sense. If she keeps cheating, that¡¯s not a healthy relationship. Best to make a clean break.¡±


    ¡°You know all of us,¡± Gary said. ¡°Who are you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know this guy,¡± Taika said, holding a hand out for Ken to shake. ¡°I¡¯m Taika Williams.¡±


    ¡°Kenneth, son of Brian,¡± Ken introduced himself.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen the crystal recordings Jason was always making,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Sure did. I don¡¯t normally like watching people¡¯s holiday videos but they were pretty sweet.¡±


    ¡°How did you get here?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Was it the same way Jason got back?¡±


    ¡°He did get back then?¡± Taika asked. ¡°These people won¡¯t tell us anything.¡±


    At that point, Miles shoved his way back out of the clustered people, staring daggers.


    ¡°Really, Clive?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You seem pretty shirty, bro. Are you Clive¡¯s wife?¡±


    ¡°Who is this guy?¡± Miles asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m Taika. G¡¯day, bloke. Where¡¯s Jason?¡±


    ¡°He arrived on the other side of the planet,¡± Clive said. ¡°We¡¯ve been working to earn a trip to go to where he is. Travel is restricted right now.¡±


    ¡°I suspect he¡¯ll be brought to us, after this,¡± Miles said. ¡°It¡¯s an enormous mess and the higher-ups are going to want answers. Why do all these people keep asking about him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s super famous, bro. The guy who went to another universe and got magic powers. So you tell us we¡¯re all in another universe and he¡¯s the first thing that comes to mind.¡±


    ¡°Then the rest of these people have only heard of him?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I only know a few of them myself, so I can¡¯t say,¡± Taika said. ¡°I¡¯m happy to tell you all about it, but I want to trade that for some pants. I look like a commemorative chocolate of Sean Connery in Zardoz. There''s a reason they didn''t make those.¡±


    Having completed his final delivery without further incident, Jason was done with his journey through the Storm Kingdom''s western reaches. The last fortress town was very happy to receive their supplies and the handoff was blessedly free of complications. The fortress town had tight quarters, was densely packed and had a thick smell of animals, so he quickly left.


    Outside the gates, Liara and her offsiders, Jana and Ledev Costi were still around. They had been following him using specialised personal flight platforms that looked like speeder bikes from Return of the Jedi. Having watched them follow him through the jungle for the last hour, he was almost surprised that no Ewoks emerged. The bikes were specialised for stealth, Jason¡¯s magical senses not detecting anything from them. Like the gold-rankers riding them, they were able to hide even from Jason¡¯s powerful perception.


    Less stealthy was a simple floater platform containing the chained-up and power-suppressed Purity loyalists.


    Jason tried to open a portal to the teleport square of the Adventure Society campus in Rimaros but it failed to become active. The archway appeared but remained empty instead of forming a dark portal.


    "Oh, come on," he groaned. It was a potential scenario that he''d been warned about, where any time one of the islands was under attack, the defences would be activated, preventing dimensional travel. This meant a diamond-rank monster or large pack of golds was close to the city, or perhaps there was even a Builder attack.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°The Livaros defences seem to be up,¡± he said.


    ¡°The monster surge is in full swing, now,¡± she said. ¡°Rimaros was about due an attack.¡±


    Jason flicked a hand at the portal and it filled with darkness.


    "Look''s like Arnote is fine," he said. "At least I get to go home and rest before going in to report."


    Jason walked through and the archway vanished back into the ground.


    ¡°Why do you give him so much leeway?¡± asked Ledev.


    "Because strange forces circle that man," Liara said. "Powerful people ¨C and powerful things ¨C have gone up against him and suffered for it."


    ¡°He would have been taken out by three silver-rankers if we hadn¡¯t stepped in,¡± Ledev said. ¡°How is that guy dangerous? I mean, for his rank he¡¯s rock solid but that¡¯s not the puddle he¡¯s splashing around in.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re the only reason he was in that situation,¡± Jana said. ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel right, setting someone up like that. It wasn¡¯t like this when we were going after necromancers. I miss knowing that we¡¯re on the right side.¡±


    ¡°It was just a test,¡± Liara said. ¡°We were always going to step in. He knew that himself.¡±


    ¡°Because he figured it out. We didn¡¯t tell him that. Do you think it felt like a test to him?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Liara said. ¡°No, I don¡¯t.¡±


    Jason rested for a couple of days on Arnote, only stepping out to handle a couple of monster manifestations that occurred on or around the island. One he handled with the gold-ranker who lived nearby, cleaning up the small stuff while the gold-ranker went for the main monster.


    The other encounter was out to sea. What originally seemed like a series of sea serpents turned out to be one monster with tentacles that each ended in an eel-like head, all stemming from a main body that was a ball of flesh submerged deep in the water. Jason was able to field test his specially-purchased underwater adaptation gear as he prevented the monster from attacking a boat. Normally boats didn¡¯t sail during a monster surge but the specific circumstances around the current surge meant that additional risks were being taken.


    When Jason returned to Livaros, the defences having been lifted, the streets were filled with chatter about the diamond-rank monster that attacked. Coming up from the south, it was a smoke dragon that could switch between solid and amorphous states. The population of Livaros had enjoyed a front-row seat to the battle between the monster and Zila Rimaros from behind the islands powerful dome barrier.


    Jason had been disappointed not to have seen the diamond rank monster, as well as the combat ability of a diamond-rank adventurer. The locals were more than happy to discuss what they saw, although Jason already saw signs of people¡¯s stories starting to change in the retelling.


    In the course of the battle, the dome had been heavily rocked by the collateral force from the battle and the defences were now in a stage of maintenance. Normally disguised nodes all over the city were being worked on by artificer technicians. Asking around, Jason learned that they were from the Irios family.


    A noble house of the highest order, the Irios family was respected both for their adventurers and their mastery of artifice, the creation of magical items. They designed and maintained the most important defences in the city, from Livaros, where the Adventure Society was located, to the royal family¡¯s sky island. The Irios family were deeply involved in both the Magic Society and the Artificer¡¯s Association, with a huge amount of influence in the city.


    It made perfect sense that the royal family would want to maintain good relations with the Irios family. Unfortunately, a planned political marriage to the Hurricane Princess had been cancelled after the Princess met some man while away from the city and went into a formal mourning period after hearing of his death. This had created tension between the Rimaros and Irios families at a time when unity was especially important.


    Jason engaged one group of artificers in conversation as they took a break from work, offering them a round of sandwiches and drinks. The appreciative magical technicians were happy to speak on the topic of the family they were proud of the and work they did for it. In addition to the islands of Rimaros, the Irios family designed and built the defences for many of the fortress towns. According to the family members at least, this led the Irios family to be known as the shield of the Storm Kingdom.


    Jason was getting some sense of the magnitude of political brown stuff into which he had been dumped. During the most dangerous monster surge ever, relations between the royal family and the people who maintained the kingdom¡¯s defences affected not just the nobility but everyone in the nation. He had been positioned as the reason that those relations were now uneasy.


    As he roamed the streets of Livaros somewhat aimlessly, Jason considered the latest turd dropped on him from a very great height, courtesy of the never-ending conveyer belt in the sky. It felt like he was in an endless loop where someone powerful used him for one thing or another, he got angry, made a little speech and nothing ever changed.


    Every desperate move he¡¯d made in an attempt to overturn the board and take back some agency came with heavy consequences. He was under no illusion that anything other than luck and extreme circumstantial oddities were responsible for his continuing to be alive. Sometimes a bold move had paid off, while other times it was an inability to keep his mouth shut as the frustration inside him boiled over.


    Jason¡¯s last resurrection before the decade or longer it would take to reach gold rank had been spent for nothing. All he had to do was keep his mouth shut and not antagonise the diamond-ranker. But he couldn¡¯t let it go. Shako, in that moment, had been the representative of all the forces bearing down on him and if he¡¯d just rolled over instead of biting back, Jason would have lost something he could never get back. He really would have become a puppet for whoever grabbed his strings and tried to make him dance.


    He had no idea what to do about it. As much as it aggravated him to be once again played with by the latest edition of the people looking to control him, he was more conscious than ever of what would happen if he lashed out blindly. The problems between the houses of Rimaros and Irios affected people who lacked even the agency Jason managed to claim for himself.


    The vast majority of the Storm Kingdom¡¯s citizens could do nothing but hope the people running things didn¡¯t get them killed. If Jason became petulant and caused trouble, they would be the ones paying the price, not the kings and aristocrats. He needed to be patient and harden up, whether that was fair or not. He had responsibilities and there were plenty worse off than him. He was rich and powerful and it was time to stop being a Thadwick.


    As for what that meant specifically, he had no idea. He had to be quiet; to listen more than he spoke and to learn more than he revealed. It was a far cry from his strong suit, but if he wanted things to go better than they had in the past, he needed to be better himself.


    With a renewed sense of direction, even if it was only in attitude, Jason set out for the Adventure Society campus.

 Chapter 498: Dignified Young Adventurer

    While still a bustle of activity, the Adventure Society campus wasn''t the shoulder-to-shoulder throng it had been in the opening days of the surge. The queues no longer reached outside the jobs hall building and Jason could go straight in. He went up past the floors for the lower-rankers, noting that they weren''t especially full. The iron and bronze-rankers were treated more like soldiers during a monster surge, formed into large units and deployed accordingly. When monsters appropriate to their rank did appear, they tended to arrive in extreme numbers and the Adventurer Society responded in kind.


    Normally, vast numbers would be dealt with by area-attack specialists rather than sending small armies of adventurers. With activity picking up heavily, though, that wasn¡¯t always possible. The Adventure Society was responding to threats as best as they were able, while also waiting for the other shoe to drop from whatever the Builder was planning.


    The office for handing in completed contracts was separate from where they were assigned and had a different feel. The adventurers there were all fresh back from the fight, the tension of heading out into the monster surge relieved for at least the current moment. Unless something went wrong, they were happy and joking around with one another.


    Monster surge contracts didn¡¯t offer direct payment the way normal ones did. Instead, every contract completed would help them tally up on the rewards list. This incentivised adventurers to stay busy since extra effort would reap considerable benefits. For many, though, the most coveted prize wasn¡¯t handed out by the Adventure Society. It was widely known that the guilds used monster surges to scout out diamonds in the rough. For most ordinary adventurers, there could be no greater reward than gaining the attention of a guild and being offered even a chance at membership.


    The guilds managed their own affairs, largely separated from the Adventure Society''s organisational structure. The society handed the guilds large activity quotas and left them to manage them on their own, with only some liaison officers as go-betweens. This was a test for the guilds to prove they deserved the privileges they enjoyed.


    This system alleviated the pressure on the Adventure Society, which could then focus on managing all the non-guild adventurers. This meant that the bulk of the people in the jobs hall were non-guild, but it was common knowledge that Adventure Society officials would make recommendations to guilds they had connections with.


    The resulting atmosphere was quite boisterous, a combination of joy at having come back from a contract with success and a need to play themselves up on the off chance of getting noticed. Jason made his way up to the third floor, where silver-rank contracts were managed, and quietly joined a very loud line.


    ¡°You handing in the contract for your team?¡± the adventurer in front of him asked. It was a runic, the people with dark blue skin marked with glowing runes that looked like magic tattoos but were an inherent trait.


    ¡°I got caught away from my team when the surge hit,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯ve got me doing delivery runs.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s rough. Running solo; no chance to make a big impression on the guilds.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just looking to make it through the surge, get out of town and back to my team. They¡¯re a long way from here.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good attitude. It¡¯ll keep you alive. A lot of people take big risks during a surge, trying to make a name for themselves.¡±


    ¡°But not you?¡±


    He flashed Jason a grin.


    ¡°Oh, definitely me.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°Good luck, then.¡±


    There were multiple desks keeping things moving along and Jason soon found himself in front of one of them. He handed over the contract documentation, with acknowledgement of materials picked up and received at the various supply depots, fertility church facilities and fortress towns. The Adventure Society functionary checked Jason¡¯s documentation and looked over his report.


    ¡°You spotted a gold-rank monster and it didn¡¯t come after you?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if it was oblivious or docile; I ran for it rather than sticking around to check.¡±


    ¡°Wise.¡±


    ¡°I detoured to the closest society branch, reported it and got back to my contract.¡±


    ¡°Very wise. You portalled a fort commander to meet with another?¡±


    ¡°I was asked to spare some supplies for a fort that didn''t get a scheduled delivery. I didn''t have the authority to hand over my supplies but I was able to facilitate a meeting so they could organise it amongst themselves. It was less than an hour of my time and there are notes from both fort commanders at the end of the report.¡±


    The official flicked through the pages and took a glance at the notes before turning back to the report.


    ¡°Good choice. You showed sound judgement in realising that it wasn''t your call to make while still finding a way to help without compromising your contract. I''m going to mark you down for a reward bonus. It won''t be much, but keep doing good work and it''ll add up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Lastly, under combat activity, your report reads...¡±


    He looked down to quote the report directly.


    ¡°...several combat encounters, schedule unaffected.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. I hit all my deadlines with comfortable margins. It was all signed off by the fort logistics officers.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t feel these combat encounters warranted more detail?¡±


    ¡°I was told that there wouldn¡¯t be additional rewards for monster kills during supply runs. It makes sense since you don''t want delays from people trying to prove they deserve more than delivery contracts. As such, I didn¡¯t think it mattered if I ran into a monster or two or got ambushed from stealth one time. The deliveries were made in full and on schedule.¡±


    ¡°That''s an accurate assessment, although do try and avoid combat while on delivery contracts. Wagering the welfare of entire towns to clear out a monster is a poor risk/reward dynamic. We''re losing too many people on supply runs as it is because we''re stretched far too thin. I know many adventurers consider it an unimportant task but there are people out there counting on us.¡±


    ¡°I agree.¡±


    ¡°Your contract is complete, adventurer Asano, and meets your weekly action quota requirements. I would strongly recommend you continue to accept contracts, however. You will find that exceeding minimum requirements is the key to success when it comes time for reward allocation.¡±


    ¡°I would not go taking any fresh contracts just yet, Mr Asano,¡± a voice spoke from across the room. It was quiet but carried on a wave of gold rank aura that filled the room with a hush. All eyes turned to the doorway to see a gold-rank celestine with the signature sapphire hair of the royal family. The silver-rankers parted like the Red Sea as Liara Rimaros marched up to Jason.


    ¡°Princess,¡± Jason greeted. ¡°Are you staking a claim on my time?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s convenient for me, at least.¡±


    He took out another piece of paper and handed it to her. She took it and glanced over the contents.


    ¡°An invoice?¡±


    ¡°As you know, I used up a lot of consumables in our little joint operation. I was going to file this with the Builder response unit, but since you¡¯re here.¡±


    Liara gave him a flat look, then slapped the invoice down on the desk in front of the Adventure Society official.


    ¡°See that Mr Asano is reimbursed as part of his weekly reward allocation.¡±


    ¡°Of course, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The official addressed Liara in her role as a higher-ranked officer in the society, as opposed to as a princess. This reinforced to the room full of silver-rank onlookers that she wasn¡¯t just throwing her weight around as a gold-ranker or a princess. She gave the official a slight nod of approval.


    ¡°Come with me, Mr Asano. It¡¯s time to debrief you after¡­ our joint operation.¡±


    Under the eyes of the other silver rankers, Lira strode out, Jason trundling after like a duckling. She led him downstairs, out of the jobs hall complex and across the campus grounds. Once they were out of the building, she enacted a small privacy screen.


    ¡°Those are quite common it seems,¡± Jason said. ¡°Makes sense, when everyone has superhuman hearing.¡±


    ¡°Joint operation?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even try and tell me that doesn¡¯t play into what you¡¯re doing. Coming to get me personally, in front of all those people? You¡¯re deliberately raising my profile. You¡¯ve decided what to do about the political situation with Zara.¡±


    ¡°That is Princess Vesper¡¯s area, while I deal with you from an operations standpoint. You have met Vesper, yes?¡±


    ¡°Is that Zara¡¯s aunt? The one who went to Greenstone with her?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°We met briefly. I don¡¯t think she liked me.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t. This little display was her idea. To raise your profile, as you say. This was my idea.¡±


    Liara took a small piece of card from a dimensional pouch and handed it to Jason, who read it and stopped walking.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Thank you for this,¡± he said. His expression had no trace of the usual snark. ¡°Genuinely, this is very considerate.¡±


    Her expression softened.


    ¡°We did treat you poorly, Mr Asano. I don¡¯t regret doing so as we now have some important prisoners, but you deserve compensation for the liberties we have taken.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that. And I do want to contribute to the fight against the Builder.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen your unabridged records, Mr Asano. I believe you.¡±


    They resumed walking.


    ¡°So, what now?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Have you heard about the dimensional cities?¡±


    ¡°Just rumours. Flying cities full of Builder armies.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t all fly. Somewhere in the Great Western Ocean, there is a city floating in the depths. His ancestral majesty has been monitoring it personally as there are multiple diamond-rank auras within.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Soramir.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Nice to know I¡¯m not the only one he¡¯s keeping tabs on. The diamond-rank auras are why no one has launched a massive invasion on this underwater city?¡±


    ¡°Precisely. Thus far, it hasn''t gone past an aura clash. We believe the city had already deployed several expeditions before it was discovered and we are still attempting to track their activity. From what we''ve found, we believe they may be doing what they failed to do several years ago.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re going after the astral spaces?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Prior to your departure from our world, the Builder cult claimed a number of such spaces. The results were disastrous for the surrounding landscape and anyone living on it. In most cases, however, their efforts were defeated. You and your companion both died making sure that was the case.¡±


    ¡°And now you think they¡¯re making a second run?¡±


    ¡°It is the prevailing assumption, but nothing is being ruled out yet. For the moment, known astral spaces are being monitored. We anticipate that open conflict will soon begin.¡±


    ¡°Just let me know. I¡¯ve picked up some new tricks while I was away that the Builder¡¯s little minions aren¡¯t going to like.¡±


    ¡°Glad to hear it.¡±


    Jason looked around at where Liara was leading him.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the direction of the Builder response unit¡¯s offices.¡±


    ¡°No. Tomorrow is the Builder. Today is politics.¡±


    ¡°Zara.¡±


    ¡°For the moment, we¡¯re positioning you as a valuable asset to the Builder response unit. It has the advantage of being true. That¡¯s why you¡¯ll be seen meeting with me, even when you¡¯re meeting with Vesper. Or Zara.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering when that was going to happen.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been told that you¡¯re back. She is sorry that she used you.¡±


    ¡°Everybody¡¯s sorry. Never seems to stop them though, does it?¡±


    Liara and Jason passed through a maze of corridors in the Adventure Society¡¯s main administration building. Every hallway was busy except the last, which was completely devoid of people. She led him into a nondescript meeting room, closed the door behind him and then tapped a crystal on the wall. A privacy screen encapsulated the entire room.


    The other occupant of the room was Vesper Rimaros, who stood from her chair and came around the table where she and Jason assessed one another. She was largely unchanged from their previous meeting, three years earlier. She had the same gracefully restrained aura, brimming with confidence. It was no longer overwhelming to Jason, now he matched her silver rank, but he respected the level of control she demonstrated. She had the signature caramel skin and shimmering blue hair of the Rimaros family, but hair was longer than Jason remembered. It was now a gemstone waterfall, cascading down over her shoulders.


    Compared to the practical hairstyles Jason was used to seeing from adventurers, it was quite striking. Knowing there was a good chance that Soramir was watching his aura, he tried to push aside his concern that he was developing a celestine fetish.


    Jason had changed much more, with his strange eyes, facial scars and features smoothed into the handsomeness typical of silver-rankers. His outfit, however, was identical to what he had worn at Emir¡¯s barbecue: bright floral shirt, shorts and sandals.


    ¡°Why are you dressed like a fool?¡± Vesper asked by way of greeting.


    ¡°I came by it honestly. I am a fool.¡±


    ¡°Not anymore,¡± she said while moving back to the table and sitting down. ¡°Now you are a mysterious and ¨C this part is important ¨C dignified young adventurer. You¡¯ve been away from our world, thought dead, conducting enigmatic affairs related to the Builder invasion and now you¡¯re back to play a critical role. Is that understood?¡±


    ¡°I can sell that,¡± Jason said, taking a seat across the table. Liara sat next to Vesper.


    ¡°Can you?¡± Vesper asked.


    ¡°Aside from the dignity part, it¡¯s pretty much true, so yeah.¡±


    ¡°I think you might be overestimating your actual value,¡± Vesper said.


    ¡°I¡¯d be interested in hearing about those affairs related to the Builder invasion,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°I bet you would,¡± Jason said. ¡°Vesper, if you¡¯re looking to turn me into a respectable young man of society, you¡¯re trying to validate Zara¡¯s claim. You aren¡¯t looking for me to actually marry her, right? I agreed to help you but that¡¯s further than I¡¯m willing to go.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re going to pass it off as a one-sided infatuation on her part,¡± Vesper said. ¡°The foolish act of a foolish girl. It doesn¡¯t matter if it¡¯s true, just that it¡¯s at least vaguely plausible enough that people can save face. Which means you need to play the mysterious stranger from another world and stop wearing shorts and absurd, flowery shirts.¡±


    ¡°I have been meaning to update my wardrobe,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll miss the shirts but I¡¯ve already been recommended a tailor.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t just use anyone,¡± Vesper said. ¡°Who are you going to?¡±


    ¡°Sensual Attire for the Sensual Gentleman.¡±


    ¡°Alejandro Albericci,¡± Vesper said. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s acceptable, but I¡¯m going to be sending him some instructions.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure we can find an acceptable stylistic comprise,¡± Jason told her. ¡°You still haven¡¯t told me what all this is in aid of, though. We need to have a conversation about Zara.¡±

 Chapter 499: I Can Do Sleazy

    ¡°Why are you willing to toss Zara¡¯s reputation into the fire?¡± Jason asked. ¡°How does that help you with the Irios family?¡±


    Vesper looked unhappy but Liara, sitting next to her, nudged her shoulder.


    ¡°You might as well tell him,¡± she said. ¡°He''ll be more trouble than you think if you try to lead him around by the nose, believe me. You think Zara is bad? He¡¯s worse. When he decides he¡¯s not going along with your plan, he commits.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell her about us running into each other out west?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t about fighting some rogue priests in the middle of nowhere,¡± Vesper said. ¡°This is the heart of the nation, with a lot of eyes on us. The marital affairs of some nobility might not mean anything to you, but lives are in the balance.¡±


    The amused smile dropped from Jason¡¯s face.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of the stakes, Princess. I understand how critical the Irios family is during a monster surge and the ramifications of them falling out with the royal family. I know that in politics, reputation is both sword and shield. All I want is a look at the snake pit before you ask me to jump in.¡±


    ¡°We''re not looking for any initiative from you,¡± Vesper said. ¡°Telling you any more than what you need to understand is just inviting trouble.¡±


    Jason resisted the urge to get up and leave. He closed his eyes and calmed his mind before opening them again.


    ¡°I get it,¡± he said. ¡°You''ve been saddled with managing a situation and I''m floating in the middle like a turd you''re not allowed to fish out of the punch bowl.¡±


    ¡°Charming.¡±


    ¡°You need to control the variables and I''m a factor out of your control, so you want to put me in a box as much as you can. But that''s not going to work, Princess. I''ve been in a lot of boxes and I just can''t seem to stop poking holes in them.¡±


    ¡°You agreed to help us with this.¡±


    ¡°I agreed to participate, not to serve. I do recognise the importance of what¡¯s happening here and I¡¯m looking to help, not make things harder for you. But I¡¯m not just wandering blindly into whatever situation you want, either.¡±


    ¡°So, what do you want?¡± Vesper asked.


    ¡°To know what I''m walking into. It''s a reasonable request and I think you know that, or they''d have assigned someone smarter to this. I realise that you''re under a lot of pressure to get this right and I know that my general demeanour doesn''t always inspire confidence. How about we both take a step back? You take off your princess hat, I''ll take off my clown shoes and maybe we can figure out how to move forward without stabbing one another.¡±


    Vesper sat back in her chair, giving Jason an assessing look.


    ¡°Alright,¡± she said. ¡°This situation is complicated enough without us being at odds.¡±


    ¡°Which brings me back to my question,¡± Jason said. ¡°What does burning Zara¡¯s reputation get you? You want me to come in and play the dashing man of mystery that captured her heart, but all that does is make her look like a na?ve girl. Your goal is to strengthen ties with the Irios family, but just saying she¡¯s an idiot doesn¡¯t help that much, even if I am the most swashbuckling purveyor of derring-do ever to swan in from another universe.¡±


    ¡°You want to play at this level, Mr Asano? If you mean what you say about wanting to help more than hurt, I need to know you aren''t going to blunder around causing more problems than you solve.¡±


    ¡°What kind of assurances are you looking for?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I need to know you¡¯re not an idiot, to start with.¡±


    ¡°You want me to take a test?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Vesper asked. ¡°You¡¯ve been given some insight into our political situation, and you claim to know what¡¯s at stake. Instead of me telling you about Zara, why don¡¯t you tell me?¡±


    ¡°You want me to guess?¡±


    ¡°If you have to guess, Mr Asano, then you aren''t playing the game; the game is playing you.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, Princess. I¡¯ll play.¡±


    He leaned back in his chair, contemplating what he knew. Zara acted on her own because her family would never go along with her choice of plan. That meant the motivation was hers. Just avoiding the concept of an arranged marriage wasn''t the answer; her whole culture and the way she was raised would make it normal to her. If it had been some chunky old guy that was one thing but it was a handsome and accomplished young scion. He knew that much from asking around.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Give me a moment to think this through. I¡¯m pretty, not smart.¡±


    The boy could be a Thadwick, but Zara was the king¡¯s eldest daughter. If they had to marry someone to a Thadwick it would be a loose cousin or something. In fact, any problems Zara had with her potential match would be something the family could handle. It could be that she found someone else, someone inappropriate, but the only viable play there would have been to run off together. It wouldn¡¯t take long for her illicit lover to be found and disappeared, which is why she picked someone already dead for her desperate plan. Jason couldn¡¯t think of a single good reason for Zara to have done what she did with the political training he was certain she had, which meant¡­


    Jason¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°It wasn''t her fault,¡± he realised. ¡°It was the boy the Irios family put up. She covered for him to take the heat because she''s the Hurricane Princess and can make people eat this formal period of mourning nonsense, even if they don''t like it. If he¡¯d been the one to call things off, that would get the royal family coming down on the Irios family like a pallet of bricks. If the royal family side is in the wrong, though, that balances out the relative strength of the two families by giving House Irios some political capital. Thus, the state of tension.¡±


    Jason got up from his chair and started pacing as he thought it through out loud.


    ¡°But why do it like this?¡± Jason pondered. ¡°It creates a huge mess when they could go to the families and fix everything behind closed doors?¡±


    He paused, face lighting up with realisation.


    ¡°Oh, she did a me. She didn¡¯t think the people with the actual power would go along, so she made a plan that was loud and bold without thinking through the wider consequences. Announcing this mourning story was too public to just sweep under the rug. Am I right?¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± Vesper said. ¡°What else?¡±


    Jason tapped his head thoughtfully as he resumed pacing.


    ¡°Zara makes this big play, the wedding is off and she¡¯s in the dog house. But I¡¯m guessing she¡¯s daddy¡¯s favourite, and people go along as predicted, doing their best to clean up the mess. At least you have this formal mourning period where she has to play good daughter instead of whatever crazy stuff she¡¯d normally get up to, if this debacle is anything to go by. It also gives you a couple of years to smooth things out with House Irios, but they¡¯re cranky and the monster surge is already overdue. They¡¯re responsible for the Storm Kingdom¡¯s defences, which is why you wanted them happy in the first place, and the timing gives them even more political capital. They start pressuring the royal family with this newfound influence because their proud scion getting cuckolded isn¡¯t great for the reputation of a proud noble house. How am I doing?¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Vesper said.


    ¡°Now, we¡¯re closing in on the end of this mourning period and you¡¯ve probably got something lined up. Another marriage, maybe. A match that gives a nice bit of prestige to the Irios family and smooths things over. But then you get a couple of wrinkles. Zara¡¯s deceased paramour rises from the dead and the monster surge finally begins. I have no doubt you considered killing me off, only to realise that I genuinely am a mysterious stranger from another world. There are events you don''t understand at play and you have no idea who is lurking behind the enigmatic silver-ranker who is oddly in the middle of cosmic events. And you have to be careful of whoever''s lurking behind me ¨C wise choice, by the way.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d like to share who or what that is?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°I''m sure it''ll dawn on you eventually,¡± Jason said. ¡°Anyway, things are going pear-shaped and with fresh eyes on this whole affair, something¡¯s changed. Zara kept her mouth shut, I bet. I¡¯m thinking it¡¯s the Irios kid who cracked, or maybe someone around him, and now both families realise that Zara was taking the heat for the boy the whole time. Suddenly, all the attitude they¡¯ve been throwing at the royal family is coming back to bite them. But you want to smooth things over. It¡¯s the monster surge and helping the Irios family save face gets what you wanted in the first place; a harmonious relationship with an important noble house.¡±


    Jason stopped, frowning as the cogs continued to turn before resuming both the postulation and the pacing.


    ¡°The problem is, this whole mess had played out very publicly and you can¡¯t just air it all out. That would make both families look like fools who danced in the palm of a pair of teenagers. She was nineteen when I met her, right? So, you decide to lean into Zara''s original story and paint her as the na?ve girl who fell for a stranger in a foreign land. Said stranger makes a shocking reappearance, giving Zara the chance to show that she¡¯s more mature than when she was three years ago. She rebuffs the would-be Lothario, demonstrating that she¡¯s learned from her mistakes and is ready to step up and handle more responsibility. The Irios family magnanimously decides to forgive the indiscretion, for which the royal family is appropriately grateful. All you need is someone who can plausibly sweep a young woman off her feet, is willing to play along and maybe accept one or two dents to his pride. All the better if he¡¯s looking to skip town as soon as the monster surge is over so the whole thing can be left behind.¡±


    Jason dropped back into his chair.


    ¡°How did I do?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not completely an idiot, then,¡± Vesper said.


    ¡°I do my best, but the occasional bit of competence slips through.¡±


    ¡°What you described is broadly accurate. We need to make you appear at least vaguely plausible as a man that could turn the head of an inexperienced girl.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to come out of this looking good, am I?¡± Jason asked. ¡°My reputation never seems to go quite the way I want, and this might be a new low. But I can do sleazy for you.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t go too over the top,¡± Liara said. ¡°We want to rehabilitate Zara¡¯s reputation, not stain it further.¡±


    ¡°You want me to play a guy who creeps on teenagers. I think sleazy is unavoidable.¡±


    ¡°I saw the two of you together,¡± Vesper said. ¡°You are a guy that creeps on teenagers.¡±


    ¡°I was twenty-three and she was nineteen. It wasn¡¯t that bad.¡±


    She gave him a flat look.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t!¡±


    Vesper and Liara shared a glance.


    ¡°What about the Irios kid?¡± Jason asked, hurriedly changing the subject. ¡°He''s the start of all this mess, right? Why did he not want to go through with this marriage?¡±


    ¡°You tell me,¡± Vesper said.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. ¡°How old is this kid? Zara¡¯s age?¡±


    ¡°A year younger.¡±


    ¡°Okay. Sheltered rich boy. Probably not a total tool bag, if you were willing to have Zara marry him. She went to some extreme lengths to look out for him, too, so I¡¯d say they knew each other pretty well. Childhood friends, put together years ago with this marriage in mind?¡±


    Vesper nodded.


    ¡°Alright. He¡¯s young, horny, yet somehow not on board even though they''re close and Zara''s so gorgeous that it''s kind of insulting to the rest of us. I mean, we have to walk around not being that good looking?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Of course you don''t think it''s a big deal,¡± Jason said, gesturing angrily at Vesper. ¡°Look at you. It''s like the god of sexiness made you just to piss people off.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps try and stay on topic, Mr Asano?¡± Liara suggested.


    ¡°Yeah, I should have read the room,¡± he said. ¡°You''re no better. There''s clearly no point complaining to the Rimaros family about not being attractive enough. Which is kind of the point. I know the whole childhood friend thing. Mine looked downright homely compared to Zara and that girl messed me up. Which tells me that this guy is gayer than a nautically-themed dance troupe called Hot Seamen.¡±


    Vesper and Liara shared a wide-eyed glance.


    ¡°That shouldn¡¯t be a problem, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°They could just have him marry some bloke. The church of Fertility can let people pump out a kid without ever touching one another. They can grow the adorable little sprog in a jar. Most aristocrats do it that way, men or women, right?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re familiar with the Fertility church¡¯s capabilities?¡±


    ¡°Took a tour, recently. I knew a conversation like this was coming, so I grabbed the chance to learn about how the aristocracy handle baby-making. Turns out that growing them in a vat is actually the norm and you can just staff your house with sexy gardeners or whatever without mum and dad ever talking to one another.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not always like that,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Yeah, but it''s an option, which makes me wonder what the Irios kid''s problem is. He''s a teenager, so a kind of terrible life choice is a safe bet. I¡¯m guessing a boy. Probably too old and way too inappropriate. Musician?¡±


    ¡°Tattoo artist,¡± Vesper grumbled.


    Jason burst out laughing.


    ¡°And they stuck you with cleaning up this mess?¡± he asked. ¡°Oh, you poor woman.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it.¡±


    ¡°I take it that guy is out of the picture, now?¡±


    ¡°Very,¡± Vesper said.


    ¡°You didn''t kill him, did you?¡±


    ¡°He''s on an airship somewhere over the Great Western ocean right now with a dimensional bag full of money and a very thorough understanding of what happens if he ever comes back to this hemisphere.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°I guess we''re ready to go, then. I''m not looking to make things hard for anyone, so I''ll change up the wardrobe and play mysterious outworlder for you. I assume you''ll want to parade me around a little, maybe make some noble girls swoon.¡±


    ¡°Mysterious brooding loner might be a better choice.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, but I¡¯ve just had my silent brooding period; you missed the window. But I''ll see what I can do about dashing and charismatic.¡±


    Vesper let out a resigned sigh.


    ¡°The good thing is that no one will expect perfect etiquette,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re not just a commoner and from another country but a whole other world. Adventurers get a lot of leeway if they¡¯re competent, so we need to drum up a conspicuous achievement or two.¡±


    ¡°Thus, the escort from the jobs hall,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re looking to make me seem like an important asset to the Builder response unit.¡±


    ¡°You are an important asset to the Builder response unit,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Which works out. Never lie when the truth can lie for you and don''t do things for just one reason if you can get away with it. Since you''re part of the Builder unit, you can manage my activities, bump up my reputation and be my public contact with the royal family, right?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Liara said. ¡°We can also make some judicious leaks from your record. We¡¯ll need your permission for that so the Adventure Society admin doesn¡¯t come down on us.¡±


    ¡°I would have thought you¡¯d just do it without asking their permission, let alone, mine.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society doesn¡¯t answer to the royal family,¡± Liara said. ¡°Neither do you, for that matter.¡±


    ¡°Yet, here I find myself.¡±


    ¡°This business about coming back to life helps us with your reputation,¡± Vesper said. ¡°How did you come back from the dead? Actually, don''t tell me. Or anyone else. It adds to the mystique. In terms of etiquette, I¡¯m going to give you instruction. Self-made adventurers, especially foreign ones, are held to a different standard. If I¡¯m going to get you into a princess-wooing state, though, you¡¯ll need some polish. You¡¯ll need to know how to eat a meal or participate in a social function without embarrassing yourself. You need to know how to dance.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I can dance, but learning the local steps will be fun. I haven¡¯t been dancing in a while. Too busy being an interdimensional man of mystery. Are you going to show me the moves, Princess?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vesper said. ¡°We need to keep this as contained as possible. Your only public contact will be Liara, who will bring you to me at need. For now, we¡¯re going to do a bad job of hiding your value to the Builder response unit. We want people to find you, rather than introducing you ourselves.¡±


    They continued to discuss discussed the details and specifics Jason needed to know. Jason was then sent off in search of a new wardrobe, leaving Liara and Vesper alone. Vesper leaned back wearily in her chair as Jason closed the door behind him.


    ¡°This is going to be a huge mess.¡±


    ¡°It always was,¡± Liara said. ¡°What do you think of him?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s dangerous, and not in the good way.¡±


    ¡°He seemed to grasp the situation easily enough.¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly the problem. He¡¯s the kind of person who thinks they see through everything. People like that inevitably have a great idea and go off-plan, getting blindsided by the thing they missed or had no way to see coming.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he should marry Zara,¡± Liara said with a laugh.


    ¡°Gods help us all. Do you think you can make people believe he¡¯s some secretly amazing adventurer?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the easy part,¡± Liara said. ¡°Even his unabridged record is full of mysteries, and now we have Asano¡¯s permission to put some of it out there. In social settings, he''ll largely be judged by his aura, which is the opposite of a problem. If anything, that''s what''ll sell this whole story.¡±


    Liara stood up.


    ¡°I need to go. This political mess is consuming too much of my time as it is.¡±


    ¡°Drinks tonight?¡± Vesper asked. ¡°I think we both deserve it.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. I probably won¡¯t have time, but I¡¯ll let you know.¡±


    She went to the door and opened it, pausing before she left.


    ¡°What¡¯s a Lothario?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I have no idea.¡±

 Chapter 500: An Object Lesson in Foolish Risks

    While Rimaros was considered a single city, the islands that comprised it were spread over hundreds of kilometres. With three main islands and many sky islands that were themselves often sizeable, it was a city of many flavours, with each island having its own feel.


    The most populous island was the easternmost of the three main islands, Provo. As well as being the general trade hub of the city, it was home to the majority of the non-magical citizenry. Its infrastructure was all designed to support a large population with biological needs that essence users no longer shared.


    Livaros was just the opposite. The island of adventurers was an adventurer city from the foundation up. It wasn''t strictly unwelcoming to the non-magical, but most felt uncomfortable being a Clark Kent in a world of Supermen. The thoroughfares of the island were specifically designed to accommodate floater platforms, magical vehicles or simply riding around on familiars. Local transport wasn''t expensive to rent for those earning adventurer money, but for normal people on normal wages, it was prohibitive.


    Even with everything working against it, there was still a small population of normals living and working on Livaros. They were shop assistants, functionaries and other jobs that were essential, but not particularly valuable. There was one trait that every normal-ranker on Livaros shared; a collective knowledge passed between the non-magical like a secret language: The locations of the island¡¯s very, very small number of toilets.


    ¡°The adventuring districts of any major city are set up like this,¡± Rufus explained as he and Jason rode void-black horses with glowing white manes and hooves, side by side through the city. ¡°It''s just that being divided by islands makes the delineation especially apparent, here.¡±


    Rufus was more well-travelled than Farrah, who did not share his wealthy upbringing. She was the result of generations of effort to obtain not just any essences but a powerful combination. Her family had also managed to afford a retired adventurer to give her the training she needed to hold her own in a competitive field. Farrah had fulfilled that ambition as her success, even as just a bronze-ranker, uplifted her entire family.


    While Jason and Rufus were heading for a local tailor, Farrah was on the sky island that held the Magic Society campus, accessing the water link chambers. Liara had used her influence to schedule a call between Farrah and her parents, who hadn¡¯t seen her in more than three years and, until recently, believed her dead. While he knew the intent was to keep him from getting too rebellious over being used, he at least appreciated the consideration with which the gesture was made.


    Rufus continued his explanation, covering how those with backgrounds like Farrah¡¯s strove to make it in big, magical cities.


    ¡°The lure of a place like Livaros for normals is the higher wages. Many use that money to lift themselves up by saving for essences. Even if someone doesn¡¯t become an adventurer until they¡¯re thirty or older, once they get there new worlds open to them.¡±


    ¡°But getting essences is just the start, right? You need training and monsters that aren¡¯t three ranks higher than you. Without a rich family cultivating their fights for them, won¡¯t these self-made adventurers just get themselves killed?¡±


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Rufus said. ¡°People come here and earn money because the wages are higher and the essences, on average, are cheaper. Once they have them, though, they tend to leave. With the high-rank monsters and well-trained elites in a place like Rimaros, they¡¯re better off starting over somewhere with less-potent magic. Lower-magic zones are much better suited to more borderline adventurers. Few places have the low magical density of Greenstone, but there are plenty lower than the Sea of Storms.¡±


    ¡°You met Gary and Farrah in a place like that, right? Fighting zombies?¡±


    ¡°I did. It was a big operation, pulling in the locals and people from Vitesse. It wasn''t a very high-ranking threat, just a widespread one, so lots of use from the academy were sent out for some valuable experience. Gary and Farrah were operating out of the same branch, knew each other in passing but never really met before. Things got a little wild, as they always do, and we ended up doing a lot of fighting together. Their talent stood out from the locals, especially Farrah, and I asked them to come with me back to Vitesse.¡±


    ¡°So, the adventurers that stay in places like Vitesse and Rimaros are the good ones? The ones from families with the money and power to train their people properly?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s more to it than that,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Most of these hardscrabble adventurers aren¡¯t a Gary or a Farrah. They¡¯re not looking to make something of themselves when they leave. They want to make something of their children. They might not be the best adventurers in the world but they can make enough to get their children a better set of essences and then send them to an academy or a training hall. Maybe not in Rimaros itself, but there are places in the Sea of Storms where the competition isn¡¯t so fierce. Not every academy is like the one my family¡­¡±


    Rufus trailed off as Jason took out a glass of liquor and drank it in a gulp.


    ¡°Some days,¡± Rufus said, ¡°I wish you¡¯d let the blood cult throw me in that pit.¡±


    Jason chuckled as he returned the empty glass to his inventory.


    ¡°I think I know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± he said. ¡°I visited a city in the western reaches during my delivery run. The adventurers there were a step up from Greenstone, but a step down from even the non-guild people here in Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the kind of place you¡¯ll find the less prestigious institutions, but that in no way makes them bad. Those instruction halls are where the majority of adventurers get trained and plenty of them have the potential to rise to the top.¡±


    ¡°Those are the ones who''ve come to Rimaros, looking for that guild membership?¡±


    ¡°They are. The lack of training halls like we¡¯re talking about is the reason a place like Greenstone falls short. There, if you don¡¯t come from a prominent family, like Humphrey or Neil, then you¡¯re pretty much hoping that someone with more experience will mentor you. Danielle Geller established a training hall there, after the expedition disaster.¡±


    ¡°I remember,¡± Jason said. ¡°She was just getting started before we went into the astral space. I even taught aura control there for a few weeks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s more developed now,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It doesn''t offer the level of training that the Gellers give their people in-house, but it''s open to all essence users. They''re even deferring payment until people get Adventure Society membership and earn enough to pay back the tuition fees. I even arranged for the Remore Academy graduates coming to Greenstone to do some basic instruction there. A tricked I picked up growing up surrounded by teachers is that having students teach each other is a great tool to consolidate learning. I''ve found it complements the training annex programs very nicely. It¡¯s still early days, but I can see Greenstone¡¯s adventuring culture going through a qualitative shift over the next few decades.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you enjoy running a school.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just a training annex.¡±


    ¡°That you conceived of, developed, established and ran. You''re allowed to be proud of yourself, Rufus; it won''t make your hair grow back.¡±


    ¡°Why would¡­¡±


    Rufus stopped himself. In their time apart, he''d forgotten the dangers of asking questions about Jason''s nonsense.


    ¡°If I¡¯m being honest with myself,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ve enjoyed establishing the training annex more than I¡¯ve missed adventuring. Helping others to avoid my mistakes is a lot more fulfilling than the constant dread of making the next one.¡±


    Jason''s aura senses were utterly transformed from what they had been when he knew Rufus in the past and now his friend was an open book to him. Jason always knew that his team getting captured at the time Jason first met them, and then Farrah''s death weighed heavily on him. Now he could feel it inside Rufus like a wound. Even Farrah''s return hadn''t erased it. He had a feeling that just like Gary had turned to his smithing, Rufus would turn to teaching rather than go back to the adventuring life. As for what that meant for Farrah, it remained to be seen.


    ¡°That¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of,¡± Jason said. ¡°Honestly, at this point, I think I¡¯d rather be a tourist. All the fun parts of adventuring, but without stuff constantly trying to kill you and your friends. Sadly, that ship has sailed for me. I¡¯ve got the Builder, then whatever comes next.¡±


    ¡°Next?¡±


    ¡°All I¡¯ve gotten from Dawn so far are ominous warnings. Whatever it is, I need to keep getting stronger, so it¡¯s the adventuring life for me. Honestly, I do like it when I¡¯m not fighting and/or being used by great astral beings or gods or forest nymphs who live in a baby oil factory.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got to get lucky one of these days, right?¡±


    Rufus shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s adventuring for me as well. The training annex is a pleasant distraction, but I chose to be an adventurer. If I step away from that, every person I could have helped and didn¡¯t is my responsibility. I¡¯ve paid the price for my mistakes, so now I have to use the lessons I took from them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot.¡±


    Rufus swivelled his head to look at Jason.


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°Rufus, are you a good teacher? Wait, don''t answer that. You''ll say some humble crap and I''m trying to make a point here. I know you''re a good teacher because you taught me and I''m awesome. Even with my overwhelming natural talent, smouldering charisma and dashing good looks helping you along, that''s still a pretty good result.¡±


    Rufus gave him a flat look.


    ¡°Now,¡± Jason continued, flashing an impish grin. ¡°Let¡¯s just say you go back to adventuring and save one person¡¯s life a week. On average. Now let¡¯s posit that instead, you go teaching young adventurers full time. How many of them can you help avoid the mistakes that you made? How many of them are going to go off and save one person¡¯s life every week? If you look at it that way, then going back to adventuring is equivalent to killing a whole bunch of innocent people because you failed to train the adventurers that would have saved them. Are you going to kill a bunch of innocent people, Rufus? That¡¯s cold.¡±


    ¡°Jason, I''m not Humphrey. I''m not going to accept some problem-riddled argument because you talked fast enough.¡±


    ¡°Mate, it''s about the point, not the details. I''ve saved a lot of lives, Rufus. Not mine, as much as I''d like, but other people¡¯s. I¡¯m sure Farrah told you all about Earth when I wasn¡¯t around.¡±


    ¡°She didn''t think you''d want to tell it yourself.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because she¡¯s smarter than us. My point, Rufus, is that every life I saved is a life that you saved. You taught me how. You and Farrah and Gary. So, when you tell me that going off and being a teacher is somehow abdicating responsibility, what I''m hearing is that everything you taught me, and everything I''ve done with it, isn''t worth a damn. That you don''t respect it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m saying.¡±


    ¡°I hate to break it to you, cobber, but that¡¯s exactly what you¡¯re saying. You¡¯re also bizarrely claiming that being a teacher is somehow selfish. That¡¯s a pile of crap so huge that you could make a living selling Rufus-brand prime fertilizer. You think back to the people who taught you at this academy of yours. How many of them are shirking their responsibilities?¡±


    They continued riding along the street on Shade¡¯s horse forms, Rufus falling into silent contemplation. He didn¡¯t share Jason¡¯s pathological need to get the last word.


    In a water link chamber, Farrah was talking with two water clones of her parents. The magic was sufficiently developed that they were indistinguishable from her actual parents to the eye. Magical senses revealed their nature as projections, which hadn¡¯t stopped her from taking a half-step in the instinct to hug them when they appeared.


    After a very emotional sort-of reunion, they were coming to the end of their time in the chamber. Liara had scheduled a generous block, but communication was at an absolute premium.


    ¡°We¡¯re trying to get you here, along with Gary and Jason¡¯s companions,¡± Farrah told her parents. ¡°It would be easier if we came to you, but Jason can¡¯t go anywhere without getting caught up in some huge mess.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we met him and he¡¯s a very nice boy,¡± Farrah¡¯s mother, Amelia, said. ¡°A bit odd, but nice. If he brought you back to us, though, then he¡¯s family, now.¡±


    ¡°At worst, we¡¯ll make our way to you once the monster surge is over,¡± Farrah assured her.


    ¡°You just make sure and stay safe,¡± said her father, William. ¡°No foolish risks. We want you coming back to us safe and sound.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I have an object lesson is foolish risks running around with me. I leave that sort of thing to him, now.¡±


    Jason and Rufus dropped lightly to the street as Shade''s horse forms dissolved into Jason''s shadow. They were outside a boutique store; a simple cream-coloured building with a light linen suit hanging on a dummy in the window, topped by a Panama hat. There was no other indication of the shop¡¯s name or signage of any kind.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m getting one of those hats.¡±


    Jason opened the door for Rufus, then followed him inside. The interior was surprisingly spacious, the small storefront obscuring the fact that internally it was quite large. The left and right walls were covered in racks of fabric samples that leaned heavily toward light fabrics and shades, appropriate to the climate. There were doors to the sides, large armchairs and the back wall was completely open to a courtyard with what looked like an outdoor bar-caf¨¦.


    There were tables shrouded by parasols where people were sitting and chatting as they ate or drank. There were young couples, a trio of old men playing cards. Everyone was exquisitely, if casually dressed. There were two people behind the bar, plus a cook in the kitchen behind it. The whole courtyard was filled with lush tropical plants.


    Two celestine men were coming in from the courtyard. One was tall and handsome with sharp cheekbones and gunmetal hair and eyes. His aura placed him at the peak of bronze rank. The man with him Jason recognised as one of the Als, although this one looked younger than the other¡¯s he¡¯d seen because of his silver rank. His aura was thick with monster cores, which was common in magical craftspeople. Most felt that chasing after monsters was a waste of time better spent dedicated to their profession.


    Alejandro Albericci had sea-green eyes and identically coloured hair that spilled back off his head in waves. He wore a flatteringly-draped suit of white fabric, his cufflinks, shoes and pocket square all matched the colour of his hair.


    ¡°Thank you for coming in, Young Master Irios,¡± Alejandro was saying as the two men walked across the room.


    ¡°You were recommended to me. They said I should come in around now to catch you when you weren¡¯t busy.¡±


    Jason smiled thinly. He¡¯d received the same recommendation, which he now suspected came from the same source. He tapped a small pin on his shirt, a new purchase, and an invisible sound screen surrounded Jason and Rufus.


    ¡°Remind me to punch Vesper Rimaros in the boob,¡± he said.


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said, reaching out to tap the pin on Jason¡¯s shirt and shut the screen off.


    Jason and Rufus stepped aside as Alejandro led the young man to the door. Alejandro¡¯s gaze took in Jason at a glance, while the young man¡¯s eyes lingered a little longer on Rufus in passing.


    ¡°You will be contacted when your clothes are ready, Mr Irios,¡± Alejandro said.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Albericci.¡±


    ¡°Please, call me Al.¡±


    As the young man Jason was certain to be named Kasper Irios closed the door, Alejandro turned to Jason and Rufus.


    ¡°You must be Jason Asano,¡± he said. ¡°I was instructed to offer you nothing but the best.¡±


    The door that had almost completely closed froze in place, the young man¡¯s hand still gripping the handle.

 Chapter 501: Murky Waters

    Jason felt the emotions play out in the auras around him. At the centre was the man on the other side of the tailor shop¡¯s glass, Kasper Irios. A peak-level bronze-ranker, he was standing frozen, gripping the handle of the almost-closed door. His shock was as plainly written on his face as his aura after hearing Jason''s name.


    The man who had spoken his name, Alejandro Albericci, was also a silver-ranker. The moment he sensed the reaction of Kasper, his welcoming aura filled with surprise and then suspicion with an underlying strain of anger. Jason realised that he wasn¡¯t party to the play being acted out, with whoever wrote the script remaining hidden in the wings.


    Rufus was confused, having picked up on the tension in Jason¡¯s body language and the obvious link to the man on the other side of the glass. He was smart enough to know that if he didn¡¯t have the information to act, he should keep his mouth shut and listen, looking to Jason for direction.


    Jason¡¯s aura was unreadable to the other silver-rankers, but the anger over being played yet again flashed on his face before he schooled his expression.


    "Mr Albericci," Jason said. "This is Rufus Remore, out of Vitesse. I would appreciate you seeing to his needs while I take Mr Irios for a little walk. Let''s not make a scene in your place of business."


    Alejandro looked Jason in the eyes. Jason¡¯s aura revealed only its normal, polite fa?ade, leaving him to assess Jason by what he could see. Jason was wearing his usual tourist-in-the-tropics outfit but the tailor knew better than most that it was not clothes that made the man.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Asano. I appreciate the courtesy.¡±


    Kasper Irios was still gripping the handle of the almost-closed door, letting go and stepping back as Jason pulled it open. The bronze-ranker¡¯s movements were oddly stumbling for an adventurer, his physical unbalance revealing the depth of his mental equivalent.


    ¡°Kasper Irios, I take it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯m Jason Asano. Just to get it out of the way: yes, the dead one. You and I are going to take a little walk.¡±


    Kasper¡¯s initial shock was giving way to wariness.


    "How am I meant to know you are who you say?"


    "It''s a fair question," Jason said. ¡°It''s not every day your former fianc¨¦''s dead fake lover comes back to life. Not sure what to tell you, though. I don''t think they make a greeting card for ''sorry I used your death to avoid a political marriage and got you caught up in a huge mess although in fairness you were dead and that''s not something I had a reasonable expectation of you coming back from.'' It''d be hard to fit on the cover, if nothing else."


    ¡°What are you talking about? What¡¯s a greeting card?¡±


    ¡°Right, other world. Do you have gift baskets here?¡±


    "Uh, yes. I''m not sure what-"


    ¡°A greeting card is like that, except instead of being full of nice things it¡¯s a piece of card stock. It¡¯s like a social puzzle where you have to figure out how long you need to leave it sitting around before you can throw it away without being rude.¡±


    Jason tapped the pin on his chest and an invisible privacy screen shielded them from eavesdropping. It wasn''t impenetrable, but anyone who could do so without Jason noticing was out of his league anyway. It would be enough the stop the hidden observers Jason could sense already paying them attention.


    ¡°Let¡¯s walk, Mr Irios.¡±


    Jason felt fear from the bronze-ranker.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I should be going places with you.¡±


    "We''re not going anywhere," Jason said. "We''re just going to wander around on the street a little, in front of plenty of people and have a nice chat. Well, a chat, anyway."


    They started walking along the street, side by side. The streets were wide shopping boulevards with plenty of other traffic, both on foot and using various means of transport. They were far from the only people using privacy screens, unseen to the eye but visible to magical senses.


    Alejandro¡¯s shopfront was part of a shopping district located between the more open market district and the more industrious craftsman¡¯s quarter. It was comprised of boutique stores catering to adventurers, nobility and the wealthy. Many of the people walking the street were all three, making anyone that caused trouble very stupid indeed.


    Jason and Kasper wandered along the street, in awkward silence, at first. Jason noted that many glances were cast at Kasper; he guessed as locals recognised either the house Irios crest on the arm of his clothes or Kasper himself, although no one greeted him as they passed.


    ¡°Mr Irios, someone told you to come here, and they didn¡¯t tell you the real reason why. We¡¯re both dancing on someone¡¯s palm and I don¡¯t know about you, but I don¡¯t like that. That being said, we need to step carefully. I¡¯ve had my share of lessons in getting out of one mess by making a bigger one, and we both know that you have as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still not taking your word for who you claim to be.¡±


    ¡°Nor should you,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°The whole point of having us meet like this is so that you will go out and investigate. Or, more precisely, so your family will. That¡¯s one of several reasons someone arranged for us to meet like this. Someone wants to stir up murky waters.¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°House Irios and the royal family are both looking to settle things down after the mess that you and Zara made. The exact who doesn¡¯t matter right now. First, you need to make sure that I am who I say I am. My return brings certain things to a head, which your family will need to handle carefully. You, yourself, will need some time to process. I certainly did. I came back from the dead and find that instead of the nice quiet stay in the tropics, I¡¯m suddenly the dead paramour of some princess I met a couple of times three years ago. Plus the Builder¡¯s trying to assassinate me again, but that bit¡¯s not on you.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Look, mate. You just found out that, one: I''m alive, and two: I''m here. There are ramifications that need to be thought through. Someone ¨C who is going to get a good talking to ¨C decided that having you and I bump into one another oh-so coincidentally would be a good way to do that murky water stirring.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Probably to see if we make a scene. They¡¯re still trying to figure out how I handle myself and need to know if I¡¯m reliable when put on the spot. I need to be a little bit of a controversial figure for what comes next, so a public confrontation between you and I wouldn¡¯t hurt that goal. As for you, you¡¯ve made trouble before. They want to know if you¡¯ll do something stupid like run off to Zara and cook up another terrible plan.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I should be talking to you.¡±


    ¡°Correct,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you what you should be doing. You need to go home. You need to tell your family that you met me. Then you need to have a nice long think and a nice long talk with them. After that, you do what they tell you.¡±


    Kasper went to respond but Jason silenced him with a gesture.


    ¡°Now, I¡¯m going to tell you what you shouldn¡¯t do. You should not go find your friend Zara and have her devise some plan to get some control over the situation that sets in motion a cascade of events that ruins everything for you, me, her, your family, the royal family and thousands of people who are relying on all of the above to keep them safe.¡±


    ¡°Oh, hey Kasper!¡±


    A trio of young men in fine clothes was approaching them with waved greetings. They were all bronze-rank but close to silver, like Kasper himself. One was wearing a loose robe of light, breathable fabric, with the colours and emblem of the Magic Society. Not all Magic Society members were also adventurers, and the monster cores in the young man''s aura suggested he was not. His aura control was solid, though, so he was not untrained.


    The other two were more likely adventurers, from their clean auras. One wore a long jacket covered in pockets and potion-vial loops, marking him as an alchemist. The third bore no identifying equipment but Jason noted  the precision of his movement and his attentiveness to the surroundings. Of the three Jason pegged him as the most capable.


    Jason tapped his pin to drop the privacy screen.


    ¡°Hey, Kas,¡± the Magic Society member said. ¡°I thought the family had you bundled up indoors when you weren¡¯t out on a contract.¡±


    ¡°I, uh, I came out to order some clothes.¡±


    The three picked up on Kasper¡¯s nervousness and moved their attention to its obvious source.


    ¡°Who¡¯s your friend, Kas?¡± the alchemist asked.


    ¡°Kasper¡¯s a little busy,¡± Jason said. ¡°You can catch up with him later.¡±


    Alongside his words, he sent a little stream of aura to the third member of the group, giving him a glimpse of what lay behind Jason¡¯s polite aura facade. The young man put a hand on each of his two friends¡¯ shoulders.


    ¡°We¡¯ll catch up with him later,¡± he said, echoing Jason¡¯s words.


    The other two looked from Jason to their friend and back to Jason, their communication through glances showing Jason how close they were.


    ¡°Alright, Kas,¡± the alchemist said. "We''ll come and find you at home."


    "Thank you, Hils," Kasper said. "I''ll see you all later, then."


    The trio moved on, throwing curious looks back at Jason.


    ¡°You know those three are going to talk,¡± Kasper said.


    Jason reinstated the privacy screen.


    ¡°My return is going to bring issues around you and Zara to the fore,¡± Jason said. ¡°Events are being set in motion. Your family, and now those three, are going to ask questions. When they do, undercurrents will start to flow.¡±


    ¡°I think I do need to go home.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do,¡± Jason said. ¡°Look, I know what you¡¯re going through. You just found out a bunch of crazy stuff, you haven¡¯t had time to sort through it and there¡¯s some guy who won¡¯t stop talking and you understand maybe a third of what he¡¯s saying at best. You need to stop, take stock and sort through everything. Talk to your family.¡±


    Kasper nodded.


    ¡°Good. Now, someone from your family will want to talk to me. You probably will too, once you¡¯ve had time to sit with this for a while. When you¡¯re ready, come find me on Arnote. I¡¯m staying in a little town called Palisaros. Just ask around and someone will point you my way.¡±


    Kasper took a personal floater disc out from the dimensional bag on his hip. Before he stepped onto it, he turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°If you are who you say, I want you to know I''m sorry,¡± he said. ¡°It never felt right, using your name the way we did. It¡¯s just¡­¡±


    ¡°Better to invoke the dead than hurt the living.¡±


    Kasper nodded.


    ¡°I won¡¯t say I wasn¡¯t angry,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was. Still am, to be honest, but that doesn¡¯t help us right now. I can yell at you in private, once you come find me.¡±


    ¡°Does Zara know?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t talk to her?¡±


    ¡°Her family keeps her on a narrow line since everything happened. We don¡¯t see each other much anymore. She said it wouldn¡¯t look good, anyway.¡±


    Kasper gave Jason a sad smile, stepped onto his float disc and drifted off. Jason watched him go, then tapped his pin to drop the privacy screen and started walking back toward the tailor shop.


    "Tell your boss," he muttered, "the next time she wants me to dance, she needs to let me know before the music starts or she''ll find me stepping on her feet."


    He sensed the observers start moving away.


    Adventure Society Director was a prominent position in any community. In a major adventuring hub like Rimaros, that was even more true. It was a demanding and high-pressure job, although the prestige and social standing that came with it were not inconsiderable. The director mixed with kings and queens, famous adventurers and foreign dignitaries. A director who did their job well found that once they moved on from the position, many doors would open to them. Those that fell short dropped into a pit of obscurity from which there was no escape.


    Gil Vinatos was the current occupant of the position, and fully aware that his performance in the coming weeks would define the rest of his life. An unprecedented monster surge and the Builder invasion were more than enough, even without the reports that were starting to come in from around the world. For someone like him, who worked their way up from the bottom through solid administrative skills, it was a critical time.


    He was taking a much-needed break, although he didn¡¯t have time for a long one. Laying out on his office couch, eyes closed as he ate sliced fruit from a bowl sitting on his chest was the most he could afford before he had to get back to work.


    ¡°A well-earned break, Mr Vinatos.¡±


    Gil sat bolt upright, the bowl tumbling to the floor. He couldn¡¯t sense the person who had just spoken at all, despite his gold-rank senses. Admittedly, his rank came from monster cores, but he had been diligent in his training. He was also the director of the Adventure Society, so his office was both very difficult and very foolish to break into. He saw a man sitting on the edge of his desk, emitting no discernable aura at all. Gil was about to ask who he was when he recognised the face.


    In heart of the royal palace, which Gil had visited many times, was a hallway full of portraits that lead to the throne room. He had spent a certain amount of time waiting outside to be admitted and had looked over the closest portraits more than a few times. Gil recognised the man in front of him from one of those portraits. The one at the very end, right next to the throne room doors.


    ¡°I''m sorry, Mr Vinatos. I''ve made you drop your fruit.¡±

 Chapter 502: Integrity is Forever

    Gil picked up his fruit from the floor, lamenting that he''d been too startled to catch it when, normally, his gold-rank reflexes would have no trouble doing so. Then he realised that Soramir could also have caught them even more easily but quickly quashed his annoyance at that. He looked up sheepishly, knowing that the diamond-ranker would have certainly sensed the emotion and where it was directed.


    ¡°Don¡¯t concern yourself, Mr Vinaros. I¡¯m not here to make things harder for you.¡±


    Gil looked down at the bowl of fruit slices now covered in carpet fluff. He absently considered that he should have picked a carpet that handled the humidity better.


    ¡°Of course not, ancestral majesty.¡±


    Gil moved to his desk and sat the bowl down.  Soramir stopped leaning on the desk and took one of the seats as Gil moved behind the desk before doing likewise.


    ¡°To what do I owe the honour?¡± Gil asked. ¡°Is this related to the Builder city? Her highness, Princess Zila, informed me that you were monitoring it.¡±


    ¡°Several of my peers are currently watching it in rotation,¡± Soramir said. ¡°We diamond-rankers are taking a more active role in current events, although we are keeping our activities quiet for the moment. Your position makes you one of the few with whom we are sharing our activities. Some of them, in any case.¡±


    ¡°What can I do for you, ancestral majesty?¡±


    ¡°I need for you to arrange to have some people portalled here from Vitesse. Six silver-rankers and two bronze.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, you''re aware of how tightly regulated high-rank portal personnel are right now. While I respect the royal family - and you, in particular - I can''t ask the Vitesse branch to make that kind of allocation without a valid reason."


    Gil opened a drawer and took out a sheet of paper.


    ¡°Curiously,¡± he said, ¡°I just received a similar request from Vitesse. They want two silver-rankers portalled in the other direction. Normally I would suggest that we could save on resources by using the same portal specialist to send one group across and then the other back. I cannot help but feel, however, that these two requests share a connection."


    Gil handed the paper over the table to Soramir, who glanced it over.


    ¡°Jason Asano and Farrah Hurin,¡± he read. ¡°Why am I not surprised? Your assumption is quite accurate.¡±


    Soramir put the paper on the desk, tapping it with his finger.


    ¡°This does not state the reason for the request.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s related to events taking place in the northern regions of Estercost. The Vitesse branch sent out an expedition to attack a Purity church stronghold and got more than they bargained for. It¡¯s quite a mess right now, but somehow this Asano is involved. I¡¯m having the analytical office prepare a full report for me to look at before I respond to the request.¡±


    ¡°Asano cannot be allowed to leave the Sea of Storms right now. You need to deny the request.¡±


    ¡°With respect, ancestral majesty, while I am open to any request you wish to make of this office, it¡¯s just that: a request. You don¡¯t tell this office what it can and cannot do.¡±


    Soramir raised his eyebrows in surprise.


    ¡°I respect that, Mr Vinaros¨C¡±


    ¡°Director Vinaros, your majesty. For this conversation, it¡¯s Director Vinaros.¡±


    ¡°Of course. Director, let me share my reasoning. During my time away, I became aware of preparations being made for the invasion of our world and returned to help the Storm Kingdom weather those events. Since my return to Rimaros, I have been investigating the activities of the Builder cult. I¡¯ve even discretely been throwing some assistance to the Adventure Society¡¯s Builder response unit.¡±


    ¡°This was not reported to me.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t know I¡¯ve been assisting them. I¡¯ve recently contacted one of their leaders, my descendent, Liara. I will be working more closely with them going forward, so you can anticipate reports on the activities in question.¡±


    ¡°That is much appreciated.¡±


    ¡°One of the things I discovered was that several months ago, the Builder cult undertook some kind of infrastructure project, buried underneath an uninhabited island. They then abandoned the island entirely, so that their work couldn¡¯t be found unless you knew to look.¡±


    ¡°Which you did, I assume.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was some manner of astral beacon. Like other astral magic being used by the cult, it was very advanced, by the standards of this world. My initial thought was that it was a launch point for the coming invasion.¡±


    ¡°Did you destroy it?¡±


    ¡°I decided not to. The advantage in knowing where the enemy would arrive is considerable, as you can no doubt imagine. However, it was not an invasion force that came through but two silver-rankers, both of whom were listed as having died fighting the Builder cult several years ago.¡±


    ¡°The Builder resurrected them?¡±


    "No, Asano is an outworlder and was resurrected on his own world. I believe he had an object called a World-Phoenix token that revived him and sent him back where he came from. As for his companion, she seems to have become an outworlder after her death by likewise resurrecting in Asano''s homeworld. As for the specifics, I have no idea."


    ¡°There must be quite a story there.¡±


    ¡°Yes, although they have chosen to share very little, thus far.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re silver-rankers. That isn¡¯t a choice they get to make. I¡¯ll have them brought in and¨C¡±


    ¡°I would hold off on that, Director Vinaros. If Asano has the backing that I suspect, he needs to be treated carefully. Not only will that mean there are powerful forces behind him but also that he has an important role to play.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps you should go to him personally. The attention of a diamond-ranker, especially one as prestigious as you will be flattering and get him onside.¡±


    ¡°I have already met Mr Asano, but it turns out that he¡¯s grown tired of dealing with people far more powerful than he. Rather than impressed, he was annoyed and angry. Because of the way he seems to have been treated in the past, I believe that he will respond very positively to forthright honesty and plain dealing.¡±


    ¡°Is that what your portal request is related to?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I want his team brought here to join him.¡±


    ¡°Vitesse wants him there.¡±


    ¡°We need him here. My understanding is that Asano himself found the means to return to our world, but the Builder had his people use the beacon to determine his arrival point. As for why they weren¡¯t waiting for them, I¡¯m not sure.¡±


    ¡°If the Builder wants him here, isn¡¯t sending his out of the Storm Kingdom the best option?¡±


    ¡°I believe the Builder¡¯s intention in bringing him here was to have him killed. The Builder has apparently agreed to some kind of restriction on how he attempts to do so and so has made concessions to his church of Purity allies to have them do it instead. One attempt has already been made. The Builder response unit is already working to interrogate the Purity loyalists we captured in the process.¡±


    ¡°One of the church¡¯s more extreme orders has been operating in this part of the world for many years,¡± Gil said. ¡°It¡¯s unsurprising that they remained loyal. But what makes Asano worth all this attention?¡±


    ¡°Asano has already foiled the Builder¡¯s plans more than once, and I believe is now affiliated with the Builder¡¯s greater antagonist. What part Asano has left to play is unclear, but even before his death, he demonstrated an effect on those who wield the Builder¡¯s power. He is, in fact, responsible for the very first live capture of someone with a star seed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all well and good,¡± Gil said, ¡°but I¡¯m not sure that my Vitesse counterpart will be willing to accommodate you. The information I¡¯m getting is still unclear but they¡¯ve had some unusual events that somehow this Asano is connected to.¡±


    Soramir nodded.


    ¡°I would appreciate that report, Director, once your people have completed it.¡±


    ¡°They should have it to me within the day, depending on what information we can get out of Vitesse. I think the best solution, for the moment, is to wait for more information before making any firm decisions. There may be something you are overlooking, however.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Soramir asked.


    ¡°Asano himself. We can ask him to go to Vitesse, not tell him. While the Adventure Society can ask quite firmly, he always has the option to refuse. If you can convince him to stay, my office will support the decision. We can make him available to the Vitesse branch via water link, which is exactly why we monopolise the links in the first place.¡±


    Soramir nodded, stood up and offered his hand to Gil over the desk.


    ¡°Thank you, Director Vinaros.¡±


    Gil shook Soramir¡¯s hand a little nervously.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best to accommodate you, your majesty, but my first loyalty must be to my position.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Jason returned to Sensual Attire for the Sensual Gentleman, Alejandro Albericci¡¯s tailor shop. Rufus was sitting in the caf¨¦ courtyard, sipping on a cup of tea.


    ¡°You took your time,¡± Rufus said as Jason sat down. ¡°You didn¡¯t kill the boy and bury him in the jungle did you?¡±


    ¡°What had Farrah been telling you?¡±


    ¡°Just wanted to make sure.¡±


    ¡°We just had a little talk,¡± Jason said. ¡°I told him to go home and not make any trouble. That¡¯s the only thing I did. I definitely didn¡¯t stop for shopping on the way back.¡±


    Rufus looked at him from under raised eyebrows.


    ¡°I mean, there was a whole shop for skill books. How could I not buy some for cooking magic? I don¡¯t have time to learn all about the magical ingredients and how to handle them without diverting time from training. You know how often people try to kill me.¡±


    ¡°Have you heard anything about the people who were caught making the last attempt?¡±


    "I''ve been told I''ll be kept updated, although how reliable that assurance is remains to be seen. Liara said they''ll probably want to involve me in the questioning.¡±


    ¡°You really know how to get caught up in messes, don''t you?"


    ¡°You said it was normal for outworlders to get caught up in stuff. You told me that the day we met.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s caught up and then there¡¯s you, Jason. I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d like to explain what this latest thing is? If that was Kasper Irios, then is this about¨C¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but no details, here. Back home, with Farrah. No point explaining it twice.¡±


    ¡°Right.¡±


    ¡°Did Alejandro set you up with some good clothes?¡±


    ¡°He measured me up while you were off on your latest debacle. I didn¡¯t have any good hot weather clothes, so once my new outfits are finished I¡¯ll be appreciative.¡±


    ¡°Haven¡¯t you been living in Greenstone? That place is half desert, half sweltering delta. How did you not pick up any warm-weather outfits?¡±


    ¡°You know what the clothes are like there. It¡¯s as if someone threw up a rainbow of loose fabric and people just draped it over themselves. You know, Gary still dresses like that. Although, given what most leonids wear, anything is a step up.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you were such a slave to fashion.¡±


    ¡°The problem with Mr Remore,¡± Alejandro said, approaching their table ¡°is that for him, fashion is pointless. Look at the man: you could put him in a brown sack and he¡¯d still be a work of art.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Jason said, standing to shake Alejandro¡¯s hand.


    ¡°Mr Asano, I apologise for my part in whatever political imbroglio you have been caught up in.¡±


    ¡°You get used to it,¡± Jason said. ¡°At least with politics they only stab you in the back. It¡¯s a nice change from being stabbed in the everything.¡±


    They left Rufus to his tea and Alejandro led Jason to his measuring room.


    "I have been directed to take your outfits in a certain direction," Alejandro explained as they walked. "That puts me in a slightly complicated position as while I always strive to meet the needs of my client, the person wearing the clothes and the person paying for them is usually the same."


    ¡°Wait, she already paid you?¡±


    ¡°Payment has been promised in full.¡±


    ¡°Forget that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m the client, I¡¯m paying you and the only needs you have to meet are mine.¡±


    Alejandro opened a door, ushered Jason inside and then followed, closing it behind them.


    ¡°That simplifies things for me a great deal,¡± Alejandro said. ¡°I especially do not like serving a client that attempts to employ me as a means to scheme against my clientele.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be an issue to push back against the royal family?¡±


    "Political favour is for today, Mr Asano. Integrity is forever. If you would be so kind as to go into the measuring stall."


    There was what looked like a changing room that Jason stepped into, closing the door behind him.


    ¡°Please disrobe down to your underwear for the most accurate measurements,¡± Alejandro said through the door. ¡°Do you have any shape or size-changing powers we need to accommodate?¡±


    ¡°Just some conjured shadow arms,¡± Jason said. ¡°Nothing a normal fit can¡¯t handle.¡±


    ¡°Excellent. We will have a full range of fabric and cut selection, then. Just let me know when you are ready for measurement, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead, Mr Albericci.¡±


    ¡°Please do call me Al.¡±


    ¡°Only if you call me Jason.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a deal. You¡¯re going to experience some slight tingling.¡±


    Light started emitting from the walls of the stall around Jason, starting with cool green, going through blue, purple and then into warm red, yellow and orange before fading away.


    ¡°All done, Mr Asano. Jason. Please put your clothes on and come back out."


    A few moments later, Jason was back out in the room, which was lined in wall-to-ceiling fabric racks.


    ¡°Now there is the matter of what you are looking for,¡± Alejandro said. ¡°What can I do for you today?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a full silver-rank wardrobe refresh. I need everything, with plenty of options across the board. Formal, casual, the lot.¡±


    ¡°And what kind of budget are we looking at?¡±


    ¡°Whatever it costs.¡±


    ¡°Jason, I think you and I are going to get on very well.¡±

 Chapter 503: How Deep a Hole

    Jason went down into the waterfall cave beneath his cloud house. The natural stone was hidden behind walls, floor and ceiling made from cloud stuff, leaving only the cave mouth with the water rushing past. Sunshine sparkled through it like a spray of diamonds, dancing into the room. The space was otherwise lit by soft, ambient light coming from the cloud-stuff.


    The room was mostly empty, aside from boards formed out of cloud-stuff on the walls. Jason could write or draw on them with only a thought, and they were already full of sophisticated magical diagrams and formulas. While his understanding of astral forces was instinctive and powerful, his knowledge of astral magic theory lagged behind. It had made great leaps, especially over the last year, but it was still not at the level required to finalise his special project.


    ¡°I need Clive,¡± he muttered as he glanced across his work. Then he put it out of his mind and a crystal recording projector rose from the middle of the floor. Jason took out a recording crystal and set it in place before stepping back. He sat, a cloud chair emerging from the floor to meet him.


    Jason started the projector with a mental command. The projection showed Dawn in the cloud house in Venice, at a point where Jason was in the first transformation zone. Jason had only seen her one time since, shortly before the transformation zone¡¯s collapse that had been the only time he saw her true form instead of a weakened avatar.


    ¡°Jason,¡± the projected Dawn said. ¡°My dimensional vessel has detected the approach of a similar vessel, belonging to my counterpart within the Builder¡¯s people. This is a man I know and, based on my knowledge of him and you, I have some idea of how that is going to go. I¡¯m not sure how far you will end up pushing him, but like so many beings of great power, that power has made him prideful.¡±


    Dawn paused as Emi came into the room.


    ¡°Dawn, do you want to come play El Grande?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little busy.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    Dawn turned back to the recording crystal she was speaking into.


    ¡°This man I suspect you are about to meet is going to make a mistake. I could probably stop him, but the concessions we can get from him if I don¡¯t are worth more than preventing him from acting, even if the cost is high. I¡¯ll explain the terms I will extract from him now, since we likely won¡¯t have long to talk the next time we meet.¡±


    Jason listened again as Dawn explained the terms about the Builder not attacking Jason with overwhelming numbers or high-rankers. That he would not send anyone at all unless Jason interfered in their affairs first.


    ¡°I did remember right,¡± Jason murmured to himself.


    ¡°Since I won¡¯t have a lot of time to explain when I see you, I¡¯m going to leave this recording with Farrah. She¡¯ll give it to you before you travel once more to the other world. I have no doubt that you¡¯ll succeed in saving your world and returning.¡±


    The recording ended and Jason got up, returning the crystal to his inventory.


    Like most major organisations in Vitesse, the Adventure Society branch was located in one of the city¡¯s iconic garden towers; massive spires draped in greenery. In a meeting room that opened onto a balcony that let in the fresh air, Clive was sitting opposite a high-ranking Magic Society official. Various functionaries were standing behind the official, while Clive was flanked by his team.


    ¡°Mr Standish, you are one of the most talented young astral magic specialists we have.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have me,¡± Clive said. ¡°I left the Magic Society. Definitively.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to come home. You can accomplish more in research than you ever could as an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°I beg to differ,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Clive was the mastermind behind both finding the Purity enclave and the attack that disrupted their grand summoning.¡±


    ¡°And how did he find them?¡± the official shot back. ¡°By tracing them through a network of dimensional gates that he discovered while cloistered in research at the Magic Society.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s an awfully nice way of saying locked up,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Mistakes were made,¡± the official acknowledged. ¡°We apologise for your previous treatment, Mr Standish.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we know how sorry you are,¡± Neil said. ¡°You think we haven¡¯t been paying attention?¡±


    ¡°We have been following the career of the woman that exploited Clive,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Her next promotion got delayed. By months. She got it eventually.¡±


    ¡°You Magic Society guys really know how to bring down the hammer,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Mr Standish, this mass-arrival of outworlders represents an unprecedented chance to study astral forces, which is more critical now than ever. We still don¡¯t know if the messengers that were summoned represent an isolated event or part of a widespread program.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t even know to ask if Clive wasn¡¯t an adventurer,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°And that¡¯s the way I¡¯m staying,¡± Clive added. ¡°Not only did the Magic Society treat me with flagrant indecency but your response in the aftermath was to hush it all up.¡±


    ¡°Whatever unfortunate matters are in the past,¡± the official said, ¡°we need to look to the future. You are more valuable researching the Builder and Purity¡¯s methods than getting killed fighting some irrelevant monster.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to be more explicit,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m not returning to the Magic Society. Not ever.¡±


    ¡°You burned that bridge,¡± Sophie told the official. ¡°Then you took the ashes, put them in a big trough and got a bunch of your Magic Society friends to whiz in it. Then you used the resulting paste to write ¡®we gave Clive the hard shaft¡¯ in letters so big that you need to fly to read them.¡±


    Everyone turned to Sophie.


    ¡°What she said,¡± Belinda agreed, throwing an arm around Sophie¡¯s shoulder.


    The increasingly disgruntled official was about to speak when he noticed something approaching through the air, directly towards the balcony. It was an elf standing on the back of a giant, white-feathered duck, gliding through the sky. As it reached the balcony, the duck transformed into motes of light that sank into the elf¡¯s hair, turning it from a sandy blond to stark white.


    Ken dropped lightly onto the balcony and strode into the room.


    ¡°Well?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°It is done.¡±


    Grins crossed the faces of Humphrey and his team.


    ¡°What¡¯s done?¡± the official asked.


    ¡°I daresay you shall learn soon enough,¡± Ken said. ¡°Soon indeed, if the man I hear running down the hall outside is one of yours.¡±


    True to Ken¡¯s word, the meeting room door burst open to admit a harried-looking man in Magic Society robes. He moved up to the official and activated a privacy screen. The team then watched the anxious man rapidly speak, unable to hear his words but seeing the official¡¯s explosive but equally silent reaction. The man shot up from his chair and turned to glare daggers at Humphrey. He didn¡¯t bother to address the team before storming out of the privacy screen, the startling functionaries trailing like ducklings. They heard him yelling as they moved down the hallway.


    ¡°What are Geller Pirates?¡±


    Warehouse District Three was one of the least lucrative on the island of Livaros. Being the furthest from both the sea and sky docks, it was the closest thing to a criminal district on the very security-conscious island of adventurers. One of the warehouses looked like any other from the outside, although the interior was entirely different, having been converted into an opulent home. Along with the plush furniture and smooth marble, it was further enhanced with magical infrastructure offering a formidable balance of protection and discretion. Only the most powerful senses would notice any difference between the building and the identical-looking ones around it.


    Havi Estos was the owner of the building, although it would take an adept bureaucrat to trace it back to him. Pallimustus had nothing on Earth in terms of complex legalities and internecine paperwork, which made those with the knowledge and inclination to use them especially dangerous. Havi was a celestine man of striking appearance. His large physique and onyx-black skin were set off by his hair and eyes of matching gold. He looked well into middle age, despite the anti-aging effects of his silver rank. His aura was free of cores; the legacy of a long-finished adventuring career.


    Contrary to his arresting appearance, he was not a man who liked to draw attention. Even so, he did his part during the monster surge, making sure that his activity quota was met. On returning from a contract, he was given a package that had been delivered to one of his public offices. It was from a friend from the old days, Mordant Kerr, who was now living somewhere in the western reaches of the Storm Kingdom.


    Inside his office, Havi watched the recording crystal included in the package while reading the letter, his eyes moving back and forth from one to the other. The projection gave a bird¡¯s eye view of a river canyon where a shadowy figure fought monsters swarming over the ground like ants. He watched the projection to the end, his expression unchanging.


    ¡°Affliction skirmisher,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Haven¡¯t seen one of those in a long time.¡±


    He called his assistant, Jono, into the room. Jono was also his great-nephew, although Havi tried not to hold it against him.


    ¡°Yes, boss?¡±


    ¡°I need you to give Warnock a name.¡±


    ¡°Boss, she wasn¡¯t happy after last time. She¡¯s going to want extra.¡±


    ¡°So pay her extra.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss. What¡¯s the name?¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano.¡±


    The capital city of the nation of Estercost was Cyrion, home to the Adventure Society¡¯s continental council. It was closer than Vitesse to the site of the operation that turned into a debacle of magical explosions, summoned messengers and unexpected outworlders. Since the operation had been launched out of Vitesse, that branch of the Adventure Society had been undertaking the initial management. In the aftermath, they were handing off control of the site to the Cyrion branch.


    Operations were shifting to Cyrion for two reasons, of which one was simple geography. It had taken place in their backyard and they were better located to handle what was looking like an ongoing operation. The other reason was that the continental council was taking an interest as it turned out to be much more critical than originally thought.


    What was initially thought to be a sweep-up operation on low and mid-rank Purity loyalists was revealed to be a grand summoning. Only made possible by the weakened dimensional protection the world suffered during the monster surge, it didn¡¯t take a lot of imagination to consider that it might only be the beginning. If there were more it would have to take place during the monster surge, and after the Adventure Society¡¯s operation forced an early launch, any other locations were likely pressing to do the same. Aggressive investigations were already being set into motion.


    The Magic Society had taken charge of the outworlders, more than a hundred of them in total. They were being transported to Cyrion via airship when several other airships moved into formation around them. A single woman with dark olive skin, black hair and a gold-rank aura leapt onto the surrounded airship alone.


    A less than satisfied Magic Society official listened to her explain that the Geller family would be providing the accommodation to the outworlders at their fortified estate outside Cyrion. The official did not like the idea.


    ¡°While you may be disinclined to go along with this,¡± Danielle told him, ¡°if you refuse to cooperate, I am going to have to insist. You aren¡¯t going to make me insist, are you?¡±


    Trenchant Moore was reading through the Adventure Society file of Jason Asano that he hadn¡¯t been given before meeting the man in order to assess him without bias. Vesper Rimaros was already in the meeting room with him and they were joined by Liara and her team members, Ledev and Jana. Trenchant stood up as Liara entered and she waved him back to his seat. Ledev and Jana politely greeted the other princess.


    Rimaros high society thrived on hierarchy. While Vesper and Liara were close friends in private, in public their behaviour was dictated by station. This was restricted to the Rimaros high society, as foreign adventurers and those risen from humble beginnings were hardly expected to understand the sophisticated etiquette protocols.


    This inevitably did not stop some from looking down on those not raised in that world. This especially plagued those in the middle rungs who saw people that should be below them not sharing their deference to those above.


    When a group was entirely made up of Rimaros locals, things could get complex, even in a simple meeting. The hierarchy of the room was determined by rank and the roles individuals were serving in during any given interaction. As gold rankers, Trenchant, Jana and Ledev stood above the silver-rank Vesper in the social hierarchy but she was also a princess. Liara was a gold-rank princess and nominally held eminence, but Vesper was from a higher branch of the royal family. Trenchant was an explicit servant of the royal family, being a member of the royal guard. He was not on duty, however, and was acting in his capacity as a gold-rank adventurer. Further, he was the oldest and most experienced adventurer in the room.


    There was a familiar awkwardness as the people in the room took seats according to their relative positions. Even the fact that most people in the meeting didn¡¯t know its purpose affected their standing. Outside of a formal setting, most people defaulted to a respectful politeness of vague equality when the specific protocols were murky.


    ¡°If I may ask, your highnesses,¡± Ledev said to Vesper, ¡°why are we here?¡±


    ¡°I need an assessment of Jason Asano¡¯s capabilities as an adventurer,¡± Vesper said. ¡°In short, I need to know how far he can be pushed as an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°This boy again,¡± Ledev complained, earning him a glare from his sister. He immediately looked contrite.


    ¡°I apologise, your highness,¡± he said to Vesper. ¡°I simply fail to see why one silver rank adventurer warrants this much attention. Just look at the people in this room. We represent a powerful, prestigious and valuable force in dangerous and important times. What makes him worth having us gather like this? He¡¯s not even in a guild.¡±


    ¡°The man himself doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Vesper said. ¡°If someone else was in his position, we would be looking at them instead. In fairness to Asano, he never asked or attempted to be in the position he finds himself.¡±


    ¡°Quite the opposite, in fact,¡± Liara said. ¡°While many young adventurers might relish the attention of high-rankers and royalty, he is aggravated by it. He¡¯s had to deal with enough powerful people in the past that the sheen has most certainly worn away. Constantly dealing with those who significantly outmatch you would engender a sense of powerlessness.¡±


    ¡°He certainly isn¡¯t intimidated by gold-rankers,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°I¡¯m not often spoken to like I¡¯m someone¡¯s flunky. The fact that he immediately saw why I was there and clearly knew more than I only made it worse.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s arrogant,¡± Ledev said.


    ¡°You said it yourself, Ledev,¡± Jana told her brother. ¡°Look at the people in this room. If meetings like this were being held about me, I¡¯d be arrogant too.¡±


    ¡°Why are we having this meeting?¡± Trenchant asked.


    ¡°I need an assessment of Asano¡¯s abilities as an adventurer,¡± Vesper said. ¡°We need to know how far we can push him.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Trenchant asked. ¡°You said he is in some position without actually explaining what that position was.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± Vesper said. ¡°And political.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s only made worse because Asano is a valuable asset against the Builder, unrelated to anything else,¡± Liara added. ¡°His experiences against the Builder and his cult have left him with some unique capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Suffice to say,¡± Vesper said, ¡°that a very annoying man is at the crux of certain events. Who he is doesn¡¯t matter, only whether he makes a mess or helps us clear it up. What we need right now is to highlight Asano¡¯s capability with some contracts that will get him noticed. Which means knowing how deep a hole we can throw him in with a reasonable expectation of his climbing back out.¡±

 Chapter 504: The Part That Knows How to Quit

    Princesses Vesper and Liara were in a room with Trenchant Moore and Liara¡¯s teammates, Jana and Ledev.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with you, Ledev,¡± Liara said. ¡°What is your assessment of Asano?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s capable enough. Guild-level, and strong alone. His aura is¡­ formidable. He excels in solitary action but would be harder to incorporate into a team. His methods are unconventional, for an affliction user.¡±


    Trenchant Moore tossed the folder containing Jason¡¯s file onto the table.


    ¡°This assessment is wrong,¡± he said. ¡°It lists Asano as an affliction-using generalist. He¡¯s a specialist.¡±


    ¡°You consider him focused enough to be considered an affliction specialist?¡± Vesper asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s not an affliction specialist,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°Not as that term is commonly used. What is now called an affliction specialist used to be known as an affliction mage or affliction spellcaster. This is the commonly known approach of standing behind a wall of allies or summons and blanketing the enemy with afflictions from a safe distance.¡±


    ¡°That isn''t anything like what Asano does,¡± Jana said. ¡°We saw him go through several encounters and while he does use familiars, it¡¯s never to put them between himself and the enemy.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an affliction skirmisher,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°Hit and run tactics, high mobility, high efficiency. It¡¯s a specialisation that rarely appears and those that have it tend to die early, so it''s one you don¡¯t often see. Affliction skirmishers have a low margin of error and their survival is all about how well they expand that margin.¡±


    ¡°How do they compare to traditional affliction specialists?¡± Vesper asked. ¡°Are they better? Worse?¡±


    ¡°Like every specialisation, it''s a matter of circumstance. The right tool for the job. Since the job is usually standing there and killing a bunch of monsters, I¡¯d judge Skirmisher to be the less useful specialisation. Affliction spellcasters employ much safer strategies and, unless someone takes them out, are obnoxiously effective. They need a team built around them, but they¡¯re worth building around. You keep a good affliction spellcaster safe and it doesn¡¯t matter what or how much you¡¯re up against. They¡¯ll take it down eventually. The lead-in time hurts but their efficiency and overall damage output is unparalleled.¡±


    ¡°The skirmisher can¡¯t match that?¡±


    ¡°Partially, yes, but they need a broader array of powers, which leaves them with shortfalls. This is why Asano was pegged as a generalist. The biggest weaknesses of a skirmisher are being less effective against large numbers and the need to get in close. That is a high-risk proposition when you aren¡¯t quickly dropping targets like an assassination specialist. That¡¯s the low margin of error I mentioned.¡±


    ¡°There have to be advantages,¡± Jana said.


    ¡°Of course,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°When what you need are skirmish tactics, a skirmisher is obviously better. A caster is better in standing fights, but not every enemy is so accommodating. Also, solitary hard targets. In the higher ranks, any monster that spawns alone is a significant threat. An affliction caster¡¯s team needs to stand their ground, but dragon or garuda will take them apart before the afflictions do their job.¡±


    There were nods around the table. Rimaros adventurer culture was centred on specialist teams and they all knew the results of sending the wrong team against the wrong threat.


    ¡°An affliction skirmisher is fine ¨C and perhaps even best ¨C operating alone,¡± Trenchant continued. ¡°They can work in teams but are a bad fit for conventional ones and are a bad choice to build a team around. They do best in misfit groups that focus on versatility; the exact opposite of the team-building ethos in Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°Then, their main advantage is survivability?¡± Vesper asked.


    ¡°Yes, although it¡¯s not just about the kind of powers they have. Mentality is key. Affliction skirmishers are used to balancing on a sharp edge, so when things go wrong, they know how to handle it. Everyone at this table knows what to do if you find yourself up against a traditional affliction specialist.¡±


    ¡°You get past the team and hit them,¡± Ledev said. ¡°Then they¡¯re done.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Trenchant agreed. ¡°You know what I''d do if I was up against an affliction skirmisher? I''d run like the goddess of Pain was chasing me. I wouldn''t stand and fight unless I had a full team with me and, even then, I''d want a damn good reason. It''s common knowledge that you have to kill an affliction specialist before they dose you or you''ll die even after you kill them. Skirmishers don''t die easy.¡±


    ¡°So, in short,¡± Vesper said, ¡°they''re evil bastards.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Trenchant chuckled. ¡°If you ask me which affliction specialty is more useful, I''ll pick caster every time. It''s low-skill, which means reliable. Just churn through your abilities in the right order and don''t go further forward than the guy with the shield. Affliction skirmishers are like evasion-type defenders. It''s all about judgement, skill and margins of error, and if they get it wrong, they die. The ones that make it into the higher rank are very, very hard to kill.¡±


    ¡°I believe that,¡± Ledev said. ¡°I do not like Asano. I don¡¯t like his arrogance and I don¡¯t like his disrespect. But when they made that man, they forgot the part that knows how to quit. We watched him in a fight he couldn¡¯t win. A fight we set him up for, so they knew his powers and they were ready, but he never stopped struggling. Not for a single moment. It wasn''t just blind stubbornness, either. He looked for every edge, seized every advantage that would keep him alive for even a moment longer. I have to respect that kind of determination and resolve. If he fixed his attitude, he could be a fine adventurer.¡±


    ¡°A lot of things have tried to kill Jason Asano,¡± Liara said. ¡°You can see it in the way he fights. In his aura and his scars.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen his fully unleashed aura?¡± Trenchant asked.


    ¡°We saw him disable someone just with his aura,¡± Jana said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t just shock from aura suppression, either. It was like some kind of soul attack. I¡¯ve never felt anything like it.¡±


    ¡°I know the phenomenon you¡¯re describing,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°Have any of you worked with Amos Pensinata?¡±


    They all shook their heads, although they had all heard of the prominent gold-ranker.


    ¡°He¡¯s also suffered soul damage, and he can do things with his aura that other people can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡± vesper asked.


    ¡°If there¡¯s nothing in Asano¡¯s file about it, I¡¯m not going to say,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°It¡¯s not my place to tell you other people¡¯s secrets. All this holds true to what I know about affliction skirmishers, though. Traditional training methods hurt them more than help. I¡¯ve only seen a couple of great affliction skirmishers, and that was a long time ago. Both of them fought their way up from humble beginnings, with not much more training than a few months mentored under another adventurer.¡±


    He tapped the file in front of him on the desk.


    ¡°That¡¯s what Asano had. Some bronze-rank adventurers showing him the ropes before he got plunged into deep water.¡±


    ¡°In your assessment, then,¡± Vesper said, ¡°Asano can handle some high-profile contracts?¡±


    ¡°With respect, your highness, you¡¯ve held a politician¡¯s meeting to assess an adventurer. If you want to know if he can handle a contract, give him one. And I¡¯d recommend that you take one or two yourself. There¡¯s a monster surge on and I think you could use the perspective.¡±


    On his way to the Adventure Society campus to see Liara, Jason accidentally opened a portal to the market district teleportation square, instead of the one on campus.


    ¡°Oops. Still, I need a few minutes before my portal is available again. I guess I¡¯ll have to go check out the local cheeses.¡±


    ¡°I am uncertain of who that statement is directed at, Mr Asano,¡± Shade¡¯s voice came from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°You know that you are lying, I certainly don¡¯t believe you and even if anyone else were paying attention, I very much doubt they would care.¡±


    ¡°Someone¡¯s cranky today.¡±


    ¡°Gordon made me watch Gymkata again.¡±


    ¡°Did you lose another bet?¡±


    ¡°I still think he¡¯s using those eye orbs to look at my cards, somehow.¡±


    ¡°Then you should stop wagering. I thought you learned your lesson after he made you read the novelisation of Kazaam.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, your world has dark and terrible things.¡±


    A short while later, Jason was feeding little chunks of fresh meat to the little leech on his shoulder as he moved through the market stalls.


    ¡°I want to do a baked brie,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t know if they have an equivalent here, so I guess I¡¯ll just have to buy all the local cheeses I can find and see what I can do with them.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you restrict yourself to the cheeses that seem the most like brie?¡± Shade asked.


    "Absolutely not. It''s a magical world, full of surprises and wonder. What might look like dried figs could actually be some kind of magical brie. I''d best buy anything that looks like dried figs too, I guess. Or fresh figs. You can never be too careful."


    ¡°Mr Asano, what happened to going and seeing Princess Liara?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll get there.¡±


    ¡°At the risk of screaming futilely into the void, Mr Asano, you are not being very sensible.¡±


    Jason stopped.


    ¡°Shade, you¡¯re totally right.¡±


    ¡°I am?¡±


    ¡°Shade, I¡¯ve been a fool. I¡¯m completely ignoring cheesemongers. I need to go to that boutique shop district where Alejandro¡¯s tailor shop is.¡±


    ¡°This sucks,¡± Travis said. ¡°They have flying ships but their long-distance communication is this bad? Don¡¯t they have crystal balls or something?¡±


    ¡°Bro, maybe you could invent a magic phone. Could probably make some money out of it.¡±


    Travis Noble and Taika Williams were on the porch of a guest cottage on a sprawling country estate. The rest of the group were in dormitories that normally held young Gellers in training, but their connection to Jason had earned Taika and Travis preferential treatment.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to be developing anything any time soon,¡± Travis said. ¡°Most magitech is heavy on the tech and light on the magic because there was always so little magic to work with. Magic was always rough on tech-based comms, which is why people with communication powers were always so useful in proto-spaces. I didn¡¯t expect it to affect purely magical communication as well.¡±


    ¡°Long-distance communication has been the dream of artificers for a long time,¡± a female voice said. They looked up to see a young woman with a swarthy complexion and short-cropped hair approaching them.


    ¡°If you do ever manage to pry open that nut,¡± she said, ¡°your friend isn¡¯t wrong. You¡¯d earn yourself a fortune. In the meantime, we¡¯re trying to arrange a time where you can talk to Jason using the water-link system. We have our own chambers here on the estate, but we aren¡¯t allowed to use them without permission from the Adventure Society. Too many people use the system all at once and the whole thing fails.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, Henri,¡± Taika said. ¡°Did you know Jason well?¡±


    ¡°Not very well,¡± Henrietta said. ¡°He¡¯s on my brother¡¯s team and I did a short training tour with them once. It was long enough to see him do something insane, but that''s never a lengthy wait.¡±


    ¡°What did he do?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°You ever see that big scar running from his hip and across his abdomen?¡±


    ¡°No," Travis said.


    "Yep,¡± Taika added.


    ¡°He decided to fight a silver-rank monster when he was still iron-rank, the idiot.¡±


    ¡°I''ve heard about this,¡± Taika said. ¡°He talked about it in his recording crystals. The monster was attacking some village, yeah?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right. That was when I learned that guy¡¯s hero fixation was going to get him killed. Didn¡¯t expect him to come back from it, but he always was a bit odd. After him, I thought all you outworlders would be strange, but you¡¯re a pretty normal bunch.¡±


    Jason was stepping out of a cheesemonger¡¯s when he paused, tilting his head as if trying to hear a faint sound.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°I felt something,¡± Jason said. ¡°A gold-ranker, maybe. They tried to take a rummage through my aura but backed off when they sensed me sense them.¡±


    ¡°Should I investigate?¡±


    ¡°If you didn¡¯t sense them, you probably won¡¯t find anything without an aura to track, but go ahead. If you find anyone shady, let me know, but don¡¯t make trouble. That¡¯s my role in this relationship.¡±


    Several dark shapes slipped out of Jason¡¯s shadow and disappeared into the shadows around him.


    ¡°Really, Mr Asano?¡± Shade asked, as several of his bodies discretely moved off. ¡°Anyone shady?¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t trying to make a pun. If I was, I¡¯d have done better.¡±


    ¡°There is no better with puns, Mr Asano. There is only worse.¡±

 Chapter 505: Bad Apples

    Jason made his way through the basement levels of the Adventure Society complex until he reached the restricted areas. From there he was escorted to the Builder response unit¡¯s area; a series of securely sealed rooms surrounded by powerful aura containment. His escorts led him to Liara¡¯s office, where she was sitting behind her desk. She looked up from the report she was reading.


    ¡°You can leave him, thank you.¡±


    The escorts left them alone, closing the door behind them. She looked Jason over.


    ¡°Still no wardrobe update?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Quality takes time. I needed a full wardrobe refresh, after all. Also, I don¡¯t think Alejandro appreciated being used for Vesper¡¯s games. I can sympathise with his position.¡±


    ¡°I was expecting you earlier, Mr Asano. When I ask people to attend me, I am used to them being prompt.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet you are. You didn¡¯t specify a time and I had work to do.¡±


    ¡°Work? You¡¯ve already been to the jobs hall? There¡¯s a contract is waiting for you, which is what I called you in to tell you.¡±


    ¡°No, not that,¡± Jason said with a dismissive gesture. ¡°I¡¯m a whole new part of a whole new world. Do you have any idea what it¡¯s like trying to learn an entirely new spice palate? And that¡¯s before you even look at magical ingredients.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about cooking?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of my thing, and I¡¯ve been locked out for a while. There have been severe food shortages in my world.¡±


    The mention of Jason''s world arrested Liara''s retort. On top of ordinary curiosity, whatever Jason had been involved in during his time away was clearly impacting events on his return. She knew that Soramir would not want her to miss any chance to learn more.


    ¡°Why were there food shortages?¡±


    ¡°I was looking at hosting a dinner party where we could talk all about my time away,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t very well do that until I get a handle on the local ingredients, though. My cheese enchiladas went a bit wrong and they should have been nice and simple. But if I shouldn¡¯t be wasting my time on that kind of thing, I guess it¡¯ll have to wait.¡±


    She gave him a thin-lipped smile.


    ¡°You¡¯re very good at finding where to stick the dagger, aren¡¯t you, Mr Asano?¡±


    "I''ve found that I need to be, Princess. I was getting ready to come see you when I got your message, by the way. I thought I might be able to help with your interrogation of the Purity loyalists.¡±


    ¡°We will call on you at need. It¡¯s too early to put you in a room with them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not torturing them, are you?¡±


    ¡°Torture is unreliable. Other methods take longer, but get to the actual truth.¡±


    ¡°Other methods?¡±


    ¡°We use alchemical methods and ritual magic to induce a trance-like state where they are more open to suggestion. It still takes time and care to get past wilful resistance, especially with zealots. It''s a delicate process, which means no amateurs bumbling around. We''ll only need you once we have what we want from trance interrogation and we''re back to questioning them in their right minds.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get everything from this truth-hypnosis thing you¡¯ve got going on?¡±


    ¡°The trance state is good for details, but not for interpretation. For that, it''s just ordinary interrogation, which the trance questioning helps prepare for. That''s when we can use you; to change things up. Unbalance them."


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to step on anyone¡¯s toes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just let me know when you need me. I do have some information that I thought might be helpful, though.¡±


    ¡°Then please share.¡±


    Liara gestured to a seat opposite her desk and Jason sat.


    ¡°I was just checking my own records about the restrictions the Builder was placed under in terms of having me killed off.¡±


    ¡°You have records?¡±


    ¡°A crystal recording left by a benefactor.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose¡­?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Worth a try. Checking the details is a good idea, though, and I appreciate it. There has been an order of the Purity church in this region for many years, but knowing everything we can about why your presence has made them active will no doubt be helpful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I am the reason they¡¯re active. I know it seems like everything is about me, but that¡¯s just a trap people fall into because of my wild charisma, rakish charm and dashing good looks.¡±


    Liara gave him a flat look and he flashed an impish grin.


    ¡°I think when you leaked the information about my delivery run,¡± he continued, ¡°I was just a target of opportunity. I think Purity¡¯s henchfolk are up to something bigger than just handling me.¡±


    ¡°Why is that?¡±


    ¡°One of the requirements that have to be met before the Builder¡¯s lackeys can come after me is that I have to interfere in their affairs before they¡¯re allowed to take their shot.¡±


    Liara leaned back in her chair, tapping her chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°But they ambushed you. Is it that they¡¯re Purity followers and not the Builder¡¯s own people, so the restrictions are lesser?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think the person that set the terms would leave that big a loophole. Otherwise, he''d just throw a squillion bucks at some gold-ranker with no scruples to come and off me. And you were there. The Purity people made a point of how they were adhering to the stipulations."


    ¡°They did,¡± Liara said, tapping her chin thoughtfully. ¡°But they didn¡¯t mention anything about this interference clause.¡±


    ¡°Exactly, which is why I went and double-checked. I think they were able to come after me because I was interfering with their business.¡±


    ¡°You were on a delivery contract. How is that interfering in their business?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s been some attrition with the adventurers on supply contracts, right? The non-guild adventurers are competitive, but they also look out for one another. I¡¯m new at this and I¡¯ve already heard the talk.¡±


    ¡°Everything is stretched thin,¡± Liara said. ¡°People, assets, resources. We¡¯ve been in a state of semi-readiness for so long that it¡¯s all strained. Plus, this monster surge is already showing itself to be heavier than normal. The whole region will usually see one, maybe two diamond-rank monsters in an entire surge. The first week we had one attack Rimaros and another to the south, just inland of the Storm Kingdom¡¯s borders.¡±


    ¡°I thought the same thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not enough people, too much danger. But what if that¡¯s not all there is? What if Purity is using the fact that things are slipping through the cracks to enact some plot? If they were already intercepting adventurers on delivery contracts, then ambushing me wasn¡¯t a violation of the restrictions. It was me getting involved in what they were already up to.¡±


    Liara frowned and Jason waited in silence while she considered what he¡¯d told her. Then she opened a drawer in her desk and took out a file, setting it in front of Jason.


    ¡°Your team,¡± she said, ¡°is apparently just as good at locating themselves in the middle of a huge mess as you. They also had a run-in with the Purity church.¡±


    Jason took the file and started reading it over while Liara waited. He finished, setting the file back on the desk.


    ¡°Messengers, outworlders¡­ the Adventure Society is going to want me to go there.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society branches in Vitesse and Cyrion have already requested you be sent, yes,¡± Liara said. ¡°The Adventure Society Director here has declined, instead requesting that your team be brought to you. Along with Miss Hurin''s parents, as a courtesy.¡±


    ¡°Why bring all them here when events are taking place there? Please tell me it isn¡¯t just because of the politics.¡±


    ¡°His ancestral majesty feels that¨C¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about Soramir?¡±


    ¡°I am speaking of him, yes. With respect.¡±


    "It''s a funny thing, respect. It''s a word that a lot of people ¨C people on the higher end of the social strata ¨C use because it sounds better than subservience. Even when you''re talking about actual respect, why do you get to tell me what''s respectful? I come from a whole other world and a much lower social class. In my culture, friendliness is respectful and being impersonal is cold and hostile. I get it; this is your town, so your rules. But if you and Soramir came to my town, would you follow my rules? My etiquette?¡±


    ¡°He is a diamond-ranker, Mr Asano. He was a king. The first king of this nation and founder of the Rimaros dynasty.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯m a child of farmers and immigrants. Does that make me any less worthy of respect? Anecdotal evidence says yes because your family has not treated me with respect. You''ve used me and exploited me. You act like Zara''s actions were an embarrassment but you''ve treated me the exact same way she did, and at least she thought she wasn''t hurting anyone. Your family dragged me into this, and what have you done since? Dangled me like a fish on a hook, leaving me oblivious. Calling me to heel? Telling me how to act and how to dress? I''m not your child, I''m not your dog and I''m not your bait, Princess.¡±


    Jason stood up from his chair.


    ¡°Perhaps you should calm down, Mr Asano, before you say something you regret.¡±


    ¡°Remember that time you sold me out to the Purity church and I told you that I¡¯d get some rest and then say something stupid? Well, this is it, Princess, so buckle in. What did I do to deserve the way I¡¯ve been treated by you and yours? Not be powerful enough to tell you all to bugger off? I met one of you once, so now you get to own me? Unless I¡¯m not making it clear, if I get one more of you royal pricks making off-hand comments about respect while showing me none at all, then you are going to find out exactly why there are diamond-rankers, gods and great astral beings on my big list of enemies, yet I¡¯m still here. The Builder came for my soul, then he killed me, in person, but I¡¯m still here and he¡¯s still trying. You think I¡¯m scared of royalty? You¡¯ve got it arse-backwards, Princess. You should be scared of me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a silver ranker threatening one of the greatest powers in the world. You sound like a child throwing a tantrum. Is that how you think you¡¯ll get respect?¡±


    ¡°I am a child, by your standards and I¡¯m way past anticipating respect from the likes of you. Why would it suddenly start now? All I ever seem to deal with are people more powerful than me and I can count the ones who showed me respect without running out of fingers. Why are you the one asking for respect when I¡¯m the one pulled into this mess by your family? All you¡¯ve ever treated me as is a tool. A tool that you need to handle. Well, guess what, Princess? The handle on this tool just got very slippery, so you need to be careful next time you go to grab it.¡±


    Liara didn''t say anything, knowing it would just provoke another tirade. She waited in silence for his mood to calm as they stared at each other over the desk. There were undulations in his aura as it radiated pent-up fury. She could sense the festering nature of it, long-predating his arrival in Rimaros. She could tell that his eruption had been building up for some time and he needed to get it out. If anything, the release would make him easier to work with for having vented his frustration, so long as she let his outburst slide and didn''t provoke him further.


    ¡°You¡¯re right, Mr Asano. My family has not treated you with the respect due to an innocent person drawn into our problems through no fault of their own. I apologise for that. Perhaps, if you sit back down, we can discuss rectifying that.¡±


    Jason stared at her a long time before retaking his seat.


    "That¡­ wasn''t entirely directed at you," Jason said softly. "Don''t get me wrong; some of it definitely was, but that ship had a lot of momentum. You just happened to be in the way."


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve been through, Mr Asano. You do deserve respect, if for no better reason than I¡¯m certain that one day you are going to be gold rank, perhaps even diamond. His ancestral¡­ Soramir believes that you have spent your entire adventuring career up against forces that you have no business facing, but perhaps had no choice but to face. I don¡¯t know what he saw in your aura because he does respect your privacy enough to not tell me.¡±


    ¡°But not enough to not take a look. Your family is just one more in a long line of enemies.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t your enemies, Mr Asano, and we don¡¯t want to be.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not the first enemy to tell me that. You¡¯re not the first group to screw me over and then say ¡®hey, that was just a few bad apples, not the whole organisation.¡¯ Then they shaft me again. And again. It never goes quite the way they want and they always say the same thing, over and over. I know who you are. You''re the reasonable person standing at the front while the people behind you sharpen their knives.¡±


    ¡°What can we do to earn your trust, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Try a big wooden horse full of soldiers.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡±


    ¡°It means that it doesn¡¯t matter what you do. Even if it¡¯s an earnest gesture, all I¡¯ll ever see is another attempt to manipulate me. I¡¯ve been burned too many times to find new people to trust. You want to do something for me, Princess, then do what Soramir said he would in the first place. Bring the people I already trust to here or send me to them.¡±


    ¡°If you want to go to Vitesse or Cyrion, you can. We¡¯ll make that happen for you. But, as I was saying, his ancestral majesty believes that it¡¯s better for you and us if you¡¯re free and active. If you go, you¡¯ll be put in a room with the Magic Society¡¯s astral researchers and spend your days answering questions about outworlders. Danielle Geller has already snatched up the outworlders and spirited them off to one of the Geller estates, so her political capital is spent right now. She can''t protect you from that. But here, you¡¯ll be given the freedom to act.¡±


    ¡°Within the bounds set by your family.¡±


    "My family rule this kingdom. What do you want, Asano? To be above the law?"


    ¡°You are.¡±


    "The walls around me may be different from the ones around you, but they are no less real. Don''t pretend you''re too stupid to know that''s true."


    Jason nodded, acknowledging the point.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that if I leave the Storm Kingdom, I¡¯ll still have powerful people jerking me around. But here I have some leverage because you need my active participation.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. If you can¡¯t trust us, trust that we¡¯ll act in our own best interests. Right now, our interests require your cooperation, not your capitulation.¡±


    ¡°And here I thought Vesper was the politically adroit one.¡±


    ¡°I was raised with the same tutoring she was. It¡¯s just that she actually likes politics. I don¡¯t like the compromises. I don¡¯t like looking someone in the eye and telling them a lie that will hurt them. I like knowing who the bad people are and that it¡¯s not me.¡±


    Jason nodded again, and then spoke, his voice soft and gentle.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t feel good to be great at something you don¡¯t want to do, but have to.¡±


    ¡°No, it doesn¡¯t,¡± she agreed. ¡°How about this, Mr Asano? I¡¯ll try to do more asking and less telling. I¡¯ll talk to Vesper, but no promises, there. It¡¯s not much, but perhaps it can be a start. The first step on a path towards mutual respect.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    He tapped the file on the desk in front of him.


    ¡°I have questions.¡±


    ¡°Go ahead.¡±


    ¡°You requested my team be sent here. Was that approved?¡±


    ¡°The request is pending. The actions of the Geller family have complicated things.¡±


    ¡°The outworlders. They¡¯re all from my world?¡±


    ¡°That appears to be the case. They all seem to know you.¡±


    ¡°Do I know any of them?¡±


    ¡°I believe so. We¡¯re trying to get a list of names to answer that exact question, but things are complicated with the Geller family placing them under protection. It seems there is some contention between your team and the Magic Society. The Gellers intervened to prevent the outworlders being used for research.¡±


    ¡°Good. I heard how the Magic Society treated one of my team members from Rufus Remore, although maybe the whole organisation isn¡¯t so bad. Maybe it was just a few bad apples.¡±


    ¡°I suggest reaching out to the Geller family here in Rimaros. Perhaps they might provide a better line to the outworlders.¡±


    ¡°There are Gellers here in Rimaros?¡±


    ¡°There are Gellers everywhere, Mr Asano. You''d have to ask the church of Fertility about that.¡±

 Chapter 506: Idiot Plan

    Farrah and Rufus watched Jason slump into the cloud house like a beaten dog. He didn''t even use the doors, the walls opening in front of him and closing behind as he trudged in a straight line. They shared a look and got up, using the actual doorways to get to his room where they stood outside, knowing he would be aware of their presence. They waited, but there was no reaction. Rufus was about to call out to him but Farrah shook her head.


    ¡°Shade,¡± she said quietly. ¡°What happened?¡±


    Shade answered, his voice coming from Farrah¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Mr Asano regressed. Fell into old habits he had told himself that he wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly new,¡± Rufus said. ¡°He¡¯s kind of all bad habits. It¡¯s part of his charm.¡±


    Farrah looked at Rufus, then gestured with her head. They had a brief exchange using only expressions until Rufus shrugged and wandered off.


    ¡°Can you open the door, Shade?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Mr Asano has given me a measure of control over the cloud house in case it is necessary during his absence.¡±


    ¡°Then open it.¡±


    ¡°He is not absent now, Miss Hurin.¡±


    ¡°But it is necessary. Open the door, Shade.¡±


    The cloud house always radiated Jason aura¡¯s inside. As a mobile spirit domain, it wasn¡¯t just a soul-bound object but an extension of his soul. It didn''t reflect his condition at any given moment, however, being a reflection of his aura in a neutral state. It was a stark contrast to the aura that flooded out when the door to Jason''s room dissipated, no long longer holding back the aura of Jason himself.


    Farrah took a step back as an aura so thick it almost felt tangible washed out of the room. Although it wasn¡¯t visible to the eye, Farrah felt like she was caught in a sweltering bog, thick and heavy humidity turning the air into foul soup. She waded in to where Jason was sitting on the end of his bed, head bowed, and sat next to him. Her arm pressed into his as she leaned gently against him, not saying anything. Jason¡¯s aura subsided but neither spoke, Farrah waiting for Jason to talk when he was ready. It took a very long time.


    ¡°Why do I keep making the same mistakes?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Because you keep facing the same problems,¡± she told him. ¡°You¡¯re surrounded by people with too much power whose interests converge on you. We could just walk away. If you want to turn this house into a boat, say screw the Adventure Society, screw the royal family, screw the Builder and sail off into the sunrise, Rufus and I will stand right beside you.¡±


    She reached out and gave his hand a gentle squeeze.


    ¡°But we both know you won¡¯t,¡± she continued. ¡°You put up with it on Earth because of the people that would get hurt if you didn¡¯t. I won¡¯t pretend to know what it¡¯s like to have a whole world of people whose life and death are in my hands. Now there are so many people hiding behind the walls this Irios family built, and if their political rivals start interfering with their affairs¡­¡±


    Under her hand, Jason¡¯s clenched into a fist.


    ¡°That''s why you''re doing it here too. I won''t say that the way you handle things is always the best. Or ever the best, really, and I don''t know what mad thing you did today. But if that''s what it takes to get you through, then do it. Be who you are and forget about everything else.¡±


    ¡°I wasn''t meant to be who I am. I was meant to be better, but they won''t¡­ It wasn''t meant to be like this. It can''t just be Earth all over again. Not here.¡±


    His voiced cracked, coming out as almost a sob.


    ¡°I won¡¯t make it through that again, Farrah.¡±


    His head hung lower and he held it in his hands, not saying any more. His aura was leaking out again and, to Farrah, it felt like being inside a wound.


    ¡°Okay,¡± she said and stood up.


    ¡°I need to go to Livaros. Open me a door?¡±


    Jason flicked his hand and a portal rose from the floor in front of her. She squeezed his shoulder and stepped through. After a few moments, he reached out to close it with a gesture when Shade rose from his shadow.


    ¡°You may wish to leave it open, Mr Asano. A messenger construct arrived a short while ago to notify you that a contract is awaiting you at the jobs hall. It is a group contract and the group will be assembling at first light in the morning. You are requested to confirm or decline your participation by the end of the day.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, his voice barely a whisper. After a long while, he pushed himself to his feet as he was shrouded in dark mist. It swiftly dissipated, revealing his tropical attire to have been replaced by a combat robe in shades of dried blood. He stepped through the portal.


    Every sky island in Rimaros shared a feature: a column of water, a dozen metres across, rising from the sea to connect with the underside of the island. A solid stream, it was like the trunk of a tree, with the island as the branches. The column was the traditional pathway to enter a sky island, with only insiders allowed to move directly through the protective dome magic. For this reason, Farrah was on a boat that moved across the water towards the column beneath the royal sky island. It was a small boat with only eight seats, all filled.


    The boat pushed into the column, water engulfing the force dome that sprang up to keep the occupants dry. The column carried the boat up through the air, the water pushing into a hole in the bottom of the island. With so much water going in, Farrah absently wondered where it went. A few small streams were spilling off at various points around the sides, but far from enough to offset the huge amounts pushed up by the column.


    Reaching the underside of the island, the column of water carried them into a shaft that bored right through the island and up into a lake at the centre of the royal palace. This was a common design for sky islands, where buildings were constructed around a large pond or small lake that served as the entrance. The Irios-designed defences completely encapsulated the lake, invisible to the eye but overbearing to magical senses.


    The royal palace was set out in a ring, which was a dominant style in Rimaros architecture spawned by the design practicalities of the signature sky islands. The areas around the lake were the relatively low-security areas in which foreign dignitaries and other visitors were hosted. The palace was designed in a series of rings, with the outer and innermost rings having the least security, while the middle rings had the most.


    The boat surfaced in the lake and docked at a smaller example of the piers and marinas dotted around the lake. Moving from the boat to the pier meant going through the oppressive magical defences, which even a gold ranker would be a rash fool to attempt. Farrah was an expert in formation magic but the royal palace¡¯s defences were at a level of power and sophistication that she only touched on any understanding of.


    Leaving the palace through the barriers was a much easier proposition, the air shimmering around several royal guards as they stepped from the pier to the boat and started checking the passengers. The passengers were silver-rank at most, as were the guards sent to check on them. The guards were thorough, checking documentation and testing everyone with magical devices for shape-changing or dangerous objects hidden in dimensional spaces. One of the guards arrived in front of Farrah.


    ¡°I need your entry documentation, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have any.¡±


    ¡°Then you will have to go back with the boat, ma¡¯am. No documentation means no entry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need any. If a certain diamond-ranker doesn¡¯t send someone to come get me, he¡¯s going to regret it.¡±


    All the guards turned on Farrah, either drawing or conjuring weapons that were levelled at her throat.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t have documents, you have to leave,¡± the guard said. ¡°If you make threats, you don¡¯t get to.¡±


    A man moved along the pier with gold-rank swiftness and stepped onto the boat. He wasn¡¯t in a royal guard uniform but the guards stood at attention as he boarded.


    ¡°Commander Moore. I didn¡¯t realise you were on duty, sir.¡±


    ¡°Special assignment,¡± the gold-ranker said.


    He had pale skin, jet black hair and eyes like clear fragments of ice. His gaze fell on Farrah as he handed a document to the leader of the guards.


    ¡°My name is Trenchant Moore. You will come with me.¡±


    The guards checked the document, then swept Farrah with various devices.


    ¡°You¡¯ll need to leave your dimensional bag, ma¡¯am.¡±


    Farrah unhooked the heavy pouch from her belt and handed it over, not taking her eyes from Trenchant.


    ¡°Lead the way,¡± she told him.


    Liara came to an unremarkable door in the royal palace and stood waiting until it opened and she walked through. Inside was a balcony lounge that looked out over the palace rooftops to the lake at the heart of the palace. Soramir was standing on the balcony, hands clasped behind his back as he looked out. Liara moved behind him, maintaining a respectful distance, and bowed her head.


    ¡°Ancestral majesty, I may have made a mistake with Asano.¡±


    ¡°A level of hostility was inevitable,¡± Soramir said. ¡°Aura reading is not mind reading but I have seen the volatile frustration that has been building inside Asano since long before he came here. I already knew he was a pot ready to boil over.¡±


    ¡°He did. I¡¯m not sure how willing he will be to accommodate our needs, now. I think I have made Vesper¡¯s job a lot harder.¡±


    ¡°Why do you think he agreed to help us?¡± Soramir asked. ¡°I¡¯m sure you understand by now that he doesn¡¯t care about the royal family or its authority.¡±


    ¡°We promised to bring his team here.¡±


    ¡°That is what he asked for, but he would have helped us anyway.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°I have my suspicions, but we have a guest who I believe can hand us definitive answers.¡±


    Trenchant led Farrah through the royal palace.


    ¡°You are here about Jason Asano,¡± he said.


    ¡°You met him, right? They had you playing nursemaid on his airship ride.¡±


    ¡°Silver-rankers do not make demands of Soramir Rimaros, Miss Hurin.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know Jason well, then. I¡¯m just doing what he would do. If he was in better condition.¡±


    ¡°Something happened?¡±


    ¡°Something has been happening as long as I¡¯ve known him. What did you think of Jason?¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t intimidated by my rank.¡±


    ¡°He isn''t intimidated by gods. Do you know what a person has to go through to get to that place? He''s been in over his head as long as I''ve known him, burying the fear and panic under snark and mad bravado. This was meant to be his chance to stop dealing with diamond-rankers and great astral beings, but now he''s neck-deep in the royal family''s mess, with a whole fresh set of people way more powerful than him to deal with.¡±


    They reached a door that opened itself to let them in. Inside were Liara and Soramir Rimaros, standing out on an opulently appointed balcony lounge. They turned to face Trenchant and Farrah as they entered, Trenchant dropping to one knee.


    ¡°Ancestral majesty,¡± he said solemnly.


    ¡°Please stand, Commander Moore,¡± Soramir instructed.


    Trenchant stood up, mirroring Soramir¡¯s stance with his hands clasped behind his back.


    Farrah did not have Jason''s experience in dealing with diamond rankers. She had met them, most notably Rufus'' grandfather, Roland, but confronting them was an entirely different matter. She steeled her resolve in the full knowledge that everyone in the room would sense her struggles by reading her aura.


    ¡°Perhaps you could explain why you have come, Miss Hurin,¡± Soramir said.


    Farrah clenched her fists at her side.


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to explain myself,¡± she said, drawing raised eyebrows from Trenchant and Liara. ¡°I¡¯m here to tell you that you are going to give Jason what you promised him.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t come to our home and make demands,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°He came to ours,¡± Farrah said, still staring at Soramir. ¡°If a diamond-ranker comes to people like us and asks for something, it¡¯s always a demand. But you¡¯re just the latest in a very long line of people and things who want something from him and he doesn¡¯t have anything left. He¡¯s ready to crack like an egg, so if you want to get what you need from him, you¡¯re the ones putting up first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that simple,¡± Liara said. ¡°You might have noticed that there¡¯s a monster surge on.¡±


    ¡°Noticed it? I started it. Jason and I set it off in the first place and you think we care about your family¡¯s reputation? You look down on us and think we¡¯re small, but we¡¯re looking right back, thinking the exact same thing about you.¡±


    Soramir stepped forward, his aura spreading out a feeling of calm that oppressed the agitated Farrah and Liara.


    ¡°I will keep my promise to Jason Asano,¡± Soramir said. ¡°We are working on that.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t work on things,¡± she told him. ¡°You do things. If you want something enough, how many people in this world can stop you from getting it?¡±


    ¡°Everything has a price, Miss Hurin.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does. And it''s time to pay the price for Jason''s help or you won''t be getting it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Asano¡¯s decision to make,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°You¡¯ve looked into Jason¡¯s aura,¡± Farrah said to Soramir. ¡°You might know him better than anyone other than me.¡±


    ¡°As I told Princess Liara shortly before you arrived, aura reading is not mind reading.¡±


    ¡°But do you know what he¡¯ll say if I go to Jason and tell him to stop helping you without asking me why?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll say yes,¡± Soramir said.


    ¡°You¡¯re damn right, but that doesn¡¯t even matter. You people found a beaten dog and started kicking it. Now you expect it to do tricks. We all need to do something or he won¡¯t be in any kind of state to help you, which means you have two options: Forget about Jason, or do what it takes to bring his friends here and hope that¡¯s enough that he doesn¡¯t walk into the ocean and not come back out or just start murdering everyone.¡±


    Liara was agog at Farrah¡¯s brazenness but took her cues from Soramir and remained silent. She could feel Farrah¡¯s aura tremble under Soramir¡¯s, but her face was unflinching as she stared at the diamond-ranker. Liara was unsurprised that Farrah and Jason were close, both willing to stand in the face of significantly greater power and rail wildly against it. Even with Soramir¡¯s aura pressing down with a sense of calm that bordered on mind control, the air was tense. Farrah¡¯s fierce gaze was returned by Soramir¡¯s unreadable expression as silence extended between them.


    ¡°Before you came in here,¡± Soramir said finally, ¡°the princess and I were discussing why your friend Jason chose to help us. It is undeniable that we have dragged Jason Asano into events he never asked for and I know this has poked a wound he came here to heal. My family is used to getting our way because of our power, authority, and the respect people have for them, but these are the very things that aggravate Asano the most. Would you do me the favour of explaining why?¡±


    Farrah frowned.


    ¡°When I met Jason, he was doing something insane to help a bunch of strangers, because that¡¯s what he does. Jason has god-awful flaws, makes god-awful mistakes and is way too slow to learn from either. But from the day we met, he¡¯s been putting everything on the line to protect people with no power ¨C like the ones your political mess will hurt ¨C from people with power ¨C like you. As far as I¡¯m concerned, you can all burn. But he¡¯ll keep stepping up until it breaks him and that¡¯s the point he¡¯s just about reached.¡±


    ¡°You think we don¡¯t want to keep people safe?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you do, so long as it doesn¡¯t cost you too much. Jason doesn¡¯t want to protect people; he just does it. He pays the price every time because people like you won¡¯t, but he¡¯s running out of things to pay. It¡¯s cost him his family, his life more than once and it¡¯s on the edge of costing his sanity. I spent the last two years watching every hope he had turn to ash because of the things he had to do and the things he had to become. I¡¯m not letting that happen again. If that means walking into a royal palace and yelling at a diamond-ranker the way he would, then that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do.¡±


    Farrah had been stuck outside two transformation zones on Earth, knowing what he was up against and the price of failure, but unable to help. She had watched him come back each time, victorious but a little more broken. She was done waiting and watching, so she''d chosen to do the exact thing he would do: go somewhere she shouldn''t to yell at someone she shouldn''t and hope that by some miracle it accomplished something.


    Farrah and Soramir continued to lock eyes. Finally, Soramir gave a small nod.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do as you say,¡± he said. ¡°I will see to it that Asano¡¯s team is here within the next few days. In the meantime, Princess Liara, please go and take Mr Asano¡¯s name from the list of participants of the contract he¡¯s been assigned.¡±


    ¡°Ancestral majesty,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°That contract has already begun. Scouts reported that the target aperture was sealed and the expedition was sent early. I took a message for Princess Liara and was bringing it to her when Miss Hurin arrived and you directed me to bring her.¡±


    ¡°Was Asano with the expedition?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°Unknown, your highness. The message was directed to you in your capacity as a member of the Builder response unit. Asano was not mentioned either way, but Princesses Vesper and Zara were both noted as having departed with the expedition.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°Who came up with that idiot plan?¡±

 Chapter 507: The Days They Sing Songs About

    Trenchant returned to Soramir¡¯s balcony lounge after escorting Farrah away, finding the diamond-ranker mid-conversation with Princess Liara. He stood at attention, remaining quiet.


    ¡°I would have like to ask more on what she said about starting the monster surge,¡± Liara asked. ¡°I didn''t sense any lie from her, but is that even possible?¡±


    ¡°I had already suspected something along those lines,¡± Soramir told her. ¡°There has been speculation of interference in the natural process of the monster surge for some time. A possible scenario is that Asano and Hurin found a means to negate that interference. I would very much like to know more about their absence from our world, but I''m sure you''ll agree that this was not the moment to push.¡±


    ¡°I do, ancestral majesty.¡±


    ¡°Commander Moore, what is your opinion of Miss Hurin?¡±


    Trenchant spent a moment collecting his thoughts.


    ¡°She is passionate. Loyal. Brave. She was terrified to come here and confront all of us but she did so unflinchingly, knowing we could feel her fear and see through any lies. She has steel running through her.¡±


    ¡°Do you think it was a sensible move, coming here and talking to us like that?¡± Liara asked him.


    ¡°They don¡¯t write songs about sensible, your highness.¡±


    A smile crossed Soramir¡¯s face as he turned to gaze out over the palace rooftops.


    ¡°These are exciting times,¡± he said. ¡°The days they sing songs about. Such days belong to the bold and the courageous.¡±


    ¡°And the lucky,¡± Liara said. ¡°Most of the bold and courageous die early and easy.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Soramir said. ¡°But Asano has already done that. Let''s see where he goes from here.¡±


    ¡°What will you do about his team?¡± Liara asked. ¡°We''ve committed to bringing them here as quickly as we can, now. Will you push the Adventure Society? I don''t think Vesper wants things escalated to the point of your intervention becoming widely known. It will also burn some of the family''s goodwill with the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°One of the reasons I agreed was that Miss Hurin all but confirmed a suspicion of mine that may help us in that regard. It requires my owing a favour, but that can be an advantage in and of itself. A favour owed to the right person can help you establish a valuable connection.¡±


    ¡°You founded the Rimaros dynasty,¡± Liara said. ¡°Who is qualified to even be owed a favour by you? And what connection can''t you make just by turning up?¡±


    ¡°Both Jason Asano and Farrah Hurin have been telling us that there are larger interests in play than those of our dynasty. I think, perhaps, it is time we started to listen.¡±


    Jason was striding across the Adventure Society campus in his blood robes, heading for the jobs hall. Shade¡¯s voice spoke from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Mr Asano, another messenger bird has arrived at the cloud house.¡±


    Adventure Society messenger birds were small construct creatures, the written messages they carried were unlocked by the aura of the intended recipient, or destroyed if the bird was tampered with. For people like Jason, impervious to the bird''s tracking magic, they were less efficient and had to be sent to fixed destination points. Jason has his destination assigned to the cloud house, where the Shade body left to manage the building could contact him at need.


    ¡°The timetable for your contract has been moved up,¡± Shade continued. ¡°You have been directed to attend the jobs hall by the turn of the hour or you will be deemed non-participatory in the contract waiting for you. The message directs you to the Jobs hall¡¯s priority contract office instead of the main centre.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t respond other than to change the direction in which he was walking.


    ¡°Perhaps you should decline this contract, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason still didn¡¯t respond.


    ¡°Mr Asano, I feel obligated to point out that you can sometimes enter a certain frame of mind where the choices you make are ones you ultimately come to regret.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s one more regret?¡± Jason snarled, then his expression softened. ¡°Thank you for your concern, Shade. But that is concern enough.¡±


    Jason found the priority contracts office within the jobs hall, where he didn¡¯t have to wait long.


    ¡°Sorry for the last-moment change, Mr Asano,¡± the Adventure Society functionary told Jason as she handed over his documentation. ¡°If you head out that door, past Trade Hall C and turn left, you¡¯ll come to Marshalling Yard H. It¡¯s the smaller one on the right; there are signs posted.¡±


    Jason nodded, stowed the documents in his inventory and left.


    Unlike Greenstone and its single marshalling yard, the Rimaros Adventuring Society had many. It was functionally no different, just a gathering place for adventurers about to head on contracts. Marshalling Yard H was one of the smaller ones, set amongst the gardens that spread through most of the campus. There were benches around the edges, although only two of the gathered expedition members were using them.


    The gold-rank expedition leader, Jeni Kavaloa, was checking her pocket watch. The guild team had arrived, along with the bulk of the independents. She wasn¡¯t happy about being saddled with the mixed group, especially since the late inclusion of two princesses told her that the reasons behind it were political. She detested people playing games with Adventure Society activities, which were life and death affairs.


    There were still three people who still hadn¡¯t arrived, presumably missing the notification of the time change. The eleven they had, plus Jeni herself, were enough that they didn¡¯t need to call on supplementary forces. There was also a little time until the portal specialist arrived at the turn of the hour for more people to arrive.


    The six-person guild team were standing easy and relaxed. They were typical of their kind. Young and at the low end of silver-rank, they were still flush with their team¡¯s first successes independent of gold-rank supervision. Being back under a gold-ranker for this expedition had them chafing at the bit and looking for a fight.


    Stuck waiting, the place they had to look was with the loose adventurers assigned to the expedition. It was unusual to mix guild and non-guild except for large operations or specific reasons. The fact that two of the other adventurers were royalty made the political games being played even more obvious.


    The guild members were not fool enough to mess with a pair of princesses, who were the only expedition members sitting on the available benches. Instead, the guild people were harassing the other three for fun.


    The unaffiliated expedition members were not gullible enough to let themselves be provoked. They had their own ambitions of guild membership and, without family or political connections, that meant showing their professionalism. It wasn''t the brash young guild members they wanted to impress but the gold-ranker and the two princesses.


    One member of the guild group stood out from the others, standing impassively aside while his fellow guilders teased the independents. Jeni noted that he seemed to know one of the princesses, at least in passing, having nodded greetings on their arrival.


    Jeni wasn¡¯t happy with this strange soup she had been assigned to supervise. It was a volatile mix that reeked of politics, leaving her with a sense of another shoe, waiting to drop. When she sensed the approach of a strange aura, she felt that it was about to. A man in dark red robes entered the marshalling yard. His eyes weren¡¯t normal, blue and orange with black sclera, and he had scars on his face.


    For a silver-ranker, his aura was hard to make out. She was certain that none of the other silver-rankers could see past its fa?ade. Even Jeni herself could barely sense what lay within, but even that disturbed her. Trapped behind the rigid control, it was a maniac in a cage, howling into the dark.


    Jeni felt reactions from some of the other adventurers as he appeared. The two princesses recognised him, as did the quiet guild adventurer. She read curiosity and surprise from the guild adventurer, while one of the princesses was wary. The other was an odd mix of trepidation and shame, standing up and staring as the man arrived. This did not go unnoticed by the other adventurers.


    The man didn¡¯t so much as glance at any of them as he strode up to Jeni. He plucked his contract documentation from a dimensional space and held it out for her inspection. She took it and read it over.


    ¡°You only confirmed your participation a few minutes ago.¡±


    He met her gaze evenly, not intimidated by her rank.


    ¡°At least you aren¡¯t late,¡± she said. ¡°Barely. I would recommend that you be more prompt when it comes to contracts, Mr Asano. When you are not, it makes things more difficult for the administration. They have enough problems to deal with already without unnecessarily adding more.¡±


    Jason nodded, moving to an empty bench away from everyone else and sat, gazing down at the ground in front of him. One of the guild members, deciding that the other trio were no sport, sauntered in Jason''s direction.


    ¡°What about you, new guy? Think you¡¯ve got what it takes to¨C¡±


    The guild member skittered back like he¡¯d touched a hot stove when Jason raised his head to meet the guild member¡¯s gaze. Only the man himself and the gold-rank Jeni had felt the spike of aura lance through the man¡¯s aura defences, although everyone felt the result. The man lost his composure as his aura was popped like a soap bubble. It immediately snapped back up, radiating shock, shame and the anger of a man startled by an unexpected moth flying in front of his face.


    ¡°Weak,¡± Jason mumbled, his voice gravel as he turned his eyes back to the ground.


    Fury covered the man¡¯s face and Jeni was about to step in when someone beat her to it. The guild member who recognised Jason stepped forward and placed a restraining hand on his companion¡¯s shoulder. The quiet man¡¯s aura was calm and stable, helping the angry man settle.


    ¡°You know this guy, Orin?¡± the angry man asked.


    ¡°Complications,¡± Orin said. ¡°Best left alone.¡±


    The leader of the guild team, Korinne, moved up to them.


    ¡°That guy spiked one of ours, Orin,¡± she said. ¡°We¡¯re going to need more than that before we let that pass.¡±


    Orin looked from Jason to Zara, then back to Jason.


    ¡°He¡¯s like my uncle.¡±


    Apparently deciding that was enough, Orin walked back to his original position. The other two looked a little pale as they gave Jason another glance.


    ¡°Let it go,¡± Korinne said to her still-angry team member. ¡°You don¡¯t want to make an enemy of the next Amos Pensinata.¡±


    Jeni was glowering at the exchange. Whoever had assembled the expedition roster was like a mad alchemist, throwing volatile ingredients in a pot to see what happened. She narrowed her eyes on Vesper Rimaros, suspecting her of being the alchemist in question.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± she muttered to herself. ¡°This is going to go great.¡±


    The hour came and the last two members didn¡¯t arrive before the gold-rank portal specialist. Jeni knew the man in passing but, also knew how in-demand his time was at the moment, so they didn¡¯t exchange more than quick nods before he opened a portal and she ushered the group through. The portal user was not tasked to follow them, so the group would need to make its own way back.


    The small expedition emerged from the portal into an abandoned village, surrounded by jungle. The population had been evacuated to a fortress, the livestock they were forced to abandon left behind now mostly-devoured carcasses. The quadrupedal lizard creatures were similar to cows in nature, used for milk and meat. Common practice was to set them loose, to draw monsters away from the empty village, but these had wandered into the township instead of the wilderness. Whichever monsters had roamed through and killed them hadn''t done much damage to the buildings, so the residents would return to largely intact homes.


    The town¡¯s emptiness reminded Jason of the rural towns of Earth, abandoned during the monster waves. He had seen plenty of them as he roamed around, hunting for the right nodes to recalibrate the link between worlds. That task was not entirely complete, but until the monster surge was over the dimensional forces at play would make any attempt to modify the link on this side pointless.


    Jeni gathered the group together to update them on the contract.


    ¡°As you know, we were going to investigate potential Builder cult activity around an astral space aperture. The scouts monitoring the target site sent updated information that a group of Builder cultists did, indeed move in on it, which is why they backed off and sent work back. The timeline was stepped up and here we are. Unfortunately, the cult has had that intervening time to get in, start whatever they are up to and fortify against people like us coming to stop them.¡±


    An icy cloud formed at her feet.


    ¡°We are going to be moving fast as we can without risking drawing monster attention,¡± she announced. ¡°Asano, I¡¯m told you have communications and scouting abilities.¡±


    You have received a party invitation from [Jason Asano]. Accept Y/N?


    Seven Shade bodies rose from Jason¡¯s shadow and dashed off into the jungle. The guild team¡¯s leader, Korinne, spoke up.


    ¡°Ma¡¯am, our team scout is reliable. Perhaps we should use her instead of relying on an independent¡¯s familiars.¡±


    Jeni didn''t let her unhappiness show. She had seen that the stoic Orin held an amount of respect within the guild team and she''d been hoping his influence would keep a lid on things. Korinne, however, was unwilling to let Jason''s blow to the pride of her team member slide. Jeni looked at Korinne, then turned to the woman she knew to be the guild team¡¯s scout.


    ¡°Rosa Liselos, isn¡¯t it? What do you say, Liselos? Can you do better than Asano¡¯s shadows?¡±


    Liselos glanced at Orin, then flashed an apologetic look at Korinne before turning back Jeni.


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am. My senses are sharper than most and I¡¯ve already lost track of them. I can¡¯t hide any better than that.¡±


    Jeni turned back to Korinne.


    ¡°Anything else to say about how I¡¯m commanding this expedition?¡±


    ¡°No, ma¡¯am.¡±


    ¡°Correct.¡±


    Jeni then addressed the group at large.


    ¡°We¡¯re moving out,¡± she ordered. ¡°Keep those auras restrained; no point letting them see us coming until we have to. We¡¯ll rely on scouting to keep us secure. Liselos, you¡¯ll sweep our wake to make sure nothing is stalking us.¡±


    ¡°Yes, ma¡¯am.¡±


    The expedition members took out various means of personal transport, from powers like Jeni¡¯s floating ice cloud to construct creatures kept in dimensional storage. Shade took the form of a saddled panther-like creature with a long body and eight legs. It had glowing white fangs, claws and eyes. Jason slid into the saddle on its back and the group moved out.

 Chapter 508: The Source of the Madness

    Jason knew from his map that the expedition had been portalled to somewhere in the north of Colombia, which in this world was in the southwest of the Storm Kingdom. They headed south, on the same wide, well-maintained roads Jason had travelled on during his delivery contract.


    The group experimented with the chat features of Jason''s party interface, the guild team clearly having used similar abilities before. They explained them to the unaffiliated after some basic functionality tests, so Jason remained silent and let them.


    Party member [Zara Rimaros] wishes to open a private chat channel. Accept Y/N?


    Jason declined, not so much as casting a glance at the princesses. Zara was on a cloud, similar to that of Jeni, but instead of ice, hers was a volatile roiling of air and water. It looked like she was standing in a small, very contained tropical storm. Vesper rode a construct version of a heidel that looked like a two-headed horse made of sapphires. Of all the transportation modes, it was the most eye-catching. Some of the others didn¡¯t bother with transport, using movement powers to keep up on foot.


    Others in the group, especially the guild members who had been watching the royal members of the expedition, noticed her looking at him. Jason noted the resulting hostility in their auras but offered no more reaction than he did to the princess. The only one that interested him at all was Orin. As well as being the most steadfast of the group, he was fresh from a rank up. All of the guild team were in the earliest part of silver-rank, but Jason had met Orin just days earlier when he¡¯d been at the peak of bronze. Orin was one of Kasper Irios¡¯ friends, being the quiet member of that group as well.


    It was typical of adventurers to push themselves to the peak of their current rank before a monster surge. Using the surge itself to cross the threshold and get a jump on the next rank was a practice Jason had been told about during his earliest days as an adventurer. With how delayed the surge was, he had no doubt that many people were prepared and either had or were about to join Orin in crossing the line. Vesper Rimaros, for example, was at the very high end of silver rank.


    A dozen people moving through the jungle at a goodly speed did not go unnoticed and the expedition was attacked by a large pack of silver-rank monsters. They came from the rear but the expedition was ready, having been alerted by the guild scout trailing the main group. Jason had already sensed their approach when the warning came and was certain that the gold-rank expedition leader had as well. More than forty flying snakes with flickering insect wings came over the jungle canopy and into the open space above the road. With darting movements, like giant dragonflies, they spat poison globules before diving in to try and land venomous bites.


    Auras erupted out from the dozen adventurers, an overlapping slew of powerful effects. Not all of them were useful to every person, like one that enhanced lightning-based damage, which did nothing for Jason. But there were also speed and strength enhancements, damage reduction effects and boosts to sensory powers; a cornucopia of augmentations demonstrating the advantage of essence users acting in concert.


    Jason didn¡¯t bother to act, sitting on his mount and watching the others. Jeni did the same, observing the team in action. Whenever a monster targeted either, they responded with a savage aura spike that persuaded the beast to move on to other targets.


    The three unaffiliated adventurers were capable, acting quickly and decisively, but were outclassed by the others. Vesper was moving like a dancer, sword in hand as she chanted a sonorous song that disoriented the monsters. The effect was slight but telling, even the minimal advantage something the expert adventurers could capitalise on.


    Zara used a combination of wind and water powers to attack the monsters and control the environment. She conjured walls and blades of water and slammed the snakes through trees with focused blasts of wind. With so many adventurers around, she left the monsters for more damaged-oriented allies to finish off while she set up the next monster for slaughter.


    Most impressive was the guild team, their six members a chorus of power and synergy. When they all fired off abilities at once it was almost simultaneous, staggered just enough to land in the optimal sequence. Jason was forced to acknowledge that the famous arrogance of the guilds was not without basis as they took the monsters apart. The guild team was a well-oiled machine, and that machine was a meat grinder.


    Jason might have it all over them in terms of adventuring experience, but their training regimens had started before they got their first essence and continued through iron and bronze rank. The results of that were playing out in front of Jason as he watched. If things went wrong, that¡¯s when experience like Jason¡¯s was valuable. In their element, though, even a relatively inexperienced guild team showed Jason adventurers as he''d never seen them.


    Korinne, the team¡¯s leader, sent orders swiftly, her efficiency only enhanced by Jason¡¯s communication power. There was no sign of the unruliness she had demonstrated earlier as her training kicked in and she relayed orders that were followed to the letter. Once the fight started, her whole team showed the discipline that had been lacking as they fooled around back in the marshalling yard.


    Monsters were pinned by control abilities, weakened by debuffs and hammered with a flurry of damaging powers. There was a clockwork precision to the process that had the guild demolishing the enemy at an incredible pace. Jason had never seen silver-rank monsters slaughtered with such speed and efficiency.


    As the fight played out, Shade notified Jason that his long-deployed scouts had found the target site. As Shade relayed that information, Jason slowly and carefully diminished his aura, so as not to alert the gold ranker.


    Once the last of the monsters were finished off, Jeni realised that someone was missing. She had seen Jason staying out of the fight at the start, but hadn¡¯t pushed him. She was worried enough about his stability that she might have even preferred if he did nothing during the whole expedition. This was reinforced when she realised that he had slipped away during the latter part of the battle. Despite her gold-rank senses, in the mess of overlapping auras, Asano¡¯s had smoothly vanished. He and his mount had disappeared with it.


    ¡°Did anyone see Asano go?¡± she asked.


    The rest of the group all looked around, blank-faced. Jeni closed her eyes and winced.


    ¡°I knew I was going to hate this job.¡±


    She spoke to Jason through voice chat.


    ¡°Mr Asano, what are you doing?¡±


    Party leader [Jason Asano] has set his incoming voice chats to mute.


    She shot a flat glare in Vesper¡¯s direction.


    ¡°I hate politics so much.¡±


    Shade, scouting ahead, had found the aperture and the Builder cult force guarding it. Jason had shadow-jumped directly to his familiar and was now observing the cultists from hiding, crouched in the thick jungle growth.


    The aperture was inside a small cave, little more than a deep indent in a stone outcropping. Outside the cave, the cultists had cleared a huge section of jungle. The resulting fallen trees and scrub was still in the process of being burned away. The tools being used were whirling saw blades and flamethrowers incorporated into the bodies of hulking construct creatures and people converted into half-construct abominations.


    The constructs were a wild mismatch of designs, from crabs to centaurs to humanoids. The centaur constructs had two heads, despite the top half being humanoid and Jason realised they were based on half-heidels instead of half-horses. The semi-construct converted were downright disturbing, with much of their bodies replaced with artificial parts like magical cyborgs.


    There were centaur variants among the converted as well, although these were single-headed because the top halves were all living celestine torsos. They were grafted onto construct bodies for the lower halves and not just heidel bodies. Others were in the form of large cats, scorpions and spiders.


    Other flesh abominations had artificial limbs replacing or in addition to their own, emerging from almost any part of the body. It would have been comical if it hadn¡¯t been so grotesque, filling Jason with revulsion. These weren¡¯t prosthetics used to help people overcome injury or disability. These people had been butchered to create monsters, many quite likely against their will. That was how the Builder had done it when Jason and his team fought them in the astral space and there was no reason he wouldn¡¯t do it again.


    The constructs and the magic cyborg converted were the bulk of the force, some eighty at bronze rank and another twenty at silver. Although their numbers were high, they needed to be, as individually they were no match for an essence user. That might be less true in Greenstone, but the guild team Jason had just observed would land on them like artillery fire.


    The key to creating both the construct creatures and the converted were the clockwork cores inside them. The purpose of the clockwork cores was to rapidly expand the Builder¡¯s forces, producing constructs and converted at a greater pace than any equivalent power could be assembled. As invaders, the ability to rapidly expand their initial forces was of incredible value.


    The sources of the cores were clockwork kings, which Jason had only seen one of. It was an ancient and crippled one, dug up on Earth by the Engineers of Ascension. They had used the damaged cores it could still produce as part of their human augmentation project.


    Before his death, the EOA leader, Noreth, had given Jason access to a vault filled with EOA secrets and resources. The clockwork king counted as both and Jason had destroyed it himself, making sure no one would be able to use it again.


    Clockwork kings were gold rank and Jason didn¡¯t sense any auras on that level. The kings weren¡¯t built for stealth and, even if they were, it was very hard for the Builder¡¯s power to escape Jason¡¯s attention. As such, any clockwork king in the vicinity would have to be on the other side of the aperture, inside the astral space. Jason turned his attention to the forces he was certain of.


    Leading the small army of constructs and abominations was a cadre of essence users. Jason could sense the star seeds worming through their bodies and souls. There were five silver-rankers and a dozen bronze.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said, next to Jason in the undergrowth. ¡°While I fear the answer is obvious, I am obligated to ask if this is truly the approach you wish to take. I know you wish to assess the effectiveness of your ability to influence objects related to the Builder. My concern is that, in another state of mind, perhaps, you might come to regret using people ¨C even these people ¨C as subjects of weapon experimentation.¡±


    Jason turned his head to look at the shadow creature beside him, then back out at the enemy.


    ¡°At this point, what¡¯s one more regret?¡±


    Clockwork cores and star seeds were the two kinds of artefacts the Builder used to invest power into its minions. Clockwork cores were the lesser, being produced by other minions rather than the Builder itself and not direct conduits to the Builder. Because they were not, it was even possible to use them outside of the Builder¡¯s influence.


    Jason had already tested his power against the damaged, modified variants that the EOA salvaged. The effects there had been extreme and lethal. Now, he was going to test his influence over the undamaged, unmodified variant.


    He didn¡¯t bother to hide, stepping out of the jungle, shrouded in his starlight cloak. His aura washed out like a flood over the Builder¡¯s minions and Jason used it to reach into the constructs and abominations.


    Jason had hoped his influence over the clockwork cores would allow him to shut them down entirely. What he found was that he could do far more than that, at least with the weaker bronze-rank enemies. He had experience erasing the Builder¡¯s imprint from the dimensional door and absorbing it for his own, plus the power the door gave him in influencing other Builder artefacts with his aura. This allowed him to seize control of the bronze-rank constructs entirely, erasing their Builder¡¯s imprint and making them his own.


    As for the silver-rank constructs, he lacked the strength to take them over. The best he could do was impede their coordination and speed while directing the bronze-rank ones to attack them.


    The results with the cyborg-like converted were different and much more horrific. Seizing control of the artificial parts of their bodies through the cores inside them left the flesh fighting the steel. The abominations started ripping themselves apart, the artificial parts yanking themselves off the flesh to which they were macabrely welded. Whirling saw-blade limbs and flame-spitting orifices turned on the very bodies they were attached to.


    Like their construct equivalents, the silver-rank abominations were more resistant to control than the bronze-rankers. The fleshly part of them resisted Jason¡¯s efforts, but that flesh also made them vulnerable. The freakish bodies of the abominations were kept alive by the magic of their artificial parts. Rather than try and take full control, Jason focused on shutting off the magic in the artificial parts that kept the living parts alive. The converted were soon gasping for air and bleeding from their eyes and the points where flesh met steel.


    Within moments of his appearance, and without so much as raising a hand, Jason had turned the construct army into a gruesome and chaotic spectacle of death. He walked slowly across the torched clearing, stepping over smouldering logs and around still-burning brush that threw smoke up and out over the jungle.


    The essence users escaped the sudden and gruesome chaos, fighting their way free of the army that, moments ago, had been under their control. Their attention locked on Jason, whose aura was unhidden and obviously the source of the madness. As the essence users moved towards him, the five silver-rankers tried exerting suppressive force with their own auras to negate Jason¡¯s influence on their army. The attempt was a miserable failure as their auras shrunk back from Jason''s as if stung.


    The auras of the essence users were thick with the Builder¡¯s energy, shaped by the star seeds in their souls. Jason knew that power, which was scored onto his soul in the Builder¡¯s attempts to torture Jason into accepting a star seed. As a result, there was no power that Jason knew better how to fight back against.


    Jason poured his rage onto the essence users, smashing their auras to nothing. He didn''t stop there, attacking their very souls the way their master had once attacked him. In doing so, the Builder had invested in Jason the very same ability, effectively handing a powerful weapon to his enemy.


    Their souls were as inviolable to Jason as his own had been to the Builder. Unless they opened themselves up to him, which they never would, he could only do what their master did to him and scour their souls, inflicting a pain that transcended the physical.


    Pain, as it turned out, was enough.


    The bodies of the bronze rankers were unable to handle it, collapsing to the ground. The silver-rankers were stronger, but not strong enough, stopping dead in their tracks. That was when the Builder stepped in personally.


    Star seeds had two elements: the physical element in the body and the spiritual element in the soul. Jason felt the Builder''s power flood through the spiritual element and into the physical element, allowing it to take control of their bodies, bolstering them with power. Jason had once fought such a vessel and knew how strong they were, but to become one was a death sentence.


    Any unprepared vessel could only embody a greater astral being for minutes before burning out. The vessels Jason had seen in the past, like Thadwick, had gone through weeks of preparation and even they lasted only so long. The vessels also embodied the Builder¡¯s power, meaning they were no longer allowed to take action. Even before Dawn had gained concessions from Shako, The Builder had conceded to the World-Phoenix and the Reaper that it would no longer use vessels on Pallimustus. By embodying the essence users through their star seeds, he had rendered them unable to act. Like Dawn representing the World-Phoenix, Builder vessels could do no more than talk.


    The bronze-rankers got to their feet and the silver rankers moved forward, forming a line in front of Jason. Their synchronized voices were cold and mechanical as they spoke in a perfect chorus.


    ¡°Asano.¡±

 Chapter 509: A Fair Fight

    Jason looked at the vessels of the Builder arrayed in front of him. Yet again, the Builder was pushing the boundaries of its agreement with the other great astral beings, reinforcing their unreliability. It reminded him all over again that none of them cared about the welfare of one mortal. Their only concern was how he could impact their agenda or, perhaps, their pride as higher beings as they looked down on mortals.


    Once again, Jason found himself in front of some vastly more powerful entity, and he was tired. Tired of ranting. Tired of anger. Tired of challenging powers he had no business standing in front of. He wondered what the Builder even wanted from him, this time. What did it get out of talking?


    Jason looked towards the shallow cave with the aperture inside.


    What the Builder got from talking to Jason was Jason talking back. While Jason made another speech full of threats he couldn¡¯t possibly carry out, the Builder would have time to direct his forces within the astral space and converge on the aperture, waiting for Jason¡¯s arrival.


    Jason didn''t say anything to the Builder''s vessels, instead, sinking into his own shadow and reappearing in the dark mouth of the cave. The aperture was a glowing, circular portal, flickering like a television with bad reception.


    ¡°Keep an eye on it,¡± Jason said as a Shade body left Jason¡¯s shadow and Jason stepped into the portal. Astral spaces were too stable for him to enter from anywhere, the way he could with a proto-space, but his power did allow him to ignore the seals on apertures.


    The Builder''s vessels turned in unison as Jason vanished from in front of them and reappeared in the cave, moving directly into the aperture. A shadowy figure moved out of the cave, slipping from shadow to shadow through the still-fighting constructs and semi-construct flesh abominations. It exited the melee unaccosted and approached the Builder¡¯s vessels. They were already showing signs of breaking down, their skin turning stony and starting to flake.


    ¡°Reaper spawn,¡± the vessels chorused in perfect unity with cold, mechanical voices.


    ¡°Great being,¡± Shade greeted respectfully. ¡°I have spent some time on Mr Asano¡¯s homeworld, as you know. They do not have any gods that I am aware of, yet it is a world rife with stories of them. The gods in most of these mythologies are very mortal in their failings. They have story after story of petty, vain and cruel deities, using mortals as proxies in their conflicts, always to the suffering of the mortals. I had thought this a reflection of their own inadequacies; a collective social assertion of higher beings just as flawed as they, thus excusing their own shortcomings. Now I find myself wondering if I was incorrect. Many of these myths stem from a period in which one of your clockwork kings was entombed. I do not know what it was doing there, but perhaps whatever your involvement in that world inspired the pettiness, cruelty and vanity of their mythological deities.¡±


    ¡°You are impudent, spawn.¡±


    ¡°And you are thirteen billion years old, yet somehow the same sixteen-year-old boy who was ascended to his position. I do not know how you were chosen, but the great astral beings have made enough other mistakes that I know their decisions are not infallible.¡±


    ¡°You are limited, spawn. Measuring me by the time reference of this petty world only makes it plain.¡±


    ¡°Yes, that is what limits me,¡± Shade said. ¡°The arbitrary value by which I chose to account for time. I shall take it as a lesson learned and consider myself appropriately admonished.¡±


    Jeni Kavaloa was moving swiftly, rushing towards the aperture with the rest of the expedition. They had spotted the smoke in the distance and left the road, heading through the jungle towards it. Jeni had given up on any kind of delicate process, sending out a wild storm of ice blades to open a path. The fast-moving and razor-sharp cloud annihilated every obstacle in the group¡¯s path as they dashed behind it on their various means of transport. Trees were smashed to splinters and undergrowth was sliced to confetti. The ice blades even went through a rock the size of a house, the group riding through a dust cloud as pebbles rained down on them.


    Jeni was not straining her senses, since the aura projection required to do so could alert monsters at even greater range than the noise her demolition cloud was making. Even so, her gold-rank perception picked up what was happening in the clearing well before they reached it, although none of it made any sense. She had fought the Builder¡¯s forces before and recognised the auras of their construct creatures and macabre converted. What she had not seen before was them fighting each other.


    That barely entered her attention, however, compared to the other auras on the scene. Most were bronze-rank with a handful of silvers but there was something inside all of them that was more dangerous than their rank. It was a power like that of a manifested god, but also different and alien. She could only assume this was the presence of the Builder, as she had heard of it taking vessels, but none had been seen since the early days of the cultist conflict. Whatever the power was, she could sense it rapidly eating the people containing it from the inside out.


    What she could not sense was Jason Asano.


    Jason was moving before he had time to even sense his surroundings as he emerged from the portal. Even so, he was riddled with attacks. His cloak intercepted the weaker ones, but a flaming projectile seared through his robes to scorch his torso and a spear pierced through his gut and out the other side.


    The astral space was some kind of sweltering, subterranean space and Jason easily disappeared into the shadows, even with a spear still lodged in him. He didn¡¯t bother to look back, moving fast but silently through what turned out to be an ants¡¯ nest of volcanic tunnels, complete with lava-spitting ants.


    Jason lost his pursuers in a vast cavern containing a lake of magma. He was grateful that he didn¡¯t need to breathe the scorching air because he wasn¡¯t sure he could have. He could move stealthily past the many ants, and since they went after any Builder minions that encroached, he had time to stop and remove the spear impaling him. The corrosive lava spit of the ants was highly effective against the metal constructs, making them trouble for the minions. The only light came from the glowing magma lake, an orange-tinted gloom, like being inside a smouldering ember. Jason moved through undetected, his cloak was dimmed to void black as he used it to fly over the lake.


    There was something inside the lake, submerged in lava. It was bigger than the ants, or perhaps their queen, if they had one. It was still only silver rank, although definitely in the upper range. Jason stayed high, near the ceiling, so as to not tempt fate.


    Jason didn''t extend his senses far but could feel the unhidden auras of the Builder minions as they rushed in the direction of the aperture. After coming through the aperture to the expected ambush, Jason had been forced to dash off and take stock, but the cultists waiting had chosen not to chase after him for long once he disappeared into the magma cavern. Instead, they gravitated to the place they knew he would need to go eventually. At some point, he would have to go back to the aperture.


    Unfortunately for the Builder¡¯s minions, Jason had inadvertent allies in the ants.  Jason could easily hide from them as their aura senses were poor and Shade could deceive their insect vibrational sense. There was also the issue of the entire astral space being a lava tunnel maze. Jason''s map ability was a boon, helping navigate a path and track the enemies along it. As he made his way back towards the aperture, he took every chance to bait the ants in the direction of cultists with pinpoint bursts of aura.


    The cultists were right in thinking Jason would return to the aperture. His advantage was that he could scout it out instead of walking in blind, but time was against him. The Builder had been sending his cultists in the direction of the aperture since Jason¡¯s arrival in the clearing. Fortunately, the constructs and semi-construct flesh abominations were more liability than asset.


    Jason¡¯s ability to hijack their clockwork cores made them worse than useless when fighting him, so they had been sent back. Jason spotted them engaging ants to clear a path for essence-using cultists more than once, but resisted the temptation to take some over. The cultists were connected to the Builder through their star seeds, which linked them in a similar fashion to Jason¡¯s party interface. Once any of them found where he was, they all would, so every time he was spotted they would get closer to boxing him in. Jason did not want to give up the strategic advantages of speed and stealth, returning to the chamber containing the aperture within minutes of leaving it.


    Five silver-rank essence users were waiting near the aperture. Jason had hoped for less but expected more, but lower-rankers with construct and converted to help them had been left to watch the sealed aperture. They had all been sent away at the Builder''s warning after Jason''s display outside. They knew that only silver-rank essence users posed any kind of threat, at least amongst the forces at hand.


    The cavern in which the aperture was located was not large compared to the magma lake chamber. Light came from natural orange crystals growing out of every surface of the natural cavern. Walls, floor and ceiling, if the uneven chamber could truly be said to have the distinctions, all featured them. So did the stalagmites and stalactites. The uneven cave floor and pervasive shadows meant that anyone without enhanced agility, reflexes and perception would quickly break a leg. The only place the floor had been worked flat was directly under the aperture, where a sealing ritual had been set up. That was what Jason needed to undo to give the rest of the expedition access.


    The terrain was ideal for Jason to skirmish through if it came to a fight, but with five silver-rank enemies, he would prefer it didn''t come to that. It was not Greenstone and five-on-one odds were something he''d rather avoid, even if the environment was favourable and he could overwhelm their auras. If just one or two of them was at a guild level, their numerical advantage could easily spell death.


    Following his defeat at the hands of the Purity priests, Jason has made additional purchases while restocking his equipment. At the top of that list was a set of the most powerful cleansing potions his body could handle, having learned his lesson about being too reliant on his resistances.


    Another purchase was something he made after considering the fights in his future. Most of Jason¡¯s battles had been against monsters and he needed new strategies that prepared him to face essence users. This was especially true when he was outnumbered, which seemed to be most of the time.


    After considering his options and advantages, Jason had devised a tactic using one of his strongest tools and a set of items he had picked up quite a lot of over the years. He only had a few that were as strong as he needed, but a few was enough. Because the items were on the Adventure Society¡¯s controlled list, Jason¡¯s one-star rank did not allow him to buy more.


    Familiars were unable to join Jason¡¯s party chat, but Jason and Shade could still converse safely. Shade could hide Jason from various senses, including masking his sound, but that sound was not masked from Shade himself.


    ¡°Time to try the new strategy,¡± Jason told his familiar. ¡°Get into position.¡±


    Five Shade bodies slipped away, moving through the dark to hide in the shadows of the five essence users. Once they were in place, Jason¡¯s aura dropped on the cultists like a bomb. Without the Builder actively boosting them, which would just make more pointless vessels, Jason¡¯s aura suppression was especially effective.


    In the same moment that Jason suppressed their auras, a Shade body rose from each of their shadows, pulling silver-rank suppression collars from within Shade''s storage space. Only with suppressed auras would the suppression collars be able to take effect, which was why they weren¡¯t often used in combat. Only with the rank or numerical disparity for powerful aura suppression was it a viable method for shutting down the powers of opponents. Unfortunately for the cultists, their master was the primary factor in Jason turning into a one-man force multiplier.


    Shade acted quickly and four collars snapped around four necks. Only one of the essence users reacted quickly enough to prevent the sneak attack, sending out a wave of force that knocked back Shade¡¯s body, even though it was intangible, along with the man¡¯s collared fellows. That left one cultist facing off against Jason. The others weren¡¯t helpless, but locked out of their powers, their impact would be limited. It was, ostensibly, a fair fight.


    Jeni hesitated in her mind with what she sensed waiting in the clearing but didn¡¯t slow as she led the expedition group onward. They reached the clearing and surveyed what was on display, which was bizarre on every front. The Builder¡¯s forces were fighting one another, constructs and flesh abominations in a wildly destructive melee where they attacked not just each other but even themselves at times.


    The other scene in the clearing was very different in its stillness, yet no less strange. One of Asano''s shadow familiars was facing a plumb-straight line of Builder cultists who were visibly in the process of dying as their bodies broke down around them. Even so, the cultists didn''t react to their own conditions, standing like troops at inspection.


    Every member of the expedition sensed the power inside the cultists and how dangerous it was. Every member of the expedition had seen gods appear in worship squares and religious ceremonies and knew the feel of divinity. This was similar, but like a mannequin that was both a little too human and not quite human enough, there was a disturbing, uncanny valley aspect to that power that put them all on alert.


    The bodies of the essence users were drying out and crumbling away. Cracked and desiccated like the mud of a long-dry riverbed, it was falling off in flakes, dust and bloodless clumps. The bronze-rank cultists were nearing the end of their endurance even as the expedition arrived, one of them collapsing to the ground. None of the others showed any reaction, turning their attention to the newcomers with eerily uniform precision.


    ¡°Adventurers of Rimaros,¡± the vessels addressed them in impassive harmony. ¡°I am the Builder and I have a proposal for you.¡±

 Chapter 510: Put the Mask Back On

    The collared cultists were effectively non-threats without powers, but Jason wasn¡¯t taking chances. Holding a hand out to the side, blood spilled out to take the form of Colin in his blood clone form.


    ¡°Watch the packaged meat,¡± Jason instructed. ¡°If it starts going bad, eat it fast.¡±


    The cultist still free didn¡¯t try to look out for his fellows. He did just the opposite moving out of the way as the familiar approached them with slow, methodical steps. The cultist never took his eyes from Jason as he sidestepped out of the apocalypse beast¡¯s path, remaining alert to attack.


    The collared cultists tried to run, only for blood-soaked leather straps to shoot out from Colin. They grabbed the disempowered cultists and dragged them back to the familiar¡¯s feet. Jason felt the surge of power from the star seeds within them as they tried to self-detonate and locked them down with his aura.


    This was a trick Jason had instinctively picked up after ejecting the star seed placed in his own body. He hadn¡¯t understood how the ability truly worked when he first used it back in Greenstone, but he had changed a lot since then. Jason was no longer a dual entity of body and soul, the way most physical beings were. For him, body and soul was the same thing.


    This was extremely unusual, even on a cosmic scale. While the specific components of different physical beings varied, the underlying pattern that made them up was the same. Be it a normal person or an essence user, monster or familiar, physical beings were comprised of a physical component that served as a vessel for a spiritual component. Exceptions to this, where the body and spirit did not exist in a state of duality but in a unified, physical and spiritual gestalt were extremely rare. This was what made entities like the messengers and the vorger so extraordinary.


    Jason¡¯s adoption of that state had given him significant insights into the way the connection between body and spirit functioned. It helped him understand the underlying mechanisms of things he¡¯d been doing by instinct, like using his aura to prevent star seed detonation.


    The soul of any being was inviolable unless it opened itself to penetration. If a being like the Builder, with practically infinite power, could not overcome this limitation, then Jason certainly couldn''t. This made a star seed inside someone''s soul untouchable, however strong his ability to influence the Builder''s artefacts. Not all of a star seed was held within the soul, however.


    While each great astral being used its own kind of star seed, they were all, by necessity, a reflection of the basic patterns of physical beings. They were made up of both physical and spiritual components, which lodged themselves in the physical and spiritual aspects of living beings. For this reason, messengers and similar beings, which now included Jason, were immune to star seed implantation.


    Jason was unable to do a lot with the physical aspect of a star seed, as the protected spiritual component was the part that controlled it. The most he could do was lock down the physical component and prevent it from enacting commands sent from within the soul.


    Jason''s understanding of the dual nature of most physical beings wasn''t generally useful. The two aspects were like perfect halves of a sphere, seamlessly sealed together, with nowhere to take purchase. When Jason used his ability to attack a soul, all he was doing was scratching at the exterior or squeezing it like a ball. There was nothing to grab hold of and really go to work, but a star seed changed that considerably.


    Jason locked down the physical aspects of the cultist''s star seeds, so as to stop their self-detonation. It was something he hadn''t done in years, during which time he had gone through considerable changes. This led to a revelation as he grabbed at the star seeds: the physical aspect of a star seed was like a handle sticking out a cultist¡¯s soul. A handle that he could grab.


    Looking at the uncollared cultist through a new lens, Jason didn¡¯t see a man. He saw a sphere with a great big handle poking out the side. Half of that sphere was untouchable, but what if he grabbed that handle and used it to wrench off that half that wasn¡¯t? He couldn¡¯t rip the man¡¯s soul out of his body, but maybe he could tear the body off the soul.


    The cultist and Jason were still in a standoff, staring one another down. Neither had moved since Colin tied up the other cultists, who were now bound up in wet red leather straps like insects in a web. From the cultist¡¯s perspective that was fine, buying time for reinforcements to arrive. For Jason, it allowed him to concentrate on forging a new weapon in his soul arsenal.


    Jason projected his aura in twin talons that dug through the cultist¡¯s aura. One gripped the man¡¯s soul while the other gripped the physical element of the star seed. Then, Jason started to twist. The man froze, eyes wide as he felt something try to wrench apart the very foundation of his being. For Jason, it also felt like a physical struggle, as if he were trying to yank the man¡¯s soul from his body with brute strength. The difference in soul strength between the two silver-rankers was like a bodybuilder fighting a child.


    Jason was certain that unless the Builder stepped in and turned the cultist into a vessel, he could not be stopped. Since doing so would go far beyond simply using some vessels to talk, Jason didn¡¯t think that he would. The two men struggled while standing dead still, staring at one another. The other cultists lay where they were tied up, watching in fear and confusion. Despite having their aura senses being sealed, the collared cultists were able to sense the powerful aura reactions coming from within the cultist Jason was spiritually attacking. Even people without magic and the aura senses that come with it would have felt it. It was not enough that they were clear as to what was befalling their companion, but they could tell that it was happening on a level that no wound should be able to reach.


    ¡°Mr Asano, I recommend against this course of action.¡±


    Jason ignored Shade, his face warped with hate as he felt the strain he was placing on the bond between the cultist¡¯s body and soul. The man wasn''t even resisting anymore, swaying and starting to twitch. Shade rose up from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Mr Asano, I strongly recommend against this course of action.¡±


    Jason continued to twist and wrench, feeling the cultist¡¯s spiritual foundation beginning to tear.


    ¡°JASON, STOP IT!¡±


    Shade never yelled. Shade never told when he could suggest and Shade never used Jason¡¯s first name. Doing all three at once had finally broken through. The cultist dropped to the ground, frothing at the mouth as Jason released him and turned to his shadowy familiar.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said, his composure restored. ¡°If I ask you to do something, will you do it?¡±


    ¡°Anything.¡±


    ¡°Then I will ask you not to do what you were about to do. Ever. Because¨C¡±


    ¡°Why doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jason cut in, his voice soft. ¡°If you want it, that¡¯s all the why I need.¡±


    Jason¡¯s shoulder¡¯s slumped. Shade had shaken the twisted rage from his expression he suddenly looked exhausted. Something festering inside him had finally rotted through and collapsed. He looked over at the cultists. The free one was having a seizure, the foam in his mouth tainted red. The others showed an expression Jason wasn¡¯t familiar with on the face of a Builder cultist. He¡¯d seen arrogance and disdain. He¡¯d seen fury, madness and the slack-jawed blankness of a puppet. Fear was new. Even collared, they felt what Jason had been doing to their companion and it chilled them to a depth only the star seeds within them had ever reached before.


    ¡°I almost crossed a line there, didn¡¯t I?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe I already did. If you hadn¡¯t stopped me, I¡¯d have torn that man¡¯s soul out.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t. There is still a path home for you.¡±


    ¡°And where¡¯s that? I don¡¯t think I know anymore.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same place it¡¯s always been, Mr Asano. The place where people are waiting for you.¡±


    The exterior of the aperture changed, the rainbow portal stopped flickering as the seal on the other side was broken. Figures started emerging from it; first the collared cultists, then Jason, who immediately locked down their star seeds again. He wasn¡¯t able to maintain the suppression while passing through the portal. Following them was Colin, who looked like a blood-red copy of Jason and had the last cultist slung over his shoulder, still unconscious. Colin¡¯s bloody straps shot out to wrap around the cultists again and he walked them behind Jason like dogs on a leash.


    As he arrived from the astral space, Jason immediately sensed the presence of the expedition. They were arrayed in front of the Builder''s vessels, who had broken down considerably in the short time he¡¯d been gone. Jason arrived as the vessels were using their cold, mechanical harmony to address the wary expedition members.


    ¡°¡­have a proposal for you.¡±


    ¡°Not interested,¡± the expedition leader, Jeni Kavaloa, told the vessels.


    ¡°If Jason Asano dies,¡± the Builder continued, ¡°my forces shall abandon the Storm Kingdom, never to return. The underwater city will depart. Everyone and everything that serves me will either leave or destroy itself outright. All it will cost you is one silver-rank head. It must be the silver-rankers amongst you who take it, however. The gold-ranker cannot intervene herself.¡±


    The words arrested Jason¡¯s attention and he stopped inside the mouth of the cave. How many times had he been thrown under the bus by someone in power that was ostensibly an ally? Lucian Lamprey of the Magic Society. Elspeth Arella of the Adventure Society. The Network more than anyone. They had turned on him over and over, with the gall to ask for things in between, passing the blame onto rogue elements and hostile factions. Jason didn¡¯t think he could be surprised anymore, only to be proven immediately wrong.


    ¡°Stick it up your ass,¡± the guild team leader, Korinne, yelled. ¡°Asano might be an asshole that takes himself way too seriously, but he''s our asshole, and we don''t turn on our own assholes."


    Even with the Builder''s vessels arrayed right in front of them, the expedition members all turned to look at her.


    ¡°Shut up,¡± she barked defensively. ¡°I¡¯m not good at speeches, alright?¡±


    The Builder ignored her.


    ¡°What say you, gold-ranker?¡± the vessels asked. ¡°You are the foremost representative of the Adventure Society here and command these silver-rankers. You do not even need to spill the blood on your own hands. How many lives can be spared in return for one silver-rank head? Are you willing to pay the blood price of war when I offer you peace?"


    ¡°We¡¯re not handing anyone over to you,¡± Jeni said.


    ¡°And what of you, Princesses? The monster surge will be long and when it is gone, and I with it, a new storm will come. Will your kingdom be rested and ready to weather it or battered and tired when the time comes to face it?¡±


    Vesper stepped forward, panning her gaze across the row of crumbling vessels.


    ¡°If having Asano dead is worth more to you than our entire kingdom,¡± she declared, ¡°then the most important thing our kingdom can do is make sure he stays alive.¡±


    ¡°That may be harder than you think,¡± the vessels announced. ¡°You may know that Asano has come back from the dead more than once. What he has hidden is that he cannot do it anymore. Until he reaches gold-rank, no power in the cosmos can revive him again.¡±


    Taking the last word, the vessels died as the power inside them vanished and they collapsed to the ground. Jason left the cave with an unfamiliar sense of gratitude to the members of the expedition. He walked through the still-fighting constructs and abominations, those he controlled pushing those he didn''t out of his path to open the way.


    The expedition watched Jason and his entourage of bound cultists pass through the still-fighting Builder minions. Jason looked at the dead vessels as he walked past them. Because they hadn¡¯t been properly prepared as vessels, they had collapsed entirely into piles of dry dirt. At least it meant they were too broken to revive as magic-sucking ghouls, the way vessels had in the past.


    Jeni looked at Asano, whose aura was now a closed book to her. She hoped that it was because he had gotten a handle of the madness that had been bubbling out of him and not just that he¡¯d gotten better at hiding it. Whatever he had been up to, the look of restrained anger on his face since she had met him had been replaced with a sunken weariness.


    ¡°Mr Asano, you and I need to have a discussion.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t make a very good subordinate,¡± he acknowledged. ¡°It¡¯s not a new failing.¡±


    ¡°When you chose to join this expedition, there was an expectation that you would follow directions.¡±


    Jason looked from Jeni to Vesper and then back to Jeni.


    ¡°I apologise for that. In my defence, I was following directions.¡±


    Jeni took her turn looking to Vesper, then back to Jason.


    ¡°Politics,¡± she said, making a dirty word of it.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Jason sympathised. ¡°Silent and brooding was what you said, wasn¡¯t it, Vesper? Oh, and Zara, if you¡¯re still looking to get married, we¡¯ll have to talk about that later. I shut down the sealing ritual on the other side of the aperture but there¡¯s still plenty of bad guys in there and we should get going before they close it off again.¡±


    Jason turned and wandered back in the direction of the cave.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Korinne said. ¡°Who was that guy and what happened to the other guy?¡±


    ¡°Same guy,¡± Vesper said happily as she set off after Jason. ¡°He just put the mask back on.¡±

 Chapter 511: I Don’t Think You’re Angry

    ¡°I still say we should have fished whatever that thing was out of that fire lake,¡± one of the guild team members said.


    ¡°We weren¡¯t there to kill monsters,¡± said Korinne, the team leader. ¡°We were there to stop the Builder cult from prying the astral space off the side of our world and blasting this whole region apart in the process.¡±


    The expedition had just emerged from the astral space and the expedition leader, Jeni, was setting up a device that would seal the astral space aperture. She had roped Jason, who was an astral magic specialist, into helping.


    ¡°If the Builder sends more people, this will only slow them down, not stop them,¡± Jason assessed.


    ¡°We can¡¯t permanently assign a protective detail with everything else going on,¡± Jeni explained. ¡°We don¡¯t have the people. There are scout patrols that check on the astral space apertures, but this is the first line of defence. As you said, it will slow them down if they come back, plus send out a signal if it gets interfered with. It will buy us time to formulate a response."


    They finished up and the expedition got ready to move out. The prisoners had been implanted with rune-covered spiked rods, buried in the flesh of their arms, legs and torso. The rods had a similar suppressive effect on star seeds as Jason¡¯s abilities, preventing self-detonation.


    ¡°They gave me the rods, but we weren¡¯t anticipating prisoners,¡± Jeni said, looking at them. ¡°Normally it¡¯s hard to catch them before they self detonate, so you only get prisoners when you plan the operation around it.¡±


    Four of the five prisoners were sitting on the ground in a cluster, fearful eyes locked on Jason. The last was still unconscious from what Jason had done to him.


    ¡°Want me to transport them?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°If you have something that will work,¡± Jeni said.


    ¡°Shade, what have you got?¡±


    Darkness spilled out of Jason¡¯s shadow and took the form of a giant black beetle, the size of a bread van. Along its sides were thin, vertical gaps in the chitinous exterior, revealing the insect¡¯s interior to be mostly hollow. The hard, interior shell made for a secure space with room for half-a-dozen people at a squeeze. The top and bottom halves of almost the entire carapace opened up like a set of enormous jaws, make a gap through which the prisoners could be shoved.


    ¡°Tartarian beetle,¡± Jeni said, moving around the beetle as she looked it over. ¡°They capture prey and carry it around with them, keeping it alive for days before eating it. Never seen a black one before.¡±


    "That does not look comfortable," Jason said. "Will it do?"


    "I can live with not comfortable. Is it going to eat them?"


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Shade, are you going to eat them?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, I shall refrain from dignifying that with a response.¡±


    Jason and Jeni loaded the prisoners into the maw of the beetle, which was oddly like pushing them into the back of a van. Jason reflected that it was a mundane feeling for such a bizarre experience as shoving a bunch of people into a giant insect. While they were doing that, the rest of the group continued to talk amongst themselves, with the self-confident guild team being the loudest.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t much of a force,¡± team scout Rosa said. ¡°They didn¡¯t even have a gold ranker.¡±


    ¡°This is a minor astral space, which is why it¡¯s in a cave in the middle of the jungle,¡± said the team leader, Korinne. ¡°If there was anything worth harvesting out of it, there¡¯d be a village here and we wouldn¡¯t have to make our own road. If it wouldn¡¯t be so destructive, they¡¯d probably let the Builder have the damn thing. It¡¯s probably not worth much more to him than to us.¡±


    ¡°You think that was really the Builder talking through those creepy people?¡± Rosa asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see why not,¡± Korinne told her. ¡°Gods show up in worship squares every day, and he¡¯s some kind of weird god, right?¡±


    ¡°No way that was the real thing. Probably some local cult leader using a weird power to speak through his troops. He just claimed to be the Builder to impress us. That deal he offered was a steaming pile.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. You felt that aura, right? That was divine.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t divine,¡± Orin said, which drew the group¡¯s attention. As with most people who spoke rarely, people listened when he did.


    ¡°They were silver and bronze-rank auras,¡± Orin said. ¡°The power didn¡¯t change. They just had something inside them that made them feel like that. Asano has it too, but nowhere near as much.¡±


    ¡°You got a good look at Asano¡¯s aura?¡± Korinne asked.


    The others had only sensed Jason''s aura unleashed in the midst of battle when there had been many other auras overlapping. He also hadn''t pushed it out with the oppressive strength he was capable of, blending it in so that he could leave the fight unnoticed.


    "He showed it to me so I''d know to not make trouble," Orin said.


    ¡°You think that¡¯s how he makes those things fight each other? He¡¯s got some Builder in him?¡±


    "It wasn''t Builder in him," Orin said. "Not alien like those people. It was gods. I''ve seen it before. When gods touch your soul, they leave a mark."


    The group all looked to Asano, shoving people into a giant insect.


    ¡°Who is that guy?¡± Korrine said, voicing the question they were all thinking.


    The two princesses, meanwhile, were talking within a privacy screen as they stood side by side. Zara¡¯s eyes were on Jason while Vesper was watching the guild team.


    ¡°This couldn¡¯t have gone better,¡± she said, rubbing her hands together. "The Builder showing up in person? Kind of, at least. I''m not clear on how Asano got those things fighting one another or got into that astral space, which means no one else is, either. Plus, that new, dark side to him? Yes, please.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think this is as good an outcome as you seem to think,¡± Zara told her.


    ¡°This has gone beyond my most optimistic expectations for this expedition. Now you just have to get him to talk to you before we get back. Just make sure people see you and that you use a privacy screen. Keep it mysterious; we want people wondering.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Vesper, it¡¯s clear that he¡¯s not in a good place right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s good for me.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Vesper,¡± Zara admonished.


    ¡°Just look at the way the expedition is grouped. The guild members over there, us here, unaffiliated off to the side. Asano should be with them, but he¡¯s not. He¡¯s with the gold-ranker, talking like an equal. Even if people don¡¯t think about it, they notice it. It places him within a hierarchy of importance in their minds without them even realising.¡±


    ¡°I think Asano might be volatile.¡±


    ¡°Volatile is working out.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Vesper¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine. It¡¯s not like I was serious about having him murdered.¡±


    ¡°About having him what?¡±


    ¡°Look, if you want to listen to him talk about his feelings or whatever, that¡¯s your business. Just do it behind a privacy screen, as I said. Remember why we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°I know why I¡¯m here,¡± Zara said. ¡°I¡¯m still not sure why you are.¡±


    ¡°I needed to keep an eye on things.¡±


    ¡°Liara said it was because Trenchant Moore teased you.¡±


    ¡°Liara has a big mouth.¡±


    As the group pulled out their various means of transport, Jason looked at the pathway the expedition had opened up through the jungle. It was a trail of destruction leading off into the distance.


    ¡°I assume that was you," he said to Jeni.


    ¡°One of my expedition subordinates went off against orders to provoke the enemy, so I didn¡¯t want to tarry.¡±


    Jason winced.


    ¡°Sorry about that. I¡¯m kind of working through some stuff.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll forgive me if I try to avoid working with you again. Whether it¡¯s grim murder mode or whatever cheerful front you¡¯re putting up now, you¡¯re neither honest nor stable.¡±


    ¡°That seems a little harsh.¡±


    ¡°Harsh? Do you think killing a lot of enemies by yourself gets you anything? I could let the guild team loose like a dog in a butcher shop and they''d tear through anything you found here. All you mean to me are questions you won''t answer, orders you won''t follow and running off alone to mess up the group''s plans. Do you think my assessment of your performance on this contract will be anything but scathing? I was specifically asked to assess you for potential promotion to two stars, but I''ll be arguing against it in the strongest possible terms."


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± he said. ¡°Star rating is based on judgement, and even I don¡¯t trust mine right now.¡±


    Jeni gave him a concerned look.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you have going on Asano, but go to the church of the Healer. Get some help.¡±


    An ice cloud appeared at Jeni¡¯s feet and she headed off. Jason took another look at the path of destruction, which was quite thorough.


    ¡°I reckon a regular skimmer could manage that. What do you think, Shade?¡±


    ¡°I could manage a small airship, rather than the group needing to rendezvous with one.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve shown quite enough of the rabbits in our hat for one day,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s stick with a skimmer.¡±


    Shade took the form of a skimmer, parked next to the giant beetle, while Jason walked over to the princesses. The rest of the expedition pretended they weren¡¯t watching. Vesper was on her Sapphire heidel, while Zara was standing on what looked like a miniature hurricane.


    ¡°Give you a ride, Princess?¡± Jason asked Zara. ¡°It¡¯s past time you and I had a little talk.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯d love to,¡± Vesper said, setting off on her construct creature steed.


    The small storm at Zara¡¯s feet dissipated and she followed Jason to the skimmer. It was a heavy skimmer with comfortable seating for four, much like he had used for most of his delivery contract. He opened the side door and got in the back, Zara doing the same to sit next to him. Jason pulled the privacy screen pin from his inventory and pinned it to his chest before tapping it to activate.


    The expedition was taking off, following Jeni The skimmer moved forward smoothly on its own as Jason and Zara sat in silence, unsure of what to say.


    ¡°When you came stumbling into my tent, those years ago,¡± Zara said finally, ¡°I never imagined we¡¯d end up here.¡±


    Jason turned to look at her. Even at iron-rank, she''d been as stunningly beautiful as anyone he''d ever seen. It had driven him to flirt with her at the time, but that inclination was dead.


    ¡°I was going to haul off on you,¡± he said. ¡°I was going to tell you all about why I¡¯m running around so angry.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re angry, Mr Asano. I don¡¯t see rage when I look at you. I see a tiredness that will take more than rest to recover from.¡±


    Jason looked away from the princess.


    ¡°You¡¯re very different,¡± he said wearily.


    ¡°You too. I am sorry for getting you involved in my mess.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no changing it now. All we can do is move forward¡±.


    ¡°You must hate me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate you, Princess. I understand knowing that you¡¯ll have to shake the tree if you want anything to fall out. I¡¯ve made those choices, willing to pay the price, only for the people around me to do the paying.¡±


    Zara nodded.


    ¡°Learn faster than I did, Princess. Shade, stop the skimmer.¡±


    The skimmer slowed to a halt.


    ¡°You have something that you need to do,¡± Jason said, then tapped his pin to drop the privacy shield. She got out of the skimmer and turned to look at him.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t three years ago, Asano,¡± she said coldly, ¡°and this isn¡¯t some provincial backwater on the far side of the globe. I have responsibilities as a member of the Rimaros family and I won¡¯t let you get in the way of that.¡±


    Her travel cloud appeared at her feet and she took off after the still-moving expedition.


    ¡°Let¡¯s get going, Shade.¡±

 Chapter 512: Staying with Friends

    Autumn Leal was tired. In the course of what she had thought was an ordinary delivery run, she was ambushed by a team of Purity loyalists. Outnumbered and outmatched, she had thought she was done for until the guild team she hadn¡¯t known were trailing her in stealth appeared. They captured and took away the loyalists that survived the resulting ambush, leaving Autumn to complete her supply contract.


    She didn¡¯t like being bait, but she did like coming home alive, so she called the whole thing even, completed her deliveries and returned to the airship for the trip back. The airship was diverted slightly to pick up an expedition of adventurers operating in the wilderness, who proved to be an unusual bunch. There was a guild team, some unaffiliated adventurers and prisoners who turned out to be some of the Builder cultists that people had been talking about for so long. The magic rods sticking out of their flesh seemed to be triggering strange aura reaction, making them seem alien and bizarre.


    More unusual still, at least to her, was the member of the group she recognised. The final trio of the expedition¡¯s membership was made up of Jason Asano, along with two women with the iconic blue hair of the Rimaros family. They were talking inside a privacy screen when Jason spotted her and left the screen to approach her across the deck.


    ¡°G¡¯day,¡± he said to her, his words accompanied by a smile that looked at weary as she felt. ¡°Another delivery contract?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said warily, nodding in the direction of the blue-haired women. ¡°Are they¡­?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    The skyship Jason was riding in was an unusual design. It looked like an ordinary ship suspended from three hot air balloons by huge brass chains, except that the balloons were massive, pale blue crystals. Looking for some solitude, Jason slipped over the side and under the ship, conjuring his cloak to keep him aloft. A shadow arm emerged from his back to grip the keel of the ship, forming a tether that pulled Jason along as he watched the landscape pass below.


    ¡°Look at this,¡± he said happily. ¡°This is how it¡¯s meant to be. Magic and wonders.¡±


    Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadowy cloak to float alongside Jason.


    ¡°Loath as I am to interrupt your moment of peace, Mr Asano, Miss Hurin has requested to speak with you. Again. She is becoming increasingly concerned at my repeated refusals. I normally wouldn¡¯t bring it up, but it is Miss Hurin.¡±


    ¡°Quite right,¡± Jason said.


    As much as he was enjoying drifting through the air, he owed Farrah too much to leave her hanging any longer. He¡¯d already brushed her off too many times during his recent emo rampage. He closed his eyes, felt for the connection to Shade and expanded his senses. He saw through the body Shade had left in the cloud house, where Farrah was pacing back and forth in agitation.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Jason said through the familiar.


    ¡°Fine nothing,¡± she said, wheeling on Shade. ¡°I¡¯d reach through Shade and choke you if I could. What were you thinking, running off in that frame of mind?¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t the best choice,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°At least that''s on-brand for me.¡±


    ¡°You think cracking jokes will make me forget that you¡¯re one self-impressed aristocrat away from murdering someone that will get you in real trouble?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s alright, Farrah. Shade pulled me back from the precipice.¡±


    ¡°The precipice of what?¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can talk about this when I¡¯m not hanging from the underside of a skyship.¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing that?¡±


    ¡°Why isn¡¯t everyone? It¡¯s awesome. I just¡­ I needed something fun, Farrah. Something simple and joyous. It¡¯s easy to forget that¡¯s a thing, you know?¡±


    In the cloud house, Farrah dropped into a chair as if the rage propping her up had just run out, leaving only tiredness and concern.


    ¡°Jason, I don¡¯t like you being out there alone. Not when you¡¯re running the ragged edge.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not alone. And these Rimaros people aren¡¯t so bad, as it turns out. I mean, the royal family dragging me into their mess was a dick move, but they did think I wasn¡¯t around to get hurt. They might have their own agendas, but they seem pretty decent. It¡¯s a little sad that came as a surprise.¡±


    ¡°Are you at least on the way back?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m not going to portal.¡±


    Farrah nodded.


    ¡°You don¡¯t break up the expedition until the contract is done,¡± she said. ¡°During the monster surge, that means when everyone is home safe.¡±


    The airship descended through the skies of Rimaros. As it headed for the sky dock towers on the island of Livaros, they entered a rapidly increasing level of air traffic. One vehicle stood out, both for its design and the fact that it was heading for the royal sky island and not Livaros.


    ¡°Is that a flying cottage?¡± Zara asked.


    A rustic garden cottage, complete with garden, was moving through the air within a shimmering orb. Jason took his eyes from the orb to peer at Vesper¡¯s feet. Vesper noticed his gaze.


    ¡°What are you looking at?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I was just wondering if you had ruby slippers.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Do you?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Jason pointed up at the cottage.


    ¡°You should be careful it doesn¡¯t fall on you anyway. I¡¯ve seen that happen before.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen that vessel before?¡± Zara asked.


    ¡°Not in person, but there¡¯s a famous story about something similar where I come from. If I recall correctly, isn¡¯t the main road connecting the towns on Arnote made of yellow bricks?¡±


    ¡°What in the world are you talking about?¡± Vesper asked.


    Soramir and Liara were waiting on a landing platform on top of the royal palace. Trenchant Moore was standing silently behind them.


    ¡°Do not speak unless addressed directly,¡± Soramir instructed Liara. ¡°She¡¯s not known for being tolerant of mortals. When I bow, you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a Rimaros. Never bow unless you know exactly why you¡¯re doing it. You can bow, Commander Moore.¡±


    ¡°As you will it, Ancestral Majesty.¡±


    Soramir''s behaviour gave Liara far more effective warning than his words. For her entire life he had been a legend; an unseen figure representing the pinnacle of power and authority. He had been far more approachable in his sensibilities than she had expected on finally meeting him, but still radiated power that placed him second in her mind only to the gods. To see him almost nervous was an unsettling revelation.


    The cottage orb paused at the invisible magic barrier, where even the most prestigious visitors went through rigorous checks. The diamond-rank Zila Rimaros oversaw the checks, going into the cottage for a time before emerging and flying off. The vehicle moved through the magical barrier and floated down to settle on the platform, the orb vanishing to leave a cottage garden incongruously sitting on the roof of the royal palace. The door opened and a woman emerged.


    She was a celestine with ruby hair and alabaster skin; a fiery contrast to the cool, sapphire blue of the three Rimaros royals. She wore a white summer dress with embellishments of yellow and orange. The dressed swayed gently as she made her way down the path to stand before the trio, greeting them with a slight nod. Soramir responded with a bow as Trenchant Moore behind him echoed the gesture.


    ¡°First Sister, we are honoured by your visit,¡± Soramir said in greeting.


    ¡°I have passed the position of First Sister along,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°My apologies, Hierophant.¡±


    ¡°I see that you are not unschooled in the disposition of the wider cosmos.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Hierophant. I have spent some time travelling beyond my world. I have only returned in these times of trouble. I must thank you for accepting my request and visiting us. I am in your debt, both for bringing your knowledge and grace to our kingdom and for accepting my request to bring certain people with you.¡±


    ¡°Actually, Lord Rimaros, there was a problem with your request.¡±


    Liara felt Soramir go tense next to her.


    ¡°Problem, Hierophant?¡±


    A slight smile teased the corner of Dawn¡¯s lips.


    ¡°The list of names you wished me to bring along was incomplete. A failure of communication, perhaps. I took it upon myself to add the appropriate names and bring them with me.¡±


    Soramir relaxed.


    ¡°Thank you for correcting my oversight, Hierophant. I am in your debt over again. We have prepared accommodations for you, or will you perhaps be staying with friends?¡±


    ¡°Your accommodations will no doubt be sufficient to my needs,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Then please come with me. My descendent, Liara, and the highly capable Commander Moore will see to the disposition of the people you have brought with you.¡±


    Dawn turned to look at the cottage and eleven people emerged, looking around. A half-dozen were silver rank, along with four bronze-rankers and one gold. Most were human but there was a leonid, an elf and a celestine amongst them. There were also two outworlders, both bronze-rank. One had clearly been a human originally, and while the other one was as well, in poor lighting he could be confused for a leonid or even a life-like golem. She had never seen a human standing next to a leonid without being dwarfed before.


    Soramir¡¯s attention was drawn to the sword the leonid was carrying loosely by the scabbard. The scabbard was suppressing the aura within, but his powerful senses saw through it. The aura was identical to that of Jason Asano, to the point of Soramir almost felt like Asano was standing in front of him. Part of that was the sword had a profound soul bond to its owner, and part was the nature of Asano himself. Soramir knew what a gestalt being was and that this nature was responsible for Asano''s aura feeling almost tangible. His soul was not separate from his physical being, giving a substantive feeling to the projection of that soul, his aura.


    Dawn followed Soramir¡¯s gaze and reached out to touch the pommel of the weapon. It disappeared from his senses as completely as if it had been teleported away. Soramir recognised that it was not any kind of essence ability that hid it but pure aura manipulation. He wondered if Dawn had been responsible for Jason¡¯s aura control, which was as formidable for his rank as his aura¡¯s strength. He was not fool enough to ask the question, however.


    Once the people had walked off the cottage garden and onto the large landing pad, the cottage floated into the air. The globe once more appeared around it as the cottage rapidly shrank. Once it was small enough to fly into Dawn¡¯s hand, she set it at the point where her dress cinched at the waist,  the globe hanging like an ornament despite not being attached to anything.


    Soramir led Dawn away, leaving the gaggle of people to Liara and Trenchant. Trenchant moved up to stand beside Liara as one of the group stepped forward. To the surprise of Liara and Trenchant, it was not the gold-ranker, who stayed at the back, but one of the silvers. He was a large human with broad shoulders, olive complexion and dark hair. He bowed to a carefully measured depth to each of the gold-rankers, demonstrating his etiquette training.


    ¡°My name is Humphrey Geller, of Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°Liara Rimaros. This is Commander Trenchant Moore of the royal guard.¡±


    ¡°Greetings, your highness. Commander. On behalf of my companions, I thank you for your hospitality.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a princess? This day¡¯s turning out pretty sweet.¡±


    ¡°Taika! You¡¯re making Humphrey look bad.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Neil. Sorry Princess, bro. It¡¯s nice to meet you all.¡±


    The man-mountain¡¯s voice was friendly and surprisingly high-pitched. The celestine and another silver rank woman snorted out laughter while Humphrey took on a long-suffering expression.


    ¡°Lindy!¡±


    ¡°Clive, he called her Princess bro. How are you not laughing?¡±


    ¡°Time and place, Belinda,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Sophie¡¯s laughing too,¡± Belinda pointed out.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Clive¡¯s stupid enough to tell her off,¡± Gary said. ¡°She¡¯s too scary.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s sweet of you to say, Gary,¡± Sophie told him, putting a hand on his forearm.


    ¡°I apologise for my companions, your highness,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They¡¯re working adventurers and spent little time in high society.¡±


    "At least we won''t need to double-check who they are," Trenchant said. "They''re very obviously the companions of Jason Asano."


    The auras of the group had been a mix of curiosity, wonder, eagerness, trepidation and nervousness. As soon as Jason Asano¡¯s name passed Trenchant¡¯s lips, that changed. Six auras locked onto Trenchant like snipers. The others reacted, but the six that were now raptor-focused on Trenchant were suddenly so sharp and alert that Liara felt her hackles rise. Even though she outranked them all and the attention wasn¡¯t directed at her, it was pointed enough that she was impressed at Trenchant¡¯s lack of reaction.


    Of the visitors, only the unreadable gold ranker at the back maintained her equanimity at the mention of Asano. She stepped forward to defuse the situation.


    ¡°We are all acquaintances of Mr Asano,¡± she said, with a short bow. ¡°Arabelle Remore, of Vitesse. While we don¡¯t wish to be rude, we have travelled far to meet friends long thought lost to us. We do not wish to dismiss your hospitality but we would like to see Jason Asano and Farrah Hurin at the earliest opportunity. My son should be with them.¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano is currently on a contract,¡± Liara said. ¡°It was moved up unexpectedly due to Builder activity, so he is expected back shortly. As far as I know, Miss Hurin and Mr Remore should be at their shared residence on Arnote, one of the main islands of Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°If you will follow me,¡± Trenchant Moore said, ¡°I will take you there directly.¡±

 Chapter 513: Meanwhile, Two Weeks Ago in Vitesse

    Jason was disembarking from the airship that had just returned his expedition to Rimaros. He was moving with the group across the open-sided walkway stretching from the docking cradle to the port tower when he froze on the spot.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡± asked the expedition leader, Jeni Kavaloa.


    ¡°We¡¯re done, right?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Expedition over?¡±


    ¡°The contract is complete, Mr Asano. I¡¯ll be handing in the report but you can get a copy of¡­¡±


    She stopped bothering when Jason leapt from the side of the walkway without another word. She shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re not meant to do that.¡±


    Unbeknownst to Jason, at the moment he had been leaving the airship, his friends had been leaving the royal sky island¡¯s magic barrier under the escort of Trenchant Moore. As they left the island¡¯s magical defences, which easily blocked his silver-rank powers, their presence was brought to his attention.


    Contact [Humphrey Geller] has entered communication range.Contact [Sophie Wexler] has entered communication range.Contact [Belinda Callahan] has entered communication range.Contact [Gareth Xandier] has entered communication range.Contact [William Hurin] has entered communication range.Contact [Amelia Hurin] has entered communication range.Contact [Arabelle Remore] has entered communication range.Contact [Travis Noble] has entered communication range.Contact [Taika Williams] has entered communication range.Contact [Neil Davone] has entered communication range.Contact [Clive Standish] has entered communication range.


    As he dropped through the air, Jason conjured his cloak to help him swerve around the walkways connected to ships docked further down the tower.


    ¡°Where are they?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I can¡¯t map their location without spreading my aura over the whole damn city, and I¡¯d get into all sorts of trouble for projecting like that. Should I do it anyway?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps before doing anything drastic,¡± Shade suggested, ¡°you could try asking them where they are.¡±


    Jason landed at ground level, getting disapproving frowns from the people around him at the base of the busy docking tower.


    ¡°Asking them. That makes sense. I can do that because it¡¯s a thing I can do.¡±


    ¡°I recommend you pause and take a breath, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to breathe, Shade.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should do it anyway.¡±


    Unaware of Jason''s proximity, his team and the others with them were moving down through a column of water in a boat shrouded by a force bubble. For the earthlings, Taika and Travis, the iconic local feature was a wonder. Even for those used to other great cities, like Vitesse, it was an impressive feat of magical engineering.


    Sophie felt Humphrey go stiff at her side and he started talking to himself.


    ¡°Where are you?¡± he said.


    The others noticed Humphrey acting strangely and listened to what was clearly one side of a conversation. It was something they all recognised but hadn¡¯t seen in some time.


    ¡°With a man named Trenchant Moore,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Yes, Trenchant Moore. What? I don¡¯t know.¡±


    Humphrey turned to look Trenchant up and down.


    ¡°I guess he is,¡± Humphrey continued. ¡°I suppose he has very piercing eyes. I don¡¯t see why that¡­ he¡¯s taking us to Arnote. I think we¡¯re switching to a larger boat on the big island.¡±


    Humphrey turned to look at Trenchant again.


    ¡°Where are we transferring to the other boat?¡± he asked him.


    ¡°Essen Port,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°A private terminal for a ferry called the Blue Burden.¡±


    Humphrey repeated the details.


    "How am I supposed to know that? Yes, it does kind of sound like the ferry is unhappy about carrying people about. What? No, it¡¯s probably not a sentient boat. Even it is some kind of animated construct, I don¡¯t think it will have feelings¡­ what¡¯s a danger boat? Tick, as in the parasite?¡±


    Jason¡¯s team were laughing at the very familiar expression on Humphrey¡¯s face, and the very confused one on Trenchant¡¯s.


    "Look, are you going to meet us at the ferry terminal or not? Okay, thank you."


    Humphrey slumped his shoulders, looking exhausted.


    ¡°And Jason¡­ it¡¯s good to hear your voice, Jason. That¡¯s nice of you to say, but please don¡¯t call me Hump.¡±


    The only portal destination near the port was restricted to reduced port traffic congestion and Jason didn''t have a permit. Nor did he have a permit for personal flight in the city. As for ground navigation via mount or vehicle, it would be slower than he wanted through the bustling streets.


    Instead, Jason turned to his old techniques for travelling quickly on foot. Compared to the delta where he first developed them, the city was easier terrain, and Jason¡¯s abilities were so much stronger than when he was an iron-rank. His reflexes, perception and straight-line speed were all improved, as was his control over his abilities.


    The techniques were a holistic combination of movement skills taken from the Order of the Reaper, precisely-toggled weight reduction and jumping through shadows in rapid sequence. It allowed him to navigate obstacles and go largely unnoticed as he raced through the city, a flickering shadow passing through market stalls and alleyways as he followed his map ability in the direction of the port.


    Essen was one of the primary ports for traffic between Livaros and Arnote. It was where Jason and Farrah had been reunited with Rufus, and now where they would reunite with the rest of their friends. Jason found the ferry terminal, but the port authority guards would not permit him entry. What they would do was point out the dock where boats coming from the royal sky island usually moored.


    Having been contacted by Jason while he was on the move, Rufus and Farrah were ready when Jason opened up a portal to the cloud house for them to come through. While the nearby terminal guards were watching him closely, he was opening a portal to somewhere else and not portalling in blindly, so it was permitted. Farrah was less forgiving than the guards as she marched out of the portal, into Jason space and started jabbing a finger at his face.


    ¡°What were you thinking, going off like that?¡±


    She snatched him into a hug.


    ¡°If Shade wasn¡¯t with you, how stupid a thing would you have done?¡±


    ¡°It was pretty bad,¡± Jason said.


    She let him go, hands on his shoulders as she gave his face an interrogating look.


    ¡°What are we going to do with you?¡± she asked. ¡°I wish Rufus¡¯ mother was here.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s on that boat,¡± Jason said, pointing out at the water behind her.


    ¡°Mother came too?¡± Rufus asked.


    Jason, Rufus and Farrah watched as the boat approached. It wasn¡¯t much more than an outsized skiff and they could see familiar faces on the deck. Gary¡¯s grin was so wide it threatened to split the top of his head right off as we waved. A falcon came darting over the water from the boat, shooting at Jason like an arrow. Right before impact, it turned into a hairy dog the size of a tiger, bowling him over and crushing him under its weight.


    ¡°YAY!¡± the dog cheered with a child¡¯s voice.


    ¡°Stash,¡± Jason croaked. ¡°You got big.¡±


    ¡°I can get bigger. Want to see?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°Stash,¡± Humphrey admonished as he landed on the dock. ¡°Get off him.¡±


    The dragon wings that had carried Humphrey over the water in pursuit of his enthusiastic familiar vanished as he alighted on the dock.


    Stash transformed into a small bird that started flapping around in the air over Jason as Humphrey helped him to his feet. Jason didn''t let go of his hand, pulling the big man into a hug.


    ¡°Good to see you, brother.¡±


    ¡°Good to see you alive,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We should have known that if anyone was going to treat the laws of life and death as rough guidelines it would be you.¡±


    A portal appeared on the dock, a rainbow circle, edged in floating runes. Gary barrelled out of it and caught Farrah in a huge hug. The big man picked the small woman up entirely, spinning around in his joy.


    ¡°You realise that if I didn¡¯t have a strength power,¡± she told him, laughing as he spun her around, ¡°you¡¯d have just crushed me to death.¡±


    Sophie, Belinda and Clive followed Gary through the portal at a more sedate pace before it ran out of energy and closed. Jason approached them with a grin. He could sense the nervousness in Humphrey and especially Sophie, and the interplay between their auras. He chuckled to himself as he moved up to greet Clive.


    There were handshakes and hugs all around as friends once thought gone forever came back together. Jason basked in their welcoming auras, without making a single eighties reference they didn''t understand. The boat arrived at the dock, allowing the rest of the group to disembark. Trenchant Moore brought up the rear, Jason noting how the man¡¯s gaze went straight to Farrah. He couldn¡¯t read the man¡¯s aura and was left wondering why, but had far more important things to attend to.


    Neil and Jason faced each other as Neil came off the gangplank.


    ¡°I see someone finally taught you how to dress,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°This coming from a guy wearing that,¡± Neil said, gesturing at Jason¡¯s floral shirt and shorts. ¡°I see you¡¯ve been enjoying your time in the tropics. Meanwhile, two weeks ago in Vitesse, we were working our butts off to get you back when a pile of your trouble gets dumped right on our heads.¡±


    The hostile expression of the two men cracked and they laughed, shaking hands warmly. Jason then looked to his side.


    ¡°Speaking of trouble, what are you doing here, Travis?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of a long story, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°You were sucked into a magic thing and fell out here?¡± Jason guessed.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s not that long,¡± Travis conceded.


    ¡°And how many times do I have to tell you to call me Jason?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason chuckled as he turned to Taika, sharing a grin with the big M¨¡ori.


    ¡°I got you here after all,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty crazy, bro. I¡¯m kind of freaking out.¡±


    ¡°You and me both,¡± Jason said, throwing a look to Arabelle and exchanging a nod of greeting.


    ¡°I think we should stop obstructing the dock and make our way onto the ferry,¡± Trenchant suggested.


    ¡°When¡¯s it scheduled to leave?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It belongs to the royal family,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°I¡¯m under direction from Princess Liara to bring them to your abode on Arnote.¡±


    ¡°Your boss was dragging his feet,¡± Jason said. ¡°What changed?¡±


    Trenchant¡¯s gaze flicked briefly back to Farrah before returning to Jason.


    ¡°You have loyal friends, Mr Asano.¡±


    Argy was overseeing the loading of a crate of the argy fruit for which he was nicknamed when something unusual appeared in front of him.


    You have received a voice chat request from [Jason Asano]. Accept Y/N?


    ¡°Uh¡­ okay?¡±


    ¡°Argy,¡± Jason¡¯s voice came directly into Argy¡¯s head. ¡°I¡¯ve got friends in town and I¡¯m looking to chuck a barbie. Help a bloke out with sourcing some food?¡±


    ¡°No problems, fella,¡± Argy said.


    ¡°Thanks, mate. I''ll have Shade swing by with some funding. It''s going to be an intimate affair, so maybe don¡¯t invite the entire town this time? Try and keep it below a third?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do what I can,¡± Argy said, ¡°but you know how people get to talking. You going to need drinks?¡±


    ¡°I think we might, yeah.¡±


    Trenchant Moore escorted the group all the way to the cloud house before departing. He left quickly, finding something disconcerting yet unplaceable about the cloud construct, which was wholly impenetrable to his senses. Inside, an impromptu party started as the group started drinking and telling stories about all that had happened in their time apart.


    Food and barbecues started to arrive and they moved outside as Jason started organising things. He was starting to get good at managing large-scale entertainment events, at least his particular brand of them.


    After the celebratory gathering, the group split off for more intimate reunions over the course of the evening. Farrah and her parents, Rufus and his mother. Rufus, Gary and Farrah, reunited for the first time since the disastrous expedition that claimed the lives of many adventurers alongside her. Clive was chomping at the bit to ask Jason about every single aspect of every single thing that happened in his time away.


    ¡°Clive,¡± Jason said with a laugh as he set out tubs of marinade on the table. ¡°We¡¯ll have plenty of time to get to that. Just put in these meat strips, like I showed you. I¡¯ll have to magic them up a bit since I can¡¯t leave them in as long as I¡¯d like.¡±


    Jason took the time to speak with everyone at some point during the night''s revelry. Farrah''s parents were effusive in their gratitude for bringing their daughter home to them. Jason teased Clive mercilessly with hints of the astral magic he''d been involved with and traded good-natured barbs with Neil. Taika and Travis assured Jason that his family were safe and sound, although Jason had them save the full story for later.


    It was late in the evening when Jason found himself on a balcony on the cloud house, overlooking his friends and neighbours as they enjoyed a night of not worrying about the monster surge. Not everyone had that chance. He¡¯d seen for himself the conditions of people boxed into fortress towns like cattle, to the point of having the cattle penned right alongside them. The local equivalent of the cow was an awkward-looking, hexapedal lizard, which Jason found significantly less adorable, but equally delicious.


    Jason felt the need to remind himself that for all the things piled on him, he had the power, money and resources to do something about it. For all his struggles, the world was full of powerless people who would have traded places with him in an instant, given the chance. Now that he had his family back around him, it was time to stop worrying about his own problems so much and start thinking about the people who needed help more than he did.


    ¡°Which is easier said than done,¡± he murmured to himself.


    Belinda came out of the house and joined him in leaning against the rail.


    ¡°Brooding and talking to yourself,¡± she said. ¡°I think Sophie might have dodged an arrow with you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°She probably did. So, her and Humphrey.¡±


    ¡°Yep. Sorry you gave up your chance?¡±


    ¡°No. She was looking for something in me she¡¯ll actually find in him. Plus, he¡¯s reliable. I think we both know I¡¯m bit of a flake. She¡¯s a smart woman, Humphrey¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s she got to do with anything?¡±


    ¡°You have to have realised he¡¯s a mum¡¯s boy by now. If she doesn¡¯t approve, it doesn¡¯t matter if Humphrey wants it. If she does approve, I think it still doesn¡¯t matter if he wants it.¡±


    ¡°So, no hard feelings about Soph?¡±


    "I had someone, while I was away. She helped me a lot. Helped me find Farrah. All I brought her in return was death. If I ever just become some adventurer instead of the eye of a giant crap-storm, maybe I''ll look for someone new. I wouldn''t inflict me on anyone at the moment. I''m kind of a mess right now."


    ¡°Except us.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re stuck with me,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not letting you all get away from me again.¡±

 Chapter 514: Hegemon’s Will

    As Belinda left Jason on the balcony of the cloud house, Humphrey came out to take her place, leaning against the railing next to Jason. Jason flashed him a smile before turning his gaze back out over the lagoon, shimmering with the light of twin moons.


    ¡°We¡¯ve come a long way from that waiting room in Greenstone where we met,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°But I suppose you¡¯d already been further to get that far.¡±


    ¡°That was quite a week for me. I didn¡¯t even give notice at work. Also, cannibals.¡±


    ¡°Jason what you did¡­¡±


    ¡°Bad thing I did or good thing I did? You¡¯ll have to narrow it down. I¡¯m very heroic, but also kind of a disaster.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a disaster, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I did set off the monster surge.¡±


    ¡°Your friend Dawn told us you would. We made Clive promise not to pester you about it until at least the second day.¡±


    Jason snorted a laugh


    ¡°He must have had spasms after meeting Dawn.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take him long to overcome the glow of diamond-rank and start interrogating her, no. She was surprisingly patient with him.¡±


    ¡°She spent a year running around with me, so she¡¯s had the practice.¡±


    ¡°We all want to hear about it. That recording crystal you sent left us with a lot of questions and not a lot of answers.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to get rid of me now,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ll have plenty of time for that.¡±


    ¡°Good. Jason, by that thing you did, I meant taking the Builder¡¯s vessel with you off that tower. Did you know you would come back from that?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t have a clue. How heroic was that? You should tell people about it all the time, by which I mean attractive women. Just maybe not princesses, even though, you know¡­ damn. Have you seen the princesses they have here? I bet you''ve seen more princesses than me, but these ones seem frustratingly gorgeous."


    Humphrey shook his head, having quickly built up his Jason tolerance again.


    ¡°Jason, what you did¨C¡±


    ¡°Is exactly what you would have done, so shut your handsome mouth right there, cobber. I know what I did, so stick to telling the ladies, yeah? Now that you¡¯re off the market, I might actually get a look in.¡±


    Humphrey went stiff.


    ¡°Belinda told you.¡±


    ¡°Mate, I didn¡¯t need her to tell me. You and Sophie may not have been holding hands, but your auras were. The old senses are a lot sharper than they were back when we last met.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s new.¡±


    "No it''s not," Jason said. "Let me guess: You two were circling each other for a while, but your dead, rakishly-charming friend was hanging over you like a ghost. Then hey, he''s suddenly alive and you realise you don''t want her getting confused because she used to have a thing for him, which finally got you to sack up."


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ not inaccurate.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    "Who pushed you? Lindy or your mum?"


    "Lindy," Humphrey grumbled.


    Jason laughed again.


    "Mate, you don''t have to worry about me. Sophie was always looking for you; she just didn''t know it. She thought I was a good guy because I''m the one that helped her first."


    Jason slapped Humphrey on the back.


    ¡°But you¡¯re the good guy, Humphrey. The way she grew up, she needs that. And so do I. I¡¯ve found that I tend to lose my way, left to my own devices. I need someone to keep me on the straight and narrow.¡±


    ¡°You are a good man, Jason.¡±


    Jason gave him a sad smile.


    ¡°Over the next little while, you¡¯re going to hear about the things I¡¯ve done. I made allies, intending from the start to betray and kill them ¨C which I did. Yesterday I almost tore a man¡¯s soul out of his body because I was angry and I could. Shade pulled me back from that one.¡±


    Humphrey stood up straight, turning to face Jason.


    ¡°Jason, are you okay?¡±


    Jason also pushed himself off the railing, giving Humphrey another sad smile.


    ¡°No, Humphrey. I¡¯m not. But I will be, now that you¡¯re here.¡±


    Jason sensed Sophie wandering alone, along the trail leading down the cliff face to the main village. He masked his presence until he drew close, struck by her startling figure. With her delicate grace and the moonlight shining off her silver hair, she was a moon fairy in the night.


    ¡°You¡¯re too quiet,¡± she said, turning around to face him.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had to be,¡± he said.


    ¡°Things go poorly for men who sneak up on me.¡±


    ¡°Things have been going poorly for a while.¡±


    ¡°Our team could use a stealth guy. If you¡¯re nice, we might let you back in.¡±


    ¡°I probably won¡¯t be nice.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing we¡¯ll let you in anyway. Humphrey¡¯s a soft touch.¡±


    A smile teased at the corners of his lips.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°I knew he¡¯d tell you straight away.¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t have to; I could see it right away. It¡¯s sweet.¡±


    ¡°Are you making fun of me?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± he said, giving her an honest smile instead of his trademark half-smirk. ¡°I know sincerity isn¡¯t one of my many things, but I¡¯m glad for you. At this point, I¡¯ll take happiness where I can find it.¡±


    He turned to look out over the lagoon and she moved to stand beside him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not doing so well, are you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°You know what it¡¯s like when the bad feels like it¡¯s never going to end.¡±


    ¡°I do. But it does. I found the team, and now you have too.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    She gave him a hesitant side glance.


    ¡°I¡­ wasn¡¯t sure how I¡¯d feel when I saw you,¡± she said.


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°I was kind of a mess back when we knew each other.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m kind of a mess now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve known him longer than I ever knew you. Been with him every day. Helping people isn¡¯t a responsibility to him. He cares about people, genuinely. People he¡¯s never met. I never had that in my life, and I want it.¡±


    ¡°So you should. I know I do. I¡¯m probably not going to sleep with him, though.¡±


    She snorted a laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re still kind of a prick.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said with a chuckle. ¡°I kind of am.  So, we¡¯ve established I¡¯m a garbage fire; how are you doing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± she said. ¡°Great, really. And I wouldn''t be if you hadn''t put me on this path. I won''t forget that.¡±


    ¡°You may recall that I messed things up pretty badly.¡±


    ¡°You helped me when no one else would have even thought about it. Not even Humphrey, which is why he values you so much. I¡¯m not sure if I ever properly thanked you. I¡¯ll always owe you for that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll never owe me for that. Friends don¡¯t count favours.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but your favours are kind of insane. Humphrey was angry at himself for a long time that he wasn¡¯t the one to take the Builder off that tower.¡±


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t he barely stand?¡±


    ¡°You think he takes that into consideration?¡±


    Jason laughed, shaking his head.


    ¡°Of course he doesn¡¯t. You know that you two will have obnoxiously good-looking babies.¡±


    She blanched.


    ¡°It¡¯s more than a little early to be talking about that.¡±


    ¡°So you say, but are you willing to bet Danielle Geller doesn¡¯t have a timeline sketched out in a notebook somewhere?¡±


    ¡°Oh gods, his mother. She¡¯s like you, except she keeps her ears open instead of her mouth, which is terrifying.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s probably already making plans for a brood of adorable chocolate babies with silver hair.¡±


    Sophie let out a groan.


    Late in the evening, after the barbecue was done, Jason was scrubbing grill plates in the yard. He smiled as someone let him sense her aura.


    ¡°It¡¯s starting to feel like I can summon diamond-rankers by cleaning barbecues,¡± he said, handing the plate to Shade as he turned around. ¡°Thank you for bringing them here.¡±


    Dawn was standing in front of Jason, although her aura was completely invisible to him. She was in her true celestine form, with ruby eyes and matching hair that glimmered like gemstones in the moonlight. It seemed that all celestines looked good under the moon.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t want to overplay your importance,¡± she told him. ¡°Soramir Rimaros gave me a pretence to bring them here, but I suspect that was the idea when you let my name slip. He certainly does.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted the option running around in his head. Not sure what gave him the push to bring you in already.¡±


    ¡°No one told you? Farrah marched into the royal palace and gave him a talking to.¡±


    "Seriously? Good for her."


    ¡°That¡¯s the behaviour you want to encourage? Of course, you being a bad influence shouldn''t surprise me. I know that from experience.¡±


    Jason pointed an accusing finger.


    "I knew it! I knew you took the recording crystals with all my songs by Kenny Rogers and the First Edition.¡±


    ¡°It was easy enough for you to make more. I was leaving the universe.¡±


    ¡°You could have mentioned that in the recording you left me. I almost didn''t realise they were missing in time to re-record them before we left as well.¡±


    ¡°You wanted me to add a bit about Kenny Rogers to the message where I told you the rules a great astral being has to abide by when trying to kill you?¡±


    ¡°You need to get your priorities in order. I don¡¯t care about the Builder; that guy sucks. Kenny Rogers is an icon, and his stuff with First Edition before he went solo? That''s the good stuff."


    They both looked up at the balcony where Jason¡¯s house guests were all watching him argue with the diamond ranker about something they¡¯d never heard of.


    "Well, this is ridiculous," Neil said, turning to go back inside. "That didn''t take long."


    As Neil left, shaking his head, Farrah gave Dawn a casual wave.


    ¡°I thought everyone was asleep,¡± Jason mumbled into Gary¡¯s chest. ¡°What happened to the guy who wasn¡¯t a hugger?¡±


    ¡°I realised that you can¡¯t fight destiny,¡± Gary said, letting Jason go.


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely not true,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of my whole thing.¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Gary said, ¡°Maybe this will help with that.¡±


    He took a sword from a dimensional bag and held it out for Jason. The hilt was black with a bone handle and white embellishments. The scabbard was simple black lacquer with a dark metal tip and very minor patterning of white and dark red.


    ¡°I had some help with it. The scabbard is new but we incorporated it into the item. Magically, it¡¯s a part of the sword.¡±


    Jason took a hold of the sword by the scabbard.


    You have acquired the complete [Regalia of the Dark Hegemon]. All set effect bonuses to items within the set are restored.Set Bonus (Item: [Amulet of the Dark Guardian]): For each instance of an affliction applied to an enemy, gain an instance of [Hegemon¡¯s Authority].[Hegemon¡¯s Authority] (boon, holy, unholy, stacking): All allies within your aura have increased resistance to aura suppression. Additional instances have a cumulative effect. Consume instances of this boon to enhance your aura suppression strength.Set Bonus (Item: [Cloud Flask]): Shrouds the wearer in mist. Mist can be controlled through aura manipulation to condense into small cloud constructs. Cloud constructs created in this manner only maintain integrity against attacks lower than the rank of this item; attacks of its rank and above are minimally impeded. Shroud can be withdrawn into the flask.Set Bonus (Item: [Hegemon¡¯s Will]): Enemies struck with this weapon are subjected to a mild mana drain effect and are inflicted with [Hegemon¡¯s Tribute].[Hegemon¡¯s Tribute] (affliction, magic): Anyone affected by Hegemon¡¯s tribute is subject to a mild, ongoing mana drain effect by the wielder of [Hegemon¡¯s Will] so long as they remain within the wielder¡¯s aura. If this affliction is cleansed or the subject dies, a final burst of mana is drained.


    Because he was holding the scabbard, it was the first item Jason was able to observe.


    Item: [Hegemon¡¯s Dominion] (silver rank [growth], legendary)


    The scabbard to Hegemon¡¯s Will, Hegemon¡¯s Dominion is the embodiment of hegemonic control, representing the hegemon¡¯s mastery of his domain (container, scabbard).


    This item is bound to [Jason Asano] and cannot be used by anyone else. This bond allows the weapon to share the wielder¡¯s ability to ignore rank disparity. This item is magically bound to [Hegemon¡¯s Will]; they are treated as the same item for all magical effects.


    Effect: Instances of afflictions affecting the wielder are periodically moved to this item, removing their effects from the wielder. This is not a cleansing effect. The rate of transfer is affected by the relative rank of the effects to the wielder. Suppressing the originator of the effect¡¯s aura increases the rate of transfer; the wielder being aura suppressed reduces the rate of transfer. If [Hegemon¡¯s Will] is sheathed, all afflictions are transferred to the weapon and affect the next enemy struck. Any effects resisted or subject to immunity are negated and cannot be passed to an alternate target.


    Current rank: Silver.


    Looking over the growth conditions, the weapon¡¯s growth was no longer capped by rank. The materials required for an upgrade, however, were all materials Jason had never heard of and were presumably gold-rank.


    ¡°It¡¯s going to be fairly rough to upgrade,¡± Gary admitted. ¡°It was a strange crafting process, to be honest. It¡¯s almost like the sword knew how it wanted to be reforged.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Jason said. ¡°Based on a fight I lost recently, this ability on the scabbard is exactly what I needed.¡±


    Jason looked up at Gary.


    ¡°You¡¯re amazing,¡± he said, then grabbed the hilt.


    Item: [Hegemon¡¯s Will] (silver rank [growth], legendary)


    A precious gift, imbued with the soul of its owner and reforged with a renewed sense of purpose. The aid of a grandmaster craftsman in the reforging process has produced a flawless result (weapon, sword).


    This item is bound to [Jason Asano] and cannot be used by anyone else. This bond allows the weapon to share the wielder¡¯s ability to ignore rank disparity.


    Effect: You may invoke all effects of a conjured weapon into this blade for the normal mana cost of conjuring the weapon. Only one weapon¡¯s effects may be invoked at a time.Effect: While invoking a conjured weapon, you may inflict additional damage for an ongoing mana cost. Damage type is based on the invoked weapon and mana cost is based on the nature of the damage. Amount of damage is based on aura strength of the wielder. Damage is increased to the degree to which the enemy attacked has their aura suppressed and decreased by the degree to which the wielder has their aura suppressed.


    Available Invocation: [Ruin, the Blade of Tribulation].Ongoing Mana Cost: Low.Damage type: Corrosive. Inflicts [Corrosion].Available Invocation: [Penitent, the Blade of Sacrifice].Ongoing Mana Cost: Moderate.Damage type: Disruptive-Force.


    Effect: The wielder may cleanse all holy afflictions inflicted by the abilities and soul-bound items of the wielder from an enemy touched by [Hegemon¡¯s Will]. For each affliction cleansed, the enemy suffers an instance of [Hegemon¡¯s Mercy] and the wielder gains an instance of [Benevolent Hegemon].Effect (Regalia of the Hegemon): Enemies struck with this weapon are subjected to a mild mana drain effect and are inflicted with [Hegemon¡¯s Tribute] and the wielder gains an instance of [Benevolent Hegemon].


    [Corrosion] (affliction, damage-over-time, elemental, stacking): Inflicts corrosive damage, which has increased effectiveness against inorganic substances. Additional instances have increased effect.[Hegemon¡¯s Mercy] (affliction, holy, stacking): The victim of this effect is subjected to a powerful suppressive force affecting all magical abilities. This affects essence abilities, innate abilities and item abilities. Abilities derived from external transcendent sources are affected more strongly. This affliction drops off rapidly when not within the area of the wielder of [Hegemon¡¯s Will]¡¯s aura. Additional instances have increased effect.[Benevolent Hegemon] (boon, holy, stacking): The effect strength of allied auras overlapping your aura is increased. This does not affect suppressive strength or resistance to aura suppression. Additional instances have increased effect.[Hegemon¡¯s Tribute] (affliction, magic): Anyone affected by [Hegemon¡¯s Tribute] is subject to a mild, ongoing mana drain effect by the wielder of [Hegemon¡¯s Will] so long as they remain within the wielder¡¯s aura. If this affliction is cleansed or the subject dies, a final burst of mana is drained.


    Jason drew the sword, running his gaze up and down the black blade with stark white sigils in awe. The white sigils on the blade started glowing life-force red.


    You have invoked the effects of [Ruin, Blade of Tribulation]. All properties of that weapon have been imbued into [Hegemon¡¯s Will]. Necrotic damage will be inflicted in addition to physical damage.


    The sigils then turned from red to a rich blue.


    You have stopped invoking the effects of [Ruin, Blade of Tribulation].You have invoked the effects of [Penitent, the Blade of Sacrifice]. All properties of that weapon have been imbued into [Hegemon¡¯s Will]. Disruptive-Force damage will be inflicted in addition to physical damage.


    ¡°Gary,¡± Jason said reverently. ¡°It¡¯s like finding a part of myself I didn¡¯t know was missing.¡±


    ¡°You brought Farrah back to us,¡± Gary said. ¡°That part I knew was missing.¡±

 Chapter 515: A Story About a Magic Trowel

    Jason and Farrah sat on the balcony of his cloud house in the morning sun. As Taika and Travis came from inside, chairs made of cloud stuff rose from the floor.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for the long version of how you two arrived here,¡± Jason told them as they sat.


    ¡°No worries, bro. It started with that big standing-stone thing you two made on the footy field in that abandoned town. No one was stupid enough to go near it while you were still around, although I¡¯m pretty sure every country with a satellite was pointing it your way. There were also people on the ground watching you from kilometres away.¡±


    ¡°We were aware of them,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Things changed when you left,¡± Travis said, picking up the explanation. ¡°You went through one of Jason¡¯s archways and then what we¡¯re pretty sure was a dig dimensional rift opened up. It looked like a portal, except that it covered the whole area of your standing stones, with only the outermost ones containing it.¡±


    ¡°It was stable?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Once it popped up, it was solid as a rock, bro.¡±


    ¡°And all the factions got curious,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°They were hesitant at first,¡± Travis said. ¡°Once they were pretty sure you weren¡¯t coming back out, though, they all swarmed the place like they used to do with Transformation zones.¡±


    ¡°The yanks were first,¡± Taika said. ¡°They started throwing stuff in to see what happened. Even threw in some people.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t come back out,¡± Travis added.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t catch me volunteering for that, bro.¡±


    ¡°And so you shouldn¡¯t,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If they didn¡¯t go through at the same time as the rest of you, I doubt they survived. Unless they got caught up in whatever brought you here safely, those people are dead. Only someone like Jason could normally survive that passage, and even he had a limited window of viability.¡±


    ¡°Until I complete the bridge,¡± Jason said, ¡°anything that tries to travel it will get dumped into the deep astral. Farrah and I got here riding the initial backwash from cutting off the magic pipeline to our world and riding that wave back as it triggered the monster surge here.¡±


    ¡°Then how did we survive?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ll get to that later,¡± Jason said. ¡°You were talking about the Americans and their early testing?¡±


    ¡°Nothing anyone put in there came back,¡± Taika said, ¡°so they stopped chucking stuff in and settled in to study it.¡±


    ¡°Earth doesn¡¯t have any astral magic specialists,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The grasp of magic theory there is quite limited and focused on magitech. They wouldn¡¯t learn much from the rift.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate the scientific method,¡± Travis said. ¡°It might take years, even decades of careful study, but the potential gains from having access to it could accelerate our understanding of dimensional magic far beyond what it would otherwise reach. I don¡¯t think they were wrong to study it. Knowledge for its own sake is a noble endeavour.¡±


    ¡°I know a goddess who will love you,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°A goddess?¡± Travis said.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Taika said. ¡°They turn up in person here, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°In fact, I¡¯ll take Travis to the temple of Knowledge today. We need to know if she¡¯s going to be wary of you introducing knowledge from our world. She was sketchy about me doing it, but I think now that was mostly an excuse for her to do other things. Plus, you actually know things instead of having just heard of them.¡±


    ¡°You''re talking like there''s no way of going home,¡± Taika said. ¡°You did. Can''t we?¡±


    ¡°Not interested,¡± Travis said. ¡°My family cut me off after I helped you steal that nuke and well¡­ I never had a lot of friends.¡±


    ¡°There won¡¯t be another chance to go back for a long time,¡± Jason said. ¡°I am going to open a path, but it will be years before it¡¯s ready to use. I¡¯m sorry, Taika. I know you didn¡¯t want to leave your family.¡±


    ¡°My mum will probably think I¡¯m dead,¡± the big man said sadly. ¡°Can¡¯t Dawn take us back? She can move between universes, right?¡±


    ¡°Earth is too fragile for a dimensional vessel to enter without causing damage,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The Dawn you met on Earth was just a projection, like a living phone call from another dimension.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just one little flying cottage,¡± Taika said. ¡°That won¡¯t break a whole world, will it?¡±


    ¡°The tip of a needle is also very small,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s still very bad news for a balloon. Maybe ¨C maybe ¨C she can get word back to the families of the people who wound up here. We¡¯ll have to ask her after we get a handle on who arrived here.¡±


    ¡°Which brings us back to the question of what happened to bring you all here,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°With all the people poking around your big magic thing,¡± Taika said, ¡°Jason¡¯s grandmother decided to send some people from Clan Asano to check it out.¡±


    ¡°The clan doesn¡¯t have a lot of people with strong magical theory knowledge,¡± Travis said. ¡°Mostly Hiro and Emi, who were both taught by you, Farrah. Matriarch Yumi wouldn''t let either of them within a thousand kilometres of that place, though. Wouldn''t even let them go back to Australia and kept them in Jason''s cities. That left me, and Taika came along to help keep me safe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not up to facing some of those Network people,¡± Taika admitted, ¡°but with you two gone, the clan¡¯s silver-rankers were halved with just Akari and her old man left.¡±


    ¡°We weren¡¯t getting too close to the rift or in anyone¡¯s way,¡± Travis said. ¡°We just wanted a general sense of what the factions were up to.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t matter,¡± Taika said. ¡°One day, out of nowhere, the thing suddenly expands outwards. Sweeps over the camp. I know there were some gold-rakers I sensed moving out of the way, and I think the silvers that weren¡¯t too close got away as well.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re category two,¡± Travis said. ¡°Taika is fast and maybe could have gotten away, because we were in the outer areas, but he was slowed down carrying me and didn¡¯t get clear.¡±


    ¡°The rift swept over us, and that¡¯s where things get funny,¡± Taika said. ¡°I don''t really remember stuff after that until I woke up in a crater. Except that I kind of do remember stuff. It¡¯s weird.¡±


    ¡°Like you remember emotions, but not when or why you felt them,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s exactly it,¡± Taika said, pointing.


    ¡°That¡¯s because your soul experienced things that your body didn¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s happened to me enough times that I¡¯ve become familiar.¡±


    ¡°What happened to our bodies?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°They were annihilated,¡± Jason said. ¡°You died and came back; welcome to the resurrection club. I¡¯m the president, but it¡¯s largely a ceremonial position.¡±


    Jason went on to explain the concept of outworlders to Travis and Taika. As he did, Clive wandered out from inside, he and Farrah helping clarify things as Jason¡¯s explanation wandered into tangents and confusingly elaborate analogies based around action-adventure television.


    ¡°¡­and that show was going to be called Viper, but there was another show coming out called Viper that had a Dodge Viper in it, so the car company sued the non-car show and they changed the name to Cobra. And that¡¯s kind of how a human turns onto an outworlder.¡±


    ¡°The first thing you need to do,¡± Clive said, ¡°is ignore everything Jason just said because it was nonsense.¡±


    ¡°That''s good advice in general,¡± Farrah added.


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Jason complained.


    ¡°I liked Viper,¡± Taika said.


    ¡°Of course you did,¡± Jason told him. ¡°It was crap Knight Rider again.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you preferred Cobra,¡± Taika said. ¡°It didn¡¯t even have a science-fiction car.¡±


    ¡°It had Michael Dudikoff,¡± Jason said. ¡°He was the American Ninja!¡±


    ¡°Bro, that movie sucked.¡±


    ¡°Will you both please stop?¡± Farrah said. ¡°I hate to break it to you, boys, but all of that stuff was terrible. All of it.¡±


    ¡°Coming from someone who thinks Beyond Thunderdome was the best Mad Max movie.¡±


    ¡°It was! Aunty Entity is an iconic character.¡±


    Clive and Travis watched the three arguing and Clive shuffled closer, his cloud chair shifting with him.


    ¡°Did this kind of thing happen a lot over there?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Travis said. ¡°For someone who claims to not like television, Farrah borrowed DVDs from Jason¡¯s dad a lot.¡±


    ¡°What are DVDs?¡±


    Eventually, the conversation got back on track. Clive postulated an early hypothesis of what had triggered the rift expansion on Earth.


    ¡°Random dimensional events connecting worlds are a normal, if extremely rare thing,¡± Clive said. ¡°Because there is a link between your world and ours, though, that frequency is increased. Even so, the right conditions for such an event to move someone from your world to ours are extremely rare. Jason, you were brought here because such an event just so happened to coincide with Landemere Vane trying to summon a clockwork king to this world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what he was doing in that basement?¡± Jason asked. ¡°No wonder it went wrong. He didn¡¯t have the power to stage that kind of ritual.¡±


    ¡°He had support,¡± Clive said. ¡°The more we learn, the more we understand just how much more advanced than ours the Builder¡¯s astral magic is. After we came back from the astral space ¨C where you died, Jason ¨C the old Vane estate was completely excavated. We¡¯d discovered the cult was living underground in the cave system there.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t we right on top of that at one point?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We were,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I should have had Shade go scout it out when Henrietta didn¡¯t want us to go down there. I¡¯d just gotten him as a familiar and I wasn¡¯t thinking about all the awesome ways he could help me yet.¡±


    ¡°I should have suggested it,¡± Shade said from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°As you said, it was the start of our relationship and I did not want to overstep. I was yet to learn that sometimes you need to be pushed, Mr Asano. And that sometimes, you need to be thrown.¡±


    ¡°It was for the best,¡± Clive said. ¡°There was a small army of them. If we found them, they would have killed us and decamped before anyone came looking. We should count ourselves lucky they didn¡¯t want to be revealed and come after us.¡±


    ¡°What did they find when they excavated the place?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Powerful Builder magic tools. Broken, after the failed summoning attempt, but very powerful.¡±


    ¡°There was a ritual circle set into the floor,¡± Jason said. ¡°I remember that.¡±


    ¡°We think that was a device to hide the real tools from Landemere''s family,¡± Clive said. ¡°You may remember that while he was a Builder cultist, the rest of his family belonged to a blood cult called the Red Table.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we remember,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Are they related to a great astral being as well?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°They''re just a group that likes to explore the kinds of blood and death magic that get you hunted down by the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Clive continued, ¡°the point is that Landemere''s summoning went wrong. Maybe because he was trying to go beyond his ability, or maybe it was impacted by the dimensional event. Whatever the case, the result was that the summoning ritual was like a beacon, yanking Jason¡¯s soul to the Vane estate.¡±


    ¡°And you think this grand summoning event in Vitesse did the same thing,¡± Farrah surmised.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said, ¡°but on a much larger scale. Instead of a natural dimensional event, we have this bridge you and Jason established using the link between worlds.¡±


    ¡°The bridge isn¡¯t complete,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Which is why anything that followed it would get annihilated,¡± Clive said. ¡°But you can¡¯t annihilate a soul. I think that your bridge and the massive summoning event might have converged after our team disrupted the summoning. It caused the right conditions on your world to expand the rift and draw people in, and the summoning was the beacon that pulled the loose souls into our world, turning them into outworlders. Essentially, the same thing that happened to you, Jason, but on a massive scale.¡±


    ¡°And now there¡¯s a hundred and something outworlders from Earth,¡± Jason said, running a hand over his face. ¡°Do we know anything about who they are?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a mix of factions,¡± Taika said. ¡°Everyone but the vampires, because they''re kill-on-sight now. The handful that came over to team let''s-not-have-a-blood-apocalypse have to be careful about showing themselves because of friendly fire. After you left, they made their move.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Jason said. ¡°Vampire war.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t stupid enough to touch your domains,¡± Travis said. ¡°The clan and the transformation zones refugees they took in are hunkered down and safe. The reason the silver-rankers didn''t come to Australia with us was that we keep them on standby for anyone who needs to leave the domains and we were going out for too long to have them tied up.¡±


    ¡°Domains?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later,¡± Jason said. ¡°And no one talks about them outside of this building, is that clear?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°Because I¡¯m fairly confident we can¡¯t be overheard here,¡± Jason said, ¡°but out there is different. I have more than enough trouble to be going on with and I¡¯m not looking for any more.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound like you,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I learn slow and it usually needs to get beaten into me a few times,¡± Jason told him, ¡°but I do learn.¡±


    ¡°That sounds more like you,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Tell me about the outworlder group,¡± Jason said to Taika and Travis. ¡°Anyone else I know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure, yeah,¡± Taika confirmed. ¡°I don¡¯t think they told anyone they know you, though, which is why Travis and I were picked out from the bunch. The others are all scared of you now they don¡¯t have their organisations to back them. A lot of groups didn¡¯t treat you so well when they had all the power and thought they could get away with it.¡±


    ¡°And now they aren¡¯t the hegemons anymore,¡± Jason said, resting a hand on the pommel of his sword. ¡°I¡¯ve even got the hegemonic hegemon sword of hegemony.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± Clive asked.


    Jason invited the group to his party and brought up the description of his sword for them to see.


    ¡°Oh yeah, that¡¯s the stuff,¡± Clive said happily as a system box appeared in front of him.


    ¡°I somehow feel dirty,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just read it. Without licking it, for preference.¡±


    ¡°This seems good,¡± Clive said, glancing over the description. ¡°It¡¯s very heavily reliant on aura strength. I know your aura¡¯s strong, but is it strong enough to sustain this kind of weapon?¡±


    ¡°I think he¡¯ll be fine,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°What¡¯s a hegemony?¡± Taika asked as he peered at the item description. ¡°It¡¯s like every fourth word, bro. Is it something to do with hedges?¡±


    ¡°Hedges?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yeah, bro. I remember you telling us a story about a magic trowel. Is this a gardening sword?¡±

 Chapter 516: What It Sent Us

    Happy with his service to date, Soramir had Trenchant Moore assigned full-time to assist Liara and himself. While Trench could and would also assist Vesper, she remained a silver ranker and could not be given authority over a gold, even if she was a princess and he a royal guard. It was part of the complex hierarchical interplay between the royal family and their guard force of elite adventurers.


    In the office he had been assigned, Moore was going over the reports of Asano¡¯s expedition. The expedition leader who made the report was unclear on how Asano turned the Builder¡¯s forces against themselves, while being very clear on the inadequacy of Asano¡¯s explanation.


    ¡°What does ¡®gots to get funky¡¯ mean?¡± he murmured to himself as he read.


    It was yet another mystery surrounding the man. His connection to the diamond-ranker that even Soramir was deferential to was still unknown, as was his repeated returns from the grave, according to the church of Death. Soramir had told him it had something to do with a rival entity to the Builder and the unusual nature of the current monster surge. Their current best guess was that it was related to Asano¡¯s original world, which had been how someone of such low rank had been caught up in cosmic events.


    Soramir had postulated that Asano had been caught up in events from the moment he arrived in their world the first time. Trenchant didn¡¯t envy Asano becoming entangled in the agenda of such powerful forces before he was even an iron ranker. Fighting through death over and over, facing down beings from beyond reality. And that was ignoring the relatively normal messes that surrounded him as an adventurer and an outworlder. He could see how someone wouldn¡¯t find a gold-ranker intimidating after all that, and even become quite unhinged.


    It was clear that Asano had been profoundly affected by the forces pressuring him. Trenchant was still a little unnerved by Asano¡¯s cloud house. It reminded him of a still lake with a monster slumbering somewhere in the depths. He had no reason to feel that way yet he became more certain the more he thought about it.


    Asano¡¯s aura was monstrous and Trenchant knew full well the kind of suffering it took to do that to a soul, as well as the time and struggle to recover from it. He was curious as to what his friend Amos would make of Asano, and he would find out soon enough. Trenchant had been directed, once Asano¡¯s team was registered for local activity, to deliver the team an invitation to a social event.


    The idea of having a ball amidst a monster surge did not sit well with Trenchant but he understood the necessity. The wealthy and noble houses of Rimaros were an intricately threaded tapestry on which the Storm Kingdom rested. There could be no worse time for that tapestry to fray or develop holes.


    There was also a more personal element to it that left Trenchant uncertain. Farrah Hurin was a fierce, passionate and courageous woman he had found immediately compelling, although there were many reasons not to pursue it. Her connection to Asano was certainly one and she had her own mysteries. She was also young, which would not matter at silver rank if she was forty or fifty, but she was twenty-seven. Twenty-six, discounting the year she had been dead, which would put her at less than a quarter of Trenchant''s own age.


    ¡°You¡¯re aura is a little turbulent, Commander Moore.¡±


    Trenchant Moore''s senses were sharp and his aura control was impeccable. It was not enough to prevent Soramir from seeing through him, however, or from entering his office unnoticed.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been dwelling on Asano¡¯s cloud house,¡± Trenchant said. He had been dealing with people stronger than him for decades and was an old hand at not revealing everything, even when his aura was being read. He knew well that saying true things was not the same as speaking the truth.


    ¡°Asano¡¯s cloud house is a curiosity,¡± Soramir said. ¡°If I hadn¡¯t seen its connection to him in his aura, I would have believed it belonged to someone else.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Commander Moore, you have already encountered something similar, many times. The comparison has simply not occurred to you because it¡¯s a little outrageous.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°How often do you think my senses encounter a location into which they are utterly unable to penetrate?¡±


    ¡°Very rarely. My understanding is that even the defences of the royal sky island are unable to block your perception.¡±


    ¡°On the contrary, Commander, it is something my senses pass over every day, as do yours. Our city has many of them. Every major city does.¡±


    Trenchant frowned as his mind ticked over. What could shut out a perception as powerful as¡­


    ¡°Temples,¡± he realised.


    "Exactly," Soramir said. "The innermost thresholds of temples ¨C their most sacred locations ¨C are impervious to my senses. And I can tell that the rest could be as well, if the forces behind those temples wished it, but they do not obstruct their visitors. Only the most sacred locations are completely hidden away."


    ¡°You¡¯re saying Asano¡¯s cloud house is a temple?¡±


    ¡°The way it blocks senses is the same.¡±


    ¡°You think his cloud house is empowered by this great astral being? The World-Phoenix?¡±


    "It was my first thought, but I dismissed it immediately. I''ve seen the depths of Asano''s soul reflected in his aura. While I don''t understand or recognise everything I saw inside it, he could not hide anything from me. If there was a star seed of the World-Phoenix inside Asano, I would have seen it. In fact, he cannot be implanted with a star seed at all."


    ¡°Because he is a gestalt being, Trenchant surmised.


    ¡°You noticed.¡±


    ¡°I have encountered a true messenger in the past, not just a summon. I know the feeling of an aura that feels almost physically substantial because the soul that projecting it is.¡±


    ¡°Where did you encounter a true messenger?¡± Soramir asked.


    ¡°Heartsilver Mountain.¡±


    ¡°Ah. You¡¯re a survivor of the Celestial Sword.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    Soramir paused to look over Trenchant with freshly assessing eyes.


    ¡°What are you doing, serving my family, Trenchant Moore?¡±


    ¡°My duty, sir. As my family has done since you founded this kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Since the beginning? I¡¯m sorry, Commander Moore, but I don¡¯t remember your ancestor.¡±


    ¡°We were only a minor family in your service, Ancestral Majesty.¡±


    ¡°But a loyal one, it would seem.¡±


    ¡°We do our best. If this World-Phoenix is not responsible for the properties of Asano¡¯s cloud house, what is?¡±


    ¡°That is what troubles me,¡± Soramir said. ¡°I can¡¯t examine the cloud house, but I tell from Asano that it truly is bonded to him. Since he is not a vessel for the World-Phoenix¡¯s power, that means Asano himself is responsible.¡±


    ¡°Unless it is a property of the house and not Asano.¡±


    "It is not. I contacted the woman who crafted it and she confirmed that the original item was an ordinary device,  - if you can say that about any cloud flask. There is nothing you could feed it that would produce this effect except, perhaps, at diamond rank. She was certain that any effect on that level has to come from the person bonded to it and would require a deeper bond that was ordinary for the item.¡±


    ¡°Then, either Asano or this great astral being has modified it, but the properties it exhibits somehow come from Asano.¡±


    ¡°As I said, I have observed the depths of his aura thoroughly enough to examine his soul. He has magical bonds with some of his items, but also with some things not with him. I could not determine what, but I think that is where the secret lies."


    ¡°And what course of action will you be taking?¡± Trenchant asked.


    Soramir didn¡¯t answer immediately, taking a piece of fruit from the dimensional pouch at his waist and biting into it. Trenchant waited for Soramir to unhurriedly chew and swallow.


    ¡°I¡¯ve known from the beginning that Asano was unusual,¡± Soramir eventually said. ¡°The way he arrived in the Storm Kingdom made that clear enough. I was already investigating him when Liara and Vesper came looking for a diamond-ranker to examine his aura. I decided to take a closer look and test how strong his senses were. He sensed me much earlier than I anticipated.¡±


    ¡°You did reveal yourself on purpose, then?¡±


    ¡°Yes. From everything I¡¯ve managed to learn about Asano, he needs to be handled delicately. Too many mysteries and powerful forces orbit around him. The day will come when he is no longer outmatched by those forces and I don¡¯t want the Storm Kingdom to be on the list of his enemies due a reckoning when he hits gold and diamond.¡±


    ¡°You think he will?¡±


    "Oh, yes. There are two kinds of adventurers, Commander Moore. You are the first type: reliable, efficient and supremely capable. You advanced because of the way you conduct yourself. You are the kind of adventurer that everyone wants to work with. Asano is the other kind. Wild, erratic, improvisational. These are not the people you want to work with, but they are the ones who become legends. Usually by repeatedly surviving the kind of challenges that adventurers like you avoided in the first place.¡±


    ¡°You think he¡¯ll reach diamond. If he lives long enough.¡±


    ¡°Which is why I want to establish good relations now, but that¡¯s tricky with a man like him. He is highly averse to any kind of institutional power, so impressing him with our authority doesn¡¯t help. Nor can we be generous and accommodating because he wouldn¡¯t trust it. Vesper is excellent because her hostility meets his expectations and I can stop her from going too far. Ironically, the pathway to the trust of a man like Jason Asano is to be self-serving, because it¡¯s what he expects. So long as we make the deal clear, he¡¯ll work with us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never cared for mind games of this kind,¡± Trenchant said.


    ¡°Fortunately, that is not your role,¡± Soramir told him. ¡°You¡¯re our good example. A man of integrity outside of our political plots and schemes. Asano will respect that.¡±


    ¡°Is this all really necessary just for some political problems with the Irios family?¡±


    ¡°That is important, but no. Asano''s importance is unclear to me, but I don''t think it lies with the Builder and what comes after. Not any more than tangentially, at least. The World-Phoenix wouldn¡¯t send us a silver-ranker to fight the Builder and what comes after.¡±


    ¡°After?¡±


    "The church of Knowledge has been building up fighting forces around the globe. Slowly but steadily, over the last fifteen years or so."


    ¡°The church of Knowledge? Why a military force?¡±


    "The thing about the goddess of Knowledge," Soramir said, "is that she always knows something that you don''t. The other churches weren''t going to sit by while a bunch of librarians established a large military force. War and his subordinate gods have established response forces in those same regions, in anticipation of what Knowledge is up to.¡±


    ¡°And what is she up to?¡±


    "No one knows, for certain," Soramir said. "Not even the church of Knowledge''s own people. But now we have a suspicion about the church of Purity and more grand summonings. Wouldn''t it be a funny thing if all these messengers popped out to find the holy warriors of Knowledge, War, Soldier, Champion and Warrior all waiting for them, all over the world?"


    "Wouldn''t the Purity adherents move once they knew the churches were in the vicinity?¡±


    ¡°Some of the infrastructure in place that fuelled the one summoning we¡¯ve seen was built into that dam at the time of its construction. This has been planned for a very long time and these undertakings are massive and not easily shifted. Doing so unnoticed would be impossible.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any idea of Asano¡¯s role in all this?¡± Trenchant asked.


    ¡°I believe the Purity church is out there, preparing a messenger invasion to follow up once the Builder calls its forces back to the astral, at the end of the monster surge. The summoning event we¡¯ve seen was premature and halted, but what if it wasn¡¯t? What if those things could just keep coming through? What we will need is someone to shut the gate, and the World-Phoenix is the one in charge of closing that kind of gate. And what it sent us was Jason Asano.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t end up being the one who took Travis to see the church of Knowledge. Farrah volunteered for that role while Jason led his team to the Adventure Society to register locally for monster surge duty. Neil and Belinda grumbled about going back to work the day after they arrived but Humphrey gave a speech about not shirking and the need to learn how to work together all over again until Neil got up and set out just so Humphrey would stop talking.


    The Adventure Society administration building didn¡¯t have people lined up outside the doors this time but was still incredibly busy. They were forced into one of several queues inching towards the front. Finally, they reached the front where the reception staff were rushing people through as quickly as they could. The functionary they met at the front of the queue quickly scribbled down their details, a pencil in one hand and a large stamp in the other.


    ¡°Does your team have an operational name?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Team Biscuit!¡± Humphrey said cheerfully.


    ¡°No!¡± Another Humphrey said as he grabbed the moustachioed first one by the collar. The first Humphrey turned into a puppy dangling from the scruff of its neck, adorably waving helpless paws.


    ¡°That¡¯s not our team name,¡± Humphrey told the functionary.


    ¡°Paperwork¡¯s been stamped, so it is now,¡± she said, handing him the document. ¡°Maybe next time get your familiar under control. Now, please clear the line. You can take this to the jobs hall.¡±


    A dismayed Humphrey looked at the documentation in one hand and the puppy in the other as he let Jason push him out of the way.

 Chapter 517: I Am Not Jason Asano

    Jason and his team arrived back at the cloud house, exhausted in ways no stamina potion could fix after two weeks on the road. There were some kinds of tired only rest could fix, however potent your potion supply was. The monster surge was now in full swing, with monsters spawning faster than even the most pessimistic predictions had anticipated.


    The abnormal rate of magical manifestations was not restricted to monsters, with a commensurate increase in the appearance of essences and awakening stones. This included a strangely high number of the ordinarily scarce dimension essence. One of the most valuable and sought-after essences in existence, for those that found them it was a massive jackpot.


    At Humphrey''s suggestion, Jason''s team had done the same thing they had done after the first time they completed their roster, back in Greenstone. They volunteered to take a road contract as a shakedown cruise to help the team re-establish their teamwork. They had been operating separately for years, ranking up from bronze rank to silver in that time. Their operational dynamic would need to be rebuilt from the ground up.


    Road contracts weren¡¯t usually something that happened in the Storm Kingdom. In low-magic regions like Greenstone, towns and villages had noticeboards where locals posted monster sightings for passing adventurers to deal with, only sending word directly to the Adventure Society when the threat level to civilians was high. A high-magic zone like Rimaros had a magical detection system that identified monster manifestations and allowed the closest Adventure Society office to mount a response.


    From a practical perspective, it was similar to the grid on Earth, although it was very different magically. The Earth grid was a unified system operating over every landmass on the planet, with minimal energy and maintenance requirements. Earth¡¯s grid was less complex, yet its functionality was so much greater, which had staggered Farrah with the nuanced grasp of magic it implied.


    Jason had gone to Liara with his proposed road contract and they negotiated the details. It used a supply contract, like the one Jason had already undertaken, as the basis. The team had moved between fortress towns and Fertility church agriculture towers, delivering supplies. The difference had been that they also took the time to thin out the increasing accumulation of monsters around fortress towns in the outlying regions.


    After a good night''s sleep, Humphrey had the team going over the extensive notes he had taken during the trip, hammering at their flaws and highlighting potential tactics and strategies for their current ability suites. With the intensity of the monster surge, it was like being back in the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space where they had spent half a year slogging through monsters.


    Only Jason had been through anything like that intensity in the years since, with even the diligent Humphrey showing his weariness. Despite a few bantering gripes, however, the team had all actively participated in getting themselves back on track. They had each had chances to see proper guild teams in action and knew they had a lot of catching up to do, especially given the nature of their team.


    Their team operated on a strategic doctrine starkly opposed to the Rimaros approach of specialisation and maximising effectiveness, where the core objective was to turn any situation into a best-case scenario for themselves. Jason¡¯s team was all about versatility and adaptation; about finding success in the worst-case scenario. They¡¯d seen the pointy end of enough sticks to know that, sooner or later, they¡¯d be seeing more.


    Jason had recently watched a guild team in action, smoothly annihilating monsters with a speed and efficiency that his team would never equal, even at their best. But his team had no interest in being the best at normal. When adequate would get the job done, they were satisfied with adequate.


    What mattered were the days when everything when wrong. When they were stranded in the dark, surrounded by enemies and with no one to rely on but each other. The days with no second chances, where they had to find a way, whatever it took. Those were the days when they needed to be the best.


    After a full morning of strategising, the team went out onto the deck where Taika had set out a smorgasbord lunch on a picnic table. It was made up of Jason¡¯s cooking experiments with local ingredients that hadn''t gone horribly wrong.


    ¡°Bro, I need something to do. Farrah and Travis have been cloistered away for weeks and you all ran off. Gary and Rufus have been helping me train when they aren¡¯t on mission but I¡¯m spending most of my time sitting around the house.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re bronze-rank,¡± Humphrey told him. Without guild backing or at least a team around you, you¡¯re basically a civilian.¡±


    ¡°I did help fight some of the monsters here on the island, at least,¡± Taika said. ¡°Most of the ones that spawned are too strong, though.¡± I can sometimes take on a silver-rank one, but not two, let alone ten.¡±


    ¡°Yep, that sucks,¡± Neil mumbled around a mouthful of cheese enchilada. ¡°You know, I did miss meal times from when we were back in Greenstone. This tortilla is amazing.¡±


    ¡°They have a tropical crop here they turn into a weirdly fantastic flour,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s not even magical.¡±


    ¡°Tastes magical,¡± Neil said happily.


    Shade rose up from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Mr Asano, a message arrived from the Adventure Society while you were in your strategy session. They would like your team to attend a meeting this afternoon to discuss several topics.¡±


    ¡°Any sense if it¡¯s a good thing or a bad thing?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Princess Liara and Princess Vesper will both be in attendance.¡±


    ¡°So, bad then,¡± Jason said.


    Vesper and Liara walked together through the halls of the Adventure Society complex, talking within the confines of a privacy screen.


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have let them run off for two weeks,¡± Vesper said. ¡°We missed the best window to introduce Jason to society in the wake of the expedition with the Builder and his team arriving with a diamond-ranker.¡±


    ¡°Asano has been separated from his team for years. I don¡¯t know what he¡¯s been through in the intervening years, but his Ancestral Majesty has intimated that it was extreme. I know you¡¯re happy with how the expedition you went on turned out but you can¡¯t argue that his behaviour on it was stable. A support network can bring him that, and maybe make him feel less like we¡¯re the enemy.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Vesper grumbled. ¡°I just don¡¯t like missing a prime opportunity.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not seriously going to tell me you have no way to stoke the smouldering embers?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do. Jacinda Irios has been looking to meet with the boy, after that run-in I engineered with Kasper. I will say this for Asano: while he is a pain to work with, he does have a knack for stirring up the right kind of trouble.¡±


    Jason and his team filed into a meeting room within the Adventure Society administration complex, shown the way by a society functionary. The princesses were yet to arrive so Belinda conjured a deck of cards and started playing with Sophie and Neil at one end of the conference table. Humphrey and Jason went to the other end, Humphrey sitting with good posture while Jason kicked back. Clive didn''t sit at all, moving to examine the wall panel with an embedded crystal that activated the room''s privacy screen.


    Rather than one of the conference room¡¯s chairs, Jason was in a comfortable cloud chair. Now that his full item set was back in his possession, he was able to use the various set abilities again. For the cloud flask, this meant simple cloud constructs that could serve as a shield or a platform for movement but mostly ended up being chairs, hammocks and, in one case, a mud toboggan.


    Jason looked over at Stash, sprawled in Sophie¡¯s lap in puppy form getting his tummy scratched.


    ¡°Stash doesn¡¯t seem to have changed from ranking up as much as I would have thought,¡± Jason said to Humphrey.


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s changed,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He¡¯s a lot smarter, for one thing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really see it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s smart enough to know that if he keeps looking like a puppy and acting like an infant he can get away with a lot more.¡±


    ¡°Is this still about the team name?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Humphrey, it¡¯s fine. Everyone, tell Humphrey it¡¯s fine. Again.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Belinda said, not looking up from her hand of cards.


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Clive said as he peered into the now open wall panel, prodding the hole behind it with a crystal rod.


    ¡°I gave up on any appearance of dignity the moment I joined a team with Jason in it,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Hurtful, but thanks, I guess,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Not a problem,¡± Neil said. ¡°I¡¯m happy to tell that to as many people as you like.¡±


    He glowered at the cards in his hand.


    ¡°Belinda, have you been rigging the deck again?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t blame your terrible luck on me,¡± she told him.


    ¡°But it is a matter of dignity,¡± Humphrey insisted to Jason. ¡°It¡¯s how we present ourselves to the world. We can¡¯t change the name until the monster surge is done and administration reopens non-essential services. By that point, it''s how we''ll be known, for good or ill.¡±


    ¡°Look at it this way, Humphrey,¡± Jason said. ¡°If we have a name like this, then the respect we get will be respect we¡¯ve earned in spite of it. Unless you''d prefer our respect come from what we tell people about us instead of what we do as a team. You don''t want our accomplishments to be superficial braggadocio do you?¡±


    Humphrey groaned as he shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯d forgotten what it was like, talking to you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a treat, I know,¡± Jason said brightly.


    Clive closed the wall panel and joined the others at the table shortly before Vesper and Liara arrived, Trenchant Moore with them. Liara and trenchant sat down opposite Jason, Humphrey and Clive while Vesper moved to the control panel to activate the privacy screen. Neil, Sophie and Belinda moved up the table to sit with the others.


    ¡°There was a problem with the privacy screen,¡± Clive told Vesper, ¡°so I took the liberty of fixing it. It seems like someone had tapped into it so that anything that went on in the room while the privacy screen was active would be recorded and sent to a remote location. Obviously, doing that without notifying all attendees of an official meeting in a privacy-secured Adventure Society meeting room is a breach of Adventure Society protocols.¡±


    ¡°It is?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Humphrey said, eyes locked on Vesper. She, in turn, was frowning at Clive.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she told him flatly.


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Naturally,¡± Jason added, ¡°we¡¯ll be reporting the issue to the Adventure Society administration. They¡¯ll need to do a sweep through all the conference rooms and make sure it isn¡¯t a widespread problem. Can¡¯t be too careful in these uncertain times.¡±


    ¡°You needn¡¯t bother yourselves,¡± Vesper said through a jaw-clenched smile. ¡°I¡¯ll take care of that.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no bother,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can assure you we''ll take genuine delight in¨C¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Humphrey chided. ¡°Don''t play with your food.¡±


    ¡°Sorry, boss,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Princess Vesper,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°My friend takes a perverse pleasure in political games but I do not. I am a straightforward man, so if you are straightforward with us, we will reciprocate. Won¡¯t we, Jason?¡±


    ¡°If we have to,¡± Jason grumbled. Humphrey gave him a sharp look.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll be good.¡±


    ¡°You can choose to go in another direction,¡± Humphrey told the princesses, turning back to face them. ¡°You can bring us into an ostensibly private meeting and record us. You can send us on missions without telling us that we¡¯re bait. You can play games but, as I said, I don''t like games. I''ll step away and you can go back to dealing with Jason, so if you''ve enjoyed doing so thus far, I¡¯d appreciate you telling us now and saving me the time.¡±


    ¡°If I''m being honest, Mr Geller, dealing with either of you feels very similar,¡± Vesper said. ¡°You both seem quite imperious when speaking to royalty.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Mr Geller, Princess Vesper,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s Young Master Geller. I understand that my aristocratic lineage, being from a provincial, low-magic city-state, is inconsequential to a princess from Rimaros. But while my friend doesn''t care if you call him Mr Asano, Jason or Susan the flower girl, I take pride in my name and my house. Unless you wish to forgo formal decorum, I will thank you to respect them both.¡±


    At Humphrey¡¯s use of the term ¡®formal decorum,¡¯ Liara and Vesper both flicked their eyes over Jason, lounging in a cloud chair with his feet up on a cloud footstool. Humphrey showed no indication of having noticed either their gazes or the incongruity of making his assertions made while sitting next to Jason¡¯s aggressive casualness.


    Neither princess would be foolish enough to dismiss a Geller as inconsequential. Like the non-aristocratic Remore family, the source of their prestige was not their name but their generations of accomplishment. Both families had been offered prestigious titles over the centuries by powerful rulers, and all had been refused. The Gellers kept only their humble title linked to their original rise to prominence, while the Remores carried no title at all.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry if you feel that we¡¯ve been hostile,¡± Liara said. ¡°Our goal has always been to work with Mr Asano, not to treat him as an enemy.¡±


    ¡°Lady that''s a hard sell when he had to all but kill himself so you''d step in after dangling him on a hook while you fished for cultists,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Is it true that you didn¡¯t know what fishing was?¡± Belinda asked Neil.


    ¡°I know what fishing is!¡±


    ¡°Gary said you didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Of course I know what fishing is. I just don''t see the point of catching them one at a time with a string on a stick when you have fishing trawlers and magic explosions.¡±


    ¡°The point of going fishing isn¡¯t to catch fish,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Why do people keep saying that?¡± Neil asked. ¡°That sentence is insane.¡±


    Liara and Vesper watched Humphrey, waiting for him to bring his unruly team into line. Instead, he sat patiently, watching the reactions of the two princesses.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like games, Young Master Geller,¡± Vesper told him.


    ¡°You do the best with what you have, Princess Vesper. What I have is my team and I don¡¯t like the way you¡¯ve been treating one of its members.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t looking to exploit anyone,¡± Liara said. ¡°We want two things from Mr Asano. One is to help us with a local political problem in which Mr Asano has become unfortunately involved. That is our fault and we are happy to compensate him for his assistance, starting with helping to reunite your team.¡±


    ¡°Which we are grateful for,¡± Humphrey acknowledged.


    ¡°Even if it was mostly Dawn,¡± Sophie muttered. Humphrey gave her a side glance and she leaned back, looking innocent.


    ¡°That is Vesper¡¯s area,¡± Liara continued. ¡°She represents the royal family in this. I am a member of the royal family but I represent the Adventure Society here. The society offers Mr Asano nothing beyond rewards commensurate to his efforts, as is true of any adventurer. He''s a member of the Adventure Society and has a responsibility to step forward and do what he can. We will assign him to tasks as a member of the Adventure Society as best fits our needs. The only reason he merits special attention is his connection to the Builder cult, which is my particular area of authority.¡±


    Humphrey turned to Jason, who nodded. He then turned back to the princesses.


    ¡°We recognise that we are just one of many teams during an unprecedented event in the Adventure Society''s history,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Unfortunately, circumstances have not allowed us to be treated as such. Modesty aside, we are special, which you obviously are aware of due to the special treatment we''ve been given. I understand that there is a disparity between our rank and the importance that has been placed on us. All we ask is to be treated with respect.¡±


    Vesper looked like she¡¯d swallowed a peach pit but Liara put a restraining hand on her forearm. Vesper nodded, pausing before speaking in a controlled voice.


    ¡°Young Master Geller, one of the reasons we have called your team in here is the contract you just completed. The contract Princess Liara personally intervened with the Adventure Society to have you assigned. If you do not see a gold-rank princess who is also a high-ranking Adventure Society official allowing your team to hand-craft your own contract in the middle of the most potent monster surge in history during one and possibly two interdimensional invasions as a gesture of respect, I think we may have reached a point where our perspectives have irreconcilably diverged.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s not wrong,¡± Jason said, sitting up as his cloud chair remoulded under him.


    ¡°We do appreciate that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°And we are here to do what the Adventure Society requires of us. Your political agenda is inextricably entangled in that intention, however.¡±


    ¡°That is the unfortunate reality,¡± Liara acknowledged.


    ¡°We are not trying to be hostile either,¡± Humphrey continued, then turned to give Sophie a pointed look as she leaned forward to chime in. She leaned back again, giving him an unrepentant shrug.


    ¡°My priority is to protect my team,¡± Humphrey continued. ¡°I do wish to approach our interactions with respect and in good faith. That said, I will be unambiguous about placing my team¡¯s welfare ¨C in every respect ¨C over the political needs of your family. I recognise that those political needs have wider implications, but I am not Jason Asano. As long as I have known him, he has been concerned for the people affected by the decisions of the powerful and I have no doubt he agreed to help you for that reason. I, on the other hand, was raised to believe that those of us born to power have a duty to wield it responsibly. It should not fall on the head of my friend to protect the people under the rule of your royal family.¡±


    Humphrey had been controlled for most of the meeting but there was fire in his eyes and his words as his force of will was palpable.


    ¡°You think it''s that simple?¡± Vesper shot back, unshaken.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said, his voice cold as he locked away his anger. ¡°But as my mother likes to say, simple is not the same thing as easy. My goal is to be clear on where each of us stands, so we can all move forward constructively.¡±


    ¡°I agree that¡¯s best,¡± Liara said. ¡°Perhaps, having established that, we can move on to the first topic for which this meeting was called?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Humphrey said, his voice more diplomatically neutral. ¡°We aren¡¯t trying to be difficult.¡±


    Vesper looked at him incredulously while he maintained a straight face.


    Liara ignored them both as she took a file from a dimensional bag and placed it on the table.


    ¡°The first thing we want to talk about is the contract you just completed. The Adventure Society is very happy with how it went.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jason asked, leaning forward. ¡°I don¡¯t hear that a lot.¡±


    ¡°Imagine my surprise,¡± Vesper said.

 Chapter 518: That Powerful and That Old

    Liara, Vesper and the thus-far silent Trenchant Moore were sitting across from Jason and his team in an Adventure Society conference room. Liara tapped a folder on the table in front of her.


    ¡°The reason the society gave me so much leeway with the contract you all just completed was that it was part of a wider test program. This monster surge is unlike anything that has come before. You''re all aware of the specifics, so I won''t waste time repeating what you already know. The Adventure Society had been trying out new approaches to handle new problems. One of those problems is the safety of the more remote fortress towns. They''ve been exposed and under-supplied to a greater degree than anticipated.¡±


    ¡°Our contract was a test for a potential response?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Liara said. ¡°The Adventure Society is increasing the resource allocation to the outlying regions but things are tight on every front. Our use of those resources needs to be as efficient as possible. The idea is to take some of the less-critical guild teams and the more capable independent teams and send them out on similar contracts. Some were already sent out before you even returned, and the early results are very positive. More reliable supply routes. Fortress towns burning through fewer resources with their active defences. We¡¯ve even managed to take out a few Purity adherents, although we¡¯ve lost people to them as well.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t encounter any during our contract,¡± Jason said. ¡°To be honest, I¡¯m a little disappointed. You weren¡¯t following me again were you, Liara?¡±


    ¡°I was not. You have your team, now.¡±


    ¡°This is all very gratifying,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but I don¡¯t think you called us in here to tell us we did a good job.¡±


    ¡°Your team is unusual,¡± Liara said. ¡°Multiple portal or teleport powers, plus multiple, personal storage spaces. We want you to specialise in this kind of contract. We want to deploy you all over the Storm Kingdom so you have as many portal destinations as possible. Not only will this allow you to provide emergency supplies when regular supply runs fall short but you will be available for rapid-response to Builder activity. Given your aptitude in this area, Mr Asano, we want you at the forefront. Your team also has more experience than most at facing the Builder and winning.¡±


    ¡°We are at the disposal of the Adventure Society,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Good,¡± Liara said. ¡°This leaves us with the other topic for today¡¯s meeting.¡±


    She leaned back in her chair, looking to Vesper at her side.


    ¡°The political aspect,¡± Vesper said. ¡°I''m sure you''ve explained everything to your team so, instead of rehashing details, I''ll move directly on to what comes next. Despite everything going on, social gatherings continue to be a part of Rimaros high society. These are not just indulgences of the privileged but important events that allow the powerful players of the kingdom to settle high-level affairs.¡±


    ¡°And you need me to parade around,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Vesper said. ¡°The real power brokers won¡¯t be taken in by our little charade, but the families to which they belong are the tools they use for negotiation. And to the noble houses, leverage and reputation is everything. The games must be played in the front rooms so the work can be done in the back. If the Irios family looks too weak, they have to divert resources from what they should be doing to protect themselves. I don''t have to explain why that is undesirable, especially now.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t they just ignore the people nipping at their heels until the monster surge is over?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°If they get attacked and refuse to defend themselves, things just get worse faster.¡±


    Vesper nodded at Jason appreciatively.


    ¡°Just so,¡± she said. ¡°If they do not stand up for themselves, their detractors would only become emboldened and push harder and my family can only go so far to protect them. My family rule this kingdom, but we do not rule alone. The aristocratic houses form a delicate balance of forces that need to be managed. If we show too much favouritism, even now, it weakens us, which weakens the kingdom.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to sell me on the reasons, Princess Vesper,¡± Jason said. ¡°I told you I¡¯m in and I rarely make an alliance specifically to murder all the people in it.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to get you in front of people following the expedition we went on together, but you¡¯ve been away. We¡¯re going to make it happen before you head out on another contract, and we need to get you ready for that. Etiquette. Dancing, general decorum. I have no doubt that you¡¯ll go ahead and break the rules, but you should at least take the time to learn them first.¡±


    ¡°So, you and I will be spending some time together,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There is still a monster surge happening,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I don''t want this taking too much time away from our Adventure Society duties.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we are starting right now,¡± Vesper said. ¡°You need to come with me, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡±


    Vesper closed her eyes as she pressed her lips thinly together, managing to hold back a response. She got up, turned off the privacy screen and left. Jason waggled his eyebrows at his team as he got up and followed her out.


    ¡°She really doesn¡¯t like him,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Belinda agreed.


    ¡°Think they¡¯re going to¡­?¡±


    ¡°Definitely,¡± Belinda said. ¡°They¡¯re going to break a bed. Maybe even a wall.¡±


    ¡°That is a princess of the realm,¡± Humphrey admonished. ¡°At least do her the respect of voicing those opinions behind closed doors.¡±


    He turned to Liara and the still-silent Trenchant Moore.


    ¡°I apologise for the lack of decorum on the part of my team members,¡± he said. ¡°They¡¯re mostly thieves and hooligans.¡±


    The Purity enclave was underground in a cave system filled with luminescent crystals with a subterranean river. It had long ago been worked from natural stone into a temple and dormitory, in preparation for the days now at hand.


    The Purity church¡¯s Order of Redeeming Light had been making preparations in the Storm Kingdom for many years. When other wings of the church had grown impatient and revealed their hands early, it had brought about the public downfall of the church. Only the most diligent orders within the church, with the stomach for patience and the faith for obedience were left to carry out the mission that would turn recent history on its head and bring purification to the world.


    For some orders, their task was to bring forth an army of pure beings to cleanse the filth from the world. The Order of Redeeming Light had another purpose. Theirs was to take that which was unclean and purify it, forging weapons redeemed from an unclean world.


    Melody Jain was the leader of the enclave and her second in command, Sendira, was midway through reporting what their scouts had discovered. The order was largely comprised of holy warriors, but they also had a priest to serve as advisor and connection to the god. Their priest was a human named Laront, who was as young as his handsome face suggested, his silver rank not yet needed to stave off the ageing process.


    ¡°The Adventure Society is increasing their activity in the outlying reaches. They know we are out here and that we are acting. We should prepare to move before they understand why.¡±


    Melody nodded.


    ¡°Agreed. Make preparations, but we must choose our moment well. Something is coming from the north that will draw all the attention away from us.¡±


    ¡°May I ask what is coming?¡±


    ¡°Our Lord has warned me of the unclean ally moving one of his great forces south,¡± the priest said. ¡°The Storm Kingdom has angered it and it wished to make an example.¡±


    ¡°That is when we make our move,¡± Melody said.


    ¡°And what of Asano? Do we still need to capture him before we kill him for the ally?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Melody said. ¡°I wanted him captured so I could use him to lure my daughter here. Our informants in Rimaros have told us that she is here. Now, we can be reunited and she can be cleansed.¡±


    ¡°And if she is unwilling?¡±


    ¡°It does not matter,¡± Melody said. ¡°I was unwilling, yet now I am pure. She can be forgiven her ignorance, once we have burned it out of her. I was once forced to leave my child behind and now my family shall be reunited.¡±


    Liara and Trenchant were making their way back to the royal sky island, sitting opposite one another in a flying carriage.


    ¡°I¡¯m concerned about Vesper,¡± Liara said. ¡°She is being far too easily riled by Asano and his companions. They have the passion of youth but they¡¯re children. She shouldn¡¯t be letting them throw her off balance and I¡¯m unsure why she is.¡±


    ¡°Her highness, Princess Vesper, has always held more administrative ambitions,¡± Trenchant explained. ¡°Her adventuring has always been sporadic, only undertaken to advance her rank. It was never a calling. Monster surges are normally quiet, politically, so these have been the times she most actively pursues advancement.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suggesting she¡¯s upset because the politics is keeping her from going out and ranking up?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°My point is that Vesper is not like you and I. Her world is a political one where appearance is substance and trust goes only as far as mutual interest. When she adventured, her teams were fleeting and assembled from those whose ambitions were not centred on the mission. She has never experienced a team whose camaraderie was forged in fire, the ways ours were.¡±


    ¡°The way Asano¡¯s was,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Trenchant said. ¡°Asano¡¯s aura may be a closed book to us, but you felt the others. You sensed the bond they have. The trust that comes from pulling each other back from the bloody edge. Not just them, either.¡±


    ¡°Farrah Hurin.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know everything they have been through,¡± Trenchant said, ¡°but it gave her the passion and the loyalty to march into a royal palace to tear strips off a diamond-ranker. It¡¯s brash and foolish, but also formidable.¡±


    ¡°You admire them.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I am a weapon of politicians but I do not care for politics. It is far too often the enemy of integrity. Asano and his team are young and foolish but they are adventurers to the bone. Vesper knows that. Her silver rank isn¡¯t enough to read their auras but she¡¯s felt the loyalty they have. The willingness to go all the way to the wall for someone doesn¡¯t fit her world of compromise and benefits and it unnerves her.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Because she instinctively understands that they are willing to go further than she is. They flaunt it because they understand that Asano is not stable right now and are very protective of him. There is something inherently intimidating about absolute commitment. It¡¯s part of what makes zealots such troubling enemies.¡±


    ¡°And politicians always leave room for compromise and always leave a way out.¡±


    ¡°I have seen exceptions, but they didn''t tend to be all that successful as politicians. To an adventurer, absolute commitment to your team is a strength. To a politician, that rigidity is a weakness. But Vesper is being forced to accept Asano and his people on their terms. This is not a good situation for her.¡±


    ¡°Asano is not an enemy we want in the future,¡± Liara said. ¡°Antagonising him now is not good for us.¡±


    ¡°No, but we must also look to the needs of today, which is where Vesper excels. Unfortunately, she is being told no at every turn. The other major problem she faces is that she¡¯s been instructed to play her own game, but by someone else¡¯s rules.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Out of Asano¡¯s circle, only Humphrey Geller and Rufus Remore are people she should even be aware of. Even then, only peripherally. They¡¯re a group of silver-rankers, far from home and the central bases of their power. Yet they are moving in circles with gold and diamond-rankers. Higher still, if you consider some of what we''ve only surmised about Asano and Farrah Hurin. The hierarchy of rank is a central pillar of political interaction, yet Asano disregards it entirely. More importantly, his Ancestral Majesty supports him in this."


    ¡°I never really thought about that,¡± Liara said. ¡°I¡¯ve mostly been dealing with him from an Adventure Society perspective, which Asano seems to respect. The political side is very different.¡±


    "Asano is clearly used to dealing with authorities more powerful than himself. He doesn''t like how that has gone in the past and has resolved to not let himself be pushed down. This conflicts with Vesper both directly and ideologically, yet his Ancestral Majesty''s wishes force her to capitulate to Asano and his erratic whims. In some ways, your ancestor is using Princess Vesper as a tool more than he is Asano. When you are that powerful and that old, perhaps that is how you come to see the people around you.¡±


    ¡°What should I do about Vesper?¡±


    ¡°Support her,¡± Trenchant advised. ¡°Make sure she understands that she isn¡¯t isolated and there are people on her side. Otherwise, she¡¯ll end up like Asano: brittle, sharp and lashing out at any hand reaching out to her.¡±


    In the outer reaches of Rimaros, the windmill-like storm accumulators drained magic from the Sea of Storm''s eponymous weather events to both shield the city and help power its infrastructure. A small flying vessel passed over the line of accumulators on its passage towards the city. It had the signature industrial iron look of the Builder''s vessels and was being escorted by Zila Rimaros. Soramir Rimaros has sensed their approach and rapidly arrived to intercept, arriving on a floating cloud that sparkled with gold and silver light.


    ¡°What is this?¡± he asked of Zila.


    ¡°It emerged from the underwater city while I was monitoring it and approached me," Zila said. ¡°Nothing onboard is stronger than silver-rank. It poses no threat.¡±


    Their powerful senses could easily penetrate the vessel, which was crewed by constructs. Only one living thing was aboard; a silver-rank cultist.


    ¡°He¡¯s claimed peaceful passage as an envoy to the Storm Kingdom,¡± Zila said. ¡°He wishes to speak with someone who can represent the Storm Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°You were not enough?¡±


    ¡°I thought it would be best to defer to you, in this.¡±


    ¡°And what does he want? What does the Builder want?¡±


    The cultist emerged onto the deck wearing plain, hooded grey robes. It held no fear, even in the face of diamond-rankers. They could sense not just a willingness, but an expectation of death.


    ¡°I am a herald of war,¡± he said. ¡°I come with a message. A declaration.¡±


    ¡°Let us hear it, then,¡± Soramir told him.


    ¡°Your kingdom was offered escape from my master''s intentions, and you rejected his goodwill. As a result, your kingdom will pay the price. He is no longer just coming for your astral spaces. He shall despoil your lands and massacre your people. He is the Builder, but all your works shall be unmade, Soramir Rimaros. Everything you have built shall be rendered unto dust.¡±


    ¡°Is that it? Soramir asked. ¡°That¡¯s the whole message?¡±


    ¡°It is. You may kill me now, for my task is done.¡±


    ¡°Why bother. Go back and tell your master he could have just sent a note.¡±


    Soramir turned around and shot back toward the city.

 Chapter 519: One Battle at a Time

    Jason took the sound recording crystal out of the projector, stopping the music. He then returned the projector to his inventory. Vesper stood on the other side of the large, wooden-floored room, looking slightly flushed. She stood with her back to him, looking out the window. They were in the lower-security area of the royal palace, close to the arrival lake, where minor affairs and less prominent guests were hosted.


    ¡°You can dance, I¡¯ll give you that,¡± she said.


    ¡°I did tell you I¡¯ve got the moves.¡±


    ¡°That thing you did, leading me with your aura. I¡¯ve never seen aura control used like that.¡±


    Jason walked across the room to stand next to her and looked out at the water. Boats shrouded in air bubbles were regularly surfacing, having risen to the sky island from the sea below.


    ¡°The trick is that it¡¯s not just the aura,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s the music and how you lead with the body. Bring it all together and you can teach your partner a dance when they are already dancing it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s delicate. Impressive.¡±


    ¡°That may be the first nice thing you¡¯ve said about me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hate you, Mr Asano. I hate the trouble you bring.¡±


    Jason gave her a flat look.


    ¡°I know,¡± she said, not meeting his gaze. ¡°We were the ones who brought you into this. But trouble clings to you like cat fur to a coat. You can¡¯t deny that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve denied the Builder, Princess. I can deny you. Also, what do you know about coats? Who has a coat in the tropics?¡±


    ¡°Where did you learn to do that with your aura?¡± she asked, ignoring his question.


    ¡°As you¡¯re aware, my aura is a little outside of the ordinary. I occasionally take the time to stop and rebuild my control techniques from the ground up, and one of those times I swapped aura control tips with a vampire.¡±


    ¡°A vampire?¡±


    ¡°His name¡¯s Craig. He¡¯s a friend.¡±


    ¡°Vampires should be killed on sight.¡±


    ¡°Not every vampire is a monster. Not in my world, anyway. Perhaps it¡¯s the low magic that dampens their hunger and balances their minds, I don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Leaving vampires unchecked will cause grave problems down the line.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m aware. My friends from home brought word that as soon as I left, the vampires started a war.¡±


    ¡°Why would they wait until you leave?¡±


    ¡°Because people from my world have learned what it is to be my enemy, Princess.¡±


    ¡°This is not your world, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I know. But my enemies here will learn too.¡±


    She heard flint in his voice, reminding her of the cold, hard adventurer he had been on their expedition together. No one on their side had actually seen him fight, but the enemy survivors had been terrified of him. The Magic Society was still unsure what Jason had done to the member of their group who was still unconscious, weeks later. The church of the Healer said it was some kind of soul trauma and was sending a specialist. Anything that could be learned about how star seeds worked was a potential asset against the Builder.


    Vesper took a note from her pocket and handed it to Jason.


    ¡°Go to that shop and buy the listed skill books,¡± she told him. ¡°Once you¡¯ve used them, we¡¯ll go from there. Don¡¯t just blindly think that what you learn from a skill book will be enough. I¡¯ll work with you to integrate that knowledge. Make it your own.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the process. It would be a little odd if I got to silver-rank without using my skill-book ability.¡±


    ¡°Using it and using it well are very different things.¡±


    ¡°True enough,¡± Jason acknowledged, tucking the note into his inventory. ¡°Who am I going to run into this time? Another Irios? Some jealous admirer of Zara¡¯s? The king?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve already used that brush, Mr Asano. A good artist is versatile.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Jason was about to leave when a system box popped up in front of him.


    Contact [Claire Adeah] has entered communication range.Contact [Rick Geller] has entered communication range.Contact [Hannah Adeah] has entered communication range.Contact [Dustin Kettering] has entered communication range.


    Jason immediately sent a voice chat request.


    You have entered a voice chat with [Rick Geller].


    ¡°Jason?¡± Rick¡¯s voice appeared in Jason¡¯s head.


    "G''day Rick," Jason responded mentally. ¡°What are you doing in town?¡±


    ¡°What are you doing alive?¡±


    ¡°It turns out death isn¡¯t for me. I gave it a couple of goes; did my due diligence, but nah. It turns out that coming back from the dead is kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you haven¡¯t changed.¡±


    ¡°You might be surprised,¡± Jason said.


    "Really? If you''re not standing next to some absurdly gorgeous woman right now, I might believe it."


    Jason looked at Vesper, who was watching him and had realised something was happening.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No? Cassandra Mercer? That silver-haired indenture? The damn Hurricane Princess? Is she why you¡¯re in Rimaros?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Jason said. ¡°I arrived here when the monster surge started, that¡¯s all. I¡¯m just a no-name adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Where are you right now?¡± Rick asked.


    ¡°The royal palace.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are.¡±


    ¡°I assume you are too, since my chat isn¡¯t blocked.¡±


    ¡°Just got here. I have to deliver an important report, but meet up after?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely. I¡¯m here with a princess, so she can probably help me track you down.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you before Rick: what I have can¡¯t be taught.¡±


    Jason and Vesper were walking down a long hallway. It was filled with portraits of men and women looking stern and regal, all with blue hair and the same circlet of gold set with a large sapphire. At the end of the hallway, it opened into a waiting room outside of some large impressive doors. The line of portraits ended opposite the doors with a picture of Soramir.


    There was a palace official present, acting as escort for Rick Geller and his team, most of whom Jason had trained with in Greenstone. Aside from Rick, there were the elven sisters, Hannah and Claire. Dustin Kettering was a friend of Neil''s, from their time suffering together in Thadwick Mercer''s team. There was someone he didn¡¯t recognise with them; a woman of the runic people with their iconic dark skin lit up with glowing, tattoo-like sigils.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Rick hissed. ¡°What are you doing here?¡±


    At the same time, the palace official was bowing to Vesper.


    ¡°Your Highness,¡± he greeted.


    ¡°G¡¯day Rick. Ladies. Dustin. This is Vesper; she¡¯s a local tour guide.¡±


    The palace official flashed an unhappy expression at Jason but it smoothed as Vesper made a subtle, restraining gesture. Before anyone else could speak the doors were opened from the other side by another official.


    ¡°Princess Vesper, Richard Geller and Jason Asano. Please enter and stand before the king.¡±


    The rest of Rick¡¯s team stayed behind with the official that had already been with them as Vesper led Jason and Rick in following the official into the palace throne room. It was large and long, with a central carpet of rich blue running down to a raised throne. The ceiling was a massive skylight made up of irregular glass fragments, as if they¡¯d been shattered. Each was tinted in shades of blue that varied ever so slightly from fragment to fragment. The result was that the room felt like it was underwater, washed in shifting blues. Jason craned his neck like a tourist, not hiding the degree to which he was impressed.


    The vast chamber was all the more cavernous for only having a few people in it as the official led them towards the throne at the far end. Sitting on it was a man with blue hair wearing the simple gold circlet from all the portraits outside. Flanking him to one side was Soramir and the other was Zila Rimaros. Dawn was also present, standing off to the side from the throne.


    When they reached the end of the hall, the official bowed and left via a discreet side door. Vesper and Rick both kneeled as the Storm King looked sternly at Jason.


    ¡°So,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re Asano.¡±


    ¡°And your Zara¡¯s dad. G¡¯day, Your Kingness.¡±


    Next to Jason, Rick made a muffled noise. Soramir took on a wry smile while Dawn shook her head.


    ¡°Is it true that you once gave the Mirror King a speech on why you wouldn¡¯t kneel?¡± the Storm King asked.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call it a speech,¡± Jason said. ¡°We were just chatting. I have some strong feelings on mandatory demonstrations of respect.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    ¡°That being said, I¡¯ll take a scuffed knee over a slit throat, so if you¡¯re going to have me executed if I don¡¯t kneel, I¡¯d appreciate you letting me know so I can get to it.¡±


    ¡°I think we both know that moment has passed, Mr Asano. What will you do if I decide to have you executed for your insolence?¡±


    ¡°Die on my feet. I¡¯ve done it before.¡±


    ¡°But can you again? Word is, you¡¯re all out of resurrections.¡±


    "You''re listening to the Builder, now? That''s not what I''d call a reputable source, Your Majesty."


    The king stood up, took the three steps down from the throne and moved to stand in front of Jason. He was much taller, looking down as they met eye to eye.


    "I can see why my daughter picked you," he said. "She has a penchant for reckless choices, and I imagine reckless choices would be the theme of your epitaph, if you''d ever stay dead."


    "She picked me because I had the convenient double feature of being dead and on the far side of the world."


    "My daughter might make a hash of the big choices, Mr Asano, but she''s very good about the little ones. As you might expect, I had you looked into very thoroughly after she made her little mess."


    ¡°And?¡±


    "And you''ve been running around acting like a gold-ranker since you were iron. I''d wonder how you survived like that, but you didn''t, did you? Why not act with a little decorum when meeting me?"


    ¡°Because you told me not to.¡±


    ¡°Did I?¡±


    ¡°You can fit a lot of people in this room, but the only ones here are friends and family, and some of those friends are mine. You don¡¯t have Dawn in this room if you¡¯re genuinely looking for trouble. You chose intimate and wanted to see if I¡¯d notice because you¡¯re looking to take my measure. Plus, you¡¯re Zara¡¯s father.¡±


    ¡°That girl never does the things I tell her.¡±


    ¡°No, Your Majesty,¡± Jason said. ¡°But I¡¯ll bet she does the things you do.¡±


    The king chuckled.


    ¡°You know, Soramir wants me to marry one of our impressive young women off to you.¡±


    ¡°I guessed as much. How do you feel about that?¡±


    ¡°That remains to be seen. Do you think you¡¯re worthy of them?¡±


    ¡°No. But worthy isn¡¯t what I¡¯m looking for in a relationship.¡±


    ¡°And what are you looking for?¡±


    ¡°Nothing. I need to work on myself for a while.¡±


    The king nodded.


    ¡°I have to say, Mr Asano, you¡¯re exactly what I expected.¡±


    Jason blinked in surprise.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone has ever said that to me before.¡±


    The king chuckled again as he turned and wandered out of Jason¡¯s personal space.


    ¡°Vesper, Young Master Geller, please rise.¡±


    The people next to Jason got to their feet. Vesper was shooting daggers at Jason from the corner of her eye while Rick glanced at him with a familiar mix of apprehension and disbelief. The king turned back to the three with a warm expression.


    ¡°Vesper, we¡¯ve had you doing a difficult job with difficult people under difficult circumstances. We¡¯re very happy with the results, thus far. Please continue knowing that you have our full confidence.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°And you, Young Master Geller. You¡¯re a friend of Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°We did some training together, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°And how was that?¡±


    Rick looked unsure of himself for a moment before answering.


    ¡°Horrifying, Your Majesty.¡±


    The king chuckled.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. "That''s enough fun for me. Now there is the unfortunate matter at hand. You have a report to make, Young Master Geller."


    ¡°Yes, Your Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Then you have the floor.¡±


    Rick nodded, pulling a crystal recording projector from his dimensional satchel. He set it on the floor, inserted a crystal and an image was projected into the room. At first, all it showed was a massive cloud of dust, moving through the desert. Based on the size of the visible landmarks, it was the size of a sandstorm. After a short time, something moved out of the dust, although it took time as the great moving thing threw up more dust as it went. Slowly they made out a shape so large it occupied the vast majority of the dust cloud.


    ¡°Are those buildings?¡± Zila asked. ¡°This is one of the Builder¡¯s dimensional cities?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Rick said. ¡°This one is a ground city, but it moves. There appear to be thousands of thick legs underneath that move it forward along with some kind of traction system. You should have received reports when it started moving south several weeks ago.¡±


    ¡°We did,¡± Soramir said. Rick looked at him, his face seeming familiar, although he couldn¡¯t sense an aura from the man. Then he realised he¡¯s seen his face outside the throne room, in the very first portrait. Soramir had a wry smile at Rick¡¯s expression. ¡°Please continue, young man.¡±


    Rick nodded.


    ¡°My team was one of many assigned as outriding scouts, maintaining a distant perimeter as the city moved south. It went through the arid lands and the Arkivahl Desert, which are sparsely populated. The City of Glass was thankfully not in its path. As it neared the coast and Storm Kingdom¡¯s northern border, there were two cities in its path. Small ones, but heavily populated. Especially during a surge. Forces were mobilised to attack the city, but the attack failed. The city has two diamond-rank essence users and some kind of diamond rank flesh abomination. I haven¡¯t seen it, but reports describe it as a dragon of flesh and steel. Not a match for a diamond-rank essence user, but a highly destructive threat.¡±


    ¡°What happened to the cities?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°They have already fallen,¡± the king said, his earlier joviality gone. ¡°We received word several days ago.¡±


    ¡°The assessment,¡± Rick said, ¡°is that between the defences built into the city and its defenders, a minimum of four diamond-rankers will be required to successfully attack it. Five or more would be better.¡±


    ¡°We have one more diamond-ranker,¡± Zila said. ¡°He is currently monitoring the underwater city already here in the kingdom, which is also on the move. We can only assume that it presents a level of danger equivalent to what was just described to us. The two cities are converging on the northern reaches of the kingdom. There are two more cities in the kingdom with diamond-rankers we can call on. That will be five. Enough for one of the Builder''s cities. Maybe.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t imagine that the Builder will be so kind as to leave us to one battle at a time,¡± the King said.


    Soramir looked at Jason, then followed Jason¡¯s gaze to Dawn, standing unobtrusively back from the others. She looked back at Jason.


    ¡°No,¡± she told him.

 Chapter 521: A Lot More Steps

    ¡°Travis is supervising the construction now,¡± Clive said, shortly after arriving at the cloud house with Gary. They joined the rest of their teams, minus Jason, in getting ready to head for the Adventure Society. Farrah, Gary and Rufus would be joining with Jason¡¯s team for the operation, with only Jason sitting out at Dawn¡¯s insistence. Jason had modified the cloud house to have a locker room with separation screens, allowing the men and women to change privately while still talking.


    ¡°The actual construction is being done by high-ranking artificers,¡± Gary said. ¡°That kind of delicate precision work is outside of my field. All I could offer was what was and wasn''t possible in terms of manufacturing with artifice techniques. I don''t even understand a lot of what he needed, and he said it didn''t even take magic normally.¡±


    ¡°The principles involved were extremely tricky,¡± Clive agreed. ¡°This whole field of magic-like effects with no magic is fascinating, but I get the feeling that Knowledge is going to be very careful about how it¡¯s introduced to our world. She wouldn¡¯t let Jason do it at all.¡±


    ¡°Even on Jason¡¯s world,¡± Farrah said, ¡°that kind of expertise requires no less extensive and specialist training than magical study does here.¡±


    ¡°Where is Jason?¡± Clive asked. He had put on his combat robes and was sliding wands into the thigh holsters. His growth-item staff was slung on his back, held in place by a small circular item set into his robe. It allowed the staff to be grabbed or replaced easily, holding it like a magnet.


    ¡°Downstairs in the waterfall room,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t like us all going out like this without him.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure he hasn¡¯t snuck off?¡± Rufus asked. Farrah shook her head.


    ¡°He knows that it¡¯s too easy for the Builder to kill him off in a battle like this where both sides are deploying diamond-rank combatants,¡± she said. ¡°I know that isn¡¯t the kind of thing that tends to stop Jason, but Dawn stuck her neck out for him here. He¡¯s not going to betray the one thing she asked in return.¡±


    ¡°He won¡¯t be idle,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Monsters won¡¯t stop coming just because most of the adventurers are heading off for battle. Those that aren¡¯t participating will have their hands full.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go let him know how it went with Travis,¡± Clive said, heading for the stairs.


    ¡°Not a lot of point,¡± Farrah said after Clive left. ¡°With the connection Jason has to his cloud house, now, I¡¯m fairly certain he can see and hear everything that happens in it.¡±


    ¡°He can WHAT?¡± Humphrey yelled.


    ¡°Oh, calm down,¡± Sophie told him.


    The waterfall room was empty other than the boards on every wall that allowed Jason to write in the cloud-stuff like a chalkboard. The notes for Jason¡¯s project were scrawled across them like the mad scribbling of a serial-killing wizard, although Jason wasn¡¯t paying them any attention. He was standing at the cave entrance where the waterfall rushed past in its path down the cliff-face outside. The gap was the only part of the room¡¯s natural stone not hidden behind walls, floor and ceiling.


    He stood staring at the plummeting water, close enough to be splashed by it. The roar of the water was muffled as the cloud walls absorbed the sound instead of letting it reverberate through the room. Standing right in front of it, though, Jason got the full effect.


    Clive came downstairs, seeing the room for the first time. His eyes immediately shot to the astral magic scrawled over every wall, only for blank cloud walls to rise up in front of them, slightly shrinking the room.


    ¡°Another day,¡± Jason told him as he turned around and moved into the room, away from the sound of crashing water.


    ¡°Jason, what was that? I only caught a glimpse, but some of what I saw¡­¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time for that today. We¡¯ll get into it when we do.¡±


    Clive frowned at the now-blank walls, but after a moment turned his attention back to Jason.


    ¡°They¡¯re working on the devices under Travis¡¯ supervision. He keeps reminding everyone that he has no idea if they¡¯ll actually work, though. We¡¯re cobbling together multi-disciplinary weapons with no testing and no one who truly understands how the entire device works. No even Knowledge can tell us that, because there isn¡¯t anyone who knows for sure.¡±


    ¡°Travis has done this kind of work before,¡± Jason said. ¡°He¡¯s not the most confident guy in the world, but he knows how to improvise overcomplicated magic ordnance. Did he explain about radiation?¡±


    ¡°He said you might ask and to tell you there won¡¯t be any,¡± Clive said. ¡°The materials the goddess of Knowledge suggested are designed to emit resonating-force damage. It¡¯s perfect for dealing with the Builder¡¯s minions and all the hard materials they like to implant themselves with.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the update, although it''s not my business at this point. I have my own job, keeping the monsters off this island while most of the adventurers are at war. You and the others need to get your heads in the game. Even if this goes the way we want, a lot of people are going to fall in this battle.¡±


    ¡°Maybe Dawn was wrong about what the Builder is up to,¡± Clive said. ¡°Maybe it will go better than we think.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bet on Dawn being wrong, Clive.¡±


    Clive nodded to himself.


    ¡°That¡¯s about what I figured. We¡¯re about to head out.¡±


    ¡°Good luck, and come back alive.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll do our best.¡±


    After Clive made his way back up, the inner walls vanished to reveal Jason¡¯s notes scrawled over the walls once he was gone. Jason was glancing over them when Arabelle came down the stairs.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to see them off?¡± she asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It would be accepting an involuntary separation all over again?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to start digging through my head,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s far too big a mess to delve into lightly.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but there never seems to be time, does there? You ran off with your team for two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Things are busy for everyone. You do the work and you heal up after. That¡¯s how adventurers operate.¡±


    ¡°Jason, mental recovery isn¡¯t like physical recovery. You can¡¯t just go out, take the damage and then come to me to fix you with a recovery spell. It takes time and work and honesty.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no going back to the way you were. There¡¯s only going forward.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°And knowing is the first step, but there are more steps than that, Jason. A lot more steps. When this is over ¨C and I mean the battle, not the monster surge ¨C then you and I are going to sit down and get into it.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said.


    Fleets of ships and airships converged on the north from all across the Sea of Storms. Every adventurer from silver-rank up had been mobilised, and every airship that could carry them had been commandeered. Regular ships were not used as they would be vulnerable to the Builder¡¯s moving underwater city.


    One of the sea¡¯s magical storms was roaring through the central waters, necessitating a wide, arcing approach. Normal protocols had airships operating at far lower than top speed, so as to avoid monster attention, but moving in a fleet was different. With such a formidable force, any gold-rank monsters too stupid to avoid the sea of adventurer auras were swiftly slaughtered.


    The underwater city was also moving toward the northern reaches, as the rolling land city moved south toward the coast. The cities in its path had been evacuated as it moved south, leaving empty infrastructure that it moved through like a bison passing through long grass.


    The adventurer fleets and Builder cities all converged on the southern coast of the northern continent for one of the largest-scale battles, both in numbers and rank, that the world had ever seen.


    With most of Rimaros¡¯ adventure population flying north of crowded airship, only a token force remained to defend the city, on a constant state of alert. This included Jason¡¯s team, waiting in a ready area of the Adventure Society campus with other teams selected for the task. Unsurprisingly, talk amongst the adventurers was about the Builder.


    ¡°What is even the point of staging attacks like this?¡±


    ¡°I heard it even offered to leave the Storm Kingdom alone.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way an offer like that is real. It would just be part of some plan to hurt us even worse later.¡±


    ¡°But isn¡¯t it only after the astral spaces? Why bother attacking us?¡±


    ¡°Who do you think is stopping them? Plus, they probably want to crush the Storm Kingdom so other countries let them take the astral spaces instead of getting wiped out. I¡¯ve heard some countries already staged attacks on other Builder cities and got wiped out instead.¡±


    ¡°Those are just rumours, like that crap about the god of Purity summoning a bunch of bird people.¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s team didn¡¯t participate in the discussion. They stood with other teams attached to the Geller family that hadn¡¯t been sent out on airships. This included Rick and his team, who likewise stayed quiet, despite knowing more than most.


    The defence of Arnote was low-priority and would remain so unless Builder forces arrived to change that. The island¡¯s gold-rank residents were all gone except for Pelli. An elderly member of the royal family, she lived a relatively humble life as mayor of Palisaros, the village where Jason was living. She was a core user, and while she did have the power that came with her rank, her abilities were not combat-focused.


    Most of the silver-rankers had also been sent away. Teams had been left at critical points around the island to respond to any normal surge-related threats, although Palisaros itself only had Jason and Pelli, and Jason left the village shortly after his team did. Shade, in the form of a bird-like flying construct, carried him around the island. He stopped in locations just long enough to get a sense of them with his aura perception, to give himself as many viable portal destination options as possible.


    Under normal circumstances, extending aura senses to their limits was rude, but this was no time for politeness. Adventurers across the island were pushing their senses to the limit and Jason was no exception. With the island¡¯s sparse population making it easier to avoid being overwhelmed with input, he could spread his senses very far.


    In the right location, his senses could take in half the island. He could sense the other adventurers likewise extending their perception, one member from each team on the island doing so. By limiting themselves, they wouldn¡¯t interfere with each other, which was why rules about using senses at full strength existed in the first place.


    Jason sensed another aura and he was fairly certain he recognised it. Some time ago he had briefly sensed an aura pointed in his direction that withdrew the moment he sensed it. From that fleeting glimpse, he had thought it was a gold rank aura, based on the strength. Now that he felt it again, he realised it was more like his own: silver-rank, but immensely powerful.


    This time the sense didn''t shrink away from him, although he felt a reaction as his senses encountered it. He suspected it was stronger than his own aura, although the difference was not vast. It was also very well-controlled and he was able to sense very little from it. The one thing he did sense was something about its nature that differentiated it from normal auras. There was a rich and complicated sense of layering to the aura that took him a moment to realise what it was.


    Jason had heard about people with four aura powers, although he had only encountered one with four perception powers, which had been on Earth. Normally, both perception and aura powers were restricted to one per essence user. It was possible, however, for racial gift evolutions to unlock that limitation. A few rare essence users had one aura ability or perception ability per essence. Some even had one of each.


    Jason made his way to the town where he sensed the aura, finding the owner waiting for him on the roof of a building as he arrived. It was a celestine woman with candy-pink hair and eyes. Shade¡¯s flight form dissolved and was drawn into Jason¡¯s cloak as he descended to the roof.


    ¡°I think you and I need to have a talk,¡± he told her.


    ¡°Is this the time for that, Asano?¡± she asked, not hiding that she knew who he was.


    ¡°If a monster shows up we can postpone. Who are you?¡±

 Chapter 522: A Normal Man

    The office door of Havi Estos burst open to admit Havi¡¯s stumbling, flustered great-nephew. Havi looked up unhappily from the accounting papers he had been concentrating on.


    ¡°Jono, what have we said about knocking?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, boss, but¨C¡±


    He was cut off as a strong arm grabbed him by the back of the shirt and yanked him back out of the office door to clear the way. A woman with bright pink hair stormed in and planted herself in front of Havi¡¯s desk.


    ¡°Estella,¡± he said warmly. ¡°I don¡¯t normally do personal meetings here.¡±


    ¡°My other thought was burning this place to the ground, Estos, so you should be thankful I want the money.¡±


    ¡°Then, thank you, I suppose.¡±


    ¡°What did I tell you after last time? That if you send me to look into some crazy powerful monster, we¡¯re done. So you¡¯re going to pay me ¨C triple, by the way ¨C and then you¡¯re going to forget I exist and never call on me again.¡±


    Havi observed her from under raised eyebrows.


    ¡°I take it there was a problem with¡­ what was the name?¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± Jono¡¯s voice came feebly from outside the office.


    ¡°That was it,¡± Havi said. ¡°There was a problem with Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Havi. There was a big bloody problem with Jason Asano, starting with the fact that I just got done escaping the shadow monsters he sent looking for me the moment he sensed me. Shadow monsters, by the way, that were extremely difficult to spot and evade.¡±


    ¡°All I asked you to do was take a peek at his aura and see what you find. Unless you were careless, he shouldn''t have been able to sense someone with your strength. Tell me everything.¡±


    ¡°If you want anything out of me, Havi, then you pay me first.¡±


    ¡°That is not ordinarily how I do business, Miss Warnock, but¨C¡±


    ¡°Then I guess I¡¯ll go with burning the place down after all.¡±


    She turned and strode out.


    ¡°Estella¡­¡±


    She didn¡¯t stop and left the office. Havi¡¯s figure blurred and vanished and he appeared in his office doorway, but she was already gone from the outer office. Jono was sitting in his chair, looking nervous.


    ¡°I thought this building was meant to have protections against people strolling in or out,¡± Havi said.


    ¡°I thought you liked using her because she doesn¡¯t care about that kind of thing,¡± Jono said. Havi turned a gaze on him and Jono wilted.


    ¡°Quite right, Jono.¡±


    Jono let out a breath as Havi returned to his office.


    ¡°What have I told you about breathing, Jono?¡± Havi¡¯s voice came from his office.


    ¡°Sorry boss.¡±


    ¡°Find out everything about Jason Asano, Jono. Everything.¡±


    ¡°Yes, boss.¡±


    ¡°And send Warnock her money. Triple the usual rate.¡±


    ¡°You look nervous, granddaughter. Is that why I haven¡¯t seen you in a little while?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little concerned about one of your neighbours, Grandpa.¡±


    Estella cast her gaze along the river to the house sitting beside where the river spilled over the clifftop. Warwick followed her gaze.


    ¡°I was wondering why you had your aura so retracted. You know Mr Asano, Stella?¡±


    ¡°Kind of. Can we just go inside, please?¡±


    In the house, Warwick started brewing a pot of tea.


    ¡°What have you gone and gotten yourself into?¡± Warwick asked. ¡°You know that Asano¡¯s name has been appearing a lot over the last few weeks, within certain rarefied circles?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve heard.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should tell me everything. I know Mr Asano a little. The man makes a delightful smoky meat sauce. I might be able to smooth things over.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think he knows who I am and I¡¯d rather keep it that way,¡± Estella said. ¡°I wouldn''t be here at all if you hadn''t asked me to come. Is it something to do with what''s happening in the city? The Adventure Society is mobilising on a level I''ve never seen. Word is that the city is preparing for war with the Builder cult who were around a few years ago.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what¡¯s happening, and exactly why I asked you here. But first, tell me everything about what has you so nervous.¡±


    ¡°A few weeks ago, Havi Estos hired me to poke around Asano¡¯s aura.¡±


    Warwick burst out laughing.


    ¡°You kicked a steel plate there, girl.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it. I picked a moment he was the least on guard. He was buying cheese. He noticed the moment my senses got anywhere near him. The way he felt, he¡¯s like Amos Pensinata.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite curious as to what Amos will make of Mr Asano,¡± Warwick said. ¡°I¡¯m not alone in that regard.¡±


    ¡°I thought you¡¯d tell me off for working for Estos.¡±


    ¡°There are certain inevitabilities within society that can go very messily. Estos is a man who makes such affairs go cleanly and there is always a place for such people. He¡¯s careful about keeping his hands clean and too smart to let yours get dirty for him. If you are going to continue to avoid joining the Adventure Society, you could do worse. Just be careful.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m done with Estos. He kept sending me to take a look at the kind of people you don¡¯t want looking back.¡±


    Warwick nodded. He finished the delicate tea brewing process and poured them each a cup.


    ¡°What happened with Asano?¡± he asked.


    ¡°He sensed me and sent some kind of shadow creatures to try and track me down. Very hard to detect.¡±


    ¡°But they didn¡¯t manage to track you?¡±


    Estella shook her head.


    ¡°Asano didn¡¯t get a clean look at me. It wasn¡¯t long after that when I started hearing his name associated with other names. Like Rimaros. I don¡¯t need that kind of trouble, so I¡¯ve been staying quiet.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s everything?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that will be a problem. I¡¯m sure Asano will be reasonable, and I can¡¯t have my granddaughter too nervous to come visit me. You¡¯ll probably be meeting him soon, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that. This is about the Adventure Society mobilising?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Almost every adventurer in Rimaros will be involved. Pelli has asked me if you would help protect Arnote while that¡¯s going on.¡±


    ¡°Grandpa, I¡¯m a scout and a spy, not a warrior.¡±


    ¡°With the Adventure Society busy, they won¡¯t be tracking manifestations and sending response teams as normal. Teams are being situated around the island to handle any monster manifestations, but Pelli will be the only gold-ranker here. What we need is your sensory range, which can cover a much greater distance than the silver-rank teams assigned to the island. You just need to watch for manifestations outside of the sensory ranges of the teams on the other side of the island. Pelli will cover this side.¡±


    ¡°And where does Asano come in?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯ll also be here on Arnote. He can use portals and is going to help the teams with rapid response. Part of that will be staying mobile and, like you, expanding his senses to cover as much territory as he can.¡±


    ¡°If we¡¯re both blasting our senses at full range, he¡¯s probably going to recognise me.¡±


    ¡°That seems likely, yes.¡±


    ¡°And if he decides to make an issue of it?¡±


    ¡°Then talk to him. The royal family thinks everything needs to be a political game, but my read of Asano is that he¡¯ll appreciate some straightforward honesty. You haven¡¯t done anything to hurt him, so just deal with him straight. Tell him that you¡¯re my granddaughter and I think he¡¯ll be reasonable.¡±


    ¡°You think he will?¡±


    ¡°You can never truly predict another person, granddaughter. I thought you would become a celebrated adventurer, once.¡±


    ¡°And I thought I¡¯d grow up with parents. People inevitably disappoint, Grandfather.¡±


    ¡°All of us?¡±


    ¡°You just asked me to blast my aura out in front of the exact person I¡¯m trying to avoid.¡±


    ¡°I take your point,¡± he said with a wry smile. ¡°You could say no.¡±


    ¡°You know that I won¡¯t,¡± she said. ¡°You only ever have to ask. Maybe you can help smooth things over with Asano beforehand, though. Seeing as you know him.¡±


    ¡°I would very much like that,¡± he said. ¡°Unfortunately, I¡¯m deploying in roughly the time it will take to finish my cup of tea.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s happening now?¡±


    ¡°I was rather hoping that you¡¯d arrive earlier,¡± he admitted. ¡°But I¡¯m sure it¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    On the flat roof of the largest building in a small town, Estella Warnock was sitting on a folding chair, failing to concentrate on the book in her hands. She was trying to distract herself since a monster manifestation would be impossible to miss unless someone came by to knock her unconscious. Which, she contemplated, was not out of the question.


    With her senses pushed out to their full extent, every aura on almost half the island was within her sensory range, teasing at the edges of her perception. Only the low population allowed her to push her perception so far without suffering from sensory overload. She was also distracted by the anticipation of a certain aura entering her range. She put away the book, giving up on self-distraction.


    It was not long after when she finally sensed the aura come into her range. She felt the reaction as it sensed her in turn, the source of the aura shifting direction to move towards her. She looked up at a dark bird-like shape gliding through the air and watched it disperse into a cloud of darkness that was drawn into the cloak of the man inside it, now floating down towards her. He wore combat robes in the dark red of dried blood and his cloak was lit up with pinpricks of light. He arrived in front of her, eerie blue and orange eyes staring out from a dark hood.


    ¡°I think you and I need to have a talk,¡± he said, his voice granite cold.


    ¡°Is this the time for that, Asano?¡±


    ¡°If a monster shows up we can postpone. Who are you?¡±


    ¡°Estella Warnock.¡±


    He reached up and pushed the hood back from his head. He wasn¡¯t especially handsome by silver-rank standards but his dark hair was oddly shiny and his strange eyes compelling. His gaze moved to her hair; the same colour and her grandfather¡¯s.


    ¡°Warwick?¡± he asked.


    ¡°My grandfather.¡±


    ¡°Did he send you to spy on me?¡±


    ¡°No. That was Havi Estos.¡±


    She could tell from his expression that it took him a moment to place the name.


    ¡°Someone pointed me in his direction a while back. He¡¯s some kind of criminal middleman, right?¡±


    ¡°Kind of criminal, kind of not. He used to pay me to look into people. Examine their auras to get a sense of them.¡±


    ¡°Used to?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t do that anymore. He kept pointing me at the kinds of people I didn¡¯t want to be pointed at.¡±


    ¡°If it makes you feel better, the royal family sent diamond-rankers to do the same thing. That kind of company speaks highly of you.¡±


    ¡°Diamond-rankers? As in, more than one?¡±


    ¡°I know, right? I should move to a small town or something. Wait, I did, and they came to my barbecue. Do I have to move to the moon? No, if some diamond-rankers found out there was some guy living on the moon, they''d definitely check it out. You''re a local, right? How do you lay low in Rimaros?¡±


    ¡°I think that boat may have sailed for you,¡± she said warily. The encounter was not going the way she expected. ¡°Are you going to come back at me for spying on you?¡±


    ¡°Lady, if I made an enemy of everyone that went rummaging through my soul, I¡¯d have diamond-rankers, gods and great astral beings on my enemies list. Oh, wait. Look, the point is, I can¡¯t go after every silver-ranker that comes poking around when I¡¯ve got Purity and the Builder sending assassins after me. It seems like you were just doing a job, and since you¡¯re Warwick¡¯s granddaughter I¡¯m not going to make an issue of it. As long as you¡¯re done prodding me for goodies.¡±


    ¡°All I¡¯m looking for is to have nothing else to do with you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful, but smart. I¡¯d have nothing to do with me if I could get away with it. I¡¯m not sure how reliable you are, though. You sold out your employer awfully fast.¡±


    ¡°Not employer. Client. Occasional and former client, who kept putting me in situations I didn''t want to be in. And I know what trouble will come from him. You seem like a whole other kind of trouble.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I am. You should definitely have as little to do with me as possible. On an unrelated note, we should stay in immediate contact.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re here monitoring the island with your crazy perception range, right?¡±


    ¡°You should talk. At least I have a power for it. You¡¯re just weird.¡±


    ¡°I am not weird. I''m normal. I''m a normal man who eats normal sandwiches and occasionally saves the world.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking abou¡­ actually, I don¡¯t want to know.¡±


    ¡°My point is that we should stay in contact so you can warn me if something pops up so I can portal people as quickly as possible.¡±


    ¡°And how would we do that?¡±


    Something appeared in front of Estella.


    Jason Asano has invited you to join a party.


    ¡°What is this?¡±


    ¡°Just a way to keep in touch.¡±


    ¡°I don''t like it.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. It definitely won¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, because no man ever said that to me before.¡±


    Jason snorted a laugh


    ¡°Fair enough. Look, it¡¯s just a telepathy thing for communication. You¡¯ve never used one before on an adventuring expedition?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you here helping out?¡±


    ¡°My grandfather asked me to.¡±


    ¡°Did he tell you that you might run into me here?¡±


    ¡°He didn''t say might. He told me I would.¡±


    ¡°And you did it anyway?¡±


    ¡°My grandfather asked me to.¡±


    He flashed an impish grin that definitely wasn¡¯t mischievously sexy.


    ¡°I like you, Estella Warnock. You should come to one of my barbecues.¡±


    ¡°This would be the barbecues where diamond-rankers show up?¡±


    ¡°Good point. You might want to¡­¡±


    He trailed off and they both turned their heads to look west.


    ¡°Duty calls,¡± he said. ¡°That¡¯s the response team I¡¯m sensing downstairs, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go open them up a portal. You should accept that party invite. The magic communication one, not the barbecue one. Although, that too.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± she conceded.


    You have joined a party.Party leader is [Jason Asano].Voice chat is available.


    The team moved out of the portal and raced off in the direction of the manifestation without a word. Jason stayed next to the portal, a cloud chair manifesting under him as he sat.


    ¡°Shade, did I make an idiot of myself with that woman.¡±


    ¡°I thought it was fine, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have asked her out like that.¡±


    ¡°You invited her to a social gathering, Mr Asano, not to a candlelit dinner.¡±


    ¡°I just got done telling people I wasn¡¯t looking for someone.¡±


    ¡°Are you?¡±


    ¡°No! I need to, you know. Work through my own stuff before I start dumping it on someone else.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps you should stop avoiding Mrs Remore.¡±


    ¡°I am not avoiding Arabelle,¡± Jason said. ¡°What I should be avoiding is celestines. All these crazy gorgeous women are affecting my judgement.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano. That must be what¡¯s doing it.¡±


    Announcement


    The chapters that will eventually become book seven end with chapter 526, after which there will be a two week break before the book eight chapters begin. 526 will be release on the 27th or 28th of September (a Monday or Tuesday), depending on local timezone, while chapter 527 will be released on the 12th or 13th of October, a Tuesday or Wednesday.

 Chapter 523: This One Time

    The lumbering figure was only passingly humanoid, its massive body embedded with coral that jutted from its flesh like spiked armour. It was still some way offshore, yet the sea only reached up to the giant''s thighs. What was above the surface was already a match in height for a five-storey building.


    ¡°Asano,¡± Pelli said through voice chat. ¡°I¡¯m sensing a gold-rank monster near your location.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just looking it up.¡±


    He was already painted in monster blood, some of which had smeared from his hand onto the magical marble tablet he was holding. It was a copy of the Magic Society¡¯s monster almanac in which Jason was looking up the monster wading out of the sea.


    ¡°Reef giant,¡± he read from the tablet. ¡°Matches the description.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a common monster in this region,¡± Pelli told him. ¡°Common for gold-rank, anyway. They¡¯re slow, but they¡¯re incredibly tough, which is a bad match for my abilities.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s my specialty.¡±


    ¡°Jason, don¡¯t fight a gold-rank monster alone. I¡¯ll be there as soon as I clear the flock attacking this town.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± he told her. ¡°I¡¯ve got something to boost me.¡±


    "If you insist on fighting it, beware of its coral-tipped whips," she warned him. ¡°They''re much faster than the monster itself."


    ¡°So I¡¯m reading.¡±


    The beach was littered with monster corpses; freakish abominations combining elements of grasshoppers, cicadas and lobsters called lobhoppers. Jason put away the monster almanac and cast an eye over the dead creatures.


    ¡°Shade, who is naming these monsters?¡±


    ¡°I believe it falls to the person who first encounters them.¡±


    ¡°I bet it was the same person who named the shab. It¡¯s just lazy; the guy should be ashamed of himself.¡±


    Dozens of the silver-rank monsters had launched themselves out of the sea, yet never made it off the beach. The massive swarm of Gordon¡¯s affliction-spreading butterflies was still hovering over the beach, almost thick enough to block out the sun. Shade¡¯s bodies were flitting across the beach, touching each monster corpse in readiness for looting.


    Both Jason and Gordon could direct the butterflies, although the control was haphazard at best. By and large, the conjured entities sought out anything Jason deemed an enemy and attempted to afflict it. They swept out over the water as Jason held his hands out to his sides while chanting a spell.


    ¡°As your lives were mine to reap, so your deaths are mine to harvest.¡±


    The remnant life force lingering within the monsters poured into Jason, streams of glowing red energy moving through the air to be absorbed into his body.


    You have gained multiple instances of [Blood Frenzy].[Blood Frenzy] has increased your [Speed] and [Recovery] attributes.Your [Speed] and [Recovery] attributes have reached the maximum threshold for your current limitations. Additional instances will be converted to [Blood of the Immortal].You have gained multiple instances of [Blood of the Immortal].


    Jason¡¯s life force was already bolstered by the healing effects he had accumulated during the fight with the lobhoppers, his health extending far beyond his normal maximum and into video game hit point territory. Now with his attributes boosted, he was ready to face the relatively slow reef giant.


    The butterflies went out to meet the monster as it waded into shore. The giant was one of the largest monsters Jason had ever faced, but there was an odd reversal between them. The gold-rank monster¡¯s speed would have been mediocre for silver-rank, while Jason¡¯s was boosted to a level bordering on gold. That did not mean that it was helpless, however, as Pelli has warned him. He saw why as the butterfly swarm drew close to the giant.


    The monster¡¯s body was embedded with fragments of sharp coral, half-buried in its flesh. As the butterflies drew near, the shards of coral shot out, revealing themselves as the razor-sharp ends to dozen whips made from what looked like thin strips of kelp. The whips flailed in a wild blur, somehow avoiding becoming entangled with one another while thrashing through the butterflies.


    The butterflies exploded as they were destroyed, which triggered small chain reactions given how many of the butterflies there were, all swarming on the one enemy. It was not such a problem when they were spread out over many enemies, which was their primary purpose, but clumped around a single foe, their explosive nature became a liability.


    Jason was unconcerned that only a few of the butterflies made it through the flailing barrier of whipping kelp tipped with coral spearheads. Even one was enough to get the affliction ball rolling, after which it was just a matter of time. Jason could have even backed off and waited for the afflictions to escalate, but he didn¡¯t. He wasn¡¯t walking away from a chance to push himself and grow stronger.


    As the monster waded into shore, Jason stood waiting, his new sword in hand. The sigils set into the black blade had the red glow of life force, containing the power that would normally belong to Jason¡¯s conjured dagger. His fingers tightened and loosened around the grip, the only sign of his nervousness as the gold rank monster closed in on the shore.


    The giant emerged from the water and the fight began. Despite having read the monster¡¯s Magic Society listing, Jason was still surprised. He had known the monster was gold rank, but given his abilities and the monster¡¯s deficits, he had been anticipating a convincingly one-sided win. Instead, the many warnings he had been given about underestimating gold-rank monsters were borne out.


    The lumbering monster, for all its physical power and resilience, was little more than a slow-moving weapons platform. The true threat was the coral-tipped whips anchored all over its body, even to its face. They formed a shifting razor wall that was extremely intimidating to approach.


    Jason quickly discovered that staying out of the whips¡¯ range was no guarantee of safety. More coral pushed its way out of the giant¡¯s skin and was fired off; larger, spiked fragments, not tethered to the giant like the whips were. Jason¡¯s cloak was very good at intercepting small projectiles, but these were only small relative to the giant. To Jason, they were more like spears, one of which struck him heavily in the side. It tore through his conjured cloak and robes but glanced off his flesh, leaving only a scratch that healed in moments.


    The seemingly insignificant blow had soaked up a huge portion of Jason¡¯s accumulated life force. A few more hits like that would take him from shrugging off attacks to his being pinned to the ground like the least pretty butterfly in the collection. Fortunately, his amulet¡¯s magic was already at work. Every affliction that built up on the giant also placed a shield on Jason that healed him as it was broken, adding to his accumulated life force.


    The amulet¡¯s effects were only enough to take the edge off attacks, rather than entirely protect him. This was especially true against a gold-rank monster, but it gave him a valuable margin of safety, so long as he didn¡¯t over-rely on it. He admonished himself as he became more conscientiously evasive, using Shade¡¯s bodies to shadow-jump around.


    While Jason had underestimated the monster, despite telling himself that he wouldn¡¯t, he did have surprises of his own ready. When the giant was in the middle of the field of dead monsters littering the beach, Jason looted them all and they dissolved into rainbow smoke. Jason had not grown used to the foul stench, despite his years of adventuring, but could at least endure it as it disoriented the monster, giving Jason his first chance to move in and land hits.


    The distraction was only momentary, but Jason¡¯s combat style lived in those moments and he earned one opportunity and then another to attack. The giant swiftly recovered from the stench and Jason tossed a throwing dart marked with a green cord. It was intercepted by a whip and exploded into conjured vines that entangled the whips. They swiftly sliced their way free, but not before Jason once more moved in, landed hits and escaped.


    Jason made his moves and took his chances. For all that the whips and the coral spears were a threat, the advantages that had prompted Jason to take the fight were real. He was able to choose his range and had the freedom to retreat as needed, allowing him to use his preferred hit-and-run strategy.


    Even so, he took plenty of hits, although that was always accounted for in Jason''s strategies. His potent drain attacks and spells, plus the regeneration he built up, fed Jason a constant stream of excess life force, even as the whips and spears Gordon didn¡¯t block whittled it down. This was normal for Jason, who used the strategy as the key to surviving his skirmishing combat style. He needed to repeatedly conjure fresh combat robes as the old ones were shredded.


    Jason¡¯s familiars also played their parts. Shade and Gordon were largely safe from the monster¡¯s attacks due to their incorporeal nature, although neither had abilities that could substantially harm the immense vitality of the giant. What Gordon excelled at was using his orbs to either shield Jason from coral spears or shoot them out of the air with pinpoint accuracy. His resonating-force beams were well-suited to breaking down the rigid structure of the spears before they could reach Jason.


    Shade was Jason¡¯s primary shadow-jump platform on the flat, open beach, while Colin was useful in multiple ways. His humanoid form sent straps of blood-slick leather to entangle the coral whips. The whips quickly pulled free but each interruption gave Jason another chance to move in with his sword. Leeches also formed from the bloody leather straps, crawling into the giant¡¯s body and digging in with rings of tiny teeth. Coral spikes jabbed through the monster¡¯s skin to impale many of them, but there were plenty more. Even the ones that were skewered left yet more afflictions in their wake.


    Jason did not accumulate mana with the same alacrity as life force, but his generally efficient powers and the mana regeneration he did have allowed his levels to climb above his normal maximums. Once the afflictions on the gold-rank monster had built up, it was worth looking to spend that mana.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    Ability: [Punition] (Doom)


    Spell (recovery, cleanse, holy).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Silver 4 (09%).Effect (iron): Inflicts necrotic damage for each curse, disease, poison and unholy affliction the target is suffering.Effect (bronze): Inflicts or refreshes the duration of [Penitence].Effect (silver): Damage per affliction can be increased by increasing the mana cost to high, very high, or extreme. This reduces the cooldown to 20 seconds, 10 seconds or none. Consecutive, extreme-cost uses have a shorter incantation.


    [Penitence] (affliction, holy): Gain an instance of [Penance] for each curse, disease, poison or unholy effect that is cleansed from you. This is a holy effect.[Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off as damage is dealt.


    Even for a gold-rank monster, the giant¡¯s vitality was enormous. Jason had never been able to unload as many afflictions as had accumulated on it without killing the victim before, yet the giant remained relatively unharmed. While its flesh was marked with patches of dark necrosis, it was still going strong as it shambled around the beach, trying to catch Jason within the zone of its whips.


    Jason¡¯s Punition spell was stronger for every affliction on the target. With what had built up on the giant, one casting would have killed almost anything else he¡¯d ever fought, but the giant kept coming. Normally the mana cost was moderate, but Jason bumped it three stages through high and very high, all the way to extreme. This reduced the incantation of future casting while reducing the cooldown to nothing.


    ¡°Suffer.¡±


    More damage.


    ¡°Suffer.¡±


    More damage.


    ¡°Suffer.¡±


    More damage, but the giant kept coming even as Jason kept casting. By the time Jason¡¯s mana was all but depleted, its skin was blackened and rotting, the colourful coral whip heads becoming bleached and pale. In spite of this, the monster was still going strong. Jason¡¯s powers might breach the resistances of gold-rank enemies, but the level of damage they inflicted was still at silver. Gold-rank monsters took a lot of killing.


    For the majority of his adventuring life, Jason had rarely gotten the chance to fully explore the impact of his abilities on monsters. While he killed slower than most adventurers, most things still died before his abilities could move through their full sequence. Given the opportunity, Jason¡¯s powers told an almost religious story, beginning with the cost of sin and ending with the price of absolution.


    ¡°I think Clive was right," he muttered. "The abilities we get are based on our personality. Even my power set''s a chuuni."


    He raised his free hand towards the monster as cast a spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Ability: [Feast of Absolution] (Sin)


    Spell (recovery, cleanse, holy).Base cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 4 (08%).Effect (iron): Cleanse all curses, diseases, poisons and unholy afflictions from a single target. Additionally, cleanse all holy afflictions if the target is an ally. Recover stamina and mana for each affliction cleansed. This ability ignores any effect that prevents cleansing. Cannot target self.Effect (bronze): Enemies suffer an instance each of [Penance] and [Legacy of Sin] for each condition cleansed from them.Effect (silver): Increase cost to moderate to affect all afflicted enemies and allies in a wide area.


    [Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off as damage is dealt.[Legacy of Sin] (affliction, holy, stacking): You are considered more damaged for the purposes of execute ability damage scaling. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    As the giant lit up from the inside with transcendent light, Jason¡¯s depleted mana was more than filled. With so many afflictions converted into mana, he was so bursting with it that he¡¯d have trouble using stealth because the mana leaking out of him would be so easy to sense. Further, for each affliction, he gained an instance of Integrity that continually fed him health and mana. With so many being stacked on him, Jason was now gaining life force faster than he could lose it, even standing in range of the whips.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can change that,¡± he said, eyes locked on the giant as the sigils set into his black blade turned from red to blue.


    ¡°Mr Asano, you¡¯re talking to yourself again.¡±


    ¡°Do you mind?¡±


    ¡°I just worry you might be getting ready to take a dramatic fighting pose.¡±


    ¡°I am not going to take a fighting pose.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not imagining yourself on the poster of an action movie, then.¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not.¡±


    ¡°Or a limited-series premium television show with a fight choreographer from Hong Kong?¡±


    ¡°Can you please stop? I¡¯m trying to fight evil here.¡±


    "With your powers of blood and plague and your black sword?"


    Gordon was floating between Jason and the giant, shooting down spears or deflecting them with shields. Jason spotted his orbs strobing, which was the dimensional being¡¯s equivalent of laughter.


    ¡°You¡¯re all mean,¡± Jason said. ¡°All I wanted to do was look a little bit cool and you¡¯ve ruined it. At least Colin gets me.¡±


    Colin, who looked like a blood clone of Jason, struck a fighting pose.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not helping,¡± Jason lamented. ¡°You look like a power ranger.¡±


    A coral spear passed through Colin¡¯s head and he toppled over, the top third of his body breaking into a pile of leeches.


    ¡°Oops,¡± Jason said. ¡°I probably shouldn¡¯t get distracted.¡±


    Jason dashed toward the giant, dark red leather straps shooting out from his conjured robes to entangle the whips. They only held for a moment but Jason''s speed still bordered on that of a gold-ranker as he dashed in. He landed a few quick blows with his sword before getting out, but even this was not fast enough to completely escape whips as fast as the giant was slow. The freed whips gouged Jason¡¯s flesh, eating away at his accumulated life force more than previously, courtesy of Jason himself. The afflictions his sword had just left behind impacted both the monster and himself in an escalation tactic pairing risk and reward.


    [Price in Blood] (affliction, holy, blood, stacking): Damage between people who share the affliction is increased, including damage sources in place prior to this affliction taking effect. Damage from holy sources is further increased. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Jason didn''t let up, continuing his hit-and-run sword strikes to escalate the damage to both himself and the giant. Once it reached a point where even his absurd life force gain was no longer enough, he moved the fight into its final phase.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement and the judgement is death.¡±


    Ability: [Verdict] (Doom)


    Spell (execute).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Silver 4 (06%)Effect (iron): Deals a small amount of transcendent damage. As an execute effect, damage scales exponentially with the enemy¡¯s level of injury.Effect (bronze): Damage scaling is increased by instances of [Penance] on the target.Effect (silver): Inflicts or refreshes [Sanction] on the target.


    [Sanction] (affliction, holy): Healing, recovery and regeneration effects have diminished potency. Base strength of this effect is very minor but scales exponentially with the enemy¡¯s level of injury. Scaling is affected by [Legacy of Sin] in the same way execute damage is. Cannot be cleansed while any instances of [Penance] are present.


    Even Jason¡¯s most potent ability didn¡¯t finish the giant, although the monster finally showed its suffering. Large portions of its body burned away in trails of rainbow smoke as it staggered and stumbled. Its combat effectiveness dropped as the whips slowed, many of them burning away in transcendent light. Jason no longer kept moving in to attack, instead, waiting for his execute power to come off cooldown to finish the job. Even then, it took three more castings of the finisher before the creature¡¯s gold-rank resilience could finally take no more.


    In the aftermath of another battle that left him painted in blood, Jason reflected on the power of the gold rank monster. He had every advantage he could muster, from a very favourable power match-up to a pack of monsters he could feed on and buff himself with as a lead-in. Even with all of that, the battle had been an incredible slog. If any of his advantages had been absent, or if unforeseen factors had intervened, the fight could have turned deadly for Jason very quickly. If years of this was what it took to reach gold rank, he had a new appreciation for anyone who managed to accomplish the feat. As for diamond rank, it felt further away now than in Greenstone where it was almost a mythical realm.


    While Jason was fighting a giant on Arnote, the war with the Builder had already begun. Airships swarmed over the Builder¡¯s submarine city in the Storm Kingdom¡¯s northern waters that had surfaced to disgorge airships of its own. Close by, on the rocky desert coast, a vast plume of dust was being thrown up by the approaching land city.


    On a rocky coastal outcropping, Dawn stood alone, looking at the dust storm. She knew what the builder wanted from this attack. It wanted her to use up her single chance to intervene while also showing its power to cow the nations of the world. She would allow the Builder its first objective since this was not her world to fight for.


    It was not what she would have chosen as First Sister of the World-Phoenix, but that was not her role anymore. The World-Phoenix wanted her to find her mortal sensibilities, and those sensibilities let Jason make the choice for her. It might not be the most strategic move, but perhaps it would be. A victory at this stage would bolster the morale of a world under siege.


    That would help stymie the Builder¡¯s second goal, of intimidating the world''s nations. It was as far as she would go on that since the true fight belonged to those for whom the world was theirs to fight for. She would act this one time, then success or failure would be for them to seize.


    She raised a hand to the sky.


    Announcement


    The chapters that will eventually become book seven end with chapter 526, after which there will be a two week break before the book eight chapters begin. 526 will be release on the 27th or 28th of September (a Monday or Tuesday), depending on local timezone, while chapter 527 will be released on the 12th or 13th of October, a Tuesday or Wednesday.

 Chapter 524: Between Mortal and Something Else

    Battle raged over the waters of the Storm Kingdom''s northwestern reaches. The Builder¡¯s underwater city had surfaced for battle, disgorging airships to meet those from Rimaros in the skies above. Many adventurers were not even in airships, free-floating in the air or even approaching through the water. The Builder''s force had many constructs designed to operate in the water, along with abominations modified not from intelligent races but sharks and other deadly denizens of the deep. Fighting underwater was not a weakness to the Adventure Society forces, however. The Sea of Storms had no shortage of people adept in aquatic environs.


    The Builder¡¯s forces were much more numerous than those of the adventurers. Along with creations designed to swim or fly on their own, more were delivered into battle via airship, triggering ship-to-ship battle between the two sides. While the Builder had the quantity, however, the adventurers had the quality. The mass-produced creations were no match for well-trained adventurers, and the Storm Kingdom''s adventurers were certainly that. While most might not be on the level of a Rimaros guild member, even those with Thadwick attitudes did not have Thadwick aptitudes. The Adventure Society branches in the Sea of Storms would not allow it.


    Compared to the eclectic creations of the Builder cult, whose essence users served more as leadership, the adventurers were all people. Only their familiars and summons added more extreme diversity to their line-up. The Builder¡¯s creations were much more varied, with winged serpents, multi-headed crocodiles and giant sharks either entirely artificial or grotesque combinations of steel, stone and flesh.


    Many of the creations were much larger than almost everything on the adventurer side. The only things the adventurers fielded to keep up were a few massive summons, each of which made an impression. From the huge cloud with seven hydra heads dangling from it to the dragon made of loose boulders, held together by electricity, they cut formidable figures. None, however, could match the size of the Builder cult¡¯s largest creation.


    As the battle began, the adventurers could sense something vast moving in the deeps. From the air above they could make out a leviathan silhouette in the water before it finally moved to the surface and erupted out. It was a massive lamprey; a diamond rank abomination of flesh and decaying metal. Its sides were plated in pitted steel, its maw ringed with rusted iron teeth. It lunged from the water like the grasping arm of some monstrous sea god. It rose hundreds of metres without revealing the full length of its body. Two low-flying airships were engulfed whole before it reached the peak of its lunge and splashed back on the water with a booming slap as its body fell flat, kicking off massive waves.


    The battle had two aspects. One was the diamond-rank powerhouses for each side. They would keep each other in check as any diamond-ranker the other side couldn''t account for would rampage through the lower ranks of the enemy. The adventurers had six diamond-rank essence users, while the floating city deployed only two. They had to rely on other diamond-level powers, like the flesh-abomination lamprey.


    The Builder cult¡¯s great equaliser was the city itself. Like an iceberg, most of it was below the water, making it much larger than it seemed from the surface. This was not news; the city had been scouted and the adventurers knew its true size. What they didn''t know was what that humungous bulk contained behind the sealed, underwater walls.


    Below the surface, ten massive panels opened up on the city¡¯s exterior. From the resulting apertures emerged massive tentacles of segmented steel, so large they either occupied the bulk of the city¡¯s internal space or were contained in a dimensional storage space with unheard-of scope. The Builder cult¡¯s floating city turned out to be a city-sized kraken construct.


    The tentacles rose from the water, each one a diamond-rank construct in its own right. Their massive length and bulk needed no special features; just swaying in the air allowed them to swat airships from the sky with monumental force.


    Pandemonium reigned as the sky over the kraken-city become barely comprehensible, let alone navigable. Normally dominant silver-rankers were more reliant on luck than their abilities for survival. Builder airships staged ramming and boarding actions while adventurers flung around powers that filled the air with clouds of energy and flashes of light, along with stranger and more eclectic effects. Trees grew out of clouds, extending vines to pull people from the decks of airships. Jade orbs flew around, hammering constructs out of the sky. One Builder airship grew arms and started attacking itself, the passengers being forced to battle their own ship.


    The diamond-rankers, meanwhile, confronted one another. The adventurers had six in their number; Soramir conspicuous in his absence. One each faced off with the Builder cultists diamond-rankers, their clashes spelling doom for any lower-rankers nearby. Gold rankers had a chance to survive the collateral damage, but any silver that drifted too close was in imminent threat of annihilation. One diamond-ranker was attempting to hunt down the lamprey while the remaining three were shielding the rest of their forces from the kraken tentacles.


    The second aspect to the battle, after the diamond-rank powerhouses, was the gold and silver-rank forces on both sides. The objective of the adventurers was to invade the city, find and fight their way to its core mechanisms and destroy them. This was the role of the lower-rankers while the diamond-rankers kept their equivalents tied up.


    The Builder¡¯s goal was to prevent this and drive away the adventurers, bleeding them without allowing them any gains. The Builder cult could much more rapidly replenish its forces in the aftermath; their creations might be weaker than essence users but were much easier to replace. Attrition and pyrrhic victories were to the cult¡¯s advantage.


    As the battle progressed, the quality of the adventurer¡¯s force became increasingly telling. They were yet to break through the magical dome blocking access to the city, but their six diamond-rankers were slowly but surely proving superior. The same was true of the lower ranks, with the mass-produced creations of the cult failing to match the essence users. The high standard of the Storm Kingdom¡¯s adventurers was showing its worth.


    The city¡¯s defence screen was a formidable thing, but no barrier in the world could hold off a diamond ranker for very long. Once the diamond ranker hunting the lamprey managed to slay the beast, she turned her attention to breaching the barrier. With myriad gold-rankers pounding away as well, it could only hold up so long. With the city''s power source also driving the massive tentacles fending off even more diamond-rankers, there was a limit to what it could spare to maintain the shields. When it inevitably broke down, silver and gold-rankers poured into the city.


    Six diamond-rankers acting together was a world-shaking force. The doom of the floating city was clearly coming, but it was extracting every drop of blood it could. In the wake of the battle, the adventuring strength of the Sea of Storms would be considerably diminished.


    A crew of pirates had been hovering around the periphery of the Storm Kingdom since the beginning of the monster surge and their bold captain, on hearing about the mobilisation, saw a once-in-a-lifetime chance to make a raid that would affix his name in the annals of pirate history - raiding Riaros itself.


    Of the three major islands of Rimaros, Arnote was the least populous and least defended. Without the riches of Livaros or the people of Provo, its more powerful residents had always been the only protection it needed. But with the forces of Rimaros mobilised, only a handful of teams remained. Most importantly, the only gold-ranker still present was the core user, Pelli, who was mayor of some village.


    If enough monsters spawned in the area during this time ¨C a good chance in the middle of a monster surge ¨C then the defenders might well be drawn away from a juicy target long enough for a successful raid. For this reason, the captain had planted people in the towns of Arnote, with signal beacons to call the pirates in should the chance arise. This exact thing had happened, and the pirates had moved in on the town of Kasilaro.


    At first, things had gone exactly as expected. The team stationed there were busy fighting monsters underwater, off the coast. The pirate¡¯s airship had swept in, the residents fleeing as the pirates kicked open doors, snatching anything of value. They even took the time to grab the pretty women and boys who looked fun to play with, which was around the point that things started going wrong.


    The gold-ranker, Pelli, had arrived within expectations. Any gold-ranker could move swiftly enough that they would reach the town before the raiders had their fill of plunder. The captain was also a core-using gold-ranker, which was a rare rank amongst pirates. It had won him the prestige he enjoyed within the pirate circles and was the source of his current boldness. His part of the plan was to keep the gold-ranker busy while his first mate led the crew in continuing to loot the town.


    Pelli did not want the collateral damage of her confrontation with the pirate captain to wreak havoc on Kasilaro and its residents, which was why she fought outside the town. As this exposed the town to the pirate''s crew, she had called in backup.


    In the town, the crew was hauling everything of value to the airship tethered to the ground, just beyond the town gates. They used carts and wagons pilfered from the townsfolk, as well as using the residents themselves as pack mules. Their activity centres on the town square, which made a useful transfer point for looted goods and had the main road running straight to the gates.


    The crew began to notice that some of their number hadn¡¯t shown themselves in a while. At first, it hadn''t been apparent. Those missing were the ones who''d grabbed a pretty boy or girl and dragged them into a building for some fun. When they took too long to re-emerge, the first mate became concerned. She grumbled to herself that they should have known better than to be so long about their sordid business, but pirates were not famous for discipline.


    She was about to go looking for them when the presence of trouble was confirmed by the missing crew¡¯s reappearance. They came staggering out of buildings, stumbling and some falling over entirely. Their skin was blackened, their limbs withered and their eyes were full of fear. As the rest of the crew noticed them emerging, they stopped hauling loot in the direction of the airship and looked around, worried.


    ¡°What happened?¡± the first mate asked after she marched up to the closest of the stricken still on their feet. The man opened his mouth to speak but only coughed black blood over her before falling to his knees. Then a cold voice spoke, echoed from points all around the town square, even though the speaker was nowhere to be seen.


    ¡°Did I say you could go?¡±


    Long shadow arms emerged from dark doorways and alleys, grabbing the afflicted crew and dragging them back into the alleys and doorways they had just emerged from. Those still standing toppled over as they were all dragged into the darkness and disappeared.


    The first mate was the strongest member of the crew short of the captain himself, but she couldn¡¯t sense the speaker with her senses. It was unlikely to be a gold ranker though, or he wouldn¡¯t be hiding. More likely, it was a stealth specialist looking to intimidate them. Unfortunately, she knew that her crew were bullies it would be likely to work on.


    ¡°It¡¯s just some adventurer,¡± she called outleaping up onto a wagon. ¡°Hey, adventurer! Unless you want us to slaughter everyone in this town, you¡¯d best show your face.¡±


    Cruel laughter came from every shadow. Disconcertingly, even her own.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t come here to save them,¡± the cold voice informed her. ¡°I came here to kill you.¡±


    ¡°Screw this,¡± one of the bronze-rank pirates said and broke out into a run. That triggered most of the others, only the few silver-rankers remaining behind. The pirates ran with the sun at their backs, their shadows stretched out in front of them. A dark figure rose from the shadow of the first pirate to run, grabbed him by the neck and gave a single sharp shake.


    The fleeing pirates pulled to a stop as the figure dropped the pirate with the now-broken neck. He was shrouded in a dark cloak over robes the colour of dried blood. Two strange orbs floated around him like disembodied alien eyes. Two smaller versions of those eyes watched them from within a dark hood. he drew a sword with a black blade, marked with ominous red sigils.


    As the battle over the floating city raged, only one person stood on the coast to confront the approaching land city. The great fortress approached hidden in a storm of desert dust kicked up by its passage. Dawn raised an arm in the air and pointed to the sky. As she moved her hand, lines of fire lit up the sky, drawing out a ritual circle even more vast than the dust cloud hiding the rolling city. When she started chanting, her words were like a tsunami, audible even over the cataclysmic sounds of the diamond-rankers battling above the ocean.


    ¡°I call back to the origin of infinity. From the fires of creation were you born in the days before days, and from the fire shall you come again. The birth of all things marks the beginning of the end, for in creation is the promise of annihilation. In the place, the end has come, so bring forth the flames of beginning and let them mark the end.¡±


    Dawn¡¯s words of fire and thunder carried out over the land and water, even the madness of the nearby battle coming to a momentary lull. All eyes present turned to see the grand summoning circle in the sky. The circled started to close in on itself, its lines entangling and folding over one another like a wire sculpture of white, yellow and orange. It took on the framework of a fiery bird of barely comprehensible immensity, flames lighting up to fill in the gaps and flesh out the great phoenix blanketing the dust storm below.


    The sky started to darken as if the sun was trembling before a presence born of power older and greater than itself. Day turned to night as the flaming bird took on the role of a burning moon, lighting up the dark as the dust cloud beneath it burned away, combusting from the heat sweeping out from the awe-inducing firebird.


    The land city was silhouetted in flames as the dust cloud was burned off around it. An apocalyptic column of fire descended from the cosmic phoenix¡¯s body onto the heart of the city. From its wings came streamers of flame, twisting through the air on their way down to ravage the city¡¯s outlying districts as the centre burned away.


    An aura, more oppressive than anything the world had felt before, crashed down on the burning city. Even the diamond-rankers within, who had been readying to go and confront Dawn, were suppressed. The raw power on display did not belong to this world but to something greater; a force that belonged to the cosmos.


    No defenders emerged from the city. No defences rose to protect it. The vast city of stone and steel was melted down like slag in a foundry, along with everything in it - living or otherwise. Dawn only had one chance to intervene and she used it to the absolute limit, showing the world a power it had never seen before and might never see again. Even the inhuman forces of the Builder, battling off the coast, took pause as they were struck dumb, shocked at the spectacle.


    Such a vast power, so beyond the limits of the world into which it was summoned, could only last a short time. The burning light of the phoenix dimmed, the sun shining brighter again as the great phoenix grew dark, slowly turning to ash and drifting away.


    Even with such a sight before them, the terrible carnage of the battle over the floating city battle could only be stalled for so long. As the ashen remains of the phoenix floated on the air like a volcano¡¯s expulsion, the brutal war resumed.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Pelli said to Jason.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t stop them all before they hurt and killed some of the townsfolk.¡±


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t come to save them?¡±


    ¡°You heard that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to assume that was something you said so they wouldn¡¯t try taking hostages.¡±


    ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t kill them all?¡±


    ¡°The bronze-rankers died too fast. The silver core users I was able to keep alive, but there was a woman who was more skilled than the others. No cores, maybe an ex-adventurer. Not guild level, but there was clearly some training there. I didn¡¯t take any chances with her. I felt the gold-ranker run off.¡±


    ¡°I tried to finish him, but it¡¯s hard to kill a gold ranker, even when you are one. You need powers to outpace them, trap them or load them up with ongoing damage. Not an issue for you, I suppose.¡±


    "For me, the trick has always been taking them alive. I have a tool for that now, but in groups, the weak ones die too fast."


    ¡°You can kill them all as far as¡­¡±


    Pelli trailed off as an aura unlike anything she had ever felt washed over the island. Then the sky started to go dark as the sun dimmed. Even from fifteen hundred kilometres away, the events to the northwest could be felt.


    ¡°What in the names of the sweet gods is that?¡± Pelli asked in a trembling voice. ¡°It¡¯s not an eclipse. I¡¯ve never felt power like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s my friend Dawn,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a person?¡±


    ¡°This is the power that lies between mortal and something else.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know what that means.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we¡¯re meant to. Not yet.¡±


    Jason turned his gaze from the northwest, where the aura was coming from, to the east and the direction of Livaros.


    ¡°Now it¡¯s time to see if she was right,¡± he said.


    ¡°Right about what?¡±


    ¡°The Builder¡¯s intentions.¡±


    Even as the incredible aura continued to wash over the island, another vast and powerful aura erupted from where Jason was looking. It was distant, but large and high enough in the air to be visible. A massive manifestation of rainbow light had appeared in the sky.


    ¡°And right she was,¡± Jason said grimly.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Pelli asked a second time.


    ¡°That,¡± Jason said, ¡°is a Builder fortress-city, appearing over Livaros.¡±


    ¡°But all our forces have gone to the north-west.¡±


    ¡°Not all,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just most.¡±


    ¡°Who are left?¡± she asked. ¡°There¡¯s barely a token force left by the Adventure Society, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s just them and your family.¡±


    Announcement


    The chapters that will eventually become book seven end with chapter 526, after which there will be a two week break before the book eight chapters begin. 526 will be release on the 27th or 28th of September (a Monday or Tuesday), depending on local timezone, while chapter 527 will be released on the 12th or 13th of October, a Tuesday or Wednesday.

 Chapter 520: No One Telling Me I Can’t

    Jason and Dawn walked towards each other until they were face to face.


    ¡°No,¡± she repeated.


    ¡°Dawn.¡±


    ¡°I said no.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said softly. ¡°You did.¡±


    She wheeled around, turning her back on him as she ran a frustrated hand over her face. The rest of the room¡¯s occupants looked on in confused silence, aside from Soramir. He was looking at them with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°Why do you have to be like this?¡± Dawn asked, her back still to Jason. ¡°Time and again, why are you so eager to make the sacrifice?¡±


    ¡°You know me,¡± Jason said, the habitual amusement in his voice a transparent veneer over his sober undertone. ¡°Hero complex.¡±


    ¡°How many times were you the one to step out on Earth when the factions were squabbling over meaningless scraps like scavengers?¡±


    ¡°You stepped out with me. You, me and Farrah.¡±


    ¡°And look at what it did to you. You¡¯re a vase smashed and put back together so many times you¡¯re more glue than pottery.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful.¡±


    She turned back around to face him.


    ¡°Why do you always have to make things so difficult?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m a delight to work with.¡±


    ¡°When I first tried to work with you, you killed me.¡±


    ¡°It was one time.¡±


    ¡°You looted my corpse.¡±


    ¡°I was meant to pass that up? You¡¯re a diamond-ranker. That made me rich.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an idiot,¡± she said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not news to anyone. If I were smarter, I wouldn¡¯t be the one standing here. It took me way too many stupid choices to get this far. Why stop now?¡±


    The Storm King cleared his throat.


    ¡°Perhaps one of you would care to enlighten the rest of us as to what you are discussing.¡±


    ¡°Your ancestor should have figured most of it out,¡± Jason said, not taking his eyes from Dawn. ¡°Why don¡¯t you go ahead and explain, Soramir.¡±


    ¡°The Hierophant is allowed to intervene in our world a single time,¡± Soramir said. ¡°Even if we call in aid, we can, at most, eliminate a single one of the two cities bearing down on our kingdom. I believe Mr Asano wants her to use her one intervention to deal with the other city.¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible for one person?¡± The King asked.


    ¡°If she is the person,¡± Soramir said, ¡°Then I believe so.¡±


    The King turned to Dawn.


    ¡°Lady Hierophant. What would it take for such a feat to be even possible?¡±


    Dawn turned her gaze on the king.


    ¡°No one telling me I can¡¯t.¡±


    She turned back to Jason as the others exchanged uncertain looks, except for Soramir and the king. Soramir revealed nothing on his expression, while the king had just caught a dose of Dawn¡¯s aura and was looking shell-shocked.


    ¡°Uh¡­ may I say something?¡± Rick said in the pause.


    ¡°Go ahead, Rick,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The two diamond-rankers from the northern continent who were part of the failed attack on the rolling city are still trailing it with the outrider teams. I don¡¯t want to speak for diamond rankers but it seems likely they¡¯ll help.¡±


    "That would make seven," Zila said. ¡°Perhaps that would be enough to handle one city and then the other."


    ¡°It won¡¯t be,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°May I ask a question?¡± Vesper said.


    ¡°I think any perspective is valuable right now,¡± Soramir said. ¡°Please go ahead, Vesper.¡±


    ¡°Lady Hierophant,¡± Vesper said. ¡°Why are you talking like Jason is the one who gets to choose if you act? Why were we summoned to attend this briefing?¡±


    ¡°Because I did not come to this world to help protect it from the Builder,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Warning the Adventure Society and the governments was my personal decision, but you have the strength to fight for yourselves. I was sent here to see that Jason Asano completes the task for which he returned to this world.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear,¡± Jason said. ¡°I was coming back anyway.¡±


    ¡°Jason is not important to your world,¡± Dawn said. ¡°He was important in that he helped trigger the long-delayed monster surge, but that is done. What he needs to do now is for another world, not this one. I was sent to make sure that task was carried out, which cannot be done until the monster surge is over.¡±


    ¡°What I have to do doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jason said, forestalling questions.


    ¡°The point,¡± Dawn said, ¡°is that my intervention needs to be used to keep Jason alive.¡±


    ¡°And you claim this task is worth leaving my kingdom to fall?¡± The Storm King asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Your kingdom has many people, but if Asano fails, his entire world dies.


    ¡°I¡¯m still unsure as to why Asano gets to choose whether you help us or not,¡± Vesper said. ¡°Aren¡¯t you in control of your own intervention?¡±


    ¡°Jason cannot control my intervention,¡± Dawn said. ¡°What he does know is that if he runs off and attacks one of these cities, I will go and pull him out. And since I am intervening anyway, there is no reason to use anything but my full measure of power.¡±


    ¡°Like holding himself hostage?¡± Rick asked.


    ¡°But that only works so long as he¡¯s willing to make a suicide rush at one of these cities with complete commitment,¡± Vesper said. ¡°Why would he do that? What would it get him?¡±


    ¡°It gets me acting to assist the Storm Kingdom,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying,¡± Vesper said, ¡°that he will go that far just to force your hand into helping us when it gets him nothing and costs him what has to be his strongest asset in this world. I ask again: why?¡±


    ¡°What kind of question is that?¡± Jason asked. ¡°We¡¯re talking about a kingdom full of people. Maybe you can do some evacuating, but it¡¯s the people with power that¡¯ll escape the Builder¡¯s forces moving in. The others will all get left behind. It¡¯s not heroic to give up a safety net if it can help millions of people. It¡¯s the bare minimum you can do and still be a person.¡±


    ¡°I cannot stop Jason and take him far from here without intervening,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Your family could, but why would they? He¡¯s trying to save your kingdom. His ability to force my hand is why it is effectively his choice as to whether or not I intervene. All I can do is try and convince him to take his allies and leave.¡±


    She turned her gaze back on Jason.


    "Which he will not. He is stubbornly human for an outworlder. Again and again, I have watched him sacrifice for those who turned around and treated him poorly. Exploited him. And he kept doing it, even when it made his own family fear what it turned him into. That is how far he will go to secure my assistance for you, for no more reason than you need him to."


    ¡°They get it, Dawn. I have a hero complex.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m asking you to walk away, Jason. You would risk billions of people and a world full of life arguably more deserving of help than the human race for one kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Dawn, why ask when you already know the answer?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± she said. ¡°Perhaps in the hope that all you¡¯ve been through is finally enough. Perhaps because I like knowing that it never will be. You don¡¯t have a hero complex, Jason. You are¨C¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t say it,¡± Jason told her. ¡°I¡¯ll blush.¡±


    ¡°Are you truly going to claim that a being of your resources, power and knowledge cannot find a way to stop this man?¡± Zila asked Dawn.


    ¡°Of course she can,¡± Jason said. ¡°She just won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Soramir asked.


    "Because the World-Phoenix sent me in person to watch over Jason because it wanted me to connect with the mortality I had long drifted away from. At first, I thought that meant embracing the small moments and simple pleasures. I became a painter again, as I had been in my youth. But I could have learned that anywhere. It was the stubborn foolishness of a mortal that kept letting the world burn his hands as he pulled it from the fire that she wanted me to see."


    Dawn turned to the other silver-rankers.


    ¡°Jason is a fool. A mad idiot who makes one terrible choice after another. But sometimes we need the passion of young fools. They will make the choices that the sensible and wise will not. They challenge the impossible. That is why the World-Phoenix sent me to Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now I am blushing, I can feel it.¡±


    Dawn laughed.


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to make a speech here,¡± she told him.


    ¡°And it¡¯s very nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°Very flattering. And I know that we just had this big conversation about me getting my selfish way and pushing you into helping out, but maybe there¡¯s a way to even the odds without forcing you to step up.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡± the Storm King asked.


    ¡°Does this world have some kind of magic plutonium?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Because I know a guy.¡±


    Rimaros was mobilising on an unprecedented scale, the Magic Society, Adventure Society and government working in conjunction to muster all the available forces. Only the minimal force required to defend the city would be left in place. With most adventurers from silver-rank up preparing to move out in a fleet of airships and through a cornucopia of portals.


    The Storm King and Soramir, who had been trying to shape the chaos from an administrative hub within the palace, finally stepping through a door to a private balcony during a lull for a break.


    ¡°Thank you for your guidance, Ancestor,¡± the Storm King said after activating the balcony¡¯s privacy screen.


    ¡°What for?¡± Soramir asked.


    ¡°I was reluctant to take such a casual approach to Asano but you talked me into it. Now he had swayed this mysterious Hierophant to our aid. What is a hierophant, anyway?¡±


    ¡°A hierophant is someone like me, and one day, you,¡± Soramir said. ¡°She once held a position of great power that she has passed along, although her position was far more than the king of an ordinary physical realm. Hierophant, for me, is a description. For her, it is a title."


    ¡°Her aid may be all that holds this kingdom together, and it hinged on a boy. If you hadn¡¯t advised me on how to approach him¡­¡±


    The king trailed off, shaking his head.


    ¡°That was not to sway him, descendant. He was always going to help us, however we treated him. As the Hierophant said, it is simply who he is. I wanted to show him our goodwill. And, if all works out, we must show him our gratitude. At this point, any fool can see his friendship will be a treasure in the decades and centuries to come.¡±


    ¡°If the Hierophant saves the kingdom, I¡¯ll shower them both in glory. And if she is right about the Builder¡¯s intentions, she will.¡±


    ¡°Asano has had his fill of fame and found the taste bitter. You need to hide his involvement, descendent.¡±


    ¡°People will know.¡±


    ¡°And they will know you want them to keep their mouths shut. The combination will afford him as much privacy and protection as we can offer.¡±


    ¡°I defer to your wisdom, Ancestor. We should not be thinking ahead right now, however. I do not like our allocation of resources, putting out weakest bet where we can least afford to lose.¡±


    ¡°I share your concerns, but to do it any other way would tip our hand.¡±


    Soramir turned off the privacy screen.


    ¡°That is as much break as we can afford,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ll assist you as long as I can with the administrative tasks before I need to deploy.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, ancestor.¡±


    In the largest Artifice Association workshop in Rimaros, resources were being brought in by a train of couriers with dimensional space powers. Travis was at a drafting desk, madly drawing out designs with input from Clive, Gary and the Knowledge priestess, Gabrielle.


    Travis had a profound grasp of the weapon he was designing and had no trouble recalling the details. One of his essence abilities was specialised in constructing and modifying design models in his mind. Like holographic recordings only he could see without Jason''s Party interface. Jason had commented that it was the closest he had seen to the images projected by his own interface ability.


    Travis¡¯ knowledge fell short in two areas, which was where Clive, Gary and Gabrielle came in. The first area was with the tools he had to work with. Magitech weapons were technological as well as magical, which artificer workshops were not equipped to handle.


    Gary was an artificer and, while he specialised in weapons and armour, he was well versed in all the tools of his trade. Travis explained what he needed to the others, Clive helping decipher that into magical terms. Gary¡¯s role was to determine what was possible with the tools at hand and where they would need to adapt the design.


    In addition to not knowing the tools at his disposal, Travis¡¯ other shortfall was his ignorance of the materials he had to work with. Gabrielle¡¯s contribution was in determining appropriate materials. As priests and priestesses of Knowledge were wont to do, she had simply turned up where she was needed and got to work. Gabrielle was able to tell him what local resources he could use as elements of the rapidly forming design were completed. Those were the materials being brought in, ready for assembly to begin.


    "And you''re certain this is alright?" Clive asked Gabrielle, not for the first time. "It seems like we''re wading into a lot of grey areas in terms of what your goddess would generally allow."


    ¡°The highest transcendent beings all operate in balance,¡± Gabrielle explained. ¡°The goddess of Death and the Reaper, for example, each have their areas of authority and they work with an ebb and flow. The builder had come to our world and has been pushing the boundaries of the agreements it agreed to abide by. This gives the gods of our world an amount of leeway to push their own boundaries in reaction. The time has come for the Builder to pay for his recklessness.¡±


    ¡°I hate that I¡¯m not a part of this,¡± Jason said. He was on the balcony of his cloud house, feeling at a loss. Compared to the chaos taking place in Livaros, sleepy Arnote was quiet and tranquil. This was especially true looking out over the placid, turquoise lagoon.


    ¡°You have pushed me more than a little today,¡± Dawn told him. ¡°This is what I ask in return. If you participate in this operation, the Builder has an open invitation to use any of his assembled forces to come after you. People are going to die today, Jason. A lot of people. There are diamond-rank hornets in that nest, Jason. Don¡¯t poke it.¡±

 Chapter 525: Stand at the Front

    The royal family of the Storm Kingdom was very large. Every combat-trained member of silver-rank or above was gathered in a ballroom in the royal palace; one of the few rooms large enough to hold them all. From Zara and Vesper to Soramir and the Storm King, the only absent member of that group was Zila, who had gone northwest to fight in the battle there. Only untrained core users like Pelli were exempted from the family call to arms.


    With them was the royal guard, all members of the Sapphire Crown guild, representatives from the Irios family and a contingent of clergy. Most of the churches¡¯ combat forces were also adventurers and had set out for the battles in the northwest. Even so, the churches had placed their core reserves under the command of the royal family for the defence of the city.


    ¡°The first part will not be the most critical,¡± Soramir told them, standing before the gathering with the Storm King and Trenchant Moore flanking him. ¡°What it will be is the hardest. We couldn¡¯t hold back more than one diamond-ranker or not only would the attack on the water city be less likely to succeed, but the Builder could realise that we were preparing for his sneak attack.¡±


    Soramir looked up through the glass ceiling of the ballroom in which they had gathered. All eyes followed his gaze to the mass of rainbow light floating high above, from which the Builder¡¯s fortress-city would soon emerge.


    ¡°I have no shame in claiming to be strong,¡± Soramir said, ¡°but I am not so strong that I can handle every diamond-rank threat the Builder cult will have ready for us. We can hope that the cult believed they would catch us unprepared and used their greater resources elsewhere, but to assume that would be folly. We can only operate under the assumption that whatever they send against us will be more than I can handle alone.¡±


    He gestured expansively around him.


    ¡°Our advantage is home territory. We know that the Builder cult has limited diamond-rank essence users and relies heavily on their creations and the power of the cities themselves. In this case, however, we can match them. We have our own city, with its own power, built up in the centuries since I founded this kingdom.¡±


    He nodded at the leader of the Irios family contingent.


    ¡°From the first days of this kingdom, the Irios family has built the walls that shield its people in times of crisis. The founder of their family was a man I called brother, and I know he would be as proud of what your family has become as I am of mine.¡±


    He glanced at the Storm King with a smile.


    ¡°Every generation has made this kingdom stronger than the one before. Now the time has come to show this interloper who thinks he can destroy us the strength of what we have built together. We are the Storm Kingdom. Some of us carry the very name of this city. Others are its most staunch defenders or the architects of its defences. The people of this Kingdom have given all of us so much. Now, in our time of greatest crisis, we will show them that their faith in us was not in vain.¡±


    Again Soramir looked up before turning his gaze back on the crowd in the room.


    ¡°The first step, as I said, will be the hardest. We have a great weapon, but the enemy stronghold is mighty. Our weapon must be carried into the heart of their city so we can be certain of destroying it. This means breaching the city''s defences while its defenders wield the full force of their power against us. Normally, that task would fall to me, but I will not be free to do so while harassed by the cult¡¯s diamond-rankers. Fortunately, we are not alone. This entity has invaded our world, but our world has gods to watch over us. Archbishop, Rimmon, if you would?¡±


    A man in the garb of the church of Knowledge stepped to the front to address the group.


    ¡°Even gods and beings like the Builder have rules,¡± the archbishop said. ¡°The Builder has been pushing against the limits of those rules, which gives our gods the leeway to push back. Thus far, they have bided their time, waiting for the best opportunities. One of those opportunities is now. The gods are stepping forward to protect the people of the Storm Kingdom.¡±


    Reassurance showed on the faces of the royal family, the Irios family and the royal guard. Soramir¡¯s speech was all well and good, but they were up against forces greater than any mortal. It was a relief to know the gods would be standing with them.


    ¡°Each of the gods will do what they can,¡± Archbishop Rimmon continued. ¡°They have granted us, their representatives, miracles to aid the city. The archbishop of war will empower the city¡¯s defences beyond what should normally be possible. The archbishop of Ocean will have the sea itself aid us. Knowledge has revealed to me many secrets of the Builder city, from where to place our weapon to how to breach the defences without diamond-rank assistance.¡±


    ¡°This does not mean the task ahead of us is easy,¡± Soramir said. ¡°Only that it is possible at all. Make no mistake: many of us will fall today. The price we pay for our Kingdom¡¯s safety ¨C for its very survival ¨C will be high. But we will pay it, because that is our duty. Throughout the history of this kingdom, we have always stood at the top. Now the time has come for us to stand at the front.¡±


    ***


    Jason¡¯s team, minus Jason himself, were one of many teams given a device to carry into the city. Only one was the true bomb, but once the cult realised the objective of the Rimaros defenders, they would focus on stopping it. For that reason, many teams had been handed dummy devices, with the church of knowledge giving target locations within the city to activate it. As to which device and which target were the real ones, the people assigning tasks claimed not to know. Everyone would have to do their utmost to succeed in case they were the true hope for the city.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not our team,¡± Neil said as they waited on an airship docked at a sky tower. ¡°No way they gave us the real thing. The cult will probably put extra effort into killing us just for being Jason¡¯s team, so giving it to us is a terrible idea.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯ll be some gold-rank guild group,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It¡¯s too important to hand over to anyone but those with the best chance.¡±


    ¡°Unless that¡¯s exactly what they want the cult to think,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Maybe it is us.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not," Sophie said. "They''re telling everyone that no one knows who has the real thing but that''s just to motivate the rest of us. The ones who have the real thing know what they¡¯ve got.¡±


    ¡°It would have been nice to have Gary, Rufus and Farrah with us,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°They have their own task,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Farrah is a formation magic expert and they need every one of those they can get. If we can¡¯t breach the magical defences of the Builder city, none of this will work out.¡±


    ***


    The rainbow light above the city was something between a portal and the manifestation effect of a monster or essence, without exactly being either. Only possible during the monster surge when the dimensional membrane of reality was in tatters, it faded away as it disgorged the Builder¡¯s flying city.


    It looked like a fairly normal city, except being in the sky. The city rested on a massive disc of stone with a massive and complex ritual circle engraved into the underside. The top of the city looked like any city built heavily of stone, with towers, streets and other buildings that looked remarkably ordinary for a flying city of doom. The defensive dome glimmering over it was also common in major cities, although being visible when not actively being attacked was unusual.


    The battle began with the lines of the massive ritual circle under the flying city lighting up, swiftly glowing brighter until a massive beam of red-white magic shot directly down at Livaros. The ritual circle was not the mechanism by which the city flew but a giant magic beam cannon.


    Livaros itself was a city larger than the one flying above it, the entire island being urbanised. The protection that appeared to intercept the beam was not a dome, like that over the Builder city. It was a circular barrier of blue and green magical energy, looking much like a ritual circle. In the near-instantaneous moment the beam was descending, the shield appeared, then another behind it and a third behind that. The first shield wavered and then broke, even as shields continued to stack up. The second, third and fourth shields were broken through before the beam¡¯s energy was finally expended.


    The glowing ritual circle under the flying city started to fade, the potent beam having pushed the ritual disc near the limit of its endurance. It would take time before it was able to fire again, and the disappearance of the beam was like the crack of a starting pistol. Airships full of adventurers started flying up from Livaros¡¯ sky docks, while cult airships passed through the flying city¡¯s dome before descending to meet them. Other enemies emerged as well, from constructs and abominations flying through the sky to the diamond-rank forces the defenders of Rimaros had been anticipating.


    To Soramir''s relief, as he flew up into the sky on a magical cloud, he only sensed one essence user at diamond rank. He sensed other diamond-rank auras, but essence users were always the greater threat. He had no illusions about defeating them all but if he could occupy the strongest of the Builder cult¡¯s forces, the gold and silver-rankers had a real chance to secure victory and protect Rimaros.


    As he ascended, Soramir gathered power around himself, conjuring water and air to shroud himself in a miniaturised hurricane. With diamond-rank speed, it took only moments to clash with his cultist counterpart, where it immediately became apparent that Soramir was stronger. That was not the same as being in a domineering position, however, as no diamond-ranker should be underestimated.


    There were two other diamond-rank auras on the cultist side. One was a massive construct bird with four wings. Unlike the essence user, Soramir was confident he would be able to destroy it given the chance, although that chance was unlikely to be forthcoming. The last diamond-rank aura was strange and diffuse, which Soramir found almost as concerning as the essence user. He had sensed that kind of aura before, recognising it as the signature of swarm-type entities. As predicted, a swarm of constructs, sharing a single aura, came pouring out of the flying city¡¯s defence dome.


    The diamond-rank conflict was the key to the early stage of the battle, as the Rimaros defenders needed the freedom to breach the defences of the flying city. Formation specialists, many of whom were from the Irios family, were being carried into battle on airships, along with protective escorts. The greatest danger to them wasn¡¯t the cult forces but the collateral damage from a diamond-rank battle that was just beginning.


    Soramir¡¯s storm powers were formidable in the face of multiple opponents, which was exactly what he needed when outnumbered. They were effective against the swarm constructs which, like many swarm-type enemies, were vulnerable to wide-area attacks. The drawback of Soramir''s expansive powers was that the lower ranks of both sides had to stay well clear.


    While much of the swarm was struggling against Soramir¡¯s storm powers, clusters of the swarm managed to escape in isolation, separating from the main swarm to hunt the lower-ranked Rimaros forces. They were still diamond-rank, but their components, - fist-sized locust constructs ¨C were individually frail for their rank. With their numbers reduced in the smaller swarms, the gold rank adventurers were able to put up a fight.


    The battle quickly turned to chaos as the Rimaros airships tried to fight their way to the underside of the city through storms of battle and powers flying back and forth which included actual storms. The formation magic specialists needed to be delivered to the flying city¡¯s underside.


    Using the information given to them by the goddess of Knowledge, they knew there were nodes not visible from a ground level on the city¡¯s ritual disc. If enough of them were impacted by the right rituals, also provided by knowledge, they could bring down the magic dome and expose the city to invasion.


    The flying city¡¯s beam weapon recharged before any of the Rimaros forces managed to fight their way to it. In the chaos of battle, many from both sides failed to move out of its path in time as it once more hammered at the city below. The flying city needed to be breached before Livaros was cracked open by the repeated beams.


    Livaros did not helplessly wait to suffer more attacks. Magic circles, similar to the shield it used, appeared over the city and fired back beams of its own. They weren¡¯t anything like the magnitude of those the flying fortress used, and wouldn¡¯t be enough to damage the ritual circle of the underside of the city. The flying city, however, was not the target. The Irios family members controlling the defences aimed the beams at the swarm construct, attempting to thin it out as much as possible and take pressure off of Soramir.


    ***


    Perhaps intimidated by the wild auras from the battle above Livaros and in the aftermath of Dawn¡¯s actions, the monster activity that had been raging around Arnote had gone quiet. It had been unusually busy, even for a monster surge, but now it had fallen off entirely.


    Jason found himself back at home with Travis and Taika, their bronze-ranks leaving them in the role of civilian. Pelli had joined Jason at his cloud house and they all sat on an upper-floor deck, watching the distant battle. They could make out little at such a distance but they watched nonetheless.


    ¡°I feel helpless,¡± Travis said.


    ¡°Travis, you¡¯re the one who made this battle even viable,¡± Jason assured him. ¡°Without you, things would have been even more desperate.¡±


    ¡°Assuming it even works,¡± Travis said.


    ¡°Bro, at least you got to do something,¡± Taika said. ¡°All I could do was sit here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re doing something,¡± Jason assured him.


    ¡°I am?¡±


    ¡°Damn right you are.¡±


    ¡°What am I doing?¡±


    ¡°Looking good. You¡¯re a big, sexy chocolate drop.¡±


    ¡°Thanks, bro,¡± Taika said brightly. ¡°That¡¯s nice of you to say.¡±


    ***


    Farrah was drawing in the air with her finger, leaving behind lines of flame that formed ritual circles as she continued to draw. Their airship was hovering under one of the nodes on the underside of the city, each barely the size of a basketball. The airship was being attacked by flying cult creations and enemy airships, the adventurers around her desperately keeping the enemies away from her.


    Rufus was a monster, smoothly dashing around with his golden sword. Everywhere he went, a construct fell apart, its neatly cut halves glowing with heat. Gary didn''t have the skill to match some of the guild adventurers around him but his specialty tools more than made up the difference. He had long ago crafted weapons specialised in fighting cult creations and his hammer was practically ordnance as it smashed apart constructs, sending waves of force behind the shattered enemies to batter its fellows. His shield grew and shrank as he used it to shield Farrah, the way he had failed to do years ago when she died. He let out all his pent up rage, his roars blasting enemies overboard.


    ***


    The Rimaros forces managed to take down the dome over the flying city, although the price was high. Many adventurers threw their lives away getting the formation experts to the underside of the city disc to perform their work. Once it was done, airships poured up and over to invade the city.


    The diamond-rank defenders moved to stop them. Soramir had managed to destroy the weakest of them, the bird construct, but the essence user was predictably resilient. As for the swarm, that was more troublesome. The beams from below, the gold-rankers fighting it and Soramir himself had managed to shave off a large portion of it, but much remained. It continued to calve off smaller swarms to hunt the Rimaros adventurers, chasing them into the city.


    The city itself was an odd mix of familiar and alien to the adventurers moving through it. Stone streets and buildings were not that different from what might be found in a normal city, but the denizens that came out to fight them certainly were. Cultists led packs of their bizarre creations, ranging from humanoid magic cyborgs to floating ring constructs that shot beams of energy.


    ***


    Ramon Keel was a member of the anti-Builder task force. He was in charge of organising a beachhead in the city and called out as he spotted a group of silver-rank adventurers.


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    The group came over, recognising Keel. They had all passed through assessment by Keel¡¯s unit when they registered for monster surge activity.


    ¡°Yes, sir,¡± Humphrey said by way of acknowledgement.


    ¡°You¡¯re Asano¡¯s team, right?¡± Keel asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Humphrey confirmed.


    ¡°If I remember correctly, you have multiple portal and storage powers between you right?¡±


    ¡°We do,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Great. I¡¯m assigning you all to logistics, search and recovery. We¡¯re setting up a medical camp here. You¡¯re going to find and bring in the injured, portal them to the city as needed and portal back extra supplies.¡±


    ¡°Sir, we have one of the devices. For all we know, it might be the one.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely not,¡± Keel said. ¡°Asano annoys the Builder more than he does me, so he might swat all of you just for fun. There¡¯s no way they gave you the real thing.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Neil asked. ¡°What did I tell you?¡±


    ¡°Sir,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Given the stakes, I¡¯m not sure we should be taking that risk.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Keel said. ¡°Pull out your device.¡±


    Clive looked to Humphrey, who nodded. Clive opened his rune portal storage space and pulled out a device the size of a hiking backpack. Keel took a crystal from his pocket and held it near the device. The crystal turned red.


    ¡°There you go,¡± Keel said. ¡°Dummy device confirmed. Now stop asking questions and do what I tell you.¡±


    ***


    The adventurers fought their way through the city and into the deeper reaches through tunnels descending underground. The sense of alienness grew in the subterranean depths that were filled with industrial centres akin to foundries and ore refineries. Hot and humid, they were filled with dark corners and orange light. Tunnel warrens led deeper down into the city¡¯s core where the most important parts of the city were secured.


    Liara Rimaros had the true destructive device and, as Sophie predicted, had been told its actual nature. She moved with two of her team members; the brother and sister pair Ledev and Jana. The trio of gold-rank stealth specialists had been chosen as most likely to deliver the device successfully, which had largely proven true. After the dome went down they had quickly penetrated the city, finding their way into the depths.


    As they moved deeper, however, it grew increasingly difficult to move undetected through cramped tunnels filled with increasingly dangerous fixed defences. They had been forced to fight through more and more constructs anchored in place to move forward, slowing their progress. The stealth specialists excelled at surprise attacks, not breaching emplaced defences.


    They were caught up in running battles as the fight from the higher levels of the city started to catch up to their increasingly stalled progress. The only benefit was that people from their own side started to reach them, teaming up for the final push.


    They joined a group that was mostly made up of adventurers whose teams had been split up by chaos or casualty. They had found one another and grouped up to push forward. It was a mixed group of golds and silvers, including Vesper and Jeni Kavaloa, whose team Vesper had been assigned to for the invasion.


    When Liara revealed they had the true device, the group pulled out all the stops to get them to their destination. They knew that any cost was worthwhile to get it to the target zone. More than one sacrifice was made to get them closer, but as they approached the location, they were set upon by multiple groups of fresh cult defenders in quick succession.


    The problem facing the group was that once placed, they needed to escape before the device detonated. The ideal scenario had been the stealth team placing the device and it going undiscovered, but that no longer seemed viable. In a lull between groups, Vesper addressed Liara.


    ¡°We¡¯re close now,¡± Vesper told her. ¡°Close enough that you can sneak the rest of the way if the rest of us grab enough attention.¡±


    ¡°Vesper¡­¡± Liara said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have time to argue, Liara.¡±


    There was no time to argue and the hasty plan was put into motion. Liara only paused a moment before hugging Vesper, nodding and moving off, her stealth powers rendering her invisible. Her brother and sister teammates did the same.


    The rest of the group moved to attack the converging cultists and trigger the emplaced defences while the stealth trio moved on. Where they previously avoided facing too many defenders at once, they now grabbed as much attention as they were able. They fought hard and savagely as Liara¡¯s trio avoided the final defenders between themselves and the target location.


    Although Liara¡¯s senses were reined in to avoid attention, the other group was close enough that she could sense their auras being snuffed out one by one. She stopped as she felt Vesper¡¯s aura wink out, steeling her resolved and stopping her aura from revealing their location with emotional turbulence. Liara only allowed herself a brief pause before continuing and they reached the target zone undetected. They took out the device and set it up in accordance with the instructions they were given. Unlike the people given dummy devices, the directions were more involved than ¡®push the big red button and run.¡¯


    ¡°Now we go,¡± Liara said when the job was done.


    ¡°Not me,¡± Ledev said and his sister paled.


    ¡°Ledev, no.¡±


    ¡°There are still too many defenders roaming around,¡± Ledev insisted. ¡°Of the three of us, I¡¯m the only one with the power to hide this object from their senses now it¡¯s out of its storage space and active.¡±


    ¡°Brother...¡±


    Liara hand fell on Jana¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, Jana. He can hide it for as long as it takes them to find him, buying everyone as much time to get out as possible before he sets it off.¡±


    One of the functions added to the dummy devices was that they would signal when the real device was activated, letting the adventurers know to retreat. From the moment the device had been turned on, the Rimaros forces had been pulling out.


    Jana clasped her brother in a death grip hug until he pushed her off.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± he told her, then turned to Liara. ¡°Just make sure the statue of me looks good, yeah?¡±


    ***


    The detonation didn¡¯t cause the flying city to explode. It trembled in the air, spiderweb cracks appearing on the underside of the disc. Geysers of force blasted out from the city above and the underside disc, blasting chunks of stone like giant cannonballs in every direction. The buildings of the city toppled as the interior of the floating city was annihilated by the nuclear bomb turned resonating-force device.


    Even so, the main mass of the city held together, although the magic holding it aloft was gone. With incredible ponderousness, it started to fall from the sky.


    Below the flying city, Soramir gathered up all the power at his disposal, ignoring the diamond-rank essence user who took the chance to land savage attacks. Gold rankers moved to defend Soramir as he conjured up a vast and powerful storm in an attempt to slow and shift the trajectory of the falling island that threatened to land atop Livaros.


    More adventurers attempted to help, from telekinetic powers to just braving Soramir''s storm to fly up to the falling city and push. Others dropped down, recognising that even if the fortress city missed the island, it would create a massive tsunami. Rimaros had no shortage of water essence users and they moved down to the island to prepare for what was about to come.


    Two figures rose up from Livaros below, flying into the air. Both were garbed in the robes of clergy and their auras soared as they were filled with the power bestowed on them by their gods to protect the city. The Archbishop of Wind raised her arms and a great, focused and continual blast of wind started pushing on the falling city. Gold-rankers attempting to help were blasted away, but it didn¡¯t matter as the divine power shifted the trajectory of descent.


    Seeing the power at hand, the diamond-rank cultist started fleeing, which many of the cult¡¯s airships were already doing.


    The other clergywoman, the Archbishop of Ocean, became the vessel for her god¡¯s power and directed the sea to rise up. So vast was the quantity of water forming a rising column under the descending city that the sea level visibly dropped. The city struck the column, triggering an explosion of water that immediately sent rain falling over Livaros. The watery pillar slowed the descent of the plummeting city, turning a plunge into a drop.


    When it reached sea level, the city was still a massive falling object, displacing vast amounts of water to trigger a tsunami, but the Archbishop of Ocean was not done. She channelled more divine power, arresting the movement of the great wave and settling it back into the sea before it could strike Livaros or sweep out in search of other shores.


    The fallen and collapsed city was too large to be entire submerged, forming a new island off the coast of Livaros. Total disaster had been averted and Rimaros protected, but the death toll amongst adventurers was devastating. It would take time to fully count, but the royal family and their guard contingent had been ravaged, as had the other adventurers who fought for Rimaros instead of heading north.


    Jason¡¯s team had come through intact, courtesy of their assigned role putting them in relative safety and giving them plenty of time to evacuate and help others to do the same. The moment they were certain they were safe, they found the Shade body Jason had left in the Livaros to inform him they had survived.

 Chapter 526: The End of the World

    Some of the neighbourhood kids watched from across the river as Rufus and Jason sparred. Stripped down to plain pants, they matched their swordsmanship furiously until even their silver-rank endurance was spent. The children observed with fascination, some trying to imitate them, others engaging in their own spars using sticks.


    Jason lost repeatedly, despite all his advancements. Rufus had trained under what many considered to be the greatest swordsman in the world since he was a boy. For all of Jason¡¯s practical experience, it would take more than a few years and a few skill books to catch up. After exhausting themselves, they took a refreshing dip in the river.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure it would be different if we were using our powers,¡± Rufus reassured Jason.


    "Uh-huh," Jason said sceptically.


    The Livaros mirage chamber had been shut down indefinitely. There were more important places to use the resources required to operate it.


    Rufus emerged from the water first and went into the cloud house. Jason extricated himself more slowly, picking his sword up from the grass and meandering back to the house as he looked around. He stopped, spotting someone outside another house, further up the river.


    Estella Warnock was standing outside the house that had belonged to her grandfather, staring at it blankly. Jason hadn¡¯t sensed her, one of the few people that could go unnoticed by his formidable senses. She didn¡¯t much bother with the polite restraint of aura, instead completely hiding it from everyone around her.


    Jason shot a delicate and supporting tendril of aura her way and she turned. They shared a nod before she went into the house that was now hers. Jason looked at the house for a long time before Arabelle came out and stood beside him.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have long before you¡¯ll need to head off again,¡± she told him. ¡°No skipping sessions, remember?¡±


    He nodded absently, still staring at the house that had belonged to Warwick Warnock.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange, being on the outside of events like this,¡± he said.


    ¡°Outside?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t fight. I didn¡¯t lose anyone. This isn¡¯t my kingdom and this isn¡¯t my home.¡±


    ¡°And where is your home?¡±


    ¡°My home is people. They all came back safe. I¡¯m told it wasn¡¯t planned to keep them out of the city depths, but it was probably Dawn¡¯s doing. I''m so used to being in the middle of these events and losing things to them. It''s strange to be on the periphery of someone else''s fight.¡±


    As with Jason¡¯s team, Arabelle had never been sent deeper into the city than the surface, due to her valuable role as a healer. When the signal to evacuate came, she was able to escape safely.


    ¡°You may not have fought the Builder cult,¡± she told him, ¡°but you did your part. You took lives again, and I know you want to avoid that.¡±


    ¡°I know that it¡¯s inevitable, with the choices I¡¯ve made. The choices I¡¯ll make again.¡±


    He looked at the sword in his hand, gripped halfway down the scabbard.


    ¡°Maybe I could have crippled them with this, instead of dosing them with afflictions. The bronze-rankers. They might have lived long enough to get healing.¡±


    He shook his head.


    ¡°Mercy is good when I can afford it,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m not going to take chances to save people like that.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like you¡¯re starting to find your balance.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. People are dealing with a lot more than I am right now. It feels like so much is happening all at once. The people of this kingdom don¡¯t even have time to grieve.¡±


    ***


    It had been a month since what was variously being called the War of Four Cities or the One Day War. The history books would decide which one stuck. The Storm Kingdom and the Adventure Society were still scrambling to adjust to a new status quo. Between the Rimaros battle and the battles to the northwest, the adventurer population had suffered massive casualties amongst their mid and high rankers. This included more than a third of the royal family¡¯s most powerful members, with the royal guard ¨C the Sapphire Crown guild ¨C suffering similar losses.


    Despite their drop in numbers, both the royal family and the royal guard became more active in meat-and-potatoes adventuring in the wake of the battles. With their drop in numbers being reflected across the adventuring population, the Adventure Society was struggling to meet the requirements of monster surge activity. Once more, the royal family had stepped forward in the kingdom''s time of need.


    Across all Adventure Society activity, minimum action quotas had been raised and safety standards lowered. Bronze-rankers had not had their number diminished, having been kept out of the war. They were now having their teams combined into larger groups, and being sent on missions that would normally be tasked to silver-rankers. All of these measures were leading to more losses, but the results of not doing so would be worse. Reports were already coming in of fortress towns having their defences overrun as monster-clearing rates had dropped.


    Jason and his allies were no exception to the increased activity. They had been worked to the bone since the battle but were holding up better than most. Their experience of spending months in an astral space in a ceaseless stream of battles, back when they were iron and bronze-rank, left them mentally better prepared than most for the revolving door of contracts.


    For many Rimaros adventurers, the current adventuring climate was a very bad fit. The Rimaros adventuring ethos was predicated on turning situations into best-case scenarios, using their plentiful adventurer population and specialised teams to pick the right group for the right job. That was a rare luxury in current circumstances. While it was being done where possible, there were too many jobs and not enough adventurers. Many teams had lost members and been forced to amalgamate as best they could.


    Many of the young Rimaros silver-rankers were unused to operating without high-rank backup. The guild forces yet to be properly seasoned were revealing themselves as greenhouse flowers, especially at the bronze and early-silver level, shrinking the gap between guild and non-guild adventurers. They might not have the depth of training enjoyed by their guild counterparts, but for most, this was not their first taste of desperation. Their mentality was holding up much better under adverse conditions.


    The good news in all the mess was that while the adventurers of the Storm Kingdom had seen their darkest hour, they had fought through and won. The lower-rank adventurers and the population at large had been almost entirely shielded from the battles with the Builder. The region around the rolling land city had been burned into desolation and covered in molten metal and stone, but it was mostly empty desert. The nearest cities had already been evacuated before the land city rolled right through them, keeping casualties low. That made for a lot of refugees, but it was the territory of the kingdom to the north, saving the Storm Kingdom from needing to deal with them.


    As for the other two cities, the construct kraken city had sunk to the bottom of the ocean after the most straightforward of the city battles. With the flying city that fell from the sky, the intervention of the gods had managed to shield Livaros. The most that had happened was some minor coastal flooding on the islands of Provo and Arnote, as well as the south coast. The water essence users and the Archbishop of Ocean had protected Livaros entirely, despite being the closest landfall. The flying city was now a stony island just southwest of Livaros, having fallen into relatively shallow waters.


    Jason didn¡¯t know a lot of Rimaros adventurers, but he nonetheless went through casualty listings as they came out, along with most adventurers. The young he-who-would-be-Thadwick who Jason had encountered during his first supply contract had died. Although Jason didn¡¯t have the details, he liked to imagine that the young adventurer fell heroically, unlike his Greenstone counterpart.


    There was no question that Ledev and Vesper had both died saving the city. Jeni Kavaloa had died fighting alongside Vesper as well. She might not have wanted to work with Jason again, after their expedition together, but Jason had respected her a lot. He couldn¡¯t help but feel that his own sacrifices seemed hollow in comparison, given that he kept coming back from them. The World-Phoenix wouldn¡¯t let Jason go until it was done with him, which was how he ended up safely on Arnote while the rest of the Kingdom was fighting for their lives.


    ***


    "It feels a little odd," Jason told Arabelle as they sat inside the cloud house. "I''m used to being in the middle of these events. Of being the one to struggle and sacrifice. I''ve complained about it being me so much, but now I''m at the periphery, it feels wrong somehow. I don''t want any part of that, yet I''m somehow frustrated that I''m not. Am I lying to myself? Am I some kind of misery junkie?"


    "You''re not addicted to misery, Jason. You''ve become used to having an influence on affairs of a magnitude that you shouldn''t even be involved with. Your frustration is from feeling a lack of control."


    ¡°I never have control. I¡¯m always dancing to someone else¡¯s tune. Always too weak; always desperately leveraging someone else¡¯s power just to survive the path someone else put me on.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe that,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°And neither do you.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    "You have been making choices all this time. You and Farrah have both told me about Earth. You chose to step in, time and again. No one forced you to work with people who betrayed you over and again. You chose to do that because of what would happen to innocent people if you didn''t."


    ¡°If it¡¯s between letting people die and working with people who suck, that isn¡¯t a choice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jason, it is. It¡¯s just an unpleasant one. And for all that you were kept from the battle, your influence was undeniably felt. It was your intervention that convinced Dawn to move, and you brought Travis into the fold to produce the weapon that destroyed the flying city. You were critical in felling two of those cities.¡±


    ¡°By leveraging other people¡¯s power,¡± he said. ¡°Again.¡±


    Arabelle gave him a sad, tired smile.


    ¡°Jason, we have a long way to go, you and I. A very long way.¡±


    ***


    Jason didn¡¯t spend any more time than necessary on Livaros, just picking up and handing in contracts. Events had made his position in Rimaros politics fairly pointless. Anyone playing political games at the moment was being directly and savagely slapped down by Soramir. Even if he didn¡¯t, the Irios family had stepped up in a big way during the defence of Rimaros. Many of their members had fought and died, and their defence infrastructure had been critical. Petty games of young people and marriage no longer mattered.


    What little downtime Jason had was spent in training or working with Arabelle, starting the long road to getting his head straight. He spent a lot of his training time working on his swordsmanship with Rufus, who praised Jason''s improvement while trouncing him repeatedly.


    Only remnants of the Builder cult remained in the Sea of Storms, and one of the most regular contracts Jason¡¯s team was given was rooting them out whenever they were found. In case they encountered a clockwork king or other gold-rank minion, they usually did so in the company of Liara or Keel from the Builder-response unit.


    Despite this task, the Builder cult was gone from the region for most practical purposes. The same could not be said for the rest of the world as news rolled in of other battles with the Builder¡¯s terrible fortresses. The results were never great, with even victory coming at a heavy price while defeat brought cataclysmic disaster. Stories came in of major cities annihilated, leaving the region''s astral spaces ripe for seizure. That led to even more destruction as those astral spaces were plucked from the world.


    There were only a few small mercies in all the destruction and chaos. One was that with the current state of the world¡¯s dimensional membrane, the loss of astral spaces was less destructive than it had been in the past. With the dimensional barrier already weakened and damaged, the removal of astral spaces didn¡¯t create the same level of dimensional disturbance.


    The other good news was that the Builder cult was forced to accept the same limits as everyone else. The same low levels of magic in Greenstone that had prevented Emir¡¯s cloud ship from flying restricted the power of other things. The fortress cities in the sea of Storms would have fallen out of the sky, sunken to the ocean or even collapsed under their own weight in Greenstone. Each region was only faced with power commensurate with the power already there, making the Builder cult a challenge, but one that could be met on all fronts. They weren¡¯t always successful in stopping the Builder¡¯s ambitions, but more often than not, they were.


    Even in the other high-magic zones, the Storm Kingdom successfully repelling three cities at once was a remarkable feat. Their success buoyed other nations around the world, rejuvenating morale that was continuously being chipped away. If one of the world¡¯s great adventuring cities had fallen, the news could easily have led to a dangerous collapse of morale that fed the Builder cult¡¯s success.


    A month after the Builder¡¯s cities in the Storm Kingdom were destroyed, things were getting into some manner of tentative order. Mass memorials had been happening regularly; the fallen deserved better than to be sent off in job lots but there wasn¡¯t time for anything more. The jobs hall had adventurers streaming in and out, grabbing fresh contracts the moment they handed in the one they just completed. The old biases between guild and non-guild fell away in the scramble to meet the challenges of the monster surge. Guild elitism fell by the wayside as need and the shortcomings of training only in high-magic zones highlighted the importance of experience.


    These were the shortcomings that the Geller family had understood for centuries; the very reason they had maintained Greenstone as their family seat even as their power and influence spread across the world, generation after generation. Rufus had recognised this and had spent most of the last few years working to incorporate this practice into his family¡¯s academic institution.


    Stories abounded of people stepping up; unknown individuals shining even as young adventurers vaunted for their potential cracked under pressure. This caused problems from both the higher and lower ends of society. In the upper echelons, some noble scions fell short after years of training and countless resources had been poured into them. Most aristocratic families were wise enough to brush the issue aside and quietly work on getting their young people the experience they needed to live up to their potential. The Geller family in Rimaros quietly made it known that they would help in this regard.


    A few houses took a different tack, however. In the rush to clean what they saw as stains to their pride, they made bold, short-sighted moves. Some casting out young people like lizards dropping their tails, while others staged pre-emptive political smears in an attempt to maintain the very reputation their actions were tainting.


    That small minority of aristocratic houses that made those decisions were mostly minor ones, panicked by their relatively limited power bases being harmed by the One Day War and its aftermath. Fearful of losing their influence in the royal court, they made moves that only cast that influence away as other houses and the royal family came down on them like a hammer.


    Titles were stripped and assets seized from any family that too openly defied the royal family¡¯s edict that politics would be set aside through the current crisis. There were always those who thought the rules did not apply to them, or they were too clever to be caught out in their ambitions. In the case of one minor family, their entire sky island was seized by the royal family. The aristocratic house in question mounted protests until Soramir and Zila Rimaros came to the island, smashed through the defences and threw anyone who would survive directly off the side of the island. The rest of the family departed very swiftly.


    Adventurers shining bright during dark days were welcomed into guilds hungry to replenish their numbers and add experienced adventurers to their roster. Families whose members had stepped up in the battle or the aftermath, either as adventurers or through more logistical contributions were raised to the status of minor nobility.


    At the lower end of the social spectrum were those who saw this and viewed the current conditions as a prime chance to move up in the world. While most realised that those being recognised were doing so through earnest effort, many couldn¡¯t see past selfish ambitions or that the old ways were changing.


    As with the noble families who had shot themselves in the foot, many failed to see that a fundamental shift was taking place in both the adventuring and aristocratic realms of Rimaros society. They stuck to the old ways of backroom influence-trading and putting more effort into looking like they were contributing than actually doing it. They tried to move up by pulling others down, sowing mistrust at a time when unity was critical. The royal family did what they could to stamp it out but, being less prominent, the lowly and ambitious were harder to notice and identify.


    ***


    ¡°How long before you¡¯re back on a contract?¡± Arabelle asked Jason.


    ¡°We¡¯re going in this evening,¡± Jason told her, looking out the cloud house window at the early afternoon sun.


    ¡°Not much of a break. You only got back this morning. You won¡¯t even spend a night at home.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s not a lot of Builder cult left to mop up,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ve been getting a lot of missions to reinforce Fortress towns, now that I have a lot of them as portal destinations. I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re keeping you busy too.¡±


    ¡°Yes. With greater risks being taken, the need for healers has risen commensurately. That¡¯s not an excuse to avoid these sessions.¡±


    ¡°It kind of is.¡±


    ¡°We have the rest of the day, then.¡±


    ¡°All day? Arabelle, I need rest and relaxation too, you know.¡±


    ¡°Just a little longer, then, but it has to be about something I want to go back to.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked warily.


    ¡°You told me that your family stayed in the cloud house after you lost control of your aura during a flashback nightmare.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s old news,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re back on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Did they ever go back into your spirit vault after that?¡±


    ¡°That takes trust,¡± Jason said. ¡°We just¡­ we never talked about it again. We all knew they wouldn¡¯t be able to go in anymore.¡±


    ¡°How did that make you feel?¡±


    ¡°Alone. That was when I knew they weren¡¯t coming back with me. It took longer to admit to myself, but that was when I knew.¡±


    ¡°And what about your team?¡± Arabelle asked.


    ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°Have they gone into your spirit vault?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t told them about it.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°You know why not.¡±


    ¡°Tell me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to make me say it?¡±


    ¡°Some things you have to go through to get to the other side, Jason.¡±


    He stood up and paced around the room. Arabelle remained seated, patiently waiting. More than once he paused to glower at her before he resumed his angry pacing. Finally, he leaned up against the wall, pressing into it with both hands as he glared out the window.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Arabelle said.


    "Because if they can''t go in, I''m done!" Jason yelled, wheeling on her. "If, after everything I went through to get here, they can''t trust me, I won''t have anything left. Nothing to go towards and nothing to go back to. Is that what you want to hear?"


    ¡°Yes,¡± Arabelle said calmly. ¡°This fear is what¡¯s stopping you from moving forward. But you already know that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I have to do it?¡±


    ¡°Jason, you need to understand that just because something is one way in any given moment, that doesn¡¯t mean it¡¯s that way forever. My understanding is that your spirit vault requires a deep and unreserved trust in you before someone can enter.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    "Then do you genuinely believe it''s strange that your team might have some reservations about you coming back from the dead, so very different than you were before? That trust you once had was built over time. Strengthened in fire, like a pot in a kiln. If they don''t have that full and absolute trust today, you need to understand that it''s not the end. You have the time and the chance to build that trust again. So, yes, I''m saying that you have to tell them about your spirit vault and let them in. You don''t have to tell them about the trust component. You can see how it goes."


    ¡°You think it¡¯s that easy?¡±


    ¡°No. But you¡¯re in a place where you have to confront what is, in your mind, the worst possible outcome, before you can see that it isn¡¯t the end of the world and you do have a path forward. You¡¯ve faced the literal end of the world, Jason. Are you going to let a metaphorical one stop you?¡±


    ***


    ¡°So, it¡¯s not a portal,¡± Neil said. ¡°It¡¯s a personal storage space except that people can go in?¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Jason said.


    Jason and his team, along with Rufus, Gary and Farrah, were standing in the waterfall room, looking at a portal arch. Rufus looked at Jason, who seemed normal and light-hearted, but saw that Farrah was watching him with concern. He knew there was something about the arch that they weren¡¯t telling the rest of them.


    Clive was the most eager, curiosity driving him to vanish through the portal first. Gary quickly followed. Farrah nodded at Rufus and he followed suit. Humphrey was next, Sophie right on his heels. Belinda followed right behind, Jason¡¯s inner tension loosening just a little. Belinda was one he¡¯d been unsure of, but that just left Farrah and Neil. Neil shrugged, bit into his sandwich and walked through the portal.


    Left alone with Farrah, Jason staggered, as if a cord that had been pulled tight within him had suddenly loosened. Farrah flashed him a grin and grabbed him up in a hug. Tears Jason''s magical body shouldn''t have been able to shed welled in his eyes. Farrah was almost holding him up when Neil came back out of the portal.


    ¡°Are you two coming or¡­¡±


    He saw them holding one another.


    "Ha, I knew it. Lindy, you owe me a¡­ oh, she probably can''t hear me."


    Neil turned to go back through the archway when Jason rushed over and bundled him into a huge hug.


    "Uh...?"

 Chapter 527: Band of Misfits

    The northern end of the Storm Kingdom was the coastland of the northern continent, much of which was barren desert. This was quite different from the equivalent area in Jason''s world, which was the southern United States. Compared to Earth, the region was significantly more arid; not just the counterpart to Texas but everything from Louisiana to Florida was barren and dry.


    The other difference was the presence of pockets of odd magic. Frequently these were located in canyons and gorges, many of which hosted fortress towns, utilising the local conditions as the basis for efficient defences. Developing such bespoke protective systems was the speciality of the Irios family and Jason had encountered such towns in the past. He once fought a massive army of monsters in a gorge whose magical winds were turned into a weapon by the local fortress.


    One particular desert canyon was incongruously filled with the kind of thick jungle that typified the Storm Kingdom''s more southern regions. The jungle was a dense wall of green, the air so humid there was a visible haze. That stopped dead at the canyon¡¯s mouth, none of the lush plants reaching beyond its boundaries. The climate around the canyon was the complete opposite of what lay within; nothing but rocky desert and air as dry as old bones left under the scorching sun.


    Jason''s team, with the exception of Jason himself, were standing near the mouth of the canyon where the jungle stopped precipitously as the magic supporting it ended off. Before heading into the jungle alone, Jason had noted that it was quite like the gardens of the Vane estate. There, verdant greenery had likewise sharply met desert in one of the first examples of large-scale magic he encountered. That had been an artificial situation, where the jungle-filled canyon was a natural magical phenomenon.


    The team were lingering casually, chatting as they kept an eye on the jungle. Belinda had conjured a parasol for herself and Sophie, offering a spot to Humphrey but he stood vigilant in the sun, his common sense outweighed by his sense of duty. Clive was more than happy to take the offered place, unconcerned about being the second choice. Neil moaned happily as he tipped a canteen of water over his head. His silver rank was more than enough to endure desert heat but that didn''t stop it from being unpleasant.


    The team was one of three groups operating in close proximity as part of a large-scale monster eradication contract. Such clear-and-sweep operations had become more common following the terrible casualties from the battles with the Builder. The reduced adventurer numbers had led to dangerous accumulations of monsters as the monster surge continued unabated.


    A large flying carpet approached carrying the other two teams, one of which was Farrah, Gary and Rufus. The other was a local guild team they were working with. The carpet stopped close to Humphrey and the others, floating over the ground for the passengers to step off.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± Rufus asked Humphrey. ¡°Where¡¯s Jason?¡±


    Humphrey nodded in the direction of the jungle-filled canyon.


    ¡°That whole area has been infested with light-eater vines and now some umbral rakells have spawned in there too,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°A large pack, by all accounts. We¡¯re waiting for them to come out.¡±


    The leader of the other team was a woman named Rosalie Peresda, who gave voice to the confusion Humphrey¡¯s explanation had given her team. They had all studied the monsters that commonly spawned in the Storm Kingdom and knew their behaviour.


    ¡°Why would they come out?¡± she asked. ¡°Umbral rakells are smart, cunning and thrive in the shadows. What makes you expect them to come out and fight?¡±


    ¡°Because there are worse things in the dark than monsters,¡± Neil said ominously. ¡°You have no idea of the horrors taking place in there, even as we speak. Just thinking about it gives me the chills. At this very moment, those poor monsters are probably hearing a story about a flying carriage with spinning blades that is also somehow a wolf-shaped air elemental. It makes no sense.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t call that an accurate representation of Airwolf,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°It¡¯s so tedious,¡± Neil bemoaned.


    ¡°That I would call an accurate representation,¡± Farrah acknowledged.


    ¡°Don¡¯t be mean,¡± Humphrey chided.


    "It''s alright for you," Sophie said. "You went off to that team leader meeting and didn''t have to hear about the talking carriage and the man with the leather jacket. Did anyone ever figure out what a Hoff is?"


    The rest of the team shook their heads.


    ¡°What is it with Jason and stories about magical carriages?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re not actually magi¡­¡± Farrah started before trailing off. ¡°Why am I defending Knight Rider? I spent too long with Jason and his sister.¡±


    From above the jungle, a beam of glorious light shot down from the sky, mixing gold, silver and blue transcendent power.


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s the signal,¡± Belinda said.


    "They''ll be coming soon," Humphrey told the guild team that had arrived with Rufus. "We''d appreciate the help since you''re here."


    ¡°Of course,¡± Rosalie said. ¡°You generalists will get to see how proper adventurers do it.¡±


    ¡°We appreciate that,¡± Humphrey said congenially. ¡°It¡¯s always good to see how well things can go so long as nothing goes wrong causing everyone to die because they¡¯re overspecialised and don¡¯t have a gold-ranker protecting them anymore.¡±


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s like that, is it?¡± Rosalie said with a grin. ¡°Watch and learn, Geller.¡±


    Rufus shook his head, being familiar with the friendly rivalry between the Vitesse and Rimaros approaches to adventuring.


    The three teams all turned their eyes to the jungle. They were all silver-rankers but the stealthy monsters were neither heard nor sensed before they started gushing out of the canyon in a torrent, blanketing the ground. The rakells looked like six-legged black panthers but smaller, the size of medium dogs. They moved with swift and silent grace. They did not hesitate after seeing the three teams, charging towards the line of adventurers.


    The adventurers exploded into action, unleashing powers that swept over the monsters like a tidal wave. The might of silver-rankers had been overshadowed of late by the gold and diamond-level conflicts around the Builder war but the three elite teams demonstrated just how powerful they could be.


    Farrah swung her obsidian sword that broke up into segments connected by a stream of lava, becoming a chain whip of ragged, razor-sharp stone and searing heat. Traps already set out by Clive and Belinda detonated as monsters ran over them.


    The guild team were area-attack specialists, which is why they had been chosen as the centrepiece of the clear-and-sweep expedition. Whatever Humphrey might have said, no one was under any illusion of competing with the magical carpet-bombing carried out by Rosalie and her team. The more melee-oriented members of the group didn¡¯t even bother moving in, lest they be caught up in the sea of destructive power.


    The other teams were responsible for making up for the shortfalls of the specialists in the case of an unexpectedly dangerous encounter. This was not the case against the rakells, who were swift and stealthy but small and frail by silver-rank standards, ill-suited to a direct conflict. Even so, the monsters did not turn and flee, to the surprise of the guild group. Instead, they charged recklessly to their deaths.


    As more of the monsters emerged from the jungle they were looking increasingly miserable even before encountering the adventurers. Their bodies were feeble, slow and marked with ugly rot. More and more moved out of the jungle in terrible condition, with some glowing from within as transcendent light ate them up from the inside.


    The increasingly stricken monsters pushed out of the jungle and into the meat grinder of silver-rank adventurers who massacred the rakells in relatively short order. In the wake of the one-sided extermination, Rosalie looked at the slaughter field in confusion.


    ¡°Why would they run out to die like that?¡± she asked. ¡°The only times I¡¯ve seen monsters that way was to escape worse monsters. The kind of things they¡¯ll charge into death rather than confront.¡±


    A figure wandered out of the jungle wearing a bright floral shirt, tan shorts and sandals. He was carrying a long, thin tree branch that had grown twisted over itself.


    "Hey, guys!" Jason called out. "I found a stick that looks like a giant''s spectacles. Do giants make spectacles out of big sticks?"


    ¡°We don¡¯t have spectacles here,¡± Farrah called back. ¡°Anyone who can afford them can afford magic.¡±


    ***


    Rosalie¡¯s team rode their flying carpet just above ground level as it flew over the flat desert terrain. Without Rufus, Gary and Farrah taking up space they were sat comfortably, the carpet shielding them from rushing wind. Jason and Farrah¡¯s teams rode in a pair of large black land skimmers. Rosalie kept throwing glances over at Jason, who was gesturing effusively as he said something to his team that had them rolling their eyes.


    The team had heard various rumours about the man, but he seemed like just another member of what was quickly becoming known as Humphrey Geller''s band of misfits. Gellers were known for building extremely powerful teams, but Team Biscuit was building a reputation as oddities both socially and professionally. Only Geller himself seemed normal amongst the pair of thieves, the sarcastic and muscular healer and the respected magic researcher known for detesting the Magic Society.


    As for the last member, Asano, all manner of rumours were swirling about. When checking out the other teams assigned to the expedition, he had proven to be the centre of many conflicting stories. When truth and rumour were that mixed up, Rosalie preferred to defer judgement and judge for herself. She had been confident that with a Geller in charge of the team they at least wouldn¡¯t be completely hopeless.


    She hadn¡¯t exactly seen Asano in action now; only the results. She wondered what he had done to spook the monsters so badly they had charged into the cataclysmic powers of her team, who were wondering the same thing.


    Jason could sense their attention on him through their auras but paid it no mind, guessing the reasons behind their interest. He had the answers they were looking for but no interest in handing them out. His essence abilities, while quite imposing once their effects began to show, were not enough to put the kind of fear into monsters that had affected the rakells. The secret to that was one of the many elements of his complex aura that he normally kept locked away.


    Title: [Giant Slayer]


    Overcoming a much stronger enemy has left a permanent mark on you that can be sensed by others. This may trigger a fear reaction from the unintelligent and the weak-willed if your aura is significantly stronger than theirs. Your actual rank being lower than theirs does not diminish the effect.


    Jason¡¯s aura was the strongest weapon in his arsenal. Not only was it his most potent power but also the one he was the most skilled with. It was also arguably the most versatile, with the effects of his aura power only the beginning of what he could accomplish with it. What Jason could accomplish with his aura was a representation of what Rufus had taught him from the very beginning: that experience trumping isolated training. Jason''s aura techniques went way beyond what any system box had ever told him about it.


    Noreth, Jason¡¯s sometimes-ally, sometimes enemy, once advised him to make his aura the centrepiece of his adventuring toolkit. While he had never trusted Noreth, he did believe the former familiar''s general intentions were good. He had more than lost his way, spending lives by the million to achieve what he believed was necessary, which was something Jason sometimes feared in himself.


    Jason''s enemies list included beings whose very nature was beyond his ability to comprehend. How far would he be willing to go to stop their schemes? Jason had learned important lessons in the transformation zones where he had leveraged power much greater than himself to accomplish what would normally be impossible. He understood that the best he could do against cosmic forces was find a point where he could be a fulcrum and apply what strength he was able. If it came down to it, would he make the same choices Noreth had if that was what it took to stop a god or great astral being?


    Jason shook his head to clear it, seeing the concerned looks on his companions as he fell into dark contemplation again. He was back in a world of magic and power, now. He had no illusions of being done with the Builder or Purity¡¯s minions but the big picture was the concern of kings and diamond-rankers. Jason had done his part and it was no longer his fight. He¡¯d told himself exactly that over and over, and hoped he¡¯d eventually believe it.


    Putting those thoughts aside, he grinned as he watched the desert landscape rush by. He felt like he was riding a speeder across Tatooine and was struck for the first time in a long time with the pure joy of the adventuring life.

 Chapter 528: The Pile of Disturbing Things

    The fortress town was a tragic disaster. The gates were intact but the high stone walls were coated in deep gouges where the monsters had scrambled over them. Once the magic dome atop the walls had failed, the monsters had swarmed inside, turning a safe haven into a meat grinder. Inside the fortress town, buildings made of sturdy desert stone were half-collapsed, blood painting macabre murals across the pale yellow brickwork.


    Jason¡¯s group of three adventuring teams searched the ruined fortress town for survivors but didn¡¯t find a single living aura. It was hard to sense anything at all with the pall of death left behind by so many souls departing their bodies in quick succession. The two healers, Neil and one from the local guild team, Paola, had been given the grim task of checking the dead for survivors hidden amongst them. That much death could mask the living aura of a normal ranker who themselves were barely alive. For that reason they also took Jason who had the strongest aura senses of anyone in the three teams. In the unlikely scenario of there being survivors not rooted out by the monsters before they left, Jason had the best chance of finding them.


    Most of the dead were gathered in the town dormitories. The thick walls had held up for a time but eventually, the monsters had torn down doors and smashed through the heavy brick to get inside. For Jason and the healers, it was a painstaking and grisly task to sort through the bodies but their efforts paid off when they found a single survivor.


    It was a young man on the verge of death, even Jason barely detecting his waning aura amongst the corpses. Neil and Paola performed a powerful healing ritual that brought the man back from the edge of death but left him comatose. Forcing that much healing magic into the body of a normal person was almost as dangerous as the wounds the magic healed. Neil and Paola successfully dragged him from the brink of death without overloading his body but he would remain unconscious for hours, possibly days.


    As the members of the three teams finished searching their designated zones, they reconvened in the town square, one of the few open spaces in a fortress town where space was at a premium. With their stricken patient strapped into a floating gurney commonly carried around by healers, Jason, Neil and Paola expected to be the last ones to gather. This wasn¡¯t the case with Belinda, Farrah and Clive still absent. Jason could sense their auras, reading curiosity and worry from their emotions but no distress. Like all the adventurers, they were pushing down the horror they felt at the town of the dead so as not to fall apart while potential danger was still around them. Since Belinda, Clive and Farrah weren''t showing signs of trouble, the group discussed what they found from their searching as they waited.


    ¡°We have a problem,¡± Neil said after explaining the unconscious survivor. No one else had found one.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t find anyone else,¡± Paola said, ¡°but every corpse we found in the dormitories was normal-rank. There might have been some amongst them with an essence or two but none with the full set of essences necessary to bring them up to iron rank.¡±


    The difference between the physiology of a normal person and an essence user was easy to spot at mid-to-high rank but less pronounced for low-rankers. As healers, Neil and Paola had the skills, powers and experience to reliably tell the difference, which was one of the reasons they¡¯d been sent to the dormitories.


    ¡°Some of the silver-rankers might have gone up in rainbow smoke,¡± One of Rosalie¡¯s team members suggested.


    ¡°Not all of them have bodies like ours,¡± Neil said. ¡°Proper training accelerates the process of the body becoming more magical, but the majority of the essence-users here were civilians. Even the silver-rankers were just core users with no adventurer training. Few, if any, would have their entire bodies dissolve.¡±


    ¡°There are corpses scattered all around the fortress,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You only checked the clusters of bodies. Any essence users are more likely to have died trying to push back the monsters than hiding with the normals, so they¡¯re likely amongst the individual bodies.¡±


    ¡°We had the same thought,¡± Paola said. ¡°We did some checking outside of the dormitories and found a couple, by which I mean actually two. There should have been many more. Even just some iron-rank civilians with farming or ranching powers.¡±


    ¡°Unless there are a lot more corpses gathered somewhere I can¡¯t sense,¡± Jason said, ¡°they aren¡¯t in the fortress. Dead or alive, I would notice a bunch of essence users clustered together unless they''re behind something that blocks aura senses.¡±


    ¡°But that isn¡¯t the worst part,¡± Neil added. ¡°We checked the two essence-users we did find closely to see if we could find any clues as to what happened. At first glance, they looked like they''d been taken out by monsters, but the obvious wounds had been made after death. We think someone mauled their corpses to hide whatever really killed them.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°We were thinking necromancer,¡± Paola said. ¡°Someone may have come in after the monsters came through, killed any survivors and taken away the essence-user bodies. Those are the most valuable to necromancers.¡±


    ¡°Then why leave any behind?¡± Rosalie asked. ¡°Why not take them as well instead of spending the time to mask how they were killed?¡±


    ¡°We have no idea,¡± Paola said. ¡°We¡¯re just guessing.¡±


    ¡°Hopefully our survivor can give us some answers once he wakes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Will he remain stable if we linger here a while?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s fine,¡± Neil said. ¡°He just needs a lot of rest.¡±


    ¡°Then we go through the whole fortress,¡± Rufus directed, the other team leaders nodding their agreement. ¡°It won''t be pleasant but we''ll see if there is some kind of sealed area that Jason can''t sense. In the best case, there are survivors holed up inside it that don¡¯t realise we¡¯re here after sealing themselves off.¡±


    ¡°Paola, Neil,¡± Rosalie said. ¡°Check every single corpse to see if there are any more essence users and if we can learn anything more. If something strange is going on here, any information we take back to Rimaros will be valuable, even if we don¡¯t know what it means yet.¡±


    Paola and Neil nodded as Jason turned to where he sensed Farrah, Belinda and Clive finally approaching.


    ¡°We have something to add to the pile of disturbing things I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve all found,¡± Farrah said as they rejoined the group. ¡°We¡¯ve looked over the defence infrastructure and made an extremely unpleasant discovery.¡±


    The trio had checked the defences because the discovery of the fortress town having been sacked by monsters was unexpected. The information they¡¯d been given in Rimaros was that the town should have had sufficient supplies and resources to hold out for weeks, even in the face of increasing monster activity.


    ¡°Someone went to considerable effort to make it look like the defences were exhausted from overuse,¡± Clive explained. ¡°That isn¡¯t what happened, though. Someone with access to the control nodes drained the power from the defences and falsified signs of excess strain.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re certain?¡± Rosalie asked.


    ¡°We started by having Farrah map out how the defences should be operating,¡± Clive said. ¡°We wanted to find out what went wrong. At first, it looked like the protective magic had been burned out through overuse, but Belinda picked up on the signs that not everything was as it seemed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve run enough magic scams to know when someone has been fiddling about,¡± Belinda said, drawing looks from Rosalie¡¯s team.


    ¡°Once Belinda pointed us in the right direction,¡± Farrah said, ¡°Clive was able to dig out exactly what was done.¡±


    ¡°I took measurements using some tools I have and recorded everything,¡± Clive added. ¡°I can definitively demonstrate that someone sabotaged this fortress town from the inside.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suggesting a traitor?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s worse than that,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°What was done to the defences was neither a quick nor subtle process,¡± Clive explained. ¡°It would take a significant portion of the town¡¯s defenders to be in on it to hide this level of activity over the duration what we found would require. Even then, it would be a huge risk. The more likely scenario is that most of the town¡¯s leadership and their staff were involved or at least complicit.¡±


    No one spoke as the ramifications of what Clive was describing sank in. They all looked around the already horrifying remains of the town that was all the more sinister for what they had learned. There was no sound; neither the dead town nor the desert around it revealing anything but emptiness and death.


    ¡°Not a necromancer,¡± Jason said, breaking the heavy silence. ¡°The essence users betrayed the town and left it to the monsters. The ones Neil and Paola found left behind were probably the ones who didn¡¯t go along with it and fought the traitors. Their wounds were masked to hide the fact that they were killed by other essence users.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s start searching all over again,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°This time not just for survivors.¡±


    ¡°Be thorough,¡± Rosalie added. ¡°This might represent some new threat. Any piece of information we uncover might be the one that saves lives.¡±


    ***


    The teams returned from their expedition and handed their report to the jobs hall. The team leaders, Humphrey, Rufus and Rosalie, had requested an immediate debrief which was swiftly approved when they revealed the circumstances. While they were informing the Adventure Society as to what they found, the rest of Humphrey and Rufus¡¯ team portalled back to the cloud house.


    Arabelle took the time to speak with the group, both as a whole and individually. She hadn¡¯t been going out monster hunting as the church of the Healer and Adventure Society had her helping adventurers not lose their minds in the wake of recent events.


    Most of Jason¡¯s companions had seen massive casualties amongst adventurers before. Many of them had been through the disastrous expedition where Farrah was counted amongst the dead, so the deaths during the Builder battle were still shocking, but something they could handle.


    The massacre of civilians in the fortress town was something else. These were the very people whose protection was the core tenet of being an adventurer. Farrah and Jason had seen the massive death toll at Makassar on Earth and had already been working with Arabelle to process that lingering trauma, but it was new for most of the others. In the moment, in the fortress, they had been able to push it aside, but it struck them once they had downtime to spend in safety.


    Clive was one of the hardest hit. He hadn¡¯t been part of the expedition where Farrah died or seen the population of a whole town fall to undead like Gary, Farrah and Rufus. The worst he had seen was the loss of his mentor during the previous monster surge and that had pushed him off the adventuring path for years until Jason pulled him back onto it.


    Coming from a long talk with Arabelle, Clive entered Jason¡¯s spirit realm to look for him. Jason left an archway up permanently in the cloud house for his team and Jason himself to come and go as they liked. Unlike earlier iterations of the spirit vault, the archway that led into it emerged not at the centre of the realm but the outskirts, set into the dark walls by the bridge gate. The high walls were darker than obsidian, almost seeming to devour light.


    Overhead, the sun shone from a clear tropical sky, a reflection of the day outside the spirit realm. Through the pair of massive gates forged of dark metal, Clive could see a bridge of shifting rainbow colours extended into the distance. It moved beyond the light coming from the sky and extended into a dark void, reaching further than even Clive¡¯s silver-rank eyes could make out.


    Clive turned his attention to the realm inside the walls, which was set out like a garden palace or expansive parkland neighbourhood. Cloud building throughout looked friendly and inviting, linked by garden paths and covered walkways with open sides. Some pathways were made of clouds and others wood, while some were cool stone. There were even walkways that were ponds with stepping stones set into them.


    Looming at the centre of the realm was a tower of dark smoky crystal. Within the crystal speckles of gold, silver and blue light shifted about, visible even from the outskirts like blood flowing under translucent skin. Atop the ominous tower was a massive cloud nebula in the shape of an eye; a larger version of the one possessed by Jason''s avatar of doom familiar, Gordon. It was also a reflection of Jason''s own eyes.


    Turning his gaze from the sinister sight, Clive set out along one of the garden pathways. The gardens had different sections that he realised were derived from Jason''s four essences. They were not split into simple quadrants but intermingled, running into one another across the span of the realm. Areas inspired by the blood essence were narrow, long and marked with vibrant red flowers, winding through the estate like veins in a body. There were arching trellis tunnels covered in the flowers, letting in just enough light that, walking under them, Clive felt like blood passing through an artery.


    Moving into a cave entrance set into the ground, Clive descended into a natural stone tunnel on a wooden staircase wet from cave damp. Coarse sand had been adhered to the wood, providing plenty of grip. The dark essence was represented by a network of natural tunnels and caverns below the ground, offering alternate pathways around the spirit realm. The subterranean network was accessible through many cave entrances around the gardens, as well as stairways within the various buildings. The tunnels themselves were dotted with luminescent fungus that dimly lit the tunnels like stars in the night sky. Underfoot, more of the grippy wood was set in pathways over the natural stone floor to provide reliable footing.


    The caverns were larger and brighter than the tunnels, the walls coated in luminescent fungus glowing with radiant, rainbow colours. The air was thick with polychromatic, glowing butterflies that would land on anyone who entered. The tunnels were like passing through the starry expanse of space, while the chambers were glorious nebulas, giving the underground areas a sense of space exploration. That was how Jason felt when he used the tunnels but Clive hadn¡¯t seen any Star Trek.


    Clive roamed through the estate, more exploring than trying to find Jason in any hurry. Jason¡¯s presence was everywhere, giving an odd sense of him always watching, his presence looming like the tower at the heart of the realm. Although he had no reason to, Clive had the sense that if he wanted to find Jason quickly, he would do so almost immediately, as if the realm knew and understood his intentions.


    Heading out of the subterranean tunnels, Clive found himself in one of the sections based on Jason''s sin essence. It was a carefully manicured garden of black and white flowers with regimented pathways that navigated around with an oddly inefficient design. The layout seemed to be tempting the walker to step between paths that ran close to one another, which could easily be done by stepping over low flowers without causing any harm. The moment the mind drifted in that direction, however, an intense sense of danger welled up for no discernable reason.


    The final kind of garden making up the vast estate was a complete contrast to the rigid landscaping of the sin essence garden. These areas were wild and untamed, with tight, meandering paths under a heavy jungle canopy. A sense of dread permeated and Clive was constantly seeing movement in the periphery of his vision; shadowy shapes amongst the dense trees and undergrowth. Whenever he tried to look at them directly they were gone. More than once he half-convinced himself he imagined it only for the movement to once more tease at his eyeline.


    Of all the areas of the garden, the wild areas based on Jason''s doom essence were the most ominous. While Clive felt completely safe, it was the safety of a man just found not guilty in court who had yet to be released from the shackles and jumpsuit.


    Clive was taking the chance to properly roam about Jason spirit realm, which he had not yet done. Part of that was that it was an intimidating place. Jason had been evasive about the nature of it, simply claiming it was a power he had picked up somewhere. Amongst the team, however, Clive was the only one who had yet realised its true nature. He was roaming around inside Jason¡¯s soul.

 Chapter 529: Information Exchange

    Clive had already been aware that in Jason''s time away his soul had undergone some extreme changes. While he had no knowledge of what a spirit domain was, he understood that something had saturated Jason¡¯s cloud house with his presence in a way that Emir¡¯s cloud house did not replicate. Jason¡¯s spirit realm escalated that feeling drastically. Where the spirit domain was Jason imprinting himself on reality, the spirit realm was a reality forged from Jason himself.


    The rest of the team had various responses to Jason¡¯s spirit realm, but none had spent a lot of time in it. Mostly they seemed to look at it as a personal power that operated like a cloud house. Even so, they all got a sense that spending time in the spirit realm impacted their feelings in ways that Emir¡¯s cloud house did not.


    Other than Clive, Humphrey was the member of the group who had the best sense that Jason¡¯s new ability was more than just a storage space that could hold people. Humphrey had encountered abilities of that nature and knew that Jason¡¯s spirit realm was something very different. He had felt it the moment he stepped into the spirit realm and felt Jason''s presence pervading everything, even while Jason was outside it.


    Humphrey and Clive had discussed it a little but where Clive was driven by curiosity, Humphrey¡¯s reaction was concern. Jason was clearly not ready to tell them everything about what was going on with him and Humphrey strongly suggested Clive eschew his normal approach of peppering Jason with questions every time he told Clive about his latest absurd power.


    Humphrey suggested that Clive explore the spirit realm when he had the time. He pointed out that Jason opening it up to the team was an invitation and that Clive experiencing it for himself might be the best way forward.


    Clive strongly suspected that there were caveats to being in Jason¡¯s spirit realm that he hadn¡¯t told the team about. Having deduced exactly what it was, he realised that opening it to anyone was an incredible display of trust. He doubted that anyone could harm Jason here but it exposed everything that he was, unadulterated and unhidden. The fun and inviting parts. The imperious and threatening. The garden estate was beautiful and welcoming but with dark corners and the promise of terrible things in the face of transgression.


    Clive found himself uncertain as to the exact size of the place, suspecting it to be in a perpetual state of change. He had taken a meandering path that wound back and forth, the looming tower always seeming far off in the distance. Yet the moment he was ready to meet Jason he found himself stepping into an open pavilion at the tower''s base, not entirely sure how he got there.


    Jason was standing in front of a wide well that was closer to the size of a public fountain. Instead of water, the well contained a starry void in which many items could be seen floating around. Jason¡¯s spirit vault had undergone many changes in its progress to becoming a spirit realm, one of which was how it contained his inventory items.


    In the spirit realm¡¯s current iteration, the items were all held in stasis within the well in front of Jason and Clive found him doing inventory management. Items were flying out of the well and floating around Jason from where he either directed them into a pile next to him or sent them back into the well. The pile was seemed to be mostly leftovers from consumable items like empty potion vials and throwing darts whose one-use magical effects had been expended.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it be easier to remove the garbage outside of your spirit realm, where you can dispose of it?¡± Clive asked as he approached Jason.


    ¡°You have to remember that this place is a garden,¡± Jason said, ¡°and in a garden, you compost waste.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what that means,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°As it turns out, I can take the lingering power from magically strengthened vials, potion dregs and the like and feed them to my gardens. Anything with small amounts of lingering magic is perfect because the gardens can¡¯t absorb a lot at once. Feeding them this stuff won¡¯t do much, but give it a decade or three and the results will stack up.¡±


    ¡°What does that accomplish?¡± Clive asked. ¡°If you¡¯re feeding your soul magic to make it stronger, that¡¯s incredible.¡±


    ¡°Nothing that helpful, I¡¯m afraid,¡± Jason said. ¡°It just helps with my soul¡¯s defences. The soul is inviolable, as you know, but attacks against it are¡­ I¡¯m not sure you can comprehend how unpleasant they are until you experience them for yourself, which I hope you never do. Feeding my garden makes me a little better at enduring them. Or it will, eventually, once I¡¯ve fed it enough. I have no idea what else this place can do and I¡¯m learning as I go. Maybe you can help me figure things out.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like that,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯d like that a lot.¡±


    Jason gave him a sympathetic smile.


    ¡°How are you doing after what we saw out there?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­¡± Clive began before trailing off, uncertain of himself. ¡°Farrah said that you¡¯ve seen worse.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a contest,¡± Jason said. ¡°Death is death, horror is horror. We¡¯ve all seen the people we couldn¡¯t save and counting the dead  doesn¡¯t make one person¡¯s experiences more important than another¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°I feel better for walking around in this place,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s calming. Intimate. Is it weird to say that?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said with a laugh. ¡°This is about as intimate as it gets. You¡¯ve figured this place out I assume, you being you.¡±


    ¡°The basic idea, I think. Thank you for letting me see it.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know how glad I am that you could,¡± Jason said. ¡°But I think it¡¯s time I showed you something else. A distraction so that instead of living in your head for a while you can wrap it around a problem.¡±


    ¡°Your mysterious project in the basement of the cloud house?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. I was waiting until we had more time but I don¡¯t think that¡¯s happening any time soon. We¡¯ll have to snatch our moments when we can.¡±


    Jason waved a hand an archway rose from the floor, granting them an exit from the spirit realm.


    ***


    The three main islands of Rimaros were Livaros, Arnote and Provo. Livaros was the centre of wealth, power and adventuring, with the vast majority of sky islands being in proximity to it. This had come with a price when the Builder¡¯s city attacked Livaros, with many of the sky islands suffering damage in spite of their formidable defences.


    Arnote was the least developed, with sleepy little towns and a laid-back lifestyle. Despite the small-town sensibilities, however, it was also a bastion of the wealthy, being home to adventurers and merchant barons who preferred to enjoy life at a more relaxed pace. While individuals like Argy might appear as colourful locals, his name was derived from a massive agricultural industry of which he was a leading figure.


    The last island was Provo, the one Jason had yet to visit. This held the vast majority of the Rimaros population as well as being the largest trade hub. Livaros dealt with the kind of extreme cost speciality goods that adventurers desired, but most of the airship trade between the continents to the north as and south of the Sea of Storms passed through Provo.


    For this reason, Provo was a bustling place full of strangers, even during a monster surge. Home to one of the largest sky ports on the planet, the Builder attacks had left it largely unaffected, only interrupting the operations for a couple of days. Regular trade had been largely suspended already, outside of necessary supplies, but the Adventure Society had commandeered the trade fleets to move critical resources. Land travel via the road Network connecting the continents was dangerous without a powerful escort and sea travel was worse. Airship travel wasn¡¯t exactly safe but so long as the airships regulated their speed they could make a journey with only one or two monster attacks. Sky transport required fewer adventurers to escort it compared to other means short of portals, which were largely occupied with forming rapid responses to monster manifestations.


    The result of this ongoing activity was that Provo was still full of travellers. This was useful to those with less than wholesome agendas who sought to access Rimaros without drawing attention. One such person was the Purity priest, Laront. He disliked being dressed in the typical garb of a moderately successful trader but his preferred white would get people immediately assuming he was a priest of Purity.


    The Purity forces in the sea of Storms all belonged to the Order of Redeeming Light. The extremist faction¡¯s core principle was to purify the unclean and turn it into weapons against that which resisted purgation. Their methods were highly effective for long-term planning and isolated emplacement as they could grow their forces by turning tainted enemies into purified allies. There were flaws to the methodology, however. In many cases, there were distinctive, telltale signs left on the purified that could single them out to those with sufficiently powerful senses.


    The result of this flaw meant that with the Purity church under threat of divine sanction, sending the redeemed into populated areas was a risk. As such, Laront, as an ordinary priest who never passed through the flames of purgation, was the only upper-echelon member of the local forces that could safely visit the city. They had a series of low-level infiltrators and informants, many of whom didn¡¯t even realise their true allegiance, but sensitive issues required personal involvement.


    Many of the caf¨¦s around the massive Provo sky port had individual dining rooms for traders to hold private meetings over meals. In one such room, Laront was meeting with a minor Adventure Society functionary assigned to the administrative centre in Provo. He was an iron-ranker named Derian and Laront detested both the man and his perpetual sneer. They sat across from one another at a small table, the food between them going untouched.


    ¡°You have the information I asked for?¡± Laront asked.


    ¡°They banished me to this place to spend my days sending second-rate adventurers on third-rank assignments, so I don¡¯t have access to the Rimaros records anymore.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean no?¡±


    ¡°I have it, but the price has gone up.¡±


    ¡°We had a deal.¡±


    ¡°One made before the flying cities started appearing in the sky. With everything going on now, I had to trade some serious favours to get this.¡±


    Laront was confident that Derian wasn¡¯t lying about needing to trade favours to get the information. He suspected it was less about access, though, and more about people not wanting to deal with Derian. The functionary was the kind of man who constantly wondered why all the people around him were idiots who somehow failed to recognise his superior talent. He couldn¡¯t understand why his career stalled when it was obvious how much better things would work if he were in charge.


    ¡°This is an information exchange and I brought all the information you wanted,¡± Laront said. ¡°If you want more information than all of it I¡¯m going to have to start making things up.¡±


    ¡°I want off this island,¡± Derian said. ¡°Who knows when the next Builder attack will come? But they won¡¯t let Adventure Society staff quit during a monster surge, just because we signed some crap agreement before it started, and now I can¡¯t leave the island without getting flagged. How was I meant to know the city would get attacked when I signed that?¡±


    Laront pressed his lips tightly together as if trying to prevent his instinctive response from escaping his lips.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have the means to get you off this island,¡± Laront said, his tone carefully measured.


    ¡°How do you get on and off the island?¡±


    ¡°The normal way,¡± Laront lied. ¡°I didn¡¯t sign an agreement that I wouldn¡¯t. I can¡¯t forge documentation or know who needs to be paid to look the other way. You are the one with the contacts, here. What I can do is give you all the money you¡¯ll need to bribe your way off the island and arrive wherever you choose to go a rich man. How does that sound?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll just give me a pile of money?¡±


    ¡°Money is easy,¡± Laront said. ¡°I have more than I can spend. Information is my coin of the realm, which makes you a very valuable man. If the Adventure Society isn¡¯t willing to pay you what you are worth, I¡¯ll do it and thank them for the opportunity.¡±


    Laront untied a dimensional pouch from his belt and placed it on the table.


    ¡°You could buy an airship with the contents of this bag,¡± Laront told him.


    Derian opened the bag and took out several small, flat wooden cases with sliding lids. Checking them, he each one filled with neatly stacked spirit coins. He eyed them hungrily before putting them back in the bag.


    ¡°The information, too,¡± he demanded from Laront. Laront reached into another pouch and took out three recording crystals.


    ¡°This has everything, but do you still need to blackmail your way back into your old job if you¡¯re leaving?¡±


    ¡°No. Now I get to do it for fun.¡±


    ¡°Now, the information, I asked for.¡±


    Derian nodded, picked up a satchel that had been leaning against the leg of his chair, He took out a folder and handed it across the table.


    ¡°You¡¯re lucky,¡± Derian told him. ¡°That team you''re interested in has contracts already scheduled for almost two weeks in advance. A couple of sweep-and-clears but mostly investigating the ruins of the fallen Builder cities.¡±


    Laront opened the file, glancing over a few pages before putting the file away in another dimensional bag. Derian was already getting to his feet, which Laront didn''t mind. Killing the man in their current location was too traceable.


    Derian paused at the door before he left.


    ¡°You¡¯re paying for the food right?¡±

 Chapter 530: Tampering With That Kind of Power

    Jason and Clive made their way down the stairs in the cloud house and into the waterfall room. The natural stone of the cave it occupied was hidden behind walls, floor and ceiling of cloud stuff which radiated soft, ambient light. Sparkling sunlight streamed in through the waterfall outside the cave entrance that was the only part of the underlying stone that remained visible. The room was empty of furniture, only the staircase in the middle spiralling up into the cloud house through a hole in the ceiling.


    The walls were covered in cloud-stuff drawing boards that Jason could write on using his finger like a stick of chalk or even by just thinking about it. Every wall was covered in dense notes and magical diagrams, floor to ceiling, except for the cave where the waterfall rushed past. Between the water feature, the ambient lighting and the walls covered in Jason¡¯s writing, it looked like a wizard serial killer had set up his lair in a corporate lobby.


    Clive immediately moved over to one of the walls and started skimming his eyes wildly over everything. Jason waited patiently, a smile on his face as Clive slowly made his way around the room.


    ¡°Who did this?¡± Clive asked, not taking his eyes from the walls.


    ¡°Me. I¡¯ve been working on my astral magic for a while.¡±


    ¡°Clearly. It¡¯s hard to imagine you got this far in just a few years.¡±


    ¡°I had the books from Knowledge and Dawn gave me a lot of instruction.¡±


    Clive turned from the walls to stare at Jason.


    ¡°You had the goddess of Knowledge give you a bunch of books containing astral magic that came from the Builder and were personally instructed in it by one of the most important servants of the World-Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°It sounds impressive when you say it like that but they all had their own agendas. None of them came to me out of the kindness of their hearts. They all needed a tool and I was the one sitting on the workbench.¡±


    Clive shook his head.


    ¡°You know that if it was me, I could have done incredible things.¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly why they would never make it you,¡± Jason told him. ¡°When you''re using someone you treat them like a mushroom: keep them in the dark and feed them crap. Dawn''s a friend but she''s still hiding things from me. As for her boss, it doesn''t give a wet pile of brown about me beyond the things it needs me to do. Someone like you could peek behind the curtain in a big way so they''re never going to give you the chance.¡±


    Clive nodded sadly.


    ¡°Hey, don¡¯t worry,¡± Jason said. ¡°I may be a tool, but so was Skynet. I''ll give you that chance.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a sky net?¡±


    ¡°It''s a tool that people came up with that gained sentience, went rogue and enslaved what little humanity it didn''t wipe out.¡±


    ¡°I''m assuming that''s a story and not something that happened.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, just a story. The real-life version is called capitalism and it''s way more insidious.¡±


    ¡°Isn''t that a horrifically bad thing?¡±


    ¡°Capitalism? Yeah, it''s a shocker. I do like being rich, though, which is how it gets away with it. Way more effective than naked Austrian cyborgs.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear, I don''t want an explanation about any of what you just said.¡±


    ¡°The point is that it''s a metaphor. Just because they don''t want you to see the secrets of the universe doesn''t mean that you won''t. You may not know this about me but I''m not big on doing what I''m told.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m definitely finding that out for the first time now,¡± Clive said drily, turning back to examine the walls again.


    ¡°You know, some of this is brilliant. A lot of it needs significant work, but even so. There are some strange flaws, though.¡±


    ¡°Flaws?¡±


    ¡°Like here,¡± Clive said, pointing to a diagram. ¡°Look at the values for this dimensional resonance architecture.¡±


    ¡°Those values are correct,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°According to whom? Where did you derive them, because it¡¯s like they¡¯re just shoved in there.¡±


    ¡°They come from me and I did just shove them in there. The values are correct.¡±


    ¡°Where did they come from?¡±


    ¡°I just know them. I promise you they¡¯re right.¡±


    Clive turned around to face Jason again.


    ¡°You just know them?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yep.¡±


    ¡°How could you possibly just know that? The only way that could happen would be if, during your time away, you somehow gained an intrinsic insight into the underpinnings of physical reality and how it interacts with astral forces on a cosmic scale at a profoundly fundamental level. Which would be absurd, even for you.¡±


    Jason awkwardly shrugged as he scratched his neck and gave Clive an embarrassed smile.


    ¡°ARE YOU KIDDING ME?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said, holding his hands up. ¡°So, I found this magic door¡­¡±


    ***


    Clive was pacing back and forth in the waterfall room like he was trying to dig a trench by wearing down the floor.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you can just feel astral forces?¡± he asked Jason. ¡°We''re talking about the stuff of which the cosmos is comprised, unadulterated magic itself, and the rules that govern it. You can just shove your fat head out the side of reality and sniff around like a dog poking its head out of a carriage?¡±


    ¡°Fat head?¡±


    Jason assessed his head size with his hands, his expression worried.


    Jason had given his team a rundown of events on Earth but had focused on the practical and emotional issues rather than the technical ones. With just Clive present that had changed, Jason going over everything from transformation zones to spirit realms to the magic door and magical bridge absorbed into his soul. With the constant questions, it had taken hours and it was getting on time for Jason to prepare dinner.


    ¡°So, I need to go start getting ready to feed everyone,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing I¡¯m fine to leave you here?¡±


    ¡°I have more questions. Significantly more questions.¡±


    ¡°Well, just finishing looking around in here while I¡¯m cooking and we can get back to it after dinner.¡±


    Jason made his way up the stairs as Clive resumed examining the walls. Jason went into the cloud house then stopped and went back to the top of the stairwell.


    ¡°And no magic theory at the dinner table,¡± he called out.


    ***


    On the balcony overlooking the cliff and the lagoon below, Jason and Farrah¡¯s teams were sat around a long table.


    ¡°I¡¯m happy with how this turned out,¡± Jason said. The people at the table nodded but didn¡¯t pause from eating to comment. Shakshuka was a spiced tomato sauce in which eggs were poached. Gary was already digging more out of one of the pots, his first serving having mysteriously vanished.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a traditional shakshuka,¡± Jason confessed. ¡°The spices are mostly different here and the eggs don¡¯t come from chickens. I think I¡¯m finally getting my head around the local spices, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, this is terrible,¡± Neil mumbled around a mouthful of food. ¡°Give me that pot and I¡¯ll take it away for you.¡±


    Rufus conjured a golden blade and sat it on the table.


    ¡°Or I could leave it there,¡± Neil said.


    After the food was done and the dishes cleared away, the table and chairs transformed into loungers as the group laid back to enjoy the evening. The exception was Clive who immediately left the moment dinner was done.


    ¡°How did the debrief go?¡± Gary asked Humphrey and Rufus.


    ¡°Frustratingly,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to be a part of the investigation into what happened.¡±


    ¡°Traitors are always a contentious problem,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They want to use people they trust rather than outsiders.¡±


    ¡°They should be using outsiders,¡± Sophie said. ¡°People can¡¯t betray you if you didn¡¯t trust them in the first place.¡±


    ¡°This has to be the church of Purity right?¡± Neil said. ¡°They¡¯ve been running around doing gods-know-what while the rest of us have been dealing with the Builder.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see how the purity church got almost all of the essence users in a town to turn,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Purity adherents are outcasts now.¡±


    ¡°Desperation,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You''ve never tasted the desperation of being hungry and powerless and there being nothing you can do about it, Humphrey. When you''re huddled behind walls that feel increasingly flimsy with every passing day, you don''t care about the issues of the powerful people beyond that they were meant to send you food that never arrived.¡±


    ¡°So they just turn around and betray their kingdom and their people?¡±


    ¡°The people in the gutter don¡¯t care about the people in the temples and the palaces,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Take it from someone who spent a lot of time in one.¡±


    ¡°If the people in the fortress towns had power or influence or wealth,¡± Belinda said, ¡°they wouldn¡¯t be in fortress towns. They don¡¯t care about the Builder or Purity or the king. The conflicts of guilds and priests and aristocrats mean nothing to them. They just know that they¡¯re hungry and probably going to die.¡±


    ¡°If someone shows up and offers them the help they need when they need it most,¡± Sophie said, ¡°they won¡¯t care where the help comes from. Great astral beings, dark gods. Those are the problems of people like us, not people like them. They want secure walls and full bellies and they don¡¯t care who gives it to them.¡±


    ¡°But we¡¯re not talking about the regular civilians,¡± Humphrey argued. ¡°They were slaughtered. It was the people who should have been protecting them that turned. They are concerned about aristocrats and guilds and temples.¡±


    ¡°I think you might be overestimating the social strata of these towns, Humphrey,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen quite a few of them at this point. Some do have mid-tier aristocrats trying to do the right thing but mostly these are rural nobility who maybe visit Rimaros twice a decade. Core users doing the best they can.¡±


    ¡°I agree with Humphrey,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I can buy that you might convince some, maybe even most essence users in a fortress town to throw in with the church of Purity if things get desperate enough. You pick the right town with the right people in it and sure, that¡¯s possible. But what we saw doesn¡¯t support that. We only found four essence users in the whole town, all iron-rank. That means that all the others turned. All of them. And not just reluctantly, either. Belinda, Farrah. The town defences took time to be undermined the way they were, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t be quick and there¡¯s no way you get away with it without someone noticing what you¡¯re up to. Everyone in that place with any knowledge of artifice at all had to be involved.¡±


    ¡°What we found wasn¡¯t the result of traitors against people who stayed loyal, which is what we would expect if many or even most of them turned to Purity,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Maybe there were signs covered up by the monster attacks but I have to imagine there would be more left behind than four dead iron-rankers, even if the traitors staged an ambush.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Gary said. ¡°When you told us about the Purity people that ambushed you, you mentioned that there was an elf, but their aura read as human, right?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was weird, but I was pretty distracted at the time. She''s locked up in the Builder response unit''s secure section of the Adventure Society now. Liara kept saying that she''d send me in to talk to them at some point but I think that was put on the low priority list with all the Builder stuff going on.¡±


    ¡°That priority is probably about to change,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The Builder threat in the Sea of Storms is largely neutralised so they¡¯re bringing Purity church activity into the Builder response unit¡¯s scope of operation, just for the Storm Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society thinks it¡¯s the Purity church too, then,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°They¡¯re right,¡± Gary said. ¡°That elf who''s a human on the inside; I''ve seen something like that before. The aura of a human but the body of something else.¡±


    ¡°That must have been before we teamed up,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°It was. Jason, do you remember the day we met, walking across the desert after escaping that sacrifice chamber.¡±


    ¡°You mean the day I was sucked into another universe, found out magic is real, almost got sacrificed by a cult, killed a bunch of people, found a cannibal kitchen and got magic powers? It rings a bell.¡±


    ¡°We were talking about the different races of the world because you didn¡¯t know them. I mentioned that humans can sometimes act superior.¡±


    ¡°I vaguely remember that. It was a busy day and I think my brain was bleeding at that point. I got hit in the head a lot.¡±


    ¡°When I was growing up, this extremist group of Purity people were operating not far from the village where I grew up. There¡¯s a big town nearby, the local trading hub on the river. The Order of the Redeeming Light, they called themselves. They had this thing about non-humans being impure. These were deep in it, you know? The kind that made Anisa look relaxed.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound likely,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°They wouldn¡¯t have even put up with her,¡± Gary said. ¡°Because she was an elf. Non-human. Unclean. But they had a thing they did. I don''t know the details, but it was some ritual. The fire of purification or something. They were taking volunteers and turning them human on the inside. Only elves and celestines, though. The ones that look pretty to humans. There were deaths around that time amongst the leonids that people said were these priests, but I don¡¯t know. In the end, more of what you¡¯d call regular Purity priests showed up and moved them out of town. Looking back, though, it seems a lot like they only showed up once that extreme order had gotten as much as they were getting.¡±


    ¡°And people volunteered for this?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Supposedly,¡± Gary said. ¡°They went weird, afterwards, though. Joined that order, left their families. It was bad, but I was just a kid so there was a lot that people wouldn''t tell me. I don''t think all those people signed up voluntarily, though. Why would they? Months later, adventurers came through to investigate the whole thing. I never found out what came of it.¡±


    ¡°Great,¡± Jason said. ¡°Magical pod people. Looking forward to this.¡±


    ¡°It might be time for you to push Liara about getting in to see those Purity adherents,¡± Farrah said to Jason.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll get your chance tomorrow,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Liara will be briefing us on our next contract.¡±


    ***


    ¡°What is it that you¡¯re attempting to accomplish with all this?¡± Clive asked as Jason came down the stairs into the waterfall room. ¡°I''ve figured out that you''re trying to boost or link something, maybe both.¡±


    ¡°I told you about the door and the bridge in my soul,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yeah. I''m not sure that messing about inside your soul is the best idea.¡±


    ¡°That ship sailed a long time ago, my friend. While Farrah and I were travelling between worlds, my soul was serving as our dimensional vessel. I could feel the astral around me; the dimensional forces washing over me as I passed through them. It¡¯s a big part of where my insights into astral magic come from and I¡¯m still working on merging what I know with theory I understand.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I figured from your explanation earlier,¡± Clive said excitedly, ¡°and I had an idea about that. These instincts of yours would be ideal for troubleshooting certain astral magic experiments¨C¡±


    ¡°Hold on there, Clive. Maybe let me finish explaining one thing before you go all Nazi rocket scientist on another.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a¡­ wait, why would I ask you that? Just go on with your explanation.¡±


    ¡°I''m happy to explain the reference.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m fine, thank you.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said, disappointed. ¡°Anyway, while I was passing through the astral, guided by this bridge inside me, I started thinking about what else it could be used for. The whole reason this door and bridge were made was to stabilise the two worlds, but isn¡¯t using them for just that and nothing else a waste?¡±


    ¡°Jason, we¡¯re talking about objects forged by great astral beings. As exciting as these opportunities are, do you want to go tampering with that kind of power?¡±


    ¡°Clive, these objects don¡¯t just belong to me. They¡¯re a part of me and not a part I''m willing to let go to waste. I know that I''ll be gold, maybe even diamond-rank before I can start fully leveraging them to my own ends but we don''t have to be that ambitious right now. Baby steps. What if we just used them to boost my portal power? Nothing over the top; just bumping up the range and number of people who can go through at a time. Not even that much. It might help us get out of a hairy situation but really it''s a test of what we can do with these things in the future. A careful first step.¡±


    Clive snorted derision.


    ¡°Careful my throbbing magic wand. Jason, bumping up the power of one of your essence abilities is a bad idea. If it''s operating at a higher level than your soul can handle, it''ll be like a poison or a disease, slowly eating away at you. It would be like the aftermath of eating a spirit coin except the effects would last longer and longer each time you used the power until eventually becoming permanent. I¡¯ve seen the results of experiments like that and it¡¯s ugly. There¡¯s a reason the people who conduct them get hunted down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need a medium to channel the extra power through,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That won¡¯t work. The door and the bridge are in your soul. It has to be the medium.¡±


    ¡°I thought of that.¡±


    Jason walked to the edge of the room and patted the wall.


    ¡°The cloud house is a spirit domain. I know I explained the concept but I¡¯m not sure I managed to get across the degree to which the cloud house is a part of me now. I¡¯m talking about adding a function to it that lets me create a portal room that will boost my portal power. Maybe even those of other people once we figure out how to make it work for me.¡±


    Clive rubbed his chin thoughtfully.


    ¡°You think that you have enough of a connection to your cloud flask to make it work?¡±


    ¡°Enough that I¡¯m willing to try.¡±


    ¡°You  do realise that even if we figure out how to add this as an upgrade to your cloud flask, the materials we have you feed it will be ridiculously rare and expensive, right?¡±


    ¡°Yep. I¡¯ve figured out the obvious ones, though, and I¡¯ve brought a lot of them already. Did I mention I''m super-rich?¡±


    ¡°How rich?¡±


    ¡°This one time, I killed and looted Dawn.¡±


    ¡°WHAT?¡±

 Chapter 531: You Dont’ Have it in You

    With his team needing to assemble for a contract mid-morning, Jason set out early to conduct his own affairs. He portalled to Livaros, arriving in one of the squares marked as legal teleport destinations. Another person followed him through before he closed the portal. She left immediately with no more than a nod to Jason, moving quickly. He set out at a more sedate pace making his way through the streets at a leisurely meander. His destination was Sensual Attire For the Sensual Gentleman, the tailor shop owned by Alejandro Albericci.


    Jason had ordered his new wardrobe some time ago but events had engulfed the whole city and Jason in particular. He was a long way from the only one affected by service delays and he didn¡¯t begrudge the wait. There were plenty of people in desperate need, making Jason¡¯s desire for tropics-appropriate casual wear a low priority.


    There was a wariness with which Jason made his way towards the tailor shop. He had already known for some time that Alejandro had closed the shop to provide support services to the city¡¯s relief logistics efforts. It had come as something of a surprise, then, to receive a message informing him that his new wardrobe was ready for collection.


    Wary of political machinations or worse, Jason had recruited someone to help feel the place out. While he could certainly have blanketed the area in his aura, he wasn¡¯t looking to make a spectacle. Instead, he called on someone whose senses were even stronger than his own but operated with more finesse than Jason himself.


    ***


    After arriving through Jason¡¯s portal, Estella Warnock had gone off without a word to scout the route to the tailor shop. She had made a career out of being a spy and urban scout in Livaros and knew the island extremely well. Not just the streets but the back alleys, rooftops and building interiors. Between her stealth and disguise powers, she had been inside all but the most secure buildings on the island, and even a few of those.


    Livaros was an island of adventurers and aristocrats; one of the centres of global civilisation. Wealth and power had seeped into the streets and buildings over the centuries, which only the ignorant considered a metaphor. Even the essences and awakening stones that manifested on the island trended towards higher-rarity.


    All the influence and power made Livaros an incredibly safe place, for a given value of safe. Violence was effectively absent but, in Livaros, war was not a matter of violence. In the upper echelons of society, along with those they used and those who used them, politics was the battlefield and information the weapon. To know the needs, desires and fears of a rival was to have a power over them as great as any essence ability.


    Estella had thrived in this environment for a number of reasons. Her power set was an obvious part of that, allowing her to vanish into shadows or hide in plain sight. More important was her ability to temper her ambition. She never took the big risk for the big score, sticking to what she knew and what she was certain about accomplishing. To play the information game in Livaros was dangerous and she never gambled, knowing that sooner or later, the dice would not go her way.


    This was what led to her falling out with Havi Estos. She had done work for the well-known middleman since shortly after reaching iron-rank. She was of little use at that stage but the potential of her four auras was obvious. Rather than wait for her power to come to fruition, Havi played the long game and invested in her early. Estella had known the reasoning behind his generosity but hadn¡¯t minded. He never hid his intentions or sought to exploit her, being upfront with his intentions and always dealing straight.


    Her time at bronze rank was the strongest point in their relationship. She had become much more useful to him as experience led to growth in power and expertise. She was often useful to spy on silver-rankers but Havi never pushed her limits, recognising that, as a bronze ranker, she still needed to be cautious. She avoided the more powerful silver-rankers, only spying on those closer to the start of the rank than the end.


    It was after she reached silver rank that things started to go sour. Havi wanted to push her into bolder and bolder moves, but while she had grown in power, Livaros was no simple place. While there was no shortage of hopeless aristocrats at silver rank, it was also home to people significantly more dangerous. Rimaros was the pinnacle of the adventuring world and no adventurer of note was ordinary. Even those that seemed normal had methods that set them apart, meaning that to spy on or investigate them was a fraught endeavour.


    More than once, Havi sent her to look into the kind of people that she had no business provoking. These were the kinds of people that could make someone like her disappear, even with her grandfather¡¯s influence. The gold-ranker had largely retired and had never been a man of exceptional power or influence.


    Much like his granddaughter in her profession, Warwick Warnock had always taken a safe and reliable path in his adventuring. It had meant that silver and gold rank had taken him longer than most adventurers, but many more died trying while he climbed the mountain one step at a time. His avoidance of politics meant that while he had the prestige of any gold-ranker, it was no more than that. With Havi pushing Estella towards ever-more-dangerous enemies, one relatively unheard-of gold ranker was not enough to ensure her safety if things went wrong.


    While she didn''t regret cutting ties with Havi, it left Estella at something of a loss. While he wasn''t the only person she worked for, he was the spider in the middle of the web that was the Livaros underworld. It was a very different kind of underbelly than most cities, requiring a very different approach. Havi wouldn¡¯t make things difficult for her, but being on the outs with him made other clients wary. The jobs she was offered swiftly declined both in number and remuneration.


    Unsure of what to do, she had finally approached her grandfather, not for help but advice and guidance. The death of her adventurer parents had prompted his retirement to raise her and he had never pushed her to follow in his footsteps, the way he had with his son. Events overcame them, however, as Warwick stepped up in the Storm Kingdom¡¯s hour of need. He went north for the grand battle and never returned.


    At a loss, she had moved back into her childhood home, the house on Arnote she inherited from her grandfather. She had no friends and few acquaintances, all of which were on Livaros and most of which were avoiding her because of their own need to deal with Havi Estos.


    She only really had two acquaintances now, one of which was the mayor of her new home. Pelli was some kind of peripheral royalty who had roped her into helping protect the island, mostly through her grandfather¡¯s influence. Estella didn¡¯t care about the royal family, being an adventurer or helping people. What she did care about was her grandfather, so when he asked, she agreed.


    The other acquaintance was her neighbour, the last person Havi had her investigate. They nodded to one another in passing and had spoken a few times. Asano hadn''t known her grandfather long but they had gotten along very well.


    When Asano engaged her in a professional capacity, she had no reason to refuse. It was the kind of simple job she had done countless times, watching out for some kind of setup to try and push a political agenda, gather information or gather dirt. It had been a little while so she took her time, being careful and thorough before reporting the all-clear to Asano.


    ***


    Estella had found Jason and let him know that everything was as it appeared to be, so far as she could determine.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he told her. ¡°Would you like me to portal you home?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll stick with you,¡± she said. ¡°Sometimes a capable schemer will be cautious and wait until someone like me is done before making a move.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate your work ethic,¡± Jason told her.


    They arrived at the front door of Sensual Attire For the Sensual Gentleman where the door was immediately opened by Alejandro Albericci who graciously ushered them inside. The celestine tailor had his sea-green hair tied up in a top knot and his suit was quite dark. This stood out to Jason as he had learned that the tailor very much preferred to operate in lighter tones.


    ¡°Thank you for coming, Mr Asano. And, if I¡¯m not mistaken, you are miss Estella Warnock?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Estella said.


    ¡°Then please allow me to convey my condolences on the passing of your grandfather. He was a man who knew how to find simple satisfaction in a world full of people ever hungry and never satisfied. I admired him a great deal.¡±


    ¡°You knew my grandfather?¡±


    ¡°He was a customer of mine, of my uncle before me and my great uncle before that. I would not go so far as to claim a friendship, but his was a welcome acquaintance to make. If I may ask, young Miss, what brings you to my door today.¡±


    ¡°After my last visit,¡± Jason said, ¡°I was wary of someone else trying to set up an oh-so-coincidental encounter. I have engaged Miss Warnock to forewarn me.¡±


    ¡°Her reputation in this field is exemplary, so I compliment you on your choice.¡±


    ¡°I was a little surprised to hear from you, Mr Albericci,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Please, Mr Asano, do call me Al.¡±


    ¡°Alright, Al. I didn¡¯t realise you were still operating.¡±


    ¡°I am not taking new clients,¡± Alejandro said. ¡°Livaros, for all the turmoil and the terrifying attack, went largely untouched by the recent trouble. Amongst the civilian population and infrastructure, anyway. The adventurers have been tragically devastated and again, Miss Warnock, my heartfelt commiseration for your loss. But given that, I have had at least some time and have been working on my existing commissions. They are being completed later than I would like but completed nonetheless.¡±


    Alejandro had an assistant brew Estella a cup of tea while he took Jason into the workroom for final fitting and adjustments he could make swiftly using his essence abilities.


    ¡°For your outfits, I decided to take inspiration from you,¡± Alejandro explained as he wheeled a mobile rack from a storage room. ¡°You asked for clothes well suited in both function and style to the Sea of Storms and that is where I started. Storm linen, cloud silk, tidal cotton. Flexible, comfortable, breathable and resistant to the elements, along with the usual enchantments. Plus, a selection of hats as requested.¡±


    Alejandro waved a hand in the direction of Jason''s face.


    ¡°Your eyes, as I''m sure you''re aware, are very striking. When designing your clothes, I had the choice between minimising their impact to avoid clashing or to emphasise them for effect. Naturally, I chose emphasis, since why make a coward''s choice for a man of courage and prestige.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that prestigious,¡± Jason assured him. ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve heard but I know some prestigious people; I¡¯m not one of them. If that¡¯s the reason you took the time to finish my commission, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be disappointed.¡±


    ¡°I meet a lot of powerful people in my profession, Mr Asano. You would be startled by how much I learn from what clothes they walk in here with and what clothes they want to walk out with. I know what a man who clings to the prestige of others looks like, as well as a man who wishes he had none. If I may be so bold, Mr Asano, you think you want to be like Miss Warnock¡¯s grandfather but you never will be. You don¡¯t have it in you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°It is, which is why I went ahead and used your remarkable ocular presence as the basis for the emphasis notes in your outfits. Nothing outrageous; your outfits are all in the colours, cuts and fabrics we discussed. I have provided, however, an extensive array of accessories, from cufflinks to handkerchiefs plus hatbands that will draw out the vibrant colours of your eyes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for flashy, Mr¡­ Al.¡±


    ¡°I am well aware, Mr Asano. As I take you through the outfits, what you will see is dignity and style but with just the right amount of pop. Naturally, should you wish to be less overt, there is a selection of more conservative options as well, although I personally hope they go in a drawer and never come out.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°I guess you should start taking me through what you¡¯ve done and we¡¯ll see.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m very confident, Mr Asano. And, of course, I have made sure the speciality outfits you requested are all here. Let¡¯s start with something simple, however¡­¡±

 Chapter 532: Good Luck Fighting Evil

    The other members of Jason''s team were conducting their own affairs prior to meeting up for their new contract. Neil went to church. Humphrey and Sophie followed Belinda to browse for items at the trade hall as Belinda''s powers had become increasingly item-dependent at silver rank. Livaros was often an expensive market but had no shortage of quality goods.


    Clive went with Farrah to look in on Travis, who had been holed up in the Magic Society ever since his development of the weapon that felled the Builder city. They were making sure that he wasn¡¯t being subjected to the same exploitation that Clive had been put through when he was bronze rank.


    The team met up at the Adventure Society campus, Jason arriving in one of his new outfits. This one was specifically designed for smart-casual adventuring, with a very pale blue suit, white shirt and a Panama-style hat. His shoes, pocket square and hatband all had flares of bolder blue with touches of orange, mirrored in his eyes.


    ¡°It¡¯s too much,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Says the man who dressed like his great aunt until Jason came along,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I like it,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I wish I could wear a cut like that. I don¡¯t have the body shape.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said, looking at Humphrey and his Middle-Eastern Superman appearance. ¡°You¡¯re really hard up.¡±


    They walked across the busy campus grounds until they came to the marshalling yard where they needed to assemble for the contract. There were many of these gathering spots and this one was mostly surrounded by lawn except for the building on one side. They were not the first group to arrive and they wouldn¡¯t be the last as they were one of six teams assigned to the expedition. The groups already present were shrouded by privacy screens, which was the norm. High-rankers had sensitive enough hearing that it was harder not to eavesdrop, so privacy screens were commonplace in Livaros. As with restraining auras, in a place where essence users gathered, like the Adventure Society campus, to not use them was considered rude. Only when silver-rankers were rare, as with the campus in Greenstone, were privacy screens largely unheard of.


    Jason¡¯s team likewise used their own screen, Humphrey having activated the high-quality device that he carried.


    ¡°It¡¯s strange that they¡¯re putting so many teams on this,¡± Humphrey said, looking around at the groups that arrived before them. ¡°With the Adventure Society shorthanded, it seems a strange time to assign this many people to explore the fallen Builder cities. Surely that can wait until after the monster surge.¡±


    ¡°My guess would be they¡¯re worried about something buried inside these cities,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s possible that some kind of threat survived the destruction and is waiting to pop out and wreak havoc.¡±


    ¡°What kind of threat?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Remember the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space?¡± Clive asked. ¡°How it turned out to have originally belonged to the Builder and been a city-shaped dimensional vessel designed for invasion? Sound like anything you¡¯ve seen recently?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying it was like the cities that attacked Rimaros?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Actually, it was larger,¡± Clive said. ¡°You remember how big that place was. If you think of all these cities appearing like a fleet of ships, I think what we saw was a flagship. It had a dozen of those world engineers; diamond-rank golems larger than most buildings. After what happened here, it gives a sense of what would have happened if we hadn¡¯t stopped it. The Builder would have started his invasion three years early.¡±


    ¡°But we did stop it,¡± Neil said. ¡°I mean, it was mostly you, Clive, but the rest of us were there and we need to tell people about that. Female people.¡±


    ¡°Neil,¡± Jason said, ¡°you¡¯re a silver-rank, elven adventurer who¡¯s about sixty percent abdominal muscle. If you¡¯re having trouble attracting women then your flirting techniques must be catastrophically bad. It¡¯s not that hard. Keep your mouth closed, your shirt open and give it about one minute.¡±


    ¡°My flirting technique is just fine, thank you very much.¡±


    The team all looked at him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    Jason turned his gaze to a closed door in the nearby building.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go talk to Liara,¡± he told the others and headed in that direction, the invisible privacy screen making a faint hum as he left its coverage. As he drew close to the building, Princess Liara emerged through the door. The other teams present noted her appearance but Jason was the only one to approach. Liara tapped a brooch on her chest and an invisible privacy screen shrouded them. Unlike most, this one had a visible distortion effect.


    ¡°You noticed me,¡± she said to Jason.


    ¡°You let me,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re not that sloppy.¡±


    A smile teased at her lips.


    ¡°I saw you talking about world engineers.¡±


    ¡°Eavesdropper. I thought Humphrey¡¯s privacy screen was pretty good.¡±


    ¡°I read your lips.¡±


    ¡°Through a wall?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little impressive, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Most people use invisible privacy screens so as to stand out less. They aren¡¯t as secure as people think, which your new friend Estella could tell all about.¡±


    ¡°Are you keeping tabs on me, Princess?¡±


    ¡°Only to a degree. I can¡¯t spare the kind of people who can follow you without you noticing. That quite aggravated Vesper, by the way.¡±


    They shared a sad smile.


    ¡°I see you finally got that wardrobe change she wanted,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Do you think she¡¯d like it?¡±


    ¡°I do. She liked men in hats.¡±


    Liara looked over at Jason¡¯s team. Like the groups in the marshalling yard, they were watching Liara and Jason talk within the shimmering screen.


    ¡°You were right about why resources are being allocated to exploring the Builder city,¡± Liara said. ¡°This expedition is going to the fallen city here while a branch further north is exploring the sunken city. The Sea of Storms has no shortage of adventurers specialised in underwater operations.¡±


    ¡°The advantage of an adventuring culture built around specialisation,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°Always having the right people for the job. What about the city Dawn eliminated?¡±


    ¡°She was too thorough to warrant an operation,¡± Liara said. ¡°We did have it checked out but it was fast. The whole area of desert is just glass now. The Magic Society is already putting up proposals for possible uses for the area.¡±


    ¡°No world engineers hiding away, then.¡±


    ¡°I was a little surprised to see your group mention world engineers.¡±


    ¡°Really? Hearing that from us shouldn¡¯t be a surprise to someone who took a rummage through my file. Did you just skim read? You were slacking off, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I was not slacking off,¡± she said with an insincere glare as Jason chucked.


    ¡°Did some giant golem show up somewhere?¡± he asked. ¡°Maybe pop out of a city that had supposedly been destroyed?¡±


    Liara nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what happened,¡± she confirmed. ¡°There was a Builder city, less powerful than the ones here because it was in a lower magic zone. The local adventurers took it down but days later, three of world engineers emerged from the ruins.¡±


    ¡°Can diamond-rank golems even operate in a zone with lower magic?¡±


    ¡°It turns out that world engineers get their name from their impact on the world around them. The three of them together operated like a giant mana accumulator, drawing in, refining and redispersing the ambient magic to raise the local magical density. It only works because of the heightened magical saturation from the monster surge.¡±


    ¡°Meaning that they¡¯re built specifically to operate when invading worlds,¡± Jason said. ¡°The Builder sucks so much. So, their purpose is to prime a lower-magic area for attack from the Builder¡¯s stronger forces?¡±


    ¡°It would seem so. We know that it has yet to deploy its full forces, as demonstrated by the city that appeared to attack Rimaros.¡±


    "It must be a limited reserve, though, or he''d drop half a dozen of the things to make sure."


    "Small mercies," Liara said. "We don''t think that the cities brought down here have world engineers because they seem specialised for lower magic zones but we want to make sure we don''t get any other surprises. We''ve confirmed that there are lingering Builder constructs in the ruin of the city, so there''s a reasonable chance of something truly dangerous still being in there. Your friend''s weapon was detonated in the depths of the city, though, so we''re hoping it dealt with any hidden dangers buried deep in the ruins."


    Even Jason¡¯s powerful senses couldn¡¯t read the emotions of gold-rank stealth specialist Liara, but her face revealed the anguish her aura did not.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about Vesper,¡± Jason said softly. ¡°She died as well as anyone could ask for. I liked her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure,¡± Liara said with a sad smile.


    ¡°No, really,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll take smart and sharp over nice and boring every day of the week.¡±


    "She liked you too."


    ¡°She hated me.¡±


    "That was somewhat the same thing with Vesper; she liked a fight. It was the unremarkable she couldn''t stand."


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty elitist.¡±


    ¡°You essentially just said the same thing,¡± Liara told him.


    ¡°Yeah, but I said it with charm.¡±


    She gave him a flat look.


    ¡°No?¡± he asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I thought I was being charming.¡±


    ¡°Most men do, in my experience.¡±


    Jason let out another chuckle as he looked around the marshalling yard.


    ¡°I should probably get back to my team. People are seeing us get chummy and I wouldn¡¯t want them thinking I¡¯m the teacher¡¯s pet. At some point, we should talk about getting me in a room with the Purity prisoners, though.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re important prisoners, Mr Asano, not a festival attraction. I told you from the beginning that I will only use you if I think we can get something useful out of it.¡±


    ¡°Princess, I saw the results of whatever Purity is up to.¡±


    ¡°That does not make it your responsibility to resolve. You don¡¯t have to be the one to solve every problem, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason blinked, slightly taken aback.


    ¡°I don¡¯t, do I?¡± he realised. ¡°That¡¯s actually nice to hear. Really nice to hear. Um, good luck fighting evil, then. I¡¯m going to go back to my team.¡±


    ¡°You do realise you¡¯re here because we¡¯re about to explore the ruins of a crashed flying city that is now an island full of ruins filled with constructs sent by an interdimensional invader against whom you specifically are best-suited to combat. An interdimensional invader that hates you personally and specifically.¡±


    "That''s quite a mouthful. At this point in my life, I save time and call that kind of thing a Tuesday."


    ¡°What¡¯s a Tuesday?¡±


    ***


    The island that was once a flying city sat close to the shores of Rimaros. It had already impacted shipping not just with its presence but its impact on water currents around the island. The surface of the city was relatively intact, despite having fallen from the sky after having a magical version of a nuclear weapon detonate deep within it. Relatively intact was not the same as fully intact, however, and there was no mistaking it for an ordinary ruined city.


    As the group flew over the water towards it, the first thing they saw was that the flying city had not fallen into the water flat. It was laying at about a twenty-degree angle, putting all the buildings on a lean. Some had collapsed from a combination of this treatment and battle damage yet most remained standing, even those that were quite tall.


    Each group had their own means to move across the water. Most moved individually on personal transport, like conjured clouds or construct creatures. Jason''s team weren''t using a Shade vehicle but were instead all inside Clive¡¯s rune tortoise familiar, Onslow, as it flew through the air. As of silver rank, Onslow was able to expand his shell to the size of a room. It had no sides, the top and bottom portions of the shell completely separated. The top half of the shell was suspended over the bottom, held in place by magical winds that shrouded the shells and prevented air from rushing into the interior as they flew about. It even kept the inside pleasantly cool under the tropical sun.


    As for Onslow himself, he oddly shrank as his shell expanded, taking on a more humanoid form until he looked like a child in the world''s best ninja turtle cosplay. His head was much the same, while his front feet were now three-fingered hands. His shell was no longer on his body and Clive had purchased some children''s clothes that he was now wearing. As Onslow''s shell flew across the water with Jason and the team in it, the familiar happily sat sharing a large salad bowl with Clive.


    ¡°This is awesome,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s like being in a bioship.¡±


    ¡°This is a more secure vessel than what I can produce,¡± Shade said. ¡°It has much greater structural integrity. Can Onslow access his elemental shell powers in this state?¡±


    Onslow made a chirping noise, his mouth stuffed full of lettuce.


    ¡°Is that what a tortoise normally sounds like?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Does it matter?¡± Sophie asked, scratching Onslow behind the head. ¡°He¡¯s a good boy, inst he?¡±


    Onslow happily chirped the affirmative.


    ¡°He can use his abilities,¡± Clive said. ¡°This is his only available form, though, and while the speed is adequate for short distances, it¡¯s not ideal for long-distance travel. He can keep up with airships that are slowing themselves down to avoid monster attention during a surge but that¡¯s his limit. Also, no furniture.¡±


    That aspect left the group either sitting on the warm, soft, leathery floor or standing, looking out at their destination. Fortunately, the floor was quite comfortable, although Jason was sitting in a cloud chair. As they drew closer to their destination the team all got up to watch the city grow larger in their vision as they approached.

 Chapter 533: Special Boy

    Jason¡¯s team arrived with the others on the shore of the island that had once been a flying city. The city was severely damaged, with cracked streets and buildings in various states of repair. Even more noticeable was the cant of the city, which had fallen on a lean of around twenty degrees. The result was a feeling of alienness, like staring at an optical illusion for too long.


    The expedition had two gold rankers. Liara Rimaros was in charge, with Jana Costi as her second. Jana was a member of Liara''s team from her pre-gold days and Jason had met her briefly. She looked very different now, which he knew was due to the absence of her brother. Ledev Costi had sacrificed himself in the bowels of the city in which they now stood. Jana''s aura revealed nothing, even to Jason, but her face was filled with barely restrained anger as she listened to Liara brief the expedition.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been over everything before, so I¡¯ll just quickly recap,¡± Liara announced. ¡°We know there are active construct creatures on the island and we believe there is a factory producing them somewhere in or below the city. Our primary goal is to discover and shut down this factory, along with any other threats we might find. We will be splitting up into individual teams but remain in contact through a communication power.¡±


    Liara gestured to Jason.


    ¡°Mr Asano will explain the functions of his ability shortly, but the key point is that you are to ask for assistance when encountering anything unexpected. Anything. I don¡¯t care how easy it seems to handle. I intend to walk away from this expedition with zero casualties. This damn place has taken too damn many of us already and I won¡¯t let it take any more.¡±


    Before setting out, Liara had already explained that a gold-rank team had already come to the island and cleared out all the construct creatures they found. As far as anyone monitoring the site could tell, whatever was producing more of the constructs was limited to silver-rank creations. The gold-rank constructs already eliminated should have been the last, but should was not a word to rely on.


    ¡°We are anticipating one or more clockwork kings to be present in the factory,¡± Liara said. ¡°They are not combat-oriented but no gold-rank enemy should be underestimated. Under no circumstances whatsoever is any team to enter any location they suspect to be the factory alone. The expedition will regroup and move together.¡±


    The teams split up and moved out while staying relatively close, with the gold rankers vanishing into stealth. Jason was able to keep track of their location via his map ability since they were connected to him through his party interface ability. As the teams were all silver rank, close wasn¡¯t all that close given the speeds at which they could move to reinforce one another.


    ¡°This is nostalgic,¡± Jason said as his team moved out. ¡°All of us back together, roaming through the ruins of a weird magic city.¡±


    ¡°How about you don¡¯t die this time,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Neil, you¡¯re such a sweetie,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I just don¡¯t want to go back to mediocre food.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ve embarrassed him now.¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Neil muttered, refusing to meet anyone¡¯s gaze as the rest of the team laughed.


    ¡°Alright, get your heads into a fight space,¡± Humphrey ordered. ¡°We¡¯ve been told the constructs have been congregating mostly in the central areas but keep an eye out for surprises. Jason, you¡¯re our stealth scout so you move out ahead. Sophie, you¡¯re our speed scout so you take the rear and flanks. Neil, you¡¯re our healer so try not to get stabbed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be fine, thank you,¡± Neil said as Sophie moved off in a blur and Jason vanished into the shadows.


    ¡°Belinda, keep an eye on Neil,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Make sure he doesn¡¯t get stabbed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to get stabbed!¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Neil,¡± Belinda told him. ¡°Third priority. Number two is keeping the snacks safe.¡±


    ¡°Very funny,¡± Neil said. ¡°Also, doesn¡¯t Jason have the snacks?¡±


    ¡°Scout is a dangerous position,¡± Belinda explained. ¡°I¡¯ve got the backup snacks.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not feeling deeply valued,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Belinda complained. ¡°I¡¯ll prioritise you over the backup snacks. What did you even put in that box anyway, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Cake sandwiches,¡± Jason answered through team chat.


    ¡°As team leader,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°I''m going to have to overrule you, Belinda. If it''s cake sandwiches, you absolutely must prioritise them over stopping Neil from getting stabbed. He has to take some responsibility for himself.¡±


    ¡°You all realise that a lot of teams are looking for a good healer, right?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Why don''t you ever talk about Clive getting stabbed?¡±


    ¡°Who would stab Clive?¡± Sophie asked through team chat. ¡°Everyone loves Clive.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Definitely.¡±


    ¡°Except his wife.¡±


    ¡°Dammit, Jason!¡±


    ***


    A construct creature shaped like a two-headed, four-armed ogre, was standing in front of Humphrey, twice the adventurer¡¯s height. It brought four clubs down towards his head but Humphrey didn¡¯t even raise his sword to block. Clive was already casting a spell before the monster started swinging its weapons.


    Ability: [Instant Karma] (Karma)


    Spell (spell, affliction, retribution, holy).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (69%).Effect (iron): The target suffers damage of an amount and type identical to all damage inflicted by the target in the last few moments. This is considered retributive damage. Reducing or negating the original damage does not reduce or negate the retributive damage.Effect (bronze): You gain an alternative variant of the base spell. The variant spell operates identically to the iron-rank effect except that it changes the damage type of the retributive damage. The new damage type is based on the original, such as heat becoming cold or disruptive-force becoming resonating-force. Transcendent damage cannot be affected by this version of the spell.Effect (silver): You gain a pair of additional spells. Each spell inflicts a different version of the short-lived holy affliction [Instant Karma]. An individual may only be subjected to one version of [Instant Karma] at a time but the instantaneous spells from the iron and bronze ranks of this ability can be used on individuals suffering the affliction.


    [Instant Karma] (affliction, retribution, holy): When the target of this ability deals damage they suffer equivalent retributive damage. The damage type of the retributive effect depends on the spell variant used to generate the affliction. Available damage variants: identical to original damage; alternate damage based on original damage type.


    When Clive first joined the team, his skills had not been up to the standards of Humphrey, Jason or Neil. Even Sophie quickly outpaced him, her long history of violence helping her adapt very well to the adventuring life. Clive¡¯s combat training had been long ago and all but unused for a decade after he gave up adventuring for research.


    The last time the team had spent time in a ruined city, honing their skills, it had been Clive and Belinda who had the furthest to go. Both preferred studying magic over methods of killing, although both brought their innovative minds to the more aggressive applications of their power sets.


    Clive and Belinda were best at tricky, preparation-based tactics, but that was not the extent of their repertoires. It had been years since Jason pushed Clive back into the adventuring life and he had not been idle with improving himself, becoming more proficient with what, for Clive, passed as simple abilities. While the powers themselves were complex, their use was all about using quick judgement and quick reflexes to seize the moment.


    Instant Karma was a power of Clive¡¯s that exemplified this. It had long been the power most difficult for him to raise as he was simply bad at using it. Back when Jason had still been with them, it was a power the team had to make a concerted effort to let him practise. In the time between Jason''s departure and return, Clive''s dedication to self-improvement and years of adventuring experience had made a stark difference. Now, Instant karma was one of Clive¡¯s most-used powers and he was always on the lookout for the chance to use it to best effect.


    Clive¡¯s power was not the only one set off in the fleeting moment of the construct swinging its weapons. Humphrey didn¡¯t block the attack because he trusted Neil to intervene and, as predicted, a bubble shield appeared around him as the clubs hammered down.


    Ability: [Burst Shield] (Shield)


    Special ability (recovery, retribution, magic, curse).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 20 seconds.Current rank: Silver 2 (61%).Effect (iron): Create a short-lived shield that negates an incoming attack and explodes out, knocking back nearby enemies and inflicting concussive damage. High-damage attacks of silver-rank or higher may not be entirely negated.Effect (bronze): Inflicts [Vibrant Echo] on anyone damaged by the blast.Effect (silver): Inflicts [Slow Learner] on anyone damaged by the blast.


    [Vibrant Echo] (affliction, damage-over-time, magic, stacking): Inflicts ongoing resonating-force damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Slow Learner] (affliction, curse): Increases all retributive damage suffered by the target.


    The shield exploded, blasting away the giant construct. The boost Neil¡¯s shield gave to any retribution damage made Clive effect all the more powerful, and that was not the only such power Clive¡¯s Karma essence possessed.


    Ability: [Mantle of Retribution] (Karmic)


    Spell (boon, retributive).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: 10 seconds.Current rank: Silver 1 (96%).Effect (iron): Inflicts retributive impact damage on anyone who attacks the target ally.Effect (bronze): Increasing the cost to moderate mana allows the mantle of retribution to be bestowed on all nearby allies.Effect (silver): For a brief period after being attacked, all damage inflicted by the mantle recipient against the entity or object that damaged them is increased.


    From the very beginning, Jason¡¯s afflictions had been Plan A of the team¡¯s strategy against enemies that had small numbers and high individual power. They had never been foolish enough to make it their only plan, however, and they had numerous strategies for such fights. This had proven very important after Jason was lost to them.


    One of the key strategies that the team used as their rank increased had started as a supplement to plan Let Jason Do The Damage. They would load up Humphrey and Sophie with protection and enhancement powers and let them switch off against the opponent. With their powers reaching silver rank, that had become a powerful strategy in its own right, which was valuable given that Jason was no longer with them. Using the synergistic retribution damage that Neil and Clive could place on the team and Sophie could place on herself, they made attacking the team''s frontline as unpleasant as being attacked by it.


    With the construct thrown backwards by the concussive blast of Neil¡¯s shield, Humphrey was leaping through the air after it before it had time to land. He brought down his massive sword with practised timing, the weapon smashing into the construct just as the construct smashed into the ground.


    Humphrey had tailored his equipment towards extending the time he could fight rather than brief, destructive bursts, like Farrah. Even so, the natural inclination of his power set was dealing a large amount of damage in a small amount of time. While his gear had limited support for this, his abilities did plenty of work on their own. Not only was he stacking multiple passive and active abilities into the attack but also using his doubly-evolved racial gift.


    Ability: [Hero¡¯s Sacrifice]


    Transfigured from evolved ability [Attack of the Mirage Dragon].Previous effects of racial ability [Attack of the Mirage Dragon] have been lost.Sacrifice your health to enhance the power of your special attacks.


    At bronze-rank, the power had been a significant step down from the ability it replaced. Humphrey¡¯s disappointment had disappeared on reaching silver rank. A bronze-ranker had more life force than a normal person but while the difference was large, it wasn¡¯t overwhelming. Making any noticeable sacrifice of that life force was both limited in scope and dangerous in application.


    A silver-ranker, by comparison, was a towering titan of life force; a bonfire compared to a match. Humphrey could pour life-force into his attack to generate a massive amount of damage. Best of all, the ability enhanced whatever damage type Humphrey happened to be using.


    Ability: [Shield Breaker] (Might)


    Special attack.Cost: Low mana, moderate stamina.Cooldown: 10 seconds.Current rank: Silver 2 (79%).Effect (iron): Inflicts additional resonating-force damage, highly effective against physical defences. Requires a heavy weapon.Effect (bronze): Damage to rigid material is significantly increased.Effect (silver): Inflicts [Vibrant Echo] on anyone damaged by the attack.


    [Vibrant Echo] (affliction, damage-over-time, magic, stacking): Inflicts ongoing resonating-force damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    It was an attack based entirely around resonating-force damage, making it purpose-built for breaking through armour. Builder constructs didn¡¯t just have armour; they essentially were armour, making the power all the more effective. Humphrey¡¯s attack went off like a shaped charge; an explosion efficiently directing its force exactly where it needed to go.


    Even having hitting it so hard it left an indent the shape of its body in the ground like a cartoon character, the construct wasn¡¯t finished. Despite all the stacked powers and effects, the idea of a single blow taking down a silver-rank anything was pure fantasy. but silver was truly the first step of leaving mortal frailty behind. Humphrey was well aware of this, not pausing for a moment as he stood over the construct he had half-buried in the shattered flagstones of the street. He brought his weapon up and down, up and down; methodical as a railroad linesman. The construct, despite being artificial and not flesh and blood, was so staggered by Humphrey¡¯s initial blow that it lay there and took it, not given a chance to pull itself out of the indent it had made in the street.


    Ability: [Relentless Assault] (Might)


    Special attack (magic, dispel).Cost: Low stamina, increasing with each successive attack.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (08%).Effect (iron): Each use of this attack in quick succession increases the damage of this attack. Damage is of the same type caused by a normal attack.Effect (bronze): After a threshold of successive attacks is reached, escalating resonating-force damage is dealt with each attack.Effect (silver): After a threshold of successive attacks is reached, escalating disruptive-force damage is dealt with each attack and one instance of a boon is dispelled from the target. Subsequent attacks dispel an escalating number of instances.


    Relentless Assault was an ability that had been of little use at lower ranks, with most enemies falling to Humphrey''s destructive power very quickly. At silver rank it showed its value, letting him topple giants like a woodsman felling trees. The cost of the ability escalated drastically if he used it for long enough but that was where Humphrey¡¯s choice to build his gear for endurance proved itself. He could continue to hack away while his items and the abilities of his team continually replenished him when the cost of maintaining the attack would otherwise be exhausting.


    As Humphrey hacked away, Sophie had tied up the other large construct and Jason''s afflictions were now eating away at it. Neil was drawing out a ritual circle in golden light, ready to heal Humphrey who had burned through a good amount of life force.


    Ability: [Grand Renewal] (Renewal)


    Spell (healing, ritual).Cost: Extreme mana.Cooldown: 1 hour.Current rank: Silver 2 (38%).Effect (iron): Conduct a powerful healing ritual that cleanses all non-wound afflictions. This ability takes the place of the ritual¡¯s material components.Effect (bronze): The ritual circle is magically drawn, allowing the ritual to be more quickly enacted and in less ideal conditions.Effect (silver): Multiple people can be healed in a single ritual, splitting the healing strength between them. The healing provided by this ability has a greater than normal effect at eliminating wound afflictions.


    Neil¡¯s strongest single-target healing power was a ritual-fuelled ability that was difficult to use in combat, but just the thing for restoring Humphrey¡¯s expended life force. Neil wasted no time, knowing that the team needed to be ready should something else turn up to attack them.


    ¡°We need more to show up,¡± Belinda complained. ¡°All I got to do this fight was stand here and make sure no one stabbed Neil.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Belinda agreed, scratching at her moustache.


    ***


    The team only took a short break in the wake of the fight. Humphrey, fresh from being healed up, flew to where Jason was standing atop a half-ruined tower, watching the approaches to their resting spot.


    ¡°You look troubled,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Surely a few constructs don¡¯t bother you.¡±


    ¡°That''s the problem,¡± Jason said. ¡°It feels like the Builder is iterating his construct designs to counter my ability to affect them. Back in Greenstone, I was able to lock down star seeds so that, even without my intervention, they''d stay locked long enough for the Magic Society to work up something to keep them suppressed.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not the same now?¡±


    ¡°No. The cultists I encountered not long before you and the team arrived were much harder to keep bundled up. It was like holding a smooth, greased-up stone; it could easily have slipped out of my grip. The constructs at that time were easy enough to make clumsy, but the ones here were more resistant.¡±


    ¡°You think the Builder is changing them to stop you?¡±


    ¡°I think he''s updating his minions each time he sees me affect them, yeah. It''s probably not hard. For the star seeds it would be like a firmware update.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. I mean that Builder can change them easily and remotely. My guess would be that it''s harder with the constructs since the cultists have star seeds with direct connections to the Builder. He probably can''t change the constructs that have been already built, but most likely we¡¯re dealing with newly-crafted ones here. I imagine he updates the designs through those clockwork kings.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear, then,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°You¡¯re up here brooding because you¡¯re worried you won¡¯t be the special boy who can single-handedly take on whole armies of Builder constructs?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Jason said. ¡°I could probably take on an army of them with just my regular powers if I''m being honest.¡±


    Humphrey gave Jason a flat look and opened the voice chat to the team.


    ¡°I¡¯ve made a decision as team leader,¡± he announced. ¡°We are now letting Jason get stabbed.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on,¡± Jason complained. ¡°That''s hardly¨C¡±


    Humphrey grabbed the front of Jason¡¯s combat robes and threw him off the tower.

 Chapter 534: Strictly Necessary

    ¡°There¡¯s something odd about this city,¡± Humphrey said, prompting the rest of the team give him a confused look. Even Sophie stuck her head over the roof she was standing on to look his way.


    ¡°Um, yes,¡± Clive said. ¡°I may have spotted the occasional eccentricity of civil construction myself.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear,¡± Neil said, ¡°you think there might be something odd about the city that is really a giant dimension-hopping ship that fell out of the sky, is tilted at an angle, smashed all to crap and host to an ever-growing army of automatons attempting to pluck whole chunks off the side of the world.¡±


    ¡°I think you might be onto something there, Hump,¡± Jason said.


    "You''re looking, but not seeing," Humphrey told them. "Listen to what Neil described. What you see is all the strangeness that Neil mentioned but that isn''t actually strange. That''s exactly what you''d expect from a crashed interdimensional invasion ship and that''s how you''re all looking at this place. But try looking at it as a city. A ruined, tilted city, but a city."


    Jason emerged from a nearby shadow, his expression curious as Humphrey piqued his interest.


    ¡°What are you seeing that the rest of us aren¡¯t?¡± Jason asked him.


    "It was something that occurred to me when we were fighting here during the battle," Humphrey said. "Back then it was too hectic to give any real thought to."


    "Compared to this trip which has been nice and relaxed," Neil pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been to a lot of cities across the world,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I was raised in Greenstone but my mother has been travelling with my sister and me since we were small. She wanted us to see other places and other cultures. Different cities have different feels to them, but there¡¯s always a sense of being a place where people live. It might be indulgent, hedonistic, practical, industrial, authoritarian, but there¡¯s always a sense of people and purpose to them. The city speaks to who they are, what they do and what they value. They feel lived in.¡±


    "I think I get what he''s talking about," Neil said, looking around. "This place doesn''t feel like the ruins of somewhere people used to live. It feels empty, no¡­ hollow. Like a shell."


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Belinda said. ¡°The true purpose of this place isn¡¯t the city. It¡¯s a fa?ade for the true operations that were underground.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s that simple. Who would the fa?ade be for? The Builder and his people only do anything for the Builder himself. This city is for him.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Clive asked. ¡°It¡¯s not like he can come here and live.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking in the wrong scale,¡± Jason said. ¡°To us, this place is vast, but to the Builder that size is nothing.¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± Sophie asked, lightly dropping from the roof.


    ¡°This place is a toy,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s not a city; it¡¯s a one-to-one scale model of a city.¡±


    ***


    Like everything else in the ruined Builder city, the towers were on a lean. Belinda, clad in sleek and supple leather, slid down the near-vertical wall, balanced on her feet and gathering speed. The surface of the tower was uneven brickwork but her magical boots smoothed her descent. Under the soles of her boots, magic shimmered like a heat haze, ignoring any ridges or bumps and giving her a clean slide. All she needed to worry about was balance.


    By the time she came within a few storeys of the ground, she had built up a good amount of speed. Combining that with her silver-rank strength, she launched herself from the wall in a massive leap, over the street below and toward a building across the way. Turning adroitly in the air, she landed on a wall that was at an oblique angle to her trajectory, allowing her to leverage her momentum and run horizontally along another near-vertical surface.


    Ability: [Instant Adept] (Adept)


    Special ability.Cost: Very high mana.Cooldown: 6 hours.Current rank: Silver 1 (74%).Effect (iron): Gain a significant increase to the [Speed] attribute and temporary proficiency with acrobatics, small blades and ranged weapons. Your maximum stamina increases and you gain an ongoing stamina recovery effect.Effect (bronze): Gain supernatural movement powers including wall-running and water-walking.Effect (silver): Gain additional special attacks and abilities based on equipped weapons, armour and utility tools.


    From the air above, a sound like a high pitch whistle was growing deeper as something rapidly descended from a great height.


    As Belinda ran along the second wall, nearing the corner, she slapped a hand on it, magically adhering the end of a rope that trailed from her sleeve. She leapt from that wall as well, using the rope to swing around the corner of the building. The street below was thick with Builder constructs similar to centaurs but with lower bodies like ants instead of heidels.


    The rope released from the wall and snaked back into Belinda¡¯s sleeve, tossing her out over the constructs. She tumbled gracefully through the air to perform a superhero landing, right in their midst, both hands landing flat on the flagstone street. She lifted her hands, under each one conjuring a rod, affixed to the ground. One rod was crystal and the other, iron.


    Ability: [Force Tether] (Trap)


    ConjurationCost: Low mana-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (19%).Effect (iron): Conjures a crystal rod, from which a tether of shimmering force connects to all nearby enemies within a moderate range. Tethered enemies are dragged towards the rod, which is protected by a force field that inflicts moderate resonating-force damage to anyone in contact with it. If the force field is ruptured, it explodes in a wave of resonating-force damage. If the rod is destroyed or removed from its location then it explodes in a wave of disruptive-force damage. Dimensional displacement, such as teleportation, severs the tether. Untethered enemies who enter within range of the rod become tethered. Only one force tether rod may exist at a time.Effect (bronze): Strength and pulling force of the tether is increased.Effect (silver): Inflicts [Inescapable]. Moving or being moved against the pull of the tether causes the tether to inflict resonating-force damage, escalating with distance from the rod.


    [Inescapable] (affliction, magic): Target cannot be affected by teleport or non-hostile dimension effects.


    The crystal rod shot tethers of barely visible force at all the surrounding enemies. The tethers immediately started dragging the clustered crowd of constructs, which strongly resisted the pull. At the same time, lightning arced from the iron rod in a continuous stream of electricity that jumped from one enemy to the next, connecting them in a chain.


    Ability: [Lightning Tether] (Trap)


    ConjurationCost: Low mana-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (21%).Effect (iron): Conjures an iron rod, from which a tether connects to the nearest enemy within a short-range. If no enemy is in range, it will attach to the first enemy that enters range. The tether deals a negligible amount of ongoing electricity damage that scales upward based on the length of the tether. If the rod is destroyed or removed from its location then a stroke of lightning strikes the nearest enemy before chaining from one enemy to the next until all enemies in the vicinity have been struck. The lightning triggered by the destruction of the rod deals heavy electrical damage and inflicts the [Stunned] condition. Dimensional displacement, such as teleportation, severs the tether, which attaches to the enemy closest to the rod, if in range. Only one lightning tether rod may exist at a time.Effect (bronze): Secondary tethers chain from the initial target to a second nearby enemy and from that enemy to a third. Damage to each target is based on the length of each tether to which they are connected.Effect (silver): The tether can chain to as many as seven enemies. If tethered enemies are close together, each short tether emits electrical projectile attacks at random non-tethered enemies.


    [Stunned] (affliction, lightning): Target is incapable of taking physical action for a brief moment.


    The lightning tethers were all short, being tied to the close-in constructs and immediately started firing electrical projectiles. They inflicted minimal damage on the constructs but appeared to affect their motor functions.


    It was at that moment that the sound of the descending object culminated in Sophie landing right next to Belinda in an identical pose.


    Ability: [Wind Wave] (Wind)


    Special Ability (movement).Cost: Moderate mana.Cooldown: 6 seconds.Current rank: Silver 2 (91%).Effect (iron): Effect (Iron): Produce a powerful blast of air that can push away enemies and physical projectiles. Can be used to launch into the air or move rapidly while already airborne.Effect (bronze): Can affect magical projectiles and some magical area effects.Effect (silver): For a high mana cost, create a wave of wind with extremely powerful pushing force that blasts out in a circle from the ability user. The wind wave can affect or not affect anyone or anything it passes over, as desired. The strength of the wave can be amplified by dropping from a high altitude, with the level of increase affected by the speed and distance of the drop. User suffers no damage from ground impacts using the ability in this way.


    The entire crowd of constructs was blasted away as if a bomb had gone off. Some slammed into the building Belinda had just jumped from while others were tossed into the empty canal on the other side of the street. Most were thrown up or down the roadway, being hurtled a huge distance.


    The damage effects of Belinda¡¯s tether rods took effect, the distance from the rods causing massive damage. The lightning rod¡¯s damage continued to be minimal in terms of harming the constructs, but the more the damage grew, the more their functions were impeded. As for the damage from the crystal rod tethers, the resonating-force damage was devastating to the rigid constructs.


    The constructs were now scattered over a wide area, blue and orange butterflies prettily landing on their fallen forms. The force tether¡¯s pull force kicked in and the constructs were swiftly dragged back to where Sophie and Belinda were just standing up. Wind kicked up around them, carrying them both into the air and out of the path of the converging constructs. Belinda looked down to where the drag force of the force tethers was literally piling the constructs on top of the small force field around it. She pointing her open palm at the ground, right where the tether rods were.


    A pit, not an actual hole but an open dimensional space filled with darkness, appeared under the rods. The rods fell into the dark, along with the pile of constructs. This triggered the detonation conditions for both rods, the lighting chaining through the pit full of enemies. Much more destructive was the explosion of resonating-force damage, contained within the space of the pit.


    Outside of the pit were more constructs the tethers hadn¡¯t dragged into range before Belinda conjured the pit. Dark tentacles emerged, grabbing at the constructs and pulling them in as well.


    Ability: [Pit of the Reaper] (Trap)


    Conjuration (dimension).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 2 minutes.Current rank: Silver 2 (14%).Effect (iron): Conjures a dimensional space pit on any horizontal surface. The surface does not need to be solid or supportive. Anyone inside the pit suffers ongoing necrotic damage. If this spell is cast again while a pit already exists, the existing pit vanishes, depositing anyone inside upon the surface on which the pit was conjured.Effect (bronze): The ability user and their allies may stand on the pit without falling in if desired.Effect (silver): Shadow tentacles drag enemies into the pit.


    The necrotic damage of the pit would generally not affect the constructs but Jason¡¯s afflictions, spread by Gordon¡¯s butterflies, changed that. The butterflies even followed the constructs into the dark, themselves unaffected by necrosis.


    Belinda and Sophie landed on a nearby rooftop where Humphrey, Neil and Clive were already watching from the high vantage. Jason rose from Humphrey¡¯s shadow like he was riding an elevator.


    ¡°Was all that jumping around strictly necessary?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Sorry, what¡¯s your mobility power again?¡± Belinda asked him. ¡°Oh right: asking people to carry you places.¡±


    ¡°My mobility power is Take Me Somewhere Or See How It Goes The Next Time Your Arm Needs To Be Healed Back On.¡±


    ¡°That was one time,¡± Belinda said.


    Neil gave her a flat look.


    ¡°The second time didn¡¯t count,¡± she said. ¡°Half of it was still attached. At least a third.¡±


    ***


    Liara opened a voice channel using Jason¡¯s party interface to speak to the entire expedition.


    "All teams need to regroup. I''ve been contacted by the scouts monitoring the island and several large, unknown forces have approached in underwater vessels and made landfall at points around the island. Pallav, send up your signal flare and all teams converge on that point."


    Jason and Sophie returned to their team to discuss the directive.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Builder forces looking to retake the island?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way they can take and hold an island this close to Rimaros,¡± Clive said. ¡°Trying would be insane.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an army of idiots who swap their arms out for logs or whatever to serve some interdimensional idiot in a feud with Jason,¡± Neil said. ¡°No one accused them of being sane.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s little point speculating without more information,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Let¡¯s get moving.¡±

 Chapter 535: Opportunists

    The Order of Redeeming Light had long travelled using underwater vehicles that were neither fast nor efficient but were very hard to detect. As such, they were able to avoid detection by the scouts watching the Builder island until they had almost arrived, their vessels surfacing shortly before beaching against the crumbling stonework shore. The vehicles looking like large, flat whales of green metal.


    One of the vehicles pushed up against a point where the canted angle of the city had raised ground level several metres into the air. A massive hole smashed in the exterior had produced a rough ramp of rubble, the bottom of which the vehicle arrived at.


    Only a few of the people from each boat were members of the order. Their purpose was to lead the rest, which the order was calling pure servitors. Once essence users from various fortress towns, they had been implanted with purified cores - voluntarily or otherwise ¨C and were now obedient servants of the order.


    The three order members vessel emerged one after another, leaving the servitors behind for the moment. Their silver-rank reflexes, balance and coordination meaning the rubble incline was no challenge to them.


    ¡°This entire operation is reckless,¡±  said Fila, who was in the middle of the three. ¡°There are gold rankers here. Stealth specialists, no less. They could be anywhere.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe shut up before they hear you complaining,¡± said Ramona, bringing up the rear.


    ¡°Both of you be quiet,¡± Sendira ordered from the front. ¡°Distraction and frivolity taint pure dedication of purpose.¡±


    Sendira was not just the overall commander of the island raid but also the second-in-command of all the order¡¯s forces in the Sea of Storms. Sendira did not deign to turn to look back while delivering her admonishment as the other two shared a glance. All three were from different cells of the order but the pair had found a swift camaraderie working under Sendira.


    The Order of the Redeeming Light had operated using a cellular organisation long before the church of Purity fell. As one of the church¡¯s most extreme wings, they had always been prepared to face religious persecution. It had served them well following the downfall of the church. As a result, the order¡¯s operations in the Sea of Storms had an overall command structure but each cell had its own leadership.


    Melody Jain was the overall leader of the order¡¯s local operations, along with her second, Sendira, and church advisor, Laront. As the overall leadership was the same silver rank as the individual cell leaders, there was a constant tension between them.


    ¡°You think we don¡¯t know why we were assigned with you specifically?¡± Ramona said to Sendira. ¡°You don¡¯t want us interfering with your real objective.¡±


    ¡°You might be telling us we¡¯re here for the clockwork kings,¡± Fila added, ¡°but we know that is just an afterthought. You only found out about the clockworks kings while setting up to kidnap Melody¡¯s daughter. Melody is using the presence of the kings as a pretence to expend the order¡¯s resources for her own ends.¡±


    ¡°You picked us for your group because you don''t want our commanders realising that Melody is using the order for herself instead of its true purpose," Ramona said. ¡°While you¡¯re keeping an eye on us, Melody¡¯s blind little devotees can do the things she doesn¡¯t want us to see.¡±


    ¡°Only Purity is worthy of our devotion, not his servants,¡± Sendira told them. ¡°We are all unworthy, seeking to cleanse the taint that lingers within us and keep ourselves from any more. To speak in ignorance and disobedience, both of which make you lesser, is to invite uncleanliness of spirit into yourself. Your only concern here should be purity of purpose. Do as you are told and you shall lift yourselves in the eyes of the god.¡±


    ¡°You talk down to us like a gold-ranker, Sendira, but you¡¯re not,¡± Ramona said. ¡°You¡¯re just someone who takes being holier-than-thou a little too literally.¡±


    The wing of the Order of Redeeming Light in the Sea of Storms didn¡¯t have any gold-rankers amongst them. The primary reason was that they didn¡¯t want to draw the kind of attention that gold-rankers inevitably brought. Even the most mundane of gold-rankers was the kind of potential threat to stability that people liked to keep track of, especially if those gold-rankers were operating outside of the Adventure Society.


    It made sense, then, for the order to avoid having gold-rankers in their number when the goal was to operate without grabbing attention. Long before the fall of the Purity church, the Storm Kingdom had been aware of the Order of Redeeming Light¡¯s presence. Even with legitimate churches, their more extreme factions were worth paying attention to, but the local powers had remained unconcerned so long as the order had no one higher than silver rank. When local authorities came looking for them, the order¡¯s losses were minimal as their discretion allowed them to enact preparations made while they had gone long-overlooked. The absence of gold rankers had been a better shield than having gold-rankers to defend them.


    Despite all this being true, many of the order¡¯s membership continued to disagree with the absence of gold rankers within their number. The leadership in other cells, being of no lower rank than Melody, had been a source of tension in terms of authority within the order. Respect for rank was ingrained across the cultures and religions of Pallimustus and many felt that Melody''s resistance to a gold-rank presence was to avoid giving up power.


    The trio reached the top of the rubble, passed through the hole in the wall and arrived on a sloping street, the flagstones cracked and pitted. Sendira finally turned to face the other two.


    ¡°Your only thoughts should be on the task you have been given,¡± she admonished. ¡°The disposition of the kidnap target is unrelated to your objectives. You do not understand what is in play or have any need to concern yourselves with her. Put any consideration of her aside and concentrate on the tasks you were given, not those given to others.¡±


    Fila and Ramona glowered but remained silent. They were angry but knew they just had to wait for Melody''s poor choices to build the gallows for them. Attempting to kidnap a silver-rank adventurer from Rimaros, with the city''s heightened state of awareness and frenzy of adventurer activity was a foolish endeavour. That was why Melody had Laront seeking out information so that they could grab her while she was out on a contract.


    The first opportunity to grab the target had been the Adventure Society expedition to the island, which Melody had already rejected. It was close to Rimaros, there were multiple teams and a pair of gold-rankers. The realisation that there were clockwork kings of the island had changed the value proposition, however, pushing Melody onto action. This choice was not sitting well with many of her rivals.


    "Once this operation is over," Fila said, "everyone will see that Melody is advancing her personal agenda and risking the order''s assets, people and goals to do it. We''ll see how arrogant you are then, Sendira."


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sendira told them. ¡°We will. Now, organise the pure servitors. The adventurers will seek to scout us out before acting and we need to move before they make an active response to our arrival.¡±


    The vast majority of the forces the order brought to the island were the pure servitors, implanted with purified cores. This was a reflection of the new disposition of the order¡¯s overall forces. True members of the order had all been purified in the fire of purgation, cleansing them of impurities, but the purifying flames were a limited and precious resource. They were not a feasible path to building the forces required for the war to come.


    When the Order of Redeeming Light had established a branch in the Sea of Storms, it was with a specific purpose. They were one of many wings of the Purity church around the world that had been making preparations for years, seeking ways to establish the kind of power that would soon be needed.


    The test program carried out in the Sea of Storms was a collaboration with the Purity church''s uneasy allies, the Builder cult. This made the Order of Redeeming Light, bearing the gift of their god''s purifying flame, the obvious choice to judge the viability of the program. The order''s very purpose was to take that which was unclean and purify it, redeeming it as a weapon against the impure.


    The core of the program was a clockwork king that the Builder agreed to hand over to the church as part of a larger series of deals and concessions. The order subjected the automaton to the fire of purgation, wiping away the Builder¡¯s influence and claiming the entity for Purity. As a result, the clockwork king no longer produced the clockwork cores it once had. Instead, became a source of the purified cores the order had been using on the essence users of the fortress towns they suborned.


    The order regretted that the purified cores were not as ideal a process of transfiguration as the fire of purgation, but what could compare to the power of the most pure and perfect god? The cores engendered a transformation in those that accepted them, which was ideal, or had them forcibly implanted, which was not. Forcible implantation often led to unfortunate, but not insurmountable, behavioural problems.


    Forcibly implanted or not, the process rendered essences unusable, replacing their powers with lesser and not entirely predictable alternatives. These were weaker and less numerous than essence abilities but the implantation process raised the person implanted an entire rank. Given that the cores were generally used on garbage essence users, there was a net gain in power. The greatest regret the order had about the process was that, unlike the fire of purgation, the cores failed to purge the inhumanity of the tainted races.


    The cores, however, were essential for the war to come. The church needed to replicate the Builder cult¡¯s power to rapidly build up its forces, even if those forces weren¡¯t ideal. So long as their troops were plentiful, pure and obedient, that was all that mattered. The cores commanded the absolute obedience of those in whom they were implanted, which was not something the order mentioned to volunteers.


    The order had been infiltrating fortress towns while Rimaros was neglecting them. If the city wasn¡¯t neglecting them, the order made sure it felt like they were until the town¡¯s defenders were desperate enough to accept the order¡¯s overtures. Melody was exceptional at getting whole towns to take cores voluntarily, while other cells had mixed success.


    Purity followers were famous for being exclusionary and judgemental, which was not an ideal attitude for winning people over. The current status of the church only made the challenge greater. When the essences users of a targeted town remained resistant to accepting cores, there was the other approach. Forcible implantation was less desirable, but remained acceptable.


    The Builder cities moving to attack had been the perfect chance for the order to move openly on a number of their targeted towns. Volunteer essence users were brought away while more reluctant towns were forcibly converted. Only those who were able to die fighting instead of being taken alive were left behind. Either way, the civilians were massacred and the whole thing was disguised as monsters overrunning towns left vulnerable by adventurers too busy to support them.


    The Adventure Society, being massively understaffed, had taken weeks to uncover the truth of what was happening. They were only just starting to realise that something more organised and sinister was happening to the fortress towns, although the culprits were obvious with the Purity loyalist¡¯s already having been identified as meddling in the region.


    Now that the local powers were catching on to the order¡¯s activities, Melody had chosen to be more overt. She was willing to be more open using the assets the order had built up before the Adventure Society grasped the extent of what they were dealing with. This had been the impetus for having cells collaborate, moving in numbers, showing off their stealthy submarine transports and using the pure servitors to raid the island.


    Having used the essence users of fortress towns as a large-scale test of the purity cores, the next step was to establish an infrastructure where what they had accomplished could be scaled up and spread beyond the Sea of Storms.


    For that to be possible, the order needed more clockwork kings. Not only did they need to increase the production of pure cores but also have redundancies should any of them be lost to enemy action. As the Builder was unwilling to surrender more of the kings, the order would need to take them for themselves. The news of one or more kings being present on the island was an important opportunity, but acting at the same time as an Adventure Society expedition was a massive risk.


    If clockwork kings were on the table they became the priority, with the chance to grab their original target being reduced to a welcome, but secondary, objective. The opportunity to accomplish both made raiding the island a significantly more worthwhile expenditure of resources. The Adventure Society would also soon have a better understanding of the order¡¯s activities and capabilities, so revealing them now was a minimal loss. The chance to use the pure servitors en masse before the Storm Kingdom and the Adventure Society knew about them was not an opportunity that would last forever unused.


    That was what finally drove Melody¡¯s decision to rapidly plan and execute the raid, even if the rush lent to unexpected variables. The pure servitors were always intended as disposable forces and there would not be a better opportunity to use them. This was what led to Sendira watching on as Fila and Ramona directed the pure servants off the boat to clamber up the rubble slope.


    The pure servitors were a mix of ranks. Iron-rank essence users had become bronze when implanted with cores, while bronze had become silver and the silvers, gold. They were only equivalent to weak monsters of their rank but the gold-rank servitors were still a trump card that could well be the difference against the gold-rankers on the island. As such, each of the five landing parties had two gold servitors, representing a major portion of the order¡¯s overall strength.


    ¡°Melody is going to pay for wasting this many gold-rank servitors on snatching up her daughter,¡± Ramona told Sendira.


    ¡°Even if we succeed,¡± Fila added, ¡°we¡¯re going to lose most of them. Maybe all. Is Melody ready to accept responsibility for that?¡±


    ¡°Melody is fully prepared to bear the responsibility for this operation,¡± Sendira told them, unperturbed. ¡°Her courage is pure. Can the opportunists you follow say the same?¡±

 Chapter 536: A Bland Kind of Alchemy

    On the ruined island city that was once a flying Builder fortress, the adventurer expedition Jason and his team were part of regrouped. With multiple forces of Purity troops arriving on the island, the expedition commander, Liara, was changing their approach. As her primary concern was the safety of her people over the swift elimination of the enemy, she chose two basic doctrines for their response to the arrival of the Purity forces: simplicity and safety in numbers.


    Avoiding any attempt at elaborate strategy, Liara decided on a simple and efficient approach. With unknown variables at play, she didn¡¯t want to introduce anything else to go wrong. The teams would go out directly to engage the enemy. As for numbers, she paired the teams up rather than let the six groups keep operating individually. That left only three groups compared to the five Purity landing parties that arrived on the island but Liara would rather take her time and lower the risk to her people. She strongly considered only two groups but there was only so much she was willing to let the Purity forces run around unchecked.


    The teams were matched up to complement each other, so the other team with an affliction specialist was not paired with Jason¡¯s. She was a classic affliction specialist with an entire team dedicated to facilitating her powers. That group was paired with the most defence-oriented team of the expedition to further secure the affliction specialist. As for Jason¡¯s team, they were placed with a team built around reliability and efficiency.


    They were much more of a generalist team than was the norm for Rimaros, but the local adventurer doctrine shaped them heavily nonetheless. Jason and Humphrey had been trained in the Vitesse style that valued a diversity of power while what passed for an acceptable generalist team in the Storm Kingdom was heavy on uniformity. Their team name was Work Saw, although Jason was uncertain as to why. None of them had any saw-related powers.


    The two teams got the chance to see one another in action as they made their way through the city, clearing a path through the constructs they encountered. Team Work Saw¡¯s two front-liners had power sets that placed them in the same brawler role as Humphrey. As for the ranged attackers, they were all about clean, simple attacks. One was an elf with no stand out abilities but basic damage spells in every flavour there was. The other was an archer who specialised in firing arrows and having them grow larger mid-flight. Rounding out Team Work Saw were a defensive specialist and a healer, both in the classic mould.


    The power sets for Team Work Saw¡¯s ranged attackers were simple, clean and effective. Comparing them to that of their team Biscuit counterpart, Clive, was an encapsulation of the difference between the teams. Work Saw was all about simple, fundamental powers that were useful in almost any situation, while Clive''s core tactics were built around preparation and sophistication. Team Biscuit¡¯s complexity hurt them with simple tasks but gave them the tools to handle unconventional circumstances.


    Every adventurer who filled classic roles like ranged attacker, defender or healer had fundamental powers that fell within generic archetypes. These were the bread and butter of such power sets; simple, efficient and reliable. Humphrey and Neil, the most traditional members of Jason''s team, had an ample selection of such abilities to go with their more unconventional powers.


    The rest of Jason¡¯s team had more exotic abilities, to varying degrees. Jason, Sophie and Clive were each unusual variants of afflictions specialist, defender and ranged attacker respectively. As for Belinda, she was something truly unusual which, in many ways, made her the quintessential member of the team. All four were grab bags of strange abilities that required some combination of skill and judgement to leverage effectively.


    This was the opposite of the Rimaros team. They didn¡¯t just possess a selection of the foundational techniques that were the hallmark of their roles; their entire power sets were built around them. This meant that individually they were not just unexciting but outright mediocre. They had no big finishers to burn all their mana on to close out a fight or seize the momentum in a critical moment.


    Whoever had put the team together had either possessed formidable foresight or got lucky after putting all the problem cases together. Two or three such power sets together were a liability, but with six of them working in tandem, a bland kind of alchemy took place. Their accumulation of basic, efficient powers, combined with immaculate teamwork, crossed a threshold where, like a saw cutting through trees, their workmanlike tactics and enough dedication could turn a pristine forest into a desolate wasteland.


    Both Team Biscuit and Team Work Saw were each categorised as generalists, but really they were specialists. Team Biscuit specialised in the one in ten or so monsters that were strange, extreme or both. Team Work Saw specialised in all the rest. They were not thought highly of amongst guild elites, but the Adventure Society loved them. There were plenty of elites looking to prove themselves against the oddities while very few of the top teams were happy to take on the ordinary contracts that Team Work Saw went through like a saw blade through a tree.


    The Builder constructs the teams were encountering on the island weren¡¯t monsters, but for most practical purposes they had the same traits as the middle-of-the-road monsters that team Work Saw excelled at. They weren¡¯t extreme in their construction, at least the mass-produced silver-rank ones, and they lacked any truly strange powers. Coming in reasonable but not excessive numbers, they were perfect opponents for the Rimaros team.


    Jason¡¯s team fared worse. Humphrey and Neil did well but the others were using ten-dollar solutions to one-dollar problems because their power sets eschewed simple and effective abilities for potent but complex ones. As the two teams made their way through the city together the Rimaros team had started to take on an air of superiority. They were carving through enemies quickly and cleanly while Jason¡¯s team were using over-powered and overly elaborate strategies to accomplish the same thing in more time with less efficiency.


    Jason used his ability to impede Builder constructs to help his team along but he did the same for the other team, not impacting the difference between them. He wasn¡¯t going to compromise the success of the mission over one-upmanship.


    The leader of Team Work Saw, Carlos, took the chance to lord it over Jason and his team, but it was from a place of good-natured rivalry. While the Rimaros team had found their niche, they were still a generalist team in a land of specialists. Normally occupying a lower rung of the ladder, at least within the guild elites, they were simply enjoying a rare chance to have fun big-noting themselves. They were also well aware that their strengths and weaknesses were inverted for Jason and his team, neither dismissing nor undervaluing them.


    ***


    Jason¡¯s senses got a feel for the Purity group ahead long before they encountered them. What he sensed alarmed him in several regards. While the presence of only three essence-user auras was a relief, the two gold-rank auras he sensed were deeply troubling. Even though they were not essence users, their rank was not to be overlooked.


    The other concerning issue was the cores he sensed inside the vast majority of the enemy forces, including the gold-rankers. He could immediately tell these were modified clockwork cores. Jason¡¯s own experience in purging the Builder¡¯s influence from the magic door he absorbed and the World-Phoenix¡¯s influence from the magic bridge gave him unique insights. He could tell that an equivalent process had been used on the cores.


    Jason immediately recognised that his ability to impede Builder magic would have no impact on these cores, purged as they were of the Builder''s influence. He would need to deal with them the old-fashioned way. He opened up voice chat to share his insights with the expedition.


    ¡°The group ahead of us have been mostly created through clockwork core implantation but these aren¡¯t the cores we¡¯ve seen in the past. The church of Purity have somehow figured out how to purge the Builder¡¯s influence, so while these are another form of converted, any assumptions based on the Builder variants may no longer hold. For those unaware, converted turn essence users into non-essence users of one rank higher. They are weak for the rank, with only a few powers, but the group ahead of us has two gold-rank converted and three silver-rank essence users. Other groups are likely to have a similar makeup.¡±


    ***


    Jason''s team was the first to get a good aura read on the enemy but not the first to engage them. Just as Jason had, the teams fighting shared information they learned about the enemy. The pure converted, as it turned out, did diverge in several overt ways from the Builder''s version. One was that while their bodies were modified, it wasn''t to the grotesque extreme of the Builder converted. The good news from this was that they didn''t have the Builder converted''s incredible resilience.


    What the pure converted did have was a power they all possessed, on top of any other abilities they had obtained. The source of this purification ability was clearly the god of Purity. While that power might have been fourth-hand by the time it got to them, passing from the god to the purified clockwork king to the purified core and, finally, to the converted, a god was a god. Even a meagre scrap of its power, claimed like a lucky dip prize, was nothing to scoff at.


    The nature of the power was especially relevant to Jason. The auras of the pure converted slowly cleansed any afflictions they or their allies were suffering, much like Sophie¡¯s aura was able to do. Their auras also seemed to negate boons on their enemies as well. What¡¯s more, the auras of the pure converted seemed to grow stronger by overlapping, which seemed to blend them into a single, more powerful aura.


    Jason and his team found their enemies marching down a wide, cracked boulevard, upslope from them on a tilted street. Both sides moved immediately to the attack but it was their auras that clashed first, with Jason having the strongest individual aura out of anyone in either team or the Purity forces. Even the gold-rank converted were not his equal, their auras being the biggest indicator of their jumped-up rank. They were weaker than many peak silver essence users in that regard. By merging their auras, however, they were able to outmatch Jason''s, although it wasn''t enough to suppress him in turn.


    This meant that Jason could not suppress the enemy¡¯s aura effect, but neither could the enemy shut down his. The power of the combined enemy aura was more effective at suppressing the auras of Jason¡¯s allies, though, and he didn¡¯t have the spare strength to help them. The solution to that lack of power was the same as it always was: fight until he grew stronger.


    Humphrey started issuing directions as both sides erupted into battle. The Rimaros team didn¡¯t have any powers as exciting as familiars but the familiars from Jason¡¯s team sprang into action, focusing on the mass of bronze and silver-rank converted. The gold-rankers and essence users were for the adventurers to handle themselves.


    Stash turned into a marsh hydra as Onslow started pouring elemental magic into them from the rune shell powers he possessed. Belinda¡¯s familiars also went into action. Her astral lamp familiar, Glimmer, was a being that hovered around her like a magic item, replenishing the mana of allies while firing off force projectiles. Her other familiar was the echo spirit, Gemini, who was a living illusion that could mimic Belinda''s allies. At lower ranks it had been purely illusionary, to serve as a distraction, but with greater rank came the ability to mimic attacks using force projections. It copied Stash, turning into another hydra, but it looked like an underpowered hologram, occasionally blurring and flickering.


    As for Jason¡¯s familiars, Gordon remained inside Jason. The extra aura strength he could provide was something Jason very much needed and the shields from the eye orbs were already intercepting ranged attacks. Shade bodies shot off, disappearing into the shadows of debris, buildings and his fellow adventurers. Colin, in his blood clone form, was switch-teleported by Clive. A confused member of the converted appeared where Colin had been standing and Colin appeared amidst the enemy, immediately exploding into a rain of leeches. The converted now amongst the team was immediately wrapped in vines by a spell from Neil. The thorny vines dug up from beneath the road, cracking flagstones as they emerged to entangle the converted.


    Ability: [Verdant Cage] (Growth)


    Spell/Conjuration (poison).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: 30 seconds.Current rank: Silver 1 (77%).Effect (iron): Grow vines to restrain a target. More effective in areas already containing plant life.Effect (bronze): Binding plants have damaging thorns.Effect (silver): Thorns inflict poison. The type of poison is determined by the surrounding environment.


    The enemy was rushing to the attack, not standing around to wait for the adventurers to start unloading powers. The two defensive specialists, Sophie and her more traditional counterpart from the Rimaros team, moved to intercept one of the gold-rankers each. The remaining front-liners were the two brawlers from the other team and Humphrey who set up a defensive line. Because the enemy was so numerous, Belinda joined them.


    Counterfeit Combatant was a power that, like her Instant Adept ability, altered her body and gave her advantages when using certain kinds of equipment. Rather than making her swift and agile, however, it transformed her into a tall, burly woman. She then equipped her heavy armour, spear and shield directly from her storage space.


    Ability: [Bag of Tricks] (Magic)


    Special Ability (dimension).Cost: NoneCooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 3 (03%).Effect (iron): You have a personal, dimensional storage space. You may equip any item in your storage space directly onto your person or unequip anything on your person directly to your storage space.Effect (bronze): Weapons, shields and armour equipped directly on your person from your storage space gain a random boon.Effect (silver): Weapons you equip grant you a special attack. Armour and shields you equip gain an ability in addition to any they may have already. The special attacks and abilities gained are of the same rank as the item.


    Both her Bag of Tricks and Counterfeit Combatant gave her powers appropriate to her current state and gear. Unfortunately, the aura of the enemies quickly cleared her bonus buff powers. The abilities she received were somewhat random and they didn¡¯t make her the equal of the other front-liners, but it was close enough to get the job done. As always, Belinda¡¯s jack-of-all-trades expertise was not in being the best at what she did but being whatever her team needed most.


    With a frontline established, the rest of the adventurers arrayed behind them. Team Work Saw¡¯s ranged attackers were already firing off powers while Jason conjured his dagger and began loading up the vine-wrapped converted with afflictions. The healer from the Rimaros team stood at the ready while Neil set out a quick summoning circle. Clive was quickly setting out his own rituals, establishing the power boost he would need to start ripping into the enemy.

 Chapter 537: Ideal Enemy

    The Purity forces arrayed against Jason¡¯s team and their adventurer allies numbered in the dozens, although more than half were only bronze-rank. The key threats were the two gold-rank converted, the three silver-rank essence users and, to a lesser degree, the fifteen or so silver converted.


    The powers of the converted were less bizarre than those of their Builder equivalent, without the body-horror transformations. Beneath the surface, however, Jason could sense that the cores inside them had caused more internal changes than was readily apparent. In terms of powers, most were predicated on producing flames or conjuring objects. In both cases, the fire or items produced were an ethereal silver.


    The focal point of the battle was the two gold-rankers leading the way for the Purity forces as they charged down the broken and sloping street. One opened an aperture on his head, like the empty socket of a third eye. A stream of fire came spewing out of it and towards the adventurers. The fire was eerie, silver and ethereal, as if only an illusion. The heat pouring off it was very real, however, and it was tinged with disruptive-force damage, which was highly effective against most magical defences.


    The defender from Team Work Saw looked like he¡¯d come off a recruiting poster for defence specialists. Henry Xeller was a leonid and big even for his species, clad in ornate heavy armour, lacquered blue and gold with a lion motif. In one hand was a heavy mace, the stylised lion head matching his armour. His hefty shield completed the set, the lion¡¯s head image having its mouth open in a roar.


    Henry held up his shield as the magical fire came pouring in and let out a roar. He had already evolved racial gift roar power that leonids possessed, and his version diminished the magic in area attacks. The silver flames became dull as the disruptive force they contained was diminished but the heat was unaffected. Henry held up his shield and the flames were sucked into the mouth of the lion head on it, preventing them from reaching the rest of the front line.


    The gold ranker didn¡¯t let up, pouring out more of the fire. The shield continued sucking it in, the metal starting to visibly heat up. Henry was unfazed, not even looking at the heat glow of the metal slab strapped to his arm.


    The other gold-ranker conjured translucent armour over her entire body. Despite having the look and coverage of heavy armour, it didn¡¯t slow down her gold-rank reflexes at all. Along with the armour, she conjured a short-handled, double-headed axe into each hand. The weapons and armour both were wreathed in ghostly fire.


    Unlike the first gold ranker, who stood back to spew out flames, this one charged in and was intercepted by Sophie. While the gold-rank converted had many lacking areas compared to an essence user, her basic attributes were not among them. She had the full strength and speed that demonstrated just how big a jump gold rank was even from the already formidable silver.


    When all of that speed and power was brought to bear on Sophie, she didn¡¯t flinch. If anything, the gold-rank converted was an ideal enemy; one with the speed and power to push her limits without a dangerous slate of fancy powers. Instead, she just hit hard and fast, which Sophie was well-equipped to handle.


    Sophie was normally the most mobile one in a fight but she let the converted juke around her as she dodged and blocked while standing mostly in place. She moved fast but on the spot instead of repositioning. The twin axes were a barely discernible blur as they came down on Sophie again and again, yet she was completely a match for the gold-ranker¡¯s speed. Both combatants were blurs to the people around them, with Sophie especially flickering like a figure in corrupted video footage.


    Ability: [Between the Raindrops] (Swift)


    Special ability (movement, dimension).Cost: High mana per second and high stamina per second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 3 (17%)Effect (iron): Increased reflexes and spatial awareness.Effect (bronze): Increase speed through spatial distortion. More effective at improving short, erratic motions than straight-line speed.Effect (silver): Dodge using spatial distortion.


    Between the Raindrops wasn¡¯t the only speed-increasing power Sophie possessed but it was the most effective for the quick movement of a duel. The silver-rank space-distorting effect was essentially the same as the one Jason¡¯s cloak picked up at silver rank, causing even hits that seemed to land miss. It was a difficult power to use effectively but Sophie had mastered it much more quickly than Jason.


    Unable to outpace her, the converted attempted to take advantage of Sophie¡¯s decision to not run around by body-checking her. It did not go well.


    Ability: [Mirage Step] (Mystic)


    Special ability (dimension, movement, illusion).Cost: Low stamina and mana.Cooldown: 40 seconds.Current rank: Silver 2 (81%).Effect (iron): Move instantaneously to a nearby location, leaving an afterimage behind.Effect (bronze): Can be used a second time. Cooldown reduced to 35 seconds, with a use regained every cooldown period. Attacking an afterimage creates a disorienting, short-lived, dimensionally distorted illusion space that traps the attacker.Effect (silver): Can be used a third time. Regain one use every 30 seconds. Afterimages and dimensional distortions fire dimensional blades throughout their duration at random enemies, inflicting sharp and resonating-force damage.


    The gold ranker slammed into the afterimage Sophie left behind, becoming trapped in a spatial distortion that looked like a wobbly soap bubble from the outside, while the inside was filled with disorienting kaleidoscopic images. Blades of force shot off at other converted and while the gold-ranker was only trapped for a handful of seconds, Sophie made the most of them, leaping high into the air.


    Ability: [Eternal Moment] (Swift)


    Special Ability.Cost: Extreme mana-per-second and stamina-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (37%).Effect (iron): Operate at a highly accelerated speed for one second of actual time, which is extended in subjective time.Effect (bronze): Time increases to 2 seconds.Effect (silver): Time increases to 3 seconds.


    Sophie¡¯s Eternal Moment power was potentially her strongest, but also her least exciting to rank up. It was incredibly formidable nonetheless, giving her critical time to act. In the air above the battle, she accelerated her personal time stream until everything around her seemed to freeze in place.


    By this point, the frontline was a mess of converted and adventurers, lined up and clashing on the street. Sophie fired off a rapid stream of attacks with her Wind Blade power, the blades freezing in place until she slowed back down into the normal flow of time. She aimed the blades into the crowd of converted, not at the one she was fighting.


    Ability: [Wind Blade] (Wind)


    Special attack.Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (97%).Effect (iron): Create a cutting projectile of air.Effect (bronze): Blades increase in length while travelling and track targets.Effect (silver): Blades explode on impact, detonating a horizontal ring of cutting force from each penetrated enemy.


    Sophie''s power wreaked havoc amongst the enemy as time unfroze. It wasn''t especially powerful, although it didn''t feel that way to the bronze-rank converted. It served as more of a distraction to the silver-rankers, while acting as chum in the water for the leech swarm amongst them as Sophie''s power drew blood.


    Dropping back in front of the gold-ranker just as she was freed from the illusion space, axe blows once more rained down on Sophie. Most of them were not dodged, Sophie instead choosing to block them directly. She didn¡¯t use weapons of her own, intercepting attacks mostly with her hands, forearms and shins, but with whatever worked ¨C even her head. So long as she was actively intercepting the attack, her power took effect.


    Ability: [Immortal Fist] (Mystic)


    Special ability (magic).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 3 (21%).Effect (iron): Unarmed attacks deal additional resonating-force damage, which is highly effective against physical defences. Suffer no damage from making unarmed strikes against objects and negate all damage from actively intercepted attacks. Not all damage from very powerful attacks will be negated.Effect (bronze): Gain an instance of [Momentum] when intercepting physical attacks.Effect (silver): Damage increases with each blow when making rapid, consecutive attacks.


    [Momentum] (boon, magic, stacking): When making an attack, all instances are consumed to inflict resonating-force damage. Multiple instances can be accumulated and instances are lost quickly while not moving.


    Immortal Fist was one of Sophie¡¯s signature abilities and the one that allowed her to intercept weapons with her bare hands. As it ranked up it gave her a couple of options to enhance her weak attacks, either by saving up for a big hit using the momentum buff or by rapid-firing attacks. Against the fast and tough gold-ranker, she chose not to counterattack, saving up for a big hit.


    While the gold-ranker¡¯s powers were largely straightforward, that did not mean she was without additional tricks. Every time Sophie intercepted an attack, the silver fire wreathing the weapons attempted to crawl onto her body.


    You have been afflicted with [Cleansing Flame].Ability [Radiant Fist] has negated the application of [Cleansing Flame].


    Sophie¡¯s unarmed fighting style wouldn¡¯t work if she was subjected to the deleterious effects of every object she touched. The other ability that was quintessential her fighting style helped shield her from such effects.


    Ability: [Radiant Fist] (Mystic)


    Special ability (magic).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (37%).Effect (iron): Unarmed attacks deal additional disruptive-force damage, which is highly effective against magical defences and intangible or incorporeal enemies. Unarmed attacks do not trigger retaliation effects. Negate any non-damage effects from actively intercepted attacks.Effect (bronze): Gain an instance of [Impervious] when intercepting non-physical attacks. Gain mana when intercepting magical projectiles.Effect (silver): After intercepting a magical projectile you may make a disruptive-force projectile attack.


    [Impervious] (boon, magic, stacking): Resistances are increased and damage reduction is gained against non-physical damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    A major deficit of Sophie¡¯s power set was the lack of simple, high-impact abilities. Her few big-ticket powers required specific circumstances, extensive set-up or both. The vast majority of Sophie¡¯s powers were minor effects that required high levels of skill to leverage. Fortunately, she had a power that offered a comprehensive enhancement to this style by enhancing many of those minor effects.


    Ability: [Child of the Celestial Wind] (Wind)


    Special Ability (dimension, holy).Cost: NoneCooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (76%).Effect (iron): Your celestine racial powers have increased effect. You gain damage reduction to disruptive-force damage.Effect (bronze): All your dimension and wind-related abilities have increased effect. You have increased resistance to dimension and wind-based effects and enemies subjected to your wind-related abilities suffer disruptive-force damage.Effect (silver): Boons with maximum effect thresholds have their maximum thresholds increased.


    Sophie was never going to be a damage powerhouse, but her offensive ability escalated just enough with each rank that she was never safe to ignore. Key to this was the nature of the damage she inflicted, which was a combination of resonating and disruptive force. These damage types excelled at penetrating physical and magical defences respectively, which was highly relevant against the gold-ranker.


    The conjured armour of the converted Sophie was fighting proved to be an excellent defensive measure against conventional forms of attack, even magical ones. This was true not just for the gold-ranker but also for the lower-ranked converted with similar powers. The ranged attackers on the adventurer side, pouring attacks into the enemy, were finding that their efforts against the armoured enemies were being shrugged off.


    The armour was so effective because it integrated magic and physical defences with high efficacy. Breaching it effectively required either a massive amount of damage or a combination of damage types that could weaken both aspects. This was another reason that the enemy was a perfect fit for Sophie, who was building up to break her opponent¡¯s armour and expose it to the adventurer¡¯s attacks.


    Sophie¡¯s approach to combat, in spite of her speed, was to take it slow. The early stages of the fight were when she was weakest, so she treated battles as a marathon more than a sprint. The longer a battle went on, the harder she was to kill, the faster she healed and the more her damage went from weak but penetrative to a major threat. She also become more and more dangerous not just to fight against, but to stop fighting against once started.


    Ability: [Karmic Warrior] (Balance)


    Special Ability (healing, recovery)Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 3 (20%).Effect (iron): Gain an instance of [Agent of Karma] when subjected to damage or any harmful effect, even if the damage and/or effect was wholly negated.Effect (bronze): Gain an instance of [Good Karma] when healing others, cleansing others or suffering damage. Enemies that attack or take offensive actions against you are inflicted with [Bad Karma]. So long as any enemy has an instance of [Bad Karma], you have [Karmic Sacrifice].Effect (silver): When an enemy with [Bad Karma] dies or is destroyed, your cooldowns are reduced for each instance of [Good Karma] you have.


    [Agent of Karma] (boon, holy): Bonus to the [Power] and [Spirit] attributes. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, up to a maximum threshold.[Bad Karma] (affliction, retributive, holy): Suffer a small amount of retributive, transcendent damage when making an attack or other offensive action against anyone without the [Karmic Sacrifice] boon. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, up to a maximum threshold.[Good Karma] (boon, holy, stacking): Bonus to [Recovery]. Damage from enemies with [Bad Karma] is reduced. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, up to a maximum threshold.[Karmic Sacrifice] (boon, holy, heal-over-time): Gain an ongoing healing effect, with strength determined by the amount of [Good Karma] you have accrued. This effect immediately ends if there are no enemies suffering from [Bad Karma].


    Karmic Warrior was one of Sophie¡¯s most impactful powers, although even that was a slow burn, accumulating over time. The gold-rank converted were trump cards for the Purity forces but this particular converted had been stopped dead by Sophie and effectively deleted from the fight as it failed to make any inroads in taking her down. Even worse, the bad karma affliction it accumulated attacking Sophie meant that attacking anyone else was a bad idea.


    The gold-ranker could instinctively sense the nature of the bad karma effect. If she attacked anyone but Sophie, now, she would suffer retribution damage. Even worse, the damage would be transcendent, completely ignoring any defences she possessed. She was stuck facing Sophie until one of them went down and Sophie was on the opposite of her last legs. With every passing moment, she was growing stronger.

 Chapter 538: Trying to Kill Jason Again

    Sophie had one of the gold-rank converted bound up in personal combat. The gold-rankers were the primary threat to the adventurers, so keeping them occupied while the adventurers took down the rest of the Purity forces was critical. Sophie had managed to box hers up effectively but she had the advantage of an enemy that lacked area attacks. The other gold-rank converted was more trouble.


    Spewing fire from an orifice on his forehead, like the empty socket for a third eye, was the signature move of the other gold-rank converted. It could also condense the flames into flaming fists the size of a human torso. It flung the fists, which battered the converted¡¯s enemies before exploding.


    The capacity for area attacks made the other gold-rank converted harder to contain. It was Team Work Saw¡¯s dedicated defender, Henry, who took on that task. Compared to Sophie he was a defence specialist in the classic mode, built around enduring hits. His essence combination of iron, might and gathering gave him the prison confluence. The resulting power set combined a powerful defence with control effects that could bind enemies, lock down their abilities and even use their powers to fuel his own. He could increase the cooldowns of enemy powers, whether they were essence abilities or not, as well as shield allies from area attacks. He could absorb the energy of many such attacks, storing it until he unleashed it back on his enemies.


    As the gold-ranker was attacking from range, Henry took the battle to him. Chains broke through the ground to bind the converted, and while they didn¡¯t hold him for long, it was enough for Henry to close the distance, barrelling aside less powerful enemies with his leonid strength. The lesser foes he could leave to the brawlers making up the rest of the defensive line.


    Like the rest of Team Work Saw, Henry was a typical but elite combatant. He lacked the kind of powers that Jason¡¯s team leveraged to realign the entire paradigm of a battle, but his fundamentals were rock solid. His abilities were all about taking hits, shielding others or offering impediments to enemies that were minor, yet critical if used well. As the one responsible for keeping his team safe, he understood the price of mistakes.


    Like most traditional defence specialists, Henry¡¯s combat style was heavily reliant on his armour and shield. They were not only of the finest quality but also reinforced by abilities from his iron essence. The efforts of Sophie and Henry gave the rest of their teams the freedom to take the fight to the remaining Purity forces, but the problems of rank disparity were putting increasing pressure on Henry.


    Compared to Sophie¡¯s enemy, whose powers were primarily defensive with the conjured armour, the powers of Henry¡¯s opponent were focused on attacking. As superb as Henry¡¯s armour was, it was still a suit of silver-rank armour suffering gold-rank attacks. The strain was beginning to show as it accumulated dents and scorch marks.


    Henry was far from on the brink of collapse, still holding the line admirably, but was appreciative when assistance arrived. While the front-liners staved off the charging Purity forces, the adventurers behind weren¡¯t slacking off. Neil had been summoning up his chrysalis golem, a crystalline behemoth that lumbered forward to take some of the pressure off the beleaguered defensive line.


    The other back-liners hadn¡¯t been idle, either. While Jason, Neil and Clive were making preparations, the ranged attackers from the Rimaros team were already at work. They had been hammering powers into the wave of onrushing enemies from the instant the battle began, taking as much pressure off the frontline as they could.


    While Neil was summoning his golem, Clive was laying out the enhancement rituals that would supercharge his wand and staff attacks. Jason was standing in front of the enemy Clive had teleported into the backline as the battle first began and Neil had tied up in vines. Jason rapidly dosed the helpless converted with afflictions as she struggled to escape.


    [Pure Converted] has attempted to cleanse sin. Cleanse effect has failed.


    When Jason had faced a trio of Purity adherents alone, their powers had been well-suited to counter his afflictions. Even so, Jason had been hurting them quite a lot until bad timing, bad choices and being outnumbered three to one proved too much. The reason that his afflictions had gained traction in that fight, despite their cleansing powers, was that Jason was not an unresisting victim of his powers being cleansed.


    Amongst Jason¡¯s growing list of afflictions were several that were specifically focused on interacting with cleanse effects. While many power sets dabbled in afflictions, these were the kinds of effects that were the hallmark of affliction specialists.


    [Penitence] (affliction, holy): Subject gains an instance of [Penance] for each curse, disease, poison or unholy effect that is cleansed from them.[Persecution] (affliction, curse, stacking): Subject gains resistance to incoming boon, recovery, cleanse and heal-over-time effects. These resistances cannot be voluntarily lowered. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.[Price of Absolution] (affliction, holy): Subject suffers transcendent damage for each instance of [Sin] cleansed from them.


    Jason''s afflictions were enough to trouble even Purity loyalists with no shortage of cleansing powers. It hadn''t been enough to beat three prepared essence users of equal rank but it had certainly given them more trouble than they had been anticipating. Those had been Purity''s elite troops; essence users dedicated to the god of purification. The converted were merely the god¡¯s foot soldiers, many conscripted against their will. While they also had an innate cleansing power through their shared aura, it wasn¡¯t enough to shut Jason¡¯s powers down.


    You have inflicted [Harbinger of Doom] on [Pure Converted].[Pure Converted] has resisted.[Harbinger of Doom] does not take effect.


    It wasn¡¯t enough to completely shut Jason¡¯s powers down.


    Jason muttered grouchily as the eye orb he sent into the converted¡¯s body failed to trigger the butterfly-producing affliction that would spread his other maledictions. He sent the second of the two orbs floating around him to sink into the converted.


    You have inflicted [Harbinger of Doom] on [Pure Converted].


    Blue and orange butterflies immediately began to manifest on the converted.


    ¡°Better,¡± Jason said to himself with a nod. ¡°Clive, you¡¯re good to send this one back.¡±


    ¡°Sure thing,¡± Clive said and cast a spell.


    Ability: [Juxtapose] (Balance)


    Spell (dimension, magic).Cost: High mana.Cooldown: 1 minute.Current rank: Silver 1 (88%)Effect (iron): Swap the location of two allies and/or enemies. You must be able to see both subjects of the spell. If an ally resists or otherwise prevents the effect, this ability is negated but the cooldown is reduced to 30 seconds.Effect (bronze): Enemies affected by this ability take additional damage from all sources for a brief period.Effect (silver): Enemies affected by this spell are afflicted with [Inescapable].


    [Inescapable] (affliction, magic): The subject cannot be affected by non-hostile teleport or dimension effects.


    The converted vanished from the middle of Neil¡¯s vines, teleported back into the midst of the enemy. In her place appeared another converted, immediately tangled up in the vines vacated by the one that Clive teleported away. The new converted was only bronze-rank and was completely helpless as vines wormed their way around his limbs, poisonous thorns digging into his flesh.


    Clive was standing in a ritual circle on the ground. In his right hand was a staff with another glowing ritual circle attached to the end like someone had glued on an elaborate neon plate. In his left was a wand with a similar, but smaller setup. He rested the staff against the chest of the struggling bronze-ranker and explosive force erupted out, scattering the converted¡¯s chest over the street behind it and the wall of a nearby building.


    Jason nodded at Clive, then vanished into a Shade body. Clive turned to look at the enemy where the glowing forms of blue and orange butterflies had started to multiply. He shared a glance with Neil before turning his attention back to the enemy. The Purity forces were coming at them down a sloping street, so Clive was readily able to shoot force projectiles over the heads of the frontline.


    The initial stages of the battle had been a little hairy as half of Jason¡¯s team chose to hang back and make preparations rather than immediately engage the enemy. Team Work Saw had been doing most of the heavy lifting while half of Jason¡¯s team got ready, but once they were, the battle shifted firmly to the advantage of the adventurers.


    Clive was an artillery piece. His already powerful staff and wand boosted by the power of combat rituals, what would normally be simple force projectiles were sowing chaos as they exploded amongst the enemy. Neil¡¯s damage-soaking golem helped stabilise the front line and Jason¡¯s butterflies were spreading afflictions so powerful that the bronze-ranked converted barely had time to produce more butterflies to spread before dying horribly.


    The gold-rank threats were occupied. The adventurer¡¯s frontline was stronger than ever with the addition of Neil¡¯s damage-soaking golem, which at silver-rank could magically connect with allies and absorb their damage. The Purity force¡¯s numerical advantage was largely neutralised by chaos in the ranks, courtesy of Clive¡¯s blasting, Gordon¡¯s butterflies and Colin¡¯s leeches. Jason was mostly waiting for people afflicted enough to be worth draining. The battle was moving from a question of achieving victory to waiting for it.


    Another advantage swinging in the adventurers¡¯ direction was that with every converted that fell, their combined aura strength grew weaker. As the suppression force diminished, the adventurer''s auras started pushing back against it and their aura powers started taking effect. This was another eleven auras joining Jason''s in offering boosts to the two teams. From enhanced attributes to mana recovery rates, the accumulated effects represented a jump in power; arguably the greatest strength of adventurers acting in number.


    Jason moved amongst the increasingly scattered enemy, a shadow flickering through their ranks with impunity. His magical senses kept him from the path of Clive¡¯s force blasts ¨C mostly ¨C and he drained the afflictions from enemies right before those afflictions killed them. With the bronze-rankers, already on the verge of death, it was enough to finish the job.


    [Price of Absolution] (affliction, holy): Subject suffers transcendent damage for each instance of [Sin] cleansed from them.


    Jason¡¯s afflictions spreading to the gold-rankers was the beginning of the end and Jason sensed the three essence users in the Purity group trying to slink away in the fog of war. That did not work out. Once Jason¡¯s afflictions were on them, he was able to track their location perfectly until they cleansed themselves, which he imagined was their priority once they evaded the adventurers.


    After what happened the last time, Jason wasn¡¯t going to take on another trio of silver-rank Purity adherents alone. It took only a quick comment over voice chat to get Humphrey teleporting into the path of the escaping essence users. His very immediate approach to damage keeping them too busy to stop and use the powerful cleansing spells they were increasingly in need of with every passing moment. With Humphrey threatening them from the front and Jason harrying them from the rear, neither victory nor escape was an option.


    Jason did the cleansing for them, purging all the curses, poisons and other horrific things he had piled onto them in the first place. What replaced them were holy afflictions that started annihilating the Purity adherents from the inside out, except for the one who had suffered enough damage that the cleansing itself killed him.


    Jason wanted the others alive, so he used the power of his new sword to remove the fresh afflictions before they killed the others.


    Effect: The wielder may cleanse all holy afflictions inflicted by the abilities and soul-bound items of the wielder from an enemy touched by [Hegemon¡¯s Will]. For each affliction cleansed, the enemy suffers an instance of [Hegemon¡¯s Mercy] and the wielder gains an instance of [Benevolent Hegemon].


    [Hegemon¡¯s Mercy] (affliction, holy, stacking): The victim of this effect is subjected to a powerful suppressive force affecting all magical abilities. This affects essence abilities, innate abilities and item abilities. Abilities derived from external transcendent sources are affected more strongly. This affliction drops off rapidly when not within the area of the wielder of [Hegemon¡¯s Will]¡¯s aura. Additional instances have increased effect.[Benevolent Hegemon] (boon, holy, stacking): The strength of allied aura power effects overlapping with your aura is increased. This does not affect suppressive strength or resistance to aura suppression. Additional instances have increased effect.


    Transcendent light flowed out of the two essence users and into the sword Jason was holding up over his head.


    ¡°Why are you holding your sword like that?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Fabulous secret powers were revealed to me the day I held aloft my magic sword¨C¡±


    ¡°Never mind.¡±


    ***


    In the aftermath of the battle, most of the converted were dead, aside from one gold-ranker. Like the two essence user prisoners, the gold-rank converted that had been fighting Sophie was now under the suppressing effect of Jason¡¯s hegemon¡¯s mercy affliction. That only shut off her powers and not her formidable physicality, which meant that her potent recovery attribute kept healing her enough that she started stirring back to consciousness.


    Sophie resolved the issue by occasionally kicking her in the head. Humphrey looked on with general disapproval but remained silent for lack of a better idea. They could only wait for Jana, one of the expedition¡¯s gold rankers. After being notified of the capture, she was on route to take the prisoners in hand.


    Carlos was the healer of Team Work Saw and also the leader. While the group was waiting, he was looking over at the field of dead converted they had moved away from, concern on his face.


    ¡°Does anyone else think that fight was strange?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°What was the point? They had to know that the odds of taking down two teams of guild-level adventurers were lean, even with those high-rank converted. Why take the risk? It¡¯s not like we were hiding our auras but they didn¡¯t avoid us at all.¡±


    ¡°It does make you wonder what the loose group of Purity people are up to,¡± Jason said. ¡°That aura beacon they set off might not just be for escape purposes.¡±


    All three adventurer teams had defeated the Purity groups they encountered. Two of the Purity groups had combined into a larger force, though, making for a much more dangerous fight. The adventurers that had taken them on had still won with the intervention of Liara and Jana, but the fight had been hard-fought and chaotic, spilling through streets and buildings, some of which were brought down by the conflict.


    The fight was eventually one, but in the wild mess, some of the Purity essence users had escaped. Worse, they had taken three defeated adventurers with them, although the adventurers had been alive when last seen.


    All the adventurer teams had been directed to hunt them down, Jason guiding them through his map power that tracked the captured adventurers. That was when some kind of aura beacon in the middle of the city had been triggered. It blanketed the city in a non-hostile but extremely pervasive false aura that prevented aura senses from tracking anyone. As Jason¡¯s map power worked through his aura senses, he was no longer able to pinpoint the captured adventurers. It also had a diminishing effect on Jason¡¯s party interface, but only made communication patchy at longer ranges rather than shutting it down entirely.


    The powerful effect was not something the Purity forces would have been able to bring with them and was likely something they had known about beforehand. The adventurers postulated it was what had given them the boldness to act so overtly as they could use it to cover their retreat.


    Once the beacon went active, Liara had directed the teams into search patterns while Jana moved to claim the prisoners that Jason¡¯s group had captured. Jason''s group were waiting on her arrival before they joined the search.


    ¡°I think they¡¯re up to something,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Moving this openly, this close to Rimaros seems like a stupid risk. They¡¯re not going to do it just for a few risky fights against adventurers.¡±


    ¡°I imagine they want something here,¡± Jason postulated. ¡°Something they don¡¯t expect to be left behind once our expedition is done, or they wouldn¡¯t act while we¡¯re still here.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably trying to kill Jason again,¡± Neil said. ¡°Can I get one of those cake sandwiches?¡±


    ¡°Kill Jason?¡± Carlos asked.


    ¡°He and the Builder have this whole thing,¡± Belinda said. ¡°The Builder won¡¯t use his own people so he wants Purity to do it, but they don¡¯t seem to be trying that hard, if I¡¯m being honest.¡±


    ¡°They tried pretty hard,¡± Jason said. He pulled a large tray from his inventory, piled high with chocolate cake sandwiches, offering them to everyone. The local variant of cocoa beans weren¡¯t exactly the same as Earth, which excited Jason as the chocolate produced from them offered exciting possibilities.


    ¡°Why won''t the Builder use its own people?¡± Henry asked Jason. ¡°And why you specifically?¡±


    ¡°Hang out with him for a while,¡± Neil said. ¡°You¡¯ll figure it out.¡±


    ¡°Neil, what did we say about trying to be nicer?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Neil said. ¡°I was only pretending to listen.¡±

 Chapter 539: Here to Steal

    The commander of the Purity forces on the island was Sendira. She had separated from most of the converted in her group, leaving them on the surface to delay and distract any adventurers that found the entrance to the underground complex they were using. Only the other two essence users and the pair of gold-rank converted assigned to her moved with her into the underground portions of the city.


    The subterranean infrastructure beneath the city had been devastated by the detonation of a weapon of mass destruction, collapsing the vast majority of it. Navigating to the location where the clockwork kings were producing more constructs would be difficult and dangerous. With most of the tunnels and chambers having either collapsed already or being on the verge of doing so, a combination of the right powers and the right knowledge was essential to traversing them.


    Sendira did not know where Melody obtained the information she had about the island infrastructure and did not ask. She had faith in Melody and the priest, Laront, second only to her faith in their god. The information Melody gave Sendira was only part of the equation, however, as it predated the massive destruction. At best it gave her some potential entry points to check.


    The real trick would be navigating the new state of the subterranean complex, for which one of the essence users with Sendira was required. Fila and Ramona weren¡¯t wrong in their assumption that Sendira wanted them under her thumb instead of causing trouble for Melody¡¯s plans. That was only a secondary concern to Sendira, who needed their powers to complete the task before them. Fila had a scouting power set, with abilities from the air essence that let her navigate by tracing airflow. She would be able to seek out viable pathways forward, saving vast amounts of time by avoiding dead ends. It made her ideal for navigating the dangerous underground passages beneath the city. As for Ramona, her earth essence powers would help assure their safety while exploring unstable tunnels.


    The trio of essence users and their two gold-rank converted moved through the tunnels. They squeezed their way down half-collapsed passages and dropped through floors that had fallen into rooms below. Fila plotted their path forward and down while Ramona cleared passages so that more than a breeze could pass through them. She also warned them of critically unstable areas where they needed to detour or they would bring the roof down on themselves.


    As they realised that they were genuinely needed, the suspicious attitudes of Fila and Ramona were tamped down, although far from eliminated. While they might be antagonistic over leadership within the Order of Redeeming light, they were, ultimately allies. Their loyalty to the order itself was unflinching and allowed them to work together. While not above a bit of backstabbing, they all understood that the enemy, ultimately, was an unclean world.


    ***


    The gold rank adventurer, Jana, arrived to shackle the gold-rank converted that Jason and his allies captured. She took them away for delivery to a support platform floating offshore that was the base station for the scouts maintaining surveillance on the island. Jana brought with her instructions from Liara that Team Work Saw and Team Biscuit were not to join the search for the captured adventurers but to find and disable the aura beacon. The beacon¡¯s false aura was blanketing the island, disrupting senses and communication and hampering the search for the enemy and their prisoners.


    They were the obvious choice for the task, given Jason¡¯s enhanced senses and insight into Builder magic. More importantly, they had Clive.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Reed Richards?¡± Clive asked as he listened to Jason.


    ¡°He¡¯s basically my world¡¯s version of you.¡±


    ¡°And you know this person?¡±


    ¡°No, he¡¯s made up. He¡¯s kind of unrealistically good at all the magic. They call it science, but it¡¯s clearly magic gibber.¡±


    ¡°Um, thank you?¡±


    While a gold-rank stealth specialist like Jana could move safely through the city even at speed, two teams of silver-rank adventurers could not. With plenty of constructs still roaming around, they had to balance caution and speed. Slogging through pack after pack of constructs would take longer than carefully avoiding them, so they took a slow is smooth, smooth is fast approach.


    The terrain continued to be complicated, with broken streets, collapsed buildings and whole sections that had fallen into the ground as the subterranean infrastructure below it collapsed. It left even the ground beneath their feet precarious, even if it felt solid. Humphrey triggered a ground collapse with his dive bomb special attack, pulling an entire building down on himself. He had been forced to teleport out of its path, but it conveniently finished off of the constructs he¡¯d been fighting.


    Jason¡¯s first thought had been to stealth ahead to the beacon himself and portal people in. His senses could pick out the source of the white-noise aura blasting across the city but he quickly discovered that it also blocked portal abilities. After discovering this, the teams paused to do some experimentation.


    Their tests revealed that short-range, personal teleportation like shadow-jumping still worked, but teleporting beyond line of sight or opening portals failed entirely. Anything affecting someone other than the person using the power also failed, including Clive''s switch-teleport, even though it was short-ranged as well. Other dimensional abilities seemed to be unaffected, such as Jason and Sophie''s dodge powers and the team''s various storage spaces.


    Team Work Saw watched as they tested Jason¡¯s teleport and storage powers, Humphrey¡¯s teleport and storage powers, Belinda¡¯s storage power and Clive¡¯s power that was both a portal and a storage power. They looked on with growing incredulity as Jason and his companions moved on to testing other dimensional powers, like Neil¡¯s ability to draw everyone into a safe dimensional pocket and set off wide area damage, or Belinda¡¯s dimensional pit full of death tentacles. Outside of the teleport problems, their abilities seemed to be working normally.


    ¡°You realise that a lot of teams will hire someone with a portal and storage power in their set as auxiliary members, right? They don¡¯t even make them fight.¡±


    ¡°I think we¡¯re covered on that front,¡± Humphrey said casually. Having tested his own powers, he stood with the Rimaros adventurers as they watched the others.


    "You''re more than covered," Henry said. "Three long-range teleport or portal abilities. I didn''t even count the storage powers. Your travel needs are more than amazing."


    ¡°That¡¯s a point,¡± Jason said, wandering over. ¡°Should we check our conventional travel powers? I don¡¯t have the cloud bus but Shade has his vehicle forms and Onslow can do the giant shell thing. Stash can probably shape-shift into something, right? Anyone else?¡±


    ¡°I can take people with me when I fly around,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we need to check any of that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯re on foot at the moment anyway. Carlos, why are you making that face?¡±


    ***


    With no portal shortcuts, the two teams just made their way as a unit, quickly and cleanly eliminating any constructs they encountered and couldn¡¯t avoid. With the aura beacon stifling their senses, it was easier to stumble into enemies, with only Jason having any real range. Team Work Saw were the combat mainstays of the group, their clean, efficient tactics ideal for eliminating ordinary opponents.


    ¡°Our teams seem to complement each other well,¡± Humphrey observed to his counterpart, Carlos. ¡°Would you be open to further collaboration after this expedition is done?¡±


    ¡°We would,¡± Carlos said, looking surprised. ¡°That¡¯s not an offer we get a lot. We have one of the highest contract clearance rates in Rimaros, with a success percentage to match. Our contracts are looked down on as grunt work by other teams, though.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s teams like yours that do the real work of the Adventure Society,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You and your team are the truest adventurers of all of us.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Carlos said.


    ¡°He means it, too,¡± Jason said through voice chat, listening in as he scouted ahead.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Neil agreed. ¡°Humphrey is cloyingly earnest.¡±


    ¡°Well, I like it,¡± Sophie said, also through voice chat. ¡°He¡¯s not afraid to voice a sincere opinion without coating it in snide, unlike some people.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about me?¡± Neil and Jason asked at the same time.


    ¡°I think she was talking about you,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°No, it was you,¡± Jason retorted. ¡°You¡¯re the one who said something right before. I should have kept my mouth shut.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s been true since the day we met, but even killing you doesn¡¯t get the job done.¡±


    ¡°You might want to tell your team leader to reconsider that collaboration,¡± Belinda confided in Henry, Team Work saw¡¯s big leonid. ¡°We¡¯re not what I¡¯d describe as a professional outfit.¡±


    ¡°Who cares?¡± Henry asked. ¡°You lunatics can portal in all the professionals you like.¡±


    ¡°Are you still going on about that?¡±


    ¡°Your team has three portal powers!¡±


    ¡°Humphrey¡¯s is a teleport. That¡¯s slightly different.¡±


    ¡°Not very.¡±


    ¡°Also, I can copy powers, so I can technically use a portal power as well.¡±


    ¡°I thought you could only do spells,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°My Mirror Magic ability lets me copy other abilities since it hit silver rank.¡±


    ¡°Oh, nice,¡± Neil said. ¡°You¡¯re really getting versatile. Hey, the other team is making those faces again.¡±


    ***


    Ramona was carefully shifting shattered stone with her powers to clear a path.


    "The constructs aren''t coming this way from wherever they''re being made," she complained. "Why don''t we find some intact tunnels."


    "Fila isn''t finding the path the constructs use," Sendira said. "For one thing, we don''t want to be fighting through them to reach wherever the clockwork kings are. For another, they are likely using a convoluted but clear path. Fila is finding us something more direct. Hopefully, that will help us find what we''re looking for and be gone before the adventurers stumble onto it.¡±


    ¡°And all the other teams out there are expendable?¡± Fila asked.


    ¡°Except for the ones who kidnapped Melody¡¯s daughter,¡± Ramona pointed out. ¡°As soon as the grab team had her, Sendira couldn¡¯t activate the beacon fast enough. The members of the grab team that survived, anyway. How many was that, Sendira?¡±


    ¡°We are going to war with the entire world,¡± Sendira said. ¡°Sacrifices will always be necessary and we must be unflinching.¡±


    ¡°And it¡¯s essential for the war that Melody¡¯s daughter be taken? It¡¯s no secret she¡¯s been using the fact that the boy the Builder wants dead is on her daughter¡¯s team to expend precious lives and resources on this.¡±


    ¡°What Melody wants with the target is no concern of yours,¡± Sendira said. ¡°Your place is to obey, not criticise in ignorance.¡±


    Ramona finished clearing the way and they continued on.


    ***


    Jason had been imagining some kind of lighthouse structure, but the beacon was located in a low, flat building remarkable only for being the least-damaged one they had come across. They found a set of large doors, discovering signs of fresh combat inside. Someone had fought their way in, taking out not just regular constructs but also emplaced defences. Giant metal arms, once presumably animate before their destruction, now dangled limply from the walls and ceiling. The damage was consistent with the powers they had seen from the converted, the silver flames they used leaving distinctive scorch patterns.


    ¡°The Purity people fought their way in,¡± Jason observed as the group walked slowly and warily through the mess. ¡°I don¡¯t think the Builder wants his allies here, picking over the bones of his fallen city.¡±


    ¡°That makes their decision to act so openly, this close to Rimaros, all the more curious,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°What¡¯s worth exposing themselves this much?¡±


    ¡°If the Purity loyalists are here to steal,¡± Clive said, ¡°perhaps we should ask our resident thieves for insight. Ladies?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I did the running and punching and climbing up walls. All the planning that took place was Lindy¡¯s doing.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to put everything on me?¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°If I was coming up with the plans, why did I always end up getting chased by dangerous people while you slipped away unnoticed?¡±


    "Soph, you''re a stupidly gorgeous woman with silver hair who kicks people in the face when she gets mildly annoyed. What part of that suggests ''slipping away quietly'' is the approach for you?"


    ¡°You did kick me in the face when we first met,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You made my body wither and rot to the point that an alchemist and a healing priest struggled to keep me alive between them. And that was in a well-stocked alchemy clinic.¡±


    ¡°There were good people on both sides,¡± Jason said, his expression shifty.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to kick you in the face again.¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps we get back to work?¡± Humphrey pointedly suggested. ¡°Belinda, any ideas?¡±

 Chapter 540: Not really a Rules Guy

    Belinda panned her gaze over the broken Builder constructs, destroyed not by adventurers but by the Purity worshippers that were their ostensible allies.


    ¡°I can only guess at what they want,¡± she said. ¡°Whatever they¡¯re after, they think it will be gone if they wait for us to come and go. Something that the Builder doesn¡¯t want them to take or, at least, didn¡¯t give them permission to. It has to be something valuable enough that they¡¯re willing to go against the wishes of what is ¨C to our knowledge ¨C the only ally they have. Valuable enough that they¡¯re willing to risk exposure and significant losses by sending this much of a force this close to Rimaros at the same time as a significant adventurer expedition.¡±


    She paced, absently tapping a finger to her lips as she looked around. The other adventurers remained silent, letting her think. Her eyes settled on the destroyed Builder constructs.


    ¡°Jason,¡± she said. ¡°You told us that those altered Purity slaves had clockwork cores in them, right? The same things the Builder uses to create his minions?¡±


    "That''s right," Jason confirmed. "They''ve somehow erased the Builder''s influence and replaced it with Purity''s, but they have the same origin as the Builder cores."


    Jason¡¯s eyes lit up as he realised what Belinda was thinking.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, sharing a gaze with Belinda. ¡°Oh, I bet that¡¯s it.¡±


    ¡°Care to share with the rest of the group?¡± Neil asked.


    "It''s no secret that the Purity church has as good as declared war on the rest of the world," Jason said. "They''re preparing for a conflict, which means they need soldiers. While you were all operating out of Vitesse, you messed up their summoning of those messengers, but what if that¡¯s only one way they¡¯re bulking out their forces? What if they¡¯re trying to co-opt the Builder¡¯s method of mass-producing troops?¡±


    ¡°By using the modified cores,¡± Clive said. ¡°Is that viable without the Builder¡¯s cooperation? From the look of these destroyed Builder constructs, he and Purity¡¯s unlikely alliance seems to be on the outs.¡±


    ¡°Which is why Purity¡¯s people are willing to take such a big risk here,¡± Belinda said. ¡°We know where clockwork cores come from. The Builder produces them with his clockwork kings,¡± Belinda said, picking up the narrative.


    ¡°And we came to this island to destroy clockwork kings,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Belinda said. ¡°We know that the Purity loyalists here belong to the Order of Setting Fire to Stuff or whatever they¡¯re called. The ones that like to take things they consider unclean and purify them somehow, turning them into tools that they can use for themselves. What if they did that to a clockwork king to get the cores they have now? Maybe the Builder gave them one as part of whatever deal they made in the first place, but now they want to step up production. More clockwork kings means more cores, which means more fire-spitting mind-slaves for the Purity army. But what if the Builder cult won¡¯t hand any more over?¡±


    ¡°Then they come for the ones here,¡± Clive concluded.


    ¡°But why wait until the island is crawling with adventurers to come get them?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°My guess would be they didn¡¯t realise the clockwork kings were here,¡± Jason said. ¡°If the Builder doesn¡¯t want to hand them over, he wouldn¡¯t tell them about it, assuming they even communicate at all anymore. And we have to assume that Purity has spies in Rimaros. They were a major church until just a few years ago; they have to have informants and sympathisers left. Maybe those spies heard about an expedition to wipe out some clockwork kings and that¡¯s when they realised the kings were here for the taking.¡±


    ¡°Which would be why they¡¯re here now,¡± Belinda concluded.


    "We thought this beacon was an escape plan," Humphrey said. "Instead, maybe it''s cover while they try and beat us to the clockwork kings."


    ¡°How would they take them away?¡± Clive asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like the Builder wants to hand them over, so they¡¯re unlikely to go quietly. Clockwork Kings are gold rank.¡±


    ¡°A question for later,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Liara is out of voice chat range at the moment, so let¡¯s get the beacon down so we can fill her in, find our captured people and see about destroying those clockwork kings before Purity''s people get ahold of them."


    ***


    The two teams searched the building for the beacon projecting its disruptive aura across the island. The Purity adherents had trapped the approach but Belinda disabled each one with a running commentary of their ¡°amateurish efforts.¡± As they drew closer to the source of the beacon, the intensity of the aura started to impact the adventurers. They all suffered from aura suppression and were affected by vertigo and headaches. Jason pushed his aura to the limits of his strength, barely managing to shield the others. One of the various traits his soul had picked up through its many traumas was the only reason he was able to resist.


    Title: [Indomitable]


    Your repeated defiance in the face of more powerful enemies and willingness to sacrifice everything for a cause has marked your soul. Your resistance to aura suppression is further enhanced and ignores rank disparity.Your aura signature has changed. Your unwavering resolve floods your aura and can be detected if your aura is examined by an aura sensing power or when projecting your aura. Allies within your aura have increased resistance to aura suppression.


    Jason''s aura was an excellent tool for shielding his allies from aura suppression, but for all that his aura was powerful, its strength was not infinite. Against dozens of converted that could blend their auras into a single force, he barely managed to keep his own aura active. He couldn¡¯t shield his team from the purity-obsessed forces that combined their powers like a white supremacist Captain Planet. Only once enough of them died to diminish their collective aura was he able to push it back.


    The aura produced by the beacon was stronger than a few dozen converted but it wasn¡¯t an actively hostile force. The suppression was only a side effect of their proximity and this time Jason was able to push back enough to shield his allies. It was a borderline thing, though, leaving him able to do little more than walk and concentrate on projecting his aura.


    As their minds cleared, Team Work Saw felt Jason¡¯s aura enveloping them at full force. All of the power and strangeness that he normally kept hidden were on full display and they all turned startled gazes on him. Even Jason¡¯s own team hadn¡¯t felt his aura truly pushed as far as it could go and turned to look at Jason as his face was fixed in a determined grimace as he held off the aura.


    ¡°If we could hurry a little,¡± he said through gritted teeth, ¡°that would be really nice.¡±


    They moved on and tracked the beacon down in short order. It was a magical device similar to an orrery, hanging from the ceiling in a round room. It was made up of crystals linked by rods of brass and silver, with a large central crystal and around twenty more that got smaller the further they were from the middle. The central crystal was the size of a person¡¯s torso while the outer ones were no bigger than a fist. The larger crystals looked like natural formations while the smaller ones had been worked and faceted like gemstones. The crystals were in a variety of colours, from diamond-clear to muddy yellow-brown.


    ¡°Can we just smash it?¡± asked Henry, the leonid from Team Work Saw.


    ¡°We could,¡± Clive said absently as he stood under the device, looking up as his eyes skittered across it. ¡°The resulting magical detonation wouldn¡¯t inflict any physical damage, but it would probably feel like your soul was being plucked out and dropped into lava. It might not drive you insane and cripple your soul as your mind collapsed. Jason would probably be fine.¡±


    ¡°In your own time, Clive,¡± Jason said through gritted teeth. Being right next to the device was straining him to his limits. Clive worked with Belinda to examine the device using a few measurement tools pulled from their inventories.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we can turn it off safely,¡± Clive announced. ¡°It¡¯s running through a cycle and interrupting the cycle wouldn¡¯t be good.¡±


    ¡°How not good?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°We¡¯d basically be back to smashing it,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°How long will this cycle take, then?¡± asked Carlos, the leader of Team Work Saw. He was looking at the struggling Jason.


    ¡°Somewhere between half and a full day,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Minus the time it¡¯s been running already,¡± Belinda added.


    "Bugger that," Jason said. He gestured and a line of darkness appeared on the ground. An archway of dark crystal, sparkling with internal lights. Shadows then filled the arch with star-speckled darkness.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think portals worked with this thing on,¡± Carlos said, gesturing at the orrery.


    ¡°Jason¡¯s not really a rules guy,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Not a portal,¡± Jason said. He making a spreading gesture and the archway grew larger, enough to accommodate the entire crystalline device. ¡°Clive, unbolt that thing from the roof.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s a good idea,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°You know me,¡± Jason grunted. ¡°Bad ideas are kind of my thing.¡±


    Clive looked uncertainly at Humphrey, who shrugged his shoulders.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Clive said. ¡°Lindy, if you would?¡±


    Belinda conjured a pair of socket wrenches on long poles, handing one to Clive. The Orrery was attached to a metal plate that was bolted to the ceiling and they started removing the bolts. Humphrey moved under the device, his strength more than able to take its weight as the plate loosened.


    "Are you sure?" he asked Jason.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason snarled. ¡°Quickly, please.¡±


    Once the device was free of the ceiling entirely, Humphrey lugged it through the archway. As soon as it was gone, the overwhelming aura vanished and Jason dropped to his knees in relief, his own aura fading away. He closed his eyes, wincing for only a moment before wearily getting back to his feet and following Humphrey through the arch.


    ***


    Deep under the ruined city, three servants of Purity had made their way through the city¡¯s even more ruined subterranean infrastructure. They had to fight their way through a few silver-rank Builder constructs as they neared their goal before finally arriving in a vast and startlingly intact chamber. That a space this large and this deep had survived undamaged spoke volumes on the integrity of its construction.


    Most of the city¡¯s underground had been constructed from brick, but this entire chamber was built from dark industrial metals, with heavy bolts and thick reinforcement beams on the walls and floor. The chamber was a combination refinery, forge and manufacturing plant, the size of an indoor arena. The high ceiling was blurred with smoke haze and shadow, with the only light source being the glow of molten metal.


    Industrial silhouettes loomed in the dark, whether the large machinery or the constructs that operated it. These constructs were larger than normal but not of the combat variety. These were utility machines, purely for servicing the operation that had not stopped even after the flying city fell from the sky.


    A few more combat constructs moved to attack Sendira, Fila and Ramona, but there were not that many available. The completed constructs all immediately moved out into the winding network of mostly collapsed tunnels as soon as they were finished. Only a handful of freshly built ones were present, some still glowing with heat from the manufacturing process. The utility machines made no attempt to attack.


    The trio didn¡¯t act personally, allowing the two gold-rank converted with them to handle the constructs. The essence users could sense the presence of three more gold-rank auras on top of the converted; the clockwork kings they had come looking for. The construct kings were themselves utility constructs that, like the others, did not move to attack. They were somewhere off in the dark, unreactive to the presence of the intruders. Two of the auras were distinct and easy to pinpoint, while the other was diffuse and seemed to fill the room.


    Once the gold-rank converted dealt with the combat constructs, Sendira launched a glowing projectile into the air that flared into a bright light just before it would have struck the ceiling. Motes of light burst out, then started drifting around the room, illuminating everything.


    They immediately spotted two clockwork kings, having known where to look from their auras. They looked like clockwork skeletons, twice the size of a human, semi-covered in metal panels that only partly covered their internal mechanisms. Everything else in the room, from the walls to the vats of molten steel to the constructs it created, was crude and industrial in design. The clockwork kings, however, were works of art. Their metal panels were lacquered in white and decorated with brass embellishments. The internal mechanisms showing beneath were intricately crafted like the inside of a pocket watch.


    Each construct king had four arms, all of which ended in what were similar to hands but with many more fingers, each with many points of articulation. They were too delicate to be designed for fighting, although they would be dangerous to anyone below their rank if put to violent purpose. All the arms were busily assembling devices that looked tiny in the hands of the large kings. The components were being plucked from within the kings'' own bodies; delicate pieces that were set together with swift but absolute precision.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the third one?¡± Ramona asked, looking around. Now that there was light, she and her companions could see the room clearly.


    ¡°There,¡± Fila pointed. The others looked and saw the arms of a construct king, but while they were moving around, they were not attached to the rest of the king but an incongruously crude piece of industrial machinery. They quickly realised that the reason the construct king¡¯s aura was so scattered was that so was the king itself; without apparently impairing its function, the king had been disassembled and integrated into the infrastructure of the facility.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Sendira said. ¡°We¡¯ll take the intact ones and the Adventure Society can destroy the other, happy that they¡¯ve shut down the production.¡±


    ¡°And how are we going to take the intact ones?¡± Fila asked. ¡°They¡¯re docile now, but will they come quietly?¡±


    ¡°They will,¡± Sendira told her. ¡°When the Builder cult delivered the first construct king to us, they also delivered a device to control it. It was tailored to that king only, but at the same time we purified the king, we purified the device. Now we control all its functions and simply turned the restriction off.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Ramona said. ¡°We should move swiftly, then.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Sendira said. ¡°I will¡­¡±


    Sendira trailed off as the pervasive aura from the beacon they activated was cut off. It had been drenching the island, even into the subterranean depths, but suddenly it vanished.


    ¡°You said that they wouldn¡¯t be able to turn it off,¡± Ramona accused Sendira.


    ¡°They couldn¡¯t,¡± Sendira told her. For the first time since arriving on the island, she showed an expression of uncertainty. ¡°Even if they did find a way to shut it off, the aura would have diminished slowly. And if they¡¯d destroyed the beacon we would have felt an aura pulse that would have broken the minds of anyone too close to it. It shouldn¡¯t be possible to just cut the aura off like that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe they portalled the beacon away,¡± Fila suggested.


    ¡°Portals won¡¯t work even remotely close to the beacon, let alone right on top of it.¡±


    ¡°A storage space?¡± Ramona asked. ¡°Could they stow the beacon away?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Sendira said. ¡°That won¡¯t work for long, though. The beacon will swiftly destroy any kind of dimensional bag they put it in and be excreted from the dimensional space as it breaks down. As for a storage space coming from someone¡¯s abilities, the beacon will have very bad effects on anyone who tries that. It might even kill them if they don¡¯t take it back out.¡±


    Sendira nodded to Ramona.


    ¡°I believe you are correct. Either it¡¯s in a storage space or a dimensional bag, which is the only explanation for the aura just vanishing. It¡¯s unsustainable, however, so the beacon will be active again soon. Until it is, however, our actions will be exposed. The gold-rank adventurers will have sensed our auras and know our location. We need to move quickly.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure the beacon will come back?¡± Fila asked. ¡°Escaping the island won¡¯t be easy without the cover of the beacon.¡±


    ¡°Of course it will,¡± Sendira said. ¡°Anything capable of containing that beacon would have to possess inconceivable power.¡±

 Chapter 541: A Comparison He Could Avoid

    The moment Humphrey appeared in Jason¡¯s spirit realm, he lost the protection of Jason¡¯s aura. The artificial aura of the beacon wasn''t attacking him, but being so close to its source was like his soul being dangled upside down in a raging river full of razor blades. He dropped the beacon, staggering as he pushed his own aura out to resist, but the extremely powerful, gold-rank device was too strong and too close.


    He took one unsteady step and then another. He was stumbling, which should have been quick yet it felt like minutes passed between each one as his soul was scoured. Then another aura surged, pushing back the beacon''s aura. It was Jason''s aura yet somehow also not, coming not from a person but everywhere around him. Exhausted, Humphrey shakily walked across the gravel path of which he found himself and collapsed onto the nearby grass.


    He had arrived at the outer reaches of Jason¡¯s spirit domain, emerging from an archway in the high, dark wall. A wide gravel path ran alongside the wall, with gardens on the other side of the path. Humphrey had fallen into a grassy strip between a winding path lined with blood-red flowers and a garden bed of black and white flowers. After sprawling out on his back, he stared up at the blue sky until Jason walked over to loom over him.


    ¡°I¡¯m alright,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I know.¡±


    Jason seemed different from normal, which Humphrey had noticed he sometimes was in the strange realm. His usual frivolity was damped down and his presence became more imposing. Humphrey took the offered hand of his stern-faced friend, who pulled him to his feet.


    ¡°How long was it before you can in?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Just a few seconds,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It felt longer. I¡¯m exhausted.¡±


    ¡°When your soul is in the wringer, the passage of time gets very hard to track accurately.¡±


    ¡°I guess you¡¯d know,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Not the most pleasant specialty knowledge to have.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason agreed.


    Unlike in the outside where Jason had strained himself to shield the group, he now showed no trace of effort. The aura still protecting Humphrey came from the realm around him, yet it was definitely Jason''s aura. Or a more powerful version of it, which was an intimidating concept. The pair looked at the beacon, still where Humphrey had dropped it. It was similar to an orrery, with various crystals connected via metal rods. Humphrey dropping it had inflicted no damage, nor had the fall impeded its operation. Humphrey could faintly sense the aura it was producing, thrashing against the aura suppressing it like a frenzied animal in a cage.


    ¡°It¡¯s powerful,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Can this place contain it safely?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s powerful on the outside,¡± Jason said. ¡°In here, it¡¯s nothing.¡±


    Humphrey felt an oppressive power and looked turned to look behind them. In the far-off centre of the realm loomed the ominous dark tower. In the air above the tower was the nebula eye; a monumental replica of the eye of Jason¡¯s familiar. As well as Jason¡¯s  own eyes.


    In Jason¡¯s otherworldly realm it was hard to judge distance, or perhaps distance was not the same fixed constant it was outside. The tower was unquestionably far away and the eye was directly above it, yet Humphrey was filled with certainty that the eye was somehow much closer. Despite the amorphous nature of it, being an eye-shaped cloud, Humphrey could tell that it was looking directly at the beacon.


    An aura pressed down from the eye onto the device, Humphrey feeling only peripheral contact with the eye¡¯s projected aura. Like the aura shielding him, it was Jason''s aura but also not. This one was even more powerful, being far more vast and mysterious. Observing the aura projected by the eye was like looking into the water from a boat and glimpsing a fraction of a leviathan whose true vastness remained hidden in the depths.


    The impact of the eye''s aura on that of the beacon was immediate. Like a clockmaker disassembling a timepiece, the eye started taking the aura apart. One of the small outer crystals exploded, throwing out tiny shards. Most aura interactions were invisible, but with the explosion of the crystal, the beacon¡¯s aura started spilling into the visible spectrum. White lights started popping like fireworks over the beacon, then blue and orange light appeared as well. This was the aura of the eye rendered visible; a devouring cloud consuming the white lights. The white lights were broken into rainbow colours, as if refracting through a crystal, before vanishing.


    More crystals exploded, producing more and more of the white lights, yet the blue and orange cloud had no trouble consuming them all. With every light that was turned into a rainbow before vanishing, the aura of the beacon grew weaker.


    "What''s going on in there?" Sophie''s voice came through Jason''s party interface.


    ¡°We¡¯re handling with the beacon,¡± Jason said. ¡°Stay out there. We¡¯ll come out when it¡¯s dealt with.¡±


    ¡°Voice chat works in here?¡± Humphrey asked.


    "It''s something I''ve been working on," Jason explained as they continued to watch the beacon''s aura being devoured. "I''ve seen a lot of astral spaces, astral proto-spaces and the transformation zones I told you about. Most of them block any form of communication, be that my party interface or even Shade communicating with his own bodies. Some allow it, though, and I''ve been unravelling the process by which that works. It¡¯s less a matter of power and more about understanding, although a certain threshold of power is necessary.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you can use your party interface across dimensional boundaries?¡±


    ¡°Only with my spirit realm,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m looking to expand the utility going forward but I still have a lot to learn about astral magic.¡±


    They continued to watch, Humphrey growing more uneasy at the concept of auras having component pieces. The potential revelations of what that meant for the soul were troubling.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a real aura,¡± Jason said, despite Humphrey not asking. ¡°False auras, like the motive spirit of a monster or a false aura from devices like this are actually magical projections, not soul projections. The most powerful being in the cosmos couldn¡¯t take apart your aura like this unless you were stupid enough to let them into your soul where they could strip-mine it.¡±


    As they watched, the larger and more central crystals were exploding. The cloud continued to consume the resulting lights. Finally, the large central crystal erupted into fragmented shards, many of which were flung in the direction of Jason and Humphrey. Humphrey conjured his dragon wings to shield them but the fragments stopped in the air as if they had struck an invisible gelatin wall and become embedded. They drifted back and fell onto the gravel, becoming inert.


    Finally, all that remained of the beacon was the brass and silver rods that had connected the now-annihilated crystals, along with shard piles that had once been the crystals. Jason looked at them and the shards and rods all started to melt. Once they were nothing more than liquid pooled on the gravel, they seeped into the ground like water into dry earth.


    Jason was looking at the spot the beacon had been with a grim frown.


    ¡°Jason, is everything alright?¡±


    Jason looked up absently, distracted from his thoughts.


    ¡°Hmm? Oh, yeah. No worries, mate. You should be able to contact Liara, now.¡±


    Humphrey did just that, quickly briefing the expedition leader. He glossed over the details of the beacon¡¯s destruction and focused on the group¡¯s postulation that the Purity worshippers were likely after the clockwork kings. Liara thanked Humphrey, directing their group to join the search for the missing adventurers, for which Jason''s expansive aura should be helpful.


    ¡°We should go and regroup with the others and get moving,¡± Humphrey told Jason. Jason nodded, still looking distracted.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright, Jason?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°It would make sense if destroying that thing exhausted you. We can stop to rest if you need it.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t much of an effort.¡±


    ¡°It did seem easy enough,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°if you don¡¯t mind, though, I could use a rest myself. It was only a couple of seconds, but being in that thing¡¯s aura felt like much longer.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Jason turned to gesture at a simple park bench that definitely hadn¡¯t been there before. He and Humphrey sat, Humphrey looking at his friend with concern. Jason was different in this place. The vast and powerful aura permeating it wasn¡¯t Jason¡¯s exactly but it also was. His aura power, Hegemon, always felt imposing when evoked; a sense that had only grown as Jason¡¯s soul went through change after change.


    Humphrey¡¯s aura was likewise domineering, but his was the aura of a dragon: the natural ruler of wherever he happened to be standing. Jason¡¯s was more like a celestial law. His aura power came from the sin essence and, when projected, made the people within it feel as if Jason himself was the arbiter of right and wrong. The power of his aura essence reflected this, imposing a sin affliction on anyone that attacked Jason or his allies. To act against Jason within his domain was a sin and was punished accordingly. The sin afflictions that his aura power inflicted could not be resisted.


    When Jason was just another silver ranker, even with his aura possessing the strength it did, that was one thing. But in this place, Jason felt like a god. Even if the power felt nothing but benevolent to them, it left the team with a sense of unease each time they experienced it. The comparison to divinity was one Humphrey had subconsciously avoided, despite the obviousness of it, but it was no longer a comparison he could avoid. The beacon had been a gold-rank artefact, and not a lesser one. Jason¡¯s power in this realm was extremely abnormal.


    Humphrey looked around at the spirit realm before his gaze settled on the giant eye above the tower. It looked no different than it had before, yet Humphrey felt certain it was no longer looking in their direction. Unlike Clive, Humphrey had never discussed with Jason the nature of the spirit realm after realising it was no ordinary dimensional realm power.


    ¡°Jason, that thing was far too powerful to just destroy safely.¡±


    "Yes."


    ¡°But not here.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    "What is this place?"


    Jason looked at Humphrey for a long moment, then nodded to himself.


    ¡°It¡¯s a combination of factors,¡± Jason said. ¡°It started out as a power evolution for my storage space that created a realm where only myself and my familiars could enter. Then, after my body and soul went from dual-natured to a gestalt, the now physical nature of my soul changed it. Other people could enter. Under certain conditions.¡±


    ¡°Conditions?¡±


    ¡°Other people¡¯s souls will instinctively recognise the power I will have over them here. Unless they trust me completely, they¡¯ll be boxed out. Even if they want to risk it, their souls won¡¯t let them. They can¡¯t be forced in, even by themselves, any more than they can be into a hostile portal.¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s eyes went wide as an important puzzle piece fell into place.


    ¡°That was why you were so emotional after we came here,¡± he said. ¡°And why you waited so long to show us. We¡¯d been wondering.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°There¡¯s another factor,¡± Jason said. ¡°The ability evolved a second time.¡±


    ¡°Like mine.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Jason said. ¡°You came by your second evolution honestly. Mine was triggered by significant external forces.¡±


    ¡°What kind of forces?¡±


    "I was more or less using my soul as a lever to force a gap in reality shut. I was in a place where reality was so in flux that it altered me to make that possible. It was a side effect that let me do¡­ certain things.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t tell me?¡±


    ¡°Probably best if I didn¡¯t. The practical effects are that it increases my power and presence in places that are connected to my soul.¡±


    ¡°Like the cloud house,¡± Humphrey realised. ¡°It¡¯s why it always feels like you¡¯re there.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said, then a mischievous smile teased at his lips. ¡°I¡¯ve done my best to tamp that down while you and Sophie are sharing private moments.¡±


    Humphrey went stiff but was happy at the same time to see Jason''s face return from sombre to its normal impishness.


    ¡°So, this place is connected to your soul?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Is that how you¡¯re so powerful here?¡±


    ¡°This is my soul,¡± Jason said. ¡°I am all-powerful, here. Since I gained my spirit domain power ¨C which I¡¯ll ask you not to talk about outside of here or the cloud house ¨C I don¡¯t think anything could harm me here.¡±


    ¡°This is your soul? We¡¯re inside your soul right now?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Humphrey felt like he should be incredulous but it instead made complete sense. Suddenly the strange feeling he had every time he came into Jason¡¯s spirit realm made much more sense.


    ¡°You said you¡¯re all-powerful, here? That¡¯s how you destroyed the beacon?¡±


    ¡°When others first became able to enter, I didn¡¯t have the spirit domain power and was only bronze rank. Dawn speculated that a diamond-ranker might be able to resist my influence, here. Now, I don¡¯t think anything can. I¡¯m pretty sure that if anyone tries to implant a star seed in me now, I can just let them and annihilate the thing once it¡¯s here. Maybe even wipe the owner¡¯s control and absorb it for my own use.¡±


    "The way you did with that bridge and door you told us about."


    ¡°Yes. I tried to do something similar with this beacon but it was too weak and crude to endure the process. It didn¡¯t maintain enough integrity to be absorbed as it broke down.¡±


    ¡°So, now you have leftover bits of beacon in your soul? Is there a magic mop for that?¡±


    Jason burst into a laugh.


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to worry about the residue affecting me. This place will digest it like food to strengthen my spiritual defences.¡±


    Humphrey looked at his friend, remembering the carefree man he met in a waiting room of the Greenstone Adventure Society. Jason¡¯s smile was still there but there was a heaviness to it. The smile was genuine but Humphrey didn¡¯t think Jason would ever have the lightness of the past.


    "We all take on burdens as we go through life," Jason said. "It gets heavier for everyone."


    ¡°Can you read my mind, here?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can read your face. You should avoid playing cards for money.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what Belinda told me.¡±


    ¡°She took all your money?¡±


    ¡°Sophie made her stop. Eventually.¡±


    ¡°Are you two coming back out?¡± Sophie asked through voice chat. ¡°Didn¡¯t Liara tell us to get moving? I¡¯m starting to get a little jealous.¡±


    Humphrey frowned at Jason in confusion. ¡°Jealous?¡±


    ¡°She sees the chemistry,¡± Jason said, pointing back and forth between himself and Humphrey. ¡°I¡¯d totally ship us.¡±


    ¡°What does a boat have to do with it?¡±


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°Oh, Hump.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me Hump.¡±

 Chapter 542: Portal Logistics

    Suffering the full effects of the aura beacon for only a few moments had left Humphrey spiritually exhausted, but by the time he finished talking with Jason, he was ready to get back into action. While Humphrey knew his silver-rank recovery attribute was part of his rapid restoration, he suspected that Jason¡¯s spirit realm was also somehow contributing.


    Translating the power and potential that every soul contained was the entire purpose of absorbing essences and advancing through the ranks. In Jason¡¯s spirit realm, however, there was no need for translation; Jason had the power on tap. Humphrey guessed that Jason utilised some of that power to help him, but he didn¡¯t ask if that was the case. Given that they were inside Jason¡¯s soul, the intimacy and trust of that act left Humphrey unsure if he¡¯d be disappointed to just be imagining it.


    As soon as Humphrey and Jason stepped out of the spirit realm, Jason spread his aura out to its fullest extent. He sensed the expedition¡¯s gold-rankers doing the same, searching for the captured adventurers. They were also looking for the Purity loyalists who they suspected to be going for the clockwork kings, meaning they were likely underground already.


    Jason had a variety of voice chat options and he opened a private channel for himself and the gold-rankers, Jana and Liara. They had the strongest aura senses by far and could coordinate their searches.


    ¡°I¡¯m sensing something underground,¡± Liara said. ¡°It¡¯s muffled but that makes sense. If the clockwork kings weren¡¯t shielded from aura detection somehow, they would have been found in earlier sweeps of the island.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not picking up any auras I recognise from the expedition members,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I¡¯ve touched on what I think might be a suppressed aura. It would make sense that they¡¯re using suppression collars.¡±


    ¡°You can sense suppressed auras?¡± Jana asked.


    ¡°Dealing with aura suppression is kind of my thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m only sensing one suppressed aura, though. It''s possible that they split up the prisoners.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± Liara said. ¡°The battle became very spread out and a handful of Purity worshippers managed to escape with captives. It makes sense that they scattered.¡±


    ¡°As I said, I¡¯m only picking up on one aura,¡± Jason told her. ¡°The others are too far for my senses to pick up or dead. They may have already escaped the island. That one suppressed aura is moving in the direction of the shore.¡±


    ¡°It looks like those vehicles they arrived in left while the beacon was active,¡± Liara said. ¡°The scout teams watching the island managed to capture one of them but the rest slipped away. They¡¯re almost impossible to detect while under the water. They will likely return just long enough to extract their people.¡±


    Switching from the private channel to the team leader channel, Liara directed Jason¡¯s group to intercept the potential captive he had sensed. She would take a group and look for a path into the underground while Jana was in charge of searching for the remaining captives.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Those people you sensed. They¡¯re heading for the shore?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°Probably going to meet one of their magic submarines.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s see if we can¡¯t get ahead of them, then.¡±


    ¡°No worries.¡±


    While portals were considered the most useful of all utility powers, the logistics of their use had always posed issues for adventurers. Along with range, portals had two critical limitations, the first of which was the need to have been to a portal destination. The other issue was the number and power of people who could use them. Jason was able to portal five silver-rankers and Clive four, while Humphrey could teleport up to three people in addition to himself. Fortunately, familiars didn¡¯t add to that burden.


    Jason knew that his spiritual realm wasn''t a workaround, as the people hidden away in his soul still consumed the portal''s energy. With his full team in there, his portal would fail as soon as he tried to step through it.


    Humphrey and Clive had developed routines to work around these limitations, incorporating Jason after they were reunited. Until they further ranked up their powers they had to be creative with their portal logistics. Fortunately, their team had the unusual advantage of multiple abilities, allowing them to go through a process that was a little complicated but got the job done.


    It started with Clive entering Jason¡¯s spirit realm. Belinda went with him, although only Clive was essential. Humphrey and Jason then flew into the air; Humphrey with draconic wings and Jason on wings of night. From the air, they had a better perspective on the island than even the tallest building offered. Their silver-rank visual acuity was excellent but not telescopic, so Humphrey pulled out a non-magical telescope.


    This was a trick that Humphrey had picked up from Jason for extending the line-of-sight range of short-range teleportation, which had no cooldown. Humphrey picked out a spot in the direction Jason pointed and teleported himself and Jason there. With Clive and Belinda in Jason realm, that was Humphrey¡¯s full capacity.


    Clive and Belinda emerged at their destination, which was the top of a building overlooking the walls around the edge of the city. Clive and Jason both opened portals to the place they had just left the group, allowing the rest to come through with capacity for one person to spare.


    Much of the city wall had collapsed, giving access to the water via piles of rubble making rough ramps. Humphrey had chosen the spot because a relatively convenient water access point was nearby, making it a likely rendezvous point for the enemy with their transport.


    Jason had already withdrawn his aura before being teleported. With his broad search, there was no question that their quarry had sensed his attentions but there was no need to advertise the fact that they had moved into the path of the enemy. It wouldn''t be hard to sense their group, but they didn''t want to alert the Purity worshippers too early. The others all retracted their auras as well, but they were not stealth specialists and would only remain hidden outside a certain range.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go scout them out,¡± Jason said. By reducing the range of his own senses he would be able to track the enemy without being noticed himself unless they had their own aura-strength anomaly like Jason.


    ***


    The two silver-rank members of the Order of Redeeming Light, Rhett and Jaime, were frogmarching their collared, gagged and hooded prisoner through the sloped and broken streets. Moving with the prisoner had slowed them down and when the beacon coverage dropped they hadn¡¯t yet escaped the island.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you, Sendira is using us as decoys,¡± Jaime said. ¡°We got screwed going along with this.¡±


    ¡°You think I don¡¯t know?¡± Rhett asked.


    ¡°She was lying to our faces.¡±


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter. We¡¯re in it, now. All we can do is ride it out to the end.¡±


    ¡°At least take the hood off the prisoner. We¡¯ll move faster if he¡¯s not stumbling along the whole time.¡±


    ¡°She said to keep the hood on.¡±


    ¡°Because she wants us to get caught. The idea is that when something goes wrong because she didn¡¯t think it through, it all comes down on our heads. The transport might not even be waiting for us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s unfortunate,¡± a voice said from behind them and they both whirled around. A man was standing only a few metres from them, having gotten closer than should have been possible. He wore blood-red combat robes and a cloak so dark it seemed less like fabric than a void wrapped around him. Inside the deep hood was a pair of strange eyes eerily watching them.


    They couldn¡¯t sense any aura from the man. Their eyes told them he was real but their other senses said he was not, leading to an unnerving dissonance. They couldn¡¯t even smell him, which their silver-rank olfactory senses certainly should have. There were several potential reasons for the disconnect. One was a stealth specialist while another was a projected illusion. Then there was the worst-case scenario.


    ¡°I¡¯m not a gold-ranker,¡± Jason assured them. ¡°My name is Jason Asano.¡±


    The two Purity worshippers stirred.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one the Builder wants dead,¡± Jaime said. ¡°We were told you were on the island.¡±


    ¡°We were told to kill you if we got the chance,¡± Rhett added.


    ¡°Here you are, then,¡± Jason. ¡°It¡¯s your lucky day.¡±


    Jaime and Rhett shared a look, both of their expressions flashing uncertainty.


    ¡°Why does the Builder want to kill you?¡±


    ¡°He tried to take my soul one time, so I took this astral space of his. Well, someone else took it first and I stopped him from taking it back. It¡¯s all a bit complicated. That¡¯s even before the magic door I stole, which is a whole other thing. Are you blokes familiar with multiverse theory?¡±


    Jason pushed the hood back off his head, revealing his face.


    ¡°Look,¡± he told them. ¡°We could fight. I¡¯m pretty sure that would go badly for you, but you have a hostage, so who knows? But you seem like good, clean-living blokes. Maybe we could make a deal.¡±


    ¡°What kind of deal?¡± Rhett asked.


    Jaime turned to glare at him.


    ¡°What?¡± Rhett asked. ¡°We should at least hear him out.¡±


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Jaime said.


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re part of the church of Purity.¡±


    ¡°And whose fault is that?¡± Rhett asked. ¡°Hey, Rhett, let''s give up the amphora business and join the church of religious crackpottery.¡±


    ¡°That is not how I described it.¡±


    ¡°Well, you should have.¡±


    ¡°I know that now. But we¡¯re in it, and this guy is definitely not pure.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t care. Do you want to fight him? I¡¯m willing to bet he has a half-dozen friends stashed nearby, too.¡±


    ¡°Then why would he make a deal?¡±


    ¡°Maybe he finds us intimidating.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I bet spooky blood-robe guy finds us terrifying.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe if someone let me wear my pointy hat.¡±


    ¡°That hat is not intimidating.¡±


    ¡°It is so. And it¡¯s magical.¡±


    ¡°It stores beverages!¡±


    ¡°Well, he didn¡¯t know that!¡± Rhett said, gesturing at Jason. That was when they realised that Jason was no longer there.


    ¡°Where did he go?¡±


    They looked around and realised that not only had Jason vanished while they were arguing, but so had their prisoner.


    ¡°How did he do that?¡±


    ***


    ¡°The tricky part was some very delicate aura suppression to see if I could gradually remove the prisoner from their perception without them noticing while they were distracted,¡± Jason said.


    The prisoner, de-hooded and ungagged, was being treated by Neil.


    ¡°And you just let them go?¡± Sophie asked Jason.


    ¡°I bet you left something behind, though, didn¡¯t you?¡± Belinda asked.


    Jason flashed a grin.


    ¡°There¡¯s a pretty good chance someone will spot the Shade bodies in their shadows, but they don¡¯t have any gold-rankers. We might be able to learn something useful before that point.¡±


    ¡°You aren''t worried about your familiar being caught?¡± asked Carlos, the leader of the other adventuring team.


    ¡°One of the most valuable aspects of my excess bodies is that they are quite expendable,¡± Shade said, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°The ability to send them into dangerous places is quite valuable.¡±


    ¡°I made the mistake of not using Shade to scout the dangerous places in the past,¡± Jason explained. ¡°When Shade and I had only just started working together, me and the team found ourselves standing over what we later discovered was a massive hidden base for the Purity church and the Builder cult. I let myself be talked out of scouting it out and didn¡¯t understand the extend of Shade¡¯s remarkable abilities yet. I don¡¯t want to make that mistake again.¡±


    ***


    In the depths under the city, Sendira, Fila and Ramona were in the massive forge room. In front of them was a pair of subdued clockwork kings, the device Sendira brought to control them having worked precisely as intended.


    ¡°What now?¡± Ramona asked. ¡°The aura shielding on this chamber is probably damaged and not fully hiding us. Even if it is, the gold-rankers will sense us the moment we leave it. They have to be looking, now the beacon is down.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sendira agreed. ¡°The likelihood of their having realised our objective is high.¡±


    ¡°Even if Ramona digs us a path out that the adventurers can¡¯t follow,¡± Fila said, ¡°our chances of escaping this island with gold-rankers coming after us are as good as nil. What great plan does Melody have for getting us out of here? Or didn¡¯t she think things through this far?¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact,¡± Sendira said, ¡°she did.¡±


    Sendira led them to the chamber doors and outside the aura shielding the room provided. The clockwork kings lumbered behind them. In the hallway outside, Sendira took out a small magical object; a silver pyramid small enough to rest in her hand. She set it on the ground and twisted the top of the pyramid to remove it. Inside was a crystal that started glowing silver-blue when Sendira touched a finger to it.


    As Sendira replaced the cap over the crystal, a powerful false aura was projected from the pyramid. The aura beacon was nothing like the one that had blanketed the island, being far less powerful and not disrupting other auras.


    ¡°Great,¡± Ramona said. ¡°Your plan is to make it easier for the gold-ranker to find us.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Fila said, looking at the device. ¡°I know what that is.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ramona asked.


    ¡°It''s a portal beacon,¡± Fila said. ¡°All portal abilities have different secondary effects. Some can target portals in places they''ve never been, so long as there is an aura-based target marker to home in on.¡±


    ¡°The only portal user we have in our branch of the order can''t do that,¡± Ramona pointed out. ¡°We also don''t have a gold-ranker strong enough to portal these clockwork kings.¡±


    A portal flared into being and Sendira ordered the clockwork kings to move through it.


    ¡°Fortunately,¡± Sendira said, ¡°Melody is not as short-sighted as you.¡±

 Chapter 543: It Won’t Be a Good Reason

    The Sea of Storms has no shortage of small, uninhabited islands. One such island was a small scrap of land that was periodically scoured by the magical storms that passed through the region, striping the land bare except for a gully where hardy magical plants had managed to hold on.


    The plant life that survived was not particularly exceptional. Examples of all of it could be found throughout the Sea of Storms, frequently being cultivated in specialty farms. What it did do, though, in the jungle-filled gully on the otherwise barren island, was make anything going on inside very difficult to detect. When operating anywhere even remotely close to Rimaros, this was a valuable asset. The senses of gold rankers were bad enough, but with diamond-rankers active, any slip could be costly.


    Three people were standing in the gully, one of which was a gold-ranker, Esteban Galo. The others were Melody and Laront, the leadership of the Order of redeeming Light¡¯s Sea of Storms contingent.


    ¡°Your name is Laront and his name is Laurent?¡± Galo asked. ¡°I can see that becoming confusing.¡±


    ¡°Best he¡¯s not here, then,¡± Melody said.


    ¡°His real name isn¡¯t Laurent; he chose that to annoy me,¡± Laront told him. ¡°He wasn¡¯t fool enough to use my actual name, but it¡¯s close enough. Just call him Killian or, better yet, make this the end of your dealings with him. He has a habit of using, exploiting and betraying the people he works with or for.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you work with him?¡±


    ¡°Because he is my brother.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a human and he¡¯s an elf.¡±


    ¡°My father was an elf and my mother a human. The church of Fertility allowed them to have children and I was fortunate enough that my father¡¯s impurity was purged to produce me. They went in the other direction for my brother, with predictable results.¡±


    ¡°I thought he looked like that because of some power he had. You¡¯re saying it¡¯s because he¡¯s an elf?¡±


    ¡°Killian¡¯s failings are many and they are painted on his face,¡± Laront said. ¡°Where is he, now?¡±


    ¡°Early in the monster surge, something spooked him enough that he paid very well to leave the Sea of Storms. He specifically asked me not to tell you where and, since he¡¯s the one paying for this, I won¡¯t.¡±


    Laront nodded.


    ¡°He always had a knack for finding what fed specific appetites,¡± Laront mused, triggering a flash of unhappiness on Galo¡¯s expression.


    ¡°My apologies,¡± Laront said. ¡°I meant no offence.¡±


    ¡°I just want it done,¡± Galo said. ¡°The Adventure Society has every portal specialist on a tight leash, so it took considerable concessions to make this possible.¡±


    Melody and Laront shared a wary look. An unhappy gold-ranker could go very poorly for them. Gold-rankers weren¡¯t used to having their activities monitored, let alone controlled. There were exceptions, such as the Sapphire Crown guild that worked directly for the royal family, but even their gold-rankers were used to a rich amount of liberty. Even in a monster surge, gold-rankers were rarely impinged upon as they were leaders who themselves knew best how to contribute. There were some abilities, however, that were too useful to not make the most efficient use of during a monster surge. Portal powers were at the top of that list.


    The logistical issues that made portals trouble for teams like Jason¡¯s meant that gold-rank portal users were at an absolute premium. Monster surges meant that rapid deployment of forces was frequently critical, allowing entire silver-rank expeditions to be deployed at need. Compared to that, a silver-rank portal user could only deploy bronze-rankers in force, frequently unable to portal even their own teams in their entirety.


    Silver-rankers who didn¡¯t have portal abilities close to reaching gold were more frequently employed to deliver critical resources. This was especially true for those who, like Jason and Clive, also had storage powers. While dimensional bags generally didn¡¯t count against portal capacity, too many of them passing through could sometimes destabilise a portal.


    The two Purity worshippers were fully aware that Galo was not exaggerating his difficulties. Not only did he need to carve out the time to help them but also do so without anyone tracking his activities. Doing all that for members of their church was a significant risk for him, which spoke to just what Killian had offered the man for his service.


    Laront had no idea what price his brother had paid to convince Galo to aid the church of Purity. He only knew what Killian had asked of Laront in return for doing so; a price that came as a surprise. Laront and Melody were ambivalent about the Builder¡¯s desire to have Asano killed, but Laront¡¯s brother wanting the same thing was a different matter.


    The alliance with the Builder was rapidly coming apart, with neither side showing any particular malice or care. While the monster surge had already gone longer than some and showed little sign of abating, it would continue only for a handful of weeks more, perhaps a couple of months at most. With that the Builder forces would retreat to the astral, having plundered what they could over the course of their invasion.


    At that point, the Builder¡¯s interest in Pallimustus would be over while the god of Purity¡¯s preparations would finally come into the light. The aftermath of the combined monster surge and Builder invasion would see Pallimustus at its weakest, which would be Purity¡¯s time to rise.


    The Builder cult likewise had little more use for the Purity worshippers. If they managed to kill Asano, that was all well and good. If not, Purity¡¯s worshippers taking the clockwork kings was already the greater transgression. It would be far from the first time one had taken from the other, going back to the Builder¡¯s own attempts to kill Jason.


    An entire contingent of Purity priests had been defiled by clockwork cores, turning them into converted. It wasn¡¯t even the only instance of the Builder using his allies in this way. The cannibalistic nature of Purity and the Builder¡¯s alliance was why Melody had not hesitated to seize the clockwork kings.


    Compared to the Builder¡¯s absent ire, the ill-will of Killian or the gold-ranker they were dealing with would be a more pointed threat. Killian might only be silver rank, but the way he wormed into the grimiest corners made him a nebulous threat if he turned on them ¨C which he certainly would, should it benefited him. Unfortunately, Laront had needed those connections.


    Oddly, Galo was the lesser threat. They were less concerned with his gold-rank power than with what he would tell the authorities if connected to the order. Galo¡¯s necessity to reliably extracting the clockwork king¡¯s had forced Melody and Laront to let him see more of their operation than they liked. Nonetheless, they had taken what precautions they were able to.


    They were not foolish enough to fully expose themselves. Their current location was part of their diligence in containing information. Even what members of the order knew was carefully controlled. That had led to an amount of dissatisfaction with the current leadership, but that was an issue Melody had been working on for some time. The operation on the island that was once the Builder''s flying city was the culmination of those efforts.


    Melody and Laront both felt relief when the aura beacon signal in Galo¡¯s hand started glowing and he opened a portal. Two clockwork kings duck through it, followed by Sendira, Fila and Ramona.


    ¡°Who is this?¡± Ramona demanded, looking at Galo. He focused his gaze and gold rank aura on her and she wilted. Laront handed him an envelope and he walked away, toward one end of the gully. Melody led the others in the opposite direction.


    ***


    One of Shade''s bodies was able to navigate the underground much better than Jason, his insubstantial form easily circumventing obstructions. He eventually arrived outside the forge chamber and Jason shadow-jumped through him. Shade vanished into Jason''s shadow as he walked into the chamber. Liara was already inside, looking around at the operations that carried on, uncaring of the intruder¡¯s presence. Jason walked up to stand beside her.


    ¡°The other prisoner freed herself?¡± Liara asked. The aura blocking of the chamber made Jason¡¯s communication power spotty, so Liara only had the basics of the ongoing operation.


    ¡°The Purity worshippers who took her were badly injured when they got away,¡± Jason told her. ¡°Some constructs stumbled onto them while they were waiting to rendezvous with one of their extraction vehicles and she got away while they were fighting. She managed to get the hood off her head but she was still collared. All she could do was run until Jana found her.¡±


    ¡°And no sign of the other one?¡±


    ¡°Actually, one of the teams has a good tracker. He was able to find where they boarded one of their vessels. Signs are that he was still alive at the time.¡±


    ¡°Which of the prisoners was it?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°Gibson Amouz.¡±


    ¡°Dammit. That¡¯s my husband¡¯s cousin. He¡¯s capable enough but has something of a courage problem. His father has been pushing him during the monster surge to toughen him up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I¡¯d be happy, whoever it was. The thing I wanted above all else was to not lose anyone.¡±


    ¡°They want him alive for a reason. It won¡¯t be a good reason, but it¡¯s better than dead.¡±


    ¡°And if they do whatever it is they do to purify things to him?¡±


    ¡°Then he¡¯ll be properly messed up,¡± Jason said. ¡°But you can come back from properly messed up. There¡¯s a guy in our group, Carlos. He¡¯s leader of the other team you paired us with, but he got me thinking about another Carlos I know. He¡¯s a priest of the Healer that specialises in soul damage. Works with people who had star seeds shoved into them. He helped dig me out of the kind of hole not everyone escapes, even though I was kind of a prick to him. If there¡¯s a way back from whatever the Order of the Redeeming Light does to people, someone like him either knows it or is our best chance at figuring it out.¡±


    Liara turned her gaze from the industrial processes still working to produce constructs and looked at Jason. After a moment, she nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll look into that,¡± she said.


    ¡°So, what about all this, then?¡± Jason asked, gesturing broadly at the room around them. ¡°You want me to do the trashing? I have a familiar with resonating force beams that''ll slice this place up like baklava. I¡¯d appreciate you handling the clockwork king if it pulls itself together, though. It looks like they used it for parts, but its aura is still intact, if a bit all over the place.¡±


    ¡°The Magic Society will want to study this place and the clockwork king.¡±


    ¡°I say we trash it anyway. They won¡¯t research anything in here fast enough to help before the Builder conflict comes to an end. The Builder is done in the Storm Kingdom anyway, making this place a horror factory that some prick will want to exploit. Let¡¯s destroy it and go work on getting your cousin-in-law back¡±


    Liara stared at the room for a long moment before nodding.


    ***


    Another uninhabited island in the Sea of Storms was an unremarkable mountain jutting out of the water, little more than a rocky hill. Beneath the surface of the water, however, was a submerged tunnel leading into a complex hollowed out of the mountain. The interior proved that the unremarkable, uninhabited exterior was a lie.


    A vessel looking like a flat whale moved through the tunnel and surfaced at a large submarine dock, alongside several identical vessels. The bow of the vessel opened up and Melody walked out onto a ramp, followed by Laront and Sendira. They were trailed by the two clockwork kings, with Ramona and Fila bringing up the rear. For an internal space, the submarine dock was very large, with a lot of open space currently going unused. The facility was designed for a much larger force than the Order of Redeeming Light currently possessed.


    There was a large group of order members assembled at the top of the ramp; a rare convergence of the various cells the order normally scattered across the region. They were gathered into clusters by group, Ramona and Fila hurrying to join their own people. They were each the second-in-command of their cells and immediately started reporting to their leaders underneath privacy screens.


    Standing next to Melody, Sendira looked around the leaders of each cell, no few of whom were looking at Melody. Their gazes ranged from assessing and reserved to overtly hostile. Melody, for her part, was casually talking with Laront while directing some of her own people to take away the clockwork kings with the device Sendira handed over.


    Four of the leaders shared looks and stepped forward, approaching Melody. She turned to face them, her expression unconcerned and slightly confused. Her once silver hair and eyes were now white and pale grey; human colours instead of the celestine ones she¡¯d been born with. Those eyes narrowed with wariness as she addressed the other cell leaders.


    ¡°Is there something you¡¯d like to discuss?¡±

 Chapter 544: Bait and Switch

    Hidden inside a mountain was the Order of Redeeming Light¡¯s submarine dock. There was a rare gathering of the order¡¯s local forces and four of the cell leaders were confronting their overall leader, Melody Jain, in front of everyone. She looked slightly confused as she looked at the other leaders. Her second in command, Sendira, stood beside her, as did the church representative to the order, Laront. Melody addressed the cell leaders.


    ¡°Caitlyn. Heston. Marika. Elise. Is there something you have to say?¡±


    ¡°We need to discuss the direction you are taking operations here in the Sea of Storms,¡± Marika said.


    ¡°I assume your intention is to congratulate me for the success of the operation,¡± Melody said. ¡°Two clockwork kings in our possession and a clean extraction.¡±


    ¡°Clean?¡± Marika asked, her expression incredulous. ¡°We spent years establishing secure locations and infrastructure within the Sea of Storms, without the Storm Kingdom ever catching wind of us. Months developing operational readiness, all in preparation for the monster surge. Once it began, we worked painstakingly to suborn fortress towns and the essence users they contained so they could become purified converted. You just sacrificed two-thirds of that force and exposed the scope and nature of our operations in the course of a single day. And don¡¯t tell us this was about the clockwork kings. You only found out about them chasing after your daughter.¡±


    Anger crossed the face of Melody¡¯s second, Sendira, but Melody gestured her to silence before she spoke.


    ¡°That is only the beginning,¡± Heston said, jumping into the gap left as Sendira failed to defend her leader. ¡°Every cell here lost people today. Every one.¡±


    ¡°Including my own,¡± Melody said. ¡°Sacrifices must be made.¡±


    ¡°You think that losing your own people inspires confidence in your leadership?¡± Elise asked.


    ¡°I am the leader,¡± Melody said. ¡°This position was assigned to me. Your confidence should be in that. Or do you doubt the wisdom of the church¡¯s leadership?¡±


    ¡°We have been here for a long time,¡± Caitlyn said. ¡°Away from the church¡¯s eyes, we are concerned that you have lost sight of the true path.¡±


    ¡°I am the church¡¯s eyes,¡± Laront said. ¡°Are you suggesting that I have been blinded?¡±


    ¡°We all know that you and Melody work very closely together,¡± Heston said. ¡°Perhaps that closeness has caused you to lose the perspective that a little distance would offer.¡±


    Laront narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Be extremely cautious about the accusations you make,¡± he warned. ¡°Your soul belongs to Purity, but the means by which it comes to him remains an open question.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me, priest?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Never forget that you were filth that I picked up, washed off and gave the privilege of serving the most pure. If you want to be returned to the garbage pile, I can quite readily have you chopped up and composted.¡±


    ¡°Boy¡¯s,¡± Melody said in the lightly scolding tone of a mother almost, but not quite at the limits of her tolerance. ¡°Whatever contention there is between us, remember that we are ultimately one, under the pure god. We might disagree inside, but the enemies are outside.¡±


    Despite having stepped forward to challenge Melody, Caitlyn, Elise and Marika all nodded their agreement. Looking slightly sheepish, Laront and Heston took both a literal and figurative step back.


    "Now," Melody said. "Since there seems to be tension born of dissatisfaction with how this operation has been conducted, let''s discuss it and see if we cannot clear the air. Firstly, I would like to address the issue of expending the lives of our members and the bulk of the pure converted on this operation. The loss of order members is, of course, unfortunate. It is, however, an unfortunate necessity."


    ¡°So you say,¡± Caitlyn said. ¡°This operation was reckless.¡±


    ¡°The operation was essential,¡± Melody said. ¡°If our goal was to collect a small force of pure converted, we would have taken them and left already. Do you truly believe that the years, people and resources the order has poured into this region are worth a paltry contingent of cannon fodder?¡±


    Caitlyn met Melody¡¯s gaze, but not steadily.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± she said.


    ¡°Our goal,¡± Melody announced to the group at large, ¡°is not to collect a small force or even to build an army. It is to give the church the means to not just build an army but to keep building armies. This world is unclean. So unclean that we have been forced to work with a taint like the Builder just to prepare it for cleansing. The challenges ahead are great and our enemies overwhelming. We cannot hedge our bets or take half measures. Only boldness can light this world¡¯s path out of the darkness.¡±


    Melody gestured at the clockwork kings.


    ¡°These are the key. The answer to what brought us here and the next step forward. They are worth more than any number of pure converted. And yes, they are worth some of our lives. All of our lives, if that sacrifice delivers a weapon to our god that will help him purify this world. We had only one chance to seize this key and that is exactly what we did. What we have achieved today came at a cost, yes, but it is the price of triumph."


    ¡°These are all very fine ideals,¡± Marika said, ¡°but are you truly holding to them, Melody? We didn¡¯t find out about the clockwork kings because we were looking for them. What we were looking for was a way to get our hands on was your daughter and only stumbled on news of the kings because she was going after them. Would you have risked raiding the island if she wasn¡¯t there?¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± Melody said. ¡°My daughter¡¯s presence was irrelevant.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Elise asked. ¡°Then why was almost half of our force on the island pushed into a confrontation to snatch her and bring her back? The most costly conflict, all for one person.¡±


    ¡°Things are not as you say they are,¡± Melody said, although her voice lacked its previous certainty, emboldening her challengers.


    ¡°You can say what you like,¡± Heston said, ¡°but words are easy. The proof is in your actions. So many of our forces have failed to return, but your daughter is being carried to us as we speak.¡±


    One of the submarines surfaced at the dock and Heston laughed.


    "Perfect timing," he said. "Let us see the degree to which Melody places her desires over the order''s ideals."


    The front of the submarine opened up and voices emerged, mid-conversation.


    ¡°¡­just a piece of cardstock with information printed on it, folded into thirds. It¡¯s a great way of efficiently disseminating information and you can print a bunch of them cheaply.¡±


    ¡°And some guy from Vitesse gave it to you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he was hunting some energy vampire. I have no idea how someone like that got involved in the amphora business¡­¡±


    Rhett and Jaime came wandering out of the submarine, onto the ramp that led up to the dock platform. They stopped, their conversation trailing off as they noticed all the people staring at them.


    ¡°Uh, hey boss,¡± Rhett said. ¡°Um, that Asano guy took our prisoner.¡±


    ¡°He was really sneaky,¡± Jaime added.


    Sendira pinched the bridge of her nose, letting out a quiet groan.


    ¡°You lost her daughter?¡± Heston asked incredulously.


    ¡°Her?¡± Jaime said. ¡°We grabbed a guy. What¡¯s this about a¨C¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Melody told them. ¡°Just go join the others.¡±


    Rhett and Jaime awkwardly made their way up the ramp, under the gaze of the order''s leadership. They joining the rank and file of Melody''s cell, standing off to the side.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you got the wrong vessel,¡± Sendira told Heston. ¡°The vessel containing our primary target was directed to take extra precautions in returning to the dock, so it will be the last to arrive.¡±


    There was an awkward silence amongst the leaders as they waited for the last vessel to arrive. Their various cells whispered amongst themselves, some more quietly than others.


    "¡­and they called me mad, which I thought was terrific."


    ¡°Rhett, you¡¯re being too loud.¡±


    ¡°Oh, thanks, pal."


    "I''m not judging you. I''m saying everyone can hear you and now they''re all looking at us again."


    Rhett and Jaime looked around at the group, pointedly not meeting Sendira¡¯s gaze.


    ¡°Oh, look!¡± Jaime said as he pointed at the water. ¡°The last vessel is here.¡±


    Their shoulders slumped with relief as all attention turned to the newly arrived submarine.


    ¡°You need to learn to modulate your voice,¡± Jaime whispered.


    ¡°You know I¡¯ve never been good at talking without breathing.¡±


    ¡°Have you been doing the exercises I showed you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been doing the exercises.¡±


    ¡°Regularly?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve been very busy. You know Sendira always makes me wash the clockwork king. Do you know how hard it is to degrease that thing?¡±


    ¡°You worship the god of Purity. You can¡¯t get a good detergent?¡±


    ¡°I had a guy smuggling crystal wash out of the city but he said someone bought up all the excess supply.¡±


    They noticed Sendira staring at them again and fell silent.


    Another vessel docked and two more people emerged from it. This time only one was a member of the order while the other was hooded, collared and shackled, arms bound behind his back. The order member shoving him up the ramp was a fierce-looking woman with pale skin, red hair and green eyes.


    ¡°Thank you, Kelleigh,¡± Melody said as the woman delivered the prisoner to stand in front of the assembled leaders. Kelleigh then joined the rest of Melody¡¯s cell.


    ¡°Where¡¯s your prisoner?¡± she asked Rhett and Jaime quietly.


    ¡°That Asano guy took him,¡± Jaime said.


    ¡°What did I tell you when we split up?¡±


    ¡°Shush,¡± Rhett said, pointing to where Sendira was removing the prisoner¡¯s hood.


    ¡°Who in Purity¡¯s name is this?¡± Heston asked.


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Purity¡¯s name Purity?¡± Rhett asked, earning him an elbow jab from Kelleigh.


    Fortunately for Rhett, the leadership¡¯s attention was on the shackled man in front of them.


    ¡°Meet Gibson Amouz,¡± Melody said. ¡°Son of Lord Cassin Amouz and heir to the seat of House Amouz.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t your daughter,¡± Elise asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Melody said. ¡°It isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°But the whole point of the operation was to grab your daughter,¡± Caitlyn said.


    ¡°This does seem to be an idea you have all latched on to,¡± Melody said. ¡°I¡¯m really not sure where it came from. Sendira, have you been telling people we were going after my daughter?¡±


    "No, Melody. I only ever referred to the target as the target, for operational security purposes. I became aware, during the operation, that the order members with me believed the target to be your daughter. As acquiring the target was outside of their designated tasks, I declined from correcting them."


    ¡°I think I¡¯m starting to see why you all have questions regarding my priorities,¡± Melody said. ¡°You believed that I was using the order¡¯s resources to bring in my daughter. This would be inappropriate, of course, for while I would certainly like to see my daughter redeemed, the order¡¯s purpose cannot be subjugated to any personal agenda. Where you got the idea that I would do so, I cannot imagine.¡±


    The expressions of the four cell leaders that had stepped up to question Melody¡¯s authority ranged from carefully controlled to poisonous, but they all realised that they had been played. Melody had artfully manipulated them into challenging her in front of all their people on spurious grounds, undermining any further attempts they might make to challenge her going forward.


    For her part, Melody continued to twist the knife.


    ¡°Young Master Amouz, here,¡± she explained, ¡°is heir to House Amouz, as previously mentioned. House Amouz controls or has an interest in more than half of the mining operations in the Sea of Storms, including the bulk of high-rank mineral acquisition. The reason we have put such time and care into capturing him ¨C in the course of which we discovered our new clockwork kings ¨C is for the next stage of our plans."


    ¡°Building constructs,¡± Marika said.


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Melody said. ¡°Pure converted are all well and good but they also come with certain problems. One is the need to obtain essence users as material, and the other is that their capabilities are rather lacking in variety. Building our own constructs will alleviate this, and the materials required for each construct are both cheap and easy to obtain, relatively speaking.¡±


    Melody¡¯s speech was for the benefit of the rank and file, who were usually given more orders than explanations. The cell leaders knew exactly what needed to be done and why.


    "The problem with setting up a construct factory," Melody continued, "is that while the materials for individual constructs are unexceptional, the facility itself requires quite an initial outlay that is rather more extravagant. Young Master Amouz, here, and the family secrets he will soon be sharing, is the solution to our problems in this regard."

 Chapter 545: That Kind of Power Can Be Lonely

    Jason and Clive were in the waterfall room in Jason¡¯s cloud house. The walls were still covered in writing boards and they were looking at a section where Clive had scrawled small, densely packed notes.


    ¡°I think enhancing your portal ability might actually be viable,¡± Clive said. ¡°The key is using the cloud constructs from your cloud flask as the medium. Boosting the power would wreck you very quickly, but I believe the cloud flask can handle it. It may not be higher rank than you, but it¡¯s a growth item, so the potential is there, and it¡¯s extremely robust.¡±


    ¡°But?¡± Jason prompted.


    ¡°On the astral magic side, I think we have everything covered. It¡¯s your instinctive understanding of astral forces, along with the items you¡¯ve absorbed, that are making this possible, so leveraging them is the easy part.¡±


    Jason looked at the walls covered in months of painstaking work by himself and now Clive.


    ¡°That was the easy part?¡±


    "The trick is integrating the enhancements into the cloud flask. This is trickier than just shoving some materials into the flask to get the desired result. We''d need to shove you in there, and I don''t think that''s the way we want to go."


    ¡°We need to leverage the bond between myself and the cloud flask,¡± Jason said.


    "Yes. We need to develop some manner of interface that creates a very specific exchange through that bond, and this is where my understanding falls short. I''m not too humble to claim that my understanding of artifice is rather good, given that it''s outside my specialty field, but we are way beyond my level of expertise. Not only is a cloud flask breathtakingly complicated by even growth item standards, but you''ve made modifications. Not just the shoving stuff in it kind, but the way you''ve connected to it."


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s the spirit domain, plus I turned it into an item set with my sword and amulet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to know more about the item you used to do that. I should learn as much about it as I can.¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Jason said as a pair of cloud chairs rose up for them to sit in. ¡°It was called a soul-imprinting triune, and it was unranked, like an essence.¡±


    ¡°Where did you get something like that?¡±


    ¡°You know my looting power gives me additional rewards from especially dangerous and powerful enemies.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It replaced the power that gave you odd missions, yes?¡±


    ¡°The quest system, yeah. My own private Adventure Society. Anyway, I was in this city, buying time for evacuation before a monster wave started ¨C this was right before I ranked up to silver. I killed a gold rank monster and looted the¨C¡±


    ¡°You killed a gold-rank monster?¡±


    ¡°More like finished it off after it crossed a dimensional boundary the hard way. In fairness, it killed me first.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell us about this when you were talking about what you did over there.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure Farrah told you more than I did,¡± Jason said.


    "She said there were some bad days."


    ¡°This was one of those. It was a big city with a lot of innocent people and not enough time to get them out.¡±


    Jason smiled, forcing himself from dropping into a funk.


    ¡°We helped a lot of people those few days,¡± he said. ¡°Yes, a lot died, but there¡¯s a lot of people who didn¡¯t because of people who stepped up. I spent a lot of time dwellings on the leaders of the organisations I dealt with over there and how generally crappy they were, but most of the rank and file were basically adventurers, doing their best to help people. Fighting hard and making sacrifices. Arabelle says I should focus on that when I¡¯m thinking about those times. It helps, I guess.¡±


    "You don''t have a lot of background on the triune, then, if you looted it from a monster. Let''s go through what you know about its effects."


    Jason and Clive continued to discuss their project until it was time for Jason to make lunch.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure we can move forward without consulting someone who understands cloud flask construction,¡± Clive said. ¡°Unfortunately, that¡¯s extremely rare. I¡¯ve only ever heard of diamond-rankers making them.¡±


    ¡°Emir is probably our best bet there,¡± Jason said. ¡°He knows who created both of our flasks.¡±


    ¡°It will probably have to wait until after the surge is over, then,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s still hard just getting a water link slot. As for Emir showing up in person, I think there¡¯s still a standing order for his arrest.¡±


    Jason put on a big spread of salads and sandwiches because the cloud house was unusually full. His friends were always busy, even Taika, who had been going out on delivery runs to low-danger zones with other bronze-rankers. Travis was holed up on some kind of project, frequently with Farrah, which they had thus far refused to tell anyone the details of. Dawn had been out of town since the battle with the Builder cities, as she still had valuable guidance to offer places where the Builder was an imminent threat. She had just arrived back in Rimaros, however, and quietly paid a visit to the cloud house.


    Today, everyone happened to be free at the same time, if only for a few hours and it was a full house. Dawn was sitting next to Jason at a long table covered in food as everyone tucked merrily in. She watched, bemused as she enjoyed a social gathering unlike any she had experienced in many centuries.


    ¡°You have a talent for making people overlook the difference in rank,¡± she said to Jason. ¡°Even modulating my aura to put people at ease, they are rarely so unreserved around me."


    ¡°Sounds lonely,¡± Jason said. ¡°But that was why the World-Phoenix sent you instead of some lackey to ride herd on me, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said. ¡°I was uncertain, at first. Inhabiting a powerless avatar gave me many experiences I had forgotten from the distant past. It took me some time to understand why it was valuable to the World-Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t just for your wellbeing?¡± Belinda asked, sitting on the other side of Dawn to Jason. While there was still a level of reverential trepidation to the silver ranker from Clive and Humphrey especially, Belinda shared Jason¡¯s preference for judging people by criteria other than rank.


    ¡°The World-Phoenix doesn¡¯t think in those terms,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°The fact that great astral beings primarily interact with the cosmos through vessels leads people to anthropomorphise them to a degree that isn¡¯t strictly accurate. It¡¯s not just that they don¡¯t think like mortals but that the level they operate on isn¡¯t the same as ours. In some regards they might not even be considered sentient, any more than gravity or heat is sentient.¡±


    ¡°The Builder is an exception, though, isn¡¯t he?¡± Jason asked.


    "Yes," Dawn said. "There are many mysteries surrounding the ascension of the Builder and the sanctioning of his predecessor. Secrets that even I and others like me are not privy to. Those secrets, whatever they may be, are widely considered to be the impetus for the Builder''s famously erratic and idiosyncratic behaviour."


    ¡°It¡¯s not just about the vessels he uses?¡± Clive asked, joining in on the conversation.


    ¡°That is a part of it,¡± Dawn said. ¡°A larger part than most realise. I was explaining the World-Phoenix¡¯s purpose in assigning me to watch over Jason. Their vessels, like I used to be, play a much greater role than simply translating the will and intention of the great astral beings. With the possible exception of the Builder, great astral beings are incapable of thinking on a scale as small as the one we operate on. They see things on a cosmic scale; they think of people in numbers so large we don''t have words for them. They cannot look at you or I as individuals any more than you can look at the molecules that make up your body.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°The tiny things that everything is made of,¡± Jason said. ¡°Don¡¯t tell Knowledge I told you that. Ask Travis about it.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Travis asked from the other end of the table.


    ¡°I was telling Clive how molecules are the tiny things that everything is made of.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not really how that works,¡± Travis said. ¡°I don¡¯t think Knowledge would like you spreading that kind of thing around.¡±


    ¡°Well, you ask her how much you can tell Clive and leave me out of it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Dawn, what were you saying about vessels?¡±


    ¡°Vessels aren''t just mouthpieces for the great astral beings but the means by which those beings operate on any scale an individual mortal can perceive.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying they need vessels to think for them?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s vastly more complicated than that,¡± Dawn said, ¡°but yes, to a large degree. I was the First Sister of the Cult of the World-Phoenix, which essentially made me its leader across a region of the cosmos larger than I can ever expect to see. But I was only one of numbers beyond counting, and between us all, we formed something like a hive mind. A thought engine made up of the most powerful mortals in existence. When you think of the consciousness of a great astral being, this is what you¡¯re actually dealing with. It is possible to commune directly with a great astral being, but only for those who have spent years in preparing to become a prime vessel. Doing so is unlike anything I can begin to describe, however. It is to touch the infinite; it cannot be encapsulated.¡±


    ¡°I know a guy who¡¯ll sell you mushrooms that do something similar,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Lindy!¡± Clive scolded as Jason chuckled and Dawn shook her head with a bemused expression.


    "My larger point is," Dawn explained, "that the World-Phoenix doesn''t care about me or my wellbeing because it can''t. What it can recognise is when a tool, in this case, me, is not functioning the way it should. There is a limit to mortal power and I have reached it. As you might imagine, that kind of power affects you in various ways. You will come to understand this more as you realise how gold and diamonds ranks are not like the ones that came before, but that still lies ahead.¡±


    "How so?" Humphrey asked, joining in. "My mother said something very similar to me after she got to gold-rank."


    ¡°What else did she tell you?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°That I¡¯d learn more when I got stronger.¡±


    "There you are, then," Dawn told him. "But as Jason said, that kind of power can be lonely. Even enemies are somewhat friends because there are so few who know what you know and have seen what you''ve seen. It''s isolating, taking you away from mortality, both literally and figuratively. I am not much easier to kill than a god."


    "It''s possible to kill gods?" Humphrey asked.


    "No," Dawn said. "It isn''t. The point is, it becomes easy to let what you are consume who you are until nothing is left. I may no longer be the direct vessel of the World-Phoenix but I am still connected to it and always will be. My purpose and role in its service is forever and I am proud of that. But that role is of a mortal representative. I now realise how removed I had become from mortal sensibilities, drifting too far from what the World-Phoenix needs me to be. As a tool, I had become a hammer with no head.¡±


    ¡°So your boss sent you to me, knowing I¡¯d drag you into the muck,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not quite that simple, but more or less,¡± Dawn told him. ¡°And I thank you for doing so.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, no worries,¡± Jason said. ¡°Can you pass me that fire-plum sauce?¡±


    ***


    Liara had taken the unusual step of allowing a Shade body to occupy her shadow. She wanted to know the moment that he learned any new information. Unfortunately, Shade¡¯s bodies that had hitched a ride with the Purity worshippers had been sealed from communication by whatever protections the enemy facilities boasted. Contact was cut off from the moment they entered the underwater vessels the enemies used. Shade could tell no more than that his bodies were still intact and not under any duress.


    ¡°Anything?¡± she asked as she sat in an office in the Adventure Society building. She was not using her own secure office because the shielding around the Builder response unit¡¯s facilities would cut Shade off as effectively as the Purity stronghold.


    ¡°Nothing new,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she told him. ¡°I know you would tell me, yet I¡¯m asking every few minutes.¡±


    ¡°Sorry for what?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°For being annoying.¡±


    ¡°You do realise whose familiar I am, don¡¯t you? I am older than some of this world¡¯s gods and my knowledge base now includes a comprehensive understanding of the canonicity of various entries to the Knight Rider franchise.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means.¡±


    ¡°I am not largely an advocate for ignorance,¡± Shade said, ¡°but in this instance, I offer with all goodwill my hope that you retain yours in perpetuity.¡±


    There was a knock at the door and Liara called her assistant in. It was an adventure society functionary assigned to her for administrative purposes, rather than one of her subordinate adventurers.


    ¡°Lord Cassin Amouz has arrived,¡± the functionary informed her.


    ¡°Thank you. Show him in.¡±

 Chapter 546: Blame

    The Adventure Society functionary left Liara¡¯s temporary office after informing her about the arrival of Lord Cassin Amouz. Once she was alone, Liara allowed shame to flash over her expression before schooling it. Liara had been determined to avoid casualties in the expedition to the Builder island but the unexpected raid by Purity worshippers had led to her failure. Three adventurers had been captured in battle and only two were recovered before they could be taken from the island. The son and heir of Lord Amouz had been the only adventurer the enemy had managed to escape with.


    Gibson Amouz ¨C her husband¡¯s cousin Gibbie ¨C had been spirited away from the island, as had a pair of clockwork kings. The hostage had been extracted by water, while the kings had been portalled away, along with a small handful of Purity worshippers. Finding them all had become Liara¡¯s obsession now the expedition was done.


    One of the best leads she had was Jason Asano''s familiar, who had tracked the enemy from the island. Unfortunately, the enemy''s security precautions had thus far prevented the familiar from reporting back with any details, its current disposition unknown.


    Liara had been going over records of any portal user strong enough to move the two gold-rank construct kings. Normally that would be futile, but during a monster surge ¨C especially this monster surge ¨C even gold-rank portal users were carefully tracked. It was known by the Adventure Society that prior to the Purity church''s fall, the Order of Redeeming Light had no gold-rankers in the Sea of Storms, which is why it had largely gone overlooked. While some entirely unknown gold-ranker may have been brought in, it was quite unlikely.


    It was difficult to go entirely unnoticed by the time an essence user reached gold-rank, even when they were entirely unaffiliated with the Adventure Society, Magic Society or any other major force. One way or another, it was almost impossible to secretly reach gold-rank given the requirements to do so. It took years of activity to reach that level through monster hunting, and the monsters required for the latter stages especially couldn''t just be anonymously wiped out without being noticed. As for advancement though monster cores, that many high-rank cores couldn¡¯t just vanish off the market unnoticed.


    That was not to say a secret gold-ranker was impossible. With the right support and sufficient patience, it would be possible to raise one up and some groups were known to have done so in the past. Liara was well aware that the secretive Order of Redeeming Light was a likely candidate for such a project, but that was the very reason that such organisations were watched with extra care by the Adventure Society.


    The high-end monster core market and high-rank monster-slaying were both carefully recorded by the Adventure Society. This was done specifically to keep track of potential gold-rank threats by the same department that hunted down people with restricted essences and powers. Liara had been a member of that department for years until being moved to the Builder response unit, hunting down vampires, necromancers and other major threats. Her previous posting meant she had the access and the experience required to go through the records looking for just that kind of activity and to locate already known gold-rankers operating outside of the aegis of the Adventure Society.


    As for gold-rankers that were members of the Adventure Society, the portal users were rigorously tracked during monster surges, not because they were threats but to maximise their utility. Between the society member records and the tracking information for rogue essence-users, the monster surge gave Liara a unique opportunity to potentially track the portal user that extracted the clockwork kings and the Purity worshippers.


    The largest impediment to Liara¡¯s search was it being a process of elimination from a vast collection of records. Portal schedules, market tracking, field reports about encounters with rogue essence users. The nature of portal users was that they could operate over vast distances, expanding the number of records she had to go through. A high-rank mind could rapidly process information with excellent retention, making every gold-ranker a speed-reader with near-eidetic memory. Even so, the sheer amount of information she had to go over was daunting, and she needed to do it alone. The records she was going over were all about gold-rankers, which needed to be heavily restricted or high-ranked adventurers wouldn¡¯t subject themselves to them.


    For this reason, Liara''s desk was piled high with record books. If not for magical books allowing records to be duplicated between branches, what she was attempting wouldn''t be possible at all. She would have liked to take up Jason''s offer to have Shade use his many bodies to help her go over them, but she couldn''t cut corners. The Adventure Society had to maintain its integrity in the eyes of gold-rankers and adventurers in general or they wouldn''t be able to operate as an organisation. An isolated, rural branch being corrupt was one thing, but Rimaros was the heart of civilisation and power.


    Sensing her husband¡¯s uncle approaching the door of her office, Liara stood up. He entered without knocking as their auras met; the etiquette of high-rankers was based heavily around aura interactions. It was one of the reasons that aura control was increasingly important at high-rank. Improper training increasingly stood out at the upper echelons of society. For this reason, aristocrats who ranked up with cores and had never fought a monster in their lives often had aura control that rivalled an adventurer.


    ¡°Lord Amouz,¡± Liara greeted, her voice sober.


    ¡°Really, Liara?¡± he asked with a smile. ¡°Lord Amouz?¡±


    ¡°I lost your son.¡±


    ¡°You and I are adventurers, as is my son. We all understand that it comes with risk. My nephew might have married into your house and not you into ours, but it doesn¡¯t change that you and I are family.¡±


    Cassin Amouz had swarthy skin with the clean, smooth perfection of gold-rank. His hair and eyes were a rich shade of brown, with the metallic sheen ubiquitous amongst celestines. Less ubiquitous was his goatee, which was highly unusual. Very few celestines could grow facial hair and it was usually a sign of one parent being from another race, the birth made possible with the help of the church of Fertility.


    ¡°Lord Amouz, I want to apologise again for the capture of your son while he was under my command.¡±


    ¡°You can still call me Uncle Cassin.¡±


    ¡°I could tell Uncle Cassin to go home,¡± Liara said. ¡°Lord Amouz, on the other hand, can use his influence to forcibly obtain a briefing to which he isn¡¯t entitled.¡±


    The friendly smile on Cassin¡¯s face froze.


    ¡°You said it yourself, Liara: it¡¯s my son. A son that you lost.¡±


    Liara¡¯s eyes narrowed and she tilted her head, lost for a moment in thought.


    ¡°Thank you, Lord Amouz. I¡¯ve been blaming myself for your son¡¯s loss, which is unproductive and unhelpful to my judgement. Having someone else blame me was what I needed to look at the situation more objectively. I appreciate that.¡±


    Cassin frowned.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just move forward with the briefing,¡± he said. ¡°I understand there is some manner of spy attached to the enemy?¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t normally disclose operational matters,¡± she said, ¡°but as I have been directed to give you a basic briefing, I will do so. Please understand that I will be avoiding too many specifics.¡±


    ¡°Of course. I can¡¯t expect special treatment just because we¡¯re family.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting special treatment because you¡¯re Lord Amouz, not because you¡¯re family. I wouldn¡¯t let you anywhere near this if I had my way. You shouldn¡¯t have access to any of the sensitive information still in play.¡±


    ¡°Yet I do. I find it best to act in accordance with the way things are, Liara, not the way they should be. It''s the practical but sometimes unfortunately necessary approach.¡±


    Liara frowned but nodded her acknowledgement.


    ¡°As it stands,¡± she said, ¡°our informational asset is unable to communicate with us because the enemy stronghold has preventative measures in place. While we are awaiting word, other approaches are being taken to locate and liberate your son.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°Specialist teams are examining the Purity worshippers that fell on the island as well as any traces they left behind. The prisoners are being questioned, although they are zealots and we cannot expect much.¡±


    ¡°Leave me alone with one of them and they¡¯ll talk.¡±


    ¡°With all due respect, Lord Amouz, no they won¡¯t. Your frustration at your impotence in retrieving your son makes you angry and anger feels powerful. The truth is just the opposite. Without the right essence abilities, all anger does is make you weak and your judgement compromised. It leads you to throw around your influence in ways that you shouldn''t, accomplishing nothing but slowing down the people working to get your son back to you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like your tone, Princess.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care.¡±


    Cassin glared at Liara.


    ¡°I¡¯ve come to you today to warn you that retrieving my son should be a priority not just because of his social standing. You know Gibson, of course. He was never going to be the greatest adventurer.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s quite capable.¡±


    ¡°With the training he''s received, it would be near impossible to lack at least basic capability. His problem has always been timidity. Not cowardice, but a significant deficit of boldness. He''s an excellent administrator and I always held that he will make a fine head to our household once I step down, if only he can develop some boldness. Administering the family¡¯s holdings is all well and good but it¡¯s not enough when he needs to lead. When he begged off the post your husband now holds, I knew I had to step in. I was rather hoping that this monster surge would finally be the making of him.¡±


    ¡°I know what you are going to say, Lord Amouz. Since you were kind enough to rectify my own lapse in judgement, I have realised that while I¡¯ve been blaming myself for the capture of your son, I was wrong to do so.¡±


    ¡°I am an adventurer, Liara, just like you. We both understand that some events are out of our control, no matter how well we prepare. It is the reality of what we do.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she agreed. ¡°I suspect the blame lies with you, Lord Amouz.¡±


    ¡°Me? I may have gotten my son¡¯s team assigned to your expedition but if they were anything less than fully qualified, the Adventure Society would never have allowed it.¡±


    Liara''s eyebrows lifted in surprise.


    ¡°You had his team assigned to my expedition? I didn¡¯t know that, but it¡¯s irrelevant. You¡¯ve been setting Gibson up for far longer than the expedition.¡±


    ¡°Explain yourself,¡± Cassin growled.


    ¡°I had been wondering about certain aspects of how the Purity worshippers behaved on the island. Why some of them grouped up to attack a gathered force of four adventurer teams. Why they captured people and why your son was so quickly and carefully extracted while the others were transported more carelessly. I should have seen it earlier.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Cassin asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s no secret that you share more with Gibson than you should ¨C Uncle Cassin. He has too many of your family¡¯s secrets. Things he shouldn¡¯t have been told until he was gold-rank and ready to assume your seat in House Amouz. I believe that it¡¯s very likely your son was specifically targeted.¡±


    ¡°Why would the Purity church care about what my son knows? Those are family secrets. Purity isn¡¯t going into the mining business.¡±


    ¡°The material reserves provided by your family are strategically critical to Rimaros,¡± Liara said, standing up. ¡°We¡¯re done here, Lord Amouz. I need to go report my suspicions and you need to prepare to brief the Adventure Society on the potential damage that could be done with the information your son has. You can expect to hear from us soon.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Cassin said, also getting to his feet. ¡°I came here to be briefed on how you¡¯re going to get my son back.¡±


    ¡°And I didn¡¯t push back on that the way I should have, because I felt guilty. I¡¯m pushing now. Get out of my office, Lord Amouz.¡±


    ¡°I will remind you, Princess, that your husband is currently at one of my family''s more difficult to access underwater facilities.¡±


    Liara went dead still for a long moment and her aura vanished from the room. Cassin felt a chill run through him before Liara¡¯s aura returned as a gentle, polite glow in his senses.


    ¡°Lord Amouz,¡± she said, her voice quiet and soft. ¡°I understand that your son¡¯s predicament has left you in a state of distress, so I shall put aside the fact that you just threatened the family member of a member of the Adventure Society. Be aware, however, that as of this moment, my forbearance has reached its limit. If you use your influence to come sniffing around my operation again, I will smack you down. If, on the other hand, you threaten my husband again ¨C your sister¡¯s son ¨C then your own son will have a position to return to once I rescue him because his father will have gone mysteriously missing and will never be found again.¡±


    Cassin snorted derision.


    ¡°You generously forgave my threat, only to make one of your own?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Liara said, her voice still gentle. ¡°I threatened you, Lord Amouz, whereas you threatened my family. Your own family. I understand that you are angry and distraught, but you are an adventurer turned mining administrator. You know what I am and what I¡¯ve done, so I will give you a moment to think very carefully before deciding if you¡¯re going to leave this room or die in it.¡±


    Cassin¡¯s eyes didn¡¯t leave Liara¡¯s face. His expression was twisted, his lip curling as if angry words were trying to escape his mouth. Slowly he controlled his expression until his face was blank aside from his burning eyes. He turned and walked away without saying another word.

 Chapter 547: Speed

    Jason and his team were having a relatively relaxed time in the days after the Builder island expedition. The monster surge raged on and the Purity worshippers remained a lurking threat, but after a day off, the team were assigned to low-priority missions. With Jason awaiting word from his familiars stuck behind enemy lines, Liara didn¡¯t want him roaming all through the Sea of Storms, at least not for any length of time. As such, Jason, Humphrey and Clive were all placed on portal duty.


    They spend the day with Jason portalling Clive and Humphrey around the Sea of Storms to various locations he had already visited, just long enough that they could use the destinations themselves. This meant primarily fortress towns and other regional centres strong enough to withstand a monster surge. As none of them could transport whole adventurer teams, or anyone higher than silver-rank, they would be assigned to serving as portal-hopping delivery men for critical supplies.


    The rest of the team were also assigned relevant tasks. There was always room for more healers, so Neil had been sent to work with his church. While the priority for healing was the adventurers, the needs of Rimaros did not pause for the monster surge. As for Belinda, she found herself quickly snatched up for an expedition. One of the priority projects for the Adventure Society was exploring former strongholds of the Builder cult as they were discovered and she was roped into one of those.


    Following the destruction of the Builder¡¯s cities, the great astral being¡¯s forces abandoned the Storm Kingdom and more than a few of their secret strongholds remained. As launching points for their efforts to seize the local astral spaces, the long-hidden redoubts had been exposed and were now left empty. The Adventure Society was eager to explore these lairs and eliminate any threats left as parting gifts. More importantly, they wanted to find anything that would help those still fighting the Builder elsewhere around the world.


    Most freshly discovered strongholds had traps and defences still in place, which made Belinda an excellent asset. Long before she obtained the trap essence she had years of experience getting people into places the owners did not want people going in. Years of adventuring had further honed those abilities to a fine point.


    The only member of the team with no specialty role was Sophie. She considered joining Belinda but it quickly became clear the expedition leader would sideline her, only wanting Belinda¡¯s expertise. Instead, she took on a contract to deliver goods overland using dimensional bags. She would be moving alone to low-priority destinations on the southern mainland coast, in areas designated as low-threat.


    It would be a rare chance to truly open up her abilities and push her speed to the limit while on a contract; normally it was something she could only do in low-pressure circumstances. When moving with her team, she could only speed around in short bursts, usually in combat. Even travelling, the alternate forms of Stash and the travel form of Onslow were unable to match her pace when she truly pushed her limits. Only Shade¡¯s jet forms were her match, and even those took time to accelerate and the thin air of altitude to outpace her. Those had already reached their full potential, though, and by the time she was into the upper levels of silver, she expected to blast by him.


    For Sophie, her speed was nothing so simple as one essence ability that increased it, although that was certainly something she possessed. It had been her first and, for many years, only essence ability, to the point of reaching bronze-rank before she gained a second one. Now, however, it was very different. More than half of her powers were movement abilities, movement-enhancing abilities or otherwise related to speed. By chaining them together, exploiting the synergies and drawing out the nuances, the resulting speed vastly outpaced any single essence ability. Short of teleporting to the destination, only speed-specialised vehicles were better for the rank and she had her eye on beating them.


    Almost no terrain could slow her down. Tangled forests or even thick jungles were barely an impedance. Even running along walls or on the surface of water didn''t slow her unless the terrain had been enchanted to actively resist her passage. The only difference between harsh terrain and flat roads was that roads were less fun. Even the sky was becoming part of Sophie''s domain as she increasingly became as comfortable in the air as standing on her feet.


    Ability: [Leaf on the Wind] (Wind)


    Special ability (movement, dimension).Cost: Moderate mana-per-second.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 3 (67%)Effect (iron): Glide through the air; highly effective at riding the wind. Can reduce weight to slow fall at a reduced mana cost. Ignore or ride the effects of strong wind, even when this ability is not in active use.Effect (bronze): Moderate control of nearby airflow while in use. Cost of gliding reduced to low mana-per-second. Strong winds increase your rate of stamina and mana recovery, even when this ability is not in active use.Effect (silver): Fly for moderate mana-per-second; highly effective at riding the wind. Gliding no longer costs mana. You can control the airflow around you, including using winds to carry others with you when you fly. Carrying others increases the ongoing mana cost and incurs a speed penalty, both scaling with the number of people carried.


    Jason¡¯s cloak ability also offered outright flying at silver-rank, along with a suite of other useful powers. Sophie¡¯s flight ability was far more focused. Even at a default level, ignoring the power to carry others or gain benefits from riding the wind, it offered superior speed and control to what Jason could manage. It also had benefits that fit right in with Sophie¡¯s general trend of minor effects that, when used in conjunction with one another and the sufficient application of skill, became very formidable.


    The description of the silver rank effect included a passing mention of being effective at riding the wind. It did not stand out within the description compared to flying around with other people but, to Sophie, it was possibly the most important point. For one thing, the ability itself gave her some ability to manipulate the airflow around her. Rather than use it to push her speed, however, she had taken to shifting air around her as she moved through it instead. Reducing the resistance instead of pushing harder against it proved the more effective means of improving her speed. While it required more finesse when using the ability, the results were exceptional, impacting acceleration, top speed and fine movement control.


    Once Sophie added in her Wind Wave power, her mobility entered a whole new realm. Usable every handful of seconds and producing a massive blast of wind, it launched her forward like a squid using a water jet. On top of this were the various passive bonuses that affected one or both abilities.


    Ability: [Free Runner] (Swift)


    Special ability.Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 4 (06%).Effect (iron): Increased speed. Low stamina and mana per second cost to run on walls and water. Momentum must be maintained on walls or water to prevent falling.Effect (bronze): Enhanced balance and spatial sense.Effect (silver): Control over leaps made using a run-up is significantly increased, including the partial control of movement through the air. Can combine with glide and flight powers to travel beyond normal top glide, flight and running speeds by chaining gliding leaps. Any other effects that enhance glide and flight speed are enhanced for a brief period after leaping.


    The Free Runner power was Sophie¡¯s original speed boost that, as it turned out, also applied to flight. The silver-rank effect allowed her to use a movement style that combined running, gliding and flying together, the result being a comprehensive transfiguration in the way she moved. It turned her collection of movement powers into different aspects of a holistic mobility style as sophisticated and nuanced as a martial art. Even so, it was far from the full extent of the powers boosting her mobility.


    Every celestine had a racial gift that enhanced essence powers of the special ability type, much as humans and elves had affinities to special attacks and spells respectively. Many dismissed the celestine bonus as less powerful because, while it applied to the broadest range of abilities, the elves and humans boasted the powers most obviously useful in combat.


    The celestine special ability aptitude was mostly appreciated for enhancing portal powers. This was doubly true because they also possessed astral affinity, which improved portal powers even more. Celestines were known as the top portal users amongst all the essence-using races.


    Sophie was not a portal user but the enhancement to dimensional abilities did not go to waste as she had no shortage of appropriate powers. While her Mirage Step ability could move her short distances through space instantaneously, more often her powers bent the space around her. They enhanced her movement, helped her to navigate obstacles or even dodge without dodging, making attacks that seemed to land miss her entirely.


    Sophie¡¯s relentless pursuit of speed had pushed her racial gifts to the limit, eventually triggering gift evolutions. As with the rest of her team, she had managed to evolve several of her abilities, but the one that evolved between Jason¡¯s death and return had not come during combat but as she trained with hellish self-discipline.


    Ability: [Way of the Wind]


    Transfigured from racial gift [Special Ability Affinity].Special abilities have increased effect.Abilities related to movement and speed that are affected by the wind have the effects of wind on those abilities significantly increased. Synergistic effects between abilities related to speed and flight are significantly increased.


    Even that had not been the end of the powers stacking up to enhance her movement. Her Avatar of Speed power enhanced her movement abilities while reducing their mana and stamina costs. Child of the Celestial Wind was the rarest essence ability in her power set. It only appeared amongst races that had astral affinity as a racial gift which, on Pallimustus, meant celestines. Or, potentially, outworlders. The ability not only boosted all her racial gifts but her wind and dimension powers as well.


    The result of all of these overlapping effects was bonus on bonus on bonus; a synergistic rat king of intertwined abilities. Clive had once attempted to map out Sophie¡¯s power interactions using Magic Society records of the various abilities. He spent the whole time complaining about not having Jason¡¯s interface and eventually gave up. The one time Clive brought up trying after Jason''s return, Jason had vanished into a shadow and the cloud house snack fridge became mysteriously locked. Taika and Gary explained very clearly that Clive was not to do it again.


    ***


    After taking a delivery contract, Sophie took charge of a high-capacity dimensional bag. Designed specifically for those with flight powers, it was svelte and strapped firmly onto the back without impairing mobility. She then set out from Rimaros, flying south over the water at breakneck speed. Unlike the airships that measured their pace so as to avoid attracting monsters, Sophie moved over the sea so fast that air displacement left a wake in the water behind her.


    Every so often, a monster would erupt from the water beneath her and attempt to snatch her out of the air. Some she sensed coming and easily avoided, while others were stealth ambushers. She lacked Jason¡¯s powerful senses and had to rely on pure reflexes to avoid them, blinking away from their teeth with her Mirage Step power, leaving only an afterimage to explode in the monster¡¯s mouth.


    The monsters attacking her were silver-ranked, with no bronze foolish enough to try after sensing her. In one instance, however, a gold rank monster appeared. She didn¡¯t sense its approach at all until a forest of tentacles sprung out of the water with a speed surpassing that of silver-rank. Instinctively, Sophie¡¯s Eternal Moment power kicked in and everything around her slowed as her personal time stream accelerated.


    She passed through the suddenly glacial tentacles with effortless speed, weaving between them without interrupting her subjective pace at all. Sophie hadn¡¯t stopped to fight any of the previous monsters that had popped out of the water, leaving them all in her wake. She was going to do the same with this one.


    The gold-rank monster, however, was not so easily left behind. As the Eternal Moment power came to an end, the tentacles slipped back into the water behind her as an even larger number rose all around and ahead of her.


    ¡°How big is this thing?¡±

 Chapter 548: Delicate Flowers

    Sophie¡¯s attempt to escape the clutches of the gold-rank monster did not go as planned. Her time-accelerating power, Eternal Moment, did not last as long as the name suggested. She did escape the tentacle forest rising from the water in her frozen moment, but as soon as it ended, even more tentacles emerged from the water to surround her again.


    The monster was clearly a vast presence under the water, despite her not having sensed it at all. Escaping it would be trickier than she had anticipated, especially with Eternal Moment now on cooldown. Instead, she had to start pushing her other abilities to the limit, digging out every skerrick of speed and skill she had.


    As the tentacles lunged after her with gold-rank speed, she used every trick at her disposal to remain untouched. She soared through the air, dashed on the wind, ran on the choppy water kicked up by the tentacles and even ran along the thick tentacles themselves.


    The purple-red tentacles were quick, flexible and as wide as her entire body; at least, they were at the level of the water. They tapered the closer they came to their barbed tips, becoming increasingly more swift, flexible and supple. There were intermittent barbs along their length that, if hooked into her flesh, would easily let her be dragged into the water. Sophie didn¡¯t let that stop her from using the tentacles, feet falling between the barbs as she ran up the length of one and kicked off of it. She had little choice but to weave tightly through the tentacles, baiting them into entangling one another as she zipped through the fleshy forest.


    As Sophie made her way over the water, roiling from the thrashing tentacles, it became clear that the monster beneath the surface was abnormally fast. She estimated that while it was both gold-rank and very fast, she could outpace it if not for the web of tentacles hunting her. Even with her near-miraculous mobility, navigating safely was slowing her down.


    She considered flying up and out of their reach but immediately dismissed the idea. Where they emerged from the water, the tentacles were girthy and relatively slow. They were more flexible where they thinned out, further along, but reaching back down to grasp at Sophie gave them an awkwardness that made them less difficult to evade. If she went into the air, their greater flexibility and speed would give them a much greater chance of catching her out.


    She stayed low instead, darting through the jungle of limbs that kept expanding as she moved through it, tentacles continuously emerging from the water ahead. The monster tried pushing less of each tentacle out of the water to use the more flexible portions, but because Sophie stayed close to the surface, water-resistance slowed the appendages just enough that she could neatly evade them.


    Each second that ticked by was a fresh escape from death, with Sophie¡¯s dashing, pinball flight in constant danger of being yanked to a halt. In every moment, she was a hair¡¯s breadth from a tentacle hook skewering her flesh, arresting her momentum and dragging her into the water. She used blasts of air with maximal efficiency, not just launching herself but simultaneously pushing tentacles out of her path.


    While Sophie¡¯s Wind Wave power could send even hefty monsters tumbling through the air, it barely made the massive tentacles waver. That, however, was enough. Like Jason, Sophie understood that battles were won and lost in critical moments. Every moment she stole and exploited was a step closer to victory as she clawed her way to escape, instant by instant.


    Sophie needed to be victorious in every moment or she would be dragged into the water and certain doom. Every tool at her disposal was employed, blinking with Mirage Step, dashing with Wind Wave and kicking off from the tentacles to shift her flight trajectory. When putting a foot to the tentacles wasn''t viable, she used the air itself as solid ground.


    Ability: [Cloud Step] (Balance)


    Special ability (movement).Cost: Low stamina and mana.Cooldown: 15 seconds.Current rank: Silver 2 (94%).Effect (iron): Take a single step on air as if it were solid ground, becoming intangible for a brief moment. This ability can be used while all steps are on cooldown at an extreme mana cost per step. If used within mist, fog or cloud, this ability has no cooldown.Effect (bronze): Can be used a second time. Cooldown reduced to 15 seconds, with each cooldown restoring one use. The next attack suffered within a brief period after the intangibility ends is significantly reduced. When not using this ability within mist, fog or clouds, a short-lived mist can be produced at a low mana cost. The mist is too thin to obscure vision.Effect (silver): Can be used a third time. Cost of use while on cooldown reduced to very high. When using this ability within mist, fog or cloud, the intangibility effect can be extended. The mist produced by this ability covers a wider area and lasts longer.


    A tentacle swiped through Sophie as she became intangible for a brief but critical moment. The inherent magic of the monster inflicted a little harm on her life force, but only a fraction of what the limb slapping into her body would have done. Mostly there was a tingling sensation as the tentacle passed through her. Another tentacle swipe seemed to hit her solid form, yet missed because of dimensional displacement. Each passing moment brought with it a narrow escape from death, but her attempts to escape the monster increasingly felt futile.


    No matter how fast she moved, the monster managed to keep up, raising more and more tentacles as if the sea itself were trying to snatch her down. The tentacles were too numerous, too flexible and too quick to maintain her maximum pace while avoiding capture. Even her incredible reflexes and silky-smooth evasions were insufficient to fully accelerate, yet she still navigated the tentacles more quickly than most adventurers of her rank could move in a straight line.


    She was confident of outpacing the monster given the chance to make a straight-line dash. Even a zigzagging dash would be enough, so long as the terrain wasn''t actively attempting to drag her into the ocean. The monster may have been gold-rank but its main body had to be massive to support all the tentacles. The drag of the water on that bulk meant that the speed it was going was already implausible and she was certain it was at or near its limit. She didn¡¯t have the time to check but she imagined a creature that size, moving at that speed, had to be causing small tidal waves.


    Sophie¡¯s formidable endurance came into play as minutes ticked past, every second spent in wild desperation. Even though she constantly employed her powers, she was in no danger of running low on mana. Multiple abilities reduced the mana consumption of her already inexpensive powers, while others boosted her mana recovery. As a result, even her most costly power, Eternal Moment, did not tax her reserves too greatly.


    Its power to make time seemingly freeze around her was a trump card for when things went wrong. Her intention had been to hold off using it as long as she could but critical moments came again and again, forcing it into one cooldown after another. She managed to keep a balance and not overtax her mana, but overtaxing her concentration was the greater threat.


    With every moment requiring utmost focus, Sophie knew that it was only a matter of time until she slipped up, and that would be the moment that she died. Something needed to change; without some chance coming along, sooner or later the monster would drag her beneath the waves.


    The break came when she saw an island in the distance. It was small and unremarkable but exactly what she needed.  She had to be careful not to let her desire to reach it make her sloppy and rush, causing her to fall on escape¡¯s doorstep. The monster seemed to understand her intentions, perhaps already dealing with shallower water as they approached land. Geysers of scalding water erupted from the sea, which at first made Sophie wonder why the monster had held the ability back.


    She realised that it was a panic reaction as they were not especially hard to dodge. If anything, the geysers offered more cover for her evasive manoeuvres. Using Cloud Step for a moment of intangibility let her pass through the geysers unharmed, neatly avoiding tentacles and opening a path forward. What¡¯s more, the steam they gave off let her use Cloud Step without incurring the cooldown. Cloud Step ability created its own mist to trigger the cooldown reducing effect but Sophie¡¯s speed always left that mist behind before she needed the ability again.


    Sophie didn¡¯t stop when she reached the shore of the island as the tentacles continued to pursue her from the water. They stopped appearing ahead of her, to her relief, having half-feared they would start bursting out of the ground. Or even worse, that the island itself would turn out to be the monster¡¯s main body. She had heard of such a creature in the Storm Kingdom¡¯s northeast, but that had turned out to be a native magical beast, and a diamond-rank one at that. It had awoken in an uninhabited region of tiny islands during the surge and was better at clearing out monsters in its territory than the Adventure Society. As the handful of population centres had already evacuated to fortress town, the society decided to leave the creature be.


    Tentacles chased her from the water and there was a dangerous moment as she passed through their fastest and most flexible range. She took one solid hit but timed a Cloud Step to trigger the damage reduction effect. She was bounced off a beach of loose rocks and popped right back up, flying further inland.


    It was a rocky island, strewn with jungle. She skimmed over the treetops, wary of more monsters popping up through the canopy. She felt a surge of relief as she finally moved beyond the tentacles¡¯ reach but did not allow herself to relax. A small, empty island was no safe harbour but she could use it as a roadblock for the humungous monster. Now that she was clear of tentacles it was time to pour on the speed while the monster was forced to go around. She wouldn¡¯t stop until she reached the southern mainland.


    Sophie shot out over the water on the far side of the island, rocketing along with all the pace she could muster. There was no sign of the monster, but there hadn¡¯t been any before its first attack, either. She practised absolute wariness along with absolute speed.


    As time passed she was increasingly confident that she''d left the monster behind but didn''t let up on speed or alertness. The ambush of a silver-rank monster bursting from the water was actually a relief as it would not have drawn near if the gold-rank leviathan was close by. Even so, she didn''t relent on her breakneck pace.


    Not until she reached solid, continental landmass did she finally allow the tension to escape her body. Slowing to a stop on an empty beach she let herself fall back onto the golden sand, looking up at the sky and laughing like a madwoman.


    Many adventurers would have regretted her choice to race across the water after it attracted such a terrifying monster. She still had no idea exactly what the monster was but didn¡¯t especially care. She felt energised; all the more alive for having escaped the grasping tentacles of death. She kicked herself onto her feet, threw up both arms and let out a triumphant whoop of victory. She stopped, startled, as silver light started shining from within her body.


    Celestine racial ability [Celestial Swiftness] has evolved to [Princess of the Firmament].


    Ability: [Princess of the Firmament]


    Transfigured from racial gift [Celestial Swiftness].[Speed] attribute is increased.Dimension effects related to non-teleport and non-portal movement are enhanced. The speed-enhancing aspects of your abilities have increased effect.


    Sophie was surprised at still having access to Jason¡¯s interface ability, as far as she was from his location in Rimaros. She vaguely recalled Clive talking about it; something about magical density and soul strength. She generally tuned him out when he got that specific tone in his voice. It meant he was trying to turn Jason into an administrative tool again.


    She looked over her changed ability. Many might look at the impressive name ¨C which she suspected Jason was somehow responsible for ¨C and think it didn¡¯t match the simple, passive effects. Sophie knew better. When she saw some powerful ability, it generally meant that it did what it said in the description and that was the end of it. The ones that appeared unimpressive were the ones that had all the depth. Those were the powers that let her build an unassailable fortress out of synergy, one brick at a time.


    She grinned, closing the window as another one popped up.


    Party leader [Jason Asano] has initiated voice chat. Accept [Y/N]?


    ¡°You checking up on me, Asano?¡±


    "Racial gift transfiguration isn''t triggered by a leisurely ocean trip, Wexler. Do you need us to come save you already? I was just about to portal off and deliver some¡­ what are those things? Are they alive? Why are they wiggling like that?"


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Sophie said with a laugh. ¡°Let the Adventure Society know that there¡¯s a very, very large tentacle monster roaming the waters south of Rimaros. Gold-rank.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright? You don¡¯t have to act all tough with us; embrace your vulnerability.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not all delicate flowers like you, Asano. You think some creepy ocean doodle forest is enough to catch me? I blew past that thing so fast I doubt it even realised I was there.¡±


    ¡°Doodle forest?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m getting back to work.¡±


    She ended the voice chat and pulled out a magic map that could track her position. It wasn¡¯t as good as Jason¡¯s map power but it got the job done. She found her location, figured out the direction to her first stop and set out.

 Chapter 549: Hope

    Liara sensed Cassin Amouz leave the Adventure Society administration building, her face filled with anger not at him but at herself.


    ¡°Dammit.¡±


    Her hand came down forcefully on her desk and it broke in half, scattering books and papers onto the floor.


    ¡°Damn it.¡±


    ¡°Lady Liara,¡± Shade said, emerging from her shadow.


    Liara grimaced.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to witness that. The man¡¯s son and heir is missing; of course he¡¯s angry and willing to do everything in his power to get him back. He didn¡¯t need or deserve the way I came down on him and I¡¯ve probably made things a lot worse.¡±


    ¡°That sounds extremely familiar,¡± Shade said. ¡°If you do not find it presumptuous, Lady Liara, might I perhaps offer some advice? I will take no offence if you decline. I understand that unsolicited advice is often less than welcome in trying times.¡±


    Liara slumped wearily in her chair, looking at the shadow entity.


    ¡°You probably have a lot of life experience, don¡¯t you?¡± she said. ¡°How old are you?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Until civilisations started measuring time, it never occurred to me to keep track.¡±


    Liara blinked, mildly startled at the implications of Shade¡¯s response.


    ¡°I¡¯d be open to benefiting from your experience,¡± she said.


    ¡°I appreciate that, Lady Liara, but I believe it is not my experience you will most benefit from. I recommend you take a trip to Mr Asano¡¯s cloud house and take the time to speak with him.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano has experience fighting with organisations that hide like hydras in the dark, growing new heads for each one you cut off.¡±


    ¡°No offence, Shade, but I¡¯m not sure that a gold-ranker turning to a silver as the voice of experience is the approach for me.¡±


    ¡°Are you so sure, milady? Mr Asano has been in a knife fight with the Builder. He has sacrificed his life to save cities on two worlds and fought whole organisations while his allies acted more like enemies. He¡¯s travelled between dimensions and saved his own world more than once. He¡¯s channelled forces that would annihilate diamond-rankers and remade sections of reality in his own image. He has encroached on the domain of gods. You have spent more time fighting monsters than him, yes, but he has fought them by the tens of thousands. Whole cities overrun as he desperately scrambled to save their inhabitants, knowing that he would fail countless people who would die drenched in fear and pain.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure he wants you telling me all of this?¡±


    ¡°He knows what it is to face the enemies in front of you and to carry the burden of lives he failed to save, in spite of his determination. He knows the helplessness of a nebulous enemy that acts with seeming impunity. He understands the price that taking those fights levies on the soul. He will help you, Lady Liara, and be glad to do so.¡±


    Liara stared at Shade in silence for a long time while Shade waited with the patience of eons. It had allowed him to endure centuries of waiting for the Reaper trials to start and the first thirty-seven minutes of Zardoz. Sometimes life was too short, even for an immortal entity.


    ¡°He¡¯s faced a lot for his rank, hasn¡¯t he?¡± Liara asked finally.


    ¡°He has faced a lot for any rank, Lady Liara. When he was in a position like yours, facing hidden enemies with no clear path forward, he also turned to threats and anger when compassion would have been the more useful path. He has many regrets. I believe you can benefit from his experience and he can benefit from someone who can empathise, even a little. I would also recommend to you Arabelle Remore. She is helping him come to terms with what he¡¯s done and has left to do. I believe they can offer you some clarity that I think you realise you need.¡±


    Liara rubbed her hands over her weary face as Shade retreated to her shadow.


    ¡°Rodney!¡± she called out and the Adventure Society functionary assigned as her temporary assistant came in through the door.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Rodney said, looking at the disaster of the room scattered with papers and the broken desk. He held out his hands and the books and papers flew up into the air as if caught up in a wind that didn¡¯t exist. The broken halves of the table came back together, splinters moving back as the table returned to its pre-broken state, with no signs of having been damaged. The books and papers descended to stack onto the table in random piles.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll need to reorganise them yourself, Lady Liara.¡±


    ¡°That was quite impressive, Rodney.¡±


    ¡°Most of the administrative assistant pool has wood and paper essences, milady. This happens quite a lot.¡±


    ***


    After her breakneck speed over the water between Rimaros and the mainland, and the excitement it brought down on her, Sophie took a more sedate pace. The road network cutting through the jungle was made up of the typical, well-maintained thoroughfares that linked the Storm Kingdom¡¯s population centres. She chose her moderated pace based on advice from her companion, to whom she chatted as she sat atop a hill looking out over the water.


    "I''m a little surprised you didn''t tell on me when that tentacle monster was trying to snatch me," Sophie said.


    She was resting in the long grass beside the road at a point where it crested a hill with excellent ocean views. She could see out over the water, spotting a magical storm far off toward the horizon. She had stopped to eat the packed lunch Jason had made her.


    ¡°Mr Asano¡¯s views on privacy are quite clear,¡± Shade said from Sophie¡¯s shadow. ¡°I am only to relay information without your permission when you are either incapacitated or confronted with a threat that assistance could potentially help combat. As only Mr Asano could reach you by shadow-jumping directly to me, there was no point. He would not have been able to defeat the creature or even escape, as you did. He would have been leaping to his death.¡±


    ¡°But you didn¡¯t even tell him.¡±


    ¡°You have not spent as much time with Mr Asano as I, Miss Wexler, so let me assure you that leaping to his death is very much kind of his thing.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she laughed. ¡°That was fairly clear from the outset.¡±


    Sophie''s feelings on Jason were still something of a mess. He had pulled her out of a life that had been careening from bad to worse where the solution to each disaster had been to plant the seed of the next which would only worse. With every desperate choice, she and Belinda had been digging a hole that would only ever go deeper without offering a path of escape.


    Jason had no reason to help them beyond Jory and his affection for Belinda. On the contrary, there had been every incentive to hand Sophie over to the Adventure Society and reap the rewards from the long-standing contract to capture her. Instead, in a move that baffled her at the time but would prove to be iconically typical, he initiated a wild plan to simultaneously challenge the directors of the Adventure and Magic Societies. Also typical was that against all odds, it worked, garnering him new and dangerous enemies in the process.


    When she asked him why, he gave her a different answer every time. She later realised that he was telling her who he was over and over in different ways, knowing she wouldn''t believe any of what he said. In the end, it came down to the fact that he would rather have died fighting to save a stranger than live with condemning one. That Jason had been a hero. A na?ve, idiotic, one, doomed to have one of his many attempts at self-sacrifice succeed, which it ultimately did.


    In his absence, Jason became a strange figure in Sophie''s head and one that even he could never live up to. It took a long time before he stopped occupying that dominant space in her thoughts and she had been able to start moving on.


    Then, he came back.


    He was different, which was inevitable. He was the same, at a glance, but it was only skin deep. Something grim had stained the light-hearted hero she knew, somewhere so deep it wasn¡¯t ever coming out. She knew it had started when he was taken in Greenstone; the price he paid for helping two thieves who didn¡¯t deserve it. But Sophie had seen him getting better. His time away from them had made him much worse.


    She had already chosen Humphrey by the time he came back. It wasn¡¯t an empty decision, made only once she knew he was returning, and it proved to be the right one. What she¡¯d been attracted to in Jason was a goodness that she hadn¡¯t experienced in her life, up to that point. It was something she had come to admire. To aspire to. She eventually realised that Humphrey had those traits as well; he just lacked Jason¡¯s way of looking at a wall and seeing a potential door, if only he had the determination.


    Humphrey had also changed in the wake of Jason''s death. He stopped accepting things as they were and started looking deeper. He began to challenge not just what he felt was wrong but the platforms on which they stood. He wanted to be more like what he''d admired in Jason and, in the process, became what Sophie had been looking for in Jason. Both of them were shocked by what they saw in Jason on his return. The man they had known was a mask this new one wore, and it didn¡¯t fit all that well.


    Humphrey and Sophie had discussed the changes in Jason more than once. There was a coldness to him now. A willingness to be cruel. What worries Sophie the most was that the strange, wild compassion that has transformed her life seemed to be absent. Its loss had hurt the sense of hope that Jason himself had instilled in her.


    Sophie had not treated Jason well after they met. She hadn¡¯t trusted him or even the simple concept that anyone would do a good thing for no more reason than it was kind. She lashed out and he had taken it. From what Farrah told her, he had done the same thing again, but for a whole world. And like her, the world had lashed out.


    Unlike Sophie, Jason¡¯s world didn¡¯t attack him with the defensive fearfulness of a wounded animal, the way she had. They had done so out of ambition, greed and the desire to keep the power they had, seize more, or both. The years he had spent there had taken their toll and left the man who came back to them irrevocably changed.


    Jason¡¯s friends had quickly realised that he was, in many ways, broken. They had consulted with Farrah and Arabelle who told them that what Jason needed more than anything was trust. He would never go back to the way he was, but who ever did? What they could do was help him to realise that there was something other than enemies. It was easy to say, but he was in a place where it was not so easy to believe. What Jason needed to regain was hope; a sense that things could actually get better.


    Strangely, Sophie had gone from dismay at the changes in Jason to being buoyed by the chance to offer him the kind of help he had once given her. She had been angry and distrustful and he helped her. He had shown her that he could be trusted and there really were such things as kindness, decency, loyalty and hope. Now she had the chance to remind him in turn. She wasn¡¯t going to push, any more than he had pushed her. She would take a page from his own book and do nothing more than prove her point by living it.


    ¡°He is getting better, right?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m not just imagining it?¡±


    ¡°It is not just your imagination, Miss Wexler. He¡¯s improving more quickly than I had even hoped, but he still has roads left to travel.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t we all?¡±


    She finished her sandwich, returned the wrapping paper it was in to the lunch tin Jason had given her and placed the tin in the dimensional pouch at her waist. She then got up and brushed off her pants.


    ¡°Miss Wexler, I assume you have sensed the group of essence users approaching.¡±


    ¡°I have.¡±


    "Would you like me to scout them out and make an assessment of their capabilities and intentions?"


    ¡°Please. I just hope they¡¯re hostiles. After that tentacle monster, I¡¯d love to run into something there¡¯s an actual point to punching. Especially if it has a face.¡±

 Chapter 550: Preferred Option

    Watching the skimmer from a hidden position in the jungle canopy, Sophie observed the eight men riding in it. Stealth was not her forte, but scouting was a key role for her so she was at least adequate at hiding her aura. With the inexpert auras of the men she watching, it was more than enough.


    She knew hired thugs when she saw them. Their gear, like the thugs themselves, was silver-rank but taken from the bottom of the barrel. The only decent piece of equipment they had was their land skimmer, with their armour and weapons being third-rate goods that even a freshly-minted silver-rank adventurer would turn their nose up at. Equipment of that quality would be unlikely to show up in the general markets of Livaros, let alone the trade halls. Sophie guessed that it was sourced from one of the smaller cities and that the thugs themselves were as well.


    Sophie had let Shade assess the men in the approaching skimmer before she moved into their path and his analysis had been no less disdainful than hers. Their gear was only one of many indicators of their mediocrity, the most obvious being their auras.


    Monster core use saturated all their auras, but that alone did not preclude them from being adventurers, even capable ones. Many craftspeople used cores while also maintaining Adventure Society membership. They were often part-timers that took contracts to fund their crafting pursuits, and craftspeople adventurers were as active as anyone else during a surge. Craft-oriented adventurers were typified by their excellent gear, however, and while they might not be guild-level elites, their aura training was never as sloppy as what these thugs were displaying.


    These were no craftsmen out looking to earn capital for their business endeavours. Shade had easily eavesdropped on their conversation to uncover their intentions. These weren¡¯t just general hired thugs but a small gang hired specifically to intercept Sophie, having been informed of her intended route. Rather than use Shade¡¯s scouting to avoid them, she decided to place herself directly in their path.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m still not sure about going after an adventurer,¡± Ramon said yet again.


    ¡°Then you shouldn¡¯t have come,¡± Corvis told him.


    ¡°You said I had to.¡±


    ¡°You did have to. You¡¯re the healer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not much of a healer.¡±


    ¡°Oh, we know,¡± Galen said from the driver seat of the skimmer.


    ¡°What I meant was that I don¡¯t have a lot of healing abilities,¡± Ramon said, glaring at the back of Galen¡¯s head.


    ¡°What I meant,¡± Galen shot back, ¡°is that you¡¯re terrible at everything. When we meet this adventurer, maybe at least wait for the fight to start before running.¡±


    ¡°Kiss my ass, Galen.¡±


    ¡°I did, while you were sleeping. Now I have a rash.¡±


    The rest of the skimmer¡¯s occupants burst out laughing.


    ¡°I hate you all,¡± Ramon said. ¡°We¡¯ll see how funny it is when this adventurer kicks the guts out of all of you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one adventurer,¡± Corvis said, ¡°and you know they don¡¯t send the good ones on these delivery runs. Why would anyone hire us to take on an elite?¡±


    The eight men in the skimmer were, as Sophie postulated, members of a small gang from the nearby city. One of many satellite groups to the local cartel, they were mostly strongmen who kept the local low-end officials in line. They were small-time men who had found their niche, not reaching silver-rank until they were all into their forties.


    The thugs operated around the border between the Storm Kingdom that controlled the coast and Girlano, the inland nation that lay to the south. While ostensibly a kingdom, Girlano was famously controlled by cartels known for producing substances that ranged from heavily controlled to outright banned in many of the world¡¯s nations. This was due to many of the rare or outright unique plants that grew in the region and minerals that formed underground. Girlano faced strong public sanctions for the goods they grew and mined, with their neighbours heavily controlling the landlocked nation¡¯s borders.


    The illicit leadership of Girlano maintained its position through a series of under-the-table deals made with powerful groups within its neighbouring countries. These groups propped up Girlano¡¯s puppet government while making sure their own governments only paid lip service to suppressing the cartels and their smuggling pipelines.


    ***


    The Adventure Society didn''t care about borders. Their concern was keeping monsters out of population centres, regardless of who ran them or how corrupt they were. So long as the Adventure Society''s activities were not interfered with, they would refrain from interfering in turn.


    The neutrality of the Adventure Society was why Sophie was heading in the direction of Girlano and its border city of Casallini. Her delivery was a relatively small and specialised one, as the local authorities managed most of the needs inside Girlano¡¯s borders. Only with critical resources not easily sourced within Girlano itself would the Adventure Society force the Storm Kingdom to supply their sketchy neighbour.


    Sophie was in the region where Girlano came closest to the coast. It was close enough that a sufficiently tall hill gave her a fine view of the Sea of Storms. The proximity to the water made it a key region for smuggling, with many semi-hidden pathways through the jungle-covered hills between the border and the shore.


    ***


    The land skimmer had emerged onto the roadways from a smuggler¡¯s path, having used it to avoid the border checkpoints that dotted the roads. Normally there would also be patrols, but they had been suspended for the duration of the monster surge.


    Galen drew the land skimmer to a stop, around twenty metres from the woman standing in the middle of the roadway. She was a celestine with chocolate skin, silver hair and matching eyes. She wore form-fitting leather armour of brown and green with a motif of silver leaves. It was the kind of well-made, expensive gear that successful adventurers used. The men in the skimmer sat, staring at her as she started back.


    ¡°She¡¯s gorgeous,¡± Corvis said.


    ¡°She¡¯s a silver-rank celestine,¡± Ramon said. ¡°They¡¯re all gorgeous. If you made a big list of people who are obviously going to be so good-looking that you feel bad for them having to be near you, high-ranking celestines will be at the top.¡±


    ¡°We should move to the Storm Kingdom,¡± Galen said wistfully. ¡°Celestines everywhere.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure how appealing they¡¯d find you,¡± Corvis said. ¡°I don¡¯t think they go for men whose social life was curtailed by the church of Purity closing because his nights out usually require cleansing magic after.¡±


    ¡°And before, if I¡¯m being honest,¡± Galen admitted.


    ¡°Really?¡± Ramon asked. ¡°Galen, are you still doing whatever it was with the stinky fruit and the slider thing?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a sliding thing,¡± Galen said. ¡°It¡¯s a pump.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what it is. I just don¡¯t want you cleaning it on the dining table. Or the coffee table. Or in the house at all, really.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± the woman called out. ¡°I might be on a loose schedule, but it¡¯s still a schedule. Can you hurry up and try to kidnap me so I can start punching you, please?¡±


    ¡°Does she know why we¡¯re here?¡±


    "Obviously she knows why we''re here."


    ¡°That¡¯s bad, right?¡±


    ***


    Sophie had the reflexes to dodge the half-dozen magic projectiles coming at her in quick succession, but she kept dashing right towards them. Her hands blurred as she used them to intercept the attacks like she was plucking berries.


    Ability: [Radiant Fist] (Mystic)


    Special ability (magic).Cost: None.Cooldown: None.Current rank: Silver 2 (39%).Effect (iron): Unarmed attacks deal additional disruptive-force damage, which is highly effective against magical defences and intangible or incorporeal enemies. Unarmed attacks do not trigger retaliation effects. Negate any non-damage effects from actively intercepted attacks.Effect (bronze): Gain an instance of [Impervious] when intercepting non-physical attacks. Gain mana when intercepting magical projectiles.Effect (silver): After intercepting a magical projectile you may make a disruptive-force projectile attack.


    [Impervious] (boon, magic, stacking): Resistances are increased and damage reduction is gained against non-physical damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    She threw out a hand, using the energy of the projectiles she absorbed to fire projectiles of her own. They were disruptive-force, not ideal for harming flesh or armour but excellent against magical shields and intangible entities. For that reason, she aimed them at the healer, around whom a bubble shield glimmered with a faint blue tint.


    Sophie was outnumbered eight to one, which was just enough to make it fun. If the crappy gear and crappier auras didn¡¯t give away that they¡¯d never had adventurer training, their skills certainly did. They were as bad as Greenstone experts, which was Sea of Storms garbage. Any adventurer who never left Greenstone was like the guy who never left his small town and had the same petrol station job at thirty-eight he¡¯d been doing since high school. Sophie didn¡¯t know what that meant but Jason had assured her it was scathing.


    The fight was not a swift one because Sophie didn''t inflict a lot of damage, at least in the beginning, and was more susceptible to damage when enemies managed to land a hit. Her Karmic Warrior power promised an inevitable transition, however, as those conditions were slowly but surely flipped. Every offensive action taken against her gave a small but cumulative enhancement to her power and spirit attributes, increasing the damage from her flying fists and feet. This affected not just her strength but her powers that added damage to her attacks.


    Even more impactful were the karma effects of the power. Every attack against her gave her the good karma boon and the enemy the bad karma affliction. The more good karma she had, the less damage she suffered from those with bad karma. As for her enemies, their bad karma had them suffering transcendent damage every time they attacked her. The amount was inconsequential at first but climbed with every attack.


    The growth of these effects wasn''t infinite. There was a maximum threshold, although Sophie''s Child of the Celestial Wind power raised the threshold of all boons, meaning that her good karma could climb higher than normal. By the time the fight had gone on for several minutes, most of the enemy''s attacks were too weak to harm her at all.


    Up until that stage, the fight had been thrilling. The thugs weren¡¯t any good but they were still silver-rankers. Sophie had moved through them like a dust devil, delivering rapid-fire attacks and disrupting spell chants with a fist or a foot to the mouth. High-rank bodies were unlike normal bodies and she had continued her ongoing experiments on the directions that silver-rank joints would bend.


    She didn¡¯t have any suppression collars so she took what was her preferred option anyway and beat most of them to death. She left a couple alive for questioning, which wasn¡¯t hard. They weren¡¯t going to bleed to death unless someone like Jason came along, and silver-rank limbs would grow back on their own, given enough time. If anything, it was harder to take them off in the first place with bare hands.


    ***


    Liara approached Jason¡¯s cloud house, still uncertain about following Shade¡¯s advice. The building was eerily impenetrable to even her formidable senses, which was a little unnerving. As she stood, staring at the door, the entire wall next to the door opened like the eye of some vast monster as it roused from slumber. Jason was inside, sitting in a chair with a book on astral theory in hand.


    He was standing in a now-exposed parlour. Unlike the outside, which was disguised as a normal, if impressive, wooden building, the interior was very clearly made up of cloud-stuff. A side table formed of cloud-stuff and he rested the book on it. Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Mr Asano, if you¡¯re too lazy to get the door, I am happy to do so in your stead. We are being visited by a princess, not one of Miss Belinda¡¯s herbal supplement suppliers. Please allow the household to demonstrate at least a moderate decorum.¡±


    ¡°And yet, you¡¯re chiding me in front of company?¡±


    ¡°Doing so in private is demonstrably ineffective. I recognise that attempting to shame a famously shameless man may be an exercise in futility, but I endeavour, nonetheless.¡±


    Jason shook his head turning his attention back to Liara.


    ¡°What brings you by, Princess? I had any new information, Shade would have told you already.¡±


    ¡°Shade didn¡¯t tell you why I was coming?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t tell me you were coming at all. I have rules about privacy when Shade is inhabiting friendly shadows. I¡¯m a strong believer in ethical lines, if only to stop myself from slipping further across them than I should.¡±


    ¡°May I come in?¡±


    ¡°If you wish, although I¡¯ll give you a warning, first. If you come in here, you¡¯ll be entering my domain. You won¡¯t have the same power disparity over me you normally would. In fact, I could make things quite dangerous for you, should I be so inclined.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with cloud flasks,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Mine has seen some modifications that go outside what is normally possible,¡± he warned her. ¡°Be aware that if you step in here, you will, do a degree, come under my power. I know that¡¯s not something you¡¯re used to anymore, being a gold-ranker.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯ll be fine.¡±


    ¡°Then, by all means, be welcome in my home.¡±


    He made a welcoming gesture and she stepped up to the open side of the building. The instant she felt an aura from inside the building she flinched and froze in place, her instincts screaming danger. She blasted out her senses but the building remained uncannily impenetrable, even with the open wall. All she could sense from it was the barest touch on an aura she knew she would have to go inside to properly examine.


    Soramir had never told Liara what he had seen in Jason¡¯s aura, but the way Soramir treated him once they had met was extremely telling. Something had earned the respect and, she suspected, even the wariness of the Storm Kingdom¡¯s first and most powerful ancestor. Hoping she was about to realise at least a part of what he had seen, Liara continued into the cloud house.

 Chapter 551: Sloppy Mistake

    Liara was flooded with a strange sensation the moment she stepped fully inside Jason Asano''s cloud house. There was a sense of oppression to it which only heightened as the open wall closed behind her, sealing her in. The aura pervading the place wasn''t exactly stronger than Jason''s own, but it felt somehow richer and deeper. It was as if she were extending her senses into a body of water, discovering mysterious depths and untold dangers she was previously oblivious to.


    While the sensations the pervasive aura engendered were strange, they were also familiar and it took her a moment to realise why. Jason quietly watched her take it in, amusement teasing the corner of his lips. When she realised where she recognised the sensation from, her eyes went wide and he flashed a grin.


    ¡°There it is,¡± he said.


    Liara alternated watching Jason with looking around the room as if it were a giant beast that had swallowed her. Jason moved to a drinks cabinet, poured some amber liquid into a glass then brought it over to Liara, who downed it at a gulp.


    ¡°I should stock cheaper booze,¡± Jason said, frowning at the empty glass she handed back. ¡°How much did Soramir tell you about me?¡±


    ¡°Almost nothing,¡± she said. ¡°He believes that your secrets are yours.¡±


    ¡°And his.¡±


    ¡°He only did that because you represented a potentially unknown threat.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°Asano, I don¡¯t know what he saw in you, I genuinely don¡¯t. But I¡¯ve never even heard of a diamond-ranker treating a silver like he does you.¡±


    ¡°And how is that?¡±


    ¡°Like a peer. He thinks you''re going to join him at diamond-rank, someday, and whatever he saw in your soul was enough to start showing you at least some of the respect that entails already.¡±


    She panned her eyes over the house around her yet again.


    ¡°I may finally be started to see why.¡±


    Jason threw the glass at the cabinet, where it was cushioned by the cloud-stuff from which the cabinet was made. The cloud-substance cleansed the glass using the crystal wash infused into it then returned the glass to its place.


    ¡°How is this possible?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°The cabinet? It¡¯s pretty basic cloud furniture stuff.¡±


    ¡°No, the¡­ is it even really an aura that this place has? Is this cloud house a temple to you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said with a chuckle. ¡°It employs the same mechanisms, magically speaking, but I¡¯m not in the club, as it were. It¡¯s not holy ground; it just really, really belongs to me. It¡¯s part of my territory. Outside of these walls, the Storm King rules. Inside them is my domain. Think of it as an embassy.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so you¡¯re not claiming to be a god; you¡¯re claiming to be a one-man sovereign nation.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything about it being one man. What I did say is that it¡¯s an embassy. The nation is somewhere else.¡±


    She narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°You''re a king in your world?¡±


    ¡°It''s more complicated than that,¡± Jason said. ¡°When I was saving my world, I accidentally created a country with a couple of territories. Not large ones, but there are smaller countries. Only two smaller countries, but they¡¯re pretty notable ones. Lots of rich people, although in the smallest one they pretend they aren¡¯t and try to distract people with hats.¡±


    ¡°Hats?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Lots of robe-wearing too, which you don¡¯t see a lot of my world. Not the practical Jedi-style stuff like I wear, either. Well, Sith, let¡¯s be honest.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°Your proclivities are showing.¡±


    ¡°Shade, it¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°You know that Miss Hurin doesn¡¯t like you explaining things to people.¡±


    ¡°Hey, you brought the princess here.¡±


    ¡°Not for this, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason looked at his familiar thoughtfully, then gestured Liara to a chair.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said as he took a seat for himself.


    ¡°Just before the explanations come to an end,¡± Liara said, ¡°why would you let me in here? Even if it¡¯s just a glimpse, it¡¯s a big secret you¡¯re letting me in on.¡±


    ¡°Soramir knows,¡± Jason said. ¡°Trenchant Moore has some inkling, I¡¯m pretty sure. If three people know a thing, it¡¯s not a secret anymore.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true enough,¡± Liara said. ¡°There has to be more to it than that, though.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°Shade brought you here.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s enough?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said as if it were obvious.


    ¡°He didn''t tell you why, though. Or that we were coming at all.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°I know he¡¯s your familiar, but there¡¯s a difference between trusting your familiar and blindly trusting their judgement.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m aware,¡± Jason said. ¡°If it were Gordon bringing you here, it would probably be to watch old musicals, which is not a sufficient reason.¡±


    ¡°Musicals?¡±


    ¡°A crystal recording of people acting out stories, like a theatre show, with lots of singing.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t Gordon your familiar with the floating death orbs? I looked those up and the little I could find about them was both unconfirmed and terrifying. The only accurate information the Magic Society had was their iron and bronze-rank abilities, as detailed by Clive Standish based on your familiar.¡±


    ¡°Clive¡¯s a good egg. It¡¯s a damn shame the way he was treated, but this is why I¡¯m wary of institutionalised power.¡±


    ¡°And this familiar would bring me here to watch stories acted out with singing?¡±


    ¡°It could be worse, believe me. When he and Taika get together¡­ let''s just say that you should try and avoid learning who Michael Dudikoff is.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Michael Dudikoff?¡±


    ¡°A real estate agent.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano¡­¡±


    ¡°Come on, Shade. She asked.¡±


    ¡°No one asks about Michael Dudikoff, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s no Jan Michael Vincent, that¡¯s for sure.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, I brought her here because she is facing some of the same issues you did in your world and I thought she could benefit from your experience.¡±


    The half-smirk froze on Jason¡¯s face as Shade continued.


    ¡°She finds herself confronted by a sprawling organisation whose agenda is incredibly destructive, but she lacks the effective means to pursue them, even after the terrible price they and their allies have made everyone pay. I imagined you might be able to relate.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said with a grimace. ¡°That. Yeah.¡±


    ¡°What did you go through in your world?¡± Liara asked. ¡°His Ancestral Majesty didn¡¯t tell me any secrets he uncovered but he did talk around certain things. He said there were things inside your soul that even he didn¡¯t recognise or understand. That whatever you faced in your world must have been extraordinary.¡±


    ¡°The problem was that it only had two adventurers on it,¡± Jason said. ¡°There were essence users, but it¡¯s not the same. Their mindset was formed on the sensibilities of their world and they weren¡¯t equipped to handle the trouble brought from yours.¡±


    ¡°You called it ¡®their world¡¯, not ¡®my world,¡¯¡± Liara said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not my world.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you a king there? Or whatever more complicated than a king is?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve researched me. What do you think my general opinion of kings is?¡±


    ¡°So you walked away?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t abandon it. It has people and leadership. Better than what I could have done myself.¡±


    ¡°And you weren¡¯t tempted to stay?¡±


    ¡°That world isn¡¯t my home. I spent a long time learning that lesson. In any case, I had responsibilities that precluded me from acting how I would desire. It forced me to work with people I would much rather not. Many had become enemies, but there were larger needs.¡±


    He rubbed his chin, thoughtfully.


    ¡°Your problem,¡± Jason said. ¡°I do understand it. When you¡¯re fighting monsters, or hunting individuals, which I believe you did for a long time, then things are simpler. Even with an enemy like the Builder¡¯s forces, it may have been a skirmish war, for the most part, but they were still an enemy we could go out and fight. But this Purity group isn¡¯t looking to take the fight to us. Their raid on the island was the first time they came at us directly and even that was a decoy action while they went for their real objectives. They have powerful backers and what feels like bottomless resources. What they want doesn¡¯t require them to fight us; their agendas are hard to pin down yet have catastrophic outcomes should we fail to stop them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fairly good summation of how I¡¯m feeling about the current situation.¡±


    ¡°I know how I felt when I faced these challenges in the past. You see what¡¯s happening and feel unequipped to handle it. The enemy is everywhere and nowhere, disappearing like smoke. The inability to pin them down and score decisive victories leaves you feeling helpless.¡±


    Jason turned, staring off into space for a moment.


    ¡°I have a simple philosophy for accomplishing my goals,¡± he said. ¡°You look at where you are, where you want to be, and then decide if you''re willing to pay the price of walking between those two points. Almost anything can be accomplished if you have the resolve, but you have to be able to see the path.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see it.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°That¡¯s where the helplessness comes from, and it¡¯s like a poison. It crawls into your mind and whispers that no matter how powerful you become, it will never be enough. The enemies will always be too hidden, their backers too powerful. Your frustration becomes anger and you want to let that anger loose because it feels like it will make you strong.¡±


    ¡°Which it never does,¡± Liara said. ¡°Anger tells you lies. That there are simple, clean solutions. It smothers your judgement and makes you weak.¡±


    The pair shared a look of silent understanding.


    ¡°So, what do I do?¡± she asked. ¡°How do I find the path I can¡¯t see.¡±


    ¡°There is no answer but hurry up and wait,¡± Jason told her. ¡°You¡¯re being diligent and tapping every resource. We have to keep using every tool we have and hope the path becomes clear before we all pay the price.¡±


    ¡°Is that how you stopped the enemies in your world?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t stop the enemies in my world. We got the catastrophic outcomes I was talking about. The most I could do was stop the world from being annihilated entirely. As for the group, they collapsed after their work was done. Their people didn¡¯t realise how grand a disaster they were bringing about until after the fact.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound encouraging.¡±


    ¡°Encouragement you can get from your friends; it''s not why Shade brought you here. He brought you here so you could talk to someone who understands. I can tell you something about my experiences if you''d like. Maybe we can figure out what I did wrong and how to do it better this time.¡±


    ¡°I would appreciate that.¡±


    ***


    Jason took Liara through some edited highlights of his time on Earth. Mostly he described the Engineers of Ascension and their takedown of the grid, only touching briefly on the disasters that followed. Mostly it was about the timing leading up to that; the signs he missed and the mistakes he made.


    ¡°¡­like trying to wipe out an ant¡¯s nest by stomping ants one at a time. You¡¯ll never get them all, that way, and you¡¯ll never destroy the nest, no matter how powerful you are. The more powerful you are, in fact, the more powerless you will feel without an appropriate place to apply that power. Until you have somewhere to direct that energy, the sense of helplessness will only grow.¡±


    ¡°And what should I do about that?¡±


    ¡°For one thing, don¡¯t let it leak into other things you do. The need to feel like you have power over something can lead to making bad choices. Killing when you should let someone live. Making threats instead of peace; hurting yourself by being domineering when being friendly would have gotten you everything you want without complication.¡±


    He gave her a sad smile.


    ¡°I know that¡¯s more what to avoid, but the unfortunate truth is that there isn¡¯t a lot to actively do. All I can really tell you is to suck it up and stay focused, which is the real trick. Be conscious of your state of mind. I let things get away from me and paid the price for that. Something as simple as having someone who understands to talk about it with can help with that, so why don''t we start now? I''ve talked you through my experiences, so how about you tell me about yours?¡±


    ¡°This is all new to me,¡± Liara said. ¡°The Builder response office has had the Purity issues added to its plate now the Builder affairs are mostly mop-up. It¡¯s a very different fight, though. We knew what the Builder cult wanted and what they would need to do to get it. It was a fight. With Purity, we¡¯re reaching under cupboards to grab at scurrying insects.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°While I am loath to interrupt, Miss Sophie will be contacting you presently on an issue I believe warrants immediate attention. Further, you may wish to include Lady Liara.¡±


    Liara was already familiar with Jason¡¯s chat functions from the expedition to the Builder island, so there was no need to explain as Sophie¡¯s voice chat arrived and Jason both joined and invited Liara to join.


    ¡°Why did you bring the princess in on this?¡± Sophie asked without greeting or preamble.


    ¡°We happened to be talking when you contacted me and it seemed like a good idea,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Jason, I know you think the blue hair thing is sexy¨C¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Jason said, cutting her off.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that you can¡¯t just randomly bring people in on team business.¡±


    ¡°It was at my suggestion that Lady Liara was included, Miss Sophie.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s alright then,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I do it, it¡¯s because I¡¯m wrapped around some lady¡¯s finger, if Shade suggests it, it¡¯s a sensible choice?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sophie said bluntly.


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful.¡±


    ¡°Asano, it¡¯s a matter of judgement.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that¨C¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade interrupted. ¡°I will remind you that we have company, as well as that Miss Sophie has some news that should be addressed.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said reluctantly, ¡°but I¡¯m going to be coming back to this issue. I won¡¯t be so easily distracted.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s for dinner tonight?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s going to be great,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m cooking almost everything in palm leaves. I¡¯ve got this¨C¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡± Shade said pointedly.


    ¡°What? Oh, sorry, Shade. What did you call about, Wexler?¡±


    ¡°I just got jumped by a bunch of silver-rank thugs.¡±


    ¡°Purity worshippers?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Sophie said. ¡°These were local hires, from a city called Casallini.¡±


    ¡°In Girlano,¡± Liara said bitterly. ¡°That whole country is a stain full of drug dealers and smugglers.¡±


    ¡°A wretched hive of scum and villainy?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t answer that,¡± Sophie told her. ¡°That¡¯s his ¡®I¡¯m talking some nonsense you won¡¯t understand for my own amusement¡¯ voice.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Jason said, the picture of confused innocence.


    ¡°Perhaps we should stay on topic,¡± Liara suggested. ¡°Miss Wexler, are you¡¯re certain these men were from Casallini?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I put the hard question on the survivors once I was done.¡±


    ¡°How many were there?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Eight, but they were raw garbage. No training, no experience, reeking of cores. They were a local gang of toughs hired to come after me specifically.¡±


    ¡°They knew you were coming?¡±


    ¡°And what did you mean when you said they weren¡¯t exactly Purity worshippers?¡± Liara added.


    ¡°Yeah, they knew I was coming. I questioned the survivors and they cracked pretty quick. These weren¡¯t zealots, just a local gang. They were hired by some Purity loyalists. They¡¯re waiting for these guys to bring me to them, so I say we get the team together, drop down on them like a pallet of marble bricks and scoop them up.¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Jason and Liara exclaimed simultaneously, then looked at each other, slightly surprised.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a trap,¡± Jason said. ¡°Those Purity worshippers are a worm on a hook.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Liara said. ¡°The Order of Redeeming Light have been extremely diligent about keeping their operations informationally secure. If they made a sloppy mistake all of a sudden, giving us an unexpected opportunity, it¡¯s almost certainly a lure.¡±


    ¡°I doubt they¡¯re even really Purity people,¡± Jason said. ¡°Probably another level of cut-out. The order will be sore about exposing themselves after losing people while raiding the island just a couple of days ago.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll send civic forces from the Storm Kingdom to sweep them up, rather than the Adventure Society,¡± Liara said. ¡°It makes more sense diplomatically and won¡¯t tap the society¡¯s already too-thin resources. Plus, we have a large force in Casallini because it¡¯s a border city, so we can move faster and with people who know the area. In the meantime, Miss Wexler, I¡¯m using my authority within the Adventure Society to order a stop on your contract. It¡¯s low-priority, so no one will be missing any desperately needed supplies.¡±


    ¡°I can finish it,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not taking any unnecessary risks,¡± Liara said. ¡°They have a taste for grabbing adventurers and they clearly know your schedule. Get back to Rimaros. Your contract is cancelled.¡±

 Chapter 552: Criteria

    A portal power at Jason¡¯s current rank of silver four had a base range of two-thousand and four-hundred kilometres, which was true for every portal or long-range teleport ability. Jason was able to eke out some extra range because of the various effects connecting him to the astral, although it was relatively marginal and he hadn¡¯t tested just how far he could push the limit. It wasn¡¯t a match for a true portal specialist but was close to the upper end of what celestines could accomplish. Like Jason, they had an affinity for dimensional energies that likewise made them naturally adept with dimensional powers.


    Jason¡¯s normal shadow jump range was line of sight. When moving from one Shade body to another, however, he could travel at long-range teleportation distances, albeit at the range for a teleport power a full rank lower than normal. This was unimpressive on its own except for two key factors. Jason¡¯s shadow jump didn¡¯t have a cooldown, which was exceptional enough, but insignificant compared to the second benefit. So long as there was a Shade body at the destination, Jason did not need to have been to that destination before.


    The need to teleport to known locations was, along with range, one of the iconic restrictions on portal travel. It was arguably the most widely known essence ability restriction of all. While abilities that extended range were common enough amongst portal users, circumventing the need to visit a destination was significantly harder. Jason¡¯s ability to do so may have been at less than a tenth of his normal portal range, yet remained noteworthy enough that he had been very careful about letting anyone know. He was relatively certain that even Soramir remained unaware of it.


    Liara did feel better after her talk with Jason. He was younger than her children but the similarity of their experiences gave them a shared empathy that helped Liara cope. When it wasn¡¯t possible to fix a situation, at least not immediately, it felt good having someone who could truly understand and didn¡¯t make a futile attempt to fix it.


    After returning to Livaros, Liara immediately cancelled Sophie¡¯s contract, as promised. She notified the Adventure Society and the civic authorities about the people in the city of Casallini and orders were immediately sent to deploy forces. Liara was a princess, if only of a minor branch of the royal family, while also being a high-level Adventure Society official. When she suggested a course of action, people took the request seriously and acted on it quickly.


    After that was done, Liara returned to her temporary office. Her assistant, Rodney, was in the outer office, sorting through reports of suspected Purity activity to deliver to her later.


    ¡°Rodney, contact Cassin Amouz and ask for another meeting. Let him know that I''ll come to him and that I intend to apologise for my behaviour during our meeting.¡±


    ¡°With respect, Lady Liara, are you certain. I couldn¡¯t help but overhear your rather loud discussion with Lord Amouz and he was definitely attempting to make inappropriate use of his influence.¡±


    ¡°His son is in the hands of zealots known for performing weird rituals on people,¡± Liara said. ¡°If it were one of my sons, I¡¯d burn this building to the ground if there was even a chance it would help bring him back to me. What Lord Amouz needs is to know that everything that can be done is being done. Otherwise, he¡¯ll do something drastic.¡±


    ¡°Like burn this building to the ground,¡± Rodney said, realisation dawning on his expression.


    ¡°Exactly. So, I¡¯d appreciate you setting up that meeting sooner, rather than later.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Lady Liara.¡±


    Liara entered the inner office. The desk had been repaired from where she smashed it but all the books, records and other files had been piled on top of it in who knew what order. She sat down to start methodically re-collating everything.


    Once she was done, she resumed the laborious task of poring over observation reports, activity logs, contract summaries and portal itineraries. The goal was still to identify the portal user responsible for extracting the clockwork kings from the Builder island.


    During their conversation, Liara had consulted with Jason, as another portal user, about the one she was looking for. Like Liara, he had been present on the island, and with sufficiently powerful aura senses to get some idea of what happened.


    They had talked through the specifics of what they had seen, and while Jason didn''t reveal that he had a trick to circumnavigate destination requirements himself, he pointed out that same ability in their unknown enemy.


    Liara¡¯s head was significantly clearer after taking some time to relax and get some of the concerns off her chest. She hadn¡¯t slept since coming back from the expedition, or during the expedition itself. She was more than capable of enduring but that didn¡¯t stop her head from feeling like it contained an angry swarm of bees.


    Now with a clearer head, Liara realised that she should have recognised what Jason pointed out herself. Her inability to focus had cost her in concentration and the ability to connect information.


    After reorganising the records, she resumed her search with renewed focus, making a list of essence users that met specific criteria. She based those criteria on what she and Jason had been able to sense during the Builder island expedition.


    Liara had been paying special attention to the area around the forge room where the constructs were being created by Builder automatons. The chamber itself was impenetrable to aura senses, which also blocked portals. Liara had sensed the portal open outside the chamber and the clockwork kings and essence users that went through. That told her quite a lot in and of itself.


    It had to be a gold-rank portal, and not just a silver-ranker¡¯s portal power pushed to the limit. A silver-ranker who had reached gold with their portal power specifically could only portal a single gold-ranker. Moving two gold-rank clockwork kings and silver-rankers besides meant a gold-rank portal user. Further, no gold-rank essence user¡¯s aura had been present. Even a stealth specialist like Liara would have needed to reveal her aura to use a portal power. That meant the portal user was not present and had opened the portal from a distant location.


    This allowed Liara to surmise further things about the portal user. Unless the portal user belonged to the Builder cult, it was unlikely that they had ever been to the depths of the Builder island. For one thing, if they¡¯d known the clockwork kings were there, they would have been and gone long before the expedition and not needed to distract the adventurers by sacrificing so many of their forces.


    Another supporting factor was the fact that the Purity worshippers had gone down there themselves instead of portalling in the same way they portalled out. This suggested a condition had needed to be met before the portal could be opened. This reinforced the idea that the portal user had never been there, although the widespread destruction within the underground complex may have broken the portal user¡¯s ability to employ that destination.


    Portal users needed to have visited a location before they could open a portal to it. The reason for this was that it allowed their senses to attune to the aura of the place, like examining spiritual landmarks. If a sufficiently drastic event severely reshaped the physical space, the spiritual space would often follow, changing it too much to serve as a destination until the place was visited once again. If a portal destination was on a mountain, some diamond-ranker destroying the mountain would almost certainly eliminate the destination point.


    Liara had sensed a strange burst of aura shortly before the departure of the Purity worshippers. She was fairly certain that it was some kind of aura beacon that had served as a target destination for the portal the gold-ranker opened from afar.


    Liara was familiar with such beacons. They could be sensed in the immediate area, but also by linked devices from hundreds of kilometres away. Her husband had a similar beacon, based on the same basic design, as an emergency signal should he require his wife to come and save him. Fortunately, she had never needed to rescue him from anything more dangerous than his mother.


    With Gibson Amouz in the hands of the Purity worshippers, Liara was worried about her husband. He was originally part of the Amouz family and was currently managing an underwater mining operation. Their marriage was more political than loving but she still deeply cared about him. If nothing else, while their children might be grown, she didn¡¯t want them losing their father.


    The criteria she developed gave Liara a profile that she could apply to known essence users, resulting in a list of names. She started going through all the records she had on each name until she reached the end of the list. She was then left with a problem: none of the people on her list could have done it, according to Adventure Society records. Itineraries tracking Adventure Society members and reports tracking outsiders always marked the people on her list as either busy with society duties, confirmed as active elsewhere or on the far side of the planet.


    That was not to say the records were perfect. Mistakes were made and rogue adventurers had many secrets. It really could be a Builder cult portal expert who stayed behind to assist their allies, or some completely unknown outsider. They were less likely scenarios as the details didn¡¯t add up quite right, but still possibilities. If that was the case, there was nothing Liara could to do find them, so she dismissed them as possibilities for any practical purpose.


    Liara was betting that there was an issue with the records. The Adventure Society was the single most elaborate bureaucracy in the history of civilisation, making incompetence or corruption, more likely than not. She was confident that someone on the list of names, through luck or design, had their true activities covered up.


    ¡°Rodney!¡±


    Rodney entered the inner office.


    ¡°I have arranged a meeting with Lord Amouz for tomorrow, Lady Liara.¡±


    ¡°Great. Contact Jana and get her in here.¡±


    ¡°Of course, milady. Any preference on time-frame?¡±


    ¡°Now.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Wexler,¡± Jason said as he popped out of her shadow. They were on a rooftop above the streets of the small city of Casallini.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I came to ask you the same question. Why are you in the city?¡±


    ¡°First, I came here to hand over the guys I captured to the Storm Kingdom forces at the border station.¡±


    ¡°That would have been at the border station at the city gates.¡±


    ¡°Now I have to sell the land skimmer I took off those guys. It¡¯s a nice one; should be worth a bit.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to explain this to me,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re saying that you went to the border station and handed your prisoners over to the border guards from Rimaros. That¡¯s why you came to the city instead of returning to Rimaros, the way you were meant to.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And then you decided to sell their skimmer since they were dead or locked up.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Did this land skimmer come with one of those specialised dimensional bags to store it?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°So, you parked it somewhere?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    Jason walked to the edge of the roof and looked down.


    ¡°Generously-spaced streets,¡± he observed.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So, I¡¯m having a lot of trouble understanding what I imagine will be a key element to the scenario at hand. Namely that, if your intention was to sell off the land skimmer, then not actually taking it with you is an unconventional approach. Instead of driving the land skimmer to a dealership where they would pay you for it, you seem to have left the land skimmer behind and taken to the rooftops.¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of ins and outs to negotiation,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It gets complex. Takes you places you didn''t expect to go. Like rooftops.¡±


    ¡°Does the bloody hammer you¡¯re holding constitute an in or an out?¡±


    The bloody-headed construction hammer in Sophie¡¯s hand went spinning out of sight over the edge of the roof.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± she said.


    ¡°Sophie, you can¡¯t go after them yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Or reconnoitre them.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what that word means.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you do.¡±


    ¡°Okay, I bumped into one guy, but he wasn¡¯t even involved. This is a lawless town full of crappy guys that will stop repairing their roof to attack the first woman that arrives on it.¡±


    ¡°You landed on the roof of what was presumably his home,¡± Jason said. ¡°He probably thought you were trying to rob or kill him.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a lot of experience with murdering people,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Killing, yes, but not murdering. Even then, I¡¯m fairly certain that people who think they¡¯re about to get murdered don¡¯t lick their lips a whole bunch while talking about buttering up your flanks.¡±


    ¡°Really? Okay, that does sound creepy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen that look in men before. It¡¯s something that goes beyond want, through need and into something else. A hunger for something it¡¯s very wrong to be hungry for. I¡¯ve seen that look, back in Greenstone, Cole Silva and the hammer guy both had it coming.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve all got it coming, Wexler.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the truth,¡± she agreed.


    Jason opened a portal.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± he told her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your nubile slave girl anymore, Asano. You don¡¯t get to order me around.¡±


    ¡°I got to order you around? I should have done that more. I could have made you do my laundry.¡±


    ¡°The cloud house does your laundry.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the principle of the thing. Besides, I do still get to order you around.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°Yep. So get in the portal.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think I have to do what you say?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t, that¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll let you explain to the others why we¡¯re having spirit coins for dinner.¡±


    ¡°Well that¡¯s just playing dirty,¡± Sophie muttered and made her way through the portal.

 Chapter 553: A Matter of Values

    Belinda repeatedly thwapped at Sophie¡¯s head with a softcover notebook as Sophie fended her off with her arms. As Sophie shifted in her seat under the attacks, the puppy napping in her lap made a grumbling sound.


    ¡°What were you thinking, running off by yourself into some trap?¡± Belinda scolded as she dropped into a cloud chair and jabbed the notebook in Jason¡¯s direction. ¡°This guy was the one who had to bring you back. This guy! Have you learned nothing from the mistakes he keeps making, over and over?¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been kidnapped, tortured, killed. Forced to wear those shirts.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my shirts?¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just get a whole wardrobe put together?¡± Neil asked. ¡°You still dress like a tropical garden was violently ill.¡±


    Jason¡¯s team was gathered in the cloud house. In the wake of the Purity church¡¯s attempt to trap Sophie, the team was placed on standby under the direction of the Builder response unit, which was in the process of being reorganised. Originally formed in response to the original wave of Builder cult activity, it now had anti-Purity operations rolled into its purview.


    The head of what was now being called the Office of Organised Enemy Response was the same as when it had been the Builder response unit, Ramon Keel. After Liara had reported on Sophie¡¯s encounter, he had cancelled all the contracts Jason¡¯s team were currently assigned. He ordered them to go on standby, which they were allowed to do at the cloud house. Keel had also sent someone who was apparently on the way to debrief Sophie.


    In the meantime, the team was lounging around on an open deck. They were upbraiding Sophie for her recklessness, which she felt was unfair with Jason sitting right there.


    ¡°Mr Asano has paid the price for his risk-taking more than once,¡± Shade pointed out. ¡°More importantly, so have the people around him ¨C yourself included, Miss Wexler.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone gets to come back for another go-around after they get clipped,¡± Neil said. ¡°If Jason gets killed again, it¡¯s probably fine, but we¡¯d rather keep you around.¡±


    ¡°Much rather,¡± Humphrey said. He was already sharing a couch with Sophie but shuffled a little closer.


    ¡°Is no one going to reject the idea of me getting killed being alright?¡± Jason asked.


    "What about the plan you''re working on?" Sophie asked Belinda. "That''s much riskier than taking a quick peek at some enemies."


    "It''s a calculated risk," Belinda said. "Also, it''s our plan, not an enemy''s. That''s very different from looking at a trap and wandering in of my own volition."


    ¡°She isn¡¯t wrong about the dangers, though,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Any time you want to back out, we¡¯ll all support you.¡±


    ¡°More than if you go through with it, in fact,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m still against it.¡±


    ¡°It probably won¡¯t even happen,¡± Belinda said. ¡°The chance necessary to make it work isn¡¯t ever likely to present itself.¡±


    ¡°It seems more likely now that we¡¯re being kept on standby,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It seems the Adventure Society wants to use us against the Purity worshippers.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re just giving in to the inevitable,¡± Neil said. ¡°Jason always ends up in the middle whenever some insane thing happens. Interdimensional invasions, a city sinking into the ocean. Some god going insane and trying to turn the moon into a giant biscuit.¡±


    ¡°Giant biscuit?¡± Puppy-Stash asked, picking up his head with a sleepy expression. Sophie scratched him behind the ears and he contentedly settled.


    ***


    Jason and Clive were in the waterfall room, working on their special project when Jason sensed a presence outside the cloud house. It was a gold-rank stealth specialist, so Jason hadn''t sensed him until he revealed his aura. Jason didn''t recognise it, but the arrival of whoever it was left Sophie disturbed. She and Rufus had been sparring on the grass beside the river, watched by the neighbourhood children. The moment the new aura appeared, Jason felt anger flood into her aura and she stormed into the cloud house.


    One of Shade¡¯s bodies approached the visitor and Jason closed his eyes to share his familiar¡¯s vision. It turned out that he didn¡¯t recognise the visitor¡¯s aura because the last time Jason had seen him, his aura senses had been too weak.


    Callum Morse was a former teammate of Emir Bahadir, as well as of Rufus¡¯ parents. Jason had met him in Greenstone as he assisted Emir and the early efforts against the Builder. Jason shadow-jumped through Shade to join Rufus and Callum who were talking, but there was an air of awkwardness between them after Sophie''s departure.


    ¡°¡­is working with the church of the Healer, here in the city,¡± Rufus was saying as Jason arrived. The two men turned as Jason emerged from Shade¡¯s body.


    "Cal," Jason greeted the newcomer, friendly but with a noticeable reserve in his tone.


    ¡°Asano.¡±


    ¡°What brings you to Rimaros?¡±


    ¡°May I come inside so we can talk?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not, Cal.¡±


    ¡°Wexler told you about what happened, then.¡±


    ¡°About how you and Emir dangled her as bait, and the moment it turns out her mother is still alive, you shut her down? She might have mentioned it, yeah.¡±


    ¡°There are important developments,¡± Callum said. ¡°Things best not discussed in the open. We should take this inside.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s the thing, Cal,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sophie doesn¡¯t want you here, and she¡¯s my team. You¡¯re not. So, if she wants you gone, you¡¯re gone. Sorry.¡±


    ¡°This is more important than one person¡¯s feelings,¡± Callum said, annoyance showing in his expression.


    ¡°It always is,¡± Jason said, his voice relaxed and a little sad. ¡°There always seems to be someone way more powerful who can¡¯t wait to explain how important things are afoot. How you have to put aside your small concerns to work with someone who screwed you over because you need to act for the greater good. Is that more or less your pitch?¡±


    Callum frowned.


    ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s what I figured,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been down that road, Cal. Didn¡¯t like where it took me and I¡¯m not letting you lead my team down the same path.¡±


    ¡°Asano¨C¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re silver-rankers, Cal. I¡¯ve done my time punching above my weight and I¡¯ve lost people doing it. You have gold-rank problems, go find some gold-rankers to help you.¡±


    ¡°I know where Wexler¡¯s mother is.¡±


    Jason¡¯s eyebrows rose.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°So, where is she?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated. We should go somewhere private and discuss it. If not your cloud house, then¨C¡±


    "It''s not complicated, Cal. Maybe on your end, but on mine, it''s nice and simple. At the end of this conversation, you''ll either be the guy who knew where Sophie''s mother was and told us, or the guy who knew and didn¡¯t.¡±


    Callum¡¯s shoulders slumped slightly.


    ¡°You used to have higher ideals, Asano.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°What happened to you?¡±


    ¡°I lived up to them.¡±


    Jason stepped into Shade¡¯s body and vanished.


    ***


    ¡°Cal,¡± Arabelle said, collecting her old teammate in a quick hug. ¡°What are you doing here during a surge? I would have thought you¡¯d be hunting monsters and cultists, barely stopping to sleep.¡±


    ¡°You know that I¡¯ve been investigating the Order of the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still doing that?¡±


    She guided him to a seat in the consulting office she had been assigned in the temple of the healer in Rimaros.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Callum told her. ¡°They are a more dangerous organisation thanpeople realise. They always have been, since their inception.¡±


    Arabelle narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t just you helping Emir, is it?¡±


    ¡°This is bigger than Emir.¡±


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t pry. You¡¯ve always been the mysterious one.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that, although the secret is not exceptional. I even intended to share it, if I could get people to listen.¡±


    Arabelle raised an inquisitive eyebrow.


    ¡°You¡¯re having a problem?¡±


    ¡°I went to speak with Sophie Wexler.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s talking to you, now?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Callum said. ¡°Her anger is foolish. Pursuing her mother meant getting involved with the order. Doing so at bronze-rank would have meant nothing but a swift death.¡±


    ¡°The pursuit would have been foolish, Cal, it¡¯s true, but you and Emir. You dangled something precious that she¡¯s never had in front of her and then you told her that not only can she not have it, but that it¡¯s hidden and she¡¯s not allowed to go looking for it. I¡¯d say her anger is completely justified.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s angry that we kept her from certain death.¡±


    ¡°Some of us have more emotions than one of the Builder¡¯s clockwork monsters, Cal.¡±


    ¡°I have feelings, Belle. You know that better than anyone. I just don¡¯t let them compromise my judgement.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, Cal, but you can¡¯t expect everyone else to meet your standards.¡±


    "Someone should. I attempted to engage her team but was rebuffed by Jason Asano. Should I approach another member of their team, away from the cloud house?"


    ¡°No, Cal. You¡¯ll only make them reject you all the more.¡±


    ¡°As I said: compromised judgement.¡±


    Arabelle looked at him with an indulgent smile.


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of values, Cal. What matters to you might not matter to them, and the same is true from their perspective.¡±


    ¡°Asano refused to listen long enough to learn how important what I need them for is.¡±


    Arabelle burst out laughing.


    ¡°I can imagine how that went,¡± she said. ¡°Some variation of go find some gold-rankers to help you?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What is happening with Asano? His cloud house is bizarre. It¡¯s completely different compared to Emir¡¯s.¡±


    "Jason and Emir have moments where they are quite alike but are also very different. This is especially true in the directions their paths are taking them, which is precisely your problem. You''re the latest in a line of powerful people trying to tell Jason what to do. Not only does that inherently rankle him but if he¡¯s standing up to gods and great astral beings, he¡¯s hardly going to let you push him around.¡±


    ¡°Back in Greenstone, he had the resolve to do what was necessary to what was right. He lost that in his time away.¡±


    The amusement passed from Arabelle¡¯s face and the flint in the tone of her next words arrested his attention.


    ¡°Cal, I know I give you many pieces of advice, but you should listen very carefully to this one: do not test Jason Asano¡¯s resolve. He reached a point where it was all he had left and he¡¯s just starting to heal from that. I don¡¯t know what the future holds for him, but I¡¯ve seen the other fish in his pond. If he grows up the wrong way, I suspect we will all come to regret it.¡±


    ¡°Really, Belle? You believe in destiny, now?¡±


    ¡°Do you know who Soramir Rimaros is, Cal?¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    "There''s a friend of Jason''s. Soramir Rimaros seems to be the only one who fully understands who she is, and it scares him."


    ¡°Who is she?¡±


    ¡°Dawn. She is or, I gather, was, the First Sister of the order of the World-Phoenix. I¡¯m not sure what that means exactly¡­ Cal?¡±


    Callum was shivering in his seat.


    ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s right?¡± he asked, his voice barely a whisper. ¡°First Sister?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She told me that it¡¯s very important that I help Jason get better.¡±


    ¡°Then do it,¡± Callum said. ¡°Are you saying this woman is here?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s been staying in the royal palace. What does this First Sister business mean?¡±


    ¡°That whatever is going on is bigger than just our world.¡±


    ¡°I knew that already. You asked what happened to Asano. His entire world was in danger and he was stuck saving it because everyone else either couldn¡¯t or wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°He said he was tired of powerful people telling him what to do. I thought he meant gold-rankers.¡±


    ¡°No, Cal. When he looks at gold rankers, he¡¯s not looking up. If you came to him and told him to put aside his values and concerns to do what you tell him, you should count yourself lucky he didn¡¯t let you into his cloud house. You might not have come back out.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t be that strong.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s put a lot of trust in me, but I¡¯m certain that he hasn¡¯t told me all its secrets. What he has told me is that there¡¯s a power involved that he has only just begun to tap into.¡±


    Callum ran a hand over his face, eyes unfocused as he was lost in thought.


    ¡°Why does whatever you need have to involve Asano¡¯s team?¡± Arabelle asked him.


    ¡°Because it¡¯s about Wexler¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Cal. That¡¯s thin ice you¡¯re looking to walk out onto.¡±


    ¡°So I¡¯m beginning to realise.¡±


    ***


    ¡°We should talk about Cal,¡± Rufus said to Jason.


    "I know, right?" Jason said. "I''m assuming you''re talking about my awesome exit line for that conversation. Mic drop, disappear into shadows. Such a boss move.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s Mike?¡±

 Chapter 554: A Little Damage

    Sophie and Humphrey sat in cloud chairs facing one another, leaning forward with her hands held in his.


    ¡°You know he¡¯s going to come back,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We have some decisions to make. We always intended to go looking for your mother once we hit silver rank. Of course, Clive¡¯s little dam investigation turned out to be a bit more involved than we thought, then Jason¡­¡±


    He gave her a reassuring smile.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already discussed the search for your mother with the others. We were going to do it as a team as soon as the monster surge was over.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°I wanted the first thing you knew about it to be everyone telling you that of course, they''d help you. I''ve seen how much that kind of support has helped Jason, and he seems to have picked up on some of your traits in his time away.¡±


    ¡°And what''s wrong with my traits?¡± she asked.


    Humphrey wasn''t the expert that Belinda was, but even he could see a trap that obvious.


    ¡°Nothing at all,¡± he said. ¡°All your traits are perfectly charming.¡±


    She leaned in for a gentle kiss.


    ¡°You are a terrible liar.¡±


    Her predatory smile was replaced with a frown as she remembered what they had been talking about.


    ¡°What are we going to do about Callum?¡± she asked.


    ¡°We need to make some decisions,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°And by we, I mean you. Starting with if we are going to hear him out.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯ll just leave us alone if we ignore him.¡±


    ¡°We can let Jason play guard dog. He¡¯s the only silver-ranker I¡¯ve seen who looks at a gold-ranker causing him trouble and is just relieved it¡¯s not a diamond-ranker or worse.¡±


    Sophie chuckled, then gave Humphrey a worried smile.


    ¡°He knows something,¡± she said. ¡°But he wants something, too. I don¡¯t want to find her on his terms, but is that just being prideful?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just being prideful. We already know that what he wants isn¡¯t what you want. To him, your mother is a means to whatever end he¡¯s looking for.¡±


    Sophie nodded.


    ¡°Last time we got pulled into this on someone else¡¯s terms, we got pushed back out once they were done with us.¡±


    She stood up and walked over to the window, looking out over the cliff and the lagoon below.


    ¡°I want to know what Callum knows,¡± she said. ¡°I just don¡¯t want to do whatever he wants to get that information.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Humphrey said, also standing up. Sophie turned to look at him.


    ¡°It sounds like you know what to do,¡± she said. ¡°I still don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°You want to learn what Callum knows without agreeing to do anything for him,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°So, that¡¯s what we¡¯ll do.¡±


    ¡°And how do you suggest we accomplish that?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I figured we could point Jason at it and stand back.¡±


    ¡°Is that a good idea?¡±


    ¡°Probably not. But remember that when the Builder wanted to stop us and Jason wanted to stop the Builder, Jason won. If he''s determined to do something, I''m not sure he can be stopped. It''s just a question of how much damage he does in the process. I watched him throw himself off a building and die because that''s what it took to stop the Builder.¡±


    Sophie grimaced, recalling that she''d been unconscious at the time from overdrawing her power with a spirit coin. Then her serpentine smile returned and she sidled forward, reaching up to slip her arms around Humphrey''s neck.


    ¡°It won''t be that bad this time,¡± she said. ¡°I can live with a little damage.¡±


    ***


    For most of his career, Vidal Ladiv had served as a low-level liaison between the Adventure Society and the Rimaros Civic Authority Council. While the royal family might rule the Storm Kingdom and its capital, the RCAC was the actual government authority that ran Rimaros at almost every level.


    Like many essence users, adventurers or not, Vidal had stepped up to do his part during the monster surge. Also like many others, the extra time spent waiting for the surge had primed him for rank-up once it began. While he might have been an Adventure Society functionary, rather than an adventurer himself, he had a respectable record of combat experience.


    It had taken him far longer than an adventurer to reach the point of ranking up, having reached bronze during the last monster surge. This did not worry him, however, as he was happy to make safe, solid progress through both his ranks and his career. Once the surge started and there was a mad scramble to adapt, he¡¯d gotten plenty of combat experience. Much of it had been guarding airships delivering goods and he had even fought the bold sky pirates that had encroached on the Storm Kingdom. It was after that epic battle that saw multiple airships wrecked and fall out of the sky, that Vidal had ranked up. Now that he was a freshly minted silver, his career had taken a sudden leap forward.


    With his record of excellence, Vidal¡¯s rank-up had swiftly led to a promotion from top-level Adventure Society functionary to full Adventure Society official. This was an important transition, akin to a soldier earning their commission and becoming an officer. It moved him from a career track where he had already reached to top to one where he was at the bottom, but like going from peak bronze-rank to the bottom of silver, it was an undeniable step up.


    At first, Vidal had retained his position as a liaison to the civic authorities but, with the reorganisation of the Builder response unit, he had been moved into the new Office of Organised Enemy Response. While he had done his share of monster hunting during the surge, his chief role in the new department was as an administrator. His combined capability in both fields was what had earned him the move to the new office, with his new role a dynamic mix of being active in the field and actively digging through paperwork.


    The new office needed personnel who could hold their own out in the world. People who could navigate regions that wouldn¡¯t always be safe. At the current point in time, that meant everywhere. It was an exciting opportunity for Vidal and he was looking forward to the promised training that would come once the monster surge had died down and the new department was more settled. One of the unspoken tests would be to demonstrate what he could do without haring off to attempt what he was not yet ready for.


    Until there was time to provide additional training, new members like Vidal were being assigned tasks that fell within their already established skill sets. For administrative liaison Vidal, that meant a lot of running around the Sea of Storms, contacting various people of interest to the department for non-suspicious reasons. If the people in question were being looked at in a more investigative manner, the Adventure Society would send someone very different, at least until Vidal gained more experience and training.


    In his liaison role, Vidal had spent years meeting with people on behalf of the Adventure Society and the Rimaros government. Over the course of his career, he¡¯d learned a lot about measuring the status of people based on how the society treated them, adventurer or not. Rank was the most obvious factor, with origin, known affiliations and family following close behind. With non-adventurers, it was usually quite easy to place any given person within a social hierarchy.


    Adventurers were always the ones who threw out surprises. Guild membership made things easier, but even within guilds and established families, there were no guarantees. Favoured scions fell short while unexpected heroes rose up. What the upper echelons of the Adventure Society thought about any given adventure was not widely disseminated amongst the low-level officials and functionaries, but Vidal had learned to read the signs.


    While there were many nuances that Vidal had come to recognise, some signs were quite obvious. When he was sent out to debrief an adventurer instead of their being called into the Adventure Society campus, for example, he knew that even if their name was unfamiliar, they were someone to watch.


    In the case of Sophie Wexler, the quick background information he called up before setting out to debrief her was revealing. On the face of it, while she might be a silver-ranker and a member of a prestigious foreign guild, that meant less during a monster surge, especially so far from their guild¡¯s seat of power in Vitesse. What caught Vidal¡¯s eye were her companions.


    Wexler¡¯s team included several notable individuals, starting with Humphrey Geller. The Gellers were technically aristocracy in some inconsequential town somewhere, but their true prestige came from being an adventuring dynasty. Not every Geller turned out exceptional, but only a fool would overlook anyone carrying the name.


    Another team member that stood out was Clive Standish. A former member of the Magic Society who had some manner of falling out with that organisation. Vidal was aware of various accommodations the Adventure Society had made to include Standish in collaborations with the Magic Society. This was less overt a move than going out to meet Wexler instead of calling her in, but someone with authority clearly valued Standish highly.


    Standish¡¯s contention with the Magic Society was noted in his records, although the reasons why were sealed. Someone had pulled strings to get Standish involved in joint projects with the Adventure Society in ways that would not cause him to pull out. Who was pulling those strings also remained a mystery and Vidal knew he was likely better off not finding out. Thus far, only a few minor projects related to astral magic had been affected, but Vidal had been working with bureaucracy for some time. He recognised someone laying groundwork when he saw it. Why a silver-ranker warranted such attention, Vidal had no idea.


    The last member of the group stood out the most, at least to Vidal, as the majority of his Adventure Society record was under seal. What information remained was fragmented and often contradictory, including a confirmation notice of his death some three years ago.


    Vidal had met Jason Asano before. Vidal had introduced him and his companion to the monster surge protocols before they even arrived in Rimaros. Jason Asano had been using Vidal to practise some manner of aura disguise technique, which had prompted Vidal to flag him for investigation by the Builder response unit.


    Vidal hadn¡¯t thought on it anymore until he connected some strange rumours floating around with the man he had met that day. It had prompted him to look closer, putting together some of the rumours with certain things he discovered using records he had access to as a member of the Adventure Society. It pointed to some very high-level meddling in very low-level contracts; enough of an oddity that he took what he found to the Adventure Society''s internal auditing department.


    Shortly thereafter, he was politely, but firmly, directed to stop digging.


    As it hadn¡¯t been more than a point of curiosity, Vidal had done exactly that, paying no more attention until he was contacted by his friend Rodney. Like Vidal, Rodney had been moved into the new Office of Organised Enemy Response during the reorganisation. Rodney was a purely administrative functionary and lower-ranked than Vidal, both in terms of magic and position. His assignment as assistant to the office¡¯s deputy director, Princess Liara Rimaros, gave him a significant level of influence, however.


    Rodney had appeared in Vidal¡¯s new office and they chatted for a while. Rodney¡¯s position had just been changed from a temporary one to a permanent assignment, for which Vidal congratulated him. Rodney gave Vidal his assignment to go debrief Sophie Wexler, which had come directly from the princess instead of the usual pathways.


    ¡°Is there anything I need to be aware of, regarding this?¡± Vidal had asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Rodney said. ¡°There¡¯s still a lot of high-level things I don¡¯t know about, but be careful around this adventuring team. There¡¯s a lot of people whose attention you do not want quietly putting their attention on this team, despite the nothing contracts they''ve been on. My advice is to do your job as instructed and don''t do anything you weren¡¯t instructed to. You¡¯ll be reporting directly to the princess on this, and she seems to be social with this Asano character.¡±


    ¡°It sounds like I¡¯m being dunked into a mess I don¡¯t want any part of.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re good at your job, Vidal, which is why that¡¯s an accurate assessment.¡±


    ***


    Vidal didn¡¯t need a boat to travel across the water, instead, riding an aqueous column of magic from Livaros to Arnote. He could have travelled faster between the islands, now that he had ranked up to silver, but moderated his speed to avoid attracting monsters. When prepping for this debrief he found a report detailing Wexler¡¯s encounter with the reef kraken Zila Rimaros had just gone out to eliminate personally before it affected shipping lanes. As to how Wexler had escaped the gold-rank creature after flying into its path at speed, he had no idea. The size, speed and power of a reef kraken was a well-understood menace in the Sea of Storms.


    Arriving at the island of Arnote, Vidal rode his water column into a lagoon. The sleepy town of Palisaros was arrayed along the shore and along the clifftop that bordered the lagoon. He headed for the waterfall, knowing that Wexler¡¯s team was staying in a house next to the river spilling over the cliff. The column vanished as Vidal entered the waterfall, which started curving around him without wetting his clothes. He started moving up through the waterfall, the invisible bubble around him outlined by the water passing over it.


    Most of the way up the cliff, still moving up through the waterfall, Vidal stopped after encountering something odd. There was a cave behind the waterfall containing a well-lit chamber that looked to be some kind of magical research room with furniture made out of clouds. Two men were looking at him floating in the waterfall, unsurprised, as he looked back.


    ¡°I guess you¡¯d better come in, then,¡± Jason said.

 Chapter 555: Infiltrating the Stronghold

    After sensing Vidal¡¯s approach, Jason had tamped down the aura of the cloud house to hide its nature as a spirit domain. Unlike with the people of Earth, anyone from Pallimustus with aura senses would immediately recognise the similarity to the aura of a temple. Jason couldn¡¯t hide that from someone with powerful senses, such as Liara, but with a freshly minted silver, like Vidal, it was viable.


    Even so, Vidal obviously sensed something unusual from the way he looked around the place, Jason feeling the uncertainty and suspicion in the man¡¯s aura. This was an acceptable outcome for Jason, who was happy to leave people a little unnerved. Being off-kilter promoted honest reactions and undermined predetermined intentions.


    ¡°I should apologise for the games I was playing last time we met,¡± Jason said as he led Vidal upstairs from the waterfall room. A smile crossed Jason¡¯s face as he read Vidal¡¯s emotions. This was something Jason was becoming increasingly adept at, using a combination of body language and emotion to assess what people were thinking. Having them a little unnerved made that easier.


    Jason was fairly sure that Vidal didn¡¯t miss that Jason said he should apologise, without making an actual apology. Once again, the Adventure Society associate proved himself a sharp observer, which impressed Jason. After delivering Vidal to Sophie to conduct the debriefing, Jason went back downstairs to rejoin Clive.


    ¡°I like that guy,¡± Jason said. ¡°Maybe I should hire him.¡±


    ¡°For what?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. After he gave me the cloud flask, Emir used to tell me that I should build up a staff. I¡¯m not exactly sure what for, at this stage.¡±


    ¡°You probably shouldn¡¯t go poaching Adventure Society officials when you don¡¯t have anything for them to do.¡±


    ¡°That does sound like sensible advice.¡±


    ¡°You should take it anyway,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kind of famous for choosing the less-than-sensible option, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I always make good choices.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do. Now, let¡¯s go back to figuring out how to use the random stuff you picked up from great astral beings with questionable motives and immediately shoved into your soul.¡±


    ***


    The underwater vessels that the Order of Redeeming Light used had been carefully crafted at great expense. The bespoke designs were customised not just for stealth but specifically for operating within the Sea of Storms. By tapping into the natural magical properties of the sea, the silver-rank vessels became far more effective than their already powerful and expensive systems would otherwise be capable of.


    Although they were only silver-rank, the suppression systems of the vessels were exquisitely crafted. If they came close to one of the magical storms for which the region was named, they could hide from even very powerful gold-rank senses. A diamond-ranker could pick them up, but even they would only do so at a significantly decreased range.


    The vessels were not just designed for external security, either. Aside from the designated pilot, the suppression systems of the vessel prevented the senses of any passengers from passing through the windowless hull. Any form of external communication, or even identifying their location, was impossible from within.


    Only a small handful of designated pilots knew the locations of the order¡¯s various strongholds. Even amongst their number, none of them knew every location, the security protocols or the nature of the defences. Furthermore, the pilots were kept separate from other members of the order, preventing any potential for compromise. They had no friends, no hobbies and no interests; only duty. They rarely even spoke to anyone but the leaders of the various cells of the order.


    As a result, the majority of the order was completely unaware of where their most important strongholds were located, regardless of how many times they had visited them. Even the cell leaders were on a need-to-know basis, with the pilots that worked with them still answering to Melody.


    The hollowed-out mountain stronghold that Shade had occupied for the last few days had similar protections and restrictions. They were just as effective, if not more so, but were not as expensive. Having much more space to work with and no need to be emplaced on a moving vehicle, it was easier to install defences without the magical elements interfering with one another.


    Shade had been dwelling inside the facility for the last few days since infiltrating the stronghold in the shadow of an order member as they left the Builder island. Sneaking around the facility, he was able to learn much about the order and the stronghold, but he had far from free reign. For one thing, there were internal security measures that kept him from the most secure areas of the stronghold. This included the nodes for the stronghold defences, the areas restricted to leadership and certain sensitive infrastructure sections, like the water and air filters that made the underground complex liveable. The other high-security zones were the secure prisoner area and the exits to the stronghold.


    Shade''s stealth capability was extremely formidable. He was intangible, made of shadows and the aura strength he could push through his vessel was strongly affected by the soul of the man who summoned it. Jason''s absurd aura strength didn''t fully translate to his familiar, but it gave Shade''s aura a significant boost. Shades control of his aura was also superlative.


    Despite Shade¡¯s prowess, he did not risk triggering the various high-security areas. That meant that he couldn¡¯t escape through the air and water filter intakes, or through the underwater tunnel that the vehicles used to access the dock. It also meant that he couldn''t eavesdrop on the order leadership, who primarily restricted themselves to secure areas. Even when they did come into the common areas, they frequently employed privacy screens.


    The secure areas also included the section of the facility where the order held their captive. With no access to the prisoner or the order leadership, Shade had spent his time learning what he could from the ordinary members. His favourite targets for eavesdropping were the highly chatty Rhett and Jaime, with whom he had arrived in the first place. Unfortunately, they spent a lot of time with the one member he most tried to avoid.


    Kelleigh had pale skin, bright green eyes and an inferno of red hair. By Shade¡¯s assessment she was the greatest danger to him, even compared to the leadership. Her senses were sharper than the others and she had the feel of a sword in its sheath. From what Shade managed to overhear, she was also Melody¡¯s first choice for missions that absolutely needed to succeed.


    Oddly, she spent the bulk of her recreation time with Rhett and Jaime, who stood out from the others. The vast majority of the order members had the blank-faced seriousness of magical compulsion. Shade had seen countless forms of control over the millennia, from mind-altering spores to vampirism to puppeteering implants. Even those members of the order who showed contention and ambition had a drone-like dedication to the order, Purity and their goals.


    Kelleigh also demonstrated this blank-faced dedication around the others, except for Rhett and Jaime. There was a spark of humanity in them that led to the rest of the order subtly excluding them, leaving them to mostly keep their own company. It was odd, then, that the favoured Kelleigh would likewise spend time with them, her blank, fierce demeanour softening around the pair.


    Shade was biding his time until he was able to contact his other bodies to reveal what he had learned. That did not include, unfortunately, his location. His senses had been cut off the moment he had entered the order¡¯s transport vessel in Rhett¡¯s shadow, first by the vehicle and now by the stronghold.


    The exits were extremely secure, so there was no leaving to contact his other bodies. Shade¡¯s intangibility did not allow him to pass through large solid objects because of his nature as a living shadow, rather than a ghost-like entity. Even if he could have, he wouldn¡¯t have risked it. He suspected that the mountain¡¯s protections would have detected him at the very least, blocked him almost certainly and possibly destroyed him. A single body was no great loss and he had three of them with him, but once the order became aware of his presence, he would be hunted down.


    Shade had been awaiting a chance to depart on one of the vessels but Melody had ordered a halt to all activity in the wake of the island raid. He had heard about an operation specifically related to Jason and his team, but it was being run out of another facility and Shade had only gleaned fragments of information.


    Shade knew that his chance would come when the order made its next big move. Directly after the raid, as part of reasserting her authority, Melody had announced her plan to obtain the materials to set up their own construct factory. Key to this plan was the captive, Gibson Amouz, who held many secrets of the Amouz family and their mining operations. The information they could get from him would allow Melody to put her plan into action.


    Since the capture of the prisoner, Melody and her second-in-command, Sendira, had been coming and going from the cells on a regular basis. When Melody finally emerged with a satisfied expression, Shade knew it would soon be time to move.


    ***


    Clive and Jason had struck a dead end with their project until they had access to an artificer with expertise in cloud flasks. Unfortunately, that level of expertise was almost impossible to find. Otherwise, using one as bait wouldn¡¯t have drawn the world¡¯s best young adventurers to Greenstone.


    ¡°I really think we¡¯ll need Emir to tell us who crafted the cloud flask in the first place,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s just that Sophie isn¡¯t exactly happy with Cal and Emir, right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like any bridges have been burned,¡± Jason said. ¡°Sophie is angry, but not to the point of breaking ties. It¡¯s more at Cal than Emir, anyway. Humphrey told me that Emir actually tried to help them until Constance told him off. And Sophie remembers that it was Emir who went against the Adventure Society to shelter her when she needed it the most. This is a fight between friends because someone did something kind of crappy, not the advent of enemies.¡±


    ¡°Even so, we should put this aside until we find Sophie¡¯s mother and deal with whatever fallout comes from it.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    Jason left Clive and went to find Belinda, who was on the roof, practising her aura control. She needed to have it as precise as possible, in case she had a chance to execute her plan.


    ¡°Care for a little cooperative training?¡± he offered.


    ¡°Please,¡± she said gratefully.


    The fact that Jason¡¯s absurd aura strength made him more comparable to a gold-ranker than a silver usually overshadowed the fact that his aura control was just as outrageous. Of the two factors, Jason was more proud of the control, as his strength was just a reflection of the beatings his soul had taken. His aura control was something he had painstakingly worked on and developed. Aura strength might be power, but aura control was skill.


    It had started with Farrah laying Jason¡¯s foundation back in Greenstone. From there, he had trained with Danielle Geller and studied the techniques of vampiric auras with Craig Vermillion. The Healer Priest, Carlos Quilido, had helped Jason restore his damaged soul after it was besieged by the Builder¡¯s star seed. That same battle had given Jason an insight into his own soul that had expanded his aura manipulation horizons, to the point of using power suppression collars as training tools.


    Jason has even studied the auras of his familiars, which were even more alien than those of vampires. It was difficult to glean anything from them, operating so differently to the aura of an essence user, but Jason managed to learn from each. Shade''s use of aura was nuanced and delicate, with expertise that even Jason''s talent would take centuries to replicate. Following Shade''s example helped Jason restrain his aura for stealth purposes, although his efforts remained crude next to Shade.


    Shade was so ancient that Jason felt not even a little competitive. Once Jason was strong enough to give Shade a vessel whose aura matched Shade¡¯s potential, Jason wondered if anything in the cosmos would be able to detect him.


    Colin''s aura was utterly unrelenting. It was bizarre and hard to get any gains from, but Jason has used the insights he managed to gleam to enhance his already superior ability to fend off aura suppression. As for Gordon, that was a special case. Gordon already enhanced Jason''s aura strength, as a passive effect while not manifested. That was why, despite Gordon being the most alien of all, Jason found the way the familiar used his aura the easiest to learn from. Studying it improved Jason''s aura control regarding suppressing the auras of others.


    Jason, as it turned out, had a talent for adventuring. Between hard experience, expert training and no small number of skill books, he had built a skill set that allowed him to stand with guild elites without shame. He might not be a match for Rufus¡¯ swordsmanship or Sophie¡¯s mobility, but he would pit his aura manipulation, irrespective of strength, against anyone of his own rank. Even in Rimaros, a land of elites, Estella Warnock was the only silver-ranker who could hold her own, and she had four aura powers.


    Jason''s team were all silver rankers with advanced aura senses, so they were fully aware of how absurd Jason''s aptitude in this area was. This was why Belinda had been asking Jason to help her with her shape-shifting power. It wasn''t something she used a lot, but a crucial part of any shape-shifting power was aura manipulation. There was little point in changing a face when even basic aura senses would see through the deception.


    Belinda¡¯s power gave her an edge in aura manipulation and also made hiding her aura much easier, making her second only to Jason in stealth amongst the team. Her power was especially good at helping her blend her aura into crowds, making the people around her overlook her presence. This was very similar to a technique Jason developed studying the vampiric aura of his friend Craig, which Belinda had picked up with slightly annoying ease.


    Jason found it an interesting experience helping Belinda master the ability. Her power simply gave her the ability to do what he had painstakingly studied and trained to accomplish, giving him a fresh perspective on skill books. In this case, it was a power, rather than a skill book, but he discovered a new empathy for those who complained about others using shortcuts. Jason knew it wasn''t that simple, which was why Belinda''s power hadn''t made her Jason''s equal. It would take time and skill to truly master the effect, and he was helping her just as Rufus had one helped him.


    Jason was less expert with aura disguises, which was what Belinda wanted to focus on. Vidal, who was currently talking with Sophie, had seen through the cracks in Jason''s disguise during an early, ill-advised experiment. Belinda¡¯s power once again gave her an edge in this, allowing her to quickly pick up the techniques that Jason was still refining through painstaking practise.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Jason said, looking at the two copies of himself sitting in front of him on the roof. The one without a bushy moustache had an aura that was very close to his own, except for a fatal flaw.


    ¡°I can¡¯t match the aura strength,¡± Belinda said. ¡°It¡¯s pretty detectable, even when I¡¯m restraining my aura, right?¡±


    ¡°No. you''ve done very well,¡± Jason said. ¡°It''ll hold up to casual scrutiny, but not if someone gets rude and takes a hard poke. Some people will see through it, though, but I''m talking about gold and diamond-rankers who know my aura well and there''s not much you can do about that.¡±


    ¡°Good thing the plan isn¡¯t to mimic you, then,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You don''t find it ridiculous that there are gold and diamond-rankers that familiar with your aura?¡±


    ¡°I accepted ridiculous as my normal a long time ago. We can continue to practise this, but I think you''re ready. If we get the chance¨C¡±


    ¡°She will,¡± Shade interrupted, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°Mr Asano, invite Princess Liara to a voice chat.¡±

 Chapter 556: Coming in Hot

    A mining complex lay not just deep beneath the surface but even below the sea floor itself. A sprawling network of facilities linked by a tangled web of tunnels contained a process that went from mining rare ores to refining them and finally transporting them to Rimaros and other cities throughout the Sea of Storms.


    The submarine docking station was the only part of the complex not buried under the sea floor and had space for several extremely large vessels. Currently one such vessel was docked, along with five smaller ones. The smaller vessels looked something akin to flattened whales and were the stealthy vehicles used by the Order of Redeeming Light.


    Ever since he first entered one of those vehicles, the connection between Shade and his other bodies had been blocked. The vehicles had powerful sense-blocking magic that made communication impossible, as did the Order of Redeeming Light¡¯s stronghold, where Shade had been dwelling in the days since the vehicle took him there. With the departure of the vehicles, Shade had the chance to leave the stronghold, once more hidden in the shadow of an order member.


    Shade had no way of knowing where the stronghold was, which was also true for most of the order¡¯s own members. Part of the reason for the shielding on the vehicles was to prevent the information from being leaked should any of the order be captured and somehow compelled to talk, or even simply eavesdropped upon.


    The docking station was a vast, open complex with many support structures to secure it against the weight of water pressing in. Magical architecture normally used magic in place of such measures, but the sheer mass of the sea above warranted additional measures in order to maintain such an large and open space in the depths.


    The reason for the space was that it was a loading bay that could handle multiple large transports being loaded simultaneously, which had paused as the unexpected vessels docked and the order members emerged. The first targets they went for were the silver-rank guards that had been added for security by Cassin Amouz after discovering his sone had been taken.


    The first thing the guards attempted to do was trigger an aura beacon they had been supplied in case of attack, but the order had already anticipated such a move. The first the guards learned of the order¡¯s approach was a wave of artificial aura suppression; the inverse of the artificial aura projection of the beacon. This was a function of the stealth vessels, extending the effect of their sense-blocking magic, albeit at a hefty cost.


    The suppression effect was energy-hungry and couldn¡¯t be maintained for long, but it was long enough. Between the number of facilities in need of protection and the inability to spare too many silver-rankers during a surge, the silver-rank guards were too few in number. When five vessels disgorged Purity-worshipping raiders, they overwhelmed the guards with numbers and shut down the beacon before the suppressive effect was exhausted.


    The order moved immediately to attack the startled labourers and supervisors, all of whom were iron or bronze-rank. They had scattered immediately when the order attacked, fleeing deeper into the complex while the order dealt with the guards. The order had tried to stop them all but the guards sacrificed themselves valiantly to protect the workers, allowing around half to flee deeper into the mining facility. Most of those managed to escape due to the complex nature of the facility and the fact that aura senses were extremely stifled by the sea floor from which most of the complex had been dug.


    In the chaos, Shade slipped from the shadow of the order member he was hiding in and into one of the many shadows around the docking area. There was no shortage of them, cast by strings of glow stones dangling from the high ceiling.


    The moment that the aura suppression of the vehicle dropped, he was no longer restrained by their powerful sense-blocking magic and he was once again connected to his other selves. The memories of his other bodies flooded in, like a long-forgotten experience suddenly and vividly brought back by a nostalgic smell. Shade¡¯s other bodies likewise gained the memories he had obtained while hidden in the order¡¯s stronghold.


    ***


    In the submarine dock, Jason stepped out of Shade¡¯s body behind a stack of wooden crates twice his height. He restrained his aura so as not to be detected, but the strength of his senses still was enough to take in his surroundings. There were lingering auras of the facility workers in front of the large transport vessel, as well as scattered where they ran before the Order of Redeeming Light cut them down. The only living people in the large dock were a team of four order members, apparently guarding the facility¡¯s only means of retreat.


    Jason¡¯s senses only penetrated a few rooms into the facility before they were blocked. Carved directly from the stone under the sea floor, something about the material seemed to impede magical senses. It wasn¡¯t an artificial installation but a natural property of the stone.


    ¡°What¡¯s blocking my senses?¡± Jason asked quietly. Shade¡¯s power to hide Jason from different senses prevented Jason¡¯s voice from being audible, except to Shade himself. Even activating a privacy screen would be sensed by the order members in the dock, let alone if he spoke aloud. Their silver-rank spirit attributes have them senses sharp enough to pick up even a whisper.


    ¡°Deep granite,¡± Shade responded. ¡°It¡¯s a cost-effective means of blocking low to mid-rank senses, so they likely quarry the stone itself, along with the ores located in this area. It normally wouldn¡¯t block senses as strong as yours but when its metres thick, even you wont be able to sense more than a room or two away.¡±


    ¡°Will it be enough to stop portals and communication powers?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Likely your mapping power as well, although your aura strength may be able to push all of these abilities further than most.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have to portal everyone into this room and go chasing the order, then, instead of deploying them strategically around the facility.¡±


    ¡°That is the case, yes.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re briefing Liara?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She is readying portal specialists and teams as I do so, including the special team you requested.¡±


    ¡°She actually had them? I only took a punt and asked because she¡¯d been juggling the Builder infiltrators. There¡¯s really a whole team?¡±


    ¡°Yes. She is assigning them to securing the dock, as the only egress point, be that via portal or transport vessel.¡±


    ¡°I have to admire the long-term thinking, although it¡¯s dangerous letting them just float around.¡±


    ¡°Yet, her efforts will seem to pay off,¡± Shade said. ¡°Once she heard Miss Belinda¡¯s plan, Lady Liara was willing to play this particular card.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°You spread out through the facility and scout. We won¡¯t be able to communicate except at short ranges, but that¡¯s a lot better than walking around blind. I¡¯m going to head back; you keep one body here for me to jump to. Once I open an actual portal, there¡¯ll be no hiding it from the people on guard here.¡±


    Shade bodies started emerging from Jason and vanishing into the shadows. Jason stepped into one of them and vanished.


    ***


    Baseph Rimaros urged his subordinates to hurry as he ushered them into the safe room, then sealed it behind them. There were a number of such rooms around the facility and he hoped supervisors were getting their people inside. They were designed to survive the facility flooding rather than a raid, but they were strong, secure and had the magic resources to sustain the occupants for days until rescue arrived.


    Baseph didn¡¯t go in himself, needing to do his best to make sure that rescue came. He had an aura beacon that could signal his wife, but it wouldn¡¯t work in most of the facility. It would only alert her to trouble, not the nature of it, but he trusted her to be careful as well as decisive. He had never expected to use the thing, but now he would need to reach the dock in order to trigger it, which was no safe bet.


    There was a good chance that it wouldn¡¯t even work, should he make it safely to the dock. One of the panicked personnel who prompted Baseph to order the staff into the safe rooms had told him that the signal beacons of the guards had been somehow disabled. Even so, Baseph needed to try. If no one found out what was happening quickly, there was a very real chance that once they did, nothing but corpses would remain.


    Under the very uncertain assumption that he could signal for help, Baseph would continue to try and help his people after. It was his responsibility to protect the facility personnel from the white-clad killers roaming the tunnels, as best he could. His best wasn¡¯t great ¨C he had no illusions about that ¨C but he would do what he could.


    Baseph has already run into some of the raiders, who spotted and chased him until he escaped following a terror-filled scramble. If not for his comprehensive understanding of the facility¡¯s warren-like tunnel system, he would have been caught and probably killed already. He had whispered a prayer of thanks to the goddess of Knowledge before continuing on his way, moving swiftly but cautiously onward.


    ***


    Liara was rapidly marshalling forces, collecting silver-rank teams in one of the Adventure Society¡¯s marshalling yards.  Unfortunately, she had no access to a gold-ranker who both had a portal ability and had been to the facility. This meant that she would be using silver-rankers exclusively until a gold-ranker could reach the facility the long way.


    Two specialised in operating underwater were already on route and would arrive in less than an hour. That would be little comfort to the people already dying from the Purity worshipper¡¯s raid, so the silver-ranker¡¯s being sent immediately were crucial.


    As the team assembled, Shade was continuing to brief Liara of what he had discovered while trapped in the enemy stronghold. Liara hadn¡¯t waited once she realised what was happening, allowing Shade to fill her in while she organised a response.


    ¡°¡­specific materials, in order to build their own version of the Builder¡¯s construct factory. They intend to purge the mining complex¡¯s personnel, leaving only enough to load what they need. They chose the timing from information I believe they obtained from their prisoner, Gibson Amouz.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which¡­¡± Liara said, looking up to where Cassin Amouz was descending like a missile. He landed hard enough to crack the flagstone under his feet, which immediately started repairing itself. Adventure Society marshalling yards were always built to handle abuse.


    Cassin looked at Liara and then as Shade standing next to her.


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who has seen my son?¡± he demanded. Liara immediately activated a privacy screen.


    ¡°I have not seen your son,¡± Shade said. ¡°I have been in a location where your son is being held.¡±


    ¡°Where is he?¡±


    ¡°I do not know, I am sorry,¡± Shade said. ¡°I am confident, however, that he is still alive.¡±


    ¡°Tell me where¨C¡±


    Cassin stepped menacingly at Shade only for another figure to step out of the shadowy body. It was a small man, draped in blood red adventuring robes and an impossibly dark cloak. From within the hood, a pair of alien eyes looked out. Cassin was taken aback by his inability to sense any aura from the man standing right in front of him.


    ¡°I understand your distress, Lord Amouz,¡± Jason said. ¡°We don¡¯t know where your son is ¨C yet. The zealots are very careful about giving out information.¡±


    ¡°Put me in a room with one and they¡¯ll talk.¡±


    ¡°No they won¡¯t, sir,¡± Jason said, ¡°and I think you know that. A plan is in progress to determine the location of their main facility, expose it and rescue your son.¡±


    ¡°And that plan is¡­?¡±


    ¡°In progress,¡± Jason said. ¡°And as time is of the essence, we should get to it, yes?¡±


    ¡°I know who you are, Jason Asano. I¡¯ve heard stories and rumours. Are you as good as what I¡¯ve heard implies.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Cassin gave a short, sharp nod, then held out a small, ovoid crystal.


    ¡°Magic map of the complex. You have a mapping ability?¡±


    Jason took the crystal, which immediately dissolved in his hand.


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°Please find my son.¡±


    Jason pushed the hood back to reveal his face.


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Lord Amouz. And my best is pretty bloody good.¡±


    Moments later, Liara was explaining the plan to the assembled teams, each of which was made up of guild elites, including the rest of Jason¡¯s team. There was also a handful of portal users.


    ¡°Each team will have a map and an assignment,¡± Liara announced. ¡°Team Scouring Wind will secure the dock while other teams have designated target locations. Seek out and secure base personnel while eliminating any and all opposition. Standing orders to prioritise capture if possible are rescinded for the duration of this mission. Put them down and get the people out safely.¡±


    Liara started assigning target locations on a map of the complex projected from a crystal. Her assistant, Rodney, was distributing more maps. He handed out both magical ones like Jason was given, for those with navigation powers, plus projected ones like Liara was using, one per team.


    ¡°As you can see,¡± Liara continued, ¡°the facility is extremely complex. Anyone with  navigation power will fare better than those using a projected map, so follow their lead if your team has one. Those teams have been assigned the deepest target locations. Be aware that your magical senses will be significantly impaired. You¡¯ll be relying on your eyes and your ears on this one.¡±


    With a gesture, she expanded the dock area of the map.


    ¡°We have one portal user who can open a portal to our target location,¡± Liara continued. ¡°This is the only location where portals will work. He will open the portal, letting other portal users through, who will immediately open more portals to let our people through. Be aware that there are hostiles who will know the moment the first portal opens, so no dicking around. Move fast and clean, the moment the second set of portals open because you will be coming in hot. My husband is one of the civilians we need to rescue, so if I see so much as a hint of guild rivalry nonsense slowing this operation down, I will personally execute everyone involved right here in this marshalling yard, is that clear?¡±


    Without waiting for a response, she turned to Jason.


    ¡°Go.¡±

 Chapter 557: We Are Fighting Monsters

    Jason returned to the submarine dock, again emerging from Shade¡¯s body, behind the high stack of crates. He immediately strode out from behind the stack, the opposite of hiding as his aura flooded out. Its oppressive presence masked the appearance of the portal that rose behind him, still hidden by the crates. Four Purity worshippers and twice that number of the pure converted immediately turned to look as he stepped out boldly to march in their direction.


    The enemy didn¡¯t immediately rush to the attack, looking around cautiously for further enemies. Jason didn¡¯t rush either as he strode across the dock, urging his cloak to flutter around him, despite the lack of breeze. He drew his sword, the white sigil on the black blade turning blood red.


    You have used conjuration ability [Blade of Doom] to conjure [Ruin, the Blade of Tribulation].Weapon [Hegemon¡¯s Will] has prevented the conjuration, gaining all properties of the conjured weapon.[Hegemon¡¯s Will] has gained the unholy, curse, disease and poison types.Attacks made with [Hegemon¡¯s Will] now refresh any wounding effects on the target. Wounding effects refreshed by [Hegemon¡¯s Will] require more healing than normal to negate.Attacks made with [Hegemon¡¯s Will] now inflict [Vulnerable], [Ruination of the Blood], [Ruination of the Flesh] and [Ruination of the Spirit].


    ¡°Are you sure you couldn¡¯t find a way to be more dramatic, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Not really the time, Shade.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps a smoke bomb?¡±


    ¡°You see the people coming to attack me, right?¡±


    ¡°A background choir, chanting your name in slow, ominous tones?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re hardly in a place to criticise anyone for¨C¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t finish his sentence as he and the enemy reached each other. Jason¡¯s slow stride became rapid, darting movements as his cloak drifted around him, obscuring his form. He moved straight into the enemies¡¯ midst, surprising them as his blade flickered at the end of a shadow arm that moved in ways a flesh and bone arm could not. With more length and flexibility than his actual arms, the shadowy limb and the weapon it held were more like a sword-whip. They moved with speed and unpredictability but inflicted only shallow cuts.


    Jason kicked one essence user into the water as he danced through the enemy, their clustered formation making it hard to pin down his elusive movements, but they quickly adapted. Some backed off, giving room to the others and themselves the chance to cast cleansing spells. They were well aware of who they were fighting and what he could do.


    Jason didn¡¯t try too hard to evade their attempts to enclose him and he was soon encircled. He outstripped the enemies, especially the pure converted, but they swiftly recovered from the surprise of his tactics. What made them a surprise was their unsoundness, proven as he began struggling with their numbers in short order. A bolt of light punched through his cloak to leave a blackened scorch on his armour, while a converted¡¯s flame-wreathed sword bit into the flesh of his arm.


    Just as it seemed they were dealing with an extremely ill-advised ambush, one of the order members who had backed off felt something through the aura Jason had used to blanket the dock. Five portals opening near-simultaneously was hard to miss, even while distracted by a surprise attack and a domineering aura.


    She cried out to the others but it was too late. A figure launched from the top of the nearby crates, propelled forward by magic. Jason used his shadowy cloak to vanish as Humphrey landed in his spot sending out a shockwave that staggered his enemies. It only took them a moment to recover, but Humphrey used that same moment to swing his enormous sword.


    Unstoppable Force was the most powerful single attack in Humphrey¡¯s arsenal. It was also one that no one looked down on just for being a common ability from a common essence. Not only did it inflict massive amounts of damage but a good part of that damage was resonating-force and disruptive-force, making it effective against any form of defensive barrier. It also kept going, affecting anyone that could be hit with a single swing.


    Thanks to the people crowding Jason, who had vanished to make room for Humphrey, there were a half-dozen enemies within reach of his massive dragon sword. He swung it in a full circle, as much a club as a sword. Every impact triggered the silver-rank effect of the attack: a blast of concussive force that exploded out of the enemies¡¯ backs to slam into the others behind them, blasting them all away.


    Two were sent flying off the dock and into the water. The pure converted went charging at Humphrey while the essence users called for them to stop, but it was too late. Humphrey¡¯s very common power made it easy to recognise, so the essence users knew that its bronze-rank effect was to reduce the cooldown for each enemy hit. Landing it on a half dozen meant that as soon as the converted were back in reach, Humphrey swung again.


    Even Humphrey¡¯s most powerful attack, empowered further by his own life force and a boosting spell from Neil, was not enough to take down silver-rankers. Humphrey¡¯s low-rank days of one-shotting everything in his path were well behind him. His impact at silver-rank, though, was possibly even greater because anyone of that level was used to feeling a certain level of invincibility.


    The massive life force within a silver-ranker made them extremely hard to kill, so the immense amount of damage Humphrey inflicted in moments was as much a mental shock as a physical one. This was much more true of the essence users than the converted, who weren¡¯t entirely drone-like but whose numbed mindsets lacked the imagination to be truly startled. Fortunately, they were the lesser threat.


    Humphrey had gone off like a bomb, putting the enemy on the back foot or just their back as additional adventurers came tearing out from behind the crates where the portals had been opened. As the Order of Redeemed Light had done to the dock guards just minutes earlier, their sentries were overwhelmed by numbers.


    ***


    Baseph gave up on reaching the docks to activate his beacon and signal his wife. He might know the complex far better than the invaders but their sheer numbers made the attempt too much of a risk. He counted multiple teams of essence users, as well as other people who were something else entirely. They were ostensibly people but their auras felt empty, as if they''d been hollowed out.


    Baseph¡¯s aura was quite strong, being in the upper reaches of silver-rank. He would still need several years to catch his wife¡¯s gold-rank using monster cores as, even with their privileged station, the avalanche of cores required was not easy to come by.


    His aura control was also solid, not just as required from a member of high society but also because of his wife. She was a stealth specialist with extensive aura senses and had trouble fully relaxing around sloppy auras. She had made sure that his control would rival most adventurers.


    The result was that between his aura expertise and the sense-suppressing walls, Baseph remained uncaught, despite a few close calls. Once he realised that attempting to reach the dock was futile, he moved on to the next point of his agenda. Before he did, he stopped in a hidden spot to steel himself. It was a drastic step for many reasons.


    Baseph had never killed anyone. He was an administrator who had spent his life running supply networks and high-value mining facilities. But if he initiated the complex¡¯s final defence systems, people were going to die. Hopefully, the invaders, but the odds were high that not all the surviving workers had made it to the safe rooms. Even so, he saw little alternative. With no signal getting out, it would be many hours ¨C if not days, during a monster surge ¨C before anyone realised something was wrong at the facility. That was more than enough time for the invaders to find their way into the safe rooms.


    Baseph balled his hands into fists and then relaxed them over and over, his eyes clenched shut. Finally, he opened his eyes and set out.


    ***


    The leader of the mining complex rescue expedition was Korinne Pescos. Jason had worked with her team once before, although their relationship was not a good one. Jason, along with Vesper and Zara Rimaros, had been attached to an expedition with Korinne¡¯s team at a time when Jason hadn¡¯t been in a good place. His penchant for going off alone, his savagery and his dangerous, enigmatic behaviour had not enamoured him to her or her team.


    As for Jason, the presence of Korinne and her team reminded Jason of Princess Vesper and Jeni Kavaloa, the gold-ranker who had led that expedition. Kavaloa hadn¡¯t been any happier with Jason than Korinne, but they had come to at least a mutual respect and Jason had quite liked her. She had been dumped with a scheming princess and a volatile head-case in Jason when all she wanted to do was her job.


    Vesper and Jeni had died together, defending Rimaros from the Builder¡¯s flying city. Sacrificing themselves to buy time for the weapon that brought the city down to detonate, they were lauded as heroes.


    Jason¡¯s feelings about the concept of heroic sacrifice were laced with confusion and guilt. He had sacrificed his own life more than once, sometimes knowing he would come back and other times not. He wondered for very much not the first time what made him deserving of such grace, over people who died for others in the full knowledge that they wouldn¡¯t come back. He always came up with the same answer, nothing, which left him unsettled.


    Jason considered these feelings as he watched Korinne issue directions. It was yet another thing he would have to work through with Arabelle, he reflected, although he was increasingly ill-at-ease with occupying so much of her time. There was more than enough trauma going around and the church of the Healer kept her extremely busy.


    ¡°Why does she get to be in charge?¡± Neil whispered, still listening to Korinne. They were far from the only group talking quietly amongst themselves as Korinne issued directives, reiterating the assignments of the various teams. Silver-rankers were more than capable of multi-tasking their attention, so they didn¡¯t miss anything.


    ¡°No one would even know about this without us, let alone respond to it.¡±


    ¡°You need the hammer to push in the nail,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean you let the hammer decide where the nail goes.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It means that in an expedition,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°everyone has their role. You need to trust the leader, especially a hastily assembled expedition, and all these people know about us is what they know about Jason. Are they going to trust him over one of their own that they have known and respected for years?¡±


    Neil looked over at Jason, who looked back and shrugged. He knew that their impression was probably worse than what Neil was imagining.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Neil acknowledged, turning his full attention back to Korinne.


    ¡°¡­and Team Scouring Wind will maintain control of the dock,¡± she continued. ¡°As communication powers will not work deeper in the facility, we will be using scouting and stealth specialists as messengers and lookouts to keep in contact. This includes familiars from various teams to which you¡¯ve already been introduced. We just overran the enemy here and I don¡¯t want the same happening to any of our teams.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d love a look in those vessels the Order of Redeeming Light use,¡± Clive said, eyeing off the vehicles.


    ¡°So would every artificer in this room,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Priorities.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can steal you one,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°No, you won¡¯t,¡± Humphrey told her firmly.


    ¡°Oh, yeah, absolutely not,¡± she said unconvincingly, nodding at Clive behind Humphrey¡¯s back.


    ***


    The teams only lingered in the dock for the few minutes it took to assess their environment and send out the first scouts, including Sophie. Korinne took the time to quickly reiterate Liara¡¯s briefing before the scouts came back and the teams set out. Jason¡¯s team had Jason¡¯s map ability to navigate, along with Jason¡¯s powerful senses and plenty of scouting options in Jason, Sophie and Shade. Accordingly, they were assigned to the locations deepest within the complex.


    Shade had been scouting the facility since Jason released most of his bodies before the expedition even arrived and they were already reporting back to various teams regarding enemy locations and disposition of the facility personnel. This helped Jason¡¯s team detour into the path of a group of pure converted, whom they made short work of. The team paused for a moment to look over the people they had killed.


    ¡°I think these poor bastards may be more victims of Purity and his maniac followers than anyone,¡± Belinda said, then looked warily at Sophie, as Jason and Humphrey did the same.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± she said. Jason¡¯s aura senses let him know she was lying, as did Humphrey and Belinda¡¯s intimate knowledge of her, as lover and friend respectively.


    Anger crossed Humphrey¡¯s face and Jason mirrored his feelings. Their anger hadn''t been at Purity, in that moment, but at Callum Morse. Cal had arrived at the marshalling yard as the teams assembled and were about to depart when he dropped a bomb on the team. Of all the times to tell them that Sophie''s mother was leading the Order of Redeeming Light, when they were about to fight them under orders to take no prisoners was about as bad a choice as he could have made. Sophie had put on a stoic face, showing no reaction at all, but she couldn¡¯t hide her turmoil from Jason, Belinda and Humphrey.


    While they looked with concern to Sophie, Neil and Clive were fixated on the pure converted, transformed by the purified clockwork cores.


    ¡°Builder, Purity,¡± Clive muttered bitterly. ¡°They keep doing these things to people. When do we go back to fighting monsters?¡±


    ¡°We are fighting monsters,¡± Neil told him. ¡°And we¡¯re going to kill them all.¡±

 Chapter 558: Just Some Administrator

    Unsurprisingly, the Purity worshippers had no shortage of powers that could cleanse Jason¡¯s afflictions. Those afflictions were unusually tenacious and inflicted harm as they were removed, but it was not an insurmountable task. This was especially true given that the Order of Redeeming Light seemed to have an excellent grasp of his capabilities. Jason considered this information to have most likely come from the Builder when he made a deal to have them assassinate him.


    These factors made sneaking around to drop afflictions on worshippers in hit-and-run strikes a losing proposition. When this swiftly became evident, Jason focused on dropping afflictions on them in hit-and-run strikes anyway. It primed them for elusive and evasive attacks, positioning themselves to watch every shadow. This took them out of position for reacting to a more conventional attack, which is exactly what they faced when Humphrey came barrelling out of a tunnel, his companions close behind.


    Unexpected attacks from entire teams were a rarity beyond the low-ranks. Unless a team was specialised in stealth and Ambush tactics, the way Liara''s had been, the ability to sense enemies at significant distances meant that sneak attacks usually came from individuals. The sense suppressing stone that surrounded them changed that dynamic, allowing for groups to bumble into one another. Jason''s senses ameliorated that for his team, however, giving them just enough advanced warning to utilise ambush tactics.


    Switching from warding off Jason¡¯s elusive attacks to resisting Humphrey¡¯s onslaught required a completely different approach. Humphrey¡¯s aggressive physicality didn¡¯t allow them the chance to reorganise, smashing into the enemy and disrupting their formation. The team employed a strategy they had used commonly since iron-rank. Putting a heavy focus on Humphrey, they loaded him with powerful buffs, protections and prioritised shields and healing to both maximise his threat and shield him from enemy retaliation.


    The rest of the team mixed up disrupting the enemy to keep them on the back foot, like Sophie, or pouring on the damage, like Clive. The team had the advantage of Jason''s senses and Shade''s scouting giving them the chance to ambush, so Clive''s powerful staff and rod were already ritual-enhanced and he came in blasting.


    Unlike in the open docks, the tunnels had no room for Humphrey¡¯s massive dragon sword and he instead used his other conjured weapon. The Razor Wing Sword was also heavily stylised as a wing, but this was more like the wing of a rainbow-coloured bird. The back edge of the one-handed blade was a sawtooth of glossy metal feathers, each one a different, vibrant shade.


    The feathers were not just for show, flinging themselves off the sword to dance around Humphrey in a storm of rainbow razors. They joined the crystals, already floating around him, that restored his mana and intercepted magical projectiles. As the feather could intercept physical projectiles, it was an effective defence against ranged attacks, although that was less of an issue in the restricted space of the tunnels.


    The Razor Wing sword was smaller and lighter than its dragon wing counterpart. This made it more useful in the enclosed tunnels and allowed Humphrey to fight with greater finesse. With the heftier sword, a large part of Humphrey''s fighting style was managing the weapon''s weight, leveraging it to maximise his formidable strength. It took a deceptive amount of skill, despite the results seeming crude and brutish. With the smaller sword he still used his strength and resilience to great effect, but also got to show off a lifetime of training in a much more recognisable fashion.


    As a general rule, the higher an adventurer went in rank, the more they valued open space for combat. Mobility became greater, powers increasingly covered wider areas and even the base physicality of a silver or gold-ranker would swiftly demolish most environments. Aside from those who thrived in dark, constricted environments like assassination specialists or Jason, most adventurers were uncomfortable when they couldn¡¯t move freely. That might mean being outside or smashing through barriers, but the naturally magical stone the tunnels were dug from made no such allowances.


    This was where the versatility of Jason¡¯s team was able to shine. On the Builder island, they had been working with Team Work Saw, who had regularly proven more effective with their efficient, orthodox tactics and strategy. In the tight tunnels, the situation would have been reversed if they had been here to see, but they had not been chosen for the hastily issued contract. Liara had known full well what kind of teams would be most useful.


    Every team member present made an impact, from Neil¡¯s shields to Clive¡¯s staff blasts to Stash as a tentacled ceiling monster. Sophie danced through the chaos, as free as if she were dancing at a festival, Humphrey¡¯s razor feathers and Clive¡¯s attacks passing her by as if choreographed. Jason, now forgotten as a threat, was free to dose up the essence users while Humphrey and Clive focused on the converted.


    Stash¡¯s monster form was a flat, fleshy blob that clung to the ceiling like slime. It was dominated by a circular maw ringed with multiple rows of shark teeth, and from inside the mouth extended three tentacles. The tentacles yanked converted into the maw to be chewed on and then spat back out before moving onto another victim.


    The fight was a comfortable win for Team Biscuit, wrapping up as Jason¡¯s execute spell dissolved the last Purity worshipper into rainbow smoke. As the team used either Jason or Neil¡¯s looting powers to harvest the bodies, Jason looked up at Stash, still adhered to the ceiling.


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if that form is awesome or disgusting,¡± he told the familiar, who responded with a stench that almost rivalled the noxiousness of rainbow smoke.


    ¡°Okay, now I can tell,¡± Jason said in a choked voice as he held his nose.


    ¡°Let¡¯s not tarry,¡± Humphrey said, holding the crystal projection map in front of him. Jason could allow others to look at his map but it would be much the same as the projection to the others. Only Jason himself gained a more intimate understanding of the layout from his ability.


    ¡°We still have a long way to go,¡± Humphrey added, ¡°and then back again with anyone we can rescue. We won¡¯t be able to hand off anyone we find too deep in the complex.¡±


    They had already discovered one safe room full of people, along with a group of pure converted attempting to break-in. They had cleared the enemy and the civilians had opened the door from the inside. The team passed them off to another team, one specifically tasked with escorting evacuees.


    That team had been guided by Vidal Ladiv, whom Jason and the others had been surprised to see attached to the expedition. The adventurer-bureaucrat didn¡¯t have a map power but had visited the facility numerous times in his years working with the civic authorities of Rimaros. This made him the only member of the expedition with personal experience of navigating the complex. As he had recently reached silver-rank, he just scraped-in the qualification to participate.


    ¡°I still can¡¯t get my head around this map,¡± Neil said, peering at the three-dimensional projection Humphrey had out. ¡°It looks like a tangled ball of strings and rocks.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re here,¡± Clive said, pointing somewhere in the middle, then at the bottom. ¡°And we¡¯re heading here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about any people we find deep down,¡± Sophie said. ¡°It¡¯ll be hard to protect people all the way up if we get in a fight in these tunnels.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we have plan B,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like plan B.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why it¡¯s not plan A,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°My concern is what Lord Amouz warned us about,¡± Neil said. ¡°If that happens mid-rescue, it¡¯ll be a huge mess.¡±


    ¡°He said it most likely wouldn¡¯t,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Yeah, and nothing ever goes wrong for us,¡± Neil shot back. ¡°The moment he said that, I knew it was going to happen. Tempting your own fate is one thing, but that guy tempting ours. That shouldn¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey¡¯s right,¡± Clive said. ¡°It would take one of the senior staff to not only avoid the safe rooms but also be convinced that no rescue is incoming and then successfully navigate to multiple locations within a facility swarming with enemies, all without being caught. If anyone even made the attempt, they¡¯d be dead. What kind of administrator both would and could manage that, even a silver rank one?¡±


    Princess Liara¡¯s aura had the strength and expert control to hide her emotions from Jason, but he¡¯d been watching her body language as Cassin Amouz had explained the potential for defensive sabotage by the facility staff. Her reaction had been extremely subtle but he noticed it. Jason was aware that Liara¡¯s marriage was a political one, but he had a hard time imagining her marrying anyone ordinary, even if he was a miner. If she still showed this level of concern after decades of marriage, he wasn¡¯t just some administrator.


    ¡°What Humphrey¡¯s right about,¡± he said, ¡°is that we need to get moving.¡±


    ***


    The infrastructure nodes placed throughout the complex were all large chambers filled with complex artifice. Some were overtly magical, like the wall panel with a dozen holes from which various coloured crystals jutted. Others looked more like industrial machinery; steel monstrosities radiating heat and steam that left the room sweltering.


    In one such room, Baseph Rimaros was standing in front of a large metal box. Aside from a flat, narrow section, the top of the box was angled at forty-five degrees, with ridges to hold a mosaic of square, ceramic panels in place. The sequence of the tiles governed the systems controlled through the node room, each tile bearing a complex sigil that glowed with green luminescence. The colour reflected the status of the various systems, all of which were operating within ideal ranges. Normally Baseph would have been happy that his facility was operating optimally, but now he would be sabotaging it himself.


    He took a crystal recording projector from his satchel-style dimensional bag and set it on the flat, narrow section of the box. A projection flickered to life over the projector after he took out a recording crystal and slotted it in. The projection depicted a sequence of tiles similar to the one on the panel in front of him, and as the projection played, the tiles started to shift. First pausing the projection, Baseph began rearranging the tiles.


    As he continued arranging the tiles, Baseph repeatedly referenced the projection, playing it forward and winding it back through various displayed sequences. As he did, the sigils on the tiles started changing colour, one by one. Slowly, as he moved through one sequence after another, the luminescence on the tiles shifted through orange and into red. After a lengthy set of tiles sequences, the last tiles finally turned red, only for every tile to suddenly go dim at once.


    ¡°Great,¡± Baseph muttered to himself. ¡°What idiot insisted on installing additional safety cut-outs?¡±


    He pulled a pry-bar from his satchel and moved around to the side of the box.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s right, Baseph; it was you. Good job.¡±


    He worked to jam the sharp edge of the pry-bar between two panels on the side of the box.


    ¡°Let¡¯s hope it does add so much time that everyone dies because it takes too long to sabotage your own damn mine.¡±


    The panel came off and he shoved the bar back into his bag, pulling out a hammer and chisel instead, along with a glow stone. He crouched down to peer inside the box and pushed in the glow stone, which floated in the air to illuminate the interior. Inside the box was a series of vertical rods, engraved with runes. He knew the rods would normally be glowing but a ceramic panel at the back was the only thing lit up, the sigil on it glowing a harsh red.


    Getting down on all fours, Baseph took the hammer and chisel and shuffled as far as he could into the box, the hole being too narrow for his shoulders. The ceramic panel was hard to reach, having been designed as such deliberately to prevent exactly the kind of tampering Baseph was attempting.


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± he muttered. ¡°From now on, I¡¯m slacking off on the job.¡±


    ***


    The scout for Melody¡¯s team came back from where she had been ranging ahead.


    ¡°I found another safe room,¡± she reported.


    Melody pulled out a crystal projector and slotted in a crystal. Gibson Amouz had maps of every major complex in his family¡¯s holdings, but only one map of each. The Order of Redeeming Light¡¯s stronghold lacked the facilities to replicate projection crystals and the risk in time wasted and potential exposure had prompted Melody to reject the idea of getting them replicated in one of the Sea of Storms¡¯ cities.


    As there was only one map, Melody had personally taken charge of the team using it. While the other teams went largely after the bulk-stored goods in the upper reaches of the complex, closer to the dock, certain key materials were kept in more secure vaults. Accessing those vaults required either an expert who could crack them, which Melody didn¡¯t have, or finding the people who could open them. These were all upper-level officials.


    As people from the dock had managed to escape and alert the facility, the key staff would be in safe rooms by now, most likely in the administrative sections in the middle of the complex. The safe rooms were also difficult to access, but not so much as the vaults themselves. It would take longer than Melody wanted, but it was time she could afford since they had managed to prevent the guards from signalling for help. Even if an expected transport arrived late, there would be plenty of time before a real investigation as to what was happening took place.


    Melody checked their location on the map, looking for the safe room the scout had found.


    ¡°We''re a little way out from the main administrative centre,¡± she said, ¡°but there''s still a chance someone we can use is in there. Let''s check it.¡±

 Chapter 559: Family Issues

    Clive tossed a pinch of powdered lesser monster core against the wall, briefly causing runes to light up as the powder fell on them.


    ¡°I was right,¡± he said. ¡°There are hidden enchantments placed at regular intervals along all these tunnels.¡±


    ¡°What do they do?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°More precisely, what do they do to us?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Nothing, at the moment,¡± Clive said. ¡°These enchantments are completely inactive, which is why our magic senses didn¡¯t notice them. I think they¡¯re part of the safety measures for the facility.¡±


    ¡°Meaning that if this place does get sabotaged,¡± Neil said, ¡°whatever these enchantments are they become active.¡±


    ¡°Most likely,¡± Clive said. ¡°Should I try to figure out what they do?¡±


    ¡°That would be prudent,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but we lack the time for prudence. We keep going.¡±


    ***


    Baseph whacked his hammer into the metal plate set into the wall. He repeated the action over and over until the glowing sigil engraved into it dimmed. This caused the orange sigils glowing at various points around the room to turn red. Then despite having been carved out of solid, magical rock, the room started to very gently vibrate.


    ¡°Two nodes down,¡± he muttered, but his expression held more concern than satisfaction. He had no illusions of the vibration going unnoticed. If the invaders had any idea of what they were doing, and he had to imagine they did, then they would probably be actively searching for him now.


    ***


    Melody paused, frowning as she tilted her head.


    ¡°Melody?¡± Sendira asked as the rest of the group paused as well.


    Melody didn¡¯t have any of the pure converted with them, keeping a lean, sharp team of five, including herself. Her second-in-command, Sendira, was the person she trusted the most, which was as much about clarity of purpose as loyalty. Sendira was not the most imaginative subordinate, but she could be relied on to execute orders faithfully, with a surplus of dedication and a deficit of ambition. Every member of the Order of Redeeming Light was loyal to Purity, but not necessarily to Melody.


    The third member of the team, Kelleigh, was the most skilled of all Melody¡¯s forces, with the possible exception of Melody herself. Even that difference was potentially due to her being in the low range of silver, where Melody was closing in on gold. Like Sendira, Kelleigh was not ambitious, but she demonstrated the occasional independent streak. This placed the ever-reliable Sendira as Melody''s second, even if she wasn''t quite up to Kelleigh and Melody''s level.


    The last members of the group definitely weren¡¯t up to Kelleigh¡¯s level. Rhett and Jaime were a pair that Melody kept close because they demonstrated similar independence of thought to Kelleigh, but to a much greater degree.


    Melody was fully aware that the flames of redemption that all members of the order went through frequently engendered a lack of imagination. It wasn¡¯t close to the drone-like behaviour of the pure converted who had resisted the conversion process, but there was a distinct trend towards linear thinking, as exemplified by Sendira. While Melody valued loyalty, she also understood that the ability to think laterally was often more valuable than a strong sword arm.


    This was the reason she kept Rhett and Jaime close. They were, without question, the most independent thinkers within all the order''s forces. At that moment, they were thinking about how much they didn''t like being under many tons of rock that were, in turn, under many tons of water. Unfortunately, their suggestion about how voluntary participation would be was not something Melody had been receptive to.


    Melody dropped to one knee, placing a hand on the smooth, polished granite of the tunnel floor.


    ¡°This is deep granite,¡± she said. ¡°This entire complex has been dug right through it.¡±


    Sendira also crouched to touch the floor and the others did the same. The silver-rank sensitivity of their touch picked up the incredibly faint vibrations.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Sendira asked.


    ¡°Deep granite has a resonating property,¡± Kelleigh said. ¡°It is sometimes used in the construction of resonating-force siege weapons for exactly that reason.¡±


    ¡°Who uses siege weapons when there are essence users?¡± Sendira asked.


    ¡°Not everywhere is Rimaros,¡± Rhett said. ¡°Most places, silver-rankers are the elites and gold-rankers are too special to waste on knocking down walls.¡±


    ¡°We had a line of wine jars made from deep granite,¡± Jaime recollected. ¡°Expensive stuff, but perfect for certain kinds of wine.¡±


    ¡°Oh, do you remember tremblevine wine?¡± Rhett asked reverentially.


    ¡°I really thought it would sell better,¡± Jaime said. ¡°It was so good.¡±


    ¡°I still think it was the name. It sounds kind of gimmicky and cheap.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, we lost a packet on that deal. Do you think we could get some of that wine here?¡±


    ¡°Not here, here,¡± Rhett told him. ¡°We¡¯re in a wet tomb, remember?¡±


    Melody cleared her throat and the two looked around guiltily.


    ¡°What do you think these vibrations are?¡± Sendira asked Melody while glaring at Rhett and Jaime.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Melody said. ¡°It seems to be affecting a wide area.¡±


    ¡°The vibrations could well be resonating through the stone across large portions of the complex, if not the entire facility,¡± Kelleigh said. ¡°It might be possible for me to track them to the source.¡±


    ¡°Is that necessary?¡± Sendira asked. ¡°Perhaps we would be better served by staying on task and avoiding further delays.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Melody said. ¡°Whatever this is, the lordling Amouz kept it from us, likely hoping it would catch us out and get us killed.¡±


    ¡°While getting tortured,¡± Jaime said. ¡°You have to respect that.¡±


    ¡°No you don¡¯t,¡± Sendira said with a glower. ¡°We should have put him through the flames of redemption and made him one of us. Then he would hide nothing from us.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯d share everything, sure,¡± Rhett said. ¡°Weeks from now, once he recovered from the flames. Maybe even months. How long did you take to wake back up, Sendira?¡±


    ¡°Almost three months,¡± she acknowledged.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have that time to wait,¡± Melody said. ¡°We need to be already building up a construct army by the time the next war starts. The Adventure Society either knows what we are doing or soon will. Once the monster surge is no longer occupying the bulk of their resources, they will seek us out with rigour.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, that left us with less than effective methods of questioning,¡± Kelleigh said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just going to come out and say it,¡± Jaime said. ¡°I don¡¯t think torture¡¯s great. We worship Purity, not Pain. I know that Caitlyn and her group think that pain purifies the soul, but I think they just like hurting people.¡±


    ¡°And being hurt, I think,¡± Rhett added. ¡°I¡¯ve heard some sounds coming out of their dormitory that I¡¯m not sure how I fell about.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes suffering is necessary,¡± Kelleigh said. ¡°Both to be endured and inflicted. There is no Purity in enjoying it either way, yet Caitlyn does both.¡±


    ¡°It is not for you to question other cell leaders,¡± Melody said as she stood up. ¡°It seems that our captive has endured out under Caitlyn¡¯s ministrations better than we thought. Kelleigh, track these vibrations to the source. I want to know what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    ***


    ¡°What did I tell you?¡± Neil asked as Team Biscuit all held their hands to the floor.


    ¡°Any way to trace the source?¡± Humphrey asked Clive. ¡°The staff probably don¡¯t realise that rescue is here.¡±


    ¡°I think I have a ritual in a book that can trace vibrations to the origin point,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not what we need,¡± Sophie said. ¡°We have to find whoever it is before they finish the job and all this gets a lot harder.¡±


    ¡°Forget harder,¡± Neil said. ¡°We''ll be the ones who need rescuing.¡±


    ¡°What have you got, Shade?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I am not in regular communication with my other bodies,¡± Shade said, ¡°but they have been searching for any facility personnel, including senior staff. If one of my selves finds the saboteur, they will inform him that evacuation is in progress. As for tracking the saboteur, perhaps if Mr Standish can determine what has been done already, he can anticipate what will be done next.¡±


    ¡°I think you may be overestimating my ability to determine what''s going on from maybe one room of damaged artifice infrastructure,¡± Clive said. The rest of the team shook their heads.


    ¡°No, I don''t think we are,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°We have a plan, then,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The ritual please, Clive.¡±


    Clive called up a circle of floating runes and the small aperture to his storage space appeared. After a quick rummage, he pulled out a book.


    ¡°Lindy, can you¡­¡± he trailed off as he glanced at her and remembered, then started flicking through his book.


    ¡°What?¡± Belinda asked.


    Sophie tapped a finger to her top lip and Belinda''s eyes went wide. Her moustache shrank into her face and vanished.


    ***


    Baseph turned the heavy wheel valve until it wouldn¡¯t turn anymore. He kept exerting his silver-rank strength anyway, but instead of turning more, the wheel broke loose from the shaft as a secondary seal locked heavily into place. With a growl, he tossed the wheel aside and pulled a sledgehammer from his bag. The heavy head was made not of metal but magical stone, while the handle was made of the difficult to cultivate colos wood. Very few materials were able to endure rough treatment at the hands of a high-ranker. The materials of the simple hammer made it more valuable than most expertly-crafted bronze-rank weapons.


    Baseph hammered on the pipe over and over, its resilience to even silver-rank strength remarkably formidable. Baseph urged himself on, knowing the gong-like ringing would draw any nearby raiders straight to him.


    ***


    Panting with exertion, Baseph staggered out of the infrastructure node room. He was moving to slink into a shadow when it stepped away from the wall and took the shape of a person. He turned to run, only to find the figure appearing in front of him again.


    ¡°Baseph Rimaros, spouse of Princess Liara Rimaros, I presume. My name is Shade. In case it in any way entices you to be less inclined to flee, I am an acquaintance of your wife.¡±


    Baseph looked warily at the dark figure.


    ¡°I don¡¯t recall my wife being friends with any strange shadow men.¡±


    ¡°With respect, Mr Rimaros, I am not responsible for the level of attentiveness you demonstrate in the performance of your husbandly duties.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me?¡±


    ¡°I am not here to assist you with your family issues, Mr Rimaros, but to prevent you from sabotaging this facility. As we speak, a rescue operation is taking place to eliminate the invaders and rescue the workers of this facility. If you complete your sabotage efforts, this operation will be considerably impeded.¡±


    Baseph turned to look back at the doorway he had just emerged from, then back to Shade.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said, and the tunnel started to tremble.


    ***


    Jason and Sophie were both away from the team, separately scouting ahead, when they heard water rushing on them like an indoor tsunami. Even so, their silver-rank reflexes gave them each time to spring into action. Sophie reacted with unsurprisingly alacrity, moving faster than the wall of water as she dashed down the tunnel. Jason pulled out one of the items he¡¯d purchased to help him deal with underwater environments; a garish orange belt he was still hastily attempting to buckle around himself when the water hit.


    Sophie managed to dash back to the team, who had likewise heard the water and were making what preparations they could. Humphrey jammed his sword into the stone floor, burying half the blade despite the stone''s resilience. He then gripped the hilt tightly and braced himself. Neil gripped Humphrey tightly and also braced himself. Sophie crashed into Clive, not slowing down as she slung him over her shoulder and kept moving. Belinda looked between her team members, then at the approaching water as it slammed into her.


    ***


    After what felt like endless, wild tumbling, Jason slammed into something that yielded enough to not hurt while somehow still being very firm. He found himself face-down in knee-deep water and pushed himself onto all fours. He pushed a hand against the barrier and looked at it blearily. It was a glowing magical wall, on the other side of which was water deeper than he was tall.


    He groaned as he pushed himself onto his knees and looked around. He was in a tunnel, the other end likewise sealed by a magic barrier. He was also not alone. A woman with dark skin, familiar features and starkly white hair was somehow as dry and pristine as he was wet and bedraggled. She looked down at him from where she was standing on the surface of the water. He got to his feet, using his cloak to reduce his weight and step onto the surface of the water as well.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose¡­¡± he began, stopping as she drew her sword, cold hostility in her eyes.


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± he said, drawing his own blade. He had lost the extra belt he had tried to put on before the water caught him, but his normal belt had held just fine. The pair looked at each other for a long moment before they clashed, dashing across the water to meet blades. Jason immediately recognised that she was using his fighting style, the Way of the Reaper. He also recognised that she was better at it.


    The Way of the Reaper was a highly versatile style, with Jason and Sophie both using it in very different ways. Sophie used its adaptiveness in domineering fashion, shifting her approach moment to moment to apply relentless oppression. Jason was more deceptive and elusive, unpredictable enough that he seemed almost ephemeral. Jason¡¯s opponent fell somewhere in the middle, adaptive and aggressive but also tricky to pin down. After a rapid exchange of blows, they separated, each watching the other with caution.


    ¡°You fight a lot like I do,¡± she observed.


    ¡°Your daughter said the same thing the first time we met,¡± Jason told her. ¡°I¡¯ve got to find a better way to meet women.¡±

 Chapter 560: A Power That You’ve Overlooked

    Jason and Melody faced one another in the magically sealed section of tunnel, both standing lightly on the water.


    ¡°You know, then,¡± she said.


    ¡°There¡¯s a guy who¡¯s pretty keen to catch you up.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re helping someone catch your friend¡¯s mother?¡±


    ¡°Nah, we told him to stick it up his quoit. We''ll try and bring you in for our own reasons. Alive, even though we were told to gank you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your general way of doing things, from what I understand.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. I don¡¯t suppose you can let me know what the Builder told you about me?¡±


    ¡°The Builder¡¯s attitude to you has been extremely erratic, from what I¡¯ve seen. Sometimes it came across as a burning obsession to see you dead, while at others a ruse.¡±


    ¡°A ruse?¡±


    ¡°We had semi-regular contact with the Builder''s cult. I know for certain that the Builder was at least partially using his seeming obsession as a mask when his real intentions were for the diamond-ranker you''re connected to. He wanted her to waste her single chance to intervene, which is why the Sea of Storms had three of the Builder''s fortress cities. But I''ve also seen indications that his obsession was very real, as if the Builder himself was of two minds on you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he¡¯s always been a bit all over the shop,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I ever got a straight answer on why, exactly. A friend ¨C and she¡¯d know ¨C told me that great astral beings have their behaviour affected by the vessels they¡¯re using. It¡¯s not just a straight-up puppet show. I don¡¯t think going from mortal to the omnipotent sky wizard of building model kits left him as the most stable of blokes, either, but I can¡¯t help but think there¡¯s something I¡¯m missing.¡±


    ¡°Do you have any concept of how arrogant you sound?¡± Melody asked. ¡°Why would a great astral being be comprehensible to¡­ wait, did you say he used to be mortal?¡±


    ¡°Yep. The guy who had his job first got caught playing silly buggers with a couple of worlds ¨C guess which ones ¨C and they gave him the boot.¡±


    ¡°That seems like an absurd story.¡±


    ¡°Lady, you¡¯ve had me checked out. I am an absurd story.¡±


    ¡°Indeed you are. Your capability with the Way of the Reaper is impressive for someone who only learned it a few years ago. Skill books?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Even so, you¡¯ve certainly made it your own.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had the odd scrap here and there,¡± Jason said. ¡°Plenty of chances to practise. No match for an old hand like you, but your daughter might give you a run for your money. You''ve got the experience but she''s crazy talented. Rufus Remore quietly told me she''s one of the best he''s ever seen. And that means something, if you know the name.¡±


    ¡°I do. And I would like to thank you for what you¡¯ve done for my daughter.¡±


    ¡°Your welcome, I suppose. I¡¯m not sure that means much coming from a deadbeat mother, though.¡±


    Melody''s superior expression turned angry.


    ¡°You have no idea what I¡¯ve sacrificed for that girl!¡±


    ¡°I know what I¡¯ve sacrificed,¡± Jason said, unfazed by Melody¡¯s outburst.


    ¡°She¡¯d have died a child if not for me.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you stopped your child from dying. Congratulations on the absolute minimum of parental responsibility.¡±


    Melody flashed across the water, sword darting at Jason. There was another dancing clash of blades before they again separated, this time Jason coming out the better. He knew that she was either genuinely angry or very good at selling a story. Her aura told him the emotions were real, but he understood better than most how aura manipulation could fake emotions.


    ¡°I got my soul personally tortured by the Builder, which kicked off more than a little bit of a feud,¡± he taunted. ¡°The very fact that you know this is because he hired a god to take me out, which is where you came in. You¡¯re not going to tell me you topped that, which makes me a better mother than you ever were.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to fulfil the Builder¡¯s request in this tunnel,¡± she snarled.


    ¡°Is that so?¡±


    ¡°I know your powers, Asano.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re pretty awesome, right?¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ve compared our skills.¡±


    ¡°Your technique is also awesome, although getting angry makes you sloppy. Unless you¡¯re faking it. I¡¯ve had this problem with women before.¡±


    ¡°I also know you like to put your enemies off with babble. That won¡¯t work on me. Nothing you have will work on me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called banter, lady. If you¡¯re going to do it, at least learn the nomenclature. And I also use it to mask my nervousness in tense situations. This definitely counts, given how many times you¡¯ve tried to stab me already. So I¡¯m going to keep the banter coming if it''s all the same to you.¡±


    ¡°I know everything you can do, Asano. You can''t escape and you can''t beat me. There''s nowhere to hide and I can cleanse your afflictions as fast as you can put them on if you can''t hit me with that blade. Needing attacks to initialise your affliction suite is just one of the weaknesses I can exploit. I know them all.¡±


    ¡°There are a lot of them,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°If I ever see one of those anime-haired celestines wearing a sailor uniform, fighting a tentacle monster, I¡¯m going to do something I regret.¡±


    As Melody¡¯s brow creased with the slightest indication of confusion, Jason initiated the attack for the first time. As Melody had predicted, his blade failed to find purchase on her before they once more broke away and went back to slowly eyeing one another off, swords held in front of them.


    ¡°I was trained in the Way of the Reaper before you were born,¡± she told him.


    ¡°And you¡¯re still silver rank? Rough couple of decades?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± she admitted, and when his eyebrows lifted in surprise, she struck. Jason had been using a combination of body language and aura to feint an opening and finally managed to score a glancing hit.


    Special Attack [Leech Bite] has inflicted [Bleeding], [Leech Toxin] and [Tainted Meridians] on [Order of the Reaper Infiltrator (sealed)].Weapon [Hegemon¡¯s Will] has inflicted [Hegemon¡¯s Tribute], [Vulnerable], [Corrosion], [Ruination of the Blood], [Ruination of the Flesh] and [Ruination of the Spirit] on [Order of the Reaper Infiltrator (sealed)].Due to item set [Regalia of the Dark Hegemon], Weapon [Hegemon¡¯s Will] has inflicted [Hegemon¡¯s Tribute] on [Order of the Reaper Infiltrator (sealed)].Weapon [Hegemon¡¯s Will] has bestowed an instance of [Benevolent Hegemon] on you.Item [Amulet of the Dark Guardian] has bestowed eight instances of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] on you.Due to item set [Regalia of the Dark Hegemon], item [Amulet of the Dark Guardian] has bestowed eight instances of [Hegemon¡¯s Authority] on you.


    Jason ignored the system message but a glimpse of something in it distracted him, which was all Melody needed to score a clean hit, raking her blade across his chest. The blade skittered across a barrier before it broke and dug into flesh, shielding him from a portion of the damage.


    All instances of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] have been consumed to absorb damage.Each instance of [Guardian¡¯s Blessing] has bestowed [Blessing¡¯s Bounty].You have been inflicted with [Creeping Death].You have resisted [Creeping Death].You have gained an instance of [Resistant] from ability [Sin Eater].You have gained an instance of [Integrity] from ability [Sin Eater].You have been inflicted with [Purifying Flame].You have resisted [Purifying Flame].You have gained an instance of [Resistant] from ability [Sin Eater].You have gained an instance of [Integrity] from ability [Sin Eater].Resisting [Purifying Flame] has inflicted you with [Inexorable Purgation].[Inexorable Purgation] cannot be resisted.[Inexorable Purgation] has been moved to [Hegemon¡¯s Dominion]. If you return [Hegemon¡¯s Will] to the scabbard, the next attack made with it will inflict [Inexorable Purgation].[Purifying Flame] (affliction, wounding, fire, holy, dispel): Inflict ongoing fire damage and periodically negate a boon of the magic, elemental or unholy types.[Inexorable Purgation] (affliction, holy, stacking): [Purifying Flame] is more difficult to resist. This affliction cannot be resisted. This affliction is negated when the victim is afflicted with [Purifying Flame]. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Melody didn¡¯t let up the advantage, following up with a rapid sequence of jabbing thrusts. On the third strike, he pushed his body into her lunge, sliding himself onto her blade to arrest its movement. Silver flame erupted inside his body but he showed no reaction as he gripped her sword arm and pulled her face to face.


    She found herself staring into alien eyes, within the void-like darkness of his hood, as he chanted a spell in a voice of arctic stone.


    ¡°Suffer the cost of your transgressions.¡±


    The strength of Jason¡¯s Punition spell was based on the number of afflictions the enemy had, and only a handful were on Melody. Jason had learned his lesson about waiting for the perfect moment with Purity worshippers, though, taking the damage where he could get it. The necrotic damage wasn¡¯t a lot, but every attack she had landed or even that he¡¯d blocked had affected her with the Sin affliction, amplifying necrosis.


    She kicked him off her blade, her high-end silver strength noticeably superior to his, and they both staggered back. Her skin was flecked with black pockmarks of necrosis while his chest wounds were burning with ethereal silver flames. In both cases, normal recovery was impeded, hers by the hard-to-heal necrotic damage and his by the fire burning the wounds. They both had answers, however, and they choose not to immediately re-engage as they paused to recover.


    Jason simply waited for his regeneration effects to heal him, the flame sputtering out as the affliction was absorbed by his scabbard. The rate at which it absorbed afflictions was accelerated by suppressing the aura of the afflictions originator, and Jason¡¯s aura pushed hard on Melody¡¯s. He didn¡¯t entirely suppress it because reading her emotions was one of the edges helping him against her superior speed, strength and skill.


    As for Melody, she slapped her upper arm and a rune stitched into her sleeve glowed briefly before vanishing. The church of Purity excelled in the creation of dispelling and cleansing items, and the consumable rune immediately purged Jason¡¯s afflictions. Jason¡¯s affliction powers were not to be ignored, however, and the cleansing came at a price. His Punition spell, in addition to afflicting damage, had left behind an unwelcome gift in the form of the Penitence affliction.


    [Rune of Greater Purgation (silver)] had triggered a strong cleansing on [Order of the Reaper Infiltrator (sealed)].All afflictions on [Order of the Reaper Infiltrator (sealed)] have been cleansed.Cleansing your afflictions has triggered [Penitence].[Order of the Reaper Infiltrator (sealed)] has been afflicted with an instance of [Penance] for each cleansed affliction.[Penitence] (affliction, holy): Inflicts an instance of [Penance] for each curse, disease, poison or unholy effect that is cleansed from an enemy with this affliction.[Penance] (affliction, holy, damage-over-time, stacking): Deals ongoing transcendent damage. Additional instances have a cumulative effect, dropping off as damage is dealt.


    The damage from Penance was limited by the number of afflictions, making it far from debilitating to a silver-ranker, but the transcendent damage was unavoidable, chiselling away at her health. She took a healing potion from her belt, drained the vial and tossed it aside. Jason didn¡¯t push the attack.


    ¡°You¡¯re not weak, I¡¯ll give you that,¡± she told him. ¡°You aren''t going to win, though, and you know it. The environment matters a lot to your combat style and this place advantages me. I''m faster, stronger and better. You wouldn''t believe how many healing and cleaning items I have, so I can let you hurt me here and there. You can only beat me if your afflictions reach a threshold where they escalate past the point of recovery being possible.¡±


    ¡°You really are like your daughter,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not just the looks, either. You probably don¡¯t know what the genetic lottery is, but you ladies are big winners. It''s your personalities that make you alike, though.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Melody asked, surprising Jason with curiosity and an undercurrent of longing in her aura.


    ¡°You seem to know a lot about me,¡± Jason told her. ¡°Your daughter had a thing for me too.¡±


    Melody glowered at him but this time she didn''t make an angry lunge at him. She looked at where she had wounded him, the flesh already knitted back together and the robes repaired over them.


    ¡°I was curious to talk with you,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re important to my daughter, and I was wondering what grabbed the Builder¡¯s attention.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°Not impressed.¡±


    ¡°I need to start using food to make a first impression with women. This getting kicked in the face approach isn¡¯t working out. Can I offer you a chocolate cake sandwich?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough,¡± she said. ¡°With your healing, I¡¯m going to have to be more thorough in taking you down. No more chats.¡±


    ¡°But that¡¯s the best part. Besides, you haven¡¯t even seen how I¡¯m going to beat you yet.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything that can beat me.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t when your three minions ambushed me as I was going about my business, but you¡¯ll find it¡¯s different now. I have something new to rely on.¡±


    ¡°You mean that sword? It¡¯s pretty, but it¡¯ll take more than that.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°No, it¡¯s a power that you¡¯ve overlooked, even though it¡¯s the same power that beat the Builder.¡±


    She tilted her head in a gesture of curiosity.


    ¡°Do tell, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°It''s Jason, please. You''re my friend''s mum. Anyway, the reason you overlooked this power is that magic is too easy in this world. Magic is so rich here you can literally find it just laying around as essences and awakening stones. In my world, magic is a struggle. You have to work and scrape for it, but in doing so, you find pathways to power that people from this world would never consider.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°Here, magic is so rich you can just pick it up off the ground. But in my world¡­¡±


    He paused just as the wall between them exploded inward, dust billowing and chunks of stone splashing into the water that started draining out through the hole.


    ¡°¡­friendship is magic,¡± Jason finished as the sound died down.


    Melody raised her sword warily as she and Jason stared at one another through the stone dust, but Jason didn¡¯t move. Instead, Sophie came through the hole in a blur, immediately lashing out at Melody. Taken aback by the sudden confrontation with her daughter, Melody backed off, showing far less aptitude than she had against Jason. Jason¡¯s aura came crashing down on her as the rest of the team came pouring through the hole. With Melody¡¯s aura suppressed, outnumbered and caught on the back foot, the suddenly one-sided fight quickly came to an end as Jason tapped her with his sword and Humphrey and Neil gripped her arms.


    You have cleansed all holy afflictions from [Order of the Reaper Infiltrator (sealed)].Weapon [Hegemon¡¯s Will] has inflicted multiple instances of [Hegemon¡¯s Mercy] on [Order of the Reaper Infiltrator (sealed)].[Hegemon¡¯s Mercy] (affliction, holy, stacking): The victim of this effect is subjected to a powerful suppressive force affecting all magical abilities. This affects essence abilities, innate abilities and item abilities. Abilities derived from external transcendent sources are affected more strongly. This affliction drops off rapidly when not within the area of the wielder of [Hegemon¡¯s Will]¡¯s aura. Additional instances have increased effect.


    The handful of Penance instances left on Melody translated to only a mild suppressing effect. It was still enough that, when combined with a fully suppressed aura, Clive was able to snap a suppression collar around her neck. She thrashed in wild struggle, but both Neil and Humphrey were stronger, holding her in place as Clive locked the collar.


    Melody slumped, but her face locked on her daughter¡¯s. Sophie looked at her mother impassively, then slipped a bag over her head. Neil started shoving their prisoner towards the hole in the wall that water was draining out of. Humphrey gathered up Sophie in a hug while Clive and Jason looked on awkwardly.


    ¡°Being able to sense you working on the other side of the wall was amazing,¡± Jason said to Clive. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever found my aura senses so useful.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was strictly necessary,¡± Clive said. ¡°One of Shade¡¯s bodies led us to you.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean with timing the line you guys entered with. My banter game was on point.¡±


    Jason''s eyes went wide, then he groaned unhappily.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Clive asked and Jason gave him a forlorn look.


    ¡°I just realised she doesn¡¯t know what My Little Pony is,¡± he said. ¡°She totally didn¡¯t get the reference.¡±


    Sophie looked at him from over Humphrey¡¯s bicep.


    ¡°Why would you expect that?¡± she asked. ¡°No one ever does.¡±

 Chapter 561: Nostalgia

    When the two gold-rankers racing to the underwater mining facility arrived at the submarine dock, they found the surface of the water sealed with a magical barrier, shimmering red with shifting yellow runes. The barrier was only from a bronze-rank ritual so they easily forced their way through. The barrier repaired itself immediately, with the water that came through with them pooling on top of its horizontal surface.


    Leaping from the barrier onto the docks, they found it full of people. There were no vehicles present but the dock was lined with anxious civilians. A handful of corpses were piled behind some crates, thick blood trails showing where they had been moved from. The tunnels leading deeper into the complex were all blocked by shimmering magical barriers, behind which the tunnels were flooded with water.


    Ritualist adventurers were maintaining the barriers blocking the tunnels, as well as the surface of the water where the gold-rankers had breached their way in. Other adventurers had opened up portals through which civilians were filing through to safety. The facility staff were almost entirely iron or bronze-rank, consuming only a fragment of a silver-rank portal¡¯s energy with their passage. For every silver-ranker that could have passed through, ten bronze or a hundred iron-rankers could do so instead.


    The gold rankers quickly assessed the room, spotting the group that was in charge. One of the gold-rankers went straight for the team leader, Korinne Pescos, who was calmly issuing directions to bring the dock to order. The other gold-ranker moved to a member of her team, Orin Pensinata.


    The approach of the gold-rankers did not go unnoticed. Waves of relief flooded the auras of adventurers and civilians alike, reassured by the presence of the two powerful figures. Korinne recognised the gold-ranker approaching her and hurried to give a report.


    ¡°Lord Ferrringhaas, sir. We were mid-evacuation when the sabotage we were warned of took place. The extraction teams were chosen for having ritualists and water or air manipulators, or had them attached specifically in case of this circumstance. Accordingly, our teams managed to safeguard civilians that were en route to this extraction point. Operations have continued, but at a slower pace.¡±


    ¡°Civilian status?¡± Ferringhaas asked.


    ¡°Live civilians are either sealed in safe rooms, waiting for rescue; en route to this dock; in this dock or extracted to Rimaros via portal. We¡¯ve confirmed that some have fallen to hostiles, either caught outside safe rooms or in safe rooms that have been breached. Presumably, any live civilians caught outside of the safe rooms following the sabotage are either trapped or dead, but until the hostiles are cleared, a methodical search is impractical.¡±


    ¡°Disposition of the hostiles?¡±


    ¡°A large portion of them departed with all vehicles in the dock, both their own and a submarine transport full of materials. According to civilian witnesses that had already been rescued, the adventurer team assigned to hold the dock turned traitor, helping them extract and going with them.¡±


    Ferringhaas scowled at the news of traitors.


    ¡°They really were¡­¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Sir?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t kill the civilian witnesses?¡± Ferringhaas asked, schooling his expression.


    ¡°They did not kill any civilians outside of two who made trouble for them, we believe due to time constraints. Once they discovered our rapid response, and especially once the sabotage took place. They seem to have taken the people they had and the materials they had gathered and left, presumably predicting your arrival. We believe a large number of hostiles were abandoned in the base and are still active.¡±


    ¡°Adventurer casualties?¡±


    ¡°Injuries, including several severe ones that proved resistant to healing. No deaths. Many of the enemy have the means to impede healing of the wounds they inflict, primarily through variants of silver fire.¡±


    ¡°This is the same fire they were reported as using when encountered during the Builder island expedition?¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir. We have some people who were on that expedition as well and confirmed it. Our severely injured were priority evacuated. A large portion of the enemy forces are non-essence users and believed to be victims of the modified clockwork cores seen during the Builder island expedition.¡±


    ¡°The ¡®pure converted¡¯ we were informed of.¡±


    ¡°Yes sir. They are notably weaker than essence users but the primary source of the silver fire. These pure converted are believed to be the bulk of enemy forces remaining. From what we could determine, the Order of Redeeming Light members mostly assumed lower-risk roles in the operation. This allowed them to be notified and react more quickly to our arrival. That said, we believe that at least several teams with essence users made their way into the deeper areas of the complex for reasons unknown.¡±


    ¡°Enemy casualties?¡±


    ¡°Numerous pure converted; we don¡¯t have a good count, but several dozen at a minimum. Most of the essence users encountered were not anticipating such a rapid response and we caught them on the back foot. Silver-rankers are not so easily killed, though, so many were able to escape deeper into the complex. Including the ones killed that were guarding the dock on our arrival, we have eliminated fourteen silver-rank essence users. We estimate between nine and twenty-five more enemy essence users are still unaccounted for within the complex, along with an unknown number of pure converted.¡±


    ¡°That would be a larger deployment of forces than the Builder island raid,¡± Ferringhaas assessed.


    ¡°Yes, sir. My best guess would be that this operation was considered lower-risk as they did not anticipate the Adventure Society reacting as quickly as we have. This may even be the bulk of their local forces.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to reinstitute the capture order,¡± Ferringhaas said, ¡°but only as a low-priority if safe to do so. If encountering the enemy having trouble with the post-sabotage conditions, capture is acceptable only if safe. Otherwise, the kill-on-sight order remains in effect. More than anything enemy-related, first priority is evacuating civilians. No one is to compromise rescuee safety over pursuing enemies. Make sure that all expedition teams are notified.¡±


    ¡°Yes, sir.¡±


    As Korinne briefed Ferringhaas, the other gold-ranker went to the person he knew from her team to get his own briefing. Orin was organising people going through a portal when he sensed his gold-rank uncle approaching. His uncle inclined his head slightly back and Orin furrowed his brow. The uncle gave a slight nod and then wandered over to where Korinne was going over specifics of estimated ally and enemy locations on a projected map.


    Another of Korinne¡¯s team members, Rosa, nudged the much-larger Orin with her shoulder.


    ¡°You two are as talkative as ever, I see.¡±


    Orin nodded.


    ***


    ¡°Given how deep we are in the facility,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°I think trying to make our own way out is a mistake.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Clive said. ¡°Using ritual magic to dig through walls and take down barriers, all while managing the water that''s been caught up in various sections isn''t practical. Not all the way back to the dock. We might all have equipment for fighting underwater, but conducting rituals underwater is something else.¡±


    The team had retrieved Jason¡¯s bright orange, magical swimming belt, which was now secured around his waist.


    ¡°Do we even have the ritual materials to get back up?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s an outside chance that we could stretch what we have, if everything went right, but¡­¡±


    He gestured at the tunnel in which they were standing up to their knees in water, buried deep under the seafloor.


    ¡°¡­I don¡¯t think it¡¯s an everything-goes-right kind of day.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a safe room not far from where we are,¡± Jason said, checking his map ability. ¡°We can join the people there and wait to get rescued with everyone else.¡±


    Jason allowed the others to see his map and plotted out a route using waypoints.


    ¡°That looks viable, so long as the flooding in the intervening chambers isn¡¯t too bad,¡± Clive said.


    Following the deliberate flooding of the facility, all the rooms had been magically isolated. The magical barriers were safety measures put in place to isolate flooding and had automatically triggered, sealing chambers and segmenting tunnels. Only the comprehensive disabling of safety systems allowed the water to spread throughout the complex before the barriers went active.


    With no appropriate essence abilities to deal with the water, the team was reliant on Clive to either disable barriers or dig through walls. Other chambers and tunnel segments could easily be deeply flooded, which is one of the reasons they preferred negating barriers. They could see through barriers to gauge how much water was in the next chamber, and disabling them was much easier than digging through magic stone. It usually required metres of tunnelling to reach the next tunnel or chamber, which they were opening relatively blind. Jason''s senses could reach through one or two walls but were significantly dulled in doing so.


    They travelled with Sophie keeping a tight grip and a tight watch on their prisoner. Melody was not just collared and manacled but also hooded. It was no ordinary hood, but one that could seal the enhanced perception and magical senses of a silver-ranker. At least, silver-rankers that weren¡¯t outliers like Jason.


    ¡°Where did you get that hood?¡± Neil asked Sophie.


    ¡°From Belinda.¡±


    ¡°Why did she have it? It¡¯s not like we knew we were coming to grab someone ahead of time.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You¡¯ll have to ask her yourself.¡±


    Neil looked at Belinda, who was merrily nibbling on a gingerbread man as she waded through the icy seawater.


    ¡°It¡¯s probably best I don¡¯t know, now that I think about it.¡±


    They made their way through tunnels along Jason¡¯s mapped route. Some sealed sections were all but empty of water, lowering the level in the tunnels they travelled through as they were opened. Others had enough water to raise the level, although that was not the most unpleasant thing the tunnels could contain.


    The team found themselves looking through an intact barrier wall into a section of tunnel entirely flooded with water. Floating within was a trio of corpses, their lingering auras marking them as iron-rankers.


    ¡°Probably came this deep into the complex to hide from the Purity worshippers,¡± Neil said, watching the floating bodies with a sombre expression, tinged with anger.


    ¡°Do we take them out of there?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°It doesn¡¯t seem right to leave them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure it¡¯s any better to take them,¡± Clive said. ¡°We don¡¯t have any caskets.¡±


    Clive, Jason and Humphrey shared a look between them. Before they were team, their first contract together was to retrieve the body of a fallen adventurer. They had been supplied with a special casket to contain the body before it was placed in storage, but it was only a symbolic gesture.


    When putting a body in a storage space, there was no practical difference between respectfully placing it in a casket first and just throwing it in like a spare sword. The casket accomplished nothing and there was no contamination within storage spaces unless strange and extremely unusual magic was involved. They all knew that the bodies were empty shells, the soul not being an unproven concept to any of them. Even so, none of them wanted to treat the victims with anything but respect. These people weren''t fighters but had been doing their part to produce essential supplies that helped save people during the monster surge. They might not be adventurers but they were comrades.


    ¡°They¡¯ll be taken care of when this place is recovered,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That won¡¯t be until after the monster surge, at least,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It might be a strategic resource but not important enough to undo everything done here. Those people will be down here for weeks, at least. We still don¡¯t know how long this extended monster surge will last.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate what some logistics specialists with water and earth essences can do,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Neil¡¯s right,¡± Clive said. ¡°Remember that the Amouz family specialise in dealing with places like this. Not every elite essence user is an adventurer specialised in killing.¡±


    Jason thought back to his early days in Greenstone where he¡¯s watched essence users building a public toilet. He¡¯d stood and watched for hours, the friendly construction workers surprised and happy that someone found what they were doing interesting as they answered his many questions. He frowned, uncertain if it was good or bad that corpses buried somewhere an oil derrick would have trouble reaching triggered his nostalgia.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave them to their rest,¡± he said, pulling up his map. ¡°It looks like the best way to go is actually to drop down through the floor and follow a parallel tunnel, then back up on the other side.¡±


    ¡°Not a bad way to detour,¡± Clive said. ¡°If the chamber below is full of water, it won''t spill in, and if the one we dig up into is, it can drain down.¡±


    The tunnel below turned out to be a good pick. The chamber they dropped into had only waist-deep water, even after their original tunnel section drained into it. The next two sections of tunnel were almost empty, so dropping the barriers lowered the water level to barely mid-shin. Clive needed to set the next ritual on the ceiling so they could go back up, but as a silver-ranker, he could levitate so long as his concentration wasn''t interrupted.


    While Clive was working, Jason felt something tingle at the edge of his perception, muffled as it was by the magical deep granite.


    ¡°Shade,¡± he said, and the familiar emerged as Jason moved to the side of the tunnel and pushed his senses against the dulling force of the deep granite. He closed his eyes, placed his hands against the wall and braced himself as if trying to push it over. Extending his senses through the suppressive force of the stone was like trying to push custard through a mattress.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°One of Shade¡¯s bodies,¡± he said, strain in his voice. ¡°I¡¯m trying to let him know we¡¯re here. There¡¯s someone with him, too.¡±


    ¡°Princess Liara¡¯s husband,¡± Shade said. ¡°I can almost contact my other self and memories are trickling through.¡±


    Jason leaned back from the wall, tension dropping out of his shoulders.


    ¡°If we dig up, make our way along the tunnel to the intersection and then go right instead of left towards the safe room, we¡¯ll find them,¡± he said. ¡°It shouldn¡¯t be much of a detour.¡±

 Chapter 562: Saving the Day With the Power of Quips

    That the two gold-rankers sent to the underwater facility had been available was a stroke of good fortune. Claud Ferringhaas was an expert manipulator of water and stone, with his earth, water, shovel and verdant essences. He was an agricultural expert and only part-time adventurer, although his combat abilities were in no way lacking.


    Amos Pensinata was pure adventurer, with the might, vast, deep and leviathan essences. He had spent the bulk of the monster surge handling the ocean monsters that were often the most dangerous in the sea of storms. Although he lacked the water essence his powers made him extremely comfortable in the depths.


    More important than his specific powers was Amos¡¯ aura strength. Like Jason, his aura was oppressively powerful compared to others of his rank, and he stood a full rank over Jason. Also, like Jason, his aura strength did not come from being a fourfold with overlapping aura powers. Jason was not the only one to endure tribulations of the soul.


    Where Jason could extend his senses through a room, maybe two, Amos was able to push his perception to encompass a third of the facility. He was also strong enough to breach the water-sealing barriers segmenting the tunnels through raw physical might.


    After being updated on the status of the facility by Korinne Pescos, a plan was quickly devised to most efficiently find and evacuate the trapped facility workers. Supported by the silver-rank adventurers, the gold-rankers set out.


    ***


    Baseph Rimaros was in a dry chamber, having triggered the seal walls in a section of tunnel early to protect himself from the flooding and to await rescue. Until that point, he had been in a state of relentless tension. While sneaking around the complex, he had passed within arm¡¯s reach of capture more than once. The ramifications of failure had scraped his nerves like a knife.


    Now that the sabotage had been carried out and he was relatively safe, awaiting rescue, the tension had left him and he sat, back to the wall, with his knees up and his arms clutched around them. He was numb in the aftermath, left with nothing to do but dwell on the ramifications of his success.


    How many colleagues had died as a result of his actions? How many friends? Because of his sinister companion, Baseph now knew that a rescue operation had already been underway, perhaps even before he started. His desperate actions had not just been a danger but a needless one. He had wanted to save people, but how many had drowned while being escorted to what would have been safety if not for him?


    ¡°It was all pointless,¡± he muttered, almost trance-like.


    ¡°You acted in a manner appropriate to the information you had available. That is all that can be asked of anyone,¡± Shade said. ¡°I know a man who has done this and gotten it wrong, but he does not let that stop him from doing it again. In times of crisis, inaction is often worse than the wrong action.¡±


    ¡°Do you think people died because of what I did?¡± he asked softly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Innocent people, I mean?¡±


    ¡°Yes; the non-innocent have most likely survived. The best information we have is that the Order of Redeeming Light''s essence users are silver-rank and well-trained, with their leadership at the very least being of guild standard. Many have likely been inconvenienced or trapped entirely but not killed.¡±


    Baseph¡¯s head drooped.


    ¡°It is possible,¡± Shade continued, ¡°that the order¡¯s forces made up of people implanted with purified clockwork cores are more susceptible to drowning but I do not have the information to confirm or deny this.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Baseph said. ¡°Clockwork what?¡±


    ¡°I shall spare you the lengthy explanation but there is a device that can turn regular essence users into what we believe are obedient slaves to the Order of Redeeming Light. The best information we have suggests that this implantation can be done involuntarily, which would mean that these Purity converted are actually victims. This, arguably, could mean that they are innocent of the very actions they are carrying out.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think mind control was possible, even with magic.¡±


    "It is not. It is, more accurately, a very comprehensive form of body control that includes the physiological mechanisms that comprise the ability to think. Thus, the body is controlled by a hostile force but there may be memories or personality traits that linger, depending on the nature of the transformation. Lesser vampirism and other hostile transformative abilities operate in this manner. The soul remains intact, but is no longer in control of the body.¡±


    Baseph looked up at the shadowy figure, curious despite himself as the explanation continued.


    ¡°Essence users make the most, and sometimes only, viable subjects of such transformations. Their bodies have already been altered to draw power from the soul to fuel their abilities, a power such transformations rely upon. They cannot forcibly violate the soul, even with a complete transformation, but if the body is already able to harmlessly tap into the soul''s effectively infinite power, it can continue to do so, even if the body is modified to use that power in different ways.¡±


    ¡°The soul stays intact?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the body generally cannot be recovered once the transformation is complete, even if the soul is unsullied. In most cases, only death can release the trapped soul from a fully transformed state. I have seen this many times.¡±


    ¡°Was your soul trapped? Is that how you ended up a shadow person.¡±


    ¡°I have ever been a shadow, since my inception. I have no soul, strictly speaking, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that my true state is something akin to a soul. I was bound once, and made custodian of many souls that were trapped in hideous, transformed and ¨C worst of all ¨C immortal bodies. I then became the familiar of a man who released all of those souls, by slaying the monstrosities that they had become.¡±


    ¡°Why are you telling me all of this? Any of this?¡±


    ¡°Because you are in a fragile mental state and I am attempting to distract you. According to your wife, you are a curious person who enjoys learning new things, whether they are in your field of expertise or otherwise."


    ¡°She told you that?¡±


    ¡°She and I spent an amount of time together over the last few days. I am a very good listener, although I do not believe that I excel at comforting others.¡±


    ¡°That,¡± Baseph said, ¡°is an accurate assessment.¡±


    ***


    Jason dashed backwards, away from the wall barrier sealing one of the pathways in the four-way intersection. Aside from the one they had entered through the other tunnels were sealed as well.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I sensed something gold-rank. Not an essence user or a monster. One of the Purity converted, I think, but I pulled my perception back before I got a good sense of it.¡±


    ¡°Did it notice you?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said. ¡°The converted have poor senses in general, from what we¡¯ve seen, and it¡¯ll be worse in this place. I have to push hard to sense that far, though, so I wasn¡¯t exactly being stealthy.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the direction of the closest safe room, right?¡± Neil said. ¡°The princess¡¯ husband is the other way, so how about we go that way.¡±


    "If the gold-ranker is one of the converted, we could likely handle it," Humphrey said. "Perhaps we should deal with it before it comes across someone that can''t. As Neil said, the closest safe room is in that direction."


    "That would make the someone that can''t deal with it us," Jason said. "A gold-rank anything isn''t to be taken lightly. If we had preparation, knowledge of its abilities and an advantageous environment, that would be one thing. Being stuck in a room with a gold-rank weaponised victim is another."


    Neil tilted his head, tapping his ear with his palm as if trying to shake loose an obstruction.


    ¡°I could swear I just heard Jason say something sensible.¡±


    ¡°But what if people need help?¡± Humphrey asked.


    "Then we hope the gold rankers get to them in time," Jason said. "They almost certainly have arrived by now. Humphrey, listen to someone who has sacrificed his life more than once to help people. You have to know when you''re walking up to the line and when you''re stepping over. Going after that gold-rank converted would be way over, even if it were alone. Which it isn''t"


    "We''re here to save the lives we can," Clive agreed, "not to throw more away over the ones we can''t."


    Jason looked at Humphrey¡¯s face, filled with frustrated reluctance. He stepped in front of him and put a hand on his shoulder, looking him square in the eye.


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re feeling,¡± Jason said. ¡°Something inside you is screaming that it can win if you want it enough. But it can''t. Believe me. I''ve been through this and worse. Every person you can¡¯t save will be a scavenger gnawing at your gut and there¡¯s nothing you can do about that. You save the ones you can, regret the ones you can¡¯t and let them drive you to get stronger. Then, the next time, you can save more.¡±


    Jason gave Humphrey a sad smile. In his eyes, the big man was a silver-age comic hero, complete with wedge-shaped torso and a jaw so square it could be mortared into a wall. He did not do well stuck in a crappy, grimdark reboot. If Jason''s time on Earth had taught him anything, it was that if you let the darkness take hold of you, it wouldn''t stop pulling you down. There were worse things than saving the day with the power of quips.


    ¡°Come on,¡± Jason told him. ¡°The beautiful princess might be too strong to get captured in the first place, but her husband could use a storybook hero.¡±


    Jason slapped Humphrey¡¯s enormous bicep.


    ¡°That¡¯s you, bloke.¡±


    ***


    The gold-rankers moved separately, undertaking different tasks. Ferringhaas was using his water and earth manipulation to establish safe pathways into and out of the complex, making his way slowly down through the facility''s levels. Amos was using his powerful senses to find more time-critical situations in which to intervene. He moved through tunnels regardless of their water level, the liquid impeding him no more than the air. The barrier walls slowed him little more than the water as he smashed through them like a bullet passing through layers of glass.


    As he moved, Amos left behind a trail of lingering aura, a trick he had picked up that used pure aura control rather than any ability. It was imbued with an inherent hostility towards Purity worshippers while offering comfort to anyone else. Any adventurer would inherently sense its friendliness and follow it one way or another, either to safety or to Amos. Any enemy bold enough to follow it to the dock would find a gaggle of adventurers waiting for them, which would go poorly. If they instead followed it to Amos, that would go worse.


    The various chambers and tunnel sections occupied by more than water were what slowed Amos¡¯ progress. Trapped civilians and adventurers he released were able to follow his path back out, although the waist-deep water troubled the iron-rankers. With the icy cold of the sea depths, it made for an unpleasant trip to the dock.


    Enemies were a different story. Most of the safe rooms and enemies had already been cleared from the upper levels, so Amos didn¡¯t sense any until his perception reached the central areas of the complex. The enemies he sensed that were trapped he left alone, but if he found a roaming group, he moved on them. As Jason had pointed out, being in an enclosed space with a gold-rank enemy was not healthy for silver-rankers and Amos left Ferringhaas'' direction to take prisoners if possible to others.


    Sensing a group of adventurers whose auras told a story of trouble, Amos made his way swiftly through the passages, at one point smashing through a tunnel wall because it was only a metre of solid, magically empowered stone. He found a team of adventurers moving with one of their members on a floating magical gurney, covered in burns that left strange patterns on the flesh. The others were all various levels of injured, despite the healer working as they moved, most of them showing at least some sign of the strange burn marks.


    A bedraggled female adventurer with scorched armour waved her team to keep going as he stopped in front of Amos to report, marking her as the team leader. Amos ignored her, looking at the man on the gurney as he gestured the whole team to a stop.


    ¡°Healing impaired?¡± Amos asked in a gravel slurry voice.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± the healer grimly confirmed. He was working on the other team members and not the injured unconscious man covered in burns. ¡°Nothing I have works. Potions, abilities; I even have some ointment specifically designed for burns with wounding effects, but nothing. We stopped to perform a ritual enhanced ability; still nothing. I just don¡¯t¡­¡±


    The healer shook his head and went back to healing another team member with a green glow that emitted from his palm.


    ¡°We encountered a gold-rank pure converted in the lower levels,¡± the team leader reported. ¡°It was moving with a team of Purity essence users. We drove them off, or maybe they drove us off; I¡¯m not sure at this point. We managed to kill one of the essence users, but they got one of ours and¡­¡±


    She turned to look at the unconscious man as if moving her head was physically hard, mouth trembling as her face filled with impotent rage and creeping shame.


    ¡°¡­probably a second.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Amos said, pulling a potion vial not from his belt in which they were lined up but from a dimensional pouch at his belt. The vial glowed brightly with blue, gold and silver light.


    ¡°Is that a superior miracle potion?¡± the healer asked, looking on in awe.


    ¡°Greater,¡± Amos said.


    ¡°Greater?¡± the team member being healed exclaimed. ¡°Do you know what that¡¯s worth?¡±


    Amos glanced at the man, his square brick of a face etched with disdain before turning back to the unconscious man.


    ¡°Not as much as this,¡± he said and shoved the unconscious man¡¯s mouth open with his fingers before pouring in the vial and then clamping the mouth shut with his hand.


    The result was immediate as transcendent light started shining from within. The strange burn marks started to fade, dissolving into rainbow smoke that formed a noxious cloud over the gurney. The team backed off while Amos ignored it, his eyes locked onto the man who was glowing with increasingly bright light.


    After the light dimmed, they saw the man on the gurney stirring but still unconscious. There was no injury they could see remaining, although the blood, grime and tattered clothes showed that there had been plenty. Just as the light faded to nothing, another light shone from his body, this one silver.


    ¡°Gift transfiguration?¡± the healer muttered. ¡°Lord Pensinata, this man is going to owe you deeply.¡±


    ¡°And I¡¯ll collect,¡± Amos said. ¡°There¡¯s always work to be done.¡±

 Chapter 563: Keep it Light

    The team was only one tunnel segment away from Baseph Rimaros, but that segment was filled with water.


    ¡°It should be fine,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯ll drain into the hole we came up through.¡±


    As Clive went to work on bringing down the next barrier wall, Jason reached out through Shade to contact Baseph. Baseph was still hunched against the wall when a new voice emerged from his shadowy companion, Shade.


    ¡°Lord Rimaros,¡± the voice said. ¡°We¡¯ll have you out of there shortly.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Baseph asked.


    ¡°I was a retail stationery assistant manager, and good at my job, until I committed the ultimate sin and testified against other retail stationery assistant managers gone bad. Retail stationary assistant managers that tried to kill me, but got the woman I loved instea¨C ow! Hey, that kind of¨C ow! That was right on the ear. What? I know I¡¯m silver-rank, what about it? I should never have let you all listen in with voice chat.¡±


    ¡°Hello?¡± Baseph asked uncertainly. ¡°Shade?¡±


    ¡°My name¡¯s Jason,¡± the voice returned, now sounding sullen. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, mate; we¡¯ll have you out of there in a jiffy.¡±


    ¡°Uh, I hesitate to ask again, but who are you? Adventurers?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°How did you respond so quickly to the incursion? Did the Amouz family guards get the signal out?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, the amusement gone from his voice. ¡°Unfortunately, the enemy caught them by surprise before they could. As for what did happen, that¡¯s restricted information. Your wife might tell you, although I¡¯m pretty sure she shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°How bad is it out there?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re not sure. Communication is tricky here, as you know, but we came in knowing the potential for the facility to be sabotaged as a defensive measure. Preparations were made to save as many lives as possible.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ I was the one who sabotaged the facility.¡±


    ¡°I know, Lord Rimaros,¡± Jason said softly.


    On the tunnel section where the team was, Jason cut off the communication between himself and Shade, then turned to Humphrey.


    ¡°Let''s make sure he doesn''t see the floating bodies when we''re going back the other way, yeah?¡± Jason said. ¡°This bloke¡¯s aura has so much guilt in it he¡¯s just about ready to crack.¡±


    As Clive continued preparing the ritual to disable the wall barrier, Jason returned to his conversation with Baseph.


    ¡°We¡¯re an adventuring team that is part of a comprehensive rescue effort, evacuating the complex. First priority is saving lives, and it¡¯s a lot harder for the bad guys to break into the safe rooms when the tunnel in front of them is flooded.¡±


    ¡°Are we sure Jason is really helping?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°For the purposes of keeping that guy from losing it,¡± Neil said, ¡°yes, he is. Lord Rimaros will be harder to deal with if he''s panicking or shutting down completely.¡±


    Baseph couldn¡¯t hear the others through Shade and Jason kept talking to help keep him balanced.


    ¡°Things have gotten a little complicated and we don''t have the resources to make it all the way back to the top. We''re going to get you out of there and then join the people in a nearby safe room. From there, we''ll wait it out until a more thorough recovery operation is organised.¡±


    It didn¡¯t take long before Clive told the group to brace and he dropped the barrier, letting the flooded section of tunnel wash out. The water level quickly dropped as it rushed past them, eventually draining into the hole leading down to a lower tunnel. Jason became shrouded in dark mist for a few moments, which cleared to reveal him in a white casual summer suit and matching Panama hat.


    ¡°Good idea on dropping the dark reaper of blood look,¡± Neil told him. ¡°Everyone keep it light with the civilians. If we act like the situation is no great crisis, they won¡¯t believe it, but they¡¯ll be at least a little reassured.¡±


    ¡°Have you been taking lessons on mental health from Arabelle?¡± Jason asked him.


    ¡°No, of course not," Neil said. ¡°Why would I, a healer, take the time to learn about an aspect of healing from a gold-rank healer from my own church ¨C of the Healer ¨C with incredible expertise in her field. Of healing."


    ¡°You said ¡®healing¡¯ quite a lot there. I never even noticed you were taking lessons.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not all about you, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I did save the world a couple of times.¡±


    ¡°Which suggests you didn''t do a great job the first time.¡±


    ¡°I did my best.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have no doubt you did.¡±


    ¡°That''s a little hurtful.¡±


    ¡°Did Humphrey and I start a thing?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°If we''re all going to be pairing off, I definitely won out taking first pick. I really would have imagined Belinda and Clive happening before you two.¡±


    ¡°Life is full of little surprises,¡± Humphrey added as Jason and Neil looked at them in horror.


    ¡°Surprise biscuits?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°You just finished eating a gingerbread man,¡± Humphrey told her.


    Belinda hung her head.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look,¡± Humphrey told her.


    Clive was keeping his attention on the magic diagram he was drawing in the air with his power.


    ¡°Just so you all know,¡± he pointed out, ¡°there¡¯s a guy on the other side of this wall watching us be very professional adventurers.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t hear us though, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive told him.


    ¡°Then he probably does think we¡¯re professionals.¡±


    ¡°Not in that hat,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°You wish you could pull off this hat.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Neil admitted wistfully.


    ***


    Jason moved ahead of the group as they approached the tunnel intersection where Jason has sensed the gold-rank Purity converted. He extended his senses once more, as carefully as he could while pushing through the suppressive effects of the deep granite the tunnels were carved from.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± he called back to the group as he started heading back. ¡°Looks like they moved on while we were digging out Bas, so we should be alright to move forward.¡±


    ¡°Bas?¡± Baseph asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t ask him questions,¡± Clive whispered conspiratorially, fully aware that Jason¡¯s silver-rank senses would pick up everything. ¡°Even if they seem sensible. You¡¯ll find it¡¯s best to let Jason wash over you and say nothing.¡±


    ¡°You make me sound like a packet of sensuous bath salts,¡± Jason said, rejoining the group. He looked thoughtful for a moment, then nodded. ¡°I¡¯m okay with that.¡±


    ¡°If he starts making sense on a regular basis, that¡¯s when it¡¯s time to worry,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t listen to them, Bas,¡± Jason told him as the group moved into the intersection. ¡°They¡¯re just jealous they can¡¯t pull off a hat like mine.¡±


    ¡°That outfit does look good,¡± Humphrey conceded. ¡°More of an outdoor style, though.¡±


    ¡°If you can convince the zealots to attack a beachside bar next time,¡± Jason told him, ¡°I¡¯m not going to stop you.¡±


    ¡°It would be nice to not be so busy,¡± Neil said. ¡°Rimaros would a be a nice place to take a holiday once the monster surge is over.¡±


    ¡°Seconded," Jason agreed.


    "Rimaros is a great place for that,¡± Baseph said. ¡°The post-surge festivals here are world-famous.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Humphrey said.


    Baseph¡¯s brief smile faded.


    ¡°I''m not so sure how it will go, this time. Even buried under the ocean we''ve heard how things are going up there. I didn''t even see Liara after the attack on Rimaros.¡±


    Jason frowned, knowing that Liara had been in the thick of it deep in the bowels of the flying city.


    ¡°These are dark days,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m a lot younger than you, Bas, but I¡¯ve seen my share of dark days. If I know that they always come to an end, you must too.¡±


    Baseph nodded, then his eyes drifted down the other unsealed tunnel as they reached the intersection. Two of the four tunnels weren¡¯t blocked with wall barriers, both the one the team had originally come through and the one they had followed to retrieve Baseph.


    ¡°That way?¡± Baseph asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said firmly. ¡°Not that way. Clive?¡±


    Something about Humphrey rigid denial had Baseph¡¯s attention fixated on the open tunnel as Clive worked on breaching the next barrier wall.


    ¡°There¡¯s something down there, isn¡¯t there?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Neil told him, not trying to lie.


    ¡°Something you don¡¯t want me to see.¡±


    ¡°Our job,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°is to get you and as many other people as we can out of this alive. You going down there hurts us more than helps, so I¡¯m going to ask you not to go down there and also to not ask why.¡±


    ¡°Meaning that whatever is down there is worse than what I¡¯m imagining,¡± Baseph said. ¡°It¡¯s people who died because of what I did, isn¡¯t it?¡±


    The team shared a look, and then Neil gave Baseph a nod. After a moment, Baseph nodded back.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯m ready to see that.¡±


    ***


    The safe rooms were more than just secure doors, although the ten centimetres of magically reinforced metal covered in dangerous-looking sigils were definitely that. Certain varieties of hostile magic were designed to look like explosive traps, from the design of the ritual patterns to the way they glowed. The sigils on the door slowly pulsed an ominous red, invoking the feel of staring down the throat of a fire-breathing monster.


    The obvious choice when attempting to intrude was to dig into the room straight through the wall. Beyond just the doors, though, behind the stone walls, the entire safe room was sheathed in thick metal, laid with traps less overt than the door sigils but no less potent. The safe rooms were designed to live up to their name, and while very little could shut out a gold-ranker, even they would not have an easy time gaining access. As for a group of silver-rankers, the difficulty was considerably greater.


    Baseph had destroyed his master key to the safe rooms because of the very real threat of being captured in the process of carrying out his sabotage.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± he told Jason and his team. ¡°I did everything wrong.¡±


    ¡°You did something,¡± Jason said. ¡°You have to at least try something to get it wrong. Better to seize your fate than just accept it. Better to die fighting than lay down and take it. I¡¯m something of an authority on this.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try again,¡± Baseph said, stepping up to the door.


    ¡°You need to open up and let us in,¡± he yelled.


    ¡°No,¡± a female voice came back.


    Baseph grumbled under his breath.


    ¡°People hiring their goddamn cousins,¡± he muttered, before raising his voice again.


    ¡°Dammit, Karen, it¡¯s me, Baseph. I¡¯m with a team of adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Then you should be fine,¡± she yelled back through the door. ¡°Also, you could be a shape-shifter.¡±


    ¡°How would that help?¡± Baseph yelled. ¡°You can¡¯t see me.¡±


    ¡°Lady,¡± Sophie yelled, ¡°you better open this door or my foot is going to shape-shift your ass!¡±


    Baseph shook his head and stepped back from the door.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who put her in charge of letting people in,¡± he said.


    ¡°Clive, can you open this door?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Not any time soon, and not without damaging it,¡± Clive said. ¡°And most likely damaging us worse.¡±


    ¡°Which would defeat the purpose of a safe room,¡± Neil added.


    ¡°What we need is Belinda¡¯s expertise,¡± Clive said.


    Baseph turned in confusion to look at a person he¡¯d been introduced to earlier, along with the rest of the team.


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you Belinda?¡± he asked her.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said with a bright smile. ¡°I like stealing things and recordings of oiled up¨C¡±


    Sophie¡¯s hand clamped over Belinda¡¯s mouth and she firmly led her friend away.


    ¡°Do we try for another safe room?¡± Humphrey mused aloud.


    ¡°I¡¯m running perilously short on ritual materials that will get us through doors and walls,¡± Clive said. ¡°We could maybe reach another safe room and maybe not.¡±


    ¡°Plus, there are gold-rank bad guys roaming around,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure we should even have been yelling like that.¡±


    ¡°Other options?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Gordon could break down barriers and through walls with his beams,¡± Jason said. ¡°It would take a lot longer than Clive and his rituals¨C¡±


    ¡°Which are already quite slow,¡± Clive added.


    ¡°¨Cbut slow is better than stopped,¡± Jason finished.


    The team were mulling over a selection of poor options when the sigils on the door dimmed and it moved back, then slid to the side to open. As it did, the voices from inside became audible.


    ¡°¡­no telling who they really are.¡±


    ¡°Andres, did I say ¡®stop Karen from taking over¡¯ or did I say ¡®take a nap and let her run rampant?¡¯¡±


    ¡°You were taking a nap.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been awake for¡­ oh, hey, boss. Sorry about that.¡±


    The team started filing into the room when Jason started wildly gesturing for them to hurry.


    ¡°Quick! Get in and shut the door.¡±


    The team did as instructed, rather than question and the door was quickly shut behind them.


    ¡°Gold-rank?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°It looks like they swung back around.¡±

 Chapter 564: Enough to Kill You With Power to Spare

    What was called a safe room was actually several rooms, set out like a dormitory. There was a communal room into which the entrance opened, with metal tables and chairs in uniform rows, all affixed to the floor. It reminded Jason of a prison, or at least what prisons looked like in movies and television.


    As only the administrative centres on the upper levels employed normal-rankers, the safe rooms in the deeper levels were designed for essence users only. This simplified the logistics as the food storage could be a cupboard full of spirit coins. There was no need for toilet facilities and the only infrastructure that needed to be incorporated was a shower room and systems to cycle air. The back of the communal room led into the sleeping cells where bunks were packed in, a half-dozen to a room.


    The team had hurried inside at Jason¡¯s urging. Sophie marched their manacled and hooded prisoner to one of the tables and shoved her into a seat as the others looked around. There were around twenty people either standing around or emerging from the bunk rooms to check out the newcomers. Most were celestines, with a scattering of humans and elves. Humphrey had no time for the conditions inside, looking to Jason for an explanation of his sudden urgency.


    ¡°Gold-ranker?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason answered, his voice grim. ¡°It looks like they swung back around.¡±


    ¡°Will this room hold against a gold-ranker?¡± Humphrey asked Baseph.


    ¡°For a while,¡± Baseph said. ¡°Maybe only a short while, depending on their specific powers. Nothing short of fortress-town-level defence infrastructure will completely stop a determined gold-ranker. The defences on the door could mess up a silver-ranker, although probably not outright kill them unless they tried to bash the door down with their head and kept trying, regardless of the damage they took.¡±


    ¡°No one¡¯s that idiotic,¡± Neil said.


    Baseph glanced at Karen, who had delayed their entry into the room.


    ¡°You should never underestimate what people are capable of,¡± he said, then quickly introduced the three people who had been waiting on the other side of the door. All were celestines.


    ¡°The person who finally let us in is my second, Ciara Amouz. She¡¯s the deputy director of this facility. That''s her assistant, Andres Amouz, and my nephew''s wife''s cousin, Karen something.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m the associate vice deput¨C¡±


    ¡°No one cares, Karen,¡± Andres cut her off.


    ¡°There¡¯s no need to be rude, Andres,¡± Baseph told him.


    ¡°You just called her ¡®Karen something.¡¯¡±


    ¡°No, I said Karen Sumptin. That¡¯s her name.¡±


    Andres gave Baseph a flat look while Ciara shook her head with a wry expression.


    Karen opened her mouth but Baseph help up his hand in a gesture to cut her off.


    ¡°Let¡¯s just leave the adventurers to do their job, shall we?¡±


    Karen opened her mouth again and Baseph held up his hand again, this time his gesture being more forceful.


    ¡°By which I mean, Karen, that we shall leave the adventurers to do their job.¡±


    Baseph shepherded the other civilians away, leaving Jason and the others to plan.


    ¡°What about plan B?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°We¡¯ve gone too far in for that to be a viable option,¡± Clive said.


    Plan B was to use gold-rank coins to try and boost themselves to the point that their portal powers could punch through the suppression of the deep granite into which the facility had been dug.


    ¡°That would work for Humphrey and I a third of the way down at most,¡± Clive said. ¡°Jason could maybe do it as deep as halfway into the complex, but we¡¯re way too deep here. The amount of deep granite around us is massive. A gold-ranker couldn''t portal out of here unless they were a dedicated portal specialist.¡±


    ¡°Leaving us with two options,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°assuming the gold-ranked converted tries to break in here and doesn¡¯t pass us by. Which it will not. ¡°Do we go out and fight it, along with however many essence users and other converted are with it? Or do we wait for it to break in here?¡±


    ¡°Forcing it to break through the defences first could help us,¡± Clive said. ¡°It may be a gold-ranker, but it¡¯s not an essence user. It should take at least some damage breaking in.¡±


    ¡°That will take time, as well,¡± Sophie pointed out. ¡°If Adventure Society reinforcements arrive while the door is stalling them, that takes a fight we don''t want off our hands.¡±


    ¡°But if they do get in and we have to fight them in here,¡± Neil countered, ¡°that exposes the safe room and the people inside. They might be fine if we fight the thing in this room and they¡¯re hunkered down in those sleeping rooms, but is ¡®might be fine¡¯ a risk we want to take?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s all about the risk we choose,¡± Clive said. ¡°Going out or letting them come in, they¡¯re both bad options. We already decided not to go after that thing once, and for good reason.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see an alternative unless they pass us by,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°It won¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure it sensed us, and it wasn¡¯t alone. It¡¯s not a question of if it attacks, but when.¡±


    ¡°What about her,¡± Sophie said, nodding her head in the direction of their prisoner. ¡°Is there any way we can user her?¡±


    ¡°Not as a hostage,¡± Shade said. ¡°There are others within the Order of Redeeming Light who wish to claim the leadership but have been unable to dislodge Melody. They will be extremely open to letting us do it for them.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she knows something we can use,¡± Clive suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bet she does,¡± Sophie said. ¡°We can¡¯t trust anything that comes out of her mouth, though.¡±


    Humphrey frowned, staring at the hooded woman for a moment before nodding.


    ¡°When all our options are bad,¡± he said, ¡°expanding our range of bad options may be the best we can do.¡±


    The team looked at each other for a moment, then Sophie stepped up and yanked the hood off Melody¡¯s head. She was left blinking at the sudden absence of the magic that had been suppressing her senses as well as gagging her. After a moment she looked at the adventurers arrayed in front of her, her eyes settling on Sophie.


    ¡°Hello, daughter. Not the reunion I was hoping for.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t take that thing off your head for family time,¡± Humphrey told her. ¡°If you¡¯re no use to us, I¡¯ll put it right back on.¡±


    ¡°Collar, too,¡± Jason said.


    Sophie looked at him in surprise but he didn¡¯t take his eyes from Melody. She glanced at Humphrey, who nodded.


    ¡°Make a move and we will put you down,¡± Humphrey warned her as Sophie unlocked her suppression collar. Melody gave him an amused laugh.


    ¡°So stern, young master Geller, but we all know you¡¯re too much the good little boy to be truly intimidating. If you want to threaten me, you should have Mr Asano do it. He tries to be a good boy, but we all know what he is deep down.¡±


    ¡°Look, lady,¡± Jason said, sounding bored. ¡°I love an evil, seductive prisoner even more than the next guy¡­¡±


    He glanced from Humphrey on one side of him to Neil on the other.


    ¡°¡­well, one out of two.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Neil said with an affronted expression.


    ¡°You¡¯re also my friend¡¯s mum,¡± Jason continued, ¡°which does not make it hotter, whatever Clive might have said.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m all for playing silly buggers, by and large, but we don¡¯t have time for that right now,¡± Jason said, ignoring the looks he got from the rest of his team. ¡°We need to know if you have any information we can use, or back goes the hood and the odds are higher than not that you¡¯ll die before it comes off again.¡±


    Melody looked around the room before looking at her stone-faced daughter and them back to Jason.


    ¡°This is one of the safe rooms,¡± she said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°And you need something, which means there¡¯s someone out there you think can get in and aren¡¯t confident of being able to handle.¡±


    She turned to Sophie.


    ¡°And say what you will about your little friends, daughter, they can handle a lot.¡±


    ¡°We got you chained up with a bag over your head,¡± Sophie told her.


    ¡°Yet you took it off because you need my help.¡±


    ¡°Tell us about the gold-rank converted you brought with you,¡± Humphrey demanded.


    Melody turned to Humphrey with a bored expression.


    ¡°I really wish she¡¯d picked the interesting one.¡±


    Sophie moved to put the hood back on.


    ¡°Which gold-rank converted?¡± Melody asked quickly, causing Sophie to pause.


    Humphrey looked to Jason, who shrugged.


    ¡°I only sensed one,¡± Jason told him, ¡°but it would make sense if there were more. They probably knew they¡¯d need to break into these safe rooms.¡±


    ¡°You sensed it in this place?¡± Melody asked. ¡°Ah, the formidable Asano soul power. You realise that¨C¡±


    Melody was cut off by Sophie¡¯s fist slamming into the side of her face.


    ¡°Enough games,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You need to give us something.¡±


    ¡°We know your friends will be happy to see you die in captivity,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Your survival is contingent on ours, right now.¡±


    Melody turned to Humphrey, her eyes narrowing.


    ¡°How did you react to our raid so quickly?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°You should have picked a place that didn''t have Princess Liara''s husband in charge,¡± Jason said, jumping in before Humphrey could respond. ¡°She''s a very protective spouse, as it turns out. While your people were running around causing trouble, he was sabotaging the place and setting off a personal distress signal she gave him.¡±


    She turned back to Jason and their eyes locked.


    ¡°She¡¯s not going to help us,¡± he said. ¡°Hood her.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Melody said. ¡°I don¡¯t have a way out of this for you.¡±


    ¡°Then you die with us,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re a plucky bunch; I daresay we¡¯ll have the chance to chat again. Plenty of mother-daughter tim¨C¡±


    She was cut off as Sophie jerked the hood over her head, then snapped on the collar.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she told the others. ¡°That was a waste of time.¡±


    ¡°At least we found out there are more of the gold-rank converted,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Assuming we can trust her,¡± Neil said. ¡°Which we absolutely can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°She was telling the truth,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°As much as I can be,¡± Jason said. ¡°Her aura control was good, but not good enough to stop me from reading her emotions. Unless she has some way to falsify them that I¡¯m not familiar with, which I wouldn¡¯t entirely rule out.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s why you wanted the collar off,¡± Neil realised. ¡°You can¡¯t read her aura if it¡¯s completely suppressed.¡±


    ¡°Not that it was a great help.¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t lying, though?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°She only lied once,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°When?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°When she said she wished Sophie had picked the interesting one. I think, in her extremely twisted way, she genuinely does want to reunite with her daughter.¡±


    ¡°By putting me through a bizarre enslavement ritual,¡± Sophie said angrily.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°She also knows that I was lying about how we got here so fast.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Because we knew that her people would turn on her,¡± Jason said. ¡°She knows we have a spy in her camp, now.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That was my mistake.¡±


    ¡°It''s fine, Jason said. ¡°You haven''t seen as many police procedural interrogations as I have. We definitely can¡¯t trade her back to her people to make them leave us alone, though. Now, that would compromise Belinda.¡±


    ¡°Where does this leave us?¡± Clive asked. ¡°We don¡¯t have any more options than we had before. All we learned is that there are even more of the gold-rank converted out there.


    ¡°Well, I do have one plan,¡± Jason said and the rest of the team turned to look at him.


    ¡°Is it a good plan?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°About the usual.¡±


    ¡°Then no,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°You¡¯re not even going to listen to it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Jason, any time you survive one of your plans, it¡¯s a surprise,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    ¡°Stalling the elemental tyrant in the waterfall village,¡± Neil said. ¡°That almost killed you.¡±


    ¡°But it didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Surprisingly.¡±


    ¡°Going against Lucian Lamprey and Cole Silva to help Belinda and me,¡± Sophie said. ¡°That almost got your soul handed over to the Builder and we¡¯re still dealing with the ramifications of you and Builder hating one another.¡±


    ¡°You actually did die jumping off that tower,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°And Farrah said you died twice more while you were gone,¡± Clive added.


    ¡°You''re just cherry-picking now. If¡­¡±


    Jason turned to look at the heavy metal door.


    ¡°They¡¯re out there,¡± he said, the joviality gone from his voice.


    ¡°So, what was that plan exactly?¡± Neil asked Jason.


    ¡°It¡¯s basically the same as plan B,¡± Jason said. ¡°Call it plan B plus.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way to portal out of here,¡± Clive said.


    Cloud stuff flowed out of the amulet around Jason¡¯s neck and took the shape of an archway.


    ¡°Jason, what are you doing?¡± Clive asked, his voice filled with unhappy suspicion.


    ¡°Clive and I have been working on a special project,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°A special project that doesn¡¯t work,¡± Clive corrected.


    ¡°We have the basics down,¡± Jason said. ¡°The problem is that it needs to use a cloud construct as a medium and we can¡¯t figure out how to make that part work. The cloud flask is too complex for us to figure out how to reconfigure it.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you just dump the right stuff in and make it work?¡± Neil asked. ¡°That¡¯s how you normally add features, right?¡±


    ¡°We''ve done that as best we can,¡± Clive said, ¡°but it''s only part of what we need. The problem is that we need to tap into core functions of how a cloud construct channels the energy by which it operates.¡±


    ¡°And you think you can solve that problem in the time it takes the evil zealots to break down that door?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, ¡°but there¡¯s only one actual problem. To which there is, potentially, a makeshift solution.¡±


    ¡°Oh, no you don¡¯t,¡± Clive said angrily. ¡°You¡¯ll kill yourself twice over.¡±


    ¡°I still have no idea what either of you are talking about,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been working on a way to boost Jason¡¯s portal ability,¡± Clive said. ¡°More range, more people. The idea is to use his cloud constructs as a medium to handle the extra power that would take, therefore preventing Jason from exploding in the attempt.¡±


    ¡°The problem we have,¡± Jason said, ¡°is that it takes more power than I have to even try activating. Way, way more. As in, I could eat a gold spirit coin and we¡¯re still falling short.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why we need to modify the cloud flask,¡± Clive said. ¡°So that cloud constructs make that specific power exchange more efficient. They have the capacity; we just need to define the right pathways. It''s theoretically easy since the cloud constructs are designed to be task-versatile. We even know more or less what we''re looking to do and only need to make it more efficient. We just don''t understand the construction of a cloud flask enough to do that. If we can, the efficiency will improve to the point that a gold-rank spirit coin, maybe even something less drastic, would be enough to boost Jason¡¯s portals.¡±


    ¡°How does any of this help us right now?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°If I¡¯m following this right,¡± Neil said, ¡°Jason can use his portable chunk of cloud construct to make this portal boost work, but he doesn¡¯t have anywhere near the power. I think what Jason is talking about is using a diamond-rank coin to make up the difference.¡±


    ¡°ABSOLUTELY NOT!¡± Humphrey roared. ¡°I know your soul is strong, Jason, but that much power would kill you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, it would,¡± Clive agreed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not talking about a diamond-rank coin,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have something else. Something I can take only as much power from as I need.¡±


    ¡°Which will still be enough to kill you with power to spare,¡± Clive said. ¡°You¡¯ve worked through this right alongside me, Jason. You know how much power it will take. It wouldn¡¯t be much different from using a diamond-rank coin.¡±


    ¡°What is this power source?¡± Neil asked.


    Jason looked over at the civilians watching them with worried expressions.


    ¡°I¡¯ll explain later,¡± he said. ¡°Something people were fighting over on my world that should have been left alone.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said, no room for compromise in his voice. ¡°Jason, this plan is out. Our chances aren¡¯t what we¡¯d like in this fight, but they aren¡¯t so bad we¡¯ll sacrifice you.¡±


    ¡°There are ways to keep me alive,¡± Jason said. ¡°Clive and I have explored this.¡±


    ¡°Hypothetically,¡± Clive said. ¡°And in every calculation we¡¯ve made, your death came out more likely than your survival.¡±


    ¡°Those calculations weren''t wildly accurate.¡±


    ¡°You think that makes it better?¡±


    Clive turned his head, his expression conflicted.


    ¡°Jason, you can''t let yourself die for the people in this room, and you know it. You have a larger responsibility.¡±


    Jason narrowed his eyes at Clive.


    ¡°How much did Dawn tell you?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Everything,¡± Clive said. ¡°She knows you, Jason. She knew that sooner or later, we¡¯d be having a conversation like this. She needed someone to remind you that, like it or not, your life is more important than that of a couple of dozen people. If anything, the moral choice would be to use these people as a distraction that lets us escape. Or even just you. You told us what you came back to our world to do, but you left out the part about how important that specifically you are. About what happens to your world if you don¡¯t survive to finish what you came here for.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no way the World-Phoenix put all its eggs in my basket,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know that. Dawn may not say it, but there¡¯s some kind of backup plan in place.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re probably right,¡± Clive told him, ¡°but what is the price of the second-best option, Jason?¡±


    Jason¡¯s expression grew dark. For a moment, something flashed in his eyes unlike anything the team had seen from him before, but it passed in a fleeting moment.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to use these people as bait and run.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Clive said. ¡°But staying and fighting has a better chance of your survival than definitely killing yourself to activate a half-finished project that may or may not even work.¡±


    Jason bared his teeth but gave a capitulating nod. The archway of cloud-stuff dispersed into nothingness.


    ¡°Good,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We fight then. Jason, how many of them are out there beyond the gold-rank converted?¡±


    Jason closed his eyes and extended his senses, inching them forward as he pushed through the suppression.


    ¡°I can sense the gold-ranker. I think it¡¯s using some kind of flame power on the door. There are other converted, but only a handful. Five¡­ no, six essence users.¡±


    The rest of the team shared a grim look. While Order of Redeeming Light members generally weren''t as good as guild-level adventurers, the leaders were and the rest were far from pushovers. On top of the gold-rank converted, it meant a desperate fight was waiting on the other side of the door.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Jason said. ¡°Someone else is approaching.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me they¡¯re Adventure Society reinforcements,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s another pair of essence users with a gold-rank converted.¡±


    Jason opened his eyes and looked at the others.


    ¡°Damn you, Jason,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°At this point,¡± Jason said, ¡°we try my plan or everyone dies.¡±


    ¡°Maybe we can use Sophie¡¯s mother as a hostage,¡± Neil said. ¡°It might work.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It won¡¯t.¡±

 Chapter 565: A Significantly Different Paradigm

    Jason¡¯s team all looked to him with grim expressions.


    ¡°Maybe we don¡¯t have to be so drastic,¡± Neil suggested. ¡°Instead of trying to portal all the way out, Jason opens one a couple of tunnels away and we leave nothing but an empty room for the enemy.¡±


    ¡°Is that viable, Jason?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± he said. ¡°If I force it. I can sense that the portal won¡¯t want to open.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t want to?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got a teleport power,¡± Jason said. ¡°Have you used it, down here?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said. He¡¯d been ignoring the option because it was much less intrinsic to his power set than Jason¡¯s shadow teleport, which he suddenly realised he hadn¡¯t seen Jason use since they left the dock. Jason¡¯s shadow-blending, unpredictable movement and ability to hide his aura made his conventional stealth tactics almost seem like shadow jumping, but Humphrey hadn¡¯t seen him use the real thing.


    Humphrey concentrated on his own teleport power, not using it but running his mana through the pathways that would. He felt resistance, like trying to push through the webs of a monstrous spider, complete with an instinctual sense of danger.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t¡­ feel safe,¡± he said.


    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s not,¡± Clive said. ¡°Anchor points are critical in any form of dimensional translocation, from turning intangible to teleportation and portals.¡±


    ¡°As a naturally intangible entity,¡± Shade said, ¡°I can confirm that employing physical force in this place feels difficult.¡±


    ¡°The deep granite here doesn¡¯t just impede magical senses and portals,¡± Clive said. ¡°It''s much more sophisticated than that, but those are the most prominent practical effects. More important than how it affects the range of portals is the way it makes potential destinations unviable.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± Baseph said approaching from the group of gathered civilians. ¡°Even very powerful essence users don¡¯t portal deeper than the docks, even when they could.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because portal destinations need to be magically sound,¡± Clive said. ¡°The start point can be shakier because you''re there in person and your essence ability will use your own senses to autonomically adapt, unless it''s too unstable, in which case the portal won''t work. That threshold is much lower with the destination, but you can force things, such as by pushing in more power. Consuming a spirit coin, for example.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s do that, then,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°Portals normally won¡¯t open to an unstable destination because portals are, by nature, very stable effects. Every instance of a portal mishap the Magic Society has on record is from someone using external aids, like a spirit coin, to open a portal in an unstable destination.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that exactly the plan with this portal thing you and Jason have been working on?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°Jason is talking about opening a portal beyond the reaches of this complex. The danger is to him. If he opens a portal to anywhere inside the complex, the danger is to every person who steps through it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we have a lot of time left to choose,¡± Neil said, pointing. The team turned to look at the door, which was starting to faintly glow with heat.


    Jason looked to Humphrey, whose face creased with anger.


    ¡°What if I ate a diamond-rank coin?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°That might be enough strength to let me kill the people outside.¡±


    ¡°That wouldn''t most likely kill you,¡± Clive said. ¡°It would definitely kill you. Jason has more soul strength and his essence abilities give him the ability to handle excess mana, which might ¨C might ¨C be enough that he doesn¡¯t die if we work very, very hard. What that coin would most likely do is overload you with so much power that you¡¯re crippled before you have a chance to face them. But I¡¯m not telling you anything you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Jason said softly. ¡°We don¡¯t have time to clutch at any more straws than the one we¡¯ve already got.¡±


    Humphrey stormed away and lashed out with a kick that warped a metal table, wrenched it from the floor it was bolted to. It shot across the room, gouging the metal of the roof and a wall before thudding to the floor, no longer recognisable as furniture.


    ¡°That¡¯s a yes,¡± Jason said and marched over to Melody, whipping her hood off and tossing it to Sophie. He yanked Melody to her feet, bringing them face to face. Jason had grown a little taller with rank-ups but was still not a large man and they were of roughly equal height.


    ¡°I told you that¡­¡± she said with a serpent¡¯s smile before trailing off, unsettled by something in Jason¡¯s alien eyes.


    ¡°There he is,¡± she said. ¡°Nice to meet you, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to open a portal,¡± he told her. ¡°We can¡¯t make you choose to go through, but you can choose to go.¡±


    She looked at him with a curious expression.


    ¡°You can¡¯t portal out of here. That¡¯s impossible.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to do it anyway. Your choice is between going through the portal or us leaving your corpse behind when we do.¡±


    ¡°That, young master Geller,¡± she said, not taking her eyes from Jason, ¡°is how to be intimidating. The resolve to follow through.¡±


    Jason shoved Melody toward Sophie.


    ¡°Clive, prep the others,¡± he said.


    As Jason once more made an archway out of cloud-stuff, Clive started briefing the others.


    ¡°Neil, Jason is going to be in a very bad way after he uses this power. His soul will be producing mana of a significantly greater concentration than his body can handle, like a tap that won¡¯t shut off.¡±


    ¡°That will cause his body to break down,¡± Neil said. ¡°That kind of damage is extremely resistant to healing.¡±


    ¡°Which is why you¡¯ll need to do whatever you can for Jason. Baseph, we need this portal to be open for the smallest amount of time we can manage, so get your people organised into lines. They have to rush through as soon as it¡¯s open. Shade, you already know what you and I have to do.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade confirmed.


    The cloud stuff archway Jason had formed shifted in colour from white to black, like ink spilling through milk. After it had turned entirely void black, blue and orange light started glowing from within. Jason held out one hand and the dark cloud-stuff solidified, turning into a marble-like substance. The archway remained empty, however, no portal opening.


    With one hand still held out toward the archway, Jason used the other to take an item from his inventory. It looked like an ostrich egg made of gold, silver and blue transcendent light. To every aura sense in the room, it was a bottomless ocean of raw, unadulterated potential energy; power incarnate, like the clay from which the universe was moulded.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Melody asked in a half-whisper. The only answer she received was a sharp smack on the back of the head from her daughter.


    A line of darkness, dancing like black fire, appeared at the base of the arch. The shadowy flamed turned silver and started rising to fill the arch until the opening was full of silver light. The light shifted slowly to a mix of gold and silver, flecked with blue. Then the gold turned orange as the silver turned back into black and the blue expanded. The final result was a dark void in the archway containing a blue and orange cloud nebula.


    As that was happening, Jason started shining with transcendent light. This immediately alarmed his companions as it looked as if he¡¯d managed to load himself down with his own devastating holy afflictions.


    ¡°Go,¡± he said, his voice strained.


    ¡°Do you have a feel for how many people get through before it collapses?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°GO!¡±


    The single word Jason roared was less a human sound than the bellow of ship¡¯s horn, reverberating with an aura so powerful and unrestrained that some of the iron-rank civilians started screaming with terror fear and pain.


    Clive braced his shoulders, glanced over the others and then went through. Sophie shoved her mother up to the portal.


    ¡°Choice time.¡±


    Melody didn¡¯t respond or hesitate moving straight through the portal. Sophie was only surprised for a moment before following her through.


    ***


    Clive was used to the slight disorientation of portal travel, but what he experienced when emerging from Jason¡¯s special portal was on another level. He staggered away from the arch as Melody followed through, quickly followed by Sophie. Melody fell over while Sophie stood in place, swaying for a moment before grabbing Melody and dragging her out of the way.


    Civilians started spilling through, stumbling and falling to the ground. With a grunt, Clive moved to pull them out of the way to make room for those that followed, Sophie doing the same. Many were violently ill, although any mess that splashed to the floor was neatly drained away into the dark cloud material that made it up.


    They were in a large room in the cloud house that was actively changing around them. The white cloud-stuff was turning dark, plain black. The furniture in the room sank into the floor as the walls expanded outward. The ceiling pulled away, opening the room up to the sky.


    Neil and Baseph came through in the middle of the civilians. Neil recovered quickly and started helping people, while Baseph took longer to recover before doing the same. The civilians weren''t doing well, especially the low-rankers and the non-celestines, whose resistance to astral effects help inure them. An iron-rank elf and human went into seizures from the effects of the modified portal.


    The aura beating down on them didn¡¯t help anyone, pulsing like the heartbeat of a giant beast. The cloud house was in no way hiding its nature as a spirit domain with an all-encompassing version of Jason¡¯s aura crushing down on everyone inside, tyrannical and utterly unyielding. The only grace was that it was not currently hostile, even to Melody who crawled into a corner, momentarily forgotten.


    After the last of the civilians were through, Humphrey and Belinda came through, at an angle to fit through the arch as they supported Jason between them. They each had an arm slug under one of his, while the reality core rested lightly in his hands. Jason was incandescent with transcendent light, glowing brighter than the egg-shaped core he was holding.


    Belinda and Humphrey staggered but powered on, carrying Jason forward. Clive jumped in front of Jason, who was almost too bright to look at, his head lolling, semi-conscious at best.


    ¡°Jason!¡± Clive yelled at him. ¡°You can stop!¡±


    Clive grabbed Jason¡¯s head between his hands.


    ¡°SHUT DOWN THE PORTAL!¡±


    Jason looked at Clive with bleary, confused eyes and Clive yanked the reality core from Jason''s hands, tossing it away. The transcendent light filling the portal sputtered out and the marble-like stone turned back into cloud-stuff, then was absorbed into the floor. Jason had barely been supporting himself at that point and he stopped trying, only Humphrey and Belinda holding him upright.


    Jason regained his own feet, shrugging the pair off and holding out his hand, unsteady but determined. He opened a portal to his spirit realm, hoping it could siphon the excess energy from his body. He stumbled toward the archway, only for the power within his body to react violently. The archway collapsed and Jason was thrown violently back as a bright flash flared between them. The soft wall cushioned Jason¡¯s impact and Humphrey rushed to catch him before he fell.


    Baseph and Sophie were already clearing the room, shoving civilians out a door. Neil was looking to the ones who had seizures.


    "Look after the civilians," Clive said to Neil. "We have a short window before the mana starts eating Jason away, so use it to help them and then come back."


    Neil nodded and crouched down over the pair having seizures.


    ¡°Help me get them out of the building,¡± he said to Baseph. ¡°This aura isn¡¯t doing them any favours.¡±


    ¡°What is this place?¡± Baseph asked.


    ¡°Work today, questions tomorrow.¡±


    Clive helped Humphrey and Belinda lay Jason carefully down in the middle of the room. Shade¡¯s bodies swept out of Jason¡¯s shadow in a crowd, surrounding him. The closest ones reached out to touch him while others touched them, expanding out like a spider¡¯s web as they started collectively draining mana out of Jason. Clive stood over Jason and also started draining his mana with a spell.


    Ability: [Eldritch Imbalance] (Balance)


    Spell (drain, magic, channel).Cost: Low mana.Cooldown: None (channel).Current rank: Silver 3 (19%).Effect (iron): Drain mana from the target for as long as the spell is channelled. Level of drain scales higher based on the target''s current mana relative to their maximum mana.Effect (bronze): While being channelled, periodically inflicts [Mana Imbalance] on enemies with less mana than the caster.Effect (silver): Gain an alternate version of the spell that is instantaneous instead of channelled and inflicts a small amount of withering damage instead of draining mana. This is an execute ability, but the damage escalation scales with low mana instead of low health.


    [Mana Imbalance] (affliction, magic, stacking): Mana drain abilities have an increased effect on the target. Additional instances have a cumulative effect.


    Normally, when Clive used his mana drain spell, the rank of the target was irrelevant. Whatever grade of mana came from them, the spell refined or, in the case of higher-rank targets, diluted it into mana appropriate to Clive¡¯s rank. When he drained mana from Jason it was like injecting lava and he screamed as the mana entered his body, breaking the channelling effect.


    The stream of mana that had briefly passed from Jason to Clive had not been the usual blue but a bright silver-blue. The same mana was leaking from Jason on its own, passing through his skin like sweat, along with blood. Jason''s white suit started dissolving in patches, the areas around the holes staining with blood. Clive noted that the cloud house appeared to be leeching the aggressive foreign mana from Jason. They had hoped it would when postulating ways to increase Jason¡¯s survivability but anything to do with his spirit domain was guesswork.


    Clive glanced at the Shade bodies spread around Jason, who had formed some kind of circuit, draining mana from Jason and passing it through themselves like a network. Clive could actually see the mana pass through them like a bucket chain, being diluted as it spread amongst all the bodies. Steeling himself, Clive started channelling his spell again, gritting his teeth as Jason¡¯s enhanced mana passed into his body.


    ***


    Humphrey, Sophie and Belinda were still evacuating civilians from the room. The higher-ranked bronze and the two silvers were the last of the civilians, left due to better enduring the tyrannical aura flooding the room. Sitting on the floor where he had sat to recover from passing through the portal, one of the silver-rankers spotted the glowing ostrich egg of the reality core. Thinking about his personal storage power, he looked around and saw everyone¡¯s attention on either Jason or the exit. He slowly and casually shuffled towards the reality core until a massive sword, shaped like a dragon wing was conjured in front of his face.


    ¡°Rethink that move, friend.¡±


    With the pervasive aura of the spirit domain, he hadn¡¯t noticed Humphrey¡¯s approach. He looked up and nodded eagerly.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± Humphrey said coldly.


    Getting up, the man followed Humphrey and the last of the other civilians out.


    ***


    After quickly assessing that none of the civilians would die from the savage portal crossing, Neil dashed back into the cloud house. The outside he left to Taika, Travis and Gary who had been in the cloud house when the team portalled in. They had come running with the changes to the house and been immediately tasked by Humphrey with civilian-wrangling.


    Even the exterior of the cloud house had transformed into the same black cloud stuff, the ordinary building fa?ade completely gone. The house was going through changes that Neil was fairly sure were larger than they should be without the house being returned to the flask for redeployment. He ignored the errant thought as he raced back inside.


    Reaching what was now a large open platform at the top of the house, he moved through the swarm of Shades crowding Jason. Sparks zapped him as he passed through, like pumped-up static electricity. The Shades were turning the wrong colour, a silver-blue starting to stain their normal uniform black.


    Neil found Clive draining bright blue mana from Jason in a stream as thick as one of Humphrey¡¯s thighs. Jason was still glowing bright but the light dimmed slightly every so often, as if the mana inside him were breathing. Neil crouched down next to where Jason lay.


    Aside from the blood and mana seeping through his skin, Jason looked fairly intact, if delirious. His head moved from side to side as if he were confused and looking for something, but his eyes were closed, although light shone through the eyelids. Neil¡¯s perception ability, Eyes of Opportunity, allowed him to see the vulnerabilities of people. Because of this, he understood that Jason was in a far more fragile state than he appeared.


    The underlying framework of any entity existing in physical reality was its magical matrix. This was true even for intangible entities like Shade, with no physical body. Neil could see that the overcharged mana Jason¡¯s soul was dumping into the magical matrix of his body was breaking it down on a fundamental level. If not for Jason¡¯s formidable soul strength regulating the release of mana at least a little, his magical matrix would have broken down already.


    Unfortunately, there was little Neil could do about Jason¡¯s condition. Repairing the body as it started to break down would marginally delay the collapse of the magical matrix by maintaining the platform in which it resided, but the impact would be limited. Neil immediately saw that Shade and Clive pulling the mana from Jason was far more effective than anything Neil could do.


    Instead, he turned his attention to Shade and Clive. The mana they were both taking in was likewise negatively impacting them, although not so drastically as the power that left Jason helpless on the floor. Shade appeared to be spreading the mana across his bodies to minimise the degradation of his magical matrix and was, for the moment, alright. Clive, on the other hand, was building up dangerous levels of the caustic mana.


    ***


    An unexpected effect of Clive¡¯s drain spell was how quickly it pulled mana from Jason. The strength of the drain effect was predicated on how much of their maximum mana pool the target currently had filled. Jason was stuffed with well beyond his baseline limit and almost certainly would be dead if his own powers didn''t allow him to do something similar. As a result of this mana level, Clive was pulling more mana out of Jason than he thought the spell was even capable of. Clive''s maximum mana pool was far greater than an average essence user of his rank, but he quickly found himself with a full tank.


    Clive stopped channelling the mana drain spell and started collecting the massive power currently burning his insides. He raised his hand to the sky, tilting his head back as he gathered the mana searing through him in preparation for launching another spell.


    Neil recognised what Clive was about to do.


    ¡°Want a boost?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said. ¡°I need to spend the mana.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Neil said, nodding. His bolster spell would up the power and reduce the cost of an ally¡¯s ability. What Clive needed now was to purge all the mana he could.


    Clive¡¯s Wrath of the Magister spell was the most powerful instantaneous damage spell the team has access to. It was also the most mana-hungry by far, becoming more powerful the more mana Clive pumped into it. As the mana poured out of him and he chanted the incantation, he silently promised never to complain about the spell¡¯s mana-devouring nature again.


    ¡°Feel the power of reality remade.¡±


    Clive had never unleashed such a powerful variant of the spell before. Not only was it the most mana he had ever pumped into it but that mana was supercharged. The result was a rainbow sky beam that quickly grew to almost the width of the room as it shot into the sky.


    After a brief, staggered moment, Clive went back to draining mana.


    ***


    Neil tossed a healing bolt at Clive, the green energy helping Clive¡¯s body from the strain of the mana coursing through it. It would have been water off a duck¡¯s back to Jason, but Clive wasn¡¯t in such a drastic state, so Neil dedicated his efforts where they were of actual use.


    ¡°How¡¯s he doing?¡± Clive asked as he drained mana.


    ¡°Not good,¡± Neil said bitterly. ¡°There¡¯s only one thing I can do for him, but I need to hold off as long as I can or it might kill him.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°My Hero¡¯s Moment spell,¡± Neil told him.


    ¡°That¡¯s good thinking,¡± Clive said. ¡°It offers a big boost to maximum mana that will really help him.¡±


    They both understood the ability, so neither gave voice to the danger. Once the spell ended, the subject¡¯s maximum mana was temporarily reduced to below its starting value. If Jason was still being flooded with overcharged mana at that point, it would definitely kill him.


    ¡°Last minute,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Neil said grimly.


    ***


    Humphrey, Sophie and Belinda watched as Clive, Neil and Shade worked to save Jason. An hour after their arrival, they were still desperately struggling to keep Jason alive. Between Jason¡¯s spirit domain leeching mana out of him and Clive and Shade doing the same, the light shining inside Jason was noticeably subdued, but it was not diminishing as swiftly as it needed to. The degradation of Jason¡¯s body¡¯s magical matrix was starting to show and he now looked like he was in the final stages of starvation. Neil healed him as best he could, but it was rubbing ointment on the burns of a man still on fire.


    Clive was strained but by purging his mana each time his big spell came off cooldown he was in a stable loop of draining Jason and disposing of the mana without overtaxing his own body too badly.


    Shade was a different story. While his array of bodies gave him a higher overall mana capacity than Clive, he had no effective purging mechanism. The first time it reached a critical point, mana flowed from all the bodies to collect in one at the edges of the web, close to the door. It dashed out of the room and, moments later, an explosion rocked the cloud house.


    Expending the body hadn¡¯t been enough to completely clear out the mana from the others, but it had bought time and there were more bodies to spare. However, with each body that he dumped mana into and sent off to detonate, Shade¡¯s overall mana capacity dropped.


    Neil had tried bringing Jason to his senses. If Jason had been conscious he could possibly have used the mana collecting inside him to replenish Shade¡¯s bodies, which would both help Shade¡¯s efforts and serve as a useful mana sump. Unfortunately, none of Neil¡¯s techniques had managed to rouse him and he feared that pushing harder would just make things worse.


    ¡°I feel so useless,¡± he lamented. Clive said nothing, only glancing at the rest of the team, standing helpless at the edge of the room.


    ¡°I know,¡± Neil growled. ¡°But I¡¯m the healer. Keeping everyone alive is the first thing I have to do. The first.¡±


    He examined Jason¡¯s body again, seeing that it was a wreck. It no longer had the physical integrity of a silver-ranker and barely that of a bronze.


    ¡°Neil,¡± Shade said, grabbing Neil¡¯s attention. Shade never used his first name.


    ¡°Something is about to happen,¡± Shade told him. ¡°Gordon is going to need your assistance.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°You will need to point out the worst-affected parts of Mr Asano¡¯s body. Only you can see the underlying pattern.¡±


    ¡°What then?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Then you will need to refrain from intervening, regardless of what happens,¡± Shade said. ¡°This is true for everyone in this room.¡±


    Sophie looked over at her mother in the corner, then went over, hood in hand.


    ¡°Let me see,¡± Melody asked, her face holding an uncharacteristic sincerity. Sophie didn¡¯t buy it.


    ¡°If you find a way to interfere,¡± Sophie told her, ¡°you are going to live a very long time.¡±


    Sophie pulled the hood over her mother¡¯s head.


    ***


    Gordon manifested in the air above Jason.


    ¡°The most damaged parts of his body, Mr Davone,¡± Shade said to Neil.


    ¡°The extremities,¡± Neil said. ¡°Any of them. Anything from the knees and elbows down is close to ruined, and the upper limbs aren¡¯t much better.¡±


    None of Jason¡¯s body looked healthy as he became more and more withered and skeletal. To Neil¡¯s eyes, however, it was even worse. Fundamental damage to the magical matrix of a body could be repaired so long as the soul was intact and the body was alive. It was an intensive and laborious process, however. Compared to the ease with which magic could mend flesh and bones it was an excruciating slog for healer and healed alike.


    Jason''s companions watched his familiar float above him, surrounded by six orbiting eyes. The team all jumped when beams shot from the orbs and started cutting through Jason¡¯s weakened flesh. Humphrey and Sophie took a step forward and Neil started, still crouched next to Jason. Clive was startled enough that it interrupted his channelling spell.


    All four were startled again as they heard Shade¡¯s voice raised to a shout.


    ¡°DO NOT INTERVENE!¡±


    Gordon cut away Jason¡¯s limbs just below the shoulder and hips, his force beams easily disintegrating the weakened flesh and bone. Blood did not spill from the cut stumps. Instead, leeches swarmed out, tightly packing themselves into the form of new limbs, melting together into new, healthy flesh.


    The dismembered parts of Jason¡¯s body broke down to goo within moments of being severed, dissolving into rainbow smoke. Neil looked once more at Jason¡¯s body matrix and saw the newly-grown limbs had actually restored Jason¡¯s matrix in those areas, making Neil wonder how that was even possible, his mind racing.


    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Humphrey asked, his voice heavy with threat.


    ¡°Oh, damn,¡± Neil said as realisation struck. ¡°Jason¡¯s leech familiar is connected to him on a deep soul level,¡± Neil said. ¡°Unlike external magic from any healer ¨C or even most of Jason''s own abilities ¨C Colin can replace not just the flesh but the underlying magical matrix. Only when he¡¯s replacing wholesale, though, not through the normal regeneration. But it means that Colin can restore Jason in ways that healing magic can¡¯t. Very few abilities can heal on that level, and they¡¯re almost always self-healing, like your Immortality power, Humphrey. The only external things I know of that do it are miracle potions and very high-rank healing powers. The powers that don¡¯t resurrect anymore can now heal on a body-matrix level instead. It¡¯s what the Healer gave them to compensate for what Death took away.¡±


    Neil was interrupted by another Shade body leaving to rock the room with an explosion. With half of the bodies gone, the rate at which they were being expended was accelerating.


    ¡°Does this mean Colin can keep Jason alive until we¡¯re done?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Neil said, looking over Jason¡¯s body again. ¡°Gordon, don¡¯t cut off anything but his limbs. I know he¡¯s a tough bastard, but he isn¡¯t at his best right now. If you start digging into his torso, it¡¯ll probably kill him before Colin can replace the flesh.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Colin buys us time because the extremities degrade faster than the central mass, but it''s still an uncertainty. Clive, you can start draining again.¡±


    Clive mana drain was harsher than Shade¡¯s and he had held off while Colin was regrowing the limbs. He nodded and cast his mana drain spell.


    ¡°The problem is the head,¡± Neil said. ¡°Normally that wouldn¡¯t be so bad because Jason¡¯s body hasn¡¯t had a brain for a while. It figures that he¡¯s unconscious for such a prime joke opportunity. Jason¡¯s head is degrading faster than his torso, but he¡¯s fragile enough that cutting it off and growing it would kill him.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that kill him anyway?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Of all of us, Jason could probably take it because of Colin. The rest of us would need some very good, very powerful and very quick healing magic.¡±


    Another Shade body left, rocking the room with the now-familiar explosion.


    ***


    ¡°My ability to continue draining Mr Asano is swiftly reaching its limit,¡± Shade said. He only had three bodies remaining, all of which were almost entirely blue-white instead of black. Two of them dimmed but only slightly as the third turned blue and rushed away.


    The rest of the team now had room to crowd around Jason. They looked on seeing the glow inside him had dimmed considerably. Neil, who saw deeper, shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s too soon,¡± he said. ¡°If I use my spell on Jason now, it won¡¯t last long enough.¡±


    Clive stooped to cast another sky beam.


    ¡°Options?¡± he asked, after resuming his drain spell. ¡°I¡¯m all out.¡±


    Neil tossed another life bolt into Clive¡¯s overworked body.


    ¡°Me too,¡± he said.


    ¡°Colin is at his limit of regenerating Mr Asano,¡± Clive said. ¡°His biomass is almost entirely expended.¡±


    Neil examined Jason¡¯s body yet again, seeing that if he waited any longer, the spell would probably kill Jason itself.


    ¡°If it wakes him up,¡± Neil said, ¡°It might let him burn off some mana remaking Shade bodies.¡±


    First, Neil used his Bolster ability to enhance the next power he used. He followed that up by chanting the incantation for Hero¡¯s Moment.


    ¡°Now is the moment to seize the reins of fate.¡±


    The team felt Neil¡¯s magic infuse Jason¡¯s body. It had numerous effects to enhance him, but it was the expanded mana capacity that would hopefully keep him alive. The time it took for the mana flowing from his soul at a slowly decreasing rate to reach the new limit gave Jason¡¯s body a reprieve and they saw him relax. Unfortunately, he did not awake.


    ¡°Neil, could you try forcing him awake again?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Neil said. ¡°It¡¯d kill him.¡±


    ¡°Then what do we do?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°We hope the spell lasts long enough,¡± Neil said, knowing that it wouldn¡¯t.


    Gordon had retreated back into Jason after amputating Jason¡¯s limbs, but he appeared once more, this time floating around, moving back and forth in front of the team.


    ¡°He wants us to back off,¡± Shade said. ¡°All of us.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t stop draining.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not enough, Clive,¡± Neil said as he stood up. ¡°If Gordon has any idea at all, we have to go with it; it doesn¡¯t really matter what it is. Something is better than nothing, and I¡¯ve got nothing. How about you?¡±


    Neil and Clive shared a look and Clive stopped channelling his spell. They backed away with the rest of the team, including the two remaining Shade bodies.


    ¡°What is Gordon doing?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I genuinely have no idea,¡± Shade said.


    They all watched Gordon, hovering motionless over Jason. After a moment, he slowly floated upward as the eye orbs started rotating around him at a rapidly increasing pace. Suddenly all six started blasting out beams in staccato bursts, not at Jason but around him. Where the beams struck the floor of the cloud platform on which they stood, they left behind lines and sigils of blue and orange light.


    ¡°It¡¯s like your ability, Clive,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He¡¯s drawing a ritual diagram.¡±


    ¡°Did you know he could do that?¡± Clive asked Shade.


    ¡°I did not, Mr Standish.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s he trying to do?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Your guess is as good as mine,¡± Clive said, peering at the diagram.


    ¡°It¡¯s really not,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Sophie agreed.


    "That was an absurd thing to say,¡± Humphrey said.


    They looked on as Gordon worked, lapsing into silence. Belinda worriedly nestled up against Humphrey and he gently stroked her hair. Sophie gave them a brief side-glance but said nothing. Gordon''s eyes all fired simultaneously, with absolute speed and precision.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s some kind of aura projection ritual,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s working off principles I¡¯ve never seen, though. It¡¯s a significantly different paradigm to the¡­¡±


    He trailed off as Gordon stopped working, but nothing happened. Then Gordon vanished, disappearing into Jason¡¯s aura again.


    ¡°Is that it?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Is Clive meant to conduct the ritual?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t,¡± Clive said. ¡°I don¡¯t understand it enough.¡±


    They didn¡¯t move closer, wary of stepping into the intricate ritual circle that occupied the bulk of the room with glowing lines and sigils of blue and orange. As they looked on, unsure of what to do next, an eye orb appeared above Jason.


    When Gordon was not manifested, Jason could use up to two of his orbs. A second one appeared over Jason, then a third, fourth, fifth and sixth in increasingly rapid succession. They started circling over Jason and the overcharged mana started seeping from his body to be absorbed by the orbs. The whole team''s gaze was locked on them as they absorbed more and more mana. Each time they did, different sections of the glowing ritual circle started glowing brighter.


    ¡°Did you know he could do that?¡± Clive asked Shade again.


    ¡°I did not, Mr Standish.¡±


    ¡°You should maybe have a little talk with your fellow familiar,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°He¡¯s not traditionally talkative.¡±


    As more and more of the ritual circle lit up, the enormous nebula eye that Jason¡¯s spirit domain could call up manifested over the platform.


    ¡°Jason said that was some kind of defensive weapon, right?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Maybe it¡¯s going to burn off the mana with some kind of death beam.¡±


    Clive tilted his head back and forth, his face conflicted. He stopped as he made up his mind.


    ¡°Neil, boost me,¡± he said.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure.¡±


    ¡°You said you don¡¯t know what that ritual is.¡±


    "Doesn''t matter. As you said, it''s something and we''ve got nothing, so let''s push it all the way."


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Doing something that¡¯s probably stupid,¡± Clive said, ¡°but it¡¯s that kind of day. Jason would do it.¡±


    ¡°Which is how we got here!¡± Humphrey exclaimed.


    ¡°Do it,¡± Sophie said.


    Neil used Bolster on Clive to boost his next power. Clive held his arms out in front of him and his life force started emerging from his body, shrouding him in a vibrant red glow, streaked with silver-blue. With a pushing motion using both hands, a stream of life force moved like a smoke trail, out of Clive and into the ritual.


    Ability: [Blood Magic] (Balance)


    Special ability (sacrifice).Cost: Variable health.Cooldown: None (channel).Current rank: Silver 4 (02%).Effect (iron): Consume your own life force to gain mana.Effect (bronze): Expend your life force to enhance the power of rituals and essence abilities employing rituals. Amount of life force required varies by ritual. Utilising life force other than your own for this effect leaves a mark on your soul that can be detected with sufficiently rigorous examination.Effect (silver): Expend your own life force to enhance the effect of spells.


    As soon as the trail of life force came into contact with the ritual circle, the trail grew thicker and the ritual drank it in, absorbing more life force. It especially devoured the silver and blue streaks coursing through Clive''s life force, which brought him some relief. It was the overcharged mana Clive hadn''t purged and he was happy to lose it. A lot of life force went with it, though, causing Clive to stagger heavily.


    ¡°Cut it off if it needs more than you¡¯ve got,¡± Neil warned him as life force continued to drain out. Neil used a life Bolt to replenish Clive¡¯s dwindling life force.


    ¡°Obviously.¡±


    The eye orbs continued absorbing mana from Jason and life force from Clive, Neil healing Clive regularly to compensate. Finally, every part of the ritual diagram was shining more brightly than it had when Gordon drew it. The orbs then moved to various points around the ritual circle, sinking into the floor. In the air above them, the great eye started to grow and change.


    It was hard to see what was happening from directly underneath. The eye rapidly became a field of shadows, through which dark shapes moved like fish in a pond. It was vast, at least a kilometre across and just as high. In the centre of the field, an empty, hooded cloak appeared, darker than the shadows around it but limned with light and speckled with stars. Inside the cloak was a bright sky, like the one the field had displaced.


    The aura of Jason¡¯s spirit domain rushed out like a tsunami.


    ***


    The Rimaros royal palace was on a sky island floating above Livaros, one hundred and twenty kilometres away from Jason¡¯s cloud house on Arnote. Soramir Rimaros was being briefed by Trenchant Moore on the latest information coming from the mining complex rescue operation when he turned his head in the exact direction of Arnote, his eyes going wide.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡±


    Trenchant Moore dropped his clipboard.

 Chapter 566: Something Drastic

    Slipping Belinda into the ranks of the Order of Redeeming Light had been almost startlingly easy. The order had not anticipated the Adventure Society sending a response to the mining complex so quickly and their teams had been caught by surprise. A number of the teams had scattered after coming out of the wrong side of skirmishes, sacrificing the pure converted to cover their escape.


    Jason and his team had encountered a pair of such order members early in their descent into the facility. They had eliminated both, but Shade identified one of the pair as an ideal identity for Belinda to assume. Having infiltrated their headquarters himself, he was familiar with their personnel to varying degrees through his diligent gathering of information.


    His information on the leadership was as limited as his access to them had been. They had spent most of their time in the more secure areas of the facility and Shade hadn¡¯t been willing to risk attempting to infiltrate them. He had also mostly avoided Melody¡¯s own team, even those not in leadership positions. This was due to one member of her team, Kelleigh, being someone that Shade was quite wary of.


    The people he had been able to gain an ample sense of were the rank and file of the other teams. Normally the order¡¯s various cells were kept apart, but the entire order was laying low after the Builder island raid. Since then, they had been hidden in the order¡¯s largest secret stronghold, carved from the inside of a mountain and only accessible from underwater. With them all sequestered together, Shade had the opportunity to get a thorough sense of them.


    The member of the order that Shade identified as ideal for Belinda to replace was a good choice for several reasons. One was that she had been separated from the order in the upper levels, making it easier for them to regroup when the order made for the exit. Much more important was the nature of the member in question, whose name was Keth Gino.


    One of the things Shade had noted about order members was that whatever process the flames of purification entailed, it had varying effects on physiology and mentality from person to person. Melody, for example, had undergone significant physical changes in going from a celestine to a human. The most visible changes were her hair and eyes, once metallic silver like her daughter¡¯s. Melody¡¯s hair had turned a milky white, while her eyes had turned grey.


    On the other hand, Shade suspected that Melody¡¯s strong personality and sharp mind were largely unchanged from before the process, with only her core motivations shifting. Compared to that, many members of the order were impacted mentally to a large degree. Even staying just a few days with the order was enough for that to be clear to Shade.


    On one end of the mentally impacted scale were Melody, the other leaders and some members like Rhett, Jaime and Kelleigh, who retained their full faculties. Others ranged from rigid-thinkers lacking in creativity, which could just be natural, to almost drone-like. All of the Builder¡¯s converted were hard set at the drone end of the spectrum, while the EOA converted from Earth were more like the order in that the results varied wildly.


    Keth Gino was deep on the drone end of the mentality scale. She showed zero initiative, followed orders and only spoke when spoken to, if then. What made her especially valuable was that she was often found wandering aimlessly, like a sleepwalker with no purpose. She was one of several of the who displayed a mentality very similar to the pure converted who were turned using purified clockwork cores.


    The lack of personality and initiative, along with a proclivity for wandering, made Keth Gino the perfect role for Belinda to inhabit. She could keep her mouth shut, her ears open and not be expected to know any information that Shade wouldn¡¯t be able to supply. If she was found wandering around the enemy stronghold, she would just be overlooked.


    Belinda had shape-shifted into Keth, with one of Shade¡¯s bodies hidden in her shadow to provide guidance. She separated from the party, her place on the team taken by Stash. It was a most-likely unnecessary precaution, but as they already knew there were traitors amongst the adventurers, it was best to be careful.


    When a pair of also-scattered members of the order encountered Belinda wandering alone, they had her trail along like a lost sibling they had found. The order regrouped and made their way to the dock, where the traitorous team of adventurers left to guard the dock helped them. They did not wait long for more order members to make it back to the dock before taking all the vessels in the dock and departing.


    Most of the groups managed to make it, either collectively or as stragglers came in, and they did not wait long before making their escape. Belinda got the feeling that the leaders who had been at the dock were as much worried about Melody returning to the dock as more adventurers. The unfortunate intervention of the adventurers was more than enough excuse to leave her to them.


    Belinda kept her face and aura blank of emotion, which was the best part of taking on the role of Keth. The drone woman was an emotional blank slate; much easier to replicate than a complex person. The hardest part was standing by as the order killed a couple of civilians who made trouble. Belinda was unsure if she could have kept up the emotionless ruse if she¡¯d been ordered to kill innocent people. She¡¯d have done it, or it would have been her head, but she was not sure she could hide her emotions while doing so.


    Belinda had been treated like the handful of pure converted not sacrificed by the order members and she was shuffled onto one of the transports. That had been the true point of no return as she was sealed inside, with no way of communicating or even knowing where the transport was taking them. While her assumed identity made eavesdropping easy, it was out of character to ask questions herself.


    The sense of oppressive isolation didn¡¯t change when they arrived at the mountain stronghold. The magical defences that blocked senses in both directions made her feel boxed in.


    The order was a mess in the wake of their disastrous expedition, although the two leaders who had made it out, Marika and Elise, seemed satisfied. The combination of a stolen resource transport filled with materials and the absence of Melody seemed to make them both happy. She could tell they were already eyeing each other off over who would end up in charge; a leadership conflict was an asset she could potentially make use of.


    Belinda wandered off in the chaos to Keth¡¯s designated dormitory, where she could pause and take stock without coming across as suspicious. Most of the order members remained at the stronghold submarine dock, still reeling from the generally disastrous result of the mining complex raid.


    ¡°Should we try and act now while everything is in chaos?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°This might be our best chance to poke around places maybe we shouldn¡¯t without being noticed.


    ¡°No,¡± Shade told her. ¡°The blank-minded order members prone to wandering always do so when things are calmer, often while the others are sleeping. When things are raucous, they tend to go to their dormitories and stay out of the way. They¡¯ve been trained to do that by the others.¡±


    ¡°Like a pet put in its box so it doesn¡¯t get underfoot,¡± Belinda observed.


    ¡°Just so. Patience will serve us well here and¡­¡±


    ¡°Shade?¡±


    ¡°I think something may have happened to Mr Asano,¡± he said. ¡°Something drastic.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you could sense your other bodies or Jason from here,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I cannot,¡± Shade confirmed. ¡°Beyond a base sense that the connection is there, no information should be able to pass through it. The fact that any sensation at all made it through suggests that Mr Asano¡¯s circumstances, whatever they might be, are quite extraordinary.¡±


    ***


    Intellectually, Liara Rimaros understood why she had been explicitly instructed not to personally participate in the rescue operation in the mining complex. Her abilities were ill-suited to the task and her emotional investment would not be an asset. Gold-rankers were not accustomed to being told no, even by the director of the Adventure Society, which is why he had recruited the diamond-rank Zila Rimaros to tell her no for him. It was the kind of option only the monster surge made possible and he was grateful for it.


    Liara was assuaged by managing the operation from the Rimaros side. Officially, she had been using the team that had been guarding the dock for communication. One of their members, like Jason, had a multi-body familiar that could be used to communicate over vast distances. This was the excuse Liara had used to specifically assign the traitorous team to guard the docks, giving the Order of Redeeming Light a pathway to escape.


    Keeping an eye on discovered traitors rather than exposing them was a favourite strategy of Liara¡¯s. It did take care to manage, especially with multiple groups on the go, but the payoff when using those assets effectively was immense. It had allowed her to capture her first Order of Redeeming Light prisoners, even if she had admittedly been hunting for Builder cultists, by leaking information about Jason Asano.


    In this instance, it would hopefully allow the Adventure Society to strike a definitive blow to the order, at least for their operation in the Sea of Storms. Belinda had undertaken a huge risk in attempting to infiltrate the enemy base, and had been preparing should an opportunity arise. Her team had enthusiastically encouraged her to back out of the plan, and while Liara had done the same, she was confident her lack of sincerity had been seen through.


    The presence of Shade bodies in the mining complex dock and Liara¡¯s own shadow had allowed her to keep tabs on events and see exactly what the traitors were telling her, versus what was actually happening. The traitors were away, Belinda with them and apparently undetected, although Liara, of all people, knew it could be part of a deeper game.


    Once the traitors were gone, Shade approached Korinne Pescos so that Liara could communicate with her directly and better manage events remotely. The arrival of the gold-rankers was a relief but she still awaited word of her husband. The news that the facility had been sabotaged was a mixed blessing, as it complicated the operation but suggested Baseph was still alive. She was confident that if the sabotage was successfully enacted, he would be the one behind it. Probably complaining the whole time about safety features that he, himself, introduced.


    ¡°Princess Liara,¡± Shade said, his voice measured and calm as ever. "I would appreciate the immediate dispatch of a healer who can repair damage on the core matrix level and the strongest mana-drainer you have access to Mr Asano¡¯s cloud house.¡±


    ¡°What happened?¡±


    "Mr Asano managed to extract his team, your husband and a large number of civilians via portal, but the after-effects of having done so are destroying him."


    ¡°How is that¡­ never mind, that can wait. RODNEY!¡±


    ***


    Liara managed to restrain her instincts and not immediately rush to the cloud house with the gold-rankers she recruited. Instead, she continued managing the mining complex evacuation until another Adventure Society official took over. She only stayed long enough to introduce Shade to her as their communication node before rushing outside.


    Her assistant had readied a gold-rank flying device, the princess certainly having a flying device permit for Livaros. It was a small, long sky-skimmer of the type Jason likened to Star Wars speeder bikes. She shot over the distance between Livaros and Arnote, warning off monsters attracted by the speed with aura blasts filled with her pent-up, frustrated rage.


    It was not hard to pick out the picturesque town on the shores of the lagoon for the air, but that was wholly unnecessary. She spotted the periodic rainbow sky beams well before she reached the island. She spotted a crowd gathered around Asano''s cloud house, which had been replaced with some manner of black temple. Blue and orange lights shone from a ritual being performed on an open roof platform.


    Liara ignored propriety and sent her aura to sweep over the crowd, although it stopped dead the moment it reached any part of the black temple. To her surprise, the gold-rankers she had sent were outside, but their auras were not what she was searching for. She sensed her husband, exhausted and radiating guilt but healthy. She didn''t bother to slow down, leaping from the skimmer at full speed. The skimmer crashed into and through the invisible barrier at the cliff''s edge while she crashed into Baseph.

 Chapter 567: Ridiculous New Soul Power

    Liara¡¯s marriage had never been one of great passion. A political arrangement made when she and Baseph were young, their relationship had nonetheless grown over the decades. Friends and often lovers, their true shared love was their children, now grown. Only one of their children was local, having followed his father into the administration of the Amouz family interests. The others were further afield, having followed their mother into the adventuring life.


    ¡°Did you let Joseph know I was fine?¡± Baseph asked Liara after assuring her yet again that he was tired but unharmed.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know you were fine,¡± she said. ¡°I rushed here as soon as I could get away. I¡¯ve been running your rescue operation, although Jason Asano seems to have gone rather drastically off-plan.¡±


    Baseph frowned and Liara followed his gaze past the crowd gathered on the lawn to the former cloud house. It was now obvious made from cloud-stuff, but rather than fluffy white it was an ominous black, like storm clouds conjured by an evil god. The shape was no longer that of a house, either, being more like a temple. It was not the look of an ordinary temple, though, but an evil temple from a children¡¯s story, all looming walls and pointed spires. Liara had seen the open ritual platform at the top.


    The temple had a wide arch in which three people were standing; the only ones setting foot in the temple itself. Liara recognised them all, having kept a tight watch on Jason, his team and the people he came into contact with. Gareth Xandier was a huge leonid, while Taika-Williams was a chocolate-skinned human-turned-outworlder who was possibly even larger. Next to the others, the regular-sized Travis Noble, another human-outworlder, looked downright diminutive.


    The rest of the people gathered in front of the building were a mix of shaken-looking civilians, townsfolk and people who had arrived in response to events going on. This included Pelli, the town mayor and distant branch member of the royal family. She was one of three gold-rankers, the others being the people she had sent herself. The gold-rankers were standing in front of the archway leading into the temple.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t they going in?¡± Liara asked Baseph.


    ¡°The building won¡¯t let them,¡± Baseph said. ¡°Aside from Asano¡¯s friends, anyone who goes in has their flesh start to rot and their aura brutally suppressed. It was even affecting the civilians who were the last to come out, so it¡¯s lucky we got the iron-rankers out first. If it affects the gold-rankers, any irons still in there would have died fast.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Liara asked him, but he shook his head.


    ¡°I got out early, to organise the rest.¡±


    ¡°What is Asano doing?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s dying, Lee. I didn¡¯t really follow the conversation, but whatever he did to get us out, his team only went along with it when there was no other choice. They were fairly certain it would kill him.¡±


    No aura whatsoever was emanating from the temple, which was an unnervingly blank spot in Liara¡¯s magical senses.


    ¡°No one can get in?¡±


    ¡°Anyone can get in. Surviving it is the problem. The gold-rankers tried, but when their flesh started melting, they came out quick, looking shaken.¡±


    Liara had sensed the attention of the other gold-rankers. Pelli was organising the civilians, both the looky-loo locals and the mining facility evacuees. The others were waiting for Liara to be done with her husband. She turned back to Baseph, who rolled his eyes.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he told her. ¡°I need to get onto organising the facility staff, anyway. Everyone is shaken up by what we¡¯ve been through.¡±


    ¡°Aunt Pelli is doing that just fine,¡± Liara said, intertwining her fingers with his. ¡°You¡¯re not leaving my side.¡±


    ¡°Liara, I¡¯m alright.¡±


    ¡°You remember that I can read your emotions, right?¡±


    ¡°I remember you doing so means it¡¯s time for one of our conversations about boundaries.¡±


    ¡°This is why I want to hurry up and get you to gold rank.¡±


    ¡°And I told you there¡¯s no rush. You know how I feel about buying that many cores all at once. The price gets ramped up when they have to source that many at once and it¡¯s wasteful enough as is.¡±


    ¡°You do realise I¡¯m a princess of a fairly prominent kingdom, right?¡±


    ¡°I thought you preferred to earn the things you get?¡±


    She smiled in spite of herself and nodded, then leaned in to kiss his cheek.


    ¡°Yes, but what¡¯s the point if I don¡¯t occasionally take advantage? I¡¯m happy you¡¯re alive, husband.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say that¡¯s a low standard,¡± he told her, ¡°but I¡¯ve met Karen¡¯s husband. There¡¯s a reason he keeps taking jobs in the northern drill pits.¡±


    ¡°Be nice,¡± she mock-scolded as she moved towards the archway, tugging him along as she refused to let go of his hand. The two gold-rankers turned at her approach. One she was a healer she was only passingly familiar with. The other was a man she knew well; a drain-healer named Nacio Elan. He greeted Liara and Baseph as they approached while his companion glowered in silence.


    ¡°Liara. Bas, good to see you safe. Lee, what did you send us off to do? What is going on in this place?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping you could tell me, Nacio,¡± Liara said. ¡°You¡¯ve been in there, right?¡±


    ¡°Not for long. I didn¡¯t get halfway up the stairs before getting out. There¡¯s only silver-rank magic but something has boosted it like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen. It¡¯s like someone ate a diamond-rank spirit coin, except instead of a person it¡¯s the whole damn building. And what is going on with the aura in there? It feels like the temple to a god of being a controlling asshole.¡±


    ¡°A diamond-rank coin might not be too far off the mark,¡± Baseph said. ¡°I overheard Asano and his team talking about it. It¡¯s not a diamond-rank coin, but it¡¯s something similar. Whatever it is was powerful enough to let Asano portal out through deep granite. Plus, he took more of us through than he should have been able to.¡±


    ¡°Spirit coins boost your attributes,¡± Nacio said, ¡°not the parameters of your essence abilities. Not even a diamond-rank coin can do that.¡±


    Baseph went to speak when Shade emerged from Liara¡¯s shadow, to the surprise of the gold-rankers. A silver-rank anything getting that close to them unnoticed, even if they weren¡¯t paying attention was unsettling.


    ¡°With respect, Lord Rimaros,¡± Shade said to Baseph, ¡°I would appreciate if you would refrain from speculating on Mr Asano¡¯s secrets in an open forum.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what secrets he has if he¡¯s dead,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°That is untrue,¡± Shade said. ¡°It is also, for the moment, irrelevant.¡±


    ¡°This is Asano¡¯s familiar, Shade,¡± Liara introduced. ¡°Shade, can you get them inside?¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately not,¡± Shade said. ¡°Mr Asano is insensible at the moment and the cloud house is reacting reflexively, in accordance with Mr Asano''s level of trust.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t go in there,¡± Nacio said. ¡°Could you bring him out so we can work on him?¡±


    ¡°I am afraid that we have moved past that stage before your arrival,¡± Shade said, ¡°or we would have done so. I believe that I must apologise for wasting your time in requesting Lady Liara bring you. At this stage, Mr Asano lives or dies by the will of those of us who stand with him and his stubborn refusal to die, no matter how many times the cosmos sees fit to kill him.¡±


    The gold rankers shared a troubled look. They were not used to being helpless to intervene in anything, let alone the affairs of a silver ranker.


    ¡°Bro, they¡¯re talking like we¡¯re not standing right in front of them.¡±


    ¡°Gold-rankers,¡± Gary agreed, shaking his head.


    ¡°Do you think Jason¡¯s going to be alright?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°Of course he is,¡± Gary said. ¡°He¡¯ll come out, say something smug and have some ridiculous new soul power. That¡¯s what always happens. I tried mourning him once; total waste of time. Turns out he just went off to visit his mum.¡±


    ¡°Actually, they don¡¯t get on,¡± Taika said.


    The gold-rankers watched Gary, Taika and Travis talk as if they weren¡¯t standing right in front of them. Liara was about to say something when the black hole in their aura senses got very, very full.


    Blue and orange light lit up overhead as a tyrannical aura washed out from the temple. The previously silent gold-ranker grunted with distaste.


    ¡°Sin auras,¡± he muttered unhappily. ¡°And people say dragon auras are arrogant.¡±


    The crowd moved back from the walls to get a better look at what was lighting up the sky above. The gold-rankers moved the furthest and fastest with their natural speed, along with Baseph who was pulled behind Liara like a paper streamer. They stopped turned and looked to see a giant, eye-shaped nebula floating over the temple.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Nacio asked.


    ¡°It looks like one of Asano¡¯s eyes,¡± Liara said.


    Baseph¡¯s attention, after he recovered from being dragged along by his wife, was focused on the aura now flooding the area, particularly its effect on the lower-ranked civilians. They were visibly unnerved by its tyrannical nature, but it wasn''t demonstrating the destructiveness of a truly uncontrolled aura. Whatever Asano was going through, on some level he was demonstrating constraint.


    ***


    Even during a monster surge, the airship traffic through Rimaros was heavy. The largest sky port was on Provo, but the one on Livaros was generally considered the most important ¨C at least by people who considered themselves important. Provo was the most populous island and its sky port was one of the most trafficked mercantile hubs in the world. Livaros was the playground of aristocrats and adventurers, with a sky port more accommodating to the vessels of the wealthy than efficient trade haulers. Along with the regular airships, the sky port boasted more exotic vehicles, such as hollow metal birds the size of private jets.


    Carlos Quilido was a humble man by nature, but there was only so humble the world would allow a gold-ranker to be, so the airship he was on was directed to the port at Livaros. Carlos himself was unassuming, in simple clothes of light brown, in a loose cut to breathe in the humid tropical climate. The wet, heavy air would not make the gold-ranker sweat, but it could make him uncomfortable, should he dress inappropriately.


    An expert at aura manipulation, Carlos did not stand out through his inherent presence, although the sculpted and unblemished perfection of his looks marked him as a high-ranker. He was a broad-shouldered and swarthy man. The observant would notice the little details that marked him as an adherent of the healer. Subtleties in the cut of his clothes made the loosely-draped suit slightly reminiscent of robes, while certain patterns in the stitching had meaning to those versed in the right religious texts.


    Passenger travel was uncommon during a monster surge, especially for a gold-ranker. Anything worth dispatching a gold-ranker for was usually worth organising a portal for. Carlos was a healer, but in an extremely specialty field. It was not a field that usually required urgency, so he was more used to travelling around at a more sedate pace than might be expected of an adventurer, which he was not. He had spent his share of time in the field, but he was a priest and a core user, not a combat expert.


    Carlos primarily served the Healer by helping those suffering soul-harm, body matrix damage and other related cases not easily healed through ordinary restoration magic. He usually worked with individuals or small groups for weeks or even months at a time. A key component of his work was researching the field so that others might be more readily helped in the future.


    Despite his work being very far from that of an adventurer, a gold-ranker was still a gold-ranker. As he made his way to his latest destination, he had stepped up more than once as monsters approached his vessel, although no fights took place. A directed burst of his gold-rank aura was sufficient to warn off silver-rank monsters and they had been fortunate enough to not attract any golds. This had allowed the trip to go uneventfully, his fellow passengers never even realising they were under threat. The exquisite aura control Carlos had made the entire process go wholly unnoticed by the sky ship¡¯s passengers and crew.


    The airship docked at the sky port, attaching itself to a tunnel jutting from the side of one of the enormous docking towers. Carlos was about to disembark along the passenger tunnel when he sensed a pair of familiar auras rising up from below the airship.


    A small flying skiff appeared alongside the skyship. Onboard were Arabelle Remore, whom Carlos had worked with many times, along with her son, Rufus. The boy had been bronze-rank last time they met, in a provincial city where Carlos had spent time working with a very unusual case. And for him, that was saying something.


    Along with a pilot for the skiff, there was a third person on board; a woman he did not know whose aura marked her both as an adventurer and an outworlder. Given the special case connected to Rufus Remore involved a different outworlder, his curiosity was piqued.


    ¡°Arabelle,¡± he said with a big smile. ¡°You could have waited until I was at least off the boat.¡±


    ¡°No time,¡± she said. ¡°Get on.¡±


    Carlos hopped lightly aboard and Arabelle nodded at the pilot, who immediately set out.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think they let these little vessels roam around the docks like this,¡± Carlos said.


    ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Special dispensation.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Carlos shook Rufus¡¯ hand. With his expertise in the mental health field, Carlos picked out a little emotional scarring in the boy¡¯s aura but nothing drastic; it was an old wound. It had been fresh the last time Carlos had seen him, shortly after losing a team member. He was much-recovered, which was unsurprising given his mother¡¯s expertise in mental health. The interrelatedness of their fields was the reason Carlos and Arabelle had worked together many times, especially since she reached gold rank and spent far less time adventuring.


    ¡°It¡¯s been a while, Rufus,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Congratulations on ranking up.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, sir,¡± Rufus said.


    Carlos then turned his attention to the outworlder; a woman with strawberry blonde hair who seemed slight at a glance, but a careful eye picked out compact muscle.


    ¡°I don¡¯t believe we¡¯ve had the pleasure. I am Carlos Quilido, priest of the Healer.¡±


    ¡°Farrah Hurin,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m more about the other side of the business.¡±


    ¡°The other side?¡±


    ¡°Putting people in need of healing.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    Gold-rankers had excellent memories and something was teasing at Carlos'' mind. Where had he heard that name before? Then he remembered, his gaze moving to Rufus and then back at Farrah. It was not just Arabelle that had helped Rufus along.


    ¡°You¡¯re Mr Remore¡¯s dead team member,¡± Carlos said to Farrah.


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m Mr Remore¡¯s team member that died. There¡¯s a small but crucial difference.¡±


    ¡°Quite so,¡± Carlos agreed. ¡°You rather remind me of someone else of Mr Remore¡¯s acquaintance. He was also an outworlder.¡±


    ¡°Still is,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We¡¯re heading to him now, in fact.¡±


    ¡°We suspect he is going to need your help,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Should he survive.¡±


    ¡°Survive?¡± Carlos asked. He turned a contemplative look on Farrah, another outworlder who, by all accounts, had passed away. ¡°He¡¯s also back from the dead?¡±


    ¡°A few times, since you met him,¡± Farrah told him. ¡°It never sticks. He comes back from the dead so much he brought me with him one time for laughs.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Actually, I don¡¯t, but imagine I¡¯ll catch up.¡±

 Chapter 568: The Awakening of Mr Asano

    Under the sense-suppressing hood, Melody shouldn¡¯t have been able to sense anything. Even the oppressive aura pervading the strange cloud building had been cut off once the hood was yanked back over her head. So when that aura punched through the hood, stronger than ever, it was a startling experience, being the only thing she could sense.


    At the risk of being punched in the head by her daughter again, she reached up and pulled off the hood. She immediately noticed the massive light show overhead and Asano¡¯s aura, even more pervasive now that the hood was gone. All attention was elsewhere and Melody took a gamble attempting to slink away. There were only a couple of the shadow familiars left and even Sophie was too distracted by the giant eye washing the platform in blue and orange light. With the aura washing out any other magical sense, no one noticed as Melody slipped through the doorway and went looking for a way out.


    Melody¡¯s speed was limited by the shackles on her wrists and ankles but she adapted fairly well, managing a surprisingly swift shuffle. She made her way down the stairs quickly ducking through an open doorway as she heard three people come rushing up the stairs. Pressed against the wall, she heard them go right past her on the other side. Fortunately, there was no risk of them sensing her aura with Asano¡¯s continuing to ramp up.


    While she was certainly curious as to what was going on she wouldn¡¯t give up a precious chance of freedom over it. Fortunately, the aura was not hostile, feeling more like a benevolent, yet utterly unyielding dictator.


    Melody made her way down the stairs, spotting a large open archway that led outside, but something rose from the floor, not through it but being made from the cloud-stuff the floor was comprised of. It was made of the same dark cloud-stuff as the floor from which it emerged, but then the cloud stuff became more substantive. It took the form of a person who was not tall in the first place and made all the shorter by the absence of a head. The cloud material became solid, blank and featureless; a black, headless mannequin.


    A nebulous blue and orange eye blinked into existence large enough to occupy the space where the mannequin¡¯s head should have been. Then red robes, the colour of dried blood were conjured over it, as was a hooded cloak, void-black and dotted with stars.


    It looked like Asano if one of his eyes had grown to replace his entire head, the eye watching from the hood like an alien face. Melody stood still as she and the strange entity watched one another. She took a cautious step forward, then another as the entity didn''t react. Then she tried dashing past and it blurred into motion. Its cloak floated around it, obscuring it just as Asano''s had when she fought him. Its movements, or what she could see of them, seemed identical to Asano¡¯s.


    It intercepted her as it conjured a black and red dagger into its hand. She tried to dodge but the dagger went beyond normal reach using an arm made of shadows and slashed her arm. She was better than Asano and this strange replica of him, but not while she was shackled and collared. Her movement was impeded and her powers suppressed, while the simulacrum could use at least some of Asano''s abilities.


    The entity smoothly flowed into her path, blocking her escape. It swung the dagger again and she fell back. The entity didn¡¯t follow, remaining between her and the archway leading out.


    Melody looked at the cut on her arm and saw immediate evidence of brutal afflictions, feeling them in her body at the same time. The flesh around the wound was already darkening and veins were becoming visible as they turned black under her skin.


    Blood was a part of every essence user¡¯s body, regardless of rank, not disappearing with rank the way the heart, lungs and even the brain did. The blood flow of a silver-ranker was not like that of a normal person, however. Their circulatory systems were closer to what Jason would recognise as a chart of meridians and acupoints. Even the blood itself was not the same, being a channel for mana rather than oxygen and the other elements critical to a human body.


    Melody felt the taint coursing through her blood, left behind by the entity¡¯s conjured dagger. It was unpleasant, but not anything she couldn¡¯t deal with if she just got away. She hadn¡¯t been subjected to the dangerous spell Asano used to endlessly escalate his afflictions.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    The entity didn¡¯t sound like a living thing, its voice tombstone cold. Melody knew Asano¡¯s powers and she knew that incantation, having been given thorough information on Asano and his insidious abilities. She wasn¡¯t sure how he was replicating himself while dying upstairs, but now she had to get away and find a way to cleanse herself before the afflictions now growing inside her became too advanced to deal with.


    She knew she wouldn¡¯t be able to get past the entity while she was manacled, but it only seemed to be blocking her way out. She went back up the stairs in search of another egress but found a second, identical entity rising from the floor. She looked back, confirming there were two of them.


    The new one raised an arm, pointing not the way she had come but through a door. Outnumbered, collared and chained, Melody played along. Now that the afflictions eating into her flesh were escalating, she needed someone to remove them and fast. It was now clear that she would only find that as a prisoner. The entity led her into a room; an empty black cube, devoid of any features other than the doorway she had walked through.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t find someone to get these afflictions off of me,¡± she said, turning to face the entity, ¡°you might as well kill me and save the suffering.¡±


    The entity raised a hand and melody¡¯s eyes went wide, wondering if it was going to take her up on killing her.


    ¡°Feed us your sins.¡±


    Having her life force radiate out from her body was a surprisingly warm and pleasant sensation, surrounding her with a red glow. She both saw and felt the taint in her life force, and also how it was drained away, vanishing into the entity''s hand. Her life force receded into her body but the entity didn''t lower its hand. Leeches shot out of it, spattering across her body. She moved to start swatting them away but then paused, looking back to the entity that was now lowering its hand.


    The leeches did not appear to be replicas created from cloud stuff but the genuine article; Asano¡¯s actual familiar. Despite their tiny rings of savage lamprey teeth, the leeches were not drinking her blood. She realised they were a warning not to go wandering again.


    The doorway behind the entity closed. There was no light in the room, only the blue-orange glow of the nebula eye, inside the hood. Everything went black as the eye blinked out of existence.


    In the dark, Melody was not afraid but contemplative. The information she had was that Asano¡¯s cleansing power was more deadly to enemies than the afflictions it removed, yet she felt nothing but refreshed. While the wound on her arm remained, the afflictions delivered through it did not, and nothing had been left in their place. The fact that her peak-silver recovery attribute was healing the wound fast enough that she could feel it was evidence enough.


    ***


    Carlos looked at the giant image of daylight inside a cloak, inside a dark field that towered over the island below it. Taller than any building he had ever seen, they had spotted it well before the island came into view.


    ¡°That¡¯s him, alright,¡± Carlos said.


    In Greenstone, several years ago, Carlos had once tested Jason, projecting his aura with a ritual to check that there was not a star seed of the Builder hidden in his soul. Underestimating the power Jason''s soul could output, relative to his lowly iron rank, Carlos had made the ritual too powerful. The result was a similar, but much smaller image being projected over the city of Greenstone, along with Jason''s aura.


    ***


    In the hours following the appearance of the massive projection, the aura it extended slowly diminished. Night came and the daylight portion of the projection lit up the sky of Arnote until the projection itself finally started growing smaller as the dawn approached. As for the woman named Dawn, she did not approach, watching, unnoticed, from high in the air. Her vessel, a cottage inside a translucent bubble, was invisible to the eyes and magical senses of all but the local diamond-rankers.


    She stood in the cottage garden, right where it met the globe, looking below. After having used her single intervention to eliminate one of the Builder¡¯s cities, she had to be careful about anything that could be seen as her intervening again. She could not afford to be further restricted before the next time she needed to act, which was still years away.


    If she¡¯d been forced to step in to keep Jason alive, it would have been a significant problem. The Builder could have leveraged the infraction and it would have made things much more difficult later. The World-Phoenix¡¯s interest in Jason ended once the integrity of the two worlds was assured, which meant that forces currently held at bay by that attention would no longer hold back from acting. The next time Dawn could step in to help Jason, it would be wholly of her own volition, without the World-Phoenix¡¯s support. If she had already been punished for overstepping, that would be more difficult, if even possible at all.


    Dawn''s senses were not blocked even by the monumental aura spilling out of the cloud temple like some spiritual cataclysm. She kept careful watch over Jason''s condition and felt relief wash through her as she felt him pass out of danger. He was hideously damaged, both physically and spiritually, and would take a long time to recover, but he would survive. And inside the cloud construct, he was about as safe as he could be short of Dawn hiding him herself.


    ***


    With the commotion kicked up by the display coming from Jason¡¯s cloud temple, The Adventure Society and Magic Society were forced to step in, along with the civic authorities. While not being harmful to anyone, the aura coming from the temple caused panic across the island, especially in conjunction with the humungous physical projection that went with it. Coming not so long after the Builder city attack on Rimaros, many thought another such attack was in progress.


    While the authorities were moving to handle the chaos, various others had more specific goals. Carlos, Arabelle, Farrah and Rufus arrived and immediately entered the temple, none of them being rejected. Greetings were brief, the team knowing Carlos from the months he spent helping Jason years before.


    The platform at the top of the cloud temple was large, which was useful with the increasing number of people present. Along with the unconscious Jason was his team, Rufus and his team, Taika, Travis, Arabelle and Carlos. Shade¡¯s presence was a pair of bodies, glowing blue-white with overcharged mana. He was not the only familiar, with Stash having, at some point, shifted from Belinda¡¯s form to Jason¡¯s as he fretted. The copy Jason looked down at the real one, identical aside from looking much healthier and having a bushy moustache.


    Under the domineering sky projection, Carlos confirmed that Jason would survive, although he warned the others that the recovery time would be extensive. He would likely not even wake up for days, possibly weeks. On hearing that, Humphrey looked up at the projection, then at the team.


    ¡°You know what Jason would have us doing in this situation,¡± he said.


    ¡°Making sandwiches,¡± Neil said. After working with Clive and Shade to keep Jason alive, all three were looking worse for wear. Neil looked exhausted, Clive was pale and his dark brown hair had turned such a glossy black it looked almost like it had a blue sheen. Shade was even more off-colour than Clive¡¯s hair, his usual black mostly silver-blue.


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He would not¡­ okay, he probably would want us making sandwiches, but more importantly, he isn¡¯t the only member of the team in danger. Before things went so wrong we had a plan, and that plan is still in motion. Belinda is going to reveal the location of the enemy stronghold and we have to be ready to move when she does.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in too,¡± Rufus said, Gary and Farrah nodding their agreement.


    Humphrey looked at Carlos and Arabelle, talking quietly where they were crouched over Jason.


    ¡°We need to leave him to the experts,¡± he said. ¡°Princess Liara was assembling the strike team for the stronghold, so we need to go find her and join it.¡±


    ¡°I am afraid that I will be of limited assistance,¡± Shade said. ¡°The two bodies I have here are infused with overcharged mana. They will break down in a relatively short time and are of little use unless you need something to explode.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I imagine we can find a use for that,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°My four remaining intact bodies are with Belinda, Princess Liara, Korinne Pescos in the mining facility, and the Adventure Society official currently managing the mining facility evacuation,¡± Shade said. ¡°The princess is already on her way back to Livaros with her husband. I will inform her of your intentions and your imminent arrival, if that is satisfactory.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Clive, we¡¯re going to need a ride.¡±


    Magic seeped through the front of Clive¡¯s clothes, coalescing into the form of his rune tortoise familiar, Onslow. Onslow floated in the air and started growing, the shell opening into top and bottom halves. Inside was a little humanoid tortoise, looking out curiously with big eyes.


    ¡°Wait, where¡¯s the zealot?¡± Sophie asked, remembering Melody.


    ¡°The cloud house has detained her,¡± Shade said. ¡°Colin is currently guarding her.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, the cloud house detained her?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I am not entirely clear on that,¡± Shade said. ¡°I suspect answers will wait on the awakening of Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°But he probably got some absurd new ability from all this, didn''t he?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It would appear so,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°See?¡± Gary asked Taika. ¡°What did I say?¡±

 Chapter 569: We’re Adventurers

    ¡°Clear,¡± Shade signalled Belinda. She was wary of using her aura senses to check for order members as it wasn''t in character, so Shade was serving as lookout. The tunnels of the stronghold were dug right out of the mountain and carved smooth. Wall sconces provided light from glow stones but they were dimmed down to a deep gloom. The sconces regulated light in the complex, mimicking the daylight patterns outside. It was an approach common to underground spaces designed for long-term habitation, including the mining complex where Belinda had split from her team. The idea was to prevent those living underground for extended periods from losing their sense of time.


    Belinda stepped around the corner and up to a doorway set with brickwork around it, rather than the stone from which most of the walls had been carved. She had a handful of chalk sticks in very similar shades of grey, all quite close to the colour of the bricks. She held them up to a light sconce affixed beside the doorway, using the light to compare the chalk to the brickwork for the closest match.


    After picking one, she started drawing sigils in the bricks. The chalk was a close enough match that she couldn¡¯t even make out what she was drawing on them, especially in the dim light.


    ¡°It is fortunate that you had an appropriate shade of chalk,¡± Shade noted.


    ¡°Lucky my pert-yet-supple flanks. You have no idea how many colours I have in storage. I think I have more magic supplies than Clive, although mine are a bit different.¡±


    ¡°I stand corrected.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you stood at all,¡± Belinda said as she crouched down to scrawl on a low brick. ¡°I thought you just floated there, pretending to stand.¡±


    ¡°Miss Belinda, I understand that you were raised among the underclass, but I would think you have been an adventurer long enough to understand that it is impolite to point out the shortcomings of others.¡±


    Belinda chuckled as she continued drawing sigils.


    ¡°If I might ask, Miss Belinda, how can you tell what is behind each of these secure doors?¡±


    ¡°Magical infrastructure on a large scale falls within only a handful of different patterns for each type of installation. There''s not a lot of point reinventing what''s been iterated on many times and works reliably. It makes it easier to find replacements for damaged elements and people with experience doing the work. My guess is that whatever poor pricks dug this place out were disposed of after. It''d take a good lot of them, even using magic, and the villains couldn''t leave them to talk. It kind of shows in the workmanship that whoever did this place up didn''t put their heart into it. Good for us, because it leaves plenty to exploit.¡±


    ¡°This allowed you to map out the place from known patterns?¡±


    ¡°Only to a degree. There¡¯s a reason we went wandering about the place, watching people go in and out. Add that to some confident assumptions and a bit of extrapolation and I have a decent idea of what we¡¯re looking at. It¡¯s also how I came up with the specifics of our plan here. The important bit was figuring out where the prisoner was.¡±


    Belinda was crouched down to finish the last brick, then stood up, slapping her hands casually to knock off chalk dust.


    ¡°How long until these lights come on?¡± she asked.


    Shade pulled a watch from his storage space.


    ¡°Six hours and nine minutes. But there will be people moving around before the lights come back on.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I have you looking out for me. Once the lights come back up, the chalk will still be hard to notice, but silver rank eyes are sharp. The sigils might get spotted, especially if someone has some obscure perception ability.¡±


    Belinda stood up, stowing the chalk in her own storage space as Shade did the same with the watch.


    ¡°You share that storage with all the other Shade bodies, right?¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, each body has its own storage space and can tap into the storage space of any other body. A body that gets destroyed autonomically pushes the contents of its storage to other bodies, if available. If cut off, such as by astral spaces that block communication or emplaced defences, like this facility, we cannot access other storage.¡±


    ¡°So, no getting around being cut off by passing notes?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid not.¡±


    ¡°Best get moving, then, if we¡¯re going to get this done by morning. See if we can¡¯t crack open this egg.¡±


    ¡°Alacrity would be best,¡± Shade agreed. ¡°I do not know the circumstances, but I believe that most of my other bodies have been destroyed.¡±


    ***


    No shortage of people had been drawn to Arnote by the aura that crashed out like a spiritual tsunami. Even as far away as Livaros, the diamond-rankers, all but the most oblivious golds and even some sensitive silver-rankers picked up on the commotion, despite the enormous distance. That alone was terrifying, prompting various interests to send people to investigate.


    As more people gathered around in the previously sleepy beach town, it was not hard for Soramir to blend in with his aura masterfully restrained. Few people could recognise him on sight, although more than before following his participation in the battle against the Builder city. As adventurers were prone to favouring large hoods to seem mysterious, however, slipping one on made for a highly effective disguise.


    The crowd growing in the town was made up primarily of bronze-rankers, shoved onto any available transport and sent to investigate like canaries into a coal mine. The established forces were already organising things, with the Magic Society, Adventure Society and local authorities doing their best to keep some kind of order as essence users crowded the little town.


    While the people around him could not see through Soramir¡¯s aura disguise, they were an open book to his diamond-rank senses. He blended into the crowd, easily picking out those who, like him, were hiding their true strength. He had also noticed Dawn up in the sky, but did not so much as glance in that direction.


    He recognised a man by his aura who was similarly disguised and approached, activating a privacy screen around them. It was an unremarkable move as every little cluster of people was using a similar shield. Soramir¡¯s was of the finest quality; an expensive combination of very powerful and very subtle.


    ¡°Archbishop,¡± he said in greeting to the man wearing a hood much like his own.


    ¡°Ancestral Majesty,¡± the archbishop said, sounding unsurprised.


    ¡°Your lord told you it was me, didn¡¯t he?¡± Soramir asked, wry amusement in his voice. ¡°This is why I dislike working with clergy.¡±


    The archbishop glanced up in the direction of Dawn¡¯s flying vessel, invisible to the naked eye and all but the most powerful of magical senses.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been dealing with those more powerful than you more than usual of late,¡± the Archbishop noted. ¡°But also those far less. Perhaps returning to this world has broadened your horizons in both directions.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t strictly hold that gods are more powerful than me,¡± Soramir clarified. ¡°They simply operate on a different paradigm.¡±


    Soramir sensed the amusement in the priest.


    ¡°Of course, Ancestral Majesty.¡±


    ¡°What is it that prompted you to come in person, Archbishop?¡±


    ¡°I imagine the same thing that brought you, Ancestral Majesty.¡±


    ¡°He truly is favoured by your god, then? I suspected as much the first time I got a look at his aura.¡±


    ¡°He caught our god¡¯s eye much earlier than you did, if you¡¯ll forgive the comparison, Ancestral Majesty. You were more conservative than Mr Asano in your youth.¡±


    ¡°I''ve never heard my early years described like that before,¡± Soramir said. ¡°Just the opposite, in fact. Although, I certainly didn''t cause this kind of commotion at silver-rank. Even when he''s not directly involved, Asano always seems at least tangentially connected to every absurd event this monster surge throws at us.¡±


    ¡°To be fair, Ancestral Majesty, he was the one who set it off in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Are you or your god going to intervene in events here?¡±


    ¡°No. You know that those with my god¡¯s favour are expected to forge their own path. In any case, my god cannot see inside the building, let alone meddle. Even the platform open to the sky is hidden from the gods, while you and I could see should we simply fly into the air.¡±


    ¡°It really is a temple, then?¡±


    ¡°Not as the gods would sanctify, from what I understand, but something that uses the same methods. A mortal needs different things from a temple than a god, or so I would assume.¡±


    ¡°And something went wrong with Asano¡¯s temple?¡±


    ¡°As my god explained it, Asano seems to have attempted to found another temple on the land around his existing one.¡±


    ¡°A temple to what?¡±


    ¡°Himself.¡±


    ¡°That may be the single most arrogant thing I have ever heard. And I¡¯ve met people who rule planets.¡±


    ¡°The attempt was never intended to succeed, Ancestral Majesty. Asano seems to have injected himself with power beyond his ability to endure, then attempted a task beyond his ability to accomplish, burning that power off in the failed attempt.¡±


    ¡°But how was he even able to make that attempt? Isn¡¯t the founding of temples the domain of gods?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Archbishop said. ¡°Yes, it is.¡±


    ¡°I can see why Dominion is so interested in him.¡±


    ***


    Liara was back at her post in one of the Adventure Society admin buildings, using the Shade body with her and the one still in the mining facility to communicate with the adventurers there. Baseph was in the next room, reuniting with their son.


    Humphrey, Sophie, Neil and Clive were shown in by reluctant Adventure Society functionaries. Both Humphrey and Sophie¡¯s shadows were tinted blue and radiated volatile magic. Liara had needed to personally intervene to allow them into the building.


    ¡°What are you doing here?¡± Liara asked. ¡°Did something happen to Asano?¡±


    ¡°Jason is out of danger,¡± Humphrey told her. ¡°The same is not true for every member of our team.¡±


    ¡°You want a place on the response team waiting to hit the Purity stronghold,¡± Liara deduced.


    ¡°You said this was an option if we were out of the mining facility in time,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Things have escalated a little since then,¡± Liara said. ¡°And unless Asano is joining you, you don¡¯t have the option of him using Shade to get in and open a portal.¡±


    ¡°Jason won¡¯t be joining us,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Even so, we would like to be part of the response group.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve talked to Baseph about what happened. He said you brought a prisoner with you out of the mining complex.¡±


    She turned her gaze on Sophie but didn''t elaborate.


    ¡°No idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I need that prisoner.¡±


    ¡°No, you want that prisoner,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Hypothetical prisoner,¡± Clive clarified. ¡°If she did exist, you have to realise she would be more likely to at least have hostile exchanges with us. To you, she¡¯s just another Purity worshipper you can¡¯t get to talk.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve also been speaking with Callum Morse.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you won¡¯t give us a place in the group unless we hand over this alleged prisoner?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Humphrey turned without another word, the others moving to follow.


    ¡°Wait,¡± Liara said. The team half-turned to look back at her.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t going to threaten to take Shade away if I don¡¯t help you?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Without Shade, helping the people still in that mining facility is harder,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°We¡¯re adventurers,¡± Clive added. ¡°We¡¯d never do that.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear,¡± Sophie chimed in, ¡°I definitely would do that and said that we should.¡±


    Humphrey frowned at her.


    ¡°I was out-voted,¡± Sophie added, refusing to meet his eyes in the manner of a guilty child. Humphrey gave his head an exasperated shake and looked back at Liara.


    ¡°Jason wouldn¡¯t do it either,¡± he said. ¡°So Shade wouldn¡¯t stop helping you, whatever we said.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll give you a slot in the group,¡± Liara conceded. ¡°But we aren¡¯t done talking about that prisoner.¡±


    ***


    In the Order of redeeming Light¡¯s hollowed-out mountain stronghold, the light sconces slowly started to grow brighter as the morning approached outside. Some of the Order members were already up and about, being early risers by nature, but were somewhat at a loss as to what to do with themselves. Deprived of Melody¡¯s leadership and with the two remaining cell leaders circling one another like hyenas around a carcass, they were uncharacteristically directionless.


    The first stage of Belinda¡¯s plan had been to move through the stronghold during the night, writing sigils on many of the magically secured doors. The transition point of the plan came as the order members were just starting to rouse and was less subtle.


    The section of the facility dividing the general areas from the leader-restricted areas was an open archway with no more magical protection than signal magic should someone without permission or any dangerous substance pass through. As it sailed through the archway, Belinda¡¯s magical bomb detected as dangerous.

 Chapter 570: The Person in My Care

    There was no one in the small lounge area when the bomb went off and it did nothing more than smash up and knock around some furniture. The goal was neither harm nor damage but to trigger the alarm and sow some chaos. People were quick to scramble but they were running everywhere, knowing they should be reacting but uncertain as to how or what was even happening. This allowed Belinda to move without being remarked upon while she waited for the two leaders to do her work for her. It wasn''t long before they did exactly that, triggering the facility lockdown.


    The stronghold''s most secure rooms would have taken time and resources for Belinda to crack open just one, let alone the several she would doubtless need to find the right rooms to perform her sabotage. What she had noticed in her initial scouting, however, was that the reinforced doors could be further secured by having more magic funnelled into them.


    This was a setup quite common to places that people like Belinda were hired to remove things from, despite the owners not wanting them to. It was also a setup Belinda looked down on, being something an infrastructure specialist would devise, rather than a security specialist. It was neat, clean and efficient, making it ripe for dirtying up.


    The purpose of the sigils Belinda had drawn onto the doors was to apply a crude but effective modification to enchantments built into the doorway. It didn¡¯t do anything in normal operation, but that would change should a lockdown be triggered. That would cause the facility infrastructure to feed additional magic through the brickwork doorframe and into the door, reinforcing both the door itself and the locking mechanism.


    The mistake an infrastructure specialist made, that a security specialist would not, was keeping the setup overly simple. This made it less prone to failure during normal operation, but more prone to tampering. Belinda targeted a simple aspect of the system that shut off the extra magic once the door¡¯s extra security was fully charged. Her modification stopped the magic spigot from closing once it was opening, continually feeding magic into the door.


    Unknowingly, Belinda had done a very similar thing to the doors to what Shade had done to his own bodies, dangerously overcharging them through excessive magic drain. The end result was also similar, making the doors extremely volatile. The bomb had done its job and prompted the cell leaders currently running the facility to order a lockdown. Belinda knew that she had some time while the doors built-up charge before things got exciting.


    In the time it took the doors to accumulate enough power to explode, Belinda made good time moving through the facility towards her objectives. The ordinary doors at the end of each tunnel and the entrance to each room had been automatically closed and sealed by the lockdown, but that barely slowed her down. Unlike the secure doors she¡¯d taken the time to modify, ordinary magic locks gave way to Belinda¡¯s specialty tools in moments. This gave her more mobility through complex than anyone but the leaders, whom the locks did not bar.


    As Belinda moved around, she repeatedly paused to drop a quick spell.


    ¡°Emplace the mark of power.¡±


    It was a spell she shared with Clive, albeit through different essences. The Rune Trap spell created a glowing sigil on the floor, which she placed in front of the locking mechanisms the leaders would need to release to move around freely. The designated spot displayed a glowing rune for a few moments ¨C the critical weakness of the Rune Trap ¨C before turning invisible. Someone sufficiently perceptive might pick up on the rune¡¯s presence, but even if they did, their purpose was to slow down the order members.


    How they were slowed down made little practical difference to Belinda, although her preference was by blowing people up. One power wasn¡¯t enough to kill a silver-ranker, but the trap was enough to ring their bell very, very hard. If she was lucky, the blasts would damage some of the locking mechanisms, meaning the doors would stay shut until smashed down or the mechanism was repaired.


    Failing brutal explosions, other methods to deal with the traps would slow them down enough. Taking the time to locate, identify and negate the traps would slow them down considerably, assuming they even had people with the right abilities. She guessed that the Purity worshippers had no shortage of dispelling abilities, though. The fastest approach would probably be to walk the purified converted into the traps and set them off, at which point damage to the locks would be her best hope.


    Belinda had wasted no time after infiltrating the stronghold, identifying her key targets in the hours before most of the order went to sleep for the night. She was guesstimating which of the secure rooms held facility infrastructure and which held the defences she was here to disable, but her guesses were pretty good in facilities like this. She had rigged enough of the secure doors around the facility both to obfuscate her targets and give her access to enough rooms that she¡¯d find the right ones to sabotage the place, even with a false start or two. Even then, she could probably have some fun along the way.


    Belinda¡¯s main concern was not successfully sabotaging the place. Anything as comprehensive as shielding the interior of an entire mountain would have no shortage of potential failure points. Her worry was getting caught in the period between sabotaging the defences and reinforcements arriving.


    ***


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to go in there,¡± Belinda said.


    She had found where the Order of Redeeming Light''s prisoner, Gibson Amouz, was being held. The floor, ceiling and three of the walls were the usual flat stone, with incredibly intricate ritual diagrams carved into each. The last wall was made of glass, through which Belinda was observing the room from the outside. The glass was also etched with an intricate ritual diagram that, like all the others, was glowing with silver light.


    In the centre of the room, Gibson Amouz was looking the worse for wear, strung up in a cage too narrow for him to do anything but stand. Surrounding the cage was a ring of silver flames.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Belinda added, ¡°I¡¯m not certain I can go in there.¡±


    The feature conspicuously absent from the room was a door. Belinda looked around, seeing a few subtle signs that the glass could be made to flow like a liquid to create an opening, but she was certain that doing so in the middle of the ritual going on would be very bad for the person inside. She had a feeling he was being subjected to whatever the order did to ¡®purify¡¯ their prospective members.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can rescue this guy,¡± she said. ¡°I won¡¯t be able to extract him from whatever¡¯s happening in there without doing more harm than good.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t decipher how to safely interrupt the ritual?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°No,¡± she said. ¡°Well, probably, but not anywhere near fast enough. I¡¯m a practical magic specialist; this kind of high-end, magic-for-magic¡¯s-sake stuff is Clive¡¯s area. Also, I¡¯m pretty sure there¡¯s divine magic involved in this ritual. That¡¯s doesn¡¯t mean it can¡¯t be handled, but it¡¯s also something I haven¡¯t dealt with a lot.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t rob a lot of temples?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°Absolutely not,¡± Belinda said, plainly affronted. ¡°I would never. Well, not never ¨C desperate times, you know. But definitely not a lot. I mean, ¡®a lot,¡¯ is a very vague term. Different people might define¨C¡±


    ¡°More than five.¡±


    ¡°Oh, who seriously thinks five is a lot? You can count that on one hand.¡±


    ***


    The two cell leaders, Elise and Marika, stormed angrily through the mountain stronghold, collecting scattered order members as they came across them. They burned with identical, furious frustration as things spiralled further and further out of control. Not least of their frustrations was being forced to work with each other, but larger problems dominated their factional rivalry.


    Things had been going wrong since the mining facility, when the Adventure Society responded to the order¡¯s incursion with impossible speed. At first, it had seemed like the perfect opportunity for the pair. After everything going her way for so long, Melody had finally made a critical mistake as the operation quickly collapsed.


    While not ideal for the order, both Elise and Marika saw the chance to seize control and lead the order in a better direction. Escaping Melody¡¯s disaster was a triumph, with the only problem for each being that the other escaped as well. They were both grateful that none of the other cell leaders had made it out, however, leaving only one obstacle to dominance.


    For the moment, however, they were forced to work together. Melody¡¯s plan was only the first disaster, and the disarray left in its wake was only made the chaos they now faced worse. Explosions were happening everywhere and the lockdown was doing more harm than good. The order''s members were scattered and Elise''s core team, the ones loyal not just to Purity but to her personally, were coming together in dribs and drabs.


    Trying to release the lockdown after struggling through one trapped room after another had outright failed, either through damage or sabotage to the stronghold¡¯s magical infrastructure. The only benefit to any of it was that the rune traps at least served as a breadcrumb trail that would sooner or later, lead to the perpetrator.


    As for who was behind it, their best guess was the adventuring team that had helped them escape the mining facility. At first, their assignment guarding the dock there had seemed serendipitous, but now they suspected design, their Adventure Society infiltrators having been turned against them.


    Moving through one locked room after another was troublesome even when the majority of the rooms weren¡¯t trapped. Someone was messing with the utility infrastructure, causing the ubiquitous light sconces to act up. At one moment they would shut off to plunge a room into darkness, only to then flare into a blinding candescence. Other times they rapidly flickered between the two in a disorienting staccato strobe.


    ¡°Someone must have meddled with the utility rooms,¡± Marika said.


    ¡°Oh, you think?¡± Elise asked. ¡°No getting past you, is there? You¡¯d make a terrific leader.¡±


    It was when her senses expanded that they truly started to panic. After becoming accustomed to having their magical senses boxed-in by the stronghold perception shields, being able to sense beyond the was odd, then dread-inducing as they realised the ramifications. If their senses now extended past the exterior of the mountain, anyone outside could now sense the interior. When they felt the artificial aura of a beacon device light up somewhere inside the mountain, they knew they were doomed.


    ¡°We¡¯re compromised,¡± Marika said.


    ¡°Another stellar insight,¡± Elise snarled, already moving in the direction of the submersible docks. Marika followed, but when they arrived, their dismay only grew. There should have been six of the submersible vehicles; five of the type the order used and one stolen materials hauler.


    The hauler was just gone. One of the submersibles was starting to sink, another was already dipping below the water and the rest, from what Elise could see of the depths, had already sunk. Then Marika, who was better at seeing through water, finally pointed out something that Elise had not already noticed.


    ¡°There are two sunken submersibles and the two still sinking. The hauler has been turned sideways underwater and scuttled in the submerged tunnel, from what I can see, blocking off the underwater exit."


    ¡°That leaves one submersible unaccounted for,¡± Elise said. ¡°It looks like our turncoats have already fled.¡±


    ¡°But how do we get out, now?¡± Marika asked. ¡°Did Melody have a secret alternate exit?¡±


    ¡°You think she¡¯d tell me and not you?¡±


    ¡°Then what? Do we swim for it? How much time do we¨C¡±


    They both looked up as something shook the mountain.


    ***


    ¡°I guess that¡¯s why they call him the siege sword,¡± Neil observed as they watched from an airship as the dust cloud bloomed off the mountain. ¡°It feels like he¡¯d do better with a hammer essence or something.¡±


    The response team had already been on a pair of airships and in the air, waiting for the beacon signal when it came. The Shade with Belinda had immediately shared its memories with the other bodies once the stronghold defences dropped, so Liara at the Adventure Society was immediately briefed. One each of the blue Shade bodies charged with volatile mana were on the two airships, briefing the expedition leaders there.


    The airships were not trade vessels but rapid-deployment troop transports; small, fast and filled to the gills with adventurers. They had moved swiftly, not even gold-rank monsters fool enough to mess with the cluster of auras rocketing through the air. Arriving at the mountain, they had a good idea from Shade what was inside and didn''t waste time. Gold rankers immediately started to break right in through the side, none more effectively than Trenchant Moore, the siege sword.


    While the other gold-rankers went right over the side of the airship, Trenchant had paused for a moment to gather energy. To the surprise of onlookers, he even drained the excess energy from Shade¡¯s body, returning it to its customary black.


    "Ooh, that''s a bit much," Trenchant said, eyes wide, then he too vaulted over the side of the skyship. Shortly thereafter, the side of the mountain exploded.


    ***


    Callum Morse approached the ominous black cloud temple, pausing for a moment before stepping through the open archway with stairs leading up and in. He paid close attention to his condition, but it seemed the aura, while disconcerting, did not see him as hostile in the way he had heard about it treating others. He started making his way up the steps, attempting to push his senses through the walls but getting nowhere. Halfway up the stairs, he found someone standing in his way.


    "Hello, Belle."


    ¡°Hello Cal,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°You¡¯re making a mistake right now. I thought we talked about this.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s an opportunity for me here.¡±


    She shook her head, looking at him like a puppy resistant to toilet training.


    ¡°You¡¯re a good hunter, Cal. You always have been. But you¡¯re terrible with people. You always let me help you with that, but it seems that you¡¯ve forgotten, in the years since we were a team. Let me help you again, Cal.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you¡¯ll stand against me?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that you¡¯re only hurting your cause.¡±


    ¡°Not if I get what I came for.¡±


    She shook her head, looking down with a grumbling moan.


    ¡°And Jason thinks he¡¯s oblivious to consequences,¡± she muttered, then turned her gaze back up at her former teammate.


    ¡°You¡¯re bringing trouble to the person in my care, Callum.¡±


    Her voice was gentle but his face paled. He turned around went back down the stairs.

 Chapter 571: I Love a Hypocrite

    Belinda¡¯s escape from the Order of the Redeeming Light¡¯s stronghold, leaving a dock full of ruined submarines in her wake, was not made alone. Her companion was neither the one she hoped for nor intended, but she knew full well that no plan went perfectly.


    The need for improvisation had started back when she found Gibson Amouz. Ideally, she would have extricated him to avoid his becoming collateral damage or a hostage when the Adventure Society breached the stronghold. After finding him caught up in a complicated ritual she would not risk interrupting, she was forced to leave him for the Adventure Society forces to rescue.


    She had been midway through sabotaging the stronghold defence infrastructure when she had encountered the imprisoned Amouz. After she left him, she had to visit several more of the formerly secure rooms, their security doors now blasted off, before the protections dropped. Whatever infrastructure specialist had designed the place might have been poor on anti-tampering, but they were big on redundancy.


    After completing the final sabotage sequence, the defences started to wind down as the magic fuelling them was interrupted. Belinda set up the aura beacon on a delay, which she hoped would draw the order members to it while she made good her escape. If she got too caught up avoiding the order, she would have to find a hiding spot and wait for the Adventure Society to arrive. If that happened, they would be taking a dim view of her stealing things, which wouldn¡¯t impact what she¡¯d already picked up wandering around. Unfortunately, a submersible wouldn¡¯t fit in her dimensional storage space.


    By the time Belinda was making her way to the dock, the order had become active throughout the complex. They had dealt with many of the locked doors and traps she had left behind and were becoming harder to dodge. More and more she was slowing down to duck into rooms or storage spaces as enemies passed her by. She was still disguised as one of them, but the woman she was disguised as was a known follower. It wouldn¡¯t help Belinda¡¯s escape if she was recruited into the search for herself. On the upside, she came across more than a few things worth slipping into her storage space.


    In the course of her escape, Belinda realised that the order had jumped to conclusions about the cause of their current troubles. The turncoat adventurers that had been secretly working for the order had helped them escape the mining facility and, having revealed themselves, joined the order in their stronghold. It was an understandable but incorrect assumption that they were the ones responsible for the sabotage that took place shortly after their arrival.


    Belinda realised this was happening when she found a group of order members attacking the now-former adventurers. The silver-rank combat was typically destructive and she needed to find a way past the rolling battle. With a good number of doors still locked down, she picked one and cracked it open with her intrusion tools, locking it again behind her. Inside was a short tunnel, leading to a trap door that was also locked.


    ¡°Potentially promising.¡±


    It took only moments to crack the lock on the hatch, revealing a spiral staircase leading down. At the bottom was yet another locked door, to another short tunnel and yet another locked door.


    ¡°I think I¡¯m going to find something special in here.¡±


    In the process of going through each lock, she realised that they weren¡¯t integrated into the wider infrastructure of the facility. The doors weren¡¯t as secure as the ones Belinda had needed to blow up but they were designed to remain permanently secured, and not just sealed during a lockdown.


    With each lock that capitulated to the ministrations of her intrusion tools, Belinda¡¯s anticipated for whatever was waiting at the end grew. When she opened the final door, what she found inside was startling.


    ¡°What in the sweet gods is happening here?¡±


    At first glance, she thought she had found another prisoner, in a torture chamber. It only took a moment to realise something entirely different was going on.


    She moved close to the man chained upright in a freestanding metal rack. He looked at her with wild eyes, unable to speak through the gag strapped over his mouth. Like the chains suspending him in a spreadeagle vertical position, the metal ball the gag used to fill his mouth was made of hardened and enchanted materials that even a silver-ranker apparently couldn¡¯t break through, although his rank was an assumption. She couldn¡¯t sense his aura with the suppression collar around his neck.


    Belinda looked around the room, finding it was a very strange fit for the complex around it. Instead of the clean, minimalist stone, typical for the Church of Purity, this was opulent and luxurious, with rich wall treatments, thick carpeting and indulgent layers of pillows and soft blankets in lieu of furniture.


    Belinda turned her attention back to the man standing in the vertical prison rack. Looking closer, the wrist and ankle shackles were cushioned, with padding, as was the suppression collar.


    ¡°I''ve built some setups like this myself,¡± she told the man. ¡°Lucrative stuff. They have this place back in my hometown they call The Fortress. Did Jason ever take you, Shade?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shade''s voice came from Belinda''s shadow. ¡°While Mr Asano''s proclivities are certainly unconventional, they are less¡­ spanking-related.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it doesn¡¯t seem like his flavour of strange,¡± she agreed, turning back the trapped man.


    ¡°It¡¯s something of a playground for the rich and powerful,¡± she explained to him as she continued to look around the room. ¡°People with the kind of appetites that are best kept discreet in proper society. I was surprised by how common it was for those with what was effectively absolute power to fantasise about being powerless. Never truly powerless, though; they always leave themselves an out. A method of control. Which makes me wonder how you ended up in here, strung up naked and all alone.¡±


    She looked around again, taking particular notice of the thick carpeting.


    ¡°It looks like someone shuffled out of here quickly,¡± she mused, then looked up at the chained man with a grin.


    ¡°Oh dear,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯ve been playing games with those people you converted, haven¡¯t you? Their independent thinking stripped away and replaced with obedience. You probably gave them instructions on how you like your jollies with you and when to let you out after. You¡¯d have had some kind of signal to make them release you, too, but something went wrong, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    She laughed as realisation struck.


    ¡°The lockdown,¡± she said. ¡°Your mindless victims are under standing orders to mobilise if a lockdown happens, aren¡¯t they? They must have shuffled off immediately and not seen whatever gesture you use to make them let you out.¡±


    She looked at the man¡¯s face as he stared daggers at her and she laughed again.


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m exactly right.¡±


    She took another glance around the room as she took a bottle of soporific poison from her storage space.


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re a Church of Purity guy? I love a hypocrite as much as the next girl with a history of blackmail, but this is a lot.¡±


    ***


    The dock had been in chaos, which was useful to Belinda. Her original plan had been to purloin one of the submersibles, but with the order members leaderless and in chaos, she revised her ambitions. The order members on the dock had split into two factions, arguing over taking the submersibles and evacuating immediately. The members whose cell leaders never came back from the mining complex wanted to leave, while Marika and Elise¡¯ people did not.


    As a compromise, they had the neutral and obedient pure converted prepping the vessels for departure, loading in supplies and the most valuable resources quickly available from the dock area. This gave Belinda a chance to shapeshift into a pure converted, mimicking their blank auras as she slipped into each of the vessels, pretending to load goods while really performing sabotage. The hauler submersible, loaded with materials from the mining complex, was a pleasant surprise. Designed to be largely self-operating, she figured out how to delay-trigger it to block off the underwater passage and cover her escape.


    Only the submarine she intended to steal went unsabotaged, and she did load something onto it. It was an unconscious man, wrapped up in a very nice blanket and stowed in a crate.


    Belinda¡¯s greatest stroke of luck came when she finally took off in one of the submersibles. Rather than quickly react to her, the two sides started blaming each other, buying her valuable time to get away.


    Belinda had never driven a submersible before, but that proved not to be a problem. She possessed various abilities that allowed her to gain expertise akin to that of a skill book, only temporarily, in various fields. Her Instant Adept ability offered some ranged and agility-based attack options but was the least combat-oriented of that power subset. Its true worth was utility, allowing her to pilot the vessel to an adequate degree and escape from the facility.


    ***


    ¡°¡­and that, Clive, is how I got you one of their submersibles,¡± Belinda finished.


    Clive looked out from one of the balconies of the looming temple to look over the lagoon.


    ¡°Where is it, then?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I stashed it, obviously. I don¡¯t want the Adventure Society saying it¡¯s theirs, just because I was on a contract. I stole it fair and square.¡±


    Humphrey gave her a disapproving look. Jason''s team, minus the still-comatose Jason himself, were gathered on a large terrace balcony of Jason''s cloud temple. With them were Rufus and his team, plus Taika and Travis. With everything that had gone on, they were all looking to hunker down, at least until Jason woke up.


    ¡°I¡¯m kidding, obviously,¡± Belinda assured Humphrey. ¡°The submersible sank. I forget where, so there¡¯s no point bothering to look for it and I¡¯m definitely not going to sell it to Clive.¡±


    ¡°Sell?¡± Clive asked.


    Humphrey gave his head an exasperated shake.


    ¡°I¡¯m just glad you caught their priest,¡± Neil said. ¡°Handing him over got them off our back about your mother, Sophie.¡±


    ¡°For now,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Perhaps we should try questioning her?¡± Neil asked. ¡°She¡¯ll probably talk to you, Sophie.¡±


    ¡°Will the cloud house even let us?¡± Gary asked. ¡°We aren¡¯t even certain where it¡¯s holding her.¡±


    They had mapped out the new configuration of the cloud construct building and found large sections to which they had no access.


    ¡°Are we still calling it a house?¡± Neil asked. ¡°It¡¯s more of¡­ I don¡¯t know, a lair, maybe? That¡¯s what you call where the villain lives, right?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not a villain,¡± Humphrey insisted.


    ¡°He may not have turned the cloud house into the shape of his own head,¡± Travis said, ¡°but you have to admit Jason has a lot of evil warlock vibes when he gets serious. Taika, you remember when he killed those superheroes with his mind on television? He just looked at them and they died.¡±


    ¡°That was pretty chilling, bro.¡±


    ¡°They were enemies,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not saying they weren¡¯t,¡± Travis said. ¡°But a lot of people in my world are scared of him. I mean, a lot think he¡¯s awesome, all dark powers and mystery, and most people probably think he¡¯s a hero. I think he¡¯s a hero. But he¡¯s scary. When you¡¯ve seen him fight armies of monsters and kill people ¨C powerful people ¨C just by looking at them, then even when he¡¯s being friendly, he¡¯s scary. Especially if he¡¯s friendly while you point a gun at him and he¡¯s telling you he¡¯s going to steal the most powerful weapon on the planet. I¡¯m just saying.¡±


    ¡°His essences are fairly sinister,¡± Neil said. ¡°Blood, dark, sin and doom? His combination sounds like the Adventure Society should hunt him down.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly a fresh observation,¡± Rufus said. ¡°His combination is fine. We checked.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the thing though, isn¡¯t it?¡± Neil said. ¡°I bet you took one look at what he had on hand and rushed to check.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s true; we did,¡± Gary admitted. ¡°Most people go their whole lives without stumbling onto an essence and he found three within a few hours of arriving in our world.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just because he¡¯s an outworlder,¡± Rufus said. ¡°They¡¯re all like that.¡±


    ¡°And do all the outworlders get the drinking-baby-blood combination?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what his powers are,¡± Dawn said, entering through the door to join them on the large balcony terrace. ¡°It matters what he does with them.¡±


    Everyone pulled themselves up a little straighter in the presence of the diamond-ranker except Farrah and Humphrey. Farrah had spent months travelling with Jason and Dawn, while Humphrey had been standing straight in the first place.


    ¡°The time is drawing close for me to leave this world,¡± Dawn announced. ¡°Any action I take has the potential of giving the Builder excuses to push the rules yet again.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re leaving before Jason recovers?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Jason has made the inevitable spectacle of himself, to a greater degree than even I envisaged. At least until he wakes. I shall reside here in the cloud temple.¡±


    ¡°Temple?¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That is a very loaded term.¡±


    ¡°Yet it is the one being used in the high-ranking circles, where it matters. It is also not inaccurate.¡±


    ¡°Great, Jason made a temple to himself,¡± Neil said. ¡°You¡¯d think I¡¯d be surprised, but here we are. How big a mess are we in, now?¡±


    ¡°You will all be the focus of powerful forces now,¡± Dawn said. ¡°My presence alongside you will exacerbate the attention you garner, but there is little point closing the gate once the heidel has already run off. That is an easy trade for the pressure it will shield you from. My presence will make the local powers restrict themselves to putting their eyes on you and not their hands.¡±


    ¡°How long do you think that will work?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Jason will likely be in recovery through the rest of the monster surge and the Builder¡¯s departure,¡± Dawn said. ¡°I recommend you petition the Adventure Society to allow your team to decamp from Rimaros as soon as Jason is fit to travel. I have a very strong feeling they¡¯ll say yes, and you would do well to put some distance between yourselves and the Sea of Storms for a while. Once Jason can turn the cloud temple into a vehicle, I will be strongly advising him to do exactly that and make use of it.¡±


    ¡°When you go,¡± Farrah asked, ¡°will we see you again?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said, ¡°but not for some years. We need to talk about that before Jason wakes up.¡±

 Chapter 572: I’ve Told You Everything

    ¡°I¡¯m about to ask you to do something,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Before I do, I¡¯m going to need some of you to leave. Clive, Taika and Travis. Rufus, Farrah and Gary. You can¡¯t be here for this and I need you to not ask why.¡±


    Clive looked at Dawn for only a moment before nodding, grabbing Travis by the sleeve and leading him from the room. Farrah and Dawn shared a look, Farrah reluctant but finally nodding as well, following the others from the terrace.


    ¡°What do you think that¡¯s about?¡± Travis asked, slowing down as the door to the balcony terrace closed behind them.


    ¡°If Dawn says we aren¡¯t meant to know, then we aren¡¯t meant to know,¡± Clive said. ¡°We aren¡¯t going to talk about it and you should do your best to distract yourself so you aren¡¯t wondering about it.¡±


    ¡°Done,¡± Gary said. ¡°We should start getting lunch ready.¡±


    ¡°We still have some of that argy fruit jam Jason made,¡± Taika said. ¡°I can go get some scones from the bakery. Most of the people hanging about have gotten bored and left, so it shouldn¡¯t be too crowded.¡±


    ¡°Let me get the scones while you whip the cream,¡± Gary said. ¡°I always end up with cream in my fur.¡±


    ¡°Bro, what did I tell you about licking the bowl? Use a scraper, not your face.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my face?¡± Gary asked. ¡°People love my face.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s pretty big though. Huge face, small bowl. It¡¯s not tricky to see where you¡¯re going wrong.¡±


    Gary and Taika noticed Travis looking at them, wide-eyed.


    ¡°What?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Bro, it¡¯s obvious,¡± Taika told him.


    ¡°Oh, right,¡± Gary said, realising his mistake. ¡°Don¡¯t worry; it won¡¯t just be sweet scones. I¡¯ll get savoury scones, too.¡±


    ¡°How are we talking about scones right now?¡± Travis asked, incredulous.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Farrah said, having her own realisation. ¡°You¡¯re American. You¡¯re getting biscuits and scones mixed up again.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s the problem?¡± Travis asked, then pointed at the closed door to the terrace, the black cloud-stuff completely sealing off any sound. ¡°Whatever they¡¯re talking about in there is really important. Like, fate of the world stuff.¡±


    ¡°Bro, if you¡¯re waiting for things to calm down before eating good food, you¡¯re in the wrong social circle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going into the village with Gary,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I want some of that butter Mrs Marsh makes for the savoury scones.¡±


    Farrah put a reassuring hand on Travis¡¯ shoulder.


    ¡°Remember where we met, Travis?¡±


    His shoulders slumped and Farrah gave one of them a consoling pat as he answered her.


    ¡°On an army base under attack by vampires while you were stealing a nuclear weapon.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. You can¡¯t drop everything just because there¡¯s a dinosaur invasion or a zombie army or a hole in the side of the universe.¡±


    ¡°Or a bunch of world-shaping doom golems,¡± Clive added.


    ¡°Travis, you know how Jason got in those last days on Earth,¡± Farrah said. ¡°That¡¯s what happens when you obsess over the job. You have to learn to let go of the things you can¡¯t do anything about, and sometimes even the ones you can. Otherwise, it¡¯ll hollow you out and you can¡¯t help anyone.¡±


    ***


    Back on the terrace, Dawn looked at the remainder of Jason¡¯s team.


    ¡°What I have to ask of you is not fair," she said. "And it requires trust I have no way to demonstrate is well-founded. I need to tell you what I need and I need you to not ask questions, or respond at all. Do you understand?"


    The team showed various levels of confusion and dissatisfaction, but they all nodded silently.


    "Thank you. I am going to leave this world, some time shortly after Jason awakes. The next time you see me again, you need to do what I say no questions, no hesitation. No matter who you have to leave behind. You have to get Clive to move with you, along with any other allies you have on hand that you completely trust. Until then, you can¡¯t tell Clive or Jason or even discuss it amongst yourselves. I can¡¯t tell you why and I can¡¯t tell you why I can¡¯t tell you why. I need you to accept it, never talk about it after you leave this room and do your best not to dwell on it at all.¡±


    There was a long moment of silence before someone spoke.


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ pretty uninformative,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°You said ¡®no matter who we have to leave behind,¡¯¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I don¡¯t like the sound of that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll like it even less when the time comes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°But you have to do it.¡±


    ¡°But you can¡¯t tell us why,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It¡¯s a risk even telling you this much, but I want you to be as prepared as you can be.¡±


    ¡°How do we prepare for something we know nothing about?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°You get stronger. When the time comes, if you aren¡¯t gold-rank, your chances go from small to none.¡±


    ¡°Chances at what?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°At something you will attempt regardless of what I say here,¡± Dawn said. ¡°There is only a very slender opening for even the potential of success, and I am trying to help you thread that needle.¡±


    ¡°How long do we have to get ready?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°More than a decade. Less than two.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s feasible,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Not easy, but with sufficient dedication, it can be done. It doesn¡¯t leave time for other pursuits.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You need to be adventurers, and only adventurers.¡±


    ¡°What do we tell Jason and Clive? They won¡¯t go more than ten years without noticing us push.¡±


    ¡°Tell them it¡¯s something you need them to do and you can¡¯t tell them why. It¡¯s an unpleasant task, I can assure you, but a necessary one. They trust you and will go along.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Neil asked. ¡°I know you said not to ask, but what does the World-Phoenix get out of this?¡±


    ¡°The World-Phoenix has an interest in Jason Asano because he is helping its agenda. That interest has protected Asano from other forces that would otherwise involve themselves with him. His lack of power, relative to the scope of events he has become a reluctant participant in, make him a valuable game piece. The moment the World-Phoenix is done with him, that protection ends. That¡¯s when you¡¯ll see me again, acting not on behalf of the World-Phoenix but myself. At that moment, you will need to be gold-rank or you won¡¯t qualify to even try and help him. Diamond-rank would be better, but gold will at least allow you to set foot on the path.¡±


    Dawn frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already said more than I intended. Every word I share with you is a danger. I¡¯m going to go, but I hope you forget what I¡¯ve told you today.¡±


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told us anything,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I¡¯ve told you everything,¡± Dawn said. ¡°That¡¯s why you cannot share any of this, especially with Clive and Jason. They will likely see through my evasions and bring disaster. Do not speak of this with Clive. Don¡¯t even tell Jason this discussion took place. I¡¯ll say again: do not even discuss this with each other. Do your best to not dwell on what I¡¯ve told you at all and focus on growing stronger.¡±


    Dawn didn¡¯t even bother to use the door, leaving via the balcony as flaming wings appeared on her back before she shot away through the air.


    Belinda wandered over to the balcony and looked out, the diamond-ranker already gone.


    ¡°What in the sweet teats of the Lizard goddess was that about?¡±


    ***


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, in the feeble voice of an old man. ¡°The clown is the bad guy.¡±


    Gordon¡¯s orbs flickered in a rapid, blue and orange strobe, gently pulsing both aura and light. Jason wasn¡¯t sure if he could understand it because his language ability had undergone a second evolution or if his bond with Gordon was stronger, but he didn¡¯t especially care. The answer would be somewhere in the slate of system messages waiting for him when he had woken up. He¡¯d immediately pushed them aside, more interested in seeing his familiars who had immediately emerged in his waking.


    He had tried to will the cloud house to turn his bed into a reclining chair, but the moment he attempted to circulate mana in his body it was wracked with pain. He was left lying in the cloud bed, his head sticking out like he was in a bubble bath, except all the bubbles were black. Shade and Gordon floated over him while Colin¡¯s blood-clone form sat on the edge of the bed.


    Colin had let out a nails-on-a-chalkboard alien screech.


    ¡°I know you have been, buddy,¡± Jason told him, feebly patting the familiar¡¯s arm. ¡°You¡¯re always a good boy.¡±


    Gordon had started flickering his orbs in the strange light-aura code language, wanting to encourage Jason with his favourite movie.


    ¡°Still with this?¡± Jason asked. ¡°The clown is not the hero. He¡¯s an interdimensional entity that eats people.¡±


    He looked at Colin and Gordon.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking to the wrong people about this. Shade, back me up on this.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t seen the film,¡± Shade said. ¡°Is Ralph Fiennes in it?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That¡¯s a shame,¡± Shade said. ¡°I like Ralph Fiennes. It always feels like he¡¯s playing a butler, even when he isn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Of course he does,¡± Jason said. ¡°What¡¯s his actual last name again?¡±


    ¡°Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes,¡± Shade said. ¡°I don¡¯t see what that has to do with anything.¡±


    "Does that family line have its own Wikipedia page for being excessively British?"


    ¡°It is not for being excessively British,¡± Shade said. ¡°It may be true that they adopted the name through an Act of Parliament, but that is hardly the point. More importantly, were you going through my browser history?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Jason said.


    He gently moved his head to look around the room. It was a plain black cube with a plain black bed in it.


    The cloud house had taken on darker iterations before and Jason could replace the white with a black motif offset by bright blue and orange. He generally preferred the pastel sunset colours, however. This new monochrome black was not to his taste, but if a chair gave him trouble, he wasn¡¯t about to try and reshape the whole house.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°You have some rather anxious visitors. Shall I open the door?"


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I¡¯m up to that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not feeling so¨C¡±


    ¡°Gary has scones.¡±


    "Well, of course, they can come in. Wait, am I naked?¡±


    ***


    ¡°¡­and then the submersible mysteriously sank and I have no idea what happened to it,¡± Belinda explained.


    ¡°It mysteriously sank?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Belinda confirmed conspicuously jerking her head in Humphrey¡¯s direction. ¡°I definitely only used it as an escape vessel and did not stash it away to sell to Clive.¡±


    ¡°I just said I was interested in taking a look,¡± Clive said. ¡°I am not buying a stolen submarine.¡±


    ¡°Good, because I definitely don¡¯t have one,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry I was too laid up to come help with the Purity stronghold.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Neil said. ¡°We¡¯re off doing all the work while you¡¯re spending the whole week taking a nap. Talk about lazy.¡± Jason¡¯s chuckle quickly turned into a pained grunt.


    ¡°Ow. Not loving the whole pathetically feeble situation I have going on here.¡±


    ¡°My mother and Carlos Quilido will be here in not too long,¡± Rufus said.


    "Carlos is in town? Liara called him in? It''s nice when people in power actually listen to your suggestions."


    ¡°Perhaps the trick is for your suggestions to be something other than shoving things into places they do not want those things shoved,¡± Humphrey pointed out.


    ¡°There¡¯s probably something in that.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t here now because all that can help you at this point is rest,¡± Neil said. ¡°They and the rest of a full Church of the Healer contingent are working on Gibson Amouz.¡±


    ¡°You got him out alive then?¡± Jason asked. ¡°But worse for wear, from the sounds of it. Did the bad guys do their creepy purification thing on him?¡±


    ¡°They were in the process when we found him,¡± Clive said. ¡°An early stage, so far as anyone can tell. That ritual they were using was fiendishly complex. Just figuring out how to stop it without killing him immediately was no small challenge.¡±


    ¡°How long did it take him?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Nine minutes,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°So you say,¡± Neil said bitterly. ¡°I still think it was ten, but it was your boyfriend checking the watch.¡±


    ¡°Lost a bet?¡± Jason asked.


    Neil grumbled instead of giving a response.


    ¡°I will not have my integrity impugned,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Was that even your watch?¡± Neil asked. ¡°That didn¡¯t look like your watch.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Sophie gave me one she got from Beli¨C¡±


    Sophie¡¯s hand clamped over Humphrey¡¯s mouth.


    ¡°It was a perfectly normal watch,¡± she said.

 Chapter 573: Faith is Soul Deep

    ¡°Everyone out,¡± Arabelle said, ushering the team from Jason¡¯s room as Carlos approached the cloud bed.


    ¡°Good to see you,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°I heard it was Princess Liara¡¯s idea to call me in,¡± Carlos told him. ¡°That was good thinking. I¡¯ve been aware of the Order of Redeeming Light¡¯s methods for a while, and those of us in my specialty field have always had some questions. When the Church of Purity was still in good standing, we never had a chance to explore them.¡±


    ¡°How is the Amouz kid?¡±


    ¡°About forty years old, to start,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Not sure how that qualifies as a kid to you.¡±


    ¡°Right now I feel about three hundred. What exactly is wrong with me?¡±


    ¡°Neil didn¡¯t tell you?¡± Arabelle asked.


    ¡°It was more of a friendly catch-up,¡± Jason said. ¡°Also, there were baked goods. You don¡¯t want someone explaining gross medical stuff while they have a dollop of cream on their nose. If I¡¯ve been in a coma for days without healing up, I¡¯m guessing recovery will give me more than enough time for the ugly details.¡±


    "I''ll examine you as we explain," Arabelle said. "Carlos, would you lift him up to rest atop the cloud bed instead of inside it?"


    "Now, hold on," Jason said. "I''m in the nicky-noo. You lift me on top of the bed and the fruit bowl will be on full display."


    Nestled in the cloud bed like a bubble bath, the only thing Jason wore was his necklace with his magic amulet and the cloud flask attached to it.


    ¡°It¡¯s nothing I haven¡¯t seen before,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Who do you think got rid of what was left of your clothes?¡±


    ¡°Humphrey?¡±


    Carlos snorted a laugh as he plunged his arms into the cloud bed and under Jason, gently raising him up.


    Arabelle started moving a wand back and forth over Jason¡¯s body. Carlos and Arabelle watched closely as the wand¡¯s crystal tip shifted between several colours while throwing up illusory symbols that floated in the air briefly before vanishing. Carlos took out a notebook and pencil, recording the symbols.


    ¡°You¡¯re a lucky man, Jason,¡± Carlos said as he continued taking notes. ¡°You had your familiar and Mr Standish draining your mana, with your cloud house siphoning some away as well. Your leech familiar helped keep your body from breaking down while your¡­ whatever the glowing one is, initiated a final purge that managed to save you at the very last minute. The only reason you survived that last ritual was swift thinking on the part of your team¡¯s healer. Only his well-timed use of a non-healing ability allowed you to endure it. Even all of that wouldn¡¯t have worked for anyone else. The last thing that managed to hold you together was your extremely unusual nature.¡±


    ¡°The physical-spiritual gestalt thing?¡± Jason asked.


    "Yes," Arabelle said. "That was your true saviour. If your body and soul were still in a binary state, the degradation of your body''s magical matrix would have been much more severe. Because your soul and your body ¨C or more precisely, your body''s magical matrix ¨C are now the same thing, the integrity of your body''s magical matrix is breathtakingly robust."


    "It should be indestructible," Carlos said. "The meat you''re made up of is the only real vulnerability you have. The fact that you managed to damage your magical matrix when it''s an extension of your soul is¡­ Jason, I can''t even begin to explain the magnitude to which you underestimated how destructive what you did to yourself was. Using whatever that power source was is one thing, but what you used it for? A half-finished power enhancer that you don¡¯t fully understand? You should be a puddle on the floor of a room in a mine buried under the ocean.¡±


    ¡°It was that bad?¡±


    ¡°Jason, the magical matrix of your body and your soul are the same thing, and the soul is inviolable. You can hurt a soul; scrape around the outside and cause excruciating torment, as you know. But unless the will caves in, you cannot violate it to cause any genuine damage. You may well understand this on a deeper level than anyone else on this planet.¡±


    ¡°Your body matrix is the magical framework your body is slung over,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Like a skeleton that doesn¡¯t exist, but you¡¯ll die if it isn¡¯t there.¡±


    ¡°Your body is mostly the same as anyone else¡¯s,¡± Carlos added. ¡°It¡¯s very hard to damage anyone¡¯s magical matrix, but yours should be utterly impervious to harm unless you open yourself up to damage.¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly what you did when you tried to use whatever half-finished modification you and Clive did to your cloud flask,¡± Arabelle continued. ¡°Jason, destroying your body is easy, but doing the same to your body matrix is essentially impossible. Please stop doing impossible things.¡±


    Jason winced.


    ¡°Is that the tone you use when Rufus has been a naughty boy?¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Carlos said, while Arabelle scowled, pausing the back and forth motion of the wand. ¡°Do you remember how I used what I learned from what happened to you to study the effects of star seeds, so we could improve our methods of dealing with them?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Did it actually help?¡±


    ¡°It did. And I¡¯d like to¨C¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Carlos,¡± Arabelle chided. ¡°Let¡¯s make sure he¡¯s genuinely in recovery before we start turning him into an experiment.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what experiment?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I think I¡¯d be more comfortable if someone pushed me back down into the bed now, please.¡±


    ***


    Jason had managed, very, very gently, to slowly shift the cloud bed into a heavily reclined chair. Moving mana through his body for any magical task was painful. There was always a level of pain from the mana naturally circulating through any magical body, but any time he actively used it the pain massively spiked.


    After thoroughly examining him, Arabelle and Carlos concluded that Jason should use his mana to the greatest degree he could tolerate. Wherever mana was actively circulating through his body matrix, they saw a marginal but detectable acceleration in his recovery rate.


    Having completed their examination, Arabelle left. Both healers had more than enough on their plate and hovering over Jason was not productive. Arabelle especially was a mental health specialist and Jason did not seem excessively troubled on that front. Compared to when she had first arrived in Rimaros, the crippled Jason was much healthier, from her perspective, than the powerhouse adventurer fresh from a domineering victory over the Builder¡¯s forces.


    Carlos did not leave with her, having something to discuss with Jason. Jason gritted his teeth through the pain as he slowly had the cloud house start forming a chair for Carlos. Partway through he gave up on a full chair and went with a small stool instead.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± Carlos said as he sat down. ¡°Push things when you can, but don¡¯t let yourself get down about things not going faster. We ¨C meaning students of healing magic ¨C have a very limited understanding of how someone like you works. That¡¯s why I¡¯d like to work with you through recovery, the way I did after the star seed. To see what I can learn that might help us.¡±


    ¡°This is about the messengers, isn¡¯t it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Carlos said. ¡°The Adventure Society is actively suppressing the news, but it turns out that the grand summoning your team interrupted was just one of many. Your team weren¡¯t even the only ones to interrupt one. But the Church of Purity had many more people than anyone realised. They have hidden pockets of worshippers across the world and the messenger forces they managed to summon are not inconsiderable. Until the monster surge is over, authorities are actively hiding this fact.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little different to before,¡± Jason said. ¡°Studying the star seed was to help people recover after they were also implanted. You¡¯re talking about studying my body as it recovers for potential vulnerabilities. So you can better hurt people like them. And like me.¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Carlos said. ¡°I¡¯m a priest of the Healer and I don¡¯t seek out pathways to cause harm. But any insights I can gain into potential vulnerabilities in the course of recovery will be greatly valued by everyone who isn¡¯t a priest of the Healer.¡±


    ¡°You sound like a man looking for a loophole,¡± Jason said. "Purity worshippers have been more than a little hypocritical, working with the Builder and some of the other things they''ve been up to. Is that the example you want to follow?"


    ¡°It¡¯s odd you should say that, given what I¡¯ve learned during your coma. But with respect, Jason, don¡¯t presume to tell me what my god is and is not.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s between you and your boss,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°But I seem to recall your church having a problem with clergy going astray. He kicked out the whole greenstone roster, back in Greenstone. Neil was the only one who stood up to them, which is what made me want him for our team. He was all they had left and he¡¯s a low-rank adventuring priest, not active clergy. They had to portal in replacements.¡±


    ¡°Things are not that simple, Jason.¡±


    ¡°They never are,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I¡¯ve learned anything over the last few years, it¡¯s that any given thing is more complicated than I realise, and most of what I know about it is wrong. Also, I¡¯ve learned how to kill things with magic powers. So if I¡¯ve learned any two things over the last few... well, you get it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not unaware of the things you¡¯re describing,¡± Carlos said. ¡°But the Healer encompasses every aspect of healing. That includes a comprehensive understanding of the ways people can be broken. It isn¡¯t the task of our church to act on it, but the gods are not wholly individual, Jason. The god of healing and the god of war are not enemies; they¡¯re brothers.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like the idea of those brothers working together to find better ways to kill me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about you, Jason.¡±


    ¡°No? Then go experiment on the next spiritual-physical gestalt bloke you come across.¡±


    ¡°I already have.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m guessing that the messengers aren¡¯t big on volunteering for ¡®better ways to kill them¡¯ experiments.¡±


    ¡°They are not.¡±


    ¡°Do you even believe anything will work, Carlos? Wasn¡¯t the whole point of this that I did this damage to myself? Is your plan to produce spirit bombs that look like fruit and start slipping them into the messengers¡¯ packed lunches? I don¡¯t see that working out.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what will work, Jason. That¡¯s why I want to do this. The messengers are only a part of what Purity has prepared, but they seem to be the largest part and they are incredibly powerful. Very few magical beings even come close to an essence user of the same rank, but messengers do.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re that strong?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have as many powers as we do, but they have a lot. And because their power is inherent, their entire population naturally becomes vastly powerful. It¡¯s the reason for their famous arrogance as a species. This entire invasion force is high-ranking. They don¡¯t have anything like the numbers our entire world can array against them, but even their rank and file are silver. They have no shortage of gold-rankers and while there aren¡¯t any confirmed diamonds yet, we believe they¡¯re either out there now or will be. We¡¯re certain that there are still mass-summoning projects we have yet to detect and have yet to be enacted. Before the monster surge is over and their window for mass-summoning closes, they will be.¡±


    Jason frowned, contemplating, but didn¡¯t say anything.


    ¡°Jason, their numbers are significant. We need every edge we can get.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t know, Carlos. You¡¯re asking me to let you study me to find the best way of killing me.¡±


    ¡°Jason, I think there¡¯s a lot more going on here than we realise. Not just with the messengers, but the Church of Purity as a whole. I haven¡¯t discussed this with anyone yet, because of the dire ramifications, but I hope it will help you understand the importance of what¡¯s going on.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t bother explaining that his personal scale of what constituted important was massively out of balance after preventing the astral annihilation of Earth not once but twice.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked.


    ¡°The days you spent waking up, I spent examining the Order of Redeeming Light members. The ones who have been through what they egregiously call their purification ritual, as well as Gibson Amouz, who went through a part of it.¡±


    ¡°How is he?¡±


    ¡°About where you were when you and I first met.¡±


    ¡°Well, you helped me. I¡¯m sure you can do the same for him.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for the faith. But back to the topic at hand, I¡¯ve also examined the people implanted with these ¡®purified¡¯ clockwork cores. What I¡¯m finding across the board is disturbing on a scale so large that just the scope of it makes it seem implausible.¡±


    ¡°You just described the last four years of my life,¡± Jason said. ¡°I may be the best sounding board you¡¯ll get.¡±


    Carlos looked at Jason, uncertain, before nodding to himself.


    ¡°There¡¯s something profoundly wrong with what the Order of Redeeming Light is doing, Jason. Not just morally, which is obvious, but on a deeper level. That so-called purification ritual isn''t anything of the sort. I''ve had the chance to dig into it because of what happened to Gibson Amouz. His state, like yours, has given me a chance to gain insights that aren¡¯t possible with those who have fully gone through the process.¡±


    ¡°And you found something even more worrying than what we already knew?¡±


    "This purification ritual is some kind of extremely modified lesser vampire curse. Altered beyond recognition unless you really get in and look, and even then, I¡¯m not entirely certain. I need to examine the Order of Redeeming Light members more, based on what I¡¯ve learned from Amouz. I¡¯m confident, but the changes are extreme to the point of no longer retaining any practical resemblance to vampirism. It doesn¡¯t even prevent the use of essences and it can even affect not just living things but almost anything with magic.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean it doesn¡¯t change the soul?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Lesser vampirism hijacks the entire body, but if you kill them, the soul goes free, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is there a way to remove the effects without killing them?¡±


    "I don''t know. It''s been a few days and I''m still working with postulation as much as anything. It will take months, probably years of research to answer that kind of question. You''re missing the important point, though."


    ¡°And what¡¯s that?¡±


    "The Order of Redeeming Light. I told you before that people in my field have always had questions about them. The reason is that they appear to have a way to forcibly convert worshippers, which shouldn''t be possible. A fully converted lesser vampire will obey any order up to and including killing itself. The only exception is that you can''t force them to open up their souls, because the vampirism doesn''t go that deep. Faith is soul-deep as well. You can make someone pretend to worship, but they won''t really do it. It''ll just be performance."


    "You''re saying they aren''t genuine worshippers of Purity? That it''s an act?"


    ¡°This ritual that changes them isn¡¯t purification, but the exact opposite. It¡¯s a taint. Clearly, unambiguously and objectively a taint.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the god of Purity is a hypocrite. This is not news.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jason, it is. A god losing their way and using specious arguments to justify circumventing their own principles is one thing. Religious tales are rife with stories about this ¨C usually about the gods of other religions. A god directly and unambiguously contravening their core identity is another thing entirely. We mortals might have rules, but gods are rules. They are intricately connected to the concepts they embody. They can¡¯t go directly against their central principle, no matter how much they might weasel around it.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re saying that¡¯s what the god of Purity is doing.¡±


    ¡°So it would seem.¡±


    ¡°What does that even mean?¡± Jason asked, processing everything Carlos had just explained. ¡°Are you saying that the god of Purity somehow isn¡¯t the god of Purity?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jason. That¡¯s exactly what I¡¯m saying.¡±

 Chapter 574: Lest He Become a Monster Himself

    ¡°You¡¯re saying the god of Purity is pulling a Wizard of Oz?¡± Jason asked. He was reclined in a cloud chair while Carlos sat facing him on a cloud stool.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means,¡± Carlos said.


    ¡°It means there¡¯s no actual god and it¡¯s just some bloke in a booth.¡±


    ¡°No, Jason; it¡¯s not some person in a booth.¡±


    ¡°It would be tricky running an entire branch of a religion on hand puppets and doing a funny voice,¡± Jason acknowledged. ¡°Who''s behind the curtain then? It wasn''t the Builder the whole time, was it? That would be convoluted and counter-productive in the extreme.¡±


    ¡°That isn¡¯t possible,¡± Carlos said.


    ¡°So? I do impossible stuff all the time. Are you saying a great astral being is worse than me? Actually, the Builder is, now that I think about it. That guy sucks.¡±


    ¡°Jason, you should take this seriously.¡±


    Jason burst out laughing, which quickly turned into a pain-stricken groan.


    ¡°Nope,¡± he croaked.


    Carlos frowned but continued.


    ¡°It has to be one of the deception gods,¡± he explained. ¡°There are several of them, but the most likely candidates are Deceit and Disguise.¡±


    ¡°There''s a god just for disguises? That must be a pretty minor god.¡±


    ¡°Disguise is a minor god, but with a more comprehensive field of influence than it may seem at first. Disguise is the god pertaining to masking one thing as another. From disguises to poisoned drinks to counterfeit spirit coins, Disguise the lord of illusion, manipulating assumptions and walking unnoticed in plain sight.¡±


    ¡°And you think the god Disguise has disguised himself as Purity?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone else could, except perhaps one of the other deception gods.¡±


    ¡°And the other gods didn¡¯t notice this going on?¡±


    ¡°I told you about the interconnectedness of the gods. That Healer is brother to War.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a metaphor, right? They don¡¯t actually have a mum or anything, right?¡±


    ¡°That is correct. The gods, even those antagonistic to one another, are all part of a complex interplay. They have rules, governing not just themselves and their areas of influence but how they relate to one another. If the god of disguises chooses to take on a disguise, even Knowledge or Truth cannot reveal it.¡±


    ¡°But they''re Knowledge and Truth. Isn''t that their whole thing?¡±


    ¡°It''s complicated, as I described. Gods must be able to act within their sphere of influence without others simply negating it or it becomes a dangerous clash between the forces that govern reality. This is why the gods are bound by convoluted limitations.¡±


    ¡°Okay, but doesn''t that suggest that half the gods could be a scam? What if most of them don''t even exist and it''s just a small handful of them playing silly buggers? The whole pantheon could be one guy with the world''s most overelaborate puppet show.¡±


    ¡°There are rules that govern these things. Profoundly complicated ones. Every faith has its priests study the nuances of how the gods relate to one another. It¡¯s extremely complicated and nuanced. Deities have limitations that don¡¯t make sense to mortal sensibilities. What gods can do is impossible to the likes of us, but most people don¡¯t realise that the reverse is also true. The gods are the forces that govern our reality. We have freedoms in our relative weakness that are as unattainable to them as stopping the sun from rising is impossible to us. Understanding those limitations is a field of study that people sink lifetimes into.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ve undertaken that kind of study?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve dabbled. Every priest has at least some grounding in it. The point is that the relationships between the gods and the ways in which they balance each other out can be difficult to decipher.¡±


    ¡°Is this you taking a long time to say that you have no idea what¡¯s happening?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Carlos said. ¡°I think that I do know what''s happening. I just need you to understand that gods don''t relate to one another in the same ways that mortals do.¡±


    ¡°Sure. I¡¯ve dealt with Knowledge a bit, and seen that she has rules about what she can and can¡¯t tell people, even though she knows everything.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a very pertinent example, but I¡¯ll come back to that. The Ecumenical Council was convened by the churches to judge the behaviour of the Church of Purity once their collusion with the Cult of the Builder came to light. From there, it became increasingly clear that the church had been operating well outside their own dictates, and had been for some time.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re only talking about churches, not gods,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Because of the nature of divine interaction, it is always simpler to act using mortals as proxies. This is one of the key roles of every church. But I think there is more to it than that.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°The Ecumenical Council discovered that the Purity church¡¯s improprieties had been escalating over decades. Perhaps even centuries.¡±


    Jason thought about the intervention in his own world, centuries in the past.


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± he said.


    ¡°I have come to believe that one of the reasons that the churches were acting instead of the gods is that the gods had already dealt with Purity quite some time ago. You¡¯re familiar with the concept of sanctioning?¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s something transcendent beings do instead of killing. Beyond that, I have no idea.¡±


    ¡°No one does, but that understanding is enough for this explanation. I think that the gods may have already sanctioned Purity long before you or I were even born. But some rule, like what you described about the limits on what Knowledge could share, prevented the gods from telling their clergy what happened.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn''t the Purity people notice their god was missing? Also, Purity is still around. Lots of people have seen him in person when he manifests in temple districts across the whole planet. You think it was that deception god the whole time? Disguise, right?¡±


    ¡°Or perhaps Deceit. Either way, for the other gods to inform their clergy or the population at large would encroach on the domain of the deception god. Therefore, they would have been unable to do so.¡±


    ¡°And they what? Need someone like you to figure it out, because you¡¯re a mortal? You aren¡¯t bound to the same strictures and can shout it from the rooftops?¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Carlos said. ¡°I¡¯m convinced that I¡¯m right, but I¡¯m afraid of the ramifications. Just the Purity church being brought low was a massive upheaval. If the people realise that the gods knew that Purity was not even Purity for their entire lives, I don¡¯t know what will happen.¡±


    ¡°And people aren''t likely to respond well to an explanation that it''s very complicated and nuanced. They''ll start making snap judgements based on bad assumptions and whatever unscrupulous lies people tell that sound like simple answers.¡±


    ¡°The dark gods will do very well from this, yes,¡± Carlos said. ¡°I do not like the idea of my actions serving the god of Discord.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re a healer,¡± Jason told him. ¡°You know that sometimes you have to cut the bad parts away before the good parts can recover.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What does the Disguise god get out of this?¡±


    ¡°Many gods are antagonistic to one another and fall largely into two camps. One camp is made up of gods whose temples and churches you find anywhere in the world there are people. The others are the gods whose priests dwell in the hidden places. Gods who you pray to not because of something you want, but something you want to avoid. Pain, Discord, Deceit.¡±


    ¡°And these are the ones who make out great over this.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Discord, in particular.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s all bad news.¡±


    ¡°Not entirely,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Now that I know what has been happening, I also see what the other gods have been doing. Knowledge knows more than any of the other gods, and while she cannot share her knowledge, she has been raising forces in secret across the world, without even telling them what they are doing or why. This came to light only after people started investigating the Purity church and found Knowledge kept having her forces in the same locations. It was one of the things that helped me put the pieces together.¡±


    ¡°Using a loophole to drop clues,¡± Jason said. ¡°All these god rules make them seem like lawyers. American lawyers.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is.¡±


    ¡°So, what about the actual god of Purity?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I heard that if a god got sanctioned, a new one would come into being to fill the void.¡±


    ¡°That is my understanding as well,¡± Carlos said, ¡°but now we are into the realm where historical record gives way to myth and legend. Even assuming that a new god will appear, we have no idea how long that process takes. It could be a thousand years. Ten thousand years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s encouraging,¡± Jason said. ¡°Good luck dealing with all that. I¡¯m glad it¡¯s none of my affair.¡±


    ¡°Not your affair?¡± Carlos asked. ¡°The entire point of explaining all this is to show you how important it is that we do everything possible to deal with whatever this deception god has planned.¡±


    ¡°You means poking me with a stick while I heal up so you can find better ways to kill me.¡±


    ¡°To deal with the messengers, Jason.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t my responsibility.¡±


    ¡°How can you listen to everything I just said and choose to not act when there is something you can contribute?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll contribute. As an adventurer. I¡¯ll be happy to take any sensible contract to handle threats appropriate for silver-rankers to confront. But that¡¯s it. I¡¯m not going to let you help people design methods to more effectively murder me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a part of this, Jason. The church has come for you already.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ve been involved peripherally with the Purity church¡¯s affairs, but I¡¯m still on the outside of this fight. Purity ¨C or whoever it is ¨C may have accepted a contract hit on me, but it¡¯s clear at this point that his peons were more interested in using me as a distraction. They don¡¯t care about me; they¡¯re running out the clock until the Builder leaves, paying lip service to coming after me without ever seeing it through.¡±


    ¡°Jason, you have what is probably the leader of the Order of Redeeming Light somewhere in this building.¡±


    ¡°I have my friend¡¯s mum somewhere in this building.¡±


    ¡°You are in this Jason. And if you¡¯re not, you should be. The fact that you have anything to contribute means that you have the responsibility to do so.¡±


    Anger clouded Jason¡¯s expression.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about responsibility, Carlos. I¡¯m not responsible for dealing with your gods. I¡¯m a silver-ranker and I¡¯ve done my part standing up to worse than gods. I¡¯ve saved a planet. Twice. And it¡¯ll be once more before it stops trying to crack like an egg and disintegrate into the astral.¡±


    Jason¡¯s voice grew stronger, anger pushing him through the pain.


    ¡°I¡¯ve fought the Builder with a knife to stop a bunch of giant terraforming robots from wiping out a city full of people and kicking off an interdimensional invasion three years early. I¡¯ve saved tens of thousands of lives directly, and billions, if you count the world I keep saving. My soul has looked into the infinite and been pitted against an entity of such magnitude that the mortal mind lacks the capacity to comprehend its nature, let alone, scope.¡±


    Jason gritted his teeth, choking off a grunt of pain as he pushed himself to sit up straight to look directly at Carlos.


    ¡°I understand ramifications of what¡¯s at play here. I understand stakes and challenges. At this stage, a rogue counterfeit god tops out at ¡®not great¡¯ on my personal threat scale and I¡¯ll say this again: I¡¯m a silver-ranker. Yes, I¡¯ve been dragged into situations where I was the only one there to stand up and do the job, and I¡¯ve buggered it up a lot. But I did it because I was the only guy who could or would. But this time, there are people who can and will. People who aren¡¯t just some silver-ranker, and I am just some guy this time, Carlos. I¡¯m not the guy, which is a refreshing change. I loved the idea of being the hero right up until I was.¡±


    ¡°Not being at the centre of events doesn''t abrogate your responsibility to do what you can, Jason. As hard as it is, you don''t get to shirk that responsibility.¡±


    Jason sucked in a sharp, furious hiss of breath.


    ¡°Shirk my responsibility? I fought the Builder, Carlos. I fought him, I won, and I died doing it. And I¡¯ve fought this order of Purity or whoever''s really behind the curtain, and I''m lying here having almost died for my trouble. You told me yourself that it should have killed me. I¡¯m going to repeat myself one more time, Carlos, because it doesn¡¯t seem to be sinking in: I¡¯m a silver-ranker. Can you look me in the eye and tell me that it¡¯s my responsibility to fight armies of angels and a global network of fanatic terrorists?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Because you can. If you have the power to do something that can help, you have a moral obligation to do it.¡±


    Carlos stood as the stool he was sitting on suddenly sank into the floor. Jason¡¯s cloud chair did the same, tipping him into a standing position.


    ¡°Jason, don¡¯t¨C¡±


    ¡°Shut up,¡± Jason snarled, as he staggered, struggling to stay on his feet. He managed to stop stumbling and stand unsteadily in place, his alien eyes burning as they stared at Carlos. Jason ignored his nakedness, his body a pasty and emaciated wreckage. The scars covering his torso stood starkly prominent against his unnaturally pale skin.


    ¡°Jason you need to¨C¡±


    ¡°You think I haven¡¯t done enough?¡± Jason asked, his voice tomb-quiet. ¡°You¡¯re accusing me of shirking my responsibilities? Ask your friend Arabelle what I¡¯ve done. Ask Farrah. Ask your damn god; I bet he knows all about it.¡±


    Jason¡¯s voice was building as he talked through teeth gritted against the pain. His body was too weak to stand and he was circulating mana to stay upright, wracking his body with torment he fought through using distilled rage.


    ¡°Jason, you have a chance to contribute¨C¡±


    ¡°You think I haven¡¯t paid enough? Do you remember how we met, Carlos? Why you¡¯re in this room? Can you not see what¡¯s in front of your eyes?¡±


    Blue and orange light started gathering in the air behind Jason as blood started leaking from his eyes, still locked onto the healer. Carlos felt Jason¡¯s aura rising but it wasn¡¯t coming from Jason himself. It came from everywhere, like a rising tide, and Jason¡¯s voice rose with it. His aura battered against Carlos, who struggled to fend it off even with his gold rank aura.


    ¡°Jason, you¡¯re hurting yourself.¡±


    ¡°I always am. I owe you a lot for helping me when I needed it the most. But that also means you''ve seen just part of the price I¡¯ve paid for living up to my responsibilities. Look at me, Carlos. Look at the person you¡¯re asking to give more than he already has. Look at what it¡¯s done to me and look at what''s left. You want to use me again because of what I had to become in order to live up to that responsibility you keep talking about.¡±


    ¡°Jason, you need to lie down.¡±


    ¡°LOOK AT WHAT I AM!¡±


    Jason¡¯s words were carried on a wave of aura with actual physical force. It struck Carlos like a bat hitting a ball, bouncing him off a wall of black cloud-stuff suddenly hard as stone. While the impact was nothing to a gold-ranker, he was profoundly astonished and fell sprawled to the floor. Looking up in shock, he saw that Jason had collapsed to the floor.


    In the air above Jason''s fallen form, the blue and orange light that had been gathering behind him had coalesced an eye the size of a wagon. Carlos had seen it come into being just as the aura had thrown him across the room and he still felt its gaze on him. The room¡¯s aura closed on Carlos, squeezing him like a fist, but only for a moment before the eye started to dissipate. It swiftly dispersed into nothing and the force it exuded vanished with it, releasing its grip on Carlos.


    Carlos pushed himself to his feet, hurrying to examine Jason. He was unconscious and bleeding from his eyes and all of his scars as if they were fresh wounds. The room¡¯s savage aura dimmed enough that Carlos felt other presences in the room. He stood and turned to face them.


    The sinister shadow figure was the most ordinary of Jason¡¯s three familiars, all of whom were now lined up in front of him. The blood clone looked like Jason but, to Carlos'' aura senses, it felt less like a living thing than an unfathomable chasm of depthless hunger.


    As for the last familiar, it was an empty cloak draped over a smaller version of the same eye that had just vanished from the room. Carlos sensed something utterly alien, even compared to the ravening leech monster disguised as Jason. It felt to Carlos as if physical reality itself was an affront to the entity; as if it might annihilate the world for having the temerity to exist.


    It lacked anything close to the power to accomplish such a thing, just as the leech monster could not devour every living thing on the planet, despite feeling like that was its very purpose. The three familiars were all imposing on him with their auras, only silver rank but somehow combined and magnified by the cloud temple around him.


    People had been calling Jason¡¯s abode a cloud temple since its very public transformation, but that was because of its appearance. Carlos had paid it minimal mind, even after experiencing the aura inside. Now, however, he felt it. He wasn¡¯t in a place; he was in a territory. It belonged to someone on a level deeper than he could fathom and he had made that person it belonged to angry.


    ¡°It is time for you to go, Priest Quilido,¡± Shade, told him.


    ¡°I need to help him,¡± Carlos said, pointing at Jason on the floor.


    ¡°You¡¯ve helped enough,¡± Shade said. ¡°You took a man who has already paid the price for giving more than he had and you told him to give even more. Mr Asano has been working with Madam Arabelle to recover from living up to the responsibilities he took on when no one else would. It is unbecoming of a clergyman of the Healer to undo Madam Arabelle¡¯s work, Priest Quilido.¡±


    Shade raised an arm in Jason¡¯s direction and a cloud bed rose from the floor, picking up Jason. Colin moved to adjust him so he was lying comfortably.


    ¡°I was wondering if I could do that,¡± Shade said. ¡°I hesitated to experiment, with Mr Asano so weak and the building connected to him.¡±


    He turned back to Carlos.


    ¡°You need to leave before I start testing just how much control I can exert over this building. Go, and direct Madam Arabelle here at her earliest opportunity.¡±


    Carlos looked at the three familiars. He could feel the hostility pouring from all of them, somehow combined and magnified by the building. With a final glance at Jason, he walked to the door leading out of the room.


    ¡°Priest Quilido,¡± Shade called after him. ¡°Do be thorough in explaining to Madam Arabelle what you have done here.¡±

 Chapter 575: Quite a Lot of System Windows

    Carlos sat on a pew, head in his hands. He felt a warm hand rest on his shoulder.


    ¡°You aren¡¯t expected to be perfect, Carlos.¡±


    ¡°I hurt a man I was there to help because I was pushing him to help me kill, whatever I might have told him. And myself. What kind of a priest does that make me?¡±


    ¡°A human one. The power you wield might have changed you, Carlos, but you are still a mortal man. It¡¯s not unforgivable to be selfish or to make mistakes. What you have to do now is no secret. You accept what you¡¯ve done, make amends as best you can and you strive to do better, having learned from the experience.¡±


    ¡°He threw me across a room. With his aura. That¡¯s something they can do.¡±


    ¡°Is that why you pushed him so hard? Because he¡¯s like them?¡±


    ¡°I know he¡¯s not one of them.¡±


    ¡°In your head, yes. But your heart?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I¡¯m going to lose my way.¡±


    ¡°A fear that you and Jason Asano share. Perhaps, if you can put aside your feelings about the messengers, you can help each other find the paths you need to take.¡±


    Carlos looked around at the church service room, empty other than himself.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he whispered.


    ***


    Jason awoke, minimising the system windows that joined the others he had pushed aside the last time he came to after passing out somewhere. He was back in a cloud bed while Arabelle watched over him from an armchair.


    ¡°If you keep mothering me,¡± he said in an achy croak, ¡°then I¡¯m going to have to marry Rufus.¡±


    ¡°He could do better.¡±


    Jason laughed, bracing for the pain but found it surprisingly mild. In fact, he felt much better than he had before passing out.


    ¡°We told you that circulating your mana would accelerate recovery,¡± she told him. ¡°We perhaps should have said don¡¯t do it until you pass out, though.¡±


    ¡°I kind of hauled off on Carlos.¡±


    ¡°Do you feel bad about that?¡±


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a good man, but he gets caught up in looking to the future. If he sees a way to do good tomorrow, he sometimes overlooks the pain it takes today to get there.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I should be grateful he sees me as an agent instead of a victim. But he seemed pushier than what I remember. More driven. Has he run into the messengers before?¡±


    ¡°Yes. He lost people.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I know he¡¯s trying to do what¡¯s right. I also know how easy it is to convince yourself that you know what¡¯s right better than everyone else. I¡¯ve hurt people making that mistake as well.¡±


    ¡°You seem well balanced,¡± Arabelle told him. ¡°I was worried that you would regress.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a little fragile,¡± Jason said. ¡°But not like I was. If that conversation had come right after I got back from Earth, that would be a different story. But he poked a healing wound, not an open one.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m glad. But you and I are going to talk about this at length, later.¡±


    ¡°I know. But I¡¯m guessing you¡¯re busy with those Order of Redeeming Light people.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Carlos has been trying to figure out how to undo what has been done to them without killing them.¡±


    ¡°How is that going?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not. Trying to undo that kind of conversion, be it vampirism, vorger flesh abominations or anything else is something the Church of the Healer has pursued for centuries. Maybe millennia.¡±


    ¡°Maybe he¡¯ll learn something from these order members or Gibson Amouz that can finally crack it. Better chasing that than ways to kill messengers.¡±


    Arabelle nodded her firm agreement.


    ¡°I spoke briefly to Carlos about this, and will do so again. But I would appreciate you doing so as well. You know the feeling of having lost your way in the pursuit of worthwhile goals.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°¡®The road to hell is paved with good intentions,¡¯ is the saying in my world. I¡¯ll do what I can, but I could just make things worse.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a little like you,¡± she said. ¡°He can lose his way without the people around him to keep him on the path. He could use your insight, I think. And your understanding might help him avoid a bad road, be it through guilt or determination.¡±


    Arabelle got to her feet.


    ¡°I¡¯m assuming the hell at the end of this road you mentioned is not a good destination.¡±


    ¡°It does have all the good music,¡± Jason said.


    ***


    Left alone to rest, Jason finally turned to the system windows he had been pushing aside each time he regained consciousness.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite a lot of system windows,¡± he murmured to himself and started pulling them up in order.


    You have drawn power from a [Reality Core] to make your soul produce higher-rank mana.Your body and soul form a non-binary gestalt.Your gestalt being is producing abnormal mana.Backlash from using abnormal mana will be distributed across your gestalt being, dispersing the level of harm.


    ¡°I remember that one.¡±


    You are attempting to use [Incomplete Portal Gate]. Attempt has failed.You are forcibly applying abnormal mana to [Incomplete Portal Gate]. This will result in harm to your gestalt being.


    ¡°And that one.¡±


    You have opened a portal using an unstable medium. You are forcibly maintaining stability using large amounts of high-grade mana. Backlash from high-grade mana and harm from using an incomplete function of the cloud flask are both increased.


    ¡°This is where it starts getting blurry.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, you are talking to yourself again,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking to you. It¡¯s a normal thing.¡±


    ¡°You sensed my presence?¡±


    ¡°Honestly, no. All I can feel is kind of a pointy tingle. If I try to move or use mana it becomes a very pointy tingle.¡±


    ¡°Neither ¡®pointy¡¯ nor ¡®tingle¡¯ are words one should use if they wish to be a person of decorum, Mr Asano, especially in conjunction with one another.¡±


    ¡°Because ¡®pointy tingle¡¯ sounds like there¡¯s something wrong with your¨C¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason grinned as he pulled up the next system window.


    You have opened a gate to your spirit realm. The abnormal mana being produced by your gestalt being has sealed the gate. End abnormal mana production to release the gate.


    ¡°I think I remember this. Did I get chucked across the room?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano.¡±


    The next system window was an event log of messages about his body breaking down, interspersed with increasingly drastic actions taken to keep him alive. His grin turned into a rictus as he skimmed his way down, accessing a scroll bar that indicated the list was extremely long.


    ¡°Cut off my arms and legs?¡± he read.


    ¡°We wanted to cut off your head, Mr Asano, but you were unlikely to survive it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a concept that really requires explanation, Shade. It¡¯s fairly safe to assume that if you cut someone¡¯s head off, it¡¯ll kill them.¡±


    ¡°We have postulated that you could potentially survive, with Colin¡¯s assistance.¡±


    ¡°Postulate meaning guess. I¡¯m not going to check if I can survive decapitation, even if I¡¯m guessing that I can. Also, I''d need to be in good condition for that scenario. Good for someone who doesn¡¯t have a head anymore, obviously. I was not in good condition.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we did not risk it.¡±


    Things at the bottom of the event log started getting strange. Some of the lines were written in an ideographic language that even his power to read what he thought were all languages couldn¡¯t translate. Just making the attempt gave him a headache and sent the mana in his body cascading, triggering a sharp pain. Once it subsided, he made no further attempt to read it, skimming ahead to where normal language started appearing again.


    You have attempted to establish a spirit domain.You have already exceeded the maximum total spirit domain area.You are of insufficient rank relative to the local ambient magic to establish a spirit domain.You have failed to establish a spirit domain.All mana used in the attempt to form a spirit domain has been expended.


    After that came more of the ideographs that he didn¡¯t attempt to decipher, skimming down once more. This time the lines of incomprehensible language went on for excessive length. Even just skimming them Jason was getting a headache, but he also got a sense of familiarity from them that for some reason he instinctively associated with Gordon.


    You have attuned your body to resonate with the local dimensional membrane.The physical emphasis of your gestalt being causing its physical/spiritual imbalance has been rectified.Your ability to sense astral forces has increased.You have forcibly unsealed the restricted effect of the title [Reality Hegemon].


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason said as he scrolled through screen after screen of the impenetrable ideographs. ¡°What did Gordon do?¡±


    ¡°I am uncertain.¡±


    Jason went back to scrolling through the alien script until he finally reached the end.


    Restrictions on [Fundament Gate] and [Firmament Bridge] have been removed.[Fundament Gate] has been broken down.[Fundament Core] has been added to your inventory.[Fundamental Realm Authority Token] has been added to your inventory.Your ability to control magic under the influence of [Builder] through the [Fundament Gate] has been lost.Your ability to access the fundamental realm of physical realities has been lost.[Firmament Bridge] has been broken down.[Firmament Core] has been added to your inventory.[Firmamental Bridge Anchor] has been added to your inventory.Your ability to create astral constructs through the [Firmament Bridge] has been lost.[Firmament Bridge] was a requirement for the [Incomplete Portal Gate] component of your [Cloud Flask]. [Incomplete Portal Gate] is no longer functional.


    ¡°Uh, I think that might be bad.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°I think my spirit realm just ate the things I needed to build the bridge linking Pallimustus and Earth. You know, the one that I have to build so that Earth doesn''t become increasingly unstable and ultimately break down and be washed into oblivion."


    ¡°That does sound less than ideal, Mr Asano. Perhaps some of the other system windows will offer a solution.¡±


    Jason pulled up the next window as Shade suggested.


    You have an incomplete spirit realm. [Fundament Core] will automatically be consumed to establish an [Astral Throne].Your rank is insufficient to establish [Astral Throne].Abnormal mana being produced from your gestalt form is sufficient to establish [Astral Throne].[Fundament Core] has been consumed to establish [Astral Throne].You have an incomplete spirit realm. [Firmament Core] will automatically be consumed to establish an [Astral Gate].Your rank is insufficient to establish [Astral Gate].Abnormal mana being produced from your gestalt form is sufficient to establish [Astral Gate].[Firmament Core] has been consumed to establish [Astral Gate].


    ¡°Okay, I have no idea what any of that means. Shade, have you ever heard of an astral throne?¡±


    ¡°Oh dear.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s a yes. What about an astral gate?¡±


    ¡°I suppose it makes sense to have them both. Oh my.¡±


    ¡°Can you tell me about them?¡±


    ¡°That is probably a conversation best saved for when you can access your spirit realm, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Can they help me solve my dissolving planet problem?


    ¡°Perhaps the astral gate is a possibility, but this is not my field and it would be irresponsible of me to make any guesses as to the likelihood of that being the case. I believe that Hierophant Dawn is the correct person to pose those questions to.¡±


    There were still more system windows and Jason pulled the next one up, hoping it had something to assure him that he hadn¡¯t doomed the Earth. Unfortunately, they were all just notifications of things he already knew, like when his cloud house reflexively altered its form and when his body ¨C which it kept calling his gestalt being ¨C stopped producing abnormal mana.


    ¡°I think I need to talk with Dawn,¡± Jason said. ¡°Do you think she¡¯ll be cranky that I ate the magic bridge?¡±


    ¡°She gave you an object of great power and you used it to do something absurd, Mr Asano. If she failed to anticipate that by this stage, the shortcoming is hers.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly true, but what I asked is if she¡¯ll be cranky.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano. I do believe she will.¡±

 Chapter 576: Reasons to Quietly Dread

    Jason¡¯s body was rigid and tense, trembling with pain as he channelled mana, teeth gritted and fists clenched. Forcefully cycling mana through the matrix that was the magical framework on which his body was built accelerated Jason¡¯s recovery. This made the massive quantities of mana required to form new bodies for Shade the perfect physical and magical therapy.


    Jason let about a groan of relief as a new Shade body manifested and he could finally take a pause. His whole body slumped as he let himself settle deeper into the plush recliner that enfolded him like an armchair made of marshmallows. The cloud-substance it was made from was fluffy white with blue and orange embellishments, much like the rest of the room. Another exercise Jason was using was modifying the cloud house, although he¡¯d only done his recovery room thus far.


    ¡°One more?¡± he asked with a strained voice.


    ¡°No, that¡¯s enough for now,¡± Neil told him. ¡°Pushing yourself to an appropriate level and then getting back to it after a rest will be better for your recovery than going until you pass out. Farrah made me promise not to let you overdo it, and she was right to do so. Most people try to slack off through a process this painful, not keep going.¡±


    ¡°Pain¡¯s been a companion longer than you have, Neil. I like you more.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you find me to be a better companion than excruciating pain. That¡¯s very gratifying.¡±


    ¡°Oh, definitely,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re in the top twenty for sure.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m in the top twenty companions in a six-person team?¡±


    ¡°Thirteen person team, when you count familiars, then there¡¯s Rufus and his team, Alejandro Albericci¨C¡±


    ¡°Who?¡±


    ¡°The guy who put my new wardrobe together.¡±


    ¡°The tailor counts as a companion?¡±


    ¡°I wear his work everywhere. Then there¡¯s Clive¡¯s wife.¡±


    ¡°Clive¡¯s wife is imaginary!¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said, shaking his head sadly. ¡°Poor bloke. But that¡¯s why she¡¯s barely above you.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re talking this much nonsense,¡± Neil said, ¡°You¡¯re clearly getting back to your old self. Gods help us. I¡¯m going to leave you to rest.¡±


    As Neil reached the door, Jason called his name. As it lacked the usual joking tone, it arrested Neil¡¯s attention.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said softly.


    ¡°It¡¯s my role,¡± Neil told him.


    ¡°Yeah, well, you do it well.¡±


    ***


    Jason hobbled in a slow circle around the room, grateful for the soft floor under his aching feet.


    ¡°Shade, how is it that I can handle flooding my body with pain, but can barely put up with sore feet?¡±


    ¡°As I find myself at a loss to answer within the bounds of polite conversation, Mr Asano, I shall decline to answer.¡±


    ¡°Shade, did you just call me a wuss?¡±


    ¡°I quite explicitly didn¡¯t call you anything, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we both know the inferences you conjure up are more deadly than the swords Humphrey does.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason returned to the recliner at the centre of the room, wanting to collapse but lowering himself slowly.


    ¡°Shade, now that I¡¯m recovering, albeit slowly, my senses are starting to return. I couldn¡¯t even tell what was going on with myself, at first. Now I¡¯m starting to come to grips with the changes I¡¯ve gone through, and I think I know why I¡¯ve been feeling some uncharacteristic awkwardness from you.¡±


    ¡°My apologies, Mr Asano. You should not be getting additional problems from me when you are already have enough to¨C¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t owe me apologies or explanations, Shade. I¡¯ve had to deal with a lot over the last few years, and none of that would have been possible without you. Did your dad send you to me just so I could free the souls trapped inside the flesh abominations, or was it because of the larger concerns involving the World-Phoenix and the Builder?¡±


    ¡°I honestly do not know.¡±


    ¡°Did you get the option of saying no?¡±


    "I did. My¡­ what you might call siblings, are not curious by nature. Their interests begin and end in serving the Reaper. They only accept a position as a familiar if it serves the Reaper''s interests. I am an outlier in having been a familiar so many times through my desire to explore the cosmos."


    ¡°Which is why being bound to that astral space for all that time must have been bloody awful for you. Nowhere to go and with no more companions than the vorger and the tormented souls trapped inside flesh monsters.¡±


    ¡°That was only a short time, in the scope of my existence, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but time doesn¡¯t go faster just because you have a lot of it. But I guess that¡¯s why you didn¡¯t make the same choice as Colin and Gordon. I¡¯m the latest in a long line of people you¡¯ve had as a summoner, and there¡¯ll be many more after. You¡¯re kind of like Doctor Who and I¡¯m one of your companions.¡±


    Shade didn¡¯t respond, Jason feeling the awkwardness in his familiar¡¯s aura growing.


    ¡°It¡¯s alright Shade. I mostly brought it up because I want to understand what is happening. I can feel that my bond with Colin and Gordon is stronger and I can feel that they both chose that. I¡¯m not sure how or why it happened, though.¡±


    ¡°It is because of the changes in your spirit realm, Mr Asano. The astral throne and the astral gate in your spirit realm will give you much greater control over the spirit domains you have formed. As you are aware, you created the ones you already have by accident.¡±


    ¡°This is starting get confusing,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It will only become more complicated, Mr Asano. Your spirit realm is the reality that exists inside you and your power is, for any practical intent, absolute. Your spirit domains are the territories you have claimed spiritually, imprinting your authority on. The one in Slovakia and the one in France.¡±


    ¡°I never intended to. I just wanted the transformation zones to not blast a hole in the side of the universe and wipe out the planet.¡±


    ¡°Nonetheless, Mr Asano, those territories were claimed. But they are crude, like a bowl made with bare hands from river clay. An astral throne and an astral gate are the sculpting tools, the potter''s wheel and the kiln you need to transform the crude clay into an immaculate bowl."


    ¡°And that somehow allows my familiars to grow a deeper bond with me?¡±


    ¡°The astral throne gives you the power to create avatars within your spirit domains. You were already doing this unconsciously, although I was unsure what was happening until you informed me that you possessed an astral throne. Your familiars are automatically invited to bond themselves to you as avatars. I felt the draw but was uncertain as to its source.¡±


    ¡°What kind of bond are we talking, exactly?¡±


    ¡°A permanent one, Mr Asano. A summoned familiar is only connected to you for as long as the summoned vessel lasts. With each new vessel you call up, be it because the old one was destroyed or you¡¯ve ranked up, the familiar can choose to let some other astral entity occupy the vessel. The vessel will have the same powers, but the entity within will be a different one.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°I appreciate that you three have all stuck with me through some fairly wonky events. Is quitting as a familiar common? I can¡¯t help thinking about Noreth.¡±


    Noreth, who Jason had most known as Mr North, had come to Jason¡¯s world as the familiar to a returning outworlder, the Network founder. After centuries together and an ideological falling out, the bond had been severed and Noreth ended up selling out his former bond companion. The Network founder had been captured by the United States branches of the very organisation he had founded, leading to the USA becoming dominant within the wider Network.


    ¡°Summoned familiars rarely end their tenure with such acrimony, even when there is a falling out," Shade explained. "The connection is not as integral as with a bonded familiar, and the summoned familiar is rarely in true danger through inhabiting a vessel. The vessel being destroyed costs them little beyond time and annoyance. Most familiars stay with the summoner throughout the summoner¡¯s life unless there is a major divergence of principle. To serve as a familiar gives us power, especially as the familiar of a high-ranker.¡±


    ¡°What kind of power are you getting, exactly?¡±


    ¡°Trying to explain the nature of a purely astral existence to a physical entity is not possible. Even with your insight into astral forces, physical entities lack the capacity to conceptualise a manner of existence that involves no physical reality at all. Pure magic is too alien, its principles too fluid. You simply just aren''t equipped to conceive of the concepts involved, let alone, comprehend them. Trying to explain them would be like trying to get a pebble to appreciate poetry or you to be quietly anonymous.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s hilarious.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, we are in a clifftop temple you build to yourself while unconscious and projecting a kilometre high image of your inner soul.¡±


    ¡°That was an accident.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano, but you do seem rather accident-prone.¡±


    ¡°How about we go back to talking about familiar bonds.¡±


    ¡°Very wise, Mr Asano. As I explained, an astral throne allows you to form avatars, but they are restricted to your spirit domains. But others bonded to you can deepen that bond to also serve as avatars, allowing them to be your agents outside of your spirit domains. But that bond is forever. Colin and Gordon accepted that bond the moment it became available.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I understand why you didn¡¯t,¡± Jason said. ¡°If anything, I don¡¯t understand why Colin and Gordon jumped in so quickly. You¡¯re all so old I can¡¯t even comprehend it, and we¡¯ve only known each other a few short years. Shade, I know you feel awkward about not taking that bond, but there¡¯s no need. With everything you¡¯ve done for me, you¡¯ve earned more gratitude than I¡¯ll ever be able to pay back. Even if you choose to not return, the next time I summon a vessel, that¡¯s okay. You¡¯ll still be my friend and that¡¯s the only expectation I have of you.¡±


    Shade stood in silence for a long time before finally speaking.


    ¡°You do not have to pay me back for any gratitude you feel, Mr Asano. Friends do not count favours.¡±


    Jason grinned.


    ¡°Good. Now, let¡¯s talk about how you missed that I¡¯d picked up an astral throne. With all your knowledge, between the weird guys the cloud house was producing and the bond call, shouldn¡¯t someone as experienced and knowledgeable as you have realised?¡±


    ¡°That you obtained an astral throne in the middle of attempting to not explode? No, Mr Asano. That is utterly absurd, even by your standards.¡±


    ***


    Jason had several reasons to quietly dread Dawn arriving for a talk. One was that he strongly suspected that it would be the last time he saw her in a long time, if not forever. He''d had his fill of extended separations from his friends and had no interest in going through it again, but of course, Dawn could not stay. Aside from having her own responsibilities, the power disparity was far too great for her to be slumming it with Jason and his companions. She was no longer a silver-rank avatar that could fight side-by-side with Farrah.


    Another reason was that he was worried about the reaction, not of Dawn, but of her boss to the destruction of the artefacts Jason had absorbed into his soul. Now they were broken down entirely, their power fully absorbed and their original purposes rendered non-functional. There was no telling what that meant for the World-Phoenix''s agenda and what it would do to Jason as a result.


    Related to this was the fear that Jason had doomed the Earth to destruction. He didn¡¯t believe the great astral beings would allow that to happen just because of an inconsequential entity like Jason, but they could also just cut their losses and move on. What was a single planet to them beyond one of a trillion, trillion pawns in a game so vast that Jason couldn¡¯t even see the square he was positioned on?


    Jason was unsure about what was to come, but he suspected it would hinge on the two items in his inventory that had been looted from the destruction of the artefacts. He''d looked at them many times since he''d gotten strong enough to open his inventory and read the descriptions, although he was still too weak to move objects in or out. He opened his inventory yet again to reread the description of the first item.


    Item: [Fundamental Realm Authority Token] (transcendent rank, unavailable)


    Symbol of authorisation to modify physical reality (decree, token).


    This item is bound to [Jason Asano] and can only be used by [Jason Asano] and [Zithis Carrow Vayel].Effect: Gives the wielder the authority to open gates to the fundamental realm of any physical reality.


    Many things about the description left Jason wondering. From the description, it gave him the authority to access the underlying foundations of reality; the strange realm where reality cores could be picked up like cabbages and the fundamental aspects of the universe could be modified. It was a place he had accessed many times on Earth, undoing the damage the Network founder had done centuries before.


    Similar work needed to be done in Pallimustus as well, albeit on a smaller scale. It was necessary to build the bridge that would save the Earth, but the authority to enter that realm wasn¡¯t enough. It didn¡¯t matter if he was allowed to open the gates if he lacked the power to do so. That ability had been lost by destroying the magic door artefact in his soul; the same one from which the token he now looked at had been looted.


    There was also the rank of the item. Even the transcendent rank items he had seen in the past were listed as legendary, but this one listed the rarity as unavailable. That suggested he really wasn¡¯t meant to have it, which made him wonder who would be coming to take it away.


    The last thing was the name, Zithis Carrow Vayel. The item was bound to Jason because he had looted it; because and the thing he looted it from was a part of his soul, or a bit of both. That left the question of who this Zithis person was and why they could use it as well. Jason was hoping it was the name of the Network founder who had gone to Earth centuries before, using the magic door Jason had ultimately absorbed to set in motion the events Jason was attempting to bring an end to.


    It didn¡¯t strike Jason as a very Earth-like name, even for ye olden days. That was a strike against it, as the founder had been a returned outworlder, like himself. Jason hoped he was wrong, though, because he could only think of one other alternative. If it was the original name of the Builder, from when he was a mortal, Jason didn¡¯t imagine knowing it would bode well for him in general. For all he knew, the great astral beings would collectively annihilate him for peeking behind the curtain at one of their number.


    Jason looked at the other item, which was largely obscured.


    Item: [Firmamental Bridge Anchor] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    ???. (consumable, ???).


    Effect: ???.Uses remaining: 1/1


    The familiar obfuscation was comforting. In the past, he''d been annoyed about transcendent items having their descriptions hidden from him, but having one revealed only made him feel worse. Seeing the question marks in the descriptions suddenly felt like putting on a comfy woollen jumper he found after thinking he''d lost it.


    Looking at the question marks, suddenly his head spiked with pain, like when he''d tried reading the strange, alien script that had been in his event log. Suddenly Jason had a very bad feeling. He always knew that his translation power was why his system boxes appeared in English, but he suddenly started wondering if the reason he couldn''t read the descriptions was really that his power rank was too low. He''d always assumed his rank being low and the items being high was the cause, but now he had a sneaking new suspicion.


    Perhaps the reason it didn¡¯t translate was that the descriptions were in the strange, alien text. Was it the language of the great astral beings? Could he read the Builder-derived items because the Builder wasn¡¯t a native great astral being but an ascended mortal?


    ¡°Bloody hell,¡± Jason muttered as he closed his inventory. He hated that these were the kinds of questions he was asking himself, and was back to dreading Dawn giving him the answers.

 Chapter 577: Authority

    Dawn¡¯s dimensional vehicle, a garden cottage inside an orb, approached Jason¡¯s cloud building. Standing at the edge of the garden, Dawn looked at the building that was now an architectural chimera of fluffy white cloud house and stark, black temple. Despite being unable to extend her senses into the building and check on Jason, she had stayed away since warning his friends. She had gone further than she intended with them, fearing she had left enough pieces for them to turn suspicion into certainty. That could spell disaster for Jason when the time came.


    As for the reason Dawn had become involved in affairs in the first place, things were going well. Jason had done something insane and almost gotten himself killed, but that was inevitable. It was the reason she had bargained for a single chance to intervene, even if she then spent it protecting the Storm Kingdom instead.


    From a strategic perspective, she would have been better off losing the battle to win the war, as the survival of Rimaros was not required for the World-Phoenix¡¯s agenda to reach fruition. While she might be a servant of the World-Phoenix, however, she was still her own person, which was an independence the World-Phoenix valued in its servants. The World-Phoenix had selected Dawn to watch over Jason for this very reason; to help her to reconnect with her fading mortality.


    Dawn was forced to admit that whatever forces he was involved with and powers he accrued, Jason was unrepentantly mortal. Immortality had led her to push aside the individual moments and the small pleasures. This strange man had grounded her, reminding her of how to live in the moment instead of looking only to the infinite distance. She had made impractical choices she never would have before, yet could not find it in herself to regret them.


    Flying down from her dimensional vessel in the sky, Dawn alighted in front of the strange cloud building, on the grass between the building and the river. It had been largely churned to mud by the many feet that had surrounded the cloud house when events were at their most dramatic but, like Jason, the grass was slowly recovering. She walked towards the open arch leading inside, satisfied that her task for the World-Phoenix was almost done. Jason would ride out the rest of the monster surge in recovery, unable to give her any more outrageous surprises.


    ***


    ¡°What do you mean, you extra-absorbed them?¡± Dawn asked.


    She was sitting in a simple, firm cloud construct chair while Jason was sprawled in a large, soft one that looked like a throne made of pudding.


    ¡°Well,¡± he said, looking sheepish. ¡°You know how I absorbed the Builder¡¯s magic door when I was only meant to use it, and then you used that as a basis for the magic bridge I was supposed to absorb?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said, her voice heavy with suspicion.


    ¡°They were clanking around in my soul, doing their respective tasks, which is fine, I guess. But then, you know, stuff happened. And in the course of stuff happening, the two magic things kinds of got¡­ broken down for parts.¡±


    ¡°Broken down for parts?¡±


    ¡°And looted.¡±


    ¡°Looted?¡±


    ¡°When you just keep repeating what I say in an increasingly angry tone, it makes me think that you¡¯re angry.¡±


    ¡°Jason, what did you do?¡±


    ¡°That same thing I always do! I almost got killed, weird stuff happened and now I have to deal with it to save the world.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that the bridge you need to build and the door you need to build it are gone.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yep.¡±


    Dawn closed her eyes and rubbed her temples.


    ¡°I didn''t think diamond-rankers could get headaches,¡± she muttered.


    ¡°I imagine it''s psychosomatic, given the control essence users have over their autonomic¡­¡±


    Jason trailed off as Dawn¡¯s eyes opened to glare at him.


    ¡°Rhetorical question, fair enough,¡± he said.


    Hunched over, looking down at the floor, she spoke quietly, her voice weary.


    ¡°Tell me exactly what happened,¡± she instructed. ¡°Those objects both possessed vast amounts of power, along with other things that someone of your rank has no place knowing even exist.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I kind of figured that out. Good news: I managed to loot an item from each that can probably help with building a magic bridge. I reckon the bunch of the stuff I¡¯m not meant to know about went into those items instead of back into my soul. I figure they weren¡¯t really meant to be there in the first place, so my soul spat them back out.¡±


    ¡°What items?¡±


    ¡°One is called a firmament bridge anchor. It sounds like exactly what we need. After all, the bridge is partly built already. What we need to do is anchor it on this side, right.¡±


    Some of the tension left Dawn''s shoulders.


    ¡°That''s not what I would call good,¡± she said, ¡°but it''s not an unmitigated disaster. It complicates things, but it at least gives you a path forward. More importantly, it doesn''t give you something you shouldn''t have.¡±


    Jason¡¯s thoughts immediately drifted to the astral throne and astral gate residing in his spirit realm, still unexamined.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± he asked lightly.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to tell you something that is far above your position in the power hierarchy of reality, Jason, although it is something you have been hovering around the edge of for some time. You know that the great astral beings make deals with one another. They have done so over you.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°The key to this is authority. To the great astral beings, authority is a much more expansive concept than it is to you or even to me. It does have the usual definition as a right to exercise power, but to them, it is also power itself, and far more than that. To a great astral being, authority is not just the right to act but the strength to. It is a currency to be paid and bargained with; a resource to be consumed. It is who they are, what they are and what they do. A god embodies a singular conception and remains essentially unchanging so long as the concept doesn¡¯t change. A god of the rivers will be altered if all the rivers dry up, but does not change as the waters pass into the sea. Compared to this, great astral beings are more transactional in their power, their areas of influence and even their very essence. They deal in pacts and bargains, with authority as coin of the realm.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely sure I follow.¡±


    ¡°Nor should you. If you claimed you did, you would either be a liar or simply wrong.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying the Dao that can be spoken is not the true Dao?¡±


    ¡°Something like that. I wouldn¡¯t have expected religion from you.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m full of surprises, me.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn agreed in a disagreeable tone. ¡°You are.¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°The important thing you need to understand,¡± she continued, not letting him sidetrack her further, ¡°is that the authority of great astral beings is not just what they have or what they use but what they are. Authority is their flesh and blood. Their DNA. Their souls.¡±


    ¡°They can trade their souls in chunks?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Is that why the Builder keeps getting away with crap he really shouldn¡¯t? He started off mortal instead of being made of this super authority, so the idea of pushing the boundaries of a deal or ignoring the authority of another isn¡¯t so alien?¡±


    ¡°I cannot say for certain, but it seems likely. But that is not what is important.¡±


    ¡°You realise that the very concept of transactional authority essentially means corruption, right?¡±


    ¡°Be careful where you tread, Asano.¡±


    ¡°The artefacts,¡± Jason said, his voice rising half an octave in his rush to change the subject. ¡°They had some of that authority in them, didn¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said. ¡°And that was acceptable, even in your soul, so long as those artefacts were operating as intended. The door was never meant to be absorbed, but part of the deal to provide the bridge resolved that. Using the bridge would have eliminated the authority within the door and within itself once your task was complete.¡±


    ¡°And now the authority is in these items I¡¯ve looted and the programming your boss and Builder put is gone? I basically reformatted the computers they built, stripped them down for parts and bunked off with all the RAM sticks? Now I¡¯m running around loose with all the power of that authority, like a monkey with an assault rifle.¡±


    ¡°That monstrous chimera of an analogy is not entirely inaccurate. Somehow.¡±


    ¡°So, why aren¡¯t there diamond-rank leg-breakers coming to take the super authority back?¡±


    ¡°Because the great astral beings don¡¯t know what you¡¯ve done yet. You have yet to leave your spirit domain.¡±


    ¡°They really can¡¯t see in here, then. Good to know.¡±


    ¡°Show me the items,¡± Dawn told him. ¡°If the authority they hold truly has been condensed from the artefacts, it¡¯s likely it took the form of items because ungoverned authority held by you might kill you.¡±


    ¡°Might?¡±


    ¡°It may surprise you, Mr Asano, to learn that this is my first time seeing a silver-ranker running around with unattended chunks of great astral being power. I¡¯m not entirely sure what will happen.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t going to tolerate me having any of their secret sauce though, are they?¡±


    ¡°No, Jason. They will not. It will be unacceptable to any of them, not just the World-Phoenix and the Builder. I suspect you may be safe from the World-Phoenix, however, if the item you looted from the bridge is what I think. We should start with you showing me these items.¡±


    Jason invited Dawn to a party so he could display his inventory through the party interface power.


    ¡°Can you read the description?¡± Jason asked her of the Firmamental Bridge Anchor.


    ¡°No, but I know this item. As I hoped, it¡¯s something you can use to establish the bridge, and doing so will consume the authority in the item. The great astral beings will have no qualms with you possessing it because it remains single-use by nature. Once the task you have is fulfilled, the authority will be spent and gone. There will be problems with using it, compared to the bridge you destroyed to get it, but we can look at those later.¡±


    Jason pulled up the description of the other item, the fundamental realm authority token.


    ¡°This is a problem,¡± Dawn said immediately. ¡°You can¡¯t have this.¡±


    ¡°I kind of had a feeling.¡±


    ¡°You will need to give it back. You do have some leverage, however.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°The fact that you have this is a major demonstration of the Builder¡¯s failure. Your inconsequential stature means that all the blame for any of his authority falling into your hands is entirely placed on him.¡±


    ¡°But they''ll still shred me into my component particles for having it though, won''t they?¡±


    ¡°Yes, which is why you need to give it back. But because the Builder is in an awkward position, you can ask for some concessions from him.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give it some thought,¡± he said. ¡°The great astral beings will know I have this as soon as I take it outside, right?¡±


    ¡°Or when I go outside. The World-Phoenix will know because I know.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough, but let¡¯s put a pin in that and swing back to the complications with establishing the bridge. While I¡¯m glad I didn¡¯t ruin the whole plan, surely I put a dent in it. Starting with the fact that even if I didn''t give away this authority thing of the Builder''s, I don''t have a way back into the fundamental realm-space. I guess that''s the first concession I ask for.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That is a problem with an easy solution, as you only need access once to establish the anchor. The larger problem is the bridge itself.¡±


    ¡°I have the magic thing. You just said I could keep it.¡±


    ¡°That can anchor the bridge, but you still need to complete its construction. The bridge items I gave you would allow to you do that task, but now you will need to find a way to construct it yourself.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you show me how to do that?¡±


    ¡°Jason, my grasp of astral magic is formidable, but you have taken an already intricate situation and made it considerably worse. It may surprise you to learn that my expertise does not extend to building a bridge between a pair of worlds illicitly modified from the creation of their respective universes and connected through a link that was then tampered with and left to grow unstable over the course of centuries until those modifications were mostly undone by someone who barely understands what he¡¯s doing and then used the link as a basis to build half of an astral bridge he also doesn¡¯t understand with a magical artefact he accidentally digested and now can¡¯t use to finish the job.¡±


    ¡°So, ¡®no,¡¯ is what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°That is correct, Jason,¡± she said, biting off each word like they were the heads of small animals. ¡°I¡¯m saying no.¡±


    ¡°Good thing you don''t breathe or that would have been rough. Still, you have a plan, right? I mean, I could make a plan, but you''ve probably heard about my plans. It''s usually a two-steps-forward-one-step-back scenario. And the last step is onto a landmine.¡±


    ¡°As always seems to be the case with you, Jason, you are both the problem and the solution.¡±


    ¡°Which is what''s going on with my plans, which I personally think¨C¡±


    ¡°The messengers,¡± Dawn said, cutting him off.


    ¡°The messengers?¡±


    ¡°The messengers are the best practitioners of dimensional magic that I am aware of. I suspect that much of the magic that the Builder cult has been using comes from them, as part of whatever bargain brought them to this world.¡±


    ¡°And they have the magic I need?¡±


    ¡°Their strongest magic ¨C the magic that allows them to stage invasions across dimensions ¨C is predicated on the trait that makes them unique as a species,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°Dimensional travel is exceedingly difficult. The reason the messengers can do it so well is that their gestalt bodies can endure dimensional forces that even others with astral affinities, like celestines, cannot. This means that they can afford to travel via dimensional magic that other species would not survive.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that their knowledge of dimensional magic is high, but their dimensional magic is crude.¡±


    ¡°Crude?¡± Dawn asked. ¡°We¡¯re talking about dimensional magic that silver-rankers can use. That transport thousands of people between realities. You have no idea of the refinement required to perform that kind of magic with any less power than the magical equivalent of a sun.¡±


    ¡°Alright then,¡± Jason said. ¡°They know their stuff. You think their theories will help be repair this bridge?¡±


    ¡°You should hope so,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Otherwise, the World-Phoenix will be forced to take more forceful measures.¡±


    ¡°Meaning what?¡±


    ¡°Meaning that after what you accomplished on Earth, she can send people to fix this. If she does, however, it will not be with finesse. Imagine preventing a teacup from falling off a shelf by drilling a hole in it and bolting it to the wall.¡±


    ¡°I take it that Earth is the teacup?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Your boss doesn¡¯t have anyone with finesse?¡±


    ¡°She doesn''t have anyone steeped in this from the beginning. Like it or not, Jason, your fingerprints are all over the half-completed astral bridge. It''s such a mess now that anyone else will have to bulldoze what''s there and build over the top.¡±


    ¡°Then how do I get these messengers to teach me their magic?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. As far as I am aware, they won¡¯t. Fortunately, this world is currently host to a great number of them.¡±


    ¡°Which is awfully convenient. If they weren¡¯t around, you¡¯d send me off on some other errand that would probably kill me, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. But as they are here, you can ask them for access to their magic.¡±


    ¡°By which you mean ¡®beat them up and take whatever magic theory they have so Clive and I can reverse engineer it,¡¯¡± Jason said.


    ¡°See?¡± Dawn asked. ¡°You¡¯re on the right path already.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s terrific. Fighting some interdimensional threat in order to save the Earth because a bunch of transcendent beings have been messing with it. And of course, they refuse to help fix it because of their own nonsense rules or just being pricks in general. I can¡¯t possibly imagine what that¡¯ll be like.¡±


    ¡°Sarcasm doesn¡¯t become you, Jason. You lack Neil¡¯s bitter flair.¡±


    Jason pushed himself out of the chair, reached for an object in his inventory and pulled it out. He snarled through the pain as he circulated his mana to do so until it appeared in his hand. A brown stone tablet, it had an image of a world engraved into it and no other features.


    ¡°Ow. I knew pulling stuff out of my inventory would sting to buggery.¡±


    Jason started hobbling towards the door.


    ¡°Where are you going?¡± Dawn asked as she followed.


    ¡°To give this back,¡± he said. ¡°You said I have to. Should give the people still watching this place a good show.¡±


    ¡°We should discuss what you¡¯re going to ask for.¡±


    ¡°I know what I¡¯m going to ask for.¡±


    ¡°I can help you¨C¡±


    ¡°No, you can''t, Dawn. We both know that.¡±


    He flashed her a bright smile.


    ¡°You''ve helped me too many times already. I know you''ve been pushing the boundaries of whatever deals you''ve been making.¡±


    ¡°So has the Builder.¡±


    ¡°But will your boss let you get away with what he does?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she admitted.


    ¡°I have to deal with the Builder, Dawn. I have to handle the messengers and I have to save the world. Again. And that¡¯s okay. Interdimensional heroics are kind of my thing.¡±


    She let out an exasperated groan as she followed Jason¡¯s slow progress down the main stairs of the temple.


    ¡°You''ll have to leave your spirit domain for the great astral beings to sense that manifested authority you''re holding. Be careful what you say outside of your domain because there will be many eavesdroppers.¡±


    They reached the open arch that marked the edge of the cloud temple and Jason''s spirit domain. Jason paused at the threshold.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he said. ¡°So, I step out and wait for some Builder lackey to turn up and repo this thing?¡±


    ¡°Essentially, yes.¡±


    ¡°And we can¡¯t discuss anything delicate outside of the spirit domain?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°Good to know. By the way, I have an astral throne and astral gate now.¡±


    Jason stepped out of his spirit domain.


    ¡°WHAT?¡±

 Chapter 578: The Kind of Pain I’m Used To

    Jason Asano¡¯s cloud house was currently part house and part dark temple; not a clean division but a disorienting mismatch of pieces. It was as if someone had taken the shattered remnants of two very different buildings and assembled a new one from what they could salvage. This was the result of Jason slowly transforming the building from the state it had been left in after the events that transformed it and Jason both.


    Jason had almost killed himself again in a move that was characteristically extravagant, self-destructive and desperate. To rescue his team and a group of civilians trapped in a mine below the sea floor, he had used the cloud house and his own body to channel forces that the house could handle but he could not. Only the frenzied intervention of friends and a number of peculiarities about Jason himself allowed him to survive at all, and the repercussions were heavy. The process had been more than a little overt, and now there were observers stationed near the cloud house, discreetly watching.


    The damage to Jason ran soul deep; well beyond the ability of healing magic to repair. Recovery was a combination of time and exercising the mana in his magical body. Just circulating his mana to move around exacted a pain that was more than physical, being akin to a soul attack. If he hadn¡¯t long ago endured far worse, he would have had trouble functioning at all.


    Jason pushed himself more and more with each passing day, since using magic accelerated his recovery. The more he could take the pain, the faster he would get back to full strength, and one thing Jason could do was take pain. Whether physical or spiritual, it was something with which he had become intimately familiar since magic¡¯s arrival into his life.


    Always preferring to do a single task for multiple ends, one of Jason¡¯s most frequent magical exercises was reshaping his cloud house, turning it from an ominous black temple into a friendly, fluffy house made of clouds. It was still a work in progress, leading to the house¡¯s current unusual state.


    Jason had been alternate dreading and anticipating a visit from his diamond-rank friend, Dawn. When finally turned up, they discussed the ramifications of what he¡¯d done to himself and what his future held, once he¡¯d recovered. In particular, they discussed one of the side effects of the magical event: Jason coming into possession of a certain object.


    Great astral beings were the most powerful entities in the cosmos, and the nature of both themselves and their power was known as authority. After breaking down an item created by such a being, Jason know had a piece of that power, physically manifested. It was only the barest sliver, but it came from an entity whose core purpose was to make new universes, so even that meagre amount was transcendently potent.


    It was not the kind of object that should be in the hands of Dawn, who was at the peak of mortal power, let alone, Jason. She had made it clear that he needed to get rid of it before someone came to do it for him and, to her surprise, he agreed. Caught off guard by Jason making the sensible choice, she hadn¡¯t stopped him before he marched outside of the sanctuary of his cloud house.


    Jason¡¯s cloud house was one of his spirit domains. He didn¡¯t have a full grasp of what a spirit domain was, exactly, since Dawn and Shade both refused to tell him, purportedly for his own good. Even so, simply possessing a spirit domain gave him a certain level of inherent understanding. He knew spirit domains were somehow related to power beyond that which mortals normally possessed. It was similar to the inner sanctuaries of temples to the gods, and inside his spirit domain, even gods could not spy on him. It was as if his spirit domain was territory from which they were excluded.


    Once he was outside of his spirit domain cloud house, gods and great astral beings would immediately know about the sliver of authority in his possession. Knowing that they would not tolerate him keeping it, he settled in to wait for them to send someone along.


    Dawn warned Jason not to speak of anything too delicate outside of his spirit domain. It would shield them from eavesdroppers both divine and otherwise, with many observers still watching the cloud house. Following that warning, Jason quickly mentioned something to Dawn that he didn¡¯t want to get yelled at about before stepping out of the spirit domain and onto the lawn in front of his cloud house.


    Dawn was still standing in the archway entrance.


    ¡°You realise I can just yell at you from here, right?¡± she asked him.


    Jason concentrated, grunting with pain as he used his magic. The spirit domain shrank into the building just enough to leave Dawn standing outside of it.


    ¡°You think you¡¯re funny, don¡¯t you?¡± she asked.


    He grinned, although the lingering pain showed in his eyes.


    ¡°Yeah. And so do you.¡±


    She shook her head, not denying it as she stepped out to join him on the lawn. They made an odd pair, standing side by side. She had an elegant white dress and hair like delicate strings of rubies, sparkling in the sun. He was emaciated and hunched over like a retiree. He was also dressed like one, in a floral shirt and tan shorts, as if he¡¯d wandered off from his warm-climate retirement community.


    The cloud house was on a clifftop, close to a river that spilled over the edge to the lagoon below. There was an invisible magical barrier running along the cliff, keeping children ¨C or their parents who had a few too many to drink ¨C from going over the side.


    It was a beautiful spot to spend a warm, tropical day. Wisps of cloud spilled from the flask-amulet around Jason¡¯s neck and took the shape of a floating couch, complete with a shade to keep the sun off. It was a minor use of magic, paining him barely enough to elicit a wince.


    ¡°I thought I was used to pain,¡± he said, settling on the couch. ¡°I¡¯ve been impaled, burned with acid spit and had limbs chopped off. Completely off, and I¡¯ve gotten used to it. This pain is something else, though.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because your soul and your body are no longer separate things,¡± Dawn said, sitting down next to him. ¡°It¡¯s just one thing, now, and you went and ruined it. That shouldn¡¯t even be possible, but if only one lunatic will find a way, you¡¯re the lunatic for the job.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a trendsetter.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suicidal.¡±


    ¡°I am not suicidal. I don¡¯t try to get myself killed. It just kind of happens.¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t have avoided any of those deaths, then?¡± Dawn asked lightly.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not fair. I definitely couldn¡¯t have avoided the first one. My crappy apartment got sucked through a dimensional rift. And the second and third deaths were heroic sacrifices, thank you very much. Do you know what happens when you don¡¯t turn up for the heroic sacrifice? The bad guys are all ¡®where¡¯d he go?¡¯ ¡®I think he bunked off.¡¯ ¡®Great, lets blow up that city full of people.¡¯ And then a city gets blown up or some gold-rank monster arrives in it before the civilians have time to evacuate.¡±


    ¡°What about when Shako killed you?¡±


    ¡°The Builder¡¯s henchman-in-chief? That guy sucks. He¡¯s diamond-rank. Killing me was just petty.¡±


    ¡°You did mouth off at him.¡±


    Jason slapped his forehead in exaggerated realisation.


    ¡°Of course! I was rude to him. That totally justified murdering me.¡±


    ¡°What did you expect him to do?¡±


    ¡°His job. The Builder didn¡¯t send him there to kill me.¡±


    Dawn suddenly stood up, moving out from under the shade to look up. Jason made the shade vanish with a wave of his hand to follow her gaze. He spotted a man with pale skin, a shock of red hair and brown robes, descending from the sky.


    ¡°He didn¡¯t send me to kill you this time either Asano¡± Shako said. ¡°But let¡¯s see where the day takes us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you have got to be kidding,¡± Jason complained. ¡°I thought you took care of the ginger Jedi.¡±


    ¡°So did I,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say some scary lady took him away?¡±


    ¡°Carmen of the Sundered Throne,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Which is who of what exactly?¡±


    ¡°That is the concern of those who walk the upper echelons of the cosmos, Asano,¡± Shako said as he landed lightly on the ground in front of them. ¡°It is not something you need to know.¡±


    ¡°That excuse went out the window the moment the bosses of you two started playing ¡®blow up the planet,¡¯ with me as the meeple.¡±


    ¡°Pawns do not get to question kings, Asano.¡±


    Jason pushed himself out of the chair with a groan, like an old man.


    ¡°I¡¯m so tired of this,¡± he said. ¡°Once upon a time, I¡¯d have said something pithy about pawns reaching the other side of the board and getting promoted. You¡¯d look down on me, and then, somewhere down the line, you and I would get into some conflict. Again. And I¡¯d get my arse kicked. Again. But I¡¯d get what I want and you wouldn¡¯t. Again. But I¡¯m past tired of that game and I don¡¯t even care how you crawled out of whatever hole they threw you in.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be here, Shako. No one should be seeing you for a very long time, even by our standards.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m only on a furlough,¡± Shako explained. ¡°The Builder made a proposal and the Sundered Throne accepted. Preparations for the Prime Vessel that will succeed me have not been completed, so I was required in order to channel the Builder without killing the vessel. Which is something you apparently care about, Asano.¡±


    ¡°What proposal does the Builder have?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°You know how things are with great astral beings,¡± Shako said. ¡°Everything is striking bargains and making pacts.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s because of the authority,¡± Dawn realised, talking to herself rather than Shako. ¡°The Sundered Throne doesn¡¯t want it in the hands of a mortal.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shako said. ¡°Hand it over, Asano. Or are you refusing?¡±


    Dawn¡¯s head jerked to warn Jason but he held up a hand to forestall her.


    ¡°I know better than to answer that,¡± Jason assured her. He then hobbled right into Shako¡¯s personal space, craning his neck to look at the taller man.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have any authority, do you Shako? Maybe you lug around a little for your boss, or used to, at least. But you¡¯ve never had any of your own, have you?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. It is not my place.¡±


    ¡°Well, I do have some,¡± Jason said, plucking a brown marble tablet out of his inventory, grunting as the magic circulating in his body to do so pained him.


    Shako moved faster than Jason could think, his hand shooting out for the tablet. Dawn moved to intervene but Shako was closer. The moment Shako¡¯s hand touched the tablet he was thrown away so fast it created a sonic boom. Jason was also tossed back, not by the same power as Shako but simply the backwash of the diamond-ranker¡¯s forced departure. He was hammered into the all of his cloud house.


    Shako was blasted through the clifftop safety barrier as if it wasn¡¯t there, the air shimmering along the cliff in a wave as the magic collapsed. It was designed to stop children and drunk people from falling off, not a diamond-ranker thrown by an even greater power.


    Wind kicked like a squall from the raw speed of Shako being thrown away, making waves of the surface of the river and rattling windows of the nearby houses. Dawn rushed to check on Jason who had been pushed into the soft white wall of his cloud house like a strawberry into a cream cake.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he told her as he pushed himself out of the cloud wall. He turned to look at the Jason-shaped hole it as it slowly filled back in. ¡°I feel like a cartoon character.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said, his voice strained and gravely. ¡°This is the kind of pain I¡¯m used to.¡±


    ¡°What was that?¡± Dawn asked, turning to look where Shako had shot off.


    ¡°Authority,¡± Jason said, looking over at the tablet in the grass where he dropped it. ¡°Have you ever tried to steal authority?¡±


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Well, now you know what happens if you do.¡±


    ¡°Did you know what would happen when you took it out?¡±


    ¡°I could feel it,¡± Jason said. ¡°From the moment I accepted that it belonged to me. Shako could no more take it from me than he could burn down the cosmos.¡± Jason held out his hand and the tablet flew into it, like an obedient child coming home.


    Shako reappeared, flying through the air to land in front of them.


    ¡°You should have known better,¡± Jason told him. ¡°That isn¡¯t the kind of power you can just take.¡±


    ¡°That power doesn¡¯t belong to you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re getting punted halfway across the ocean says differently. Now, they sent you specifically for a reason. Get your boss on the line.¡±


    ¡°He can¡¯t,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Sending Shako here was pointless. There¡¯s a pact in place, meaning the Builder isn¡¯t allowed to use vessels here.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s used them before, deal or no deal,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The Builder has only spoken through vessels,¡± Shako said in defence of his master. ¡°The ones you saw were not used for anything.¡±


    ¡°Speaking is a thing,¡± Jason said. ¡°But your boss pushing boundaries of the deals he makes isn¡¯t the point. The point is that I¡¯m giving him permission.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not your permission to give,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°It is today,¡± Jason said. ¡°And get your boss here too, while we¡¯re at it. I like you, Dawn, but it¡¯s time I spoke with your manager.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get to dictate to great astral beings,¡± Shako admonished, his tone that of an exasperated adult talking to a child.


    ¡°No?¡± Jason snarled, holding up the tablet. ¡°Then lets see how much damage I can do with this before one of you kills me.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have the¨C¡±


    ¡°Shut up Shako!¡± Dawn yelled. ¡°Are you seriously going to test the resolve of a man who sacrificed his only resurrection rather than let you walk over him?¡±


    Shako grimaced but remained silent.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± Jason said. ¡°Get your bosses here.¡±


    ¡°Jason, I wasn¡¯t just saying it when I said that isn¡¯t your permission to give. There is a pact in place that governs those rules.¡±


    ¡°And pacts are about trading authority, right?¡± Jason asked and tossed the tablet back onto the ground. ¡°I just so happen to have some, burning a hole in my pocket.¡±

 Chapter 579: A New Man

    ¡°You are breathtakingly presumptuous,¡± Shako told Jason.


    ¡°Of course I am,¡± Jason told him. ¡°Have you not been paying attention?¡±


    Jason and the two dimension-travelling diamond-rankers were talking outside of his cloud house. Jason couldn¡¯t sense the various eavesdroppers from the local factions because of his injured state, but he knew they were listening avidly.


    ¡°Jason, this isn¡¯t how it works,¡± Dawn told him. ¡°You can¡¯t just join in a pact between great astral beings.¡±


    ¡°No? Then what are you two even doing here? Look at you both. Former prime vessels of two different great astral beings, and you¡¯re hanging out with the likes of me. They apparently even let this guy out of space jail so his boss could have a chat.¡±


    ¡°Speaking with a great astral being is one thing, Jason, but placing yourself in their circle is another. Shako is right; it¡¯s a height of presumption that I never imagined anyone reaching.¡±


    ¡°Tough,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m sick of being a meeple in the board game of some sky wizards.¡±


    Jason grimaced from the pain of using his mana as the wall behind him opened up to reveal the room inside. He stepped into the room and the tablet containing the authority taken from the Builder leapt from where he had tossed it on the grass, into his hand.


    ¡°I know your bosses won¡¯t let me keep this,¡± he said. ¡°But I don¡¯t think they can take it without killing me, either. So, if they want to come to the table and talk, knock on my door. Otherwise, I need to get rid of this, so I¡¯m going to see what I can do with it.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Dawn said, frustration mixing with worry in her expression. ¡°That would be a bad idea if you were in full health, let alone, now.¡±


    The wall closed again, separating Jason from the others. The diamond-rankers knew there was nothing to do but wait for directions from their respective masters.


    ¡°You¡¯re starting to see why I killed him, aren¡¯t you?¡± Shako asked.


    ¡°Sending you here has only complicated things further,¡± she said. ¡°Jason is tricky to deal with at the best of times, without getting you involved. What can the Builder possibly have to say, and why would the Sundered Throne allow it when there is a pact in place?¡±


    ¡°Does your great astral being consult you on its intentions? Mine just tells me what to do. It told me to come here and speak to you and Asano, not what it has to say or why.¡±


    ¡°Me as well?¡±


    ¡°Yes. What is the World-Phoenix telling you?¡±


    ¡°To convince Asano not to listen to you or the Builder, and then leave.¡±


    ¡°Is that what you¡¯re going to do?¡±


    ¡°I could. If I asked Jason, as his friend, to not hear the Builder out and send you away, he would.¡±


    ¡°Will you?¡±


    ¡°No. Because he knows that I would be doing it for the World-Phoenix and not for him, and that¡¯s not how it works with friends.¡±


    ¡°Are you really telling me that child is a friend? You¡¯ve had assignments that lasted longer than his entire life. You¡¯ve finished walking the path. You¡¯re a bestowal of authority away from true transcendence and leaving the last of your mortality behind.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly the point, Shako. The World-Phoenix knew that I was not as ready as I had believed. I needed to reconnect with my mortality in order to realise what I would be giving up. And it was right; I wasn¡¯t ready. I¡¯m still not.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not, then what hope do the rest of us have?¡±


    ¡°Forever is a long time, Shako. In the scale of the cosmos, we are no less children than Jason. That is why he and I can be friends. He is very good at showing you the joys of the short-lived.¡±


    ¡°If you say so. If you can¡¯t do what the World-Phoenix asked of you, what will happen?¡±


    ¡°The World-Phoenix trusts my judgement. And I have moved past my time as a prime vessel; I am a hierophant, now. While I continue to serve, I no longer stand amongst the servants. I am my own agent, choosing my own path. Sometimes that means serving my own ends, and not just those of the World-Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°Something to look forward to,¡± Shako said. ¡°My time as the prime vessel came to an end early, but when I am done here I will return to the Sundered Throne¡¯s confinement. I will not join the ranks of the hierophants for a very long time.¡±


    He smiled, weary but hopeful.


    ¡°At least these events will be behind us.¡±


    ¡°Why does Asano irk you so much? I know that Asano¡¯s aura is like a taunt, but surely you aren¡¯t so weak-minded as to let that govern you.¡±


    ¡°Asano¡¯s aura is no longer repellent,¡± Shako said. ¡°The Fundament Gate he took from the Builder is gone. Sensing his aura is no longer like scraping a nail down a chalkboard. But can you really tell me that this jumped-up mortal doesn¡¯t irk you?¡±


    ¡°We are all still mortal, Shako. At least a little. But there has to be more to it than that.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shako said. ¡°Far more to it. You know how it is when the great being¡¯s influence leaks through to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But what makes the Builder¡­¡±


    Dawn trailed off.


    ¡°That¡¯s why not,¡± Shako said. ¡°The World-Phoenix just told you not to ask, didn¡¯t it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said with a frown. ¡°It¡¯s keeping things from me. I know there are things that are not mine to know, but this feels different. Like deception.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Shako said. ¡°I believe I¡¯ve figured out why the Builder sent me here. It wants me to explain something to you and Asano, but knows the World-Phoenix won¡¯t let me. So it will take the chance of reclaiming the lost authority to do so itself. Your World-Phoenix can¡¯t stop that because Asano won¡¯t listen to it. But he¡¯ll listen to you, so it told you to stop me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to do that,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The privilege of being a Hierophant is that I do not have to put aside my own principles anymore. I have the power to say no. But I won¡¯t go against the World-Phoenix entirely. I won¡¯t stop you from speaking with Asano, but I won¡¯t listen to what your master has to say, either.¡±


    The pair shared a long look, each realising that their masters had decided on how to go forward.


    ¡°Or maybe I will,¡± Dawn said.


    ***


    Inside the cloud house, Dawn found Jason sprawled on a cloud couch, his face twisted as he waited for the pain to fade. Dawn gave him a flat look and he slung his legs off, making room for her to sit beside him.


    ¡°What did you do?¡± she asked as she settled into the fluffy cloud furniture.


    ¡°I tried to open up the portal to my spirit realm.¡±


    Jason¡¯s spirit domain was the area over which he held dominion. This included the cloud house, as well as two areas back on Earth. His spirit realm, was a linked but separate concept. An otherworldly pocket reality, it shared many traits of an astral space, but existed within Jason himself; not in terms of location but by being an aspect of his soul.


    Originally, the spirit realm had been an almost metaphorical space of the spirit, in which only Jason and his familiars could enter. When Jason¡¯s body and soul merged to become an entity both physical and spiritual, his spirit realm took on physical properties, allowing others to enter, like an astral space. Operating between what did and didn¡¯t exist, it was utterly inviolable and only accessible through portals opened by Jason himself.


    ¡°What did I tell you?¡± Dawn scolded. ¡°With the state you are in, your spirit realm will be a ruin right now. There¡¯s no telling what damage you could suffer if you actually managed to open it.¡±


    ¡°You may have noticed,¡± Jason said through gritted teeth, ¡°that my days of being a small fish in a very big pond are coming to a middle. I keep jumping hurdles, certain that over the next one will be some mythical realm where I¡¯m not constantly confronted with powers that could annihilate me in a heartbeat. Except that every hurdle turns out to be a cliff and I just fall down deeper.¡±


    ¡°Jason¨C¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m done telling myself they¡¯re hurdles, Dawn. I¡¯m done feeling sorry for myself and looking for some future that will never come. I¡¯m going to jump off every damn cliff that comes my way, eyes open. It¡¯s long past time to nut up and accept that it¡¯s never going to change until I can tell people like you and Shako and the creepy space monsters you work for to climb on their bikes and pedal off.¡±


    Dawn sighed, looking at him with pity.


    ¡°Good,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯d like to tell you it won¡¯t always be like this, but we both know better. You¡¯ll get a respite, but what comes after will be worse. I still can¡¯t tell you what it is, and you may come to hate me for that. But you¡¯ve already lost, and you don¡¯t realise that you¡¯ve been fighting this whole time.¡±


    She bowed her head.


    ¡°Were you really going to try and use the authority?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a movie I quite like,¡± Jason said. ¡°You know what genetic engineering is, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°This movie is set in a time where the first generation of designer children have grown up and all but displaced ordinary people in the workplace. The superior people¡­¡±


    Jason pointed at Dawn.


    ¡°¡­have all but completely displaced the vanilla humans.¡±


    He pointed at himself.


    ¡°Jason¨C¡±


    ¡°Just listen to the story. Those who were strong got everything, and the others weren¡¯t even given a chance to try. The story centres on a man who was conceived in the old way, while his younger brother was genetically refined to be superior. As the two brothers grew up, they would play a game where they would swim as far as they could into the water, and whoever turned back first would lose. The point was that they had to make sure they had enough energy to make it back to shore when they finally turned around If they pushed too hard, they might get exhausted and drown.¡±


    ¡°Jason¨C¡±


    ¡°I said listen to the story.¡±


    ¡°I know the story, Jason. The only time the weaker brother ever won was when he decided to keep going, without saving anything to swim back. You¡¯re talking about the resolve it requires to beat those who have every advantage over you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen Gattaca?¡±


    ¡°I saw it with you. Your sister made blue coconut daiquiris and her husband sketched out how to modify an insulin pump to work as a discreet urine delivery system.¡±


    ¡°Oh yeah. That was a good night.¡±


    ¡°I get what you¡¯re saying, Jason. That for someone like you to beat out someone like Shako, you have to be willing to go further.¡±


    ¡°People like you and Shako can see right through my aura. He¡¯s got the stronger hand, but the only way I can bluff him is to not bluff. I have to be willing to commit, regardless of the consequences, if I want him to put down his cards and do what I need him to do.¡±


    Dawn let out a resigned sigh.


    ¡°You know this is why powerful people keep dragging you into things, right? It¡¯s not that you do things others can¡¯t. It¡¯s that you do things others won¡¯t. When you first passed through the deep astral, your soul trailing along the link between your world and this one, the World-Phoenix gave you a tablet. It was one of countless seeds planted to move this situation in the direction it wanted. You¡¯re the seed that sprouted, and your continued growth in the face of harsh conditions is why so many beings are paying attention to what remains a frail, fragile sapling.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure that¡¯s flattering.¡±


    ¡°Jason, there are very few people I¡¯ve encountered that I would consider truly remarkable. Genuinely, just a few. A man who conquered a world obsessed with war using only his words. A woman who became diamond rank barely ten years older than you are now. A man who confronts great astral beings with so little power it may as well be none and he keeps winning anyway; reshaping worlds and claiming power that should belong to the gods.¡±


    She gave him a bright-but-sad smile, her ruby eyes sparkling.


    ¡°After you lose the fight to come, doing anything about it afterwards is impossible. But I¡¯ve watched you do the impossible before. You¡¯re already like nothing I¡¯ve ever seen. All the things you¡¯ve been through have made you powerful in ways that are more than just essence abilities. I¡¯m going to leave you, soon, but I want you to keep devouring whatever the cosmos throws at you and turning whatever they try and stop you with into strength.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about this mysterious danger that you and Noreth keep refusing to tell me about.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You have no chance to succeed at what lies ahead of you, Jason. But I want you to anyway. I have no idea how, but that¡¯s your area. The best I can do is give you the chance to figure that out.¡±


    Jason turned to Dawn and clasped her in a hug. She was startled; such a simple gesture but she hadn¡¯t felt such simple, physical reassurance since long before Jason was born.


    ¡°You have a lot of magic, don¡¯t you?¡± he asked her. ¡°You¡¯re very tingly.¡±


    Dawn¡¯s laughter was like water being release from a burst dam, the tension spilling out of her to relieve the pressure.


    ***


    Jason and Dawn both looked refreshed as they came down the stairs of the cloud house. The stairs and large gothic arch were a remnant of the dark temple state the cloud house had been in and they walked out looking almost like different people. Jason especially was a new man in a casual but elegant white suit, from the collection made for him by Alejandro Albericci. No longer hunched, he moved slowly but casually, his characteristic look of general amusement once more in place.


    Walking down the stairs by his side, Dawn had also made an outfit change, to a simple, yellow summer dress. Her brilliant red hair was no longer shining like fire, instead spilling down her back in a rich, dark auburn.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t expect that to help my recovery so much,¡± Jason said. ¡°Did you know that would happen?¡±


    ¡°I did not. I feel a little strange.¡±


    ¡°Of course you do. That¡¯s the Jason Asano guarantee.¡±


    She gave him a sideways look and he threw his head back, laughing. Shako looked up at them from just outside the arch, at the edge of Jason¡¯s spirit domain.


    ¡°Did you stop for lunch? You were meant to go in and bring him back out.¡±


    ¡°Which I did,¡± Dawn said as she and Jason arrived in front of Shako. ¡°And yes, we stopped for lunch.¡±


    Jason pulled a plate from his inventory, which contained steaming, ring-shaped objects in a deep-fried crust and sprinkled liberally with white and brown powder.


    ¡°Argy fruit fritters,¡± Jason said. ¡°A personal twist on a local favourite. The powder is smoked and ground Calcat root and desiccated, powdered gleamberries. The result is quite similar to cinnamon sugar, but with more of a rich, earthy taste.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not here to eat,¡± Shako said.


    ¡°Shako, show some graciousness and let the man be a host.¡±


    Shako looked startled for a moment.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said, to Jason¡¯s surprise. ¡°You are, indeed the host, Mr Asano, and some proprieties should be observed.


    He took one of the fritters, holding and biting into it in an oddly delicate manner. His eyebrows went up.


    ¡°This is not entirely terrible.¡±

 Chapter 580: Negotiating Position

    While Dawn and Shako stood eating fritters from the plate he had handed over to Dawn, Jason prepared for his imminent discussion. A floor of white cloud substance extended from the wall of the cloud house, covering the grass like a plush carpet. Three chairs rose up, facing each other in a triangle formation, with a small table in the middle. Each participant claimed a chair, the plate going onto the table.


    Jason had extended the area outside of the spirit domain that made up the interior of his cloud house. He was unsure if the great astral beings could still possess their vessels, Dawn and Shako, within its confines. He had no intention of finding out, having an instinctive understanding that inviting them inside was something that would be extremely dangerous to him.


    Jason mused on the nature of exclusion and domain, which he was increasingly realising was a fundamental aspect of magic. Even the most powerful beings in the cosmos could not violate the sanctity of a soul, even one belonging to the weakest and most lowly mortal. Similarly, Jason¡¯s spirit domain was able to exclude beings powerful enough to annihilate the planets his domains rested on.


    ¡°The Builder has agreed to meet with you and discuss the nature of the pact,¡± Shako told Jason.


    ¡°As has the World-Phoenix,¡± Dawn added.


    ¡°And what of the Reaper?¡± Jason asked. ¡°He was part of this pact, right?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know,¡± Dawn said. ¡°He is aware of this discussion and will send a representative or not. So long as the Builder and the World-Phoenix agree and it doesn¡¯t affect the Reaper¡¯s interests, the pact can be amended without the Reaper¡¯s involvement.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, what can I expect?¡±


    ¡°What you see will not be us, and it will not be the great astral beings,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°It will be the great astral beings through us; neither us nor them, yet somehow both. Something new, created by a middle state between mortal and transcendent.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I met the Thadwick version of the Builder. Still a petty tool bag, but better at hiding it, at least. How do we start?¡±


    In an instant, the body language of Dawn and Shako shifted. Shako went stiff, his posture rigid. Dawn became more languid, rolling her neck and shoulder with a slight grunt. Shako¡¯s eyes had become dark brown orbs, while Dawn¡¯s now swirled with yellow and orange, glowing like fire. Jason¡¯s senses were not at their best, but there was no mistaking the power of the auras now exuding from their bodies. Being so close to them, contained within their vessels, felt like being in front of a nuclear reactor, behind a safety screen. The power within was contained but, if unleashed, would trigger a level of annihilation that would change maps.


    Jason hadn¡¯t felt that level of power when he met the Builder previously, when he used Thadwick as a vessel. He was unsure if that was a factor of Thadwick being a far weaker vessel or Jason¡¯s aura senses at the time being undeveloped. Compared to that time, both Jason¡¯s senses and the Builder¡¯s vessel were orders of magnitude more powerful.


    Jason was holding the tablet containing the authority taken from the Builder in his hand. The power of the tablet was his, and even more so, it was somehow him. It was a part him, but a deadly part, like a cancer. The sensation of threat had been growing from the moment he claimed it and had reached a point that was beginning to feel dangerous.


    Just possessing authority was something he was not ready for, and would likely destroy him if he didn¡¯t get rid of it in relatively short order. He suspected that this was what burned through vessels so quickly, but at least this was not an intruding force, like being possessed by a great astral being. It truly belonged to him, so it wasn¡¯t devouring him like an aggressive parasite.


    Jason felt the authority react to the two great astral beings possessing Dawn and Shako. It resonated with them, giving Jason insights into how authority, and the great astral beings that were made of it, functioned. He suspected he was no more meant to have that knowledge than the power that made it possible.


    ¡°Lets not bugger about,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t keep this thing and you can¡¯t let me keep it. But I just can¡¯t give it up either, can I? That¡¯s what your boy Shako didn¡¯t understand: that it has to be traded. You really need to better inform your staff. Hold some meetings. Workflow synergy, that kind of stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± the Builder said, his voice like the grinding of stone. ¡°Authority must be traded.¡±


    ¡°I have to say, you¡¯re much more impressive in your own car,¡± Jason told him. ¡°Last time I saw you it was a rental, and that thing was clapped out.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you just say you weren¡¯t going to bugger about?¡± The World-Phoenix asked.


    Jason looked her up and down, his expression surprised but not dissatisfied.


    ¡°I lie frequently and transparently,¡± he told her. ¡°You¡¯re a lot more sultry than I expected. You¡¯ve really dug out the fun side Dawn keeps locked away, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Dawn is my former prime vessel,¡± The World-Phoenix said. ¡°Even the most powerful and well-prepared vessel can only contain a shard of my being for so long before it starts to break down. This will likely be the last time my servant ever channels me, and elements of her mind and soul may become prominent in ways they otherwise would not.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯m honoured,¡± Jason said with uncharacteristic sincerity. ¡°Whatever you and I have going on, serving you means a lot to her.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to ply me with sentiment, Asano. I don¡¯t care about your feelings.¡±


    ¡°But Dawn does, and of the two of you, she¡¯s the one I actually care about.¡±


    A smile curled the corner of The World-Phoenix¡¯s lips.


    ¡°She became more attached to you than anticipated. I thank you for reminding her of her mortality.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re welcome. But while she and I are friends, you and I have an arrangement predicated on mutual benefits and shared agendas.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You have proven a viable means to forestall the worst ramifications of what the Builder¡¯s predecessor has done.¡±


    ¡°And you organised for me and my friend to come back to life. Thank you for that.¡±


    ¡°I am at the limit of what I can accomplish in that regard. I helped direct the changes you have gone through, but those changes are beyond my influence, now. What you do with that power is for you to decide. The consequences of those decisions are for you to endure.¡±


    ¡°I know. The buck stops here. This guy owes me a life, though.¡±


    ¡°I owe you nothing,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°Your bloke slapped my head off while running errands for you.¡±


    ¡°He was punished. A price was paid.¡±


    ¡°Not to me.¡±


    Jason¡¯s words were soft yet the world seemed to tremble. The cloud house behind him rapidly shifted as a portion of Jason¡¯s authority was consumed to change it. It was unintentional on Jason¡¯s part; a reflexive action made in quiet anger, and the price was high. Jason felt like his inside were on fire.


    The house shifted from an architectural chimera to a looming pagoda made of dark crystal. Within the crystal, blue, gold and silver light swirled and sparkled. It was the same design that existed at the heart of his permanent spirit domains, on Earth.


    ¡°You should not be spending your authority,¡± The Builder said impassively.


    ¡°No kidding,¡± Jason growled through gritted teeth as his fingers dug into the armrests of his cloud chair. His whole body felt like it was on fire and he realised that he was his own vessel.


    ¡°Are you able to continue?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason croaked. ¡°That was rough, but I¡¯ve had worse. Ask this guy about how we met.¡±


    ¡°You need to trade that power away,¡± The Builder said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± agreed.


    ¡°You¡¯re not in much of a negotiating position, Asano,¡± The World-Phoenix told him.


    ¡°But I am in a negotiating position.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± The World-Phoenix acknowledged. ¡°At your rank, that is relatively unusual.¡±


    ¡°Only unusual?¡±


    ¡°You may have stumbled across a little of our power, but the cosmos is still more vast than you can comprehend. You¡¯re not that special.¡±


    ¡°You sound like my mum. But I have a seat at the table, now.¡±


    ¡°And now that you do,¡± Builder said, ¡°what is it that you want?¡±


    ¡°A few things. Nothing big for the likes of you, but big for the likes of me. Then you get my tiny scrap of authority and I get to not have it melt me.¡±


    ¡°State your requests,¡± The Builder said.


    ¡°I need to finish what I started,¡± Jason said. ¡°But I¡¯m going to need a little assistance because I broke your toys.¡±


    ¡°Reckless,¡± the Builder said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not the one who broke the planet. That was one of your lot sodding about, and I¡¯m the fool you roped in to clean up your messes. So maybe keep your dismissive comments to yourself.¡±


    ¡°That was my predecessor.¡±


    ¡°And task one should have been fixing the reason you got the job in the first place, yet here we are. I have a plan to figure out finishing the dimensional bridge, but I can¡¯t access the fundamental realm to mess with reality and anchor it anymore. I need someone to open the way for me. Just once, when the time comes.¡±


    ¡°Acceptable,¡± The Builder said.


    ¡°Acceptable,¡± The World-Phoenix echoed.


    ¡°Great, making progress,¡± Jason said and turned his gaze on the Builder. ¡°The next thing is about your forces on this planet. I want them gone. Today.¡±


    ¡°The fragment of authority you hold is not enough that you can dictate my actions.¡±


    ¡°Your boy killed me. Then he tried to do it again.¡±


    ¡°That has been resolved.¡±


    ¡°You paid a price to who? Dawn¡¯s boss here? The Reaper? You have a debt to me.¡±


    ¡°I owe you nothing.¡±


    ¡°I will accept Asano¡¯s proposal that you withdraw from this world immediately,¡± The World-Phoenix said. The Builder turned to glare at her, and the smile she returned him was laden with provocation.


    ¡°I do not accept,¡± the Builder said, turning back to Jason. ¡°You have no leverage, Asano. You will take what we are willing to give and be grateful for it, or the authority will kill you.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? Then I might as well see what I can do with it on the way out. Come on out, lads.¡±


    Jason¡¯s familiars emerged from the cloud house, assembling behind him in a row. Shade was a figure of living shadows with the silhouette of a butler. Colin was in his blood clone form, looking like a sculpture of Jason made by pouring blood into a mould and waiting for it to set. Gordon was the most alien, being a cloak draped over a swirl of nebulous energy that looked like an eye. He was orbited by six orbs that looked like smaller nebula eyes, captured inside spheres.


    ¡°What are your intentions?¡± The Builder asked.


    ¡°Shade here was a bit vague, back in the day, about exactly what summoned familiars get out of the deal. But now I know what he was talking about. It¡¯s authority. Astral beings run on it, don¡¯t they? Most of them will be operating on fumes compared to you lot, but still. And being a familiar generates it, somehow, doesn¡¯t it? Probably not a lot, but not everyone is a great astral being, are they? A little probably goes a long way.¡±


    ¡°You would give the authority to these beings?¡± The Builder asked.


    ¡°You can¡¯t give authority,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s why we¡¯re having this discussion. I think I can swing handing it over as a performance bonus, though. It might be pushing the rules a little, but isn¡¯t that the prerogative of a mortal? You seem to get away with it enough, and you aren¡¯t even mortal anymore.¡±


    ¡°You would give it to the Reaper¡¯s child?¡± the World-Phoenix asked, her voice not complaining but curious. ¡°The others I understand. They are young and have bound themselves to you permanently; a demonstration of faith. But the Reaper¡¯s child could take the power and abandon you. He is older than the human race on your planet and you aren¡¯t even thirty. You think you have his full measure?¡±


    Jason waved the tablet in his hand.


    ¡°I know this authority matters to you and I mean nothing. But it goes the same way back: I don¡¯t care about it beyond using it to get what I want. And if what I want is to thank my friend, I will. I don¡¯t¡¯ need his full measure. If Shade wants to take this authority, bunk off and leave an intern in his place, that¡¯s fine. He¡¯ll still be my friend, and with the friend he¡¯s been to me, he more than deserves it.¡±


    Jason could hide nothing from the senses of the great astral beings. Anything less than complete sincerity and they would have felt it immediately.


    ¡°I probably can¡¯t use this authority myself without it killing me, but finally giving this lot their back pay won¡¯t hurt me at all, I¡¯m guessing. Which you knew, but didn¡¯t bother to tell me. Otherwise, I might think I¡¯m not in such a crappy negotiating position, right?¡±


    ¡°The Reaper¡¯s spawn told you,¡± The Builder said.


    ¡°Actually, he didn¡¯t. He could have come sniffing after it, like a dodgy third cousin after you win the lottery, but he didn¡¯t say anything. Even when I personally think he should have. He likes to keep things from me. For my own good.¡±


    ¡°And you still trust him enough to give it to him anyway?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say in a heartbeat, but none of us have hearts. I think there¡¯s an important metaphor, there. But the point is, I¡¯m not stuck with whatever crappy options you two put on the table. So, back to you pulling out early, Builder.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Look, you¡¯ve already plundered most of the astral spaces you¡¯re going to get from this world. At this point you¡¯re running out the clock on the monster surge before you have to pack up anyway, hoping to scoop up some dregs. It¡¯s not a lot to give up for you, but it means less people die fighting, which is a lot to me. Plus, I¡¯ll even listen to whatever it is you sent Shako here to tell me in the first place. Agree to pull out, I¡¯ll hand over all the authority and it¡¯s a done deal. Then we can have that chat.¡±


    ¡°Accepted,¡± the Builder said immediately. ¡°Deal struck.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± the World-Phoenix said, sitting forward in her chair.


    ¡°Too late,¡± The Builder told her. ¡°You have already accepted.¡±


    ¡°There was an addendum to the terms.¡±


    ¡°No. The terms were struck and Asano and I decided to have a conversation after. It is a separate issue and the bargain is made.¡±


    The World-Phoenix silently looked at the Builder. After a moment, his face twisted with rage.


    ¡°ASANO!¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t see the Builder or the World-Phoenix move. Like a video skipping frames, suddenly they were in front of him, leaning over the coffee table as the World-Phoenix held the Builder back.


    ¡°Quickly!¡± the World-Phoenix yelled at Jason. ¡°Feed the authority to your familiars. If he has no reason to be here, he¡¯ll be forced to leave his vessel. It¡¯s the terms he reached with the Sundered Throne.¡±


    Feeling the Builder¡¯s palpable fury, Jason was about to follow the World-Phoenix¡¯s directions when he stopped. The tablet flew from his hand to touch the Builder and Jason transferred the authority to him. He immediately felt the Builder¡¯s presence vanish and Shako dropped to his knees, trembling.


    ¡°Bargain made, bargain complete,¡± Jason told the World-Phoenix as she turned to look at him.


    ¡°That is not what I told you to do.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s kind of my thing. I¡¯m sure Dawn can tell you all about it. And maybe you can tell her what you just did to the Builder to sent him berserk? Or exactly what it is that he wants me to know, and why you don¡¯t want me to know it.¡±


    She smiled.


    ¡°The things that make you useful also make you trouble.¡±


    ¡°I think you just titled my memoir.¡±


    ¡°Or your epitaph.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good line, either way. And now the deal is struck, so it¡¯s time for you to go.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have questions for me? It¡¯s a rare chance.¡±


    ¡°Whatever games we¡¯d play, you¡¯d win. Give me my friend back.¡±


    ¡°Not many have the courage to dismiss a great astral being, Asano.¡±


    ¡°I bet there are, but you blow most of them up.¡±


    The World-Phoenix grinned and then her face went blank. Dawn¡¯s eyes turned from fiery orbs to their usual ruby red. She staggered slightly, Jason supporting her and helping her into a chair. He transformed it onto a couch and sat next to her as she leaned into him, exhausted.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she told him.


    ¡°He seems less alright,¡± he told her, and they turned to look at Shako. He was still in his knees, looking catatonic. ¡°I think whatever your boss did to the Builder did a proper number on him.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately, the Sundered Throne sealed the majority of Shako¡¯s power, even as a vessel,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°It allowed the World-Phoenix to suppress him easily.¡±


    ¡°Your boss is the one that set him off. How did she do that?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Dawn said, her expression troubled. ¡°If I did, I very much doubt I would be allowed to tell you.¡±


    ¡°And here was me starting to like your boss. Are you sure you¡¯re alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s just been an increasing strain over the last few decades, which is why I trained a replacement.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine. You¡¯ve been doing a job on the kind of time scale they use for civilisations and now it¡¯s over. That¡¯s so far out of my experience I have trouble even empathising enough to be supportive.¡±


    ¡°If you live long enough, Jason, you realise that change is inevitable. Even the force that creates universes changed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not that old, are you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said with a laugh, and slapped him playfully on the arm.


    They leaned back into the plush couch.


    ¡°So, what now?¡±


    ¡°You made your deal. The Builder¡¯s forces will leave this world. Today.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± he said, the tension visibly leaving his body.


    ¡°You just saved a lot of lives, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an adventurer. It¡¯s the job.¡±


    ¡°What you just did is not what adventurers do.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I don¡¯t tell you how to flit about the cosmos giving quests to rakishly charming outworlders, so you don¡¯t tell me how to fight evil. Speaking of which, what do we do about this guy?¡±


    They both looked at Shako.


    ¡°Should we draw something on his face before he comes to?¡±

 Chapter 581: No Points of Conflict

    Jason¡¯s cloud house had undergone yet another transformation when he accidentally spent some of the authority he had taken from the Builder on it. It was currently in the form of a pagoda made from smoky crystal, which was dark but for speckles of gold, silver and blue light dancing within it. It was the same as the pagodas at the heart of Jason¡¯s permanent spirit domains on Earth.


    You have infused the [Cloud Flask] with authority possessing dimension and construction aspects. You have infused the [Cloud Flask] with authority possessing dimension and construction aspects. [Cloud Flask] has connected to the authority of your spirit realm.Cloud constructs created by the flask will have enhanced defence against physical and dimensional incursion.Your ability to influence the fundamental rules of reality within the temporary spirit domains of cloud constructs is increased, matching your ability to do so in permanent spirit domains.


    In the moment, Jason had added the message to the growing list of system windows he had minimised. After checking some of them and being frustrated that he couldn¡¯t fully explore the ramifications in his weakened state, he had started putting them off until he was stronger. There were also more important issues at hand.


    ¡°Someone on this planet needs to invent permanent markers,¡± Jason said, leaning down to peer at Shako¡¯s blank face from up close. ¡°Do you have something I can draw on him with?¡±


    ¡°Jason.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Dawn?¡±


    ¡°Do not draw on Shako¡¯s face.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re not nine. Or in a fraternity.¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason complained. ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s going to be alright? I think whatever your boss did to him messed him up pretty bad.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m not sure. But I don¡¯t think the World-Phoenix did something to Shako. I think she did something to the Builder, and that change affected the vessel he was inhabiting.¡±


    ¡°He went totally berserk.¡±


    Jason sat back down on the cloud couch, sitting just outside of his spirit domain. They looked at Shako, still sitting on his knees in blank-faced catatonia.


    ¡°What is going on with the Builder?¡± he asked. ¡°I¡¯ve met him a few times now, and it¡¯s like there¡¯s two of him. One is calm and impassive, while the other is petty, and hot-headed. Childish, even. I thought it was about using Thadwick as a vessel, especially after talking to you about it, but there¡¯s more to it.¡±


    ¡°Shako has been erratic while channelling the Builder,¡± Dawn agreed, joining Jason on the couch. ¡°Like you, I put it down to vessel bleed-through, but after this¡­¡±


    Jason gave her a sympathetic look.


    ¡°Your boss came out of that looking pretty shady.¡±


    ¡°I know. But the World-Phoenix feels no need to explain itself, so it doesn¡¯t, even if doing so could eliminate a simple misunderstanding. If others think the worst of it, it doesn¡¯t care. If a mountain climber¡¯s shoes are untied, that doesn¡¯t matter to the mountain.¡±


    ¡°First the god of Purity isn¡¯t the god of Purity, and now this? What¡¯s going on with all these transcendent beings?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. But it implies trouble.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. Do you know what sanctioning is?¡±


    ¡°More than you I imagine, but not really. Just as the greater secrets of gold and diamond ranks are kept from you, the secrets of transcendence are kept from me.¡±


    ¡°Wait, there are greater secrets of gold and diamond rank.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°There are aren¡¯t there? No one tells me anything. I should refuse to save the world anymore until people start telling me things.¡±


    ¡°Why were you asking about Sanctioning?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, well, they sanctioned the original Builder, right? What if sanctioning is taking someone and slapping the a new person over the top, like painting dogs playing poker over a  masterpiece?¡±


    ¡°You need to stop watching heist movies.¡±


    ¡°No I don¡¯t. Anyway, what if the paint in my metaphor is starting to wear thin? Maybe the old Builder is starting to poke through and it¡¯s driving the new one bonkers?¡±


    ¡°Bonkers?¡±


    ¡°Bananas. Fruit loops. Too many dips into the nut bag. Why are all these euphemisms for being crazy food? Do we have any of those fritters left?¡±


    He looked around, seeing the plate he had left on the table now on the grass in pieces. The clash between the vessels of the Builder and World-Phoenix had sent it flying.


    ¡°That¡¯s a waste,¡± he said. Jason¡¯s familiars were still present and Shade started cleaning up the pieces of broken plate.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be quite thorough, Mr Asano. The neighbourhood children do like to play on the grass here, by the river.¡±


    The river running next to Jason¡¯s house spilled off the cliff in a waterfall. Shako had broken the magical barrier that stopped children from going over the edge, through.


    ¡°Thank you, Shade. Make sure no children play in the river until the barrier is restored.¡±


    ¡°Should I inform Mayor Pelli?¡±


    ¡°I have a sneaking suspicion she knows, but go ahead and make sure, thank you.¡±


    One of Shade¡¯s bodies went off and Dawn joined Jason in watching another pick up the broken pieces of plate.


    ¡°There weren¡¯t any fritters left,¡± she said. ¡°Shako ate most of them.¡±


    They looked at Shako again.


    ¡°Is someone going to come pick him up, or was it a released-on-your-own-recognisance kind of deal?¡±


    ¡°A representative of the Sundered Throne has already been watching us for a while. Haven¡¯t you, Carmen?¡±


    The air high above the pagoda shimmered and an entity appeared. It was the size of a person and looked like a cloak drifting in the air, filled with nebulous energy. It looked similar enough to Gordon that Jason glanced at his familiar, but there were notable differences. The nebula inside did not look like an eye but a mountain. The colours were more subdued, with shades of dark brown and pale blue. Like Gordon, smaller representations of the nebula were inside orbs that circled the entity as it descended through the air. Compared to Gordon¡¯s six, this entity had twelve of the orbs.


    Jason¡¯s senses were a little recovered after exchanging energy with Dawn earlier, but he could not sense the aura of the descending entity. When it spoke, it did so by manipulating sound waves with tremulations from one of it¡¯s orbs. The voice reverberated, like a person speaking through a tube.


    ¡°Your senses have grown sharp, Dawn. Will you be making the transition soon?¡±


    ¡°Soon, Carmen. Only a decade or so.¡±


    She glanced at Jason, then back to the entity.


    ¡°I have one last errand.¡±


    The entity, Carmen, reached ground level and one of her orbs floated over to Jason.


    ¡°So, this is the mortal the World-Phoenix chose for you. He¡¯s a bit of an oddity, but I suppose he¡¯d have to be. It would not give you anyone ordinary.¡±


    Carmen¡¯s voice came from the orb in front of Jason.


    ¡°Greetings, outworlder. I am Carmen of the Sundered Throne.¡±


    ¡°G¡¯day. I¡¯m Jason of¡­ I don¡¯t know anymore, if I¡¯m being honest.¡±


    ¡°Being otherwise would be pointless.¡±


    ¡°Are you a friend of Dawn¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°We move in similar circles, but are more friendly than friends. There is a requisite detachment with my role.¡±


    ¡°I can respect professionalism.¡±


    ¡°And I can respect kindness.¡±


    An orb floated over to Gordon and joined the orbs floating around him.


    ¡°You have taken good care of this child,¡± Carmen said.


    ¡°He¡¯s taken good care of me.¡±


    ¡°You are unlike most essence users that take my kind as familiars. They are happy to use them, but never think to love them.¡±


    ¡°Relationships based around mutual benefits are exhausting. I like friendship. And trust.¡±


    A trilling sound came from Carmen¡¯s orbs and Jason realised she was laughing. The orb near Gordon and Jason flew back to resume its orbit of Carmen.


    ¡°Your master certainly found you an interesting one, Dawn. I wonder if perhaps she might regret it by the time all is done.¡±


    ¡°Jason and the World-Phoenix have no points of conflict.¡±


    ¡°And he has trouble enough ahead of him, doesn¡¯t he?¡±


    An orb flew back to Jason.


    ¡°Would you like me to tell you what Dawn is keeping from you Jason Asano?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°I trust that she¡¯s doing it for a reason.¡±


    ¡°There is so much about her you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know a lot about aeroplanes, either, but I fly around in them just fine.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, you were in a plane that exploded,¡± Shade pointed out.


    ¡°And I was fine, thank you Shade.¡±


    Orbs flew out to examine Jason¡¯s other familiars; Shade and the blood-clone form of Colin.


    ¡°Still out exploring I see, Shade.¡±


    ¡°As ever, Miss Carmen.¡±


    ¡°As ever? Umber told me that he had you trapped in some astral space for a few centuries. He said it was to teach you a lesson about duty.¡±


    ¡°Umber likes to play games when my power is limited by a vessel, thinking that it somehow brings him esteem. He fails to grasp the nuances that differentiate duty, loyalty and obedience. He would do well to attend a butlering school.¡±


    Carmen let out a trilling laugh.


    ¡°Your new companions seem to have bet it all on Asano, here, but you are still unwilling to pin yourself down? Did Umber¡¯s trick make you a little commitment-shy?¡±


    ¡°Umber does not enter my thinking. Colin and Gordon are young, and the young make important decisions more easily than they should.¡±


    ¡°Yes they do. A shadow of the Reaper, an echo of annihilation and a world-eater. Do you know where your friend Colin comes from, Jason Asano?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t really do background checks,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The deep astral doesn¡¯t have geography, as you would understand it, but it¡¯s the closest concept you can understand, being a physical being. There is what I¡¯ll call a region of the deep astral where the influence of two very different astral beings meet. The region of the All-Devouring Eye is where I, and your friend Gordon come from, and it abuts the realm of Legion, the great astral being whom administers life in the cosmos. Your sanguine horror comes from this place, where life and annihilation are neighbours.¡±


    ¡°That explains quite a lot,¡± Jason said, wandering over to Colin, who looked like Jason himself, but made of blood. ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter where he comes from, though. He¡¯s a good boy.¡±


    Colin opened his mouth and a horrifying alien screech came out.


    ¡°No, that does not mean you get to eat Shako. He has to go with the nice lady. Also, he¡¯s probably a bit tough for you, until you get older. You¡¯d just break your teeth.¡±


    ¡°You have a domineering collection of familiars for such an affable man, Jason Asano. Perhaps destiny knew you would need them.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me destiny isn¡¯t some other great astral being I¡¯ll have to deal with.¡±


    Carmen laughed again.


    ¡°Thankfully not.¡±


    ¡°Do you have to take Shako now? I have some burning questions for him, and his boss wanted to let me know something.¡±


    ¡°What happened to the Builder while possessing Shako will require some time to recover from. Your questions will have to wait, but I imagine you can figure out the broad strokes.¡±


    Jason frowned.


    ¡°What the World-Phoenix did to him. He wanted to tell me about that, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°That is not my place to say.¡±


    An orb floated over to Shako and it turned into a shield, which Gordon¡¯s orbs could also do. Carmen¡¯s shield was pale blue and appeared under Shako, lifting him like a platform.


    ¡°It was a pleasure to meet you, Jason Asano, Colin. Dawn, Shade; always a pleasure. Gordon, you watch out for Jason here. He has hard days ahead and seems very good at getting into trouble.¡±


    ¡°Who have you been talking to?¡± Jason asked, affronted.


    Carmen laughed again.


    ¡°I do hope you survive to grow up, Jason Asano. I look forward to meeting you again at that time. As for you, Dawn, don¡¯t dally too long. Coming to grips with your mortality is important, but so is letting it go.¡±


    Carmen floated into the air with Shako and a portal opened into a starry void. She passed through and it closed.


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said. ¡°This has been fun. Want to do some day drinking?¡±

 Chapter 582: Quite Enough Transcendent Beings

    ¡°That looks good,¡± Jason said, eyeing off the pink liquid in the delicate crystal bottle. It was sitting on the low table in front of the cloud couch where Jason and Dawn were still sitting, outside of Jason¡¯s pagoda. Jason¡¯s own drink was a tall bottle where the liquid rested in rainbow layers, magically enchanted to retain the separation when poured into a glass.


    ¡°You just want to drink anything colourful,¡± Dawn responded.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with that?¡±


    ¡°If you drank mine, it would kill you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at handling poison.¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t have time to get poisoned. The magic in it would make your body explode.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at handling that, too.¡±


    ¡°The last time you handled a lot of high-grade magic, it took about eight miracles to keep you alive and now you¡¯re too weak to do a chin-up.¡±


    Dawn sank back into the cloud couch and sipped at her glass.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure if today¡¯s events are good or bad for you,¡± Dawn said. ¡°There¡¯s going to be a lot of people paying attention to you, now.¡±


    ¡°You think there wasn¡¯t before?¡±


    ¡°Not like this. Anyone who knows about what happened here will be wary of coming after you, but the people who do come after you will come ready.¡±


    ¡°I know, but what was I going to do? Out here we get eavesdroppers, but I couldn¡¯t do it in my¡­ I couldn¡¯t invite them in, as you well know.¡±


    Knowing there were eyes and ears on them, Jason refrained from discussing his spirit domain. He was involved with too many diamond-rankers to believe it was still a secret, but he wasn¡¯t going to go divulging further details or attracting yet more attention. Both of those ships had sailed, sunk, been salvaged and sold for scrap but he wasn¡¯t going to go making it worse. The events of the day had done more than enough already.


    ¡°There was a way to do this quietly,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The World-Phoenix would have traded for the authority.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t entirely trust your boss before this,¡± Jason told her. ¡°And after this, I really don¡¯t. And it¡¯s alright. Or maybe I should say that it¡¯s worth it. If the Builder keeps his end and really does pack up, that¡¯s good for everyone, not just me. It means a lot more people will make it out of this monster surge than otherwise would have. It means more time to prepare for whatever those messengers are doing, along with the remnants of Purity or Deception or whatever¡¯s going on there.¡±


    ¡°Fortunately,¡± Dawn said, ¡°you don¡¯t need to be at the heart of it for once.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t?¡±


    ¡°No. You¡¯ve done your part for this world and more. You need to get the information you need from the messengers and establish the bridge so your world can start to recover, but I have no doubt that you and your team will accomplish this. The larger concern of actually dealing with the messenger threat is not yours to deal with. You will doubtless be involved as an adventurer, but just as an adventurer, once your own goals have been met.¡±


    ¡°Just an adventurer? I like the sound of that. I like it a lot.¡±


    ¡°For a time, yes. Enjoy these years, Jason. Take them to grow strong and find out who you are when the pressures of the world aren¡¯t grinding you to powder. Because the day will come when those pressures come back.¡±


    Dawn bowed her head.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like keeping this from you. But something has to happen and you can¡¯t be allowed to try and stop it. The price would be too high.¡±


    ¡°You really think I could do something you didn¡¯t want me to?¡±


    ¡°More powerful entities than I have bet against you and lost, Jason. I¡¯m not foolish enough to join them. So I¡¯m asking you to stop yourself. To trust me and not try to find out what¡¯s coming. All I can offer you in return is a chance to do something in the aftermath.¡±


    ¡°You know I¡¯ve already made that choice, just as I know you¡¯ve already been working to give me that chance.¡±


    Jason shook his head, drained his glass and poured another.


    ¡°This is turning into sad drinking,¡± he said, ¡°and colourful drinks are for happy drinking.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m happy,¡± a third person said. ¡°In fact, I¡¯m downright delighted.¡±


    A chair, more like a throne, had appeared across the table from the couch. Lounging in it was a man with a toga and a laurel wreath crown, plus a goblet held casually in one hand. Unlike the last time Jason saw him, the god was projecting the form of a celestine with brassy eyes and hair.


    ¡°I have to say, Mr Asano, today was a genuine treat for me. It¡¯s a delight having you back.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Jason asked with a groan. ¡°You¡¯re just going to pile it on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you should be grateful it¡¯s me. The Builder is already withdrawing his forces from around the planet. Battles abandoned, airships withdrawing. Whole fortress-cities dimension-shifting out. Guardian wants to throw you a parade.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well, if one of you is called subtlety, maybe get them to have a chat with him.¡±


    ¡°There is, but she¡¯s a much lower tier than guardian. She¡¯s also Deception¡¯s sister and there¡¯s a whole history with Disguise, so things are a bit complicated with the Purity affair still ongoing.¡±


    ¡°You actually have family relations?¡±


    ¡°Those of us who embody mortal concepts tend to have more mortal attributes. Knowledge, Deception, Vengeance. Me, obviously. I¡¯m the important one.¡±


    ¡°Of course you are.¡±


    Dominion chuckled.


    ¡°You¡¯ll find that Ocean or Storm aren¡¯t the conversationalists that I am. They are connected to the wind and the waves, where as I am connected to people. And what is more mortal than things getting tense when the family starts talking politics?¡±


    Jason leaned forward, head bowed as if he were going to be sick.


    ¡°Dawn, is there a third version of Earth you could drop me off on?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you still have things to take care of on this one,¡± Dawn said with an amused smile.


    Jason groaned again.


    ¡°Don¡¯t you have somewhere to oppress?¡± he asked Dominion.


    ¡°I don¡¯t oppress,¡± Dominion said. ¡°I¡¯m just oppression-friendly.¡±


    ¡°Look, I appreciate you holding back your aura so I don¡¯t get squished like an overripe peach, but I¡¯m kind of trying to relax after a heavy day, and there¡¯s been quite enough transcendent beings running about on my lawn. Could you go? Maybe tell any of your friends that I¡¯m not really looking for visitors right now?¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯re so important that gods will start just turning up?¡±


    Jason gave him a flat look.


    ¡°Point taken,¡± he said, with no sign of shame. ¡°It¡¯s a little rude, but fine.¡±


    Dominion looked up at Jason¡¯s pagoda.


    ¡°I do love what you¡¯ve done with the place. You¡¯re coming along nicely, Mr Asano.¡±


    The god vanished, as if he¡¯d never been there at all.


    ¡°What next?¡± Jason wondered out loud. ¡°Is my mum going to turn up?¡±


    Almost immediately a portal opened up.


    ¡°I had to say it, didn¡¯t I?¡±


    Jason was just revving up a stream of complaints when he realised he recognised the portal. Essence users with the same abilities often had their powers differentiated visually, even when the effects were identical. This was especially common with distinctive visual elements, such as portals. In most cases they started out looking the same and became more unique over time.


    Clive¡¯s portal ability was made distinctive by the glowing runes surrounding its edges, which were different in form and colour from other essence users with the same power. Jason¡¯s portal had likewise evolved over time. It had started as an arch of obsidian, identical to the ones in the order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space. This was because the power had been used as a basis for the portal network there. Now Jason¡¯s arch was smoky crystal with speckled light, just like the pagoda looming over him at that moment.


    Jason¡¯s team had continued to participate in the monster surge while Jason was convalescing and were returning from their latest contract. As they trudged from the portal, Jason could see that they were caked in mangrove mud. It didn¡¯t look to have been the most fun endeavour.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re complaining about,¡± said Sophie, who was the only one not filthy. In fact, she was wearing new armour that looked like white, supple snakeskin.


    ¡°Of course you don¡¯t,¡± Belinda said, ¡°but not everyone can move that fast when it¡¯s shooting mud out of it¡¯s¡­ whatever that orifice was. I¡¯m really hoping it wasn¡¯t what it looked like.¡±


    ¡°Who can tell?¡± Neil asked. ¡°It had three of them.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how we looted armour that white and clean from a monster that aggressively dirty and brown,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I still think it¡¯s weird Sophie came out completely clean,¡± Neil said. ¡°Has your mum being giving you purity tips?¡±


    ¡°Oh, bloke, don¡¯t go there,¡± Jason said with a wince.


    ¡°Are you looking to get slapped?¡± Sophie asked Neil.


    ¡°Sure,¡± Neil said. ¡°Are you offering?¡±


    ¡°You are such a sleaze,¡± Sophie told him.


    ¡°I¡¯m the sleaze? How¡¯s that recording crystal collection coming?¡±


    Sophie¡¯s face took on a caught-out expression.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± she said quickly. ¡°Humphrey, lets go in and I¡¯ll help you clean off.¡±


    ¡°Is anyone else sensing some weird lingering auras?¡± Humphrey asked. While the others were chatting, he had been looking around.


    ¡°All I¡¯m sensing is the dire need of a shower,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I can¡¯t believe that no one brought crystal wash.¡±


    ¡°Jason normally has it,¡± Neil said. ¡°You know what he¡¯s like with the stuff.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that bad,¡± Jason said as the group all nodded their agreement with Neil. ¡°I¡¯m not. Look, you don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like to be trapped in another world without any crystal wash. Dawn, you were there; tell them.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I had crystal wash,¡± Dawn said. She was still curled up on the couch with her glass of pink beverage.


    ¡°What do you mean, you had crystal wash?¡±


    ¡°Well, I couldn¡¯t send my body through the dimensional membrane of your world, but I could send some crystal wash. It¡¯s not like I was going to go without.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me that whole time we were running around Earth, you had a secret stash of crystal wash?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And you never told me?¡±


    ¡°I know what you¡¯re like with the stuff.¡±


    ***


    In a lounge that opened to a balcony in the towering pagoda, Jason and Dawn took his team and his other friends living in the cloud house through the events of the day and was told off for doing it all when the team was away.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason assured them. ¡°It¡¯s not like any of us could stand up to any of the people who showed up today in a fight.¡±


    ¡°But we can stand beside you,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Beside and slightly back,¡± Neil clarified. ¡°There¡¯s no point in all of us getting blown up by a lightning bolt from some god.¡±


    Belinda slapped him on the arm as Jason chuckled and then continued the story.


    ¡°And that¡¯s when the god turned up?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°No, the¡­ Carmen arrived first,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°The Carmen?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s some kind of super-Gordon, I don¡¯t know. I think she might be in the space police.¡±


    ¡°The space police?¡±


    ¡°Like the Green Lanterns?¡± Travis asked. ¡°That¡¯s awesome.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know anything about it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Dawn can probably tell you.¡±


    ¡°I can,¡± Dawn said, ¡°but unless any of you are turning into astral beings, there¡¯s not a lot of point. Ask Shade.¡±


    ¡°I will refrain from providing an explanation. Every time Mr Asano learns about a vast extradimensional power, he gets it into his head to do something absurd and provoke it.¡±


    ¡°I do not!¡± Jason said, even as the others all nodded in agreement.


    ¡°You¡¯re hanging out with gods,¡± Travis said. ¡°The magic factions back home would think twice about stabbing you in the back if they knew that.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯d just be more careful.¡±


    ¡°Sad but true, bro,¡± Taika agreed. ¡°Speaking of Earth, though, you need to go look in on those people that got sucked through with me and Travis. I¡¯m pretty sure the Adventure Society would have dragged you there already if there wasn¡¯t a monster surge on.¡±


    ¡°No one will be dragging him anywhere,¡± Dawn said. ¡°He may not have the power that comes with being a high-ranker, but he moves in higher circles than any mortal on this world. People have to be very careful about pressuring him now.¡±


    ¡°But that pressure can still crush me,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can¡¯t just go around throwing other people¡¯s weight. I tried that in Greenstone to disastrous effect. My soul almost got plundered and if I hadn¡¯t hid under Emir¡¯s skirt, Sophie would have wound up in a slave Leia costume.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that means,¡± Sophie said, ¡°and I¡¯m pretty sure you don¡¯t want me finding out.¡±


    ¡°Why today?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°You¡¯re the one who called these people here, right?¡±


    ¡°Effectively,¡± Jason said. Once he took the authority out of his spirit domain, transcendent beings were able to sense it¡¯s presence.


    ¡°When did you decide that today was the day to deal with the great astral beings?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯ve had this authority banging around since I got knocked onto my butt by the magic thing, but it¡¯s not something I can really handle. I was talking to Dawn and¨C¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s how it is,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason denied firmly. ¡°That¡¯s not how it is.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a little bit how it is,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°That¡¯s not helping.¡±

 Chapter 583: Flavours of Authority

    Jason and Farrah were standing at the balustrade of a balcony, looking out over the water as the sky grew dark.


    ¡°You know there¡¯s going to be an inquisition waiting for you when you leave this cloud house,¡± she said. ¡°Probably the most polite inquisition ever held, but some very powerful people will have some very pressing questions.¡±


    ¡°I know. Dawn has gone off to lay some groundwork but they¡¯ve already been knocking at my door. I¡¯ve been leaving Shade to deal with them. He knows a lot of very polite ways to tell people to sod off.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t ignore them forever.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. He¡¯s been seeing off reps from the Adventure Society, Magic Society and a hundred other organisations that I¡¯ve never heard of. All the aristocratic families that Vesper wanted to play me off of are suddenly very interested in meeting me. The royal family, of course. I imagine Liara will come along in person, sooner or later. Maybe Soramir, but I think he¡¯s wary of setting foot in here.¡±


    ¡°What are you going to tell them?¡±


    ¡°That I was a sidekick and they should ask Dawn.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie. And they¡¯ll know it¡¯s a lie.¡±


    ¡°But they won¡¯t say it¡¯s a lie because the reason they know it¡¯s a lie is that they were all spying on me. That¡¯s how politics works.¡±


    ¡°Dawn has seemed a bit¡­ I don¡¯t know. Extra relaxed, maybe, despite everything going on. What did you two get up to exactly while the rest of us were off doing monster surge things?¡±


    ¡°Dawn will be leaving us soon,¡± Jason said, dodging the question. ¡°I think she¡¯s indulging herself before she goes. Having some fun before it¡¯s back to stodgy cosmic accounting or whatever.¡±


    ¡°Cosmic accounting?¡±


    ¡°I was never really clear on what she does. I get the impression it¡¯s dealing with a lot of stoic dignity-of-the-immortal types.¡±


    ¡°You know it¡¯s madness out there. I was at the Magic Society with Travis when everything went crazy. We had gold-rankers trying to drag us off to answer questions about you. If Trenchant Moore hadn¡¯t shown up to get us out, it might have gotten a little rough.¡±


    Trenchant Moore was a gold-ranker that served the Rimaros royal family and was currently serving as aide to Soramir Rimaros.


    ¡°Did he take you to Soramir?¡±


    ¡°No, he brought us straight here. I got the impression that whatever you did, Soramir wants you to feel some goodwill.¡±


    ¡°His observers were paying attention, then. No surprise there.¡±


    ¡°Is the Builder really just packing up because you gave him a brick?¡±


    ¡°It was more of a tablet. I suspect it¡¯s great astral being politics driving these events. Like most of the nonsense I''m neck-deep in, it isn''t about me. I just happen to be the poor sap caught up in the games of these theme-park Cthulhu monsters. A mortal like me having stumbled into a scrap of their power is just one more point for them to play off.¡±


    ¡°But you had the power ever since you absorbed that magic door. Why is it an issue now?¡±


    ¡°Because of the nature of the power. I''ve been playing around with this power for a while without really understanding it. But having the raw, unrefined stuff in my hands has given me a much better understanding of what I''ve been dealing with.¡±


    ¡°This power being authority.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Authority is the fundamental power of the cosmos and it comes in two flavours; two states in which it can operate. One state is set. The power has been put to a purpose, making it fixed and defined. Safe. Clay turned into a bowl. My spirit domains are comprised of this set-state authority. Everything in physical reality is underpinned by authority to some degree. What the Builder''s door allowed me to do was enter a dimensional layer where I could access and manipulate that underpinning of authority. I didn¡¯t understand what I was doing at the time, but it was the same when I was manipulating those transformation zones. I was manipulating authority to plug holes in the universe. The result was my spirit domains.¡±


    ¡°If your spirit domains are made of authority, doesn¡¯t that mean you''ve had authority in your possession ever since you established them?¡±


    ¡°Longer than that, even. My spirit domains are areas of influence in physical reality. But my spirit realm ¨C my soul space ¨C is also an aspect of authority. My authority. When I accepted that power and I changed, I became an entity capable of using - and even partially comprised of - authority. That''s how I can manipulate a transformation zone. They were essentially areas where the set-state authority underpinning the region broke down.¡±


    ¡°Like the Builder¡¯s door when you flooded yourself with magic.¡±


    ¡°Quite similar, yes, but on a much larger scale. I needed to go in and return the authority to its set state. I was running on instinct, though, and had no idea how to turn it back the way it was. All I could do was put it back together as best I could.¡±


    ¡°And the result was a spirit domain.¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°But that means the reason you have authority at all is because of that power the great astral beings gave you.¡±


    ¡°That''s right. I only accepted that ability because I needed it to find you. It''s a grab bag of weird effects; completely unlike my other outworlder powers. I know where all those abilities come from, now. Why it changed my body and soul so profoundly, and why it helped me manipulate transformation zones.¡±


    ¡°Then why are the great astral beings suddenly up in arms about you having authority, since they¡¯re the ones that gave you access in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I knew from the start that the ability wasn¡¯t designed for me. It was designed to look like it was, but it was always meant to make me able to do what the World-Phoenix needed me to. But I was only ever meant to have set-state authority, the first flavour I mentioned. The other state of authority is potential-state. If set-state authority is a clay bowl, potential-state authority is the unworked clay. Except the clay is actually enriched uranium.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not good.¡±


    ¡°Correct. Potential-state authority is the dangerous stuff. The wield-the-power-of-the-gods stuff. Much of my understanding of authority comes from just holding potential-state authority in my hands.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s the stuff you aren¡¯t meant to have.¡±


    ¡°Think of it like this: authority with a set state is like a treehouse, and silver-ranker like me is like a child.¡±


    ¡°I can imagine that. Very easily.¡±


    Jason shot her a flat look before continuing.


    ¡°Even if I, the child, strictly speaking, shouldn¡¯t have the treehouse, the great astral beings are willing to leave it be because I can¡¯t do a lot of damage. At worst, I might hurt myself.¡±


    ¡°Okay.¡±


    ¡°Potential-state authority is like the tools and materials you need to build a treehouse. Planks, nails, hammer, saw, power drill. Stuff that you don¡¯t want a child to be playing with because they¡¯ll hurt themselves very badly and do a lot of damage in the process.¡±


    ¡°And you don¡¯t think that treating you like a child is high-handed?¡±


    ¡°Not in this case,¡± Jason said firmly. ¡°I felt that power and it¡¯s not something I should have. How powerful a magic item is a cloud flask.¡±


    ¡°Extremely. It¡¯s one of the most complex and robust items I¡¯ve ever heard of.¡±


    ¡°I got angry for just a moment and I remade the cloud flask, just like that. Changed it on a fundamental level and I don¡¯t even understand how. When a person has that kind of power in their hands, they could do terrible, unbelievable things. It¡¯s intoxicating to feel like a god, but I¡¯m not a god and I don¡¯t want to be. I felt the damage I could do and I¡¯ve made mistakes before. Messing up with that kind of power¡­ it shouldn¡¯t be in my hands. I don¡¯t like that it¡¯s in anyone¡¯s, because even the great astral beings are a little too like the gods of Olympus for my taste.¡±


    ¡°The gods of Olympus?¡±


    ¡°Petty, jealous, vain. The power of infinity but the flaws of a mortal.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they¡¯re that bad.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have to be that bad. When their power is that great, everything they do is magnified. Bad becomes catastrophic through escalation of scale. And I¡¯m certainly not better than them. You¡¯ve seen my mistakes and failures. What they¡¯ve cost. I don¡¯t want that magnified and I shouldn¡¯t have that power. Even if I was willing to keep it, I¡¯m not built to contain the volatility of potential-state authority. If my body and soul hadn¡¯t been reformed to specifically endure those forces, it would have killed me in minutes. I¡¯m well rid of it.¡±


    ¡°This authority is the core of everything, isn¡¯t it? The link between worlds, the transformation zones. Everything we were fighting for on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The original Builder conducted an experiment with this universe and the one I¡¯m from, centred on Earth. He rigged it so that a planet would form, but instead of using original designs, he Frankensteined old ones to see what would happen. Then he gets the boot for playing silly buggers and the World-Phoenix intervened to stop things from going awry.¡±


    ¡°And we get the new Builder.¡±


    ¡°Yep. Then, thirteen billion years later, we have Earth and Pallimustus. The same starting point, but one in a magic-rich universe and one in a magic-poor universe. Pallimustus has gods, and one of them makes a deal with the new Builder. The god recruits an outworlder, originally from Earth, and sends them back to Earth to mess with it. The Builder provides a door that allows them to fiddle with the authority governing Earth and, critically, the link between Earth and Pallimustus. Someone gave a kid the tools to modify the treehouse and he weakened the supports.¡±


    ¡°Pallimustus gets primed for invasion and Earth gets escalating magic that destabilises it.¡±


    ¡°Yep. But the Builder knows the other great astral beings will jump on him if he just lets his predecessor''s experiment blow up, especially since he interfered with the World-Phoenix''s correction measures to do so.¡±


    ¡°Which is why he left the door that was originally used to create the problem. That way, the damage can be fixed once the Builder has gotten what he needs from Earth. Enter you, inevitably sending his plans awry.¡±


    ¡°Not that awry. He still got to invade this world.¡±


    ¡°But you stopped the transformation zones.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They were areas of set-state authority breaking down into potential-state authority. The domes were the world sealing them away, like scabs over a wound. But like scabs, there can be some nasty stuff under there. Mostly they healed up, left some scars but the world carried on. But some wouldn¡¯t heal, because there was an astral space in there, agitating them as well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why Dawn called them dimensional ulcers.¡±


    ¡°Yes. That was when I had to step in and use the power World-Phoenix gave me and the Builder¡¯s door. Without them, I wouldn''t have been able to do anything. But because I did, I was able to treat those ulcers. I didn''t realise what I was doing though, and created spirit domains in the process. I changed the world and I changed myself.¡±


    ¡°But this wasn''t the authority you,


    get in trouble for.¡±


    ¡°No, my domains are set-state authority. Safe. Turning the authority from potential-state to set-state was the whole point. Now it''s the treehouse that I''m allowed to play in.¡±


    ¡°But that authority can turn back, right? Isn¡¯t that what happened to the Builder¡¯s door when you accidentally trashed it for parts?¡±


    ¡°More or less.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that mean that if your spirit domains were broken down in the same way, you¡¯d get more of this potential-state authority?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I¡¯m pretty sure if that happened to my domains, it would kill me.¡±


    ¡°What happens to the authority if you die?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Maybe I¡¯d get sanctioned, whatever that is. Or maybe I¡¯d become an astral being, anchored to my spirit domains like a ghost.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t Dawn tell you?¡±


    ¡°Even those on Dawn¡¯s level have a limited understanding of how authority works. Shako got punted across the ocean because he didn¡¯t know all the rules. It¡¯s why she actually gets nervous about some of the things I¡¯ve been doing. She did not like me having any potential-state authority.¡±


    ¡°But you did use some of that potential-state authority, right?¡±


    ¡°Only a little, by accident. I infused it into my cloud flask when I got angry.¡±


    ¡°Which did what?¡±


    Jason shared a system window for Farrah to see through his party interface power.


    [Cloud Flask] has been converted to an authority artefact.[Cloud Flask] is a growth item. Maximum potential rank has been increased to [Transcendent].[Cloud Flask] has been linked to your permanent spirit domains. Your spirit domains may use properties of the [Cloud Flask] within their areas of influence.Your ability to influence the fundamental rules of reality within temporary spirit domains created through the [Cloud Flask] is increased, matching your ability to do so in permanent spirit domains.[Incomplete Portal Gate] has been repurposed and completed.The [Cloud Flask] can be used to open a gate from your spirit domains to your spirit realm. There are no restrictions on who can use this portal to access your spirit realm.Those on the threshold of your spirit realm will sense the power you will hold over them there before entering.


    ¡°The trust restriction on entering your spirit realm is gone,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Not entirely. If I open the portal myself, the restriction is still in place. If I use the cloud flask to create one, the restriction is gone. It latched onto what Clive and I were trying to do, using the cloud flask to enhance my portal ability, and used it to make a gate into my spirit realm.¡±


    ¡°You should still be careful about who you let in,¡± Farrah warned. ¡°That place will terrify anyone who didn¡¯t trust you enough to get in already. Scared people make bad choices.¡±


    ¡°I know that better than most.¡±


    ¡°What was that part about influencing the physical reality within your spirit domain?¡±


    ¡°I think it means that I can change things the way I can within the soul space of my spirit realm.¡±


    ¡°It implies that you could do that even before you shoved authority into it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said. ¡°There were a lot of changes after I almost killed myself portalling everyone out of that mine. I could never test them, though, because I¡¯m still wrecked.¡±


    He shared another system window.


    You have forcibly unsealed the restricted effect of the title [Reality Hegemon].


    Title: [Reality Hegemon]


    The maximum total size of your spirit domains is increased.The effect of your spirit domain on hostile intruders ignores rank disparity.You may influence the state of physical reality within the influence of your spirit domain. You do not meet the rank requirements to utilise this effect. THIS EFFECT HAS BEEN FORCIBLY UNSEALED. You may not utilise this ability across dimensional boundaries. Utilising this ability will inflict a backlash commensurate to the change enacted.


    ¡°Basically, I can remake the world, within the scope of my spirit domains. It used to say only my permanent spirit domains, but that¡¯s gone now.¡±


    ¡°Remake how?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. I haven¡¯t tried using any of this stuff. Just moving around has been giving me a backlash, let alone trying to turn lead into gold or whatever. Even if I wasn¡¯t, I can¡¯t access my spirit domains on Earth right now.¡±


    ¡°Jason, if you can change things on a basic-rules-of-reality level, and anyone finds out you can do this¡­¡±


    ¡°I know. It¡¯ll be a race to who can spirit me away for an alien autopsy faster. But I don¡¯t think it goes that deep. If I could use it to access the node space, like the Builder¡¯s door, I think I¡¯d feel it. I used that door a lot, and this power is a little shallower, I think. I can probably fudge the laws of physics, but not change them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Farrah said, looking relieved. ¡°Regular magic can do that. Doing it more easily and over a wide area isn¡¯t so big a deal, since it has to be your own territory anyway.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s just the stuff people were already going to be chasing me down over. Hooray.¡±

 Chapter 584: Mythmaking was Within Expectations

    When Jason woke up, everything ached. Dawn had helped him recover a little, but then he went and used some of the authority he had before trading the rest away. The after-effects made his entire body feel like it had cramped up, leaving whatever he had instead of muscles feeling like a taught rubber band.


    Jason pushed himself out of his cloud bed with a grunt and tried walking around the room to loosen up. His body said no, so he compromised and hobbled around the room, trying to loosen up. It didn¡¯t work as well as he would have liked but he at least managed to make his way out and into the kitchen where Taika was frying eggs and gatchu lizard bacon. Lizards were heavily represented amongst livestock on Pallimustus, although Jason suspected they were more like lizards from Earth visually than biologically. Gatchu lizard meat was the closest local approximation to pork.


    ¡°Where¡¯s everyone else?¡± Jason asked. ¡°They don¡¯t want breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Not anymore, bro. It¡¯s mid-afternoon. You slept in pretty late.¡±


    ¡°Then why are you cooking breakfast?¡±


    ¡°Shade said you were awake and probably weren¡¯t up to making it for yourself.¡±


    ¡°Thanks. I had a big day yesterday.¡±


    ¡°You were asleep yesterday.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I may have undersold how long you were sleeping it off.¡±


    ¡°I slept through the whole day?¡±


    ¡°You slept through three whole days. Dawn said we should leave you alone because you were better off unconscious.¡±


    Jason sat at the kitchen table, grateful once again for the soft yet supportive cloud furniture.


    ¡°Given how I feel now, she was probably right.¡±


    Taika started plating the food, which seemed to be an awful lot for just Taika and himself, but he could sense most of his friends weren¡¯t in the cloud house. He hoped they weren¡¯t getting harassed out in the world on his account.


    ¡°What day is it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Fifthday. Wait, Fourthday? I¡¯m still not used to the six day week here, even if the names are super-simple.¡±


    ¡°Well, we name our days after gods. The gods a real here and probably frown on that kind of thing. I don¡¯t think Dominion would go along with it unless most of the days were named after him, so they probably cut their losses.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think my mum would like all this gods shenanigans. She¡¯s pretty Christian.¡±


    Taika expression was sad as he put a plate in front of Jason, along with a knife and fork.


    ¡°I will get you back to her, Taika. Maybe even sooner than I thought.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°No promises, but I might have a line on something. I¡¯ll have to see how it goes.¡±


    Taika gave himself a second plate, then set aside a third that was twice as wide as the others and held a literal pile of bacon and eggs. Jason looked at it.


    ¡°You overestimated how hungry I¡¯d be? Oh, wait¡­¡±


    Gary came in, grinning as he sniffed the air before sitting down in front of the big plate.


    ¡°You¡¯re up and about, then,¡± he asked Jason.


    ¡°Kind of,¡± Jason said. ¡°I half wish I was still asleep.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t claim to understand all this high-end magic,¡± Gary mumbled around a mouthful of bacon. ¡°Give me a magic hammer and some magic iron and that¡¯s where my interest starts and ends. But maybe wait until you¡¯ve recovered from the last time you wrecked yourself channelling weird super-magic before doing it again.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like good advice, bro.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take it under consideration.¡±


    ***


    Feeling helpless, Jason made his way to the top of the pagoda. It was the tallest building on the island of Arnote at five storeys and noticeably stood out in the otherwise sleepy beachside village in which it was located. Even the royal compound, housing a minor branch of the royal family, was far less prominent. Sitting on the balcony did offer commanding views of the turquoise sea, however, glistening under the tropical sun. He could see quite a distance and spotted a magic storm raging far out to sea, beyond the towers that kept them from the island.


    Cloud stuff from the palace danced between Jason¡¯s hands, held in front of him as he waggled his fingers. The cloud flask was designed to adapt itself when exotic materials were placed inside, but the authority Jason had taken from the Builder was a little beyond exotic. To anyone else, the cloud stuff seemed no different, but Jason was bonded to his cloud flask. He could feel that there had been a fundamental change in the material from which the flask created cloud constructs.


    Jason was unsure of what the change would bring on a structural level, but he suspected that the cloud house would be significantly more resistant to intrusion, both physically and through dimensional travel, like teleporting. To date, no one had attempted to force their way in and he was unsure how resilient it was. Emir had told him that each rank would make the cloud constructs harder and harder to penetrate, relative to the rank of the flask.


    The modifications made by feeding things into the flask would be a large factor, and now that he had fed it authority and turned in into a spirit domain, Jason was confident in the robustness of his sanctuary. He imagined a diamond-ranker could make their way in, but it would probably even hold them off long enough for Jason to escape into his soul space. The likely exception was someone on Dawn¡¯s level, but if someone like that was seriously coming for him, there wasn¡¯t much he could do anyway.


    Although he was stuck on the slow road to recovery, Jason didn¡¯t feel the kind of downward suction he had in the latter parts on his time on Earth. Then he¡¯d been out and active, but had felt helpless, as if he were spitting into the void in the hope that it would slay a god.


    Even though he could do nothing but wait, Jason felt eager and hopeful. He had a path forward and, more importantly, companions to walk it with him. Farrah had been the string that held Jason together, but at the end she had become as frayed as he was. After the transformation zones and Dawn¡¯s departure, the two of them had methodically gone around, modifying the link between worlds so they could leave. They stopped involving themselves in the affairs of Earth and it¡¯s magic factions, stayed quiet and stayed on task.


    By the time they were done and ready to leave, they were both on the verge of burning out. Finally, they returned to Pallimustus, only to find themselves still isolated from their people, kept on the far side of the world by the monster surge. If not for the presence of Rufus they might have cracked, which Jason suspected was the point. Knowledge had sensed they were at their limits and done just enough to keep them sane so they could continue the task at hand.


    Once Jason¡¯s team arrived, the healing had begun, but it wasn¡¯t like flipping a switch. Jason and Farrah both spent a lot of time with Rufus¡¯ mother. Her expertise in mental health as a member of the Church of the Healer had guided them towards recovery. Neither of them would ever be the people who had been sent to Earth through death and resurrection, but Jason held no illusions about going back to the person he was. He lamented the loss of innocence, but he could no longer afford the naivety that had led him to make mistakes in the past.


    Jason had been angry after hurting himself escaping the underwater complex. It was the latest in a series of events where he had been forced to push past his limits and accomplish the impossible. But as he convalesced, he had a lot of time to think. He had decided that it was time to stop waiting for his life to be anything other than a chain of events that pushed him to the brink. It was time to stop letting the cosmos break him and break it right back instead.


    Jason was ready to go forward and, for the first time in a long time, was excited about what the future held. He had stopped trying to fight against being caught up in events ordinary adventurers weren¡¯t. Whatever mysterious danger awaited him, he would deal with it. Rufus had warned him that there was no ordinary path for an outworlder, and years down the road, he had finally accepted it.


    The thought made Jason think of the outworlder supposedly in Rimaros, other than Taika, Travis, Farrah and himself. He had never gone looking, having had enough to be going on with, and always assumed he would run into them sooner or later. He wondered if maybe his convalescence was a good time to reach out. He needed to know how big a problem the revelation of recent events would be before he knew if the timing was right.


    There was no question that Jason would have an unusual reputation, but what that meant was up in the air. Would it bring political clout? Paint a dangerous target on him? His guess was some of both. The real problem was one of rank. If he was a diamond ranker, people would view things very differently. They were figures of power and mystery, so a little mythmaking was within expectations. It was their job to become involved with gods and strange entities from beyond.


    Jason pushed himself to his feet with a grunt. Inside the cloud house he could float himself around in a cloud chair if he wanted, but moving under his own steam was good for recovery. He wanted to do some things, but he needed to wait. Rufus, Humphrey and Dawn all had various levels of political influence they could tap into to get the lay of the land, and Jason wanted to know what he was dealing with before he started crashing headlong into things.


    ¡°Maybe I¡¯m growing as a person?¡±


    ¡°That would be very welcome, Mr Asano,¡± Shade¡¯s voice came from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°You say that like you don¡¯t think it happened.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, there is a fireman¡¯s pole running the entire height of the pagoda.¡±


    ¡°I said personal growth, Shade. I didn¡¯t say anything about maturity.¡±


    ***


    Inside the pagoda was a room with no doors or windows. It was elegantly appointed in wood, with soft light shining from points on the ceiling. There was an impossibly soft bed, a chair and reading table and a shelf of books. It was the third iteration of room design Melody had experienced since being forced into it. She had seen stark, black stone, soft white cloud-stuff and now the latest design.


    Melody was reading a book when a gap appeared in one of the walls, revealing the nature of the room as cloud-substance masquerading as wood and cloth. She set the book on the table and watched as her daughter entered, carrying a dish of fruit salad and two bowls on a tray.


    While Melody returned the book to the book shelves, Sophie set the tray down on the table and cloud-stuff rose from the floor into the shape of a second chair. It took on the appearance of a wooden dining chair that matched the d¨¦cor of the room and Sophie sat down. Having put away the book, Melody took the remaining chair.


    ¡°What were you reading?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°What is the hit television series?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what that means. Why?¡±


    ¡°All of these books have ¡®adapted from the hit television series¡¯ written on them. I have to acknowledge that your friend Jason is an innovator; it¡¯s not often I encounter a form of torture that even the Order of the Reaper doesn¡¯t know. I¡¯m still unclear on what a Baywatch is.¡±


    ¡°You seem to be holding up well,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Better than your friend, it would seem. This room has been having some trouble settling on an identity. Is Mr Asano not recovering from his ordeal?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s recovering just fine. He just got a little angry while talking with some great astral beings.¡±


    ¡°How fun.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything I can get for you?¡±


    ¡°A way out. This room being so inescapable has hurt my pride a little.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have thought that finding out the god you¡¯re so obsessed with is a fake would engage your interest more.¡±


    ¡°A transparent lie. When you¡¯re not actively prattling about it, the absurd concept completely flees my mind.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a lie. Dominion admitted as much.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he popped in for a chat while Asano was talking with the great astral beings, did he?¡±


    ¡°It was a little after, but yes.¡±


    Melody¡¯s brow creased as she looked at Sophie.


    ¡°You¡¯re being serious.¡±


    ¡°When it comes to Jason, you¡¯ll find that the very serious and the very silly go hand-in-hand.¡±


    Sophie started dishing fruit chunks into the two empty bowls on the tray.


    ¡°What shall we talk about?¡± Melody asked.


    ¡°The operations of your group over the last several years.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s hardly appropriate for our fun mother-daughter chat. I was more thinking boys. You¡¯re not still with that Gellar child, are you?¡±

 Chapter 585: Dodging the Topic

    "The fact that the Builder''s forces effectively abandoned the Storm Kingdom as a battlefront weeks ago has lessened the local pandemonium," Dawn said.


    ¡°Things are a little more hectic elsewhere,¡± Humphrey added. ¡°The Builder¡¯s forces staging a complete and immediate withdrawal is causing confusion and havoc elsewhere. Welcome confusion, but people don¡¯t know what¡¯s going on or why.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society is sending out messages as fast as they can open water links, trying to keep some semblance of order.¡±


    ¡°Which is agitating the Magic Society,¡± Farrah added.


    While Jason had been sleeping off his latest self-destructive escapade, his friends had been out getting the lay of the land after events earlier in the week. Dawn took the royal family, going straight to the top with Soramir. Rufus took the Adventure Society, being the only three-star adventurer in the group. That gave him access to more information than the others could get.


    Farrah was a member of the Magic Society, so she took that avenue. She was only an associate member, unlike Clive, who had been a mid-level official. Clive had quite firmly cut his ties with the society, however, despite several attempts on their parts to make amends, making Farrah the best option. Humphrey had gone to the local branch of the Geller family, which was a good way to get a feel for what the influential of Rimaros were up to.


    ¡°It¡¯s no surprise that you are the object of a great deal of attention right now,¡± Humphrey told Jason. ¡°Not with how they¡¯ve been watching this place since the light-show you and your familiars put on when we were trying to keep you alive.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the impossible portal you opened that put you in that position,¡± Farrah added. ¡°The Magic Society is very interested in hearing more about that.¡±


    ¡°Maybe you could visit one city without projecting a huge display of your personal crest over it,¡± Rufus suggested.


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯ve visited two without doing that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The point is,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°that you¡¯ve been under close observation ever since. Your encounter with the great astral beings is common knowledge, at least in the circles of people who know things that most don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Meaning rich pricks with an agenda,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You¡¯re a rich prick with an agenda,¡± Farrah pointed out.


    ¡°My agenda is primarily sandwich-related. It doesn¡¯t count.¡±


    ¡°A god showing up for a chat afterwards did not help calm things down,¡± Rufus pointed out.


    ¡°Thus the avalanche of contacts and invitations,¡± Jason said. ¡°Everyone wants a pound of flesh, whether it''s owed them or not. No surprises there.¡±


    ¡°These initial attempts to reach out are just precursors,¡± Rufus said. ¡°These groups will all have looked into you by now and have a good idea of how you¡¯ve operated in the past. Right now they¡¯re testing the waters, hoping to get lucky and have you do something unexpected and rash they can take advantage of.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve gotten at least a little better at not doing that,¡± Jason said grimly. ¡°There were a lot of eyes on me on Earth.¡±


    ¡°You still had a penchant for the big, dramatic move,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°But I¡¯m past the days of randomly making trouble to see what I can stir up.¡±


    ¡°You stole a nuclear weapon.¡±


    ¡°Not for laughs. Now, when I make trouble, it¡¯s deliberate because I know what I¡¯m trying to stir up.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a nuclear weapon?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°A city killer,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s the thing Travis made to take down the Builder city.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the super explosion box.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what people are calling it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve gotten a little off track,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± Jason said. ¡°What were we talking about? I remember mentioning sandwiches.¡±


    ¡°We were talking about the fact that every powerful organisation in the city, and quite a few beyond, is interested in what they can get out of you. They¡¯re only taking tentative steps right now, but none of them really expect that to get them anything. They¡¯re waiting out the aftermath of the Builder¡¯s departure, but I can promise you that they¡¯re looking for pressure points as we speak. Sooner or later, they¡¯re going to come at you hard.¡±


    ¡°But politically, right? There¡¯s no way they make a hard play with this many eyes on me.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said. ¡°No one wants to face the wrath of Soramir Rimaros or Dawn here, let alone risk interfering with some agenda of Dominion¡¯s they don¡¯t know about. They¡¯ll be looking for leverage on you, Jason. You¡¯re the weak link because no one cares if you get angry, so long as the people around you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ve seen that pattern before,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I imagine they¡¯ll have to learn why that¡¯s a mistake the hard way.¡±


    "The organisations we''re talking about aren''t fools," Rufus said. "They know that the kind of rewards they''re looking for only come from fishing in dangerous waters. They won''t push too hard unless they''re extremely certain of themselves. Jason, your situation is likely to be annoying, but mostly not dangerous. No one is going to grab you off the street."


    ¡°And not every organisation is lacking in decency,¡± Humphrey added.


    ¡°I know your family are good people,¡± Jason said. ¡°Unfortunately, there¡¯s no shortage of less-good people.¡±


    ¡°The best solution is to get out of the Storm Kingdom,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The longer you stay holed up in your pagoda, the worse it¡¯s going to get. The Adventure Society was already unhappy about you continuing to hold Melody. Now a lot of very powerful people are looking for answers. Warily, but eagerly.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t care about answers,¡± Jason said. ¡°They care about power. They see the crowd I¡¯m running with and think I¡¯ve got something special. They want to know what it is and if they can get in on it or take it for themselves.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn agreed. ¡°But the forces that have led you to your current position are barely appropriate for you, and arguably aren¡¯t at all. They have no place trying to lay claim to any of it.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Because powerful people are famous for deciding that they have enough power and not trying to get more. You can tell them it¡¯ll only bring trouble all day long, but it¡¯ll only convince them that it¡¯s even more valuable than they thought.¡±


    ¡°The question is, what do we do now?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I¡¯m inclined to wait, at least for the moment. I know that gives pressure time to escalate, but I¡¯m not ready to move yet. Being on the road is a less-secure position than what we have now. What I need is time to heal, and these groups aren¡¯t the only ones waiting for things to settle in the Builder¡¯s absence. For now, I¡¯d like to let other people make their moves so we can get a sense of what they¡¯re after and how hard they¡¯re willing to push for it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not sustainable,¡± Rufus said, ¡°but I think it¡¯s the right move in the short term. Rather than sticking your neck out, let them do it and see what we can learn.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society won¡¯t just allow one of their members to be tossed around by powerful people like a ball,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They¡¯ll want some insight as to what¡¯s going on, but give it to them and I think you¡¯ll find they shield you from most interested parties.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Rufus agreed. ¡°That¡¯s the covenant: adventurers protect people and the Adventure Society protects adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but not every kind of protection is something I¡¯m looking for,¡± Jason pointed out. ¡°Throwing me in a nice, secure room keeps me safe, and hey, since I¡¯m there, why not ask me some questions?¡±


    ¡°The branch here isn¡¯t like in Greenstone,¡± Rufus assured him. ¡°Rimaros is one of the most prominent adventuring cities in the world. Nothing they can get from you is worth compromising their reputation.¡±


    ¡°Nothing?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Even if they could get some of the universe power you gave back to the Builder, without the great astral beings going after them, still not worth it.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s the loose plan, then. We wait it out, I heal up¨C¡±


    ¡°Without finding some new and ridiculously destructive magic to shove inside yourself,¡± Farrah said pointedly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°Without blowing myself up again. We see what people throw at us and react accordingly.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s your schedule for departure?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°Moving too soon might expose you to the machinations of the people watching you, but moving too late gives them too much time to bring their resources to bear.¡±


    ¡°End of the monster surge,¡± Jason said. ¡°Then we scarper. There will be a lot of adventurers on the move, so we¡¯ll stand out less.¡±


    ¡°Our intention is to stay on the move for a time,¡± Humphrey told Rufus. ¡°We¡¯ll make our way to Cyrion where the other people from Earth arrived, but we won¡¯t rush it.¡±


    ¡°Lay low, as much as we can,¡± Jason added. ¡°Assuming an island doesn¡¯t come to life and decide I need to make in some sneakers or whatever weird crap comes at me next.¡±


    ¡°That seems unlikely,¡± Rufus said. ¡°What are sneakers?¡±


    ¡°A kind of shoe.¡±


    "Why would a sentient island want you to make shoes."


    ¡°I know right?¡± Jason asked. ¡°It¡¯s always something.¡±


    ***


    Jason made one exception to the policy of not engaging with outside groups and extended an invitation for someone to visit the pagoda. He was waiting for their arrival in a sitting room that, like many of the pagoda¡¯s rooms, opened out onto a balcony to take full advantage of the views. That was a design feature that Jason had borrowed from Emir, whose cloud palace usually took the form of five towers with many terraced rooms.


    Dawn was keeping him company and they sat side-by-side in front of a very full table.


    ¡°No, you already used the bottom action on your other card,¡± Jason explained. ¡°That means you have to use the top action on this card.¡±


    ¡°But I want to use the bottom action.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°The rules.¡±


    ¡°Since when do you care about rules?¡±


    ¡°I care about rules when it matters,¡± Jason said. ¡°This isn¡¯t some king or great astral being nonsense that isn¡¯t important. This is a board game.¡±


    ¡°These rules don¡¯t make sense. Why can I only use my axe one time? That¡¯s not how axes work.¡±


    ¡°You can use it again after you take a long rest.¡±


    ¡°How heavy is this axe?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably a magic axe. It might need to recharge.¡±


    ¡°That is terrible axe design.¡±


    ¡°Gary said the same thing,¡± Jason said unhappily.


    Dawn shook her head.


    ¡°You know we still need to talk about the astral throne and astral gate,¡± she told him.


    ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of a game.¡±


    ¡°Jason¡­¡±


    ¡°Not yet. They¡¯re in my soul space. Until I can open the door to it without passing out, I can¡¯t examine them properly. There¡¯s no point discussing it until I can take a better look.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you¡¯re calling your spirit realm, now? Soul space?¡±


    ¡°I keep having to explain spirit realms and spirit domains and I always ending up answering questions about which one is which, and what¡¯s the difference, can I use them to smuggle amphorae¨C¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Amphorae. It¡¯s the plural of amphora.¡±


    ¡°I know what amphorae are.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you ask? I¡¯m very confused.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re dodging the topic. Again.¡±


    ¡°Of course I am. It feels like you¡¯re going to tell me off.¡±


    ¡°I am going to tell you off.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not my fault I have vast cosmic power. Your boss and her friends keep leaving it lying about. You don''t put a gun out where an irresponsible child could get their hands on it.¡±


    ¡°The irresponsible child being you.¡±


    "Do I at least get points for self-awareness?"


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said, emerging from a shadow. ¡°Priest Quilido will be arriving shortly.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Dawn said gratefully. ¡°Shade, can you please pack up the game?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re in the middle of a scenario,¡± Jason complained.


    ***


    Carlos was nervous about approaching the pagoda that now towered over the cliff. He arrived at the island on the back of a flying manta, driven by a trained rider. The building stood out from very far off when approaching through the air.


    The last time Carlos had spoken to Jason, Carlos had pushed him about participating in the future conflict against the messengers. It was more than he should have, and Carlos still felt shame as a healer that he had allowed his own agenda to compromise his care for a patent.


    Jason had gotten angry over another powerful person attempting to dictate to him. Given what had taken place since they last saw one another, Carlos had a much better idea of what Jason was talking about. Carlos had first met Jason after the Builder attempted to lay claim to Jason¡¯s soul. He never imagined that the Builder and the iron ranker would continue to interact.


    The manta flew over the pagoda and Carlos dropped off, the rider turning back in the direction of Livaros. Carlos landed lightly, despite falling from twice the height of the building, and walked up to the entrance. He was met by Jason¡¯s shadow familiar.


    ¡°Priest Quilido. I know you are here at Mr Asano¡¯s invitation, but I hope you can act with a little more decorum than was demonstrated on your last visit. He is, as he was then, recovering from having channelled energies that he should not.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°What happened this time?¡±


    ¡°That is best left for Mr Asano to explain. Follow me, please.¡±


    Shade led Carlos through large double doors that opened at their approach, into a large atrium. Multiple mezzanine levels rose up into the tower and a waterfall spilled off the lowest one, feeding into a pool. The walls were dark, smoky crystal, but the insides of the crystal swirled with nebulous patterns that were the kaleidoscopic light source for the room.


    Plants grew all over, dangling from the mezzanine levels, set into walls and free-standing in pots. They were leafy, tropic varieties with flowers that seemed to shift in colour under the strange light. The pool was in a recessed floor space, surrounded by a garden that had a ringed path and some benches.


    ¡°This is very different to the last design,¡± he observed out loud.


    ¡°This design is what Mr Asano uses in his claimed territories,¡± Shade explained as he led Carlos to the side of the room.


    ¡°What does claimed territories mean exactly?¡±


    ¡°What does this place feel like, Priest Quilido?¡±


    ¡°Like a temple to a god that doesn¡¯t exist.¡±


    ¡°That is what I mean by claimed territories. If your god wanted to you know more, you would.¡±


    There were two elevating platforms at the side of the room Shade led Carlos to, under the mezzanines. Between the platforms was a pole that rose up through a hole in the ceiling.


    ¡°What is the purpose of the pole?¡± Carlos asked as they moved onto an elevating platform and it started to rise.


    ¡°Fighting fires.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand.¡±


    ¡°I am not responsible for what you do and do not comprehend, Priest Quilido,¡± Shade said as the elevating platform came to a stop. ¡°This way, please.¡±

 Chapter 586: A Power That Did Not Belong to the World

    Carlos was nervous as he moved through the cloud pagoda. Jason¡¯s familiar was clearly hostile, even as it guided him, and he worried that the entire building would be as well. He could sense its power, dormant for the moment but he had already had a taste of the power it could call on. That had only been a small, reflexive thing; he had no interest in being on the receiving end of dedicated hostility.


    The last time Carlos had seen him, Jason had barely the strength to lift his own head. Even so, he had tapped into the building¡¯s power to make it his own, throwing the gold-rank Carlos across the room like a toy. What¡¯s more, he did it with raw aura manipulation. While there were essence users whose aura abilities offered telekinetic power, this was not the case for Jason. It wasn¡¯t in his power set.


    Auras were a spiritual force, an expression of the soul, and using them on others could only be done on a spiritual level. There were exceptions, like most things with magic. An aura power common to the force confluence famously allowed auras to move things physically. Jason was not such an exception, however. None of his powers would let his aura do that.


    The power of a silver-ranker to levitate was not unrelated to aura, but it was much more an expression of other aspects of an essence user¡¯s inherent power. The fact that gold-rankers could do more than just levitate, along with how and why that was possible, was something mostly hidden from low rankers. The concepts involved were usually only shared with elite members of the Adventure Society as they approached gold rank, and members in good standing of the Magic Society when they entered certain fields of study.


    This was part of a larger body of restricted knowledge kept secret by the Adventure Society and Magic Society. Other organisations with powerful high-rankers, from churches to governments, all respected this restriction and did not disseminate the information either.


    Different knowledge had different levels of restriction, and enforcement varied wildly depending on the information in question. Inherent changes that high-rankers go through was very loosely held information, as while only elites had it formally shared, any gold ranker could deduce a lot of it from simply having the power in question. Even if they had no formal introduction to the changes they were going through, they experienced them for themselves. Trial and error alone could teach them a lot, and most found the Adventure Society tapping their shoulder, politely instructing them to not go sharing any such discoveries with low rankers.


    Broad knowledge about the soul was also on the lighter end of the restricted information scale. Things like recovery from soul trauma allowing some people to develop unusual strength and abilities with their auras fell under this heading. It was relatively common knowledge, but its spread was discouraged due to the experiments that had been illicitly conducted to explore the concept.


    Neither the Adventure Society nor the Magic Society wanted essence users being taken in batches and subjected to soul trauma in order to try and formalise a process of reliably strengthening auras. More than a few times over the course of their history, both organisations had to step in when someone was doing exactly that. There had been some success with such programs, with unwilling victims eventually developing strength similar to Jason¡¯s. For every success, though, there were many more essence users left irrevocably broken.


    The reason most of the restricted information was held back was the same: some amoral researcher took the information and hurt many, many people trying to study it. This was something that Carlos had seen from early in his career, as a healer specialised in soul trauma. His work frequently centred on those victimised by banned research, so it had been necessary to officially induct him into such secrets early.


    While some concepts in the restricted information list were relatively common, such as why certain essence were restricted, other information was much more tightly held. Although it was somewhat widely disseminated amongst high-rankers, anyone sharing it with lower-rankers was cracked down on hard. The Adventure Society¡¯s restriction enforcement division would be dispatched if the information in question was inappropriately leaked.


    This information included details about racial gifts going through a secondary evolution, something both the Adventure Society and Magic Society actively denied was possible. This was because such evolutions were both very rare and disproportionately affected Adventure Society elites. The organisations wanted such individuals protected, as they were ideal candidates for unsavoury research. When a promising member of a prestigious guild or an aristocratic family went missing, or a promising self-made adventurer, it stirred up all manner of trouble.


    Such information was restricted to gold-rank elites. This meant the most trustworthy members of the two large societies, upper-echelon temple members or high-ranking government officials. In the Adventure Society, for example, many members weren¡¯t introduced to various secrets until they reached a two-star rating. Even at gold-rank, some members weren¡¯t told everything.


    Gold-rank being the threshold for key information was chosen because it was the only rank where even limited information control became feasible. Reaching gold rank was difficult, and anyone operating outside of the Adventure Society¡¯s influence had a much harder time reaching gold-rank in the first place. Managing to do so without the society discovering their existence was almost impossible, and such individuals were kept track of as much as possible.


    More legitimate gold-rankers, be they adventurers or not, had a lot of freedom from Adventure Society interference with their activities. Their activities were regularly tracked, however, especially those operating on the fringes. Gold rankers had to be careful about pushing their interests over the lines the Adventure Society was willing to tolerate, as while those lines were very broad, the penalties for crossing them were unforgiving.


    Gold-rankers looking to conduct illicit research often used silver-rankers as proxies. Even if there wasn¡¯t a gold-ranker behind the curtain, silver-rankers were still usually the ones conducting less-than-savoury operations. The combination of relative freedom from Adventure Society attention while still having power and resources made them the porridge that was just right.


    The silver-rankers conducting this research were usually completely outside the purview of the Magic Society and Adventure Society. As such, keeping information out of the hands of silver rankers meant such research was undertaken ¨C and had to be stopped ¨C less often. The information was too widely spread to be truly kept secret, but it at least reduced the problem when most silver rankers didn¡¯t know that such research was possible.


    In most cases, it turned out to be a gold-ranker quietly backing the silver conducting the research, and both were heavily penalised when discovered. In most cases, the need to restrict the information they had already proven incapable of appropriately sequestering meant that the answer was execution. Given  that any research had usually more than earned it made the process a simple one.


    As a healer specialised in dealing with soul trauma, Carlos was one of the few legitimately inducted into such secrets at low rank. His entire career had been helping the victims of people who crossed the lines of decency in their magic research. In all that time, he¡¯d never encountered anyone else like Jason Asano, who managed to encounter one great secret after another.


    From being an outworlder to soul trauma to secondary evolutions, Jason kept stumbling blindly into concepts that ranged from rarely enforced restrictions to things that were heavily locked down. He knew for a fact that more than one discussion about what to do about it had been held at high levels, but as Jason was surrounded by powerful people who had told him what he should and shouldn¡¯t spread around, he was left alone. After all, he had not gone actively seeking out any of the things he had run into, and often been harmed by them. It was, after all, why Jason and Carlos had met.


    Aside from his failings as a healer, since their last encounter Carlos¡¯ mind had been occupied with the latest thing Jason had run headlong into. Being able to exert physical force with the spiritual power of his aura was very far from ordinary, although not unique. Carlos himself had encountered others with an innate power to use their auras in such a way, but they weren¡¯t essence users.


    ¡°Through here, Priest Quilido,¡± Shade said, standing beside a door that opened on its own.


    Having the train of thought he was distracting himself with broken, Carlos moved through the door. Part of his unease in being in the cloud pagoda was that his gold-rank magical senses, normally so powerful, failed to extend further than he could see, and even across a room his ability to sense auras and unseen magic grew fuzzy.


    The room was a sitting room open to a balcony instead of having a back wall. Two occupied armchairs had their backs to the panoramic ocean view, while the only other object in the room was a third chair, facing them. Jason was in one of the chairs, as expected. The other occupant was unnerving, as they had never met but Carlos recognised her by description.


    The local celestines came in various ethnicities, but none of them combined alabaster skin with ruby eyes and hair. That didn¡¯t mean there was no one else matching that description in Rimaros, but even with his senses dimmed, Carlos was completely arrested by the woman whose presence dominated the room.


    There was no doubt she was unsheathing her full aura on him, even with his senses heavily dulled. If they weren¡¯t, he¡¯d probably have a headache already. If she wandered around like this the whole time, then the people around her would just bleed out their eyes and die. Normal people, maybe even lower-ranked essence users, too. She was revealing her full power here to make a point, and the fact that Jason was sitting next to her, unfazed, reiterated how bizarre he was as well.


    Carlos had met his share of diamond rankers, but even compared to them the woman in front of him was on a different level. He had been sceptical about some of the things he had heard about her, but now he fully believed them. Hers was a power that did not belong to the world in which he lived.


    The things Carlos had heard about Dawn were as intimidating as they were vague. The idea of meeting Soramir Rimaros, founder of one of the most prestigious nations in the world, was a daunting prospect. Hearing of someone roaming around that he was scared of was a terrifying prospect. As for specifics he had heard little; mostly unreliable information about her relationships with Soramir, the Adventure Society, the royal family and, more recently, Jason.


    What should have been the most reliable piece of information he¡¯d been given was also the one he¡¯d had the hardest time believing. Somehow, she had single-handedly eliminated one of the Builder¡¯s fortress cities, along with every diamond-rank threat it contained. The details around it were less certain, but one thing he had heard was that her power was so vast that forces of the greater cosmos had decreed she was only allowed to act once as her power was too great to be let roam free in their world. It had seemed utterly absurd when he heard it, but now face to face, it seemed a lot more plausible.


    ¡°I think you¡¯re scaring him,¡± Jason said with a slight smile. ¡°It might be best if you left Carlos and I alone.¡±


    Dawn looked Carlos up and down, her face unreadable. Her aura withdrew and Carlos let out a breath he didn¡¯t need or even realise he¡¯d been holding. Her simple presence was enough that he reflexively turned to physiological responses his magical body had left behind decades ago.


    Dawn stood up and moved next to Jason¡¯s chair.


    ¡°Still having lunch with Sophie, Belinda and Farrah?¡± Jason asked her.


    ¡°And Taika.¡±


    ¡°Taika? I thought it was just going to be the girls.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s very gossipy.¡±


    ¡°Are any of the rest of you?¡±


    ¡°Belinda said that¡¯s why we need him.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Jason said, clearly lying. ¡°It¡¯ll do them some good to relax between contracts. Rimaros is such a nice place, but they can¡¯t afford to freely explore because they¡¯re caught up in my nonsense. Again. Look out for them, yeah?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    Despite being thrown by the incongruity of going from being washed in Dawn¡¯s power to seeing her have an ordinary conversation, Carlos noted her fingers subtly brushing Jason¡¯s forearm as she left. She moved to the balcony where flaming wings appeared behind her and she flew off. As Carlos stared at the place she had taken off from, her chair dissolved into the floor and Jason¡¯s moved to position him directly opposite the remaining empty seat.


    ¡°Do sit down, Carlos.¡±

 Chapter 587: A Gentleman Doesn’t Tell

    Carlos turned his attention to Jason as he sat down opposite him. He hadn¡¯t done more than glance at Jason since coming in, his attention arrested by Dawn. Even with his senses diminished, he could see that Jason was not in a good way. His skin was off colour and he was still emaciated, as he had been the last time they saw one another. He would have expected more recovery, deducing that what he had heard about Jason further injuring himself was true.


    Although his condition was poor, Jason¡¯s alien eyes were very much alive. Carlos was struck again by how little concern Jason had for rank disparity, the silver ranker staring at him impassively. His steely expression had only softened while he chatted with Dawn. Their interaction left Carlos with a question that he knew he shouldn¡¯t ask, but the gentle intimacy of the gesture he had noticed between them had startled him.


    ¡°Are you and she¡­?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little rude,¡± Jason said. ¡°But since I still need you to help guide my recovery, I¡¯ll put it under the category of doing a medical history.¡±


    Jason had coarse gravel in his voice.


    ¡°You are still willing to let me help you, then?¡±


    ¡°Carlos, are you the best soul trauma specialist on the planet?¡±


    ¡°I doubt it.¡±


    ¡°Which isn¡¯t a no. As you¡¯ve no doubt surmised, I¡¯m pretty wrecked right now. And since by body and my soul are the same thing, I need all the help I can get.¡±


    ¡°Jason, you¡¯re a unique case.¡±


    ¡°I get that a lot. I used to think it was cool.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that while I can do my best, I¡¯m going to be guessing at treatment. And that guess will mostly be ¡®rest because anything else might just make it worse.¡¯ I¡¯m not sure how much I can do for you.¡±


    ¡°Can anyone else do better?¡±


    ¡°Possibly.¡±


    ¡°A lot better?¡±


    ¡°Possibly not. Not on this planet, anyway.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll be honest, Carlos. My memory of how our encounter ended is a little fuzzy. My understanding is that I lashed out.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I apologise for that. What I won¡¯t apologise for is the anger that led me to that point. What you asked me to do was unbecoming of you as a man, a healer and as a friend.¡±


    Carlos nodded. He had pushed Jason to let him study Jason¡¯s recovery with an eye for how to fight those who had bodies like his that were souls made manifest; the physical and spiritual as one. The messengers who had followed the Builder¡¯s lead in invading the world had such bodies and Carlos had pushed Jason to reveal his own weaknesses, in hope they would translate to the messengers as well.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Carlos said. ¡°I apologise, unreservedly. I have nothing but remorse for my behaviour and I won¡¯t make excuses for it, but you deserve at least an explanation.¡±


    ¡°The explanation is obvious,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ve encountered messengers before and you lost people. People who meant a lot to you and it left you feeling helpless. I don¡¯t need to know the specifics; you want a way to hurt the people that hurt you.¡±


    Carlos nodded.


    ¡°I won¡¯t begrudge you those feelings,¡± Jason told him. ¡°While I was away, a gold ranker killed my brother, my lover and a friend. I know that drive for revenge and the directions it can push you.¡±


    ¡°Did you get your revenge?¡±


    ¡°Not with my own hands. Like you, I recognised that personal action would not get me far and made an oblique approach. I arranged for his demise. My dead girlfriend asked me to let it go and I would have, if he hadn¡¯t come for me again. Or maybe I wouldn¡¯t. I could have let him live, at the end, and I chose to have him die.¡±


    The gravel in Jason¡¯s voice was especially stony as he talked about arranging the death of a man. Carlos was not moved by it, however.


    ¡°Then you don¡¯t know what it¡¯s like after all,¡± he said. ¡°Waiting years. Decades. Longer than you¡¯ve been alive. I won¡¯t be able to find the specific messengers, if they even came back to this world. I wouldn¡¯t recognise them after all these years if they did. My memory at iron rank wasn¡¯t what it is, now that I¡¯m gold.¡±


    ¡°I suppose I don¡¯t know that frustration. But I do know what it is to be helpless to stop people dying at the hands of powers I¡¯ll never be able to challenge. I¡¯ve done my share of staring into the abyss; shouting into the void. The void is still there, same as ever. I¡¯m the one who was changed for it.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I should let it go.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m saying that I understand taking your chances where you can get them, and what that costs. You feel lesser for what you asked of me, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Carlos admitted.


    ¡°You¡¯re older than me, Carlos. By quite a bit. But I¡¯ve packed a lot into the last handful of years, and I¡¯ve made a lot of choices I¡¯m not proud of, even though I¡¯d make them again, if it came to it. I¡¯m the lesser for having made them, but I can afford to be. My job is to fix problems, usually by making them suffer and die. Your job is to make people better. For good or ill, you can¡¯t afford to make yourself worse.¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°I guess I am saying you should let it go. It sucks, but sometimes you just have a find a way to go forward without getting the answers you wanted.¡±


    ¡°How is that going for you?¡± Carlos asked pointedly.


    ¡°Real crappily,¡± Jason said with a self-depreciating laugh. ¡°But I think I¡¯m starting to get there.¡±


    ***


    Carlos spend no small amount of time examining Jason with a plethora of tools he pulled out one after another. Jason patiently endured through it, knowing that he couldn¡¯t keep doing what he had done to his body without repercussions.


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with authority as a concept,¡± Carlos said while continuing the latest examination. It involved Jason sticking his leg out while Carlos ran a hoop up and down its length, careful to avoid touching the hoop to Jason¡¯s skin.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen it before?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Carlos said. ¡°I¡¯ve heard of it. The idea of a mortal harming themselves by using it is completely absurd. Obviously, I should have learned more about every insane thing a person couldn¡¯t possibly do to themselves, in anticipation of treating you for doing them all.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°Jason, there¡¯s something I¡¯d like to talk about. It¡¯s awkward because it¡¯s about the messengers, and the last time we discussed them things went badly.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to try and convince me to subject myself to experiments on how best to kill me again?¡±


    ¡°No. I hope I never lose sight of myself that badly again.¡±


    ¡°Then just tell me.¡±


    Carlos nodded and finished up his examination. He put the testing device back into a dimensional bag and went back to his chair.


    ¡°You said your memory of our altercation was hazy,¡± Carlos said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a vague memory of getting angry and tapping into the cloud house. After that it all gets fuzzy.¡±


    ¡°You threw me across the room.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that. You weren¡¯t hurt were you? I don¡¯t think I activated any of the building¡¯s true defences.¡±


    ¡°I was unharmed, but what happened to me isn¡¯t what matters. How you did it is.¡±


    ¡°I was pretty wrecked. I¡¯m assuming I drew on the strength of the house. It is what I was trying to do.¡±


    ¡°My concern is what you did with that strength. When you threw me, you used your aura, and your aura alone.¡±


    ¡°My aura power can¡¯t do that.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Carlos agreed.


    Jason sat in silence for a moment, absently tapping a finger to his lips, his expression contemplative.


    ¡°This is about my soul existing physically, isn¡¯t it? You said this was related to the messengers, and they¡¯re physical-spiritual gestalts, like me. They can do what I did?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Carlos said. ¡°They can use their auras to manipulate the physical world. It seems that you can do the same, but the question is whether you can do it on your own or if you need the support of whatever your cloud house does for you.¡±


    ¡°Should I try it out?¡±


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Until you are fully recovered, lets leave experimenting with unknown powers of the shelf. But I would like to learn about your cloud house. As you might imagine, your tests all came back extremely anomalous. I need all the information I can get to best help along your recovery.¡±


    ¡°The cloud house is off limits,¡± Jason said. ¡°Some secrets I have to keep. I think that maybe your gods can help you with the right approach, so¡­ pray on it? I¡¯m not sure how that really works. Gods normally come to me for a chat, so I¡¯m not super familiar with¡­ Carlos, are you okay?¡±


    Carlos closed his mouth after his jaw was left hanging open.


    ¡°Mate, it looked like your eyes were going to open so wide your skin would peel back off your skull. What¡¯s the matter?¡±


    ¡°Gods normally come to you?¡±


    ¡°Not always. I went to Knowledge¡¯s temple once. That was the day I learned that gods are real. She was a little miffed that I saw one in the worship square and she wasn¡¯t my first.¡±


    Carlos ran his hands over his face.


    ¡°Jason, you are, without even the most remote of competition, the single most complicated patient I¡¯ve ever had. And I¡¯ve spent decades dealing with people who¡¯ve had their souls hammered like iron in a smithy. I¡¯ll see if my god has any insight on how to approach your treatment, but I¡¯d like to know everything you¡¯re willing to tell me about the various forces you¡¯ve channelled through your body. The tests I performed suggested that you underwent something that served to help you recover before something else made you worse. I¡¯m assuming the authority you used was what harmed you again, but I¡¯m curious about the recovery.¡±


    ¡°I try be a gentleman about these things,¡± Jason said, ¡°but since it¡¯s medical-related, I suppose I can tell you. You know how high-rankers aren¡¯t usually intimate in the old fashioned way?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar,¡± Carlos said. ¡°There¡¯s little point fulfilling physical urges that you¡¯ve moved past. Gold rankers don¡¯t feel the need for ordinary physical intimacy. I imagine you are much the same, with your outworlder body accelerating the transition to being fully magical.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m well past that stage. So, Dawn showed me something that high-rankers do with their auras.¡±


    ¡°And you could do it?¡±


    ¡°Yeah it was¡­ well, that aspect isn¡¯t medically relevant. But yes.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not something people can normally do before gold rank, but at this point it¡¯s going to take more than that to surprise me.¡±


    Jason opened his mouth to respond but Carlos forestalled him with a raised hand.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a challenge, Jason.¡±


    Jason¡¯s shoulders slumped.


    ¡°Fine.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the energy exchange process, being a gold ranker myself. What I need to know is how it impacted your recovery so I can incorporate it into establishing a treatment program. Anything you can tell me would help.¡±


    ¡°No worries. You know, I never found out what they call it here. On my world it¡¯s sometimes referred to as dual cultivation, although there are some very sketchy ideas around that¡­¡±


    ***


    For the remaining duration of the monster surge, Carlos started with daily visits as he worked out the most effective treatment rituals and alchemical supplements to accelerate Jason¡¯s recovery. As they narrowed down the most effective solutions, his visits gradually decreased, leaving Carlos time for other pursuits.


    Aside from Jason, his major project was the prisoners taken when the Order of Redeeming Light¡¯s secret base had been discovered and raided. He was studying the effects of the ritual of purification they had gone through and if it could be undone. His revelation that the order was not what it seemed, and neither was the god behind it, had opened a huge can of worms that he had thankfully passed on to larger authorities to deal with.


    Once the truth was out, the deity Disguise gave up the pretence of being Purity, throwing an already chaotic world into yet more chaos. While the Ecumenical Council of churches, the Adventure Society and governments across the world were exploring the ramifications of Purity not being Purity, Carlos was attempting to undo what the purification ritual had done.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a purification at all,¡± Carlos explained to Jason as he lay in a ritual circle within his cloud pagoda. ¡°Rather than cleaning things out of people, it was introducing some kind of foreign element.¡±


    Above Jason was a complex array of magical light, constantly shifting as glowing tendrils reached down to touch Jason¡¯s body They had been discussing the topic during Jason¡¯s treatments for weeks.


    ¡°Are you sure you should be telling me this stuff? I¡¯m pretty sure they don¡¯t let one-star adventurers get briefed on the important stuff.¡±


    ¡°Where¡¯s Dawn today?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s talking with Soramir about¡­ oh, I see what you did there.¡±


    ¡°Jason, three-star adventurers are meant to go on the most politically sensitive missions. Given that any three-star mission right now has a good chance of starting with ¡®find out what Jason Asano is up to,¡¯ is there any point in giving you a star rating? I¡¯ve been talking to a lot of the Adventure Society high-ups. I¡¯m pretty sure that, given the choice, they¡¯d replace the stars on your Adventure Society badge by engraving the words ¡®Asano, you bastard.¡¯¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful. What did I do?¡±


    ¡°You caused a lot of powerful people to have even more powerful people leaning over them. They hate that.¡±


    ¡°So they just decided I can know whatever?¡±


    ¡°No one actually said it, but you could probably just ask Soramir Rimaros or Princess Liara or Dawn the magic space princess.¡±


    ¡°Magic space princess?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what your friend Travis called her, and it seemed about right. Nothing makes sense around you, do you realise this?¡±


    ¡°Everything makes sense around me. I¡¯m a very sensible man.¡±


    ¡°Sure. But yes: no one will come down on us for me telling you about the prisoners and the purification ritual.¡±


    ¡°You explained that before, right?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You said it was some kind of modified vampire curse.¡±


    ¡°I did. I wasn¡¯t sure how much of that conversation you remembered.¡±


    ¡°The early bits clearly enough. As I recall, the question was whether you could remove the taint without killing the people who have it.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Carlos said. ¡°Once the curse of a lesser vampire reaches a completed state, it can no longer be cleansed by ordinary means, even with a cleansing power as strong as yours. All attempts to do so have been fatal for the subject, which is something my church has wanted to overcome for a very long time.¡±


    ¡°Sophie¡¯s mother,¡± Jason said, worry in his voice.


    ¡°You still have her locked up?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not giving her to the Adventure Society. She won¡¯t tell them anything they want as is, and I won¡¯t let them risk killing her trying to strip out whatever is in her.¡±


    ¡°Is she still adhering to the idea that Purity is still her god?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The prisoners are still doing the same?¡±


    ¡°Yes, there¡¯s something about what was done to them that makes them ignore facts that contradict their beliefs, however obvious.¡±


    ¡°We have a lot of that in my world too. We call it faith as well, funnily enough.¡±


    ¡°Jason, to some of us, our religion is very important. So, perhaps you could avoid being a huge prick about it?¡±


    ¡°Sorry. Your boss does seem like a decent guy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m optimistic that my current research will reveal a way to remove this taint from these people. There might be some hope for Miss Wexler¡¯s mother. My hope is that, if I¡¯m successful, it might lead to a method for undoing vampire curses and similar transformations.¡±


    ¡°That would be amazing. What kind of timeline are we looking at?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea. Long. This will probably be my life¡¯s work, and the life¡¯s work of many other healer priests. My advice would be to keep a tight hold on Miss Wexler¡¯s mother until I have a reliable way to treat her, whatever the Adventure Society and Callum Morse may want.¡±


    ¡°He hasn¡¯t been talking to you, has he?¡±


    ¡°Jason, I¡¯m the only person not in your tight circle who regularly goes in and out of this pagoda. Everyone has been talking to me.¡±


    ¡°Oh. Sorry about that.¡±


    ¡°No need to apologise. For all the ridiculous things you involve yourself in make my life harder, I fully respect that each one represents dangerous sacrifice that you risked your life to make. Well, except the ones where you were making time with¨C¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough of that,¡± Jason chided. ¡°A gentleman doesn¡¯t tell, and his doctor shouldn¡¯t either.¡±

 Chapter 588: Recalibrate Their Expectations

    ¡°I want to try opening up some portals,¡± Jason said as Carlos was about to leave after his latest treatment session. They were standing in the vast atrium, by the large double doors that served as the main entrance.


    ¡°I would strongly advise against it,¡± Carlos told him. ¡°You are largely recovered, but if you push too hard, you could backslide. Keep doing the mana circulation exercises and use your non-dimensional powers. Anything that touches the astral will likely exacerbate the remaining damage and complicate your recovery.¡±


    ¡°But all my non-dimensional powers are very murdery. Are you telling me to go kill someone?¡±


    ¡°You know that I¡¯m not. Look, use your shadow hands and learn how to juggle or something.¡±


    ¡°Juggle? You want me to ride a unicycle, next?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is, but so long as it doesn¡¯t involve dimensional forces, go for it.¡±


    Carlos chuckled at Jason¡¯s aghast expression, opened one of the double doors and left. Outside, a beautiful woman with blue hair was approaching across the lawn.


    ¡°Princess Liara,¡± Carlos greeted as they moved past one another.


    ¡°Priest Quilido.¡±


    Inside, Jason looked out at Liara, who stopped just outside the threshold of the pagoda¡¯s doorway.


    ¡°Is this an official visit?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°How is your husband?¡±


    ¡°Well, thanks to you. He wanted me to convey his gratitude.¡±


    ¡°I have no interest in an official visit. A social one, on the other hand, is very different. Let your husband convey his gratitude in person.¡±


    The door closed itself between them.


    ***


    Princess Liara and her husband, Baseph, were travelling from Livaros to Arnote in a flying carriage. Theirs was a political marriage, but after several decades and three children, there was a hard-to-match intimacy between them. They had been friends and occasional lovers across the years, but had been growing closer recently.


    Liara had spent most of her career hunting down those who violated the Adventure Society¡¯s list of restricted activities. In the course of doing so, she had met Carlos a number of times, as his job was to help the victims of those Liara and her team had hunted down. Knowing him was why she had followed Jason¡¯s suggestion to bring Carlos in to work with the Order of Redeeming Light prisoners.


    When she had been reassigned to the Builder response unit in Rimaros, several years earlier, Liara settled into her home for a longer stretch than she had since her children were young. More time with her husband, this time without a trio of little princes and princesses underfoot, had brought them close.


    Their latest time together had come to an end when Baseph agreed to take on the role of administrator of an underwater mining complex. This proved a harrowing choice as it was raided by religious fanatics and Baseph and no small number of his staff had to be extracted by unconventional means.


    Jason Asano had done exactly that, at significant cost to himself. The spectacular light and aura show that came directly after was the by-product of efforts to keep him alive in the aftermath. Carlos refused to discuss his patient, but the fact that he was regularly visiting Asano spoke volumes as to how profoundly damaged Jason had been.


    Because of how her husband was rescued, Liara knew she owed Jason no small amount of debt. This was complicated by her relationship with Asano, which was a strange one, by her standards. Given who Jason was famously spending time with, it was probably quite ordinary from his perspective.


    They had met when she was tasked with using him in anti-Builder operations. At the same time, he was also roped into political machinations managed by Liara''s friend and fellow royal, Vesper Rimaros. Events had overtaken them, however, rendering petty political goals pointless and Vesper dead. Her sacrifice had been a key part of saving the island of Livaros from destruction.


    Liara had struck up something of a friendship with Asano¡¯s familiar, Shade. He had proven to be a communication lynchpin when many other techniques fell short, at least in the time they had to work with. More practical solutions had since been put in place, and she had found herself missing the discreet and polite shadow entity.


    Now, Liara was tasked with being the royal family¡¯s liaison with Asano again. Following the evacuation of the underwater complex, bizarre events had been surrounding Asano. His strange, changing building had become a fortress and, after much analysis, it was decided that imposing external will on Asano was a bad idea. His building, now a pagoda, was strongly suspected to have strange and powerful protections.


    That analysis was partly based on Liara''s own experiences. She had been inside the cloud house and felt its power, dormant but deep, like a lake with a monster sleeping at the bottom But the defences were not the reason she had argued strongly against going in to take Asano.


    Liara owed Asano and did not take that debt lightly. He and his team had been critical in the underwater complex rescue, rescuing her husband and even revealing the Order of Redeeming Light¡¯s location. They had taken risks and Jason had almost killed himself; the idea of repaying that with what could, at best, be considered heavy-handedness was something she was staunchly against.


    That was without even considering the forces Jason was involved with, including the god of Dominion, who had stopped by for what observer reports referred to as a ''casual chat.'' Even ignoring that, Liara knew what came of trying to push Jason Asano underfoot. She had very thoroughly gone through his Adventure Society file, the restricted parts included.


    For his entire career, and even before, Jason had been dealing with powerful and dangerous people. Time and again, while Asano often paid a price, it was the other side that ended up losing. From blood cultists to crime lords to a Magic Society director to great astral beings; looking down on Jason Asano because of his rank was a demonstrably bad idea.


    Even though she understood why, Liara did not appreciate being the one assigned to handle him for the royal family. It meant that she was forced to meet him with an agenda rather than the gratitude that should be the only thing she brought to his door.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± she said, sitting in the carriage next to her husband.


    Sitting opposite them were their three children, all silver rank, like their father. Dara was the eldest, and like the middle child, Zareen, had followed their mother into adventuring. The youngest was the only son, Joseph, who was an administrative official with the Amouz family business interests, like his father.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Baseph said, giving Liara¡¯s hand a comforting squeeze.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that he asked me to bring you before he¡¯d talk to me,¡± Liara said. ¡°It¡¯s like he wants a hostage.¡±


    ¡°Of course he does,¡± Zareen said. ¡°It¡¯s a power play, and one he¡¯s smart to make. He¡¯s been silver rank for less time than I have and look at what he¡¯s caught up in. The people looking at him now are used to just taking what they want from silver-rankers. He needs to recalibrate their expectations so that they approach him from a position of negotiation instead of making demands. I bet there have already been discussions about going into that building of his and dragging him out.¡±


    Zareen was the physically smaller of the two daughters, not inheriting her mother''s height, but she did have the iconic sapphire hair and eyes of the royal family. She was much more interested in politics than her mother and had been close to the politically-savvy Vesper, prior to her death. It had earned Zareen her three-star rating with the Adventure Society, as someone who could take on the most delicate of missions.


    ¡°I hate this,¡± Liara complained. ¡°I¡¯m a hunter, not a politician.¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t want to go probing this guy for information, then don¡¯t,¡± Dara said. ¡°Tell the family you won¡¯t do what they want.¡±


    Dara was a one-star adventurer, and happy to be so. It meant she only qualified for simple monster-hunting missions, which was exactly how she liked it. Even less interested in politics than her mother, she had Liara¡¯s height but Baseph¡¯s dark copper hair and eyes. She was muscular and a highly capable frontline combatant, compared to her tricky sister and stealthy mother.


    ¡°Sure, Dara,¡± Zareen said. ¡°She should go to the king and his ancestral majesty Soramir and tell them that she doesn¡¯t want to do that.¡±


    ¡°I would.¡±


    ¡°We know,¡± Zareen said.


    ¡°Refusing to do what the family wants would only mean they send someone who doesn¡¯t know Asano,¡± Liara said. ¡°The man we¡¯re going to see has had people like me hovering over him since he became an adventurer. I¡¯ve read his file and seen how that turns out when people like me push him. It¡¯s not a good idea.¡±


    ¡°It seems to be working out for him,¡± Dara said.


    ¡°This is what you think working out looks like?¡± Zareen asked. ¡°He¡¯s a turtle in his shell, hiding from the many forces that want a slice of him.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but he''s on the big stage, isn''t he? We''re princesses, and only the protocol servants know who we are.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re fairly borderline as princesses go, Dara. And having to hide isn¡¯t the only thing this guy has had to deal with.¡±


    ¡°No, it isn¡¯t,¡± Liara said. ¡°I don¡¯t want any of you to go through what he has, which is why¡­¡±


    She turned a glare on her husband.


    ¡°¡­I was against any of you coming along and getting involved in this.¡±


    ¡°We want to meet the man who saved our father,¡± Joseph said.


    ¡°I want to meet the man who spend the last two months sitting around in his house, telling the most powerful people in the city to bog off,¡± Dana said. ¡°I want to be like that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not how I would describe it,¡± Liara said. ¡°And I don¡¯t want you to share Asano¡¯s experiences. If Carlos Quilido takes months to heal something, that¡¯s something you very much want to avoid happening to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the man himself,¡± Zareen said. ¡°Is it true that his aura is as strong as a gold ranker¡¯s?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Baseph said. ¡°It¡¯s a little unsettling, if I¡¯m being honest. I felt it being projected out of that house of his, the day of the rescue.¡±


    ¡°Everyone on the island, did,¡± Liara said. ¡°I felt it from Livaros.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s very domineering,¡± Baseph said. ¡°I can see why dominion likes him.¡±


    ¡°The royal family was looking at marrying him in, wasn¡¯t it?¡± Zareen asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Liara scolded, jabbing a finger at Zareen. ¡°Don¡¯t even think about it.¡±


    ***


    ¡°My quiet little town has been a lot less quiet since you arrived,¡± Pelli told Jason as they sat on a balcony of his pagoda, sharing a pitcher of tropical juice and more magic-infused alcohol than was strictly appropriate for late morning. She was the mayor of Palisaros, the once sleepy little beach town on a lagoon where Jason had settled. She was a member of the royal family but also separate from them, although Jason was unaware of the circumstances.


    Jason was being visited by Pelli and Estella Warnock. The trio had struck up something of a friendship when working together to defend Arnote from loose monsters during the Builder¡¯s attack on Rimaros. With the adventurers busy going to war, the three had needed to step in, since the monster surge didn¡¯t care what people were doing and just kept producing monsters.


    Contrary to what Carlos may have thought, it was they and not he who were Jason''s most frequent visitors over the course of his convalescence. Estella Warnock had moved into her grandfather''s house, not far from Jason''s, and was beholden to no organisations. With Pelli acting as a shield for her, she had managed to remain that way, even with people now paying her close attention as she went in and out of the pagoda.


    ¡°I¡¯m genuinely sorry about what¡¯s happened here,¡± Jason told Pelli. ¡°I was looking for a nice, quiet time. I always suspected things might get a little boisterous for me, but I never expected it to be this much or this fast.¡±


    ¡°It has been good for local business,¡± Pelli acknowledged. ¡°All the rental homes have been booked out by people here to watch you for one organisation or another. Two new caf¨¦s have opened.¡±


    ¡°And are you the one watching me for the royals?¡±


    ¡°I took myself away from all that nonsense for a reason,¡± Pelli said. ¡°I don¡¯t want to end up with some upstart rescuing my husband only to turn around and threaten him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not threatening anyone¡¯s husband ¨C which you don¡¯t have, by the way. I¡¯m just using Liara to set a tone for future interactions. I need to show that I won¡¯t be dictated to.¡±


    ¡°You know that the smart move would be to let them dictate away and then just ignore them. Less confrontational.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never been one for the smart move. I don¡¯t think I like what that says about me.¡±


    Pelli chuckled, then looked out over the balcony.


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that¡¯s their carriage I can sense heading this way, so I¡¯ll trot off.¡±


    She stood up and Estella did the same.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go to,¡± Estella said, then claimed the pitcher from the small table that held the drinks.


    ¡°I¡¯m also taking this.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said with a chuckle.


    Jason got to his feet as Pelli nimbly vaulted the railing, not bothering to leave by the door.


    ¡°Asano, I have been contacted by people,¡± Estella said. ¡°Pelli has been shielding me from strangers, but this is someone I know.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°We should talk about it. But I told them I wouldn¡¯t do anything until you were recovered, so I¡¯ll tell you about it then.¡±


    ¡°Sounds good.¡±

 Chapter 589: Deeds of Legend

    Liara¡¯s family was sitting around a dining table filled with food. Liara had a glower as Baseph held her hand under the table, his eyes sparkling with amusement.


    ¡°¡­little did I know that your mother had leaked information about my route to use me as bait to try and catch some Builder cultists,¡± Jason said, continuing his story.


    ¡°She didn¡¯t!¡± Zareen said with a laugh.


    ¡°Oh, she did. Except it wasn¡¯t Builder cultists that ambushed me, but Purity fanatics.¡±


    ¡°Why were Purity fanatics after you?¡±


    ¡°Well, ostensibly they were doing it as part of a deal with the Builder. I have a few tricks up my sleeve for dealing with the Builder¡¯s own goons, so he gave the Order of Redeeming Light a¨C¡±


    Liara coughed pointedly.


    ¡°¡­undisclosed asset, in return for going after me," Jason finished.


    "They were just doing it as part of a deal with the Builder. It''s all very complicated.¡±


    ¡°You realise,¡± Liara said to Jason, ¡°that all of this is, strictly speaking, restricted information.¡±


    "Send me a fine or something," Jason said. "Anyway, they weren''t going to kill me ¨C at least, not yet. As it turned out, a friend of mine is the long-lost daughter of the leader of this order of Purity fanatics and they want to use me as bait to get their hands on her, before dealing with me for the Builder."


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding,¡± Zareen said.


    "It''s all true," Jason said. "You''d have to be a real hack to come up with something that outlandish. So, I get jumped by these Purity nutbags, and the Builder had clearly been talking out of school about my powers because they were prepared to counter my abilities.¡±


    ¡°That was when mother stepped in to save you?¡± Joseph asked.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯d think so, wouldn¡¯t you?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You fought them off then?¡± Dara asked. ¡°How many were there?¡±


    ¡°I gave it a go, but no,¡± Jason said. ¡°There were three of them and I copped a drubbing. They chased me through the jungle until they finally pinned me down. Now, I¡¯d already realised that your mother, or someone working for her, was probably watching. I knew she viewed me as expendable and these people had been a little too well-prepared. I couldn¡¯t be certain she was actually there, though, so I fought until I didn¡¯t have any other options. So, there I am, on my knees in the jungle, covered in mud. The only option I¡¯ve got left is to point out your mother, who I was relatively confident was there.¡±


    ¡°Why hadn¡¯t you shown yourself already?¡± Joseph asked Liara.


    ¡°Yes, Princess,¡± Jason asked, his tone a gleeful twist of the knife. ¡°Why hadn¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°She wanted to see how well he could fight,¡± Dara guessed. ¡°If you are going to have an ally, you should understand their capabilities and limitations.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Zareen said. ¡°Mother wanted Mr Asano captured, so she could follow the Purity adherents back to the others. Which Mr Asano realised and ruined by revealing her presence. Even if mother hadn¡¯t revealed herself at that point, or he had been wrong and she wasn¡¯t there, it would make them a lot more cautious about returning to wherever they were based. That would give Mr Asano more chances to escape captivity.¡±


    "I told you to call me Jason."


    Jason continued to amuse the siblings with anecdotes as Liara looked on with disapproval and Baseph with amusement. As Shade was clearing away the plates from the dessert course, Jason looked down at the floor, then turned to Baseph.


    ¡°It looks like my team is arriving home from a mission,¡± he said.


    Baseph was an experienced spouse to a politically important person and did not miss the signal.


    ¡°Great, I¡¯ll be able to thank them again. Come along, kids.¡±


    "Dad, I''m thirty-seven," Dara said.


    ¡°Of course you are, sweetie.¡±


    Shade led them away, leaving Liara and Jason alone. Jason got up and cloud stuff emerged from a wall before solidifying into a wooden drinks cabinet. He opened it up and started mixing drinks.


    ¡°You have a lovely family,¡± he said as he worked. His voice was sincere, without the tinge of amusement that usually underpinned his tone.


    ¡°Did you have to bring them into this?¡±


    ¡°I would have preferred a purely social engagement, it¡¯s true. But that isn¡¯t an option for either of us, is it Princess?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Liara said. ¡°No, it isn¡¯t.¡±


    Jason moved back to the table, setting one glass down in front of Liara and sipping at another as he sat back down.


    "Did they tell you to try and getting something specific out of me, or just whatever you could?" he asked.


    ¡°They want you to come in to the Adventure Society for a debrief.¡±


    ¡°I bet they do.¡±


    ¡°You know that you can¡¯t hide in here forever.¡±


    ¡°I know. But I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve noticed that my life can get very complicated, very fast. Until I¡¯m fully recovered, I have no interest in exposing myself to the next unexpected event or person making decisions for me for the greater good.¡±


    ¡°Which I¡¯m happy to go back and tell them. Honestly, you should get out of the Storm Kingdom. You¡¯ve generated a lot of goodwill, here, but there are a lot of people who see you as an asset more than a person.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°I''ve become quite accustomed to local authorities taking that particular stance. You know, if some of your fellow gold rankers do decide to offer me a very firm invitation in person, don¡¯t discourage them too hard. It¡¯s been a while since gold rankers showed up looking for trouble and I¡¯ve made a few upgrades since then. I¡¯d be interested in seeing how it works out.¡±


    ¡°I can never tell if you¡¯re being serious.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a funny thing. I never used to be serious and now I always am, yet I¡¯ve been the same level of ridiculous the whole time. When your life is outrageous, you have to be outrageous to live it.¡±


    Jason frowned.


    ¡°I¡¯m starting to sound like a book about finding yourself in Tuscany. I may be about to meet a nice man. Also, I think vampires may have ruined Tuscany.¡±


    Liara shook her head.


    ¡°You¡¯re not getting any easier to deal with, Jason.¡±


    He chuckled.


    ¡°What do you need to go back to your people with a win, Liara?¡±


    ¡°You could hand over Melody Jain.¡±


    ¡°Not happening.¡±


    ¡°No one knows what you¡¯ve got going on, Jason, and holding that woman is a signal that you¡¯re operating on some agenda of your own.¡±


    ¡°Everyone is operating on some agenda of their own, Princess.¡±


    ¡°Not everyone has as much impact when they do, Mr Asano. The last thing we need is another interdimensional threat while you¡¯re holding meetings with great astral beings.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fair,¡± Jason conceded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve already gotten quite a lot out of you. I know those titbits you were dropping as you entertained my children were not in there by accident.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Jason said innocently. ¡°If you managed to glean something from my sparkling lunch conversation, that¡¯s down to your political prowess.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t know that they wanted to keep you alive because of Sophie Wexler.¡±


    ¡°Her mother shared that little nugget.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got her talking?¡±


    ¡°Her daughter has. Not what you¡¯d call an interrogation, but we¡¯ve managed to pick up a thing or two.¡±


    ¡°I would love to listen in on those conversations.¡±


    ¡°Shade,¡± Jason said.


    Jason still wasn¡¯t using his own dimensional abilities, so he¡¯d been using Shade¡¯s dimensional storage as an ancient wallet from beyond reality. He took out a folder and pushed it across the table to Liara.


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to settle for transcripts,¡± Jason said. Liara moved to open the folder and Jason put his hand on it to stop her. ¡°Social event, Princess. You can take your peek once you¡¯re on the way home.¡±


    Liara gave Jason a flat look but placed the folder in a dimensional pouch at her waist.


    "You know this won''t be enough," Liara said. "You rattled a lot of windows when you had gods and great astral beings coming by to chat on your lawn."


    ¡°Okay, a few points. One, there was only one god, and he wasn¡¯t invited. You know what gods are like.¡±


    ¡°No, Jason. I do not know what gods are like.¡±


    ¡°And besides, the result of that meeting was the Builder going away. What do I have to do to get people on side?¡±


    ¡°What were you expecting? You made the Builder leave. What kind of silver ranker can do that?¡±


    ¡°You know that there¡¯s context to these events.¡±


    "Yeah, because that''s how legends go. Deep dives into historical context."


    ¡°I think legend is a stretch.¡±


    ¡°No, Jason; it isn¡¯t. Some guy told the Builder to go away and he did. People will be telling that story for a long time, and they won¡¯t be going into the contextual nuances. It¡¯ll just get grander in the telling.¡±


    Jason let out a tired, wincing laugh.


    ¡°You know, that¡¯s exactly what I imagined when I became an adventurer. Deeds of legend.¡±


    ¡°And now?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a lot more fun from far away.¡±


    Jason drained his glass.


    ¡°The powers that be are looking for some assurance that I¡¯m not some herald of the next big threat, yes?¡±


    ¡°There are also the ones who want to know how you got into this position so they can exploit it for themselves, but we try not to let them talk too much at meetings.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°What does Soramir say? He¡¯s going to set the tone.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he is.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°He says that someday, you¡¯re going to be diamond rank, and you¡¯ll remember how you were treated at silver.¡±


    ¡°I thought diamond rankers were meant to be above petty vengeance over the past.¡±


    ¡°They are,¡± Liara said. ¡°Because they get all their petty vengeance out of the way early.¡±


    She smiled as Jason laughed again.


    ¡°You seem less weighed-down,¡± she told him. ¡°You were quite intense when you first came to Rimaros. Like an alchemical bomb that could go off if it was shaken too hard.¡±


    ¡°I went through a lot in the other world, and I didn¡¯t have my team with me. Now, most of my affairs are settled and what I want more than anything else is to spend some time being as ordinary an adventurer as I can manage. With my friends. Which, right now, means getting away from Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that ordinary is ever going to be a path you get to walk, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well if anyone in your circle has any ideas to make that easier, let me know. Seriously; I think everyone would be happier if I stood out less.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll put it to the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, I apprecia¡­¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Liara asked after Jason trailed off.


    ¡°It seems that your eldest has taken a liking to my boy Humphrey.¡±


    ¡°Oh dear.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said as he stood up. ¡°His girlfriend doesn¡¯t have a lot of approaches to conflict resolution, so we should probably get down there.¡±


    ¡°You can see what¡¯s going on anywhere in the building?¡± Liara asked, also getting to her feet.


    ¡°Nothing is hidden from me, in this place. Come on; we can use the fireman¡¯s pole.¡±


    ¡°The what?¡±


    ***


    Dara rubbed the side of her head.


    "I''d have had her if she''d stop moving for one damn second."


    ¡°I imagine that¡¯s why she didn¡¯t sweetie,¡± Baseph told her. ¡°Now, get in the carriage.¡±


    He led her out through the double doors. Gathered in the Atrium was Jason and his team, minus Humphrey and Sophie, along with Liara and her other two children.


    ¡°It was lovely to meet you,¡± Jason told Zareen and Joseph. ¡°And while I¡¯m very flattered, I¡¯m not looking for the entanglements a political marriage would bring.¡±


    ¡°Mother, what did you tell him?¡± Zareen asked.


    ¡°Oh, you need to watch what you say in this building,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Jason sees and hears everything. I¡¯m still convinced he watches Humphrey and Sophie¨C¡±


    ¡°Lindy!¡± Clive admonished.


    "What?" Belinda asked. "You think he does too."


    ¡°Yes, but we don¡¯t discuss that kind of thing in front of company.¡±


    ¡°Oh, sorry.¡±


    "Would you two please stop?" Jason asked them. "You''re making me look bad in front of the royalty."


    ¡°Since when do you care?¡± Neil asked. ¡°I remember you saying that royalty were all a bunch of¨C¡±


    ¡°So lovely of you to come by, Liara,¡± Jason said. ¡°Please give my best to the king or whoever.¡±


    ***


    Jason stepped out on the balcony from his bedroom, stretching his arms in the morning sun. Shade emerged from a shadow to stand beside him.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure I¡¯m fully recovered,¡± he said. ¡°I feel fine. Better than fine. You know I always come out of these scrapes stronger than when I went in.¡±


    ¡°You promised Priest Quilido that you would not start using your dimensional abilities until he conducted final tests,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t like him.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about. And even if that were the case, it has no relation to his abilities as a physician.¡±


    ¡°Fine. When is he coming by?¡±


    ¡°He sent his regrets, as his research has delayed him. He will be along in the evening, rather than the afternoon.¡±


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°There are other ways to occupy your time, Mr Asano. Princess Zara Rimaros has invited you to visit the memorial put up for Miss Vesper.¡±


    "They were close, weren''t they? Vesper was Zara''s escort to Greenstone."


    ¡°Then shall I respond positively?¡±


    ¡°No, it smells like a trap.¡±


    "I don''t think she would do that, Mr Asano, although perhaps others might seize the opportunity. I shall extend your regrets."


    ¡°Thank you. Anything else?¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society seems to have taken Princess Liara¡¯s visit as a positive sign and asked for you to meet a representative.¡±


    ¡°Liara is an Adventure Society official. A high-ranking one, at that. Who are they sending in my direction.¡±


    ¡°Richard Geller.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re sending Rick? I thought he went back north.¡±


    ¡°It would seem not.¡±


    "He''s not even an Adventure Society official, is he? I thought he was just an adventurer."


    ¡°Perhaps you can ask him in person. I assume you will permit his visit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certainly not going to turn him away, which is presumably why the society is using him.¡±


    ¡°Miss Warnock asked me to set aside some time so she could speak to you.¡±


    ¡°She mentioned there was something she wanted to discuss. Go ahead and find a free moment.¡±


    "Very good, Mr Asano. There are quite a number of other social overtures, but nothing that warrants your attention. I will point out that Callum Morse has been making daily requests to talk to you for some time. He briefly started approaching your team members when they were on the job, but Mrs Remore put a stop to that."


    ¡°What about others? I know the team isn¡¯t telling me everything because they don¡¯t want me to feel bad, but they¡¯re getting pressured when they¡¯re out and about, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°Young Master Geller has made it quite clear that it is nothing they cannot handle.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯ll listen to him over me?¡±


    ¡°Of the two of you, Mr Asano, whose judgement would you trust?¡±


    Jason gave Shade a long look.


    ¡°Yeah, fair enough.¡±

 Chapter 590: A King Needs a Throne

    Rufus had instilled in Jason an appreciation for the fundamentals of training. Since those first days in Greenstone, Jason''s life had been storms of activity, followed by downtime for various reasons. Whether it was waiting for the Reaper trials to begin or staying with family in a world that ostensibly lacked magic and monsters, there were periods when Jason was not constantly caught up in the fight.


    It was in those times that Jason turned back to the training fundamentals in earnest. While he was in recovery, Jason''s body recovered faster than his ability to use his magical abilities in earnest, so he took that time again. He started with meditation, as even with a ravaged body it was something he could easily do. It even seemed to accelerate his recovery a little, to the point that Carlos noticed the difference and strongly encouraged him to continue.


    Once his physical state started to improve, Jason turned back to Rufus for guidance once more. With the monster surge winding down, Rufus had moved away from taking contracts in rapid succession and started working with Jason again. The focus of their training had been one of Jason¡¯s critical gains during his time away, outside of the growth in power that came from his rank and his essence abilities. It was something that came from the foundations that Rufus had laid with Jason¡¯s original training and the harrow experiences Jason had on Earth.


    Isolated in a transformation zone, fighting what felt like ceaseless battles, Jason had managed to enter a state known as a combat trance. It was something he had managed to re-enter sporadically since, where all his capabilities were maximised to the limits of his powers and skills. On the flattened roof of the pagoda, Rufus and Jason stood facing one another as Rufus instructed Jason.


    ¡°The combat trance is a difficult state to enter. It is two oppositional states of mind, melded into one. It is simultaneously the empty-mind state of meditation, along with the conscious-mind state that can think tactically and strategically.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve felt that contradiction,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s why I still struggle to enter that state.¡±


    ¡°But you have done it, on far more than one occasion.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about those times,¡± Rufus said. ¡°What do they have in common?¡±


    "It was always intense situations where I was vastly outnumbered and pushed to the limits. Sometimes I chose the circumstances because I knew it would push my limits. Sometimes the circumstances chose me.¡±


    Rufus nodded.


    ¡°What you¡¯re describing is very typical. The meditation techniques I taught you, especially the Dance of the Sword Fairy, are designed to prime you for this. But that is only the preparation, and the important part is what comes next. You have to do the work. You have to drive yourself. Only once you have pushed yourself to the limits of your potential can you take that extra step.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s where the pressure comes in.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You have to reach a position where you don¡¯t have any more to give, then be in a position where you need to give more anyway. Where the only way forward is for your mind to strip away everything you don¡¯t need and become completely focused on what you do. To unconsciously act in a conscious manner. Instinctual deliberation.¡±


    ¡°We have this concept in my world,¡± Jason said. ¡°We call it effortless action, and it¡¯s famously difficult to accomplish. I can only think of one person who had truly accomplished it, and he¡¯s a legendary figure, rather than a historical one. I¡¯m told that it¡¯s almost impossible until your body has started moving away from the brain as the centre of the mind, which is bronze-rank at least.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the generally accepted wisdom,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°When did you first achieve a combat trance?¡±


    ¡°When I was eighteen.¡±


    "Didn''t you get essences when you were nineteen?"


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to talk about that. Tell me about this legendary figure of yours.¡±


    "No worries. There''s a place called the Hundred Acre Wood¡­"


    ***


    The sky was painted in gorgeous sunset colours as Carlos entered the pagoda and he paused, narrowing his eyes.


    ¡°It feels different here today. Calmer.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano has spent much of the day in meditation,¡± Shade said, guiding Carlos across the atrium. ¡°He has been achieving better results as he recovers.¡±


    ¡°His mood affects the whole building? It¡¯s genuinely an extension of his soul, isn¡¯t it? And does his soul being a physical manifestation increase the effect?¡±


    ¡°I do hope that you are just curious and not gathering information, Priest Quilido. You have more insight than most into what Mr Asano¡¯s soul is capable of, which means you could prove a danger to him. Also, that you understand the danger he could be to you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a threat to him, Shade. I¡¯m an ally.¡±


    ¡°You would not be the first ally to come for him, Priest Quilido. They always thought that being higher rank was enough, too.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re very protective of him,¡± Carlos said as their platform started ascending. ¡°Added to his propensity for coming back from the dead, has Jason found the favour of the Reaper?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano courts no favour. He is true to himself, for good or ¨C more often than I would like ¨C ill.¡±


    The platform carried them all the way to the roof, which had been flattened out compared to the day before. Jason was standing at the edge, looking out not at the sea but inland, over the island. He wasn¡¯t wearing his normal outfits of either smartly tailored tropical-weather suits or garish floral shirts and shorts. He was in simple and loose white clothes; training gear, Carlos guessed, given the two wooden swords resting on the roof beside him.


    Jason didn¡¯t turn around at their approach. Shade vanished into Jason¡¯s shadow as Carlos stepped up beside him. He looked out over the island, dotted with little villages. The pagoda was the tallest residence, but the largest was the sprawling royal compound that appeared blurry, as if under a heat-haze shimmer. Carlos knew it was not some meteorological oddity but an observation filter, part of the compound¡¯s protections.


    ¡°Rimaros is called the ABC Islands in the other world,¡± Jason said, not turning his gaze from the vista. ¡°This island is called Aruba, over there. I¡¯ve never been to that world¡¯s version, but I suspect it¡¯s very different, from what I know of it.¡±


    ¡°You said the other world,¡± Carlos pointed out. ¡°You didn¡¯t say it was your world.¡±


    ¡°Home isn¡¯t where you¡¯re from, Carlos; it¡¯s where you go back to.¡±


    ¡°I suppose it is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve had time with my test results. Am I fully recovered?¡±


    Carlos smiled.


    ¡°Yesterday, you were asking me. Today it sounds like you know.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Thank you, Carlos. I know things were a little rough between us, but I¡¯m glad we moved past that.¡±


    ¡°Your familiar seems less forgiving.¡±


    ¡°Shade is his own person. And it¡¯s easier to forgive someone who has wronged you than someone who has wronged the people you cherish. In my experience, anyway.¡±


    Shadows danced around Jason, draping themselves over and around him, but it was different to how his cloak had appeared in the past. It was deeper, like an aperture into a bottomless abyss. That changed as stars and nebulas appeared within, not as aspects of the cloak but as if viewed from a great distance. It seemed as if Jason had wrapped himself in a portal to some distant, starry realm. Carlos moved around Jason and his perspective shifted, as Jason¡¯s cloak truly was a window into another place.


    "Your cloak didn''t use to look like that."


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°looks pretty good though, right?¡±


    "It''s¡­ uncomfortable to look at. Uncanny, like you''re wearing a hole in reality."


    ¡°You know that powers can change appearance, based on their wielders.¡±


    "Yes, but those changes say a lot about the people who have them," Carlos said. "Aren''t you worried about what this says about you?"


    The cloak dissolved and Jason stepped closer to Carlos.


    "And what does it say about me, Carlos?"


    "That maybe the people who worrying about you should be.¡±


    Jason''s smile was that of a snake who found a nest of turtle eggs.


    ***


    Jason sent an unnerved Carlos away, the pagoda¡¯s sloped roof being restored as they descended from it on an elevating platform. After seeing Carlos out, Jason opened a portal for the first time in months, from the atrium to his personal suite on the top floor.


    The origin and destination for your portal ability are both within your territory. [Astral Gate] has reset the cooldown of your portal ability.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    Jason stepped through the portal, feeling the familiar tingle as he touched on the dimensional boundaries of reality.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t feel any different.¡±


    Jason opened another portal, different to any he had before. Cloud substance rose from the floor, taking the form of an arch before shifting from cloud-stuff to a milky white crystal in which blue and orange light was swirling like liquid in a lava lamp. A curtain of Transcendent light in gold, silver and blue started shimmering in the arch.


    Jason''s normal portals were an essence ability and allowed him to rapidly move between locations. He had also gained the ability to open a portal to his soul space which, at first, only he and his familiars had been able to enter. But after his soul took on physical properties, others could go in, with a significant restriction. The power he held over anyone who entered his soul space was immense, and their own souls would balk at entry. As such, only those with a profound trust in his good intentions could enter.


    The portal Jason had just opened was different. Something about channelling authority through himself, infusing it into the cloud house or probably both, had brought about a fundamental change. He knew that this new arch would admit anyone. He did not know why, or what had changed to allow it, but he could feel it in his soul. Were the people within his soul space somehow protected from him, making it safe for them? Why would the change to his ability do something that seemingly made it weaker?


    Jason was contemplating the portal when Dawn alighted on his balcony, her fiery wings vanishing as she walked inside.


    ¡°Your ability didn¡¯t get weaker,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Are you reading my mind?¡±


    ¡°Your spirit realm has changed.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m calling it a soul space now.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what you call it. It matters what it is.¡±


    ¡°And what is it?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re aware that you share certain things in common with the messengers.¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    ¡°Have you ever wondered who they are the messengers of?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m wondering now. Is there some kind of super messenger that¡¯s going to invade?¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t invade. Not in person. That¡¯s what the messengers are for.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s the message?¡±


    ¡°Kneel.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s tremendous. So, who are these people?¡±


    ¡°Astral kings.¡±


    ¡°I think I see where this is going. A king needs a throne.¡±


    ¡°Yes, they do,¡± Dawn said. ¡°This is why I was concerned about one coming into your possession. Then you went and used that authority. You either fed it into your soul space and it bled out into your cloud flask, or the other way around. Do you even know which it was?¡±


    ¡°I think it started in the flask, but I can¡¯t be sure. I wasn¡¯t trying to do anything; I was just angry. I¡¯m still not certain what happened.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter, now. Between the astral throne and the authority, you¡¯ve established an astral domain that is, I imagine, currently very small. You are an astral king with a very diminutive kingdom.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯ve bought real estate in the astral?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying you are real estate in the astral. You are your domain, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely clear on how this works. For one thing, I think we¡¯re reaching the limits of using geography as a metaphor for how territory works in the astral. I mean, it¡¯s inside me, and it¡¯s a real space but it¡¯s also in the astral and not a real space. And how is it different from the way it was before? People could already come in."


    ¡°Your soul space was still more soul than space. An astral domain is a place. A place that you can shape and control, but as real as the world you were born in."


    "If it''s an actual place, now can someone break-in?"


    ¡°No. It¡¯s your soul.¡±


    ¡°Can they mess me up if I let them in?¡±


    ¡°No. More than ever, you rule that place. It¡¯s even safe for extremely powerful beings to enter, now. Safe for you, anyway. Not so much for them.¡±


    ¡°But no gatekeeping with trust anymore?¡±


    ¡°You were signalling an unconscious warning to other souls that to enter was dangerous. That was why the requirement to enter was their trust in you, not yours in them.¡±


    ¡°But now, no warning?¡±


    ¡°You are operating on a different scale, now. Volcanos don¡¯t warn you not to walk into them. You¡¯re expected to figure that out by yourself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say blanketing the sky in smoke and ash is a pretty big warning."


    ¡°As is blanketing the sky with your soul projection.¡±


    ¡°I was unconscious for that, remember. It was really that big?¡±


    ¡°Jason, there is a reason every powerful person in this kingdom is paying very close attention to you right now. What you¡¯ve been doing, both in public displays and to yourself, are not things of this world. These are things that belong to the cosmos, and the diamond rankers who have travelled it will recognise this.¡±


    ¡°Is that why Soramir has always been so nice to me?¡±


    ¡°He has walked the cosmic pathways. He sensed the things in you from the start and recognised, on some level, that you were not a junior but a peer.¡±


    ¡°Is that good or bad?¡±


    ¡°It is, perhaps, necessary, given the events in which you are inevitably caught up in.¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°There¡¯s more I need to know, isn¡¯t there? Yet again, my soul is doing things I don¡¯t understand. I mean, I know it; it¡¯s my soul. I just don¡¯t understand. It¡¯s like memorising a science textbook without understanding what it means.¡±


    ¡°I will help you, as much as I can. But now you have recovered and I cannot keep putting off my departure. It will be a few more days, at most.¡±


    Jason looked at the archway.


    ¡°You could never go in before, could you?¡±


    ¡°No. It would have been dangerous for both of us.¡±


    ¡°But you said extremely powerful beings could go in now.¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    He held out his hand for her to take.


    ¡°Shall we?¡±

 Chapter 591: What Light Does

    ¡°It changed again,¡± Jason said, looking around his soul space. ¡°Not that I wasn¡¯t expecting it. It¡¯s been changing on the regular, and with losing the bridge and the door, plus gaining the throne and the¡­¡±


    He sensed strange energies centred on Dawn. She had let go of his hand and staggered, trying to stay on her feet. Jason felt something inside of her, like an unplugged cable, trying to attach itself to the energy of their environment, which was comprised of his soul.


    Jason¡¯s power over his soul space was greater than ever and he magically isolated Dawn from the rest of the soul space. She stood up straight, her stricken expression calming.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± she said. ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure what to expect, but that was unpleasant.¡±


    ¡°What was it?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I have been connected to the World-Phoenix through my star seed ever since I chose to enter its service,¡± Dawn explained. ¡°Even when I can¡¯t commune with the World-Phoenix, such as when I am in your spirit domain, the connection remains. Here, however, the connection is lost. My star seed attempted to connect to something else.¡±


    ¡°Me.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that would kill me. I¡¯m not a great astral being.¡±


    ¡°You may be right. If we were attached like that, I would drain you like a diamond-rank energy vampire. Unless you could draw enough power from the astral, it would kill you.¡±


    Jason had been trickling energy from the astral through his soul space to sustain himself for a long time. Eliminating his need for regular spirit coin consumption was one thing, but taking the place of a great astral being in a symbiotic soul link with a peak-level diamond-ranker was another.


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to put that to the test,¡± Jason said. ¡°Also, I¡¯m pretty sure that if I survived the process, I wouldn¡¯t survive your boss finding out.¡±


    ¡°True,¡± Dawn said with a smile.


    ¡°I thought you said it was safe.¡±


    ¡°I said it was safe for you.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to have trouble re-establishing your connection once you leave?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know. I doubt it because the star seed is still intact. It''s rather odd, not having that connection anymore.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s just¡­ the World-Phoenix has been with me since I was not much older than you are now. I forgot what being truly alone feels like. It¡¯s a little disorienting.¡±


    ¡°Alone, you say. I¡¯ll try not to be too hurt by that.¡±


    ¡°Stop teasing; you know what I mean.¡±


    He flashed her a grin.


    ¡°Should we get you out of here?¡± He asked. ¡°Get that connection up and running again?¡±


    ¡°Is it a strain to keep me isolated like this?¡±


    ¡°Not at all.¡±


    ¡°Then let¡¯s take our time. The star seed is quite robust and I have all of eternity to be connected to the World-Phoenix.¡±


    Jason resumed looking around his again-reshaped soul space. The portal arch they had come through was still standing but the energy within had vanished, closing it off until Jason opened it again. It was located at the edge of what would be a large public square, if there had been a public to inhabit it. In the centre of the square was the familiar pagoda, although this one was larger than those in Jason¡¯s spirit domains. It was notably wider and ten storeys instead of the usual five.


    Jason floated into the air, not using his cloak as wings but simply using his power over the environment. He lifted Dawn up alongside him as they rose to take in the entire space. The sky above was the same clear blue of the world outside, the sun beaming down on what turned out to be an island. It looked to be roughly thirty kilometres by fifteen, with widely differing elevations. There was a small mountain, sandy beaches and what looked to be an area sunk below sea level.


    There was a lagoon at the opposite end of the island to the mountain, with a small town running along the shore. A larger population centre, minus the population, was located in the middle of the island. This was where the pagoda square was located. The rest of the island was covered in various terrain, much of which Jason recognised from the previous iteration of his soul space. Plantlife dominated, ranging from carefully manicured gardens to dense jungle, although open pathways wound through even the wildest of areas. Jason could also feel a network of tunnels and caverns running underneath the island, filled with luminescent fungus.


    Waterways were all over, from creeks running through the jungle, to underground rivers, to garden water features, to canals in and around the larger town. Jason knew that these were the physical representations of magic flowing in and out from the astral, supplying power to this space, along with his spirit domains, his cloud house and his own body. He could feel the magic moving, like blood through a circulatory system.


    ¡°How do you feel?¡± Dawn asked him.


    ¡°Like¡­ I don¡¯t want to say it.¡±


    ¡°Like a god.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°It feels wrong to say out loud,¡± he said softly.


    ¡°The truth is, Jason, you¡¯re more than a god here. Gods belong to their world, but they don¡¯t embody it. They have to share, and they¡¯re expendable. Look at Purity. But you don¡¯t belong to this world; you are this world.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I like having this kind of power. I don¡¯t think I can trust myself with it.¡±


    ¡°Then leave this place empty and have power over no one. Your power does not extend beyond it, so as omnipotent as you are here, outside it you are largely unchanged.¡±


    ¡°Largely?¡±


    ¡°There are a few things we should talk about. Oh, and you¡¯ve almost certainly stopped aging.¡±


    ¡°Wait, what? You¡¯re saying I¡¯m never going to die?¡±


    ¡°Of course you¡¯re going to die. Probably a lot; you can¡¯t seem to help yourself. Just not from old age.¡±


    ¡°Huh. I think I¡¯ll have to sit with that one a while before it sinks in.¡±


    ¡°The truth is, you¡¯ve probably been ageless since you accepted the World-Phoenix¡¯s blessing and changed your body. At the very least it would have expanded your life cycle by orders of magnitude.¡±


    ¡°You never felt the need to tell me?¡±


    ¡°Jason, I''ve seen enough people hit diamond rank to know what someone who probably will looks like. Soramir saw the same thing, the first time he met you. Adventurers who are going to make it have something about them; on your world, they call it the X factor. You have it, Sophie has it. Rufus has it, even with all that self-doubt. Emir Bahadir saw it in you. Even Rufus himself. He talks a lot about coming from a school, but he¡¯s seen a lot of adventurers, good and bad. He knew you had it from the beginning.¡±


    ¡°What about my other friends?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good team you have. They all have the potential, although some in different ways than others. Gary and Travis will have to take a craftsman¡¯s path. They both use monster cores, now.¡±


    ¡°Can you even get to diamond using cores?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°There is more to high-rank progress than simply killing monsters or absorbing cores. In many ways, those dedicated to a craft have an advantage in this regard. But these are things that will be shared with you as you draw closer to gold rank.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t it help to know them now?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be distracted. Silver rank is the last time essence users get to advance by simply charging headlong into adventure. Enjoy this time. And you have enough to be going on with, Jason.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s definitely true. Hey, what about my spirit domains?¡±


    ¡°What about them?¡±


    ¡°You said my power doesn¡¯t extend beyond this realm, but I have my spirit domains.¡±


    ¡°There is only so much you can do with them. Especially for now.¡±


    ¡°Why do I get the feeling that you know a lot more about where this is all going than me?¡±


    ¡°I know a lot more about everything than you.¡±


    He looked at her with arched eyebrows.


    ¡°Everything that matters,¡± she corrected. ¡°Eighties television does not count.¡±


    Jason looked out to the horizon where his senses grew fuzzy.


    ¡°Astral space rules?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Yes. Things will grow strange at the limits of the space as what is real and what isn''t becomes uncertain.¡±


    ¡°The space here is fixed,¡± Jason observed. ¡°In its previous state, the region was mutable. It wouldn¡¯t only change according to my directions, but also on its own. I can still reshape it, but it feels a lot more set in place now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a more stable reality. You¡¯ll realise, in time, that your ability to control it is far more intricate than you currently understand. Shall we explore it a little?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting on learning about the astral throne and the astral gate for far too long. Let¡¯s go take a look at them.¡±


    ***


    ¡°What¡¯s it like?¡± Dawn asked as they descended through the sky. ¡°On some level, you know this place down to the smallest particle, do you not? Is it all in your mind at once?¡±


    ¡°Not even close. That sounds like some god-level thinking-about-everything-at-once stuff. It¡¯s more like knowing mathematics. You¡¯re not consciously thinking about it, but when you need to calculate your points at the end of a Eurogame, you remember how addition works without thinking about it.¡±


    ¡°Or multiplication.¡±


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand how that is your problem with Bunny Kingdom. It¡¯s not difficult and you have the mind of an ancient and powerful diamond ranker.¡±


    ¡°My problem isn¡¯t the multiplication.¡±


    ¡°Then what¡¯s the problem?¡±


    ¡°Why are you so caught up on this? I¡¯m allowed to not like things.¡±


    Jason grumbled as they landed back in the square, in front of the pagoda¡¯s large double doors. The building was made of the now-familiar dark crystal with sparkles of light shifting within its smoky opacity. The other buildings in the soul space were all comprised of primarily white cloud material, with sunset-coloured trim. This included the ones surrounding the massive, open square.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that this reminds me of the worship squares they have in Pallimustus,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°This place all comes from you,¡± Dawn reminded him.


    ¡°Everyone has things they don¡¯t like about themselves.¡±


    He looked up at the looming tower.


    ¡°Astral throne. I bet there¡¯s a throne room.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know?¡±


    ¡°There is,¡± he said wearily. ¡°I knew it the moment I wondered.¡±


    They moved to the doors, which opened on their own, and entered into a larger version of the atrium that made up the ground floor of all Jason¡¯s pagodas. This one was more elaborate, complete with the same mezzanine levels from which a waterfall spilled into a pond. The normally open floor space was divided up into areas by walls of greenery and water features spanned by little bridges. There were arches covered in flowering vines and free-standing leafy plants potted directly into the floor. The largest open space was just inside the doors, on the opposite side of which was a desk manned by a shadowy figure.


    This was not Shade, although the shadow entity looked a lot like Shade¡¯s earlier incarnations of a hooded figure, before he acquired his butler fetish. The difference was that inside the hood of this cloaked figure was the same nebulous eye that Jason and Gordon had, although this one was the size of a face.


    ¡°You have a reception desk,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a complicated building,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m still not certain what to make of these avatars. They¡¯re a part of this astral throne business, aren¡¯t they?¡±


    ¡°In a roundabout manner. You have them because you are an astral king, which you are because you have an astral realm, which you have because you possess an astral throne and an astral gate.¡±


    ¡°So, yes, is what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°If you want to be reductive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got a lot going on right now, Dawn; I¡¯m downright eager to be reductive.¡±


    ¡°Which is always a great idea when you¡¯re dealing with massive interdimensional forces governing states of reality.¡±


    Jason groaned and pointed.


    ¡°Elevating platforms are this way.¡±


    As they moved across the atrium, Jason looked around. He flung his arms out flamboyantly and the walls turned transparent, replacing the diffuse ambient light with natural light from outside. He stopped and looked around, not quite satisfied. He floated himself and Dawn a few metres into the air to look around.


    ¡°I like the natural light,¡± he said, ¡°but it¡¯s not filling the room the way I¡¯d like. Too many shadowy areas, with all these standing plants and such.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about it like a mortal,¡± Dawn said.


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°If you don¡¯t like what the light does, make it do something else.¡±


    ¡°What? You can¡¯t just change what light does.¡±


    ¡°No. But in this place, you can.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how to do that. How does light work?¡±


    ¡°However you want it to.¡±


    He looked at her sceptically and she pointed up.


    ¡°That¡¯s your sun in the sky, Jason. Just try it.¡±


    Jason looked at her with uncertainty, but concentrated and after a moment, the way the room was lit up went through a sequence of changes. At various stages, the light fell differently, strobed, turned blue and for a brief moment, disappearing entirely as it turned into the scent of the ocean.


    ¡°You¡¯re not very good at this,¡± Dawn pointed out as they floated in the dark.


    The light came back.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that long ago I was selling staplers in bulk,¡± Jason said as the light came back. ¡°Now I¡¯m trying to invent bendy light when all I have for reference is the UV grenades from the second Blade movie, and they were hot nonsense. I wasn¡¯t exactly brought up in an environment that primed me to be the dimensional overlord of an admittedly small and empty fief. Not all of us had outworlder parents.¡±


    ¡°Have,¡± Dawn said. ¡°My parents are still alive.¡±


    ¡°Then why did your boss send you to me instead of them when you needed grounding in mortal sensibilities?¡±


    ¡°We haven¡¯t seen each other in a while. Also, they aren¡¯t the best for keeping someone grounded.¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°They have a lot going on.¡±


    ¡°Like what?¡±


    ¡°The specifics don¡¯t matter.¡±


    ¡°It really feels like the specifics are going to matter.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re¡­ often busy with work.¡±


    ¡°Their work being?¡±


    ¡°Administration.¡±


    ¡°Administration?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Administration of what?¡±


    Dawn refused to meet his eyes.


    ¡°Dawn¡­¡±


    ¡°They might rule a small¡­ intergalactic empire.¡±


    Jason burst out laughing.


    ¡°Travis was right! You are a magic space princess!¡±


    Dawn glared at him as he continued uproariously laughing.


    ¡°You should watch out for chunky slugs who want to put you in a bikini.¡±


    Dawn continued to glare as Jason attempted to smother his laughter and failed miserably.


    ¡°You realise you need to finish fixing the light, right?¡± she asked him.


    Jason shook his head as he kept laughing.


    ¡°I¡¯m just pointing that out because you¡¯ve set the pond on fire.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh crap.¡±

 Chapter 592: Why Anyone Would Pick You

    The elevating platform stopped at the top floor of the pagoda, depositing Jason and Dawn at one end of a long throne room. Dawn turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°I know,¡± he said, wilting with shame.


    They looked to the far end of the room, both taking on surprised expressions as they saw the throne itself. The room around it was ostentatious and perfectly designed for pomp and ceremony, with decorative weapon racks and tapestries depicting Jason doing better in certain fights than he strictly speaking had done in reality. At the end of the room, stairs led up to a platform, above which hung the astral throne.


    ¡°A hammock chair?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°I feel much better about this whole thing, now,¡± Jason said. ¡°All this other nonsense will have to go, though.¡±


    With a sweeping gesture, everything around them dissolved and started swirling around like colourful glitter caught up in a chaotic wind.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to wave your arms like a magician every time you change things,¡± Dawn pointed out.


    ¡°Yes, I do.¡±


    ¡°No, Jason. You do not.¡±


    ¡°Are you an astral king?¡±


    Dawn¡¯s only response was a weary groan.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said. ¡°One of us knows what he¡¯s talking about.¡±


    ¡°Are you actually attempting to gaslight me over your need to look like a magician?¡±


    Jason¡¯s clothes dissolved like the rest of the room and reformed as a tuxedo and top hat. He waggled his eyebrows at Dawn.


    ¡°Abracadabra.¡±


    Dawn shook her head.


    The room reformed, this time taking on the form of a long hall. There was a row of tables with sunken, felt-covered surfaces, like snooker tables without the holes. There were also comfortable couches, along with glass-fronted cupboards and refrigerators filled with drinks and snacks. The walls were no longer lined with tapestries and decorative weapons but square shelf cubbies, except where space was occupied by cupboards, fridges and a section down one end that looked like wine racks.


    ¡°Are those Kallax shelves?¡± Dawn asked, looking at the square cubbies.


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°You have the power to remake this world, right down to the laws of physics, and you installed Ikea shelving.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s what Greg would have wanted. I guess we could check. Shade?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade¡¯s voice came from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°I am not going to attempt to contact the Reaper in order to have him ask your deceased friend how he would like the board games he left you stored in the realm over which you have god-like power.¡±


    ¡°Please?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Board games started appearing, stacked onto the shelves, sweeping along the wall like a wave.


    ¡°This place still serves as storage for my inventory,¡± Jason said. ¡°It always used to store items in a kind of stasis. Now it¡¯s more like the stuff I store exists in a potential state where I can reproduce it, in the condition in which it entered. Am I a Star Trek replicator?¡±


    Dawn smiled.


    ¡°I was wondering when we would get to this part,¡± she said. ¡°If we¡¯re going to discuss the specifics, we should take a closer look at the astral throne.¡±


    They walk down the long room as the shelves continued to fill.


    ¡°How many games did Greg have?¡± Dawn asked. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise it was anywhere near this many.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because you¡¯ve only seen the part of the collection I leave in the games room of the cloud house,¡± Jason said. ¡°These are the extra ones I¡¯ve been keeping in my inventory.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t really enough to fill this entire room, are there?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. See down the end, that section that looks like wine racks? It¡¯s storage for playmats.¡±


    ¡°Why anyone would pick you to save an entire planet I have no idea.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m maybe a little more frivolous than you¡¯d expect from an agent of your boss?¡±


    ¡°You can be quite ominously serious, but yes. I¡¯m used to dealing with people who are a bit more¡­ predictable in their approach. ¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m inconsistent.¡±


    "Honestly, yes. But, to my great surprise, I much prefer your fun side to your dangerous one. I''m not sure why the World-Phoenix chose you, however. You aren''t exactly the most predictable operative."


    ¡°Your boss prefers my fun side too. Or sees it as a necessity, at the very least.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I follow.¡±


    Jason held his arms out, gesturing at the walls around them.


    ¡°This is why,¡± he said. ¡°Because I¡¯d turn a throne room into a games room. I¡¯m willing to bet that for all I try to do the unexpected, everything has fallen within the calculations of your boss. Infinite experience means the ability to calculate infinite contingencies. The World-Phoenix realised that whomever it used as a cat¡¯s paw would get their hands on power that maybe they shouldn¡¯t. Such as winding up as an astral king, three ranks too early.¡±


    Dawn nodded to herself.


    ¡°The power to fulfil our deepest desires reveals what those desires are,¡± she mused, then looked at Jason with a smile. ¡°And you have the desires of an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± he agreed proudly.


    They reached the end of the room and the short set of stairs leading to the platform where a wicker hammock chair was hanging from the high ceiling on a rope, padded with plush cushions. They ascended the stairs and stood in front of it.


    ¡°The astral throne isn¡¯t like the door you absorbed from the builder,¡± Dawn told him.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said with a nod. ¡°I can feel the difference. This is a part of me. The system message didn¡¯t say I absorbed the astral throne; it said I established it. I stripped something called a fundament core out of the door and consumed it.¡±


    ¡°That door was designed to remake reality of a fundamental level,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You somehow took the core mechanism from it and your soul deciphered the means to do that, at least within your soul realm.¡±


    ¡°My soul seems very adaptive,¡± Jason said. ¡°In the transformation zones, it effectively learned how to remake reality. Is this something the World-Phoenix did to me?¡±


    ¡°No. Every soul is adaptable like that. Think of a soul as an infinite mass of shapeless potential. It has the power to effectively do anything, but because it¡¯s formless, it can¡¯t do anything. But show it how to take a shape and it can mould itself into that form. Some forms are relatively simple and limited, like most racial gifts, so they reach most of their potential quickly and show little to no growth. Others grow stronger as the soul better understands how to take that complex form.¡±


    ¡°Like when I was learning the spirit domain power. Or essence abilities.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. And this is why a great astral being¡¯s blessing can¡¯t impart any negative influence; all a blessing does is show a soul a pattern it can take for itself. The blessing doesn¡¯t actually impart anything.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what happened with the astral throne,¡± Jason said. ¡°My soul devoured the fundamental core and used it as a blueprint for the astral throne.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The function of the astral throne is to allow you to rewrite reality. Within your soul, that power is limitless. Outside it, you will have some ability to do so within your spirit domain, but your soul¡¯s influence is also clashing with an entire reality.¡±


    ¡°Making the results a lot more limited.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°That authority I used,¡± Jason said, frowning as his mind was making connections. ¡°It came from the Builder''s door and had construction and dimension aspects. I think when I used it on the cloud flask, my soul figured out how to influence those aspects through my spirit domains. It learned the shape of how to do that. Or maybe it already knew how. I had a sealed ability that was unsealed when I used the authority. I think my soul sealed the power away because I wasn''t ready for it, and the authority cracked that seal.¡±


    ¡°Understanding the mechanisms is important,¡± Dawn told him, ¡°but more for the future than today. I just wanted you to understand the basics before moving on to the practical aspects of what the throne can accomplish.¡±


    ¡°Like how stuff gets stored in here now,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes. You have full control over this space, matter and energy. We¡¯ve discussed how the soul takes shapes. This place exists within your soul, so you can shape it as you please. And because your soul is also a physical thing, so is this a physical space. You can bring things in and remake them.¡±


    ¡°But there are limits, right? Not on me, but on things other than me that enter this space.¡±


    ¡°Your intuitive understanding is good,¡± Dawn said. ¡°You can change things you¡¯ve brought from the outside in here, but those changes will only remain when the object leaves if the changes are consistent with the objects in question.¡±


    ¡°If I bake an apple pie in here, with normal apple pie ingredients, it¡¯ll still be an apple pie once it¡¯s back outside,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes. But if you turn those apples into apricots and bake those into a pie, it will break down once it is removed from this space.¡±


    ¡°And I won¡¯t be able to change souls.¡±


    ¡°No. Just as the Builder could not invade yours, you cannot invade another¡¯s. Unless they invite you to.¡±


    ¡°Which the Builder tried to torment me into doing,¡± Jason said.


    Jason and Dawn shared a look, but neither voiced that Jason could do the same to someone trapped in his soul realm.


    ¡°What about things I create here?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Can I make spirit coins?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Can you?¡±


    Jason held out his hand and six coins appeared; one each of a lesser spirit coin through to a diamond one.


    ¡°These aren¡¯t quite right,¡± he said. ¡°I can feel it. Let me try again.¡±


    The coins vanished and another set appeared.


    ¡°I tapped into the magic veins running through this place to fill them with magic,¡± he explained. ¡°I thought about what you said about external forces needing to change within their own natural parameters. Spirit coins are just congealed magic, effectively, so I grabbed some that my soul pulled in from the outside and turned it into coins.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t seem any different from the first set.¡±


    ¡°They are, I can feel it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Everything up to the silver coin should be fine to take out. I don¡¯t think the gold and diamond ones will hold, though.¡±


    ¡°Limited by the rank your soul has learned to use?"


    ¡°Yeah. I can loot higher-rank coins from higher-rank monsters because they serve as a rank template for my looting power, but my soul by itself can¡¯t do the job.¡±


    Dawn looked at Jason thoughtfully.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You know, there¡¯s something I¡¯ve been waiting to do for a long time, and now might be just right.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Dawn¡¯s fist crashed into Jason¡¯s face with all of her diamond-rank strength and speed. She reeled back, clutching her fist as Jason stumbled back, startled but unharmed.


    ¡°What was that?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What are you made of?¡± she asked, still rubbing the hand she hurt punching Jason ineffectually.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Infinity? Is that something you can be made of?¡±


    ¡°Why did it hurt?¡±


    ¡°My house. My rules. You should just wait until I¡¯m diamond rank, like you planned. And maybe don¡¯t do it somewhere that I¡¯m the alpha and the omega.¡±


    Jason made the pain vanish from Dawn¡¯s hand, shaking his head as he turned his attention back to the coins in his hand.


    ¡°Even without gold and diamond coins, I can effectively make infinite amounts of money like this. I¡¯d better, you know, not do that. I don¡¯t want to go collapsing economies or getting any mercantile gods cranky at me.¡±


    ¡°Very sensible,¡± Dawn said. ¡°They won¡¯t mind you injecting a little extra money into the economy here and there, so long as you restrain yourself. You¡¯re far from the only person to get some quirk of power that allows them to produce effectively infinite money. They only get stomped on if they abuse it, since the gods don¡¯t like to deny people the use of their abilities. With some notable exceptions.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like I was hurting for money in the first place.¡±


    ¡°We should get back to discussing the potential of your astral throne.¡±


    ¡°Good, because I have a lot of questions. What happens if I feed someone some dodgy spirit coins that I didn¡¯t inject magic into properly? It would sustain their body while they were in here, but what happens when they leave and the magic that was sustaining them turned out to be fake?¡±


    ¡°That would be fine because the changes they underwent in your soul space were in accordance with their nature.¡±


    ¡°And if I changed their eye colour?¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t make that change soul-deep. Their body and soul would be in conflict. A normal-ranker would be able to sustain that because their bodies are less closely linked to their souls. This is how something like the Alzheimer¡¯s affecting your grandmother can afflict a normal-ranker without killing them. An essence user¡¯s body becomes much more a projection of their soul as they rank up, though, so the conflict would cause greater problems.¡±


    ¡°Once they were out of my soul space where I control everything.¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    ¡°Okay, so what about if a normal ranker ate a magic apple? Do the nutrients they¡¯ve digested go away?¡±


    ¡°How many of these questions are going to be about eating things?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say a good seventy to eighty percent. What if I bring in real flour, but conjure up all the other ingredients and bake a cake?¡±


    Dawn ran her hands over her face.


    ¡°This is going to be a long night.¡±

 Chapter 593: Astral Emperor

    Jason¡¯s astral throne was a hammock chair. He made a spreading gesture and it became a hanging chair with room for two.


    ¡°Join me, Space Princess?¡±


    Dawn shook her head as they sat together. The chair swivelled to face the wall behind them, which was the back wall of the lengthy hall. The wall sank into the floor, opening up to give them a view of Jason¡¯s soul space island. A pleasant breeze wafted in.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jason said thoughtfully. ¡°I can¡¯t penetrate a soul, even here, but what about stripping off some gunk that''s been painted over the top of one.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about the Order of the Redeeming Light people.¡±


    ¡°Them, vampires, whoever. Anyone who¡¯s had some nasty goo drizzled over their soul. It would be nice if I could undo what¡¯s been done to Sophie¡¯s mum.¡±


    ¡°You remember what I said about natural processes. If you just magic it away, the modifications you made to the people would kill them the moment they left your soul space. You would need to understand the process of extricating the taint without the person dying.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t do anything for them, then?¡±


    ¡°It may not be entirely hopeless. I imagine that one of the larger problems with undoing such deep-rooted transformations is that taking someone from a vampiric or similar state is too traumatising for the body. The cure would kill.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking Carlos can help?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s possible,¡± Dawn said. ¡°If he can help you understand the process of taking someone from a live tainted state to a live untainted state, you might be able to skip the middle part.¡±


    ¡°Which is the bit where they die horribly?¡±


    ¡°It is. Under normal conditions, the transition phase is lethal, but here it doesn''t have to be. So long as you''re able to follow the actual process, it might be possible.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like the easy solution I was hoping for.¡±


    ¡°Is it ever?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need to learn how it all works pretty thoroughly, from what you¡¯re describing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but not the level of an expert. So long as you have a respectable grasp of what¡¯s going on, you should be able to find success.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s still going to take a lot of time.¡±


    ¡°But time well spent, don¡¯t you think?¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure I''ll have that time if I''m leaving Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps.¡±


    Jason''s eyes narrowed as he looked at her with suspicion.


    ¡°Have you been hatching plots and schemes during my convalescence?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to wait and see. Where did you put the astral gate?¡±


    ¡°Do most astral kings put it with their astral throne?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it¡¯s normally in the throne room.¡±


    ¡°So, other astral kings have throne rooms as well? And you were judging me.¡±


    ¡°What did I say that was judgemental?¡±


    ¡°I could feel you judging me. There was a vibe.¡±


    ¡°A vibe?¡±


    ¡°Yes, a vibe. Are you denying the judgy vibe?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn conceded. ¡°But in my defence, you are wearing a top hat.¡±


    ¡°And I look very dapper.¡±


    Jason was still wearing the magician tuxedo he had changed his clothes into.


    ¡°Hey, there¡¯s a colourful scarf in my pocket. Will you pull it out for me?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    Jason let out a disappointed sound and took off his top hat, turning it over and looking down into it.


    ¡°Sorry, bloke; she¡¯s not into it. It¡¯s going to be rabbit stew. Yes, I thought girls were into magic tricks too. No, she¡¯s definitely won¡¯t let me saw her in half.¡±


    ¡°Jason, please stop.¡±


    A rabbit poked its head out of the hat, resting its front paws on the brim.


    ¡°Look, lady,¡± it said. ¡°If you don''t like magic, that''s your business, but we''re having a conversation here. So unless you''re interested in picking a card or something, how about you jog on.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jason told it. ¡°Don¡¯t be rude.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t you start,¡± the rabbit told him. ¡°I¡¯m not the one having a conversation with a rabbit he invented.¡±


    Dawn got up out of the chair.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go find the astral gate,¡± she told him, and then set off for the elevating platform.


    ¡°Look what you did,¡± the rabbit told Jason as they watched her walk away. ¡°You are terrible with women.¡±


    ¡°Says the guy who¡¯s meant to be my wingman.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an imaginary rabbit!¡±


    ***


    On an elevating platform with Jason, Dawn shot more than one wary glance at the top hat now back on his head.


    ¡°I get the difference between a god and a great astral being,¡± Jason said as the platform carried them down through the building. ¡°Where do astral kings fit in?¡±


    ¡°Somewhere in the middle,¡± Dawn told him. ¡°Great astral beings are in charge of the cosmos and inhabit the deep astral. Gods are like regional managers of full-blown universes. Astral kings are what amounts to sentient miniature universes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a mini-universe?¡±


    ¡°Jason, we¡¯re inside your soul. In an elevator.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. This is a weird day. I mean, it¡¯s been a weird few years, but finding out I¡¯m a mini-universe is way up there as weird days go. Definitely top eight.¡±


    ¡°Top eight?¡±


    ¡°The list doesn¡¯t always have to be a top ten.¡±


    ¡°What are the other seven?¡±


    ¡°I once found a pickle that looked like Bryan Cranston. Breaking Bad Bryan Cranston, not Malcolm in the Middle Bryan Cranston.¡±


    ¡°The day you found a pickle is up there with finding out you¡¯re a miniature universe?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t let me finish. I then found another pickle ¨C the same day, mind you ¨C that looked like Malcolm in the Middle Bryan Cranston.¡±


    She gave him a flat look.


    ¡°It had fallen in some hair,¡± he explained. ¡°It was kind of gross to pick up, but how could you not?¡±


    ¡°Very, very easily, I suspect. What were you doing that you kept finding pickles?¡±


    ¡°Water skiing.¡±


    ¡°You found multiple pickles while water skiing?¡±


    ¡°I told you it was a weird day.¡±


    The elevating platform reached the ground floor atrium and kept descending into the sub-levels. Unlike the upper levels, where the open-sided platform allowed passengers to look around, the subterranean levels were encased in a cylinder.


    ¡°I thought this would feel more like a normal elevator,¡± Jason said, ¡°but it feels more like the elevator stage from a side-scrolling beat ¡®em up.¡±


    ¡°Is that a video game?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. They always have an elevator level where mooks just keep jumping in to fight.¡±


    Jason looked up at the tunnel they were descending through just as ninjas started dropping down, landing in a fighting pose.


    ¡°Jason¡­¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason sulked, the ninjas vanishing at a dismissive gesture from him. ¡°You¡¯re no fun.¡±


    She looked at him from under raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Okay, you¡¯re a little fun.¡±


    ¡°How did you have so much trouble with changing the light, yet ninjas and a talking rabbit aren¡¯t a problem?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s about understanding, like you said. I don¡¯t know anything about light refraction, but I know plenty about ninjas.¡±


    ¡°You do?¡±


    ¡°Sure. Like those ninjas just now. I knew they weren¡¯t a threat because there were too many of them.¡±


    ¡°How is having too many a threat?¡±


    ¡°Ninjutsu is a finite resource. One ninja is dangerous because they have all the ninjutsu, but a bunch of them in the same place spreads it too thin. It¡¯s the law of Conservation of Ninjutsu.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a law.¡±


    ¡°It is now.¡±


    ¡°I think I need to get you out of this place,¡± Dawn said. ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re trying to recreate Alice in Wonderland, but with tragic eighties references.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m doing no such thing. And what do you mean, tragic?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s like you¡¯re trying to be the Alice in Wonderland equivalent of Team Knight Rider.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s just low.¡±


    The elevating platform stopped and they stepped out into a tunnel that had a mosaic tile floor tiled in shades of teal. What drew the attention, though, was that the walls and ceiling were glass, on the other side of which was water filled with aquatic life. There was no lighting, but the teeming sea life was all bioluminescent.


    ¡°I like this,¡± Dawn said.


    There was a small tramcar waiting, more like a golf buggy on a rail, that took off as soon as they say down.


    ¡°I could have just moved us instantaneously to the destination,¡± Jason pointed out.


    ¡°Jason, you could have left us where we were and moved the entire reality so the destination came to us.¡±


    ¡°Uh, sure,¡± Jason said. ¡°But sometimes, life is about the journey. Isn¡¯t that what your boss wanted me to remind you of when it sent you to me?¡±


    ¡°I suppose it was, in a way.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not just pretty down here, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°The astral gate is the centre of all the magic coming in from the astral. All the water in the domain ¨C the magical arteries ¨C originates out of the spot we¡¯re heading to. It¡¯s the real heart of the place.¡±


    ¡°What sense do you get from the astral gate?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°I can feel it¡¯s a gateway to the deep astral, and I can pull a good chunk of magic in through it. I can probably use it to recharge my mana quickly, although I suspect it wouldn¡¯t be a smooth process. I¡¯m pretty sure filtering raw magic through my soul realm to refine it into mana would sting like a right prick. Beyond using it as a battery for my spirit domains, though, I¡¯m a bit wary of using it.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Dawn said as they approached the end of the tunnel. ¡°The astral throne is something you should be able to get a handle on now because it governs your soul space¡¯s internal functions. The astral gate is about interacting with dimensional forces outside of your domains.¡±


    ¡°Poking my head out into the cosmos.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Which you should hold off on for quite some time.¡±


    ¡°I got that impression myself,¡± he said, pointing at the massive doors at the end of the tunnel. They were heavy industrial steel, with a large white sign with plain red lettering.


    SUPER DANGEROUS MAGIC STUFF ¨C DO NOT COME IN.


    Jason casually gestured and the doors opened with a reluctant squeal of metal. Behind them was another set of doors and another sign.


    CLIVE, WHAT DID I JUST SAY?


    Jason open these doors as well, revealing a third set.


    SERIOUSLY, CLIVE, TURN BACK. THE NEXT SIGN IS JUST AN ANIMATED IMAGE OF YOUR PARENTS GOING AT IT IN AN EEL TANK. THERE¡¯S SOUND AND EVERYTHING. IT¡¯S SUPER GROSS.


    ¡°How many of these door¡¯s are there?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°Another eight or nine. They get pretty graphic after the sixth one, so I¡¯ll just delete them up to the end.¡±


    ¡°More graphic than Clive¡¯s parents in an eel tank?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah. The eighth door has animated tentacles with¡­ how much anime did you watch while you were on Earth?¡±


    ¡°A bit.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll just say it¡¯s bad. You can probably imagine.¡±


    Jason gestured again and the tunnel was suddenly empty, up to a last set of doors some way further down. They started walking, going over one wet section of the floor, and another that was sticky.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°Do you really want to know?¡±


    ¡°No, now that you ask.¡±


    ¡°Just be sure and wash your shoes. Actually¡­¡±


    Jason wandered over to the glass separating them from the bioluminescent sea creatures and conjured a small vial into his hand. Then he tapped on the glass and a small keg-style tap appeared. He filled the vial, closed the tap and it melded back into the glass wall.


    ¡°Here you go,¡± he said, handing the vial over to Dawn. She held it up in front of her face, peering at it, then at the outside of the glass tunnel.


    ¡°Jason, did you make a subterranean crystal wash reservoir and stock it with glowing fish?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely not. The cleanliness of these fish is a coincidence. Let''s check out that last door, yeah?¡±


    Dawn shook her head as Jason moved on. She poured the crystal wash over her sticky shoes before following along. The last door also had a sign.


    OKAY, CLIVE, I KNOW YOU HAD HELP TO GET THIS FAR. BELINDA, SHAME ON YOU. I HOPE YOU AT LEAST GAVE CLIVE SOME FRESH PANTS AFTER DOOR NINE.


    ¡°Clive¡¯s a pretty persistent guy when it comes to new astral magic,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, I know,¡± Dawn said. ¡°He¡¯s been very dogged in asking for guidance since I started spending more time in your cloud building. He even brought me flowers, once.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s sweet.¡±


    The last doors were the end of the tunnel, where it met a stone wall. The doors parted at a gesture from Jason, opening into a massive sea cave grotto. It was roughly circular, with a metal catwalk winding its way around, bolted into the stone. The water below glowed with a blue light, which was the only illumination in the room. In the centre of the water, a plume of water was in a constant state of geysering up, making the air wet with mist.


    ¡°There''s a lot of unadulterated magic in these droplets,¡± Dawn observed. ¡°If I weren¡¯t diamond rank, or if you weren¡¯t untouchable in this place, it would be very dangerous in here.¡±


    ¡°I put up like a dozen huge locked doors with warning signs. What else do you want? An electric fence?¡±


    ¡°You could seal it off entirely.¡±


    ¡°No. The magic needs to flow from here, and I don''t want Clive trying to swim up a tunnel of raw magic so he can poke the source with a stick.¡±


    Dawn leaned on the rail and looked at the geyser. Like all the water, it shone with a blue light.


    ¡°You know the Builder is assembling his own world from the parts he steals by plundering planets of their astral spaces for parts.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, it¡¯s his whole deal.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s trying to become not just a god but an astral king version of a god. To embody the world he¡¯s created, on a scale unlike anything ever seen.¡±


    ¡°Like an astral emperor.¡±


    ¡°If you like. No one knows why he¡¯s doing it.¡±


    ¡°I think your boss knows. I¡¯d be willing to put money down that she¡¯s somehow involved in his motivation for assembling that thing. The way she flipped his switch like that is super suspicious.¡±


    Dawn frowned.


    ¡°Sorry; I know you don¡¯t like me ragging on the World-Phoenix.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Almost the opposite, in fact.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Every time we¡¯ve discussed what the World-Phoenix did to the Builder, my instinct has been to dismiss it and move on. Now I find that impetus is absent. I would seem that the World-Phoenix has a subtle influence that even I was unaware of.¡±


    Both of their thoughts turned to the currently inactive star seed within Dawn.


    ¡°You know, Carlos knows the process to safely extract a star seed. I could go get it and have that thing out of you right quick.¡±


    ¡°No thank you, Jason. You don¡¯t have to agree with everything your employer does to work for them.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but this isn''t ethically sourced coffee in the break room, Dawn. You probably run around saving universes and whatnot. We''re talking about squijillions of lives.¡±


    ¡°Squijillions?¡±


    ¡°I had to call it something, and the numbers that high don¡¯t have names. I¡¯m pretty sure at that point they stop really being numbers.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about? Numbers don¡¯t stop being numbers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard that if you go high enough, the numbers go all funny. Like reality at the edge of an astral space. It¡¯s a maths thing, right?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Dawn said. ¡°That¡¯s not how mathematics works. At all.¡±


    ¡°So, no star seed extraction?¡±


    ¡°No. And it may be time to call it a night. You seem to have a handle on the throne and the gate. The throne is safe to play with, and you¡¯re getting good use from the gate without playing with forces you shouldn¡¯t. The only thing you should know is that you may find yourself able to tap into the powers of the gate and throne to enhance some of your abilities. At your rank, you must do so carefully and infrequently. The backlash will be nothing compared to what you¡¯ve just been through, but it will probably put you out of whatever fight you were in. Especially the astral gate.¡±


    ¡°Well then,¡± Jason mused. ¡°Whatever shall we do with the rest of our evening?¡±

 Chapter 594: Goodbyes

    Jason and Dawn were standing in front of the arch that would take them out of his soul space and back into normal reality.


    ¡°Worried about giving up god-like power?¡± Dawn asked.


    ¡°Oddly, no. I feel like maybe not having limits isn¡¯t so good for my mentality. I think I¡¯m starting to understand why the World-Phoenix wanted to keep you grounded with mortal sensibility.¡±


    Unhappiness crossed Dawn''s face and uncertainty entered her body language. It startled Jason because even though it was subtle, it was not something he''d seen from her before.


    ¡°It¡¯s time for you to go isn¡¯t it?¡± he asked.


    She nodded.


    ¡°I¡¯ve lingered longer than I should have. I want to say goodbye to you here. I''m not influenced by my star seed right now, but it goes further than that. I''ve allowed myself to change lately. Indulged in simple pleasures. But once I walk through that gate, it''s time to put those things aside and look to the future.¡±


    They faced each other, Jason taking her hands in his.


    ¡°There was always a clock on this,¡± he said. ¡°We knew that from the start. I don¡¯t think either of us would have pursued it otherwise. When will I see you again?¡±


    ¡°The less you know about that, the better. And after you do, it''ll be hard for you. Some things I don''t have the power to fight.¡±


    She smiled.


    ¡°But you''re the guy who fights them anyway. I''ve done my best to help you, but it''s on you to do the impossible. Again. In the coming years, enjoy yourself, but also get strong. As strong as you can, as fast as you can. When the time comes, you''re going to need all the strength you can muster.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t I always?¡±


    ***


    Jason and Dawn emerged from the portal. Jason¡¯s top hat and tuxedo, disintegrated immediately, leaving him naked just as Humphrey came around a corner.


    ¡°Did I hear the thwip sound of a portal opening? Finally. How long were you intending to¡­¡±


    Humphrey took in the naked Jason.


    ¡°STASH! I thought we¡¯d moved past¨C¡±


    ¡°Actually, I''m the genuine article,¡± Jason, pulling a hat from his inventory to hide his modesty. Behind Humphrey, a naked, moustachioed Jason sprinted past.


    ¡°WOOO!¡±


    ***


    Jason was a little uneasy, having watched Dawn change after she left his soul space. Her star seed reconnected, but as Dawn had said, there was more to it than that. It was like she put on a mask, with the relaxed Dawn of the last few weeks disappearing under the guise of the Hierophant of the World-Phoenix. In some ways, Dawn had left the moment she emerged from the portal, even if she had yet to actually go.


    Jason did pick up some odd vibes between Dawn and the others through their auras, but something in Dawn¡¯s aura felt like a warning. It was subtle and barely there, enough that only he would sense it. It flashed a warning of danger and he didn¡¯t interrogate the idea further.


    Dawn¡¯s final farewell was on the balcony of Jason¡¯s personal suite, just himself, Dawn and Farrah. The time that the trio had been companions on Earth hadn''t been that long, but it had felt like it was the three of them against the cosmos. While she had made her goodbyes with the others, they did not have the same connection, despite what Clive''s dismay suggested.


    Jason watched Dawn and Farrah share their final words, but Farrah, like Jason, recognised the Dawn that was their friend had already gone. Wings of flame lit up on Dawns back and she flew into the air. She ascended blindingly fast, until even their silver-rank eyes could spot nothing but a glow, rising into the sky.


    ¡°It¡¯s almost a flare, signalling the end of the monster surge and our issues with the Builder,¡± Farrah observed.


    ¡°The monster surge, maybe. I can¡¯t help but think we¡¯ll run into the Builder and his lackeys again.¡±


    ¡°Not me,¡± Farrah said. ¡°If you want to go off having insane cosmic adventures, that''s on you. Look at who I''m talking to: of course you will.¡±


    ¡°I think I¡¯m ready for some more grounded adventures. Even Dawn said I¡¯ll get the chance, at least for a while. If I can only settle all this attention on me. You ready for some nice, clean adventuring?¡±


    ¡°Actually, no,¡± Farrah told him. He turned from where he had been watching Dawn¡¯s light disappear into the sky and looked at her, resisting the urge to peek at her emotions through her aura.


    ¡°Rufus and Gary have both found callings outside of adventuring,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°You could join our team,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯d all love to have you.¡±


    ¡°I know. But while you have been going through all of the usual crazy stuff, Travis and I have been working on something.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    Two chairs and a table formed from cloud material and an avatar brought out a tray of biscuits and tea as they sat down.


    ¡°You know that Travis has been spending a lot of time at the temple of Knowledge?¡±


    ¡°I had a vague idea. Honestly, I haven¡¯t kept as good a track of what Travis and Taika have been up to as I should. He¡¯s found religion?¡±


    ¡°Not quite, although Knowledge certain has an appeal for him. No, he¡¯s been in discussions with the church about magitech, from Earth.¡±


    ¡°It is his specialty.¡±


    ¡°Knowledge doesn''t like people who don''t know what they''re talking about injecting new information to the world''s knowledge pool,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Travis has been negotiating how much of his knowledge he¡¯s allowed to start introducing here. How much he grasps with sufficient comprehension that it won¡¯t cause problems when he starts teaching it. The goddess won¡¯t let someone start spreading around concepts that are flat-out wrong. You do that in a completely new field of study and you¡¯ll introduce falsehoods that might linger through centuries of subsequent research before they¡¯re disproven.¡±


    ¡°That feels like it¡¯s directed at me, but sure.¡±


    ¡°Why would that be directed at you?¡±


    ¡°I tried to tell Clive about gravity once. The goddess got a bit snippy. Or maybe that was Gabrielle. I don¡¯t think she likes me.¡±


    ¡°When was this?¡±


    ¡°It was the day Emir arrived in Greenstone. Formally arrived, anyway; I¡¯d already met him. That would make it just before you died.¡±


    ¡°And Emir showed up early to meet you?¡±


    ¡°I think Rufus had been talking me up. Did I never tell you about any of this?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve always been a bit reticent about the time around my death. And you weren¡¯t recording a lot then, either.¡±


    ¡°Right. Anyway, where do you come in on this business with Travis and Knowledge?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember how impressed I was with the grid on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°My world has similar warning systems, but they are far less elegant. They require much more upkeep and a higher level of magic. In low-magic areas like Greenstone, they don¡¯t work at all.¡±


    ¡°But Earth is much lower-magic than Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. And because magical formations are my specialty, I was able to learn vast amounts during my time on Earth. Not enough to replicate the grid, but I learned a lot of concepts that can revolutionise wide-area magical connections in this world.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re going to refurbish this world¡¯s alarm systems?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a part of it. A small part, really. The main thing I¡¯m going to do is start a business with Travis.¡±


    ¡°A business?¡±


    ¡°Telecommunications. Were going to take everything I know and everything he knows and magic up something like a mobile phone network. Less technology and more magic, but basically a phone network. Were going to start with static connection points, like landlines, but transmitted over relay towers. It¡¯s going to leave water-link communication in the dust.¡±


    ¡°The water link system does seem fairly limited.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention expensive and inconvenient. Now that the monster surge is winding down, we¡¯re looking at a pilot program here in the Sea of Storms, as a proof of concept. We¡¯re going to place towers in fortress towns so they don¡¯t get taken down by roaming monsters.¡±


    ¡°Having reliable communication in the fortress towns would have saved a lot of lives during the surge.¡±


    ¡°Which is why the Sea of Storms government is backing the project.¡±


    ¡°The royal family?¡±


    ¡°No, the actual government administration. You know, Jason, the way you live your life is giving you a pretty skewed vision of the world.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean you¡¯re increasingly thinking like a gold-ranker. Maybe even a diamond-ranker.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°If you wanted to get some help with something to do with government organisation, who would you go to for help.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Liara, maybe? Soramir, if it was important.¡±


    ¡°Jason, before this monster surge, Soramir was a near-mythical figure. And Liara is both a princess of the realm and one of the highest-ranking Adventure Society officials in the nation. Do you even know anyone lower rank than her?¡±


    ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°By name?¡±


    ¡°Sure, uh, yeah, Vidal. Vidal Ladiv. He came out to our boat to introduce us to surge protocols. And then he showed up right before the underwater complex thing? I forget why?¡±


    ¡°Do debrief Sophie. She got ambushed on a contract.¡±


    ¡°They send people to talk to you about that? When I was ambushed, they didn''t debrief me.¡±


    ¡°Did they try only for you to tell them no in colourful fashion?¡±


    ¡°That does sound about right. But they were the ones who set me up to get ambushed, plus they watched the whole thing, so I don''t feel bad about it. But the point is, Vidal isn''t high rank at all.¡±


    ¡°Actually, he got promoted just before the underwater complex rescue, and then a huge promotion after.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but when we met him he was just some admin guy telling people about the monster surge protocols. He got a promotion, though? Good for him.¡±


    ¡°He showed a lot of leadership, apparently, and was a huge help once the flooding happened. Which I was wondering about, by the way. You had a belt that would help you handle underwater environments, right?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°Then how is it that you got washed away from the team?¡±


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t put it on in time.¡±


    ¡°Why didn¡¯t you have it on already? Or have it on one of your outfit setups that your inventory does?¡±


    ¡°I know that I should have in hindsight, sure.¡±


    ¡°So, you have it on one of your outfit setups now?¡±


    ¡°Probably.¡±


    ¡°Probably?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t got around to it.¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°It''s because the belt¡¯s orange, isn''t it.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    ¡°Bright orange, and you don¡¯t want it to clash with your dramatic colour scheme.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not because it¡¯s orange.¡±


    ¡°I remember when we were gearing up for underwater action, and the shopkeeper had to get that belt from the back. Your face, when he came out with it, was aghast.¡±


    ¡°I was not aghast.¡±


    ¡°If the colour isn¡¯t a problem, maybe you should wear it all the time? There¡¯s a lot of water in the Sea of Storms.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not wearing an ora¨C I¡¯m not wearing an extra belt around everywhere.¡±


    She grinned maliciously.


    ¡°Can we please stop talking about this?¡±


    ¡°You got in a fight with Sophie¡¯s mum all alone because you didn¡¯t want to wear an orange belt.¡±


    ¡°Can we go back to talking about you and Travis building a phone network? If it works out, everyone in the world is going to want in on that. The Magic Society will be all over you, either trying to take over or to stop you from interfering with their water-link profits. And it¡¯s going to be a lot of work. Pallimustus doesn¡¯t have the industrial hubs and manufacturing standardisation of Earth. It will take decades to spread this across the globe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m silver-rank: I have decades. There are plenty of people who don¡¯t rush to gold rank, Jason. I¡¯ll get there one day, but only self-improvement maniacs do it in ten years. Humphrey¡¯s mother only just hit gold and she¡¯s what? Fifty? Sixty? And she¡¯s a famously active adventurer. Life has a way of finding things for you to do.¡±


    ¡°The things it finds for me tend to involve me needing to be as powerful as I can get, and it¡¯s still never enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°I guess I¡¯ll have to be one of those maniacs.¡±


    ¡°You already are. Ever since you hit bronze, you¡¯ve been going fast. The speed with which you hit silver, and then the silver wall, wasn¡¯t record time, but it was faster than most. Comfortably.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve had a lot to deal with.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Jason, I know you have a lot of responsibilities. But you have other people to shoulder them with you now. You don¡¯t need me. But if you want me to stay with you, you only have to ask.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, shaking his head firmly. ¡°You being there for me on Earth was more than I could ever ask for; I wouldn¡¯t have made it through that time alone. I won¡¯t be happy to not have you with me anymore, but I can see how excited you are by this.¡±


    ¡°Still, it feels a little like I¡¯m leaving you in the lurch. I thought for a long time before I brought this up.¡±


    ¡°It makes sense. Gary¡¯s a full-time smith now, and Rufus is a teacher. Your team is finding other pathways, outside of adventuring.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve talked Rufus into staying with your team until you wind up back in Greenstone,¡± Farrah said. ¡°He can help you refine your swordsmanship and get a proper handle on combat trances.¡±


    ¡°I will get back to Greenstone eventually,¡± Jason said. ¡°But we plan to go very much the long way. I have a lot of world left to see.¡±


    ¡°Good. I think being a teacher will be good for him. You know how much he talks about his family running a school. But he¡¯s got too much potential to just be a teacher. I want you to light a fire under him, while he''s with you. Remind him of what''s great about being an adventurer. Seeing the world and helping people. If he''s not the one in charge, maybe he''ll relax and not get so weighed down with responsibility.¡±


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve never actually seen him in action?¡± Jason said. ¡°Not properly.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a lot like you, in some ways. A lot of different pieces in his power set coming together. Adapting them to different situations and setting up big finishing moves. You two are some of the strongest combat adventurers I¡¯ve seen, for your ranks, and you both get very comprehensive use out of your power sets. There¡¯s probably something in that.¡±


    ¡°Well, he did teach me.¡±


    ¡°And you learned. You ask some teachers about how often that doesn¡¯t happen.¡±

 Chapter 595: Don’t Show Up to the Fancy Party in Shorts

    After a lengthy seclusion in his cloud house, still presenting itself as a pagoda, Jason was finally open to meeting with at least some of the people clamouring for his attention. There was no shortage of them, following his series of ostentatious displays, ranging from the opportunistic to the concerned. Not concerned for Jason, for the most part, but about him.


    Of those that were seeking Jason¡¯s attention, the better-informed ones had chosen to make use of people Jason would already be open to meeting. This started with Estella Warnock, with whom Jason was sharing lunch on a pagoda balcony that overlooked the island.


    Estella was not an adventurer and had no interest in being one. When she had served as a scout to help Jason and other adventurers protect the island from monsters during the Builder¡¯s attack on Rimaros, it had not been out of any sense of civic duty. It had been at the behest of her grandfather, a former adventurer who did have the sense of duty that his granddaughter did not share.


    Warwick Warnock had been one of Jason¡¯s neighbours until he died assaulting one of the Builder¡¯s fortress cities at the very same time Jason and Estella were protecting the island. Estella had inherited his home and had been at something of a loss after his death, having just given up her profession of low-stakes spy-for-hire. She had been one of Jason''s few allowed visitors during his convalescence, commiserating in a shared sense of aimlessness.


    ¡°Havi Estos wants a meeting,¡± she told him.


    ¡°Lots of people want to see me. I didn¡¯t think you were speaking to him.¡±


    Havi Estos was a major middleman for semi-legal activities to whom Jason had been introduced in his early days in Rimaros. In order to learn more about Jason, he had hired Estella to observe him, not expecting her powerful yet discreet perception abilities to be noticed. This was the very job that prompted Estella to give up the work, not being the first job where she got more than she bargained for. Estella had been quite nervous about encountering Jason again until her grandfather smoothed things over.


    ¡°He sought me out,¡± Estella said. ¡°He knows I know you and wants to make amends.¡±


    ¡°With me or you?¡±


    ¡°Jason, everyone in the city is talking about you, and now he¡¯s very worried about having sent me to spy on you, and what you might do about it. No one is trying to make amends with me.¡±


    ¡°They should. Smart, skilled, discreet people are valuable, and I¡¯m one of those three at best.¡±


    ¡°I''m not going back to work for Estos or anyone like him. They use people like me to catch the trouble they want to avoid.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t use you like that.¡±


    She gave him a long stare.


    ¡°Are you offering me a job?¡±


    ¡°Do you know the name Emir Bahadir?¡±


    She thought for a moment before answering.


    ¡°Is that the guy who tried to rob the royal family a few years back?¡±


    ¡°He did more than try, which is why he¡¯s not allowed back in the Storm Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I think they¡¯d let him come.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, I imagine they would. Anyway, he''s the one who gave me the cloud flask that produced the building we''re sitting in. When he did, he told me that I should consider expanding my operation. Get some staff, the way he has for his treasure hunting operations.¡±


    ¡°You want to be a treasure hunter?¡±


    ¡°No, but have you ever heard of auxiliary adventurers? They join adventuring teams as non-combat members, providing various specialty services. My group will be doing a lot of travelling soon, and having someone outside the team proper who could get the lay of the land quickly would be valuable to us.¡±


    ¡°You want me to traipse around the world with you and your grab-bag of lunatics who run around with diamond rankers, gods and who knows what else?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, pretty much. I think things will calm down for a while, though.¡±


    ¡°They would have to. I think you¡¯re past the point where things can escalate without the whole world getting destroyed.¡±


    ¡°Been there, done that,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m not helping my case here, am I?¡±


    ***


    Rick Geller and his team had been in training in the Geller compound in Greenstone at the same time Jason was first training as an adventurer. One of his team members had been amongst the first to be forcibly implanted with a star seed and the attempt to extract it had been a gruesome and lethal failure. That spot on the team had subsequently been filled by Dustin Kettering.


    Dustin had once been part of a three-man team with Neil and Thadwick Mercer. Thadwick''s own star seed implantation had caused that group to fracture, with Neil going to Jason''s team and Dustin going to Rick''s. Thadwick''s fate was considerably more tragic, becoming some kind of energy vampire that was still at large somewhere in the world.


    Although he was now silver-rank, Rick looked as uncomfortable as ever around high-rankers, being a good and obedient young man. Jason found himself grinning at Rick¡¯s uncertain expression as he watched him emerge from a flying carriage with Princess Liara, stepping onto the lawn in front of the pagoda.


    Jason vaulted the balcony railing to land right in front of the pagoda¡¯s large main entrance. He conjured his cloak as he fell to slow his descent, which wasn¡¯t necessary to avoid damage to him, but to avoid dents in the lawn from a superhero landing. The new look of Jason''s cloak arrested the attention of Liara and Rick, who were both familiar with its previous iteration.


    ¡°That looks creepy,¡± Rick said. ¡°My eyes don¡¯t want to look at it. It¡¯s wrong, somehow. Like you¡¯re wearing a hole in the world.¡±


    ¡°It is quite unsettling to look at,¡± Liara agreed. ¡°I not entirely shocked, however, that your stealth ability is so attention-grabbing.¡±


    ¡°Why do people keep saying that?¡± Jason complained as he dismissed the cloak.


    ¡°At least you''re draping yourself in weird magic instead of weirdly high numbers of women,¡± Rick observed, drawing at an odd look from Liara. ¡°When a beautiful princess attached herself to my meeting, I figured it would be the same thing all over again. What is it with you and these Rimaros princesses?¡±


    Liara gave Jason a querying expression.


    ¡°Rick was around when I first met Zara. But I am not always surrounded by women, what¡¯s about to happen notwithstanding.¡±


    The doors behind Jason opened up to reveal a group of women, including the pink-haired Estella, Farrah, Sophie, Belinda and Autumn Leal. Autumn was an adventurer whose acquaintance Jason had made, prior to his team arriving in Rimaros. She had an exotic magical frog named Neil that had perished in the defence of Rimaros from the Builder¡¯s flying fortress city. This was something Jason had discovered in the process of checking on people in the wake of the casualty-filled battle, but he had largely left her alone.


    Autumn had been in mourning for her bonded companion for some time, but for the first time, Jason sensed at least an amount of hope from her aura, along with a solid sense of resolve. It was not the time to explore that, however, and he satisfied himself that she seemed better than she had in the past.


    Rick was oblivious to this as he saw Jason joined by five women.


    ¡°And there it is,¡± he said.


    Jason opened a portal to Rimaros and the five women passed through. Jason didn''t close it afterwards, and instead called out through the still-open doors.


    ¡°Are you coming or what?¡±


    ¡°On my way,¡± Taika''s voice came from inside, shortly followed by a hustling Taika. He looked around, seeing that the five women had already departed, then his gaze settled on Liara. ¡°Oh, hey, princess bro.¡± He then went through the portal and Jason closed it again.


    Liara shook her head.


    ¡°A bronze ranker,¡± she muttered. ¡°What happened to the respect for rank?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Jason,¡± Rick told her. ¡°He¡¯s a bad influence.¡±


    Rick then remembered that he was speaking to a gold-rank princess and his head dipped down as if yanked by a string, causing Jason to chuckle.


    ¡°You¡¯d best come inside,¡± he told them.


    ***


    ¡°Sit anywhere,¡± Jason said as they entered a casual lounge. ¡°I¡¯m not really the conference table type.¡±


    The lounge, like most of the pagoda, was designed in such a way that the room had a flow leading out to an open wall balcony terrace. This particular room was made up of undisguised cloud substance rather than being masked as more ordinary material. The sprawling layout of plush couches and armchairs fell outside of the meeting etiquette that Rick and Liara were familiar with, so while they looked around for the most appropriate place to sit, Jason moved behind the bar.


    Taking out a selection of fruit and two magical wands, Jason started waving the wands like a slightly confused orchestra conductor and the fruit rose into the air. After wobbling in place for a moment, the fruit started peeling, slicing, pulping and juicing itself into a pitcher. Liara and Rick gave up on finding appropriate seats for the moment to watch.


    ¡°I could be better at this, I know,¡± he apologised. ¡°It¡¯s something I picked up while I was recovering to practise mana control. I know a guy who¡¯s way better at this than me, but he probably wouldn''t be great at saving the world. We all have our areas.¡±


    He paused, frowning.


    ¡°Wow, that was really braggadocious. Am I a braggart? When did I start bragging about things I''ve actually done instead of making crazy stuff up? Oh yeah; my life caught up with the most ridiculous things I could think of. Damn, I''m great.¡±


    Jason flashed his guests a grin as he resumed moving the wands. He finished the pitcher of blended fruit drink with a bundle of ice cubes that floated in on their own, and then came out from behind the bar, looking at Rick and Liara standing around.


    ¡°Couldn¡¯t find a seat?¡±


    With a sweep of Jason¡¯s arm, all the furniture outside of the bar area sank into the floor. Three chairs then emerged from the floor, spaced equally around a low, circular table. Jason plonked down into one of them and the others sat down after.


    ¡°I think you forgot the drinks,¡± Rick pointed out.


    ¡°Crap, thanks.¡±


    Jason reached out with his aura, grabbing the pitcher of juice and three glasses, floating across the room and onto the table. Liara was able to sense the aura he projected to do so and looked at him, wide-eyed.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t worry about it,¡± Jason told her. ¡°This is pretty much how it always goes. I almost die, come out of it with some weird new power and a god or some other ridiculous thing shows up. The order changes around but it¡¯s a pretty reliable pattern.¡±


    He filled the glasses from the pitcher.


    ¡°No exciting ingredients, just fruit. Bit early in the day, yeah?¡±


    Jason leaned back in his seat and sipped at his drink, waiting for the others to talk. Rick was waiting on Liara to speak first and Liara was looking around the room.


    ¡°Your cloud building has changed,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t mean the shape; that¡¯s normal cloud house stuff. I mean whatever is under the surface. It feels different. Focused, somehow. Solid.¡±


    ¡°I made some changes,¡± Jason acknowledged.


    ¡°How bad would it be? If someone came for you here?¡±


    ¡°For me? Not so bad. For them? Depends on who it was.¡±


    Jason¡¯s gaze turned to Rick.


    ¡°I have to apologise,¡± he said. ¡°I didn¡¯t realise you were still in town. I thought you went back north after the Builder abandoned the Sea of Storms.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Neil tell you?¡± Rick asked. ¡°He and Dustin have been spending plenty of time together since then.¡±


    ¡°No, he didn''t.¡±


    Jason looked to Liara, then back at Rick.


    ¡°Let me guess: the Adventure Society roped you in so I''d actually take a meeting, and then Princess Adventure Pants here turned up, right as you were about to set out. The royal family ''convinced'' the Adventure Society to let their local representative tag along, given that I''ve been willing to meet with her before.¡±


    Rick gave Liara a panicked look at ¡®Princess Adventure Pants,¡¯ his eyes desperately trying to communicate that he wasn¡¯t responsible for Jason.


    ¡°I''m very familiar with Mr Asano''s way of conducting himself,¡± Liara assured him. ¡°And yes, Mr Asano; that is a more or less accurate description.¡±


    She reached forward to take a glass and sipped at it, nodding appreciatively.


    ¡°Not bad. But we have to talk about this,¡± she said, gesturing with her glass.


    ¡°We have to talk about the juice?¡±


    ¡°More what the juice represents,¡± Liara said. ¡°That is the gist of what you were sent to propose, was it not, Mr Geller?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes,¡± Rick confirmed. ¡°Basically, Jason, everyone would be more comfortable with your level of prominence going down for the immediate future.¡±


    ¡°Precipitously down,¡± Liara added.


    Jason looked at the juice Liara was holding, his mind ticking over what she had meant. Then a huge grin spread over his face.


    ¡°I¡¯m in,¡± he said.


    ¡°We haven¡¯t even told you what the Adventure Society is proposing,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°It¡¯s a secret identity, isn¡¯t it? Jason Asano, scary god-socialiser, leaves his team for parts unknown. Then casual juice enthusiast, Bruce Wayne, joins the team as an auxiliary member in charge of cooking.¡±


    ¡°Something like that,¡± Liara said. ¡°There will be a lot of details to sort out, but yes: the Adventure Society is proposing the creation of a more discreet legal identity for you to inhabit. You¡¯ll need to be more cautious when working with your team, but it should be manageable. You generally won¡¯t be observed when you¡¯re in the field, fighting monsters. It would help a great deal if your team stayed on the move, taking ordinary contracts.¡±


    ¡°You know that won''t hold up to almost any scrutiny from someone who knows enough,¡± Jason pointed out.


    ¡°It¡¯s not intended to,¡± Rick said. ¡°There¡¯s no hiding you from anyone of real influence. The idea is just for you to be a lot less loud for a while. Preferably until you rank up, because the higher your rank, the more that the crazy stuff you get caught up in becomes acceptable.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t be ranking up for a long time.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society is very open to you spending the next decade or five being nice and quiet,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jason said with a chuckle. ¡°So, barbecue-Jason is roaming around with melodrama-Jason''s now-former team. Where is drama-guy while this is going on?¡±


    ¡°He leaves with his ancestral majesty,¡± Liara said. ¡°With everything he has going on, it¡¯s time for him to go out and see some of the cosmos.¡±


    ¡°Apprenticed to Soramir Rimaros,¡± Jason said. ¡°Prestigious.¡±


    ¡°Obviously, this will work a lot better if your new identity isn''t the only auxiliary joining your team,¡± Liara said. ¡°Before she left, your friend Dawn made some arrangements, but we can go over the specifics when we get into the details.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society wants you to play up the scary adventurer before you go,¡± Rick said. ¡°A social event where you will need to be every bit the impressive adventurer, rather than¡­ the other thing.¡±


    ¡°You need to be what people imagine from a man who speaks to gods and great astral beings,¡± Liara said. ¡°Not the man you actually are when you speak to gods and great astral beings.¡±


    ¡°You got a transcript from the spies floating around then?¡± Jason asked. ¡°In fairness, you have to talk to Dominion like that or he won¡¯t give you the time of day. Unless you¡¯re a king or something, I guess. Now that I think about it, maybe I should suck up to him. He might leave me alone, then. I should remember to try that.¡±


    Rick was looking at Jason with the wide-eyed expression Jason was starting to think of as the ¡®standard Rick.¡¯


    ¡°Anyway,¡± Jason said. ¡°Don¡¯t show up to the fancy party in shorts and sandals, is what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°That cloak of yours should do the job nicely,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°You want me to wear the cloak to a social event?¡± Jason asked. ¡°The Adventure Society is looking for me to go full chuuni, I see. I can do that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what chuuni means,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°I think we can figure it out from context,¡± Liara said. ¡°Mr Geller, since Mr Asano has already agreed ¨C if your earlier acceptance wasn''t merely in jest, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°I''m still in; I like this idea. And I did ask you to figure out how to reduce my profile, after all.¡±


    ¡°Then let us take ''yes'' for an answer and go, Mr Geller. Mr Asano, we¡¯ll discuss the details at a later date.¡±


    ¡°No worries,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I would appreciate it if any public displays you make from here on out are more of the dramatic Jason and less of the neighbourhood barbecue Jason, if you please,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t worry about that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Melodrama is kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano. We¡¯ve noticed.¡±


    This is Shirtaloon''s Assistant. Due to a heavy week of work and other commitments, Shirtaloon is taking a mental health week. He apologies for the short notice. Posts will resume on the 8th of March and continue as normal. Thank you for your understanding.

 Chapter 596: What She Was Willing to Do

    ¡°Now that Dawn has scarpered,¡± Jason said, ¡°I¡¯m half of a mind to do the same. Bottle up the pagoda, portal out and bunk off. No one would notice, right?¡±


    Jason and his friends were sitting around a long table eating lunch.


    "Of course, someone would notice," Rufus said. "There are twelve people observing the building right now."


    ¡°Seventeen,¡± Jason and Estella corrected simultaneously before glancing at each other briefly.


    ¡°The point is,¡± Rufus said, ¡°that if you start making unexpected moves, people will start getting worried.¡±


    ¡°He always makes unexpected moves,¡± Farrah said. ¡°And they do always get worried.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that bad.¡±


    ¡°Bro, you went through a children¡¯s ward and made everyone think you¡¯re an angel.¡±


    ¡°That was one time.¡±


    "You had a car chase gunfight with a motorcycle gang hopped up on vampire blood," Taika said. "On TV. And I was driving. I''m not good at dodging bullets, bro. I''m too big."


    "We do have some responsibilities here before we can leave," Humphrey pointed out. "I don''t feel bad about skipping this meeting with Estella''s former employer, but we''ve agreed to help Miss Leal obtain a new familiar."


    As someone with a bonded familiar of his own, Humphrey was especially sympathetic to Autumn Leal''s plight. Bonded familiars were actual magical creatures that could die, compared to Jason''s summoned familiars. If Shade, Colin or Gordon were destroyed, their spirit''s simply returned to the astral and Jason could resummon them. When Autumn lost her familiar, Humphrey could not help but think about losing Stash and how devastated he would be.


    ¡°I could go with skipping the celebration ball, though,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Why do the rest of us need to go?¡±


    After months of monsters and extradimensional invasions, the dimensional membrane that normally kept such problems away had finally repaired itself. The Magic Society made public announcements and Rimaros, like the rest of the world, was in celebrations.


    A lengthy festival was taking place, despite the devastation and loss the surge had brought. If only for a short time, people needed some release after monsters and death and mobile cities attacking by land, sea and air. The monster surge had been the longest and most devastating in recorded history, bringing with it not one but two interdimensional invasions, only one of which had been dealt with.


    Rural populations needed to leave the cities and fortress towns, returning to what would often be monster-ravaged towns and villages around the Storm Kingdom. Infrastructure would need to be rebuilt and industries built back up. More than just the monster surge, the state of readiness the world had been in for a good five years prior to the surge had hurt economies, closed business and turned boom towns into ghost towns.


    The repercussions would likely still be felt by the time of the next surge, but for one cathartic week, the repopulation, rebuilding and the messengers that had hidden themselves away could wait.


    ¡°The festivals on the streets are the real celebration,¡± Rufus said. ¡°This ball for the aristocracy is just a show. The first round in the next cycle of political gamesmanship. With everything being up in the air, a lot of power is up for grabs.¡±


    ¡°So why should Jason put himself up for grabs with it?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°Anyone with real power will either know Jason isn¡¯t genuinely leaving the team, or be able to easily find out. So why bother with the show?¡±


    "It''s not about convincing them that I''m going off somewhere," Jason said. "It''s about giving them a sense of control. These are people used to holding power, and there¡¯s been a lot going on that they don¡¯t understand and have no influence over. A lot of that is centred on this pagoda and me sitting in it. Normally, their response to something like that is to take or, failing that, kill it. By jumping through some hoops for them now, I become more of a known quantity, and demonstrate that at least someone can bring me to heel.¡±


    ¡°Except that¡¯s total crap and you go berserk when people try to control you,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Yes, but we won¡¯t be telling people that. I told you: it¡¯s a show. I don¡¯t want to spend the next few years fending off people who think that I¡¯m some kind of rogue threat.¡±


    ¡°You are some kind of rogue threat,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Again, please don¡¯t tell people that at the party.¡±


    ¡°I hope you don¡¯t think one party is going to put a stop to people thinking that they can or should come after you,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Jason said. ¡°There will always be someone with too much ambition, too much stupidity or both. But most of the people at this ball are just concerned about a loose power running around during times that are already uncertain. The Adventure Society and the royal family can parade me around, showing everyone what a good boy I am. Then I¡¯m no longer an unknown threat to anyone¡¯s ambitions or just the general welfare of the Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°You think any nobles care about the welfare of the populace?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Good luck finding one.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no shortage of selfish nobles,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°But some, I assume, are good people.¡±


    ¡°Nope,¡± Sophie said. ¡°They all suck.¡±


    ¡°Based on your long history of robbing them?¡± Rufus asked pointedly.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°You realise that Humphrey and I are both from aristocratic families, right?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Yeah, but he¡¯s pretty and you¡¯re the healer. I¡¯ve seen the things they hide away. Mostly while stealing them. Your aunt Clarice has a hideous doll collection, by the way, Neil. I have no idea why she locks it up, because no one is going to steal that, trust me.¡±


    ¡°You broke into my house?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no point breaking into poor people¡¯s houses,¡± Belinda said. ¡°They don¡¯t have any money. I suppose if you¡¯re crap at breaking into places.¡±


    ¡°The point is,¡± Sophie said, ¡°That I¡¯ve seen the things they hide. The worse they are, the harder they work to make themselves seem good. Humphrey and his mum might be nice and clean, but even Humphrey will tell you that not all of his family are like them.¡±


    ¡°We all have secrets we hide,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Things we¡¯re ashamed of.¡±


    Everyone stopped eating and turned to look at Humphrey.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°What do you have to be ashamed of?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°My entire point was that we don¡¯t tell people those things,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That¡¯s why they¡¯re secrets.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying ¡®we,¡¯ but I don¡¯t think you have anything you¡¯re ashamed of,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Of course he does,¡± Jason said. ¡°I bet it¡¯s that one time, as a boy, he secretly pilfered some condensed milk from the pantry.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Gary said. ¡°I bet he skipped out on training once to read a book on how to maintain a humble demeanour when people won¡¯t stop looking into your sensuous eyes, like molten bowls of dark chocolate.¡±


    ¡°Sophie,¡± Belinda said. ¡°What¡¯s Humphrey¡¯s deep dark secret?¡±


    Sophie finished chewing on a mouthful of salad as everyone looked at her.


    ¡°He accidentally killed a baby,¡± she said casually. ¡°This salad dressing is fantastic. Can I get some of this on a sandwich?¡±


    As she shoved another forkful of salad into her mouth, Humphrey was looking more and more like a boiling kettle.


    ¡°I DID NOT ACCIDENTALLY KILL A BABY!¡±


    ¡°You did say that not admitting it was the entire point,¡± Jason observed.


    ¡°Yeah, he definitely killed that baby,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°I did not kill a baby!¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a helpless little baby, bro. I know it was supposedly an accident, but how could you?¡±


    ¡°Of course he had to say it was an accident,¡± Gary pointed out. ¡°Plus, it¡¯s his word against that of a dead baby, so that¡¯s probably how he got away with it.¡±


    Estella, watching the group continue roasting Humphrey, leaned towards Neil, who was also staying out of it.


    ¡°Is it always like this?¡±


    ¡°More-or-less.¡±


    ¡°Aren¡¯t you all meant to be some group of elite adventurers?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d consider our capabilities adequate.¡±


    ¡°I was expecting more¡­ I don¡¯t know. Dignity, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Admittedly, it¡¯s more like this with Jason around,¡± Clive told her. ¡°He has a way of setting the tone. But it¡¯s a good thing. Dignity is for outsiders; a face we put on, as needed. We let Humphrey take the lead with that. But we¡¯ve seen some serious things. Lots of death, lives ruined. Adventurers often meet people on the worst days of their lives. Being able to have a little fun helps keep us sane.¡±


    ¡°Jason knows that better than most,¡± Farrah said, from where she was sat next to Clive. ¡°He and I were trapped in another world for a few years, and we saw some serious business. Sometimes you need people who understand and accept you, and if you don¡¯t have that, things can get extremely bleak.¡±


    ¡°He asked me to come work for him.¡±


    ¡°As an auxiliary, I know,¡± Clive said. ¡°We try to avoid letting Jason make major decisions for the team without discussing them first. Unfortunately, they keep cropping up while we¡¯re busy trying to not die. It¡¯s a good life, but even if you¡¯re not fighting for us, spying for us will be far from risk-free.¡±


    Estella looked at the boisterous people loudly devouring their lunch. Being risk-averse had always been important to her. Too much risk was the very thing that had led to her falling out with her previous employer. As she watched the group, saw their care for one other, having fun together, she saw something she¡¯d never had for herself.


    Estella¡¯s parents had been adventurers, dying when she was young. She had been raised by her grandfather who never pushed her towards adventuring, not wanting to lose her the way he had his son. Estella had always been solitary by nature, but the loss of her grandfather had changed something. The absence of the one real connection she had to another person left her feeling untethered. Perhaps it was time to start re-evaluating what she wanted and what she was willing to do to get it.


    ***


    ¡°I don¡¯t like you going to him,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Smells like a trap.¡±


    ¡°Everything smells like a trap to you,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°That¡¯s because anything we run into out there is likely to be a trap.¡±


    Jason and his team, plus Rufus, Gary and Farrah, were tooling up for a fight. While they kept most of their gear in dimensional spaces, Jason had placed a ready room full of excess equipment they might need for any given mission. Their gear was stowed on the second-highest level of the pagoda, in what amounted to a locker room.


    He had also installed more fireman¡¯s poles, but these were hidden behind a conspicuous bookcase that was opened by a hidden switch in an equally conspicuous bust on a small table. The poles ran from the ready room down a secret shaft to another hidden door in the atrium. Each pole was labelled with the name of a team member, except for one. Neil¡¯s pole was labelled ¡®Robin¡¯, instead of with his name.


    ¡°The possibility of a trap is why I picked the location,¡± Jason said. ¡°Which Estella won¡¯t be sharing with Estos until it¡¯s time for him to head there.¡±


    ¡°You should have picked here,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°The only reason I agreed to this meeting is because of a name that Havi Estos dropped, and the person belonging to that name has a lot of eyes and ears. He¡¯s already in hiding, and if he hears that Estos is paying me a visit, he may disappear entirely. Again.¡±


    ¡°And who is this mysterious person whose name you¡¯ve been declining to tell us?¡± Sophie asked. She watched Jason as he glanced at Belinda, who shrugged.


    ¡°It¡¯s Killian Laurent,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Who is Killi¡­ wait, isn¡¯t he the guy that put a star seed in you and then vanished?¡±


    ¡°With a good deal of the Silva crime family¡¯s money and resources, no less,¡± Clive said. ¡°There was some concern you might get a little, uh, enthused, once you found out.¡±


    ¡°Why would you think that?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Because you tore half of Old City apart when Jason went missing,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Well, now I can tear him apart, if we¡¯ve found him.¡±


    Jason¡¯s kidnapping and star seed implantation was orchestrated by crime boss Cole Silva and local Magic Society Director Lucian Lamprey, in Greenstone. These were the enemies he had made by shielding Sophie from them, which did not sit well with her. After a lifetime of everyone trying to use her, the one person who helped change her life for no more reason than she needed it had paid the price for doing so. For all her frenzied searching, she had found nothing and failed to contribute to Jason¡¯s rescue. Silva and Lamprey had both been caught and punished, but the man who did their dirty work had escaped.


    As it turned out, Silva¡¯s henchman, Killian Laurent, had been working behind the scenes on his own plan. For him, Jason had been a conveniently powerful distraction for Cole Silva, allowing Laurent to enact well-laid plans to plunder the Silva crime family and escape the city.


    ¡°Are you sure we can trust Estella?¡±


    ¡°She can only hide her emotions from my perception if I don¡¯t push,¡± Jason said. ¡°I pushed.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a guarantee,¡± Clive pointed out. ¡°There¡¯s a possibility that a false aura was magically overlaid on hers. Admittedly, anyone who can do that well enough to fool you, Jason, is probably more trouble than we can deal with anyway. Someone like that could probably come down on us like a hammer the moment we¡¯re away from the safety of the pagoda.¡±


    Jason moved to the bust and unhinged the head to reveal the switch that moved the bookcase, revealing the poles. Jason watched the bookcase move across with deep satisfaction.


    ¡°Jason.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re portalling out of here.¡±


    ¡°We can portal from the atrium.¡±


    ¡°We can also portal from here.¡±


    "This room is securely shielded against portals," Jason said. "We need to leave so we can portal out. Tell him, Clive."


    ¡°He¡¯s lying,¡± Clive said flatly. ¡°He can portal us out of here just fine.¡±


    ¡°Bloke, why would you do me like that?¡±


    ¡°Jason, my parents and eels?¡±


    ¡°Hey, there was a clearly posted sign telling you to not go in there. And why. You didn¡¯t go in did you?¡±


    ¡°No, I didn¡¯t go in! What kind of idiot calls you on a bluff?¡±


    The rest of the group nodded their agreement.


    ¡°I can¡¯t help wondering about how active you had to be in creating that scene, Jason,¡± Neil wondered aloud. ¡°Did you sit down and write out how it was going to go? How detailed was it? How long did it take to craft the illusion of Clive¡¯s parents and some eels, tweaking and correcting as you went?¡±


    ¡°I can speak for all of us in saying that we don¡¯t want to hear the answer to that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Jason, please just portal us out.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Belinda said, ¡°I¡¯d like to hear¨C¡±


    ¡°I can speak for all of us,¡± Humphrey repeated, ¡°in saying that we don¡¯t want to hear it. Portal, Jason.¡±


    Jason grinned as he went to open a portal, then stopped.


    [Astral Gate] has detected portal tracking magic. Spirit domain prevents tracking within the domain, but external destinations remain subject to tracking effects.Backlash from using [Astral Gate] to reconfigure portal to avoid tracking: low.


    Would you like to reconfigure portal to avoid tracking?


    ¡°Huh,¡± he said.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Someone is tracking portal use in the area. Not really a surprise.¡±


    ¡°All portal use on Livaros is tracked,¡± Farrah said. "The Magic Society does it, in conjunction with the Adventure Society. Part defence measure, part policing measure."


    ¡°That involves a lot of infrastructure, though,¡± Clive pointed out. ¡°Infrastructure that doesn¡¯t exist here on Arnote. Setting up a tracking blanket without it is fairly high-end ritual magic.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not news that it¡¯s the top end of town that¡¯s paying attention to us here,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°We don¡¯t want to be tracked where we¡¯re going,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We should call it off.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I can tweak the portal to avoid the tracking.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Clive asked. ¡°If it was that simple, why would anyone use tracking magic?¡±


    ¡°Not everyone has the thing I keep behind the eel-porn doors.¡±


    Jason opened a portal, which looked normal but his blue and orange eyes started glowing brightly and he grunted as pain wracked his head. A small wall of cloud material rose from the ground and he leaned back into it heavily.


    ¡°Ow.¡±


    ¡°Are alright?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Yeah. Just a minor backlash for overstepping my rank. Give me a minute.¡±


    Jason¡¯s companions looked on with worry, and while Jason had been optimistic, it was only a few minutes before the pain passed.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he said. ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡±


    Announcement! In preparation for the release of Book Five, Chapters 341 - 407 will be taken down from the site as of 20nd of March (approximately two weeks from now).

 Chapter 597: More Than Just a Name

    The streets of Livaros were thronging with people as the central areas were overtaken by a sprawling street festival. The market district was the heart of the post-surge celebrations, but it extended into the boutique store ward and even the Adventure Society campus. Tables had been brought out and food stalls were everywhere, while the Magic Society had released thousands of colour-changing paper lanterns that were drifting over the streets, illuminating everything in myriad colours.


    Jason stood on a rooftop, his cloak dimmed down and blending into the shadows of the late evening. Sophie was standing beside him, significantly more obvious. The rest of their companions were elsewhere, either waiting at the meeting sight or in place for other tasks, all connected through voice chat.


    ¡°Ooh, the food smells wafting up here,¡± Jason said with yearning. ¡°I could pop down there and grab us something real quick.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey scolded. He, like the rest of the team, was positioned elsewhere. ¡°We talked about this, Jason. You agreed to play the ominous harbinger, which means no popping down to check out food stalls.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like anyone would recognise me; I¡¯d be completely anonymous.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a lie and you know it,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I¡¯m betting that most of these food stalls are run by the people who run the same stalls at the market. Do not even bother trying to convince us that they won¡¯t recognise you.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention that you have a very bad track record on staying anonymous,¡± Clive added.


    ¡°Sophie could go down there,¡± Jason said. ¡°No one¡¯s looking for her.¡±


    ¡°Thankfully,¡± Sophie added. ¡°I¡¯ve had quite enough of that in my life, thank you.¡±


    ¡°You want Sophie to go down there,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The most beautiful woman in the city, dressed head to toe in white adventuring gear. Very subtle.¡±


    "You are such a suck-up," Jason pouted.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s sweet,¡± Belinda said. ¡°But yes, she does rather stand out.¡±


    Sophie stood out in her new armour of white with silver embellishments. Figure-hugging yet utterly flexible, like Sophie herself, it focused on mobility rather the protectiveness. She had acquired the armour while Jason was still in recovery, through Neil¡¯s looting power, from an unusual ooze-type monster. She had not enjoyed fighting the silver-star jelly, but was very satisfied with the spoils.


    ¡°There are lots of adventurers out there,¡± Jason complained and Sophie put a hand on his shoulder.


    ¡°I asked Belinda to go around grabbing anything that looked good,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯ll come out of her storage space nice and fresh. I know it¡¯s not the same as being down there, but it¡¯s something.¡±


    Jason turned to look at Sophie, pushing the hood back off his head.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± he said, his smile an uncharacteristic non-smirk. ¡°That¡¯s really thoughtful of you.¡±


    After a lifetime of mistrust, Sophie was still learning about companionship and her rare expression of bashfulness made Jason smile wider.


    ¡°Belinda was meant to be intercepting the target,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I can do both,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Jason¡¯s going to sense him long before I can get eyes on him, anyway.¡±


    ¡°How are we doing with that?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°We left his warded compound in the warehouse district with a couple of bodyguards,¡± Estella said through voice chat. ¡°We took a carriage until we hit the festival crowds and then started moving on foot.¡±


    Estella was also included in the voice chat as she directed Havi Estos to the meeting site.


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t have a flight travel permit?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Temporarily suspended for the duration of the festival,¡± Estella explained. ¡°He¡¯s not happy about it, either.¡±


    ¡°Most of them have been suspended,¡± Rufus added.


    ¡°And the guilds aren¡¯t happy about it either, from what I¡¯m overhearing,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You can tell a guild adventurer here more from their complaints than their gear, although anyone fully tooled up to fight monsters at a festival is probably a complete tool themselves.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I don¡¯t like this,¡± Havi Estos said as he made his way through the crowd. ¡°It¡¯s the perfect chance to get in some assassinations. This week will probably see more of them than the rest of the year combined.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re worried about being assassinated,¡± Estella told him, ¡°I can¡¯t tell if you think too highly or too poorly about yourself.¡±


    ¡°Being assassinated isn¡¯t a matter of character,¡± Havi said. ¡°It¡¯s a matter of being an obstacle to someone with no scruples.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe you shouldn¡¯t surround yourself with people lacking scruples. Look, no one is going to¡­ oh, wow; that guy is definitely going to assassinate you.¡±


    ¡°What? What guy?¡±


    The two bodyguards went on alert. They had shortswords as large weapons were generally less effective in the city, as well as being more attention-grabbing.


    ¡°That guy,¡± Estella said, pointing. ¡°He¡¯s hiding his aura fairly well, but I¡¯m, you know, me.¡±


    The man in question started running.


    ¡°Don¡¯t chase,¡± Havi ordered his bodyguards. ¡°He might be trying to lure you away.¡±


    They carried on at a hustle, the bodyguards often rudely shouldering the way through the crowd. Only Estella noticed Belinda start trailing them, occasionally changing her face.


    ***


    Like the tentacles of an octopus, arms made of darkness emerged from different shadows to drag people out of sight.


    ¡°That¡¯s the fourth group that has been looking to kill this guy,¡± Jason said as he dropped the last unconscious man onto the pile on the roof. ¡°He¡¯s got more people after him than I do. Maybe he should be the one faking his identity and skipping town.¡±


    ¡°The people after him are a little lower on the threat scale,¡± Rufus pointed out.


    ¡°Still, four assassination attempts in one walk across town?¡±


    ¡°Not to mention the other two we stopped against unrelated people,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°And I know for a fact that the Adventure Society has people quietly patrolling as well, so who knows how much is going on.¡±


    ¡°I wish you¡¯d told me that earlier,¡± Jason said. ¡°I almost tried to take one of them out until I realised from his aura that he was watch for threats, not being one. That would have been embarrassing.¡±


    ¡°Especially if you got your butt kicked,¡± Neil added.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason agreed with a laugh.


    ¡°Estos was right about it being a prime chance for assassinations,¡± Estella said.


    ¡°Not to mention robbery,¡± Belinda added. ¡°I¡¯ve spotted I don¡¯t know how many pickpockets. They know their business in this city, too. The deftness with which they dispel anti-theft wards is impressive. I might go find who taught them, swap some tips.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not a thief anymore, Lindy,¡± Humphrey pointed out.


    ¡°Uh, yep,¡± Belinda agreed. ¡°Definitely not.¡±


    ¡°Belinda¡­¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re approaching the destination,¡± Estella notified them.


    ¡°Site is secure,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I put up some extra anti-surveillance magic,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but what was already in place is surprisingly thorough.¡±


    ***


    Havi Estos, Estella and the two bodyguards reached the boutique shopping district where the festival was still going on, but was a bit more subdued. This was where the festival-goers tended to be a little higher in the social hierarchy, and letting loose too much could have political repercussions. It was still a celebration, just more company barbecue than spring break in tone.


    ¡°Honestly, I didn¡¯t think we¡¯d get this far and only see one attacker,¡± Havi Estos said. ¡°Perhaps I overestimated the danger.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± agreed Estella, who had shared none of her party interface communication with him.


    They arrived at a plain cream-coloured storefront with no signage. There was only a display window with a dummy draped in a linen suit and topped with a Panama hat. The door opened at their approach, revealing a stern-faced Rufus. Havi looked at the tall, leanly-muscular adventure in front of him with midnight skin and striking good looks. The light of the colourful lanterns overhead was reflected from the man¡¯s bald head so well that Havi absently wondered if he used some kind of wax polish.


    ¡°Havi Estos?¡± Rufus asked in a voice that made Havi wish he could just run instead of answering. This whole night was the reason he liked conducting business from his very secure home, but he felt he had little choice. He knew enough about Asano and his associates to recognise the man standing in front of him, and who that man¡¯s grandfather was.


    Havi was a very well connected man, so he had become aware that Jason Asano was now a person of significance. Perhaps Asano didn¡¯t care that Havi once sent Estella to spy on him ¨C he certainly seemed to have settled things with Estella Warnock. Havi didn¡¯t have a respected uncle to mend fences, however. What he did have was information.


    Like many in Rimaros, Havi had been tracking down every piece of information on Jason Asano. He had a broader base of information gathering than most, stretching from high nobility to base criminals. He was confident that no one else had yet realised the connections between Asano and local underworld figure Killian Laurent, but it was likely only a matter of time. As such, Havi needed to exploit that knowledge before it lost its value to him.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m Havi Estos. Is Mr Asano inside?¡±


    ¡°Jason Asano has been with you for some time,¡± Rufus said.


    Havi and his bodyguard looked around and found Jason standing next to Estella. Havi tilted his head, feeling a dissonance in his mind. He suddenly realised that Asano had been walking with them for the last couple of streets, but for some reason, Havi had been ignoring his presence.


    The bodyguards moved their hands toward their swords but their silver-rank auras were suddenly annihilated as if they weren¡¯t there and they froze, stricken with fear. Asano¡¯s presence was uncanny, almost part of the darkness as his cloak and the twilight seemed to blend together, making what was shadow and what was person unclear. How he did that while standing in the open Havi was unsure. It was like an optical illusion, his eyes sliding off as he tried to make out what was real and what wasn¡¯t. It didn¡¯t help that Asano didn¡¯t register at all to Havi¡¯s aura senses, as if he were looking at a picture and not the man himself.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Havi said. ¡°You do prefer to be called Jason, right?¡±


    ¡°My friends call me Jason, Mr Estos.¡±


    Asano¡¯s voice had the icy hardness of winter granite, wholly unlike their previous meeting. Havi found himself missing the man¡¯s previously friendly demeanour very much.


    ¡°Go inside, Mr Estos,¡± Rufus ordered. ¡°Your employees can leave.¡±


    Havi looked at the bodyguards that suddenly felt extremely inadequate to his needs.


    ¡°I need to get home safely after this meeting,¡± he said.


    ¡°If you go home again,¡± Jason said, ¡°you will be delivered safely.¡±


    Havi paled at Jason¡¯s use of the word ¡®if¡¯ rather than ¡®when.¡¯ Even so, he dutifully followed Rufus inside. Waiting for them was a group of people Estos recognised from his information gathering on Asano. Just looking at the people around him was enough to know that Asano was not someone to take lightly. From prominent members of the Geller and Remore families to Clive Standish, whose relationship with the Magic Society would be a whole other investigation. If they had been in Vitesse instead of the far side of the world, no one in their right mind would dismiss the group.


    The other person present was Alejandro Albericci, the proprietor of the tailor shop in which they stood. Albericci had his own formidable connections in Rimaros society and was not someone Havi would ever be interested in getting on the bad side of.


    ¡°Thank you for the use of your property, Mr Albericci,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Consider it my apology for being used to political ends when you first graced my establishment. I will go now, but be assured that no sound will escape these walls. And, as Miss Hurin can attest, it would take formidable effort to observe the interior magically.¡±


    Alejandro departed through a rear door, leaving Havi surrounded as Belinda and Sophie came in to stand by Jason, Belinda closing the door behind her. Havi steeled his nerve to speak.


    ¡°Jas¨C Mr Asano. I¡¯d like to¨C¡±


    ¡°Killian Laurent," Jason said, cutting him off. "That name is the only reason any of us are here. I do hope you have more than just a name.¡±


    ¡°He was here, in the Storm Kingdom. After he plundered the wealth of the Silva family in Greenstone, he came here and set himself up in Jaitari.¡±


    The three islands that made up the city of Rimaros were not the most populous regions of the Storm Kingdom. The largest concentrations of people were on a landmass in the centre of the Sea of Storms. Comprised of what was, in Jason''s world, Cuba, Haiti and the Dominican Republic, was a single island; the largest in the Sea of Storms by far. Jaitari was the largest and most populous city on the island and the Storm Kingdom overall.


    ¡°Why here?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Of all the places in the world, why the one that just happened to be where I arrived?¡±


    ¡°He was here long before you arrived,¡± Havi said. ¡°I have no idea how you arrived here, or why. I¡¯ve heard rumours that Soramir Rimaros knows, but even my ability to gather information has limits. But Laurent came here because he has family. Someone in the Order of Redeeming Light. A priest. The Adventure Society has him in custody, now. Maybe he can tell you more.¡±


    ¡°You think he can give us Killian Laurent?¡±


    ¡°I can give you Killian Laurent. When your name started spreading around, Mr Asano, Laurent heard about it and decided to get out. But that was a bad idea during a monster surge, especially this one. Too many people tracking too many things. Liquidating his assets and getting out of the region without drawing the attention of people hunting for Builder cultists or Order of Redeeming Light members meant relying on some extremely shady people. The kind of people that won¡¯t talk to the government or the Adventure Society, but will talk to me.¡±


    ¡°You know where he is now?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Havi said. ¡°By design. If I went digging, word could get to him, sooner or later. I¡¯m not the only information broker out there and he¡¯s an extremely cautious man. But I am certain I can find him, in fairly short order. Then it will be on you to move fast enough to get him before he moves again.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t respond for a long time, leaving Havi to look at the alien eyes that were all that could be seen from the otherwise-impenetrable darkness of Jason¡¯s hood.


    "There''s something else," Havi said. He hadn''t intended to share this and instead use it to build his own influence base, but Jason''s silent stare had unnerved him. "Laurent was the one who hired the adventurer that teleported the Order of Redeeming Light''s people off that island. The new one that used to be the flying Builder city. He did it because his brother asked. The priest I talked about."


    There was more silence. A line of dark flames moved along the ground, from which a portal arch of dark crystal noiselessly emerged. The dark flames rose to fill the arch, becoming an active portal.


    "Go home, Mr Estos," Jason said.


    ¡°Do you want me to start narrowing down Laurent¡¯s location?¡±


    ¡°Soon. We¡¯ll be in touch.¡±


    Havi was uncertain about walking through a portal he didn¡¯t entirely trust, but he liked the idea a lot more than refusing to do so and staying surrounded by these people. He stepped through and emerged in his own home. The home that was warded against teleportation and portals. He turned to look at the portal he had just stepped through and watched it descend back into the floor, leaving a line of dark flames that vanished in turn.


    ***


    Humphrey caught Jason as he collapsed, the moment Havi had vanished.


    ¡°Yeah, that was worse,¡± he croaked. ¡°I have to stop using this astral gate.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d just let me study it,¡± Clive said, ¡°maybe we could alleviate the issues.¡±


    ¡°If Dawn said to wait for higher rank,¡± Farrah told him, ¡°then it¡¯s best to wait.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to teleport Jason back to the pagoda,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Rufus, please thank Mr Albericci again and let him know that we¡¯re done.¡±

 Chapter 598: The Making of That Man

    Havi Estos was not used to feeling insignificant. His connections spanned from the very top of society to the very bottom, and he was valuable enough to both that he had secured his position as the consummate middleman. He was also a successful former silver-rank adventurer. Perhaps not from a top guild, but certainly from a respectable one, and any adventurer that could hold their own in Rimaros was worthy of note.


    After emerging from Asano¡¯s portal, Havi took an icy shower, then found himself staring in his bathroom mirror. He was a sizeable man, with onyx skin and gold eyes that matched his long hair. He looked at his expression and could see for himself how shaken he looked.


    He had only met Asano once, when he dropped off a package from Havi¡¯s old adventuring friend, Mordant Kerr. Kerr had been in charge of a fortress town during the surge and sent Asano with a package containing a recording of Asano wiping out a monster wave threatening that town. Havi had thought nothing of the ordinary-seeming man until he looked at the recording after he was gone.


    Kerr had wanted to connect Havi and Asano, recognising that Asano could use Havi¡¯s contacts and Havi would do well to get on good terms before Asano¡¯s rise to prominence. The disparity between the amiable man he met and the slaughter machine in the recording had triggered Havi¡¯s sense of caution and he had begun investigating. Asano unexpectedly catching wind of it had cost Havi the valuable services of Estella Warnock, whose grandfather was another of Havi¡¯s adventuring contemporaries.


    Asano¡¯s name came up in the course of Havi¡¯s general practice of knowing things that most people didn¡¯t, in increasingly alarming ways. Asano¡¯s connections reached the top of Rimaros society, somehow coming in a downward direction from some elusive upper echelon to which even the royal family seemed to bend. It remained a mystery until the active presence of Soramir Rimaros, the founder of the Storm Kingdom himself, became known.


    The more Asano''s name came to his attention, the more Havi had grown concerned. Others were coming to him as an information broker for details on Asano, which Havi had continued to gather, albeit much more carefully than he had before. He had seen what Asano''s enemies looked like, what had come of them, and worried that Asano might consider the slight of Havi sending someone to probe his aura as antagonistic.


    Asano¡¯s enemies list was formidable, relative to his rank, and the mysteries surrounding him were highly suggestive. What had come of those enemies did not bode well for anyone who caught Asano¡¯s ire: what did it take to make a personal enemy of the dimensional being waging war on an entire world?


    Havi was wary of approaching Asano, even though it was possible Asano hadn¡¯t given Havi a second thought. Bringing himself back to Asano¡¯s attention could have been buying real trouble to avoid imaginary danger, but it had not been something he was willing to risk. He didn''t want to be on Asano¡¯s enemies list, having seen Asano¡¯s other enemies. But his enquiries into Asano¡¯s past had turned up one enemy that stood out from the others, for having gotten away.


    Killian Laurent was already known to Havi, but only by reputation. Havi might work with some less-than-reputable figures, but Laurent was known for having no depth to which he would not stoop. There were no lines he would not cross, no villain he wouldn¡¯t work with and no depravity he would not exploit.


    The more he looked into it, the more that Laurent seemed like the way to turn things around with Asano. He¡¯d missed out on an opportunity to make a connection with an adventurer with mysterious influence in the corridors of power and whose rise to prominence seemed inevitable. Delivering Killian Laurent on a plate could rectify that mistake in a big way.


    Havi was still making preparations when Asano''s predicted leap into wider attention came both sooner and more ostentatiously than Havi''s most outlandish predictions. Asano''s display of his aura blanketing the sky and his transforming house was something everyone became aware of. What came next, though, didn''t just grab the attention of the powerful and well informed; it scared them. Asano telling the Builder to pack up and go home was one thing. The Builder actually doing it was another.


    It was clear to the many observers that Asano was not just dealing with gods and great astral beings but that he had been for some time. Where had he gone during the mysterious period he was believed dead? What had he done, and why was he back? Havi only had answers to some of those questions, and unreliable ones, at that.


    Getting on Asano¡¯s good side had very much landed on the top of Havi¡¯s priority list and he had accelerated his preparations to serve up Laurent. He had not pushed so hard as to spook Laurent, or at least, so he had thought. Leaving his bathroom in a soft robe, he discovered that he had made two critical underestimations. One was Laurent¡¯s ability to realise he was being looked into, and the other was Laurent¡¯s ability to bypass the protection magic on his house.


    ***


    ¡°Wow, that was fast,¡± Belinda said she watched five men move an unconscious Havi out of his house and into a carriage. It set off down the street, in the direction of the docks. There was no shortage of drunken revellers on the streets, but the warehouse district was fairly clear and the docks weren¡¯t a festival area. The vehicle would be able to pass through without being blocked by crowds.


    Jason¡¯s voice chat didn¡¯t extend from Livaros where Belinda was to the pagoda where Humphrey had teleported him to recuperate from overstressing his portal ability again. She relayed the information through Shade, hidden in her shadow.


    ¡°Already?¡± Jason complained when Shade reported the information. He had barely laid down to rest. ¡°Come on, I¡¯m still wrecked from portalling Estos through his damn house wards. It¡¯s going to be a couple of hours before I¡¯m combat-ready again.¡±


    ¡°I told you it was the wrong move,¡± Neil said. ¡°As the team healer, I strongly advise against harming yourself just so you can show off an ability that would be better kept secret anyway.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Shade, is Estos still alive?¡±


    Most of the group was in a lounge area, gathered around the reclining Jason, either portalled back by Clive or teleported in by Humphrey. Only Sophie and Belinda had stayed to watch Laurent¡¯s home on Belinda¡¯s hunch.


    ¡°He is alive,¡± Shade said. ¡°Miss Belinda would also like me to iterate that she was, indeed, correct.¡±


    As they chatted in Alejandro¡¯s store following Havi¡¯s dismissal, Belinda had voiced the opinion that Havi was underestimating his exposure to Laurent.


    ¡°We already know he¡¯s tipped off target¡¯s he¡¯s been looking into in the past,¡± she had said. ¡°I¡¯m guessing that Laurent might turn the tables, maybe try and set a trap for Jason. I say we watch the guy and see if Laurent makes a move in the wake of Estos meeting with us.¡±


    ¡°That would mean Laurent would have to know about Estos meeting with us,¡± Humphrey pointed out.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Belinda had agreed.


    The result was the team¡¯s illicit activity specialists keeping a watch on Havi¡¯s place, and they had barely arrived when five men moved an unconscious Havi from his home into waiting transport.


    ¡°Tell Belinda to track the carriage,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Hopefully, it will lead us to Laurent and we can jump on him before he lays a trap for us.¡±


    ¡°Unless this is the trap for us,¡± Jason pointed out. ¡°You know, I think we might be approaching this the wrong way.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Laurent is going to be a big fan of playing fair, so why should we?¡±


    ***


    Havi was unconscious, bound to a thick metal pole by heavy chains. Even with a suppression collar, the raw strength of a silver ranker was no small thing, so both the poles and the chains had been strongly reinforced with magic. Killian Laurent took the stopper from a small alchemical vial and waved it under Havi¡¯s nose.


    Havi awoke with a start.


    ¡°Steal some mushrooms!¡± he yelled deliriously.


    ¡°What?¡± Killian asked.


    ¡°What?¡± a bleary-eyed Havi asked in return, head swaying as he blinked, his senses slowly coming back. He looked around, seeing that he was in a featureless room where the walls, floor and ceiling were all metal. It had no windows but a pair of large doors, suggesting it might be some kind of warehouse.


    He had a groggy recollection of being woken in similar fashion and threatened with unpleasantly specific forms of violence if he didn¡¯t go through a portal. As his senses somewhat cleared, he looked at the emaciated and sickly white man standing in front of him. He had never seen Killian Laurent, but the man perfectly fit Laurent¡¯s distinctive description.


    ¡°Oh, crap.¡±


    "Indeed," Killian agreed. "You wanted to use me as a resource? To feed me to Jason Asano? You should have stuck to information trading, Mr Estos, because information gathering is not your area."


    ¡°You won¡¯t get away with kidnapping me right out of the city.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I know. Jason Asano has developed quite the remarkable team since I last met him. I don¡¯t know exactly how they¡¯ll track us down. Maybe the former thief secretly placed tracking magic on you during your meeting. Perhaps the astral magic specialist will trace the portal used to bring you here. My people made sure they left the city''s tracking area before portalling from a boat at sea, but I don''t think that will stop them. They are quite the resourceful group. Powerful, as well, which is why I''ve taken the time to set things up quite thoroughly. The only reason I''m keeping you alive is in case there''s some tracking magic I can''t sense on you that will be negated on your death."


    Killian moved close to Havi. Killian was shorter by almost a full head, but grinned malevolently as he tilted his head back to lock eyes with the former adventurer.


    ¡°Once I realised that you were looking into me, I started moving things into place. I could have run, but that was not a convenient approach, given all this monster surge unpleasantness. Instead, I made sure that it would look like I was running to anyone who bothered to investigate, so it looked like I was being sloppy. I thought it was best to give you a little sense of urgency, so you would be the one who got sloppy. Which you did. You¡¯re a good middleman, Estos, but your expertise lies in helping upstanding citizens connect with not-so-upstanding citizens, without being seen with the riffraff. This spider-at-the-heart-of-an-information-web thing you¡¯re trying to expand into isn¡¯t going to work.¡±


    ¡°Laurent,¡± Havi said. ¡°I know you¡¯re evil. You don¡¯t have to make a big speech explaining your plan to prove it.¡±


    Killian chuckled as he turned to put a little distance between Havi and himself.


    ¡°Bravado. I like it. I have a client who enjoys breaking down the tough ones, so you¡¯ll be quite lucrative for me. Once Asano and his team are dealt with, which is no small thing. You won¡¯t sense them, with that suppression collar on, but there is a coterie of gold-rank mercenaries here, waiting for the arrival of Asano and his team. I know better than to take them on directly with anything but massively overwhelming force.¡±


    Killian shook his head.


    ¡°It¡¯s unfathomably expensive to hire discreet gold-rankers who will work outside of the normal channels, you know. Fortunately, the monster surge has been very lucrative for me.¡±


    ¡°Tragedy often is, to bastards with no scruples,¡± Havi said, spitting out the words like a curse. ¡°You¡¯ll work with anyone. Builder cult, Red Table, those Purity lunatics.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Killian agreed with a laugh. ¡°It¡¯s been working out quite nicely for me. But if I¡¯d known he would eventually cost me this much money and attention, I¡¯d never have left Asano alive. At the time, it seemed like a worthwhile distraction, since I didn¡¯t want his friends seeking me out in anger. I¡¯m not sure if you know who Danielle Geller is, but she¡¯s not someone you want motivated to hunt you down, believe me.¡±


    ¡°Neither is Asano,¡± Havi said.


    ¡°That¡¯s certainly true now, which is why I¡¯m going to all this effort. Who would have thought that he would fight off a star seed, even if the ritual powering it was left unattended? You know, I rather think I was the making of that man. I could never have foreseen setting in motion a chain of events that would have my dear brother helping the Builder arrange for him to arrive here from another world. Asano lives an inconveniently outrageous life, which I now need to put a stop to. Luckily, you aren''t the only one with some impressive connections, and certain people are likewise eager to see Asano''s demise. Otherwise, I might not have been able to arrange all these gold-rankers, no matter how much money I threw around."


    ¡°Boss,¡± one of Killian¡¯s thuggish lackeys said. He had been monitoring a magical projection floating over a ritual on the floor behind where Havi was chained up, out of his line of sight. The projection displayed the intricate web of alarm arrays placed around their location.


    ¡°Ah,¡± Killian said. ¡°It seems like the guests have arrived. I assume Asano brought his full team, plus the Remore boy and his team as well.¡±


    ¡°Boss, I¡¯m not so sure this is Asano. The alarms are picking up a whole bunch of gold-rankers.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±

 Chapter 599: A Lesson of Days Gone

    In the aftermath of the fighting, a small army of gold and silver rankers were sweeping the area for escape tunnels, traps and anyone who had managed to hide away. The adventurers were a combined force of the Sapphire Crown guild, who served the royal family, and Amouz family members. The Amouz family had volunteered in numbers that surprised even Liara, whose husband was born into it.


    Killian Laurent had taken the place of Havi Estos in being chained to a thick metal pole with a suppression collar around his neck. Even more precautions had been added, in the form of a layered ritual array sufficiently complex that Clive, Belinda and Farrah were both studying it enthusiastically. The gold-rank ritualist who had put it in place was looking harried as they peppered him with questions.


    Sound could not pass through the edge of the ritual circle, which was currently empty save for Killian. Just outside it, Liara and Jason were standing together, talking quietly as they watched Killian, who stared back in turn.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been obsessing over finding the portal user who helped the Order of Redeeming Light for a while,¡± Liara said. ¡°The order members themselves still won¡¯t talk, and we¡¯ve had some of them for months now. Their god wasn¡¯t even their god and they¡¯re still zealots.¡±


    ¡°Carlos says that we need to stop thinking of them as ideologues and start thinking of them as victims,¡± Jason said. ¡°Just as much as people turned into vampires.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of what Carlos thinks,¡± Liara said. ¡°The Adventure Society turned all my prisoners over to the Church of the Healer. You think this man will be more forthcoming?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s practical. Self-serving. He¡¯ll be willing to make some kind of deal.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re alright with that? I know what he did to you.¡±


    ¡°Here¡¯s something that won¡¯t be in the Adventure Society¡¯s file on me,¡± Jason told her. ¡°While I was in the other world, one of the very few gold rankers there killed my brother, my lover and my friend. When the time came, and I had him at my mercy, I gave him to someone else for their own revenge. I was burning so hot for vengeance at the start, but I came to realise that it¡¯s just empty.¡±


    ¡°You had a gold ranker at your mercy?¡±


    ¡°Circumstances,¡± he said. ¡°My whole life is exploiting circumstances to stay alive when, by every sensible metric, I should die. Or stay dead; it varies.¡±


    ¡°You made the right choice calling us in. Not just because of what was waiting for you here, but it plays into the story we¡¯re trying to sell about your willingness to defer to the Adventure Society. Giving up personal vengeance for the communal good will sit well with people who know your going off with Soramir is just a charade. Some of them worry that you roaming around in secret is worse than letting you do so openly.¡±


    ¡°Let,¡± Jason said, dissatisfaction in his voice as he zeroed in on her word choice.


    ¡°Yes, Jason. Let. The point is to demonstrate that you¡¯re not a madman on the loose with unknown powers, answering to no one.¡±


    ¡°Team player, that¡¯s me,¡± he grumbled.


    ¡°If you¡¯re going to leave Killian to us, would you like to speak to him first, or walk away entirely?"


    ¡°I may be willing to walk away from revenge,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I won¡¯t be giving up on villain banter. I don¡¯t have it in me.¡±


    She gave him a flat look.


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± he complained. ¡°No-fun, stern-adventurer Jason.¡±


    ***


    Cassin Amouz had not participated in the raid itself but had been the driving force behind the Amouz family¡¯s contribution to the operation. He arrived in the aftermath, being shown into the warehouse by some of his own people. He spotted Liara speaking to a man wrapped in what looked like a portal, who had to be Jason Asano. Cassin strode over to Liara as Asano stepped inside the ritual circle and approached the prisoner.


    ¡°Princess Liara,¡± he greeted.


    ¡°Lord Amouz. Thank you again for your support of this operation.¡±


    ¡°Consider me motivated to root out all the people who have betrayed our Kingdom and our world. This sickly thing you have chained up knows the traitor who helped take my son?¡±


    Liara nodded as Cassin looked around.


    ¡°And the other thing?¡± he asked. ¡°She¡¯s here?¡±


    Liara nodded to where Clive, Farrah and Belinda were still badgering the ritualist with questions.


    ¡°Darker skin,¡± she said, to differentiate the fair-skinned Farrah from the swarthy Belinda.


    Cassin moved over to them.


    ¡°Belinda Callahan?¡± he said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t take it,¡± Belinda said, pointing at Clive. ¡°I saw him doing something; I¡¯m pretty sure it was him.¡±


    ¡°What was him?¡± Cassin asked as Clive rolled his eyes and went back to examining the ritual diagram on the ground.


    ¡°Nothing,¡± Belinda said. ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about.¡±


    Farrah sighed, giving Belinda a look she normally reserved for Jason.


    ¡°I¡¯m Farrah Hurin,¡± she introduced herself. ¡°And yes, this is Belinda Callahan. You¡¯re Lord Cassin Amouz, are you not?¡±


    ¡°I am. I¡¯ve wanted to take the chance to thank you, Miss Callahan. The bold risk you took in infiltrating the Order of Redeeming Light¡¯s stronghold is the reason my son was brought home before they finished infecting him with their heinous magic. You have the eternal gratitude of the Amouz family, and me, his father, most of all. If you ever have need of anything at all¨C¡±


    ¡°Ooh, free stuff!¡±


    Farrah sharply nudged Belinda with her elbow.


    ¡°I mean, you¡¯re very welcome,¡± Belinda corrected.


    ¡°How is Young Master Gibson?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Belinda said, her tone suddenly less playful. ¡°He wasn¡¯t in the best way, last time I saw him. I wasn¡¯t in time to help him.¡±


    ¡°Yes you were,¡± Cassin said. ¡°The specialist from the Church of the healer is optimistic. Cautiously optimistic, as he repeatedly specifies, but it¡¯s hope.¡±


    He settled his gaze firmly on Belinda.


    ¡°Hope that you have given me,¡± he told her. ¡°And I meant it when I said if you ever need anything. All the free stuff you can carry.¡±


    ¡°You may want to rethink that offer, lord Amouz,¡± Farrah said. ¡°She has a storage space power and a lot of imagination.¡±


    Belinda didn¡¯t say anything glib, thrown by the sincerity of Cassin¡¯s gratitude. It was not something she was used to and she suddenly felt awkward. He recognised that and nodded.


    ¡°I have a lot to organise here, so I shall leave you now. But the door of the Amouz family is always open to you, Miss Callahan.¡±


    When Cassin left, Farrah nudged Belinda¡¯s shoulder.


    "Feels good, doesn''t it? Genuinely helping someone. It''s why you''re better off being an adventurer than a thief."


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Belinda said, holding up a pocket watch. ¡°You should probably have this back.¡±


    Farrah frowned as she took it from Belinda¡¯s hand.


    ¡°How did you even get this?¡±


    ***


    Enveloped in a starry void, Jason looked more like he was floating than walking as he moved, but he dismissed the cloak as he reached Killian. He stood in front of the pale elf chained to a thick metal pole. Killian had a narrow, bony frame and pallid skin, which was unlike the normally hale appearance that even elves that weren¡¯t essence users had.


    ¡°You certainly look more impressive than the last time I saw you, Asano.¡±


    ¡°You look about the same. I¡¯m told that each time we rank up, we get closer to how we are represented in our souls. That makes your soul pretty damn ugly.¡±


    ¡°And yours tediously vain. You¡¯re a lot prettier at silver rank, Asano.¡±


    ¡°I look more like my brother than I used to. That used to annoy me.¡±


    Killian narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°He died, didn¡¯t he? Your fault?¡±


    ¡°Not my fault. It was another selfish prick like you.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Killian said. ¡°My mistake was that I assumed that you would seek me out in vengeance for what I¡¯ve done to you. It never actually occurred to me that you would be willing to bring in outsiders and let them take that from you. But it seems you¡¯ve tasted vengeance and found it not to your liking.¡±


    ¡°You seem rather calm, given the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I have many secrets, many resources and contacts; knowledge and insights that are very valuable. Especially to groups that cannot do what I have done, yet desire what I have gained from doing them. Organisations tend to make deals with people as useful as me, rather than killing us for our many transgressions.¡±


    ¡°Which is what will happen here, I¡¯m sure. So long as they¡¯re adequately fed, I imagine you¡¯ll live long enough to finagle your freedom again, sooner or later. We live very long lives.¡±


    ¡°And you can accept all that? I thought you were an idealist.¡±


    ¡°I was. Still am, I hope. But I¡¯ve come to realise that taking the best that things can be is better than lamenting the way they should be.¡±


    ¡°A man of compromise, now?¡±


    ¡°Maybe. Sometimes it feels like I¡¯m the only one willing to do what it takes to turn what should be into what can.¡±


    ¡°You sound tired, Asano.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I¡¯m better than I¡¯ve been in a long time. I¡¯m just tired of compromising with people like you. That¡¯s why the Adventure Society can have you. Make a deal, kill you, let you go; I wash my hands of it. I was done with you a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Yet you couldn¡¯t resist talking to me.¡±


    "It''s true. I''m testing myself, I think. Can I let what you''ve done go and leave you to the authorities and whatever slack they may cut you?"


    ¡°And how is the test going?¡±


    ¡°Unremarkably. I¡¯m a little surprised, to be honest. Until I heard your name again, I hadn¡¯t thought about you in a long time. Turns out it¡¯s because I didn¡¯t care.¡±


    ¡°Is the same true for your pet thief with the pretty silver hair? She¡¯s been giving me a look that says she wants to kill me.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because she does want to kill you. But she didn¡¯t spare you a thought either, until your name came up. You¡¯re a target of opportunity, and that¡¯s all. At the end of the day, you just don¡¯t matter. You¡¯re a lesson of days gone.¡±


    ¡°Listen to you. You¡¯re quite the big shot, now, but I¡¯ve seen you naked and helpless. Not just without your clothes, but without that ridiculous mask you use to hide away the malevolence inside you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t hide it, Laurent. Not anymore. I use it, as needed, and then I put it away until the next prick like you comes along. But you know, if I asked these people to let me take you away, they would.¡±


    ¡°I imagine so.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not going to do that. You¡¯re responsible for enough stains on my soul already; you aren¡¯t worth another. I suppose this is the part where I tell you all the terrible things I could do to you ¨C and they are very terrible ¨C but I just can¡¯t be bothered.¡±


    ¡°I believe you, Asano. I know a little about the forces with which you seem to be involved, and they¡¯re very intimidating. Why do you think I wanted to kill you? If we meet again, I¡¯m fairly certain that goal will be out of my reach. In fact, you¡¯ll probably be able to kill me out of hand.¡±


    ¡°You may be right. Would you be interested in garnering a little goodwill, for when that day comes?¡±


    ¡°You want something from me.¡±


    ¡°You secured the service of a portal user for your brother. A friend of mine would very much like that name.¡±


    ¡°And if you walk out of this ritual circle with it, it makes you look good in front of all the fancy folk who are oh-so-scared of you right now. Helps buy you the time to grow strong enough that you don¡¯t have to care what they think.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. But it also signals to them that you¡¯re amenable to working with them. Given the reticence of your brother and his friends, that¡¯s a valuable signal to send.¡±


    Killian and Jason looked at each other in silence for a long time.


    ¡°Despite my best efforts, I¡¯ve underestimated how dangerous you are, haven¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Killian jerked his head, indicating all the people around them in the warehouse.


    ¡°They don¡¯t know that they¡¯ve done the same yet, do they?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°And you need to become stronger before they realise. You aren¡¯t afraid I¡¯ll tell them?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t know enough to make more than baseless predictions. They know I¡¯m dangerous enough now that they won¡¯t risk pushing. Not on your word.¡±


    ¡°There are some who would.¡±


    ¡°There always are.¡±


    Killian chuckled.


    "Yes, there are. Esteban Galo is the name you are looking for, Mr Asano."


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Laurent. You¡¯ll forgive me if I hope we never see each other again.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, you¡¯ll find my hope on that count to have significantly more fervour than yours.¡±

 Chapter 600: Dear John

    Jason tossed the list of names onto the table in front of him.


    ¡°This is what Dawn was up to,¡± he said as he rubbed his temples. ¡°She could have told me. It¡¯s not like I was doing much more than lounging about recovering.¡±


    He got up and moved out onto the pagoda balcony, leaning on the rail and looking out to sea. In the distance, light was flaring as a magical storm was absorbed by a windmill-like mana accumulator.


    Farrah moved to stand next to him.


    ¡°She knew she¡¯d have to talk you into it.¡±


    ¡°So she left, knowing I¡¯d go along because she wasn¡¯t here to argue with and I¡¯m sentimental.¡±


    ¡°A mortal failing, she called it.¡±


    ¡°Then I guess I¡¯m not that mortal. We are not taking Zara Rimaros as an auxiliary team member. If nothing else, she''s a full-blown adventurer. Auxiliaries are taken for their specialty skills, and her specialty is blowing up a bunch of monsters with typhoon powers.¡±


    Farrah took a recording crystal from her pocket and held it out for him to take. Jason groaned.


    ¡°She left a recording crystal with you and bailed again?¡± he asked. ¡°These are starting to feel like Dear John letters.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a Dear John letter?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll give you some privacy to watch it. Just remember that we¡¯re going out to help Autumn find a familiar this afternoon.¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    Farrah went to the elevating platform and left Jason alone in his suite. He moved inside and a crystal projector formed out of cloud stuff. It was a small plinth, capped by a pyramid, atop which was a slot for a recording crystal. Jason placed the crystal Farrah had given him and then dropped into a sprawl across a couch. A large image of Dawn''s face flickered into place over the projector, making Jason feel like he was looking at a hologram of Emperor Palpatine.


    ¡°Sorry for the galactic emperor look,¡± the projection said. ¡°I was hoping it would make it feel less like a Dear John letter.¡±


    ¡°We could have just had a conversation,¡± Jason muttered.


    ¡°I know we could have just had a conversation,¡± Dawn said, ¡°but conversations with you always go awry from what the other person intends.¡±


    ¡°Not always.¡±


    ¡°Yes, always.¡±


    Jason looked at the projection, affronted. Dawn laughed.


    ¡°I wish I could see your face right now. You¡¯re not as unpredictable as you think, Jason.¡±


    Jason''s mouth formed a thin line as he pressed his lips hard together in frustration.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Dawn said, ¡°I know you¡¯re grouchy that you can¡¯t talk back, but that¡¯s the point. This isn¡¯t a discussion. You¡¯re going to sit and listen, get crabby about it, then accept what I¡¯ve done because I¡¯m not here to argue with and it feels wrong to deny me without having me here to argue with.¡±


    "I''m starting to hate this recording."


    ¡°I¡¯ve been discussing with the Adventure Society about this false identity. Since you¡¯ll be signing on with your own team as an auxiliary, it will be less obvious if your team takes on multiple auxiliaries at once.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯ve seen the list.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still passive-aggressively having a conversation with a recording aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Jason glared at the image.


    ¡°But here¡¯s the good news,¡± Dawn said. ¡°The list is fake.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I knew you¡¯d get cranky, so I made a list of names that would annoy you, so that you¡¯d be less angry with the real list.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have to get cranky if you didn¡¯t give me a fake list full of people I¡¯d never take. I bet you did this for laughs.¡±


    ¡°Also, I thought it would be funny.¡±


    ¡°I knew it! You knew you were just¡­ and I¡¯m still talking to a recording.¡±


    Dawn''s expression softened and the image zoomed out, showing that she was sitting on the grass on a hillside somewhere, in a white summer dress. It was decorated with images of a flower known as phoenix wing.


    ¡°This is going to be a new start for you, Jason. You¡¯ve told me about when you first came to this world and all the promise it held. This is your chance to have that adventuring career you were imagining back then. Maybe not exactly as you imagined it, but I suspect you won¡¯t be too unhappy with having a secret identity.¡±


    Dawn¡¯s image looked regretful, as did Jason¡¯s watching it.


    ¡°I guess I should give you the real list of names,¡± she said. ¡°Rufus, obviously. He¡¯ll fight with you, but strictly speaking, he''ll be listed as a trainer. You still have a lot to learn from him, and your friend Taika could benefit from his knowledge as well. Gary is another easy inclusion. Once he finds out that you can just conjure up all the rare materials he could ask for to practise his smithing, I''m certain he''ll jump at the chance, even if he can''t take his results out of your soul space. Just make sure he does some work where people can use the results, as well. I imagine that diamond-rank mentor of his will turn up regularly to keep him on the right path."


    Jason couldn¡¯t argue with those picks.


    ¡°You should consider Estella Warnock, as well. I think you would be better than me making that approach, but she¡¯ll work well with Belinda and she seems a little lost. Also, I know you love her pink hair, so maybe try to hide your celestine fetish at least a little.¡±


    ¡°I do not have a¡­ I¡¯m arguing with no one again. Also, I¡¯m lying.¡±


    ¡°Yes you do have a fetish,¡± Dawn said. ¡°Stop lying to yourself.¡±


    Jason grumbled at the projection.


    "Those are the easy picks," Dawn said. "Next come people you aren''t so familiar with. There''s a man named Amos Pensinata. He''s a gold ranker that you''ve probably heard of. Like you, he''s had some experiences with soul trauma that left him with a more capable aura than most. I''ve convinced him to travel with you for a time and teach you some of the things he''s learned about soul manipulation. Some of it will come from his own experiences, while others will be things you would normally learn at or just before gold rank. Fortunately, Mr Pensinata takes a more learn-as-need view.¡±


    Jason was familiar with Pensinata by reputation. He was the man who had defeated the same forces that had forced Jason to almost kill himself fleeing in the underwater complex.


    ¡°Pensinata has one condition for travelling with you, which is that he brings his nephew with him. The young man has a problem common to adventurers in high-magic zones: he was sheltered through iron and bronze rank and lacks independent experience. Pensinata wishes for his nephew to get some seasoning, away from his overprotective parents.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not going to kidnap his nephew, is he?¡±


    ¡°Carlos Quilido can tell you more about Amos, as they have known each other for a long time.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t a no.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which, Quilido is also on the list. Your soul space will be a powerful tool in researching what has been done to the Order of Redeeming Light members. Which means bringing along the captured Order of Redeeming Light members.¡±


    ¡°How many people do you think I can fit in the cloud flask¡¯s vehicle construct?¡± Jason asked the projection.


    ¡°I know that means a lot of people, but you should probably keep the prisoners in your soul space anyway.¡±


    "You can sod that idea right off. I''m not turning my soul into bloody Arkham Asylum."


    "I''m assuming," Dawn''s recording said, "that you just went on some kind of colourful tirade because apparently, the word ''no'' is too efficient for you."


    ¡°It lacks emphasis!¡± Jason yelled at the projection.


    ¡°If you really can¡¯t accept the idea, I have already discussed some alternatives ¨C less secure alternatives ¨C with Priest Quilido.¡±


    ¡°Damn right. Carlos can buy a prison bus or something.¡±


    "There is one more person who needs to go along, and this is the one you''re not going to like. The Adventure Society wants a representative attached to your team. Something of a personal liaison to you."


    ¡°You mean a spy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, basically a spy.¡±


    "Stop predicting what I''m going to say!"


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Arrgh!¡±


    Jason watched Dawn¡¯s laughing figure, realising that being there, teasing his future self was possibly the last piece of unadulterated fun she had before heading off into the cosmos on Very Serious Business.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know who they¡¯re going to choose for you,¡± he said, ¡°but I think they know better than to make some foolish choice. They know you¡¯ll flat-out refuse if they don¡¯t find someone acceptable and that pressuring you won¡¯t work. I made sure they at least understood that much.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Jason said.


    Dawn¡¯s image took on a sad smile.


    ¡°We said our goodbyes in your soul space, so I won¡¯t retread that ground,¡± she said. ¡°I hope that when I see you again, you don¡¯t think too poorly of me.¡±


    She made a gesture and the recording ended.


    ***


    Jason still hadn¡¯t emerged from his suite since Farrah gave him the recording when Liara arrived at the cloud house. Shade led Liara to one of the mezzanine lounges, filled with leafy plants and overlooking the atrium. Although opaque from the outside, the atrium wall rising halfway up the tower was transparent from the inside and let in plenty of natural light. Farrah was waiting for her at a table, drinking a tall glass of iced tea. She poured another for Liara from a pitcher as she gestured for the princess to join her.


    ¡°What brings you here?¡± Farrah asked as Liara sat. ¡°We have an activity soon and are pressed for time.¡±


    ¡°Assisting Miss Leal with her familiar ritual, yes. Quite a small-scale activity, given surrounding events.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re looking for small, Princess. And we value friendship.¡±


    Liara nodded.


    ¡°Mr Asano knows about the Adventure Society liaison?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I gave him the message Dawn left behind, but he hasn¡¯t emerged since. I don¡¯t know what his reaction will be. Dawn tried to manage him as best she could, but there¡¯s only so much managing you can do with Jason. And only so much we¡¯re willing to. He might need some rough edges shaved off, from time to time, but we¡¯re on his side first. Not the Adventure Society¡¯s and certainly not your family¡¯s.¡±


    ¡°I have no qualms with loyalty, Miss Hurin. Loyal people are reliable, and I¡¯ve found over the decades of my career that consistency is more valuable than capability. If you find someone with both, you treasure them.¡±


    ¡°Has the society come up with a liaison they think Jason will accept?¡±


    ¡°I have a name, but whether he¡¯ll accept it is still up in the air. But I¡¯m here for another reason. Related to your upcoming activity, in fact.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°There is a lot of talk related to Jason floating around, but the amount of accurate information varies wildly amongst different circles.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°And when information is scarce, people have a habit of taking what they know ¨C or what they¡¯ve been told, true or not ¨C and adding in their own assumptions to fill in the gaps."


    "And then those assumptions ferment into facts in their mind."


    ¡°Just so, Miss Hurin.¡±


    ¡°And someone has made some assumptions about Jason?¡±


    ¡°There are certain sectors of the adventuring community ¨C the bottom tier guilds and other, less formalised groups ¨C where information about Jason has taken on a certain tone. Some rather drastic assumptions have been made and are threatening to head in a less-than-ideal direction.¡±


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°Information on Jason¡¯s actual combat ability hasn¡¯t spread nearly as far as his name.¡±


    ¡°I see where this is going,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Someone has convinced themselves that Jason is all reputation and no power, and think that taking him out is their pathway to fame and prestige.¡±


    ¡°More or less.¡±


    ¡°And they know what we¡¯re up to today.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Did you leak it so that these idiots would be coming after us and ruining Autumn¡¯s attempt to find a new familiar?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    ¡°You know she lost her familiar defending Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s been traumatic enough for her, without some idiots coming along and ruining what¡¯s already hard enough.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Do you, Princess?¡±


    ¡°Miss Hurin, I was in the bowels of that flying city. I had friends and family convince me to let them sacrifice themselves. I would never do what you¡¯re suggesting to someone who made sacrifices for my city and my kingdom.¡±


    ¡°But I¡¯m not talking about you using her as bait. I¡¯m talking about you using Jason as bait, which you¡¯ve done before. Autumn would just be collateral.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t do this, Miss Hurin. It came from some Magic Society source. No conspiracy, just some administrator who saw that Miss Leal had registered she was going to go out and conduct a binding ritual, with a list of who was going to stand watch for her. An opportunist sold some information, we heard about it and I came to warn you.¡±


    A portal opened and Jason stepped out.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to do more than warn us, Princess.¡±

 Chapter 601: This Doesn’t Feel Glorious

    There was a rocky outcropping on the southern mainland, well beyond the border of Storm Kingdom territory. Towering over the jungle, it overlooked a sweeping river and was an excellent landmark to portal to. A portal opened as someone did just that, and adventurers started emerging. Emerging first were silver rank guild adventurers, followed by Princess Liara and, finally, a visibly nervous Autumn Leal.


    Autumn looked around at the guild team assigned to watch over her familiar ritual. They were from the Sapphire Crown guild, whose bronze-rankers wouldn¡¯t give her a second glance on the street, even with her silver rank. They would be polite if they ever spoke to her, sure, but why would they? And all of that was ignoring the gold-rank princess.


    Liara directed them to start descending the outcropping.


    ¡°Don¡¯t think about them,¡± Liara told Autumn in a calming voice. ¡°My understanding is that if you aren¡¯t looking to attract certain varieties of carnivore, a calm mind is best for familiar rituals.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand what¡¯s going on,¡± Autumn said. ¡°I mean, I understand why I¡¯m here, but why are you here?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano was unhappy that people coming after him were going to disrupt your familiar ritual, so he told me to take you to another site while he explains things to the people in question.¡±


    ¡°He can tell you to do things?¡±


    ¡°No, but it doesn¡¯t seem to stop him.¡±


    She didn¡¯t point out that he also told the Builder to do things, which was really how they ended up in their current circumstances.


    ¡°Mr Asano''s aura is rather strong,¡± Liara continued. ¡°Strong enough that even I can''t read his emotions. So when enough anger slipped through that I picked up on it, it was worth paying attention to. It meant he was probably going to do something drastic, and knowing there was no stopping him, I thought to it best to steer him as best I could. Fortunately, there are procedures for this.¡±


    ¡°For what, exactly?¡±


    ¡°After every monster surge, there''s a lot of guild recruitment as quality adventurers the guilds overlooked demonstrate their ability. Many great adventurers come from outside of the guild and aristocratic families, and the surge is where a lot of them get noticed. Unfortunately, every surge also brings adventurers that failed to distinguish themselves but are unwilling to accept that. They pick someone who did and try to make an example of them. Watching out for this very thing is how we caught wind of what was happening with you and stepped in. Asano is, after all, such an obvious target.¡±


    ¡°But even with moving my ritual, won''t they still go after Jason?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Standard procedure is to warn whomever they''ve targeted, and then let them. We''ve found that letting people bite down on the rock is the most effective object lesson.¡±


    Autumn nodded.


    ¡°I know you''re only helping me because of Jason, but I''m still not sure how I ended up here. How did I go from standing next to him in line for a scutwork delivery job to all this?¡±


    She gestured at the other adventurers and Liara herself.


    ¡°That was Asano''s choice.¡± Liara explained. ¡°I''ve studied Asano''s history as extensively as anyone can, I suspect. He has a habit of going a long way for relative strangers, especially if he feels that they''ve been wronged on account of his actions. You have met his team members, Wexler and Callahan?¡±


    ¡°Sophie and Belinda? Yes.¡±


    ¡°They were thieves when they met Asano. He and Clive Standish caught them on a contract, only to discover they were passing them off into a fate much worse than thievery warranted. It was quite political, very corrupt and extremely unpleasant. Asano undertook actions I can only describe as characteristically drastic and two thieves went from a disastrous fate to elite adventurers. Asano made some rather significant enemies in the process and ultimately paid a hefty price, but I don''t believe he regrets it. Despite a cost I''m not sure I can even empathise with the severity of.¡±


    ¡°Is he going to pay a cost for helping me?¡±


    ¡°Not unless, as I said, he''s overestimated himself. You met Asano on a fortress town delivery?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it was clear things weren''t normal. There was a gold ranker on board, and not just an ordinary one. He said it was because of pirates, but you don''t send the Siege Sword to guard a supply run from pirates that could be anywhere. He was there to test Jason.¡±


    ¡°Yes, he was,¡± Liara agreed. ¡°I¡¯m afraid that I am ultimately the reason for your acquaintance with Asano. I put him on that airship, although it was his Ancestral Majesty who assigned Trenchant Moore. I was using Asano as bait to catch some Builder cultists.¡±


    ¡°His Ancestral Majesty, as in¡­¡±


    ¡°Soramir Rimaros, yes.¡±


    Liara looked at Autumn.


    ¡°I''m not helping you calm down, am I, Miss Leal?¡±


    ¡°Not really, no. Did you catch the Builder cultists?¡±


    ¡°We got Purity zealots instead. There¡¯s no shortage of people willing to go after Asano, which is what has brought us to this predicament. There are only a handful of regions ideal for seeking out familiar-appropriate magical frogs, which is why we had to portal you to a more distant one. The one you were registered to visit is currently crawling with opportunists about to find that their opportunity is eagerly awaiting them.¡±


    ***


    Eleven people were moving through the jungle on the Storm Kingdom¡¯s western mainland. They were in a region hosting a major habitat for magical frogs, around a dozen kilometres from one of the main roadways that Jason had once travelled down on a delivery contract. This was where Autumn Leal had registered as going to perform her familiar bond ritual. It was also the place where two men, Rangel and Tellez, had led their teams.


    ¡°And to think you said this helmet wasn¡¯t worth the money, Tellez.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t worth the money, Rangel.¡±


    ¡°We aren¡¯t the only ones out here, searching for Asano. This helmet will track him down.¡±


    ¡°Assuming he doesn¡¯t have some way to block tracking magic. There are plenty of items and abilities that can do that.¡±


    ¡°The artificer who sold it to me said it would penetrate those kinds of protections.¡±


    ¡°People say all kinds of things, Rangel. My wife said she¡¯d never leave me.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t she leave that alchemy vendor for you?¡±


    ¡°What are you saying?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying there¡¯s a pattern of behaviour.¡±


    ¡°What kind of pattern is leaving me for a guy who sells umbrellas?¡±


    ¡°Ella left you for an umbrella salesman?¡±


    ¡°During a monster surge, no less. And they aren¡¯t even magical umbrellas. They¡¯re regular umbrellas!¡±


    Rangel and Tellez were moving through the jungle with their team members in tow. They were hunting Jason Asano, and knowing he would have his own team with them, had grouped together. They had checked and found that Asano¡¯s absurdly named Team Biscuit had six, giving them almost two-to-one odds. Not everyone was on-board with the plan, however, and the singular woman in the group spoke up.


    ¡°Tellez, we could still back out of this,¡± she told her team leader.


    ¡°Escamilla, you were outvoted.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a Geller on Asano¡¯s team.¡±


    ¡°Not one of the local ones; I¡¯ve never heard of him. And not every Geller is so amazing. Their reputation is overblown.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s true,¡± Escamilla said. ¡°And Gellers don¡¯t usually let just anyone on their team.¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t heard of anyone on this one¡¯s team,¡± Rangel contributed. ¡°Except Asano.¡±


    ¡°Who you hadn¡¯t heard of before,¡± Escamilla pointed out. ¡°Just because they aren¡¯t known locally doesn¡¯t make them weak.¡±


    ¡°You''re just looking for reasons to not do this,¡± Tellez told her.


    ¡°You''re right. We''re roaming through the jungle, interrupting some poor woman''s familiar ritual to beat the hell out of a fellow adventurer just for the glory. This doesn''t feel glorious, Tellez.¡±


    ¡°Stop griping. We agreed to this as a team.¡±


    ¡°I did some checking around, Tellez. This woman lost her familiar defending Rimaros from the Builder attack.¡±


    ¡°We all defended the city from the Builder attack,¡± Rangel said.


    ¡°Our teams were on standby on Provo, Rangel,¡± Escamilla said. ¡°We weren¡¯t exactly beating back the cult.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we¡¯re here,¡± Rangel said. ¡°To get the prestige that was denied us when we were assigned away from the battle.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it was prestige that we were denied,¡± Escamilla said. ¡°I think it was casualties. A lot of people died that day. Stronger people than us.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what you think, isn¡¯t it?¡± Tellez asked. ¡°That Asano¡¯s team is stronger than us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Tellez,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s kind of the whole point: we don¡¯t know what we¡¯re walking into. I told you I did some checking around, and I spoke to Team Work Saw.¡±


    ¡°Team Work Saw aren¡¯t worth a damn,¡± Rangel said.


    ¡°They¡¯re a guild team,¡± Escamilla said.


    ¡°Yeah, the worst guild team in Rimaros,¡± Rangel said. ¡°We could take them easy.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think we should go underestimating any guild team, Rangel,¡± Tellez said. ¡°What did you get from them, Milla?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve worked with Asano¡¯s team. Said they¡¯re a strange group, but serious business.¡±


    ¡°What did they say about Asano himself?¡±


    ¡°The usual stuff. Don¡¯t mess with an affliction specialist. They said he was kind of an odd one, though. He¨C¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Rangel said. ¡°Affliction specialists are nothing. You just punch past their protection and put them down fast.¡±


    ¡°And how many affliction specialists have you ¡®put down fast¡¯ Rangel?¡± Escamilla asked.


    ¡°First time for everything.¡±


    In a nearby shadow, Jason was starting to wonder if this entire conversation was some kind of ruse to lure him into a false sense of security.


    ¡°That''s what makes this such a good plan,¡± Tellez said, gesturing at the recording crystal floating over his head. Rangel had an identical one. ¡°We don''t have to fight Asano''s team. Not really. We have the numbers to tie them up long enough to give Asano a beat down. He''s silver rank, so he can take it. And then we disengage and get out. They''re looking for monsters and magical beasts interrupting the ritual, not a sneak attack from two teams of elite adventurers. We blitz, beat, and bolt.¡±


    ¡°Yes, because that¡¯s what elite adventurers do,¡± Escamilla said. ¡°They record themselves attacking a fellow adventurer for no better reason than to build their reputations. Do you think there won''t be any repercussions from this?¡±


    ¡°We want the repercussions from this,¡± Tellez said. ¡°Footage of us kicking the goo out of the guy everyone is talking about at the top end of town, the people they¡¯ll be talking about is us. Recrimination from the Adventure Society will only help raise our profile. He has a healer, Milla. No one will be suffering anything that can¡¯t be fixed with a few minutes and a few spells, so it won¡¯t be that bad. We take our lumps and come out the talk of the town.¡±


    ¡°Even assuming that this all goes the way you think it will,¡± Escamilla said, ¡°I¡¯m not so sure I want to be the subject of that kind of talk. And don¡¯t think it will go just right. When has everything gone just right on a contract, let alone this mess? If we want to end up in the upper echelons of adventurers, Tellez, we can¡¯t be stuck on basic monster hunts, which means star ratings with the Adventure Society. Every famous team is full of two-stars, and most have at least one member with three. We have one member with two stars. Me. But when what we¡¯re doing here comes out ¨C however it goes ¨C my second star is going away. You aren¡¯t afraid of getting demoted because you¡¯re already sitting on one star, but I¡¯m the one with something to lose.¡±


    Tellez stopped walking and turned on Escamilla.


    ¡°And there it is,¡± he said. ¡°Short-term thinking is one thing, but the real problem is that it¡¯s all about you, isn¡¯t it? The unwillingness to sacrifice for the team. The selfishness.¡±


    Escamilla didn¡¯t back off, getting in the face of the man, despite being a head shorter.


    ¡°Don¡¯t talk to me about selfishness, Tellez. This whole thing is the embodiment of selfishness. How many people are you willing to hurt to advance yourself? This woman just trying to get a familiar? The team of adventurers we¡¯re attacking? They don¡¯t know about your plan, Tellez, so they won¡¯t be playing for fun. When we hit them, they¡¯re going to hit back. Hard. And not just today, either. We¡¯re making enemies here that we don¡¯t have to.¡±


    Rangel and Tellez loomed over the smaller woman.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it, Escamilla,¡± Rangel said, ¡°then how about you turn around and go home? We can live without one more damage dealer. If you wanted to have people put up with your crap, you should have gone for guarding or healing powers.¡±


    Escamilla looked to Tellez, waiting, but he said nothing.


    ¡°Seriously?¡± she asked, after a long, tense silence. ¡°You¡¯re going to let an outsider tell a member of your team to go and not say a single word in their defence?¡±


    Tellez took on an awkward expression, but then firmed it with resolve.


    ¡°You agreed to go along with the team¡¯s decision, Milla.¡±


    ¡°I never thought the team would be this insane!¡±


    ¡°Then why come along at all?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re my team! And I thought that maybe, just maybe, I could convince you to give up on this idiotic plan of yours, Tellez.¡±


    ¡°Actually, it was my plan,¡± Rangel said. ¡°Well, it was Maldonado¡¯s plan, but I¡¯m the one who stole it. And if we¡¯re going to find Asano before he does, we need to stop standing around yelling at one another and get back to the search. If Asano and his team are anywhere near here, they¡¯ve heard us coming.¡±


    Escamilla glared at him but didn¡¯t respond before turning her gaze back to Tellez.


    ¡°If we want to make a name for ourselves,¡± she asked, ¡°how about we do it with accomplishments instead of stunts?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have enough accomplishments, Milla! The guilds are going to be recruiting now the surge is over, but we didn¡¯t do anything that will stand out. We can¡¯t get into a top guild if no one knows who we are.¡±


    ¡°Look at what we''re doing, Tellez! You think this ¨C this ¨C is what great adventurers do?¡±


    ¡°Asano isn¡¯t so great, and his name is on everyone¡¯s lips right now. That¡¯s what makes him the perfect target.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t know what Asano is,¡± she told him. ¡°But what he¡¯s not is out in the jungle, targeting other adventurers to make some kind of point.¡±


    In a nearby shadow, Jason winced, scratching his head awkwardly.


    ¡°All this has done is show us who we really are,¡± Escamilla said. ¡°Every other group that we''re racing to find Asano is the same as us; they¡¯re either in middling guilds or none at all. Maybe the reason we didn¡¯t get the attention of a big guild, Tellez, is that we¡¯re not meant to be in one. Maybe what this whole debacle is really telling us is that this is all we amount to.¡±


    Escamilla felt the atmosphere change and knew she¡¯d made a mistake as the auras around her grew hostile. For the first time since being empowered by essences, she was acutely conscious of being a woman. She was the only one on either team, leaving her in the middle of the jungle, surrounded by men. She stood, tense, unease creeping into her mind when screams rang out as a member of Rangel¡¯s team was dragged into the canopy.

 Chapter 602: El Demonio Que Hace Trofeos de los Hombres

    The adventuring teams led by Rangel and Tellez were in dense jungle. With eleven members in the combined group, it was necessary to cut a path, but magic was more than up to the task. One of Rangel¡¯s team members, Barrera, had been doing so with a conjured blade-whip that made short work of anything from thick scrub to entire trees.


    Sunlight speckled in through the canopy above, vesting the two teams in false twilight as they stopped to argue over their current endeavour. Both teams had turned on a member of Tellez¡¯s team, Escamilla, when Barrera was suddenly hauled into the canopy, screaming. He was held in place by a swarm of shadowy arms, but they were more numerous than strong. Barrera was wrenching himself free, despite more arms emerging to snatch at him.


    Barrera¡¯s panicked screaming turned into more of an intermittent yell until he finally yanked himself free and dropped to the ground. The others saw that he had wounds from a weapon scored into his back, sliced into the weaker fabric around the stiffer panels of his armour. The cuts were shallow, to the point that the natural recovery of a silver ranker should have closed them, but they were freely bleeding too-dark blood.


    ¡°Poison,¡± Rangel said bitterly. ¡°Carilo, cleanse him.¡±


    When no answer came, he looked around.


    ¡°Carilo?¡±


    ***


    The silence magic that had been on the throwing dart that struck Carilo was not especially sophisticated. It would not prevent spell chants from working, which were about establishing a mindset in the caster, not making sounds that triggered magic. Any properly trained adventurer could cast their spells while underwater or otherwise muffled, even if that training hadn¡¯t been with a big family or fancy guild.


    Casting a spell while being dragged by the face was another matter, however. Right after the very localised silence, tough straps had wrapped around his head, wet with what his sharp sense of smell identified immediately as blood. Carilo didn¡¯t panic, trying to push out with his aura senses, only to find something pushing back.


    He hadn¡¯t even noticed the other aura until it started suppressing him, which was a terrifying level of control. The strength of it was no less concerning, given that he could tell it was silver rank, yet had strength more like gold. It swiftly and mercilessly crushed Carilo¡¯s aura, completely suppressing him.


    Carilo felt himself being swiftly dragged into thick scrub, plants whipping at him as he was yanked across the rough jungle floor. Panic was now starting to kick in, but Carilo steeled his resolve and reached up to pry at the straps binding his head. He couldn¡¯t get them off his head entirely, but at least managed to peel them away from his eyes, restoring his sight. He grabbed at a tree, halting his unwilling passage across the ground. He was in the midst of heavy jungle growth, the canopy thick enough to turn daylight into near-dark.


    Acting quickly, Carilo activated his shield ability. It was the common force barrier that would stop projectiles, magical or otherwise, along with powers that directly affected the target. Such direct powers were common among affliction specialists, and if it was Asano that attacked, it would likely be a strong counter to his abilities.


    What it didn¡¯t stop were slow-moving physical objects, along with anything already in place, such as the straps around Carilo¡¯s head. He wrapped his legs around the tree he had grabbed, bracing himself against the straps still tugging at him. He then made a concerted effort to yank off the straps and they gave way, but they didn¡¯t pull away. The force yanking at them halted and they started thrashing like tentacles.


    The straps looked like leather that had been saturated in blood, which started raining off the flailing tentacles in thick gobbets. The blood splashed on the rich soil, the lush jungle scrub and over Carilo himself. Each of the gobbets rapidly transformed into leeches with horrific lamprey teeth. They crawled over Carilo as he scrambled to his feet, hopping back away from the straps. It wasn¡¯t so easy, though, caught in the thick scrub, and many leeches were already burrowing into his arms, legs and torso. His healer¡¯s perception power catalogued the poisons each bite pumped into him, many of which he resisted, but fewer than he should. He suspected the aura keeping his own locked down also had some means of suppressing resistance.


    Carilo was no stranger to casting spells under harsh circumstances, and though being devoured by flesh-eating leeches was harsher than most, he didn¡¯t let it distract him as he started to cast a spell that would send searing light bursting out of his body.


    ¡°Bright heart of embers, burst for¨C¡±


    Because it was about the mindset, a sword passing through the back of his neck and out through his throat shouldn¡¯t, strictly speaking, disrupt the spell incantation. It was a fairly good way to distract the mind, however, and the spell failed. The magic gathered inside Carilo, ready to burst out, instead went wild in his chest. He wasn¡¯t some weak iron ranker, however, so the damage was relatively minor.


    It took more than a severed spine and a miscast spell to slow down a silver ranker and Carilo didn''t allow himself to be distracted for more than an admittedly critical moment. He ignored the sword in his neck to move forward and launch a backwards kick, just a moment after the sword slid into him. He felt the kick connect, eliciting a surprised grunt from behind him, but whirling to confront his attacker, they were already gone. Disturbingly, the kick he landed had delivered some kind of retaliatory curse that was making the leech poison worse.


    He knew his attacker had hidden rather than fled as Carilo''s aura was still unnervingly suppressed. Having a moment to look around, he had time to consider the aura itself. It was overwhelmingly powerful and domineering; being suppressed by it felt like being in a dark room where he could only make out ominous shapes moving in the shadows. He reached up to push the sword out of his neck but it slid out on its own and Carilo spun to watch where it went, even as he cast a healing spell on himself. Even for a silver ranker, powering through a severed spine on raw willpower would only work for so long.


    Trying to follow the sword to its owner was revealed as a trap as once more Carilo was attacked from behind, this time by two quick dagger slashes that penetrated his light armour¡¯s weaker areas. The cuts were light and in non-critical areas, but Carilo knew that poison didn¡¯t need them to be. His resistance to various afflictions was quite high, but his perception power showed him that these afflictions didn¡¯t care as a terrifying slate of them dug in with each attack.


    Whirling around, all Carilo saw was a dark shape withdrawing into the shadows. He didn¡¯t try casting a cleanse, knowing that with the length of the chant, it would get it interrupted without his team to cover him. The same was meant to be true of an affliction specialist, but that didn¡¯t seem to matter to Asano. That was who Carilo assumed he was facing, after being swiftly layered with afflictions. Until that moment, he considered it might have been some other enemy, as he had still not gotten a clear look at them.


    Carilo knew there was a clock on what was happening as his team would already be looking and the silence effect would not last long. Instead of casting a spell, he went for a potion from his belt, the vials having endured the drag across the jungle floor just fine. Belts that magically protected potions from incidental damage were amongst the most fundamental of adventuring gear.


    As Carilo moved the vial towards his mouth, a shadow hand emerged from the shadows surrounding him and grabbed his arm. Many more arms shot out of the dark to wrap him up like a spider web, and while he was able to pull himself free, the vial was knocked from his hand.


    As Carilo was pulling himself free, an alien figure appeared above him, hovering under the jungle canopy. It was a blue and orange eye-shaped nebula inside an otherwise empty floating cloak. Around it floated orbs containing smaller versions of the same nebula, all of which fired blue beams that were blocked by Carilo¡¯s shield.


    Six beams savaged the shield, which vacuumed Carilo¡¯s mana to maintain itself and he realised the beams were disruptive-force damage, the bane of magical barriers. Then he felt more of his mana sucked out, drained away into the shadows around him, which were indistinguishable from one another in the dark.


    Carilo allowed his shield to drop,  knowing that if he let his mana drain completely, he was done. To his surprise, the alien entity floating above him ceased attacking the moment the shield dropped. It turned into a cloud of blue and orange light that dashed away, vanishing into the jungle.


    In the wake of its departure, Carilo finally got a good look at his enemy. Emerging from the shadows, the figure he assumed was Asano looked only vaguely like a person. It was wrapped in a starry portal, with eyes that looked like nebulas in a distant void, identical to those of the departed entity. Asano seemed unaffected by the thick scrub, as if space itself was warping around him to permit easy passage.


    Carilo suspected the figure he presumed to be Asano cast a spell, unheard in the silence, as he felt more afflictions take hold. He turned to run, knowing his team was his only chance, but he found his enemy right in front of him. Then he felt the sword that had flown off come back, stabbing right back into the same wound it had left. Right after, the silence ended.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    Carilo¡¯s perception power sensed all the affliction leave his body, only for others to take his place. Sensing their nature and knowing afflictions better than most, as a healer, these new ones were terrifying. Holy afflictions were notorious for many cleansing powers not removing them, and those that did were often slower or less effective. Carilo knew this well, the healer having such an ability himself.


    Carilo couldn¡¯t bring himself to call out, too shaken as the panic that had been threatening to take hold of him finally dug its claws in. He also had a sword in his throat. Then, to his staggering surprise, the holy afflictions were drained into the sword. His perception ability briefly sensed some kind of power-suppression affliction before that ability was cut off, along with all his others.


    Spent, he looked at the strange man in front of him as Asano¡¯s hand grabbed him by the face.


    ***


    Escamilla was forgotten for the moment as Rangel and Tellez barked orders at their teams. While the healer from Tellez¡¯s team cleansed and healed Barrera, the others shifted from alert to battle-ready, prepping items, drawing weapons and initiating various defensive powers and buffs. They didn¡¯t hare off into the jungle looking for their missing team member, knowing full-well it could easily be a trap. They were cautious and methodical in their approach.


    They were all Storm Kingdom adventurers and very familiar with the terrain around the Sea of Storms. That familiarity wasn¡¯t necessary to find the throwing dart that belonged to none of them, but it did help find a trail. Traces of blood and a disturbed patch of scrub showed the way, although it was a little worrying that none of them had heard Carilo get dragged away.


    Unfortunately, hacking a passage through the jungle as they had before would make it harder to follow the trail. They were forced to push through the scrub at a more cautious speed instead of having Barrera carve a path. Even so, the jungle could only slow down the physical power of silver rankers by so much, and in a short time they found the signs of violence. It looked to have been fairly contained but there was no shortage of blood and there were signs of physical and magical combat amidst the thick scrub.


    ¡°How did we not hear this?¡± Rangel asked. ¡°Tellez, do you think it was silencing magic?¡±


    When no answer came, he looked around.


    ¡°Tellez?¡±

 Chapter 603: Occasionally Carniverous

    A suppression-collared adventurer was trudging through the jungle, but paused in a clearing. He looked around, warily, seeing nothing but lush jungle and dark shadows. His expression was conflicted for a moment, then he turned to walk in a different direction.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the way,¡± a cold voice said, sending a chill down his spine, despite the sweltering jungle. He looked around again, still seeing no one but himself. He turned again, resuming his original direction.


    ***


    Jason opened his eyes as he stopped sharing senses with Shade, hidden in the shadow of the latest prisoner. He was deep in the jungle, but moving with caution.


    ¡°Thank you, Shade. This one took longer than the others to think about trying to go find his team.¡±


    ¡°I believe you have them rattled, Mr Asano. That¡¯s the fourth person you¡¯ve plucked from right under their nose.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, they¡¯ll be watching for all my quiet tricks, now, and they¡¯ve been way too careful about shielding their other healer. Maybe we should take a run at that other pair of teams.¡±


    ¡°You may want to leave them for now, Mr Asano. They were already at the periphery of potential sites for Miss Leal to conduct her ritual, and they¡¯re only getting further away.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ve gone in the wrong direction?¡±


    ¡°It is dense jungle, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°And dense adventurers, from the sounds of it.¡±


    ¡°In which case, it may be best to let them distract themselves.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jason said. ¡°Moving around with portals would be so much easier, but one of the prisoners might call my bluff and refuse to go through, even if I threaten to kill them. And then there¡¯s this.¡±


    He crouched down and looked at a thread so fine it was all but invisible to even silver-rank vision. If he hadn¡¯t sensed the thrum of aura connecting it to a network of threads spread all through the jungle, he¡¯d have never known it was there. The scope of it meant it had been put in place over the course of days, maybe a whole week, in preparation for the conflicts currently taking place in this section of jungle.


    The web worked by weaving tiny threads over a vast area, imbuing them with a tiny amount of aura, to connect them to the user. Monsters, animals and essence users could walk right through a thread without ever noticing, the broken thread reconnecting itself even as the user picked up details of the oblivious wanderer.


    Logistically, setting up the web net was a huge pain, but there were advantages to the laborious requirements. While wide-area tracking magic was much simpler, it was also easy to foil. The web net was triggered by contact, circumventing effects that foiled regular tracking magic. It did have tracking magic woven into it as well, but this was designed to track portals rather than people. Jason might have an ability that shielded him from tracking, but his portals did not.


    ¡°This could have tripped me up if I hadn''t seen it before,¡± Jason mused. Mr North, whose true form was a rune spider, used a similar ability with significantly more finesse. Web essence abilities were also in Dawn¡¯s repertoire, which Jason had seen her silver-rank avatar use on Earth. When it came to expertise in the execution of their powers, Jason had never seen anyone come close to Dawn. Jason''s sharp aura senses allowed him to navigate without tripping the thread network net unless doing so served his purposes.


    ¡°The team led by Maldonado is better than the others in preparation and ability,¡± Shade observed. ¡°I am being careful of the main group, so I am not always close enough to eavesdrop, but based on their activity, I suspect that they deliberately lured the other teams into this endeavour.¡±


    ¡°They still haven¡¯t taken the bait and gone after one of my prisoners roaming around?¡±


    ¡°No. Perhaps if you appear on their web net in the location where you are gathering them, they will believe it to be your base of operations and strike.¡±


    ¡°Maybe. They might think it''s a trap. I''d think it''s a trap. Are they still gathered at a base camp instead of moving around?¡±


    ¡°For the most part. The bulk of their group has vehicles ready for rapid deployment while their scouts monitor the other groups. There may be another scout moving to survey the prisoner gathering, but either they haven¡¯t gotten there yet or they are better at hiding than I am at finding.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re probably waiting for a confirmation of my presence. If my moves against Rangel and Tellez¡¯s teams are going to get more overt, I¡¯ll have to take out the scout from Maldonado¡¯s team watching them first. She almost caught wind of me when I nabbed that last one.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, you are kidnapping and hauling off their team members. Does that not constitute overt to you, what does?¡±


    ¡°Having Gordon set off an orb explosion in the middle of them and snatching someone in the chaos.¡±


    ¡°I see. Perhaps you should move on the group going the wrong way after all,¡± Shade suggested. ¡°Changing up your pattern will make it harder to ambush you.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll have to deal with them all eventually, anyway.¡±


    Jason looked up at a patch of jungle canopy.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± he asked.


    The air shimmered to reveal a celestine floating in the air with a recording crystal drifting around over her head. Her hair and eyes were a pale sky blue, compared to the rich sapphire of the royal family. Her skin was also very pale, another contrast to the royal family¡¯s typical caramel.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s you,¡± Jason said.


    Jana Costi was a gold-rank stealth specialist from Princess Liara¡¯s team. He had not seen her since before the attack by the Builder¡¯s flying city. Her brother had sacrificed himself to detonate the weapon Travis designed that brought the city down.


    ¡°I''m sorry about Ledev,¡± he said. ¡°He was a dick, but so is everyone they build a statue of, and he definitely deserves a statue.¡±


    ¡°Thank you... I think. How did you sense me?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t; you hid from me perfectly. You weren¡¯t quite as perfect at masking the recording crystal, though. Close but, that only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Neither of which you have in this world, now that I think about it. Heidel shoes and alchemy bombs? It doesn¡¯t have the same ring.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re still the same, then.¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m fighting people alone in the jungle while you secretly follow me around again. We have been here before. I don¡¯t suppose you want to do a little light scouting for me?¡±


    ¡°Your familiar seems to be doing just fine on that front.¡±


    ¡°He is pretty great.¡±


    ***


    There was a cave in one of the tracking web''s dead spots. To further shield it from prying eyes or their magical equivalent, Clive and Belinda had established several magic wards. They wouldn''t last long, but they wouldn''t need to. This kind of magic was a speciality of Belinda''s, going back to her days of setting up operation points when she and Sophie were thieves.


    Jason¡¯s team, minus Humphrey and Jason, were sitting on picnic furniture conjured up by Belinda, eating from a sandwich platter set up on a table. Along with the platter were two pitchers of iced tea and one of juice.


    ¡°Only two blends of iced tea,¡± Neil complained. ¡°I hate roughing it on contracts.¡±


    ¡°After three years of spirit coins, you adapted to Jason being back on the team pretty quick,¡± Sophie pointed out.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been eating spirit coins in the field for three years,¡± Neil said. ¡°If you want to go back to that, leave me your sandwiches. You know, I quite like the idea of Jason being an auxiliary. More sandwiches, less trouble.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll believe that when I see it,¡± Clive said.


    Humphrey wandered in with a confused-looking, suppression-collared adventurer. He was peering at the floor, surprised at the lack of a need to watch his footing. Not far into the cave, he had found where Clive and Belinda had used some simple rituals to turn rough stone into smooth floor. It made traversing the cave much less tricky, as the light stones weren¡¯t set up until far enough in that they couldn¡¯t be spotted from the outside.


    ¡°Another one?¡± Neil asked, then jabbed a thumb at the corner. ¡°Over with the others.¡±


    Humphrey shoved the prisoner towards a ritual circle with three more people sitting in it. The ritual circle caused only silence and did not restrict the occupants from leaving it. What had happened when they made a break for it did that. The others waited for him to enter the silence zone before talking again.


    ¡°Should Jason be so blatant with using suppression collars?¡± Clive wondered as he watched the prisoners. ¡°I know that a lot of adventurers keep them handy, but they are, strictly speaking, restricted tools.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that¡¯s ever enforced unless the Adventure Society is looking to harass a member in poor standing,¡± Neil pointed out.


    ¡°The purpose is political,¡± Humphrey said, wandering over to the table and taking a sandwich. ¡°Showing that Jason has enough support from the Adventure Society, or just enough influence, that he can flaunt the rules. Even if everyone is flaunting that rule already, he doesn¡¯t even have to pretend to hide it.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Neil said. ¡°Did you just take the sandwich with willowcress and boar chunks in spicy sauce?¡±


    Humphrey looked at the sandwich in his hand.


    ¡°Yes. You¡¯ve still got half a sandwich left to eat.¡±


    ¡°I was going to eat that one next,¡± Neil complained.


    ¡°You realise that you¡¯re going to get fat again,¡± Belinda told him.


    ¡°I was never fat!¡±


    ***


    Eric Maldonado was pacing back and forth in the ready site that had been set up days earlier. It was a cleared section of jungle with a ritual-magic perimeter to stop the jungle from growing back. In high-magic zones, plant growth could be sudden, unpredictable and occasionally carnivorous.


    Maldonado had sunk exorbitant amounts into this operation, from burning favours to most of the money he had earned during the surge, but he was struggling to see the value. The specialist tracker who had been so expensive to hire was completely failing to track Asano, despite her assurances that her net would work around tracking-magic countermeasures.


    All she had found was the people Asano had taken from their teams and sent roaming through the jungle alone. Maldonado even had a scout to check on them as they moved through the jungle and they were, in fact, alone. As for their destination, where other prisoners had already gathered, he was yet to send a scout because it reeked of a trap. If nothing else, the tracker had detected a portal some tie ago, making it Asano¡¯s likely entry point to the area.


    Asano himself was a stealth user, according to Maldonado¡¯s research, but the rest of his team was not. It was Maldonado¡¯s guess that the rest of the team were in that location, guarding Asano¡¯s prisoners and preparing an ambush.


    It was increasingly clear that not only was Asano aware that he was being hunted, but had cancelled the familiar ritual and was hunting them, in turn. It was only the sunk cost of the operation that had stopped Maldonado from calling an end to it.


    One of the reasons Maldonado was willing to continue was that the most expensive specialist on hand was a communications specialist. This was a member of the Adventure Society and getting him to participate in such a shady operation had been extremely pricy. His scout being able to feed him real-time information had made Maldonado more confident in maintaining a level of control. But the longer they operated without catching Asano¡¯s tail, the more that confidence eroded.


    Asano had managed to take four people from Rangel¡¯s group. Not only did he do so under the nose of the rest of the group, but also under that of Maldonado¡¯s scout, watching them. Despite his assurances that he would not let himself be distracted again, Maldonado was not confident.


    ¡°Mr Maldonado.¡±


    The communication specialist, Constantin, approached him.


    ¡°I believe that Asano has decided to change his pattern and strike the other group.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense. His attacks on Rangel¡¯s group were becoming increasingly untenable. What do you mean by ¡®you believe?¡¯ What did Piera report?¡±


    Piera was the scout observing the second group.


    ¡°Piera was removed from my communication group,¡± Constantin said. ¡°That she did so without reporting it suggests that the first target of the attack was her.¡±


    Maldonado ran a hand over his face.


    ¡°How long ago?¡±


    ¡°Moments.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that a silver-ranker was taken out before she could even report being under attack?¡±


    ¡°Unlikely. It is more likely that the communication was interfered with.¡±


    ¡°How?¡±


    ¡°There are spells and wards that can do so. Many dispel effects can cut an individual out of a communication link. Also, such abilities work like auras and magical senses, in that they are an expression of the soul. A sudden soul attack could account for it. You said it was an ability of Asano''s.¡±


    ¡°An unconfirmed ability. Low probability of being true, according to my source.¡±


    Maldonado shook his head angrily.


    ¡°If Havi Estos hadn¡¯t gone dark I wouldn¡¯t have been forced to use an untested information broker.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps that was a sign that you should not have undertaken this at all,¡± Constantin suggested.


    ¡°You were happy enough to take the money,¡± Maldonado said bitterly.


    ¡°It was a lot of money,¡± Constantin replied calmly.


    Maldonado sighed and ran his fingers through his hair.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he announced loudly. ¡°Everyone gather round.¡±


    The rest of his team moved closer and he explained the situation.


    ¡°I know this isn¡¯t what any of us wanted,¡± he said. ¡°But the reality is that Asano isn¡¯t the soft target we thought. We knew he wasn¡¯t going to be what we made him out as to that idiot Rangel, but this is more than we thought. By a lot. He knew we were coming and the information we had about how he fights was woefully inadequate. To the point that it might have even been fed to us that way.¡±


    ¡°You think we were set up?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s clear that he knew we were coming, so it¡¯s a possibility. It may be that his connections aren¡¯t all at the expensive end of town.¡±


    ¡°What about Piera?¡± asked Reyes, one of his team members. ¡°We¡¯re just going to let him have her?¡±


    ¡°Either she¡¯s dead or she¡¯s not,¡± Maldonado said.


    ¡°She¡¯s not,¡± the mercenary tracking specialist said. ¡°I¡¯ve just picked her up walking in the same direction as the others Asano took out.¡±


    Maldonado nodded.


    ¡°Pull out,¡± he instructed. ¡°I¡¯ll stay alone and approach where the prisoners are gathering.¡±


    ¡°The damn ambush site?¡± Reyes asked. ¡°Boss, you shouldn¡¯t go up against Asano by yourself, let alone his whole team where they¡¯re set up waiting.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be to fight. If Piera and the others are alive, it¡¯s to make a point.¡±


    ¡°I knew we should have hired a gold ranker,¡± said Nu?ez, another team member.


    ¡°The whole point was to show that we could handle Asano,¡± Maldonado said.


    ¡°Yeah, except you lured in a bunch of other teams and hired merc specialists.¡±


    ¡°Silver-rank specialists,¡± Maldonado said. ¡°This whole thing is about perception, not facts, and what people care about is rank. Outside of aberrations like Asano ¨C which is why we targeted him in the first place ¨C people don¡¯t play outside their rank. As long as we only use silver-rank assets, we¡¯ll just be looked at as resourceful. Getting a gold ranker would have defeated the entire point.¡±


    Maldonado hung his head.


    ¡°You¡¯re all leaving,¡± he said. ¡°I will go to Asano and negotiate Piera¡¯s return.¡±


    ¡°Boss,¡± Reyes said. ¡°That will be giving Asano all the cards.¡±


    ¡°He already has them,¡± Maldonado said wearily. ¡°We bet heavy and we lost. It¡¯s time to accept that with dignity and pay up. Make no mistake: we¡¯re in the wrong. We gambled our money and our reputations, and we didn¡¯t win. I¡¯m not sure that we ever had a chance. The stacked deck is what drove us to this in the first place, and I¡¯m not sure we ever really did have a chance. What comes next will be bad. How bad depends on Asano.¡±


    ¡°It won¡¯t be that bad,¡± Jason said, stepping out of the jungle. ¡°I respect someone who knows when to cut bait.¡±

 Chapter 604: If You’re Going to Punish Someone

    Maldonado''s team whirled at the unexpected voice. A man was walking out of the jungle and over the ritual line at the edge of the base camp. He was wearing dark red combat robes, not voluminous like a scholar''s robe, but still draping loosely. He was not tall, but he had the lean athleticism of an adventurer. His features were sharp, with a pointed chin under a neatly trimmed beard. His dark hair was glossy, shining in the sunlight.


    His presence was unsettling for two reasons. One was his eyes, with black sclera and irises that weren¡¯t irises. They were made up of blue and orange energy that was similar to an iris, but not quite the same. The result was an uncanny-valley alienness, like something inhuman wearing human skin.


    Strange eyes were far from unheard of amongst adventurers, however. What genuinely unnerved them was that they couldn¡¯t sense his aura. At all. Looking at someone and sensing nothing was something that almost all adventurers had experienced at one point or another. It was what happened when someone higher rank was about to make a point. They knew Asano wasn¡¯t higher rank than them; it just felt like it.


    ¡°He¡¯s alone,¡± said Nu?ez nervously. He was one of Maldonado¡¯s team members.


    ¡°Shut up, Nu?ez,¡± Maldonado scolded. ¡°You don¡¯t walk out in front of this many people without knowing something they don¡¯t.¡±


    A predatory smile teased at the corners of Jason¡¯s mouth. A portal arch rose up behind him and the rest of his team emerged, forming a row behind him. Maldonado walked out from his team to meet Jason and they stopped in front of one another. Maldonado was taller by half a head, with tan skin and hawkish features. A celestine, his hair and eyes were onyx black.


    ¡°You¡¯re him,¡± Maldonado said.


    ¡°I¡¯m him.¡±


    ¡°It was never going to work, was it?¡±


    ¡°There''s always someone like you. Someone who fails to make a name for themselves during the surge, then tries to make one on the back of a more successful adventurer. They watch out for that kind of thing.¡±


    Maldonado narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°But they don¡¯t stop it,¡± he realised. ¡°They let the successful adventurer demonstrate where their success came from.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s viable. You did a lot better than most, so I¡¯m told. You did deliberately leak your plan to Rangel and the other group, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The idea was to soften you up. Draw you into the open and strike.¡±


    ¡°You made a lot of preparations. You don¡¯t seem like someone who needs to take this approach. I¡¯d think you would do just fine playing it straight as an adventurer. Why gamble on this?¡±


    ¡°Family,¡± Maldonado said. ¡°A nobleman married into our family and¨C¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a long story,¡± Jason said, cutting him off. ¡°I don¡¯t care that much. At the end of the day, what matters is what you did, what I did, and where we go from here.¡±


    ¡°And where is that?¡±


    Jason moved away from Maldonado, looking around their base camp as he slowly meandered. There were skimmers designed to hover over jungle canopy, crates full of resources and Maldonado¡¯s team.


    ¡°You really went all out,¡± he observed. ¡°There were people who suggested that the authorities deal with this, instead of leaving it between adventurers. That you¡¯d pulled in too many people and used too many resources for me to handle. Can you guess why I insisted on doing this myself?¡±


    ¡°To prove that you can?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, softly enough that only the sensitive ears of silver-rankers allowed the others to hear. ¡°That¡¯s what Adventure Society wants. What the royal family want. What all the people with a vested interest in me not haring off and doing something drastic want. But I¡¯m past the point in my life where I care about proving things. It doesn¡¯t change anything and it doesn¡¯t stop people like you or the Builder or gods from interfering in my life, even though they fall short EVERY DAMN TIME!¡±


    Jason paused. Despite not needing to breathe he drew in a slow, calming breath. He turned back to look at Maldonado, and when he spoke again, his voice was quiet once again.


    ¡°The reason I came out here myself - why I started putting people down with my own hands ¨C is because you brought trouble to my friend to get to me. That made me angry. I wanted to punish you; no points to make or reputation to build. My first instinct was to make sure the only part of you that left this jungle was the part I washed off my hands, after.¡±


    Jason¡¯s face took on a sincere, friendly smile as Maldonado was finally able to perceive Jason¡¯s aura. To Maldonado¡¯s senses, Jason¡¯s aura seemed as authentic and amiable as his expression. It sent chills down his back.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been in this situation before,¡± Jason said. ¡°I spent a lot of time in an emotionally dark place because of people like you. People who thought they could get something from me and didn¡¯t care who they hurt in the process. I don¡¯t, strictly speaking, regret all the killing, but I regret that I had to do it.¡±


    Jason let out a little laugh.


    ¡°Listen to me,¡± he said affably, as if every person on the clearing wasn¡¯t completely focused on him. ¡°I sound like a domestic abuser. As I said: an emotionally dark place.¡±


    His smile turned sad, his aura radiating regret, but also hope.


    ¡°But I¡¯m better now. I don¡¯t do that kind of thing anymore. It¡¯s just hard, you know? Avoiding the harmful patterns of the past. Take you, for example. You saw a pathway to something you wanted and didn¡¯t care about going through the people around me to get it. In my world that¡¯s what they call a trigger; something that might cause you to go back to old, destructive habits. Well, cause me to go back to old habits. To regress.¡±


    Jason walked forward into Maldonado¡¯s personal space. Close enough to smell his fear, if it hadn¡¯t been plain to see in his aura.


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to regress do you, Mr Maldonado?¡±


    Maldonado shook his head.


    ¡°Great,¡± Jason said, beaming a bright smile as he backed away from Maldonado. ¡°You saw the attention on me and thought it was the people watching me that made me important. That if you humiliated me, they would be watching you instead, making you important. You believed that I was vulnerable. Soft.¡±


    ¡°And he¡¯s not soft,¡± Belinda called out. ¡°He¡¯s harder than a fifteen-year-old boy getting a titty massage.¡±


    Every person in the clearing turned to look at her.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked. ¡°I¡¯m helping.¡±


    ¡°Remember the discussion we had about setting a tone?¡± Humphrey told her.


    ¡°Belinda,¡± Jason called out to her, pinching the bridge of his nose. ¡°Please refrain from using the word ¡®titty¡¯ while I¡¯m attempting to monologue.¡±


    ¡°I told you that serious Jason was never going to work,¡± Neil muttered, earning him a glare from Humphrey.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s ruined,¡± Jason said. ¡°I had this whole speech about consequences and the choice between ruthlessness and mercy. Humphrey, should I just cut my losses and kill them all? It¡¯s not exactly the point I was going to make, but it¡¯ll do.¡±


    Maldonado¡¯s team had already been on a knife¡¯s edge, and Jason¡¯s offhand had them reaching for weapons.


    ¡°Everyone stand down,¡± Maldonado called out. ¡°He¡¯s not going to kill us.¡±


    ¡°Try and kill us, you mean,¡± said Reyes, a member of Maldonado¡¯s team.


    ¡°You heard him talk about the authorities,¡± Maldonado said. ¡°They won¡¯t let him just massacre a group of adventurers. He kept the prisoners alive, remember? Whatever is going to happen, he can¡¯t kill us.¡±


    Jason stared at Maldonado for a long time as both teams looked on, ready to spring into action.


    ¡°That¡¯s sound reasoning,¡± Jason said finally. ¡°What do you think, Jana?¡±


    The gold-ranker revealed herself with a shimmer.


    ¡°The point was to prove you could deal with them without calling on a gold ranker,¡± she told him.


    ¡°I don''t need you to deal with them. I need you to tell them what happens if I kill them all.¡±


    ¡°Well, Princess Liara is going to yell at you.¡±


    Jason gave her a flat look.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jana acknowledged. ¡°She¡¯s going to yell at me. And the Adventure Society won¡¯t be happy. Or his Ancestral Majesty. Actually, I don¡¯t know about him; he lets you get away with everything. You will certainly be disinvited to the celebration ball. Well, almost certainly. There are things that need to be¡­ okay, you''ll probably still be invited, but you¡¯ll get some moderately disapproving looks.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You¡¯re trying to give up killing adventurers, remember?¡±


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason unhappily conceded. ¡°I¡¯m not just letting this slide, though. These people have to pay.¡±


    ¡°It was me,¡± Maldonado said. ¡°This was all my idea. My team, my plan. I pushed them into it. If you¡¯re going to punish someone, punish me. I¡¯m the one behind it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s noble,¡± Jason said, looking around at Maldonado¡¯s team. ¡°But they¡¯re all here and they knew what they were coming for. They made that choice.¡±


    ¡°What will you do?¡±


    Everyone waited in silence as Jason looked at Maldonado with a contemplative expression.


    ¡°The right choice,¡± he said, ¡°is to wash my hands of you and leave the choice to the Adventurer Society. If it were up to me, I¡¯d have all your Adventure Society memberships revoked. It would probably happen, in different times, but while the surge is over, the need for adventures is not. But I¡¯m tired of people¡¯s crappy actions being overlooked because they¡¯re going to be needed.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re wrong,¡± Jana told him. ¡°The Adventure Society needs people, but they turned on their own. The society can forgive a lot of sins, but not adventurers turning on one another. How did you think you got away with killing those adventurers in Greenstone? They¡¯d given up adventuring and went after an adventurer in good standing. If you hadn¡¯t dealt with them, the society would have.¡±


    Jason turned to her.


    ¡°Really?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± she said, gesturing at Maldonado¡¯s team. ¡°These people were gone the moment they even attempted this plan. I imagine the society will recruit the smart ones as functionaries, though. Very closely monitored, and with crap raining down on them from a very great height. If they can take that and keep their noses clean long enough, they¡¯ll get a pathway back to being adventurers. Until then, they¡¯ll be scooting around after actual adventurers, cleaning up messes like someone who just bought a puppy. The rest will have to find their own way in life. Where do you think the noble houses get their high-ranking house guards? Dregs that were kicked out of the Adventure Society, usually.¡±


    After Jason had ratcheted up the tension, the appearance of a gold ranker had wound things down. Unlike Jason, the vast majority of adventurers were very respectful of rank and the appearance of an authority figure gave them confidence that things would be settled, if not well, then at least non-violently.


    Jason¡¯s team moved from where they were lined up in front of the portal to join him.


    ¡°It¡¯s time to let it go, Jason,¡± Clive assured him, putting a hand on his shoulder. ¡°They¡¯ll get what¡¯s coming to them, and they aren¡¯t worth our time.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said and started moving towards the portal. ¡°Jana is surprisingly good at monologuing.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Maldonado called out. ¡°You have one of my team members.¡±


    Jason stopped and turned around.


    ¡°So?¡±


    Maldonado looked to Jana.


    ¡°Don¡¯t expect me to help you,¡± she told him. ¡°You sent people after him. The condition you get them back in is none of my business.¡±


    Jana then vanished in a shimmer.


    ¡°I¡¯m willing to negotiate her release with no further harm,¡± Maldonado said to Jason, who turned and walked away.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have anything I want.¡±


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to the party,¡± Liara told Belinda.


    ¡°Oh, come on. You¡¯re going to make me miss the big fancy party?¡±


    ¡°Jason, against all odds, was actually doing what he was told for once and playing the ¨C admittedly melodramatic ¨C serious adventurer.¡±


    In the cloud pagoda, an angry Liara, with a nervous Rick Geller beside her, was in the middle of reaming out Team Biscuit for going off-message. Sitting with them was Jana, sharing wincing side-glances with Jason.


    ¡°Don¡¯t even get me started on you,¡± Liara told her. ¡°You weren¡¯t meant to be seen at all, let alone doing a double-act with Asano.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you¡¯ve never been to a big fancy party before,¡± Sophie consoled Belinda.


    ¡°Yeah, but this time I was invited. I was hardly going to steal anything.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Liara said, wheeling on her.


    ¡°I mean, I¡¯m not going to steal anything. Please let me go to the party.¡±


    ¡°You should probably let her,¡± Clive advised. ¡°If you don¡¯t, she¡¯ll just try and sneak in.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s in the royal palace,¡± Liara said. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯s a fine thief ¨C she¡¯s certainly an enthusiastic one -  but there¡¯s no way she won¡¯t get caught.¡±


    ¡°And would her getting caught make things better or worse?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Your best bet is to let her in the door.¡±


    Liara closed her eyes and groaned.


    ¡°My preference would be that you skip this ball and leave right now,¡± she muttered through gritted teeth.


    ¡°Done, we¡¯re bunking off,¡± Jason said, jumping to his feet. ¡°Everyone out of the building; I need to turn this place into a magic school bus.¡±


    ¡°Stop!¡± Liara commanded. ¡°Sit down, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Boo,¡± he jeered as he dropped back into his seat.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been telling everyone this wouldn¡¯t work,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Look,¡± Liara said. ¡°There are a lot of people doing a lot of things to make this dual-identity scenario work. I¡¯ve seen plenty of follow-up plans if it doesn¡¯t, but they aren¡¯t approaches that you¡¯re going to like. They aren¡¯t approaches that I like, if for no other reason than you¡¯ll disagree with them. I¡¯ve seen how that works out. Just stay in the pagoda, don¡¯t make trouble and we¡¯ll see to it that no one else makes trouble for you.¡±


    ¡°Autumn got her frog familiar?¡±


    Liara¡¯s expression turned evasive.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Jason asked, narrowing his eyes.


    ¡°She has her new familiar,¡± Liara assured him. ¡°She¡¯s still out there, in her familiar¡¯s own environment as she gets to know it. She¡¯s strengthening their bond before she brings it back to civilisation.¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Well, I imagine you''re aware that if someone gets an essence ability for a frog familiar, such as Miss Leal with her frog essence, that ability covers a wide range of creatures. Any kind of magical frog or frog-like magical beast.¡±


    ¡°I''m getting the impression Autumn''s new familiar is more on the frog-like than the actual-frog end of the scale,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Her original familiar was from the region where you were all just operating,¡± Liara said. ¡°There were also frog-type magical beasts where we took her, but it was a different region, with different creatures. She ended up with a familiar not quite like her original one.¡±


    ¡°How not quite like her original one?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a long-tongue jumping hydra,¡± Rick said. ¡°It''s roughly the size of a two-story house.¡±


    ¡°Cottage,¡± Liara corrected. ¡°It¡¯s the size of a two-storey cottage.¡±

 Chapter 605: One More Loyalty to Balance

    Jason and Liara were in the pagoda, taking tea in a parlour as they discussed the Adventure Society liaison to his team.


    ¡°Vidal Ladiv,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s kind of an inspired choice. Someone I like and respect ¨C when I don¡¯t, that becomes clear very quickly. But he¡¯s not someone I¡¯m close to, who will be biased in my direction. It¡¯s a smart choice.¡±


    Vidal Ladiv was an Adventure Society official who had done very well out of the monster surge, reaching silver rank and receiving multiple promotions. Jason had only encountered Vidal a couple of times, but had been impressed with his sharp observation skills and the careful manner Jason himself could never manage to cultivate.


    ¡°He¡¯s acceptable, then?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ll want to meet him again, and discuss it with the team. But provisionally, yes.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Liara said, then placed her empty teacup down and stood up. ¡°Then I¡¯m going to go before something ridiculous happens.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you shouldn¡¯t have said that.¡±


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a challenge, Asano.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that tempting fate like that is buying trouble you could have avoided for free. Use the pole if you¡¯re looking to get out faster.¡±


    ¡°The elevating platform is fine, thank you.¡±


    She descended to the atrium and started walking across it towards the open doors. She heard loud sounds of splashing from the river outside, along with laughter and yelling. Leaving the pagoda, she spotted two giant hydras splashing around in the water, to the delight of onlooking children.


    One of the creatures was the long-tongue jumping hydra that Autumn Leal had bonded with, while the second was almost identical. They were enormous and they sent water everywhere, only half-submerged even in the deepest part of the river. Rather than scales like a normal hydra, they had skin like frogs, patterned in shades of green, blue, teal and yellow. Liara looked at the difference in the second hydra, slowly blinked, then looked again, confirming that she wasn¡¯t imagining it. The second hydra had what was definitely ¨C and extremely incongruously ¨C moustaches on each of its five heads.


    Two adults were standing on the riverbank, one of whom was yelling.


    ¡°No! You do not get more biscuits because you have more heads. And you don¡¯t get bigger biscuits because you¡¯re bigger. We¡¯ve had this discussion, before, so if you want the biscuit to seem bigger, turn into something smaller.¡±


    ¡°It can¡¯t hurt to indulge him just this once,¡± Autumn told Humphrey.


    ¡°Oh, it¡¯s not just this once,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s never once with him. He¡¯s a biscuit bandit.¡±


    ¡°Well, you do what you like,¡± Autumn said. ¡°I¡¯m giving Brian one biscuit per head.¡±


    ¡°Excuse me, Princess,¡± a voice came from behind Liara and she turned around to see Rick Geller approaching where she was standing in the doorway. He was pushing a wheelbarrow full of biscuits the size of dinner plates through the atrium.


    ¡°Rick, where are the parents of these children?¡±


    ¡°Oh, they''re used to it. Humphrey''s familiar is always shape-shifting into giant monsters, apparently. Turns out kids love monsters that aren''t attempting to eat them. If you don''t mind, milady, can I scoot past?¡±


    She moved out of his way and he wheeled his burden outside.


    ¡°Rick,¡± Humphrey scolded on seeing the wheelbarrow. ¡°What did I say?¡±


    ¡°That you wanted a wheelbarrow full of giant biscuits? That¡¯s what Jason told me you¡­¡±


    Rick hung his head in shame.


    ¡°I see where I went wrong, now,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not like he¡¯s going to get fat,¡± Autumn said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to let him get greedy. It¡¯s a problem with dragons and I promised his mum.¡±


    Liara shook her head looking around for her flying carriage, which she had left on the lawn.


    ¡°Where¡¯s my vehicle?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± the moustachioed hydra said. ¡°It¡¯s definitely not at the bottom of the river.¡±


    ***


    As her rental carriage had become a hydra toy, Liara had to go to the compound of the royal family branch living on Arnote and borrow one. She then returned to the sky island that contained the royal palace, along with residences for the majority of the royal family and some of the most prominent diplomats.


    Entry to the sky island was via the column of water that reached up from the sea like the trunk of a tree. Her flying carriage, coming from the royal family, was designed to produce a bubble shield that was carried up by the column until it passed through the bottom of the island and surfaced on a small lake. The lake was in the middle of the sky island, with the royal palace constructed around it.


    Leaving the carriage where the palace stewards would deal with it, she passed through the mandatory security checks that even the Storm King had to undergo on returning to the palace before she was allowed to move through the most public and least secure section of the palace.


    After leaving the sprawling palace and entering the residential outskirts, she was finally allowed to move unescorted. With the festival ongoing, security at the palace had been stepped up. The end of the surge was an unofficial end to the moratorium on political intrigue and with so many changes, some might be tempted to do something bold and stupid. Jason Asano wasn''t the only one subject to such attention, and when the noble families went at one another, the stakes were always high.


    She moved quickly through the wide, tree-lined boulevards, not caring about decorum as she used her gold-rank speed to flicker through the streets. She could have hidden with her prodigious stealth abilities, but on the royal sky island that would trip alarms, rather than avoid attention.


    Liara slowed down on reaching a park that many townhouses backed onto, including her own. She followed a path right up to her back door, from which delicious smells wafted the moment she opened it. She went inside and tension left her shoulders as she relaxed in the way that only arriving home made possible. It was nice having a full house again, with her husband home and her daughters still staying with them. Only her son was not living back home, having his own house on the most populous of the three Rimaros islands, Provo.


    Liara was royal family, as were her children, but theirs was a minor branch of the Royal House of Rimaros. Compared to Vesper or Zara, who came from the main branch, Liara was barely royalty at all. Although technically a princess, she shouldn¡¯t even be referred to as her royal highness, although outside of formal events, she would never be dinged for failing to correct that common mistake of protocol.


    Liara¡¯s closeness to the dealings of the royal family proper came from one minor factor and one major one. The minor one was that her hair and eyes were the full, vibrant sapphire that was the signature of the royal family. Many branch family members lacked it, so it made others instinctively connect her with the main family line.


    The major factor contributing to Liara¡¯s importance in matters of state was her accomplishments. She had a long and successful career, both as an adventurer and an Adventure Society official. She was known as a woman who got things done, and her accomplishments and importance within the Adventure Society made her a useful asset to the royal family. Her ability to straddle the line of her various obligations without violating any lines of loyalty was also highly valued. When holding seats in multiple camps, integrity went from desirable to necessary.


    Inside the back door was a mudroom, where Liara slipped off her shoes and placed them on a rack. There was a laundry basket where she dropped her outer garments as she stripped down to slim pants and a simple shirt before going into the house proper. It was her husband and eldest daughter cooking, rather than using the servant automaton. Baseph insisted the food was better when cooked themselves, and while Liara could never tell the difference, she never pointed that out.


    Liara and Baseph had an arranged marriage in their youth, which was normal in their society and neither resented it. They had liked each other well enough and loved their children, and their relationship had grown into a comfortable friends-with-benefits arrangement.


    Then came the death of Vesper Rimaros, who was only a distant relative but a close friend, and her team member, Ledev Costi. They had died together at the heart of the Builder¡¯s floating city, their bodies never recovered before they turned to rainbow smoke and vanished. The Church of Death had been needed to confirm that neither had made a miraculous last-minute escape.


    After that came Baseph¡¯s ordeal with the underwater complex he was managing being raided by the Order of Redeeming Light. With gold-rank threats literally hammering at the door, only another of Jason Asano¡¯s impossible absurdities had seen him escape safely. Asano had paid the price of that, not just by nearly dying but in drawing attention to his many secrets, now being eyed-off by the powerful and ambitious. Liara would always be grateful for that sacrifice, giving her one more loyalty to balance.


    The result of these trials was that, in their wake, Liara and Baseph¡¯s marriage had become much more of a loving one after decades of casual relations. The losses and dangers that they faced made them confront how much they had come to mean to one another over the years.


    Liara came into the kitchen, snaked a slice of vegetable and popped it into her mouth before kissing her husband on the cheek. He held his hands, wet and sticky from mixing ingredients, away from her.


    ¡°Have those hands been washed?¡± he asked her. ¡°In the blood of the wicked does not count, by the way.¡±


    ¡°Your father thinks he¡¯s funny,¡± Liara told Dara, her eldest.


    ¡°You think I¡¯m joking,¡± Baseph said as he went back to mixing stuffing in a bowl. ¡°Hands off my chopping board until those hands have been cleaned, wife.¡±


    ¡°Will Joseph and Zareen be joining us for dinner?¡± Liara asked as she sat at the kitchen table. Baseph and Dara shared a look, leading Liara to narrow her eyes at them, resisting the urge to peek at their emotions through their auras.


    ¡°Joe is on his way,¡± Dara said as she chopped vegetables. ¡°Zareen wasn¡¯t sure if she¡¯d be back in time or not.¡±


    ¡°Back from where?¡± Liara asked. Zareen had been close to Vesper, picking up her relative''s taste for the politics that Liara disdained but could never seem to escape.


    ¡°She went to see someone,¡± Baseph said. ¡°I¡¯m sure she¡¯ll be back soon.¡±


    ¡°Someone,¡± Liara said, latching onto the word. As an investigator with decades of experience, she could recognise when a word was hiding multitudes of sin. ¡°Please tell me that this has nothing to do with Jason Asano and the kind of kingdom-sized mess that follows him around like a hydra with five moustaches.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t say¨C¡± Baseph said before stopping short. ¡°Wait, what did you just say?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it later,¡± Liara promised. ¡°Where is Zareen?¡±


    ¡°Hydra with moustaches?¡± Dara mused. ¡°Maybe I should be spending more time with Asano.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t even joke about that,¡± Liara said. ¡°I do not want you getting involved with Asano and his nonsense. You remember meeting Rick Geller?¡±


    ¡°The one from up north,¡± Dara said. ¡°Has those elf twins on his team that keep teasing him?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know about that second part, but yes,¡± Liara said. ¡°I saw him today with a wheelbarrow full of giant biscuits.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± Baseph asked.


    ¡°I mean I watched him pushing a wheelbarrow full of enormous baked goods,¡± Liara said, holding her hands up to indicate the size.


    ¡°Why?¡± Dara asked. ¡°Something to do with that hydra?¡±


    ¡°It wasn''t actually a hydra; it was a dragon,¡± Liara said. ¡°But I¡¯ll tell you about that later, too. Where is Zareen?¡±


    ¡°Just so you know, Lee,¡± Baseph said, ¡°you¡¯re doing a really bad job of not of making a visit to Asano¡¯s pagoda sound anything but fascinating.¡±


    ¡°Baseph. Where. Is. Our. Daughter?¡±


    ¡°She went to see someone, I told you that. Just to talk.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯re back to this. Who is the someone?¡±


    ¡°Look,¡± Baseph said. ¡°Zareen came to me with something she wanted to talk about, and she knew you wouldn¡¯t like it.¡±


    ¡°What did she want to talk about?¡±


    ¡°An idea she had.¡±


    ¡°That I wouldn¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°I think that¡¯s safe to say, yes.¡±


    ¡°Was it something political?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say so.¡±


    ¡°And you told her to give up on the idea, firmly and thoroughly dissuading her?¡±


    ¡°Of course,¡± Baseph said unconvincingly. Liara looked at him from under raised eyebrows.


    ¡°I may have phrased it badly,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°How badly?¡±


    ¡°He told her that if she wanted to pursue it,¡± Dara chimed in, ¡°she should go see Trenchant Moore.¡±


    Liara gave her husband a flat glare.


    ¡°Trenchant Moore is not a political man,¡± she said.


    ¡°See?¡± Baseph said. ¡°It¡¯s not so bad.¡±


    ¡°With the single exception,¡± Liara continued, ¡°of being the contact point for his Ancestral Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Oh, is he?¡± Baseph asked in a voice that might have sounded innocent if not for being an octave higher than normal.


    ¡°I think you had better tell me all about this idea of our daughter¡¯s, husband,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Ooh, you¡¯re in trouble now,¡± Dara said. ¡°That¡¯s her ¡®I caught you selling death essences on the black market¡¯ voice.¡±

 Chapter 606: That Boy In the Tent

    Jason walked across the atrium of the pagoda and looked at the doors leading outside with a frown.


    ¡°Why do these swing open?¡± he mused out loud. The doors and the section of wall around them dissolved into cloud-stuff, revealing Zara Rimaros standing outside them.


    ¡°I¡¯ll be with you in a sec,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just doing some home renovation.¡±


    The cloud-stuff re-solidified into sliding doors made of dark crystal, containing swirling blue and orange light. They slid open, revealing Zara again, but this time with a wry expression and raised eyebrows.


    ¡°Can¡¯t do just one eyebrow?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You have a very political mind, don¡¯t you, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Jason said innocently.


    ¡°Vesper used to do that, too. Provoke people socially because their reactions told her something about them, regardless of what the reactions were.¡±


    ¡°She never did that with me. I think she just kind of hated me.¡±


    ¡°She didn¡¯t hate you, Mr Asano. She was irked by you. I think she saw more of herself in you than she would like. It didn¡¯t help that you were a lot more brazen about it. She couldn¡¯t be as brazen because she wasn¡¯t as free. The Rimaros name has a lot of weight, and while that can be useful to throw around, we still have to carry it.¡±


    ¡°You can call me Jason. I told you that back in the tent where we met.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ve both come a long way since that tent.¡±


    ¡°I suppose we have.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t as¡­ volatile as the last time we met. You felt dangerous, then.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s because the one I was most dangerous to was myself. I¡¯m still dangerous to everyone else. More so than ever, in fact.¡±


    ¡°I remember your habit of enduring tribulation and coming out stronger for it. We met when you were on the way to see the gods, remember? They pushed you, and you suffered, but they knew that once you recovered, it would make you stronger. The next time I saw you, your aura was almost that of a different person. I realise now that what I saw was only the beginning.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t know I would recover. It was a test as much as a gift. If I¡¯d crumbled, they¡¯d have moved on without sparing me another thought.¡±


    ¡°Ours is not to question the gods.¡±


    ¡°Ours might not be, but mine is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re casual with blasphemy.¡±


    ¡°Yep. Are you going to come in, Princess, or are we going to keep talking where all the eyes and ears watching my house can eavesdrop?¡±


    ¡°Your home is a little intimidating.¡±


    ¡°Only from the outside.¡±


    Zara nodded and moved through the doors that slid shut behind her. Compared to the blank space it had been to her senses from the outside, the interior was just the opposite as Jason¡¯s aura flooded the place with a strength that even Jason at full power could not project himself. Only the fact that it was not hostile to her at all stopped her from running for the door. The exterior of the building was a literal looming tower, while the inside was a metaphorical one.


    Jason actively dialled back the amount the aura of the pagoda imposed on Zara. She wasn¡¯t a gold ranker that could shrug its influence off as easily as Liara or Carlos. Zara¡¯s lack of hostility meant that the aura of the place did not attack her, but neither was she one of Jason¡¯s friends, from whom the aura always withdrew to a benevolent background presence.


    ¡°You said it was only intimidating from the outside.¡±


    ¡°I said it was only a little intimidating from the outside,¡± Jason corrected.


    Zara looked around at the open atrium, from the waterfall spilling off the mezzanine to the lush plants dividing the area into sections. The exterior wall was translucent from the inside, letting light spill in. There was a reception desk with the alien receptionist; a cloaked shadow figure with an eye made of loose energy for a face.


    ¡°What is this place?¡±


    "It''s a cloud house. Technically, it''s a cloud palace, at this size. A fairly vertical one, but a palace. I couldn''t have managed a tower this big at bronze-rank."


    ¡°Jason, I am a princess of one of the most prominent kingdoms in the world. I¡¯ve seen cloud palaces, and that is not what this is.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Princess, it is. It¡¯s just not all that it is.¡±


    She looked at Jason.


    ¡°Do you ever wish you could go back to being the person you were in that tent?¡±


    The amusement dropped from Jason¡¯s expression.


    ¡°I spent a long time wishing that. Long enough that the desire to go back was turning into poison, only taking me further from who I was, then. You saw the result of that.¡±


    ¡°I remember.¡±


    The last time Zara had seen Jason he had been a raw nerve. Angry, violent and distrustful, using his mysterious powers to lash out at the world.


    ¡°I had to learn to accept who I¡¯ve become,¡± Jason said. ¡°And who I¡¯m becoming. That boy in the tent died because he wasn¡¯t ready for the path ahead of him.¡±


    ¡°And what about the path ahead of you now?¡±


    Jason took a long, contemplative look around at the atrium before answering.


    ¡°We¡¯ll see.¡±


    He set out through the atrium, along a pathway defined by plants potted directly into the floor. Jason''s adjustment of the doors was only the latest of the changes he had been making as he renovated the place to his liking. The atrium was much more garden-like than it had started out, with pathways leading to what was now an array of elevating platforms, as well as the fireman''s pole. One pathway led to the wall behind which the array of poles for his team was hidden.


    Following Jason, Zara looked at the brassy pole with curiosity. It ran up to the ceiling where it passed through a hole sealed by a spiral aperture.


    ¡°What¡¯s that for?¡±


    Jason was walking in front of her and couldn¡¯t follow her gaze, but he didn¡¯t need to. He could sense where her attention was through her aura.


    ¡°Sliding down from the upper levels.¡±


    ¡°You have a problem with elevating platforms?¡±


    ¡°I might not be the boy I was when we met, Princess, but I haven¡¯t entirely lost my sense of fun.¡±


    ¡°You can call me Zara.¡±


    They moved onto an elevating platform that rose through the mezzanine level overhead. At each floor, the aperture that the platform passed through was sealed by mist that allowed passage from below while serving as a solid floor from above. This dynamically solid-gaseous cloud-stuff was something Zara had seen in other cloud constructs, not just Jason¡¯s. It was the solid spiral doors sealing the holes for the fire pole that needed to open and close that came across as strange. Jason¡¯s cloud palace possessed strange traits and seemed exceptional, so the less elegant choice for the pole had to be deliberate. Like the pole itself, it spoke to a whimsical choice that had more meaning to Jason than practicality.


    Despite the oppressive aura pervading the space around her, seeing that kind of indulgence from Jason made Zara feel a lot more secure. His angry, violent intensity during their short expedition together had been disturbing. He had left the party behind, not just annihilating Builder forces but somehow making them turn on one another. He had barely been less hostile to his fellow adventurers than the enemy.


    The arrival of his team had mellowed him, but Zara had not been in contact since. Vesper¡¯s plans for re-aligning her in relation to the Irios family were overtaken by the war with the Builder and Vesper¡¯s death. It had made her nervous about the choice to see him, especially as he rejected her invitation to visit Vesper¡¯s memorial.


    ¡°I apologise for not joining you in paying respects to Vesper,¡± Jason said. ¡°There was a little too much attention on me for that, but I would like to do so before I go. I would be happy for you to join me, if you¡¯re open to some spontaneous scheduling.¡±


    She wondered how much he was picking up from her aura. There was clearly a profound connection between Jason and the pagoda, given that it was radiating his aura as if it were a temple to him.


    They arrived at the top mezzanine level, which was a lounge area that continued the pagoda¡¯s theme of abundant plant life. Washed in light from the huge translucent walls, Jason sat on a couch and directed Zara to an armchair.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t come here for a raincheck on a private memorial,¡± he said. ¡°What brings you to my door, Zara?¡±


    Zara looked at Jason for a moment before speaking.


    ¡°The Adventure Society is assigning you a liaison,¡± she said.


    ¡°If by assigning, you mean looking for someone we won¡¯t dump in the ocean inside of a week, then yes.¡±


    ¡°There has been an idea floated,¡± she said, ¡°of another such position. Your group is growing and the royal family would like to have a representative in it. No authority, just someone who can be a genuine auxiliary, offering specific skills that could be useful to you.¡±


    Jason narrowed his eyes as he looked at Zara.


    ¡°What we¨C¡±


    He held up a hand to cut her off.


    ¡°Allow me a moment to think,¡± he told her.


    ¡°I know you can see through my emotions. This isn¡¯t a trick.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think it was. But I¡¯m also not reading your emotions. I could, you¡¯re right, but my aura manipulation isn¡¯t as sloppy as it used to be. I¡¯ve had time to work on it while I¡¯ve been convalescing.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t stop yourself from reading the emotions of others when their auras overlap with yours. Not if they can¡¯t mask them properly.¡±


    A smile crept onto Jason''s face.


    ¡°You¡¯re telling me what I can¡¯t do, Princess? That, historically, has not been something people have done accurately, and things don¡¯t tend to go well for them after. My aura strength means that I¡¯ve been passively intruding on the privacy of the people around me for a while. That made things hard for someone close to me and made it harder to come together. It prevented us from having more time together than we ultimately did.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t hard to see there was an unhappy story there and Zara didn¡¯t enquire further.


    ¡°Removing the unmasked emotions of others goes beyond ordinary aura manipulation. You would effectively have to partition a section of your mind to assess the incoming information and decide whether to process it into your conscious mind or ignore it. That¡¯s deft mental self-manipulation and aura manipulation.¡±


    ¡°There are aspects of our silver-rank attributes that I think go overlooked. The agility of the speed attribute is leveraged nowhere near as much as the strength of the power attribute. Even less so is what the mind can accomplish with a silver-rank spirit attribute. It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been delving into as I explore combat trances, but it seemed to me that there were further applications. Every silver ranker can multitask quite well, but how many of us work on those aspects? Fortunately, I have a friend whose family trains adventurers. He was at least able to give some foundational training techniques.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m vaguely familiar. Mind puzzles and observational tasks that require multiple threads of attention, yes?¡±


    "Yes, but sometimes focus is important too, or we miss details. For example, I asked for a moment to think, which you appeared to completely miss as you launched into another conversation."


    Zara smiled in awkward embarrassment.


    ¡°Sorry.¡±


    Jason stood up, walked to the edge of the mezzanine and leaned on the railing with his hands, looking out through the clear wall. Zara stayed where she was, not wanting to interrupt his thought again.


    ¡°Why are you here?¡± Jason asked without turning around.


    ¡°I wanted to talk about placing someone from the royal family in¨C¡±


    ¡°I know what your purpose is. Why are you here? Why not Liara? Your family has been wise in letting her be their face in this. She''s someone I know and the lingering presence of Vesper engenders my sympathies. I suppose the same is true for you, but it''s more complicated."


    He turned around.


    ¡°Liara didn¡¯t want to do this,¡± he realised. ¡°She refused to be a part of it. Why?¡±


    Zara opened her mouth but Jason forestalled her with a gesture.


    ¡°Not actually asking,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m just thinking at you. If Liara is against it, that means either your family is trying to do something stupid and she knows better, or she¡¯s fine with doing it but doesn¡¯t like something about the way it¡¯s being done. Soramir would stop anything too idiotic, so¡­¡±


    He grinned.


    ¡°Zareen,¡± he said. ¡°There¡¯s no way Liara would go with us, and who else would we put up with? They wouldn¡¯t put her eldest in that position because she¡¯s pure adventurer. She doesn¡¯t have the political sensibilities for it or any interest in cultivating them. But the other daughter was more intrigued when they came to visit us. And she was close to Vesper, I recall. Playing on those sympathies again. The only other real option would be you, Zara, and that¡¯s obviously never going to happen. There¡¯s too many complica¡­¡±


    He trailed off with an awkward wince.


    ¡°Oh,¡± he said moving back to sit opposite her, on the edge of his couch seat. He leaned forward to look her in the eye. ¡°You did want it to be you.¡±


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t reading my emotions.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t. Now I am. I¡¯m sorry, Princess, but you don¡¯t get a ride on this bus. Why would you even want that? Aren¡¯t you trying to be the next queen in whatever competition thing they do here?¡±


    ¡°That chance died the moment I tried my idiotic plan with Kasper Irios. Vesper was trying to salvage my reputation so that I might not be completely pushed aside, but now she¡¯s gone and the relationship with the Irios family she was using as a pretext means her plan will never happen. I¡¯ve already withdrawn from the contest and with it my title as Hurricane Princess.¡±


    ¡°Won¡¯t that contest be going on for years? There¡¯s time to make a comeback.¡±


    ¡°There are no comebacks. The monarch is the person who went beyond expectation without making mistakes.¡±


    ¡°Mistakes are how we grow.¡±


    ¡°And the people who made them will be fine advisors to the monarch who didn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°In any case, that¡¯s not my path anymore.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry about that, Princess. But I¡¯m not your new path. You made some choices that caused me trouble I very much did not need.¡±


    ¡°I thought mistakes were how we grow.¡±


    Jason opened his mouth to respond, only for nothing to come out. He closed his mouth, looking confused.


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t normally happen,¡± he said. ¡°I find myself forced to acknowledge the point.¡±


    Zara stood up.


    ¡°Zareen would be a strong addition to your group,¡± she said. ¡°She was already planning to move from adventuring to Adventure Society service, the way her mother did years ago. It seems she wants to pivot, however. This whole thing was her idea.¡±


    ¡°And Liara knows my background better than most. She wants her daughter nowhere near me, and I can¡¯t say I don¡¯t empathise.¡±


    "I''m not going to try and sell you more than I already have," Zara said. "Whether you choose Zareen, myself, someone else or no one else, I''ll leave it to you. Now, if you don''t mind, I''d like to try that pole."


    Jason blinked his surprise, then grinned.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think your father would want that.¡±


    ¡°My father is not as protective a parent as Liara.¡±


    ¡°You say that, but most fathers try very hard to keep their daughters off the pole.¡±


    ¡°Why? What¡¯s wrong with it?¡±

 Chapter 607: A Difficult Child

    The tailor, Alejandro Albericci, had come to the pagoda to make final adjustments on the formalwear of Jason¡¯s companions. He was also a fully capable dressmaker and had arranged the gowns for the female members of the group - some of whom were more open to the experience than others. Sophie glowered as Alejandro checked over Belinda¡¯s gown.


    ¡°Why would anyone wear this?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Because maybe I¡¯d just like to enjoy myself and feel pretty every once and a while?¡± Belinda said. ¡°It wouldn¡¯t kill you to let yourself be a little feminine every now and again, Soph.¡±


    ¡°It might kill me. Stuff tries to kill me a lot.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t you relax for once in your damn life? Instead of complaining, how about you just tell me I look good?¡±


    Sophie¡¯s expression was grumpy but apologetic. She looked up and down Belinda¡¯s salmon-coloured gown.


    ¡°You do look very nice, Lindy.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of fun preparing to attend a ball instead of robbing it,¡± Belinda said, drawing an odd look from Alejandro, who was crouched down, checking her seams. He stood up in front of Belinda, giving her a firm nod.


    ¡°Miss Callahan, you are perfect,¡± he told her.


    ¡°See?¡± Belinda said, leaning to address Sophie around Alejandro. ¡°People like you a lot more when you don¡¯t have to drag compliments out of them with a block and tackle.¡±


    ¡°It was not a compliment,¡± Alejandro said. ¡°Just a simple statement of fact.¡±


    Belinda shoved a finger into his face.


    ¡°You can take your sexy hair and back off,¡± she warned him. ¡°I¡¯m spoken for.¡±


    Alejandro held up his hands in surrender, giving her a charming smile.


    ¡°My loss,¡± he said. ¡°Now, for Miss Wexler.¡±


    Jason had added a formal dressing room to the pagoda for the occasion, so Alejandro was able to open the lengthy garment bag where he had left it hanging on the rack. Sophie braced herself as he slid the bag off her outfit, which remained hanging, and was surprised to see a formal pantsuit rather than a gown.


    ¡°Mr Geller made it quite clear,¡± Alejandro said, ¡°that anything you could not comfortably kill people in was unacceptable. As I pride myself on fulfilling the needs of my clients in style, here we are. The magical augmentations are focused on defensive properties, with a more robust self-cleaning system than normal. This means that after any excitement, you can return to the party without having to explain away any awkward viscera stains.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Belinda said. ¡°Now, put on your damn clothes so we can go get our hair fixed.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong with my hair?¡±


    ***


    ¡°Mr Williams,¡± Alejandro said. ¡°Just between you and I, I appreciate your custom.¡±


    ¡°No worries, bloke,¡± Taika said as Alejandro telekinetically adjusted a seam. ¡°I just like finding someone that works in my size. Getting good clothes can be a struggle back home.¡±


    ¡°That,¡± Alejandro said, ¡°Is precisely the point I was looking to make. I¡¯ve worked with a lot of leonids, but their fashion proclivities have given me pause on more than a few occasions. No offence intended, Mr Xandier.¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m right there with you,¡± Gary said. The two largest members of Jason¡¯s group were being fitted together.


    ¡°Your lot have clothing issues?¡± Taika asked. ¡°Is it because of the fur?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Gary said. ¡°Most leonids wear clothes that aren''t much more than a few straps, strategically placed for the bare requirements of modesty. I''ve even seen some isolated all-leonid communities where they don''t bother with clothes at all.¡±


    ¡°Nudist towns?¡± Taika asked. ¡°Not sure I¡¯d be up for that.¡±


    ¡°Nor should you be,¡± Alejandro said. ¡°As a purveyor of fine apparel, I protest nudity in the strongest possible terms.¡±


    ¡°I like a nice, loose coverage,¡± Gary said. He had taken to the local fashion in greenstone, which was loose and colourful, with decorative tassels featuring heavily. His current outfit was very much a loose drape, almost in the combat-robe style that Jason favoured, but the colours and cut were neat and sober. The colours were light, as was the local fashion, with Taika in white and Gary mixing cream with grey to flattering effect.


    The door to the men¡¯s dressing room slid open and Jason came in.


    ¡°Hairdresser is calling for you,¡± he said.


    ¡°Bro, Shade is the hairdresser, and he¡¯s got like thirty bodies.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s mostly after Gary,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Why me?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Bro, you¡¯re a lion man. You¡¯ve got a mane.¡±


    ***


    Amongst magically-propelled carriages, the class of grand carriage was more akin to a bus, ranging from smaller ones with seating for ten or twelve through to triple-decker tour bus sizes designed as mobile homes for entire groups of people. The one that arrived on the lawn in front of the pagoda was around the size of a school bus, with ornamentation that marked it as belonging to the royal family. Jason was already waiting when a gowned Liara emerged.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside,¡± she told him. ¡°Still too many ears out here.¡±


    The atrium doors slid open to grant them passage and slid shut behind them.


    ¡°Are your people ready?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°Just about. I get the feeling you want to talk about Zareen first, though.¡±


    Liara glowered, but not at Jason.


    ¡°She¡¯s a grown woman and I can¡¯t make her choices for her,¡± Liara said. ¡°In this case, though, you can.¡±


    ¡°Are you asking me to say no to Zareen as the royal family liaison?¡±


    ¡°Are you thinking about saying yes?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t decided to accept anyone, let alone considered who it would be. The Adventure Society representative I understand. They¡¯re going out of their way with creating a fake adventurer identity for me, and want to keep an eye on how that goes. And me, of course. But what reason do I have to let the royal family insert themselves into my affairs? Again. I don¡¯t know if you recall, but my involvement with the royal family was never something I went looking for.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d be perfectly happy if you didn¡¯t take anyone. The family sees the way his ancestral majesty treats you and thinks that a relationship now will reap benefits in the future. When you¡¯re gold, even diamond rank.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m uncertain on this,¡± Jason said. ¡°Having Rimaros royalty could open some useful doors for us. But it could also draw unwanted attention, especially if it¡¯s someone like Zara. But this decision isn¡¯t just mine. It¡¯s the whole team¡¯s, and when I don¡¯t have a real leaning on an issue like this, I¡¯m inclined to defer to them. Maybe you should take the chance at this party to make your case to them individually.¡±


    ¡°I might just do that,¡± Liara said. ¡°There are some things you will need to know before the ball begins.¡±


    ¡°This is the political part?¡±


    ¡°This is the political part,¡± Liara confirmed. ¡°This ball is essentially a starting flag for the resumption of political manoeuvring. The surge is over and there¡¯s plenty of power, influence and money, all on the table. No one is exactly sure when the conflict with the messengers will start and we¡¯ll be back on a war footing, so the noble houses are eager to grab what they can, while they can.¡±


    ¡°Oh great. You know how much I love being treated as a tool for someone else¡¯s ambitions.¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t.¡±


    Jason looked at Liara with suspicion.


    ¡°What are you saying?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Your recent endeavour with those adventurers demonstrated that quite amply. You didn¡¯t put up with their games, or ours.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, yours?¡±


    ¡°I know that roping-in Jana to your little game was improvised.¡±


    ¡°She did very well.¡±


    ¡°But the way Miss Callahan impulsively yelling about¡­ well, you know what about. It wasn''t quite as smooth as you might have hoped, and even if it were, do you expect me to believe she did so on the spur of the moment?¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Jason said optimistically, earning him a wry frown from Liara.


    ¡°You wanted to show that while you might be willing to play the game,¡± she said, ¡°you¡¯ll always play it your way. And that¡¯s fine. Trying to stop you from being you is an exercise in futility. We would appreciate it if you brought the right version of you to the right situations, however.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not just being general,¡± Jason said. ¡°You want me to do something at this ball.¡±


    ¡°There are factions on factions,¡± Liara said. ¡°We¡¯ve been very carefully looking into what various groups will be trying to do tonight. We¡¯re fairly confident that someone will challenge you to a duel.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re kidding. Over what?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll find a pretext. It will be someone young. Silver rank, like you. From one of the lesser houses that a greater house is using as a mask.¡±


    ¡°What does anyone involved hope to get out of that?¡±


    ¡°The lesser house gets the favour of the greater one, and if their scion can make even a decent showing against you in a mirage chamber, it will bring him key prominence. As for the greater house, they¡¯re likely looking to see who will step up to support you, maybe even make hay of the situation to draw them out.¡±


    ¡°Echo-sounding the political landscape.¡±


    ¡°Echo-sounding?¡±


    ¡°Something people on Earth do to map out specific environments.¡±


    ¡°Earth. That¡¯s the name of your world?¡±


    ¡°Of the other world. You don¡¯t know a lot about my time there, do you?¡±


    ¡°Not much more than what you¡¯ve told me. Any time you would like to tell me more, I would be open to that.¡±


    ¡°Another day, maybe. Today, I need to know what you expect me to do about this duel. Since you haven¡¯t taken steps to put a stop to it, I assume you¡¯re leaving it to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve learned that expecting things from you is not a sensible approach, Asano. Just deal with it however you see fit.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Just remember what I said about the right version of yourself in the right situation. We¡¯ve discussed fun Jason and the other Jason in the past. You keep referring to this ball as a party, but it¡¯s not. We don¡¯t want to see fun Jason. We want the other Jason."


    ¡°You''re giving me open slather?¡±


    ¡°If I''m correctly guessing the meaning of that from context, then yes. Trying to tell you what to do never works out, Asano, be it because of you or some madness you''re caught up in. I''ve come to realise that the best approach is to accept that and work around it accordingly.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Jason said, his expression nonplussed. ¡°Now you say that I feel a bit like a difficult child.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Liara asked lightly. ¡°That comparison never occurred to me.¡±


    ***


    Jason and his team were far from alone in their trip to the ball. The grand carriage made a number of stops to pick up people on the way to the palace. Liara¡¯s family was already inside when it arrived at the pagoda, which was clearly for the sake of appearances. It was far from practical, given their home¡¯s proximity to the palace, to fly all the way to Arnote only to fly back.


    At the pagoda, it took on Jason and his team, Rufus and his, plus Taika and Travis. In Livaros, they stopped at the temple of the Healer to pick up Arabelle and Carlos, and from the temple of Knowledge they picked up Gabrielle.


    Jason had barely seen Gabrielle since his first arrival in Rimaros. There was contention between them, not to mention that she was Humphrey¡¯s former lover. Jason was surprised to find that Sophie had no interest in the woman, but Travis did. Jason knew that Travis had been meeting extensively with the Church of Knowledge to determine what he could and could not bring to this world from Earth¡¯s magitech, but only now discovered that Knowledge¡¯s representative had been Gabrielle.


    Arabelle sat with Jason and her son, Rufus, so that they could have a quiet discussion during the trip.


    ¡°We need to have a discussion about Callum,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°He has become increasingly agitated about your prisoner, especially after finding out that you¡¯re leaving. To the point that I have finally managed to have him tell me the real reason he is so emphatic about getting to her.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not here,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°I¡¯ll find you tomorrow.¡±


    Their carriage was one of many that entered the column of water rising up into the royal sky island. It docked at the side of the lake and their rather large contingent was led to the ballroom by palace stewards.


    There was a lengthy process of their all being announced, during which time they stood around, looking over a ballroom the size of a sports oval. Over them, the roof was domed crystal, showing off the evening sky, with light coming from levitating chandeliers.


    Jason, Travis and Taika stood together, looking out at a room where most of the people were high-ranking celestines. It was a sea of beautiful people with brightly coloured hair and sculpted, athletic bodies. The three of them shared a look.


    ¡°Does anyone else feel like¡­¡± Travis said.


    ¡°¡­we just walked into an anime,¡± Jason finished.


    ¡°Bro, I feel like I¡¯m going to do something not very sensible tonight.¡±


    The other two nodded their agreement.

 Chapter 608: All Singer and No Song

    The arena-like ballroom was set up in various zones, often repeated in different places around the room. Along with long buffet tables, stewards roamed with trays of food and drink. There were tables and small lounging areas, each with its own very high-end privacy screen. The privacy screens kept any sound from getting out, but did not prevent it from getting in, and there was no shortage of people using them to politic. Aura etiquette was very strict, with auras tamped down.


    The Storm King and Soramir Rimaros were in one such area, but theirs was elevated, allowing everyone to see them and them to see everyone. They sat with other core members of the royal family, chatting quietly. It was clear from the body language that the presence of Soramir, the founder of the kingdom they ruled, was not helping his descendants to relax.


    Liara had started telling Jason¡¯s group to not roam around in one giant pack only to have them not pay attention as they immediately split up on their own. Clive took off in the direction of a group wearing formal versions of scholarly robes. Gary, Farrah and Neil were touring the food tables while Sophie and Belinda wandered off together, looking suspiciously like they were casing the joint. Gary wasn¡¯t waiting on the palace staff and their tiny trays, having liberated a large serving tray from somewhere. He was at the tables, loading it up like a giant plate.


    Humphrey and Rufus, the two socialites of Jason¡¯s friends, accompanied Liara¡¯s daughters to circulate. Liara¡¯s husband and son, Baseph and Joseph, moved in the direction of the Amouz family. Baseph came from that family before marrying into the royal house, and both men were high-ranking administrators in the family¡¯s business interests.


    Rufus¡¯ mother Arabelle was playing guide to Carlos, who was not comfortable at fancy social events, while also riding herd on Travis and Taika. As for Jason, Liara was leading him to circulate, introducing him to a chain of prestigious citizens in rapid sequence. Most were nobles, but some, like the Remore family, held prestige and influence without holding titles.


    ¡°Jason Asano,¡± Liara introduced, ¡°I present Lady Ileana Irios. Lady Ileana, Jason Asano.¡±


    The ball had, thus far, been a rather tedious sequence of Liara introducing Jason to people and Jason not saying a lot as he did his best to look passive and mysterious. His usual air of general amusement at the world was not in evidence in his face or voice, both of which were blank and cold as he met person after person.


    ¡°When we were having our little reputation problem with young Kasper,¡± Ileana said, ¡°you suggested a meeting with our family,¡± Ileana said. ¡°Perhaps we could have that meeting in the near future?¡±


    While Jason was still embroiled in the aftermath of Zara using his name when she thought he was dead, he had run into Kasper Irios. The encounter had been engineered by Vesper for political reasons and Jason had made an overture to the Irios family that they had not taken up.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid my near future is occupied,¡± he apologised. ¡°While I had the time before I became so prominent, you unfortunately never found the chance to seek me out. My window of availability has now closed, so I¡¯ll have to accept it as a missed opportunity.¡±


    Following Jason¡¯s diplomatic rebuke, Liara quickly moved him on moving into the privacy screen of an empty standing table.


    ¡°If you could refrain from making personal jabs at an ally the royal family only just managed to reaffirm their ties with, that would be appreciated,¡± she told him.


    ¡°I know your family has been treating me as one since they found out I was in town, Princess, but I¡¯m not an asset for the royal family to play around with as they like.¡±


    ¡°I know that this is all a show, Asano. You only need to play stern Jason with others.¡±


    ¡°You''ve been talking about ''fun Jason'' and ''stern Jason'' as if they were both personas and neither was real. What you need to understand, Princess, is that they both are. I don''t have multiple personalities; I just use certain parts of myself to keep a lid on others parts where maybe I shouldn''t be left to my urges. You should be very careful about asking for anything but fun Jason, Princess. He''s the lid.¡±


    ¡°Jason, the royal family is your ally.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But I don¡¯t much care for allies, if I¡¯m being honest. I consider you a friend, Liara, so I don¡¯t count favours. But House Rimaros is an ally, and an alliance is just a measure of relative benefits. It¡¯s a cold relationship and everything comes at a price. Yes, I¡¯m here because showing that I¡¯ll answer to the royal family, even if that is a lie, is of value to each party.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t like being paraded around like livestock at an agricultural fair.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter if I like it because I agreed to it. But if you want me to do tricks, you¡¯ll need to feed me a treat.¡±


    ¡°What kind of treat?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s on you to figure out. I¡¯m not looking to do tricks.¡±


    ***


    The two noblewomen moved away with wary expressions on their faces.


    ¡°Bro, stop talking about sailor uniforms.¡±


    ¡°It just came out,¡± Travis sobbed. ¡°I¡¯m not good with women.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. You¡¯re so bad with women that now I¡¯m bad with women. This is a new experience for me: I¡¯m a delicious chocolate drop.¡±


    At that point, Arabelle found them again.


    ¡°You¡¯re the size of a house,¡± Arabelle told Taika. ¡°How do you keep sneaking off?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m like a jungle cat; lithe and stealthy.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were a delicious chocolate drop,¡± Travis said.


    ¡°I can be both. I''ve got depths.¡±


    ***


    After their discussion, Liara left Jason to his own devices for the time being. He spotted Rick Geller and wandered over to speak with him. They found a couple of quiet seats with a privacy screen and sat down.


    ¡°You really are carrying yourself differently,¡± Rick said.


    ¡°How so?¡± Jason asked him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not surrounded by beautiful women.¡±


    ¡°Rick, this is a party where the serving staff are cored-up silver rankers. Everyone around us is beautiful.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you don¡¯t have a personal barricade of them,¡± Rick said. ¡°Or your sparkly cloak, for that matter. I thought you would be using it to accessorise.¡±


    ¡°That was your idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°It would be a little lacking in decorum, and Alejandro would be disappointed if I covered up his excellent formalwear.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no shortage of people using their more flamboyant powers to add a little flash,¡± Rick said. ¡°Something I recall you not being above.¡±


    ¡°Back in Greenstone, maybe. Not here.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you paint the sky with your personal crest and blast your aura across the city? As I recall, you did that here and in Greenstone.¡±


    Jason expression took on a warning that Rick did not miss.


    ¡°In Greenstone, Richard, I was being tested to make sure I wasn¡¯t a slave of the Builder after being kidnapped and implanted with a star seed. And here, I was unconscious when that happened and my friends were desperately trying to save my life. I hope you haven¡¯t been telling people that was some kind of display designed to grab attention.¡±


    Rick shook his head. Jason''s aura remained sealed away behind a polite facade, yet Rick still felt pressured by the sudden intensity coming off Jason. Jason saw the effect he was having and relaxed his body language.


    ¡°Rick, people who have power don¡¯t need to flaunt it. Look around at the people in here showing off. They¡¯re young, trying to stand out. Back in Greenstone, I was just like that; all singer and no song. Desperate. Always making a spectacle of myself; blustering my way through like a pufferfish. That worked in Greenstone because it''s a whole town full of empty bluster. But now we''re on the opposite end of the world, literally and figuratively. This room contains some of the most powerful people on the planet, and they know that the more you have, the less you need to show.¡±


    ¡°No big stunt from you tonight, then?¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say that. We¡¯ll see where the evening takes us.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Zareen,¡± Jason said. He had been sitting alone with a plate of food, periodically rebuffing social overtures when Liara¡¯s daughter approached him and he waved her to a seat.


    ¡°Mr Asano, it almost feels like my mother has been shepherding me away from you since we arrived.¡±


    ¡°Your mother has other issues on her mind, I''m sure. And call me Jason.¡±


    ¡°No, she doesn''t. Not at the top of her mind, anyway. She hates this aspect of being royalty, but she inherited House Rimaros'' interest in you from Vesper. There was a sense that there aren''t too many people you would tolerate, and that you wouldn''t be unsubtle about making that clear.¡±


    ¡°Which neatly brings us to the topic you really want to talk about,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I can be an asset to your team. I''m not as prominent as Zara, but I can offer almost as many benefits. More, without the parts of her reputation that aren''t the best.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt it,¡± Jason said. ¡°But I don¡¯t like how you manoeuvred me, Princess.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t manoeuvre you.¡±


    ¡°No? You positioned me as the person who has to say no to either you or your mother. That way, the ultimate decision was mine and not a conflict between the two of you. Whichever one of you ends up disappointed, something external is the crux of it, making reconciliation between you easier.¡±


    ¡°You can benefit from thinking like that.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried playing politics before,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a good eye for spotting political issues in time to react, but every time I try to actively participate, it goes wrong.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°It goes wrong and people get hurt,¡± Jason reiterated. ¡°People who don''t deserve it. Politics has a way of doing that. For example, I''m now caught up in the family politics between you and your mother. I don''t like being in that position, Zareen. You made a bold move instead of talking to your mother about it because you knew she would be against it. That''s something I would have done, once upon a time. I wouldn''t anymore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to take me.¡±


    ¡°Do what you should have done in the first place: convince your mother. Excise me from your family politics and we can have the discussion again.¡±


    ¡°Will you take Zara instead?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Right now, I¡¯m short on compelling reasons to take her, you, or anyone else the royal family may or may not have suggested.¡±


    ¡°The family proposed other names? Who?¡±


    ¡°I never said they proposed any names. Go talk to your mother, Zareen, because you and I are done discussing this.¡±


    Zareen frowned but knew when to cut bait, getting up and leaving the privacy screen.


    ¡°The royal family hasn¡¯t suggested any alternative names,¡± Shade pointed out from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°I never said they did.¡±


    ¡°But Miss Zareen is clearly convinced otherwise because of what you said.¡±


    ¡°Is she?¡± Jason asked innocently.


    ¡°You can be quite mean sometimes, Mr Asano.¡±


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯re those thief girls trailing around after Asano, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    Sophie and Belinda turned to face the brash young nobleman, flanked by three of his fellows. Their auras were clean of cores and Sophie could tell from the way they were standing that they were trained to fight, and trained well. She looked the boy up and down before turning away again without bothering to respond.


    ¡°Hey, I was talking to you.¡±


    ¡°Do you think someone put him up to this to provoke us?¡± Belinda asked Sophie. ¡°I can¡¯t imagine them letting anyone in here dumb enough to make the kind of scene they seem to be heading for on purpose.¡±


    ¡°Look at you, all sophisticated,¡± the boy said. ¡°Not bad for someone who crawled up out of the gutter.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Belinda said. ¡°We started with nothing, and here I am at the same place, at the same rank as you, without all the money, time and effort they spent on you. Does that mean that we¡¯re amazing, or that you¡¯re just kind of a waste?¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t bother,¡± Sophie told her. ¡°Boy, if you want to make trouble, you don¡¯t need a pretence. I¡¯ll be happy to punch your teeth through the back of your head.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s go, Soph. You know Jason is the one who was going to be provoked into a duel. These idiots have obviously been sent to make trouble, so don¡¯t play along.¡±


    ¡°Why is Jason the only one who gets to beat the blood out of someone?¡± Sophie complained. ¡°I have healing potions to put the blood back in, after.¡±


    ¡°Is that a challenge?¡± The boy asked.


    ¡°Y¨C¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Belinda firmly spoke over Sophie. ¡°It¡¯s a social event and we have no interest in socialising with you. Leave us alone.¡±


    Belinda directed Sophie away and the boys followed until the women met up with Liara coming the other way and veered off.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Liara said after the three women moved into a privacy screen.


    ¡°It was obvious that they were the end of someone else¡¯s stick when they made that approach outside of one of the screens,¡± Belinda said. ¡°They wanted an audience.¡±


    ¡°It seems that whoever is looking to provoke Asano has realised that the best way to do it is to start with his companions,¡± Liara observed. ¡°You aren¡¯t the only ones being approached by less-than-polite individuals, but you all seem to be handling it well. I saw some young fool looking like he was going to cry while slinking away from Arabelle Remore.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure that''s going to hold for everyone,¡± Belinda said. ¡°We might want to go find¨C¡±


    A gong-like sound rang out and all eyes in the room looked to Gary, holding a dented serving platter as he stood over a man on the floor.


    ¡°And I only waited that long so I could finish the food on it,¡± Gary said loudly. ¡°You¡¯re worth hitting over the head with a lump of metal, but you aren¡¯t worth wasting good crab puffs. Bad crab puffs, maybe, but the catering here is excellent.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s starting, then,¡± Liara said.

 Chapter 609: Hefty Nuggets

    Unsurprisingly, the commotion in the middle of the palace ballroom drew attention from across the room. After glancing at Gary standing over some nobleman he had dropped with a serving platter, Jason¡¯s attention moved to everyone else. He watched body language and looked for aura spikes, as much as he could without pushing out his senses more forcefully. Most of the obvious reads came from younger members of the nobility, as the more experienced and high-ranking ball attendees had well-trained self-control.


    Seeing Rufus making a beeline for Gary, Jason instead moved to join Princess Liara and her daughter Zareen inside a privacy screen. He asked about several people he had picked out as potentially being involved from the way they watched the scene. Some they ruled out immediately as having prompted things from behind the scenes, as there was no political gain for them. Others they gave him quick introductions of, no more than name, house and known political factions.


    Jason noticed that Gary and the man he hit were standing back, while Rufus and another man were talking.


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t the people involved the ones talking?¡±


    ¡°The etiquette, in matters of personal offence, is to have others stand for you in the discussion,¡± Liara explained. ¡°The idea is to maintain cool heads and allow diplomacy to rule passion.¡±


    ¡°Does that work?¡±


    ¡°Not really. The real reason is to use such provocation as a political tool, as is being done here. The person standing for the ¡®aggrieved¡¯ pushes for a duel and stands for the person in that, too.¡±


    ¡°We have something similar in my world,¡± Jason said. ¡°Or we used to, anyway. When we still had duels. There was a second who stood in if one of the participants didn''t have the bottle to front up.¡±


    ¡°Does that mean when they got scared and didn''t show for the duel?¡± Zareen asked.


    ¡°It does,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, who is that standing for the guy Gary clocked?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure,¡± Liara said. ¡°He¡¯s wearing the symbol for House de Varco.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Lancet de Varco,¡± Zareen said. ¡°He¡¯s a tournament duellist; well known if you follow the mirage arenas, but they haven¡¯t been operating for months. He¡¯s also a sometime adventurer. His guild uses him for public recognition, and in return, they help rank him up with controlled monster encounters, the way aristocratic families do with their scions. He''s one of the rare arena fighters to not use cores.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where was he was when the Builder cities attacked?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Most of his guild fought the city attacking Livaros,¡± Zareen said. ¡°All their ¡®special¡¯ members were assigned to monster watch on Provo.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not so bad,¡± Jason said. ¡°I did that too.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but while you were taking on gold-rank monsters by yourself, be was securing the inside of a bordello.¡±


    ¡°I was just one monster,¡± Jason corrected. ¡°I¡¯m not a madman.¡±


    Zareen and her mother shared a glance.


    One of the people standing by was a gold-ranker, Quint de Varco, in the same dark maroon house colours as Lancet. He was amongst the people Jason asked Liara and Zareen about. He stood out for having the same house colours as the man talking with Rufus, along with body language that Jason read as more anticipatory eagerness than the curiosity displayed by most of the onlookers.


    ¡°I think I¡¯d better get in there,¡± Jason said.


    He didn¡¯t use his usual trick of aura manipulation to smoothly move past people as this was not a crowd it would work on. As such, it took him time and a little rudeness to move past the gathering onlookers. He arrived to find that the situation had been escalating.


    Gary was still holding a serving tray with an almost cartoonish dent. The head responsible for that dent belonged to a sullen young nobleman, now back on his feet. Separating the two as they stood off against one another were Rufus and Lancet de Varco, whose dark maroon outfit had the symbols of his house and his guild stitched in gold. It was very flattering, matching the gold of the celestine¡¯s hair and eyes.


    The adventurer facing Rufus was speaking.


    ¡°From the look of your friend, Mr Remore, I would be quite confident in presuming that no apology will be forthcoming.¡±


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You aren¡¯t willing to let this go unresolved.¡±


    ¡°Your friend has humiliated mine. If no restitution is offered, then I am afraid it must be taken.¡±


    ¡°A duel,¡± Rufus said, blank-faced. ¡°I assume you intend to stand for your friend.¡±


    ¡°I am. Will you be standing for yours?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, stepping out from amongst the onlookers. ¡°He won¡¯t.¡±


    Lancet turned to Jason.


    ¡°The storied Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°Yep. Don¡¯t know who you are, sorry.¡±


    ¡°Then allow me to introduce myself. I am Lancet de Va¨C¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care,¡± Jason said. ¡°Someone put you on the end of a stick and poked you in the direction of my friend. I¡¯m going to be honest, Lancet: I know there¡¯s been a lot of talk about me, and I¡¯m only here so the fine upper crust of Rimaros can finally get a look at me. Get a sense of who I am. Which I suspect you¡¯re about to firsthand. I don¡¯t know if someone put you here to give me that chance or because they have some agenda, but it was the right move. When you go after me through my friends, you get to see exactly who I am.¡±


    Lancet laughed.


    ¡°You barged over here because you somehow thought this was about you?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re quite arrogant, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of my thing. So, as much as I would like to watch you find out what happens when you challenge Rufus Remore, you¡¯re getting me.¡±


    ¡°So be it,¡± Lancet said. ¡°We can make arrangements after the ball is finished.¡±


    ¡°No need,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a nice big room.¡±


    Lancet frowned in confusion.


    ¡°Big room?¡±


    ¡°For the duel,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ll knock it out quick and let these fine people go back to their celebration.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about fighting right here? We¡¯ll duel in a mirage chamber, you savage.¡±


    It was Jason¡¯s turn to laugh.


    ¡°Oh, no. You asked for a duel, not a dance. I hate to break it to you, bloke, but whoever put you up to this made you the pointy end of the stick. That¡¯s the end that gets blood on it. A duel is about putting yourself on the line for your principles.¡±


    ¡°Putting your reputation on the line.¡±


    ¡°And you think pretending to fight is where your reputation will come from?¡±


    ¡°I am an experienced arena duellist, you thug. I can assure you that it is very far from pretend and there is plenty of reputation to be had.¡±


    Jason grinned as he saw the gold ranker from House de Varco wince. While there was no doubt that many knew Lancet¡¯s background, that was very different to making a point of it himself.


    ¡°An ¡®experienced arena duellist¡¯ wound up here, challenging someone to a duel in a mirage arena?¡± Jason pointed out, voice filled with scepticism. ¡°It¡¯s almost like someone planned it.¡±


    Lancet blanched as he realised he''d broken the cardinal rule of the political setup by making the setup transparent. Everyone would continue to play along, but it was a minor humiliation for House de Varco. Jason wasn''t going to leave the knife just sitting there and gave it a twist.


    ¡°Mirage chambers are for training. Arena duelling is a sport. I''m sure it requires a great deal of skill, but this social event is celebrating the people who put themselves on the line in the jungles and fortress towns. Who went into the depths to fight underwater monsters and stood their ground against Builder cultists and Purity loyalists. Reputation comes from what you do; not what you pretend to do in a magic playhouse. How do you fight for your principles when the fight isn¡¯t real? If you want a duel, you put blood on the line. If you don¡¯t have the courage of your convictions, you¡¯re just a coward playing pretend. So, what will it be, Lancet? Courage or cowardice?¡±


    ¡°Your words are just sounds of a beast, howling for blood because it¡¯s all his brutish mind understands.¡±


    ¡°Cowardice it is.¡±


    ¡°Refusing to participate in a backwards blood ritual does not make me a coward!¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Rufus said, stepping up next to Jason. ¡°Calling for a fight and then backing out when you actually have to risk something is what makes you a coward.¡±


    ¡°You expect me to have a real fight with an affliction specialist?¡±


    ¡°What does his speciality matter?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°I thought this was a matter of principle. Oh, are you worried that an affliction specialist can¡¯t face you without a team to support him? That¡¯s considerate, but unnecessary. He¡¯s an affliction skirmisher, not a traditional specialist. He¡¯ll hold his own against you, don¡¯t worry.¡±


    ¡°I apologise,¡± Jason said. ¡°I mistook your concern for my wellbeing for cowardice. Now that it¡¯s settled, we can commence the duel. It looks like the dance floor has been cleared, is that space enough for you?¡±


    Lancet¡¯s smug expression was now pure bile.


    ¡°Rimaros is the heart of civilisation, not some frontier town. We settle our affairs like gentlefolk, not drunkards brawling in an alley.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who picked this fight,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You can refuse to fight it and crawl off if you like, letting all these people know exactly what you are. That¡¯s the benefit of being in the heart of civilisation. The people in that alley you talked about? They don¡¯t get that choice. They win or die; they aren¡¯t free to be cowards.¡±


    ¡°Stop calling me a coward!¡± Lancet snapped.


    ¡°Or what?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You¡¯ll challenge me to a duel in a nice, safe mirage chamber?¡±


    Jason could sense Lancet¡¯s feeling of being cornered as the young nobleman channelled his fear into anger. Jason knew that if he could sense it, so could many others in the room, which itself sealed Lancet¡¯s fate. The entire encounter was about putting on a show, and they had seen what Lancet was. As the one who had lost control of his aura, letting his emotions spell out, Lancet knew it as well.


    ¡°I guess you were right,¡± Jason told him. ¡°You do put reputation on the line. Your mistake was pretending to be something you¡¯re not. If you aren¡¯t willing to go all the way, you¡¯ll always come up short against someone who is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just a brute,¡± Lancet shot back. ¡°Everyone in here knows it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t deny it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Which leaves you the choice between fighting the brute or running from him.¡±


    ¡°Refusing to spill blood in the middle of a royal ball isn¡¯t running.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough. I¡¯m sure we can fight a training hall somewhere. Probably best.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to find a training hall, you lunatic. That¡¯s what mirage chambers are for!¡±


    ¡°Mirage chambers are so you can do things without facing the consequences,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Duels are all about consequences, which means that, by definition, you cannot hold a duel in one. All you can do is spar.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s it going to be?¡± Jason asked. ¡°We have all these people watching.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± a new voice interjected, ¡°everyone can take a step back.¡±


    The crowd parted like the Red Sea to permit passage of the Storm King.


    ¡°Young master de Vasco,¡± the king said, ¡°is here representing a powerful house and a powerful guild. I wonder if, in the spirit of celebration and reconciliation, Young Master de Vasco would be willing to withdraw his duel request. And that you, Mr Asano, Mr Remore and Mr Xandier, would be willing to accept that without blame or recrimination. No victors, no cowards and no grudges.¡±


    ¡°I would,¡± Lancet said, grabbing the lifeline.


    The king looked to Jason and his companions.


    ¡°Will you accept the withdrawal of the challenge without prejudice?¡± he asked them.


    ¡°We would be willing to do so,¡± Jason said, giving a short bow. ¡°As a favour to you, Your Majesty.¡±


    They all felt the wave of whispers move through the onlookers; the favour of a monarch was no small thing, and the king would not be the one in debt. That would be Lancet and the forces standing behind him ¨C whom the king had chosen to mention specifically.


    ¡°Then I will count it as a favour, Mr Asano. And as someone who has seen recordings of what you do to people, I''d appreciate your refraining from further attempts to do it in my ballroom. We pay our stewards well, but some things I would still feel bad about making them clean up.¡±


    ¡°I''ll do my best, Your Majesty. But some days people won''t let you end it with clean hands.¡±


    The king let out a chuckle, like the parent of a naughty child.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s safe to say, Mr Asano, that after this display, anyone who comes to you looking for trouble will get exactly what they asked for.¡±


    The Storm King turned to leave, but paused as his gaze fell on Travis.


    ¡°Travis Noble,¡± he said. ¡°House Rimaros would like to again extend our thanks for designing the weapon that brought down the Builder¡¯s flying city and saved Rimaros, perhaps the entire Storm Kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Er, your welcome.¡±


    ¡°Our door will always be open to you, young man. House Rimaros remembers the debts it owes as well as the debts it is owed.¡±


    Once the king walked back towards the royal family¡¯s seating platform, Lancet moved off in the direction of his house members.


    ¡°It just feels awkward standing here after that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We could go get food,¡± Gary suggested.


    ***


    Jason and his team received a wide berth after the incident. While he made a very distinct impression in Rimaros society, that wasn¡¯t the same as a good one. He was sat at a table with Liara and Zareen, sharing a large plate of food that Gary had left behind to go get a larger plate of food.


    ¡°That could have gone worse,¡± Jason said. ¡°It could have gone better, but on balance, I''d say I was happy. I¡¯ll call it a solid win.¡±


    ¡°You would?¡± Liara asked. ¡°Everyone thinks you¡¯re dangerously volatile, now.¡±


    ¡°Which matches with what they''ve been assuming, based on all the rumours floating around about me. I was never trying to ingratiate myself with the nobility. I was trying to cement myself as an unpredictable factor with the favour of the royal house. Between the king and people seeing us here, sharing snacks, that''s coming along nicely. No one wants to interfere with me until they know more, but I''ve also demonstrated that I can be reined in. I''ve established myself as a factor best avoided, but that can be managed.¡±


    ¡°Did you plan for the king to step in?¡± Zareen asked.


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t part of any plan I was told about,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t plan it,¡± Jason said. ¡°It was one of several scenarios I gamed out, however. Royal intervention, the people behind Lancet popping out. I was surprised they didn''t send someone more capable. I saw he was an empty shirt and ran with it.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s far from an empty shirt,¡± Zareen said. ¡°Being a successful arena fighter in Rimaros means that his skills are real.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said, ¡°But his spine¡¯s imaginary. He never had to scramble for his life with nothing but his own skills and tenacity marking the line between life and death. He smelled so green it¡¯s like someone just mowed the lawn.¡±


    Liara thought back to the time she watched Jason fighting against the trio of Purity loyalists. They had been sent after him with powers and items specifically to counter him. Even so, he struggled far longer than she would have expected before they finally pinned him down, and even then he never gave up, dragging her into it. It was as desperate a fight as she''d seen, but he treated it almost like any other day.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they anticipated you asking for a blood duel during a royal ball when they chose him. What would you have done if he¡¯d accepted the duel on your terms?¡±


    ¡°Drank the life out of him until someone made me stop.¡±


    They turned to look at a man marching in their direction. He was wearing the same outfit as Lancet de Varco, but Jason could immediately spot that this was a different kind of man. He hadn''t honed his abilities in the safety of a mirage chamber. He came right up to the table, planting his feet firmly as he stood in front of them. He started with a bow to Liara.


    ¡°Your highness.¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, the correct form of address is ¡®milady,¡¯¡± Liara told him.


    ¡°Apologies, milady,¡± he said, then turned to Jason. ¡°My name is Hector de Varco, and I challenge you to a duel. Right here is fine.¡±


    ¡°Huh,¡± Jason said. ¡°You realise the king just stopped me from doing this, right? Bloke, you might want some looser pants if you¡¯re going to haul around hefty nuggets like those.¡±

 Chapter 610: Follow Your Convictions to Your Death

    Jason, Liara and Zareen were sitting at a table, with Hector de Varco standing in front of them. It was already drawing attention, even if people couldn¡¯t hear through the invisible privacy screen. Hector was a larger man than his relative, Lancet, and less polished. His hair was trimmed short instead of a sculpted coiffure, with broad shoulders and an outfit that, while tailored, lacked the same flatteringly painstaking fit. Hector also lacked the gold hair of Lancet, instead sporting a deep, shining copper in his eyes and hair.


    Jason and the princesses shared a look.


    ¡°Young Master de Varco,¡± Liara said. ¡°The king personally and specifically asked Mr Asano to refrain from duelling in his ballroom.¡±


    ¡°Then we can take it elsewhere, milady. I am happy to let Mr Asano choose the venue.¡±


    ¡°That is only the beginnings of our concerns,¡± Liara told him.


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°I was just telling the princesses here that I was quite satisfied with how things turned out. I¡¯m not going to accept a duel just because you aren¡¯t happy with your family come out looking when they came looking for me.¡±


    ¡°You did nothing, Mr Asano,¡± Hector said. ¡°Lancet is the one who hurt the reputation of our house. I wish to you show you, and all the people who saw his shameful display, that the de Varco family knows how to stand, be it in victory or defeat.¡±


    Jason narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°You don¡¯t expect to win,¡± he said.


    ¡°I am confident in my abilities,¡± Hector said. "But I do not fear defeat. A failure you survive is but a stepping stone to the next success."


    ¡°Your motivations are irrelevant,¡± Liara said. ¡°There¡¯s no way¨C¡±


    ¡°I have conditions,¡± Jason said.


    "No, you do not," Liara told him.


    ¡°Princess,¡± Jason said, ¡°while I ever value your counsel, the challenge was made to me. The decision is mine.¡±


    There was a delicate reverb of his aura in Jason¡¯s authoritative tone, giving it a weight that even the gold-rank princess could not ignore.


    ¡°Firstly,¡± Jason said to Hector, ¡°it has to be tonight. I don¡¯t have time to be running around after every noble house that wants to put me in a fight. I have gods and great astral beings lining up for that already. Second, you need the king to approve. I¡¯ve already caused one commotion and I have no intention of forcing him to take things in hand a second time. I¡¯m aware that adventurers of non-elite backgrounds are given leeway in etiquette, but I¡¯m not that bereft of courtesy. Thirdly, I¡¯m going to need some incentive. What you¡¯re proposing is a one-sided game. So long as you take your lumps without wetting yourself, you get the good showing for your house that you¡¯re looking for, win or lose. I, on the other hand, get nothing, win or lose. I don¡¯t need to prove myself to the people here. The only reason I showed up is to demonstrate that I¡¯m not some lunatic who¡¯s going to start an interdimensional invasion again.¡±


    ¡°Again?¡± Zareen asked.


    ¡°Pretend you didn¡¯t hear that,¡± Jason told, then turned back to Hector.


    ¡°In short, mate, what¡¯s in it for me? And don¡¯t say pride or honour, because I have no interest in either.¡±


    Hector frowned in thought for a moment before his eyes snapped up to meet Jason''s.


    ¡°Mr Asano, how familiar are you with House de Varco?¡±


    ¡°If I was counting the minutes since I heard about you, I¡¯d run out of fingers and toes, but not by much. Princess Liara said you were traders.¡±


    "At the risk of contradicting the princess, Mr Asano, while we do an amount of trade, it''s a corollary to our primary endeavour, which is the construction of vehicles. Everything from wagons to ships to airships; even exotic flying vessels for private buyers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m already good for transport, mate.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Hector said. ¡°You possess a cloud flask. But as I said, my family creates all manner of transport.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re offering me another cloud flask?¡±


    "No. While the creation of such a vehicle is an ambition my family is working towards, we are not there yet. We have managed some more limited cloud constructs, a true cloud flask remains in the realm of ambition. But our progress has produced a by-product that you may find appealing."


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason prompted.


    ¡°A cloud flask can take a vehicle form,¡± Hector said. ¡°But those forms are basic. That¡¯s fine for a static construct, like a cloud house, but vehicles are more dynamic. The inherent property of a cloud flask is to take on materials to expand its capabilities. In their studies of cloud flasks, my family had developed the means to harness that effect. With the right materials and design matrix, a cloud flask can replicate the finest vessels that my family produces. And they, Mr Asano, are some of the finest vessels in the world.¡±


    Jason looked to Liara, who gave him a confirming nod. He then turned back to Hector and leaned forward in his chair.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit that sounds interesting.¡±


    ¡°I know for a fact that we have several such design matrices sitting around as the results of our ongoing experiments into cloud constructs. If you agree to this duel, I will offer you the design and materials for a land vessel. If you win, I will offer you the same for an air vessel.¡±


    ¡°How much material are we talking about here?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m talking about the raw materials to build an entire airship from scratch, Mr Asano. A small one. My understanding is that you won¡¯t be able to produce the kind of massive skyships cloud flasks are known for producing until gold rank.¡±


    Jason remembered his first look at Emir¡¯s cloud ship, the size of a massive ocean liner.


    ¡°That is acceptable,¡± he said, ¡°but I have one more condition: It can¡¯t just be you. You have to bring three companions.¡±


    ¡°You want to fight four of us alone?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯ll be bringing companions of my own. If I take a second opportunity to kick the crap out of someone and don¡¯t invite my friend Sophie, she¡¯ll kick the crap out of me.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Miss Hurin,¡± Trenchant Moore said. Farrah looked at the tall, lean, pale man with dark hair, angular features and bright blue eyes. A little too blue, in fact. She guessed that, like Jason, his eyes had diverged from their original state.


    ¡°Mr Moore,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Is there something I can do for you?¡±


    ¡°I have heard that you will be staying with us in Rimaros after your friend and his team have all left.¡±


    ¡°For a time.¡±


    ¡°I am¡­ that is good.¡±


    "Wow," Farrah said. "You''re really smooth with the ladies. Come on, Stretch. I don''t think Jason is going to kill anyone on the dance floor, so we''re probably fine taking a spin."


    She grabbed his hand and dragged him in that direction as he trailed behind.


    "Stretch?"


    ***


    Jason and Hector approached the platform atop which was a lounge area for the core members of the royal family. There wasn¡¯t a lot of lounging taking place, however, with the presence of Soramir plainly reducing the family¡¯s ability to relax. Hector was even more nervous as they approached, only four people looking unperturbed. Two were diamond rankers; Soramir and Zila Rimaros. One was Jason, who would not have looked out of place strolling a market with his easygoing stride. The Storm King was neither relaxed nor intimidated, playing up the stern-but-benevolent monarch rather than taking it easy with family.


    There were no guards at the platform. Anyone who made trouble there would either be a peer of Dawn¡¯s or swiftly scraped off the polished floor by palace stewards. Even the most casual observer noticed that no one approached the platform without a very distinct purpose. Jason reflected on the contrast between that and the people approaching him earlier at the event, before he started talking about blood duels in the middle of a society ball.


    Jason didn''t hesitate as he entered the platform''s privacy screen, which started at the short steps leading to the platform. Hector had been rather bold earlier, but the pinnacle members of the royal family intimidated him in a way that even the gold-rank Princess Liara did not.


    ¡°Come on, bloke,¡± Jason encouraged as he made his way up the steps, turning his attention to Soramir and the Storm King, whose name he still didn¡¯t know. He just knew that he was Zara¡¯s father.


    ¡°G¡¯day again, your kingness,¡± Jason said, then nodded to Soramir. ¡°G¡¯day Soramir; it¡¯s been a minute.¡±


    Hector, who had already dropped to one knee, had the look of a man trying to figure out how to shuffle very quickly on one knee away from the madman next to him.


    ¡°I had rather expected,¡± the Storm King said, ¡°that our last conversation would be the end of you making commotions at this event, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Then you might want to skip my invite next time,¡± Jason said. ¡°The more I try to have a nice, quiet time, the more it ends up being one thing after another. I tried to have a simple barbecue to meet the neighbours when I moved into town, and these two showed up. Uninvited, no less.¡±


    Jason gestured at Zila and Soramir with a pointed finger. Jason hadn¡¯t seen Soramir in some time, since he was hurt escaping the underwater complex. It was plain that many members of royalty looking on were not happy about Jason¡¯s insouciance, but they were not going to speak up when the king and the diamond rankers were willing to tolerate it, even if they failed to understand why.


    ¡°Would it hurt you to show a little deference, Jason?¡± Soramir asked lightly.


    ¡°Would it hurt you to offer a bloke a seat?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Addressing the deference issue would involve delving into my thoughts of the relative merits of different forms of governance. I don¡¯t think this is the time and place for that particular debate.¡±


    "While I genuinely say I would find that fascinating," the Storm King said, "You''re right that this is not the place. Which begs the question of why you have approached me, along with this much more respectful young man from House de Varco. Given our last conversation, you make for an unexpected pairing.¡±


    Jason prodded the still kneeling Hector with his foot.


    ¡°This is your show, bloke. Maybe stand up and tell the nice king what you want for Christmas?¡±


    Hector was a silver ranker and didn¡¯t sweat, but he felt like his body might figure out how from pure nervousness. As Jason conversed with the royals, Hector realised that his assumptions about the man he had challenged were way off. Not only was he speaking with his Majesty and his Ancestral Majesty in a way that Hector would only describe as suicidal, but he was getting away with it.


    How was Asano not wilting under the attention of all that power? Just the passive aura interactions from having two diamond rankers pay passing attention to him were making the hair on his arms stand on end, and they were restraining themselves. Anxiously, under the now focused attention of the King and royal family, Hector got to his feet. He steeled himself, planting his feet as he raised his eyes to look at the king.


    ¡°Your Majesty, after my house failed to comport itself in a manner that reflects well on its place in your kingdom, I took it upon myself to rectify the circumstances.¡±


    ¡°And how did you seek to go about that task?¡±


    "I challenged Jason Asano to a duel, your highness. However, Mr Asano refused, citing his respect for you and your desire that this gathering remains a peaceful one. He said he would not accept unless my challenge could be made with your approval."


    ¡°And why would I give that approval? You want to have a bloody fight in the middle of my ballroom, in the middle of my ball?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you could suggest an alternate venue, Your Majesty,¡± Jason suggested. ¡°Somewhere roomy, since it¡¯s actually going to be four duels. Should you approve.¡±


    ¡°Four duels?¡± the king asked.


    ¡°I thought that if we¡¯re going to do it, why not put on a show? So, if you have a big room somewhere that maybe you don¡¯t mind us breaking some bits off of, we could just quietly bunk off and leave your guests to their lovely evening.¡±


    ¡°And who else would be participating in this series of duels?¡± Soramir asked.


    ¡°The guy who¡¯s better at me with swords, the woman who¡¯s better than me with fists and the guy who¡¯s better than me at talking to people like you.¡±


    ¡°That would be Rufus Remore and Sophie Wexler," Soramir said. "Not to put too fine a point on it, Mr Asano, but that last description does little to narrow it down."


    Jason let out an easy laugh and pointed. There was no shortage of people watching, despite not hearing anything, having seen Jason and Hector approach the king.


    ¡°It¡¯s the tall, broad-shouldered bloke that is suddenly very aghast that I¡¯m pointing him out to you.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps,¡± Soramir said to the king, ¡°we can make some entertainment of it. The old duelling arena has seating for an audience.¡±


    ¡°Wait, you guys have a duelling arena?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You should have brought that up when the other guy was crying about mirage chambers and saved us some trouble.¡±


    ¡°It has gone unused for many years,¡± the king said.


    ¡°It was installed only a century or so after the kingdom was founded,¡± Soramir explained. ¡°Back when I still ruled the Storm Kingdom, mirage chambers were yet to be invented.¡±


    ¡°Duelling was already on the decline by the time they were,¡± the king continued, ¡°but the safety they offered resulted in something of a resurgence.¡±


    ¡°I happen to agree with Mr Asano that there are no duels in mirage chambers,¡± Soramir said. ¡°They¡¯re just performances for people pretending to have courage.¡±


    ¡°Performances that let the hot-headed young members of the Houses play their little games without starting blood feuds,¡± the king countered. ¡°Not everything has to be about following your convictions to your death.¡±


    ¡°As Mr Asano has done exactly that several times,¡± Soramir said, ¡°I don¡¯t think you will have any more luck of having him agree than you would me. So you might as well reopen the arena and let the ball attendees enjoy some sport.¡±


    "Explain to me," the king said, "how failing to convince you and Mr Asano of anything means I have to allow duels to take place."


    Jason opened his mouth to respond and then stopped, frowning.


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    ¡°Is there a problem, Mr Asano?¡± Soramir asked.


    ¡°I figured someone would try and break into my house while everyone was off at a party, but it just had to be while I was talking to the king, didn¡¯t it. Sorry, Your Maj; I better take a look at this.¡±


    ¡°Your Maj?¡± Hector asked, dumbfounded as Jason dug a hand into his shirt and pulled out a necklace. It had two amulets on it, one being his Amulet of the Dark Guardian, and the other being his shrunken cloud flask. Cloud stuff came spilling out of the tiny flask and formed a vertical ring the size of a portal. It wasn¡¯t portal energy that shimmered into being, however, but an image of Jason¡¯s pagoda. Four people dressed in black were on one of the lower floor balconies, where they had laid down a board and were drawing a ritual on it.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡± the king asked.


    ¡°Yes?¡± Jason absently answered as he watched the image.


    ¡°How are you maintaining any connection to your cloud building through the very significant defences around this sky island?¡±


    Jason went still, then turned his head to look at the king with a friendly smile.


    ¡°Uh¡­ I¡¯m not.¡±


    ¡°Then what exactly is this?¡± the king asked, gesturing at the floating ring.


    ¡°Art?¡±

 Chapter 611: The God in This Scenario

    ¡°I can¡¯t believe his majesty went along with this,¡± Liara muttered as she rode an elevating platform into the bowels of the sky island.


    ¡°Dinner and a show,¡± Jason said. ¡°What¡¯s not to like?¡±


    A vast amount of infrastructure was in the underground portions of the flying island on which the royal palace and residential sectors for royalty and foreign diplomats were located. A large part of that was underwater docking stations where vehicles could arrive in an airlock where the water was pumped out, allowing the passengers to disembark. This was where most of the royal palace traffic arrived, comprised of supply deliveries, palace staff and government functionaries.


    The lake at the heart of the royal palace was more naturalistic on the surface, but underneath it was a perfect ring. The sections of it not occupied by docks offered magically reinforced glass walls that made for interesting office spaces and other rooms that abutted the lake below the surface.


    One such room was the old duelling area, which was, like the ballroom they had just left, a stadium-scale space, both horizontally and vertically. People were swarming down from the ballroom for a chance to watch the upcoming duels, but most were heading for the audience seating. Those heading for the main area were the royal family, various key attendants, the actual duellists and a few attendants.


    ¡°The duelling arena has been used as a training hall by the Sapphire Crown guild for years,¡± Trenchant Moore explained. He was on the elevating platform with Jason and Liara, as well as Sophie, Humphrey, Zareen, Rufus and Rufus¡¯ mum.


    ¡°You¡¯re sure Callum isn¡¯t behind the people breaking into my pagoda?¡± Jason asked Arabelle.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been very clear with him on this,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Also, he received quite the impression last time he tried.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t mean he didn¡¯t send someone else to try,¡± Jason told her. ¡°People do things that are stupid and make no sense all the time. Myself very much included.¡±


    ¡°Jason, my job is helping people with their mental issues. You think I don¡¯t know what people are like?¡±


    ¡°You help people because they need it and come to you,¡± Jason said. ¡°I get the ones who lack that much self-awareness. Instead of going to you, they try to murder me. Or kidnap. Honestly, if you discount monsters, I see more attempts to kidnap that kill me. Does that make me popular?¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you shouldn¡¯t be going to deal with the people breaking into your house?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m a silver ranker,¡± Jason said. ¡°What am I going to do to a bunch of gold rankers?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sure they¡¯re gold rankers?¡± Arabelle asked.


    ¡°I am,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°How?¡± Arabelle asked.


    ¡°They¡¯re still alive. Okay, that¡¯s just me being dramatic; I can sense them.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be able to,¡± Liara said. ¡°The defences around this sky island are as powerful as any in the world. It should cut off everything.¡±


    ¡°Does it prevent gods from speaking with their servants?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Then it doesn¡¯t cut off everything,¡± Jason pointed out.


    ¡°Between you and the cloud house, who is the god in this scenario?¡±


    ¡°I refuse to answer on the grounds that I may incriminate myself. And it¡¯s not like they¡¯re good gold-rankers. They¡¯re all core users.¡±


    ¡°All of them?¡± Zareen asked. ¡°At gold rank, core users are less common than people who trained up properly. Are they a bunch of craftspeople or something?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask them when I get home,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have something to be getting on with first¡­ oh, it looks like they¡¯ve decided to cut their losses and get out. They¡¯ve started breaking through walls.¡±


    ¡°Then you won¡¯t be talking to them when you get home,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Maybe, maybe not. They haven¡¯t realised yet that I keep moving the room they¡¯re in to the middle of the building.¡±


    ***


    Four men forcefully broke through a wall, arriving in another of a series of empty square rooms.


    ¡°What did I tell you?¡± Jedrin asked as the wall they just broke through reformed behind them. ¡°No one pays four gold rankers to come a quarter of the way around the planet to rob some silver ranker¡¯s house.¡±


    ¡°Shut up, Jedrin.¡±


    They were all uneasy. Their senses failed to extend beyond any of the walls and they had stopped finding furnished rooms. Each wall they broke through led them to one empty box after another. There was a pervasive sense that they were trespassing and there seemed to be formidable power behind it. They couldn¡¯t even be certain that power was real, however, as their senses barely brushed against it and it was not something that belonged in a silver-rank construct. It could easily have been their imaginations, except that they had each felt it.


    The result was that they quickly found themselves unnerved, and it only got worse. Once they had broken into the house, they had moved through a series of ordinary rooms until they found themselves in a room that was just a plain box. There were no windows and even the door vanished, sealing them in. That was the point they decided to call it quits and started smashing through walls to escape, but each new room was a new empty box.


    ¡°Get bent, Kirk,¡± Jedrin said. ¡°I should have told you to shut up when you wanted to take this job. It''s not like we''re some infiltration experts. The only reason to go that far for us is that it''s how far you have to go to find someone who doesn''t know how stupid an idea it is.¡±


    ¡°I said shut up.¡±


    ¡°And I asked why anyone would go that far and pay that much for us? And now we know it¡¯s because the people paying attention clearly looked into this job and said no.¡±


    ¡°How about you both shut up,¡± William said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Ray said. ¡°Arguing won¡¯t get us out of here.¡±


    ¡°Neither will breaking through walls,¡± Jedrin said. ¡°We¡¯ve gone further than the width of the entire building, yet here we are. Either the rooms are moving or there¡¯s dimensional manipulation going on.¡±


    ¡°Which we can¡¯t tell because our senses won¡¯t go through the damn walls,¡± William said.


    ¡°If you have a better idea, let¡¯s hear it,¡± Ray said.


    ¡°I have a better idea,¡± Jedrin said. ¡°Remember when I said that getting portalled in right before the job was a bad idea because it didn¡¯t give us a chance to do any research into the target?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not a better idea,¡± Kirk said. ¡°That¡¯s you passive-aggressively bragging - again ¨C about how you didn¡¯t want to do the thing that you did right along with the rest of us. Again.¡±


    ¡°Maybe let me finish?¡± Jedrin asked. ¡°My point is that I did do a little research.¡±


    ¡°We were told not to, specifically to prevent alerting the target,¡± Kirk said. ¡°And now we¡¯re stuck in a trap. Good job.¡±


    ¡°Do you seriously think that me doing some research on a different continent was enough that all this was set up specifically to deal with us?¡± Jedrin asked.


    ¡°He¡¯s right, Kirk,¡± William said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure that they just didn¡¯t want us finding out why no one else took the job.¡±


    ¡°They just didn¡¯t want to use locals so it didn¡¯t come back on them,¡± Kirk argued.


    ¡°If you¡¯ll stop interrupting,¡± Jedrin interjected, ¡°I can get to what my research uncovered.¡±


    ¡°Then stop flapping your mouth and get to it,¡± Kirk said.


    ¡°What did you find?¡± William asked.


    ¡°Not much,¡± Jedrin said. ¡°It was short notice and I wanted to be careful. What I did find was that the guy who owns this place won a cloud flask from Emir Bahadir in some contest in the middle of nowhere. It was a big deal, with nobles sending a bunch of their young people to compete.¡±


    ¡°Emir Bahadir the treasure hunter?¡± William asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s the one,¡± Jedrin said. ¡°The point is that I found out that the house we were hired to rob was a cloud construct.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that''s really helpful,¡± Kirk said snidely. ¡°I hate to break it to you, Jedrin, but we already knew that.¡±


    ¡°Now that we¡¯re here, sure,¡± Jedrin said. ¡°But I knew before. Long enough before that I knew we''d be breaking into a cloud house, and therefore had time to bring a contingency plan.¡±


    ¡°What kind of contingency plan?¡± Ray asked.


    Jedrin reached into the dimension bag at his hip and pulled out a box the size of a small suitcase, complete with handle. It was made of pale grey ceramic with dark metal covering the corners. A complex array of sigils was engraved into the surface of the ceramic, on each side of the box.


    ¡°What is that?¡± Kirk asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a thaumic cohesion impedance device,¡± Jedrin said.


    ¡°A what?¡± Ray asked while William backed away from it.


    ¡°What in the sweet gods are you doing with that thing?¡± William asked. ¡°They are very, very illegal.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re breaking into someone¡¯s house, William,¡± Kirk said. ¡°We¡¯re already doing crime.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re doing the kind of crime that means our families have to pay a fine if we get caught,¡± William hissed. ¡°Jedrin just turned it into the kind of crime where the Adventure Society crawls up inside us and builds a rustic cottage.¡±


    Ray looked at William, then the device.


    ¡°I think you need to explain what this thing is right now.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s¨C¡± Jedrin began, only for Ray to cut him off immediately.


    ¡°Not you,¡± Ray said, pointing at Jedrin before moving his finger to paint at William. ¡°You.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a device for breaking down things made of magic. Not things that are magical, but things actually made of manifested magic. Conjured objects, spirit coins.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the perfect thing for trashing a cloud construct,¡± Jedrin said. ¡°Which you all know that we could very much use right now. That¡¯s my better idea; you¡¯re welcome.¡±


    ¡°You know what else is made of magic?¡± William asked. ¡°We are. We¡¯re gold rankers, so our bodies are made of magic. It¡¯s why we don¡¯t die when we get stabbed in the head.¡±


    ¡°If it¡¯s going to affect us,¡± Ray said, ¡°then I think that more specifics on exactly what you mean by ¡®breaking down¡¯ would be something worth hearing.¡±


    ¡°It means,¡± William said, ¡°turning manifested magic, meaning magic that¡¯s taken solid form, back into non-manifested magic. Like when a monster dies and it turns into rainbow smoke.¡±


    Ray backed off alongside William.


    ¡°I¡¯m not interested in turning into rainbow smoke today.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t bring something that would kill us, you idiots.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sure you didn¡¯t,¡± William said. ¡°That¡¯s why they made them incredibly illegal. How did you even get one?¡±


    ¡°I know a guy,¡± Jedrin said.


    ¡°What guy?¡± Kirk asked.


    ¡°Sak.¡±


    ¡°Sak?¡± Ray explained. ¡°That guy definitely sold us out.¡±


    ¡°To who?¡± Jedrin asked.


    "To anyone he could," William said. "It''s Sak. Why would you ever consider buying something that illegal from him? And where did he even get it?"


    ¡°He knows a guy too.¡±


    ¡°What guy?¡± Ray asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jedrin said, increasingly defensive. ¡°He had a hat.¡±


    ¡°A hat?¡± Kirk asked.


    ¡°Yes, a hat. A big hat.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± William said, his tone suddenly convinced. ¡°You should have said that he had a big hat. That makes it perfectly alright to BUY VERY ILLEGAL MAGIC DEVICES FROM A COMPLETE STRANGER RECOMMENDED BY THE LEAST TRUSTWORTHY PERSON IN THE ENTIRE COUNTRY!¡±


    ¡°Just so I¡¯m following this correctly,¡± Ray said, ¡°you bought a massively illegal device that will melt us, assuming that the random man with a big hat you brought it from wasn¡¯t lying about what it is. A man you went to on the advice of a person most famous for selling out the people he works with.¡±


    ¡°It sounds bad when you say it like that,¡± Jedrin said. ¡°And it won¡¯t melt us. These things are optimised to break down amorphous substances replicating rigid substances. Heavy conjured armour and cloud houses. Will it string us a bit? Yes. But right now we¡¯re trapped on the wrong continent for a job we never should have taken in a house of infinite boxes. A house that I¡¯m fairly certain hates us. So, we can stay here, waiting for someone to find us with this incredibly illegal device, or we can set it off to get us out of here and wipe out the evidence in the process.¡±


    The four men looked at each other and the box they were trapped in. After more back-and-forth arguing, they finally agreed to set off the device, but not in the room they were in. They would set it to activate and breach into another room, putting a wall between them and the device.


    Their precautions meant little as the device detonated. The room around them was disintegrated, and plenty more besides. Suddenly there was a massive sphere-shaped absence of anything in the middle of the pagoda, everything in the space having been utterly annihilated. Partly destroyed rooms were exposed, sending furniture tumbling through levels.


    ¡°I feel tingly,¡± Kirk said.


    All four men had closed their eyes, wincing as it felt like sandpaper had been rubbed all over their skin. They had fallen as the room they were in was destroyed and they opened their eyes to see the destruction. The hole the device had ripped in the place had dropped them into a mezzanine level with access to a large open atrium with a wall that let them see outside. The air was filled by a hazy mist that was the dissipated remains of what had previously been walls, floors and ceilings.


    ¡°Okay, we can get out,¡± Jedrin said. ¡°I told you that¡­ Kirk, where are your clothes?¡±


    ¡°I wear conjured clothes,¡± Kirk said. ¡°Just from a magic item, nothing special. Easier than owning a bunch of different stuff.¡±


    ¡°Do you have the item on you?¡± Jedrin asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then how about you put on some damn pants before we make a run for it?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a little late for that,¡± William said and the others joined him in looking around. Dark figures, each with a large alien eye instead of a face, were swarming out of the rooms that had been rent open.


    ¡°They¡¯re silver-rank,¡± Jedrin said. ¡°We can fight our way through.¡±


    The haze suddenly coalesced in the centre of the space forming a giant blue and orange eye. Then the four men¡¯s flesh started to rot.

 Chapter 612: The Only Person Who Thinks It’s Obvious

    On one side of the duelling area, the entire wall was made up of reinforced glass, behind which was the lake at the heart of the sky island. Specially reared aquatic creatures, unfazed by the regular water traffic, swam around in the water. It was an impressive backdrop for anyone viewing from the seats that made up the other side of the area, also behind reinforced glass.


    There were VIP viewing booths into which the palace stewards were expertly guiding the more prestigious attendees, dealing with the etiquette protocols on the fly. There were also ready areas at each end, behind massive doors. In the one set aside for Jason, Rufus, Sophie and Humphrey, they were accompanied by their friends and several others. Trenchant Moore, Zareen and Liara were all in attendance.


    Jason was staring into the middle distance, his expression blank.


    ¡°Mr Moore,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m going to go see Young Master de Varco about final details. If you would be kind enough to lead my friend to that viewing booth you mentioned.


    ¡°Of course, Mr Asano. And Princess Liara, His Majesty has asked after you.¡±


    ¡°What about the men in your pagoda?¡± Zareen asked Jason.


    ¡°They¡¯re contained,¡± he said, his tone matter-of-fact.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Liara asked. ¡°We¡¯re going to need to talk to them. I know your pagoda is intimidating, but it¡¯s still a silver-rank construct. Four gold rankers might be able to break out of they¡¯re determined enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve calibrated the house to keep rotting their flesh at roughly the same rate as their gold-rank recovery attributes will heal it,¡± Jason said. ¡°It will keep them debilitated until I attend them myself.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Rufus said in a worried voice.


    ¡°Rufus, you remember the joke back in Greenstone right?¡± Jason asked. His voice held the whimsy of a man certain the police wouldn¡¯t find the family before he¡¯d had his fun. ¡°It turns out I am the man with the evil powers. I¡¯ve already taught one world that.¡±


    As Jason strode out of the room Humphrey also went to talk to him, but Arabelle gestured him to stop. She looked to Farrah, who left to trail Jason.


    ¡°Am I missing something?¡± Zareen asked. ¡°Or is he remotely torturing a group of gold rankers? From here.¡±


    ¡°Your mother once approached me about the gap in Jason¡¯s Adventure Society records during his time away,¡± Arabelle told her. ¡°I refused to share what I knew, but I advocated against Jason participating in political games. I told her that he should be sent away with his team, which I believe she agreed with, to her credit. The choice was made at higher levels within the Adventure Society and royal family both, if I¡¯m not mistaken.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not,¡± Liara confirmed.


    ¡°You may get your wish of learning about Jason¡¯s time away after all, milady,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°If you put Jason in a political mess, try to exploit him and then make moves on him behind his back¨C¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Someone did,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°And that¡¯s what happened in that missing time. It happened a lot, and now you¡¯re seeing what Jason does when that happens. Put him in that mindset and his instincts are to trust no one and kill everyone. To put aside his principles whatever it costs him because that¡¯s what it takes when the world is against you and everyone coming for you has more power.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like that,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°This is a different world. And he has us.¡±


    ¡°Which I strongly advise to remind him of before his duel,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Especially if you¡¯re interested in de Varco still wanting to be an adventurer after.¡±


    ***


    Farrah followed Jason into the hall, which was a plaIn brick tunnel. To those who didn¡¯t know how expensive the bricks were, it lacked the opulence of a royal palace. To those who did, it was practically a treasury. Entering the tunnel, Farrah was ready to rush to catch Jason, but found him leaning his forehead against the wall.


    ¡°I thought I was better,¡± he said.


    ¡°You are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been sitting around in the tropics, thinking I wasn¡¯t the same. But when push came to shove, it took one day. One day, and I¡¯m back to the same savage, reactionary violence I was doing on Earth.¡±


    ¡°You are better, Jason, even if you don¡¯t see it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m torturing a bunch of strangers as we speak.¡±


    ¡°Then stop,¡± Farrah said lightly.


    Jason pushed himself off the wall and turned to look at her, expression cold.


    ¡°No.¡±


    She flashed him a smile.


    ¡°You know what you remind me of right now? You, back in Greenstone. Getting some kills under your belt and wondering what was becoming of you.¡±


    ¡°And now we know what became of me. I wouldn¡¯t have been willing to do what I¡¯m doing back then.¡±


    ¡°No, you wouldn¡¯t. But on Earth, you wouldn¡¯t have been beating yourself up over it, either. On Earth, you killed without a moment¡¯s consideration of whether it was right because you didn¡¯t have the luxury. You didn¡¯t have time for right or wrong, only for what was necessary.¡±


    ¡°I took it too far, Farrah. You are what you do, and what I did was put aside my principles.¡±


    ¡°But now you¡¯re pondering them again, and that¡¯s good. Keep questioning. But that brutal part of you, that can do what¡¯s necessary ¨C it¡¯s necessary too. Some days you''re going to need it. But you can also put it back in the box, and that''s the difference. On Earth, you were a diamond knife, sharp but brittle. You were never soft, and every time you got a little sharper, you were always on the verge of breaking.¡±


    He bowed his head.


    ¡°You kept me from breaking.¡±


    ¡°Barely. But you have more people now, and you are different, Jason. I see it, even if you don¡¯t. You¡¯re not as soft as you started out, but also not as hard as you became. Right now you have a balance; you can do the hard things without losing yourself in doing them. I know you¡¯re still getting the hang of maintaining it, but we¡¯re here to help you. You just have to let us.¡±


    ¡°Crap. I¡¯m the fragile, high-maintenance one, aren¡¯t I?¡±


    Farrah laughed.


    ¡°You¡¯re only just figuring that out? Look, if you deny what you learned about yourself on Earth, it¡¯s going to devour you from the inside out. But you can¡¯t let it dominate you, either. Compartmentalise. Keep it in the box where it belongs and pull it out when you need it. I¡¯m not telling you anything you don¡¯t know.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sounding a lot like Arabelle.¡±


    "We talked about you a lot. She wanted to know about your world and our time there from someone other than you, so she could better help you. And she did, even if you maybe don''t see it right now. But I see it, so you¡¯ll just have to trust me.¡±


    Jason smiled.


    ¡°I can do that. Are you sure you won¡¯t come with us when we leave Rimaros?¡±


    ¡°You have a portal power and I¡¯m inventing the magic phone. It¡¯s not like you¡¯re going back to Earth and I won¡¯t see you for a decade. Which means you¡¯ll be getting plenty more advice from me, starting with this: Don¡¯t make this Hector guy quit being an adventurer due to mental trauma. He¡¯s not the one who broke into your house.¡±


    ¡°They set off some kind of bomb in there,¡± Jason said. ¡°Blew a giant hole in the middle.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re gold rankers. Even if they¡¯re crap gold rankers, they could still throw a garbage truck like a basketball.¡±


    ¡°Did you watch a lot of sports on Earth?¡±


    "No, Jason. There was a bunch of giant, athletic men running around in tight outfits and I thought to myself, ''that''s not for me.'' Is the pagoda intact?"


    ¡°Not really. I¡¯m going to have to return it to the flask and reproduce it.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Pack up and go tonight. Be gone by first light. It¡¯s past time you hit the road and had those adventures we promised you back in Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s still stuff to do. People to collect. I haven¡¯t even decided if the royal family get to¨C¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t. As for the people who are going with you, I¡¯ll let them know to get ready. If they don¡¯t, go without them; they¡¯ll catch up or they won¡¯t. You¡¯re the high-maintenance one, remember? Let them work around you.¡±


    ***


    Sophie¡¯s opponent was an elf with the sword, shield, myriad and arsenal essences. Her fighting style combined mobility with conjured swords and shields that floated around her to fight the enemy on their own. Using quick abilities to conjure the weapons bought time for her to cast more powerful spells.


    The many shields, conjured over and over, moved into Sophie¡¯s path as she attempted to slip through with her speed. At the same time, Sophie was bombarded with swords that she needed to smash out of the air. They would just keep hunting her, making it harder and harder as more swords were conjured up.


    Fortunately for Sophie, her Radiant Fist and Immortal Fist powers gave her disruptive-force and resonating-force damage respectively, ideally suited for crushing rigid, conjured tools. Even so, they were accumulating faster than she was breaking them down.


    The early advantage was with the elf. Sophie initially dodged through the conjured defenders multiple times to attack her, but Sophie¡¯s strikes simply didn¡¯t do enough damage and she was repeatedly forced to back off from counterattacks. The elf was more of a ranged than melee combatant, but no one with the sword essence was a slouch up close. With floating swords and shields harassing her, Sophie wasn¡¯t able to push the attack for long.


    The count of swords and shields slowly accumulated, making it harder for Sophie to reach the elf with raw speed, but Sophie had tricks of her own as well. Her Cloud Step power allowed her to run on air as if it were solid ground and, for brief moments, take on a mist form that made her near-impervious to most forms of damage. Her Mirage Step power allowed her to make short, blinking teleports, leaving behind afterimages that sent out dimensional blade attacks to alleviate the pressure.


    Sophie also used a space-distorting power. She could manipulate space to dodge seemingly unavoidable attacks, but where Jason also used his power to obscure and deceive, Sophie incorporated the distortions into her ever-flowing movement. Adding staccato shifts to her prodigious speed made it all the harder to predict and intercept her, while incongruously never seeming erratic or disjointed.


    Jason had joined the Storm King, Soramir, Trenchant Moore and Liara in a viewing booth, at Soramir¡¯s request. The king had already levied some pointed questions about how Jason was communing with his cloud house through the palace¡¯s defence magic, but to Jason¡¯s surprise, Soramir had shut him down.


    ¡°That space-distortion ability she¡¯s using,¡± Soramir said as she observed Sophie. ¡°That¡¯s Between the Raindrops?¡±


    ¡°Good eye,¡± Jason said.


    "Her mastery of it is formidable. In fact, her entire power set is dangerously skill-oriented, yet she makes it look easy. You found this girl stealing in some provincial city-state?"


    ¡°There was an open contract to catch her,¡± Jason said. ¡°Oddly enough, we¡¯d met before, briefly. Friend of a friend. Once it became obvious that there was some ugly politics involved, turning her into an adventurer seemed the obvious way to get it settled.¡±


    Liara let out a snorting laugh, despite the august company.


    ¡°You¡¯re the only person who thinks it¡¯s obvious to break the thief you caught yourself out of an Adventure Society holding facility, stash her with Emir Bahadir, of all people, and then turn her into an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°Bahadir?¡± the king asked with a scowl.


    ¡°He¡¯s a friend,¡± Jason said. ¡°I know he¡¯s not super-popular around here.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s quite the find,¡± Soramir said. ¡°I¡¯m starting to see why Roland has always been so avid about scholarships.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Roland Remore?¡± Jason asked, referring to Rufus¡¯ diamond-rank grandfather.


    ¡°Yes. His family runs a school. He won''t stop talking about it."


    ¡°Try turning it into a drinking game,¡± Jason suggested. ¡°It won¡¯t stop him, but it makes it a lot more fun.¡±


    As they talked, the duel below was escalating. Sophie blurred as the Eternal Moment power accelerated her personal time stream. She used the brief moment of subjectively frozen time to create a storm of wind blades that erupted when time resumed. Each blade exploded on impact, smashing many of the conjured weapons apart. It brought her precious breathing room after they had threatened to overwhelm her.


    ¡°This match is shaping up to be quite interesting,¡± Soramir said. ¡°Miss Wexler is getting stronger as she goes, and I believe she¡¯s inflicting escalating retributive damage. Is that something from her balance essence?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Jason said. ¡°She used an awakening stone of karma to pick up that particular power. Legendary stone, but it didn¡¯t disappoint. Her opponent is interesting, though. It seems like she¡¯s being increasingly pushed, but it looks like she¡¯s using all those conjured swords and shields to set up a combat ritual. Something to flip the match in a moment, I suspect.¡±


    ¡°You noticed that?¡± Soramir asked, mild surprise in his voice.


    ¡°A member of his team uses combat rituals quite heavily, Ancestral Majesty,¡± Liara explained. ¡°It is quite likely that Miss Wexler has likewise recognised it.¡±


    ¡°Yet, she hasn¡¯t started taking greater risks to try and close the fight out early,¡± Soramir observed. ¡°She should be racing to finish the battle before her opponent completes the ritual, even at the risk of taking greater damage. Yet she maintains her slowly escalating tempo.¡±


    ¡°For all her speed,¡± Jason said, ¡°Sophie does things at her own pace.¡±


    ¡°Meaning she either doesn¡¯t know about the ritual, or she has something ready herself,¡± Soramir observed.


    ¡°Sophie used a couple of awakening stones of the moment,¡± Jason said. ¡°One of them gave her that self-accelerating power she used to produce all those wind blades at once. The other gave her a power she hasn¡¯t shown off yet.¡±


    Soramir tapped a finger to his lips thoughtfully, considering the powers such a stone could produce from Sophie¡¯s essences. It was a long list, even off the top of his head, but the circumstances gave him clues as to what it could be. His eyes sparkled as he made a guess.


    ¡°Moment of Oneness?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You know your essence abilities,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It will take courage and timing to pull off,¡± Soramir observed.


    ¡°I''m not worried," Jason said. "Courage and timing are kind of her things."


    The combat ritual suddenly triggered and the arena was immediately filled with so many conjured swords it was impossible to see the combatants with the naked eye.


    ¡°Fog of Swords,¡± Soramir said. ¡°Dedicated combat ritual essence ability spells are extremely rare.¡±


    ¡°Levelling that thing must be a real prick,¡± Jason said. ¡°The effort shows, though; she timed it well. Sophie¡¯s time-acceleration power could maybe have let her dodge it all, but her enemy made sure it was on cooldown.¡±


    The swords plunged in, too thick and too numerous for any amount of spatial distortion to let Sophie avoid. Countless swords slammed into her, each one exploding as it did. They moved with blinding speed, designed specifically to catch out even someone as fast as Sophie. In the wake of the force explosions that distorted the air, Sophie was left standing unharmed, not having bothered to dodge. Her opponent¡¯s eyes went wide as Sophie blinked, arriving right behind her. Sophie¡¯s fist was a blur as it arrived at the back of the elf¡¯s head, only to be stopped dead as it was caught in a hand. The impact caused their clothes and hair to whip as if caught in a gale.


    Up in the booth, Jason looked down at Soramir, blocking Sophie¡¯s punch, then to the diamond ranker¡¯s now-empty seat.


    ¡°Miss Wexler,¡± Soramir said. ¡°Unless Young Mistress Draglund here objects, I am going to declare you the victor.¡±


    The elf was shaken, both from the sudden arrival of Soramir Rimaros and the blast that had gone off right behind her head.


    ¡°No objection, Ancestral Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Excellent,¡± Soramir said. ¡°It was a fine match indeed. I can honestly say that you are as excellent a pair of warriors as is to be found at your rank.¡±


    The elf bowed.


    ¡°Thank you for your kind words, Ancestral Majesty. This is the honour of my life.¡±


    ¡°You are a credit to your house, Mistress Draglund. Have you ever considered switching over to the Sapphire Crown guild?¡±


    ¡°I am very satisfied where I am, Ancestral Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Well, you can¡¯t blame an old man for trying,¡± he said, then turned to Sophie.


    ¡°I won¡¯t bother trying to recruit you,¡± he told her. ¡°I imagine you¡¯re at least as much trouble as your friend Asano.¡±


    ¡°I do my best.¡±


    ¡°From what I¡¯ve just seen,¡± Soramir told her, ¡°your best is very good indeed.¡±


    Announcement: I will be going on break for all of April, during which time there will be no chapters released on any platform, except the book six launch on Amazon. Patreon charges will be suspended for April for existing patrons, while new patrons that join after the April 1st billing cycle will be charged for the month. Sorry for the short notice - there was an issue with scheduling where the notices were attached to the wrong chapters. I apologise for that.

 Chapter 613: Uncharacteristic Sincerity

    Melody woke up in a small pond, her head pounding. She opened her eyes and saw massive amounts of destruction above her, something having ravaged the inside of Asano¡¯s cloud building. It had destroyed the room she was in and dumped her all the way down into the mostly intact atrium.


    She was in the waterfall pond that was the atrium¡¯s centrepiece, but the damage meant the waterfall no longer fell into it. As she got to her feet, dripping wet, she saw the water was currently spilling from a hole in the lowest mezzanine level.


    Melody had only briefly been in the atrium, accompanying her daughter as they talked in spaces more pleasant than her cell. Her accommodations were far from uncomfortable, but there was something about open space and natural light that even the plushest of beds couldn''t make up for. She looked around, her eyes lingering on the transparent wall that showed a wide expanse of sky. Her gaze then drifted down, to the doors.


    ¡°That would be a less than ideal decision, Ms Jain,¡± a prim voice said. One of Asano''s shadow minions emerged from her shadow.


    ¡°Looks like your employer is having a rough day,¡± Melody told Shade.


    ¡°This is hardly a rough day for Mr Asano,¡± Shade told her. ¡°The day you met him was a rough day. Not in his top five, but perhaps top ten.¡±


    ¡°He almost died that day.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°Almost. Now, if you¡¯ll follow me please?¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on in here?¡± she asked as she followed the shadow man.


    ¡°Some gold rankers broke in and detonated some manner of device.¡±


    ¡°Where are they now?¡±


    Rather than Shade, she was answered by pained screams coming from above.


    ***


    ¡°Oh dear,¡± Soramir said as Rufus¡¯ opponent entered the arena from the large doors at the end.


    ¡°What is it?¡± the Storm King asked.


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, that young man is using the classic sword master combination of sword, swift, adept and master.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± the king said.


    Jason noticed that Liara looked confused.


    ¡°It¡¯s the combination used by arguably the world¡¯s greatest swordsman,¡± Jason explained.


    ¡°What¡¯s the issue with that?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°This fellow is about to duel with that swordsman¡¯s grandson.¡±


    ¡°Oh, dear.¡±


    ***


    Different magical abilities led to different physiques amongst adventurers, although they showed in different ways. There was something of a default, which was the lean athleticism of a track and field champion. The variations came from those whose powers gave them physical prowess above their baseline attributes, and they didn¡¯t always present in the same way.


    Gary, Farrah and Neil all had comparable levels of strength, yet each looked different. Gary was built like a furry powerlifter, while Neil was more like a bodybuilder who didn''t know how to dress himself properly. Farrah''s physique was bulked out more than the average essence user while remaining lean enough that she could hide it under the right clothes. She was nowhere near the bodybuilder physique that Neil sported.


    Essence users more focused on speed maintained a healthy athleticism, but trended more sleek and lithe. Sophie¡¯s lissom body was somewhere between a nymph and a knife, and the swordsman facing off against Rufus had a similar feel. His clothes and physique were both light, and while the sword at his waist was a sabre, his body felt as sharp and pointed as a rapier.


    Rufus had the standard physique for an essence user, which still made him look like an Olympic decathlete. Like his opponent, he wore light armour, but with stiffer panels over areas that could afford less flexibility. The magical materials still provided the mobility to make full use of his speed and silver-rank attributes, but forewent the absolute freedom of movement that more acrobatic power sets required.


    The pale grey tones of Rufus¡¯ armour contrasted his midnight skin and the sword he conjured into his hand. It was a golden scimitar with ornate red scrollwork etched into the blade. He held it down by his side where the air around it combusted into golden flames that flared for a moment before settling to wreath the blade.


    ***


    ¡°I wonder if he¡¯s ever set his pants on fire doing that?¡± Jason wondered, observing from the royal viewing booth. It was rather like an owner¡¯s box at a sports stadium, with a mix of standing room, seating and a loaded buffet table. ¡°I bet he has. What¡¯s this other guy¡¯s name?¡±


    ¡°Glenn Twenhey,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Glen 20?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Where I come from, that¡¯s stuff you spray after taking a poo.¡±


    The royalty surrounding him all looked in his direction.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked. ¡°There are fewer essence users where I come from, so toilets are a much bigger deal. Unlike you lot, even rich people need to be aware of poo-related infrastructure.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Liara hissed. ¡°Stop saying ¡®poo¡¯ in front of the king.¡±


    ¡°Why? Does he have a weird fetish or something? Your Majesty, I¡¯m just assuming you have a good crystal wash supplier.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps, Mr Asano,¡± Soramir said, ¡°You could focus on the duel before us.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re still just staring at each other like anime characters.¡±


    ¡°Then how about to stop talking about poo, shut your damn mouth and show a modicum of respect while you wait quietly?¡± Liara asked. This drew all the gazes to her, but Jason quietly moved to the front of the booth, standing next to Liara as he looked out. He activated a small privacy screen to incorporate just the two of them.


    ¡°Is that better?¡± he asked lightly.


    ¡°You are not helping my standing in the royal family, Asano. You¡¯re a bad influence.¡±


    ¡°Yet, here you are, alongside the king and his great, great whatever grandad.¡±


    ¡°Stern Jason, remember?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I gave up on that. Stern Jason is for murdering people, so you really shouldn''t ask for him. Also, he''s kind of a prick, although regular Jason is talking in third person, so there¡¯s pros and cons either way, I guess.¡±


    ¡°Why are you always like this?¡±


    ¡°Why do people participating in oppressive systems of governance always act like being too casual is some grave transgression?¡±


    ¡°Oh, just shut up.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mistress.¡±


    Liara glared at him.


    ¡°You and Baseph,¡± he asked. ¡°Is that an open relationship thing?¡±


    ¡°Asano, I was an Adventure Society investigator for longer than you have been alive, so when I tell you that I will hide your corpse where magic won¡¯t find it, you would do very well to believe me.¡±


    ***


    Like Rufus, his opponent was human. Glenn was leaning forward, almost like a sprinter on a block. He and Rufus stared at one another in a silence that extended for an entire minute, then a second and a third, neither moving so much as a tremble. Then a voice resonated through the area.


    ¡°¡­just touch this crystal, right?¡± Jason¡¯s voice boomed.


    ¡°Get away from that,¡± Liara¡¯s voice followed.


    ¡°They¡¯re just standing there! Get on with it Rufus, you dill pickle! I don¡¯t have all¨C¡±


    Jason¡¯s voice was cut off, but the audience and Rufus¡¯ opponent were all looking in the direction of the royal viewing booth. Stewards were escorting Jason out, with an angry-looking princess trailing behind.


    ¡°That''s the man everyone''s been talking about?¡± Glenn asked Rufus.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Rufus said with a grin. ¡°It¡¯s good to have him back.¡±


    ***


    ¡°¡­defeated the entire point of the exercise and ruined my reputation while you were at it,¡± Liara railed as she led Jason into the booth where his companions were.


    ¡°I said it wouldn¡¯t work,¡± Neil said, turning at their entrance along with the rest of Jason''s friends. ¡°I kept saying it, but did anyone listen to me? No, they did not. We should have just snuck off in the night.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Not wrong?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Can¡¯t you just say that I¡¯m right?¡±


    ¡°It feels like that would set a bad precedent,¡± Farrah told him.


    ¡°Did they start fighting yet?¡± Jason asked, looking out the glass viewing wall.


    ¡°No,¡± Farrah said. ¡°And what have you been doing to Liara?¡±


    ¡°How he treats me is secondary to how he keeps disrespecting the royal family.¡±


    ¡°I''m not feeling like it''s a positive relationship from their end, either,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Do you have no respect for the concept of royalty at all?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°Nope.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°He does not.¡±


    ¡°Not even a little.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a republican, bro.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a Republican?¡± Travis asked Taika incredulously.


    ¡°Australian republican,¡± Taika explained. ¡°It means I want to stop using someone else¡¯s Queen as a loaner.¡±


    ¡°What they said,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°Didn¡¯t you read my file front to back? I should have been in there.¡±


    ¡°It mentioned problems with authority,¡± Liara said. ¡°Not some kind of anti-monarchical bent.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s about as significant an understatement as I¡¯ve ever heard,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Gods and great astral beings make him their personal enemy,¡± Humphrey pointed out. ¡°What does he have to do, hire a town crier?¡±


    ¡°I respect people one at a time, Liara,¡± Jason said. ¡°I respect you. But if your family had left me alone, I¡¯d be in my house that hadn¡¯t been blown up right now and wouldn¡¯t give your family a second thought.¡±


    ¡°Asano, this isn¡¯t just some game.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Liara,¡± he said the amusement in his voice turned to weariness. ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°We''re talking about one of the most prominent kingdoms in the world,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Farrah agreed. ¡°And while your aristocracy was fighting over scraps of influence, Jason was fighting to save his world and blunt the invader coming for this one. What is one kingdom to him?¡±


    Liara sighed, her shoulders slumping.


    ¡°Asano, would it really hurt you to keep your mouth shut and do what you¡¯re told for one damn night?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Arabelle said, turning from where she had been sitting quietly, watching her son in the arena below. ¡°Yes, it would. Tell the good princess why, Gareth.¡±


    ¡°From the moment he was pulled into this world,¡± Gary said, ¡°Jason has been told to bow to power. If he ever did, he¡¯d be dead, I¡¯d be dead and most of the people I love would be dead. If you ever see Jason bow, Princess, you should start running because he¡¯s probably about to kill everyone. And I think we all know by now that only being silver rank won¡¯t stop him.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen him do it,¡± Taika added. ¡°The killing everyone part, not the bowing. He¡¯s done it on TV.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s like a recording crystal that everyone in the world can watch,¡± Farrah explained. ¡°And everyone did watch.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s super famous in my world,¡± Taika said. ¡°Controversial, sure, but famous.¡±


    ¡°You asked for a certain version of Jason,¡± Arabelle said, ¡°as if he were a different person. But he¡¯s not. That part of him that is holding those men in his cloud house right now is a part of him, the way that Liara Rimaros and Princess Liara are parts of you, different, yet part of a whole. Which is why Princess Liara is unhappy about how this is going, while Liara Rimaros recognises that Jason would have been a lot better off if you and your family had left him alone. Perhaps you should do that now, and let cooler heads prevail so we can talk this through later.¡±


    ¡°That¡­ is sound advice,¡± Liara acknowledged. ¡°I will find you at your pagoda after this is all done, Asano. I want to see who these people are coming after you.¡±


    Jason nodded his acknowledgement and she left.


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Jason said, his voice breaking up a little. ¡°I¡¯d almost forgotten what it felt like to have people stand up for you.¡±


    ¡°Just to be clear, I didn''t,¡± Neil said from the buffet table. ¡°I think you should have kept quiet and went along for once.¡±


    ¡°Weren¡¯t you the guy who¡¯s been saying this wouldn¡¯t work the whole time?¡± Travis asked him.


    ¡°Someone on this team has to be the sensible one. That¡¯s why I let everyone know that I was going to be right ¨C which I was ¨C and then accepted the reality and made the most of this buffet.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised they got it set up so quick,¡± Jason said. ¡°Those palace stewards don¡¯t muck about.¡±


    ¡°They are very admirable,¡± Shade agreed from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°I suppose the rush is why there isn¡¯t much food, compared to the tables in the ballroom.¡±


    ¡°Oh, there was plenty,¡± Farrah said, looking at Gary.


    Jason let out a sigh.


    ¡°If you''d all permit me a moment of uncharacteristic sincerity, I''d like to thank you. On Earth, it was me and Farrah against the world, more often than not, and I barely made it through intact. I''m still not completely sure I did. We were both on the ragged edge.¡±


    ¡°You more than me,¡± Farrah clarified and Jason laughed.


    ¡°Yes, me more than you. I forgot what it was to have a whole family who would stand up for you against anyone, whatever the circumstances. I guess I¡¯m trying to thank you all for reminding me of that tonight.¡±


    Gary moved away from the food table to embrace Jason in a bone-crushing hug.


    ¡°Oh, hey,¡± Clive said. ¡°Rufus finally started fighting.¡±


    ¡°Oh, the duel,¡± Taika said. ¡°I totally forgot why we were here.¡±


    Announcement: I will be going on break for all of April, during which time there will be no chapters released on any platform, except the book six launch on Amazon. Patreon charges will be suspended for April for existing patrons, while new patrons that join after the April 1st billing cycle will be charged for the month. Sorry for the short notice - there was an issue with scheduling where the notices were attached to the wrong chapters. I apologise for that.


    Therefore, releases will be paused until May 3rd.

 Chapter 614: The Only Wound You Can Truly Suffer

    Jason¡¯s commandeering of the arena¡¯s public address system had broken the tension between Rufus and his opponent, Glenn Twenhey. After they saw Jason escorted off, however, they went right back to staring at one another. It was more than just assessing the other by physique, clothing and body language. Their auras were clashing like fencers, each seeking an opening that would make for an advantage as the fight began, or even uncovered a little extra information that could be the difference between victory and defeat.


    ¡°I should have moved when your friend provided the distraction,¡± Glenn said.


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t have helped,¡± Rufus said. ¡°And I¡¯m sorry for what¡¯s about to happen. But you knew who my grandfather was when you picked me as an opponent, did you not?¡±


    ¡°I did. Hector tried to talk me out of it, but I insisted.¡±


    Rufus nodded.


    ¡°I know that feeling,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The need to prove yourself, only to be dismantled by an opponent you underestimated.¡±


    ¡°Who says I¡¯m underestimating you?¡±


    Instead of answering, Rufus used his speed accelerating power and everything seemed to freeze as his subjective time stream outpaced the world around him. He used that time to close the distance between them, leaving a trail of light behind him. Time unfroze and he smashed Glenn with a head butt, having never raised his golden sword. Glenn realised that Rufus had burned a long cooldown power to effectively just flex, as a head butt was nothing to a silver ranker. The simple surprise of it had staggered him more than the damage.


    Glenn activated his own time accelerating power, but he didn¡¯t need it to close the gap, since Rufus had done it for him. Rufus seemed to freeze, standing with his silver sword at his side, and Glenn used a trick just like Sophie¡¯s. Attacks made during the accelerated time-stream would be all but harmless, so he generated a large number of blade wave projectiles which were ready to launch as soon as normal time resumed. It was only as the acceleration was about to end that he noticed a problem.


    ¡°Wait, silver sword?¡±


    Rufus had the eclipse confluence essence. It informed the way he fought both with specific powers, like the gold and silver swords he could conjure, along with the general theme of his combat style. He shifted between three combat modes based on the sun, the moon and the eclipse. The sun state was built around speed and offensive ability, while the moon was about elusiveness and stealth. The eclipse state offered powerful but short-term buffs or powerful finishers.


    Each state was a combination of how he fought, the way he moved and the powers he used, some of which offered different advantages, depending on which state he was in.


    His Light of the Sun, Shadow of the Moon ability was one of several that offered different effects based on his current state. In the moon state, it could make him intangible for a brief moment. When Glenn''s mass of blade waves shot into Rufus, they passed right through him. The intangibility only lasted a few seconds, but Rufus triggered it right before Glenn had slowed time, guaranteeing it would be up when Glenn¡¯s ability ended and his attack launched.


    ***


    ¡°That was nicely done,¡± the Storm King observed. ¡°Luck?¡±


    ¡°Hardly,¡± Soramir said. ¡°The swift essence is a favourite amongst skill-focused melee adventurers. Personal time-acceleration powers are very common, even when not hunting for them with specific awakening stones. Even magic swordsmen who go for other essences get them. The Remore boy gets his from the light essence.¡±


    ¡°And I get mine from lightning,¡± the king said. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Remore predicted both that his enemy would have that ability, and that he would use it in that moment.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Then it was luck. He could have easily been wrong.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but his odds were not as bad as they seem. This is a battle for reputation. By burning one of his most powerful abilities to make an attack that was nothing more than a statement, Remore was baiting his opponent. It began when they spoke before they fought. Then Remore disregarded Twenhey with his opening move. He was essentially telling his opponent that he could throw away key abilities and still win.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± the king said with a nod. ¡°Twenhey wanted to show up Remore by using the same ability to show him ¨C and all of us ¨C that he deserved to be taken seriously. Especially by the grandson of the man who stands as the pinnacle of Twenhey¡¯s essence combination.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Soramir said. ¡°Instead, he was outplayed again, which appears to have set a tone.¡±


    ***


    Glenn was a human and his ability set was reflective of that. His power set was very high on offensive abilities, particularly special attacks. This fit very nicely into the Rimaros adventurer ethos of ultra-specialisation, as he was a pure striker. Having so many aggressive options at his disposal meant that he could tailor the approach of his offence to the enemy he was facing. If one approach didn''t work, he could pivot to another. What he had never previously encountered was a situation where none of his approaches worked.


    The advantage of using one of the most common and well-researched essence combinations on the planet was that it was easy to optimise. Strategies to develop more specific power sets and synergies were more readily available. Tailoring a power set was never a perfectly reliable endeavour, but with a common combination made up of common-rarity essences, it was more reliable than most.


    The disadvantage of this approach was that it had the weaknesses of its strengths. An opponent who was familiar with these strategies and techniques would, sight unseen, have a solid grasp of at least the general approaches such an essence user would take.


    Rufus talked a lot about how his family ran a school, but Jason had never understood the totality of what that meant, or why it was such a source of pride. The Remore Academy studied adventurer methodology from across the globe. This helped them to educate students that came from around the world, as well as prepare their students for what they would encounter in their travels.


    Remore academy students were scions of international mercantile guilds, famous adventuring families, aristocrats and even royalty. The academy prided itself on preparing those students for whatever they might face. That could be a tricky diplomatic situation in a palace, a grim assassination attempt on a remote roadway or a pitched battle against sky pirates.


    Rufus was more than just the beneficiary of the teachings of his family¡¯s academy. He had seen all kinds of adventurers from when he was old enough to be carried around by his father. Most importantly for his current situation was that Rufus had been trained in swordsmanship personally by the greatest swordsman in the world.


    Glenn was exceptionally skilled. His proficiency was not just with sword technique and his essence abilities, but using them in conjunction for results greater than either would achieve alone. His efficiency was tight and his tactics were built on centuries of refinement, passed down by the masters of history. It wasn¡¯t enough. Every tactic Glenn used, every ability he pulled out, was not just something that Rufus had seen, but also practised against extensively. Rufus knew the methods of sword masters and he knew how to counter them.


    Glenn was very good and deserving of his place in a prestigious guild, but the more they clashed, the less Rufus saw him as an opponent. Glenn, in Rufus¡¯ eyes, increasingly became a collection of flaws in need of correction. Since his family ran a school Rufus did what he knew: he put on a class.


    Using his sun state, Rufus applied pressure on Glenn, baiting out techniques and provoking counters that he dismantled one by one. When Glenn shot blade waves that tracked their opponent, Rufus shifted to a moon state where he couldn¡¯t be tracked. The blades shot forward blindly, hitting walls or the floor. When Glenn incorporated special attacks into his swordsmanship, Rufus spotted the indicators and dodged, blocked or countered as appropriate.


    Glenn grew increasingly frustrated as his tactics were pulled apart in front of the high society of Rimaros. Guild masters and the heads of noble houses were watching as Rufus disassembled his abilities like a watchmaker taking apart a faulty timepiece. He was on the greatest stage in his life, only for every aspect of his prowess as an adventure to be pulled out and found wanting.


    As a final, desperate stratagem, Glenn drew back from Rufus and paused.


    ¡°Would you be willing to try something a little different?¡± Glenn asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for something even a little different this entire fight,¡± Rufus told him.


    Glenn sheathed his sword, untied the dimensional pouch bound tightly to his potion belt to avoid it flapping around, and pulled out two collars. They were comfortably padded, but still plainly suppression collars.


    ¡°Pure swordsmanship,¡± Glenn said. ¡°No powers. How good you are against how good I am.¡±


    Rufus blinked in surprise.


    ¡°I will say this,¡± he said. ¡°That is the first time since we walked out here that you¡¯ve done something that I truly did not anticipate.¡±


    Rufus held out his hand and Glenn tossed him a collar. Rufus opened his own dimensional pouch and took out a sword, since he would be unable to use his conjured ones. It was a scimitar, but very plain compared to those he could create through magic.


    ¡°If you want something better, I can loan you one.¡±


    ¡°This sword was crafted especially for me with care, by my best friend in the world. You don¡¯t have anything better.¡±


    ¡°Friendship is all well and good, Mr Remore, but you shouldn¡¯t let it blind you to the fact that your friend is a worthless smith.¡±


    Rufus smiled.


    ¡°My grandfather has given me all manner of good advice over the course of my life,¡± he said. ¡°For example, he once told me that if someone provokes you, then let them. But instead of getting angry and letting it cloud your judgement, let it take away your mercy as you calmly take them apart. I was only going to take this so far, Young Master Twenhey, but now I find myself short on mercy.¡±


    Glenn smiled back as he clipped on his suppression collar and Rufus did the same.


    ¡°Just so you know, Mr Remore, my sword instructor studied at your academy. He was trained personally by your grandfather and spent decades developing counters to his fighting style.¡±


    ¡°Would that be Ayer Wick you''re referring to?¡± Rufus asked, eliciting a surprised expression from Glenn.


    ¡°You know of him?¡±


    ¡°It was a guess. A lot of people develop counters to my grandfather¡¯s style, and Wick is about right in terms of age and location. My grandfather rather enjoys that they do, since it''s hard to refine his style as the centuries roll on. He showed me the counters your sword instructor developed. They were okay. I saw you trying them in our earlier clashes, which was why I was so surprised you chose this path.¡±


    ¡°That was with powers mixed in,¡± Glenn said. ¡°We¡¯ll see how you do when all you have is technique.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus agreed, his eyes glancing over the audience. ¡°I¡¯m going to make a point of it.¡±


    He raised his scimitar.


    ¡°With this sword.¡±


    ***


    Jason had become very, very good with the sword. Rufus had helped him to take the skill books containing the Way of the Reaper and make the technique his own. After the incredible number of battles Jason had been through, wild and desperate and strange, experience had truly allowed him to become a master of the sword.


    Technique to technique, Glenn would have beaten Jason. Jason was an adventurer, not a duellist, and his combat style intricately blended his skills and powers to the point that removing one would severely impede the other. Glenn¡¯s strategy of removing powers from the equation would have gotten him a win against Jason without question.


    Rufus was not Jason. There was a reason that Rufus was seen as the future of the Remore family. They knew talent and had nurtured his, with training and opportunities they carefully engineered so that he would see success and failure both. When he went his own way, Rufus had setbacks.


    Although they didn''t push their expectations on him, Rufus knew his family anticipated great things. Responsibility weighed heavily on him, and the loss of Farrah and Jason had somewhat derailed him. But the life of an adventurer was long and his family was patient. They did not interfere as he turned to teaching over adventuring. Only his mother stepped in, and even she was a light hand.


    The return of Jason and Farrah brought with it a slow change in Rufus. He wasn¡¯t sure what his future held, be it teaching or adventuring, both or neither, but he knew one thing: he wasn¡¯t letting his friends down again. During his time in Rimaros, Rufus had taken the fundamentals of training he taught Jason and followed them with relentless determination. He honed his skills, pushed his body and took contract after contract, which the monster surge offered in plentiful supply.


    The weight of what Rufus had been through was different to what Glenn had done. He was not dissimilar to Rufus if he had never left Vitesse; never felt true desperation and never felt the consequences of abject failure. The pride and ambition that drove him was a gentle breeze before the raging gale of Rufus¡¯ determination.


    ***


    ¡°What¡¯s he doing?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Why doesn¡¯t he finish it?¡±


    ¡°I don''t know what you call it here, if you have even have the practice in any of this world''s cultures,¡± Jason said. ¡°Where I come from, it''s usually known as counting coup. You touch the enemy without harming them, to prove that you could have beaten them. It''s a way to gather prestige or humiliate an enemy into accepting defeat. Rufus was making a show of how much better he was than this guy, but I think slagging off your sword pushed him over the line, Gary.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Gary said. ¡°There¡¯s nothing wrong with a good, plain, reliable weapon. You don¡¯t have to make it all fancy.¡±


    Jason glanced down at the scabbard on his hip.


    ¡°That one is your fault,¡± Gary said, following Jason¡¯s gaze. ¡°Your soul bond made it go weird.¡±


    ¡°Making things go weird is kind of my thing,¡± Jason said, prompting agreeing nods all around.


    ***


    ¡°I yield,¡± a crestfallen Glenn said.


    ¡°I haven¡¯t even touched you with the edge of my sword,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You¡¯re going to quit without a scratch on you?¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to do it this way,¡± Glenn told him.


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to fight on? What about the pride of your guild? Of your sword instructor? Of your house? Are you going to throw it all on the ground?¡±


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± Glenn asked, his voice pleading.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t ask for this,¡± Rufus shot back coldly. ¡°I didn¡¯t bring us here. Hector de Varco¡¯s challenge turned us into a whetstone for his house and guild to hone their reputation. Defeating you wouldn¡¯t hurt you. Humiliation is the only wound you can truly suffer. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I need to go have my sword repaired.¡±


    Rufus held up his blade, peering as he inspected it for nicks and dents.


    ¡°Oh. It looks like I don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ***


    Jason and his companions were waiting, sitting around calmly as Rufus returned to the viewing box.


    ¡°That was awesome,¡± Travis said. ¡°I know we haven¡¯t known each other very long, but you totally educated that guy. And Jason was telling me your whole family fights like that? You should open a school.¡±


    Rufus frowned in confusion.


    ¡°My family does run a school,¡± he said. ¡°I thought I told you tha¡­¡±


    He trailed off as Travis took a shot glass from the dimensional bag at his waist. Everyone else in the room but Rufus himself did the same and drained their glasses. Rufus took on an aggrieved expression, his eyes landing on Arabelle and the empty glass in her hand.


    ¡°Mum, you too?¡±

 Chapter 615: Mother’s Favourite

    ¡°Humphrey is the least-suited to duelling out of you four,¡± Neil assessed as they watched Humphrey enter the arena.


    Jason had a lot of training and experience in the five years since his first arrival on Pallimustus, allowing him to master his own power set. But when it came to group tactics, Jason could not match the lifelong education people like Neil, Humphrey and Rufus had gone through. That big-picture understanding required exhaustive instruction on essence abilities, roles, tactics and strategy that couldn¡¯t be replaced by skill books or combat experience. It took active guidance and tutelage that Jason never had neither the time nor opportunity for. His time training with Rufus, Farrah and Gary had been a desperate rush to cram him with the fundamentals of being an adventurer.


    Neil, on the other hand, was one of the handful of adventurers in Greenstone that had enjoyed that kind of training. The Davone and Mercer families had colluded to team him with Thadwick Mercer at a young age, giving Neil the same opportunities afforded to Thadwick and his sister, Cassandra. Neil had made the most of those opportunities, like Cassandra, rather than squandering them, like Thadwick.


    As the healer, Neil was always watching over the team in a more holistic manner than any other member. This made his understanding of the team¡¯s strategies and tactics as comprehensive as that of Humphrey, who was the driving force in developing them. He was, therefore, fully qualified to assess the chances of his team members in different circumstances.


    ¡°Humphrey has set himself up to be very team-oriented,¡± Neil explained to the people in the viewing box that weren''t on their team. ¡°He¡¯s developed his combat style, his tactics and his equipment around working with the group. Belinda¡¯s cooldown reductions, my buffs, Clive¡¯s mana replenishment; many of our core tactics centre on supporting Humphrey, while he has increasingly focused on making the most of those advantages. Not to say he isn¡¯t strong alone, but he has given up an amount of solitary strength to be the solid anchor of our team.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s the black lion,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°A black lion?¡± Neil asked. He and the rest of the team were confused and would have ignored Jason like usual, if not for Taika and Travis nodding in agreement.


    ¡°That makes sense, bro.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that he¡¯s strong on his own,¡± Travis said, ¡°but he¡¯s no Voltron.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s it,¡± Neil said. ¡°No more people from Earth, or this will turn into a disaster.¡±


    ¡°I think the problem,¡± Belinda said, ¡°is that Humphrey isn¡¯t selfish enough. He¡¯s not a glory hound, unlike some other team members participating in these duels.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jason complained.


    "Oh, please," Farrah said. "Your first idea on how to investigate magic in your world was to pretend to be an angel and faith-heal your way through a children''s hospital. Don''t even try to pretend you aren''t a big, prancing attention seeker."


    ¡°And I remember how you were, back in your cage fighting days,¡± Belinda said to Sophie.


    "Theatricality is a part of arena fighting," Sophie said. "No one loves a boring gladiator. But I wouldn¡¯t go underestimating Humphrey just because he doesn¡¯t care for putting on a show.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Jason, your skills have exploded in the handful of years since we met, but you don¡¯t understand just how deep Geller family training goes. Humphrey has been training since before his earliest memories. He¡¯s an adventurer down to the bones, and the depth of that only comes out when you start pulling away at the layers. When the Geller family train their people to handle the unusual situations, they are just as diligent as with their training for everyday activities. Perhaps even more so. They know it¡¯s the edge cases that will get you killed.¡±


    ¡°Not to mention that our entire team is built around handling those edge cases,¡± Clive pointed out.


    ¡°That¡¯s not a coincidence,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Your entire team reeks of Geller family methodology, and that¡¯s far from unique. There¡¯s a reason people scramble to be on a team with a Geller who went through their Greenstone training program. If Rick Geller announced at this ball he was recruiting a new team member, he¡¯d be mobbed with applicants from the best families in Rimaros.


    ¡°And don¡¯t forget that the Geller family is crazy rich,¡± Gary pointed out. ¡°He has entire gear sets to recalibrate his strategies. Not as many as Lindy, but a lot. I made some of that gear myself.¡±


    ***


    Humphrey stood in his conjured armour that looked increasingly like Stash¡¯s natural form, compared to the lower-rank version of the power. The scale armour was glorious with iridescent rainbow scales, like a quilt made of opals. Five blue crystals floated around him, lit up with internal light as they replenished his mana. He had yet to call up either of the swords he could conjure.


    ¡°Humphrey Geller,¡± he introduced himself. His opponent was dressed in strange clothes with numerous folds that looked awkward to fight in.


    ¡°They call me The Smoke Hunter.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Humphrey said, unfazed. He was getting a vibe of early Jason from the alchemist¡¯s sense of melodrama. ¡°You hunt smoke? I didn¡¯t realise it was that hard to find.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what it means.¡±


    ¡°Some people use smoke as signals. Because of how easy it is to see from far away. In fact, most people avoid using smoke when they¡¯re being hunted, specifically because of how easy that would make it to track them down.¡±


    Humphrey was not big on banter. He liked fighting monsters, not people, but his mother had still drilled into him the advantages of making an opponent emotional. So, now that he found himself in a duel, he did his best Jason impression.


    ¡°Let¡¯s see what you think of my smoke when you¡¯re choking on it!¡±


    He plucked a syringe from the air and jabbed it into his leg. His body immediately started changing and Humphrey understood what he was up against. His body was growing, the purpose of his unusual clothes revealed as they expanded to accommodate his growth. Folds unfurled and straps slipped through buckles as the loose, bunched-up outfit became fitted light armour. He become twice as tall and half again as wide as he had been moments before.


    Humphrey¡¯s opponent was an alchemist, although a very different one from Belinda¡¯s boyfriend, Jory. This was a full-blown combat craftsman who sought to beat Humphrey at his own game of burst-damage in the high-damage, low-endurance mould.


    Combat alchemists were unusual, especially non-support variants that engaged in direct combat, so it was unusual to see one in a duel. Humphrey, by contrast, was the most orthodox member on his team, with only Neil coming anywhere close. This meant that Humphrey''s power set, like that of Rufus'' opponent, didn''t pack a lot of surprises in his toolbox. He did have a few, though, and he would need to use them well. Otherwise, predictability would be as much a defining factor in this duel as it had been in the previous.


    The alchemist¡¯s proportions became less human and more hunched over. His hands grew bigger and his arms longer. His skin became leathery, taking on the lumpen green of crocodile hide. Reinforced patches on his armour looked strikingly similar to his new skin. He did not look awkward for the transformation, however. Humphrey assessed that he was still limber for his size, like an animal ready to pounce.


    Alchemy-fuelled transformation was a rare speciality, but also a famous one. It stood out from all the warrior, wizard and assassin variants, and made for popular villains in stories. It was centred on powers that required alchemical catalysts to produce extreme transformations, with the nature and potency of the catalyst defining the result. Humphrey had no doubt that his opponent had gone for maximum power at the cost of maximum side-effects in the aftermath.


    The alchemist had bet everything on a short-lived burst of power, which was pure Rimaros-style ultra-specialisation. It was a fantastic choice in a duel, or as a trump card for a team large enough to not miss their absence during downtime.


    Contrasting the Rimaros approach was Humphrey, who was a dedicated and practical adventurer. His Vitesse-style training was focused around covering all his bases, so as not to be caught out. It worked much better in the versatile tactics his team favoured than Rimaros teams that liked to build around supporting a single specialist.


    While Humphrey¡¯s team could use a similar approach, usually focused on Humphrey himself, they would never match up to the Rimaros standard in that regard. In that way, they were like Jory compared to this alchemist, in that it was something they could do, but not as well as those who truly focused on it. Humphrey¡¯s duel was a microcosm of the Rimaros versus Vitesse styles of adventuring, and his opponent held the advantage.


    Humphrey¡¯s approach served him well in day-to-day adventuring, which was what he cared about. In the artificial circumstance of a duel, however, it placed him at a disadvantage. He didn''t have to think about secondary enemies that might be lurking nearby. He didn''t have to worry about watching out for his team or reserving anything for later fights. All the time and resources he had spent on training and equipping himself for those things were useless to him here.


    Combat mutagens, especially the powerful ones, were known for two things: their immense potency and their immense backlash when they ran their course. The strategy to combat them was to retreat when the alchemist was at their strongest, wait out the mutagen and strike again when they were at their weakest. But in a duel, there was no retreat. There was nowhere in the arena to hide, and no extra enemies or later fights the alchemist needed to reserve himself for. He could throw everything he had into one challenge, knowing that his opponent had to take it up.


    Humphrey was aware that his opponent¡¯s enhanced body would have formidable power, resilience and regenerative properties. He had not geared himself up to maximise his offensive strength and he was now grateful for it. That was more Farrah¡¯s speciality, and while she might have had the punch to beat the mutagenic monstrosity through all of those enhancements, he did not, even with his most aggressive gear. While his attacks were powerful, they weren¡¯t lava cannon powerful.


    Instead, Humphrey had selected to forgo enhancing his attack. His attacks were quite strong on their own, so he focused on defence and endurance. Hidden under his conjured armour were amulets that enhanced the resilience of his conjured objects, be they his swords, armour or wings. Enchanted armbands, rings, anklets and others all offered simple and passive, but effective boosts to his mana recovery, stamina and certain essence abilities.


    Seeing his opponent hulk out in front of him, Humphrey knew that he had made the right choice. His path to victory was holding long enough that the power of his opponent petered out. Once the mutagenic cocktail the alchemist had taken lost its effectiveness, the backlash would leave Humphrey the victor, assuming he could last that long.


    Humphrey hadn¡¯t wasted time as his opponent was transforming. He could have used that moment to launch into an attack and try to end the fight before the alchemist¡¯s transition was fully complete. That was an all-or-nothing gamble, however, and one he knew he¡¯d lose. Any adventurer who had reached the level this Smoke Hunter had would have traps prepared for anyone looking to exploit such an obvious weakness.


    The moment the alchemist injected himself and Humphrey realised what he was up against, he sprung into action himself. He pulled a gourd from his storage space, spilling bone ash from it in a circle with practised speed. He then tossed a pair of twelve-sided dice into the circle, and illusions projected from their top faces as they came to a stop. Above one die was the image of a fish, while the other showed a very pale, blue swirl.


    Humphrey didn¡¯t stick around to look at the results, as the alchemical bulk of his transformed opponent was already lunging at him. He dashed to the side, the dice leaping through the air to return to him. He shoved them into his storage space while on the move, skirting away from the circle and around his opponent.


    Humphrey¡¯s initial assessment of the Smoke Hunter¡¯s abilities under the effect of the mutagen proved accurate. The alchemist was not slowed down by his large body, giving Humphrey no advantage in speed. All that silver-rank speed had a lot of mass behind it, however, which was great for ramming an enemy but not for quick changes of direction. This was something Humphrey understood well, having spent years swinging a giant sword where the key was balancing mass and leverage. With every rank, Humphrey had grown stronger and stronger as his sword grew heavier and heavier, so his grasp of weight and momentum was drilled into his most fundamental combat instincts.


    This was something Humphrey called on, not to fight, this time, but to evade, as he led the alchemist on a merry chase around the arena. It didn¡¯t take long for the alchemist to realise that Humphrey was buying time, with Humphrey still yet to pull out a weapon. He stopped in the middle of the arena and Humphrey paused, carefully out of reach.


    ¡°Coward,¡± the monster spat in a growling, inhuman voice.


    ¡°Fighting the way you want me to would make me a fool, not a coward.¡±


    If his opponent was willing to waste time, Humphrey would accept that gift with graciousness. He did not share Jason¡¯s love of combat banter, but his mother would growl at him if he didn¡¯t use every tool available. In a demonstration of Geller indoctrination that Rufus was not familiar with, it never occurred to Humphrey that his mother might not know what he was up to at any given moment.


    Sadly, the alchemist gave up on talk when his provocation failed and plucked two orbs from a dimensional storage space, each large enough to fill his giant hands. One he threw in a flat trajectory, high above Humphrey¡¯s head. Humphrey didn''t know what the alchemist was up to and dodged so that it didn¡¯t pass directly over him. The other orb was tossed over the alchemist¡¯s shoulder.


    Each orb was a sphere swirling with mist, both of which smashed against the large doors at each end of the arena. The strength of the monstrous alchemist was enough that even a casual toss let them cross the distance. Thick smoke started filling the arena from each broken orb, slowly expanding towards the combatants in the middle.


    ¡°What will you do when you¡¯re out of room to run away?¡± the alchemist taunted.


    ¡°Well,¡± Humphrey said, "the first thing I''ll do is realise that your transformation had drawbacks to go with its advantages. It''s heavy, and apparently, your aura senses aren''t great. I''m not sure if it also affects your intelligence or if you¡¯re just naturally dim, but either way, you haven¡¯t realised that the way I was leading you around was specifically so you wouldn¡¯t look back at the circle I left behind.¡±


    The alchemist turned around to see that the circle of bone powder had turned into a pale circle of light from which strange creatures were now emerging, one by one. Rising silently into the air was what looked like air elementals, being made of condensed air that was hard to spot but created a visible distortion. Easier to see where the skeletons inside them, which were like that of a shark except for being somewhat draconic in shape, mostly in the skull. The wind dragon sharks were also wearing ethereal armour, easier to spot than their airy bodies but still not as obvious as their floating skeletons.


    Humphrey¡¯s summoning ability, Spartoi, called up dragon bone warriors, but his summoner¡¯s dice replaced the ordinary soldiers with more exotic forms. One die changed their shape, while the other infused them with elemental or even more exotic energies. The results were rather random, but added some much-needed unpredictability to Humphrey¡¯s orthodox combat style. The summons were then further bolstered by Humphrey¡¯s power to equipped them with conjured magical gear.


    A dozen of the wind dragon sharks were already floating silently in the air, gathering above and behind the Smoke Hunter as he focused on chasing Humphrey. Knowing that more extreme mutagenic shifts almost always traded off various things for greater power, and aura sensitivity was a common one, Humphrey had tried to distract his opponent as his summons emerged. To his great satisfaction, it worked, clawing back at least a little of the alchemist''s advantage.


    With an angry growl, the alchemist resumed his chase, moving the duel into a second phase. This time, Humphrey had much less room to move as the sickly green smoke filled more and more of the arena. He had new advantages, though, as what eventually became twenty wind sharks started harassing his opponent. They weren¡¯t a danger to the Smoke Hunter, but they were a frustrating annoyance. The flying creatures clamped onto his limbs, forcing him to smash them off or ram into the walls to crush them, whittling down their number.


    Unfortunately for the sharks, their ethereal armour offered little protection against brute force attacks. Unfortunately for the alchemist, destroying that armour inflicted an affliction that left chaotic winds clinging to him and buffeting his body. The affliction was too weak to impede his monstrous strength at first, but the effect grew stronger with each destroyed wind shark, disrupting his movement, coordination and balance. Even so, the alchemist continued destroying them, as it was easier for his strength to power through some wind than deal with sharks hanging off his arms and legs.


    Although he was rapidly destroying the sharks, the alchemist was aware that too much time was slipping away. He chose not to completely dedicate himself to eliminating the summons and continued to charge after Humphrey, sharks still swimming through the air to harass him.


    Humphrey tried to remain evasive and stretch out the battle further, but his free space was ever-diminishing. He finally pulled out his massive dragon sword, which wreathed itself in fire, adding defensive strikes to his dodging.


    Although strength was one of the defining traits of Humphrey¡¯s power set, being on the defensive against a larger, stronger opponent was not a novel circumstance. While he was usually the adventurer with the biggest stick, most silver-rank monsters towered over him. The Smoke Hunter was more monster than adventurer at that moment, and Humphrey fought accordingly.


    Humphrey¡¯s strength might not equal the absurd levels that the alchemist currently possessed, but it was still well above the silver rank baseline. Added to his array of special attacks, the Smoke Hunter was startled at the power behind them, becoming more wary. The long arms and huge hands reaching for Humphrey were blasted away by Humphrey¡¯s sword, even as Humphrey continued to dodge. One strike carved off three of the alchemist¡¯s fingers, eliciting a howl, even if they quickly grew back.


    Despite the impedance of the sharks, it was increasingly difficult for Humphrey to stay out of the alchemist¡¯s grasp as the green smoke further boxed him in. That did not mean that his small box of tricks had been emptied out, however. As he was about to get pinned against the wall, he teleported behind his opponent and a mass of spider webbing slammed into the alchemist¡¯s back, pinning him against the wall instead. The massive spider that spat it then turned back into a tiny bird and flittered away, vanishing amongst the remaining sharks.


    Humphrey didn¡¯t bother to attack the entangled alchemist. He was holding a massive sword but his true weapon was time, and cutting the alchemist free himself would be counterproductive. Even so, the Smoke Hunter made relatively short work of the webs, even pinned face-first to the wall. He wrenched his limbs free and leveraged them against the wall, steel-like webbing giving way to prodigious strength. The alchemist, now draped in webbing and the few remaining sharks, turned angrily to face Humphrey. Humphrey opened his mouth, but instead of words, fire came spewing out.


    ***


    In the viewing room, Arabelle looked at the remnant wind sharks, the shape-shifting dragon, the enemy covered in burning webs and asked a question.


    ¡°Didn¡¯t you say he was the most orthodox member of your team?¡±


    ***


    The spider form Stash had taken was called a greater firelight spider. It was known for producing sticky, inflammable webs that clung to its targets, even as they burned. The remnant webs still draped over the Smoke Hunter did exactly that under Humphrey¡¯s Fire Breath power, which itself left burning residue behind. Humphrey was under no illusion that it would take out the alchemist, but being covered in what amounted to magic napalm made it rather hard to focus.


    As the fight resumed, Stash started participating more following his initial ambush. None of his silver-rank monster forms was a match for the dosed-up alchemist and instead, he used hit-and-run attacks to harass. He shifted from one form to another, too quickly to be pinned down unless the alchemist turned his attention from Humphrey. That was something the Smoke Hunter could not afford, as while even the burnt-off skin might grow back, every passing moment was a different kind of wound. Each second ticking by brought the duel closer to a victory for Humphrey, and chasing his familiar would just be another distraction.


    Humphrey continued to use every trick and tactic available to avoid being pinned down. He conjured his wings to shield him from attacks, de-conjuring them to escape when the alchemist grabbed them. But in the end, he came up short. With almost no space left to avoid the green smoke, he''d already been forced to dip into the billowing wall to avoid the alchemist and felt the poison seeping through his skin. Along with eating away at his flesh, it slowed him just a little, but just a little was enough.


    With a shout of triumph, the alchemist¡¯s massive hands wrapped around Humphrey, pinning his arms to his sides. He slammed Humphrey with a pair of head butts before hammering him repeatedly into the floor. This continued until the cooldown of Humphrey¡¯s teleport allowed him to vanish, but the alchemist was ready.


    There was only so much space left for Humphrey to teleport into and the Smoke Hunter predicted Humphrey¡¯s destination. He leapt up, even as Humphrey was reappearing above him and conjuring his wings to stay aloft. The alchemist snatched him out of the air. Before even dropping to the floor, the Smoke Hunter threw Humphrey deep into the noxious green gas that now almost filled the arena.


    The alchemist grinned at his victory. Even if Humphrey came right out, the smoke would have done enough work to make the result a foregone conclusion. If Humphrey was foolish enough to try and wait out his transformation in the cloud, the poison would finish him off. Before that happened one of the powerful attendees, no doubt monitoring Humphrey¡¯s condition, would step in as Soramir had in Sophie¡¯s fight.


    The alchemist waited, revelling in his triumph. And he waited. And waited. Why wasn¡¯t anyone stepping in? He hunted down the last of the sharks as he looked around for Humphrey¡¯s elusive familiar, but saw nothing. It had to be somewhere, and maybe it could turn into a monster with invisibility. Or, he realised as his eyes went wide, it could shapeshift into something immune to his smoke''s poison.


    The alchemist snarled as he pulled an orb from his storage space, immediately throwing it into the smoke. The counteragent dispersed the noxious gas almost as swiftly as a gale, revealing not Humphrey but a giant frog with bright red and green skin.


    The frog opened its mouth and Humphrey staggered out, clearly having caught a sharp dose of the smoke before hiding inside the frog. He was also dripping with the frog¡¯s viscous saliva, stumbling with weakness. His skin was marked by the toxin, splotchy with green and black marks.


    ¡°Yield,¡± the alchemist growled.


    ¡°I accept your yield,¡± Humphrey croaked.


    ¡°What? No, you yield! You¡¯re about to drop dead!¡±


    Humphrey grinned.


    ¡°Would you like to see my mother¡¯s favourite of all my abilities?¡±


    The alchemist had a bad feeling and charged at Humphrey, but the frog sprang into his path. Despite having more mass, the frog bounced away while the alchemist was only brought to a stop, but that was all the time Humphrey needed. Jack Gerling had frustrated Jason with the Immortality power, which cleansed all afflictions unconditionally, ignoring any and all effects that would normally impede or prevent cleansing. It was also one of the most powerful healing abilities in existence, causing Humphrey to glow with golden light as he activated the power. His body was restored to near-full health in an instant, with a potent ongoing recovery effect on top. The cooldown of the power was a full day, but it was Humphrey¡¯s turn to take advantage of their fight being a duel.


    The alchemist looked at the restored Humphrey and all the room he now had to evade in with half of the arena cleared of smoke. He could already feel his strength fading and knew that the backlash would soon kick in. That would leave him effectively helpless against a fully recovered opponent.


    ¡°I yield.¡±


    ***


    Palace stewards came in and cleaned the walls with magic, removing the poison residue left behind by the alchemist smoke. They also used some rituals to repair the damaged portions of the brickwork floor, although it had held up remarkably to the rigours of battle. The observation glass was undamaged, although rather in need of a clean. Once the stewards cleared the area, the doors at each end opened to admit Hector from one end and Jason from the other. The massive doors closed ponderously behind them.


    Hector had changed from his formalwear into a formfitting light outfit. The material was a recognisable one, with woven black and blue fabric. Mimicloth was noted for its ability to endure various methods of shape-shifting and matter alteration by its wearer. In the case of Hector, Jason had already been warned of his ability to transform into living stone.


    Jason was already in his conjured robes, his sword at his hip. Hector was somewhat taken aback by the strange, portal-like appearance of the cloak draped over him. With the cloak obscuring his legs and his poised gait, Jason almost seemed to float as he walked towards the centre of the arena. He and Hector both stopped when they were around ten metres apart.


    ¡°I feel it¡¯s only right to warn you,¡± Hector said, ¡°that this arena offers a strong advantage to me. One of my evolved racial gifts allows me to modify my earth abilities with the properties of any nearby magical stone. This arena is built of core-heart lattice granite, which is resilient and easy to repair with the right rituals. Those properties will make my stone abilities much harder to break through, and give me some abilities that will be almost like healing to me.¡±


    Jason said nothing. His aura was invisible to Hector, as was his face in the dark hood. Only his alien eyes were visible to his opponent.


    ¡°Well,¡± Hector said, ¡°if you have nothing to say, I¡¯m going to begin.¡±


    Hector fell over, foaming at the mouth as his body thrashed in a seizure until Soramir¡¯s aura pushed Jason¡¯s back, cutting off the soul attack. Soramir appeared, glaring at Jason.


    ¡°That¡¯s quite enough, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason turned and walked back to the doors, which slowly opened to accept him.

 Chapter 616: A Good Friend to Have

    Estella Warnock still thought of it as her grandfather¡¯s house, even though he was now gone. After the death of her parents, Warwick Warnock had retired from adventuring to raise Estella, never pushing her to adventure the way he had her father. Warwick had learned that lesson at the price of his son¡¯s life, and had been determined to avoid the same mistake with his granddaughter.


    Warwick had only ever pushed Estella to find her passion, whatever that might be. If it turned out to be adventuring, he would have supported it, but to his relief, it had not been the case. The death of her father had strangled any desire to follow that path in the crib.


    Warwick hadn¡¯t loved the path that Estella did eventually choose, as a spy for hire for shady people in the city, but he never tried to dissuade her from it. What he did do, from time to time, was try to nudge her in the direction of using her skills for something a little more responsible. That was how she ended up scouting for monsters that Jason Asano or other adventurers were sent after during the Builder attack.


    At the same time as she was doing a rare bit of civic duty, her grandfather had gone off to fight one of the fortress cities, but never came home. They told her he died like a hero. It was the same thing they said about her father.


    All of this came at a time when she was realising that her chosen profession was not working out. She enjoyed the challenge of it, but her sketchy clients always wanted more challenge than she did. To them, she was a cheap option for spying on those that would otherwise require an expensive and troublesome high-ranker to keep tabs on.


    She had left the job after several hours playing cat and mouse with Asano¡¯s damnable shadow familiar. She had been uncertain at the time about whether or not to go back and what changes to make. The loss of her grandfather had left her uninspired to return at all, and she¡¯d been languishing in aimlessness after moving back into his empty house.


    Of all people, Asano had been something of a comfort. He was neighbourly and it was refreshing that he didn¡¯t want anything from her, at least until he did. His offer of employment had sounded suspiciously like adventuring by proxy. On the other hand, it would be nice to work for someone at least partially invested in her wellbeing, compared to Havi Estos and his ilk. They were all about benefits exchange, where her interactions with Asano and companions had shown that they genuinely cared for one another.


    That kind of genuine companionship was something she¡¯d never had. Her parents died before she really gained an appreciation of trust, and only her grandfather had ever earned it. There was a distinct appeal to becoming part of a group where that trust wasn¡¯t just a factor, but the norm. For all that they regularly jabbed one another, Asano and his friends breathed in camaraderie like air.


    She¡¯d been considering Asano¡¯s offer for some time, but remained uncertain. It was a path forward at a time when she felt directionless, but should she jump at the first thing that came along? Her instincts told her that it was what her grandfather would want. Despite his nudges in how she should utilise her skills, his only outright complaint was how solitary her life was.


    Late one evening she was mulling the issue over, checking if expensive liquor would help resolve her indecision. It hadn¡¯t any of the other times she tried it, but she prided herself on professionalism. She had to be thorough in checking.


    She turned her head, looking at the wall as her magical senses moved beyond it. Something almost undetectable was approaching; one of Asano¡¯s shadowy familiars. She¡¯d regularly felt the shadow-being¡¯s many bodies roaming around within the scope of her prodigious senses since moving close to Asano''s home, and was beginning to suspect that the familiar was using her for practise.


    On this occasion, Shade made his way to her front door. He knew she was aware of his presence and did not knock, and instead, waiting outside her doorway. She got up, moved to the door and opened it.


    ¡°Something I can do for your boss?¡± she asked the shadow man in her doorway. ¡°Isn¡¯t he at some big fancy party?¡±


    ¡°He is, indeed, Miss Warnock. I have come to discuss the offer of employment he made you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been deliberating.¡±


    ¡°You have, by my estimate, one hour and forty minutes to conclude your deliberations or the offer will be revoked.¡±


    She frowned.


    ¡°Tell your boss that I don¡¯t like being pushed?¡±


    ¡°He is not pushing, Miss Warnock; he¡¯s leaving. Our full entourage will be gone within the next two hours.¡±


    ¡°Did something happen at the party?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano was attending,¡± Shade said. ¡°So, yes, but my understanding is that was tangentially related at best. He informed me that the decision to leave tonight was centred on a friend helping him to remember that which mattered and that which did not.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like a good friend to have.¡±


    ¡°Quite so, Miss Warnock. If you are willing to tolerate a piece of unsolicited advice, I would point out that you should perhaps consider transitioning to a position where you can make friends of your own.¡±


    ***


    The arena ready-areas were essentially large locker rooms, with projectors on one wall so anyone inside could watch the duels. Liara was alone in Jason''s ready room, having just watched him not so much win a duel as look at it sternly until it slunk away in shame. She knew enough about him to know he had used a soul attack, but even her gold rank senses had failed to pick up the spike of aura he used to do so. The sheer power and precision of it, at his rank, was almost as terrifying as the attack itself.


    Fully as terrifying was Asano¡¯s willingness to make soul attacks not just in public, but in front of a prestigious and attentive audience. Soul attacks were extremely rare, almost never coming from essence abilities. They were most notoriously associated with the kind of villains that Liara had spent most of her adventuring career hunting down.


    She had asked Jason to be serious and demonstrate that authority could reign him in. He had told her that it was a bad idea, and now she finally believed him. She had never imaged that he would fulfil her request by attacking someone with an attack of such sudden, violating brutality that Soramir Rimaros had to step in and stop him.


    The arena doors opened to admit Jason, still in his sinister blood robes and uncanny cloak. He almost seemed to be progressing in a slow glide due to his smooth gait and the cloak obscuring his feet. The doors closed behind him as Jason moved towards her.


    "The way you move using the cloak is unusual," she observed.


    ¡°When I was iron-rank, I spent no small amount of time developing movement techniques that incorporated various minor aspects of my powers, methodologies taken from the Order of the Reaper. It helped me to travel quickly through the Greenstone Delta on foot while navigating difficult terrain and maximising my endurance. Over time, it became habitual while I was wearing my cloak."


    A dark mist shrouded Jason, dispersing after just a moment. When it did, his robes and cloak had been replaced by his previous formalwear. The absence of his sinister adventuring attire did not alleviate the heavy air surrounding him. He wasn¡¯t projecting the polite subdued aura that etiquette called for. His aura was barely detectable at all, and that was by a gold-ranker standing right in front of him.


    ¡°Miss Hurin told me that you are leaving tonight.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You were meant to leave with His Ancestral Majesty. Make a show of you going off into the cosmos together.¡±


    ¡°He can come to the cloud house and put on a show if he likes.¡±


    ¡°Soramir Rimaros doesn¡¯t go to you, Jason. You go to him.¡±


    ¡°That hasn¡¯t been my experience.¡±


    As much as she might want to, Liara couldn¡¯t argue the point. She had been raised to venerate the absentee figure of the Storm Kingdom¡¯s founder, but meeting the real thing had upended her expectations. He was a lot more casual and relaxed than the figure depicted in history books, which, she supposed, was something you could do when you didn¡¯t answer to anyone. The fact that Soramir and Jason were quite alike in this regard was not lost on her.


    "I''ve been making arrangements as best I can to facilitate your departure," she told him. "Vidal Ladiv is bringing everything you''ll need from the Adventure Society to us here. Amos Pensinata and his nephew have been notified and are en route to your building. Carlos Quilido is also making rushed preparations, with no small number of complaints over the short notice. I was not sure if you had decided to take someone from the Rimaros family with you, be it Zara or¡­ my daughter."


    ¡°I¡¯m taking neither; we have complications enough. From almost the first moment I arrived here, House Rimaros has been pushing itself into my affairs or pulling me into theirs. Now that I¡¯m leaving your family¡¯s kingdom, you will find my patience for that kind of intrusion has sharply declined.¡±


    Despite the heaviness of the moment, Liara couldn¡¯t help herself.


    ¡°This was you being patient?¡±


    Jason broke into a laugh, breaking the tension


    ¡°Believe it or not, yes. You¡¯re probably better off without me.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Liara said. ¡°You¡¯re trouble in a clearly labelled box, Asano, but you may just be worth that trouble. Without you, my husband would be dead. If your friend Belinda was still in Vitesse, the Order of Redeeming Light would still be a threat. If not for your friends Travis and Dawn, the battle with the Builder¡¯s city-fortresses would have gone very differently. If you hadn¡¯t somehow made the Builder pack up and leave, the invasion would have continued for as much as five or six more weeks.¡±


    ¡°Princess, that¡¯s just how things go for me. The reason I¡¯m leaving is in the slim hope that maybe it won¡¯t be, if even for a little while. I do have to save my home planet again, but I¡¯m hoping I can do that on the down-low.¡±


    The door leading into the hallways around the arena opened and Vidal Ladiv came in.


    ¡°Good evening, milady. I apologise, Mr Asano; I didn¡¯t want to interrupt your duel preparations. They told me it was about to start, so I thought it would be underway by now. I didn¡¯t want to come in until the duel had begun, and I didn¡¯t sense anyone but you in here, Princess.¡±


    Seeing someone who was visibly in front of them but absent from their magical senses was unnerving to most essence users, and a large part of the mystique high-rankers held. Vidal showed no sign of being perturbed on his face, although both Liara and Jason could feel it in his aura.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine, Mr Ladiv,¡± Liara said. ¡°The duel is already over.¡±


    This time surprise did show on his face.


    ¡°I would have expected it to take longer,¡± he said. ¡°Hector de Varco can turn himself into stone, isolate afflictions into small parts of his body and tear them off, replacing them with stone from the environment. It¡¯s a rather unusual form of regeneration that works very well against affliction specialists. Or is supposed to.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano decided to forgo afflictions for another approach,¡± Liara said. ¡°You can ask him about it later, if you have the courage. Right now, he needs the documentation from the Adventure Society. Did you get everything in order?¡±


    ¡°I did, milady. Rodney was a great help.¡±


    ¡°You know my assistant?¡±


    ¡°Yes, milady. Very well, in fact.¡±


    ¡°He never mentioned,¡± Liara said.


    ¡°You¡¯re a princess,¡± Jason said. ¡°He didn¡¯t think you¡¯d care.¡±


    Liara looked at Jason, then back to Vidal, whose face gave reluctant confirmation. She frowned unhappily.


    ¡°Mr Ladiv,¡± Jason said to the man who increasingly looked in need of rescue. ¡°What do you have for me?¡±


    ¡°Give him what he needs, Mr Ladiv,¡± Liara said. ¡°I¡¯m going to go help extract Mr Asano¡¯s companions, so they don¡¯t end up in any further political messes after the duels.¡±


    Vidal nodded, moving over to Jason and taking a file folder from a dimensional pouch as Liara departed.


    ¡°This is the documentation relating to your Adventure Society memberships,¡± Vidal said, and handed over the folder. ¡°The paperwork for your real identity and your new identity, with the alias you have chosen, is all here. By the time the sun comes up, these will all have been updated in the Adventure Society central record.¡±


    Vidal then took out a small box.


    ¡°These are your new badges, with the updates rank for your real identity and the false identity.¡±


    Vidal opened the case to reveal two silver-rank Adventure Society badges, sitting on the padded lining of the box. The badge on the right had a single star while the one on the left had three. In both cases, however, they differed from the solid five-pointed stars that Jason was familiar with. The single star on the right badge had a circle around it, while the three stars on the left badge were not solid stars, but pentagrams.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Jason asked, pointing them out.


    "This," Vidal said, indicating the single star, "is the standard marker for an auxiliary adventurer. It means that they can''t take solo missions; they have to be attached to a team. It''s for auxiliaries that can hold their own in a fight, if necessary, and means they qualify for a share of contract awards if they participate in combat or, more frequently, other dangerous activities. An intrusion expert might need to join the team if they¡¯re breaking into some fortified lair, for example. They might not fight the things in there, but they¡¯re still going into the dangerous place to open locks and bypass traps.¡±


    ¡°So, it¡¯s for when the cook is secretly super combat guy and there¡¯s a naked lady asleep in the cake.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ve lost me there, sir.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t call me sir. Call me Jason, or Asano, if you¡¯re more comfortable with that. Call me H.R. Pufnstuf if you like, but not sir. I¡¯m not in charge of you.¡±


    ¡°No, you¡¯re definitely in charge of me, sir.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an independent liaison from the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°Sir, I¡¯ll be with your team and your friends in your cloud construct. While I¡¯m confident that most, if not all of the rumours I¡¯ve heard about that building are wrong, there are people I¡¯m very scared of who are scared of it. Add that to you being suspicious of me as an outsider and I¡¯m not entirely certain you won¡¯t kill and dispose of me if I stumble onto the wrong secret. You¡¯re in charge of me, if only from the perspective of my not being an idiot.¡±


    "That''s fair," Jason acknowledged. ¡°Alright, tell me about the other badge.¡±


    "Well," Vidal said in the tone of someone familiar with the term ''shoot the messenger,'' "you''re definitely a three-star adventurer. Three stars means dealing with contracts related to high-level politics. If Soramir Rimaros is asking about your star rating, that pretty much answers the question right there. But, the Adventure Society is also aware that you sometimes feel compelled to act against your own best interests when your principles are involved. While that is certainly admirable, the society wanted to de-incentivise you flashing a three-star badge that, officially, is in another dimension.¡±


    ¡°You were told to say that pretty much word for word, weren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I was, sir, yes.¡±


    ¡°So, what do these modified stars mean?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t, strictly speaking, mean anything. This star design was made for you, and you alone.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s actually kind of clever. If I go trying to use the authority of a three-star to go taking shortcuts for my team, the idiosyncratic badge will mean that an Adventure Society branch will dig deeper, opening up the whole can of worms where I¡¯m meant to be off in another dimension. Basically, they guaranteed that any time I use my badge it will be a whole mess. They want to reduce the temptation to use my star rating to take shortcuts, in the hope that I¡¯ll seek out more nuanced methods first.¡±


    ¡°Very astute, sir, which I imagine to be how you got those three stars in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t patronise me, Ladiv, or I¡¯ll throw you overboard while we¡¯re in the middle of the ocean.¡±


    ¡°I have the water essence, sir, so I would be quite fine in that scenario.¡±


    ¡°Of course you would; I¡¯m not going to murder you for patronising me. I¡¯ll just make you run alongside the vehicle for an hour or two.¡±

 Chapter 617: Put the Extraordinary Aside

    A large flying carriage landed on the lawn in front of Jason¡¯s pagoda. Jason and his companions emerged, along with Liara, and Jason immediately walked up to the pagoda doors, which opened at his approach. As soon as they did, water came spilling out onto the grass. It was far from a flood, but enough to demonstrate that the massive atrium floor had been flooded to at least a couple of centimetres deep.


    Like the night outside, the interior was dark. That did not obscure Jason¡¯s vision, but he still conjured his cloak, from which a swarm of tiny star lights emerged. They swept up into the building, growing brighter as they went. The massive destruction that had taken place on the building¡¯s interior became plain for all to see. It was clear that some force, not explosive but annihilating, had essentially deleted a sphere almost as wide as the building itself. Several floors were all but absent while others were damaged to various degrees, including the mezzanine levels. The waterfall was now spilling through a hole rather than over an edge into the pool, which was the source of the shallow flooding.


    ¡°Damn,¡± Gary said. ¡°Are you going to deal with the guys who did this?¡±


    High above, one of the intact sections of floor opened up and a small group of rot-black meat lumps dropped out, falling some seven storeys to smack wetly into the floor.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°These people were idiots being used by someone else. Liara, you¡¯re better equipped to investigate the man behind the curtain that I am, and a revenge spree is a little public for someone who¡¯s meant to be in another dimension.¡±


    ¡°Now you hand over prisoners,¡± Liara said. ¡°I don''t suppose you want to throw in Melody Jain? Assuming she didn''t take the opportunity to break out.¡±


    ¡°Definitely not,¡± a voice came from above and Melody dropped from a high floor, forgoing slow fall abilities to make a superhero landing before standing up and gesturing at what was left of the gold rankers on the floor. What was left did not include limbs.


    ¡°Asano did this to people while attending a party, portal distance away, behind what has to be formidable communication-restricting magic. I decided then and there that not only was I not going to make a break for it without a lot of confidence in my plan, but also that Asano probably wasn¡¯t in the best of moods, based on what he did to these poor saps, anyway.¡±


    ¡°That was a good choice,¡± Sophie told her mother. ¡°He soul attacked a guy in front of the king until Soramir Rimaros stepped in to stop him.¡±


    ¡°And what did the king do about that?¡± Melody asked.


    ¡°Not sure,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Had another drink?¡±


    Melody looked over at Jason, still shrouded in his cloak.


    ¡°You just keep getting scarier, don¡¯t you? Is that a deliberate thing, or does it just happen?¡±


    Jason pushed back the hood to reveal his face, which left him looking like his head was sticking out of a portal.


    ¡°That¡¯s creepy, bro. I¡¯m into it.¡±


    ¡°Everyone get packing,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m reconfiguring the house to a vehicle, so there¡¯ll be less room to play with.¡±


    ***


    Liara was directing Adventure Society personnel to put the beleaguered gold rankers into a secure transport carriage. Once they were clear of the cloud house, its defences stopped ravaging them. The potent recuperative strength of their gold-rank recovery attributes turned them back into recognisable people by the time the magical flying paddy wagon arrived. They were all collared as they were placed inside, completely docile. None of them was acting out or speaking at all, which was remarkable for any group of gold rankers. They just looked relieved, even eager, to be taken away from the pagoda.


    Suddenly, Soramir Rimaros was standing next to her. If she¡¯d been silver rank instead of gold, his diamond-rank speed would have been indistinguishable from teleportation. He turned on his formidable privacy screen, cutting off the various observers still watching the pagoda.


    ¡°He¡¯s still trouble,¡± Soramir said.


    ¡°If I might ask, Ancestral Majesty, why do you let him run so rampant? I know that there¡¯s no way the king would have put up with his antics without you telling him to.¡±


    Soramir thought about it for a moment.


    ¡°The healer from Asano¡¯s team, Neil Davone,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯s a capable enough mid-rank adventurer from a minor noble house in some city-state no one would ever have heard of if not for the Geller family. Under normal circumstances, would I even know the name of the person I just described?¡±


    ¡°Unlikely, Ancestral Majesty.¡±


    ¡°Out in the cosmos, that¡¯s me. There is no reason I would ever come to the attention of the First Sister of the World-Phoenix. That¡¯s who Jason¡¯s friend Dawn is. Or was. She''s moved onto some more nebulous rank. In the cosmic realms, I¡¯m just a face in the crowd and she is a blazing sun. But just as I know who Young Master Davone is because of Jason, she knows who I am because of Jason as well.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that he operates in prestigious circles. We knew that from the great astral beings and gods visiting him. Just about where we¡¯re standing, in fact.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure you understand how prestigious. He''s already at a level where he needs to deal with me instead of the king for his actual objectives, because the king isn''t enough. The only reason he''s dealing with any of our family is that we dragged him into our politics. And we still failed to marry any of ours off to him; I knew we should have focused on that more heavily. Actually, now that I say it, I heard that your daughter¨C¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°No, Ancestral Majesty.¡±


    ¡°You know I meant your younger daughter, Zareen?¡±


    ¡°And you know I meant that while you can order my family members as part of House Rimaros, you were also acknowledging that you cannot give orders that intervene in my family dynamic. Ancestral Majesty.¡±


    Soramir chuckled.


    ¡°Asano is a good influence on you. You¡¯re an important part of the family, with your position in the Adventure Society, but you let your peripheral position in the royal family make you timid. You¡¯re going to need to hold your ground more and more, Liara. I expect to see more of that in the future.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best, Ancestral Majesty.¡±


    ¡°My point,¡± Soramir said, ¡°is that the troubles of a royal family are significantly below the level Asano is operating at. There are things I won¡¯t tell you; secrets that belong to Asano that would cause him no small consternation should they come out. What I will say is that Asano isn''t really a silver ranker. He''s a very dangerous diamond ranker that hasn''t caught up to his natural rank yet. I¡¯m confident that he¡¯ll be younger than you are now when he reaches diamond rank, assuming he survives that long.¡±


    ¡°I need to go, Ancestral Majesty,¡± Liara said, indicating the security carriage about to lift off.


    ¡°Of course. Please attend to your duties.¡±


    As Liara departed, Jason emerged from the building, entering Soramir¡¯s privacy screen.


    ¡°You know you don¡¯t need this thing,¡± Jason told him. ¡°You could just pop inside.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll decline, thank you. And you should be careful about who you let in there, given what you¡¯ve become.¡±


    ¡°I wondered if you realised, given your experiences in the wider cosmos.¡±


    ¡°The vast majority of astral kings are messengers, Mr Asano. With a war with the messengers in the offing, that¡¯s not going to make you a popular figure if people find out.¡±


    ¡°I imagine it won''t. But laying low is the plan, so I''ll do my best to avoid standing out.¡±


    ¡°And how good is your best in that regard?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably best you don¡¯t ask,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Once you send your friends on their way, Mr Asano, come to the palace. Officially, we¡¯ll be in seclusion until our departure is announced. In reality, I will have you portalled to them.¡±


    ¡°Rather than that,¡± Jason said, ¡°you can take one of my familiar''s bodies back with you. He can wear my conjured cloak and occasionally be spotted in the palace after I''m gone.¡±


    ¡°That will work?¡±


    ¡°He can mimic my retracted aura well enough that anyone who can see through it will have to be either rudely focused with their senses or someone like you or Amos Pensinata.¡±


    ¡°That should suffice, then.¡±


    ¡°Which makes this the last time we¡¯ll see each other for some time. I hope that it will be as equals, instead of my stature being propped up by association with the people around me.¡±


    ¡°And by the ones that aren¡¯t people.¡±


    ¡°Gods and great astral beings are people, Soramir,¡± Jason said firmly. ¡°They¡¯re just weird and powerful.¡±


    Soramir laughed.


    ¡°I said something funny?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Oh yes, Mr Asano. I think I just understood you a little more, and how you wound up where you are. It¡¯s one thing to say that these vast entities are fundamentally the same as us when you¡¯ve never felt their power pressing down on you. I know from experience that once you have, that perspective is harder to maintain.¡±


    ¡°Almost everyone I deal with dwarfs me in power,¡± Jason said. ¡°Look at you and me. You get used to it.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, neither of us ages anymore. I¡¯m curious about how your point of view has shifted the next time we meet.¡±


    ¡°If I reach that point, I¡¯ll call it a win. I seem to go from one desperate attempt to cling to life to the next.¡±


    ¡°Which is the point of our current efforts, is it not? To put the extraordinary aside for a while and live as much of an ordinary life as you can, given secret identities and secret agendas?¡±


    ¡°It is. But I¡¯ve had hopes like that before.¡±


    Soramir nodded.


    ¡°What you¡¯ve faced all came around two ranks too early,¡± he said.


    ¡°Tell me about it,¡± Jason said, then looked up at an approaching flying carriage, massively oversized and covered in metal plating.


    ¡°Preparation continues unabated, Ancestral Majesty; we should go, which means it¡¯s time to drop the privacy screen.¡±


    Soramir nodded. Once it was once again possible to eavesdrop, Jason started the show.


    ¡°My cloud flask isn¡¯t developed enough to be useful where we¡¯re going,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m going to leave it here with one of my shadow familiars, because he can use it. He¡¯ll essentially be another auxiliary, in charge of transport and accommodation.¡±


    Jason plucked the cloud flask¡¯s shrunken form from his necklace and it grew to normal size. A Shade body emerged from the pagoda and Jason handed it over.


    ¡°It won¡¯t do anyone any good to steal it,¡± Jason told Shade, ¡°but some idiot probably will try anyway, so don¡¯t let them.¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I left the materials to fix it up after the damage inside, so use them before you break down the pagoda.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano.¡±


    After a handful of other instructions, Jason wrapped himself completely in his cloak, such that no one notice him shadow jump and leave a Shade body in his place.


    ¡°Have you said your goodbyes?¡± Soramir asked.


    ¡°I did that away from prying eyes,¡± Jason¡¯s voice came from the disguised Shade.


    ¡°Then we¡¯re done here,¡± Soramir said.


    ***


    Carlos watched them leave, having disembarked from the heavily modified vehicle that landed during Jason and Soramir''s conversation. It looked like a mix of double-decker, oversized tour bus and prison transport. After Jason refused to house the Order of Redeeming Light in his soul space, Carlos had been forced to make custom arrangements. The vehicle was part mobile prison, part hospital and part accommodation for Carlos and his research assistants.


    The Shade that had accepted the cloud flask led Carlos into the pagoda.


    ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why Jason wouldn¡¯t just accommodate the Order of the Redeeming Light people himself,¡± Carlos complained. ¡°He¡¯s already holding Melody Jain.¡±


    ¡°Ms Jain is a special case,¡± Shade informed him as they reached the doors. ¡°Holding hostiles in his own home can have¡­¡±


    Shade paused as the doors opened and they went inside.


    ¡°¡­ramifications.¡±


    Carlos craned his head back to look at the destruction to the pagoda''s interior. Jason''s cloak lights had been replaced with an array of floating glow stones so that no one stumbled of any ledges.


    ¡°What did this?¡± Carlos asked.


    ¡°Hostiles in Mr Asano¡¯s home,¡± Shade said. ¡°Do come along, Priest Quilido.¡±

 Chapter 618: A Chance For Some Relative Quiet

    In the atrium of his pagoda, Jason had set the cloud flask on the floor and placed a funnel into the neck. He had a large box of quintessence gems that he tipped into the funnel.


    After the destruction wreaked in his pagoda, Jason needed to top off the base material the cloud flask used to generate constructs. Fortunately, the quintessence types required were extremely common in the Sea of Storms. His current notoriety had uncharacteristically proven more help than hindrance as he contacted a trade hall broker and, in less than an hour, had crates of quintessence waiting when he portalled to the Adventure Society campus.


    That had been one of Jason¡¯s last jobs before pretending to go off with Soramir. He was now operating under his assumed identity and would not be emerging from the cloud house again before leaving Rimaros. Amos Pensinata arrived, along with his nephew, Orin. Estella Warnock showed up, not having believed for a second that the figure departing with Soramir was actually Jason.


    Jason was in his soul space while Shade returned the pagoda to the cloud flask and replaced it with a vehicle construct. Estella, on her arrival, insisted on seeing Jason and, after some deliberation, went through the white archway to Jason''s soul space.


    Estella was immediately wary of the strange realm. Anyone who entered could feel its uncanny nature, but her senses were much stronger and more developed than most. She looked around the beautiful but unsettling landscape, unsure of not just where she was, but what manner of reality she had found herself in.


    ¡°Strange, isn¡¯t it?¡± Jason asked, suddenly standing beside her. She could sense that this was not Jason as she knew him, as he was part of this place. Or maybe it was part of him.


    ¡°Your senses will give you more insight than most into this place,¡± he said. ¡°I would take it as a kindness if you would keep any such insights to yourself. Maybe tell Clive. He¡¯d like that.¡±


    ¡°I wanted to talk to you. Before I finally accepted your offer.¡±


    ¡°I hope coming in here hasn¡¯t put you off.¡±


    ¡°What is this place?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a space that belongs to me. Sadly, it doesn¡¯t translate into power outside it, except in a few specific ways.¡±


    ¡°Like making a defence specialist fall like a chopped tree in an instant?¡±


    ¡°You heard about that? But no, that wasn¡¯t because of this place. I suppose you could call them fruit from the same tree.¡±


    ¡°I want some assurances before I sign on.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No?¡±


    ¡°No. All I¡¯m offering you is friendship and trust. Where we go from there is something we have to work out together.¡±


    ¡°Does friendship and trust come with a salary?¡±


    Jason burst out laughing.


    ¡°Officially, we¡¯ll both be auxiliaries,¡± he said. ¡°Since I¡¯m just the cook, you¡¯ll get paid more than I will.¡±


    ***


    The pagoda dissolved into cloud stuff that swept into the flask over the course of several minutes, like a genie slowly returning to its lamp. Shade then produced a new construct, this one a vehicle. It was different from what the team was already calling the Carlos Crime Wagon, which was a massive bus in plain shades of khaki and grey, dominated by heavy bolted plates.


    Until it reached gold-rank, the cloud flask wouldn¡¯t be able to produce the ocean-liner sized vessel that Emir could, but it could still manage something the size of a superyacht. It had similarities to a large leisure craft in design, but instead of tapering to a sleek hull to cut through the water, it spread out like a massive hovercraft.


    Being made of magic clouds, it didn¡¯t require the engineering and storage spaces of a yacht from Earth. Along with magical propulsion that did not require an engine room, Jason had fed enough low-rank dimensional quintessence into the cloud flask that it could make modest dimensional storage cupboards. This meant a lot more internal space for accommodation and leisure, and less for cargo and space-eating cabin wardrobes.


    There was still a bridge, from which Shade would pilot the vehicle. It was on the top covered deck, along with the owner¡¯s cabin, with only an open roof deck above. Open areas featured at the front and rear of the two main decks as well, set up for lounging or launching smaller vehicles. Both Clive and Belinda had obtained skimmers that were parked in dimensional bays by the lower starboard deck.


    Most of the cabins were below deck, while the two main decks were defined by purpose. The lower main deck was dominated by a sprawling dining bar lounge, which was the main congregating area on board. It also contained a generous galley. The upper main deck was more for the business of adventuring, mostly taken up by a spacious training room, but also with conference and briefing rooms. It was a small command centre for the two adventuring teams that would be aboard.


    Arriving shortly before the cloud yacht¡¯s departure had been Arabelle and Callum Morse, whose visible agitation was a long way from his familiar stoicism. Like Carlos, they were relegated to their own transport, with a more modest vehicle. It was a skimmer designed for both land and calm waters, with seating for two and some compact bunks. Jason wasn¡¯t going to allow Callum in the cloud yacht, even if Arabelle insisted that Jason hear the man out, sooner or later. Jason had chosen later, leaving the pair to trail behind.


    Arabelle was going to be part of Carlos¡¯ team anyway, but she didn¡¯t trust Callum left to his own devices. For that reason, she stayed with him in their own vehicle instead of joining Jason on the yacht or Carlos in the crime wagon. It wasn¡¯t like she and Callum hadn¡¯t shared close confines before, in their days on the same adventuring team.


    The final arrivals were the remainder of Orin Pensinata''s team. Jason had been reluctant to accept their presence at first, as had Orin''s uncle, Amos. Orin had proven intractable on this, however, and Jason had sympathy for someone not wanting to be separated from their team. Using the Shade body he had left with Liara for communication purposes, he had her run background on the team before accepting their presence. He had worked with the team before, and knew that while their experience was limited, their training and discipline ¨C at least while on the job ¨C were respectable. They were guild elites, and he¡¯d seen their power and teamwork firsthand.


    Finally, not long before the sun was due to rise, the procession of vehicles set out. They left Arnote and headed south, moving over a quiet sea to the mainland. Jason and Carlos¡¯ vehicles could both fly in the high-magic zone, but neither did. The crime wagon and Callum¡¯s skimmer van hovered a few metres over the water which consumed the spirit coins they used as fuel at a much more economical rate.


    Jason had the advantage of feeding the cloud yacht magic from his soul space, but he had no interest in rushing. He had played enough open-world games to know that once you unlocked flying movement, the wonder of exploration became greatly diminished. As such, he let the cloud yacht rest on the surface of the water like a hovercraft, only hovering up to remain level in the face of larger waves.


    As the vehicles moved away from Rimaros, Jason sat on the upper rear deck, under an awning, while most of the group was on the roof deck. He sat on a couch to watch out the back window as the island shank from view. Farrah joined him.


    ¡°Not worried about anyone seeing you?¡± she asked. ¡°There are still a lot of eyes on us.¡±


    ¡°There are invisible screens all around the yacht that only kick in as necessary. They let in a nice breeze, for example, but keep out the rain. It''s also how people can have private conversations, since they act as privacy screens as well. I added that function to the cloud flask after seeing their ubiquity in Rimaros. From the outside, anyone trying to see us will only see a blur while the privacy screen is active. And because it''s part of my spirit domain, even gods can''t see through it, so anyone who can spot me deserves to.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough.¡±


    Farrah would only be joining the trip to the limits of his portal range. Once they reached that distance, he would be portal her back and collect the promised rewards from House de Varco for winning the duels. While Jason and his companions set off, Liara would collect the rewards to hand over to Jason.


    ¡°How are you feeling?¡± Farrah asked as they watched the island shrink in their wake. They were both thinking of their arrival in Rimaros half a year ago. They were now at the start of the wet season in the tropics, and as monsoon rain started coming down, Jason''s ability to see through the dark was no longer enough to keep sight of the island behind them. The rain ran off the invisible screen, but with a thought, Jason let the rain through. It pounded onto the deck and off the awning, which shifted from cloud-stuff to mimicking canvas. The canvas started thrumming as the rain hammered it.


    ¡°I always liked that sound,¡± he said. ¡°When I was a kid we went on a holiday once where it rained every day. I spent the whole time living on snack food and reading as the rain fell against the tent.¡±


    ¡°Does it help? I know that you¡¯ve set off on a lot of journeys that weren¡¯t what you wanted them to be.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s nice, but I¡¯m just fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve got a luxurious magic boat, good friends and maybe even a chance for some relative quiet, at least for a while. Also, if I can avoid getting killed too often, I might just live forever. That doesn¡¯t suck.¡±


    ***


    Most of the cloud yacht¡¯s occupants were on the open roof deck until the rain started. It spilled off the invisible dome over the deck that still somehow let in the wind, but most of the people took the stairs to the lower decks. Orin Pensinata and his team did not, remaining outside.


    The leader of Orin and Kalif''s team was Korinne Pescos. They had first encountered Jason in a mixed-force expedition. It was a strange group centred around their team of guild elites, but also included non-guild members and a pair of princesses. Kalif had been prodding the non-guild members, to see if they had any spine to them. That included Jason after Kalif noticed that the princesses seemed to at least recognise him.


    ¡°What have you gotten us into, Orin?¡± Kalif asked. His brief history with Jason Asano was making him uncomfortable. Kalif had first caught Jason at a bad time. It had been at the height of Jason¡¯s volatility from the continued absence of his team, even as the Builder, Purity forces and local politics all sought to harass him. His response to Kalif¡¯s provocation had been to sharply demonstrate their difference in soul strength.


    Kalif and his team had worked with Asano twice. There was the expedition where they met, during which time Asano went off alone and mind-controlled a bunch of Builder constructs through means still unknown. Asano had been a savage, solitary figure at that time, barely talking and rushing off alone, with no sense of teamwork.


    The next time they worked together was very different. Kalif''s team leader, Korinne, had been in charge of coordinating the underwater complex rescue. Asano had been critical to portalling people in and had been with his team at that stage. Although they barely interacted, Asano had been noticeably different. He was more like an ordinary adventurer once he had his team around him.


    That day was the beginning of Asano¡¯s public notoriety, in the aftermath of the underwater complex raid. Rumours abounded, ranging from the unusual to the outright insane. Finding a way to portal past magical barriers was one thing, but who would believe that a god would visit Asano for a casual chat, like an old friend?


    For many, the previous evening''s ball was the first time they had caught sight of Asano as Princess Liara paraded him like a prized pet. It had deflated many of the rumours about the man until people started causing trouble. The culmination of that was Asano dropping Hector de Varco, famed for his defensive prowess, like he was culling a helpless animal. Kalif couldn¡¯t help but think of the time he provoked Asano and was stopped dead with an aura technique. In that moment, he realised how lightly Asano had let him off.


    At that point, Kalif wanted nothing more to do with Asano and was relieved to hear then man would be leaving Rimaros. Then he discovered that their team would be going with him. Orin just looked at Kalif, who repeated his question.


    ¡°I¡¯m not joking, Orin. What have you caught us up in?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough, Kalif,¡± Korinne cut in. ¡°You know that this isn''t Orin. It''s his uncle. Our choices were to abandon our team member or to come along. Are you suggesting we should have let him go alone?"


    ¡°Of course not,¡± Kalif said. ¡°I course we go. That doesn¡¯t mean we go blindly, and you know that Asano and I have bad blood.¡±


    ¡°Then why don¡¯t we cleanse it?¡± A new voice said. The team turned to look at Jason moving up the stairs. He moved in front of Kalif and looked up at the taller man.


    ¡°We didn¡¯t start off on the best foot, did we?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I was in a bad place and neither of us were our best selves that day.¡±


    He held out his hand as a peace offering.


    ¡°How about we start over, and put what came before behind us?¡±


    Kalif looked at Jason¡¯s hand for a moment before shaking it.


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    Jason flashed him a grin and moved over to the railing. The rain was thick, cutting off visibility, but he looked out anyway. Kalif and his team watched him, warily.


    ¡°I enjoyed Rimaros,¡± he said winsomely. ¡°I¡¯d like to come back during quieter times. I never even met all the Al brothers.¡±

 Chapter 619: Surplus to Requirements

    Jason and his team, plus Rufus, were sitting around the conference table on the cloud yacht, looking at a projection of a map.


    ¡°We¡¯re freer now to make our own decisions than we¡¯ve been in a while,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°That means literally charting our own path. We have a general plan of moving south, down this continent before crossing over to the Great Southern Continent. We¡¯ll move across there, then cross north again to reach Hornis on our way to Greenstone. From there we¡¯ll continue up to Vitesse and then Cyrion, where the other outworlders from Earth are located.¡±


    As he talked, Humphrey pointed with his finger and a line appeared on the map. The Earth equivalent of the path he drew out would be going from the Caribbean through South America to Antarctica, then back up to Africa before reaching Europe. The Pallimustus version of Antarctica was apparently much more hospitable than the earth version, while the local version of Australia was just the opposite. The most notorious high-magic zone in the world, it was mostly a haven to diamond-rank monsters and anyone fool enough to hunt them.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a wildly efficient route,¡± Rufus pointed out.


    ¡°Efficiency is counter to our purpose,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s time for this team to start seeing the world.¡±


    ¡°Even if it means wandering over most of it like a drunkard who can¡¯t walk in a straight line,¡± Neil added, raising a fist in the air. ¡°I¡¯m all in. Team Drunkard!¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s eyes went wide and he let out a loud groan.


    ¡°I forgot to change the team name after the administrative restrictions came down after the surge!¡±


    ¡°I think that die is cast, my friend,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think we¡¯re all pretty happy with the team name.¡±


    ¡°Yeah!¡± cheered the moustachioed mouse dragging a biscuit the size of his entire body from the plate on the table.


    ¡°I¡¯m afraid that battle is lost,¡± Rufus comforted Humphrey. ¡°Perhaps we should just move onto the specifics of our journey.¡±


    Humphrey resignedly nodded before resuming the discussion.


    ¡°The first leg of our trip is to move south. There is a great road network connecting the population hubs, whichever way we go, and our general options are the east coast, the west coast or the central regions.¡±


    ¡°What are the differences?¡± Jason asked.


    "The east coast is what you might call the standard route. It''s the most populous, the most developed and the most stable, magically speaking. Magic strength there is in the mid-range, meaning primarily silver-rank monsters, with some large packs of bronze and the occasional gold. That''s a very good starting range for where we are right now, looking to rank up long-term."


    ¡°The problem with that path,¡± Rufus said, ¡°is that the surge just ended. There will be a lot of Adventurers hitting the road, just like us, and that will be the road most of them take. That means more competition for the best contracts at every branch we run into. Also, the locals in each branch can get resentful of all the outsiders coming in to snake the most lucrative jobs.¡±


    "The next option," Humphrey said, "is the central region. This, I think we should avoid. There''s more wilderness and fewer developed areas, which isn''t inherently bad, but the magic levels are. The central region is notorious for inconsistent magic levels, so one day you''re fighting iron-rank monsters and the next, gold rank."


    ¡°And the west coast?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It varies between low and medium ambient magic levels. Not Greenstone low, for the most part, but sometimes it is. There are a couple of areas that, like Greenstone, are major sites for low-rank spirit coin farms. Mostly, though, the monster level is around bronze or silver.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little too low for us,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I agree,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°On the other hand, there will be less competition for the best contracts.¡±


    ¡°I think east,¡± Jason said. ¡°We don¡¯t need the most lucrative contracts. I know the only real experience I have of standard adventuring was in Greenstone, but what I saw there was that the people who needed help the most were often overlooked. They couldn¡¯t sweeten the contract rewards over Adventure Society standard rates, so their contracts tended to languish until the society assigned them as punishment contracts.¡±


    ¡°You want to take the worst contracts?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Worst by what metric?¡± Jason responded. ¡°The unpopular contracts tend to be the ones that deviate from the standard. To me, that sounds more fun.¡±


    ¡°Of course it does,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°We should also look at our wider objectives,¡± Clive said. ¡°This is an adventuring tour. If we¡¯re going to see the world, let¡¯s see it. New towns, new people. There¡¯s more to meeting other adventurers than competing for contracts. If we want to spend the whole time slogging through unpopulated areas, we might as well fly over them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m really liking the sound of this,¡± Jason said. ¡°Coast roads and food markets. Yeah, I¡¯m sold.¡±


    Humphrey looked around the table.


    ¡°If there are no objections then, east we¡¯ll go.¡±


    ***


    The door to Jason¡¯s cabin opened as Korinne Pescos approached. It was the only cabin not below decks, sharing the upper deck with the bridge. It was spacious and ringed with windows, aside from the wall it shared with the bridge. Jason was sitting on a couch that faced starboard to enjoy the panoramic view, watching the vehicle''s wake.


    "Please join me, Miss Pescos," he said, neither getting up nor turning around. She moved slowly through the spacious cabin, which was more like an open lounge. There wasn''t even a bed, but she had seen him manipulate the structure of the ship by changing the cloud-substance it was made of, so he could make one at need.


    Korinne moved around the long couch and sat, the impossible plushness of it slightly leeching the hard edge with which she had entered. She wondered if this was incidental or something Asano did deliberately to engineer his interactions. She had been warned that his seeming frivolity would often hide deceptively deliberate manipulation.


    ¡°What can I help you with, Miss Pescos?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Refreshments?¡±


    "No thank you. Spirit coins are food enough for me. The plainness helps keep me sharp. It fosters an efficient mind."


    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with the results,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen you in action. I¡¯d been told about the strength of guild elites for some time, but yours was the team that truly showed me what that meant, when we went on that expedition together. It was deeply impressive. If I¡¯m being honest, even with my full team around me, we couldn¡¯t match the overwhelmingly comprehensive speed and power with which you tore through that pack of monsters. It was a large pack, too, yet you were clean and controlled the entire time. The benefits of an efficient mind, I imagine.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t consider your own mind efficient?¡±


    ¡°Oh, I don¡¯t think anyone does, so I might as well indulge.¡±


    With a gesture, a low table formed in front of him and he pulled items from his storage space to place on it; a tray of assorted baked goods and a pitcher of iced tea. He took out two plates and two glasses, but only filled one, which he sipped from appreciatively. He then moved one of the colourful baked slices from the tray to a plate, which he picked up. Korinne watched in silence as he went through the slow and deliberate motions of setting out snacks. Finally, Jason bit into his slice with an appreciative moan.


    ¡°I¡¯m so glad this world turned out to have coconuts,¡± he said. ¡°I do hope you won¡¯t begrudge me indulging.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡±


    ¡°So, what brings you to my cabin?¡± he asked.


    "Do you genuinely not know?" she asked. "I was warned by your team that you know everything that happens on this ship."


    "I''m not a god who can pay attention to every follower at once, Miss Pescos. I might realise that your team is discussing something, but unless I give it my direct attention, I don''t know what it is. Think of it like looking down from a tower. I can see what the people below are doing in general, but without paying closer attention, I can''t see the details. Did my team also tell you that they¡¯ve started using privacy screens in their cabins for private moments?¡±


    ¡°They did, but also that they couldn¡¯t be sure if the screens actually blocked your power to observe. Do they?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have an answer that can satisfy you, Miss Pescos. Be it yes or no, I have reasons to lie either way, which means that you can¡¯t trust what I have to say.¡±


    She nodded, acknowledging the point.


    ¡°This was all very last-moment, Mr Asano. If I¡¯m being honest, I would prefer that my team had our own, separate transport.¡±


    ¡°That is between you and Amos Pensinata. My understanding is that you are here because his nephew is here, and Orin being here was the condition of his uncle being here.¡±


    ¡°And why exactly is Amos Pensinata joining you?¡±


    ¡°A friend of mine asked him to teach me some things. He agreed, in return for help giving his nephew some seasoning as an adventurer.¡±


    ¡°And what makes your team qualified to instruct mine?" Korinne asked. "By your own admission, we are guild elites that can outstrip your team."


    Jason smiled with infuriating self-indulgence, but didn''t answer immediately. He took another bite of coconut slice, then washed it down with a sip of iced tea.


    ¡°Are you sure I can¡¯t tempt you, Miss Pescos? These refreshments are well-described in this humidity.¡±


    ¡°Your boat does a fine job of keeping that outside, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Your question was what my team has to teach you,¡± he said, finally getting back to the point. ¡°As your tone so clearly implied, we have nothing to teach. What I would like to correct is your claim that I have admitted the inferiority of my team. What I said was that we could not equal the speed and power you demonstrated in destroying the large pack of monsters that attacked our expedition. That is not the same thing.¡±


    Korinne let out a snort.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to talk about Rimaros-style adventuring versus Vitesse-style, aren¡¯t you? Specialisation versus generalisation.¡±


    "I''ve only ever been to Rimaros. Once we reach Vitesse it will be my first visit, so I won''t go speaking to the way they do things there. For that, you should seek out Rufus Remore. He trained me, and is steeped in the Vitesse approach. You know his family runs a school there?"


    ¡°He mentioned.¡±


    Jason smiled.


    ¡°What Amos Pensinata asked was not training, but seasoning. Be it in Rimaros or Vitesse, the problem with training low-rank adventurers is that their experiences must be heavily curated or the local monsters will kill them. Forgive me if I¡¯m mistaken, but my understanding is that you and your team were quite orthodox in that regard.¡±


    ¡°We spent the majority of our iron and bronze ranks under gold-rank supervision,¡± Korinne conceded. ¡°But we¡¯re silver rank now. We operated alone through most of the surge.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s what Lord Pensinata wants more of. Experience, away from the safety of your guild. Facing the consequences of your choices with no recourse but yourselves. He will be there if you truly are in need of rescue, but he won¡¯t be following you around and is likely not to make it in time if you find yourselves in truly desperate straits.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re hardly free of gold-rank supervision, Mr Asano. There are four of them in just this tiny convoy.¡±


    "Yes, but the only one you need to concern yourself with is Lord Pensinata. Carlos was never an adventurer, and while Arabelle Remore certainly was, she''ll only help my team, and even that''s a maybe. I think you¡¯ll find both she and Pensinata giving us all enough room to live with our mistakes. They have the resolve for that; ask Arabelle¡¯s son.¡±


    ¡°Even accepting that we are on our own, or close enough it, how exactly does being with your team benefit us? Why does Lord Pensinata see value in bringing Orin on this journey?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a matter of experience.¡±


    ¡°And why do we need your experience? You already said you aren¡¯t going to teach us.¡±


    ¡°And we won¡¯t. Don¡¯t look at myself and my team as instructors.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to be concerned on that front,¡± she said, making Jason laugh.


    ¡°We are peers,¡± Jason told her. ¡°Avail yourself of us as such, and expect us to do the same. Advice from those who already have experience is always valuable when going out to have those experiences yourself. I met Rufus Remore because he and his friends realised that they needed experience they could not get in Vitesse. He ended up founding a satellite school in a low-magic zone based on that very principle.¡±


    Korinne didn¡¯t respond for a long time as she processed what Jason had said. For his part, Jason ate baked goods and watched the rain pouring down outside, heavy enough that he could barely see the other vehicles.


    ¡°I¡¯ve heard things about you,¡± she said finally. ¡°The veracity of what I¡¯ve heard seems spurious at best.¡±


    ¡°Try living through them,¡± he said, shaking his head. ¡°I can¡¯t speak to what you¡¯ve heard, and telling my own story doesn¡¯t seem helpful. Words are easy, after all. All I¡¯ll say is that my team and I have faced situations where we had no one but ourselves to fall back on, even when the stakes were high.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what Orin intimated.¡±


    ¡°Intimated?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not a big talker. But he said he saw into your aura once, unfiltered. He said it told a story that he believed.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Jason said. His first encounter with Orin was when Vesper Rimaros had arranged a ¡®coincidental meeting¡¯ with Kasper Irios. It was part of her political machinations that, like Vesper herself, died when the Builder conflict reached Rimaros. Orin had been a friend of the man and Jason had picked him out as the sensible one of the group, showing him a glimpse of his real aura so they would back off quietly.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Jason said, ¡°I didn¡¯t show him the full thing. But if you¡¯d like to see it, I can show you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a skilled aura manipulator,¡± she said. ¡°That much I¡¯ve heard and believe. You could put up a fa?ade to impress me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to impress you, Miss Pescos. Not to put too fine a point on it, but your team¡¯s presence is a favour for a favour for a favour. Surplus to requirements. Officially, I¡¯m going off with Soramir Rimaros, but you and yours can¡¯t be here without knowing that¡¯s a lie, so you¡¯ve been brought into that circle."


    He grimaced.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t want you here, Miss Pescos, but to get Amos we needed Orin, and to get Orin we needed you. Apparently. Someone who means a lot to me left this world recently. Literally left; not a death metaphor, but I won¡¯t see her again for some time. She was the one who wanted to connect Lord Pensinata and myself. Otherwise, I''d cut my losses and take none of you. I don''t need what Pensinata has to teach that much.¡±


    ¡°Then why put up with us? Why not stash us in the bottom of the ship in our cabins instead of letting me in here to question you like this?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re on my boat, which makes you my guests. If you¡¯re more comfortable buying a vehicle of your own as soon as we reach a place that will sell one, you are welcome to do so. I might recommend it, in fact.¡±


    He leaned back into the plush couch, laying his arms along its back and letting them sink in.


    ¡°Cloud furniture can be hard to give up,¡± he told her with a grin. ¡°And if your team will be eating spirit coins, watching what the rest of us enjoy will be bad for morale.¡±


    Korinne looked at him thoughtfully, then picked out a baked slice, put it on the other plate and claimed it, taking a bite. She contemplated the taste for a moment.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± she said. ¡°I don¡¯t want my team getting used to this.¡±

 Chapter 620: Bad at Crime

    The small convoy carrying Jason and his friends turned east as soon as it hit the coast, hovering along the wide and well-maintained network of roadways. The immediate turn east was to Belinda¡¯s disappointment, as she was interested in heading further south. That way led to the famously sketchy nation of Girlano and all the opportunities it offered to an enterprising and open-minded young lady.


    ¡°I officially retract my endorsement of you and Humpy,¡± she told Sophie. ¡°This whole ¡®being a better person¡¯ thing has sucked the fun right out of you.¡±


    They sat on the cloud yacht¡¯s open lower foredeck. There wasn¡¯t much to see, with the wall of rain still running off the invisible cloud screen.


    ¡°And by fun, you mean elaborate schemes to steal things?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Schemes? Now you¡¯re sounding like Jason. This whole team is a bad influence.¡±


    ¡°In that, they are against robbery?¡±


    ¡°Exactly.¡±


    ¡°Lindy, we¡¯re not street rats anymore. We¡¯ve met the king of one of the most powerful nations in the world.¡±


    ¡°But I never got close enough to lift his watch though, did we?¡± Belinda asked, taking out a pocket watch and turning it over in her hands.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a watch.¡±


    ¡°Whose watch?¡±


    ¡°Remember that guy who tried to provoke us at the ball, not long before Gary bent a tray over some other guy¡¯s head?¡±


    ¡°Kind of. He wasn¡¯t exactly memorable. Wait, that¡¯s his watch?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s fine. Screw that prick.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. I lifted his watch while he was busy being a turd.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t touch him. You didn¡¯t even get close.¡±


    ¡°I know, right?¡±


    ¡°Damn, Lindy. That¡¯s a good lift.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Is this rain ever going to let up?¡± Jason asked, looking out the window of the bar lounge.


    ¡°It is,¡± Humphrey told him.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like it. How long is it going to take?¡±


    ¡°About four months.¡±


    ¡°Bloody monsoon weather.¡±


    ¡°One of the reasons Rimaros is situated on those specific islands, instead of the larger ones, is that they see the least rain in the Sea of Storms.¡±


    ¡°I thought those windmill-looking things was meant to stop all this nonsense.¡±


    ¡°The storm accumulators only affect storms with a heightened ambient magic level. Regular weather is unaffected. Look at it this way, Jason: we picked a great time to get out of the tropics.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I like you, Humphrey. You look for the best in everyone, even this bloody rain.¡±


    ¡°My homeland is a bone-dry desert, remember?¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If not for the magical river creating the delta, we wouldn¡¯t get rain at all, so the goddess Rain is always welcome. She¡¯s heavily worshipped in the delta.¡±


    Belinda laughed at Humphrey¡¯s words as she and Sophie came inside.


    ¡°Remember that time Sophie didn¡¯t know what rain was?¡± she said.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t rain in the city!¡± Sophie exclaimed defensively.


    ¡°I knew what rain was.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t tell me.¡±


    ¡°Well, maybe if you actually talked to people instead of punching or porking them, you might have heard about things.¡±


    ¡°I talked to you.¡±


    ¡°Why would I tell you things? It¡¯s hilarious when you don¡¯t know about stuff that children do. Remember the whole woollen sweater debacle?¡±


    ¡°We grew up somewhere very hot! Why would I know about those?¡±


    ¡°Because you didn¡¯t talk to people.¡±


    ¡°I talked to you!¡±


    ¡°You said that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a bad friend.¡±


    Jason and Humphrey watched the pair go below decks.


    ¡°You did well, there,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I was worried,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°When we heard you were coming back, there was all these unresolved¨C¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re resolved now,¡± Jason said. ¡°She latched onto me because I was the first guy who wasn¡¯t a piece of crap to her.¡±


    ¡°Except for Jory.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well that guy was far gone for Lindy from the start. But Sophie didn¡¯t just need just good, mate; she needed stable. I¡¯ve been called a lot of things, Humphrey. I was called ¡®a small tin of marrowbone jelly¡¯ once, but I don¡¯t recall ever being called stable. You¡¯re the anchor on this team. You should have gotten a healing power set.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what my mother said. The power set thing, to be clear; not about the tin of whatever that is you said. But she got a good deal on those two wing essences, and the idea of Henri and I getting the phoenix and dragon confluences appealed to her.¡±


    ¡°How is Henrietta?¡±


    ¡°She was fine last I saw her in Vitesse. She made silver rank, but she¡¯s never fallen into a permanent team. She ran around with Cassandra Mercer for a while.¡±


    Humphrey frowned.


    ¡°I''m not sure how that turned out, now that I think about it. Henri always had kind of a crush on Cassandra.¡±


    ¡°I heard about Thadwick, ¡° Jason said. ¡°After the Builder possessed him, he turned into some weird vampire?¡±


    ¡°We''re fairly certain he devoured that loose soul around the sword we found. No one at the Magic Society was ever able to figure out what was going on with that whole sword and soul thing, since Thadwick made off with the sword as well. Not a lot left to study. Rufus'' parents were chasing Thadwick for a while, but the trail went cold.¡±


    ¡°I imagine he¡¯ll pop up somewhere. Causing trouble for us, probably. Thadwick was always fixated on me. I think he might have had a sister complex.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what that is, and I¡¯m confident I don¡¯t want you to tell me.¡±


    ¡°Fair enough,¡± Jason said with a chuckle.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°We will be approaching Rajoras in around five minutes.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Shade.¡±


    Shade, along with piloting the cloud yacht, was using vehicle forms to scout the way ahead for trouble that might otherwise be hidden in the rain. Rajoras was one of the larger cities on the southern mainland coast, making it one of the southernmost centres in the Storm Kingdom¡¯s territory.


    In the wake of the monster surge, Rajoras was a major hub of activity. People needed to return home after far too long boxed-up in fortress towns and often found destruction waiting for them. Every town and village needed repair, while some had to be rebuilt entirely. That was true in a normal surge, that lasted a fifth as long as this one. People and materials were already streaming through Rajoras like a river, and the road grew increasingly busy as the team drew near, despite the weather.


    The massive vehicle that was the cloud yacht did not make for practical city travel, so the trio of vehicles in the convoy stopped. They needed to visit the city, as their sudden departure from Rimaros had left them somewhat undersupplied, and the guild team were hoping to find a vehicle of their own. The convoy pulled off the side of the road, with Shade floating the cloud yacht up and over the jungle so as not to obstruct the road with the giant vessel.


    Jason¡¯s team and the Rimaros team assembled on the lower starboard deck, rain bouncing off an invisible dome overhead. That open deck was where the vessel would dock when acting as a boat, while doubling as a launch platform for the two skimmers in dimensional storage. Clive and Belinda pulled the skimmers out, each vehicle equipped for travel over land and water, with magical spray screens that would handle the rain. Each skimmer was a decent size, able to seat eight.


    ¡°I know that Belinda and I are the designated drivers,¡± Clive said, ¡°but we both need to go with the Rimaros team. Sorry, I didn¡¯t catch your team name.¡±


    ¡°Team Storm Shredder,¡± Kalif said.


    ¡°That¡¯s so much better than ours,¡± Humphrey muttered, to the shaking heads disagreement of his teammates.


    ¡°Anyone can drive these skimmers, though, so long as we¡¯re not in a low-magic zone,¡± Clive said. ¡°They¡¯ll run on spirit coins, so you just need some of them. And a local driving permit, obviously.¡±


    ¡°A what?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°The license I told you to get,¡± Clive said turning to frown at her. ¡°You did get that license, right?¡±


    ¡°Uh, yep.¡±


    ¡°Can I see it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have it on me right now.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have it on you?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    ¡°You have dimensional storage space where you keep all your worldly possessions.¡±


    ¡°Not all of them. And I have a cabin. Some things are unpacked in there.¡±


    ¡°Then you might want to go get it,¡± Clive said. ¡°They may be checking them at the city gate. This soon after the surge, they¡¯ll probably be doing extra monitoring.¡±


    ¡°Yeah?¡± Belinda asked, her voice only a slightly higher pitch than normal. ¡°I¡¯ll take that into consideration. On an unrelated note, does anyone know how local low-level officials respond to bribes?¡±


    ¡°Why do you two need to go with Team Storm Cutter?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s Storm Shredder,¡± Korinne corrected.


    ¡°Storm Cutter was already taken?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Kalif said, earning him a sharp glance from Korinne.


    ¡°Anyway, Clive, why do you and Lindy need to go with them?¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll all be heading to the same part of the city for vehicle stuff,¡± Clive said. ¡°They¡¯re looking to buy a proper transport, and since we¡¯ll be here a few days, Lindy and I need a dry dock to disassemble¨C¡±


    Belinda slapped him on the arm.


    ¡°¡­we need to buy some skimmers,¡± Clive pivoted. ¡°And that is all.¡±


    Clive¡¯s team all stared at him.


    ¡°We already have skimmers,¡± Sophie pointed out, gesturing at the two vehicles resting on the deck. ¡°These skimmers.¡±


    ¡°We need different ones,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°You are so bad at crime,¡± Belinda muttered.


    ¡°We¡¯re not meant to be good at crime!¡± Clive hissed at her.


    ¡°Speak for yourself,¡± Belinda hissed back.


    ¡°Whatever happened with that submarine Belinda stole?¡± Neil asked.


    Clive opened his mouth and Belinda slapped his arm again.


    ¡°What submarine?¡± Clive asked unconvincingly.


    ¡°The one you took when you broke out of the Order of Redeeming Light¡¯s hidden base,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°That sank,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Or I lost it. Or both. I think it was both. Yeah, I told you that it sank and I don¡¯t remember where, right?¡±


    Kalif leaned closer to Orin.


    "It''s your fault that we''re travelling with these people?¡±


    Orin didn''t say anything.


    ***


    Korinne¡¯s team was with Clive and Belinda in a skimmer, in a queue waiting to move through the city gate checkpoint. The city walls loomed ahead, still bearing the scars of monster attacks from the surge. Clive was in the driver''s seat, with Belinda beside him at the front.


    ¡°Can I ask you something?¡± Kalif said, leaning forward to speak. ¡°Do you find it unnerving that Asano''s aura is everywhere in that vehicle? I mean, everywhere. It feels like he¡¯s watching your thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Different auras feel different to different people,¡± Clive said. ¡°To me, it¡¯s benevolent. Overbearing, yes, but benevolent, which is very much Jason. It¡¯s reassuring, though, after having thought we¡¯d lost him to the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°You get used to it,¡± Belinda said. ¡°There¡¯s an assurance to his presence. Like a guard dog. You can feel how far he¡¯d go if someone came for us, and we know that feeling is real. We¡¯ve seen it.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what it feels like to us,¡± Kalif said. ¡°Except that we¡¯re the ones the guard dog is watching. It¡¯s unsettling. Makes it hard to relax.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± said Rosa Liselos, the scout from Korinne¡¯s team. ¡°I don''t think it''s so bad. I can definitely live with it if it means cloud beds and giant dinner spreads. That lunch looked amazing. How often do you all eat like that?¡±


    ¡°That''s just normal lunch when we aren''t in the field,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Jason has always kind of been the auxiliary member in charge of food. Why didn''t you all join in?¡±


    ¡°Korinne,¡± Orin said, with no more explanation than that.


    Korinne''s five teammates all turned to look at her, to which she didn''t react.


    ¡°Discipline,¡± Korinne answered Belinda. ¡°Indulgence dulls the wits. Sharp, efficient minds are what we need.¡±


    ¡°Well, I need sandwiches the size of my forearm,¡± Belinda said. ¡°But whatever works for you, I guess.¡±


    ***


    Jason ended up staying behind when his team went into the city. Humphrey, Sophie and Neil went in search of supplies, but Jason gave them a food shopping list instead of going himself. Between the business and the weather, it wasn¡¯t an ideal time for sightseeing, and they were close enough to Rimaros that it wouldn¡¯t offer a fascinating new culture to interact with. It also meant that Jason knew enough about the local food that most, if not all of his list should be obtainable.


    Arabelle came aboard the cloud yacht, still hovering over the jungle canopy beside the road. She found him brewing tea and they sat by the window, watching the traffic below trudge along the road, through the downpour.


    ¡°It¡¯s past time we had a talk about Callum,¡± she told him. ¡°I wanted to do this back in Rimaros, but you decided to leave very suddenly.¡±


    ¡°Where is Callum?¡±


    ¡°He took our vehicle and went into the city. It¡¯s not the smallest, but it¡¯s not that much bigger than a large skimmer. Nothing like this monstrosity.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite happy with this monstrosity, thank you very much.¡±


    He sipped his tea, then set it down on a side table.


    ¡°You mentioned some time ago,¡± he said, ¡°that you had figured out the real reason that Callum was so obsessed with Sophie¡¯s mother.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s in love with her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, what?¡±

 Chapter 621: An Evil God Sitting on Her Shoulder

    ¡°The full explanation is somewhat complicated,¡± Arabelle said.


    ¡°It¡¯d bloody well want to be,¡± Jason told her. ¡°If there¡¯s a simple explanation for how your team member ended up chasing around my team member¡¯s evil brainwashed mum because he¡¯s in love with her, a lot of people have been very, very oblivious.¡±


    They were sitting in the cloud yacht as it hovered over the jungle beside the road leading into the city of Rajoras. They were drinking tea and watching traffic go past in the pounding monsoon rain.


    ¡°I¡¯ll take you through what happened, as I understand it,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°But know that all I have to go on is Callum¡¯s account.¡±


    ¡°And Callum isn¡¯t at his most reliable, right now.¡±


    ¡°Just so,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°It¡¯s disconcerting, seeing him like this. He¡¯s never been good at dealing with people, but he¡¯s always been stoic and reliable. Now he¡¯s anxious and unreliable, and chasing around after a woman. Seeing him so different to when we used to work together is downright startling.¡±


    ¡°Have you considered letting Carlos have a look at him? Make sure there¡¯s nothing affecting Cal beyond stress?¡±


    ¡°That was the first thing I did once I realised how far from normal Cal had become. I had him checked for signs of the Order of Redeeming Light¡¯s ¡®purification¡¯ ritual, then anything else Carlos could find. This wasn¡¯t any outside influence that he could dig out, which means that it¡¯s all but certainly not outside influence. Finding and dealing with soul influences is his specialty; he¡¯s at the top of his field. From star seeds to vampirism to plain soul trauma, he¡¯s the best there is.¡±


    ¡°Which is why he¡¯s so obsessed with helping the Order of Redeeming Light members, I assume?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And why the authorities are giving him leeway to handle this. Not a lot of people would be allowed to put a group of important prisoners in stasis and haul them around in a bus.¡±


    ¡°If he doesn¡¯t fall under Carlos¡¯ specialty,¡± Jason said, ¡°then he falls under yours. Good old-fashioned mental health problems.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Strictly speaking ¨C ethically speaking ¨C I shouldn¡¯t be treating him, because he¡¯s too close to me. The Church of the Healer gave me special dispensation because he refused to even speak to anyone else and they thought he¡¯d open up to an old team member.¡±


    ¡°And he did.¡±


    ¡°Of course he did. And it took me a while, but I teased the whole story out of him. At least, the story as it happened in his mind. I¡¯ll be interested to hear Sophie¡¯s mother¡¯s version of events, but having them meet now would be a disaster, given the states they¡¯re both in.


    ¡°Melody seems fairly together,¡± Jason said. ¡°Her aura doesn¡¯t match her body language, though. She¡¯s masking a lot of fear and confusion.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Too many unknown factors to bring them together yet, even if it would answer a lot of questions. The goal is to help the both of them get better, after all, not satisfy our curiosity.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Let¡¯s start with how things went from Cal¡¯s perspective, then, shall we?¡±


    Arabelle nodded.


    ¡°We¡¯ll start with context. Callum is part of the Cult of the Reaper. It was something that didn¡¯t impact his day to day life when we were a team, so it never really mattered.¡±


    ¡°Like Clive,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s formally part of whatever organisation they have on this world, but he venerates the great astral being called the Celestial Book.¡±


    ¡°Cal¡¯s membership in the cult of the Reaper is now very much a factor. At the same time, Melody Jain was part of the Order of the Reaper. Do you understand the difference between the organisations?¡±


    ¡°The cult are the ones who follow the Reaper¡¯s principles. The order is an offshoot of the cult that became an order of assassins interested in cultivating backroom political power. They split off from the cult as they increasingly moved away from its core principles.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°The story begins with Melody Jain, around a quarter of a century ago, in the city of Kurdansk. This part comes from what Callum claims Melody told him herself, from before Melody and Callum knew one another. They were each members of their respective organisations, both of which operated in secret. The Order of the Reaper was in the midst of bringing centuries of planning to fruition, and they were very particular about whom they brought into the fold. Melody was highly capable and from one of the old order families, so she was completely welcome. The man she chose for herself was not, however.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t Callum we¡¯re talking about, is it?¡±


    ¡°No. We¡¯re talking about Sophie Wexler¡¯s father, although his name was not Wexler, then. Melody kept him a secret from the order, along with the fact that they had a child. But when the child was still small, they were discovered. The Order of the Reaper specialises in infiltrating people into organisations unnoticed. With religions, it''s essentially impossible to fake, but many religions have low-level administrative staff for their endeavours that aren''t required to be deeply faithful. Someone working for the Church of Fertility in their record-keeping discovered the details of how the church had helped Melody have a child without her order overseers realising.¡±


    ¡°What were the repercussions?¡±


    ¡°According to Callum, Melody was certain that the order would kill her secret husband and child. This was especially true if they discovered that Melody had been teaching him the order¡¯s method of fighting for years.¡±


    ¡°A method he eventually passed on to Sophie.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Melody was warned that the order had discovered her family by a woman named Marta Fries; a fellow member and Melody¡¯s best friend. Melody had Marta smuggle her husband and daughter away, with even Melody herself not knowing where they went. She did not want to be captured and be forced to divulge where her family was so that the order could tie up loose ends. Even Marta Fries wasn¡¯t certain, having supplied the secret husband with just enough information and resources to disappear on his own.¡±


    ¡°Thus, Sophie and her father wound up in Greenstone. Sophie doesn''t have many coherent memories before adventurers found her in that shipwreck."


    ¡°She was young. Didn¡¯t even know that her real name is not Wexler, but Jain. It¡¯s possible her father muddled her memories, somehow. Alchemy can be effective on children that young. There are potions used to help children move past traumatic events, although I try to avoid using them. When treating children, some horrors are best put aside, but the effect of the missing memories can linger, and be harder to deal with for their absence.¡±


    ¡°I have to wonder how much of this, and what version of it, that Melody has told Sophie,¡± Jason wondered. ¡°They¡¯ve been talking for weeks, and I imagine it must have come up.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t ask her?¡±


    ¡°If Sophie feels like there is something I should know,¡± Jason said, ¡°she¡¯ll tell me.¡±


    ¡°It has all been happening inside your cloud house. Couldn¡¯t you listen in?¡±


    "I could, but I don''t. I know they''re talking, but I put my attention elsewhere."


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I could resist that temptation.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not hard. You just have to decide if you want to be the person that encroached on the most private moments of a close friend.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Letting the realisation that you would be a terrible person douse the curiosity.¡±


    "Exactly. Now, you''ve told me about how Sophie ended up in Greenstone, but not where Callum comes in."


    ¡°After getting her family out,¡± Arabelle explained, ¡°she knew that the Order of the Reaper would not let it go. They were obsessed with not leaving threads that could cause problems for them later, especially with their plans within decades of going into motion.¡±


    ¡°And of all the places Sophie and her father could end up, they went to Greenstone? A place where a part of the Order of the Reaper¡¯s plan was set to play out?¡±


    ¡°Callum didn¡¯t know why they went there. It might have been an attempt to hide where the order wouldn¡¯t look. It could have been coincidence. The order was initiating their re-emergence in locations all across the world, after all.¡±


    ¡°So, after getting her family out, she ran?¡±


    ¡°Yes. And this is where Callum finally appears.¡±


    ¡°She went to the Cult of the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But the cult was not going to just take her in. The order was known for its painstaking infiltration of other organisations over the last several centuries, after all. They faked the demise of their entire order as part of a plan more than half a millennia in the making.¡±


    ¡°But that secret isn¡¯t so well hidden anymore.¡±


    ¡°No. Their plan was always to return to their original status of being an open secret, playing tool to those in power while pulling the levers of power themselves. The first time they were too crude and got crushed. This time they are being more patient, and planning things out for the start. In just the few years you were absent they¡¯ve made massive strides in this regard. And the way they¡¯ve been trying to establish themselves is through making themselves invaluable. They¡¯ve made critical strikes against the Church of Purity, the Cult of the Builder and other imminent threats.¡±


    ¡°Meaning that when the rest of the world was scrambling after these enemies that blindsided most of us, the Order of the Reaper had already infiltrated them and knew what they were up to. But instead of warning people, they allowed these groups to become threats, so that they would look good by striking against those threats.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°But surely people saw through that?¡±


    ¡°Of course. But the fact remains that it was an impressive display of power. Who is to say how many infiltrators the order has, in what organisations? Anyone moving against them could easily find that someone they trusted is suddenly putting a knife in their back. We also believe that they knew about the messengers and are going to make moves against them to further cement themselves.¡±


    ¡°This all sounds like trouble.¡±


    "Yes. And the Cult of the Reaper was amongst the first to realise that their former offshoot order was once again on the move, although they themselves were difficult to infiltrate. Like religious orders, authentic veneration of a great astral being is a requirement in the astral cults. It¡¯s not as reliable as faith for a god, but it¡¯s impossible to get around, long-term. Too easy to get unlucky.¡±


    ¡°But the order was trying to infiltrate the cult anyway, yes? And then comes Melody, with a seemingly convenient offer to defect. But the cult didn¡¯t trust her.¡±


    ¡°They did not. This is the point where she met Callum. Our team had stopped actively adventuring, with Emir becoming a treasure hunter, while Gabriel and I took on less active roles while we raised our son. I moved from a field healer to a mental health specialist, and Gabriel started teaching at the academy. Callum, we thought, was off hunting monsters in the drive to reach diamond. That isn¡¯t the usual path, but it made sense for him.¡±


    ¡°Hunting monsters isn¡¯t the way to rank up at gold?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a part, but not everything. You will learn more as you draw closer to gold-rank. For now, such questions are a distraction. The point is that while Callum was, indeed, out hunting dangerous prey, it was not occupying anywhere near as much of his time as we thought.¡±


    ¡°He became more active in the Cult of the Reaper?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as it turns out, and he was made Melody¡¯s handler. They worked together for years, both investigating the order she came from and using the skills they taught her for the cult¡¯s purposes. They never truly accepted her, however, always wary of the patience and long-term planning of the order. They kept her at a remove, with Callum being her only real connection. She would have left, except that, by that point, she would have both the Order of the Reaper and the Cult of the Reaper coming after her.¡±


    ¡°And that was when she and Callum got together?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°According to Cal, it was one-sided. Melody herself wanted to go find her husband and daughter, but she couldn¡¯t while under the cult¡¯s thumb. So, Callum agreed to help her. He made a connection between Emir and a diamond-ranker friendly to the cult. A historian who had been digging up details of the Order of the Reaper, unaware they were still active. This man''s patronage is why Emir has been looking for Order of the Reaper remnants for years, around his other treasure-hunting activities. It¡¯s why he largely employs external forces, like contracting adventurers. It leaves him to use his own people for other projects.¡±


    ¡°Adventurers like Farrah, Rufus and Gary,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes. He knew they were looking for some independence, and the low-magic of Greenstone seemed perfect.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine, but how would all that help Callum and Melody?¡±


    ¡°Because Emir and his patron were looking for traces of the order, including their martial techniques, the Way of the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he was collecting the skill books. I thought he just wanted them for his granddaughter.¡±


    ¡°It was more than that. The skill books are the methodology of the Order of the Reaper we know the most about. The order¡¯s members use skill books to inculcate its vast array of techniques, then training to naturalise that information."


    ¡°Exactly what I did with Rufus¡¯ help.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It was just a part of what they were doing, but it was what Callum and Melody actually wanted. Cal knew that between the diamond-ranker and Emir, they would have people scouring the world for traces of the Way of the Reaper. Skill books were one thing, but Melody never had the opportunity to teach her husband that way. If some random guy not attached to the order was found using their techniques, that would stand out. Callum was regularly keeping in contact with his old team member, so he could learn all about what Emir was up to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a terrible search method,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s knowing that somewhere in the world is a haystack with a needle in it and getting someone to check haystacks for something else, in the hope they¡¯d stumble on a needle.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Arabelle agreed. ¡°It was a terrible plan, but one that they could carry out without either the cult or Emir realising what was going on.¡±


    ¡°Cal didn¡¯t trust Emir?¡±


    ¡°Melody didn¡¯t. So they did what they could, knowing full well that they might never find them, and even if it did, it would take years. Even with the formidable search resources that Emir and his diamond-rank patron were able to put into play.¡±


    "Oh," Jason said with sudden realisation. "Melody didn''t have many options beyond what she could get Cal to do. And Cal was in love with her, so he wasn''t wildly invested in finding her long-lost husband."


    ¡°No. Cal said that he did genuinely attempt to find the man, but had no real expectations of finding him.¡±


    ¡°Then Sophie must have come as a shock.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but Callum didn¡¯t realise what Emir had found until Emir started using her as bait for the order. Sophie and Emir had managed to find Marta Fries, Melody¡¯s friend, who had helped her and her family escape the order¡¯s grasp. That was when he intervened to keep Sophie and Humphrey away from her. Using Constance¡¯s concerns over Emir using them made a good cover for his own intentions, and he tracked down Fries himself after she fled Humphrey and Sophie arriving at her door.¡±


    ¡°But Melody was already in the Order of Redeeming Light by then, wasn¡¯t she? She¡¯s been in the Sea of Storms for years, and other places before that.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Going back to when Callum first hatched this plan, using one of the Cult of the Reaper¡¯s diamond-rank contacts drew the attention of the cult. They decided it was time for Melody to make a sufficiently momentous gesture that the cult would be willing to accept her, and finally let her move from the Order of the Reaper to the Cult of the Reaper.¡±


    ¡°Infiltrate the Purity church?¡±


    ¡°Yes. Callum was against using her to infiltrate the Order of Redeeming Light, but it was what the cult required. The cult had been looking into the Order of Redeeming Light for some time and suspected that despite serving Purity, they were using necromancy to raise undead. Part of the Order of Redeeming Light¡¯s mandate to repurpose the tools of the unclean to serve Purity.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a bunch of crap. The whole redeeming light thing only came along after the real Purity was given to boot, right?¡±


    ¡°That is our understanding, but the cult doesn¡¯t care who is behind it, only that undead are being used. The cult often works with the Church of Death in this regard, as they are closely aligned. The church does more public-facing things for the cult, while the cult can be the church¡¯s hidden dagger.¡±


    ¡°So, the Order of Redeeming Light was known for accepting people outside the Purity faithful.¡±


    ¡°They did so exclusively, in fact. It seemed like a rare chance to get a foot in the Purity door.¡±


    ¡°Except that Melody was subjected to this ¡®cleansing fire¡¯ or whatever it was they called it. She became an artificial zealot.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Callum lost track of her when she stopped reporting in and has been trying to find her ever since. Sophie and Emir leading him to Melody¡¯s friend Marta Fries was the first real lead he had. Fries been doing the same thing as him in seeking out Melody''s trail, while trying to avoid the Order of the Reaper''s suspicions about her. Ever since Melody''s defection, she had been under scrutiny. Together, pooling their information and resources, they were able to trace Melody to the Sea of Storms. Then you arrived and we¡¯re all caught up.¡±


    Jason leaned back in his chair.


    ¡°Well,¡± he said. ¡°You did warn me it was going to be complicated.¡±


    ¡°And that is only Callum¡¯s side. I¡¯ll be interested in hearing Melody¡¯s. I confess, however, that I am unsure how to proceed with the wellbeing of both in mind. Melody isn¡¯t truly capable of making informed choices while still under the influence of whatever was done to her. Perhaps we can¡¯t move forward until we see if Carlos can figure out how to undo this mess.¡±


    ¡°On Earth,¡± Jason said, ¡°when you are unable to make your own informed decisions for whatever reason, that power generally falls to the closest family member.¡±


    ¡°It works much the same here, although house politics often comes into play with nobility. You¡¯re saying that we bring in Sophie to see what she thinks.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s her mother. It seems only right that she make decisions until Melody can make her own without an evil god sitting on her shoulder.¡±

 Chapter 622: A Responsibility as Much as a Privilege

    ¡°There is an option,¡± Jason told Arabelle. ¡°Something I¡¯ve discussed with Carlos before. There is a place where things that aren¡¯t usually possible become possible. Somewhere I can turn off what¡¯s been done to Melody, so long as she is there. Removing it would kill her the moment she left that place, but suppressing it should be safe enough.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about your soul space,¡± Arabelle said.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I know there have been changes. And I know that we''ve barely talked about them.¡±


    ¡°Some things I¡¯m not even sure how to talk about. I¡¯ve seen glimpses of some higher society that exists in the wider cosmos. Soramir Rimaros, and I¡¯m presuming many other diamond rankers have seen it. Dawn is someone important there. She¡¯s told me snippets; tales of a great city with visitors from a million universes. That wider cosmos has reached into the worlds in which I exist, changing me in different ways. Mentally, physically, magically. I¡¯ve been annihilated and remade multiple times. My soul is unrecognisable from what it was.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re describing changes,¡± Arabelle said, ¡°but how changed do you feel? Do you find yourself to be a fundamentally different person from when you were human?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m different, but that¡¯s true of anyone. We all become different people over time.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s a question of whether you, yourself, have changed, or if outside forces changed you?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a question. The answer is both, but that¡¯s still true for everyone else. I just think that my ratio might have been tipped a little in favour of external forces. But the closer I come to those forces, the more I realise that I¡¯ve barely caught a glimpse of a realm to which I increasingly belong. There are aspects of myself that belong to that greater cosmic society. I¡¯ve got one foot out into the cosmos, with no idea what I¡¯m stepping into.¡±


    ¡°And with the departure of Dawn, the closest thing you have to a guide is gone.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The closest thing I have now is Soramir Rimaros, and I don¡¯t trust him. I don¡¯t distrust him, but he¡¯s not Dawn. Or Farrah, or you, or anyone else that I truly trust and rely on.¡±


    ¡°How much does Soramir know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Enough to hurt me, although I think he''s well-meaning. It¡¯s hard keeping secrets around diamond-rankers.¡±


    ¡°Why did you bring this up?¡± Arabelle asked. ¡°Are you concerned about stumbling into something by using these cosmic aspects of yourself? By which I assume you mean the changes to your soul space.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I don¡¯t know if my concerns are valid or if I¡¯m jumping at shadows.¡±


    ¡°Are you considering leaving your soul space alone until you know more?¡±


    ¡°No. One thing I¡¯m very certain of is that I need to use every advantage I can, even if that sometimes comes with a cost. Right now, that means using my soul space to try and help Carlos.¡±


    ¡°You think you can help him heal Sophie¡¯s mother and the others?¡±


    ¡°I hope so. If he can reach a certain point, I might be able to get him over the line.¡±


    ¡°But you think you can help Melody now, if only temporarily.¡±


    ¡°I believe I can help the real Melody to emerge, so long as I can get her through the portal to my soul space.¡±


    ¡°I thought the restrictions on that portal were gone?¡±


    ¡°Yes, the trust restrictions are gone, but it¡¯s still a portal. You can¡¯t force anyone through without consent.¡±


    ¡°Then the question becomes whether Melody will concede to go through some strange portal.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I would advise you to consider this more carefully before moving forward, especially before taking this idea to Sophie. If you build her hopes up beyond what you can deliver, it could do real damage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not rushing into anything.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Arabelle said, nodding her approval. ¡°Even if this is something that you can do, it doesn¡¯t mean you should. You cannot expect to suppress the malicious magic affecting Melody and have her just be fine afterwards,¡± Arabelle warned. ¡°You know better than most that after the soul trauma is repaired, the mental trauma lingers. Especially since she will know that to leave your soul space is to return to her afflicted state.¡±


    Jason winced.


    ¡°That¡¯s a horrible thought. Knowing that you¡¯re about to be taken over by something else.¡±


    ¡°Thus, I counsel caution.¡±


    ¡°I was going to discuss this idea with Sophie. Would you help me figure out how to do that? Even do it with me?¡±


    ¡°I will.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t need to go rushing into it,¡± Jason said. ¡°We can take the time to make considered choices, even if we¡¯re left with nothing but hope that they¡¯re the right ones.¡±


    Arabelle narrowed her eyes at Jason.


    ¡°You''ve embraced the idea of moving forward slowly, haven¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°Should I not have?¡±


    ¡°You absolutely should. But you¡¯ve been running from one crisis to another for long enough that I thought it would take more adjustment.¡±


    Jason chuckled.


    ¡°Slowing down is what I¡¯ve been dreaming of for a while. I was so ready for this.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Arabelle said, standing up. ¡°Try to maintain that attitude; you¡¯re not getting any older. Ever.¡±


    ***


    The giant bus Carlos was using for the trip was not as big as Jason¡¯s hover yacht, but it was still inconveniently bulky. Even so, space inside was at a premium. Despite placing most of the Order of Redeeming Light members in stasis and efficiently racking them, space was still required for Carlos and his three assistants, also from the Church of the Healer, to live and conduct their research.


    A large consumer of usable area was Gibson Amouz, whose father had supplied the vehicle to facilitate his son''s recovery. Gibson was inside a large, specialised containment tank, floating unconscious. Carlos had managed to prevent Gibson''s degradation following the half-complete ''purification'' ritual the Order of redeeming Light had performed. He hoped that Gibson was the key to helping the others and, in a perfect world, many more besides. Gibson Amouz was potentially the key to unravelling such seemingly permanent curses as lesser vampirism, if Carlos could crack the nature of his affliction.


    Carlos was sat at a desk covered in intricate notes. He ran his hands over his exhausted face, stood up and grabbed an umbrella on his way to the door. He opened it, seeing the pounding rain he¡¯d been listening to strike the vehicle¡¯s rigid panels all day. The only windows were for the driver at the front, so this was his first time seeing the wall of falling water.


    Unlike Jason¡¯s yacht, his vehicle couldn¡¯t fly using power drawn from the astral, so it was parked between the road and the jungle. Carlos chose not to walk, and instead floated out over the mud. Levitation was easy enough, so long as he wasn¡¯t disturbed, being easier for a gold ranker than a silver. His umbrella generated a water-repelling field and floated on its own, like one Jason once owned. He had left his with his niece on Earth.


    The air outside was wet and heavy in the pounding rain, rather than fresh as Carlos wanted. He unnecessarily breathed it in anyway, trying to clear a mind caught up in his project. He needed to untangle his thoughts before proceeding, his head feeling like a clogged pipe. The importance of his current project was adding an extra layer of pressure.


    Amos Pensinata floated down from the cloud yacht, apparently not caring as he was drenched in rain. He landed next to Carlos, his heavy boots settling in the mud that Carlos was avoiding. They stood side by side, watching the traffic backed up from the city gate, which had only gotten worse as the day progressed.


    Carlos absently wondered what the stoic man had been like before Carlos had met him all those years ago, in a lunatic¡¯s dungeon. Probably the same, if his equally stolid nephew was anything to go by. Now that they were away from Rimaros, Amos was no longer projecting a politely restrained aura, and was instead hiding it away completely. Asano''s friend Dawn had done well in recruiting Amos, as Carlos knew very few others who even could teach Jason about aura manipulation. There were people with stronger auras at the high end of gold rank and beyond. Strength was a different thing from skill, however, and like Jason, Amos was more than raw power.


    ¡°Have you started working with Asano yet?¡± Carlos.


    Amos shook his head.


    ¡°You think you can show him some things?¡±


    Amos nodded.


    ¡°You and I should sit down and discuss some things about Asano and his aura. There are some quirks that you¡¯ll need to know. His body and soul are a single entity, like a messenger''s. It means he has the potential to do the same things they can.¡±


    Nod.


    ¡°You¡¯ve fought messengers?¡±


    Amos nodded, looked contemplative and then to look at Carlos.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have time for day-drinking,¡± Carlos said. ¡°I¡¯m just clearing my head. I need to complete this first stage of my research as quickly as possible. If we can start working out how to treat the Amouz boy, that opens up a world of possibility.¡±


    Carlos looked out from under his umbrella at the rain hammering on the road, the vehicles traversing it, and on Amos.


    ¡°This rainy season came out of nowhere,¡± Carlos said. ¡°It feels like it''ll never let up.¡±


    Amos shrugged, prompting Carlos to lean towards the edge of his umbrella¡¯s coverage and look up.


    ¡°This afternoon? I don¡¯t see it.¡±


    Amos made an uncertain gesture with his hand.


    ¡°I''d be nice, even if it was a little break,¡± Carlos said. ¡°This rain feels oppressive. Makes a break like this not so refreshing.¡±


    Amos shrugged.


    ¡°Booze won¡¯t help, as you damn well know.¡±


    A smile teased at the corners of Amos¡¯ mouth.


    ¡°Fine, booze won¡¯t help me. If you want to get sauced in the middle of the day, that''s your business. I suppose you''re living a bit of a lazy life at the moment. Any time you aren''t teaching Asano or looking out for your nephew, you''ve got nothing but time, in a luxurious boat made of clouds. What are you going to do with yourself?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s always work to be done,¡± Amos said in his gravel slurry voice.


    ¡°What work will you do on a luxury yacht?¡±


    ¡°Read. Train. Drink.¡±


    ¡°In that order?¡± Carlos asked with a grin.


    Amos¡¯ friendly chuckle was the sound people heard in dark alleys in their nightmares.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to get back into a training routine? Chasing after essence revelation again?¡±


    Amos nodded.


    ¡°I suppose you¡¯ve got the time to focus on meditation. I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll ever shoot for diamond. It¡¯s too hard when you came up using cores; I¡¯m lucky I got to gold.¡±


    Amos gave him a look.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that,¡± Carlos complained. ¡°I know that anything you don¡¯t try is impossible, but I¡¯m trying to cure vampirism here. Maybe let me attempt one impossible thing at a time.¡±


    ***


    The city of Rajoras sprawled inland from the coast, built around the estuary of a broad river, the Rajo.  It was a major manufacturing hub for water and air vehicles, and the seat of House de Varco. This made it the perfect place for Korinne and her team to find a vehicle of their own for their time on the road. They needed something that could serve as a true world-traveller, up to the rigours of intercontinental travel, along with being a robust home for adventurers.


    Korinne''s team was gathered in a vehicle warehouse the size of a sports stadium, filled with various bus-like vehicles. They had been looking over different vehicles that various members of the team had been excited about for one reason or another. Korinne was yet to find something she was satisfied with, matching Orin''s taciturn expression.


    Whether or not Orin found something exciting remained a mystery to his team. He might not have the enhanced aura strength of Jason or his uncle, but Amos had trained his aura manipulation skills personally. Unless someone of higher rank started poking his aura, it revealed no more emotions than his blank face.


    The staff member guiding the team around showed no distaste at the team¡¯s lack of unity in what they wanted from a vehicle.


    ¡°When looking for a vessel that will not just be a vehicle but a home,¡± he said, ¡°it¡¯s important to take your time to make the right choice. Have you considered something larger, with the capacity to meet all of your needs? There are many excellent options that fall well within your stated budget.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Korinne said. ¡°A soft environment fosters a soft will. We''re travelling to train as adventures, honing ourselves to a knife''s edge. We need a scabbard, not a cushion. This isn''t a leisure tour.¡±


    ¡°Couldn''t it be both?¡± asked Rosa, the team scout.


    ¡°No,¡± Korinne said. ¡°Orin, what do you have to say on the issue?¡±


    ¡°My uncle is a hard man,¡± Orin said.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Korinne said before the slow-spoken Orin could continue. ¡°Amos Pensinata is an exceptional role model. A hard adventurer needs hard surroundings. Flint and steel. Oh, what about this one?¡±


    The vehicle she was pointing at was the size and shape of a bread truck.


    ¡°Ah,¡± the salesman said. ¡°The War Band model, from House de Varco. It was designed as a budget-conscious troop transport, but it does have the option of a long-term travel configuration, with accommodation features and enhanced long-distance travel features, such as more efficient flight. It¡¯s an excellent choice for one or two adventurers, but can, strictly speaking, be set up for as many as eight. This is by replacing two bed-and-cupboard configurations this one has with racks of what aren''t bunks so much as shelves. It''s workable if you''re silver rank and can float into the higher slots. You just can¡¯t stand more than about three people plus, plus two seated in the driver station.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, can¡¯t stand?¡± Kalif asked.


    ¡°You have to remove the seating room and the storage to fit the bunk racks,¡± the salesman explained. ¡°We put in a rack a rack for hanging dimensional bags. Or we will; we haven¡¯t actually sold any of that configuration, yet. But, as I said, two people can sit in the driving station at the front.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s fine, then,¡± Kalif said. ¡°There¡¯s only six of us, and two can even sit in comfort.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say comfort,¡± the salesman hurriedly corrected. ¡°You can¡¯t hold me to that.¡±


    ¡°I want to see inside,¡± Korinne said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t,¡± Rosa said.


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Kalif asked.


    ¡°It costs nothing to look,¡± the salesman said. ¡°Let me just open it up. The current configuration is for two, and it''s probably best to avoid more than two or three in there at once. It''s a little snug.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s perfect,¡± Korinne said, once she was inside. ¡°All business, no indulgence.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not above a little indulgence,¡± Rosa said, crammed in with Korinne and the salesman. ¡°Somewhere to sit down, for example. Somewhere to eat.¡±


    ¡°Indulgence makes you weak,¡± Korinne told her. ¡°If you have time to sit down and eat, you have time to consume a spirit coin while you train.¡±


    ¡°You do realise the monster surge ended, right?¡± Kalif said, poking his head in from outside. ¡°We made a pretty good showing for ourselves.¡±


    ¡°Pretty good,¡± Korinne said. ¡°You think the messengers will let you live because you put up a pretty good struggle?¡±


    ¡°Korinne,¡± Kalif said, ¡°you''ve been extremely militant ever since the Builder attacked Rimaros. While I agree that diligent training and discipline is good for us, so is getting to relax from time to time. If a rope is constantly pulled taught, it''s going to fray.¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± Rosa said. ¡°I know you''re the team leader, Korinne, and we''ve been following your lead, but Kalif is right. The monster surge is over, so it''s time to loosen up and enjoy what we''ve earned. Even if it''s only a little bit.¡±


    ¡°Adventuring is a responsibility as much as a privilege,¡± Korinne told her.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Rosa said. ¡°We''ve had almost half a year of responsibility and it''s time to enjoy a little privilege. The occasional hot meal won''t turn us into lazy degenerates.¡±


    ¡°Actual food,¡± Kalif said longingly.


    ¡°Having a place to sit down won''t turn us into failed adventurers, Korinne,¡± Rosa continued, gesturing at the vehicle around them as much as she could in the available space. ¡°This is a can for storing food, not adventurers.¡±


    ¡°Orin,¡± Kalif said. ¡°Would your uncle stay in Korinne¡¯s tiny metal box?¡±


    ¡°My uncle is a hard man,¡± Orin said again, ¡°but he likes soft beds.¡±


    ***


    Clive and Belinda watched as a submarine was disassembled at a dry dock by a team of professional shipwrights.


    ¡°We¡¯re not going to feed the components to the cloud flask here are we?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason''s voice came from Clive''s shadow, courtesy of Shade hidden inside it. It was the Shade body that had driven the stolen submarine upriver and into the dock.


    ¡°We¡¯ll need to make sure that no individual part exceeds our storage space limit, then,¡± Clive said. ¡°You¡¯ll need to take the bigger parts, Belinda.¡±


    Each storage space power differed in size and weight allowance for any given object. Clive''s power had the lowest capacity on the team but also the strongest other functions. Its bronze-rank effect was to open portals, while at silver it could fuel rituals in areas normally too low-magic for them. Belinda''s storage was the largest, and while its other abilities were useful, they weren¡¯t portal useful.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Clive asked. ¡°How did a familiar sneak a submarine stolen from the Order of Redeeming Light through the river checkpoint without the Magic Society or the Adventure Society getting up in arms about it? And where did you get the paperwork for this job to be approved?¡±


    ¡°Miss Belinda made the arrangements.¡±


    Clive turned to Belinda.


    ¡°What?¡± she asked.


    ¡°How did you manage that?¡±


    ¡°Do you remember when I asked about how easy it was to bribe the people here?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It was an act. I already knew.¡±


    ¡°But we hadn¡¯t even gotten here yet?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Belinda agreed. ¡°We hadn¡¯t.¡±

 Chapter 623: Fighting the Power

    Korinne glowered, complaining.


    ¡°This is a bunch of lizard shi¨C¡±


    ¡°We took a vote,¡± Rosa said, cutting off her latest complaint. ¡°You¡¯re the team leader, Korinne, not the team queen.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t feel like the leader when you all mutiny like this.¡±


    ¡°We didn¡¯t mutiny, Korinne. We just bought a vehicle that we actually want to live in.¡±


    They were riding out of the city in a House de Varco designed Outpost Rover. It was a vehicle model that the very happy salesman described as the premier choice for the adventuring team that looking to travel in spacious luxury. What he meant was the choice for the adventuring team that could afford it.


    While unquestionably comfortable for six, it was no pleasure barge, as Rosa and Kalif kept pointing out to Korinne. It had powerful defensive measures to withstand monster attacks, features designed to facilitate training and even a prison cell that could be expanded externally to the vehicle to contain a relatively large monster of up to silver rank.


    Due to the impressive size of the vehicle, which would match that of the Carlos Crime Wagon, they took the salesman¡¯s advice and obtained the required temporary permits to fly it out of the city. That came at a further and considerable expense, but was worth it to avoid having to navigate the massive vehicle through the streets, let alone the gummed-up traffic around the city gates.


    The entire endeavour was extremely expensive, but this was a team of silver rank guild elites, fresh off a monster surge. They were a long way from the only adventurers making hefty investments in their future. Successful teams often took the approach of using their success during a monster surge to set up their next decade of adventuring until the next one.


    The Adventure Society bonus system rewarded those who stepped up during the surge, and Korinne''s team had very much done that. With the monster surge lasting five or six times longer than normal, the rewards for active adventurers had climbed to never-before-seen heights. Fortunately, the massive number of monsters meant more loot than ever before from which to distribute those awards. Adventure Society loot teams were always deployed as part of after-action teams, cleaning up after adventurers without loot powers themselves.


    Jason¡¯s team had done fairly well in terms of bonuses, although Jason himself was a bit of an oddity. While he did have some outrageous contributions, he also had lengthy dead periods where he was doing nothing but recovering. In the end, he¡¯d been given a special assessment, which he used to claim some useful quintessence to feed into the cloud flask.


    The convoy remained at Rajoras for a few days as the new vehicle was customised and a certain submarine was discreetly broken down into parts and brought to Jason, who fed them into the cloud flask. Jason never went into the city himself, although he debated it during the breaks in the rain. It wasn¡¯t likely he¡¯d be recognised, but it was still the playground of House de Varco, so he decided to remain on the yacht until they were further from Rimaros.


    The three-vehicle convoy had become four as Korinne¡¯s team eschewed the yacht for their own vehicle. They left Rajoras not by road but upriver, joining the water traffic on the way to their next destination. The short term plan was to follow the river that followed a valley just inland of the east coast, moving out of the Storm Kingdom¡¯s territory. Eventually, they would leave the river to head for the coast proper.


    Jason and his companions were gathered in a briefing room on the yacht, along with Carlos, Arabelle and most of Korrine¡¯s team. Only Kalif had been left behind, to drive their new vehicle. He was starting to get a handle on it, and had run it into very few other vehicles on the river all day.


    Humphrey was going over the convoy¡¯s immediate plans, with a map behind him showing their river route and intended path east. Korinne was standing beside him. Humphrey used a thin rod to indicate their disembarkation point from the river.


    ¡°We¡¯ll be landing here,¡± he said. ¡°Prior to the monster surge, this was the location of the river city of Cartise. Unfortunately, the Builder cult managed to claim a nearby astral space, causing widespread destruction as the astral space separated from our world. When a diamond-rank monster manifested shortly after, the city was overwhelmed.¡±


    ¡°Most of the population was evacuated to the large towns nearby and along the river,¡± Korinne said, picking up the narrative. ¡°But Cartise was the major hub in this area for trade and travel. Its absence increases the logistical strain on surrounding centres as they start rebuilding after the surge.¡±


    ¡°Especially now that they have overpopulation issues with the Cartise refugees,¡± Humphrey added.


    ¡°In short,¡± Korinne said, ¡°we¡¯re saying that there is a lot of adventuring work. The surge may be over, but that doesn¡¯t mean our jobs are done. While the monster numbers won¡¯t be as high, the problems will become increasingly about logistics. Securing supply routes, escorting specialists rebuilding infrastructure. Utility powers will be increasingly at a premium, with storage and portal powers both in high demand. It may not be glamorous work, but it¡¯s essential. People need our help just as much now as they did a month ago; it¡¯s just not about constantly killing monsters anymore.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re from one of the best guilds in the world,¡± complained Polix, from Korinne¡¯s team. ¡°You want us doing delivery runs and escorting craftspeople? That¡¯s trash adventurer work.¡±


    ¡°Trash adventurers,¡± Korinne said, ¡°are defined by their attitudes, not their combat ability. Our duty as adventurers is to do what people need, not what we want.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Rosa agreed. ¡°Don¡¯t be a turd, Polix.¡±


    Jason felt old as he watched Korinne¡¯s team bicker briefly amongst themselves. Like Humphrey and Neil, they were roughly the same age now as he had been when he first arrived in Pallimustus, but he wondered if he¡¯d ever been that much of a young little prick. He thought back for a moment and then shook his head. He¡¯d been worse.


    ¡°We¡¯ve moved out of the high-magic Sea of Storms, so gold rankers will be a lot less common,¡± Humphrey said, continuing the briefing. ¡°As silver rankers, it falls to us to step up and not just do our duty as adventurers, but to set an example. With our behaviour.¡±


    Korinne¡¯s team looked sheepish. They were each from major adventuring families in Rimaros, and had been lectured their whole lives about the standards they were meant to set. But most of their adventuring careers had been under strict supervision, where they were never expected to represent adventuring as a whole to the public. They were now heading into exactly the kind of experience this self-directed tour was designed to give them.


    After the briefing, Humphrey found Jason and they headed in the direction of Jason''s cabin as they talked.


    ¡°Thank you for expanding the cabin sizes,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Well, with team Rain Chopper¨C¡±


    ¡°Storm Shredder,¡± Humphrey corrected.


    ¡°With team Wet Stabber moving into their new ride, there was room to expand.¡±


    ¡°How would you like it if people were deliberately getting our team name wrong?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine with that. What would they go with, though? Team Scone? Ooh, that¡¯s not bad. Maybe we should formally change the name to Team Scone.¡±


    ¡°We are not changing it to Team Scone!¡±


    ¡°See, I knew you¡¯d come to love Team Biscuit.¡±


    ¡°We should change it to something sensible.¡±


    ¡°You mean like team Damp Jabber?¡±


    ¡°Storm Shredder.¡±


    ¡°What would we go with, using that name as a model.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean to copy their name.¡±


    ¡°Team Moist Crevice? Seems a bit risqu¨¦.¡±


    ¡°I get it,¡± Humphrey surrendered. ¡°We¡¯re sticking with Team Biscuit.¡±


    ¡°Hey Shade,¡± Jason said. ¡°Tell the others that Humphrey is talking about changing the team name again.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Tell them he wants to go with team Moist Crevice.¡±


    ¡°Shade,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°please do not do that.¡±


    ¡°Mt Geller, I am afraid that I am but humble familiar, bound to my summoner¡¯s commands.¡±


    ¡°You should tell that to Stash,¡± Humphrey grumbled.


    ¡°Hey, since I¡¯m changing up the cabins,¡± Jason said to Humphrey, ¡°did you want me to merge yours and Sophie¡¯s instead of adjoined cabins with a connecting door?¡±


    ¡°No, Sophie values having her own space and time to be alone. Also, if she and Belinda don¡¯t get enough private time together, Lindy starts giving me looks that worry me a great deal. Farrah¡¯s started joining them as well. I¡¯m beginning to suspect they talk about me in there.¡±


    ¡°Beginning to suspect? Mate, they¡¯re definitely talk about you.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been listening in?¡±


    Jason put a comforting hand on Humphrey''s shoulder as they arrived at Jason''s cabin.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to, mate. They just are.¡±


    The cloud door disappeared to grant them entry. Humphrey moved to sit in an armchair while Jason moved to a cooling container.


    ¡°Can I talk you into a refreshing fruit drink?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Please,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°This endless rain and heavy air is worse than back home.¡±


    ¡°The delta is a geographical oddity, because of an astral space spewing out water,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s got the heat and the humidity, but it¡¯s too far south for a monsoon season.¡±


    ¡°You know a lot about the natural world,¡± Humphrey said as Jason started preparing fruit for juicing. ¡°You know a lot in general.¡±


    ¡°Those statements are both false,¡± Jason said. ¡°Especially here, where magic changes rules. Back on Earth as well, now it has magic too.¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s a matter of perspective,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I suspect your education system is much better than ours. The Church of Knowledge does what it can, but they get a lot of pushback. At the risk of supporting your thoughts on aristocracy as a system, a lot of the nobility is resistant to widespread education beyond the reading and writing programs the church managed to make standard.¡±


    ¡°Honestly, my home culture isn¡¯t any better. My education was good because we had money.¡±


    ¡°Wait, after all the complaining you had about nobility this and nobility that, your way isn¡¯t any better?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ you didn¡¯t come up here to discuss school funding disproportionately being funnelled into private schools.¡±


    Jason used a pair of magic wands to juice the fruit and put it in a pitcher before taking it over to Humphrey on a tray with some tall glasses containing ice cubes. They sat in armchairs facing one another, with the drinks on a table between them.


    ¡°It¡¯s about what we were talking about in the briefing,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Setting an example. And also, perspective.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason prompted as he poured drinks.


    ¡°Jason, your perspective is extremely skewed. In Greenstone, you were an iron ranker regularly dealing with silver and even gold rankers. That isn''t normal. Then you went to Earth, where things were even more disproportional, if my discussions with Farrah are anything to go by.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been talking with Farrah about my time on Earth?¡±


    ¡°Taika and Travis, as well. We all realised that talking about it with you wasn¡¯t a good idea,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We left that to Arabelle. When we first arrived in Rimaros, you were an open wound, Jason.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not wrong,¡± Jason conceded. ¡°And yes, I wasn¡¯t exactly a face in the crowd.¡±


    ¡°Then you arrive in the Sea of Storms and suddenly it¡¯s princesses everywhere, diamond rankers and whatever Dawn is.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s diamond rank. Technically. I¡¯m still not entirely clear of what half-transcendent means.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t have to,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°My mother has indicated enough times that there are things about gold rank that I don¡¯t know, let alone diamond. Diamond rankers are more legend than reality in low-magic zones like Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the point you¡¯re meandering around?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Jason, you¡¯ve been conditioned to interact with the world in a certain way. You¡¯re used to the people around you being far more powerful, and needing to be more than a little outrageous for them to take notice. You¡¯ve always had to make bold moves so you weren¡¯t dismissed out of hand.¡±


    ¡°But?¡±


    ¡°But now you¡¯ll be meeting a lot more people to whom you are the powerful one. If you run around doing outrageous things when you¡¯re the one with all the power, that¡¯s not bold; it¡¯s maniacal. These aren¡¯t people you need to go all out with. If you treat them like you did Elspeth Arella or Vesper Rimaros, you¡¯re going to turn their worlds upside down. To ordinary people, an unhinged silver-rank adventurer is far worse than a silver-rank monster.¡±


    ¡°Unhinged?¡±


    ¡°Jason, most of the people in this world are just ordinary folk, going about their lives. Silver-rank adventurers coming in and acting wild have all the power and destructiveness of a hurricane. In the places we¡¯ll be going from now on, you won¡¯t be fighting the power anymore. You¡¯ll be the power.¡±


    ¡°You know that I was always good at interacting with normal people back in Greenstone.¡±


    ¡°And are you the same person you were back then?¡±


    Jason grimly nodded, conceding the point. He looked thoughtful as he sipped at his drink.


    ¡°I suppose I¡¯m not,¡± he said. ¡°Since then it¡¯s been a series of increasingly powerful people trying to yank me one way or the other, and I¡¯ve become more and more extreme to face that. Now that you say it, I¡¯m not sure I know how to be anything else anymore. But now I¡¯m the powerful one, so I¡¯ve become the thing I was always struggling against. You may be right that I don¡¯t know how to handle that.¡±


    ¡°Yes. It¡¯s hard to see what¡¯s happening to you when you¡¯re dealing with Soramir Rimaros or you¡¯re the most famous essence user in the world. But you''re probably stronger than anyone who was in Greenstone back then. Except for Thalia Mercer and my mother, but they weren''t really Greenstone residents. They were just back for the monster surge that kept not coming. At least now we know why.¡±


    Jason frowned and took another sip of his drink.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what to do about that. How to deal with regular people. I never wanted to be that guy so removed from regular people that he becomes detached from ordinary life.¡±


    ¡°Maybe think of this as a chance to reconnect with that. I¡¯m just warning you to be mindful of the power you wield, and the fact that many people don¡¯t.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Thanks, Humphrey. I appreciate you looking out for me.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean it. You¡¯ve helped me get over a huge hump in my mindset.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just good to know that I can rely on the team, instead of humping this issue alone.¡±


    ¡°Just stop.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for you. You don¡¯t have to hump the burden of looking out for me by yourself.¡±


    ¡°You are my least favourite team member.¡±

 Chapter 624: Make Jason Great Again

    ¡°This valley would be gorgeous if we could actually see it through the rain,¡± Jason complained as he looked out the window. The convoy was floating on or just over a rather busy river, with water traffic heading in each direction. The vision-obscuring downpour slowed progress as boats, skimmers and hover vehicles cautiously navigated the waters and each other.


    The banks were dangerous to any vehicle with a draft as the river was swollen with the fresh rains. It made the river¡¯s outer reaches a dangerous and murky trap for unwary boats, but freed up space for floating vehicles.


    The monsoon rains had continued, with breaks in the weather lasting an hour at most. It was as if the rain, like the people it fell on, had been waiting out the monster surge that went on for far too long. By the time the river trip moved into the second day, Humphrey had pushed the team into training.


    The training room did more than provide magically enhanced weights, courtesy of the various materials and quintessence Jason had fed his cloud flask. On top of the weights, the training room could have the gravity enhanced, either across the whole room or in specific sections. The team were acclimatising to this when Jason was approached by Amos Pensinata.


    ¡°Time to get started?¡± Jason asked.


    Amos nodded, then immediately walked off.


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s aura training for me,¡± Jason told the others, then followed.


    ¡°What exactly did Dawn give you that you¡¯re willing to do this?¡± Jason asked. ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me prying.¡±


    ¡°Insight,¡± Amos rumbled. Jason waited, but no further explanation was forthcoming.


    ¡°Enlightening,¡± he said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Amos agreed.


    Amos led Jason to the stairs that went up to the roof deck and stopped.


    ¡°I saw you using your aura to deflect the rain.¡±


    ¡°It seemed like a good way to practise.¡±


    ¡°Lazy.¡±


    ¡°Uh, okay. What do you want me doing?¡±


    ¡°You know ritual magic, yes?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Use your aura to draw a ritual circle with the rain. Get it right. Precise.¡±


    ¡°You know I won¡¯t be able to perform a ritual doing it like that, right?¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need a ritual. Just need complexity.¡±


    ***


    Jason was floating just over the roof deck in a meditative pose, completely drenched as rain pounded down on him. He was mentally exhausted after hours of painstaking concentration, which was something he hadn¡¯t experienced in a while. His silver-rank spirit attribute enhanced his mentality in various ways, including focus, concentration and multitasking. All of those had been pushed to the limit by the exercise.


    Before undertaking the task from Amos, Jason had been convinced that his aura manipulation skills had been pushed to their limit. He suspected a key purpose of the exercise had been disabusing him of that notion, which it had quite thoroughly done. Using his aura to manipulate physical objects was still something he was getting used to. Shielding an area from the rain wasn¡¯t too taxing, but pulling in small amounts of water and shaping it into an array of lines and sigils very much was. Even going for the simplest ritual circle he knew was like trying to closely observe every bee in a hive simultaneously.


    His early attempts had involved the simpler method of creating invisible force moulds with his aura for the water to settle in, but he had given up on that. It felt like not only was he getting more precision by manipulating the water directly, but it was better for developing control. The purpose of the exercise was training, after all. The goal was to improve his skill, not learn to cast rituals using the rain. If nothing else, water made a terrible platform for ritual magic without specialised abilities to support it.


    Jason overexerted his concentration over and over again, causing even the basic rain shield to collapse, which was how he ended up soaked to the skin. But after each failure, he took a moment to recentre himself and then started over.


    ***


    Amos gestured to Rufus, who was exercising with Jason''s team in the large training room. Rufus was doing a flexibility exercise, which involved swinging across the room while dangling from rings, flipping through the air as he launched from one set of rings to the next. After dropping to the floor, Rufus moved over to speak with him.


    ¡°Something I can help you with, Lord Pensinata?¡±


    ¡°You trained Asano.¡±


    ¡°When he first arrived in our world, yes. I gave him his start in adventurer training, primarily in combat techniques. I''ve also been helping him with combat trances since he came back. My companions taught him in others areas, though. If you want to discuss his early aura training, you should speak with Farrah. She took that portion of his training and is stronger in that area than me, but she¡¯ll freely admit that Jason has moved past us both in that regard.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not about his previous training. How hard I can push him before he¡¯ll balk?¡±


    ¡°As in, how much training you can shove him into before he quits?¡±


    Amos nodded.


    ¡°I honestly don¡¯t know,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It¡¯s part of what made me realise early that he was going to be great. He has a voracious appetite for training. However hard I drove him, he was always grateful. He never asked questions about why he needed to train so hard; he kept pushing to get stronger, like any weakness inside him is a poison. So long as he believes that you have a way to push him forward, he¡¯ll take all the pushing you¡¯ve got.¡±


    ***


    Amos and Clive arrived on the roof deck to find Jason sitting under an orb around which the pounding rain curved. Inside it, he was sat cross-legged, hovering just off the deck. Around him was a floating ritual circle comprised entirely of water. Jason opened his eyes at the arrival of the newcomers who were standing dry under an awning.


    ¡°I have to thank you for this, Lord Pensinata. I haven¡¯t felt anything push me this hard in a while. In training, anyway.¡±


    Amos looked at Clive, who peered at Jason¡¯s fake ritual circle.


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty close,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Show me,¡± Amos rumbled.


    Clive pointed with his finger and started drawing a ritual circle with glowing light, overlapping with Jason''s own diagram made of water. As he finished, it became evident where Jason''s circle had minor imperfections.


    ¡°Let me guess,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have to keep going until you get it right.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Amos said. ¡°When you get it right, you pick a harder ritual.¡±


    Jason grinned, and his water circle fell the deck in a series of tiny splashes. Droplets started filtering into the orb instead of around it and started forming a new ritual circle as Jason closed his eyes.


    ***


    Clive yawned as he trudged out onto the roof deck. The rain finally had a proper break as they continued south and the dark sky was lit up with stars. There was still plenty of water sitting on the deck for Jason to float into complex ritual shapes. He¡¯d moved onto a second, slightly more sophisticated ritual after mastering the first.


    ¡°Jason, it¡¯s the middle of the night.¡±


    ¡°Check me.¡±


    Clive overlapped Jason¡¯s ritual circle in lines of glowing light, highlighting the many inconsistencies.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said, looking around and mentally noting the problem spots.


    ¡°This is the last time, Jason. I¡¯m going to bed.¡±


    ¡°Good night.¡±


    ¡°You should be going to bed as well.¡±


    ¡°We arrive at Cartise tomorrow,¡± Jason said. ¡°Maybe even overnight. I need to get in my training while I can.¡±


    ¡°Jason, didn¡¯t you say you¡¯re fairly sure that you¡¯ve stopped ageing? You have time?¡±


    ¡°So long as no one kills me, sure. And while I might have forever, I don¡¯t have Lord Pensinata forever. The great thing about a reliable instructor is that you know that so long as you put in the work, you¡¯ll get the results. No luck, no privilege. Just work for reward. There¡¯s a comfort in that reliability.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s also a comfort in comfort, Jason. I¡¯m going to bed.¡±


    ***


    The dark did not obscure Jason¡¯s vision as the yacht approached the ruined city of Cartise in the dark. He looked out from the roof deck and was reminded of old pictures of London after the Blitz. Nothing was undamaged and entire blocks of buildings were reduced to chunks of rubble no bigger than a fist.


    The old docks had been destroyed, and the remains had been fished-out to prevent obstructions. Jason could see the detritus that hadn''t been salvaged for the new docks, piled up further along the shore. The new docks served the Adventure Society camp that had been set up to handle operations in and around the fallen city.


    With the rest of the group asleep, it fell to Jason to go meet the dockmaster and secure a berth. Shade appeared and pulled the team¡¯s documentation from his dimensional space, and Jason transferred it to his own. He then took a running leap off the roof deck, sailing over the docks, and landing in a crouch on the shore, next to a stone cottage. He didn¡¯t lighten his fall as that would require calling out his distinctive cloak.


    Jason¡¯s mode of arrival did not faze the grizzled man who came out of a stone cottage, which had the distinctive tells of a building hurriedly stone-shaped out of the earth with magic. He was the dockmaster for a camp that was exclusively host to adventurers and Magic Society field agents, so he found Jason¡¯s approach downright tame. His cottage was simple and square, all of a single piece. It had the plain, rough texture of a child¡¯s clay art project. Jason approached the man and handed over the team¡¯s documentation and the dockmaster looked it over.


    ¡°Two silver-rank teams and an assortment of gold rankers,¡± the dockmaster muttered. ¡°We can certainly use that.¡±


    ¡°I only speak for one of the teams, Team Biscuit,¡± Jason said. ¡°The others you¡¯ll have to arrange with separately.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying they came here where there¡¯s nothing but work and aren¡¯t interested in working?¡±


    ¡°Not at all. I¡¯m just saying that I can¡¯t speak for them,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just a team auxiliary. You won¡¯t catch me going around giving orders to gold rankers.¡±


    In Jason¡¯s shadow, Shade was grateful for his inability to choke as it would have revealed his presence.


    ¡°You¡¯re the auxiliary,¡± the dockmaster said, leafing through the documents. ¡°John Miller, that¡¯s you?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Your team feels the need to take around a silver-rank cook?¡±


    ¡°Just between you and me, I have a few other utility tricks up my sleeve. We just keep it quiet to avoid poaching attempts.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not open to someone making a better offer?¡±


    ¡°I trust the people I work with. Who can make a better offer than that?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good attitude,¡± the dockmaster said. ¡°It¡¯s four vehicles?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, the dimensions are listed there.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine. Give me a moment to copy these documents and I¡¯ll find you somewhere to put them.¡±


    ***


    ¡°John Miller,¡± Farrah said, pausing with a forkful of pancake. Jason and his companions were sitting around the breakfast table. ¡°We¡¯ve been wondering for days what crazy name you picked for yourself, and you went with John Miller.¡±


    ¡°The point was to not stand out,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s a pretty ordinary name, even in this world, right? Vidal, you said it was normal.¡±


    ¡°I did, yes,¡± Vidal Ladiv said. The Adventure Society liaison was still somewhat nervous around the group, rarely speaking up unless directly addressed.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been bugging this guy since we set off to tell us the name,¡± Belinda complained, ¡°and all he¡¯ll say is that you told him not to tell us.¡±


    ¡°I figured you¡¯d all have some fun with it. I assume you all made guesses.¡±


    ¡°Captain Handsome Boatman,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Buck Stone, Bounty Hunter,¡± Belinda guessed.


    ¡°Action Fighter,¡± Travis added. ¡°Or maybe something inappropriately exotic, like Enrico de la Fuente.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t fit at all,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I can see him going for that.¡±


    ¡°What about Karl Marx?¡± Humphrey suggested.


    ¡°How do you know about Karl Marx?¡± Travis asked him.


    ¡°Jason and I used to have discussions about aristocracy a lot. This was back before we formed the team. I''m not sure who he is, but Jason seemed very enthused.¡±


    Travis turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°You don''t seem like much of a socialist, having a massive buffet breakfast on your magic superyacht.¡±


    ¡°Everyone has things they¡¯re good and bad at,¡± Jason said defensively. ¡°I am a socialist, I¡¯m just¡­ not great at it.¡±


    ¡°Not great?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°You can create infinite amounts of money.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Vidal asked.


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about that,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I was guessing on some name from Earth. Bruce Banner. Bruce Wayne. Bruce McAvaney.¡±


    ¡°You seem obsessed with the name Bruce,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m actual Australian, not Monty Python Australian. I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d like Monty Python.¡±


    ¡°What kind of maniac doesn¡¯t like Monty Python?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°People who were oppressed by the British,¡± Jason said. ¡°There¡¯s a woman I know who used to work for my dad, and her dad wouldn¡¯t let her watch any British television growing up. She missed out on Monty Python, the Goodies, Fawlty Towers.¡±


    ¡°Even I¡¯ve seen Fawlty Towers,¡± Farrah said. ¡°And I¡¯m from another universe.¡±


    ¡°How much Earth culture did you absorb?¡± Jason asked her.


    ¡°You kept going into transformation zones and leaving me twiddling my thumbs.¡±


    ¡°I was saving the world.¡±


    ¡°And I was watching internet videos. The name doesn¡¯t have to be Bruce; there are plenty of other choices. Clark Kent, Ahmet Zappa, Man-E-Faces, Carlos Danger, The Artist Formerly Known as Ringo Starr. Pol Pot.¡±


    ¡°Pol Pot?¡± Jason exclaimed. ¡°You seriously think I''d go with Pol Pot?¡±


    Farrah continued reeling off guesses.


    ¡°Maximilien Robespierre, Rolf Harris, Mother Theresa, Joseph Stalin.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just listing terrible people,¡± Jason complained.


    ¡°Gonk,¡± Gary said.


    Everyone at the table turned to look at him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Gonk?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°As a name,¡± Gary said. ¡°I thought Jason might go for a mononym.¡±


    ¡°And you thought that if I went for just one name,¡± Jason said, ¡°that the name I¡¯d go for is Gonk?¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡± Gary asked. ¡°There¡¯s no telling what you¡¯re going to do.¡±


    This drew general nods of agreement around the table, which in turn led to an affronted expression from Jason.


    ¡°I was hoping for Manny McManface,¡± Taika said, ¡°but I thought you''d go with Michael Long.¡±


    ¡°I thought you had it with that one, actually,¡± Farrah told Taika. ¡°I was sure he¡¯d try for some obscure alias that someone on Earth used where no one would get the reference.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Taika corrected, ¡°Michael Knight was the alias and Michael Long was his real name.¡±


    Farrah reached out ¨C and up ¨C to put a hand on the shelving unit that was Taika''s shoulder.


    ¡°Taika,¡± she told him. ¡°I''m not sure I can fully express the degree to which I do not care.¡±


    ¡°Not all of your many terrible guesses were aliases,¡± Jason told Farrah. ¡°And John Miller is an alias, thank you very much. And none of you did get the reference.¡±


    ¡°An alias for who?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Travis said. ¡°I just figured it out.¡±

 Chapter 625: Neil’s Big Mouth

    Jason watched from the roof deck as Rufus, Farrah and Gary headed upriver on the skimmers they kept stored on the yacht. With them was Estella Warnock, whom they were escorting from the Adventure Society camp to an actual population centre. Estella would be fulfilling her role of scouting out such places, for opportunities and danger. She didn''t need the escort, but it was a chance for Rufus, Gary and Farrah to work together again as a team.


    Letting out a sigh, Jason couldn¡¯t help but reflect that just as his team was coming together, theirs was coming apart. It was not long after Humphrey, Jason and Clive had done their first job together that Farrah had died, which had profoundly impacted Rufus and Gary. Even though Farrah was now back, none of them had a taste for full-time adventuring anymore.


    Rufus was increasingly interested in training adventurers over being one, while Gary and Farrah were focusing on their very different crafts. Gary was seeking to master the old ways, chasing perfection in the smithing of weapons and armour. Farrah, by contrast, was chasing the future, pushing magic into new fields.


    This trip was an opportunity to relive the old days when all they had was ambition and each other. It was also a chance to say goodbye to those days, and fully appreciate that their futures followed paths they had not anticipated. Even when they should have because they wouldn¡¯t shut up about their family running a school.


    Jason chuckled at the thought and pushed himself off the railing. He had his own team and his own adventures to have, even if he was playing the role of secretly awesome cook. He wondered again if he should have named himself after a similar character from the Steven Seagal movie.


    ¡°No,¡± he muttered to himself. ¡°Even my rose-tinted nostalgia has limits. A man has to have standards.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, are you thinking about Steven Seagal again?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ***


    Jason¡¯s team was tasked with heading into Cartise to clear monsters out of the ruined city. They were one of several teams tasked with doing so, and were being guided through their assigned sweeping route by Vestine, an Adventure Society functionary. Jason himself wasn¡¯t with them, because why would you bring the cook?


    ¡°Not to be ungrateful,¡± Neil said, ¡°but why do we need a guide?¡±


    ¡°There have been some issues,¡± Vestine told him. ¡°Teams getting a little over-enthused, roaming into another team¡¯s territory and suddenly they¡¯re fighting duels instead of monsters. We don¡¯t have time for that.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re guiding teams away from making stupid choices,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I hardly think that¡¯s necessary,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°Then you should pay more attention,¡± Neil told him.


    ¡°I completely agree,¡± Belinda said. ¡°That should be the policy for all teams.¡±


    ¡°You want someone hanging around all the time, observing what you do?¡± Neil asked her, and Belinda¡¯s expression went stiff.


    ¡°I formally rescind my suggestion.¡±


    ¡°We prefer to think of it as helping the teams stay focused,¡± Vestine said.


    ¡°I bet that¡¯s because they¡¯re already trying to ditch you and cause trouble,¡± Belinda said. ¡°You outright tell them you¡¯re babysitters and they¡¯re going to throw a tantrum.¡±


    A smile crept onto Vestine¡¯s face, despite her best efforts, but she didn¡¯t respond.


    As they moved through the ruins on foot, the team made swift progress. Having once spent months in a city not just ruined but overtaken by jungle, the terrain was no obstacle to them. They traversed the city, alert but relaxed, Sophie only occasionally visible as she scouted around them. The team took the chance to learn more about conditions in the area by questioning their guide.


    ¡°Just so I¡¯m getting this right,¡± Neil said, ¡°Something is attracting monsters to the city and we¡¯re not meant to stop it?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Vestine told him. ¡°When the diamond-rank monster died here in the city, it left behind spots of magical resonance that still linger, and will for weeks to come. Monsters normally fear their diamond-rank contemporaries, but this resonance seems to draw them in, from a hundred kilometres away or more.¡±


    ¡°Then why not get rid of it?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Eliminating magical resonance isn''t that hard. Even from a diamond-rank monster, it should be easy enough. You just have to align a purgation ritual with an amplification ritual with a¨C¡±


    ¡°How many rituals would it take in total?¡±


    ¡°Four, maybe five,¡± Clive said, then shrugged. ¡°Diamond-rank, so let¡¯s call it five. Six at the absolute most.¡±


    ¡°And these would all be in a sequence?¡± Vestine asked.


    ¡°They would have to be, yes,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°You just said it would be easy.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡± Clive asked, confusion in his expression.


    ¡°I think the lady¡¯s point,¡± Belinda told Clive, ¡°is that not everyone thinks that running half a dozen rituals in a unified sequence is easy.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Yes, really,¡± Neil told him.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Clive said, his tone suggesting he was not entirely convinced.


    ¡°I believe that Clive¡¯s original question,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°was why not eliminate this resonance. The difficulty or ease of doing so aside, I imagine the reason is that the Adventure Society wants the monsters here.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Vestine said, still giving Clive odd looks. ¡°The surge is over, but there are still many monsters that manifested in the wilderness that weren¡¯t dealt with because they didn¡¯t pose an immediate threat. This city is an empty ruin, while the towns and villages around it are not. Better to draw the monsters here than have them attack the over-populated and under-resourced locations that are bursting with refugees.¡±


    ¡°Rebuilding the city isn¡¯t a priority, then?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°It can¡¯t be,¡± Vestine said. ¡°The monster surge was five years late. Five years of the economy being strained by everything being in a state of readiness for a surge that kept not arriving. Then the surge itself lasted six times longer than it should have, and that¡¯s not even accounting for the Builder invasion. Now there¡¯s a conflict with the messengers, and who knows what trouble that will bring.¡±


    ¡°That is a lot,¡± Neil conceded. ¡°I suppose you have to do what you can instead of what you want to.¡±


    ¡°I know that story,¡± Belinda said.


    The team heard the high-pitched shrieking of monsters in the distance and rushed in that direction. They sensed auras as they drew nearer, but the auras blinked out, one by one, and by the time they arrived, the monsters were gone. There were signs of combat, claw marks raking stone, but no corpses and no blood.


    ¡°Again,¡± Vestine muttered.


    ¡°Again?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°The Adventure Society functionaries guiding the teams are keeping contact through a communication power,¡± Vestine explained as she crouched to examine a claw mark. ¡°This mark is from a skittering raker, which matches the sounds we heard. They¡¯re ambush predators, a common monster in this region. This is the third instance in the last couple of hours of monster packs disappearing before adventurers could get to them.¡±


    ¡°Almost like someone was running around, killing and looting them,¡± Neil said innocently, earning him a slap on the arm from Belinda.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Vestine said. ¡°If so, I wish they¡¯d report to the Adventure Society camp. Someone running rogue means that we¡¯ll have to expend time and people we desperately need to use elsewhere on a false threat. But we suspect it¡¯s another monster, though.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°One of the teams reported seeing some strange butterflies near where one of the monster packs vanished. The butterflies themselves fled before anyone could get a closer look, though. They were reportedly extremely fast.¡±


    Humphrey caught Clive¡¯s eye.


    ¡°Vestine, please excuse us for a moment,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I need to consult with my team member.¡±


    Humphrey and Clive walked a little way from the group and Humphrey activated a privacy screen. Clive pulled out a blue marble tablet, the engravings on which started shifting as he moved his fingers across it.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Is this Jason?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Geller,¡± Shade said from Humphrey¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Quite certain, Mr Geller. Mr Asano discovered just how desperate the Adventure Society efforts in this region are for resources and decided to volunteer himself as an actual auxiliary. He¡¯s been looting monster remains brought in by other teams for materials and meat, which he is cooking in ways friendly to long-term storage. He¡¯s quite busy.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I thought he''d gone off marauding on the sly.¡±


    ¡°Jason''s butterflies aren''t fast, the way our guide described,¡± Clive said, then held up the Magic Society monster almanac in his hands. ¡°I think I know what this monster is.¡±


    ¡°You just looked it up? Those almanacs are a pain to sort through. My mother used to make me go through them for practise.¡±


    ¡°I may not be part of the Magic Society anymore, but my ability to efficiently search through their record system remains intact.¡±


    ¡°You think it¡¯s a butterfly monster then?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but let¡¯s go back to the group so I¡¯m not explaining it twice.¡±


    Humphrey nodded and disabled the privacy screen. They returned to the others and Clive explained what he suspected to be the culprit.


    ¡°There¡¯s a kind of butterfly monster called the glorious harvester,¡± he told the group. ¡°It¡¯s rare, and normally shows up a decent way south of here, but there are a handful of records of them showing up almost as far north as Rajoras. It¡¯s a swarm-type monster with a few distinctive traits. One is their appearance, which is green, blue and yellow, with a golden glow. Another is that they are one of the rare monsters that hunt other monsters and mostly avoids anyone else. They produce dust that triggers a rapid breakdown in monster bodies. This breakdown continues after death, dissolving them as a looting power would. The glorious harvesters then consume the magic as it returns to a raw state. I''m more or less saying that they eat rainbow smoke.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s really a monster, then?¡± Neil asked. ¡°I was sure it would turn out to be¨C¡±


    Belinda slapped his arm again.


    ¡°Turn out to be what?¡± Vestine asked.


    ¡°You are so bad at this,¡± Belinda told Neil shaking her head. ¡°And I mean Clive bad.¡±


    ¡°Hey!¡± Neil and Clive exclaimed simultaneously, then glared at each other.


    ¡°This dust that the butterfly monster produces,¡± Belinda said, drawing attention away from Neil¡¯s big mouth. ¡°It dissolves monster bodies, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive confirmed.


    ¡°High rankers, and even well-trained mid rankers, have bodies that are basically the same as that of monsters,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that make us vulnerable to this dust?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Clive said, shaking his head. ¡° Well, not as much. The almanac noted that it doesn''t affect essence users the same way, which is why glorious butterflies are one of the rare monsters that hunt other monsters. I''m not sure why it¡¯s less effective on essence users; the almanac didn''t say.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a reason we say our bodies are ¡®basically¡¯ the same,¡± Neil said. As a healer, he had the best understanding in the group of how their bodies worked. ¡°There are key differences between the very similar makeup of an essence user and a monster¡¯s body. The big one is that, barring essence ability intervention, monster bodies are a lot more resilient. That¡¯s because monster bodies don¡¯t have to contain an actual soul, like an essence user, or an actual spiritual entity, like a summoned familiar. Because their bodies don¡¯t need that spiritual reinforcement, they can focus on physical reinforcement.¡±


    ¡°Then it sounds like this dust targets whatever makes monster bodies tougher than ours specifically,¡± Clive said. ¡°It will affect us to some degree, but not to the same degree. It won¡¯t be as severe as¡­ someone else¡¯s afflictions.¡±


    Belinda shook her head.


    ¡°So bad at this,¡± she muttered. ¡°Clive, he went off into the cosmos with a diamond ranker, not a mystic land where saying his name will levy a curse. You can say his name.¡±


    ¡°Ah, yes, right,¡± Clive said. ¡°He went off with a diamond ranker.¡±


    Belinda groaned.


    ¡°Yeah, real convincing, Clive,¡± she complained. ¡°I take it back. You¡¯re not allowed to talk about him.¡±


    ¡°Who are we talking about?¡± Vestine asked.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We should get moving again if we want to complete our sweep on¡­¡±


    Sophie dropped to the ground next to the group.


    ¡°I found some weird butterfly monster,¡± she said. ¡°It was more yellow and green than Jason''s.¡±


    ¡°Who is Jason?¡± Vestine asked.


    ¡°Some guy we used to work with,¡± Sophie said. ¡°He went off with a diamond ranker for being an extra-special boy or some nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Callously abandoned us,¡± Belinda confirmed.


    ¡°Did you see which way the butterflies went?¡± Vestine asked.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t go anywhere,¡± Sophie said. ¡°They weren¡¯t very fast, so I just dealt with them.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Vestine said. ¡°You¡¯re saying they were slow?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Sophie confirmed. ¡°Not you people slow, but slow.¡±


    ¡°You probably shouldn¡¯t fly around,¡± Vestine warned. ¡°Monsters might see you and end up following you back to us.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Sophie said. ¡°You people are slow, so I rounded some up. You should sense the first group any second.¡±


    ¡°Sophie!¡± Humphrey scolded. ¡°What did I tell you?¡±


    Sophie¡¯s face took on an expression of exaggerated uncertainty.


    ¡°That you like it when I tickle your¨C¡±


    ¡°I said stop rounding up monsters because you think we¡¯re too slow!¡±


    ¡°Oh, that makes more sense,¡± she acknowledged. ¡°The other thing is kind of private.¡±

 Chapter 626: Rage, Authority and Otherworldly Power

    Jason moved through the night-covered city, flickering unseen from shadow to shadow. There was no shortage of them under the light of the twin moons, allowing him to make a blistering pace. With the blanket of stars, the city was relatively bright, given the early hours, making it a shadowy realm that was perfect for Jason.


    He didn¡¯t expand his senses too far as his magical senses were an expression of his aura. Pushing them too far would broadcast his location to any aura-sensitive being in a wide area. He wasn¡¯t worried about nocturnal monsters but the adventuring teams patrolling at all hours that hunted them. He neither wanted to explain his presence nor be mistaken for one of the monsters being hunted.


    Even retracted, Jason¡¯s senses were still excellent over shorter distances, allowing him to avoid any teams he encountered. Unlike him, they were blasting their senses out to detect monsters and attract the aggressive ones. That made them easy to avoid by withdrawing the moment his senses encountered theirs, as their perception was weakest at the limits of their range. He was careful nonetheless. Not only was letting himself get sloppy a bad habit, but there was every chance an elite scout would notice him, despite his caution.


    Jason¡¯s goal was the inland side of the city, the opposite end from where his ship was docked. His day spent working as an auxiliary had proven fruitful in terms of information gathering for the simple reason that if you show up, get to work and don¡¯t be a tool, people will talk to you. He had spent the day surrounded by Adventure Society and Magic Society functionaries, along with a few other auxiliaries as well. This had given Jason plenty of opportunities to learn about the situation in the camp.


    Estella Warnock¡¯s job was to scout out civilian locations for the team, but she was a bad fit for a work camp at a ruined city, which is why she had gone ahead to the team¡¯s next destination. Jason himself was much better suited to the specific circumstances. Despite Humphrey¡¯s concerns about Jason fighting the power against people who didn¡¯t have any, Jason had always been good at getting along with regular people.


    It took Jason very little time to fit in with the primarily low-ranked workers organising resources, logistics and food. With conditions tight, essence users were mostly getting by on spirit coins, with the food Jason and his new co-workers produced being shipped off to the surrounding areas. Jason¡¯s looting ability was useful for producing fresh meat from monster carcasses, along with other materials. His cooking magic took that fresh meat and turned it into preserved meat.


    There were already resources on site that allowed Jason to get a lot of work done quickly, with smokehouses and salting sheds designed for use with cooking magic that massively accelerated the process. While Jason¡¯s mastery of such magic came from skill books and was fairly basic, it was perfect for the setup in place. The learning curve was low, and by the time he was pumping out preserved meats, the people around him had gotten chatty. The bulk of what Jason learned wasn¡¯t wildly useful to the team, although it would help them. Knowing who to go to and who to avoid in camp leadership was always valuable.


    The most important information was not about the base camp but the city the camp was set up to manage. One of the tribulations that had brought the city low was the wide-scale destruction following a local astral space getting torn off the side of reality. Such devastating events had been the end-goal of the Builder, and when a cell of cultists managed to accomplish this task, they usually evacuated their bases in the area.


    Usually, cult evacuations would be carried out quickly and quietly, as the local adventures were generally on the warpath at that stage. As a result, there were frequently Builder cult lairs hidden around that contained large and dangerous construct creatures that the cult had been forced to abandon.


    From what Jason picked up, there was likely an undiscovered Builder base somewhere beyond the city¡¯s inland border. Late in the night, Jason had moved to investigate in secret, to preserve his secret identity. Jason Asano was not meant to be around, and a cook shouldn¡¯t be able to find what teams of adventurers had not.


    After reaching what should be the right general area, Jason started directing his senses down, careful not to let his aura spread in any other direction. Aside from his superior aura strength fuelling his senses, Jason was also sensitive to Builder-related energy. Since losing the Builder¡¯s magic door, he could no longer manipulate that energy. His ability to sense the touch of the Builder, however, predated Jason''s acquisition of the door by some time. It was something Jason had been sensitive to ever since the Builder tried to steal his soul with a star seed.


    Jason turned himself into a magical ground-penetrating radar as he started sweeping the area. He moved from the outer city into what had once been farmland, but was now a mix of withered crop remnants and bare soil. The land bore the marks of the destructive shockwave that had swept over it in the wake of the astral space being removed. The force had pushed everything out and away from the epicentre in a violent blast that had thrown boulders, flattened portions of the city and uprooted trees. And this was just the shockwave area, not the blast zone.


    The dimensional scar was something that Jason could clearly sense. Even more intimate than his sensitivity to the Builder was his sense of dimensional forces. The closer he drew to the former site of the astral space aperture, the more he was horrified by the gaping wound in reality left behind.


    ¡°This has left a scar on the side of reality,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s already starting to warp the ambient magic seeping through the dimensional membrane. I don¡¯t think this city will be liveable for a long time.¡±


    ¡°It will have to be rebuilt from the ground up.¡± Shade agreed. ¡°There is almost nothing left to repair.¡±


    Magic came into the world from the astral through the dimensional membrane that separated their physical reality from the astral. A monster surge was the result of temporary damage to that membrane, but the damage always, eventually, recovered itself. That had already happened, ending the monster surge, but to Jason¡¯s perception, an ugly scar had been left behind.


    ¡°This is going to impact the magic in this area for some time,¡± Jason judged.


    ¡°You believe the effect will linger?¡± Shade asked him.


    ¡°Without intervention, yes,¡± Jason said soberly. ¡°It¡¯s going to affect the monsters here, I suspect, and the people using magic, too. It¡¯ll be slow, over time, like a taint in the groundwater that slowly accumulates toxins in the people using the land.¡±


    Jason had a unique insight into this. His connection to dimensional forces allowed him to recognise the wound in a way that others did not, and his increasing proficiency in astral magic allowed him to at least partially understand it.


    ¡°Will you warn the locals?¡± Shade asked. ¡°They may not recognise the danger.¡±


    ¡°There are Magic Society representatives here,¡± Jason said. ¡°They likely know what''s happened and what to look for. But I''ll have Clive double-check with them.¡±


    Clive was not on good terms with the Magic Society, but he was an astral magic specialist whose expertise exceeded Jason''s, despite Jason''s insights into dimensional forces and being tutored by Dawn herself. Jason was already sharing his unique insights with Clive and seeing Clive make leaps that Jason himself never realised. Without his advantages, Jason wouldn¡¯t be close to Clive¡¯s level in astral magic studies.


    Jason pushed his senses as far as he was willing to risk, but one hour turned into two and then three without result. The sky was starting to lighten when he finally felt a twinge. There was something below him that prevented him from getting a proper sense of what it was due to some magical screening. Only the strength of his perception and sensitivity to the Builder allowed him to detect anything at all.


    ¡°Good,¡± said Amos, whose sudden presence behind him startled Jason. Very few people could get that close to him undetected.


    ¡°What are doing here?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You liked how I managed to find the place, did you?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Amos said. ¡°It¡¯s good that you have so thoroughly demonstrated your shortcomings. There will be new exercises, once you¡¯ve rested.¡±


    With that, Amos walked away.


    ¡°You know,¡± Jason said after watching Amos leave. ¡°He could have at least helped us find the entrance. Shade, spread out and take a look, if you please.¡±


    Shade bodies started spilling out of Jason¡¯s shadow to search the area. The fact that the lair hadn¡¯t been found yet by someone else suggested that the entrance had been permanently collapsed. Only with a narrow area to search was it worth grid searching, even with Shade¡¯s cohort of bodies. In the end, it was under a cluster of heavy rocks that looked like they had been piled up by the shockwave. Instead, they had been placed to obscure a shaft that had been deliberately caved in.


    While he knew the right move was to bring in the team, Jason felt a temptation to act on his own. He wanted to send Shade down so he could shadow jump into the base, keeping all of the Builder constructs to himself. He could take his time, buried and hidden under the earth. Pull each construct apart with his own two hands, stripping them down to parts, one by one. Grinding every last trace of the Builder¡¯s power out of them.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said. ¡°I remind you that it is a time for discretion, not rage.¡±


    Jason hadn¡¯t noticed the aura pulsing out of him or the growing luminescence of his alien eyes as he stared at the ground, fists balled at his sides. He drew back his aura, frowning in self-admonition at the loss of control. He concentrated his senses and felt one of the patrol teams moving in his direction.


    ¡°Time to go,¡± he said.


    ¡°Might I suggest, Mr Asano, that you seek out Mrs Remore tomorrow, in addition to Lord Pensinata?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said, the ferocity that clouded his mind having passed. ¡°I¡¯m starting to think that I might have some unresolved issues.¡±


    ¡°I may have noticed something of the kind myself, Mr Asano.¡±


    ***


    The patrol team reached the location where they had sensed the strange aura. The archer, the swordswoman and the guardian specialist watched the darkness around them while their scout hunted for the aura. She pushed out her senses, looking for any trace. Their Adventure Society guide also kept an eye on their surroundings.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sensing anything,¡± the scout said. ¡°It¡¯s like it flared up and then vanished.¡±


    ¡°What was it?¡± the team ritualist asked as he examined the ground around them. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt a monster like that, but it didn¡¯t feel like a person, either.¡±


    ¡°A priest, maybe,¡± the guardian said as he watched the moonlit terrain. The relatively bright night and flattened terrain made watching for trouble an easier task than it might have been. ¡°They sometimes use divine power that feels strange.¡±


    ¡°That makes sense,¡± the guide said. ¡°I saw a priest of Wrath in combat once, and he felt kind of like what we sensed. Rage, authority and otherworldly power.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s something here,¡± the ritualist said, crouched over a patch of ground. He pointed out the rocks scattered around ¡°These rocks were moved, and not long ago. I think they were piled over this.¡±


    The guardian and one of the damage dealers stayed on watch while the others gathered around.


    ¡°Some kind of filled-in tunnel,¡± the scout said. ¡°You don¡¯t think¡­?¡±


    ¡°The Builder cult lair,¡± the ritualist said. ¡°I think whatever that aura belonged to was looking for this, sensed us coming and made itself scarce.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± the guardian said. ¡°I¡¯ve never felt a silver-rank aura that strong.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s probably just some ability to scare off other monsters,¡± the swordswoman said. ¡°Some kind of aura flare; more performance than power.¡±


    ¡°More scared of us than we are of it,¡± the archer suggested.


    ¡°I¡¯m not so sure,¡± the scout said. ¡°That aura didn¡¯t feel scared.¡±


    ¡°Wouldn¡¯t that be the whole point?¡± The swordswoman asked. ¡°What kind of power to scare people off would let you know it was the scared one?¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s got you there,¡± the guardian said.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think assuming it¡¯s afraid is the right move,¡± the scout said. ¡°What if the idea is to make us think that it¡¯s gone so it can stalk and ambush us?¡±


    ¡°Well, isn¡¯t that a cheerful thought,¡± the ritualist said.


    ¡°We should go,¡± the guide said. ¡°We¡¯ll report this in, get someone watching the site and see if it really is the cult lair once the sun comes up.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we check it now?¡± the archer asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s been here for a good long while now,¡± the ritualist said. ¡°I don¡¯t think we have to worry about constructs spilling out unless we start digging down. If we hadn¡¯t come along, whatever we sensed might have and set off gods know what trouble.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m worried about what that thing was,¡± the scout said. ¡°It¡¯s still out there somewhere.¡±

 Chapter 627: Asset

    Having returned in the pre-dawn, Jason emerged from his cabin when it was almost time for lunch.


    ¡°Oh, thank the gods you¡¯ve come out,¡± Neil said, rushing up to him. Jason narrowed his eyes, about to probe his aura to confirm his identity as Neil continued.


    ¡°Clive made¡­ I suppose we have to call it breakfast,¡± Neil lamented. ¡°Taika threw him into the river.¡±


    ¡°Taika¡¯s only bronze rank,¡± Jason said with a laugh.


    ¡°He¡¯s strong,¡± Neil said. ¡°The monster surge got him pretty close to silver. He also had the element of surprise, and Clive was very surprised.¡±


    ¡°We probably shouldn¡¯t be wasting food when people are putting so much effort to feed people in this region.¡±


    Jason remembered the food rationing on earth during the monster waves when refugees were crammed into the largest urban centres for safety. Food production and distribution had broken down. As even the smaller cities were abandoned due to a lack of people to protect them, let alone rural areas. Jason went for almost two years without eating anything but spirit coins.


    ¡°It was fairly basic in the first place,¡± Neil said. ¡°Just cereal and bread.¡±


    ¡°He messed up cereal and bread?¡±


    ¡°It turns out that all Clive knows how to cook is eel,¡± Neil explained. ¡°I can assure you that adapting those recipes to a simple breakfast does not work.¡±


    Jason winced. He could sense Taika in the yacht, his aura strong and steady. The proto-spaces and then monster waves on Earth, plus Farrah¡¯s training, had allowed him to rocket through the ranks, especially with being human as an accelerating factor. Between that and the monster surge after switching worlds, Taika had rarely seen the less hectic conditions that most adventurers faced. His progress was faster than Jason¡¯s, whose lower rank progress was met with lengthy delays.


    Taika''s human abilities had been replaced with outworlder ones, but Jason had never sat down and taken a good look. He''d shared his party interface and let Rufus and Farrah manage his training and advancement, both being better teachers than Jason. Taika''s power set was very much in line with Humphrey¡¯s, from his role as a high-mobility brawler to his mix of powerful and varied attack and defence options. They even shared the Might and Wing essences leading to a confluence based on a mythical creature.


    In Taika¡¯s case, it was Garuda rather than Humphrey¡¯s dragon confluence, which made Jason wonder. Was the garuda a real creature in Pallimustus? If so, which of the various myths, legends and RPG flying monsters was it closest to.


    ¡°Neil,¡± Jason asked. ¡°You ever heard of a garuda?¡±


    ¡°Sure,¡± Neil said. ¡°Big flying creatures. Lots of variants, like griffins and dragons, spread across the ranks. Most fall in the silver-gold range, I¡¯m pretty sure, but I¡¯ve never seen one. Never been to the right part of the world. I think Pranay might have them.¡±


    Pranay was a city that Jason and his team had visited after their first trip to the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space. They hadn¡¯t left the massive urban centre, so the only magical beasts they had seen were familiars.


    ¡°You¡¯re thinking about Taika¡¯s abilities?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Yeah. I¡¯ve never really seen him in the field since he was iron rank.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s got some impressive powers. You know, with another fast brawler and if we brought in Rufus, we¡¯d have a monster of a team, here.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it hard to train up in a team of eight? Don¡¯t you need to take on larger-scale contracts, which means expeditions, which means other teams which means more restrictions?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have to be like that. Our team is built around different synergies. Remember when Humphrey¡¯s sister was training us? We took that road contract and she kept pushing us into different combinations.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s an interesting idea,¡± Jason mused. ¡°Mixing things up is always good as a training exercise. You know that Rufus and Taika are only with us temporarily, though. Rufus will go off the Greenstone, eventually, and Taika might end up with the other Earth people. I¡¯m going to need someone to wrangle the pricks.¡±


    ¡°What makes you think they¡¯re pricks?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re from Earth.¡±


    ¡°Not a lot of love for your own world, then.¡±


    ¡°This is my world now.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re glad to have you,¡± Neil said, slapping Jason on the back. ¡°So long as you make lunch. We need to go on afternoon patrol, soon, and Belinda said that Clive was eyeing off the bread again.¡±


    ¡°Oh crap,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯d best get on it, then.¡±


    ***


    The base camp for Adventure Society and Magic Society activity in the area was laid out carefully into sections, somewhere between a school campus and a military base, but all the buildings were magical tents. The tents were reinforced against the weather and included drainage, plumbing and other amenities. Many were the size of full buildings, with a few even reaching as high as four storeys. For the most part, they were all square or oblong, the rigid frames visible under the drape of the fabric.


    Jason¡¯s team moved across the open marshalling area, although Jason¡¯s place in the group was taken by Rufus and Farrah. Leading them was Vestine, their assigned Adventure Society functionary. They moved towards a tent the size of a small aircraft hangar. It was the main vehicle pool for the camp, managed by the Magic Society but primarily used by the Adventure Society.


    The marshalling area was a mix of adventuring teams and groups from the two societies in charge of the camp. Some were coming and going on foot, while others were using skimmers, making the yard¡¯s massive size a necessity to handle all the activity.


    ¡°This afternoon we¡¯re heading for the other side of the city,¡± Vestine told them as they approached. ¡°The far side of the city is the most dangerous zone in the area. It¡¯s where the diamond-rank monster fell, making it the most concentrated source of the lingering power that¡¯s drawing in the monsters. We haven¡¯t had a gold show up yet, but we¡¯ve seen silvers come in very large waves, so be ready to fall back and regroup with other teams at all times.¡±


    ¡°Yesterday you told us we wouldn¡¯t be assigned to the far side of the city,¡± Sophie pointed out.


    ¡°The situation changed overnight,¡± Vestine told them. ¡°A Builder cult lair was found and multiple teams that normally patrol the far side of the city are currently engaging in a suppression action against lingering Builder constructs. We had to dig our way down using rituals to access the lair, as the access shaft had been completely sealed. There were so many rocks in there it wasn¡¯t worth clearing them out, and so we dug straight through the earth.¡±


    ¡°I remember that ritual,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°You could have warned me it was going to spray mud everywhere, Clive.¡±


    ¡°It was a digging ritual in a swamp,¡± Clive said. ¡°Do you want me to warn you that dumplings are available in a dumpling shop?¡±


    Humphrey shook his head.


    ¡°We were aware of the cult lair,¡± he told Vestine.


    ¡°Word gets around a camp like this very quickly,¡± Vestine said, her voice disapproving. ¡°On a related note, be aware that there is an unknown, potentially hostile entity in the area, but we don¡¯t have little information on it. We can¡¯t even be sure if it¡¯s a monster, magical beast or essence user. It¡¯s potentially a priest from one of the dark gods, so be wary. Its aura is very distinctive, being silver rank, extremely powerful and extremely sinister.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose this entity happened to be found where the cult lair turned out to be?¡± Belinda asked.


    Vestine stopped walking across the marshalling yard and turned to look at Belinda.


    ¡°Do you know something you should be reporting?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never known anything I should be reporting,¡± Belinda said. ¡°That¡¯s how they get you.¡±


    ¡°Your patrol sensed a particular asset to which our team has access,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It reported finding a Builder lair, but it left when it sensed a patrol approaching. Since the patrol found the lair, we didn¡¯t report the discovery ourselves.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re claiming this asset found the lair. Are you trying to claim credit?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t care about credit,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m only telling you this so you don¡¯t have the patrol teams jumping at shadows.¡±


    ¡°And what is this asset of yours? Why is it a secret?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a secret, strictly speaking,¡± Humphrey told her. ¡°Our team has access to a certain special asset that people often find confronting, sinister or outright evil. It¡¯s not. But this asset is known to the Adventure Society, and the branch in Rimaros decided to keep our asset mostly off the books. If anyone were to go digging, contact the Adventure Society branch and ignore their polite suggestions that you leave it alone, you''ll find the answers you¡¯re looking for. You can check all this for yourself, of course. I noticed the temporary water-link chamber that¡¯s been set up for communication, although I know those devices are extremely resource-intensive. You likely only use it when strictly necessary, which means that you¡¯re left either taking my word for it or not.¡±


    ¡°The water link we have is expensive to operate,¡± Vestine acknowledged. ¡°We only use it when truly necessary. Lacking ready access to the Adventure Society administration in Rimaros, the best solution is that you brief me and I determine how much needs to be shared with the officials here.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°And if I march a few teams onto that boat of yours to find out for myself.¡±


    ¡°Then that would be unfortunate,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s always sad when bad things happen to good people.¡±


    ¡°Are you threatening me, Mr Geller?¡±


    ¡°No, Miss Calhoun, I am not. Imagine a mysterious pit of monsters. Imagine that anyone who manages to jump in the pit and survive will be punished by the Adventure Society, in the unlikely event of their survival. It is not a threat to warn someone of the dangers of the pit, Miss Calhoun. It is well-meaning advice that, I will admit, could easily be misconstrued as an attempt to intimidate an Adventure Society official. But I will remind you, Miss Calhoun, that all the information concerning you about this situation came from a single source: me. I could have said nothing, but I did you the courtesy of warning you in the hope that you would not waste any time and resources.¡±


    Vestine looked at Humphrey for a long time.


    ¡°Wait here,¡± she said finally. ¡°I¡¯m going to consult with the chief official of the camp.¡±


    The team watched her turn and march off.


    ¡°How big a problem will this be?¡± Neil wondered aloud.


    ¡°Not very,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The Adventure Society has many secrets. She''s going to ask someone in camp leadership what to do, and she''ll be told to be quiet and go along. If there''s no imminent threat, then anyone smart enough to be left running this place with minimal oversight knows better than to buy trouble they could avoid for free.¡±


    ¡°And if she decides to push?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Then they¡¯ll use the water-link, regardless of the cost,¡± Farrah said. ¡°At which point, they will be sternly instructed to leave us alone. They¡¯ll assume Geller family interference and leave us alone.¡±


    ¡°And you¡¯re okay letting people think your family is engaged in corruption?¡± Clive asked Humphrey.


    ¡°With politics,¡± Rufus said, ¡°you need a little corruption. Just a little, or no one else will trust you.¡±


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s just backwards,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m really starting to detest politics.¡±


    ¡°There are upsides,¡± Sophie said, bumping her body against Humphrey. ¡°I like it when you go all officious and stern.¡±


    Her voice then turned to a low whisper.


    ¡°You want to get out of here?¡±


    ¡°No!¡± Humphrey said, stepping away from her. ¡°This is not the time. Or the place. Or the circumstance.¡±


    Sophie¡¯s expression turned vulnerable and hurt.


    ¡°So,¡± she said, her voice a trembling whisper, ¡°you don¡¯t really like me?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Humphrey asked, taken aback. ¡°Of course I do.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like you do.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that! I just¡­¡±


    The tension in his bunched-up shoulders relaxed as he gave her a flat, admonishing look.


    ¡°¡­realised that you¡¯re teasing me. Do we have to have the talk about professionalism again? There is a professional space and a personal space, and you shouldn¡¯t be bringing the personal space out on the job.¡±


    ¡°There are lots of things you shouldn''t do on the job,¡± Belinda interjected. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t steal your Adventure Society guide¡¯s watch.¡±


    ¡°Lindy,¡± Humphrey asked through gritted teeth, ¡°did you just steal her watch?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Belinda said, the picture of innocence. ¡°I didn¡¯t just steal her watch.¡±

 Chapter 628: The Thing You Practice With The Most

    It was raining again as a land skimmer moved over the rubble that was once a city. It hovered only a metre over the ground, but that was enough to float over almost every part of the city¡¯s inland reaches. A few buildings, once magically reinforced strongholds, had left remnants in the form of a partial wall or two.


    ¡°This side of the city was where the shockwave from the astral space being taken hit,¡± Vestine said. She was driving the skimmer but had been quiet for most of the trip from the camp. Many adventurers had secrets, but when she stumbled on them, she did not like being told to back off, which she very much had been.


    ¡°That pond seems strange,¡± Rufus said, pointing out a large and oddly-shaped body of water. ¡°It¡¯s an odd shape, and doesn¡¯t fit with the surroundings.¡±


    They weren¡¯t going through a park that might have such a pond. Despite the city¡¯s annihilation, the location of roads could be determined from the relative lack of rubble, and the pond crossed multiple of them.


    ¡°It¡¯s an indent left behind by the diamond-rank monster,¡± Vestine explained as she redirected the skimmer to run along the shore. ¡°The monster rampaged through this part of the city, but most of the damage was covered up. The shockwave turned a damaged city into a levelled one. That indentation was one of the few signs that remained, and it was filled in by the rains.¡±


    ¡°So, this is where the monster fell?¡± Neil asked. ¡°It was big enough to leave a crater that big when it died?¡±


    ¡°The monster didn¡¯t die here,¡± Vestine told him. ¡°That¡¯s a footprint.¡±


    ***


    Amos and Jason were floating just above the deck, cross-legged in meditative poses. They were on the training deck as it was raining heavily outside.


    ¡°What I am going to show you is the methods of expanding your senses without your aura alerting the senses of others,¡± Amos said, in one of the longest sentences Jason had heard him speak. Amos was taciturn by nature, but Jason was learning he didn¡¯t fetishise silence, not hesitating to speak when it was called for.


    ¡°You are already familiar with retracting your aura,¡± Amos said, ¡°but that retracts your senses as well. You need to learn how to mask your aura¡¯s presence without withdrawing it. You have aura stealth techniques?¡±


    ¡°I have one I¡®ve developed,¡± Jason said. ¡°Partly it¡¯s retracting my aura, but I have more subtle methods as well. One that I¡¯m proud of lets me blend into crowds by adapting my aura to those of the people around me, and incorporating subtle aura suppression to make the perceptions of others pass over me. Basically, I can make people ignore me if there are other people around.¡±


    Amos nodded and unfolded his legs, dropping them to the floor he was floating over.


    ¡°We¡¯ll go to the camp,¡± Amos said. ¡°You can show me.¡±


    ***


    While Jason was aura training, his team moved beyond the city ruins. The wall that had once held off monsters was now just a demarcation line between city and jungle, no taller than a speed bump. The jungle itself was little better off than the city, with trees uprooted and scattered like dandelion blossoms. Despite the flattened jungle, this was not the area designated the destruction zone.


    They arrived at the official destruction zone, where the astral space aperture had been, it was clear why this place had earned the name. It was a crater, but not a concave in the ground. It looked more like someone had attempted to replicate the Grand Canyon with a giant cake tin, creating a circular hole that stretched kilometres across and hundreds of metres deep.


    The skimmer stopped and the team disembarked, lining up along the edge of the crater. It was a neat and round hole, with a dark green, glassy surface. The rounded wall and flat floor were polished-marble smooth, but scattered with debris. Rocks, trees and massive clumps of earth lay on the floor, along with what was left of animals and magical beasts devoured by monsters. It was large enough that, in spite of the rain, the water collected inside was not deep enough to consider it flooded, but merely wet.


    ¡°That is a big hole,¡± Neil said. ¡°What does it count as? A canyon? A crater?¡±


    ¡°To think that this is only a fraction of the size it would have been outside of a monster surge,¡± Clive said, shaking his head in wonder. ¡°If not for the damaged dimensional membrane, this could have covered ten times the area.¡±


    ¡°It makes me think of the astral space you stopped the Builder from taking near Greenstone,¡± Rufus said. ¡°If you hadn¡¯t, I¡¯d be dead, along with everyone else in Greenstone and every desert village and delta town around it. This place shows just how great the deed you all did that day was.¡±


    ¡°Well, it wouldn¡¯t have affected me,¡± Farrah said. ¡°I was already dead.¡±


    ¡°You were dead?¡± Vestine asked, turning to look at her.


    ¡°For about a year,¡± Farrah told her.


    ¡°Then how are you alive now?¡±


    ¡°I know a guy.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    ¡°We know a guy who views death as less of an end than as a hobby,¡± Farrah told her. ¡°We¡¯re not really meant to talk about it, though.¡±


    ¡°Like that asset of yours.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The asset is something he left behind.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s horrifying to think that this has happened all over the world,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Most of the Builder cult¡¯s attempts to steal astral spaces were stopped,¡± Vestine said. ¡°But most isn¡¯t all. We were lucky here, in that we managed to evacuate the bulk of the population. The explosion erased a town and flattened several villages, but their people had left for fortress towns long before, thankfully. There are places where people had it much worse.¡±


    She spat aggressively over the edge.


    ¡°You¡¯re all moving south from Rimaros, right?¡± she asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s right,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Did some guy really convince the Builder to leave early?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what we heard,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Well, why did he take so long?¡± Vestine asked angrily. ¡°We lost everything, here. Our homes. Our pride. We might have saved most of the people but we still lost many lives.¡±


    ¡°You lived here?¡± Humphrey asked Vestine, who nodded.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t just stationed here,¡± she said. ¡°I grew up here. It was my city. And now they¡¯re saying that they might not even rebuild it.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t even begin to imagine,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I won¡¯t even try. I¡¯ve never been through what you have. Lost not just a home, but the home of everyone I know. Whole communities. All I can say is that I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    Vestine turned and started marching towards the skimmer.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen it now,¡± she said bitterly. ¡°We need to get back on patrol.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Are you sure about this?¡± Jason asked Amos as they stood on the dock at the outer edge of the busy base camp. ¡°There are a lot of silver rankers here, and if they notice a cook wandering around under a sophisticated stealth technique, it¡¯ll draw attention that we don¡¯t want.¡±


    ¡°Do you lack confidence in your ability?¡±


    ¡°No, I''m quite proud of the ability. It''s probably the most intricate in execution that I have, and it was self-developed. But it''s designed to help me pass unnoticed through crowds of lower-ranked people, not to fool people of my own rank. I''ve got it to the point that it can, if they''re not paying attention, but if they are, the technique will draw attention rather than deflect it. It''s not a matter of confidence; it''s about the right tool for the right job.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Amos said.


    ¡°Good?¡±


    ¡°Your aura manipulation skills are barely adequate, but at least you understand the value in cultivating a breadth of nuanced techniques, even if you haven¡¯t, yet.¡±


    ¡°Barely adequate?¡±


    ¡°The greater the potential, the greater the expectations should be to fulfil that potential.¡±


    ¡°I think I get it,¡± Jason said, still frowning over ¡®barely adequate.¡¯ ¡°My skills are well above the silver-rank standard, but every rank scales, not just in power but the proficiency of those considered to be the best. The ones living up to their potential. You¡¯re saying that if I want to be great instead of just good once I hit gold rank, I need to push the limits of my capabilities.¡±


    ¡°Good, instead of adequate,¡± Amos corrected. ¡°Master the basics before you start claiming greatness.¡±


    ¡°Aim low, got it,¡± Jason said. ¡°This is why Dawn came to you specifically, isn¡¯t it? She knew you could get me ready for the future, at least in this regard.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Now, show me your technique.¡±


    ¡°But what if some silver-ranker pulls me up?¡±


    ¡°Then use the thing you practise with the most.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡±


    ¡°Your mouth.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t tell if that¡¯s an insult or a compliment. Probably a bit of both, now that I think about it. Actually, examining it further, I¡¯m increasingly impressed at the nuance you managed to incorporate into a simple statement and the way you both layered meaning and prompted a more in-depth exploration of the ramifications of your¨C¡±


    Amos flicked Jason on the forehead.


    ¡°Ow!¡±


    ¡°Aura technique, not mouth technique.¡±


    ¡°You just said¨C¡±


    Amos flicked him again, his gold-rank reflexes too much for Jason, even though he was watching for it.


    ¡°You¡¯re training an essence user, not a dog,¡± Jason pointed out, rubbing his forehead. Amos responded only with a flat look.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason grumbled as he set out into the camp, initiating his aura technique. ¡°Woof bloody woof.¡±


    ***


    As Vestine had promised, the inland side of the city was more active in terms of monster activity. Humphrey and the others soon found themselves working alongside Korinne and her team, as well as one more group, in wiping out a massive pack of silver-rank monsters.


    Arc lizards were among the weakest of silver-rank monsters, individually. Alone they were weaker than upper-tier bronze-rank monsters, making them a popular choice when high-rankers were curating battles for their bronze-rank trainees. As such, the local adventurers all had experience fighting them in small numbers.


    An arc lizard looked like a cobalt-blue iguana, with a rough, milky white crystal emerging from its back. Their only real form of attack was an arc of lightning they could shoot from the crystal, but it wasn¡¯t dangerous to a silver ranker. Even bronze-rankers didn''t have to be too worried if they were prepared and careful or had solid defensive abilities.


    The problem with dealing with arc lizards was that they never manifested alone and they became exponentially more dangerous in number. Their electrical arcs could jump from one to another, growing in strength with each link in the chain, even splitting once they grew powerful enough. Too many arc lizards gathered in one place became very dangerous indeed.


    Arc lizards were monsters that commonly spawned in this part of the world, and were normally a negligible threat. During a monster surge, however, they spawned in greater numbers than normal, often much greater. This meant that arc lizards went from a minor threat into a major problem, and while the monster surge was over, some monsters had appeared in wilderness areas and were still finding their way to population centres. Unlike short-lived iron-rank monsters, those of silver rank could easily last until the next surge, if not dealt with in the interim.


    With multiple packs of arc lizards having found each other, they posed a major threat to the three teams sent to eliminate them. The key was to strike hard, strike fast and deliver definitive damage. The earliest parts of the battle were most dangerous, with the lizards at their strongest. The healers on each team proved their mettle in the face of the prolific and powerful attacks, although the teams had gone in prepared.


    Knowing what they were going to confront, their Adventure Society guides had prepared potions to resist electricity for each of the teams. Even so, the potions only went so far in the face of multitudinous powerful attacks, which overwhelmed magical shields and burnt through armour to scorch flesh. Only as their numbers reduced did the attacks of the lizards diminish in potency, making things easier after the harrowing start to the battle.


    Korinne¡¯s team was the unquestionable star of the show, clearing out enemies faster than either of the other teams. Their specialisation was built around a pair of high-damage members with the rest of the team built around maximising their effectiveness. This made them something of a reflection of the lizards themselves as they focused all their efforts on unleashing powerful attacks. They even used the same chain lightning, with Kalif firing electric arrows that split and split, amplifying their power with each enemy struck.


    ***


    ¡°You¡¯d think that electric arrows would be a bad choice against electric monsters,¡± Sophie said as the teams rested in the aftermath of the battle.


    ¡°Silver rank is where power sets start to cover their own weaknesses,¡± Farrah explained. ¡°Take mine, for example. I have an ability called Child of Fire that helps me penetrate resistance to heat and fire, and even affect things that are immune. I¡¯ll need to be higher rank before I start burning fire elementals to death, but I¡¯ll get there.¡±


    ¡°The same goes for me,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I don¡¯t use fire as much as Farrah, but my Dragon Might aura transforms my regular fire into dragon fire, which is much more effective.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the same for anything,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Korinne¡¯s lightning is the same, I imagine, but look at Jason: he can make a golem bleed now.¡±


    ¡°This is part of what makes essence users stronger than those with inherent magic,¡± Rufus said. ¡°With so many powers, our abilities have breadth and synergy, but they also grow to cover our weaknesses. Very few of those with inherent magic can compare to a high-rank essence user. Of those that come close, it usually requires years of training and practise.¡±


    ¡°Like the blood magic of the intelligent troll tribes,¡± Clive said. ¡°Even then, they¡¯re mostly working with variant ritual magic. That¡¯s hard to use practically in combat; take it from a combat ritualist.¡±


    ***


    Korinne''s team were having their own discussion of the battle''s context.


    ¡°I don¡¯t see what¡¯s so special about their team that we need to follow them around and learn things,¡± Polix said. ¡°We showed them up today.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t the fight we need to learn from them in,¡± Korinne said. ¡°This battle was exactly the right kind of fight for us. A simple, if powerful enemy, in a large group setting. I hope you noticed how the other teams saw that we were the cornerstone of the group and pivoted their strategies to let us work uninterrupted. They shepherded the lizards away from us so we could maintain our offence without needing to beat-back counterattacks.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯m saying,¡± Polix said. ¡°They are the ones who saw that we were the stronger team.¡±


    "Polix," Korinne said, "you need to listen to everything I saw, not just the parts you agree with. We were strong today because it was our kind of fight. What Geller''s team has is experience with things going wrong and working just as a team, instead of as part of a group expedition.¡±


    ¡°The difference between adventuring approaches in Rimaros and Vitesse,¡± Rosa said.


    Polix groaned.


    ¡°I¡¯m sick of hearing arguments about one being better than the other,¡± he complained. ¡°It¡¯s obvious.¡±


    ¡°So I thought myself,¡± Korinne said. ¡°I was taught that the Rimaros way is the superior option as well, but I¡¯ve been discussing this with Orin¡¯s uncle since we came along on this journey. He pushed me to look past my own biases.¡±


    ¡°You talked with Lord Amos?¡± Kalif asked. ¡°Did he use words? With his mouth?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not a mute, Kalif,¡± Korinne said. ¡°He just doesn¡¯t believe is talking when it isn¡¯t necessary. An all-too-rare virtue.¡±


    ¡°What did he say about the difference between adventuring in Rimaros and Vitesse?¡± Rosa asked.


    ¡°He told me that it¡¯s a difference in wider doctrine,¡± Korinne explained. ¡°The Sea of Storms and its surrounding region has massive tracts of undeveloped jungle and deep water. Vast leviathans and whole colonies of monsters can disappear for decades, often finding one another and grouping up before they ever move on a populated area. Because of this, the threats encountered in this region are massive, like this pack of arc lizards. As such, adventuring doctrine in this part of the world accommodates the nature of those threats by putting a large emphasis on multi-team expeditions. And when people work together but in multiple teams, it makes sense that each team has a speciality.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that it¡¯s the Vitesse approach, but scaled up?¡± Kalif asked. ¡°Instead of a team where the individual members do their own thing, we have expeditions where each team does its own thing.¡±


    ¡°Precisely,¡± Korinne said. ¡°Vitesse is a much more developed region, which means the monster detection coverage is more comprehensive. Threats building up in the wilderness before being detected is rare, so teams are much more likely to operate independently, and there are even people that work alone. They don¡¯t have other teams to cover them while they focus on just one thing. They have to rely on themselves, which means they need the ability to adapt. Working with another team that covers their weakness isn''t an option. They have to be able to cover their own, even if that comes at the cost of focus.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the point,¡± Polix said. ¡°If the threat is smaller, then our teams can just kill it before it does anything tricky with our overwhelming power. No versatility required.¡±


    ¡°And that attitude,¡± Korinne said, ¡°is the exact reason we need to follow them around and learn things.¡±

 Chapter 629: Just to Prove You Could

    ¡°Nope,¡± Gary said as Belinda approached him in the yacht''s dining and barge lounge. He was sprawled back in a chair reading a book with a mug on the table beside him, steam rising from the piping hot contents. His vantage allowed him to look out as the hover yacht proceeded down the river toward its next destination.


    ¡°You don¡¯t even know what I¡¯m going to ask,¡± Belinda complained.


    ¡°I¡¯m not making you another set of lock picks.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± she conceded, ¡°you apparently do know what I was going to ask.¡±


    ¡°Well, don¡¯t bother,¡± Gary said, not looking away from his book. ¡°The answer is no.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because I know who broke them and under what circumstances.¡±


    ¡°I can explain that.¡±


    ¡°You tried to steal Amos Pensinata¡¯s watch,¡± Gary told her. ¡°The only thing you need to explain was what was going through your head that made it seem like a good idea.¡±


    ¡°I wanted the challenge.¡±


    ¡°And you got the challenge,¡± Sophie said, walking in. ¡°Then you got the consequences.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s this about?¡± Humphrey asked, having come in with Sophie.


    ¡°Lindy tried to steal Lord Pensinata¡¯s watch,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°It was a bit of fun,¡± Belinda complained. ¡°And his response was disproportional. I was going to give it back, not smash it.¡±


    ¡°How did he even end up breaking your lock picks when you were trying to take a pocket watch?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Most high-end magical clothes have protections against it,¡± Lindy said. ¡°They aren¡¯t hard to negate, in most cases, but some clothes makers are different and know what they¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°You learn to recognise the clothes of designers who cater primarily to adventurers.¡± Sophie said. ¡°And aristocrats who like wearing outfits from designers that cater to adventurers.¡±


    ¡°If your target is wearing an Alejandro Albericci suit in Rimaros, or a Gilbert Bertinelli suit in Greenstone,¡± Belinda said, ¡°it¡¯s time to bring the tool kit.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t you just go for an easier mark?¡± Gary asked.


    ¡°Or no mark at all?¡± Humphrey suggested.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Lindy, this new habit of yours is going to get you in trouble.¡±


    ¡°It already has,¡± Jason said as he arrived with the rest of the team, plus most of the yacht¡¯s occupants. Travis, Taika, Rufus and Farrah, plus Estella and Vidal Ladiv were all present, although Amos was not. Korinne, Carlos and Arabelle had also joined from their respective vehicles. The dining lounge occupied most of the yacht¡¯s largest deck with space enough to accommodate them all comfortably. There were enough plush seats and couches to go around, even without Jason reconfiguring the space to remove the dining and bar areas.


    ¡°What do you mean by saying it already has me in trouble?¡± Belinda asked Jason warily. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯re talking about having my lock picks smashed. Which he had to search me for, by the way.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t control your actions off this boat,¡± Jason told her. ¡°That¡¯s for the team leader to do.¡±


    ¡°Stop stealing things!¡± Humphrey added.


    ¡°But while you live on this boat,¡± Jason continued, ¡°there are rules. I don''t actively monitor you all to check if you''re breaking them, but Shade does.¡±


    ¡°No one told me about the rules,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°That¡¯s because he¡¯s making them up as he goes,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I prefer to describe it as actively learning about boundaries together,¡± Jason said. ¡°But yes, I¡¯m making them up as I go. And now we have our first rule: no one on this boat steals from anyone else on this boat.¡±


    ¡°It was more like a game,¡± Belinda argued.


    ¡°I have a lot of games, Lindy,¡± Jason said. ¡°They were left to me by a friend of mine. None of them involve involuntary and unknowing participation. Admittedly, some have roll-and-move mechanics, which is arguably worse.¡±


    ¡°Try and stay on topic,¡± Farrah suggested.


    ¡°Sorry, yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°So, Belinda, for violating the rules of the ship¨C¡±


    ¡°That I didn¡¯t know existed,¡± Belinda cut in.


    ¡°Lindy, don¡¯t steal is always a rule,¡± Clive said. ¡°I don¡¯t think you can plead ignorant on that one.¡±


    ¡°For violating the ship rules,¡± Jason continued, ¡°Your cabin will be set to winter climate settings for a week.¡±


    ¡°What are winter climate settings?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Full insulation,¡± Jason said. ¡°Drawing in as much heat as it can from outside and letting none of it out.¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°We¡¯re cruising down a tropical jungle river in summer.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re silver rank; you¡¯ll be fine,¡± Sophie told her. ¡°Have you already forgotten some of the places we lived? The places we hid out? Are you unwilling to put up with anything but luxury anymore?¡±


    ¡°Extremely unwilling!¡±


    ¡°Also, Belinda,¡± Jason added, ¡°your shower will only work for four minutes a day.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on.¡±


    ¡°And you can¡¯t access the ship¡¯s crystal wash supply.¡±


    ¡°Now you¡¯re just being vindictive.¡±


    ¡°And the furniture will all replicate plain wood.¡±


    Belinda¡¯s section of couch turned into an unpadded, straight-backed wooden bench. Sophie next to her was still on soft cloud material.


    ¡°What next?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Are you going to cut me off from food and make me eat spirit coins for a week?¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Jason said. ¡°I''m reserving certain options for repeat offenders.¡±


    ¡°You, Jason Asano, are a tyrant,¡± Belinda said as if she wasn¡¯t already planning to hoard food just in case.


    ¡°So Dominion keeps telling me,¡± Jason complained, shaking his head. ¡°I hate that guy.¡±


    Vidal, their Adventure Society liaison, narrowed his eyes and asked Jason a hesitant question.


    ¡°Do you talk with him enough that it comes up a lot?¡±


    ¡°No, but every time I see him or one of his priests they always smugly imply that he¡¯s happy with my progress on the path to iron-fisted autocrat.¡±


    ¡°Because you are,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°How about we shift the topic to our next destination,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Miss Warnock, what did you learn in the course of investigating the town?¡±


    ¡°That we should probably accelerate our progress and not bother with the towns and villages in this region.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They don¡¯t have a lot to offer us?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Estella confirmed. ¡°More importantly, we don¡¯t have a lot to offer them. From what I learned, they are all in more or less the same state, which is too many people and not enough resources. A lot of places that would normally see minimal damage during the monster surge were wiped out entirely. Between the length and the severity of the surge, many people returned to find entire towns that were levelled to the ground. They were forced to turn around and go back to the fortress towns they had just left, or to other towns that weren¡¯t as hard-hit. Add that to the refugees from Cartise who fled the city before its destruction and every place still standing is overflowing with people.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯ll need protection from monsters, though, right?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°One thing they aren¡¯t short of is adventurers,¡± Rufus said. He, Gary and Farrah had accompanied Estella in her forward scouting. ¡°Cartise had a lot of adventurers who are now protecting the fortress towns.¡±


    ¡°I think we all saw the same was true, even at Cartise,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The Adventure Society had supplied no shortage of adventurers, so while they were happy to use us, they weren¡¯t desperate for our services. I think they were more appreciative of Jason and Vidal¡¯s efforts, frankly.¡±


    While Jason was playing butcher and/or cook, Vidal had lent his administrative expertise to the logistical efforts of distributing food and resources through the region.


    ¡°Circumstances are similar throughout this region, based on everything I¡¯ve heard,¡± Estella said. ¡°What these places need is more of what Jason and Mr Ladiv were doing; people who can help with resources and logistics, not combat specialists.¡±


    ¡°We do have some of that, between us,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Maybe not enough to be worth the trouble, though. We¡¯d get in the way as much as help.¡±


    ¡°Stella is right,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The things we can do, those people don''t need. We should just hit the road and stay there until we find people who do need a boatload of adventurers.¡±


    ¡°It would be nice to get far enough from Rimaros that I don¡¯t have to be so careful,¡± Jason said. ¡°Even with what little I¡¯ve done here, it wouldn¡¯t take that much poking around to put the pieces together. The biggest advantage is that no one cares that much.¡±


    ¡°The people here just want things to get sorted out with as little extra trouble as possible,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I do have one cunning plan, should I get caught out and need to convince someone I¡¯m not me,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I may regret asking this,¡± Neil said, ¡°but¨C¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t ask,¡± Humphrey told him. ¡°Please don¡¯t ask.¡±


    ¡°Okay, now I have to ask,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°I hate this so much,¡± Humphrey grumbled, leaning forward and looking at the floor as he shook his head.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Neil said, ¡°what exactly is this cunning plan of yours?¡±


    ¡°I can just tell people I¡¯m my own evil twin.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Rufus asked, voicing a confusion that was reflected on the group¡¯s faces. Another Jason came in, this one with a moustache. He stood next to the original Jason, who took out a bushy fake moustache and affixed it to his top lip. Then both Jasons flung out their arms like they''d just finished a performance and were waiting for applause.


    ¡°I don¡¯t get it,¡± Carlos said. ¡°This is your shape-shifting familiar, is it not, Master Geller? Is your familiar meant to be evil?¡±


    ¡°He didn¡¯t mean literally an evil twin,¡± Travis said. ¡°It¡¯s a story trope from our world that probably should have been explained for context.¡±


    ¡°Oh, he did a Jason,¡± Clive said. ¡°I¡¯m with you now.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, ¡®a Jason,¡¯¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°A Jason,¡± Neil explained, ¡°is where someone says some nonsense with no expectation that anyone will understand it because the people they¡¯re talking to lack the cultural context to be able to. It¡¯s oratorial masturbation.¡±


    ¡°Masturbation is kind of my th¨C¡±


    Jason put a handlover Stash¡¯s mouth to muffle it, then handed him a biscuit. Stash turned into a moustachioed African swallow and flew out a window that turned to mist briefly as he passed through.


    ¡°Look what you did,¡± Jason scolded Neil. ¡°Stash is a pure and precious boy, and you¡¯ve tainted his mind with filth.¡±


    ¡°Lady Pescos,¡± Humphrey said quietly to Korinne, leaning closer to his fellow team leader. ¡°Is your team, by any chance, accepting applications to join?¡±


    ¡°Is this how your team operates?¡± Korinne asked him.


    ¡°Yeah, pretty much,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°I¡¯d call it a standard team meeting,¡± Clive agreed.


    ¡°How do you get anything done?¡± Korinne asked.


    ¡°Dashing heroics?¡± Jason suggested.


    ¡°How about we put aside Jason and any idea he¡¯s ever had for a moment,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°and return to our actual agenda of determining our next move. Miss Warnock, you¡¯ve pointed out what we should avoid, but do you have any suggestion for what we should do?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes,¡± Estella said. ¡°I talked with a few Adventure Society officials and it seems that while their resources are understandably being deployed to the regions worst affected by the monster surge, it¡¯s left a minor shortfall of adventurers in areas where the damage was less severe. These areas still need to deal with the monsters left from the surge, though, so the arrival of some temporary assistance would be very welcome.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re suggesting we skip over the areas in this region swiftly and head straight for lesser-affected ones?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s not out of our way,¡± Estella said. ¡°It just means going past a few towns instead of stopping.¡±


    ¡°They aren¡¯t great places to resupply anyway,¡± Rufus said. ¡°These towns won¡¯t have anything to spare unless we start bribing people, and then we¡¯re just hurting those who would have gotten what we take.¡±


    ¡°Not only does this plan avoid the chaotic and overpopulated messes that all the local towns are reported to be,¡± Estella said, ¡°but we¡¯ll find locations where your team will be a welcome arrival.¡±


    ¡°I like it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s plot out some new destinations and I¡¯ll give the to Shade.¡±


    ¡°Jason.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Humphrey?¡±


    ¡°Take off the fake moustache.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Belinda,¡± Humphrey said, catching her alone on the side deck outside her now-stifling cabin. He put up a privacy screen so no one would overhear. He joined her in leaning against the railing, looking out over the river. There was still plenty of other traffic, moving supplies between the hard-hit towns.


    ¡°Is this the part where you give me the serious talk about not stealing things?¡± Belinda asked wearily. ¡°Instead of Jason turning it into a comedy show?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°This is that part. He always gets to be the fun one.¡±


    ¡°I suppose you have a speech about how this is hurting me more than the team?¡±


    ¡°No, it¡¯s definitely going to hurt the team more,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I get that you¡¯re revelling in a freedom that you never thought you would have before becoming an adventurer. But when you and Sophie agreed to join us, that came with a caveat. Namely, that the consequences of your actions now fall on all of us, not just yourself.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think Sophie ever really wanted to be like me,¡± Belinda said. ¡°She always stood out. I mean, she always looked like she does, but she was far from the only beautiful girl on those streets. It was her attitude that drove creeps like Cole Silva and Lucian Lamprey to obsess over her. She¡¯s always had this¡­ nobility to her, even under all the crime and the violence. They wanted to tame her, like a prize animal. Crush that defiance out of her, to prove they could.¡±


    Humphrey bowed his head, saying nothing.


    ¡°I think she was always meant for someone like you,¡± Belinda continued. ¡°I have a hard time thinking of anyone else good enough to deserve her. Which you don¡¯t, by the way. You¡¯re just the best we could find.¡±


    Humphrey turned to look at Belinda with narrowed eyes.


    ¡°Lindy, are you¨C¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what I am,¡± she said, cutting him off. ¡°Things are the way they are.¡±


    Humphrey let out a sigh and they stood together, watching the water go by for a long time.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got more speech,¡± Belinda said finally. ¡°I know you do.¡±


    Humphrey nodded.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been stealing things, just to prove you could,¡± he said, Belinda flinching as her own words were used against her. ¡°If you keep doing things like this, it¡¯s going to hurt our reputations and get us all demoted. I won¡¯t let that happen. But even if I managed to remove you from the team, that would irrevocably break it. We both know that Sophie will leave with you instead of staying with me, even if she disagrees with what you¡¯ve been doing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that bad.¡±


    ¡°Not yet,¡± Humphrey said softly. ¡°But if you keep putting fissures in this team, they will widen until one day it breaks. Clive would go with Jason, to whatever his next descent into dimensional absurdity is. I would too. We might be able to rope in Rufus and Farrah. We¡¯d need to find a new healer. Neil has had his team break apart on him before, and I suspect that if it happens a second time, he¡¯ll give up on adventuring. A good silver-rank healer will have plenty of opportunities, especially with the Church of the Healer backing him.¡±


    ¡°Damn,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Stop talking about the team falling apart like it¡¯s a set deal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not worried about the team falling apart. I¡¯m worried about it breaking apart. I''m the team leader, Lindy. That means more than just failing to keep Jason on-topic in group discussions. It means that I have to look to the future; to the dangers that we can¡¯t fight off with swords and magic. Your behaviour threatens to become the most existential danger to our team. Maybe not now, but somewhere down the line.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re overstating it.¡±


    ¡°Am I? What happens when you play the wrong game at the wrong time on the wrong person? The team gets blowback at a time when we need to be discreet, or what passes for it on this team. What happens when we let what you¡¯re doing slide and the thrill isn¡¯t there anymore? Are you going to escalate? Bigger jobs, more challenging targets? You could get all our society memberships revoked.¡±


    ¡°They are never going to pull yours or Jason¡¯s memberships.¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s hand came down on the railing hard enough that it broke, turning into mist before reforming back into its original shape.


    ¡°Belinda, listen to yourself. You¡¯re talking about the Adventure Society refusing to revoke a third of the team¡¯s memberships. Is that what you want it to come to?¡±


    ¡°Hey, you brought all this up. And what about Jason? He¡¯s been doing insane stuff since forever.¡±


    ¡°Jason and I had discussions like this when we first met and neither of us knew how flimsy our principles were before the winds of practical reality. But since we formed this team, Jason has always kept the team in mind. Yes, he might have some wild ideas, but he¡¯s learned to pull back when we tell him he needs to. He trusts us for that, and that¡¯s all I¡¯m asking for here, Belinda. Trust us.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what you expect me to say,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Am I meant to break down and admit my mistakes in the face of your wisdom? That¡¯s not how it works.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I just need you to think about things. About your team and what you want your place in it to be. Maybe talk to Arabelle. She knows how to listen without having any personal stake in our team.¡±


    Belinda gave Humphrey a side glance before returning her eyes to the river.


    ¡°I¡¯ll think about it,¡± she said.

 Chapter 630: A Matter of What You Want

    The convoy left the river, passing by several towns on their way to the coast. From there they followed the coast roads for the most part, but they increasingly needed to find alternatives. Compared to the excellent road network maintained by the storm kingdom, these were not as wide or well-maintained as those to the north. Sometimes the hefty hover yacht needed to float over the rainforest canopy. Others they would ride along the beach, skim over a bay or take to the water, running under a shoreline of cliffs.


    Jason found the variety to be very welcome. Their progress was not fast, but for that, they could have simply flown. Jason enjoyed the days of travel as the team interspersed training with the simple joys of luxury travel. They spent large amounts of time on the roof deck for both, especially as they left the monsoon rains behind in their continuing journey south. Jungle and rainforest continued to dominate the terrain, but they escaped the worst of the oppressive humidity.


    Delays were made for day trips. If they spotted an interesting mountain, they would often pause to climb it. They explored town markets and misty gorges, with even the urbanite Belinda, sullen from her punishment, unable to keep from enjoying herself. Only Korinne managed to maintain a frown on the leisurely expeditions, muttering ¡®traitors¡¯ and ¡®mutiny.¡¯ The rest of her team were utterly won over by the relaxed approach of Team Biscuit.


    Towns and villages started welcoming their arrival. Less resource-starved, their main issue was keeping up with remnant surge monsters wandering out of the wilderness. The overworked local adventurers were grateful for the relief that two elite teams brought. After several welcome receptions, Jason and Humphrey were up on the roof deck, watching the latest town seem to shrink as the convoy pulled away.


    ¡°We¡¯re doing alright,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°but the extra monsters from the surge are starting to thin out. We¡¯re running into the reason most adventurers find their advancement slowing down after reaching silver. It¡¯s harder to find regular challenges, which makes other interests all the more enticing.¡±


    The teams led by Humphrey and Korinne were having no trouble with the monster packs they were encountering, both being elite groups. Only the most powerful of silver-rank monsters posed any real threat, so both groups had started using only parts of their rosters for individual encounters.


    ¡°You want to change things up?¡± Jason asked. He too felt the urge to push his abilities forward, and not just because Dawn had told him to. His advancement had been stagnant since long before his return from Earth, and the monster surge had only done so much to help. He¡¯d spent large portions of it in recovery.


    Jason was conflicted, however, as he was quite enjoying their current pace. Travelling around in luxury, helping people who very much needed it. It was the adventuring life Rufus had promised him all the way back in Greenstone, and it didn''t disappoint. Humphrey was fully aware of those feelings on Jason''s part, making him hesitant to suggest a change.


    ¡°I don¡¯t want to push you,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°But I think we both know what we need to do to find a greater challenge. I know you''ve been looking forward to this travelling for a long time, though, and I¡¯m not looking to get you caught up in larger messes all over again.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I¡¯m also past ready to push my powers to new heights. These contracts for silver rank monsters aren¡¯t enough. Only a few of them have posed any real challenge at all; not enough to go around if we want the team to grow stronger, let alone the other team. But we aren''t ready to go hunting gold-rank monsters, either. Not unless it''s a matchup in our favour, and the Adventure Society won''t let a group of silver rankers pick and choose gold-rank contracts.¡±


    They were both aware they could likely finagle special treatment by leveraging the Geller name and Jason¡¯s unusual status with the Adventure Society, but neither man suggested it. They both wanted to move away from politics and do some good, honest adventuring work.


    ¡°You know that even if we try and act like any other adventuring team, it probably won¡¯t work out that way,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It never does with you. Once we start taking contracts related to the messengers, this may well escalate.¡±


    ¡°If it does, it does,¡± Jason said. ¡°We were always going to have to go after the messengers, sooner or later. Sooner, really; I need to get something from them. Now that the surge is over, I have a job to do, and it¡¯s become more complicated now that I don¡¯t have the magic tools from the Builder and the World-Phoenix. I need the advanced astral magic from the messengers to finish building the bridge between worlds.¡±


    ¡°Clive will be happy,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m bringing it up now because there¡¯s something in Estella¡¯s latest report. She just got back this morning.¡±


    Estella was taking her job seriously. She spent a lot of time away from the convoy, roaming ahead to investigate their upcoming destinations. She spied potential threats, scouted potential opportunities and gave an overall assessment of the value of any given stop. Estella delivered an initial report to Humphrey and Korinne before making a broader presentation to the full teams.


    ¡°Messenger activity?¡±


    "Reports of," Humphrey said. "Maybe two days out of our way, at our current sedate pace. A little way inland, in a magic zone at the high silver level. Even discounting the messengers, we should get stronger silver-rank monsters there. The occasional gold, although I wouldn''t expect us to scoop those contracts up. The locals will get priority there.¡±


    ¡°What kinds of activity?¡±


    "Estella didn''t get much, since she was working with third-hand information. There''s a small holy army in the area, though. Goddess of Knowledge."


    ¡°Worth finding out more, at the very least,¡± Jason said. ¡°How about I notify the teams for Estella¡¯s briefing, and we can discuss taking the detour?¡±


    Shade was serving as cruise staff, including being the primary means of relaying information.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°Let¡¯s go hunt some messengers.¡±


    ***


    Following Estella''s presentation, Korinne''s team returned to their vehicle while Humphrey''s went off to pursue their own activities, elsewhere in the yacht. Korinne remained behind in the briefing room to talk with Humphrey.


    ¡°Do you object to a course that brings us into conflict with the messengers?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°No. Given the choice, I¡¯m confident that we would make the same one you have. My only issue is that we weren¡¯t given the choice. The thing I like the least in this arrangement is that our team lacks self-determination. We are stuck following you around.¡±


    "I understand," Humphrey told her. "But while I''m willing to hear you out on any issue, I won''t surrender any amount of authority to you and your team. You are, ultimately, passengers. Passengers we will accommodate as we can, but decline when we can''t."


    ¡°Or won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Or won¡¯t,¡± Humphrey conceded.


    ***


    Farrah found the white archway leading to Jason¡¯s soul space, on the yacht¡¯s bridge, beside the door connecting the bridge to Jason¡¯s cabin. She stepped through and felt Jason¡¯s aura wash over her. It did the same on the yacht, but here it didn¡¯t feel like an external force. It was more part of the fabric of the world around her, as inherent as the gravity holding her to the ground. The archway deposited her in an open square, amidst estate buildings centred on a towering pagoda.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been spending a lot of time in here lately,¡± she said, despite being alone.


    ¡°Just when I¡¯m doing my meditation training,¡± Jason said, suddenly standing next to her. ¡°When I¡¯m not doing specific exercises because of Amos, anyway. I¡¯m still coming to grips with this place and what I can do with it, and I¡¯m chasing something specific, at the moment.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    He gestured and she nodded, and they started walking. They left the square and entered the sprawling gardens of Jason¡¯s soul space.


    ¡°I¡¯ve barely touched on what the astral throne and the astral gate are capable of,¡± he told her. ¡°I need more power before I can truly tap into them, especially the astral gate.¡±


    ¡°Didn¡¯t Dawn tell you to leave the astral gate alone for now?¡±


    ¡°And I have been. Mostly. I¡¯m concentrating on the astral throne, for the moment. I¡¯ve come to realise that I¡¯m going to need time as much as I need power. There is so much to learn about the nature of these items and what I can do with them.¡±


    "Do they affect anything outside of this soul space?"


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°My spirit domains, being the regions on earth and anything I make with the cloud yacht, are directly affected by not just my power here, but also my understanding. The domains on Earth I manipulated subconsciously. I was able to actively change things, but that was all surface-level alterations.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure what you mean.¡±


    ¡°It means I could change a house, not the laws of thermodynamics.¡±


    ¡°Is that an option?¡±


    ¡°I think so. Eventually. When I meditate here, it¡¯s like this whole place is meditating, because it is.¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s you.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. But this place is its own physical reality. Kind of. When I meditate here, my senses expand in a way that reflects that.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡±


    ¡°That I¡¯m starting to understand physical reality on an intrinsic level. It¡¯s something I only recognised because of all the time I spent in the space opened by the Builder¡¯s door. It was an introduction to how the building blocks of reality work, and I can feel that, sometimes, when I¡¯m meditating here. I don¡¯t know if that¡¯s because I used the authority that used to be in the door, and affected this place, but the astral throne is definitely part of it. It¡¯s designed to govern physical reality, after all, compared to the astral gate which governs dimensional forces.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a wild surprise that you can sense the space you accessed with the Builder¡¯s door, is it?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°You obtained the astral throne when the door broke down, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah.¡±


    ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll be able to access that underlying physical realm again at some point?¡± she asked.


    "Not out in the world, no. I can glimpse it, but it''s not mine to change anymore. I can feel that. What I¡¯m looking for now is a more conscious ability to change things on that level here. Right now, I have control, but lack understanding. If you think of this place like a car, I know how to drive a car. I need to learn how to build one.¡±


    ¡°And how are the results so far?¡±


    ¡°Preliminary. Not enough to make me confident of successfully helping Carlos or Sophie¡¯s mother. I¡¯d say the biggest change is in my ability to control constructs from the cloud flask. They respond to me by design, and that control has become immensely more refined. I deepened the soul bond with my cloud flask, infused it with authority and turned the material it produces into extensions of my spirit domains. The flask has undergone a fundamental change, in more ways than is readily apparent.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    "Let me change the subject for a moment before I come back to it," Jason said. "While I have been focusing on the astral throne, the astral gate has brought some surprises of its own."


    ¡°I thought you weren¡¯t meant to be messing with that yet. Dawn told you to leave it alone.¡±


    ¡°Dawn¡¯s guidance is valuable, but she¡¯s not an astral king. There are some roads she can¡¯t guide me down, but it doesn¡¯t mean I shouldn¡¯t walk them. That being said, I haven¡¯t been fiddling around with the astral gate. It¡¯s just that its power has allowed me to notice something. Bonds.¡±


    ¡°Bonds?¡±


    ¡°Magical bonds. I can feel the bonds between myself and my bonded items now. I feel the bonds spanning off into the astral that connect me to my spirit domains on Earth, even if I¡¯m too weak to feel the other end. But these are deliberate bonds. They¡¯re strong, firm and don¡¯t disconnect. I¡¯ve noticed other bonds as well, that I suspect have formed incidentally.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°Such as between you and me. Farrah, you and I formed a special bond.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care how powerful you are here,¡± Farrah told him. ¡°I¡¯m not going to sleep with you.¡±


    ¡°What? No. I wasn¡¯t talking about that. I¡¯d sleep with Humphrey before you.¡±


    ¡°It did always seem like there was something there,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Jason asked. ¡°He¡¯s the upright, uptown boy, and I¡¯m the sassy girl who restores classic cars. He gets talked into borrowing a car from his dad¡¯s collection without asking by one of his gadabout friends and gets in a fender-bender. I agree to fix it without his dad finding out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve put a lot of thought into this.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s the title of this little story you¡¯ve got going on?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t have a title. This isn¡¯t something I think about.¡±


    Farrah gave him a flat look.


    ¡°Humphrey¡¯s Big Engine,¡± he mumbled sheepishly.


    Farrah burst out laughing and Jason joined her. The path they were on led into a cave, running alongside an underground river. Their way was lit by luminescent fungus and flowers, growing out of crevices or on creeper vines.


    ¡°I think the bond between us is a remnant of when you came back to life,¡± he explained. ¡°The Reaper somehow bound your soul to mine, but I don¡¯t think the bond was intended to last, like string around a delivery package. When our souls entered Earth that bond broke, by design. It¡¯s why we didn¡¯t arrive in the same place. But the remnants of that bond are there, even now, but the connection is intermittent. Now that I can sense it, I feel it link us, sometimes, and fall away at others.¡±


    ¡°What does this bond do?¡±


    ¡°Not a lot, from what I can tell. I¡¯ve been using the astral gate¡¯s power to examine it, but I¡¯m even less well-versed with that than the astral throne. All I¡¯ve managed to figure out thus far is that I can use the bond to treat you, in terms of my abilities, in a similar way to my familiars.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying I¡¯m your familiar?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°But it means I can treat you like one in certain respects, while the bond is active. Things like having you use my portals without consuming extra energy beyond what it takes for me to go through. I think it¡¯s been going on ever since Earth, but I¡¯ve only just realised it was happening, and why. As for what else the bond can do, that¡¯s something we¡¯d have to explore. I think that potentially, we could use it for effectively infinite range with my group chat ability. The only limits would be dimensional barriers, although the results would vary by circumstance, I suspect. The same way that Shade can sometimes connect to his other bodies through an astral space boundary and sometimes not, depending on the specific nature of the astral space.¡±


    They paused in an underground grotto, sitting on a bench that overlooked an underground pond.


    ¡°You can manipulate this bond?¡±


    ¡°I think that I can restore the bond to full strength,¡± Jason said. ¡°Make it permanent. I can also eliminate it entirely. It¡¯s a matter of what you want.¡±


    Farrah nodded absently.


    ¡°You know why I¡¯m here,¡± she said.


    ¡°If we¡¯re going after messengers, it means that I¡¯m getting down to business,¡± he said. ¡°Which means it¡¯s time for you and Travis to head back to Rimaros and get to your own business.¡±


    ¡°I worry about you, Jason. We¡¯ve been constant companions ever since you finished your walkathon on Earth.¡±


    ¡°Walkabout.¡±


    ¡°Whatever. Are you going to be alright without me?¡±


    He let out a chuckle.


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t have gotten this far without you. Not even close. It¡¯s why they sent you to me, and if nothing else, I¡¯ll always be grateful to the Reaper and The World-Phoenix for that. But I think I¡¯ll be okay. It¡¯s not just us against the world anymore, and it¡¯s past time we stopped acting like it is.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m fine,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re the wobbly one. We¡¯re here in your magic god realm and you¡¯re still anxious.¡±


    ¡°I am not anxious.¡±


    "Of course you''re not."


    ¡°I¡¯m not!¡±


    ¡°Uh-huh.¡±

 Chapter 631: Where We End

    Farrah and Jason emerged from his soul space, through the archway located on the bridge.


    ¡°I can kind of feel the bond, if I go looking for it,¡± Farrah said. ¡°It¡¯s way more subtle than my power bond ability, though. To be honest, I was expecting more.¡±


    ¡°I know that story,¡± Travis said from the doorway to the bridge. ¡°Women tell me that all the time.¡±


    ¡°Oh, bloke¡­¡± Jason commiserated. ¡°You need to work on that self-confidence.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s never been something that worked for me,¡± Travis said. ¡°You may recall the pistol I was trying to use when we met was called the compensator. That¡¯s what it was compensating for: a lack of self-confidence. Not, you know¡­ the other thing.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t worry about it,¡± Farrah told him, jabbing a thumb at Jason. ¡°Everyone has their mindset problems. My primary job of the last few years was making sure this guy didn¡¯t murder everyone ¨C or refuse to murder anyone ¨C because he was a sad boy.¡±


    ¡°Hey¡­¡± Jason whined.


    ¡°I was looking for you, Jason,¡± Travis said, giving Farrah an odd look. ¡°Since you intend to start seriously going after messengers, I have something I''ve been working on to give you.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Alright, come into my cabin.¡±


    They moved into Jason''s cabin, the cloud furniture reconfiguring as they entered. The cloud material flowed and reshaped itself, eliminating the bed and pushing back the lounge area in favour of a round table and chairs.


    ¡°Iced tea?¡± Jason offered and the others nodded. Jason took out a tray and three glasses from a cabinet, then a pitcher from a refrigerator that emerged from the wall.


    ¡°What do you have?¡± Jason asked as he sat the tray down and waved the others to seats.


    ¡°Well,¡± Travis said, ¡°I know that when you portal us back to Rimaros, you¡¯ll be picking up the designs and materials from House de Varco to spice up the vehicle forms your cloud flask can produce.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the idea,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not sure how much they¡¯ll bring to the table, but it can¡¯t hurt.¡±


    ¡°I was thinking about supplementing those designs,¡± Travis said. ¡°As you know, my specialty is magitech guns. I can work with any kind of gun or large ordnance, but great big guns are my sweet spot.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about putting some guns on my yacht?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I know your cloud house can use magic to replicate complex technology like live televisions screens,¡± Travis said. ¡°I also know that you have internal defence systems, but thought that you could benefit from something more externally-focused. Didn¡¯t you wonder why I was asking all those questions about how your cloud flask worked?¡±


    ¡°You mean the 0.003% of questions that Clive asked? After him, a Magic Society interrogator would just seem naturally curious.¡±


    ¡°The Magic Society has interrogators?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The interrogators are specialists that are part of the Magic Society, but there are rules against the Magic Society using them. They work for the Adventure Society and civilian authorities, not the Magic Society itself.¡±


    ¡°Liara was using them to try and make the Order of Redeeming Light prisoners talk,¡± Jason said. ¡°Having their souls coated in vampire gunk repurposed for hardcore zealotry made them tough nuts to crack, though.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I''m not really interested in the whole brainwashed fanatic stuff,¡± Travis said. ¡°I''ll stick to giant guns and trying to invent the magic phone, thank you very much.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to do that?¡± Jason asked. ¡°This world already has a few different forms of distance communication, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Farrah said. ¡°There¡¯s the water link system, but that¡¯s complicated, expensive and requires access to a body of water connected to all the others. Inland lakes that don¡¯t feed into an ocean or river anywhere can¡¯t support a water link station, for example. Then there¡¯s the record systems that the Adventure Society and Magic Society use to keep their records updated across branches. That system is too slow for real-time communication, though.¡±


    ¡°It also can¡¯t transmit enough information,¡± Travis said. ¡°I looked into it and while it is used for communication, it¡¯s like an inefficient telegram system. It¡¯s to the point that most communication that isn¡¯t regular record updates are shared through the water link.¡±


    ¡°Our plan,¡± Farrah said, ¡°is to leverage the bones of that magic and enhance it using Travis¡¯ understanding of magitech. We¡¯re taking inspiration from the Earth¡¯s magical detection grid to set up relays to extend the range.¡±


    ¡°Magical cell towers,¡± Travis said. ¡°Maybe even satellites.¡±


    Travis took on an expression Jason knew and feared from Clive.


    ¡°Did you know that each of this world¡¯s moons has very different magic levels?¡± Travis asked enthusiastically.


    ¡°I vaguely recall,¡± Jason said. ¡°The magic one is called the Mystic Moon, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Travis said. ¡°I¡¯ve been looking into it ever since I started thinking about satellites. It turns out to have a weird regulatory effect on the tides.¡±


    ¡°You know, I keep wondering about that,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I know, right?¡± Travis said. ¡°The tides here are a bit more complex than on earth, but nowhere near the level they should be with two moons¡­¡±


    Once Jason and Travis started enthusiastically discussing tidal forces, Farrah went to the drinks cabinet and found something to spice up her iced tea. Jason watched her topping up her glass from a liquor bottle and mixing it in with a stirring rod.


    ¡°You don¡¯t think it¡¯s a little early?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Hey, I¡¯m not the one going off to fight evil,¡± she told him, completely unrepentant. ¡°If you don¡¯t want to see day drinking, maybe don¡¯t make your headquarters a pleasure yacht?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a fair point, I guess,¡± Jason said as Farrah experimentally sipped at her drink and immediately poured in more booze.


    ***


    Farrah and Travis made their farewells on the roof deck.


    ¡°It looks like you¡¯ve found a place for yourself here, bro,¡± Taika told Travis as he enveloped him in a huge hug.


    ¡°There¡¯s not a lot waiting for me back on earth,¡± Travis said. ¡°My family were never entirely reconciled with the choices I made and what that meant for them. I think that maybe it¡¯s better for all of us if I¡¯m just gone.¡±


    ¡°If that¡¯s what you feel is best. But Earth is still home for me.¡±


    ¡°I hope you get back. Mate.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t use New Zealand slang. It always sounds wrong in an American accent.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that Australian slang?¡±


    ¡°Do you want a smack, bro?¡±


    After the more general goodbyes, Farrah, Gary and Rufus gathered together at one end of the deck.


    ¡°So, this is where we end,¡± Rufus said, looking and sounding uncertain. ¡°We came together in a town overrun by zombies, fire lighting up the dark, the air filled with ash and smoke. Now we¡¯ve come to the end, on a magic land-boat on a sunny day.¡±


    ¡°Better that than steel and blood,¡± Gary said soberly. Their minds all drifted back to Farrah¡¯s death in an astral space, Rufus and Gary helpless to stop it.


    ¡°This way,¡± Gary continued, his voice growing more cheerful, ¡°we can still get together and tell stories, have a few drinks. And a few more. Now I find myself wondering why I ever thought I needed adventuring to be able to do that. All it added was the need to kill things and the chance to die.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s the travel,¡± Farrah said. ¡°You can do that without adventuring, sure, but I don¡¯t think I ever would have seen another world without it. The price was high, but here we are, more-or-less intact.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a long way from what we expected when Emir asked us to go to Greenstone,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure any of us expected to be on the paths we¡¯re taking from here.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Farrah said. ¡°Gary was always going to be a craftsman, and I¡¯ve always wanted to do some real magic study in between blowing things up. The only real surprise is you, Roo.¡±


    ¡°You know I don¡¯t like it when you call me that,¡± Rufus said. ¡°And what do you mean, that I¡¯m the surprise?¡±


    ¡°We never imagined you running a training centre for adventurers,¡± she said, Gary nodding in agreement.


    ¡°Why would that surprise you?¡± Rufus asked. ¡°My family runs a¡­ oh gods dammit.¡±


    Farrah and Gary both took shot glasses from their dimensional pouches and down the contents at a gulp.


    ¡°Are you ever going to let that go?¡± Rufus complained.


    ¡°I¡¯d say not until the day I died,¡± Farrah said, ¡°but even that didn¡¯t stop me.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Gary said. ¡°A couple of centuries from now, when you¡¯re dead from old age and your memorial plaque reads ¡®his family runs a school,¡¯ we¡¯ll be there, having a drink.¡±


    ¡°Why am I the first one to die of old age?¡±


    ¡°We just have healthier diets,¡± Gary said.


    ¡°You''re constantly eating your body weight in anything warm and dead,¡± Rufus complained. ¡°Your idea of salad dressing is anything not worse than mildly poisonous.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Gary said. ¡°I¡¯m robust.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t argue that¡¯s not the case,¡± Farrah said to Rufus, who shook his head.


    ***


    Rimaros in general had excellent defences, along with tracking systems for any teleportation or similar means of travel. This was even more true on the island of Livaros, and the Adventure Society campus itself had defences second only to the royal sky island. They were not as obvious, but no less formidable.


    One of the most magically sophisticated arrays in Rimaros was a room deep in the Adventure Society campus. Setting up a place where all the defences and detection of dimensional travel did not take effect was more complex than the defences themselves. The room was also one of the most secure in the Storm Kingdom, with layers of physical and magical defences. Various fail-safes could be enacted in emergencies, from collapsing the room to exposing it to all the defences and tracking it otherwise avoided.


    Just portalling into the room was tricky, requiring both magical devices and specific rituals. Jason had been supplied with both, allowing his portal arch to appear in the room. The arrival room was an empty cube, with neither doors nor windows, only flat, unbroken surfaces. After stepping out of the arch, Jason recognised the dark metal the room was built from. It secured various underground portions of the Adventure Society campus against intrusion by magic perception. As with the first time he encountered the enclosed feeling, he was tempted to push out with his senses and test how strong the sense suppression was, but he suspected the consequences would not be worth sating his curiosity.


    The cube room was entirely blank, with not even any lighting. That didn''t bother Jason or Farrah, who followed him out and had her eyes start glowing like embers. Travis pulled out a glow stone and tossed it into the air, but instead of floating and lighting up, it fell to the floor like a normal pebble.


    Curious, Jason pushed not his aura senses but his magic senses, paying more attention to the suppressive effects permeating the room. It occurred to him that he should ask Amos about training them as well, as their strength was fine but their active uses were far less developed than his aura senses.


    Jason used his aura as a platform to reach out to the inert glow stone. He suspected that it was not a normal expression of aura projection, as it felt rather like using his aura to produce physical force. Adapting the method he used to disable suppression collars, he pushed back against the suppressive effect of the stone and it lit up, floating into the air.


    The moment it did, openings appeared in the walls. Portions of the hard metal turned to liquid and flowed through the gaps left as it did. This left doorways through which a small army of silver rankers poured through to surround the trio, led by a gold ranker. Each was dressed in practical black, with the crossed sword and rod emblem of the Adventure Society stitched in gold. Jason held up his hands.


    ¡°We surrender?¡± he said casually, just before Liara marched in.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t poke at the society¡¯s defences for fun, Mr Asano,¡± she told him wearily.


    ¡°Hey, I was trying to fix a busted glow stone,¡± Jason said. ¡°If the Adventure Society is that afraid of a little light illuminating the darkness, you might want to consider what that says about it, as a metaphor.¡±


    ¡°And I wanted to check if I missed your presence at all,¡± Liara said. ¡°Unsurprisingly, the answer is a resounding no.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful,¡± Jason said.


    Liara sighed, then made a sharp command gesture. The guards wordlessly started filtering out of the room.


    ¡°Come along then, Mr Asano,¡± she said primly. ¡°Let¡¯s get this done so you can be back on your way.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s the family?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Liara said curtly.


    ¡°So stern,¡± Jason said. ¡°Trying to keep things professional in front of your work friends?¡±


    Liara looked around as the guards finished filtering out and all the doors but one were resealed. Her mouth crinkled unhappily.


    ¡°Baseph and the children asked me to say hello,¡± she said, like a prisoner in a hostage video. Jason let out a laugh.

 Chapter 632: People That You Didn’t Aggravate

    A sprawling, multi-level, subterranean complex extended beneath the entirety of the Adventure Society campus. Large portions of which were restricted, with potent protections, including the ones through which Liara led Jason, Farrah and Travis.


    ¡°There are two things on your agenda before you go,¡± Liara told Jason. ¡°One is collecting your winnings from the duels, along with the additional materials from Mr Noble¡¯s list.¡±


    Liara continued to keep one of Shade''s bodies hidden within her shadow, which allowed her to communicate with Jason. He had used this link to send her a list of materials he wanted procured, mostly related to Travis'' weapon designs for the cloud flask.


    "I appreciate you putting in the effort to collect these things since I can''t go out on a shopping trip,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°What makes you think I did this personally?¡± she asked, then looked suspiciously at her shadow.


    ¡°Shade doesn¡¯t tell me what my allies are up to while he¡¯s in their shadows,¡± Jason told her. ¡°Not on my boat, not in my house and not out and about.¡±


    ¡°It was one of the earliest rules Mr Asano established,¡± Shade said. ¡°He said he wanted to be more ethical.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I said more than that,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°That was the part I felt worthy of admiration,¡± Shade clarified.


    ¡°What was the rest of it?¡± Jason wondered aloud. ¡°Shade, do you remember?¡±


    ¡°My memory is sometimes disadvantageously thorough in cataloguing my experiences.¡±


    ¡°What was the rest of what I said?¡±


    ¡°I believe that the selectiveness with what I chose to include and omit will present you in a better light than the unabridged version, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Not being in the best light is kind of my thing,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°It involved the goddess of Knowledge, a respect for privacy, a tub of Togetherness Jelly and a sack of raisins,¡± Shade said. ¡°On a personal level, I would prefer not to expound on the details.¡±


    ¡°Fine, Jason acceded. ¡°But you know that excessive and outlandish descriptions of things is part of my charm.¡±


    ¡°You have charm?¡± Farrah asked.


    "Are you kidding?" Travis asked. "Back on Earth, he''s a sex symbol."


    Jason and Farrah both stopped dead. They turned to look at Travis, brought up short by their stopping.


    ¡°What?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°A sex symbol?¡± Jason asked sceptically.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Him?¡± Farrah asked, prompting Jason to turn to her.


    ¡°You know, I¡¯ve got the incredulity covered,¡± he told her.


    ¡°No, this much incredulity is a two-person job.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a little hurtful. People are attracted to power.¡±


    ¡°I shoot lava!¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a sex symbol too,¡± Travis said. ¡°Not as big as Jason, but that¡¯s just an exposure thing. You¡¯re frequently paired together, especially if you do an image search with the safe search off¨C¡±


    ¡°NOPE,¡± Jason boomed, cutting him off.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s him more than me?¡± Farrah asked.


    ¡°It depends on the specifics,¡± Travis said. ¡°I know his body pillows sell a lot more.¡±


    "Body pillows?" Jason asked. "You seem suspiciously well-informed on this topic."


    ¡°If you don¡¯t mind,¡± Liara cut in, ¡°we¡¯re on a schedule.¡±


    ¡°We are?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I told you that there were two things on the agenda,¡± Liara told him. ¡°One is the materials provided by us and House de Varco. The other is a scheduled water-link call.¡±


    ¡°With whom?¡± Jason asked.


    ***


    Despite her exhortations for the group to keep moving, Liara led them to collect materials before the scheduled remote meeting. She guided them to a secure storage centre on the first basement level, just underground. They saw no one along the way, which was not strange in the lower levels, based on Jason''s previous visits. Once they reached the first basement level, the absence of people was more notable, and the lack of sense suppression allowed Jason to detect others in a wide area. Based on the pattern of people, he was certain that Liara had their path cleared for them.


    Liara, walking beside Jason, gave him an assessing look.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Your senses. You¡¯re projecting them very cleanly.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been working on it, but it¡¯s still early days. It¡¯ll be years before I¡¯m even approaching a silver-rank version of Lord Pensinata.¡±


    ¡°You realise that most people would find the idea of anyone comparing themselves to Amos Pensinata¡¯s aura abilities quite laughable.¡±


    ¡°If I worried about what people thought was and wasn¡¯t possible, my world would have been annihilated. Next to that, what is some aura training?¡±


    Liara¡¯s thoughts drifted to her husband being trapped in an underwater complex with gold-rank enemies pounding on the door. If Jason hadn¡¯t found a way to portal from a place where portalling wasn¡¯t possible, she would be a widow.


    ¡°Thank you, Jason,¡± she said quietly.


    ¡°No worries,¡± he said with a smile. He didn¡¯t need to ask what her thanks were for.


    As they approached their destination, Jason sensed a presence he recognised and stopped.


    ¡°Hector de Varco?¡± he asked Liara.


    "You were warned that any family with enough power and influence would find out what you were really doing if they looked hard enough. Did you think the de Varco family wouldn''t be looking at you hard after what happened?"


    ¡°I suppose not,¡± Jason said.


    They entered the basement warehouse where crates, sacks and barrels were piled up. There were two people present; Hector de Varco and a gold-rank woman. She had the look shared by many gold rankers of seeming around thirty at a glance, but with an uncanny agelessness, especially in the eyes. She wore practical adventuring leathers, with a sword on her hip. She reminded Jason of Sophie with her tied back hair and sense of readiness to spring into lethal action.


    The woman moved to meet the group while Hector remained where he was, looking slightly cowed. Jason could sense Hector¡¯s wariness of him and the woman.


    ¡°So, this is Jason Asano,¡± the woman said.


    ¡°And this is some random lady,¡± Jason shot back. ¡°We meet at last.¡±


    ¡°Do you think that your childish antics impress anyone?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°No, they¡¯re just for fun,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t much care what random people think about me.¡±


    ¡°You are not here to vent your frustration, Lady Astasia,¡± Liara said. ¡°You are here to fulfil a wager.¡±


    ¡°There is something that needs to be settled first,¡± Astasia said. ¡°This boy may have won his duel, but by the means of necromancers and soul-warpers. Who knows what foul tricks he knows and where he learned them?¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Liara said. ¡°That should be sufficient to lay any concerns you have, if not to rest, then into a discrete silence.¡±


    ¡°We never saw what he can do outside of his illicit powers,¡± Astasia said. ¡°What assurance do I have of his true strength? If he gets bested by some worthless fool, what does that say of my son, who lost to him? That is the perception, even if the duel was hardly legitimate.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t seek out you or your family,¡± Jason said. ¡°Your son came looking for trouble, so you have no grounds to blame me for his ability to find it.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to handle the fight the way you did,¡± Astasia said.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°But your son came to me because he had a point to make. It turns out that I had a point to make as well. I made mine better.¡±


    Jason and Astasia¡¯s auras clashed as they started at one another.


    ¡°I will test you,¡± Astasia said, her hand drifting to the sword at her hip. ¡°We shall see if you should be left free to roam about with the potential to harm my son¡¯s reputation.¡±


    Jason knew, that for all his aura strength, he was only equal to the trashiest of gold rankers. He still fell short of true elites, which he immediately understood as he felt Liara''s aura unleashed in full force for the first time. Cold and sharp, it made the conflict between his and Astasia''s orders look like the squabbling of children.


    "Lady Astasia," Liara said, her voice carrying the same knife-edge warning as her aura. "This is not your house. This is the Storm Kingdom and this is the Adventure Society, which means that it is my house. You were allowed to come here as a courtesy, and my courtesy is now exhausted. You will give Mr Asano what you owe him and Mr Asano will keep his mouth shut and not provoke you or your family any further. Isn''t that right, Mr Asano?"


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    Astasia looked at Liara for a long time before finally speaking.


    ¡°People were starting to talk about you going soft, Liara.¡±


    Liara walked up to Astasia until they were face to face, almost touching.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯m soft, Asta?¡± Liara said, her voice barely a whisper.


    ¡°No.¡±


    "Then leave what you brought and leave this room. And say hello to Gregor for me."


    Astasia snorted a surprised laugh.


    "We should have dinner sometime, Liara. It¡¯s been too long."


    "Call my assistant, Rodney. He''ll set something up."


    Astasia stepped back, turned and nodded at Hector. He moved forward and handed Jason a dimension bag. Jason held out his hand for the other man to take. Hector looked at Jason¡¯s hand for a long moment before hesitantly shaking it.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t lose,¡± Jason told him. ¡°You were caught up in something bigger than yourself and got hammered. It happens to us all.¡±


    Hector gave Jason a little nod before backing off without saying anything and he followed his mother out.


    ¡°Well, that was fun,¡± Jason said when they were gone. ¡°I assume you knew that she would react like that.¡±


    ¡°Astasia was the driving force behind House de Varco¡¯s contributions to resource distribution during the monster surge, which were not small. She¡¯s a good person who genuinely did her part during the surge, and pushed her house into doing so as well. But she¡¯s very protective of her children, and you spiked one of them in the soul.¡±


    ¡°So you let her in here to vent?¡± Jason asked, then shook his head. ¡°No, maybe a little, but that¡¯s not enough. You let her in here so that you could stop her when she did vent on me.¡±


    ¡°My reputation needs some rehabilitation,¡± Liara said. ¡°The family wants me taking on some of Vesper¡¯s old responsibilities, which means more of a public face.¡±


    "And people think you''ve gone soft since your necromancer hunting days. You do seem to have changed a mind, there. She''s looking to get on your good side before everyone else realises that it''s a good place to be."


    ¡°People think that some silver ranker that I was meant to be in charge of made me look like a buffoon in front of the king and His Ancestral Majesty. Your behaviour in the royal viewing box reflected very poorly on me.¡±


    "Yeah, I blew it there," Jason said morosely. "Getting involved in Rimaros politics meant so much to me, as well. The effort I put in to insert myself into the affairs of the royal family, all wasted. What was I thinking? It was me who wanted to get involved in¨C"


    ¡°Fine,¡± Liara said. ¡°Your point is taken. You should collect all this before your scheduled call.¡±


    ¡°This is all for me?¡± Jason said, looking around at the crates and sacks and barrels. ¡°Then what¡¯s in this dimensional bag?¡±


    He rummaged through and pulled out some orbs, handing one each to Farrah and Travis.


    ¡°This is interesting,¡± Travis said, pulling out a device to examine the orb with.


    ¡°Is that a tricorder?¡± Jason asked him.


    ¡°No,¡± Travis said unconvincingly, before changing the subject. ¡°This orb is some kind of design matrix. The biggest challenge when I designed the guns for your cloud flask was making sure that it would be able to infer the designs from the materials fed into it. These things allow for significantly more sophisticated outcomes, which I guess you need. Reworking the whole boat is more complex than running out the cannons.¡±


    "You should talk to House de Varco if you''re interested," Farrah said. "Maybe they''ll be willing to trade some secrets. I¡¯ll bet you they¡¯ll climb over themselves to learn some magitech tricks.¡±


    ¡°Sounds like you two will be having fun here in Rimaros,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I think the biggest challenge,¡± Farrah told him, ¡°will be getting anyone to work with us. We some to need find people that you didn¡¯t aggravate.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Jason asked. ¡°People love me.¡±


    ¡°Can we please just go?¡± Liara asked.


    ¡°Liara,¡± Jason said. ¡°People love me right?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Liara said, ¡°I¡¯ve comprehensively studied your activities and you¡¯ve done a lot of impressive things for many, many people. Yet, all the evidence points to everyone wanting to kill you, have you killed, kidnap you, ostracise you, hand you over to Builder to get your soul taken over¡­¡±


    "You could have just said no," Jason said sullenly, then raised his hand, palm up. Blood seeped out of his skin, coagulating into the form of a leech with terrifying rings of lamprey teeth.


    ¡°You love me, don¡¯t you Colin?¡±


    The leech unleashed a hideous screech that sounded like a clothes hanger shoved into an overcharged garbage disposal.


    ¡°That means yes,¡± Jason said.


    ***


    While the Magic Society operated the water-link infrastructure and the majority of the water-link chambers, major families all had chambers of their own. The Adventure Society likewise maintained several chambers with additional security measures to prevent eavesdropping. The Magic Society regularly assured the Adventure Society that they had no way to tap into those calls.


    Jason entered one of the Adventure Society¡¯s chambers, which was a large tiled booth. The floor was divided in half, with one side having a dry floor and the other a pool of water. The dry side had a low, round platform onto which Jason stepped. He waited for around a minute until the water in the pool started floating up, taking on a human shape. Once it had, the water started filling with colour, like ink had been spilled into it. The colours swirled and became more complex until Jason was standing in front of a water clone of Emir Bahadir.


    ¡°Jason,¡± the clone said with a grin. ¡°I hear you¡¯ve been renovating that cloud flask I gave you."

 Chapter 633: Not You

    ¡°That¡¯s the first thing you ask about?¡± Jason said. ¡°My cloud flask? After I go off into your astral space and die?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re going to talk to me about causing trouble?¡± Emir asked. ¡°There are about a hundred outworlders who arrived in the wake of you coming back, and you''ve just left them on the other side of the world while you''re playing with your great astral being friends. Since you keep not showing up, who do you think people bother about it? Anyone in the area who knows you, that¡¯s who. Vitesse isn¡¯t even that close.¡±


    ¡°The great astral beings are not my friends. They¡¯re¡­ business acquaintances.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been hearing something about a diamond-ranker you¡¯ve been running around with. Doesn¡¯t she work for one of them?¡±


    ¡°You mean Soramir? No, he doesn¡¯t work for them.¡±


    ¡°You know full well I do not mean Soramir. You remember that Arabelle is one of my closest friends in the world, right?¡±


    ¡°I also know that Callum is one of your closest friends, and that guy has been all sorts of trouble. And Arabelle has strict rules about confidentiality, so don¡¯t try to goad me into spilling the beans that way.¡±


    ¡°There are beans to spill, then?¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°What are you reaching out for?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Something that is better discussed in person,¡± Emir said. ¡°There¡¯s a few too many ears on these water-link chambers, whatever they tell you. There¡¯s a city called Isart that you should arrive at on your procession south.¡±


    ¡°Yes, although we¡¯re about to detour, so we won¡¯t be racing down there.¡±


    ¡°Detour?¡±


    ¡°Messenger activity,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯re going to take a look at what we¡¯re up against.¡±


    ¡°Just be careful. I¡¯ll meet you in Isart when you¡¯re done and we can talk about a job.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have a job for you,¡± Jason told Emir. ¡°Still, I¡¯ll keep your application on file and if anything comes up¡­¡±


    ¡°I see that going up a couple of ranks hasn¡¯t managed to instil a reverence for higher-rankers. I imagine that was inevitable, given the stories floating around about you.¡±


    Emir smiled, but there was a grimness to his eyes.


    ¡°Do me a favour and don¡¯t take too long to get to Isart,¡± he told Jason.


    ¡°Oh bloody hell,¡± Jason complained. ¡°I¡¯m getting that fate-of-the-world feeling again. Does it really have to be me?¡±


    ¡°Nothing that drastic,¡± Emir said. ¡°But there¡¯s something out there that will cause a major shift in some of the foundational elements of society. We need to find it before someone who shouldn¡¯t does, and they¡¯re already ahead of us in the search.¡±


    ¡°Emir, that sounds exactly like what I¡¯m trying to avoid. I just want some good, honest adventuring.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s exactly what this is. It¡¯s not about you, Jason. It¡¯s a good old-fashioned race to the magical treasure. You and your team just happen to be the best people for the job.¡±


    Jason perked up.


    ¡°Okay, now I¡¯m more interested.¡±


    ¡°Then meet me in Isart. I¡¯ll be arriving there in about two weeks. Also, I¡¯ll have the person who made our cloud flasks with me. She¡¯s very interested in what we¡¯ve been hearing about what you did to yours. I think.¡±


    ¡°You think she¡¯s very interested?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m certain about the interest, I¡¯m just not certain she¡¯s a she. She keeps changing it up on me.¡±


    ¡°Gender fluid diamond ranker? That is interesting. Having some trouble with your pronouns, Emir?¡±


    Emir¡¯s water clone looked surprised.


    ¡°I thought I was going to throw you off with that.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°You have no idea how many people back where I come from would appreciate having magic to help them transition,¡± he said, then frowned. ¡°Actually, that¡¯s probably becoming more of an option, now, which will be a giant political garbage fire. I bet they find some way to blame me.¡±


    ***


    Liara returned Jason to the room in the Adventure Society campus from which he could portal out.


    ¡°Any word on those idiots that broke into my cloud house?¡± Jason asked Liara.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°As far as we can tell, they¡¯re a bunch of idle rich from extremely wealthy families. Too important to not foster, thus getting them to gold rank on cores, but too incompetent to give any actual responsibility. It seems that they got it into their heads to prove themselves and started taking work for hire, as a group.¡±


    ¡°And, despite their idiocy, they¡¯re gold rank,¡± Jason mused. ¡°People will overlook a lot if it lets them hire a gold rank team on the cheap.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but we don''t think the person that sent them after you was concerned with their ability. We haven''t determined who it was yet, but the motivation seems related to their local politics, not you. You were chosen because you were far enough away that the fools wouldn''t know they were jumping into the shark''s mouth while being important enough that it would be an embarrassment to their families.¡±


    Jason groaned as he ran his hands over his face.


    ¡°Is this going to be yet another thing I¡¯m caught up in?¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Liara said, ¡°if you¡¯re willing to let this go, you¡¯ll find some powerful families owe you a favour if you ever find yourself in that part of the world.¡±


    ¡°Let this go, meaning walk away and not have anything more to do with it?¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re willing to give up revenge, yes.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s do that,¡± Jason said hurriedly. ¡°Just warn me before any blowback from this hits me, yeah?¡±


    ¡°As best as I am able,¡± Liara said. ¡°I handed it off to the family¡¯s political specialists once we knew that your involvement was peripheral. They will keep looking into the situation.¡±


    Jason drew out the ritual circle required to circumvent the protections and open his portal arch. He didn''t go through immediately, and instead turned to face Travis and Farrah. He shook Travis by the hand and shared a hug with Farrah.


    ¡°Just don¡¯t go off and die the second I¡¯m not watching over you,¡± she said. ¡°You have the life expectancy of a friend of Jessica Fletcher¡¯s who is visiting from out of town.¡±


    Jason chuckled as he went through the arch, which then vanished into the ground.


    ¡°Who¡¯s Jessica Fletcher?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°From Murder She Wrote,¡± Farrah said. ¡°How can you not know that show?¡±


    ¡°When was it on?¡±


    ¡°1984 through 1996. They made twelve seasons. It¡¯s a cultural touchstone.¡±


    ¡°Before I was alive, maybe. That bond ability of yours that lets you take information out of people''s heads; I''m not sure you should have ever used it on Jason.¡±


    ***


    Jason stepped out of the portal arch in his cabin on the cloud yacht and it closed behind him. He could have spoken to Farrah, their new bond allowing him to open up a voice chat over large distances, but he resisted the urge. The bond was there if he went looking for it, but was otherwise unnoticeable. He let out a sigh.


    ¡°Are you alright, Mr Asano?¡± Shade asked, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Yeah. It just feels like¡­ I don¡¯t know. Like a clean cut has been made. Farrah and I have been running around together for a long time, now. I guess the ground just doesn¡¯t feel as stable without her here. Even with the bond, her absence seems palpable. I know I¡¯ve always got you, but, no offence, you¡¯re a spirit of darkness and death older than the human race. On Earth, at least. Your perspective isn¡¯t something a flickering candle like me can always relate to. Even if I end up living for millennia, right now, I¡¯m not even thirty.¡±


    ¡°I understand, Mr Asano. I have found that there is a strange dichotomy between existing for epochs, yet living moment to moment, like everyone else. My perspective, as an ancient entity, puts me at a separation from most beings. I suspect it is what has driven me to become a familiar. To insert myself into the lives of the short-lived and immerse myself in their cultures and interests. You will find, Mr Asano, that even when you can survive for millennia, you have to live day by day, just like everyone else.¡±


    ¡°You know what, Shade? I take it back. You are relatable. Thanks for sticking with me through so much nonsense.¡±


    ¡°Immortality can be hard sometimes, Mr Asano. I hope that you will live long enough to that I can help guide you through it. It becomes isolating as you find yourself slipping further and further from the concerns of mortality. Miss Dawn understood this. You have put her on the start of a journey I began a long time ago.¡±


    ¡°Shade, Have I ever told you that you are amazing?¡±


    ¡°Many times, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Good. Because you are.¡±


    ***


    One of the reasons that the Storm Kingdom stood out on the global stage was that there were very few regions with a celestine majority, and it was the largest of them by far. Having moved south of there, the convoy found itself increasingly in elf-held territories. This excited Jason less because of the elves themselves, of whom he had known many, and because of the differences in culture that came with encountering them on home turf. Instead of having their own enclaves in places where they were a minority, this was the elves in their element, and Jason was not disappointed.


    The smaller towns and villages hadn''t been a lot different to what he had seen elsewhere, but as the convoy approached a small city, Jason watched from the roof deck in wonder. To Jason''s eyes, the architecture poking up out of the rainforest was a mix of ancient civilisation and absolute modernity, with ziggurats built from the shining glass of skyscrapers and gothic towers made of gleaming metal.


    The city materials seemed dominated by metal and glass from a distance, although only the uppermost building areas could be seen above the rainforest. Much of it had a green tint, reminding Jason of Greenstone. Here the shades were much darker than that city¡¯s signature stone, but the bright sunlight drew out gorgeous colours.


    From what Jason could see, the city was not exclusionary of the rainforest, which was let into the city and incorporated into the city planning. He presumed it was in a carefully controlled fashion and he looked forward to going in and looking around for himself. Before that, however, he had a task ahead of him.


    The convoy split up at the city outskirts. Arabelle continued forward with her relatively modest vehicle, while Carlos and Korinne left their vehicles behind. Carlos cadged a ride with Korinne¡¯s team on the more manageable skimmer docked on the roof of their new vehicle.


    The passengers of Jason¡¯s hover yacht all exited, including Melody under Sophie¡¯s watchful eye.


    Jason plucked the tiny cloud flask from his necklace and sat it on the ground as it grew to its regular size of a large chemistry flask. The hover yacht started dissolving into wispy cloud that flowed into the flask. Everyone stood around watching the process, which would take around ten minutes. Jason started pulling out the crates, sacks and barrels he acquired in Rimaros from his inventory. Melody approached him while he did so.


    ¡°My daughter tells me that it was your idea to add windows to my cabin,¡± she said.


    ¡°Your daughter said you were getting a little antsy.¡±


    ¡°Do you expect me to be grateful? That amenities and little luxuries you¡¯ve provided will win me over? Do you think I don¡¯t see that it¡¯s an easy way to build up a sense of thankfulness that makes up one of many steps to you having me open up and give you what you want?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t want anything from you, Mrs Jain. What I want is relaxing days spent visiting interesting places, with no hassles. You are a hassle. I¡¯d be happy to throw you in a box and forget about you, or hand you over to any of the many people that want to get their hands on you. As we speak, my familiar is scouting the area in case someone is following us, waiting for the chance to pounce and take you away. You got those windows because it makes your daughter happy. I couldn¡¯t care less about you. I checked.¡±


    ¡°Do you practise these little speeches in case the right situation comes up, or is it all off the top of your head?¡± Melody asked. ¡°I¡¯m not sure which one is worse. They both require a profoundly pompous mindset.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°I won¡¯t argue with that, Mrs Jain. Now, if you¡¯ll excuse me, I have to put a very large amount of things into a very small bottle.¡±


    Once the flask had been refilled, Jason started opening containers full of materials. Sheets of metal, bags of powder, magically-crafted crystals and barrels of alchemical liquids were tipped into the flask. Some went in via a funnel, like power and water. For solid objects, Jason poked them at the flask and they slowly dissolved into a mist that the flask then sucked into itself.


    This went on for several hours as Jason pulled the many containers Liara had prepared from his inventory. Belinda and Clive took out all the disassembled submarine parts they had as well. Once all the materials were finally consumed, Jason was about ready to test out the new potential of his cloud constructs. Before he began, he turned his head as he sensed Korinne¡¯s team returning from the city.


    On their arrival, Korinne¡¯s team found Jason waiting with a scowl. They disembarked from the skimmer, which had all eight seats filled. There were the six members of Korinne¡¯s team, plus Carlos and one more person.


    ¡°Care to explain yourself?¡± Jason demanded of Korinne, not looking at the newcomer.


    ¡°We found a new team member,¡± Korinne said.


    ¡°I¡¯ll remind you, Lady Pescos, that while you are operating as a part of this convoy, you are under certain restrictions that you would otherwise not be, should you be operating alone.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of the need for secrecy,¡± Korinne said. ¡°But she already knows your secrets, so there isn¡¯t a problem.¡±


    ¡°Explaining the full inaccuracy of what you just said will take no small amount of time,¡± Jason said. ¡°For now, go back to your vehicle and we¡¯ll discuss this later.¡±


    ¡°This convoy might be built around you, Mr Asano, but you don¡¯t tell my team what to¨C¡±


    Korinne stopped talking as she felt the pressure of an aura she thought Jason could only produce with the aid of his massive cloud construct. It carried the cold anger of an icy hell and had Korinne''s team reaching for weapons until it receded after a short moment.


    ¡°Go back to your vehicle, Lady Pescos,¡± Jason repeated softly. Korinne and her team looked to Amos Pensinata for support but saw nothing beyond his usual stoicism. Orin was the first to follow Jason''s directive, but the others soon followed. Korinne was the last to move, none of the fear in her aura showing in her expression or body language. The newcomer moved to follow.


    ¡°Not you,¡± Jason said, turning his gaze on her. He looked her up and down, his expression fierce. Her adventuring gear was plain and practical, mostly covering her smooth, caramel skin. Her milky-teal hair spilled down past her shoulders and her matching eyes stared back at Jason. Despite himself, Jason couldn''t help but reflect that the young woman in front of him was more beautiful than the nineteen-year-old girl she had been when they met in a tent five years earlier. She might have changed her distinctive sapphire hair and eyes, but there was no hiding the exquisite beauty of Zara Rimaros.

 Chapter 634: Inventing a Man in Your Head

    Rainforest encroached on both sides of the wide road leading off towards the elf city in the distance. Glass ziggurats and polished towers of dark metal poked up over the canopy, the elves having built their metropolis within the forest instead of clearing it to make room. Jason had been looking forward to exploring such a large city built into, rather than over the environment.


    He had stopped outside the city first, having found a rare clearing by the side of the road. While other members of the convoy moved forward, he had loaded up his cloud flask with materials brought back from Rimaros. He was about to check the results when some members of the convoy came back from the city early, having acquired a new member.


    Zara Rimaros was someone with whom Jason had a complicated history. They had met early in their adventuring careers, before the traumas that had come to define Jason. She had used his name, thinking him dead, for political purposes that complicated things for them both when he turned up alive. It embroiled him in machinations he had no interest in, at a time when he desperately needed to be left alone, eventually bringing him to the edge of breakdown.


    For her, Jason¡¯s resurrection finalised a fall from grace that began when she used Jason¡¯s name in an ill-conceived attempt to help a friend. As the king¡¯s daughter, she had been in a prime position to vie for the crown of the Storm Kingdom, one of the most powerful nations in the world. Now that was never going to happen, and instead of Rimaros she had gone south alone, finding herself standing in front of Jason Asano once again, against his express desire to be done with the royal family.


    Jason looked Zara up and down, his gaze lingering on her hair and eyes. As a celestine, hers matched, but the royal family¡¯s signature sapphire she once sported had become a milky teal. As Jason looked over her new look, the people around them watched as they stared at each other. The princess¡¯ return had come as most of the convoy was waiting on Jason to remake their mobile accommodations using the cloud flask. It was no secret that Zara had requested a place amongst them, or that Jason had refused, leaving her behind in Rimaros.


    The people watching knew that Jason was still volatile, despite his ongoing mental recovery, and the tension was thick as both they and Zara waited for his reaction. They had felt the power and fury in the aura spike Jason had used to dismiss the team to which she had attached herself as a pretence. As the moment dragged on in an increasingly weighty silence, Zara finally spoke up herself, launching into an explanation.


    ¡°You need to know that¨C¡±


    ¡°Copper,¡± he said, cutting her off.


    ¡°Copper?¡±


    ¡°Your hair and eyes. It will stand out less than the teal.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve adopted into my mother¡¯s family. This is their colouration.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care. Change it.¡±


    A portal arch of white stone rose up from the ground, filling with rainbow light.


    ¡°Jason I¨C¡±


    ¡°My friends call me Jason, Princess.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a princess anymore. I¡¯m Zara Nareen, now.¡±


    ¡°Then call me Mr Asano, Miss Nareen. Even better, don¡¯t call me anything at all.¡±


    Jason stepped through the portal to his soul space and the rainbow light flickered out, leaving the arch standing empty. The nearby cloud flask started spewing out cloud stuff as it began the process of forming a new vehicle.


    ***


    There was an awkward atmosphere in the wake of Jason¡¯s departure. Zara felt isolated and scrutinised as the assembled people split their attention between her and the cloud vessel taking shape nearby. Scrutiny was something she was very much used to as a princess of the Storm Kingdom, but she felt the absence of the usual support that role offered. She moved towards Jason¡¯s team, who were not looking on her with kindly expressions.


    ¡°Keep walking lady,¡± one of them said. Zara knew from her investigations into Asano¡¯s team that she was Belinda Callahan, a thief turned adventurer. Zara turned her gaze to Humphrey Geller, the team leader. He was someone she had met back in Greenstone and had the trained manners of high society.


    ¡°You heard her,¡± Humphrey said coldly. ¡°You¡¯d best join your new team, Miss Nareen.¡±


    Zara moved to the vehicle into which her new team had gone. It was a large vehicle designed for overland travel as well as flight, with room enough for privacy. She was admitted by Korinne Pescos, who took her into a kitchenette with a dining booth. Zara sat down at an inviting gesture from Korinne, who started brewing tea.


    ¡°I think we need to have that longer talk now, Your Highness.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not ¡®Your Highness¡¯ anymore, Lady Pescos. It¡¯s Lady Nareen or, for preference, Zara.¡±


    ¡°I think you may have understated what Asano¡¯s reaction would be, Zara. I always knew that there was history between you and him, but I never put much stock in rumours. I saw the two of you interact when we were all on that expedition together. It had the feel of a show to me; a political game your aunt concocted.¡±


    ¡°It was.¡±


    ¡°Then it¡¯s time you told me the truth, if you genuinely want to be a part of this team. I welcome your presence, as do the others. Your wide-area damage specialisation is a good fit for our team and, princess or not, having you on the roster will open a lot of doors when we go back to Rimaros. Assuming you want to stay with us at that stage.¡±


    Zara thought back to Asano¡¯s team outside. The unified front they put on, defensive of their friend and teammate, resonated with her. Her political upbringing always upheld the idea of compromise with both allies and enemies, who could easily switch from one day to the next. The idea of genuine commitment felt forbidden and enticing.


    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a place to belong,¡± she told Korinne, after thinking about it long enough that Korinne brought the tea and sat it on the table before sitting opposite Zara in the booth.


    ¡°Are you sure we¡¯re not a way station until you can talk Asano around?¡± Korinne asked as she poured the tea. ¡°I¡¯m not saying that¡¯s unacceptable, but I need to know where you stand in relation to my team.¡±


    Zara nodded as she held her cup, waiting for it to cool. While it was hot outside, the temperature and humidity inside the vehicle had both been set low.


    ¡°Honestly,¡± she admitted, ¡°I don¡¯t know. Unless my rushed approach and less-than-terrific reception here didn¡¯t make it clear, I¡¯m somewhat floundering. I have to find something new. A new way to live my life.¡±


    ¡°And you think Asano is the answer? Are you in love with him?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Zara said, shaking her head. ¡°I¡¯ve only ever met him a handful of times, which may be part of the problem. I¡¯ll confess to a certain fascination, and the mysteries surrounding him is a big part of that. Perhaps if I knew him better I wouldn¡¯t be so compelled.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re drawn to trouble.¡±


    ¡°No. Yes. I don¡¯t know, probably. Have you ever felt completely lost, Lady Pescos?¡±


    ¡°Korinne. If you¡¯re going to be in our team, you should call me Korinne. But no, sorry. I don¡¯t think I can empathise. I¡¯ve always known my direction, ever since I was a girl. Even through detours like this, it doesn¡¯t derail me.¡±


    ¡°I remember that feeling,¡± Zara said with an envious smile. ¡°That comforting certainty of where every foot forward was going to fall. I¡¯ve been wondering a lot where I lost that, even though I knew the answer the whole time.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡± Korinne prompted.


    ¡°It was my first time far from the Storm Kingdom. The other side of the world. My Aunt Vesper was the chaperone, but it was really me and some other iron-rankers from the Sapphire Crown guild. Royal guards my father assigned as a team, but not like yours. There was no camaraderie there. They were servants, but also minders. They weren¡¯t even companions, let alone friends. I¡¯ve never actually had a team.¡±


    ¡°So it¡¯s true? You met Asano on the other side of the world and¨C¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Zara said. ¡°I met him, yes, but only a couple of times. We certainly never¡­¡±


    Zara smiled.


    ¡°I was girl. I don¡¯t think I¡¯d ever felt like one before. I was always a princess. And adventurer. A future leader. Then this man came bursting into my tent, all swagger and rakish charm. Exactly the kind of man my father would never let get anywhere near his precious daughters.¡±


    ¡°Your guards wouldn¡¯t stand for that, surely?¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t, but he was unfazed and I told them to stop. He had no idea who I was. It was the first time I¡¯d ever been treated as anything but a princess. He was this wild, crazy man, a few years older. He gave me a plate of baked slices. My guards destroyed half of them testing for toxins. I¡¯ll confess that my head was turned. Then I heard that he ran into me on his way to meet a whole group of gods, who had asked for him specifically.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. That just seems to be the circles he moves in.¡±


    ¡°That is an absurd thing to say.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s an absurd man. I saw him again, at a party, but nothing came of it. I¡¯ve been trained my whole life to handle politics and relationships, so I was aware of what was driving my feelings. I kept my distance and returned to Rimaros. Then I heard that he died. After that, he occupied this strange place in my mind. Or a version of him did, anyway; one who was at least as much my own invention as true to the man.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s easy to idealise the dead. The living can never compete with a story in your head.¡±


    ¡°No, they can¡¯t. When I came up with my terrible plan to get Kasper Irios out of our arranged marriage, I invoked Asano¡¯s name, which was an idiotic thing. He just fit so well. There was so little information about him and he had died on the far side of the world, in a sufficiently heroic fashion to impress. He also had impressive connections, but no family. He was exactly what I needed in a dead fianc¨¦.¡±


    ¡°And did you come up with this plan and he happened to fit, or did you come up with the plan because he fit? And which Asano was it? The real one or the one in your head?¡±


    Zara let out a self-mocking chuckle.


    ¡°I think you know the answers, although I¡¯d have denied it flatly at the time. Even to myself. Of course, it was a massive mess.¡±


    ¡°I remember. Royal scandals get around, although how much of it is true is a very different question.¡±


    ¡°It had all just about died down and my fake period of mourning was about to end,¡± Zara said. ¡°That¡¯s when he came back, but he came back different. Not like the way he was in my head, of course, but also not the way I knew him. The first time I saw him again was the day you first saw him as well.¡±


    ¡°The expedition.¡±


    ¡°When I met him, he was playful. Roguish. He was also ordinary in his power. But you saw what he was like that day. Angry, powerful.¡±


    ¡°He wasn¡¯t powerful when you knew him?¡±


    ¡°No more than any capable adventurer. But you¡¯ve felt what he¡¯s like now. What he can do with his aura. And I¡¯ve heard other things. Things I can¡¯t talk about. And he certainly wasn¡¯t playful. His anger at me was genuine, whatever political show we put on.¡±


    ¡°Why would he even agree to that?¡±


    ¡°Because of the damage my mistake would cause if he didn¡¯t. Whatever his flaws, he¡¯s a good man.¡±


    ¡°So you say.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I do say. I¡¯ve looked into everything I can find about him, since he came back. And I could find more than most, as you¡¯d imagine. There are sharp edges to him, but he¡¯s a good man. Willing to sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re not inventing a man in your head again?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Zara admitted. ¡°I know that coming here was foolish. The attempts to rehabilitate my reputation were overtaken by events. The last hope I had was joining Asano as a royal liaison. He¡¯s always in the middle of something, and if I could be a part of that¡­¡±


    She shook her head.


    ¡°When I was rejected, I knew it was time to move on. I was the last person to accept that I was long out of contention to be the next Queen, but once I did, it was oddly freeing. Putting down a kingdom¡¯s worth of responsibility opened a world of possibility. I adopted into my mother¡¯s house to signal my withdrawal from the contest for the crown.¡±


    ¡°If you have a whole world of opportunity, what are you doing here?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re completely right,¡± Zara said, nodding her head. ¡°This was a terrible choice. I should have run far from Rimaros and far from Asano to find¡­ whatever it is I¡¯m looking for. A new way to live, I guess. I have this idea in my head that Asano is at the centre of things in a way that might let me find it.¡±


    Korinne shook her head.


    ¡°I do not see the appeal of that man.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what this is.¡±


    Korinne drew a long breath and let it out slowly, then stood up.


    ¡°Temporary member or not, Princess, you¡¯ll be valuable to our team. But you are in desperate need of getting your head straight, and that¡¯s dangerous. There¡¯s a healer in this convoy, who specialises in the mind. Seek her out. Until she tells me you¡¯re up for it, you can travel with our team, but I won¡¯t let you fight with it.¡±

 Chapter 635: Doing Things That You Shouldn’t

    The astral realm that Jason¡¯s soul space had become was an estate of cloud buildings that sprawled through strange and varied gardens. It all centred on a dark crystal tower in a pagoda style that loomed over everything. Completing the dark lord motif was the giant blue and orange eye floating over the tower that regularly prompted unwelcome Sauron comparisons.


    In a garden that looked something like an English country pond, Jason had created an avatar of himself. The avatar was floating cross-legged over the pond while Jason sat on a wooden bench on the shore. He alternately probed and bombarded the avatar with aura attacks and aura probes. The exercise itself had been devised by Amos as part of his training, serving several purposes. It helped him develop his aura defences and aura masking techniques, but these were areas where Jason was already strong.


    The training method Amos had shown him was also designed to teach him how to do radically different things with his aura in rapid succession or even simultaneously. Jason had thought himself quite adept at manipulating his aura, which Amos quickly remedied by showing him how much he had left to learn. Rather than be disheartened, Jason had been excited at all the new possibilities laid out before him.


    For the training method to be effective, Jason had initially required the more powerful Amos to switch between probes and bombardment to apply sufficient pressure. But inside his soul space, Jason had far more power than he did outside it. Once he figured out how to accurately replicate his outside power levels with an avatar, he was able to use the method through self-study, attacking his own avatar. As the avatar was still a part of himself, everything it learned, he did as well.


    The training Amos was giving him, this method included, was comprehensively advancing Jason''s aura manipulation skills, and the results were already starting to show. When Jason had first arrived in Rimaros he''d attempted to create an identity mask by manipulating his aura. He was only now realising the many reasons his sloppy attempt had aroused the suspicion of even someone of lower rank than himself, cringing at his crude, earlier attempt.


    Jason sensed the presence of Arabelle standing in front of his portal and he opened it to let her inside. He opened an arch next to himself so she would arrive next to him. She looked around before sitting down beside him on the wooden bench, joining him in observing the avatar.


    ¡°It unsettles me, coming here,¡± she told him. ¡°The Healer is one of the more hands-off gods, but I¡¯m still used to his presence in the back of my mind.¡±


    ¡°And here I was thinking that having someone taking up residence inside your mind would be the unsettling part.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a comfort in faith, Jason. For some. Not those favoured by Dominion, of course. He likes the ones who refuse to kneel.¡±


    ¡°Ugh, don¡¯t talk about that guy. And who said I won¡¯t kneel? I¡¯ll take scuffed knees over a severed neck.¡±


    ¡°Is that a lie or selective memory?¡±


    ¡°I was younger then.¡±


    ¡°How long ago did Shako kill you for your insolence?¡±


    ¡°About a year. And I wouldn¡¯t describe it as insolence. If some prick is telling you what to do for no better reason than they have the power to do so, they need mouthing off to.¡±


    Arabelle turned to look at him from under raised eyebrows.


    ¡°I¡¯m aware of the irony,¡± he said, not turning to meet her eyes.


    ¡°You told her to change her hair and eyes? You shouldn¡¯t be trying to take away people¡¯s body autonomy, Jason. Especially as a punitive measure.¡±


    ¡°I know. I was angry. It¡¯s why I walked away.¡±


    She nodded.


    ¡°Your friends are concerned that you¡¯re moping in here. You shut them out, literally and figuratively. I was a little surprised you let me in, but it¡¯s a good sign that you did.¡±


    Jason let out a sigh.


    ¡°I know. Back in Greenstone, this was the part where I¡¯d go off and clear adventure board notices until I¡¯d worked through my problems. Keep busy doing something worthwhile as I was getting my head straight. I can¡¯t just leave everyone now, though. So, I¡¯m just taking some time while I do some training.¡±


    Arabelle turned her gaze back to the avatar.


    ¡°One of Lord Pensinata¡¯s training exercises?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    She nodded her approval.


    ¡°Separating yourself as you process emotions in your own time has always been one of your healthier defence mechanisms. Just make sure not to cut yourself off from your support structure. Too much separation has turned poisonous on you before, as you well know. Don¡¯t recreate your conditions on Earth for yourself.¡±


    ¡°I know.¡±


    ¡°Knowing something and using that knowledge for self-improvement are very different things, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I know that too.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that girl does. She clearly has some kind of fixation on you.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me that I should be happy I have a pretty stalker?¡±


    ¡°You know that I¡¯m not. I find it interesting that you chose to point out that she was pretty.¡±


    ¡°Anyone with eyes can see that.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re avoiding a response to my observation. We¡¯ve talked about that.¡±


    Jason grumbled.


    ¡°Are you interested in this woman?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know her.¡±


    ¡°That isn''t what I asked. It''s plain that there is some manner of compulsion there. She''s no prettier than Miss Wexler, yet Zara Rimaros gets under your skin in a way that Sophie never has.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not Rimaros anymore. It¡¯s Nareen.¡±


    Arabelle turned to look at Jason again, this time her eyes narrowing in suspicion.


    ¡°Jason.¡±


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Are you spying on the other team?¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°Have you been observing the goings-on inside their new vehicle?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m claiming this conversation under the confidentiality of a healer consultation. You can¡¯t tell anyone about the things I tell you.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s between you, me and my god.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t count, the privacy ignoring... that doesn¡¯t matter. I just want to know you won¡¯t tell people what I tell you.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t. Even if I think that you¡¯re keeping secrets and doing things that you shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°I had Farrah and Belinda take a look at the defences of the other team¡¯s vehicle when it first joined the convoy. I had the girls put a hole in the protections so Shade could slip in and out to observe them.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been spying on them.¡±


    ¡°Shade operates under certain strictures, you know that. He won¡¯t tell me anything unless there is a security threat or something else I need to know.¡±


    ¡°Or unless you ask him.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And have you?¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t answer for a long time. Arabelle waited him out.


    ¡°I listened in on a conversation between Zara and Korinne.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a wildly inappropriate use of the power you have over the people in this convoy. It¡¯s a violation.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± he said softly. ¡°I have a bad habit of becoming the thing I hate, the moment I get the chance.¡±


    ¡°Your actions towards this woman are setting up a power imbalance, Jason. The kind of imbalance that you described between yourself and Asya.¡±


    The avatar over the pond dissolved into nothing.


    ¡°I¡¯m not in a relationship with Zara Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t with Asya for a long time, from what you¡¯ve told me. She was a young woman chasing you around in a position where you held all the power. Does that sound familiar?¡±


    ¡°She wasn¡¯t chasing me around. I never said anything like that.¡±


    ¡°Farrah did. I learned more about your time on Earth from her than I did you, Jason. Even after all this time, you are more withholding than you should be.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t be talking to other people about me.¡±


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t. I was listening.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here is nothing like what happened with Asya.¡±


    ¡°Not yet.¡±


    Jason stood up, storming back and forth. He didn''t seem to notice when his sharp pacing took him onto the surface of the water, which held him like solid ground. Suddenly he stopped, his back to Arabelle.


    ¡°My fears have always been narcissistic,¡± he said, not turning around. ¡°I¡¯ve been confronted with them magically, more than once, and they¡¯re always about myself. Fear of what I¡¯ll become. Fear of how I¡¯ll fail, and what my actions will cost. Frankly, they¡¯ve all been very well-founded. And now I have a new fear.¡±


    ¡°And that is?¡±


    Jason turned, holding out his arms to indicate the space around them.


    ¡°Do you understand what this place is?¡±


    ¡°Not really. Some kind of astral space created by your soul.¡±


    ¡°This isn¡¯t a place I created. This place is me. I¡¯m as much geography as I am a person.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Arabelle said as she nodded her head, realising Jason¡¯s issue. ¡°You¡¯ve finally returned to your friends, but you¡¯re afraid that your path will take you away from them again.¡±


    ¡°They''re essence users. It defines their power and their path forward. Even if they manage to follow that path to the end, it makes them like Soramir. That''s not where my path leads. Many of the gold and diamond-rank secrets are still hidden from me, but I''m an astral king. I''m still not sure exactly what that means, but I do know it puts me on a different path from anyone I care about. Even Dawn.¡±


    Arabelle nodded again.


    ¡°Sit down, Jason.¡±


    He did as instructed.


    ¡°Your fears aren¡¯t as self-involved as you seem to think.¡±


    ¡°The nightmare hags I¡¯ve met say differently.¡±


    ¡°And you think some monster you met understands you better than I do? Such creatures latch onto the fears closest to your sense of self-identity. Of course, what they dig up is about you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I was told.¡±


    ¡°And when did you, of all people, start believing whatever you were told? How many times have we discussed what happened to your brother, your friend and your lover over the last few months? About your fear of losing other people close to you?¡±


    ¡°A lot of times,¡± he begrudgingly acknowledged.


    ¡°You seem to have gotten it into your head that losing them is inevitable, and you''re mentally preparing for that severance by distancing yourself from them emotionally.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not what I¡¯m¨C¡±


    ¡°Yes, it is. You''re convinced that you''ll become so alien that you won''t care about them anymore.¡±


    ¡°What if that is what¡¯s going to happen? What if it¡¯s inevitable?¡±


    Arabelle shook her head in disbelief.


    ¡°What you do is obvious: you choose for that not to happen.¡±


    ¡°I just choose?¡±


    ¡°Since when has impossible or inevitable stopped you from doing anything? Are you, of all people, going to tell me that powers on the level of a great astral being are too much to fight against?¡±


    Jason blinked.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    They sat side by side for a long time as Jason realigned his thoughts. Arabelle felt his body language shift as he nodded to himself.


    ¡°What are you going to do about your pretty young stalker?¡± she asked. ¡°It¡¯s clear that she¡¯s in a very uncertain place with her self-identity. You could potentially do some real damage there.¡±


    Jason nodded his agreement.


    ¡°She seems to have latched onto the idea that I can somehow show her what¡¯s next for her.¡±


    ¡°And what will you do about that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not ready to be anyone¡¯s purpose, or even to show them theirs. I think only Shade has a better understanding of what a mess I am right now.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t change the question. What will you do about her?¡±


    ¡°She''s gotten it in her head that I can do something for her, but the person she needs is you. Do I send her away to take myself out of the equation? Point her at one of your colleagues? Or do I let her stay and confront whatever has gotten her fixated on me? This is not rhetorical, by the way. I''m genuinely asking you as a mental health professional.¡±


    ¡°You should not be the one to handle her situation if she stays.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I completely agree. I think regular sessions with you should be the condition of letting her join the convoy. I¡¯ll stay well out of it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m surprised you¡¯re willing to tolerate her presence at all.¡±


    ¡°I''m sympathetic to her personal brand of damage, even if we came to it from opposite directions. I understand doing reckless things because it seems like the only path forward, but I let her stay for Korinne''s team. They got kind of a rough deal in terms of determining their own fate. They didn''t ask to be stuck dealing with me lording over them.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps you should give them some more autonomy.¡±


    ¡°No. But having Zara on their team will be a boon for them when this is done with and we part ways. I can give them that much.¡±


    ***


    When Jason and Arabelle emerged from his soul space, no one else was around, bar the traffic moving down the road they were parked next to. Jason found his new cloud vessel had completed its formation and his companions had already boarded to explore their new home.


    The result of the House de Varco¡¯s purpose-built design looked more akin to Earth design than it had before, being something like a sleek white pleasure yacht sitting on top of a giant hovercraft. Jason could feel the changes through his connection to it having been produced by the soul-linked cloud flask.


    In terms of speed and manoeuvrability, there were only minor enhancements. The larger differences came from the protective properties of the exterior and the integrity of the structure. The materials that had been added to the cloud flask had been selected to enable the vessel to produce specialised defences that optimised both the protective properties of those materials and the cloud vehicle''s ability to dissolve and reconstitute its structure. The result was both resilient to attack and able to repair itself in real-time during an attack.


    The other new feature, also oriented towards combat, was the speciality weapons designed by Travis. Large ordnance was his speciality and he had developed an array of weapons that would enhance Jason¡¯s cloud vessel should they find themselves in combat. As they were heading in the direction of a potentially large conflict with the messengers, Jason was happy to have potent new weapons in his arsenal.


    Certain design elements in the reformed vessel were similar to those in the vehicle recently purchased by Korinne and her team. Like the modifications to the cloud vessel, its design came from House de Varco, although the end results were very different. The cloud vessel was larger and a visibly hybridised vehicle. The other was made entirely from conventional materials and was only as big a vehicle as Korinne''s team could convince her to buy. Even then, she had only capitulated since the team had all supplied funds in equal measure.


    The door to the vehicle Korinne''s team now called home opened up. The top of the door came out and down, extending to form a ramp. Zara emerged, her hair and eyes now looking like polished copper. Her hair was loose, parted in the middle as it fell to her shoulders, framing the caramel skin of her face. Jason clamped down his aura, but he gave Arabelle a side glance, knowing she''d caught his reaction to Zara''s dark beauty.


    ¡°This is Arabelle Remore,¡± Jason introduced coldly. ¡°She will ask you some questions and decide if you can remain as a part of this convoy. If you lie to her, you¡¯re out. If you evade or refuse to answer her questions, you¡¯re out.¡±


    Jason turned and marched up the ramp leading into his own vehicle.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said once they were inside the vessel. Another innovation from the de Varco designs was an automated privacy screen in corridors and cabins for soundproofing. That made the entry foyer they were in secure against prying ears.


    ¡°Yes, Shade?¡±


    ¡°You seem to be having an outsized reaction to Lady Nareen.¡±


    ¡°I noticed that myself.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should have yourself tested for external influences.¡±


    ¡°If something was affecting me, I¡¯d know.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. On the other hand, you and your abilities are well known enough that an enemy could have designed a subtle attack with properties to avoid detection, allowing it to bypass your system notification ability.¡±


    Jason frowned, considering the idea.


    ¡°I think if there was anything, I would have realised it in my soul space.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps it is related to your soul space, and not necessarily malign. The lingering effects of such a different state of being could still be affecting you. Or the link with the avatar you created could potentially have left you more open to altered emotional states.¡±


    Jason frowned.


    ¡°That sounds dishearteningly plausible.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should seek out Mr Standish and Mr Davone, to see if they can find anything.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like that idea.¡±


    ¡°An astral magic specialist and a healer would be the appropriate people to consult, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, but I don¡¯t want to go to Clive and Neil to ask if my private god realm is making me horny.¡±

 Chapter 636: Quiet Professionalism

    The original design of Jason¡¯s cloud constructs allowed two modes. One was overtly made of cloud substance, while the other looked traditionally constructed by the vessel replicating ordinary materials. This could be a false fa?ade or truly mimic the properties, so long as the materials had been fed into the flask.


    Over time, the binary nature of the constructs had become more fluid as Jason made many alterations to the cloud flask that produced them. Between deepening his bond to it, filling it with myriad new materials and altering it using authority stolen from the Builder, the cloud flask had undergone extreme changes.


    The culmination of this was a third form of cloud construct that used a hybrid of replicated materials and cloud substance in equal measure. The inclusion of House de Varco¡¯s modification designs had made it possible, allowing the vessels to use the best of both worlds. Not only could it enjoy the exceptional properties of any materials it reproduced but also the mutable and self-repairing properties of cloud substance.


    Belinda ascended stairs that were rigid platforms that seemed like white marble, both to the eye and to the touch. They floated on cloud-stuff that offered just a tiny bit of give, balancing comfort and support. That support modulated itself automatically, whether the person walking it was as heavy as Gary or as light as Belinda. Light was a relative term, however, as high-rankers weighed more than normal people of identical builds. Belinda¡¯s small frame looked very light, while her actual weight was more than Taika¡¯s had been, pre-essence.


    Belinda made her way up the stairs to the top deck, where a cabin door opened at her approach. Jason¡¯s master cabin looked different every time she went inside as he frequently shifted it around, and this time it was empty save for Jason himself. He was standing in front of the window, back to the cabin as he looked out at the city in the distance. Dark structures of glass and metal poked through the rainforest canopy in the distance to gleam in the harsh summer sun.


    ¡°I have them,¡± Belinda said, moving into the cabin. ¡°They¡¯ll stop working if you use your more overt magical abilities, but that shouldn¡¯t be an issue for you. Humphrey would have more to worry about in that regard.¡±


    ¡°What about using my aura?¡± Jason asked without turning around. ¡°It¡¯s a little more forceful than the norm.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve never tested this kind of device with an aura like yours. I¡¯d keep it tamped down, just to be safe. That shouldn¡¯t be a problem if you¡¯re laying low, right?¡±


    Jason turned around, flashing her a smile.


    ¡°Exactly right,¡± he agreed as she handed him a pair of blue coins. ¡°I just put them in place?¡±


    ¡°I like to keep devices like this one simple. It¡¯s important to be able to change appearances quickly and easily when you¡¯re avoiding pursuit.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to steal anything,¡± Jason told her, a hint of good-natured scolding in his voice.


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that you should keep your options open.¡±


    ¡°Is this what the princess uses to change her appearance?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fairly certain she uses some ritual magic designed especially for celestines. Not quite as convenient, and needs regular reapplication, but it will hold up under stress in a way that these won''t. But as long as you avoid your big finisher spells or any of your wide-area powers, these should be fine."


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking to get in any fights,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°You never are,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°You didn¡¯t see me back on Earth," he said, then placed the blue coins over his eyes. The coins immediately vanished, revealing not Jason''s alien eyes but ordinary dark brown ones, much as they''d been when he was human. ¡°I wasn¡¯t mellow the way I am here.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you don¡¯t want your eyes to be a piercing, icy blue or something?¡± Belinda offered. ¡°I can tweak them very easily.¡±


    ¡°No thank you,¡± Jason said, prodding around his eyes. The coins had truly disappeared, not just turned invisible.


    ¡°They¡¯ll reappear if you use too much magic,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Just channel mana into your eyes if you want to take them off.¡±


    Using most magic items was a fairly instinctual process of feeding them with mana to form a magical link. Jason did just that with his eyes and they went back to normal as the coins reappeared.


    ¡°That will do nicely,¡± he said. ¡°Thank you, Belinda.¡±


    ***


    The city of Yaresh was relatively small in terms of population, having only a few tens of thousands. The design, deeply accommodating the natural environment, led to a small population density, however. Geographically, Yaresh had the footprint of a much larger centre.


    Humphrey, Clive and Neil had gone ahead to the Yaresh Adventure Society branch to gather information. The information they brought back spoke to a situation more complex than originally anticipated, which they gathered everyone together to explain.


    Almost every member of the convoy was present in the cloud vessel¡¯s briefing room, even the gold rankers, including the less-than-stable Callum Morse. Absent were the Order of Redeeming Light prisoners, all in magical stasis save for Melody, locked in her cabin in the cloud house. Carlos was present but his assistants were not, leaving the two last absentees.


    Humphrey, Clive and Neil stood at the front of the briefing room, the others sitting in rows watching them.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Asano?¡± Korinne asked from the first row, the team leader sitting alongside the gold rankers.


    ¡°Jason and Estella Warnock,¡± Humphrey told her, ¡°have headed for the city, where they will remain for what we estimate to be two weeks. The reason is that for the duration of that time, our teams will be working in close cooperation with other teams in the area. That means avoiding questions about why the cook is killing so many monsters, or why a mysterious figure keeps slaughtering monster packs before we arrive. Until we can operate more independently, Jason will be working in the city.¡±


    ¡°Warnock I understand,¡± Korinne said. ¡°Scouting out urban areas is her job. Asano doesn¡¯t strike me as much of a spy.¡±


    ¡°Jason will surprise you when it comes to blending in with regular folk,¡± Gary said. ¡°When he doesn¡¯t have to get involved with kings and gods and high-rank adventurers, he can blend in just fine. Especially for someone from another world. He doesn¡¯t run around doing outlandish things around normal people because he doesn¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°Mostly doesn¡¯t,¡± Rufus qualified. ¡°Depending on your definition of outlandish.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s far more normal around regular people,¡± Gary said. ¡°Remember that village, right after we met him. He was just meeting people and being social. While gathering information, I¡¯ll remind you. Completely sensible.¡±


    ¡°Are you talking about the village where he was blasted off the side of a mountain by a malfunctioning waterfall before saving the village from a bunch of shabs?¡± Rufus asked him.


    ¡°It¡¯s not his fault the waterfall wasn¡¯t working properly.¡±


    ¡°Standing in front of it when it wasn¡¯t working was.¡±


    ¡°Jason isn¡¯t going into the city to spy,¡± Arabelle spoke up, cutting them short. ¡°He presented a new idea for refining his aura control to Lord Pensinata, who approved of his exploration of the concept.¡±


    ¡°What concept?¡± Korinne asked.


    ¡°Integrating aura-echo interrelation with interpersonal magic,¡± Clive explained.


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± asked Kalif, a member of Korinne¡¯s team. ¡°Interpersonal magic?¡±


    Clive took on an uncomfortable expression.


    ¡°Interpersonal magic is known by a wide variety of colloquial terms,¡± he said. ¡°One of which is carnal magic.¡±


    ¡°Wait,¡± Kalif said. ¡°We¡¯re going to be working for the next two weeks while Asano is off knocking boots with the cute pink-haired woman?¡±


    ¡°Miss Warnock and Jason will be operating separately,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Miss Warnock will fulfil her role as a spy while Jason undertakes his own endeavour.¡±


    ¡°Plus, Stella likes girls,¡± Sophie added.


    ¡°So much for that then, Polix,¡± Kalif said to another member of his team who had a disappointed expression. ¡°Hold on, if Asano isn¡¯t taking someone with him, how is he going to use rumpy-pumpy magic?¡±


    ¡°Firstly,¡± Clive said, ¡°please don¡¯t call it that. And secondly, I imagine he¡¯ll seek out volunteers.¡±


    ¡°Meaning he¡¯ll have to pick up women himself?¡± Kalif asked. ¡°Who¡¯s going to go for that guy? If he had his Rimaros reputation to play off he might get a pity rub, but he¡¯s playing a cook now, right? He¡¯s going to spend the next two weeks going home alone.¡±


    ¡°I completely agree,¡± Belinda said. ¡°What woman will go for a guy with laid-back charm, absolute confidence, a mysterious dark side and hidden secrets. Plus, he can cook and dance, which are traits that famously repel women.¡±


    ¡°I bet he doesn¡¯t go for those stuffy society dances,¡± commented Rosa, the scout from Kalif¡¯s team, earning her a glare from Kalif.


    ¡°I mean, who cares?¡± Rosa covered lamely.


    ¡°I think that¡¯s quite enough about Jason,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We need to focus on our own activities in the coming weeks and potentially months. The conflict with the messengers in this region has proven significantly more complex than anticipated.¡±


    "The Adventure Society more or less told us to shut up and do the contracts we''re told," Neil said. "They''re on a war footing and are looking for soldiers who will obey, not adventurers causing trouble."


    ¡°Fortunately,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°we were contacted by a priest of the Church of Knowledge. He gave us a much more thorough appraisal of the situation and background to how it reached this point. He also told us that if we can, not to make a fuss and follow the Adventure Society¡¯s orders for a couple of weeks, at which point the Church of Knowledge will requisition us for the main conflict. They already know about Jason, so they¡¯ll set us up on missions where he can work with us almost openly. They regularly requisition teams, so it won''t look too out of place if we¡¯ve proven ourselves reliable.¡±


    "Why would it look outlandish if they just call us up now?"


    ¡°Because there are plenty of teams that have already proven themselves and want a place in the big fight,¡± Neil said. ¡°If we come in out of nowhere and take a slot, people will start looking at us closer than we want to be looked at.¡±


    ¡°The Church of Knowledge reached out because of Jason¡¯s relationship with the goddess,¡± Clive said. ¡°But Jason is also the reason we don¡¯t want too many eyes on us.¡±


    ¡°Relationship with the goddess,¡± Belinda repeated. ¡°And this guy thinks he¡¯ll have trouble picking up women.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that kind of relationship, Belinda,¡± Clive said. ¡°Also, I¡¯m fairly certain that implying it is counts as blasphemy.¡±


    ¡°So?¡± she shot back. ¡°Gods and their churches never did a damn thing for me.¡±


    ¡°You do know that I¡¯m a priest of the Healer, don¡¯t you?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ve got an imaginary friend; we¡¯re all very proud,¡± Belinda told him. ¡°Get on with it.¡±


    ¡°The Healer is not imaginary! And you¡¯re the one who interrupted in the first place.¡±


    "Belinda," Humphrey admonished, his tone making it plain that he was not willing to brook further nonsense. "If silence is as much professionalism as you can muster, then do so. Clive, please explain what is going on."


    Clive nodded as Belinda gave Neil a smirk but held her tongue.


    ¡°Some of what we¡¯re about to tell you is information we had already gathered from various sources,¡± Clive said. ¡°Some of it comes from the priest of Knowledge we just met. As you should all be aware, the Church of Knowledge has been mustering forces in certain areas around the world.¡±


    ¡°What most of you won¡¯t know,¡± Humphrey followed on, ¡°is the scale and scope of the Church¡¯s activities, and how long they¡¯ve been going on.¡±


    ¡°The groundwork for the church¡¯s activities,¡± Clive picked up, ¡°turns out to have been going on for decades. Large troupes are being established piecemeal, so as not to attract attention. Monster cores have been used to create expansive forces of essence users, under the command of more conventionally-trained adventurers. Each and every one, faithful to the Church of Knowledge. Only the god War was aware of the magnitude of Knowledge¡¯s plans, and remained silent for reasons unknown, at least to us.¡±


    ¡°A number of years ago,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°they started to mobilise and gather at locations around the world, chosen by no means anyone could determine. It took a while to realise what was happening and on what scale, but if you track the activity back to when the forces that Knowledge had built up started moving, it was all on a single day. A day after which the Church of Knowledge apparently no longer cared about being noticed.¡±


    ¡°Given that you¡¯ve made such a point of it,¡± Korinne said, ¡°I assume there is something significant about that day.¡±


    ¡°It was the same day Jason Asano first arrived in this world,¡± Clive said. ¡°Knowledge knows more than even the other gods. She knew the messengers were coming, and she knew that Jason would be the one that opened the window through which they would come.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying that Asano is responsible for the messenger invasion?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Jason and Farrah were the ones who triggered the monster surge.¡±


    ¡°The monster surge that had been artificially delayed for years,¡± Clive added. ¡°The longer it was stalled, the worse the surge that came with it would be when finally unleashed. And the longer the Builder would have to plunder our world. Jason and Farrah put an end to that delay and prevented it from getting worse, but some amount of damage was inevitable. It was a plan that came into effect years before Jason ever encountered magic."


    "And the same window used by the Builder," Humphrey said, "allowed what we thought was the Church of Purity to help the messengers in coming to our world. And that is where everyone learned what Knowledge had been preparing for,¡±


    ¡°Where Knowledge had gathered, other forces gathered in reaction,¡± Neil explained. ¡°And in every region where that happened, messengers were summoned. Knowledge has been preparing to defend this world for decades, building the force we would need but have no time to establish once the threat was revealed.¡±


    ¡°This brings us to what the priest in Yaresh told us,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°A few hours from the city, Knowledge¡¯s military force set up a camp. The god of War did the same, and then the messengers came. The government in Yaresh, as well as the Adventure Society, were both concerned about each of these developments, and then things got worse.¡±


    ¡°There is an extremely rare natural magic event that can happen,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s called a natural array. To excessively simplify, it means that, over time, essences, awakening stones and quintessence manifested, undisturbed, in a very specific pattern. The convergent magical energies within that pattern combine to create unconventional effects. The nature of those effects is defined by the size and nature of the pattern, as well as the elements that make it up.¡±


    ¡°Can someone simplify that some more?¡± Kalif asked.


    ¡°It means that sometimes magic stuff happens,¡± Clive said, exasperated. ¡°If you can¡¯t follow more than that, then I recommend staying quiet and asking your team leader after the briefing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not an idiot,¡± Kalif said sullenly.


    ¡°Then do the smart thing and be quiet,¡± Clive said, ¡°or we¡¯ll be here all day.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like how you¡¯re speaking to my team member,¡± Korinne said warningly.


    ¡°And I stopped caring what you liked the moment your new team member arrived,¡± Clive shot back. ¡°Shut up and listen or get out.¡±


    Humphrey put a hand on Clive¡¯s shoulder.


    ¡°Clive¨C¡±


    "No," Clive said, shrugging off his hand, and turned on Amos Pensinata. ¡°You were brought on to help Jason, not make things worse. But your baggage¡­¡±


    He waved a hand at Korinne¡¯s team.


    "¡­has only made things worse. So, fix it or get off this boat and take them with you."


    With that, Clive stormed out, Humphrey wincing as he watched him go.


    ¡°What about the briefing?¡± Neil asked. ¡°Clive was meant to cover the magic stuff.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll postpone,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°We¡¯ve covered what we need for the next couple of weeks, which is that we¡¯ll be given contracts that we should carry out with the kind of quiet professionalism that we have failed to demonstrate today. We can reconvene the briefing once we¡¯re in the city and everyone has cooled down.¡±


    At the back of the briefing room, Zara shrank into her chair, trying to make herself as small as she felt.

 Chapter 637: A Man of Many Talents

    After increasing delays, the convoy was finally preparing to head down the last stretch of road leading into the city of Yaresh. Part of the delay was making sure they had a place waiting to stow their large vehicles for the duration of their visit. They had settled on a fairly low-end camping ground as space was currently at a premium. Many travelling adventurers had already arrived in Yaresh, looking to join the conflict with the messengers. Humphrey and Korinne¡¯s teams were far from the only ones to travel in what amounted to ambulatory houses.


    Before they left, Humphrey approached the vehicle used by the other team, stopping at the bottom of the ramp that led inside. He waited, knowing that the magic defences would have already alerted the occupants to his presence. He was left standing for several minutes before Korinne appeared at the top of the ramp.


    ¡°What can I do for you, Master Geller?¡±


    ¡°After the failed briefing, I thought it would be a good idea for us to discuss the friction between our teams. May I come in?¡±


    Shortly thereafter, Korinne was sitting across from Humphrey in a booth. Unlike when she had been there with Zara, she did not make tea.


    ¡°I think it¡¯s clear that our teams are having some issues operating together,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°As the leaders, I thought you and I should figure out together if this is something we can remedy, or at least ameliorate, or if the differences are irreconcilable.¡±


    ¡°Your team members seem to be blaming us for Asano running off to get his dongle wet instead of working with his team.¡±


    ¡°That is not your fault and they know it. But your decision to take on Zara Rimaros has got them riled.¡±


    ¡°Are you telling me to kick her out?¡±


    ¡°No. Jason decided that she stays. He¡¯s aware that you and your team are not in ideal circumstances and that your involvement with the princess will serve as some manner of compensation.¡±


    ¡°He said that, did he?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I¡¯m not putting words in his mouth to try and make you think he¡¯s less difficult than he actually is.¡±


    ¡°Why is it his decision to make in the first place? Which one of you is the team leader?¡±


    ¡°On our team ¨C our team, not my team - we each take the roles we need to take.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a good way to get yourselves killed dithering when everyone tries to take control in the heat of battle. Command structures agree for a reason.¡±


    ¡°And we¡¯ve found what works for us. I won¡¯t claim it will work for your team any more than yours will work for mine.¡±


    ¡°Why are we even talking about this anyway? Didn¡¯t Asano leave the decision about the princess to Lady Remore?¡±


    ¡°It''s Mrs Remore,¡± Humphrey corrected. ¡°And you''ll find that Jason does things to achieve the outcome he wants, not to say what he means or speak the truth.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re saying he¡¯s duplicitous.¡±


    ¡°We each have our roles. I already told you that.¡±


    ¡°Fine. But how are we supposed to trust someone who lies to us?¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t want your trust, Lady Pescos. We want your cooperation or, failing that, for you to stay out of our way. Zara Rimaros used Jason''s name dishonourably, and it dragged him into the exact trouble he wanted to avoid, at the time he most needed to avoid it. That is why having her on your team has put my team at odds with you. We are sensitive about losing Jason because we¡¯ve done it before. He can be fragile in certain regards, and if something happens because of your princess, you¡¯ll find that we are bad enemies to have.¡±


    ¡°Then why let her stay in the convoy at all?¡±


    ¡°Because Jason told us to, and he¡¯s the one she makes trouble for. You wanted to know why Jason gets to choose? That¡¯s why.¡±


    Korinne sighed.


    ¡°My team are resentful of yours. It feels like we¡¯re secondary. Tacked on.¡±


    ¡°You are,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Do with that what you will.¡±


    Korinne started pacing in thought, a scowl plastered on her face.


    ¡°Genuine contention will only drag us both down,¡± Korinne said. ¡°But a rivalry could be a push that moves us all forward.¡±


    The smile that spread across Humphrey¡¯s face made Korinne suspect he¡¯d been waiting for the suggestion all along.


    ¡°I couldn¡¯t agree more,¡± he said. ¡°And Jason¡¯s absence might just give us the breathing room to find a balance that is beneficial to us all.¡±


    ***


    The city walls of Yaresh were a line of massive trees with walls of glossy black stone filling the gaps between them. Tunnels passed right through the trunks, allowing passage from one section of wall-top to the next. A black land skimmer arrived at the wall where vehicles were queued up at the gate, awaiting inspection. In the driver¡¯s seat was Jason, with Estella Warnock beside him.


    Most of the vehicles were hauling cargo on magically powered wagons, some of which were almost the size of a semi-trailer truck. Bulk land freight was inefficient compared to the alternatives magic offered, but was cheap and seemed common locally, based on the vehicles lined up at the gates.


    ¡°That¡¯s a lot of land transport,¡± Jason pointed out.


    ¡°I was thinking the same thing,¡± Estella agreed. ¡°Could be something about local magic conditions that makes other methods less viable. The magic is more than high enough to support airships, though, so I don¡¯t know. I¡¯ll look into it and see if there¡¯s anything going on we need to concern ourselves with.¡±


    ¡°I have to say, Miss Warnock, I am increasingly satisfied with the choice to bring you aboard.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t be too happy,¡± Estella said. ¡°I¡¯m calling dibs on your princess.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°You heard me.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re talking about Zara?¡±


    ¡°Yep. Come down in the world, low self-esteem. That¡¯s my zone.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty despicable.¡±


    ¡°You had your chances.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t mean calling dibs. I mean preying on someone at their lowest.¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah, she¡¯s really hurting, with all her money and connections. Not all of us can just adopt ourselves into one of the most prestigious families in the kingdom because being a princess was harshing us out.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like you want to chase after her.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit I¡¯m not great at pursuing relationships.¡±


    ¡°Have you considered maybe trying charm? Getting to know them honestly? Basic decency?¡±


    ¡°None of those are my strong areas.¡±


    ¡°Then maybe figure out what your strong areas are and find someone who finds them appealing.¡±


    ¡°As it turns out, I¡¯m not really into the people who are into my strengths. My standards are too high to include anyone who¡¯d settle for me.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t kidding about low self-esteem being your zone, were you? Watch out for the landing.¡±


    The skimmer turned into a cloud of swirling darkness that was drawn into Jason¡¯s shadow. Jason moved from sitting to standing with practised ease while Estella fell on her rear before getting up and brushing road dirt off her pants.


    ¡°I said watch out for the landing.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know that meant the vehicle would disappear out from under me.¡±


    There were two queues for people looking to enter the city. Rather than joining the vehicle queue, they moved to the shorter queue for those with other means of transport, usually mid-to-high-rank adventurers. These were people that flew under their own power, rode familiars like Jason or portalled into a nearby open area designated for that purpose.


    Jason and Estella produced their Adventure Society badges and identity papers. Like Jason''s current identity, Estella was registered as an auxiliary that was not required to mobilise, despite the city''s adventurers being on a war footing. They were told that the team they were attached to would need to report to the Adventure Society by the end of the day after their arrival. After that notification, the pair were allowed through a tunnel that brought him into the city proper.


    ¡°Oh yeah,¡± Jason said as he emerged and looked around. ¡°Travis won¡¯t be happy about missing a proper elf city.¡±


    They were in a warehouse district centred around the city gate. A four-lane boulevard ran from the gate into the city, but didn''t follow the plumb-straight line typical of urban areas. It was instead split into a pair of double lane streets, each following one side of a mostly straight creek. The sides of the street were lined with trees and the space around the buildings was filled with grass.


    The buildings were all made from brick in various shades of black, yellow, grey, red and brown, suggesting a wide variety of local stone. Vines were crawling up the walls of every building and the roofs were gently sloped and covered in live grass, bushes and other small-to-medium plants. The air was thick with rainforest smells, damp and earthy. Looking down the boulevard and further into the city, they saw much taller buildings in the distance where stone gave way to glass and metal.


    Panning his gaze around, Jason saw very little lumbered wood. What wood he did see looked either natural, with the city accommodating its growth, or having been shaped into often highly specific forms as it grew. The buildings were spaced out, with rainforest growth burgeoning up in between them.


    The street was busy with vehicles entering through the city gate next to the tunnel they had just emerged from. Taking more of a look, Jason noticed that many of the vehicles were made from more of the specifically grown wood. Metal-wheeled carriages had wooden frames that not only looked to have been grown that way but also had the faint aura of living plants. The frames looked to be filled out with metal and draped cloth. Other vehicles had similar designs, from three-wheeled single-seaters to bus-like contraptions that had a dozen massive wooden legs instead of wheels.


    Other vehicles that Jason was more familiar with were also in evidence. Land skimmers, more conventional carriages and personal floatation discs were all on display. They were minimally present, however, and never driven by the elves that made up the bulk of the population. The local elven ethnicity had skin tones ranging from almond to milk chocolate, while their hair ranged from honey to rich brown. Straight hair was either out of fashion or not natural, with styles ranging from cascading waves to ringlets to explosions of frizzy waves.


    Jason and Estella moved out of the way of others emerging from the tunnel and Jason closed his eyes. He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly with a huge grin.


    ¡°Do you still have lungs?¡± Estella asked him.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Then how are you breathing like that?¡±


    ¡°I just do. Doesn¡¯t your body just do the things you want it to?¡±


    ¡°No. My grandfather showed me some techniques for body manipulation, but if I wanted to breathe I¡¯d have to concentrate to make it work.¡±


    ¡°You should practise those techniques some more. It¡¯s nice to be able to sigh sometimes. Studies have shown that sighing is an important component of personal wellbeing, helping to alleviate stress and recalibrate your mood.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go now. See you in two weeks.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t forget that Shade is there if you need to signal for help.¡±


    ¡°You thought I¡¯d forget the person you left hiding in my shadow?¡±


    ¡°You might have.¡±


    ¡°He watches me sleep.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, he mentioned that you snore.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said from Jason¡¯s shadow. ¡°I will thank you for not impugning my character. Miss Warnock, I can assure you that I told Mr Asano nothing about your snoring.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t snore.¡±


    ¡°I acknowledge that you assert that, Miss Warnock.¡±


    ¡°You two are as bad as each other,¡± Estella said. She stormed off, leaving Jason standing at the side of the street.


    ¡°Does she really snore?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Mr Asano, you were the one who told me not to divulge personal details unless relevant to security. Even if those details sound like someone sawing lumber in a tunnel.¡±


    ***


    Jason spent the day walking through the city, taking things in. Beyond the unconventional architecture, the warehouse district had little to offer and he didn¡¯t tarry. The neighbouring entertainment district proved much more interesting, even early in the day, with bars, cafes and places offering delights ranging from the chaste to the downright saucy. Jason was looking for the place he would begin sampling the local cuisine when he spotted an elf rubbing out the menu board from the outside wall of a small pub.


    ¡°Food¡¯s off?¡± he asked.


    ¡°Most of the kitchen crew got in a brawl playing tri-ball,¡± she said without turning around. ¡°The city militia threw both teams in the cells until tomorrow. Chef¡¯s still in, but unless you know of four at least halfway-decent cooks who¡¯ll work for cheap on short notice, there won¡¯t be enough hands to do food service.¡±


    Still with her back to him, she didn¡¯t see the huge grin overtake Jason¡¯s face.


    ***


    Bellory had been sceptical of the strange human, but she stood transfixed as she watched the bustle of activity in the kitchen. As the chef issued directions, a forest of shadow arms poked out from under shelves, out of cupboards or anywhere else a shadow could be found. They also reached out from her new temporary employee, chopping up ingredients, working the grill and frying with pans or plating meals.


    ¡°Are you sure it¡¯s okay for those things to touch the food?¡± she asked the chef, Kellance. He was her cousin.


    ¡°The conjured arms are very sanitary,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Also, I have an active sanitation ritual,¡± Kellance said. ¡°More sariantes please, Mr Miller.¡±


    ¡°Call me John,¡± Jason told him. ¡°Which ones are the sarientes? Oh, the shallot-looking things, no worries. They taste good.¡±


    ¡°Have you been sampling ingredients, Mr Miller?¡±


    ¡°Er¡­ no.¡±


    ***


    The rainforest-riddled city offered little in the way of light pollution, making it easy to see the stars shine once the sky grew dark. After the evening rush died down, Jason and Kellance retired to the roof of the pub, in lounge chairs with naturally-grown frames slung with light, comfortable fabric. Between them was a side table with a bottle and two glasses. Once the pub closed for the night, Kellance went home and his spot was taken by Bellory. The bottle was emptied, followed by two more.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t realise that elves could put away so much liquor,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve got poison resistance and this stuff still has a kick.¡±


    ¡°Do you know a lot of elves?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t done a lot of drinking with them, it¡¯s true,¡± Jason said. ¡°Although I¡¯m just realising that I might have and don¡¯t remember it because they drank me under the table. I did make some elven friends, though, when I was living in a port city a few years back.¡±


    ¡°And now you¡¯re following adventurers around?¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, they¡¯re following me. They haven¡¯t even arrived yet. Or maybe they have; I¡¯ve been here all day. And I think I just drank all my wages.¡±


    Bellory laughed, a tinkling water sound.


    ¡°You don¡¯t mind just being an auxiliary?¡± she asked. ¡°Waiting back at camp while the others go off and do the fighting?¡±


    ¡°Well, for one,¡± Jason slurred, holding up a slightly wobbly finger, ¡°have you ever seen adventurers fight monsters? You¡¯re best off staying away from that, believe me. And for a third thing, I serve an important function.¡±


    ¡°You do seem like an important man,¡± Bellory lied.


    ¡°Do you know what a bulvrath is?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bog monster. Likes to ambush travellers on roads that go through swamps and mangroves. Very good at hiding, very cautious. Good at telling the difference between a wagon full of juicy victims and a wagon full of adventurers coming to kill it. Takes days to pin them down, and that¡¯s when you know what you¡¯re doing.¡±


    ¡°And what¡¯s that got to do with cooking? Are they delicious?¡±


    ¡°I haven¡¯t checked. They make nests out of their own poo.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯d check either.¡±


    ¡°The point I¡¯m making is that after hunting down a bulvrath, an adventuring team has spent days roaming around a filthy bog, living on spirit coins, for the chance to kill a monster while wading through waste-deep filth. When they come back from that, do you think they¡¯d rather wash themselves off with soap potion, eat a spirit coin and go to bed, or have a nice, crystal-wash-infused shower followed by a delicious hot meal?¡±


    ¡°You provide showers as well as cook?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a man of many talents. I cook, I dance, I provide amenities and I¡­¡±


    He frowned.


    ¡°¡­I¡¯m a man of three talents.¡±


    Bellory laughed again as she emptied the last bottle, splitting the dregs between their glasses.


    ¡°So, will you be going back to your amenities?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t, strictly speaking, know where they are right now,¡± he said, not exactly lying. Knowing the precise direction and distance wasn¡¯t the same as knowing what the location in question was. ¡°I¡¯m sure they¡¯ve arrived somewhere. My friend Hump said something about a camping ground.¡±


    ¡°You have a friend named Hump?¡±


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t like him. He¡¯s definitely not super-handsome. I¡¯m sure I can find my way back to them.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± she said, her voice growing husky. ¡°It''s awfully late to go looking for your friends, especially in your condition.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± Jason said, his sing-song voice not assisting his plausibility. ¡°I¡¯m fine to go roaming the streets at night, as surely as I¡¯m standing here.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re sitting.¡±


    ¡°You might have a point then. Are inviting me to stay?¡±


    ¡°Maybe.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d best take this off then,¡± he said reaching under his shirt collar to unclip a small suppression collar.


    Jason shook his head to clear it, then turned to Bellory, who was giving the suppression collar a flat look.


    ¡°I told you I had poison resistance,¡± he said. ¡°Does this mean I¡¯m uninvited?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she said, climbing out of her chair and on top of him in his, making the frame squeak. ¡°It means you better remember what that fourth talent is.¡±

 Chapter 638: The Same Thing as Telling the Truth

    Jason was cooking breakfast in the pub¡¯s kitchen when the chef, Kellance, arrived through the door leading directly into the kitchen from the alley. In Yaresh, alleys were much nicer than the norm, usually having more in common with a garden. In this case, a gravel path meandered through long grass and around a couple of trees with long leaves of lush green.


    Jason had learned the day before that the elven chef was the cousin of Bellory, the pub¡¯s owner.


    ¡°Morning, bloke,¡± Jason said as he entered, only briefly glancing from the frypan in front of him.


    ¡°John, you¡¯re still here,¡± Kellance said. ¡°I had a feeling you might be.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Bell likes men she knows for sure won¡¯t stick around longer than it takes fruit to go bad. Her husband running off, leaving her with this place and a pile of debt did some damage. She¡¯s scared of opening up again, you know?¡±


    ¡°I can imagine. She glossed over it last night, but I got the impression that there was a wound there. I hope you don¡¯t mind me plundering the kitchen to make breakfast.¡±


    ¡°That depends. Did you make enough for three?¡±


    ¡°As a matter of fact, I did. If you want to grab some¡­¡±


    Jason trailed off, frowning as he looked at the wall.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Kellance asked.


    ¡°Three men are coming this way, and I don¡¯t think it¡¯s for a breakfast fry up.¡±


    The pub, like most buildings in the area, was made of dark grey stone. The door to the alley was a rectangle of wood that looked to have grown into that shape, with some kind of light ceramic used to fill it in. There was a window in the top half that Kellance looked out through, swearing under his breath.


    Almost immediately after, a trio of elves moved in front of the door. They had looks typical for the locals and wore neat casual suits that Jason recognised as fitting the local fashion. They looked something akin to business suits but worn loose, with long, tapered sleeves and coattails. He had seen the pub¡¯s more upscale clientele wearing similar outfits the night before, although most of what he¡¯d seen had been in light colours. These three wore significantly darker shades. The one in front was clearly the leader, flanked by the others as he grinned at Kellance through the window before pushing the door open.


    ¡°Hello Kell,¡± he said, his voice snide. ¡°Something smells good.¡±


    It was clear to Jason that the newly arrived elves were some kind of local thugs that delighted in the petty power they held. If their body language wasn¡¯t enough, their auras reeked of insecurity and glee at holding power over anyone. Jason tapped the crystal that turned off the stove¡¯s heat stone and moved the frypan onto a wooden board.


    ¡°And who do we have here?¡± the lead elf said, looking over at Jason.


    ¡°A temporary cook,¡± Bellory said as she came down the stairs. Jason noticed that the pub owner had quickly tossed on the same clothes she¡¯d been wearing the night before.


    ¡°And here we have it,¡± the lead thug said. ¡°Bell and Kell. Why would you need new kitchen staff, Bell?¡±


    ¡°The rest got caught up in that tri-ball brawl yesterday.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I heard about that. It¡¯s the very reason my father sent me along. Wanted to make sure that you didn¡¯t come up short after having to cancel food service.¡±


    Jason had been wondering how a sports punch-up had led to arrests when Pallimustus was usually so open to violence. He had put it down to local laws or culture, but now he realised that there had been outside intervention. He guessed the thug¡¯s father was some local boss, shaking down Bellory¡¯s pub and other local businesses. For whatever reason, he wanted some extra pressure put on Bellory.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got your loan repayment, Emresh,¡± Bellory told the thug. ¡°Just give me a minute to get it together.¡±


    ¡°Take your time, Bell,¡± Emresh said as he sauntered up to Jason. ¡°Gives me a chance to get to know your new employee.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s just a drifter passing thorough, Emresh,¡± Kellance said as Bellory left for another part of the pub.


    Emresh got right up in Jason¡¯s face, sniffing him like an animal. Like the thug and his offsiders, Jason¡¯s aura was silver rank with a heavy mark of monster core use. He¡¯s been practising his aura masking a lot, and Amos Pensinata had especially helped him refine it.


    ¡°Silver rank, not bad,¡± Emresh said. ¡°Is that right, kitchen boy? You just passing through.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m an adventuring auxiliary,¡± Jason told him. ¡°I¡¯ll only be around as long as my team.¡±


    ¡°Well look here, boys. We¡¯ve got ourselves a big-time adventurer. You fight any monsters, adventurer?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a cook.¡±


    ¡°And how¡¯s your cooking?¡± Emresh asked. ¡°Good enough that your team will come looking for revenge when we make an example of you?¡±


    ¡°If you want to try my cooking, it¡¯s right there,¡± Jason said, nodding at the frypan on the bench.


    Emresh laughed.


    ¡°I like this one.¡±


    He plucked a piece of fried vegetable from the pan with his fingers and popped it into his mouth. His eyebrows went up and he laughed, turning around to look at his flunkeys.


    ¡°You know what? He¡¯s pretty good. Shame, really.¡±


    Emresh turned back to Jason, the insincere friendliness dropping from his face.


    ¡°You think my father is afraid of some wandering adventurers?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason. ¡°I haven¡¯t met him.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re funny,¡± Emresh said.


    ¡°I have my moments.¡±


    Emresh drove a fist into Jason¡¯s gut and Jason doubled over. Emresh leaned down to speak into Jason¡¯s ear.


    ¡°Is this one of your moments, adventurer?¡±


    ¡°Sorry, what was that?¡± Jason croaked. ¡°I couldn¡¯t hear over the sound of how small your dick is.¡±


    One of Emresh¡¯s lackeys covered his mouth with his hand, letting out a wincing chortle.


    ¡°You should not have done that,¡± the other said as Emresh stamped his fist down on the back of Jason¡¯s head, dropping him to the floor. Emresh then followed up with a savage boot to the gut. Jason let out a retching sound, but pushed himself and got to his feet.


    ¡°You should have stayed down,¡± Emresh said.


    ¡°You were going to kick the crap out of me either way,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Most people would have run if they figured that out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d only beat me harder if you had to chase me down first.¡±


    Emresh let out his snide laugh once more.


    ¡°That¡¯s true,¡± he said. ¡°But do you know what I hate more than someone that makes me chase them before a beating?¡±


    Jason theatrically sniffed the air.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to say soap.¡±


    Emresh gave him a malevolent smile.


    ¡°Someone too smart for their own good.¡±


    ¡°I can see how you¡¯d resent smart people.¡±


    When Bellory returned with a bag of spirit coins, Emresh and his lackeys were repeatedly kicking Jason, curled up on the floor.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got the money,¡± she yelled. ¡°What are you doing?¡±


    ¡°Call it an object lesson,¡± Emresh said, not pausing from the assault. ¡°If my father decides your kitchen is closed, then your kitchen is closed.¡±


    Bellory bit back her retort. There was no point asking how she was meant to meet her loan payments when the answer was that she wasn¡¯t. She wanted to intervene, but the attempt would be as pointless as the repercussions would be severe. Finally tiring of their game, the thugs admired their handiwork as Jason was left moaning softly on the ground. His face was red from the pummelling and his skin abraded from their boots; the damage to the covered parts of his body was likely far worse.


    ¡°Silver rankers,¡± Emresh said. ¡°They can take much more of a beating, so you have to put more effort in. Still, they don¡¯t accidentally die on you, so there¡¯s that.¡±


    He pointed a finger in Bellory¡¯s face, snatched the bag of money from her hands and roughly opened the door before swaggering out. Bellory looked to the still-moaning Jason but was surprised to see him looking up at her, waggling his eyebrows. He tapped a finger to his lips so she¡¯d stay silent even as he continued letting out light moans.


    Bellory and Kellance watched him, seeing the injuries on his face swiftly healing. He stopped moaning and sprang to his feet.


    ¡°Bloody silver-rank hearing,¡± he said cheerfully. ¡°Had to make sure they were out of earshot.¡±


    ¡°John, are you alright?¡± Kellance asked.


    ¡°I¡¯ve had worse than that, believe me,¡± Jason assured him. ¡°That was practically a massage.¡±


    Bellory cupped a hand to his face where the most visible damage had been, now completely unblemished.


    ¡°Why would you provoke him like that?¡±


    ¡°He was here to make a point, one way or another. Best if it¡¯s on someone who can take his lumps.¡±


    Jason turned his gaze to the door.


    ¡°I gather that he¡¯s the son of whoever holds your loan? Someone not above interfering so he can use that loan to snake this whole place out from under you?¡±


    Bellory nodded, bowing her head in shame, resting a gentle hand on Jason¡¯s arm.


    ¡°I pulled you into my troubles,¡± she said, her voice filled with self-recrimination.


    ¡°I¡¯ve pulled myself into worse, believe me. It¡¯s kind of my thing. But you should tell me who that bloke¡¯s father is.¡±


    She looked up sharply.


    ¡°Don¡¯t get your adventurer friends to go after him,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for revenge. I know that will just bring trouble down on you.¡±


    ¡°You could have taken those guys apart, couldn¡¯t you?¡± Kellance asked as he gave Jason an assessing up-and-down look.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m only passing through, and anything I did today, you¡¯d pay for tomorrow. But I need to know who I¡¯m dealing with, so I can at least stay out of their way until I¡¯m gone.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Kellance said. ¡°That was Emresh Vohl. His father, Urman Vohl, is a major figure in the entertainment district.¡±


    ¡°Crime lord?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Kellance said. ¡°The city administration doesn¡¯t let crime bosses grow too strong without slapping them down. Vohl is legitimate in his actual business interests, even if the way he conducts them is criminal. So long as he doesn¡¯t trample on the interests of anyone who can match or exceed his influence, he can run his legitimate interests in a less-than-legitimate way.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty much what I guessed,¡± Jason said, then sighed as he looked at the cooling food in the pan. ¡°So much for breakfast. I should go.¡±


    ¡°I feel bad just letting you leave after that,¡± Bellory said. ¡°But you¡¯re probably right.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure you¡¯re alright after all that damage?¡± Kellance asked.


    Bellory reached out to Jason¡¯s face again, running a delicate thumb over the scar on his chin. Her thoughts went to his other scars, revealed to her the night before.


    ¡°He is,¡± she said. ¡°He¡¯s not just a cook.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Kellance said. ¡°I¡¯m getting that impression.¡±


    He looked at Jason¡¯s blood on the floor.


    ¡°I¡¯ll go get a mop.¡±


    Jason smiled after Kellance left.


    ¡°Tell him to keep the mop outside for an hour or so,¡± Jason said. ¡°My blood will dissolve and leave the worst stench you¡¯ve ever smelled behind.¡±


    ¡°We get a lot of scarlet-comb beetles here.¡±


    ¡°Beetles?¡±


    ¡°I kill lesser monsters with my broom a couple of times a month. I know to air it until the rainbow smoke clears. Your body is that magical?¡±


    ¡°You tell me,¡± he said, prompting a snort of derision she failed to stop from becoming a laugh as she dropped her hand.


    ¡°John,¡± she said, ¡°if I went looking into that tattoo on your back, would I learn who you are?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said softly. ¡°I¡¯m not hiding anything you can¡¯t figure out if you try. I¡¯m hoping you won¡¯t, though. I like the idea of living in your memory as a mysterious stranger who passed through one day.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you think you¡¯re worth remembering?¡± she teased.


    ¡°I don¡¯t imagine you forgetting someone with that many magic hands.¡±


    She gave him a beaming smile, but with a hint of sadness in her eyes.


    ¡°How many lies did you tell me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Two. But not telling lies isn¡¯t the same thing as telling the truth. I¡¯ve hidden a lot from you.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need your life¡¯s story. Your name was one of the two lies, wasn¡¯t it?¡±


    He nodded.


    ¡°And the other one was about only having four talents.¡±


    ¡°I only have four that I like.¡±


    He leaned in for a lingering kiss that felt like goodbye.


    ***


    Jason wandered down the street, letting his feet guide him as he explored the city.


    ¡°Shade,¡± he said. ¡°Estella will be looking into local power brokers as part of her work, right?¡±


    ¡°She already is, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Do me a favour and have her take a closer look at Urman Vohl, will you? As much detail as she can get without alerting them to her interest.¡±


    ¡°I shall let her know, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°How do you think she snores if she doesn¡¯t have her body control techniques completely down? Something to do with half-learned methodology?¡±


    ¡°I never told you that she snored, Mr Asano. That would be an invasion of privacy.¡±


    ¡°Maybe she has a secret familiar and that snores.¡±


    ¡°I do not think she has a secret familiar.¡±


    ¡°Like a gerbil. A gerbil that snores like a lumberjack choking on a peach pit.¡±


    ¡°What relevance would a person¡¯s profession have on the sound they make while choking?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. ¡°It feels like a lumberjack would snore worse than a ballet dancer, though. Am I subconsciously conforming to gender norms or am I just thinking about the difference in diet? Diet¡¯s a factor in snoring, right?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Could you find out?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason stopped and stared accusingly at his shadow.


    ¡°Will you find out?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Asano.¡±

 Chapter 639: The Point of Sacrifice

    On Earth, the Asano Clan had a deficit of silver rankers. Taika had been amongst the first trained in Farrah''s training methods that did not use monster cores, placing him in the first wave of non-core essence users. The monster waves and proto-spaces were both outstanding places to grind out experience, working alongside the network, before the factions started fragmenting and his association with Jason became a problem.


    Once magic came out into the open, Taika had moved his family; first to Asano village, and then to Jason¡¯s spirit realm in France. He had already blazed into bronze rank by that time and continued pushing towards silver. The revelation that the US and Chinese had cracked non-core training long ago and had hidden their elites from the rest of the world only pushed him harder, especially with Jason¡¯s departure.


    Advancement slowed down once Jason stabilised the Earth''s dimensional barrier and left. This brought an end to both proto-spaces and monster waves, and instead causing ordinary magical manifestations. This meant that monsters could randomly appear anywhere, along with essences, awakening stones and quintessence. They had none of the concentrated numbers of a monster wave or proto-space, however, and were considerably weaker in most zones. Only a handful of places had sufficiently high magic to produce genuine threats.


    Opportunities to use combat for advancement became more scarce. That changed when Taika was drawn through the anomaly into Pallimustus, but not in an entirely welcome manner. Suddenly the level of everyone around him, bar his fellow Earth refugees, was higher than ever before. After reuniting with Jason his training stepped up, guided once more by Farrah, as well as Rufus. Humphrey also made a helpful guide.


    Taika¡¯s power set fell under the same broad category as Humphrey¡¯s. They were both high-mobility brawlers, even sharing similar essence combinations. Not only did they both have the might and swift essences, but also confluence essences of magical flying creatures. For Taika, it was garuda, with Dragon for Humphrey. They even had abilities that were alike, such as conjuring wings, and both possessed the potent survival power called Immortality.


    Taika¡¯s biggest issue was finding appropriate challenges. With all his friends and allies at silver rank, he¡¯d been stuck in Rimaros taking what bronze-rank contracts he could. Given the team and multi-team approach favoured in the Storm Kingdom, as a teamless bronze-ranker, Taika regularly found himself sidelined and stuck as a guard or a lookout.


    It was only late in the monster surge that it started to change. As Jason rose to prominence, suddenly Taika found himself getting contract after contract that seemed custom-made to give his advancement the push it needed. Combined with the training from Rufus and Farrah, Taika pushed himself achingly close to silver while Jason was variously unconscious or healing after his latest insane feat.


    By the time the monster surge ended. Taika was on the very cusp of silver, but had not quite made it. As the convoy made its way south, Taika was on the lookout for opportunities to get over that line, finally becoming an asset that Jason''s team could make use of.


    During the convoy''s first night in the city of Yaresh, Taika found himself alone on the roof deck, laying back in a lounge chair. In the cheap camping grounds on the city outskirts, there was little to look at, aside from enclosing rainforest and other large vehicles, no few of which belonged to other adventuring teams. That left the stars above as the only appreciable vista.


    Rufus made his way up the stairs, taking a lounge chair next to Taika, but not laying back. Instead, he sat on the edge, looking at Taika.


    ¡°Humphrey¡¯s a pretty good adventurer,¡± Rufus mused, as if the thought had just struck him. ¡°He¡¯s dedicated. Like me, he has that human advantage of his essence abilities advancing a little faster than most. Not much good at low ranks, but it really starts to shine at silver. But he made silver rank in good time.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Taika said, unsure of what Rufus was leading up to but knew it was something.


    ¡°Jason and Humphrey reached bronze rank close enough to simultaneously as to not matter,¡± Rufus continued. ¡°And as I said, Humphrey made silver in good time. Jason beat him by about a year and hit the wall fast. He¡¯s been sitting there ever since, waiting for the rest of us to catch up, which most of us have, more or less. The ridiculous duration of the monster surge helped, especially given how much of it Jason spent laying around healing up.¡±


    ¡°Jason did a lot of fighting back on Earth,¡± Taika said. ¡°A proto-space or a monster wave is like monster surge concentrate. That¡¯s even without a ghoul army, hundreds of thousands of zombies or whatever weird stuff he went through in those transformation zones.¡±


    ¡°So Farrah has told me. At length. Adventurers manage their risk, but that wasn¡¯t an option for him, from what I can tell.¡±


    Taika sat up, turning so that he was also sitting sideways to his lounger, now face to face with Rufus.


    ¡°I know all this, bro. What¡¯s your point?¡±


    ¡°At this point, Jason has probably faced more exotic and deadly combat situations, than anyone of his rank that I¡¯ve ever heard of. I don¡¯t think anyone with less than a half-dozen years of experience has come that close to death so many times without falling off. Not even Jason himself.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m still waiting on that point.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re all chasing him, now, and it¡¯s not just about rank. He¡¯s run a gauntlet and come through it hurt. He¡¯s with us now, but not completely, because we haven¡¯t seen what he has. None of us but Farrah.¡±


    ¡°She seems pretty strong.¡±


    "She seems that way, yes. But she''s not here, is she? Jason is dramatic, and the way he handles damage is too. Farrah''s quiet about her wounds, but they run deep and are hidden well. She needs time, but only limited guidance, at least according to my mother. As you said, she''s strong. But Jason needs coddling, or he might break. Have you noticed how he''s withdrawn? How he spends more and more time with the higher rankers?"


    "The ones who''ve been around enough to see the kind extreme situations that he has,¡± Taika realised.


    ¡°Exactly. So we¡¯re all chasing Jason, not just in powers, but in experience. I know it¡¯s been rough, being bronze when everyone around you is silver. That feeling is the reason that Farrah, Gary and I left Vitesse. But you¡¯re just about ready to cross that threshold into silver now, and I want you to be ready for the change.¡±


    ¡°The change?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll be able to fight with us, but that feeling of trying to catch up won¡¯t go away. The power difference won¡¯t be so great, and you¡¯ll reach the advancement wall before any of us have put much of a dent in it. Instead, you¡¯ll be chasing something more ephemeral: a sense that you¡¯re just as ready to face what¡¯s out there as the people around you.¡±


    Rufus smiled, but his eyes were staring at the floor without really seeing anything.


    ¡°The pursuit never ends,¡± he continued, ¡°even when the thing we¡¯re chasing is imaginary. You chase us, and we chase Jason. I can¡¯t even imagine what Jason is chasing. But we never feel ready, not really. Not unless we¡¯re willing to stop moving forward.¡±


    ¡°What if I do want to stop?¡± Taika asked. ¡°I never wanted to come here, and I want to get back to my family.¡±


    Rufus nodded.


    ¡°Perhaps you¡¯re closer to catching Jason than the rest of us,¡± he said. ¡°He never asked to come here either, and found himself scrambling for power to survive. He has talent, and so do you, but it was desperation and challenge that let him grow so strong so fast.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think I can come back from the dead, bro.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an outworlder,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You¡¯ve done it once. But don¡¯t worry about that. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and you¡¯ll get where you¡¯re going eventually. The next step is silver rank, which is why I wanted to have this talk.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯ll cross over here in Yaresh?¡±


    ¡°I do. The magic here is lower, and the Storm Kingdom¡¯s ways aren¡¯t as prevalent here. High-end bronze and low-end silver monsters are the bread and butter contracts here. It¡¯s perfect for someone looking to cross the line. Go hard while we¡¯re here. We want you standing beside us when we wind up fighting the messengers.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ you said I might be closer to Jason than the rest of you, but I don¡¯t want to be the next Jason. I like him, bro, I really do, but he¡¯s damaged. Even when I first met him there was something about him. I saw him let it out once, not long after we met. I saw him cow a room full of the hardest, cruellest people I¡¯ve ever met, just by not hiding what he was underneath. He didn¡¯t show me, though, and I sometimes wonder if I wish he had.


    He shook his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen his family look at him and be afraid,¡± he continued, ¡°and I¡¯m not sure they were wrong. I don¡¯t want power or to be important. Not if it leads to my family looking at me like that. Yes, they were sorry when he was gone, but he was gone. It¡¯s easier to be sorry when they aren¡¯t right in front of you.¡±


    Taika let out a sigh.


    ¡°I¡¯ll stand by Jason to the end,¡± he said. ¡°He¡¯s more than earned it. But I don¡¯t want to make the sacrifices he made.¡±


    Rufus grinned.


    ¡°That¡¯s good,¡± he said. ¡°The point of sacrifice is that others don¡¯t have to make it. You seem to have figured out that you don¡¯t have to walk the path life puts you on. It took me a lot of failure and loss to realise that. I guess you¡¯re wiser than I am.¡±


    ¡°So, what now?¡± Taika asked.


    "Well, you can step off the path, but you have to find the right spot. Otherwise, you''ll end up in the weeds, and some of those weeds are prickly."


    ¡°Bro, if I hear one more metaphor I¡¯m going to stab you in the eye.¡±


    Rufus chuckled.


    ¡°I¡¯m saying get to silver. We¡¯ll find your way home, but you have to live long enough to see it.¡±


    ***


    The revelation of a sprawling underground beneath the city was an enticing lure for Jason. He was shoulder to shoulder with young elves dressed in garish colours, some kind of punk trend, as they shuffled through tunnels where cheap plaster sealed the walls and ceiling between the roots of the trees above. The floor was hard-pack dirt, pressed almost to a stony firmness by countless feet. Cheap glow stones were embedded in the walls, some flickering, others fading and some missing altogether, pry marks around the indentations left behind.


    The tunnel sloped down sharply and drunken young people slipped regularly, stirring confrontation as they tumbled into the people ahead of them. Eventually, the tunnel led out into a large subterranean chamber that looked to be one of several connected together. The walls and roof were made from sturdier brickwork, although patches of plaster with root systems poking through were still present. Brickwork columns supported the ceiling, placed regularly through the chamber.


    Four of the columns marked out a square in the middle of the chamber, the sides of the square being metal cage walls. People were crowding around the walls, cheering and jeering at people fighting inside. Amongst the crowd, it was easier to watch the fight with his magical senses than with his eyes, and he quickly took stock. The combatants were bronze rank but wearing suppression collars, fighting it out with only their enhanced attributes.


    Jason was using the crowd to practise extending his senses without a commensurate extension of his aura, which was still a task he was only beginning to learn. As such, he could only just sense similar spectacles in other chambers, all of which seemed to have bronze or silver-rank combatants.


    There seemed to be some order to the proceedings that the locals knew, while the non-elves like himself seemed lost and confused. Jason didn¡¯t rush and used his aura senses, along with his ears to try and make sense of the madness. The first thing he found was a bar, where he discovered that cheap elven hooch had a sickly sweet nature that he was completely on board with.


    From there he started getting a sense of the fights, how they were bet on and how they were organised. Eventually, he realised that hapless outsiders were regularly recruited into fights, relying on bravado and drunkenness to lure in the punters. The fighters were amateurs, for the most part, judging by their skill and the auras he sensed once the fights were over and the collars came off. It was in the deeper chambers where he found the real fighters.


    The deeper chambers were less crowded courtesy of a need to pay for entry. They were also better organised, with an audience that was both older and more conservatively dressed. The security staff could have passed for fighters themselves in the other chambers, where the standards were lower, but not here. Jason could tell that the people in these cages were trained, experienced or both, and he guessed many of them were adventurers. There was even assigned seating, where the other areas had been standing room only. Jason discovered that most of the audience here did not come in with the rabble as Jason had, and had some manner of exclusive entry.


    Jason froze, startled as he sensed something extremely unusual: an aura belonging to a species called the valash, who were not native to Pallimustus. Jason had only seen them when humans had been turned into them by transformation zones on Earth. He had needed Shade to give name to them.


    They were a comical-looking species to human sensibilities, with skinny bodies and Chihuahua-like heads. Jason sensed the valash navigating the crowd in his direction, wondering if he had somehow seen through Jason¡¯s aura mask. What truly startled Jason about the valash wasn¡¯t his species, but something that made sense, given he should not have been present in this world. The valash was an outworlder.

 Chapter 640: What You Want Instead of What You Need

    Jason had accessed the restricted section of the fighting dens with a payment that was outlandish to the rebellious youths packed shoulder to shoulder in the main area, but negligible to any mildly successful adventurer. The restricted area was the largest of the subterranean chambers, with four cages surrounded by chairs. It was less crowded than the open areas, due to the exclusivity, while still being relatively packed.


    The clientele weren¡¯t any kind of city elite, based on what Jason could tell from their clothes, auras and the general presence of thugs. He suspected this was a place where the mid-to-high level members of the local underworld congregated. Jason made his way slowly and carefully, even using some of his aura tricks for moving through a crowd, although he was careful about that as well. He didn¡¯t notice anyone that would be able to sense his manipulations, but that didn¡¯t mean they weren¡¯t present and just better at hiding themselves than he was.


    Jason¡¯s attention was drawn to a valash, which was a skinny sapient species not native to Pallimustus. The man was not just lean but downright skinny, with a stature even shorter than Jason¡¯s and a chihuahua-like head. He wore a pristine white suit, not in the local style but more fitted. Compared to the flowing, tapered lines of local elf fashion, this would have been more at home in a Miami nightclub in the eighties.


    The valash slipped through the crowd with practised ease. He was obviously familiar with the environment and making the most of his small stature. Despite being diminutive, he was not pushed and shoved, or disrespected by the people around him. His silver-rank aura meant more than shoulders the size of a park bench, especially as it had no signs of core use. Arriving in front of Jason, he looked him up and down.


    ¡°How do, new meat? Did the burly fellows at the entrance tell you the rules, or just take your money and usher you through?¡±


    Jason was surprised on hearing the smooth, deep voice that came from the tiny man, suddenly imagining him and Taika in a body swap movie.


    ¡°They didn¡¯t tell me anything but the price of entry,¡± Jason said. ¡°Which makes me wonder if they were negligent or if you¡¯re trying to lure me into a game that isn¡¯t real.¡±


    ¡°Disappointed as I am that you''re not the ever-pleasant conglomeration of money and stupidity, I''m afraid you really do have some issues you''ll need to work through.¡±


    ¡°I already have a mental health professional for that.¡±


    ¡°Not that kind of issues,¡± the valash held out a hand for Jason to shake.


    ¡°I''m Zolit. Zolit Kreen.¡±


    ¡°John Miller,¡± Jason said, shaking the man¡¯s hand. ¡°How did you pick me out as a first-timer?¡±


    ¡°There''s only so many silver-rank auras floating around in here,¡± Zolit explained, ¡°and I know all the others. Plus, they don''t come in through the public entrance, especially without an entourage.¡±


    ¡°I should have people with me?¡±


    ¡°I told you about those rules, right? Rule one is that if you¡¯re new, you either put up a fighter or you fight yourself.¡±


    Zolit looked him up and down.


    ¡°Human, core user, but your body language tells me that you aren¡¯t some wilting leaf. You know where the boot goes if it comes to it. Adventurer auxiliary?¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Sharp eye. I¡¯m the cook for a team passing through the city. They want in on the messenger fight.¡±


    ¡°Them and every other team in this town. You know where glory leads? A glorious death.¡±


    ¡°I know that better than most,¡± Jason told him with complete sincerity.


    ¡°So, a cook huh?¡± Zolit asked.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°Cooking, grocery shopping. Knife skills.¡±


    Zolit grinned, Jason was surprised at how easy it was to read expressions on the small man, despite his unusual appearance. He suspected that Zolit was very good at showing exactly what he intended, especially given the tight rein he had on his aura. Jason wouldn''t be able to read the man''s emotions without pushing hard enough that someone would notice.


    ¡°You don''t have anyone with you, do you, Cook? That means you either need to get out fast or get in a cage. You''ll need a fight organiser for that.¡±


    ¡°Which you just happen to be?¡±


    ¡°One of life¡¯s funny little coincidences,¡± Zolit said with another grin.


    ¡°And what if I say no?¡±


    ¡°One way or another, you fight. Do you think you can carve your way out past everyone here, with those knife skills you mentioned?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason lied.


    ¡°Then you need to secure a slot in the fight slate. Single-round elimination, matched by rank and collared so no one gets killed.¡±


    ¡°Do I get paid if I win?¡±


    ¡°You get a slice of the betting take, so you want to put on a good show. Silvers can take a lot of punishment and no one wants to watch two of them slapping each other pointlessly for an hour. But something tells me you''ve got something ferocious inside, even without your knives. To be clear, you can''t take your knives.¡±


    ¡°Don''t worry so much about winning. Some proper adventurers fight here; mostly locals but some outsiders looking to make extra cash. You manage to make a decent showing against one of them and you can make some good money, even on the losing end.¡±


    ¡°So, how does it work?¡±


    ¡°Sixteen fighters, four rounds, single-round elimination. You fight until you lose. Come with me and I¡¯ll get you set up.¡±


    ***


    Jason was in a chamber underneath the cages. It was a changing room with a shower made of partly tiled-over brick. It also served as a waiting room for the fights above, with stairs leading up to a sliding panel that went directly into a cage. The only other exit was a heavy sliding door, also made of brick, opened and closed by a touch crystal on the wall.


    With Jason and Zolit was an elf that worked for him. She was a silver-rank core user with plain, dark brown clothes and a big duffel bag.


    ¡°This is Bennie,¡± Zolit introduced.


    ¡°Benella,¡± she corrected with an annoyed shake of her head.


    ¡°Bennie will help you find your look since you don''t want to fight in your regular clothes,¡± Zolit said. ¡°Unless you want to end the night dressed in bloody rags, although maybe that¡¯s a look you want to go for. The savage brute who lives only to fight can be a good angle, especially for a walk-in like you. I¡¯m not sure you have the size to sell it, though.¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s try something else,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Alright, then,¡± Zolit said. ¡°Bennie?¡±


    Jason was given a variety of options, pulled from Benella¡¯s duffel. Her offering ranged from gi-style outfits to things closer to regular athletic wear, as well as combat robes and flashy lucha-libre style costumes, complete with masks. There were far more clothes than would fit in a non-dimensional bag, which made Jason wonder why it was so big. He guessed that making it that large was less expensive, as opposed to the extravagant dimensional coat that Emir possessed.


    Jason went for shorts and a top made from clingy, slick fabric that would resist being grabbed. The result made him look like a professional bicyclist. As he was changing, he did not miss the looks shared by Benella and Zolit when they saw his scars, but he kept the soul crest on his back out of their sightline.


    ¡°Okay,¡± Zolit said after he changed. ¡°We¡¯re going to head back upstairs and watch how you do. Just wait until that panel opens and head up through. You can figure out what to do from there.¡±


    ¡°What are the rules of the fight?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You¡¯ll get stopped before anyone dies,¡± Zolit told him.


    ¡°The crowd usually doesn¡¯t like eye-gougers unless things get desperate,¡± Benella added. ¡°They have no problem with a little brutality, though. They want to see a fight.¡±


    ¡°Or a lot of brutality,¡± Zolit said. ¡°Once the fight is done, the panel will open back up so you can come back down. Or get carried down, depending on how it goes. You can¡¯t have familiars up there, by the way; the magic in the cage will sense them. If you have any, leave them behind in here until you come back.¡±


    Zolit and Benella made their way to the large stone door that slid open or closed with a touch crystal set into the wall.


    ¡°Zolit,¡± Jason called out.


    ¡°Yeah?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t like it when people run around asking questions they shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Is that so?¡± Zolit asked lightly.


    ¡°It inclines a man to start asking questions of his own.¡±


    Zolit laughed, touching his face.


    ¡°You wouldn¡¯t be the first to wonder what I am, Cook.¡±


    ¡°I know what a valash is, Zolit. My questions would be significantly more pointed.¡±


    Zolit¡¯s face went blank as Benella looked between the two men with curiosity. Zolit left, Benella in tow, the door closing behind him.


    ¡°A cook, my narrow ass,¡± he muttered.


    ***


    For Jason, it was refreshing to practise his unarmed techniques against someone other than Sophie, who regularly disassembled him without hesitation or mercy. His first opponent was clearly a cage fight veteran, given his theatrically aggressive tactics and use of the space. The cage walls, as it turned out, were barbed chain links. As the other fighter slammed Jason into it, his flesh was gouged as the opponent pushed him along it.


    Jason¡¯s slick, flexible clothes didn¡¯t rip, their frictionless surface helping him out as it slid across the razors, only his exposed arms and legs being slashed. For Jason¡¯s part, he played possum at the start, feeling out his enemy. He made the most of his silver-rank resilience to tease out his opponent¡¯s weaknesses, which quickly became evident.


    From the way the man fought, Jason guessed he was more cage experience than trained technique. Of the two, the experience was the better to have, but he also had weaknesses that Jason was able to exploit. After taking the time to feel out his opponent and let the bets stack up against him, Jason began his counterattack.


    The critical strength of Jason¡¯s fighting style, The Way of the Reaper, was the versatility that allowed it to be adapted to different circumstances and different approaches. Sophie used it in a domineering fashion, relentless hammering on an enemy¡¯s weak point. Jason took a very different approach, employing deception and baiting his opponents into exposing themselves to counterattack.


    Soaking damage, Jason set up rope-a-dope counterattacks that inflicted damage that would have crippled an iron ranker and debilitated a bronze. Baiting his enemy into an overreaching lunge, Jason stomped hard on the side of his knee. If he was going to take down a silver ranker, it would take that level of damage over and over, which he proceeded to do.


    It slowly dawned on Jason¡¯s opponent that his hits were landing less and less often, and not hitting as hard when they did. Jason was no longer letting himself get rammed into the cage, and the aggressive assaults were exposing opportunities for Jason to counter with brutal strikes to knees, elbows or bell-ringing head strikes.


    The audience watched as the initially aggressive cage fighter became more and more cautious, as if he were fighting a trap golem instead of a man. He didn¡¯t realise that he was instinctively backing off as Jason walked slowly across the cage until he heard the jeers of the crowd.


    Knowing he needed to turn the momentum back in his favour, the fighter resumed his aggressive attacks but, by this point, Jason had his measure. Experience had taken the man a long way, but his range of attacks was limited and Jason had read them all. That was not to say that it was completely one-sided as the man certainly landed hits, but they weren''t hard or repeated enough to take down a silver ranker. Jason''s counters, by contrast, involved bending wrists, knees and elbows in directions they weren¡¯t meant to, and hammering other joints to slow down the opponent.


    Jason had to admire the man''s tenacity to keep attacking, but by the culmination of the fight, it was like watching someone charge into an industrial wheat thresher over and over, coming out more broken and bloody each time. Finally, it became a one-sided beatdown of a man broken in body but not in spirit, refusing to surrender. As he demolished the man, blood painting his forearms, Jason absently thought back to a time his actions would have filled him with horror.


    ¡°Yield,¡± Jason said coldly, getting only a snarl in return. He repeated the offer before he broke each limb, at which point the fight was called in Jason¡¯s favour. The floor panel opened and he glanced at the other three cages before descending. He had been ignoring the familiar presence in one of them, even though it meant he had no chance of winning overall. The Nightingale¡¯s grace, speed, beauty and expertise put every fighter to shame.


    Jason shook his head and descended to where his familiars were waiting for him. He stopped in front of Shade, blood dripping from his hands.


    ¡°Am I broken?¡± he asked, more curious than fearful.


    ¡°Everyone is broken, Mr Asano, and anyone in that cage has chosen to be there. Life is about working around the damage. You don¡¯t have the luxury of showing mercy to those who choose pride over wellbeing.¡±


    ¡°But I want to be the guy that does. I like mercy.¡±


    ¡°There is a reason I called it a luxury, Mr Asano. If you do what you want instead of what you need to, it all goes wrong.¡±

 Chapter 641: Settling Differences With a Nice Chat

    The brick locker room under the fighting cages was small, which made sense as there were two for each of the four cages. They weren¡¯t much different from domestic bathrooms in size and layout. Jason emerged from the shower having washed off the blood, of both himself and his opponent. His regenerative abilities had already healed his injuries, the biggest factor being Colin.


    Jason''s clingy cyclist-style outfit was surprisingly resilient and hadn''t ripped, so after washing it off in the shower as well he yanked it back on, ignoring the wetness of it. He didn''t bother with crystal wash for himself or his clothes as they would soon be bloodied again. Just as he was awkwardly yanking the wet top into place with sharp tugs, the door opened to admit the chihuahua-headed outworlder Zolit.


    ¡°Not bad, Cook,¡± Zolit told him as he strode inside. ¡°The bookmakers let people keep betting into the start of the fight because there are always those chumps who think they can read how it goes from the opening moves.


    ¡°Does that mean I get a bigger slice?¡± Jason asked not bothering to look at the skinny man in the white suit.


    ¡°Sure does. Of course, being your first fight, there¡¯s only so much going around.¡±


    Jason turned to stare at the little man.


    "Hey, I''m not responsible for the betting, and the later rounds are where the real money is. Everyone is paying attention to this Nightingale girl, and that''s where all the money is going. Even putting aside what she looks like, which is just¡­ wow, she''s really good. I mean, no offence to your respectable skills, but she is just plain better than you. You get a lot of travelling adventurers trying their hand in the cages, and most don''t do that great. In a box, with no powers, it''s a different fight. But this girl knows her way around a cage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m well aware of her competencies.¡±


    ¡°You know her?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a cook for an adventuring team. She¡¯s on that team.¡±


    ¡°No kidding. Think she¡¯ll go easy on you if you get matched up?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    ¡°Good thing you weren¡¯t matched up until the final round, then. You¡¯re up against some adventurer next, but people saw you both fight and the odds are pretty even. Maybe take a few hits early so the bookies can roll up some chumps? Keep up the turnaround fights if you want to fatten up your piece of the pudding. I know that means taking an extra beating and I was even bringing you a potion to kick that healing into action. You don¡¯t appear to be having any problems in that regard, though.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it about time you left so I can get in the right headspace?¡±


    ¡°Okay, I¡¯ll go. I think you¡¯ve got this next fight but try and make it look like a struggle. It¡¯ll help shift the betting odds for the fight after, and that¡¯s where you¡¯ll make your money.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t respond and Zolit left. The small man was concerning to Jason in that his aura showed nothing but what Jason would expect from a mid-tier underworld fight promoter. Since he was an outworlder like Jason, it was more strange for him to be ordinary than not, especially given his unusual appearance. Jason¡¯s Eurasian features didn¡¯t match any of the human ethnic groups he¡¯d encountered on Pallimustus, but there were enough variations that he didn¡¯t especially stand out. The little chihuahua-faced man would have had much more trouble blending in.


    The upcoming fight was not playing on Jason¡¯s mind. Win or lose, it was just an experience for him. More pressing was the question of what to do about Zolit. While it wasn¡¯t a rule that outworlders had to get involved in exceptional events, it was his understanding that it was almost always the case.


    There had been another outworlder in Rimaros when Jason arrived, but they had never gotten to meet. From what he discovered, she had become embroiled in a conflict between some lesser elemental gods and had left the city early in the monster surge in an attempt to broker peace. The monster surge was bad enough without a holy war involving powerful elemental forces.


    She had apparently achieved results, as some of the priests in question had been on hand to help shield coastal communities from the backlash of the Builder¡¯s flying city crashing into the sea and causing a tsunami. The outworlder herself had not returned and Jason hoped to meet her in the future.


    Compared to that, Zolit was a more curious proposition. On one hand, Jason wanted to reveal his full identity and learn all about the man¡¯s experiences. On the other, he seemed a relatively ordinary and not wildly trustworthy person. His instincts told him not to break cover, as flimsy as his false identity was. There was a big difference between a mysterious stranger who quickly moved on and hanging out his secrets for the world to see.


    Jason pushed the small man out of his mind, shifting his concentration to the fight ahead. Zolit could wait, although Jason wondered if he was letting the other man make the choice for him. The emotions he read in the man¡¯s aura held disproportionately more curiosity than caution.


    ***


    Zolit returned to his reserved seating, mildly annoyed at its location. The four cages were placed in a square, with seating around and in between them. He was on the opposite side from the fight everyone wanted to watch, anticipating the Nightingale again making absolute brutality seem graceful. Instead, he was stuck watching the cook with his strange scars and air of mystery.


    Plonking down next to Benella, Zolit sat with a sullen expression as the panels in the cage floor opened to admit the fighters. It went about as Zolit had predicted, with the adventurer¡¯s inexperience operating without his powers showing in his messed-up rhythm.


    The cook fought a little differently, to Zolit¡¯s mild surprise, although the start was quite similar. The opponent was aggressive but lacked the same mastery of the cage that the cook¡¯s previous opponent had. This new one had more skill, but failed to make use of the confined space and sharp boundaries of the cage.


    Rather than unveil a countering strategy that slowly increased the wariness of his opponent, the turn in the fight came suddenly. After feeling out his opponent for a while, the cook started aggressively leaping on every mistake his opponent made. Those pacing issues became glaring weaknesses as the cook used each one to launch not just attacks but entire attack sequences. Caught on the back foot, the opponent was pounded repeatedly, which was the kind of hammering it took to deal with a silver-ranker.


    Zolit observed as the cook¡¯s style went through subtle changes throughout the fight, shifting his approach to keep his opponent off-balance, every time the adventurer started adapting to the cook. He started to wonder if the cook had started playing possum long before Zolit suggested it.


    As the fight continued, Zolit was joined by an unexpected guest. Claiming the seat next to his was a prestigious figure of the underground fight scene, a priest of the Warrior called Kraysch. The priest was an elf, who were naturally slender as a people, but like Neil and Lucian Lamprey, Kraysch was unusually bulky for his kind. He was tall but not towering, broad-shouldered but not hulking. His loose clothes, the standard informal outfit of his church, looked similar to martial arts training gear.


    ¡°What brings you by, honoured priest?¡± Zolit asked, straightening his posture.


    ¡°My god is very happy with this place, Mr Kreen. Battle is rarely fair, so places like this, which are as close to fair as you are likely to find, fall under his favour.¡±


    ¡°We are blessed,¡± Zolit said, his tone almost a question as he tried to figure out what the priest wanted.


    ¡°Being under my god¡¯s favour means that he doesn¡¯t like things disrupting it.¡±


    ¡°Apologies, honoured priest, but I am not a man of political mindset. I¡¯m not sure what you¡¯re getting at.¡±


    Kraysch sighed.


    ¡°There is a certain kind of story,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve heard some variation. It¡¯s about a man whose true skill in life is killing, so he kills and he kills and he kills until all that he is, is a killer. Until all that he has is killing. So he gives it up, in search of something else. Anything else. He becomes an unremarkable man doing an unremarkable job.¡±


    The priest gave Zolit a smile that didn¡¯t reach his eyes.


    "Of course," Kraysch, "he''s not really an unremarkable man, and he gets remarked upon. Someone notices something and starts digging deeper. And stories being stories, the man gets dragged into something he shouldn''t, and is forced to resume all the killing he tried to leave behind. Are you familiar with this kind of story?"


    ¡°I am, Priest Kraysch.¡±


    ¡°And are you a smart man or a wise man, Mr Kreen?¡±


    ¡°I aspire to each of them, honoured priest, but fear I fall short of both.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps you would be open to some spiritual guidance.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°When an ostensibly unremarkable man, with an unremarkable job ¨C say, a cook for instance ¨C tells you that he doesn¡¯t like questions, you have a smart path and a wise path. The smart path is to ignore him and learn all you can, as there are dangerous secrets lurking about. The wise path is to let go of your curiosity and leave it be.¡±


    ¡°The Church of the Warrior is interested in the cook?¡±


    Kraysch bowed his head, saddened.


    ¡°Curiosity it is, then.¡±


    Kraysch stood up just as the cook''s opponent fell down, too beaten and exhausted to continue. Zolit stood as well.


    ¡°Priest Kraysch, I wouldn¡¯t want to do anything that would frustrate your deity.¡±


    ¡°I have already told you of my god¡¯s feelings. But since you have already asked the question, then no. The only interest the Church of the Warrior has in your fighter is not getting involved with him. Faith does not always need to be smart, Mr Kreen, but it should be wise whenever possible.¡±


    The priest walked away leaving a confused Zolit behind. The hitherto silent Benella, Zolit¡¯s aide, only spoke once he was gone.


    ¡°Do you believe him? That the church isn¡¯t involved with your cage-fighting cook?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s likely he¡¯s telling the truth, if only because I¡¯m not important enough to lie to. But it¡¯s not just that. I think he came to me like this because the church isn¡¯t involved and doesn¡¯t want to be.¡±


    ¡°You think the cook is some secret super-warrior? That he¡¯s hiding his real skills?¡±


    ¡°No. I think the danger is if he starts using his powers.¡±


    ¡°You think he would start using his powers and go on a rampage here?¡±


    ¡°How would I know? I met the guy, what? An hour ago? And I''m already starting to hate this guy. If you want people to think you''re a cook, maybe don''t join a fighting tournament and flash your scars you stupid¡­"


    Zorit let out a little growl, and Benella successfully hid her reaction to the tiny-dog adorableness of it.


    ¡°What are you going to do?¡± she asked. ¡°This fighter is starting to sound like trouble.¡±


    ¡°Starting? A church full of combat fanatics doesn¡¯t want him making a mess at an underground fighting area. Something like that isn¡¯t the way trouble starts, Bennie. That¡¯s how trouble ends.¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll ask again: what will you do?¡±


    ¡°Did you notice what Kraysch said about the cook not liking questions? That was something he said in the prep room, which has a privacy screen. A good one.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡±


    ¡°His god has blessed this whole place. Warrior probably directed his priest to come over here and talk to me. I do not want gods paying attention to me, for a variety of reasons. I¡¯ve already got a bad feeling that the cook is better at reading me than he should be. And if this guy is a big enough deal that gods are moving, I¡¯m moving out of the way. I¡¯m going to take the advice of my fine local clergyman and not ask any questions. I¡¯m going to pay the cook what he earns and send him on his way, in the hope that he takes the money and leaves. If someone else wants to make trouble that¡¯s their problem; I just want to avoid anyone blaming me for it, be it the top fight organisers or Warrior, the god of not settling differences with a nice chat.¡±

 Chapter 642: The Sex Magic Thing

    Jason¡¯s second opponent in the underground cage fights had been capable enough, but suffered from a critical flaw in his fighting techniques. This was due to an absence of the essence abilities he normally had access to, and Jason completely sympathised. Combat styles interacted with essence powers on a spectrum, with one end having the fighting style as the skeleton, with the essence powers building off of it. This was Sophie¡¯s end of the scale, and such adventurers fared the best when deprived of their powers.


    At the other end of the scale was Jason, whose essence abilities were the fulcrum of his combat style. He had developed his martial arts specifically to work around his powers, rather than his powers working around them. When deprived of his essence abilities, such as in the cage fights he was undertaking, he was forced to heavily adapt his normal style.


    Jason had the good fortune to have enjoyed Rufus as a teacher and Sophie as a sparring partner, which meant he had the practise adapting his style. Rufus, as a magic swordsman, fell in the middle of the spectrum, where skill and powers both needed to be mastered in order to thrive.


    Rufus had been adamant about preparing for the worst-case scenarios, such as being forced to fight while power-suppressed. Given that Jason had met Rufus in that exact situation, he understood why Rufus had been so emphatic about it.


    The opponent clearly fell on Jason''s end of the spectrum, but without his training at the hands of Rufus. He also lacked the time sparring with Sophie, who relished hammering every gap in Jason¡¯s techniques caused by the absence of his powers. After feeling out his opponent, Jason dished out the same treatment. When he was done he looked over at where Sophie had already finished her opponent and was watching him from her own cage.


    ¡°Took you long enough,¡± she called out to him.


    ¡°I¡¯m a lover, not a fighter,¡± he called back.


    ¡°And how¡¯s that working out?¡±


    ¡°Well, I¡¯m fighting so¡­ not great.¡±


    Sophie let out a laugh that startled Jason with how free she seemed. Although she was using the Nightingale name again, as she had in the fighting pits of Greenstone, she was a world away from the prickly creature he remembered. He flashed her a grin and then walked down the stairs revealed by the opening floor panel, into the changing room below.


    ***


    ¡°You really do know the Nightingale, don¡¯t you?¡± Zolit asked.


    ¡°I already told you that,¡± Jason said as he emerged from the shower with a towel around his waist, using a second towel to dry his hair. Zolit ignored his nakedness, but his aide did not, her eyes wandering over Jason¡¯s scarred torso. The lean, sculpted muscle was unremarkable for a silver ranker, but the permanent marring of his flesh was not.


    ¡°My eyes are up here, lady,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking at your eyes.¡±


    ¡°Bennie,¡± Zolit hissed sharply and she sullenly stalked off.


    ¡°You seem worried, Zolit,¡± Jason said. More than his body language, there was a change in Zolit¡¯s aura since their last encounter. Someone or something had put a proper scare in the little man.


    ¡°I¡¯m just nervous about your next match,¡± Zolit lied. ¡°Two rounds is enough to make sure no one is left standing through luck.¡±


    Jason¡¯s ability to read the complex emotions of people through their auras had rapidly grown over the years. On Earth especially, where most people had little to no power to shield it, he had learned to dig through the nuances of what their auras revealed. Jason had a feeling that Zolit had some inkling of either Jason¡¯s real identity or had become aware of how dangerous learning it could be.


    Underneath that surface concern, though, was a deeper worry. He was repressing it well, leaving Jason with no sense of what it was, but there was a fear that any trouble coming from Jason would bring it to light. Odds were that it was just some criminal activity making Zolit nervous; the cage fights were literally underground, but not against the law. If there was something shadier going on as a side business, that would explain the small man¡¯s wariness.


    Zolit left and Jason¡¯s familiars re-emerged, Jason¡¯s gaze lingering on the door that had closed behind the fight promoter.


    ¡°Do you think Mr Kreen is related to our real purpose here?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s worth checking, but probably not.¡±


    ¡°An outworlder might be more aware of how dangerous the messengers could be than the people native to this world,¡± Shade suggested. ¡°Such knowledge could make them more amenable to being an agent for the messengers, should they come calling.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s good enough for me. Have Stella look into him, but have her focus on the aide more than him. What did you make of her aura?¡±


    ¡°It seemed easy enough to read,¡± Shade said. ¡°You noticed something suspicious?¡±


    ¡°The thirsty vibes she was giving me seemed a little performative. I haven¡¯t been paying that much attention, focused as I¡¯ve been on Zolit, but that may be the point.¡±


    ¡°You think she is masking her aura and using Zolit as a distraction, so no one looks too closely at the ordinary elf standing behind him?"


    ¡°Anyone with halfway decent aura senses will mark him as an outworlder, and that draws attention. It certainly drew mine. But I think whatever spooked Zolit may have worried her a little and she overcompensated. I¡¯m not saying that means she¡¯s what we¡¯re looking for, but she seems a better candidate than Zolit. I think that guy really is just an outworlder who found his calling as a small-time crook.¡±


    ¡°Do you want me to surveil her?¡±


    ¡°Let¡¯s hold off on that for now. If she is masking her aura, then she''s very good at it. And if she''s that good with her aura, she might spot you. Let¡¯s give Estella time to do some professional spying before we make any more moves.¡±


    ¡°Are you implying that I¡¯m an amateur, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m saying that I¡¯m an amateur and you¡¯re stuck with me.¡±


    "Very astute, Mr Asano. Self-awareness is the path to enlightenment."


    ¡°You are terrible at giving compliments, you know that?¡±


    ¡°I work with what I have.¡±


    Above them, the panel at the top of the stairs slid open.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Jason said, looking up. ¡°Time to go beat up a girl.¡±


    ***


    Jason groaned as he moved to get up, only to have a foot on his torso shove him back to the floor.


    ¡°You know,¡± he croaked, ¡°I could probably keep this up for a while. I¡¯m in a lot of pain, it¡¯s true, but being in pain is kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a masochist, are you?¡± the woman looming over him asked. She was an unusually tall elf, muscular, like Neil, but she wore it a lot better, at least in Jason¡¯s opinion. Proportionally she was similar to other elves he¡¯d seen but fifteen percent larger, like looking at her through a zoom lens.


    ¡°I prefer to think of myself as open to new experiences, but looking back I can see how¨C¡±


    Jason yanked on the leg pressing into him as his hand pushed the back of her knee. His body spun like a top and flipped away from her in a display of acrobatics only available to silver rankers or people bitten by radioactive spiders. His opponent was already moving, a foot catching him in the gut as he landed on his feet.


    Jason let the momentum carry him, softening the blow as he started a one-handed backflip but then shoved himself into the air. She had predicted the backflip with her follow-up lunging kick that hit nothing but air. She threw out a punch as Jason pivoted in the air, twisting to catch her in the chest with a kick. It did no damage, having been launched from the air with no leverage, but it shoved her away long enough for him to land.


    Jason held up his hands.


    ¡°Can we just pause for a moment to appreciate how awesome this fight is?¡±


    He failed to block her straight punch to the face and he reeled back.


    ¡°No,¡± she said and kept coming.


    The level of the training and experience his opponent possessed was thoroughly imprinted on Jason as the fight continued, lasting well past Sophie''s match. In most cases, a drawn-out match was not enjoyed by the crowds, but this fight had the audience fully engaged. The elf''s relentless, efficient attacks clashed with Jason''s shifting styles and tricky counterattacks. There were wild acrobatics and frenetic exchanges of strikes, punctuated by lulls as they felt each other out. Jason attempted distracting banter in such moments, usually followed by his receiving a sharp blow to the head.


    Jason had trained to adapt his skills for when he didn¡¯t have his powers, but the results were not flawless. Slowly but surely, the elf picked him apart, the way Jason had done with his previous opponent. It was just a much longer and more even affair where Jason landed more than a few brutal attacks of his own.


    Both combatants were heavily pummelled, but Jason¡¯s stamina was the first to give out. Even so, he desperately clung on, used to fighting on the ragged edge. He even managed to surprise his opponent, who had managed to break apart every trick and tactic Jason had thrown out and baited her into.


    Back to the wall and giddy from a merciless pounding, Jason¡¯s not entirely lucid mind put him into fight or flight, drawing on old experiences. The cage fight didn¡¯t have much in the way of rules, but he had still been treating it as a sport, albeit a brutal one. The savagery that came from Jason entering survival mode startled the elf.


    Taken aback, a fist to her face included a knuckle to the eye. Jason yanked her arm straight and twisted it before bringing his elbow down on hers, bending it the wrong way. Jason almost turned the fight around through raw aggression before she countered. His onslaught was vicious but also sloppy, both from the mindless approach and his still-exhausted body. Even so, he didn''t stop until she hammered his body so badly it would no longer move. She stood over him, staggering, blood dripping from her mouth and fists.


    ***


    The door to the change room opened, admitting not Zolit but Sophie. Jason was already healed, largely due to the recuperative powers provided by Colin. He was still painted red, however, having not yet taken to the shower.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe you cheered for the other person,¡± he groaned.


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± she said innocently.


    ¡°I heard you yelling ¡®kick him in the bits, random lady!¡¯¡±


    ¡°That could have been anyone.¡±


    "Uh-huh."


    ¡°She was pretty okay, I¡¯ll admit. It took me a lot less time to handle her than for her to handle you, but still, not bad.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s how it is?¡±


    ¡°You couldn¡¯t even make it to the final round.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you want to go find a mirage chamber and see how that goes?¡±


    ¡°Absolutely.¡±


    "Ugh, I forgot I was talking to someone who kicked me in the face the moment we met."


    ¡°I could have kicked you in the face again today if you hadn¡¯t lost to a girl.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a girl.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m a woman.¡±


    ¡°So was she, believe me.¡±


    Sophie narrowed her eyes.


    ¡°How is the sex magic thing going?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s mostly been me getting the crap kicked out of me.¡±


    ¡°That wasn¡¯t the first time?¡±


    ¡°It was not.¡±


    ¡°How about the other thing? Stumbled across anything yet?¡±


    ¡°I might have something. My promoter¡¯s aide tweaked my spider-sense.¡±


    ¡°Your what?¡±


    ¡°Never mind. Estella will look into it.¡±


    ¡°Then you¡¯re free to come drown your sorrows. All the arena big-nobs are throwing a party for the fighters who managed to avoid embarrassing themselves.¡±


    ¡°And that includes me?¡±


    ¡°No. You kept getting punched in the face midway through a pathetic banter attempt. But I can get you into the party.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by pathetic?¡±


    I apologise for the lack of notice, but I was very busy and quite sick, so I just plain forgot.

 Chapter 643: The Power and the Control

    Jason had yet to enter any of the towering glass and metal structures he had seen from a distance while approaching the city. This would soon change as the clientele of the underground arena departed, Jason amongst them. As he had speculated on finding the VIP area, there was a private entrance aside from the tunnels he had shuffled in through himself, shoulder to shoulder with the crowd. Rather than just a less crowded set of stairs, the private exit was an underground tram station.


    Two lines connected the arena chambers to the city¡¯s underground tram network. As Jason let Zolit guide him, the fight promoter answered Jason¡¯s questions about the tramway. Jason listened closely, careful not to give his aide, Benella, any undue attention. The entertainment district was the most outlying section of the tram network, which mostly serviced the affluent inner districts. The lines out to the entertainment district were restricted to at least the semi-elite, so they didn¡¯t have to mix with the rabble. Jason¡¯s silver-rank adventurer badge, even being an auxiliary one, was enough to get him aboard.


    The ride had Jason reminiscing about the submerged subway in Greenstone, which was more impressive than the dark tunnels of the tramway. By leveraging the property of the region¡¯s unique magic stone, Greenstone¡¯s city founders had created a fascinating train made up of submarines. Absently, he wondered how long it would be until he saw it again.


    The station they eventually arrived at was disappointingly similar to a subway station on Earth, with plain white tiles covering the walls. The main difference was that the station was cleaner than what he would have expected on Earth.


    ¡°Private station, for the building above us,¡± Zolit explained to Jason. ¡°It¡¯s the biggest hotel in the region; lots of mercantile river barons.¡±


    They stepped onto an elevating platform, crammed in with other lesser lights of the underground fighting scene. Sophie was nowhere to be seen, having been taken on one of the earlier tram rides that were less crowded. Zolit¡¯s aide begged off for the night, leaving him and Jason to ride the platform together. It moved swiftly up through the building until it arrived at a floor that appeared to be a private club.


    It was not as raucous as a nightclub but more vibrant than a country club. There was a small section where a slew of attractive young people were dancing. They were generally low rank and in clothes that were fashionable but not expensive, akin to what he had seen in the entertainment district. The people watching them from the mezzanine floor above were dressed in more expensive and conservative attire, and the way they looked at the dancers reminded Jason of people eyeing a buffet.


    Masking the distaste in his aura, Jason panned his gaze slowly around the room, taking it all in. There was a double-wide spiral staircase leading up, next to the elevating platforms at the centre of the room. Music that was an odd mix of classical and old-school electronica to Jason¡¯s ears came from oversized recording crystals floating in the air. They served double-duty, also shedding the light that illuminated the room.


    Columns, booths and tables made the room an obstacle course, which patrons traversed to reach the four bars, each placed against one of the four walls. The room was a perfect square, with walls made entirely of glass. The four bars were situated such that the walls behind the bartender offered panoramic views from the tall building, obscured by various colourful bottles. Jason intended to investigate them shortly.


    Before that, he made his way over to the south wall to take in the view, Zolit trailing behind. It was Jason¡¯s first real look at the heart of the city, having only seen the dark metal towers and glass ziggurats from afar. It turned out the club was in one of the ziggurats, with Jason¡¯s floor being the lowest level of the cube sitting atop the building.


    Just to the south of the building, a wide river flowed east to west. The river docks were lit up, operating through the night, but the river also had more decorative stretches. Many sections had trees lining the banks, with multicoloured lights painting them with rainbows. Jason couldn¡¯t help but wonder about the value of riverfront property left undeveloped for the sake of aesthetics, but could not deny his appreciation of it. The outer reaches of the city, visible from the height of the building he was in, only showed sporadic lighting. The inner districts, however, were lit up like an Earth metropolis.


    ¡°I have to say, Zolit, you¡¯ve found a pretty nice place to call home.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Zolit said, moving to stand next to Jason as they both looked out over the city. ¡°We endured the monster surge better than most, but this mess upriver¡­¡±


    ¡°The messengers,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Right now it¡¯s only the adventurers getting worked up,¡± Zolit said. ¡°The Adventure Society is talking about war, but it hasn¡¯t affected the rest of the city quite yet. If anything, people are scrambling for lucrative contracts to supply the conflict.¡±


    ¡°People ignore disaster in the face of profit,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen it in my homeland.¡±


    Zolit opened his mouth to ask where that was, then restrained himself.


    ¡°I think the government and the Adventure Society are trying to shield the populace,¡± he said instead. ¡°People aren¡¯t ready for another conflict when they aren¡¯t done recovering from the last.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what the Adventure Society is for, right?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Protecting people?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what they say,¡± Zolit scoffed. ¡°You know the society controls all the suppression collars we use in the arena?¡±


    ¡°They are regulated magic,¡± Jason pointed out.


    ¡°Regulated my bony rump,¡± Zolit said. ¡°I could find someone to sell you an unregistered suppression collar without leaving this room.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t argue. The person Zolit found could even have been Jason himself, having accumulated his own notable collection of suppression collars over the years.


    ¡°The Adventure Society makes a big show of bringing in auditors to make sure none of the collars have gone missing, as if the arena was where they all leak from. What they really want is to remind everyone who has the power and the control.¡±


    ¡°I thought power and control were the Church of Dominion¡¯s, er¡­ dominion.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see them speaking up. The Adventure Society has been telling everyone what to do for years now. Surge readiness, then the surge, then the Builder and now these guys with wings? There¡¯s always a new reason they get to tell everyone what to do. The society has been encroaching more and more, and I¡¯ve never even met a priest of Dominion.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re better off,¡± Jason said. ¡°Their boss is annoying.¡±


    ¡°Boss?¡± Zolit asked before stopping himself. Jason felt him forcibly staunch the curiosity he could feel in the small man¡¯s aura. The small man couldn¡¯t entirely help himself, though, for all the good it did him. The penetrating look he gave Jason was spoiled by his big chihuahua eyes.


    ¡°If a man was looking to stay out of trouble, he¡¯d move along nice and quick,¡± Zolit said. ¡°If he stays in a place like this, it could be the man is just telling himself he wants to stay out of trouble when what he really wants is to find it. However much damage it does.¡±


    Jason glanced at Zolit and chuckled.


    ¡°Someone put the wind right up you, didn¡¯t they mate? I¡¯ve got no problems with you, Zolit. But I¡¯m not the danger you should be watching out for.¡±


    ¡°And what should I be watching out for?¡±


    ¡°Best you don¡¯t watch out at all, lest you draw its attention. If you are what you seem, then the safest move for you is to stick to your normal routine. Just avoid any uncertainty as much as you can.¡±


    ¡°Avoiding uncertainty is my normal routine. But normal is in short supply these days.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t it just?¡± Jason agreed with a chuckle. He then turned his gaze from the window to the bar. ¡°I think I might get myself a drink.¡±


    ¡°Stick to the bar down here or one floor up,¡± Zolit said. ¡°Higher than that is for the big-timers, not the likes of us. Maybe your Nightingale friend can get you up there. They like winners, and they love big-time adventurers, and she¡¯s both. She¡¯ll be enjoying a sickening amount of adoration right now. The top end of this club is still the bottom end of high society, and important adventurers are famous for opening doors.¡±


    Jason could feel Zolit¡¯s frustration, which was causing him to prod at Jason, even knowing that anything he learned was trouble. Jason mercifully left the man behind and made his way to the bar, flashing the elven bartender a smile.


    ¡°What¡¯ll it be?¡± she asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the local beverages very well. Something colourful and sweet?¡±


    ¡°What rank, and how fancy do you want to go?¡±


    ¡°Silver,¡± he said, ¡°and as fancy as it¡¯ll go.¡±


    ¡°You should go one floor up,¡± she said. ¡°That¡¯s where they keep the stuff the people down here can¡¯t afford.¡±


    ¡°Good to know, thank you,¡± he said, getting back off his stool as he flashed another smile. ¡°Shame, though. What I¡¯ve seen down here seems quite enticing.¡±


    Jason made his way to the stairs, following them up to another level. The only overt difference from the floor below was the additional bouncers in front of the stairs leading further up, as well as at the elevating platforms. None of the bouncers were elves, and instead were mostly imposing leonids, plus one of the rarely-seen draconians.


    Jason headed for one of the bars and his eyes landed on the bartender, who looked identical to the one below. Peeking closer with his aura he sensed they were definitely different people, but with a subtle bond between them.


    ¡°Oh no,¡± he muttered as he wandered over. The bartender came to serve him.


    ¡°You have a familiar face,¡± he told her.


    ¡°You met my sister downstairs? She¡¯s Isabelle, and I¡¯m Mirelle. But everyone calls me Elle.¡±


    ¡°There aren¡¯t eight of you, are there?¡±


    ¡°Just twins, sorry. Disappointed?¡±


    ¡°On the contrary; I¡¯ve been having trouble keeping up.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not quite sure what that means,¡± she said, narrowing her eyes as she looked him up and down. He noticed her gaze paused on the scars on his face, as well as the larger one at the base of his throat


    ¡°Adventurer?¡±


    ¡°Sort of.¡±


    ¡°Sort of?¡±


    ¡°I cook for adventurers. There¡¯s still stabbing, but it¡¯s safer.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t look like someone who avoids danger. You came in with the cage arena crowd?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a fighter?¡±


    ¡°No one told me the rule about needing a flunkey to fight for you. I fought, but I¡¯m not sure that makes me a fighter.  A fighter would end up with sore fists instead of a sore head.¡±


    ¡°Get dropped in the first round?¡±


    ¡°Third.¡±


    ¡°At silver rank? That¡¯s suspiciously good for someone who got pushed into a cage for not knowing the first rule.¡±


    ¡°I had it on good authority that the first rule was to not talk about fight club. I don¡¯t suppose you have something for a sore head?¡±


    ¡°Not a problem,¡± she said. ¡°Everything I¡¯ve got back here will give you a sore head.¡±


    He snorted a laugh.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to have a rough morning. Alright, set me up with something colourful, sweet and expensive.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that kind of establishment, fighter boy,¡± she said with a cheeky smile. He flashed her a grin.


    ¡°I¡¯m just looking for drinks; I¡¯ll make my own arrangements for the other thing.¡±


    ¡°Good to know,¡± said a handsome man with midnight black skin and colourful beads woven through his hair. He slid onto the stool next to Jason. ¡°Are you going to be monopolising this lovely young woman all night?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s up to her,¡± Jason said, holding his hand out for the other man to shake. ¡°John Miller, nice to meet you.¡±


    ¡°Emir Bahadir.¡±


    ¡°I think someone like you belongs on the higher floors, Mr Bahadir.¡±


    ¡°I was looking for my friend Jason. We were meant to meet in a couple of weeks, but then I heard he was running off to hunt a species of  dangerous and aggressive birds.¡±


    ¡°I have it on good authority that he won¡¯t be available until the end of next week. Maybe you should take that time to visit other old friends.¡±


    Emir stood up, sliding a gold spirit coin onto the bar that only lasted a moment before vanishing into the barkeeper¡¯s hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m confident that John here can more than cover his own drinks,¡± Emir told her, ¡°but it¡¯s always nice to give a gift when making new friends. I¡¯ll see you again, John.¡±


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°You know who that was, right?¡± Mirabelle asked once Emir was gone.


    ¡°He did just tell me his name. Emil something?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s Emir Bahadir. The treasure hunter. You know him, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°In another life. Since he went ahead and paid you, let¡¯s go ahead and rack up some drinks.¡±


    Mirelle gave him another assessing look.


    ¡°Colourful, sweet and expensive, was it?¡± she asked.


    ¡°It was indeed. I¡¯ll trust your judgement.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you probably shouldn¡¯t do that,¡± she said as she turned around to pull one colourful bottle after another from the shelves behind her.


    ¡°You know, a lot of the out-of-towners like that awful, throat-burning stuff,¡± she said. ¡°I like amber as much as the next girl, but who needs a hundred varieties of throat fire?¡±


    ¡°I have always enjoyed elven liquor, ever since I first discovered it,¡± Jason told her. ¡°A sweet rainbow of drunkenness for me, thank you.¡±


    ¡°I can arrange that. A lot of the fighters like to one-up each other with the nastiest drinks anyone will sell them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had to drink quite enough bitterness in my time, thank you.¡±


    Jason watched as she poured out a row of expensive drinks. The kind of specialised ingredients that went into high-rank liquor, at least anything that was more drink than boat polish, cost the kind of money that regular people used to renovate their homes. High-end spirit coins were not used for ordinary transactions. They were used to buy things like buildings and skyships, or the kind of indulgences that powerful adventurers enjoyed.


    ¡°I¡¯m making what we call a rainbow wave,¡± Mirelle told him. ¡°There are countless variations, based on price and availability, but the idea is for each drink to be enhanced by the one that came before it. A good rainbow wave is how you tell the difference between a real bartender and someone just handing you drinks for money.¡±


    ¡°Well, you certainly ain¡¯t that,¡± a voice slurred from a few seats along the bar. ¡°I¡¯ve been waiting for you to serve me, but you just keep talking to rich pricks.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not the only bartender,¡± Mirelle said, gesturing at the other staff. ¡°In fact, I watched you wave one of them off. Also, you seem to have had quite enough.¡±


    ¡°I want to be served by you. I like pretty girls.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you want them to like you back,¡± she told him, ¡°I suggest spending less on drinks and more on soap.¡±


    A snarl crossed the man¡¯s face until a massive hand covered in dark green scales arrived on his shoulder. It belonged to a massive bouncer who was all the more intimidating for being a draconian. Jason had only seen a few of them before, but they were tall and well built, with swept-back faces and tiny scales instead of skin.


    ¡°There are three kinds of people in this club,¡± the draconian said with a deep hissing voice. ¡°Those important enough that they can be obnoxious and those that aren¡¯t. You¡¯re coming with me.¡±


    ¡°Is the third kind the ones who aren¡¯t obnoxious at all?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It is,¡± Mirelle said.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s not me. I think I¡¯ll have these drinks and then get thrown out. Will you put in a good word for me?¡±


    ¡°Drink up and we¡¯ll see,¡± she said as she went to serve another patron.


    As Mirelle moved away, a tall elf claimed the barstool to Jason¡¯s left. Jason looked over and then up at the woman who had beaten him in the third round. Unlike Neil, whose bulk shifted his proportions from the elven norm, this woman looked like a normal elf but scaled up.


    ¡°This yours?¡± she asked, nodding at the yet-untouched row of drinks.


    ¡°It is,¡± Jason said. ¡°You like a rainbow wave?¡±


    ¡°Gods, no,¡± she said, then nodded at Mirelle who was coming back. ¡°Give me a hursketh claw.¡±


    Jason watched as Mirelle mixed a drink that smelled like aviation fuel.


    ¡°I¡¯m Avale,¡± the large elf introduced herself.


    ¡°John Miller.¡±


    ¡°You fight well, John Miller.¡±


    ¡°You fight better.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I came and found you,¡± she said. ¡°I like drinking with good fighters, but I also like being the best.¡±


    ¡°Then this might not be your night,¡± Jason said, leaning forward to look past her. ¡°Hello, Sophie.¡±


    Avale turned to watch Sophie slide onto the barstool on her left.


    ¡°Damn it.¡±

 Chapter 644: Distant Power

    Within the relatively confined area of a city, swift travel was a simple matter for Jason. Being able to shadow jump respectable distances through Shade¡¯s bodies meant that Jason could deploy his familiar around the city and jump to those locations, sight unseen. Because of this ability, Jason had never gone the long way to the camping grounds just inside the city wall where merchants, adventuring teams and other travellers left their sizeable vehicles. In his brief visits to his team, he would slip in and out using a Shade body.


    In the kitchen of Jason¡¯s hover yacht, he emerged from a Shade body to find Taika and Gary assembling a hillock of slices and pastries.


    ¡°That is not the basis for a healthy breakfast,¡± he scolded.


    ¡°Bro, it has to be this way. Rufus threatened to cook again, and you were off making whoopee with twins. Congratulations on that, by the way.¡±


    Jason scowled and flung out his arm in an angry gesture. The floor opened up and Sophie passed up through it on a moving section of floor. She had a confused expression and a magically-enhanced dumbbell in one hand.


    ¡°Firstly,¡± Jason said, ¡°it wasn¡¯t twins. It was one woman who happens to have a twin. Her twin was not involved.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry bro. You must be disappointed.¡±


    "That I didn''t lure sisters into sharing a sexual encounter with one another?" Jason asked. "That''s not okay."


    ¡°Oh,¡± Taika said, his brow creasing in thought. ¡°It¡¯s kind of creepy when you think about it like that.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s extremely creepy when you think about it like that,¡± Jason said before wheeling on Sophie. ¡°What are you telling people?¡±


    ¡°What makes you think it was me?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Because you were there.¡±


    ¡°So was Emir.¡±


    "We all have our flaws," Jason said. "I imagine that Emir''s makes for a fascinating list that does not include a lack of gentlemanly decorum."


    ¡°What¡¯s he even doing Yaresh?¡± Neil asked, walking in with a dumbbell in his hand. ¡°And why did Sophie just pass through my cabin?¡±


    ¡°Why weren¡¯t you wearing a shirt?¡± Sophie asked him.


    ¡°Because I was in my cabin. You dropped this, by the way.¡±


    He tossed the dumbbell lightly through the air and Sophie staggered as she caught it. Unusually for a healer, one of Neil¡¯s elf abilities had evolved to give him strength akin to Gary.


    "I think if we''re going to discuss Emir''s presence, we should include him in the conversation," Humphrey suggested as he also entered the kitchen. Being Jason''s kitchen, it had plenty of room to accommodate the increasing population. "Also, Jason, what''s this I hear about you making sisters do inappropriate things to one another?"


    Jason turned a flat glare on Sophie.


    ***


    The camping grounds where Jason¡¯s cloud vessel was parked had a panoply of other vehicles occupying space. The magical vehicles varied widely in size, design and colour, with the result looking like a wizard shantytown.


    Jason hadn¡¯t reconfigured the cloud vessel to a cloud palace form, despite the stationary nature of the team¡¯s current activities. It had a much larger footprint in that form, and he felt it would be obnoxious to take up even more of a space already crowded with vehicles. They already stood out enough with the hybrid cloud vehicle, although it was far from the only exotic means of transport on display. Jason especially admired an artificial beetle even larger than his own vehicle.


    Emir did not share Jason¡¯s compunction about overt ostentation. His massive cloud palace required a large enough space that it had to go hard up against the city wall, some way from Jason¡¯s vehicle.


    While Jason¡¯s cloud vessel had gone through extreme changes since Greenstone, Emir¡¯s was almost exactly as Jason remembered it. The only differences were minor ones, mostly around the base where it rested on land instead of sea. Emir''s palace was larger than Jason''s, even when it was on full display.


    Emir¡¯s preferred design was five grandiose towers, topped by shimmering domes and connected by bridges. It made no attempt to hide its nature, and the cloud material it was made from flaunted brilliant sunset colours.


    "I guess I don''t need to ask where he parked," Jason said as he and Humphrey walked down a ramp from Jason''s vessel. Emir''s palace loomed over everything else in the grounds, even obscuring the wall behind it. They looked at the maze of vehicles between them and Emir¡¯s palace, then up.


    ¡°Fly?¡± Humphrey suggested.


    ¡°Fly,¡± Jason agreed.


    Humphrey conjured his dragon wings, air surging as they launched him into the air.


    ¡°I shouldn¡¯t pull out the cloak,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let¡¯s just do a flight suit.¡±


    ¡°Are you certain, Mr Asano?¡± Shade asked from Jason¡¯s shadow, his voice tinged with concern. Since leaving Earth behind Shade had not taken a single form based on the vehicles there, even when it was more convenient. Jason had never asked him to, either.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said, not entirely convincingly, but darkness swirled from his shadow to surround him in a hover suit. Jason immediately thought back to his niece flying around over the water, giggling like a fool.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason repeated and took to the air, quickly catching Humphrey¡¯s slow progress. They weren¡¯t the only ones eschewing ground travel through the grounds and everyone was moving at respectful speeds.


    ¡°What is that thing?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s something they make on Earth to let people fly without magic,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°That works without magic?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Shade does the magic version,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s a lot more convenient and a lot less loud.¡±


    They passed over the grounds before arriving at the massive double doors to Emir¡¯s front tower, their flight aids disappearing as they landed. The doors opened up to reveal Emir standing behind them in a cavernous atrium.


    ¡°Hello boys,¡± he said with a grin. ¡°Come on in.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Has Arabelle spoken to you about Callum?¡± Jason asked Emir as they rode up an elevating platform.


    ¡°She¡¯s kept me apprised,¡± Emir said. ¡°I never realised he was already deeply involved when I invited him to join me in Greenstone. He¡¯s always kept so much hidden, even when we were at our closest. You¡¯re still deciding whether to give him access to Miss Wexler¡¯s mother?¡±


    ¡°Yes, although that comes down to what Sophie wants and Arabelle thinks is best. It¡¯s for them to decide, not me.¡±


    Emir nodded.


    ¡°I know that story. You get a cloud flask and start accumulating people, but you have to realise that your roof doesn¡¯t always mean your rules.¡±


    "He needed help to finally figure that out," a melodious voice said as the platform arrived at the top of the tower. Under the translucent dome was Emir''s sprawling office of mutable cloud furniture, subtly shaped to draw the eye to a massive desk at the back. Sitting behind it was Emir''s chief of staff and now wife, Constance.


    Emir and Constance had been moving around each other for years, but the power imbalance had sat between them like a wall. Not only was Emir her employer, but also gold rank to her silver. Over the years she had become more and more indispensable to Emir¡¯s operations, more partner than employee. Her ascension to gold rank had signalled the final boundary between them falling away and they married during Jason¡¯s time on Earth. She got up and moved across the room to meet them, looking contrite in front of Humphrey.


    ¡°I owe you and Sophie an apology, Master Geller. I genuinely believed that Callum was trying to protect you, not act on an agenda of his own.¡±


    Constance had been training with Callum to finally reach gold rank, returning just as Sophie and Humphrey discovered that Sophie¡¯s mother was still alive. Callum had let their best lead get away, ostensibly to shield them from dangers they were too low-rank to confront.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason told her solemnly. ¡°I hope you learned your lesson that teenagers are always right and you should let them do whatever they want.¡±


    Emir snorted a laugh as Constance shook her head and Humphrey gave Jason a flat look.


    ¡°Sophie is your age,¡± he pointed out.


    Jason frowned, looking Humphrey up and down.


    ¡°That¡¯s a good point,¡± Jason said. ¡°She¡¯s bit of a cradle-snatcher, isn¡¯t she?¡±


    Constance gave Humphrey an amused smile.


    ¡°If it makes you feel any better,¡± she said, ¡°the difference between Emir and myself is more than the full age of either of you.¡±


    Jason and Humphrey both turned to give Emir disapproving looks.


    "Oh, come on," he said. "I knew her for twelve years before anything happened.¡±


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes, Jason?¡±


    ¡°Does your world recognise and condemn the concept of grooming?¡±


    ¡°Yes, it does,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Now, that¡¯s not fair,¡± Emir said jabbing a finger at them. ¡°She was an adult when we met.¡±


    "Uh-huh," Jason said.


    ¡°I¡¯m sure everything was fully completely legitimate,¡± Humphrey unconvincingly added.,


    Constance chuckled at Emir¡¯s scowl. He threw out an angry gesture and all the office¡¯s cloud furniture dissolved. It reconstituted around them as a series of comfortable chairs with a table in the middle. A hole opened up in the table and a drinks tray rose up, much as Sophie had done earlier in Jason¡¯s cloud vessel. They sat down around the table and Emir poured himself a glass of amber liquid as the others looked at him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s what I¡¯d go for this early in the morning,¡± Jason said.


    "The greatest joy of power," Emir told him, "is not having to conform to what anyone else wants from you."


    ¡°Put it away,¡± Constance told him.


    ¡°Yes, dear,¡± Emir said without missing a beat. The drinks tray, complete with Emir''s poured drink, descended back into the cloud table that reformed over it.


    ¡°I think we should put aside the issue of Callum for the moment,¡± Jason said. ¡°As I said earlier, that is the decision of people not currently with us.¡±


    ¡°Which leaves the question of what brought you here,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I didn¡¯t think you¡¯d be in the region for another week and a half.¡±


    ¡°Once we heard that you were going after messengers,¡± Emir said, ¡°we felt that it was best to see you immediately.¡±


    ¡°This is about the mysterious job you have for us?¡± Jason asked. ¡°is it related to the Order of the Reaper?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Emir said. ¡°That has taken on some complex and political elements that I am very wary of wading into. Especially until I figure out just how much trouble Callum¡¯s meddling has caused. For which reason, I would like access to both him and your prisoner, Melody Jain.¡±


    ¡°Again, that¡¯s up to Sophie and Arabelle,¡± Jason said. ¡°I won¡¯t help or hinder you in that regard. But Sophie remembers that you gave her shelter when she needed it most. At the very least, she¡¯ll be willing to hear you out.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t ask for more than that,¡± Emir said, which prompted a cough from Constance.


    ¡°Well, I won¡¯t ask for more than that,¡± he corrected. ¡°What I will ask you for is help with something new. You may recall that the scythe that you, Jason, ultimately brought to me, was the culmination of a years-long search that involved dozens of teams contracted to search remote reaches and fallen ruins the world over.¡±


    ¡°I do.¡±


    ¡°I have something similar in the works. A treasure hunt for something even more elusive and valuable, with no idea where in the world it is.¡±


    ¡°Or if it even exists,¡± Constance added.


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter whether it exists or not,¡± Emir said. ¡°It matters if we get paid to look for it.¡±


    ¡°That sounds ethical,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Being serious,¡± Constance said, ¡°if this thing is real, then it could change the course of history.¡±


    Jason went very still.


    ¡°No,¡± he said, his voice icy.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Emir said. ¡°You don¡¯t even¨C¡±


    ¡°I said no.¡±


    Jason leaned forward in his chair, rubbing his face in his hands and then staring at his feet. His aura retracted until even Emir could barely sense it. Constance, who had only been gold rank for a couple of years, couldn¡¯t detect his aura at all.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Emir said again. His voice reflected that he realised he¡¯d stepped on a landmine. "Arabelle gave me some indication of what you''ve been through. She didn''t give me specifics, but instructed that I was, under no circumstances, to put you in the middle of important events. And I¡¯m not. This is important, yes, but I¡¯m only looking to put you at the periphery. You and your team will just be one set of adventurers amongst many. It¡¯s how I operate. I hire teams of adventurers and send them out. It¡¯s an ordinary job.¡±


    Jason looked up at Emir, his eyes no longer masked by the magic coins Belinda gave him. It was the first time Emir had seen their true state, and though his senses didn''t pick up anything strange about them beyond their appearance, his instincts made him flinch. Jason''s expression was cold and his nebula-like eyes with their black sclera felt like a mercifully distant power in an unfathomable abyss. When he spoke, his voice was gravel being poured over a winter grave.


    ¡°An ordinary job?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°Tell me.¡±

 Chapter 645: Who You Truely Are

    Emir had known Jason before many of the tribulations that reshaped him from the soul out. Gods marking his soul, in the way overbearing deities would see as a reward. The Builder, using a star seed to try and force Jason into accepting slavery. The long, slow recovery from that, and his struggles against powerful political forces.


    Emir himself was responsible for placing Jason into situations he should not have been. It was Emir¡¯s search for the Order of the Reaper that ultimately sent Jason into the astral space where he died. Now Jason was back, not just from another world but from death itself. Despite having seen Jason¡¯s formative experiences, Emir had been startled by how different Jason was.


    At a glance, Jason was much the same; when they spoke over a water link connection, it was little different to the past. But water links did not transmit auras, and a brief conversation did not reveal that damage, waiting just a scratch beneath the surface. It was their brief encounter in the club that had started changing Emir''s perspective.


    Emir''s intention had been to have a little fun with Jason, who was clearly terrible at maintaining a cover identity. Flashing his scars and proving his skills in a cage fight was the opposite of how to sell himself as an unassuming cook. When he met Jason, however, he had been startled. The strength and clamp-tight control of Jason''s aura had meant that even Emir, a veteran gold ranker, could not see through him at all.


    Even so, Emir had not realised the degree to which he no longer understood the manic, plucky outworlder he had once known. Jason had always put on a good front of being unconcerned about the powerful people around him. The gold-rank Emir had always known, though, that Jason¡¯s feelings were consumed with worry over that power imbalance. Jason was always in a manic scramble to somehow level the odds, be it through nonsensical behaviour or bold, unexpected moves.


    From the way he strode through Emir¡¯s imposing cloud palace to his utter disregard for gold rankers, Emir could tell there was no fa?ade at play; Jason was genuinely unintimidated. It was sitting across from Jason, looking into eyes that spoke of power waiting in the void, when Emir truly realised he no longer knew the man in front of him. Jason¡¯s aura was politely restrained, yet an ominous feeling teased at Emir¡¯s senses. It was like knowing there was a predator hidden somewhere in the bushes, waiting for a moment of vulnerability in which to strike.


    ¡°Tell me,¡± Jason said in a voice of stone closing over a tomb. ¡°Tell me about the messengers, Emir. Tell me what you want.¡±


    Emir suddenly felt that telling Jason anything was a very bad idea. Arabelle had warned him, but Jason¡¯s reaction was much worse than he imagined. He glanced at Humphrey, whose face revealed nothing. He reached out with his senses to explore Humphrey¡¯s emotions only for a hard wall to spring up in his way.


    Jason''s face showed no change for having blocked Emir, who suspected that Humphrey hadn''t even noticed the high-level aura clash. Emir was startled that Jason was even capable of the feat. Blocking the senses of others in such a way was normally only taught to gold rankers. It wasn''t an especially difficult technique for someone of that rank, if they had the right skill foundations, but the power, confidence and precision with which Jason executed it was intimidating.


    "I''ve clearly approached this very wrong," Emir said. "We can do this another¨C"


    ¡°I said tell me,¡± Jason commanded. His voice was soft but with an inexorable force at its core.


    Emir pushed down his anger at being told what to do in his own house, knowing that it wouldn¡¯t be productive. He was not used to being the responsible one, which was Constance¡¯s job, but he was the older man and the higher-ranked one. He glanced at his wife, who nodded her approval. Emir then turned back to Jason who was watching him with those unsettling eyes.


    ¡°You¡¯re aware of the problems surrounding the church of Purity,¡± Emir told him. ¡°People all over the world are trying to figure out exactly when and why the original Purity was sanctioned by the other gods. The churches either haven¡¯t been told by their gods or are telling us they haven¡¯t. I do know the diamond-rank community has been looking into it.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a diamond-rank community?¡± Humphrey asked.


    "Diamond rankers are powerful," Emir said. "Their numbers are limited and things like distance and money are almost irrelevant as problems. They keep in contact with one another, most of them, and they barter in favours and rarities rather than money. I have more contact with them than most, but I¡¯ve only seen glimpses and don¡¯t know exactly how they operate. What I do know is that they¡¯ve been digging into what happened with Purity, and I know what they¡¯ve found.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t react, still watching Emir with a silent, unblinking stare. Emir waited only a brief moment for a reaction before giving up and continuing.


    ¡°They¡¯ve asked me to leverage the networks that I use for treasure hunting to seek something out. I¡¯m not the only person they deployed, not by any measure, but they want to cast as wide a net as they can without causing a commotion. For that reason, me and people like me aren¡¯t telling the adventurers we hire what they¡¯re looking for. When we get a lead, we give them the details we have and send them out without knowing what they¡¯re truly looking for, or why.¡±


    ¡°That seems dishonest,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Not to mention, inefficient. Adventurers deserve to go into any contract knowing everything they can.¡±


    "That''s true when hunting monsters," Emir said. "Hunting treasure is a different game, and what I''ve just described is standard. Ask any teams that specialise in treasure hunting and they''ll tell you the same."


    ¡°How do they know what to look for?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Emir told him. ¡°Even I don¡¯t know what to look for. I¡¯m just a middleman, passing on what clues I¡¯ve been given.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t sound reliable,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not oblivious to that fact,¡± Emir said with a chuckle. ¡°All we can do is throw as many trustworthy adventurers at this as we can. I¡¯m just asking for your team to be amongst them, and knowing more than the rest, at that. We''re not even talking about sending you somewhere. It''s just that if you happen to converge on a point of interest, I may ask you to make a slight detour to check something out. From time to time.¡±


    ¡°And now is one of those times,¡± Jason said, finally speaking. ¡°Because it involves the messengers, doesn¡¯t it?¡±


    "Yes," Emir admitted. "As I said, I''m not telling anyone what we''re after. But I''ve received permission to tell you."


    ¡°From whom?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Diamond rankers,¡± Jason answered, pre-empting Emir. ¡°Someone told Emir, here, that I have some business with the messengers. He wants me to see what I can find about his mysterious goal while I¡¯m at it.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emir said.


    Jason continued to look at him, blank-faced, but at least with Humphrey, Emir could see his words having an impact. Jason felt more like another gold ranker, and a hostile one at that.


    ¡°Even the diamond rank community doesn¡¯t have an answer for exactly what happened to the god of Purity,¡± Emir said. ¡°Not one they¡¯re telling me, anyway. But there is a belief that it was related to something. A device, a substance, a process; we don¡¯t know its nature. But whatever it is, it can achieve a goal as old as essence magic: cleansing the effect of monster cores.¡±


    Humphrey rocked back in his chair, eyes wide. Jason didn¡¯t move.


    "You think this is what the messengers are here for," Jason said, less question than statement.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Don¡¯t messengers look down on essence users as belonging to inferior species?¡±


    ¡°Power,¡± Jason said. ¡°Power and control. If you have a monopoly on turning core users into regular essence users, you¡¯re holding a hand down over the entire essence-using world.¡±


    ¡°You could have all the people who regret using cores become able to train like adventurers again,¡± Humphrey said in hushed tones.


    "That''s only the beginning," Emir said. "From an objective perspective, the difference between core and non-core users is negligible. But the idea of that difference being real is a cornerstone of society''s upper reaches. Something like that could throw the levers of power into disarray, and that''s assuming whoever controls this cleansing power is benign. If this power is real, the world will change, one way or another. The nature of that change will depend on where this power comes from, what is it and how it works. And, most importantly¨C¡±


    ¡°Who controls it,¡± Jason finished.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Emir said.


    "Jason," Constance said, speaking up for the first time since the discussion began. "We''re just looking for adventurers. Lots of adventurers, of which your team would be one of many. That is what Emir meant when he said you would be on the periphery. Resolving this is not your responsibility. We''re just looking for people we can trust."


    ¡°That might not be me,¡± Jason said. ¡°My judgement can be compromised when it comes to the dissemination of power. If I find something like that, I won¡¯t just obediently hand it over to whoever hired me. I¡¯ll do with it what I decide is best, and I haven¡¯t always been right about that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why it won¡¯t be you making that choice,¡± Humphrey told him. ¡°It will be us.¡±


    Jason turned to Humphrey, his expression finally softening.


    ¡°Are you making the call, team leader?¡±


    ¡°I am.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Alright then.¡±


    Jason got to his feet, Humphrey following suit.


    ¡°Always a pleasure,¡± Jason told Constance and Emir, but it was unconvincing since his tone still sounded like a threat. ¡°I¡¯ll see you again at the end of next week.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll show you out,¡± Constance said.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll portal directly.¡±


    ¡°You won¡¯t be able to portal out of the palace,¡± Emir said.


    Jason pulled the necklace holding his two amulets from under his shirt. One was his Amulet of the Dark Guardian, while the other was his shrunken cloud flask. Cloud stuff spilled out and formed a portal that filled with darkness that Jason stepped through. Emir watched the darkness vanish and the cloud stuff disperse, his eyebrows attempting to climb off the top of his head.


    ¡°How the fu¨C¡±


    ***


    Unsurprisingly, the city of Yaresh had no shortage of parks. They featured expanses of thick, soft grass, dotted with lush plants, and vibrant flowers. After getting riled up by Emir, and then angry at himself for getting riled up and treating his friend like crap, Jason found a park and started meditating to resettle himself. It also gave him a chance to rest after he tapped into his astral gate to punch a portal through Emir¡¯s cloud house defences. While his cloud flask absorbed most of the impact from tapping into that energy, even the little left over caused him to be shaken.


    Jason lost track of time as he allowed his mind to quiet into an empty peace. He had learned many meditation techniques but he ignored them for the moment, seeking only pure calm. When he opened his eyes, the sky was a gorgeous sunset orange. In equatorial Rimaros, the sunset had been like flipping a switch off. They were now far enough south that it was still quick, but offered fleeting moments of glory at the end of the day.


    Rather than leave in search of accommodation as the city passed into night, Jason closed his eyes again, returning to meditation. This time he practised a technique Amos had taught him, expanding his senses in such a way that didn¡¯t project his aura in an easily detectable way. It was the most difficult form of aura manipulation he had learned, representing a more advanced technique than anything else he knew.


    Learning the technique involved simultaneously concentrating his focus and a meditative relaxation of the mind, which left him feeling like he needed two heads. The spirit attribute enhanced the mind in certain ways, including improved multitasking, but this was pushing his silver-rank abilities to the limit.


    Much of the aura manipulation Amos was teaching Jason was normally reserved for gold rank. When those techniques relied heavily on raw power, Jason picked them up easily. When it was more about skill and he couldn¡¯t lean on his strength, it was much more of a struggle.  Even if he couldn¡¯t master the techniques through a limitation in his rank or just his aptitude, grasping just the fundamentals would be a massive boon once he ranked up.


    Jason slowly and carefully expanded his senses, making sure that his aura was undetectable to all but the most sensitive. In almost every adventuring scenario, acting so slowly would be fairly useless, but Jason continued to act with patience. Even if he didn¡¯t use what he was practising in the field for a decade, after he¡¯d ranked up, he knew he was building the foundations of something amazing.


    One of the things Amos had taught him was to pay more attention to the differentiation of his various senses. Most adventurers, Jason included, lumped their senses into two boxes: natural and magical. Neither of these was strictly correct, as even the ¡®natural¡¯ senses of sight, hearing, taste and touch were powerfully enhanced by magic.


    The physical senses were also increasingly refined with each rank, as Jason could expand them into spectrums unavailable to normal humans. Mostly, though, he used that refinement to filter input. His mind didn¡¯t actively perceive things on the limits of the visual and audible spectrums unless they stood out for some reason, and he didn''t process the bulk of the tastes and aromas wafting on the air. That saved him from nauseating experiences that normal people were mercifully spared from.


    Magical perception was made up of two senses: the ability to sense magic and the ability to sense auras. All essence users understood there was a difference between them from an absolute perspective, but treated them as one from a practical perspective. This was as true for Jason as it was for most, although he did have an advantage in differentiating them, as his aura sense was much stronger than his magic sense.


    Even so, Jason had rarely utilised them separately until Amos pushed him to do so. It was the first step in increasing what Jason thought were already highly refined senses. As he became increasingly proficient at using them separately, he discovered that doing so made them much more sensitive. This was the key to expanding his senses without what he now thought of as crudely shoving them with his aura. There was a lot of practise ahead of him, but even his early results had him excited.


    Once again, Jason lost track of time. He fell into a meditative cycle as his senses expanded at a crawl, moving out centimetre by centimetre. His perception glacially expanded to encompass the park and he could sense the few people in it, late into the night.


    This was the point where he realised it was the early hours of the morning, as everyone left in the park was engaged in behaviour he would rather not pry into, be it sketchy or amorous in nature. It was a familiar aura, though, that had his eyes snap open.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s the outworlder¡¯s aide, Benella. She has some other silver rankers with her.¡±


    ¡°You think she is here for you?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°I am somewhat concerned that she was able to find you.¡±


    ¡°I may be practising at hiding my aura as my senses expand, but my efforts are still sloppy and crude. To someone with sufficiently sensitive perception, I was closer to being a beacon than being hidden.¡±


    ¡°How are you going to react?¡±


    ¡°Well,¡± Jason said, ¡°I see us as having three options. One, scarper before they get closer. Two, try to turn it around and sneakily follow them. Three, fight.¡±


    ¡°The second option offers the greatest benefits,¡± Shade pointed out. ¡°We could learn who this woman truly is. But the sufficiently sensitive perception you just mentioned would be a threat.¡±


    ¡°Agreed.¡±


    ¡°Of the remaining options, Mr Asano, escape is the more sensible approach. Fighting gets you nothing except showing this woman who you truly are.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie,¡± Jason said. ¡°That holds a certain appeal.¡±


    ¡°But it only holds consequences with no upsides, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason grumbled, but nodded his head.


    ¡°Alright, but we are officially hunting this woman back.¡±


    Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow and Jason stepped into him, vanishing.

 Chapter 646: The Genuine Article

    Benella was anxious as she rode a skimmer bike carefully through the rainforest. There were no roads to her destination and she wouldn¡¯t risk being observed flying out over the canopy, so she took a small bike and made her cautious way along the animal trails. Fortunately, there were enough large magical beasts amongst the local fauna that the trails were generously wide, if quite meandering. Early morning light only partially broke through the canopy, drenching everything in a beautiful twilight she was unable to appreciate, her mind occupied by what was coming next.


    She reached her destination, a small clearing with a creek babbled past a rocky outcropping. She parked the bike in the shadow of the rock and leaned up against it herself. As she waited, she nervously checked her watch over and over, wondering how time seemed to tick over so slowly.


    Finally, there was a shimmer in the air and a glorious being became visible. Descending slowly, he looked like a celestine with alabaster skin and long hair of spun gold. It spilled down the back of his shirtless, hairless torso and gleamed under the sun. His eyes were solid gold orbs. He was too tall to be a celestine, however, standing some eight feet high, as well as having a pair of wings spread out behind him. His legs were covered in loose teal pants with gold trim.


    He descended, stopping to float in place just before his bare feet reached the ground.


    His wings were pristine white, aside from yellow and orange feathers along the bottom.


    They were clearly not responsible for his flight, at least not through physically holding him aloft. As he floated magically in the air, the were open behind him, gently undulating.


    When he spoke, his voice was deep and resonant to the point of having an almost unnatural reverberation to it.


    ¡°I sense your fear, elf. Why are you here alone?¡±


    ¡°Haresh refused to come.¡±


    ¡°What failure makes him unwilling to face me?¡±


    ¡°There is a man in the city. I suspect that he noticed the mask placed over my aura.¡±


    ¡°A gold ranker?¡±


    ¡°Only silver.¡±


    ¡°That should not be possible.¡±


    ¡°I was uncertain. But there are other indicators that the man is unusual. Certainly more than what he claims. He is attached to a group of adventurers, and not inconsequential ones, I discovered by making some discreet inquiries. But Haresh insisted on eliminating the threat, and he is the one you gave final authority.¡±


    ¡°ARE YOU QUESTIONING MY JUDGEMENT?¡±


    The messenger¡¯s voice went off like a bomb, shaking the trees and plants around the clearing and causing loose stones to tumble down the outcropping. Benella stumbled back, putting a foot into the creek and tripping, landing on her back. She was disoriented for a moment and when she looked up, the messenger was floating over like the blade of a guillotine.


    ¡°I would never, Lord Fal. I only sought to clarify, believing that my explanation was flawed. I acknowledge my failing.¡±


    Fal scowled, floating back


    ¡°Tell me of what happened.¡±


    ¡°Haresh insisted that we eliminate the threat, but this man proved hard to find. He is resistant to tracking magic and seems to have some means of teleportation. We only got lucky and found him at all because he was practising an aura technique of some kind in a public park at night. His aura was almost completely different from the mask I had seen when I first encountered him.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you know it was him?¡±


    ¡°The aura mask you gave me. It reacted to his aura the same way both times.¡±


    ¡°Reacted how?¡±


    Still sprawled, half in the creek and too scared to move, Benella winced looking away.


    ¡°Tell me!¡± Fal demanded, his voice reverberating like a command from the heavens, projected into the clearing through some magical channel.


    ¡°A different way to the other servant races,¡± she said, dragging the words out of herself. Her head was still turned from Fal, her eyes clenched shut like a child anticipating a beating.


    ¡°I did not ask what it was not like, servant. I asked what¡­¡±


    He paused, his eyes narrowing as they focused not on Benella but her shadow. He moved in a flash, reaching into her shadow and pulling something out.


    ¡°Reaper spawn,¡± he said as Shade dangled from a massive fist and Benella scrambled out of the way. ¡°Who do you serve, familiar?¡±


    ¡°You will learn soon enough,¡± Shade said calmly. ¡°He has business with your kind.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s watching, isn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    Fal then did something that neither Shade nor Jason realised was possible, launching a soul attack on Jason through his connection to Shade. Then it was Fal¡¯s turn to be surprised as Jason not just easily fended it off but retaliated, pushing the messenger¡¯s aura away from Shade.


    The messenger tossed Shade aside.


    ¡°You should stay out of our affairs, shadow. The Reaper does not govern my kind; we do not grow old and die like the lesser races.¡±


    ¡°You may not age, but you do die,¡± Shade told him. ¡°You claim to be the superior beings, yet you all seem to meet someone stronger eventually, and find your way to my progenitor.¡±


    ¡°The Builder was of my kind, shadow. You think he will die too?¡±


    ¡°Have you ever wondered why he has been so obsessed with building his own world? What has been done once can be done again, or undone entirely, and he is not the only one creating a universe. The Builder has enemies, and one of them is right here. Do you believe that the likes of you can face someone like that? I suggest you run from this place, lest your time to meet my progenitor comes soon.¡±


    Fal moved in a blur and was once again clutching Shade, this time squeezing hard. Shade retaliated by draining mana and the alabaster skin of the highly magical messenger started growing dull, staring with the hand and slowly crawling over the wrist and up the forearm.


    ¡°I am of the greatest people in the cosmos,¡± Fal snarled. ¡°We are without equal, let alone superiors. Your words are simply the bluster of the helpless.¡±


    Power surged down Fal¡¯s arm, and while the blackening was accelerated, Shade¡¯s body was destroyed.


    ***


    Jason was sitting in an office in the Yaresh Adventure Society branch, high in a tower of dark, glossy metal. With him was Humphrey, Estella and a high-level adventure society official named Fiora Luth. Like Jason and Humphrey, she was silver rank, although entirely through cores.


    Fiora was a lifelong administrator, rarely seeing combat outside of a monster surge, and even then, it was usually indirect. She had been a logistics officer during the latest surge, whose risks weren¡¯t confronting monsters but getting supplies through monster-infested areas. While waiting for Benella to arrive at her destination, she and Jason had shared their experiences of supply-running during the surge.


    Once Jason saw the messenger through Shade''s perception, they fell silent after Jason confirmed to them that a messenger was present. He had seen false messengers before, created by a transformation zone or summoning ability. He had to admit that they paled in comparison to the genuine article, even just a silver-rank one. Although it was the lowest rank at which adult messengers were to be found, it still made quite the impression.


    As soon as Jason confirmed there was a messenger, Fiora sent a signal and adventurer teams started moving on the network of associates Estella had managed to dig out since first investigating Benella at Jason''s instigation. It had barely been a day and a half since then, but Estella had been quick to map out her key associates. The fact that Benella had called them together right after she parted from Jason and Zolit had been a help.


    Jason opened his eyes after his link to Shade¡¯s body was cut off by its self-destruction.


    ¡°It¡¯s over?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°He found Shade,¡± Jason said. ¡°We expected as much. It was a gamble sending him in Benella¡¯s shadow.¡±


    ¡°It was the right move,¡± Fiora set. ¡°The messengers now know that we know they have agents in the city, but they''ll have to be more circumspect. Hopefully, we can root them out while they''re laying low, by following the trail from this Benella woman.¡±


    ¡°It was quick thinking to have the Shade body in your shadow jump to Benella when you saw she was leaving the city,¡± Humphrey told Estella.


    ¡°I wasn¡¯t sure if it was the right move,¡± she said.


    ¡°I agreed with it,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°As did I,¡± Shade agreed from Jason''s shadow. ¡°Consulting Mr Miller was the correct instinct.¡±


    ¡°And in the days you''ve spent in large social gatherings,¡± Fiora said to Jason, ¡°you haven''t seen anyone else that you suspect?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, ¡°but I could easily have missed someone. The aura mask she was wearing was incredibly good. It took multiple direct interactions before I even noticed it, and even then I wasn¡¯t certain. The most worrying part, though, is that it wasn¡¯t even her aura mask. I always suspected that the messengers would outclass us when it came to auras, but not to this degree. Whether it¡¯s an item or a technique, their aura-related magic beats us out handily.¡±


    ¡°Why would you suspect that they had superior auras?¡± Fiora asked.


    ¡°Because of their nature,¡± Jason said. ¡°Most entities are living beings with souls inside. For messengers, their bodies and souls are one thing, not two. Since auras are projections of the soul, their gestalt nature gives them access to abilities those with body-soul duality do not have.¡±


    ¡°Are there any vulnerabilities to this nature?¡± Fiora asked.


    ¡°Only if you can convince them to be self-destructive,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Surely we should explore this more,¡± she said.


    ¡°My understanding is that the topic is already being studied,¡± Jason said. ¡°There is a gold rank healer in our convoy, Carlos Quilido. He knows more on that topic than I.¡±


    Humphrey was watching Jason warily. Jason¡¯s reaction to Carlos asking Jason to be a test subject for how to harm body-soul gestalts had ended violently. No sign of disturbance appeared in Jason¡¯s expression, body language or aura, but Humphrey kept a close eye on him.


    Jason not only noticed Humphrey doing so, but also saw Fiora notice the dynamic. She didn¡¯t ask, despite the curiosity Jason felt from her. Jason sensed Fiora¡¯s self-control as she pushed her curiosity aside to refocus her attention.


    ¡°I¡¯ll admit I was sceptical when the director suggested you might be able to dig out some of the agents working for the messengers in the city,¡± she said.


    ¡°I was lucky,¡± Jason said. ¡°She made a mistake and drew my attention. The odds of finding another by just randomly going to places with lots of people are slim at best. Chasing down the people associating with Benella will result in much better leads.¡±


    ¡°What was her objective?¡± Humphrey wondered. ¡°Working as assistant to some mid-tier fight promoter doesn¡¯t seem to have much in the way of benefits for the messengers.¡±


    ¡°I imagine that many of their agents are low-level people placed in roles where more powerful people are around them,¡± Fiora said. ¡°Assistants, housekeepers, low-level bureaucrats. The ones that powerful people pay no more attention to than a lamp or a chair.¡±


    ¡°It could be the person she¡¯s an aid to,¡± Jason said. ¡°He seems innocuous, but he¡¯s an outworlder. That¡¯s not something to ignore when dealing with a big dimensional mess. A bunch of messengers turning up, for example.¡±


    ¡°I did know there was an outworlder in the city,¡± Fiora said. ¡°The society keeps track of people like that. I''ve glanced through the report logs on him, but the only thing that stuck out was that, for an outworlder, he¡¯s been unusually sedate. Some minor criminal activity that we let go. We¡¯d rather he stick to that than look for something more exciting. My investigators are looking closer now, of course, and I have analysts combing these reports for any less-obvious indicators that he¡¯s been up to something.¡±


    Fiora leaned back in her chair.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been lucky that the messengers are fighting on multiple fronts,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re aware of the natural array?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Our magical researcher is downright eager to see it. He¡¯s been a little cranky since his intended lecture about it to my team and the other group with us was derailed.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re currently invested in keeping the fighting centred on the messenger strongholds and away from the city. We won¡¯t be pushing into the array zone any time soon. Our success on that front means the people here, behind the walls, don¡¯t understand how bad the fighting is. If the messengers can cut off the supply lines coming out of the city, though, our forces will have to pull back. Then the fighting will be at our walls.¡±


    Jason felt her lockdown her emotions and she stood up. Humphrey and Jason did the same and she shook both of their hands.


    ¡°I will confess that you have left me quite curious, Mr Miller. The director said that if I looked deeper into your identity I would find it, so she asked me not to. I wouldn¡¯t ordinarily let that stop me, but you¡¯ve done us a service, so I¡¯ll respect that.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate it,¡± Jason said. ¡°But it¡¯s the Adventure Society, Mrs Luth. Service is the point.¡±

 Chapter 647: Stories About Fungus

    Urman Vohl had pulled back to throw the folder full of papers across the room when he stopped himself, closed his eyes and put the folder back down on his desk. His sons, Valk and Emresh, stood anxiously in the middle of the office.


    ¡°Another one,¡± Urman snarled. ¡°That¡¯s two in the time it¡¯s taking the broker to get here. You are certain he¡¯s coming, aren¡¯t you, Valk?¡±


    ¡°Yes father,¡± the older brother said.


    Urman¡¯s office was midway up one of the inner city towers; prestigious but not overreaching. Understanding where to headquarter oneself was an important part of maintaining a reputation in Yaresh. It demonstrated a self-valuation that could hurt one¡¯s interests if they were to over-or-under-evaluate their position in society.


    A knock at the door was followed by some of Urman¡¯s less thuggish men escorting a small elf in a well-made but not ostentatious suit. Like Urman¡¯s office, his clothes were carefully aligned with his societal position. Despite being in Urman¡¯s office and surrounded by his people, the elf looked unperturbed. He was a silver-rank core user, but his aura was sharply controlled, giving away none of his emotions.


    ¡°Mr Vohl,¡± the small elf said. ¡°Your people bringing me here is pushing quite firmly against the boundaries of propriety.¡±


    ¡°Jasich Tovill,¡± Urman said with a glower. ¡°You¡¯re going to stand there and talk about pushing boundaries when you have been interfering with my business?¡±


    ¡°I have nothing to do with your business, Mr Vohl.¡±


    ¡°In the last three days, no fewer than nineteen of my debtors have paid their loans in full, immediately after getting loans from you.¡±


    ¡°You are incorrect in two regards, Mr Vohl. Firstly, the loans facilitated by myself have nothing to do with your loans, simply because they went to the same people in several instances. If you disagree, you will find my legal advocates downright eager to explain the difference before a civil magistrate. Secondly, they are not my loans. Loans have been executed through me, but it is my client from whom the loans are issued, not me.¡±


    ¡°And who is your client?¡±


    ¡°None of your business, Mr Vohl.¡±


    ¡°Father,¡± Emresh said angrily. ¡°Let me¨C¡±


    ¡°Quiet,¡± Urman dismissively commanded.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jasich greed. ¡°You¡¯ve done your father quite enough damage.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Urman asked.


    ¡°I apologise,¡± Jasich said. ¡°I spoke out of turn.¡±


    ¡°My father asked you a¨C¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth!¡± Urman snapped at Emresh, then turned his gaze on Jasich.


    ¡°I have no patience for your games, broker. Tell me who your client is or you''ll find unfortunate coincidences starting to befall your interests.¡±


    Jasich sighed.


    ¡°As it happens,¡± he said, ¡°My client anticipated a scenario quite like this and issued directions accordingly. I have been given, should I be put under duress, permission to reveal that my client is a member of the Nareen family, out of Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°The Storm Kingdom?¡± Urman asked. ¡°What do they want with a handful of businesses in the Yaresh entertainment district?¡±


    ¡°My client, as it happens, is also a go-between. She has no interest in the entertainment district or the business involved.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s doing this for someone else?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°She has only involved herself to protect someone.¡±


    ¡°Protect who?¡± Urman asked. ¡°My debtors? This mysterious person behind her?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Vohl. She¡¯s doing this to protect you.¡±


    ¡°Me? Who and what do you think I need protection from?¡±


    ¡°Someone within your organisation has offended a person they very much should not have.¡±


    Remembering the broker¡¯s earlier statement, seemingly made offhand, Urman looked to his younger son before turning back to Jasich as he continued his explanation.


    ¡°Mr Vohl, the offended party knows that if they retaliate against this member of your organisation, events would escalate to the point where they would be required to kill you and everyone around you before there were no more people to come seeking revenge.¡±


    ¡°Even if this person could do that,¡± Urman said, ¡°the city authorities wouldn¡¯t just sit back in the face of that much killing.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know the identity of the person in question,¡± Jasich said, ¡°but I am assured that he is unconcerned about any authorities. It seems an outlandish claim, but given the identity of my client, not one I can entirely dismiss. However, doing all of that would go against the person''s current desire for anonymity. He, therefore, decided that he shall satisfy his need for revenge by interfering with your interests rather than melting down your flesh and carrying you around in a bucket. That is a direct quote, by the way, and one I am assured can be taken quite literally, other than potentially requiring multiple buckets or perhaps a drum. My client is attempting to prevent that person from deciding you are worth casting aside their anonymity over. She knows that going through me is something you would be willing to do, but going through her is not.¡±


    Urman leaned back in his chair, considering the broker''s words. Jasich stood in place, patient and unconcerned, while Emresh was agitated, unable to keep his hands and feet still without fidgeting. His older brother, Valk, was more composed, but still showed signs of uncertainty in his expression. During the long silence, Emresh looked like he was about to speak several times before either stopping himself or being stopped by a harsh glare from his brother. Finally, Urman spoke.


    ¡°Broker. Sell me the loans you have issued.¡±


    ¡°As I have already explained, Mr Vohl, they are not my loans. I merely carried them out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a smart man, Mr Tovill. I¡¯m sure you can figure something out.¡±


    ¡°What I have figured out, Mr Vohl, is that if you keep pushing, your best result would be humiliating failure.¡±


    ¡°You think failure is the best I can do?¡±


    ¡°If you do anything, Mr Vohl, I am the only person in this room who will still be alive at week''s end.¡±


    Urman grimaced but refrained from another outburst.


    ¡°Take Mr Tovill home,¡± he told his minions, who took Jasich out, leaving Urman and his sons. ¡°Emresh, what did you do?¡±


    ¡°Nothing.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t lie to me, boy.¡±


    ¡°Really, nothing. It was a normal week.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t hurt anyone?¡± Valk asked. ¡°Make anyone angry?¡±


    ¡°Of course I hurt people,¡± Emresh said. ¡°I just said it was a normal week?¡±


    ¡°Who were these people you hurt?¡± Urman asked.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t make a list.¡±


    ¡°Emresh,¡± Valk said. ¡°You are the only one of us that spends time in the entertainment district. You know the people there, yes?¡±


    ¡°Sure I do.¡±


    ¡°Out of the people you hurt, which ones were strangers?¡± Valk asked.


    ¡°What makes you think it was someone I hurt?¡± Emresh asked. ¡°The broker said offended, and how would I hurt some death-dealing savage who could take us all out?¡±


    ¡°A not inconsiderable point,¡± Urman acknowledged. ¡°It could have been anyone he encountered. The best move, for now, is to find out more about the broker''s client. Valk, look into any members of house Nareen in the city.¡±


    ¡°What do I do?¡± Emresh asked.


    ¡°Go home,¡± Urman said. ¡°My townhouse, not your place in the entertainment district. Stay there until I tell you otherwise. I¡¯ll have my men make sure you go, and tell your mother you aren¡¯t to leave.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re telling mum on me?¡±


    ***


    Jason¡¯s team was in Clive¡¯s skimmer, moving south over the forest canopy. For once, Jason himself had joined them.


    ¡°While it¡¯s good that we¡¯re operating alone so you can come with us,¡± Humphrey told him, ¡°this isn¡¯t a low-stakes contract to slowly get used to working together with. We¡¯re one of seven teams, four of which have gold rankers attached. We¡¯re all scouting out the region south of the city. No one has heard anything from anyone in that direction for days, including from the first two teams sent to look into it.¡±


    ¡°Why split up all the teams?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Isn¡¯t that asking to be picked off in isolation?¡±


    ¡°Because the area we¡¯re covering is so large,¡± Humphrey told her. ¡°As far as anyone can determine, the entire southern approach is cut off. The Adventure Society wants this dealt with before a panic starts.¡±


    ¡°Should a panic be starting?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°That¡¯s what we¡¯re trying to find out,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The local teams are checking the main thoroughfares south. We¡¯ve been assigned to hop between smaller and more isolated communities, along with Korinne¡¯s team and another group of out-of-towners.¡±


    ¡°So we get the low priority tasks,¡± Neil griped.


    ¡°Be grateful,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°The teams with gold rankers are going after the main routes, which is where the most dangerous threats are likely to be. Otherwise, the larger towns would have gotten the word out before going silent.¡±


    ¡°We can handle dangerous,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Unless it¡¯s something gold rank.¡±


    ¡°Rank isn¡¯t the only source of danger,¡± Clive warned. ¡°Yes, we could handle most silver-rank monsters, but the Magic Society¡¯s monster almanac is filled with exotic threats. Not everything can be solved by punching.¡±


    ¡°That depends on how good at punching you are,¡± Sophie told him.


    ***


    In their own skimmer, Korinne¡¯s team was also moving over the rainforest, trees just below them.


    ¡°Why couldn¡¯t we just take the roads?¡± Polix wondered aloud. ¡°It would take longer, yes, but we could have just left earlier.¡±


    ¡°The Adventure Society wanted us to avoid trouble on the way to the population centres,¡± Korinne said. ¡°The comprehensiveness with which the southern region has gone silent suggests that the roads are compromised.¡±


    ¡°But running these skimmers in flight mode consumes a lot of spirit coins,¡± Polix said. ¡°The Adventure Society is reimbursing us, right?¡±


    ¡°Of course they are,¡± Rosa said. ¡°Isn¡¯t that right Korinne?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Korinne said. ¡°They will fully reimburse us.¡±


    ¡°Why do you not sound convincing?¡± Polix asked.


    ¡°They will reimburse us,¡± Korinne said. ¡°More or less.¡±


    ¡°More or less?¡± Kalif asked. ¡°We¡¯re fuelling this thing out of party funds. What does more or less mean?¡±


    ¡°It means that the society is currently funnelling supplies to the conflict with the messengers,¡± Korinne said. ¡°They¡¯re still paying out contracts, but non-urgent reimbursements are being paid out in credit bonds.¡±


    ¡°What are credit bonds?¡± Kalif asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s a token that you can use to reclaim an owed amount at a later date.¡±


    ¡°How much later?¡± Polix asked.


    ¡°A year.¡±


    ¡°A year? We won¡¯t be around in a year!¡±


    ¡°You can claim them at other branches,¡± Korinne said.


    ¡°Do we still have to wait the year if we do that?¡± Polix asked.


    ¡°Only if you want the full eighty-five percent,¡± Korinne said.


    ¡°What do you mean, eighty-five percent?¡± Polix asked.


    ¡°There¡¯s a slight fee for claiming the token at a branch other than the non-issuing one,¡± Korinne said.


    ¡°We should never have taken this contract,¡± Polix complained. ¡°Self-funding a trip into some vaguely defined area where people keep vanishing? Including adventurers?¡±


    ¡°Maybe the whole region is overrun with something,¡± Rosa suggested. ¡°I¡¯ve heard stories about fungus that can overtake whole towns in one night.¡±


    ¡°I once saw a carnivorous vine the size of a large town,¡± Zara said. ¡°It was in an astral space, part of the mass expedition that Emir Bahadir arranged five years ago. Iron rankers only, with promising young teams from across the world. It was a good chance to meet with other royalty.¡±


    ¡°Did you kill the vine monster?¡± Kalif asked.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t a monster,¡± Zara explained. ¡°It was some kind of alchemically modified plant creature that had been left to grow wild for centuries. It had buried itself underground, but had vines on the surface, amongst the regular overgrowth. It would attack anyone that entered its territory. Dozens of adventurers teamed up to deal with it.¡±


    ¡°A single giant organism?¡± Polix asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zara confirmed.


    ¡°Affliction specialist,¡± Polix said. ¡°Even a whole bunch of adventurers won¡¯t get it done. You need someone that can keep scaling damage endlessly to handle something that big.¡±


    ¡°Except that it wasn¡¯t that easy,¡± Zara said. ¡°We were iron-rank, and you know what affliction specialists are like at that rank.¡±


    ¡°Crap area specialists,¡± Kalif said. ¡°Nothing is tough enough to make afflictions worthwhile. Faster and easier to just run around killing stuff the regular way.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Zara said. ¡°It¡¯s why only a few teams brought them. And they were all specialised in area afflictions, which don¡¯t have escalating effects until higher rank. Fortunately, there was one focused affliction specialist, part of a local team.¡±


    ¡°A focused affliction specialist?¡± Korinne asked. ¡°They¡¯re even weaker than area affliction specialists at low rank. And as for high ranks, they¡¯re just worthless against anything but one giant creature.¡±


    ¡°If they really are affliction specialists, yes,¡± Zara agreed. ¡°The person in question became an affliction skirmisher.¡±


    Everyone except Polix who was driving turned to look at Zara.


    ¡°Yes,¡± she said with a small, weary sigh. ¡°I was talking about him. It was the first time I saw him, although he wouldn¡¯t see me until later.¡±


    ¡°You need to get over that guy,¡± Rosa said. ¡°I don¡¯t think he¡¯s especially keen on you, Princess.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not princess anymore,¡± Zara said.


    ¡°Which I believe about as much as you not being obsessed with the guy you joined our team over,¡± Rosa told her. ¡°Maybe try to avoid letting out a little sigh when you talk about him and it might come across as more believable.¡±


    ¡°You realise he¡¯s probably listening to all of this,¡± Kalif said. ¡°That shadow familiar of his is sneaky.¡±


    ¡°I keep sensing him skulking around,¡± Rosa said. As the team scout, she had the best perception amongst them. ¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s getting harder to spot, though.¡±


    ¡°I appreciate you saying so, Miss Liselos,¡± Shade said from her shadow. ¡°I need to refine my skills again with each summoner I am familiar to, and you have been very good practise.¡±

 Chapter 648: Vampire Monster Slaves

    Korinne¡¯s team paused their progress over the rainforest to fend off a large group of spider monkeys. These were not the spider monkeys of Earth, as they had four extra arms, shot webbing from their hands and poison barbs from the tips of their tails. They also were more aggressively omnivorous, still enthusiastic about fruit while also mixing anyone they could catch into their diet.


    The rainforest canopy was an environment that was a mixed bag for the team. They could all get by on silver-rank agility, but some fared better than others in the trees.


    Rather than slaughter all the monkeys, the team drove them off with a show of force, with only a few of the creatures dying. They were not monsters but native magical beasts, and the rainforest canopy was their natural habitat, so they were only a threat to anyone roaming the treetops, who would generally be able to handle themselves.


    The team were returning to the skimmer hovering over the canopy, making their way up through the shadowy canopy, when Rosa, the scout, froze. She turned to peer into the shadows as the rest of the team readied themselves on seeing her reaction. They took tactical positions, floating in the air or perched on branches. Only Zara was out of step, not having the years of training and working together that had the others in perfect sync.


    Two blue and orange, eye-shaped nebulas appeared in the dark. Realising it was Jason didn¡¯t do much to relax the team and they remained on alert.


    ¡°How did you get so close?¡± Rosa asked. ¡°You didn¡¯t use to be this good.¡±


    ¡°The entire reason we¡¯re all together like this is so that Lord Pensinata can train my aura use,¡± Jason told her. ¡°It would be a little strange if I wasn¡¯t improving.¡±


    ¡°But this fast?¡±


    ¡°Wait until you see a messenger,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯ll realise that this isn¡¯t fast enough.¡±


    ¡°What are you doing here, Asano?¡± Korinne asked. ¡°You should be with your own team.¡±


    ¡°I just wanted a word with your newest team member.¡±


    ¡°Last I heard, you wanted nothing to do with her.¡±


    ¡°Yes, well,¡± Jason said, his voice embarrassed. ¡°I kind of have this thing where I make grandiose statements of principle and intent, only to immediately realise I have to go back on them for practical reasons. Lady Nareen has undertaken a task at my behest and I wanted to discuss it.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think now is the best time,¡± Korinne said.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason acknowledged, ¡°but we¡¯re off to fight evil and I¡¯ve learned it¡¯s best to seize the moment. I die kind of a lot.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Zara said. ¡°I¡¯ll catch up.¡±


    The team shared unhappy glances but made their way up to the skimmer while Zara activated a privacy screen. She was standing on a small floating cloud that roiled like a storm. Jason emerged from the shadows, sitting casually on a branch as he pushed the hood back off his head.


    ¡°There are a lot of conveniently strong and horizontal branches up here,¡± he observed. ¡°Is that normal? I don¡¯t know a lot about trees outside of their use in landscape architecture, and I mostly forgot all of that stuff. It¡¯s what my dad did for a living.¡±


    ¡°Did, past-tense? Your father died?¡± Zara asked.


    ¡°What? No, there was a monster apocalypse and he¡¯s fixing one of my places. A bunch of gold rankers dug it up looking for treasure, the pricks. I¡¯m not sure I was paying him, now that I think about it. I probably should be. He¡¯s going to have some wages racked up by the time I get back.¡±


    ¡°Did you just come here to talk nonsense?¡± Zara asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s generally a safe bet,¡± Jason said with a disarmingly vulnerable smile. ¡°But this time, I came to thank you for helping me with that property developer thug.¡±


    ¡°You supplied the money,¡± Zara said. ¡°All it took me was a couple of hours and my name.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°And you got to see what a hypocrite I am,¡± he said. ¡°I was against you joining the convoy because your background would bring trouble. And then I asked you to flaunt your name the first chance I got.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not why you didn¡¯t want me to join,¡± Zara said softly. ¡°You weren¡¯t thinking of the trouble I¡¯d bring, but the trouble I already had. That my whole family brought you, but you never would have been involved with us, if not for me.¡±


    Jason knew that was wrong, as Soramir had been watching him from the moment he and Farrah returned to Pallimustus. He doubted Zara was faking ignorance, which meant that Soramir had not told her, leading to more self-recrimination than she was entitled to. He knew himself well enough to realise that not telling her that himself was petty, but he could live with being a little petty.


    ¡°Probably,¡± Jason he agreed.


    Zara sat down in her floating cloud, Jason laughing as her legs dangled out of the bottom.


    ¡°You know that I can do things for you without drawing too much attention,¡± she said. ¡°For example, I didn¡¯t need to throw my identity around. The name of House Nareen was plenty to settle the issue.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not settled,¡± Jason told her. ¡°Vohl is looking into you.¡±


    ¡°People, especially ambitious ones, don¡¯t eat a loss quite so willingly,¡± Zara said dismissively. ¡°It¡¯s in hand. I¡¯m not done with Mt Vohl.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Your plan doesn¡¯t involve marrying any dead people, does it?¡±


    ¡°I learned that lesson,¡± she said, shooting him a flat look. ¡°I think it¡¯s time we both got back to our teams. I don¡¯t know about yours, but mine is waiting.¡±


    ¡°Oh, mine doesn¡¯t even know I¡¯m gone,¡± Jason said. ¡°But genuinely, thank you for handling the business with Vohl.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not that big a concern,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s not like if I didn¡¯t then you would really go ahead and kill them all.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said, his aura showing nothing but sincerity. ¡°I suppose I wouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ***


    Jason emerged from one of Shade¡¯s bodies, arriving back on his team¡¯s still-moving skimmer.


    ¡°Where did you go?¡± Humphrey asked in his best disappointed-mother voice.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t go anywhere,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve been here the whole time.¡±


    Humphrey turned his gaze to Jason¡¯s seat. Sitting in it was what looked like a mummy from an old movie, made up of bandages bound tightly around a roughly human-shaped cluster of leeches. Pinned to its forehead was a note with the word JASON written on it.


    ¡°In my defence,¡± Jason said, ¡°I thought he¡¯d take the blood clone form.¡±


    ¡°You thought that you, but red and mute, would be convincing?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Red, I might believe,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Mute? No.¡±


    ¡°Come on Colin,¡± Jason said, gesturing at his familiar. ¡°The cat¡¯s out of the bag.¡±


    Colin suddenly lurched to his feet with a burst of enthusiasm.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I don¡¯t have an actual cat in a bag for you to eat.¡±


    The mummy¡¯s shoulders slumped, prompting Jason to wonder why a bound up swarm of leeches had collective body language.


    ¡°I may have a fresh spider monkey,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°He is not eating that in the skimmer,¡± Clive called out from the driver¡¯s seat. ¡°Not unless you¡¯re supplying the crystal wash to clean it.¡±


    ***


    When Jason and his team drew closer to their destination they slowed to a stop. Clive carefully descended the skimmer below the canopy but paused high above the forest floor, out of the sun to hide amongst the trees. Jason went over the side, vanishing into the shadows as Shade¡¯s bodies poured from his cloak to do the same.


    The rainforest floor was a metropolis of shadows and obstacles; precisely the kind of place it would be foolish to fight someone like Jason. His team was waiting for Jason and Shade to scout the way forward, flickering from shadow to shadow in the gloom. Their destination was a small town, a dozen kilometres ahead, that had not been heard from in days. That was not unusual, being a small and relatively isolated place, but with the region increasingly going dark, Jason¡¯s team had been sent to check. Every location they were scheduled to check was the same.


    Jason didn¡¯t go the entire way shadow jumping, as even his mana would suffer without a source of replenishment. He drew on his old techniques for navigating the Greenstone delta on foot, adapted as he ranked up, but never as practised as in his early days as an adventurer. It almost felt like he was back there with the hot, humid air.


    One of Shade¡¯s tertiary powers was the ability to be the locus of Jason¡¯s non-combat abilities. Because that included his map ability, sending out Shade bodies was an excellent way to map out an area. It was Shade who first encountered the town, after which his other bodies started sweeping around it.


    The town was surrounded by crop fields, divided up by lines of trees rather than fences. Rice paddies featured heavily, with many shade-houses lined up in rows for crops that weren¡¯t as fond of the blazing sun. There were people working the fields, although most of the labour was being performed by construct creatures, built for purpose and directed by elf supervisors.


    It looked normal at a glance, but something was tweaking Jason¡¯s instincts. He kept himself hidden and his magical senses restrained. He made his way forward using the lines of trees that divided the fields, as well as the shade houses. He found a spot close to the town, inside a cluster of shrubbery at the end of one of the tree lines.


    The town was unremarkable, with simple wooden buildings, often open-sided. Airflow and minimal obstruction seemed to be key to the design principles, and all of the buildings were painted the same dark green. It looked like the whole town had been repainted recently as well. Jason could see right through many of the buildings, especially the houses. They were furnished in the same minimalist principles in which they were constructed. The internal spaces were open, with racks instead of cupboards, hammocks instead of beds, and open sides instead of walls.


    Once again, the town populace seemed normal, but Jason¡¯s instinct that something was off was growing, even if he couldn¡¯t figure out what was tripping alarms for him. Before taking the risk of expanding his supernatural senses, Jason enhanced his physical ones. He started by pushing his vision into the thermal range. The immediate thing that stood out was the fact that every building had a heat bloom radiating from the new paintwork. It was counteracting the design of the buildings, making it harder for the airflow to cool them down.


    Jason next turned his enhanced vision on the people. Elves were very much like humans under thermal vision, barring essence-related exceptions. The townsfolk all had unstable temperatures, with points all over their bodies soaking heat as if they were feeding on it.


    As he focused on the people, it finally clicked for Jason was his instincts were picking out as wrong. Every person moved in the exact same way, from body language to simple gestures to stride. They greeted one another the same way, walked down the street the same way and picked out items at the small market the same way. It was as if the whole town was the same person with many different bodies.


    ¡°Bloody Stepford elves,¡± he muttered.


    ¡°Mr Asano?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°I think we¡¯ve got a pod people situation,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Will you use the technique Lord Pensinata taught you to expand your senses without alerting people to your presence?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m still too inconsistent with it. I¡¯ll discuss it with the team before making any moves that could potentially set them off.¡±


    ***


    ¡°We definitely need a closer look,¡± Jason said, having just explained what he saw to the team back at the skimmer. ¡°I have an idea in my head, though, and if I¡¯m right, these people might be able to sense me. The outworlder¡¯s aide, Benella, was almost certainly wearing some kind of aura mask that was applied from the outside, instead of being created by her.¡±


    ¡°Is that even possible?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Not using the magic we know,¡± Clive said. ¡°But the last few years have seen our world flooded with outside magic. It only makes sense that the messengers have some as well.¡±


    ¡°These elves may be using aura masks as well,¡± Jason said. ¡°They wouldn¡¯t even have to be as good as the one Benella has. They would only need to hold up long enough to lure unsuspecting people into an ambush. For victims to wander into town and get taken out or taken over by whatever has a hold of those elves.¡±


    ¡°Why would the messengers want a town that occasionally kidnaps people passing through?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°To keep everything quiet while they build up a secret army. It prevents anyone from going home with stories about some weird stuff they saw in the town, plus the populace itself is the goal, so a few extra recruits would be welcome.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re doing this all over the southern region,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°then a massive army has formed on the borders of Yaresh without the city noticing. And if enough of the southern region was affected that the city did finally notice, then that army is basically in place. If someone sets them off, they may turn overt and move on the city.¡±


    ¡°Someone like any of seven teams roaming around right now, looking for bears to poke,¡± Jason said. ¡°Now that the city has noticed something is going on, we have to assume these hidden enemies will move sooner rather than later.¡±


    ¡°Which leaves the question of what we do now,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Looking closer may trigger them, but we need to know what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±


    ¡°From what Jason described,¡± Clive said, ¡°I would assume some manner of body control.¡±


    ¡°Like that spider in the Order of the Reaper¡¯s astral space?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°The one that turned all those monsters into an army of vampire monster slaves.¡±


    ¡°Oh, great,¡± Neil said. ¡°I can¡¯t wait to relive the horrifying pitched battle where we almost died after fighting for hours against a relentless horde.¡±


    ¡°It might be worth enquiring with Carlos,¡± Clive suggested. ¡°Jason¡¯s observations suggest a heat-consuming parasite that takes over the body. As Carlos specialises in things that take over the body, he might have some insight into what we¡¯re dealing with.¡±

 Chapter 649: The Face of Insurmountable Power

    Messenger architecture was obsessed with circles. Their buildings were circular, as was the pattern in which they were laid out. The wall around each of their strongholds was also a circle. The wall was only ten feet tall, which would hardly even slow down a silver-rank adventurer, but the wall itself was not the obstacle. It was a platform for the powerful defensive screen that tapped into the combination of aura projection and ritual magic used by the messengers.


    Benella was unnerved by the ritual magic used by the messengers. Pallimustus had rituals and magical devices that created artificial auras, like aura beacons used for signalling. Compared to what the messengers could do, however, the Magic Society were children playing in the mud. Their ritual magic was able to not just produce artificial auras, but even take on and reproduce actual auras, as well as use them in more sophisticated ways.


    The messengers could actively enhance protection arrays with their auras. This improved both offensive and defensive capabilities, and was the key to their success in fending off regular Adventure Society assaults. In addition to the walls around the stronghold, the circular buildings could each serve as a sturdy fort or bunker, depending on their size.


    The buildings constructed by the messengers trended large, with a lot of open space. Columns rose from the top of the circular walls, creating a gap between the wall-tops and the conical roofs. The flying creatures often used this gap for entry and exit, although there were also arched double doors. Aside from that, smaller doors were used by servants of what the messengers called the ¡®lesser races.¡¯


    The messengers had a number of strongholds scattered to the west and south of Yaresh, all of which had come under attack multiple times. Each stronghold was made up of round buildings, surrounded by a neatly circular wall. In one such stronghold, Benella was waiting in a large round and almost empty building.


    Inside the building were three chairs that would best be described as thrones, which were favoured by the messengers. The backs of the thrones curved in an hourglass shape to accommodate their wings. Benella knew that messengers could absorb their wings into their bodies, having seen them do it herself. They almost always did not, however, although she was unsure as to why.


    Amongst the non-messengers like Benella, who had chosen to serve them, the best guess was that the messengers did not want to closely resemble celestines. There was little chance of that, even discounting the wings, as the messengers were around half again as tall as a celestine. Even so, the servants were careful to avoid even the implication. If a messenger thought they were being compared to their ¡®lessers,¡¯ any servant that did so would be annihilated, irrespective of their value.


    In the community of servants, rumour and speculation would rapidly spread. This was because the messengers felt no need to explain themselves to those they considered lesser, which was everybody. Their inherent superiority was a key part of their quasi-religious philosophy, which Benella and the other servants tried their best to learn of, despite the messengers having no interest in teaching it.


    Benella had found that the messengers¡¯ refusal to explain themselves in any instance and on any topic extended to the point of impracticality. All the servants had made mistakes due to a lack of information a messenger could easily have provided. The punishment for these unavoidable failures was always violent, often lethally so.


    Benella had seen that the danger level differed from messenger to messenger. Since joining the stronghold full time, she had realised that the messenger she primarily served, Fal Vin Garath, was one of the more erratic. He was more prone to violence, and what exactly would set him off was less predictable, with most servants taking ¡®everything¡¯ as the default assumption.


    The need to find a new place for herself was why she was waiting in the large building with the three thrones, which looked tiny in the high open space. The only other thing in the building, other than Benella herself, was a crystal recording projector on a small plinth.


    She could no longer go back to Yaresh, having been exposed by John Miller or, as she now realised, Jason Asano. She still maintained contact with certain people in the city, and while they were now laying low, she had managed to get the results of enquiries she had already made into John Miller. It took very little to discover Miller¡¯s true identity, as he was almost flaunting it. Between the scars, the skills and the team he was attached to, almost any investigation would quickly reveal the truth. Whether he realised it himself or not, Benella knew that Asano was aching to cut loose.


    Benella¡¯s utility to the messengers as one of their agents inside the city was gone. Gathering information from overheard conversations in the cage fighting arena had only gotten her so far anyway. She had managed to dig out a few useful titbits from attendees networking and making deals at the fights, but nothing wildly important or revelatory.


    Her main value had been in managing Zolit. He would become increasingly unstable without her there to reinforce the right behaviour and administer doses, now that she could no longer return to the city. That problem was no longer hers, however, and the messengers would solve it as they saw fit. They certainly wouldn¡¯t bother telling her what was happening.


    The presentation Benella was waiting to give was her chance to maintain relevancy to her winged masters. They had no sense of loyalty to those they considered lesser, so any accomplishments in the past had earned her almost nothing. At most, it demonstrated that she was still potentially useful moving forward. If she could show the messengers her value she would be assigned to a new role. If she did not, her best case was being an ordinary stronghold servant. They could easily decide she knew too much and eliminate her as a potential liability.


    Benella¡¯s most recent results had been extremely patchy. Things had gone wrong from the moment she met Asano, and the key to her future was demonstrating that he was a significant threat. If she could convince the messengers that Asano was a threat they needed to deal with themselves, she would be absolved of blame. The advantage to the superiority with which the messengers viewed themselves was that their expectations were low. If they were required to handle an issue, then it logically followed that a servant was insufficient to the task. One thing the messengers never blamed their servants for was not being their equals.


    The key person Benella need to impress was a messenger ritualist who was new to the stronghold, Jes Fin Kaal. She had been dispatched by messenger leadership and was referred to by the other messengers as Voice Kaal. From what Benella could tell, she was something between a general and a priest. How that worked with the messengers'' religious philosophy she was unsure, as the only thing the messengers seemed to worship was themselves. What Benella did know was that if she could get the favour of Kaal, she might escape the capricious attentions of her current master, Fal.


    In the face of insurmountable power, the only choice was to surrender to it or be crushed by it. Watching her adventuring team get annihilated one by one had engraved this onto Benella''s soul. In the wake of that, she had betrayed her own kind and her own world to enter the dangerous servitude offered by the messengers.


    Benella was utterly convinced that the conquest of her world was inevitable. If she wanted any place in it, then service to the new rulers was the key, and the earlier the better. Only one thing had ever given her any uneasiness in this conviction, and he was what had led her to her current position. She had come to believe that the messengers were right about their superiority, but Jason Asano gave her much the same feeling they did. It left her uncertain about her choice, wondering if she had betrayed everything and everyone, only to be wrong.


    Like Benella, the messengers were also seeing a shift in their circumstances. The arrival of Voice Kaal had led to speculation amongst the servants that the messengers were primed to escalate the conflicts they were involved in. Benella didn¡¯t know much, but was aware that at least some of the strongholds were fighting enemies that went beyond the adventurers of the city.


    Three messengers flew into the building through the roof gap; two male messengers of silver rank, flanking a third who was shorter and had no aura that Benella could detect. The messenger on the left was Lord Fal, while the one on the right she had seen in the stronghold, but didn¡¯t know the name of. Messengers rarely deigned to introduce themselves to the servant races.


    Compared to the fair-skinned, golden-haired Fal, the messenger on the right was dark-skinned, with silver hair and solid silver orbs for eyes. His wings were black, with white feathers along the bottom edge. His hair draped down his back in strings of tight braids.


    Both men were shirtless, showing off lean muscle but an odd absence of nipples. Their lower bodies were covered by loose, flowing pants of dark teal with gold trim. Their feet were bare but didn¡¯t touch the ground, which was typical. The messengers frequently floated in the air rather than set foot on the ground. Their wings did not work like a bird¡¯s and they were levitating around using their auras.


    Silver-rank essence users could levitate using their auras, and golds could float around in slow flight. Compared to what the messengers could manage, however, it was a pale imitation. Not only could messengers move faster and with more control, but they were not easily disrupted by almost any intervention.


    Benella presumed the messenger in the middle was Jes Fin Kaal. She was smaller than the others, barely taller than seven feet, and she lacked the domineering presence of the other two. Benella couldn¡¯t magically detect her presence at all, despite Kaal being gold rank. All she sensed were the silver rankers beside her.


    Kaal¡¯s clothing was also different, being a loose robe of deep red, with white trim that matched her pristine white wings. Only a few wisps of black hair escaped the hood, which shadowed her pale, delicate features. Compared to the solid gold and silver orbs that the other messengers had for eyes, Kaal had more human eyes, albeit supernaturally blue. They stood out in the shadowy hood even more than her bright red lips.


    Despite the auras radiating from the two messengers beside her, Benella could not take her eyes from the woman in the middle. Her compelling presence did not seem aura related, although perhaps it was some subtle effect, beyond Benella''s ability to recognise. Her thoughts drifted back to Asano, whose presence had been similarly mysterious.


    The three thrones rose into the air for the messengers to sit on, which they did. Fal looked down on Benella imperiously, which was almost comfortingly normal.


    ¡°You have asked to present to us information of a particular threat,¡± Fal told her. ¡°You speak of the man whose familiar followed you to our meeting.¡±


    "Yes," Benella said, steeling her nerve. "I had already determined this man was suspicious, and suggested investigation. The decision was made to move directly to elimination, but he detected our approach and fled. I had already initiated an investigation of him on my own initiative at that point, so I was able to gather a good amount of information. Then I contacted Lord Fal, and made the grave error of allowing the man to follow me using a shadow familiar."


    "We expect our servants to serve to the best of their ability, no more and no less," the dark-skinned messenger said. "There is no admonition required in a failure to notice a child of the Reaper."


    Relief flooded Benella, but she was not fool enough to thank the messenger. The implication that her consideration would matter to him would get her punished and possibly killed outright.


    ¡°After collating the information on this man from my various sources,¡± she continued, ¡°It became evident that he poses a potential threat. I believe that further investigation is warranted, but in the wake of my failure, I am unable to do so. Due to the Adventure Society learning that I serve you, I cannot return to the city and my associates are either going into hiding, fleeing the city or have already been snatched up.¡±


    ¡°And what of these contacts?¡± the dark-skinned messenger asked. ¡°What would be your recommendation?¡±


    ¡°Leave them be,¡± Benella said. ¡°If I were an Adventure Society officer looking into this, I would be laying traps for when agents come to tie off loose ends, compromising us further. There is a reason that agents in the city are not given critical information.¡±


    Benella was under no impression that they were looking for actual advice. The question had been a test, which was good. It meant that they were genuinely considering Benella for a position of actual relevancy. She at least still had a chance to get out of the building alive, if she could convince them that Jason Asano was a genuine threat.

 Chapter 650: Even Though You Fear

    The round building was like a silo; wide, high and round, without any internal structures. Standing in the middle of it, next to a small crystal recording projector, Benella felt tiny. The three powerful beings looming over her, floating in the air on thrones did not help.


    Benella had one chance to prove herself still valuable to the messengers. What she had gone with was presenting Jason Asano as a potential threat to the agenda of the messengers, which was a risky play. Her initial investigation into him had all stemmed from a chance encounter with him in an obviously fake guise, and an instinctive sense that he was dangerous. The more she dug up, however, the more her sense that he was a large problem grew, yet the messengers, as far as she knew, were unaware of him. She managed to hold her nerve as she explained everything she had found, advocating for further investigation into the man. Once she was done, she could only wait like a prisoner about to be sentenced.


    Thus far, only the two silver-rank messengers had spoken. Fal Vin Garath was Benella¡¯s master, who was abusive but not outside the bounds of acceptability to his fellow messengers. He was free to treat the servant races however he pleased, so long as it did not impinge upon the interests of other messengers.


    The other messenger she did not know, although she had seen him moving around the stronghold. He seemed to be of equal status to Fal, while being his physical and temperamental counterpart. Dark skinned and silver-haired, compared to Fal''s fair complexion and golden hair, he was composed and civil in his conduct. This was true even to servants, although there was no question that he demanded nothing less than total obedience. But while his tone always carried an implicit warning when speaking to servants, Benella much preferred it to Fal¡¯s open threat.


    The third messenger, dominant amongst the three, had yet to speak. Jes Fin Kaal had, thus far, allowed the others to ask the questions, although Fal had said little of use. It was the other messenger who seemed to be her primary representative. Fal was about to speak when Kaal made a silencing gesture. Then, for the first time since her arrival, she spoke.


    ¡°I am aware that your primary purpose in bringing this information to us is to prove your worth for self-serving reasons,¡± she said, her voice an ominous melody. ¡°This is acceptable, as your goal is to prove yourself a worthy servant. But of all the ways you could have chosen to approach us, why did you choose this one? You could have brought any number of issues to us. Why is this the one that will show you are an asset to be valued, and not a liability to be excised?¡±


    Benella didn¡¯t even consider denying her motivations.


    ¡°I¡­¡±


    She frowned, hesitant. She knew that her next words would be life or death.


    ¡°In my ignorance,¡± she said, ¡°I do not know how to address you.¡±


    The standard mode of address for messengers was lord, be they men, women or androgynous. Benella was aware that Kaal was part of a select group within the messengers, and feared offending her.


    ¡°I am Voice Kaal, and you may address me as such.¡±


    Benella neither apologised nor thanked her, being worthy of neither. Fearing that she was subconsciously stalling for time, which Kall would notice, she steeled her nerves again.


    ¡°This is the thing that matters,¡± Benella said, her voice firming. ¡°Yes, there were many ways to show my value. Many issues I could bring to your attention, but they did not warrant such an approach as this. The leadership amongst the servant races would have been sufficient to address them, and bringing them to you would have been a waste of your time. But this man is someone I suspect will be beyond the ability of the servant races to handle.¡±


    ¡°Did you bring it to the servant leadership?¡±


    ¡°I did.¡±


    ¡°They agreed with your assessment?¡±


    ¡°They agreed that I should present this issue to you personally, Voice Kaal.¡±


    It had taken significant insistence on Benella''s part to address the potential threat of Asano. The leadership had many calls on their time and as events were escalating in the stronghold. They had not only refused to look into one silver-rank auxiliary adventurer, but would not even listen long enough to discover why. Benella understood as she was far from the only servant looking to advance themselves with ''important issues for the messengers.'' She finally managed to convince someone to allow her to present her case. That way, she would be the one killed for wasting the messengers'' time, being neither the first nor the last to meet their end that way.


    What Benella was unsure of was why Kaal was so interested in Benella¡¯s thought process in reaching that point. Kaal¡¯s seat descended partway to the floor and she leaned forward, examining Benella. She could feel the messenger forcefully probing her emotions with her aura. Could the Voice even read her thoughts? She had heard rumours from other servants, although nothing reliable.


    ¡°Why?¡± Kaal asked again. ¡°Something very specific convinced you that this man should be brought to our attention. I can feel it digging at your insides like a burr. What is it? Why are you afraid of it? It¡¯s not what you found when you looked into him, is it? It¡¯s the thing that made you dig deeper in the first place. For all that you found to support your instinct, it was something at the beginning that convinced you. It drove you to bring it to us, even though you fear what doing so will mean for you.¡±


    Chills ran through Benella''s body as the messenger rendered her transparent, seeing through her thoughts and motivations. She bowed her head, knowing she had to answer the question she had fervently hoped would not be asked. It made sense that someone who could see through her like a window would dig it out. Squaring her shoulders, she continued.


    ¡°I told Lord Fal that I first gained this man¡¯s attention when I noticed something about him. That the aura mask he gave me reacted unusually.¡±


    ¡°But there is more to it than that,¡± Kaal deduced, her voice certain. Benella nodded, still not meeting her eyes.


    ¡°I felt something from this man. Something like I have never felt from any of the servant races. I have only ever felt it from¡­¡±


    Benella braced herself, squeezing her eyes closed.


    ¡°¡­from your kind. From messengers.¡±


    Benella felt air wash over her, but nothing else. She opened her eyes to see the dark-skinned messenger''s back in front of her, his wings spread out to shield her. Past him, she could see Lord Fal, arrested mid-lunge by a restraining hand on his chest. Fal still had a fist raised, ready to crash down on Benella.


    ¡°Return to your seat.¡±


    ¡°This creature just compared one of the lesser races to us,¡± Fal snarled.


    ¡°She was asked a question and answered it honestly,¡± Kaal said. ¡°If she lied, would you have struck her down for that?¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°And I am certain this woman knew you would. That she came here, knowing she would likely be asked that question, where both answers carried a death sentence. Yet she came. I will not allow you to kill what may be a surpassing servant. Not yet.¡±


    ¡°How can you tolerate her insolence?¡± Fal asked in a shout.


    ¡°However I see fit. Return to your seat, Fal Vin Garath. I will not tell you a third time.¡±


    Fal openly glared at Kaal but obeyed as he did so, returning to his seat. The other messenger did as well.


    ¡°Thank you, Hess Jor Nasala,¡± Kaal said to him.


    Benella was frozen as the two messengers floated back to their chairs. She was at least glad that she had found a name for the third messenger, although she still offered no thanks. He may have saved her life, but all he was safeguarding was her potential value. Her gratitude meant nothing to him.


    Kaal rose from her seat, floating past the other as they returned to theirs. She stopped when she reached Benella, looming over her. Benella did not look up to meet her eyes.


    ¡°You are a gambler, elf. You have bet your life on the suspicion that this man you have told us of is of sufficient value that we need to investigate, if not intervene ourselves. That you did not take a safer approach to secure a place in our service interests me. What about this man has so shaken you?¡±


    ¡°I know my power to assess is lacking,¡± Benella said. ¡°I know he is not the match of the gold rankers arrayed against you. But of all the adventurers I¡¯ve ever encountered, this man is the only one my instincts told me was like you. The messengers.¡±


    ¡°Like us?¡± Fal roared standing up in his seat. ¡°You would compare¨C¡±


    ¡°Quiet,¡± Kaal said, her voice soft but with an almost physical power behind it. Fal complied in an instant, sitting back down, although he continued to glower.


    ¡°Explain,¡± Kaal commanded Benella. ¡°How is he like us?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure exactly how to explain it,¡± she said. ¡°There is an otherworldliness to him. Beyond anything I¡¯ve felt even from Zolit. Oh, Zolit is¨C¡±


    ¡°I am familiar with the Zolit project,¡± Kaal cut her off. ¡°Continue.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure quite how to say it.¡±


    ¡°Yes you are,¡± Kaal told her. ¡°You simply fear what will happen when you do.¡±


    Benella nodded her admission.


    ¡°This man feels on a level with your kind that goes beyond rank,¡± she said. ¡°I spoke of otherworldliness, but it was not like what I had felt from other messengers. It¡¯s like he has the same thing that makes you special but¡­¡±


    Her voice broke, knowing she could well be about to die.


    ¡°¡­even more so.¡±


    ¡°She thinks some lesser being is¨C¡±


    He was cut off as Kaal turned to look at him and his mouth sealed over, like a wound healing over.


    ¡°I have taken your power to speak,¡± Voice Kaal told him. ¡°What I have left you with is the power to think and the power act. In the future, use them in that order. If I become convinced that your mouth can produce anything worthwhile, I shall return it to you. Until then, I suggest you study the value of silence.¡±


    That her abusive master had been admonished and punished did not make Benella feel better. Fal no longer had a mouth, but the glare in his eyes spoke loudly. He was not happy about being chastised over one of the lesser races, and in front of her, no less. The idea of being shamed in the face of an inferior poured through his eyes as rage, although he was not fool enough to suppress her with his aura. For the moment, the presence of Kaal was keeping Benella safe, but she knew that should she ever be in his power again, she would die. He wouldn¡¯t even need an excuse, given her status. If a messenger wanted her dead, it was his right to kill her.


    That put all of Benella''s hopes on Kaal. She was not only of higher rank than the other messengers in the room but was able to control the very nature of their bodies. She had been the one to erase the mouth from Fal''s face. If Benella could become the property of Kaal, Fal could not touch her without cause.


    Done with Fal, Kaal turned to the terrified Benella and crouched down, as if approaching a skittish animal. Even so, the robe that was low enough to hide her feet never quite reached low enough to brush the floor.


    ¡°You said this man is like us, but more?¡± Kaal asked softly.


    Benella nodded.


    ¡°You believe this man is a threat to us.¡±


    ¡°Potentially. I would not presume to equal your judgement, and merely wish to point out that he is out there.¡±


    ¡°And you have seen in him the same thing you see in us?¡±


    ¡°Not exactly,¡± Benella said. ¡°But there is something there. My instincts screamed at me that he¡­¡±


    Benella trailed out, having realised what she was about to say before she stopped herself.


    ¡°That he what?¡± Kaal demanded.


    ¡°¡­that he was on the same level as you. Your people, I mean, not you specifically.¡±


    Benella waited for the death blow, but it never came. Then she felt Kaal¡¯s presence with her magical senses for the first time. They had been extended gently and she realised it was for her benefit. Despite that gentleness, however, there was an unflinching imperiousness to it. It was also something different in her aura, compared to the other messengers; a thread of power whose source seemed distant and endless.


    ¡°What do you feel?¡± Kaal asked.


    ¡°It''s closer to what I felt from Asano,¡± Benella said. ¡°Not the same, though. It feels like the power inside you is anchored somewhere else, while his... It''s as if you possess power, while he is power.¡±


    Kaal¡¯s eyes widen for just a fleeting moment. Benella would have missed it if Kaal had not been crouched down in front of her. The messenger floated back to her throne and sat down between Fal and Hess.


    ¡°You brought this man to our attention, seeking to rise within our servant hierarchy.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Voice Kaal,¡± she said.


    ¡°You had best tend your garden with caution, child. A misstep could see everything you have grown pulled up by the roots and burned to ash.¡±


    Benella wordlessly acknowledged Kaal¡¯s guiding words with a nod. She tried to avoid getting excited, realising that she had accomplished her goal. She knew the messengers would sense her relief and joy, and thought for a moment that she saw the tiniest smile tease the corners of Kaal''s lips, then told herself she was imagining it.


    ¡°Tell us about this man,¡± she instructed Benella.


    Benella gave a jerky nod, her whole body trembling.


    ¡°He is travelling under the identity of John Miller,¡± she said. ¡°He is ostensibly the cook of a team of travelling adventurers. This is an obvious falsehood, as even the short time I had to investigate was sufficient to reveal his true identity. His real name is Jason Asano, an adventurer belonging to that same team to which he is ostensibly an auxiliary. The purpose of the false identity, given its transparency, seems to be to garner less attention after the events in Rimaros surrounding him. It is not a complex identity designed for infiltration.¡±


    She tried to calm herself by keeping her hands busy, giving her attention to the crystal recording projector.


    ¡°It was difficult to obtain imagery of Asano, especially on short notice. I did manage to obtain one recording with his appearance, which matches the man I encountered. This is all I could get, as he has an item or ability that interferes with recordings unless he allows them.¡±


    She finished calibrating the projector and pulled out a crystal.


    ¡°What I have here is something he did allow, from a meeting that is believed to have been held out in the open for the very purpose of being observed. He is meeting with two people, both believed to be diamond rankers from outside of this world. One arrived and was taken away later by a third entity. The other spent some time in Rimaros and is believed to be close to Asano. I do not know her identity, but I heard reports that Soramir Rimaros was deferent towards her. Soramir Rimaros is a diamond ranker, and officially, has taken Asano out into the cosmos. This was when I became certain it was right to bring Asano to your attention.¡±


    ¡°When I asked you why you brought this to me,¡± Kaal said. ¡°Surely this would have been reason enough to offer me, rather than risk angering us.¡±


    Benella clenched her hand in a determined fist before turning from the projector she was setting up to look at Kaal.


    ¡°You did not ask for a reason I decided to bring this to you, Voice Kaal. You asked for the reason. If I had told you this was it, it would have been a lie.¡±


    Kaal gave a slight nod that Benella would have interpreted as approval if she hadn''t known better. Benella slotted the crystal into the projector and an image came up.


    ¡°Stop!¡± Kaal commanded immediately. A startled Benella was only frozen for a moment before she paused the recording. Kaal floated out of her chair to peer closely at the now-still projection.


    ¡°You were quite right that this warrants further examination,¡± Kaal said. ¡°You have done well.¡±


    ¡°What is it?¡± Fal asked.


    Hess Jord Nasala moved closer, also examining the paused projection. It showed Jason, Dawn and Shako sitting in chairs on the lawn in front of Jason¡¯s cloud house in Rimaros.


    ¡°Who are those people?¡± Hess asked.


    ¡°This will be Asano,¡± Kaal said, pointing to Jason. ¡°The others are the now-former prime vessels for the World-Phoenix and Zithis Carrow Vayel.¡±


    The other two messengers stirred.


    ¡°Why would they be here?¡± Hess asked. ¡°Are they interfering in our affairs?¡±


    ¡°I doubt directly,¡± Kaal said. ¡°The great astral beings are more concerned with one another than us, although we cannot be certain when Vayel is involved.¡±


    ¡°We cannot base our activities on doubts and assumptions,¡± Hess said. ¡°We should investigate this matter further.¡±


    ¡°Agreed,¡± Kaal said, ¡°but the timing is poor. We are too close to the next stage. Once the assault of Yaresh begins, we can seek this man Asano out more actively.¡±

 Chapter 651: Mockery

    The stasis cabin of the Carlos Crime Wagon was an adapted bunk room filled with stasis pods. Each pod contained an Order of Redeeming Light member, and Carlos regularly serviced the pods to make sure they were operating properly. Space being at a premium, it was a narrow cabin, making the maintenance work rather awkward.


    Carlos grumbled under his breath as he worked. He¡¯d been preparing for the next major step in his research, to which Jason was critical. That was the exact moment that Jason had chosen to wander off and test his aura techniques on any woman that hoved into view. Now he¡¯d gone off with his team on some ill-defined contract to find possibly nothing.


    After finishing, Carlos left the cabin for the small washroom and was wiping pod gel off his hands when one of his assistants appeared at the door.


    ¡°Boss, that weird shadow guy is at the door.¡±


    ¡°Show him in,¡± Carlos told his assistant.


    ¡°He said you should come out.¡±


    Carlos grumbled as he made his way to the exit of the vehicle, through the hatch and down the metal stairs.


    ¡°What is it, Shade?¡± Carlos asked irritably.


    ¡°Mr Asano and his team have a question for you, Priest Quilido.¡±


    ¡°Is it ¡®why did we go off on some pointless mission when we could be participating in world-changing research?¡¯¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Shade said. ¡°It is not.¡±


    ¡°Carlos,¡± Jason said, projecting his voice through Shade¡¯s body. ¡°Let me tell you about something I saw.¡±


    Jason explained what he¡¯d seen in the town he scouted, from the heat-producing paint to the uniform mannerisms and strange heat signatures of the residents.


    ¡°What you''re describing sounds like a heat-consuming parasite with a swarm hive mind,¡± Carlos said. ¡°I have a lot of research on creatures and objects that take people over in various ways, so I might be able to find something more specific.¡±


    ¡°How long would that take?¡±


    ¡°A few hours. In the meantime, any information you could get from the auras of the people would help.¡±


    ¡°Alright, I¡¯ll discuss it with the team.¡±


    ***


    With the skimmer floating in the rainforest canopy, Jason and his team sat and discussed their next move. As they went through various approaches, Jason pushed back against going in and scouting with his aura.


    ¡°You seem uncharacteristically nervous about using your aura,¡± Clive told him.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said as he absently nodded. ¡°I¡¯m grown accustomed to my aura being an absolute advantage. Something I can always rely on being the best at. Now I¡¯m starkly aware that isn¡¯t true and it makes me feel uneasy. I only caught a glimpse of the messenger, through Shade, and it still shook me. Even passively sensing the refinement of his aura through Shade¡¯s senses spooked me.¡±


    ¡°You can¡¯t let anxiety over someone being better at one thing stop you,¡± Humphrey told him.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°But I¡¯ve also realised how much my aura powers have been a crutch. I need to prove that there¡¯s more to me than that. To use every tool in the toolbox, before I forget how.¡±


    ¡°Good,¡± Rufus said. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I taught you.¡±


    Like Zara in Korinne¡¯s team, Rufus was a late and temporary addition to Team Biscuit. He lacked experience working with the team and would eventually go back to his training centre in Greenstone.


    Jason has a similar problem around teamwork, having been away for so long. Compared to Rufus, though, he still had the months in the Reaper¡¯s astral space with the others. That time had welded the team into a cohesive unit. They still needed to kick off the rust and learn all the changes to each other¡¯s powers, but those ingrained patterns were still there.


    The team had spent good chunks of Jason¡¯s convalescence going over their powers and formulating new strategies and tactics around them. Now they needed to get out in the field and use them.


    ¡°There¡¯s another thing, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s been a while and we¡¯ve barely worked together out in the field.¡±


    ¡°Someone got stomped and had to sit out most of the contracts,¡± Neil pointed out.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m nervous about messing up. Making everything go wrong. And what if it isn¡¯t like before? What if¨C¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a big worshipper of the gods,¡± Sophie cut in. ¡°But for the love of the gods, please shut up.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°We get it,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re in touch with your feelings, and that¡¯s great, but you are spending too much time with Rufus¡¯ mother.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what I¡¯ve been saying,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°For different reasons,¡± Belinda told him. ¡°Quiet you.¡±


    ¡°Jason, there¡¯s been too much talking and too much thinking. That¡¯s always been an issue for you, but now it¡¯s reaching the point where you¡¯re getting in your own way. So here¡¯s what¡¯s going to happen. We¡¯re going to go to that town and you¡¯re going to look at the auras of all the creepy people. Then something is going to go wrong, they¡¯re all going to attack us and we¡¯re going to kick everyone¡¯s inside out. Everyone agrees with this plan.¡±


    ¡°We do?¡± Neil asked, earning him a gentle elbow jab from Belinda.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that¡¯s¨C¡± Clive began.


    ¡°I said,¡± Sophie cut him off, ¡°Everyone agrees with this plan.¡±


    The group all turned to Humphrey, who was both team leader and Sophie¡¯s lover. He looked between Sophie and the rest of the team.


    ¡°Don¡¯t look at me,¡± he said. ¡°I heard everyone agrees with the plan.¡±


    ¡°You know,¡± Neil said, ¡°Humphrey¡¯s mother is almost always right.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s she got to do with anything?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I was just thinking,¡± Neil said. ¡°Sophie may not always be right, but she¡¯ll punch people until they admit she is. She¡¯s kind of like a violent version of Humphrey¡¯s mother.¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s face was stricken with wide-eyed horror.


    ***


    Jason was the only one to draw close to the town, again making use of the shade-houses and tree lines in the agricultural flatlands around it. The others waited in the edge of the rainforest for Jason to examine the town with his aura senses.


    ¡°I¡¯m a little worried about Jason,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s not like him to be so hesitant.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s been anxious and fearful from the start,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Gary and I didn¡¯t see it at first, but Farrah saw through him. He¡¯s always had a knack for using aura masks, even before he knew what they were. It¡¯s like he tricks himself into becoming this outlandish person. Someone who can survive in the madness he always seems to find himself in.¡±


    ¡°That persona is how he gets there in the first place,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Rufus said. ¡°But I¡¯m thankful for it. Jason¡¯s willingness to insert himself into a situation he could walk away from saved my life.¡±


    ¡°It saved me from worse,¡± Sophie added.


    ¡°We were low rank,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Our aura senses weren¡¯t as sharp as they are now and we didn¡¯t see through him. But Farrah trained his aura, and she saw how scared he really was. How fragile. But after he came back from Earth, it¡¯s different. He can¡¯t ¨C or maybe won¡¯t ¨C hide his feelings. He lashes out like a cornered animal.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s getting better,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°But that wound is still there. I think he scared Emir.¡±


    ¡°My mother likes to say that we can never go back to what we were,¡± Rufus said. ¡°The best we can do is try and decide who we¡¯ll be next.¡±


    ¡°Talking to your mum is why everything takes so damn long,¡± Sophie said. ¡°How long does it take to aura scout one small town? It¡¯s barely more than a village. I think Jason may have missed the key element of the plan.¡±


    ¡°Which is you running in and punching people?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± she said. ¡°Simple is best when it comes to plans. I learned that from Humphrey. His mum made him read lots of books about strategy written by people who went on to die in battle. It doesn''t say a lot about the value of their books if you ask me.¡±


    ¡°They didn¡¯t all die in battle.¡±


    ¡°Actually, the women writers mostly seemed to live,¡± Sophie mused.


    ¡°I bet it¡¯s a pride thing,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a pride thing,¡± Humphrey asserted. ¡°They were warriors. It makes sense that they died in battle.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m with Lindy,¡± Clive said. ¡°I never understood the whole male pride thing. Seems like a good way to get yourself killed for stupid reasons.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Belinda agreed as she and Sophie nodded.


    ¡°Speaking of the plan,¡± Rufus said, ¡°I think we should make some clarifications. Specifically regarding the kicking-out of people''s insides. The people in this town are more likely victims than perpetrators.¡±


    ¡°If they¡¯re full of heat-sucking parasites,¡± Belinda said, ¡°they¡¯re probably past saving.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s most likely the case,¡± Clive sadly agreed.


    ¡°We¡¯ll know more once Jason is done,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°If he ever is,¡± Sophie complained.


    ¡°Give him time,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°He said that technique takes a long time to use properly. I know Jason can be a bit frivolous, but you heard him earlier. I¡¯m sure he¡¯s completely focused on the task at hand.¡±


    ***


    ¡°That was a good sandwich,¡± Jason mumbled as he sucked sauce off his fingers. ¡°I need to find out what was in that sauce.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°I have to say, I¡¯m loving how the elves around here do food. Sweet drinks and spicy tucker.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I wonder what they use to make bread. It''s not wheat, and it''s not what they used in Rimaros, either.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, Miss Wexler is rapidly shifting from impatient to violently impatient.¡±


    ¡°This technique takes time,¡± he said. ¡°I have to slowly and carefully expand my senses unless I want people to notice my aura immediately. Even then, I¡¯m still learning. I¡¯m certain that¡¯s how Benella and her rental henchmen found me at the park.¡±


    ¡°Rental henchmen?¡±


    ¡°I can only assume that¡¯s what they were.¡±


    ¡°Why would that be the only possible assumption?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no other reasonable explanation for how she ended up with flunkies.¡±


    ¡°We spied on people who confirmed they were working together.¡±


    ¡°That kind of thing is easily misinterpreted.¡±


    ¡°I cannot imagine why your team would worry that you aren¡¯t giving this task you¡¯re your focus.¡±


    ¡°Because I ate one sandwich? I don¡¯t need my hands or my mouth to expand my aura.¡±


    ¡°But you do need concentration, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°And a sandwich helps me get into a balanced state of mind. Nagging does not, by the way.¡±


    Despite his teasing of Shade, Jason had, indeed, been slowly and carefully expanding his senses into the town from his hiding place in a shrubbery on the outskirts. He was taking it even slower than he had while practising, in the hope of going undetected. This approach bore fruit as Jason extended his aura senses over the closest of the townsfolk as they walked by. They showed no reaction to his aura but, despite going unnoticed, Jason''s expression filled with sadness and rage.


    ¡°I got a closer look at one of the elves,¡± Jason told the team through voice chat. ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any rescuing them. They have a death aura with some kind of swarm aura inside them. I¡¯m fairly certain they¡¯re walking corpses filled with parasites.¡±


    ¡°Can you get any more details?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Anything you can pick up will help Carlos identify what we¡¯re dealing with. Maybe even find a weakness we can exploit, or at least get a sense if whatever this is could be widespread enough to cover the southern region.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m looking,¡± Jason said. ¡°Slow and careful, though, so give me some more time.¡±


    Even Sophie didn¡¯t complain at that, after the revelation that everyone in the town was dead.


    Jason continued expanding his senses, examining the auras of other parasitised residents. Comparing them, he felt a familiar sensation from them, but only passingly so. It teased at his mind until he finally realised what it was: all of these people had creatures living inside them.


    Unlike Jason¡¯s symbiotic relationship with Colin, these were parasites. They took and gave nothing back. In Jason¡¯s mind, Colin had given him far more than Jason had ever returned. Colin had kept him alive time and time again, not just staving off death but healing him up enough to keep fighting when he would have fallen.


    When the Builder¡¯s star seed tried to take over Jason¡¯s body, Shade and Gordon had been banished back to the astral, their vessels destroyed. It was Colin who slowed the star seed as it claimed Jason¡¯s body, helping him to hold on. It was Colin, nestled inside Jason¡¯s soul, who offered support in his darkest moments. Without Colin, Jason would be dead or a slave.


    The creatures that had taken the people of the town, both killing and enslaving them, were a mockery of what Colin and Jason shared. It filled him with a burning desire to go on a rampage, digging the parasites out of the townsfolk and annihilating every last one. He didn¡¯t, but his fury flowed out through his aura, disrupting his partially mastered aura-hiding technique and alerting the town. As one, every elf in it through back their heads and let out an inhuman screech.


    July Story Hiatus


    I will be taking my mum on holiday this July, so I''m taking the time off to go away, recharge and restock the chapter buffer a little. Here are the pertinent details:

 Chapter 652: Die Immediately Without Prompting

    Jason''s team exploded out of the rainforest as inhuman screeching came from the town ahead. Sophie was nothing more than a flickering blur while the others thundered over rice paddies, the terrain barely hindering the superhuman pace of silver rankers. Following them out of the rainforest were the twenty draconic bone spiders in magic armour that Humphrey had summoned while they waited. Behind them was Neil''s lumbering chrysalis golem, a monolith of crystal that sank heavily into the mud, quickly getting left behind.


    They felt Jason¡¯s aura flood out, infused with blind rage.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Neil said as they dashed.


    Then they felt the rage vanish.


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s really not good,¡± Neil said.


    ***


    Jason had carefully hidden his aura as he extended his senses over the town. It was the revelations of what had happened to the people in it that made him lose control. He could mask even strong emotions from showing in his aura under normal circumstances, but his new sensory technique was a work in progress. When using it to expand his senses stealthily, he lacked the same rigid control.


    When his senses revealed that the townsfolk were actually dead people being puppeteered by some kind of parasite, that control slipped. His hidden aura was revealed as it flooded with rage, revealing his presence.


    The townsfolk tossed aside their too-perfect normalcy on sensing Jason''s rage, letting out a chorus of alien shrieks. They started rushing to Jason''s location, faster than their ranks should have allowed. The cost of this was their bodies moving in an awkward and off-putting manner, as if filmed in crude stop-motion. It was damaging their bodies, some even breaking bones and falling over as they overtaxed themselves.


    They had completely transformed from the pleasant fa?ades they had been showing to wild and twisted berserkers. Their uncanny-valley appearance made plain that the elves were no longer people. Something stranger and more insidious was inside them, wearing them as suits.


    Although this infuriated Jason, he managed to rein in his anger, rather than let it drive him. Oddly, his earlier explosion at Emir helped him regain control instead of letting his rage run rampant. Following that encounter, he had been dwelling on the anger waiting just below the skin, ready to erupt at any provocation. It wasn¡¯t a revelation, but it was a wake-up call that he was not as mentally recovered as he¡¯d previously believed.


    Jason had been letting his anger control him for too long, and it was past time to start getting it in order. For all that fury felt strong, he knew that was a trap. It narrowed his vision, blinded his judgement and led him to choices he would come to regret. It also blocked him out of the powerful combat trance technique, which he could only achieve with a calm and balanced mind.


    Now there was an enemy more than deserving of his anger, but he refused to let himself indulge in the emotion. He concentrated on all the training he had gotten from Rufus and Farrah about fighting with a cool head. Even with the enemy rushing at him, he closed his eyes and took a long, slow breath. Breathing was unnecessary, but made for a good meditative tool, helping him achieve a flow of calm. He let the breath out and his anger with it, allowing it to drift away.


    Sophie arrived at his side, having moved across the entirety of the fields surrounding the town faster than the parasitised elves could reach Jason. She peered into his hood when she couldn''t see his glowing eyes.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± she asked. In response, he drew his sword.


    ¡°These people are dead,¡± he told her. ¡°I¡¯m preparing to free them.¡±


    The oncoming enemy didn¡¯t give Jason any more time for explanation than that as they charged in on Jason and Sophie. There was no pattern to the attacks, just dozens of parasitised elves. They launched themselves through the air the moment they were close enough, literally jumping at them in wild, artless attacks. The elves dashed through the streets and out of buildings, quickly forming a mob.


    Whatever intelligence had been guiding them to fake the role of a pleasant populace had turned to mindless frenzy like someone had flipped a switch. Their only tactic was to assault Jason and Sophie with a wall of bodies.


    Before the mob could form too tight a pack, Jason and Sophie had moved to attack the frontrunners, kicking off a melee in the middle of the street.


    Knowing that something had taken over the townsfolk, the entire team knew to be careful. The unknown parasite could potentially infect them, so until they were certain of what it was, caution was the first priority. Humphrey hadn¡¯t allow the rest of the team to charge blindly in after Sophie. The fields they were crossing had elves that were moving towards them in a frenzy, and while Sophie was past them before they had even really started to stir, the rest of the team was not.


    Humphrey led the team forward more cautiously, trusting Jason and Sophie to hold their own. Their ability sets were both well-suited to this early stage of the conflict, before too many elves gathered together.


    Sophie was always elusive in the face of the enemy, with abilities that would shield her from retaliatory effects. So as long as she was the one hitting and not being hit, she knew that she should be fine. She did not take the risk, however, regardless of how minor it was. Instead of landing hits, she chose to miss each target by a close margin.


    Wind Blade was one of only two special attacks Sophie possessed, and the only one whose use was unconditional. It allowed her to make slashing gestures with any part of her body that launched blades of razor-sharp wind. Large gestures created long, slow-moving blades, while short, sharp gestures fired off small-but-swift projectiles.


    Sophie making her attacks miss every enemy meant that she could instead use the motions to fire off wind blades at point-blank range, meaning that even the slow blades hit home. She soon started increasing her range when possible, given the unskilled mass of bodies being thrown at them.


    The wind blades did not end their effectiveness by cutting into enemies. The silver-rank effect of the ability triggered a ring of cutting force from each target struck. Sophie had practised long and hard to master the nuances of this ability, actively negating the blades and rings before they struck herself or any friendlies. She could even eliminate just a part of a blade or ring, allowing two sides of a blade to pass around an ally.


    Jason knew this, but was still rigorous about checking for friendly fire. Humphrey and Clive had been fighting alongside Sophie for the past few years, but Jason was still fitting back into the team¡¯s rhythms. He didn¡¯t trust himself for pinpoint coordination just yet.


    Like Sophie, Jason¡¯s style was inherently evasive, but in a different manner. There were similarities, such as a reliance on skill and uncanny dodging through space displacement powers. But Sophie¡¯s approach was a domineering mix of raw speed and unmatched skill, challenging any foe to strike her down. Jason was very different, relying on obfuscation, disruption and erratic unpredictability unnerving his opponents over the course of the battle.


    Jason¡¯s tactics began by sending a herd of Shade bodies to mix into the elves. With the sun high in the sky and the battleground being a wide street of dry dirt, there was little in the way of natural shadows, so Shade would serve instead.


    Shade and Jason had worked on tactics to make Shade less vulnerable when the familiar was serving as a shadow-jump platform. The more Jason ranked up, the more enemies were able to affect Shade¡¯s incorporeal form, making it a less reliable defence than it had in the past.


    One of the ways that Shade did this was by moving his bodies in and out of shadows. While a shadow might be too small for Jason to jump through, Shade had no such restrictions. For the elves, though, it quickly became evident that they had no way of harming the familiar, which gave them the chance to use another tactic.


    Jason conjured copies of his cloak on a multitude of Shade bodies, which danced through and around the elves. Even the wild, seemingly mindless enemy was thrown off as Shade variously ballooned out the cloak to block their view, sent blinding star motes flashing into their eyes and displaced space itself.


    The space displacement had minimal effect, allowing Jason to turn a near-miss into a full-miss, but when two dozen cloaks were using it at once, the elves were disoriented and sent stumbling over one another. This had no effect on the incorporeal Shade and his intangible cloaks, leaving elves scattered about on the ground. This offered critical breathing room for the high mobility approaches of Jason and Sophie, who fared much worse against a shoulder-to-shoulder mob.


    As for Jason himself, his cloak danced around him like a hazy cloud of darkness and stars. Alongside hiding Jason¡¯s movements, it shifted between tangible and intangible. In one moment it was grabbing or blocking enemies, and in the next letting go, causing them to lose balance as they tried to pull free or yank at the cloak, only to find the resistance gone. That was the instant Jason would strike, his sword unseen until it passed through the cloak.


    When Shade''s antics weren''t enough to stop the constantly-growing mob from clustering up, Jason and Sophie would both escape, buying time and space to make a fresh approach. Jason used Shade bodies to shadow jump, while Sophie employed her Mirage Step ability.


    Mirage Step was not a true teleport ability, but a time-manipulation power involving near-instantaneous movement. Like Eternal Moment, Sophie¡¯s main power for accelerating her personal time stream, Mirage Step gave what seemed like stopped time. She was progressing through time so much faster than the world around her that everything seemed frozen.


    Mirage Step was even more limited than Eternal Moment, in that the time displacement between herself and the world around her made it hard to interact with. All Sophie could do while Mirage Step was active was move, but it had other advantages, especially after ranking the power up. These advantages were centred on the after-image left behind when she used the power, and for which the ability was named. The after image would send out blades of dimensional force, similar to Sophie¡¯s wind blades. It also disoriented anyone who attacked the image, through short-lived mental illusions.


    The elves that attacked the after image triggered an unusual reaction. Normally, there would be visible coloured light around the head of an enemy, indicating that they were caught up in illusions. For the elves, however, lights appeared all over their bodies. The disorienting effect was also unusually potent, causing the elves to collapse into thrashing heaps. Sophie took immediate advantage and used her Wind Wave power to gather them all up in a pile.


    Wind Wave was a versatile ability that she could use for personal mobility, to deflect magical projectiles, or herd enemies, as she was currently doing. With the elves piled up, she used her personal time acceleration, Eternal Moment, to produce a storm of wind blades and launch them all at once. The blades slammed into the pile like an angry swarm of buzz saws, cutting first with the blades, then the secondary cutting rings. The result was an ugly meat grinder, the foul stench of death carried on the gusty air that came in the wake of the exploding wind blades.


    Sophie was no offensive specialist, and her perfectly executed synergy of attacks were not enough to destroy most of the parasite-infested elf bodies. What she did accomplish by piling them up and slaughtering at least an appreciable number was one of the most valuable resources in any battle: time. Jason had deployed his affliction-spreading butterflies that were multiplying on the beleaguered elves.


    One effect of all the chopping that Sophie did was that she and Jason got a look at the parasites that crawled out of the chopped up bodies. Many had been immediately sliced into pieces as well, but there were more than enough to get a look, with dozens of worms pouring out of every dismembered elf.


    The parasites were brown worms, looking much like garden worms but around the length of a forearm. Their most notable feature was at the tip of each worm; a triangular chitin cap, almost like a drill bit. As the worms became afflicted by butterflies, Jason learned the ominous name of the creatures.


    The initial cluster of elves had been handled by Jason and Sophie, but it was only a fraction of what Jason sensed coming their way. With his senses now openly spread over the town, he sensed a larger population than the town should have. This confirmed that one of the reasons the town had gone silent was that the world-taker worms were claiming anyone that passed through.


    Jason backed off as his team arrived, led by Humphrey and followed by Humphrey¡¯s summons. Sophie¡¯s efforts to gather and slice up the elves had brought them a brief moment to regroup.


    ¡°I sensed something in the town,¡± Jason told Humphrey. ¡°I¡¯m not sure what; it seems shielded against magical perception and I barely noticed it at all. Now you¡¯re here, I¡¯d like to take Clive and check it out.¡±


    "It could be important to handling these things," Humphrey agreed. "If not to this fight, then to the larger one, if there are more towns like this. Any clues on what these things are?"


    ¡°Something called a World-taker worm,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the kind of name I wanted to hear,¡± Neil said. ¡°I guess a ¡®die immediately without prompting worm¡¯ was too much to hope for.¡±


    ¡°Clive can fight with us while you investigate,¡± Humphrey told Jason. ¡°You move better alone. Just open a portal when you find something for him to look at.¡±


    ¡°Will you be alright without me?¡± Jason asked.


    Humphrey looked at the magical butterflies already moving to intercept the approaching elves.


    ¡°Your presence will be felt.¡±


    July Story Hiatus


    I will be taking my mum on holiday this July, so I''m taking the time off to go away, recharge and restock the chapter buffer a little. Here are the pertinent details:

 Chapter 653: The Old Groove

    The team only had a brief respite from the worm-host elves that were inundating them, rushing from every street and building in the town to hunt them down. While Humphrey and Jason quickly discussed Jason¡¯s departure, Clive drew out a ritual circle. Golden lines were left behind by the edge of his staff as he used it to draw, like scratching in the sand with a driftwood stick. The ritual, like the golden light itself, was an aspect of Clive¡¯s most fundamental ability.


    Ability: [Enact Ritual] (Rune)


    The ritual was designed for Clive and Belinda to stand on, altering the parameters of their magical weapons. Belinda was using her Specious Sorcerer ability to take on a spellcaster role, avoiding getting too close to their enemies.


    Ability: [Specious Sorcerer] (Charlatan)


    With a robe, plus a wand in one hand and a staff in the other, she was equipped much like Clive. She had supplied herself with decent-quality items, albeit not the equal of the weapons and armour Gary had crafted to use with her Counterfeit Combatant power. They certainly weren''t a match for Clive''s staff and wand, which were a legendary growth item set he had picked up at iron rank, before Belinda had even joined the team.


    Both Belinda and Clive¡¯s weapons would be affected by Clive¡¯s ritual. Instead of the normal bolts and beams of force for Clive, and fire for Belinda, their staves and wands would produce cold attacks. They didn¡¯t know much about the parasites infesting the townsfolk, but they seemed to feed on heat. That made cold Clive¡¯s best guess as to what would be the most harmful to them.


    Clive finished his preparations by using another ability to attach ritual circles to their weapons directly, the floating magic diagrams, somewhat akin to Jason¡¯s system windows. Not wasting time, Clive and Belinda were already on the attack by the time Jason vanished into the shadows, blasting the onrushing elves with bolts and beams of magic.


    The team set up so that Sophie, Rufus and Humphrey moved in a circle to shield Neil, Clive and Belinda from attacks on each side. Stash and Belinda¡¯s familiars were inside the circle as well, while Humphrey¡¯s dragon-bone spiders roamed out to run interference.


    With the numbers they were facing, efficiency in both time and mana was important. In extended fights, especially against so many opponents, they needed to make the most of their big-ticket abilities, and even their mid-range heavy-hitters. The right abilities needed to be ready, with enough mana to use them, when the optimal moments arose.


    Managing this for the team had become Belinda¡¯s job. Their time apart meant that the team had to learn all-new ways to work together. Not only was their teamwork out of practise but their old bronze-rank strategies were no longer sufficient. They and their power sets had gone through massive changes, and it was taking time to find the old groove.


    One of the more defining changes to how they worked together was that Belinda had taken on a tactical director role. While Humphrey generally called the play, it was Belinda who helped the team execute the details. She was always tracking who could do what and when, courtesy of Jason¡¯s interface, and the team¡¯s efficiency was spiking as a result.


    Belinda had fallen into this role for several reasons, starting with her power set. Belinda¡¯s powers placed her in a position to facilitate the rest of the team in various ways, and ranking up had only amplified that factor. She could reduce or entirely reset cooldowns, as well as duplicate key abilities.


    Even Belinda''s magic tattoo could reset some of her cooldowns, being the silver-rank version of the one she had at iron rank. She had been careful to get it after what happened at bronze. After a night drinking with Sophie, she woke up with a magic tattoo that produced hot sauce.


    Judgement was key to Belinda¡¯s power set, as almost every power she used to assist the team would live or die on the timing. The only exception was her aura.


    Ability: [Masterful] (Adept)


    The reliable but generalised bonuses were nice, but weren''t anything that would turn a battle on its head. It was Belinda''s active powers that could make for clutch plays, where the trump card of an ally became a handful of trump cards and clinched a win.


    Belinda¡¯s ability to manage not just her own abilities but those of the team was key, but only the start of why she was now the tactical centre. Every essence user had their mind enhanced by their spirit attribute, but there were differences in how that applied specifically. Clive had always been the smartest guy in the room when it came to deciphering the complexities of sophisticated and exotic magic. Ranking up had only enhanced his ability to comprehend the most sophisticated nuances of magic. Jason¡¯s mental advancements were perceptual, allowing him to better process sensory input greater than others of his rank. In Belinda¡¯s case, it was a peerless ability to multitask. The return of Jason and his party interface made that trait not just valuable but the centrepiece for her new role on the team.


    Jason¡¯s party interface was one of the most impactful contributions he brought to the team, now that they were silver rank. It provided so much information that when the whole team was in a party, there was too much visual clutter to even see. From health condition body indicators to mana and stamina bars to cooldowns for every active ability, each team member had to customise the interface to their own needs.


    Humphrey, Sophie and Jason himself had the most pared-down interfaces. They all had to move fast and get deep in the action, so minimum obstruction was the goal. Being the healer, Neil maintained a more robust interface so he could monitor the team, but that did not compare to Belinda. She tracked every active cooldown of every team member in real-time, along with the mana they had to use their powers.


    It was a mess, but one that gave Belinda an unrivalled tool for enhancing her effectiveness. Only she was able to parse all that data, let alone do so while actively participating in combat. She was the one who saw the gaps and plugged them, either by directing a teammate or by employing her own versatile power set.


    Belinda¡¯s new authority in the team came with growing pains. Jason¡¯s interface gave Belinda the metrics to dig out the team¡¯s inefficiencies and zero in on their inefficient habits. It was good in the long run, but no one enjoyed having their shortcomings pointed out.


    ¡°Neil, throw out some more spells,¡± she instructed. ¡°Your mana is too close to full. Use Verdant Cage on cooldown to slow down the incoming elves as much as you can. Focus on the fields, where the existing plants will strengthen the power. Then use Reels of Fortune to dump mana; my power is ready to help you with the cooldown so you can triple-cast it.¡±


    Ability: [Blessing of Readiness] (Adept)


    Rough edges were no surprise after the team had spent years apart. It was more than Jason¡¯s absence, as the rest of the team had drifted apart in the wake of his loss. Neil and Belinda had worked together, protecting Jory as he roamed the world in dangerous times. As for Sophie, Humphrey and Clive, they had pursued their vendetta against the followers of Purity and the Builder. Clive had played third wheel for almost two years as he watched the other two awkwardly circle one another, the ghost of Jason in-between them. Even worse were the regular debriefs on their relationship progress, demanded of Clive by Belinda every time they all met up.


    ¡°I thought your job was to make us efficient,¡± Neil complained to Belinda. ¡°Explain to me how having almost full mana is an efficiency problem and not just efficiency.¡±


    ¡°Your aura is feeding us way more mana than normal from all these worms dying,¡± she said. ¡°You¡¯re letting mana go to waste because you can¡¯t hold any more.¡±


    Ability: [Spoils of Victory] (Prosperity)


    ¡°Thank you for the orbs, by the way,¡± Humphrey chimed in. As the most mana-hungry member of the team, as well as being highly mobile, finding mana boosts scattered around the battlefield was a massive boost. Neither the healing nor the mana gains were exceptional, but especially with a swarm monster like the worms, they added up.


    "Your aura should have maxed out your spirit buff as well," Belinda told Neil. ¡°Only using that power on shields and healing is a waste.¡±


    The rest of the team was also giving their all, adventurers and familiars alike. Belinda¡¯s astral lantern familiar was firing off its own force bolts, focusing on any worms attempting to sneak up on the team while they were distracted. Worms that had escaped both Sophie¡¯s wind blades and Jason¡¯s afflictions were already crawling along the ground, seeking out the team in moments of inattention.


    Humphrey was the most vulnerable as he was a melee fighter. Sophie and Rufus were as well, but her grace and speed, plus his elegant elusiveness, made them untouchable. They moved like dancers of fast-forward, reminding everyone that no one else on the team could touch them for pure skill.


    Humphrey was also highly skilled, but so much of how he fought was about the application of power, which was not useful against enemies that were weak and numerous. It also didn¡¯t help that his powerful attacks sent worms spraying out of the elves he cut apart. Without the evasiveness of Sophie and Rufus, he found the worms splashing over him.


    To minimise his exposure, Humphrey was modifying his usual combat style. His usual fast-paced aggression was not ideal for defending and his heavy attacks were overkill against the worm-laden elves. He focused more on lateral movement than charge-forward aggression, and on skill rather than overwhelming power. It¡¯s not that Humphrey didn¡¯t have the skill ¨C his mother would never have stood for it ¨C but it wasn¡¯t his strongest area. Key to making his adapted style work was his sword. Of his two conjured weapons, he usually favoured the largest. For his current situation, however, the smaller sword was the right choice.


    Ability: [Razor-Wing Sword] (Wing)


    The Razor-Wing Sword was stylised as an angel wing of white and gold, with glossy metal feathers. It could fire razor feathers from the blade, which Humphrey was making the most of to pick off loose worms. As of silver rank, it also produced feathers that floated around him to intercept projectiles. As this included worms flinging themselves at him, Humphrey was able to fight in relative safety.


    Humphrey was still able to be effective, despite changing up his style, but he was not fighting at full effectiveness. He was forced to be careful instead of bold; passive instead of taking the fight to the enemy. He had to be constantly vigilant, even with his defensive measures. This was especially true when he had to stand his ground between parasitised elves and his team members.


    Neil took some of the load in those moments, dropping a characteristically well-timed shield over Humphrey. As for Humphrey, that was when he deployed what was his most useful power, given the circumstances. His Fire Breath power sprayed out like a flamethrower, burning up waves of elves and eliciting shrieks like those Jason¡¯s aura had drawn out. It was extremely effective, despite the worms feeding on heat, because it was not ordinary fire.


    Ability: [Dragon Might] (Dragon)


    Humphrey¡¯s aura turned any fire produced by his abilities into dragon fire, which was significantly more troubling to deal with. It was certainly beyond the power of the parasite worms to feed on.


    The biggest problem with Fire Breath, and the reason Humphrey didn¡¯t usually rely on it as a mainstay, was that it was extremely mana-hungry. Fortunately, the team had many methods of replenishing mana. Clive¡¯s aura and Belinda¡¯s astral lantern familiar both did so, as did the crystals floating around Humphrey from his own Crystallise Mana ability. Neil¡¯s orbs were a boost, and Humphrey¡¯s equipment also leaned heavily into retaining or replenishing mana. The net result was Humphrey possessed an extraordinary amount of sustain for someone with his power set.


    Humphrey''s greatest advantage, however, was not his powers, his training or his gear; it was the humility to recognise that he was not the critical figure in this combat. He didn''t make any bold rushes or seize any perceived opportunities. He did the work, stayed the course and trusted in his team.


    July Story Hiatus


    I will be taking my mum on holiday this July, so I''m taking the time off to go away, recharge and restock the chapter buffer a little. Here are the pertinent details:

 Extended break for health reasons

No content

 Chapter 654: Grisly Chore

    While Humphrey was only adequate as a personal participant in the battle against the parasitised elves, his contribution was still large. This came through the other assets he brought to the combat, starting with his cohort of summons.


    Humphrey¡¯s dragon-bone soldiers, the spartoi, had been modified by his powerful, if unpredictable, summoner¡¯s dice. In this case, the soldiers had been called up in the form of spiders with fire powers. It wasn¡¯t ideal for fighting their current enemy, but randomness was the price of such a potent item. At least they had managed to slog through the fields, unlike Neil¡¯s golem. That had been left behind after it half sunk into a rice paddy.


    Humphrey directed the soldiers to form a cordon, intercepting the elves approaching from all sides. Only twenty summons was not enough to block them all, but they at least helped prevent the team from being overrun. Unfortunately, Humphrey had to command them to stop spitting burning webs over the elves.


    The flames his summons could create because they were affected by a magic item were too removed to count as Humphrey''s own fire. As such, Humphrey''s aura did not transmute it into dragon fire, and the heat-hungry worms absorbed it. The affected elves had their flesh burned, but being dead were unaffected unless they were low rank enough that it burned them away entirely.


    Like other forms of conversion they had seen, becoming a corpse-host for worms seemed to rank up the body. Most of the elves being slaughtered were ordinary people ranked up to iron. Their main threat came from the worms that shot out when the bodies were cut apart. While the higher-ranked ones were burned by the flames of Humphrey''s summons, though, the worms inside didn''t care. They devoured the heat, which gave their scorched hosts a burst of strength and speed. After witnessing that only a couple of times, Humphrey ordered his spartoi to stop using fire.


    Although the summons had the numbers, the most powerful member of Humphrey¡¯s cohort was naturally Stash. The mirage dragon had taken on the form of a monster called a spriklish, which was essentially a massive sea urchin atop three giraffe legs. Its main body was the size of an economy hatchback, and it attacked by shooting spines that weren¡¯t especially dangerous, at least to an appropriate-rank adventurer. It also had many weaknesses. The long legs were slow and thin, making it easy to topple the creature. Even better, leaving the body up on its high legs made it easy pickings for ranged powers. It had the ability to rapidly heal, but not fast enough to overcome the attacks of a ranged adventurer.


    What made the spriklish a valuable form was that it could shoot spines very rapidly and with pinpoint accuracy. Against the multitudinous-but-frail worms, it left them pinned to the dirt road by spines. Rapid spine regrowth meant that endurance wasn¡¯t a problem either.


    Stash proved so effective at eliminating the growing sea of loose worms that Belinda sent her echo spirit familiar to mimic him. A second spriklish appeared, looking like a cheap hologram replica. The spines it fired were magical force rather than physical spines, but they worked just as well.


    Clive also had his familiar, Onslow, but was holding him in reserve. He wanted the tortoise fully charged up so that he could cover for Clive once he joined Jason. There was one more support, though, who arrived late to the combat.


    Neil¡¯s chrysalis golem was slow and lumbering. Too slow to keep up with the team as they crossed the rice fields, it had last been seen sinking into a paddy, abandoned to the tender mercies of the parasitised elves. It at least had distracted some of the elves who had gone from farming to frenzy, chasing after the team as they made their way to the town.


    The golem¡¯s singular power was to shroud itself inside a chrysalis that was near-indestructible, at least to attackers of its own rank. It underwent a transfiguration inside before emerging in a new form, adapted to the battle at hand. Going through the process was not swift, and the golem was ill-suited for short battles. More often than not, they would be over before the summon had undergone its transformation.


    As was normal for a power with so many disadvantages, it was formidable should the right circumstances appear. At silver rank, the golem was far better at adapting to enemies and environments, compared to the crude attack reactions that had shaped its lower-rank transformations. When the transformed golem finally appeared over the battlefield, its crystal body was glimmering brightly in the sun.


    The golem¡¯s new form was a giant, crystalline wasp, the size of a bread van. It had sixteen long, multi-jointed arms, each ending in a hand of narrow, barbed fingers. The wasp came buzzing over the trees and hovered over the battle briefly before descending into the fray.


    Wholly unlike its ungainly initial form, the giant insect darted around like a dragonfly, wings buzzing as they flapped in a rapid blur. Its hands reached out and plunged into one elf after another, jabbing in and out. Each time a hand emerged, dead worms dangled from the barbs on its fingers.


    Neil¡¯s transfigured golem marked a turning point in the fight. Having configured itself to annihilate hosts and pluck out the parasites within, it alleviated the pressure on the team. They still had to fight and be careful about it, but they were less worried about running into desperate moments.


    There were still more and more elves emerging from across the town, however. With a population of several thousand, there was no shortage of bodies. The team even had to move, having no interest in using the piled up dead as a bulwark. They crossed a field of corpses to an empty stretch of wide road and then proceeded to create a fresh charnel house of elven bodies.


    The team were all aware that the elven corpses they were laying out were not monsters but victims. They were adventurers, used to laughing in the face of death, but only Rufus had witnessed such a scene before. He had met Gary and Farrah in a town of around the same size, where the population had also been turned into walking corpses.


    With the push of the enemy lessened by the arrival of Neil¡¯s devastating golem, the fight had lulls that were not entirely welcome. The team bantered as if they were not surrounded by death, trying to keep their mind off the horror they were participating in. The townsfolk had been dead before the team arrived, but they were still aware that they were cutting down mothers and brothers. They all turned their eyes from the reality of how many of the bodies belonged to children.


    ¡°Whoever did this is going to burn,¡± Sophie growled.


    Not even Humphrey disagreed with Sophie¡¯s sentiment of revenge, but the moment was soon over as more elves ran to the slaughter.


    ¡°It feels like they¡¯ll never stop coming,¡± Neil grimly opined.


    ¡°They will,¡± Humphrey said, but he was unable to muster anything but weariness to his tone.


    The fight turned from a dangerous battle to a grisly chore as the team eliminated one parasite host after another. Jason''s butterflies still flew around, but many worms still crawled away. If they ended up needing to hunt them all, it would be a tedious task.


    The worm hosts had apparently turned mindless when triggered, despite having been able to mimic the townsfolk at least enough to lure visitors to their doom. It led the team into a false sense of security, and the most dangerous moment of the battle came as they thought it was reaching a clean-up stage. Whatever intelligence drove the worms held back a large number of hosts, sending out just enough to keep the team active. Then they rushed in to swamp the team with pure numerical advantage.


    Despite being surprised, the team reacted with professionalism, their readiness never having truly slacked off. Rather than push back hard, Humphrey instructed the team and his bone spiders to stop warding off elves and let them cluster up. Sophie even helped, rounding them up with her Wind Wave power. Once they were nice and collected, it was Neil¡¯s turn to step in.


    Of everyone in the team, it was Neil who had the hardest time ranking up. More than any other member, his power set had abilities that were high-cooldown, circumstantial or both, making them hard to use on a regular basis. Even his summon was hard to raise up, with battles often ending before the summon could enter its chrysalis, let alone exit. As for his healing and support powers, the excellence of his team actually hurt him. In more fights than not, there was little call for Neil''s abilities.


    Neil was best served in critical fights, but constantly chasing the edge would get the team killed, sooner or later. The rest of the team had a variety of attack powers they could use. The biggest problems were Humphrey, Belinda, Clive and Rufus, all of whom advanced an extra step faster because they were human.


    At low ranks, the human advantage in ability growth speed mattered little, but now they were at the wall. When ranking up abilities took exponentially longer, even a minor advantage would add up over time.


    Like many healers, Neil used a lot of his downtime to raise his healing powers slowly but reliably on civilians. It was also fulfilling to help people in need, reminding Neil why he¡¯d joined the Church of the Healer in the first place.


    Even so, many of Neil¡¯s powers could only be deployed in action. Without the team falling into dire straits, many of Neil''s powers went unused. From his overwhelming single-target buff to wide-area heals and cleanses, all of Neil''s big spells had an impact, but only when the circumstances were right. Even though such abilities inherently rose more quickly than others, it still made them awkward to use.


    Ability: [Reaper¡¯s Redoubt] (Shield)


    As a healer, Neil had little in the way of destructive power, but the one ability he did have was devastating. Although more and more elves continued to rush at them, his power provided the team with a reset. When they emerged from the dimensional space Neil created, the worms and their elven hosts in a wide area were rotted and dead. The same was true of plants, trees and even the wooden buildings, the closest ones having collapsed.


    ¡°Did I just sense our healer blanketing the area in death and murdering everyone and everything?¡± Jason asked through voice chat. It was light and jovial, as if they weren¡¯t surrounded by death, even though he mentioned it specifically. They each knew from Farrah that Jason had once encountered what they¡¯d all gone through on a much wider scale. They realised he wasn¡¯t being flippant over death but telling them to do what they could to put it out of their minds until the job was done.


    ¡°I had to do it,¡± Neil said. ¡°Someone ran off by himself and left us to do all the fighting.¡±


    ¡°Hey, I have an important role,¡± Jason said defensively. ¡°On an unrelated note, chewing sounds don¡¯t come through my voice chat, right?¡±


    ¡°Not the time,¡± Humphrey scolded. Unable put all the deaths aside, even for the moment, his face was filled with rage and nowhere to put it. He could kill townsfolk victims and massacre worms all day, but it wouldn''t give him the person behind it all. The hope was that Jason found them, although that wasn''t why he reached out.


    ¡°I just talked with Carlos,¡± Jason reported. ¡°I updated him on what we¡¯ve seen.¡±


    ¡°And?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°He said that world-taker worms are bad.¡±


    ¡°Oh, they¡¯re bad,¡± Neil said. ¡°I¡¯m glad we figured that out. Extremely helpful.¡±


    ¡°More helpful than sarcasm,¡± Belinda muttered.

 Chapter 655: Inferior

    Nervousness was not a normal sensation for a messenger. When the adventurers arrived, Pei Vas Kartha had been in her hidden underground lair, as usual, managing the worm implantations. She was confident that they would not sense her presence, as any non-messenger perception would be firmly but subtly blocked. The sophisticated aura magic rituals had been inscribed into the facility by someone far stronger than Pei herself.


    It was not the first group of adventurers to arrive. Pei remained until she sensed an absurd aura flood the town. It was angry and startling powerful, but that was not what disturbed her. The aura was not that of a messenger, yet it undeniably carried properties that belonged to messengers.


    There were several elements of that aura that Pei found unnerving.  One was that she was not used to anyone of her rank having a stronger aura than her. She knew it was possible for non-messengers to have stronger auras than normal, but seeing it for herself was unsettling. Then there was the nature of the aura. Not only did it carry something akin to that of a messenger, but it was so oppressive that it cast a looming shadow over her soul.


    She caught herself shrinking her shoulders and then pushed them back up, angrily reasserting her posture. She was not going to bow down to some random aura. It wanted her to feel small and unworthy, as if she had been judged and found wanting. As if she had sinned. That the person it belonged to would not even be able to sense her made it even more galling.


    Then she remembered that odd strain in the aura of messenger-like power. She wondered how well-hidden she truly was and, in a moment of crippling shame, found herself thankful to be shielded from even such powerful senses.


    The word ¡®inferior¡¯ slithered into her mind, like one of the worms she''d been implanting into the elves. She snarled, feeding her weak emotions into the flames of rage. Even so, she did not lose control and lash out. She extended her senses past the protection of her lair, careful not to expose her aura. She needed a better sense of what was happening above.


    She sensed the adventurers fighting the worm-host, realising they were stronger than the last ones. They were violently undoing so much of Pei¡¯s work by slaughtering the hosts, but she did not rush out to intervene. While she had the pride of messenger superiority, she was not fool enough to confront such a powerful team, at least while they were fresh. She would wait until the battle had exhausted them before looking for opportunities to pick them off.


    ***


    The town¡¯s elven population had been overtaken by parasitic worms that were using the townsfolk as host bodies, pretending everything was still normal. The arrival of Jason''s team had changed that. The townsfolk became frenzied berserkers, throwing themselves at the team from every direction.


    Jason and Sophie fended off the first wave until the rest of the team turned up. Once they did, Jason went off in search of something that had tweaked his senses. It was faint enough that he wasn¡¯t entirely certain that he wasn¡¯t imagining it at first. He methodically searched, using his stealth abilities to avoid the enemies charging his team.


    While he moved, Jason relayed what the team had learned about the worms through Shade to Carlos, still in the city of Yaresh. World-taker-worms turned out to be something on which Carlos had a decent amount of notes, and once he had a name, he was able to dig out some research records. This was specifically because of his research into various means of taking over the bodies of innocent people, with world-taker worms being an example. He had collected notes from other researchers as part of his own endeavours.


    ¡°I knew I had these,¡± Carlos relayed back through to Jason. ¡°Interestingly, this particular breed of worms has colour gradations that indicate¨C¡±


    "I''m more in the market for practical facts that will help me right this second,¡± Jason interrupted him. ¡°Basically, how are they going to try to kill us? Also ¨C and this is the big one - how do we make them not do that?¡±


    While Carlos took him through the salient points, Jason continued his search. Around the time he found what he suspected he was looking for, Carlos had moved from more practical details and onto ¡®interesting points of note.¡¯ Jason contacted the team to share what he knew while Carlos headed for the Adventure Society. With seven teams all searching the same region, it was critical to disseminate the information.


    ¡°The worms maintain the host body¡¯s functions,¡± Jason explained to the team through voice chat. ¡°Enough to make a passable facsimile of being alive, anyway. That¡¯s why they don¡¯t have the zombie look, even though they¡¯re dead.¡±


    ¡°And how they pass themselves off as people,¡± Rufus said. ¡°At least long enough to get people close enough to infest them as well.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d assume so,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°You want to avoid the worms digging into you. You can¡¯t heal them out because they¡¯ll just absorb the life magic and multiply. You need to physically gouge them out of the body and then heal the wound from doing so, once you¡¯ve extracted all the worms.¡±


    ¡°Charming,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Any good news?¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes,¡± Jason said. ¡°They like to go after critical organs, like the brain and the heart.¡±


    ¡°How is that good news?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°We have neither,¡± Neil said. ¡°We¡¯re all basically sacks of magic, blood and meat. No critical organs they can devour to kill us instantaneously.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a problem if too many of them get inside you, though,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s harder to take over essence users of our rank, but not impossible. If enough of them get inside you, they can hijack the magical matrix that makes your sack of blood and meat work. That means taking control of you.¡±


    ¡°You know, my mum wanted me to be a merchant,¡± Neil said bitterly. ¡°Travel, money. Not being eaten from the inside out by worms.¡±


    ¡°I did say they were bad,¡± Jason said. ¡°Carlos said that they¡¯re classified as an apocalypse beast.¡±


    ¡°That would suggest these worms are what¡¯s responsible for the whole region going silent,¡± Clive said. ¡°Which leads to the question of whether this is just the next disaster in the queue, or if the messengers brought them here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping you can help me figure that out,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m going to open up a portal, so come on through.¡±


    A dark portal opened up next to Clive, but he didn¡¯t step through immediately. Magic light seeped through the front of his robe and quickly coalesced into a tortoise shape. Clive''s familiar, Onslow, was a tattoo on Clive''s torso when not manifested. When he appeared, he was a flying tortoise that could change his size and wield potent attack magic. Each segment on his shell bore a glowing rune, representing one elemental power he could use. Clive patted Onslow affectionately on the neck.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need you to cover for me, buddy.¡±


    One of the runes on Onslow¡¯s back stopped glowing as a lightning bolt shot out, chaining between enemies.


    "That''s the way," Clive said and went through the portal. He emerged from the other end of the portal in some kind of underground space. Light filtered down through cracks between a wooden floor above, dust dancing in the beams. The floor and three of the walls were hard-packed dirt, and an old ladder led up to an open trapdoor.


    The last wall in the room was very different, being made of polished slate bricks. Set into it was a pair of double doors made of carved wood.


    Unlike the boards above, the wood of the door was extremely well made and fitted, with no cracks to peer through. It also wasn''t painted in the same heat-radiating green paint as the town buildings, and was instead covered in elaborate magic sigils. They glowed very faintly and shifted under his gaze, the lines slithering like serpents. He glanced at Jason, who was standing in front of the doors.


    "What do you think?" Jason asked as Clive moved to examine the doors, fascination lighting up his expression.


    ¡°I have no idea,¡± Clive said excitedly as he opened his storage space.


    Clive¡¯s storage power, Rune Gate, was a little less convenient than Jason¡¯s, Belinda¡¯s and Humphrey¡¯s. Where they could all just pluck items out of the air, Clive needed to open a miniature portal, ringed by floating runes, that he could reach into and take things out of. Even so, Clive had arguably the most useful storage ability, as it could also be used as a regular portal power or to enhance the strength of his ritual magic.


    Plucking out strange devices one by one, Clive used them to examine the door before shoving them back into storage. One looked like an hourglass and another like a magnifying glass. There was an opaque orb that flashed various colours and a set of large crystals, strung together on a line. Clive threw various powders at the door from bags, from ground-up lesser monster cores to chalk power mixed with salt and infused with magic. All the while, Clive jotted notes into a book he left on a small levitating table.


    ¡°You know this isn¡¯t an academic exercise, right?¡± Jason asked him. ¡°Our friends are fighting up there.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Clive said absently, not looking away from his work. ¡°Most of those elves were normal people. The worms might be silver and bronze rank, but artificially ranked-up bodies are much weaker than the genuine article. You¡¯ve fought enough of the converted to know that.¡±


    "Yeah," Jason said. "You know that I fought a new kind of converted on Earth, right? Not based around the Builder''s clockwork cores, although the higher-ranked ones used modified cores to stabilise their own conversion process."


    ¡°You¡¯ve mentioned,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that I mentioned that the guy who ran the organisation they came from left me a vault full of secrets. Including all the research on their conversion project.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you can make converted?¡±


    ¡°No. Well, maybe. But I think he was hoping that I could refine the process.¡±


    ¡°Why you? That¡¯s not your area of expertise.¡±


    ¡°I think his choice was more to do with trusting me to use it properly. I¡¯m pretty sure he wanted me to find a way to give regular people powers, without needing a truckload of essences. They wouldn¡¯t match an essence user, sure, but sometimes quantity over quality is the way to go.¡±


    ¡°Why would he want that?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure. Both he and Dawn have made it clear that somewhere down the line, I have another fight coming. What that is, I don¡¯t know, but everything this psycho did was in preparation for it. He wanted me to take over for him after he was dead.¡±


    ¡°You killed him?¡±


    ¡°He killed himself because he knew that I wouldn¡¯t let him live.¡±


    That finally caused Clive to pause and he turned to look at Jason.


    ¡°Farrah never told us that.¡±


    ¡°Farrah wasn¡¯t there for everything. How is that door going?¡±


    Clive turned his attention back to the door.


    "This is a ritual magic paradigm, unlike anything I''ve ever seen. This is otherworldly ritual magic, like the astral magic the Builder cult was using.¡±


    ¡°Not like the local stuff, then.¡±


    ¡°Even more so than what the cult was using. We have magic that interacts with auras, but it¡¯s simple and crude.¡±


    ¡°Like the aura beacons used for signalling over long distances.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. The water link system is as elaborate as it gets, and there¡¯s a reason Farrah and Travis are looking to replace it. The efficiency and practicality leaves a lot to be desired.¡±


    ¡°And this magic does it better?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°It makes sense that messenger ritual magic interacts with auras in far more sophisticated ways than any of ours, given what we know about them. This is beyond my expectations, though.¡±


    ¡°Do you even know what this magic is doing?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s simple enough. The door just has some simple locking magic. The fancy part is the anti-detection magic that is shrouding whatever is behind it. Frankly, I¡¯m amazed you noticed this was here.¡±


    ¡°Can you open it?¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s not a problem,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯s essentially the same magic we use in this world. The problem is that the alarm is part of the anti-detection magic. I don¡¯t understand enough about how it works to stop the alarm from going off. It incorporates the intrinsic properties of messenger auras, which I can¡¯t replicate. At least this seems to confirm that whatever¡¯s going on here, the messengers are behind it.¡±


    ¡°Would I be able to replicate the messenger aura?¡±


    ¡°I was wondering the same thing,¡± Clive said. ¡°It¡¯ll take time and study, though. It¡¯s not something we can quickly knock out in a dirty basement. I don¡¯t see any way of opening this door without triggering the alarm.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Then how do we open the door?¡± Clive wondered.


    ¡°Kicking?¡±


    ¡°You want to kick it open?¡±


    ¡°If there¡¯s anyone in there, I¡¯m pretty sure they know we¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Shouldn¡¯t we wait for the team?¡±


    ¡°What if someone¡¯s fleeing down an escape tunnel, or preparing something that will let the worms overrun the team?¡±


    ¡°What if it¡¯s twenty people waiting for the door to open so they can kick the snot out of you?¡±


    ¡°Then I¡¯ll run away.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re a lot better than me at running away.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a portal right there. Actually, hold on a tick.¡±


    Jason went through the portal to where his team was still fighting the worm-host elves, but the enemy numbers were diminished as the town¡¯s population was finally nearing depletion. Standing near Neil and Belinda, Jason held his hands up over his head and chanted a spell.


    As your lives were mine to reap, so your deaths are mine to harvest.¡±


    Red lights, the remnant life force of countless dead worms, shone across the charnel house of a battlefield. They then started streaming into the air, all converging on Jason who absorbed it all.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°What are you doing that you felt the need to come back and gain a massive amount of temporary life force.¡±


    ¡°Clive is making me kick open a magic door.¡±


    ¡°I am doing no such thing,¡± Clive denied through voice chat.


    ¡°He also said he was gong to run away is something scary is in there,¡± Jason added.


    ¡°Can we please save the pithy banter for when we¡¯re not fighting evil?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Have you never seen an action movie,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No!¡± Rufus yelled. ¡°No, I have not!¡±


    ¡°For a guy ostensibly against it,¡± Jason told Rufus, ¡°Your pithy banter is on point.¡±


    ¡°Jason¡­¡± Humphrey growled.


    ¡°Fine,¡± Jason said, returning through the portal. ¡°Clive, unlock this door so I can kick it.¡±


    Clive grumbled but put away the instruments he used to examine the door. He then took out a clear crystal rod and pointed at the door. The rod started glowing in a mix of swirling, strobing colours that slowed down their strobing over time. The colours dropped out one by one until the rod was glowing solid blue. Then the light stopped shining altogether, leaving clear crystal once again.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you approved of shortcuts like unlocking rods,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Taking the easy path is the wrong move when the hard one has something to teach you,¡± Clive said as he stepped well back, ready to jump through the portal. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to learn from simple lock magic, so why waste the time? You remember that the rest of the team is still fighting, right? Now, if you insist on kicking the door open, kick away.¡±


    ¡°Now that I think about it,¡± Jason mused, ¡°what is that alarm magic going to do? Will it be attached to a trap?¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Clive said. ¡°Also, we¡¯ve been out here talking for a while. If anyone inside didn¡¯t know we were out here, they do now.¡±


    ¡°Good point. Any suggestions on how we should approach it?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive said, eyeing the open trapdoor above them as he pulled out his wand. ¡°You go first.¡±


    Jason chuckled as he strode over to the double doorway. He lifted a leg, about to kick it open when the doors were flung wide on their own. A wall of worms poured out, like water through the sluice gate of an overflowing dam. It was swift enough that Jason was inundated, toppled over and completely buried. Clive was saved by silver-rank reflexes and agility, and his extra distance from the door. He had a scant moment to react and he used it, leaping up through the trapdoor in the ceiling.


    In the building above, Clive immediately crouched to look down through the trap door. The wave of worms was flattening out but Jason was still unseen, buried beneath them.


    ¡°I think we might have a problem,¡± Clive said through voice chat. "Jason, are you there?"


    ¡°What¡¯s the situation?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Jason just got buried in worms.¡±


    ¡°How buried?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Are we talking just a lot of worms, or full bathtub?¡±


    ¡°More like swimming pool,¡± Clive said. ¡°Jason?¡±


    There was still no response.


    ¡°We can¡¯t come down,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°If any more of us break off, we¡¯ll get overrun.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll take a closer look and see what I can figure out,¡± Clive said, leaning in to get a better viewing angle through the doorway below. From what he could see, it was a tunnel made of the same slate bricks as the wall into which the door was set.


    A figure stepped up to the now-open door, the worms parting before it like the Red Sea. The creatures maintained a circle of clear space, not around the person but an orb she was holding out in front of her.


    As the figure came fully into view, Clive spotted the wings folded on her back. It was a messenger with nut-brown skin and dark hair. Her wings were also brown, with tan speckling. Her clothes consisted of a short, loosely draped top and loose, flowing pants, both fawn-coloured. Her bare feet floated just off the floor.


    The object she was holding looked like a ball of overlapping leather straps, around twice the size of a fist. The worms would not go near it and Clive got to see an unmoving Jason as the messenger drew close. The worms slithered off of his body and outside of the circle around the orb.


    Jason¡¯s conjured cloak had vanished, but his conjured robes had not. Despite what was going on, Clive¡¯s analytical mind couldn¡¯t help but absently posit that while Jason himself conjured the cloak, the robes were conjured by one of his familiars. While the robes remained in place, however, it was covered in holes. The skin visible beneath each hole had a small wound mark.


    Still holding the orb in one hand, the messenger conjured a spear in the other. Clive raised his wand and fired, but a wing moved out to block the beam and she brought the spear down. She was not the only one with protection, however. A nebulous eye manifested in front of Jason, then expanded into a shield that blocked the attack. Gordon manifested behind the shield with five more eyes, all of which shot beams at Jason''s attacker. She blocked by wrapping her wings around in front of her, which she could barely manage in the enclosed space of the doorway. She then floated backwards, out of Clive¡¯s sight.


    Clive saw that the worms flowed back from the edges of the room where they had been driven, but they now avoided Jason, just as they had done the orb. Then worms started crawling out of Jason''s body, tunnelling free of his flesh. Many dug their way out through the wounds they had presumably entered by, while others poked new holes in his skin and robes with their drill-bit heads. Dozens of them were emerging from all over Jason, and Clive flinched as one pushed its way out from his eye socket, squeezing around the eyeball, like a horrifying, fleshy tear.


    Then the worms that had refused to move closer to Jason started twitching and thrashing, like a rat pit after a snake was dropped in. They pushed against the walls as if trying to climb up them, or started digging into the dirt. The worms crawling out of Jason, half-emerged, flailed as they were pulled back into his body, as if plucked by the tail.


    Clive spotted one worm that managed to manage to escape and start crawling away, only for a strip of red leather to extend from Jason¡¯s robe, wrap around the worm and pull it back. A leech with rings of savage lamprey teeth emerged from the same wound the worm had escaped from, and when the worm was dragged back, the leech started brutally devouring it.

 Chapter 656: Apocalypse

    Buried beneath a town where the populace had been body-snatched by parasitic worms was a hidden chamber. The messenger, Pei Vas Kartha, had been operating there for months, luring the town elders into what they had believed to be lucrative-but-ordinary treason. They had helped her to magically excavate under a building, in the dead of night, installing the facility.


    The hidden chambers were topped by an ordinary building, with the unordinary doors set into the brick wall of a basement otherwise made of hard-packed dirt. The doors led to a tunnel and then stairs going down to the main facility. There, Pei had bred more worms from the initial stock she was given, preparing to take over the town. She started with one breeding vat in a hidden room, so as not to spook her accomplices, but when the elders grew wary, they became the first worm hosts.


    After that, the vat came out into the main chamber and Pei¡¯s operations expanded. More vats were added, along with implantation chambers to implant the local elves in batches. The actual implantation of the town was accomplished in only a few days, the time spend breeding a worm supply paying off handsomely. Once enough of the town had become hosts, they were able to monitor the others and lure in any visitors.


    Pei herself was not immune to the worms, but the vats, chambers and tubes allowed them to be moved around without setting them loose. As a failsafe, she had the orb created by the messenger who had given her the initial batch of worms. A similar device was in the possession of every messenger infiltrating the towns and villages along the southern reaches of Yaresh.


    After months of everything going exactly to plan, genuine trouble was overdue. Even the adventurers that arrived had been successfully swept up. The real threat began with a dangerous aura that washed over the town above, now fully converted to worm hosts.


    The man to whom that aura belonged had somehow found her hidden facility and had been about to kick the doors open. By that time, however, Pei had long-ago installed worms vats by the door, rigged to the magical alarm. The man had been buried in worms but she decided to finish him off anyway. His aura had been like nothing she''d ever experienced and she needed him dead if only to quash the insidious doubts it had infested her with.


    Although the man was unconscious, worms digging through his body, even his passive aura was incredibly hard to read. What she could glean from it only unnerved her more. She moved to strike, conjuring her spear. She could sense the other adventurer in the building above, but dismissed him. His aura marked him as a capable but ordinary adventurer. It was the anomaly on the ground in front of her that needed to be eradicated.


    What came next only solidified her certainty that the man needed to die. She casually deflected a wand beam from above and brought her spear down, only to have it blocked. The unconscious man had an avatar of doom as a familiar, which was shocking enough on its own to warrant reporting this man to the messenger leadership.


    There were very few forces that the messengers actively avoided. Even the agents of most great astral beings were opponents to be wary of, but not to back away from. Amongst the very few forces that the messengers were careful to avoid belonged to the Eye of Annihilation and the Sundered Throne. These were the only two forces known to regularly employ the reality assassins, the avatars of doom. While it wasn''t unheard of to see them elsewhere, it was rare enough to warrant very close attention. And now one of them was floating in front of her, protecting a man that worms would soon take over.


    The avatar was only a familiar, restricted to Pei¡¯s own silver rank. Otherwise, she would have been annihilated in an instant. The beams it shot at her were resonating force; unpleasantly penetrative but not the transcendent damage the avatars possessed at diamond rank. They burrowed into the magical metal she transformed her wings into as shields, but did not punch through them immediately.


    The messenger withdrew into the tunnel, not wanting to face the avatar and the other adventurer, shooting beams through the trapdoor. She retaliated by firing a swarm of feathers from her wings that danced around, attacking from every angle. This forced the avatar to switch its orbs from beams to barriers, and it seemed satisfied to remain on the defensive, shielding its summoner. She knew this was a mistake on its part, as the worms inside the man would soon take him over.


    Even knowing this, the man on the ground had Pei shaken, despite what had to be his inevitable demise. Did the avatar know something that she didn''t? This rank-diminished avatar was not her match and she kept her senses trained on the man it was protecting. The other adventurer was staying above, likely wary of the worms, but the worms were not behaving as they should.


    Her withdrawal should have had the worms swarming back over the man, who was no longer warded by the orb she carried. But, if anything, they had started avoiding him more than the orb. The individual worms were mindless creatures, directed by the intelligent brood mother in the chambers below. Yet she sensed that they were scared of him when fear should not have been possible at all.


    That was when things got worse. Not just the worms around the man but the worms inside him started radiating fear and she sensed them struggling to escape. They started digging out of his body, dozens of them, but they were yanked back as if something inside was devouring them. Then one managed to escape and something came out to get it. When she saw the large leech with the ringed rows of lamprey teeth, a chill ran through her body.


    Messengers were the pinnacle beings of the cosmos, dominating the sky of countless worlds. Now the messenger Pei Vas Kartha found herself in a hole in the ground, stricken with¡­ fear? Having felt it in others but never in herself she could not be sure.


    She was surrounded by dangerous creatures. One was an apocalypse beast swarm that conquered worlds from the inside of their populations, and would hollow her out like any lesser being if they got the chance. The creatures were piled up around the walls, held off only by the magical orb in her hand. But for all that such creatures had conquered worlds, they alone weren¡¯t close to enough that she would fear them. They might be the nightmare of entire civilisations, but to the messengers, they were just another weapon.


    It was the being in front of her that made her scared for the first time even though he lay unconscious on the ground. He had been drowned in the apocalypse worms and should be quite thoroughly dead. Yet the creatures were even more fearful of him than of the orb she was holding, climbing the walls and digging into the dirt to escape him.


    The worms had burrowed into the man, as was their nature, but they had found something inside him even more terrifying than themselves. Pei Vas Kartha had seen it and understood immediately. It was not the first time she had seen a sanguine horror.


    Even though she was the lowest caste of messengers, never surpassing silver rank, Pei had seen many worlds. She had joined numerous conquests, serving minor but valuable roles, such as worm breeder. In her experience, she had encountered worlds ravaged by apocalypse beasts of different types. Fungal vultures that devoured the atmosphere, choking out the inhabitants. Primeval serpents that burrowed into the core of planets, triggering a volcanic apocalypse that choked with ash, cutting off the sun.


    The messengers knew these apocalypse beasts. Many, they even used themselves, deploying them as weapons of mass destruction. This was the case with the world-taker worms as well. But some apocalypse beasts were never used. Too uncontrollable and too hard to stop if they got loose, the danger was not worth the reward. When Pei saw the sanguine horror crawl out of the man in front of her and devour the world-taker worm she was shaken. First an avatar of doom, and now this?


    Only once had Pei seen a world where a sanguine horror had been loosed. Conquered by the messengers, the native population had summoned a sanguine horror from whatever nightmare realm where the Limitless Legion met the Final Domain. The natives had believed they could control the swarm monster and use it to drive the messengers off their planet. They had been half right. A sanguine horror was hunger incarnate, and once it reached its full strength, the only way to stop it was to starve it out. It multiplied too fast, devouring life to fully replenish itself from even a single leech.


    The surviving messengers, including Pei, had abandoned the planet. They hadn¡¯t taken any of the natives as slaves because there weren¡¯t any left. She had been shaken to her core by the experience, and not just from the horrors she had witnessed. It was the first time she had seen the messengers run.


    It was not that they could not fight the sanguine horror. Pei had slaughtered countless of the leech-lampreys herself, let alone the higher-caste messengers of gold and diamond rank. But no matter how many they killed, they didn''t stop. They would sweep through a town, devouring every living thing. The people, the animals, the plants. They dug up the roots in the ground and consumed the algae growing in the wells. Everything they consumed was fuel to increase the leech mass.


    The messengers had started burning whole cities in the path of the swarm, like a fire break before an inferno. They tried to isolate the swarm from its food supply so they could cut off its ability to reproduce. They were partially effective, reducing the swarm¡¯s size, but unable to quash it entirely. While the messengers had been struggling to contain and eradicate the remnants, they were unaware that their efforts were futile. Too late, they realised that the sanguine horror swarm covering the land was only a fragment of what was occupying the planet. In the lowest fathoms of the oceans, the swarm was devouring every living thing, from fish to coral to leviathans of the deep.


    Only as the swarm cleared out the furthest depths and moved closer to the surface did the messengers sense its presence. With the ubiquity of the swarm, the leeches under the oceans had been hard to sense until they moved closer. Even the diamond-ranked messengers had failed to recognise the true threat until it was too late. Once the swarm grew and reached the shallower portions of the ocean, they finally realised that attempting to stop it was futile.


    It might have been possible to stop the swarm before it turned the planet into a lifeless husk, but what remained in the aftermath would not be worth keeping. Pride in their superiority over every other living thing in the cosmos had cost the messengers lives, but they were not so blinded by it that they would fight to the death over a worthless rock. They gave up and left what remained of the planet to the horror.


    Sanguine horrors did not take hosts the way world-taker worms did. Somehow, this man had claimed, as a familiar, the only thing Pei had seen the messengers surrender to. That was not the only reason that she was discovering fear for the first time. Once she started exploring the unconscious man with her magical senses, she realised the sanguine horror was only one of the bizarre things about him.


    Firstly, his aura. Even dormant, while the man was unconscious, it was incredibly hard to read. The more she gleaned from it, the more she was startled. For one, he was not a dual-entity comprised of body and soul, but a gestalt physical and spiritual being. He was no messenger, but he shared that trait with them.


    As their special nature was one of the cornerstones of their superiority, that fact rocked not just Pei¡¯s mind but her faith. Once again she found a blasphemous idea creeping into her mind, despite trying desperately to shut it out. The idea that perhaps she, as a messenger, was inferior to someone that wasn¡¯t.


    The other things she sensed in his aura only made it worse. Scars from battles he had no business surviving. The touch of transcendent beings. Power that even she didn¡¯t recognise. More than anything else, however, what scared her was a power that she did recognise. Something no silver ranker should be able to possess. It was a power granted to the Voices of the Will, except that it was not the remote, bestowed power granted to the voices she had met. This was the other end of that power, not the recipient but the source. It belonged not to the servants of the astral kings, but to the astral kings themselves.


    It shouldn¡¯t have been possible. For all that this man¡¯s aura reflected a toweringly powerful soul, he was definitely silver rank. How could there be a silver-rank astral king? But as her senses probed his astounding familiars, she grew all the more certain. The bestowed power that should belong only to the voices resided within them.


    The astral kings of the messengers exclusively took other messengers as their voices. Not only had this man become an astral king at least as early as silver rank, but had claimed an apocalypse beast and a reality assassin as his voices. That was more than a little disturbing, as a voice was the mouth of an astral king to the world. What kind of astral king had, as his voices, beings who variously devoured all life and annihilated that which should have been immortal? Looking at the avatar of doom still shielding the man from her storm of feathers, she was disinclined to ask.


    Pei was still contemplating these questions when the man¡¯s eyes shot open.

 Chapter 657: Superior

    As she pelted his familiar with metal feathers, Pei Ves Kartha watched as the unnerving man opened his eyes. He rose to his feet, not by pushing himself up but tilted on an invisible slab. She could sense the way he moved with his aura, and it was not the crude inefficiency of an essence user. He used it in the clean, smooth manner of a messenger. His gaze moved up and down her body, his eyes like nebulas in a void. It did not escape her attention that they were a mirror of the nebula eye floating in the avatar of doom¡¯s body, as well as each of its orbs.


    Pei withdrew her feather storm for the moment and the avatar vanished. She felt the man¡¯s aura absorb it and grow even stronger in the process. Two of the orbs were left behind, orbiting the man as they had the avatar. As the man made no move to attack yet, she allowed her wings to recover from the avatar¡¯s attacks.


    He looked past her at the tunnel descending to the main workrooms, and then at the alcoves to either side of the doorway, he was standing in. The vats that had once held worms in those alcoves were smashed, the worms having spilled over the floor like a carpet. Only two circles of the floor were empty of worms, where Pei held with her orb and the man with his hungry familiar.


    Seeing Pei floating just off the floor using her aura, the man did the same. In the back of her mind, she had been clinging to some hope that her senses were being deceived. Seeing him move like a messenger and watch her with cosmic eyes, that hope died. She knew then that she would soon die with it, in a hole in the ground. At the hands of a superior being.


    Pei was not going to give up without a fight, however. Once more she blasted out her metal wing feathers, but this time they did not dance around, looking for an opening. They shot straight and fast, her wings glimmering with the speed at which her feathers had to regrow to keep it up.


    What looked like a void portal manifested into being around the man, shrouding him like a cloak. Her feather storm fell into it as harmlessly as rain falling into a pond. He did not retaliate and continued to float in place. The only difference was the cloak was wrapped around him, hiding his body aside from the eyes that stayed locked on her. The cloak flapped in some non-existent breeze as if touched by astral rather than mortal winds.


    She gave up on the attack and instead spoke to him, the rage in her voice mostly covering the tremulations.


    ¡°What are you?¡± she asked, despite knowing the answer. She was unable to make her conscious mind believe it, even with her gut screaming that it was true. Instead of an answer, the man asked his own question in a stony voice. His tone held no fear, no malice and no anger. It was hard, immutable and uncaring as a mountain.


    ¡°Are there more like you?¡± he asked. ¡°More towns, more world-taker worms?¡±


    ¡°Why should I tell you anything?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re a messenger. Your entire philosophy is that the inferior being serves, is it not?¡±


    She threw her spear down the tunnel and it multiplied into nine, and the nine into eighty-one, filling the tunnel. She bolstered each one with physical force by sheathing them with her aura. She felt his aura move out like the tide, stripping hers away. The spears slowed under the physical force produced by his aura but did not stop. The two orbs floating around him became shields to intercept them.


    The spears hammered down on the shield and, even without her aura infusion, there were too many for the shields to take. It was the ability she had intended to eliminate the avatar with, but doing so to its summoner was even better. Without the aura enhancement, the shields did not break until most of the spears had shattered against them, but around a quarter-turned the man into a pincushion.


    He was impaled many times over, even through the head, right below his left eye. Even so, his gaze never left hers. He didn''t even move as the spears exploded, shredding his robes and his flesh. His cloak could absorb fragmentation attacks, but not when they came from inside his body.


    Even so, his eyes stayed on hers as she conjured a fresh spear and the ones she had thrown disappeared. She dashed forward plunging her spear through his face, yet somehow, she missed.


    She kept her range, launching spear jabs. He was using space displacement to defend, but every technique had weaknesses. Enough attacks and some would land. She expected him to draw the sword at his side but instead stopped her spear by the simple method of moving it forward and letting it hit him. He grabbed it, not letting her pull it away.


    They stayed locked in front of one another for a moment. She could already see his wounds closing and his robes mending. She remembered the power of an astral king and had a terrifying thought. Was he immortal? Was this some kind of incarnation? It would explain the silver rank.


    She yanked her spear free and floated back. Beyond putting up shields and grabbing her spear, he hadn¡¯t even fought, as if combat with her was below him.


    ¡°You are not superior to the messengers!¡± she said, spitting the words defiantly.


    ¡°Your mouth speaks, but it¡¯s your aura that tells the truth. I can feel your faith shaking like a naked child in a storm. By my reckoning, you are right; I¡¯m not superior to the messengers. But in your philosophy I am. Good for us both that I don¡¯t share it. If I did, I would have to acknowledge vampires as superior to the people they feed on.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Pei asked, even as she dreaded the answer.


    ¡°You are the first of your kind that I¡¯ve met in person,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen familiars, replicas and encountered one through a remote-viewing medium. but you are the first messenger I¡¯ve ever had placed in front of me like a dinner.¡±


    ¡°I am not your food.¡±


    ¡°No?¡± he asked, pushing his hood back to reveal a predatory grin. The hole in his face from her spear had already closed and the red mark it left behind was fading. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve seen you with my own eyes, and tasted you with my own senses, I¡¯ve come to realise something. I was told that the messengers believed themselves the foundational species of the cosmos. I always assumed they were deluding themselves, but to my great surprise, it may well be true. I at least now believe it to be possible.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°Do you know what a reality core is?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s one of the fundamental elements of every physical universe. The power source of reality. You feel very much like one of these reality cores. Not quite the same, but close. And the thing is, it turns out that I can devour life-force that has been infused with reality core energy. I found that out after some vampires got a hold of these cores I''m talking about. They started infusing the power of them into the blood they were consuming. And when I consumed the vampires, that power became mine."


    ¡°You ate vampires?¡±


    ¡°The meat held no appeal. The essence of a vampire is the life force, so that is what I devoured. Now I find myself wondering what will happen when I do the same to yours. You won¡¯t know, as you¡¯ll be dead by then. The very fact that I can is why the messenger claims of superiority don¡¯t hold up, according to your own standards. I don¡¯t hold with that master race nonsense, be it from your kind or any other. But how can you be the master race if you aren¡¯t at the top of the food chain?¡±


    ¡°You are strange. Your nature, however you have come to be that way, is powerful. But I suspect it is also unique and I am but the lowest caste of messenger. You are an anomaly, and even then, your power is far below others of my kind.¡±


    The man let out an executioner¡¯s laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re whistling as you pass a graveyard, messenger. I can feel your fear. I can feel you trying to burn it as fuel for your hatred, and the despair that won¡¯t let you. True superiority has no qualifiers and you know it. You''re reeling inside, knowing that everything you believed ¨C the very foundations of your identity ¨C is wrong. A lie. If you were still the proud messenger, dealing with a lesser, would you have stopped at such a token resistance? Where¡¯s the fight in you? It¡¯s nowhere, because you know it would be futile. An ageless life of superiority has engraved what being the lesser means into your soul. Now that it¡¯s you, you can¡¯t even bring yourself to fight.¡±


    He started floating towards her at a crawl, barely moving in his ominous approach.


    ¡°If you still have faith that you are superior,¡± he challenged, ¡°then show me.¡±


    He glanced at the conjured spear in her hand.


    ¡°Take your weapon and strike me down with all your hatred.¡±


    When Pei had tried to execute the man using the spear, the avatar blocked it. She had various ways of empowering the spear, as well as other supplemental powers, but the man was right; inside, she had already acknowledged her defeat. The conjured weapon clattered briefly on the slate brick floor, then dissolved into nothing.


    ¡°Why are you doing this?¡± she asked, almost begging.


    ¡°Because this is not the first time I¡¯ve seen whole populations wiped out by those who cared nothing for the lives they were taking. So I¡¯m going to kill you, eat you, and send what¡¯s left to the Reaper. And before I do, I¡¯m going to make sure that you understand that your entire life leading up to this moment was a pointless lie. That every life you took, every time you stood over someone and proclaimed them to be below you, it meant nothing. Your life was a waste, your existence is pointless and now it will end. You will be the equal of all those you killed. I don¡¯t know what the Reaper has in store for you, but I¡¯m going to hand you over rough.¡±


    Pei steeled her aura, launching it at the man in a last-ditch effort to fight not just for her life, but for her faith and for her soul. It slammed into an iron wall and the man laughed cruelly. She felt his aura surround hers and start to slowly suppress it.


    ¡°The messenger aura,¡± he mocked. ¡°So special. So unique. So powerful. I¡¯d ask how it feels to have the embodiment of what makes you superior broken down to nothing, but I can feel it. I can feel your faith dying, and you¡¯ll follow it soon. In not much better condition, either.¡±


    Pei rallied her strength, pushing everything she had into her aura, but the man was right. He couldn¡¯t injure her soul directly, but her faith was shattered, which cut deeper than any wound. As the source of her aura, she could no longer muster the strength she once had. Even so, her aura didn¡¯t collapse completely. Then, in a final moment of crushing despair, she realised she was not holding him off at all. He was finishing her slowly, just because he could.


    The final straw came when another outrageous familiar, a shadow of the Reaper, emerged from the darkness. Her defences collapsed and she fell to the floor, dropping not just to her feet but to her knees.


    ¡°You may be getting carried away, Mr Asano,¡± the shadow warned, finally letting her know the name of her murderer.


    ¡°Your father will get his due, Shade.¡±


    Pei realised that it wasn¡¯t just any shadow of the Reaper, but the astral being¡¯s famous wandering child. Who was this Asano, to have such a retinue?


    ¡°I am not concerned about my progenitor, Mr Asano. I am concerned about how far you are going.¡±


    ¡°So am I,¡± another voice came from behind Asano. It was the other adventurer, still looking in from the trapdoor. ¡°Jason, you remember that the whole ¡®guy with evil powers¡¯ thing was a joke, right?¡±


    The man named Asano turned away from her to look at the newcomer.


    ¡°Put her down, Jason,¡± the adventurer said. ¡°Quick and clean. You don¡¯t have to rip her soul out while you¡¯re at it.¡±


    ¡°She is her soul, and I can¡¯t destroy it,¡± Asano said. ¡°All I can do is consume her residual life force as she transitions from a physical and spiritual gestalt to a purely spiritual entity. It won¡¯t be pleasant, but I¡¯m not sucking anyone¡¯s soul out.¡±


    ¡°Jason, what you were talking about sounds a lot like an energy vampire. Like whatever Thadwick turned into. Do you want that?¡±


    Asano didn''t respond, but his cloak vanished, revealing the back of his blood-red robes to her. The robes grew slick and wet as a thick coating of blood seeped from them.


    ¡°Feed,¡± Asano commanded. ¡°The woman and the worms.¡±


    On the planet that the messengers had abandoned to the sanguine horror, she had never been in real danger. She''d always been protected because she wasn''t powerful enough for the heavy fighting. For that reason, she had never feared, even as she had watched millions of natives be devoured, and even some of her own kind that were caught out. She had watched them scream as they were devoured, musing over their lack of equanimity as they suffered the price of their failure


    As leeches poured out of the slick red robes, Pei Vas Kartha screamed for the first and last time.

 Chapter 658: Significantly More Powerful

    Clive winced at the grisly sound of chewing that filled the tunnel. The worms were being merrily devoured by toothy leeches that grew in number as they ate. The sound of fleshy consumption was accompanied by a muffled screaming that came from the largest pile of leeches, under which the messenger was buried. The pile undulated with the messenger''s helpless thrashing.


    The auras mixed up in the tunnel were unsettling. The strongest was Jason¡¯s, which loomed like a prison tower. Although it was not directed at Clive, it filled him with unease, like an authoritarian monument. Next was the aura of the sanguine horror.


    Clive knew that the familiar was an apocalypse beast. He remembered hearing about it in the beginning and being disturbed, but somehow it had become normal to him. Jason had a way of hiding the disturbing things, such as giving the creature an innocuous name. But as Clive felt the fully unleashed hunger of it, the need to consume without end, he recalled the dread that had struck him on first learning about Colin.


    In that way, summoner and familiar were alike; easy to forget what lay underneath the smiles and the jokes. Jason watched his familiar feed, the hood of his cloak pushed back to reveal his stony expression. The impassive manner in which he watched the heaping mounds of bloody monsters chew up flesh was almost as confronting to Clive as the scene itself. He searched in Jason¡¯s expression for the laughing man he had met back in Greenstone, but he had trouble finding it.


    Clive thought of the mirage chamber recording from Greenstone where Jason fought Rick Geller''s team. Jason was embarrassed by it and the way he played up his monstrous behaviour. The act had been enough to intimidate inexperienced teenagers, at least for a little while. But what Clive had just seen in the tunnel wasn''t an act. There was something in Jason now that he''d had to fake back then. Something all too easy to take out, and Clive hoped that it would be as simple to put away again.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine, Clive,¡± Jason assured him in an unconvincingly stony voice. It wasn¡¯t the cold malevolence with which he had broken down the will of the messenger, but echoes of that cruelty remained. Jason¡¯s gaze did not turn from the bloody pile of creatures beneath which the messenger was dying.


    ¡°It¡¯s rude to read my emotions, Jason.¡±


    ¡°How could I not when your aura is all but shouting them? It¡¯s time for more team exercises in aura control, I think.¡±


    The other auras in the tunnel, aside from Clive¡¯s own, were of the worms and the messenger. The worms were also an apocalypse beast swarm, yet it seemed like little more than feed before the sanguine horror. The worms exuded animalistic terror as they attempted in vain to escape the all-devouring familiar.


    As for the messenger, Clive tried to shut out her aura from his senses. He had seen a lot of combat and death, even for a silver ranker, but he had never felt a death. Her aura felt broken, shattered by helplessness and despair that dwarfed even the pain of being consumed alive.


    ¡°Jason, please just end this.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re connected,¡± Jason said in reply.


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°The messengers. I don¡¯t know how it works exactly, but it¡¯s to do with an astral king.¡±


    ¡°Like you.¡±


    ¡°Significantly more powerful than me, I expect.¡±


    ¡°You think one of them is here? In this world?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s a servant of some kind. It¡¯s connected to the astral king, the way Colin and Gordon are connected to me. Because their king is stronger, so is the power it can give its servants. And one of those powers is influence over those who subject themselves to that astral king. Including this messenger.¡±


    ¡°So, this servant knows what¡¯s happening here?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think so, not entirely. Just what is happening to this one.¡±


    ¡°So, that¡¯s what you¡¯re doing? Sending a message to the messengers?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°I think they¡¯ve probably gotten it, Jason. So put an end to this.¡±


    ¡°Clive they¡¯ve killed who knows how many people, turning them into nothing but places to stash these worms.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jason. They¡¯re callous and evil. Are you fighting them because we¡¯re better than they are, or to prove that you can be worse?¡±


    Jason finally turned from the leech mound the messenger was buried under to look at Clive.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± he said in little more than a whisper. He turned back to the pile.


    ¡°Mine is the judgement, and the judgement is death.¡±


    Blue, silver and gold light came beaming down from the ceiling and into the leech mound. The leeches were unaffected aside from the mound deflating as the transcendent damage eradicated the messenger.


    Ability: [Verdict] (Doom)


    After the light of the spell ended, smoke started seeping out of the leeches. This was not the rainbow smoke of a monster, however, but akin to the transcendent light of Jason''s spell. The smoke itself was blue, with gold and silver light sparkling inside it. Clive postulated that the magic from which a messenger''s body was made was more refined than that of a monster. He had heard of similar phenomena around the deaths of very high-rank essence users.


    There was also a red haze mixed into the smoke, wet and heavy like the air before a storm. The haze was slowly fading, turning into more sparkling light. Clive could sense the remnant aura of the messenger within it. Jason held out his hand and chanted another spell.


    ¡°As your life was mine to reap, so your death is mine to harvest.¡±


    The red haze started moving towards Jason''s hand but struggled like a dog pulling against its leash. Clive felt Jason''s aura push out, unleashing a soul attack against the aura. The leash was cut and the life force was dragged out of the aura and into Jason. Clive watched as Jason''s nebula eyes glowed bright and his starlight cloak flared out, becoming a shadowy cloud. It took on a shape like a bird silhouette, the stars inside it glowing brightly before the bird shrank down to a cloak once more.


    Jason looked down at his glowing hands, his body electrified as if he''d mainlined a bolt of lighting. Clive looked on in concern as a predatory grin crossed Jason''s face. The star phoenix state was what Jason turned into rather than dying when his body was killed. It should have been unavailable to him again until he reached gold rank, but now he had a new path forward. That it went through the middle of the messengers did not bother him in the least. If they were going to run around wiping out whole towns to use the people as weapons, he had no qualms about devouring them.


    Shade, who had been watching silently, finally spoke up.


    ¡°Mr Asano, while I recognise that you are simply accelerating her transition from a physical-spiritual gestalt to a purely spiritual state, the process is extremely traumatic to the soul.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said softly. ¡°I can feel it.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, I¡¯ve warned you in the past about there being some things you don¡¯t come all the way back from.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not coming back. On Earth, people came after me time and time again because they didn¡¯t respect me as a threat. You think Jack Gerling would have been so cavalier about killing Kaito, Greg and Asya if he thought I¡¯d peel his soul like a grape in return?¡±


    ¡°Escalation is not a good way to handle a situation, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I know. I¡¯m going to need you to stop me from going too far, like when you stopped me from ripping that guy¡¯s soul out.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Clive asked, but Jason ignored the question.


    ¡°But I have to be willing to go far enough,¡± Jason continued.


    ¡°Is that the person you want to be?¡± Shade asked.


    Jason gave Shade a sad smile.


    ¡°You know how much time I¡¯ve spent brooding about what I was going to turn into,¡± he said. ¡°That time is over. Now the question is about living with what I¡¯ve become.¡±


    This time, the smile he gave Clive and Shade was genuine.


    ¡°Sometimes I¡¯m going to have to do things that aren¡¯t very nice, and I¡¯m done struggling against the parts of myself that let me do them. I¡¯ve always been afraid of how easy is to take those parts out when I need them. But accepting them is the only way I¡¯ll be able put them away again when I¡¯m done.¡±


    Jason looked around at the leeches which were growing in number as the worms lessened. Some of the worms had fled further into the tunnel and down the stairs leading deeper. A pile of Colin glooped after it, also spilling down the stairs into the areas neither Jason nor Clive had yet seen. Other worms had dug into the hard-packed dirt, digging neat, thin holes. The leeches had followed by digging rough, ugly burrows. Even with many of the leeches departing, there was no shortage left.


    Unlike the world-consuming terror that a sanguine horror could become, Colin was limited by the power of the vessel Jason created for him. He was also infused with Jason''s power as an astral king, however, and Jason decided to test what he could accomplish with that. He opened the gate to his soul space and had the excess Colin crawl inside.


    Jason followed, arriving in the extradimensional realm where he possessed god-like power. They were in one of the many cloud buildings, this one round and empty, with a transparent roof. Colin conglomerated from a leech pile into a blood clone of Jason, looking at his summoner.


    ¡°You trust me to try something?¡± Jason asked and Colin nodded immediately.


    ¡°Just to be clear, I don¡¯t know exactly what I¡¯m doing,¡± Jason warned him. ¡°I may be winging it a bit.¡±


    Colin opened his mouth to emit a nails-on-chalkboard shriek.


    ¡°Hey,¡± Jason complained. ¡°I do so know what I¡¯m doing most of the time. Some of the time, definitely. I make plans.¡±


    Another screech.


    ¡°My plans are just fine, thank you.¡±


    Shriek.


    ¡°I¡¯ll have you know that I haven¡¯t died in more than a year.¡±


    Snarling screech.


    ¡°Okay, yes, that one was quite close. But I lived. I will admit that the recovery time was longer than I would have liked.¡±


    Jason frowned at the blood clone.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that look. I¡¯m just going to start, alright?¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t reach out with his senses as, in his soul realm, his senses were already everywhere. Instead, he concentrated on the portion of Colin that was in the realm with him. He explored the nature of the familiar, from the core astral entity to the vessel containing it to the two links that bound it to Jason.


    One was the familiar link, which was strong but contractual and impermanent. The other was more tenuous and crudely-forged, but permanent. Jason explored that link further as he tapped into the astral throne and astral gate. These two elements of his soul were the core of what had turned his soul into a physical domain.


    The original link was something that Colin had initiated himself while Jason was unconscious, struggling to survive after pushing his limits. What Jason had done to put himself in that position had broken down two extremely powerful items inside his soul. One of these items had been given by a great astral being and the other taken from one by Jason. Each item was intended to be used in specific ways, with specific limitations, but when Jason managed to damage his very soul, the items were damaged with it.


    This resulted in the power driving the items being loosed as the items themselves broke down. Jason''s soul absorbed large amounts from both, with the rest triggering Jason''s loot power, which saved the leftover power from killing him. Jason traded that leftover power away, but what he absorbed had changed him on a fundamental level. It was responsible for the astral throne and astral gate that now resided in his soul, reforging it into a physical realm. And he was the astral king of that realm.


    Jason was still in the earliest stage of learning what that meant. Before he had even awoken, however, two of his familiars had made use of it. As Jason was just learning, astral kings could bestow powers through a bond. His existing familiar bonds served as an invitation, allowing Colin and Gordon to accept that bond while Jason remained unconscious.


    Jason had never actively attempted to manipulate that bond, but now did so for the first time. Working by instinct and moving with caution, Jason tapped into the astral throne and astral gate. He was still inexpert in wielding their power, while Dawn had cautioned him to leave alone, especially the astral gate. Naturally, that was what Jason had used the most.


    The astral throne governed matter and physical forces, and Jason used it to refine Colin¡¯s physical vessel. The astral gate affected the spiritual, and dimensional forces, which he used to modify the nature of the connections between Colin, Jason and the physical vessel Colin inhabited.


    The blood clone splashed down as it turned into blood, Colin''s consciousness no longer contained in that portion of it. Jason used his ability to control physics to avoid any landing on him. He then started manipulating the large, round building around him. The walls turned from cloud stuff to black brick with a dark red sheen. The translucent ceiling turned into dark greenhouse glass and the floor into thick, rich soil. A pit formed in the middle of the room and the blood immediately flowed into it, barely covering the floor at the bottom. The air grew hazy and humid as plants grew from the soil, dark green, lush and leafy.


    The end result was like a dark jungle greenhouse, built around an almost empty pit of blood. Jason was confident that Colin would like it. Jason¡¯s experiment worked out quite well, as his intention was to create a storehouse of biomass for Colin. The leech familiar frequently had much of it destroyed in combat and replenishing it took time.


    Having a storehouse of it meant that Colin could be ready to return to the fight much faster. That was predicated on taking the time to fill the pit, however. Colin would be working on that right now, feeding on the worms outside of Jason¡¯s soul realm.


    Or was it Astral kingdom? Jason had changed what he called the dimensional space inside himself several times. This was partly as it developed over time and partly as the names for all Jason''s interdimensional assets blurred into a confusing mess. Was ''astral kingdom'' what the realms of astral kings were properly known as? Was it what the messengers called it? Jason''s interface had shown the ability many times to properly label things when even Jason didn''t know the name.


    Gordon manifested, floating over the blood pool. The eye-orbs around him rapidly flickered in complex patterns.


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯ll see what I can do for you too,¡± Jason told him. ¡°Not right now, though. We have to go fight more evil.¡±


    More flickering.


    ¡°Yes, I know I took the time with Colin, but he has all these worms to eat and he¡¯d already gained his maximal biomass. It was the perfect time to try.¡±


    Flickering, with long, bright pauses.


    ¡°No, I''m not going to do Shade first. For one, he isn''t linked to me the way you are. And I can promise you, he does not want the ability to turn into Herbie the Love Bug. He even threatened to do that once.¡±


    Flickering.


    ¡°Yes, it would probably be in shades of black and dark grey.¡±

 Chapter 659: Evil Lair

    Jason emerged from his soul space, cloak and hood back in place. In the tunnel beneath the town, Clive was looking at the empty space where the messenger had died. There was no visible trace after Jason¡¯s execute spell left not so much as a single drop of blood. Instead, there was a pile of dirty clothes and the orb she had used to avoid the worms. Clive was searching her clothes for anything else left behind, but stood up on Jason¡¯s return.


    ¡°You handled that with unexpected ease,¡± Clive said. ¡°I expected more from the messengers.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t feel so easy. I was impaled a lot of times. There was a spear inside my head and it exploded.¡±


    ¡°Now that our bodies are generalised magical flesh, your ability to infuse yours with additional life force is more useful. You can shrug off formidable injury.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. That would have been rough if I hadn¡¯t topped up before coming down here. Also, I think she was as weak a messenger as we can expect to face,¡± Jason said. ¡°The one Shade and I spied on was stronger, even within the same rank. And she didn¡¯t lose because of a lack in power. She lost because of a weak mentality.¡±


    ¡°You played on the messenger superiority fixation,¡± Clive said. ¡°Used the various quirks you possess to shake her.¡±


    ¡°That will only work on the weak-minded ones,¡± Jason said. ¡°I sensed a vulnerability in her emotions and exploited it. She was lesser amongst her kind, so she already had a subconscious inferiority complex. Most won¡¯t break as easily, and I won¡¯t often get the chance to try.¡±


    ¡°So you saw a weakness and preyed on it,¡± Clive said. ¡°How much of what you said to her did you mean?¡±


    ¡°I played up the melodrama, but it all came from somewhere. I may have embellished, but I didn¡¯t lie.¡±


    ¡°Jason, are you alright?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t sound fine. You sounded ready to twist the heads off puppies and drink their insides.¡±


    ¡°I just told you about the melodrama. I¡¯m okay, Clive, really. I¡¯ve put the evil hat away for now, and my familiars helped me stay balanced. I¡¯m about as good as you could ask for, given the horrors that have taken place in this town. I¡¯m more worried about you.¡±


    ¡°Me?¡±


    ¡°Clive, the entire population of this town were killed and turned into meat puppets for alien worms. It won¡¯t be the only town like this, either. I don¡¯t know how much you¡¯ve sensed about what was happening up there while we were down here, the team cleared out all the hosts. I imagine that with everything going on down here, you subconsciously suppressed your sense of smell.¡±


    Clive concentrated on his olfactory senses, realising that Jason was right. His nose was immediately choked with the cloying stench of death, drifting down from above. His tongue was coated in the coppery taste of blood and he almost gagged. It was not a physiological reaction but a mental one, driven by disgust. His supernatural senses expanded, filling him in on the killing field that had once been a town.


    As shaken as Clive was, he had only seen the early stages of the fight. He could feel the team¡¯s unstable emotions, ranging from numb horror through grim determination to burning rage. Suddenly Jason breaking the will of the messenger responsible before killing her did not seem like such an overreaction.


    ¡°The messenger didn¡¯t go up in rainbow smoke,¡± Jason said. Clive knew his friend was only trying to distract him, but welcomed it.


    ¡°Refined magic in their bodies,¡± Clive explained. ¡°I¡¯m more interested in the red haze that was in their death smoke.¡±


    ¡°Remnant life force,¡± Jason said. ¡°Normally transcendent damage would wipe that out when the body is completely eradicated, but the life of messengers is not just physical. It¡¯s tenacious, which is why I had to fight her soul down to take it. Resurrection magic doesn¡¯t work on messengers. Or anyone like them.¡±


    ¡°Like you?¡±


    ¡°Yeah. But I have my own thing going on.¡±


    ¡°Is that what that bird form your cloak took on was? That looked like a star phoenix.¡±


    ¡°You know star phoenixes?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re a symbol commonly associated with the Celestial Book.¡±


    ¡°I forgot you were in the bag for a great astral being. Didn¡¯t really know what that meant when you told me. You¡¯re not in a cult or an order or something, are you?¡±


    ¡°No. Those of us that venerate the Celestial Book maintain a loose network, with ties to the Magic Society and the Church of Knowledge. I haven¡¯t been keeping in touch very often since the Magic Society and I parted ways. They¡¯d be very interested in you.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a little too much of that going around,¡± Jason said. ¡°Thus, the false identity.¡±


    ¡°You aren¡¯t hiding your real one very well.¡±


    ¡°If the fake story falls apart, then fine,¡± Jason said. ¡°These may be the only real adventuring years I have. I¡¯m not going to waste them pretending.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean, the only real adventuring years?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know what Dawn told you about what¡¯s coming,¡± Jason said. ¡°She doesn¡¯t want me to ask, so I won¡¯t. But something¡¯s waiting for me down the road, Clive, and it¡¯s not good. Whatever it is.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not meant to talk about it,¡± Clive said. ¡°But Dawn excluded me when she talked to the others. I don¡¯t know why.¡±


    ¡°Because she knew that you¡¯d figure out something you shouldn¡¯t. Not yet, at least.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like you to accept secrets being held over your fate.¡±


    ¡°I trust Dawn. Not her boss, but her.¡±


    Jason turned to look down the tunnel, but instead of heading in reached out to Humphrey through voice chat.


    ¡°You need us to come up?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re alive, then,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We were sensing the fight down there.¡±


    ¡°I told you he¡¯d be fine,¡± Neil said. ¡°Probably got another stupid power out of it.¡±


    ¡°More like a new way to use an old one,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Wait, you actually did?¡± Neil exclaimed. ¡°That is a huge pile of¨C¡±


    ¡°What about the messenger?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Was that her dying we sensed?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Felt like she went out rough,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Good.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re mopping up out here,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We¡¯re definitely not done but it¡¯s finally looking like the town is running out of worms hosts. I don¡¯t think we need the help.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t spare anyone, but I don¡¯t think we need the help,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Explore the hidden area and see if there¡¯s anything else we need to deal with.¡±


    Jason and Clive shared a grim look. While they both hoped to find little downstairs, they feared encountering fresh horrors.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go,¡± Jason said. ¡°I have a bad feeling that the other adventuring teams are finding much the same right now, all across the region.¡±


    ¡°Will that be alright with just the two of us? At the very least, a lot of worms escaped down there.¡±


    ¡°Any that haven¡¯t been eaten yet will be too scared of Colin to come for me,¡± Jason assured him. ¡°And as for you¡­¡±


    Jason looked at the messenger¡¯s clothes, piled at Clive¡¯s feet with the orb on top of them. Using his aura, Jason floated it up in front of Clive.


    ¡°¡­that should keep you safe.¡±


    Clive reached out and took the ball.


    ¡°Are you worried about how much you¡¯re like them?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I can¡¯t change it, so there¡¯s no point worrying about it,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m trying to make that my new personal philosophy. See if I can¡¯t cut back on the brooding.¡±


    Jason flashed Clive a smile but it wasn¡¯t quite right. They could both still smell the blood and death in the air. Clive nodded at him and they set off down the brick tunnel.


    ¡°If being like the messengers gives me something I can use,¡± Jason said, ¡°I¡¯m going to use it. So long as I don¡¯t end up hurting people the way they do.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think it¡¯s their powers,¡± Clive said as they reached the top of the stairs and peered down. ¡°I think they just have a culture of being detestable scum.¡±


    The large slate bricks from which the hidden basement was built continued down the stairs and into a wide chamber lit by glow stones in a ceiling that stood two storeys high, with catwalks roaming around the upper level. Arched doorways led into side chambers, but the main chamber itself had plenty to look at. Clive knew a magical workshop when he saw one, with workbenches, freestanding magical tools and magically driven vents in the ceiling and walls. Most prominent were massive vats, some empty and some teeming with worms swimming in sickly yellow fluid.


    Even at a glance, it was clear that this was the centre in which the worms had been bred, and not just because of the worms crawling around, being hunted and devoured by Colin. The stairs were slick with ichor from where worms had already met their end.


    As they descended, the spotted four glass cylinders that had been obscured by the vats from their initial vantage. These were just the right size to hold people, and three of the vats had elves inside. They extended their senses, quickly realising that the occupants were dead.


    They moved towards the centre of the chamber, which had an open workspace with long, clean tables. Worms writhed around the room with leeches in pursuit, but they avoided Jason and the orb in Clive¡¯s hand.


    ¡°What do you think?¡± Jason asked, standing in the middle of the chamber. ¡°My magical studies were all astral magic, not whatever passes for biological sciences. I know an evil lair when I see one, though. Catwalks over monster breeding vats are bit of a giveaway.¡±


    Clive looked at the catwalks, which had no ladders or stairs to reach them. He guessed that the messenger, who could float around everywhere, had only used them to rest objects on while working. This was reinforced by the crates on them that he guessed were filled with whatever served as nutrient supply for the vats. He desperately hoped it wasn¡¯t chunks of people.


    ¡°Am I imagining it,¡± Jason asked, ¡°or do the messengers have much better aura shielding magic than us? My senses can¡¯t get out of here any more than they could get in.¡±


    ¡°The party interface is still active,¡± Clive observed. ¡°It can¡¯t be a complete seal. But if you can¡¯t extend your senses past these walls, that¡¯s probably the case. Securing an area against perception requires a lot of infrastructure and special materials, at least by any magic we know. I¡¯m guessing this place just has ritual circles in place behind these slate tile walls.¡±


    Clive¡¯s senses weren¡¯t as strong as Jason¡¯s but his perception power excelled at recognising and analysing in-place magical effects, like rituals. That allowed him to notice things that even Jason¡¯s perception missed.


    ¡°There¡¯s something going on with that section of wall,¡± he said, pointing. ¡°Also, in the floor, in the middle of the room. You want to take the floor while I look at the wall?¡±


    ¡°Belinda will be of more use to you than me,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ll swap out with her.¡±


    He opened the voice chat to the rest of the team again. ¡°How is it going up there?¡±


    ¡°We think we¡¯ve just about run out of townsfolk,¡± Humphrey said in a haunted voice. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s bad up here.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said softly. ¡°I¡¯m sorry you had to go through that.¡±


    His own voice was haunted by the thousands of dead he¡¯d been unable to save in Broken Hill and Makassar. Just as he¡¯d had to fight the victims after they were brought back to life, Humphrey and the team had cut down all the townsfolk reduced to hosts for the worms.


    ¡°We¡¯re going to get the messengers back for this,¡± Sophie snarled. ¡°They think they can just use people however they want.¡±


    ¡°Getting the messengers back doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°What¡¯s important is stopping them from doing this again. But if that means killing them all, then that can¡¯t be helped.¡±


    Jason couldn¡¯t think of anything that marked the severity of what the team had been through more than a bloodthirsty Humphrey. Even under the current circumstances, it came as a shock.


    ¡°I¡¯ll come up, and swap out with Lindy,¡± Jason said. ¡°We¡¯ve found some kind of magic workshop, so she¡¯ll be more use than I am down here.¡±


    He extended his senses through the room, determining that few of the worms remained. Colin, on the other hand, was growing close his maximum potential biomass again.


    ¡°Colin, leave enough to clean up the last worms and have the rest follow me. Gather yourself together so we can go outside.¡±


    All around the room, leeches melted into pools of blood. Wet strips of ragged bandage shot out of them, tangling together at the bottom of the stairs. The blood pools flowed quickly along the bandages, swiftly coagulating into Colin¡¯s blood clone form. It followed Jason up the stairs.

 Chapter 660: Imperfect Responses

    The messenger Jes Fin Kaal was hovering just over the flat roof of a circular tower in a messenger stronghold. She was looking out over the rainforest contemplatively when another messenger floated up through the round hole in the middle of the roof. It was the dark-skinned and silver-haired Hess Jor Nasala, who was subordinate to Kaal. Not only was Kaal gold-rank to his silver, but she was also a Voice of the Will.


    ¡°Our agents in the city have reached out,¡± he reported. ¡°The investigation into them has been suspended for the moment as the Adventure Society moves to respond to the world-taker worms. As you predicted, they are committing significant forces to the eradication, now they have discovered the threat. They are moving even more quickly than anticipated.¡±


    ¡°Will that affect the readiness of our forces?¡± Kaal asked, not turning her eyes from the vista.


    ¡°It will not, Voice. The wing leaders are prepared to move on the city at your command.¡±


    Kaal nodded.


    ¡°Inform the wing commander that he may move at his discretion,¡± Kaal ordered. ¡°But first, I would like to hear you out on something.¡±


    ¡°It would be my honour, Voice Kaal.¡±


    ¡°Since my arrival here, I have found your counsel to be sound, Hess Jor Nasala. I am grappling with an issue and would value your perspective.¡±


    ¡°Of course.¡±


    ¡°Pei Vas Kartha is dead.¡±


    Hess frowned in thought until he recalled the name.


    ¡°One of the worm breeders? My understanding is that we assigned the least of us to those positions exactly because of the risk.¡±


    ¡°Indeed we did,¡± Kaal said. ¡°That choice, however, has now presented us with an unanticipated problem.¡±


    ¡°There was an issue with Pei Vas Kartha¡¯s death?¡±


    "Yes. We have an enemy whom, through intention or happenstance, has found a way to bring us trouble."


    ¡°How so?¡±


    ¡°I felt Pei Vas Kartha¡¯s death. It was ugly, but that, in and of itself, is not the concern. The problem is that before she died, her will was broken. She came to accept that something stood above the messengers in superiority.¡±


    ¡°Then she was deserving of death. I see know why sending the least of us was a problem. What of the others?¡±


    ¡°Most escaped. Several died, but none in shame, like Pei Vas Kartha. I believe what happened to her does not reflect a new approach by the enemy forces, but an individual within them.¡±


    ¡°You believe it is this man Asano?¡±


    ¡°I consider it likely. I have dangerous suspicions about him.¡±


    ¡°Dangerous?¡±


    ¡°Do you think it is possible for there to be a silver-rank astral king? One that does not come from within our own kind, no less?¡±


    ¡°In my experience, Voice, it is unwise to count anything as wholly impossible.¡±


    ¡°Wise,¡± she said with a nod. ¡°What do you see as the central problem in finding an approach to deal with Asano?¡±


    Hess did not respond immediately and gave the question consideration.


    ¡°Ambiguity,¡± he said after thinking it over. ¡°Any action we take has the potential to ripple negatively through our people. If he truly is an astral king, do we venerate him or strike him down? If we venerate someone not a messenger, it undermines the core tenets of our people¡¯s pride and self-image. If we eliminate him, it undermines the absolute authority of the astral kings.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kaal agreed. ¡°But there is an aspect that makes that question of whether to kill him not a question at all.¡±


    ¡°That if he truly is an astral king, he deserves veneration.¡±


    ¡°Exactly. If he is not, that simplifies things. If he is, he is more complicated to respond to as a threat.¡±


    ¡°Do we need to respond at all?¡± Hess asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Kaal said. ¡°The death of Pei Vas Kartha is the beginning, not the end. If we leave him free to wreak havoc, he will.¡±


    Hess frowned.


    ¡°If we are going to target him, the knowledge of what he did to Pei Vas Kartha may give our less strong-willed people reason to hesitate. If one of us is willing to acknowledge this man as superior, what if he is? Allowing seeds of doubt to be planted into the soil of our faith is dangerous.¡±


    ¡°But if we keep what he did a secret, it will be fine so long as it remains a secret. If not, we¡¯ll be seen as tacitly acknowledging his superiority, seeking to crush him before the truth spreads.¡±


    ¡°Are our people so weak-willed that they would be swayed so easily?¡±


    ¡°We are a people built on a faith that everyone we oppress seeks to challenge. Doubt is no more than a pinprick to the faithful, but a pinprick that carries poison. Enough of it will bring down even the mightiest beast. And even in our own ranks, there are those who would question our values. As superior beings, we must be allowed freedom of thought, but that freedom inevitably breeds dissenters.¡±


    ¡°Do you see this being a problem amongst the forces on this world?¡±


    ¡°I do not,¡± Kaal said, ¡°but if I could predict these people I would have eradicated them already. This man who killed Pei Vas Kartha, be it Asano or someone else, offers us only imperfect responses to his deed. Whatever we do, including nothing at all, will bring complications. My greatest concern is if this was their intention. That suggests an enemy not to be taken lightly.¡±


    Hess did not respond, knowing better than to talk for the sake of it. Instead, he considered the problem at hand. After musing on it for some time, he spoke up.


    ¡°Perhaps we need to recontextualise how we see him,¡± he suggested. ¡°We are unused to viewing astral kings as enemies. If we can resolve his identity as an enemy with his identity as an astral king, it may be possible to turn him from a problem into a solution.¡±


    ¡°Go on,¡± Kaal told him.


    ¡°The Adventure Society and the rulers of the elven city know about the natural array and the threat it poses, not just to us but to them. They have even sent diplomatic envoys more than once. The wing commander executed them, of course. While assistance would be useful, we cannot be seen working with the servant races. But we need essence users to deal with the array, which is why we have been enslaving them.¡±


    ¡°I have seen these servants,¡± Kaal said. ¡°Those who will kneel before us are too weak-willed to resist the array¡¯s effects.¡±


    ¡°But if an astral king were to be the representative of the local denizens, that would be an acceptable alliance. We can have them send those with the required strength of will.¡±


    Kaal finally turned to look at Hess.


    ¡°An interesting idea. An astral king is an acceptable ally, but we must be sure that it is an astral king we are dealing with. He needs to be tested.¡±


    ¡°Use Fal Vin Garath. He lacks leadership and strategic abilities, but every messenger is superior in their own way. Even if he dies to Asano, he will never break. His faith is unassailable.¡±


    Kaal nodded.


    ¡°Have the wing commander detach a group in the city attack to target Asano specifically. If he is hard to track as our agents have suggested, target his team.¡±


    ¡°And if Asano hides during the attack?¡±


    ¡°Then that, itself, is an answer.¡±


    ***


    The town was a killing field, blanketed in dead. The elves had been enemies, but really, they were victims. The worms had not just killed them but driven their bodies to attack the team. As a result, the people Jason and his companions should have saved were stacked in corpse piles across the town.


    The powers of essence users were unkind in their violence. Bodies were piled up in mounds, men, women and children left in states that were chilling to look at. Flesh scorched or rotted black. Severed limbs, hewn torsos and heads cleft apart.


    Now that the fighting was mostly over, the team had time to see what they had made of what had looked like an ordinary happy town on their arrival. Knowing that the parasitic worms had sealed the fate of the town long before their arrival was cold comfort as they made their way through the thousands of dead that carpeted the streets.


    At some stage, whatever mind was controlling them decided to take what hosts remained and fled. This left the team to the grim task of hunting them down, which felt uncomfortably like following up a massacre of civilians by eliminating the fleeing witnesses. Jason returned to the team who were moving as a loose group through the town.


    ¡°We¡¯re not having trouble catching the elves serving as worm hosts,¡± Humphrey told Jason. ¡°The elves can¡¯t outrun me, let alone Sophie. The problem is the worms that have been crawling off on their own. They¡¯ve gone into the trees, the houses, the rice fields; we¡¯re pretty sure some of them just started digging down. With your senses and Shade¡¯s bodies for mobility, you can find and deal with them quicker than the rest of us combined.¡±


    Sophie returned in a blur, stopping in front of Jason. She peered into his dark hood.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I noticed this earlier,¡± she said, ¡°but I can see your head.¡±


    ¡°I can see your head too,¡± he told her.


    ¡°You can see his head?¡± Humphrey asked as the others crammed themselves next to Sophie to look into Jason¡¯s hood.


    ¡°What exactly is going on?¡± Jason asked, acting disgruntled. He knew the team were trying to distract themselves from the horrors around them and the part they played in it. If ignoring it with a little forced humour helped them cope even a little better, he was happy to play along. He remembered his own similar experience on Earth and wanted the team to deal with it better than he had under similar circumstances.


    ¡°Your hood used to completely hide your head,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It was just darkness in there. Then you came back and we could see your eyes, but nothing else. Now we can see your head. Kind of. The silhouette of your head.¡±


    ¡°Especially your chin,¡± Sophie said. ¡°With your rank-ups and your beard, it seemed a lot less pointy than before. Seeing it stick out of the dark like that, though, you¡¯re really reminded that you could put someone¡¯s eye out with that thing.¡±


    ¡°It does not stick out,¡± Jason insisted. ¡°If it did, you¡¯d have noticed it long ago. My cloak''s appearance changed back in Rimaros, and you¡¯re only spotting the difference now?¡±


    ¡°In fairness,¡± Rufus said, arriving to join the group, ¡°your cloak also looks like you¡¯re wearing a portal now. You can¡¯t blame us for missing a relatively minor detail.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know that ¡®minor¡¯ is the word,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°Lindy, go help Clive,¡± Jason told her. ¡°He found some magic doors.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll head off then,¡± she said agreeably. ¡°If I need to pick a lock, I¡¯ll call and you can bring your chin.¡±


    ***


    While most of the team continued to round up elves, Jason went hunting worms that had left their hosts. He swept his senses over the town to find them and deployed Shade¡¯s bodies as shadow-jumping targets. As for dealing with the worms, that was Colin¡¯s area, with occasional help from Gordon. Most of the worms were making their way through the rice paddies, where Jason would sprinkle a few leeches and move on. Whether hidden in the water or buried in the mud, Colin would find and devour the lesser apocalypse beast.


    Some of the worms had climbed into trees, hiding in the upper reaches. Gordon used his beam to cut off branches or even topple the entire tree, giving Colin easy access to them. It was a similar case in buildings where worms had hidden under floorboards or between wall panels. Gordon opened them up and Colin happily undertook his grisly work.


    They wanted to be thorough in eradicating the worms, as there were uncertainties about how they reproduced. They did not match Colin, who could eat to multiply, but they had at least some means of self-replication. The worms could soak up the life energy in healing magic used on their hosts to reproduce, although there were possibly limits to that. Otherwise, what was the point of the underground breeding centre?


    Carlos had given them some information about the creatures, but his knowledge was far from comprehensive. The worms were not a native species to Pallimustus, which was fortunate but made information hard to come by. Hunting down the errant worms might have been critical or futile, they just didn¡¯t know. It was more likely than not that there were many towns in similar situations.


    Jason made several wide-ranging passes over and around the town to be sure as he could that he¡¯d gotten them all. He then reconvened with the team back in the underground worm-breeding facility. Colin had finished the last of the worms there, the leeches Jason left behind clearing out the last ones that had escaped down the stairs. Colin had them moved onto the ones floating in vats, swimming through the unappealing yellow liquid.


    Clive and Belinda spent that time assessing the place. The two anomalies that Clive had spotted were places where hidden doors would open by shifting sections of wall or floor. Belinda had traced out the doors and the opening mechanisms, but hadn¡¯t triggered them yet. She wanted to carefully assess them for traps and other fail-safes before taking any action.


    ¡°Why secret doors?¡± Neil wondered. ¡°This place is secret already, right?¡±


    ¡°Maybe it was from when they were first setting up,¡± Clive postulated. ¡°There¡¯s no way all this was put in place without people noticing things, even using magic. They would need collaborators with authority, like the mayor or some influential local elders. Whatever is behind these doors might have been the things the messengers were worried would give the collaborators second thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Once you¡¯re helping someone turn everyone in your town into a worm-incubating corpse,¡± Neil said, ¡°I think you¡¯re past the point of second thoughts.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps that was the point,¡± Belinda suggested. ¡°These vats are all in the open now, but there are signs of them having been moved. The messengers might have convinced the collaborators that it was a more conventional attack. Stockpiling weapons or something; good old-fashioned treason. In the meantime, the first batch of worms was being cultivated in the hidden rooms. Once the collaborators don¡¯t matter, are in too deep or have just been infested themselves, the operation expands and the vats come out.¡±


    "Would they actually work with elves, though? Aren''t all we non-messengers races too unworthy to work alongside?"


    ¡°Given that any collaborators are doubtless worm-filled corpses right now, I doubt the messengers thought of it like that. They wanted it to be secret, so they used the people of this town as necessary. I doubt they even thought of turning on them as a betrayal.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter what happened or why,¡± Sophie said. ¡°The Adventure Society will be crawling over this place soon enough. Let them figure it out. I just want to find the ones who think they can do this to people and bury my fist in their heads.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯ll have some answers once we open these doors,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Maybe that will help us find a head for you to put a fist inside of.¡±


    She was crouched down in front of the secret door set into one of the walls. She had drawn a variety of sigils around it and left strange-looking magical tools laying around.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know enough about their aura magic to stop the trap on this door from being triggered when we open it,¡± Belinda explained. ¡°I¡¯m disconnecting the trap altogether, so we should be able to trigger it and have nothing happen.¡±


    ¡°Should be able to?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°If you don¡¯t think I¡¯ll get it right,¡± Belinda told him, ¡°You can disconnect the trap yourself. You want to take over?¡±


    He held up his hands in surrender.


    ¡°That¡¯s what I thought,¡± she said, turning back to her work. ¡°This trap is a bit funny, though.¡±


    ¡°Funny how?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°The trap isn¡¯t pointing out.¡±


    ¡°Not pointing out?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    ¡°I mean that this door was rigged so that if you open it, you kill whoever is inside, not whoever is out here.¡±


    ¡°That implies prisoners,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I think we¡¯d best get that door open as quickly as it can be done safely.¡±


    ¡°And here was me about to take a sandwich break,¡± Belinda said.


    "It''s not necessarily prisoners," Humphrey said. "The messengers are happy to use an apocalypse beast as a weapon. It could be some other dangerous creature."


    ¡°Using an apocalypse beast,¡± Jason muttered reproachfully, shaking his head. ¡°The maniacs.¡±


    The team all turned to give him a flat look.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked innocently.

 Chapter 661: Triage

    In the worm-breeding facility hidden under the town, Jason and his team gathered around as Belinda prepared to open the hidden door. Inside could be anything from an empty room to a wildly dangerous entity, so they were prepared to spring into action. When she finally triggered the door, a whole section of the slate brick wall shifted backwards and to the side, revealing a large opening.


    The room inside was dark, with only the floating lights from the main chamber outside the door providing any illumination. That didn¡¯t stop Jason¡¯s eyes as he took stock of the room. The chamber was large, at least half the size of the facility¡¯s central space. Cages were set out in rows, overstuffed with squalid, miserable elves.


    Motes of starlight lifted off from Jason¡¯s cloak and floated into the room, filling it with a soft, silvery light. Not only did this allow they rest of the team to see, but caused a stir amongst the prisoners. Few of their auras flickered with hope, however, and the sounds were mostly fearful whimpers.


    The elves were dirty from living in their own filth; men, women and children with barely room to sit, their knees pulled up against their chests. Their auras shouted out their misery and suffering, but also that they were alive and not worm hosts. There were dozens of survivors, all crammed into cages.


    Jason noted that if the cages were absent they would have been no less trapped, but conditions would have been far more humane. They would have had room to lay down for what sleep they could manage of the cold slate floor. They could have relieved themselves on one side of the room and stayed on the other, instead of being forced to go where they sat.


    Jason felt his rage echo through the auras of his companions, but none of them let it leak out. They were not going to spook the prisoners that had been through more than enough already. Instead, they took joy in the fact that anyone survived, even if it was just a fragment of the town¡¯s population.


    The team immediately went to work, Neil taking charge as the team healer. Humphrey and Neil used their superior strength to pull open cages. Sophie heavily pushed out her aura while the others withdrew theirs. Out of everyone in the team, Sophie¡¯s was the most reassuring and calming of the group.


    Ability: [Cleansing Breeze] (Wind)


    Despite the name, Sophie¡¯s aura didn¡¯t create a literal breeze. Instead, a refreshing spiritual wave passed over the caged prisoners, purging the toxins and diseases that had accumulated while they were all crammed in together. It was an incongruous power within Sophie¡¯s set, which primarily focused on speed and violence.


    The aura was the most direct expression of her soul, but also shaped by the tools used to unlock her aura power. The essence and awakening stone involved were large factors, but even so, aura powers were considered to be the ones most impacted by the nature of the person awakening the power. For Sophie, most of her power set reflected the face she showed the world; swift and untouchable. Yet the power that should represent her the most was nurturing and protective.


    An awkward expression crossed Sophie¡¯s face as she pushed her aura out, as if exposing a vulnerability. Belinda gave her a quick, reassuring hug from behind and Humphrey flashed her a beaming smile.


    The others also employed the power of their auras, careful to avoid being imposing. Sophie¡¯s aura turned the diseases and toxins the elves suffered in their squalor into healing boons, and Belinda¡¯s aura enhanced those boons. Humphrey¡¯s aura gave them a much needed boost in strength and stamina. It seems they had been fed and watered, but just enough to keep most of them alive. The team found dead amongst there number as well, two elderly people and a young child.


    The team¡¯s auras were far from enough to settle the prisoners after all they had been through. Even though the team was clearly not the messenger, the prisoners became agitated at the new intruders into their hell. Sophie¡¯s aura especially at least managed to prevent things from escalating; a panicked stampede could easily have led to deaths. Most of the people in the cages were normal townsfolk, without the constitution to endure such conditions for long.


    The way the team had been built from the outset, back in Greenstone, meant that leadership did not always fall to Humphrey. The team took Neil¡¯s directions as he started the process of triage. His abilities, along with Sophie¡¯s aura, would help the initial management of the prisoners as they extracted them from the tight cages.


    Neil specifically had Jason not help, despite the usefulness of his cleansing power. The nature of Jason¡¯s powers would do more harm than good when dealing with these people, already teetering on a ragged edge. What they very much did not need was an ominous man feeding on their sins.


    Jason joined the others, helping to clear space in the main room. Jason, Rufus and Humphrey shifted tables and equipment under Clive¡¯s direction, as only he and Belinda could point out which things were dangerous to move. Belinda started by conjuring tarps that she tossed over the worms vats, now empty courtesy of Colin. They still contained sickly yellow fluid, streaked with red.


    They made a space at the side of the room near the stairs, where Belinda conjured bunks and a treatment table for Neil to use. The team was not ready to lead the people up those stairs, for two main reasons. One was that many or most of the prisoners weren¡¯t in a state to climb them. The other was that the space upstairs was filled with dead, which was bad for both mentality and hygiene.


    Despite the horrifying conditions, and the doubtless horrifying circumstances that brought them about, the prisoners were the lucky ones. The people above, who had already been implanted with worms, would never get any chance to recover.


    Most of the people the prisoners knew were scattered around the town above, not just dead but violently torn apart while fighting the team. Jason and the others were not going to let them see that, and a gruesome stew of pity, anger and shame sat heavy in their bellies.


    Aside from one special group that Neil had quickly assessed as being in no danger, they started moving patients to the treatment and recovery area the team had set up. Neil went to work in earnest as he directed the rest of the team to manage patients. First step was a cursory assessment by Neil, followed by a quick shower. A simple cistern shower was about as much complexity as Belinda could conjure, but it was enough. Jason pulled out a barrel of crystal wash to fill it, making the shower cool but effective. Priority went to the next person on Neil¡¯s triage list for focused treatment, followed by anyone else who had been through his initial assessment. A few he determined too weak for the shower, so Belinda conjured a bath. While she managed the shower, Jason washed the more delicate people, his telekinetic aura more gentle. It didn¡¯t disturb those being washed, because they were the ones too far-gone to notice what was happening to them. As for the onlookers, it was hidden by the deep bath.


    The recovery beds were bunked by necessity of space. Bottom bunks went to the most delicate patients, usually after Neil was done with them. Others had been deemed by Neil to not require treatment. A few were able to climb the bunk ladders, but most were carefully assisted onto the higher bunks by Humphrey and Rufus.


    Clive had been directed by Neil to warm up the cold room with ritual magic. The adventurers were unconcerned by the cold chamber, but the prisoners were mostly normal people covered in filthy rags. Clive drew out a ritual in the air over the treatment area. The golden light of the ritual drawing turned to a warm glow as Clive chanted out the final element of the ritual.


    ¡°Is that the Healer¡¯s Hearth ritual?¡± Neil asked him, neither his hands nor eyes leaving the patient on his table.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Clive confirmed. ¡°Rather than radiate warmth, it will gently impart it directly into their bodies.¡±


    ¡°Good job.¡±


    Once they had processed the bulk of the prisoners, Humphrey pulled Rufus and Jason aside to discuss their next move. Humphrey activated a privacy screen so the prisoners wouldn¡¯t overhear them.


    ¡°What are we going to do with these people?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°Those beds will do for now, but we can¡¯t leave them there. We can¡¯t take them upstairs, though. Should we leave them here until support arrived from the city?¡±


    ¡°I agree we can¡¯t take them up into the town,¡± Rufus said. ¡°If they see what¡¯s happened to their town, their friends and their families, they¡¯ll suffer all the more.¡±


    ¡°Their reaction to that would be unpredictable,¡± Jason concurred. ¡°We need to keep them as calm as we can manage, under the circumstances. We got lucky with Sophie¡¯s aura power being so out of character for her.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not out of character,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°It¡¯s who she is behind all the spikes and walls. She¡¯s always wanted to be good, but the world never gave her that chance.¡±


    He looked at Jason.


    ¡°You gave her that. I wish it had been me.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t,¡± Jason told him. ¡°It sets up an uneven power dynamic. If you¡¯d been the one to get her out of her old life, that would hang over you your whole lives.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It creates an imbalance that I¡¯ve seen poison relationships,  but this isn¡¯t time for that conversation; stay on task.¡±


    Humphrey nodded.


    ¡°We need to open the floor in case there are more prisoners,¡± he said. ¡°But we can¡¯t do that while the prisoners we¡¯ve already released are still here. It could be anything down there, and if something comes out, looking for a fight, we can¡¯t guarantee their safety. We also have to deal with any complications from the prisoners we left in the other room.¡±


    ¡°Sending them to Yaresh with your team¡¯s ridiculous number of portals and teleport powers has to be the way to go,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Portalling them is the obvious solution,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°Assuming they can handle the trip.¡±


    Humphrey queried Neil through voice chat after glancing to make sure the distraction wouldn¡¯t be harmful.


    ¡°They should be able to endure it, once I¡¯m done,¡± Neil said. ¡°We can space out the most delicate ones and make sure I¡¯m waiting on the other side.¡±


    They left Neil to his work, resuming their private conversation.


    ¡°We need somewhere to portal them to,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Somewhere that we all know well enough to set as a destination.¡±


    ¡°That pretty much means the camping ground where the vehicles are parked,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bad choice,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Open space, away from the heart of the city. We just need to have them make some room and set up a camp. The Church of the Healer are the people to approach for that.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll work,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve had to portal survivors out of a wiped-out town before, and that¡¯s how we did it. Shade, you know what we need. Can you get Rufus¡¯ mum to light a fire under the Church of the Healer?¡±


    ¡°I already have, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Good man.¡±

 Chapter 662: Unquestionably Authoritarian

    Neil was checking the low-priority patients at his triage station. The more critical cases were already stashed on bunked recovery beds, with the remainder those who were comfortably self-mobile. These were the people that had endured the best and gotten the most from what Sophie and Humphrey''s aura powers offered. In most cases, this was the handful of iron-rankers who had lived in the town. Not adventurers, but agriculture specialists with essences like earth and plant.


    Sophie continued to assist Neil while the rest of the team returned to the cage room and the last of the prisoners there, where one cage still contained people. Unlike the townsfolk, who were all elves, this group of five had only two elves, plus a human, a celestine and a smoulder. They weren¡¯t just caged but unconscious and chained up, with magical seals on the shackles around their wrists, ankles and necks, chaining them to the cage. The cage itself was also the most heavy-duty one in the room.


    The shackles were suppressing their auras, which had allowed them to go unnoticed until the team found them while shuffling out prisoners. They were stripped naked and filthy, but the athletic physique and attractive features of essence users shone through. They reminded Jason of when he had first met the infuriatingly handsome Rufus, who had looked good even after climbing out of a cannibal¡¯s cage.


    ¡°An adventuring team?¡± Humphrey posited.


    ¡°We need to get those shackles off to check their rank,¡± Clive said. ¡°Lindy, think you can pop them?¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Jason said and pushed his senses out. He forced his aura through the suppressive effects of the shackles to touch their souls directly.


    ¡°Bronze rank,¡± he said, the others turning to look at him.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I might have to ask Lord Pensinata if I can join in that aura training,¡± Rufus said.


    Belinda entered the cage, the door having already been yanked off by Humphrey. She examined not the shackles first, but the people.


    ¡°Drugged, I think,¡± she said. ¡°These shackles seem to be preventing Sophie¡¯s aura from purging whatever they¡¯ve been dosed with.¡±


    She then moved on to the bindings themselves.


    ¡°Usual suppression shackle situation,¡± she said. ¡°Forcibly remove them and it¡¯ll kill the wearer. Straightforward locks, though. Generic keys should handle it.¡±


    Belinda took out a set of magic keys, similar to ones Jason had occasionally crafted in the past. In addition to Belinda¡¯s being higher rank, the craftsmanship was far superior to Jason¡¯s crude efforts. She used the keys on the shackles, setting loose the probably-adventurers. Humphrey took blankets from his inventory to cover their nakedness as they started to stir. Sophie¡¯s aura was now affecting them, eliminating the toxins keeping them knocked out.


    ¡°Let¡¯s leave them to the friendly guy,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Waking up to a bunch of silver-rankers looming over them probably won¡¯t be helpful.¡±


    ¡°Who¡¯s the friendly guy?¡± Humphrey asked, prompting the others to all turn and look at him. ¡°It¡¯s me?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Humphrey it¡¯s you,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re nice and handsome in a way that makes others feel comforted. Which is way better than someone so handsome you just look at them and feel bad about yourself as a person.¡±


    ¡°That is the single worst compliment I have ever gotten,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°And what makes you think I was talking about you, Mr Vain?¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re waking up,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Go away.¡±


    Jason snorted as he turned to leave.


    ¡°Rude. So much for being the nice one.¡±


    ***


    The team had little more to do than wait, trying not to let their minds dwell on the dead, scattered in piles throughout the town. Humphrey got the story from the adventurers, whose tale was as expected. The group had arrived at the town and quickly sensed something off about the residents. Investigating, they were ambushed by the silver-rank messenger and subdued to await implantation.


    The one piece of new information was that they were being prepared to host worms that were not the same as the others. As the team had yet to come across any worms outside the norm, they suspected them to be in a lower level of the basement workshop, through the hidden door in the floor.


    The team took the adventurers for Neil to give a thorough examination. By the time he was done, Shade had notified Jason that the Church of the Healer had arrived at the Yaresh campgrounds and started clearing space for a refugee camp. It was intended to accommodate not just the people rescued by the team but by all the scout teams sent to investigate the towns and villages of the southern region. Reports were already coming in to confirm that worm infestation was not an isolated incident.


    Jason portalled through to assist with the setup. The camping grounds where foreign adventurers left their magical mobile homes had ample open space for a camp, once the vehicles were cleared out. The church started kicking people out to commandeer ground and Jason returned the land yacht to the cloud flask.


    The church officials were initially not interested in using Jason''s cloud palace, as Jason himself was an unknown quantity. Things changed when gold rank members of the church, Arabelle and Carlos, both stepped up. Jason then produced a cloud palace specifically designed for the intake of people into the camp being organised.


    The church officials weren¡¯t ecstatic about the cloud palace after sensing Jason¡¯s aura permeating it. They were quickly forced to acknowledge, however, that the amenities of the palace were exceedingly useful. Also, while Jason¡¯s aura was unquestionably authoritarian, the benevolent protectiveness of it proved comforting to people in desperate need of feeling safe.


    Jason and Clive started portalling people in, Humphrey not using his teleport. Mass teleportation was less convenient than portals, being better suited to strategic than utility purposes. As most of the people were normals, the two portals were more than sufficient.


    Once the former prisoners were all transferred, the team returned to the workshop and the hidden floor opening. The exception was Neil, who stayed with his fellow Healer Church members. Not only had he started building a rapport with the prisoners, but he understood the amenities the cloud palace offered. Even so, a portal was left open so he could rejoin the team at need. The team were expecting more vats with some speciality worms, but if something nasty leapt out instead, they wanted their healer able to swiftly come to their aid.


    In the workshop, the rest of the team stood around as Belinda went to work on safely opening the hidden floor panel.


    ¡°I¡¯m curious about these special worms that those adventurers mentioned,¡± Clive said.


    ¡°I¡¯m just looking to crush them underfoot,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°Assuming they fit under your feet,¡± Jason said. ¡°For all you know, we¡¯ve got a ¡®worms of Arrakis¡¯ situation going on down there.¡±


    ¡°Is that a monster from your world?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Not my world. It¡¯s one you want to stay away from. The worms are bad enough, but what you really have to watch out for is an oily Sting.¡±


    ¡°You mean a monster with an oily stinger?¡± Humphrey asked.


    "No," Jason told him. "No, I do not."


    ***


    The opening in the floor of the worm-breeding workshop turned out to be an elevating platform that descended a long shaft. It came to an end in an alcove set into the wall of another chamber, another plain room with the same slate brick. Glow stones were set into the ceiling, revealing the worm vats they had been expecting. The central vat was too large to fit on the elevating platform, the glass sides filled with murky yellow fluid. This made it hard to see what was inside. The other five vats were smaller, each into its own alcove around the walls.


    The team quickly took stock of the chamber, spotting no immediate threats as they swept the area. They then turned their attention to the vats, starting with the large one in the middle.


    ¡°This vat is way too big for the platform,¡± Clive observed. ¡°My guess would be that this large worm is some kind of brood queen, brought down here when it was smaller. The vat would have either been built here or carried in dimensional storage.¡±


    They saw something shifting inside the liquid and it wasn¡¯t long before they saw what they were dealing with. It was a massive worm, forced by its size to coil up, even in a vat several metres across. The lack of room often left it pushing against the glass, which is how the team could see it through the ghastly yellow fluid.


    The worm was quite unlike the ones they had dealt with so far, but size was far from the only difference. Where the others had been thin, this one was bloated into obesity, with corpse-pale skin. It also lacked the drill-bit head of its smaller brethren. Instead, it had a flat, fleshy head with a puckered sphincter. The team also spotted a few normal worms swimming in the goo, and they watched as one crawled out of the big worm''s sphincter.


    "Is that its face or its¡­ other end?" Belinda asked.


    ¡°It seems to be some kind of brood queen,¡± Clive assessed. ¡°Not to mention the ugliest worm we¡¯ve run into, although that fluid it¡¯s in doesn¡¯t help. It seems to be a more concentrated version of what we saw in the vats above.¡±


    He then turned to the other vats, which were smaller cylinders, also with glass sides. Jason found himself ominously thinking they were the perfect size to hold children, but did not voice the macabre thought. Inside each vat was a single worm, much closer to the normal worms than the bulbous queen. Only slightly larger than normal, they retained the drill-bit heads. The most notable difference was that each one was a bright colour: blue, green, red, yellow and green.


    "I''m more concerned about these colourful worms than with the chunker in the middle," Jason said.


    ¡°Why?¡± Clive asked.


    "My first concern was getting caught up in a gritty Power Rangers reboot, but then I remembered something far more terrible. One of the most famous and deadly monsters in my world is called a Dalek. A while back, a bunch of Dalek variants in bright colours like this turned up, and it was¡­ not good. Like these worms, they were created by those caught up in hubris, willing to inflict terrible damage in the pursuit of their own mad ideas. Just took one look at those things and you immediately knew someone had undertaken a truly horrifying act of creation."


    ¡°What happened?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°We managed to go on, and eventually, the people behind it were removed from power. But as these things so often go, someone else took their place. Someone who would go on to do worse things than we imagined possible.¡±


    Jason turned away, looking off at nothing with a haunted expression.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Yes, Clive?¡±


    ¡°Are you talking a bunch of crap again?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Clive,¡± Jason said gravely. ¡°Yes, I am.¡±


    Clive shook his head and turned his attention back to the vats.


    ¡°These are obviously the specialty worms that the messenger was breeding for the adventurers,¡± he said. ¡°It seems that the messengers cultivate different worms for different purposes, and I wonder how expansive that program is. Do they just have these for implantation into higher-rank hosts, or is it more? Are there speciality infiltration worms that can do a better job of pretending to be people? Is Yaresh already facing an infestation?¡±


    ¡°A grim thought, but one for the Adventure Society to explore,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I¡¯m just glad we didn¡¯t face adventurers with enhanced worms inside them while we were cleaning out this place.¡±


    ¡°How powerful do you think they would be?¡± Jason wondered. ¡°According to Carlos, most conversion processes rank-up whatever they convert, but they¡¯re relatively weak for their rank. At least compared to essence users.¡±


    ¡°Well-trained essence users,¡± Rufus corrected. ¡°These world-taker worms would tear through Greenstone like a sickle through grass.¡±


    ¡°I have to imagine these specialty worms are stronger than the ones we encountered thus far,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They were little more than corpses being thrown at us. Most likely, these would be closer to vampires, or the Builder¡¯s clockwork converted.¡±


    ¡°Which would have made fighting through the worm hosts an uglier affair,¡± Rufus said. ¡°If we had to deal with anything that posed an individual threat, we could have been easily overrun.¡±


    "It would have been uglier for the adventurers in question," Belinda pointed out. added. "They aren''t in great shape, but these worms look fully grown, or close to it. It might not have been long before implantation."


    ¡°Maybe,¡± Clive said. ¡°We can¡¯t be sure how large they are fully grown.¡±


    ¡°Carlos said that the hosts they occupy are for a secondary incubation cycle,¡± Jason said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t relevant to the fight, so I didn¡¯t bring it up, but they are inside people trying to turn into something else. He didn¡¯t know what, though. Anywhere that finds out tends to be eradicated.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps something to do with how the worms self-propagate,¡± Clive guessed. ¡°Something that will allow them to spread without needing breeding centres like this one.¡±


    ¡°Or maybe they just turn into fatties, like this one,¡± Belinda said, tapping on the glass of the tank. She placed her palm against the glass. ¡°It¡¯s warm. Feels gross.¡±


    "We know that the worms can consume heat," Clive said, also shifting his gaze to the central vat. "It might be part of the reproductive cycle."


    ¡°That would make sense,¡± Jason said. ¡°Did you notice how all the buildings had been magicked-up to radiate heat? I bet that¡¯s part of the incubation cycle.¡±


    "I wonder if the aspects of intelligence we saw all came from the larger worm," Clive said. "Colin has a decentralised hive mind, but I suspect the world-taker worms operate differently. My guess would be that any higher-order mental capacity comes from this queen worm, and she directs the worms like a general."


    "But we didn''t see a lot of intelligence from the worms," Belinda pointed out. "They made one strategic move the whole time, and it was a very simple one."


    ¡°Maybe it needs these,¡± Rufus suggested, tapping one of the smaller vats. ¡°Maybe they serve as officers under the general.¡±


    ¡°Relay nodes, able to mediate between mindless worms and the higher mind of the queen,¡± Clive said. ¡°That would make sense. But this is all speculation. Whether the queen is truly sapient or just possesses some level of animal cunning I can only guess. With study¨C¡±


    ¡°No study,¡± Sophie said. ¡°We kill every one of these things we can find.¡±

 Chapter 663: Voice of the Will

    Sophie was taking a firm stance against studying the worms rather than eradicating them on site.


    ¡°Do you want some lunatic researcher trying to do what the messengers did and use them as a weapon?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a good point,¡± Belinda agreed. ¡°Imagine what Evil Clive could do if he got his hands on these things.¡±


    ¡°Evil Clive?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°Lindy, I thought you were Evil Clive,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s sweet of you,¡± Belinda happily replied, touching his shoulder briefly.


    ¡°Sophie¡¯s right,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°All it takes is some Duke who is long on ambition and short on both morals and sense. They set up their own breeding program, somewhere no one finds it. It gets out of control, the worms get loose and by the time anyone realises, it¡¯s too late. The world-taker worms have too much momentum and live up to the name. Even if they can be stopped, the price in lives is high. I¡¯m not saying that our actions alone will be enough to avoid that outcome, but I¡¯m not willing to do anything to make it any more likely.¡±


    ¡°Do you practise portentous monologues in the mirror for when these situations come up?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Because seriously, that was on point. I¡¯ve tried practising sinister lines that I can use later, but I had to knock it off because I¡¯m waaay too melodramatic. It should be simple and concise, like ¡®I¡¯m Batman,¡¯ but I always end up veering into ¡®I am the terror that flaps in the night¡¯ territory. So now I just wing it so I don¡¯t get carried away.¡±


    ¡°You still get carried away,¡± Belinda said.


    ¡°I do?¡±


    ¡°A bit.¡±


    ¡°A bit nothing,¡± Clive said. ¡°Do you want me to play the speech you gave that messenger?¡±


    ¡°Play it?¡±


    Clive pointed to the mana crystals floating over his head from his Crystallise Mana ability.


    Ability: [Crystallise Mana] (Magic)


    Humphrey had the same, with he and Neil both sharing the very common ability with Clive. But where five crystals were floating over Humphrey¡¯s head, Clive had a sixth. When he pointed this out, they all recognised it as a recording crystal.


    ¡°Do you want me to show the others?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t that bad,¡± Jason insisted.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t we let the others see it, then?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s embarrassing, and they know how dramatic I can get. And we need to deal with these worms, which leads to an important question: Do I feed Colin the colourful ones first or the big one?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of Colin to go around,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Why not both?¡±


    Jason shrugged and started moving from vat to vat. They each had a sealed opening on the metal top that Jason presumed was for extracting worms and feeding nutrients. He used it for dumping in leeches, most of which went into the central vat. The smells that came out from the vats as he opened the seals were rancid.


    ¡°Ooh, that¡¯s rough,¡± Jason said. Then he took a step back as the obese worm in the central vat banged against the inside of the glass.


    ¡°Are we okay with it doing that?¡± Clive asked. ¡°Things breaking containment in magical laboratories have historically had less-than-ideal results.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m open to suggestions,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Is running away on the table?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°I did not like the smell coming out of those tanks. Couldn¡¯t we just go back up the entry shaft and drop stuff down to kill the worms?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not running away from what amounts to a giant sausage,¡± Sophie said. ¡°A sausage that is being enthusiastically devoured, no less.¡±


    As Sophie said, the leeches in the vat were aggressively chewing into the worm. Red blood was staining the sickly yellow fluid, making the contents of the vat murkier with each passing moment. Gaping wounds were easy to spot as the worm slammed itself against the glass of the vat, sometimes squashing leeches in the process. The life force Colin was consuming allowed him to reproduce faster than he was losing leeches.


    ¡°There¡¯s a lot of life force in that worm,¡± Jason observed. ¡°I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever felt Colin quite so enthused. You show them who¡¯s the best apocalypse beast, Colin! Also, please don¡¯t eat any planets.¡±


    The others all turned to look at him.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I said don¡¯t eat any planets.¡±


    ¡°Are we all sure we aren¡¯t the villains here?¡± Belinda asked. ¡°Am I Evil Clive?¡±


    The worm slammed its torn and bleeding body against the vat again, causing spiderweb cracks to appear.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Jason said as the cracks rapidly spread. The team all floated off the floor and away from the cracking portion of the vat.


    Any well-trained silver ranker could slowly move themselves around, just without the speed, power and control of Jason or a messenger. They also had to maintain careful concentration or they would drop.


    The vat broke, spilling yellow liquid onto the floor. It was thick, almost slime, and heavily streaked with red. The worm only half emerged, getting caught on the broken glass and cutting itself open. A foul smell emerged the moment the vat broke, but when the worm suffered deep lacerations, it became excruciatingly pungent. The only stench any of them had encountered that was worse was rainbow smoke. They all shut off their sense of smell as soon as the wall of stench struck them.


    ¡°Okay, Lindy,¡± Sophie choked out. ¡°I was wrong. We should have run away.¡±


    ¡°I have no expertise in magical research, or in eating worms,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I¡¯ll leave this to Jason and Clive.¡±


    With that, he floated himself up through the elevating platform shaft in the ceiling, Sophie, Belinda and Humphrey following close behind. Jason looked at Clive, whose expression was torn. There might be something to learn if he stayed, or it might just be some leeches eating some worms which he could happily imagine in the fresh air.


    ¡°I think whatever¡¯s in those vats is making my eyes sting,¡± Clive said, making his decision. ¡°Tell me if anything interesting happens.¡±


    Jason shook his head with a chuckle as Clive made good his escape. The leeches in the side vats had finished their meals and he let them out, but didn¡¯t absorb them immediately.


    ¡°If you think I¡¯m letting you inside me while you¡¯re covered in gunk,¡± he said, holding up a leech with his thumb and forefinger, ¡°you¡¯ve got another thing coming.¡±


    With the elevating platform still downstairs, the shaft was open and Jason was able to extend his aura through it. He used it to grab the barrel of crystal wash, leftover from cleaning off the prisoners, and float it down the shaft. A little of the wash went a long way, so it was still mostly full. While Jason was moving the barrel, Colin finished off the large worm.


    ¡°Voice of the Will? I keep adding to the list of things I need to ask the messengers. I¡¯ll have to leave one alive. Eventually. If I can find one that isn¡¯t in the middle of committing war crimes. Still, far be it from me to look a power upgrade in the mouth. Come and get cleaned up buddy.¡±


    Jason started floating individual leeches into the air with his aura until they surrounded him like a swarm of bees.


    ¡°Hey, I think we might have just found a great new tactic, Colin. This is going to scare the crap out of people.¡±


    While holding the leeches in the air, Jason used his aura to start lifting droplets of crystal wash from the barrel to clean them.


    ¡°You know what? This is pretty good aura manipulation practise. You¡¯re so useful, Colin. Good boy.¡±


    ***


    Jason emerged from the shaft into the workshop. Belinda and Clive were exploring the messenger¡¯s work while Sophie, Humphrey and Rufus stood around. The underground workshop was hardly pleasant, but it was a better place to wait for the Adventure Society than the town full of corpses. Just as Jason reached the top of the shaft, Neil appeared through the portal Jason had left open.


    ¡°Lindy,¡± he said. ¡°We could use some logistical aid. The Adventure Society has been expanding the refugee camp in the camping grounds with people evacuated from other towns and villages. The cloud palace is being used for assessment and treatment, but we could use some housing.¡±


    Belinda nodded and followed Neil back through the portal. Neil had grabbed Belinda for her ability to conjure simple items. That ranged from tools like a sword, a pickaxe or a wall to soft items like curtains or bedding. With Belinda being silver rank, she could conjure a vast number of simple objects that would last for a considerable time. Knocking out what amounted to a series of pre-fab dormitories would be well within her abilities, freeing up time and resources that local authorities could expend on longer-term solutions.


    At the same time, more adventuring teams were heading for towns like the one Jason¡¯s team had purged. Following close behind were support teams from the Adventure Society, Magic Society, various churches and the Yaresh civic authorities. Reports had come in quickly, from Carlos and others connected to alternate scout teams. Once the magnitude of what was going on had been revealed, resources and personnel were deployed in far greater numbers than the original scout teams.  More towns needed to be checked, some teams required backup and everywhere would require management in the aftermath.


    The other major concern was what the messengers would do now that what was clearly meant to be an invasion force had been discovered.


    ¡°What will the messengers do, now that their plans have been revealed?¡± Humphrey mused.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Given the scale of this operation, though, they had to have known that exposure was inevitable. The question is what they planned when that happened. This isn¡¯t anything the Adventure Society won¡¯t have considered, though. They¡¯ll be reinforcing the operation sites for the clean-up in case the whole idea was to bait out teams that could be taken down in isolation by messenger strike groups.¡±


    ¡°But doesn¡¯t that draw a lot of forces out of the city?¡± Jason asked. ¡°What if that¡¯s the whole point of all this?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not like the city will be emptied out,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I guarantee you that forces in less critical operations are being recalled as we speak. Plus, the city¡¯s defensive infrastructure is a massive impediment to even a concentrated messenger assault.¡±


    ¡°Does that make anyone else feel like messenger saboteurs are bringing down that infrastructure as we speak?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Now that you say it, yeah,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Good job, Rufus.¡±


    Rufus gave Jason a flat look.


    ¡°Where did you even learn all this about city infrastructure and defence protocols and the like?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°My family runs a¡­ get bent, Jason.¡±


    The others all laughed as Jason headed for the stairs. As the one with the strongest senses, he would be the one to first notice the reinforcements. As the workshop was impeding his perception, he needed to go outside.


    ¡°I could have used a drink, too,¡± he muttered.

 Chapter 664: He Himself Does Not Become a Monster

    Jason didn¡¯t linger downstairs with the others for long. He had no interest in facing the town filled with dead, but didn¡¯t want his aura restricted by the underground facility. His aura could somewhat escape the workshop¡¯s inhibition magic with the doors open, but it still greatly impeded his senses. He went up the stairs, through the tunnel into the dirt basement, and then up the ladder to the trapdoor.


    This returned him to the building that served as the secret entrance to the underground facility. It was one of the few buildings in the town that did not have open-sided walls, and was used as a storage shed. Based on the layer of grime coating empty barrels and broken farming tools, it was one that saw little use.


    Jason went outside, once more taking in the stomach-churning scene of bodies littered around the town. Although he knew they had been worm-hosts, dead before the team even arrived, it still rattled Jason to look at. It was not the first time he had seen the dead piled high ¨C tragically far from it. Even so, it was not something he was fully used to and he desperately hoped he never would be.


    He would rather have stayed downstairs. He could join the others in distracting themselves from the dark reality with light banter, pushing the dark thoughts away until the job was done. There would be ample time to sit with the horror in the sleepless nights Rufus had warned Jason about, what felt like a million years ago. Rufus had warned Jason that there would be days like these as an adventurer.


    Jason thought back to that night, his very first in his new world. He didn¡¯t know that person any more, who would go through so much to become Jason as he was now. Idly wondering about the choices he made, he thought about how things could have been different. He¡¯d made a lot of mistakes and seen a lot of death, some of which was on his head.


    But the big things had gone well enough. Better than could be expected in most cases. Earth wasn¡¯t in precipitous danger. The days of proto-spaces threatening to spew forth dangerous monster waves were over. The monsters would manifest directly now, and mostly far weaker. They would not be contained in the proto-spaces, but it was good enough.


    Pallimustus had weathered the monster surge and the Builder invasion. Jason had even managed to push the Builder into leaving at least a little early. He would never know how many lives even a few weeks without fighting had saved, and while that did not make up for the dead scattered before him now, it was at least some consolation to his soul.


    Jason and his friends had to live with cutting down the people of the town, and while they were already corpses, that wasn¡¯t how it felt. Even accepting that, they were desecrating the remains of innocent strangers, people they had not been able to protect. This was sadly not new for Jason and Rufus, but the others would need to come to terms with that.


    Jason knew that his team would endure, however. He¡¯d done it. Not well, but he¡¯d done it. He hoped he could help them do it a little better. It was the people of the town he felt bad for. The few dozen that had survived were not going to feel like they had. Their world had just been destroyed. Almost everyone that each of them knew was lying in front of Jason, hacked to pieces, burned to ashes or torn apart.


    These were small town people and their town was over. How could they ever come back to this nightmare place after what happened? Even if they did, there were not enough of them left to revive it. It was a ghost town, now, and the memories would haunt them. The blood and the bodies could be cleared away, but their presence would linger. The town was done.


    A grim future awaited the survivors. Many of them may never have even left the town before, and now their lives would change forever. Compared to them, Jason and his team had places to go and homes to return to. Even when they suffered losses, they had the power to minimise them and seize a path forward. The surviving townsfolk were the pawns of fate, stuck in a world of magic they didn¡¯t have and monsters they couldn¡¯t fight. Whatever their future would be, it was not theirs to choose.


    For all that Jason had faced hard times since arriving in this world, he at least had made his own choices along the way. He had the agency to seize his own destiny, even with forces beyond comprehension arrayed against him. Determination and far more luck than he had any right to expect had carried him along. The survivors of the town had no such agency. Their lives were not theirs to choose and would never be the same.


    This was the distillation of something Rufus warned Jason of, on that first night, and why Jason dwelled on it now. That grim days were ahead, but if he ceded control to others, he wouldn¡¯t have any choices at all. He would be left only able to wait and see what happened to him, with no power to change it. That was how Rufus convinced Jason to be an adventurer.


    Standing, looking out at the dead, Jason started to think about how many lives and deaths had passed through his hands. He remembered the waterfall village where, for the very first time, he had made the choice to stand between innocent people and the violence that was coming for them. Doing it again in the very same village, he had earned his first and largest scar.


    As his powers grew, so did the challenges. Protecting Greenstone from the Builder. Broken Hill, Makassar. The entire Earth threatening to tear apart from dimensional forces. The dangers escalated more quickly than his powers, and he¡¯d had to become something further and further from human to meet them. More than once it had cost him his life. But at least he came back, when so many others did not. This town that he didn¡¯t even know the name of was just the latest to host the mounds of dead that he had failed to save.


    There was nothing Jason could have done for the people in front of him, but what about the dead that lay behind him? The people who died at Broken Hill? Makassar? His brother, his lover and his friend? How did the ones he saved balance against the ones he failed to? The loss of each had galvanised Jason, prompting spikes in his strength that he used down the line. Were those losses worth the things Jason had accomplished? Were all those people sacrifices or just helpless victims?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a bleak equation,¡± he pondered.


    Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow to stand beside him.


    ¡°You can count the dead, Mr Asano,¡± Shade said, guessing Jason¡¯s  mind. ¡°But it accomplishes nothing. All you can do is move forward, doing the best you can with what you have. I¡¯ve heard you say that many times, and of all your¡­¡±


    Shade pause was rich with disapproval.


    ¡°¡­catchphrases, it is the one I prefer. The one that has wisdom.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m wise?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Asano. No. Dear goodness, no. Which is why you should always remember those sparkling moments when you manage to achieve it.¡±


    Jason let out a soft chuckle, not enough to wipe the sadness from his expression.


    ¡°Are you alright. Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°You know what, Shade?¡± Jason asked, looking out over the dead. ¡°To my own surprise, I actually might be. I don¡¯t ever want to get used to scenes like this, but I¡¯m not going to let them break me, either; I¡¯m going to use them. Let them remind me of why I have to keep pushing, of why I have to get stronger. Of who and what I¡¯m going to face, and the lengths they are willing to go.¡±


    He bowed his head.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got this voice inside me, telling me that if I become worse than the things I fight, they¡¯ll be too scared to do what happened in this town. I¡¯ve been so angry for so long now that I don¡¯t even remember when I started listening to that voice. But it¡¯s wrong. It never works like that, does it?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Asano. It does not.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been heading down a certain road for a while now, but it doesn¡¯t lead anywhere I want to go. It¡¯s time to take a different direction. Maybe find some of that na?vet¨¦ that I discarded along the way.¡±


    ¡°Your treatment of that messenger¨C¡±


    ¡°That was the line. That¡¯s how far I can go without losing myself, I let myself go right up against it with her. But I think that¡¯s okay. I¡¯ve been telling myself that¡¯s not where the line is for a long time. That I¡¯m a good person who is only doing these things because I have to, and when the world stops dumping on me I¡¯ll stop. But the world never stops dumping, does it?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s time to accept that my line is where it is. To stop deluding myself over who I am and moping over how bad things are. The people of this town, living and dead, have gotten it far worse than me, and I owe it to them to stop this from happening somewhere else. I have so much power. So many good people around me. So many things to be thankful for.¡±


    ¡°If what you did to the messenger was the line, Mr Asano, does that mean you¡¯ll be stepping back from it?¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°Once I accept where my line genuinely is, instead of telling myself where it should be, I feel like it will be easier to avoid pushing up against it. Not unless I need to.¡±


    ¡°Do you regret breaking her will before you killed her?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. No, I think. I probably should. It was anger. But I¡¯m willing to go that far, after what she did. She had a rough time, but I was just talking up my power. A bit. The essence ability I used on her is a vulture, picking the bones clean; it can¡¯t damage the soul. It might be a little rough-and-tumble on a gestalt entity like a messenger, but she¡¯ll find her way to your dad fully intact. It¡¯s not like when you stopped me from using that guy¡¯s star seed to peel the body off his soul. That would have been over the line.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano. That would be more than I was willing to tolerate.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not done giving the messengers a hard time, though. They have a lot of things that I need. Advanced astral magic. Understanding of what an astral king is. Knowledge of whatever Emir is looking for.¡±


    ¡°You may need to leave some of them alive for that.¡±


    ¡°True. But they also have a power inside them that I can use. If I have to crack them open like eggs to get it, then so be it. They came to this world, looking for trouble. After seeing how far they¡¯ll go to find it, I¡¯ll happily oblige them.¡±


    ¡°Will you dedicate yourself to pursuing them, then?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t need to. They came here in numbers, and they came to stay. The conditions they used to get here ended with monster surge, so while I¡¯m sure they have the means to leave, I doubt they can do so easily or en masse. Even just living the adventurer life, I¡¯m going to be hunting them for a good, long time.¡±


    ¡°And if they hunt you back?¡±


    Jason¡¯s grin belonged on a comic book cover, and not on the face of the hero.

 Chapter 665: An Egg Starting to Hatch

    Standing in the town filled with fallen elves and annihilated parasite worms, Jason looked off to the distance. Something had pinged his aura senses, somewhere out in the rainforest, and he withdrew his magical perception. It was a gold rank adventurer, leaving Jason unsure if he had been noticed in turn, but the person was making a beeline for the town.


    ¡°Time to make myself scarce,¡± he said.


    Downstairs, meanwhile, Jason¡¯s team were having a discussion.


    ¡°Is he even going to keep up the hidden identity?¡± Clive asked. ¡°They don¡¯t care here about what happened in Rimaros.¡±


    ¡°He kicked the Builder off the planet,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I think they might care that the guy who did that is running around.¡±


    ¡°Even so,¡± Clive said, ¡°the locals have much more immediate concerns. The messengers and these worms are problems now, while the Builder invasion is history.¡±


    ¡°Extremely recent history,¡± Rufus said. ¡°There are still pockets of Builder cultists scattered around the world. Even here, you know that.¡±


    ¡°We need to finish briefing Korinne¡¯s team,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°They need to know the complexity of the situation when we go after the messengers.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t even know if we¡¯ll still be sent after them,¡± Clive pointed out. ¡°These worms are going to shake up whatever plans the Adventure Society had. I don¡¯t think Jason will have the luxury of hugging the shadows for much longer. And it¡¯s not like he¡¯s doing a great job at playing nondescript cook. He¡¯s terrible at playing any roles other than lunatic or monster.¡±


    The others nodded their agreement.


    ¡°Lindy always complained about me when I was on the job,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I used to play socialite a lot when we were preparing to rob a place, and she always said I wasn¡¯t embodying the role enough. But at least I wasn¡¯t joining cage fight tournaments.¡±


    ¡°You weren¡¯t?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Well, once, and she didn¡¯t let me hear the end of it. The job did not go well.¡±


    ¡°Jason isn¡¯t on some infiltration mission,¡± Rufus said. ¡°It¡¯s not about him maintaining some rigid identity. Most adventurers have secrets; Jason himself is ours. When people see a cook who is obviously more than he appears, it¡¯s not anything to worry about. They¡¯ll assume he¡¯s someone like the princess hiding out in Korinne¡¯s team; some spoiled aristocrat looking to avoid the trouble that comes with their name. Jason just needs to avoid inspiring too many powerful people into looking closer. If adventurers went looking into every person with obvious secrets, they¡¯d never have time to do any actual adventuring.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Jason said, coming down the stairs. ¡°It¡¯s okay to be shady, so long as we don¡¯t step on the toes of anyone who can make trouble for us. Where I come from, we call it plausible deniability.¡±


    ¡°And when the people we rescued are debriefed?¡± Clive asked. ¡°What happens when they mention the guy with the starlight cloak that doesn¡¯t match any member of our team? It¡¯s not a huge leap to someone looking up our team members, present and former.¡±


    ¡°Clive,¡± Rufus said. ¡°You were the one who pointed out how busy things will be for the locals. I doubt they will have the time to go looking into Jason with everything going on. Even if they do, Jason¡¯s record has been sealed. The whole thing now, not just sections, the way it was in the past. And the classification of those restrictions is high enough that someone has to really want it before the Adventure Society will give them anything.¡±


    ¡°Plus, the locals don¡¯t know us,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Any power the prisoners describe will be passed off as belonging to one of us.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so keen on me giving up the identity anyway?¡± Jason asked Clive.


    ¡°I just think it would be better if you were back with the team properly.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t argue with that,¡± Jason agreed.


    ¡°Also,¡± Clive said, ¡°Colin might be useful to clean up worms in other places. I¡¯m guessing that worm eradication will be a big priority. If you weren¡¯t hiding, you could use him more.¡±


    ¡°Colin can¡¯t replicate enough to be effective on that scale,¡± Jason said. ¡°At best, he can double his standard mass, which he can only maintain while actively feeding anyway. Besides, he¡¯s sleeping off Christmas dinner.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°You never been in a turkey coma?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s turkey?¡± Clive asked.


    Jason looked back up the stairs.


    ¡°We can talk about this later,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯re about to get visitors, so it¡¯s time for my portal and I to scarper.¡±


    Jason and Clive still had active portals that they had funnelled the prisoners through, along with Belinda and Neil. Jason went through his portal and it vanished behind him.


    ***


    Jason had returned to Yaresh previously, just long enough to reconfigure his cloud construct from land-yacht to palace. He had greater control over the specifics of the design than when he first obtained the cloud flask, and was able to lay it out like a hospital. The palace took the appearance of a hospital as well, with a white, square exterior arranged into three connected wings. The interiors were likewise white, with square tile patterns.


    The design was to best facilitate the needs of the camp, being set up to screen, treat and manage the evacuees from worm-infested towns and villages. The ability of the cloud palace to utilise different amenities, as well as clean anything inside it, would be a boon for medical work.


    The palace was situated at one end of the space being cleared for the camp, with the other end being near Emir''s cloud palace by the wall. Two front-facing wings marked the border of what would become the camp, with one rear wing away from the camp. The rear and one of the front wings each had three storeys, with the remaining front wing having a fourth.


    The rear wing contained living space for Jason and his companions. This included Melody, who had remained under Jason¡¯s watchful eye while her new secure room was formed. The private wing for Jason and his friends was the only part of the palace that continued to serve as Jason¡¯s spirit domain, where his influence was sufficient to impinge upon the natural laws within it.


    The front wings Jason withdrew his full influence from, having it operate more like a normal cloud construct. This was critical for allowing in the priests from the Church of the Healer, as they would be cut off from their god¡¯s influence in the spirit domain.


    This was something that Arabelle and Neil had gotten used to, but they did not have powers directly bestowed through divine essences or awakening stones. They also knew Jason. Explaining why their god was not welcome to a group of clergy while they were busy setting up an evacuee camp was not an efficient use of time. And if they had divinely-granted powers on top, it would be even worse.


    Jason knew that leaving the area of a god¡¯s influence did not prevent essence abilities with divine origins from working. He had seen that in astral spaces where the influence of gods did not reach. If anything, it might mean that it was harder for the gods to revoke those powers, although Jason couldn¡¯t be sure. Another thing he was uncertain about was the degree to which he could interfere with those powers should they be used in an area over which he had dominion. He suspected he could have an influence, but he also suspected that running tests was a bad idea.


    The front wings still retained Jason¡¯s aura, but he tamped it down to the minimum. Carlos, Arabelle and Neil, all members of the church of the Healer, were already at work and gave him suggestions for facilities he should include. One wing was designed for intake, with treatment rooms and spaces to organise people that were divided by what looked suspiciously like cattle-yard railings. There were also secure screening rooms for checking people for worms, and cells to hold any that did.


    The other front wing was designed around secondary services, such as cafeterias and shower rooms that people in the camp would need to visit once or more per day, for as long as the camp was set up. This was the wing with the extra storey, which contained administrative spaces. This was so the people running the camp had a place to retreat to and organise things out from whatever chaos the camp happened to be in.


    The palace had only so much space within, however, especially as Jason''s palace was smaller than Emir''s. Part of that was the rank difference, with his palace being silver-rank currently, compared to Emir''s being gold. He suspected that the unique nature of his palace had an effect as well. Given the additional energies being fed into the cloud flask from Jason¡¯s soul realm, he guessed that more of the flask¡¯s resources were required to contain it.


    Because of the size limitation, Jason had abandoned dormitory space entirely to focus on facilities that would benefit from the amenities his cloud palace could offer. Places for the evacuees to live and sleep were being arranged by the churches, civic authorities and the Adventure Society, all of whom had become involved in organising the camp. The Magic Society was also present, but they were in no danger of being put in charge. No one believed that they were interested in the welfare of the evacuees over studying any worms they brought with them.


    Jason had no interest in their jostling over influence and had left them to it, returning to the team. Now that he was back, he went to check the results. He had to admit that whoever had ended up in charge worked fast, as the camp had sprawled out in the short time he was away. The area around the palace had been cleared of other vehicles to make room to set up the expansive evacuee camp. That space was already filled with a mix of tents and prefabricated buildings, conjured by Belinda and others with similar powers. The conjured items mostly had a matte plastic look to them, in various colours, with Jason recognising the dark green that belonged to Belinda.


    Activity was hectic both inside the palace and out in the camp. People were rushing around, Jason picking up auras that ranged from normal through to gold. He identified the familiar ones, including Amos Pensinata, and Taika who was meditating in the private section of the palace. Jason was startled to realise that Taika''s aura was so close to breaking through to silver that it was like an egg starting to hatch. Jason quietly withdrew his aura and left him to it.


    With people hurrying everywhere, it was easy for Jason to tweak his aura such that others overlooked him as he roamed around. This was especially true within the cloud palace, where he could blend into the surrounding aura. He sent Shade¡¯s bodies out as well, taking stock of the camp. If anyone was trying to exploit the chaos to work against the camp, the city or Jason, he wanted as much warning as he could get.


    After roaming the camp, Jason made his way up to the administrative area on the fourth storey, to a private office he had set aside for his own use. The room was empty and he moved to the front wall, which was a single giant window, overlooking the camp. Shade emerged and floated next to him.


    ¡°How are the organisers making use of the palace amenities?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Mrs Remore has been appointed facility liaison, to help make the most of the resources at hand. I have been assisting her, naturally, and she has been making sure the palace is being used well. Some assets are unavailable outside of the spirit domain, of course, such as your avatars.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think a bunch of cycloptic shadow monsters would help the situation, even if they are practical. I¡¯m pretty sure they would just start a panic.¡±


    ¡°I concur, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Is there anything that would benefit from my personal intervention? In the kitchens, maybe?¡±


    ¡°The procurement, preparation and distribution of food is being handled by the city authorities. They have the cafeterias well in hand and their own personnel in charge. Attempting to take over management would disrupt more than help.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to manage things; I could be an extra pair of hands.¡±


    ¡°That would require taking orders, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°I can take orders.¡±


    Instead of responding, Shade turned his head toward Jason.


    ¡°Yeah, alright,¡± Jason grudgingly conceded. ¡°Just keep scouting the camp outside the palace and let me know if anything crops up. Actually, position some bodies around the city as well, and maybe a few to patrol outside the city walls.¡±


    ¡°You are concerned that the messengers will attack?¡±


    ¡°Rufus doesn¡¯t think so, but I can¡¯t shake the idea.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because that¡¯s what I¡¯d do.¡±


    ¡°What would you do about the city defence infrastructure?¡±


    ¡°Not sure. I¡¯m guessing readiness levels would make sabotage unreliable. Maybe set up something inside the city to draw defenders from the walls, then hammer one point hard. I¡¯m no strategic genius, so maybe I¡¯m all wrong. It¡¯s not like my suspicions are specific enough that I can check them out.¡±


    ¡°Mrs Remore is working with the camp leader to help make the most of the palace¡¯s facilities,¡± Shade said. ¡°Shall I mention to her that if something does happen, she should be ready to evacuate the palace so it can be reconfigured?¡±


    "That''s a good idea, Shade. It''s probably nothing. I hope it''s nothing, and not just because I don''t want to see the city attacked. I don''t want to find out that I think like a messenger."


    ¡°I suspect, Mr Asano, that they would be more alarmed to discover they think like you.¡±


    ¡°Was that a compliment or an insult?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano. It was.¡±

 Chapter 666: Whagt the Swarm Came to Cure

    Jason stood in an empty room, looking through a window wall down at the evacuee camp. It was far more than just the few dozen people from the town Jason and his team had gone to, as towns across the southern region likewise had adventurers investigating. It had started with seven teams and expanded once the truth was discovered.


    Through Shade¡¯s eavesdropping, Jason was keeping an ear out for how things were going. Jason and his team had encountered one of the worst-gone towns, almost entirely taken over. Some were only in the early stages and had been saved by adventurers who drove off or killed the messengers in them. Unfortunately, it was not all good news.


    ¡°Of the seven teams initially deployed, two of them lost members in the process of killing or driving off the messengers they found,¡± Shade reported. ¡°In both cases, it was in larger towns than we were sent to, where multiple messengers were present and the teams did not have a gold ranker with them. Also, one team was lost entirely. Their deaths have been confirmed using their tracking stones.¡±


    Each Adventure Society branch maintained tracking stones connected to the adventurers operating in that area. One of the first things Humphrey had done on the team''s arrival had been to visit the Adventure Society and notify them that the team would be operating in the area so that local tracking stones could be produced. This was based on soul imprints taken by the Magic Society.


    As souls shifted over time, the imprints required refreshing, especially after rank-ups. This was why Farrah had extra problems when identifying herself on her return. Also, other changes in the soul could invalidate an imprint, which was very much the case for Jason. The solution was to obtain a personal crest, which was only possible while at iron rank. It was common amongst nobility and provided a fixed marker for soul imprinting. The Adventure Society had simply copied Jason''s imprint when creating one for his John Miller alias.


    ¡°If someone was able to take out an entire adventuring team,¡± Jason said, ¡°are they thinking that location is the central hub for worm production?¡±


    ¡°There has been speculation, but I don¡¯t have access to the full information,¡± Shade said. ¡°I am only going by what the Adventure Society officials here in the camp have been discussing. I do know that the location in question was one of the larger towns.¡±


    "So there might have been a whole messenger contingent there. There certainly had to be a gold-rank messenger.¡±


    ¡°From early reports, Mr Asano, there is a particular messenger tactic that the team will need to be wary of.¡±


    ¡°Oh?¡±


    ¡°Messenger abilities vary quite a lot, but many seem to be able to isolate themselves and an enemy such that neither can leave until the other is dead.¡±


    ¡°Allowing them to take out critical enemies,¡± Jason said. ¡°Healers, glass cannons and the like. Any restrictions, or can they just go in and pluck people out of our formation?¡±


    "It seems to require a certain level of physical isolation. So long as you keep the core members together, it is likely that they will be stuck targeting your more mobile members."


    ¡°That¡¯s acceptable,¡± Jason said. ¡°Rufus, Humphrey, Sophie and I can all handle a one-on-one. Lindy, in a pinch, although best if we can avoid it. If we keep her, Clive and Neil together, we should be alright.¡±


    "From what I can tell, it is a category of ability the messengers possess, not a specific power. Each messenger who possesses such a power will have their own variant, so there is no predicting exactly how that power will work. I think it is inevitable that you will encounter such a power, Mr Asano, but there is no telling what the exact effects will be."


    ¡°You picked up all this from hearing about just a few encounters?¡±


    ¡°These powers are responsible for the two deaths in the teams that lost members but weren¡¯t wiped out,¡± Shade explained. ¡°It has been a topic of some discussion, and this is far from the first time that the locals have clashed with the messengers.¡±


    ¡°I see.¡±


    Jason continued to watch the camp¡¯s activity. There was an arrival area where portals or flying vehicles brought in survivors from the towns and villages. They were brought into the cloud palace where Jason had set up screening and treatment rooms. Jason couldn¡¯t see this process through the window, but could observe anything happening in cloud palace, should he desire.


    The screening rooms were a redundancy measure, as sufficiently close observation should allow worm hosts to be picked out from their auras. Jason fully agreed with the measure anyway, because of the specialty worms. They had yet to be implanted in the adventurer prisoners Jason''s team had found, but there was no telling what the results would have been. The disappearance of several adventuring teams had been the original prompt for the sweeping investigation into the towns, which left others potentially infested with the special worms.


    The precaution was proven valuable as a group of liberated adventurers was brought into the cloud palace. Jason detected an aura mask placed over them, subtle enough that he might not have even noticed in person. In his cloud palace, however, very little escaped his perception. As they entered, Jason sensed an aura mask similar to the one used by Benella, the elf who had been a spy for the messengers.


    At a mental command from Jason, an image of a hallway appeared on the window in front of Jason. It was the group of liberated adventurers being escorted down a hall by a woman in Church of the Healer robes and a man wearing an Adventure Society emblem. They were all bronze rank, according to their auras, and were on their way to the screening rooms.


    A second mental command brought up a second live image from within the palace. This one showed Arabelle Remore, in one of the palace¡¯s administrative offices. She was standing over a desk with a scowl on her face as she organised procurement lists.


    ¡°Arabelle,¡± he said and she looked up, glancing around.


    ¡°Jason?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re working with the person running the evacuee operation, right?¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± she confirmed, half-groaning. ¡°I¡¯m in charge of making the most of your magic cloud hospital. Right now, supplies are being brought in as quick as people can get their hands on them, which is not the basis for an efficient system. I¡¯m trying to make sure things go where they¡¯re needed without too much getting lost in the shuffle.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately, I need to add to your load, I¡¯m sorry.¡±


    ¡°Can it wait?¡±


    ¡°I think there is a group of worm-infested adventurers in the building.¡±


    ¡°So, ¡®no¡¯ is what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    ¡°Pretty much. A group of rescued adventurers just came in, but they¡¯re all wearing aura masks. The sophisticated kind I¡¯ve seen the messengers use.¡±


    ¡°And you think they¡¯ve been infected.¡±


    ¡°It could be something else. They could be magically disguised messengers for all I know. Unless I poke them hard enough that they notice, I can¡¯t tell what they¡¯re hiding.¡±


    Arabelle left the room, the image on the window moving to track her quick stride.


    ¡°We have a team of Adventure Society enforcers on standby for this reason,¡± she said. ¡°They¡¯re stationed by the screening rooms.¡±


    ¡°I know, but they won¡¯t act on my say so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll get them moving; if something is going to happen, it will be in the screening rooms or on the way. Whoever or whatever we''re dealing with, they''ll get violent once they realise their disguises won''t hold up. Can you use the building to assist?¡±


    ¡°Of course. I just didn¡¯t want to contain them out of nowhere and alarm the people working here.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure they¡¯ll be alarmed anyway.¡±


    "But at least about the right thing. I want people worried about intruders, not the building randomly eating rescued adventurers."


    "That''s not my responsibility. Once we''ve contained these adventurers, I want you to meet Hana Shavar, the woman in charge. I don¡¯t have time to be your mouthpiece all day.¡±


    ¡°Yes ma¡¯am.¡±


    ***


    Five elite worm hosts were moving down a hall, in a building with white walls that looked like smooth tiles but were actually absorbent cloud-substance. The hosts communicated silently, much like Jason¡¯s voice chat, wary of their situation. The facility all the rescuees were being taken into was beyond expectations, preventing their magical senses from moving beyond what they could see.


    Unlike slave worms, the elite worms were one worm to the host, and had independent minds. While they were capable of commanding slave worms and communicating with the matriarch, they could operate independently, without control. They were independent minds within the swarm.


    They had realised that the messengers had never intended to leave this world to the worms once attackers started descending on the initial breeding sites. As the matriarchs started dying, with minimal reaction from the messengers, the worms realised that their agenda no longer aligned with that of their winged allies.


    The elite worms had no recourse but to go along, looking for an opportunity. They at least still possessed the aura masks left on the host bodies by the messengers, meaning that they could look for the chance to slip away. If they could rejoin the other elite worms in the city they could begin to work on redeeming a situation that had turned dire. They had not yet had a chance to quietly escape, with so many eyes on them.


    Now they were in this strange building, with walls that could block their senses and soft floors that muffled sound, meaning any corner could have people just around it. At least there were only the two people moving with them, now. Even better, they were the same bronze rank as the aura masks inscribed into the host bodies. With the host bodies enhanced to silver, they could put their escorts down quickly and move on.


    From what the worms gathered, one of their escorts was a kind of healer, Gloria. The other, Lomius, had a role that was alien to the worms. He seemed to have been given the task of helping others of his kind organise one another, which was the kind of inefficiency that only came from creatures with isolated minds. Without the swarm to guide them as a colony, their fractious psyches would quickly fall to confusion and disarray. They even had to designate one another with names, just so they could effectively interrelate. The swarm memory had seen this over and over, with countless worlds and countless species. This was what the swarm came to cure.


    If the worms were going to move before they reached their destination, the timing was as good as it was likely to get. The two weaklings with them would offer minimal impediment.


    ¡°Where are you taking us?¡± one of the elite worms asked.


    "Just a screening to double-check you don''t have any of those foul worms in you," Lomius said. "Frankly, I think it''s a redundant time-waster, but does anyone listen to me? No, and now you poor sods are stuck jumping through rings instead of getting cleaned up and fed. You¡¯ve been through enough already, without any extra poking and prodding.¡±


    The elite worm made the host give a friendly smile.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you could skip it, then? We¡¯ve already been through so much.¡±


    Lomius looked to the healer.


    ¡°What do you say, Gloria?¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°Come on.¡±


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°You know they don¡¯t really expect to find anything. Otherwise, they¡¯d have more than just us escorting them.¡±


    ¡°Lomius, if we had the people, we would have.¡±


    Gloria shook her head firmly.


    ¡°My Adventure Society colleague may think that this step is unnecessary,¡± she told the worm hosts, and then her expression softened. ¡°I truly am sorry to stretch things out for you, but when the cost of a mistake is so high, redundancy in safety measures is exactly what you want.¡±


    ¡°Oh, come on, Gloria,¡± Lomius said. ¡°Do they look like dead bodies being puppeteered by worms to you?¡±


    ¡°No, Lomius, they don¡¯t. Which is why we have a screening process instead of having you and me eyeball it.¡±


    Lomius shrugged at the worms.


    ¡°Sorry, but you heard the lady. Rules are rules.¡±


    Without warning, the smiling worm shot into motion. A hand was flung at Lomius, drill-bit-like spikes emerging from its fingers like claws. A wall of cloud stuff started coalescing between the host and the elf, but was not enough to stop the attack. It did slow it down, at least, meaning that only the finger spikes were buried in Lomius¡¯ head. The silver-rank strength of the host would have otherwise buried its entire hand into the bronze ranker¡¯s head, leaving him very dead instead of just injured.


    Another worm host went for Gloria, but another cloudy barrier gave her time to toss up a magical shield. The single strike was enough to break it, but there was no follow-up. The air around the worm hosts had rapidly grown opaque, condensing into thick cloud-substance. Like a mix of marshmallow and concrete, it left the worm hosts stuck, only the two arms that had made attacks visible. They jutted comically from the cloud-stuff, thrashing impotently.


    Gloria only stared for a moment before turning to Lomius on the ground. She threw out a fast healing spell and started assessing his injuries. He was conscious but incoherent, having had several three-inch spikes puncture his head. Bronze rankers usually still had brains as a massive vulnerability, especially non-adventurers.


    Another glance at the now-blocked hallway told Gloria that the adventurers were not likely to get free. She examined Lomius and realised he had dangerous puncture wounds to the brain that her quick heal hadn¡¯t come close to fixing. She assessed that immediate treatment was more important than evacuating him from danger and potentially exacerbating the wounds, so she went to work on a more powerful, ritual-assisted healing ability.


    Gloria was still working on the ritual when the Adventure Society enforcers arrived, only moments after the attack. The team leader directed her people to protect Gloria, but wasn''t sure what to make of the white wall with two arms sticking out. They had spike-claws jutting from the fingertip and were jerking helplessly.


    ¡°What do we do with this?¡±

 Chapter 667: A Mortal Perspective

    From his room overlooking the camp, Jason watched a combination of Adventure Society enforcers and Magic Society functionaries take away five cylinders on a floating platform. Each cylinder was a stasis pod, containing a worm host that could be vaguely made out through the blue liquid in the pod.


    Someone appeared in the room and joined Jason in staring out the window. It wore brown robes and sported a neat grey beard, appearing as a handsomely middle-aged man. Jason knew that it was neither middle-aged nor a man, and didn¡¯t react to its arrival. It was only able to appear there because Jason had withdrawn his spirit domain from the bulk of his cloud construct.


    ¡°Just because I happen to have left the door open,¡± Jason said, ¡°that doesn¡¯t mean I want just anyone wandering in.¡±


    ¡°Thank you for giving my people access to these facilities. It has given us the most precious resource when it comes to healing: time.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t need to thank me for basic decency. If you can help, you help. That¡¯s obvious. Besides, I¡¯d rather knock up a quickie hospital and help people than carve up people I was too late to save.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve had a grim day.¡±


    ¡°Lots of people have, but that¡¯s adventuring. We meet a lot of people on the worst days of their lives and hope to make them a little less awful. Didn¡¯t do so well today.¡±


    ¡°Not every adventurer sees their role in that light.¡±


    ¡°Enough do. I know a lot of us get changed by the money, the power, the influence. I certainly was; just ask your boy Dominion. But when the time to step up comes, most adventurers put all that aside. Is there a lot of ambition wrapped up in that? Sure. But they answer the call; the monster surge proved that. There''s a lot of hope to be found there.¡±


    Healer smiled.


    "I am glad that you can find optimism on such days as these. I wondered if there was any left in you when you first came back to this world."


    ¡°Is that what you¡¯re here for? To cheer me up? I don¡¯t think providing a few amenities for the camp here warrants the personal thank you.¡±


    ¡°You are in a strange position, Jason. May I call you Jason?¡±


    ¡°Since when does your lot ask permission for anything?¡±


    His laughter was warm and comforting, like a roaring fire in a snow chalet.


    ¡°I suppose we don¡¯t. Not with mortals, but you don¡¯t fall neatly into that box. You are certainly and most enthusiastically mortal, yet you have a foot firmly planted in our realm.¡±


    He glanced sideways at Jason.


    ¡°Thank you for opening your space to my people. Domains are tricky things, and I can easily see how you might be reluctant to withdraw it.¡±


    "Making your people come in and deal with the presence of a spirit domain would only cause problems. It would promote distrust and soak up valuable time while I convince your people to use the building. Seems obvious to take a step back."


    "Even so, it is not easy to forsake control, even for a short while. My boy Dominion does not approve.¡±


    "I don''t approve of him either, so fair enough. If you really are grateful, though, I don''t suppose you''d be open to a few questions?"


    ¡°I can give you some answers, but the areas I can speak on are limited by my role. I am not Knowledge. Also, will you trust anything a god has to say?¡±


    ¡°You may not be a bloke, and you may not have a heart, but you seem like a bloke with his heart in the right place. And as for a topic, surely a god can talk about god stuff.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but my advice is to concentrate on mortal affairs. The rest will come to you naturally as the incongruity in power between your aspects of self grow smaller.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯d be more than happy to wait until I naturally get to cosmic affairs, but you may have noticed that they¡¯re not waiting for me. I¡¯ve got a great astral being with a personal grudge. I¡¯ve got gods paying way too close attention ¨C no offence -  and I had to start re-writing reality to save the world. Twice. And I cannot understate the degree to which I do not know what I¡¯m doing with that, and I¡¯ve still got a dimensional bridge to finish. For which I need to go poking around a messenger invasion, which is pretty tame by comparison. And yeah, the messengers aren¡¯t mine to deal with, but then there¡¯s the whole bit about me being an astral king. Even if I¡¯m willing to put that aside, I don¡¯t think they will.¡±


    ¡°Then use it; they will respect that status. It won¡¯t stop them from trying to kill you, but there can be advantages to being a respected enemy.¡±


    ¡°What happened to focusing on mortal affairs?¡±


    ¡°The messengers are mortal. More or less. But I cannot give you more advice on that than I have. I don¡¯t want War complaining to me about encroachment.¡±


    ¡°How does that work, exactly? What happened with Purity? Why didn¡¯t your lot tell anyone?¡±


    ¡°It is not for the rest of us to reveal the deceptions of the god Deception, or unveil the disguises of the God disguise.¡±


    ¡°Tell that to generations of people who were worshipping the wrong god.¡±


    ¡°We did. To gods, the limitations of mortals seem strange. They seem like nothing to us, often meaningless or even contradictory. We, in turn, have limitations that make no sense to mortals, yet to us are as binding as the inevitability of death is to them.¡±


    ¡°You might be talking to the wrong guy about the inevitability of death.¡±


    ¡°As I said, Jason, you are in a strange position. Your nature is liminal, which makes it hard to know how to deal with you.¡±


    ¡°Isn¡¯t there a god of Truth who could have told everyone about Purity?¡±


    ¡°It is far from that simple. Fire and water may seem like oppositional forces at a glance, but in reality, their interactions are complex and not always obvious. In the same way, Truth and deception are not simple antagonists. And even if they were, would you, of all people want them playing out their conflict in the mortal realm?


    ¡°Isn¡¯t that exactly what Disguise did by taking over the Purity church? That¡¯s a lot of mortals being played with like pieces in a game.¡±


    ¡°And if gods were constantly making proxy war of the physical realm, then all mortals would be but pawns, moving back and forth. We gods choose our moments and take our turns, by our own measure.¡±


    ¡°And Truth didn¡¯t get a go in however long since the rest of you ganked Purity?¡±


    ¡°We did nothing to Purity. Most mortals believe that we did, but no. He sanctioned himself.¡±


    ¡°And what is sanctioning, exactly? I¡¯ve been wondering about this for a while.¡±


    "Sanctioning is an extreme change in the nature of a transcendent being, through a comprehensive shift in their authority."


    ¡°Just to be clear, when you say ¡®authority,¡¯ you¡¯re talking about the power to fundamentally reconfigure reality and unreality both, creating or recreating elements of cosmos, be it part of a physical universe or the deep astral, right? Or is it more of a ¡®permit to host a charity sausage sizzle¡¯ kind of authority?¡±


    ¡°The first one.¡±


    ¡°I figured, but thought it was worth making sure. I¡¯d feel like an idiot if I got it in my head that the old Builder was banished to the depths of the astral when he was outside a hardware store, fundraising for the local girl¡¯s cricket team.¡±


    Healer turned to look at Jason, who looked back.


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°You are an odd person.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not that odd. You just need to talk to more mortals.¡±


    "That is not so easy. The direct attention of a deity can be hard to withstand. We once gave you that attention, to harden your soul for the challenges to come. There is a reason our appearances in the worship squares are brief and focused on crowds. Unless a mortal is within my spirit domain, or part of my clergy and inured to my attention, even speaking to a projection like this for too long is harmful.¡±


    ¡°Should I be worried? We¡¯ve been here for a while. I feel fine, but are you pulling a spiritual silent-but-deadly on me?¡±


    ¡°As I have said before, you are unusual. Not many mortals have a nascent universe inside them.¡±


    ¡°Mum always told me I was special. That¡¯s not true. She said my brother was special. Hey, did you change the subject? We were talking about sanctioning, and suddenly you¡¯re bringing up my mum.¡±


    Healer raised an eyebrow but Jason shamelessly ignored him.


    ¡°You were saying something about sanctioning being a shift in authority.¡±


    ¡°Yes. A transcendent entity is, by nature, either largely or entirely comprised of authority. Very little of that authority is boundless, however, and most of it has specific affinities. This is how gods come to have areas of influence.¡±


    ¡°So, you¡¯re pretty much a sentient bundle of authority with a healing affinity?¡±


    "Putting it that way is rather rude, but yes. To the degree that a mortal mind can comprehend the nuances, that is somewhat accurate."


    ¡°And sanctioning is changing the affinity of someone¡¯s authority?¡±


    ¡°Yes. As the name ¡®sanctioning¡¯ implies, this is normally a punitive act, imposed by other transcendent entities. You know of the new Builder. The previous Builder had its authority forcibly transmuted until it could no longer serve as the Builder.¡±


    ¡°So, the old Builder is out there somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Yes, although I shall speak no further on that. It is not for me to tell or for you to hear. Yet. The higher-order secrets will come to you as you progress as an astral king."


    ¡°And you said that you and the other gods didn¡¯t do that to Purity?¡±


    ¡°No. Gods can alter their own nature, but it is hard to do so without encroaching on other gods. Purity did it by not changing the affinity of his authority but by expending it.¡±


    ¡°He used up all his power?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why?"


    "I  do not know his reasons. As a god, I am content, but I know that others are unsatisfied with their lot. Purity took all his power, transmuted all that he was, and channelled it into an act of creation.¡±


    "Creation? You''re saying that the god of Purity made something so hardcore he had to top himself to get it done?"


    "Yes."


    "What could possibly require a god killing themselves to make?"


    ¡°Something that would inspire the messengers to invade a world.¡±


    Jason¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°Someone told me that the messengers were here looking for something. Something that can purge the monster core effects out of someone¡¯s soul. You¡¯re telling me that it¡¯s some kind of artefact that a god killed himself to make?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s not strictly accurate, but is broadly correct, yes.¡±


    "So, to sum up, the god of Purity got ennui and committed suicide by MacGuffin."


    "That is not how I would describe it, but I can see how that could be seen as the case. From a very specific perspective."


    "You know, I was wondering if my friend was overstating what a big deal this monster core purification thing is."


    ¡°He was not.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m getting that.¡±


    ¡°Into whose hands this object falls is important, yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you asking me to go look for the thing? Is that why you¡¯re here?¡±


    ¡°No. You have no place amongst the forces that will clash over this.¡±


    ¡°Diamond rankers.¡±


    "Yes. You can participate in the search, should you desire, but once it is found, run far and fast. I would advise staying out of the chase altogether."


    ¡°Do you know where this divine relic is?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to tell anyone?¡±


    ¡°No. After reluctantly going along with Deception and Disguise, the gods have unilaterally decreed that none of us shall interfere with the search for the artefact Purity left behind, or the fight that takes place over it. We shall leave its fate to mortals to determine for themselves.¡±


    ¡°Even though it¡¯s some kind of divine relic?¡±


    ¡°If a new Purity rises, they may intervene. It is unlikely one will before the issue is settled, however.¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re not here to get me to involve myself, why are you here?¡±


    ¡°To express my gratitude, as I said. I also have something for you. Consider it both a thank you for your accommodations to my people today, as well as a welcoming gift for your first step into the immortal realm, as tentative as that step is.¡±


    He held out a fist-sized orb, clear but filled with sparks of blue, silver and gold. The moment Jason took it, the god was gone.


    Item: [Genesis Command: Life] (transcendent rank, legendary)


    The authority to create a life. (consumable, magic core).


    ¡°Holy, crap guy,¡± Jason muttered. ¡°I think you¡¯re overpaying just to rent out some space.¡±

 Chapter 668: Mr Asano Will See You Now

    Jason looked at the orb in his hand, given to him by the Healer. He wasn''t certain exactly what it would do, but with the power of his soul space, he was certain he could figure it out. He was tempted to do so immediately, but instead, put it into his inventory. There would be time later, and he couldn¡¯t help but feel there was another shoe left to drop with the messengers.


    Rufus had posited that the messengers might strike the teams investigating the worm-infested towns. Jason wanted to be able to portal in and rejoin the team in an instant if that happened, but his instincts told him it wouldn¡¯t. It could just be his imagination, but he felt an uncomfortable affinity with the messengers, and he couldn¡¯t shake the idea that they would come for the city.


    If and when the messengers made a move on the city there was only so much Jason could do. Compared to the city¡¯s defence infrastructure, one cloud palace would not make a big impact. He certainly couldn¡¯t compare to the high-ranking defenders, but he was prepared to make the most of what he could offer. Shade bodies were already placed throughout and around the city.


    For the moment, he stayed where he was, looking out over the evacuee camp. He could sense Arabelle moving through the administrative area of the cloud hospital, alongside another gold ranker. It wasn¡¯t someone Jason knew, but had sensed roaming around the hospital. They were heading for Jason¡¯s location and would shortly arrive. Jason weighed his options for a moment between politeness and being needlessly dramatic before deciding to be true to himself.


    ¡°Shade?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano?¡± Shade asked, emerging from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Please show the ladies in when they arrive.¡±


    Shade''s silhouette form did not have a face with which to give Jason a flat look, yet somehow his pause managed to convey the feeling of one.


    ¡°Must we, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Jason asked innocently.


    ¡°I know that tone, Mr Asano, and I know what you want.¡±


    ¡°That saves time, then.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d rather not.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of your job.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, it¡¯s a terrible movie.¡±


    ¡°I know it¡¯s a terrible movie.¡±


    ¡°And a worse book.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a much worse book, yes.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not doing it. If you wanted to do this, you should have chosen Christian Grey as your alias.¡±


    ¡°Shade, you understood the job when you became my familiar.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, I don¡¯t understand the job now.¡±


    ¡°Just get out there; they¡¯re about to arrive.¡±


    Shade looked Jason¡¯s outfit up and down. He had changed into the usual floral shirt, shorts and sandals combination.


    ¡°Will the high-priestess be meeting Mr Asano or Mr Miller? And what will he be wearing?¡±


    ¡°Good question,¡± Jason said, and removed the coins that disguised his eyes. ¡°Asano, I think. I don¡¯t think lies will help smooth out my relations with the lady.¡±


    Jason was shrouded in mist, that faded to show him wearing a neat grey suit.


    ¡°Better?¡±


    ¡°Much. You realise that this world has barely started recording theatrical productions for public viewing. They won¡¯t understand the reference to a movie poster from another universe.¡±


    ¡°They never do, Shade.¡±


    ¡°Then why do you insist on doing this?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s fun.¡±


    ¡°Is that entirely appropriate today, Mr Asano? Not long ago we were standing in a town filled with the dead.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not appropriate, but I¡¯m going to do it anyway. I¡¯ve tried brooding on the dark days.¡±


    ¡°Quite extensively, as I recall.¡±


    ¡°It didn¡¯t make me feel better; I just spiralled. You know that better than anyone. So, I¡¯m going to remind myself that while life can be a crap sack of death and misery sometimes, I don¡¯t have to let those times define my life. I tried that and it sucked.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Shade acceded. His voice dripped so heavily disapproval, despite its formality, that Jason was inclined to ban Shade from watching British television.


    ¡°When we go back to Earth, I hope your niece is in need of a familiar,¡± Shade muttered as he disappeared into Jason''s shadow.


    ¡°What was that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I have no idea what you are talking about, Mr Asano.¡±


    ***


    Hana Shavar was the High-Priestess of the Church of the Healer for the City of Yaresh. When people had started arriving, having been rescued from towns and villages across the southern region, she personally took charge. Scrambling for resources was difficult as they were already being sent off as fast as they could be, to supply the fight with the messengers.


    Tapping into the local adventurer resources was a typical approach in such circumstances, although the building from which the evacuee camp was run left her uneasy. On the surface, it was perfect, with a slew of amenities that were a boon to her work, but she could not shake a nebulous suspicion about it.


    Something about the building tickled Hana¡¯s senses. That there was an aura, heavily tamped-down, was normal for a soul-bound item like a cloud flask. The aura itself even felt protective and benevolent, but something told her that something else lay dormant, like a sleeping dragon.


    Arabelle Remore had been a useful asset, both in making the most of the building and assuaging Hana¡¯s unease. As a follower of the Healer, Remore¡¯s mental health specialty was not as immediately useful as others might have been, but would be critical in the days to come.


    Healing magic would swiftly bring the survivors of the towns and villages to full physical health, but what they had been through would take a much longer recovery. There was no healing spell for the memory of everyone you know being killed and their bodies paraded around in a mockery of life.


    Even so, Remore did not entirely settle Hana¡¯s concerns. While she had never been outright evasion with Hana¡¯s questions about the building and its owner, Hana got a definite sense that important things were going unsaid. For this reason, Hana wanted to meet the owner of the building, so when Remore asked if she would, she immediately agreed. Although she was busy, the chance to alleviate her concerns was worth a little time.


    Hana was dealing with a few last issues around the infested adventurers that had been caught before leaving when she sensed the presence of her god. Where she couldn''t be certain, but he was definitely projecting himself somewhere in the building. With all the work they had to do it was welcome, although she could not help but feel disappointed that he hadn''t appeared before her.


    One of the building¡¯s amenities was a communication system that allowed Hana to see and speak with her key subordinates in the building, but checking around, she could not find where the god had shown himself. That was when she discovered that the others hadn¡¯t felt his presence, only Hana herself.


    Remore took Hana to the top floor of the building, which had the most space currently unused. It was tagged for the kind of long-term treatment that Remore and others like her would need to conduct, once things slowed down enough to make that possible. They arrived at a door with a shadow creature standing outside it. Most shadow entities blurred into the gloom around them, but this one was neat and clearly defined, looking almost officious despite being little more than a silhouette.


    ¡°High Priestess Shavar, Mrs Remore,¡± it greeted them in a male voice with formal intonation.


    ¡°Shade,¡± Remore said. ¡°Why are playing doorman? Is something the matter?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mrs Remore,¡± the shadow said, somehow managing to sound both extremely polite and extremely disgruntled at the same time.


    ¡°What happened?¡± Remore asked.


    ¡°The usual,¡± the shadow said.


    ¡°Ah. Would I even understand if I asked?¡±


    ¡°No, Mrs Remore. It should not be too onerous, but I cannot speak to the behaviour of Mr Asano.¡±


    Hana had seen nothing but professionalism from Arabelle Remore, so was surprised to see her let out a long-suffering sigh.


    ¡°Alright,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Let¡¯s get it over with.¡±


    ¡°Very well,¡± Shade said. The shadow creature was not easy to read, yet Hana had the sense he was steeling himself with a rigid pause.


    ¡°Mr Asano will see you now.¡±


    Hana couldn¡¯t be certain that she didn¡¯t imagine the very slight shudder that seemed to pass over the shadow creature as he spoke and the door opened. The first thing she noticed was the lingering presence of her god; this was the room in which he had appeared.


    Inside, the room was empty save for a man standing with his back to the door, hands in pockets as he stared out the window wall. The window itself was tinted, leaving the camp outside and the sky beyond it pale and washed of colour. After a moment, the man turned, giving her the same assessing look she gave him.


    Startlingly, his aura was a closed book, despite being only silver rank. Hana¡¯s senses were sharp, even for a gold ranker, but all she got from him was the same muted aura she sensed from the building itself. If there was any difference it was that her sense of something dormant and dangerous lying within that aura only grew stronger. If she wanted any more than that, she would have to force her senses onto him, crashing through the boundaries of politeness.


    That left his appearance by which to judge him. Asano¡¯s expression was that of faint amusement, as if thinking of a joke that only he understood. From the exchange with the shadow creature, she imagined that to be the case, although whether the joke was at her expense she could not tell. From Arabelle¡¯s reaction, she guessed it was a self-indulgence of the man himself.


    Sharp features were softened by a neatly-trimmed beard, with glossy black hair the standout feature. He had the usual polished symmetry of silver rank but was not stand-out handsome. She guessed that his face had been a little too angular before the polishing effects of ranking up. His suit was neat-casual in the Rimaros-style, expensive without the need to flaunt it, which meant really expensive. He wore it well enough, but something told her it was a costume.


    Asano¡¯s eyes were flagrantly magical, but what drew her attention were his scars. Small marks stood out, bisecting one eyebrow and gouging a thin, hairless mark in his beard. A more substantial mark was on his throat, plainly visible with the open collar of his shirt.


    Finally, she turned to the eyes, blue and orange with dark sclera. They gave the sense of distant power, off in a void, and Hana immediately concluded that this was the most honest thing in his appearance.


    Looking into his eyes, something finally clicked about the building. It was hard to notice, barely registering on her magical senses, but something was feeding power to the building from somewhere. If she hadn¡¯t been intimately familiar with the process, as a channel for divine power, she wouldn¡¯t have recognised it at all.


    This time she did push her senses beyond the limits of propriety, exploring the link between the man and the building. She traced the link back to some kind of power inside him that she didn¡¯t recognise, her aura recoiling at the touch of it. He showed amusement rather than offence.


    ¡°Rude,¡± he said, the edges of his mouth curling in a slight smile. ¡°Your aura is strong for your rank.¡±


    Despite outranking him, his words felt patronising after what she''d just felt. Even without the power that tossed her back, the aura she had dug through to find it had been impossibly potent for a silver ranker.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked bluntly. After what she¡¯d just done with her aura, there was little point in the pretence of manners.


    ¡°Jason Asano.¡±


    She frowned.


    ¡°What are you?¡±


    ¡°Team chef.¡±


    ¡°Liar.¡±


    ¡°Frequently. Drink?¡±


    A drinks cabinet made of clouds rose from the floor. A bench slid out of it with three glasses and Asano started mixing drinks, not waiting for a response.


    ¡°I have concerns about this building,¡± Hana said. ¡°And about you.¡±


    ¡°And I have concerns about you,¡± he said, not looking up from his task. ¡°Arabelle, your friend¡¯s manners leave something to be desired.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Hana acknowledged. ¡°But while you¡¯re standing there, playing games, people with intense trauma are being brought in here. I need to know that you are genuinely trying to help and not setting us up for something that will only make things worse.¡±


    ¡°I''m not sure it can get much worse for these people,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I have some political agenda, what do they care? And if I was in league with the messengers, enacting some wildly convoluted scheme, do you think some lady interrogating me in my own house will bring it all down?¡±


    There was flinty rebuke in his final words, but when he looked up from the drinks, there was still nothing but faint amusement on his face. The beverages in front of him were in wide, short glasses, clear to show off colourful layers of liquor. He took one of the glasses from the bench and the other two floated off as the cabinet descended into the floor. Hana realised that he was levitating the glasses with his aura. Like a messenger.


    ¡°There are too many questions about you to trust,¡± she said, leaving the glass floating in front of her. ¡°You should be taking things seriously on a day like today.¡±


    Jason sipped at his drink as Arabelle grabbed hers and took a heavy gulp, shaking her head at the both of them.


    ¡°I disagree,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve seen enough days like today, and I¡¯ve taken them very seriously. I¡¯m not going to go roaming past the survivors, whistling a jaunty tune, but I won¡¯t wear a dark cloud over my head like that will somehow make things better, either. As for trust, that¡¯s on you.¡±


    ¡°I understand that you have seen a lot of death today.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s right.¡±


    ¡°You seem very frivolous for someone encountering such a thing.¡±


    ¡°I do, don¡¯t I?¡±


    ¡°Do you think that those deaths mean nothing?¡±


    ¡°That would make me a monster.¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly why I asked.¡±


    ¡°The deaths matter. They all matter.¡±


    ¡°Then how is it that you seem so unaffected?¡±


    ¡°Practise.¡±


    ¡°How can you use your aura like a messenger?¡±


    ¡°Also practise.¡±


    ¡°Why was my god here?¡± Hana asked, which drew a raised-eyebrows expression from Arabelle.


    ¡°Fashion advice,¡± Asano said. ¡°He¡¯s looking to switch the church robes from brown to a pale blue. I¡¯m trying to talk him into a floral print, but he¡¯s being reluctant.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re veering in the direction of blasphemy.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Jason Asano, pleased to meet you. That¡¯s twice I¡¯ve introduced myself, by the way.¡±


    Hana frowned.


    ¡°Hana Shavar. High Priestess of the Church of the Healer, Yaresh.¡±


    Instead of the slight, rather smug smiles he had shown thus far, his sudden and genuine-seeming smile lit up his face.


    ¡°Have a drink, Priestess. This might be your camp, but this is my house and you¡¯re a guest. A rude one, as we¡¯ve already established.¡±


    Cloud furniture rose from the floor, a seat behind Jason and a couch behind Hana and Arabelle. Jason and Arabelle sat, then Hana took the still-floating glass and sat as well, glowering at Jason.


    She looked at the glass in her hand. Did it have some undetectable poison whose fumes were affecting her? She barely recognised her own behaviour, realising that this man and his strange building unsettled her much more than she had originally realised. Was it the strange power inside him, or some childish jealousy over her god appearing in front of him and not her? That was foolish, as her god appeared to her frequently. Was it as simple as a personality clash? There was just something about the man that made her want to punch him in his smug face, but she was far better than that. Scolding herself, she schooled her emotions.


    ¡°I apologise, Mr Asano. You have been generous, and I have been discourteous.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a rough day, Priestess; I won¡¯t begrudge you a little stress. And call me Jason.¡±


    ¡°My behaviour notwithstanding, I have a responsibility to this city and the people we are attempting to help here. I cannot allow any potential dangers, and this building troubles me. Its owner troubles me more. I¡¯ve seen cloud palaces before ¨C there is one nearby for direct comparison ¨C but this one is different. I don¡¯t know what power you are using to feed it, or how, but it¡¯s close enough to a divine connection that I keep coming back to my original questions: who and what are you?¡±


    Asano crossed his legs and leaned back in his chair, relaxed. He took a sip of his drink.


    ¡°To sum up, Priestess, you want me to tell you all my secrets before I¡¯m qualified for the privilege of lending you what I¡¯m confident you¡¯ve already found to be an exceptionally useful building.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Mr Asano, what are your thoughts on mysterious powers that you don''t understand, with motives you don''t know?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m against them, as a rule. But they try to kill me on a regular basis, so I¡¯m biased. But I¡¯ve learned that sometimes you have to suck it up and do the job in front of you.¡±


    ¡°And how has that worked out for you?¡±


    ¡°Very mixed,¡± he said, frustration poking through his fa?ade as he turned to Arabelle. ¡°Is this what I¡¯m like? Marching into places to make rude and outrageous demands?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Arabelle said absently, peering into her glass with a sceptical expression. ¡°How is this so sweet? It''s like syrup.¡±


    ¡°I think I''m starting to see why people don''t like me,¡± Jason said, then turned his attention back to Hana.


    ¡°If you don''t trust this building, don''t use it.¡±


    ¡°That would make the camp activities far less efficient,¡± she said. ¡°Especially given that we are already using it quite heavily.¡±


    ¡°Then you have a choice. Give it up and make things worse, or keep using it and live with the mystery. I¡¯ll leave the decision up to you.¡±


    Jason and his chair both descended into the floor, vanishing. Arabelle immediately turned to Hana.


    ¡°If I might ask, High Priestess, are you alright? I¡¯ve been watching you act with decorum all day, in the most hectic of circumstances. I expected Jason to be¡­ something, and what he was fit, but you surprised me.¡±


    Hana looked into the glass in her hands, still untouched. Her expression reflected her thoughts, uncertain and troubled.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry, Priestess Remore. I¡¯m not sure exactly what has gotten into me. I think it is an accumulation of things. Also, I don¡¯t think I¡¯ve ever had someone infuriate me so quickly. The arrogance and the smugness of him. What we¡¯re doing here is important and he treats it like a joke. That is not an excuse for my behaviour, I know. Do you think he will withdraw his use of this cloud building?¡±


    ¡°Oh, don¡¯t worry about annoying Jason. Being rude will get you on his good side faster than being polite, if anything. I¡¯m more worried about what¡¯s going on with you. When was the last time you slept?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Three, four days? We assaulted the messenger strongholds in sequence. Wanted them on the back foot in case the problems to the south were part of some plan of theirs. I was barely back in the city when the call for the camp came in. But again, that¡¯s a reason, not an excuse.¡±


    ¡°You need to rest.¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s too much work.¡±


    ¡°And there are people to do it, at least long enough for you to sleep. I''m not asking, High Priestess. This is an order from your mental care specialist.¡±


    Hana nodded, still staring into the colourful liquid in her glass. She closed her eyes as she lifted it to her lips to take a sip. As the thick sweetness of the liquor spread over her tongue, her eyes shot open.


    ¡°This is amazing!¡±

 Chapter 669: Hot Chocolate

    Jes Fin Kaal was not prone to nervousness. As a messenger, confidence was ingrained. More than that, she was a Voice of the Will; a representative of her people¡¯s most powerful beings. But as much as she might have tried to bury the memory, she remembered the sense of inferiority that had defined the final moments of Pei Vas Kartha as she died at Jason Asano¡¯s hands.


    While being a Voice of the Will was an unquestionably powerful position, there was no escaping the fact that it was a state of permanent subordination. Even if that was to an astral king, serving anyone did not come naturally to messengers. While ordinary messengers might obey her now, each one of them was looking towards the day when they surpassed her, reaching the pinnacle of their kind. That only a minuscule few would ever reach those heights meant little, so long as the potential was still there. For all the power that a Voice commanded, they did not have that potential. Their power ultimately came from another.


    The messengers had never been able to determine what set the limits to their individual power. They did not even learn those limits until they hit them. For those who discovered themselves unable to surpass silver rank, there were only two options. One was to accept their status as the least of their kind, and live with being superior to everything that wasn¡¯t a messenger. The other was to seek out an astral king that would have them, allowing them to artificially surpass their limits.


    While other messengers might serve an astral king, and be subject to their power, they could always escape it if they themselves grew powerful enough. For a Voice of the Will, there was no going back. Silver and even gold-ranked messengers might show deference to a Voice of the Will, those who reached diamond looked at them with disdain. Diamond was the hard limit for voices, while messengers who reached that point on their own had the potential to become astral kings, however unlikely that was. For that reason, diamond rank messengers looked down even on voices that had reached the same rank.


    Jes Fin Kaal was a gold-rank voice, and while she had claimed command of the messenger forces in the region, there was a diamond ranker amongst them who could take that right from her whenever he liked. That he had chosen not to was typical of diamond-rank messengers. While they might be forced to capitulate to the agendas of astral kings, their obsession was transcending mortality to become one themselves.


    Unsurprisingly, the diamond ranker, Mah Go Schaat had claimed the largest and tallest building in the stronghold as his own. Jes flew up and hovered around the domed pinnacle. She waited to be acknowledged, one minute turning into ten and minutes becoming an hour. Everyone in the stronghold could look up and see her being left outside, waiting on an audience.


    Jes did not mind, seeing it both as a childish power play and a chance to rest her mind in meditation. Between the attacks on the messenger strongholds, organising the upcoming attack and reacting to the adventurers hitting the worm nests, she could use the rest. As for the idea of being shamed in front of the entire stronghold, she did not care what the people below or the one she was waiting on thought of her. She neither needed their praise nor feared their scorn.


    Finally, a panel in the dome slid open to allow her entry. Inside was a library with bookshelves and tables covered in tomes. Freestanding magical writing boards were scrawled with notes and had papers pinned to them, showing scraps of map or magical diagrams.


    There was only one chair. It was a massive throne of dark leather in the messenger style, with an hourglass back to allow for wings. Mah Go Schaat was sitting in it, his brown wings with dark yellow speckling spread out behind it. He was a massive figure, even for a messenger, being almost as tall sitting as Jes was when floating upright, just over the floor.


    The chair was facing the door, but he did not look up as Jes entered. His gaze was locked onto a many-faceted crystal he was holding in one hand. She waited patiently, just as she had outside. Finally, Mah¡¯s eyes shifted from the crystal to her.


    ¡°Why do you interrupt my contemplation, Voice?¡±


    ¡°The time approaches to attack the city. We launch our attack in the hours before dawn.¡±


    ¡°You would presume to have me move at your word?¡±


    ¡°I am only the voice. The word is that of the astral king.¡±


    ¡°Is it? This is your plan, Jes Fin Kaal.¡±


    ¡°If you wish to claim my position, you have the power. I can let the astral king know that you will be enacting his agenda.¡±


    Mah glowered and Jes did not let her disdain reach her face. Mah was a typical, unthinking thug who believed that being a messenger and being powerful was all he needed to embody their superior ideals. Jes knew that superiority was not just a birthright, and that their actions were needed to maintain it.


    Jes knew that it was foolish to prod Mah, yet she could not resist the urge. The more powerful a messenger became, especially one like him, the more they chafed any time they were forced to acknowledge any will but their own. Being a voice, and no longer the instrument of her own will, had given Jes what she believed was a more objective perspective. The myopic power obsession of too many messengers left them with no sense of what truly made their kind great. They had faith just as blind as the fools who worshipped gods.


    Mah not only lacked the inclination to administer the messenger strongholds but also the ability, and he knew it. Like Fal Vin Garath, whom Jes would be sending to test Asano, Mah was a brute who saw value in nothing but power. It was only on realising that martial power alone would not allow them to transcend immortality that they started looking further afield. Jes had seen more than one diamond ranker suddenly immerse themselves in study after hitting the barrier that lay between diamond rank and transcendence.


    ¡°Very well,¡± Mah finally said through gritted teeth.


    ¡°If I may,¡± Jes said with deference, knowing when to step back, ¡°I would like to submit a role in the attack for your approval.¡±


    ¡°Speak on it,¡± Mah ordered.


    ¡°The weapon we placed in the city years ago is no longer under containment,¡± Jes said. ¡°I was going to place someone new to contain the change, but as the timing was right, I decided to exacerbate it instead. Once the weapon awakens, the city will deploy their forces against it, as it is already inside the defences. That is when we will attack weak points in the city infrastructure that we have identified. My hope is that you, as the supreme power in this conflict, will consent to attack a critical node in the infrastructure while the city is occupied with the weapon. From there, if you occupy the city¡¯s sole diamond-rank defender, our forces can rampage.¡±


    ¡°What is your goal?¡±


    ¡°The city has been the feeding point for the forces that have been harassing us. We seek to ruin and sow chaos; to bring the war they have pressed on us to their doorstep. They coddle their weak masses, who will demand their power be used as a shield they can huddle behind, no longer sent to the attack. We can then turn our attention to the Builder''s remnant forces, the Ashen and the tainted.¡±


    ¡°Then what solution have you found to the natural array? Have you finally accepted it for the crucible it is?¡±


    ¡°I still oppose a mass attack. There is no telling how many more of our people will suffer the taint.¡±


    ¡°Which is how we cull the weak and inferior. The ones who fall to the taint ¨C as you doubtless would, without the astral king¡¯s power ¨C are not worthy to be counted as messengers.¡±


    ¡°We will let the essence users eliminate the array.¡±


    ¡°How will you manage that?¡±


    ¡°What does it matter, so long as it works?¡±


    Mah¡¯s lip curled in a snarl but he didn¡¯t push.


    ¡°Go, then. Send word when the time comes and I may deign to join your attack.¡±


    Jes gave him a short bow.


    ¡°My gratitude for your benevolence, Mah Go Schaat.¡±


    ***


    The rear wing of the cloud hospital Jason created was the private residence and provided facilities for Jason and his team, still fully within his spirit domain. Jason waited, leaning against a wall with two fruit drinks in large steins, one of which he was sipping from through a metal straw. On the opposite wall, a doorway opened as the cloud door dissolved into nothing, revealing an exhausted-looking Taika.


    The big man was stripped down to the waist, his dark, tattooed torso almost large enough to seal the doorway again. Gone was the roundness that he had when they first met, his body instead sporting the sculpted muscle of a professional wrestler.


    Jason held out the spare drink, Taika taking it eagerly.


    ¡°Thanks, bro,¡± Taika said as he plucked the straw from his stein, then heavily gulped down half of the drink at a go, juice running down his chin. He let out a breath as he grinned and wiped his chin with the back of his arm. ¡°That¡¯s the stuff.¡±


    ¡°For a guy who¡¯s been meditating,¡± Jason said, ¡°you look a lot like someone who just finished a session at the gym.¡±


    ¡°Meditation isn¡¯t exactly the same for an essence user as for a lady who buys a lot of crystals at a new age store,¡± Taika said. ¡°You know that. I¡¯ve seen you doing that Dance of the Sword Fairy technique that Rufus taught you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason agreed. The availability of more effective meditation techniques for adventurers was one of the fundamental differences between the essence users of Earth and Pallimustus. As one of the pillars of non-core advancement, such techniques were also the least intuitive to develop. Pallimustus had been refining them for millennia, whereas Earth had almost nothing


    Even the US Network only had a few basic techniques, but that had still put them in a globe-dominating position amongst the magical factions. Those techniques had come from the Network founder when his familiar ¨C who would go on to become Mr North ¨C betrayed him.


    As essence users ranked up, their minds changed, becoming capable of more. Meditation techniques need to change accordingly, taking in elements of internal mana manipulation, martial arts katas and plain physical exertion, depending on the nature and purpose of the exercise. Jason relied heavily on different versions of the sword dance meditation Taika had just mentioned.


    ¡°Did Humphrey show you something new?¡± Jason asked. As Humphrey and Taika had similar roles, Humphrey had supplied Taika with more appropriate techniques than Jason or Farrah had to offer him back on Earth. Without anything specialised for him, he had been using the same general techniques Farrah taught all her Network trainees.


    ¡°Actually,¡± Taika said, ¡°I met this bloke when I was coming back into the city from a solo job.¡±


    While Jason had been doing sexy aura training over the past week, Taika had been taking solo contracts, pushing himself to finally cross the line into silver. As a result, his aura was almost trembling with how ready he was to take the final step.


    ¡°We got to talking,¡± Taika continued, ¡°and he ended up showing me this meditation technique that meshes perfectly with my garuda essence. It¡¯s called Golden Wings Transcending the Heavens. Sounds pretty sweet, right?¡±


    ¡°It does. And it looks like it works pretty sweet too, if your aura is anything to go by.¡±


    ¡°Hell yeah, bro. You ready to have me on the team?¡±


    ¡°That, I¡¯m not so sure about,¡± Jason said.


    Taika frowned.


    ¡°Are you saying I¡¯m not good enough?¡±


    ¡°No, I¡¯m saying that between you and Rufus joining, there¡¯s too many sexy brown people. I¡¯m worried Belinda will have the team name changed to Hot Chocolate.¡±


    ***


    The messenger forces were preparing to leave their strongholds. The attacks from the city had been an impediment, but not a critical one, and the messengers were aching to pay what they thought of as the servant races back in kind.


    Not far from one of the marshalling yards, Jes looked at Fal Vin Garath, who still didn¡¯t have a mouth after she had taken it from him. She was somewhat surprised that he had managed to endure, not thinking the brute would tolerate what she had done to him for long. Her ability to affect him in such a way was tied directly to Fal¡¯s acceptance of the authority of the astral king she served. The moment he rejected that authority, his mouth would have returned. She would have subsequently killed him, but he¡¯d have died with his mouth back.


    It was a test in and of itself, as even a moment¡¯s disloyalty would have been enough. Yet he stayed true, despite the inherent ambition and demonstrated arrogance of the man. Despite Fal being her least favourite kind of person, Jes was forced to acknowledge at least a modicum of grudging respect.


    ¡°We are going to attack the city,¡± she told him. ¡°You¡¯ve already been given your task. Hunt down Asano and kill him. If you can, all well and good. If not, do your best to withdraw and regroup with our regular forces. Do you understand?¡±


    Fal¡¯s blank lower face morphed back into a mouth, yet he silently nodded.


    ¡°Good,¡± she told him. ¡°Now that you have a mouth again, do you have any questions?¡±


    ¡°If this man truly is somehow a silver rank astral king, are you certain you want me to kill him?¡±


    ¡°If he is someone that you can kill, Fal Vin Garath, he isn¡¯t worth using.¡±


    She felt the anger suffuse his aura.


    ¡°You don¡¯t like it,¡± she said. ¡°You don¡¯t like that this man is already on the path that is the goal of every messenger. You don¡¯t like that I¡¯m using you as a tool, as if he is more important than you. I am curious if you will let that anger rule you. If you do, you will die. It might be because you fight Asano to the death, or perhaps you will lash out at me and be struck down.¡±


    She grinned.


    ¡°Prove me wrong,¡± she told him. ¡°Show me that you¡¯re more than a mindless thug, and you will find that I can be a valuable ally in your quest for advancement. We did not start off on the best foot, Fal Vin Garath, but do well here and this could go very well for you.¡±

 Chapter 670: Sadness Porridge

    Hana Shavar let out a happy moan as she stirred in half-slumber before her head cleared as she came fully awake. Despite herself, she couldn''t help but stretch out, luxuriating in the cloud bed that felt far too light to support her weight, while doing so perfectly, moulding to her body.


    Propping herself up on her elbows, she looked around. The room was small, one of several on the hospital¡¯s top floor set aside for the people running the camp to get some rest. Arabelle Remore had sent her stumbling in, following Hana¡¯s afternoon meeting with Asano. She barely managed to yank off her clothes before collapsing into the cloud bed, barely registering the enveloping softness before sleep took her. Taking her first proper look around, although the room was small and almost featureless, it was cosy, with a soft light that was slowly growing brighter, allowing her sleepy eyes to adjust.


    The room was quite different from the clean and clinical d¨¦cor that comprised the rest of the hospital. While this room contained only a bed and a bedside table, the cloud-construct nature of the building was on full display. While white was the predominant colour, soft hues of blue and orange gradated softly to break up the monochrome.


    She looked to the bedside table where the clothes she had roughly pulled off before falling into slumber had been cleaned and neatly folded. She grabbed her pocket watch, sitting atop the clothes, and frowned as she checked the time. After meeting Asano in the afternoon, she''d spoken with Arabelle, issued some directives for while she was resting, and been asleep within half an hour. One of those directives had been to wake her in the evening, but she had been left to rest for hours past the turn of midnight.


    Navigating her way out of the cloud bed was a little odd, like escaping the fluffiest of marshmallows. Her feet sank ankle-deep into the lush, airy softness of a floor that was almost as luxurious as the bed. The pull to let herself fall back and return to slumber was so strong that she examined her aura for undue external influence, before scolding herself for laziness.


    She glared at her clothes on the bedside table. She had been half-dead on her feet, but she clearly remembered leaving them crumpled on the floor. Even in the depths of exhausted sopor, anyone approaching her should have stirred her to wakefulness. Who had managed to come in, take her clothes, wash, and then return them, all without tweaking her aura senses? The obvious candidate was Asano, despite his silver rank. The combination of his remarkable aura and dominion over the cloud house might have made it possible. After all, the one aspect of the room she was in was that her senses could not penetrate the walls.


    She swept her magic and aura senses over the clothes, looking for any trace of tampering. After finding nothing she pulled them on, ignoring the pang of regret as her shoes went on, separating her feet from a floor she would have happily slept on every night for the rest of her life.


    She needed to get out of the room and clear her head before she took her clothes back off and crawled back into bed. She looked to the door, delineated in the blue and orange of a winter sunset. The door didn¡¯t have a handle but a patch on the wall next to it that emitted a gentle glow. She pressed her hand against it and the doorway dissolved into mist, revealing Jason Asano leaning against the opposite wall. He held out a plate with a gently steaming fried sandwich on it.


    ¡°Morning, sunshine.¡±


    ***


    Jason watched as the door dissolved to reveal the high priestess. Her clothes were neat and clean, but she herself looked drowsy, her vibrant green eyes half-closed. Her light brown hair was only slightly mussed, despite falling well below her shoulders, somehow looking more sensual than dishevelled. He wondered absently if that was a gold-rank thing or if she was just one of those people, like Rufus, who looked great under any circumstances.


    If Jason looked even close to that astounding, first thing after waking up, he wouldn¡¯t have needed to get so good at cooking breakfast food. But he did, which inspired his confidence in the fried vegetable and egg sandwich with spicy relish he held out for her.


    ¡°Morning, sunshine.¡±


    ¡°Did you take my clothes?¡± she demanded.


    He looked her up and down.


    ¡°You¡¯re wearing your clothes.¡±


    ¡°My clean, pressed clothes. Someone came into my room and did that.¡±


    ¡°That would be Shade, my shadow familiar. I have no interest in the goings-on inside your room.¡±


    ¡°Then how did you know I was waking up, to be here with a hot sandwich?¡±


    ¡°This is my house, Priestess. I see everything.¡±


    ¡°I just put my clothes on.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­ Ah, well. When I say ''see,'' that''s more of a metaphor. I knew that you were awake and getting dressed, but I wasn¡¯t actually watching.¡±


    ¡°But it¡¯s within your power to watch, isn¡¯t it? Without me knowing?¡±


    ¡°It is.¡±


    ¡°Then I just have to trust that you didn¡¯t look?¡±


    ¡°You do, but don¡¯t flatter yourself, Priestess.¡±


    Her eyebrows shot up and he flashed her a grin.


    ¡°Are you the one who stopped me from being woken up Mr Asa¡­ Mr Miller?¡±


    ¡°That was your designated mental health professional,¡± Jason told her. ¡°Who I see explained my identity situation.¡±


    ¡°Why did you even tell me your real name?¡±


    ¡°I like to put an honest foot forward,¡± he said. ¡°What you see is what you get with me.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what I¡¯m seeing when I look at you.¡±


    ¡°Which is exactly what to expect going forward, from what I¡¯m told. Are you going to take this sandwich, or should I eat it myself?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m fine eating spirit coins.¡±


    ¡°Not in this house.¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t have the time he would like to focus on magical cooking. Experts could produce moderate but long-lasting boons with their food, but Jason focused elsewhere. By giving up on the trickiest part of cooking magic, he was able to use high-rank ingredients for the most fundamental aspects of cooking: taste and nutrition. As such, the sandwich on the plate he was holding could be swapped out for the gold coin or ten silver coins a gold ranker needed.


    Such food also cost noticeably less than the coins it replaced, with the added benefit of tasting like food and not like a car battery. This was one of the key reasons that gold-rankers favoured high-magic zones, even if they weren''t actively adventuring. Where the production of high-ranking food ingredients was viable, the cost of gold-rank living went down while quality of life went up.


    Jason contemplated this as he watched her peer at the sandwich with suspicion, even as her nostrils flared at the delectable smell of it. She took the plate from his hands.


    ¡°Thank you, I¡¯m going to eat it walking,¡± she said and immediately set off down the hall.


    ¡°Uh, priestess?¡±


    She stopped and looked back.


    ¡°Yes?¡±


    ¡°Elevating platform is in the other direction.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m certain it was in this direction.¡±


    ¡°It was, yes. When you went to sleep.¡±


    ¡°It moved?¡±


    ¡°Yes. So did the room you were sleeping in. Cloud-stuff makes renovations fairly easy.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t think you could make major structural changes to a cloud construct on this scale without breaking it down first.¡±


    ¡°Mine is a little more flexible than most, although there are still some hard limits.¡±


    ¡°Why would you change things around?¡±


    ¡°Some of the teams found towns where people were in the process of having worms implanted. My friend Carlos figured out how to extract the worms without killing the host if they catch the process early enough. I had to make room for an appropriate facility, though. The administration area''s a bit crowded now, the shower queues are a little longer and there''s not quite as much space for frozen food. Also, I had to give up my big empty office for watching the camp from.¡±


    ¡°Your friend Carlos? Do you mean Priest Quilido?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the bloke.¡±


    ¡°You are friends with a lot of powerful and prestigious healers.¡±


    ¡°I see a lot of damage.¡±


    He felt her gaze rest on his scars.


    ¡°Why did my god visit you?¡± she asked softly.


    He almost gave a flippant answer but stopped himself.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you that,¡± he said gently. ¡°You have to get to know me better before I¡¯ll talk about something like that, and I don¡¯t think that will happen. And you won¡¯t even eat my sandwich.¡±


    ¡°Why are you so concerned with this sandwich?¡±


    ¡°Because you¡¯re wasting the sandwich. The plate is enchanted to keep it warm, but it¡¯s fried food. It¡¯s pretty light, but you will see some congealing if you just let it sit there.¡±


    ¡°Why are you always trying to make me eat and drink?¡±


    ¡°Feeding people is kind of my thing. I made that myself, just so you know. The sandwich, not the plate. It¡¯s a lot better than the food they¡¯re getting down in the cafeteria.¡±


    ¡°What they¡¯re getting in the cafeteria has nutrition, energy and even mild healing properties. It was designed specifically for normal-rank people that have experienced trauma and is what their bodies need.¡±


    ¡°Their bodies, sure, but gruel is not what their souls need.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter how it looks or tastes.¡±


    ¡°That came through very clearly when I tried some. While you¡¯ve been asleep, I¡¯ve been working with your head of food distribution to fix the recipe.¡±


    ¡°This may be your house, Asano, but this is my camp. Who gave you permission to do that?¡±


    ¡°Arabelle. She shares my opinion that people will recover faster if their food doesn¡¯t taste like it was made in a gulag.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s a gulag?¡±


    ¡°A forced labour camp. These people have been through enough without feeding them sadness porridge.¡±


    ¡°Just take me to wherever the administration area is.¡±


    ¡°We have to talk first.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°Arabelle tells me that you¡¯ve been in the fight against the messengers?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°The messengers haven¡¯t attacked the teams handling the towns in the south where worm-breeding sites have been found. What does that tell you?¡±


    ¡°That either the attacks on their strongholds put them on the back foot, the messengers were not ready for us to hit the towns or they intend to strike the city instead.¡±


    ¡°And if they intend to attack the city¡­¡±


    ¡°Then the best time will be leading up to dawn.¡±


    She checked her watch again.


    ¡°Most likely sometime in the next few hours,¡± she said.


    ¡°City administration has put the city on a heightened alert level, just in case. Preparations to get the population into the monster attack bunkers as soon as an attack begins were started yesterday. The Adventure Society is organising combat response teams and the Magic Society is keeping a close eye on the defence infrastructure.¡±


    ¡°I need to organise the evacuee camp response.¡±


    ¡°Already being done. You have effective subordinates, which is the mark of a good leader.¡±


    ¡°Why are you the one telling me all this, instead of one of those subordinates?¡±


    ¡°Because the plan, if there is an attack, is to reconfigure the two cloud palaces into defence bunkers for the people in the camp. And there are things you will need to know about that before it happens.¡±


    ¡°Such as?¡±


    ¡°If I turn this place into a bunker, your god won¡¯t be able to reach you inside. That goes for every priest and every god, but yours is the one with the most people in camp.¡±


    Jason could see the walls go up in her body language.


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± she asked.


    ¡°Just what I said. Your powers should still work fine, but you won¡¯t be able to hear the voice of your god.¡±


    ¡°I''ve experienced that before when I went into astral spaces to confront the Builder cult. Does your cloud house have the power to create a dimensional space outside the world?¡±


    ¡°No. It¡¯s more like¡­ have you ever entered the core areas of another god¡¯s temple?¡±


    She narrowed her eyes at him.


    ¡°That isn¡¯t a dimensional effect. That is a god being shut out because they don¡¯t have permission to operate in a space dedicated entirely to a single deity.¡±


    ¡°Yep. I don''t normally tell people about it, but I don''t want you and your people getting thrown off by it in the middle of a messenger attack. You can take your people into Emir Bahadir''s cloud building if you like. He''ll be making a bunker as well, and it will be gold rank.¡±


    ¡°What you have just told me raises many questions.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°Yeah, it does. And I¡¯m not going to answer any of them.¡±


    ¡°Why not?¡±


    ¡°Because I don¡¯t have to. I don¡¯t have to do any of this. I could have kept to myself and not gotten involved. But I didn¡¯t. I stepped up because people needed help, even when it meant my secrets poking out of the shadows. You¡¯ll have to forgive me if getting suspicion instead of gratitude for my trouble is starting to make me cranky.¡±


    He walked over to her and reached for the plate, but she moved it out of his reach.


    ¡°I¡¯ll eat it,¡± she said. Good to her word, she picked up one of the triangular cut halves and bit off a corner, her eyes lighting up.


    ¡°This is good!¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to sound that surprised,¡± he grumbled.

 Chapter 671: The Better Adventurer

    One building on the Adventure Society campus of Yaresh was older than all of the others. It had been the entire headquarters for the Adventure Society in the early days of the city, and the defensive measures built into it were formidable. As Yaresh grew, and its branch expanded from a building to a full campus, the building and its defences had been repurposed. It now served as a set of secure residences, for those who needed to be kept safe, along with those who needed to be kept secure, but the campus prison tower was not appropriate. This was the case for Zolit Kreen.


    Zolit was not just an outworlder but one that had originally been a valash; a species that did not natively appear on Pallimustus and looked like a humanoid chihuahua. Both of these things made him very attention-grabbing, and he had spent years working very hard to undo that damage. Zolit had been a run-of-the-mill adventurer by intention, slowly but surely ranking up to silver while remaining as unremarkable as he could. He did his part during the monster surges while doing his best not to stand out.


    After attaining the wealth and extended lifespan that came with being silver rank, he''d retired and found a comfortable niche as a fight promoter. It was an environment where everyone was a little bit strange, looking for a gimmick so his idiosyncrasies didn''t stand out as much. Everyone had their thing, and being a valash outworlder was his.


    It had all gone wrong the moment he set eyes on the other outworlder. He''d become complacent, forgetting the importance of being ordinary. The next thing he knew, Adventure Society enforcers were dragging him out of bed in the middle of the night and locking him up in an admittedly lavish suite that was, nonetheless, a prison. They were asking him about the outworlder and, for some reason, his assistant, Benella. They were talking nonsense about messengers and Zolit had no answers to give.


    What was worse was that he was starting to feel ill and he didn¡¯t have any more of his medicine. One of the problems with not being native to this world was that there was an incompatibility between himself and the magic of Pallimustus. It was something he was sensitive about, as he was always wary of the Adventure Society grabbing him and handing him over to the Magic Society for experimentation. He¡¯d decided to reach out to the other outworlder about it, except that he didn¡¯t get the chance. Benella disappeared and he¡¯d been snatched up by the Adventure Society.


    Benella¡¯s disappearance had been the biggest problem as she had been the one procuring his medicine for years. He didn¡¯t know which alchemist she used or what exactly was in the medicine; it was one of countless things he¡¯d relied on her for in the early days. His memories of that time were hazy at best, and the ones from his old world were gone entirely. This was another side effect of the magic incompatibility for outworlders, according to the expert Benella had found.


    Zolit groaned, pacing around in the secure but opulent suite, barely dressed. For as long as he could remember, Benella had been managing his life. Without her help in the beginning, when he didn¡¯t even speak the language and his magic incompatibility kept leading to blackouts, he never would have managed at all.


    Now she was gone, and some kind of traitor? She was the main thing that the Adventure Society interrogators asked about. They didn''t call themselves interrogators, but that''s what they were. And Zolit was terrified to talk about his medicine lest they turn their attentions on him rather than her. Or worse, hand him over to the Magic Society. They might claim that they didn''t do unethical research on innocent people, but he knew what obsessed researchers did behind closed doors. It was one of the main things Benella had warned him about in the early days.


    He needed them to let him go so that he could track down the medicine for himself. He was feeling worse and worse by the hour, his thoughts increasingly scattered. He couldn''t sit still and his body was releasing sticky sweat. He shouldn''t sweat at all, as a silver ranker, let alone this strange, tacky substance. Three showers with little more than an hour between, scrubbing the residue from his body. He should ask for some crystal wash, but he didn''t want to draw attention to his condition.


    Sleep wouldn¡¯t come, his mind racing and scattered. He was hungry, too, more and more as the night moved into the early hours of morning. At least they were feeding him properly, and he¡¯d just asked for another meal.


    ***


    An Adventure Society functionary, Argrave Mericulato, pushed a trolley of food down a hall of the secure residence building. His aura mask hid the seething anger that was always inside of him at being reduced to such menial tasks, while he kept his expression easy and friendly. He never used to suppress his emotions, but it was something he had to learn. Fortunately, no one paid that much attention to servants, which was what he amounted to, in spite of his silver rank.


    He wasn¡¯t a traitor. Any reasonable person would see that the Adventure Society were the traitors, having been the ones to turn on him. They didn¡¯t care that he had been a celebrated adventurer in his own right; the moment his father had died in the One Day War, everyone had turned on him. They treated him as if only his father had any value, ignoring his own accomplishments.


    His team had just up and left. It wasn¡¯t his fault that the right tactical decision in the moment was to make a strategic withdrawal without them. He was the most important team member, so obviously they should be the distraction that let him go to safety. There was a flying attack fortress, gold and diamond rankers battling about, and the dimensional pocket device his father had given him only had room for one. His father had died in that battle, so waiting it out in safety was the responsible move, for the family. Not that his sister saw it that way.


    The team hadn¡¯t even come looking for him in the aftermath. They left Rimaros almost immediately, pausing only long enough to have him listed as missing, presumed dead. The pocket dimension device had messed up his tracking stone and they didn¡¯t even come looking to confirm. Instead, they had him formally struck off their team list. By the time he went through the massive amount of paperwork to get himself re-listed as alive, they had a new team member. They had refused every water link request and sent him a letter that read ¡®Sorry: team full.¡¯


    Four years together and they ended it with three words. Years of treating him like a prince, only to reveal their true faces the moment they heard about his father. Finding another team should have been easy, and it had been the first time. Once they heard his now-dead father''s name. How was Argrave to know that the incompetents would demand too much, and then blame their failures on him?


    After that, teams had been harder to come by, even with so many looking to fill slots in the wake of the monster surge. It was not Argrave¡¯s fault that these pathetic adventurers didn¡¯t understand how to properly support what should obviously be the new core of their team. Four teams, none of them worth a single damn.


    The Adventure Society was worse than no help. Time and again, Argrave went to them with the perfectly reasonable demand of being placed on a team that was worthy of him. And each time, the society was duped, bamboozled by the lying teams that sought only to cover their own incompetence. With each new team that scapegoated him, Argrave''s eloquent arguments fell on increasingly deaf ears until he was forced to move on, looking for an Adventure Society branch that wasn''t full of idiots.


    Unfortunately, idiots flocked together. He moved south, from one branch to another, encountering nothing but fools, incompetents and those who undermined him out of jealousy. They went so far as to poison his name so that each branch already knew of the teams he¡¯d been in, along with the lies they''d told. But did they listen to what really happened? Of course not. The simple-minded fools believed the first thing they heard and were too stupid to recognise the truth when they heard it.


    It was in Yaresh that Argrave realised that he was the one who had been the fool. He should have realised from the start that it wasn¡¯t a few bad apples. The entire Adventure Society was made up of petty idiots, saddling him with one pathetic team after another because they were jealous of his talent. They knew they would never reach his potential, leaving him no choice but to roam from one branch to the next, looking for honest people.


    Finally, he was forced to admit that there were no good people in the Adventure Society. If they had even a scrap of Argrave¡¯s potential they would be adventurers themselves, not bureaucrats using their petty power to bring down their betters. But even in bad teams, Argrave¡¯s light was too bright to hide. In the end, they had to strip him of his status as an adventurer, denying him the chance to shine.


    Adding insult to injury, they had the temerity to offer him the role of a menial functionary that he only took due to his financial needs. It was not cheap to travel in the manner he deserved, and his pathetic sister had cut him off before their father¡¯s body had turned to rainbow smoke. It wouldn''t surprise him if the bureaucrats knew this and took shameless advantage.


    Argrave did not betray the Adventure Society because that wasn¡¯t possible. The Adventure Society betrayed him first. Every snub, every team member who didn¡¯t understand how to properly support the hero their team had been graced with. He came into these groups who had lost a member in the surge, and it was little surprise they had. And when he told them as much, they had the gall to get angry at him.


    The messengers understood his value. He¡¯d only met one briefly, when his aura mask had been applied, and the intimidating being had been brusque, it was true. But they were from beyond the borders of the world and radiated glory; they would learn that Argrave was glorious too. It was only a matter of time until they realised and Argrave stood among them. Their philosophy of superiority resonated with him, and finally, there would be someone to recognise that some people were just better than others.


    Of course, being from another world, they would need to see his superiority in action. He had leapt at the chance to use the menial task the Adventure Society had given him, as what had meant to be a humiliation would be the instrument through which he would prove his greatness. They had tried to make him a servant, but the cream would always rise to the top, and there was nothing they could do to stop it.


    The fool guard was one of the Adventure Society enforcers who clearly couldn¡¯t hack it as a real adventurer. His senses swept rudely over Argrave but didn¡¯t penetrate the aura mask. It was more proof of which of them was the better adventurer, not that any more was needed. The guard looked Argrave over and gestured at him to stop the cart and checked each of the covered trays.


    ¡°He¡¯s agitated again,¡± the guard said. ¡°He hasn¡¯t slept at all, and I think he might be sick. We¡¯re waiting on a healer, but the priority is some kind of evacuee camp. The messengers did something to the towns south of the city. I¡¯d advise leaving the cart and getting out quick.¡±


    Argrave swallowed a retort about the guard looking after himself and instead gave him a smile.


    ¡°Thanks for the warning,¡± he replied. The guard opened the door to let him wheel the trolley in, closing the door behind him.


    Through the door was a well-appointed room containing a creature that Argrave found disgusting, but he plastered on a smile. The tiny man with the emaciated dog head was unpleasant to look at, but Argrave didn¡¯t let his disgust show. Fortunately, the aura mask meant he only needed to school his expression.


    ¡°Hello again, Zolit,¡± he greeted.


    The agitated little man was in a visibly unhealthy state. He had been pacing around the room wearing shorts and a robe left hanging open. His skin was glistening and he looked sticky, although whether that was natural for whatever he was or some odd condition, Argrave didn¡¯t know. He didn¡¯t particularly care, either.


    Zolit ignored him, moving to the cart and lifting lids from trays that he awkwardly picked up all together before moving them to a table, spilling bits of food as he went. Argrave shook his head as he watched Zolit sit down, facing the other direction. The idiot could have had him move the trolley to the table and transfer the trays across neatly, but it worked out well for Argrave¡¯s own plans. He opened the narrow panel hidden on one of the trolley legs and withdrew a long needle.


    Zolit didn''t turn as Argrave approached. The little man was shoving food into his mouth in an agitated frenzy, only letting out a muffled yell as Argrave''s hand slipped over his mouth. Argrave jammed the needle into Zolit¡¯s spine, through the slats in the back of the dining chair.


    To Argrave¡¯s complete startlement, Zolit shrank to the size of a marble in the time would have taken to snap his fingers, with a wet sucking-slapping sound. The marble fell to the chair and rolled onto the floor.


    Argrave turned to look at the door but the guard outside did not make an appearance. The thick walls and heavy doors of the building had long-standing enchantments to prevent eavesdropping. After waiting an extra moment, just in case, he moved to where the tiny sphere had settled in the carpet and leaned over to peer at it.


    He¡¯d been told that the device he was given would make it possible to take Zolit away, but he¡¯d been expecting it to knock the little man out and turn him invisible, allowing Argrave to wheel him out on the cart. Having the man turn into a tiny brown ball was certainly more convenient, although he would have appreciated a warning.


    He reached down to pick the ball up and discovered it was astoundingly heavy. Not too much for his silver-rank strength to lift, but the marble-sized object weighed as much as a heavy person. He¡¯d have to keep hold of it as it would weigh down any pocket enough to be glaringly obvious and he hadn¡¯t been allowed to bring a dimensional bag.


    Argrave held the orb up in front of his face, peering closely. It was warm and leathery to the touch, looking like it was made of tiny leather strips wrapped around one another. Jason would have recognised it as a tiny version of the orb the messenger had used to ward off the world-taker worms.


    The door opened and the guard stepped inside.


    ¡°You really shouldn¡¯t linger¡­ where¡¯s Kreen?¡±


    ¡°Uh, shower. He was all sticky with something and wanted to wash it off.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, I told you he was sick. He¡¯s been showering every few hours. What¡¯s that thing you¡¯re holding?¡±


    Argrave had done his best to casually move the hand holding the tiny sphere casually to his side, but he¡¯d been peering closely at it when the door was opened, so the guard plainly saw it.


    ¡°Just a personal keepsake,¡± Argrave told him, but saw that there was an unfortunate limit to the guard¡¯s credulity. The guard placed a hand on his sword hilt and took a wary stance.


    ¡°Step back into the middle of the room, Merculato.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think¨C¡±


    The guard drew his sword.


    ¡°Step back into the middle of the room. I won¡¯t ask again.¡±


    Argrave did as instructed, moving into the lounge area as his mind scrambled for an appropriate response. He would need to take out the guard quietly and get off-campus before anyone realised. As he was thinking, the guard moved into the room and checked the only other door, which led into the bathroom. He saw that it was empty and levelled his sword at Argrave, touching his hand to a brooch on his chest at the same time.


    ¡°Where is Kreen?¡± the guard demanded. ¡°And what was that thing you were looking at?¡±


    ¡°Oh, this?¡± Argrave asked, holding up the sphere between his thumb and forefinger. He was careful not to let the guard see how heavy it was, then tossed it at him. The guard moved to intercept it with his sword but the sphere stopped dead, floating in the air between them.


    ¡°What is¡­¡±


    ¡°What the¡­¡±


    The orb started to grow and pulsate. It looked as if a tiny creature was rapidly growing inside a leathery egg, trying to claw its way out. For all either man knew, that''s exactly what was happening. The guard brought his sword down on the sphere and it slid off, not so much as budging it. The growing orb started emitting an aura, silver and weak but rapidly growing stronger.


    ¡°I think we might need to get out of here,¡± Argrave said.


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know, but I don¡¯t want to stay and find out.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going anywhere.¡±


    The sphere had grown to the size of a basketball and started glowing faintly with golden light as the aura transitioned from silver to gold. The surface of it, still covered in leathery strands, was writhing and undulating.


    ¡°I really think we need to¡­¡±


    Argrave trailed off as something started pushing its way out of the orb. On opposite sides, each facing one of the two men in the room, something scaly was shoving through the leathery strands. Argrave chanted a quick spell as the guard swung his sword a gain. From either side of the orb, snakes shot out. The sword bow and Argrave''s firebolt glanced off harmlessly and the snakes latched their fangs into the two men.

 Chapter 672: Brave Because It Can Win

    As the night moved closer to dawn, the most likely time for a messenger attack grew imminent. Jason floated, cross-legged and eyes closed, over the roof of the cloud hospital as he projected his senses through the Shade bodies scattered around the city. His eyes shot open when he noticed something approaching the cloud house. He was alarmed because all he sensed was a small dead spot within his perception, subtle enough that he''d almost missed it entirely.


    Jason unfolded his legs, dropped his feet to the roof from where he was floating above it and dashed to the edge. What he spotted below was Taika standing with another man at the edge of the camp, both looking up at him. Jason focused his senses, hearing the other man laugh.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± the man told Taika. ¡°He does have sharp senses.¡±


    Astoundingly, the man was a head taller than even the mountainous Taika. His hair was a golden mane with long sideburns, while his eyes were green and sharp. He had craggy features and a hawk nose, with none of the polished perfection typical of high rankers. None of his massive physique was fat but he was a slab of a man, more powerlifter than bodybuilder.


    The man was bare-chested and bare-footed, with loose, rough pants held in place by a piece of rope used as a belt. Hanging from the belt was a gourd and he held a closed umbrella, slung over one shoulder.


    Jason leapt off the roof, using his aura to slow himself as he approached the ground and lightly land in front of the two men. Jason had picked up a few extra centimetres from ranking up, but in front of Taika and the stranger, he looked like a 50% scale model.


    ¡°G¡¯day, I¡¯m Jason.¡±


    No one around them cared about Jason, even after he''d leapt from the roof. The camp workers were busy and the evacuees had more on their minds than some adventurer. As for Taika''s companion, Jason was entirely confident that lying was pointless. There was little point trying to be less prominent when Jason¡¯s instincts screamed that this man was an absolute powerhouse.


    ¡°Haliastur,¡± the man introduced himself in a rumbling voice. ¡°You¡¯ve got quite the odd friend here, Taika.¡±


    ¡°And here was me about to say the same thing,¡± Jason said. The man in front of him did not register on Jason¡¯s magical senses at all, to the point that he suspected the man only revealed himself at all as a test. Even so, there was a presence to him that transcended auras and magic. For most, that would be something that didn¡¯t consciously register, but Jason recognised the sensation.


    Jason had encountered diamond rankers, gods and great astral beings enough that he had a decent sense of what he was dealing with when encountering entities vastly above his own power level. This was true even when their auras were far beyond his ability to read; there was something about their presence they couldn¡¯t entirely hide. Consciously recognising it was there required the kind of regular exposure that very few people below diamond rank had. Most would pass it off as inherent charisma, or some kind of subtle aura manipulation, if they noticed it at all.


    Jason had come to think of it as a transcendent presence, but that didn¡¯t mean it only belonged to transcendent beings like gods and great astral beings. Both Shako and Dawn displayed it, and Jason suspected that he himself had the barest skerrick from his nature as an astral king. But neither Zila nor Soramir Rimaros had it, suggesting that the key was to touch the transcendent. That was something most essence users would only do at the peak of diamond.


    This man had it as well, and Jason gauged him to be roughly on Dawn¡¯s power level, although that was admittedly a guess. His measure of transcendent presence was still crude and operating from an extremely low vantage point. Another guess Jason had about the man was that he was not an essence user.


    Jason was certain that Haliastur saw through him while he saw very little. The man confirmed as much immediately.


    ¡°Blessing of the Reaper. Blessing of the World-Phoenix. Astral king, that¡¯s an odd one. You¡¯re the one building that half-assembled dimensional bridge between this world and some other one. Jumping on the back of the link that idiot Builder got himself sanctioned over. And you¡¯re the one Shade is attached to right now.¡±


    Shade emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°Good day, Haliastur.¡±


    ¡°Shade. I thought you might be embarrassed to show yourself after getting bound to some astral space for a few centuries.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve been talking to Umber. Shame is something you have for your choices, where I have no embarrassment over mine, even when the outcomes were not what I had hoped for.¡±


    ¡°A healthy attitude.¡±


    ¡°You two have met, then,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°We have,¡± Haliastur said. ¡°It¡¯s a big cosmos, but the most powerful in any given region are relatively few in number and immortal, so we all meet eventually. Once you get to diamond rank, Shade can guide you to Interstice. I¡¯ll introduce you around.¡±


    ¡°Interstice. That¡¯s the cosmic city-universe, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And what brings you to this world?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Is this something to do with the former First Sister of the World Phoenix? She already left.¡±


    Haliastur raised his eyebrows.


    ¡°Little Dawnie was here? What for?¡±


    ¡°Him,¡± Taika said, nodding at Jason.


    ¡°I¡¯m just another pawn the World-Phoenix pushed into place,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°I imagine you¡¯re not used to people seeing through your lies,¡± Haliastur said, his voice showing no signs of taking offence. ¡°How does a silver-ranker know Dawn?¡±


    ¡°He more than knows her,¡± Taika interjected. ¡°He¡­¡±


    Taika¡¯s chocolate skin turned milk chocolate as he paled under Jason¡¯s glare.


    ¡°¡­knows her quite well,¡± he finished lamely. Haliastur glanced at Taika with another chuckle.


    ¡°How did you and Taika meet?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°How did you and Dawn meet?¡± Haliastur countered.


    ¡°The World-Phoenix sent her to make me save the world. Not this one. The one at the other end of that link.¡±


    ¡°And did you?¡±


    ¡°Twice. Working on a third time, which should be the end of it.¡±


    ¡°The bridge.¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    "It''s an incomplete mess."


    ¡°Tell me about it. I don¡¯t suppose you know how to finish it?¡±


    ¡°I do not.¡±


    ¡°I guess it¡¯s back to the plan of beating astral magic out of the messengers.¡±


    Haliastur threw back his head and let out a laugh that felt like an earthquake.


    ¡°I like you, Jason Asano. You have a fun friend here, Taika.¡±


    ¡°And how did you meet?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve been looking for something for a couple of decades. I think it¡¯s in this city. I came across Taika and saw him using his powers. I happened to have some insights I thought he could use, so I introduced myself. It turns out that we get along quite well.¡±


    ¡°This thing you¡¯re looking for,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is it a threat?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yes,¡± Haliastur said, then gestured at the camp. ¡°You¡¯ve seen that the messengers like to use apocalypse beasts as indiscriminate weapons.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Jason said.


    "You will find that what they have done here is not unique. Such disasters are being launched all over this world. They aren''t likely to actually cause an apocalypse, as the messengers know better than to use something that they can''t control."


    ¡°I get the impression that they dislike an absence of control.¡±


    "Very true. But they will cause considerable damage and something could easily get out of hand. I have been pursuing one of these apocalypse beasts for a little time now, as I said. Have you ever heard of a naga genesis egg?"


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°Shade?¡±


    ¡°I know of it by reputation,¡± Shade said. ¡°My understanding is that it consumes flesh and converts it into a serpent race called the naga. It can wipe out an entire world, replacing it with the serpent people.¡±


    ¡°We have myths about them in my world,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not the egg bit, that I¡¯ve heard of, but the serpent people. What we really need is¡­¡±


    Jason looked to Taika, thinking about his confluence essence. How would Haliastur, who Jason was convinced was not an essence user, be able to help Taika, who was? He looked at Haliastur, the gourd at his belt and the umbrella slung over his shoulder. Haliastur, who had been chasing a naga egg for decades.


    ¡°I don¡¯t suppose that there¡¯s amrita in that gourd?¡± Jason asked.


    Haliastur let out another laugh.


    ¡°Amrita?¡± Taika asked. "I have an essence ability called that."


    ¡°Your friend here has figured me out,¡± Haliastur told him.


    ¡°Are you going to help us?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°I am here for the naga egg, which is not so slight a thing as world-taker worms. I do not know how they¡¯ve been keeping it dormant or hidden, but if it becomes active, removing it will be help enough, believe me.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said. ¡°If it comes to¨C¡±


    Jason and Haliastur both turned towards the centre of the city with stern expressions.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Taika asked. He wasn¡¯t quite silver yet, and even if he had been, would not match the aura senses of either of the others.


    ¡°Some manner of aura burst,¡± Haliastur said. ¡°It started at silver rank and grew to gold very quickly. I believe it is the egg.¡±


    ¡°I know that aura,¡± Jason said. ¡°Or I did before it became warped and turned gold. It belonged to another outworlder. He used to be a valash.¡±


    Haliastur¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°So that¡¯s how they did it.¡±


    ¡°Meaning?¡± Jason asked.


    "I think that the messengers took a soul, modified it, wrapped it around the egg and shoved the egg into this world. Artificially creating an outworlder whose soul served as a barrier to contain the egg.¡±


    ¡°Can they do that to a soul?¡±


    ¡°Difficult. But possible, if you¡¯re willing to perform soul engineering, which most are not, and you have access to messenger astral magic. One of their astral kings could do it if they intervened personally. A proper astral king, not a baby one like you.¡±


    ¡°Where do they get the soul? It would have to be a volunteer or they couldn¡¯t touch it, right?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but you can torture someone¡¯s soul until they become a volunteer.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m familiar with the process.¡±


    Haliastur looked Jason up and down again.


    ¡°So I see.¡±


    "I once saw a disembodied soul used as a magical barrier."


    Haliastur nodded.


    ¡°Soul engineering. It can be used for various purposes. Where did you see something like that?¡±


    ¡°An astral space that used to be an astral vessel of the Builder, until the Reaper¡¯s people stole it.¡±


    ¡°You live an interesting life.¡±


    ¡°Something tells me that tedium isn¡¯t a problem for you, either. Why aren¡¯t you rushing over to where that aura surge was?¡±


    ¡°The egg is awakening. If it senses my presence while it is still taking its initial form it will panic and expend all of its gathered power immediately. That will cut off its potential for overrunning this world, but flood the city with serpents. The people of this city will die before I can stop them all.¡±


    ¡°So, you let it grow up into a monster brave enough to take you on and then kill it?¡±


    ¡°That is the idea.¡±


    ¡°Uh, what if it¡¯s brave because it can win?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°It can¡¯t,¡± Jason and Haliastur said simultaneously. Haliastur grinned.


    ¡°That should be long enough,¡± he said. ¡°Genesis eggs experience explosive growth. I will try to minimise the damage to the city, but you should stay clear.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s all you, bloke. If that thing is kicking off, the messenger attack probably isn¡¯t far behind.¡±


    Haliastur launched into the air, transforming into a golden bird.


    ¡°What the hell is that bloke?¡± Taika asked. ¡°And why were you so sure he can win?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a garuda. Or the garuda; I don¡¯t know how the real thing differs from the myths. But garuda is the devourer of serpents. Naga in particular, which is how I figured out what he is.¡±


    ¡°Garuda is my confluence essence.¡±


    ¡°Yep. That¡¯s why your new meditation technique works so well.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s pretty sweet, bro. I do have one question, though.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°What¡¯s a garuda?¡±


    Jason turned to look at him.


    ¡°Seriously? You have the garuda confluence and you don¡¯t know what a garuda is?¡±


    ¡°I got an ability from it called Feaster of Serpents, so I thought it was a specialty chef thing.¡±


    ¡°A chef thing? Why would you think that?¡±


    ¡°Your sister has chef powers.¡±


    ¡°My sister¡¯s a chef! What other powers did you get from that confluence?¡±


    ¡°Amrita. It summons a jar of stuff to drink.¡±


    ¡°Okay, that¡¯s fair. What else?¡±


    ¡°One is called Brother of the Dawn. Unbowed is the one I got with the garuda essence.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t sound very culinary. What about the last one?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called God-Striking Fist.¡±


    ¡°God-Striking Fist?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°And you thought it was some kind of cooking confluence?¡±


    ¡°You never know with awakening stones. I thought it might be an Iron Chef thing.¡±


    ¡°What awakening stone did you use to get that?¡±


    ¡°Defiance.¡±


    ¡°You thought an awakening stone of defiance gave you an ability from a chef-type essence called God-Striking Fist?¡±


    ¡°Some of those chefs are pretty rough. What about that bloke who swears all the time?¡±


    ¡°Taika?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, bro?¡±


    ¡°By any chance, did it just reach the point where it been long enough since you got your essences that you were too embarrassed to ask what your confluence was about?¡±


    Taika bowed his head.


    ¡°Yeah, bro.¡±


    Jason gave a good-natured chuckle, reached up to pat his shoulder, gave up and patted him on the bicep.


    ¡°That¡¯s nothing to be ashamed of, mate. You have no idea how many times I¡¯ve ended up looking like an idiot.¡±


    ¡°Sure I do. I know your sister pretty well.¡±


    Jason groaned.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Yeah, what¡¯s up, Shade?¡±


    ¡°Messengers have just been spotted by the city scout patrols. The city alarms will be activated very soon, so it is time to take down the cloud hospital and establish a bunker.¡±


    ¡°Right,¡± Jason said. ¡°Let the high priestess know it¡¯s time to evacuate the hospital so I can take it down. I just hope that¨C¡±


    An explosion sounded in the distance and all heads turned to look towards the centre of the city. Dozens of giant snakes had risen over the city like the heads of a hydra, looming as tall as the city''s towers. Light from the towers lit the snakes in ominous silhouette, making their visage all the more menacing.


    ¡°¡­something like that doesn¡¯t happen.¡±


    As they watched, another monstrous form grew up to the size of a building. It was roughly humanoid but with an eagle¡¯s head, four arms and golden wings spread out from its back. It was draped in golden robes and its skin was emerald green. One hand was holding an umbrella and the other was holding a gourd.


    ¡°Bro, I can turn into something like that. I can¡¯t get big like that, though. Do you think I will after I rank up?¡±


    Despite the spectacle in the distance, Jason turned to look at Taika.


    ¡°You thought it was a chef essence?¡±


    ¡°That power is from the wing essence, bro. Calm down.¡±


    ¡°Taika?¡±


    ¡°Yeah bro?¡±


    ¡°Have you been messing with me this whole time?¡±


    ¡°Yeah, bro.¡±


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°Did you really think I believed that garuda was a Gordon Ramsey essence? How dumb do you think I am? It¡¯s a little hurtful, bro.¡±

 Chapter 673: A Man That Will Inspire Courage

    The crash of wood smashing apart and stone being pulverised filled the air with noise, dust and splinters as Jason dashed through it. He dodged falling sections of ceiling and leapt through holes in once-intact walls, his cloak deflecting much of the debris filling the air.


    ¡°You¡¯ll try to avoid damaging the city my arse,¡± he grumbled, his voice lost in the noise.


    Outside of the central city area, most of the architecture in Yaresh was built with living trees as a core, moulded into elaborate shapes and supplemented with brickwork. The trees were usually of the magic variety, outside of the poorer districts, and held up to impacts very well. This was important when some of them were being ripped out of the ground, used as crude clubs and tossed around.


    The building-sized garuda, Haliastur, was savaging what looked like an even larger hydra whose main body was an arena-sized orb and whose heads counted in the dozens. Prehensile necks were grabbing whole tree building and launching them at the garuda, who deflected them away. They bounced into other buildings, chunks bouncing off to inflict more damage as they broke apart.


    The results were that the evacuation of people in the area was not going well and the casualties were mounting. Adventurers were rushing in to get people out alive, but the adventurers themselves were facing casualties. The closer anyone came to a fight between diamond rankers, the more the difference between life and death became luck. The spreading disaster zone at the heart of the city was an ample demonstration of that.


    The unconventional structure of the tree buildings held up better than traditional designs, at least at first. Once their integrity was finally compromised, however, they collapsed much faster. Jason rushed through a building that was crumbling under the weight of most of another building, tracking civilians with his aura senses. He found them huddling under a table as he dashed into the room, watching the ceiling collapse.


    Pushing his silver-rank speed to the limit, he launched himself across the room. He kicked away the table that would not shelter the woman and two boys from tons of stone and wood. Standing over them and spreading his cloak wide, he pushed against the falling ceiling with his aura, which wasn¡¯t close to strong enough.


    His aura slowed the fall only a little, but it was just enough for Jason to interpose himself between the ceiling and the people as it slammed into his back. His legs almost buckled but managed to barely hold, trembling at the weight. He formed a shelter for the people he was leaning over, his cloak draped around him. Cloud stuff emerged from the bottle hanging around his neck, plugging the gaps between his cloak and the floor, filtering out stone dust and splinters.


    ¡°HUMP!¡± Jason bellowed, his voice carried on his aura to boom through the building, overwhelming even the sounds of destruction. Moments later, the weight threatening to push Jason down grew lighter as huge chunks of brickwork and broken tree trunk were tossed away.


    Humphrey was racing against time as the floor under Jason and the civilians threatened to give way, just as the ceiling above had. As he had to be careful not to bring even more of the ceiling down, it was a race that Humphrey lost. The children let out startled screams as the floor fell out of under them and they were grabbed in a net of shadow arms, dangling over the hole now below them. Finally, Humphrey cleared out enough space that Jason could hand the children up to him.


    Humphrey took the kids and Jason the mother as they leapt from the building that continued to crumble like a biscuit behind them. It was a tall residential treehouse, which was how it had caught debris from the diamond rank battle taking place in the distance. Humphrey had a kid slung under each arm, flying clear with his conjured dragon wings. Jason held the mother using shadow arms while his cloak spread out into wings of darkness, speckled with stars.


    They flew into an area where they had set up a staging point in an open market. It left them somewhat exposed to debris thrown off by the diamond-rank battle in the distance, but there were no buildings tall enough to tumble onto it.


    The staging area was covered by a dome of shimmering pale blue energy set up by Clive. Inside was Clive¡¯s portal, through which civilians were being sent to the nearest monster attack bunker. The dome had no chance of stopping the larger chunks of rubble and collapsing building, but could keep out choking dust and at least some of the smaller debris.


    ¡°If I had a portal instead of a teleport, I could do more,¡± Humphrey complained.


    ¡°Say that when a building is about to fall on a bunch of people and you teleport them all out. Portals aren¡¯t fast enough to do that.¡±


    They didn¡¯t have time to stop for banter and left after that quick exchange. Jason shadow-jumped through a Shade body and Humphrey leapt away as if shot from a cannon.


    There was another portal site shielded by Clive¡¯s rituals, this one with Jason¡¯s portal. This allowed the team to spread out, giving them two options for where to take the people they found or rescued. Until messengers attacked and made it into the city, the team was spreading out, operating alone but with others close enough to offer backup at need.


    Each team member had their own specialties, and they used voice chat to call in the right person for any job. Humphrey''s strength and ability to fly were obviously useful, and he was able to dig out trapped people the easiest. The ability to teleport into spaces that he could see but not access was also a boon. Neil had the strength but not the flight, but his ability to shield and heal made him arguably the team¡¯s most critical member.


    Sophie, Rufus and Jason all used their excellent mobility for rapid response. Sophie¡¯s speed meant that she could get to the people most in need while Rufus could use his two short-range teleports, Moonlit Step and Flash step, to navigate buildings in the process of collapsing. Jason¡¯s biggest advantage was that his aura senses could pick people out that the others might have missed. In all the chaos, it was easy to overlook normal-rank people whose weak auras were on the verge of winking out. But Jason was able to track them down and feed them a potion, get them to Neil or both.


    Clive was in charge of watching the bigger picture and focused on maintaining the extraction areas around his and Jason¡¯s portals. He had set up as many rituals as he could cram into the area without them interfering with one another. Mostly they were designed to shield the people from the smaller things that were harmless to a silver ranker but could still harm normal people.


    Belinda''s role was to assess and extract people from the trickiest situations. Her versatile skill set and power selection meant that she had the best toolkit for the trickiest work. Many civilians were trapped under rubble that was difficult to extract them from. Some were in danger of it collapsing on them while others were injured and almost any shift could kill them. Belinda assessed their needs and either extracted them herself or called in the right team member to help.


    The one Belinda called on the most was Gordon, whose pinpoint beams were ideal for cutting through debris. All of the familiars were proving their worth, either subsumed into their summoner or actively taking part. Belinda¡¯s astral lantern familiar was inside her, allowing her to use eye beams similar to Gordon¡¯s. They couldn¡¯t cut away debris as fast as Gordon¡¯s half dozen powerful beams, but for delicate work, they were ideal.


    Stash, like Belinda, was incredibly versatile. For clearing heavy rubble he used the form of a fifteen-foot gorilla with a face on its chest and a third arm where its head should have been. For snaking through tight spaces to reach people, he could take the form of a mouse or, indeed, a snake. From there he could take a form like a dungeon beetle to extract them.


    Dungeon beetles were predatory creatures with a very hard and mostly hollow carapace. They were known for taking their prey, entrapping them in their carapace and then burrowing deep underground, letting their prisoners slow die of thirst before consuming them. As grim as this was, the hollow but very strong body and the burrowing power were ideal for digging people out.


    Onslow, Clive¡¯s flying tortoise, was flying around the areas furthest from the extraction points. This was where Rufus, Jason and especially Sophie were to be found, and they could hand over civilians to Onslow to be carried to safety. Onslow was able to shuck off his shell which became a large and sturdy flying transport. Without his shell, the rest of him became a tiny and adorable green tortoise-man, which was perfect for calming down scared children.


    With large chunks of falling debris bouncing heavily off his shell, keeping people calm was important. Onslow used his elemental powers as best he could, throwing out water barriers and exploding chunks of stone with lightning bolts, but his indiscriminate powers weren''t the best for the situation. It was getting people to safety that was his most valuable role.


    Colin was still hibernating in Jason''s astral realm, with no indication of rousing. Shade, on the other hand, was characteristically valuable. He could scout spaces that even Stash couldn''t squeeze into and allowed Jason easy mobility around the zone.


    Jason found another group of civilians, trapped at the bottom of a hole. It was just wide enough to pull people out from, but too narrow to go down and get them. This was a problem that simply lowering a rope couldn''t solve because the sides of the hole were sharp and jagged. Anyone coming out would require delicate extraction to avoid being lacerated to death on the way.


    Jason called on Belinda¡¯s echo spirit familiar, Gemini, who could mimic the team¡¯s abilities. They both used Jason¡¯s ability to call up shadow hands, essentially creating a tunnel of dark hands that could lift the people out while shielding them from the sides of the hole.


    ¡°Mr Asano,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°What do you need?¡±


    ¡°Both cloud palaces have completed the conversion to bunkers and High Priestess Shavar is ready to start moving evacuees into them.¡±


    ¡°Alright. I¡¯ll be along as soon as we get these people out.¡±


    ***


    Once again, Taika felt the frustration of still being bronze rank. He was so close, and if he¡¯d managed to cross that line, then he¡¯d be out in the city instead of playing usher to evacuees as the camp was organised to lead people into the two cloud buildings. Lines of people clustered together, snaking through the camp and leading up to the bunkers.


    Emir Bahadir''s cloud bunker was the larger of the two by a solid margin. The five-tower configuration of the palace was still echoed in the bunker, which was a smooth dome with five spires jutting up and out at angles, like leaning towers. Spaced evenly around the dome, the spires had a massive ritual diagram floating between them; an elaborate pentagram using the spires as anchor points. Glowing with shifting colours, the brightness of it painted the area in rainbow hues.


    Jason''s bunker was a pyramid covered in interlocking hexes of matte black, with blue and orange light glimmering in lines between the hex panels. The top of the pyramid did not reach a point and instead formed a cup over which a giant version of one of Jason''s eyes floated ominously. Notably, the rainbow light from Emir''s palace stopped dead as it approached Jason''s, stopping as it hit an invisible wall that shimmered faintly as the rainbow light struck it.


    Taika let out a sigh as he looked at the power the two buildings displayed. He was not a man with a hunger for power, but when people needed help, he couldn¡¯t help but feel inadequate when confronted with such displays.


    ¡°Your frustration is understandable,¡± Hana told him. He had felt her approach as, like him, she was actively using her aura to calm the crowd. These people were only hours from having their towns wiped out by alien horrors and their nerves were raw.


    ¡°While this task is not as exciting or dangerous as running through the periphery of a diamond-rank battle,¡± Hana said, ¡°that does not make it unimportant. Panic could easily set in, and that will be a disaster. For all the power I possess, people would get trampled and die before I can restore order. I am grateful for your reliable presence, not just for your aura, but for you.¡±


    Ability: [Unbowed] (Garuda)


    The high priestess was a tall woman, although Taika still towered over her. She placed a comforting hand on his forearm.


    ¡°Remember that the powers we gain are not just about essences and awakening stones, but about who we are. This is true for our aura powers most of all. Your aura is inspiring, and that isn¡¯t just a power that you have. It¡¯s a reflection of something inside you. I¡¯ve always held that as we gain power, it doesn¡¯t change us, but concentrates us. It takes who we are, shaves away the fluff at the edges and leaves behind the distillation of our core natures. You are a man that will inspire courage. Lift people up. That is a very fine thing. Not everyone¡¯s reflection is so uplifting.¡±


    She turned her gaze to the ominous eye looming over the camp. Jason¡¯s aura did not push out beyond the boundaries of the pyramid to impose on the camp, but essence users with aura senses could easily detect it. Even more than Jason¡¯s aura in person, the building was portentous, benevolent but also judgemental. It radiated a sense that to enter it was to abide by its rules, that transgressors would pay the price of their sins.


    ¡°I can see why Asano warned me,¡± Hana said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure I want to send anyone in there after all.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure you want to go in there yourself,¡± Taika said. ¡°Jason has¡­ views about gods.¡±


    ¡°My god seems to like him. Which is strange, given what I know of Asano. Certainly given that aura.¡±


    ¡°How much do you know about Jason¡¯s background?¡±


    ¡°Not much. I can tell he¡¯s an outworlder. Like you.¡±


    ¡°We come from the same world. Jason had responsibilities there, ones that shouldn¡¯t have been his to bear. What our world taught him was that he couldn¡¯t allow anyone to stand in his way when things absolutely needed doing, even if that meant becoming a tyrant. Jason is always the first one to stand between people and the bad things coming after them, which I think that¡¯s why your god likes him. But he got used to people standing in his way, even when he was killing himself to save them.¡±


    ¡°And who keeps him in check if he won¡¯t listen to anyone?¡±


    ¡°No one,¡± Arabelle told her as she approached the pair. ¡°And that¡¯s the problem. He never trusted authority in the first place. The other world taught him, when the stakes were at their highest, that he had to become the authority. One that no one can command. So now, he defies everyone. Kings, diamond rankers. Gods, great astral beings.¡±


    ¡°That sounds like a path to a quick death.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Taika said. ¡°He doesn¡¯t let death command him, either.¡±


    ¡°Everything¡¯s ready with Emir¡¯s bunker,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°We should start moving people into the bunkers.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re waiting on Asano to open his building back up,¡± Hana said. ¡°He wanted to show me in himself. He thought that there would be an issue with our priests.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s right,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°You¡¯ll see for yourself what it means to defy even gods in there. It¡¯s unsettling, being cut off from the comforting presence of your god when you¡¯ve gotten so used to it. You might want to put the priests in the other bunker.¡±


    ¡°We need people in both, so I¡¯ll lead the ones in Asano¡¯s bunker myself. Once he opens it up.¡±


    Shade emerged from Arabelle''s shadow and Jason stepped out of the familiar''s shadowy form.


    ¡°Sorry I''m late. Dashing heroics; you know how it is. Anyway, shall we?¡±

 Chapter 674: Luck That Good

    The sky rang with noise despite the battle at the centre of the Yaresh being a dozen kilometres away. Even from the outskirts, barely within the outer walls, the titanic figures could be seen looming over the towers at the heart of the city. The eagle-headed garuda was entangled with snakes wrapping around his body, as if a basket of them had been tipped over him. There was also a cluster of serpents of almost unbelievable enormity, as if sea monsters had risen from the deep and merged into a leviathan hydra.


    The air thundered as the colossal adversaries destroyed buildings of metal and stone as if they were cardboard. Debris flew out over the city, chunks of masonry whistling like bombs as they fell from the sky. The garuda was diamond rank and its opponent was the same, having rapidly passed through silver and gold rank as it grew.


    At the outskirts of the city, just inside the outer walls, was the refugee camp for those displaced from towns to the south. The camp was a flurry of activity as the people shuffled into the two cloud palaces that had been converted into bunkers. The larger bunker, belonging to Emir Bahadir, was a dome from which five leaning towers extended up and out. The other was a pyramid made up of matte black hexes with blue and orange light glowing between the panels. The pyramid did not rise to a point, instead having a cupped top. Floating over it was a giant eye made up of nebulous blue and orange light.


    Hana Shavar looked up at the ominous eye as her people led civilians into the wide doors at the base of the pyramid. She was the High-Priestess of the Healer for the city-state of Yaresh, but she had sent most of her own people into the gold-rank bunker belonging to Bahadir.


    There was a reason she directed all the clergy, both from her church and others, away from the bunker belonging to Jason Asano. When it had taken the form of a hospital, she had found the building to have an unnerving quality she couldn¡¯t quite place. Now it was in full defensive mode, the power lurking within no longer hidden. Somehow, Asano¡¯s building could place a barrier between priests and their gods, cutting of the voices of the deities.


    The constant presence of her god¡¯s power had always been a comfort to Hana, watching over her in her greatest moments and darkest hours alike. Only in a few rare moments had she been cut off from him, in an otherworldly realm or the heart of another god¡¯s sacred ground. Those times were the worst for any priest.


    For those who had felt the direct touch of their deity, every feeling and instinct told them it was a power without limit. An all-seeing, all-powerful force, beyond the petty concerns of the mortals that served them. When that presence was cut off, the fact that even the gods had limits was a harsh reality to face. Ground that should have been solid underfoot suddenly lurched, unstable.


    Hana had experienced it enough times that, while uncomfortable, it was something she had grown used to. Grappling with the knowledge that her instincts and reality conflicted had challenged her faith, but ultimately came to reinforce it. She realised that her god not being all-powerful meant that he was not simply an omnipotent, benevolent force, bestowing grace on small mortals. He had limits, albeit extreme ones.


    The revelation that strengthened her faith was that her god had limits, her faith was not just some game he was playing; that her position as a priestess was not pointless in the face of ultimate power. He might not need her as much as she needed him, but he did need her. She wasn¡¯t just taking from this great being, but also had something to give. Her purpose, her life¡¯s work, was true and good.


    This was what gave her comfort in those moments when she was somewhere beyond her god¡¯s power. She could be his hands when he could not reach, his eyes when he could not see and his voice when he could not speak. She was a priestess. The representative of her god, and that was never more important than when she was cut off from him.


    Not every priest had come to this conclusion, however, with the revelation having taken Hana years to not just reach but truly internalise. It was not something she could offer her fellow priests in the middle of a refugee evacuation, so she pushed all the priests into Bahadir¡¯s bunker, where just walking inside would not threaten a crisis of faith.


    There was no shortage of secular staff to guide people into Asano¡¯s sinister lair, although Asano himself was no longer present. He had shown up long enough to reconfigure the building from a hospital into the menacing pyramid bunker it was now, but he had immediately returned to rescuing people caught up in the battle of colossi.


    In his place was Jason¡¯s familiar, Shade, although most of the shadow-creature¡¯s multiple bodies were apparently busy. Shade directed a larger group of shadow entities, whose presence neither Shade not Asano had explained beyond referring to them as avatars. They were dark silhouettes that looked like people in hooded cloaks, with a large single eye instead of a face. It was hard to miss that those eyes were reflections of both the giant orb floating over the bunker, along with Asano¡¯s own eyes.


    Hana had checked the bunker before allowing anyone inside and now Shade led her back into the building. They moved past the lines of people heading in through the large doorway, directed by Asano¡¯s dark avatars.


    The walls, floors and ceilings were cold, hard and empty. They were made from dark crystal flecked with blue, silver and gold. There was no decoration and none of the leafy green plants that had been found all throughout the hospital variant of the building. Having seen inside the dormitory sections, she knew that they were at least furnished with plush cloud furniture.


    ¡°The dormitory spaces set aside for the refugees may not offer a lot of room,¡± Shade assured her, ¡°but they are more comfortable than the hallways suggest.¡±


    Hana glanced at the shadow familiar, not for the first time wondering if he could read minds.


    ¡°I appreciate that,¡± she told him, ¡°but safety is the priority, not comfort.¡±


    ¡°Do not worry on that front, Priestess Shavar. I would say gods help those who come here looking for trouble, but they will need more than gods in Mr Asano¡¯s domain.¡±


    There was an undercurrent of ominous glee to the familiar¡¯s polite tone that was sufficiently subtle that she may well have been imagining it. His words would have felt like false bravado if not for the gaping hole in her mind where the presence of her god was normally settled.


    Various passages and room had a wall of mist blocking them off. These walls were as impermeable to Hana¡¯s senses as the rest of the pyramid, which was another reason it unnerved her. Magical senses that could take in the city at a glance were stopped by the walls as surely as her vision. It left her feeling as isolated from the world as she was from her god.


    ¡°The walls serve to secure the civilians in the dormitories,¡± Shade explained, once more anticipating her concerns. ¡°While the outer walls are strong, a sufficiently dedicated attack will penetrate them, especially if  gold-rankers are involved. The dormitories are the most reinforced internal spaces, making the empty corridors a more appealing path for enemies traversing the inside. It will give the defences time to deal with them.¡±


    ¡°Can the defences deal with gold rankers that can punch their way in?¡±


    ¡°I am quietly confident, Priestess Shavar.¡±


    ¡°I suspect, Shade, that you are quietly everything.¡±


    ¡°That is very kind of you to say, Priestess.¡±


    They arrived at an elevating platform at the centre of the pyramid that was also shrouded in mist. They stepped through the mist and the elevator ascended higher into the building.


    ¡°Beyond myself and the avatars, only you have access to this central shaft,¡± Shade explained as the platform passed through more mist barriers in each floor. There were only four, with the platform stopping in a room with no ceiling. Above their heads was the open cup with the nebulous eye floating over it, and high above that, the city¡¯s barrier dome. From the open ceiling, the walls of the room sloped down, being the outer walls of the pyramid.


    ¡°This room seems like an invitation to break in,¡± Hana said, looking up at the ominous floating eye.


    ¡°It does, doesn¡¯t it?¡± Shade said. ¡°Let us hope the messengers are polite enough to accept.¡±


    Images started appearing in the air around them. Most showed scenes from inside or around the buildings, mostly people shuffling into the bunkers in queues or settling into the dormitories. One showed a man arguing with one of the camp staff, and as soon as she focused on it, sound started playing. The man was complaining about the constricted space, apparently convinced that some people were being given private rooms.


    ¡°There¡¯s always a few,¡± Hana muttered, the sound dimming as her attention moved on. Her gaze fell on a zoomed in perspective of the distant battle. The eagle-headed giant was ravaging the hydra heads and the serpents crawling over it, often devouring them outright. Even so, they seemed to replenish themselves endlessly, more snakes appearing as the hydra heads rapidly healed or grew back entirely. She again glanced up.


    ¡°Is that vision coming from the large eye?¡±


    ¡°It is. This room can show anything from inside the building or that the eye can see. You can monitor the bunkers and the surrounding conditions from here. If you fight in here you will have an environmental advantage, although I advise you to withdraw if and when attackers break in. The elevating platform will safely extract you.¡±


    ¡°Assuming that the messengers really do attack the city.¡±


    ¡°They are already assembling. Mr Asano has arranged for you to extend your senses beyond this room if you filter them through the eye.¡±


    It took Hana a moment to figure out how, but passing her aura and magic senses through the eye before extending them over the city was fairly intuitive. She quickly sensed the battle of diamond-rank titans, overshadowing everything else. She sensed adventurers around the city, scrambling to rescue citizens or prepare for attack. Her senses passed through the city¡¯s active barrier magic far easier than it should have and she sensed the messengers gathering around the city on every side.


    Having taken part in attacks on the messenger strongholds, Hana understood their strategies. Each messenger was at least a little different from the others, but they fell into several broad roles. One of the most important, at least for large scale operations, were the summoners.


    Summoners amongst the messengers had many advantages over their essence-user counterparts. Not only were their powers more convenient to activate, requiring no summoning circles, but they also summoned creatures in greater number. Their creatures might be less individually powerful, but that was an acceptable trade-off when it allowed them to balloon the relatively small number of messengers.


    Hana could sense them building up their forces, not far from the city walls. It was close enough to be a real threat, but not so close as to be attacked without people leaving the protection of the city. Only a few skirmish specialists were out making trouble amongst the enemy, while the rest waited for the attack. The number of defenders was unfortunately low, with many adventurers still in the towns to the south.


    ¡°That¡¯s not good,¡± Hana said as she used the giant eye to pan her senses over the messenger forces. ¡°It doesn¡¯t look like they¡¯ve manage to infiltrate the shield infrastructure nodes to sabotage them, but they clearly understand how the city barrier works.¡±


    ¡°There is a flaw in the city defences?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°Not a flaw, but there are only so many ways to shield an entire city, and no solution is perfect. Every system has weaknesses, and knowing how they works means those weaknesses can be exploited. In this city, the defensive screen is adaptive, meaning that it focuses the shield energy to any areas under attack in any given moment. It excels against monster attacks, which are sporadic by nature. It¡¯s why this type of barrier is so common in cities and fortress towns. But if you have the numbers to assault the entire shield all at once, instead of staging sporadic attacks like monsters do, you reveal the weakness.¡±


    ¡°I believe I see,¡± Shade said. ¡°If you take a shield designed to focus its power on places is attacked, and then attack everywhere, the shield becomes thin all over. It then becomes vulnerable to big, instantaneous attacks,¡± Shade deduced.


    ¡°Exactly. The shield won¡¯t collapse if you punch a hole in it, but it will take time to self-repair the breach. Long enough that you can get a good number of people through all at once. And we know for a fact that the messengers have at least one diamond-ranker. I¡¯m guessing they¡¯re going to spread the attacks of all their summoned creatures to thin out the shield. Then they¡¯ll punch through various spots with simultaneous attacks from their diamond ranker and stronger gold rankers. The openings will only be temporary, but enough for their strongest forces to come through, along with enough summons to serve as fodder.¡±


    ¡°I assume the people commanding the city defences are well aware of this,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°Of course; they¡¯ll be watching this far closer than us. They would have already sent people out to disrupt the enemy, if we had the people to send. It¡¯s looking more and more like the worm-infested towns to the south were never meant to be the real invasion force.¡±


    ¡°Or they were and this attack is a contingency for if they were discovered prior to being ready.¡±


    Hana shook her head.


    ¡°Multiple-stage plans with integrated contingencies. I do not like smart enemies.¡±


    ¡°For a smart enemy, the strategy you have posited seems like an all or nothing proposition. If the strike forces who breach the city fail to conquer it, they will be cut off once the barrier repairs the holes.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re not here to conquer,¡± Jason said as he stepped out of Shade¡¯s body like the shadow creature was a doorway. ¡°They¡¯re here to sow terror. We may not have the people to take the fight to them, but we can at least see where they are setting up their strongest attackers.¡±


    Jason casually gestured with his arm as he tugged the hood back from his head to reveal his face. The images floating around the room all shifted, their original depictions getting replaced. The new ones showed various locations outside the city, as seen through the slight shimmer of the defensive barrier. It was a dome that rose up from the city wall, and now it was surrounded by enemies.


    Messengers only made up a minority of the forces, and usually hovered somewhere near the top of the city wall. Their summons, all of which could fly, surrounded the domed barrier from all angles, including directly above. The summoned monsters were strange to Jason¡¯s eye, divergent from the normal pattern. Most monsters looked like they could appear in the environment in which they spawned, so long as there was enough magic. Aquatic shark-crab hybrids on the coast. Swamp monsters with sodden bark-like skin. Even the more bizarre ones that were mostly mouths and tentacles appeared in magically corrupted lands, dark caves or the depths of the ocean, where such entities were unwelcome, but not unexpected.


    The messenger summons were different. They didn¡¯t look like anything that would be naturally produced in any environment not depicted by MC Escher. One was a set of concentric metal bands, floating in their air. They span around one another, their edges covered in eyes that flicked gazes all around. Another looked like a single closed eyelid with wings sticking out either side, but when the lid opened, it revealed not an eye but a mouth with rows of dagger teeth. They were all similarly alien, although eyes and wings featured heavily. Some were geometric, looking like floating sigils. Jason spotted a giant  disembodied hand with a mouth on the palm and eyes on the fingertips.


    Hana realised that the images in the pyramid¡¯s viewing room were not picking out random strange monsters, but instead what was most likely the strike teams. She could sense their strength, with gold ranked messengers gathered into clusters around the city.


    ¡°See where they¡¯re positioned,¡± Jason told her Hana. ¡°Do you see what those locations have in common?¡±


    Hana extended her senses again, focusing on those areas. In each one she sensed lines of civilians streaming in those directions, along with the powerful magic of the permanent bunkers designed for monster incursions on the city.


    ¡°They¡¯re going after the bunkers,¡± she said in a horrified whisper.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think they want to break through the defence barrier, inflict as many civilian casualties as possible and get out before the barrier stabilises. I don¡¯t know if this was always the plan or if it¡¯s a backup once they saw our new bird man friend fighting their snake monster. Either way, I think it¡¯s what they¡¯re up to now.¡±


    ¡°Do you know where the city¡¯s diamond rankers are?¡± Hana asked.


    ¡°Helping out the garuda, last I saw,¡± Jason said. ¡°Fortunately, the garuda is doing the heavy lifting. If our diamond rankers had to deal with that and the messengers, this city would be done.¡±


    ¡°Then we are extremely lucky he is here,¡± Hana said.


    Jason frowned.


    ¡°Yeah,¡± he said unhappily. ¡°We¡¯d have been completely buggered if he wasn¡¯t here. I don¡¯t trust luck that good.¡±

 Chapter 675: Nice and Grunty

    The city of Yaresh was under siege by messengers and their summoned monsters. It was Jason¡¯s first time participating in the full-blown defence of a city, and a high-magic one at that. During the defence of Rimaros he had been working monster cleanup on another island.


    If not for the danger to the people of the Yaresh, he would have enjoyed being an unremarkable cog in the machine, one of many silver-rankers recruited to the task. As the messengers and their summons were silver-rank at a minimum, bronze-rank adventurers would only be a liability in battle, despite their numbers. They were relegated to support roles, which worked well for healers but reduced combat adventurers to glorified ushers, leading civilians into bunkers.


    Silver rank was considered the threshold for becoming a real adventurer in high-magic zones. The leap in power from bronze to silver was far greater than anything that came before, as bronze rankers were just too easy to kill. Silver rank represented the stage at which a well-trained essence user took their first major step away from frail mortality, their bodies transforming from a sack full of weak points into a sack full of hit points.


    Silver was also a stage that any adventurer could reach if sufficiently resourced. Outside of magically desolate zones like Greenstone, an active adventurer could go from bronze to silver in five-to-ten years. For guild elites, three years was the norm, and many went faster. There were always circumstances that provided opportunities for the bold, with the extended monster surge Pallimustus had been through being an extreme example. There were now more newly-minted silver rankers than any other period on record.


    Even the gold-rankers had seen their numbers grow, although to a far lesser degree. The gold rankers of Yaresh were the true power in the city¡¯s defence, with Jason¡¯s gold-rank companions already having joined them. Emir, Arabelle and Callum Morse were three-quarters of their old adventuring team, with the slot of Arabelle¡¯s absent husband filled by Emir¡¯s wife, Constance. They had moved out with Amos Pensinata, who was famously powerful even by gold-rank standards.


    Carlos was a healer, and not a combat one like Arabelle. He had been deployed to assist dealing with the many injured by the battle taking place at the centre of the city. The building-sized garuda still fought the serpent apocalypse beast, even as the messengers gathered outside.


    The native gold rankers of Yaresh were in charge of the city¡¯s defence. The Deputy-Director of the Adventure Society had a communication power not unlike Jason¡¯s, but more powerful by virtue of rank. He had used it to connect every team leader in the city of silver-rank and above, coordinating the city¡¯s defenders.


    Jason had taken a brief pause from rescue efforts to check that his cloud palace had formed a defensive bunker properly, having never properly tested the defences. He was in the observation room at the peak of the pyramid-shaped building with Hana Shavar and Shade, eyes closed as he explored the building with his magical senses. The structure all looked good, the weapon systems ready and waiting. They were the contribution of Travis Noble, the magical ordnance specialist from Earth. Jason had though the results would be more gun-like, but instead were clearly shaped by Jason¡¯s own proclivities.


    He could also sense the people in the bunkers. The civilians were filling up the dormitories, and he could sense Estella Warnock and Taika in the small quarters he had set aside for them. Estella was pacing nervously while Taika was meditating. Jason guessed that Taika was hoping to break through to silver in time to join the fight, and close as he was, he might even do it. Jason didn¡¯t think leaping straight into a fight from a rank-up was a good idea, but Jason was in no position to criticise reckless leaps into combat.


    Humphrey reached out through Jason¡¯s party chat ability. As team leader, Humphrey was the one taking directives from city defence command and relaying them to the group.


    ¡°Jason, the evacuation of the civilians into the  city defence bunkers is in full swing. They¡¯re directing everyone to prep for incursion, assigning teams to the bunkers they expect to be attacked.¡±


    ¡°Have we been assigned to the refugee camp?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°No, the refugee camp is surrounded by adventurer vehicles, plus the two cloud palaces. The entertainment district has bunkers that are some of the largest but weakest in the city, so we¡¯re being sent there along with many other teams. We¡¯re already on our way, so can you meet us on the way?¡±


    ¡°No worries, mate.¡±


    ***


    Jason stepped out from one of the bodies Shade had stationed on a rooftop. Most of Shade¡¯s bodies remained with Jason for combat purposes, but a handful were stationed in the cloud palace or in strategic locations around the city. This allowed Jason to quickly shadow jump to any of them, navigating around the city without putting his portal on cooldown.


    It was not hard to orient himself after appearing on the rooftop, with the diamond rank battle between the garuda and the endlessly spawning serpent creature impossible to miss. The eagle-headed humanoid was taller than the towering buildings of the city centre, and every time it struck at the hydra-like serpent heads it was fighting, thunder rumbled across the city. Even some ten kilometres away, air that should have been still under the city¡¯s barrier dome was stirred by the shockwaves of the fight.


    After sparing the battle a quick glance, Jason ran to the edge of the building and leapt off. His cloak of darkness and stars took the form of sweeping wings, undulating as they pushed him through the air.


    He looked over the city from his high vantage. Much of Yaresh was built around living trees, magically shaped and then filled out with stone. The heart of the city contrasted this as living buildings gave way to polished metal and shining glass towers. Many of these had been damaged or toppled entirely by the garuda and its serpentine foe fighting amongst them.


    The city was washed in a blue tint as sunlight passed through the dome of the city¡¯s defence barrier. Normally visible as little more than a heat-haze shimmer, it was glowing blue as it fended off attacks all across its surface. The messengers had begun their assault and their summons were gathered around it like a swarm of angry bees.


    Jason was far from the only airborne traveller as the air was filled with adventurers travelling alone or in teams. Most rode personal vehicles of various types, from flying skimmer cars like a Star Wars character to floating clouds like Sun Wukong. Others rode on familiars, had magical wings like Jason, or simply flew around like superheroes. Sophie was one of those, catching up to Jason as she easily outpaced him in the air. The rest of the team trailed behind in Onslow¡¯s expanded shell.


    Clive¡¯s familiar, Onslow, could expand his shell into an open-sided flying craft, the unshelled tortoise taking the form of a small green humanoid. Wearing child¡¯s clothes provided by Clive, he looked like an adorable team mascot. He was still more than capable of directing deadly elemental attacks from the glowing runes atop his shell, however.


    Jason and Sophie slowed to join the others in the shell. Clive had purchased some furniture for travelling inside Onslow¡¯s shell, but as they were headed for combat he had left most of it in his storage space. He had only put out a plush rug that they team was sitting on as Humphrey briefed them. Sophie and Jason flew in and sat with the others and Stash, in the form of a puppy, crawled into Sophie¡¯s lap for head scratches.


    ¡°The messengers have several aspects broadly in common with essence users,¡± Humphrey explained. He wouldn¡¯t be introducing anything too revelatory, but was a big believer in reiterating information until it stuck. As the team¡¯s primary strategist, he had studied their future enemies more than anyone else on the team.


    ¡°The messengers all have unique power sets,¡± he continued. ¡°Not as many or as varied as essence users, but don¡¯t underestimate their versatility. Also like us, their power sets tend to fall into roles, so look out for what they¡¯re doing and react accordingly. Strikers are high damage but not as resilient, so prioritise them.¡±


    He nodded at Sophie.


    ¡°Defenders are a lesser danger, but hard to kill. They¡¯re also good at occupying multiple attackers so they won¡¯t go after the others. Sophie and I will be largely responsible for occupying them so the rest of you can go for softer targets, but be ready to focus defenders down if that¡¯s the right play. Belinda will take on the field tactician role as normal, so she¡¯ll be looking for opportunities we can jump on.¡±


    ¡°Healers are the top priority, right?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°As always,¡± Humphrey said with a nod. ¡°Healers are rare amongst the messengers, but if we spot one, it goes to the top of the list. Be aware that they will be the most heavily defended, so we only go after healers as a team, and with a plan. Or we send Jason by himself.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re just going to throw me in there?¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°And you¡¯re not a pinpoint assassin, so I expect you to kill more than just the healers while you¡¯re at it. Next up we have summoners, who are the weakest of the messenger archetypes individually, but critical to their forces. Killing them won¡¯t get rid of the summons, but it will reduce the cohesiveness of their summoned monsters. Low priority, but take the chance if it¡¯s there.¡±


    He looked at Neil and Clive.


    ¡°The key thing to watch out for is that many messengers have the power to isolate individuals, forcing a one-on-one confrontation. Neil and Clive, you¡¯re our weakest solo fighters, so stick together with Belinda in Onslow¡¯s shell. Clive, I want you focused on setting up big hits against any messengers you can get a line on through the wall of summoned monsters. Lindy and Neil, boost him when you aren¡¯t focused on healing or protecting the group. Lindy, I want you to hold your tricks for when we can make the most of throwing the messengers a surprise or two. Stash, I want you to stick to them and keep them safe.¡±


    Stash let out an affirmative yip.


    ¡°If they can¡¯t get you alone,¡± Humphrey continued, ¡°they can¡¯t use those isolating powers on you. Just watch out for area attacks, since you¡¯ll be clustered up. You know what to do, Neil.¡±


    Neil nodded.


    ¡°I can¡¯t afford to just stand still,¡± Sophie said. ¡°I¡¯m useless that way and might as well have stayed back at the cloud house.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°Everyone not sticking to Onslow will be on the move, operating with some degree of independence. You and I will be staying relatively close, effectively outriding for the others. I¡¯ll be sweeping summons that get near Onslow, and I want you getting in the face of any messengers, Soph.¡±


    ¡°I take the big ones and you take the little ones,¡± Sophie told him.


    ¡°Essentially, yes,¡± he confirmed. ¡°The messengers have the intelligence to make strategic and tactics choices their summons won¡¯t. I want you getting in their faces, disrupting whatever they¡¯re trying to do and setting them up for big hits from Clive.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t want me to kill them?¡±


    ¡°Focus on disruption, at least at the start. You¡¯ll have plenty of fight to power up and you¡¯ll be nice and grunty in the late stages.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯ll be the grunty one, will I?¡± she asked and Humphrey¡¯s face reddened.


    ¡°Time and place,¡± he told her through gritted teeth.


    ¡°What about the one-to-one powers the messengers have to isolate?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°As long as the group stays together, all the information we have says they¡¯ll be fine. For those of us moving alone, we have to assume that some or all of us will be hit by them eventually. Most likely after the messengers realise they can¡¯t break off Neil or Clive to target.¡±


    ¡°Will they even go for us?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°They have to assume that we know about their powers, so anyone going it alone can handle themselves in a duel.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t underestimate messenger arrogance,¡± Jason said. ¡°Our side might rate the messengers as slightly below a combat-focused adventurer in a one-to-one comparison, but I¡¯ll bet you they do the opposite. And I honestly don¡¯t know which side is right. I promise you that their auras will be a critical factor.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t just hunker up in fear of solo fights,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°As Sophie said, if we don¡¯t fight our way, we might as well not have come. These enemies are too strong to bring anything but our best. We just have to trust that we can take them alone and get back to the fight.¡±


    ¡°Which means some of us will be relatively alone,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Humphrey agreed. ¡°Especially you and Jason, Rufus. You don¡¯t have your own flight power, so I want you on the ground. Messenger summons are all flyers, but they¡¯ll be trying to break into the underground bunkers.¡±


    ¡°I can clear out summons while simultaneously setting up my powerful attacks for the messengers,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Maybe catch some of those defenders by surprise with big hits.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I know you don¡¯t like talking about Earth, but from what Farrah tells me, you should be just fine in the middle of the enemy. Is that something you can handle?¡±


    ¡°No worries. Being alone in the middle of thousands of monsters is kind of my thing.¡±


    ¡°Just don¡¯t die again,¡± Neil told him.


    ¡°No promises.¡±


    ¡°Jason, you¡¯re out of resurrections,¡± Humphrey pointed out.


    ¡°I hate to break to you, cobber, but so is everyone else. Even your Immortality power won¡¯t get you back up until gold rank.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not wrong,¡± Neil said. ¡°Resurrection magic has been harder for a few years now. Even at gold rank you have minutes at best, and only the most complex and difficult healing magic can do it.¡±


    ¡°Sorry about that,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°It was something that the gods of healing and death did to how magic works,¡± Neil said. ¡°It wasn¡¯t your fault.¡±


    Jason¡¯s expression became an apologetic wince.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t not my fault. I thought I told you this. The whole bit with Reaper making a deal so the World Phoenix wouldn¡¯t keep bringing me back from the dead.¡±


    ¡°I thought that was a joke.¡±


    ¡°Why would that be a joke?¡±


    ¡°Because it¡¯s insane.¡±


    Neil let out a sigh.


    ¡°Look at who I¡¯m talking to. Shade, please tell me the Reaper didn¡¯t have the gods change how magic works because of Jason.¡±


    ¡°The Reaper did not have the gods change how magic works because of Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Thank you,¡± Neil said, his voice relieved.


    ¡°Mr Asano was more of an inciting incident that pushed the Reaper to act on something he has been concerned about for quite some time.¡±


    Neil gave Shade a flat look.


    ¡°Is it too late for me to go find energy vampire Thadwick and join his team again?¡±

 Chapter 676: Breach

    Jason and his team were riding inside Onslow¡¯s expanded shell toward the entertainment district. Buried under the taverns, clubs, theatres and nightclubs was a massive subterranean bunker, one of the least secure in the city. It was large and magically reinforced, but mostly relied on a sturdy roof, with no active defences that could deter attackers from digging in eventually.


    That was usually fine if a monster spawned in the city or some managed to break in during a monster surge, but messengers were more intelligent foes. Not only would they bother to go after the people in the bunker but realise its relative vulnerability. Jason¡¯s  team and others like it were tasked with holding off the messengers once they made it into the city. Eventually they would be forced to either retreat through the breaches they created in the barrier dome or be trapped inside when they closed.


    Jason stood at the edge of Onslow¡¯s shell looking out at the dome that spanned over the city. The barrier had already turned from clear to blue as summoned monsters attacked the entire surface of the dome. As it became increasingly stressed it started buzzing like wet power lines, even giving off a similar ozone smell. Most people wouldn¡¯t detect it, but Jason¡¯s  silver-rank olfactory senses could smell the tang of it, even from far below.


    Humphrey tilted his head, listening to a voice in his head. He was currently under two communication powers: Jason¡¯s  linking him to the team, and a gold-ranker coordinating the city defences.


    ¡°They¡¯re expecting breaches at any moment,¡± he warned. ¡°We¡¯ll be on site in only a minute or two, but we may be arriving at a fight already in progress.¡±


    ***


    Gary was picking his way along a street far closer to the centre of the city than Jason and his team. This was a part of Yaresh where buildings were made of polished metal and stone rather than living wood. The buildings were also taller, at least the ones that had more than a shattered base pointing jaggedly upward like the hilt of a broken sword.


    The street was in ruins, entire sections of building having fallen to the street. Navigating them alternately meant clambering over, skirting around or even going through them, entering through a shattered section of wall and exiting through a door or window that somehow remained intact.


    Gary was travelling with other essence users specialised in various crafts, moving closer to the great battle at the centre of the city than most adventurers. The craftspeople had little to no combat experience other than Gary, but that barely mattered. Anyone short of diamond rank who got involved in the fight between the garuda and the serpent monster would die helplessly, combat veteran or not.


    Cresting a toppled tower, Gary paused to look up. Debris was raining from the sky as titanic beings smashed apart buildings. Some of the debris was the buildings, landing on other buildings or the wide boulevards like bombs. Dust choked the air, acrid in the lungs of any low-rankers caught in it.


    The air was filled with shrill cries from the serpents and the thunderous crashes as the fight destroyed yet more of the city. Behind those irregular sounds was a sonorous hum, growing louder as the barrier endured attacks from the outside. The light filtering through the dome had become a deeper blue, lending the city around Gary the feel of an underwater ruin. He briefly thought back to the village under the lake he, Farrah and Rufus had discovered near Greenstone, shortly before they met Jason for the first time.


    He shook his head, his mane dancing around his head. He looked down at where the others were making their way over the obstruction. They may not have been fighters but they still had silver-rank strength, endurance and agility, so they needed no help. The support team of bronze-rankers with them were actual adventurers and were likewise capable.


    The only member of the group that had any trouble negotiating the terrain was Gary¡¯s summon. A ten foot tall forge golem, it was a humanoid construct of grime-black industrial metal. The glow of molten metal radiated from the joints, between the metal panels and in the eye holes that were the only features on an otherwise blank face. It was not a great climber, but Gary¡¯s almost gold-rank strength was able to haul the six ton golem with no more concern than if whatever it was on would hold it. In many cases, the golem went through, rather than over obstacles.


    Gary and the other craftspeople were all volunteers looking to help with the evacuation. Their powers were more effective than the average adventurers for dealing with widespread destruction. They could meld stone, reinforce buildings in danger of collapsing and use other techniques to extract any survivors who had become trapped. The support team of bronze-rank adventurers with them were assigned by the Adventure Society, having powers well-suited to getting the rescued civilians to safety once free from whatever had them trapped. Most had vehicle or speed powers, but the Adventure Society had even managed to spare a portal user and a healer.


    The healer was especially useful with the thick dust that tightening the lungs of the normal-rankers they found. Children were especially vulnerable, often unconscious until subjected to a healing or cleanse ability. Luckily, low-rankers were not taxing on a bronze-rank healer¡¯s mana reserves.


    The group had little time to spare. Once the messengers and their summoned monster army broke through, there would be no safe evacuation of civilians through the streets. Waiting out the rest of the attack buried where they were was a far from great option, especially for those with injuries, but the open streets would not be safe.


    It was already proving dangerous even before the dome was broken through. Twice Gary¡¯s group had encountered naga, which were people with the upper body of an elf and the lower body of a serpent. These were lesser beings created by the serpent-spawning apocalypse beast the eagle-headed garuda was fighting. Fortunately, the freshly created beings had been disoriented by their coming into being. He guessed that was why they¡¯d wandered off. One had been bronze and another silver, which Gary had easily dispatched, but he dreaded meeting a gold.


    At this point, the streets were mostly clear of civilians not in need of rescue, as they had already evacuated to the bunkers. The bunkers were designed to withstand monster attacks and the civilians had been drilled in swiftly heading to them when anything threatened to get past the walls. This usually meant monsters manifesting inside the city, but soon after the monster surge, those drills were fresh in everyone¡¯s mind. With magical assistance to organise everything, evacuating the populace into the bunkers had gone smoothly in most of the city.


    The place this wasn¡¯t true was the centre of the city. Groups like Gary¡¯s were risking extreme danger to rescue people trapped in fallen buildings or cut off by blocked streets. What should have been easy terrain had turned harsh and was getting worse by the moment as debris rained from the sky. Anything from loose rubble to the better part of entire buildings were leaving massive craters or blocking off entire streets.


    More than once, Gary had to interpose himself to shield another craftsperson, getting hammered into the ground for his trouble. After each instance he had needed a healing potion and to conjure a fresh shield. As they moved, they saw many people who had been struck down while attempting to escape.


    Gary and his group reached the next building where they sensed the auras of trapped survivors and went to work. Gary had the hammer, iron, fire and forge essences. His powers were better suited to smithing weapons than reinforcing buildings, but fortunately had experience to draw on. In the years leading up to the monster surge, Gary had spent time moving between isolated towns, helping them prepare. Not only had he supplied them with weapons but worked on reinforcing walls and other defensive infrastructure.


    The craftspeople shaped stone, reinforced structures and opened up pathways to dig out trapped people. These were people either too low-rank to escape themselves or people trapped with low-rankers. A silver-ranker pushing their own way out could easily cause a shift in debris that killed the people with them. Sadly, Gary had already encountered some who had made that mistake.


    Each situation required its own adaptation to the specific conditions, testing the creativity of the craftspeople. As they went from rescue to rescue, they discovered which approaches worked best in most circumstances, refining their use each time. A common tactic was for a tunnel into a fallen building to be stone-shaped into place. The two-piece chest plate of Gary¡¯s forge golem then opened up to spray a layer of molten metal across the surface in a surprisingly well-controlled stream. A water-user then cooled the molten metal to reinforce the tunnel.


    The silver-rank conjured metal was thin but strong, and while it would vanish along with the golem in time, it was more than enough to evacuate whoever was at the end of the new tunnel. Rough and ready construction was the order of the day at every site as jury-rigged girders and iron walls only had to hold long enough to get trapped civilians out.


    The group realised their time was up from the hum of the barrier dome.  A constant drone behind the crashes of debris and thunderous sounds of diamond-rank combatants, it had been consistently rising in pitch. Once the hum started to pulse, they knew the breach was about to happen. Gary looked up but couldn¡¯t see more than a hazy blue through the dust.


    ¡°Time to get to the bunkers ourselves,¡± he declared, his tone brooking no dissention.


    As a group they headed for the nearest bunker. It wasn¡¯t too far as the city centre had a number of them. In normal conditions, a silver-ranker on foot would reach one in minutes, if not seconds, but conditions were far from normal. The terrain was one thing, but in short order, they heard sounds in the air that were something between electrical discharges and breaking glass. They couldn¡¯t see it, but they knew the barrier had been breached.


    ***


    Jason and his team had managed to reach the sky over the entertainment district just in time to see the breach occur. The breaches were centred over the bunkers, so the team had a clear view as the barrier dome rippled like water. The rippling magic energy shifted from blue to clear as monsters pushed against it, but then suddenly pulled back.


    The summoned creatures moved aside from the other side of the dome and a messenger gathered energy over his head, arms raised. It formed an orange, red and yellow ball, glowing like a sun, the colours plain through the now-clear section of barrier. Other messengers fed streams of power into it as it slowly grew larger.


    Jason and his team watched and waited, and were far from alone in doing so. The air was not as thick with adventurers as the other side of the barrier was with monsters, but it was far from empty. Many teams hovered in the air, in vehicles and on personal flight devices. More adventurers were on the rooftops far below, waiting to protect the bunker beneath the ground.


    There was a moment of stillness on both sides of the barrier dome. It was not quiet, with the distant thunder of diamond-rank battle, but the air was thick with tension. The fireball grew larger than the messenger creating it, until it was finally unleashed.


    The flaming sphere did not rush forward, moving slowly towards the barrier dome. It struck the clear, rippling section of the barrier, which went hard like glass. It then shattered, the sound not quite like glass and with a sharp electric crash. A jagged hole appeared in the barrier, but it did absorb all the power from the fireball before breaking. Fragments of brittle magic, temporarily made solid, fell a short distance before dissolving into nothing.


    Monsters poured through the breach like pressurised water through a sudden leak. The summoned creatures were all bizarre flying entities, moving through the air and firing projectiles or swooping to the attack. A one-eyed griffin with four wings that looked freakishly like human arms dove in to the attack with lion-like forelimbs and eagle talon hind legs. A large uncut crystal, purple and floating in the air, was orbited by magic sigils carved from what looked like rubies and sapphires. The sigils conjured rings of flame and razor-sharp circles of ice that were shot at the adventurers the monsters were bearing down on.


    Like all the others, Jason¡¯s team moved forward to meet them. Humphrey and Sophie launched out of Onslow¡¯s shell, while Rufus stepped off and dropped down. Jason stepped into Shade and vanished. As soon as they were gone, a shimmering wall of air swirled around the shell. Onslow could use various elemental powers by activating the glowing runes on the segments of his shell, and as of silver-rank, Clive could enhance them. He was using ritual magic to enhance the wind shield as Belinda, dressed in a robe and pointy hat, was shooting blasts of magic from her staff and wand. Neil was taking stock of the battleground forming in the sky, saving his mana for when his team needed it.


    Along with Onslow, Belinda and Humphrey¡¯s familiars were at the ready. Stash was currently retaining his puppy form as it allowed him to stay out of the way. His task was to guard the shell and its occupants and he would shapeshift as and when needed. Belinda¡¯s astral lantern, Glimmer, was pumping out mana to the team. Given that the battle would be a long one, that would pay off more and more the longer the conflict continued. Her other familiar, Gemini, was a blurry replica of Clive. It was better at replicating abilities than before, now that it was silver rank, and shared Belinda¡¯s knack for doing more of the best thing anyone else was up to.


    The team was variously ready and waiting or already on the move. The Battle of Yaresh had begun.

 Chapter 677: Gary Goes to Work

    Breaches to the barrier were happening all across the city, but one was unlike any of the others. Seen and heard from across the city, the messenger¡¯s only diamond ranker came down through the peak of the dome like an anvil through glass. The dome being penetrated released sound that reached the outer walls and force that shattered windows for kilometres. Adventurers were avoiding the central part of the city because of the ongoing garuda battle, but even at a distance many flyers were knocked out of the sky.


    For most of the city¡¯s adventurers, the highest-level conflicts were more like a fireworks show than a battle they were participating in. Distant explosions made for a spectacular view, but getting to close held nothing but danger. Jason and his team paid minimal attention, trusting the city¡¯s own diamond-rank defenders to intercept. All they could do was hope that the city wasn¡¯t levelled in the process.


    The high-level fights were mercifully out of reach of Jason¡¯s team in the entertainment district, and they had more than enough to be going on with. Enemies gushed through the local breach like water through cracks in a dam, mostly monsters but with a solid contingent of messengers. The adventurers outnumbered the messengers, but the monsters were a countless swarm.


    No one on the field was lower than silver rank. While both sides had gold rankers, Jason was relieved to see that the adventures had a slim advantage in that regard. None of the monsters were gold rank, only messengers. His aura senses told him that the most powerful combatant was on the other side, however. Auras were far from a perfect measure of power, but Jason¡¯s instincts warned him about one of the messengers.


    It was the man who had conjured the fireball that breached the barrier. His skin was light brown and his hair dark. He wore light leather armour, but any protection at all was rare amongst the messengers, as if to admit the need was to show weakness. The man¡¯s wings were shades of brown and grey, more like a bird than an angel.


    Both sides were led by their gold rankers, although very little in the way of orders were going out. Summoned monsters swarmed down towards the adventurers defending on the ground, while the ones in the air thinned them out as best they could. The messengers sought to impede the adventurers as much as they could, with the gold-rank battles especially settling into a d¨¦tente.


    The gold-rankers of one side could swiftly decimate the other if they weren¡¯t forced to negate one another. It was a tense conflict that no smart silver-rank went anywhere near, largely taking place in the higher reaches of the battle. At the low end, the advantage of flight the summons had against many ground defenders was ameliorated by their goal. If the monsters couldn¡¯t dig down to the bunker they had failed, so they were forced to come to the defenders. The result was a massacre, although not without casualties on the side of the adventurers. No matter how many monsters fell, however, there was always more pouring down.


    Jason¡¯s team went to work, sticking to Humphrey¡¯s outlined strategy. Belinda and Clive made use of the rituals Clive had set up inside Onslow¡¯s shell that enhanced the beams and blasts coming from their magical staves and wands. Arrays of nested ritual diagrams were very hard to integrate without them interfering with one another, but Clive had spent much of the past few years perfecting the unusual practice of combat rituals.


    Clive had been well aware that while he was a utility asset to the team, he was the least member when it came to combat. He had a few support abilities and one very powerful attack spell, but he often found himself feeling more like an auxiliary member than a full one. As such, he had spent much of the time Jason was absent working to improve his combat effectiveness.


    He was never going to match Humphrey, Sophie and Jason, who were the combat mainstays. Belinda¡¯s versatility meant that she was always filling a gap, disabling enemies or making a team member even better than they already were. As for Neil, his value as healer was obvious. Clive couldn¡¯t change his powers and he was never going to be a solo combat star, so instead of trying to expend his abilities, he narrowed them.


    Clive had long used combat rituals to enhance his effectiveness, largely inspired by his acquisition of very powerful staff and wand weapons. Combat rituals were largely looked down on by adventurers and magical researchers alike, but Clive was determined to take them as far they could be taken. The result was a collections of rituals that could be nested in tight arrays, turning a largely ignorable beam attack from his staff into an attack that rivalled an essence ability.


    The result of Clive¡¯s efforts was that he and his familiar had become a turret bunker, pouring out attacks that ravaged the summoned monsters. At the same time, it was efficient enough that the barrage could be maintained for hours. Clive had mana enough to spare that he could feed extra to Onslow, resetting and enhancing the familiar¡¯s magic powers. As for any monsters that tried to assault them, Onslow¡¯s elemental powers could fend off any but the most concentrated assaults. While it took some preparation time, Clive finally felt that he could contribute to battle without absolutely needing the support of the team.


    ***


    Gary¡¯s group of craftspeople and low-rank adventurers made their way through a city that looked like it was going through the apocalypse. Thunder pealed, not from storms but from the battle of behemoths only vaguely visible through the choking dust. Stones from the size of a fist to the size of a house fell from the sky at random, meaning that the sky had to be watched at all times.


    The biggest problem facing the group was that their destination, a bunker, was the same place the messengers were targeting the breaches. The craftspeople and their adventurer support team hurried through the city, picking up straggling civilians as they went. Fortunately this didn¡¯t slow them too much as the adventurers were all chosen for their ability to hasten others. One sped up their movement speed, while another had a pack of rideable lizard familiars. One adventurer picked more civilians up and carried them telekinetically.


    It did not take long from hearing the barrier broken open before the monsters found them. Gary knew that he would not be able to shield the civilians and bronze-rankers against the summoned creatures. They were all silver-rank and he was the only real combatant, so he would need to take the fight to the monsters. The other craftspeople were of at least some help, conjuring ice barriers and water shields or raising up walls of earth. They even managed to fight back, shooting obsidian spears and other projectiles, but they were not fighters.


    Under Gary¡¯s direction, they strove to keep moving rather than secure kills. Any monster that wanted to slink back into the sky, Gary was happy to let go. The group sustained injuries and lost a couple of civilians to a monster that fired sonic blasts. That one was left struggling to fly back into the sky, weighed down with a coating of molten metal.


    Gary¡¯s senses told him that the whole city had become a war zone as adventurers, messengers and monsters clashed. Hard-hit streets became even worse as powers flew off in every direction, tearing up pavement and hammering buildings. Scattered civilians too slow or stubborn to reach a shelter were pummelled by stray magic or collapsing buildings.


    Despite losing a couple of civilians, the group was largely optimistic as they drew close to the bunker. The craftspeople had done a surprisingly good job of deterring the monsters, even if they mostly escaped alive. Gary was about to warn the group to be wary as they rounded the next corner when an aura emerged from the throng of monsters that stood out from the others.


    A messenger flew around a building and descended to float just above the ground in front of them. Gary could sense he was of the summoner type from the way his aura interacted with the monsters in the area. He was slightly taller than even Gary¡¯s height. Beautiful, with golden hair and pale skin, his sculpted body delicately draped in loose clothes of white and gold. His bare feet floated just over the flagstone street, the pristine white wings spread out behind him undulating softly. The dust that was clinging in Gary¡¯s fur and on his armour did not touch the messenger, as if afraid to soil it.


    Gary knew that the messenger being only a silver-ranker did not mean their numbers were an advantage. He was certain the summoner could call on the monsters with swiftness, and probably even boost their power. Even if he could seize the momentum before the summons were brought into play, messengers were no joke to fight alone.


    ¡°I have sensed you driving off my creatures,¡± the messenger told them, his voice a melody of the heavens. ¡°That will end here.¡±


    There was almost pity in the messenger¡¯s voice, Gary¡¯s hackles raising as the beautiful man looked down on them. The messenger looked at him and smiled, then pushed out with his aura. Despite being one man, he suppressed the silver-rank craftspeople who had never trained their auras for combat. The messenger¡¯s aura was unlike anything they had encountered, a brutal and almost physical force. Compared to delicate appearance of the messenger, his aura was that of a savage thug.


    Only Gary¡¯s aura held strong, the benefits of training with Jason. Jason¡¯s aura was even worse than this man¡¯s, with many of the same traits yet even more oppressive. Jason had been ruthless in training his companions to resist aura suppression, and none of them shirked. They all knew how dangerous auras could be.


    The others in Gary¡¯s group did not fare as well. The civilians collapsed outright, one of them going into a seizure but Gary had neither the time nor the power to help them. The bronze-rankers and the craftspeople fared about the same, the adventurers better trained while the craftspeople were stronger. They all turned pale as their auras shrank like mice under the gaze of a hawk.


    Gary¡¯s aura wasn¡¯t suppressed, but he was definitely outmatched, even when the messenger was simultaneously suppressing the others. It wavered but held, trembling under the strain. Many of the others had dropped to one or both knees under pressure that was spiritual rather than physical. Gary squared himself, planting his feet. His right hand held his hammer, the head glowing red-yellow with heat. His armour and shield did the same, glowing between plates of dark metal. His head was bare, having not conjured his helmet so as to not restrict his line of sight on the sky.


    The messenger looked at Gary with surprise, as if at a pet that had demonstrated an unexpected trick. He floated forward, stopping directly in front of Gary.


    ¡°Kneel, savage, and you shall live. Serve me, and I shall even spare these¡­ people¡­ out of respect for your value as a slave.¡±


    Gary grinned defiance through lion¡¯s teeth. What he¡¯d heard about the arrogance of messengers had proven true, as had the fact that it could lead them to make tactically unsound choices.


    ¡°You want savage?¡± he growled.


    Gary¡¯s roar hit the messenger like a cannon, the pure sonic force of it shooting the messenger back faster than the bronze-rankers could even track. The messengers smashed through the wall of the building it had come around to confront the group, while the building itself was covered in spiderweb cracks.


    ¡°Pull it out,¡± Gary snarled and the foundry golem at the rear of the group opened its chest cavity. Glowing hot chains shot out of the golem and into the hole made by the messenger entering the building. They stopped for a moment and then started pulling back rapidly.


    The only light they could see through the hole was the glow of the chains which were wrapped around something in the dark. They hauled it out with industrial inevitability as the chains went back into the chest cavity of the golem. The messenger became visible as he reached the hole, looking far less untouchable. He was caked with dust and grime now, sear marks burnt black into white wings where the chains were binding them.


    The messenger did not allow itself to just be dragged along, ignoring the sizzle from his hands as he gripped the chains. He twisted himself as he was dragged, planting his feet at the edge of the hole and hauling back against the golem. For a moment, his movement was arrested as he struggled for control.


    Gary was standing next to the chains, extending from the golem behind him. He tossed his hammer casually in the air, grabbed one of the chains and yanked, sending the messenger hurtling in his direction. Even bound the messenger¡¯s wings managed to turn his tumble in the air into a glide, but it came to an unceremonious end before he could arrest his momentum. Gary snatched his hammer out of the air and brought it down, smashing the messenger into the ground.


    The winged man¡¯s face had hit hard enough to crack a flagstone, but Gary was far from done. He grabbed a wing and flipped the messenger like a steak. He felt the beleaguered man¡¯s aura reaching for the monsters nearby and distracted him with a hammer to the face. The shield dropped from Gary¡¯s arm, pinning the messenger¡¯s chest and arms when Gary planted a foot on it. His head visible, the messenger glared up at Gary as he tried to push him off, but Gary was intractable as a mountain.


    Gary looked back at the people behind him, under his protection. His mind flashed to Farrah¡¯s death, when he could do nothing but watch helplessly as dimensional invaders killed her in front of him. He looked down at the messenger, gripped his hammer in both hands and went to work.

 Chapter 678: The lady Throwing Hurricanes at People

    Belinda was mimicking Clive, blasting at summoned monsters with her own staff and wand, but she was a pale imitation of the real thing. She could also make use of Clive¡¯s rituals, boosting her weapons to deal more damage and chain their attacks from enemy to enemy. The problem was that her weapons were not able to make as much use of the rituals as Clive¡¯s were. Her staff and wand were both quality items, but if she let the rituals overcharge them as much as Clive did his, they would swiftly break down.


    Clive¡¯s legendary-quality growth items were something he had discovered in an astral space and nothing available on the market could match them. They could take more punishment than ordinary weapons and were the crux of his combat effectiveness. Belinda didn¡¯t begrudge him such a key tool, but was feeling a little wasted as a second-rate imitation.


    Watching how the monsters were moving, she looked for fresh options. Her power set was versatile, but didn¡¯t do well when coming into direct combat without time to prepare. If she had time to study the area, rig the terrain or at least lure enemies into a favourable environment, her charlatan and trap essences were incredible assets. When the fight was open and sudden, however, her effectiveness dropped. To have a real impact she had to get opportunistic, finding the right moments to make an unexpected move.


    The monsters were pouring through the breach in the barrier dome, hundreds of metres above the ground. They immediately dropped towards their target, the bunker buried beneath the ground. Adventurers in the sky did their best to thin them out for the other adventurers at ground level, while the messengers sought to distract them, letting the monsters go through unimpeded.


    Area attacks were the most valuable asset to the adventurers, given the circumstances. This was not her team¡¯s strong point, but they did have a few powers that had taken on area effects as they ranked up. The most spectacular was Sophie¡¯s wind blades, which were usually too slow for area attacks. She tended to use them at point-blank range, being a melee fighter, but she did get the occasional chance to truly unleash. With the monsters clustered so thickly together, it was shooting fish in a barrel.


    Belinda watched as Sophie periodically shot her wind blades at the torrent of creatures descending through the sky. Her blades grew wider as they travelled, and for each enemy they hit, they triggered a secondary ring of cutting force. In normal circumstances, most silver-rank monsters had the reflexes to dodge, but with a curtain of monsters falling from the sky it was harder to miss than to hit.


    The results were incredibly destructive, but any individual power was trying to divert a river with a bucket. Only a lot more people with a lot more buckets would get the job done, and other adventuring teams were doing better jobs of widespread devastation. Team Storm Shredder was fighting nearby, demonstrating this as they made good on their name. Their core strategy was built around stacking buffs on powerful attacks, in this case electric arrows chaining from monster to monster. The result did look like a thunderstorm shredding monsters.


    Their already impressive area attack powers were given a powerful and thematic boost by the inclusion of Zara Rimaros. She might have been adopted into another family with another names, but she lived up to her former title of Hurricane Princess as she unleashed localised storms of hurricane-force wind and water. Monsters were left battered, disoriented and soaking wet, set up for an electrical blast.


    Even so, the monsters did not stop pouring in through the breach like beer from a keg. Truly clearing out the monsters would require the slow-but-extreme area attacks of affliction specialists. These were people with entire teams built around keeping them safe as their afflictions escalated in reach and power.


    Jason and Rufus both had slow-burn affliction powers, but Rufus especially used them more as a platform to set up finishing moves on individual targets. His afflictions were used to charge up powerful attacks that could take down even silver-rank enemies, if there were enough weaker enemies to load up with afflictions. One-shotting a silver-ranker was something few could manage, even assassination specialists and gold rankers. As Rufus was no assassination specialist, the setup required was slow and required a small army of enemies to afflict so he could build power up from them. Even if he met these requirements, he had to roam amongst those enemies, which was always a dangerous proposition.


    Belinda knew that Rufus was far below them, working on that at that very moment. Jason was somewhere in the middle of the enemy, starting the destructive butterfly chain that could, if it got up and running, rival some of the full-blown affliction specialists. If the butterflies weren¡¯t stopped from spreading early, they would eventually get way beyond anyone¡¯s ability to suppress.


    That would take time, though, and that was in short supply as the monsters descended towards the ground and the bunker beneath it. Immediate area attacks were what would buy the affliction specialists time. Belinda¡¯s powers were all about using them in the right context, and as she looked again at the descending monsters, that might be exactly what she needed. All she had to do was convince someone to do something very stupid.


    ¡°Hump,¡± she reached out through party chat. ¡°I¡¯m seeing a very solid opportunity to do some damage.¡±


    ¡°I take it that there¡¯s a complication.¡± Humphrey said. He sounded perfectly calm, even though Belinda saw him carve a monster in half as he spoke. ¡°I¡¯m guessing you want me to do something very stupid. Also, don¡¯t call me Hump.¡±


    ¡°You still have those floating discs I gave you, right?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°I do,¡± Humphrey said, his voice wary. ¡°I don¡¯t see how they would do you much good without them being right in amongst the monsters.¡±


    ¡°Very astute,¡± Belinda praised.


    ¡°Jason is better suited to diving in amongst the monsters,¡± Humphrey pointed out.


    ¡°Little busy,¡± Jason said, sounding strained even through voice chat.


    ¡°I could do it,¡± Sophie said as she kicked off a messenger¡¯s back to go sailing through the air. The messenger turned and fired a thick beam of energy from its hands, striking Sophie square on. That turned out to be an after-image, the beam passing through and punching a hole through a summoned monster as Sophie appeared behind the messenger again, kicking him in the head.


    ¡°You need to keep anyone from focusing on Onslow,¡± Humphrey told her. ¡°I¡¯ll do Belinda¡¯s madness run, but I¡¯ll need some extra attention, Neil.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t worry,¡± Neil assured him. ¡°I¡¯ll keep you alive.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d have preferred if you said you¡¯d keep me safe,¡± Humphrey told him.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t say safe,¡± Neil told him. ¡°You can¡¯t hold me to that.¡±


    ¡°See?¡± Belinda said. ¡°You¡¯ll be fine, probably.¡±


    There was no response for a moment.


    ¡°Did you just make a grumbling sound and then realise you couldn¡¯t figure out how to send it through voice chat?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Humphrey said unconvincingly.


    ¡°Oh, look out,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Messengers high and right.¡±


    The group¡¯s attention turned to a trio of messengers that had taken notice of the Flying shell from which adventurers were safely spitting out attacks.


    ¡°How is that fair?¡± Clive complained. ¡°Why aren¡¯t they going after they lady shooting hurricanes at people?¡±


    ¡°I think you¡¯ll find that some of them jumped her a while back,¡± Belinda said, pointing. Clive looked over to where Zara¡¯s team was fending off a half-dozen messengers.


    ¡°Oh. I guess that is fair.¡±


    Humphrey rocketed through the air to engage the three messengers moving in on Onslow¡¯s shell. Even propelled by a special attack designed for rapid air strikes, however, he still arrived after Sophie. Her first two kicks landed on their heads before they even registered her presence, a perfectly timed distraction for Humphrey¡¯s arrival. His Dive Bomb attack was a combination power, allowing him to link it with his Unstoppable Force ability and land a devastating hit. Combined with his ability to sacrifice life force to enhance his power, his massive sword blasted into all three like an explosion, sending them flying.


    Despite being robbed of the initiative, the messengers were undaunted. One of them conjured scale armour stylised like feathers that covered him head to toe. Only magic giving the rigid armour flexibility made movement possible, as ordinary armour with the same design would have left the wearer unable to move.


    The other messengers fell back behind their armoured companion, one conjuring a bow stylised like a wing. The other had feathers fly from her actual wings, turn to metal and combine to form a sword. Humphrey and Sophie ignored the defender, both teleporting behind the trio to engage the strikers. Humphrey dropped his heavy sword and conjured his lighter one, the messenger swordswoman in front of him frowning it at. Humphrey¡¯s Razor Wing Sword power created a sword that looked a lot like a messenger¡¯s wing, rendered in metal.


    Sophie and Humphrey played out a dance in the air with the messengers as they manoeuvred for position, the defender trying to reposition himself to protect the others. Humphrey, with his conjured dragon wings, was the most awkward of the group. He swiftly found the armoured messenger interposed between himself and the others. Sophie was the opposite, a leaf on the wind with her flight power, Leaf on the Wind. She harried the two strikers simultaneously, especially the archer.


    ¡°You have strength and skill,¡± the armoured messenger told Humphrey, ¡°but it will not be enough this day. Withdraw, wait out the battle, and you will live to see tomorrow.¡±


    They hovered in the air facing one another. They both had wings out, but it was magic holding them aloft, not aerodynamics.


    ¡°But if I do that,¡± Humphrey told him. ¡°Who will distract you three?¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    Sophie and Humphrey teleported away, just as a prismatic beam washed over the messengers.


    ***


    Clive stopped firing off his weapons and started gathering mana the moment Sophie warned them about the messengers.


    ¡°Set them up for a big hit, if you please.¡±


    ¡°Let us know when to get out of the way,¡± Sophie said through voice chat, already landing kicks on their heads. Jason¡¯s party chat was useful for keeping contact through loud battles and across large distances, but it was also a powerful tool for silently communicating tactics. Humphrey and Sophie held the messenger¡¯s attention while Clive charged up his strongest offensive ability.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Clive said into party chat as he looked at the system box, ¡°I am so glad to have you back.¡±


    ¡°Still busy,¡± Jason said. ¡°I hope these guys have seen my powers before, because otherwise they researched me personally.¡±


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Clive asked him.


    ¡°Yeah no worries. I just need to¨C¡±


    ¡°Jason?¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t really talk. Stitch this, you birdman-rally-looking mother fu¨C¡±


    Jason cut off his chat channel mid-sentence.


    Clive turned his attention back to the spell he was gathering mana for. It was the slowest ability in his arsenal by far, but the payoff was commensurately impressive. It was one of the unconventional powers, usually belonging to spellcasters, that offered variations of the ability to choose from with each use. At lower ranks, the void variant had been a mana-intense trump card that could kill anything at bronze-rank that would stand still long enough to charge up the spell. Now that the enemies were silver, Clive found more value in the debilitating effects of the affliction¡¯s variant.


    Although it was the early stage of the battle, Clive didn¡¯t hold back.


    Clive had a larger mana pool than normal, courtesy of a blessing from a great astral being. It had triggered a human gift evolution, turning the normal human affinity for special attacks into one for spells. Combined with his ability to accelerate mana recovery and burn health for mana, Clive was built for big, expensive spells.


    Clive warned Sophie and Humphrey at the last moment and did not wait for them before unleashing the spell. Silver-rankers had lightning reflexes and he didn¡¯t want to miss, trusting his teammates to get out of the way.


    From where he stood at the edge of Onslow¡¯s shell shelter, a prismatic beam as wide as the shell itself blasted from Clive¡¯s outstretched hands, blasting over and past the messengers. Clive had deliberately aimed to avoid any adventurers, but the beam washed through the throng of summoned monsters behind them.


    Humphrey and Sophie dove back in, pouncing on the now severely debilitated messengers, Belinda and Clive backing them up with ranged attacks.


    ***


    The two strikers fell, mostly from Humphrey¡¯s attacks. He burned life force to inflict massive spikes of damage, Neil restoring it with healing magic. It was too early in the battle for Sophie to kill quickly, not having built up her magical buffs, so she focused on preventing the withdrawal the savaged messengers were clearly attempting to make. Even so, the defender managed to escape into the summoned monsters. Sophie started to chase them but Humphrey called her back.


    ¡°We dropped two of them,¡± he told her. ¡°Keep the victory rather than chasing defeat. No good will come of diving into all those summoned monsters.¡±


    ¡°Speaking of which,¡± Belinda told him, ¡°can we get back to our conversation about you diving into all those summoned monsters?¡±

 Cgapter 679: Humphrey’s New Normal

    Clive looked over at the breach in between blasting at monsters with his staff and wand.


    ¡°They must have summoners stationed outside, sending more in as we kill these ones.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d say a lot of summoners,¡± Belinda agreed. ¡°I know their summoners can call up more than even Humphrey, but these numbers are beyond anything they told us to expect. Which means we could really use someone diving in there to help me use my power effectively.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I¡¯m going,¡± Humphrey grumbled through voice chat.


    ¡°Have you got the discs?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°Yes, I still have the discs.¡±


    ¡°Did you pack a lunch?¡±


    Humphrey¡¯s sword claimed the last head of a monster that looked like conjoined tripled carved out of marble, with thee wings at equidistant points around it¡¯s body. It didn¡¯t look like it could function, let alone fight, but it was more intelligent than most monsters and could use a handful of spells. Humphrey had charged at it through a rain of projectiles, his mana crystals absorbing some and the others blasting his armour with elemental attacks of fire, ice and lightning. Once he got within arm¡¯s reach it was a short fight.


    ¡°If you¡¯re ready, I¡¯m just going to go,¡± Humphrey told Belinda. ¡°You alright with that, Neil?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m ready,¡± Neil confirmed.


    Humphrey plunged into the torrent of monsters spilling in though the breach and dropping like a waterfall towards the ground. He cleared a path as best he could with his fire breath and swept enemies away with his massive dragon-wing sword. Neil¡¯s shields snapped into place every time they came off cooldown, but attacks still rained down on Humphrey¡¯s dragon armour.


    Neil was a skilled adventurer, but in a very different way to Sophie. He had two quick-use shields that were his most commonly deployed abilities. They were short-lived but exceptionally effective when timed correctly. Neil¡¯s skill was not demonstrated in martial or acrobatic prowess but in situational awareness, judgement and timing. Knowing when to use an ability and when to hold it for a few seconds later. Reading the fight to predict what his teammates would face. Understanding exactly what his companions could and could not endure.


    Neil¡¯s quick-shield abilities both had cooldowns of twenty seconds, with one being more tactical and the other focused entirely on protection. The tactical power, Burst Shield blasted away enemies that attacked the barrier. It could be used to give the recipient respite from attack, room to manoeuvre or the opportunity to make a counter-strike. This shield was useful as Humphrey was swarmed with enemies, but the protective shield was more critical.


    Ability: [Absorbing Shield] (Shield)


    Absorbing shield not only protected but even had some healing and recovery effects. Most importantly, repeated uses meant the short-lived shield could be used on closer and closer intervals. The counterbalance to this was the high mana cost, which could rapidly stack up with sequential uses.


    Belinda and Clive¡¯s auras both reduced the mana cost of the team¡¯s abilities, and Clive¡¯s replenished mana at the same time. Even so, Neil was swiftly burning through mana as he cast Absorbing Shield over and over.


    ¡°Clive,¡± Neil said as he threw the absorbing shield on Humphrey again. He could barely see Humphrey through the throng of monsters to put the shield up. ¡°Humphrey is taking a pounding out there and I¡¯m going through a lot of mana to keep him up. I¡¯m going to need a tide.¡±


    ¡°If I use Mana Tide now, that¡¯s it for the fight unless Belinda uses her reset on it.¡±


    ¡°If I don¡¯t get some more mana,¡± Neil told him, ¡°that¡¯s it for Humphrey.¡±


    ¡°Alright,¡± Clive agreed, pausing from his attacks to cast a spell.


    ¡°Let the astral tides bestow their bounty on the chosen.¡±


    Ability: [Mana Tide] (Balance)


    Mana started trickling into the team, over a widespread enough area that even Jason as Rufus were affected. The trickle grew swiftly as the dimensional membrane between the universe and the astral was still thin and patchy following the monster surge.


    Neil continued tossing Absorbing Shields on Humphrey, finding that they were lasting longer than they should. Mana Tide caused abilities to be impacted by the environment, such as ice spells being stronger in the cold or fire spells stronger in the desert. To Neil¡¯s delight, the city barrier, throwing off loose energy from where it was breached, seemed to be boosting his shields.


    The rest of the teams started opening up with their strongest abilities, so as not to waste the extra mana. Belinda was waiting for her opportunity, which came as Humphrey emerged from amongst the monsters, job done. He crash-landed inside the shell, bloody and bedraggled despite Neil¡¯s best efforts. His rigid dragon-scale armour was shredded, draping off him like rags. It was clear that he had been chum in the water to that many monsters without the elusiveness of Sophie, Rufus or Jason.


    What Humphrey had been doing amongst the monsters was deploying small discs, looping through the horde and leaving them behind like breadcrumbs. The palm-sized objects were unremarkable, with barely enough magic to float in place. Humphrey had left a trail of them behind, and while a handful were destroyed by the monsters, most were ignored. The orders of their summoners to reach the ground and dig through to the bunker were more important than a few small, unthreatening devices.


    As Neil healed Humphrey, who was conjuring a fresh set of armour, Belinda¡¯s attention was on the discs. She had crafted them personally with cheap and easy magic, looking for something unremarkable and inexpensive as she wouldn¡¯t be getting them back.


    Very expensive was the looking glass that allowed her to spy on her discs from a moderate distance and, more importantly, allow her to use her abilities on them. It was a simple device, the range was fairly short and only worked on two of her abilities. Even so, the price for devices that would break the line-of-sight limit that most abilities had was always a costly proposition, and in more ways than one. Such items required an intrinsic link to the user, meaning that if someone hostile got a hold of them, they had grasped a dangerous vulnerability.


    The looking glass wasn¡¯t actually glass but a hoop of moon silver, threaded with sun gold. The image that appeared as she activated it was an illusion it produced of the closest disc. Extending her power through the hoop, Belinda used her Lightning Tether power. A rod rose up from the disc and an arc of electricity jumped to the nearest monster. The arc stayed in place as another arc jumped from that monster to another, repeating in a chain until seven monsters were linked.


    The nature of the power was to inflict very little damage close to the rod, little more than a static shock. The further the targets moved from the rod, however, the larger the damage from the lightning arcs linking them together. Further, the arcs would fire off electricity at other nearby enemies. Given that the monsters were hurtling towards the ground at breakneck speed, the damage swiftly became immense. As myriad arcs of electricity crackled and seared through the monsters, from the outside, it looked like a waterfall of lighting.


    Such a spectacular display quickly drew attention. The monsters avoided the lightning and the rod to which it was tethered, although they were so tightly packed there was only so far they could go. The messengers did not avoid it, recognising it as a threat. One of them acted to put a stop to the ability, shooting a razor-sharp feather from a safe distance. Weaving through the monsters, the feather struck the lightning rod, which immediately detonated in an explosion of electricity and force. Even having given the rod distance, the radius was large enough that many monsters were severely burned. There were no immediate fatalities, but some lost the ability to fly, be it through scorched wings or electrical paralysis.


    Belinda shifted her looking glass to another disc and called up another rod.


    ***


    Belinda went through all the discs left by Humphrey that hadn¡¯t been taken out by monsters before she got to them. By the time she was done, the team had once again drawn the attention of the messengers. They had been left alone for a time after killing two and driving off a third, but after Belinda¡¯s lightning waterfalls, their interest was renewed. Fortunately, they were mostly still focused on the big areas attackers like Zara and some of the local guild teams. The most they did, for the moment, was redirect more of the monsters to attack the team. It was only a tiny fragment of the numbers still continuing down, but it was enough to put the team under real pressure.


    Humphrey had fully recovered, while Belinda worked her magic. With a few healing spells, freshly conjured armour and a quick splash of crystal wash, he was once again looking like the imposing team leader. After getting tossed around by the monsters when he went to them, he was looking to even the score now that they were coming to him. He was going to show them what he could really do, force more messengers to show up themselves and then kill them too.


    Humphrey flew around on his conjured wings, the mana drain of doing so reduced by one of the many expensive items he possessed. One of the benefits of coming from a wealthy and connected adventuring family was the ability to source the perfect items, making him the best-geared member of the team. He used his connections to help the others, but nothing could match the efforts Danielle Geller spent on equipping her children.


    Humphrey had struggled on first reaching silver rank. At iron and bronze, the power of his attacks was overwhelming, butchering all but the sturdiest of monsters in a few blows. His strongest attacks could wipe out multiple targets at once. Silver rank was the threshold at which the resilience of bodies, especially those of monsters, outstripped even the strongest of attacks. One hit kills became a thing of the past and Humphrey had needed to shirk some bad habits.


    It was a lifetime of training, plus his dedication and experience that helped him push past his initial problems and find his new normal at silver rank. He did so by taking the opposite approach to the rest of his team which, as a whole, specialised in fighting the least common and most exotic enemies. Humphrey doubled-down on his role as the team¡¯s anchor, bringing a conventional speed and power approach that was a foundation for many of the team¡¯s strategies.


    Adventuring at silver rank was a different proposition than what came before. Many adventurers in high-magic zones never saw an unsupervised contract before silver-rank. Most monster encounters fell into three categories, being swarms of weaker monsters, packs of balanced monsters, and the most powerful monsters, spawning alone or in pairs.


    At lower ranks, the powerful monsters were the most dangerous, with the strongest bronze-rank monsters outstripping many of the weaker silvers. The difference only really mattered to bronze-rank adventurers who had to be wary of the damage reduction and resistance bonuses that came with rank disparity.


    At silver-rank, the solitary monsters were no longer the key threat. With even weak monsters being startlingly resilient, the standard shifted away from the once invincible attacks that had cleared out monsters like sweeping a dirty floor. A good team could leverage their numbers to gang up on one or two targets effectively, or use superior strength to clear out weaker monsters, even if they were tougher than before. Although their team makeup was rather unusual, Humphrey and his team were not so bizarre as to escape that dynamic.


    The most dangerous monsters then, were those too numerous to gang up on, yet too tough to be handled quickly. This was the dynamic that Humphrey had prepared himself for. He might not slay every monster with a single sweep of his sword anymore, but he still hit harder than most adventurers, and could move around quickly while doing it. With potent, unrelenting attacks, supplemented by a moderate amount of area damage, he was a square peg in a square hole when it came to the most common and dangerous of monsters.


    Humphrey was perfectly suited to the level of power displayed by the monsters summoned by the messengers. The messengers used middle-ground monsters exclusively, but had somehow managed them in massive numbers, making it the worst of all worlds. With extra monsters now focused on Onslow¡¯s shell as the team¡¯s primary platform, Humphrey got busy.

 Chapter 680: Not Enough Monsters to Fight

    For Humphrey and his team, the fight had reached a new peak of intensity. After Belinda¡¯s wide-scale destruction using her lightning tether, the messengers had sent a storm of summoned monsters to assault Onslow¡¯s tortoiseshell mini-fortress. Rather than being placed on the defensive, however, they were taking the fight to the enemy. Clive¡¯s Mana Tide spell had the team operating above and beyond their normal levels, giving them the mana to throw everything they had at the enemy.


    Humphrey cut a spectacular figure, hurling himself at the monsters while spraying out dragon breath. He dashed through the air, unloading blow after blow from his humungous dragon wing sword, spinning like a top as his Unstoppable Force attack carved troughs through the bodies of the monsters that dove in to surround him.


    Once his mainstay attack, Unstoppable Force could no longer one-shot monsters the way it did at low ranks, but it still excelled when many monsters fell within reach. Not only did it blast concussive force out with every hit, extending the reach of the attack, but the cooldown was reduced for every enemy struck. With monsters all around, he was able to burn through mana and stamina firing it off again and again.


    The monsters quickly learned that being too close to Humphrey was a good way to get their faces carved off, or whatever the bizarre creatures had instead of a face. Their overeagerness to box him in waned and they dropped back to make ranged attacks, forcing him to engage only a couple of them at a time.


    Humphrey was unperturbed. Humans were masters of special attacks and Humphrey was a variety of them for every situation. Rising to the fore in his repertoire was an attack that had gone largely overlooked when his rank was lower and he monsters weaker. Relentless Assault had no cooldown and increased in damage every time it was used in quick succession. This let Humphrey chop his way through monsters like a lumberjack felling a tree before using a dash attack or teleport to keep his sequence going with the next monster.


    There were so many monsters in the air that Humphrey had no trouble maintaining his attack sequence. As the special attack reached certain thresholds, it started adding resonating and disruptive force to his blows, smashing apart armour and magical shields respectively. As the messenger¡¯s strange summons often had one or both, it made Humphrey all the more effective.


    His Relentless Assault escalated in power beyond anything he had seen before as he went through monster after monster. It started landing with explosive force, eliminating summons in just a handful of hits. There was a commensurate cost, however, as the ability came with a stamina cost, rather than mana. The more he used it, the faster Humphrey exhausted himself. This was where one of Humphrey¡¯s human gifts came into play.


    Ability: [Magic Warrior]


    Humans were unique amongst essence-using species in that none of their inherent abilities did anything without essences. Where every leonid was strong and every elf graceful, humans got nothing until they absorbed an essence. The most representative power humans had were four blank powers, called essence gifts, that would evolve automatically, one-by-one as essences were claimed.


    That Humphrey, on absorbing the magic essence, gained a power that would let him throw everything he had into his endeavours before he dropped surprised absolutely no one. The ability to use mana and stamina interchangeably meant that he could keep throwing out powers when the mana or stamina to fuel them was depleted, until he had absolutely nothing left.


    Relentless assault was growing more expensive with every strike, the stamina cost growing and growing. But so long as Clive¡¯s Mana Tide lasted, so would Humphrey.


    ***


    Marek Nior Vargas was the messenger leading the breach force over what the people of Yaresh called the entertainment district. It was no surprise that the inferior species would dedicate so much time and resources to pointless frivolity. He was happy enough to be the one to make an example of the base creatures, quivering underground like rodents, even if he did not care for the operation as a whole.


    There was little to be gained in making the attack on the city, whatever the Voice of the Will, Jes Fin Kaal, might say about morale. He had seen over and again that, when pushed, even the least of sapient species would push back. Only a prolonged, inter-generational oppression could truly break a people, which Marek had seen for himself over and again. So had Kaal, so he knew that her assertions were a lie.


    Marek was not above participating in politics, if only to protect himself. He detested the ambitions that led to political games. They, in turn, led to internecine sniping that only served to weaken the messengers as a whole. As a realist, Marek recognised that most messengers gave little more than lip service to serving their kind as a whole. They were obsessed with standing at the top as individuals, rather than standing together as a people. This was as true of the least silver-ranker all the way up to astral kings.


    It was hard to blame them. Every doctrine the messengers held told them that they were superior simply by existing, so what did they have left to overcome but one another? Marek was not so foolish as to accept the indoctrination, however. He had seen much, from messengers stricken with fear to members of the servant races as powerful as any messenger. This man Asano was just another example, wherever he was.


    Marek was high above the city, just below the barrier dome. He and his fellow gold-rankers clashed with their adventurer counterparts, reaching a stalemate for the moment. Marek was fine with this state of affairs, as his priority was not the success of their objective. He was not going to sabotage the directives he was given, but neither would he take any undue risk to see it done. Ending the raid with minimal messenger casualties took precedence over killing a few livestock in a hole.


    His fellow gold-rankers were smart enough to know the city was not worth their lives and acted with appropriate caution. The silver-rankers, on the other hand, needed to be reined-in. Seeking glory and caught up in ideas of their own invincibility, some of them had already fallen. Despite his directives that they take no risks, many had overreached when sent to impede any adventurers too effective at thinning out the monsters.


    Marek¡¯s attention was drawn to one particular group. They were far from the most effective at slaying monsters, although that trick with the lighting tethers had earned Marek¡¯s approval. He appreciated a power used well over one that was mindlessly strong, and unlike many messengers, could respect a capable enemy. They had already killed a couple of messengers that had gone after them, gaining Marek¡¯s attention. The survivor of that sortie had raved when forbidden from gathering more messengers and attacking again.


    Marek judged that the group was more of a threat to individual messengers than the monster horde. Even after the trick with the lightning, he did no more than send additional monsters to harass them. Clearly they had skill, but without the ability to produce regular attacks on the scale of the lightning, their threat to the operation was limited. The girl throwing around miniature hurricanes was much more of a problem, which is why he had sent one of his more reliable teams to harass her. It didn¡¯t matter if they failed to secured the kill, so long as she wasn¡¯t rampantly tearing apart their summoned forces.


    Another concern was someone even Marek had a hard time pinning down. Operating amongst the monsters, what he presumed to be an adventurer was moving through their forces with seeming impunity. His aura was hard to sense even for Marek, but the glimpses he caught confirmed it was silver-rank, and highly unusual for an essence user. He suspected this was the man Asano that Jes Fin Kaal was interested in, but Marek did not care. Until it was confirmed and he was forced to act by order, he would not take action personally.


    What he did do was send some messengers to contain the man. He had somehow gained the disturbing ability to produce Harbingers of Doom, the cataclysmic butterflies that should definitely not be found on a world like this. The fact that a cosmic weapon was not only being used in an isolated universe and at such a low rank was further evidence that the man was Asano.


    Marek was not going to check unless he absolutely had to. He deployed a few messengers to keep things in under control, as the butterflies were not dangerous if caught early. He again sent some of his more reliable people, however, for if the butterflies were allowed to propagate, it would spell doom for the operation. He knew from experience that if not stopped quickly and thoroughly, they would eventually spread faster than the summoners could reproduce the destroyed monsters.


    He passed his attention over the area, seeing a dangerous spread of afflictions, but nothing that couldn¡¯t be absorbed. So long as the butterflies were contained, he need pay it no more mind for the moment. He returned his attention to the group centred on a flying tortoise shell, considering if they were worth more attention after all. He could sense some manner of ability drawing magic through the dimensional membrane, fuelling an escalation in their battle that was overwhelming the additional monsters he had sent. Out of curiosity, he directed even more monsters their way to see how they performed.


    ***


    As the most straightforward team member, Humphrey was easy to overlook. Jason, Clive, Belinda and Sophie were all various levels of unconventional, while Humphrey was a textbook brawler. But as a fresh wave of monsters broke off from the main force to assault Onslow¡¯s shell, he took centre stage. The monsters were numerous, but he was no longer alone amongst the horde. He was also no longer relying on his own power alone.


    With the support of the team, Humphrey became an engine of monster annihilation. Buffs turned his special attacks from weapons into ordnance. Neil¡¯s shields, themselves boosted by Clive¡¯s Mana Tide spell, meant Humphrey¡¯s armour was not under constant barrage. He also had a mantle of glowing runes, courtesy of Clive, but the most important boosts came from the stacked aura powers.


    Humphrey¡¯s own aura boosted his power and spirit attributes. Belinda and Clive boosted mana recovery, reduced ability costs and reduced cooldowns. Neil¡¯s caused enemies to drop floating spheres of life force and mana that anyone in the team could absorb, while Sophie¡¯s power enhanced other forms of mana and stamina recovery, boosting what the others offered. On top of all this was Clive¡¯s Mana Tide, increasing mana recovery with each passing minute.


    Humphrey¡¯s items further reduced the cost of his powers, meaning that Humphrey¡¯s powers cost far less than the baseline while his resources to spend on them were overflowing. Humphrey had the chance to do something he had never been able to do before: go completely wild. No cooldown management, no mana management; throwing out special attacks as fast as he could swing his sword.


    The Relentless Assault ability proved more and more aptly named. He blasted his Fire Breath power without pausing, his sword still swinging as flames poured from his mouth. He used other special attacks like Flying Leap and Dive Bomb to move between monsters, but these were combination attacks. He was able to link them to his Relentless Assault, the sequence never stopping.


    The rest of the team also opened the taps to full, making the most of the deluge of mana. Sophie has the least advantage as she already had enough mana efficiency that she couldn¡¯t empty her mana pool if she tried. Try she did, however, almost impossible to see as she flickered through the sky like a wind spirit. She was growing stronger as the fight wore on but, for the moment, focused on preventing monsters from overrunning Humphrey or Onslow¡¯s shell. Clive and Belinda focused on finishing off monsters left in Humphrey¡¯s wake, so as to save Humphrey from needing to slow down for cleanup.


    Clive overcharged his combat rituals, pushing the limits of what even his exceptional weapons could handle. He shot down stragglers while Belinda cleared any that reached Onslow¡¯s shell in fighting shape. She made excellent use of her Force tether and Lighting Tether powers, while also shooting off her staff and wand, interspersing those attacks with attacks she stole from the summons using her Power Thief ability.


    Clive fired off his prismatic Wrath of the Magister spell, which Belinda copied with her Mirror Magic ability. At silver rank she could even use the copied spell twice, then reset Clive¡¯s cooldown with Blessing of Readiness. He cast it again as she used her magic tattoo to reset Mirror Magic. They cast their spells again, turning what should have been a single spell with extreme power but a long cooldown into six geysers of rainbow annihilation. With so many monsters, it once again demonstrated that the team could output periodic area damage, and at far greater power levels than normal widespread attacks.


    The final piece of their combat puzzle was one of Neil¡¯s powers. The unflashy healer had one very flashy ability called Reels of Fortune. Intensely mana hungry, it conjured a set of intangible slot reels that rolled every time he fed it enough mana, the results being random. At silver rank, there was a second set of reels and the results could potentially be much stronger, although the chance for dud rolls remained.


    With more mana than he could ordinarily spend, Neil dumped it into the reels over and over. Some rolls were just wasted mana for no effect, while others ranged from moderate team buffs to chain lightning that dashed through the monsters, striking them dead with every stroke. Then Neil finally rolled a jackpot.


    Reel of Fortune: Jackpot


    Neil goggled at the system window for a moment, even as he instinctual understanding of the spell confirmed what was written. This was a result he had yet to see from the reels, one of the new results possible at silver rank. As for the spell to choose, he didn¡¯t consider anything but one. He made his choice, not even needing to cast the spell. The entire team then had system windows pop up.


    There were not enough monsters to fight. The waves sent their way had been thoroughly disposed of, many of the team¡¯s attacks taking out parts of the main horde as collateral. Humphrey didn¡¯t wait for more to arrive, plunging into the torrent of monsters still streaming through the breach. The rest of the team, centred or inside Onslow¡¯s shell, followed along.

 Chapter 681: The Difference in Conviction

    Humphrey¡¯s second foray into the main force of the summons was markedly different from the first. His Relentless Assault attack has reached such levels of power that his silver-rank sword was breaking apart every dozen or so strikes, the forces passing through it too much for it to endure. It didn¡¯t stop Humphrey as he didn¡¯t miss a beat, conjuring the sword anew each time and continuing his assault. Every swing of his blade left a monster debilitated or dead, the toughest finding half their body turned into scattered chunks. The weaker ones were reduced to a fine mist, drifting on the air.


    While Humphrey was revelling in a level of power he had never imagined, he was fully cognizant that it was a fleeting moment, one that would pass sooner rather than later. Clive¡¯s Mana Tide had reached peak output as the spell¡¯s duration drew close to the end, while Neil¡¯s buff was not a long-term one, even with the duration extended. Most of all, Humphrey had maintained his Relentless Assault to the point that even with multiple significant mana sources and an expanded mana pool, it was becoming too expensive to sustain.


    With each swing, a noticeable chunk of his mana pool was emptied. It was like nothing Humphrey had even experienced and he was feeling the strain. Something deeper than exhaustion of his stamina and mana, the meridians that were the pathways of magic in his body were becoming strained. Jason had an affliction that replicated this, making abilities more costly to use, but this was no attack. Humphrey had just overextended the magical matrix, the underlying framework that was the core of his body. All he needed was a good rest, but he wasn¡¯t ready to rest yet.


    There was also something else, that Humphrey had heard of but never seen. There was so much power piled up on him, from potent boons to a constant influx of shields and healing. Most of all, it was Humphrey¡¯s attack. The build-up power was thankfully centred on the sword Humphrey kept swapping out because, like his swords, Humphrey was silver-rank. Even his tenuous connection to the magic of the attack, just enough to guide it, was leaving him shaky. If he was the main conduit, rather than the weapon, that much power would break him down. And unlike his sword, his body couldn¡¯t just be conjured fresh. That was more Jason¡¯s area.


    The accumulated power of Humphrey¡¯s special attack had started to feel unstable to the point that others were notice more than just mow much power it had built up.


    ¡°Humphrey,¡± Clive warned through voice chat, although the signal was patchy with so much magic around them. ¡°If the magic comes close to triggering a backlash, just let it go. Silver-rank magic becomes extremely volatile if it reaches gold-rank and might do something?¡±


    ¡°Something?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s magic,¡± Clive told her. ¡°It¡¯s inherently unpredictable. People like me work very hard to take small parts of it and make them predictable.¡±


    ¡°Tell that to Jason¡¯s aura,¡± Neil said. ¡°Humphrey¡¯s like the Jason¡¯s  aura of hitting people right now.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making my point,¡± Clive. ¡°Look at how wrecked Jason always ends up after one of his stunts. Do you want to be lying around for three months? Do want to die? Because that¡¯s kind of his thing, and not all of us come back from the dead recreationally.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a hobby,¡± Jason complained through voice chat. ¡°That¡¯s just something I tell people.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were busy,¡± Belinda said to him.


    ¡°I am, but I still have time to defend my¡­crap, no I don¡¯t.¡±


    He started yelling through voice chat.


    ¡°Stop eye-beaming my butterflies, you messenger prick! I¡¯m going tear your head off, shove it up the other end and watch you eyebeam your own insides! Then I¡¯m going to drag you over to that monster with the one antler sticking out of it¡¯s forehead and¡­ wait, is that an antler? That can¡¯t be a¡­ oh, that isn¡¯t right. That is not right. Who summoned that? There might be kids watching this battle, you depraved pricks! Humphrey, this monster has a big, multi-pronged¨C¡±


    Humphrey muted the chat channel with a thought as he kept fighting.


    Sophie, like Humphrey, was deep inside the monster torrent. After the lengthy fighting they¡¯d done, she had finally built up enough power to be a genuine threat, while being even more elusive and harder to kill then ever. She was no match for Humphrey¡¯s power, but at that stage there was no match for Humphrey¡¯s power at silver-rank.


    She was pinballing between messengers, trying to disrupt them from controlling the summons. If she could break their concentration enough, it would buy the defenders much-needed time to thin the monsters out.


    Neil, Belinda and Clive were still in Onslow¡¯s shell, floating around the outer edge of the horde. Belinda had conjured a massive, flat metal plate, hooked onto the underside of Onslow¡¯s shell. She had then cast her Pit of the Reaper ability on it, facing down. The ability created a pit that was not a hole but a dimensional space, which could be placed on anything roughly level, even the surface of still water. Belinda¡¯s custom-conjured plate was a purpose-built surface, sized just right. Shadowy tentacles reached from the pit like a nightmare kraken, snatching anyone or anything that got to close to Onslow¡¯s shell and wasn¡¯t part of the team. The monsters quickly realised that too close was a significant radius as many of them were dragged into the darkness of the pit. Despite it being upside down, nothing dragged in fell back out, only tentacles re-emerging in search of fresh meat.


    The rest of the team were far from idle. Neil was concentrating on Humphrey who, despite being so powerful Clive was worried he would explode, was still being hammered by monsters. He was throwing out shields and healing as fast as he could while dumping mana into his Reels of Fortune as fast as they would take it, trying not to waste the mana coming in from Clive¡¯s spell. He knew that once the Mana Tide was over, he would miss the near-infinite stream it had become.


    Belinda¡¯s tentacle pit snatched monsters out of the sky and dragged them into the void where they suffered massive necrotic damage. Each time the duration ended, the pit spat out whatever was left of the monsters that had been dragged in. Some two thirds survived, at least until she cast the spell again and they were drawn back inside.


    Even with the fake death kraken plucking monsters out of the sky, the sheer density of monsters meant that Onslow¡¯s shell came under constant barrage. Clive had used ritual magic to enhance the wind barrier surrounding the shell and powers launched from the glowing runes marked on it. Each one launched fire, lightning, a hailstorm or some other elemental power, the runes fading as each was expended to produce an attack. Clive constantly restored them with his own overflowing mana, allowing Onslow to keep up the barrage.


    Belinda didn¡¯t just use her Pit of the Reaper spell, which she had no need to supervise. She used her two tether powers on the top of Onslow¡¯s shell, leaving the enemy with an unpleasant situation. Force Tether dragged enemies towards it, dealing damage to any that resisted. Those that managed to overcome it¡¯s strength suffered the damage of that, along with an unhealthy dose of electricity from the Lightning Tether. Anyone who did escape took increasingly more severe electrical burns, the further they got from the tether rods planted on the shell.


    Staying on the shell was not a valid option either, as that left them as sitting ducks for the dark tentacles looking to drag them into the pit. The monsters tried destroying the rods anchoring the tethers, which exploded with startling force. That was enough to inflict massive harm, and Belinda immediately created fresh tethers.


    As for Belinda¡¯s familiars, her lantern had returned to her eyes, allowing Belinda to fire eyebeams at stray monsters between copying Clive¡¯s Wrath of the Magister spell, restoring her detonated tether rods or refreshing the Pit of the Reaper. Any gap periods she filled by simultaneously blasting bolts of force from her wand and beams from her staff and eyes.


    Her echo spirit was also mimicking Clive¡¯s Wrath of the Magister. Unlike Belinda¡¯s copy, however, the familiar¡¯s version was more illusion than reality. It did inflict a respectable amount of force damage, but nothing compared to the real thing with its massive damage and debilitating effects. It looked real enough, though, even to magical senses. That force monsters and messengers alike to scatter out of it¡¯s way.


    Stash also moved into action, doing his best impression of Sophie. This meant imitating her speed by turning into a flitter drake which looked like something between a lizard and a hummingbird. It somehow took the worst aesthetic elements of both, turning into a grotesquery that somehow managed to look too small and too large at the same time. It had not endeared Stash to Sophie when he first used the form, explaining that it was the way he could be most like her.


    The ugly form was hard to make out, however, as Stash did indeed move through the battlefield in a blur. He specifically went after the monsters that managed to avoid Belinda¡¯s defensive measures as they continued to harass Onslow¡¯s shell with attacks.


    ***


    The messenger, Marek Nior Vargas, absently blocked a projectile fired by a gold rank adventurer with his wing. His attention on the adventurer that had dived deep into the monster horde for the second time. He had grabbed Marek¡¯s interest the first time because the move had made no apparent sense. The man had escaped, a worthy enough feat, although the attempt had unsurprisingly left him beaten and bloodied, for what seemed like no result. Marek¡¯s confusion had lasted until the lines of lightning had started raining down into the horde, originating from points along the path the man had taken.


    Marek did not fear a fool who overestimated himself and learned a brutal lesson. But a man with the conviction to take that kind of beating because who knew it was worth the risk was another prospect entirely. The conviction to get things done, and the wisdom to make sure the things getting done were the right, was something that Marek feared.


    He had no interest in the attack on the city and whatever schemes the Voice of the Will was using it to enact. The people defending the city, by contrast, could not have cared more; to retreat was to abandon their homes and their families. Marek had seen time and again the flame that lit inside people, and how that flame became a forge producing heroes and martyrs. The difference in conviction could easily be the deciding factor in the battle.


    Marek was confident in his superiority over the servant races here, but he knew that passion and commitment could close that gap in the face of Marek¡¯s disinterest. If the defenders of Yaresh started throwing themselves at the enemy with truly reckless abandon, the tenor of the battle would change. Those willing to accept casualties for victory had a grim but powerful advantage, even if any victory they earned became a pyrrhic one.


    Seeing the man plunge back into the descending torrent of monsters once again had Marek concerned. Strategic decisions were all well and good, but if the enemy was willing to go to lengths that he was not, then his part of the raid could be brought undone. Marek might not care about the success of his part in the mission, but neither would he ignore a threat. Marek focused his attention more directly onto the man and immediately realised that a threat was exactly who and what he was.


    The sheer number and power of magical effects on the man had surpassed silver-rank power levels, to the point of bordering on outright volatile. It was rare for that kind of power escalation, but Marek had seen it a number of times. The result ended up going one of two ways.


    If the magic got out of control, the results would annihilate a goodly part of the horde of summons, given the man¡¯s location within it. Of course, the man himself would die with them, but that might even be his purpose. But if he held on, any silver-ranker wielding that kind of power would be something to behold.


    Marek looked on in wonder as he tore through the summons like a wildfire through dry grass. That his fellow messengers could see that display and remain convinced of their inherent superiority amazed him. Standing above all others took work. No one just stumbled arse-backward into the kind of power that let them stand at the peak of the cosmos.


    Elsewhere in the battlefield, Jason sneezed.

 Chapter 682: Something to Turn the Tide

    Jason sneezed.


    Jason was standing on the corpse of a monster as it fell through the sky, using shadow arms to hold himself in place. Shade and Gordon were flying next to him as he rode the monster downward, away from a spear-wielding messenger flying above.


    ¡°Mr Asano, did you just sneeze?¡± Shade asked.


    ¡°I did. That¡¯s weird, right?¡±


    ¡°Given that you do not have sinuses, I would say yes.¡±


    ¡°Maybe someone is talking about me.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t see the relevance.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you sneeze when someone is talking about you.¡±


    ¡°That does not sound likely.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a thing.¡±


    ¡°I do not believe that it is a thing.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s totally a thi¨C¡±


    Jason shadow-jumped using his cloak, leaving it behind as a spear made of fused-together teeth passed through it, having been thrown by the messenger. She was rocketing down headfirst, wings back and tight to avoid drag, another spear appearing in her hand as she conjured a fresh one.


    A Shade body emerged from a small shadow cast on her body by her arm. Jason jumped out of Shade¡¯s body, conjuring a new cloak around him. Shadow arms shot out of it to grab the messenger and drag Jason down to slam his feet into her back. He pushed his feet in hard as he grabbed her wings and hauled back on them, yanking her body into an arch.


    The messenger went from a controlled dive to an uncontrolled plunge. It was a peculiarity of messengers, Jason had discovered, that damaging or constricting a messenger¡¯s wings impeded their ability to fly. This had surprised him as he had always assumed that their wings were unrelated to actual flight. He didn¡¯t know much about aerodynamics, but he knew an eight foot woman with bird wings was not going to fly around without a good lot of magic. Their flight magic was apparently seated in their wings, however, and he was appreciative of the weakness.


    With the messenger¡¯s ability to fly curtailed, they were heading for the ground at a rapid pace. Jason continued to pull on her wings while pushing his feet into her back, holding her in place. She reached back and grabbed his ankles, but lacked the leverage to dislodge him. Bone spikes shot out of her fingertips and dug into his legs, which he ignored.


    Numerous shadow arms coming from Jason help him maintain his position, mounted on her back like a sky surfer. One arm held his conjured dagger, making rapid, shallow stabs like a sewing machine. As the dagger loaded her up with special attacks, Jason chanted a spell.


    ¡°Bear the mark of your transgressions.¡±


    A small amount of transcendent damage seared a brand onto her face, making her yell all the louder. Jason cast another spell.


    ¡°Your fate is to suffer.¡±


    ¡°GET OFF ME YOU FILTH!¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯d warned me you were attacking the city,¡± Jason shouted over the rush of air as they fell, ¡°I would have had time for a bath. That¡¯s on you.¡±


    She had dropped the conjured tooth spear to grab at his legs, the lengthy weapon having no good angle. When stabbing his legs accomplished nothing, she let them go and conjured a new weapon. This one was a giant blade made from jagged, yellowing bone. It was a vastly oversized sickle with a deeply curved hook; the tip was covered in sharp, irregular barbs. The messenger was holding it so the point was aiming back at herself. It was sized just right to swing at her back and the man perched upon it.


    ¡°Lady, has anyone ever told you that your powers seem kind of evil?¡±


    ¡°DIE!¡±


    She swung the sickle back over her head to stab at Jason with pinpoint accuracy. The viciously barbed tip looked like it passed though Jason, as if he were a ghost. In reality, a combination of a subtle back-sway and his cloak bending space meant it passed through the air in front of him, jabbing into the messenger¡¯s own back. She screamed, more rage than pain, and the weapon vanished.


    ¡°You realise that was a terrible plan, right?¡±


    Jason felt a mass of power building inside the messenger but he wasn¡¯t quick enough to escape before bone spikes erupted from every part of her body. They tore through her flesh and thin, practical clothing to jab in every direction. Jason was impaled dozens of times by thin bone spikes that broke off inside him as he moved, the fragments crawling through his body like worms.


    ¡°I already have worms for that, you hag,¡± Jason said through gritted teeth. The messenger didn¡¯t respond, having gone limp. Her aura had also greatly diminished and Jason realised that the attack took large amounts of her reserves. After madly chasing Jason around the entire battle, her body wasn¡¯t up to the expenditure when it was being ravaged by Jason¡¯s afflictions already. He suspected the main culprit was his Tainted Meridians affliction, which forcibly raised mana costs. It made the massive attack consume even more mana than the messenger had realised and she passed out from mana exhaustion.


    Jason forcibly pushed himself off the spikes, more of them breaking off in the process. He used his cloak to float, letting the unconscious messenger drop. He knew she would likely wake before hitting the ground, even if there was only a short drop left. Messengers recovered even faster than adventurers, so she would¨C


    Jason watched her crash into the ground, limbs in that awkward sprawl of a thing that wasn¡¯t alive anymore.


    ¡°Huh.¡±


    ***


    Valk Vohl was far from a stand-up citizen of Yaresh, but there was a difference between being a criminal and not standing up when angels and their strange pet monsters invaded. Not when he could fight. He was no adventurer, but he¡¯d done his part during the monster surge and he was doing it again now. He was back to back with some adventurer whose name he¡¯d forgotten, controlling what looked like a giant stick figure made of swords as it swung its arms at the monsters.


    It wasn¡¯t enough. The monsters kept pouring out of the sky, no matter how many they killed, and they were close to the point of being overwhelmed. He and the adventurer were both low on mana, their armour rent and skin wet with blood.


    When one of the messengers splattered onto the broken flagstones of the road, bone spikes sticking out and limbs awkwardly splayed, he was only startled for a moment. It, possibly she, wasn¡¯t getting up to kill him, so he turned his attention back to the things that were. Then he saw a figure emerge from the shadow of a half-collapsed bordello.


    There was something about the man that unnerved him, and he realised that he couldn¡¯t sense than man¡¯s presence, even looking right at him.


    ¡°Gold-ranker,¡± he said, the words arresting the attention of the other adventurer.


    ¡°Where?¡± he asked, looking around. He saw the man who had come from the shadows, walking over to the dead messenger. He was calm in the chaos, wearing a robe the colour of dried blood. His eyes were inhuman, glowing blue and orange. His features were just a little too sharp for a truly classic high-rank handsomeness, the neat beard failing to entirely hide the lengthy chin.


    ¡°We could use a little help here!¡± the adventurer called out and the man looked up at them. Then his gaze moved upward, to the monsters above. That was when they felt his aura. It rolled out like a physical thing, making the air around them seem heavy. They realised he was no gold-ranker, but he didn¡¯t feel like an essence user, either. His aura was tyrannical, as if everything belonged to him by virtue of it being around him. Valk feared for a moment that he was some kind of wingless messenger, until he saw how the monsters reacted.


    They ran.


    The creatures flew off, crashing into their fellows still coming down in a mad panic to flee whatever the man standing over the dead messenger was. Valk watched them go, then felt his gaze drawn to the man as if by a magnet. He watched as the man held a hand over the messenger and chanted a spell, his voice winter cold.


    ¡°As your life was mine to reap, so your death is mine to harvest.¡±


    Transcendent light of blue, silver and gold was drained from the corpse, into the mans hand as the body dissolved into rainbow smoke. As the man drained the messenger¡¯s energy, Valk thought he heard a scream, but it was somehow picked up with his aura senses, not his ears. An image formed over the man, that of a shadowy bird speckled with silver stars. The man finished claiming the messenger¡¯s energy and the image vanished.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± Valk asked him.


    ¡°I only drove the monsters off for a moment,¡± the man said, his voice hard but lacking the malevolence with which he had chanted the spell. ¡°Get what rest you can and be ready for their return.¡±


    ¡°Will you stay and help?¡±


    ¡°More messengers are coming for me. I won¡¯t bring them down on you.¡±


    Shadows rose up to wreath his body, becoming a shadowy mantle. A dark figure rose from Valk¡¯s own shadow and the man stepped into it, vanishing. The shadow figure than retreated into Valk¡¯s shadow, also disappearing. He stared at his shadow warily, wondering what else was in there.


    ***


    Jason emerged from Shade¡¯s body on a rooftop, looking up. He could sense Rufus not far off, and an army of monsters glowing with Rufus¡¯ silver and gold flames. Soon enough, Rufus would use his zone power, eclipse, and start consuming those afflictions, hopefully shooting a few messengers out of the sky.


    Jason wished that he had been as effective. He had taken out of the messengers harassing him, but they had won and he had lost. It was almost certainly too late for his butterflies to spread properly, even if he managed to get them going now. He¡¯d been pointlessly running around the whole battle, accomplishing nothing.


    Jason had not felt inadequate in his power set in years, since he had been a green iron-ranker with half his power set yet to awaken. But he could sense the places around the city, and even this battle over the entertainment district, where affliction specialists were succeeding where he failed. It was the first time that he felt lesser for being an affliction skirmisher.


    For all that they were forced to build whole teams to hide behind, it was here, in open war, that they showed their true worth. Left alone they would die quickly, where Jason would thrive. But where he had stealth powers, they had afflictions. Where he had utility powers, they had affliction. And where he had affliction, they had afflictions.


    Jason had to find ways to make his powers work in any situation, where they simply picked the appropriate ones from their selection. They weren¡¯t restricted to complicated butterfly-based delivery systems that could be shut down by an enemy that knew what they were doing. If an enemy stopped one approach, they could simply use another.


    Jason had already given up on wiping out huge waves of monsters with his butterflies some time ago. It wasn¡¯t going to work and there were other afflictions for that. Instead, he decided to focus on wiping out the messenger team that had been sent after him. The monsters were ultimately a disposable force, and if enough messengers went down, the enemy would pull out.


    His efforts to put a stop to the messenger team had not gone as well as he had hoped at first. They were quite capable, working together well and harassing him without any exploitable overextensions. They even had one of the messenger¡¯s rare healers, meaning that chipping away at them was pointless.


    The group of messengers were a team and their practised cooperation showed as they swiftly eliminated any butterflies, along with any monsters that were spawning them. In response, Jason had spread out his attempts to trigger a butterfly chain.


    The biggest advantage Jason had over them was that they absolutely had to shut down the butterflies and anything producing more of them ¨C ideally including Jason. They destroyed the butterflies and any monster producing them. This meant that he could leverage his mobility to force them to split up.


    Eventually, he had allowed their most aggressive member to get what seemed like a clear shot at Jason¡¯s back. She overextended, a little too far from where the others were quashing butterflies, allowing Jason to counterattack. Now she was dead and devoured, her remnant life force getting him a little closer to another chance to resurrect.


    He looked up at the teeming monsters, sensing the messengers amongst them. They would stick together now that he¡¯d taken one of them out; they had to know as well as he did that it was too late for the butterflies to have a massive impact. They would most likely stay as a group, eliminating butterflies as best they could, but letting some of them go rather than compromise their safety again.


    Shade stood next to Jason as he watched the sky.


    ¡°Thinking on it, Mr Asano, I may have been wrong.¡±


    ¡°About what?¡±


    ¡°The sneeze. We know that your powers often interpret themselves in a way that has meaning to you, and we know that you have some powerful sensory ability that you are unable to consciously use. Perhaps your sneeze is a manifestation of that mysterious sensory power, revealing that someone actually was talking about you.¡±


    ¡°I have an extra sense I don¡¯t know about?¡±


    ¡°The capabilities demonstrated by your original power called the Quest System prove that. It was your ability, yet it knew things that your conscious mind did not.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± Jason mused. ¡°Do you think I¡¯ll be able to use the sense that made that power work once I¡¯m higher rank?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps. Or perhaps that sensory power is long gone and it really was just a sneeze. That power may have been fuelled by lingering astral energy from when you first became an outworlder. The ability may have evolved for the simple reason that the fuel ran out and you couldn¡¯t use it anymore.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d only just become my familiar had barely signed on when I lost that ability right?¡±


    ¡°That is correct, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°How did you even think of that ability, to draw that conclusion? You barely saw it in action.¡±


    ¡°It is not a conclusion, Mr Asano, but a postulation. As to why I thought of the ability, it is arguably the most startling one in your repertoire. A sensory ability that powerful, even when you were normal rank? Clearly it was not tied to your aura or magical senses as you had neither. I am very old, Mr Asano, and there is very little that I am unable to at least postulate on. Whatever sense fuelled your Quest System ability is outside even my experience.¡±


    ¡°So you have no idea?¡±


    ¡°At best, I could guess at something that I cannot be certain is even real. If anyone, it would pertain to you, but I hesitate to speak on it. It is more myth than anything, and less the ¡®heroes and gods¡¯ kind of myth than the ¡®man in a trailer with a foil hat¡¯ kind of myth. Although it usually does involve heroes and gods.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll have to tell me about it some time we aren¡¯t in the middle of a city invasion.¡±


    ¡°I had been wondering why you were just standing here. Are you attempting to confront the remainder of the messenger team?¡±


    ¡°No, they¡¯d kill me. But I want them close enough to really see what they¡¯ve chosen to pit themselves against.¡±


    ¡°I thought you were saving that for when they¨C¡±


    ¡°They will. Soon. I might have been shut down, but plenty of others weren¡¯t. My biggest contribution was tying up a bunch of messengers so they couldn¡¯t harass other adventurers. The adventurers here on the ground are feeling overwhelmed, but they¡¯re holding on. People like Zara and the affliction specialists are doing work, and the messengers¡¯ commander will need something to turn the tide.¡±

 Chapter 683: The Strongest Arrow in His Quiver

    Marek offered a mental salute to the man rampaging through the monster horde. He had managed to overhear one of the man¡¯s companions call him Humphrey, and Marek hoped he would survive to eventually reach gold-rank. He would like to face him in battle, perhaps finding a clue in that confrontation to push his own advancement forward. He lamented that while this battlefield had many exceptional silver-ranked enemies, the golds were only passable. It seemed that the defenders of the city had limited care for the civilians of the entertainment district.


    With the gold-rankers being adequate but unexceptional, Marek wished he¡¯d been chosen for other battlefields. He could sense more impressive essence users in other parts of the city, including one whose aura was a match for most messengers.


    He turned his attention to the silver-ranker he suspected of being Asano. Two people with such unusual auras implied they were connected, perhaps with the gold-ranker instructing the silver. If he personally intervened, would the gold-ranker move to assist, giving him the chance for a more exciting battle?


    Marek shook his head, scolding himself. Compromising the strategic situation for personal ends was the kind of behaviour he despised in a certain breed of messenger that he looked down on. That most of his fellow messengers fell into that group was a misfortune he lamented regularly.


    Marek frowned as he sensed the team he sent to harass Asano lose one of their number. He was impressed, having sent neither rash nor weak people to contain the man. Even so, the harbinger butterflies were still not establishing themselves, so the situation required no further intervention. Marek did not want to lose people, but some casualties were inevitable.


    The man Humphrey also did not require Marek¡¯s intervention. For all he was impressively carving a path through the monster horde, time would put an end to the rampage more effectively than a costly confrontation. The unstable power driving him would soon come to an end, one way or another. Humphrey was certainly destructive, yet still failed to impact the battle as much as the wide area attack specialists amongst the adventurers. Marek¡¯s messengers were of more use containing them than going after Humphrey. He could easily kill messengers in his current state, and Marek could afford to lose however many summoned monsters he took down.


    The monsters were not infinite, however, for all the expense they had employed to make it seem so to the defenders. The Voice of the Will, Jes Fin Kaal, had brought in the artefacts that were enhancing the number of monsters the summoners could call up at once. The acquisition was made against the advice of Marek and other gold-rankers, but she had overruled them. Even so, she never explained what made them worth the resources and favours expended to obtain them, significant even to the messengers.


    At least the expensive artefacts were located outside the barrier. If the adventurers were able to reach them and shut off the monster spigot, the raid would come to a swift end, the costs coming to nothing. He wondered if Jes Fin Kaal would see it that way, since the success of the city raid was clearly not her true objective. Whatever political game she was playing, it unfortunately had the approval of the astral king, or his disinterest at the very least. Otherwise, he would have stopped her already.


    Again, Marek told himself not to dwell on it. All he had to do was an adequate job and get as many of their people out alive as was viable. If he started digging into whatever plots the voice was carrying out through the city invasion, it would only cost him, and get him nothing. He was sure that she was scheming against someone amongst the messengers, but equally confident it was not him. He was carefully apolitical as a defence mechanism.


    This was part of why he had been so reserved in directing his portion of the raid, even as those under his command chafed at his conservative strategy. The gold-rankers were alright, being seasoned warriors, but Marek could feel the hunger in his silver-rankers under his command. They were straining like an untrained beast on a leash, eager to cover themselves in glory and adventurer blood.


    They were going to be disappointed. Marek was never going to let the most reckless element of his forces do as they wished and, if the adventurers managed to force a direct conflict with the messengers, he would signal the withdrawal. He wasn¡¯t sacrificing anyone he didn¡¯t have to on the altar of Jes Fin Kaal¡¯s schemes, even if she was voice of the astral king¡¯s will.


    He could sense that in other battlefields, some commanders had made different decisions, chasing the same glory as their silver-rank subordinates. That was far from enough to convince him to let his messengers loose. It accomplished just the opposite, the casualties he sensed under more proactive commanders being  exactly what he wanted to avoid.


    It was, however, time to make a change. The adventurers were starting to press in, their affliction specialists starting to take hold in spite of the messengers working to suppress them. Unlike the man working alone behind enemy lines, these were people with a frustrating variety of afflictions and delivery systems, as well as entire teams dedicated to making sure they were used.


    It was time to draw the strongest arrow in his quiver. It was one that most other commanders had already fired, to what Marek considered insufficient effect. While Marek was forced to concede that aura superiority had its advantages in the establishing moments of a conflict, he saw using it immediately as a waste. Essence users had demonstrated time and again that when given time to adjust, they could fight at near-full capability under aura suppression.


    Compared to that, a sudden and well-timed aura wave could finish an enemy already under pressure, or reverse a disadvantageous trend. That was what Marek faced in his own battlefield, so it was time to turn the tide.


    A large wave of destructive magic headed for Marek, his gold-rank opponent having cast a large spell while Marek had been contemplating his options. He glanced up at a house-sized sphere of blue-gold flames barrelling down on him, burning through monsters as it went. Marek fed mana into his wings and flapped them a single time in the direction of the fireball. It was blasted back the way it had come, causing the gold-rank adventurers to scramble out of the way.


    Marek sighed with boredom, wishing that the only capable adventurers in his battle hadn¡¯t been silver-rank. He took out his communication stone and issued a directive to every messenger under his command.


    ¡°Unleash your auras.¡±


    ***


    In the early stages of the battle over the entertainment district, the area-specialist teams had started off strong. They had been carving large chunks out of the monsters, which earned them the focused attention of messengers, suppressing their effectiveness. Then, slowly but surely, they started pushing back the messengers, once again thinning out the monsters seeking to descend and dig through to the civilian bunker.


    The adventurers were becoming so effective that more monsters arrived at the ground dead than alive. As one of the adventurers working at ground level, Rufus had to watch out for monsters falling like rain. Despite operating at ground level, though, Rufus was spending little time on the ground. He moved through the air with a combination of silver-rank acrobatics and short-range teleport powers. Many adventurers failed to fully leverage their new physical limits after ranking up, but Rufus was too well-trained for that. He used the monsters themselves as platforms, hopping between them like a frog moving between lily pads.


    Rufus didn¡¯t use the buildings often despite the frequent convenience of a rooftop. The entertainment district looked like a bombing site, with no building having escaped damage. He didn¡¯t trust any of them to not collapse under him.


    The monsters often didn¡¯t react as Rufus landed on them, lacerated them with his gold and silver swords before moving on, leaving gold and silver flames in his wake. The summoned creatures were under a compulsion to dig down to the bunker, mostly hovering in the air and firing ranged attacks at the ground. Many didn¡¯t even fight back against the adventurers, simply drilling down as far as they could before being taken out.


    Rufus¡¯ afflictions were useful for setting up the big attacks that would hopefully shoot down messengers, but ineffective at clearing out monsters. The disadvantage of Rufus¡¯ eclectic power set was that that any individual element was somewhat weak, requiring skill to draw out the potent synergies.


    The main work of handing the monsters was being done by an affliction specialist. Rufus didn¡¯t know the woman but she was clearly effective, which both sides had come to recognise. A full dozen messengers had been deployed to suppress her, but three full adventuring teams had moved to counter.


    The messengers had been well-chosen, all being protective types that appeared to have healthy amounts of defence, affliction resistance and even self-healing and cleansing. That was something an affliction specialist could overcome, given time and protection, but the more focus she had on the messengers, the less time she spent clearing out monsters.


    As a result, the adventurers on the ground were increasingly feeling the pressure. Monsters were digging down, through layers of street, rock and buried magical protections, slowly uncovered and broken. Rufus picked a building that looked reasonably intact to land on and paused long enough to look over the situation. He opened a voice channel.


    ¡°Jason, are you busy?¡±


    ¡°No, actually. Things are swinging our way, so you can expect the messengers to drop the aura hammer soon. I¡¯m getting ready for when that happens.¡±


    ¡°Ready how?¡±


    ¡°The usual.¡±


    ¡°Something stupid, self-destructive and absurdly attention grabbing?¡±


    ¡°Pretty much.¡±


    ¡°Do you have a few moments before that happens?¡±


    ¡°I can spare a little time. I should probably scoot off before the messengers hunting me get here, anyway. What do you need?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve got an affliction specialist dealing with her own set of messengers. She¡¯ll get through them but they¡¯re pretty shielded up, so it¡¯s taking longer than we need it to. Any chance you could come in and brighten the messenger¡¯s day?¡±


    Jason stepped from the shadow of a broken section of wall.


    ¡°I can do that,¡± he said.


    ¡°It¡¯s over¨C¡±


    ¡°I can sense it,¡± Jason said before Rufus had a chance to point. Rufus could barely sense anything amongst the mess of auras that was a magical battlefield, but Jason turned his gaze the right way immediately. He moved back to the shadow he had appeared from and vanished into it.


    ***


    Elseth Culie was frustrated. The teams defending her were doing an excellent job, but she wasn¡¯t doing her part as fast as she needed. Some of the messengers had flexible but comprehensive full body armour that had to be dug through before she could afflict them directly. Others had classic bubble shields, while the more annoying ones had both. Some pushed off the afflictions on to proxies, such as the one who created clones of herself and the one who collected afflictions into her feathers, shooting them back at Elseth¡¯s defenders.


    She had answers to all of these, from resonating or disruptive force afflictions to spells that replaced afflictions on a target them moment they were disposed of. But with the messengers also purging, dispelling and cleaning, as well as replacing dissolved shields and disintegrated armour, it was taking too long. With each passing moment she more desperately needed to refocus on monster slaying.


    Suddenly, someone was next to her, startling her with its lack of aura. At first she thought it was a monster, draped in what were clearly magic shadows. It glanced at her with alien eyes from within a dark hood.


    ¡°I¡¯m going to eat your afflictions,¡± he told her in a man¡¯s voice. His tone was cold with a hint of apology, but the clear intention to do as he said, whatever she might have wanted. His shadow rose up like a living thing and he stepped into it, disappearing. Then he was amongst the messengers, loudly chanting a spell.


    ¡°Feed me your sins.¡±


    The transcendent light of messenger life force shone from within the messengers, tainted by Elseth¡¯s afflictions. She was familiar with the spell he was using; a rare one that usually awakened by those with intentions that were bright but powers that were dark. She was unsurprised, then, as her afflictions were devoured and transcendent damage was left in their place.


    Transcendent damage ignored any protections and dug right into the messengers, who immediately retreated. Elseth was certain they were going in search of the healing and cleansing they would need to survive. With all the afflictions she had dumped on them turned transcendent, it would take a lot.


    As the messengers fled upwards, the shadowy man floated down. Her defenders let him through as they looked to her for new direction.


    ¡°We need to get back to clearing monsters,¡± she declared. It was an obvious statement, but the first part of command was being certain and confident. Knowing what she was doing was also useful, but lower priority.


    The man landed gently next to her and pushed the hood from his head. He had sharper features than humans preferred, but his human face had an exotic appeal to elven sensibilities.


    ¡°Prepare your people for an aura assault,¡± the man warned her. ¡°You reclaiming control over the ground level will probably be the final straw that provokes¡­¡±


    He trailed off as an aura dropped down like a hammer. The messengers in the battlefield had all unleashed their auras at once, silver and gold-rankers harmonised in a symphony of power. The auras of the messengers were fundamentally different to those of essence users, as if they were not just spiritual but physical. There was a weight to their suppressive force, and Elseth felt her aura suppressed as if the titanic hand of a god was reaching down to cover her.


    That was when she finally sensed the aura of the man in front of her. It swept out like a colonial power, claiming territory as it pushed out what was there before. He created a bubble that felt more like the messengers than his fellow essence users, and while Elseth¡¯s aura was freed up, she still did not feel comfortable. There was an overwhelming sense of domination, her spiritual senses telling her that she was safe only by the benevolence of the power controlling the area around her. A power that demanded obedience.


    Elspeth and the other adventurers looked at the man with unease as he tilted his head to look up. A strange monster looking like an empty cloak surrounded by floating orbs appeared. She felt some of the others tense but they quickly felt the link between the man and his familiar.


    ¡°Gordon,¡± the man said. ¡°Let¡¯s get to work.¡±

 Chapter 684: I Have to Go Fight Evil

    The commander of the adventurer forces defending the entertainment district was Eilaf Hayel, a gold-rank elven adventurer and Yaresh native. He was a veteran of fighting the messengers, having assaulted their strongholds more than a dozen times. He was extremely familiar with the aura suppression tactic they employed and how it impacted the morale of adventurers. The fact that they hadn¡¯t used it from the opening moments of the battle was not a relief but a concern.


    Eilaf¡¯s gold-rank senses allowed him to monitor the auras around the city. In most of the battlegrounds, the messengers had deployed their auras immediately. This had helped them gain a foothold as they came through the breach, but Eilaf had watched in his own battlefield that the ceaseless torrent of monsters didn¡¯t need the help.


    That the commander he was up against held their auras in reserve suggested that he was not underestimating the adventurers, which was unfortunate. One of the weaknesses common to messengers in Eilaf¡¯s encounters with them was an overwhelming arrogance that led them to underestimate opponents. He had hoped a messenger that didn¡¯t undervalue their opposition was weak enough that they had to act with caution.


    That hope was forlorn. The messenger commander was not just powerful but the single strongest messenger Eilaf had ever seen. Most messengers were marginally weaker than a well-trained adventurer, and while there were certainly exceptions, he had never seen anything like this.


    The commander was shrugging off the most powerful attacks that Eilaf and his fellow gold-rankers could throw at him, and sometimes throwing them right back. Fortunately, the messenger was more interested in commanding his forces than pressing the adventurers by attacking in person. He was likewise directing his forces conservatively, a situation Eilaf wanted to continue for as long as possible.


    The Battle of Yaresh, not just in the entertainment district but across the city, was essentially a race. The messengers were trying to dig out and slaughter as many civilians as they could before the city barrier restored itself, trapping them inside. Eilaf didn¡¯t know why his counterpart did not push for speed, but as it was the only mistake the man seemed to be making, Eilaf wanted to capitalise on it.


    Eilaf had his own gold-rankers pressure the other gold-rank messengers, prioritising them over the commander. Aware that the conservative strategy could be a trap to lure them in, Eilaf didn¡¯t let his people push too hard and overextend themselves. Both sides being conservative was to the adventurers¡¯ advantage, so he would let that play out as long as he could.


    The move proved a sound one. Eilaf came to suspect that the enemy commander was less than enthralled with his assignment and was more interested in running out the clock than pushing for success. If the man would rather keep his people alive and leave unsuccessful than sacrifice them for victory, Eilaf was the last person who would get in his way. He just made sure that the commander was occupied keeping his gold-rankers alive rather than interfering with the silver-rankers.


    Things continued to go well, as there were some real gems amongst the silver-rank adventurers. The more the battle turned in favour of the adventurers, however, the more Eilaf anticipated the aura drop. The adventurers had all been warned about messenger auras and many were already veterans who had experienced them already. Even so, Eilaf wished he could go around and warn them all again. That was not practical in a battle, but he could at least prepare his gold-rankers.


    Eilaf was unsurprised when their foes finally unleashed auras that hit the adventurers like a physical force. It was, to a small degree, albeit not enough to cause any harm. The real impact was spiritual, with just enough kinetic force to show the essence users that messenger auras were fundamentally different.


    It was a subtle but effective intimidation tactic, which was ultimately the purpose of the aura wave. Suppressing the auras of adventurers did have a tactical impact as aura essence abilities were shut off, but it wasn¡¯t the main goal. Having their auras pushed down left the adventurers feeling weak and helpless, like bullied children.


    That reaction wasn¡¯t universal amongst adventurers, with many fighting on, unconcerned. Those were mostly veterans who had besieged messenger strongholds and tasted their auras in the past. For most, however, a suppressed aura left them feeling vulnerable and exposed. Such tactics were key means by which the messengers propagated their sense of superiority.


    The adventurers didn¡¯t collapse under the assault, but it certainly arrested their forward momentum. Eilaf and his gold-rankers had the edge in both numbers and, discounting the enemy commander, individual strength. The combat power became less relevant as the gold-rankers on both sides moved to pure spiritual conflict, floating in place as it looked like they were trying to stare each other down. If not for the advantage in numbers, the adventurers would have been overwhelmed by the messengers¡¯ advantage in spiritual strength.


    The silver-rankers were likewise clashing aura-to-aura, and the adventurers were struggling. They did not give up the physical conflict the way the gold-rankers had, but their spiritual battle was reflected in physical combat. The previous advance of the adventurers had come to a halt, while the messengers went from holding back to pushing back, taking the fight to their enemy.


    Elite adventurers were well-trained in aura use, but the messengers simply had a higher baseline. Not only were their auras stronger but even the least messenger had a refined grasp of how to use it that few could match. Adventurers were used to heavily outclassing any individual foe, and often found themselves taken aback at how close messengers came to matching them. As a result, first encounters with messengers were the ones most likely to go poorly.


    Eilaf had seen green adventurers struggle against messengers time and again. He felt unease in the auras of adventurers, and doubt could be a plague in a fighting force, and panic was a wildfire. Morale was the key to any battle, and the side that lost it was the side that broke, regardless of relative strength. The monster torrent was gaining ground against adventurers suddenly struck with hesitation. Unfortunately, all Eilaf could do was hope that his adventurers had the steel to hold on.


    ***


    Elseth Culie was finally getting back to clearing out monsters after the messengers fled to seek healing. Her task became more urgent as the adventurers on the ground became less effective under the aura suppression blanketing the battlefield. Elseth and the teams protecting her were in a bubble that held the suppression off, centred on a man currently looking up.


    Aano¡¯s aura was not unlike that of the messengers, if not even more domineering, but she quickly stopped worrying about that and focused on killing more monsters. Asano himself was not moving, watching as his alien familiar drew lines and symbols in the sky that glowed in blue and yellow. The creature Asano called Gordon was orbited by six blue and orange nebula orbs in the pattern of eyes. Each orb fired beams of blue or orange energy, leaving glowing shapes in the sky like fireworks that didn¡¯t stop lingering.


    All six eyes drew intricately intersecting lines, the beams implausibly managing to never cross one another. The familiar was drawing a massive ritual circle, not just on a flat plane but in a sphere. Lines, runes and sigils were woven together in a floating sculpture of light.


    The summoned monsters did not interfere with it or anyone inside Asano¡¯s aura, visibly fleeing from it. This left the other adventurers protected by the aura free to pour out attacks. Elseth made up for lost time as best she could, giving no thought to her dwindling mana reserves as her spells pumped out mass afflictions that were already spreading through the monsters.


    She only paused to pull out her most expensive mana potion and chug it down, taking the chance to look over what Gordon was doing. It had completed its sphere and started crafting smaller ones around it, connected by lines. The smaller spheres drifted around the central sphere on their own.


    ¡°An orrery?¡± she said, not realising it was out loud. The finished magical sculpture had formed an intricate and startlingly beautiful orrery, the smaller spheres moving around the larger central one. It was a massive creation, the size of a wealthy townhouse, and as she looked at it she realised that the sculpture was a ritual magic diagram, but unlike any she had seen before.


    Like many adventurers, Elseth had a decent grounding in ritual magic. Even so, she failed to grasp even the most basic principles of what the familiar has crafted. She suspected that it operated on some magical paradigm completely outside of her experience.


    ¡°Gordon turned out to be something of a magic artist,¡± someone said and she looked over, not recognising the voice. It was Asano, proudly watching his familiar. She hadn¡¯t realised it was him because his icy voiced had thawed, speaking warmly of Gordon. He turned to look at her.


    ¡°You should probably get back to the afflictions,¡± he suggested, his voice still soft. The friendly smile was completely undercut by the aura pouring out of him, oppressive and territorial. She was equally parts glad and astounded that it was holding off the messengers¡¯ collective aura, but she also wanted to leave it as soon as possible.


    ***


    While Gordon continued to draw the most outrageous and elaborate ritual Jason had ever seen, he concentrated on maintaining his aura against the messengers. They had somehow managed to blend their auras together into a singular force, a technique Jason would ask Amos Pensinata about later. The messenger aura was spread not just across the entire entertainment district but also the battlefield filling the sky above it. This dilution of power meant that Jason was able to push it back over a moderate area, only possible because the gold-rankers from each side were negating each other. He managed sufficient to shield the affliction specialist and the adventurers supporting her, with space for more adventurers who found them to take shelter. She went back to dosing monsters while the rest lashed out with ranged attacks or left to guide other adventurers to the safety of Jason¡¯s aura.


    There had been very few occasions in which Jason had truly opened up his aura, projecting it with as much strength as he could muster. It had reached the point of being too powerful, a danger Farrah had warned him of on the day she introduced him to auras. His aura also covered too much ground, pushing through all but the most extreme measures to constrain it. If not for the suppressive force of a full contingent of messengers, it would have spread out across the city, likely harming any normal-rankers that had not yet reached a bunker.


    While he regretted that there would likely be collateral once Gordon was done, Jason¡¯s resolve did not falter. He could sense the messengers pushing back against the adventurers, allowing more and more monsters to safely descend. They had already started digging through the ground at an accelerated rate, growing closer to a breach of the bunker¡¯s defences. If he had even a chance to arrest the aura advantage of the messengers, he would take the chance.


    Rufus arrived next to him in a flash of light, startling the adventurers whose defensive perimeter he had circumvented.


    ¡°You¡¯re doing something about this, right?¡±


    ¡°You expect me to stop the collective aura of who knows how many messengers, all by myself.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You have some pretty outlandish expectations there, mate.¡±


    ¡°Yes. I hate to break it to you, John,¡± Rufus said, using Jason¡¯s fake name due to the nearby adventurers. ¡°But you¡¯re the one who set up those expectations. Placed in an extreme circumstance, with power levels far above your own¡­¡±


    He threw his arms out, indicating the wider battle.


    ¡°¡­you do something spectacularly outlandish¡­¡±


    He pointed to the giant glowing orrery over their heads, then looked flatly at Jason.


    ¡°¡­that you probably shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°There you go then,¡± Jason told him. ¡°You just said I shouldn¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m going to¡­ sorry, give me a sec. I¡¯ve got a thing.¡±


    Jason looked off into the middle distance, glaring at nothing.


    ¡°If you want to fight me, then come in here and get me,¡± he declared to no one, then turned back to Rufus.


    ¡°Sorry about that. Anyway, shouldn¡¯t you be taking out some messengers about now?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯m here,¡± Rufus told him. ¡°I want to time it for right after you do whatever you¡¯re going to do. I¡¯m hoping to take out a few in single shots.¡±


    ¡°How many afflictions have you left out there to absorb?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°A lot,¡± Rufus told him. ¡°So, get to it.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m waiting on Gordon to finish. He¡¯s doing an amazing job, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s amazing to look at,¡± Rufus agreed. ¡°What kind of magic is that?¡±


    ¡°I have my suspicions. I¡¯m pretty sure Shade knows and isn¡¯t telling me.¡±


    ¡°That is for the best, Mr Miller,¡± Shade asserted as he emerged from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°So you say.¡±


    ¡°Since we¡¯re waiting,¡± Rufus said, ¡°do you have any sandwiches?¡±


    ¡°Who are you talking to?¡± Jason asked pulling out a sandwich wrapped in paper and handing the slightly larger half to Rufus. They both looked up at the monster-filled sky.


    ¡°Have you ever see this many monsters at once?¡± Rufus asked, then bit into his sandwich.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said. ¡°Not all flyers, like this, though. There was a vorger swarm that came pretty close.¡±


    ¡°In that astral space?¡±


    ¡°The one the Builder tried to take back? No, this was a transformation space. I told you about those, right?¡±


    ¡°When you explained them, they just sounded like astral spaces.¡±


    ¡°Bloke,¡± Jason scolded. ¡°I¡¯m starting to see why Clive gets cranky when people don¡¯t understand astral magic. A transformation zone is a defence mechanism of reality, when the dimensional membrane has a localised catastrophic failure.¡±


    ¡°But they¡¯re still a dimensional space you can go into, right? Does that just make it a kind of astral space?¡±


    ¡°You can go into a bath and you can go into the ocean, Rufus. Yes, you can slowly soap up your taught, black body and bald head with a sponge in both, but that doesn¡¯t make your bathtub an ocean.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not entirely comfortable with that analogy.¡±


    ¡°The point is, they¡¯re different. But if you get both in the same space, you¡¯ve got maybe a month before it blows a hole in the side of reality large enough to suck a planet into the astral. Where it stops existing, because there is no physical reality in the astral.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jason, I know you saved the world. You mention it quite a lot.¡±


    ¡°You damn right I do. Do know how awesome that is? I do wish I could stop saving it from this dimensional nonsense all the time. I want to fight a guy with a weather machine.¡±


    ¡°Are you in any danger of getting to a point?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°About what.¡±


    ¡°You were telling me about when you saw a massive vorger swarm.¡±


    ¡°Oh, right. So, I was in a transformation zone, patching a hole in the side of the universe. I¡¯m just about done when a bunch of vorger came through. There was a nightmare hag, too.¡±


    ¡°Another one? What did it show you that time?¡±


    ¡°It was kind of embarrassing, so I don¡¯t want to say.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯ll ask Farrah.¡±


    ¡°I didn¡¯t tell Farrah.¡±


    Rufus gave him a flat look.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t ask Farrah.¡±


    They realised that someone was staring at them and turned to look at the affliction specialist.


    ¡°What?¡± the asked simultaneously.


    ¡°Who are you people?¡±


    ¡°This is Rufus and I¡¯m Ja¡­ John. It¡¯s not a fake name.¡±


    Rufus shook his head.


    ¡°May I ask your name?¡±


    ¡°Elseth Culie.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s lovely to meet you,¡± Rufus told her. ¡°I¡¯ve noticed you¡¯re the main reason the monsters haven¡¯t cracked the bunker yet, so thank you.¡±


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she asked him.


    ¡°He¡¯s a teacher and I¡¯m a cook,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°You were just talking about saving the world,¡± she said.


    ¡°I¡¯m a very well-paid cook. Also, it wasn¡¯t this world, so you don¡¯t have to worry. Probably.¡±


    Jason looked to his right as Gordon floated down next his, his work completed. They looked up at the final result, a glowing orrery like a solar system make of fireworks that refused to fade. Each sphere was comprised of a complex, nested array of lines, runes and sigils.


    ¡°Clive is going to be sorry he missed this,¡± Jason said as his cloak billowed around him and he rose up into the air.


    ¡°You could use a recording crystal,¡± Rufus suggested, calling up after him.


    ¡°No time,¡± Jason yelled back. ¡°I have to go fight evil.¡±


    ¡°Some of my people have recording crystals,¡± Elseth offered. ¡°A lot of teams are recording the battle for analysis and posterity.¡±


    ¡°I might take you up on that,¡± Rufus said. ¡°Thank you.¡±


    ¡°Is your friend going to be able to make sense of that thing? It¡¯s a ritual diagram, right?¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Rufus said. ¡°And no, he won¡¯t know how it works. He¡¯ll love it.¡±

 Chapter 685: Stray Thought

    Jason floated up, his cloak shaped into gently beating wings as they carried him into Gordon¡¯s ritual diagram. His eyes swept over the sophisticated magical orrery, his body tingling as he passed through the glowing lines. He moved to the centre of the large, central sphere. He had the unnerving impression of being inside a complex machine, the operation of which he didn¡¯t completely understand. But he did have a basic grasp of how it worked, enough that he could take his place as the final component of the ritual.


    Gordon¡¯s ritual magic was foundationally different to what Jason had been taught. The same was true of every ritualist on Pallimustus and Earth. Neither Dawn nor Shade had been willing to explain it to him, both transparently feigning ignorance. He, in turn, declined to tell them something that neither seemed to have realised: Gordon¡¯s ability to use that ritual magic was somehow bound to Jason.


    Gordon had become even more linked to Jason than an ordinary familiar. It was when he did so that Gordon unsealed the ability to use the strange ritual magic. Their link gave Jason some instinctive insight into how it worked, but nowhere near enough to attempt using it himself. It wasn¡¯t knowledge but an instinctive feel, similar to what he had for astral forces.


    Jason was not entirely without knowledge, however. He had spent a year roaming around Earth, using the Builder¡¯s magic door to access the fundamental underpinnings of reality. He had been crudely repairing the link between worlds, working with trial and error, without any theoretical framework. In that time, he had slowly and fumblingly obtained some understanding of the fundamental mechanisms of reality, and in Gordon''s magic, he recognised the framework that he had lacked. By his own admission, his comprehension was that of a monkey attempting to do maths, but at least he could make the attempt. Also, he loved bananas.


    It would take years of study that Jason wasn¡¯t even sure how to do before he would gain any real comprehension of the alien ritual magic. But all he needed today was the means to trigger Gordon''s ritual, and for that, he knew enough. Just. He was pretty sure. Worst comes to worst, he could ask Gordon for a hint.


    This was only the second time that Gordon had used this kind of ritual magic. The first had been when Jason had flooded himself with reality core energy that needed to be bled off. Gordon had used an aura projection ritual that drained the power out of the very unconscious Jason to fuel itself, blasting his aura across Rimaros. That ritual had been inefficient by design, so as to drain the excess power killing Jason.


    This new ritual was the same basic concept, a significantly more sophisticated refinement of the original. Along with being orders of magnitude more efficient, it did not replicate the same aura projection that ordinary ritual magic could accomplish. It was designed to draw out and project Jason¡¯s aura far more comprehensively. More than simple aura amplification, it would dig out every element of Jason''s soul and put it on display, impressing exactly who and what he was on everyone within range. And that range would be enormous.


    This time, Jason was an active participant. Floating in the air, he nervously opened and closed his fists. He thought back to his early days on Pallimustus, desperately trying to hide the vulnerability he felt. Confidence was something with which he had taken a hard ¡®fake it until you make it¡¯ approach. He had hidden his fear and confusion by making everyone else fearful and confused, veering manically between movie monster impressions and babbling nonsense.


    Somewhere along the way, the version of himself that was cranked up to eleven had stopped being a mask. As he prepared to become more vulnerable than he ever had, it was time to find out if he had the resolve; if he¡¯d finally made it or, deep down, he was still just faking it. This would, quite literally, announce himself to the world. No hiding behind bad manners, movie monster impressions or thirty-year-old television references. His soul would be on display for all to see, allies and enemies alike.


    When Gordon had suggested this, Jason had recognised the value. Especially after his abject failure to get Gordon¡¯s butterflies up and running, this was the only way for Jason to make a substantive impact on the wider battle. Despite his self-assurances that he was happy just being one more adventurer, it never occurred to him not to do something outrageous and stupid to help sway the battle on a wider scale.


    While Gordon''s new ritual magic was unquestionably powerful, Jason could already see reasons it would never replace the ritual magic he already knew. Firstly, the complexity was absurd. Instead of relatively simple diagrams that could be drawn on a flat surface, these rituals were three-dimensional structures. Without a power like Clive''s to draw them in the air, anyone using them would need to assemble actual sculptures.


    The real killer, though, was in how the rituals were powered. Ordinary rituals drew on ambient magic, meaning that all most rituals needed was to not be in a magical dead zone. Gordon''s rituals required a different source. That had been the reality core energy inside Jason for Gordon''s first ritual, but he was definitely not trying that again. He didn''t need that level of power anyway, as this new ritual was far more efficient. This time he was going to do something that Dawn had explicitly told him not to: tap into his astral gate.


    The astral gate inside his soul was, along with the astral throne, one of the things that fundamentally changed Jason''s nature. They were the tools of astral kings, who forged their very souls into physical universes, creating domains where their power was unassailable and all-but-unlimited.


    Dawn had told him that he should experiment with the astral throne, which governed physical aspects, while leaving the astral gate alone. It tapped into the deep astral, the infinite plane of raw magic and dimensional forces that Jason was far from ready to handle. After his first time tapping into it had left him convalescing for months, she had advised him to leave it be until he had ranked up. Preferably, all the way to diamond. That it had taken him months after she left before he completely ignored her warning was something of a personal triumph.


    She hadn¡¯t been wrong, and he knew it. The astral space was the sea on which every universe in the cosmos sailed. What would opening the gate to that infinite power do?


    ¡°Explode me like an overfilled water balloon, probably.¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, you¡¯re talking to yourself again,¡± Shade said as he emerged from Jason¡¯s cloak to float next to him.


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m a little distracted trying to use a giant alien magic ritual. Which looks awesome, thank you, Gordon.¡±


    ¡°The looks are not the point, Mr Asano,¡± Shade said.


    Jason turned his gaze from the glowing ritual sphere to give Shade a flat look. Despite being a blank-faced shadow with just enough softly glowing white to imply a butler¡¯s tuxedo, Shade managed to look embarrassed.


    ¡°Apologies, Mr Asano; I¡¯m not quite sure what came over me.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a big day,¡± Jason told him. ¡°Just don¡¯t let it happen again.¡±


    Jason relaxed some of his built-up tension at the banter with Shade, but strain and worry still marked his expression. Around them, the orrery clamoured for power like an insistent pet at meal time. This was his last chance to back out.


    ¡°What do you think, Shade? Do I tap into the astral gate and risk getting completely wrecking?¡±


    ¡°You know the price for what you are about to do, Mr Asano. You¡¯ve paid it before. Channelling more power than you can handle has hurt you in the past, but I¡¯m not telling you anything you don¡¯t know. It isn¡¯t the first time you¡¯ve made this choice. You''re just wasting time now when we both know that this isn¡¯t really a choice for you.¡±


    ¡°It kind of is.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have the time for you to lie to me, Mr Asano, let alone yourself. I¡¯ve seen you choose between the safety of others and the safety of yourself time and time again. Stop dithering and get to work.¡±


    ¡°Strict nanny,¡± Jason said with a chuckle. He sighed, nodded and closed his eyes as he pushed his senses into the orrery. This was not a simple amplification ritual that would passively affect his aura, and he had to feed his aura into it, like loading a cannon. It was a simple enough process, using the same fundamental aura control techniques that Farrah had taught him years earlier.


    Jason was connecting with the ritual, which was far more reactive than an ordinary one. He was loading it with his aura, but that was the cannonball and it needed the gunpowder. The orrery was hungry and ambient mana was not what it needed. Jason reached into his soul, sending his will through his spiritual realm to where his astral gate rested. He understood its functions only a little more than he did Gordon''s ritual magic, but he didn¡¯t need to. Today, all he had to do was open it.


    Jason¡¯s spirit realm had been tapping into the infinite power of the deep astral since before it became a place that others could enter. It started as a trickle of power, replacing his need to feed himself spirit coins or magically rich food. Beyond that gentle, passive stream, drawing on the astral for any more power than that had not been an option. Then came the astral gate. A hole in the wall through which power trickled had now become a tap. And a tap could be opened.


    He reached out with his will to open the astral gate the barest sliver. It was the tiniest gap he could manage, and yet a torrent of raw magic geysered into his soul. Like drinking from a fire hose, his senses were overwhelmed as all he could sense was the spray of it striking him like a weapon. Although the impact was spiritual, he almost fell from the sky in his disorientation, which would drop him out of the orrery and collapse the ritual.


    He steeled his resolve, concentrating on shaping himself into a conduit, feeding power into Gordon¡¯s ravenous orrery. He immediately understood that if he didn¡¯t have that outlet, the magic would have ravaged him. Attempting to use the same method to fuel his essence abilities or ordinary rituals would probably kill him, with neither being designed for that kind of power.


    Even with the outlet of the orrery, Jason struggled to remain conscious. The power pounded its way through his soul, and as his soul was his body, he felt it as a physical impact. He shook like an old pipe with too much water pressure, his eyes glowing bright like beacons.


    The orrery also shone brighter and brighter. The sigils and lines of the central sphere blurred, melding together and hiding Jason¡¯s presence, transmuting into a heatless orange sun, stained with ominous swirls of dark blue. The spheres orbiting it also turned solid and took on the familiar nebulous eye shape of Gordon¡¯s orbs.


    Jason¡¯s aura didn¡¯t blast out immediately, the orrery building up power like a charging battery. As the source of that charge, Jason floated within the sun, now inundated in blue and orange light. He clenched his fists, holding on as magic continued to explode through him. He maintained a tenuous grasp on lucidity, tapping into meditation techniques to maintain a grip on reality. Even so, his mind was scattered, odd thoughts popping in and out. He absently compared the sensations he was feeling to getting a colonic irrigation from a hurricane and started brainstorming business names for the service.


    Jason was barely clinging to sanity by the time the orrery was fully powered. He closed the astral gate more from instinct than conscious command, drooping in the air as he felt like a cored apple. Then the orrery flared to life and Jason snapped back to alertness. He felt his soul pulse like a heartbeat, swelling with each thump.


    The aura projection rituals Jason had experienced before were just that: projections. They cast in an image, compared to now where Jason felt like he was genuinely expanding, spreading out over the city. It reminded him of when he had formed his spiritual domains, taking over the transformation zones and remaking them in his image.


    This was a declaration. Jason''s soul was showing everyone exactly who and what it was. His aura flooded the city, even the areas where gold and diamond rankers held sway. He was not taking over the territory, but simply announcing himself. It was not the formation of a new spirit domain ¨C yet, his mind added, and he scolded himself for the thought. He hoped Knowledge wouldn¡¯t tell Dominion about the stray thought.


    There was a moment of stillness across the city as the fighting stopped. It was a fleeting instant, less than a second, and then the adventurers, messengers and monsters went back to thrashing one another. But in that instant, something had changed. The summoned monsters became erratic, their summoners struggling to keep them under control. As for the messengers, some became hesitant, but many more enraged, thrown into a berserker frenzy by what they had just sensed. Some attacked their opponents with renewed vigour, while others left their own battles to hunt down the source of the aura.


    In any case, Jason had succeeded in his goal. Whether cowed or inflamed, the harmonic interlinking of messenger auras had been disrupted; not just in the entertainment district but across the city. The adventurer commanders didn¡¯t waste the opportunity, pushing themselves onto the front foot. The messenger auras weren¡¯t gone, but they were no longer a unified front. As for the messengers themselves, they were not thinking tactically, which the better adventurers made the most of.


    Unfortunately for the adventurers, their leaders had held their nerve. The gold-rankers were simply too strong to fall under Jason¡¯s influence and were screaming orders and dominating their silver-rank kin, pulling them into line before they gave away too much of an advantage.


    In the entertainment district, the orrery faded away, dissolving into the air as Jason floated back to the ground. Jason landed, disoriented as he looked at his hands held out in front of him, the fingers flexing open and closed.


    ¡°How are you holding up?¡± Shade asked him. Jason turned with a confused expression before his eyes focused. He looked back at his hands.


    ¡°I¡¯m fine,¡± he said. ¡°I mean, barely standing up, but I¡¯m pretty sure that all I need is a good rest. I think I¡¯ve finally hammered my own soul so much that it¡¯s gotten used to the abuse.¡±


    His expression creased into a scowl.


    "That doesn¡¯t make me sound good.¡±

 Chapter 686: Win a Fight

    Fal Vin Garath was not having a good day. He detested being forced to act at the behest of the Voice of the Will, Jes Fin Kaal, and this mission was exactly why. She had sent him to kill Jason Asano, but she clearly expected him to not come back. He would relish the look on her face when he dropped Asano¡¯s head at her feet.


    Fal could not openly defy the voice. Like all messengers, he needed to be sworn to an astral king, lest he wither and die. It was one of the strongest drives to become an astral king, as only then could they truly stand with no one and nothing above them. Until then, the astral king had influence not just over his actions but his very being. And as a voice of the astral king¡¯s will, Jes Fin Kaal shared that influence.


    Having his mouth sealed closed was a humiliation, especially when it did not even come from the king herself but one of her voices. Fal was at the start of his journey, still silver rank, but he already had a long list. When he stood at the peak, everyone on that list would pay.


    For now, however, Fal was stuck obeying the voice of the astral king to whom he was sworn. He was unable to defy her voice, but that did not mean he could not undermine Jes Fina Kaal. She had plans for the outworlder and saw Fal as meat she could feed to him. But Fal would be the one to feed, and Kaal¡¯s intentions for Asano would die with him.


    The first step was finding the man inside the city. He was quite elusive and the city was in chaos, making an individual aura almost impossible to pick out. Unless he forcibly manifested his aura on a large scale, which would be insane in this circumstance, Fal would have to hunt him down.


    That meant starting with the most likely place to find him and then torturing answers out of the people there. Either Asano would be drawn in or he would get information that drew him closer. The best information the messengers had was that Asano and his team were based out of a large adventuring vehicle, located alongside those of the other foreign adventurers.


    Fal went through the breach closest to the area. There was a large zone of eclectic vehicles, many of which were the size of buildings. It amounted to a city district comprised of mobile forts, centred around a sprawling refugee camp. The camp had been emptied, leaving no one behind and there were no defenders out in the open. He could sense adventurers inside the vehicles, most of which were unable to block his aura senses. Either the district had minimal defenders or they were gathered in the vehicles that could block his perception.


    The leader of the contingent to which Fal had been attached started issuing orders as soon as they were through the barrier.


    ¡°Watch out for countermeasures from the adventurer vehicles. Eliminate any that are impacting the monsters, but watch out for ambushes. They may have greater numbers than we can sense.¡±


    Monsters had poured through the breach before any of the messengers, to absorb any ambushes and reveal emplaced defences. This proved wise as the defenders remained in their mobile forts, letting the vehicle weapons do the work. With the larger vehicles especially, they boasted heavy-duty weapons that could eliminate a silver-rank monster with a well-placed shot, and make a gold-ranker take notice.


    Vehicle weapons were not designed to take out people or smaller monsters, however, which is why adventurers only used vehicles when hunting large monsters. Only the fact that the monsters were an unmissable curtain made hunkering down in the vehicles a viable strategy. The messengers, once they made their appearance, had little trouble avoiding the vehicles'' weapons, at least for the most part. Several vehicles had more pinpoint weaponry, especially the two that were not, currently, vehicles.


    Although they both completely block magical perception, the two buildings were plainly cloud constructs currently configured as buildings. And those buildings were configured for war. The messengers were appropriately wary of the two buildings, as cloud flasks were the tools of the most well-resourced adventurers. There was no telling what manner of weapons and defences they had been equipped with.


    One of the buildings was gold-rank and the other silver. The gold-rank one was a dome with five heavily leaning towers jutting out. The towers themselves were capped with domes that blasted out various attacks. There were explosive fireballs and armour-piercing ballista bolts that were conjured already in flight. The most common attack was a chain lighting that hopped between monsters, eradicating one with each jump. The gold-rank attacks of a giant magical fortress were too much for silver-rank monsters.


    The various attacks also had the accuracy to strike out at messengers, especially the lightning blasts. Unlike the summoned monsters, however, the messengers had exotic powers and intelligence. They used magical barriers, conjured armour and used the summons as living shields, meaning that while messengers certainly took hits, they weren¡¯t slaughtered like their summons.


    The other building was a pyramid with a cup instead of a peak. Over the cup floated a massive, ominous eye. The sides of the pyramid were covered in matte-black hexagonal panels set into cloud-substance underneath. The cloud-stuff shone blue and orange in the seams between the dark hex panels.


    Like the gold-rank cloud building, the pyramid had not just attacks but ones that could effectively target messengers. Some of the hexes withdrew, sinking into the cloud-stuff behind them. Rising in their place were complex arrangements of metal set into the surface of the cloud-material like eye-shaped mosaics. The eyes contained components of blue, orange and black metal, but each was dominated by a single colour. There was one eye of each colour set into each side of the pyramid, firing beams of different coloured energy.


    Fal recognised that the design of the eye weapons was not native to this world, using elements of techno-magic it had yet to develop. The beam fired by each eye-weapon corresponded to the main colour of that eye. They fired in quick succession, the efficient downtime a result of combining magic and technology to create something better than either could alone.


    This alone made it plain that the pyramid belonged to the outworlder, Asano, although that was hardly necessary. While the other cloud construct had a detectable aura from being soul-bound to an essence user, the pyramid used its aura as a weapon. It blanket the entire city district, amplified strongly enough that the gold-rankers'' attempts to suppress it fell short. They perhaps could have managed it if that was all they did, but they needed to fight.


    What the aura did was make any monster or messenger that made an attack suffer a retaliatory affliction. That affliction didn''t do anything by itself, but despite its rarity, Fal knew of it and the danger it presented. The affliction was called Sin, and what it did was escalate any necrotic damage suffered. It was a rare affliction known to be employed heavily by Jason Asano.


    One of the three beam colours, black, directly delivered necrotic damage to take advantage of the affliction. This was less effective against those with potent armour or magical barriers, but that was where the other beams came in. The orange ones were resonating-force, rapidly breaking down physical armour, while the blue disruptive-force beams had a similar effect against magical barriers.


    The beams all ignored the monsters to target the messengers, although they mostly struck monsters anyway. There were just too many of them, and the messengers quickly learned to interpose a solid wall of monsters between themselves and the pyramid. For this reason, the extra power and unpredictable lighting arcs made the gold-rank building the greater threat.


    While the beams attacked the messengers, the giant eye above the pyramid was the most effective weapon for eliminating monsters in the district. Its gaze took the form of a massive beam that grew wider the further it projected. The beam itself was barely visible, a heat-haze shimmer tinted faintly blue. The results were likewise subtle, with no immediate impact. What it did was bestow afflictions, what Fal suspected to be the ones in Asano''s own repertoire.


    The messengers were able to easily avoid the eye''s gaze, but it affected the monsters in droves. After the eye''s gaze had moved on, the monsters left behind were soon melting in the sky, gobbets of wet flesh rotting away to fall like raindrops. Even with the lack of empathy quintessential to messengers, it was a horrifying sight. The information they had on Asano suggested a foolish hero complex, but this was not the power of a hero. It wasn''t even the power of a villain. As dead flesh rained across the entire city district, it felt like the punishment of a vengeful god.


    Fal scoffed at his own thought. Messengers were not afraid of gods and Asano was not one in any case, even if his pyramid felt like a temple. Despite its bizarre power, he knew the building could not project Asano¡¯s aura without Asano being present, meaning he had found his target. A soul-bound item lacked a strong enough connection to the soul to be a source of the true aura being projected by the building. Asano had to be inside, using the building to amplify his power.


    The messengers continued to throw their summons at the vehicles below, cannon fodder they were happy to let die. While the defenders had not yet been forced to emerge, their weapons proving so successful, the situation could only be sustained for so long. Most weapons on adventurer vehicles were designed to fend off the odd monster attack and make the occasional hunt. They were not built for war and the sustained fire they were currently pumping out. Whether their power supplies ran low or the weapons were overtaxed and shut down, they would only last so long.


    Fal guessed there would be a few exceptions, almost certainly including the two cloud buildings, But inevitably, most of the vehicles would stop firing before the summoned monsters stopped coming. Then the defenders would show themselves, and things would go badly for them. This particular attack force included a higher proportion of gold-rankers than normal, so they could reliably break into the vehicles once they were exposed.


    Fal had his own mission that only required cracking open one of the vehicles. He sought out the gold-rank commander of the messenger forces.


    ¡°We need to invade the pyramid,¡± Fal told him. ¡°The outworlder, Jason Asano, is in there. The Voice of the Will wants¨C¡±


    ¡°I agree,¡± the commander said, cutting him off. Fal had been expecting more of an argument.


    ¡°The voice made it clear that Asano is the priority in this zone,¡± the commander continued. ¡°My orders are to facilitate a confrontation between you and Asano where you can use your isolation power to duel him. Even if they weren¡¯t, that pyramid is a problem. It isn¡¯t as much of a threat to ourselves as the gold-rank cloud building, but it¡¯s killing the summons far too quickly. I want it dealt with before the adventurers are forced to come out and face us, so we have as much fodder as possible.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll gather the gold-rankers for an attack, then?¡± Fal asked. The higher percentage of gold-rankers reflected Jes Fin Kaal¡¯s priorities.


    ¡°My information is that Asano is arrogant and likes to make public demonstrations. You may be able to lure him from the building for a duel. If you kill him, his building will be greatly diminished, perhaps even going dormant entirely. If he kills you, we will catch him outside the building if we can and chase him into it if we can¡¯t.¡±


    The commander was testing his nerve. It was clear enough that the man was one of the voice¡¯s lackeys, which was shameful for a gold-ranker. His job involved making sure that Fal did as instructed. Fal didn''t care, as he only had to do one thing to spite the commander and the foul woman he served: win a fight.

 Chapter 687: King of the Sky

    Fal Vin Garath sneered and headed in the direction of the pyramid. Although no one saw it, the sneer was for his commander, for his astral king¡¯s Voice of the Will and for Asano, who would soon be dead. Fal¡¯s wings spread out as he wove his way through the battlefield, the image of grace and elegance as he glided through the chaos. He seemed untouchable, yet there was no frenetic dodging as he moved through the monsters, attacks from the vehicles below passing him by. He danced through the sky. One moment he was swooping down or shifting his angle as he descended in a graceful curve. At other times, he tucked in his wings and plunged downwards, spinning in an inverted pirouette as energy beams and explosions went off around him as if avoiding his path.


    Fal was big, even for a messenger, but he was no thug; his large size belied his swift and graceful powers. Any fool could blind-fire a storm of razor-sharp feathers and be effective. It took one truly superior, even amongst messengers, to take simple agility enhancements and spatial awareness enhancements and become truly effective on the battlefield.


    Fal¡¯s fighting style was a reflection of his flight: open, graceful and mobile. If he was forced to fight Asano inside a building sized for humans, his own body would be an enemy as he was boxed into small rooms and tight hallways. While there was glory to be found in fighting on the enemy¡¯s terms and winning anyway, Fal knew that Asano was not a foe on which to build extra accolades. Jes Fin Kaal knew what Fal could do, and at least some of what Asano could do. Even if she was underestimating Fal, her confidence that Asano would beat him meant that the outworlder was not to be taken lightly.


    As he drew closer to the pyramid, the beams from Asano¡¯s building increasingly focused on him. They prioritised messenger targets, so most of the others were giving it a wide berth, letting the monsters take the hits. Despite the increased attention from the beams, Fal eluded them easily.


    He did not yell out his challenge to Asano. Any animal could bellow. Fal had a point to make; that messengers were different. Not just stronger but inherently better. When Fal called out to Asano, he did so in a way that the servant races could not replicate. Projecting his aura, he laced it with physical force, the signature trait of messenger auras. He created vibrations in the air that manifested as words, rumbling loudly across the battlefield. The result was Fal forging words as thunder, crashing down imposingly on the defenders hidden in their fortresses.


    ¡°JASON ASANO. COME OUT AND FACE ME!¡±


    The beams stopped targeting Fal, instead going for other messengers that were more distant. This allowed Fal to hover in place, his eyes glaring challenge.


    ***


    In the entertainment district, Jason was chatting with Rufus as they watched Gordon draw out a massive magical orrery.


    ¡°Placed in an extreme circumstance, with power levels far above your own,¡± Rufus told him, ¡°you do something spectacularly outlandish that you probably shouldn¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°There you go then,¡± Jason said. ¡°You just said I shouldn¡¯t do it.¡±


    ¡°Are you going to do it?¡±


    ¡°Of course I¡¯m going to¡­ sorry, give me a sec. I¡¯ve got a thing.¡±


    Jason looked off into the middle distance.


    ***


    On each side of the pyramid, a hex panel opened and a metal object slid out. They were simple metal arms with a small pyramid made of clear crystal seated on the end. The four pyramids started glowing with soft light and a massive image appeared in the sky, over the giant eye. It was a cloaked figure that looked to be standing on the eye, although its translucency demonstrated that it was only a projection. The cloak¡¯s hood was pushed back from the figure¡¯s head, revealing Asano¡¯s face. His eyes, reflections of the image orb his image was standing atop, glared up at Fal Vin Garath, who was floating some distance from the pyramid.


    A voice spoke, but it did not come from the image of Jason. The same technique that Fal had used was replicated, but on a much larger scale. The aura coming from the pyramid covered the entire city district, strong enough that the gold-rankers had not managed to suppress it.


    The entire battlefield shuddered with physical force as Jason crafted his words, the walls of the sturdy fortress vehicles shaking. The air itself trembled, the summoned monsters panicking as messengers halted in the air, unnerved. They could feel something in the aura, something that resonated inside them and told them to obey. They shook it off immediately, but it left them unsettled.


    When the words came, they did not come from any one place. They were not spoken at all. They just came into being, like an act of creation.


    IF YOU WANT TO FIGHT ME, THEN COME IN HERE AND GET ME.


    The words were inescapable, yet they went precisely as far as the aura and no further. They covered the battlefield, yet instead of thundering across the city, the sound stopped dead beyond the area Jason chose.


    ***


    Fal felt hesitation for the first time. He knew that it was an intimidation tactic, having just used it himself, but the comparison was humbling. Messengers did not handle being humble very well. Fal knew that only by using the pyramid to somehow amplify his aura had he accomplished the display, but it didn¡¯t matter. Once enough people were involved, image became truth, which was why Fal had made such a public challenge in the first place.


    To the defenders, Asano''s words had been a rallying cry. To the summoned monsters it was confusion, the voice of a master scolding them in anger. The summoners quickly reasserted control, but there was no denying the influence Asano had. This was even true of the messengers. The entire reason Fal had been sent after him was the idea that he was somehow an astral king.


    Fal realised that, on some level, he had been denying what Asano was. He''d been told, but the very idea was absurd. But now he had felt the truth shuddering through his body, and there was no part of him that could deny it anymore. And he knew that every messenger on the battlefield was experiencing the same thing.


    As the giant projection of Asano vanished. Fal considered ways to undercut him. He was tempted to mock him, to try and lure him out where they could fight on Fal¡¯s terms, but he knew that it wouldn''t work. After Asano''s display, shouting mockery at the pyramid would be like a drunkard shouting at a temple, a worthless buffoon.


    Even the slender chance of it working was gone once a contingent of gold-rankers moved to join Fal. There was no way he would come out to face that. Fal had no doubt that the sudden show of support was designed exactly to make sure that Asano did not emerge. The Voice of the Will had plans for Asano, and Fal was the sacrificial lamb that would prove his worth to the other messengers.


    Asano proving himself against a messenger was a pointless exercise in showmanship. Many messengers had died to adventurers; it was happening at that very moment, all around the city. Any fool would see through it, but that was politics. So long as she could sell the pretence, Jes Fin Kaal got what she wanted. Which now meant Fal had to enter the pyramid and fight Asano under the worst possible conditions.


    ¡°Well?¡± the commander asked. ¡°Aren¡¯t you going in? We all heard that impressive invitation.¡±


    The commander¡¯s voice was steady but Fal knew he would be roiling inside. Fal knew how galling it was that an astral king at his own rank existed. Astral kings were the peak that every messenger strove to ascend, yet here was someone who had reached it, without being a messenger, and at lower-rank.


    Fal turned around to speak to face the commander, unable to resist delivering a jab.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t hear my name,¡± he said. ¡°He didn¡¯t sound like he was any more worried about you than me. Or did Asano¡¯s display leave the mighty commander of all these gold-rankers scared?¡±


    ¡°You would be wise to watch your words, Fal Vin Garath?¡±


    ¡°Or what? You¡¯ll have the Voice of the Will send me on a suicide mission? You¡¯re just a servant. You might as well be one of the lesser races, huddling in their vehicles.¡±


    The commander smiled instead of retorting, which unnerved Fal in the fleeting instant before he realised why. The reflexes of a gold-ranker could have deflected the harpoon shot from the pyramid before it impaled Fal, but he hadn''t even warned him, let alone moved.


    The harpoon yanked back with blinding speed, dragging Fal with it. The chain to which it was attached led into the cloud stuff of the pyramid where a hex panel was absent. In the moment it took for the harpoon to pull back inside, Fall struggled pointlessly against the huge barbs holding the harpoon in place. He could have gotten free with a few extra moments, but he didn¡¯t have them. He disappeared into the pyramid and the hex panel slid back out to cover the place he had entered.


    ***


    Fal fell through a misty wall that immediately turned solid behind him. The harpoon had vanished somewhere during his passage through cloud-substance that made up the building, itself turning ephemeral.


    Impaling was a negligible wound to a messenger, the damage already healing by the time Fal floated off the floor and into a more dignified position. The floor was already slick with his silver-gold blood, shining like metal with a faint blue sheen. It likewise stained his clothes, loose and white with gold embellishments that set off his gold hair.


    Fal pressed his hand onto the wall he had just passed through, finding it now cool and solid to the touch. It was some manner of smooth-cut stone or crystal, or perhaps some substance in between. He took in his surroundings, a hallway that would have been generously sized for humans. To Fal it was cramped, his impressive height almost brushing the ceiling and his wings unable to unfurl at all.


    He looked each way down the corridor, seeing one that lead to a turn and another that was a dead end. He wondered at the odd design choice, thinking about how it would be the worst place for him to fight. That immediately triggered a realisation that came too late as something struck him from behind like a meteor. He was smashed into the wall at the dead end of the hallway, spiderweb cracks appearing in the stone from the impact. That was a hard hit, even for a silver-ranker, and Fal slumped to the ground again. He rallied instantly, looking up to see what had hit him.


    It looked like a human, only bigger. The dark-skinned man was not as tall as Fal himself, but Fal was towering even by the standards of his own kind. This man may have been a full foot shorter, but with his sculpted muscle and majestic size, a pair of wings would have let him pass for a messenger himself.


    Fal again rose up, not pushing himself to his feet like an animal but floating with his aura. It was hard, as the aura permeating the building was hostile and oppressive. It wasn''t enough to entirely suppress him, but it made using his aura a struggle. Even so, he used it to stand to his full height, feet floating just off the floor. He looked down at the man who was in no apparent rush to continue his attack.


    The man¡¯s body might not have matched Fal for height, but he was just as wide, if not wider, with shoulders that were geographical in magnitude. He was wearing loose pants but neither shirt nor shoes, although he did have a towel draped over his shoulders. Intricate tattoos marked his chocolate skin, and while Fal didn¡¯t recognise the M¨¡ori designs, he correctly guessed that they were tribal in origin. The man¡¯s short-cropped hair was wet. He had the blank scent of someone who had just used crystal wash, although his natural scent was beginning to assert itself. It was the springtime freshness that marked an outworlder, and a glance at the man¡¯s aura confirmed it.


    As Fal examined him, he examined Fal in turn. Although Fal doubted that the huge man had to look up at people very often, he showed no concern in doing so with Fal. His expression said that he didn''t see anything interesting and his gaze turned to his own body. He frowned with displeasure at Fal''s blood from the impaling wound, which had gotten onto his arm and chest during their impact.


    ¡°Bro, I just showered,¡± the man complained.


    Fal knew that if the man was willing to converse, he may well lead him to Asano.


    ¡°You took a shower in the middle of a battle?¡± Fal asked.


    ¡°I was covered in rank-up goo. Have you smelled that stuff? It¡¯s chemical warfare, bro.¡±


    ¡°You just ranked up to silver?¡±


    Fal¡¯s aura senses were massively suppressed in this building, barely able to glean the most basic information about the man. He pushed a little harder and saw the tell-tale signs of a very recent rank gain. For all the man looked unperturbed, his body must have been aching for rest.


    ¡°Who are you? Where is Jason Asano?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m Taika Williams, and Jason¡¯s not in. That giant battle you just mentioned, remember? If you¡¯re looking for him, just wait. He¡¯ll do something pretty attention-grabbing sooner or later. It¡¯s kind of his thing.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re lying.¡±


    ¡°No, it really is his thing. And I¡¯m not even counting that big projection he just did. How he managed that from across the city I have no idea.¡±


    ¡°I mean that you¡¯re lying about him not being here. There¡¯s no way he can project his aura at a remove. Not unless this pyramid is a lot more than a cloud building.¡±


    Even as he said it, Fal realised that it almost certainly was. There was an oppressive power, a sense of dominion that he normally associated with ground sanctified to a deity.


    ¡°I¡¯m telling you the truth,¡± Taika said. ¡°You¡¯re pretty rude, bird man.¡±


    ¡°I am not a bird man,¡± Fal said, forcefully enunciating each word. For all his conflict with his own kind, Fal was still a messenger, with a messenger¡¯s pride.


    ¡°I am one of the supreme beings of every reality blessed enough to be graced with our presence.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ve got giant bird wings, bro. Not a criticism; I¡¯m just saying that you need to accept yourself in order to love yourself.¡±


    ¡°These wings are the symbol of my glory as a messenger.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re bird wings, bro. Just big and on a man, so¡­ bird man.¡±


    Fal conjured a curved sword and swung it at Taika¡¯s neck. Taika held up an arm to block it and the sword bounced off. The skin was unblemished, although the area around the strike point had turned jade-green. It swiftly faded back to Taika¡¯s normal chocolate colour. Taika didn¡¯t retaliate.


    Fal frowned.


    ¡°Is that the Emerald Skin power?¡± he asked.


    ¡°You know your essence abilities, bro. Not your weapons, though. That curved blade is for slicing but you went for the chop. Can you conjure a machete? It might work better for you; I¡¯ll wait.¡±


    Fal ignored Taika¡¯s words, instead focusing on his aura. He pushed it out to wash over the other man, through the interference of the building around them. His aura flinched back as soon as he tried to suppress Taika at all, his instincts screaming at him to kneel before the king of the sky.


    As he had feared, this man had the powers of a garuda.

 Chapter 688: A Pretty Creepy Dude

    Taika had both hands against the shower wall as the water sluiced the ichor from his trembling body. Nothing short of crystal wash would get the foul, clinging gunk the body produced during a rank-up off, but that was fine. The cloud palace showers had the water infused with crystal wash. Jason was surprisingly free with the stuff, given how there had been a shortage in Rimaros.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Taika said to himself, suddenly realising why.


    He scrubbed away the foul black-green residue with a cloth that he was going to dispose of, crystal wash or no. He knew he shouldn¡¯t go straight out and fight, but he was going to anyway, the moment he stopped looking like a swamp monster. His body was still strained from the rank-up and what he needed was sleep. But that was not going to happen with a war raging outside.


    Jason also knew that Taika shouldn¡¯t fight. He had told him as much, but also knew that his friend would not be deterred. Or so he thought. His body had mostly stopped shaking by the time he emerged from the shower to find, instead of his fresh clothes, Shade.


    ¡°You forgot a change of clothes, Mr Williams.¡±


    ¡°I did not forget a change of clothes.¡±


    ¡°I suspect that Mr Asano forgot for you,¡± Shade said, his tone soaked in disapproval. ¡°This building tends to eat things he wants to disappear. He has, however, provided you with what he declared to be an appropriate outfit.¡±


    Taika looked at the purple stretch pants that Shade held out for him.


    ¡°Seriously?¡±


    ¡°I can assure you of my firm protestation, Mr Williams. But you know how he gets.¡±


    Taika chuckled, took the pants, slid them on and tied off the waist cord.


    ¡°Yeah, I know. Good looking out, bro.¡±


    ¡°Now that you are fully attired,¡± Shade said inaccurately, ¡°Mr Asano has something he would like you to handle, Mr Williams.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t want me to fight.¡±


    ¡°He does not.¡±


    ¡°I managed to rank up in time, and I won¡¯t be fobbed off. Unless what he has for me is a fight, I¡¯m not interested.¡±


    ¡°Which he anticipated. This task is, indeed, a fight.¡±


    ¡°What kind of fight?¡±


    ¡°I mentioned that this building tends to eat things that Mr Asano does not like. There is a messenger floating around who fits that description.¡±


    ¡°He wants my first fight after ranking-up to be a messenger?¡±


    ¡°Yes. I would add that I do not care for this particular messenger either.¡±


    ***


    Fal Vin Garath¡¯s day was only getting worse. He was trapped inside Jason Asano¡¯s pyramid, boxed into a dead-end corner by a man with garuda powers. If it came to a fight, Fal¡¯s quick and mobile style would be all but useless. His only advantage was that the man in front of him had only just ranked up. Even so, fighting would be a bad choice until he could find a better battlefield.


    Garuda powers were a problem. The garuda were natural born kings of the sky, and whether it was a garuda in person or an adventurer tapping into their power, they were some of the worst enemies that messengers could face.


    Fighting an adventurer with garuda abilities would bring Fal prestige. He could add it to the list of reasons that winning fights in his current circumstances would bring him glory. That was also the list of things he desperately needed to avoid today, but he didn¡¯t seem to have much choice.


    With the worst possible opponent in the worst possible place, talking was the better strategy. This was not a strong area for Fal, and for most other messengers as well. Messengers didn¡¯t negotiate with the servant races. That was beneath them. Should the servant races be graced with the presence of a messenger then all they required was the honour of obeying whatever directive they were issued. Reality, however, was not always kind. Fal, given his current circumstances, would need to talk this man, Taika, around. He did his best to not show his annoyance at needing to learn the man¡¯s name.


    ¡°Your aura power comes from the garuda essence,¡± Fal said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Taika confirmed.


    ¡°And you¡¯re an outworlder. Did the garuda bring you here? Or did it come here looking for you in the first place and only stumble upon the egg?¡±


    ¡°I barely know that bloke. He came here for the evil egg you lot had hidden away. I have met him, though. He saw me doing the garuda thing and gave me some tips.¡±


    Fal didn¡¯t let a grimace cross his face. Not only did this man have garuda powers, but guidance, however brief, from an actual garuda. That was even assuming the man was telling the truth. Fal had not developed the gift of reading people from their body language, as very few could hide their emotions from his senses. In this place, though, his magical senses were impeded, along with his aura.


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to fight,¡± Fal said. ¡°I¡¯m here for Asano, and not even to assassinate him. I¡¯ve been instructed to test him. With a duel. No tricks, just honest combat. Honourable combat. I¡¯m led to believe he¡¯ll go for that.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go trying to predict Jason unless you predict he¡¯ll do something insane and then make a sandwich. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll go for your honourable duel, bro; he doesn¡¯t much like honest combat. He¡¯s more into shameless cheating. Back stabbing. Poison. Luring people into his evil magic pyramid.¡±


    ¡°Harpooning someone through the chest is a rather unsubtle lure.¡±


    ¡°You think that¡¯s bad? Get a look at his floral shirts then you¡¯ll know what unsubtle is.¡±


    ¡°We don¡¯t have to fight. What would you get out of it?¡±


    ¡°Cardio? But you¡¯re right, we don¡¯t have to go at it. You could surrender. Jason wants us to take any messengers we fight alive if we can. That being said, you might want to fight to the death instead.¡±


    ¡°Why? What does he want us for?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to lie: I stopped paying attention pretty early when he explained it to us. It¡¯s always ¡®astral this¡¯ and ¡®spirit that¡¯ with him. I think you messengers have some kind of energy he can¡­ well, he didn¡¯t use the word eat, but it sure felt like he was talking around it.¡±


    ¡°Eat?¡±


    ¡°I know, right? Jason can be a pretty creepy dude. I mean, he¡¯s probably not going to eat you eat you, but he is big on sucking the life force out of people. Which he insists is not the same as drinking blood or eating people, but I dunno, bro. There¡¯s only so many times a bloke can tell you he¡¯s not eating people before you start to think he¡¯s definitely eating people.¡±


    ¡°Eating is a disgusting practice, whatever you eat. We messengers sustain ourselves on the power of the cosmos.¡±


    ¡°Jason too. It¡¯s a little weird how much you guys are like a copy of him.¡±


    ¡°We are a copy of no one. My people are ancient, while he is less the three decades old. He is a copy of us.¡±


    ¡°If you say so, bro,¡± Taika said sceptically.


    ¡°Why don¡¯t you take me to Asano? He and I can settle things between us.¡±


    ¡°I told you he¡¯s not here.¡±


    ¡°But he is somewhere.¡±


    ¡°Sure, but he doesn¡¯t want you there. He wants you here. You think he can¡¯t kill you with this building? The only reason you aren¡¯t a puddle of gooey flesh soup right now is that he doesn¡¯t want you to be. He¡¯s waiting for your gold-rank friends to come in here, too. As for you, he fed you to me.¡±


    ¡°Are you saying you eat people as well?¡±


    ¡°What? No, gross. It¡¯s an intimidating metaphor, bro. Was it scary? This is my first time bantering with a supervillain. It kind of sucks that you¡¯re basically evil Angel, though. He¡¯s the worst X-Man. People might tell you it¡¯s the guy whose only power is to blow himself up the one time, but at least that¡¯s interesting. Angel¡¯s just got wings. He should start a courier service or something, not fight evil. Why are you looking at me like you have no idea what I¡¯m talking about?¡±


    ¡°Because I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about. You and I may well fight to the death.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t take yourself too seriously, bro. I watched Jason do that and it kind of messed him up. So, yeah, it¡¯s a little bit gallows humour, but I¡¯ll get by. So long as you¡¯re the one swinging on the gallows.¡±


    ¡°Again, we don¡¯t need to fight.¡±


    ¡°Bro, you and yours just smashed your way into this city. As we speak, you pricks are trying to break into the places the innocent people are hiding so you can kill them just to make a point.¡±


    Fal saw a potential way forward in Taika¡¯s words. It could be considered traitorous, but he¡¯d never been ordered not to voice conclusions he came to on his own. And since the Voice of the Will had thrown him to the wolves, he had no loyalty to her.


    ¡°That¡¯s not really what¡¯s happening,¡± he told Taika. ¡°The woman who masterminded this attack doesn¡¯t even care about what happens. She¡¯s just using me, like she is you. She doesn¡¯t tell me anything, but her plans go beyond this attack, and I know what she really wants. It¡¯s all internal messenger politics and her own ambition.¡±


    For the first time in their encounter, Taika looked hesitant.


    ¡°Then what¡¯s it really about?¡± he asked.


    ¡°I know why she wants Asano. Take me to him and we can talk about it. Work out something that forwards all our agendas, rather than those of the people that sent me here.¡±


    ¡°The best I can do is lock you up until he comes to you. I mean, you¡¯re locked up already, if I¡¯m being honest. Jason could just seal off the hallway and leave you in there. Or make your body rot away, although I hope he doesn¡¯t. Not for your sake, but I just had a shower. Washing off this blood will be bad enough, but I don¡¯t want melty messenger on me. It should be fine, though. He decided to let me test out my new power level on you, where he can keep me safe. It¡¯s a little condescending, but he means well. Unlike you.¡±


    ¡°We may be on different sides, but we at least have some common interests.¡±


    ¡°Mate, I¡¯m hearing words but it¡¯s not your mouth you¡¯re speaking out from. You¡¯re talking about some kind of what? An alliance against your bosses? You think I¡¯m that easy to manipulate? That you can lure me into that kind of trust? You didn¡¯t even tell me your name. It didn¡¯t even occur to you that it might be a good idea, when you¡¯re trying to suborn some bloke, to give him the basic courtesy of an introduction.¡±


    ¡°I am Fal Vin Garath.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t care what your name is now. You missed your window to paint yourself as anything other than a piece of crap that knows how long his odds are. Jason put me here to kick the crap out of you, and that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to do. You¡¯re training wheels, bloke.¡±


    ¡°I can be far more valuable to you than that. I have to serve the messengers above me, but they¡¯ve sent me here to die. We can work something out. You, me and Asano. The attack on the city doesn¡¯t matter.¡±


    Fal immediately saw that he¡¯d made a mistake as Taika¡¯s expression went from amiable to stormy.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t matter?¡± he growled, his normally high-pitched voice taking on the deeper timbre of rage. ¡°People are dying. Innocent people. There was never a single second where you thought of their deaths as a bad thing, was there? You don¡¯t think their lives matter any more than I matter enough to give me your name.¡±


    ¡°Yes, we come at this from very different perspectives. But perhaps we can find a way to an ending we both want. If you take me to Asano¨C¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t get Jason,¡± Taika said, his ominously soft. Even Fal, oblivious to social cues, could sense the lurking violence. He didn¡¯t wait, making the first attack himself.


    He conjured a second sword into his other hand and swept both at Taika¡¯s neck. Each was blocked by a huge forearm but this time, Fal did not stop at a single strike, launching into a combination of flashing moves, up and down Taika¡¯s body.


    To Fal¡¯s surprise, Taika didn¡¯t keep blocking. Where a blade struck without active blocking, his flesh still turned emerald green and resisted the damage, but wasn¡¯t as resilient. Fal¡¯s blades managed only shallow cuts, but they successfully scored Taika¡¯s flesh.


    It only took a moment for Fal to realise what Taika was doing as the already big man grew to match Fal¡¯s height. His head became that of an eagle, red and gold feathers running down to his shoulders like a mane. His body retained its chocolate colouring and tattoos but became leaner, sleek yet powerful. Taika went from bodybuilder to boxer, his physique optimised for quick, explosive power. His fingers and his feet became more talon-like, and wings appeared on his back. They were feathered in red and gold but, like Fal, he had to keep them tucked away.


    The change took less than a second, but Fal¡¯s reflexes were fast even for a silver-ranker. He tried to use the moment to slip past Taika and escape the dead end, but it was a hard ask. Taika, as it turned out, also had superior reflexes, and superior strength to go with it. He grabbed Fal by the face and slammed him back into the wall, his feet no longer floating but dangling from where Taika held him in place.


    Fal dropped his swords, grabbed Taika¡¯s arm and used one of his powers. A spiral blade of force shot its way up Taika¡¯s arm, which immediately turned green and hard. Even so, the corkscrew of energy wound it way up his arms, spraying blood as it gouged a deep, razor-thin wound in stony green flesh.


    Taika¡¯s grip loosened as his arm flinched. Fal slipped out and again made to escape past Taika. Taika grabbed at a wing but another of Fal¡¯s powers rendered it almost frictionless, as if greased. It slid through Taika¡¯s fingers and Fal managed to slide around him, his wings brushing against the wall. The open corridor was still restrictive, but at least he wasn¡¯t boxed into a dead end. He conjured fresh swords as Taika turned on him, glaring with eagle eyes.


    Garuda were paragons of speed, power and fortitude. Fal considered himself their match in pace and mobility, but he and Taika both had their speed constrained by the environment. That left Taika with strength and resilience, and Fal with a massive disadvantage. His best bet was to hope that Taika felt pressured by the restrictiveness of the space.


    ¡°I will face you in honourable combat,¡± Fal declared. ¡°But this tunnel is unworthy of our duel. Surely this place has at least one room large room for us to fight in.¡±


    Taika didn¡¯t sneer, refuse or mock. He didn¡¯t say anything. His fist broke the speed of sound, the pressure wave hitting Fal like a compressed hurricane.


    ***


    ¡°I will face you in honourable combat,¡± the messenger declared, Taika managing not to scoff. He had no illusions about the honour of the messengers. The fact Fal was even having a conversation instead of making imperious demands meant the messenger knew exactly how bad his situation was. He was angling for a fight where he wasn¡¯t an insect in a jar.


    ¡°But this tunnel is unworthy of our duel,¡± Fal continued. ¡°Surely this place has at least one room large room for us to fight in.¡±


    Taika¡¯s response was a single punch.


    Ability: [God-Striking Fist] (Garuda)


    The very air thundered at the passage of Taika¡¯s fist as it broke the sound barrier. Fal, astoundingly, was fast enough to start dodging, but not enough to completely avoid it. He bounced off the wall and the ceiling before hitting the other end of the hallway like a bomb.


    Taika whispered urgently under his breath.


    ¡°Please don¡¯t get up, please don¡¯t get up.¡±


    For all the power of Taika¡¯s hit, the messenger floated up from the floor for a third time since being dragged into Jason¡¯s pyramid.


    ¡°That sucks, bro,¡± Taika told him. ¡°If you¡¯d stayed down, I could have totally been One-Punch Man.¡±

 Chapter 689: Security Oversight

    Taika looked down the hallway at the messenger floating at the end of it. After being impaled and smashed into walls multiple times, the once-glorious being now looked like a bird that couldn¡¯t stop flying into windows. As for Taika himself, he was in a strange state where he was both exhausted from his recent rank-up and simultaneously tingling with energy from his shape-change ability.


    Ability: [King of the Sky] (Wing)


    Taika was reminded of a time before he knew magic was real, fending off sleep deprivation with enough coffee to animate the dead. His poison resistance would now put paid to any effect caffeine once had on him, yet he found himself with that same odd sensation. His body was heavy, yet an electric charge ran through it.


    He was starting to think that Jason may have been right to warn him against going outside in his current state. Even so, he still had a ragged bird man to deal with before he sought out precious slumber.


    Fal glared back at Taika, conjuring fresh swords yet again. Then he glanced down the passage where the hallway turned, leading elsewhere in the building. Taika saw him looking and burst out laughing.


    ¡°Are you gonna leg it? If I were you, I¡¯d definitely scarper, but I¡¯m not a messenger. Where¡¯s the pride, bro? If you run, that kind of makes me look superior, and I once squashed my plums trying to sit on a chair like a guy from Star Trek. You wouldn¡¯t know him.¡±


    Fal faced Taika, his conciliatory fa?ade completely gone. Although bloodied and beaten, his eyes stared imperiously, his pride and disdain no longer hidden away. His arms became a blur, firing off blades of wind that rushed unavoidably down the corridor at Taika.


    Taika didn¡¯t try to dodge or even stand his ground and endure. He launched himself down the hallway, not running, not even really flying. He was shooting like a bullet.


    Ability: [Momentous Charge] (Swift)


    Fal''s wind blades exploded onto Taika in rapid succession but failed to penetrate his skin as it again turned green to resist the damage. With hits landing all over his body, Taika had turned almost entirely emerald, his tattoos standing out in stark contrast. Damage was not the primary purpose of the wind blades, however, which exploded with force that pushed back against Taika''s forward motion. Taika saw the surprise on Fal¡¯s face as he didn¡¯t slow down at all.


    Ability: [Unstoppable Strike] (Swift)


    Fal managed to interpose his wings between himself and Taika, snaking them around his body from where they were tucked behind him. They absorbed the damage, but the damage was still enough for blood to stain where the blunt attack crashed into them. Fal bounced off the wall behind him like a ball as Tiaka threw aside the protective wings. The beak of his eagle-headed face came down like a pickaxe digging for ore.


    Fal¡¯s skull was hard and the beak slid across it and down the messenger¡¯s face. The result was a massive gouge that took one of his eyes with it. Taika didn¡¯t waste time, immediately following up with rapid punches. Despite his wound, Fal was just as fast, his short swords clashing with Taika¡¯s fists. Even boxed into a hallway, both men showed off their blinding speed, their movements a blur as they clashed.


    Ability: [Grace of Garuda] (Wing)


    The difference between the combatants swiftly became apparent. While Fal did have a slight edge in speed, he didn¡¯t have the room to dodge that was a hallmark of his elusive fighting style. They traded blows at staggering speed, with Fal coming out the worst. Forced to block a much stronger opponent, he was constantly being hammered with fists that landed like wrecking balls. When he got a blade past Taika¡¯s blocking arms, by contrast, they managed little more than shallow cuts in jade flesh. If Taika got an arm in the way, they did nothing at all. The only real damage Fal managed to inflict came from magical attacks, his spiral cutting magic proving the most effective.


    Bleeding from spiral cuts, Taika managed to body-press Fal into the wall. He then conjured an amphora to drink from while keeping the messenger pinned. As soon as he drank, his wounds began healing faster.


    Ability: [Amrita] (Garuda)


    Fal¡¯s body turned slick while Taika was drinking from the amphora. He slid from between Taika and the wall, dashing down the hallway Taika had goaded him into not using earlier. Taika dropped the amphora, which vanished before it hit the ground, but didn¡¯t rush after Fal.


    ¡°Drinking with a beak is tough,¡± he observed to himself, then looked down the hall. Fal was swift, having already vanished around a corner. Taika glanced at the trail of blood left behind.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know where you think you¡¯re going, bro. There¡¯s no way out and you¡¯re Hansel & Gretaling pretty hard.¡±


    ¡°I feel obligated to point out, Mr Williams,¡± Shade¡¯s voice came from Taika¡¯s shadow, ¡°that ¡®Gretaling¡¯ is not a verb. Or a word.¡±


    ¡°Bro, have you been in there the whole time?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano has given me strict instructions not to explain when or where I may be at any given time. He likes people to realise I could always be watching.¡±


    ¡°The Panopticon effect, I get it. That¡¯s a rude thing to do to your friends, bro.¡±


    ¡°Indeed,¡± Shade concurred. ¡°Mr Asano has some rather authoritarian tendencies. But your attention should be on the blood trail, Mr Williams.¡±


    Taika looked at the blood trail and saw the floor turn from hard stone to soft cloud material and siphon the blood away. A glance at the wall he had smashed Fal into showed that it was likewise being automatically cleaned and repaired.


    ¡°Oh, bloody oath,¡± Taika muttered and then rushed off, following the rapidly disappearing trail of blood.


    ***


    Fal realised in short order that not only was the pyramid all hallways and no doors, but it was also changing as he moved through it. Dead ends forced him to backtrack into places that were not the same as when he passed through moments earlier. He recalled what Taika had said about Asano waiting for the gold-rankers to invade. He didn¡¯t know if the pyramid was powerful enough to contain them, but knew that they would test it sooner or later. He was not getting out and they would assume he died and come after, to eliminate the pyramid as a threat.


    Fal was recovering swiftly. His burst eye had grown back but its vision was still blurry. Even if he was fully restored, however, it didn¡¯t matter. There was no door he could break through in search of hostages or a better place to fight. His most powerful attacks had bounced off the walls in his attempts to breach them. Taika had made some serious dents, mostly with Fal¡¯s head, but Fal himself lacked the strength. Powerful attacks were not his strong point. There was no escaping Taika in these halls, and Fal had accepted that in these halls, he couldn¡¯t win. All that remained was choosing the most dignified manner in which to lose.


    ***


    Taika followed the blood trail being rapidly devoured by the cloud palace¡¯s passive cleaning functions.


    ¡°I suggest you hasten, Mr Williams. The gold rankers have decided to invade the building. The gap at the top was apparently too tempting to resist.¡±


    ¡°How¡¯s it going?¡±


    ¡°They rushed in deep before they realised that walls were closing behind them. The afflictions are just starting to break past their resistances and they are debating whether to start smashing walls to go deeper or smashing walls to get out.¡±


    ¡°Which one do you want them to do?¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter. They don¡¯t realise that Mr Asano can reorient the chamber they are in, gravity included. Whatever wall they break through, he will choose where it leads. They will need to rapidly break through walls in a straight line if they want to get out. Mr Asano will allow that, so long as they don¡¯t head in the direction of one of the dormitories where people are secured.¡±


    ¡°How is he doing all this? Doesn¡¯t he have his own thing going on elsewhere?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano¡¯s unusual nature includes a certain level of multitasking. It¡¯s similar to how gods watch all of their followers and sacred grounds. On a much more limited scale, obviously.¡±


    Taika rounded a corner and found Fal waiting for him. The messenger was looking much-restored but his former glory remained buried under a coating of blood, pounded out of him by Taika¡¯s fists. His swords were in his hands, dangling loosely at his sides.


    ¡°I won¡¯t surrender,¡± he said, resignation in his voice. ¡°There is no shame in failing an impossible task, only in giving it up.¡±


    ¡°Cool story, bro.¡±


    ***


    Taika was leaving a fresh trail of silver-gold blood as he dragged Fal through the hallways by the hair. Along with the thick line on the floor, marks punctuated the walls where Taika occasionally slammed the messenger¡¯s head. The fast healing messenger kept blearily rousing. Shade had emerged from Taika¡¯s shadow to move alongside him.


    ¡°You did very well, Mr Williams.¡±


    ¡°These are pretty controlled conditions,¡± Taika said. ¡°I don¡¯t think anyone needed me to deal with this guy.¡±


    ¡°Will you go out to join the fight, then?¡±


    ¡°Nah, bro. I got that out of my system. I¡¯m barely staying on my feet here. I¡¯m glad you kept me from going out, so thanks. It would have been pretty rough.¡±


    Fal moaned insensibly as he threatened to rouse again. Taika was about to slam the messenger¡¯s head into the wall again when Jason¡¯s aura surged. This wasn¡¯t the background aura that always suffused the cloud palace but something coming from further away. It was a deeper, richer aura projection than anything Taika had experienced.


    ¡°Is that Jason himself?¡± Taika asked.


    ¡°Boosted, but yes,¡± Shade said. ¡°I believe his pursuers will be able to find him now.¡±


    The messenger started thrashing like a fish on a hook, his hair still gripped in Taika¡¯s hand. Taika wasn¡¯t sure if it was some kind of frenzy or if Fal was having a seizure, but it stopped when the messenger¡¯s head hit the wall hard enough to crack the dark stone. The stone turned into mist briefly, drawing away the blood and restoring the wall to a clean, undamaged condition.


    ¡°Do you think I could get that installed at my mum¡¯s house?¡±


    ¡°Perhaps not that exact thing, Mr Williams, but I imagine something similar. You should talk to Miss Farrah or Mr Standish once we make our way back to Earth.¡±


    ¡°Bro, why do you only ever use women¡¯s first names? I¡¯ve heard you call Emi and Erika and Farrah by their first names, but you even use Jason¡¯s surname, and you¡¯re his familiar.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t use all women¡¯s first names,¡± Shade pointed out. ¡°Only the ones I like the most. Also, it made things easier when everyone was named Asano.¡±


    Taika gave Shade a side glance.


    ¡°Jason still doesn¡¯t let you spy on people in bathrooms, right?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s observing, Mr Williams, not spying. But no; that security oversight remains.¡±

 Chapter 690: Heretic

    There was a single diamond-ranker amongst the messenger forces, Mah Go Schaat. He had no interest in the astral king¡¯s goals, and longed for the day he would no longer have to take the woman¡¯s directives. He was already powerful enough that she could only ask so much of him, and he gave no more than was strictly required. He was still bound to her service, however, until he finally found the path to astral king for himself. In the meantime, he was stuck servicing her agenda, as delivered through her Voice of the Will, Jes Fin Kaal.


    He was under no requirement to handle any issues below diamond-rank. In his current deployment, this meant countering the native diamond-rankers when they participated in raids on the messenger strongholds. Now that the messengers were the ones on the attack, he would be part of it. The diamond-rank adventurers would doubtlessly participate in the defence of their city, meaning that Schaat was obligated to join the attack.


    The natives had two diamond-rankers. They were weak for the rank, but Schaat was not a fool. He knew that even the weakest diamond-ranker was one of the deadliest entities in any world, even if they weren¡¯t a messenger. He had no intention of taking them lightly, and if the attack plan had not involved softening them up with an apocalypse beast, he would not have participated at all. His obligations to the astral king did not include suicide missions, which meant that Jes Fin Kaal had been careful to hide that this mission was exactly that.


    Schaat did not realise the duplicity of the voice until he breached the barrier from above and his senses spread across the city. He didn¡¯t care about the operation, or how it served the astral king¡¯s goals. Beyond what the astral king demanded of him, Schaat didn''t care at all. Even so, using four life-forge gates to attack this unimportant city struck him as wasteful. He had wondered what the voice saw in the place that was worth the expenditure, but not enough to interact with his lesser and ask. It was only after he breached the barrier from above that he realised he should have.


    With the barrier stained blue and covered in monsters like bees on honeycomb, he could not see inside. Neither did his formidable magical senses reach through the barrier, such was the strength of such a formidable emplacement. The presence of the garuda had been hidden from him.


    That the garuda was here now, right as the genesis egg was activated, was too staggering a coincidence. Someone who knew about the egg must have leaked that information at just the right time to coincide with the attack. As a result, the diamond-rankers had been spared from pushing into that chaotic clash.


    That left the question of what anyone got from leaking that information. The answer, to Schaat''s mind, was obvious: it got him. He was inside the barrier, now, with two diamond-rankers to deal with. As for who had set it up, that was equally obvious.


    While the management of the astral king¡¯s local operations fell to Jes Fin Kaal, she was ultimately a gold-ranker, Voice of the Will or not. She had neither the power nor the right to overrule Schaat on almost any matter, should he take an interest. Nor could she make major decisions without passing them by him. He had been willing to overlook the costly life-forge gates because he liked that she didn''t bother him with every little thing. But he now understood that he should have paid more attention.


    Schaat had been expecting the native diamond-rankers to have expended significant resources fighting the naga genesis egg, making them easy picking for Schaat to deal with. Instead, he found a gods-bedamned garuda eating the egg like it was breakfast, the remains of countless serpents demonstrating the epic battle it had waged on the egg¡¯s spawn to reach that point. Even now, giant serpents attacked the garuda while smaller ones rushed off into the city. The garuda allowed it for the moment as it finished off the egg, tearing chunks off with its beak, which would cut off the serpents at the source.


    The entire raid was a trap. It was an assassination attempt disguised as a city invasion, so that Schaat would die and Jes Fin Kaal would no longer be under his thumb.


    It grated, but did not surprise, that the astral king permitted this. The Voice of the Will would never go after a diamond-ranker without her approval, however deniable the plan might be. Schaat avoided politics entirely, so he had no idea what schemes Kaal and the astral king were working on. He was focused on becoming an astral king himself, but clearly, he had been remiss in his narrow focus. While he had been in study, she had obviously been making back-handed deals that would forestall any backlash from the upper-tier messengers at the attempt to kill him off. Arranging the death of a diamond-ranker was no small thing, even if it was unlikely to stick.


    Schaat¡¯s first thought had been to abandon the raid. The barrier breach was right there, as he had just made it. But that, in itself, was a trap. He was obligated to participate in the attack because of the diamond-rank adventurers and the garuda¡¯s presence didn¡¯t change that. Kaal would deny arranging events, and now that Schaat had joined the fray, flight would be seen as cowardice. Kaal could claim he fled in fear and have him neatly removed from authority, which equally got her what she wanted. If anything, that was an ideal outcome for her, as it avoided any chance of backlash from getting him killed.


    Only if Schaat could prove she arranged everything would he have a case to defend his reputation, and it would not entirely erase the sting of having fled. Kaal was also not sloppy enough to leave threads for him to pull on after the fact.  If things had reached this stage, he was certain she had already cleaned up after herself.


    That left Schaat with an unenviable choice. If he left, he would be safe but disgraced. While he did not enjoy his responsibilities, the authority that came with them was essential to his efforts in becoming an astral king. If he was branded a coward, his status as a diamond-ranker would hold less weight, leaving him even more subject to the astral king''s control.


    The only option that remained was to fight. Fortunately, the garuda would not participate. He was here for the serpents and no garuda would fight on Kaal¡¯s behalf. Schaat imagined the garuda had seen through Kaal¡¯s manipulations and only gone along with them enough to get what he wanted. Kaal would get no more out of him, of that Schaat was certain.


    That still left two diamond-rank adventurers. Schaat had clashed with both in the past and was confident that he could deal with either one alone, but not both together. They knew his strength as well, and working as a pair in their own territory, they would be able to fight him to a stalemate. For them, keeping him from rampaging through their gold rankers was enough.


    This was not a situation where Schaat could kill one quickly and move on to the other before the first revived. Even if the one he killed lacked a power to accelerate his resurrection, there was no way to kill a diamond-ranker quickly. It was why the high-rank effects of assassination powers moved away from damage and into escape prevention and revival negation.


    Killing diamond-rankers took planning. Getting them to stay dead was often the result of decades, if not centuries of elaborate plotting. Schaat was confident that even if he died here, the most Kaal could have arranged was for his resurrection to be delayed, not shut down entirely. That would have been too traceable, and all she needed was him gone long enough to carry out her plans, whatever they were. Whether he was trapped in death for a while or disgraced into irrelevance, she got what she wanted.


    He wasn¡¯t going to let that happen.


    Schaat still had certain advantages. Even if he was just stumbling onto Kaal¡¯s schemes, he could interpolate weaknesses based on what her schemes would have had by necessity. She wouldn¡¯t be able to get the garuda or the diamond rank adventurers to actively participate in her plans as that would be too easy to trace back to her. Instead, she would have had to align their agendas with hers, which could only go so far.


    Schaat considered the people in play. The garuda knew better than to interfere too heavily in a universe the World-Phoenix had isolated from the wider cosmic community. Although they were famously individualistic, they would not fly in the face of a great astral being¡¯s agenda the way the messengers would.


    The World-Phoenix would not object to it hunting down the naga genesis egg, as that was their purview. It would even allow some nudging of locals in one direction or another, in moderation, but starting a war with the messengers was too far. The messengers had paid a price for defying the World-Phoenix and invading this world that the garuda would not. As for the diamond-rank adventurers, they would be satisfied if Schaat left their city, having no need to see him dead.


    The path to frustrating Jes Fin Kaal''s plans, then, was to stall. He couldn¡¯t ignore the diamond-rank adventurers or the voice would rightly claim dereliction of responsibility. But he didn¡¯t have to kill them, or even really hurt them. All he had to do was occupy them, keeping them off the gold-rank messengers. So long as he did that, he could ignore everything else and then withdraw with the rest of the messenger forces at the end of the raid.


    He would accomplish no more than the bare minimum in assisting the raid, making sure the diamond-rankers were occupied and no more. He had no investment in the operation even before it turned out to be a pretence to kill him. If he came out unscathed, and the voice claimed he hadn¡¯t done enough, he could simply state that the adventurers were too challenging. No, why sacrifice his pride over it? He would claim that the voice¡¯s plan was flawed. If anything, the more messengers that died, the worse Jes Fin Kaal looked. So long as those deaths weren¡¯t laid at his door, it was the first step in turning the tables on Kaal and having her removed.


    He wouldn¡¯t be allowed to kill her outright, as she belonged to an astral king. But this was the start of a path by which he could reveal her machinations and duplicities, forcing the astral king to revoke her protection. It meant dirtying his hands in politics, but after this, he would do just that. He could wash them clean in her blood when she was the one disgraced and he was finally free to kill her.


    Schaat engaged the diamond-rank adventurers, as was required. He was overtly cautious, his opponents quickly realising that he was stalling for time. They were suspicious of diamond-rank reinforcements, at first, but eventually realised the truth: that he wanted to leave the city as much as they wanted him to go.


    Both sides still clashed. Schaat had to keep up appearances and the adventurers would not leave him be in case his disinterest was a ploy. They took no incautious chances, fully expecting a no-score draw once the raid was done. If they could avoid a diamond-ranker rampaging through the city, they would. The garuda was closer to fighting for them than not, and yet had done more damage than all the messengers and their summoned monsters combined.


    The intermittent combat, with neither side overcommitting, left Schaat with the spare attention to watch the city with his magical senses. Some of the more powerful gold-rankers ¨C from either side ¨C might have been tempted by the voice to intervene, despite the danger. Reaching diamond rank was not as hard as transcending it, but it was still a threshold that most failed to cross. The insight an astral king¡¯s servant could offer, garnered from her mistress, would sway the hearts of many.


    There was no sign of further duplicity, however, and Schaat did not expect it to appear. The temptation to keep adding more complexity to a plan was how it unravelled, and Schaat acknowledged that Kaal was not so foolish. But the gold-rank adventurers seemed to be paying their diamond-ranked compatriots very little attention, concentrating on the defence of their city. As for the messengers, they were revelling in getting back at the servant races. Schaat could only agree that the servant races needed to be shown their places after having the temerity to attack messenger strongholds.


    Marek Nior Vargas caught his eye, the gold-rank commander seeming to have as little interest in the attack¡¯s success as Schaat himself. Schaat saw the man as a potential rival, should he ever reach diamond. He was smart, straightforward and mostly avoided politics. He also hated Jes Fin Kaal, meaning that of all the commanders, he was the least likely to be part of her plot. Schaat didn¡¯t entirely dismiss the possibility, though, as strange things were happening in the commander¡¯s battlefield.


    Although remaining slightly wary of Marek, Schaat dismissed the strange activity as it was only occurring amongst the silver-rankers. While some gold-ranker could potentially pose a threat, however negligible, nothing from two ranks below could be a danger. Nothing from two ranks down could even surprise him, or so he thought until he sensed something in Marek¡¯s zone. It was close to the ground, some manner of ritual magic, but not of a kind that should exist in this world.


    It was a kind of magic he had only encountered in his studies of transcendent power, in his pursuit of astral king status. More astoundingly ¨C he would say impossibly, if not sensing it at that very moment ¨C it was silver rank. How was anyone in this world, even the diamond-rankers, using intrinsic-mandate magic?


    "Kaal, what did you do?" he muttered with a grin. It didn''t matter what she was scheming now, because this was a step too far.


    "No," he corrected himself, realising that Kaal was not behind it. There was no way she would risk getting caught dabbling with intrinsic-mandate magic as a Voice of the Will. Even if she was careful and used foes of the messengers as proxies, it was too dangerous. If the astral king she served found her meddling with a different higher-order power, her privileged position and everything that came with it would be instantly revoked.


    This made whoever or whatever was using that magic a curiosity. Not a threat, as it was still silver-ranked, but perhaps a warning of greater threats to come. He wondered if the garuda was behind it. It wouldn¡¯t make a lot of sense, but the messengers, the garuda and the naga genesis egg were the only cosmic-level forces in play. If it was actually coming from some local silver-ranker, that represented something outside of Schaat¡¯s knowledge, experience or studies.


    Schaat waited for the magic to trigger, hoping the result would give him more clues. If he was smart about it, he could potentially leverage this to get his revenge on Jes Fin Kaal. He absently wondered how they were even feeding it the required power. Examining it with his senses, he discovered it was some manner of aura projection ritual, and immediately wondered why. It would only be able to affect a silver-rank aura, and what silver-rank aura was worth that kind of magic?


    The answer exploded across the city, blanketing every battlefield inside the barrier. It was the most comprehensive aura projection Schaat had ever encountered, fully revealing every nuance of the projected aura. And the aura itself was startling, from the strength relative to its rank to the scars that marked it. They spoke of spiritual battles no silver-ranker should have encountered, let alone, endured. Each one told a story of tribulations faced and overcome. Gods and great astral beings; unwinnable fights and world-shaking resolve.


    There was more to it, as well. The base nature of the aura was a grab-bag of cosmic forces. The gestalt nature of the messengers and the nascent realm of an astral king. The spiritual domains of divine territory and the intrinsic mandate of the great astral beings.


    Schaat was staggered at what he was sensing. This was the embryo of something beyond monstrous. It was a power that crossed cosmic lines; a myth from before the sundering. He doubted that anyone else on the battlefield even realised what they were sensing.


    There were five diamond-rank beings in the city, counting the garuda and the remnants of the egg. Normally, any aura ranked below theirs would shrivel back like a withering plant. A silver rank aura should be washed away like words in the sand as the tide rolled in, yet it did not. It could certainly not push back such auras, but it shared the space they occupied, utterly unyielding.


    Schaat knew that the messengers throughout the city would be rattled. They wouldn¡¯t understand all of what the aura contained, but what they could was enough. That it possessed their gestalt physical-spiritual nature meant that it shared their inherent superiority. Some might even think it was one of them.


    That realisation was nothing, however, next to the unmistakable nature of an astral king. Mortals might not recognise it, but no messenger could miss it, even if the astral realm behind it was incomplete. It was an astral king, at silver rank, flying in the face of everything the messengers knew. It mocked their ambitions, everything they strove for. Only those who knew the origin of their kind would realise what the owner of that aura was. But as Schaat himself had only uncovered that secret in his studies of transcendent power, he was likely the only messenger on the field that did.


    Across the city, messengers froze in place. Even some of the gold-rankers were affected. It wasn¡¯t any kind of magical compulsion, and it certainly couldn¡¯t suppress their interlinked auras. It was simple shock. The very existence of whatever was behind that aura was a challenge to everything the messengers believed about themselves, their ambitions and the superiority that defined them.


    Schaat was past the blind indoctrination of his youth. He knew the origins of his kind and the lies that governed their society. He knew that the messengers, as a whole, were not inherently superior. Superiority was for individuals, like him. But for those blinded by self-aggrandisement, being confronted by someone that seemed to share their nature,  yet was an astral king at silver-rank, in defiance of it? He knew that for those without the will to adapt, it would be an almost religious experience, and not a positive one.


    Messengers neither worshipped gods nor venerated great astral beings. They obeyed the astral kings, but did not pray to them. Messengers worshipped themselves and their faith was towering. But for messengers all across the city, that tower had just shifted at the foundations.


    Although it felt like an eternity, the strange stillness that spread over the city lasted only a fleeting moment. Barely a second went by before the messengers were moving again, most now overtaken with rage. The gold-rankers held themselves together but many of the silver-rankers were behaving strangely.


    A few scattered handfuls were listless, not resuming the fight. Around half of the silver-rankers were doing the opposite and going berserk. Some left their battlefields to seek out the source of the aura. Others were too caught up in fights and launched themselves at their enemies in frothing zeal.


    The messengers, who had no religion, had found their first heretic.

 Chapter 691: An Extremely Annoying Catalyst

    Sophie and Humphrey returned to the relative safety of Onslow¡¯s hollow flying shell. Jason performing some insane act was an inevitability, and once he had, the monsters went mad. Some continued towards the ground, the control of the summoners managing to hold. Others snapped the leash and fled back up the way they had come, or flew about randomly in a confused frenzy.


    ¡°I have a feeling we should get to Jason,¡± Humphrey announced. ¡°I suspect that he¡¯ll soon be the centre of some extremely unpleasant attention.¡±


    ¡°We can barely tell which way is up,¡± Clive said, right as the shell was rocked by an impact.


    ¡°I¡¯m confident we¡¯ll find which way is down if we don¡¯t do something,¡± Belinda said as she looked out the side.


    ¡°Did a monster just ram us?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Neil said, also leaning to peer out and up. ¡°A particularly large summoned monster has rammed the wind barrier protecting the shell and had its face shredded for the effort.¡±


    ¡°At least it had a face,¡± Belinda said. ¡°How is the barrier holding up?¡±


    "Onslow can maintain it so long as I keep feeding him mana," Clive said. "The ritual enhancing his ability is inside the shell, so we don''t have to worry about that unless the monsters use some extremely powerful dispel magic. I have no idea if the messenger summons can do that."


    ¡°These messenger summons are weird,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Have you seen the ones that are just a bunch of metal rings spinning around each other? How do they even fight?¡±


    ¡°They slowly charge up infrequent but extremely powerful force beam attacks,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°I was prioritising any that targeted Onslow, and I saw Sophie deflecting the others that I didn¡¯t get to.¡±


    Another heavy impact rocked the shell.


    ¡°Onslow isn¡¯t indestructible,¡± Sophie pointed out. ¡°We need to move.¡±


    Clive gave Onslow¡¯s shoulder a reassuring squeeze. His familiar, when separated from his shell, was a child-sized humanoid tortoise. In that form, Onslow supplemented his usual elemental attacks with weaponised adorableness. Stash, who currently looked identical except for a bushy moustache, handed Onslow half of a salad sandwich.


    ¡°Where did you get that?¡± Neil asked Stash.


    ¡°Uncle Jason.¡±


    ¡°Did you just call him Uncle Jason?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Stash said with the complete yet casually dismissive conviction of an inveterate liar.


    "Not exactly the most time-critical conversation," Humphrey told Neil.


    ¡°I know. But where was he keeping the sandwich, though?¡±


    ¡°Onslow,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°please take us down, towards Jason and Rufus on the ground.¡±


    ¡°Stash doesn¡¯t have a dimensional space,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°We¡¯ve been headed down for a while,¡± Clive told Humphrey. ¡°It¡¯s just hard to tell amongst all these summons.¡±


    ¡°Or a dimensional bag,¡± Neil continued.


    ¡°Is anyone else sensing those messenger auras in amongst the monsters?¡± Sophie asked.


    ¡°Not even a regular bag.¡±


    ¡°We can all sense the messenger auras,¡± Belinda said. ¡°We¡¯ve been able to since they started suppressing all the adventurers, and it¡¯s even worse now half of them have gone berserk.¡±


    ¡°Maybe a discreet satchel? Stash, do you have a satchel?¡±


    ¡°Neil, could you maybe let it go, just for now?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°You know, don¡¯t you?¡± Neil accused Humphrey. ¡°Does he keep his sandwiches somewhere disgusting?¡±


    ¡°It could be a shape-shifter thing,¡± Belinda suggested. ¡°Maybe he shape-shifts a hidden orifice every time he changes form. A secret flesh crevice.¡±


    ¡°Ew,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Please never say ¡®flesh crevice¡¯ again. That¡¯s gross.¡±


    Belinda gave Sophie a disbelieving look.


    ¡°What?¡± Sophie asked her.


    "I once saw you beat a man''s head to pulp using a different man''s head," Belinda said.


    ¡°So?¡±


    ¡°So, being disgusted by the term flesh crevice seems a little odd after some of the stuff you¡¯ve done.¡±


    ¡°I just then asked you not to say that again."


    ¡°HEY!¡± Humphrey bellowed. ¡°Can I remind you that there¡¯s still a battle going on?¡±


    ¡°Oh, yeah,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Sophie you said something about the messengers¡­ Neil, what are you doing?¡±


    Neil and his moustachioed twin looked up guiltily from where they were peering suspiciously at each other¡¯s bodies.


    ¡°What?¡± They asked simultaneously.


    ¡°The messengers,¡± Sophie said. ¡°They were holding back before Jason¡¯s little display. Now there are a bunch of them dropping like stones right towards him. It¡¯s easy to spot them because their auras are spiked with rage.¡±


    They all turned their attention to the auras of the messengers, glowing like embers amongst the summoned monsters. As Sophie had pointed out, a good number of them had lit up their auras and started plunging towards the ground.


    ¡°We should move faster,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Onslow, can you speed up?¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a tortoise,¡± Clive said. ¡°Slow is, dare I say it, kind of their thing.¡±


    ¡°He also flies and shoots lightning bolts, Clive,¡± Humphrey pointed out. ¡°I can confidently state that Onslow is superior to the ordinary tortoise.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll ask,¡± Clive said sceptically and turned to Onslow. ¡°What do you say, little buddy? Can you get us down any faster?¡±


    The diminutive familiar threw his arms up and let out a sound that was something between a chirp and a cheer. Then the team hit the ceiling in undignified fashion as the shell dropped like a missile. Only Onslow and Sophie were the exceptions, with Onslow remaining adhered to the floor as if glued. As for Sophie, in the instant of acceleration, her reflexes and agility allowed her to flip and land on the ceiling in a crouch.


    ***


    Marek Nior Vargas wasn¡¯t happy. There was no longer any denying that the man he suspected to be Jason Asano actually was. He was also, like an extremely annoying catalyst, the cause of Marek¡¯s other problems. Asano¡¯s spectacular reveal meant that the Voice of the Will would have some uncomfortable questions as to how Marek had failed to notice Asano before he had blasted his presence across the city.


    Marek lamented that he wasn¡¯t a diamond-ranker that could put in the absolute minimum effort, the way he sensed Mah Go Schaat doing. He would need to go investigate Asano, as instructed, despite not caring at all about the man or Jes Fin Kaal¡¯s plans for him. If he was lucky, the voice would deploy someone herself before he had the chance.


    As commander of a portion of the messenger forces, Marek was going to get his silver-rankers in order. Strictly speaking, Asano was the priority, but Marek had the discretion to reorder priorities in the field should events grow sufficiently extreme. With a full third of his messenger subordinates gone berserk or near-catatonic, he counted that as meeting the sufficiency threshold.


    He proudly noted that none of his personally-trained troops had lost their minds except for Mari Gah Rahnd, and she was always somewhat unique. He strongly suspected that she was fine, faking a berserk rage so she could rush down at Asano because it seemed interesting. If she wasn¡¯t the best fighter he had by far, Marek would have kicked her from his personal cadre long ago.


    Marek ordered the messengers that had retained their equanimity into action, sending them to round up the others. He did not begrudge the frenzied messengers their rage as he fully understood it. Those who broke, either driven to fury or left reeling and immobile, were the ones whose worlds had just been shaken to the core. Astral kings were very big on indoctrinating fresh messengers, keeping them compliant with the promise and purpose.


    Once they left the shelter of the astral kingdoms, the sense of superiority now instilled in the messengers kept them dismissing anything that contradicted what they had been taught. Marek knew from experience that without a good leader to help break those dangerous ideas, a messenger was left with the exact mental fragility that Asano had just exploited.


    Despite himself, Marek found him respecting the tactic. Asano had demonstrated an understanding of both the nature of the messengers and the exploitable nature of blind faith that was surprising, allowing him to turn that insight into a weapon. Marek was no uncritical believer in standard messenger doctrine, but even he was shaken by what the man had shown off.


    What Asano demonstrated flew wildly in the face of what freshly created messengers were taught. Marek had been lucky enough to find himself under a leader who showed him that the indoctrination was judicious with the truth, but he never imagined the reality he saw now. While he accepted that the truth had been bent, he at least believed in the path of power laid out before them. Asano was a living impossibility, showing what may well be an alternate pathway not just for himself, but for any messenger that could snare those secrets.


    Marek felt the temptation to go after Asano himself and quickly realised that he was not the only one to have that thought. All around the city he sensed gold-ranked messengers abandoning their stations and heading in Asano¡¯s direction, their adventurer counterparts either charging after them or exploiting their absence. None of that compared to Mah Go Schaat, however, the diamond-ranker moving so fast he almost vanished from Marek¡¯s senses. It was a speed that, for most practical purposes, was the next best thing to teleportation.


    ***


    Mah Go Schaat was certain that the thoughts going through his mind were replicated in most, if not all of the gold-rank messengers in the city. They all knew that the Voice of the Will had placed the utmost priority on Asano, and it was becoming evident why. Even if they didn¡¯t understand what he was, the way Schaat did, they saw that he represented: a path to power that was alike, yet also different from that known to the messengers. In difference there was knowledge, and that knowledge might help them unlock the secrets that would lead them to become astral kings.


    Jes Fina Kaal had not told Schaat about Asano, but little escaped the attention of his diamond-rank senses. As soon as the aura projection happened, he heard the name on the lips of the gold-rankers under instruction to capture the man. Many of the gold-rankers were already moving, but he suspected they might not be so eager to share Asano with Kaal, now that his potential had been revealed.


    That the gold-rankers had the jump on him mattered nothing to Schaat. The busy city would obstruct them, however little that might be, a problem he did not share. No gold-ranker was a match for his speed and he could barrel through any obstacle like it was vapour.


    Schaat started to move and the world slowed down around him. The effect wasn''t a power but a passive effect of his diamond-rank speed. His perception accelerated to match his pace so he didn''t just crater into the ground. He flew through the forest of monsters, messengers and adventurers, the two diamond-rank adventurers moving in pursuit. He stopped for no obstacle, any monsters, messengers or adventurers he struck turning into blood mist without so much as bumping him slightly off angle. He passed through a building, leaving only a dust-filed tunnel.


    He found Asano standing on the ground, the remnant energy of his intrinsic-mandate ritual hanging in the air above him. When he stopped, the world should have returned to a normal pace as his perception normalised to a practical speed. Instead, everything that was moving slowed even more, the world around him coming to a halt.


    ¡°Mah Go Schaat,¡± a voice said from behind him. He didn¡¯t sense anything, which was terrifying for a diamond-ranker. He turned, focusing his attention on the woman standing there. With something to focus on, his magical senses managed to pick her up, albeit barely. As best he could tell she was a half-transcendent, having reached the maximal stage of diamond rank. That left Schaat in the extremely unusual position of coming second in power.


    He looked around at a world that had completely frozen, at least to his subjective senses. This woman had accelerated both of their time streams enough that they were operating outside of normal time. His gaze ran up and down her body, which was that of an elf in simple tan pants and a pale green blouse. Her hair was a lighter brown than her skin, and flecked with green. Her eyes were amber, bright to the point that they almost seemed to be glowing.


    He frowned as his slow examination ended without his time-stream returning to normal. She seemed satisfied to wait.


    ¡°Your ability to manipulate time is good,¡± he said. ¡°Too good. You serve the Sand.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± she said. Her was voice soft and melodious. Schaat could not help but feel that she was tamping down a natural playfulness to her tone.


    ¡°What do you want?¡± he asked.


    ¡°A favour.¡±


    ¡°What favour do you want from me?¡±


    ¡°The favour isn¡¯t from you, Mah Go Schaat, nor is this the time to request it.  Leave Asano be. Turn around and leave this city.¡±


    ¡°There is more than I coming for him.¡±


    ¡°The rest he can handle.¡±


    ¡°Are you sure? It¡¯s a lot of people who are a lot more powerful than he is.¡±


    ¡°It always is, and he always manages.¡±


    ¡°Who are you, and what do you want with him?¡±


    ¡°I am Raythe, and I have told you as much of my intentions as you need to know. Leave or die.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not so easy to kill, even for someone like you.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s alright,¡± she told him. ¡°I have time.¡±


    ***


    Jason and Rufus were looking up at the sky along with the elven affliction specialist, Elseth Culie. There were other adventurers scattered around them, having taken shelter from the messenger auras in the protective bubble of Jason''s spiritual aegis. Monsters were still coming down, although in far lesser amounts, and seemed to be focusing on any area except where Jason was.


    Elseth quickly directed the adventurers to spread out and fight. Those who had not been shielded by Jason were still woozy from the messenger auras, impeding their combat effectiveness. Elseth herself was already sending out affliction-laden spells.


    ¡°The messengers will get them back under control sooner rather than later,¡± Rufus said. ¡°We need to be ready for a fresh surge.¡±


    "I still don''t understand what just happened,¡± Elseth said between incantations.


    "You remember how I said I was a cook?" Jason asked her. "This was basically a Friday night fry-up, except it was war. I grabbed what I had, chucked it together and did my best."


    ¡°That was terrible,¡± Rufus told him. ¡°That analogy doesn¡¯t land at all.¡±


    ¡°I know,¡± Jason said with a grimace. ¡°I could tell while I was saying it, but I thought I could turn it around. Be cool with understated mysteriousness, you know?¡±


    ¡°They can¡¯t all be winners,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I think the monster attacks will be more intense than ever, once the summons are back under messenger control are back under control. And if I can sense the messengers that are coming, I know you can.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know if I can handle them,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°I never did get the butterfly thing working.¡±


    ¡°There is one thing you could try,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Stop spending the whole battle trying to get one power from one of your familiars to do all the work for you and do it yourself.¡±


    ¡°You make me sound like a slacker.¡±


    "Fighting smarter rather than harder is a good thing, Jason, but don''t let yourself become obsessed with any specific tactic. You lose the big picture and start overlooking good opportunities. Stop messing about with something that doesn¡¯t work and remember how you used to do things before your extradimensional friend started shooting butterflies at people.¡±


    ¡°You two are extremely strange,¡± Elseth told them.


    ¡°No, I¡¯m normal,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°If you were normal, Rufus, you would have pants that tight enchanted so they¡¯re flexible in a fight. Which you¡¯re about to have, by the way. There¡¯s a lot of stuff coming, and not just from our battlefield. Gold rank messengers and adventurers are bearing down on us, and the diamond-rank messenger just vanished."


    Just as he said it, a messenger corpse appeared at their feet, still radiating diamond-rank power. Rufus and Elseth immediately staggered back, the aura forceful even in death. Jason raised his eyebrows, then grinned.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s the biggest freebie I¡¯ve gotten since the World-Phoenix token.¡±


    ¡°What do you think happened?¡± Rufus asked.


    "I think we just got Deus-ex-machinised, but I''m going to take the win and leave the how and why to later.¡±


    He held a hand out over the corpse and chanted a spell.


    ¡°As your life was mine to reap, so your death is mine to harvest.¡±


    Rufus watched transcended energy flow out of the body and into Jason as the corpse dissolved into rainbow smoke. The dark image of a bird, speckled with starlight, appeared above Jason, growing stronger as he drained more of the corpse¡¯s astounding remnant life force.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think his life was actually yours to reap, Jason.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a spell, Rufus. I just have to say it; it doesn¡¯t have to be true.¡±


    "That''s an attitude you''ve thoroughly taken to heart, haven''t you?"

 Chapter 692: Teaching Moment

    Messengers and adventurers alike were rushing towards Jason. For the highest-ranked people, traversing the city was not a lengthy exercise, and the diamond-ranker adventurers pursuing Mah Go Schaat arrived first.


    The diamond rankers were both elves, a man and a woman. Her name was Allayeth and his was Charist. What they found was Schaat¡¯s corpse, dissolving into rainbow smoke. A sharp-featured silver-ranker was extracting and devouring the remnant life-force. As he drained the diamond-ranker¡¯s power, a dark shape looming over him grew more and more distinct. It was quickly becoming void black, speckled with stars.


    ¡°Star phoenix,¡± Allayeth whispered. She had heard of them but not seen one; they were creatures of the wider cosmos, not native to Pallimustus.


    ¡°What¡¯s going on here?¡± Charist demanded.


    ¡°I just got food delivery,¡± the silver-ranker said. ¡°You know how it is: You¡¯re fighting a battle, you get peckish but you don¡¯t have time to cook.¡±


    He gestured at the monster-filled sky above them.


    ¡°Because of the battle, obviously,¡± he continued. ¡°I have to say, I was hesitant about raw messenger, but it was totally worth going diamond-rank. There really is satisfaction to be found in top-quality product.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re making jokes?¡± Charist asked incredulously.


    ¡°You get used to it,¡± another silver-ranker called out. ¡°Sorry about him.¡±


    This was a dark-skinned and extremely handsome human. He and a third silver-ranker had backed off from the intensity of the dead diamond-ranker¡¯s aura. The man devouring the life energy from the corpse seemed unaffected. A glimpse at his aura revealed that it was the same one that had been projected over the city, sending the messengers and their summoned monsters into a frenzy.


    The first man turned around to shout back at him while still draining the immense life force of the messenger.


    ¡°Don¡¯t apologise for me!¡±


    ¡°Then don¡¯t be rude,¡± the handsome man called back. ¡°These are busy people with a lot going on right now. They were probably chasing whoever that messenger you¡¯re eating was.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not eating him! Look, the life force is going in through my hand.¡±


    "If you want to avoid having to explain that you don''t eat people so much, maybe don''t make food delivery jokes."


    ¡°Okay, that is fair,¡± the first man acknowledged.


    The two diamond-rankers shared a confused look. They were used to the silent adoration of silver-rankers, who were honoured simply to be in their presence. It was the reaction they were getting from the third silver-ranker, an elf. She looked equal parts in awe of them and horrified at the other two. The diamond rankers turned to her.


    ¡°What is your name, adventurer?¡± Allayeth asked her.


    ¡°Elseth Culie, Lady Allayeth.¡±


    ¡°A local girl,¡± Charist said. ¡°Your father is known to me. Convey my regards.¡±


    ¡°It will be his honour and mine, Lord Charist,¡± Elseth said, bobbing her head nervously.


    ¡°What is happening here?¡± Allayeth asked.


    ¡°This man is called Miller, although I don¡¯t think that is his true name. He and his familiar worked a ritual using some manner of magic I have never seen before. Then the messenger arrived, dead, moments before you. Miller proceeded to drain its life force.¡±


    ¡°I do appreciate you turning up,¡± Miller said cheerfully. He was still draining silver-gold life force, the messenger¡¯s reserves seeming limitless, even in death.


    ¡°Should we stop him?¡± Charist asked his companion.


    ¡°No,¡± Allayeth responded. ¡°It is unlikely that a silver-ranker can keep the messenger dead,¡± Charist said, ¡°but it will likely be some time before the messenger reconstitutes if his life force is drained entirely.¡±


    ¡°Will the silver-ranker be able to hold all of that power?¡±


    ¡°He shouldn¡¯t be able to contain what he¡¯s taken already, yet he seems unperturbed. I imagine one of his essence abilities allows his life force reserves to expand when he drains excess.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± the man going by Miller announced. ¡°I guess I¡¯m no mystery at all to you lot.¡±


    They looked at him draining the power of a diamond-ranker whose seemingly instantaneous death at his feet remained wholly unexplained. He was wearing a cloak that matched the starry void of the star phoenix image forming above his head.


    ¡°If the messenger is dead,¡± Charist said, ¡°then we are free to go after their gold-rankers.¡±


    ¡°A lot of their gold-rankers are coming here,¡± Allayeth pointed out. ¡°Our presence is the only reason they haven¡¯t arrived already.¡±


    ¡°So, what¡¯s it going to be?¡± Miller asked them. ¡°Are you going to use me as bait and clean up the gold-rankers that come after me? I¡¯ve been bait before, it¡¯s cool. You should probably run around, intervening where the fight¡¯s not going so well for our side, though. If you do, I¡¯d appreciate you leaving us some gold-rankers to fend off theirs.¡±


    Allayeth looked thoughtfully at Miller but spoke to Charist.


    ¡°He¡¯s got a point. I was inclined to, as he said, use him as bait, but killing gold-rankers isn¡¯t why we¡¯re here. The priority is defending the city.¡±


    ¡°Very well. Miller, or whatever your name is. You¡¯ll have some questions to answer when this is done. I will redirect enough gold-rankers here to achieve parity with the incoming messenger forces, but no more than that. It is a large city and this is far from the only battleground.¡±


    ¡°Tell me about it. I¡¯ve got a pyramid with a bunch of gold-rank messengers in one room and a bunch of civilians in another. I¡¯m a quirky neighbour and thirty minutes of wacky hijinks short of a hit family sitcom. Oh, I think this bloke is finally running low.¡±


    The diamond rankers watched as the last of Mah Go Schaat¡¯s corpse dissolved into rainbow smoke. Miller finished draining the energy, the image above him now seeming completely solid. It shrank down, sinking into Miller¡¯s body.


    ***


    Jason had drained a lot of life force over the last few years, including from messengers. None of it prepared him for what came out of the diamond-ranker.


    ¡°Are you alright?¡± Rufus asked. He was able to move closer now that the remnants of the messenger and the two diamond-rank adventurers were gone. Some of the messenger¡¯s aura remained, an echo of his formidable power, but it was fading fast.


    ¡°I¡¯m good,¡± Jason said, his expression wide-eyed manic.


    ¡°It¡¯s just that you look a little intense. Like you¡¯re on something that maybe you shouldn¡¯t be.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, that checks out,¡± Jason told him. ¡°That guy¡¯s life force was like mainlining distilled lightning. In a good way.¡±


    ¡°What was that bird thing?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°A visual representation of my ability to self-revive,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve got another resurrection in the chamber, now. I¡¯m just hoping I don¡¯t get crushed to death by a chunk of falling building and have to use it right away.¡±


    Jason and Rufus looked at each other, then both turned their gazes slowly upwards.


    ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± Rufus said with relief. ¡°Still just a bunch of monsters. But there¡¯s something going on up there. It¡¯s hard to tell through all the monster auras.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s gold-rankers,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re all clashing in the sky already. The team is dropping down through that, so I hope they¡¯re okay.¡±


    ***


    ¡°It¡¯s getting rough out there,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Lindy, time to pull out one of your tricks.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try and clear up a path, sure,¡± Belinda said. ¡°Get over to the edge.¡±


    Humphrey moved to the open side of Onslow¡¯s shell and Belinda conjured a massive, heavy plate into his hands. It was as large as Onslow¡¯s shell itself and Humphrey had to brace his feet so the weight didn¡¯t tip him out. Belinda used her Pit of the Reaper ability on it and Humphrey tossed it down with all his considerable strength. If he hadn¡¯t, it wouldn¡¯t have been able to outpace the plunging shell.


    The plate dropped vertically, its surface containing an aperture to a dark dimensional pit. Tentacles darted in and out, snatching anything they could reach and yanking it into the void. Monsters, messengers and adventurers alike sensed it coming and moved out of the way, clearing Onslow''s shell for an unmolested descent.


    This went well until they were closing in on the ground and a messenger directed monsters to swarm the shell, clamping onto it. They ignored the wind barrier that scraped at them as if they were pushing themselves into a wheat thresher. Onslow was forced to a halt and even more monsters piled on. That was when Neil used his Reaper¡¯s Redoubt power. The team were all drawn into a safe dimensional space as death energy flooded a massive area centred on their original position.


    Onslow''s shell and its occupants reappeared in a cleared airspace, the survivors of Neil''s ability having fled. Many didn''t make it, having already been afflicted with Sin from Jason''s aura, making them vulnerable to necrotic damage. The shell descended once more, finding the battle on the ground as frenetic as the one in the air, if not more so.


    The monsters that were still on task continued to dig into the earth of an entertainment district that had become unrecognisable. It was now little more than rubble and excavated pits, monsters digging as adventurers fought not just them but also the messengers.


    Most of the silver-rank messengers that had arrived were operating at or near ground level, fighting with savage abandon. After spending much of the battle holding back, they were mad with zeal as they sought out Jason and fought anyone who impeded their search.


    ***


    Jason was teleporting across the battlefield so as to spread out the messengers pursuing him. He led them around the ruins of the entertainment district and into the path of scattered adventurers. The gold-rankers of both sides remained in the air, countering each other as they had for much of the battle. This left the main battle to the silver-rankers, but the golds could not be ignored. Every so often, a gold from one side or another would fire off a powerful attack or even break loose, attacking some silvers before returning to the fight above.


    Jason wasn¡¯t just fleeing as he shadow-jumped back and forth. He frequently doubled back on messengers that he¡¯d already led into adventurers. Between their distraction and his surprise attacks, he was able to swiftly leave a slate of afflictions before most had time to react. Enhanced by Blood Frenzy, Jason¡¯s speed outstripped most silver-rankers.


    Even with his enhanced speed, Jason was still taking hits. This was partly because he went rampant, ignoring wounds and incoming attacks in pursuit of getting as many afflictions laid on as possible. The gold rankers were not entirely out of the fight either, with one firing a long-range assassination power that caused Jason''s head to explode. He was staggered but didn¡¯t stop, still swinging his sword through the brief moment it took his head to grow back. The life force flooding his body made him, for the immediacy, all but unkillable. Not only was he flush with life force from draining Mag Go Schaat but he also was gaining more as he went.


    While he did manage to swing his sword without his head, the precision was significantly lacking. More frustrating for Jason was waiting for his mouth to grow back and he yelled out a battle cry the moment it was restored.


    ¡°Tis but a scratch!¡±


    ¡°Maybe draw less attention to yourself,¡± Rufus suggested through voice chat.


    "No idea what you''re talking about," Jason responded innocently.


    ¡°Someone just blew up your head!¡±


    "No, they didn''t."


    ¡°I just watched it happen.¡±


    ¡°It was just a flesh wound.¡±


    ¡°Yes. The flesh of your entire head.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve had worse.¡±


    The messengers pursued Jason around the battlefield as monsters continued their directive to dig their way down. Adventurers like Elseth Culie were working to stop them, but the messenger presence made crucial demands on their time. More often than they would like, they were forced to face messengers instead of clearing the monsters from their assault on the underground bunker.


    Slowly but surely, the messengers were boxing Jason in. Had their minds not been clouded with zeal, they might have wondered how they were managing to herd someone who could teleport that freely. When Jason decided enough of them were in range, he used his Feast of Absolution power.


    From across the battlefield, the life force of the messengers lit up, as Jason revoked all the afflictions that had built up on them. Even the ones he never faced had gained afflictions for each attack they made against an adventurer. Poison, disease and unholy power were drained from all of them, bruise-coloured lights of sickly green, bruise purple and ugly yellow. The afflictions flowed through the air on streams of silver-gold, matching the life force of the messengers. From above, Jason looked like an eldritch spider, draining his victims through his arcane webs.


    In the place of the removed afflictions, inside Jason¡¯s enemies, he left the blue, silver and gold glow of transcendent power. It ate them from the inside, irresistible and all but unstoppable.


    Jason was not the only adventurer making a good showing for himself. Rufus was on a rampage, finally triggering his zone magic that turned the sky over the battlefield dark, lighting it up with a false moon. Containing all the power Rufus had been building up since the start o the battle, it fired beams of immense power, crippling or outright killing messengers. He only managed a few shots before the power was gone, but his display roused the adventurer morale. Seeing a solid win heartened the adventurers to push back against the zealot messengers.


    Seeing their forces being overpowered, the gold-rank messengers issued a directive. The raging zealots weren¡¯t doing a lot of listening, but this was an order that suited their current state just fine. From the start of the battle, the adventurers had been wary of the isolating duel powers the messengers possessed. All of a sudden, all of the messengers that had them, which was most, used them all at once.


    Just before they did, a gold-rank messenger had taken note of Onslow''s shell. Half of Jason''s team was using it as a bunker, even inviting a few glass-cannon adventurers to join them. The messenger broke free of his opponent and dropped on the shell like a hammer. It broke apart, sending adventurers scattering just as the silver-rank messengers were launching their duel powers.


    Only those standing alone could be targeted, or the isolation powers failed. Humphrey and Jason were both hit, while Sophie dodged and found Belinda, causing the messenger targeting her to waste his power. Neil was grabbed by Stash, in the form of a hopping insect that pulled him out of a messenger¡¯s path.


    Clive landed hard after Onslow¡¯s shell shattered. His arms wrapped around Onslow''s humanoid form, whimpering from having his shell smashed apart. A messenger found him like that and activated his challenge power, drawing them into a dimensional space. It was clearly an artificial area, consisting of a flat white circle, floating in a void.


    Clive looked up, dazed, just a spear came down and skewered Onslow through the head.


    ¡°Face me, human.¡±


    Clive pushed himself to his feet with his staff, his wand having been lost somewhere in the breaking of Onslow¡¯s shell. He looked down at his dead familiar, the vulnerable humanoid form having not resisted the messenger¡¯s spear.


    ¡°No familiar,¡± the messenger sneered. ¡°One look and I can see that you are a weak spell caster. You will never leave this place.¡±


    Clive looked up at the messenger, blank-faced, then again down at Onslow.


    ¡°Sentimental,¡± the messenger mocked, then lunged with his spear. Clive¡¯s staff shifted, the spear slid along it, the messenger slightly off-balance. The end of the staff slipped between the messenger¡¯s legs and Clive gave it a little leverage that turned the hovering charge into an ugly tumble.


    Clive didn¡¯t follow up as the messenger floated to his feet, more hurt by the indignity than landing on the ground. Clive looked at him, blank-faced, took out a recording crystal and tossed it into the air.


    ¡°I need to record this,¡± he told the messenger, his voice flat and emotionless. ¡°It¡¯s going to be a teaching moment.¡±

 Chapter 693: Rigid Flaws

    Clive was trapped in a dimensional space by the duelling power of a messenger. Until one of them was dead, neither was able to leave. The space was an empty void, the only object being a massive flat disc on which Clive was standing. The remains of his precious familiar, Onslow, lay at his feet.


    Facing off against Clive was a spear-wielding messenger whose sneer had turned into a glare. He had lunged at Clive, only to discover the adventurer could use his staff for more than blasting force bolts.


    Item: [Spell Lance of the Magister] (silver rank [growth], legendary)


    The staff of an ancient sorcerer, this weapon is focused on priming enemies for a potent magical assault (weapon, staff).


    Clive didn¡¯t have the matching wand, Magister¡¯s Tithe, which had fallen from his grip when the gold-rank messenger smashed apart Onslow¡¯s shell. The silver-rank messenger he now faced had trapped Clive before he could retrieve it. The messenger continued to glare at him, hefting his spear. A system window appeared, flickering on the verge of collapse.


    The window blinked out of existence.


    ***


    Humphrey stood with each foot pinning a wing as he drove the point of his sword down on the messenger¡¯s throat. The point of his stylised dragon wing sword was essentially blunt, so he had to ram it down over and over, committing decapitation by blunt object.


    ***


    For most of the time Jason spent on Earth, Clive had adventured as a trio with Sophie and Humphrey. His powers were not suited to frontline combat, but without a full team to shield him, coming face-to-face with danger was inevitable. Clive¡¯s preferred solution was to pre-empt such situations with comprehensive planning, but even he acknowledged that it was impossible to be ready for everything.


    Even if he had been willing to ignore this truth, Sophie and Humphrey were not. They drilled him on fighting up close and personal, where he was least comfortable. He would never choose to take the fight into melee, but he could hold his own far better than the messenger he faced had expected.


    They moved around each other in a dance, the messenger¡¯s spear alternately jabbing, lunging and spinning. Clive moved through the patterns Sophie and Humphrey had drilled into him, the tips of his staff leaving trails of gold light behind them. They lingered in the air as the pair clashed, and soon the air was littered with golden streaks.


    Clive¡¯s powers were far from ideal for this kind of fight, but he had a number that were strikingly effective. His Mana Shield power allowed him, as the name implied, to soak damage by draining mana from his fortunately enormous pool. It was a costly draw when under repeated attack, but the silver-rank effect at least included a mana drain field that leeched it from his enemies. With only one foe on hand, however, its efficiency was not the best in a duel.


    His main source of replenishment was the silver-rank effect of the Blood Magic ability. The base effect was to trade health for mana, which was the opposite of his current requirements. As of his last rank-up, though, he could turn other people¡¯s health into mana with a ranged drain attack. Every time his opponent was fool enough to give him some distance, Clive drained his mana in a bright blue stream.


    The messenger quickly learned not to let Clive have any distance. Along with mana drains, Clive used each reprieve from melee to bolster himself with more spells. A few abilities from the balance and karma essences left Clive almost more trouble than he was worth to attack.


    Rune Mantle inflicted random retaliatory effects, from explosive knock-back damage to strength-enervating afflictions. Mantle of Retribution was more simple and direct, applying retribution damage in response to every attack. It wasn¡¯t only defensive powers, either, as any chance to cast was an opportunity for the Instant Karma spell. This was an attack spell that dealt damage to the target based on how much damage they recently inflicted themselves.


    In the early stages of the fight, attacking Clive seemed pointless as he soaked all the damage and dealt more back. Even the special attacks that punched through Clive¡¯s Mana Shield were returned twice over, each one more powerfully than the original.


    Ability: [Vengeance Mirror] (Karma)


    Clive¡¯s close quarter¡¯s techniques were not built for extended use, however. They were designed to get him out of danger or to hold on until help arrived, neither of which was going to happen here. The messenger simply took Clive¡¯s hits and bulled through the retaliatory effects.


    The messenger¡¯s powers leaned towards decent resilience and rapid healing, allowing him to eat the punishment and keep going. Clive, on the other hand, was heavily reliant on his mana pool. While it was far larger than a normal adventurer, it could hold up only so long when his Mana Shield was under constant barrage.


    The main factor swinging the fight away from Clive''s favour, however, was that the messenger was starting to read Clive''s patterns. Clive may have been heavily drilled by Sophie and Humphrey, but even highly effective patterns were no match for experience, and many of Clive''s patterns were ineffective, inefficient and seemed to make little sense.


    The messenger was battered but healing fast, while Clive was increasingly just battered. More and more attacks were punching through his barrier as his mana ebbed, making his shield weaker. The messenger recognized that his enemy could no longer afford to copy his attacks and returned to throwing out powerful special attacks, his spear glowing and vibrating with power. Sensing his impending victory, the messenger started to gloat.


    ¡°You fight well for a spellcaster, human, but your skills are shallow. You cannot hide behind your magic shell forever.¡±


    Clive remained silent, just as he had since tossing out the recording crystal. If the messenger wanted to gloat, that was fine. All the more pride to strip away, and better that than wonder why Clive¡¯s fighting technique had so many fixed patterns and rigid flaws. The two continued to dance through air now thick with the golden lines still being left behind by Clive¡¯s staff.


    The messenger had realised the floating, glowing lines were harmless and that Clive was trying to use them to bait him onto Rune Traps. The messenger was too attentive, however, and ignored the golden lights as he watched carefully for the traps. He even remembered where the traps were after they vanished, not triggering any of them.


    ***


    Sensing that the spellcaster¡¯s exhaustion was bringing the battle to its climax, the messenger moved to finish it in one glorious strike. A powerful beat of his wings threw him high into the air. The spellcaster took the chance to shoot a force blast from his impressive staff, boosted by consuming the charges it had built up from every melee strike landed throughout the duel. The messenger quickly folded his wings in front of him, absorbing much of the damage but the heavy impact still sent him tumbling back, feathers scattering from pummeled wings.


    It was not enough. All it accomplished was making the messenger even more determined to finish the spellcaster with his ultimate attack. He glared down at the man, who had moved into the centre of the glowing lines that marked the progress of the battle. Glowing lines, the messenger realised, that looked very different when viewed from above.


    At ground level, the lines were nothing but random shapes, left behind by Clive¡¯s staff as it moved. From above, viewed as a flat plane instead of in three dimensions, it looked suspiciously like a ritual circle. Suddenly he remembered all the moments of strange, impractical movement the spellcaster had gone through in the battle. He had put it down to inexperience and adhering too closely to fixed forms, and he suspected that truly was the case. But somehow, the spellcaster had managed to do something else as well.


    He would have needed to remember every required nuance, adding to the ritual diagram opportunistically as the fight allowed. The kind of mind that could keep all that together was staggering, and the messenger hoped that the spellcaster had made a mistake in the process. He almost certainly had, as getting it right would be near impossible, yet the messenger was certain, deep in his gut, that there weren¡¯t any mistakes.


    The messenger met the man¡¯s eyes. The spellcaster¡¯s expression had been blank throughout the battle, but now it was not. The messenger¡¯s blood turned cold on seeing the gleeful malevolence on the spellcaster¡¯s face as he held up his staff and chanted a ritual trigger.


    ¡°Let loose wrath¡¯s ascension: Magister¡¯s Ballista.¡±


    The messenger initiated his ultimate attack power. It didn¡¯t, strictly speaking, have a name, but he thought of it as Descent of the King. He did not tell anyone about the name. The power launched him towards the ground, but surprise had cost him. The spellcaster began his short chant as the messenger was startled by the revelation of the ritual, hesitation costing him in the critical moment. His plunging attack was gathering what he thought of as unstoppable momentum when a force spear shot up and stopped it.


    The spear had shot from the end of the spellcaster¡¯s staff, and it did not just stop the messenger but sent him tumbling up in the other direction. The momentum of his attack was easily overwhelmed, and the spear was far from done. It turned around and then shot into the messenger again. Over and over it landed, never giving the messenger a chance to recover as it grew weaker and weaker. He was bloodied and beaten by attack after attack, juggled helplessly in the air. The spear impaled a wing on one pass and half-blinded him on another. He was too disoriented to see the man on the ground directing the spear, waving his arm like a conductor.


    ***


    Clive didn¡¯t stop the spear from juggling the messenger until the magic of the ritual was expended, even though he was sure the messenger was long dead. What he did do was have the recording crystal zoom in as the messenger went from glorious warrior to avian road kill. Clive felt the dimensional space dissolving around him and he released the magic of Onslow¡¯s vessel. Normally that would return the familiar to a tattoo state on Clive¡¯s chest, but the dead vessel was empty now. Onslow¡¯s spirit would not return until Clive summoned a fresh vessel, the old one dissolving into rainbow smoke. Clive didn¡¯t even remove himself from the stench of it.


    ¡°I¡¯ll bring you back to me, little buddy,¡± he whispered.


    ***


    Many other adventurers had been caught up in the wave of messenger isolation attacks, some coming out on top and some coming out dead. Humphrey had escaped fairly quickly, having taken his messenger apart. He and the rest of the team continued to fight messengers and monsters as they waited for Jason and Clive to escape.


    Jason¡¯s isolation was a type that others could see but not interfere with, those making the attempt finding themselves damaged and tossed away by a barrier surrounding each combatant. They could see Jason and his opponent, however, and were not especially worried. The mix of indignation and frustration on his opponent¡¯s face told them that Jason was doing what Jason did.


    The one they worried about was Clive. Not only was he one of their weaker individual combatants but they couldn¡¯t see what was happening. He had vanished into a dimensional space and they dreaded seeing a messenger reappear with his corpse. Instead, Belinda was startled as Clive reappeared right in front of her, battered but alive. Also, alone.


    ¡°What happened to the messenger?¡± she asked.


    Clive shoved her backwards and a wet mass of flesh and feathers fell from above, spraying silver-gold blood when it crashed between them with a juicy splat.

 Chapter 694: Doubt, Fear and Hesitation

    A messenger slammed into Jason and they both went tumbling to the ground. Similar attacks had struck Humphrey, Clive and other adventurers around the battlefield. Jason rolled away from one another and felt some manner of power settle over him. His magical buffs vanished. His conjured items, cloak and robe, crumbled into dust. His aura was fully restricted, but not exactly suppressed. It felt more like there was an invisible cloud surrounding his entire body, preventing him from projecting any aura through it. That cloud felt familiar, like the boundary of a soul, meaning it was most likely impregnable.


    A system window appeared, flickering like a TV with a bad signal.


    Jason barely had time to read it before the window sputtered and blinked out entirely. He pushed himself to his feet, watching the messenger do the same. That was something he¡¯d never seen before as messengers always floated to their feet using their auras. Yet, here was one who pushed herself up with her hands and stood with her feet on the ground instead of floating over it.


    Jason noted that her appearance also diverged from the standard for many messengers. They frequently favoured diaphanous materials with little practical or protective value, more concerned with their image as beings of power and glory. This messenger looked more like an adventurer, with practical leather armour and a pair of long-handled axes. Her elbow-length leather gauntlets had reinforced knuckles and serrated blades running up the outside of her forearms. This matched the blades of her axes, the edges also serrated. They very much looked like the intention was to maximise not damage but fear and pain, making shallow tears in flesh rather than deep cuts.


    Her gear was incongruous with her facial features. She was beautiful, as all messengers were, but it was not the sharp beauty of a sword. Her face was cute, sweet and soft, her dark hair cropped into a short and practical pixie cut. Standing at more than seven feet tall did oddly little to change the impression. She looked, to Jason¡¯s eyes, maybe sixteen or seventeen, although he knew she was likely much older.


    ¡°How old are you?¡± he asked.


    "By the reckoning of this world, it is my eighteenth year. I will be young to have such glory as will come to me today."


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°This one¡¯s going to feel bad,¡± he muttered to himself.


    At that moment, Sophie and Rufus attacked her from each side in a pincer strike. Both were blocked by an energy barrier that froze them in place for a moment before hurling them both away. The messenger looked at them with a scoffing laugh before turning back to Jason.


    ¡°I am Tera Jun Casta,¡± she announced proudly, ¡°and it is your ill fortune to meet me. I was not the one chosen to test you, Jason Asano, but I will be the one to kill you. It is I that will wipe clean the stain of your heresy and reap the glory that comes of claiming your head.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said with the resignation of an office worker being handed a fresh stack of paperwork. ¡°Good luck with that.¡±


    He was now garbed in boxer shorts, boots and a potion belt with his scabbard hanging from it. His sword dangled loosely in his hand and the necklace with his magical amulet and shrunken cloud flask hung from his neck.


    ¡°You may be arrogant now, Asano, but¨C¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m being entirely honest,¡± he interrupted her, ¡°I was pretty arrogant before now, as well. My surname is Asano and my personal name is Jason, and I have a slight flaw in my character.¡±


    ¡°You will not be so glib once you realise the situation you are in!¡± she declared in a hurried half-yell, as if to preclude his butting-in again.


    ¡°You clearly don''t realise who you''re dealing with,¡± he told her "Glib is kind of my thing. And I understand the situation perfectly well.¡±


    ¡°Is that so? You are in for a rude surprise, Asano.¡±


    ¡°I love surprises. And rudeness, for that matter. What have you got for me?"


    She scowled.


    "You are no doubt confused as to what has happened to your powers.¡±


    "Nope. You used an ability that encapsulated us both in your soul, meaning that we''re impervious to outside harm unless they bury us alive or something. I imagine that both our power sets are fully suppressed and that we''ll stay sealed away until one of us is dead. Maybe there''s a secondary release mechanism where, after a certain time, either we both get released or both get killed.¡±


    The messenger¡¯s eyes went wide.


    ¡°How can you possibly know that?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called context clues. I think you need to get out and see the cosmos a bit. Does inter-dimensional conquest have a gap-year program? Have you ever heard of Rumspringa?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t understand your foolish prattle. Speak plainly.¡±


    ¡°You messengers travel between universes, right?¡±


    "That is within our power."


    ¡°You should find a quiet one and try a little self-discovery. Have you read Eat, Pray, Love? You could do a liberal arts degree. You need to expand your horizons is what I''m saying."


    ¡°I see what you are doing. Babbling to mask your fear.¡±


    ¡°Actually, I''m stalling while I check if I can do anything about this barrier with my aura. No luck, sadly; your soul has us locked down tight.¡±


    ¡°You will be free when I wrench your head from your body.¡±


    ¡°Try and get the spine to come with it if you can. Hold it up and let it dangle for a moment. If I''ve got to go, there are worse ways than a classic fatality. I don''t suppose you have ice powers by any chance?¡±


    ***


    Elseth Culie, the elven affliction specialist, was doing her best to slow down the fresh wave of monsters digging at the bunker underneath the ruined entertainment district. With the messengers having given up their safe but conservative strategy, they were suffering more losses but their summoned minions were freer to complete their task.


    Rufus and Sophie had taken on the role of shielding Elseth as she worked, her previous guardians scattered or occupied fighting messengers. In between spells, Elseth looked over at where John Miller and a messenger were shrouded in a power that had deflected both Sophie and Rufus¡¯ attempts to intervene.


    ¡°Most of the messengers and adventurers started fighting right away,¡± Elseth pointed out. ¡°What do you think they¡¯re talking about? And why is he in his underpants?¡±


    "The answer to almost any question you have about Jason,¡± Rufus told her, "is that it''s better if you don''t know."


    ¡°He¡¯s probably telling her that something is kind of his thing,¡± Sophie added, eyes scanning the sky above them for threats.


    ¡°What is his thing?¡± Elseth asked.


    ¡°Melodrama,¡± Rufus said. ¡°And I hear the messengers are just as bad. Their fight may come down to who can best capture a sense of mournful longing as they stare off into the middle distance.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, like you¡¯ve never done any brooding,¡± Sophie told him.


    ***


    Tera Jun Casta tired of Jason¡¯s words and lunged to the attack. He immediately recognised that she seemed comfortable fighting with her abilities suppressed, which was hardly a surprise given the nature of her duelling power. Her style was practised but orthodox, for the most part. She didn¡¯t try anything elaborate, simply trying to make her serrated axes meet flesh as efficiently as possible.


    The wild card was her wings, which she used to supplement her clean, efficient axe work. Her feathers were a dark red-brown, like her hair, with a tough, leathery texture. The wings held up well to slashes from Jason¡¯s sword as she made liberal use of them. Whether as a weapon to batter him, an obstacle to lead him or a shield to block him, she made good use of them.


    While she used the wings effectively, it was not a tactic that Jason found overwhelming. He had fought bizarre creatures by the thousands in six years of adventuring, and it had been a long time since he considered a humanoid, even a tall one with wings, as exotic.


    Without his powers, Jason was forced to become more aggressive. This was where sparring with Sophie, Rufus and Humphrey paid off, as they were all aggressive in different ways. His model for this was Sophie, as while their styles had diverged over time, they retained the same root in the Way of the Reaper.


    Rufus had always been ruthless about Jason training for the worst-case scenarios, but he always had trouble getting Jason to be more straightforward. Jason always got caught up in tricky strategies and roundabout tactics, which he infused into every combat scenario.


    Jason had full access to the Way of the Reaper''s techniques, courtesy of the largest skill books he had ever seen. The reality was, however, that there were only so many that Jason had mastered. While he had made the ones he used the most his own, the majority he could use, but with a rote-learning comprehension that anyone truly skilled would look down on.


    Jason switched up his style frequently to keep the messenger on edge, not knowing how he would face her next. One moment he was fighting at the limits of her reach and the next dashing in past the long hafts of her axes. A backflip kick to the chin led into a more acrobatic style, leading her on a merry dance through the levelled buildings of the entertainment district.


    At first, it worked. The impetuousness of youth quickly had her frustrated and making mistakes, although Jason failed to capitalise. The weakness of his over-elaborate approach meant that he wasn¡¯t landing the kind of heavy, repeated hits required to take down a silver-ranker. They were extremely tough and healed fast, making a victory without powers to amplify damage hard to achieve.


    Jason¡¯s failure to do significant damage turned the balance of the fight against him. While Tera was young, she had been fighting her entire life, giving her triple Jason''s combat experience, at least in years. Once her mind settled, she realised his flaws and that she did not share them. Her vicious weapons and straightforward style were built around winning this kind of fight.


    Jason realised that he needed to stop getting caught up in flights of fancy about how to fight. Time and again, Rufus had told him that there were times when all the tricks in the world didn''t matter. Sometimes it was about the willingness to be brutal and the resolve to endure brutality. Some fights couldn''t be danced around or subverted. Sometimes you had to stand up, takes the hits and hit back harder.


    When he finally accepted this, the tenor of the fight changed. Jason faced off against Tera inside what he guessed had once been a tavern. It seemed like it had been an open space but too little remained to tell. What was left of the walls wasn''t even as tall as he was, barring a chimney that threatened to crumble at any moment. Outside, what had once been a street was now a pit dug by monsters trying to drill into the bunker below.


    Jason and Tera started wailing on each other with their weapons. Tera¡¯s serrated axes and gauntlet blades were brutal and flesh-tearing, while Jason¡¯s was refined and elegant. The sword had its powers suppressed, leaving the runes running down the black blade in their basic white. Even so, it remained a masterful weapon of near-limitless potential, forged by Gary with the assistance of his diamond-rank mentor. It was a sword whose construction was guided by the power of Jason¡¯s soul flowing through it, making for the ideal melding of wielder and weapon.


    The duel had become simple and savage, painting both combatants in their own and each other¡¯s blood. Tera''s twin axes were suited to this kind of fight and had torn ragged gashes in Jason''s flesh. In their brutal stand-up fight, she had taken the early advantage because of her weapons, but she felt that start to shift. Her axes had taken a beating from Jason''s sword, with heavy nicks and even losing some of the edge serrations.


    As the fight was a marathon, rather than a sprint, she was forced to be less aggressive with her weapons. Jason''s sword, on the other hand, was marred only by blood. Whether clashing blade to blade, slicing through her tough armour or missing and striking a wall, nothing left so much as a scratch on the blade. This allowed Jason to continue being as aggressive as he liked.


    Even though she had to be mindful of her weapons, Tera continued the exchange of relentless attacks. She and Jason both grew more savage, striving to inflict damage faster than natural silver-rank healing could undo it. Like lumberjacks hand-sawing a tree, they fell into a rhythm of attack and counter-attack until they were both torn and ragged.


    Tera¡¯s armour was all but ribbons, the skin beneath it not much batter. Jason was, if anything, worse for not having armour in the first place. The love hearts on his boxer shorts were now invisible, the white cloth soaked entirely red.


    An unspoken agreement formed between the pair: The one with the will to keep standing and take it the longest would be the one to survive. This was only a realisation for Jason, as Tera had known things would always come to this. Jason could see the manic glee in his opponent¡¯s expression as the duel reached this stage. It was her power that had put them here, after all, and this was the kind of fighting she knew.


    For her part, Tera was surprised that Jason had lasted this long. His foolish early strategy was something she had seen before, and each time her enemy had crumbled on realising it would utterly fail. Every trickster she had fought lacked the resolve for this kind of fight. But not only did he engage fully in the ugly slugfest, but he was grinning like a snake after an egg rolled into its lair.


    Tera was starting to feel an uncharacteristic sensation she realised, after a moment, was worry. It was only a tiny amount; this was her kind of fight and it was playing out just the way it should. Asano¡¯s tricky fighting had been annoying, but he finally realised that without a way to finish the job, all his fancy dancing meant nothing. The only way to win was to stand there and take more punishment than the enemy.


    Tera loved her isolation power. It stripped away all the tricks and all the magic, leaving combat in its purest form. Victory wasn''t about weapons or skill unless one person massively outclassed the other. It was about resolve. The ability to take the hits unflinchingly, not letting it affect hitting the enemy back.


    This was why Tera chose not the weapons that inflicted the most harm but those that instilled the most fear. In every duel Tera had initiated with her power, the fight had come down to crudely hammering each other until her enemy lost their nerve. As the damage built up, they realised that to keep fighting it would only get worse and worse. That was when the fear crept in. Then there was the pain. The mind could block out pain, she had learned, but the ragged wounds left by her serrated axes were ugly. They looked painful, which helped force the idea of pain into the mind.


    Once fear and pain crept in, the fight was all but over. They would hesitate, just a little, not even realising they were doing it at first. But it was enough to sap their strength just a little, make them shrink back, just a little, and that was when she dominated. Every moment made it worse until they finally collapsed, often literally. More than a few opponents had knelt and waited as she took their heads, spirits broken.


    But it had been too long. None of the signs were there. Asano was looking more like a market-stall meat skewer now, but he was coming at her harder than ever. His eyes sparkled with inhuman light from a face caked in blood. There was no fear of death, no grimacing through the pain.


    What she saw was a man for whom fear and death and pain meant nothing. She had fought them her entire life, but this was someone who had walked beside them until they were boon companions. Looking into his eyes, Tera realised that the summoned creatures her kind had brought with them were not monsters. This was a monster.


    With that revelation, the doubt, fear and hesitation finally arrived. But to her horror, they came from her, not him, her mind and body betraying her. They saw what she had brought out in this man and knew that he would never stop. She was somehow certain, against all sense and reason, that even killing him wouldn''t do it. She might as well have duelled the sky, for all her axes could cut it down.


    Tera refused to let fear rule her. After using her power so many times, she had found an opponent that would not fall in the kind of fight she had engineered, so she had to change it. She had to gamble on a decisive move before her growing fear left her paralysed.


    Behind her opponent, a deep pit lay where there had once been a road. Monsters had dug it as they strove to breach the underground bunker, and were probably down there, digging still. It would be a tight space where long weapons would be useless and her gauntlet spikes would be the weapon of choice. Dropping her axes, she launched herself into a crash tackle.


    Her wings lacked the magic to fly but one heavy beat from them was enough to throw her forward like a battering ram. Jason''s sword went tumbling from his hand as they barrelled over the edge of the pit to plummet down. When they reached to bottom they crashed hard into a summoned monster.


    The monster was a cube with an arm emerging from each side and an eye in the palm of each hand. Beams from those eyes had been drilling through a metal plate it had dug up when Tera and Asano landed on it hard. To Tera''s surprise, the impact and their combined weight finished the job, breaching the bunker and dropping them all inside.

 Chapter 695: No

    The bunker beneath the entertainment district was set up as a series of dormitories, punctuated by various service rooms. As the occupants were primarily not essence users, there was a need for food preparation and toilet facilities for thousands. Those facilities, in turn, required logistics and utility infrastructure to service them.


    Jason, Tera Jun Casta and a confused summoned monster crashed through the ceiling and into a warehouse filled with massive crates and barrels. They hit a rack hard on their way down, sending several crates tumbling to the floor. The crates broke open and spewed out compressed rations, more than the crates should have been able to hold. Cheap but mediocre dimensional magic had been used to increase storage space, but that magic broke along with the crates, depositing the contents onto the floor.


    Jason and Tera were both bloodied, having finally fought hard enough to overcome each other¡¯s inherent toughness and rapid healing. Jason¡¯s sword was back outside, having been dropped when Tera rammed them both into the pit. She had already dropped her axes and lost one of her gauntlets during their descent. The other had lost one of its serrated arm blades, but it was now the only weapon that either of them had.


    Alarms were blaring at their intrusion and, as they got to their feet, a pair of silver-rank adventurers burst through the warehouse doors, a squad of bronze-rankers behind them. One of the silver-rankers dove at Tera and was hurled into the wall hard enough to leave cracks for his trouble. The other fired a stream of frigid wind, laden with icicles at Jason. Jason turned to look at the man as the beam stopped dead around arm¡¯s length away.


    ¡°I know I¡¯m in rough condition,¡± Jason understated, ¡°but of the three intruders, one has wings and another is a monster. You can¡¯t figure out which one is the adventurer?¡±


    Tera looked at Jason and then at the door, making her choice and bolting for it, past the adventurer picking himself up off the floor. The bronze-rankers split like bowling pins as she barrelled through.


    ¡°Deal with the monster, then seal and barricade the room,¡± Jason commanded the silver ranker. ¡°I¡¯ll handle her.¡±


    Jason had no aura to back up his words, yet the man who had just attacked him found himself moving to obey. There was something in Jason¡¯s voice that dared him to disobey, and he was not taking that dare. He was not an expert fighter, which was why he¡¯d been assigned to the bunker. He wouldn¡¯t be missed in the battle above, and if the bunker was breached, it was unlikely to matter how strong the on-station defenders were.


    Jason swiftly pursued Tera, following a trail of silver-gold blood. He moved through a short series of utility corridors until he found her shoving open a pair of double doors. They looked heavy and were doubtless magically reinforced, but the people behind them had failed to close them in time. She shoved the unlatched doors wide, scattering the people on the other side before dashing inside.


    Jason pursued her into a massive dormitory that held hundreds of people. Rows of bunks filled the far end while closer to the door, cafeteria-style tables were lined with people. Tera glanced back at Jason and he saw the fire in her eyes had dimmed. She was no longer willing to face him, even if she did have the only weapon.


    He would have let her live if he could, but she had taken that option from him. He didn¡¯t know whether her power would release or slay them if it expired before one of them killed the other. He wouldn¡¯t trust her word on it, and he wasn¡¯t willing to wait when monsters would soon be pouring into the shelter through the hole.


    He watched Tera look from him to the people who were scrambling to move away from them, climbing over tables and each other to head for the bunk end of the massive room. He realised that she wasn¡¯t seeing people fleeing for their lives; she was seeing hostages. They were her path to evening the odds, making up for her lost confidence.


    She would be able to get to the closest people before he could get to her, and they both knew it. Even if he did reach her first, the fight would come with collateral damage, and quite likely a lot of it. When she moved in their direction, Jason knew that there was little point in chasing. All he could do was try and talk her down, but the idea of civilian casualties he was helpless to stop was clouding his mind. Images of people dying in Broken Hill and Makassar because he wasn''t strong enough flashed through his mind.


    ¡°Don¡¯t. You.¡± DARE.


    He didn¡¯t even speak the last word, which vibrated through the air on a wave of aura. Tera stopped dead, jolted in shock. She stared at Jason, who was equally surprised. What he just did shouldn¡¯t have been possible, his power sealed by her duelling ability.


    They stared at each other as Jason¡¯s mind raced through the possible explanations, rejecting all but one. His astral realm wasn¡¯t just a place he could go, a place that belonged to him. It was him; it was his soul. And just like a messenger, his soul was his body. One being¡¯s power might suppress his own, but it could not suppress his entire astral realm. That power was far too great, and now he knew there was a way to tap into it.


    He examined the sensations shooting through him, but it was hard to pick out any unusual sensations through all the damage. He managed to pick out an odd tremulation, his body quivering ever so slightly in reaction to a power that had just surged through it. It was a similar sensation to overcharging his portal ability with energy from his astral gate.


    ¡°How?¡± Tera asked breathlessly.


    For once, Jason did not respond with a pithy line. He was concentrating on how he could actively tap into that power, replicating what he had done unconsciously in a rage. He knew he couldn¡¯t call up a portal to his astral realm to draw power through. He had tried that while stalling for time with banter at the beginning of the fight. But he was his astral realm. Did he even need one? Could he be the portal? Not to travel through, but to tap into his full reserve of power.


    He saw the shock fading from Tera''s face and she was eyeing the civilians again. They had managed to flee further down the room while Jason and Tera stared at each other, but it wouldn''t stop them from getting caught up in it if the fight continued. He didn''t have time for careful experimentation, to see if he could do the thing that popped into his mind without harming himself. That was nothing new. Concentrating on the feeling he had when he¡¯d spoken out in anger, he reached inside to draw out power in a way unlike any he had attempted before.


    ***


    Tera¡¯s attention was arrested again as she felt Jason¡¯s aura brush against her, faint but unmistakable. She told herself it shouldn''t be possible, and not for the first time in the last few moments. She felt it surge again, just like when it had flooded the city. Once again she felt the rage as the aura towered over her, diminishing everything she was and belittling her ambitions. Just as it had the first time, fury rose within her.


    From the day she was brought into being and her training began, she had been told that she was the pinnacle of creation; a living embodiment of the will of the cosmos. That nothing, save for her own kind, was her equal. She was power and glory manifest.


    She was shown the path that would lead her to stand at the top, even amongst the messengers. To become an astral king. The path was known, but it was rigid and hard. Only a messenger could walk it.


    In eighteen years, not a single day went by where she doubted her path for a moment. She met every challenge and accomplished every feat presented to her. She would reach gold and then diamond, and then become the pinnacle of her kind that, in turn, was the pinnacle of all kinds.


    Then came Asano. He was no messenger, yet everything that made her special, she could feel within him. The body-spirit gestalt. The aura that could seize physical reality, even stronger than her own. Most of all, he wasn¡¯t struggling to climb the tower to astral monarchy; he was inside it, walking up easy stairs at his leisure. He was incomplete, but unmistakably an astral king.


    It was perversion. Heresy. The only path to astral king was a messenger transcending diamond-rank. It made a lie of everything she knew. Everything she had been told, every single day of her life. Most of all, it made her feel small. Lesser. How could she be the pinnacle of creation with this abomination roaming the cosmos, making a mockery of who and what she was? And it wasn''t just an astral king, either. She didn''t recognise exactly the other elements of his aura, but at the very least she felt the echo of divinity. Was he on a path that went beyond even astral king? If such a person could exist, a supremacy that she could never reach, then not only was she not superior, but she never could be. If so, then what meaning was there in her own experience?


    The fear and doubt that had plagued her were gone. She did not need hostages or weapons. All she needed was Asano''s ruined corpse beneath her feet, dissolving into rainbow smoke. His existence must come to an end. She was poised to launch herself at him when her entire universe became pain.


    ***


    Jason had known from the start that this fight would be bad. He had, for all intents, been pushed into a death match with a teenager, born and raised in a cult. Like any cult, the doctrine seemed transparently foolish from the outside, the ideology crumbling at the first sign of critical thought. Their superiority obsession was clearly nonsensical, falling apart when contrasted with almost any information not sourced from their own insular community.


    But to those born and raised in a cult, or who had found something in it that filled a deep need, the incongruities didn¡¯t matter. They had been primed from the beginning to ignore the lies of outsiders, however compelling they might seem. But when they were forced to confront those problems, they did not rationally accept what the outsiders saw as logical, self-evident conclusions. They got angry and they got violent.


    Tera¡¯s power made it kill or be killed. One of them would die; there was no room for mercy. But, like anyone, Jason did not like being forced into corners where every choice was bad. He had become so tired as he kept falling short on Earth, stuck between bad and worse decisions. He had been faced with one hard choice after another as the people that should have been helping stood in his way.


    The Network betrayed him over and again, but he kept working with them because that was what it took. He failed the living as the victims piled high in Makassar, then had to destroy what was left when the bodies were turned into unliving monstrosities. He had to make deals with the very enemies behind those previous events, all the while planning to turn on them. In doing so, he became that which he hated most: a betrayer of trust.


    He was improved from what he had become at that time. Not recovered, not entirely; there was no going back to what he was before, but he was able to live with himself again. Mended enough that he could put the hard choices of the past behind him, even if they would always be there. But now, once again, he was faced with a bleak proposition: Kill a woman ¨C a girl ¨C that he saw as a victim. It wasn¡¯t even really an option, as the alternative was to die.


    No.


    The refusal was a declaration, not just to himself but to the universe. He wasn''t going to let it happen. Yes, this girl was an enemy. Yes, she had probably killed countless innocent people. Yes, many were more worthy of being saved than her. But here and now, he was done. The world had bent him to the point of breaking and it was trying to bend him again. It wanted him to kill this girl, but he was going to give her mercy. This time, the world was going to bend.


    Jason''s spiritual battle against the Builder was something he remembered not with his mind, but with his soul. His body had not been his own and it had been a spiritual war, in any case. One that a mind seated in the physical matter of a brain was inherently incapable of comprehending. But Jason was not the same man that warred with the Builder over his soul at iron-rank. He didn¡¯t even have a brain anymore, and his soul was not just a spiritual entity lurking behind his body. His soul and his body were one.


    Jason still didn¡¯t remember much of what happened, like hearing echoes from the other end of a long tunnel. The memories were emotion more than anything; fear, resolve. A seemingly limitless will that screamed for him to capitulate with the force of a typhoon. Colin, joining him in the last stand for his soul. Defiance.


    The one thing he had come to fully remember was a sensation. The Builder had not been able to harm his soul, but he could inflict a pain that transcended anything a physical body could experience. Jason¡¯s own spiritual attack was a paltry echo of that, something he had learned from that scathing sensation, barely remembered as it was.


    The Builder had scoured Jason¡¯s soul, trying to force him to open it up and accept his oppressor. Jason had not. And now he fully remembered than pain; exactly what the Builder had done to him, and how. He had resolved to never use it. It was not something to inflict even on an enemy. He had thus far drawn the line at far less savage soul attacks, even if sometimes he had needed a friend to help him not cross the line.


    But that was not enough for what he needed to do now. He had to become like the Builder and inflict a suffering he had promised himself he never would. He wondered what Shade would say, but he only had himself in that moment, his own judgement. Judgement that had failed him before. He could feel his familiars inside, locked away and unable to advise him as he crossed a line he had resolved not to.


    He could only tell himself that while he was replicating the Builder¡¯s actions, it was with the opposite of the Builder¡¯s intentions. That it was the only path to mercy. Was it a justification? He knew that, whatever he told himself, he had a hunger for power and control. The god Dominion had seen it from the beginning.


    In the end, all he could do was the best he could with what he had. And what he had was a girl whose soul had trapped them both and would not let go until one of them was dead. She couldn''t even end it now if she wanted to or she would have, he was certain. So he had to reach inside her soul and end it for her. But first, she had to let him in.


    The only way he could shut off her power was to force his way into her soul and do it himself. He couldn¡¯t break in, any more than the Builder could with him. She had to let him, and there was no way she trusted him enough to allow that, whatever the circumstances. Sometimes, even when the mind said yes, the soul said no.


    He would have to do what the Builder did to him. Make her suffer, as he had, until she capitulated. If she capitulated. And even then, he couldn¡¯t be sure it would work. He had never rummaged around someone else¡¯s soul.


    He could just kill her. He knew what he was about to do and that, in the face of such miserable suffering, killing could be seen as a mercy in itself. But Jason wouldn¡¯t allow it. Fate had put this girl in his path and decreed that one of them would die. Fate could go fuck itself.


    Transcendent light of blue, silver and gold started shining through Jason''s skin as he lit up like a beacon. He drew on the power of his astral realm, his body shaking as he turned himself into something like a portal that only his power could pass through. It clashed with Tera¡¯s soul, the very thing that was binding him. This meant he didn¡¯t need to push through the suppression to attack it; it was right there waiting for him.


    Tera fell but didn¡¯t hit the ground, instead floating up. Her spine arched and her wings, head and limbs were all yanked in the direction of the ground as if something was holding them while brutally pushing into her back. Her mouth opened in the image of a scream, but at first, none came. Then there was a sonorous hum, building with every passing second, slowly rising in pitch as it grew louder.


    ***


    Emresh Vohl was huddled with the civilians, despite his silver-rank. The adventurers had tried to recruit him in case of something breaking into the bunker, but he had refused them to their derision. But he was no adventurer, having ranked up on cores. He¡¯d never fought anything more dangerous than a stablehand a rank lower than he was.


    His choice has been validated when the ragged angel had barged into the room, battered and bleeding. The bronze-rankers trying to close the door on her had been thrown back as she shoved it open and stormed in, dripping silver-gold blood.


    He knew that she was one of the messengers that people had been talking about, not an angel from the old elvish stories his mother told him as a child. But even as injured as she was, she still looked like one. There was something glorious about her, even under the blood, the wounds and the tattered armour.


    The man that followed her was no such thing. He was all but naked, the blood painting his body covering him more than his red-stained under-shorts. He was in even worse condition, his body covered in savage lacerations.


    Emreth had not wasted time using his silver-rank physicality to rush past others, not caring if a few children or old people were knocked aside. But he kept his gaze on the two figures, and he did not like the way the messenger looked at them. He''d seen that look on his father many times; the look of a man who saw assets and not people. It was not something he''d ever had a problem with until he was the asset.


    The two intruders had a short exchange, him warning her in a voice that rang like a gong. She looked at him in shock and he seemed equally surprised. For a long moment, they just stared at one another. Then he started to glow and she was dragged into the air by an unseen force, her arms, legs and wings pulled downwards as if trying to drag her back.


    The room was eerily quiet, civilians and bronze-rank adventurers equally huddled in silence as they looked on. Then came a base hum, slowly growing louder and higher until people started to moan and Emreth felt a pricking in his ears and eyes. A child cried as the rising pitch of the hum left blood trickling from her ear, more joining her as blood started seeping from the eyes, noses and ears of the young and the elderly. Then an aura washed over them, domineering yet protective; the authority of a benevolent dictator.


    The sound stopped affecting the civilians, who looked on at the suffering angel and glowing man who was also starting to float into the air. Dark red leather started appearing on his body, draping him in a robe. It soaked away the blood left on his exposed hands and face. When his face cleared, Emreth''s blood ran cold.


    Silver-rankers had excellent memories. Emreth knew that face, even if the dark brown eyes were now an alien blue-orange. He had last seen it on the floor of a tavern, shielded by the man¡¯s arms as Emreth and his boys kicked the man over and over.


    Things started clicking into place. The mysterious person who had severely damaged his father''s business interests, for some unknown slight. The way the man had taunted Emreth, all but asking for a beating. Emreth had gone to the tavern looking to beat someone and he now realised the man had offered himself up because he could take it.


    He watched as the man¡¯s face vanished into a dark hood as a cloak that was not fabric but a living void manifested around him. He could just make out the silhouette of the man¡¯s sharp chin, beneath the glowing eyes.


    Essence users rarely exhibited the base physiological functions of a normal body. They hardly ever blushed, hardly ever cried and never went to the toilet. Especially by silver-rank, only extremes of emotion could make their magical bodies replicate the base nature they had left behind. This left Emreth confused at the warm trickle he felt in his pants.


    ***


    The most infinitesimal portion of power the Builder could exert would still be enough to annihilate a universe. Jason couldn¡¯t comprehend power on that scale, let alone match it. Yet, even at his power level, his facsimile of the Builder¡¯s assault on his soul was a horrifying thing to do to a person. Jason himself knew this better than anyone, and as he flayed Tera¡¯s soul, he felt an intense revulsion he had to push through to keep going.


    It was the only potential path out that he saw leading anywhere but to her death, but he wondered again if death was not the greater mercy. He knew what the treatment he was giving her would do. It had taken him months and some of the best experts in the world to recover. He doubted the messengers would give her the same care that he had received.


    He kept pouring on the pain, willing her to surrender. The faster she let him in, the quicker the pain would end, and if she didn¡¯t surrender at all, he would have to kill her anyway. Then, instead of mercy, he had taken her from death to excruciatingly miserable death. He had to steel his resolve over and over to continue, redoubling his efforts as his will squeezed her soul like a ball in his fist.


    Jason didn¡¯t have a star seed, but he wasn¡¯t looking to take her over once he was allowed into her soul. All he needed was a connection, and in the course of his torturing her, he realised that it was already there. He could feel a link, not between Jason Asano and Tera Jun Casta but between astral king and messenger. He could tell immediately that it had always been there, waiting. It was strange and made him feel uncomfortable. It was almost like messengers were built to be controlled.


    Jason poured his will into that connection, every ounce of soul strength he could muster assaulting her anew. Finally, he felt the first, tiny tremble in her will to resist. Whatever that connection was, it left her hard-wired to obey, so long as he could activate it. That she was able to resist the inherent urge to surrender that came through it deeply impressed Jason, even if he wished she didn''t. He desperately wanted to stop, although not near as much as she did, he knew.


    He had to finish it. He had to push through, and make her give up. He floated over to her, his cloak drifting loosely around him. He had pushed away the power of her soul enough that he could use at least some of his powers. He reached out a hand, palm down in the space where her torso was arched up.


    Yield. Your. Soul.


    Her body trembled, then shook. Then she fell to the ground.

 Chapter 696: A Fight to the Pain

    Outside of the barrier dome surrounding Yaresh, the command council, the strategic command for the messenger raiding force, was floating in the air. Information from the field commanders within the city was relayed to them through speaking stones, a magical device this world did not possess. Communication was one of several odd points of ignorance in this otherwise magically developed world, alongside their dearth of dimensional magic.


    One of the commanders left the group to move in the direction of the Voice of the Will, Jes Fin Kaal. Although ostensibly in charge of all the messenger forces in the region ¨C undisputedly, with the death of Mah Go Schaat ¨C she had been leaving the direction of the raid to the gold-rankers that made up the strategic command. They were both surprised and grateful, as they knew their people and how to lead them far better than an outsider, even one sent by the astral king.


    The voice had been satisfied setting objectives and then leaving the commanders to determine how best to carry them out. She only made a few stipulations, although they ranged from small to fundamental in their impact on the strategic approach to the raid. Attaching one messenger to the troop most likely to encounter one specific adventurer was a confusing but easy-to-accommodate directive. Employing the great summoning gates, on the other hand, defined the manner in which the attack was conducted.


    The commander approaching Jes Fin Kaal reached her and made a status report. Kaal listened without looking at the man, her eyes locked on the city barrier, despite seeing little more than a blue blur through its surface.


    ¡°¡­being pushed back across the city,¡± the commander reported. ¡°We had believed that the gods would largely remain out of the conflict, but not only have the churches mobilised extensive forces, but those forces have proven suspiciously strong and well-informed.¡±


    ¡°The goddess Knowledge,¡± Kaal said, her voice unconcerned. ¡°We have long known that she was preparing for our arrival in this world. She pushed the boundaries of what information she was able to spread, but our collaboration with the church of Purity has given her leeway.¡±


    ¡°The command council is advising withdrawal, Voice,¡± the commander said. ¡°The barrier breaches are repairing themselves quickly and the defenders are taking the upper hand as the summoning gates reach their limits. They are close to breaking down and we cannot replace the summons being destroyed as quickly as before. The fall of Mah Go Schaat has also freed up the local diamond-rank adventurers, and we¡¯ve started losing gold-rankers. Casualties are already shifting away from the summoned fodder and onto our actual forces.¡±


    ¡°You have confirmed the aura event was Jason Asano?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Voice. Also¡­¡±


    Kaal finally turned to look at the commander.


    ¡°What?¡± she demanded.


    ¡°We have been unable to determine how Mah Go Schaat died. As best we can tell, he was rushing towards Asano in the wake of the aura events. The next moment, he was dead. At Asano¡¯s feet.¡±


    The voice blinked in confusion.


    ¡°Just like that?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Voice. And then¡­ Asano devoured the life force left in his corpse.¡±


    Kaal''s eyebrows shot up and then, to the commander¡¯s surprise and mild terror, she burst out laughing.


    ¡°Voice, we lost a diamond-ranker.¡±


    Kaal gave him a friendly pat on the shoulder.


    ¡°And we likely won¡¯t be seeing him again for some time. Such a shame. What is Asano¡¯s current disposition?¡±


    ¡°One of our silver-rankers caught him in a duelling power. We have been unable to ascertain his status from that point.¡±


    ¡°He was drawn into a dimensional space?¡±


    ¡°No, Voice. It was the power type that wraps each duellist in a soul shell, allowing them to fight each other, but anyone else coming into contact is forcibly thrown away.¡±


    ¡°Then why do we not know his status?¡±


    ¡°Their duel moved into a breached bunker. It is likely their fight created massive casualties amongst those sheltering inside. These soul shells can hurt a silver-ranker; they¡¯ll kill the frail servant race civilians.¡±


    ¡°The bunkers don¡¯t matter. What about Asano.¡±


    ¡°Forgive me, Voice, but were the bunkers not the entire objective in attacking the city? To sow terror?¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, yes, of course they were. What are you doing to get eyes in that bunker?¡±


    ¡°The commander for that district is Marek Nior Vargas. He has secured the entrance with his personal forces only, not the ones that were assigned to him. But he is denying entrance to our forces, along with the city defenders.¡±


    Kaal¡¯s face took on a contemplative expression.


    ¡°Interesting,¡± she mused. ¡°I knew many of our gold-rankers would fight over Asano once they realised what he was, but Marek Nior Vargas being one of them is a surprise.¡±


    ¡°His actions could be seen as traitorous.¡±


    ¡°They could. But equally, he may simply be taking care in securing Asano. He¡¯s always been a careful one, and I suspect not all of our people are acting with duty utmost in their minds. He does not act without due consideration, and he knows that only silver-rankers are allowed to kill Asano.¡±


    ¡°From our ongoing assessment of him, I¡¯m not sure any of our silver-rankers can kill Asano.¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    ¡°Then why did you specifically direct them to try?¡±


    ¡°Because our people are slow to learn when it comes to respecting those who come from outside of our ranks. An unfortunate side effect of the learning programs. But now, they will respect the threat he poses and, more importantly, his potential when directed to our ends.¡±


    ¡°You have your own intentions for him, then.¡±


    ¡°I have all manner of intentions, commander, as those who whisper behind my back are all too aware. Remember that we are not in this region to wipe out a servant race city. That is why we are raiding it instead of razing it to the ground. Our objectives are greater, which is why the gold-rankers were instructed that Asano be either captured or left alive, and Marek Nior Vargas knows this.¡±


    ¡°But if he is a traitor, he might try to kill Asano, or seize him for his own ends.¡±


    ¡°He is a cautious man, and is unlikely to make a sudden, bold move now.¡±


    ¡°But if he does?¡±


    "Then it will be an unexpected but not unacceptable outcome. Marek Nior Vargas won¡¯t kill Asano, because that gets him nothing. And he has no information he can share with Asano that will interfere with the astral king¡¯s agenda. He may even streamline the transition to the next phase.¡±


    ¡°The next phase, Voice?¡±


    She focused on the commander again.


    ¡°The Command Council will be informed as necessary. For now, the council recommendation has my approval. Signal the full withdrawal.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Voice.¡±


    ***


    Jason projected his will into the soul of the messenger, and the result was disorienting. His magical and aura senses showed the inside of Tera Jun Casta¡¯s soul, while his ordinary senses still showed the inside of the bunker. He could barely comprehend what his spiritual senses perceived. It was more vast and complex than his mind could parse, with only glimpses of partial understanding.


    Being inside her soul did show him enough to disprove a hypothesis he had formed while he was attacking it from the outside. He had started to suspect that the messengers were some kind of artificial race, created by the astral kings or some other beings, behind the scenes. What he discovered inside her soul disabused him of that notion. It felt messy and organic; everything was in a constant state of flux, yet it all worked in harmony. It was like hearing a hundred songs that seemed discordant, yet when played over one another, produced a heavenly chorus.


    The elements of her soul ranged from completely incomprehensible to almost completely incomprehensible. The exceptions were three things that stood in stark contrast for the simple reason that Jason had a solid and immediate understanding of them. In all three cases, it was a connection to things outside of her soul that helped Jason both to find and to understand them.


    The first element appeared to be the very core of the messenger''s existence; a nexus hub for the body-soul gestalt that comprised her very being. Onto that central nexus, someone had placed a mark. From what he was seeing, Jason guessed that the mark was placed while the soul was still forming, like branding a newborn calf. It was placed before the soul became an impregnable whole, granting whoever placed the mark continued access.


    Looking at the mark and how it was impacting the soul, it clearly did more than grant access. It had become an intrinsic part of the soul by the time it finished forming, like an internal organ. Now, if the mark was removed, the result would be a spiritual wound that would eventually be fatal.


    The next aspect that stood out was what he identified as her potential. This was where her power slowly accumulated, not unlike where Jason¡¯s essence powers grew. She was not an astral king, however, so instead of the garden inside Jason¡¯s soul, this was a kaleidoscopic churn. That churn, however, was not growing. There was a seal placed on it, leeching power out of her soul entirely. Once again, Jason recognised the power of an astral king at play; just glancing at showed him how he could use the same thing.


    The seal drawing out power meant that Tera was eternally trapped at silver-rank, the power that would accumulate and trigger her advancement siphoned off. The astral king was taking the power that should have slowly let her grow to gold-rank and beyond, claiming for himself. Jason realised that this must be a standard practice; every messenger unable to move beyond a certain rank was not held back by some inherent limitation. They were unwitting power batteries for the astral kings they served.


    Jason''s mind went through what he knew about the messengers. The Voices of the Will had chosen to serve the astral kings in return for the chance to advance further than their natural limits. But now Jason realised that those limits weren¡¯t natural at all. The great gift of raising a messenger¡¯s potential was nothing more than adjusting the seal to let more power accumulate before siphoning it off.


    Although startled, Jason moved his attention to the third aspect of her soul he recognised. This was easy enough because it was the mechanism that drove Tera¡¯s duelling power. As Jason was currently fending that power off with power-boosted suppression resistance. He was able to trace the power right back to the source and immediately reached out with his will to turn it off. It didn¡¯t budge, leaving him no more able to disable it than the messenger herself.


    Jason turned back to the first element he¡¯d recognised, the marked core of her being. He could feel the control that brand had over her, and realised that if he had that control, it should let him end the duelling power. It was a move that filled him with revulsion, but it was necessary. Now that he had seen the underlying mechanism of the power, he could tell that if neither of them die first, it would kill them both within minutes.


    He examined the mark, seeing that it was similar to writing he had been before. There was an ancient and mysterious ideographic language that Jason had seen other examples of. His sword had the name written on the blade in those ideographs, and when he branded enemies with his Mark of Sin power, that brand also used the same language. The exact meaning of the symbol was multi-layered, but it roughly translated as ¡®soul-shaper.¡¯


    Hoping his own would sound at least a little less villainous, he searched his own soul for a similar mark and found it immediately, appearing the moment he willed it. He let out a sigh in his mind when he saw that it translated to ''Hegemon.'' Because, of course it did.


    Replacing the other astral king''s brand with his own proved startling easy, the original shifting into the new shape with the barest expression of his will. When he did so, her entire soul shook like a shanty in a hurricane, but he ignored it and immediately turned off the now-compliant duelling power.


    He was about to withdraw from her soul, then stopped himself. He looked again at the brand, now his own, on the core of her being. He knew he couldn¡¯t remove it; there had to be a brand now or it would destroy her slowly, like a spiritual gut wound that was unable to heal.


    He cast his senses out, looking to see if he could find her own mark, somewhere in her soul. It was far harder than finding his own, and not only was it not his soul, but she wasn¡¯t an astral king. She didn¡¯t even have the potential to become one, with that seal in place, capping her potential.


    The most he could find were dregs of what had once been the start of a mark, but both the brand ¨C now his ¨C and the seal were suppressing it. Jason willed his brand to stop doing so, and it did. Then he turned his attention to the seal and found that, unlike the brand, it was a simple matter to remove. He could sense her soul already trying to throw it off, and all he needed to do was give it a little help. He channelled some of his own strength into Tera and the seal pulsed like a heart before bursting.


    ***


    Vesta Carmis Zell was an astral king, comfortably residing in her astral kingdom. She was watching servant race armies battle to the death, resurrecting them and bestowing on them different abilities to keep things interesting. When she felt one of her seals disappear, she went deathly still.


    It was a silver-rank seal, one of countless, but there was only one way for it to be removed: for an astral king to be allowed into a soul to remove it.


    "HALLAS!" bellowed, shaking her entire realm with such power that the servant races all died. She revived them again as her servant, Hallas, arrived. Hallas was one of her more satisfactory experiments in soul engineering; a living soul bound into a golem. The golem was seven feet tall and humanoid, wrought from white and gold materials that would be coveted even in the cosmic city of Interstice.


    "Hallas," she commanded. "Reach out to the others. I am calling the Council of Kings."


    ***


    With the seal gone, Jason cast his senses through Tera Jun Casta¡¯s soul once again, looking for the mark that represented Tera herself. The nascent aspects he had sensed were already moving, coming together and refining themselves. He waited, but while the mark quickly took an initial form, it was far from complete. It did not develop to the degree Jason''s or the other astral king''s had because Tera was no astral king.


    It wasn¡¯t enough for Jason to use. Tapping to his own power, he took some of his own presence and radiated it through her soul, doing his best to give her an understanding of an astral king¡¯s nature. He focused it on her nascent mark and she responded, her soul instinctively using him as a blueprint to further develop the mark. The moment he sensed her not just reference him but copy him outright, he cut off the power and retracted his presence. He was trying to help her, not remould her in his own image.


    Her mark remained incomplete, but he was sure it was enough to work, given it was her own soul. He reached out to her brand, his will again guiding her unconscious instincts to replace his mark with hers.


    Once again, her entire soul shook. Jason felt an immediate sense of rejection from her soul and he withdrew his presence from her soul entirely.


    ***


    Near-silence reigned in the dormitory bunker. The sound of a few wailing children was the only noise, and they sounded small in the vast chamber. The sound of the messenger falling to the floor was a punctuation mark to her conflict with Jason, and in its wake, everything went still.


    The people there hadn¡¯t seen the bulk of the conflict between Jason and Tera, and while they had seen the end, they did not know what to make of it. From the perspective of those huddled in the bunker, Tera had burst in, followed by Jason. He¡¯d scolded her in a voice that rang out in their souls like the command of a god, started glowing, and then, so far as anyone could tell, broke her with his mind.


    Jason slowly descended from the air as the light shining from within his body dimmed. It was gone completely by the time he stopped, hovering with his feet just above the floor. He floated over to the unconscious messenger and lowered himself onto the floor in a kneel. This was partly to examine her and partly because he wasn¡¯t certain he could stand on his own two feet. The power he had just finished channelling hadn¡¯t crippled him, but it left him exhausted and hollow, like a pitted olive.


    Shade manifested from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°G¡¯day, bloke,¡± Jason said, his voice straining to maintain its trademark casual relaxation.


    ¡°How are you, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Between you, me and the huddled masses wondering if I¡¯m going to kill them next? Pretty knackered.¡±


    ¡°Events have progressed in your absence. I recommend you take stock, Mr Asano.¡±


    Jason fully expanded his senses for the first time since he had been caught up in her duelling power. He grunted, what was normally effortless giving him an immediate headache. His senses did not extend beyond the bunker¡¯s protective magic, even though it had been breached at the point where he and Tera had entered. But what he sensed inside the bunker was alarming enough.


    Jason pushed himself unsteadily to his feet.


    ¡°Shade, did you happen to retrieve my sword with one of your bodies?¡±


    ¡°Of course, Mr Asano." Shade produced Jason''s sword from his dimensional space and Jason took it. Immediately, his arm dropped, the sword tip scraping the hard tile floor as his arm dangled.


    Jason and Shade both turned to the still-open doors. Moments later, a gold-rank messenger floated through, a silver-rank adventurer dangling from each hand. They were the pair Jason had encountered on entering the bunker. His senses told him that they were unconscious, not dead.


    Jason recognised the commander of the messenger forces in the entertainment district. Like Tera, this man dressed more like an adventurer than a typical messenger, eschewing the impractical drapery for plain, practical armour. He was very brown, from his light skin to his dark hair, to the grey-tipped brown feathers of his wings.


    His aura was intimidating. Like his appearance, it was imposing but not flashy. Jason didn¡¯t try to move as the messenger floated over to him at a walking pace, more messengers filing through the doors behind him. He was flanked by two more gold-rankers, with silvers forming up in a tactical wedge. All that power was directed at one very tired Jason and his shadow familiar.


    ¡°My name is Marek Nior Vargas,¡± the commander told him. ¡°Put your sword away, Jason Asano; you barely have the strength to stay on your feet, let alone lift it. You couldn¡¯t fight one of my silvers, let alone all of us.¡±


    Jason slowly lifted a hand to push the hood of his cloak back, revealing his face.


    ¡°Then again,¡± Jason told the commander, ¡°perhaps I do have the strength to stand.¡±


    He floated into the air to match Marek and lifted his sword, holding it level and steady, pointed at the messenger as he made a steely-voiced demand.


    ¡°Drop. Your. Sword.¡±


    ¡°I¡­ don¡¯t have a sword,¡± the unarmed Marek told him.

 Chapter 697: One Ludicrous Encounter to the Next

    Jason dropped back to the floor, landing in a superhero crouch, then toppling over.


    ¡°Yep,¡± he grunted, laying sprawled on the ground. ¡°I¡¯m pretty much spent. Hey, commander angel pants, what are you doing here? You know the diamond-rankers won¡¯t let you roam free in a bunker for long, right? You¡¯ve kind of boxed yourself in.¡±


    One of the other gold-rank messengers moved closer to Marek and whispered, although silver-rank hearing meant that Jason heard it perfectly.


    ¡°Are you certain we should risk everything by betting on this¡­ person?¡±


    ¡°We need something different, Payan,¡± Marek told him. ¡°He is different.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that is the kind of different we want.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s the kind of different we have.¡±


    Marek floated over to Jason, looking down at him.


    ¡°We are wagering heavily on someone protecting us from them.¡±


    ¡°Please tell me that someone isn¡¯t me.¡±


    ¡°It is you.¡±


    ¡°Then you may be out of luck unless both those diamond-rankers have a deathly vulnerability to snoring. It''s really starting to feel like nap time."


    Marek floated down until his feet touched the ground, then reached down to offer Jason his hand. Jason groaned, accepted it, and allowed the messenger to pull him to his feet. The messenger was a good two feet taller, forcing Jason to crane his head back to look at him.


    ¡°I pretty much get it,¡± Jason said. ¡°You¡¯re unhappy with your current astral king service and are looking to switch to a new provider.¡±


    ¡°Your phasing is unusual, but you have deduced the situation with accuracy.¡±


    ¡°Then you''re going to need quite the sales pitch, bloke. I''m not a fan of the Nazi-scientist deal."


    ¡°I would like nothing more than to sit down and discuss many things with you at length. Unfortunately, time is against us. This was not a move I anticipated making, and it is only a matter of time before my fellow messengers realise what we are doing.¡±


    Jason stood upright, his tired slouch vanishing and the expression on his face turning hard. He slid his sword into its scabbard before responding to the messenger.


    ¡°You being in a hurry doesn¡¯t change the fact that you came here to kill the people huddled at end of this room. It doesn¡¯t change the fact that good people died stopping you. You saw what was left of this district after the monsters you sent were done with it. Even the ones that got out with their lives have had their homes and livelihoods destroyed. You came here for no other reason than to destroy. To sow fear and leave scars across the city that would remind the people here what it means to fight the messengers.¡±


    ¡°I was reserved in my actions. I think you know this.¡±


    ¡°Not out of any consideration for the people you were attacking. You think slaughter and destruction carried out with diffidence instead of enthusiasm means you aren¡¯t responsible for the lives you¡¯ve taken?¡±


    ¡°How many lives have you taken?¡±


    ¡°Plenty, and it¡¯s messed me up pretty bad. I don¡¯t imagine you lose a lot of sleep over it, though.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Marek conceded. ¡°I won¡¯t pretend that I am something I¡¯m not, but¨C¡±


    Marek stopped as a chime sounded from each of the messengers present, including the unconscious Tera. Marek took a stone from a small pouch on his belt. It was strobing red.


    ¡°And our time is almost done,¡± Marek told Jason. ¡°That is the signal for a general withdrawal. The attack on your city is over.¡±


    ¡°You think the defenders of this city will let you just waltz out? You can¡¯t come and go as you please, killing whoever catches your eye. You think I¡¯ll let you go?¡±


    Marek¡¯s gold-rank offsider, Payan, floated up to them.


    ¡°You can barely stand and you think you can do anything to us? Any of us could kill you in an instant.¡±


    ¡°Go for it; I''ve been killed plenty. The Builder killed me. His prime vessel killed me. I imagine you''ve heard of Shako. Every time the Builder wants one thing and I want another, I get hurt or I get killed. But I get what I want, and he doesn''t. You think I''m scared of a few messengers? Why? Because you''re all standing in a triangle?"


    The messengers floating in a wedge formation bristled but went still when Marek held up a hand.


    ¡°We have no time, Jason Asano,¡± Marek said. ¡°I do not like to do it this way, but I will give you a simple choice. Your world has the concept of political asylum. I wish to claim it. I want to defect.¡±


    ¡°Leaving aside how much you know of my world,¡± Jason said, ¡°you''re not talking about asking the city for asylum, are you? You''re asking me."


    ¡°Only another astral king can harbour us.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. As it happens, I just found out why.¡±


    Jason turned to glance at Tera Jun Casta, still sprawled unconscious on the ground. Marek followed his gaze and then narrowed his eyes as he peered at her.


    ¡°What did you do to her?¡±


    Marek moved to her side in a blur of motion, kneeling to place a hand on her forehead.


    ¡°You know her?¡± Jason asked him.


    ¡°She was under my command, but no. You changed the astral king she belongs to.¡±


    Marek stood, turned and looked over Jason with a freshly assessing gaze.


    "What astral king does she belong to? It''s not you; I could tell with both of you in front of me. But she does not belong to Vesta Carmis Zell anymore, either. I would feel it, the same connection I have. And how are you even both alive? She used a duelling power."


    ¡°I thought you didn¡¯t have time for questions.¡±


    Marek stood up, frowned, and then nodded.


    ¡°You are right; I do not. I need asylum, for myself and my people. I can promise you that there are benefits to be had for doing so.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not looking for a bribe.¡±


    ¡°And I do not offer one. These are benefits you will want not for you, but for all the forces arrayed against my kind.¡±


    ¡°So, your pitch is that you¡¯ll do something super impressive if I take you in, but you don¡¯t have time to explain it right now.¡±


    ¡°The withdrawal has been called. If you will not accept us, we will have to leave before the city barrier closes. That will be bad for both of us.¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°Shade, thoughts?¡±


    ¡°He claims to need time, Mr Asano. You could offer him that, if you are willing to stand up to the diamond-rankers who will demand you hand them over. I think we both know that will not be a problem for you.¡±


    Jason sighed again, then turned back to Marek.


    ¡°Give me one reason,¡± he said. ¡°Not vague promises. Give me one good, solid reason that I should even entertain the idea of helping you.¡±


    Marek paused for a long time, his expression thoughtful. Finally, his gaze came to rest on Tera Jun Casta, lying on the floor. He closed his eyes for a moment, opened them and then turned to Jason.


    ¡°Because you have chosen mercy,¡± he said.


    Jason locked eyes with Marek for a long time, needing to crane his head back to do so. Then he turned, just as Mark had earlier, to contemplate Tera¡¯s prone form.


    ¡°Bloody hell,¡± he muttered unhappily and a portal arch rose from the floor, filled with gold, silver and blue light. It started off human-sized, but grew to accommodate messengers at a gesture from Jason.


    ¡°You know where that goes, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Your astral kingdom.¡±


    ¡°Get your people inside. It will keep everyone off you until we can have that long talk you mentioned.¡±


    Marek ordered his people in, the messengers looking decidedly uncertain but doing as they were told. More messengers came through to doors when Marek called them with his communication stone. They had been the ones blocking the hole in the bunker¡¯s ceiling against other intruders, and Jason¡¯s team was hot on their heels. They found Jason standing with Marek as the messengers filed through what the team recognised as a portal to Jason¡¯s astral realm. The team knew Jason in the middle of his latest insanity when they saw it, and since the messengers weren''t attacking the civilians or Jason, they looked on warily from the door.


    When Marek was the only one remaining, he turned to Jason.


    ¡°Do not leave us for long. Our current astral king will likely revoke our patronage, and that will kill us.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware,¡± Jason told him, the gestured at Tera. ¡°Take her with you.¡±


    "She''s knocked out. If she does not subconsciously consent to move through the portal, I can''t."


    ¡°Then try. Or would you rather leave her to the mercies of my side, after what your side just did?¡±


    Marek floated over to Tera, gently knelt down and picked her up. He moved back to the portal and they both disappeared into it.


    ***


    ¡°You could have at least let me fight,¡± Melody said to Sophie as she and Emir led her from Emir¡¯s cloud palace to Jason¡¯s. ¡°I could have fought messengers.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t trust you to use your mouth when eating a sandwich,¡± Sophie told her. ¡°There¡¯s no way we would let you loose in a city-wide battle. How many times have I explained this in the last few weeks?¡±


    ¡°So why did it take so long to put me back in Asano''s cloud palace? This man''s is tedious."


    ¡°I have an extensive library.¡±


    ¡°Asano has television. I¡¯ve been learning the language of his world by watching stories about a man with a moustache and a sleek red carriage. The gold-ranker¡¯s palace lacks innovative amenities.¡±


    ¡°That he lets you see,¡± Emir said. ¡°And the gold-ranker has a name.¡±


    ¡°And if he also had a personality instead of colourful hair beads, someone might care,¡± Melody told him.


    Emir raised his hands to his bead-laced hair with a hurt expression.


    ¡°I like my hair beads.¡±


    ¡°Be nice,¡± Sophie admonished Melody.


    ¡°Of course, you like the boring guy,¡± Melody said with a groan. ¡°Are you still seeing that Lump guy?¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s Hump¡­ it¡¯s Humphrey,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°I am not boring,¡± Emir insisted. ¡°In fact, you¡¯ll find that a great many people¡¯s most fervent wish is that I was more boring.¡±


    They approached Jason¡¯s cloud palace, which was once again set up to serve refugees. Instead of just the towns to the south, much of Yaresh¡¯s population was now homeless, making them refugees in their own city.


    In the weeks following the battle of Yaresh, countless tons of rubble and ash had been collected and repurposed in construction projects that were rebuilding the city at a startling pace. Even so, tent cities still dominated, both inside and outside the city walls. Sophie, Emir and Melody had been walking through what amounted to a tent district that had grown up around all the parked adventurer vehicles, including Emir¡¯s and Jason¡¯s.


    ¡°You¡¯re going to see Jason?¡± Sophie asked Emir as they neared the entrance. They didn¡¯t pause in the doorway itself as there was a stream of people coming in and out.


    ¡°If he refuses to leave his soul space, or whatever he¡¯s calling it now, then I¡¯ll have to go see him.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re not going to try and get him to see the diamond-rankers are you?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°They¡¯re the reason he¡¯s not coming out.¡±


    ¡°Not the Yaresh diamond-rankers, no,¡± Emir said. ¡°There¡¯s another one that has come here to see him.¡±


    "Just don''t cause him any trouble," Sophie warned. "Your wife still feels guilty about going along with¡­¡±


    She glanced at her mother.


    ¡°¡­your old teammate. She¡¯d be more than happy to do me a favour.¡±


    Emir held his hand up in surrender.


    ¡°No trouble for Jason,¡± he promised.


    Sophie took her mother inside as Emir wandered over to a nondescript woman who was splitting her attention between the cloud palace and a cube-shaped device in her hands. She looked to be a well-preserved forty, although Emir knew she was many times older than that. He grinned as he saw the frustrated expression on her face.


    ¡°I see you¡¯re still a woman,¡± he said by way of greeting.


    ¡°What? Oh, yes,¡± she said distractedly. ¡°A couple of years, now. I¡¯ve been thinking it¡¯s time for a switch again. Not a man, though. Somewhere in the middle, I think. Young.¡±


    Emir looked down at the device.


    ¡°No luck?¡±


    ¡°It works on yours.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I¡¯m aware,¡± he said. ¡°I was in the bath when you decided to return my palace to the cloud flask to make sure your override still worked.¡±


    ¡°I made the damn thing; of course I should be able to control it. What has this boy of yours done to his? I know I designed them to be adaptive, but this is outside all of the parameters I set.¡±


    ¡°I was about to go in and ask if he¡¯d speak to you. He¡¯s been dodging the local diamond-rankers, so he¡¯s been reluctant to come out.¡±


    ¡°They¡¯re diamond-rankers. Why don¡¯t they just break in, if they¡¯re that determined?¡±


    ¡°They did, after the first week. He¡¯s retreated into a dimensional space.¡±


    ¡°You can force open dimensional spaces.¡±


    ¡°Not this one. The Builder tried, once, and even he couldn¡¯t manage it.¡±


    ¡°Who is this boy?¡±


    ¡°Someone who has a habit of being the right person in the very wrong place.¡±


    ¡°Really? Did he start off ordinary and get caught up with something powerful? Properly powerful, I mean, not just some diamond-ranker.¡±


    ¡°Actually, yes.¡±


    She made a sound of mild surprise.


    ¡°Fate senses, probably. That would explain the strange, disparate powers I¡¯m reading from this cloud construct. You would have to go from one ludicrous encounter to the next.¡±


    ¡°That certainly describes Jason,¡± Emir said. ¡°What are fate senses?¡±


    ***


    ¡°Just the knowledge that it¡¯s possible to survive without astral king patronage will be a revelation,¡± Marek said. ¡°It is the fact that the kings are artificially limiting our advancement that will be the match that turns the Unorthodoxy from dead wood to raging inferno.¡±


    ¡°The Unorthodoxy,¡± Jason said. ¡°That¡¯s the messenger rebellion against astral kings you were talking about?¡±


    He and the messenger sat on a long park bench in a wild garden of plants flowering vibrant red.


    ¡°It is far from a rebellion,¡± Marek said. ¡°You cannot rebel against those without whom you will die. But what you¡¯ve done for us shows that we can live without astral kings.¡±


    ¡°So long as you have an astral king to put your own brand in place,¡± Jason pointed out. ¡°I¡¯m not going to be your one-stop-shop for messenger refurbishment, if that is what you¡¯re thinking. We both know that wouldn¡¯t work.¡±


    When Jason changed the brands on the souls of Marek and his people, it was not a smooth process. Opening up their souls to Jason was difficult for them, their unconscious reluctance overriding their conscious minds. In the end, only one had been unable to will themselves into opening their souls to Jason, and he had died several days after the astral king he previously served removed his own mark.


    Even at the end, in the face of death, the messenger had not opened his soul. Marek had asked Jason how he did it with Tera and suggested he do the same, but Jason flatly refused. With Tera, he needed to save them both, and even then he still felt revulsion at the act. More than once in the subsequent week, he¡¯d jerked awake from a flashback nightmare. As she was still to wake, there was no telling what trauma she had survived.


    ¡°I am not asking you to free more souls,¡± Marek said. ¡°The first step must be showing my kind that it is possible. Then we can work at suborning astral kings. Those not on the Council of Kings won¡¯t challenge the council under current conditions. If the messengers as a whole discover what the kings have been doing, that will change. I am certain that some will be willing to go along, if only to use the rebellion to build a power base the council cannot undermine.¡±


    ¡°That is your affair; I want no part of it.¡±


    "I am surprised that you placed our own marks to free us, when you could have branded us with yours. We were in no position to argue. It was let you into our souls or die."


    "I''m not taking anyone as a slave, no matter what they''ve done. I''ll kill them if the consequences of leaving them alive are worse, but I won''t enslave anyone. Again. It was strictly a one-time thing."


    ¡°Then you will let us leave?¡±


    ¡°Slavery is not an option. Imprisoning, I¡¯m more open to. Being secrets rebels or whatever doesn¡¯t absolve you of the things you¡¯ve done. You may not care, but I do.¡±


    ¡°Then what will it take for you to release us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°I¡¯m not big on incarceration, either, if I¡¯m being honest.¡±


    ¡°Letting us go is only good for your side. We will be undermining messenger power structures.¡±


    ¡°So you¡¯ve told me. Repeatedly, and at length. I¡¯ll continue to consider your arguments.¡±


    Before Marek could answer, Jason was gone.

 Chapter 698: The Foolish Choice

    Inside Jason¡¯s astral realm, Marek Nior Vargas was walking with his friend and companion, Payan Nior Roel. Having bloomed in the same district of the same garden world, they had known each other for all but the first few days of their lives. They had served under the same commander, who had helped break their indoctrination. They had confided their doubts in one another and secretly sought out the Unorthodoxy together.


    ¡°We need to leave this place,¡± Payan said, far from the first time.


    ¡°And I am asking you to wait,¡± Marek said patiently. ¡°Again. And I have been asking him to release us, but really I am laying a foundation for the relationship. It¡¯s going to take time for him to see us as anything other than superiority-obsessed zealots.¡±


    ¡°We¡¯re free of the astral kings, except we¡¯re trapped in the astral kingdom of this one. Do you not realise what the revelation of not needing astral kings to survive will mean? Let alone that the astral kings have been imposing the limits on us while claiming they were natural.¡±


    ¡°I do realise what it means,¡± Marek said. ¡°It means that our deaths will come extremely fast if we are not extremely careful. And while we can demonstrate our freedom simply by existing, we have no proof that the kings are limiting us. The astral kings will call us liars and aberrations.¡±


    ¡°But that isn¡¯t true. Our people will see that.¡±


    ¡°People will choose what they want to be true over what is, given even the flimsiest excuse.¡±


    ¡°The servant races, yes, but we are talking about messengers.¡±


    ¡°You shouldn¡¯t call them servant races, Payan. Not only will our host not like it ¨C and there is no place we can hide from him here ¨C but think about the revelations we have just learned. The reality is, Payan, that we are the true servant race.¡±


    ¡°Which is why we need to get out there and start changing things.¡±


    ¡°Which we will, but I think you¡¯ve failed to realise that the most important gift that our freedom gives us is time. Time to hide. Time to plan, prepare and gather resources. No Voice of the Will to answer to. No astral king spying on our souls. That means we can finally hide. We¡¯ve never had that before.¡±


    ¡°And you would hide in a prison?¡±


    "Yes, I would. Don''t squander this chance, Payan. This astral kingdom is tiny and incomplete; it''s more of an astral estate. When will you ever get another chance to see an astral kingdom as a work in progress? You should take it all in, learn as much as you can and be grateful for the time you get to spend here. This time will pay itself back a thousandfold when we are seeking to construct our own astral kingdoms. Think of Mah Go Schaat, cloistered away in his study. How many centuries had he spent chasing rumours that would give him a fragment of what is all around us."


    ¡°But what does Asano want of us while we are here? What is his agenda?¡±


    ¡°You have already given Asano your trust, Payan. You let him into your soul.¡±


    ¡°Against every instinct screaming at me not to. If the alternative was anything but death, I don¡¯t know that I could have. Pios Val Haat couldn¡¯t, even then, and it killed her.¡±


    ¡°Yet, all he did was free us, when he could have made us slaves. He did not even leave himself a way back into our souls, which he equally could have. He had no need for schemes because we were perfectly vulnerable and he had all the power. What could he have done that showed his lack of ill-intent more clearly than that? I''m actually asking because I cannot think of anything."


    ¡°But that¡¯s the issue, isn¡¯t it? He¡¯s made it clear that he sees us as enemies. You think he wants to play us against the astral kings?¡±


    ¡°I think he does now, after I¡¯ve put the idea in his head.¡±


    ¡°Then why did he help us?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know. When I was trying to convince him, asking for mercy felt¡­ wrong. I haven¡¯t thrown off the superiority doctrine as thoroughly as I like to tell myself. But I saw Tera Jun Casta who, by all rights, should have been dead. And I saw Asano, exhausted from the effort of circumventing a duel power, which shouldn¡¯t be possible. He should have killed her. Could have killed her. He had the power and she was an enemy. Why he made that choice, I don¡¯t know. But it feels important that I find out.¡±


    ¡°Then perhaps,¡± Payan said, ¡°you should ask him.¡±


    ***


    ¡°I hate that shadow,¡± Charist said. He and his fellow diamond-rank adventurer, Allayeth, had just come from Asano¡¯s cloud palace. Again. Asano¡¯s familiar had politely told them that he would inform Asano of their ¡®request¡¯ as soon as he was able. They had returned to the Adventure Society¡¯s main building, one of the few that was essentially intact in the wake of the raid, taking tea in a private parlour.


    "I told you that we shouldn''t have broken into the cloud palace," Allayeth said. "He wasn''t in there and it only made things worse. The High Priestess of the Healer has filed multiple formal complaints to the Adventure Society."


    ¡°We¡¯re diamond-rankers, what do we care?¡±


    ¡°We decided to stay here for some time, Charist. The people of this city love Hana Shavar, as does the Healer. Causing her trouble is trouble for us. Unless you¡¯re looking to rule with an iron fist, we can¡¯t just squash the city authorities.¡±


    Charist¡¯s face took on a contemplative expression. Allayeth saw it and groaned.


    ¡°No,¡± she told him. ¡°We are not going to rule with an iron fist.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re the one who brought it up.¡±


    She gave him a flat look.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he reluctantly acceded. ¡°But I won¡¯t have this Asano running over us the way I¡¯m apparently not allowed to with the city¡¯s precious authority figures.¡±


    ¡°He is a concern. Have you read the testimonies from the people in that bunker?¡±


    "You mean where he tells the messenger to give up her soul and it looks like she does? Clearly, Asano is someone who needs to be brought to heel."


    ¡°No,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°I spoke to Soramir Rimaros again this morning. He said that force is a very bad idea.¡±


    ¡°Well, we¡¯re not in the Storm Kingdom. We don¡¯t have any places named after Soramir Rimaros down here.¡±


    ¡°Actually, there¡¯s a trade town just upriver called Rimarino that¨C¡±


    ¡°Are you kidding me?¡±


    There was an aura pulse from behind the door and Allayeth responded in kind. An Adventure Society functionary came in.


    ¡°It¡¯s time?¡± Allayeth asked.


    "They should be portalling in six minutes from now," the functionary said.


    ¡°I can¡¯t believe it¡¯s come to this,¡± Charist muttered as he rose from his chair.


    ¡°If it worked in Rimaros, it should work here,¡± Allayeth told him.


    ***


    In a city far to the north of the Storm Kingdom, Rick Gellar was dressing up.


    ¡°They¡¯re treating me like a translator that speaks Asano,¡± he complained. ¡°This is a steaming pile of heidel shi¨C¡±


    ¡°Diplomacy, Rickard,¡± Hannah told him as she adjusted his collar. ¡°We¡¯re about to meet with diamond-rankers.¡±


    ¡°Oh, so now it¡¯s Rickard. I know you were the one who told the protocol officer at the royal palace in Rimaros that my name was Richard.¡±


    ¡°And I know that you won¡¯t stop talking about how Asano is always surrounded by beautiful women whenever you get near him.¡±


    ¡°Said like someone who didn¡¯t have her own little crush.¡±


    ¡°I have no idea what you¡¯re talking about,¡± Hannah said airily.


    They walked out of their bedroom in the Geller family compound and made for the teleport zone where the compound¡¯s defences wouldn¡¯t interfere with a portal. With a sizeable messenger stronghold not too far away, the compound was always on low-level alert. Dimensional interference was normally too expensive to leave running, but the compound leveraged peculiarities of the local magic to make it work.


    The rest of Rick¡¯s team joined him and Hannah on the way. Phoebe Geller was Rick¡¯s sister, now back in his team, and Claire was Hannah¡¯s twin. The last member of the team was Dustin Kettering, the only non-local. They had picked him up in Greenstone after their original fifth, Jonah Geller was killed during a failed star seed extraction. Dustin had been on a team with Neil Davone and Thadwick Mercer, who had disbanded the team while also under star seed influence.


    ¡°We¡¯re barely back from Rimaros and now we¡¯re going south again,¡± Claire complained.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t get to go last time,¡± Phoebe said, ¡°so I¡¯m looking forward to it. It will be nice to see how Sophie is coming along.¡±


    "I''m looking forward to seeing Neil again," Dustin said. "Also, being somewhere less dusty. None of you warned me that they call this region the dust basin. It''s easy to get magic that shrugs off humidity, but for dust, you have that annoying air magic blowing over you the whole time."


    ¡°That¡¯s why I told you not to buy the cheap anti-dust bracelet,¡± Claire told him.


    ¡°I¡¯m not going to pay that much money for¨C¡±


    ¡°Work faces on,¡± Rick interrupted as he led them through the door and into the courtyard they would be portalling from. The gold ranker, his aunt, gave him a wink as she opened the portal. This involved a gelatinous blob appearing that swiftly expanded into a ring shape, floating in the air. The space in the middle of the ring filled with green glowing energy.


    ***


    Inside Jason¡¯s astral realm, Marek was explaining what he knew of Jes Fin Kaal¡¯s intentions to Jason and his team. They were in a grassy area, splayed out in lounge chairs. The two exceptions were Marek, floating just off the ground at the front, and Gary, grilling meat at the back. The smell of grilling meat wafted over the team.


    ¡°The astral king is after something buried deep underground,¡± Marek explained. ¡°She has known about it for decades, which is why she had the naga genesis egg placed here. I suspect the astral king will not be happy about the Voice expending so many resources on the Yaresh raid, but I could just as easily be wrong. Astral kings are known for massive expenditures when they want something.¡±


    ¡°And what is it that they want, exactly?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Marek said. ¡°But I think your goddess of Knowledge does. She¡¯s been building forces up here for years, which is the only reason we didn¡¯t wipe out Yaresh on our arrival.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s something to do with the natural array, isn¡¯t it?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°I believe so,¡± Marek said.


    ¡°Can somebody explain what that is again?¡± Sophie asked. ¡°The last time we were meant to be briefed, Clive threw a tantrum and stormed off.¡±


    ¡°It was not a tantrum,¡± Clive said. ¡°But ignoring that, a natural array is a magical array ¨C a permanently emplaced ritual ¨C except it occurs naturally instead of being crafted through ritual magic. The elements that make it up are essences, awakening stones and quintessence that have manifested normally over decades or even centuries. They just happen to have manifested in exactly the right proximity and arrangement that their magical energy interacts to produce a ritual-like effect."


    ¡°That can¡¯t be common,¡± Sophie said.


    ¡°It¡¯s breathtakingly rare," Clive agreed. "Magic Society researchers have murdered one another over the chance to study one. Not does every element need to be positioned excruciating precision, but it must do so without being interfered with in the many years it takes the natural array to form.¡±


    ¡°And being made up of valuable materials,¡± Belinda said, ¡°anyone that finds it will plunder it.¡±


    ¡°It got away with it here by all the bits appearing deep underground?¡± Neil asked.


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Clive said. ¡°The essences, stones and quintessence that make up the array will be what you¡¯d expect from manifestations that far underground. Earth, fire and iron will make up the vast majority, I imagine.¡±


    ¡°The astral king knew of its existence,¡± Marek said. ¡°I do not know how, when even the elf city almost on top of it was oblivious. The original intention had been to conduct a mining operation and excavate down, setting off the naga genesis egg in the city if they discovered the operation. But obstacles arose and things became significantly more complicated.¡±


    ¡°Complicated how?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°We were expecting an array buried in solid earth, doing whatever it was doing. What we found was a subterranean city centred around it, with a population that had been there for centuries. What¡¯s more, there is an astral space down there that the Builder cult somehow managed to find and occupy. They¡¯ve been fighting the locals ever since. When our forces arrived, not only did we find ourselves stumbling into what was now a three-way war but Knowledge¡¯s army was waiting to strike from behind. Even worse, the effects of the array were impacting our forces. We were forced to withdraw with considerable losses.¡±


    ¡°I have heard the early stages of the conflict went poorly for the messengers,¡± Humphrey said.


    ¡°Yes. Significant reinforcements were sent by the astral king. That was when I arrived with my people. We set up the strongholds, but aside from the various factions in the conflict, there was another major impediment. The nature of the array seems to imbue individuals with elemental magic.¡±


    ¡°And what does imbuing people with magic do?¡± Belinda asked.


    ¡°Those living down there were smoulder,¡± Marek said. ¡°That makes sense as they have strong earth and fire affinities. They are an essence-using people, but those who live there now are not. Centuries of exposure have turned them into a more magical sub-species. They can no longer use essences, but their inherent powers have grown considerably.¡±


    ¡°There are other cases like that,¡± Clive said. ¡°Moonstalker Elves. Thunder King Leonids.¡±


    ¡°The subterranean residents have adapted well,¡± Marek continued. ¡°Those who already have high levels of inherent magic are less positively affected. The messengers sent down swiftly started mutating into elemental variants.¡±


    ¡°I bet that went down great with team ¡®we are the superior race,¡¯¡± Neil said.


    ¡°It did not,¡± Marek agreed. ¡°Especially as the changes cause intelligence to rapidly and precipitously devolve. Most of the initial force of silver-rankers were lost and even some of the golds failed to escape before being affected.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s when you started suborning essence users,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Marek confirmed. ¡°We discovered that essences users and the Builder¡¯s converted are both resistant to the effects. Not immune, but there was no concern on our part for casualties amongst the¡­¡±


    ¡°Say it,¡± Jason told him.


    ¡°¡­servant races,¡± Marek continued. ¡°There were a number of problems, however. One was that our efforts to recruit and suborn essence users were not resulting in the numbers we required. The other was that the main component of successfully resisting the array¡¯s effects, at least amongst essence users, was willpower. That, as it turns out, is something that those willing to serve us tend to lack.¡±


    ¡°No surprise there,¡± Taika said. ¡°That bloke you all sent after Jason tried to get me onside. His arguments sucked, bro.¡±


    ¡°That was when the stalemate with the local forces settled in. We had our fortresses, with the Knowledge army and Adventure Society war camps pressuring them. We also had to periodically deal with incursions from below, through the very access shafts we had dug.¡±


    ¡°You had dug?¡± Jason asked pointedly.


    ¡°That our slaves had dug,¡± Marek corrected. ¡°To end the stalemate, the astral king sent Jes Fin Kaal. She is a Voice of the Will, one of the astral king¡¯s personal servants, imbued with a portion of her power. She did not come to fight, however, but to plan. She brought the world-taker worms and the infested proved resistant to the array¡¯s effects.¡±


    ¡°They weren¡¯t meant to be an invasion force?¡± Rufus asked.


    ¡°Something important to understand about Jes Fin Kaal is that she never does anything for just one reason. Every resource has an alternative use. Every plan has contingencies and synergies; every objective has alternatives. When something goes wrong, she adapts, turning adversity into opportunity. You, Asano, are the perfect example. She wants to use you, and she is keeping her options open as to how.¡±


    ¡°She must have gotten a surprise when you sold out instead of capturing him, then,¡± Neil said.


    ¡°No,¡± Marek said. ¡°Her orders to the silver-rankers were to kill him, so as to prove his worth to the rank and file messengers. His actions during the raid more than accomplished this. The gold-rankers were under orders to capture Asano if possible, and leave him alive and free if not. She does not need you captured, Asano. She believes she can get what she wants from you without forcing you into it.¡±


    ¡°How?¡± Jason asked. ¡°And what does she want from me?¡±


    ¡°She will attempt to use you to retrieve whatever it is she wants from the subterranean city. I suspect she will make an enticing offer to secure your participation. With you ostensibly in command of an essence user force, she can make it work. She will, of course, have plans contingent upon your refusal as well as your acceptance.¡±


    ¡°Why me? The astral king thing?¡±


    ¡°Yes. The indoctrination of my kind excels at instilling obedience, but it does have its drawbacks from a control perspective. My kind are unwilling to work with what they see as their lesser. Any attempt at collaboration inevitably descends into abuse for the sake of amusement. If they are going to work with essence users, there needs to be an essence user they acknowledge. She was going to have you prove yourself in a duel, which would hopefully demonstrate your astral king nature. Your aura displays during the raid served her purpose far better than she could have hoped.¡±


    ¡°She¡¯s going to send someone to make an offer,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes. Most likely, she will approach the city itself, rather than you directly. Leverage their influence to pressure you into action.¡±


    "That''s idiotic," Sophie said. "The city is already pressuring him, and it''s getting them nowhere."


    "That''s because what they want right now is control," Jason said. "They want the messengers I have and to know whatever they think I know that they don''t. That''s easy to refuse. But what if they want something that will help the city? The people? Civic authority holds minimal leverage over me. Moral authority is harder to resist."


    ¡°Jes Fin Kaal must meet the needs of the astral king," Marek said. "It is the only time you can find her acting on a single objective because she has no choice. It''s the only condition under which she becomes predictable. I promise you that whatever she offers the city, it will be hard for you to refuse."


    ¡°And the astral king wants the natural array?¡± Clive asked.


    ¡°There is something else down there she wants,¡± Marek said. ¡°I know that it is not the array, nor the elements that make it up. Whatever it is, the astral king wants it very badly.¡±


    ¡°The messengers are here for Purity¡¯s legacy,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is that down there? It would be quite the hiding spot.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Marek said. ¡°This is something the astral king wants for herself, to the point of letting the other kings vie over the Purity relic. I don¡¯t know what, but everything else is secondary to her.¡±


    ¡°Then all Jason has to do is say no,¡± Sophie said. ¡°Plan stopped.¡±


    ¡°Plan altered,¡± Jason corrected. ¡°I don¡¯t think this Jes Fin Kaal will move forward with an absolute failure point in her plan, especially such a predictable one.¡±


    ¡°Then we go along?¡± Humphrey asked. ¡°It seems that if we want to have the ability to influence events, we need to be part of them.¡±


    "To put out an idea that no one seems to have considered," Rufus said, "Have we considered actually going along with the diamond-rankers? Telling them what we know and giving them what we have? They are on our side."


    Dark clouds started gathering in the sky above them.


    ¡°I¡¯ve tried working with the organisations on my side before,¡± Jason said, his voice rumbling with the echo of thunder.


    ¡°That is a no, then,¡± Rufus said. ¡°I just thought I¡¯d ask.¡±


    ***


    Marek and Jason were on a balcony on the pagoda tower at the heart of Jason¡¯s astral realm, looking out over the gardens and buildings. Jason was leaning casually against the rail while Marek was upright, floating just off the floor. The grounds in front of them shifted and changed in a constant state of flux. Buildings grew larger or smaller, disappearing or new ones suddenly being there. The flowers in the gardens changed colours and the pathways and streams shifted location.


    Marek never noticed any of it happening. He would simply realise the difference without having seen it change. He was looking right at it and yet failed to perceive it, his senses lying to him that it had always been that way.


    ¡°Why are you helping us?¡± Marek asked. ¡°Why was asking for mercy what convinced you, when the sensible choice was to use us? To hand us over to the rulers of Yaresh.¡±


    ¡°I might still do that.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think you will, but I don¡¯t understand why not. And I feel like it is somehow important that I should.¡±


    Jason turned to look at Marek. He didn¡¯t speak for a long time as he stared at the messenger. Finally, he turned his gaze back out the grounds.


    ¡°When I first started to realise that I was more powerful than I was moral,¡± Jason said, ¡°I asked my father for advice.¡±


    ¡°Is your father a powerful man?¡±


    ¡°No. What he told me was that when I have someone at my mercy, and I¡¯m faced with the choice between ending them or not, that is a chance to decide who I am.¡±


    ¡°The wise decision is to kill your enemies unless you need them for something. Kill the root and the plant will not grow again.¡±


    ¡°The wise decision, you say. I think that depends on the kind of wisdom you¡¯re talking about. But I did make your wise choice. Or rather, I just killed and didn¡¯t even think of it as a choice. I don¡¯t know why it was different with that messenger girl. She wasn¡¯t different, not really. A little young, but definitely not innocent. But for some reason, that was the moment. I¡¯ve been thinking about what my dad told me, lately, and that was the moment I decided to listen.¡±


    Jason ran a hand over his face, took a deep breath and let it out in a slow sigh.


    ¡°Maybe it was just because I¡¯m contrary by nature,¡± he continued. ¡°Mercy was the hard path and I don¡¯t know how to take the easy one anymore. Everything pointed to killing her, and for whatever reason, I decided I wouldn¡¯t. It¡¯s not like I¡¯m a good man; that ship sailed far too many corpses ago.¡±


    ¡°We each have our values,¡± Marek said. ¡°Yours and mine are quite different, but we both, I think, lament our failures to live up to them.¡±


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I don¡¯t even know if what I did to her was mercy. I might not know even after she wakes up. I may have destroyed her more horribly than death could have, but that might not show itself for months or even years. There¡¯s no fully predicting damage of the mind. But I hope I did right. I can¡¯t tell anymore, and I¡¯m not sure I was right when I thought I could.¡±


    ¡°Then why try?¡± Marek asked. ¡°Why make a fool¡¯s choice you can¡¯t be certain of instead of the smart choice you can confirm?¡±


    ¡°Because I¡¯ve been down what you call the smart choice, and I do mean down. It only gets darker the longer you walk it. Making things worse and getting what you want out of that is easy. Making things better is hard and often uncertain. And yes, it means making the fool¡¯s choice. It¡¯s harder and you might get it wrong. But if no one dares to be a fool, then all there will end up being is darkness. I¡¯m sick of darkness, and I like being a fool, so that¡¯s what I¡¯m going to be.¡±


    ¡°You do not think anything like my people.¡±


    ¡°Your people could stand to think more like me, from time to time.¡±


    ¡°I think you are right. I see now, I think. It is aspirational, yes? You want to make the foolish choice the right one, even if that always means taking the harder path. I too have a hard path if I want to save my people. To redeem them.¡±


    ¡°Then I wish you success. But you should know that it will be even worse than you think. Sometimes, the world will try to break you. Either you have to bend, or you make the world bend.¡±


    ¡°Bend the world? If that is your goal, you will need almost inconceivable power.¡±


    Jason smiled and Marek¡¯s gaze moved from the silver-ranker to his astral kingdom laid out before them.


    ¡°I may have just started to understand you, Jason Asano.¡±

 Chapter 699: Aftermath

    Messengers didn¡¯t dream. They understood the concept, but it wasn¡¯t something they experienced for themselves. It was a condition of lesser beings. Of the weak. This was what the messenger Tera Jun Casta had been told her entire life, which left her confused as she roused from dreams of her own. She didn¡¯t remember them, skittering away like spectres in the night, but it felt like she had been living them for an extremely long time.


    She opened her eyes to see an unfamiliar ceiling. It was dark crystal with swirling gold, silver and blue sparks within as if filled with viscous fluid and expensive glitter. She was in a bed made of fluffy white cloud-material, which was comfortable with her wings. Her armour, once torn to shreds, was now whole.


    There was no sign at all, in fact, of the fight that was the last thing she remembered. Her armour was repaired and the injuries were gone, as was the blood they had painted her with. What remained was the bitter sense of defeat, not in that she had lost the fight but that she had accepted the loss before the fight was over. Her thoughts had turned, in desperation, to using the people in the bunker as hostages. The soul barriers around her and Asano would have killed any normal-rankers they touched.


    Thinking of her power spiked her confusion. Once her power was enacted, either one or both people would die. Yet here she was, and Asano¡¯s survival was obvious. She could sense the singular will dominating her surroundings; the aura that pervaded every scrap of matter. It was an astral kingdom, and while this was only her second time being inside one, there was no mistaking it. There was also no mistaking who it belonged to. She instinctively knew it was Jason Asano, the man she did not even remember losing to, and her certainty went beyond just recognising the aura. She felt a familiarity with Asano that she could not explain but felt unsettlingly intimate.


    She had no idea how the fight had ended. She had flashes that didn¡¯t make any sense, as fleeting as the remnants of her newfound dreams. She needed more information and sat up, shifting her legs off the bed. The cloud bed accommodated her, altering itself as if in response to her desire and transforming into a chair. She remained seated for the moment and looked around.


    The room she was in was large, more a luxurious suite than the cell she would have expected. The furniture varied from elegant wood to plush cloud-material, and it was very spacious. There was a low set of drawers against the wall, atop which was what looked to be an array of baked goods on plates under glass display domes. The windows showed gardens outside, with blood-red flowers on thorny green stems.


    There were two ways out; doorways with no doors, but only veils of mist. One was in the wall and the other was a circle occupying the ceiling in the style of messenger architecture. The room did not seem at all designed to keep her contained, but she realised it didn¡¯t need to. There was no escaping an astral kingdom; you stayed until the king allowed you to leave. Perhaps there was some leeway, given that Asano was only silver-rank, but she doubted it. Even a gold-rank fish was not mightier than the silver-rank ocean in which it swam.


    How she ended up in an astral kingdom without consenting to pass through the portal she did not know, and that was just the beginning of her confusion. She felt different, unsure how long she had been unconscious. She was about to assess herself with her senses when a voice came down through the door in the ceiling.


    ¡°Tera Jun Casta,¡± the male voice called out. ¡°I am told that you are awake.¡±


    It wasn¡¯t Asano¡¯s voice, but she thought she recognised it. Her senses failed to escape the walls to probe further.


    ¡°Who are you?¡± she called out.


    ¡°Marek Nior Vargas.¡±


    The commander. Tera was only a loose addition to the forces Marek commanded in the raid on Yaresh, and not one that would garner the commander¡¯s individual attention. Messengers unable to advance beyond silver were to be pitied, with only everything in the cosmos other than messengers being more lowly.


    Tera realised that she was caught up in her thoughts and had not responded.


    "Commander," she said, looking up at the misty ceiling. Through it, she could only see a winged silhouette. "I do not know how to let you in. Or if I can get out."


    ¡°Do I have permission to enter?¡± he asked, startling her.


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to ask, Commander.¡±


    He descended through the veil slowly as she stood up, hovering just off the floor. She noted that he didn''t remain floating, his feet settling on the floor. He was wearing light armour like her and stood slightly shorter, especially as she was floating in the air. His wings with their subdued plumage folded tight on his back as he looked at her with eyes as sharp as his handsome features.


    She knew him only by reputation and what she had seen in battle herself. In both cases, protectiveness was his most well-known trait, followed by careful tactics and conservative strategies, contrasted with sudden moments of bold action. Many counted him as an ideal messenger, while others considered him fearful and weak.


    During the raid, Tera had seen for herself as Marek prioritised keeping not just his own troop safe but all the messengers under his command as well. She felt the sting of shame as she remembered throwing away his efforts and charging after Asano in a reckless fervour. If he was here with her, he most likely had placed himself in danger to protect the many who, like her, had disobeyed his orders.


    ¡°You were captured as well,¡± she said sadly. To her surprise, an awkward smile crossed his face that shattered the image of stern commander and showed the man behind it.


    ¡°It¡¯s complicated,¡± he said. ¡°A lot has happened, and I imagine your memories of the battle¡¯s end are scattered at best.¡±


    Tera nodded.


    ¡°I have many questions, Commander, but there is no need for you to¨C¡±


    ¡°Waking up in this place must be disorienting, and there is much you have yet to understand. Even about yourself, I see. Come fly with me, Tera Jun Casta.¡±


    Without waiting for a response, he floated up through the misty door. As she pushed more strength into her aura to lift herself, she discovered that more than simply feeling strange after awakening, her aura had undergone a permanent change. Startled, she dropped to the floor.


    ¡°Do not rush,¡± Marek¡¯s voice came from outside. ¡°You have only just awoken from a lengthy slumber to find everything has changed. We have an abundance of time, so take as much of it as you need.¡±


    ¡°I cannot make you wait on me, Commander.¡±


    ¡°Yes, you can. Look inward before you look out, Tera Jun Casta. That¡¯s an order. I will be here for your questions when you are done.¡±


    ***


    ¡°Jason,¡± Humphrey said, ¡°the longer you refuse to meet with the diamond-rankers and the Adventure Society, the worse they are going to make things for you once you do finally leave your soul realm.¡±


    Humphrey and Jason were sitting on lawn chairs, taking drinks. Amongst the gardens sprawled around them, Rufus and Sophie were sparring with a half-dozen copies of Jason. More copies of Jason were duelling one another, floating in cross-legged meditation, reading or going through dance-like weapon forms.


    ¡°Humphrey, they broke into my home, rummaged through for the things they wanted and left. They may have only taken Taika¡¯s imprisoned messenger, but if any of us had been there, they would have taken them as well. Most likely Sophie¡¯s mother, too, if it had come to that. And the cloud palace is a hospital, for the moment. They were highly disruptive.¡±


    "I''m not denying you hold the moral high ground, Jason," Humphrey told him. "They should never have barged into the cloud palace. And I know that flaunting political reality is kind of your thing. But I''m asking you to think back to what that has gotten you over the years, and what it will get us all in the years to come. I don''t want the Adventure Society giving us problems every day until we reach gold-rank."


    Jason nodded.


    ¡°I still let my pride get the better of me, don¡¯t I?¡± he asked. ¡°But I¡¯m going back out today. It would appear the Adventure Society here have taken the same approach as the Rimaros branch did to my seclusion. They found an ambassador.¡±


    ¡°They used Rick in Rimaros,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Who are they sending to talk to you here?¡±


    Jason¡¯s eyes sparkled.


    ¡°Rick again. The locals lack imagination, it would seem.¡±


    ¡°Rick went north after the monster surge.¡±


    ¡°And I sensed them portal him in less than an hour ago.¡±


    Humphrey let out a sigh.


    ***


    Marek waited in the shadow of the massive dome containing the cocoon that loomed taller than most of the buildings in Asano¡¯s astral kingdom. In the weeks he had been present, the cocoon building had, like much of the territory, undergone large changes. Sometimes he watched them, sometimes he didn¡¯t perceive them at all, as if time had skipped and suddenly a building was gone. Asano¡¯s realm was in a constant state of flux, with only a handful of places remaining static. The pagoda tower at the centre was one, as was the forge where the leonid, Gary, practised his weapon-smithing.


    Marek had given the man a wide berth as he was not friendly to the messengers. He had killed no small number of Marek''s kind during the raid and seen them kill civilians in turn. One of Marek¡¯s people had let pride rule his head and accosted the leonid, only surviving through Asano all but rebuilding his body from scratch.


    Marek¡¯s most unruly subordinate was Mari Gah Rahnd, and Marek tried to find her before she went after the leonid for fun. Asano, inevitably, found her first, delivering her to Marek to look after. A few days later, Asano gave her mouth, arms, legs and wings back to her.


    Asano seemed to have an astral king¡¯s instinctive understanding of how messengers worked, the punishment he delivered was exactly what Marek would expect from any astral king. Asano could remould their bodies despite not being one of them, or even a complete astral king. He lacked the third part of the astral throne, astral gate and soul forge trifecta, an absence that got Marek thinking.


    The astral king Marek had, until recently, served was Vesta Carmis Zell. Marek did not know her exact agenda, but he could make certain guesses. Zell was known for her fascination with soul engineering. It was an uncommon practice as tools were almost impossible to find and raw materials even more so. She and her chief agent, Jes Fin Kaal, were after something deep underground, and a soul forge would explain the absurd resources expended to obtain it. Marek was no soul engineer himself, but he knew that a second forge was something that astral kings who were deeply coveted.


    Marek shook his head, clearing out his latest postulation. With little to do for weeks, his mind was running through one possibility after another, Without the power to leave, he neither had nor could obtain the evidence to confirm or disconfirm any of them. He was better off planning what he and his people would do once Asano let them go. He was confident now that Asano wouldn¡¯t just hand them over to the Adventure Society, although that wasn¡¯t the same as releasing them.


    Marek watched as the cocoon dome started rising from the ground, revealing itself as a giant sphere that floated away through the sky. He wondered how much the shifting nature of the space was due to Asano¡¯s proclivities and how much was instability from his lack of a soul forge.


    He was still watching it when Tera rose through the misty door, her expression a mix of concern, confusion and the tiniest bit of hope.


    ***


    Rick and his team were sobered by the aftermath of the Battle of Yaresh as they flew over the city. They were riding in an open-top flying carriage as blackened flatland passed under them. Magic could rebuild destroyed infrastructure with startling speed, so the city being little more than rubble two weeks after the battle told a bleak story. Only tiny pockets of reconstruction were scattered across the city, the beginnings of what would come next. Given that Yaresh had been a city where most of the buildings had been made through the shaping of living trees, it would be a lengthy process of recovery. A few trees were already starting to grow in the bleak landscape, but there was such a long way to go.


    In most places, recovery meant clearing enough room for whole districts of temporary housing, be it tents or rough buildings shaped with hasty magic. These places hadn¡¯t even started recovery, simply being attempts to survive.


    ¡°Most of the population is still living in the bunkers,¡± Vidal Ladiv explained. He was the Adventure Society¡¯s official liaison with Team Biscuit, although he always seemed to find himself conveniently forgotten. Attached to the team in Rimaros, he had been ¡®accidentally¡¯ left behind in no less than three towns between Rimaros and Yaresh.


    During the raid, Vidal had not been fighting with Jason and the others but evacuating people from the riverside districts. His water essence and expertise in administration and logistics had made him a valuable asset there, although he couldn¡¯t help but feel fobbed-off again.


    The local Adventure Society had not been happy with Vidal¡¯s inability to get Jason to fall in line, although the letter he showed the local branch director had helped. Signed by both the Rimaros branch director and Soramir Rimaros himself, it detailed some of the difficulties in dealing with Jason Asano and suggestions against provoking him.


    It didn¡¯t entirely surprise Vidal when the diamond-rankers ignored this and smashed their way into Asano¡¯s cloud palace, coming out with only one messenger and a raft of complaints. With the Church of the Healer and other organisations using the building as a hospital at the time, this inevitably led to formal protests to the Adventure Society about diamond-rankers causing chaos.


    They rode through the air in silence, Rick and his team looking out in dismay. The area that had once been a giant parking lot for adventurers¡¯ vehicles was one of the more intact zones in the city, behind only key infrastructure that had secondary defence systems. Those additional defences were how the Adventure Society and Magic Society campuses, along with the ducal palace, all remained essentially intact.


    The area with the adventurer vehicles did have one bombed-out area, where the original refugee camp had been. People evacuated from towns to the south overrun by worms had stayed there until the attack on the city, at which point they had bunkered down in Jason and Emir¡¯s cloud palaces. Now that area was once again covered in tents. As for the vehicles themselves, many showed scars from the messenger raids, but the district had held out, fending off the messengers.


    ***


    ¡°We¡¯re confident that the diamond-rankers won¡¯t go barging into the cloud palace again, the moment you leave your soul realm?¡± Neil asked Jason.


    They were standing in a courtyard near the central pagoda of Jason¡¯s soul realm. Along with Humphrey and Sophie, the four of them were the greeting party for Rick and his team.


    ¡°They won¡¯t,¡± Humphrey said. ¡°Even if diamond-rankers don¡¯t need to care what people think of them, they still do. They operate in this city, and while they can endure a bad reputation, it complicates things for them. Not only is going after a silver-ranker a second time heavy-handed but it means that they didn¡¯t get what they wanted the last time they went after him. Going in again makes them look both tyrannical and weak at the same time.¡±


    Jason opened a portal to the world outside and they stepped through.


    ***


    Jason¡¯s cloud palace was buzzing with activity as the carriage set down on the roof. The roof itself was clear but looking over the roof¡¯s edge they saw people filing in and out of the building. Once they took the elevating platform inside they found a hubbub of chaos barely kept in order by a panoply of clergy and Asano¡¯s spooky one-eyed avatars, looking like alien creatures draped in void cloaks.


    ¡°Asano¡¯s cloud palace was used as a hospital after the attack and still is,¡± Vidal explained as they shouldered their way through a crowded hallway. ¡°But now it serves more as a processing centre. We make sure that everyone gets a hot shower and a hot meal before going to their assigned accommodation, which is usually just a tent or a stone-shaped building or the like. We also make sure that no unpleasant surprises have been left behind inside people. We were in the midst of dealing with body-controlling parasites when the attack began.¡±


    Vidal led them to a lounge room that was only medium-sized, but they had seen the premium on space in the building. Shortly after they arrived, a portal opened up to admit Jason, Humphrey, Sophie and Neil.


    Greetings were made all around. Neil and Dustin from Rick¡¯s team were childhood friends. Phoebe had been instrumental in Sophie¡¯s initial training back in Greenstone, both of them being pugilists. She also hadn¡¯t seen Jason since Greenstone, as she¡¯d been occupied when Rick¡¯s team travelled to Rimaros. As for Rick himself, he was looking around as if something was missing.


    ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Jason asked him.


    ¡°Where¡¯s the small army of beautiful women.¡±


    ¡°What are you talking about?¡± Jason asked as Rick¡¯s team member and girlfriend Hannah thumped him on the bicep.


    ¡°It¡¯s a little strange not seeing you surrounded by gorgeous women.¡±


    ¡°Well, there¡¯s Sophie, Phoebe and the lovely Adeah twins,¡± Jason said. ¡°Is that not enough for you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Rickard,¡± Hannah said in a voice sharp enough to slice vegetables. ¡°Is that not enough.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m just saying that there¡¯s usually a gaggle of women I¡¯ve never seen before when I see you.¡±


    Jason shook his head.


    ¡°Rick, you need to get over this. I¡¯m not always¡­¡±


    Jason trailed off, turning to frown at the door.


    "Yeah, I have to pop out real quick," he said as Shade rose from his shadow for Jason to step into and vanish."


    ¡°The diamond-rankers again?¡± Humphrey guessed.


    ¡°No,¡± Neil said, walking over to the door. ¡°He¡¯d have gone back to his soul realm if it was that.¡±


    There was a knock at the door and Neil opened it. On the other side was a priestess in the full robes of the Church of Fertility, with a cluster of young female acolytes behind her.


    ¡°Sorry,¡± she said. ¡°My god told me that Jason Asano was in here.¡±

 Chapter 700: Harder Than They Have to Be

    ¡°He said no,¡± Taika told the Fertility priestess firmly.


    ¡°Mr Asano represents an unusual confluence of factors that could potentially be used to produce powerful forces that can be deployed against messengers and similar threats.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure you shouldn¡¯t be trying to breed super-soldier armies. That sounds like some creepy eugenics stuff.¡±


    The priestess gave Taika¡¯s mountainous body an assessing look up and down.


    ¡°You¡¯re an outworlder as well, aren¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°I have to go.¡±


    Taika vanished through a mist door, leaving the priestess alone with her acolytes.


    ¡°Uh, Priestess Hennith?¡±


    ¡°Yes, Acolyte Fennick?¡±


    ¡°I thought we were just here to deliver food.¡±


    ¡°These are difficult and busy times, acolyte. It pays to grab any opportunity you can get.¡±


    ¡°Is adding this man Asano to the breeding program really an opportunity worth chasing?¡±


    ¡°While the goddess does want samples, it¡¯s not of any great importance, no. But the goddess wants the man¡¯s goodwill, which we apparently fostered by arriving exactly when and where we did. I have no idea how that works, but that¡¯s why we have faith, Fennick dear.¡±


    ¡°Why would the goddess want the goodwill of some mortal?¡± another acolyte asked. ¡°And even if she does, why not just show him even the barest favour? What mortal would not be honoured by that?¡±


    ¡°I think we may need to get you out of the temple more often, Acolyte Cassa.¡±


    ***


    The image of Marek and Tera sitting on the roof of a building was not the standard to which messengers typically held themselves. Messengers conceived themselves as higher beings, their tendency to float over the ground instead of walking on it a message that the ground-dwellers were both literally and figuratively below them.


    Messengers also favoured diaphanous clothing that lend them an ethereal air, while Marek and Tera wore what looked like simple leather armour. In reality, it was a magical synthetic with the physical integrity to endure through most battles of the material''s rank. Only after an extended battle with Jason had Tera¡¯s armour turned ragged, although she found it repaired when she awoke. Asano could easily do so, here, and her cloud bed had kept her clean during what she now knew to be weeks of sleep.


    Tera''s senses were still exploring her body and soul, coming to grips with the changes. The most central elements of her identity had been altered and she was still processing the ramifications. She sat slumped on the sloped roof of the building, head bowed.


    Marek, sitting beside her, looked on with concern while not knowing what to say. His current incarceration aside, freedom from astral kings was what he had always hoped for and never believed possible. But he had spent far longer than Tera¡¯s entire life working his way free of the conditioning every messenger was put through. For him, what Asano had done was a gift.


    He knew that Tera was in a very different place. The indoctrination new messengers went through was not only still very much in effect for her but the very pillar of her identity. She was a loyal servant whose potential would never amount to more than what she was. At most, she could have hoped to find an astral king that would let her become a Voice of the Will and surpass her silver-rank limits.


    Now, that limit was gone. The mark of the astral king that held her loyalty was gone too. For Marek, those absences were everything he ever wanted, not just for himself but for his people. He understood that Tera¡¯s entire world had fallen away, leaving her adrift. Added to the lingering trauma of how Asano forced her to open her soul, she had many issues to work through.


    It was Marek''s intention to bring that same freedom to all the messengers, but Tera had shown him that it was even more complicated than he had imagined. He was certain that, with time and care, Tera would realise how great Asano''s gift was. But left to their own devices, many messengers would immediately surrender their freedom all over again.


    It wasn¡¯t a simple path that Marek had ahead of him, even assuming that Asano let them go. He had a good sense of the man, having lived inside his soul for weeks, but what he had learned left him uncertain. While Asano was clearly trying to step back into the light, many dark corners remained in his astral kingdom.


    ¡°What¡­¡±


    Tera¡¯s voice was hesitant after sitting in silence for so long.


    ¡°What do I do, now? Who am I?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s for you to decide,¡± Marek told her. ¡°I know that¡¯s going to be hard when you¡¯ve spent your entire life having other people tell you exactly who and what you are.¡±


    She turned to look at him, her eyes hollow and lost.


    ¡°He did to you what he did to me, didn¡¯t he?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Why aren¡¯t you as lost as I am?¡±


    ¡°Because I long ago came to desire what Asano has given us. I just didn¡¯t realise it was possible.¡±


    Her eyes narrowed, her previous deference replaced with suspicion.


    ¡°You¡¯re part of the Unorthodoxy, aren¡¯t you.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°Traitor,¡± she accused.


    ¡°Yes,¡± he admitted freely. ¡°And you will be marked the same, should the astral kings find out what we are.¡±


    ¡°And what are we?¡±


    ¡°Free. Free of their influence and free of their limitations. They cannot tolerate even the possibility of that or everything about our society will crumble. You were not restricted to silver-rank by some inherent defect, Tera Jun Casta. Vesta Carmis Zell was using you as a power source, sapping away your potential.¡±


    ¡°You think I haven¡¯t been warned about Unorthodoxy lies?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m quite certain you have, but what we are isn¡¯t something the Unorthodoxy revealed to me. It¡¯s a truth I have only now come to realise, and that same truth is inside your own soul. However much you might deny it, you are the proof.¡±


    ¡°Asano forced me to let him into my soul.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°He poisoned me. His very existence is heresy.¡±


    ¡°Look at your word choice, Tera Jun Casta. That is a word of the gods, and we both know what you have been taught about faith. What does that say about what you believe?¡±


    Tera floated off the roof, hovering in the air as she looked down at Marek.


    ¡°You can try all the verbal tricks you want, traitor. Once I find my way out of here, I¡¯ll return to the astral king and reveal your betrayal.¡±


    There was no out of here and they both knew it. Marek sighed as Tera flew off into the air.


    ***


    Rick and Jason¡¯s teams were present in a lounge just large enough to hold them with only a little crowding.


    ¡°The Adventure Society has instructed me ¡ª again ¡ª to request your cooperation,¡± Rick said to Jason.


    "Which is exactly what we''re doing," Humphrey responded in Jason''s place. "Beyond providing some facilities, however, there is little we have to contribute. We could take normal contracts since the monsters don''t stop coming just because we''ve gone to war with the messengers. But there are diamond-rankers out there, hunting Jason down. As team leader I cannot, in good conscience, advocate that he expose himself to that."


    ¡°The society has assured me that it won¡¯t happen again.¡±


    ¡°The society can¡¯t control the diamond-rankers any more than it can me,¡± Jason said. ¡°If they really want something, who can stop them?¡±


    "You, apparently," Phoebe told him. "They are extremely eager to know where you sent those messengers."


    ¡°Which is where they are going to squeeze you,¡± Rick added. ¡°They have countless witnesses to what happened in that bunker, Jason. They saw what looked like you portalling a bunch of messengers, including multiple gold-rankers, to safety.¡±


    ¡°And how do they explain my ability to portal one gold-ranker, let alone multiples?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t,¡± Rick said. ¡°And they don¡¯t have to. They just have to accuse you of aiding the enemy in battle and they can drag you out by the hair. Your connection to Soramir Rimaros is the only reason they haven¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Their inability to go where I¡¯ve been hiding is the only reason they haven¡¯t,¡± Jason corrected. ¡°They already tried dragging me off.¡±


    ¡°Is that where you¡¯ve been hiding the messengers?¡± Rick asked. ¡°Because it looks from the outside like you¡¯re hiding them.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not hiding them,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m holding them.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    Jason sighed.


    ¡°I don¡¯t have to tell you that, Rick. I don¡¯t answer to you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Jason, you do. I¡¯m representing the Adventure Society and I¡¯m doing my best to not have them strike your membership and haul you in as a traitor.¡±


    Jason ran his hands over his face in a weary gesture.


    ¡°I knew this was going to be trouble. Alright, Rick, you tell whoever that if they want the messengers, I¡¯ll open up that portal you mentioned and let them through. The messengers are there.¡±


    ¡°They said they want the location that portal leads to.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s a question with a complicated answer. Suffice to say, there is no other way in, only the portal.¡±


    ¡°They won¡¯t believe you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to cry myself to sleep over it.¡±


    ¡°Jason, you¡¯re a silver-ranker and you need to accept that. Why are you making things harder than they have to be?¡±


    The atmosphere in the room grew heavy. Jason and the building around them became difficult to distinguish from one another, merging into a single, overbearing power.


    ¡°Because the easy way involves giving up all my secrets and all my control, Rick. If these people understood who and what I am, they would try to take me and control me, and that is something¡± I will not allow to happen.


    The room was frozen in the wake of Jason¡¯s declaration made with more than just words. In the long silence that followed, Rick and his team looked at Jason with discomfort. Jason was not a large man, but in that moment, his presence suffocated the room.


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry you were dragged into this, Rick,¡± Jason said softly. ¡°You¡¯ve been placed in an awkward position. You¡¯re thinking of me as a silver-ranker, and that¡¯s fair because I am one. But that¡¯s not all I am, and they know that. They¡¯re trying to make me think of myself as only a silver-ranker so that I¡¯ll capitulate to their demands, let them take control of my actions and rummage through my secrets. They want to know why gods and great astral beings listen to what I have to say, and the knowledge that led me to the point that they do. Do you think they desire what is mine so they can use it for altruistic purposes?¡±


    ¡°Are your reasons altruistic, Jason?¡± Rick asked. To his surprise, this drew a wide smile from Jason.


    ¡°It¡¯s a good question, isn¡¯t it? There are things I have to do, but is that altruism or just responsibility? I¡¯m hoping there isn¡¯t a difference and that, when all is said and done, I come out the other side as an intact person.¡± Jason sighed and stood up.


    ¡°Here is the bottom line, Rick: if anyone from the Adventure Society or the diamond-rankers want to see the messengers, they can. They just have to go through the same portal.¡±


    ¡°Can¡¯t the messengers come out?¡±


    ¡°Not until I let them.¡±


    ¡°So let them.¡±


    ¡°No. I¡¯m sorry, Rick but I don¡¯t just think of myself as a silver-ranker anymore, whatever the Adventure Society might want. My rank isn¡¯t who or what I am; it¡¯s a deficit I need to overcome before I can handle all the other things I have going on. Arrogant, I know, but there¡¯s only so many times you can save the world before you admit to yourself that you really are special.¡±


    Rick stood up as well.


    ¡°They won¡¯t like hearing what you have to say,¡± he told Jason. ¡°And I don¡¯t think they¡¯ll be too happy with me as the messenger, but I don¡¯t mind that. I don¡¯t want my adventuring career to be defined as the guy they get to talk to you when you¡¯re being a pain.¡±


    Jason grinned and shook Rick''s hand.


    ¡°You can take them back now, Vidal,¡± Jason told the Adventure Society liaison standing in the corner. Soon Rick and his team were gone, leaving Jason and his team behind.


    Jason let out a sigh.


    ¡°Rick stood his ground well,¡± Jason said. ¡°Good for him, even if the circumstances are not. Like all of you, he¡¯s been dragged into a mess on my account. I¡¯m sorry I¡¯ve done that to you. Again.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t have to apologise for that,¡± Sophie told him. ¡°I don¡¯t know where I¡¯d be if you didn¡¯t stick your head places no sane person would, but it¡¯s somewhere very bad.¡±


    ¡°Hey,¡± Neil said. ¡°If getting in trouble with diamond-rankers from time to time is what it takes to sleep in a cloud bed and wake up to quality breakfast every day, then those diamond-rankers can sod right off.¡±


    "We''re all with you, Jason," Humphrey said. ¡°No regrets. But we do need to have some sense of where this is going.¡±


    ¡°For now, I¡¯m stalling,¡± Jason told him. ¡°I think the woman in charge of the local messengers is going to make a move, and we need to see what it is before we can decide what to do.¡±

 Chapter 701: Developing Any Skill Takes Practice

    ¡°No,¡± Amos said, looking at the portal to Jason¡¯s soul realm atop the roof of the cloud palace.


    ¡°No?¡± Jason asked lightly.


    ¡°No,¡± his aura teacher confirmed. ¡°I am not going in there.¡±


    Amos Pensinata was a gold-ranker from Rimaros travelling with Jason, instructing Jason in aura use. Amos had an unusual qualification in this regard, having an experience of extreme spiritual trauma early in his adventuring career that mirrored Jason¡¯s. As a result, they shared a significantly above-average aura strength and sensitivity. Amos was able to instruct Jason on how to leverage that, using aura manipulation techniques developed over his long career.


    Amos was not able to instruct Jason in every method of leveraging his aura manipulation, however. Jason¡¯s unusual nature, hewing closer to a messenger than a normal essence user, allowed him to manipulate his aura in ways that normally only messengers could. Most notably, Jason could wield his aura as not just a spiritual but a physical force, outside of even what Amos could accomplish. This left Jason learning what he could in this aspect from observing messengers.


    As an aura-use pioneer, Amos was interested in the potential of Jason¡¯s aura. He had already been studying messengers, whose aura manipulation skills outstripped those of adventurers. While many aspects were unavailable to him, he could still use what he learned to refine his own techniques. Jason represented not just a way to advance the study of aura manipulation but to learn about and combat the aura advantage messengers held over adventurers.


    Messengers were more advanced in how they employed their auras than the adventurers of Pallimustus. Only exceptions like Amos and Jason were able to overpower their messenger counterparts, and even then it was often with brute force rather than skilful employment of aura suppression. If Jason was to fulfil his potential, he would need to master the aura techniques of the messengers.


    When Jason informed Amos he had a line on how to do that, Amos was appropriately interested. It was common knowledge now that Jason was holding messenger prisoners and refusing to turn them over to the Adventure Society. Amos accordingly suspected that Jason had managed to torture some secrets out of them.


    ***


    Jason had little to do in the weeks since the Battle of Yaresh. Hiding out in his soul realm from the diamond-rankers, he mostly emerged to check on his cloud palace, currently serving as a hospital. Specifically, he was making sure that the Healer priestess running the place didn¡¯t serve inedible slop in the cafeteria kitchen.


    Most of Jason¡¯s time had been split between training and coming to terms with his messenger prisoners. Throughout the weeks since the raid, Jason had been having lengthy daily discussions with the gold-rank leader of the messengers, Marek.


    Marek was a window into the messengers and their knowledge that Jason very much needed. He did not have access to the kind of dimensional knowledge Jason needed, but he was an authority on messenger aura combat. This was what led Amos and Jason to the rooftop of Jason¡¯s cloud palace. Marek had insights that both adventurers would welcome, and Jason wanted to double-check something else. He wanted to know if Amos would enter his soul realm, and was hoping he would refuse.


    ¡°I cannot sense what is on the other side of that portal,¡± Amos said. ¡°But I can sense that it is a danger to me, if whoever controls it wants it to be.¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said happily and Amos frowned at him. Jason noted that getting to know Amos was essentially a matter of studying frown variants.


    ¡°You are satisfied with my refusal?¡± Amos asked.


    ¡°I was pretty sure you¡¯d have a sense of what¡¯s through the portal, but I wanted to double-check.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡±


    ¡°The diamond-rankers. I offered to let them in, but if they actually take me up on it, there¡¯s a solid chance they¡¯d kill me the moment I let them back out.¡±


    ¡°It would pose a threat to even them?¡±


    ¡°Yep.¡±


    ¡°Then you are likely right. Whatever responsibilities they feel to this city and adventurers as a whole, a silver-ranker that could pose an actual threat to them is something they would be unable to tolerate. I would be wary of allowing even gold-rankers you do not trust implicitly inside. More importantly, they should be ones that trust you implicitly.¡±


    Jason took heed, not just because he valued his mentor¡¯s opinion, but because he spoke for so long on it. Amos Pensinata was a man who wouldn¡¯t use two words when one would do, or use one word when he could get away with ignoring you. Given his power and prestige, he could get away with ignoring most people.


    Jason was further interested in Amos¡¯ warning because of the nature of his soul realm itself. When it was significantly less developed, the portal itself had a restriction that only those that trusted Jason completely were able to enter. Jason had often wondered about that restriction, especially since it had been lifted. He now suspected that it was a defensive mechanism that prevented those with the power to harm him into his soul. That such a restriction was no longer necessary set Jason¡¯s mind to gaming-out the ramifications.


    Amos looked sternly at Jason as he stood in thought, eyes unfocused as he stared into the middle distance. Before them, the city of Yaresh was still in the process of recovery, only showing scant signs of rebuilding.


    ¡°Why would diamond-rankers want to go through your portal?¡± a female voice asked as an elf walked up the stairs to join them on the roof.


    ¡°Politics,¡± Amos grumbled unhappily.


    ¡°Hmm?¡± Jason said, looking up at the newcomer. ¡°Oh, yes. Lord Pensinata is right. Politics. Which I always feel I should be better at than I ever turn out to be, sadly. Still, developing any skill takes practise.¡±


    The elf was Hana Shavar, High-Priestess of the Healer and the person in charge of operations using Jason¡¯s cloud palace as a base. Those operations had gradually moved the cloud palace from a triage hospital in the wake of the messenger attack to a processing and support centre. It was now mostly oriented around reuniting separated families, arranging temporary housing and making sure everyone had regular access to food and clean water.


    At the same time, it was filtering the population for anyone trying to sneak in any unpleasant surprises, like world-taker worms. The parasitic apocalypse beasts were still being dealt with to the south and their appearance in Yaresh in its current state would be a disaster.


    ¡°What can I do for you, Priestess Shavar?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Before we get to that,¡± the priestess said, ¡°I want to hear about these diamond-rankers. I assume we are talking about the same ones that came tromping through my hospital operations?¡±


    ¡°We are,¡± Jason told her.


    ¡°Can I expect further disruptions, then?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m hoping not,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯ve played the hard line with the Adventure Society representatives, so now I need to show that I can make a concession. I¡¯ve offered to let the diamond-rankers into the place I¡¯m keeping the messengers, but since I don¡¯t want to make an actual concession, I¡¯m hoping they will decline when presented with the offer.¡±


    ¡°Hoping?¡±


    ¡°I was very confident in my political predictions early in my adventuring career, and other people paid the price of my foolishness. These days I keep my options open, even when some options fall precipitously short of being ideal ones. There are acceptable outcomes even if the diamond-rankers choose to go through this portal.¡±


    Hana focused her attention on the portal for a moment.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think they will go through,¡± she said. ¡°I think it will make them uneasy, and they will take that unease out on you.¡±


    ¡°I do hope so,¡± Jason said. ¡°Things will get awkward if they think they are unable to keep me in line.¡±


    ¡°They can keep you in line,¡± Amos said with certainty.


    ¡°Of course they can,¡± Jason agreed.


    ¡°You¡¯re looking to be brought to heel,¡± the priestess realised.


    ¡°Yep. I¡¯ve gotten used to making bigger splashes than is warranted by my rank, and I don¡¯t always have accommodating authority figures to bail me out. If I can at least make a show of conceding to the diamond-rankers, they are more likely to leave bringing me into line to the Adventure Society.¡±


    ¡°Which would come down to lumping you with the least desirable contracts they can muster,¡± Hana said. ¡°But you¡¯re playing a dangerous game, Asano. Every adventurer trained by a guild or an adventuring family had heard stories of diamond-rankers making bad decisions when confronted with power they can neither understand nor overcome.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re privilege is showing, priestess. I was trained in a place where diamond-rankers are practically mythical.¡±


    ¡°Then that is your loss, Mr Asano. The fact that the diamond-rankers forced their way into the cloud palace demonstrates that the stories I mentioned are accurate. The simple fact is that diamond-rankers become accustomed to doing whatever they want. Denying them that goes badly.¡±


    ¡°I have to acknowledge the point,¡± Jason said. ¡°And they ransacked the palace when they thought I was refusing to accept their power over me. I hate to think what they¡¯ll do when they realise how much power I really have.¡±


    ¡°And how much power is that exactly?¡± Hana asked. ¡°I watched the gold-rank messengers that invaded this building during the raid desperately fight their way back out without accomplishing anything.¡±


    Jason nodded at the portal.


    ¡°Step though and find out.¡±


    ¡°No thank you. Be careful provoking these diamond-rankers, Asano. They won¡¯t want to be seen bullying a silver-ranker, but an unrepentantly defiant one is a different matter. It won¡¯t hurt their reputation to chastise an idiot who doesn¡¯t know when to back off.¡±


    ¡°Thus, the concession of letting them go see where I¡¯m keeping the messengers,¡± Jason said. ¡°If they turn it down, that¡¯s on them. It¡¯s not like they¡¯re going to go around explaining to people that it¡¯s okay to beat on a silver-ranker because he has a scary portal. That just makes them look even weaker.¡±


    ¡°Unless they go into that portal and realise how much power you have over them there,¡± Amos pointed out. ¡°They may just kill you outright, whatever it does to their reputation.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason acknowledged with a sigh. ¡°I hope that¡¯s not the way it goes, but I¡¯ll deal with it if it is.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯ll deal with dying?¡± Hana asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s kind of my thing,¡± Jason told her. ¡°Ask your boss.¡±


    ¡°I am the High Priestess. I do not have a boss.¡±


    ¡°You''re a high priestess,¡± Jason told her. ¡°Your whole job is having a boss.¡±


    ¡°You should not speak so casually of the gods, Asano.¡±


    ¡°So people keep telling me. You¡¯re a busy woman, Priestess; what brought you up here in the first place?¡±


    ¡°I would like you to convert dormitory room four into a second cafeteria and expand the kitchen.¡±


    ¡°Now?¡±


    ¡°Late afternoon, during the shift change and before the dinner service.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said. ¡°Anything else?¡±


    ¡°A warning if any diamond-rankers will be going on a rampage.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll do my best. No promises.¡±


    Hana gave Jason a look up and down, her expression showing dissatisfaction, and then headed back downstairs.


    ¡°Now,¡± Amos said. ¡°Why am I here, if you never expected me to go through the portal?¡±


    ¡°Just a sec,¡± Jason said as cloud-substance rose up from the roof to swiftly encase them in a dome. The stairwell was also sealed off. Direct sunlight was blocked by the cloudy barrier and instead filtered diffusely through the dome. Jason¡¯s aura flooded the area inside, making it a part of his spirit domain.


    Jason''s spirit domains were locations where he had extreme control over the spiritual forces within and even an amount of control over the physical reality. Along with his permanent domains on Earth, he could take any or all of his cloud constructs into his domain, although he had been leaving the hospital mostly free of his influence. Amos frowned as his senses were cut off, no longer extending beyond the new roof.


    ¡°Can¡¯t have anyone peeking,¡± Jason told him apologetically, then gestured casually at the portal. Through it stepped a gold-rank messenger.

 Chapter 702: War Guilt Clause

    Marek Nior Vargas stood before the portal leading out of Asano¡¯s astral kingdom. In the weeks since he first entered, his life and future had been entirely transformed, but he found himself nervous as he looked at the way out. The world outside held immense potential, now. It held a hope that he had never felt before, but with hope came the chance for that hope to be crushed. Given Marek¡¯s ambitions, being crushed was the more likely outcome.


    ¡°This isn¡¯t me letting you run loose,¡± Asano reiterated. ¡°I just want you, me and a man I know to have a talk about auras.¡±


    The Jason Asano standing next to Marek was one of countless copies, lesser avatars running around Asano¡¯s astral kingdom. He would not have a prime avatar until he was complete as an astral king. Even so, he had no trouble holding a conversation with Marek while his true body was talking with whoever was on the other side of the portal.


    ¡°I know,¡± Marek said. ¡°I won¡¯t run.¡±


    Not only did Asano still have all of Marek¡¯s people but there was no telling who or what was waiting through the portal. For all Marek knew, Asano could be handing him over to the Adventure Society or an unscrupulous researcher eager to dissect a powerful messenger.


    He didn¡¯t believe that to be the case. Marek had been living inside Asano¡¯s soul for weeks which had given him an unusually intimate perspective on the man, although that in itself could be deceiving. Time and again Marek had seen people work against their own interests and core beliefs, for reasons that he could scarcely comprehend.


    He had spoken at length with Asano, largely about the messengers. Marek had a sense that Asano was looking for reasons not to kill them, and perhaps even let them go. It made little sense to Marek as messengers did not show mercy. He couldn¡¯t help but wonder if that was an aspect of his indoctrination that he had yet to dig out and examine. Perhaps his incarceration in Asano¡¯s astral kingdom was a chance to do that. It was something to discuss with Payan, who was as close as he had to a brother.


    ¡°There¡¯s a slight delay,¡± Asano said. ¡°I''m talking with a high priestess. I don''t think bringing you out while she''s there will be a good move.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure bringing me out while anyone is there is a wise choice.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but the man I want you to meet is not foolish enough to come in and meet you here.¡±


    ¡°He doesn¡¯t trust you?¡±


    ¡°Not that much. You came in here and opened up your soul, but would you have done that just to save your life?¡±


    ¡°No. I wanted an astral king that was not like the others. If I had known you would free us, I would have rushed in.¡±


    ¡°Tera would not,¡± Jason said. ¡°Have you made any headway with her?¡±


    ¡°There is nothing you do not see and hear in this place,¡± Marek pointed out. ¡°You have been privy to our every interaction.¡±


    ¡°I know what you and she have said, yes, but not how you think. Ascribing my sensibilities to messenger mentality will only lead me to false assumptions.¡±


    ¡°She is still fragile. You gave her and I the same thing, but the results are very different. For me, it is a chance at a future for my entire people. From her, you have taken everything. Who she is, what she is. Her identity as a messenger. You¡¯ve poisoned her to other messengers, taking even her right to offer loyalty. She hates you from the depths of her being, and doesn¡¯t like me much better. Everything she despises, I see as a gift greater than I can ever reciprocate.¡±


    ¡°Assuming I give you the chance to go out and do something with that gift.¡±


    ¡°I believe you will, sooner or later. I still don¡¯t understand what you get out of mercy, but I believe you do get something.¡±


    Asano gave Marek a long, assessing look before speaking.


    ¡°The greatest martial arts trainer my world ever produced was asked by one of his students why he showed mercy to an enemy. He said that for a person with no forgiveness in their heart, living is a worse punishment than death. I''m paraphrasing; his accent was a bit sketchy.¡±


    ¡°It may take me some time to understand that for myself. And if I do, I could easily see myself rejecting the principle. Mercy is leaving the roots of trouble to grow back stronger.¡±


    ¡°Mercy can seem like foolishness, and perhaps it is. But it¡¯s also the hope for tomorrow. Ruthlessness will never turn an enemy into a friend. It leaves only barren ground, in the world and in your soul. I¡¯ve seen that in a half-dozen years of having power, so you must have seen it over and over.¡±


    ¡°I have,¡± Marek confirmed. ¡°Barren worlds and barren souls are how messengers operate.¡±


    ¡°Well, if you¡¯re going to stage a revolution anyway, maybe consider revisiting that policy. There¡¯s a term in my world, ¡®Carthaginian peace.¡¯ It means to set terms of peace, following a military victory, that cripple the defeated so they cannot recover and rebuild. To take those who have been put down and keep them down.¡±


    Asano sighed before continuing.


    ¡°There was a war in my world. The Great War. A tangled mess of political alliances turned one incident into a globe-spanning conflict. The war to end all wars, they called it.¡±


    ¡°There is never an end to war.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Asano agreed. ¡°No, there isn¡¯t. When the Great War was done, there was a peace treaty into which the victors placed what became known as the war guilt clause. It lay all blame at the feet of the vanquished. It stripped them of power, of dignity. Of the ability to rebuild in the face of the greatest conflict my world had ever seen.¡±


    ¡°The seed of a new war?¡± Marek asked. He had seen many worlds and Asano¡¯s tale was a familiar one.


    ¡°Yes. From the ashes of a fallen nation rose a monster. He raised that country from the ashes using pride and hate, fed on the bitterness of a people who had been spat on and ground into the dirt. The next war was worse, worse than anyone ever imagined. There are few cases where war has truly right and wrong sides, but evil was spreading across the world. Even then, those who were supposed to be on the right side used weapons that annihilated entire cities full of civilians. Much as your people tried to do here in Yaresh. Oddly enough, your people cannot match mine for bending the power of creation to unconscionable ends. Our weapons of mass destruction proved more effective than your apocalypse beast.¡±


    ¡°What came of the garuda that stopped the naga genesis egg?¡±


    ¡°If anyone knows, they haven¡¯t told me. He vanished while you and I were underground. But the battle we fought here in Yaresh was nothing compared to the war I¡¯m talking about. Of the nations that were the primary instigators of the war, one was in the east and the other in the west. In the east, it was a nation called Japan. One of the many countries opposing them was Australia. My country, although I would not be born for another half-century.¡±


    Asano smiled and gestured at his face.


    ¡°My mother¡¯s people come from Australia and my father¡¯s from Japan. As ugly and brutal as that war became, as much as millions suffered and died, the day came when those nations were not enemies but allies. That change came about in your lifetime; probably only a fragment of it. There is always a future, Marek. You could say I¡¯m the living embodiment of that. You have told me over and over that you want to build a new future for your people. Mercy is the only way to build a future worth bothering with.¡±


    Marek did not respond, instead thinking at length on what Jason had said. He was still thinking when Jason spoke again.


    ¡°It¡¯s time. Out you pop, chief.¡±


    ***


    Jason warily kept his senses locked on both Amos and Marek as Marek emerged from the portal. They both tensed up on spotting one another, auras sharp as weapons, but neither opened hostilities. They were inside a dome atop the roof of Jason¡¯s cloud palace. Jason¡¯s presence flooded the area, which he had made a part of his spirit domain. His domain had neither the power nor the influence of his soul realm, through the still-active portal, but it still allowed him to command considerable power.


    ¡°Be civil,¡± Jason told them. ¡°This is a conversation, not a war.¡±


    ¡°He and his kind brought war to this city,¡± Amos pointed out. The intensity of his gaze fell just short of boring through the messenger¡¯s head.


    ¡°I was merely doing as commanded.¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason said, pointing a finger at Marek¡¯s face. ¡°You and I are going to have some long conversations about the ¡®just following orders¡¯ defence, but in the meantime, no more war talk. From either of you.¡±


    Jason¡¯s gaze moved from Marek to Amos.


    ¡°Marek, here,¡± Jason told Amos, ¡°has agreed to give up the goods on how messengers use their auras. In return, I¡¯ve told him that you won¡¯t crush his skull to paste in your bare hands, okay?¡±


    Marek and Jason both looked at Amos¡¯ hands. They remained at his sides but his fingers were flexing as if aching to do exactly what Jason had just described.


    ¡°Why would you betray your own kind?¡± Amos asked Marek.


    ¡°I don¡¯t betray my kind,¡± Marek told him. ¡°I betray the astral kings who betrayed their own kind long before I emerged from the birthing tree.¡±


    ¡°The birthing tree?¡± Amos asked.


    ¡°Messengers are born from trees,¡± Jason said. ¡°I think that means they¡¯re technically plants, but we shouldn¡¯t get side-tracked. We¡¯re here for Marek to teach us about messenger auras.¡±


    ¡°I ask again,¡± Amos said, his glare still locked on Marek¡¯s face. ¡°Why would he do that?¡±


    ¡°I have long wished to undermine the astral kings,¡± Marek said. ¡°Not for your people, but for mine. We are slaves, indoctrinated to think our bondage is glory, our servitude superiority. In freeing me from that bondage, Jason Asano has done something I did not think possible. Now I am free to act, if Asano ever releases me to do so.¡±


    ¡°That doesn¡¯t answer the question,¡± Amos growled.


    ¡°Doesn¡¯t it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°You don¡¯t know gratitude when you hear it?¡±


    ¡°From a messenger?¡±


    ¡°I am as surprised as you,¡± Marek told Amos, who turned back to face the messenger.


    ¡°You¡¯re saying that you serve Asano now?¡±


    ¡°No. He could have made me and mine his slave, but instead, he gave me the freedom to serve no one and nothing but my own ideals.¡±


    Marek glanced at Jason, then back to Amos.


    ¡°He showed me mercy.¡±


    ¡°I won¡¯t,¡± Amos said. ¡°If you serve your own messenger ideals, I should put you down before you get the chance to spread them.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s enough,¡± Jason said sharply, drawing on the power of his spirit domain. Although a foot shorter than Amos and two shorter than Marek, His presence loomed over them. Both Marek and Amos had supreme aura senses, but they didn¡¯t need them to know exactly who owned the ground on which they stood.


    ¡°I know what Marek is offering sounds too good to be true,¡± Jason told Amos. ¡°All the techniques messengers use for aura combat, freely offered up. Mostly freely. Kind of freely. I mean, yes, he¡¯s my prisoner and I told him that it was a condition of me ever letting him out. One condition of many. So, not freely at all. But still, offered up.¡±


    Jason resisted smiling as Amos and Marek looked at him with the exact same mix of exasperation, wariness and disbelief.


    ¡°It¡¯s hard to believe, I know,¡± Jason told Amos. ¡°I bring out a messenger commander who claims that I¡¯ve done something mysterious and now he wants to go off and fight the astral kings instead of continuing the invasion of his world.¡±


    ¡°I am decades, if not centuries from taking any fight to the astral kings,¡± Marek said. ¡°What I seek is the chance to plant a seed. A seed that may, in time, grow into a tree of revolution.¡±


    ¡°You realise that plants don¡¯t revolve right?¡± Jason asked him. ¡°Are you just big on plant metaphors? You know, because you¡¯re a plant.¡±


    ¡°I am not a plant.¡±


    ¡°Bloke, you fell off a tree like an apple. Is dimensional scrumping a major impediment to your reproductive process?¡±


    ¡°Please be serious, Jason Asano.¡±


    Jason laughed.


    ¡°Mate, you picked the wrong astral king to hitch your wagon to if you don''t want jokes. No promises on the quality of said jokes, mind you, and they may just be me talking about old episodes of Monkey Magic.¡±


    Amos and Marek looked at him with a mix of disapproval and confusion.


    ¡°Yeah, I know,¡± Jason conceded. ¡°it¡¯s just called Monkey, not Monkey Magic, but it really should have been.¡±


    He started patting the pockets of his tan shorts.


    ¡°I have a recording crystal with the theme song, let me find it and you¡¯ll see what I¡¯m talking abou¡ª¡±


    ¡°The messenger is right, Asano,¡± Amos cut him off. ¡°This is not the time for your childishness.¡±


    The amusement fell off Jason¡¯s face instantly, as if he¡¯d been waiting for the interruption. He tapped into his spiritual domain again, using the space around them to lightly pressure Amos¡¯ aura.


    ¡°Lord Pensinata,¡± Jason said. ¡°You need to learn from my team and pay attention to what I do, not what I say. Does it feel like I¡¯m not taking this seriously? We both know how strong your aura is. Try throwing it around and see how far it gets you.¡±


    Amos turned a glare on Jason which would have had most Rimaros adventurers trembling. Jason stared up at the taller man uncowed.


    ¡°I¡¯m not your nephew or some mewling guild member, Lord Pensinata; don¡¯t bother with the death stare. I''ve had a lot worse than you give me the evil eye.¡±


    ¡°You should not treat these situations with flippancy,¡± Amos told him.


    ¡°I''ve tried being grim and grave when things get heavy. It doesn''t work out. I don''t know if it''s an overdeveloped sense of melodrama, but I don''t like who it turns me into. Marek and I were just talking about mercy, and when I start spiralling down, I don¡¯t have any. If the price of me not killing a bunch of people is you putting up with the occasional A-Team reference ¡ª series, not film ¡ª then I suggest you suck it up. You can just ignore that while we otherwise talk things through like sensible adults. If that¡¯s too much for you to handle, Lord Pensinata, I suggest you run off and tell on me to the Adventure Society.¡±


    Amos pushed back hard against Jason¡¯s aura. Jason was startled at its full strength, yet it was not enough in Jason¡¯s spirit domain where the very magic around them answered to him. Jason held Amos to a stalemate as Marek shielded himself without interfering. The floor beneath them and the dome over them started trembling with power and Amos¡¯ eyes went wide. He slowly withdrew his aura and Jason matched him in backing off.


    ¡°How many secrets do you have, Asano?¡± Amos asked/


    ¡°Enough that I¡¯m starting to regret sharing some of them with you, Lord Pensinata. Marek, go back inside. We won¡¯t be having any aura discussions today.¡±


    When the messenger was gone, the portal closed. The archway remained but the screen of light within disappeared.


    ¡°For a being that claims to be free, he does what you tell him readily enough,¡± Amos said.


    ¡°We¡¯re done for the day, Lord Pensinata. I think we both need to think about how we each want to move forward from here.¡±


    ¡°You engineered this confrontation,¡± Amos accused. ¡°You knew what my reaction would be to you bringing out a gold-rank messenger who is personally responsible for untold death and destruction, and you did so in a place where you have the power.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason admitted. ¡°That¡¯s exactly what I did.¡±


    ¡°Are you looking to put me in my place somehow? That will end very badly for you.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m aware, but I¡¯m not trying to put you in your place, Lord Pensinata. I¡¯m trying to make you understand that you¡¯re wrong about my place. You and the diamond-rankers and the Adventure Society all think you know what my place is. I¡¯ve barely advanced my essence abilities in the last couple of years and that''s all you see. But make no mistake, Lord Pensinata, my power has grown to a level you can''t understand until you step through that portal. The one you refuse to, because of the danger.¡±


    ¡°My place is not what you think, Lord Pensinata, and I¡¯m tired of playing upstart. I will bend when bending is the best choice, because yes: I am, for now, a silver-ranker. But I¡¯m not just a silver-ranker. The messengers understand that; Soramir Rimaros understands that. The gods understand that. The day is coming, Lord Pensinata, when you will need to grow a Tom Selleck moustache or get out of my way.¡±


    Amos frowned, not in anger but in thoughtfulness. He stared at Jason for a long time in silence, while Jason waited. Jason knew the man well enough to keep his mouth shut for once. Finally, Amos spoke.


    ¡°If you were anyone else, I would say you are a child shouting into the void. But you told the Builder to leave and he did.¡±


    ¡°It was more like making a deal than¡ª¡±


    ¡°Learn when to stop talking, Asano; I have no doubt your mouth gets you in twice as much trouble as it gets you out of. But I am forced to acknowledge that your claims of power outside your essence abilities are not without merit. If you say that you can stand up to diamond-rankers and suborn messengers then I will accept it. Until such time as you prove you cannot.¡±

 Chapter 703: Primary Purpose

    Jason and Gary were standing outside the forge Jason had conjured up in his soul space for Gary to practise his craft. In this space, Jason could conjure up countless materials, including exceedingly rare ones, for Gary to consume. Gary had even secured samples of the materials he wanted to work with so that Jason could accurately reproduce their nature and properties.


    It was a level of resource even massive crafting guilds could not offer. Attempts had been made to create specialised mirage chambers for simulated crafting, but the results had never been worth the expenditure.


    Gary''s forge was a modest building of light-coloured stone. He and Jason leaned against the outside wall, holding fruit drinks that Jason had conjured up. From a magical perspective, they were identical to spirit coins, simply in the shape of delicious tropical beverages in coconut shells with colourful straws and tiny umbrellas. Gary''s was significantly larger than Jason''s.


    ¡°I know you¡¯re not happy I have them here,¡± Jason said as they watched a trio of messengers flying through the air in the distance. ¡°Most of the team has been giving me the stink-eye over it. I¡¯ve fortunately not had to run into Carlos while I¡¯m hiding out in here. For a healer, that guy carries an astounding amount of hate for messengers.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not a vindictive person,¡± Gary said, ¡°but I can see his point. I saw what they came to this city to do. I saw them doing it; there was only so much I could stop. I don¡¯t see how they deserve to live. What do we get from keeping them alive beyond more cruelty and death?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m trying to figure that out. Can you tolerate it if I forgive them?¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t deserve forgiveness.¡±


    ¡°Probably not. But what if I do it anyway?¡±


    Gary sighed, then took a long, loud slurp of his drink. Jason didn¡¯t push for an answer, waiting until the lion man was ready to talk.


    "When two sides hate each other," Gary said, "There''s never going to be peace until someone lets go of that hate. There will always be reasons to hold onto it ¡ª good reasons ¡ª but then nothing changes. But it can''t be one-sided, or it won''t work. It can start with one side, but the other still has to meet them halfway. Are these winged bastards going to meet you halfway, Jason?"


    "These ones just might. Maybe. And if we''re really, really lucky, they may get more of their kind to do the same."


    ¡°In time to get them to leave my world?¡±


    "Definitely not. It''s more of a planting seeds situation. Ugh, now I''m making plant metaphors. Did you know the messengers are plants?"


    ¡°They don¡¯t look like plants.¡±


    "I know, right? But they grow on trees. They''re basically evil fruit. Like broccoli."


    "Broccoli is not a fruit," Gary pointed out.


    "Exactly," Jason said. "Imagine delicious chunks of pineapple, dusted with cinnamon and salt, and then roasted until they''re caramelised and tender before having a little bit of lime squeezed over them. Now imagine what you get instead is broccoli. That''s what messengers are."


    "Please tell me that pineapple thing is what you''re making for lunch."


    ¡°No, I¡¯m cooking broccoli.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°See? They¡¯re the worst.¡±


    ***


    Jason rubbed his temples as Shade set a cup of tea on the wrought metal picnic table he was sitting at. They were in a small clearing in a garden that had a natural and wild feel to it, inside Jason¡¯s soul realm. To get some peace and quiet, no one else in the soul realm could detect it, to the point that the realm would change to lead off anyone that approached. Only Jason and his familiars had access, although Colin was still in a cocoon and Gordon was elsewhere in the realm.


    "Thank you," Jason said. It had been a long day of mostly minor frustrations, from adjusting the cloud palace to dealing with politics. Now that he had decided to start resolving his issues with the Adventure Society and the diamond-rankers, Vidal Ladiv was shuttling between the cloud palace and the society campus with messages.


    There had been bright moments, however. Acquiring magical materials for personal use was still almost impossible in Yaresh, with everything being commandeered for the reconstruction. It had taken weeks for Clive to collect the materials to resummon Onslow, but Jason left the reunited pair happily sharing a salad.


    Another positive was the Adventure Society branch director throwing his support behind Jason in the face of the diamond-rankers. Jason suspected it was some local power play, but he wouldn''t turn down the assistance. Vidal Ladiv insisted that the director''s motive was genuine gratitude for Jason''s role in getting the Builder to depart early. Jason found his inability to believe in simple gratitude a little saddening.


    Jason¡¯s plan for the diamond-rankers worked best if their back and forth came out in rumours rather than a public display where things could go wrong. His ¡®concession¡¯ to the diamond-rankers proved enough to save face and keep them off his back, at least for the moment. If he failed to generate any actionable intelligence from the messengers, their patience would not last. The branch director would make sure the right rumours started spreading, along with acting as a buffer between Jason and the diamond-rankers.


    The Yaresh diamond-rankers were not the only ones Jason had to deal with. He had sensed the periodic attempts to interfere with his cloud palace and discovered a third diamond-ranker using some manner of device. Jason quickly realised she was the person who had created his cloud flask in the first place, having arrived in the city and now living with Emir.


    ¡°I find myself in a strange state of mind,¡± Jason said to his familiar. ¡°I don¡¯t have trouble filling my days, yet it also feels like I¡¯m just waiting around. Waiting for diamond-rankers and/or the Voice of the Will to make a move. Waiting for a genius idea on how to deal with the messengers I¡¯ve got stashed away. Waiting for Colin to emerge as a pretty, pretty butterfly.¡±


    ¡°Even so, Mr Asano, you have had at least some time to stop and contemplate some of the issues surrounding you.¡±


    ¡°Yeah. The gap between my spiritual development and my essence abilities is becoming an increasing problem. I almost want to go back to Earth and drain vampires until I¡¯m gold-rank.¡±


    ¡°Perhaps you should. I imagine the vampires have gone to war by now. If you prioritise claiming messenger dimension magic, you will likely be able to ride the link back to your homeworld.¡±


    ¡°You think this Jes Fin Kaal will hand over what I need?¡±


    ¡°I suspect that it is less important to her than to you, Mr Asano. Exactly the kind of bait to get you to participate in whatever scheme she has planned.¡±


    "Yeah, well, we''ll need to stop whatever that plan is before we even think about Earth."


    ¡°There is one thing we should discuss, Mr Asano. We spoke on it briefly when things were more chaotic, and now we have time to talk it through properly.¡±


    "Oh?" Jason asked, taking some leftover roasted pineapple from his inventory. He set the plate in front of him, next to his cup of tea.


    ¡°Do you recall our talk about your former ability, the quest system?¡±


    "I do," Jason said. "We were talking about how my own ability managed to know things that I didn''t."


    ¡°I have a suspicion as to the magical sense at the heart of that ability, and what may have happened to that sense when the ability evolved.¡±


    Jason leaned back in his chair.


    ¡°Do tell.¡±


    "There is a rare phenomenon I have not witnessed myself, at least that I am aware of, until you. It would be easy to miss as it is something that does not show itself overtly. Most never heard of it, and many that have don''t believe that it''s real."


    ¡°What is it?¡±


    ¡°It has many names. Eyes of the crucible. Destiny magic. Fate senses. Way of the crossroads. Whatever it is called, the effect is the same. It allows any who possess it to unconsciously sense events of importance. Then, they make a choice without realising it, whether to seek those events out or avoid them. Think of it like hearing a gunshot, and your instincts telling you to run toward or away from the sound. It is rarely so overt, however, with the person often not realising they are even making a choice.¡±


    "Okay," Jason said, brow creasing as his mind went over what Shade had just told him. "I have about a million questions. I''m going to start with the idea that I''ve been running around, guided by my unconscious mind this whole time. If that''s true, have I made any real choices, or has this thing been leading me by the nose from the beginning?"


    "It has not, Mr Asano. It is not a controlling force but a sense of where important events could potentially take place. For you, it was a quest system. It could have led you safely out of that maze in which you found yourself upon arriving in this world. Instead, it sent you directly to a Builder cultist and his cannibal family. It also sent you to Mr Remore, Mr Xandier and Miss Farrah. It set you on a path that led you here."


    ¡°But it could have gone the other way. Kept me out of all the trouble I keep landing in, over and over.¡±


    ¡°Yes. You didn¡¯t realise it in your conscious mind, but you were choosing, over and over, whether to place yourself in safety or a crucible. And I think we know which way you chose, every time.¡±


    ¡°Why? Jason asked. ¡°What is this destiny sense for? How does it even work, mechanically? I mean, do potentially important events let off fate waves or something? And how did I end up with this power or sense or whatever it is?¡±


    ¡°I do not know how it works,¡± Shade said. ¡°It is rare enough that I do not know of it ever being studied.¡±


    ¡°So, don¡¯t tell Clive is what you¡¯re saying.¡±


    "That may be best," Shade agreed. "I could only guess at the mechanism, but I would imagine that it measures probabilities in some manner. As for how you came to possess it, I may be able to answer that. So far as I am aware, the conditions for developing fate senses are both specific and unusual. First, it requires a soul at a near-inert stage."


    ¡°Near inert?¡±


    "Normal or iron-rank. Perhaps bronze. Surely, by your level of development, you have realised that your soul is not growing stronger. If that were the case, you would never have possessed the power to fend off the Builder."


    ¡°Yeah, I get it,¡± Jason said. ¡°Ranking up just lets me tap into more of the soul¡¯s potential.¡±


    ¡°Precisely.¡±


    ¡°Is that why I wasn¡¯t harmed as badly as before when I overcharged my aura with Gordon¡¯s ritual? I¡¯ve been awakening my soul so much outside of my essence abilities that I can take the strain now? My soul and my body are the same thing, after all.¡±


    "I have no knowledge of the likelihood of that being the case. It is as valid a hypothesis as any I could formulate with the information I have. But to return to the topic at hand, the first requirement of fate senses is a near-inert soul. That soul needs to be in an unusually malleable state."


    ¡°Such as when it¡¯s been yanked through the astral by a magical phenomenon, destroying the body it was attached to, and it¡¯s reworking itself from a human into an outworlder.¡±


    ¡°Just so, Mr Asano. And the third requirement is that it needs to have an extremely close encounter with a maximally powerful force. A god or a great astral being. Certain astral phenomena that you are not allowed to know about would also qualify.¡±


    ¡°A great astral being like the World-Phoenix. If it was to, say, pay close enough attention to the soul that it gave them something to take with it. A portion of the World-Phoenix''s power in the form of a token."


    ¡°Yes. The soul, being in a state of flux and coming into contact with that level of power, may develop fate senses as a reflexive defence mechanism. In your case, it manifested in the quest system.¡±


    "And it''s programmed to prompt either fight or flight," Jason realised. "Depending on whether your instincts are to run from that power or to match it."


    ¡°Yes,¡± Shade said.


    ¡°And that¡¯s why I always treat authority figures like they don¡¯t matter. It¡¯s my fate senses.¡±


    "No, Mr Asano. Fate senses are just that: senses. You are responsible for your own behaviour. You cannot blame fate senses for your actions. Even when they seem to guide you in a certain direction, it is you who unconsciously chooses the direction. The senses themselves only present you with the option. Fight or flight, as you put it."


    "Alright," Jason said, sipping at his tea as he processed all the new information. "So, it isn''t some inherent destiny pushing me around. It''s just me choosing to be in all the situations I''ve complained about being in for the last half-decade."


    "To a degree. I believe that these senses still guide you, but remember that the ability through which they manifested, the quest system, evolved. It stopped pushing you."


    ¡°Why would it stop?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Think of when it evolved, Mr Asano. When you were iron-rank and you chose to fight a silver-rank monster you could not possibly defeat yet could have easily fled. Instead, you chose to fight. You never got another quest after that.


    ¡°The waterfall village,¡± Jason said. ¡°When I had to stall out the elemental tyrant while the villagers evacuated.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to, Mr Asano, and that is the point; you chose to. And you received what is, to this day, your largest soul scar in the process. Then, shortly thereafter, you encountered another maximally powerful being. This time you defied it, and your power evolved. Your soul was once again in flux, but you no longer needed the defensive mechanism of the fate senses. What you needed was power on a level of the Builder. Which, of course you couldn¡¯t muster at iron-rank.¡±


    ¡°Then what did the fate sense turn into? The ability that replaced the quest system rewards chasing danger, but doesn¡¯t guide me to it.¡±


    ¡°I believe it is largely dormant. It may be guiding you in more subtle ways, but I think it was waiting. You had Gordon, at that stage, and I suspect your fate senses evolved into a different kind of perception; the ability to sense Gordon¡¯s potential for the magic he can tap into. You couldn¡¯t use it immediately because Gordon still couldn¡¯t use it. His vessel was too low-ranked. But then, he bound himself permanently to you, and did so after his vessel was two ranks higher. He still was not high enough rank to use that magic normally, but you could sense it, allowing him to tap into his own potential through you.¡±


    ¡°And what is this magic?¡±


    ¡°I did not recognise it, at first. He has only used it at the absolute lowest level and it shouldn¡¯t be possible for him to use it at all yet, to the point that the possibility didn¡¯t occur to me.¡±


    ¡°Why is this what my fate sense turned into?¡±


    ¡°I suspect that it is a natural evolution of the fate senses to move from guiding behaviour to granting access to higher-order power when the opportunity presents. You proved that not only were you resolved to confront a force on the level of the Builder, but you had potential access to at least one power that operates on the same scale he does: intrinsic-mandate magic.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s what it¡¯s called, Gordon¡¯s magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°And it operates on the same scale as a great astral being?¡±


    ¡°It is a form of magic that often involves the expenditure of authority. It lacks the versatility of the magic you are familiar with, and is meant for shaping physical reality, not being used within it. This is the magic the Builder uses to forge worlds. That the World-Phoenix used to remake the dimensional barrier of Earth to cut it off from magic. If you think of all intrinsic-mandate magic as different kinds of guns, the power Gordon has used thus far¡ª¡±


    ¡°Is a water pistol?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Asano. It is a piece of paper with the word ¡®bang¡¯ written on it. This magic is typically employed by transcendent entities and sometimes their diamond-rank agents. Miss Dawn used it when she annihilated the Builder city fortress.¡±


    ¡°She used authority for that?¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Asano. She used her star seed to tap into the most meagre trickle of the World-Phoenix¡¯s power. If she had used actual authority, the results would not have been so modest.¡±


    ¡°Modest? She glassed an area the size of a state.¡±


    ¡°Which is why the great astral beings would not allow you to possess loose authority, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Yeah, well¡­ fair enough. Can astral kings use this magic?¡±


    ¡°Yes, as can their diamond-ranked Voices of the Will, if they allow it. If you can complete your transformation into an astral king, you may have an easier time tapping into Gordon¡¯s magic potential, even before you surpass diamond rank.¡±


    ¡°Why does Gordon even have that potential?¡±


    "I do not know. Perhaps it is the connection of his kind to the Sundered Throne or the All-Devouring Eye. But those are topics that I will not expound upon. Not until you are stronger."


    ¡°You think I can¡¯t handle it?¡±


    ¡°I think the wider cosmos has etiquette, and that etiquette exists for a reason. I will not violate it to introduce you to things you have no power to influence. Unless you order me to do so.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°If you say that¡¯s for when I¡¯m a big boy, I trust you. I know that if ignorance will blindside me, you¡¯ll warn me ahead of time.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Asano.¡±


    Once again Jason paused, eating pineapple and drinking tea as he pondered the ramifications of what Shade had told him.


    ¡°The World-Phoenix,¡± he said. ¡°She had to know what she was doing to me.¡±


    ¡°Yes, Mr Asano. In fact, I imagine that instilling you with fate senses was a primary purpose, not a side effect. She wanted you drawn into events. And if her contact with you left you a gibbering wreck, she could always explore other avenues. Dawn made it clear enough that you were simply one path the World-Phoenix was exploring.¡±


    ¡°Hold on,¡± Jason said. ¡°What¡¯s this gibbering wreck business?¡±


    ¡°The conditions that generate fate senses are quite extreme, Mr Asano. I mentioned how souls develop those senses as a defence mechanism. This is the same process that alters a soul in the wake of spirit trauma. And like spirit trauma, not everyone comes back stronger. Some are ruined, their own souls poisoning their minds, rendering them insensible.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that¡¯s great. Remind me to tell the World-Phoenix to bog off.¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Asano.¡±

 Chapter 704: Everyone Has a Price

    ¡°Whatever you may be thinking, Mr Asano, the diamond-rankers aren¡¯t spending their days plotting ways to snatch away your secrets.¡±


    Vidal Ladiv was not enjoying his job. He had always imagined people with real power to be sober and serious, dedicated to carrying out the duties that came with the power and influence they possessed. Sadly, they turned out to have the same pride, biases and vested interests as everyone else.


    ¡°I definitely wasn¡¯t thinking that,¡± Jason said unconvincingly.


    ¡°The diamond-rankers have largely concerned themselves with monitoring messenger activity in the wake of the attack on Yaresh,¡± Vidal continued. Part of his job as liaison between the Adventure Society and Jason was giving Jason regular reports on the broad activities of the Adventure Society. It wasn¡¯t what Vidal had been directed to do, but Jason would freeze him out if he didn¡¯t. If that happened, the Adventure Society would deem Vidal¡¯s assignment a failure.


    Falling short on one assignment would not torpedo Vidal¡¯s career, but such an important job came with extra attention. If the Adventure Society was happy with his work, it would mean not just more important jobs but some flexibility in choosing them. Vidal was very much looking forward to a diplomatic or administrative job, far away from anyone as volatile as Jason Asano.


    ¡°The best assessments we have suggest that the messengers lost more people in the attack than intended,¡± Vidal continued his report. ¡°Once their numbers were sent into a frenzy, they were less effective at using their summoned monsters as a shield. Then, once our diamond-rankers were freed up, they inflicted a lot of messenger casualties, especially during the withdrawal. As a result, the messengers have abandoned one of their five fortresses to consolidate in the others.¡±


    ¡°They don¡¯t have a diamond-ranker anymore,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°No,¡± Vidal said. ¡°But we also don¡¯t have the forces to stage counterattacks. Many adventurers are still working to purge the world-taker worms in the towns and villages to the south. There was talk of our diamond-rankers attacking the messenger fortresses alone, but the defence infrastructure of those fortresses in formidable. While our diamond-rankers are tangled up in the defences of one fortress, the others could mount punitive attacks.¡±


    ¡°For all the messengers took a hit,¡± Jason said, ¡°we took a worse one. Diamond-ranker aside.¡±


    ¡°That is the current assessment,¡± Vidal said.


    He looked around the rooftop garden in which they sat, atop Asano¡¯s cloud palace. Days earlier it had been a domed area that sent the diamond-ranker, Charist, into a fresh rage. His inability to penetrate some areas of Jason¡¯s building with his magical senses was what had prompted him to invade the palace in the first place. The other diamond-ranker, Allayeth, mostly kept him in check, but Charist¡¯s patience had run dry. He was not to be stopped when he had burst into Jason¡¯s cloud palace and, even as she disagreed with the move, Allayeth had gone along to present a unified front.


    While the two Yaresh diamond-rankers worked together, they were very different. Charist embraced the power and authority that came with his rank, using it to bull through any situation, be it combative, diplomatic or social. Allayeth was more subtle, working within societal strictures instead of lording over them as her power would allow. If not for the need to be a moderating force on Charist, people may not have even known her name.


    The reason Vidal had so much insight into the pair was due to an unlikely friendship formed between himself and Allayeth. He knew that she had only approached him to be a lever on Asano, doubtless one of many she was cultivating. Even so, Vidal genuinely enjoyed her company. She had a knack for turning the normally imposing presence of a diamond-ranker into something compelling instead. He didn¡¯t know if she cared at all about him, but she had certainly given him access to information he otherwise would never have encountered.


    Part of that information was Allayeth¡¯s thoughts and plans around certain topics. One example was that Allayeth had expressed respect for Asano¡¯s approach of making the appearance of concession, even as it frustrated her. Having looked into Asano¡¯s background and connections, she now realised that pushing him as much as Charist advocated could have greater repercussions than they had originally realised.


    ¡°I think you should sit down with one of the diamond-rankers,¡± Vidal suggested to Jason after his report was done.


    ¡°One of them?¡± Jason asked pointedly. ¡°That implies that most of the friction is coming from the more confrontational of the pair.¡±


    "With respect, Mr Asano, most of the friction is coming from you. You disrespect their rank. You take an entire force of messengers prisoner and refuse to reveal where they are being held. You hide away for weeks from attempts by the Adventure Society to debrief you.¡±


    Vidal couldn¡¯t sense Jason¡¯s aura. He knew that, even if he could, he would not have been able to read his emotions through it. It was unnecessary, as it turned out, as Jason¡¯s expression darkened.


    ¡°I have larger concerns than one battle in one city, Mr Ladiv.¡±


    He was using Vidal¡¯s surname, which was not a good sign.


    ¡°Larger concerns than a city all but razed to the ground?¡± Vidal asked.


    ¡°Yes. You know the kinds of forces I deal with. It¡¯s the whole reason the Adventure Society attached you to me, but I find myself increasingly regretting my acceptance of that. The reason we came to this city was to fight messengers, and I don¡¯t like the fact that my integrity seems to be in constant question.¡±


    ¡°You are keeping a lot of secrets, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°As is every other adventurer. But mine are a sin because powerful people want to know them? Go back to your diamond-rankers, Mr Ladiv, and tell them to come here and answer my questions. Does my wanting their secrets make them traitors because they refuse to reveal them?¡±


    ¡°Of course not. That doesn¡¯t make any sense.¡±


    ¡°No, Mr Ladiv. It does not.¡±


    Jason¡¯s smile didn¡¯t reach his eyes, but it reached Vidal¡¯s spine and sent a chill down it. Vidal had some experience ¡ª certainly more than he wanted ¡ª of dealing with diamond-rankers of late. They always restrained their formidable presence around him, and he got an unnervingly similar feeling from Jason. The experience, however, had made him very good at holding his nerve.


    ¡°There is one other thing, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Go on.¡±


    ¡°I have been asked to request that you stop projecting your senses across the entire city. It''s not strictly prohibited, but it is considered extremely rude and several gold-rankers have made complaints."


    ¡°Not to me.¡±


    That request had taken Vidal by surprise. A fellow silver-ranker being able to hide his aura completely was one thing, but doing so while projecting his senses across a massive area was another. That was something he hadn¡¯t realised was possible.


    ¡°Any gold-rankers wishing to complain,¡± Jason continued, ¡°are welcome to come here and do so in person.¡±


    They both knew that there was little chance of that happening. Gold-rankers had the survival instincts to not get caught up in diamond-rank conflicts, even if that conflict was with a silver-ranker. Perhaps especially with a silver-ranker, if the silver-ranker in question was anything but immediately crushed.


    ¡°I will convey your response to the Adventure Society,¡± Vidal said and stood up.


    ¡°That¡¯s it?¡± Jason asked him. His voice sounded casual but had a dangerous undertone Vidal was certain did not slip in by mistake.


    ¡°What else would there be, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°The messengers made contact with the city authorities yesterday. Were you not going to share that information?¡±


    ¡°Mr Asano, I¡ª¡±


    ¡°If you¡¯re thinking about lying to me, Mr Ladiv, I would suggest you revise that idea.¡±


    ¡°Did I do something to anger you, Mr Asano?¡±


    Jason frowned and shook his head.


    ¡°No, Mr Ladiv. You just have the unfortunate role of being the messenger. I¡¯m getting very tired of authority groups telling me what to do while trying to take what I have. It was something I put up with a lot in my old world, and it¡¯s bringing up bad memories. I need to get to a higher rank, and I need to stop involving myself in major events until I do.¡±


    ¡°I think it may be more than a little late for that, Mr Asano.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but I can at least try. It may be time to relinquish my membership in the Adventure Society. Now, Mr Ladiv. What can you tell me about what the messengers have to discuss with the city authorities?¡±


    ¡°Very little, Mr Asano. Genuinely. The messengers sent one of their suborned locals rather than come in person, probably because they knew a messenger wouldn¡¯t be allowed to leave again. They¡¯ve made contact with the government, not the Adventure Society. The messenger approached the ducal manor, where I do not have any information sources.¡±


    Jason raised his eyebrows, his expression offering Vidal a chance to correct himself.


    ¡°No high-level information sources,¡± Vidal said. ¡°I¡¯ve made inroads with some of the low-level bureaucrats, but the duke¡¯s office is being careful with this information. I was lucky to find out the messengers had made contact at all. I¡¯m surprised you even heard about it.¡±


    ¡°You just asked me to stop spreading my senses across the city, Mr Ladiv.¡±


    ¡°Yes, but it¡¯s not like a messenger came flapping their way into the city. It was an elf taking care to be discreet. Unless you got extremely lucky, you would need to pay diligent and near-constant attention to numerous places around the city simultaneously to catch information like that.¡±


    ¡°Or be very lucky.¡±


    ¡°Are you a lucky man, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°I would say yes, on the whole. I¡¯ve also developed a knack for splitting my attention without diminishing focus.¡±


    ¡°Superior multi-tasking is something every essence user shares, Mr Asano. It is a function of the spirit attribute. Monitoring this entire city, however, would require something far more developed.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°What I¡¯m talking about is more akin to how a¡­"


    Jason smiled, Vidal unable to tell if it was in self-amusement or self-recrimination.


    ¡°Some things are best left unsaid,¡± Jason told him. ¡°We are done here, Mr Ladiv. Find out more about what the messengers want.¡±


    "Mr Asano, I agreed to give you a broad overview of Adventure Society news, not to become your investigator. I''m just a liaison and you''re looking to take liberties. I don''t work for you."


    ¡°Then perhaps it is time that our arrangement comes to an end.¡±


    Jason stood up and plucked a folder from his dimensional space, holding it out for Vidal.


    ¡°All the identity documents for John Miller,¡± Jason said. ¡°If I¡¯m going to revoke my Adventure Society membership, I can hardly run around with the false identity they provided for me. I never did a great job of maintaining it, anyway.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re seriously considering separating from the Adventure Society?¡±


    ¡°The point of being an adventurer is that the Adventure Society facilitates me helping people. If all they are going to do is make demands and get in my way, then what is the point?¡±


    ¡°And the rest of your team?¡±


    ¡°That is up to them.¡±


    ***


    Jason ran a hand over his face as his senses tracked the departure of a troubled Vidal Ladiv.


    ¡°I¡¯m cranky today,¡± Jason observed. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to be that confrontational. I don¡¯t like it when the Adventure Society starts reminding me of the Network, though.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t truly intend to void your Adventure Society membership, do you?¡± Shade asked from Jason¡¯s shadow.


    ¡°No, that would escalate tensions. But I want to see how they react. It¡¯s an option, albeit one I¡¯m unlikely to take up.¡±


    ¡°Do you think they will take more care to avoid or block your senses?¡±


    ¡°I hope so. Given that your spying is by far the better source of information, I¡¯d rather have them focus on impeding me than watching the shadows.¡±


    ¡°I can only learn so much,¡± Shade said. ¡°Only the weaker gold-rankers fail to notice my presence, and even then, only when they are inattentive. Like you, Mr Asano, I need to grow stronger to handle the events in which we always seem to find ourselves.¡±


    ¡°But we don¡¯t just find ourselves in them, do we? This fate sense. It means I¡¯m seeking them out. I need to take myself off the board. The idea of returning to Earth and hunting vampires until I¡¯m gold-rank was a frivolous idea, yet it increasingly appeals.¡±


    ¡°You have things to do here.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Jason said, then let out a small sigh. ¡°Now that I¡¯ve prodded, it will be interesting to see if the Ducal government and the Adventure Society seek to include or exclude me from what the messengers are after.¡±


    ¡°What are you expecting?¡±


    ¡°The Voice of the Will has a problem. She wants something from the underground array, and she needs essence users to get it. But even if she¡¯s in command, the rank and file won¡¯t accept the help of what they see as their lessers. The indoctrination that controls the messenger masses cuts both ways. Marek seems sure the voice will use me as an excuse to make the messengers accept some kind of alliance. I may be an enemy to them, but after what happened in the Battle of Yaresh, they may accept me as an equal.¡±


    ¡°An equal that needs to be eradicated.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s probably part of how the voice is selling it.¡±


    ¡°Will the city be willing to go along with anything the messengers want after the attack?¡±


    ¡°Everyone has a price, Shade.¡±


    ¡°And what is yours, Mr Asano?¡±


    ¡°Really well-pickled capsicum, tender and sweet. I think I¡¯m going to go make a sandwich.¡±

 Chapter 705: Trust

    Jason didn''t notice the diamond-ranker until she set foot in his cloud palace and blended in with a stream of civilians making their way to the cafeteria. Even then, he almost missed her as that was not a part of the cloud palace currently within his spirit domain. Rather than react, he observed how she was using her aura to completely blend in.


    Jason¡¯s own aura control was beyond masterful for his rank, but the diamond ranker demonstrated just how far he had to go. The chance to watch one in action was not to be missed. He observed as she filed in with the others, waited in line and then sat down to eat her food. It wasn¡¯t until she was almost done that Jason approached himself.


    Jason had his own self-developed technique for blending into crowds. He had first developed it by studying the aura of his vampire friend, Craig Vermillion. From there he had refined it over time, learning to let his aura bleed into that of the world around him until they were all but indistinguishable from one another. The base concept was one he took from the first diamond-ranker he had ever encountered, the Mirror King.


    The Mirror King¡¯s aura had not been overbearing, instead seeming to merge with the world around it. It had been a revelation for Jason, whose aura and aura senses at the time were still at the most basic levels. For that reason, it was hard to tell how the diamond-ranker in his cafeteria, Allayeth, compared to the Mirror King.


    Jason was curious as to how long it would take Allayeth to notice him approaching, but his best guess was that she sensed him the moment he emerged from the part of the palace covered by his spirit domain. For all of his impressive aura strength and refined technique, she was still a diamond-ranker. Each rank represented an exponential leap in power, and for all the power that gold-rankers possessed, diamond-rankers were on another level entirely. Comparing one to Jason¡¯s silver-rank was all but pointless.


    ¡°That¡¯s an impressive technique,¡± Allayeth said as he sat opposite her.


    The cafeteria was a series of long tables with benches in front of them that Jason definitely hadn¡¯t modelled after the great hall from Hogwarts. People were sitting close to both Allayeth and Jason on either side, but a nuanced aura trick from Allayeth prevented them from paying attention to her words.


    ¡°Impressive for my rank, perhaps,¡± Jason said, mimicking Allayeth¡¯s trick. It was surprisingly easy, being very much like his own technique for crowd blending.


    ¡°You¡¯re frustrated that your rank isn¡¯t higher,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°That puts you in the same position as every adventurer ever. Even I get frustrated when comparing myself to the likes of Soramir Rimaros. And even he falls short compared to Dawn.¡±


    ¡°You know Dawn?¡±


    ¡°She travelled to many places to warn them of the Builder invasion. I was surprised to hear that you and her were so¡­ close.¡±


    ¡°You know how it is. When work takes up all your time, everyone you know ends up being from work.¡±


    ¡°You worked together?¡±


    ¡°There¡¯s no Adventure Society in my home world, and the local equivalents aren¡¯t up to facing cosmic threats.¡±


    ¡°And you are?¡±


    Jason burst out laughing.


    ¡°No,¡± he said, through his continuing laughter. ¡°No, I am not.¡±


    ¡°I find that hard to believe. I''ve sensed the power on the other side of that portal. I don''t know what it is exactly, but I know I''m certainly not accepting your offer to go through.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s your choice. The offer is still there.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t imagine you fail to understand our concerns, Jason. Can I call you Jason? I heard that you used to prefer more casual forms of address before you returned to our world.¡±


    Jason leaned back a little on the bench, looking at Allayeth thoughtfully. The elf''s immaculate diamond-rank beauty would have arrested attention if she was not using her aura to shunt that attention away. Her eyes were a soft green and her skin was the light brown of a fawn''s fur, and she had wavy, wood-brown hair. Overall, she looked like a dryad of myth; the kind of beautiful, ethereal creature that led men to their demise in folklore.


    ¡°You¡¯re a little too well-informed for the kind of actions you¡¯ve been taking thus far,¡± Jason observed. ¡°Is Charist really so much to handle that you¡¯ve made so many missteps?¡±


    Allayeth¡¯s sounded like a merrily trickling stream.


    ¡°He is,¡± she said. ¡°You have no idea how hard it is to deal with an obstreperous diamond-ranker.¡±


    Jason looked at her from under raised eyebrows and she laughed again.


    ¡°I suppose you do, at that,¡± she acknowledged. ¡°Charist is like a dog or a child. You have to let them run around or they start taking it out on the furniture.¡±


    ¡°So you let him take it out on my furniture instead?¡±


    ¡°Yes. If I couldn¡¯t stop him anyway, I could at least see how you reacted.¡±


    ¡°I can respect that. I don¡¯t like it, but I can respect it. Is he all tuckered out, now?¡±


    ¡°He''s come to recognise that forcing you to capitulate isn''t going to happen and stepped back to leave it to me. He has an enviable ability to let go of things


    that he can''t change, especially given his enthusiasm about checking.¡±


    ¡°The ability to let go is something I''m trying to cultivate myself.¡±


    ¡°How is that working out?¡±


    ¡°Mixed results. Why are you here, Allayeth?¡±


    ¡°I was hoping that you and I could get a fresh start. Perhaps both let go of things.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m open to that. But can you really accept not knowing the secrets you¡¯ve been trying to dig out?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± she admitted. ¡°If we¡¯re going to move forward, at least some of our concerns will need to be put to rest. I¡¯m hoping that you will be open to at least talking it through and seeing if we can find a place where everyone is comfortable.¡±


    Jason let out a slow breath, an unhappy expression on his face.


    ¡°And here we are,¡± he said sadly. ¡°I''ve been here, right here, more times than I''d like. Someone wants something from me. Someone powerful, or maybe a powerful organisation. They come at me hard, at first. Pressure is the nice version. Telling me how impossible they are to go against, maybe some thinly veiled threats about the people I care about. Other times, it¡¯s not so nice. I¡¯ve been kidnapped. People have tried to kill me. One guy killed my lover, brother and friend all at once. That guy got to die way too easy.¡±


    Jason stopped and looked at the people around them and stood up.


    ¡°Walk with me, Allayeth. Is that your given name or your family name?¡±


    ¡°Family. But I¡¯m the only one left to carry it. I also know what it¡¯s like for people to go after you through the people you love.¡±


    They made their way through the crowded cafeteria, people instinctively moving out of their path. Jason led them to a door that no one else seemed to notice and through it into a narrow but empty hallway.


    ¡°After they come at me hard,¡± Jason continued, ¡°and they realise that isn¡¯t going to work, that¡¯s when they start talking about compromise. When they can¡¯t just take what they want, then it¡¯s suddenly time to talk it through and see if we can find a place where everyone is comfortable.¡±


    Jason gave Allayeth a side glance as they reached an elevating platform.


    ¡°Do you think I¡¯ve ever been comfortable in those situations?¡± Jason asked her as they stepped onto the platform.


    ¡°No.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°It¡¯s always the other people who deserve to be comfortable, for some reason. But I worked with them anyway, because some things need to be done, even if you have to hold your nose to do them. But I don¡¯t have to do anything here. This world isn¡¯t on the line ¡ª not in any way that I can do something about. So, I don''t see any reason why I should compromise with people just because they failed to strongarm me.¡±


    ¡°Sometimes you have to bend to political realities, Jason.¡±


    ¡°I''m not so sure I do. You pushed, and I didn''t budge. Now you¡¯re telling me to move because you don''t want to push harder while threatening that you will if you have to.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t put it so crudely.¡±


    ¡°I would. I¡¯ve seen this meal picked down to the bones. Have you ever considered that I might not want to push back, but will if I have to?¡±


    ¡°And is that a threat?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You would stand against the entire Adventure Society? Diamond-rankers and all?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not scared of long odds. I stood against the Builder. More than once. And every time I did, I got what I wanted and he went away frustrated. Will you be the next to test my resolve?¡±


    The elevating platform reached a rooftop garden. Jason sat down in a padded, wrought iron picnic chair and Allayeth did the same, a round outdoor table between them.


    ¡°I don¡¯t doubt your resolve, Jason. Or the threat you can pose. There is no question that you have dangerous secrets and powerful allies. Maybe if you and the Adventure Society come into conflict, you can do far more damage than anyone realises. But I don¡¯t think you want to do that. Not unless you¡¯re truly pushed to the brink.¡±


    ¡°So, you think I¡¯ll roll over?¡±


    ¡°I think you have more power than anyone realises. But I also think that you won¡¯t be able to truly change things until your more orthodox power grows stronger. You understand that as well, and that you have to bide your time. It¡¯s why you made a show of concession with your offer to let us go to where you¡¯re keeping the messengers.¡±


    Jason bowed his head.


    ¡°Just because I won¡¯t go berserk doesn¡¯t mean I won¡¯t walk away. I have no responsibilities here.¡±


    ¡°Nor did you in the Battle of Yaresh. Or the underwater mine rescue in the Storm Kingdom. Or when people who are now your team members were just thieves at the mercy of powerful political forces. You have a pattern, Jason Asano, and that pattern is that you¡¯ll put everything on the line to help people for no more reason than they need help.¡±


    ¡°Why am I the one who needs to prove myself? Why do you need anything from me but my good word? I got the Builder to walk away from this entire planet, and that¡¯s not enough? You question my trustworthiness when all I¡¯ve seen you do is break into my home.¡±


    ¡°I would have liked to have done things differently.¡±


    ¡°Don¡¯t come into my house to tell me that I have to do things your way and then complain that you had to do things someone else''s.¡±


    ¡°I apologise. But however much you dance around it, Jason, you have to put people¡¯s minds at ease if you want to operate without harassment from the civic powers.¡±


    ¡°And how would I do that?¡±


    ¡°At the very least, let us know who is backing you. Whoever controls the other side of that portal is powerful at a level I can¡¯t measure, and that¡¯s who you¡¯ve handed the messengers over to.¡±


    Jason sat up straight, confusion on his face.


    ¡°That¡¯s the problem? You¡¯re afraid of some powerful unknown player messing around with the messengers I handed over?¡±


    ¡°I would have thought that was obvious.¡±


    Jason laughed, shaking his head.


    ¡°Jason, I am willing to trust you, as is the director of the Adventure Society. But at least when Dawn was standing behind you, we had some understanding of who was taking an interest in events. I''ve met Dawn, and whatever is on the other side of that portal isn''t her.¡±


    Jason rubbed his temples with one hand.


    ¡°No,¡± he said. ¡°You pushed me and it didn¡¯t work, so now you want me to compromise. If you want the answers that lie on the other side of that portal, you¡¯ll need to step through it.¡±


    ¡°Alright.¡±


    ¡°What?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll go through.¡±


    ¡°What about the danger? You said that you definitely wouldn¡¯t go through. You said that minutes ago.¡±


    ¡°It''s possible I misrepresented myself a little in order to understand you better. My investigation into you, Jason Asano, has been swift but thorough. I¡¯ve heard time and again that you¡¯re hard to understand, but you¡¯re not. You¡¯re a good man, desperately scrambling to survive events you aren¡¯t ready for. And every time you¡¯re forced to choose between doing the right thing and staying alive, you make the sacrifice.¡±


    ¡°I don''t always do the right thing.¡±


    ¡°You do enough when it matters. Enough that it should have earned the trust of people like me. So, I''m going to trust you and go through that portal.¡±


    ¡°Uh¡­¡±


    She laughed.


    ¡°You really weren¡¯t expecting us to accept your offer, were you?¡±


    ¡°No, I was not. I¡¯m a little worried about how you¡¯ll react. And by a little worried, I mean I¡¯m worried that you¡¯ll kill me.¡±


    Allayeth sighed.


    ¡°It¡¯s starting to sound like the real gesture of trust is not to go through that portal but to accept your word that it isn¡¯t a threat to us.¡±


    Jason narrowed his eyes.


    ¡°Which you knew before coming here,¡± he said. ¡°You¡¯ve seen through me like a window.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯d like to make a different proposal, Jason. I¡¯ll offer you two things, and in return, we clear the slate. No more concessions, no compromises. Just cooperation. You tell us as much as you are willing about the messengers and what you¡¯ve learned from them, and we don¡¯t push for more. And we work together for what comes next, which I think you would do anyway.¡±


    Jason continued to give Allayeth an assessing stare.


    ¡°So that¡¯s why you¡¯re here,¡± he said. ¡°Jes Fin Kaal doesn¡¯t want to talk to you. She wants to talk to me.¡±


    Allayeth smiled in spite of herself.


    ¡°I think you and I can do good things together, Jason.¡±


    ¡°You said you¡¯d offer me two things.¡±


    ¡°I did. Two things you very much want.¡±


    ¡°And they are?¡±


    ¡°One is trust. Trust that your intentions are good and that you are capable enough to carry them out, however unlikely that might seem. No conditions, just acceptance.¡±


    ¡°And the other thing?¡±


    She plucked a plate with a large sandwich out of the air and set it on the table between them.


    ¡°A delicious sandwich,¡± she said.


    ¡°Do you really think that this will get me to come around?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You think I¡¯m that easy?¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s going to take more than some conversation with a smart and stupidly gorgeous woman to win me over. Also a sandwich.¡±


    ¡°A delicious sandwich. And no, it won¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s absurd.¡±


    ¡°Yes. But you like absurd, don¡¯t you?¡±


    ¡°No. Yes.¡±


    He ran a hand over his face.


    ¡°Oh, bloody hell,¡± he muttered as he reached for the sandwich.

 Chapter 706: Original Design Parameters

    While Jason¡¯s cloud palace was still largely occupied with servicing the displaced population of Yaresh, Jason maintained an area for himself and his companions. Part of it was a living area, with Sophie and Belinda in one room and the boys in a bunk dorm to save space. Sophie''s mother, Melody, was in a secure room adjacent to her daughter, while other members of the convoy were stashed elsewhere. Amos Pensinata was staying with his nephew''s team in their vehicle, and Rufus'' mother, Arabelle, was staying with her old team member, Emir. Emir''s cloud palace was being used much like Jason''s, and he had even more room that he could put to use.


    The open space between the two cloud palaces had been a refugee camp until the battle pounded it into a mud pit, but earth shapers had already established a new series of crude but functional stone buildings. One part of it had been left clear, a flat stone area that served as an arrival destination for portals. The towns to the south were still being cleared of world-taker worms, with the cloud palaces serving as processing centres for surviving townsfolk.


    Rain was coming down heavily as a portal opened that did not come from the southern towns but from a city half a continent to the north. Three people stepped through and Jason, inside his cloud palace, immediately sensed their presence. He stepped through a Shade body to shadow jump to them, rising from Travis Noble¡¯s shadow like he was riding an elevator.


    Travis stumbled back, startled. He was from Earth, a specialist in magical technology. His precise specialisation was large-scale weaponry but, like Clive, he was an enthusiastic researcher whose expertise bled into a variety of adjacent fields.


    Farrah laughed as Jason appeared and the rain stopped falling straight down, curving around them as Jason¡¯s aura pushed it out of the way. Jason grinned as he clasped Farrah in a hug.


    ¡°You paid a gold-ranker to portal you here?¡±


    ¡°The Church of Knowledge did,¡± the third new arrival informed him. It was Gabrielle Pellin, priestess of the Church of Knowledge and Humphrey¡¯s ex-girlfriend.


    Jason spared Gabrielle a glance as he stepped back from Farrah. He and Gabrielle did not get along very well, which had been a factor in ending her relationship with Humphrey. She was now attached to Farrah and Travis¡¯ current project to combine Earth technology with Pallimustus magic to create a new communication network.


    ¡°Let¡¯s go inside,¡± Jason said, nodding in the direction of his cloud palace. ¡°More people are portalling in on the regular, so we should avoid clogging up the arrival site.¡±


    The cloud palace was, at the moment, a blank slab that looked like a Soviet Bloc construction. Compared to the adventurer vehicles around it that were all exotic mobile fortresses, the starkness and size of it stood out. Arrayed in front of its four storeys were stone-shaped buildings that matched the bleakness of the current cloud palace with boxy designs and hard edges. The wide pathways in between were simple, just large flagstones set into the dirt. The value of this was evident as the rain turned that dirt into mud, saving the many people around from needing to trudge through it.


    Even with the rain, there was no shortage of people around them as Jason led the trio in the direction of his cloud palace. Some people were ignoring the rain while others hustled to move through it quickly. More than a few had water-repelling umbrellas, much like one Jason used to have. The expensive umbrellas had water slide off smoothly, much as Jason¡¯s aura did. The cheap ones sent water spraying off violently, annoying anyone who lack their own water repulsion. This often included other users of cheap umbrellas, which often didn¡¯t shield from the sides.


    They came across a pair of men with cheap umbrellas that had managed to splash each other. On the verge of getting into a fight, Jason used his aura to introduce a subtle but pervasive sense of calm. The men exchanged more insults but didn¡¯t come to blows, storming off in different directions.


    ¡°Did you¡­?¡± Farrah asked, giving Jason a side glance as they moved on.


    ¡°A little bit,¡± he admitted.


    ¡°You¡¯re directly influencing people now?¡±


    He chuckled.


    ¡°No, it''s not influencing people as such. It''s more like tweaking the feel of a room. Have you ever been around a bunch of people, having a good time, and then someone comes in and announces that something bad has happened?¡±


    ¡°Sure.¡±


    ¡°The atmosphere of the room goes from fun to tense or unhappy straight away right?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve felt that, yeah,¡± Travis said.


    ¡°What I did was something like that,¡± Jason explained.


    ¡°I wouldn''t even know how to even attempt that kind of aura control,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°It''s a messenger trick,¡± Jason said. ¡°They use it to make impressive entrances or cow their slaves. It''s like background music in a film; the people involved can''t hear it, but it impacts the mood.¡±


    ¡°Where did you learn to use your aura like a messenger?¡± Gabrielle asked, her tone accusatory.


    ¡°Your boss didn''t tell you where I learned it?¡± Jason teased her. He noticed unease in Travis'' aura at the hostility between himself and Gabrielle.


    ¡°My lady delights in her followers seeking knowledge for themselves.¡±


    ¡°I can respect that,¡± Jason conceded. ¡°I learned that messenger trick from a messenger.¡±


    ¡°You would traffic with the enemy?¡±


    ¡°The enemy in question is my prisoner, and he has a lot of free time.¡±


    The teleport arrival area where they had started out was midway between Jason and Emir¡¯s cloud palaces. As they were the destinations for most of the people out in the rain, Jason and the trio of new arrivals were part of a flow heading for Jason¡¯s palace. Farrah looked up at it as they drew closer to the plain building.


    ¡°Why did you make it look so bland?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°Just looking at it makes me feel forlorn.¡±


    ¡°It does look like an insane asylum from an eighties movie,¡± Travis agreed.


    ¡°It just came out that way,¡± Jason said. ¡°I may have been influenced by the priestess in charge.¡±


    ¡°They put a priestess of the god of Desolation in charge of managing all these homeless people?¡± Farrah asked. ¡°That¡¯s not a good choice.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s a priestess of Fertility running things now. There was a Healer priestess, but she moved central operations to Emir¡¯s palace yesterday. They¡¯re focused on filtering out anyone who¡¯s worm-infested, while my place is pretty much doing food now. I tore the whole building down overnight and put it back up as a multi-storey food court. The Fertility church is supplying all the food, so their priestess is running the show now.


    Farrah stopped and looked up at the building again. The other stopped with her.


    ¡°A priestess of Fertility,¡± Farrah said.


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason confirmed.


    ¡°The Church of Fertility where their temples are all covered in murals of people¡­ being fertile.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s the one.¡±


    She gestured at the blank, grey walls of the building.


    ¡°How does a priestess of Fertility inspire this?¡±


    ¡°I think it¡¯s because I really don¡¯t want her thinking about fertility-related things. But honestly, the Healer priestess was just as bad, but for different reasons. I''ll give you a sample of what she was serving in the cafeteria before I fixed it and you''ll understand. Speaking of churches, though, what is Humphrey¡¯s fundamentalist ex-girlfriend doing with you?¡±


    Gabrielle glowered but didn¡¯t rise to the bait. Instead, Travis explained the Church of Knowledge¡¯s role in his and Farrah¡¯s project. The church wanted input into what Farrah and especially Travis were doing, making sure that any otherworldly knowledge introduced wouldn¡¯t be false or damaging. This was not proving an issue as Travis actually knew what he was talking about, compared to Jason¡¯s fumbling efforts to explain scientific concepts. In return for being allowed to observe, the Church of Knowledge was providing resources and contacts.


    ¡°After all,¡± Travis pointed out, ¡°greatly improved mass communication would be a boon for the dissemination of Knowledge.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t say that I¡¯d be up for letting the gods dip a finger into my porridge,¡± Jason said, ¡°but it¡¯s your project. If you¡¯re happy, that¡¯s what matters.¡±


    He glanced at Gabrielle.


    ¡°Just make sure you aren¡¯t letting them participate for the wrong reasons,¡± he added.


    Gabrielle had already been astoundingly beautiful at seventeen when Jason first met her. Now that she was out of her teens and into silver-rank, she would be a casting director¡¯s dream Helen of Troy.


    ¡°I, unfortunately, had the opportunity to test out the weapons you designed for the cloud palace,¡± Jason said, changing the subject. ¡°I was a little surprised with the end result, to be honest. I was expecting something more like Gatling lasers than techno-eyebeam things.


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure that ¡®designed¡¯ is entirely the right word,¡± Travis said. ¡°Your cloud palace has such powerful adaptive properties that it was far more efficient to provide it tools it could use to its own ends. Trying to force a specific result would be inefficient, not to mention fruitless unless I knew a lot more about how cloud flasks work.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s all well and good,¡± Jason said, ¡°and the results were excellent, don¡¯t get me wrong. But I really would have liked something with spinning barrels.¡±


    ¡°Of course you would,¡± Travis agreed. ¡°Spinning barrels are awesome. I put them on the latest version of the Compensator.¡±


    Jason recalled Travis¡¯ unfortunately named personal firearm, a wildly impractical, belt-fed pistol. Travis was not a combat-oriented essence-user, despite possessing the gun essence. The Compensator was designed to make up for his lack of skill by allowing him to unload a surplus of ammunition. Sadly, the gun was as ill-conceived in design as in name. Not only was it unwieldy, even with an essence user¡¯s strength, but everyone assumed it was compensating for something else entirely.


    ¡°Are you still using that thing?¡± Jason asked him.


    ¡°Well, not using,¡± Travis said. ¡°I haven''t been in combat since¡­¡±


    He thought it over.


    ¡°¡­since you broke into my workplace to steal a weapon of mass destruction.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn''t exactly describe that as combat,¡± Farrah said. ¡°The only person who pointed a gun at you was on your own side. It was that girl you liked, which can''t have been a great moment for you.¡±


    ¡°Could you please not?¡± Travis asked her, his voice almost a squeak.


    ¡°What weapon of mass destruction?¡± Gabrielle asked. ¡°Was it like the one that felled the Builder''s flying fortress city?¡±


    ¡°Yep,¡± Jason said cheerfully. ¡°Some people wanted me to do a thing, but I thought why not blow it all up with a weapon that can flatten a city?¡±


    ¡°You are a reckless maniac.¡±


    Jason gave Gabrielle a look that she couldn¡¯t quite read but made her flinch despite his not enhancing it with aura.


    ¡°As a priestess of Knowledge, you shouldn¡¯t have such strong opinions on things you know very little about,¡± he told her in a flat tone. He gave no indication of having recognised the wild hypocrisy in his statement.


    ¡°You know,¡± Jason said, turning back to Travis as the joviality returned to his voice. ¡°There¡¯s someone floating around who knows about cloud flask mechanics, if you¡¯re interested in learning more about integrating weapons into them. She made the flasks that Emir and I use, and she¡¯s been staying with Emir. She¡¯s been poking around at my building for a little while now. I think she installed some back doors she¡¯s trying to get to work.¡±


    ¡°And you just let her try that?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°She¡¯s diamond-rank, what am I going to do? She doesn¡¯t seem to be getting anywhere, though. I¡¯ve modified the flask beyond its original design parameters.¡±


    ¡°You know how to do that?¡± Travis asked.


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said with a laugh. ¡°No, I do not.¡±


    They approached the main doors where people were filtering in under the guidance of clergy and other staff. Jason ignored the main doors and moved around the side, lifting his feet off the ground as the stone pathways gave way to mud around the parts of the building that didn¡¯t lead to doors.


    ¡°You move like a messenger,¡± Gabrielle accused.


    ¡°I tried walking like an Egyptian,¡± Jason told her, ¡°but it was slower, gunked up my boots and left these little troughs in the mud for other people to navigate.¡±


    ¡°I see you are still a fool,¡± Gabrielle said.


    ¡°Actually, I dabbled in edgelord for quite a while there. It didn''t work out. I''ve been working on myself, trying to get back to fool, and I''m pretty happy with how it¡¯s going. And how is your project going, Farrah? I''m assuming you''re not here for a social visit or you wouldn''t have brought Little Miss Grumpy.¡±


    ¡°We need to borrow your soul space,¡± Travis explained. ¡°We need to do a bunch of tests on a bunch of materials, all of which are quite expensive. It''ll be a lot cheaper if we can just replicate them over and over. We brought samples, obviously, so you can reproduce the material accurately.¡±


    ¡°You realise I¡¯m not just a laboratory for you to run experiments in, right?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Where¡¯s Gary right now?¡± Farrah asked casually. ¡°And, I¡¯m guessing, Clive?¡±


    ¡°In my soul space,¡± Jason grumbled. ¡°Running experiments.¡±


    They reached the back portion of the palace that Jason had for the use of himself and his team. Rufus came out to pull Farrah into a hug and Travis held out his hand for Taika to shake. Taika ignored Travis¡¯ hand and pulled the skinny, alarmed-looking man into a giant chocolate hug. Aside from Jason, they had been the only two people from Earth in Rimaros, two strangers in a strange land.


    They moved inside out of the rain, the cloud floor cleaning boots while people were still wearing them. Gabrielle looked like she¡¯d bitten into a lemon as Jason¡¯s spirit domain cut her off from her goddess.

 Announcement: Major changes coming to the story

    As the title says, significant changes are coming to the story. TL;DR: I''m taking December and January off and then the release schedule will change to three chapters per week. There will be the usual slate of five chapters this week, two chapters next week and then I''m going on hiatus.


    The burnout is real. I''ve been releasing this story for more than three years and I''ve been writing it for closer to five. The schedule of five chapters a week has been critical to bringing more success than I realised was even possible, let alone, hoped for. But as the years plug on, burnout keeps coming back, faster and worse every time.


    Especially in the last year, the number and length of breaks has been far beyond anything that came before. A lot of that was about the changes in my life unrelated to writing. I bought a house, which is always way more work than you expect. I have long intended to keep the five-per-week release schedule until the end of the series, but it has become clear that it''s not a sustainable approach. There is little point releasing five chapters per week written at the point of exhaustion if I can only do so for four month of the year before I have a mental breakdown.


    The answer is to make a change. The goal is to have fewer breaks and for the writing to improve as I get less stress and more sleep. We''ll have to see how that works out. I am taking December off to rest, aside from my trip to Los Angeles where I''ll be having a big board game event with some of my patrons. Then I will be taking January to write without releasing anything so I can build a backlog of chapters before releases resume in February. At that point, the release schedule will change to three chapters per week.


    I''d like to take the chance to thank you all for reading and supporting my work over the years, and I hope you enjoy what''s ahead as much or more than what is behind us. The goal of these changes are to put myself in a position where I can not just keep writing but write better, through the end of He Who Fights With Monsters and into future projects. My life is completely different to what it was just a few years ago. You, my amazing readers, have transformed my life through your love of my story. I can never sufficiently express my gratitude, which is probably not something I should admit when my job is literally to express concepts through the written word. It''s not a good look. Anyway, thanks.


    -Travis Deverell (Shirtaloon)

 Chapter 707: Unstable

    Jason and his team, including new member Taika, headed to Emir¡¯s palace for a meeting. With them were Farrah, Gary and Travis, while Gabrielle had long gone off to find members of her own clergy. She would arrive at the meeting with them.


    Using Emir¡¯s palace as the venue made sense purely from a space perspective, as Jason¡¯s smaller palace lacked the room. Emir had also dedicated most of his home¡¯s space to facilities aiding the displaced population of Yaresh, but his larger palace could at least spare the space to accommodate a large meeting.


    It was worth breaking down and rebuilding Jason¡¯s palace when the main purpose became hosting a massive food court. It wasn¡¯t worth doing the same with Emir¡¯s in the middle of the day just to hold a meeting. Emir lacked Jason¡¯s ability to remake whole rooms on a structural level without returning the cloud construct to the flask and remaking the entire building. This meant that, instead of a dedicated meeting room, they had to make do with the space he already had available.


    ¡°A bouncy house?¡± Taika asked as they walked in. ¡°Bro, this is awesome.¡±


    He immediately made a superhuman leap into the middle of the room, spilling head over heels through the air as he skipped like a stone. This drew raised eyebrows from the people already present who were leaning against the walls.


    ¡°It was Jason¡¯s idea,¡± Emir said as he arrived right behind Jason¡¯s team, having come from elsewhere in the palace. ¡°Too many children have been through too much unpleasantness, so it¡¯s nice to give them some silly fun for a little while.¡±


    Emir entered the room and set cloud furniture rising from the floor. The chairs and couches all faced one side of the room that remained empty aside from Taika bouncing around, ignoring the disapproving glares. The chairs and couches were plush cloud material but nothing like the bounce-inducing floor. The people present immediately started to occupy the furniture, Arabelle and Rufus claiming a couch, as did Emir and Constance, Emir¡¯s wife. While it was Emir¡¯s cloud palace, Constance, was the one who ran it. That had been true when she was Emir¡¯s chief of staff, and nothing had changed on becoming his spouse.


    There was also a significant number of clergy. The Healer was represented by Arabelle and Neil, as well as Carlos Quilido and Hana Shavar, who grabbed another couch near the front. The rest of the clergy were in two contingents of silver-rankers, each led by a gold. One group were priests and priestesses of Knowledge, including Gabrielle, while the other was from the Church of War.


    The attire of the Knowledge clergy marked them as warrior scholars. This was not uncommon, with the goddess Knowledge having been quietly militarising her forces for years. This had caused consternation amongst the other churches as the scale of it was revealed, particularly with the Church of War. They had often matched the Church of Knowledge¡¯s unexplained build-up, often in the same areas. When the messengers subsequently invaded those areas, the Knowledge¡¯s motives had been revealed, with the Church of War being in place to respond.


    The attire of the War priests and priestesses was a lot less scholar and a lot more warrior. Gabrielle and her companions wore robes not unlike the ones Jason preferred, albeit in lighter colours than he used. They looked like Jedi to Jason¡¯s Sith in outfits that were free-flowing and loose without obstructing movement. The clergy of War were dressed in armour ranging from flexible leather to heavily plated outfits, even though they were here for a meeting. Jason wondered how they were ever comfortable without cloud furniture to sink into.


    More people arrived after Jason and his friends, starting with Rick Geller and his team. Next came the team led by Korinne Pescos, Rimaros adventurers travelling with Jason. This included their latest team member, Zara Nareen, formerly Zara Rimaros, Hurricane Princess of the Storm Kingdom. She had been adopted into her mother¡¯s family so she could roam around without quite as much stink of royalty on her. Also on that team was Orin Pensinata, whose uncle, Amos, arrived with them.


    The final arrivals were officials from both the Adventure Society and the Ducal Palace, the government of the Yaresh city-state. The director of the local Adventure Society branch led their contingent, while the Ducal delegation was led by a blank-faced bureaucrat. Both men were gold rank, their status achieved through monster core use. This was standard for high-ranking bureaucrats, as their silver-rank flunkies also had auras thick with monster core energy.


    Each group had a pair of gold-rankers with them, not adventurers but also not core users. These were personal guards, ex-adventurers lured by offers of slightly less money but significantly less monster fighting. The Adventure Society maintained a force of such personnel outside of their normal membership, as did many high-end branches. The Ducal Palace had something similar, with even the Duke of greenstone maintaining a similar practice.


    Vidal Ladiv was amongst the Adventure Society contingent, standing out through the absence of monster residue in his aura.


    Jason found the social dynamics fascinating as the people in the room shuffled for chairs in a political game simultaneously played out in aura interactions. Jason glanced at Farrah, reminded of their first lesson in aura manipulation. She had told him how adventurers and other powerful essence users used their auras like handshakes, which was explanation enough for a guy no one had heard of learning to meditate in a park. In high society, it was a subtle and complex game of supremacy.


    While the silver-rankers were shuffled to the back, gold-rankers fought over seating positions without looking like they were, shuffling awkwardly between the furniture. There was an aura game being played as well, not reliant on power but nuance, at which the monster-core using bureaucrats were surprisingly good. The goal was to align with the more prominent people in the room, namely the famous gold-rank adventurers, rather than being stuck at the back with the silver-rankers.


    There were exceptions to pure rank amongst the odd social dynamic. Zara Nareen, as daughter to the Storm King, held a prominence above her rank. Jason also held an odd position, and one that most of the gold-rankers didn''t know what to do with. The government bureaucrat and his gold-rank guards tried to influence Jason fairly crudely, his sleek aura defence deflecting it easily.


    In Pallimustus, personal power trumped political influence. This made Emir, Amos and Arabelle, all renowned adventurers, the islands around which the rest of the room drifted. Amongst the silver-rankers this was reflected as well, with the officials playing second-fiddle to Jason, Rick and Korinne¡¯s teams. The clergy were somewhere in the middle, commanding respect as the servants of the gods, but lacking the personal achievements of battle-hardened adventurers.


    Things had almost settled down when the arrival of the diamond-rank Allayeth threw the room into a subtextual frenzy of politely claiming chairs. She could have tamped her aura down to avoid unnerving the group, especially the silver-rankers. But there was an expectation of an imposing presence from a diamond-ranker. Violating that to make people comfortable was more a breach of etiquette the leaving them unsettled.


    Jason was the only completely unfazed silver-ranker, although Zara, Rufus and Humphrey faked it very well. The gold-rankers had mixed results when masking the discomfort of their auras. Emir had spent more time with diamond-rankers than anyone in the room who wasn¡¯t one. His wife was fairly new to gold-rank but maintained the perfect equanimity of a hostess. Amos Pensinata was bold enough to forcibly shrug off the aura, having the gall to use it as training.


    The two gold-rank priests also showed admirable resolve, being used to the presence of their gods. Even a diamond-ranker on the level of Dawn could not outshine that. It was the gold-rankers who had arrived with the various officials who were most visibly ill at ease, but there was no shame in that. If anything, it was ruder to not show the effects of being in a diamond-ranker''s presence. The priests were particularly good at showing just the right level of being impacted.


    Most of the silver-rankers looked sweaty, as if Allayeth was a box of hot rocks in a sauna. Jason''s team had encountered Dawn enough times that they weren''t too off-kilter, but the other teams and the officials were looking queasy as they took their seats at the rear.


    Finally, everyone was seated, with gold-rankers at the front and silver-rankers at the back. Up front was Emir, the host, with his wife next to him as they shared a couch. Allayeth, as the most powerful, was front and centre. Jason ignored glares backed by gold-rank auras as he sat next to her; if she was happy to make small talk with him, no one was stupid enough to try and send him to the back with the other silver-rankers.


    ¡°Jason,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°I know I agreed to refrain from probing you with questions, but can you at least share what happened to the messenger¡¯s diamond-ranker?¡±


    Although her tone was casual, it arrested every ear in the room. One of the greatest mysteries of the Battle of Yaresh was what happened to the most powerful combatant on the messenger side.


    ¡°Honestly, I have no idea,¡± Jason said, with only Allayeth able to read his aura well enough to know he was telling the truth. ¡°I¡¯d never heard of the guy until he rocked up dead at my feet. It was probably a god or something.¡±


    ¡°Is that something you¡¯d consider likely?¡± Allayeth asked.


    ¡°Something swatted a diamond-ranker like a fly, and the only mortals I know that could do that are off transcending or in prison.¡±


    ¡°Prison?¡±


    ¡°From what I understand. Everything¡¯s always more than you think when you only know the basics.¡±


    ¡°Did you know that there was a strong residual magic of time manipulation in the area?¡± Allayeth asked.


    ¡°So I''ve heard. I also heard that the Adventure Society was hoping to keep the details of the investigation as secret as they are able.¡±


    ¡°Ah,¡± Allayeth said before looking to the Adventure Society director, standing in front of all the chairs. ¡°My apologies, Director Heath.¡±


    ¡°Thank you, Lady Allayeth.¡±


    The director of the Adventure Society and the gold-rank priest of Knowledge were the only ones who remained standing, positioning themselves at the side of the room all the chairs were facing. Like most Yaresh locals, the two men were elves.


    ¡°Thank you all for coming,¡± the director said. ¡°For those of you I have yet to meet, I am Musin Heath, director of the Adventure Society¡¯s Yaresh branch. As most of you are aware, this meeting is to discuss the latest moves by the messengers and what our response will be. I will begin by making sure that everyone present knows the situation as it currently stands.¡±


    An illusion lit up behind him showing a map of the Yaresh region. It was zoomed well out, clearly marking the city of Yaresh, the towns to the south infested with world-taker worms and the projected area in which the worms were suspected to have spread. The director pointed out the messenger fortresses, including the one that had been abandoned.


    ¡°The messenger strongholds, and now our city, have been the focal points of the battles between our forces and those of the messengers,¡± Musin explained. ¡°Neither of these are the true crux of this conflict, however.¡±


    The map panned to a location some distance away, where a range of mountainous plateaus rose out of the jungle.


    ¡°The true objective of the messengers lies deep beneath this mountain range; a natural array, unnoticed for centuries, deep in the ground below us. For those of you unaware, a natural array is a location where magical manifestations, taking place over centuries, have slowly formed a cluster of objects that generate unanticipated magical effects. A natural array is an exciting resource, but not to the point of justifying the effort and attention the invading messengers have put into controlling it. Which leads to the question of what they truly want.¡±


    Musin pointed out a mark on one of the plateaus.


    ¡°This is the location of the shaft the messengers had their slaves dig to the natural array. We do not know what they want, but we do have an amount of information about their activities. Priest Jillet, I invite you to share what you have managed to put together.¡±


    The knowledge Priest stepped forward as Musin stepped back.


    ¡°My name is Ebson Jillet. I am a priest of Knowledge and chief information officer of the combined holy forces in this region. Before anyone asks, the goddess of Knowledge cannot give us all the information about the disposition of the enemy. That would not only violate her purview but also encroach upon the god of War¡¯s.¡±


    He gestured at the map.


    ¡°My goddess guided us to this region, from which point it became our divine mandate to learn why. What we found was that as soon as the messengers arrived, they began excavating all but right under our noses, using the suborned labour of this world¡¯s natives. We naturally sought out the reason why, but it still eludes us. Even the slaves, traitors and messengers we¡¯ve captured and interrogated gave us conflicting information. We believe that the leadership of the messenger forces has been lying even to her own people.¡±


    ¡°By leadership, you mean Jes Fin Kaal,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°The Voice of the Will.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jillet said. ¡°This messenger is a direct servant of a transcendent entity called a astral king, whose agenda we assume her to be carrying out. We believe that she is telling different stories even to her own people to contain whatever the truth is. Despite this, we have managed to put together a basic idea of events. The messengers arrived in the region and secretly initiated an excavation program far from where the holy army was camped. This was inefficient but kept their activities from us for some time. They sought the natural array we did not know existed. Then they found it and were no longer able to hide their activities. Instead of a buried array, they found an entire sub-species of the smoulder people in a centuries-old underground civilisation.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean by sub-species?¡± one of the government officials asked.


    ¡°Normal smoulders,¡± the director stepped forward to say, ¡°are a people that, like elves, humans, celestines or leonids, have a sufficiently low inherent magic level that they can absorb essences. If a sufficient population is exposed to sufficient magic over a sufficient number of generations, that population may become a magical variant, as has occurred here. You may have heard of the Blood Song Leonids or the Sky Eater Elves. I''m oversimplifying but, in short, the smoulders down there have their own inherent magic instead of essences.¡±


    ¡°What¡¯s more,¡± Jillet continued, ¡°these people were at war with the Builder cult, just like the rest of us. Unbeknownst to anyone on the surface, the cult had discovered the city and a large astral space. We believe the space was either created or altered by the natural array, and the Builder sent a powerful force to claim it. Not only did the cult have an array of gold-rankers leading an army of silvers, but also burrowing machines to approach the city unnoticed by we on the surface. They were still waging war on the smoulder population until the messengers arrived, turning it into a three-way conflict. This was the point where we discovered the magical emanations of this subterranean war.¡±


    Jillet nodded in the direction of the gold-rank War priest.


    ¡°At this point, we joined the battle, but we were still trying to understand what was happening. We know that the messengers attempted to alter the natural array somehow, and that whatever they did went wrong. The astral space was warped and the messengers started to be negatively affected. They fled, leaving the cult, the smoulder and what seems to be a large number of mindless, altered messengers to their conflict underground.¡±


    ¡°The messengers realised that the holy forces knew about them and have been fighting over control of the underground excavation access ever since. Yaresh was supplying the holy forces for months, along with a steady stream of adventurer reinforcements. The messengers had their own massive reinforcement at this time, however, right at the time the Builder was withdrawing from our world. The new messengers bolstered the existing ones and established the strongholds we''ve been besieging ever since.¡±


    ¡°What about the Builder cult members underground?¡± Arabelle asked. ¡°Were they withdrawn along with the Builder¡¯s other forces?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Musin answered. ¡°Builder cult groups around the world had their resources revoked and any non-natives forces withdrawn. The Pallimustus natives who signed on with the cult were left behind and we¡¯ve been cleaning them up ever since. You wouldn¡¯t have seen it in the Storm Kingdom, where the Builder had already withdrawn, but Adventure Society branches around the world have been mopping them up.¡±


    ¡°What we know,¡± Jillet said, ¡°is that Builder cult members remain underground. What we don¡¯t is whether they are a remnant native force that poses little threat or a powerful army prevented from extraction by the now-unstable natural array.¡±


    ¡°Which brings us to the main issue,¡± the director said. ¡°Whatever the messengers did, the natural array is no longer stable. Some kind of magic is building up down there, and we need to either stabilise or destroy the source before it escalates beyond our ability to handle. Assuming it hasn¡¯t already.¡±


    ¡°And how do we do that?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°Someone has offered an alliance for the purpose of putting a stop to it. They claim to have the expertise but are unable to send their own people, who have proven vulnerable to the magical forces at play. I think most of you in this room are well-informed enough to realise that I''m talking about the messengers. Jes Fin Kaal has made us an offer.¡±

 Chapter 708: Dark Bargin

    Auras erupted in consternation after Musin Heath, the Adventure Society director, announced a potential alliance with the messenger leader. The gold-rankers held their equanimity, but many of the silver-rankers were spiritually up in arms. It was here that the director demonstrated his expertise, spreading his aura out to gently chide the silver-rankers, forcibly imposing calm through deft aura suppression. The director might not be an expert at handling monsters, but the veteran administrator was the Amos Pensinata of controlling an unruly meeting.


    ¡°Yes,¡± the director said. ¡°Obviously, the idea of an alliance with the woman responsible for levelling the city is unpalatable. And make no mistake: she is responsible. We know the plan to attack the city was hers. I am aware of every reason to be angry. Most of you aren¡¯t from this city and you¡¯re furious. I am from this city. This is my home and this woman ground it under her boot. I lost people in the attack. Every friend I have lost people in the attack. If I can muster up the resolve to look at things the way they are and not the way I wish they were, so can all of you.¡±


    He panned his gaze across the room as the people in the meeting settled down. Ebson Jillet, priest of Knowledge, stepped forward.


    ¡°The simple fact is,¡± he stated, ¡°that there is a greater threat to this city than the messengers, although they are the source of this danger as well. We have explained the instability that has affected the natural array. The equilibrium that is the most intrinsic property of such an array is out of balance, and breaking that balance would normally cause the magic of the array to dissipate. Whatever the messengers did to it, that is very much not what happened. Instead of breaking down, the array has been growing in power, at the cost of stability.¡±


    ¡°It took a long time for us to notice the change,¡± Musin said, picking up the narrative. ¡°The array is feeding on ambient mana that has picked up earth and fire affinities, the purest strains of which come from deep underground. For this reason, it took a long time before we noticed what was happening from the surface. Only once the array started reaching dangerous power levels did we realise and start investigating. The best assessment the Magic Society has is that the power will continue to build to a tipping point where the array can no longer maintain stability. All that power will then be unleashed in catastrophic fashion. Our best estimates place that happening sometime in the next three to five months.¡±


    ¡°How catastrophic?¡± Emir asked.


    ¡°The Magic Society has been using the term supervolcano,¡± Jillet said. ¡°I looked it up in our historical records, and that term was used for a natural event more than twenty thousand years ago. So, to answer your question based on what I found, I would say extremely catastrophic¡±


    ¡°We should probably stop that, then,¡± Emir said.


    ¡°That was also the conclusion we reached, Mr Bahadir,¡± Musin said. ¡°Unfortunately, the Magic Society has been coming up short in terms of solutions.¡±


    ¡°We lack the knowledge base,¡± Clive called out from the back. ¡°The Magic Society¡ª¡±


    ¡°Shut your mouth, silver,¡± one of the gold-rankers guarding the government contingent growled. ¡°The adults are talking.¡±


    A silver-rank aura settled over the room. The strength of it approached gold-rank and there were unsettling elements that were hard to read, like silhouettes in a fog. Then it withdrew and all eyes were on Jason. He showed no indication of having just let his aura blanket the room like a poison cloud and leaned towards Allayeth. They held a whispered conversation as if they couldn¡¯t be heard by everyone in the room.


    ¡°I don¡¯t like people talking to my friends like that,¡± he mentioned offhandedly. ¡°I''m trying to be less imperious, though. I don''t suppose you could be imperious for me?¡±


    ¡°You¡¯d owe me one,¡± Allayeth said lightly.


    ¡°I can live with that.¡±


    ¡°I wouldn¡¯t go making assumptions, Jason,¡± she teased and he flashed her a grin.


    A portal opened and whips lashed out from the other side, wrapping around the limbs, torso and head of the gold-ranker that had scolded Clive. The gold-ranker¡¯s aura was crushed and the whips yanked him through the portal which immediately vanished.


    ¡°An offensive portal ability,¡± Jason said appreciatively. ¡°Used inside Emir¡¯s cloud palace, no less. Being diamond-rank will be nice.¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯ll be a diamond-ranker?¡±


    ¡°For a while, sure,¡± he said distractedly. ¡°What were you saying, Clive? Something about a knowledge base?¡±


    The room was silent and still for a long moment, all attention laser-focused on Jason and Allayeth. The diamond-ranker herself was giving Jason an assessing look as he watched Clive attentively.


    ¡°Uh¡­¡± Clive said, and Jason gave him an encouraging nod. Clive¡¯s eyes flickered over the diamond-ranker and he continued.


    ¡°As I said,¡± Clive explained hesitantly, ¡°we lack the knowledge base to do anything with natural arrays. And by ¡®we,¡¯ I mean the Magic Society and, by extension, the entire magical research community of Pallimustus. Partly the problem is that natural arrays are rare, but the main issue is internal Magic Society politics. Because of their rarity and lucrative research potential, the people who get the chance to study them have started hoarding the results of their research instead of disseminating it, despite the dissemination of research being the entire point of the Magic Society.¡±


    ¡°Why would they do that?¡± Humphrey asked.


    ¡°Because the next time a natural array comes up,¡± Clive said, ¡°the people most likely permitted to research it will be those that know the most.¡±


    ¡°Which leads,¡± Knowledge Priest Jillet said with disapproval, ¡°to a situation where too few people are participating in the research of a field of knowledge. On top of that, those who end up doing the research are the ones who were best at politics, not magical study.¡±


    ¡°Exactly,¡± Clive glowered, sharing an understanding grimace with the Knowledge Priest.


    ¡°The result,¡± Jillet told the room, ¡°is that, as Mr Standish here said, we lack the knowledge base. The Magic Society attached researchers to the forces contesting the entrance to the underground excavation as soon as we realised what was down there, but they don¡¯t have any response to what¡¯s happening.¡±


    ¡°In fairness,¡± Musin said, ¡°I don¡¯t know to what degree expertise would help. They never had direct access to study it and were left trying to analyse the distant aura from the surface.¡±


    ¡°The only thing that would accomplish is removing an easy excuse for the incapability,¡± Clive muttered, with Jillet nodding his agreement.


    ¡°In short,¡± Musin said, ¡°no one from this world understands how to stop the array from annihilating Yaresh and all the towns and villages around it. Which brings us to the messengers. They have magical expertise that we do not.¡±


    ¡°That should not be news to anyone familiar with the new magic that has been spreading over the last few years,¡± Jillet said. ¡°As to whether that expertise extends to resolving this situation or they are just lying remains an open question. Whatever insidious pact the messengers struck with the Builder cult and what we believed was the Church of Purity, it involved sharing magic not available on this world. A lot of that we¡¯ve managed to capture and add to our own store of magical knowledge. My church has been a large part of that, as has Mr Standish, here.¡±


    He gestured at a nervous Clive.


    ¡°If any of you have enjoyed the improved astral magic being spread over the last few years, you should thank Mr Standish.¡±


    Clive shook his head.


    ¡°All of that work was based on materials given to me by the Church of Knowledge,¡± he said. ¡°More precisely, they were given to Jason and I kind of stole them all.¡±


    Clive¡¯s expression became awkward.


    ¡°Then he took them back to another universe and I was given my own copies,¡± he admitted, his words coming out in a rush. Jillet laughed.


    ¡°Yes, Mr Standish. Do you truly think you came into possession of that material by accident? A book is worthless if no one can read what is inside. You took what were worthless scribbles on a page and turned them into knowledge. Then ¡ª and this is important ¡ª you shared that knowledge.¡±


    ¡°Eventually,¡± Clive grumbled.


    Clive had been lured into researching astral magic used by the Builder cult following Jason¡¯s seeming demise. This was when the enthusiastic researcher from a small magic Society branch discovered how riddled the institution was with self-serving politics. He had thought the corruption of his local director to be an isolated incident, but the self-serving behaviour and lack of ethics proved to be an unfortunate standard.


    With no influential background, Clive was kidnapped in all but name and exploited by a high-ranking official. It was only with the help of Belinda and a sympathetic fellow researcher that he made good his escape. His complaints lodged with the Adventure Society and Magic Society prompted little and no action respectively. He resigned from both his employment and membership in the Magic Society and publicly released all the work he had done while under the society''s thumb.


    It was only a matter of time before the Magic Society realised the treasure they had lost in Clive. They had been trying to lure him back ever since but he hadn¡¯t come close to being tempted. He still pursued his research interests, using the Church of Knowledge to spread any fruit produced by his personal research. The clergy of Knowledge¡¯s church were very nice to Clive.


    ¡°The point is,¡± Musin said, ¡°that the messengers have magic that we do not. And they claim they can prevent the natural array from growing into a catastrophe that destroys what¡¯s left of our city.¡±


    ¡°We can¡¯t trust them, obviously," Emir said. ¡°The best you can hope for is to trust you know what they want and can predict them accordingly, and that is a dangerous game.¡±


    ¡°It is,¡± Musin agreed. ¡°But we¡¯re desperate and they know it. While we don¡¯t know exactly what they want, we know they can¡¯t get it for themselves and we can leverage that advantage. They need us. The next step is to learn more about what they want, or at least what they claim to want.¡±


    ¡°If we help them get whatever they¡¯ve been after this whole time,¡± Carlos called out angrily, ¡°then what was the point of fighting them in the first place? And how do we know that what they¡¯re after isn¡¯t even worse than the natural array exploding? What if they get us to turn the array into a volcano weapon they can take from city to city, wiping out our civilisation?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ one potential scenario, I suppose,¡± Musin said. ¡°I don¡¯t think any of us believe that we should let the messengers get what they want. But the reality is, they have a want and we have a need. If we fail to stop the array from going completely out of control, Yaresh is gone and the whole region will be uninhabitable. Even if we evacuate the whole region, the volcano will bring desolation, blotting out the sky. So soon after the monster surge, it may even damage the still-fragile dimensional membrane, causing additional monster manifestations. Elementals of fire, ash and magma in almost monster surge numbers, roaming out to spread the desolation even further.¡±


    ¡°No one is suggesting we do nothing,¡± Emir said. ¡°But we''re talking about a vicious and cruel enemy who will sacrifice her forces to hurt ours even worse. They lost a diamond-ranker attacking this city and I¡¯ve seen no indication she even cares.¡±


    ¡°Actually,¡± Musin said, ¡°we believe the diamond-ranker¡¯s death may have been one of Jes Fin Kaal¡¯s intentions. Given the unusual nature of his death, she may have even arranged his assassination using the battle to hide it. We would need to know more of the event in question to confirm anything, but not all parties involved have proven willing to share.¡±


    The room¡¯s occupants once again turned their eyes to Jason, who looked up from the drink he was mixing, ingredients held floating in front of him by his aura.


    ¡°What?¡± he asked innocently. The director shook his head and continued.


    ¡°Messengers have their own politics, and the absence of a local diamond-rank messenger has left the Voice of the Will as the solitary authority. It¡¯s possible that the entire attack was simply a messenger power play.¡±


    ¡°And you want to make a deal with someone willing to wage war on a city full of innocent people for only that,¡± Carlos said. ¡°We have diamond-rankers and they don¡¯t anymore. We should plunder their strongholds and steal their magic before a new diamond-ranker arrives to reinforce them.¡±


    ¡°An approach that has been discussed, certainly,¡± Musin said. ¡°Discussed and rejected. We could eliminate the remaining messenger strongholds, yes, but the cost in adventurer lives would be prohibitive. We¡¯ve lost enough, and there were compelling reasons that we never threw away the lives required to overrun the strongholds. You are free to try and convince lady Allayeth to change her mind, however. She would not be amongst the casualties.¡±


    Carlos looked at the diamond-ranker, bowed his head and sat back in his chair, done.


    ¡°If I read this situation correctly,¡± Emir said to Musin, ¡°your plan is to form an alliance with Jes Fin Kaal, who will absolutely betray us, and betray her better and first.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a good plan,¡± Musin confessed, ¡°but days are desperate. In the end, we must do what we have always done: trust in adventurers to keep us safe. The people in this room represent power and knowledge in many fields. You are the best we can muster.¡±


    ¡°I can¡¯t help but notice,¡± Jason said, ¡°that natural array expertise is not one of those many fields. That strikes me as an odd omission, as does the absence of anyone from the Magic Society. The closest we have here are adventurers with Magic Society membership. No actual officials; no researchers. Not even a spokesperson functionary. Is there a problem with the Magic Society, director?¡±


    It was not Musin but Jillet who answered.


    ¡°The natural array experts, as it turned out, were hiding the scope of the natural array problem. They told no one and continued their research until the city was attacked. After the attack, they warned us finally of the danger the array presents. In a final report left behind when they quietly departed the city.¡±


    ¡°The director of the Magical Society claimed he had no authority to force their return,¡± Musin said. ¡°I requested new natural array experts, but that request is pending. The fact that I was told that by the Magic Society¡¯s deputy director, due to the director¡¯s sudden sabbatical, does not fill me with confidence.¡±


    ¡°Sounds about right,¡± Clive grumbled.


    ¡°It comes down to this,¡± Musin said. ¡°Our options are to abandon and evacuate the entire region or make a dark bargain with the messengers and hope that we can outplay them when the time comes. We have the advantage of their inability to go anywhere near the array.¡±


    ¡°And they have the advantage of having the first idea of what¡¯s actually happening,¡± Emir said. ¡°I¡¯m hearing nothing but bad ideas built on guesswork, assumption and a level of optimism I can only describe as ill-founded. We have months before this disaster, yes? Yaresh is already little more than an ash heap and half the region¡¯s towns are infested with world-conquering parasites. Perhaps the time and resources currently earmarked for reconstruction would do more good preparing to contain the eruption of the natural array. Minimise the damage to this and the surrounding regions.¡±


    The room got extremely tense, with the Yaresh residents filled with hostility towards Emir. This included Allayeth whose aura settled on Emir like concrete shoulder pads.


    ¡°This meeting,¡± she said in a voice so cold her breath almost fogged up, ¡°is about saving this city. If you are unwilling to accept that as an absolute objective, Mr Bahadir, then we will thank you for the venue and thank you to leave the room while we continue discussing how to save our home.¡±


    Emir threw his hands up in surrender.


    ¡°Alright,¡± he said. ¡°I just think that any discussion should table every option, even if they¡¯re dismissed out of hand.¡±


    ¡°Then consider your suggestion dismissed, Mr Bahadir,¡± Musin said. He then took a dimensional satchel slung over his shoulder and opened it, removing a cube covered in glowing runes.


    ¡°A table if you please, Mr Bahadir.¡±


    A small cloud table rose in front of the director and he placed the cube down. He tapped at the runes in a complex sequence than involved turning the cube on its various sides. The glow faded, rune by rune until they had all dimmed. Musin opened one side of the cube and removed a slightly smaller but otherwise identical cube and repeated the sequence.


    ¡°Constance,¡± Jason said, ¡°if there¡¯s another Rubik¡¯s babushka in there, I¡¯m putting out a snack table. Is that okay?¡±


    ¡°Why are you asking her and not me?¡± Emir complained. Constance and Jason both looked at him and his expression wilted to a sulk.


    There was no third cube but a blue sphere, twice the size of a fist.


    ¡°We¡¯ve spoken about the messengers having magic more advanced than ours,¡± Musin said. ¡°This is a messenger communication stone through which we can contact Jes Fin Kaal. As we cannot be sure if she can spy on us through this device, we had it under as much restriction as was remotely practical. But there is one more element that I have not raised. The messenger leader is only willing to continue discussion if Jason Asano is involved.¡±


    ¡°Is that because she wants a snack table as well?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I need to find out about messenger cuisine, although I''m not optimistic. I''m picturing a lot of bran.¡±

 Chapter 709: Decorum

    A large group of mostly very serious people were having a meeting in a room with a bouncy house floor. The attendees were looking at a blue orb sitting on a table.


    ¡°This device was delivered to us by a messenger from the, er, messengers,¡± said Musin Heath. ¡°Accordingly, we don¡¯t trust it at all.¡±


    The Adventure Society director was behind the table with the Knowledge Priest, Ebson Jillet, who tapped the two boxes behind the orb. The smaller box had previously contained the orb, while the larger one had contained the first box.


    ¡°If the orb explodes or does anything unexpected,¡± Jillet said, ¡°this box will absorb and contain it. It can even draw in poison gas, explosive force or a variety of other magical threats.¡±


    ¡°Using the orb is very simple,¡± Musin explained.


    ¡°Is it?¡± Jason asked. ¡°I don¡¯t think you¡¯ve got it the right way up.¡±


    Musin rocked the orb back and forth with his finger.


    ¡°I don¡¯t think there¡¯s any way to tell. I don¡¯t think there is a right way up.¡±


    ¡°If you say so,¡± Jason said, sceptical but not pushing the issue. Musin continued his explanation.


    ¡°A trickle of mana will let you control it intuitively, like most magic items. Once I send a signal through it that we¡¯re ready to communicate, that will allow Jes Fin Kaal to open a communication channel. I would ask that you refrain from speaking out while the channel is open. The exception being Mr Asano whose participation was a requirement of ongoing negotiations. She will only speak to him going forward.¡±


    ¡°Because they¡¯re probably working together,¡± one of the gold-rankers said. He was unknown to Jason, acting as security for the government officials. ¡°This man Asano is as suspicious as the messengers. He¡¯s been hiding from us and keeping secrets. It¡¯s fairly obvious he¡¯s working with them and I don¡¯t know why we haven¡¯t already peeled the secrets out of him, now that he''s left his hiding hole. He was just using his aura to make a drink for gods'' sakes. None of us can move things with our auras. Only messengers can do that.¡±


    Jason let out a weary sigh.


    ¡°What¡¯s your name?¡±


    ¡°Ikola Goeth.¡±


    ¡°Are you suggesting that I¡¯m a messenger Akola?¡± Jason asked lightly.


    ¡°Why not?¡± Ikola asked. ¡°You¡¯re an outworlder to my senses, but there was another outworlder in this city too. He turned out to be some magic snake egg planted by the messengers decades ago. There are still naga that came out of that thing hiding in the ruins of the city.¡±


    ¡°See, now that¡¯s just frustrating,¡± Jason said. ¡°The last guy who spoke up ¡ª I¡¯m assuming he¡¯s a mate of yours ¡ª got sucked up into a portal.¡±


    Jason turned to Allayeth.


    ¡°Did you send him somewhere else, or just into a dimensional space?¡±


    ¡°Dimensional space,¡± she told him.


    ¡°That¡¯s a little disappointing, I¡¯m not going to lie. I thought you had a genuine offensive portal ability, like my mate Clive. Well, his is a teleport, but it¡¯s pretty much the same.¡±


    ¡°Jason,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°I think you may be getting distracted.¡±


    ¡°From what?¡±


    ¡°The man accusing you of having been planted by the messengers.¡±


    ¡°What? Oh, right. You should probably give him his friend back?¡±


    A horizontal portal opened in the room and a gold-ranker fell out, bouncing comically on the floor. He was covered in welts visible through the shredded remains of his black clothing. As the man groaned feebly, Jason turned back to Ikola.


    ¡°Now,¡± Jason said, ¡°I was just saying that you accusing me like this is frustrating because if I make a move to intimidate you into silence, it just makes your words seem true. Would I like to take a power sander to your face for accusing me of being on the side of the people who levelled the city and killed I don¡¯t know how many people? Of course I would, that¡¯s only natural. But that wouldn¡¯t be productive. We¡¯re all on the same side, and we need to reach an accommodation based on cooperation rather than¡ª¡±


    He paused as the injured gold ranker on the floor let out a loud groan of pain.


    ¡°¡ªa pecking order based on the ability to perpetrate violence.¡±


    Jason scowled at the fallen man.


    ¡°Bloke, you¡¯re kind of undercutting me here. Get it together.¡±


    Ikola got out of his chair and Jason did the same, the fallen man between them. The elven gold-ranker was half a head taller and dressed entirely in black. Jason was wearing a cream suit with a pink shirt from the collection tailored for him in Rimaros.


    ¡°Is nothing serious to you?¡± Ikola asked.


    ¡°You accused me of being a traitor,¡± Jason told him. ¡°This meeting would get even more awkward if I took that seriously instead of in good humour.¡±


    ¡°You think you¡¯re so special, don¡¯t you?¡± the gold-ranker accused.


    ¡°Yep. And so do you, which I suspect is the real reason you¡¯re so cranky. I¡¯m going to sit back down and pretend you didn¡¯t level the kind of accusation that gets people murdering one another. I¡¯m hoping that you¡¯ll also sit down, maybe engage in some self-reflection. Or at least just sit quietly. I understand that, as a gold-ranker, you aren¡¯t used to being the guy standing at the back, but you¡¯re here as a guard. In case you hadn¡¯t noticed, there¡¯s a who¡¯s who of gold and diamond-rankers watching us squabble like children and it¡¯s not doing any favours for either of our reputations.¡±


    Ikola glanced left and right frowning in the unhappy realisation that Jason was right. He looked to be on the verge of stepping back but couldn''t quite bring himself to let it go.


    ¡°You are a walking traitor flag and you get to attack someone, but I¡¯m expected to sit down and keep my mouth shut?¡±


    Jason opened his mouth to retort but stopped himself, letting out a sigh as his shoulders slumped.


    ¡°You¡¯re right,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not fair, and I¡¯ve indulged in the kind of arrogant behaviour that not only have I done time and again, but I¡¯ve criticised in others. So, how about I apologise to the guy on the ground for overreacting when he had a go at my friend, and you and I both step back and we let this meeting go forward?¡±


    ¡°Which neatly avoids the question of whether you¡¯re a traitor when every indication is that you are.¡±


    Jason looked at Ikola for a moment and then turned to the Adventure Society director.


    ¡°I tried,¡± Jason said. ¡°De-escalation doesn¡¯t come naturally to me, which I think everyone saw pretty clearly. But I tried, I really did. I don¡¯t think we can move on to the next stage of this meeting with both him and me in the room, and I¡¯m pretty sure you need me.¡±


    The director did not look happy with Jason or Ikola, but it was Ikola he turned to.


    ¡°Mr Goeth, I must ask you to sit down and refrain from making further interruptions. If you feel that you are unable to do this, I must ask you to remove yourself instead.¡±


    Ikola looked like he was going to argue but held his tongue. He helped the battered gold-ranker from the floor to his chair, frowning at the welts that should have already healed but remained bright red. He took his own seat with a dark glower and Musin turned his attention to Jason.


    ¡°And you, Mr Asano, I would advise you to be less provocative in how you act, as well as in how you react to others. I recognise that you have an outsized level of influence relative to your rank and how you may feel the need to assert that influence when those of higher rank seek to suppress it. That being said, I think you will find that decorum will serve you better than acting out like a smug teenage aristocrat.¡±


    The people in the room who knew Jason all winced, except for Arabelle. Jason didn¡¯t respond to the director and, instead, quietly retook his seat.


    ¡°Thank you, Mr Asano,¡± Musin said. ¡°I will have you stand up again shortly once we activate the orb. As I was saying, prior to the interruption, once I signal that we are ready, the messengers will be able to open a channel for us to negotiate through. Jes Fin Kaal has made it clear that she will only negotiate with Mr Asano, whom I hope will take heed of my advice.¡±


    Most of the room¡¯s occupants glanced in Jason¡¯s direction, but he showed no reaction to them or Musin¡¯s words.


    ¡°If there are no more interruptions,¡± Musin said, his tone indicating that it was not a question, ¡°then we will begin.¡±


    He reached out and touched a finger to the orb.


    ¡°It¡¯s done.¡±


    The orb sat still on the table.


    It continued sitting still on the table.


    Emir surreptitiously checked his pocket watch and had his wrist slapped by his wife.


    Jillet moved over to Musin and activated a small privacy screen in which they talked unheard by the room¡¯s other occupants, but watched by all. There was a minor visible component that blurred the area enough to prevent lip reading, but body language was still visible. Musin variously nodded, shrugged, shook his head and held out empty hands as he and Jillet spoke. Finally, Jillet deactivated the privacy screen.


    ¡°¡­yes, I¡¯m sure it¡¯s on,¡± Musin finished, now audible to the room. His eyes darted back and forth and he slowly reached out to the orb as if that would somehow prevent everyone from noticing. His fingers brushed against it.


    ¡°It¡¯s definitely on,¡± he said to no one in particular. ¡°I was sure it was, and it was.¡±


    He was saved from the awkward moment by the orb which started emitting a soft glow.


    ¡°Right,¡± Musin said. ¡°If you would stand in front of the orb please, Mr Asano?¡±


    Jason got up and positioned himself in front of the table with a frown.


    ¡°This feels more like standing in front of a firing squad than I¡¯m comfortable with,¡± he grumbled.


    Musin reached out and touched the orb again. A hologram-like image of someone¡¯s head projected from the front of the sphere, slightly off-centre and tilted down. This gave Jason a view of the top of the head and one ear.


    ¡°What am I looking at?¡± the projection of Jes Fin Kaal asked. Musin quickly turned the orb so the projection rose from the top and the messenger¡¯s face became visible.


    ¡°It wasn¡¯t clear which way was up,¡± Musin said. ¡°You should consider marking them so people can tell.¡±


    ¡°It doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Jes Fin Kaal said, her gaze now locked on Jason. ¡°So, you are their king.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m no one¡¯s king, lady, and I refuse to believe you said that for any reason other than riling up the other people in this room against me.¡±


    She smiled.


    ¡°Not a complete idiot, then, which I appreciate. It was an open question, given the research we''ve done on you. I admit that I''ve been anticipating our meeting for some time.¡±


    ¡°Personally, I wished you¡¯d invaded with the next monster surge. Once I¡¯m gold rank I could put you down myself instead of watching someone else do it.¡±


    ¡°False machismo to make me think you¡¯re simple-minded enough to be led around by your own aggressive mindset? You can do better than that, Asano.¡±


    ¡°I really can¡¯t. I actually am that simple-minded, so I talk about the films of Michael Dudikoff until people get distracted. People are starting to get wise to me, though: no one even asked me what a belt sander was.¡±


    Jason had never wondered what a snake would sound like if it laughed until he heard Jes Fin Kaal do it.


    ¡°I was told you would likely use irreverence and references to your home world in an attempt to disrupt my train of thought. You''ll have to do better than that, Jason Asano.¡±


    ¡°Alright. Two strongholds. That¡¯s the price.¡±


    ¡°You want me to relinquish two more strongholds in return for your working with us?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Jason said. ¡°You attacked us. You infested people with those parasites, which is a kind of horror even I have trouble imagining, and I¡¯ve been through some stuff. You killed people, took their homes and everything that matters to them and now you¡¯re here to make a deal?¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t think that you will let anger guide you. I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve been informed by now that the threat below your feet is greater than any presented by me. You need us.¡±


    ¡°No, we don¡¯t. With what you¡¯ve done to this city, it¡¯s better to pack everyone up, relocate and write the whole region off. It¡¯s cheaper to contain the damage and rebuild elsewhere than clean up the mess you left behind.¡±


    ¡°I very much doubt the people in the room with you agree, Asano.¡±


    ¡°But you¡¯re not talking to them. You made it very clear that you would only talk to me, so here are your options: One, you abandon¡ª¡±


    ¡°This is a negotiation, Asano. I¡¯m not here to listen to your ultimatums.¡±


    ¡°We aren''t negotiating yet, lady. I told you that two strongholds is the price, but I didn''t mean to get us working with you. That''s the price for me to even listen to what you want.¡±


    ¡°You think this tough-man act will work on me?¡±


    ¡°Nope. I doubt an axe to the head would work on you either, but if I get the chance, you''d better believe I''ll check. If you want me to listen to anything you say, empty two more of your strongholds and destroy them behind you.¡±


    ¡°It seems that I should have negotiated with the city officials after all.¡±


    ¡°Probably,¡± Jason agreed. ¡°Feel free to do that. But if you¡¯re sticking with me, you know the price. Don¡¯t call back until it¡¯s done.¡±


    Jason slapped his hand on the orb and the projection disappeared. He turned to look at a room full of horrified faces.


    ¡°I thought that went pretty well,¡± he said.

 Chapter 710: A Man of Principle

    In a room full of shocked faces, Arabelle stood up and moved over to Jason, the bouncy floor making it slightly awkward.


    ¡°You¡¯re playing things dangerously, Jason,¡± she told him. ¡°But you did well.¡±


    The Adventure Society director¡¯s expression showed that he was not in agreement, but he was not one to explode into bluster.


    ¡°Mrs Remore, not to disagree with an expert in the study of the mind, but I would appreciate your thoughts on what makes Mr Asano¡¯s¡­ bold negotiating strategy the correct path.¡±


    ¡°I don¡¯t know how much you are aware of messenger upbringing, Director,¡± she said, ¡°but messengers are born fully grown and immediately put through comprehensive indoctrination. Even those who have escaped the behavioural programming of that indoctrination still exhibit certain behavioural traits that may be, in part, driven by inherent physiological factors. Natural instincts, if you will.¡±


    ¡°And how is it that you are so familiar with the messengers?¡± asked the leader of the local government delegation.


    He was a bureaucrat who had reached gold-rank through cores. This was his first time speaking up in the meeting, although declining to rein in his guard, Ikola, made a statement on its own. Arabelle turned to look at him, her expression ostensibly blank, yet somehow conveying the idea that she had found the man stuck to the bottom of her shoe.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t catch your name,¡± she told him.


    "Calcifer Bynes," the bureaucrat introduced himself. "Director of the Office of External Affairs. You seem to be more familiar with the messengers than the rest of us, Mrs Remore. I must confess a curiosity as to how that came about, given the violent reactions that messengers tend to have towards anyone who isn''t one of their servants."


    Arabelle smiled.


    ¡°Well, Mr Bynes¡ª¡±


    ¡°Lord Bynes,¡± he corrected. ¡°Director Bynes is acceptable in certain contexts, where I am acting in my role as a representative of the city, although I would not recommend it. Addressing me as Lord Bynes at all times will save embarrassment for those who have trouble grasping the intricacies of proper etiquette.¡±


    ¡°Lord Bynes,¡± she corrected. "I''m afraid that some questions can only be answered through demonstration. I would be delighted to show you exactly how and where I''ve had the opportunity to observe messengers, including examples of both having rejected indoctrination and remaining in its throes.¡±


    Jason noticed the Knowledge Priest, Jillet, listening with particular interest. Jason opened the portal to his soul realm next to Arabelle.


    ¡°How do people keep opening portals in here?¡± Emir complained. ¡°That guy who installed the dimensional suppression was worthless.¡±


    ¡°You installed the dimensional suppression,¡± Constance pointed out.


    ¡°I distinctly remember getting in a guy.¡±


    ¡°Yes. Then you kicked him out.¡±


    ¡°Why would I do that?¡±


    ¡°He invited me to dinner.¡±


    ¡°Oh. That makes sense.¡±


    Arabelle spared her old teammate a wry glance before turning back to Bynes and gesturing to the portal invitingly.


    ¡°You can find the answers on the other side of that portal, Lord Bynes. I can only assume you are willing, if not eager to step through. Surely a man so unsubtle in how he throws around implications is only doing so that he might have the opportunity to investigate their accuracy. You wouldn¡¯t go implying that I am an unintelligent traitor only to not just imply but outright prove yourself both a hypocrite and a coward, would you? Please step through the portal.¡±


    ¡°Mrs Remore,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°I am afraid that Lord¡­ Bynes, was it? Lord Bynes does not have the level of refinement in his perceptual abilities that one might expect from someone of his rank. It is only natural that in his role as an administrator, he does not have the time for the kind of training that even most core users would manage. This is only to be expected, as why would he waste time with such exercises when he never encounters any monsters? Even during the monster surge, his aptitude as an organiser makes him far too useful to be on the front lines. After all, what is the value of just another gold-ranker, with a startling level of under-preparedness to face any monster, compared to a logistician of what I assume must be great capability.¡±


    Arabelle smiled as Bynes schooled his emotions enough that his lips pressing together hard was the only indication of his rage. Whatever the truth of Allayeth¡¯s claims about the man¡¯s perception abilities, Jason recognised that the man was skilled at keeping his emotions out of his aura.


    ¡°I believe I understand, Lady Allayeth,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°You¡¯re saying that Lord Bynes is ill-equipped to understand what he will be walking into through that portal until he sees it for himself.¡±


    "I am," Allayeth said. "While I am confident that Lord Bynes has a dazzling expertise in his chosen field of administration, that expertise understandably falls short on issues relating to adventurers and their activities. I''m certain that any implications he may have inadvertently made against a celebrated adventurer who has braved danger time and time again were entirely by accident. As such, I have no doubt that he would be more than happy to quite explicitly retract them. Of course, I may be incorrect and Lord Bynes was entirely deliberate in how he chose his words.¡±


    Allayeth¡¯s friendly smile plunged into Jason¡¯s mind, found the most primal fear response he had and triggered it.


    "If Lord Bynes was deliberate in his implications," Allayeth continued, "he would surely be happy to put his principles to the test. He would most certainly step through that portal, even not knowing what lies beyond. To do anything less would be to show himself a craven and insincere politician who mouths principles and exploits baseless accusations with neither the intention nor ability to interrogate their veracity.¡±


    The administrator sat silently in his seat, jaw locked. If it was only Arabelle, a fellow gold-ranker and outsider to Yaresh, he would have been able to shoot back. The woman was a century too early if she thought she was his equal in slinging mud. A diamond-ranker who was also a native was another prospect entirely.


    In politics, if a diamond-ranker said the sky was green, then all you could do was nod and agree. For all you knew, they could turn it green to prove you wrong if you had the lack of sense to disagree. Allayeth talking to him this way was the political equivalent of sucking his guard through a portal; a blunt message that she could. From pretending she didn¡¯t remember his name to delivering an unpalatable ultimatum, she had used the power of a diamond-ranker to force him into a corner.


    The options in front of Bynes were unpalatable. One was to apologise to the Remore woman, undercutting his prestige. There were enough people in the room that word would spread and his political influence would take a hit, requiring time to claw back. For some reason, neither of them seemed to believe he would be willing to go through the portal, which left him wondering why.


    The portal had appeared next to the Remore woman, with no visible indication of who called it up. His magical senses told him that it belonged to Asano, who had clearly won over the diamond-ranker somehow. Allayeth¡¯s jibes about his perception being not entirely without basis, there was little Bynes was able to glean from the portal. It radiated Asano¡¯s aura, which is how he identified its creator. The only other thing Byrnes could sense was a power on the far side of the portal, he couldn¡¯t identify it. It was much stronger than Asano, but Asano¡¯s aura infused the portal, masking the nature and owner of whatever lay on the other side.


    There was no doubt Asano was an anomaly, given his aura at silver-rank. The general consensus was that he had one, and probably more, extremely powerful backers all using him as a proxy. Bynes was not stupid enough to accept the outlandish exaggerations coming from his contacts in Rimaros. Havi Estos, who had been the information broker Bynes had always gone to first, had made such absurd claims that Bynes was now looking for a new primary contact.


    Bynes stood up. He might not be willing to face off against monsters, and why should he? He didn¡¯t have the training or the experience. His battlefields were offices, salons and ballrooms; his weapons were information and innuendo. Just because he wouldn¡¯t take up a sword did not mean he was a coward. He was clearly expected to back off, so the way to fight back was to take the option they didn¡¯t think that he would.


    Bynes was clued into political events enough to know that the diamond-rankers had been seeking out whatever was on the other side of that portal. Allayeth¡¯s colleague, Charist, detested politics and administration. Bynes had always been happy to help him out, taking on any and all tedious tasks and requests that Charist wished to avoid. It was more than worth the effort with the loose-lipped diamond-ranker being an information gold mine.


    Bynes had no idea why the diamond-rankers had been unable to enter Asano¡¯s portal. The Remore woman had as much as admitted to having spent time wherever it led to. If Bynes could deliver to Charist the secrets he had been unable to get himself, he could even be a shield against Allayeth, who was clearly biased against him.


    The two diamond-rankers had a long record of working well together, their very different styles making for complementary approaches. Bynes was fully aware that such a relationship between very different people was a delicate thing. If he was clever and careful, he might be able to pit them against one another, allowing him to profit. And with the entire city to be rebuilt, there was plenty of profit to be had for a man whose eyes were not blinded by worthless compassion.


    ¡°I am a man of principle,¡± Bynes lied. ¡°I want to see for myself where you have been consorting with messengers, Mrs Remore.¡±


    Arabelle¡¯s eyebrows went up in surprise and Allayeth had a delighted grin that Bynes tried not to let worry him.


    ¡°You¡¯re going through,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°I¡¯m surprised, Lord Bynes; good for you. I¡¯m extremely fascinated about what happens to¡­ about what you see in there.¡±


    As for Jason Asano, he was rubbing his temples like he had a headache.


    "Do we have to do this now?" he asked. "I thought I was bad for derailing meetings, but you''ve all taken this one off the rails and crashed it into a school. For puppies."


    ¡°Regrets, Asano?¡± Bynes asked in a mocking tone.


    ¡°Look,¡± Jason said. ¡°I¡¯m just saying that maybe we get this meeting back on track and we play who¡¯s brave enough to go through the mysterious portal later.¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Bynes insisted. ¡°My character has been impugned. We must settle this now.¡±


    Jason frowned in confusion.


    ¡°So, what you¡¯re saying is, your reputation is more important than the cataclysmic event that threatens to destroy the entire city?¡±


    ¡°Of course not.¡±


    "Then, let''s get back to the meeting."


    ¡°And leave my good name flapping in the breeze like a soiled flag?¡±


    ¡°Okay,¡± Jason told him. ¡°It doesn¡¯t sound like what I¡¯m saying is getting through.¡±


    He held up his hands as if comparing the weight of two invisible objects.


    ¡°On one hand, we¡¯ve got the city blowing up and the whole region being drowned in fire and ash. On the other, we have people thinking that you¡¯re bit of a prick. Which of those do you think is in more urgent need of address?¡±


    ¡°The disaster is months away, and we can resolve the issue of my reputation today. Would you string my reputation out to be dragged through the mud until the city is saved?¡±


    ¡°Wow,¡± Jason said. ¡°Was not expecting you to lean in your reputation priority over stopping a volcano from wiping out hundreds of thousands of people.¡±


    ¡°You seem adamant about not allowing me through that portal, Asano. Do you have something to hide?¡±


    ¡°Uh, no. I¡¯d like to you know, clean up a bit. I wasn¡¯t expecting guests. And also,¡± he said, wheeling on Arabelle and Allayeth, ¡°I never actually volunteered to participate in this. You two said he should go through the portal and you never even asked. Which is rude.¡±


    ¡°You opened up the portal on cue,¡± Arabelle pointed out. ¡°Don¡¯t go complaining that you weren¡¯t completely complicit in what happens to Lord Bynes.¡±


    Jason let out a groan.


    ¡°Fine,¡± he said resignedly, gesturing at the portal. ¡°Go for it. If you have to. Which you don¡¯t.¡±


    ¡°Lord Bynes,¡± Ikola said. ¡°I strongly advise against going through a portal to an uncertain destination. It was opened by a silver-ranker and can still accommodate you. That suggests a power behind it that is far greater than Asano, and one we know nothing about.¡±


    ¡°Then it is time whoever is behind Asano is dragged out of the shadows,¡± Bynes said. He threw Jason a disdainful glare, marched over to the portal and went through. Jason turned to Arabelle and Allayeth.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know why you wanted him in there, but you were too enthusiastic about it. He probably would have backed out if he didn¡¯t think I was trying to avoid his digging up my secrets.¡±


    ¡°Is he going to dig up your secrets?¡± Allayeth asked.


    ¡°Probably. Anyway, now he¡¯s gone, we should get back to the meeting, yeah?¡±


    They looked around the room whose occupants were divided into two groups. The ones who knew Jason all wore long-suffering expressions. The rest looked like they had no idea what was happening, but there was a diamond-ranker acting strangely which was a very good reason to be almost anywhere else.


    ¡°Regardless of what Lord Bynes is doing,¡± the Adventure Society direct said, ¡°Mr Asano is correct in that the matter at hand is the impending disaster. For that reason, I would like to return to the topic of why Mr Asano¡¯s approach to negotiation was the correct one. It was highly aggressive.¡±


    ¡°That was necessary,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°As I was saying, prior to the interruption of Lord Bynes, messengers, like all living creatures, have natural instincts. For the messengers, their natural instinct is to respect strength and disregard weakness. It¡¯s a predatory instinct that divides everything into threat or prey. Obviously, messengers have higher mental functions that let them move beyond base instinct, but we are all driven by our instincts far more than we realise.¡±


    ¡°You are saying that a more conciliatory approach would have hurt us,¡± the director said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Arabelle said with a firm nod. ¡°If Jason was anything but unyielding, Jes Fin Kaal would have lost any respect for him. She may have become much harder to negotiate with or potentially stopped negotiating entirely.¡±


    ¡°But that does not change the fact that we are negotiating from a position of weakness,¡± the director said. ¡°We have already stated that we will not give up this land. I understand the value of bluffing, Mr Asano, but if they call that bluff, we will fold.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s not a bluff,¡± Jason said. ¡°The messenger wants something. From me. And I¡¯m not giving whatever it is to her under whatever circumstances she wants because you refuse to relocate. I won¡¯t fold because you won¡¯t move. I¡¯m prepared to walk away, at which point you can negotiate with her yourself.¡±


    Jason and the director stared at each other for a long time.


    ¡°This is not your home,¡± the director said. ¡°I can¡¯t ask you to throw yourself into the monster¡¯s lair for us.¡±


    ¡°Oh, I wouldn¡¯t worry about Jason,¡± Arabelle told him. ¡°I¡¯ve been working with him for years, now, and what never changes is that he¡¯ll always throw himself into the monster¡¯s lair. However much he might whine and complain about it.¡±


    ¡°Also, he wasn¡¯t just aggressive in that negotiation,¡± Emir chimed in. ¡°I¡¯m not the only one who felt that was a little flirty, right?¡±


    ¡°Oh, he¡¯s always like that,¡± Neil called out from the back. ¡°You should see him with Clive¡¯s wife.¡±


    Bynes came bursting through the portal and sprinted across the room in a mad panic, stumbling on the bouncy floor. He scrambled out through the door and sprinted down the hall outside in a gold-rank blur of speed.

 Chapter 711: Experiment

    Jason went to the door of the meeting room and looked out but Lord Bynes was already gone. Being a monster core user didn''t hurt his gold-rank speed and he had shot out like a rocket.


    ¡°Does he even know the way out? There was an elevating platform. It would feel weird to pause in the middle of a panicked flight to stop, calmly ride an elevator down and then bolt off in a mad dash again.¡±


    ¡°He skipped the elevating platform,¡± Emir said. Like Jason, he could sense the people in his cloud house. ¡°He went out through a window.¡±


    Jason turned around to face Allayeth and Arabelle.


    ¡°Look,¡± he said. ¡°I played along, but can someone explain to me why we just ran that guy over the coals?¡±


    ¡°What did you do to him exactly?¡± Arabelle asked. ¡°I¡¯ve seen a lot of different kinds of fear ¡ª a lot ¡ª but what was coming off that man¡¯s aura was new to me.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen it,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°I¡¯ve even felt it, but not like Lord Bynes. I¡¯m finding my curiosity as to what lays beyond that portal of yours freshly aroused.¡±


    ¡°Do try to control yourself,¡± Jason told her. ¡°You shouldn¡¯t let your curiosity be aroused in front of all these people.¡±


    ¡°You say that,¡± Allayeth told him, ¡°yet you keep arousing it over and over.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not going out of my way to be arousing.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I entirely believe that,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°There¡¯s only so arousing a person can be by accident, and given the frequency with which you are being arousing, I can only assume it is on purpose.¡±


    ¡°I need you both to stop saying ¡®arouse,¡¯¡± Arabelle told them.


    ¡°I think we all might need that,¡± Clive added.


    ¡°Especially while he''s standing next to my mother,¡± Rufus said.


    ¡°I told you he was like that,¡± Neil muttered.


    ¡°I wish I was like that,¡± Travis mumbled, glancing at Gabrielle. She, in turn, was glaring at Jason.


    ¡°See,¡± she said to her fellow priests and priestesses. ¡°What did I tell you? Moral turpitude.¡±


    ¡°I thought turpitude was a thing you used to clean boats,¡± Taika said.


    ¡°It depends on the boat,¡± Jason told him. ¡°I will admit, though, it does mostly make them dirtier.¡±


    The Adventure Society director looked on in a combination of confusion and horror as the diamond-ranker making innuendos became the latest way the meeting went off the rails.


    ¡°I think,¡± he declared loudly, ¡°that it is time to call this meeting to an end. I will discuss aspects of what is happening with the various interested parties in smaller group sessions. I will reconvene this meeting when it is appropriate or we see any kind of response from Jes Fin Kaal.¡±


    The meeting broke up in short order. Rick Geller frowned as he watched Jason leaving with Arabelle and Allayeth, and got a slap on the back of his head from his girlfriend, Hannah.


    ¡°What was that for?¡± Rick asked, turning on her.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know,¡± Hannah said. ¡°But I¡¯m pretty sure you deserved it.¡±


    Rick glanced back at Jason, the gold-ranker and the diamond-ranker as they disappeared through the door.


    ¡°Yeah, probably,¡± he admitted in a resigned voice.


    ***


    ¡°Jason,¡± Arabelle said as they walked through the halls of Emir¡¯s cloud palace. ¡°What exactly did you show that man?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m curious as well,¡± Allayeth agreed.


    ¡°You said you¡¯d felt that kind of fear yourself,¡± Jason said. ¡°Where did you encounter something like that?¡±


    ¡°Every diamond-ranker has,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°You¡¯re silver-rank now, and soon you¡¯ll begin to realise that once you approach the limits of silver-rank, you can¡¯t just advance the way you have, training and pushing yourself. Monster core users can push through to gold, but that rather dead-ends them.¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s not ready for that yet,¡± Arabelle pointed out. ¡°Not quite.¡±


    ¡°That¡¯s fine,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°What we¡¯re talking about is the transition from gold to diamond-rank, anyway. As you grow closer to the pinnacle of gold, you start to get an instinctive sense of something that lies beyond. Not diamond-rank itself, but what lies beyond that.¡±


    ¡°Transcendence,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes. Do you know much about transcendence?¡±


    ¡°Oh, you pick up things here and there. The first magic item I ever got was transcendent rank, now that I think about it.¡±


    Allayeth turned to him, wide-eyed.


    ¡°You¡¯ve seen a transcendent rank item?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve used a few,¡± he said casually as they stepped onto an elevating platform. ¡°I kind of go through them, now that I think about it. It might be one of my things.¡±


    ¡°More than one?¡± Allayeth said faintly. ¡°What did they do?¡±


    ¡°The first one brought me back from the dead the¡­¡±


    His brow creased in thought.


    ¡°¡­I want to say the second time? Yeah, the second time. Took me back to my world while it was at it.¡±


    ¡°To the other universe.¡±


    ¡°Yep. That one was a consumable, so it was only ever meant to be a one-and-done. I had this magic door for rewriting reality and¡ª¡±


    ¡°Rewriting reality?¡±


    ¡°I know, right? Thankfully, I¡¯d just hit silver-rank; I¡¯d have Buckley¡¯s chance of remaking chunks of the planet at bronze-rank. Anyway, the Builder left this door so some muppet would come along ¡ª in this case, me ¡ª and fix reality after it had been left a bit janky by the last bloke with his job. The magic door would let the Builder worm his way into them, though, except that the Builder already tried that and I was having none of it. I wiped off the Builder¡¯s control, gave myself the old five-finger discount and ninja¡¯d the door for myself. Later on, the World-Phoenix gave me this dimensional bridge thing, but I accidentally smashed that one and the Builder¡¯s door. I gave the old soul a bit of what-for and both items got broken down for parts.¡±


    Allayeth looked at Arabelle who gave her a sympathetic shake of the head.


    ¡°Jason occasionally likes to push the limits of his translation power,¡± Arabelle told her. ¡°I¡¯ll translate later. For now, you were talking about transcendence.¡±


    ¡°Uh, yes,¡± Allayeth said, regaining her composure. ¡°As I was saying, those of us who approach the peak of gold-rank start to get a sense of what lies at the end of the path. A state of being that no amount of advancement can achieve. A state that can only be sought out once every drop of mortal potential has been wrung out. The pinnacle does not lead to the next journey, but gives you the barest of qualifications to begin looking for where the next journey begins.¡±


    ¡°Moving beyond diamond-rank,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°It is possible, then?¡±


    ¡°No,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°And that is rather the point. To transcend, you have to go beyond not just the limits of mortality, but the limits of possibility. The glimpses of the wider cosmos you gain as you approach diamond-rank are soul-crushing. You don¡¯t just learn how insignificant you are intellectually, but you truly understand. You comprehend it in its complete and utterly stark fullness, right down into the depths of your soul.¡±


    ¡°And that breaks people,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°It can,¡± Allayeth agreed. ¡°For those who believe themselves important ¡ª and what gold-ranker doesn¡¯t ¡ª it can, indeed, break them. We are specks of sand on a beach that goes on forever, lasting only an instant before blowing away on the wind. The very world we stand on exists only for a fleeting moment in an insignificant corner of infinity.¡±


    The platform reached the bottom floor and they continued through Emir¡¯s massive cloud palace. There was a bustle of activity as people came through to be tested for world-taker worms and processed for housing and food allocation. The mass of people instinctively moved around them without even realising they were doing it. Jason observed Allayeth¡¯s aura manipulation producing the effect and took mental notes.


    ¡°The revelation of the cosmos and our place in it is too much for some, and they break. For others, it is a comfort to be a part of such grandness. It places the petty squabbles we all fight into perspective, revealing that they are, ultimately, meaningless.¡±


    ¡°I disagree, but go on,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°There are those for whom having the cosmos revealed does nothing. It has no effect at all. They are at one with themselves, who they are, and who they are not. Seeing their place in all things fails to change that. For those who are already in this state, moving from gold to diamond proves a relatively easy transition. For the rest of us, we have to try and reach that state. It doesn¡¯t have to be forever, but we need to find that equanimity for at least a time in order to move beyond gold-rank.¡±


    ¡°And you did that,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°As a scholar of the mind, I respect your ability to achieve that.¡±


    ¡°I spent years in isolation. Sometimes wandering the world, other times in uninhabited places, meditating for weeks or even months. Eventually, I found a peace through which I was able to surpass my previous limits. I¡¯m not sure I could find that again if I tried. I know that fear. That dread that reaches into the core of you. It takes who you think you are and makes you realise that you¡¯re infinitesimally smaller.¡±


    She looked at Jason.


    ¡°What I want to know,¡± she asked, ¡°is why I felt that same fear from Lord Bynes. He may be a gold-ranker, but he''s not even close to the peak. Even if he were, he wouldn''t sense what I described. A core user that does is the extreme exception, usually master craftspeople. Bynes is very far from that, so how did you show him the entirety of the cosmos?¡±


    Jason didn¡¯t answer immediately as they had reached the entrance to the cloud palace, moving through the waves of people. Going outside, Jason¡¯s aura shucked off the heavy rain as they walked on a path of stone slabs set into the mud.


    ¡°You know your friend Charist is listening to us,¡± Jason told Allayeth. ¡°I¡¯m not going to go giving up my secrets for free. I want information in return.¡±


    ¡°What do you want?¡± she asked, her voice sober.


    ¡°You have to tell me everything about the sauce that was in that sandwich.¡±


    Arabelle slapped a hand over her face and Allayeth¡¯s eyebrows moved upwards.


    ¡°And I mean everything,¡± Jason said. ¡°Where you got it, what it¡¯s made of, what is the process. Are there variants? How are the ingredients cultivated? In what conditions? Who made it? Did they grow the ingredients themselves? How is it stored? Is there a difference when¡ª¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m serious,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°This isn¡¯t just about finding out something for a political purpose, here. We¡¯re talking about the fundamental mechanics of essence user advancement¡­¡±


    Allayeth trailed off as Jason did something with his aura. The air around them shivered and the two women felt something lock into place.


    ¡°What is this?¡± Allayeth asked. ¡°This isn¡¯t something you can do with a normal aura. This feels like a messenger technique.¡±


    ¡°It has elements of the way messengers use their auras,¡± Jason said. ¡°It¡¯s something I¡¯ve been working on. Essentially, it¡¯s an aura-based privacy screen. I based it on a lot of elements. Messenger techniques, certainly, but also examining how mine and Emir¡¯s cloud palaces obscure external senses. Plus, how gods secure their holy spaces. The inviolable places at the core of their temples.¡±


    ¡°How would you even understand how the gods do that?¡± Allayeth asked.


    ¡°I know you¡¯ve felt it,¡± Jason told her. ¡°You and your friend violated my home, pushing your way into the places your senses wouldn¡¯t penetrate. As much as I appreciate a good spicy sauce ¡ª and it¡¯s a lot ¡ª I haven¡¯t forgotten what you did. Now, can your senses penetrate this privacy screen without me noticing? I know you could smash through it, but can you weasel your way in?¡±


    Jason felt a tingle on his aura senses.


    ¡°Maybe,¡± she said. ¡°Not quickly, at least until I examine the technique you¡¯re using some more.¡±


    ¡°Then I want your word that anything you manipulate me into giving up stays with you.¡±


    ¡°If I¡¯m manipulating it out of you, why would you trust my word?¡±


    ¡°Call it an experiment. I like making friends and I don¡¯t care for having allies. I like you, Allayeth, but my judgement isn¡¯t always the best.¡±


    Arabelle made a coughing sound. Jason gave her a flat look but she maintained an innocent expression, saying nothing.


    ¡°Friendship requires the extension of trust,¡± Jason continued. ¡°I¡¯m going to extend a little trust to you, Allayeth, and see where it takes us.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re an odd man, Jason,¡± Allayeth told him. ¡°You dance around a point until the other person passes out from exhaustion, or you dive on it like a shark on an unfortunate sailor.¡±


    Jason gave her a thin-lipped smile.


    ¡°There¡¯s a gate,¡± he told her. ¡°Through the portal. It connects what¡¯s on the other side of the portal to the wider cosmos. I used that to show Bynes what you described peak gold-rankers seeing.¡±


    ¡°You showed him.¡±


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°You never left that room while he was inside that portal. And he was not in there for long.¡±


    ¡°Both of those things are true.¡±


    She narrowed her eyes, peering at him.


    ¡°You have at least some measure of control on the far side of that portal.¡±


    He didn¡¯t respond, or even look at her as they walked along the path of muddy stone slabs.


    ¡°Who possesses the power I¡¯m feeling through that portal?¡± Allayeth asked, more aloud to herself than in any expectation of an answer. ¡°It¡¯s not just some natural force you¡¯re tapping into. There¡¯s a will behind it. I can almost feel it, but your aura on the portal is masking anything I can identify. Why has the entity behind that power given you so much control over it? Why do they trust you?¡±


    ¡°The owner of that power doesn¡¯t trust me,¡± Jason said, drawing a sharp look from Arabelle that Allayeth didn¡¯t miss. Then he grinned.


    ¡°And that¡¯s as much as you¡¯re getting. It¡¯s time you tell me why you have it out for Bynes.¡±


    Announcement:


    Today and tomorrow mark the final chapters before the series goes on break until February.

 Chapter 712: Spanked

    ¡°Gormanston Bynes,¡± Allayeth explained, ¡°is one of the most prominent members of a powerful political faction here in Yaresh. It was his son, Calcifer, that you sent running off in a panic, but the father is the true threat.¡±


    She was still walking from Emir¡¯s cloud palace towards Jason¡¯s with Jason himself and Arabelle Remore. They were keeping a leisurely pace while others hustled around them under magic umbrellas, regular umbrellas or a pointed longing for umbrellas. Jason¡¯s aura was pushing aside any rain before it reached him or his companions.


    ¡°I first came across Bynes when I was working with the original refugee camp,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°This was before the attack when we were scrambling to get any survivors out of the towns and into the city while keeping any world-taker worms out of the city. You remember the scramble to get supplies coming in and the logistics in place to do that efficiently.¡±


    ¡°I do,¡± Jason said. His cloud building had been the original screening centre before it was eventually moved to Emir¡¯s.


    ¡°Bynes was pushing to get the funding for that cut. He was riling people up about the messenger threat, saying that funding should go to fighting the messengers.¡±


    ¡°Bynes and his faction are extremely focused on consolidating and expanding aristocratic power,¡± Allayeth explained. ¡°They are also aggressively lacking in scruples regarding how their agenda is met.¡±


    ¡°Which usually means they¡¯d be happy to feed puppies into a wood chipper,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Can I assume that a wood chipper is a device for turning large pieces of wood into very small pieces of wood?¡± Allayeth asked.


    ¡°You can.¡±


    ¡°And I assume that placing small, adorable animals into such a device would remove a considerable amount of their innocent charm.¡±


    ¡°I would characterise that as accurate, yes,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The main point,¡± Arabelle said, ¡°being that they are willing to stoop to significant lows.¡±


    ¡°Like taking money from the refugee efforts,¡± Jason said. ¡°Why would he make a move like that? It can¡¯t make him popular.¡±


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯d be surprised,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°There are two things you need to know to understand Bynes. One is his political faction, and the other is that political faction¡¯s agenda. The short version is that they are a cabal of merchant barons and old-money aristocrats. What they want is the ever-original money and power.¡±


    ¡°What makes them interesting,¡± Arabelle said, ¡°is that while they do have combat-oriented people, they largely eschew the traditional power structure of personal power. Look at Ikola, a trained ex-adventurer, taking orders from Calcifer Bynes, a core user who¡¯s never faced a monster in his life. The one he¡¯s really serving is the father, not the son.¡±


    ¡°For the long version, let me start with context,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°In any major population centre, political power is balanced between three forces. One power is the civilian government, be that a royal court or, in the case of most city-states, a ducal administration. It also frequently includes guilds and associations outside of the Adventure and Magic Societies, along with the noble houses and any other families of influence. Arabelle¡¯s Remore family is a good example.¡±


    ¡°Strictly speaking, I married into it,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°It¡¯s how I manage to go five minutes without telling people my family runs a school.¡±


    Jason snorted a laugh.


    ¡°The two societies, adventure and magic, make up another of the three major pillars of any city or country,¡± Allayeth continued. ¡°The third force is the collective churches.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m going to go with the much lengthier explanation of the first force,¡± Jason said, ¡°and guess that local government is the problem here.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°The problem is one of balance. When the three forces are in balance, things work more or less as they should. Corruption disturbs that balance, having various knock-on effects.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen that before,¡± Jason said. The politics of Greenstone had a lot of rot, and Jason had seen dire consequences before that rot started being excised. From the exploitation of Sophie to Jason¡¯s kidnapping to the disastrous expedition during which Farrah and many other adventurers died.


    ¡°In Yaresh,¡± Allayeth continued, ¡°the civic administration is considerably weaker than the other two. This is almost entirely due to internal strife. Every one of the three groups has internal conflicts as they jostle for power, but a particular group amongst the city authorities has become a problem.¡±


    ¡°A bunch of rich pricks making trouble,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°Yes,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°In this particular case, it is a collection of mostly aristocrats with exceptional wealth, along with a few merchant barons. They are known as the Aristocratic Faction. They own most of the land in the region and provide most of the jobs. They use that power and influence to co-opt their tenants and workers into certain ideologies. They take ideas that are easy to sell to large groups that the aristocrats themselves make sure are poorly educated. I¡¯m talking about the usual tribalist and exclusionary ideologies, which they weld to other ideologies that help the aristocrats. Playing on simplistic ideals and commonly held prejudices, they¡¯ve built a power base of loud and angry people who rabidly support their policies. The very policies that keep them poor and ignorant.¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ve seen that before,¡± Jason said. ¡°A lot of countries in my world have suffered through that. My own included.¡±


    ¡°What I just described is unpleasant,¡± Allayeth said, ¡°but not, in and of itself, crippling. The problem is that the aristocratic faction has done something extremely unusual in that they have focused on power structures completely divorced from personal power. No adventurers, no magical researchers. Just money and political influence.¡±


    ¡°But political influence in Pallimustus is always tied to personal power,¡± Jason pointed out. ¡°Royal families get stuffed full of monster cores so they can ostensibly stand at the top of society.¡±


    ¡°But that is not hard and fast,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Look at the Sapphire Crown Guild in Rimaros. They have more personal power than the royal family, but they¡¯ve been instilled with an idea of duty.¡±


    ¡°Yeah,¡± Jason said, ¡°but Rimaros is an exception. They put their people through the hard yards. You think Zara is some monster-core-eating waif?¡±


    ¡°Not the best example,¡± Arabelle acknowledged. ¡°I already mentioned Ikola and how he was subordinate to Calcifer Bynes, despite being more personally powerful.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s part of an attitude the Aristocratic Faction promotes,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°They are trying to normalise their strengths of money and influence as being more important than personal power. The problem is, they¡¯re willing to undermine the structure they belong to. They undercut the city authorities, flatly lie about how and why they did it and use popular support to prevent any backlash. They blame everyone else while positioning themselves as the only solutions to the problems they themselves caused.¡±


    ¡°Why?¡± Jason asked. ¡°What¡¯s their end game?¡±


    ¡°The bureaucracy,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°Each of the three groups brings their own strengths to the table, be it magic and monster hunting or communion with the gods. For civic administrations, it is the ability to run cities and countries. The day-to-day logistics of managing tens or hundreds of thousands, even millions, is breathtakingly complex. Once that complexity reaches a point where very few people understand it but a city or kingdom absolutely relies on it, you¡¯ve created nexus points of extreme power. Power that most don¡¯t even see until it gets exercised in ways they don¡¯t like.¡±


    ¡°I see,¡± Jason said. ¡°They¡¯re riling up the population, using that to enact policies and force through appointments to put their own people in the nodes of bureaucratic power.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Allayeth confirmed. ¡°Everything from department heads like Bynes through to magistrates. Now, with the city fallen, you would expect them to back off. To let things rebuild before they resume their ambitions for control. Instead, they are using it as leverage. Their merchant barons are taking control of the private elements of the reconstruction; building firms, supply importers and the like. Their bureaucrats are taking control of the public elements. Regulations, seizures of private goods and resources in the name of the public good. And, of course, their people end up in charge of those resources.¡±


    ¡°They are setting themselves up so that, when Yaresh is rebuilt,¡± Arabelle explained, ¡°they are in control of it.¡±


    ¡°And that¡¯s why Bynes worked his way into that meeting?¡± Jason asked. ¡°Because knowing, maybe even influencing whether Yaresh is rebuilt here or elsewhere is critical to their plans.¡±


    ¡°More than that,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°If Yaresh gets saved from a fresh new disaster, the people behind that will have influence.¡±


    ¡°You already do, Jason,¡± Allayeth explained. ¡°Your actions during the Battle of Yaresh, along with your conflicts with myself and Charist, have made your name known. The mysteries surrounding you only make you more interesting. I¡¯m now convinced that Charist was manipulated into pushing you so that you would be undermined. The Aristocratic faction is a strong supporter of Charist, despite his ideologies being entirely centred around personal power hierarchies.¡±


    ¡°How does that work?¡± Arabelle asked.


    ¡°Charist dislikes many of the responsibilities that come with his level of power,¡± Allayeth explained. ¡°When diamond rankers like myself or your father-in-law, Arabelle, settle permanently in a city, we take on certain responsibilities. The simple presence of our power has a ripple effect that goes unnoticed by the general population, but those in power are very aware of it. I suspect that you have some experience with this yourself, Jason.¡±


    ¡°Unfortunately,¡± Jason said.


    ¡°The Aristocratic Faction do a good job of relieving Charist of annoying tasks that he would otherwise have to deal with. People seeking him out for favours or knowledge. He lets the Aristocratic faction insulate him from that.¡±


    ¡°Will Charist act on their behalf?¡± Jason asked.


    ¡°Not directly,¡± Allayeth said with absolute assurance. ¡°Charist is extremely enamoured of personal power hierarchies. He sees what they do for him as natural deference to his rank and would never grant them a favour for it, if only to avoid setting a precedent. But through their services to him, they¡¯re able to filter the information he gets. I¡¯ve been trying to get Charist more personally engaged in events, but to little success.¡±


    ¡°So that the way this faction painted me, Charist saw me as a threat to the city.¡±


    ¡°Yes,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°Only when Charist¡¯s approach was rebuffed effectively did he leave handling you to me. The Aristocratic Faction, however, did not give up so easily.¡±


    ¡°Bynes tried to paint me as a traitor and it backfired,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°Bynes¡¯ lackey, Ikola, tried the same thing on you, Jason. They were there specifically to sow doubt and diminish our influence.¡±


    ¡°What we did to Bynes will make him a laughing stock,¡± Allayeth said, ¡°but it¡¯s only one hit in a long and complex fight against the Aristocratic Faction. A good hit, but far from a finishing blow. We need to curtail their power and then do something about the Magic Society¡¯s corruption. If we can manage both of those, Yaresh has a good chance of coming through this with a functioning political system that will actually help rebuild it. But, as the Magic Society and Bynes are demonstrating, times of crisis are strong opportunities for those willing to exploit them at the cost of everyone else.¡±


    ¡°You keep saying ¡®we,¡¯¡± Jason said. ¡°I hope you don¡¯t mean we three.¡±


    ¡°No, I mean those of us that fight for the soul of Yaresh,¡± Allayeth said, then sighed. ¡°It is a challenge that seems increasingly insurmountable.¡±


    Jason let out a sigh of his own.


    ¡°I¡¯m not great at intervening in political situations, as it turns out,¡± he said. ¡°I¡¯m pretty good at reading them, though. And what I¡¯m getting from this is that it¡¯s an internecine rat¡¯s nest that I can only make worse by sticking my big dumb head into the middle of. But you two just went and stuck it in for me.¡±


    ¡°You didn¡¯t have to let him into that portal,¡± Allayeth said.


    ¡°Don¡¯t give me that,¡± Jason said. ¡°Arabelle knew I¡¯d do that the moment she suggested it. And you knew it too.¡±


    Allayeth glanced at Arabelle.


    ¡°What makes you think she was so confident?¡±


    ¡°Because she knows me,¡± he said, then also turned his gaze on Arabelle. ¡°Don¡¯t you, Mrs Remore? Why don¡¯t you tell her why I did it?¡±


    ¡°Because I wanted you to,¡± Arabelle said. ¡°I shouldn¡¯t have done that. You¡¯re right; involving you in the ground-level politics was a mistake. Given who and what you are, the circles you travel in, we should be treating you more like a diamond-ranker. Unless you know the local situation as well as Allayeth, here, you shouldn¡¯t be involved.¡±


    ¡°Honestly,¡± Jason said, ¡°it¡¯s actually kind of great to see you make a mistake. You¡¯ve always been this sage-like figure, talking me through every dumb thing I¡¯ve ever done. It¡¯s nice to see that you can stuff up, too.¡±


    ¡°I guess I shouldn¡¯t apologise, then,¡± Arabelle said.


    ¡°No, you should definitely apologise. I¡¯m caught up in this Bynes nonsense, now. His people will probably come after me.¡±


    ¡°I think they may not,¡± Allayeth said. ¡°The Bynes family is not a loyal breed. Depending on how much his humiliation hits the father¡¯s reputation, he may cut the son out and move on. Not from the family, but you can expect Calcifer to become society wallpaper, seen and not heard. I think it¡¯s more likely that the Aristocratic Faction leave you be. They know you¡¯re not a soft target, now, and you have too many mysteries. One of them just bit back, and smart political players don¡¯t pit themselves against the unknown if it poses any real threat. Not unless they have to. They probed and got bitten for their trouble. They¡¯re more likely to leave you be than risk making you an enemy.¡±


    ¡°Well, that sounds nice,¡± Jason said. ¡°I just don¡¯t know if I have the kind of luck where the bad guys have a go, get spanked and then cut their losses.¡±


    Announcement:


    Today and tomorrow mark the final chapters before the series goes on break until February.